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pocket-luv101 · 2 years

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Desert Roses // Chapter 2

Fandom: Genshin Impact Ship: CynoNari

Summary: Cyno and Tighnari have an arranged marriage to end the conflict between the desert and rainforest. Later, Tighnari discovers a box that could hold the truth behind the disappearance of the Scarlet King and the Goddess of Flowers.

Ch.1 // (Ch.2) // Ch.3 // Ch.4 // Ch.5 // Ch.6 //

“How was your audience with the king?” Tighnari asked Cyno. They couldn’t discuss his meeting in front of a child so they told her that Cyno wanted to give him a tour of his new home. The palace garden was already stunning to Tighnari and its long halls were even more so. The architect of the desert contrasted the buildings found in the rainforest. He admired the mural on the wall made from paint and clay. As he walked, the life of the Scarlet King was told through paintings.

They passed the Scarlet King’s final moments. The portrait portrayed a sober scene of the sun being eclipsed by vines, thorns and flowers. The desert believed that their god’s disappearance was because the Goddess of Flower had him captive. As humans, there was nothing his people could do but preserve his memory and pray for his return.

The mural contrasted the folklore the rainforest told of the two gods’ fate. He recalled the countless stories of how their beloved Goddess was killed by the Scarlet King. Tighnari knew that it was best not to comment on the portrait and its validity. While he was the type of person who never hesitated to correct others, it was unnecessary when no one knew which version was true.

“The king wishes to hold a banquet to welcome you to the desert.” Cyno’s answer was short and Tighnari knew that there was more he didn’t tell him. He wondered if he kept parts of their conversation a secret due to the king’s order or his own distrust. Tighnari touched his neck and thought of their wedding night. If Cyno didn’t trust him, he would’ve claimed him as a mate to ensure his loyalty to the desert.

“I assume he plans to judge my character as well. There’s no need to be so roundabout with the issue, Cyno. There are many who wish for one of us to break the treaty and return to war. The best solution is to communicate with each other.” He told him. Cyno respected Tighnari’s strength and composure despite the situation they were in. He was surrounded by strangers in the desert yet he faced them with pride.

Tighnari tilted his gaze up at him and Cyno was drawn into his determined eyes. His eyes were a mixture of turquoise and amber, framed by long lashes. He could see the rainforest in those eyes. Cyno looked beyond Tighnari to the portrait of the Scarlet King looming over them. “Our ruler will not ask anything of you at the banquet. He knows there are already loyal Eremites who will confront you about the war. Be careful not to say anything to provoke them.”

“My mother told me that my sharp tongue would offend someone one day. Hopefully, it’s not tonight.” Tighnari laughed sarcastically.

“Maybe if everyone in the room gets drunk enough, the night will go smoothly.” Dehya joked and nudged Cyno with her elbow. He barely reacted to the small jab because his focus was on the royal families and Eremites attending the party below. They stood next to the entrance and waited for the king to finish his speech. “This treaty has approval and it will bring peace to our kingdom. Do you believe that?”

“Are you referring to the former or latter statement? No matter which it is, we need to do what’s best for everyone.” Tighnari’s voice reached them from further down the hall. Cyno was told that his race had sharp hearing but he didn’t expect for him to overhear their conversation from such a distance. “I’m sorry for making you wait. Even with Candace’s help, I’m not accustomed to these clothes.”

Cyno turned around to greet Tighnari but the words were caught in his throat when he saw him. Tighnari wore regal robes with a green shawl tied around his shoulders. A thin, gold chain circled his head and stood out among his dark hair. He was draped in fine fabric but the memory of Tighnari on their wedding teased him now.

“Compliment your husband, Cyno!” Dehya slapped his shoulder and pulled him out of his thoughts.

“You look beautiful.” Cyno said. Tighnari found himself hoping that the compliment was genuine and not merely for the sake of their arranged marriage. In the back of his mind, he wondered why the question was important to him.

“Thank you, Cyno. You’re handsome as well. The ribbons of your helmet are a little tangled so let me fix them for you.” Tighnari reached up and straightened the long strip of clothes. Throughout their journey across the desert, Cyno wore a long cloak. The General Mahamatra uniform he wore resembled the deity, Anubis, and it suited him.

The king finished his speech and they were called forward to join the banquet. Tighnari stood in front of the crowd and the weight of their stares fell onto his shoulders. He was accustomed to people watching him because they were curious about his tall ears. His sharp senses allowed him to hear each whisper from the crowd. _That’s the fox from the rainforest. Could he be a spy for them? We shouldn’t trust him. _

He ignored their comments and walked past them to the head of the table. He sat down with Cyno beside him. The guests returned drinking and enjoying the music and he hoped it meant they would be less focused on him. His race was known for being solitary creatures but Tighnari didn’t mind socializing with others. If the treaty didn’t loom over them, he would’ve tried to discuss his theories with the scholars.

“You’re quite resilient, Tighnari.” Candace said. She sat to his right and he reasoned that she had a prominent title to sit at the head of the hall as well. “Cyno asked me to help you prepare for the banquet because he was worried that you’ll be overwhelmed. It appears there was no need. The desert is harsh but even a flower can flourish here.”

“Cyno asked you to help me?” He echoed and turned to Cyno. Tighnari thought he saw a small blush on his cheeks but he turned away before he could be certain. He was touched that he asked Candace to help him but he would’ve preferred if he spoke to him first. “You could’ve talked to me, Cyno.”

“Don’t hold your breath waiting for him to answer you. If you have any questions, you should find Candace. You can come to me as well but my assistance is costly. I’m a mercenary.” Dehya sat between them and aimed a subtle smirk at Cyno. “He doesn’t talk and, the rare times he does, it sounds like a puzzle. I was shocked when I heard that he found himself a pretty mate.”

“Why must you talk about me as if I’m not here?” He asked and took a sip from his wine cup.

“You can avoid this conversation by taking your mate to dance.” Dehya’s words were more of a challenge to Cyno than a suggestion.

“I would prefer to sit here and talk.” Tighnari said. He decided to spare Cyno from Dehya’s lighthearted teasing and changed the topic. “The palace garden is beautiful. I read about plants from the desert and my father bought a few samples back from his expeditions. However, reading about a subject and experiencing it is much different.”

“Your father visited the desert for an expedition? It’s difficult to gain clearance to enter the kingdom during a time of war. The desert values knowledge as the rainforest does. What does your father study?” Candace asked.

“Insects. My mother is a paleontologist. They thought I would become a scholar as well but I chose to join the Forest Watchers. I can see the forest thriving directly. I’m glad they were supportive of my decision.” He told them of his work in the forest. “I can’t count the number of times I had to stop someone from befriending a dangerous tiger. My knowledge in medicine comes in useful at least.”

“I’ve had my fair share of troubles stopping kids from straying too far from the village.” Candace and Tighnari began to discuss their jobs, from the battles they faced and the smaller aspects others overlooked. The rainforest and desert were different but their jobs were surprisingly similar. Cyno watched them interact and the relieved smile Tighnari had. He was glad that he found a friend.

Time passed quicker than Tighnari expected. The music, food and dancing complimented the festive atmosphere of the banquet. However, he couldn’t fully allow himself to relax. Tighnari felt someone’s sharp gaze on his back. He could sense its general direction but he couldn’t say who was watching him. He subtly glanced at the table where the king sat.

Tighnari leaned towards Cyno and said: “I forgot to ask you something before the party. Do any of the merchants sell Nilotpala Lotuses? I want to make medicine for Collei.”

“I can take you to a shop that sells them. I doubt anyone here will miss us or notice us leave.” Cyno agreed once he mentioned medicine for Collei. Since he performed the ritual to subdue the god with her, he felt a responsibility towards. His job kept him from helping her as much as he wanted to. He stood and waited for Tighnari to say goodbye to Candace and Dehya before they left.

Before they could leave, a voice stopped them. A man stood from the king’s table where Tighnari had felt eyes glaring at him. “Is this party not good enough for a fancy forest folk? You don’t even have enough manners to address your new king before you leave. I shouldn’t expect anything else from a fox who betrayed the Scarlet King to live in the rainforest.”

“Rahman, this isn’t the place for a debate.” Cyno spoke in a low voice that carried across the now silent room. Rahman was a devout follower of the Scarlet King but he didn’t expect him to confront Tighnari so openly. “Sit down.”

“I’m not talking to you, General Mahamatra.” Rahman didn’t move his glare from Tighnari as he spoke. “Your race was once close with the Scarlet King, do you think he could be cruel enough to kill another goddess and then abandon his people?”

“I cannot say what happened between the Scarlet King and the Goddess of Flowers. Neither can you.” Tighnari walked to the table and faced Rahman with unwavering eyes. “My ancestors were vanguards for the Scarlet King and then they travelled to the rainforest. The Valuka Shuna survived by working with others and we wouldn’t have chosen to work with either deity if they were cruel.”

“Our treaty is dependent on a man with no loyalty.” Rahman placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Tighnari instinctively placed his hand over his vision but he stopped himself from attacking. Even if he brought his bow to the banquet, he couldn’t fight the man. The room was already tense and escalating the situation would endanger the guests.

Cyno silently moved between Tighnari and Rahman, his spear in his hands. He didn’t say a word but it was clear he would protect Tighnari. They both waited for the other to sheath their weapon first. The king finally spoke. “Perhaps you should take your mate to see the garden, General Mahamatra.”

“We were already leaving.” Tighnari muttered beneath his breath.

Tighnari thought over the banquet after they returned to the room that he shared with Cyno. He went through the motions of removing his jewellery because his mind was occupied with worries. When he corrected the man, he expected an argument but he didn’t think Rahman’s animosity would lead to a fight. He could only imagine what the king’s court thought of him now.

He walked to the tall window and he parted the curtain to peer outside. No matter where in the world he was, the same moon would watch over him. He took comfort in that. Tighnari was a practical person and, usually, he wouldn’t lean on something so sentimental. His back was to the room but he heard the door open behind him. From the footsteps, he knew that it was Cyno. The curtain slipped from his fingers as Tighnari turned to face him.

“I thought you would be asleep already. Are you having trouble? I can ask Collei to bring you some tea.” Cyno offered. He didn’t know whether he should ask him anything further. Sometimes he wished he was better at reading people and speaking with them. He had trouble speaking with the Matra at times. He could see that Tighnari was already tired and it might be better to let him sleep.

“Are you thinking of a joke to cheer me up like on your wedding night? That might make this conversation more awkward. We can’t change the past so let’s not dwell on it.” Tighnari sat on the edge of their bed. He looked at the window and watched the wind play with the white curtains. The fabric was thin and moonlight was able to filter into the room. “The desert is hot but there’s a nice breeze after the sunsets. Can we keep the window open?”

