#((Rip Seymour’s back))

[annabolinas]

Who is your fav portrayal of Jane Seymour and Kathryn Howard?

Good question! My favorite portrayals of Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard are Anne Stallybrass in The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), the BBC miniseries, and Lynne Frederick in its movie adaptation, Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), respectively. In case you want to watch either portrayal, both the 1970 show and the 1972 film are available on OK (dot) ru. Just search for "the six wives of Henry VIII Jane Seymour" for the first one and the title of the movie for the second, making sure to choose the video which is 1:59:19. Best of all, there's no ads or popups!

Anyways, here's the long answer itself. It's quite a long post below, so be warned.

It's very easy to make Jane into either a cipher (e.g. Wolf Hall, Anne Boleyn [2021]) or a bland non-entity (e.g. Anne of the Thousand Days, Season 3 of The Tudors), but Stallybrass portrays her sympathetically, yet as a rounded human. That's the key, really. This is a living, breathing Jane, not the bland Goody Two-Shoes of Annabelle Wallis in Season 3 of The Tudors. As an Anne fan, I do feel this portrayal exonerates her rather too much of culpability in the former's unjust execution - this portrayal of Jane isn't involved at all with the plot to get rid of Anne but feels guilty anyways. However, it's a very moving depiction of a gentle, introverted believer in traditional Catholicism who would much rather be in the countryside, at Wolf Hall, than dealing with court intrigue.

Henry falls for her during his 1535 visit to Wolf Hall, and while Jane wants to protect her chastity, they bond over their shared fear of the plague and faith. Despite her arrival back at court after the royal visit, she longs for the comforts of her country home. She tells her sister-in-law Anne Stanhope that she'd much rather be arranging flowers at Wolf Hall than be at court after Anne rips Henry's locket off her neck. This Jane also stands up for what she believes in. She shows a love for monasticism at her first meeting with Henry, passionately telling him that the locals visiting Hailes Abbey are "afraid for the abbeys, sir, for their souls!". Later, she pleads with Henry to restore the abbeys during the Pilgrimage of Grace, which she argues must be God's punishment. The fact Henry proceeds to scream at her and damage her faith by revealing the Blood of Christ from Hailes is in fact, a vial of duck's blood, doesn't diminish her bravery.

Indeed, Jane takes no part in the plot to get rid of Anne here, although she nevertheless feels guilty over it. She intercedes for Mary to return to court after her submission, to which Henry replies, "If you had your way, my little nun," he says, "every villain in the country would go free." Jane's shy reply that "I should make a very poor ruler" is met with more condescending "affection" from Henry. Indeed, this version of Jane actually flees from the Christmas 1536 celebrations at one point, as it gets too overwhelming for her. This makes Henry's condescension and later, outright mental and emotional abuse, even more heartbreaking; even worse, Henry's treatment of her is probably just how it really was in history. After he shows her the duck's blood, Henry quickly apologizes and sinks into self-pity so bad Jane has to comfort him while pitifully weeping, "I am bound to obey and serve you, sir." Even as Henry celebrates Edward's birth and baptism, he fails to notice Jane lapsing in and out of consciousness. His tears by her body, lying in state, are too little, too late.

Lynne Frederick was actually only 17 when this movie was filmed - looking back, perhaps they could've waited a year or two. Nevertheless, this is somehow the best portrayal of Catherine Howard on screen despite her only appearing on screen for fifteen minutes in a two-hour movie. Let me just briefly summarize her storyline and give some analysis, because there's so much good stuff in here.

Frederick's Catherine is a vivacious, warm-hearted teenager who finds herself the object of Henry's unwanted affections. This Henry is, as in history, prematurely aged and far taller/stouter than Catherine, which makes his asking her uncle Norfolk whether she is "a good girl" even more disturbing. As Henry leaves Lambeth, Norfolk and Bishop Gardiner walk with Catherine, who protests that "I had not looked for it, sir. I had wished -" Gardiner then cuts her off saying that she "may no longer consider your own wishes. You now have a duty to return England to the true faith." It's a very telling exchange, as Catherine's own emotions or feelings are brutally trampled on by the men around her; all she can do is look mournfully at both of them.

When next we see her, she's already married to Henry, enjoying the jewels and rich clothes that being his queen brings. It's a grotesque sight, as the teenage Catherine kisses, and is in turn fondled by an old man nearly three times her age. However, being queen isn't all positive, as she reveals to Henry that she had a nightmare of a bird caught in a room crying out to her for help, perhaps a manifestation of her own feelings of helplessness. Her kind-heartedness is shown when she sends a puppy to Anne of Cleves, who in this film has solely been depicted as comic relief. In a later scene, as Henry limps to the window on his cane, he blows a kiss to Catherine, who is walking in the garden with Culpeper. Although she returns his kiss, it's a sign of things to come.

While Henry and Catherine enjoy themselves on the Northern Progress, in private, he is disappointed to discover she's not yet pregnant. Nevertheless, he gives her a rich jewel, although he does have to read the text for her, as Catherine admits she can't read very well, another heartbreaking detail. The audience's (and my) horror skyrockets when Henry proceeds to uncover Catherine's thigh from beneath her dressing robe and rain kisses on it, as the camera pans up to an incredibly disturbed Catherine who winces and tries to pull herself together. Her marriage to Henry is a gilded cage, and it is difficult to escape the conclusion this Catherine thinks of Henry more as a father figure than a husband.

After Henry is told of her premarital relationships, though, he abandons her, much to her dismay. She is then questioned by Archbishop Cranmer, maintaining that she was raped by Dereham "without my will or consent" and staunchly denying a precontract, despite Cranmer's argument it would save her life. When he accuses her of adultery with Culpeper, though, she tearfully pleads for his help, weeping, "I would have wed him. And been his wife. But they worked on me, sir. My Lord of Norfolk - Bishop Gardiner - my grandmother. Talking, whispering together. Telling him I was bound. That I was bound to the king. And now my fame is gone and I'm nothing young and I -" When Cranmer tells her she must calm down, Catherine swings around and screams, "Don't touch me! You all handle me!" It's a poignant allusion to her premarital abuse, as it's specified in the movie that Catherine was only 13 when Manox preyed on her. She then recalls her cousin Anne's bravery in death before dissolving into another flood of tears.

In the end, she makes her way to the block, silently but with composure. She pays the executioner, is blindfolded, kneels, and then, holding a rosary, stretches out her hands like the wings of a bird in flight. The tragedy of this depiction of Catherine (and arguably the real Catherine) is that from the moment we see her, she's a pawn of men, who use her to further their own desires and agendas. Only in death is she freed.

[srhe203]

In a timeline perpendicular to our own, magic and science exist as a co-binding force of the Universe.

On Earth, with a history which crosses through Ours for a few hundred years, an influx of magiactive material has reigned havoc on the magical ecosystem of the planet. With this material powerful countries have begun to make nuclear weapons, using the cover of technological & magical progress as excuse. The Soviet Union & The United States of America are in a tense and quiet standoff wherein tensions have begun to bloom a flower of magiactive Armageddon.

Four games follow this timeline...

