#So this series is gonna be for both physically favourite and depiction favourite

[crimescrimson]

Favourite Resident Evil Characterizations Out of All Their Games [1/?]: Short Hair Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)

[madnessandentropy]

Catra's Abuse of Adora Has No Excuse

I know this is an old series. I know a lot of people don't believe in talking negatively about shows that have already ended and that it doesn't matter anymore.

But it matters to me.

Because spop has framed the abuse victim in this story as the idiot and the one in the wrong, the one who should've just stayed with her abuser and never "left" her, while the abuser gets off scott free and likely continues her actions.

Victim blaming very and real and prevalent, forgiving or defending abusers in real life is very real and prevalent.

This is an important thing to call out and discuss because what you put in your creations affects reality.

Spop IS a kids show, and kids often accept what they're exposed to as the norm or as something to copy. You can't just sweep it under the rug, saying it's just a show.

So that's why I want to talk about Catra and why all the trauma in the world does not sxcuse abusing your partner, or at the very least should not frame your partner as the one in the wrong for wanting to leave you.

Okay.

Catra is a character adored and worshipped by the fandom and defended with cult-like ferocity and obsession (death threats, gaslighting, doxxing, bullying, etc).

Many of her actions are actively ignored and excused by the fans and writiers, especially the main thing about Catra:

Her blatant abuse of Adora

I can hear the cries of outrage now

"You're just homophobic! Of course you criticise the queer couple! You just hate Catra! Catra is a victim of a abuse! They're in a war! Catra said sorry! But Catra loves Adora! You don't know what abuse is!"

And then they write an essay about Catra's sad backstory

In response to this I would like to quote one of my favourite B99 characters Jake Peralta:

Or in this case:

"Cool backstory, still abuse"

I really like Catra.

She's a cool character and an excellent villain. She has a very interesting and complicated psyche, a result of growing up in the Horde. A toxic, abusive environment that gave her attachment issues and likely ptsd and other problems. She lashes out because of her trauma, she is aggressive and rude so that she isn't vulnerable, to avoid being hurt.

There are many reasons for her actions, but it does not excuse them even if the narrative does.

Expecially her actions towards Adora, the person's she supposed to have loved all this time.

As I've said in another post, most abuse in media isn't very subtle because people still don't really take subtle abuse that seriously and often blame the victims. (Which is a whole other kettle of fish)

Not subtle abuse in media often consists of the following:

•Screaming or yelling at your partner, tearing apart their self esteem or threatening them

•Gaslighting/guiltripping them*

•Hitting them or physically assaulting them in any way

•Trying to kill them

•The victim is immensely afraid of/distressed by their abuser

*Note for this: it can depend on the depiction because its either abusive and in your face or romantic and just trying to help you depending on the story and writer

It astounds me to see Catra has done every single one of this things to Adora, and both the fandom and the writers excuse it or say "it isn't abuse, actually"

I'm gonna go through each bullet point and discuss how Catra does these things, mention excuses fans make up for it and point out their errors

Let's go

•Screaming and yelling at your partner, tearing apart their self esteem and threatening them

Catra is not someone who screams her throat raw, but she does yell when she lashes out and does so often at Adora.

She's constantly insulting her intelligence, making her doubt herself, telling her nothing she does matters, calling her weak and demeaning her.

She rips into her and treats her like trash beneath her heel when they were in the fake reality.

Again, we often see Adora repeating a similar rhetoric, believing what Catra and SW say fully or sometimes starting to believe it.

DURING her confession, Catra calla Adora an idiot. While Adora is basically dying, in this crucial moment for both of them, she resorts to insulting her intelligence.

"But her feelings were so obvious and Adora didn't notice!"

Let me tell you, spop has a massive tell don't show problem. This defence could've easily been true IF the writers bothered with evem something small like Catra hesitating to harm Adora or treating her with more care when fighting than with her other enemies, or at the very least treating her kindly.

They have done none of that. Instead they had other characters (E.g Horde Prime) talk about how much she cares for Adora and how strong her emotions are for her.

Literally the only way anyone could've known Catra loved Adora is through these characters giving exposition.

Adora is not an idiot for not realising Catra loved her, because Catra's actions do not show love or even an ounce of basic respect.

Making Adora doubt her intelligence and abilities is not love. Mocking Adora the way she does is not love. Torturing Adora is not love.

Telling Adora that she was a mistake and that "none if this would've happened if you didn't come through that portal" is not love.

Nothing she does to Adora is an act of love.

And also, not being very good at deciphering or recognising emotions that are "obvious" does not make you stupid, jfc

"Catra just says those things because she's angry, she doesn't mean them!"

It doesn't matter if she's angry and doesn't mean what she said. She says it. And there's never a scene were she regrets her words.

Her anger is a reason, not an excuse. That behaviour is not okay.

•Gaslighting/guiltripping them

Catra often likes to talk about Adora abandoned her, how Adora kept leaving her alone, and the show shifts to frame this as true and paints Adora in the wrong.

In Season 5 she's asks Adora "Please, just this once, stay?" After Catra herself being the one to run away, to make Adora feel guilty for the very much correct actions she took previously.

Adora refused to return to the Horde which was committing mass genocide and destroying everything in its path and painted as the bad guy for doing this.

Adora told Catra what they were doing. Begged Catra to come with her so they could start a new life. Throughout the series she is giving Catra chance after chance and trying her best to stay with her.

Every time, Catra has been doing the leaving.

Running away, abandoning Adora in the temple, vanishing in a blast or puff of smoke when it covers her.

She does the leaving, and she convinces Adora that it is in fact Adora leaving, and that she is bad person/friend for wanting nothing to do with the Horde.

The portal reality is the worst for me.

Adora is distressed and afraid, feeling like she's losing her mind and that something is wrong with her.

Catra, fully knowing the truth, gaslights her by saying she's crazy and just seeing things. And also is insults her intelligence yet again.

Making Adora doubt her own intelligence is also a form of manipulation and gaslighting.

Blaming Adora for everything that happened in the fake reality is gaslighting.

"But Adora DID leave Catra!"

Yeah. At the beginning after learning the Horde was committing mass genocide and after Catra tazed her twice. Refusing to go back. She was fully in the right. She apologised later and tried to get Catra to join her, so they could both continue being together. But Catra left her over and over again after that.

"The portal reality made Catra happy! It helped her cope with her trauma! She was having a mental breakdown!"

Hmm let me see isn't allowing your partner to continously be distressed and afraid and gaslighting them so you can be happy idk... selfish and abusive?

Yep she was having a break down. She was still in full control of her actions, and no trauma makes that okay in any way

•Hitting them or physically assaulting them in any way

Literally something Catra has done since they were children.

I can forgive the times they were small, because they don't know better and are abused children. But from episode one before Adora even left the Fright Zone Catra was pulling her around by the hair shoving her and over all being very aggressive.

After Adora leaves the Horde Catra: tazes her, tears at her skin with claws that can cut through metal, leaves her with scars, tortures her, kicks her and so much more.

Over and over again. Without a single sign of remorse.

"They were in a war!"

Yeah. Emphasis on the "they". Adora was in that war too. She was always worried for Catra, actively holding back, trying not to hurt too badly, treating her with respect.

Catra did none of that. She didn't even bother to show the slightest remorse or hesitate one second before clawing at her back and face.

Catra, in fact, is less violent with the sort of strangers that are Bow and Glimmer. She tackles Bow to the ground and hisses at him, that's it. Adora? Tearing at her skin, kicking her in the back, grabbing her by the face, torturing her, etc

War is not an excuse

"Catra's backstory! It's how they were raised! She's a victim of abuse copying her abuser because she doesn't know any better! She's lashing out!"

Cool backstory, still abuse.

Okay. She's lashing out. Doesn't excuse it. She is still actively harming Adora, and if she really can't control herself or see the wrong in it like some people claim, then that only supports the fact she is NOT good for Adora.

•Trying to kill them

The portal.

Catra knew what was going to happen.

She knew what she was going to cause.

She looked Adora dead in the eyes and pulled the switch anyways.

She didn't care as long as Adora lost. She is willing to let Adora die in order to win.

"But Catra wanted to die too!"

Okay. That doesn't matter. That doesn't justify anything. Being suicidal does not justify attempted murder.

"But (any excuse)!"

I honest to god do not care.

Just like Adora said:

"I didn't make you pull the switch. You made your choice. Now live with it!"

There is NO conceivable way for Catra knowingly doing what she did just so Adora didn't win to be okay.

She tried to kill the woman she supposedly loved.

That is not excusable.

That is not love.

And what's worse is after Adora begins to accept that Catra will not change and that trying to be peaceful will not work. Being together again is a dream. And the show rips that away.

•The victim is immensely afraid of/distressed by their abuser

Adora is absolutely terrified of Catra, or at the very least a bit afraid of her.

Every time Catra grabs Adora by the face or pins her down, Adora's eyes are wide with fear or at the very least immense discomfort.

In Roll With It, Adora is incredibly distressed and works herself into a complete state because nobody is considering what Catra will do.

"But Adora just wants to see Catra! She's thinking about her obsessively like this, it's a sign of her feelings!"

Adora knows what Catra is capable of. She knows what will happen to them if they aren't prepared. Planning out every possible option because of what could happen is not a sign of her feelings. It's a sign that she knows Catra will show no mercy, and she does not want the mission to fail or her friends to get hurt.

While Catra isn't directly present here, this is all because of her actions. Actions that have a reason, but not an excuse.

It is not healthy or romantic for your love interest to be afraid of you.

Moving on

At the end of the portal incident, Adora stared at Catra with cold eyes that clearly said "You've crossed a line"

It is here that many critics agrees that it's a bit late for Catra to have a redemption, because this truly was above anything else she had ever done.

This was where they could have had Adora move on from Catra and begin unlearning all the negative things Catra and others have embedded in her psyche.

If they did manage to do Catra's redemption right, whether during S5 or before it, I think it would've been best for the two of them to separate. It's made clear with how being away from the Horde and Adora made Catra happier when she was in the Crimson Waste.

I don't think either of then should've been in romantic relationships at all. Horde soldiers don't even know what proper food is, they've never heard of basic things like parties and the like.

I think it would've been better for them to slowly heal in their own time, Adora being happy with her newfound friends and learning the ways of Etheria and Catra staying in the Crimson Waste or somewhere else.

Romance should've been something to come to them when they've both matured and healed, and with different people.

Spop had the perfect opportunity to show that even if an abuser has trauma it is still abuse and it is not selfish to walk away.

It doesn't how sorry they are, it doesn't matter how much they claimed to have changed.

You are not obligated to be with them.

You are not obligated to be their punching bag just so they can be happy.

But spop didn't take that opportunity.

Instead this behaviour is excused or romanticised.

And the fact that the creator says this is based off his own relationship makes me deeply concerned.

......................................

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed and that this wasn't too much of a mess! If you disagree with me, feel free to give your reasons and I will happily discuss with you. If you're just going to call me a homophobe and throw a fit and start fights, you can screw off

Tagging: @spop-romanticizes-abuse

[runningupthatvecna]

the law of seat partners | part 3

part 1 | part 2

a/n: ok this chapter is honestly a wild ride from start to finish, really had to look into google maps to get the geographics right here, sorry if it's a bit inaccurate, the dimensions in the us are a bit difficult to grasp for my european brain lol. same goes for the bus interior and the structure of road houses. also this is gonna be super self-indulgent since i keep picturing eddie as someone with this wholesome, kind and super soft stray dog side of personality that you only get to see once you break through his shell and i'm basically just romanticising the shit out of him in this entire story. also i apologize if the whole part is a bit random, it's just that i didn't plan for this thing to even have more than one part lol. anyway, thanks for reading and please leave me comments and reblogs if you're enjoying this little series! there will be a part 4.

summary: you're still on that damn bus with eddie. he plays you some of his favourite songs and they turn out to sound really familiar. when you do finally arrive at the camp, you find yourself spending even more time with your favourite metalhead and he makes it just a bit more clear that he might really like you back. and yeah, everyone around you already seems to know.

cw/tw: first off i want to clarify that eddie and reader both are at least twenty! slow burn, mutual pining, friends to lovers overall, (brief) allusions to +18 adult content (minors go away!), sexual tension, lots of physical touch, reader being self-conscious, angst, not feeling good enough briefly, a bit of self-sabotage if you squint, a few more pet names, bestfriend!Steve being reader's rock once again, reassurance, eddie not committing a crime, no mention of y/n, no mentions of reader's physical attributes except hair.

-----

Lunch break acted as a reminder that the rest of your friends were also still there.

That's how lost you were getting with Eddie Munson and your legs in his lap.

The gang was once again standing in a kind of circle shaped form outside on the parking lot next to the bus. You had passed Chicago already a while ago and the blue sky hadn't exactly followed you to Wisconsin, but thankfully it wasn't raining either.

Without even thinking about it you had taken the position between Eddie and Steve.

Jonathan and Nancy were standing opposite of you, the former holding his beloved pentax in his hands, it dangling from his shoulder on a strap being the guy's default. Always ready to press the shutter, just so now.

Steve groaned a little, complaining about how his hair just wasn't looking good enough to be in a photo right now, but no one cared. As someone who loved taking photos – probably even more than the Byers boy – it was in fact one of your pet peeves whenever someone complained about having their photo taken. In your book, photos depicted memories. Why wouldn't you want to be in them?

"You gonna fill that film up today, Jon?", you asked with a grin, and the photographer just nodded.

"Alright, now that we caught Steve's mesmerizing beauty on film, anyone wanna go grab a bite?", Robin asked into the round while shifting her weight continuously from her toes to her heels and back, trying her best not to sound too desperate to get something between her teeth.

"Oh shit yeah, I'm dying", Steve replied after a quick yawn and stretch and the three freshmen boys agreed with heavy nods and exclamations of the words yes and finally.

Their boyish eagerness made Nancy chuckle just a little, and she continued by taking the hand of the older Byers boy and pulling him along with her, leading the way to the building for the rest of you.

Jonathan kept turning around every few meters to just take candids of everyone, trying to fill up the roll of film just so he could reload once you guys would arrive at the camp.

Everyone in the gang seemed to be willing to at least check out the offers from the shop, and like, get a slushie or something.