Cyno started to argue that it was dangerous because someone could enter their room and attack him. The treaty was little protection for Tighnari, especially after the banquet. Those arguments became mute when he noticed the longing in Tighnari’s expression. He nodded and said, “I’ll sleep on the right side of the bed tonight.”

Cyno wanted to sleep closest to the window so he could protect Tighnari in case someone did enter their room. He stood next to the bed and a gold box on the nightstand caught his eye. He helped move his luggage into the room and he would’ve remembered seeing such a unique box. Tighnari must’ve noticed him staring because he took the box.

Tighnari held the box between them. He hooked his pinky beneath the silver chain and tugged on it lightly. “I found this outside the gate. I was hoping to study the box after the party. The box has an ancient script from the rainforest. To my desert rose and the king who holds my heart. Do you know who this box could belong to?”

“It’s nearly impossible that something from the rainforest would be so deep in the desert.” Cyno leaned down to examine the locked chest. He ran his thumb over the chain and searched for the lock holding them in place. The box was small and their fingers brushed together. He was focused on the roses and he didn’t notice how Tighnari’s ears twitched at the light touch. “There isn’t a keyhole to open the box. The chain looks thin enough for us to break.”

“This is clearly meant to be a gift and we shouldn’t break it so thoughtlessly.” Tighnari stopped Cyno and held the tiny box against his chest. Cyno was curious about the box but it was obvious that it held more significance to Tighnari.

“There might be something inside that will give us a hint of who made the box or the person it was meant for.” He pointed out and he couldn’t give a rebuttal.

“Perhaps the keyhole is too small for us to see. I’ll try to find it.” Tighnari set the box on the table and then he placed his dendro vision next to it. He controlled a thin vine and he wove it between the chains. Closing his eyes, he connected his senses to the vine and searched the gold surface for holes. The box held firm. “Maybe someone with a geo vision will be better.”

“I have an electro vision.” Cyno leaned against the table and tapped the green marble of Tighnari’s vision. Sparks of lightning coursed through the vine and Tighnari could feel the measured power. A growing light forced Tighnari to open his eyes. He assumed the light was from the elemental reaction. His brows furrowed when he found that the silver chain was glowing. “Watch out, Tighnari!”

Cyno sensed an ancient power from within the box and he quickly pulled Tighnari back. He couldn’t take him out of the room before the box burst open. He instinctively held Tighnari against his chest to protect him and braced himself for the impact. A moment passed and Cyno felt a soft petal fall onto his shoulder. He hesitantly looked back to the box.

“Desert roses?” Tighnari became breathless when he found that the room filled with the extinct flower. They were no longer in the palace and he couldn’t say where they were. Darkness surrounded them with only the pink glow of the flowers to provide light. He didn’t want either of them to become lost so he took Cyno’s hand and pulled him closer to the roses. “Do you know where we are?”

“The air is dry so I think we’re still in the desert. Beyond that, I can’t say.” Between travelling for his job and his own research, he was familiar with most of the ruins in the desert. He didn’t recognize where they were though. Cyno stepped closer to the wall and said, “Give me a minute to read these hieroglyphs. I studied the gods and ancient seals in school.”

He reached out to move the glowing rose closer to the hieroglyphs so he could read them easier. Tighnari stopped him by lightly pushing his hand away.

“Be careful not to touch the flower, Cyno. These are the Adenium variant of desert roses. Its sap can be poisonous but my race has a resistance to it.” He cupped his hand around the flower bud and carefully turned it in his hand. His expression was pensive as he examined the flower. “Commonly, their rootstocks are thick. You never see them growing out of the wall as vines like these ones.”

He began to list different facts about the flower and the subtle excitement in his voice drew Cyno into his explanation. He wasn’t interested in botany but he found his short botany lesson engrossing. His words eventually trailed off. He dipped his pinky into the flower and then he licked the sap from his finger.

Tighnari gasped when Cyno took his hand. “You shouldn’t lick poison even if you’re immune to it.”

“This isn’t a real desert rose. Even if I didn’t know they were extinct, I don’t sense dendro energy from these flowers. I wanted to test my theory.”

“Do you often eat strange things for your research?”

“It’ll be unethical to have someone test it on my behalf. I’m careful not to try anything that would truly make me sick.” Tighnari said and folded his arms across his chest. Cyno didn’t know whether he should call him dedicated to his research or irresponsible. He could only conclude that Tighnari was different from the researchers he knew. “Let’s focus on learning where we are and how to return to the palace.”

“It’s dark so stay by my side so we’re not separated.” Cyno suggested. He picked up the golden box that had dropped between them. He didn’t fully understand how or why they were sent to the tomb but it must’ve had a connection to the box.

#genshin impact #cynonari #cyno and tighnari #genshin impact cyno #genshin impact tighnari #fanfiction

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agentnico · 2 years

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Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) Review

Doctor Strange WISHES he was everything everywhere all at once. But nope. That strange fella is NOTHING! He’s NOWHERE! He’s....what’s the opposite of ‘all at once’? Later? Dribs and drabs? Oh I dunno, you get what I mean. Multiverse shmultiverse!

Plot: An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

The only things I’ve watched prior to this of the directors’ Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (who collectively call themselves the Daniels) works was the 2016 Swiss Army Man that featured Paul Dano hanging out with Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse, and back then I should’ve expected that these two will not limit themselves there upon how much weirdness they can cram into one movie. So now we get A24′s Everything Everywhere All At Once, that brings us the real multiverse of madness, no shade towards Doctor Strange with the same name. Look, it’s difficult not to compare these two movies seeing as they both released so close to one another and happen to handle the concept of the multiversal theory. Oh, and there’s also that little factor of star Jamie Lee Curtis starting a social media feud against Doctor Strange showing that she is errr... very passionate about being part of Everything Everywhere All At Once. Throwing around comments how her film “out marvels any Marvel movie they put out there” or how Doctor Strange did a “copycat” poster, or comparing dick sizes, sorry, budget sizes of the two movies. “COMPETITIVE? Fuck YES. I wasn’t head cheerleader in high school for nothing” screams Curtis, and I’m not going to lie, I am living for her self proclaimed internet war against Marvel. Totally unnecessary but 100% entertaining. Anyway, my lovely fiancée brought my attention to Curtis’ vocal proclamations and we both agreed we should go see her “little MOVIE THAT COULD AND CAN AND IS CRUSHING the box office” and see if her words had much ground. And yes, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths after seeing it, so we were hoping for some better multiversal mayhem.

To put it simply, Everything Everywhere All At Once is amazing! It’s difficult to talk about what its about, since the title is very accurate with the movie being this beautiful blend of ideas and genres. It’s a science fiction, a black comedy, a drama, a fantasy, a martial arts film, a family film, absurdism and even an animation at one point. It’s got moments of real emotion, like truly some scenes at the end really got to me and I didn’t tear, but gosh was I close. It’s also really funny, but it’s the kind of humour I was shocked to see in a film. You know when you’re with your mates and you talk hypotheticals or outlandish scenarios that you find absolutely hysterical but then if some stranger heard you they’d think you were a total wacko. Well this movie is filled with those kind of ridiculous moments and concepts and that was a cause for some very solid comedy. Not the laugh-out-loud kind of humour, but the kind where you’re like “WHAT??” and “did they actually just do that??”. I’m not gonna spoil any of these moments, but I’m just gonna say hot dogs and Ratatouille. Once you see this film and see it you should, you will know what I am referring to.

For all its wackiness and bizarreness, this movie at its heart is filled with thought-provoking, emotionally resonant themes about family, existentialism and the role we play in the universe, let alone the multiverse. The idea of acceptance and staying true to who you are and not having regrets for the choices you’ve made, will make, or have not made, at the end of the day you are you, I am I, he is he and honestly I’ve lost my train of thought. I don’t know where I was going with this. Regardless, this movie gives you the feels and it gives you the thoughts. However bringing it back to the multiversal concept, the film does something truly unique and original with that idea. Instead of simply having the main character Evelyn (played superbly by Michelle Yeoh by the way) jump from one reality to another and doing whatever she wants, the entire idea here is that you can not necessarily go into a different universe, but you can’t connect with your alternate self and develop skills from that alter-ego to then use in your own reality. Naturally the more alternate selves you meld with the more reality begins to distort and you begin questioning which reality was the original one, but I must say this take on the multiverse, though I still have a few questions on certain technicalities, was a very cathartic experience to watch. But what adds to the brilliance is that even though we get a lot of multiversal madness and randomness, it all still managed to connect to the movie’s central themes. Even the most weirdest oddities still in some capacity build up towards the overall story and its characters. Its both disorganised yet so interconnected and to the point.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a wildly original feature filled to the brim with unique visual gags, and its truly one of the more unrepeatably eccentric films to come in cinemas this year. I forgot to even mention the cast, they are all great. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis all do their part. Heck even Jenny Slate who I usually find annoying is used to good use here. This movie is sensational and the only knit pick I have is that the first 30 minutes are hard to get through. It’s a lot of fast talking and very sporadic and I was confused for a good ol’ while but then once I got onto the movie’s eccentric level I bought into it fully. I’m sure once I re-watch it I’ll be able to enjoy even those first 30 minutes. But nothing is disputing the fact Everything Everywhere All At Once is remarkably unique and entertaining. And hell, I may just absolutely love it. Yet in a different universe I probably hate it. In another one I haven’t even seen it. In another universe I simply don’t exist. In another, the universe isn’t even a thing and gosh golly I feel I am experiencing EXISTENTIALISM!!!

Overall score: 8/10

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killingitreservoirdogsstyle · 2 years

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A Film Analysis and Insight Into Reservoir Dogs and Quentin Tarantino ( A High School Creative Writing Essay )

This below is an essay I wrote for a creative nonfiction unit for my high school creative writing class in the past while that I have decided to post here online for all of you to view and see. Be aware that I have put all of my citations, sources, and information below so you may look at it if you’d like and so that I am not plagiarizing. I do not own Reservoir Dogs, its characters, themes, or claim to know the mind of Quentin Tarantino himself whatsoever--I am merely expressing my love for Reservoir Dogs in this way that I felt was acceptable. I also ask you to please pardon any unnecessary jabs I take at him or the movie, as it is for a reason. I attended a stricter conservative online school where it was not acceptable for me to gush too much about this film without balancing it out with some criticisms, which is fine. Please forgive me though for this grievance, it is out of necessity that I did it. I adore this movie and love it despite its violence and problematic characters and context. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this essay and can find something to enjoy in it.