⠀

i MURDERS OF SAN FRANCISCO

The first game takes place in the midst of the standoff – 1983, San Francisco. A detective named Maximillian Talon gets him, his unwanted partner (Sophi Sophie), and his secretary (Fair Jackson) fired for looking into a serial murderer plaguing the area and targeting “Spellbound” (those who practice spellcasting - witches, wizards, sorcerers, etc) communities, their magical items stolen. Talon and his 2 associates continue to look into the murders as the wealthy daughter of one of the victims pays them handsomely – though they have to keep their operation as under wraps as possible.

⠀

ii DAYO FLAVIEN’S OFF DAYS

Just a couple years after the war had ruined both The Soviet Union, the USA, and the rest of the world, the small town of Newgull, Wyoming has found itself relatively unbothered – for the most part. The summer of 1993 is when Dayo Flavien, his fellow student tutor (Delilah), and her best friend (Vanni) decide to look into the unsolved case from earlier that year in which one of their very boring teachers suddenly went missing. They end up breaking into his house and discovering a chip of a “Ghost Rock” , a stone that is made of the pure hardened Soul. Before they all head off to college after the summer ends, they want to figure out what a powerful magical artifact is doing here, and who could be after it.

⠀

iii GHOSTIES!

As the world continues to recover, Tai’s little brother goes missing in the year of 2002. In 2003, their parents decide to move houses. An aspiring paranormal investigator themself, they decide to do a small “investigation” into the house their parents are buying; to their surprise, they discover a rip in reality made by a stuck Soul. Both them and the Soul fall into The Below (the supposed Afterlife). Now stuck away from Earth, Tai and their new ghost friends (Payton & Niall) decide to help them get back to Earth, and maybe even get back themselves – but in order to do this they have to avoid hungry Souls who would love to become living again.

⠀

SUNRISE (HIGH) AND THE EXPERIMENT 203

In 2013, an Unknown Person wakes up in the historical museum and library known as The Sunrise, in the infirmary wing. They do not know who they are and where they are from. Not too long after their wake, they are accepted into a large friendgroup that revolves around two troublemakers and Archivists-In-Training, Seymour and Scotty. Their appearance at the museum begins a chain of events that will rewrite the nature of reality as we, and they, know it.

⠀

⠀

⠀

...After the third and final Failure.

[irhinoceri]

Ok, I have finished Part 1 of My Lady Jane… which more or less encompasses all of the season 1 timeline, and the differences are significant. A quick run down, hidden behind a cut for length and book spoilers:

Henry the 8th was a Lion Ethian. He declared that being Ethian was no longer illegal.

Edward knows about Guildford being a horse.

Lord John Dudley poisoned Edward—Mary and Bess found out and so Lord Dudley pretended that he was helping to get Mary on the throne. Mary believed him and decided to let him do it, Bess pretended to agree but secretly tried to help Edward.

Seymour, much like in real history, is long dead at this point and does not feature in the book at all.

Edward escapes the tower by turning into a kestrel. He meets a Scottish girl named Gracie who is also a fox and she helps him get to Elizabeth of York (gran) where Bess is waiting for him. There is no Fitz or Margaret Beaufort. Edward is not gay and is in love with Jane but also falls for Gracie.

Jane’s 9 days as Queen is barely touched upon save for a scene where she refuses to make Guildford king and he gets upset and they fight, so he spends most of the week completely avoiding her. Neither of them pay any attention to what is going on until Guildford overhears the peasants toasting to Queen Mary in a bar and realizes that Lord Dudley who has been gone for days failed to stop her from coming to take back her crown.

Mary herself is barely in the book at all. She hates Ethians and co-signed Edward’s poisoning but is otherwise not cartoonishly evil and is willing to pardon Jane and send her to a convent so long as she denounces Ethians and endorses burning Guildford at the stake.

Lord Dudley gives up very quickly and throws his support behind Mary, denouncing Guildford and claiming he never even knew that his son was a horse, yeah he’s a real shithead. RIP show Dudleys and their daring rescues and familial bonding.

Edward does not return to the castle and decide leave again. He has barely just reached his Gran at this point.

Guildford’s mother is still alive. There is no dark secret where he accidentally killed her the first time he transformed. He does not ask Jane to cure his horse curse. He would like to learn to control his shapeshifter nature at will, but doesn’t really try very hard, and Jane finds that annoying about him.

Susannah does not exist, Jane’s sisters don’t exist, Stan does not have an affair with Francis and is barely in the story. Archer doesn’t exist (yet?) and the Pack is only featured once terrorizing peasants and are there to show Jane that Ethians, while persecuted, also cause hardship by stealing livestock and terrorizing innocent peasants. They are never invited to court and Jane doesn’t sign any laws to end division because there are no division laws, owing to the fact that King Henry the 8th was Ethian.

The pack does not rescue Jane and Guildford, Jane saves them by turning into a Ferret and breaking them out of their tower cells before the executions can happen. She’s a very cute ferret.

Jane and Guildford have not yet consummated their marriage or even kissed beyond one chaste kiss at the wedding altar. Also they are historically accurate aged 16 and 19, and they seem like teenagers, whereas in the show they are very much lusty 20 something’s.

That’s the major stuff. It’s a breezy read and very fun, though I did feel short changed by how little time was given to the actual 9 day period when Jane is Queen. We experience most of that from Guildford’s perspective, too, and most of that is just him brooding about as a horse. I can see why they devoted more to it on the show and expanded Jane’s actions as Queen to trying to be a reformist… though that required changing the fact that Ethians are actually more accepted in the book and that King Henry was one.

[grace--le--domas]

Mission Impossible Rant ? Part 1

had a breakdown and watched all 7 (seven) Mission Impossible movies over the course of *checks watch* three days? Read more for an unhinged rant. Or scroll away. Don't care either way cause life is pointless etc etc

MI:1 - The beginning. The oldest of the bunch. And just like all elder siblings, this one's stoic as hell. Ethan Hunt is introduced to us as this charismatic, cocky agent, out for chaos. Movie looks like it's going to be yet another generic action thriller. Except- his entire team dies (Well, not all of them- more like most of them). Thus begins a noir drama of sorts and honestly? It still holds up. It is paced perfectly, has those late 90s over-the-top action sequences and is a good time all around.

2. MI:2- So, this is where it gets interesting. For some background trivia, let me tell you why this movie's existence is interesting as hell. Up until MI:2, Tom Cruise has never participated in a sequel. People were wondering if he ever would, and sure enough we soon got MI:2 . MI:2 can be best described as a Woo- fever dream of sorts. The only things I can remember now are Thandiwe Newton, pigeons (and doves?) and a cliff climbing. It is the weakest of the bunch in my opinion.

3. MI:3- Lack of critical reception to MI:2 led to a change in directors. Tom Cruise ends up watching Alias and falls deeply in love with JJ Abrahms. JJ has a whole new aesthetic for the franchise. And action!

The entire ending of MI:2 is forgotten. No, seriously, this one begins with Ethan's engagement party to a random girl. He has taken a step back from spying, and is just chilling about- mostly teaching the craft to other agents. Keri Russel is one such agent, and when she gets kidnapped, Hunt springs into action. Russel is killed (wasted Keri Russel imo- go watch The Americans) , Hunt gets married, his wife gets kidnapped and nearly killed- this one's a doozy. Philip Seymour Hoffmann (RIP) is exemplary as a villain though.

