#Watch the death of my main character's father and show how his last thought was comforted only by visions of how his son would one day--

[bonefall]

longtime dc fan and i think a lot of people are angry because alex is obviously one of the most culturally relevant instances of misogyny in media. that being said being more culturally relevant doesn’t mean it’s the worst instance of misogyny and i think bumble definitely experiences more profound misogyny in the way the actual content is presented, if that makes sense

I get you, and that's a charitable way of looking at it.

I think what's rustling my jimmies is that like, there was a couple of WC fans being mildly dismissive of Alex in that note minefield, after dozens of comments of "fuck you how could you let the fridge woman lose" and "Bumble didn't deserve to win ANY rounds" and "how could A CAT experience misogyny." But then WE get blamed for the toxicity because THEY were butthurt that the Funny Cat People have the 'audacity' to win something they feel entitled to.

Like, we've gotta be endlessly charitable as we get openly insulted because they're upset about Alex losing, a very well-known and culturally relevant character with a legacy so massive we have a whole term named after her. But condemnations of "She's just a cat, letting WC into this poll was a mistake, Bumble can't even be a victim of misogyny" only started coming around once I started talking about it.

as if it's OUR fault people got passive-aggressive or even OPENLY aggressive towards us, and that we're "just as bad" for retaliating

But like you said, it's not a "Most Culturally Relevant Misogyny" tournament, it's a "Canon Misogyny Victims" tournament. And you're not even supposed to give a shit that Bumble died. The fat, woman abuse victim is beaten to death by a dictator, and your takeaway is meant to be, "It's so sad that Clear Sky is being blamed for murdering her, now they're all preparing for self-defense against a homicidal maniac, oh nooo :("

And I think that DOES make her deserve the win here! Alex is a MARTYR. Everyone with a brain agrees what happens to her is bad. It happened in her canon because it was bad. We talk about her and keep her memory alive. Bumble gets dismissed entirely out of hand because she's "just a cat in a kid's book" as if that doesn't make it worse, and as if the kid's book didn't treat a domestic abuse survivor like a moron for even asking for help.

Anyway, just to reiterate, I love DC fans. It's not all of you guys. Alex was done dirty and deserves justice-- and it's even kind of a shame that all she became is "The Fridge Woman." I haven't even heard people talk about how she was a wary, responsible person who was still ready to rock with Kyle's new weird glowstick powers, or that she was a journalist, or that she just got brought back in another edition as a Green Lantern only to be revealed as an illusion and re-absorbed back into Kyle's mind. Nope. Even her fans just remember her as The Fridge Woman.

[mewsmagic]

I DID NOT EXPECT TO DO ANOTHER ANALYSIS THOUGHTS WHATEVER POST BUT ARLECCHINO IS JUST TOO MUCH FOR MY NEURODIVERGENT BRAIN AND I NEED TO TALK ABT IT SO HERE WE GO AGAIN

Spoiler warning for Arlecchino’s character teaser!!!

If you haven’t yet, watch it here!!

Look look. I really did not expect Arlecchino to be comprehensive, understanding or merciful (of her children) since in the Fontaine trailer she was critical of Lyney and Lynette and we did have other harbingers calling her a wolf in sheep’s clothing and things like that

Oh fuck I screenshotted this at the wrong time LOLL anyway

BUT THEN SHE WAS SO KIND WITH THIS GIRL 😭😭

Despite telling her that she told her recklessness would lead to failure, she was not mad at her AT ALL – and I mean, completely fair, girl was literally on her deathbed – and instead decided to deal with the problem herself 😭😭😭😭😩😩😩🤯🤯🤯🤡🤡🤡 I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS FROM A SUPPOSEDLY “STRICT AND UNFEELING FATHER”

Also, this isn’t my main point but the way she showed up like fricking bogeyman and crushed the nasty man’s skull with her HEEL was insane (positively) for me

Anyway LOL then she went, killed him, exposed his crimes and robbed all his money SO SHE COULD ADOPT MORE HOMELESS CHILDREN LIKE PLEASE THIS IS EXTREMELY CHAD AND BASED OF HER

Not only that, but she went back to her child and saw her off herself 😭😭😭😭 this shot of her closing her eyes, gosh this made me really emotional, especially considering what comes next

She did mourn her death!!!! Not only that but she called her “her child”!!!!! Although she appears inexpressive, it must’ve been so hard to see the children you raised part like that.

And considering we’re talking about a whole orphanage, this is definitely not her first time, and won’t be her last either, it must be so hard to be the director of the House :(

Now, I gotta say I like her character even more after all this 😭😭😭😭

I am all for villains who are actually evil and nasty flawed people and I do like characters like that as well, but I feel like in Alrecchino’s case, it was kinda necessary for her to have a softer side?

I mean, again, we’re talking about an orphanage here. Her underlings are literally her own children, children like her who were abandoned at a young age, had nowhere to go and no one to take care of them. Not only that, but she has to train them to become underground agents and deal with dangerous situations at a young age. To become criminals even.

And this is all without even mentioning that she had to deal with generational trauma too. It’s a tendency for this type of children to become the opposite of their parents, and try to do better than them even if they do still have their own flaws. And I think this is shown wonderfully in Arlecchino.

