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kawaiiwritingcomputer · 2 months

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Samurai Jack x easily flustered! Reader (fic)

hi!! Could you write a fanfic with samurai jack with a reader gets really flustered around him? any pronouns are fine!! It doesn't have to be nsfw, but a bit of spice never killed anyone. thanks!!!!

🪼- of course, friend! i'll put some lemon under the cut for you!! pls enjoy!

In the future, the darkness of Aku has taken over, leaving the world hopeless to his wrath. Only one samurai stood up to him, and you've heard of his tales. He seemed like some kind of legend, as he has lived for hundreds of years and still continues his battle against evil.

Your village had been terrorized by Aku's robotic monstrosities, leaving ashes and crumbled buildings behind. You thought you would die there under the rubble and dust. The sound of wooden sandals approached, and a voice called out, "Hello?"

You moved around, feeling very claustrophobic underneath the wreckage and your broken voice cried out for help. Through the burnt wooden pillars you could see out, and a sword fell to the ground. Suddenly, the debris was moved off of you and you could finally breathe in fresh air. You coughed, trying to stand up but your leg had been twisted up. As you looked up to your savior, you saw that he was the one and only Samurai Jack.

"No, don't move. You are badly injured." He looks at you with a concerned, soft face and with gentle hands he picks you up and moves you out into the open. he was covered in grease and oil, and you saw pieces of machinery laying around. The samurai had beaten Aku's robots and saved what was left of your village!

"Thank you-" You whispered as he carried you, and you began to fall asleep in his arms.

Later, you awoke in a cave, with a makeshift cast on your leg. There was a fire next to you, and the samurai had a wooden spear with some fish on it that he was cooking. He looked over at you and smiled, "Good, you're awake! I, um, made dinner for you!"

His smile was precious, bringing hope to your life. You almost couldn't believe you were sitting here with the legend himself! You were too shy to say anything but thank you when he handed you your food.

Jack didn't mind your silence, and he quite enjoyed the peacefulness of it. He noted that you had a hard time making eye contact with him, and your bashfulness was something really cute to him!

You spent your days healing with him, and he didn't seem to mind the battles he was missing out on, he was more concerned about taking care of you. Each time he lifted you up or helped you out, your face would turn red and you'd become a shy little mess. His kind eyes melted your heart, and his unrelenting desire to assist made you feel special. It was like being in some kind of dream.

When your leg was fully healed, he undressed the bandages and helped you get back to walking. He would hold his arm around your waist while you held onto his shoulder and you two would take a stroll together to build up your strength. The physical touch was only fueling your growing crush on the samurai, and little did you know that he was feeling the same way for you! He was always helping people, but you were something different. You looked at him like he was not only a protector, but also a companion. You never said much to him other than thank you, and in some ways he was reminded of himself. He'd never been in a relationship, but this growing awkward feeling was at it's worst around you.

"Thank you for all of your help, Samurai. I- I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you." You didn't want to leave him, now that you were all better, but his duty was calling. He didn't want to have to go either, and insisted that his selfless acts were just out of kindness. There was so much more to know about you, and he wanted to be closer but this couldn't be your future together...

As you hesitantly turned away, he suddenly grabbed your arm. "I want you to come with me." He admitted, "I'll protect you, and I will fight for you, anything it takes. I thought I needed to do this task alone, but if there's any way we can make this work, I want you to come back to the past with me."

Your eyes lit up with excitement for his confession, and you took this moment to let him know how you really felt. "I want that too, Jack. Nobody has ever shown me this amount of care and- I think I'm falling for you."

All of a sudden, your shyness had dissipated and you realized what had really come out of your mouth. For a second, you thought perhaps the samurai had a clashing feeling to yours- perhaps he only wanted to be your friend. He was looking at you with no expression and it was worrying- maybe you said the wrong thing?

No- he pulled you into his chest , wrapping his arms around you in a hug and he kissed your forehead. "I was afraid you weren't going to feel the same, so I wasn't going to say anything. I have fallen for you as well, my sunshine."

🍋!!

The two of you had been travelling for weeks together, and you'd even learned the way of your chosen weapon so you could assist in battle! Nothing was sexier than seeing you all greased up after a robot fight to Jack. He was having compelling thoughts about you, but your innocent, shy attitude made him feel almost guilty for having naughty thoughts. You will have to be the one to make the first move, because he's afraid to ask.

You could tell he was thinking those nasty thoughts about you, from the way he was watching with his mouth agape, and him trying to hide the hardness in his robes, atttempting to pass it off as just his sword.

You bathed together in the stream, rubbing off the grime from the fight, and usually you were modest and would try to have your back towards him, but you were gaining some confidence. This time, you faced him, standing underneath the waterfall fully naked as you signaled for him to get closer. He swam up to you, and you met in a hidden cave behind the falls. You wrapped your arms around his neck, smooching him as he held you like a bride in the shallow water. Your tantalizing kisses were giving him a stiffy, and you reached down to gently graze his boner. He returned the favor, his hands gripping your ass and making you blush. Jack's lips smiled against yours and he leaned you against a rock, gently kissing your chest and neck, only flustering you more and making you moan.

Soon enough, the two of you had moved out of the water and were on the ground of the cave, with Jack on top of you, pushing his hardness into you and stretching you. You bit your lips, wincing and crying out in ecstasy with each inch he pushed inside of you. With each noise you made, it only made him more turned on and wanting to fuck you harder, but his mind told him he had to be gentle for his first time with you.

He was cuddle-fucking you, on top of you and snuggling his face into your neck with your legs wrapped around his waist. He moaned your name into your ear, pleasure filling his brain as he closed in on his climax. You came first, your legs shaking as you wiggled your hips around to prolong the amazing feelings, and Jack came soon after, his cum emptying out onto your chest.

Both of you breathing heavily, you both began to laugh and pepper each other all over in soft kisses.

"I suppose we have to bathe again now." He joked, and kissed your nose. He snuggled you more for some aftercare, spooning you and talking about your future together in the past. <3

#samurai jack #samurai jack x reader #anon #samurai jack headcannons #samurai jack imagines

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kamenstranger · 27 days

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X-men '97 (mostly) spoiler free Review.

I'll be honest, when X-men '97 was announced I didn't think much of it. I've held a long stance of (at best) indifference towards reboots, remakes, or continuations of legacy properties. At worst, I hold a deep cynicism towards the often mishandling and cheap regurgitation to cash in on nostalgia.

The thing that most often goes wrong with such things is either it becomes so different one questions why it has X name attached instead of being a whole new thing, or it's so similar it does nothing new and only serves to callback fond memories and memes spawned from the original. It's a delicate balance to be familiar yet fresh. More often than not, it goes terribly wrong.

X-men '97 does not suffer that fate.

The most shocking thing about '97 isn't how much it feels like a proper continuation in every sense one could possibly achieve, but how better it is top to bottom. Sure, it has surface level nostalgia like the intro, callbacks, and the occasional campy tone (although never quite as much as the OG series, which lets be real, is for the better.) But it also understands how paramount it is to elevate and evolve the narrative with what the show explores, rather than relying on the familiar. The kids who grew up with the original are in their 30s if not their early 40s, and the ones that didn't remain children want more nuance and complexity. Not to mention the original, for all the good, is extremely flawed.

There's a story I read about Genndy Tartakovsky having a sign outside his office in the heyday of Cartoon Network that said something along the lines of "Make the Cartoons the way you think you remember." The idea being that a lot of people don't recognize the flaws in the shows they enjoyed at kids and have false idealized versions of those memories. '97 feels like that philosophy in some ways. It feels like all the legitimately good aspects cranked up to 11, and a lot of the lesser parts filtered out; an idealized version of what the original could be. In fact, Tartakovsky might be an apt comparison in another way, in that it feels as natural a progression as Samurai Jack with how it matured upon a revival, but without losing the parts that made the original so endearing.

Where X-men '97 hooked me was as early as ep. 2. Magneto gives a speech to the UN stating "As a boy, my people's homes were burned to ash because we dared to call God by another name. Then, my people hunted me with those who had once hunted them." The balls to go there hit like a truck and made me realize where this series was going. It might be trite to say "This isn't your childhood X-men" as if to imply some dark bend to the series. But no, this is simply an X-men that doesn't play coy with the analogies or side skirt death because of broadcast standards. It's an X-men allowed explore topics and stories in a manner much closer to the comics. The greatest example of that here is with Magnus, who for the first time is treated with a level of complexity I've not seen in any adaptive work.

The thing I love about Magneto is his versatility as a villain. He's full of himself, and goes too far in areas, but often still makes a good point. And even if he has those two flaws, is that much different than Xavier? Is his way ultimately more correct even if not 100% so? Conversely, you can easily turn him into a megalomaniac, unquestionably in the wrong-- yet still somewhat sympathetic because much of Humanity has reinforced time after time that it's oppress or be oppressed, with no alternative or in-between. That also makes him very interesting as someone who struggles to change their ways, to avoid falling down that slippery slope of becoming that very thing he so hates.

It should come as no surprise that this added focus on Magneto results in some killer lines throughout the run. The trailer made it clear that he would become leader of the X-men after Charles' apparent death at the end of the original series (as an aside, pay close attention to the language used when referring to Charles, it's very clever.) About half this season deals with Magnus building towards something beyond the school and beyond the X-men with the Island Nation of Genosha, creating a proper haven for Mutants to exist freely and in the open. He's honestly one of if not my favorite part of the show, both as a character and how that characterization helps drive the plot. Of course it's just one of many. Another big focus is Scott and Jean's relationship, the pregnancy, the fear of and eventual birthing of a child into a world that hates and fears them. That added dimension makes Scott a lot more nuanced this go around. Ideally, Cyclops should make difficult and perhaps unpopular decisions that are ultimately for the better, justifying his position as someone capable of making choices others would not. In practice, a lot of instances have Scott making boneheaded decisions and being a punching bag for Wolverine. People like to hate on the dude, and I don't blame them. It's very easy to make someone like that unlikable, and most of time, writers do.

But '97 gives a lot more personal scenes with him, showing how he's scared of his position, how Xavier's absence added a great weight upon his shoulders. Not to mention one of their greatest enemies-- the one ideologically opposite of Charles-- is entrusted with carrying on Xavier's dream, not him, not even another X-men. Then there's the baby on the way, everything that happens afterwards which is just the cherry on the shit sundae. I felt bad for Scott, the poor guy is sent thought the ringer this season. But that also makes him and his relationship with Jean legitimately interesting.

Meanwhile, the latter half of a show blows up into a much bigger cataclysmic event that actually manages to pull off some of the best suspense, trepidation, and "Oh shit, what next?" moments that few series achieve with such a level of success or frequency.