Another highlight is Benjamin "Benji" Dunn. More on this later.

4. MI- Ghost Protocol- Keeping in with the let's- get- a- new-director- tradition, this one has Brad Bird at its helm. Bird hasn't directed any live action movies at this point, but he does have more than a decade's experience with animated material (The Incredibles, Ratatouille).

Honestly, this is my absolute favourite of the bunch. This film has everything- the iconic Burg Khalifa sequence, great dialogue, AMAZING pacing. The supporting cast have this incredible chemistry with each other. And this one has humour too! (most of the credit due to Benji, played by Simon Pegg).

Absolutely everything goes wrong in this movie and that's why it slaps. The tension is palpable in almost all scene. This movie is the one that revitalizes the franchise. It only gets better from here.

[locution-youngster-enjoyer]

I'm gonna subjugate you all to my entire Seymour backstory (sorry in advance)

For my story... au.. thing, Seymour and Beau have almost completely parallel lives.

They both grew up in the same city (along with the Coach but he isn't important right now), and the city is essentially just.. the Outsiders. One side of it is really rich (Beau) while the other is really poor (Seymour).

Seymour's family is extremely dysfunctional. His father is horrible (I'm not going to dive too deep into it for trigger reasons), and he can't always go to school because of the conditions he's living in. The one thing he does have is his Mother, who's so unabashedly kind even when she's hurt. On the other hand, while Beau's parents aren't too hard on him and get him nice things, his relationship with them is shallow. He hardly has an emotional connection with them, they just want a nice poster child for their 'model' family.

Finally, Beau and Seymour meet at school for the first time. Seymour finds Beau crying in the bathroom because his nice clothes got ruined, so Seymour tries to help him make up an excuse. In the process of doing so, Seymour gets in trouble for ‘hurting’ Beau, and Beau gains immediate respect for him. No one could suspect that the kid with horrible dental care and habit for getting into minor trouble would befriend the goody-two-shoes rich kid. Although they are friends, they also branch off deeper into the societies they grow up in. Seymour learns his first 'tricks' to find a way to earn money, while Beau knows how to gain the respect from the snobbish members of his side of the city.

Speaking of their sides of the city, there are more differences than just the class system. Seymour's side of the city, while hectic, somehow has more sense of community. Sure there is violence, but overall there is a feeling of 'well this sucks, but it sucks for all of us here.' With Beau, there is hardly any violence, but everything is a constant competition of who's better in some way shape or form.

Despite all their differences, Beau and Seymour stay friends all the way until their later teen years when they start dating (Beau absolutely fell first). Unfortunately, Seymour’s dad forced him to drop out of highschool, so Beau starts teaching him from home. Meanwhile, Beau starts getting into orchestra, and Seymour does everything in his power to watch Beau perform. Eventually, after saving up (and stealing) enough money, Seymour is able to afford an admittedly very cheap ring to propose. No one had known of their relationship before then, and while Seymour wanted to rip the bandaid off and just tell their families, Beau was completely against the idea.

That's probably the biggest difference between the two of them. Seymour learned over time that he was never going to win the approval of certain people, so he stopped looking for it and only desired to be authentic. Beau wants to please the people around him, even if it means he's unhappy, and he's scared to do otherwise.

Beau is fine enough with telling Seymour's family they plan on getting married (minus his dad because that would be a disaster for everyone involved), but their relationship starts falling apart over the dilemma of telling Beau's parents. On top of that, Seymour is starting to feel a bit unappreciated because even though he’s taken so much shit for Beau, Beau never really sacrifices anything himself. Eventually, Seymour points out that Beau’s parents are going to find out eventually anyways, so Beau begrudgingly agrees. It goes as poorly as imaginable. Beau's family basically say that they're extremely disappointed in Beau, and call Seymour basically every synonym for 'gross poor person' imaginable. Seymour isn’t bothered by the insults, but by Beau’s lack of a response, and only gets pissed off when he realizes that Beau isn't going to fight back against them, and their relationship ends with Seymour calling Beau a "spineless, pompous piece of shit" and throwing the ring Beau bought him into Beau's face.

After that, Seymour realizes that he has nothing. He lost his fiance, The Coach went to boarding school because his parents wanted him to have a good education, and his home life is a complete disaster. So in a decision that he was planning to do for years, he shoves everything he owns into a suitcase, takes any money he has personally, writes a note, steals his father's credit card, and runs away from home. He had bought a train ticket in case he ever needed to run away previously, and used it to travel to a new city being built up so that he could start his life from scratch.

For a few weeks, Seymour's life consists of living in a homeless shelter, working at a gas station, and singing at bars to make an extra buck. One day, he gets lucky and gets pulled over at the bar by a producer who offers Seymour a better job. Seymour starts doing off-broadway acting, and while he never quite gets to broadway, he is talented enough that he gains a lot of fame from it.

Before his theater job really kicked off, Seymour continued to sing at bars, and gained a small fan-base over it. During one karaoke session, he runs into the Coach, who's finishing up college. The two are happy to see each other, and the Coach mentions that if Seymour ever needs help, he could call him. That help contained a lot of things, from general advice, to flat out selling illegal substances.

Meanwhile with Beau, his parents continued to push him through life. While he never voiced it, he had grown a strong resentment towards them ever since Seymour left. Plus, his parents had stopped any fake attempts at trying to connect with Beau. Eventually, Beau went to college and used every excuse possible to not connect with his parents, and eventually cut them off. He also started acting, but for small TV roles and ads, and also began gaining popularity. However, he was completely alone throughout the whole ordeal.

Throughout his theater career, Seymour started to sleep around, hoping to find someone in his life that could replicate the feelings he had when he was younger. His longest relationship at this time lasted about a week (they ended on good terms.) Beau on the other hand was committed to staying with one person. He had a girlfriend (the one he mentioned in that one May I Have a Word? segment). Their relationship wasn't that strong, and it left off with her telling him that he's weak. Considering how Beau's last relationship had left off, that stung.

Eventually, things start going left for Seymour. One thing I headcanon every villain to have in common is that they’ve all been screwed over by the Best family. In Seymour’s case, he had to deal with Victoria’s father. He was a absolute egomaniac, but admittedly a pretty good actor, and began to view Seymour as competition. So, somehow, he got knowledge of the fact that Seymour’s ex-fiancé is a man, plus the fact that he’s been intimate with other men during his career. He takes this knowledge, and outs Seymour to his producers and agents. His agent is a massive dong, and eventually just dumps Seymour off at a gameshow host job with barely any support. Seymour goes back to what he knows best; scamming. It actually keeps him on his feet for a while before Wordgirl catches onto him. For Beau, he lost motivation for the acting gig after his relationship ended, and decided to settle for a smaller job of being a gameshow host. Unlike Seymour, Beau didn't lose his financial support and is able to keep going.