She tries to put a front of a cold and strict father, but on the inside, she’s not as ruthless as she makes herself out to be. Even to the Traveler, who has been an “enemy” of the Fatui in various situations, she did not care about it and instead judged them to be a valuable ally (AND SHE WAS NOT WRONG!!!!)

It's really no wonder Lyney admires her and wants to be like her. Tbh I would feel the same way if I were in his shoes LOL Lynette and Freminet seem to respect her a lot as well, from what I've seen in the Archon quests and the story quests I mean.

I did not read all of the Hearth siblings lore however, so I may be missing some information about how she raised them, and there’s still the story quest and the Boss fight that still wasn’t released and I don’t look at this type of leaks LOL but still, you got my point!

Another point I wanna mention is that this front of cold, unfeeling and harsh could be considered her flaw, even if it’s just a mask.

I mean, it is considered a toxic trait to pretend to be something you’re not. It could be people pleasing (no shame btw I am one myself), could be narcissistic traits like the previous Knave showed, and it could be pretending to be tougher than you really are, like in Arlecchino’s case.

In this case, she’s not only neglecting her own feelings and not letting them out (i.e.: not crying for her child’s death for example), but it can give the wrong impression to her children as well.

It gives the impression that she doesn’t care about them, especially at a young age, and especially considering they’re homeless children who have already been abandoned by their biological parents, and by the world itself.

According to studies on psychology, this situation makes children even more vulnerable to insecurity, low self-esteem, and gives them even more need for emotional connection and reassurance, which Arlecchino doesn't give them bc she's cold.

So yeah, Arlecchino IS still flawed and questionable in her own way, the children do feel the effect of this and her “good side” was necessary for her position and done wonderfully in my opinion.

Personally, I LOVE it when villains/anti-heroes are unhinged at the right people/moments but at the same time still have their kind side and their own issues. I mean, questionable people in real life do also have their good side, and this is exactly what makes them fucking nasty when they're nasty.

But I'll definitely talk more about this whenever I do make a post about Firefly from Star Rail! Gosh I have so much to say about her, just wait for me guys!!!

[mahuhumaling]

JATP Season 2 Wishlist

that i wrote in my notes app back in:

and realized i never posted it here? tbf i'm rarely on tumblr. but because i really miss them rn i want to share my ✨ brainrot ✨ that i had back when i thought they were getting a renewal.

Carrie Wilson

she was my biggest flaw in Season 1. I wish her "redemption arc" is fleshed out more in Season 2; give her either more context & backstory to validate her reason for unnecessarily antagonizing Julie, or screentime to properly address how she's just projecting an emotion completely different into bitterness and anger into Julie's recovery

show particularly her earlier dynamic w/ Flynn and Julie? Maybe as Flynn calls her out, we'd get flashback glimpses prior to Rose's death (maybe even Double Trouble temporarily being Triple Threat 👉🏽👈🏽)

for some reason i'm picturing a scene where she's in her dance studio (she has one in their mansion, of course) practicing some of her Dirty Candy routine when she keeps messing up and not in the right mindset to keep dancing. i feel like the best (maybe easiest but whatever) way to guide the audience into her artist mind is to make her be a perfectionist. in frustration, she blows up for a minute before slumping onto the ground and reminisces her fun times with Julie & Flynn

also when you have her develop, please don't make her lose her femininity and the bubblegum pop music, it's great

Old Songs Resurfacing

it'll prove how detailed & thorough you are as a screenwriter if you pay off the songs mentioned in Season 1 in passing to be actual songs in Season 2

Unreleased: Get Lost, Long Weekend, Crooked Teeth, My Name is Luke, and if that riff from the scene in EP. 5 that spurred on the Bobby reveal isn't from one of these songs, add that too

Demo Album: Late Last Night, Lakeside Reflection, In Your Starlight

Willex

imagine your queer couple gets to have their first kiss first than your het main couple, not only will that settle Madi & Charlie's statements about being uncomfortable in doing a kissing scene and maintaining the priority of Juke's emotional over physical relationship, it would also make an powerful statement

Reggie's Character Arc

i know that he initially had an arc that involved a romance with Flynn but because of the ages of who they casted, they scrapped it and didn't have time to rewrite the scripts for him as filming neared, so they have time to adapt to how jeremy portrayed him for season 2: a lovable dork who craves familial love

since there's a possibility that lifers can now see the boys, maybe some found family trope for Reggie and Ray Molina?

he has pretty much formed a parasocial relationship with him at this point

so why not instead of a love interest, Reggie can have his character arc develop & we see his family before thru flashbacks and paralleling those in the current times because he sees Ray as a father figure

picture this: it's raining, Bobby opens the garage door to the sound of knocking, the boys find Reggie soaking wet and out of breath when he tries to say he doesn't know where else to go then the boys immediately figure out another fight in the Peters household happened. Reggie tries to talk again when Alex (because even though they're the airhead-sarcastic duo, they know they love each other) runs up to hug him and tells the other he doesn't have to say anything

cut to a freshly showered Reggie, quietly watching tv with Bobby, Luke, and Alex in the garage, eating whatever

also a solo acoustic country song, pls. just to make him happy

The Aftermath of the Deaths

for both the boys and Rose

we get parallels about how Bobby dealt with trauma and grief to Julie

like, the reason why the clothes are still in there (are to have costume changes for the boys) is because Bobby immediately moved out of the house (therefore also the garage) and left the clothes there because he couldn't bear to burn it, or visit the boys' houses to break the news to their families and return the clothes, or donate it somewhere so he just...left it. it would make for a more solid reason (for costume changes) and an emotional context as to how Bobby really tried to forget them because it was "easier."