"M'lady?"

Eddie had squinted one of his eyes shut looking at you while holding his arm out for you to hold onto it, just so you both could follow the group.

"Oh, thank you good sir."

He was just a little taller than you, which made walking with your arm hooked into his quite comfortable.

You threw the knowing smile of his towards you right back at him.

And while you were following the rest of your friends, he leaned in to talk to you. Even more.

"Quite rude of Ms Kelley to interrupt our sacred listening session like that. I guess she just doesn't seem to value a good tune, huh?"

"We didn't even start the tape, Eddie."

"But we already had headphones on so we were about to, that still counts."

He poked a finger into your side while walking, trying to stop you from bringing another absolutely valid and logical argument to his silly remark, making you squeak and jump to the side a little instead, letting go of his arm.

You only could see Steve's head turn towards you, having heard your exclamation of surprise. More of his reaction was kept hidden from you though, since Eddie had decided to continue poking, so you were left with no choice but to run, giggling like a toddler.

"Eddieeee, stoooop", you yelled in a higher pitch than your normal voice, trying and failing miserably at the attempt to hide between Robin, Will and Lucas.

You could hear your friends laugh, the sight must have been hilarious.

There was no escaping Eddie the freak Munson.

You had almost reached the motion sensor of the front door when he grabbed you by the waist, pulled your back flush against his front and apparently felt no hesitation encasing you in his arms entirely. He let out a short, low hum at the feeling and it sent a shiver straight through you.

You were slowly getting warm at the frequency you were having physical contact with him, but having so much of his body touching yours in this way did not leave you unaffected in the slightest.

His embrace made your heartbeat speed up, but it also transported this really comforting, almost soothing wave of feeling protected.

And it had you yearning for him. And it was essentially confusing you.

"Say that I'm right", you heard his deep voice mumble, the side of his head pressed lightly against yours.

You could feel the warmth radiating from his body. The way he smelled. The way he held you tight.

Yeah, bye.

"Huh?"

You wanted your voice to sound equally low to his, but it didn't come out quite as such.

"Ms Kelley disrespects the law."

He couldn't be serious.

"Eddieeeeee!", you laughed at his silliness and the great amount of dramatics he put into his persistence with referring to his law of seat partners rule joke thing.

The long haired boy let go of you since the others had caught up. You just saw him grin at you, before Steve swung an arm around his shoulders, pulling his best friend through the sliding doors, while you felt Max grab your hand.

The road house your teachers had decided to stop at consisted of a restaurant, bathrooms of course and a small convenience store, the latter being the destination of Max and you, while the others ventured out into the restaurant, trying to find something warm and edible to stuff themselves with before they would join the both of you.

"Are you having a good time? With him, I mean", Max dropped at you, slowly strolling through the aisles of products that ranged from sweets over car supplies to toothpaste.

The widest grin was plastered over her face as she eyed you curiously.

The question surprised you a little. And maybe you hadn't really been aware of your surroundings for the last few hours, for obvious reasons.

"Hm? Oh yeah, he's being so sweet", you replied to your friend, "not sure what's gotten into him today though, he's never been like this."

Max gave you a questioning look, clearly asking you to elaborate.

"I don't know, I mean he's always throwing arms around me and stuff, but this, I don't know, this feels different", you continued, not being able to meet her eye, "I mean, he's always nice to me when we're around each other, but he seems so much m–"

"He likes you."

Max interrupted your sentence.

"What?"

"It's so fucking obvious. Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

I mean, yeah sure you had taken notice of the way he had been gazing at you with his baby cow eyes all day today. Actually, ever since he met you all those months ago, now that you're thinking about it. But why would you read anything into that?

You felt warmth spreading over your cheeks.

Did Eddie Munson really like you? Like that?

"He's just being nice, Max."

Only now you shot her a look, trying to tell her what you were too self-conscious, even anxious about to say out loud.

Guys never really seemed to see you as someone they could like. You were so used to the vast majority of them treating you as one of their bros, if they even treated you like anything at all, so when there was someone showing interest in you in other ways, it freaked the living hell out of you. To the point of denying yourself something potentially nice. Or more like, someone nice.

"Just nice? He is never that nice to me! I think you're just way too much in your head about this. You know you like him. And he likes you back, it's crystal clear to me, in fact, to all of us."

Wait. All of them? Had he talked to anyone about you?

Now you were the one giving her the questioning look, and before you could say anything, Robin popped up next to the both of you with a pair of wide eyes along with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, what are we buying, hm? I need more cookies, Steve and Jonathan ate all of them already", she informed you, walking off to find her restock of baked sweets, just as quickly as she had appeared.

You giggled lightly at the similarity of her and your snack situation.

Max only gave you a grin and a wink through her sky blue eyes before following Robin to the cookie section. The boys and Nancy returned from their feast not long after and you had tried your best to bring your focus to the task at hand: finding something snackable that wasn't too much of an overload, but also essential for the remaining time on the road.

Steve grabbed and pulled you away from the others on the way outside, back to the bus. The thirty minutes were almost over and no one wanted to risk being left in the middle of nowhere aka Bumfuck, Wisconsin, nor having a search party consisting of Ms Kelley and Mr Clarke out roaming the area.

"Hey there", Steve looked at you while walking by your side and throwing an arm around you.

He truly was your best friend and so you just happened to know everything about each other's lives. He had always been your rock throughout high school and mainly responsible for having you be part of the gang. He knew about your issues and always tried to give you advice.

You let your arm sneak around Steve's back, around the height of his waist.

"Everything alright with you, honey?"

You glanced up at him just nodding and he shot you a knowing look, before turning his head around to wink at someone.

The grin on his face widened before turning his attention back to you.

"Uh yeah, I'm having a good time, thanks for checking on me", you replied to him while holding onto the box of chocolates you had ended up buying.

"Munson treating you right I hope, yeah?", Steve inquired further.

You could feel your heart jump a little at the mention of Eddie's name. What you also could feel was the eyes of the long wavy haired boy on your back. He had run after Dustin who had pinched his ass on the way out and you just assumed they were a bit further behind you and Steve.

"A bit more than usual, yeah. I don't really understand why, though. Max said he likes me? But–"

A little frown now covered Steve's lightly freckled face.

You stopped. He stopped. And kept his arm around you. And then you sighed, when his big brown eyes found yours and the way he looked at you changed into a worried brow furrow.

"I think I'm terrified, Steve. I don't know how to behave around him seriously and I don't know how to handle all the affection. That's all so new and I don't want to disappoint him because he deserves someone who's able to give him everything he wants and he's already making himself vulnerable by letting someone in close like that and what if he's gonna realise that I'm just really weird for not being used to–"

"Hey, hey sweetheart, slow down", Steve put a stop to your little ramble, a soft tone to his voice, "you're overthinking. You like him, isn't that right?"

You just looked up at him, almost a bit teary eyed since you were realising a lot of things at the moment, and dealing with your own insecurities and issues was just not easy. Especially in a situation where you couldn't retreat or flee.

And then you nodded.

Steves frown shifted into a grin.

"Then there's absolutely nothing to worry about. Eddie right there is probably genuinely surprised that you're not shying or running away from him, like everyone else. Just look."

Steve pointed in Eddie's direction which made you turn your head. Next thing you saw was the metalhead chasing after Dustin again, both of them running through the group trying not to bump into anyone, all the way over the expanse of the parking lot like two headless chickens, his dark mane flowing in the wind which carried the laughter and giggles of the whole group over to you.

The sight made you laugh a little.

"I mean, not that he really ever tried to get close to someone, like, he doesn't have to try for people to be sort of intimidated and even scared off by him, but that's besides the point. Anyway, I just know for a fact that you could never disappoint him. I'm very sure he's gonna be fine adapting himself to your pace", Steve explained and then paused to take a deep breath.

"It's up to you of course, but I'd just hate to see you get in your own way just because you're too much in your own pretty, little head."

You had snapped your head around again, and Steve lovingly ruffled your hair a little, the way he always did when he tried to tell you that he'd always be there for you and the situation you'd found yourself in would turn out just fine.

You would be just fine.

Deep down you knew Steve was right.

"Yeah, yeah I know. You know how I can get sometimes", you replied to him, reciprocating the same look Steve was now giving you. The depth in his brown eyes was radiating warmth and it helped you calm down your racing thoughts. Steve had known Eddie for a bit longer and was closer with him in general, which was one of your reasons to believe the words of your best friend. In this moment at least.

-----

It was time for the tape.

You took off your shoes again and pulled your legs up to rest your feet on the barrier, this time right in front of you, facing more towards the window.

The boy next to you was still trying to catch his breath from shaking off some energy, pulling a squished paper bag with greasy spots out of the back pocket of his jeans and placing it on his lap, before he lost the vest and leather jacket. He then proceeded to sit down, take both of your headphones and held yours out to you.

"Alright, unlike Ms Kelley, let's obey the law again, huh?"

He let out a deep chuckle when you nodded with a smile.

"Oh hey, and I got you some extra fries, just in case you get hungry."

He handed the small paper bag to you.

Did he just carry fries in his ass pocket?

The thought made you snort.

Oh Munson.

"Did you pay for them?"

"Yeah of course I did. Is that all you think of me, sweetheart?"

There they were again. His dark brown doe eyes blinking at you all sweet, the purest form of Eddie he was willing to show you in this moment.

He was clearly letting you in. Showing himself to you. Letting you read his eyes, hoping you would take the hint which he secretly was yet too insecure to speak out.

He was the town's freak after all and getting his hopes up had never really turned out too positive for him. It had painfully taught him to better keep everyone at a distance.

It took every little ounce of willpower that you could find in yourself to not melt into a puddle, right there in that seat.

And if that wasn't enough already – him being thoughtful enough to think of you while devouring his own lunch – he pressed play on your walkman, before you could give him any sort of response to the fries situation.

The fact that the opening chords of Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears for Fears now filled your ears, your absolute favourite song, was sending you into another dimension.

How did he know your favourite fucking song? Did he ask Steve? He must have asked Steve.

He had asked Steve specifically about your music taste.

So many thoughts were flooding your brain at the same time, you were having trouble catching up.

The boy next to you just grinned at your visibly delighted reaction. And then he leaned in a little and you felt the heat once again rise to your cheeks.

"Is that good, that's a real good song, yeah?", you heard him ask, a very light sultry tone to his voice, after you quickly pushed one of your headphones behind your ear.

"Yes Eddie, immaculate choice right there", you praised him in a similar tone, before giving him a genuine giggle, unable to hide the way he was undeniably making you all flustered and earning another warm chuckle from him in return.

The way his cheeks turned into a beautiful shade of rose almost made your heart combust in your ribcage. At this point he was practically beaming with pride, reveling in the fact that he had elicited praise out of you. And it was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

You lightly nudged your shoulder into his, which made him lift his arm, a gesture for you to lean into his figure.

"Come here, you."

That head of yours landed on his shoulder and you let him drape his arm over your torso like a seatbelt. A (still very) warm hand was placed between your waist and hip and you were pretty convinced it was going to burn a big hole right through the fabric of your shirt.

He just had to touch you, right?

His boldness however gave you enough of a confidence boost to return the gesture. At this point you needed to tell him, too. Make him feel the burn on his own skin. So you just hugged his arm, pulling it close and nuzzling the side of your face into the soft fabric of his hellfire shirt covering the skin between bicep and shoulder.

With every song you went on listening to, it became more clear than ever that Eddie Munson must really have gone all the way to Steve Harrington's house to ask him for a list of your favourite songs. Which he could then put on a mixtape. For you.

That's what you do for friends, right?

Yeah, right.

For a few songs you both just sat there in utter peace as you watched the landscape outside the window pass by. The wide plains of Wisconsin, fields of crops, forests, small gatherings of houses, farms, barns and horses and cows and sheep. The sky was slowly losing its light grey cover, which had you anticipating an actually nice sunset later.

He had leaned his head against yours, which made his warm breath trickle down the side of your neck down to your collarbone. And you had felt the goosebumps spread all over your arms underneath your longsleeve.

You were feeding off of the warmth radiating from Eddie's body once again, and the ringed hand on your waist had started rubbing up and down softly and slowly.

When Eddie felt you leaning more of your weight into his side, you could hear him let out a satisfied little sigh.

Every second of this part of your little road trip, whenever he tried to search for some form of physical closeness, felt like a fever dream.

And you didn't want to wake up just yet. How about never?

-----

Golden hour announced itself by coating the trees of the forest, the earthy paths for walking, the accumulation of dark wooden cabins and the water on the vast lake in gradients of yellow and orange.

Said lake would look more like the sea to you, it made little waves that were lightly crashing onto the shore of a small beach of a bay around which the camp was located, and it was so vast in fact that you were unable to see the opposing shore on the horizon.

You had just woken up from another nap which you had slipped into after one, two, you actually don't know how many hours of watching the endless fields and forests pass by through half-closed eyelids. Listening to The Romantics, New Order, Fleetwood Mac, The Cure, Genesis and of course Metallica, on Eddie's account.

Still surrounded by the warmth of his body, still tucked in between torso and arm. His hand however had sneakily breached an invisible barrier, now resting comfortably beneath the hem of your shirt on the skin of your waist. You didn't dare to check, but the hole in your shirt was certainly there now, burned through.

Even Ms Kelley's announcement of your arrival didn't bother any of you to move or shift positions. Or god forbid, separate your bodies.

You only slightly turned your head to watch Mr Clarke leave the bus in the corner of your eye, probably to head into the administration office of the camp with the intention to make your arrival known to the staff and to pick up keys for about 40 students.

From what they had told you pre-trip, you were gonna be sharing a cabin with Nancy, Robin and Max, since the plan foresaw keeping the middle schoolers separate from the older kids. And of course there couldn't be any cabins accommodating groups of mixed genders.

Which is precisely why Eddie was going to share his cabin with Jonathan, Steve and Dustin, while Lucas and Will had the honours to be joined in theirs by Gareth and Jeff.

Before letting you go to take the headphones off and gather all your things, Eddie's grip on your waist tightened a bit as he pulled you minimally closer for just two seconds, the vibration of his chest against your back telling you that he was humming softly.

You already missed him, and you hadn't even left the bus yet.