The way Seymour got his 'im so awesome and sexy and talented and better than everyone' personality is a combination of the fame he got from his theater job, and his desperation to stay relevant during his gameshow. The way Beau got his 'im so good looking and nice and talented' personality is because of his parents and his desire to stay relevant.

Now we get to the present day. Seymour is back to being dirt poor (arguably more so than when he was a child) and is left suffering on the streets. Strangely, the person he seems to befriend in this situation is somehow the Narrator, who is the only guy who's willing to talk to the guy who's been regarded as a narcissistic douchebag. Eventually, the Narrator casually hints to Wordgirl that “hey, maybe you should go check on Seymour since you don’t talk to him that much.” Wordgirl sees how Seymour’s living conditions are incredibly atrocious, so she asks him if there is anyone he can stay with. After a quick talk, Seymour gets dropped off at the Coach’s apartment and becomes his roommate. Because of this, Seymour also is forced to hang around with the Villain Schoolers, both the ones who have graduated to the ones being taught. His opinions on them range from “I’m chill with you” to “Please shut up, I’m going to get a hernia from you talking”

Meanwhile, Beau’s gameshow is going strong, and he feels as though he has a sort of mini found family with the contestants + Huggy. Despite this, he’s become more depressed over the years. As much as he hypes himself up on tv, he has horrible self esteem, and obsesses over keeping himself ‘perfect.’ Despite the fact he hasn’t seen his parents in years, he still feels the weight of their influence, and is scared that one day they’ll show up and ruin everything for him. The main reason he adopted his pet cat was to boost his mental health, and she does give him something to focus on rather than constant negative thoughts. Otherwise, he feels completely alone. He hasn’t had a relationship since his last one with his girlfriend, and as much as he refuses to publicly admit it, he *really* misses Seymour.

UHh, yeah that’s pretty much it, feel free to ask me stuff about it. I’ve been working on this post for literal months. Also, feel free to let me know if I should do my backstory on any other character.

[thenerdparty]

Twisters film review

Written by Shawn Eastridge

Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first: between starring in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some with Tyler Hoechlin and now with David Corenswet in Twisters, Glen Powell has worked with TWO Supermen in the past decade. A true honor and privilege, and one I hope he doesn’t take for granted.

Am I the only one who’s paying attention to these things? Does this mean I have a Superman problem? Yes and yes? Great. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, on to the review!

Twisters is the latest in a batch of sequels that arrives at least two decades later than it should have. (I’m looking at you, Top Gun: Maverick–and don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.) Maybe I’m just out of the loop and the world has been clamoring for a sequel to the 1996 box office smash, but I have a sneaking suspicion that by the time we officially reached the 21st century, it wasn’t near the top of anyone’s cinematic wish list.

That said, when the Twisters trailer dropped during Super Bowl Sunday, I was more delighted than I’d ever expected to be. (I’m almost positive it had something to do with the added “s” at the end of its title.) That initial delight grew into genuine excitement when I learned the film was being helmed by Lee Isaac Chung, the writer and director of one of my favorite films from the past decade, Minari. (That 2020 release, nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, was lost in the midst of the pandemic, and is well-worth seeking out if you missed it.) But how would Chung fair helming a multi-million dollar blockbuster sequel? Would his tendency towards low-key human drama be drowned out by the genre’s demands for rip-roaring special effects to appease the popcorn-munching masses? Would he truly put the “s” in “Twisters”??

If Top Gun: Maverick proved anything back in good ol’ 2022, it’s that you can have the best of both worlds: a sequel that not only goes above and beyond expectations but delivers an effort superior to its predecessor. Look, I get a kick from watching Twister as much as the next person. Its special effects still hold up, Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt are a charming duo, and it’s lovely to see a pre-Boogie Nights Philip Seymour Hoffman doing his best Bill and Ted impersonation. But it’s no masterpiece (disasterpiece?). There was always plenty of room for improvement and Twisters rises to the occasion with more thoughtful storytelling and better drawn characters and emotional conflicts. It’s not particularly nuanced, but its heart’s in the right place, and how often can you say that about your average modern day blockbuster? And while Twisters is no Top Gun: Maverick (for one, it doesn’t have the benefit of Tom Cruise insisting that they take on real tornadoes. Wait, how has no one pitched that movie?), when it comes to crowd-pleasing, heartfelt, pulse-pounder blockbusting, Chung and his amazing cast and crew manage to get the job done and then some. 

Sure, Twisters’ characters and their relationships with one another are relatively simple and straightforward. Its screenplay, written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), based on a story by Joseph Kosinski (director of the aforementioned Top Gun: Maverick), hits just about every plot beat you’d expect. In fact, I’d go so far as to say there might not be a single genuinely surprising moment in this entire story. It’s likely your average moviegoer (a.k.a. Mom and Dad) could call the film’s plot beat for beat from the get-go. But that’s okay! Mom and Dad are allowed to get one right every so often! Chung and Smith aren’t out to revolutionize the genre. Twisters is more of a refinement of the disaster movie formula, and it improves upon its predecessor in nearly every respect. 

Besides, whatever shortcomings are evident in the script are cushioned not only by Chung’s confident direction but a top-notch cast led by Daisy Edgar Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) and 2024’s go-to leading man Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man). These two are genuine superstars and manage to effortlessly carry this massive, multi-million dollar effort on their shoulders. Rounding them out is an excellent supporting cast, featuring Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Sasha Lane (American Honey), and Brandon Perea (Nope, The OA). There’s even what threatens to be a stock “along-for-the-ride” journalist character, whose portrayal by Harry Hadden-Paton (Downton Abbey, The Crown) is so sincere and genuine you end up loving him as much as the rest of the raucous crew. These performances are strong enough to elevate the material, grounding it in an emotional reality that might have collapsed in on itself in lesser hands. Kudos to Chung for never missing an opportunity to home in on these characters’ small emotions and character beats, humanizing the whole enterprise. 

But what would Twisters be without its tornadoes? And you’ll be pleased to know Twisters’ action delivers, providing solid thrills that end up being more involving than your standard blockbuster. Working with seasoned cinematographer Dan Mindel (Star Trek ‘09, The Force Awakens) and top notch sound and VFX departments, Chung does an expert job of dropping the audience right smack-dab in the middle of nature’s gargantuan terrors. The thrills are more visceral and hard-hitting than the original. And yes, while this might have something to do with the massive improvements in special effects in the nearly 30 years since Twister was released, it also has a lot to do with Chung’s documentary-esque approach to capturing these sequences. It’s a MOVIE THEATER movie in the “go for broke” way you want it to be.

FINAL VERDICT:

Despite its plot contrivances and simplistic characterizations, Twisters has thrills and heart to boot. It’s simultaneously a throwback to the days of simpler, straightforward cinematic thrill rides and an exciting, forward-looking venture that suggests more on the cloudy-skied horizon. As for me, I’d follow Daisy Edgar Jones and Glen Powell into any tornado and I can’t wait to see David Corenswet switch gears and save people from tornadoes in James Gunn’s Superman next year. (And you thought I was going to conclude this review without referencing Superman. Oh, how little you know me.) 

I award Twisters 3.5 flying cows out of 5.