it would also make sense why Carrie and Julie ended up friends. Rose probably was there for Bobby when they discovered what happened at the alleyway, so they stayed friends over the years and had their respective families but still kept in touch, (bonus points if absolutely nothing romantic happened between them! yay to normalizing platonic male-female relationships) and why Rose would immediately think of Bobby's three late bandmates to send for Julie when she was on her deathbed

Bobby never really "moved on" (because grief is a really complex thing). it's showed that he has a therapist and everything, and this could definitely have some aftereffects on his daughter. Carrie growing up seeing her father be this amazing rockstar but a negligent father and only showing love in ways she doesn't need (like riches and fame and connections to the music industry) because he's actually a really lonely man on the inside and no one can see that except for Bobby's spouse and Carrie. it'd explain why Carrie is spoiled, and other negative character traits that Carrie has on the surface

it's even why Bobby changed his name to Trevor: 1) Bobby is so closely associated to Sunset Curve and it's an absolute pain to be reminded of that every day, 2) it's a stage name and artists really do get that

More Worldbuilding

they already had some pretty creative concepts/ideas in the first season, so why not expand/expound on them a bit more

the instruments are attached to their souls that's why the boys at first can only touch them, like how Willie's skateboard and helmet are attached to him

which is why when they attach themselves to the world of the present, they gather up energy and focus on touching tangible things like the picture frame

this may follow the logic toward the end where they are finally able to touch Julie because she has become attached to their souls. emotionally.

More Creative Collaboration

i believe in the principle that when a story is finally released/published/told to the world, the world shares it. this is also visible in film/tv where when the scripts are finished and actors receive them, the story becomes part of theirs to work on. which means that they have some sort of autonomy over their characters' motivations, a chance to be heard of their ideas and pitches, and why some certain scenes wouldn't work, etc etc. it doesn't just become the director's story nor the screenwriters'.

the actors' ideas such as Perfect Harmony and their solos from Nothing to Lose are great because they let them in. they took risks, and it paid off incredibly well. more of that please. have them be a part of the writing process, (also the story), but never forget what made the music production great in the first place. be coherent and don't be like others that let too many hands work on one piece—it will lose its sound, its identity.

Julie Knowing

that Nick is possessed by Caleb. ohmygOD. hear me out.

the same S1 ending will play somewhere in 2x01, but it will be revealed that Julie was watching through the window the entire time and when she opens the door to receive the flowers, that last look she gives him is actually her scheming.

determined to get Nick back, imagine The Promised Neverland's level of mindgames Julie could play with Caleb because we already know our girl's smart

Free Willie Willie's Freedom

since the boys feel indebted to Willie's help, they insist on helping him too with getting rid of Caleb's stamp

maybe through his connection with Alex? or maybe Willie's family or friends who are still lifers (which is unlikely but either way). he needs to be saved !!

Song Sequences Ideas

juke counter melody duet like Rini's "Even When/The Best Part," Shane & Mitchie's "Wouldn't Change a Thing," or dodie & Jon Cozart's "a love song/a non love song"

emotional carrie ballad paired with lyrical hiphop choreo

willex song - i absolutely have no idea where this could go directionally but maybe alex on an acoustic guitar with a really soft sweet tune

reprises of S1 songs but in the complete opposite of their original style (the fandom's lonelier All Eyes on Me version, i see u)

nick guitar solo - just because Sacha actually plays, idk how it'd fit in to the plot yet but hey

Nothing to Lose (Reprise) - back in the '90s, a producer manipulates Bobby to sign a record deal to become a star but on one condition: disassociate himself with Sunset Curve, to which he first declines until he slowly gets persuaded. (sort of like Todrick Hall's So Lucky to Be You meets Lyn Lapid's Producer Man)

"So how about it, Bobby Shaw? Do we have a deal?"

"Trevor."

"I'm sorry?"

"Call me Trevor Wilson."

i'm pretty sure someone made an animatic with this idea too but i cannot for the life of me find it !!

7. Season 2 starts the same way as Season 1 does before the opening song plays

Black screen that reads a text "Hollywood 1995"

a pan down to the Orpheum's overhead sign that reads "SUNSET CURVE SOLD OUT"

cut to the interior with Rose finishing up her cleaning when a stage manager calls out: "Sunset Curve!" to which Bobby abruptly stops his pacing back and forth to look up. he and Rose look at each other. music swells until...

cut to him running onto the alleyway, "are they still not finished eating? those gluttons are dead to me i swear—" he cuts off his own words when he sees the boys getting dragged onto stretchers. but we, the audience, don't see it. just a close up of bobby as the ambulance lights reflects his face. rose comes up behind him, still clutching their t-shirt.