All that said, as much praise as I have for the story and characters… the stuff with Rogue is a bit weird and will probably be the most off putting aspect during the first half.

This is one of those parts I can't really skim over in a mostly spoiler free fashion, so get ready. For half the show Rogue spends a lot of time with Magneto after he takes over the X-men, and it's a source of friction for Gambit. And you think you know how this is going; Rogue obviously has some sorta past with Magnus no one else knows about, which makes sense given her checkered history, and Gambit is horribly misinterpreting that prior relationship as something more out of jealousy.

But no, Gambit was right. It was a lot more than just partners in crime. See, Magnus' whole electromagnet field can protect him from Rogue while the two still feel a touch, as it where, and they took full advantage of that way back when. So yeah, that's a thing that happened.

I get what they're going for; giving Rogue a complicated relationship with a major antagonist, how fair is keeping that information from Gambit, what does that even say about Magnus etc. The comics have done or tried similar things, often to a worse extent. (In fact this is based on a bit from Age of X) Still, it feels a tad weird here, and the age gap certainly plays a role. Which again, I realize is the point. I think part of the hang up on my end is Animated Rogue and Gambit always felt just a tad younger than say Jean, Scott, and Storm-- and the thought of the much older Magnus hooking up with an at the time technically legal Rogue bothers me. Not in an ageist way, but in a Jerry Seinfeld sorta way.

But I think that they're a bit more up there then previously thought. So if this goes back 5 maybe 10 years, that makes it feel less like Magnus was taking advantage of a very lonely and still naive girl, but having a fling with (at minimum) mid 20 something, which has it's own baggage, but is far less creepy and but in-line with Magnus' ego. His crimes against humanity I can forgive, but not acting like a libertarian. As for Rogue…I mean I wouldn't judge her anyway. Especially from her POV. I mean… look at Magnus.

If I couldn't have physical contact with 99% of people, I'd jump at exploring that magnetic pole, too.

That's probably the biggest "issue" I have with the story, and honestly I'm sorta coming around to it because it's told so damn well and leads to some pretty great bits. Rogue's argument with Gambit in particular is heart-wrenching.

And we also get some lovely scenes later in the series with Nightcrawler being a supporting brother to Rogue, which I just adore. I'll admit I'm slightly bias here because Kurt was one of my favorite X-men characters along with Remy, Rogue, and Magneto. So I'm eating good this season.

What I don't care for however is the romance between Forge and Storm. In fact, Storm probably gets the worst arc this season simply due to constraints and timing. It's not bad, but you can really tell hers was meant to be a larger and more intimate tale that was condensed down to what is effectively a single episode hacked to pieces. The passage of time is very poorly conveyed, so it feels like Forge proclaims his love after a week and one romantic dinner. Storm's more internal demons and struggles with her powers, while interesting conceptually, suffers from structural and pacing issues as it's split over two episodes shared with other stories. This is compounded with the fact one episode in-between those two is on the much more grandiose story of Genosha-- which is itself is grounded by that love triangle between Mags, Gambit, and Rogue-- not to mention a number of character deaths as the mid season "Oh shit" moment. The result is a vast cloud being cast over Ororo's narrative. We don't even get to properly delve into the Adversary.

There's some more minor things I can think of; the first episode is a little rough because of the dialogue being very hamfisted. It's made to be friendly to newcomers that didn't watch the original series, which I respect, but the consequence is some very weird statements of facts from characters to others that already know them. I think they knew this, which is why the much better ep. 2 dropped the same day. Smart. Outside ep. 1 it's handled much better. Slight spoiler, but if you know the comics you know about Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean with all her memories. OG Jean pops back in, but has a fragmented memory which allows for a much more natural flow of information as she slowly remembers events like the Phoenix and such.

Another use of conveying information to new comers is the newest member to the team, Roberto da Costa AKA Sunspot. Early on Roberto doesn't really have much going on, he's used similar to Jubilee as the audience POV saved by the X-men and that's kinda it. There's sparks between him and Jubilee, but for the most part his story takes a back seat to the much larger going ons. In fact I don't really think he ever comes into his own this season, although he is getting there by the end. However, I do think his character is used well thematically. Roberto's mother is a very wealthy business woman and philanthropist, and she's basically the stereotype of every rich minority liberal. She doesn't mind her son being a mutant, but she wants to keep it secret for social and financial reasons. She holds big charities for mutant causes, but will sell her own son out to authority figures if pressed. I never got invested in Roberto as there simply isn't enough time to focus on how that affects him on a deeper level beyond "Maybe Magneto is right." But I am impressed at showcasing that type of performative ally-ship, and with a parent no less.

I guess the last thing to address the new villain this season. I won't get into the story stuff, but if you know who Bastion is, then you sorta know where this goes anyway. And if you don't, then I won't really be getting too deep into that stuff. To be honest, I don't have a ton to say about him. He is quite different from his comics version to better fit within TAS universe, and he's sympathetic as a result of those changes. Pretty typical with this iteration of X-men to mix, change, and mash storylines across multiple decades. So nothing new there. I think he's a good threat, I like the portrayal of the prime sentinels, he's built up very well as a mysterious puppet master and power house; possibly too good given a "get out of jail free" moment with Jean in the finale. Theo James also does a good job making him sound calm, collected, almost emotionless-- but not bored, which a lot of people struggle with. I just don't really find him all that captivating or fun as a villain compared to say Magneto or Mr. Sinister. What he is, is a good catalyst. And I'm fine with that. X-men thrives on its melodramatic interpersonal relationships to carry damn near any story. Take characters you like, build'em up, have complex emotions, then throw them into scenarios to exacerbate all of that. If you can pull it off, you've got a fine formula for entertaining stories-- so long as you keep evolving those characters and scenarios. So, sure, I don't think Bastion is an all time great, but I'm more interested in the team having to deal with his shit and each other than him specifically, and I'm still getting other villains I do find interesting, so I can't really complain. But that's enough but the story, let's get into the other bits. Animation On the Animation side X-men '97 looks damn good. Comparing it to the original isn't even fair. The original studio, AKOM, was constantly threatened with firing because their output was routinely bad. Be that from a massive workload, poor management, crunch, Saban being a fuck stick, etc. Whatever the cause, the end result was not good. The first episode of X-men aired in an incomplete state, and that sort of trouble plagued the entire production. Heck, fellow Fox Kids series Batman The Animated Series terminated their contract with them for similar errors.

The first episode on '97 meanwhile takes every opportunity to showcase dynamic action. It probably has the most clever combination and uses of the X-men's powers; Scott using his optic blasts for movement, Gambit charging Wolverine's claws, Jean creating a containment field for Storm's tornadoes to increase pressure. That standard of quality is mostly maintained throughout. The biggest critique I can make is that some of the more subtle movements; raised eyebrow; slight head tilt; gritting teeth, tend to have an…off look. It reminds me a lot of the adoption of Flash in the 2010s and other digital animation, where every now and then certain objects just sorta float and slide in an overly smooth fashion, as if someone is simply moving a png around.

Another quirk is that there are A LOT of close ups of eyes. Sometimes that's an artistic choice, but very often it feels like a work around to avoid animating mouth movements for dialogue, showing backgrounds, other characters, and so on. And it's a trick used a wee-bit too much, one I'm hoping is ironed out by next season because it did become distracting by the end. But ya know, this is also better than Castlevania's first two seasons.

Voice Acting.

The voice Acting is great, no surprise there. Hell, the cast was the best thing out of the original series. While the dialogue and the delivery varied wildly, the voices themselves were generally on point, weird takes or direction notwithstanding. Those to me will always be the voices for those characters. I still hear Alison Sealy-Smith when I read Storm's dialogue in comic form, or Lenore Zann's Rogue, or George Buza's Beast. Most of the surviving original cast is back, either as their respective characters, or in other roles if they didn't want/fit the role anymore, as was the case with Catherine Disher and Alyson Court. Hilariously, Morph's original actor, Ron Rubin, now plays President Kelly.

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Oddly enough Gambit's original VA, Chris Potter, returns but in the role of Cable. Credit where it's due, this Cable sounds similar to a much gruffer Cyclops, but in such a way that's clearly a different voice. So I think that was a good change.

Speaking of Scott, Ray Chase is the new voice and he knocks it out of the park, absolutely perfect voice for the character that captures the smarmy routine Norm Spencer had. I'm frankly impressed how perfect he fills those shoes, while also adding a world weariness. Likewise, Jennifer Hales is a fantastic choice for Jean. She's played Jean before but this is much more influenced by Disher's performance. Ironically Hale's performance made me realize how perfect she would've been as Jill Valentine, and I'm sorta surprised she was never picked for any of the remakes. Additionally, Hale is clearly having so much fun in a villainous role as the Goblin Queen. In fact, her tone is slightly different for Pryor in general, but my god is the Goblin Queen stuff a joy. It's only like an episode, but Hale is just REVELING in being a baddy.

Nice to see X-men awakening things in people even years later.

Other new cast members include A. J. LoCascio, who does a great job as Gambit. Of course we have new addition Roberto, voiced by Gui Agustini, who fits lovely and speaks Portuguese to boot. Holly Chou takes over Jubilee and is so damn on point I had to double check it wasn't a time-displaced Court. You actually get to hear Chou and Court opposite one another and it is WILD how subtle the differences are. Ross Marquand is also pretty damn close to Cedric Smith's Xavier, albeit a tad younger sounding. One returning member I do want to give special mention to is Cal Dodd's Wolverine. Dodd was always a favorite, and like the others "the voice" of that character to me, and it's great to hear him again. Although I will note it doesn't really sound like 90s Wolverine, with exception to the penultimate episode where it sorta comes back. I'm not sure if they told him to do a rougher voice, if it's just the result of age, or if he's just getting back into it (Logan doesn't have many lines this season) but it's certainly different for most of the run. Every so often you'll also get a very slight inflection of an accent. Now Dodd is Irish born, but he doesn't have an Irish accent, yet I swear I hear one coming from Wolverine. Honestly? It weirdly works simply due to Logan's age and coming from Alberta, which was pretty heavy on immigrants from all the British Empire's isles. So…I kinda dig it, even if I'll always default to the OG performance in my head.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible music by the Newton Brothers.

But I also don't really know what to say about it beyond "That's some damn fine music and remixing of the Main Theme." Part of the problem is the Soundtrack isn't released at the time of this writing, there's only a single for the opening. But the harrowing vocal version of the theme, the BGM, all that's not released in a format I can point to and tell you to check it out, or even give a name to the ones I like. So... I just have to throw my hands up and say I love their work and am glad they're returning next season.