A Film Analysis and Insight into Reservoir Dogs and Quentin Tarantino

Certain films have an almost Shakespearean quality to them, dramatic, over the top, stylized, individual, and above all, cinematic. They are outstanding in the film world, iconic in name, or director, or actors, or even special effects and cinematography. Legendary or not in Hollywood mythology, we remember them and continue to do so—each generation getting something new out of them with each viewing. They are like plays on the big screen, theatrical and provoking our imaginations and deep rooted love of storytelling and narratives. Humans have always loved stories. It is a part of our very being. Aboriginal peoples of Canada and many Indigenous and other tribal communities passed down valuable lessons and traditions through oral storytelling. Literature is based on storytelling. History in and of itself is one glorified monolith of a story. We are constantly surrounded by stories, some remaining firmly in our lexicons and mindsets, imprinting on us as unique singular people. There are few directors who are able to achieve such mastery and expertise in regards to telling stories in film, and those who do are highly regarded. You will often hear of such giants of cinema as James Cameron ( Avatar and Titanic ), Orson Welles ( Citizen Kane ), Francis Ford Coppola ( The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now ), Christopher Nolan ( Interstellar and Inception ), Ridley Scott ( Alien and Blade Runner), George Lucas ( Star Wars ), Joel and Ethan Coen ( Fargo and No Country For Old Men ), Stanley Kubrick ( Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb and Clockwork Orange ), Martin Scorsese ( Taxi Driver and Goodfellas ), Brian de Palma ( Carrie and Scarface ), and many more in the discussion of film. All of these directors possess the unique ability that is a perfect wielding of storytelling on the silver screen with an almost supernatural prodigality. Blockbusters or independent, there are certain movies and directors that embody this gift brightly and brilliantly—but one man and his work stand out as one of the shiniest examples of being bestowed with the blessing of wild creativity, fervid imagination, and above all, a comprehensive and unique perspective on cinema and movie-making as a whole.

Quentin Tarantino is many things, and depending on who you ask, he is either a god of film or a disturbed and pretentious bigot hiding in the shadows behind the despicable Harvey Weinstein. Whatever your opinion, there is no denying that he is one of the many representations of the creative mind at its best and most flourishing. No matter what genre or subject matter he tackles in his movies, you can always expect ingenuity, razor sharp wit, style, and the conscious knowledge of a genius at work. Moviegoers are not forced to agree with the content in his films nor even necessarily like them—rather it is identification with the bursting stories, incredible cinematography, and his individual perspective on the world and movies that makes a Tarantino film. He uplifts cinephiles and film nerds and relabelled them as the cool kids, having been a video store clerk and passionate film lover himself. He does not simply watch movies or create them. He isn’t confined by rigid rules of the way films should be made. Tarantino lives in movies, his own or in others. In flesh and blood he experiences grief, anger, evil, psychopathy, and the experiences his characters go through. He digests the themes of his subjects thoroughly instead of detaching or assuming. Above all, he possesses a gift of innate wisdom and insight into any movie that he makes. When talking about Tarantino and his vast catalogue of films it is best to start from the beginning, when arguably he is at his best and most realised as a filmmaker. This film review will focus on the ingeniousness of Tarantino’s iconic debut movie Reservoir Dogs, and how it changed cinema, storytelling, and the way we view and understand films as a whole.

Reservoir Dogs was intentionally given a timeless aesthetic appearance, a fusion of Seventies crime films and 90’s industrialism in the gritty settings of Los Angeles streets and warehouses in this adrenaline dump of a movie about a jewel heist gone wrong. There are very few locations in this film, all culminating into “ a boiler room of tension ” as Steve Morris called it in the Cine-Files podcast episode on Reservoir Dogs. We begin the film at a bustling café where the criminals gorge on their breakfasts, sip coffee, and smoke as Tarantino’s character lectures the others about the suggestive meaning of the Madonna hit “Like A Virgin '' before launching into a spontaneous argument about the ethics of tipping waitresses in a capitalist society. In a fantastic slow motion shot, the Reservoir Dogs are then seen leaving the restaurant, suit-clad and sunglasses-wearing figures on their way to commit the heist that looms over the movie like a dark shadow. Not only does this scene illustrate the nature of the characters and sets the stage for what is to be one of the most jarring film experiences in cinema, but it also showcases the bloodthirsty ferocity that Tarantino’s movies became famous for. In between the nonlinear storyline, viewers are taken to the alternating locations of the heist organizer’s office where we see two characters agree to the job, the rendezvous point of an abandoned warehouse in suburban Los Angeles that the film’s climax takes place in, a hazy nightclub that the criminals converse in, and are placed into the cover story of the undercover cop character of the story. All of these locations are chosen with a masterful understanding of style and plot importance and they drive the storyline with the help of a dynamic ensemble cast to bring Reservoir Dogs to full fruition.

There are five characters in this movie who arguably are all on equal footing in terms of the protagonist title—criminals and jewel thieves using aliases of colors who are all tossed together into a shoddy operation by a underboss and his spoiled hotheaded son, they each have their own distinctive personalities made larger than life by stunning performances from a cast of talented minds.

Mr. Orange, real name Freddy Newandyke, played by Tim Roth is an undercover cop with the LAPD who infiltrates the catastrophic robbery the movie follows. A rookie playing the role of a bad guy, Roth was particularly interested in the role when approached by his agent, according to the unofficial biography of Quentin Tarantino written by film enthusiast Ian Nathan—due to the fact that he was a British actor pretending to be American in the role of a cop pretending to be a criminal, the duality was fascinating to Roth. Boyishly handsome looks translate into his inexperience, as he learns how to play the role of a rough and tough criminal with a great amount of effort on his part. It is not unlike the way Roth had to take on the facade of the poker-faced bluffer in real life to successfully pass as his part in the film.

Mr. White, or Larry Dimmick, is seasoned actor Harvey Keitel’s character and the veteran criminal of the gang of rough and tough brutes. A profane grizzled professional, he embodies cold criminal precision in a concrete example. Yet he possesses a hidden emotional side of his character, developing a close bond with Freddy Newandyke/Mr. Orange over the course of the movie. This connection presents as platonic and like a father-son relationship yet there is a prominent subtext of homoeroticism when analyzed closer under the scrutinous eye of the watcher. Keitel was the one who raised the budget of Reservoir Dogs to a million dollars when it was in its infancy stages into a funded blockbuster, acting as the lynchpin of the project with his sway and status within the Hollywood community and film industry. Iconic Steve Buscemi character Mr. Pink is a highly neurotic, paranoid, smarmy personality who stands out as unique amongst the lineup of characters in the film. Easily the most intuitive and perceptive of the bunch, he is obviously experienced in matters of criminality, calling multiple bluffs of the others Dogs and positing the very true reality that one of them is an undercover police officer despite being met with vigorous disbelief from his partners in crime. Whether through his bizarre beliefs on tipping, pop culture rants, or bravado of tough masculinity, he is one of the best creations in the Tarantino cinematic universe to date. It is also a young Buscemi at his peak as an up and coming East Coast actor with the chops to play in the big league, as proven throughout his stunning performance in Reservoir Dogs. It is theorized that Pink is the only character left alive at the gruesome end of the film, his whereabouts afterwards left ambiguous and unexplained by Tarantino.

Mr. Blonde/Vic Vega was a tricky part for the grizzled Michael Madsen to play as he was a notorious family man with a strong aversion to any form of violence; stated to be the brother of John Travolta’s Vincent Vega in future project and movie phenomena, Pulp Fiction. Yet Madsen is dazzling as the psychotic bloodthirsty Vic Vega, a jailbird recently released from prison after keeping silent about the employer of a previous job he did for the Cabots, the shadowy figures who preside over the Dogs with a dark masterful hand of manipulation and corruption. He is quite close to the Cabot patriarch and his son in particular, once again showcasing a homoerotic subtext that is expressed by the two characters in a passive jest. Mr. Blonde acts as the movie’s main antagonist, although it is questionable as to whether or not the Reservoir Dogs as a whole are villains or if their evil is excusable on the basis of where each of them fall on the spectrum of morality. Nevertheless he is framed as the catalyst of the elevated tensions between the characters towards the middle and ending of the movie, meeting the fate of a bullet to the gut by Mr. Orange after torturing a police officer he kidnapped for information—the scene of which is set to Stealer’s Wheel and Madsen’s gleeful dancing whilst he hacks off the cop’s ear in a disturbing yet comedic manner that has become the singular most famous moment in the entire film. Harvey Weinstein wanted it cut much to Tarantino’s chagrin but ultimately it was kept to his delight. No gore is present throughout the entire affair next to some minor bloodshed, yet it was enough to sweep Tarantino into cinema mythicality and solidify him as a force to be reckoned with.

In the role of Mr. Brown, Quentin Tarantino demonstrates his, what is arguably mediocre, acting skills as the coiffed foul-mouthed innuendo spewing getaway driver of the heist. He is a minor character in comparison to the others, a last minute decision on the part of Tarantino to play. Originally, it was him who would take the part of Steve Buscemi’s Mr. Pink, a character he favored out of the rest of the cast. However, Buscemi proved to be a better Pink than him, so he graciously wrote himself Mr. Brown. Sitting over breakfast in a cafe, he speaks the first lines of the movie, a diatribe pondering about the true meaning of the Madonna smash hit, ‘Like a Virgin’ and arguing back and forth with his contemporaries as to whether or not it is a thinly veiled reference to a deep romantic relationship or an extremely satisfactory sexual encounter. Though having little lines, Tarantino managed to be convincing enough as one of the five gangsters involved in the heist.

Eddie Bunker’s Mr. Blue was a minor supporting character along the lines of Tarantino’s Mr. Brown. A crime writer and ex gangster, Bunker was brought on to play a small role alongside the main cast who would occasionally give Tarantino pointers in regards to the accuracy of the characters, circumstances, and jargon in the context of the Underworld and crime culture. Only receiving a few minutes of screen time, he is regarded as disposable and more of an indulgence to Tarantino’s inner geek rather than as a strong relevant actor who contributes anything to the film. Still, he is a fun character regardless of what difference he makes to the overall plot of the movie.

Nice Guy Eddie Cabot played by Chris Penn is the spoiled son of character actor Lawrence Tierney’s grizzled and gruff Joe Cabot, the diamond wearing hotheaded mobster rarely seen but prominent in a behind the scenes presence to the botched heist; whom Mr. Pink accused of orchestrating the disaster intentionally for the gain of having the loot without needing to worry about possible rats hindering him from escaping. The best friend of Vic Vega, he is affected to the point of physical violence when he discovers that Vega has been killed on allegations of psychopathy that turn out to be true much to his disbelief. Joe Cabot is equally as short-tempered as his son, livid over the failure of what was intended to be an easy job. Like Pink, he believes that there is an undercover cop in the midst of the group that he pins on Mr. Orange. This furious impulsiveness earns him a death by a bullet shot alongside his son in the film’s iconic Mexican standoff scene.