The structure of the camp was simple. There were ten cabins, each of them intended to accommodate up to four people comfortably. A row of them was spread out along the shore of the lake directly by the water. Another row spread out further towards the forest. Both separated by the same earthy pathway stretching and winding itself through the entire place, connecting the cabins to the rest of the camp. There were little houses with sanitary facilities not too far from the cabins, a little square with lots of seating opportunities intended for bonfires, barbecue and other gatherings, the office house, the beach further down the path past the cabins, and a pergola kinda situation with benches for mealtime and a corner with outdoor couches and further more cozy seating.

The cabin you were designated to spend your next 6 nights in was one of those directly by the water. Excitement spread through you at the thought of falling asleep to the peaceful sound of the lake water lightly hitting the shore at night and cicadas singing their songs after sunset. Frogs croaking and birds chirping away. The ambient background noise of a forest by the lake.

You had always been a dreamer.

"Top one's mine!", Robin exclaimed as she was the first one of you to enter, throwing her bag onto one of the top beds that were part of two bunks standing opposite of each other in each corner, a window with light beige and pastel floral curtains separating them.

You were loving the rustic atmosphere. The log aesthetic gave off the biggest summer cottage vibes, so taking in the interior of your small home for the next few days made you smile.

There were two closets with multiple drawers, enough space for accommodating clothing of four people.

The bag hanging from your shoulder landed on the bed below Robin's, while the other two silently agreed on Max above, Nancy on the same level as you.

The beds themselves were about the standard bunk bed size, nothing too fancy, but of course all wooden, fresh bedsheets folded into a neat pile along with a towel decorating the mattress.

While you were getting to making your bed (you knew that you'd thank yourself later), your mind started wondering if you could fit maybe even two people in there. For science, of course.

All of you had agreed to meet at the fireplace once everyone had dropped off their stuff, and when you and the girls arrived there, six pairs of eyes were already awaiting you.

The boys had probably just messily thrown their belongings onto their respective beds, not giving a flying fuck about pulling the covers over the duvets or maybe even taking power naps after the journey.

So yeah, night number one ended with all of you sitting by the fire that Mr Clarke and some guy from the staff team had set up. Conversations about everyone's most anticipated activities that were planned and scheduled for this week were held, your friends' former earth and science teacher telling stories about his first time field tripping back in the day.

Once again you were sat between Steve and Eddie, the metalhead's leather jacket around your shoulders, because he had insisted you'd take it. A sly grin on his face directed at you at the gesture, before turning his attention to the mutual best friend on your other side.

The younger kids had been tucked in by Ms Kelley already, since their curfew had been set to 9pm. Yours was at eleven.

You admired the multiple strings of fairy lights that had been hung into the lower maze of branches long ago, illuminating the earthy pathways throughout the whole camp to keep the kids from stumbling off into some bush or having to pull out flashlights.

At least until midnight, cause that's when the lights were going to be turned off.

-----

Your first full day at camp. The teachers had taken the whole group to a hike through the forest and up the hill at the end of the bay, overviewing the stunning scenery and you had taken a few moments away from everyone to take in the enormousness of the vision opening up in front of you.

Closing your eyes, you tried to wrap your head around the moment, taking a few deep breaths, feeling the freshness of the air surrounding you.

Slow down.

The sun made the deep blue of the sky reflect on the lake, a shimmer on the surface in the distance, sparse trees and bushes covering the top of the hill you were standing on, a bit separately from most kids.

The light brush of a hand against yours caused you to shoot open your eyes, jumping lightly at the sudden delicate yet profound touch.

"Uh, sorry I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I can also leave again if you want another moment to yourself?", you heard him say, an apologetic tone to his voice.

The rough facade now showed cracks.

Traces of softness, a great amount of empathy and hints of sensitivity were shining through them. He had always been a little more gentle with you than with everyone else in the group, but this telltale sign of trust he was instilling in you over the last hours? That was new.

So new. And so new to you.

Your head turned towards him, eyes squinting a bit because yeah, it was quite bright up there with almost no trees to throw shade, and of course clumsy you had forgotten your sunglasses on the little nightstand next to your bed.

"Eddie no, it's okay" was the only thing you managed to get out, brushing the back of his hand with the back of your index finger, in silent search for more contact, trying to support the words that had just come out of you.

It was just Eddie. You tried to remember Steve's words from lunch break yesterday. He's gonna be okay with adapting.

He turned his back on the sun, more towards you, and the light formed a halo around his head.

Given his reputation back in Hawkins, it looked hilariously absurd.

"Did you have a good first night?", you asked him then, in such a tone indicating your expectation of a sincere answer, while his shadow was covering half your face so you wouldn't have to stare into the late afternoon sun.

"More or less. You know how Steve snores", Eddie said before continuing his dramatic act, "plus, it was really lonely. I think there should be an additional paragraph in the law about an extension from bus seats to beds, you know? I think that would make a real difference and save me from eternal doom and misery."

He returned your previous gesture with his own index finger, his eyes finding yours, giving you a sheepish grin as your cheeks started imitating the colour of very ripe tomatoes.

Your entire body bloomed with electricity from just one light touch. If you didn't know any better, you'd say it was ridiculous.

Yes, there had already been touches that were way more direct than this, but there was something in the way and in the lightness of his touch now, that had your head spinning.

The lightness basically fuelled whatever this thing between the two of you was.

Ms Kelley's voice announcing the beginning of your descend ripped the both of you out of whatever moment you were having right there, and it sucked.

You could have stood there with him for the rest of eternity, if it meant being looked at by his warm, reassuring eyes, making you feel as if you were the center of the universe. It felt like his gaze was reaching the deepest corner of your soul.

And your brain started going 200 kilometers an hour, thinking about the allusion Eddie had just made. He was starting to consume your every thought at this point.

As a collective you managed to return to the deep green veils of the forest around an hour before sunset.

Slowly the day was coming to an end and since it had been a rather warm experience for everyone, the teachers had kindly granted you an evening dip in the lake.

High schoolers only though. Thank fuck.

Honestly, you probably would have gone for it anyway.

The beach included a small wooden pier leading into deeper water, which the boys delightedly acknowledged before using it to gracefully yeet themselves into the cold wet.

They also didn't deem it necessary to strip themselves of their clothes beforehand.

Too much enthusiasm and even more longing for relief from the day's heat and physical efforts. Who knew Michigan could be this warm already in May?

The girls and you had preferred to change into actual swimwear before joining the boys on the beach. A wise decision.

Because now you found yourself standing on the pier together with Nancy and Max, watching Robin follow Steve and dive in head first.

You were silently hoping the water was deep enough for her to not hit her head.

Next thing you saw approaching you on that pier was Eddie, dripping wet everything and soaked to the bone, some worn out jean shorts and dark blue Metallica shirt as well as his dark curls sticking to his skin like glue.

He left a trail of wet footsteps and sprinkles and splashes of water on the dry wood, grinning at you almost eerily and you threw him a similar glance back, because you knew he just wasn't anticipating your abilities to foresee the future when you jumped out of the way the second he started running towards you, trying to pull you into the water with him.

He landed face first, while everyone who had just witnessed that scene bursted into laughter, including you.

"You wish, Munson", you shouted at him and his poorly executed attempt once he had resurfaced, his appearance now reminding you of a wet poodle with his wet dark curls that were sticking to his reddened face, a piece of some green sweetwater plant decorating the top of his head.

You weren't ready to hit the water just yet, which is why Nancy and you decided to just plop down on the pier for a moment with crossed legs, while Max joined Robin and the boys.

Observing the scene happening in front of you, there were Dustin, Lucas and Jonathan, all of them fusioning their powers to swim after a screeching Will who was trying his best to escape being cruelly dunked by his brother and friends, Robin trying to stand on Steve's probably slippery shoulders while Eddie and Max were aiming for the same acrobatic performance.

Nancy next to you let out a chuckle at the sight before turning her head in your direction, "today was so nice, don't you think?"

With a nod you replied to her and leaned back on your arms behind you.

"Yeah it was beautiful! You just don't get those views in Hawkins."

"Yeah, absolutely not. The closest thing you're getting there is Lover's lake with a bunch of drunks fishing in their tiny boats, and that's about it", she paused, "are you in with us for the flower crowns tomorrow?"

Midsummer was still a few weeks away, but that didn't stop you from plucking and braiding.

You and the girls had been having this fantasy of spending this excessive amount of time in nature with flower crowns on your heads, inspired by Scandinavian summer solstice traditions. For weeks you all had been painting this picture in your conversations, anticipation bubbling up every time the topic came up. The picture of the four of you with the flowers of summer in your hair, in the deep green shades and distinct scent of the forest surrounding your every breath these days, had rented a big part of your mind, long before you had stepped on the bus, bringing you here.

"Hm? Oh yeah, definitely."

Losing yourself a little in the thought again, you hadn't yet taken notice of how two figures from the group of people in the water in front of you were missing.

You would learn soon, though.

Because before you knew it, a pair of strong, wet hands hooked themselves in the space of your armpits, lifting you up to stand, while another set of arms wasn't too shy to grab both your legs off the ground, wrapping themselves around your knees.

"Let's get you nice and wet, shall we?", you heard Steve's voice come out behind you in an absurdly husky tone, while–

"Time for your bath, princess!"

Eddie.

You were so taken by surprise, you couldn't even get anything in form of a verbal protest out.

The only thing you saw before your vision went black due to your reflexes was Eddie's mischievous grin between strands of his dark and wet curly mane, Steve's pearly whites being flashed at you equally prominent. Their laughter got muffled by the water invading your ear canals, and the sudden shock of the cold liquid surrounding every inch of your sun warmed skin was forcing a gasp out of your lungs.

When you returned to the surface, both of the boys held onto their bellies, high-fiving one another and still laughing on that pier like two fucking dipshits at you as well as at Nancy who apparently got to suffer the same fate as you, being dropped into the ocean mere seconds later.

With the back of your fingers you wiped the water out of your eyes along with strands of your hair that were clinging onto your cheeks for dear life, while you gathered back clear vision.

Unknowing to the two boys, Jonathan, Lucas and Dustin were currently in the process of sneaking up behind them. With big splashes both Eddie and Steve were forced to ungracefully breach the waves next to you, letting out equally surprised gasps for air before they had to instinctively hold their breaths.

You burst out into another laughing fit when the metalhead slowly appeared next to you just as soaked as half an hour ago, his hair now covering his entire face.

You took one stroke towards him while Jonathan and Dustin landed in the water not too far from you, shortly after being followed by Lucas and Max cannonballing their way in to join everyone.

The laughter and giggles filled the warm air, and you took both your hands to wipe Eddie's mane out of his face, just to reveal his brown chocolate orbs and a dorky smile, gazing at you from underneath.

The ground of the lake where you were finding yourself was close enough for you both to stand on, which made not sinking a lot easier.

"Thanks, sweetheart" was the only thing he brought out before putting a hand on your waist, pulling you closer before wrapping both his arms around your middle, while you responded by wrapping yours around his shoulders.

You thought he was going to bury his face in the crook of your neck with how close he was leaning in just now, connecting his lips to your skin, but all he really did was briefly running his nose over the side of your neck in an upwards motion. Giving you a little nudge while letting out another one of his hums.

It was almost like he wanted to do more than that, it was almost like you could feel him holding himself back. It was almost like you wanted him not to.

His warm breath hit the wet skin on your collarbone and it sent a slight shiver right through your system at the sheer thought of what exactly he was holding back.

And just when you felt him let go of you a bit more, you saw your chance at taking at least a little bit of revenge on him. For conspiring against you with Steve Harrington.

You placed your hands on his shoulders, found purchase on the ground, and your own weight forced him to go head below surface once again.

"Oh darling, that was an unwise decision", was all you heard before he returned the favour, his entire weight on yours as he drowned you beneath him, just before bringing one of his unnecessarily muscular arms around you to pull you back up again swiftly.

Soon after a few more dunks that you practised on Steve and Dustin, your swimming session came to an end when the sun had disappeared behind the trees and the sunset-ish colours of the horizon had faded into several shades of purple and blue.

After fresh showers that helped with rinsing off the lake water and smuck and sweat of the day, the older boys had decided to drop you off at the flower cabin, a nickname for your particular accommodation facility Lucas had come up with during the first bonfire.

To say goodnight or something.

Eddie held you in his grasp, pressed you into his chest for a second, letting you know that you meant something to him, shooting you one last glance, a hint of wistfulness in it, before disappearing surprisingly quickly into the dusk of the forest, towards the cabin he shared with the others.

You hugged Steve and Jonathan goodnight as well, the latter wearing a smirk on his face and you instantly wondered about the reason.

When you looked at your own pillow, you stopped wondering. A polaroid photo had been placed there for decoration, and you let yourself plop down on the mattress to inspect it more closely.

Jonathan had only recently started shooting polaroid in the first place, and the sun had delivered enough light for him to avoid using flash for this one, which had the colours of everything come out more natural.

The photo showed Eddie in his bus seat. You in yours, resting with his arm wrapped around you, his head on yours, both with your headphones on, both passed out. Steve, Dustin, Will and Robin behind you with widened eyes, tongues out and peace signs up.

Unable to hide the smile that spread on your face, you placed the photo on the little nightstand accompanying the bed.

Everyone knew. You knew. Eddie probably knew. But who would say it first?

-----

taglist: @josephfakingquinn, @ghost-proofbaby, @spellbounddd, @imjuststeddietrashatthispoint, @mystars123, @gothmingguk, @kennafild, @chloe-6123, @michaelfuckinglangdon and @bakugouswh0r3

[fomee-c]

Adventure Time has the best redemption arcs

I love deep-diving into my favourite shows, which makes me lucky that Adventure Time has been analyzed to death.

It's awesome because it feels like the show itself is growing up along with Finn. The older seasons are a lot more episodic and focused on the surreality of Ooo. Meanwhile, the later seasons really embrace the show's complicated lore and the idea that morality isn't black and white. The progression of maturity in this one show is INSANE. As the show becomes more mature, so does main character Finn, physically and emotionally.

Nowhere are the show's themes and Finn's personal growth better demonstrated through the show's use of redemption arcs. As the show progresses, classical villain-hero archetypes are subverted to show that Finn is learning that people aren't exclusively good or bad. As the show and Finna age, being a hero or doing the right thing evolves from the basic idea of "fighting evil" to being empathetic and seeking peace.

