#the use of themes and everything is so insanely purposeful and brilliant

[sevastiel]

So I was listening to the new Warframe Isleweaver soundtrack, and this song in particular REALLY caught me.

We dont currently have any instances of violin/viola that I can think of in warframes sound track that are that prevalent, and I was like, hmm. It uses Duviri's/the drifter's theme, but not in the regular way, and other than that its all over the place, its Kinda... lacking in regulation. It's highs and lows and oh my god its Thrax, isnt it.

Anyway. Now there's an image in my head of Thrax playing what I'm currently thinking of as a 5 string violin/viola combo that'd cover the whole register here, and atm I'm oscillating btween violinthi and vilthiari

(Vinthiri? Vilitha? vilithis? Violiri? Viliri? Violara? its gotta sound similar to how it would sound to play, while keeping the vi bit.)

[coffeecatttt]

Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is kinda fucked up

So anyway, I finished playing Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 last night because I love modern, current video games that all the cool kids are into. And hoo jeez, is this game really a time capsule.

Did They Even Talk To Anyone?

For a game centred around a bunch of disabled soldiers with bionic limbs, it is shockingly, stupidly ableist.

First, the plot is centred around the disappearance of Colonel Brubaker - a triple amputee who is a brilliant tactician but uses a floating hover chair to get around - orchestrating a staged mission in a Latin American-inspired dictatorship, so that he can wipe out his team and steal their bionic limbs for himself.

Of course, installing someone else’s bionic limbs on your body doesn’t just risk rejection, it literally, canonically “drives you crazy”. So naturally, this happens not just to the main villain... it also happens to another squadmate, who does the same out of desperation when his unit is all but wiped out. The final couple of bosses of the game both have you killing these characters who have been turned "crazy" by their bionic implants.

So not only do we have a pretty bad depiction of visible disabilities, we also have a super cool depiction of mental health as well, implying that using technology to better live with their disabilities is actually dangerous and risks insanity. Great.

Oh also, this game has by far the number of instances of the word "cripple" I've seen used in a long time. So there's that.

America, Fuck Yeah

So anyway, this vaguely Latin American country. It's led by a dictator named General Sabio, who is perhaps predictably heavily modelled after Fidel Castro. He's basically everything you'd expect - a tyrant, works his people to the bone for his own good, and has a military full of giant robots with extremely specific weaknesses that he rides around in.

Alas, Not-Castro ends up being an unwitting pawn in Brubaker's plan, who lies to him about the purpose of the whole scheme, and when confronted with the information that he's been duped by the main character, rather than come to his senses, he doubles down and decides he'd rather go down fighting. Truly a great showing for the game's only non-white character.

Women, What Are They Good For

Surprisingly, this game isn't colossally sexist... it's only kinda sexist. The only female character in the entire game is Jayne "Mag" Magdalene. She spends the vast majority of her time off-camera, only showing up at the very end in an injured state, telling the player to go on without her.

But! She's the only character in the game other than the player who survives the story. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is truly a champion of egalitarianism!

Granted, since this is a video game from 2011, she still gets to wear a skintight outfit with a low cut top, despite being in the military. So I guess a step forward, a step back?

Speaking of...

Sexual Assault is Funny Actually?

So yeah, this is a relatively small one, but let's get this one out of the way. The game's level select screen has a prison rape joke. No I could not make this up.

In Conclusion

Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is obviously a product of its time. It's not a great game, and it's not one anyone cares about. I only played it because I like mediocre video games and apparently enjoy self-abuse.

But it really is shocking playing this game in a modern context just how incredibly dated it all feels. A total lack of sensitivity and maturity in its approach to its themes, and despite being a game about disabled people, it's pretty apparent the developer didn't do much to consult with the disabled community to see if they could maybe improve their language and depictions of people. I don't exactly expect high art from a game called Bionic fucking Commando, but come on.

I know the game's developer, Fatshark, is still around. I would be really curious how the people who worked on Rearmed 2 feel about it today.

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

hi!! you recommended vonnegut a while ago, and i just read slaughterhouse five and it was incredible and i was wondering which one of his books is your favorite/which one you would recommend next?? thank you!!

oh my GOD yes yes yes I am not a normal person about kurt vonnegut. I have three options for you with pitches as to why.

Mother Night is one of my favorites out of everything he ever wrote, and it’s definitely an excellent second book. He wrote in his foreword that it’s the only book he ever wrote that he knew what the meaning of it was. Whether that’s actually true and remained true, I don’t know, but the point he makes in it is one that’s pretty profound and I’ve heard shockingly little of in media.

The book follows a former high-ranking member of the Nazi party, who was a very successful propagandist for them, which distracted from the fact that he was also the most successful wartime spy for Allied forces. It’s also one of the less weird books he’s ever written? Kurt Vonnegut really leans into absurdism, and it’s more evident in some books than others. This sort of helps with the learning curve.

That being said, Cat’s Cradle is my favorite out of all of his books, and it’s also the second I ever read, after slaughterhouse five. It’s like, 20% more weird than slaughterhouse five? So if you vibed with some of the weirder aspects of it (think like, the alien zoo subplot) then I highly recommend Cat’s Cradle. I honestly can’t figure out how to give a synopsis of this one without revealing information best revealed in the book, but it’s a commentary on the post-WWII arms race and religion. It’s insanely good.

The thing about Kurt Vonnegut is that he has a lot of different recurring themes, and I feel like everyone takes away some kind of core message from his works. That being said, I feel like The Sirens of Titan most clearly and compellingly states Vonnegut’s core message in his works, and it’s definitely a must-read out of his books. It’s not my favorite but it’s definitely fighting it out for a place at the very top of the list. It follows the richest man in the world, who has the least purpose in it, at the center of an interplanetary war between Mars and Earth.

I will say that there’s only one book that I would say you probably shouldn’t read as your second book and that’s Breakfast of Champions. There’s two reasons for this.

First, Kurt Vonnegut’s books exist in a loosely interconnected universe. He’s somewhere between Marvel and Shakespeare in how he does it. It’s not like Marvel where it’s feeding into an overarching narrative, and you don’t need to read them in some kind of particular order to understand, but he’s not like Shakespeare just alluding to his own works in different plays in the sense that these books are explicitly existing within the same universe. You have specific places (Ilium, which you saw in Slaughterhouse Five, shows up a lot) and characters that recur throughout. The protagonist of Mother Night, for example, is briefly referenced in Slaughterhouse Five, etc. They’re used primarily as a vehicle for meta commentary and it’s honestly so well executed.

Kilgore Trout makes the most appearances across the disparate novels. He’s widely regarded as a character meant to be a stand-in for Vonnegut himself, and he plays his largest role in Breakfast of Champions. You also have characters in Breakfast of Champions that are taken directly from his other books, like with the minor role the protagonist of Bluebeard plays in BoC (Bluebeard is also a banger of a book worth reading but personally my least favorite of all his books). Again, you don’t need to read Vonnegut’s books in any official order to understand them, but Breakfast of Champions has the most cameos and greatest use of meta fiction in it, so the reading experience is just overall enhanced by having a little more grounding in his other works.

The second reason is it’s really fucking weird.

In a brilliant kind of way. It’s regarded to be one of his best works, and it deserves the reputation. But the techniques he uses in this are by far the most experimental, and while those experiments absolutely pay off, I usually recommend that people get used to his particular approach to absurdism before tackling Breakfast of Champions. I highly recommend this book if you like Vonnegut, but really spend time with him as an author before reading it and you’ll get so much more out of it.

[yanderenightmare]

ooh I wanna see ua bakugo frustrate with his affection over this clueless moron, kinda like shoto, like he gives her like a flower and she's just like wuut .__.

yandere ! BAKUGO KATSUKI

Support me at KO-FI if you feel like it<3

This is so cute, I can’t. Don’t know if this is what you wanted hahahaha, but I have a weak spot for like Luna Lovegood girls, like Alice in Wonderland derpy pigtailed pastel Melanie Martinez lookin’ cupcakes. And made this still in the UA au... hope that’s ok!

goodiebag WARNINGS: slight yandere, slight dubcon theme, profanity, anxiety, hallucinations, stalking

SCARY LOVE

He felt like such a stalker, like a wolf hiding in the grass, just a disgusting waste of a human being standing and ogling her from the safe distance, far enough away that she wouldn’t care to look up, but just close enough to see the color in her eyes from where she was planted in the shade under the campus willow-tree.

Why was she so fucking cute?

Her locks knotted up into two big messy buns, big splendid pastel bows tying them both into place, one blue, the other pink, matching puffy scrunchies decorating both her wrists. Cute. Small wisps of light flowing hair falling in front of her face, tickling her nose, making it scrunch like a how bunny would every now and again. Cute. White ruffled socks reaching halfway up her leg. Cute. Her knees baring pastel-colored band-aids and small scrapes and purple bruises, in the same state her elbows were. Cute. Nimble fingers handling the book that seemed so out-of-place in its size where it weighed down heavily in her lap. She looked like such a fucking fairytale. A soft-tinted cotton-candy daydream. 

Ready to have his bloody hands fuck up everything.

Bloody hell. What the fuck is he doing?

He can’t just stand there like some lovesick freak and do nothing, simply waiting for the school-bell to sound off its alarm, making her jump up like a little bunny popping up from its rabbit-hole where she’ll struggle with carrying that ridiculous book and sit down in class only to daydream about going back outside, but not before she’ll walk past him, allowing him to smell that sweet perfume that always has his heart clenching furiously in his chest and his cock growing warm and heavy in his pants.

What is wrong with him?

He can’t be thinking of her like that. This sweet precious little flower sitting so quietly with no wish to bother anyone, so soft and sweet he bet she’d cry if she so much as stepped on an ant. He wondered if she was a crier, if she’d be this adorable little crybaby ball of sobs and wet moans beneath him. He wondered what types of sound she’d make if he shoved his cock inside her. If she’d squeal and gasp and hiccup at his size, if she’d mewl, if she’d whimper, if she’d scream.

Fuck.

He needed to calm the fuck down.

To think he would never have met her if he hadn’t been forced to sign up to that stupid side-course. To think he was so mad that he didn’t make the cut for the class about war-theory and was forced to take philosophy with a bunch of air-headed freaks instead. To think he almost didn’t meet her. To think- fuck, he’s even starting to sound like one of them fucking philosophy-ditzes.

To be or not to be, or to drool over the girl sitting beneath the willow-tree.

Maybe that’s what he should submit next time they have one of those moronic poetry sessions. Perhaps then she would look at him with interest, with surprise and even praise, maybe even reverence, mirroring the look he gives her when she stands on the podium reciting her swirling words and artful descriptions, looking as though she’s entirely in her own world, dreaming, not just speaking but preaching, preaching to him about gods he’s never heard of yet somehow always believed in.

He used to believe gods drank blood and could only be celebrated through pain, that they made creatures like him, crafted him from dragon bones and fire and everything sharp and deadly, crafting him from war for war to become war itself, to find purpose in conquering, to find worth in glory. But now… looking at this creature, this creature who celebrates life and not death through laughter and daydreams and love far away from pain, he knows he’s had it all wrong.

He’s no good with words. He never has been. Except when insulting people, then he turns into a fucking lyric. What she can do is a gift. Either that, or she’s simply just insane. Either way, he doesn’t really care. She’s still soft, a tender type of madness, sweet and small and would look so good with a couple of love-bites to crash that display of milk and cream and cotton, so fucking brilliant with his handprint marking her ass… and he’s doing it again.

Fuck.

None of that will happen if he doesn’t grow a pair and go talk to her. But he can’t just talk to her. He has nothing to say. Or he has plenty to say, but nothing she could hear. He needed to find the most straightforward approach, however… while it needed to be unmistakable or lest she misunderstand, it couldn’t be aggressive. That would frighten her and he couldn’t risk spooking her away. He couldn’t risk ruining everything. It was apparent she didn’t think too much of him except that he was an angry looking boy in her Friday-classes, he needed to prove he too could be… sweet… or at least something akin to it.

He was wrong in thinking that anything would make her look up from her book. Even as he stood a mere meter away from her, she didn’t look up, completely lost and submerged in her own world as she always was. Only when he cleared his throat did she finally lift her gaze, eyes fluttering from traveling the pages and blinked softly to look up at him.

Cute.

He forgot to say anything, with a hand reached out, fisting the air, knuckles whitening in his grip, where inside the seemingly furious hand was something to contrast his otherwise deadly red stare.

The look of puzzlement on her face was insurmountable. Her small hands giving no indication to receive whatever he was offering.

“Is this a threat?” Came her soft voice, shaking him out of the faze he’d slipped into, though quickly plunging him into another one, this time not so much anticipation but confusion.

“What? No!” The both of them simply looked at each other for a moment. Bakugo’s hand still protruding out towards her, the thing in his hand no more tempting to accept than before to the girl who was still planted, making no action to get up from her spot.

“I don’t understand…” She admitted, wondering if he perhaps wanted her seat in the shade, but wasn’t given the time to ask the question as he decided to clear things up.

“It’s a flower.”

She could see that. It was a flower ripped from its root, an otherwise healthy flower before being suffocated in Bakugo’s death-grip.

“It’s a dead flower…” She corrected, a hint of sorrow on her features and he knew he was already failing in his pursuit, wanting to make things right before they could derail even more.

“It’s pretty... like you.” That came out as even more an ominous threat he realized, indicating she’d end up like the proven pretty dead flower in his chokehold.

“Are you sure this isn’t a threat?” The fact that she felt the need to ask him not only once but twice told him all he needed to know of her thoughts regarding him. She obviously thought he was a deranged explosive beast from the Hero-course.

“Goddamn it, no, I…” He frustrated, finding it hard to arrange the words, finding it hard to even find the words. “You… You’re so… You-” She was oblivious to how much he was struggling it seemed, as her personality suddenly shifted and she jumped up, book thrown to her side rather recklessly, skirt with ruffles and all bouncy with the same vigor as her tits.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, clapping her hands together, eyes wide with such bright light Bakugo almost felt blinded by, it even managing to frightened him a bit. “Thank you, that’s very good to know! I’d be terrified if I was anyone but me!” His brows lifted in dawning realization, feeling safer by being calmed by the reminder of how he was talking to a ditz, a complete mental-case… though… a mental-case who’d managed to dance her way and get lost in his heart. “Pardon me for being so blunt, but I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I didn’t ask.” Preparing him for her question, she leant in just a bit more, looking at him intently. “Are you yourself today, Bakugo?”

As absurd as the question was to him, when it rolled off her tongue it nearly seemed like the most casual of things to ask someone, as though she was requesting his thoughts on the weather. And though it was the epitome of peculiar, the more he thought about it, the more he realized how appropriate the question was, because he were, in fact, not at all feeling like himself.

“… No.”

She gave a contemplative look and a hum. “Then you must be Baku-gone…” He couldn’t hold back the snort that followed her statement, again being reminded of what a complete klutz she was, something so far away from his cynical view of the world and something far more relaxing than what his fears had managed to conjure of her rejection. It seemed so ridiculous now, that he’d thought she would run away or scream, never having let himself imagine her in what he knew was her true nature, light-hearted and incapable of doing any harm, at least not on purpose. “Wow, you really must be, huh?” She continued, fishing him out of his curt chuckling. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh. Come to think of it… I don’t think I’ve ever even seen you smile.” She mused, admiring the small pleasantness stretched upon his face.

But then his brows furrowed, the happiness seeping from his features and leaving them contorted with annoyance, much to her dismay, regretting her choice of words. “I smile.” He argued, looking at her as though demanding she explain herself.

She cocked her head to the side, eyeing him, scrunching her brows and biting her lip for a second or two as though she were in deep thought, not wanting to upset him any further, though not wanting to speak without candidness. “No… you… bare teeth… like a wolf eager to catch its prey.” His ears retracted, features taken aback by her observation, finding he couldn’t quite say otherwise, though he’d never viewed it that way, but again, the more he thought about it, the more all her strange words made sense as he found them to be true. Silly of him to think his wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing approach could fool her, silly of him to think he could fool himself into believing she’d ever consider going out with someone so… predatory.

Though, minds are easily swayed, he reminded himself of. Her opinion of him wasn’t set in stone after all. “Does it scare you?” He finally asked, finding that was the only thing he was actually curious about. Though… perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst thing if she did fear him just a bit, because god knows how terrified he is of her and how she makes him feel as though he’s bleeding or falling or stripped of everything, cut by the knees and naked and so very needy to have her just look at him.

“I would say no, but I cannot lie.” His heart sunk upon hearing her admit it, disappointed, not sure if it was in her or in him.

She’s scared… Of course, she is scared! Who wouldn’t be? Dumb of him to think anything else.

“But, that’s rather the point isn’t it? To scare people?” She took a step forward, eyes bright and hopeful, hating to think she’d upset him.

“Not you.” It was barely above a whisper, words simply cast out there, and it left the girl looking perplexed, curious and even guilt-stricken or ashamed.

“Well… I shouldn’t fear things I know too little about… that would be silly…” She felt the urge to touch him, wanting him to truly hear her words, wanting to enforce them by touch, yet as her hands reached out to take his all so brazenly her eyes fell upon the flower again. She didn’t really have any wish to touch something dead, it always being such a cold and empty feeling running like ice through her veins, yet she reached out to receive the flower anyway, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “So, if not my fear, what is it this Bakugone wishes of me then?” She slipped on a tender smile, genuine and perfect, her soft fingertips brushing against his.

“I…” He was so focused on how she was touching him, the pressure, the elegance, the perfection, so focused he forgot the words again, so focused on her soft fingertips, her warmth, her pastel-manicured nails, he didn’t realize how the movement had stilled.

“You want to eat my heart.”

Her voice made him look up from where they were conjoined, crimson orbs dragged slowly to meet the oddity of her voice no less her words, yet as he looked, he continued to search because he found no eyes looking back at him, only whites, wide gleaming glowing void whites staring at him.

“You want to rip open my ribcage and feast.” Shaken and confused his brows twisted as he yet again tried to find her eyes. “You want to see me burst and bloom for you.” He hadn’t tried pulling his hand away, not really wanting to either, but he realized he perhaps wouldn’t be able to even if he’d wanted with how hard she was now digging her once soft fingers into his wrist. “You want to cripple me. You want to hear my deathbed confession. You want to lick the sin from my expression.” Her brows were the ones to crinkle now as she inhaled a shuddering breath, her hand shaking as she held onto him, seemingly as though her life depended on it. “You want and you’ve been wanting for so long. You want and want, there’s no end to what you want.” Her voice was now frantic, sporadic, hitched and frightened. “You want more and more and more and more and more-” She shook so much she lost her footing and tripped, staggering back and hitting the dirt with a sharp thud, knocking her out of whatever trance she’d slipped into, no more words coming thundering from her lips except for a cute little exclamation of oof, fluffy skirt puffed out around her like a jellyfish.

“What the fuck!” He shouted once she let go, flower falling to the floor, dropped in the midst of his shock and confusion as to what had happened, yet also feeling embarrassed with how she’d seemed to have caught him red-handed, and shaken with how much she knew, disturbed with how it all had been phrased, yet concerned, concerned because he knew he’d failed, he’d scared her so much she nearly melted, but somehow even more concerned with how she’d hit the ground. “I’m-” She looked up at him and he was left dumbstruck with how wide her eyes were and how full they now seemed with the return of her irises and pupils. No longer looking like wax, but like great gems or galaxies he couldn’t help but fall prey to, especially with how glossy they were, shining and glimmering and wet, wet with tears.