The plot surrounds a group of professional thieves of different walks of life who all come together in an operation to steal diamonds from a bank for a corrupt Underworld crime boss. After much planning that seems clear to them, the heist is launched but it all goes sideways much to their dismay. After rendezvousing at the appointed safe-house, the criminals try to figure out who is the rat amongst them as one of them slowly bleeds to death in this breathtakingly violent and pop culture laden crime film with many unpredictable twists and turns that started the independent film movement of the 1990s onwards.

While the general themes within Reservoir Dogs lean on conventional blockbuster tropes of its genre, in terms of action and suspense, I would argue that there are deeper ideas within the film that are about toxic masculinity, the dirty side of criminality, a glamorization of violence, and a commentary on society and the film industry from Tarantino’s unique perspective, especially when considered from the progressive stance of nowadays. In regards to overblown male ego, this is a recurring motif in not only Reservoir Dogs but within the constructs of nearly every single movie Quentin Tarantino creates, that is on full display throughout the course of this film in particular. To begin, there are no female cast members asides from the civilian woman Tim Roth kills and takes a bullet from in the middle of the movie—she was his dialect coach on set who aided him in perfecting the American jargon and dialogue of his character. Although I do not classify this as intentional sexism on anybody’s part necessarily, it is an important fact when looking at the portrayal and views of the opposite sex in this film. Blatant objectification and sexualization do occur however with examples of this being in the form of misogynistic conversations about the physical merits of attractive women, especially who are of African-American descent, in a way that is not meant to uplift but rather novelize; as seen in the car drive to the warehouse involving Buscemi, Penn, Keitel, and Roth, in which they discuss Pam Grier, Christie Love, and an off-screen character referenced by Nice Guy Eddie. Tarantino’s character’s speech about the meaning of Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” is another demonstration of this disgusting behaviour, giving us as the audience a clear insight into the mindsets of the Reservoir Dogs; how little value they have for the humanity of others of the same or opposite gender of which unfolds in the climax of the movie in the warehouse scenes. The frequent usage of racist and homophobic slurs in the movie represents the way these characters think, further lending them an irredeemability for their conduct. Spike Lee has been a critic of Tarantino’s almost trigger-happy tendency to use Problematic is this along with the way the movie treats violence. It presents a highly provocative cinematic image of effortless coolness for wannabes to strive for, inspiring modicums of thought that hold that criminality, bloodshed, and grey morality are acceptable because characters on the screen are doing said actions. Many people took issue with this supposed downplaying of the malice behind being a criminal when the film was released and continue to do so with each project Tarantino undertakes. The scenes most point to in Reservoir Dogs are the Stuck In The Middle With You sequence in which Michael Madsen’s coldhearted Mr. Blonde tortures a cop while horrifyingly swaying about to the famous Stealer’s Wheel tune in what is played for a macabre joke than anything out of substance. My opinion is that this visual elevates the movie into legend just by sheer boldness, though many would disagree with my assessment. Such other occurrences of violence made into a pleasurable fantasy are represented during Mr. Pink’s escape from the police after fleeing the scene of the crime, when he unloads a round of bullets on a group of cops, the Mexican standoffs, and the police versus criminal shootouts that take place. While some believe this is desensitizing to a very real issue, I believe that it should be taken with a grain of salt as it is a cinematic representation that does not remotely attempt to convey a message of committing immoral deeds on the basis of what was seen in a movie. Tarantino has justified the violence and harsh argot present in his movies as being “the way his characters talk” and not upholding them as the standard of good behaviour. Comeuppance is served out quite well in the end of the movie to all involved, though gruesomely, justice being dealt to those who did wrong. Their rampant pride, egotism, megalomania, and twisted sense of morale results in their downfalls, each paying for his hateful life in a way that is an indictment on corrupted masculinity; what happens when bigotry and brutality are allowed to fester unchecked by a society who has lifted its hand off the wheel.

The sociology surrounding the film is admirable, playing into tropes about identity, interaction, and individualism that recur throughout the movie—a lack of knowledge about their true identities, functioning as a group unit in a chaotic situation, and the fragmentation of said dynamic that devolves in Reservoir Dogs. An anonymous user on the gradesaver.com website wrote about it this way, in regards to the prevalent violence and themes of identity demonstrated in Reservoir Dogs:

“ The violence of Reservoir Dogs shocked audiences when it opened in 1992, as the level of violence it portrayed had not been seen in independent film up until this point. The violence, though has a purpose. It serves character as well as story. Mr. Blonde embodies violence and through him we are able to see the darkness that lies within an individual who's lived a life of crime. He represents an unpredictable type of violence. We also see what Mr. White, Pink and other members of the crew would deem 'necessary violence.' An example being when Mr. White kills the two cops chasing him, Orange and Brown, and when Mr. Pink asks if White killed any cops he confirms it and they are glad about it because cops are real people. But, they react differently when they speak of a young black woman who was killed as they view it as heinous. Finally, we see the Mr. Orange go from an excitement to be going undercover to the reality of seeing Mr. White kill men he works with, and then he himself killing an innocent woman while stealing her car. Once he experiences the violence first hand he feels the weight of it, and the price is heavy… In Reservoir Dogs, the characters don't know who's who as they all are given code names. So, when the diamond heist goes south when the cops arrive far earlier than they should it means there is a traitor in the crew. But, no one knows who it could, and one way of proving someone's identity as a criminal or a rat was to add up their acts of violence. If you killed a cop you were clean, if you took a bullet you were clean, if you went crazy more than likely you were clean. All of this leads to characters only being able to rely on what they believe about someone. Thus Mr. White believes Mr. Orange to be clean while Joe doesn't. The whole issue of who is who leads to no one escaping the violence with their life.”

These themes all play a crucial role in establishing the characters in their respective classes of evil and how it feeds into the idea of toxic masculinity gone horribly wrong right up from casual banter about racist, sexist, and homophobic ideas, all the way to the tipping of the scales when guns are pointed upon one another. It is a commentary about the villains under our noses, evil men who walk the streets much to our unawareness. Violence serves as a tool to deliver this virtue, but whether it was intentional or not is up for debate, I like to believe it was. While they are hard to stomach and process, Tarantino has never shied away from deep philosophical thematics in his films and it is clear as day in these scenes and in the whole of this one in particular when analyzed with a close eye. An entire essay could be dedicated to the abundance of noteworthy attributes Quentin Tarantino’s debut film has to its name, changing the way the world and the American culture thought of film thanks to its challenging of cinematic status quo, demolishment and renewal of classic tropes, and explosive imagery that ushered in the independent film movement of the 90’s. However, for the sake of generality, only the qualities that stand out the most will be referenced in this analysis. To begin, it is crucial to look at the context of this movie within the cultural zeitgeist at the time of its release. The movie industry in the 1990s was clamouring for a smash hit that would reinvigorate corporate and public interest after it had waned with the repetition of big buck blockbuster hits, in the action genre in particular, that had dominated the previous decade with only mild results in most cases. At the time, the indie film scene was relatively underground, with new inexperienced filmmakers putting out big hits such as sex, lies, and videotapes or Public Access, leaving film producers, directors, and moguls stunned. Tarantino was one of these independent filmmakers, a bonafide alumni of cinema who learned the tricks of the trade through watching movies and working as a video store clerk. He made his breakthrough by selling a screenplay for a movie entitled True Romance that was a mediocre success, nonetheless receiving fifty-thousand dollars for his script. The draft of Reservoir Dogs was sitting in his cabinet waiting for the right moment to come to fruition. Originally, Tarantino planned to record the movie alongside fellow video store employees and his dance aficionado friend, Lawrence Bender, in the roles for a low budget. Many companies had their interest piqued by Tarantino’s script for the film, of which was like nothing they had ever encountered. Eventually, it was the Miramax corporation under the Weinstein brothers that took the plunge and funded the film. After a fantastic ensemble cast was brought on, the script written, a short five-week shoot, and the final touches in place, Reservoir Dogs premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in October of 1992 to wild success amongst audiences who were blown away by the dynamite nonlinear storytelling, independent nature, masterful dialogue and iconic characters, the galore of pop culture references, and nauseated by its graphic violence that would soon become Tarantino’s bloody legacy. He proved that you didn’t need to be a film school graduate to love and make your own movies—all you need is drive, determination, and a whole lot of guts. The technical portions of what makes Reservoir Dogs unique is layered throughout the entire movie. Two shots are most jarring and important though, being imitated countless times in recent years in movies and pop culture. As the credits roll at the beginning of the film whilst the Dogs are leaving the cafe to commit their heist, a forever infamous slow motion shot of them walking suit-and-shades-clad rolls for a minute to the George Baker Selection tune “Little Green Bag”. This was done to showcase the coolness of the characters along with a nonverbal introduction to each of them in a manner that clearly shows their individual personalities separate from the whole of the group. The stylish look plays into the timeless retro aesthetic of Reservoir Dogs that has partially alongside Pulp Fiction resulted in the adjective ‘Tarantinoesque’ being coined to describe this gritty, edgy, and rough setting seen in his catalogue of films.

Visual merits are essential in any movie and so much so in Tarantino movies, Reservoir Dogs being the shining example of this inherent talent on his part. The latter shot is in the warehouse sequences where the shootouts, tortures, and final deaths happen create a unnerving and disturbing atmosphere that thrusts the audience into the dissolving cordiality between Pink, Orange, Blonde, White, and Nice Guy Eddie. It is an uncomfortable look into their heads, gripping the viewer with the same bracing for trouble as they feel. Tight camera angles achieve this effect perfectly, making it seem all the more real the further the criminals descend into paranoid and psychotic madness. The dialogue is another attribute worth discussing when it comes to Reservoir Dogs, a foul-mouthed series of pop culture homages, obscenities, slurs, and clever logical analyses that all drive the plot forward, in a way that removes the earnest stern facade associated with criminals from the characters to show they are merely ordinary people, and also serves as a whodunnit dissection narrative among themselves. Tarantino is known for his expert screenwriting, lacing profanities with eloquence at once in an intoxicating combination that has been replicated over and over again by numerous movies. Evidence of this is the quotability of his movies, within film itself and in the public too who can remember entire scenes of talky dialogue from a Tarantino film. This aggressive language and the violent feel of the movie are summed up beautifully by biographer Ian Nathan in his book on Tarantino:

“ Fractured tough-guys shielded in Ray Bans with their compendiums of L.A. street slang spliced into pop cultural sermons archived in his voluminous memory. He was a Method writer: all their voices flowed out of him like a river. He thrilled to the effect his characters were having on audiences and critics. He intended to shatter the ‘square dance’ mentality of Hollywood filmmaking. And the ear-slicing centrepiece, which garnered such notoriety, was the ultimate proof he could have the audience dancing to his fiddle. Drown the film in blood and the audience becomes anaesthetized. The nerve-jangling thrill of Tarantino is in anticipation of violence—in imagining what lies ahead. “

Dazzling and shocking violent imagery paired with breathing characters who take centre stage with their bloody antics became a staple of Tarantino movies, Reservoir Dogs being the first to prove this point. This movie was also a blatant call-out to the toffee-nosed haughty film school majors Tarantino likes to poke fun at, being an example of not needing classic training in a formal film school to be a director, destroying those boundaries in a steady swoop with Reservoir Dogs. That and Pulp Fiction subsequently after it would establish Tarantino as a household name, a mythical icon of the 1990s who would go on to be one of the most innovative moviemakers of his generation, influencing several films in its wake. If you can make it past the intense violence, political incorrectness, nonlinear story, and the constant pop culture allusions, than I would most definitely recommend watching Reservoir Dogs—not only to see Tarantino’s fantastic debut as a filmmaker and his brilliance at work, but to also see the way that cinema doesn’t have to conform to Hollywood’s traditional standards nor to our perceived ideas of what movies or movie watching experiences are. There is no question in my mind that this film will continue to endure and influence, leading many folks such as myself to want to pursue a career in directing, screenwriting, cinematography, or acting. It is not flashy in the way a Steven Spielberg film would be, nor is it a serious drama like the movies of Hitchcock, it isn’t even a big name headliner along the lines of James Cameron or Taika Watiti.