I hope they remix the second X-men theme from the later seasons. Final Thoughts

X-men '97 has been by far the most pleasant surprise this year. I loved the feeling of looking forward to each episode, wanting to know what events will transpire, waiting until next Wednesday for the follow up. Few series manage to capture my attention to the extent '97 did. In the wrong hands this could've been exhausting, but it's a masterclass in pacing and escalation without feeling tiresome. X-men '97 pulls off a perfect balance of new and familiar, maintaining and building upon a strong foundation of character drama to reach new heights that results in, above all else, an extremely rare example of a revival surpassing the original in every regard.

Now, I just hope the firing of the director wasn't a sign that Disney is going to sabotage this because the suits are rock stupid. Or that the series will become bogged down with cameos and references to other stuff. I gotta tell you, one of the best things was '97 not dealing with MCU and just having relatively subdued cameos and name drops. It was quaint compared to what it's like now. But that finale made me wince in spots. You can justify it all you want, but I'm tired, and I hope it's not a sign of things to come.

I couldn't figure out where to put this in the review, but I did want to mention a moment in ep 2 that I loved. Jean goes into labor and while Logan is driving her to the hospital, her powers go a little out of control and rips the roof off his vehicle. She made him a convertible.

They do not draw attention to it, no smarmy comment, just something that happens. But I have to imagine it was an intentional reference, and that's my favorite kind of callback. All that said, thanks for reading this. It's not often I do spoiler free reviews, but sometimes the format is just right for what I have to say without delving into a big plot synopsis. Hopefully, if you were cautious like me, maybe you'll check out '97 and find something you really love.

#review #x men 97 #marvel #Youtube

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canmom · 1 year

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Animation Night 157: Hungary

Jó estét mindenkinek! Eljött az Animációs Éjszaka ideje.

Good evening everyone! It’s time for Animation Night.

Hungary!

Tonight I’m going to continue the grand tradition of ‘copying Aniobsessive-senpai’s homework’, and take us to visit the ‘Hungarian school of animation’, aka magyar rajzfilmiskola. They were a bunch of experimental weirdos from the period when Hungary was ruled Much like the Zagreb School from across the border in Croatia (AN 136), who were a biiiig influence, they launched away from the midcentury UPA style and experiments like Yellow Submarine to make something unique.

The best known Hungarian animated film is Son of the White Mare (1981) directed by Marcell Jankovics. Lemme quote Aniobsessive:

[White Mare] is hard to compare to other animated features. Marcell Jankovics and his team used Hungarian folk art and folk tales as the basis for a huge, mind-expanding, psychedelic adventure movie. It tells an accessible story in an art-house style — 90 minutes of searing colors and spellbinding patterns, with each character in a state of constant transformation.

This film was wildly influential, reaching people like Genndy Tarkovsky to form a big part of the DNA of Samurai Jack. But White Mare didn’t spring out of nowhere.

The 20th century for Hungary was, to put it mildly, a rough time. Here’s a really really brief version. In World War I, Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which lost the war hard and basically collapsed. In the resulting power vacuum the country was separated from Austria and went through a brief communist revolution which fell to a monarchist counterrevolution; the monarchists surrendered to the Entente in 1920 and gave up most of the country’s land. In the new peace, the new monarchy set about their agenda of ‘doing antisemitism’, which predictably got a great deal worse in the 30s following the great depression and the rise of Hitler nearby.

So in WWII, Hungary sided with the Axis. They joined Hitler in invading the USSR, and got pretty much crushed. The Hungarians started negotiations to break from the Axis and surrender, but Hitler noticed and quickly ordered his soldiers to occupy, appointing a Nazi governor; at this point the Holocaust in Hungary kicked up a gear and the Nazi-backed Hungarian government deported hundreds of thousands of Jewish people to the death camps. To brush over a messy story, within a year the Soviets counter-invaded and destroyed the fascist government, establishing Hungary as in the Soviet sphere of influence in the aftermath of the war. The Hungarian communist party, which had existed despite its ban during the war, joined forces with communists from Moscow... uneasily.

After briefly playing with elections, the Soviets reorganised Hungary as a single-party Leninist state. The new government set about the whole show-trials-and-purges-and-statues-of-the-leader routine, attacking his rivals as spies in the pocket of the Americans, or maybe Big Trotsky. A lot of messy intra-party politics took place while the country struggled economically, attempting to copy Stalin in dismantling the peasants and building heavy industry. In the 50s, a certain prime minister Imre Nagy won popularity by relaxing some of the state control and closing labour camps and so forth, but this put him at odds with Moscow, and he was attacked as a right-deviationist and driven out of politics. But not for long...

(Did you think that was an end to the antisemitism btw? Lmao no of course not. In 1953 the government tried to frame three random Jews for the abduction of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish industrialist who saved thousands of people during the Holocaust, who in reality died in a Soviet prison. That whole affair abruptly stopped when Stalin died.)

In 1956 it all came to a head with the ‘Hungarian Revolution’, started by students, which like all such uprisings was messy but broadly was pro-Nagy and anti-Soviet. Nagy, who had only recently been returned from political exile in the wake of the ‘Khruschev Thaw’, took control of the party with his allies. He went so far as to announce that Hungary might even withdraw from the Warsaw Pact. ‘Excuse me?’ said Khruschev, and sent in the Red Army tanks to remove Nagy and his supporters, killing about 20,000 people in the process. This is one of the two incidents that led to the coinage of the word ‘tankie’, originally meaning someone who defended Khruschev’s intervention.

The next guy, János Kádár, started out by attacking the participants in the 1956 uprising, but changed his tune and declared an amnesty in the 60s, establishing a relatively relaxed set of policies nicknamed ‘Goulash Communism’ which encouraged foreign trade and consumerism. As such, it’s this period where Hungary started making a bunch of animated films.

Because yeah this is a post about cartoons actually!

In the 60s, Hungarian animators - funded by the state - were following in the footsteps of the Zagreb School, with its unique approach to timing and design philosophy. But eager ot put their own spin on it, they started introducing bright colours and textures to the UPA style, in films like Duel (1960) and Ball with White Dots (1961).

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In 1968, Sándor Reisenbüchler, a colleage of Jankovics at Pannonia Film Studio with a wildly improvisational method, released his first short film The Kidnapping of the Sun and Moon, created with the assistance of his wife. The film is an absolute riot of shapes and colours, all relating a story of a many-headed dragon which devours all the stars until a hero comes to slay it. For Reisenbüchler it’s an anti-war metaphor. Despite being controversial back home, the government eagerly started spreading it abroad in Russia and US alike as a symbol of cool shit being made in Hungary.

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Reisenbüchler would go on to make many more films, such as The Year of 1812 (Az 1812-es év) in 1972, but he’d still hold a special place in his heart for Kidnapping.

The British film Yellow Submarine dropped in 1968, and sent major waves into both Hungary and Yugoslavia. For Hungarian artists like Jankovics, it was the inspiration they needed to find a third pole of animation, distinct from both the Disney tradition and the UPA style. He appreciated the space it offered for inconsistency - character designs would no longer need to be identical in every shot, the messiness could be part of the style.

In 1973, Jankovics directed the first feature-length Hungarian animated film, titled Johnny Corncob (János Vitéz). Based on an 1845 epic poem, it tells the story of the worldwide adventures of a young soldier separated from his over, completed over a period of 22 months at Pannonia. The film was a huge undertaking, and its style is unlike pretty much anything before or since, with something of a Western flavour, and uniquely Hungarian outfits...

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The next year, Jankovics released a much smaller project, the two-minute long Sisyphus. Jankovics was determined to constantly reinvent his style, lest his films get lost in the shadow of the ones before.

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In contrast to the bright colours and textures, Sisyphus, completed in just six weeks, keeps things about as simple as possible: pure black and white silhouettes with a brush texture. Most of the 1800 drawings were by Jankovics himself, and much of the rest by Edit Szalay, who would soon become a key part of White Mare. Into the myth of Sisyphus, Jankovics channeled his own struggles with the nigh impossible task of creating the country’s first animated film. And this film proved wildly popular, running around the world from Yugoslavia to Iran. It threatened to overshadow everything else Jankovics did, and so he changed his style up completely for White Mare.

As the 70s went on, the films just got more experimental. Honeymation (Mézes-táncos) in 1975, directed Ferenc Varsáyani, decided to do a stop motion film entirely with gingerbread people. It was photographed by Gábor Csupó, who would later leave Hungary to America and co-create the Rugrats series. Eventually he would reunite with Varasáyani who would come to work on Rugrats too...

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The 70s also saw the wildly popular TV series Rabbit with Checkered Ears, dir. Zsolt Richly and written by Veronika Marék. The two became friends while writing for a childrens’ magazine, and that magazine style would adapt perfectly to depict the clumsy, floppy rabbit. In a big cabin in the yard of Pannonia, Zsolt Richly oversaw the creation of the series for years. You can read more about the story here.

And of course this whole thing was a massive success in both Hungary and pretty much everywhere else, launching both into animation. The floppy plush main character reminds me a little of Marumi from Paranoia Agent, but this one isn’t so sinister. It’s just a very cute bunny in an appealing style. All the episodes are entirely wordless, relying on the expressive movement and music to convey the story. This person seems to have uploaded the full series on Youtube, albeit not really organised into a playlist, so check it out ^^

As then we enter the 80s, Jankovics got the studio working on their biggest project, Son of the White Mare, bringing all these threads together into one massive project, the magnum opus of the Hungarian school at large. So that’s what we’re going to watch tonight! A whirlwind tour of Hungarian animation’s important short films, and Son of the White Mare. (I would show Johnny Corncob as well, but it’s late and it’s proving slow to download, so another week.)

Eventually of course the Soviet Union fell, and Hungary’s Leninist state apparently transitioned to a regular capitalist one relatively gently. Pannonia continued to function, making films up to around 2011 with the final film of Jankovics, The Tragedy of Man, but ultimately closed its doors in 2015. Jankovics himself passed away in 2021. I would love to investigate some of this later Hungarian animation, but I’ll have to save that for another day...

And so! Animation Night 157 will go live in just a minute at twitch.tv/canmom, and I plan to begin showing films on the hour (22:00 UK time)! I’d love to see you there!! Let’s check out a corner of animation history that is far too unknown, and watch a film that’s said (by someone somewhere) to be one of the best animated films of all time...