“No wonder you feel gone.” She suddenly mumbled, or it wasn’t exactly a mumble, but in contrast to whatever voice she spoke in before it surely seemed subdued. “Someone’s run off with your heart!” She clumsily got back to her feet, gripping his shoulders, nearly making him stagger back and fall with just how intense and vivid her actions were thrown at him. “You’re in love!” She squealed, nearly screaming it at him, before reeling herself back in, probably only now realizing how she’d attacked the boy. “Excuse me, I mean pardon, I mean I’m terribly sorry if I frightened you.” She backed away, fingers playing with each other as she tumbled through her sentence. “It’s my quirk you see. It has a habit of living its own life. I didn’t mean to spout out your desires like that, it was a total invasion of your privacy and completely rude and unethical on my side. I really am so sorry. Would you forgive me?”

Wasn’t he the one who should be apologizing to her?

He remained stunned and confused and growing even more so by the second as she spoke. “Perhaps I could make it up to you? Perhaps I can help you in your quest to retrieve your heart? Who is the thief?”

And there it was.

She was so overwhelmed she didn’t even pick up who the emotions were for.

Silly thing.

This made him ease up. He hadn’t spoiled everything yet. In fact, she seemed even more enthusiastic now than before, even more eager to talk to him and help him even. “Is it that green-haired boy? What was his name again? Something with D or M, I can’t for the life of me remember! Or perhaps it’s the floaty one? You know, the one with the big brown eyes. No! I know who it is, it’s the one with the shark teeth, and the spikey red hair-” She rambled, and even though some of her suggestions revolted him, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her when she was so… so bouncy with thrill, so cute with how her tits squeezed together in her top and jumped for him with every word that fell from those lushes pink lips that would feel so good to bite into and feel on his neck and down his chest and-

“You can help me.” He suddenly blurted, whipping her from her rambling.

“Really?!” Big eyes, filled with such expectancy and acceptance of whatever he was about to request even without a shred of knowing what. “How?” It was as though it were her life wish to help, that denying him would mean death or something even worse in her eyes.

“By making it up to me.”

His grin returned, the one that lacked… not exactly happiness, because there was still a certain glee to it, a certain enjoyment, yet lacking altruism and was instead left looking greedy and gluttonous and as though he was made up of… teeth, and only teeth, and too many teeth, and that those teeth were too sharp.

“Oh.” She seemed drained of her vigorous passion, like a light snuffed out, swallowing thickly. And though she knew it all to be in her head, knew it all to be but a figment of her fears, she still took a step back as though she’d seen something that worried her, and was quickly followed by what had worried her as Bakugo paralleled her backtracking, leaving her no further away from his hungry open-mouthed smirk.

“Kiss me.” She realized she’d backed all the way into the tree, her back meeting the hard trunk seemed to shake her from her vision as the biting image submerged and left her with a quite normal-looking Bakugo towering over her, no longer Bakugone or just a toothy grin, and she was left deciding whether it was any better or maybe even worse than what she had been picturing.

Yet, she had no time to think as Bakugo’s hand raised to cup her cheek, where in the seconds it took for him to do so, she needed to prepare herself for all his obsessive lovesick thoughts she knew would yet again flood her mind, only now she wouldn’t shake from them, and what more, now she knew who they were about. Poor thing had taken Bakugo’s heart without knowing, without knowing to prepare for Bakugo’s blood-stained scarred hand to reach into her chest and hold her own terror-wide heart in a chokehold as he too took it for himself. Without knowing how to protect herself from his many sharp teeth that would steal and eat to satiate what livid hungry fire, what desperate thirst she’d awoken inside his heart, to relieve the pain of it all, to finally breath again, to find safety, to find belonging, to find life. And she had no way of preparing for it, no way of protecting herself from it, no way of hiding from Bakugo’s sharp teeth… but when his hand, his calloused sandpaper-textured palm handled her cheek she was met with a new image, a soft-tinted mellow yet dramatic rhapsodic fire, one that she rather cherished than feared, one that she felt like chasing, one that seemed like it was calling her.

Bakugo leaned in slowly, as though asking for permission, receiving no complaints, just a set of large eyes staring at him. Her hands, feeling as though their fingertips had plunged deep into the bark of the tree behind her, ripped loose to touch him, feeling the simmering plethora of brutally violent passions swimming beneath them as they hovered on top of his skin. Tasting it on her tongue as he captured her soft lips with his own stiff ones. She could taste the hunger, the teeth, the longing, the pain, the fire, the waiting and time he’d suffered in the darkness all alone, she could taste the war, but more… she could taste the fear, the fear of losing or not having at all, and at the very tip of her tongue, stronger than anything else, she caught it, the flavor crystalized like sugar… hope… love.

Support me at KO-FI if you feel like it<3

[no-gays-in-russia]

ESC 2023 pre-rehearsals top 37

Places 10-1

10. Croatia: I know this is very unpopular, but I give absolutely zero shits about that. I adore this song with my whole being- I just love these sort of weird political satire songs, when they’re done well. This reminds me a lot of In Corpore Sano or Hatrid Mun Sigra, a couple of my favourites. When I first heard it, listening to the Dora song, I was HYSTERICAL. It sounded so random and ridiculous. I found myself singing it more and more, craving listening to it and bopping to it. It became my favourite and when it won I was SO EXCITED. I was not expecting it at all. Another unpopular opinion, but I love their live performances- they’re of course absurd, but I realise they do it for shock purposes and honestly they’re so hysterical they just have me rolling on the floor lol. Again, I am a huge fan of joke entries WHEN THEY’RE DONE WELL, and I think this song has a brilliant structure. The lyrics are also of huge complexity. Hope others recognise this genius in Liverpool!

9. Norway: the fact that Ulrikke was my favourite and I really wanted her to win MGP but then Alessandra’s final performance was SO GOOD that I decided last minute to vote for her instead just says a lot. This girl is absolutely on fire- she is one of the most charismatic and energetic performers I have ever seen, and her vocals are insane. I am obsessed with the fact that she is singing such a modern sounding song with classical technique. I love the intro in Italian and Latin, the whole song sounds so epic and the lyrics are also very vivid and poetic. It’s just ajdoiahoahochaocjoa so insane. 

8. Serbia: KONSTRAKTA’S WORTHY SUCCESSOR! Serbia proving once again why they’re one of my favourite Eurovision countries. The fact that Luke wrote this song entirely himself- music and lyrics and all- just proves how insanely talented this man is. His performance abilities are also insane. The song is a bit cacophonous, so even though I can tolerate it because that’s the whole point that’s why it’s a little lower than it could be- while it’s genius and I love it, it can be a little hard to listen to. But do we want to talk about the lyrics? They are some of the most genius lyrics I have ever heard in my entire life- on the same level of In Corpore Sano, if not even better! Something that I find brilliant is the English-Serbian alternation- the lyrics in English present all of the elements characterizing the song, and the Serbian lyrics delve deeper into them, so that you can understand what the song is about even without knowing Serbian, but you have to check them out too to truly understand it. The way the different themes and symbols intertwine and interact is also of insane complexity.

7. Czech Republic: this is the best entry Czechia has ever sent. Genuinely speechless they could do something like this all this time and just settled for mediocrity? Mad too ngl. Unfortunately their live performances drag this down, but the song in itself is brilliant. I love the alternation of the four languages, the symbolism behind their use and the dynamism that comes from it. The structure is absolutely brilliant, everything about it- the intro in Czech, the verses and pre-chorus in English, the chorus in Ukrainian, the rap in Bulgarian, the bridge aaaah. And the lyrics are also beautiful with a great message. So epic and so catchy, hope they give a better performance than usual at ESC because the song itself deserves to get Czechia’s best result. 

6. Estonia: this is giving me huge North Macedonia 2019 vibes, and it’s one of my favourite ESC songs ever. This song is genuinely so stunning, just a masterpiece, and so so underrated. Alika is an absolutely beautiful performer- her voice is so rich and beautifully controlled, and she also has such a stunning way of conveying the emotions of the song on stage and dragging the viewer in. It is very theatrical and as a theater kid I love it lol. It is beautifully structured, I love the way it grows gradually, and it’s just so dark and rich in emotion. So so stunning. 

5. Spain: this is so so so very different from anything we’d ever heard at Eurovision before, one of the most original songs this year for sure. I love that it reprises traditional Spanish sounds with the flamenco-like rhythm (Blanca herself said that this is a flamenco song), but also plays with it to create something entirely different. It’s slightly unsettling too, like a weird uncomfortable dream- I love it so much. I think it’s peculiar that if you look at the structure it’s actually really repetitive, yet somehow while you’re listening to it it seems really different, dynamic and engaging. I don’t know how it works but it does! And of course, Blanca Paloma is an angel- we already know from last year that her vocals are insane, delicate and powerful at the same time, beautifully controlled. ¡Vamos allá, la Blanca Paloma!

4. Georgia: unpopular opinion maybe but Georgia is one of my favourite countries at Eurovision, because you almost can’t find a pattern in their entries and you know that you’ll always be surprised. And well, I definitely was not expecting this. This reminds me a lot of their Junior Eurovision 2022 entry, which was my winner- so of course I am obsessed with it. The reason why it’s a bit lower than it could be is that the lyrics are atrocious- they seem as if they were written by someone who barely knows English lol. But everything else is incredible. Again, we already know Iru has some insane vocals (she didn’t win Junior Eurovision for nothing!), and they fit the song really well. I also really enjoy the “industrial”, dark pop ballad sound of the song, and I think the "Chamgaraga-ga-chamgara“ bits are so different and peculiar and cool. The instrumentation is beautiful, and the song is powerful with great structure. My favourite Georgian entry ever.

3. France: at first I was mad La Zarra was chosen because I hoped Izia or Juliette Armanet would represent France this year, but then they come out with this?! This is so aggressively French in a different way than I was expecting- it’s classy and cynical, while also being fun, catchy and modern. The lyrics are brilliantly written, La Zarra is incredibly charismatic and fascinating to watch, and the structure is really dynamic. Another big contender for the win. 

2. Germany: for years I’ve been saying, “Germany has amazing rock, why won’t they just send something they’re good at?”. They finally did it! I legit cried when Lord Of The Lost won their selection, because I love this song so much and I wasn’t sure they would pull it off. I didn’t even have a clue glam metal was a thing but now I am obsessed with it. I just really love this personally because I love this kind of music, hearthy and melodic rock. Chris’s vocals are wonderful and I think the genre of the song itself makes it dynamic- alternating bits with big, harmonious instrumentation and more typical metal bits is genius imo. The lyrics are also really poetic and vivid. 

1. Sweden: I really don’t know if I have the words to express how I feel about this song. I have been saying for years that if there is someone else after Johnny Logan who deserves to win Eurovision twice, that is Loreen- and she’s just proving I was right. Loreen is one of the most stunning performers there have ever been: she has a way of dragging the listener/viewer in that is just so peculiar to her. More technically, this is an insanely difficult song to sing (source: I am rehearsing it for my music recital and at the end I feel like I’ve run a marathon) and the fact that she sings it with seeming ease WHILE also moving and doing everything she does is??? Wot. The song itself is also really good (I actually like it better than Euphoria lol), with good structure and a beautiful instrumental bit, but exactly as with Euphoria it’s Loreen’s performance that actually makes it exceptional. 

[mirobami]

Alright then, I suppose since tumblr has been eating the ask I sent you, I’ll send another! (It’s no problem really, I’m stubborn lol) Could do a request with Kirari and Rikari with an extremely charismatic & insanely intelligent/strategic Older sister Reader?

Like, OS!Reader is capable of outsmarting or tricking even the most experienced and brilliant players when it comes to gambling, though she only gambles oc a to take her mind off of her work as a CEO/President of hundreds of different companies.

When OS!Reader does gamble however, it’s a rush of pure adrenaline and flustered attraction for whoever her opponent is, that or overwhelming fear and tense anxiety. (It’s either one or the other, OS!Reader is truly sadistic when it comes to messing with people and loves to play around with her opponents emotions)

The worst (/best) part about gambling with OS!Reader is that despite her opponents never winning, she always seems to have them enraptured by the end of it. OS!Reader literally has an entire network of rival companies turned business partners due to the pure charm and charisma this woman somehow uses on people if she decides she likes how they take their defeat against her.

↳ no matter the cost

♥ GENRE: fluff, comfort.

♥ CHARACTER(S): k. momobami, r. momobami, (themes of) a. mibumi

♥ SYNOPSIS: ririka and kirari with their older sister coming back.

♥ WORD COUNT:  6890 words (I checked on Google Docs and that was 13 pages, holy shit--)

♥ NOTE: W O W this is such an incredible idea and I am SO EXCITED TO WRITE IT! I am going to use a couple of characters from Kakegurui Twin because it matches with the reader’s age range and for the purpose of the plot. It also got kind of long but that is perfectly okay, I liked writing it. Let’s get going!

“Ririka, Y/N’s coming back.” Kirari said once she opened the door to her twin sister’s room. The other girl whipped her head up from her book and almost threw it aside as she stood up. “When? When is she coming back and at what time? Should we pick her up at the airport?”

It came as no surprise that Ririka’s favorite sister was Y/N. Kirari couldn’t blame her, her favorite was also Y/N. They both were twins and they used it to their advantage, but Y/N had practically raised them, therefore she was the only one that could tell them apart when they were little. They came to count on her a lot and as the oldest sibling, Y/N always watched over them and put their needs before hers.

Now as they were older, they had come to appreciate her a lot more and it was also no surprise that she was extremely popular and famous. After all, she had sped through college immediately after graduation and another year after that, she had started her own conglomerate company. As she grew older, she became so much more intelligent, able to charm even the most firm people into the palm of her hand. The twins had always admired her for that, seeing as she could convince almost anyone to do anything. Y/N was only around 20 and she had been at their school when they were in their first year.

It was strange, they hadn’t heard from her in a while. It was obvious that she was super busy, hundreds of companies now under her name since she had started them from scratch and now they were all over the world, making her the richest woman in the world.

The twins had the date set on when Y/N would come back from her newest company somewhere in Canada. They had arrived at the airport, waiting for her to come out and usually, they were placid and nonchalant about everything. But this was their older sister. They had grown up with her and they’d be lying if they said they hadn’t missed her. After all, she was the one who had given them an actual childhood under her watch, albeit not even being their mother.

“There she is!” Kirari pointed at the woman walking with an air of elegance that clearly brought so many people’s eyes on her as if to ask who she was. Y/N looked up at the twins beaming down at her and she couldn’t suppress a smile as she quickly hurried to get to them. 

Not caring about her bags, she pulled them both in for a hug and said, “Oh, you two, I missed you so much! Look how much you’ve grown!” Pulling back to look at them, she shook her head. “Wow, it’s so hard to believe that a few years ago you two were hiding behind me, you’ve grown so much!”

“Y/N, stop, you’re embarrassing us!” Kirari said, shaking her head with a smile. 

“Ah, whatever, let’s get going. I’ve missed Ririka’s cinnamon rolls, how’s school?”

Ririka picked up one of her suitcases and Kirari took another one. Ririka spoke up. “Kirari’s still the president and I’m still vice president. There’s a new girl that has beaten most of the student council at gambling and from what can gather, Kirari’s her big target.”

“New girl, huh?” There was a glint in Y/N’s eye that the twins recognized. It was that look that was unrivaled by anyone else. No other look had ever given them more chills. It always meant that she had a plan in mind. Kirari had taken after Y/N with her own plan, but they never matched hers. The admiration was clear. “Wonder what it’d be like to gamble with her.”

“You don’t gamble much though, Y/N.” Kirari said. “Do you still have your touch?”

“Wow, how dare you, that’s a personal attack. Of course I have my touch! How else do you think I’ve gotten all of my companies all over the world? Not by pleading, that’s for sure.” Once they got into the car, Kirari gestured for the chauffeur to take them back home. Y/N sunk back against the seat and looked at them both. “I have a feeling someone’s gonna know I’m back.”

Ririka nodded and Kirari spoke up. “Aoi Mibumi?”

“Yeah. He’s a jerk, but he was always fun to play against.” She sighed and sat up, taking out a couple of bags from her own backpack. Tossing them to her sisters, she said, “I got you things from everywhere. But back to the other talk, if there’s something I can teach you two, it’s that charm and charisma get you everywhere. The amount of people I had at my heels and would do anything if I told them to after the gambles was no joke. Even my own rivals became my business partners with a simple wink behind the cards.” Looking out of the window, she smiled smugly. “Just remember that for the future. It’ll come in handy.”

Ririka was chewing on some candy and she smiled a bit at it. “We know. That’s practically how Kirari has gotten people under her thumb.”

“I’ve heard about the election, Kirari. I think it’s a bad idea but you know what you’re doing.” Looking at the youngest sister, Y/N studied her for a second before crossing her arms. “Make sure to capture everyone. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

“That’s the biggest lesson you’ve drilled into our heads, Y/N, I haven’t forgotten it, I promise.” Kirari reassured her.

Once they got back home, Y/N said, “I’ll go to your school on Monday, there are some teachers I want to say hi to. I just need to sleep, jet lag is something else.”

After she disappeared into her room, Ririka turned to Kirari. “Did you contact Mibumi?”

“Hmm, perhaps. He did have the biggest crush on her when she was in his year before she surpassed him quicker than anything. And I have a feeling that the reunion of the third years in her year will be something to look forward to.”

On Monday, Y/N was dressed in something formally casual as she followed Kirari and Ririka out the door. “You have your food right?”

Kirari shook her head. “You truly still act like our older sister, even with your job.”

“Just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I will not torture you by making sure you’re sleeping, drinking water and eating well.” Y/N stuck out her tongue at the twins, making them laugh as they got in the car. Y/N was scrolling through her phone before putting it to her ear. “Hold on, we’ll talk right now, I have to take this. Hello? What? Another one wants to buy the company? Tell him that it doesn’t matter how much he offers, he’s not going to be able to buy it. No, I don’t care if he threatens us. What will he file against us, tried arson? Remind him that one wrong step and I’ll let his wife know where he’s been going instead of his job. All right, thanks, you’re the best.” Clicking off, she looked at her sisters’ expressions. “What?”

Ririka tilted her head. “Do you still have people trying to buy your smaller companies?”

“Of course. It’s business, it’s very cutthroat, so you fight fire with water instead. Remember that water isn’t calm so obviously it’ll put the fire out soon. Ah, there’s Hyakkaou, I missed it a lot.”

They all got off and Ririka put her mask on. Y/N looked at her quizzically but didn’t say anything more. They started walking through the halls and the amount of murmurs coming from the students wasn’t ignored by Y/N.

“Wow, who is that?” 

“Why is she with the president and the vice president?” 

“She looks a bit similar to them. You think they’re related?” 

“She’s hot, I wonder what her type is.”

“Definitely not you, that’s for sure.”

At the last sentence, Y/N had to suppress a laugh, passing it off as a cough. There was a scream of her name from the end of the hall and before she knew it, she was engulfed in a huge hug. Y/N beamed. “Yumi, good to see you again.” She hugged the blond back and pulling back. “Wow, you’ve also gotten taller! Terano, how are you?”