Yet, Reservoir Dogs continues to stay fresh, expressive, bold, and utterly singular in its uniqueness to this day, thirty years exactly after its release in 1992. My reasons for recommending this movie aside from personal bias include for the revolutionary filmmaking at a technical and experiential level, a lesson to any film student and aspiring filmmaker desiring to make their name. Cinephiles and ordinary moviegoers would be in for an unforgettable experience watching it the first time around or rewatching it, something new offered with each viewing. Through Reservoir Dogs, you know Tarantino at a personal almost spiritual level, his identity, essence, and creative mark crystal clear throughout the very DNA of the movie, tapping into the prodigal mind of one of cinema’s most iconoclastic and laureled directors. One should see the movie not just exclusively for Tarantino, however. The phenomenal acting, highly quotable dialogue, fantastic action scenes, and adrenaline inducing tension unlike any other gangster, crime, or thriller film of its time and to this day are all valuable assets the movie has that are well worth seeing. Reservoir Dogs cannot be put into a box, a rare feat for a film to accomplish, and even rarer for it to find such a dedicated fanbase who adore it with such high regard next to countless other movies many would place it above. It is a nonconformist masquerade for the misfits, the niche, and the rebellious to beat their drum to, a symphony that has touched many despite its strange storyline and graphic gory sequences. Nonetheless, Reservoir Dogs itself continues to shine on as does Tarantino, who has been elevated to godhood in pop culture in spite of wokist calls for cancellation and blacklist along with conservative uproar that misses the real meaning behind his films. At the end of the day however, Quentin Tarantino reigns as an undisputed king within the elitist club of cinema legends, each film transcending the last as he matures, grows, and learns as a filmmaker. Still, Reservoir Dogs for me remains him at his absolute best, never to be topped or done out of. Many directors have asserted that there is a sort of gracefulness, an elegance, a highly theatrical-like element that filmmaking has, and if that is true, then Quentin Tarantino would be the Shakespeare of his time, Reservoir Dogs his breathtaking high velocity debut.

Works Cited For This Film Review

Bender, L., Hellman, M., Gladstein, R. N., Tarantino, Q., Keitel, H., Wallace, R. B., Rachtman, K., Heimann, B., Menke, S., Wasco, D., Sekula, A., Lesco, K., Bühler, M., Jones, I., & Fioritto, L. (1992). Reservoir dogs. Retrieved August 16, 2022.

Dargis, M. (1992, November 1). Manohla Dargis on Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. The online edition of Artforum International Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://www.artforum.com/print/199209/quentin-tarantino-s-reservoir-dogs-33499 Editors, W. (2022, August 15).

Reservoir dogs. Wikipedia. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservoir_Dogs

Morris , Steve, and John Rocha . 8 Reservoir Dogs ( The Cine-Files Podcast Episode ). Spotify, 4 Aug. 2016, Accessed 19 Aug. 2022.

Nathan, I. (2019). Reservoir Dogs. In Quentin Tarantino: The iconic filmmaker and his work. essay, White Lion Publishing.

Shone, T. (2017, October 8). The glorious bullshit of "Reservoir dogs," Twenty-five years later. The New Yorker. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-glorious-bullshit-of-reservoir-dogs-twentyfive-years-later

Srihari , P. (2017, November 24). Reservoir dogs turns 25: How Quentin Tarantino inspired a generation of indie filmmakers-entertainment news , Firstpost. Firstpost. Retrieved August 17, 2022, from https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/reservoir-dogs-turns-25-how-quentin-tarantino-inspired-a-ge neration-of-indie-filmmakers-4167459.html

Tarantino, Quentin. “Reservoir Dogs Themes.” GradeSaver, 19 Aug. 2022, https://www.gradesaver.com/reservoir-dogs/study-guide/themes.

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shannarous · 2 years

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Where did this hostility between the SS and NH fandom came from?

I remember before we became canon, we both had (most of the time) each others backs against the other shipping fandoms. But after both ships became canon, all of sudden both fandoms were at each others throat. Shippers who shipped both ships before, trash talked the other ship. I saw some SS shippers support NS and their hate towards Hinata (with these Hinata is only liked because of her boobs and only was after Naruto d*ck) and some NH shippers support SK and S*N*S claims against Sakura (like the Kar!n mother stuff and that Kar!n has a real reason to love Sasuke and Sasuke is unhappy with Sakura etc.).

Nowadays I have the feeling it is very rare to find shippers who wholeheartedly support both ships........

Very good question anon.

I think it started with some fans of both fandoms becoming jealous of the other for whatever reason. This ship has more screentime, that ship has more development... and then some kind of supremacy issues growing in both the Sakura and Hinata fandom. Sadly, all of this has spread among the fans. People started writing whole essays trying to explain why their ship or fav character is superior over the other, provoked by others, provoking others.

The fire kept burning and now there's only ashes left - as you said, now there's barely anyone wholeheartedly supporting both former "sister" ships, or at least they've become very, very quiet.

And to be quite honest, I'm no exception. This whole unnecessary supremacy fight has ruined NH a little bit for me. I still ship them, always will, and I still love both characters. But my "passion" for the ship has completely died down since the "sister ship wars" began.

#anon ask #sasusaku #still avoiding the other tag #no crosstagging yk #fandom hate

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jiannguo · 1 year

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Fat Shrimps Weibo Update 230122

Fat Shrimp Suggestion Book Tips

The golden tiger bids farewell to the old year, and the jade rabbit welcomes the spring. I wish you all a happy new year.

Happy Year of the Rabbit! As the Chinese New Year is approaching, we have a few tips to share with you:

1. During the upcoming holidays, I hope you all enjoy a good time, spend more time with your family, protect yourself and take good care of yourself and your health.

2. On the Internet, screens are separated, and different understandings of things are likely to cause various deviations, and there will always be people with ulterior motives who try to use different viewpoints to provoke wars. Here we hope that everyone can continue to remain calm and rational, so as to avoid unnecessary disputes and not participate in discussions on irrelevant matters. For malicious provocations, extreme rumors, and serious smearing content, you can promptly hang up or feedback to the platform and studio mailboxes.

3. Please respond to and abide by the special action requirements of "Qinglang · 2023 Spring Festival Internet Environment Improvement" as always, surf the Internet in a civilized manner, discuss rationally, oppose cyber violence, do not participate in or discuss spam, oppose supporting and ranking, and refuse extravagance and waste to show off wealth and worship money, etc behavior, do not discuss all kinds of false information of unknown origin. Start with yourself, actively maintain the Internet environment, and spread love and positive energy.

Finally, I wish you all the best, health, safety, fun and hope in the Year of the Rabbit. 🐰🐰

#xiao zhan #daytoyxiaozhan #daytoy肖战 #肖战daytoy #肖战xiaozhan #sean xiao #肖战 #untamed cast

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lenniharrisonsims · 2 years

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Behind The Scenes...

Solaire House, Del Sol Valley, 8:07a

Asst. Naima: ...and then we have you scheduled to give away the prizes at a county fair- produce, scholarship program, and of course a pie eating contest.

President Harrison Mitchell: Ooh, can I enter?

First Lady Hazel Mitchell: You don't need to enter a contest to get pie, my love.

President Mitchell: I guess I'm not used to this life of luxury yet, my dear.

First Lady Hazel: And there's time for the President and I to be at Jay's basketball game tonight?

President Mitchell: That's very important to me, to keep my schedule open for my children. I didn't run as a family man just to neglect them.

Asst. Derek: Of course, Sir.

Asst. Salma: Excuse me, Sir, I think you need to see this now.

President Mitchell: What is it?

Asst. Salma: A letter, Sir, from the Tsarina of the Simsdom Empire.

President Mitchell: Is that… Usual?

Asst. Salma: No Sir. The Empire has always been neutral with Del Sol- we have a trade agreement but nothing more.

President Mitchell: So this is… Serious. What does it say?

Asst. Salma: She begins by congratulating you on your recent election-

President Mitchell: How kind of her.

Asst. Salma: She then goes on to express that she understands this sort of communication is out of the ordinary for the relationship our two nations have, but she feels it important that you're kept aware.

President Mitchell: Go on...

Asst. Salma: Apparently, the Kingdom of Windenburg is provoking a war with the Empire and her allies.

President Mitchell: The Simsdom Empire is ten times as large and wealthy as Del Sol- is she asking for aid?

Asst. Salma: No Sir, she seeks only to warn you. Due to Del Sol's position on the coast, sandwiched between two of her allies- Oasis Springs and Willow Creek- she worries that you may be caught in the crossfires. She emphasizes that she does not ask you to pick a side, only that she wanted to warn you, as a friendly gesture.

President Mitchell: 'Friendly gesture' huh? Do we have intelligence on this? Derek?

Asst. Derek: There has been some rumblings of unrest in the West, sir, but we felt it wasn't relevant to your campaign, so it was pushed to the back burner.

President Mitchell: Bring it to the front burner then. I want to know everything possible about this impending war before I respond to the Empress. I will not be caught up in an unnecessary war within my first year of the presidency.

First Lady: Well said, my love.

Asst. Derek: Yes Sir.