#animation night #hungarian animation #very much 'writing about what i have sources for' here - don't take this for a complete overview by any means

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wifelinkmtg · 1 year

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Cruel Angel’s Thesis intensifies

Technically, it’s “Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty” and not “Neon Dynasty Kamigawa” but only the latter facilitates “get in the robot, Shinji” jokes when you tap your pilot token to crew your Thundersteel Colossus, so. Anyway, none of the mecha cards are relevant to this project - it would have been too much to hope for a POWER DoLLS situation - so really, the moral of the story is that I should have saved the Samurai Jack title joke for this edition.

TODAY ON WIFELINK: GUSHING ABOUT CYBERPUNK FANTASY JAPAN

NDK was a great set, you have to understand. Do you remember how one of the few unequivocally good things about Legend of Korra was this project of imagining a 1920s industrial setting derived from (mostly) East Asian art and architecture? Yeah, similar story here. Just one example: the Imperial mecha look like someone did origami to sheet metal, which is super cool and lends their faction a distinct visual identity. The art in this set is gorgeous - soaring architecture, grungy neon alleyways, sick cyborgs, spirits (in the original Kamigawa block, spirits had some of the weirdest creature designs Magic had ever had, and this continues that legacy) - sagas! saga art is in-universe visual representation of a story that’s important to the people of the world, and NDK sagas are told on ornamental fans, wall scrolls, porcelain jugs, the carved hilt of a katana, a silk dress, in a leaf carving and vector graphics AND, the best saga art ever, on the back of a biker rat’s leather jacket. (I would be remiss at this point not to recommend Rhystic Studies’ extremely good video on sagas.)

And the mechanics! Sagas turn into creatures when the story is over, sort of living memories. Ninjutsu made a triumphant return, the channel mechanic multiplied interesting choices, and so did the reconfigure mechanic, which let you either use a mechanical centipede as a whip attached to one of your creatures, or let it operate autonomously as a creature in its own right (which led to one of the best type lines in MtG: “Legendary Artifact Creature - Equipment Jellyfish.”)

The draft environment - and I know I’m way off-topic here, but I’m about to say some mildly unkind things about this set and I need to preface it - the draft environment was the best I’ve ever encountered. There were so many different viable archetypes, so many different cool choices you could make during drafts and gameplay. The blue-black ninjas deck, fast red-black artifact sacrifice, recursive green-white enchantments - all felt powerful and fun. The whole set was flavorful and compelling, and there are not that many good wifelink hits, I’m sorry to say.

THE QUALITY OF A MAGIC THE GATHERING SET IN TERMS OF THIS PROJECT IS NOT AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF OVERALL SET QUALITY

Heiko Yamazaki, the General (art by Magali Villeneuve)

Heiko makes it where her cousin Norika (also by Villeneuve) doesn’t for two reasons: one is that I find Heiko’s broody expression indicative of a rich and stormy internal life, which always hits me like the smoky scent of a fine scotch or a cup of lapsang souchong. A woman with inner turmoil draws me like a moth to a bug-zapper, which I suppose is why I keep getting into trouble with older women in troubled relationships. “If I simply provide enough unpaid therapy, she’ll leave her abusive husband back in [REDACTED FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC] & also the closet she’s been in for forty-five years & stay in the United States with me!” Yeah, that’ll happen, idiot.

The other reason is that Norika is a cop.

Tamiyo, Compleated Sage (art by Chris Rahn)

There are a lot of planeswalkers I don’t care about, personally, and I’m not only talking about the male ones. If I’m being honest, my engagement with Magic story has always been kind of shallow on account of Magic story is frequently (but not always!) bad. Like, pursuant to the previous entry, I did enjoy the apparently-uncredited story about the Yamazakis Wizards published back in February. It’s compelling! There’s juice to that relationship. We will never get anything else about these characters.

See, it turns out that the incentives of creating a collectible card game are not terribly aligned with those of creating rich long-form fantasy stories. Novelty sells cards. We hop around. Those few characters who do enjoy a prolonged spotlight often wilt under the attention as we all collectively get sick to death of the fucking Gatewatch or whoever else. Magic the Gathering is still compelling media, or else why would I be doing this, but to me it’s a kaleidoscopic whirl of mostly detached ideas, characters, settings, and vibes.

ALL OF WHICH IS TO SAY that I never knew much or cared to about Tamiyo. She was some nerd from Kamigawa who didn’t save Avacyn, whatever. Then the Phyrexians got her and turned her into an ichor-weeping cyborg brainwashed into working toward the universal expansion of New Phyrexia, a biomechanical plane of horror, corruption, and ego death, so now she’s hot!

Go-Shintai of Hidden Cruelty (art by Johannes Voss)

I don’t think I can explain this one, to be honest. Sometimes you just wanna get fucked up by a magical bone machine.

I KNOW THIS ONE HAS BEEN REALLY TALKY ALREADY BUT I GOT SOME BEHIND-THE-SCENES STUFF TO SAY AND A SET WITH ONLY THREE HITS SEEMS AS GOOD A PLACE AS ANY

Well, only three hits that I can find high-quality images of for. I suppose I could be using card rips of Tia Masic’s Moon-Circuit Hacker (reminiscent of my introduction to cyberpunk via Shadowrun, a bad setting paired with a bad system which nevertheless compelled me to consume more cyberpunk, most of it also bad) or Wisnu Tan’s Spring-Leaf Avenger (a delightful vaguely-orchid-mantis bug ninja) but that would look like

and

...oh wait that actually looks fine, at least to me on desktop. Okay, then, I’ll incorporate those into my strategy as an acceptable last resort going forward. Actually, while I’m at it:

Junji, the Midnight Sky (art by Chase Stone)

The dragon’s hot, man, I don’t know what to tell you.

THE OTHER THING IS ABOUT WHAT WE WILL GENEROUSLY CALL AN “UPDATE SCHEDULE”

Phyrexia: All Will Be One releases the second week in February and I am goddamn well going to review that as soon as it’s out, because I played Cyberqueen at the young and impressionable age of twenty-two and now “quasi-omnipotent dominatrix corrupts you into a biomechanical horror ecstatically enslaved to her will” is the hottest thing I will ever get out of Magic: the Gathering unless Ashiok decides to start force-femming planeswalkers, so I am going to be tearing through one set a week for the next three weeks.

Next time is New Capenna, the Art Deco Metropolis of organized crime, bad draft experiences, and well-muscled arms, followed by a return to Dominaria where my excitement for more Phyrexians will be tempered by the fact that my favorite characters from the last Dominaria set are not quite so hot this time round.

#there's an argument to be made that i should more substantially edit these after writing them instead of continuing to discover #what the structure of the post is as i'm writing it and then leaving it as-is #there's also an argument to be made that i should have fewer tangents digressions parentheticals for overall readability #but i'm not going to do either of those things :)#anyway did you know that there are zero hits for forced feminization in the mtg tag on AO3 #personally i think ashiok should start with teyo and move on from there but i am open to suggestions

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waeirfaahl · 1 year

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The ghostly warriors issue

I think, since this mysterious warrior appeared in 1 episode, all people started to wonder, who this haunting and silent figure is. The most obvious answer — Death. I think, it’s pretty cool idea to see the physical embodiment of Death in Samurai Jack universe, how it takes various forms for everybody Death comes to.

All segments with this warrior and the beginning of the graveyard scene in 6 episode have one of the most stunning, haunting and mezmerizing visuals I’ve ever seen in animation. I love this supernatural, sinister emerald light and fog, mixed with the black silhuettes. Literally the other world.

But what answer we got from 5 season itself? Well, Genndy and the team wanted to add the symbolical character with psychological shade. The character symbolizes Jack’s depression, despair and guilt, that choked him all these 50 years.

And it’s really cool idea to show some Jack’s inner demons, which try to devour him out of inside to death, and how Jack defeats his inner demons. Like, he already had hallucinations in previous episodes, the warrior showed himself only to Jack in previous episodes. The concept is good, but... again, small contradictional details ruined it...

First of all, in 5 season the events of how Jack got depression are stupid. He (and clearly Aku too) forgot about magical creatures and artifacts with the ability of time travelling, i.e. there’s not only time portals, whose gates actually can be restored. Plus, Jack could assume that Aku intentionally fooled him into “Yeah, I destroyed all portals, now run to some secret ones I didn’t find myself, so I’ll destroy them too and make another prank for you” (honestly, in 4 season I was under impression that Jack decided to stay in the future — especially after The Aku Infection episode), but no. And just realize, how mind-blowing (in bad way) it is — instead of going down into the mountain and taking the sword back, Jack just went away and wandered these 50 years without the only weapon that can protect him from Aku. And all this time Aku could watch on him and know that the sword is lost and finally kill Jack, and all this time Jack could make this meditation journey or whatever it is for returning the sword, and all this time those three alien gods could resolve the problem themselves, but ignored... Jack literally survived only ‘cause of the bad and stupid script, which turned both Aku and Jack into idiots.

The contradictional details continue in 6 episode. Jack travelled many miles (including on the airship) and near all habitants he helped and saved earlier, and almost nobody saw him and literally nobody stopped him for some reason, and Jack somehow didn’t see them and didn’t realize that he saved many lives and has to live on... HOW?! And absolutely no bounty hunters, no spies and so on... But in the end of 6 episode this twist happens. This warrior is not one. Five warriors. And they’re not the metaphors or hallucinations in Jack’s mind. They’re real, ‘cause not only Jack can see them and even fight with them.

Ashi sees them and even fights this warrior too. Somehow...

So... who the hell are they? Death gods? Entities, which feed on pain/fear/emotions/energy of their victims? Ghosts? Why they wanted Jack’s death and specifically waited for his own decision and agreement to die, if they’re absolutely real and could kill him themselves in 3 episode, when Jack had serious wounds, for example?

Why the regular sword kills the ghost?

Why the other four warriors don’t help to their leader and just escape to their graves?

I would accept an explanation “The graveyard itself is magical, and it makes real absolutely all fears and negative emotions of its victim, so that’s how the shadow warriors became real ghosts, and when Jack overcame his inner demons, the graveyard has no power over him anymore, hence the warriors disappear”, but in this case Ashi would face and fight own fears and inner demons too (specifically scarier version of her mother). And it would be much better...

#samurai jack #samurai jack 5 season

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fiftytwotwentythree · 11 months

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Wellness Wednesday:

Picture Me Rollin'

We are officially 186 days into the year - Only 179 days remain - The Year, My Challenge, is half way complete.

I cannot see/feel the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel, but I feel confident I will still travel ahead full steam.

In other news - I had a banger of a week. Lots of PTO from work, took 2 massive - but - highly needed day time naps (truly reset my brain), hung out with family and friends, some awesome fireworks and...

I saw Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny.