The brunette couldn’t stop a smile from coming across her features. Albeit Y/N being a Momobami, the entire clan adored her. There were so many memories with her, all of them good. They looked up to her and most of the time, they didn’t even care that she was the sister of the head of the clan. It wasn’t like her goal was to control the clan. She had bigger plans than that. Terano answered, “I’m doing good, you never told us you’d be coming back.”

“Yeah, spur of the moment.” Leaning down to hug the girl, she stood up again to see three more people racing to her. Miroslava, Rin and Ibara. She laughed as she hugged them at the same time. “Rin, you’re still short!”

“Hey! That’s not fair, you don’t get to say that just because you’re older!” He said, squinting at her but there was no malice behind the statement.

“Look at you! You look so professional!” Ibara exclaimed with a grin on his face.

“We missed you so much.” Miroslava added, a small smile also on her face.

Now it seemed like most of the school was gossiping from the sight of the Momobami clan gathering around the new girl. She wasn’t dressed in the uniform so there was no way that she was a new student. But how talented was she to be able to coerce the others into smiling when they hadn’t for a while?

“Y/N!” Two voices shouted in unison and Y/N almost toppled over from Sumika and Erimi hugging her so tightly it felt like they were trying to strangle her. 

“Guys, hold on, you’re going to choke me!” She coughed out before laughing once they loosened their holds. Y/N pulled back to see Erimi still hugging the caterpillar she had sent to her about three years ago. With a smile, she gave her a tiny package. “Open it when you get home.”

The pink-haired girl had an excited expression on her face as she agreed. Sumika asked, “What are you doing back here?”

“Spur of the moment. How are your jobs? I saw the Gamble Hole, that was an incredible performance, absolutely amazing. I’d be surprised if you weren’t nominated for at least five awards.” Y/N told Sumika, making Sumika brighten up. Y/N knew exactly how to make everyone follow her like ducklings and make them happy. Their own parents had forged a path for them and even trained specific things into their heads. Y/N took that away and made them feel more comfortable when she was around. 

Miyo, Miri and Nozomi had also been ecstatic to see that their cousin was back and Y/N had been whisked into the student council room abruptly by Kirari. Standing in front of the door, she raised an eyebrow. “Kirari, what’s happening here?”

“Just open the door.”

When she opened it, she was taken aback by the sight of Aoi Mibumi, the former treasurer, Sachiko Juraku, the former Moral Committee chairman, and Sakura Miharutaki, the former Beautification Committee chairwoman, also Mibumi’s fiancee. Or was she still? Y/N couldn’t hold back a gasp and Sachiko grinned as she stood up, walking over to her. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite non-gambler.”

“That’s the worst nickname for me and you know it,” Y/N snapped back. Sachiko was never her favorite person because she always used her power to abuse people and it made her furious. Y/N had defeated her and Sachiko had demanded for her to take her post as chairman. Y/N had turned her nose up at her and left. 

“Gutsy, huh?” Mibumi walked over and Y/N grinned as he hugged her. “You’ve changed, Momobami.”

“Wow, why my last name? Miharutaki, don’t be jealous.” Y/N said, directing it at his fiancee. “I don’t like him like that.”

The girl shook her head knowingly. “I’m aware, I’m not worried about it either.” Also hugging her, she took a step back. “We were told that you’d be back and we wanted to say hi. Well, Sachiko just joined in to mock you or something.” Glaring at said girl, Y/N couldn’t stifle a snicker.

Kirari leaned against the wall. “The reason why I brought them here...well, let’s just say they’ve been wanting to do this for a while.”

“Not me. I’ve learned my lesson against her.” Miharutaki shuddered. “Her eyes are always the thing to suck your soul in after she wins.”

“Ah, not this time.” Mibumi said. He and Sachiko, with meaningful eyes, turned to Y/N. “Will you gamble with us one more time?”

Y/N closed her eyes, thinking about the pros and cons. Well, she had come back for a vacation. Gambling would take her mind off of her responsibilities that were constantly being stuck into her head. When she looked up at them, they almost faltered at what was in her eyes. There was no way she’d changed much, except that the look in her eyes was so much more dangerous than before. “Let’s get started.”

~

The rest of the school had been alerted of the gamble and all the election gambles had been put off to see the battle between Y/N and the three others. Miharutaki had been told to do so and she had agreed if it would be something that they could get over with in about five minutes. She didn’t want to see Y/N after she won.

Runa rolled in on a swivel chair, laughing. “Well, look at that, noted alumni have come back to school to face against the president’s older sister! Y/N Momobami, against all three of them in a row. Rumor has it she has never lost a gamble in the few times she’s gambled in this school. Not sure about outside, but I can assure you, she’s one hell of a gambler!”

Y/N waved up at Runa as she sat across Miharutaki. Runa kept going. “For this round, we will be playing the simple game of Rock, Paper, Scissors! The cards will be put into the box over there--” She pointed at a steel box in which the students were placing their cards in. “And they will each take out three. Only one round so that this can be quick! Seems like Miharutaki doesn’t want to face Y/N later on!” With her signature laugh, she stayed quiet for the process of the cards. 

Y/N picked out her cards with the lightest touch. It was a strange sixth sense of hers, whatever was hidden that she needed she’d be able to get. Pulling out her three cards, she covered them with both hands, making sure the girl before her wouldn’t be able to see them. Rock, paper and scissors. Perfect.

Now let’s look at all the possibilities, Y/N thought to herself, closing her eyes. She started thinking of what could happen. I have all kinds but if she has two papers, I either lose or I win depending on the card I take. Maybe I can take a tie as well. Same thing goes for two rocks and two scissors. If she has three of a kind, I’d have to be careful to choose right. The wrong one could make me lose on the spot. The right one immediately makes me win. But the probability of her having three of a kind is slim. And if she has one of all? I’d have to guess what her move is. But humans in rock, paper, scissors are drawn to scissors to draw first. And from the look in her eyes and how she’s focusing...Y/N glanced up slightly, noticing that Miharutaki was too focused on a card of hers. She would choose that one. It’s scissors. That means rock.

“Rock, paper, scissors!” Both of them shouted in unison, throwing down their card. Just as Y/N had expected, scissors. She had gotten rock and won immediately. It wasn’t the same rush that she’d get in a higher risk game, yet she could see that Miharutaki was afraid of looking her in the eyes. With her cheek in her hand, Y/N grinned slyly. “Are you sure you’re even good enough to be Mibumi’s fiancee?” Walking over to her and leaning on her from behind, she whispered, “It’d be a shame if something happened to him before your wedding day.”

Y/N sauntered over to Sachiko’s table, leaving Miharutaki behind in fear. She didn’t even need to look at Y/N’s eyes to feel even more terrified, but when Y/N looked over her shoulder, it was like her eyes were much more perilously bright. She was obviously planning something.

Runa yelled, “With that, Y/N has won and moved onto the second round! That wasn’t a very quick round, but now the exciting will happen! You can place your bets with votes if you must, get ready for the showdown!”

Y/N sat across from Sachiko, three rounds of Nym Type Zero with a new deck in each round. Runa would be shuffling. Sachiko was leaning back in her chair with a smirk on her face as if she had this in the bag. Y/N, not looking at her, concentrated on her cards. Two zeros, I got lucky. One one and one three. She could sense Sachiko still gazing at her and pretending to organize her cards, Y/N spoke up. “What’s wrong, Sachiko? Are you getting cold feet from your housepet not being with you? How pitiful, you’d be so much better off without her, but I guess you depend on someone to do your things all while degrading them, even if it’s their wish. Must you really have a soundboard for all hours of the day?” 

Sachiko growled, almost crushing her cards. “If you were anything like me--”

“I’m sorry? Anything like you?” When Y/N finally looked up, Sachiko gasped. The light made it seem like her eyes were red. Sachiko was pushing her limits. “If I was anything like you, I’d be a disappointment to my family. I am nothing like you. I am actually successful, even at your age. You’re still learning and I’m taking over everywhere. With one snap, I can even take your housepet.” With a benign smile, she threw down her three.

Sachiko could barely think straight. She was seeing red. She tried to calm herself down, thinking this was part of Y/N’s plan. Riling someone up was the best way to make them lose themselves and their logic, thus causing them to lose their footing. She threw down another three. 

“Six!” Runa exclaimed.

A one from Y/N. “Seven!” 

Sachiko smirked. With her two, she could knock Y/N off of the board. But if she had a zero...Sachiko would lose. Y/N only needed two rounds to win officially. She’d have to take the leap, which was unfortunate, really. Sachiko, if Y/N hadn’t riled her up, would’ve taken the proper steps and easily defeated Y/N. Kirari noticed that just from the smirk Y/N had. She threw down a zero and Sachiko slammed down her cards in frustration. 

“That is more than nine, Sachiko loses this first round!” Runa shouted into her microphone. “Next round!”

Shuffling the cards again, Y/N almost looked bored. The twins knew their sister well though. She was focusing on how Runa was shuffling the cards to see what Sachiko’s next step would be.

She looked at them. Two twos, one zero and one one. In the low zone, but that was the best move in this game.

Meanwhile, Sachiko had two threes, one zero and one one. At the first chance she got, she’d be able to knock Y/N out of the board. All right, now to intimidate her so she gets thrown off. “You’d think someone important like you would have better things to do. Did you miss the fear you’d get from the poor students? That’s so pathetic of you, Y/N, you’d really stoop that low?”

Raising an eyebrow, Y/N replied, “I’m not the one that had a leash on my housepet nor am I the one that bullied Mary into submission. I will repeat it again.” With a glower in her eyes, she firmly stated, “I am nothing like you.”

Sachiko was about to snarl at her, but she instead threw down a three.

“Three!”

Y/N, with her poker face on, put down a two.

“Five!”

Another three.

“Eight!”

A one.

“Nine!”

Sachiko grinned. There was no way Y/N would be able to wiggle out of this one. Two zeros was hard to come by and so was one zero. But this girl was some sort of miracle worker. She’d find a way to scrounge up a zero, she couldn’t underestimate her at all. Sachiko shook her head, throwing down her zero with a smug smile.

“Nine!”

Y/N touched one of her cards and stared at Sachiko in the eyes as she spoke up. “Check up on Mikura. I have a feeling she won’t be speaking for a long time, especially not to you. It’s so simple to get to the housepet’s owner, especially someone like you.” Laughing, she put down her zero, grinning at the look in Sachiko’s eyes. Walking over, she took her hand in both of hers, a sadistic smile across Y/N’s face. Sachiko was shaking from her loss as she trembled to look up at Y/N. This wasn’t the same girl that she wanted to get as a housepet. She had become someone Sachiko could only dream to be. She was sadistic, her job had done that much, but the thrill of the gamble just amplified that feeling. “Mikura isn’t yours anymore. She’s now mine.”

Walking to Mibumi, the former chairwoman clutched her head in her hands, screaming hysterically. Y/N had blatantly lied but she was so good at lying she could pass it off as the truth and even Sachiko couldn’t tell.

“Y/N has won the second round! Now for the final round, our president will tell us what to do!” Runa said into her microphone.

Kirari stepped up and said, “Come with me, both of you. I will have Runa arrive as well and the vice president. In the meantime, place your bets. I have a feeling this will be a good match.”

Ririka walked alongside Y/N and Mibumi, Runa right behind them. Mibumi and Runa started cahttering and catching up, but Ririka was silent. The silence was enough to help them communicate. Y/N had helped Kirari and Ririka form a new language to communicate silently, just as Miri and Miyo had.

Are you okay?

Yeah, Ririka, I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Mibumi’s an easy target.

No, it’s just...Kirari has been planning this for a while. At least the game. It’s not the safest thing either, she doesn’t like it being safe.

The group stepped outside the school and walked past the Tower of Doors. From what Ririka had told her, Y/N knew someone had jumped and survived the fall because of a deal that was made. The new girl had been in that bet.

“You have a choice: the Tower of Doors, the Maze or my personal favorite: the Castle of Mirrors. Nothing is what it seems. You can’t trust anything or anyone. You don’t know what you’re seeing or where you’re going and what’s more, a single wrong choice can lead you to your demise.” 

Aoi and Y/N looked at each other and they nodded. “Castle of Mirrors.”

“Great. Let me explain the rules, they’re very simple. You will both have a limited amount of times to get to the center of the castle. In that castle, you will find options specifically for you. Your chosen path will determine it. It will be your choice to choose where the key will go. Try not to die or get lost. Getting lost means a painful death or drive you on the brink of insanity.” 

Aoi frowned. “Why would you have some sort of contraption like that?!”

Y/N turned to him, grabbing both of his hands in hers. He sucked in a breath at her expression. It was horrifying, but she looked thrilled, just like the new girl when she had a good gamble. “Because it’s all for the thrill, isn’t it? Whoever wins will stay alive and the loser loses their minds! Oh, Aoi, I don’t gamble much but this...” She gestured at the building ahead of them. “This is exactly what we’ve been waiting for! Besides...” Her insanity was gone, replaced by another thing he couldn’t get his finger on. “If you lose your mind, I’ll get to see you in a ward.”

They walked to the castle and Kirari said, “Be prepared. The only thing I’ll tell you is not everything is what it seems.”

With those words, the two were off. Y/N was walking through a dark hallway, not able to see anything in front of her. However, she shared a mind with her sister. They weren’t twins but sisters had a connection that was completely different. Pausing to think, she crouched down to touch the floor. Nothing but gravel. The walls were cement and it was getting slightly colder. She was getting close to the actual beginning. 

The lights flashed on when Y/N stepped in, mirrors all around her. Aoi was right in front of her with a familiar smile on his face. “Guess we’re stuck here together.” 

Squinting at him, she turned around to the door again only to find it closed. He was only a hologram, she could tell. Kirari was smart, but Y/N was smarter. Looking around for a crack in the glass, she found it and ran her fingers across it. The mirror opened, leading to another hallway. Oh, I get it. It’s like the Tower of Doors, just more challenging because you don’t know where you’re going. Nice going, Kirari. With a feeling of pride in her chest, she kept walking forward.

The next room she stepped into was full of familiar notebooks. Stepping over to one of them, she discovered that they were the infamous Life Plans. She found herself opening one of them out of curiosity only to drop it as if it was burning. She kicked it under the tables and kept walking through the tables. She knew she’d have to choose one in order to move on. 

Think, Y/N, think. There has to be a catch to this. Wait...Her eyes widened as something clicked in her head. One of the mirrors had a crack in it. It wasn’t what it seemed, it was a door. One of these Life Plans is just a regular notebook. That’s it! The realization that she also couldn’t choose any or else she’d lose sunk in. She nodded and with a smile, turning to the camera in the corner. “You’re a genius, Kirari.” 

But her job was cutthroat and full of liars. The fake notebook would have something distinct to it, different than the Plans. Walking around to study them, they all look extremely similar. Time was running out and she had a feeling that Aoi was catching up. Her hand floated over one notebook that was slightly darker than the others. Picking it up, all she found inside of it were blank pages. 

The door opened and she had stepped inside to see Kirari, Runa and Ririka there. She had arrived first. Her eyes landed on the circular table there, full of cards. The Tarot Cards of Fate. The game Y/N had devised when they were younger. It had become Kirari’s favorite game. 

“Y/N has won the first two rounds, but if Aoi Mibumi wins this round, it’s over! Y/N will have lost!” Runa winked at her and she nodded, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

About five minutes later, Aoi walked in with a smirk on his face. “Nice contraption, Kirari. Almost got stabbed by the shards of the mirror.”

“Yes, it’s clear that you couldn’t think as fast as my sister.” The president answered. “The last round. Mibumi, Y/N, you two will have something to gain or lose. Y/N, what will you gamble?”

“The company, of course.” Y/N knew this game like the back of her hand. She’d make sure she didn’t lose and all she had to do was make Aoi Mibumi fall in love with her by the end of it.

“Mibumi?”

He had to think about it. Y/N was a Momobami and practically the richest woman in the world, if not the richest human being on the planet. There was only everything to gain and nothing to lose. “I have no idea, Y/N has everything.”

“You’re right, well. How about this? Aoi, if you win, you can take her place and if Y/N wins, she chooses what to do with you.” Kirari offered.

“Will that satisfy you, Y/N?” Aoi looked over at her.

Y/N thought about it for a few seconds before giving him a sweet smile that made him almost melt. “Of course! This gamble is against you, so of course it’s going to be exciting!” She didn’t lie about that part. He was a good person to play against, but an awful person to hang around. She didn’t need him in any way that mattered to normal people, all she did need was the ties with his family head to expand her company. The sheer thought made her heart race, already excited for the result.

“Now, it’s simple. The Tarot Cards of Fate. I had Runa bring her own tarot cards and she set them up, so there’s no bias towards anyone.” Kirari was on the outer circle of the table, her hand almost touching the cards. She picked one up, the backside facing the duo and hummed. “Runa will decide the point. If it’s a positive, Y/N’s points go up, hence helping her win. If it’s a negative, Mibumi will win. However, the Fool is the one that will decide your instant win or your instant loss, depending on what position it is in.” Putting the card down, she crossed her arms and said, “The Past, Present and the Future. All decided by Fate. How exciting, don’t you think?”

Aoi’s mind was practically racing to find out if there was any catch to this, if there was anything that would help him get the Fool. Kirari continued, “Ririka will choose the Past. Mibumi, the Present. Y/N, the Future. Fitting, isn’t it? Ririka determines what happened in the past with you both, Mibumi is still stuck in the present and Y/N has the future in her hands.” Going back over to Runa, she nodded. “Shall we begin?”

“Yes, we shall! Vice president, if you could please go down and choose the present?” Runa said, ecstatic.

Ririka silently went down and looked around. If there was a way to help Y/N win, she’d do it. Y/N didn’t need help most of the time, she was independent and knew her worth. However, seeing as she gave them lessons that stuck all their lives and helped them out whenever she could, she wanted to repay that favor at least once. Her hand was on a card. 

“Is that the card you will choose?” 

She nodded and turned it over.

“It is the Sun upright! That gives Y/N fifteen points! Aoi, it is your turn, can you knock her back down?”

Y/N caught Ririka’s eye and mouthed a thank you. Ririka nodded slightly, happy that she was able to help Y/N even a little bit. Both of their attention went back to Aoi. He had his hand on a card. “Y/N, I’ve always wondered what was always on your mind when we were still in school.”

She frowned. “Come again?”

“You know. You were popular by being related to the highest authority in the school and yet not once did you ever try to join our society to take them down. They were your sisters sure, but look at you now. Are you compensating for the fact that your younger sisters were able to conquer this school and thus the country?”

Her fists were clenched and it took everything in her power not to go over and show him what she actually felt. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. “No. They’re my sisters. Not once were they treated lesser than me, nor did they do it to me. Aoi...I’m sorry that you have to be married to someone that’s not like you. I really am and I wish that you had someone better. But those twins have made me proud more times than your society has ever made you proud. I just conquered the world because it was at my disposal.”

Those words made Aoi sigh. Was it in disbelief? All he was thinking was that the crush he had on her a couple of years ago had not faded and just with those words, he found himself falling in love with her all over again. “How I wish you joined our side. I could’ve treated you like a queen.”

“I didn’t need someone else to treat me like a queen. All I did was went out to do it myself. You, Aoi Mibumi, couldn’t do it either.” 