[i honestly have no idea if Bobby should get on stage because it just proves Luke's theory of The Orpheum's opening bands eventually becoming big & successful so it'll explain the Trevor Wilson fame even though at first he only did it for the boys, or if he shouldn't because according to the article Julie googled he ran away immediately after they were pronounced in the scene] but either way, this is how the opening starts.

then it progresses to Rose and Bobby respectively having children so they could parallel each other blah blah

8. Julie plays a simple song on the piano while the guys watch her in awe

Storytelling through Props

let's dive deep into Rose's luggage/suitcase and use the props to head for Julie's emotional attachment with them

they already did it with the wardrobe: Rose wears the black leather vest in the pilot while Julie wears the same thing in EP 6

add depth to the characters' relationships like us finding out Julie's multilayered necklace is actually a gift from Carrie or something

SOYON ANN YOU'RE A GIFT FROM GOD. Bobby's necklace is present in both young and old!him

**Rose in flashback scenes should be wearing clothes we've already seen Julie in Season 1 just for greater effect.

The Bobby Conflict

definitely needs to be brought up again by Season 2; they only discarded somewhere in the middle because more pressing matters like the boys' existence blipping away was pushed to the forefront of the story

however, The Bobby Conflict changes. it'll be cleared up that he was offered a record deal as a solo artist by a manipulative producer. and given that the poor boy is only 17 (too, maybe), he agrees. what he doesn't know is the contract's fine print: giving up Sunset Curve's royalties

that information clears it up to the audience and the band, so the conflict becomes this: Bobby's Survivor's Guilt. god wouldn't that be so good tackling that in a kids'/family show.

[esperr]

My thoughts on the new trolls movie (me ranting about trolls 3 for way to long)

Disclaimer: I am aware this is just a kids movie and it’s not supposed to be a cinamatic masterpiece. I am mostly just writing this for my own entertainment

I absolutely love doing these movie reviews, my first one being on the nimona move (I will link it at the bottom for anyone who is interested)

Now I will start this off by saying that I did NOT watch the 2nd trolls movie so some of the plot holes I might mention in this post could be things I missed because of that, but most of these are specific to this particular movie

The first thing I noticed are the many inconsistencies, such as when Gristle gets his eyebrow pulled off but only a second later he is shown with both eyebrows fully in-tact. Although, the main problem I have with this movie in in fact NOT the inconsistencies, so I will leave those at that.

At the begging of the movie we see branch as a baby. His family is separated and he is left with his grandmother who is eventually eaten by a Bergen. After this is the wedding scene. During this scene poppy expresses how badly she wishes she had a sister. This whole bit of dialogue just seems so forced. It’s as if the writers were trying to figure out how to make a movie centered around branch about poppy. This is where we get into the main thing I disliked about this movie: The sheer amount of side plots.

The first side plot we run into is poppy’s yearning for a sister. We then see her father grimace and it is extremely obvious right off the bat that she most definitely has one. This was definitely a VERY strange choice considering this movie is supposed to be about branch finding HIS family members. Adding poppy’s sister into the mix is just completely unnecessary and it adds nothing to the movie overall. It essentially just takes away from the main focus of the movie, confusing the viewer.

The second side plot we run into is Tiny diamond wanting to seem grown up. This is just even more unnecessary. Like it’s ok to explore different characters in a movie but REALLY? Why him out of every character? Not to mention that despite trying to “explore” his character, we learned absolutely nothing new about him. They could have instead used this time to explore branch and his brothers a bit more, but alas we are left with these bland brothers who lack personality.

Once poppy finds her sister we run into yet ANOTHER side plot. Poppy’s sister and the other trolls that live in this area are still afraid of the bergens. This honestly just felt like filler at this point as it was a conflict that was already resolved in the very first movie. It felt extremely forced and again took attention away from the actual plot.

Although this movie is about branch and his brothers most of the screentime is used up on little things that barely add anything to the movie. So much in fact that the antagonists BARELY FEEL LIKE THEYRE THERE. Like honestly I forgot they even existed because they have so little screentime. They also tried to give vaneer a redemption arc but failed miserably. They essentially just showed us that he kinda has a little bit of remorse and that’s it. ALSO NOT TO MENTION ONE OF BRANCHES BROTHERS RANDOMLY HAVING A CHILD WITH ANOTHER SPECUES WHAT WAS THAT?? he also just left his wife with all of his children and no help?? Husband of the year award definitely goes to this guy…

The very last thing I found annoying about this blue was when branches brother died and came back to life in the same 2 minutes. They didn’t even have time to shed a single tear because right away he was straight back to life. His death didn’t even matter at that point. They didn’t even have time to use some power of love and family trope because he was alive again just like that.

This brings us to our very last sideplot that did not make sense: just when you think the movie is finally over branch randomly decides to announce that he was also in another band and these random sparkly trolls walk in out of NOWHERE for NO REASON. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS?? WHAT WAS THAT?? JUST WHY?? Why?? I CANT WCEN ?? WHAT??