[firagafury]

Expecting Final Fantasy X-2 to be just like Final Fantasy X is setting it up to fail and that's the biggest reason so many people dislike it. FFX-2 is very different from FFX because at the end of FFX, the world as everyone knew it completely changed. Many of Yevon's dark secrets were revealed, leading to more religious freedom and the vindication of the Al Bhed, which in turn led to the formation of the machine faction and the youth league. On top of that, after Sin's permanent defeat, summoners who were once deeply respected became defunct over night. And Spira's people who, for a thousand years, were terrified of letting themselves be TOO happy because at any moment Sin could arrive and tear their life apart, suddenly had nothing to be afraid of anymore. In a world where they couldn’t build large cities or have any form of entertainment other than blitzball, they could finally find new ways to have fun and be genuinely happy without the thought of Sin taking it all away from them in the back of their mind. The mood of the entire world shifted. The rules changed. It's not the same Spira anymore so it's foolish to expect the two games to feel the same. And besides all of this, The stories of FFX-2 and X aren't even THAT different. We're just seeing X-2′s from the outside as a third party. It's still about two star crossed lovers being ripped apart by their circumstances. In X-2 when we find out summoners were sent to the frontline during the war, their lives were being risked and used as nothing more than cannon fodder, just as they are during the events of X. Both Tidus and Shuyin sought to stop their summoners’ sacrifice through extreme measures. The only difference is that Tidus and Yuna weren't murdered for their conspiracy(not for lack of trying) like Shuyin and Lenne were. That and X-2 pretty much combined Tidus and Seymour into one character. Shuyin and Seymour both wanted to destroy the world that had wronged them, the only difference was in their intentions. Seymour wanted to end Spira to save it from pain, Shuyin wanted to as an act of vengeance for what happened to him and Lenne.

[lightleckrereins]

Instagram seems to think Danielle will have a recycled version of Rachel’s black alt. Which I’d kill for a black alt comeback, even recycled. I just want the black alt back. But I think recycled Seymour costume is more likely. Or even recycled Pink Alt? I just realized there’s no Pink alt on the West End right now. RIP.

I saw that. Not sure where the information is coming from though. But if you ask me if there isn't a principal Seymour costume that fits, black alt Seymour is one of the best choices (and from the top of my head Rachel's should be a pretty decent fit for Danielle).

Also in this house we are all for necromacing black alt into coming back onstage even if it is only for a few shows.

[myhandisfatemywordislaw]

new fic! this time it’s little shop of horrors because I do what I want! set post-canon, seymour has trouble sleeping, and has a bit of a breakdown. read here on ao3 or below the cut!

Its harsh, mocking laugh echoes inside his head as the building collapses, and Seymour screams as the walls and ceiling collapse and bricks and debris slam into him, burying him beneath their crushing weight. Spots dance in his vision as the pain threatens to make him black out, but he can’t, not yet, he has to fix this, he has to end this, before it hurts anyone else, before it hurts Audrey. Slowly, inexorably slowly, he claws through the rubble pinning him to the ground, coughing and wheezing on the dust, nails tearing and fingers bleeding as he tries to push the bricks aside and pull himself free. He expects to break through to air, but no matter how much he tries to pull aside, there is always more, and he begins to hyperventilate as he realises he is trapped. He can feel blood trickling down his back and arms, and he sobs in fear as he brushes against a green feeler that wraps around his throat and squeezes, and he tries to breathe but he cannot, and his head spins as he desperately tries to pull away the root as it wraps tighter and tighter, and his vision slowly turns black as his struggles become weaker.

***

Seymour awoke with a gasp of fear, desperately pulling himself out from where his limbs were entwined with Audrey’s, his breathing shallow and panicky as he clumsily stumbled out of bed. He staggered into the kitchen, flicking on a light and sitting down heavily. He put his head in his hands and exhaled slowly. It was fine. He was fine. He was going to go back to bed, and be normal, and make sure not to worry Audrey. He glanced up at the dark hallway nervously. He… he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t will his body to move, and he sat there, paralysed with dread and trying not to cry. This was stupid. He was being stupid.

He was so scared, though. It was those damned plants, he knew it was, it had to be, every night he lay awake in fear of the greenery bursting through the walls to attack them, and his dreams were filled always with Audrey II. And suddenly he knew what he had to do.

He paused before the door, checking and double checking. A small revolver in his pocket, the biggest kitchen knife they had shoved through his belt, and an axe in his hands. Was it enough? Not enough to face Audrey II, of course, never enough. He swallowed nervously. The corridor seemed to stretch and distort, the front door feeling so far away. It loomed over him, and the shadows seemed darker. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and opened the door.

He stepped out, then stopped short immediately, seeing the sickening green lawn stretching out before him. He swallowed the rising panic, and turned to tear away the roses growing up by the wall, ripping their roots out of the ground with his bare hands and throwing them into the pristine grass. Thorns stabbed into his hands and he started bleeding from a few small pricks and he drew back in horror, breathing faster and faster as he saw blood dripping from his fingers, blood Audrey II could feast on and grow with, and he shrieked, knees buckling as he curled up into a ball on the ground, hands pressed to his head as he cried with fear.

A hand lightly touched his shoulder. “Seymour? Seymour, what’s wrong? Did you have another nightmare?” Audrey looked at him with concern in her eyes, and gently pulled his hands from his ears where his nails were digging into the skin, and held his hands in hers.

“Audrey, I- I’m sorry you had to see me like this, I didn’t mean-“

“It’s alright. Seymour, you should come inside.” He nodded, face twisted in emotion and shame, and let Audrey gently lead him back into the house. She gently tugged his hands under the sink and washed away the blood, and gently wiped his hands dry. She carefully placed a few plasters on his fingers.

“There!” she said, seeming pleased with herself and smiling encouragingly at him. She gently dabbed away his tears with a tissue.

“Thank you,” he whispered. He followed Audrey’s gaze to the knife. “Oh- uh-“ he hurriedly put the knife back in the knife block, and set the axe against the wall. He took out the handgun and put it in a draw, hands shaking slightly.

“Do you want to go back to bed now?”

Seymour shook his head fiercely. “Don’t want to have another nightmare,” he mumbled.

“That’s okay! I can make tea?”

“I think- I think I’d like that.”

[young-botanical-genius]

[ grab ]   your muse grabbing mine forcibly. — Shikishima @musesfromthefifthdimension grabs Seymour by the front of his shirt, and demands, "Who are you and where have you taken me?!"

(.... bonus points if. Shikishima is speaking Japanese which Seymour? Proooobably doesn't know RIP)

Seymour didn't know this man; didn't know what he wanted or why he was shouting at him in a language he didn't understand or how on earth he had managed to get into the flower shop basement of all places (he had left the door locked, right?). So, he was understandably terrified when he was grabbed; so terrified that he practically forgot to try and pull away from or fight back against the potential intruder in his living space.

"Wh...what...?!" he gasped out, eyes wide with fear. If this man had come here to rob him, as was Seymour's first assumption, then there wasn't much for him to take. ...How to communicate to that to him, though?

Based on how the man looked, he may have been speaking Chinese... or maybe Japanese... or perhaps even Korean... all languages that Seymour hardly knew. In fact, the only language that he was fluent in was that of his own native tongue, and sometimes he felt as though he could barely even speak that coherently.