“Ah well. Maybe it’s good that I never told you.” He smiled at her. It was painful to hear those words and it was clear as well. The smile was just a facade. Y/N smirked at him, knowing that she injured him where it hurt most. She knew about his feelings and she decided to cut it in half along with his heart. She watched as Aoi flipped over the card and her lips parted slightly in shock.

“And he has flipped over the Lovers in reverse! That means minus 20, leading to Y/N having only -5! She has one chance to win! If he wins, he takes over her entire company and if she wins, she gets to take something from him!”

Taking a deep breath she started walking around the table with a distinct expression that Aoi remembered as the one where she was calculating everything within the game. And in this case, she was psychoanalyzing her little sister, trying to find out something from her so she could find it from Runa. It was something he loved so much and missed seeing. She didn’t need him and it hurt, but it was like he wanted to please her. He just wanted her to smile at him genuinely at least once.

“Do you know something?” He had forgotten she was a Momobami. She’d begin with some sort of monologue. However, Y/N had a way to capture people in her web of words. They were like pure honey with venom covered in it. It was surprising no one caught it, but how could they when she was so charismatic and charming? Everyone loved her even if they hated her at first. 

“What?”

“I used to like you.” His eyes widened at the statement and it looked like she was reminiscing in time. “I wanted to be like Miharutaki for the longest time, please you and even be yours. Yet I had to remind myself that it was impossible. You know why?” She looked up, locking her eyes with his. “Because you were a fool. You organized a society to take down my little sister. She’s a Momobami, just like me. I taught her everything she knows now. So if you’re thinking I’m a fool for not liking you in our third year...” Laughing, she turned her card around, showing it to him. “You’re the fool.”

His jaw dropped and Runa yelled, “The Fool, upright! An instant win for Y/N, leading to Aoi Mibumi’s loss! I don’t think any of us expected the Fool to be chosen, but this is the president’s older sister!”

“And with that, I’m going back home. That was enough gambling for one day. Ririka, we can go past that coffee shop that you like. Oh, Aoi?”

He looked up at her and she grabbed the collar of his shirt, whispering, “Next time you try to be an idiot and destroy what they built, you’ll have me to deal with. But also...” She pulled away and there it was. The smile that could qualify as a blow to his heart. It was the genuine smile he had been wanting. “You were always amazing to play with. Thank you for the game. Ririka, let’s go.”

They both walked out of the room, Y/N talking animatedly to her. The other three watched them go and once the door shut behind them, there was a bit of laughter coming from Kirari. “Isn’t it funny? My sister is so good at flustering people and taking their deepest fears, using them to her advantage. Even now, Mibumi, you’re still in awe of her, even if she utterly destroyed your pride.”

Runa laughed. “She is on a whole other level, I can see where you get it from, President.”

Aoi couldn’t even talk. He was so enraptured by her, every word she had directed towards him was not ignored and it was like she knew what she was doing to him. She enjoyed it.

“You know, if I wasn’t engaged, I’d ask for her hand in marriage.”

Kirari’s face went hard before she dropped the expression. Instead, she replied with barely repressed rage. “And neither Ririka, nor I will let that happen. Get it out of your head.”

~

The next day, Aoi Mibumi’s father had decided to seal a deal with Y/N L/N, leading to the expansion of her company. His father had seen how different his son acted around her. It wasn’t a shock, he had almost handed his company over with no negotiation before hand just from the aura she had when she walked in.

“Yeah, so that’s what happened. It seemed like he would’ve handed it over without any questions.” Y/N laughed, taking a sip of her tea.

“When are you going back to work?” Kirari asked.

“Wow, are you already kicking me out? Probably next week? I can’t leave my entire company with my assistant, that would make her lose her mind and I didn’t want that.”

The twins truly didn’t want her to leave but they knew that Y/N had more important things in her mind than a simple gambling school. She had made sure that no one ever caught up to her and they worshipped her with just a wink or a smile. It was so simple really. Business was cutthroat up until Y/N came in with her charms and the plan backfired on the person. Ririka spoke up. “How did you know that the card was the Fool upright?”

She laughed, shaking her head. “I know you two like the back of my hand. And by knowing you, I know the people around you. Plus Runa is easy to analyze. The pattern was also simple. The Sun, followed by the Lovers and they were in the opposite sides? That would mean the formation would be a triangle, seeing as triangles are the strongest shape. Was it on the left or the right? That’s where you two come in play. Runa knew Ririka would choose the sun and the oldest takes the first path, which is the left. That’s what I chose.”

They blinked. Kirari answered, “That was a big gamble, that also seems a bit unlikely.”

“Well, yes, it was a big gamble, but isn’t that what gambling is all about?” Y/N looked at the sugar cubes, taking one delicately. “You either gamble safely and risk nothing or...” She crushed it in her hand, the granules falling neatly into her tea. “You gamble with reckless abandon, not sure whether to lose or to win.”

In the end, Y/N gained two more people afraid of her and one of them hopelessly in love with her. It was how she got more business deals, thus helping her expansion throughout the planet. She didn’t settle for one country, she wanted to take it all to make sure to be seen as someone to look up to. No longer did she want to be looked down upon like when she was younger. It was fortunate that she was incredibly intelligent and knew what it took to win. If it took everything she had to win, she’d do it. 

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About Loki (Season One)

(Sorry this is later than it should have been. I may or may not be experiencing burnout from reviewing every episode of the gayest show Disney has ever produced)

Salutations, random people on the internet. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Do you want to know what's fun about the Marvel Cinematic Universe? It is now officially at the point where the writers can do whatever the hell they want.

A TV series about two Avengers getting stuck in a series of sitcoms as one of them explores their personal grief? Sure.

Another series as a guy with metal bird wings fights the inner racism of his nation to take the mantel of representing the idea of what that nation should be? Why not?

A forgettable movie about a superspy and her much more mildly entertaining pretend family working together to kill the Godfather? F**king go for it (Let that be a taste for my Black Widow review in October)!

There is no limit to what you can get with these movies and shows anymore, and I personally consider that a good thing. It allows this franchise to lean further into creative insanity, thus embracing its comic roots in the process. Take Loki, for example. It is a series about an alternate version of one of Marvel's best villains bouncing around the timeline with Owen Wilson to prevent the end of the universe. It sounds like just the right amount of wackiness that it should be too good to fail.

But that's today's question: Did it fail? To find out my own answer to that, we're gonna have to dive deep into spoilers. So be wary as you continue reading.

With that said, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Loki Himself: Let's get this out of the way: This isn't the same Loki we've seen grow within five movies. The Loki in this series, while similar in many ways, is still his very own character. He goes through his own redemption and developments that fleshes out Loki, all through ways that, if I'm being honest with you, is done much better in six-hour-long episodes than in past films. Loki's story was already entertaining, but he didn't really grow that much aside from being this chaotic neutral character instead of this wickedly evil supervillain. Through his series, we get to see a gradual change in his personality, witnessing him understand his true nature and "glorious purpose," to the point where he's already this completely different person after one season. Large in part because of the position he's forced into.

Some fans might say that the series is less about Loki and more about the TVA. And while I can unquestionably see their point, I still believe that the TVA is the perfect way for Loki to grow. He's a character all about causing chaos and controlling others, so forcing him to work for an organization that takes that away allows Loki time to really do some introspection. Because if his tricks don't work, and his deceptions can't fool others, then who is he? Well, through this series, we see who he truly is: A character who is alone and is intended to be nothing more than a villain whose only truly selfless act got him killed in the end. Even if he wants to better himself, he can't because that "goes against the sacred timeline." Loki is a person who is destined to fail, and he gets to see it all with his own eyes by looking at what his life was meant to be and by observing what it could have been. It's all tragic and yet another example of these shows proving how they allow underdeveloped characters in the MCU a better chance to shine. Because if Loki can give even more depth to a character who's already compelling as is, then that is a feat worth admiration.

The Score: Let's give our gratitude toward Natalie Holt, who f**king killed it with this series score. Every piece she made is nothing short of glorious. Sylvie's and the TVA's themes particularly stand out, as they perfectly capture who/what they're representing. Such as how Sylvie's is big and boisterous where the TVA's sound eerie and almost unnatural. Holt also finds genius ways to implement other scores into the series, from using familiar tracks from the Thor movies to even rescoring "Ride of the Valkyries" in a way that makes a scene even more epic than it already could have been. The MCU isn't best known for its musical scores, partly because they aim to be suitable rather than memorable. But every now and again, something as spectacular as the Loki soundtrack sprinkles through the cracks of mediocrity. Making fans all the more grateful because of it.

There’s a lot of Talking: To some, this will be considered a complaint. Most fans of the MCU come for the action, comedy, and insanely lovable characters. Not so much for the dialogue and exposition. That being said, I consider all of the talking to be one of Loki's best features. All the background information about the TVA added with the character's backstories fascinates me, making me enthusiastic about learning more. Not everyone else will be as interested in lore and world-building as others, but just because something doesn't grab you, in particular, doesn't mean it isn't appealing at all. Case in point: There's a reason why the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise has lasted as long as it has, and it's not entirely because of how "scary" it is.

There's also the fact that most of the dialogue in Loki is highly engaging. I'll admit, some scenes do drag a bit. However, every line is delivered so well that I'm more likely to hang on to every word when characters simply have honest conversations with each other. And if I can be entertained by Loki talking with Morbius about jetskis, then I know a show is doing at least something right.

It’s Funny: This shouldn't be a surprise. The MCU is well-known for its quippy humor in the direct acknowledgment that it doesn't take itself too seriously. With that said, it is clear which movies and shows are intended to be taken seriously, while others are meant to be comedies. Loki tries to be a bit of both. There are some heavy scenes that impact the characters, and probably even some fans, due to how well-acted and professionally written they can be. However, this is also a series about a Norse god traveling through time to deal with alternate versions of himself, with one of them being an alligator. I'd personally consider it a crime against storytelling to not make it funny. Thankfully, the writers aren't idiots and know to make the series fun with a few flawlessly timed and delivered jokes that never really take away from the few good grim moments that actually work.

It Kept Me Surprised: About everything I appreciate about Loki, the fact that I could never really tell what direction it was going is what I consider its absolute best feature. Every time I think I knew what was going to happen, there was always this one big twist that heavily subverted any and every one of my expectations. Such as how each time I thought I knew who the big bad was in this series, it turns out that there was an even worse threat built up in the background. The best part is that these twists aren't meant for shock value. It's always supposed to drive the story forward, and on a rewatch, you can always tell how the seeds have been planted for making each surprise work. It's good that it kept fans guessing, as being predictable and expected would probably be the worst path to take when making a series about Loki, a character who's all about trickery and deception. So bonus points for being in line with the character.

The TVA: You can complain all you want about how the show is more about the TVA than it is Loki, but you can't deny how the organization in question is a solid addition to the MCU. Initially, it was entertaining to see Loki of all characters be taken aback by how the whole process works. And it was worth a chuckle seeing Infinity Stones, the most powerful objects in the universe, get treated as paperweights. However, as the season continues and we learn about the TVA, the writers show that their intention is to try and write a message about freedom vs. control. We've seen this before in movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Captain America: Civil War, but with those films, it always felt like the writers were leaning more towards one answer instead of making it obscure over which decision is correct. This is why I enjoy the fact that Loki went on saying that there really is no right answer for this scenario. If the TVA doesn't prune variants, it could result in utter chaos and destruction that no one from any timeline can prepare themselves for. But when they do prune variants along with their timelines, it takes away all free will, forcing people to be someone they probably don't even want to be. It's a situation where there really is no middle ground. Even if you bring up how people could erase timelines more destructive than others, that still takes away free will on top of how there's no unbiased way of deciding which timelines are better or worse. And the series found a brilliant way to explain this moral: The season starts by showing how the TVA is necessary, to later point out how there are flaws and evil secrets within it, and ends things with the revelation that there are consequences without the TVA keeping the timeline in check. It's an epic showcase of fantastic ideas met with exquisite execution that I can't help but give my seal of approval to.

Miss Minutes: Not much to say. This was just a cute character, and I love that Tara Strong, one of the most popular voice actors, basically plays a role in the MCU now.

Justifying Avengers: Endgame: Smartest. Decision. This series. Made. Bar none.

Because when you establish that the main plot is about a character getting arrested for f**king over the timeline, you're immediately going to get people questioning, "Why do the Avengers get off scot-free?" So by quickly explaining how their time-traveling antics were supposed to happen, it negates every one of those complaints...or most of them. There are probably still a-holes who are poking holes in that logic, but they're not the ones writing this review, so f**k them.

Mobius: I didn't really expect Owen Wilson to do that good of a job in Loki. Primarily due to how the Cars franchise discredits him as a professional actor for...forever. With that said, Owen Wilson's Mobius might just be one of the most entertaining characters in the series. Yes, even more so than Loki himself. Mobius acts as the perfect straight man to Loki's antics, what with being so familiar with the supposed god of mischief through past variations of him. Because of that, it's always a blast seeing these two bounce off one another through Loki trying to trick a Loki expert, and said expert even deceiving Loki at times. Also, on his own, Mobius is still pretty fun. He has this sort of witty energy that's often present in Phil Coulson (Love that character too, BTW), but thanks to Owen Wilson's quirks in his acting, there's a lot more energy to Mobius than one would find in Coulson. As well as a tad bit of tragedy because of Mobius being a variant and having no clue what his life used to be. It's a lot to unpack and is impressively written, added to how it's Owen Wilson who helps make the character work as well as he did. Cars may not have done much for his career, but Loki sure as hell showed his strengths.

Ravonna Renslayer: Probably the least entertaining character, but definitely one of the most intriguing. At least to me.

Ravonna is a character who is so steadfast in her believes that she refuses to accept that she may be wrong. Without the proper writing, someone like Ravonna could tick off (ha) certain people. Personally, I believe that Ravonna is written well enough where even though I disagree with her belief, I can understand where she's coming from. She's done so much for the TVA, bringing an end to so many variants and timelines that she can't accept that it was all for nothing. In short, Ravonna represents the control side of the freedom vs. control theme that the writers are pushing. Her presence is necessary while still being an appealing character instead of a plot device. Again, at least to me.

Hunter B-15: I have no strong feelings one way or another towards B-15's personality, but I will admit that I love the expectation-subversion done with her. She has this air of someone who's like, "I'm this by-the-books badass cop, and I will only warm up to this cocky rookie after several instances of them proving themselves." That's...technically not B-15. She's the first to see Loki isn't that bad, but only because B-15 is the first in the main cast to learn the hidden vile present in the TVA. It makes her change in point of view more believable than how writers usually work a character like hers, on top of adding a new type of engaging motivation for why she fights. I may not particularly enjoy her personality, but I do love her contributions.

Loki Watching What His Life Could Have Been: This was a brilliant decision by the writers. It's basically having Loki speedrun his own character development through witnessing what he could have gone through and seeing the person he's meant to be, providing a decent explanation for why he decides to work for the TVA. And on the plus side, Tom Hiddleston did a fantastic job at portraying the right emotions the character would have through a moment like this. Such as grief, tearful mirth, and borderline shock and horror. It's a scene that no other character could go through, as no one but Loki needed a wake-up call for who he truly is. This series might heavily focus on the TVA, but scenes like this prove just who's the star of the show.

Loki Causing Mischief in Pompeii: I just really love this scene. It's so chaotic and hilarious, all heavily carried by the fact that you can tell that Tom Hiddleston is having the time of his damn life being this character. What more can I say about it.

Sylvie: The first of many surprises this season offered, and boy was she a great one.

Despite being an alternate version of Loki, I do appreciate that Sylvie's her own character and not just "Loki, but with boobs." She still has the charm and charisma, but she also comes across as more hardened and intelligent when compared to the mischievous prick we've grown to love. A large part of that is due to her backstory, which might just be the most tragic one these movies and shows have ever made. Sylvie got taken away when she was a little girl, losing everything she knew and loved, and it was all for something that the people who arrested her don't even remember. How sad is that? The fact that her life got permanently screwed over, leaving zero impact on the people responsible for it. As badass as it is to hear her say she grew up at the ends of a thousand worlds (that's an album title if I ever heard one), it really is depressing to know what she went through. It also makes her the perfect candidate to represent the freedom side of the freedom vs. control argument. Because she's absolutely going to want to fight to put an end to the people who decide how the lives of trillions should be. Those same people took everything from Sylvie, and if I were in her position, I'd probably do the same thing. Of course, we all know the consequences that come from this, and people might criticize Sylvie the same way they complain about Thor and Star Lord for screwing over the universe in Avengers: Infinity War. But here's the thing: Sylvie's goals are driven by vengeance, which can blind people from any other alternatives. Meaning her killing He Who Remains is less of a story flaw and more of a character flaw. It may be a bad decision, but that's for Season Two Sylvie to figure out. For now, I'll just appreciate the well-written and highly compelling character we got this season and eagerly wait as we see what happens next with her.

The Oneshot in Episode Three: Not as epic as the hallway scene in Daredevil, but I do find it impressive that it tries to combine real effects, fighting, and CGI in a way where it's all convincing enough.

Lady Sif Kicking Loki in the D**k: This is a scene that makes me realize why I love this series. At first, I laugh at Loki being stuck in a time loop where Lady Sif kicks him in the d**k over and over again. But a few scenes later, this setup actually works as a character moment that explains why Loki does the things he does.

This series crafted phenomenal character development through Loki getting kicked in the d**k by the most underrated badass of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's a perfect balance of comedy and drama that not every story can nail, yet Loki seemed like it did with very little effort.

Classic Loki: This variant shows the true tragedy of being Loki. The only way to survive is to live in isolation, far away from everything and everyone he loves, only to end up having his one good deed result in his death anyways. Classic Loki is definitive proof that no matter what face they have, Lokis never gets happy endings. They're destined to lose, but at least this version knows that if you're going out, you're going out big. And at least he got to go out with a mischievous laugh.

(Plus, the fact that he's wearing Loki's first costume from the comics is a pretty cute callback).

Alligator Loki: Alligator Loki is surprisingly adorable, and if you know me, you know that I can't resist cute s**t. It's not in my nature.

Loki on Loki Violence: If you thought Loki going ham in Pompeii was chaotic, that was nothing to this scene. Because watching these Lokis backstab one another, to full-on murdering each other, is a moment that is best described as pure, unadulterated chaos. And I. Loved. Every. Second of it.

The Opening Logo for the Season Finale: I'm still not that big of a fan of the opening fanfare playing for each episode, but I will admit that it was a cool feature to play vocal clips of famous quotes when the corresponding character appears. It's a great way of showing the chaos of how the "sacred timeline" works without having it to be explained further.

The Citadel: I adore the set design of the Citadel. So much history and backstory shine through the state of every room the characters walk into. You get a perfect picture of what exactly happened, but seeing how ninety percent of the place is in shambles, it's pretty evident that not everything turned out peachy keen. And as a personal note, my favorite aspect of the Citadel is the yellow cracks in the walls. It looks as though reality itself is cracking apart, which is pretty fitting when considering where the Citadel actually is.

He Who Remains: This man. I. Love. This man.

I love this man for two reasons.