When watching this movie I kept thinking to myself: why didn’t they instead use all this time to explore the brothers and backstories or give velvet and vaneer ACTUAL arcs and personalities. But alas we can’t have everything

I barely scratched the surface of how absolutely Absurd this movie was in this post, but if I all about trolls 3 for any longer I think I just might lose my mind. If you made it this far I applaud you. You are very brave

[wangxianficrecs]

New Perspective by mrcformoso

New Perspective

by mrcformoso

T, 19k, Wangxian

Summary I: “Lan Zhan, let me go.” The last memory Lan Zhan has of Wei Ying was the soft, serene smile on his face as he fell to his death. It was, perhaps, what haunted him the most. When it came to the matters regarding Wei Ying, Lan Zhan was always too late. A character study looking into Lan Zhan’s character development between Wei Ying’s death and resurrection, and his struggles of changing in the wake of his newfound fatherhood.

Summary II: “Back then…did you ever believe in me?” That was…much harder to answer. How could he say that he thought he was being righteous, obeying the orthodoxy? How could he condense the complexity of believing in a person against their own upbringing down to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’? He parted his lips to say something, but Wei Ying had already sighed, and turned away. Too late. Again. Too late. What was the point of 16 years of mourning, 16 years of reflection, if he was going to be ‘too late’ again? Follow-up piece to New Perspective. Can stand alone, but reading the previous fic is highly recommended for some of the points that will be raised.

Kay's comments: A lovely exploration of CQL Lan Wangji's sixteen years of grief, mourning and character growth. Part one takes a look of all the places where things went wrong in the past and how Lan Wangji learns and grows from those moments and especially, how he applies his new understanding to becoming a good father to A-Yuan. It's painful and it feels very cathartic. Part two takes a look at the time after Wei Wuxian's returns and how Lan Wangji now attempts his best to gain his trust and show his support and it ends with a wonderful canon-divergent ending to the Untamed, which I enjoyed very much! The main story of the series is complete, but the author teased that the might want to add a few snippets in the future.

Excerpt: A-Yuan’s voice was small. “A-die didn’t look at me.” He pouted, fat tears coming from his eyes. “I wanted to show A-die my sword forms.” Lan Zhan watched as A-Yuan looked away, looking down at his sword, sulking, and he swallowed the large knot in his throat. “Lan Zhan! Look at me!” “Lan Zhan! Look! Over here!” “Lan Zhan! Won’t you look at me?” Wei Ying used to call out to him, used to garner for his attention. Lan Zhan turned away every time, unable to cope with those bright smiles and beautiful eyes. He ignored Wei Ying, and walked away. Lan Zhan never realized how often Wei Ying called out to him until Lan Zhan was completely dropped. When Wei Ying stopped reaching out, when Lan Zhan realized that he would have to be the one to put in the effort to see him, when Lan Zhan had to go out of his way for it.

series, pov lan wangji, the untamed canon, major character death, canon divergence, grief/mourning, introspection, character study, flashbacks, fatherhood, loss, angst with a happy ending, hopeful, angst and hurt/comfort, implief/rerenced suicide, jealousy, pining, misunderstandings, miscommunication, golden core reveal, love confessions, getting together, trust issues, cynophobia, @mrcformoso

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[shootwithintenttokill]

One thing BBC's Merlin should have done (and not the one you're thinking of)

Because somehow I am making a Merlin post in 2023

I love magic reveal fics and Lancelot lives fics and so on as much as the next person, but there is one idea that the more I think about it, the more sense it makes to do to the extent when I first watched Merlin, I genuinely was surprised when this didn’t happen:

Gaius dies.

(Explanation after the break)

Not exactly sounding like a fix-it, I know. And, though it might sound like it, this is not post about hating Gaius, and I will explain my reasons. But I’ll start with a little explanation on how it might go down.

I think the main reason this never happened in the show was because Gaius was someone Merlin could talk to regularly and easily about his magic within Camelot. It allowed the audience to understand what he was doing, and why, for the more magical aspects of the show, without having to run out to the forest every five minutes for chats with the dragon. So it would probably have to be combined with either Lancelot lives or Gwaine finds out or something, so that Merlin still has someone to discuss magic with and cover for him. I would imagine it would happen in The Secret Sharer episode (season 4), probably Agravaine kills Gaius before Gwaine can stop him. This gives time for Merlin to process both his mentor’s death and what it means for his role in Camelot, before the season finale.

So, why?

It makes Merlin the authority, rather than the student. Merlin has been studying magic for 6 or 7 years, by season 4. By anyone’s standard, he would probably know what he is talking about by that point. And it’s been shown in several episodes that he doesn’t need Gaius - such as the Goblin in S3, or figuring out how to trick the troll in S2. It wouldn’t be uncharacteristic for him to be able to explain something magical to a knight, or even Arthur. And in a show called Merlin, where Merlin is coming into his power and knowledge, it almost seems illogical to have him going to Gaius for absolutely everything, but he does, when he has Gaius to rely on.