I've been waiting a long time and... I was not awed - but - I wasn't upset either. It was a okay flick with some nice moments - just not "Wow-wah-wee-wah!" moments. It's a movie that wasn't need, but I enjoyed because it removed some of the stank that was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Lastly, I treated myself to (aka signed up for a free trial) Comixology Unlimited - in this last week I have been tearing into some comics. Never felt so satisfied.

27th CHECK-IN:

Current Goals:

Lose 52 lbs

Completed as of 4/12/2023

New Goal: Maintain or Continue on The Weight Loss Path

Avoid "Junk Food"

Minimize Take-Out / Fast Food Consumption

Short Term:

Vegetarian-ish Diet: Completed

End Date: 4/09/2023 - 46 Days Total

Stats from June:

Food:

Salads: 21

Bags of Popcorn: 18

Oranges: 15

Leftover Meals: 6

Cans of Soup: 1

Take Out: 0

Candy/Sweets: 0

Workout:

Jumping Jacks: 6,000

Push-Ups: 3,000

Glute Bridges: 3,000

Assisted Push-Ups: 3,000

Reverse Leg Lifts: 1,500

Leg Kickbacks: 1,500

Sit-Ups: 1,500

Plank (mins): 75 mins

Squats: 0

Weight Loss:

Weightloss This Month: -10.8 lbs

Average Weightloss per Week: -2.7 lbs

Total Weightloss: -76.2 lbs

Entertainment:

Movies Watched: 12

Favorite from the Month:

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse

Hours of Television Watched: ~ 19 hours (The Bear; Clone High; Ink Master; Samurai Jack; The Righteous Gemstones; Crime Scene Kitchen)

Reading

Books:

Books Completed This Month: 0

Book Title(s) Completed This Month: -n/a-

Book Total for the Year: 2

Comics:

Comics Completed: 5

Trades Completed: 6

Comic/Trade Titles Completed:

Afterlife with Archie Vol. 1: Escape from Riverdale

Afterlife with Archie (Issues 6-10)

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 (2016-2018)

The Umbrella Academy Vol. 1: Apocalypse Suite

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1: Squirrel Power (2015)

Doom Patrol (1987-1995) Vol. 1: Crawling from the Wreckage Vol. 1

Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Vol. 1: Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Book 1

Magazine(s):

Magazine(s) Completed: 1

Magazine Titles:

Readers Digest July 2023

Meal Tracker:

THURSDAY

Lunch:

(2) Hotdogs on Sweet Hawaiian Hotdog Buns

Large Plate of Buffalo Chicken Fries

- Nacho Cheese

- Sour Cream

(2) Glasses of Chocolate Milk

Snack:

(4) Bowls of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

(2) Handfuls of Sahale Pomegranate Vanilla Flavored Cashews Glazed Mix

(2) Handfuls of Sahale Pomegranate Flavored Pistachios Glazed Mix

Supper:

Chicken and Pepperjack Cheese on a Toasted Everything Bagel

FRIDAY

Lunch:

StarKist Deli Style Tuna with Pepperjack Cheese on a Croissant

Handful of Wonderful's Smokey BBQ Pistachios

Snack:

(4) Bowls of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

Supper:

StarKist Deli Style Tuna with Pepperjack Cheese on a Croissant

(2) Small Oranges

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

SATURDAY

Lunch:

American Pasta Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Snack:

(2) Large Bowls of Wonderful's Shelled Salt & Pepper Pistachios

Supper:

(2) Johnsonville Chili Cheese Smoked Sausages on Hawaiian Buns

(2) Scoops of Macaroni Pea Salad

(2) Spring Pasta Salad

SUNDAY

Lunch:

Santa Fe Style Salad

Handful of Wonderful's Salt & Vinegar Pistachios

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Snack:

Bag of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

Supper:

Cesaer Salad

(2) Small Oranges

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

MONDAY

Lunch:

Spinach Dijon Salad

Handful of Good & Gather's Tex Mex Trail Mix

Supper:

Chef Salad

(5) Slices of Smoked Pork Loin

(2) Scoops of Potato Salad

(1) Scoop of Spring Pasta Salad

(5) Cubes of Watermelon

(2) Small Oranges

TUESDAY

Lunch:

Chef Salad

(1) Small Orange

Snack:

(3) Cups of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

Supper:

Santa Fe Style Salad

(1) Small Orange

WEDNESDAY

Lunch:

(1) Johnsonville Chili Cheese Smoked Sausage on a Hotdog Bun

(2) Scoops of Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad

Snack:

Bowl of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

Supper:

(8) Pieces of Rana's Chicken & Roasted Garlic Ravioli

- Prego Roasted Garlic Alfredo

- Black Pepper

- Crushed Red Pepper

(6) Rich Farm Mozzarella Sticks

- Michael Angelo's Marinara Sauce

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(2) Small Oranges

Workouts:

THURSDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

FRIDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

SATURDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SUNDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

MONDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

TUESDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [5 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 set of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

WEDNESDAY

(200) Jumping Jacks [4 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges[4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Assisted Push-Ups [2 Sets of 50]

(50) Reverse Leg Lifts [5 sets of 10]

(50) Leg Kickbacks [5 sets of 10]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

WEIGHT TRACKER:

Starting Weight (Noon, 1/01/2023): XXX.X lbs

Weight at Last Check-In, 6/29/2023: -3.0 lbs

Weight As of Noon, 7/05/2023: -1.0 lbs

Total Weight Loss: -77.2 lbs

Closing Thoughts:

The Good:

Had a good time chilling with family and friends this week.

Also had some awesome R&R, which quelled my sleep hunger pains.

The Bad:

Although I caught up on some sleep - I feel like I headed down a rocky yet again.

The Ugly:

After the 4th July festivities I was truly hit with devastating cravings. Missed out on a lot of good looking food. My dread expanded thinking of Thanksgiving and Christmas that are yet to come.

#52 in 23

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moonstone27ls · 2 years

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Primal series finale? spoiler warning

....I’m fairly certain this is the series finale. I can’t see Genndy going any further with this story now that Spear’s dead.

Not that I... (spoiler alert) don’t like his daughter’s design. And yes I know at least Walking Dead as an example a show can continue without the lead... but storywise it does feel done.

Am I disappointed this is how the series ends or that it ends only on two seasons? Hehhh no. Again IF its the case, before someone jumps.I even went to his instagram he didn’t say “final show”...soo dunno?

Considering whats happened with some issues with HBOMax/ Discovery/Cartoon network? (I’m not getting into that can of worms), I get it. Or maybe he went with Alex Hirsch’s idea of just choosing to end the story there. At which doesn’t bother me either if its Genndy’s choice.

That random Darwin episode aside(sorry guys it was okay but felt it didn’t bring much to the story), all the episodes were pretty good. Definitely full of suspense, thrills, action at every turn, and got to see many different cultures explored though... makes me wonder WHERE and at what time Spear’s suppose to be in, unless these other cultures are just beginning when his “time” is dying or getting ready to shift if that makes sense.

Anything I’m wondering about.. only if Kamau and his people were attacked by that possessed or whatever Viking slave owner but I honestly don’t think so. Spear and Fang were his main objective. It was probably more of “following the auras” crap or something.

Now onto another spoiler, am I shocked or disappointed that Spear died... disappointed a little but the literal episode felt foreshadowed. But not shocked, as much as Genndy likes to claim he regretted how he ended Samurai Jack (romance wise) .... I really don’t believe that. These two shows are kinda like good examples he does drama... noir? Look I’m a dummy I don’t know the genre of “oh this is a sad ending” or “we have a good ending but its sad”. Point is Samurai Jack gave me an idea of “Oh this could happen again”.

Like I said this had been foreshadowed even in the first season. Spear was distraught after losing his wife and children. And its been hinted he had no other people or clan. So although he liked Mira and was comfortable, the story obviously hinted he felt like a fish out of water. Even if he stayed, he had nothing. No people or family. When he died that would be it for his legacy.

My only real problem or uncomfortableness is... kinda how Mira/Spear became a thing? if thats right. No, unlike Jack/Ashi I’m not against the idea. Mira, unlike Ashi, had seen the world, both were grown adults who had lives before meeting each other. My problem was he literal was suffering from burns BD; and in some symbolic way to carry out his legacy, THATS how Genndy decides to make them an “item”. If you wanna call it that. Again I get it, symbolism, carry on legacy, etc.

I dunno Genndy what is it with you and making it weird? Why couldn’t you had just hinted they had more obvious. Hand holding or something, I could even put up with hints of “Oh they had one night stands on the boat trips”. To be clear, I’m not against Mira/Spear ship or even their kid. Their daughter looked awesome!

Just kinda wish he had gone about that a LITTLE different.

#Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal #Primal tv series #Primal tv show

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toku-explained · 2 years

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Gridman Universe & ULTRAMAN: What's next?

Gridman Universe

The last running spin off manga, Hime & Samurai and Gridman Dogma, have now concluded, as has the adaptation of SSSS.Gridman, sadly there still seems to be no sign of any of the manga or novels getting licensed for the English language markets.

The only confirmed upcoming project for the Gridman Universe is a film currently scheduled for 2023, with the working title Gridman x Dynazenon. While we can reasonably expect Primal Fighter Gridman and DynaRex to appear, and possibly some combinations between them, I don't necessarily expect the Gridman Alliance or Gauma Team to appear, aside from one for spoiler reasons. More likely to appear in my view are the New Century High School Students and the GridKnight Alliance.

In upcoming figure terms, the MODEROID like from Good Smile Company has displayed prototypes for a Full Power Gridman set, and Bandai recently surprise announced an SMP release of DynaZenon, which will make SMP the first series to have releases of everything from all 3 series.

ULTRAMAN

The ULTRAMAN manga is still going strong. The anime second season covered events roughly equivalent through to the end of volume 11, the manga has now reached volume 18 in Japan and has continued past there.

Shortly after the second season dropped Netflix announced ULTRAMAN FINAL, a 3rd season planned to drop in 2023. It's hard to guess how much will wind up being adapted, especially of it's another 6 episode season. The trailer is very evocative of the original Ultraman finale, which may imply it will skip a great deal and cover events from more recent and currently releasing chapters. If it emerges nearer the time that the anime is skipping some volumes (which should become evident from character previews), I will try and cover some of that before the season releases.

The ULTRAMAN SUIT ANOTHER UNIVERSE stories are continuing, inserted into an altered version of the manga storyline, with the 8U arc currently resumed, I'll be covering that as it continues.

Figures wise, threezero have indicated plans to complete the 6 brothers, plus at least 3 further Another Universe figures. The only current announced upcoming release from the Figure-Rise Standard line is an ACTION version of TIGA Suit, although given the JACK Suit's current presence in the Story a release of it is hopefully forthcoming.