A. He's a ton of fun. Credit to that goes to the performance delivered by Jonathon Majors. Not only is it apparent that Majors is having a blast, but he does a great job at conveying how He Who Remains is a strategic individual but is still very much off his rocker. These villains are always my favorite due to how much of a blast it is seeing someone with high intelligence just embracing their own insanity. If you ask me, personalities are always essential for villains. Because even when they have the generic plot to rule everything around them, you're at least going to remember who they are for how entertaining they were. Thankfully He Who Remains has that entertainment value, as it makes me really excited for his eventual return, whether it'd be strictly through Loki Season Two or perhaps future movies.

And B. He Who Remains is a fantastic foil for Loki. He Who Remains is everything Loki wishes he could have been, causing so much death, destruction, and chaos to the multiverse. The important factor is that he does it all through order and control. The one thing Loki despises, and He Who Remains uses it to his advantage. I feel like that's what makes him the perfect antagonist to Loki, thanks to him winning the game by not playing it. I would love it if He Who Remains makes further appearances in future movies and shows, especially given how he's hinted to be Kane the Conqueror, but if he's only the main antagonist in Loki, I'm still all for it. He was a great character in his short time on screen, and I can't wait to see what happens next with him.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Revealing that Loki was D.B. Cooper: A cute scene, but it's really unnecessary. It adds nothing to the plot, and I feel like if it was cut out entirely, it wouldn't have been the end of the world...Yeah. That's it.

That's my one and only complaint about this season.

Maybe some scenes drag a bit, and I guess Episode Three is kind of the weakest, but there's not really anything that this series does poorly that warrants an in-depth complaint.

Nope.

Nothing at all...

…

...

...I'm not touching that "controversy" of Loki falling for Sylvie instead of Mobius. That's a situation where there are no winners.

Only losers.

Exclusively losers.

Other than that, this season was amazing!

IN CONCLUSION

I'd give the first season of Loki a well-earned A, with a 9.5 through my usual MCU ranking system. It turns out, it really is the best type of wackiness that was just too good to fail. The characters are fun and likable, the comedy and drama worked excellently, and the expansive world-building made me really intrigued with the more we learned. It's hard to say if Season Two will keep this momentum, but that's for the future to figure out. For now, let's just sit back and enjoy the chaos.

(Now, if you don't excuse me, I have to figure out how to review Marvel's What If...)

[tothestarsandbackmoved]

Rant about interstellar

i have before but ill do it again!

interstellar touches me for many many reasons.

first off, the entire premise and setting and the world building in it. the dust storms, the failing crops. the protagonist does say at one point- "humanity was born on earth. they were never meant to stay here" and that just,,, hits me you know? presently we've seen the emergence of no human exploration besides the probes and the ISS. there are plans but the same curiosity just seems dead. interstellar stretches that and shows us what would happen when human curiosity and the desire to explore would die. we'd kill everyone on the planet and soon starve ourselves. the blights- the illnesses- the dead medicare- that's a very bleak future, but a very real one. the movie does both its part about scaring the viewer about it- as well as giving us hope about wormholes and quantum data and singularities and how we'd save ourselves. you can see that the old generation is talking about their days and how better or worse it would be. in the end, on the cooper satellites, you see the interviews being played- and it really breaks me. that was a generation that thought it was the end. the end of human life. the final descent and that was it. and then they see the five dimensions and getting lifted and their lives are essentially turned around. this isn't just the older people though. we see that the gen z then, like cooper's son have also mostly been brought up to *live*. we see that he tries to get into school and actually get into uni and find a job in one of the remaining sectors of the world which still offer something other than farm corn- raise family. You see that the teachers also say this? they teach them to fight blights and sustain crops because they’re losing more and more to disease each year. Humanity’s slowly being packed up and demolished and they aren’t seeing it coming. at all.

then there’s the quote which is recurring throughout the movie:

“do not go gentle into the good night”

the professor says this all the time. as they’re leaving- his last few dying words- as they’re preparing. and you know what? i’ll say it. this is where the next important theme comes in. Desperation. When he initially sends them out- he hasn’t solved gravity yet, and he knows he never will. Not without the quantum data from a black hole- something again, he can never get. Which is why he implies that there’s a Plan B and cooper can see murphy again (this is also very important- scroll down for this). He breaks all their trust- and he knows he’ll die before seeing the end of the mission- and you can’t die with guilt, not really. He knows that he can’t be held accountable because he’s dead. He’s well aware that his plan is a hail mary- and it wouldn’t have worked anyways. He’s counting on Plan B, and that’s all there is to it. He uses the quote as a reminder to himself- because he’s torn too. He isn’t inherently evil, at all. He’s the precarious thread the entire mission dangles by- but he’s willing to risk that too. He’ll be long, long dead before humanity dies- or moves- and this is his last try.

Now for the second part of this quote. As I talked about before- the quote feels more like a reminder to himself- and not actually something that inspires hope in the crewmates. But ironically, it ends up becoming what guides murph. As the professor is dying, she tells him “you’ve been doing this with both your arms tied behind your back”- that’s actually when she finds out about his whole plan. This is the failure of the professor- but at the same time, it becomes the moment he passes the torch to murph. The professor died, knowingly sending his own daughter into the reaches of space. He prioritized his need to save humanity over the love for his own daughter. But, murph isn’t like that. When she finds out about this, she remembers the promise her dad made to her.

“I’ll be back when you’re the age I am now”

and now, she knows he’s lied. But he hasn’t done it on purpose. and she understands that. She makes it HER goal that they don’t go gentle into the good night. She knows that this is probably futile, but she’s going to try. and she’s not going to try thinking that she’ll probably fail- like the professor did (in resignation for plan B)- she’s going to try to bring cooper back.

Third, coming back to desperation. A bold, bold act of desperation is what dr mann did. (I have some qualms about the actor playing estranged astronauts- anyways). Him sending out that sensor- knowing that it will bring humans back to him, while simultaneously jeopardizing the entire mission, and possibly the fate of humanity. He knows what he has done- but he has gone insane alone- and he’d betray his entire cause to see a human face again. This movie really says something about what humans are willing to do. On one hand, you have a woman who singlehandedly saves them all- for human love, and on the other, a man who is willing to commit genocide (that’s what i think it is, dont ask) to see someone else. He messes up everything, deliberately, and goes from “the greatest and bravest man to walk the earth” to a “cold and desperate villain”. This theme has a lot to do with what is happening right now too. Forgive the activism, but we do have people who knowingly exploit and burn and ravage the earth, for their own good- and they’re insane to the point that they genuinely can’t see right from wrong. Sure, you could argue that he was motivated by the need to preserve your own life. But if you give his cause *any* context, you see how wrong he is. This is flailing human desperation, pure and simple.

Now, approaching the themes that actually make it as good as it is. Dr Brand is easily my favourite character in the movie. We get to see her as a brilliant scientist initially, and her arc- is perfect, honestly. For example, take the wormhole handshake- as their going through interdimensional space- where time isn’t linear and your brain gets fried if you try to comprehend it- she recognizes a *being* in that space. If you recall that scene, she reaches out, and meets *them*- someone she knows is otherworldly and entirely above humans (we later learn it is Cooper in the matrix- and i have things to say about that too) and makes contact. She suggests, as both a human- and a scientist- that it may be love that transcends dimensions. She makes first contact with beings that may be their salvation- or destruction- and i think that is definitely the peak of human existence.

She argues that love may be what connected the crew to higher dimensions, and I'll dare to say that she’s right. Love is what made Cooper try to contact murph. Love is what made them dare to save humans. Love was what got her there. She tells them to go to Edmund's planet- not just because she loves him, but because she also makes relevant points AND her gut. It might be stretching it to say that was why she was right- but it is worth introspection. Dr Brand represents the best of humanity and she does carry it, doesn’t she? She settles on the planet for ‘the long nap’ in the end. She tries to save everyone- like on the mountain planet- and she loves. She hopes and she trusts and is unwaveringly honest and courageous. This could become a Dr Brand stan blog for all I care.

Moving on

We have the ‘them’. These are the mysterious threads that tie all parts of the movie together. A black hole to a little girl’s bookshelf. Worlds galaxies apart. A very important thing to note here is that the characters recognize that this is humanity, just very, very far out. And most importantly, wise. This is a civilization who has surpassed the ordinary dimensions, and *mortal* time. They could’ve easily saved all of humanity and given them the planet they were looking for. But their entire ineffable plan, and only putting things where they were needed- was what made them greater than just someone who helps others. Only being able to get binary signals through an intergalactic wormhole, building bookshelves that become a huge metaphor for humanity trying to claw at knowledge- and actually slowly pushing the books forward. The ‘them’ weren’t ordinary humans at all. They definitely hinted and gave me a brief, fickle glance beyond what humans could be- raw possibilities.

Then, we have cooper. This makes it hard to write for him- and do his character justice- but I will try. His character, essentially, is brought down to selflessness, love, a brutal, brutal sense of humour- and the courage- the heavy, heavy courage to sacrifice himself. He’s also the polar opposite of what Dr mann stands for. 

His first important point- in my opinion- is when the movie is starting. I didn’t walk in expecting this from him, not really. You see a dying earth- and this man is (alone in his fight, NASA doesn’t count yet) fighting the system alone. He fights for his son, tries for his father in law, and then the most important relationship- his daughter. He’s seeing an earth where not even *children* are curious, or willing, or interested in anything greater. He sees this in his daughter, though. Hence, the bookshelf- the gravity, and the plain curiosity. 

I’ll dare to say that at this point, humanity’s a dying, dying flame. And what he sees in his daughter, what we see in his daughter, is a rebirth of potential. She has the human spark, so to speak. He sees that, and he makes promises, and is willing to bring the world to its knees to protect her. And he knows he might not be there when Murph burns strong, and bright, and becomes the saviour of humanity- but he hopes.  An important element is the promise, which I mentioned earlier, but it defines their relationship. The promise that he’ll be back when they’re the same age. They both know that it’s not true. They can see the lie, but that promise also empowers them to do what they did when their paths diverge.

Cooper goes to Mann's planet with the vague hope that he’ll be back in time. Murph does most of what she does because she thinks that it’ll bring her father back. Even towards the end, when Cooper willingly jumps into gargantua, a supermassive black hole- which is the literal heart of darkness, he does it in the attempt to save his daughter, and hopes she can get the quantum data at the cost of his life. 

About Murph, we mostly see her through the eyes of Cooper in the beginning. A curious and lovable and stubborn tween who just wants to grow up with her dad and do their science experiments. Her perseverance is phenomenal- she loses her dad despite her warnings and asking- and realizes that her loss is something undefinable, but there. In a way, she grows to understand both her responsibility and her part to play, and why her father did what he did. The ‘ghost’ is another plot device- a mysterious figure who messes with the gravity and knocks her books down. And she sees a message there. She tells him about ‘don’t go’ and i can’t begin to describe how beautifully poetic and heartbreaking it is that they realize the significance of that at the same time, and how it ties together. It is hard for me to fathom that scene really- cooper is in an interdimensional matrix, inside a supermassive black hole, and he tries to tell his daughter two things. (a) trying to stop himself from going out and on the mission, which he knows is deemed to fail and (b) sending the quantum data, because that is what mattered in the end, anyways. The ghost comes full circle- and also says what he had to say, when it was most important. And for those who’ve seen the movie, i just really have to put this quote out there:

‘It was you. It was always you. You were my ghost, dad’

And in that, the movie completes itself. It talks about unfailing love, the peak and fall of humanity, and the potential of curiosity.

In this essay I will...

[thelovelyghostwriter]

(via https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52aFxZiF6IhgLaj8Zzj3hU?si=2HFVzdSQT0WZ_fxe4gNniQ)

1. Million Dollar Man by Lana del Ray

You're screwed up and brilliant Look like a million dollar man So why is my heart broke?

We all know Kurapika is now the Nostrade Family Young Boss. He provides the money for Neon now by revamping their business model. He literally saved her family from financial crisis, he can provide her anything, she likes him a lot no matter how messed up he is - but why is she still “broke”.

2. National Anthem by Lana del Ray

Money is the reason we exist Everybody knows it, it's a fact (Kiss, kiss)

This song talks about the excess of materials, drugs, drinking, wealth and sex. A girl having a rich handsome man that gives her everything and he can’t keep her hands off of her. Sounds like Kurapika being in the mafia underworld and making tons of money; Neon bathing materialism as both gets drunk in love and sex? Heck yeah.

3. Young and Beautiful by Lana del Ray

Will you still love me when I'm no longer Young and beautiful? Will you still love me when I got nothing But my achin' soul?

This is the theme song for movie The Great Gatsby. @anotherworldash​ always paralleled the relationships between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan with Kurapika and Neon. Gatsby desired Daisy because she represents the old money wealth that Gatsby longed for as a child. He became rich through illegal activities. Kurapika desired adventure and for their eyes to be appreciated (and not called a demon for it), which Neon appreciates their eyes as beautiful (even though now it’s in a twisted way. Daisy and Neon are very similar characters who bathes in materialism because they are despondent.

4. Dress by Taylor Swift

Only bought this dress so you could take it off.

Her wedding dress on their wedding night when they finally consummate their marriage. Duh.

5. Daddy Issues by Demi Lovato

Addicted to love with the wrong one Lucky for you, I got all these daddy issues

100% Neon and her daddy issues. She’s always with insane messed up men like Kurapika and also Chrollo because she never had a good upbringing to begin with.

6. Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding and Earned It by The Weekend

Are we going to put more saucy 50 Shades of Grey OSTs for this hot pairing? Heck yeah we are.

7. A Little Death by The Neighbourhood

I want you to touch me there Make me feel like I am breathing Feel like I am human.

She sought death on a queen-sized bed And he had said, "Darling, your looks can kill, So now you're dead."

This one’s interesting. So the title is based on the French phrase La petite mort  to describe post-orgasm. The song describes two people having sex, finding solace in one another and “experiencing death”. Kurapika and Neon are two wounded souls - Kurapika’s tragic past and Neon’s lack of love from her father.

Also, Nostrade is from Nostradamus - a French astrologer, physician and reputed seer. I can totally see Neon speaking to Kurapika in French. OOF sexy.

T’as d’beaux yeux, tu sais? (You have beautiful eyes, you know?)

8. Requiem Arena, The Phantom Elegy and Kurapika’s Theme aka Hiiro no Hitom (Hunter x Hunter OST)

I know the first two are the Phantom Troupe theme songs, but this also reminds me of YorkNew City arc and Kurapika so yes it’s gonna be here.

9. Afterglow by Taylor Swift

I lived like an island, punished you with silence Went off like sirens, just crying Why'd I have to break what I love so much?

This gives me imagination if Kurapika and Neon ever gets into quarrels, and Neon feels guilty about her petty tantrums because she doesn’t want to lose him.

10. Run To You by Whitney Houston

OMFG. This song is 100% KuraNeon bodyguard-boss situation. So this song was actually from this movie called The Bodyguard (1992). It’s a story about a celebrity in danger, so she hired a bodyguard to protect her. Both don’t really like each other at first, but they eventually fall in love. Sounds like Kurapika and Neon? YES! This was actually the movie that made me think KuraNeon is possible.

The first verse describes Neon:

I know that when you look at me There's so much that you just don't see But if you would only take the time I know in my heart you'd find A girl who's scared sometimes Who isn't always strong Can't you see the hurt in me? I feel so all alone

Neon is actually a really lonely girl and locked up in the bubble. She may be smiling, but deep down she’s not okay.

The second verse describes Kurapika:

Each day, each day I play the role Of someone always in control But at night I come home and turn the key There's nobody there, no one cares for me What's the sense of trying hard to find your dreams Without someone to share it with Tell me what does it mean?

Kurapika always appear calm and stoic, but really, he has a sad past. His sole purpose now is to collect his brethren’s Eyes, and to take revenge. But does that make him happy? No, he’s lonely too. Don’t worry Pika you can collect the Scarlet Eyes with Neon.

11. Love Theme and Apollonia (The Godfather movie OST)

What’s a KuraNeon song without a mafia-themed love song?

12. California King Bed by Rihanna

So confused wanna ask you if you love me But I don't wanna seem so weak

I always have this headcanon (and also some other shippers) that their relationship will start off as something physical attraction first? Then it grows from there when both of them starts blurring the lines. 

13. Pavane for A Dead Princess 

Okay, this is classical music is just... we don’t really know if Neon is dead in the current arc (although I believe that she’s not dead and Chrollo’s speculation is only a false narrative). 

But if Togashi does decide to kill her off, I think this song is so fitting for her. Given that she has Princess Syndrome. 

Even if Neon’s alive, I don’t think she is living the best life. Personally, I think she’s a princess-sy girl with a dead soul. She collects dead body parts because she has no sympathy for the dead, partly because of her upbringing. Very interesting. 

This classical music is actually my inspiration for Melody’s music box gift for Neon in Chapter 4 of my KuraNeon fanfic https://archiveofourown.org/works/27963668/chapters/70030809

14. All Too Well by Taylor Swift 

Okay, this is the one song I always think of if I’m going to write about Kurapika leaving Neon for the Dark Continent. 

Maybe we got lost in translation Maybe I asked for too much But maybe this thing was a masterpiece Till you tore it all up

This is a very powerful breakup song, and one of Taylor Swift’s best! (I’m a Tay fan actually). 

15. King of My Heart by Taylor Swift 

Is the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending With all these nights we're spending Up on the roof with a school girl crush Drinking beer out of plastic cups Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff

We all know Kurapika is the King of Neon’s heart. <3 

16. Lucky by Britney Spears

If there’s nothing missing in her life, then why do tears come at night? 

Not really a KuraNeon song, but more for Neon. She seems like a rich girl, but she’s lonely and incomplete deep down. Her father is using her as a cash cow, much like how Britney Spear’s situation is right now. 

17. For the Love of A Daughter by Demi Lovato

Don't you remember, I'm your baby girl? How could you throw me right out of your world? So young when the pain had begun Now forever afraid of being loved

This song... gets me so sad. Not really a KuraNeon song but I think it describes Neon’s situation with her father a bit, particularly this verse. 

Okay, I will continue explaining the rest soon. 

[thefloatingstone]

If you’re doing Self Quarintine (and you should be if you can help it) here’s some Youtube recommendations! Some of these I have posted about or recommended before but with almost all of us stuck indoors now’s a good time to remind you of some cool things you can watch for free!

I’m not gonna imbed the videos, I’ll just post the link because otherwise I would only able to post 5 and I want to collect a few so you can make a playlist or something. (I could make a playlist too but then I couldn’t tell you what each video is and you can’t pick and choose which one sounds interesting to you)

In no particular order:

Polybius: The video Game that doesn’t exist

An hour long documentary in which the youtuber did extensive research to find the origin of the “Polybius” Urban Legend, which speaks of an early arcade game reportedly seen around the early 1980s which reportedly gave people migraines, insomnia, nausea, subliminal messages, and in some cases heart attacks.

The Universal S

A shorter video in which LEMMiNO does his very best to try and track down where exactly this S that we all drew in middle school comes from? Why does literally every country on earth seem to HAVE their children draw this S?

I also recommend LEMMiNO’s video on the Dayltov Pass Incident and the perplexing UFO cases

Down the Rabbit Hole: Henry Darger

Fredrick Knudsen has an incredible fascinating series called “Down the Rabbit Hole” which simply focuses on... anything you can discover and go digging into. From weird internet personalities, to bizarre happenings in history. This video is about the artist Henry Darger, a man who lived in the early 1900s and for all intents and purposes had a perfectly average, lonely life, until it was discovered just before his death he had spent literally decades writing and drawing a fantasy world in what is possibly the longest piece of literature ever written.