It gives Merlin a reason to be openly respected. Despite the ‘I’m happy to be your servant until the day I die’ thing, Merlin should have got more esteem in the last seasons. Gaius gets a seat on the (big) round table in S5, for his knowledge on magical creatures and threats. If he’s dead, is Arthur just going to give up that seat and not have any questions about magic? No, he’s going to give it to Gaius’ apprentice and the person who has been helping him with research for years. This gives a reason for Merlin to become a more official advisor, have his thoughts listened to without being in the privacy of Arthur’s chambers. Basically, Merlin could have become the advisor to Arthur that Gaius was to Uther if Gaius was dead, but while Gaius is alive neither Arthur nor Merlin would have a reason to make that happen.

Gaius holds Arthur and Merlin back. Gaius is the sorcerer who turned his back on sorcerers, who protected a murderous king while watching thousands of innocents be murdered in the hopes of saving a few. He is a product of Uther’s rule, and is scared enough by what he’s seen that he continually advises against telling Arthur not just about Merlin’s magic, but a huge number of other magical events, and quite simply doesn’t give Arthur a chance to choose to be better. And as for Merlin, he continually advises him caution and restraint, even when it goes wrong (like with Morgana). If you take a comparison between Lancelot and Gaius, where Lancelot continually encourages him, going so far as to suggest he tells Arthur, Gaius continually cautions him not to. Neither of them care any less about Merlin, or want to see magic free less, it’s simply their character. Gaius is scared, looking back at Uther and the deaths that were, and too afraid Arthur is like his father to tell him that magic can be good. But Lancelot is hopeful, and sees Arthur as the man who gave him a knighthood when his father wouldn’t and looks forward to the future that could be. With Gaius gone, and someone like Lancelot or Gwaine advising Merlin as a friend, rather than a father-figure, there is so much more potential for the ‘golden age’ to actually happen in the show.

It fits with the themes of S4. One of the big themes to me in S4 is that Camelot truly becomes a kingdom of the younger generation. Compare Uther’s council in S1-3, to the Round Table in S5. The average age is significantly younger - Arthur goes from being the outlier as the young Prince in a room of old lords, to Gaius looking out of place as an old man in a room of young knights and Gwen. And it’s not just Camelot’s council. The primary villains progressively get younger too - from Nimueh and Morgause, who remember and object to the purge, to Morgana, whose hatred is more focused on her growing up in fear. Gaius is the only person with any significant role in season 5 who is of the older generation, and he does just genuinely seem out of place - someone who is very much Uther’s advisor in a kingdom otherwise completely run by Arthur.

To me, this just makes so much sense. The simple reason is that Merlin genuinely couldn’t have grown to be the advisor he should have been in season 5, or created the golden age the show promised us, because he couldn’t stop relying on Gaius while he was alive, and Gaius couldn’t step away and let Merlin take charge, but was also too scared by the deaths he’d seen to give Arthur the chance, choice, and information he needed to build the world he should have.

In summary, Gaius should have died and it could have dramatically improved the final season of the show.

Also, if you know any good fics for this I’d love to know. Scorch marks and embers by southfarthing on AO3 works on this premise, except Morgana finds out who Emrys is and basically taunts him for 90,000 words, and I really recommend checking it out because it’s amazing.

[low-budget-korra]

Comments on The Boys season 3

I should be able to do a comment for each episode but I just couldn't stop watching so here it's my thoughts on the characters this season and a few other things.

Before I start I just wanna say how much I like the fact that The Boys characters are complex and just feel real for the most part.

Butcher

He is a asshole since his first appearance, so watching him go even worse because of the V wasn't that surprising but watching him become that asshole in episode seven, hits different. We already knew what happened but watching it happening and the impact of Butcher realizing he basically became his father, that's heavy.

Hughie

I dislike him for like 90% of the season. What's the problem with Annie being the powerful one? He was insecure about this girlfriend power and influence. That's a red flag.

And just to compare. Frenchie never felt like that with Kimiko, he always wanted to protect her but he never go that far, and never had a problem with her saving his ass.

At least at the end he seemed happy seeing Annie all powerfull against Soldier Boy

Homelander

What I can say about Homelander? What a terrifying, crazy, deep and charismatic villain. It's so non fair that Anthony Starr didn't receive a nomination for his role this season.

That last scene was scary because we know damn well that, bring to our world, if some politician or celebs blows someone's head like that in front of his crow, he would be praise like that.

Frenchie and Kimiko

Their arc was more distant e from the main plot of the season but I really like because it actually develop both of their characters. By the end we saw Frenchie standing up against Butcher and Kimiko accepting her powers. And they are the sweetest, the care and mutual respect they have for each other are goals

Soldier Boy

I def wasn't expecting him to have the role he had. What a absolut asshole, he make Butcher look like the sweetest guy in the show.

One detail that I think adds a lot into his character is his PTSD, which means that he did felt all the experiments that the russians was doing on him which is awful. And in a way Homelander, his son, is a update of him because he is just as powerful but also can't feel pain (not that I remember at least)

Jensen Ackles did a amazing job. The guy spend 84years in Supernatural and not even for once I saw Dean Winchester in his Soldier Boy

MM and Annie

Those two, Frenchie and Kimiko are the nicest people in this show. Not much to say, both of them being the moral compass of the group.