#toku explained #ULTRAMAN #gridman universe

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nickmedoroart · 1 year

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Every year my fiancé and I review what we watched, read, or played over the year. It's our little content catalogue, so I figured why not share some of the best things of 2022 we went though and if any of you are interested to go and check them out! Starting with movies, we watched a ton this year but these are probably my favorite 4 of the year: Everything Everywhere is a super unique movie that stands as my movie of the year. It does everything so well. RRR is a bombastic bollywood movie that depicts the greatest bromance I've ever seen. It's wild from start to finish and my runner up for the year. The Batman stands tall in an over-saturated genre of super hero movies. It has an artistic vision that feels lost in other super hero movies today. The Exorcist isn't new exactly but it's new to me and it really is as timeless as it has been. It's an interesting perspective dealing with the questioning of faith and what it can do to people.

Shows! No shock I watch mostly animated things and these are my top 4 among them: Morel Orel is just...so...difficult to describe. It's pure dark comedy but over the show's lifespan it evolves into a dark, deep character driven show about the roots of desire and sin. That and it has probably one of the most accurate depictions of an alcoholic abuser father I've ever seen. Primal. Pure art. Genndy, known for Samurai Jack and Powerpuff Girls, takes us to a pre-historic world with no voices. The show is carried by visuals and letting you feel every snapping stick in it's environment. While Orel is my show of the year, I can't stress enough how amazing Primal is too. Jojo in general. I finished Part 4, 5, and 6 this year but throughout ALL of Jojo, nothing beats Part 4. The small hometown with a small cast is just candy to me, but add in that strange Jojo sauce and MWAH. Love it. Don't Hug Me I'm Scared the TV show. You remember that web series from like 5 years ago? Well it got a show and it's just as dark and funny as before.

Video Gaming. I usually play the same games over and over so this year I made it my goal to only play new games to me. I did a pretty good job but didn't have as much time to play things as previous years, but here are my top 4: Yu-Gi-Oh. Guys, it's time to come clean. I'm an addict. This year I sunk so much time into yu-gi-oh. The physical game sure, but also Master Duel. This isn't my game of the year but I can't express the games I played this year without talking about my biggest time-sink... Chrono Trigger. It was my first time going through it and man I just love RPGs so much. It's perfect what do you want me to say? You either already know or haven't played it yet. Go play it. It's blows my mind what they were able to do on the SNES because some things in this game are better done here than in games TODAY. HOW!? Kirby and the Forgotten Land is just cute. It's Kirby. It's easy, simple, but sometimes a relaxing game is just as good as a hard as nails one. I just like vibing with Kirb and this is probably his best game in years. Pokemon Arceus was a crazy surprise. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Scarlet and Violet just came out and they're good but not as good as Arceus, which is weird, cause Arceus feels like a tech demo for Scarlet and Violet. Either way, this was a great time and throwing balls at monsters never felt as fun as it did here.

And that's my rant for things. Reading? I don't read enough tbh and I want to try to read more this year. I read One Piece like come on. Either way I'll disappear back into the void now and continue to make AND enjoy as much content as I can! Happy New Year!!

#my opinion #year recap #year review #movies #shows #video games #rant #blog post #year end post #happy new year #end of 2022 #2023 goals #tumblr blog #artists on tumblr #content #content catalogue

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petr1kov · 2 years

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i'm sorry but it's funny to me how samurai jack's season 5 was supposed to be this big 'adult' conclusion to the original series but it ended up being more simplistic and childish in it's execution of the ending than the literal cartoon for children ever was.

like jack gets with girl aku 😍😍😍 but then she's brainwashed by aku 😱😱😱 but don't worry, all of jack's friends show up to help him 😊🎉😊🎉 and jack gets his brainwashed love to remember who she is through the power of love 🥰💞🥰💕 and she opens a portal to the past and jack steps in (not stopping even once to consider how that would affect all the previously mentioned friends who helped him out) and kills aku, easily!! 😱😤😱😤 and then everything is super fine and dandy until, oh no! girl aku fades tragically at their wedding day because she's, well, girl aku 😔🥺😔🥺 and only then jack gets his only reason to mourn the effects of the downfall of aku's future, i guess. the end.

#clearly my personal preference would've been for jack to stay and rebuild a future after aku #because i find the angle of living through a tragedy more compelling than hoping to avert it entirely #+ so much of the original show is dedicated to showing the good among the bad on aku's future and how jack valued that #it just felt way more fitting for it to end it this way. bittersweet but definitely more mature #however i wasn't opposed to jack going back to the past either. i just hate how it was executed in the show #it's like they wanted to convince you that it was a peachy ending for everyone and that ashi was the only aspect worth mourning #when in reality. after living most of his life in that future. going back or staying would always be difficult decisions for jack #but even with all that said! i would've forgiven it more if it had happened in the show for kids #like it's escapist fantasy where the hero saves the day. whatever. disappointing but i get it #but for it to happen so many years later on an explicitly adult continuation and after such a strong start? unforgivable #samurai jack

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thedeltafiles · 7 years

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Cartoon Network and Teen Titans Go: A Rant on Overreliance

I figured it was time I did a little segment on how relying too much on a single product can be detrimental to a business in the long run. Now, I will admit that relying on a product can work, if the product is GOOD. However, I’m obviously not the first to scream that Teen Titans Go isn’t a good product. I’ll also admit that it actually wasn’t as bad as it currently is a few years ago when it was just starting. There were a few decent episodes and the crap wasn’t as blatant. However, sometime along Season 2 the writers decided it’d be “brilliant” to attack the critics. Thus, Let’s Get Serious was written, and eventually aired. That’s when things went downhill, and fast. Again, episodes like Some of their Parts and the Lady Legasus episodes were gems, but they were getting more and more rare amongst the utter crap the show was stewing in. Of course, it’s not just about the quality of episodes, or lack thereof, I’m ranting about here. It’s Cartoon Network’s absolute insistence of relying on this one show, to the detriment of other, objectively better shows such as Regular Show, Adventure Time, and Steven Universe, the first two actually getting cancelled because of TTG’s overexposure. It’s even gotten to the point that even SPONEGEBOB SQUAREPANTS HIMSELF is less overexposed than this dumbass reboot. I suppose I should start at the beginning. It wasn’t as bad as it was now, but even in early 2013 the budding Teen Titans Go was choking out some of the then-existing DC Nation shows, like Green Lantern and Beware the Batman. Eventually the block was axed, and the shows lost to the mists of time (thank whatever god exists that Toonami was able to re-air BtB before CN wrote it off completely). I believe the first real sign of overexposure was the gaining of a specific tagline: Your New Favorite Show. This one line skyrocketed the hatred to rival even the CN Real fiasco four years prior. Around this time, it and The Amazing World of Gumball (admittedly a decent show) dominated the lineup so much that nearly everything else choked out for a while. Luckily, after fan outcry, said choked out shows came back. Unluckily, TTG kept choking out other programs, such as Sonic Boom, which was relegated to a graveyard weekend slot. And even in its early days reruns were constant, with the same few episodes being shown over and over again. This was only the beginning of what would eventually become a frustratingly increasing overreliance on a show that wasn’t even all that great to begin with. Over time, Teen Titans Go has become Cartoon Network’s flagship show and more and more time has been devoted to it, with surprise marathons for the most frivolous reasons, including showing every single episode prior to the debut of the hundredth. Of course, this is a common tactic employed by most network favorites, but because this was during the whole “Your New Favorite Show” debacle all the non-fans were seething, myself included. Even now, despite the tagline being long abandoned, TTG remains to be overpromoted to the point that not even Gumball can hope to regain ground. Discounting Adult Swim, which has its own long-standing issue of showing Fox shows for its first four hours, TTG has been hogging at least HALF THE NETWORK’S AIRTIME on average. Even if this was a genuinely good show we were talking about, in my opinion, giving any one show that much attention is overconfident at best, downright suicidal at worst. Now, I am reluctant to admit that I actually gave this show a chance. However, it seems that reboots in general, at least on Cartoon Network, have been subpar at best. Even the PPG reboot started to suck after a while. Of course, I’m more forgiving of that because, despite the memes, that show wasn’t hyped to the moon and back. In all honesty, if I had to compare shows, Teen Titans Go is the next Johnny Test, except JT was simply bad; the writers never openly mocked the fans or haters. There’s even a fan petition to get TTG, along with the new Yu-Gi-Oh season, transferred to Disney XD. Though why Disney would want this, especially since this is a DC property and Marvel is the direct competitor, is beyond me. At the end of the day, I believe it’s more a replacement of the management that needs to be done. We need someone actually competent to end this everlasting chain of flops. I do greatly apologize for this rant, but we need more people being vocal for someone to actually notice that overreliance on such a show is NOT going to bring ratings. On the contrary, if this keeps up CN may just very well end up going the way of G4; a once glorious network reduced to a shambling zombie filled with crap nobody likes and eventually canned. I guess the one good thing we can take from this is that Samurai Jack has finally made a triumphant return, and that this seems to be the only good continuation, mostly because one of the greats is at the helm.

#Teen Titans #Teen Titans Go #Cartoon Network #Overpromotion #Idiot Executives #Delta Rants #Samurai Jack is the Only Good Continuation

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danwhobrowses · 2 years

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One Piece Chapter 1050 - Initial Thoughts

After another tediously long break we're here

50 chapters since Roof Piece started, and now we're back on Wano's floor

The raid on Onigashima might be over, but the Wano arc is still not done

Spoilers for the chapter, support the Official Release too!

Starting with the cover story and of course it's Reiju and Ichiji. Mans got no qualms throttling a kid with a knife but I'd rather have had Baeju front an centre. Told you it wasn't Blackbeard though

We pick up where we left off, Kaido crashing through the ground, even reverting to his human form

Excuse Oda but 'Hole made by *Law', he made the hole with his monster Shock Wille BM is simply falling through it

Nice touch though that Kaido only has one horn

I do wonder about those cracks though, it may destroy the waterfall entirely and make Wano easier to access for the WG ships

Yamato is on scene to catch Luffy too

Aha, title card revised, I guess that means Kaido is officially out

We also get some more flashing back with the festival as Toko and Hitetsu release their balloons

Yasu being a good dad and even eating the SMILE so Toko won't be ostracized is bittersweet, as is Hitetsu telling Toko that their dad let themselves die for a rebellion to continue

Knowing the message, Toko changes their message from 'wanting to see' Yasu to thanking him, which just hits you a little in the heart

We don't say it enough, but the festival panels have been wonderfully drawn, I hope somewhere Megumi Ishitani is rubbing her hands together in hopes of working these shots into the anime too

From the dome roof, Nekomamushi (moved pretty fast there) announces victory, as well as revealing that Momo was the pink dragon to the Samurai and that he pulled the island to safety

Oh hey Inu's alive, tbf we hadn't seen him since he beat Jack so I was thinking he might've died from overdoing Su Long

Raizo's still working though, meanwhile Kawamatsu and Denjiro have the luxury of not having to do much after fighting Kaido

Aw Bepo, and I guess aw Killer but I guess that's more non-physical

Yeah eat shit Apoo! Tell Morgans everything!