I also recommend his video on the Hurdy Gurdy

Bedtime Stories Channel

I’m actually just gonna link the whole channel for “Bedtime Stories”. If you like weird and creepy stories, all of which at least claim to be “true” then Bedtime Stories is great. Coupled by illustrations and subtle sound effects, Bedtime Stories is literally listening to someone tell you a story about such things like hikers who mysteriously went missing, Sightings of Bog Men in Florida and giant Birds over Chernobyl, as well as weird and unsettling murders that remain unsolved. Sometimes the facts are a little dubious or have been disproved, but that’s not the point of the channel. It’s here to tell a creepy story, not give you a documentary.

A Journey Through Rule of Rose

Rule of Rose is a Survival Horror gave for the PS2 which has rather bad gameplay... but a FASCINATING story with just as many layers and symbolism as Silent Hill 2 could boast. It tells the story of one young woman traveling back into her own childhood in an orphanage in the 1930s, and all the horrors that contains. From repressed grief, abusive relationships, child neglect, abuse, and bullying... but it ALSO contains symbolism of societal class structure, politics, eating the rich, and how power structures work. Not for the faint of heart, but HIGHLY recommended.

I also super highly recommend his video on the similarities between Silent Hill 2 and Solaris

Clemps Reviews Crisis Core

Mr. Clemps is a great internet gamer who reviews JRPGs and other games he simply enjoys. Sprinkling in a heavy dose of comedy and very fast jokes and observations, Clemps’ videos are always upbeat, fun, and incredibly enjoyable to watch. I’m linking part 1 of his Crisis Core video in which he explains why the PSP game remains a personal favourite of his despite its flaws.

I also recommend his video on Eternal Sonata

Defunct TV: The History of Dragon Tales

Defunctland is a channel that deals with theme parks and theme park rides that are no longer standing, or which are no longer around in their current form. Defunctland also has a sub series though, called “Defunct TV” where they look at the origin of children’s TV which are no longer airing. I recommend the video on Dragon Tales which is incredibly wholesome, and a genuinely uplifting and soft story of good people trying to make good things for children. (I also recommend the videos on Bear in the Big Blue House, Zoboomafoo, and Legends of the Hidden Temple)

Hagan’s Histories of Polar Exploration

A Playlist for Diamanda Hagan’s videos about the doomed Franklin Expedition from the late 1800s, where England tried to find a passage through the Northern Arctic to the Pacific Ocean. This went horribly horribly wrong, with every member of the Expedition dead. Over a 100 years later we are still fuzzy on what EXACTLY happened, but apart from the arctic chill, there is also evidence of faulty canned food, a series of bad decisions, and cannibalism. Caution advised for this series.

I also recommend the rest of Diamanda Hagan’s channel. She is NOT for everyone, but if you enjoy somebody reviewing Z grade indie movies as well as just BIZARRE films, really bad Christian media bordering on Science Fiction (without making fun of religion itself) hot takes of classic (and modern) Dr. Who, an introduction to Red Dwarf, She’s an EXCELLENT channel to check out.

Good Bad or Bad Bad: Pass Thru

A half podcast half review show where two guys watch a terrible film, decide if it’s “Good” Bad or just Bad Bad and tell you if you should watch it too.

That’s it. That’s the whole show.

I recommend diving into the untold madness that is one of the best(?) bad film makers currently still producing batshit insane movies, the immortal Niel Breen.

There is literally nothing I can say that’ll prepare you for Niel Breen.

(I also recommend their more recent video for “Dancin’ It’s on!”)

History Buffs: Apollo 13

Do you like History? Do you like movies ABOUT History? Do you want to know if the movies about history you watch actually resemble what really happened in any way at all? History Buffs is an EXCELLENT channel, which does talk about the merit of a film itself, but is mainly focused on letting you know just how true to life that historical film you watch is. I highly recommend his longest video which covers the space race between the USA and the USSR, leading to what is known as “The most Successful Failure in NASA’s History”. The Infamous Apollo 13 and where the words “Houston, we have a problem” came from.

If you’re not interested in Apollo 13 however, I also recommend his video on the movie Casino, as well as his video on the female philosopher, Agora.

The Internet Historian: The Goodening of No Man’s Sky

With videos with literally MILLIONS of views, you probably already know the Internet Historian. But I still want to recommend him very highly because his videos are just THAT good and entertaining. I recommend his newest video, documenting that time we were all pissed off about No Man’s Sky, the difficulties the game studio was in when the game released, and how they have been working hard to finally create what is now a truly brilliant game which is winning major awards. A really good underdog story of how a video game company actually saw what was wrong with their game, and FIXED it.

I also recommend his video on Fallour 76 as well as the Failure of Dashcon

8 Creepy Video game mysteries

Hey. Did you know that sometimes there’s some REALLY weird shit in video games, hidden easter eggs which took literal decades to find as well as just a lot of “what the actual fuck?”. Oddheader is a channel with a dedicated discord and Reddit form solely focusing on trying to find or replicate bizarre video game finds, mysteries, and hidden glitches. Even if it means getting in his car and driving to a specific arcade just to check a rumour about Street Fighter II’s arcade version. So if you like getting spooked by weird game shit that’s not just some dumb creepypasta, this is a great place to start.

I also recommend his video on weird discoveries in DVDs and movies.

Red Letter Media: Best of the Worst

Look you already know who Red Letter Media is.

You know... these guys:

Here’s a video of them and Macaulay Culkin watching 3 terrible movies together.

I recommend literally any and all of their videos. Their discussion on Carpenter’s The Thing is amazing.

The Impact of Akira: The film that changed Everything

Ok trying to pick just ONE Super Eyepatch Wolf video is literal torture. Originally I was going to suggest his recent video on Final Fantasy 7 for the PSone but I realised I recommended something FF7 related with Clemps, so instead I will recommend The Impact of Akira, a video talking in depth about Akira both as a film as well as a manga, how it completely and utterly changed the anime industry both in Japan as well as the west, and why it is still a meaningful and one of the most important anime/manga even to this day, still being unsurpassed despite so much competition.

However, ALL of Wolf’s videos are incredible, so I also recommend his videos on wrestling (despite me not caring about wrestling at all), His video on how media scares us, The bizarre reality of modern Simpsons, Why the Dragon Ball Z manga is great, and literally any other video he’s made. He hasn’t made one bad video yet.

Was Oblivion as Good as I remember?

Exactly what it says on the tin. The Salt Factory goes back to playing The Elder Scrolls Oblivion and now with hindsight and modern sensibilities, gives feedback on his experience and whether Oblivion still holds up. This isn’t a super in depth review of the game’s mechanics or how its put together or how it was made. This is simply one guy talking about his experience replaying it with somejokes thrown in and how he felt revisiting it. It’s pretty good.

I also recommend the video he did on Morrowind (because I’m biased).

Weird Japan Only PS1 games

Thor High Heels is SO GOOD and deserves SO MUCH MORE subs than he currently has. THH focuses a lot of obscure and lesser known games as well as big popular titles like the Yakuza series, talking about what he likes about them, what he thinks is cool, and just what kind of atmosphere and mood a certain game has, even if the game itself is kind of ass. He’s done several videos on games that were only released in Japan, as well as videos talking about the fashion in Squaresoft games and how it inspired as well as was inspired by real world street fashion, the aesthetic of PC-98 games and other topics. He also styles his videos and thumbnails after promotional art for video games from the 90s and generally just has an excellent style to his channel over all. Very chill.

Blue Reflection Review

ValkyrieAurora is a channel run by Sophie where she talks about games she personally likes and enjoys. Her videos are really laid back and her voice is really calm and pleasant to listen to. She’s made a bit of a reputation for herself as “The channel that talks about the Atelier Games” and general is just a really enjoyable channel worth checking out if you just want something soothing to listen to.

Ancient Chinese Historians Describe Japan

Voices from the Past is a channel were historical text is read out loud in english. These can be anything like the above video where Chinese historians describe the people of Japan around 297 AD, Accounts of “Dog-Men”, or the worlds oldest letter of complaint from 1750 BC. If you’d like something interesting historically to listen to but don’t want a full blown history lesson, this is a really good way to hear contemporary people talk about their experiences and what they thought about each other in their own words, without opinions or input given by the narrator.

The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet

Whang! is a channel that covers weird internet stories, some horrifying, some curious and interesting, and some just plain weird. His video on The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet and its update, are about a song which was recorded off the radio in Germany around the 1980s, and after one person online asked if anyone knew who the artist was as they couldn’t find any information, led to the realization that NOBODY online knows where this song came from or who sang it. It’s a fun mystery to look into that, unlike some others on this list, is not creepy or unsettling, although perhaps a little frustrating.

I also recommend his video on The Most Mysterious Anime theme song, and the haunted Ebay Painting.

5 Lost, Destroyed, and Locked away Broadcasts

Yesterworld is similar to the Defunctland channel in that it talks about obsolete rides, theme parks and other forgotten pieces of entertainment. Although the majority of the channel focuses on movie rides, rollercoasters and Disneyland, I recommend the video on lost and locked away broadcasts which you can no longer see. I also recommend the video about Lost and Rediscovered movie props.

The Nightmare Artist

I talked about this one recently as I just discovered this channel. This video is about the renowned Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski who painted surreal and horrifying paintings during his lifetime. There is no mystery here or anything like that, it merely talks about the impact WWII left on Beksinski and how the trauma his country and people suffered influenced his painting, and how certain images and motifs can be seen to directly reference this terrible part of Poland’s history.

Disabilities in Prehistory

Modern media likes to portray how “savage” the ancient past is, and tell us stories of how any person born with a deformity or disability would be thrown over a cliff or dumped in a well because they would be too big a drain on a community to look after. But here’s the thing... according to archaeological evidence, it turns out our ancient ancestors actually did their best to look after its disabled members to the best of their abilities. This video talks about archaeological finds of people who had genetic disabilities and what we can learn from their remains. TREY the Explainer is a great channel for archaeology and also talking about what answers we could have for sightings of cryptids. (not ALL of which we have answers for)

I also recommend his video on Pre-Contact dogs as well as Homosexuality in Nature and the Genetic History of the Ainu.

Decoding “The Secret: A treasure Hunt”

“The Secret” was an art book released in the 80s full of beautiful paintings, but it is also more than that. The book has a fantasy story talking about 12 fantastical races who left wonderful treasures for humans to find,and the book’s paintings and riddles will tell you where you can find each of these treasures which are yours to keep if you can solve the puzzle... and the treasures are 100% true and can actualy be found and claimed, if you can solve the riddles in the book. The video tells the story of the artbook, who was behind it, what the treasures are, how many have been found and various other facts and details.

I also recommend the videos on this channel “The Game: A scavenger Hunt” and “The investigation of Erratas”.

5 Ancient Inventions That Were WAY Ahead Of Their Time

I would recommend you be careful with this channel as its main focus is existentialism and rather alarming topics such as “how close are we to the apocalypse” and other things whose titles alone are enough to upset me. However this video is nothing like that. This video is exactly what the title suggests it is. 5 ancient inventions that were so incredibly ahead of their time you’d think they were made up. From the computer used by ancient Greeks to steel swords we don’t know how to replicate, this video is a great mix of mystery and history.

Although I caution you with this channel, I recommend Joe’s other videos about mysterious books, as well as his video on the most inbred people in history.

However, I know I keep repeating this, I highly recommend caution with this channel. Perhaps its just me and the topics of life and existent are just triggering for me, but I’d recommend maybe just doing a search for the titles I mentioned and not to go searching through the video library unless you’re not bothered by this kind of thing.

-

Anyway I could keep going, but I think that’s a LARGE amount of videos to keep you occupied for the time being as well as some suggestions for further viewing.

Please enjoy, let me know if you found something interesting, and look after yourself!

If you enjoyed this list at all, please consider tipping me for a coffee

☕️ Ko-fi ☕️

[reachexceedinggrasp]

So the majority of the shows I’ve seen lately can be charitably described as ‘light entertainment’, including the ones with dark elements or more weighty, ponderous plots. They might be entertaining or interesting, they just... don’t stand up to scrutiny. Turn your brain off because this isn’t that carefully or skilfully made and you’ll only be annoyed if you start thinking about it as a whole. Including the last couple 'tragic’ historical dramas I’ve watched, which were not effective tragedy for that very reason. If you’re going to kill off the main cast, you have to earn it, and overwhelmingly writers don’t. Anyway, I’ve been getting despondent about whether stories which actually hang together and form a coherent narrative unit with consistent themes are the exception rather than the rule.

(And I feel like that should be a pretty low standard to meet, it’s sort of Step 1 of ‘being a story’: be about something! Communicate something, no matter how basic it is. Dead simple stories with rock basic messages can be revelatory! Just do it well!)

I’ve seen very little genuinely focussed or meaningful storytelling in my ventures for what feels like a long time. Basically, I can kind of count on one hand the number of films or dramas or whathaveyou I’ve seen from the last few years where it felt like the filmmakers were in complete control of their story and everything in it was purposeful and intentional. Most things have felt slapdash or shallow or fleeting. Story elements and character choices come out of nowhere just to derail already concluded arcs and fill screen time with empty repetitious drama, not to serve a meaningful narrative purpose. I would be watching with zero confidence anything in particular was going anywhere or that the writers knew where that should be. It’s just throwing shit at the wall, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type writing all the time and it fucking shows.

But then I watched Money Flower.

Money Flower is different. Money Flower is towering head and shoulders above every modern drama I’ve ever seen. Titanically good writing which rises above its genre and makes conventions seem radically new and fresh not by reinventing them or deconstructing them, but by playing them straight, taking them seriously, and committing 1000%. This is all your familiar rich family tropes but with masterpiece execution, infused with consequence and meaning because they’re all driven by the psychology of complex three-dimensional characters. So many moving pieces and none of them are random or unmotivated. Just... GOOD WRITING. And I want to make the point that it is this wherein art lives. The difference between a rank Lifetime movie and Romeo and Juliet is not novelty or tropes or plot twists- it’s execution.

This show is such a perfect example that it is not ‘mere events’ (aka plot) or novelty or shock value or cool ideas which separates something brilliant and timeless from forgettable schlock; it is solely and entirely execution. It’s writing itself, if you know what I mean. You can describe many of Shakespeare’s tragedies and history plays as soap opera plots. What makes Macbeth a deathless masterwork and Death Wish Hollywood wank isn’t a fundamental difference in subject or genre. It’s Shakespeare’s characterisation and purposeful storytelling. It’s the poetry of the dialogue. It’s the craft of writing. Most of Shakespeare’s plots are based on existing stories or on historical events and that has never mattered because novelty is not an inherent good or of any inherent artistic value.

Like, this is the problem with storytelling right now blah blah GOT, shitty endings everywhere etc. because power over the audience (can’t let anyone guess the plot, looking ‘clever’ with meaningless callbacks) and novelty are valued over narrative structure or things making sense or emotional verisimilitude. We have so many writers thinking being ‘shocking’ is all it takes to be a genius. It’s easy to be shocking if your story makes no goddamn sense because things that don’t make sense are literally unpredictable. Not in a good way, though. A great twist or sudden swerve needs to be unexpected but inevitable in hindsight or it does not work. I should be able to rewatch your thing and think ‘oh, of course! you can see it was [x] all along!’

We have so many popular writers now who are so shallow they don’t think anything needs to make sense on a character or emotional level. They don’t think their story has to be about anything. Substance is irrelevant as long as the surface is flashy enough. That has no staying power, you can only watch it once and you will forget about it quickly.

However, if you have ever wanted to experience the constant heightened stakes and High Drama of a soap opera without being annoyed at how ridiculous it all is and while actually giving a shit about the characters because they feel like real human beings, if you’ve wanted to feel repercussions when characters make choices, and get the emotional payoff that is the entire point of drama- now you can. Watch Money Flower. And let me tell you, it is fucking riveting. This show is mostly made up of people sitting in rooms talking and yet it is heart-pounding excitement nearly every episode. It is profoundly traditional and by the book while being totally fresh. It’s the most engrossing and satisfying artistic experience I’ve had in a long time.

Like, THE TENSION, THE DRAMA, THE REVEALS!!! You can, in fact, spend most of 24+ hours on the edge of your seat about family problems and business mergers. It seems unlikely, but that is the power of this series, it creates insanely high stakes and mesmerising suspense out of the most commonplace ingredients. Familiar plot elements become brand new and surprising under the deftness and tightness of this narrative. The plot itself is certainly 100% melodrama but it never feels like a soap opera and is never ever soapy in in a pejorative sense because it handles its classic tropes with such maturity and nuance that it's like you've never seen them before. The writing is incredible.

It is on an entirely different level than the vast majority of dramas, with a total self-assurance that keeps the pacing relentless yet unhurried- taking its time to let the impact of events be felt, the narrative always knowing exactly where it’s going and how to get there. The characters are all multi-faceted and unpredictable without ever being incoherent, their motives and goals always being gradually uncovered in more detail that only makes the storytelling and characterisation even tighter, even richer. The twists and cliffhangers are always mind-blowing but always earned, never cheap or nonsensical, and I can't remember ever thinking that about another show. (There’s literally one exception towards the very end where something a bit random happens for reasons of pure symbolism- it’s a misstep imo but it’s minor in the scheme of things)

Every time I started to doubt the writing, started to think ‘oh no, they’re going off the rails’, they showed me I was wrong and they were in total control. The only 'problem' with the show is that the drama is also profoundly painful to watch unfold, particularly in the beginning, because it's a story where everyone makes terrible life choices and moral corruption is everywhere. It's hypnotic though, like a car crash. If you can handle something dark, insidious, cerebral, and character-driven there is nothing I've seen in the same vein that can approach its brilliance. It’s like The Magnificent Ambersons as a slick modern revenge drama. There is also (PRECIOUSLY!!) a core of stunning romanticism around which all the horrors revolve and that saves it from becoming hideous or cynical. There is a chance for redemption and a new beginning after all, in spite of all appearances.

The ending has apparently been controversial, and it is definitely not quite as climatic as you would have expected given how powerfully climatic almost every regular episode is, but it's a good ending. There isn't full closure, they don't provide final resolution in a bow, but to me it's an ending about hope. It suggests optimism for our characters and I was satisfied with that. It's extremely rare for a 'revenge story’ to allow this kind of room for healing and it can do that because, imo, we discover in the end that it wasn't ultimately vengeance in Pil Joo’s heart. He has not become a tragic hero who will be consumed by the cannibalistic darkness of revenge, his quest was for justice. He teeters on the edge of the abyss but he avoided falling in; he didn't sell his soul, at least not irrevocably.

He is nonetheless a very tragic figure and an anti-hero, but despite having dedicated his life to bringing down the Jang cabal, it’s not that he’ll stop at nothing. He will make any personal sacrifice no matter how desolate, he lives as a mere husk of a man, and he facilitates enormous emotional harm to others in service of his goals, but he has ethical hard lines he never considers crossing. His sense of decency and compassion is never extinguished; he does care about the collateral damage he is causing even when making justifications for it. It’s important to him to give people as much agency as possible in their choices, to mitigate the damage done by his schemes as much as he can. To try to prevent harm coming to undeserving bystanders. Not that this makes it okay that he uses people, which he does, but the point is he never completely surrenders his moral compass to avarice. He’s never okay with burning down the world or ruining innocent lives just to get to his target.