Heavy spoilers for the main series after the cut.

Some context

I just wanna mention some facts about the show's history.

If you watch the first AT episode followed by the last episode, you're gonna feel disoriented. They're clearly the same show, but it feels like they have very different goals. Early AT is more lighthearted and less serious. The episodes have morals, but they're pretty simple. The randomness of Ooo is played more for comedy than for lore purposes.

Around season 5, the show started taking on a different direction. It's still funny and weird, but the characters are more fleshed out and the messages the show is trying to convey require a lot of digestion. For example, Princess Bubblegum is always smart, but the way she's depicted in episodes like"Enchiridion" vs "Burning Low." Although I consider this a massive improvement, it's unclear how much was pre-planned. Was PB always destined to become a control-obsessed, unethical ruler-scientist? Or was her initial characterization just Finn's crush?

Yes.

Episodes as early as season 1 ep 24 ("What have you done?") show PB acting more like a tyrant than a princess and have the Ice King depicted in a less antagonistic matter. The reason for the tonal shift in the later season is that as Finn grows up, his experiences change the way he perceives reality.

Ooo through Finn's eyes

Adventure Time is about Finn the human and Jake the dog, but really it's mostly about Finn.

The other characters get character arcs and have plot-relevant conflicts, but the show's main focus is dedicated to Finn's coming-of-age story. Finn is Ooo's hero: he's social, caring, and brave, and he's motivated by a strong sense of justice and a desire for adventure. All he wants is to try new things and help others at any cost.

However, he's only 12, at least at the beginning. His idea of being a hero is rooted in black/white morality. If you do bad things, then you're bad. Stopping bad people makes you good. And as a 12-year-old, he believes the only way to stop bad people is through violence.

The show is immature in this respect, too. For the first few seasons, there are two main antagonists. There's the recurring Ice King and his plots to force princesses to marry him, playing off the "save the princess" trope (more on him later). And then there's the Lich, who's a genuinely powerful cosmic entity that seeks to destroy life in all its forms. Naturally, Finn fights them both off through righteous punching.

The show presents this basic understanding of evil, that evil is as evil does. In the beginning, there's almost no nuance to these characters. And this is true with good characters, too.

Billy is a huge catalyst for Finn's character development, but you can see the show's limited understanding of heroism in his debut episode. Billy is Finn's predecessor in a way, being the number one fighter against evil. In "His Hero," Billy realized the fighting evil through violence didn't treat the root problem, opting instead for community activism. However, the show makes this look like a bad thing, with the moral of the episode being that violence can solve problems. Ironically, Finn's character development mirrors Billy, as he realizes over time that he fighting evil might mean hurting people he cares about. Case in point: Simon Petrikov, the Ice King.

The power of redemption arcs

Redemption arcs are controversial because they're ideal but they feel forced if they go unearned. In Adventure Time, redemption arcs serve a two-fold purpose: to convey the message that "evil" people can be understood and rehabilitated and to show Finn's developing maturity as he realizes this.

Ice King

The first character to get a real redemption arc is the Ice King. Initially, he's portrayed as Jake and Finn's natural nemesis, especially when he targets Princess Bubblegum. However, as the show goes on, it becomes clear that the Ice King isn't really malicious; he's just lonely and he doesn't know how to socialize in an appropriate way. Over time, he becomes a sympathetic villain. However, this changes with the Christmas specials "Holly Jolly Secrets, parts 1 and 2." In this episode, Finn and Jake discover the Ice King used to be a man named Simon, whose personality and sanity were corrupted by magic. Simon's backstory is further developed in "I Remember You" and "Simon and Marcy." From this point on, Finn starts referring to the Ice King as Simon, acknowledging Simon's true self and stops treating him less harshly. This leads to a really heartwarming moment in "Don't Look," where Finn's perception literally warps reality, causing the IK to revert to Simon (in appearance but not in personality).

Consequently, the Ice King becomes less antagonistic in general and we even get IK-centric episodes where he takes on a heroic role. For all intents and purposes, post-season 3 Ice King is Finn's friend. The show went from using a cliché villain-type to dedicating a significant amount of time and plot to Ice King's eventual return as Simon. From this, Finn learns that treating people with kindness is imperative to stopping evil. Not only did finding out that IK's personal life was tragic but by treating him as a friend he diminished IK's evil inclinations.

Magic Man

Magic Man is one of the more disturbing characters on the show. He always shows up to do something gross or psychologically messed up. Unlike the Ice King, who was shown to be evil because he wanted companionship, Magic Man wants people to suffer out of pure contempt for the world. His "pranks" include simple stuff like turning Finn into a foot, to more deranged acts like forcing Jake to escape a dream world where doing so would mean destroying all his new friends.

What's interesting about Magic Man's redemption arc is that Finn and Jake have little to do with it. Magic Man redeems himself practically by accident.

We gradually learn that Magic Man's wife was destroyed by GOLB, a powerful entity that can erase things from all realities. So Magic Man's cruelty is best described as frustration or vengeance to an extent. He is constantly suffering, which he tries to mitigate by deriving pleasure from others' suffering.

However, he eventually loses his magic powers (and with it, his anger and sadness) in"You Forgot Your Floaties", grounding him back in reality. From then on, his journey is one of atonement. He tries to reconcile with his family and seeks forgiveness from the people he has tortured.

This arc says more about the show's maturity than it does about Finn's. Although Finn shows no hatred towards a magic-less Normal Man, he seems pretty indifferent. The show, on the other hand, takes the time to make him a tragic figure and offers him a chance at redemption. It wants the audience to know that experiencing loss is not an excuse for being a jerk, but it can explain someone's actions.

King Man's (his title after rejoining the Martian community) redemption arc also demonstrates AT's advancing writing skills. Instead of giving King Man a clear-cut redemption arc, the show depicts him as genuinely sorry without changing his personality. King Man is still obsessed with Margles and is harsh with Martian prisoners, but he's no longer angry with the world. He hasn't moved, as is difficult to do with grief, but he wants to contribute to society instead of rage against it.

Betty Grof

Betty marks a milestone in the show and Finn's personal growth. She is the first antagonist who is shown to be sympathetic from the start. It helps that we know Betty before she goes crazy with magic, but despite that, Finn nor the show ever thinks of Betty as an "evil" character. She's misguided and unethical but well-intentioned.

Betty's whole deal is that she wants to be with Simon, which requires curing him of the Ice King Crown's effects. However, after she absorbs Magic Man's madness and sadness, she starts undertaking strategies that cause Ice King more stress than good.

She becomes a true antagonist in the Elemental mini-series when she prioritizes Simon's recovery over the lives of Ooo's inhabitants, despite the Ice King begging her to save his friends. Even after she betrays Finn, he doesn't seem to see her as a villain specifically. The real source of conflict in the Elemental series was more so the unchecked emotions of Finn's friends; Betty was just an obstacle.

Betty's redemption arc is completed in the show's finale. Betty summons GOLB, risking the entire universe's destruction to save Simon. Except her goal is not only to save Simon but to save their relationship. In an act of self-sacrifice, Betty manages to banish/merge with GOLB to save Ooo, despite knowing she could never be with Simon.

However, it's not as clear as I make it out to seem. While Betty does sacrifice her relationship with Simon, she still manages to save him, begging the question: if Betty couldn't save Simon, would she have made that decision? (I'm inclined to think no, but let me know what you think!)

Even if the "redemption" part of her arc feels rushed, it's Betty's journey that highlights the show's maturity. Just because she does bad things doesn't mean she's a bad person. Finn gets this; he doesn't blame Betty for almost destroying the world. He's more focused on aligning with her desire to save Simon and the rest of Ooo.

Through Betty, Adventure Time explains that it's impossible to judge people as good or evil. To do the right thing doesn't mean to help people who you think are "good" or oppose people you think are "evil" but to find common ground and a common goal.

Uncle Gumbald

He's basically the last antagonist of the show. I don't think there's a lot to say about him that hasn't already been said, so this section will be short.

He's a lot like PB in that he's a visionary. Their conflict stems from their competing ideas and the fact that they both want to subjugate each other.

They almost reach an understanding in the finale when they experience each other's lives, with PB realizing that Gumbald deserved to be treated as an equal. However, he isn't redeemed because he attempts to subjugate PB anyways by faking a truce. I feel like this was supposed to highlight PB's character growth as early PB definitely wouldn't have been willing to share authority.

Fern

I would say this is probably the most important redemption arc for Finn's character. It's weird to say that because Fern is introduced so late into the show and his arc is completed when he dies in the last minutes of the finale. Furthermore, he's a strange character to begin with. He's a grass clone of Finn made from two magic swords, and he's hardly antagonistic toward Finn except in the last two seasons.

But let's look at what we're dealing with here.

Fern's internal conflict is an identity crisis. At one point in the series, Finn comes into contact with a past self (merging timelines situation, dw about it), turning one of his selves into a sword. It's intentionally ambiguous at first, but it's eventually revealed that there is a miniature Finn inside the sword who is cognisant of the world around him. Because of Real Finn's carelessness, Sword Finn ends up getting busted, and eventually infected with a grass parasite, creating Fern.

Up until now, Finn has been acing his new pacifist approach to conflict resolution. He now prioritizes understanding someone's actions and reasoning with them, saving fighting as a last resort.

Fern represents Finn's greatest empathy challenge: trying to understand someone he thinks he already understands. To do this, Finn has to accept that his preconceived notions of Fern are wrong and take the time to get to know the real Fern. He thinks that because they share some sort of biology and memories, they are the same people. He fails to acknowledge the different life experiences that have forged him and Fern into distinct people.

When Fern heel-turns into an antagonist, it's not a surprise. We have seen repeatedly the jealousy that he feels outcasted by the real Finn. We also know he's frustrated with the dissonance between his past "life" and his current circumstances. Like Betty, Finn doesn't see Fern as a villain. However, he doesn't try to understand where Fern is coming from. He assumes that because they are similar, Fern will be willing to talk things out. In other words, Finn wants to reconcile with Fern but doesn't get how devastating Fern's identity crisis is.

In the finale's dream-dimension fight sequence, we see Finn finally hear out Fern's concerns and the two explore Fern's past together.

Fern does die because of plot reasons, but not before re-establishing his and Finn's friendship. I don't really like it when stories sacrifice one character for another's development, but it makes sense given Finn's narrative is about realizing that doing the right thing isn't always a feel-good experience. Finn wants the people he cares about to be safe, and he knows that Fern is in danger by siding with malicious characters like Gumbald. Fern also decides to align with people who care about him rather than someone who wants to use him. If Fern's villain arc is caused by feelings of inadequacies, then it's resolved through self-acceptance. Redeeming Fern requires Finn to truly understand Fern, but this means Finn loses someone who gets him.

I think it's implied Fern could never be at peace alive, since the grass demon was keeping him alive while corrupting his heart. It's a unique take on a heroic sacrifice: setting Fern free means letting Fern go.

Misc. thoughts

Not all redemption arcs are equal. I wanted to touch on a few mini-redemption arcs that either didn't fit the post or had a lesser impact on the story. These aren't relevant to the text, so feel free to skip to the conclusion.

Irredeemable villains

Some AT antagonists never get redemption arcs. These are usually one-off villains who don't get much characterization apart from just being evil. I don't think that AT wants to imply these people are beyond help (see Magic Man for proof), but maybe becoming a good person means that someone has to understand you first, which is harder to do in some cases. Examples include:

Ricardio the heart man

Thief Princess

Wyatt

Redemption arcs?

Originally, I wanted to write a section on Princess Bubblegum and how she gradually releases her iron grip on her kingdom. However, I decided against it because Finn never really sees her as a bad person. However, understanding that she's not perfect is definitely part of her arc. If I were to write about PB, it'd have to be a separate article, probably incorporating how Marceline plays into her character development and how her relationship with evolves over time.

Another character I omitted from this analysis was Lemongrab. I wouldn't describe his arc as a redemption arc because I feel it was more focused on self-discovery than making up for his past actions.

Finally, I thought about writing about the Lich's transformation into Sweet Pea, but I almost don't count it since they are essentially two different characters. A redemption arc to me means that a character undergoes a change of heart. I feel like Sweet Pea is more like the Lich reborn, and while you can argue that the events in "Whispers" are the good Lich fighting against his dormant persona, I feel like it's clear that Sweet Pea and the Lich are not one and the same. Either way, Sweet Pea being the Lich's redemption is to muddy to discuss in this context.

Becoming good

One thing I like about Adventure Time is that no one tries to make the bad guys turn good. Redemption arcs are mostly self-initiated. With characters like Ice King, Finn doesn't try to turn him into a hero, he just stops treating Simon like a villain. Unlike in other media, heroes and villains are not real roles in AT. They are more like social constructs that are easily altered once you start to empathize with supposed villains.

But while "villains" is a flexible term in AT, evil-doing is not. AT puts forward the standard that people should seek forgiveness and atone for the ways they've caused harm. It's a pretty grown-up idea that we should own up to our actions but also forgive people who want to be forgiven.

Conclusion

In Adventure Time, Finn wants to be a hero, but in trying to do so, he needs to answer this question: "What makes a hero?" Originally, the show asserts that a hero is someone who beats up bad guys and obeys people in authority. But as Finn and the audience get older, the show's ideas evolve, too. Through the use of its extensive rogue gallery, Adventure Time affirms that "bad people" are usually just normal people with personal issues. Heroism becomes less associated with righteous violence and more geared towards empathy and reconciliation. Eventually, Finn and the show give up on the hero-villain dichotomy, acknowledging that these categorizations prevent people from helping those who need it most.

Note: this is the first analysis I've posted on Tumblr and I'm planning on writing more with the goal of getting better at writing and media literacy. Additionally, I really love this franchise and I'm always down to discuss it further. Please let me know what you all think?