Annie goes through hell this season, this "wherever it takes" bullshit always goes too far, I'm happy that she ended the season okay.

MM having his moment of justice and bring accepted by this daughter was so nice to see.

Honorable Mentions

- I didn't expect Noir to die.

-Newman is not a villain, she just wants to stay alive and keep her daughter safe. Just like most of the characters this season, she just wants to survive Homelander madness and evilness. Hope they don't murder her next season

-Poor Ryan. Butcher was a asshole with him, Homelander wasn't and now the kid has the worst role model by his side. Don't shit Ryan, what would you choose, a guy that blames you for the dead of your mother or the one that understand that was a accident?

Ryan siding with Homelander was Butcher's fault.

-I still in shock that The Boys give Maeve an (until now) happy ending with Elena. The fucking Boys. And the fact that she face Homelander as a equal match, what a queen

- A-Train and The Deep, two desperate for Homelander's attention even tho Homelander despise them. The only "win" moment for A-Train was when she murder that racist fuck.

-Im glad that Ashley did something human at the end, coving up for Maeve's death angle.

-Herogasm

[vicontheinternet]

I watched fate so you don't have to. This has been in my drafts since yesterday. I honestly didnt know if I was going to post this. Don't worry I don't go through Netflix to watch it I pirated it netwinx won't get views on Netflix from me. Honestly it's such a blur and made my head explode I never laughed unironically and cussed at a tv show this much in my entire life.

Fucking hell this show is fucking mixing all first three seasons of the cartoon to get their second season Rosalind and bloom had a icy and bloom type confrontation shadow haunt kinda and realix and valtor what the fuck and it’s only 7 episodes

I honestly thought that sebastian was going to be their version of hagen. Not valtor with darkar motivations and the more I learn a WOW the more I think it’s a adaptation of that because sebastian looks more like the sebastian from there

Bloom talked so much fucking shit to aisha about being farah’s pet she should look in the mirror now from let her out from flip flopping from trusting her to not to trusting her again then doing her homework this is all the things she accuse aisha of doing ohh I have so many words for her

You remember how quickly how the cartoon got over the initial love triangle in szn 1? yeah this show got over it quicker they only bring it up once and Stella is only affected

The outfits are a little better this season they aren't like winx better more like wannabe pinterest or out of touch adult trying to by clothes for their kids better. Also stella physically looks more like daphne thus season I see daphne to be a cottagecore queen. They finally put bloom in blue.

They made Stella look like the mom from modern family it was styled pretty every once and a while

Bloom is so much worse this season

On tumblr we often joke about sky and skloom being boring. But this sky is giving wonder bread skloom is giving stale. I wanted to skip every skloom scene because it was giving nothing why was I supposed to care abt them when I didn't even see their development.

Honestly andreas was a low calorie charlie hunnam. And I suppose to feel bad for him when he kill his father whom he probably only knew for two years of his life collectively.

A list of who fate whitewashed, flora via terra Musa saladin via saul stella's uncle whom I assume is Celsius he could just be an oc they made sure not to say his name

My mind stopped working at how beatrix died the only words that came out of my mouth was what the fuck three times because what the fuck was that death scene

Sky's entire arc this season was as kennie jd puts it "a brooding hot 25 year old teenager"🎶

Only this show could make a friendship between a villain and hero more believable then their main friend group. Stormy and stella would laugh at how their fate counterparts being friendly

Stormy would throw a fit if she knew her fate counterpart was a fairy

Beatrix and Aisha and kinda stella were the most likeable characters in this season yes my girl Aisha can be the best girl even in the the shitty adaptation.

Flora is fine ig but she acts nothing like flora. Terra tells one of the girls that flora is shy but all we get is flora not being shy closed off maybe but shy no.

What happened to marco?

I hate that daphne isn't a character in general but it's also great for me because know the cant ruin her

I hate that that was the sky resurrection scene. Cartoon sky did died for bloom and friends only so he could just die without cause because bloom was to stupid not to think of burning the fucking vines

What was the point of making terra and sam siblings when they don't have any scenes together

They dubbed down on not making Aisha a princess and gave the black girl a treacherous love interest

Rosalind who looked like a prime minister and acted nothing like she did last season too the point were they could've said she was a different character and I would've been like ok. Also was I suppose to be sad or elated or feel anything when she was killed.

Terra and flora are second cousins by marriage? and it was only brought up once because they keep calling each other their best friend which there is nothing wrong with your cousin being your best friend at all

Istg that fate has writer’s going through tumblr post for idea because I kid you not bloom is a 1,000 years old

Bloom murders a person goes to trial gets sentenced somewhat the get off scott free. I honestly don't remember how she got out of this plotline.

Musa pulled a darcy with sam

We get introduced to the greater value demodogs

In conclusion winx fans all over the world could have done a better job making a show. I'm glad I'm done with this show I only watched because I wanted to make a youtbe video because I'm better at expressing myself when I'm talking then writing. I will not be watching the third season hope they don't get one.

[the-loststone]

Turkish Dramas I Watched In Order of Love to Didn't Love Part 2

Part 1 | Part 2

I promised myself that when I found a show that I like better than Halka, I'd make a new list. Also I was running out of room in my tags for the last list. So please reference Part 1.