Marco you little stoic pineapple, I guess this is like a wednesday for him back in the day

No Carrot though which I'm sad about, girl's birthday was yesterday let the rabbit have her friends and be happy

No rest for Chopper though; Usopp and Franky have arrived with the wounded, boy could use some more doctors *looks directly at Law, his crew, and Marco*

Interesting, it seems through Momo's dialogue that Zunesha was to be used to open Wano's borders, but now Momo's decided against it - which to be honest is fair, but the structural integrity of the waterfall may make that border thing more difficult. He should at least issue a less stringent rule towards wanting to leave the country though

The remaining members of Kaido's crew still attack though (oh god if the waterfall breaks then Big Mom's force could come in too! Can't knock them off a waterfall if there is none!) being in denial about Kaido's defeat

Yamato though starts using his rank, telling them to honour the fact that Momo saved all their asses from Onigashima. I'm surprised they took it really, Kaido has never offered such honour, but I guess they don't wanna face Yamato (or Franky who Brook needs to hold back)

The ground rumbles though as Babanuki witnesses an underwater volcanic eruption, caused by Big Mom and Kaido's plummet

The scariest part of all of this though is that I don't think that would even kill them, if anything the eruption (which should really be a class A disaster for Wano with that much ash and magma) is probably gonna spit them out of the ocean

Luffy gets the win card too

Oh so you see and hear THAT do ya? Not the giant island that has been hurtling towards you or the gigantic clash of a flaming dragon and giant fist?

Momo comes to the flower capital to calm things, but of course everyone thinks he's Kaido

After Momo reassures everyone he decides to change back, leaving the dramatic smoke for the figures of the past to emerge

Of course, everyone sees 'Komurasaki' first, proceeding to simping (I mean, I still don't think she's top 10 but okay) and then 'Kyoshiro' without his hair

And we cliffhang on Denjiro announcing the next shogun of Wano

So it was indeed the end, no twist in the tale. And while I've said it before I'm fine with it.

People do invest too much stake into fan theories sometimes; would it have been cool to see ghosts or Zoro kill Kaido? Sure, but it would've also been cool to see Tashigi in Wano, and for Drake and Hawkins to fight alongside the supernova, and for Kaido to take particular interest in Chopper for his zoan army before fighting against the entire straw hat crew, sometimes the story just doesn't go that way and in this case, Kaido getting up one more time wasn't in it.

And let's not act like Kaido lost to 'just a big punch', he was slammed down by a Conqueror's Coated, Awakened Mythical Zoan punch the size of a small island coated in Ryou, and then it seems the eruption finished it. Given how much Kaido had survived up to this point it's fine, it's not like Luffy does much else anyway, his key attack is Punch, next people will be asking Zoro to win a fight without cutting.

And it still worth noting that he's going to have to wake up, I sincerely doubt that he and Big Mom are dead, so it does matter what their next moves are. Especially Big Mom's, the territory is likely lost for Kaido but BM has her crew still at full strength, does she sting or extract? Can even pick up some surviving scraps from Kaido's crew, and a Poneglyph if she's extra sneaky.

But yeah, this was a 'nice' chapter, one where you feel the dust starting to settle. Of course, more stuff can still happen; the volcanoes should be a problem but who knows in One Piece, Zunesha and the WG are at the back door, there's a lot of dead but a lot of living, Wano's leadership is going to change and Kaido's crew will likely need to tuck their tails between their legs. Then of course there's Zoro, Kiku and Kin'emon to deal with, and we haven't seen if Sanji survived his episode carrying Osome, Robin and Jinbe were absent from this chapter - as was Carrot, and Wanda, and Caribou, and Shinobu... - and outside of the fact that we're gonna have one hell of a rager, there feels like more is left to discover in Wano itself.

Like I said, the raid is over, but the Wano arc's not done yet.

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omg-imagine · 3 years

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Loopy

Pairing: Johnny Silverhand x female!V

Summary: V is a little loopy from her anesthesia, and Johnny finds it amusing.

Words: 1.7k

A/N: Requested by @thescorpionrodriguez. Hope you enjoy!

“Come on, V, wake the fuck up already.”

Silence. Johnny swears he could hear a pin drop.

V’s body remains lax on the bed; her eyes wound shut as if she were sound asleep. Slow and rhythmic, the rise and fall of her chest were calming, lulling. For once, she looks to be in peace, a rare moment for those who live and breathe in Night City.

She had been lucky. Extremely lucky. Two or three millimeters more to the right and the bullet that pierced her abdomen would have hit an organ. By some miracle, it missed anything vital and had exited out cleanly. It did fucking hurt judging by the sound of her agonizing groans, but here she was—still kicking, still alive.

And Johnny’s relieved that she was. They may not get along at times, but he genuinely cares for V. Hell, he would even consider her a good friend. She could call him a snarky asshole as often as she wants (and she does), yet he knows that deep down, she too has grown a soft spot for the rocker boy.

It’s been hours since the mission that went awry, and Johnny was getting pretty antsy. Vik had to put V down while he worked on repairing her cyberware. Nothing major, though the anesthesia should have certainly worn out by now. Much to Silverhand’s surprise, the ripperdoc wasn’t acting all too worried about it. He thinks V could use the sleep since he’s aware of how little she’s been getting.

Unfortunately, Johnny was all but a patient man. Bored out of his damn mind, he’s tired of roaming around the operating room, waiting and waiting for V to regain consciousness. Johnny’s more than ready to leave, perhaps grab a smoke afterward. He hasn’t gone this long without one lately, and he can’t enjoy one if V’s lying here, knocked out cold.

Nearly the rest of the day flies by, and the sun begins to set. That’s when he feels it; a spark—a familiar jolt of electricity emitting in the depths of V’s mind. Johnny manifests by her bedside, watching as her body finally stirs awake. That’s my girl, he silently praises, a flicker of a smile playing on his lips. V’s eyes flutter open, taking a minute to survey her surroundings before her line of sight lands on him.

“Well, look who decided to come back to life,” Johnny quips, leaning closer. “You doing alright, kid?”

V doesn’t respond. Rather, she bursts into a fit of giggles out of nowhere.

What the fuck?

Bewildered, Johnny glances everywhere but notices nothing amusing of the sort. “Care to share what you find so funny?”

“You’re too good looking to be my nurse,” V drawls, no doubt experiencing side effects from the anesthesia.

“I’m no nurse, princess, but thanks,” he corrects her. Then, it dawns on him. “You recognize me?”

She blinks at him blearily, the gears in her head turning as she tries to put a name to the face. “I dunno, should I?”

“It’s Johnny. Johnny Silverhand. Ring any bells?”

Again, V chuckles, a light-hearted tone that Johnny rarely hears, but they were sweet music to his ears when he does.

“Nope, zero bells. Are you like my husband or something?”

Johnny’s eyes widen. “Husband? Oh, no, honey. We ain’t even gone on a date yet. I’d say, think of us as partners-in-crime.”

“Wait!” V blurts out, gasping. “I remember you. You’re from that band—Samurai, right? God, I used to listen to your songs a lot as a kid.”

“Huh, you told me you’d never heard of Samurai,” Johnny recalls, slightly entertained at this point. “Didn’t peg you as a fangirl, V. I’m flattered.”

“So, can I… y’know, get your autograph?”

Just before Johnny could continue playing around with a loopy V, Viktor strolls in with Misty in tow, both delighted to find the merc out of her prolonged slumber. He lingers by the foot of her bed as Vik explains to V what happened, but she doesn’t seem to be processing it. She stares at him, dazed, and Johnny wonders when she’ll be back to normal.

“The effects should go away in a few hours,” Vik informs Misty once he’s examined V. She’s healing nicely and isn’t complaining much, yet that could be because of all the painkillers she was jacked with. “I’d say watch over V until she can stand on her own two feet without tripping. Other than that, she’s good to go.”

“Where are we going?” a clueless V asks, looking back and forth between the two. “Is Johnny coming?”

Misty furrows her brow at her. “Johnny?”

“Yeah, mister sex on legs over there,” she points eagerly, and Johnny smirks at that. “I’m not done talking to him yet.”

Vik shakes his head before reminding Misty of the engram residing within V’s psyche. “Oh, yeah. Silverhand. Uh, I guess he could come, too. Don’t really have much of a choice there, doll.”

The walk back to V’s apartment was a journey in itself. Lucky for her, she was pushed in a wheelchair throughout it all as Johnny stays visible for her benefit. They reached the door just before the skies turned completely dark, the warmth and comfort of the room being somewhat familiar to V.

Misty carefully moves her onto the bed, propping her up with pillows behind her back before smoothing out the blankets covering her legs. Johnny observes from a distance, quiet in his pondering. He’s never seen V this vulnerable before. She’s always been incredibly independent, not to mention stubborn as hell. She won’t accept anyone’s help unless it’s dire, and even then, she’s reluctant to do so.

“You must be starving,” Misty comments once V is settled. “How about I get you somethin’ to eat downstairs. Better food than what’s here, if there’s any. Hang tight for a bit, ’kay?”

Nodding, Misty then heads out of the room, the front door sliding shut when she’s gone, leaving V in the presence of Johnny yet once again. He glitches to sit by the edge of the mattress as V stares at him incredulously. Her eyes shone what he could best describe as innocence; she truly has no clue of what they’ve gone through together in the previous months.

“Can you sing me a song?”

Johnny narrows his gaze, a small chuckle rumbling in his throat at her deliriousness. “I don’t do concerts anymore.”

“Oh, come on!” V pouts, almost child-like in her ways. “Pleeease?”

“No,” he refuses sternly before an idea comes to mind. “How about you sing to me? Said you were a fan. Give me a performance, and maybe I’ll consider it.”

V does not hesitate. On cue, she starts to serenade Johnny with one of Samurai’s greatest hits, going as far as imitating the gruffness of his voice. Off-beat and lyrics garbled, V belts out the tune confidently and loud enough that her irritated neighbors began banging on the wall, yelling at her to quit it.

She ignores them, of course.

Meanwhile, Johnny’s having the time of his life. It was quite endearing to him, although embarrassing for V if she later finds out about this. Yet, he doesn’t stop her. He encourages her even further by singing along, not giving a fuck in the world.