[detectivehole]

hey i finally watched the evil dead. it was pretty good. b (the b is a thumbs up because i dont have emojis on my keyboard)

which evil dead movie is your favourite and why (you can say multiple if you like)

i like the use of b as a thumbs up im stealing that

im glad you liked the evil dead! it's a funny series

my favorite movie is no question the very first evil dead movie from 1981. you asked why so i put a massive set of paragraphs of incoherent rambling below

it's a very impressive and influential project for its haphazard budget and production (even if its sequel, which used the same shooting methods, is what popularized them) which is admirable. visually is just nice to look at imo- im no film buff or even the biggest movie fan overall so i can't say why it looks as good as it does to me, but it just does. it's gross and strange and erie and i enjoy that in its visuals.

what certainly shoots it to the number one spot for me though is the characterization, most especially of ash but really of everyone. i found the way everyone behaved and interacted especially realistic, and uniquely compelling for me. for horror, which is a genre that usually takes liberties with behavior for dramatic effect (not criticizing that), that's not particularly common

they don't always get along, but they're all clearly friends. characters are hesitant to resort to violence but simultaneously totally willing to defend themselves. panic drives people to make dumb decisions but no one ever makes decisions i would call totally senseless. it's all very much believable. all the characters display this but ash (understandably) depicts it all the best. i wish i could articulate it better than this but i can't lol

two particular scenes i like;

- ash is finally the last one left, and he's just in the house, surrounded on all sides by the dead and dying and demonic, and it's a charged scene, but it's not tense, because it's not supposed to be. you understand in that moment- both because of the structure of a film but also just bc it does a good job communicating it- that ash is physically safe from attack for a bit. no one's gonna pounce yet. that is because the demons are focusing on mentally attacking him. it's the demonic mocking scene, where all of these things puppeting his dead friends and family are just teasing him over and over like children while he takes the time to freak the fuck out, and they laugh and jeer. and idk i just really love that scene it's very VERY compelling to me. i think it's the strange sense of inexplicably physical safety (however short) combined with the childish demonic taunting; a lot of demons in media taunt but they tend to do so in more "ohhhh so scary" or overtly violent ways. the demons in this scene aren't not doing that exactly, it's just that it's way more deliberately annoying and childish in its execution rather than super spooky, subtle, or esoteric

- the walls bleed scene (it's my pinned post rn). ash goes to get amo in the Evil Basement and the demons make a bunch of weird shit happen. why i like this scene is way less deep- it's a deliberately funny scene; goofy music is playing, it's got a lot of visually appealing shots, a comical amount of blood, and it does stuff that ties back into the "childish, goofy, but effective ways the demons torture ash" thing. also 21yo bruce campbell absolutely covered in bright red fake blood is hot i will not deny that

[noisynaia]

We'll be the talk of the town

[Eddie Munson x Californian reader] Part 2

summary: Your new dealer becomes your first acquaintance after moving to the small town of Hawkins, Indiana only a week before starting your senior year of high school. The stress of beginning at a new school, with a new cheer squad, is stressing you out and you need some help to relax.   

word count: 3.4k 

rating: M

pairing: Eddie Munson x f!reader 

note: This has not been beta read. Mentions of drug use (weed). No use of (y/n). Reader goes by she/her pronouns. She is described as being shorter than Eddie and having hair (length, texture, or colour not mentioned) but no other physical descriptions are used. Both Eddie and the reader are 18+. I am not American, so I have no idea if this is even close to a realistic depiction of an American high school experience.  It’s the first time I’ve ever written a reader inset and I’m not completely satisfied, but I had fun writing it so all's good I guess. <3 

crossposted on my ao3   

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The goal is to look well put together, fashionable, but not like you are trying too hard. Which of course is ironic since you had gotten up an hour and a half earlier than usual to get ready. You turn to look in the full-length mirror. The current top you are wearing is cute, but it doesn't go super well with your skirt and you are not going to start looking for a new one to wear after finally deciding on the one you’re wearing after trying on every pair of pants and every skirt you own.

You pull the top over your head and fling it on top of the giant pile of clothes you already have tried on that has formed on your bedroom floor. You sigh and grab one of the last shirts from the closet in front of you that hasn't joined the ones on the floor you already had tried on, then stretch it on over your head.

It is pretty simple but it clings to your body nicely, showing off your figure and the material is soft and pretty comfortable. You make a quick decision and pair the top and skirt with white ruffle socks and your favourite pair of Mary Jane’s. You style your hair before applying your makeup and finish off with a couple of sprays of your favourite perfume. Taking a step back you take in your reflection. You look good, a little more dolled up than what you would on a normal school day, but it’s perfect for the first day of school in a new town, and it’s a nice feeling to be all dressed up. You double-check that you have everything you need in your bag before going downstairs for breakfast.

“Morning sweetie.” Your stepmother greets you from the coffee maker as you enter the kitchen. “Good morning.” You return as you go over to the cupert with the kettle to make yourself some tea, but you find the space it usually occupies empty. “Already boiled your water.” She tells you before you look over at the stove where the kettle is already standing, steaming from the spout. “So how are we feeling?” Your dad asks as he flips the pancake that is currently cooking on the other stove hob.

“Okay, kinda nervous though.” fidget with the string of your tea back as you pop it down your mug. “It would be weird if you weren’t a little nervous.” Your stepmom declares. “But I’m sure it’s gonna go okay, who wouldn’t want to be friends with such a cutie-pie as you.” She continues, popping a kiss to the top of your head as she walks by you to get the plates out.

“Well, the first day of school pancakes are done now, you better enjoy 'em kid cos it’s gonna be cereal from tomorrow on.” Your dad states. “Oh, Melvin my love, we all know you’ll get up early on Friday and make us waffles like you always do.” Your stepmom teases. “Well, Norma my beloved, I guess I just can’t help spoiling my girls.” You laugh at their loving antics and start digging into your pancakes.

An hour later you’re sitting on the passenger seat of your dad’s lincoln, in the parking lot of Hawkins High. You’re hugging your backpack close to your chest, not really wanting to get out of the car. Several students seem to have noticed the Californian licence plates, sending curious looks. You finally gather the courage to step out of the car after saying goodbye to your dad. You feel like a freshman on their first day, except you actually knew people when you had started high school.

The school office wasn’t too hard to find, the secretary was nice giving you all the information you needed including your locker number and your class schedule, she also told you when cheer tryouts were held. You thank her before stepping back out into the hall to find your first classroom, but as you leave you bump straight into someone on their way into the office. Your face collides with a chest covered by a familiar shirt. You look up and lock eyes with none other than Eddie Munson, the only person you know the name of at the school.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.” He says, giving an apologetic smile. You smile back at him, which he seems, almost confused by. “Don’t worry about it.” You chuckle, surprised by how glad you are to run into him. Not that you actually know him, but he is the most familiar face at the place. “And hi again!” You smile at him.

He knit his brows for a second before his entire face lit up with recognition. “Hey! Sorry, I barely recognized you.” Makes sense, you actually look presentable now, unlike when you had knocked on his trailer door in the dark wearing joggers and shower damp hair. He, on the other hand, looks exactly as he had done that night. Another pair of ripped jeans, that same band shirt. Hellfire club, you had not heard about them before. Maybe Jacob knows them, you will ask him next time you get the chance. “Hope you enjoyed your purchase,” Eddie says.

“I did. I might have to come back and get some more soon.” “Well, you know where to find me.” He gives you the same crooked smile he gave you that night in the trailer. You really like that smile, and you really did like his product too. Maybe you should swing by his trailer and get some more soon. Would it be weird to ask for his number? It will be easier to plan a deal if you have his phone number. The only Hawkins number in your contact book currently is the one for the pizzeria, which is a bit sad. Adding your new dealer to the list wasn’t exactly less sad, but you go to the same school and he does seem genuinely nice, maybe he could be a potential friend. What the hell, if the first day of school isn’t the day to be brave then when is it?

“Can I maybe have your number?” You stammer. Eddie's eyebrows rise high up his forehead. “You know when I need some, uhm… Yeah, you know. ” You quickly add, hope you haven't made things too awkward. The clarification seems to calm him down.

“Of course. Makes things easier for the both of us.” He agrees. You quickly search your bag for a pen, grabbing the first one you come across, which just has to be a purple glitter pen, classy. He takes the pen, smiling at it. You feel your ears grow hot while ripping a little piece of one of the information papers you just had gotten. Why couldn't it just have been a normal pen? “If my uncle picks up, just tell him to write down your number and I'll call you back, okay?” You nod as he hands the pen and paper back to you, pulling yourself back together. “But no discounts next time.” You warn him, with what you hope is a stern look, but you fail to not smile back at him. Damn, that boy has a contagious smile.

He chuckles at your failing expression, slightly shaking his head. “Fine I won’t give any more, incredibly generous I might add, discounts to poor girls who have moved to the most boring town in Indiana, who need to combat her sorrows with a little green.” He is almost back to the whimsical tone you have gotten used to again. You like it, his cheerful, friendly demeanour has definitely helped you feel better. He might be your new dealer, but it looked like Eddie Munson could be a new friend. He clears his throat giving you yet another one of those smiles of his. “Well, I better get in there, gonna see if I can get some merit for last year. Since I, you know kinda did this whole thing already.” His cheerfulness switched out for a more sheepish manner, a pink blush creeping up his cheeks. “But uh, looks like we are seeing each other again in the last period.” He says after seeking a glance at the paper in your hand with all your classes on. You look down at the paper. Your last period, social studies in classroom 82 with Mr Owen. “Well, see you then.” You say before he disappears behind the door to the office.

You get to your first class, getting the terrifying, ‘oh we have a new student with us why don’t you get up and introduce yourself, part over with. People seem pretty interested when you say you’re from California and especially a big city like San Francisco. You really pull it home by telling them that your hobbies include cheerleading. Without even trying or even really wanting to you have become one of the popular kids. A couple of girls, who apparently are on the cheer squad, basically adopt you the moment you open your mouth. Tanya and Donna. They insist on introducing you to the rest of the senior cheerleaders at lunch.

“I think we are gonna be great friends!” Tanya chimes on the way to the cafeteria, when lunch break finally rolls around. You feel overwhelmed by all the attention. But it doesn't seem to bother the other girls that you don’t match her energy level as she keeps talking about the upcoming basketball game and which of the boys on the team is single so you could be introduced to them. You get by with a smile and nod. Till you finally get your tray and sit down at one of the long tables with a bigger group of girls that Tanya introduces you to. There is Donna who you also had the first period with, besides her, you also get introduced to Kathleen, Pamela and Chrissy. You sit on the other side of the table from the girl named Chrissy, extending your hand over the table to shake her hand. Which she answers with a sweet smile. She is nodding enthusiastically as you tell her it’s nice to meet her, making her strawberry blonde ponytail swing. You like her, she doesn't bombard you with questions like the other girls do but ask you in a way that makes you feel like she has a genuine interest in getting to know you as a person. The other girls seem a bit disappointed that you apparently rather want to engage in the conversation with Chrissy about the best places in town to buy music than gossip about people you don’t even know. You have just started talking about your opinions on Madonna’s newest album when a commotion at the other end of the cafeteria steals your attention. On top of one of the lunch tables stands none other than your good acquaintance Eddie Munson, in what looks like a deep conversation with the boys at his table. He is articulating with theatrical movements. It’s so flamboyant and you can’t help but think back to when you first met him and how excited you had been over finding someone in a town as small as Hawkins who was so confident in who they are.

“God, someone put a quarter in the freak.” Kathleen groans. Freak?! Is she talking about Eddie? “It’s literally the first day of school. Does he have to start acting like that already, it’s a bad look for new students! I just hope he won’t try to lure in any poor freshmans to his weird cult” Pamela chimes in. Cult… What is this girl talking about?

“I’m sorry about this, I promise that most people here are normal,” Tanya says looking almost apologetically at you, like Eddie's little antics were a personal insult against you or something. You don’t say anything, you are at a loss for words. Most people here are normal. What the heck is that supposed to mean? You don’t like the direction this conversation has taken. You notice Chrissy also seems uncomfortable with it, having her eyes down on the tray in front of her.

“I have heard they try to summon demons with this satanic game they play. It’s sick.” Donna tells. “Satanic?!” You say in disbelief, you knew that there was a satanic panic going around the country but you have never heard something so stupid, you were almost one-hundred per cent sure that Eddie Munson wasn’t trying to ‘summon demons.

“I've heard they have these books with, like, spells and stuff they use for it.” Donna continues. You have no idea what they are talking about until it hits you. “Wait, you mean that dorky board game?!” Olivia’s younger brother had tried to get the two of you to play with him all summer. He had almost sold the idea to you, but Olivia had insisted that you should spend your summer on better things. What was it called, something with dragons? You don’t know much about it, but one thing you do know it’s that it is definitely not an evil satanic ritual thing. “ Like, if he just was weird, that would be one thing, but I honestly think he is deranged. I hope the cops keep an eye out for him what if he ends up murdering someone for one of his ritual things?

The only thing deranged is this conversation you think. Being judgy is bad enough but accusing someone of being a potential murderer is another. Nothing of that sounds like the boy you met last week or this morning for that matter. You are really angry now. To be fair, you don’t really know him though. You had spent 10 minutes tops in his trailer, not enough time to get to know someone, but you had only known these girls for a couple of hours so the same could be said for them, and you had, unlike with Eddie, not gotten a good impression of them.

“I have only spoken to him briefly, but I actually think he seems very nice.” You say, a tight smile on your face. “You have spoken to him?!” Tanya asks in disbelief. All the girl's eyes are on you looking horrified except Chrissy. It might be known by everyone that Eddie sell’s, there were boys like that at your old school, but you don’t want to assume and out him, as a drug dealer if it wasn’t something others should know and these girls definitely give the vibe that it wouldn’t be a wise thing to mention. “I met him at the shop last week, he welcomed me to town.” You say in what you hope is a nonchalant way.

“He just walked up and started talking to you? Who does he think he is” Tanya almost snared the last part. You don’t like her tone. “No, I asked him for directions and he was kind enough to help me.” You try to say it in a neutral tone, despite the anger you feel rising in your chest. “He is such a freak, what if he now thinks he can just like talk to you or something, what if he has decided to sacrifice you for one of his creepy spells or something? You should be careful around him.” Kathleen warns you. You almost want to laugh at how ridiculous this whole conversation is, but the anger it also has awoken in you prevents you from it. “I think I will be okay. I have to go to the bathroom.” You say grabbing your stuff before standing up and rushing out of the cafeteria. Were these the girls you would have to cheer with? You find a bathroom and decide you want to touch up your makeup. It’s empty and you’re thankful for the brief moment alone, the moment really is brief though as a girl enters the bathroom while you’re reapplying your lipstick. Your eyes lock in the mirror. Chrissy.