Pil Joo is less a vigilante and more an avenging angel, he wants justice more than retribution. He wants fairness and a better, safer world where what has happened to his family won’t happen again. The reason this story never becomes Sweeney Todd (aka: a full on tragedy where we see the inevitable outcome of lust for revenge) and the reason he can survive twenty years spent pursuing someone’s downfall is exactly that principle. Searching for retribution would have destroyed him, he would have become the very thing he hated, but instead he goes as far as necessary to publicly expose the Jangs for what they are and then willingly submits to penance for his complicity in their crimes and tries to atone with the people he hurt along the way. Purged, he’s symbolically reborn and takes back his real name to maybe finally have a chance at the life he should have had. He moves on, content, a positive force. He’s capable of healing from the ordeal because he realises he doesn’t need retaliation, just seeing them stopped and facing consequences for their actions is enough.

The love story is a superbly poignant part of this. Their love is the ‘victim’ of his revenge and it will forever be impacted by it, but it’s not something that can be killed, so there’s still hope. Mo Hyeon’s bookending rescues of Pil Joo from death mean first that he has a purpose he must fulfil and then the second time that he has freedom to finally live as himself, for himself. There’s a future. And maybe they can be together there. I’m emo about it.

Anyway, if there was the slightest doubt about me becoming a long-term Jang Hyuk fangirl, it’s been put to rest. This performance is easily one of the best I’ve ever seen, period. No contest it’s the best I’ve seen in a tv drama. It’s also the most subtle and masterful turn he's delivered in his whole career. He's so restrained, but he is giving absolutely everything; he has total control over every microexpression, every gesture, every molecule in his body. There is so much simmering under his surface, so much going on in his eyes; the layers and depths are endless. The intensity and sharp intellectual focus he brings to the character is breathtaking. Everyone else is doing amazing work too, but he is almost constantly on screen and has this spectacular command of such a sprawling story, such a complex character, and he makes it look effortless. All artifice has melted away. The fact that being so tightly contained is in stark contrast to the bombastic element in many of his other roles renders its delicate precision even more startlingly impressive. I thought he was a great actor before, but I didn’t fully appreciate what he was capable of until Pil Joo.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Pumpkin Rapper

(WARNING! This analysis contains PUMPKIN RAPPING! It’s about to happen!)

Ah, Power Rangers, that classic show about teenagers with attitude suiting up to battle ridiculous monsters using all manner of weapons and posing. But of course, in a series where they’re fighting new and crazier monsters every time, there will always be a few monsters that stand above the rest as truly wicked, heinous, and powerful… and in this Psycho Analysis, we will be looking at perhaps the most evil being Rita Repulsa and her henchmen ever created.

This is… the Pumpkin Rapper.

Now get ready for this, because pumpkin rappin’ is about to happen.

Motivation/Goals: As the most wicked and powerful of Rita Repulsa’s creations, the Pumpkin Rapper  would seemingly only exist for one reason: to kill the Power Rangers once and for all. But this simple fact hides the truth, the truth being that the Pumpkin Rapper’s true purpose was to be the greatest rapper of the 90s. This monster had a flow that would put Vanilla Ice to shame, and rhymes harder than any Dr. Seuss book! He was set to take the charts by storm, but those damn Power Rangers got in the way!

Performance: Michael Sorich delivers the sweet, sweet raps of this bad fruit. You might know him from his prolific voice work, which includes everything from Gargomon in the Digimon movie to Josuke’s grandpa in Diamond is Unbreakable to, unfortunately, the original voice of Mums on Big Bad Beetleborgs. But as much as Sorich’s insanely good rapping skills truly bring this character to life, I must give an incredible amount of respect to the mad genius inside that pumpkin suit, dancing and prancing and truly selling this high fructose MC to all of the kids of the 90s.

Final Fate: The Rangers almost fall before the awesome might of Pumpkin Rapper; his army of breakdancing Pumpkin Puttys and his evil suffocating pumpkin traps, as well as his other pumpkin-themed powers almost prove too much! They have to call in the Green Ranger at the last minute and put together the Power Blaster to even hope to stand a chance against him. They should thank their lucky stars Rita didn’t make this monster grow, because considering how unstoppable he was before, imagine how screwed they’d have been if he was any larger (Please ignore the fact that he grows in a later appearance and is soundly defeated by the Thunder Megazord)!

Best Scene: The guy sadly only appears for vie minutes near the end of his debut episode, but he really manages to steal the show and stick into your memory. If I had to single out a moment, though, the legendary clip Zordon shows of our favorite rapping fruit saying “PUMPKIN RAPPIN’ IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!” before he even existed is just bafflingly brilliant. Where did you get this footage, Zordon?

Here, enjoy some highlights from an ancient YouTube video that will make you feel like you’re watching a bootleg VHS in the early 2000s!

Best Quote: PUMPKIN RAPPIN’ IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN! PUMPKIN RAPPIN’ IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN! PUMPKIN RAPPIN’ IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN! PUMPKIN RAPPIN’ IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!

Final Thoughts & Score: Okay, time to be serious for a second. Pumpkin Rapper is an incredibly memorable and amusing joke villain, nothing more or less. And yet, he has become incredibly popular with fans, to the point he even got his own Funko Pop! How could this happen?

Well, I think it might be because Pumpkin Rapper is really the distilled essence of what people love about the original Power Rangers. He’s unashamedly cheesy and goofy, to an almost cringeworthy level; look at him spitting those basic rhymes and flailing about! And at the same time, he’s ridiculously weird and creative; where else can you get a rapping, dancing pumpkin who fights the heroes because their rhymes are just so goddamn awful that they enrage him to the point of violence? This combination of hilarious corniness and sheer wacky creativity is what I, as a relative outsider to the fandom, see as the core appeal of Power Rangers. It’s a fun, silly show that’s wildly inventive, and Pumpkin Rapper is one of the (I’m assuming) many peaks of that.

I considered giving him a 7, because as a standard “monster of the week” who is soundly defeated with limited screentime and then only shows up again in minor roles in ensemble villain pieces, you wouldn’t think he’d deserve much more… but goddammit, he’s a rapping evil pumpkin! You are unlikely to ever forget this after seeing it! A low 8/10 is what I’m giving this mean MC. Again, he’d normally be a 7, but I think the fact he’s memorable enough to be given his own Funko Pop and become a beloved minor minion among fans is enough to push him up a number, sort of like Midler’s role in Heritage for the Future helped bump her up to an 8 despite being a minor antagonist in Stardust Crusaders. I’m a firm believer that if a minor antagonist can leave a mark like that, especially if they’re a oneshot, they deserve at least a little bit of elevation.

[jeanvaljean24601]

Black Monday's Producers Explain Why Confessed and Went to Prison in Season 2 Finale

If you stuck with the joyously demented carnival that is Showtime's Black Monday for all of Season 2, you know it took bonkers to new heights, even for a show that was pretty bonkers to begin with. By the time it was done, we'd seen a half-dead man sing a song through a computer; an epic shoot-out that looked like something out of Rambo; the precursor to the modern-day dick pic via a Xerox'd willy; and a whimsical musical number inside a white-collar prison that celebrated the joys of wealthy white privilege. Yes, the jokes, set pieces, and gags in Season 2 of Black Monday were a lot, in the gleeful, "I can't believe they just did that" way that makes the enjoyably absurdist romp unlike anything else on TV. Season 2 also juggled a dizzying number of overlapping storylines involving financial jargon and backstabbing schemes, with Mo (Don Cheadle), Dawn (Regina Hall), Blair (Andrew Rannells), Tiff Georgina (Casey Wilson) and Keith (Paul Scheer) tangled up in crisscrossing tales of revenge and oneupmanship. At the conclusion of its 10 episodes, we'd seen Mo try to do something right for a change, the once-innocent Blair turn dark, Keith cozy up to the Lehmann brothers, and Dawn land in prison after confessing that she was the one who engineered the Black Monday crash that kickstarted the series. Even if the intricacies of every story turn became a little head-scratching at times, the overall movements made Season 2 like a wild, intoxicating ping-pong match that ultimately finished with Dawn in the clink and Mo back at square one. Why did Dawn tell on herself? And what might a Season 3 look like if the Showtime gods smile on us? Executive producers Jordan Cahan and David Caspe talked with TV Guide about how the madcap season came to be, some of their favorite moments, and what they're thinking about next. There was so much happening inside this season; how'd you map out what you wanted to have happen? Jordan Cahan: Well, that's funny, because I was thinking before this call, as comedy people, it's rare that we get to go story first. Usually, it's like, what jokes, what is a funny set piece. But it's good to go story first, and that was what so fun about the season. We really did talk about where we wanted the characters to end up. What is the final frame of each character? Where are they? And then the real question was, how do we get them there in a way where we're juggling all the characters but where you can't get so cleanly ahead. So that it feels like a drama where the journey is exciting and unexpected, but hopefully at the end, it all feels like it makes sense. We're not used to doing that for comedy. I think the fun of that was looking at a board and bringing out where the characters' peaks and valleys were and how we could get them to all interact. David Caspe: I think the end game that we were excited about was Regina [Dawn]. The room as a whole got to a place where they're like, "Okay, the most interesting thing is that a Black woman is responsible for [Black Monday] which was actually a brilliant trade, but also something very illegal. There's such an interesting dichotomy of wanting the credit or something that also would take you down, but being so frustrated over the course of the season that you're not getting the credit you deserve, that in the end, she basically turned herself in to get the credit more than anything. We had where everyone begins and we had where Regina ends and we had to figure everything else out. Black Monday Wasn't Conceived with Black Leads, but It's All the Better for ItOne of the things that stood out to me was the feminist theme of the season. You have Dawn in charge of a mostly female firm at the start, and then this subplot where Wayne (Horatio Sanz) is this incel character determined to punish women. Was Season 2 intended to be an overtly feminist statement? Caspe: I think every character we have is, for lack of a better word, not a straight white man. Looking at how they have to navigate today through the lens of the '80s is really been what the show is about a little bit and I think inevitably women are a big part of that. The Just for Men thing from Wayne was very much about a lot of men's reactions to like, the female Ghostbusters and stuff like that just felt insanely ridiculous to us. It just felt natural that if we've got this woman who was the mastermind behind Black Monday, she would break the glass ceiling and start this all-female firm, but inevitably you're gonna have one of these sort of incel type-men who reacts in this misogynist way. You see it constantly now, as a reaction to the Time's Up movement. They always frame it as like, "I'm a men's rights activist," which, you know, straight white men don't need activists. They've done just fine. So a lot of the story is, "How did we get to the end game?" We really wanted all the characters and stories to be very interconnected. You've talked before about how your writers' room is mostly people of color and/or women — and you had that in place before the new push for more inclusivity behind the scenes. Do you feel like you were ahead of the curve there? Cahan: Saying it's a mandate is sh---y. For us, it's always been our absolute desire to have the most diverse rooms as humanly possible. I've never worked any other way and I won't. Yes, it happens to fit this show hand in glove, but I just think it's the way shows should be made. Caspe: And it's also selfish, frankly, in that you get a better show that way...the more perspectives you get and voices you get in the room [you get] more variety of hilarious jokes and experiences that inspire storylines.

Cahan: I can think of two or three storylines that I would be really afraid to touch, that would be like third rails, and the room was so encouraging going in that direction. Ultimately, you want them to lead you. Not only did it end up educating me, but I think it makes the show richer. Dawn borrowing from what is essentially the United Negro College Fund. Stories like that where it's like "Do we really want to do this?" and then having the room get so excited, to put that character in such a difficult moral pose

Caspe: And the story itself is just not one that I would think of. The relationship between Dawn and her mother is informed by Black women in the room. I wouldn't have come up with the nuanced, intelligent version; I would come up with like, an outsider looking in assumption of it rather than something that felt authentic. A lot of [Blair's] story was inspired by people that went through similar things of what it means to be gay in a religion that doesn't accept it. That's not my story to tell; I also don't know it, because I haven't been inside it. Let's talk about the brilliant song "White Collar," Keith sings in Episode 5. How'd that come to be? Cahan: We knew we wanted to [take on]  Club Fed because it was such an '80s anomaly. And it was so weirdly written about in the '90s as like, "Can you believe this happened?" It felt almost like a Simpsons-style step out where all of a sudden you're seeing things...it felt like a fun, silver bullet way to describe what you're seeing in these prisons but in the same way but a silly, fun thing that stretches the limits of credibility where we didn't know if we could pull it off and still feel like you're in the real world. Caspe: It was very inspired by the Simpsons musical numbers. Cahan: It was "See My Vest" from The Simpsons. It was Maison Derrière Simpsons. We probably pulled the rubber band back as far as we could with that one. In that vein, the visual gags and set pieces in Season 2 went to a new level — the bank shootout, in Episode 3 ("The Idiot Inside") for example, the most over-the-top. What were your favorites of the season?

android tv box

Cahan: I would say the things that got me excited are on two ends of the spectrum. And I'm sure Dave's would be different but on one end, the bank is as ambitious anything we've ever done. I mean, the idea of not just making it a little music video or alluding to it, but actually playing it, and really destroying that bank digitally and physically, having to do a lot of practical effects and plotting that whole thing out. We had never done an episode that didn't have a B-story. So we have never done an episode that didn't cut away to the other characters. So it was very much like writing a play, but a play that could get explosive very quickly. I can't tell you how much fun it was for somebody who grew up with '80s action movies and loves them so dearly, to be able to do that. And then weirdly, on the complete other side of that, I would say the very next episode, which was on purpose, was the country club episode. We wanted it to feel zany and goofy, almost like a Three's Company episode in the same way that our bank episode feels like a Miami Vice or something like that. The country club episode deals with race and class and sexuality and religion; we really wanted that to feel like a farce. And I think I think we got really lucky with our writers, directors. I really love the way the show can go from one complete extreme to the other. It sure seems like Mo is full-on in love with Dawn, but he just can't seem to get over himself. What's up with their dynamic and why he's so reluctant to be vulnerable with her?Caspe: I think this season he was a victim of circumstance, which was like sort of the most tragic [part]. Usually, in the past it's been his own ego and his own lack of vulnerability that has [messed things] up with her, you know, I think this season, he was getting on that plane. He was going to disappear forever. Now granted, he had just completely f---ed her over, but he was completely f---ed over by her Black Monday. She did steal his entire company and basically took all his money. So he was pissed. And he did his one last piece of revenge to screw up her bank deal. And then he got on that plane and was leaving. When the FBI caught up to him, they forced him back to help them find who was responsible for Black Monday. And in that respect, he was trying to keep Dawn out of it, and he was genuinely trying to steer them towards Blair and saved Dawn.

He just kind of wasn't able to. But he really was trying to do the right thing by her. I also think we were trying to look at [how] there's still sexism within races or cultures. When you flashback to him, he genuinely looked at it as like, I'm the one who got the seed money, I'm the one who got on the [Wall Street] floor. Like I think it never occurred to him that Dawn would have been his partner. Mo has some sexism [about him] too. Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!But, he's willing to take the rap for her. I read that as a sign of his deep abiding love for her, and I reading that wrong? Cahan: No, you got that. He literally says, "I'm going to be the tragic hero." He's trying to display that he's changed. At the end he runs into Keith and Keith is basically telling him "You are going to go away for life." And Mo continues on. He goes to the FBI and he confesses, he's willing to do the sacrificial thing. Where are you thinking about for Season 3, if you get renewed?Caspe: Maybe the '90s. It's almost '89 by the end of Season 2, so there's something interesting about 1990, or even jumping ahead.

Cahan: I'm really excited by where the four chess pieces are. We really wanted to position them in these exciting places. Season 2 starts with Blair making a deal with Tiff and they have this understanding, and they're going to help each other. And by the end of the season, you can see she's kind of terrified of him, and how far he'll go for power. And we get a glimpse into his background and know that when his back is against the wall, he's not afraid to push back all the way to protect himself. Now I'm like, "Oh, God how bad is this going to get?" I think for Mo, it hinges on a little be careful what you wish for. Now he's inadvertently got the immunity he's always wanted. All of his old transgressions are wiped away.android tv box

He's a new man. He can start again clean, but the question is at what cost? For Dawn, we were very careful to not mention how long she'd been put away or how deep of trouble she's in. But clearly it's a very serious crime. We've painted ourselves into a corner of how could that possibly work? And then for Keith it's another be careful what you wish for [situation]. He's finally found someone who really appreciates him. But there's a bit of a Single White Female relationship. I feel like if Season 1, we painted ourselves into a corner, I think Season 2, it would be even more fun to watch how these four people, who seem to not be able to get out of each other's way, and their lives would continue.h96 tv box

Last question is, in the final moments, we see Lenny, that poor twin who's just come back from the brink of death, being attacked by a wolf after being left in the woods by his brother. The guy can't catch a break. Is he dead, or just in bad shape again?Caspe: I think it would be the same thing as Season 1. So if he died again at the end of Season 2, if you're a betting man I would bet on Lenny's triumphant return at some point in Season 3 if we get it, probably even more mangled than he was at the end of Season 1. In classic '80s villain.

[mister-maiden]

Outlast 1: Oh dear

Rating: 8/10                    Genre: Adventure/Horror                  Difficulty: Medium

TIME SPENT COMPLETING: 4-5 hours

Dark clouds signal your arrival at the iron, rusted gates of what appears to be a psychiatric hospital. You check your precious camera and battery supply before reviewing the file that led you here. You slowly move out of your vehicle…and as you peer towards the towering windows above, you could swear you are being watched. Several abandoned cars lay in the lot, webs and rust collecting on the exteriors. With the eerie sound of wind accompanying you as you make your way inside through an open window, you can’t help but think you may have made a dire mistake. This is Outlast. Developed by Red Barrels and released in 2013.

You are Miles Upshur, an investigative journalist who received a lead from an anonymous source about experiments on patients and violence occurring within Mount Massive Asylum. Armed with only a camera, batteries, and a few bandages, you make your way inside to find the story of a lifetime, only to come face to face with the evil inside all men. You’ll make your way past some of the worst of humanity mankind has to offer. People burned to the muscle, nearly skinned men walking around, torture, sacrifice, and more. Full of mental instability rather than healing, Mount Massive Asylum holds the most unstable people imaginable, and the surroundings to match. Chunks of building have fallen from a lack of care. Blood and other bodily fluids smear the walls and ceiling with religious signs. In contrast to its purpose of healing, it has become a festering blister that’s ready to pop.

Outlast’s soundtrack is a thing of beauty. Rather than focusing on loud, sudden jump scare sounds, they choose the violin and fiddle as a way to slowly play the character into a false sense of security. In some cases the player may feel himself ease up to a simple, empty hallway due to the near religious harmony of the music’s instruments. Then in other cases the player will find their hearts pump out of their chest as the music becomes a blitz of fear and panic. It forces the player to never feel safe while inside the asylum. Making the player feel sane and safe before shoving him into an unsafe situation with clashing, fast paced instruments and horrifying events is what Outlast is all about.