At the end of the song, Johnny laughs heartily along with V, who had crawled closer to him. Their eyes meet for a moment that seems to last longer than it actually did. His mouth quirks up in a smile, the kind of smile that was reserved for her and her alone.

“You’re pretty cool, Silverhand,” V mumbles sleepily, touching the cold surface of his chrome arm. Sighing, Johnny guides her drowsy self back under the covers, certain that she would crash in the next minute or two. “I think you should take me on a date. We’d be a hell of a couple together.”

“I think you’re going to regret everything that’s happened just now when you wake up in the morning,” he returns, and there was a slight pang in his chest.

V only hums in response, and he doubts he had even heard what he last said. It doesn’t matter, however. Johnny was sure she wouldn’t want to bring this up again.

---

“Fuck…” V exhales groggily, her blinking eyes wincing at the bright sunlight flooding into the room. She feels pain all over, her head throbbing immensely as she tries to gather memories of the day prior. It comes back in bits and pieces until suddenly, she remembers everything.

Everything.

“Good morning, princess,” Johnny greets after materializing before her, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. “How ya feelin’? Still loopy or need a little more refreshing from ‘mister sex on legs?’”

V’s reflexes are quick; Johnny doesn’t even register the pillow being hurled at him at first. He only realizes it when the empty glass bottles on the center table falls to the floor, shattering and making a mess.

“You’re lucky you’re just a hologram, right now,” V muttered as she stands up unsteadily.

Johnny holds his hands up. “You were the one who said it.”

Rolling her eyes, V reaches for the painkillers Misty left on the side. “Don’t remind me.”

“Alright, but at least let me tell you that you’ve got a shitty voice.”

“That’s why I don’t do karaoke,” V snorts before swallowing the pills and heading to the couch. “So, what do you think?”

“What do you mean?” Johnny questions.

“You, me, dinner?”

V waits for his reaction, smiling coyly at his confusion. When Johnny finally understands what she was referring to, he almost couldn’t believe it.

“Wait, are you fucking serious?”

She lets out a chortle. “Yeah, I’m serious. Don’t get me wrong, I’m mortified about last night, and I’m never going to let Vik knock me out with that stuff again. But hey, the truth came out. Might not have remembered you, but even while high as fuck, I knew I liked you.”

Briefly, they traded a look of longing, acknowledging at last this deeper connection they’ve felt for a while. It was much more than sharing a body, a mind. Something more profound than what Johnny and V have experienced before in their lives.

And though it was all entirely new to them, they both wanted it. They both wanted each other.

“Better get to it then,” Johnny flashes a grin, mirroring V’s own. “Wanna start with breakfast? Bet you’re hungry after skipping what Misty brought you, samurai.”

“Never going to live that one down, are ya?”

Shooting her a cheeky wink, Johnny throws on his stylish pair of aviators with ease.

“You bet your ass I’m not.”

Permanent Tags: @penwieldingdreamer @keandrews @feminine-machinegun @fanficsrusz @thehumanistsdiary @flaminasteroid @rowserein @unaspiringwritings @planetkt @breakthenight @baphometwolf666 @rdjloverxxx

Johnny Silverhand Tags: @silverse @overheardatthecontinental @life-is-fuucked @ataraxydreams

#johnny silverhand x v #johnny silverhand #cyberpunk 2077 #johnny silverhand x reader #johnny silverhand fanfic

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signor-signor · 3 years

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Craig McCracken recently mentioned on Twitter that S2 of Kid Cosmic (coming tomorrow) will have 8 episodes while S3 (likely coming out in Spring of 2022) will have 6.

From the start, Netflix had straight up asked Craig for 3 seasons, regardless of how many episodes make up each season. Disney, on the other hand, simply green lights shows one season at a time.

I guess after KC is over, either Craig will move on to the next Netflix project or Disney will have had a change of heart and temporarily take him back to resolve the cliffhanger that’s been keeping Wander fans on edge for years.

By now, some of you might be getting tired of my prattling on about my desire to see what was planned for WOY’s third season. I totally understand, but there’s a good reason for it. I thought for sure Disney was on the right track of giving animated shows respect when Phineas and Ferb came along. I honestly didn’t think they would choose one or two cartoons over the rest. The thing is, Wander Over Yonder is the only high quality show I know that debuted on Disney Channel to be totally mistreated and left on a cliffhanger. Yes, Seasons 1 and 2 are enjoyable, but it doesn’t take a scholar to realize there were plans to give it a proper sendoff. If it had been treated the same way other cartoons were treated (specifically Fish Hooks, the Tangled series, Amphibia, and other shows that got at least 3 seasons and a real conclusion), I totally would have moved on.

And guess what, Team Sea3on are well on their way to giving Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) its long awaited third season, because even professional fans are yearning to know and explain to the viewers what will happen now that Snively has taken his uncle’s place and has Naugus working with him.

What I’m trying to say is, there’s nothing wrong with showing interest in the continuation of a show that didn’t end properly. Hey Arnold got the chance. Samurai Jack got the chance. Hey, even Invader Zim.

The best we can do is to bombard Disney with letters (see sample below)…

…and continue watching the show on Hulu and Disney+.

Who knows? With Ben Sherwood replaced by Peter Rice, maybe the need for one more season (or TV movie) will finally be seen. Not immediately, but in time.

I look forward to what the other 8 cosmic stones of power can do.

#Craig McCracken #Kid Cosmic #Wander Over Yonder #SaveWOY #Sonic SatAM

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problematic-faves-appreciation · 3 years

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You know, I’ve been thinking abt villain/redemption discourse and I want to propose a challenge. I call it the SU Test. How many shows do you know that actually give every single character a chance to heal and be better? And I do mean everyone. No deaths. There needs to be antagonists and/or “problematic” characters. Any piece of media is fine. Anyone is welcome to play. Ready? Go! (Btw really like this blog!)

Hello!

I'm gonna give this challenge a shot! Chose animated shows and movies.

Let's see if everyone got "the Steven Universe treatment," a trope which villain-redemption haters claim is "saturating shows with redemption arcs galore." (Wut? Lol)

In Steven Universe, none of the villains were killed off nor punished through retributive means that prevented the characters from getting a second chance/improving as people.

Will this criteria apply to the shows on my list? Let's find out!

Note: I will only be mentioning villains who were punished (non-restoratively; i.e., not allowed to get better) or killed off. Even one instance of these outcomes disqualifies a story from receiving a Steven Universe star of approval. ⭐

Finally, Marvel and DC cartoons won't appear on the list. Teen Titans (2003) will be the sole exception, however.

Major spoilers for many shows ahead!

Animation – Shows and Films

• Disney

I don't have to provide examples here. This franchise is the trope namer for the "Disney Villain Death" trope. Lol

Actually, I'll do it anyway!

Most horrific, Disney villain death: Scar

Next!

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• Pixar

Most horrific, Pixar villain death: Syndrome

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• Pokemon

The anime and movies generally punish the villains. Some characters even died.

Notable death: Hunter J

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• Avatar: the Last Airbender

Notable death: Jet

I know he's anti-heroic, but he committed pretty bad crimes. It seems like the story punished him for that.

If you disagree, there's also Combustion Man's death.

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• The Legend of Korra

Notable death(s): Amon and Tarrlock

Fun fact: A good chunk of Korra’s enemies died.

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• Code Lyoko (not counting Evolution; season 4 was the intended conclusion to the show)

Notable death: X.A.N.A.

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• Men in Black: The Series

Notable death: Alpha

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• Jackie Chan Adventures

Notable punishment: Valmont

Holy crap, villain decay hit this guy hard. His punishment? Miserable poverty.

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• Inuyasha

Don't need to list a notable death. All of the villains (barring Sesshomaru and Jaken) were killed off.

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• Rick and Morty

Antagonists die brutally in this show. Lol

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TW: Sexual assault mention

• Ed, Edd n Eddy

Notable punishment: Eddy's brother got sexually assaulted by the Kanker Sisters. I know he's the worst, but damn. That is still not okay.

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• Adventure Time

Notable death: Lemongrab

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• Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Notable death: Savage Oppress

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• Star Wars: Rebels

Notable death: Minister Maketh Tua

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• Voltron: Legendary Defender

Notable death: Prince Lotor

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• Danny Phantom

Notable punishment: Vlad Masters was exiled from Earth.

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• Centaurworld

Notable death: Elktaur

Recent proof that shows are not becoming more like Steven Universe with respect to letting their villains live.

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• Star vs. the Forces of Evil:

Notable death: Toffee

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• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Notable death: Shadow Weaver

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• Gravity Falls

Notable death: Bill Cipher

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• Codename: Kids Next Door

Notable punishment: The Delightful Children from Down the Lane

They are KND operatives who were brainwashed into being evil. They genuinely can't cease their villainous ways. As a consequence, they will continue to be punished for actions beyond their control.

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• Samurai Jack

Notable deaths: The Daughters of Aku (minus Ashi)

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• Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles (2012)

Notable death: Shredder/Oroku Saki

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• The Powerpuff Girls

Notable death: Dick Hardly

Notable punishment: The villains get beaten to a pulp by our superhuman heroines on a daily basis.

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• Dexter's Laboratory

Notable deaths: Hookocho

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• Transformers: Prime

Notable death: Dreadwing

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• Teen Titans

Notable death: Terra

I know Terra was probably resurrected, but this doesn’t negate the fact that she underwent a redemption-by-death arc.

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• Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated

Notable death: Everyone in Crystal Cove (except Mystery Incorporated) died

Notable punishment: Professor Pericles’ fate. His consciousness died due the evil entity who took over his body.

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• The Owl House

Notable death: The basilisk that attacked Luz’s school

Yeah, this show is not interested in being like Steven Universe. SU would have handled the basilisk’s (a victim of Belos’ experiments) story differently.

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• We Bare Bears

Notable villain: Agent Trout

Mentioning him because he’s a villain who lacks redeeming qualities. None of SU’s baddies were given this treatment by the writers.

Trout was an absolute bastard.

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• Over the Garden Wall

Notable death: The Beast

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• Regular Show

Notable death: Malum Kranus

This show killed off a lot of its villains.

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• The Amazing World of Gumball

Notable death: Rob

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• Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Notable death: Scarlemagne/Hugo Oak

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• Coraline

Notable death: The Other Father

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• Trollhunters

Notable death: Angor Rot

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• Arcane

Notable death: Silco

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There are more shows, but I don’t think they'll be receiveng a SU star either. So I’ll stop here, for now.

Think I made my point. c:

#fandom #flawed characters #villains #redemption #answered

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