“Hey.” She says in a kind of quiet voice. “Hi.” You say while putting the cap back on the lipstick tube. “I’m sorry about the others.” She came here to apologise for the behaviour of the other.

“It’s okay.” You say, which it actually isn’t, but you liked your conversation with Chrissy before it got interrupted by the other girls. “And, uh, I don’t think you have to worry about getting murdered or anything. I don’t know Eddie that well but I think he actually is pretty nice.” You giggle. “I think you are right. I don’t think I have to be afraid of being used to summon any demons.” Chrissy laughs at this too. “I know, I’ve been friends with most of them since elementary, but the things they say are sometimes… you know.” She makes a gesture with her hands. “Yeah, I think I get it.” you smile at her. Yeah, you like Chrissy you decide.

“I was thinking…” She says, looking a bit nervous. “If you maybe want to go to the movies with me on Friday. I was supposed to go with my boyfriend, Jason, but he wants to go to a party instead and so do the other girls, but I have really looked forward to this film.”

You feel bad that her boyfriend has decided to ditch her, but you are gladly surprised you were asked. Chrissy can become a friend, a real one. You tell her that you would be happy to join her. She gives you a big smile, not seeming nervous anymore. The two of you are talking in the bathroom for the rest of the break until you have to get to your respective classrooms. The time with Chrissy has lifted your spirit from the bad conversation in the cafeteria. The rest of the day goes relatively smoothly, mostly consisting of introductions to the various classes. You are finally entering your last class of the day, social studies with Mr Owen. And there, in the back row sits a familiar metalhead. The desk next to him is empty. You usually prefer to sit closer to the blackboard, but you are willing to make an exception for one class.

“Hey.” You greed Eddie as you sit down at your desk. “Well hello.” He smiles at you. You want to say something more, but you had a little trouble finding the right classroom so you don’t get the chance to before Mr Owen begins to welcome you all to the class.

You pull out your notebook and begin to write down the information Mr Owen tells you about your curriculum for the class. You are focusing on the board so you almost give out a little screech as a little scrap of rolled-up paper lands on your desk in front of you.

Hey

You recognise the handwriting from when he gave you his number this morning.

Hey :)

You add under the first hey before handing the paper back to him. A few seconds go by and a new piece of paper is landing on your desk.

No glitter pen this time? :(

You rummage through your pencil case before pulling out one of your glitter pens in magenta.

Happy now?

You write it down before handing the paper over.

Very!

You shake your head but a smile also creeps up on your lips.

Well, I’m gonna go back to focusing on the class, I think you should too!

You put your focus back on the blackboard but you keep using the pink pen for your notes. You try to keep focusing, but it has been a tough day with so many new people and impressions. You are tired and you still don’t sleep that well, you have not gotten used to your new bedroom yet. You get an idea, pulling out a side in your notebook you write.

Hey. Can I maybe come over and buy some “stuff” later?

You wait till mister Owens's back is turned as he writes something on the board before you pass the note. You get the paper back shortly after.

Sure, when can you come over?

You think about it for a moment. It will be easy to sneak out after dinner when your dad and Norma are watching their tv show. But you needed to drive to Eddie’s. You can probably think about some kind of excuse to borrow one of the cars that won’t be too suspicious.

8:30?

The paper lands on your desk again.

Deal!

[zippityzap]

Sonic Tarot Card Project: explanations for character picks

Recently I completed a summer-long project where I created Sonic themed versions of the tarot major acana. I put a lot of research and thought into what characters to assign to which cards, and I wanted to explain my rationale behind each one! (Everything’s under the read more cut because this is a very long post!)

To start off, let me explain why I did this project in the first place. This summer I watched Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure for the first time, and in Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, the majority of the stand abilities are named after the tarot major arcana. Thanks to cultural osmosis I vaguely knew the meanings of a few of the cards and I realised that one of the characters suited his assigned card pretty well. I was curious if this matched anyone else and so once I finished watching that part, I did research on tarot and found that yeah, a lot of them do match! That got me interested in tarot and since I like combining things I’m interested in, I decided to make Sonic versions of the cards.

I do want to note that while Jojo did inspire this project in a lot of ways, I tried not to let my character picks be influenced by Stardust Crusader characters, although there did end up being some picks that did coincidentally happen to match nicely anyway. Also, I’m not gonna lie, ever since picking these card choices I’ve been highly tempted to draw Sonic as Polnareff.

Anyway, on to my explanations for character choices!

0: The Fool (Charmy Bee)

The Fool represents innocence, spontaneity and recklessness. I believe Charmy’s happy and carefree nature, along with the simple fact that he’s essentially just a little kid who likes to have fun makes him a great fit for this card

1: The Magician (Infinite)

The Magician represents creation and strength, but also manipulation and narcissism, a good match for Infinite and the powers of the phantom ruby. (I was also very pleased to notice that the traditional art for the card has an infinity symbol- everything lined up very well!)

The Rider Waite version of the card also depicts a sword, a wand, a cup and a pentacle; the suits of the minor arcana. I have attempted to depict these with various objects from the Sonic series, namely Infinite’s sword from the IDW Forces prequel comic, the sceptre of darkness from '06, a chaos emerald, and a ring respectively.

2: The High Priestess (Princess Elise)

The High Priestess represents secrets, repression, and the unknown, which I believe fits with Elise’s initial desire to control her emotions and her sadness. (Admittedly this is one of the looser character/card connections for this project, but my two other picks for this card I felt were better suited to different cards)

3: The Empress (Vanilla the Rabbit)

The Empress represents nurturing, fertility and childbirth, all traits that I believe make this card a good pick for a kind, caring mother like Vanilla

4: The Emperor (Dr Eggman)

A card fitting for the leader of the Eggman Empire! The Emperor represents authority, power, and tyranny, all traits Dr Robotnik desires, if not possesses in many continuities.

5: The Hierophant (Espio the Chameleon)

The Hierophant represents wisdom and tradition, and in both upright and reversed forms it has large connections to the concept of social conformity. Perhaps I’m drawing more from the various comic versions of Espio, but he comes across to me as someone who is hyper-aware about how he presents himself.

Fun fact: a hierophant is essentially another word for a religious leader, although I’ve never seen it used outside the context of tarot. I assume the religious connection is the reason why in the OST of the Jojo part 3 anime, Kakyoin’s theme is called Noble Pope.

6: The Lovers (Amy Rose)

The Lovers represents love, communication, and passion; and Amy is certainly a character who wears her heart on her sleeve! She’s a good example of a character who I feel fits a number of different cards, however there are no other characters who suited The Lovers quite as much as her.

7: The Chariot (Sonic the Hedgehog)

The Chariot represents journeys, wanderlust as well as the ambition and willpower to achieve your goals, which I believe is the perfect match for Sonic’s adventurous and heroic spirit. This was one of the first cards I decided on and it’s probably the one I’d defend my interpretation of the most.

If you’re wondering why there’s dark and hero chao in the artwork too, it’s because the original card art depicts the titular chariot being pulled by black and white sphinxes, and this is my way of calling back to that.

8: Strength (Maria Robotnik)

This card pick might seem unusual at first if you take the word ‘strength’ at face value, however considering the original card art depicts a maiden peacefully taming a lion, perhaps the Strength card represents inner strength, courage and determination rather than physical strength. These are traits that I believe Maria possesses.

9: The Hermit (Knuckles the Echidna)

The Hermit signifies awareness and independence but when reversed can mean isolation and resignation, traits that parallel well with Knuckles and his duty to be the protector of the Master Emerald

10: The Wheel of Fortune (Big the Cat)

The Wheel of Fortune represents fate, karma and luck! This is admittedly a bit of a cheeky dig at myself since I’m awful at the Big fishing levels in SA1 and mostly got through them through luck. But that’s not to say the card doesn’t apply to Big himself! His frequent cameos do have a bit of a fate/destiny vibe to them and in IDW Big is lucky enough to manage to avoid the metal virus for quite a long time.

11: Justice (Vector the Crocodile)

The meaning of the Justice cards is… pretty much what it says on the tin: fairness and clarity. Of course the Team Chaotix detective agency represents this as a whole, but that trait especially shines through with Vector himself. He may be a little money oriented, but doing what is morally right always takes priority.

12: The Hanged Man (Shadow the Hedgehog)

The thing about Shadow is that he’s a fairly complex character which means there are a number of cards in the Major Arcana that match him well, but I knew early on when tackling this project that I wanted to assign Shadow to The Hanged Man. This card represents change, release and sacrifice, which all align well with the character arc that Shadow goes through during the course of SA2 and beyond.

13: Death (Tikal the Echidna and Chaos)

Despite the morbid name of the card, (and the admittedly macabre scene I’ve depicted) the Death card is not an inherently negative card to draw. Yes, it can mean endings and grief, but it can also mean letting go and new beginnings. The story that Tikal and Chaos go through in SA1, their anguish and how they later find peace, is something that I think pairs well with this particular card.

Fun fact: this is the only card in this project that has two significant characters on it rather than just one. I felt I needed both of them to be on the card in order to fully represent its meaning

14: Temperance (Blaze the Cat)

The Temperance card signifies balance, harmony and patience, which matches Blaze’s very poised and graceful demeanour. Admittedly I had a little bit of trouble deciding on a card for Blaze since the High Priestess and the Hierophant are also good matches for her.

15: The Devil (Rouge the Bat)

The Devil card represents temptation, seduction, and materialism and well… look, Rouge is one of my favourite Sonic characters, I’d be one of the first people to tell you that there’s a lot more to her than what initially appears, she is so much more complex than just sex appeal and a gemstone obsession. However, I felt there was no other character that matched the traits of this specific card better than Rouge, and so my choice was decided by that.

16: The Tower (E-123 Omega)

The Tower card represents a number of things; disruption, disasters, sudden changes etc, however the trait that made me believe that Omega would be the best selection for the card was violence.

17: The Star (Miles ‘Tails’ Prower)

Tails’ character arcs normally centre around him gaining independence and self-confidence and learning to believe in himself. He is also largely characterised by his unyielding faith and trust in Sonic. These traits are the reason why I believe The Star card represents him well, as it symbolises hope and faith.

18: The Moon (Shade the Echidna)

The Moon card symbolises mysteries and the unknown, and when Shade is first introduced in Chronicles, she and the rest of the Nocturnus Clan are certainly presented as mysterious. The Moon can also represent misconception, which fits well with how Shade was initially unaware of the true nature of Ix’s plans.

19: The Sun (Cream the Rabbit)

The Sun, when drawn in an upright position, has a lot of positive meanings! Freedom, fun, happiness, good luck etc. Cream’s cheerful and optimistic disposition makes her a good match for this card

20: Judgement (E-102 Gamma)

The Judgement card symbolises liberation, awakening, redemption and second chances, all of which I believe represent Gamma and his character arc in SA1 well

21: The World (Metal Sonic)

In the upright position, The World card symbolises triumph, completion, strength and happiness while in reversed position can mean failure, anxiety, lack of self-confidence etc. I had both positioning of the card in mind when connecting it to Metal Sonic; he is devoted to the tasks given to him and is self-assured in his belief that he is the true/superior ‘sonic’ yet he repeatedly finds himself at the hands of failure. But he doesn’t let previous failures hold him back, thus starting the cycle anew. (Another connection to the World card as it also symbolises cycles)

[bookloverfeministnerdthings]

Okay so I just finished re-reading the ACOTAR series (except a Court of Frost and Starlight) and there are sooo many things about this series that I absolutely love and now, of course, have to type here lest I annoy my friends by spamming them with my thoughts. 

(There are many spoilers below)

Feyre and Ryshand’s Relationship

I love their relationship for sooo many reasons, but mainly because it is a great depiction of a healthy relationship.Their relationship doesn’t take away from either of them as characters and also allows them opportunities to grow together as well as separately. Below is a summarised list of some of the reasons their relationship stood out to me.

They continue to function individually after becoming a couple: I hate books (and movies) where after getting together, the characters cease to function as individual beings. However, this is not the case with Feyre and Rhysand. They remain independent after getting together and frequently function independently of each other. Only a few days after Feyre is sworn in as High Lady, she goes off to the Spring Court to try and destroy it from the inside. And Rhysand goes off to prepare against Hybern back at the Night Court. Separately. And they continue to do things separately throughout the rest of the series. 

They don’t instantly become a couple; they’re friends first: Ugh, I have read too many books where there is an awkward practice fight-dance (I’m being serious) and then with almost no conversation the characters are miraculously together. Which is why it’s so refreshing to ready the flirty banter between Rhysand and Feyre as Feyre is questioning “are we just doing this to relieve some stress and tension and have fun or do I like Rhys but how can I tell how he feels about this?” I don’t know if I’m just sadistic but I love reading all the squirming and confusion and flirting as Feyre and Rhysand transition from being friends to a couple. And all this occurs after they’ve already developed a friendship and Feyre has left the Spring Court.

They view themselves as equals: Feyre is High Lady!! I absolutely love that Rhysand’s just like “No, I don’t care about tradition you’re gonna be High Lady”. I also love that Rhysand is always reminding Feyre that the Night Court is hers as well (even though I do find it sad that she is always referring to the court as “his” and stuff). Even at the end of ACOWAR Feyre asks “Is Amren still your second?” to which Rhysand replies “Our second”. I hate the sexism that still exists in their fantasy world leads to Feyre still sometimes deferring to Rhys about their court but I also love that Rhysand doesn’t just let it go and makes sure she realises that it is equally her court

Rhysand doesn’t try to force Feyre into a relationship even though he knows they are ‘mates’: Ok so on the other hand, he also hid and important fact about her and their relationship from Feyre but I think telling her would have been worse. It’s up for debate. But either way I think that that Rhys was ultimately trying to let Feyre be happy and make her own decisions even if that meant she married Tamlin. Rhys didn’t want to try and manipulate her to leave by telling her about the mating bond. There are definitely some dodgy aspects to all of it, for example, if Feyre didn’t know about the mating bond how could she have made a fully-informed decision about marrying Tamlin? Would she have left him sooner if she knew that he wasn’t her mate? Did Rhys inadvertently extend how long she stayed with Tamlin because she believed that the she and Tamlin would be mates? All of these questions are valid and raise interesting points but ultimately I think that Rhys didn’t want to try and force a relationship with Feyre or pressure her in any way.