The game’s game play takes a note from Amnesia by having your character unable to fight back against the denizens of the asylum. Not every person wishes to harm you which makes it worse when someone you walk by suddenly wishes to shove a knife into your back. As the lead said, most, if not all of the men inside of the hospital have been experimented on. Be it losing their eyes, their limbs, or their sanity. There is no defense against your attackers. The only defense you have is using your camera’s night-vision function, lose them within the darkness, and pray they won’t find your hiding spot. You’ll need to be crafty and have a sharp eye to find batteries laying around so your camera doesn’t die, or you will be the one traversing in the abyss without a light, (and it is not a fun experience having someone’s face pop onto the screen because you were walking forward without a light). Some rooms are entirely black and relies on the night-vision in your camera to traverse which becomes horrendous when the battery is low. Remember to search every area, otherwise you may find yourself in a dire situation.

It seems Outlast took another piece of game play from Amnesia and had much of its lore placed in notes around the asylum. You can choose to hunt and find these notes to discover the full extent of evil doings happening within Mount Massive, or you can focus on finding a way out. It’s your choice. Nothing will really change of course as you will still need to find a way to escape to publish your findings.

Rating: 8/10 Mental Asylums. Every character was memorable, every chase is a horror in its own, and the surroundings was just a wonderful place to have the game set in. Mental asylums are often thought of for the crazies and most unstable of minds. Outlast took advantage of this and played on the strings of horror to bring a nail biting escape through the hell that is Mount Massive Asylum. If it would have introduced some sort of different game mechanic rather than just sprinting down hallways and turning valves and finding keys, this could have been perfect; however, with too similar mechanics to Amnesia, I feel as though it can’t be a perfect score. It tried too hard to mimic the mechanics of a game that was successful in the past. Granted it brought new mechanics of a camera and made the horror more fast paced rather than slow, it still felt almost too similar.

----------------------------------SPOILERS----------------------------------

My experience with the game + Discussion

When I want to play a horror game, I obviously want to be scared. When Outlast came out, I was overly excited to try it and boy was I impressed.

To begin, the introduction to the asylum was absolutely beautiful. It was the best way to introduce a game’s setting to the character I have seen in a while without becoming ridiculously difficult to remember every detail. All the player knows is that you’re an investigative journalist looking into a story suggested to you. It’s best to leave much ambiguity to the game’s context to the player rather than telling them outright, “Oh, this game is about this and this.” Throughout your stay in the asylum, there is always this sense of the supernatural due to religious symbols being placed around and strange events happening; however, if you read all the notes found strewn around the hospital, you will find that everything can be explained and pointed down to scientists performing horrible experiments, and their new invention. The Walrider.

The Walrider is the primary antagonist of the story. It’s body is made entirely of small nano machines invisible to the human eye unless they are grouped together. All of the random movements, killings, and religious worship can be brought down to this single antagonist as it has spread its influence among the denizens as an experiment gone wrong. Mount Massive Asylum is just a front for a secret laboratory hidden deep within the earth, experimenting on the tormented minds of patients in order to find someone to become a host for this swarm of nano machines. Only someone who has seen or been through so much horrendous trauma can be strong enough to control it, and who would be a more perfect host than someone suffering from mental instability?

I thought this antagonist was an amazing twist to a villain because everyone expects horror these days to be all about the supernatural or some shape of demon, but instead it is a contrast and it is completely man made. In the beginning of the game, running away from an insane doctor and butcher twins, you never get the sense of the horrors of the asylum being man made and something supernatural must be occurring. I was absolutely shocked at the conclusion of the antagonist being made of thousands of tiny machines that have been desecrating the asylum from within and it took me ages to really twist my mind around the idea. In fact, the game is filled with characters I just can’t forget because of what they did to my character. For instance, the twins.

The twins are two characters who seem to appear at the worst of times, naked, with machetes. Their theme was all about silent killing which was horrifying because no other enemy in the game would walk silently and not talk at all. This completely changed the game once these characters were introduced. It went from constantly having to flee in a panic, opening doors quickly and sprinting inside, to planning what doors to open, sneaking about and hoping the other twin wasn’t at your throat already. They were patients gone mad at the hands of the Walrider and experimentation, with temptations of wanting to eat your tongue and liver. They are very loyal to Father Martin, the self proclaimed priest of the asylum who worships the Walrider like a god.

There are several other characters that are worth mentioning. Chris Walker, the giant man who simply wishes to kill you. Rudolf Wernicke who is one of the primary researchers behind the Walrider experiments. If you look deeply into the notes and find hints around the asylum, you will find that the true evil is a corporation called the Murkoff Corporation. All of this death and destruction is simply for their gain to learn more about the human mind. I thought this was a brilliant idea to have an entire corporation behind the evil rather than this being just one big accident from experimentation done within the Asylum because not only does it give the REAL antagonists a face and mysterious chain of command, it also helps make a story for the newer addition to the Outlast series, Outlast 2, which is set in the swamps...but that’s for another review.

The chase events in this game made my heart pound, some more than others. For instance, one chase I vividly remember had me drop out of a vent and into a room with a man strapped to a chair who suddenly begins to scream. The calm sound of air now changed to an adrenaline rush of violin and drums as the insane make their move and begin to try to destroy the wooden doors separating me from them. It was so sudden that I began to panic and look around before staring directly at an iron plate blocking a door. As soon as I moved it, the doors burst open and several men with bloodthirsty visages shuffled on inside. Once I locked the door behind me, I had to sprint into several new rooms, each having more revolting images than the next with no time to process what I was seeing. The adrenaline rushed while I continuously closed the doors behind me to slow my pursuers, trying to find any means of escape I could before crawling into vents, windows, all with the same music pounding in my ears and the sound of my character’s heavy breathing constantly on my mind. Every exit began to scream danger as the sounds of fists against the doors filled the hallways. The pursuers constantly screamed to get after me as I made my escape through a mini elevator helpfully provided by a rather friendly voice on the end of an intercom. With no time to react and judge whether this was a good idea or not, I had to choose to enter the elevator, only to find myself face to face with a man with wires in his arms, a surgical apron around his waist, and the same friendly voice saying “You made the right choice here, buddy” before suddenly being punched into submission and falling onto the floor.

If the developers wished to make a game that forces you to panic and make dumb decisions based on the information and time given to you, they damn well succeeded. I was horrified every second of my play through and would recommend this game for anyone to try. It often goes on sale with its counterpart Outlast 2 and is a fantastic example of a quicker paced, modern horror game.

VERDICT: I’d recommend getting this game on sale. It is worth the full price, but this game goes on sale alongside its sequel, Outlast 2 far too often to not be taken advantage of. Have fun you guys c;

[arenee1999]

The Timeless Children

I like the additions to the canon of the show. I don’t believe this detracts or ‘ruins’ what came before. However, I was extremely disappointed with the episode. There are other ways it could have been dealt with that wouldn’t have been so under-whelming and flat.

Much of my disappointment stems from the treatment of the Master. I don’t care for the direction the Master has been taken in since NewWho started. Delgado/Ainley Master and Simm/Dhawan Master (Missy is more like Ainley, IMO) are two completely different characters. The Simm/Dhawan Masters are completely out of character. Simm’s ooc-ness was at least explained during The End of Time, I even liked that reveal, that the Time Lords (or rather, Rassilon) meddled with him and caused the insanity to force him to attempt pulling Gallifrey back into existence. That completely explained the bat-sh*t crazy nonsense of the Simm!Master.

In comes Missy, who has shaken off the insanity from the previous incarnation and is once again in control of herself and not being controlled and led by Rassilon. The character is… well, in character again and it’s brilliant. Missy is fantastic. So why return to the insane nonsense with Dhawan!Master? It’s pointless and just sad to reduce the Master to that.

So how else could the story of the Timeless Child have gone?

1)    Leave everything exactly as it is in the story except change the motivation of the Master for destroying Gallifrey. Focus more on the fact The Doctor’s adoptive mother essentially tortured her, killing her repeatedly, to extract the secret of regeneration. The Doctor and The Master are bitter enemies but they are also best friends. Let The Master be so outraged on behalf of his best friend that he reacts by destroying the society that exists because of the suffering of the Doctor. In the process, leaving the non Time Lord Gallifreyans alive.

2)    Use The Rani instead of The Master. The Rani’s sole purpose is scientific research. Have her stumble across a discrepancy in some biological research that leads her to use the Masters “back door” into the Matrix to confirm her findings. She finds the information about the Doctor and how Time Lords were created and decided to kidnap the Doctor and do her own experiments, revealing the truth to the Doctor in the process. Then let the Doctors quest to learn the truth be what rips apart Gallifrey, ultimately destroying it.

3)    Keep the story the same but have the Timeless Children be more than one child. Have it be the Doctor, the Master and the Rani (or some other combination). Have the reason the three of them are so brilliant and so rebellious be because they are different. Make it so their life force, their powers, are what powers the Time Lords. The Time Lords wipe their memories every so often and force them to regenerate into children starting their “life’ over again to keep them from learning the truth. Make that the secret that caused the Master to destroy Gallifrey. No one would question the Master destroying the Time Lords after learning that he himself was tortured and used to create the Time Lords.

4)    Make the Timeless Child someone else all together. The last of an ancient, nearly, immortal race that is kept in the heart of Gallifrey and their essence, life force, powers etc. are siphoned off to power the Time Lords. Regeneration is limited to twelve per person to keep the power balanced, or some such nonsense, but the limit is arbitrary and unnecessary. Which is how they are able to grant more regenerations when they choose to.  Choose whether you want the Master to be outraged, even the Master has a moral compass - skewed and twisted but still there, or whether he did it to keep the power for himself. Either could be plausible.

Or some other variation on the theme, instead of turning the Master into a whiny brat that destroyed Gallifrey ‘because I have a bit of the Doctor inside me!’ Seriously!?!?!? I’m sorry, no. It doesn’t work for me.

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Amazing Spider-Man: Full Circle #1 Thoughts

Well...this was odd.

I’ve never read a Round Robin before, not in comics or any other medium.

I think the first thing to acknowledge is that this wasn’t intended to be taken strictly seriously (let alone canonically) and certainly wasn’t treated as such by the creators. It’s more a creative exercise or experiment, the reading equivalent of a theme park ride I suppose.

That makes critiquing it weird and tricky. Thus I’m going to treat this more like an anthology book than one big story as the creative teams were not put in the best position to make everything hang together. I’m going to briefly talk about if I liked the art, the characterization of Spidey (and any other regular characters who pop up) and really that’s it. I don’t think it’s fair to lambast a this comic for taking Spider-Man into space or into a mystical direction as it’s supposed to be weird, wacky and fun, not taking itself seriously.

Also I’ll be writing about each part immediately after I’ve read it and before I’ve read the next part.

Awaaaaaaaaaaaay we go!

Part 1

Didn’t care for this one. Perhaps it’s because it’s the opening chapter and gets to set the stage, I can’t give it as much slack as everything else.

I’ve never liked Hickman and whilst the stuff about his work that annoys me wasn’t present here, his characterization of Spider-Man was very off. It felt ripped straight out of Brand New Day in how buffoonish and infantilized Spider-Man was (he even unmasks in the corner for no reason), the art not helping in this regard.* The art itself wasn’t very good because...well it’s modern day Bachalo and he’s literally leaving panels blank for no reason. Plus in some scenes I genuinely couldn’t tell what was happening.

The final thing to not about this part is that it might be set in the 1980s as Spider-Man is wearing his black costume and the recap page claims this to be an untold tale for Spider-Man. plus it features Hasslhoff Fury instead of Jackson Fury.

Big take away.

Hickman shouldn’t write Spider-Man in the future.

*Not to mention other people were treating Spider-Man as a joke.

Part 2

I liked this one much better. There was one moment of buffonishness with Spider-Man where he was in his underwear, but the other gags (like Spider-Ham and Fury shooting a ferret) I thought were earned enough. I also liked that Duggan provided a way to allow for the black and the red costumes to appear in the story. I adored the reference to the Florida Spidey theme park ride and the art was beautiful.

The only questionable parts were Spider-Man’s webbing working in space (how, there is no gravity?) and the werewolves kind of coming out of nowhere. Maybe that’s a little too harsh on my part given the nature of this story though.

My takeaway is that Smallwood should draw more Spider-Man and Duggan might deserve another shot at Spider-Man as this wasn’t all that bad.

Part 3

Wow.

In a project that was supposed to just be silly fun Nick Spencer put in way more effort than he had to.

First of all the art is lovely even if the human faces are a tad stiff.

Second of all, if you were in doubt that Spencer is qualified for the job as ASM writer, this should dispel those reservations.

Whilst the story has some wacky comedy ala Superior Foes it also has a dash of depth and plot development too.

In a story that thus far has featured Spider-Ham, falling from space and wacky hijinks, BAM, Spencer organically brings up Spider-Man’s origin in a way that’s logically consistent in a story inherently illogical in the first place.

More than this he throws in another brief yet organic reference to Man-Wolf and even uses the continuity of the book itself by referencing the previous two stories.

He ties this all together with the theme of choice and the random unintended consequences of those choices, thus delivering a meta commentary upon the inherent premise of this comic book. It’s actually rather ingenious and he did it in like 10 pages!*

Also I hope and suspect that werewolf MJ will become a fondly referenced moment in the future of the fandom.

*It also touches upon similar themes of quantum theories present in the current 2099 centric storyline in ASM.

Part 4

Mixed feelings.

I really liked Thompson’s Rogue/Gambit mini-series and whilst I’ve not gotten around to checking out her Mr. And Mrs. X ongoing, I made a point of buying the book.

But she’s never written Spider-Man before to my knowledge and whilst this isn’t awful...my eyebrow was raised.

Putting aside how we’re in Forest Hills when the last story clearly didn’t leave off there, there are some lines early on which don’t ring true to Spider-Man at all.

Case in point.

Spider-Man treats his problems like nails he has to hammer because he’s an Alpha super hero. Um...what character has Thompson been reading for 55 years? How many times has Spider-Man NOT tried t resolve problems via simply punching it, even in the Ditko days?

Peter feels like he’s always been alone? Aunt May and Mary Jane are literally in this story!

And where did the man in the box’s psychoanalysis randomly come from?

A part from that the art was beautiful here and I loved Peter’s upset over werewolf MJ and his consideration in subduing her. I also really liked the ending and the main action set piece.

Maybe Thompson could do better with a second bite at the apple, but this wasn’t a strong first impression for her grasp of the character.

Part 5

Holy shit that was awesome.

Al Ewing to my knowledge has never really written for Spider-Man before but goddam I’d love for him to do it more often!

This was fantastic, the first story in this comic book to dive into who Peter Parker is.

It retained the wacky humour the rest of the comic possesses via the inclusion of the Spider-Hams, but it used them for deeper purposes.

Classic Spider-Ham represented Peter’s more positive impulses, or positive assessments of himself.

Black Spider-Ham represented the more negative impulses, the times Peter has questioned himself and wondered if he’s nuts or doing the right thing.

Bag-Ham represented Peter’s humours side.

Seeing Ham and Black Ham argue over Peter’s nature was rather meta as it has often been debated in fandom about whether Peter’s driven by guilt or by the desire to be good, whether he’s fighting the good fight to make him feel better about Ben’s death because he can’t move on, or if he’d do it regardless. There is an answer to that, but I’d rather not dive into it here.

But it is simply brilliant writing on Ewing’s part to include it at all, and he continues the character exploration in the form of Peter’s conversation with ‘the man in the box’. Apart from some funny dialogue and the further debate about Peter’s life style, the conversation lays new layers of intrigue into the story. Could the Man in the Box be the weapon? Or could it be Peter? What if the Man in the Box isn’t real at all?

Ewing also takes the weird wacky situation thrown to him and actually brings things together a little more with a plan for world domination and world order that, whilst comic book mad science, kind of makes sense. It’s impressive that he made such great lemonade out of the lemons handed to him frankly. I also liked he made the werewolves thinking and rationalizing rather than feral animals, as that’s something you rarely see in werewolf stories.

Aaron again, brings it all back around to Spider-Man’s character though because Peter’s presented with a situation that echos his origin story. He has the chance to stop bad people doing a bad thing, but this time the end result could be something positive.

Like Spencer’s story it’s just brilliant and demonstrates a writer who cares enough to put in way more effort than they had to.

The art was quite nice too.

Part 6

Nice art off the top.

And a funny ending.

Considering this was Zdarsky this wasn’t that bad. The worst stuff I could say involves the idea that Peter was psychoanalyzing and second guessing himself earlier, but of course those stories were not written with the intention of being a future version of Peter.

I guess that makes Zdarsky bad for retroactively screwing stuff up but really I’m not holding that against this type of story.

What did make me confused though was that the idea of Nick Fury being an imposter beginning at the end of Part 3 seems weird because, the story lines up. Fury’s eyepatch was on the wrong eye but does that mean this comic was more planned out that it was letting on??????????

I don’t know.

I do know that I’m not fond of Fury and Logan turning this into a Marvel team-up/Zdarsky Spec Spidey story.

Also I don’t get why Fury was unaffected by the transformation and why Peter randomly reverted to normal.

Finally...fuck...I hate the High Evolutionary in Spider-Man stories. I really do.

Part 7

I don’t know how to feel about this one.

I’ve never been fond of Aaron, and his take on Spider-Man is very much from the BND era of ‘he’s a loser we can trash on’ camp.

He does however embrace the Round Robin nature of this comic book like perhaps no other author before in this story.

He does this by simply upending half of everything up until this point (the man in the box is retconned again and dispatched with little ceremony) and then he throws a hell of a cliffhanger for the next person to resolve.

Essentially he did random stuff that ignored the random stuff before him then did more random stuff to make it harder for whoever to bring it home.

You also got the impression that he was throwing shade at how dumb and insane everything had been up until this point, hence he summed up most of it in the final lines of his story.

All of which can be forgiven due to his utterly hilarious Kraven’s Last Hunt homage.

It totally doesn’t jive with what came before but it’s so great I do not care.

The art though, whilst getting the job done, is the weakest after Bachalo’s.

Part 8

Jesus Christ!

I wasn’t expecting that at all.

Walking into this I thought I might get some good art with some funny moments and wackiness upon wackiness due to everything becoming deliberately convoluted.

I wasn’t expecting great craftsmanship like Spencer’s story or a an outright GEM like Al Ewing’s story.

And I certainly wasn’t expecting a grand summation about Spider-Man as a person or life in general.

Now look...it doesn’t really make sense, let’s not pretend it does. There are plenty of loose ends.

But whilst I was never expecting this story to deliver a coherent narrative (that was if anything the opposite of the point), I was equally not expecting the whole thing to wind up being as good as it was.

Al Ewing’s story set up a debate about the nature of who Spider-Man as a person is and as weird as it is to say once you’ve read through the whole comic book, this final instalment essentially answered it. It folded in the convoluted nature of it’s premise and tied it in with Spider-Man’s origin.

Having read the e-mail chain at the back of the comic the resolution to the story makes a lot of sense.

Essentially Ewing provided the basis for a resolution that Spencer tweaked and then made work via Spider-Man’s character and emotional journey. The hypothetical dialogue he proposes as a resolution is almost identical to the finished product.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the best element of this final part, the part that nails Peter as a person, came from Spencer but there you go.

This story, whilst honestly not worth $10, is very much worth a read.