(ft. a ton of @thedevilliers deco sims because they're incredible and I'm obsessed 😂)

#ivanov legacy #ts4 #ts4 legacy #ts4 simblr #behind the scenes #new characters!#del sol valley #president harrison mitchell #first lady hazel mitchell #tw: war

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aeoki · 2 months

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SS Finals - Epilogue 7

Location: SS Finals Live Stage Characters: Touri, Yuzuru, Wataru, Hiyori, Jun & Nagisa

Wataru: “♪~♪~♪”

“Now, the lengthy ‘SS’ is finally approaching its end! It will be an emotional grand finale thanks to you all!”

Ibara: “We hope you enjoy the festival right until the very end! Salute~♪”

Yuzuru: “Salute~♪”

Ibara: ……! You’re very clearly trying to provoke me! But I won’t pay any attention to you! How unfortunate!

Is it a hobby of every “fine” member to ridicule the losers!?

Yuzuru: No, no. I’m just happy to see you enjoying yourself.

I’m also having a lovely time right now. I simply wanted to share those feelings of happiness with you.

By no means am I trying to ridicule you. Not in the least.

Jun: Haha. You just sound even more suspicious, you know. Right, Ibara?

In the end, it’s a happy ending with everyone holding hands instead of fighting.

There’s no use in talking about who won or lost at this point in time, right?

Ibara: Hmph. It’s highly possible that the voting system wasn’t rigged at all, so no matter what the public’s opinion is of us, it doesn’t change the fact that we had certainly lost round after round.

It wouldn’t be strange for them to think that “fine” was more skilled in battle than “Eden”!

No, it’s because that’s exactly what the public is thinking that Yuzuru is acting all cocky on his high horse!

Yuzuru: Not at all – perish the thought ♪

Jun: Yeah. We lost all those rounds because of the “oracles” since Nagi-senpai was trying to make us lose on purpose.

Ultimately, we were the ones who managed to get everything working out as we had planned, so couldn’t you say we won in that sense? No?

Ibara: I suppose you could but all I’m left with are regrets!

Subjugating “Priest” was top-priority, so I wanted to have a straightforward battle with none of the unnecessary factors!

It was supposed to be a war! A clash of strategies and tactics! Ugh, I’m so frustrated! We definitely would have won that sort of battle with no room for argument!

Yuzuru: Hehe. It seems someone is being quite the sore loser ♪

Ibara: See, you do think “fine” was the one who won! Otherwise you wouldn’t have mentioned a sore loser!

But don’t be so arrogant!

Now that this year’s “SS” has ended up like this, I’m certain performance battles will gradually become obsolete starting the next year…

Ibara: But human instinct will always seek conflict!

There will be an opportunity for us to fight head-on with one another in the future, so I’ll use all the strategies that I have to bring you down!

Yuzuru: I’m looking forward to it, Ibara. It wasn’t much of a challenge this time, seeing as you were trying to lose on purpose…

And it’s true that I had wanted an exciting and thrilling battle.

The Young Master does not like that sort of thing at all, so I’m indeed feeling quite frustrated that I wasn’t blessed with such an opportunity.

Ibara: Hmph, you’re always like that! A soldier from the inside-out! A beast just like myself! Your true nature hasn’t changed despite having a collar around your neck!

Yuzuru: Hehe. I’ll pay attention to you from time to time, so don’t create unnecessary conflict, Ibara.

After all, it seems everything can be tidied up in a peaceful manner.

Ibara: Well, I suppose that’s true for now. Just for now, though.

Yuzuru: Even so, I will protect the peace the Young Master loves, his happiness and his ideal present – as his butler.

And as an individual idol.

Jun: I’ll lend a hand if that’s the case ♪ Most of my worries disappeared last year, so things have been pretty comfortable for me this year~!

Jun: So I’ll stop thinking about those complicated things and I’ll enjoy the moment! And in turn, I’ll make sure the people watching me are having a blast too~!

I think that’s what my stupid old man wanted in the end. He can’t move around much anymore, so even though it’s a hassle, I’ve got to grant that wish for him~

I’ll sing and dance on this heavenly stage right now for those people who have sunk to the bottom of the ocean!

“♪~♪~♪”

Wataru: Amazing! Magnificent! The only ones bickering are you and him, My Butler. Don’t you feel ashamed?

Yuzuru: It’s only because Ibara chose to randomly pick a fight with me. It appears he cannot stomach every single one of my actions.

Wataru: Hehehe ♪ My, aren’t you loved, Mr Butler! How lovely!

Yuzuru: That’s not love. Certainly not.

Wataru: Oh, you don’t know what love is? Eichi also mentions that on occasion – how strange! It’s only fun and interesting because you don’t know what it is, though!

Everyone knows what love is. After all, there is someone precious to you here who you’re always pouring your love and affection for!

Touri: “♪~♪~♪”

Hiyori: “♪~♪~♪”

…Are you feeling okay, Touri-kun? You can lean on me if you don’t feel well – I’ve got you ♪

Touri: I’m fine! I feel great – I feel like I could almost fly!

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂ Next Chapter →

#ss finals

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okilokiwithpurpose · 7 months

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Mobius identity theory 18

On with my 20 days of pre-TVA Mobius’ identity theories event!

[Edit: previous - next | Masterpost]

Day 18: Sorcerer Supreme

For today's theory, that may seem crazy but is not that crazy all things considered (if you ask me at least!), let's reflects on this possibility: what if Mobius was a human indeed, but an usually sort of human, versed in Magic? What if he was a Master of the Mystic Arts, protecting the Earth against mystical threats? And, to go a step further, what if Mobius somehow became Sorcerer Supreme?

I do have arguments:

Mobius would look absolutely badass in that majestuous flying cape (or any other ancient artefact that would have chosen him).

He would get along with Wong just fine!

Supreme Sorcerers (with the only known exception of the Ancient One), seem to be chosen among mustachioed individuals (see Stephen Strange's circle beard and Wong's more discreet but elegant mustache). It would thus be only logical for Mobius and his own glorious moustache to also hold the function!

The Sorcerer Supreme is the guardian of the Eye of Agamotto, the ancient relique containing the Time Stone. They're also only the only one allowed to use its power. As Sorcerer Supreme, Mobius would thus have had experience handling the flow of time. Amongst a multitude of variants, someone already familiar with the notion - and the dangers - of time travel may have had greater chances of having been selected to become a TVA "employee".

Mobius would most certainly have been a pretty good Sorcerer Supreme: responsible and dependable but not so "rigid" or "unmovable" that it would make him incapable to see that "sometimes one must break the rules in order to serve the greater good," to use the words of the Ancient One.

Mobius having been Sorcerer Supreme also allows me to introduce another crazy hypothesis I like a lot: that Mobius may have intentionally provoked his nexus event.

In infinity War, we've seen Doctor Strange using the power of the Eye of Agamotto to envision thousands of possible scenari in the hopes of finding a way to beat Thanos (and, well, he did find one!). The Ancient One also mentions she's had to capacity to see in the future up to the moment of her death. So, what if Supreme Sorcerer Mobius had done the same? What if he used the Eye of Agamotto to travel to the future - the many possible futures - in mind and realised his dimension - as well as every other ones - were in danger?

Would the Eye of Agamotto have allowed him to see inside the TVA? Maybe not, given the TVA's apparent impermeability to magic. It may have been unnecessary though! He may have watched the actions of TVA agents on Earth (might even have seen his future-self taking part in some missions!). He may have envisioned the Multiversal War, or Kang's variants actions after the fall of the TVA! Whatever he may have witnessed, he'd have acknowledged the necessity to free the Sacred Time Line, but also to protect the worlds from the troubles that would follow. He may have realized the only way for this to end in anything other than Kang's domination or the absolute collapse of all realities was for Loki to fracture the TVA and to face Kang(s)...and for Mobius to help Loki.

Being able to envision what would be probably also made Mobius aware of what should be - and what shouldn't. It was therefore easy for him to cause a nexus event and get arrested by the Time Variance Authority - for which he knew he would work, and where he knew he'd met Loki. His memories and temporary lack of freedom were a small price to pay to ensure the Multiverse's future (as well as it's past!).

We can also ask ourselves if Mobius did realize just how close to Loki he'd become...

#vmobius #lokius #loki season 2 #mobius identity theory #mobius identity theory 18

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urbanchristiannews · 1 year

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BREAKING WORLD WAR III NEWS: Daniel Whyte III, President of Gospel Light Society International, tells President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that it is bad enough that you all allowed speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to provoke the China BEAR and put us in this unnecessary volatile situation with China; please do not let Vice President Kamala Harris speak to war issues regarding China and Russia, lest we end up in an unnecessary war that we can't win because God is not with us. Mr President, please let Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin speak for America regarding war matters with China and Russia. By the way, Mr. President, if Charlemagne does not have confidence in the competence of your vice president to the point of wanting somebody else to be your vice president, then you are in a world of trouble. -- Vice President Kamala Harris says U.S. will defend Philippines in South China Sea. By the way, people, Daniel Whyte III adds, this statement by Vice President Kamala Harris is absolutely unnecessary and irrelevant.

BREAKING WORLD WAR III NEWS: Daniel Whyte III, President of Gospel Light Society International, tells President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that it is bad enough that you all allowed speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to provoke the China BEAR and put us in this unnecessary volatile situation with China; please do not let Vice President Kamala Harris speak to war issues regarding China and Russia, lest we end up in an unnecessary war that we can’t win because God is not with us. Mr President, please let Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin speak for America regarding war matters with China and Russia. By the way, Mr. President, if Charlemagne does not have confidence in the competence of your vice president to the point of wanting somebody else to be your vice president, then you are in a world of trouble. — Vice President Kamala Harris says U.S. will defend Philippines in South China Sea. By the way, people, Daniel Whyte III adds, this statement by Vice President Kamala Harris is absolutely unnecessary and irrelevant.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at the Puerto Princesa International Airport, Philippines, to visit a local village in Palawan on Tuesday.Haiyun Jiang / AP BREAKING WORLD WAR III NEWS: Daniel Whyte III, President of Gospel Light Society International, tells President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that it is bad enough that you all allowed…

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mariacallous · 1 year

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One of the Tory party’s leading Brexit supporters has raised concerns about plans to scrap 2,400 EU laws by the end of next year – as fears grow that the policy will overwhelm the civil service and bring government to a virtual standstill.

Former environment secretary Theresa Villiers, who backed Brexit in 2016, told the Observer that the proposals would take up vast amounts of civil service time and would involve undoing legislation that, in many cases, was broadly popular and good for the country.

Other senior Tories are growing concerned that the EU retained law bill, championed by Jacob Rees-Mogg before Rishi Sunak sacked him on becoming prime minister, is in danger of becoming an ideological millstone.

During his leadership campaign against Liz Truss, Sunak backed plans to strike as much EU legislation as possible from the UK statute book in what seemed like a bidding war for rightwing votes among the Brexit-supporting Tory membership.