There is more about their relationship and definitely more examples but I’m tired :/ I need to reserve my ranting energy for other subjects. 

Classism in the Series

So the classism in the series is less topical in ACOWAR because, you know, war is kinda at the forefront of everyone’s minds but in the earlier books the topic is raised a few times. The main classism in the series is the difference between the High Fae and the lesser faeries. Even the names illustrate the prejudice that lesser faeries may face. Tarquin and Feyre discuss breaking down the class sytem before she uhhh... robs him. Classism is interwoven in the series without affecting the plot and it ultimately adds to the world-building. The examples of classism add to the depth of the world. None of the classism really effects the main plot but it fleshes out the world and serves as a reminder of the classism present in our own society. Ultimately, although the classism isn’t explored fully and doesn’t affect the plot much I love that different issues can be explored sub-contextually via literature. 

Mor

Morrigan (Mor) is one of my favourite characters in the series. She has such an amazing background story. Honestly, such a role-model. 

During her childhood she was so powerful, more powerful than anyone else in her family but instead of being given opportunities to use of expand her strength she was just seen as a prize mare by her family. Her family was only focused on how they could use her strength to gain reputation and social standing by marrying her off to someone with influence. But instead of letting herself be used like a bargaining chip by her family, Mor makes her own choices that, although risky, give her some freedom. Instead of letting her virginity be sold to Eris, Mor chooses to lose it to her friend Cassian thus rendering her “spoiled” and useless to Eris, his family and Mor’s family. Mor’s family is so furious with her that they send her to the edge of the Autumn Court border (Eris’s court) with a note nailed to her stomach, telling Eris that Mor is his problem. Despite all this trauma, Mor endures and finds a crucial role in Rhysand’s court by overseeing both the Court of Dreams and the Court of Nightmares (where her family presides).

But another thing I love about the series is that Mor’s traumatic experiences don’t undermine Feyre’s own experience’s with Tamlin, or that of any other character. Neither is positioned to be viewed as “more traumatic” or “more important”; in fact, there is a huge emphasis placed on healing together and being able to understand what the other went through.   

There is sooo much more about Mor that is also exemplary (includingthe conversation between her and Feyre that reveals she prefers females over males) but I don’t have time to give it the attention she deserves.

Rhys

I just want to quickly highlight something about Rhys that stood out to me:

The sexual and emotional abuse he suffered from Amarantha: Different stories of abuse are interwoven throughout the series but I find it important that a male, main character is also shown as the victim of sexual and emotional abuse. It is also important that Rhys is extremely physically strong but was still subjected to sexual and emotional abuse because it highlights how men who have been abused aren’t necessarily physically or emotionally weak. This portrayal of a male victim of sexual abuse also diversifies the series without taking away or belittling the experiences of other characters.

Ok so there is so much more that I haven’t written about, mainly due to time but these are a few of the things that stood out to me.

[luchobeto]

Starfire in the Young Justice art style

Tried to combine key elements of all her major costumes but make it cohesive, whilst adding my own spin to it.

Included an older sketch of this design, showing some of the minor updates.

Starfire is easily my favourite Teen Titan, and actually one of my favourite comic-book characters too. Loved her in the old TV series, continued to love her when I discovered comics (she’s had a few rough patches *cough* early RHaTO  *cough*.

I wanted my design to do be practical, elegant and regal. I made a point of covering her up more, but was careful not to go too far, since showing skin is important to Starfire’s character design IMO. I went with her cartoon colour scheme, and in many ways this design is just the cartoon version of Kori’s costume but more detail and a few modifications.

Her thigh-high boots clip under her skirt, similarly to suspenders and stockings. I did that for practicality – I remember watching a cosplay video in which the cosplayer said thigh-high boots/socks were annoying since they had to be pulled up occasionally. The knee hole was added to give a sense of both her classic knee-high boots, and her more modern thigh-highs.

The top was also inspired by the “Justice League vs Teen Titans” costume, in the way that it exposed her hips and goes under her “skirt”. I moved the boob-window from that costume to just under her breasts, to give a nod to the areas of skin in her classic costume while being more aerodynamically logical (A boob window would create a lot of air drag since it would basically act as a mini-parachute if you think about it). If you look at the areas of exposed skin on the torso, it’s principally the same as her classic 80′s costume, but if that costume had covered up more. I decided to avoid cleavage all-together, it makes no sense for a flying character, and the risk of spillage is too real.

I kept the single arm band on her left arm, which in my headcanon covers a brand that the Citadel put on her during her time as a slave, or something to that effect. Or maybe it’s just contains some Titan’s tech, a tracker etc. Not sure, but the asymmetry of it has grown on me.

I struggled with green gems or red gems, but went with green because they honestly look better IMO, and I only considered red to be faithful to some of her comics costumes.

Though not shown here, in my version, Starfire has red/orange/yellow Starbolts, that match the glow of her hair, like some of her more classic Starbolt depictions. The green gems therefore serve to match her eyes. I felt like this was a more cohesive colour scheme. Her TV Teen Titans design worked with green Starbolts because her hair didn’t glow like in the comics (a decision I’m sure was made to save animation budget). If one includes her glowing fiery hair, having green Starbolts is an unpleasant glowing colour clash *cough* Starfire solo comic *cough*.

Plus, I think a fiery colour scheme for a Starbolt is more likely to be physically realistic (Starbolts don’t make much physics sense, but looking at it as plasma, it would probably be yellowy orange or blue-ish IMO). Blackfire is supposed to have more powerful Starbolts, so Komand’r having blue/violet Starbolts would be a more realistic indication of that I think (blue light is a more energetic due to a higher frequency than orange light) and it helps make her more visually distinct to Starfire.

Also in my headcanon, Starfire’s eyes don’t actually glow in the conventional sense, but rather she has “cat eyes”. So under the right light conditions and angles her eyes look like they’re glowing, and make her pupils seem to disappear.

Also she can see UV light, which I imagine would be a useful adaptation for a Tamaranean, to help them find the best places to get the UV energy they need. It would also explain Starfire being able to make out more distant objects than humans, as explained here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk2izv-c_ts

Her costume is made of tough Tamaranean materials that can deal with the sort of damage she would expect to receive in her hero work. It’s also mostly transparent in UV light, so that it doesn’t inhibit her UV radiation absorption, which she needs for her powers. Sure, if I’m gonna be consistent with my own ideas, this would mean her costume would look like it was translucent for Tamaranean eyes, but I don’t think that is a make/break issue at all, since Tamaraneans, Kori included, are perfectly comfortable with nudity.

Was sure to make sure she didn’t have heels. Seriously…how has that persisted so long in female costume design (¬__¬)

[queenieships]

2, 4, 5 and 9 w/ you and Scooter for the self-ship meme? - limey

MMMM @limey-blue-arty-do I’M SO SORRY THIS ENDED UP BEING SO FUCKING LONG,,,, I’m gonna have to put some of it under the cut for length!! ^^; I really got to talk about some important parts of my self ship with Scooter though so if anyone likes or is invested in this ship this is definitely something to read aha!!

2 - What’s the scariest moment you have had together?

Well, honestly the borderlands timeline and where my insert fits into it is kind of… undefined? Depending on whether I’m RPing and stuff like that it changes. However the one I stick to most is that she’s on Pandora around Borderlands 2 and into TFTBL - and at that point Scooter and I are definitely dating. (Apologies for the fact I talk about it in the first person and 3rd person lmao,,,,) And if you know anything about TFTBL then you know Scooter!! Fucking!! Dies!! – In typical self shipper fashion I’ve imagined an AU where he doesn’t and he is just seriously fucked up. We’re talking like, Harvey Dent level of burns on half his body and probably an amputated right arm (leading to a cool robot prosthetic because HELL YEAH) – So I would say our scariest moment is dealing with that? For some time Queenie believes Scooter to actually be dead and avoids any of the Catch a Ride’s as well as his family because it’s very painful for her. After a little while and after Scooter’s had time to recover a little bit Moxxi gets in touch with her and invites her over for a drink and a talk and then it’s kind of a SO I LIED WE’RE NOT GONNA HAVE A DEPRESSED TALK LOOK WHO’S HERE :^) and ofc Queenie is just a snotty, crying wreck and they all hug it out and it’s kind of a very sweet, happy and emotional moment. It’s still scary after that as well as Queenie stays by Scooter’s side as he continues his recovery, tries to get used to a new prosthetic as well as phantom limb pain and a whole bunch of other issues. (He’s a goddamn mechanic who just lost his dominant hand like. He basically has to learn how to use his hand all over again.)

4 - What’s one of the more casual dates you and your f/o have had?

Well, all of our dates are pretty casual!! Scooter’s that subtle romantic type where everything is cozy and relaxed but still thought out and heartfelt. Our first date was literally a short roadtrip, a picnic consisting of beer and sandwiches and then cuddling up and making out in the back of a van wrapped up in blankets. A+ stuff really. 

5 - What’s your favourite physical attribute of your f/o? What’s their favourite when it comes to you?

Honestly the Scooter that I ship with is borderline my own redesign of him. Or at least, playing Borderlands 1 and 2 he was a very, very gross joke character and then in TFTBL they CLEARLY took him much more seriously and developed him a lot (and since that’s the first game in the series I actually played, this was my introduction to Scooter and why I actually like him) - but kind of seeing the full picture of his character and his history made me pretty angry and I was like y’know what? Fuck it. Scooter’s my boy now and I’ve got a shit ton of Headcanons to deck him out with and make a genuine, actual character and not some goofy redneck stereotype. (Though that still stands.) —

AND AS SUCH, One of the first things I changed was his body type. Scooter in the games is definitely depicted as scrawny and that’s never made a bit of sense to me. His sister is huge, mostly fat but definitely muscular too (Ellie is gorgeous and I,,, love her,,) and yes they’re only half siblings but it only made sense to me that they would have more similar physiques, especially since they grew up in the same place and environment and both went on to become mechanics for a living. Using THIS as a reference I would say the first guy is pretty close to what I imagine Scooter’s body type is, though Scooter has quite buff arms from his job. 

OKAY SO NOW THAT THIS CATEGORY IS LONG ENOUGH WITH CONTEXT I’M GONNA ACTUALLY ANSWER THE GODDAMN QUESTION – My favourite part of Scooter is his arms and his hands. Though I genuinely like everything about his body, he is a mechanic and as such his arms are particularly big and strong and his hands are rough and experienced and covered in burns and little scars and almost always covered in oil. Scooter is very confident when it comes to his hands and arms and they’re the part of his body he’s most fond of as well. 

As for me, it’s difficult to say which part Scooter likes the most. He obsesses over my figure, he loves that I’m soft and curvy. He wants to be romantic and in some ways he is, since he loves things like my tiny hands and my round face and all it’s small features – but the perverted part of him that’s lowkey obsessed with women’s bodies is drawn to my curves, eyes always tracing the lines where my waist meets my hips, my thighs and he is. a total. ass man. Like, genuinely obsessed, the bigger the better – even before we get together, every chance he got his eyes would dart down, watching me walk from behind is a TREAT for him. So in short Scooter’s just a gross boy who wishes he could say something cute like “Oh her eyes!” but in actuality it’s the ass, all day long. 

9 - Are you a morning cuddler or kisser?

Both but mostly cuddles!! It’s rare for Scooter to still be in bed when I’m waking up, since he gets up at the same time almost every morning to start working in the garage. If he is still in bed though he’s definitely awake and I’d cuddle up to his chest, still groggy. He loves me in the early mornings especially because I don’t even talk, I just kind of let out a bunch of tired little whines and act like a tired puppy basically. It’s very, very cute to him. He knows that even if he tried to kiss me he’d get hardly anything back because I’m just THAT tired early in the morning so cuddling is always the best option. 

[eccentricextrovert]

Real Talk:

Why don’t more people talk about ever after high? Sure, it’s a children’s show created by the same people who made monster high, but we know that shows originally intended for children can gain a massive following *cough* miraculous ladybug *cough* steven universe *cough* So why doesn’t Ever After High have the same treatment? Below are just a few reasons why I believe people should really consider watching Ever After High.

1. Strong female characters, both mentally and physically. There are literally so many strong female characters in this show, and they all show it in different ways. Even characters who you thought were two dimensional at first are shown to have way more depth. For a show about princesses, it really lacks in the helpless princess troupe. Sometimes it even makes fun of it. Though sometimes it is distinctly lacking in male characters, the guys that they do have are all amazing characters too.

2. The character arcs. As I stated before, even the most two dimensional characters are shown to have tons more depth than we ever imagined they’d have. My favourite character in the entire show was the biggest jerkwad in the beginning. But eventually, just like real people, even the most unlikable of characters are shown to have their motivations. And they don’t make excuses for assery in this show either. The characters learn to grow as people, and most never try to make excuses for their past mistakes once they have grown.

3. REPRESENTATION AND DIVERSITY. This show isn’t lacking in diversity (except in the body types, but that’s a style choice) Their are so many poc in this show, and many of them have huge parts. All of the characters are varied in personality and looks, and they don’t find themselves restricted to how the princesses are usually portrayed.

4. I almost put this with representation and diversity but it deserves it’s own category tbh. ONE OF THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS IS KISSED BY A WOMAN. And not any woman, a kickass princess who she’s supposed to spend the rest of her life with. Did I forget to mention that it isn’t just any kiss, it’s true love/destiny’s kiss? Y'know, that kiss that most princesses are administered in their stories? Yah, the only on screen depiction of that we’ve gotten that actually worked was between two women. And this isn’t really seen as that much of a problem for the two characters involved (it’s more of a problem for the guy they thought was her prince tbh. I mean his sister took the destiny he was sure was his. That’s gotta hurt) One of the two that was involved in the kiss just kinda accepts it, because she’d been doing shit that wasn’t expected of her for a while now, and the other has been having a pretty hard time accepting it. The one who was kissed has also shown no attraction to men whatsoever, except politely saying that she wasn’t dating the guy she was supposed to be with. Like she uses guys, and does what’s expected of her. That’s it though.