He began to shake his head vigorously, crying out fragments of sentences that he hoped the guy would understand. "...No...no money...! I have no money...! Please..." he lifted his hands and placed them where the other man's fingers were wrapped tightly around the fabric of his shirt, non-verbally attempting to convince him to release his grasp. "...I-I don't know what you're saying...!"

[yibennianyaji]

In Defense of the Little Shop of Horrors Theatrical Cut

Few words are as dirty as the phrase “focus testing,” the process in which bewildered strangers representing various marketing demographics are ushered into the screening of an unreleased film and then battered with questions about their feelings. Alright, it’s a bit more involved than that, but it’s also a process well known for being used as a crutch by nervous studio executives (also known as The Man) to rein in artistic types who want to try out something that, God forbid, might fail. The fallacy of this system has been discussed in broader scope by more learned souls than I, so today let’s keep it simple. There is one case in which I remain in favor of the results of a focus group: the infamous edited ending of the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors.

For those not in the know, a brief history: Little Shop of Horrors is, at its basest roots, the story of a poor young man, Seymour Krelborn, who finds a mysterious plant that brings him a great deal of wealth, accomplishment, and the love of the girl he was pining for; trouble being that the plant feeds on blood, and as it gets bigger and the stakes get higher, Seymour has to resort to feeding it bodies. The story was originally a 1960 film born from the production house of gimmickry master Roger Corman, with the plant serving as a pretty heavy handed drug metaphor and Seymour as the only victim. In 1982 the story was adapted into an Off-Broadway musical with a score furnished by future Disney Renaissance composer Alan Menken, becoming a Greek tragedy rather than a morality play (a stroke of genius that no doubt has a great deal to do with the play’s enduring quality). That musical then became the basis for the 1986 film starring Rick Moranis and directed by Frank “he did things besides Muppetry?” Oz.

Now, the play ends with Seymour, his paramour Audrey, and eventually the entire planet being consumed by the ravening alien plant dubbed “Audrey II.” Seymour’s undone by his fatal flaw, there’s a Greek chorus, and the show ends on a direct address to the audience called “Don’t Feed the Plants.” It’s a metaphor, y’see. The film was initially shot with that ending as well, until focus groups declared that they hated it, and Oz was forced to go back and shoot a happier ending with Seymour and Audrey surviving (as well as a small Audrey II peeking up out of the idyllic garden). People have hated that ending ever since. But while it’s definitely sappy, perhaps unduly so, it’s still a better fit for the finished film than the original ending.

The first issue is one of medium, which is almost unfair to hold against the film. “Don’t Feed the Plants” is directed toward an audience assumed to be in the same room, and is almost always staged correspondingly (plant props falling on the audience or a giant puppet looming over the seats). It takes advantage of the intimacy of theatre as a medium in order to impress that last message as a plea by the dead characters, and that in-person bond with the actors is a huge part of making something like that work.

Oz tries, to his credit, making the final shot of the director’s cut involving Audrey II seeming to rip through the screen. But it’s simply not the same, and once the characters we’ve spent 90 minutes with are dead there’s no urgency or horror in seeing unnamed civilians overwhelmed by vines. Nor does it help that he cuts up the rhythm of the finale to twice its original length in order to have long, looooooong shots of giant plants rampaging through the city. And because it alters the stage convention of Seymour et al returning as plant buds to sing the final number, it doesn’t so much surge into its ending as it limps the remaining six minutes until the credits finally roll. Even Seymour’s death lacks punch on screen. While his stage counterpart died making a final run at the plant with an axe, screen Seymour is picked up and swallowed up with agonizing, passive slowness.

“Passive” is the word du jour when it comes to film Seymour. Rick Moranis’ performance is wonderfully sweet and endearing, and perhaps it’s because of that there are a dozen little cuts and tweaks centered around absolving his character of culpability. Stage Seymour’s arc is one that takes small but active steps toward his own damnation, thus making it a tragic but fitting end when he sacrifices himself trying to end what he started. Film Seymour might go through the same basic motions, but as film goers we’re used to sympathizing with people who do bad things for sympathetic reasons. And the film almost goes out of its way to make the overall tone sympathetic: the film death of sadistic dentist Orin ends with Seymour saying that “it was for her,” and Orin’s first confused and then non-repentant reply hammers home that this is a man better off dead; likewise, by having Seymour successfully pull the gun, it cuts away the staged version of Orin pitifully begging Seymour (in song!) for help.

Mushnik’s death is also given a semi-karmic edge in the film. While stage Mushnik is no saint, the script plays genuinely on the fact that he’s troubled by the implication of Seymour being a murderer (“just so my conscience can rest easy” is his last line before Audrey II starts up “Suppertime”). Film Mushnik, meanwhile, not only saw Seymour chop up Orin (rather than only suspecting it) but is perfectly fine with letting that fact slide in the name of blackmailing Seymour for the plant. And Seymour’s active hand is once again removed, having him babble in shock until Mushnik trips into the plant on his own (stage Seymour manipulates Mushnik into crawling right into Audrey II’s mouth). In both cases Seymour’s biggest sin is passivity, allowing bad things to happen for his own advancement but not actively taking part in them. Even “Feed Me” is restrained: one would think that the film would take advantage (as it does with other numbers like “Somewhere That’s Green”) on at least a cutaway or two when Seymour is indulging in his more selfish desires for fame. Instead, we stay in the room (which probably has something to do with that fantastic puppet), and Audrey II looms so large as to make Seymour seem like the helpless prop.

Much of this is helped along, in the stage show, by the three chorus girls (Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronette) who comment on the action of the play. Most of their numbers are cut or shortened to help with the film’s pacing, meaning that numbers like “You Never Know,” about Seymour becoming famous after his radio interview (and positively loaded with the toxic masculinity and capitalist success language that push him to his doom throughout the play), gets replaced with the functional but less subtext-heavy “Some Fun Now;” the reprise of the opening cautionary tale prior to the end of act I is gone; and, most importantly, “The Meek Shall Inherit” omits Seymour’s monologue.

“The Meek Shall Inherit” is the montage number wherein Seymour is deluged by contracts, fame, and fortune. The meat of it can still be seen in the film, though you’ll notice that Seymour mostly sits, silent and bewildered, as he has for much of the film. The full song, by contrast, includes an interlude where Seymour argues with himself about signing the contracts, knowing that agreeing to it will mean killing more people to keep Audrey II alive. But, afraid that Audrey won’t love him without his success, he makes the decision to go through with the agreements – it’s his last chance to back out, and instead he signs his metaphorical death warrant. The fact that we see him work through and make that decision is crucial as a turning point. It’s what makes the line “you’re a monster, and so am I” work, and it means that without it Seymour works only as a piteous and not a tragic figure.

In fact, the one active move film Seymour makes in distinction from stage Seymour is to take a stand after the arguably accidental murders, not only not making that damning decision about the contracts but instead vocally refusing to give Audrey II more human meat. He becomes a hero struggling to claw his way out of the pit he blundered into rather than a Shakespearean victim, and the needs of the third act correspondingly become different.