But since he became prime minister there have been suggestions that he might water down the plans by extending the “sunset clause” for scrapping bills by three years to the end of 2026. But Tory whips fear that doing so will provoke a backlash from rightwingers led by Rees-Mogg.

Villiers – a former MEP – made it clear, however, that the Rees-Mogg proposals appeared unrealistic, and cited particular concerns about the effects of scrapping EU rules on the environment.

“We don’t even know exactly how many laws there are relating to the environment that would be impacted by the bill, but groups have counted up to 570 that need to be looked at in what is a relatively short period of time,” Villiers said.

“That is an immense amount of work to do, and my fear is that the work may not be completed by either the 2023 or 2026 deadline.”

Legislation such as the deposit return scheme – which was designed to encourage recycling of items such as plastic bottles and was broadly popular both with the public and the drinks sector – had taken years to get on to the statute book but was now under threat, Villiers said.

“That was committed to in 2018, so it’s been four years and it is not yet being implemented. That demonstrates that even relatively politically straightforward change isn’t that easy. And 18 months is demanding. We need to ensure the bill works.”

Some senior Conservatives believe that the bill will have to be, at the very least, extensively amended to make it less prescriptive, so it focuses only on pieces of legislation that are obviously redundant and easy to strike off the statute book, and that do not need to be replaced with replica UK laws.

Former cabinet minister Damian Green, who opposed Brexit, said there were real questions about what would be put in place of legislation that would be scrapped, and how fast that could be done. “My fear is a practical one. These regulations will need to be replaced in a very short space of time otherwise there will be laws with big holes in them” he said. “I hope someone in government has thought through the practicalities of this.”

Another Tory MP who opposed Brexit, Richard Graham, said: “The question for government is whether the sheer volume of laws that need conversion is a practical and desirable goal before the next general election. The alternative is to focus on a smaller number, where conversion leads immediately to changes – highlighting the opportunities of leaving the EU by amending our own laws. For many of us, that is both more practical and has more political benefit for those who voted to get Brexit done.”

Opposition to the bill is also mounting from business groups, legal experts and unions, all of which say it is causing unnecessary uncertainty over which laws will apply in just over a year’s time.

Jonathan Jones, who headed the government legal service from 2014 to 2020 and dealt with the complex legal challenges of Brexit, said: “I think it is absolutely ideological and symbolic rather than about real policy.”

A government spokesperson denied that there would be any major change to the bill, despite Whitehall sources confirming that there were signs of a rethink being under way.

The spokesperson said: “The government is committed to taking full advantage of the benefits of Brexit, which is why we are pushing ahead with our retained EU law bill, which will end the special legal status of all retained EU law and make it more easily amended, repealed or replaced.

“This will allow us to ensure our laws and regulations best fit the needs of the country, removing needless bureaucracy in order to support jobs, whilst keeping important protections and safeguards.”

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tanadrin · 2 years

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National Convention: are there local political and material conditions that might make the civil oath for the clergy and the uniform rule of the country from Paris a poor fit for some outlying départements?

National Convention: no, it’s the Vendéeans who are wrong

National Convention: *starts a civil war that kills 200,000 people and permanently destabilizes the republic*

#like #i understand why the secularism of european countries #has most often manifested itself in explicitly subordinating the church to the state #rather than merely disestablishing it #but this is an area where i think the american model is definitely superior #it would have been sufficient to simply end the privileges of the clergy #to tax church property as all other property #and not to exempt the church from any national land reform #but no #we have to provoke an unnecessary war #that will hemhorrage lives and resources #while attempting to stave off repeated invasions

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wither-rose-circus · 3 years

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I think one of the most unique things about 3rd Life was that the bad guys won

People like the Hobbits and the Crastle folk may have been intimidated by the Red King’s army, but it was forged as a direct response to Scar’s terrorizing of Dogwarts, a place many had previously defended from him

They were never truly villains

The Red Army was founded on mutual trust and respect, with (mostly) loyal members, structured plans to defend each other should the need arise, and a clear goal of taking out the person who threatened them: Scar

The Crastle was a bit more stable but never had any true goals, only existing as more of a personal safe haven for those involved, all of whom eventually getting dragged into the war by Scar

The Red Desert, however, was a mess of odds and ends with no defined relationships, really only existing on the terms of “the enemy of my enemy”

In fact, I can only think of a single instance in which the Red Army killed unprovoked

They killed Scott, Grian, and Jimmy in the desert fight which the Red Desert intentionally provoked as a death trap, killed Cleo and Tango during that same fight after the Crastle backed up the Red Desert by firing on the Red Army from afar, permakilled Cleo after she rushed and attempted to kill Ren, then killed Scott and permakilled Joel after they ambushed and attempted to corner Ren and Martyn

The only time in which they killed relatively unprovoked was when Scott returned for Joel’s things after they had already killed him once

Which Ren immediately apologizes for and laments as senseless violence, reminding the viewer that Ren never wanted violence, only to be able to actively defend himself and his home

“The kingdom of Dogwarts is tired of being run over, and we have decided that we’re taking things into our own hands. The best way that we can defend our lands is by having a red on the team, and I’ve taken one for the team.”

(And I suppose you could also include Pizza in this as it was certainly unnecessary, but even that was in retaliation for Scar threatening Skizz and refusing to return the banner, which would have resolved the fight and was something even Grian urged him to do)

However, the point is that Dogwarts may not have been the good guys, Skizz was bloodthirsty and killed unnecessarily, Etho was a wild card and often threatened others for the fun of it, Ren and Martyn were incredibly polarizing with their “you’re with us or you’re against us” mentality, and they all had a very “fight first, ask questions later” mentality

But they weren’t the bad guys either, not like Scar was

There was not a single POV in which Grian and Scar were not painted as “the bad guys”

Not even their own

Sure, Ren and Martyn had tense music playing whenever Scar arrived but Grian and Scar never pretended like they weren’t terrorizing the server, either

Even in his final moments, Scar took advantage of and backstabbed people

The seeds of doubt he sewed to get his team to mistrust Impulse, culminating in him using the clock to bribe Bdubs into killing him

Sicking Bdubs on BigB as a loophole to get out of the no kill pass he gave him several episodes back, proving Grian right about his bits of paper ultimately being meaningless

Using the friend pass to turn Grian and Bdubs against each other because either one of them could have easily taken him out on their own, let alone together

And the fact that Scar didn’t attack Bdubs until Grian arrived and began attacking both of them, thus only attacking him when there was both that safety net of it not being a 1v1 and as a way to regain Grian’s trust through a display

Scar rarely, if ever, expressed remorse for his actions

He knew what he was doing and he embraced his status as the server’s villain, using it to his advantage, manipulating, mansplaining, and dare I say malewifing all the way to the top

The most humanizing aspect of Scar we saw was him offering his life to Grian as repayment for all the things Grian had done to keep him alive, given he surely wouldn’t have made it that far without him

But even then, despite the final battle egged on by the ghosts, Grian and Scar declared it a mutual victory

“Scar, I think no matter what happens, I think we can claim this as a double victory, right?”

“Yes, we’re good, we’re good.”

The bad guys won

#mcyt #3rd life smp #3rd life #3rdlifesmp #goodtimeswithscar #rendog #Grian

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cap10froggerguy · 3 years

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Tenth Anniversary recap

So, as my little celebration of the Ninjago 10 Year Anniversary, here’s a little recap of every single season, including the pilots and a few bonuses. I also added totally arbitrary scoring based on my own preferences. Ready? Here we go!

The Pilots:

Local man joins gang to save sister, gains awesome powers and dragons along the way. Featuring the Wise Old Mentor(C) and Generic Evil Overlord(C), as well as FIYAH, the main character with a firey temper, AT-AT, blue guy with motor mouth, Frosty, local “real boy” who is super aloof, and Bucket of Rocks, who is the “leader” and has a personality like a rock. Is that a compliment? You decide!

Choppy animation and okay storytelling, but excellent characterization creates a surefire laugh fest!

0/0, they were trying their hardest, so no ranking for you.

Season 1: Rise of the Snakes

Ninja team angers young and bratty boy, who unleashes snake army. Prophecy threatens to tear the team apart at the seams with contests to prove who is better. Winner ends up being FIYAH’s sister, but instead of becoming The Chosen One(C), young and bratty boy (henceforth known as Green Angst) gets the title.

Animation is slightly better, and the storytelling style leads to an okay season.

3/13, Room for improvement.

Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja

Green Angst gains superpowers, ages up, and beats up his dad, who has become possessed with evil. Plot of Return of the Jedi ensues, dad is good, and everything wraps up.

Thinking this was going to be the last season, the showrunners pulled out all the stops, and it shows. Good job!

5/13, This makes a good ending.

SIKE

Season 3: Rebooted

Series tries to pick up where they left off. Unnecessary love triangles and robot battles ensue. Frosty dies, totally for realsies.

The whole atmosphere feels a bit rushed, and about half of the story is there for unneeded drama.

1/13, did not age well.

Season 4: Tournament of Elements

In stunning turn of events, Frosty is not dead. Ninja must battle in hunger games in order for Colonel Sanders to release him. FIYAH develops a crush on his daughter.

A fun season with quippy writing and tons of lore, it works really well!

8/13, this season ages wonderfully.

Season 5: Possession

Ghosts are a thing now! Green Angst gets possessed, and so the ninja must learn ghost fighting to fight ghosts. Also, FIYAH’s sister (From now on called Water Girl) gains water powers.

While a neat story concept, the fact that Water Girl has only NOW been told about her powers kinda starts to weaken the story for me.

4/13, could do better.

...

Oh, and Bucket of Rocks is a ghost now. But the writers don’t care, so lets move on.

Season 6: Skybound

AT-AT gets a season, where he had to battle a genie pirate while Water Girl tries to be a Strong Independent Woman(C) despite the love triangle fiasco. Season ends up retconning itself out of existence.

While a good season pre-redesign, some of the story choices cause it to feel a bit drawn out in hindsight.

6/13, a fun season concept.

Day of the Departed:

Bucket of Rocks cant catch enough of a break to get a season, gets Halloween-ish special instead. In it, he becomes No Longer A Ghost. Hooray for... writing?

There’s not much to say about this one, it is what it is, and for a while, this was the only content we got centered around good ol Bucket of Rocks.

0/0, a ranking of this one wouldn’t be fair.

Season 7: Hands of Time

Angst! Drama! Time Travel! Technology jokes! Old Mentor is dying from Too Many Secrets, so Green Angst must lead team. FIYAH and Water Girl find their parents. I bet that’ll be important later!

The story feels choppy, and leaves a lot of threads hanging. It’s still fun, but less so that what came before and what comes after.

2/13: Guys, you had one job.