5. HAVE I MENTIONED THE DEPTH TO THESE CHARACTERS??? I’m really passionate about this. They make mistakes, they try to fix themselves, some fail, other don’t. I just love these characters.

6. The ARTWORK. This show is in a really unique style, and it suits the fairytale aspect so well. The overall aesthetic of this show is amazing, and the detail in their eyes and outfits is phenomenal. I could talk all day about the tiny details in this show, but I’ll let you see for yourself. It’s gorgeous, simple as that.

6. It has a lot of content out already. The tv show itself is a Netflix original show and it already has 5 seasons. THAT ISNT IT THOUGH. It also has a bunch of webisodes that are available on YouTube. They aren’t really important to the actual plot, but they add background to the characters and makes them feel more real. They’re also super fun. Plus there are multiple books that are also great.

7. This is the last point guys. The backrounders. Y'know, those characters that are in the background to make scenes more populated. I love them. They all still feel like characters with their own lives and stories, and when I watch with my little sister we’ll point out our favourites doing things. Like they are all still gorgeous, and even though they are simpler than the main cast (well, some of them) a few main characters started out as backrounders. Basically the backrounders are amazing and I’ve rewatched the series just for them multiple times and though this isn’t the best point to leave it on and I could say a lot more I just wanted to make you aware of the backrounders and how much I love them.

Ever After High is a series with some flaws, all series have flaws. It’s main point is to sell dolls, but it’s a lot more than that. The characters all have real life to them and the plot is really intriguing. More people should give it a shot. Also I’m sorry that I didn’t add pictures, I had a few that I wanted to add but I’m on mobile so what are you gonna do?

[flamecladconqueror-blog]

TCGs - My return to them, and why they made me appreciate sports

I’m not really a sports person. I don’t like being physically active at all, and even getting out of bed is a dreadful activity that I’d rather just forget about and never do again. As a result of that, I’ve never really paid any attention to sports throughout my life. You don’t think about things you dislike that often, and eventually learn to ignore them completely.

But games, that’s something I love. Among all those different types of games out there, Trading Card Games (or TCGs) are easily among my favourites. I’m a sucker for shiny things and cool artwork, so naturally, as a child most of my spending money went towards booster packs of various TCGs. The one I poured most of my money into was, like for many others, the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! which I had been playing since its release here in [redacted country of origin and current residence].

Unfortunately I grew up with a mother who didn’t understand why her children enjoy playing with coloured cardboard - or anything at all really, she was and continues to be no fun - and who viewed our hobby as a waste of both money and space (those cards have to be stored somewhere). And as is usual for children of any age, there came a time when we looked at other things to pursue as hobbies, and our cards saw less and less use, until we stopped playing with them altogether and were told to dispose of them. Not sell them or anything, just throw them in the trash. It’s just a bunch of cards, right? Sometimes I still get a bit emotional over that moment, but it’s in the past now, and it’s time to move on.

And move on I did! Over the course of several years my attention wandered from genre to genre of games, taking a dive into the wonderful but expensive world of wargaming, until settling for video games. I still enjoy video games, but part of me always wanted to get back to TCGs, and when I saw an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! on TV 3 years ago, I decided to get back into that game.

It started with a simple structure deck - a pre constructed deck of cards that often (read: always) revolve around a common theme, mostly an archetype of cards that directly support each other. While that deck was nice, it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. It didn’t feel like it did back then, when I was younger. I wanted that feeling of excitement I got when I opened a pack of cards and pulled something amazing.

So I made the only reasonable decision one could make when all he has is 30€. I spent all of it on packs of the newly released set Duelist Alliance.

You see, in 2014 a new era of Yu-Gi-Oh! started, introducing a new mechanic, accompanied by a new series (which I loved, but that’s a topic for another day). I figured if I really wanted to get back into the game, I might as well start with something brand new. I had my eyes on several archetypes that debuted in this set. Superheavy Samurai looked fun and were used by cool character in the anime, Tellarknights had a really neat playstyle of swarming the field to make big guys, and Yang Zing were a completely new type of monsters (Wyrm-type) that was bound to get better with future generic support.

So I pulled a card that looked like this. It was...a sports dude. In my TCG. A card promoting something I hated, in something I loved. I wasn’t very happy with it at first, but little did I know that this card was the beginning of a new flame of passion burning up within my heart.

You see, this card was part of a new archetype that made its debut in the TCG (for those unaware, the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is called Official Card Game, or OCG, in Asian regions, and some cards are exclusive to each of those regions for a time until they get ported over). There was no info about how these cards performed in Japan, because they did not exist there. People in the west shrugged them off as being gimmicky and strictly inferior to the other TCG exclusive archetype of the set, Burning Abyss (spoilers: they were right), but that flipped my little hipster switch. I just had to make this work, somehow.

I couldn’t make it work. Not with the first wave of support. With a total of 3 cards (2 Level 5 monsters and a Field Spell), there was no way you could build a proper deck around these sportsmen. But they were gonna get new toys to play with in sets to come, so I anxiously awaited the release of the U.A. cards. In the meantime, I also got two old schoolmates back into the game with me.

To skip all the boring stuff, more U.A. cards came, I built a proper U.A. deck, it wasn’t amazing but man did I love it. And here’s why:

It’s a masterpiece of thematic/mechanic consistency. For the sake of keeping this short (he said as he looked over the wall of text he just wrote), I won’t go into detail here, so let’s just look at three cards. We’ll start with the card above, the star of the deck, U.A. Mighty Slugger.

Those of you familiar with the world of sports will quickly realize that this guy plays baseball. What’s a good thing to happen in baseball? A homerun. Why is it good? Because the opposing team can’t do anything about it, you just score. Mighty Slugger is a homerun, preventing your opponent from responding to his attack with cards or effects, until the attack is completely resolved. Not even the effects of monsters he destroys in battle will activate upon entering the graveyard. Mighty Slugger is the baseball concept of a homerun in card form.

The next card on our list is U.A. Midfielder. He’s the other star of the show, being the only monster in the archetype that can be Normal Summoned without tributing a monster. He plays football (or soccer), and the midfielder in that sport is an important part of the team, tying offense and defense together. That’s just what this card does, too! He allows you to tag out other U.A. monsters during either player’s turn, giving you a massive boost in flexibility. I should probably also note at this point that, yes, every single monster in the archetype has the ability to tag out - to return a different U.A. monster from your field to your hand, to summon the new monster. It allows you to attack the opponent with your offense, and then tag out for your defense to guard against whatever your opponent throws at you. Midfielder here let’s you tag out even during the opponent’s turn, which can be quite a surprise.

But what would a sports team be without a stadium of their own? U.A. Stadium is the archetype’s Field Spell, and it’s the concept of home field advantage. If your team plays in their stadium, on their home turf, where they belong, they have the fans on their side. They cheer for them, giving the team a morale boost, that comes in the form of 500 ATK points when a U.A. monster is Special Summoned (think of it as subbing in a new player for one who got hurt, for example). And when the team enters the stadium (in this game, when you Normal Summon a U.A. monster), there won’t just be one of them coming in, there’s gonna be the whole team, so go ahead and search another U.A. monster of your choice.

The entirety of this archetype consists of cards that perfectly combine both the theme of sports and the mechanics of the game to create something that feels just right. Playing this deck will have you thinking you’re the manager of your very own sports team, and I honestly haven’t played any deck in any other game that I’ve enjoyed nearly as much! Well, now that the F.A. archetype is a thing, that might change...car racing? That’s another thing I dislike. But the cards look great.

This archetype depicting a theme I don’t care about at all rekindled my love for TCGs, and has brought me many hours of joy. Since building this deck I’ve played several other card games, and am glad to have done so. TCGs are a fun way to socialize with people who share your passion, and there’s gotta be one out there that you can enjoy.

[pyro-john]

Welcome to the Hellmouth: Subverting Expectations

Season 1, Episode 1: Welcome to the Hellmouth. These are most likely going to be long form stream of consciousness posts. Watch the episodes and follow along with my rambling thoughts. (It’s on Netflix!)

Subverting expectations is the name of the game right out of the gate. It seems to me that the BtVS team wanted to shatter any preconceived notions on multiple fronts. This show came out in the era of 90210, and Dawson's Creek, right smack in the middle of the WB teen drama boom of the late 90s. BtVS needed to stand out from the watery gruel of its contemporaries, without falling into a niche of campy Goosebumps-esque fare. Welcome to the Hellmouth seems to have been set up to do just that.

The opening scene of this show is brilliant. The spooky shots of the school that will be the primary setting, two kids breaking in, a timid schoolgirl and an obvious badboy. The show tells us immediately that things aren't going to go the way you think when the girl vamps out and eats the guy. Darla’s a fascinating character, and I’ll touch on her more later.

The opening organ notes of the theme song always give me chills.  Nerf Herder doesn’t get nearly enough credit.

The first shot we see of Buffy she’s lying in bed having nightmares. We get a ton of shots of some of the monsters Buffy will fight over the course of the season, which I kind of like. It’s a treat for people who really pay attention. Or for hopeless obsessives that have seen it 50 times. They kind of drop the whole Slyer prophecies thing as the show goes on, and I have mixed feeling on that. It’s a little clichéd, but there was a sense of macabre whimsy to it as well, especially when we get to some of the more abstract stuff later on.

When we get our first shots of Sunnydale High in the daytime, we're lulled back into thinking we know what's going on. We meet the gang, Xander the roguish dork (I can't believe he rides a skateboard), Willow the meek nerdy girl, and Jesse who is also there.

BtVS suffers a bit from late 90's fasion, which makes it feel a bit dated, but it's a pretty minor problem overall. It's more of an issue in early season 1 as the show gets its feet under it from a visual perspective. But oh man, Willow's checker dress and backpack.

In Buffy's meeting with Principle Flutie we get one of our few references to the Buffy Movie. Retconned so that instead of getting on a motorcycle and riding off with Luke Perry she just burned the motherfucker down. Not something you'd expect from a tiny cute blonde, (Flutie certainly doesn't seem to expect it) Seeing Buffy in class is weird. For a show set in a high school, relatively little education seems to happen. We meet Cordelia here too, in manner which suggests that she's going to be Buffy's new bff, (the little quiz Cordy gives Buffy dates the show a bit too. Hard to remember that James Spader was once a teen heartthrob) but almost immediately we see her viscous side when she snaps at Willow for using a water fountain that Cordelia doesn't even seem to want to use. Not all that glitters is gold.

Next we get to meet Giles. Anthony Stewart Head is far and away the best actor on this show. He acts with his whole body. You can see the shift from rigid indifference to near giddy excitement when he pull out that Vampyr book. (One of my favourite props. I love that thing). Again we're subverting expectations, of the characters as well as the audience. Buffy goes in to get a text book and is confronted with a tome of monster lore that seems to frighten her. It's great stuff. There aren't many scenes of students that aren't the core gang, unless something horrible is about to happen.  Dead body on campus count: 1

The first scene with the core three (Buffy, Willow, and Xander) Cordelia, and Jesse, establishes so much of the early dynamic, it's really great to watch. I'll talk more about Jesse when I watch the Harvest, but his existence is another massive subversion. Here he's set up as a foil for both Xander and Cordelia, but the writers had something else in mind. Jesse is one of my favourite things about season 1.

Giles' exposition scenes are a core component of the series, especially early on. With the wrong delivery these scenes could be dry as dust, but Head makes each of them a joy to watch. There's an urgency and passion that makes you lean forward and really listen to what he's trying to tell you, even if Buffy doesn't. This one five minute scene lays out the whole premise of the show and you barely notice it happening. We learn how vampires turn people, what a Slayer is, what a Watcher is, that Sunnydale is monster central, that Giles is a huge dork, and that some mystical badness is gonna happen soon. Buffy tempts fate big time at the end of this scene. It's a bit cliched, but it sets up some great jokes way down the line. Buffy's mother, Joyce, is another unappreciated character. Depicting a single mother in the 90s was a bold move, and she pulls it off well. Just the right mix of trying to let her daughter have freedom while still indulging her helicopter mom instincts. The early BtVS villains don't get nearly enough love. Partly because there was half as much time to establish them as the later villains (season 1 was only 12 episodes), and artly because they get overshadowed by the more wacky season 1 baddies like Mantis Lady and Internet Demon. But Luke, the Master, Darla, they're all great.

Angel's introduction is just the right combination of intriguing and creepy. Introducing him as a cryptic informant, and showing that Buffy can physically overpower him immediatly quashes the idea that he'll need to come to her rescue lays so much groundwork for Angel's development and for their relationship. I love the cross necklace. Jewlery gets used a lot in BtVS for symbolism. That little cross holds so much emotional power as time goes on. Ahh the Bronze. So much happens in that little dingy club. Mostly murders. Lots and lots of murders. The scene in the Bronze pulls a huge amount of weight for character development. We get to see that Buffy is a dork, who really wants to have something normal. We see Willow eating raisins at a club, and find out about her conflicted Xander feelings. We learn what Giles considers partying (this was a year and a half before Google, how did American kids find out what the hell Bovril was?). We get Jesse seemingly stop pining after a chick who hates him, (much to his personal detriment), and we get to see Buffy's place in the social order cemented when she nearly stakes Cordelia. When we get to the graveyard, we have our first proper fight of the series, and we get to see Buffy in her element. The entire episode we see her timidly talking to teachers and students and her Mum, and even herself, trying to figure out what she's supposed to do and where she fits in. Here we see her immediately confident, her posture changes, she starts being snarky. This is where she belongs. In the fight. But again, this episode is about subversion. So halfway through the fight a bigger badder badguy shows up and she starts getting wrecked. This badass superchick can also be threatened. She isn't the strongest thing out there. Pilots are supposed to show both what the show is, and what it has the potential to become, and Welcome to the Hellmouth knocks it out of the park. It's not the greatest Buffy episode, not by a longshot, but it builds an unshakable foundation. Right away we know that this isn't just another teen drama. It's not just another vampire show. This is going to be something else entirely.

Favourite Quote: Willow: Well... when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty. Or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away.