In particular, the film-only number “Bad” (no doubt written, as is common for film musicals, to have a shot at the Oscar’s Best Original Song category) only really works in a scenario where Seymour makes it out alive. It’s a grand eleven o’clock piece of gloating for Audrey II and a brutal, semi-slapstick gauntlet for Seymour as he tries to take the plant down. The effect of placing that sequence before Seymour’s death not only has a cruel effect on the tone (he’s not just eaten but humiliated first, and doesn’t even get that last active choice with the axe), but also results in Audrey II having two victory moments back to back – rather than the confrontation being focused on Seymour’s failing and then leading into the idea of The Plant as a bigger, more metaphorical threat to be presented to the audience.

But “Bad” does work as a final test that Seymour needs to go through to atone for what he’s done, accidentally or not. It works as the moment when he decides to overcome his sin of passivity and become an active hero. That feels, corny or no, like the story the film specifically is writing for its Seymour – not a tragic downfall but a transition from innocence to experience (so yes, even that gotcha moment with the bud works, as it ties well into the idea that Seymour might have to face up to his old sins in future). It wound up telling a different story, one that arguably lacks the brutal emotional punch of the stage show but meshes better with the film’s high concentration of weird comedic bits (looking at you, Bill Murray!). The front half is so loaded with goofy guest stars and tongue in cheek humor, so dialed back in letting Seymour be an actively flawed character, that ironically it’s the tragic end that winds up feeling like a cheat.

And besides, Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene are too damn cute for me to want anything but the best for them.

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

Gaius van Baelsar had been on a journey since his defeat at the hands of the Warrior of Light. Eorzea and his hunting Ascians had presented him with new challenges and experiences. And through it all, he'd continued to hear tales of his once-enemy. Riven Sadler, now-turned Fortemps--and her fellow Warriors of Light. Liberators of both Ala Mhigo and Doma, striking down his homeland's Crown Prince. Four men equal to her in might and power, swearing oaths of loyalty in blood spilled in protection--they to her and she to them. Whispers of Riven herself growing in power-- now able to call upon the power of Bahamut as one of her eikons.

When he had finally seen them for the first time--and Riven once again, they had...fulfilled his imaginings. Augustine Seymour was every inch a holy paladin, while his brother Mathye Bishop was a lurking presence in his white mage robes. Reinhardt Sauveterre the dragoon was ever in flight and watchful, and Sebastian Astralyas, the newest member, clad in black with spells humming at his fingertips.

What Gaius hadn't been expecting...was the tomfoolery.

----------

"MATHYE!!!" Riven's scream ripped across Porta's staging-ground. Startled from reading the latest intelligence that had been gathered on the WEAPON program, Gaius looked up just in time to see Riven launch herself at--and land--on the back of the white mage. The two went down in a heap of fabric, Riven doing her level best to pummel the Ishgardian. Augustine came running over to pull the two apart, but immediately was taken down by his brother kicking a leg out from under him.

"If you didn't know better, you'd swear all of them were related." A nearby Ala Mhigan solider commented to his partner, who nodded sagely in agreement.

"I remember my little sister doing that to me."

[illiana-mystery]

Thanks for the tag @primroseprime2019.

Okay! Here I go!

Tea, Coffee, or Soda?: I like all three. 😅

Dogs or Cats?: Why not both?

Can you play an instrument?: No. I want to learn how to play the guitar though.

Sun Sign: Aries (although I'm technically on the Aries-Taurus cusp)

First song lyrics that pops into your head: Somewhere beyond the sea, Somewhere waiting for me, My lover stands on golden sands, And watches the ships that go sailin'

I first heard this song during the credits of Finding Nemo. If you've read my Sugar Baby fic, you would know that the song was originally sung by 50s/60s singer, Bobby Darin, who I adore. I love his music. But the Finding Nemo OST version was covered by Harry Connick Jr.

Any tattoos: No. I'm more into henna, personally.

Favorite place you've traveled: Toronto and Niagara Falls. I would love to go back.

What's the last movie you've watched?:

A Most Wanted Man (2014), starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP), Willem Dafoe, and Rachel McAdams. It's a pretty good movie. 😉

What languages do you speak?: Only English. Trying to learn Spanish though.

Hobbies: Mostly writing fics nowadays

You can hang out with one fictional character for a day. Who do you choose?:

Hmm, that's a good question. If I had to choose a Fred character, either Doc Ock or Armand Gamache. But if I had to choose a Willem character, either Klaus (from The Life Aquatic) or Bobby Hicks.

I'm picking the characters that I would love to snuggle and cuddle with. 😉

Compliment yourself:

I love how bubbly and energetic I can be. I also love that I'm easy to please, easy to talk to, and try to find the beauty in the little things.

Bonus Question: How many OC's do you have?

I probably have over 200 original characters. I started writing in 7th grade, so that sounds about right. And I have like three different story universes.

I tag @goodoldcharley, @writingkitten, and any of my other mutuals that would like to answer these questions.

But you don't have to if you don't want to. 😉

[bunny-carrothunter]

the questions you get are scary lol

so could you rank your poinion on the villains from best to worst?

thank god finally an sfw asks for the wordgirl tag alfkjskd there's like so many villains jfc but I'll try to be brief. Rank as in favorites or how good they are villains? I’ll do the latter, the former I’ll make a separate post for it.

this is my opinion on ranking, ik everyone has their own.

Villains I won't even mention cuz I don't have a big enough opinion on: Coach, Masked Meat Marauder, Timmy Timbo, Rhyme&Reason, Raul, Glen, Royal Dandy, Amazing Rope Guy, Big Left Hand Guy, Guy Rich (even tho I love him) and Kid Potato (RIP ;-;).

17. Eileen

Both easy to get her riled up and get her to calm down. Just a nuisance, not really a villain. Also her episodes are just either tedious or give us all collective ptsd from that one annoying spoiled child in middle school.

16. Seymour

Above Eileen cuz he's actually entertaining sometimes. Daran Norris voicing any character will automatically be a fun time. Good at tricking people (tho that doesn't say much when those people are from Fair City) and concepts can be fun.

15. Invisi-Bill

Yes, just him and not his bf, dont hurt me. On his own, he can both fun and tricky but he's much too focused on being the center of attention or prideful to really do much. I love him, but as a villain, he could use work. He and BLHG just do it for fun and status so can't blame them.

14. Granny May

An OG but I’m putting her low because most of her crimes/schticks seem to be the same thing. And yeah their effective (with the people of Fair City, lol), but it does get boring sometimes. And it sucks cuz she’s such a girlboss but she does get pushed aside a lot compared to the other villains, specially in later seasons. I feel they could of done more with her, tbh.

13. Butcher

I'm gonna get lash for this- As a character, I love Butcher. 10/10 dad material. But as a villain.. It mostly sometimes feels he just does it just because, not out of any motive, other than maybe wanting to be appreciated and respected by his veteran-villain dad, Kid Potato. He's THE OG villain voiced by the show's own co-creator, and yet when put with other villains, he kinda lacks motive. Love him, but compared to the next villains, he's low here. Love ya, Butcher.