Season 8: Sons of Garmadon

The ninja get a facelift, and Green Angst gets a girlfriend! Guess which one is permanent. Evil Ex summons Evil Overlord(C) 2.0, causing Green Angst to loose Green and gain Angst.

The animation bump is stellar, the new voice actor for Green Angst really shines, and the story, while not new by any stretch, is filled with plenty of twists and turns.

9/13, Stellar Season.

Season 9: Hunted

The OG 4 in Mad Max on one hand, while Green Angst and Water Girl resist against tyrannical overbearing ruler on the other. Now with even more daddy issues, inspiring speeches, and of course, ANGST.

The storytelling and atmosphere increases in quality, and the show does a good job of balancing angst and hope. Also, then end is really cool.

12/13, Great Atmosphere.

Season 10/March of the Oni

Everyone teams up to stop faceless CGI army! Wait, does that count if everything is CGI?

There’s not much to say on this one either. It feels both too short and too fast, and many of the story beats don’t hit like they should.

(6 1/2) / 13, Pretty OK.

Season 11 pt 1: The Fire Chapter

Local team gets lazy, unleashes witch, FIYAH looses fire, Frosty dies again. OR DOES HE!?

Even better animation, and the voice actors are really having fun for this season onwards. It’s one of the weakest of the newer seasons, but the shorter episode time helps every episode pack a punch.\

7/13, Would recommend as a starter season.

Season 11 pt 2: The Ice Chapter

Frosty becomes Frostbite and commits genocide. Is redeemed by power of friendship and amnesia. Let’s move on.

Character development, great moments, and thought provoking storytelling!? This season has all that AND a good grasp on the aesthetic!

10/13, Please forgive Frosty. He didn’t mean it.

Season 12: Prime Empire

AT-AT gets his own season again, enacts plot of Tron Legacy, but better! Also, Frosty becomes a detective.

The obligitory videogame plot is done really well. Lots of fun is poked at videogame mechanics and it makes for a quippy and fast paced season. Just like AT-AT!

11/13, videogame movie(?) done right.

Season 13: Master of the Mountain

Bucket of Rocks finally gains own season, proves that he is the best character. Gains a best friend and beats her dad in combat.

Beautiful set pieces, awesome character development, lore, jokes, and heartfelt moments, I consider this to be the single best season of the newer ones, and possibly even the whole show.

13/13, amazing season

BONUS!

The Lego Ninjago movie:

Kung Fu High School AU with a dash of Star Wars. Different from the series? Sure. Super fun? Absolutely!

8 out of 10 Meowthras.

Wu’s Teas:

Wise Old Mentor(C) opens teashop. Shenanigans ensue.

10 out of 10, if you don’t laugh at at least one, something is wrong.

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pleasereadmeok · 2 years

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Matthew scene by scene in season 3

Episode 5 Scene 1 - Do you approve?/ Scene 2 - A Provocation

If you haven’t read these before don’t expect any other character arcs - forget it. Matthew all the way here. AND this is distinctly ‘shallow end’ stuff that is not to be taken too seriously.

SPOILERS if you haven’t seen episode 5!

The proud parents show off their babies to an excited Grannie Ysabeau and Auntie Marthe.

“Do you approve?” Matthew asks.

Marthe is reserving judgement. Of course she isn’t. You can see she’s in love already. I like to think of these two old vamps sitting by the fire and knitting at breakneck vampy speed for these babies. They can probably whip up a complete baby ensemble in about 10 minutes.

Moving straight along to Scene 2 - A Provocation

- coz we can’t hang around this week - so much to fit in.

Matthew and Diana are chilling with Ysabeau and Marthe who have completely taken over the babies.

Becca is hungry. OH help. I think that was a bit of heavy handed foreshadowing there.

Matthew is checking the arrangements for the christening while blatantly provoking us with his NECK! I swear that he does this on purpose. It’s completely unnecessary and probably kills his back and yet he does it anyway ...

Please sir can you just STOP?!

Moving on Ysabeau thinks the Christening will be seen as an act of war against the Congregation and the Covenant. Diana feels the Christening is another way to assemble allies against the covenant. So what about Baldie II? He’s no ally. He gets an invite even tho’ he’s not supporting the new Scion coz he is still the boss of the de Clermont's. Oh oh. I predict trouble.

Ysabeau sums up the situation “You’re about to find out who your true friends are.”

Next up: What the hell’s going on in here?

📷 ADOW S3:05 unedited screenshots.

#matthew goode #a discovery of witches #adow #adows3 #Matthew Scene by Scene in Season 3 #matthewgoode #lindsay duncan #Sorcha Cusack #teresa palmer #NECK!

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shieldofrohan · 3 years

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Jaehaerys the douchebag was the real surprise of Fire & Blood. From him creating the whole Targaryen exceptionalism bullshit so he could bang his sister. And then of course there is his horrible treatment of his daughters. The callouness with having one hundred men strip naked in front of the one who was mentally disabled was just "dad of year". And this is the best king?

Hello @eonweheraldodemanwe ,

You have no idea how much I hated that Fire and Blood book and Jayjay was one of the biggest reasons. That annoying piece of sh*t lived that long just to p*ss me off.

This book made me rooting for Maegor. He really should have killed idiot Aenys' whole brood to save all of us from misery.

I don't even want to talk about that book. Yes it tells that ALL Targs suck but Martin really put very problematic and disturbing ideas in that book which totally ruined the series for me.

Anyway... That idiot Jayjay and fake feminist Alysanne were so fcking annoying and selfish. They married despite of the political situation Westeros in because of Targs' desire to fck each other and I was like: WHY? Selfish weirdos used their nukes to shut people up and came up with that Exceptionalism bullsh*t to shut people up for longer. Their daughter Daenerys dying of shivers and our beloved Khaleesi now shitting on grass really proved that TaRGs aRe sPeciaL.

What really bothered me with that book was that it felt like a joke. Yes, to certain degree that book was satire but written as a Targ propaganda. So it had two aspects of it.

1- This a Targ POV, therefore a propaganda so don't let it fool you.

2- This is a satire about how in subtext Targs sucked.

But it was also obvious that Martin tried to give an example of his ideal/good king with characters like Jayjay. Even though he makes sure that Jayjay was also an a*shole, he gives the hints of him being a good king.

I think (!) Martin believes that a good ruler doesn't have to be a good man and this is fine... I don't believe this idea, but I can respect it.

My problem was those hints of a good king. Because they didn't feel developed naturally.

[Btw, Martin sees Jayjay as a good king, I didn't come up with that idea: source]

Martin's attempts to paint Jayjay and Alysanne as good king and queen were laughable.

I know that Martin prefers the peaceful kings.. the ones who don't fight etc.

OK. But I find this idea unrealistic. Not all wars are for money and fame. His idea of a king who only cares about improving economy and good harvest is a little utopic.

And I think he cheated a little when he tried to show that Jayjay was a king who chose peace over fighting. Because that little sh*t didn’t have to fight in the first place. Meagor suddenly dies, so does Septon Moon, Joffrey Doggett starts serving him with tears in his eyes (WHY?) and Faith Militan got disbanded because let's incest weirdos who think they are gods defend the Faith. Aaaaand now you have a kingdom without any defiance. Wow Jayjay... you worked too hard dude, go fck your sister for a while.

Martin was like: "Hey this bloodpurist weirdo loves reading and talks about tax policy... obviously best king ever!".

Him wasting pages for his tax policy was such a weak attempt to make his point about Aragorn's tax policy. Because I didn't care about Jayjay's kingship in the first place. Yes a lot of awful leaders in the history managed to come up with good economical or whatever policies but those people actually sucked in the long run so we don't remember them as good leaders, therefore awful people can't be good rulers imo. Sorry not sorry. When I read Jayjay's reign, I didn't consider him as a good king for a second.

And his sister wife was even worse. She was like I HAVE TO BE HIS QUEEN!! Why? Because. Yeah ALIEsanne, only you can be a good queen, you freak. Let's be disrespectful and selfish to Westeros' people.

She was like: "I ended that barbaric first night tradition (I wonder why Martin insisted on some "myth" about Middle Ages...) because look at the poor women who suffered because of barbaric Northern Lords (she works on this after her visit to North was so?????). What would Westeros do without some white imperialist bloodpurists who are more sophisticated than barbaric Westeros lords???"

And she got surprised when Valyrian lords were also into prima nocta but HEY, women in Dragonstone were happy about it because Valyrians were not some simple lords! They were GODS!!! Such a blessing! Because women love being used by "gods".

She was like: "Women can RULE too" But she usupers her sister's right. And Martin tries to paint her as a good queen because she let women speak. She believes she is superior!!! Who cares about her fake woke white feminism?!

ANYWAY. Both Jayjay and ALIEsanne were awful and I didn't read them as good king and queen. I think Martin's philosophy of "bad people can be good rulers" wasn't for me. Because I believe that a ruler who believes he/she is superior than normal people can't be a good ruler. Ofc, good ones makes mistakes too but were talking about: Bloodpurism, racism, nuclear weapons and imperialism here. These are not some normal human faults. These are the recipe for a really awful rulership.

Another yikes about that book was that all anti Targ people were AWFUL or they died while they were fcking a horse!?. Only perverts, mad people, sexist pigs and bigots were anti Targ during the whole book. And people of Westeros were ok with Targs... Yeah who wouldn't love some white people with nukes come to invade your land? This is some white American thing, I guess...

When people of Westeros killed some geckos because some old smelly mad man provoked them to do, they felt bad afterwards!?!??! Literally all book was a joke and you can't force it to make sense by only saying that this was written as a Targ propaganda because Martin CHOSE to write this way. And I can't unsee the problematic aspects... This book screamed: "AN OLD WHITE AMERICAN WROTE ME".

I love Martin, but I wish he didn't write this book at all. If I sound bitter about him lately, this book is the reason. I wasn't expecting sth this awful.

And the book wasn't even pleasing to read. It had no literary value. Just bunch of unnecessary information (like the Septa who wrote a naughty book) about annoying and awful people.

It lacked the aspects that made Asoiaf great like the psychological side of the characters or character developments and arcs and beautiful POVs...

But it shares one of Asoiaf's weak points: NO POV from anti Targ people. He failed to give a POV to people in Essos against Dany in main books and this created the DANY THE WHITE SAVIOUR. He makes the same mistake in this book too and I hated it... I wish he wrote this book from different perspectives in Westeros. But too late.

In conclusion: I HATED THAT BOOK. But at least it showed one thing clearly: ALL TARGS SUCK.

Thanks for the ask.

#mine #ask #answered #reply #asoiaf #anti targaryen #anti fire and blood #grrm critical #anti jaehaerys targaryen #anti house targaryen #anti daenerys #just to be safe

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