12. Maria the Energy Monster

She's like Eileen but actually a threat, and with much more personality. Not only can you not attack her directly because well electricity, but it's hard to actually defeat her when she's literal just an element, but love that despite it she still gets her own character.

11. Nocan the Contrarian

Nocan is when you take a himbo and give him the title of a villain and no further instructions. Most of the time he's just vibing but as a villain, he can be difficult to defeat and that's a compliment. Both strong with a weapon and physically, but also just a lot of fun.

10. The Learnerner

Weird Al. That's it.

9. Victoria Best

Now here's where we get to actual motives for being a villain. On her own, Victoria is a complex, love-to-hate character, but when she decides to play the villain, Victoria can be a real threat. She'll go lengths for jealousy and approval and that can cause problems not only for Wordgirl but everyone else around her. It makes it not only interesting to watch but WANT her to do better, unlike other villains you just enjoy to watch actually play as the show villain.

8. Ms Question

Harmless at first, Ms Question actually does possess abilities that can cause chaos and harm when she focuses. Not only can she confuse and escape any enemy just with her super natural abilities, but she can also spread her power to food that can spread much quicker and more discreetly. Not only that, she can materialize a hoverboard on command not only for her but others she carries around. Mischievous at her core and absolutely fun to watch. She actually got rid of all the villains in town singlehandedly and would of won if they hadn’t come back.

7. Whammer

Absolute chaos of a man that vibes and I love him. Physically, he’s definitely the strongest of the villains, being able to take down a ship with a single pebble and lifting a ferris wheel right off its hinges. AND a himbo? Whole package. I love Whammer, he’s funny, adorable and so fun when it comes to character interactions.

6. Lady Redundant Woman

Girlboss. The fact she works in retail and chooses to be a villain on the side like a hobby is so funny to me, go off girl. Her ability to duplicate anything, not just art but actual people is lowkey OP? AND NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT? Feral lady that bites rude people’s ankles and we stan.

5. Tobey

Before you attack me, hear me out. Tobey relies mostly on his robots, which he’s really good at, however without it, he’s literately just a kid. I would of liked to see if he’s as good in computers as he is in engineering like if he was able to hack into electronics, that would be another thing (tho I AM using this hc for a fic I’m writing), but if doesn’t have his robots or the funds for (”The Shrinking Allowance” comic being an example of this scenario), plus the fact his only motive is getting Wordgirl’s attention, doesn’t do much for him as a villain. Still, he is still quite formidable.

4. Mr. Big & Leslie

Ignoring the fact Mr Big almost did take over the world twice, he and Leslie are also just fun to watch as a duo. Admittedly Mr Big could do more damage if he didn’t have Leslie to keep him in check, who’s has actively stopped or interfere his plans because she just decided to lol. Mr Big can be more evil than other villains as he’s one of the few that did incapacitate Wordgirl (Ms Power included) for some time. But alas, it’s his own incompetency (and well, himboness) that prevents him from getting to say Two Brains level.

3. Chuck

Talk about never judge a book by its cover. The fact Chuck has ACTUALLY managed to take over the world/city with the rest of the villains under his command and everyone just casually forgets because yeah you wouldn’t expect it from someone that lives in his mom’s basement. It’s not clear if he buys all his weapons or makes them himself, but he def makes the best out of them.

2. Ms. Power

Absolute no doubt. If it wasn’t for one weakness of just not listening to her, she definitely would have been OP. Not to say she already wasn’t, being up to Wordgirl’s level, but unlike Wordgirl, she needs someone else’s weakness (and well feelings) to win. Still, OP, 10/10 villain, love Jane Lynch, so much potential and I like her. 

1. Dr Two-Brains

Was there ever any doubt? Fan favorite aside, there’s a reason he’s the top villain. Not only is he the most story/plot written villain with past history with Wordgirl herself, inventions alone, he’s basically a super human with ridiculously enhanced sense of smell, teeth to chew drywall and even steel bars, enhanced speed and of course super intelligence. He’s up to Dr Cockroach level of intelligence to build a ray out of arts and crafts and scraps. And ALL THAT aside, this man can sing, dance, ice skate, is a frequent cook, can speak mouse and has an incredible charisma. Goes without saying, there’s a reason he’s a favorite villain to almost everyone.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

This is a semi old ask but I don’t plan on rewriting anything SO SORRY FOR THE LATE RESPONSE ANON

[thefinalwinter]

Futurama really had the audacity to repeatedly rip my heart out and step on it over and over and like an idiot, I kept coming back for more.

I haven’t watched that episode with Fry’s dog since I was a kid. I can’t bring myself to do it. He chose not to revive the dog because he was convinced Seymour had lived a long and happy life….but he didn’t. His only friend disappeared and he spent the rest of his life waiting for him to come back. Literally writing this hurts.

On the opposite side of the spectrum…that first intended show finale. After Fry gave his hands back to the robot devil, he couldn’t play the holophoner anymore. Almost everybody left the theatre.

But Leela stayed.

That final line, the one that could have been the last of the show, gives me goosebumps.

“Please don’t stop playing, Fry. I want to see how it ends.”

Her delivery. The music. The art.

We NEED more shows like it.

[sirensofiaarchive]

⌝ In the trailer alone it was easier to allow her emotions to get the better of her. In the days since Roman had told her about his son, Micah had also told her that he was leaving. It would have been a lie to say she hadn't considered just going with him, telling him to give her a few days to pack up her bags and say 'fuck this town' but...Sofia loved Roman, and even with everything going on she didn't want to leave him. That didn't make losing her best friend any easier, in some ways it felt harder, because Sofia had to acknowledge that she was staying for a man she might not even be capable of being with. She felt lonely and broken and like her whole chest was being crushed as she laid in the bed she shared with Roman, scent of the man on the sheets she had bought while he was away in rehab.

⌝ Why couldn't things be simple? This time last year they had been. This time last year she didn't know Micah, Roman was only letting her sleepover occasionally and she didn't let any emotion show on her except anger. There was no answer, just more tears as she clutched her knees to her chest, Nibbler crawling up against the woman's chest while Seymour waited by the door, hopeful for Roman's return to soothe the woman.

⌝ Sofia didn't expect Roman's return though, she hadn't looked at his schedule but when she saw he wasn't there she just assumed he was at work, unaware he was out doing something else and would return shortly. The young siren wouldn't have allowed herself to cry so obviously if she knew. So far since Micah had told her she'd kept her tears to her car, or to the shower, but Micah had left that morning and Sofia just couldn't hold any of it back. He'd promised they'd see each other, that they'd text all the time, but it was not the same and the prospect of losing all she had gained in the past year, all the compassion and heart both Roman and Micah had offered her was ripping her apart inside. She didn't want Micah to go, she didn't want to have to leave Roman if she couldn't handle him having a young son, she wanted the people she loved near her.

⌝. Seymour scratched at the door as Roman's car pulled up but Sofia could only hear her own sobs, couldn't feel the shaking of the trailer as he walked up the steps and the door opened because she could only feel the shaking of her chest, and she didn't smell his approach because all she could smell were the sheets covered in tears.

@werewolfroman