Also please be aware that this list has spoilers! So be prepared. I will typically mark when I reveal a spoiler.

Söz

This review is longer than I thought but I have so much to say about this. I have a longer review linked.

So, what can I say about this show. I previously said that Halka was my favorite show and while I still maintain it is an amazing show, Soz has completely knocked it out of the park. I mean, yes, it is a very patriotic show that is obviously military propaganda, but . . . I mean, sign me up for the military!!! This show was amazing. The acting of the main cast was phenomenal. Tolga Saritas moves into my list of favorite actors. His character Yavus is simply the best. I don't know how to describe besides the fact that he has his shit together. You know how many shows (too many) are about lead characters who don't have their shit together, and then there's that side character who acts as a mentor to the lead character because they do have their shit together, even when they are going through drama. Well Yavus is that side character, except the show is about him and he's the male lead. And I am so happy. So happy we have characters who are competent!! Even when he's losing his shit he's doing it competently! I'm just praising the lord that this man has a brain!!! The other characters (the rest of the team and the girls) add so much to the show. They have story lines, I'm interested in their development and growth. The action was staged but I loved it, and most of it was good! Every episode had an action scene in it, and I don't think I was ever bored by it. And that's another point... this is a long show... and I wasn't bored. I'm shocked. Generally I get very tired by a show (especially considering I'm a binge watcher) but nope, I stayed invested. They did storytelling so well. Balancing gravity, humor, victory, and defeat very well. The death scenes (of which there are multiple so don't go thinking plot armor protects everyone) are so important and acted so well. I was literally a puddle.

Some parts, not gonna lie, were a bit confusing. Especially the ending there. But still so worth it!

Anyways, I'm genuinely upset that this show isn't more popular. It was amazing! I love it! I highly recommend it. (Tolga Saritas has joined Serkan Cayoglu as one of my favorite turkish actors). I will say, that I did like season 1 and 2 a bit more, not because of any shipping drama, but because I can't get enough of Tolga in a uniform 😉.

Çukur

I LOVE MAFIA DRAMAS! And this one takes the cake! It was one of the best dramas I have seen. The main character, Yamac, is perfectly characterized by Aras Bulut Iynemli. (I've only seen a couple of his works but after this show, he's moved into my list of favorite actors). He played so well, completely embodies his character, every emotion is so raw and passionate. He's amazing! Yamac is the youngest of a mafia family, who ran away when he was 18 and is forced to return upon the death of his brother and the hospitalization of his father. From there we see his character shine. It is shown how intelligent he is. He went to college, but it's not just mentioned, but shown! He uses his intelligence. HE'S SO SMART! As a chemist and engineer he loves to blow things up and we see that. As the youngest brother, he loves to play with his older brothers and he has a very playful and childish side. We see his kindness and his love. Is he a criminal, yes. But a competent criminal with a heart of gold and the ability to forgive almost anyone and the patience of a saint. But it's not just him; the portrayals of his family members are done amazingly as well. Each relationship is distinct and I just... I love it. I love his relationships with his brothers: from the support, to the betrayals, to the forgiveness. Throughout the series we see their connection and bond. We see the friendships between other characters. Some of my favorites are Medet and Salih, Celansu and Meke, Yamac and Alico, and Kemal and Metin. My other favorite relationship (and this isn't about shipping wars) is Sena and Yamac. They were my favorite couple. And I won't say any spoilers, but just know that she's my favorite and she has such a presence in the show, whether or not she's in the scene.

Throughout the seasons, we also see how all the characters develop. All of the brothers change, especially Yamac who has to deal with the most and is burdened the most. We see him go from a young man who was happy and in love with his wife and just married and completely unburdened, to a man who is crazed, lost half his family in some of the most traumatic ways, burdened by the pressure to protect the rest while dodging bullets flying at him at all sides (and most of the time getting hit), to a man who's holding on to what's left and trying to rebuild.

I love him, and I love this show, and I can't recommend this enough. The show is very much centered around family. The first season is about betrayals, the second about regret and forgiveness, the third is about madness/insanity, and the fourth was about healing (towards the end at least).

The soundtrack of this show goes down as one of my absolute favorite soundtracks. The music is a character in this show. As a musician, Yamac uses it as an entrance, he's very much a showman. And it shows his crazy side. Speaking of crazy sides, this show has some of the best fight scenes ever done. Very well played and acted. Please please please watch! Longer review linked!

Günesin Kizlari

This was so soapy, I have bubbles coming out of my mouth. I kid you not, I love this so much. It was a great show. Not gonna lie, going in, I thought it was going to be light, but I was waaaayyy off. It was heavy! That was some heavy heavy drama. I LOVED IT! Okay, to start I'm going to say Hande and Tolga are everything! They had the best chemistry I've seen them have compared to other shows they're in so far. I need them to act together in something else! Selin and Ali were my favorite couple; I don't know how, but somehow, at some point, they were the most functional compared to the other couples on screen. I was so surprised because these two are ridiculous. But I love them. They had the best relationship, (fun fact, the movie that they were referencing when playing their game is a French movie called "Jeux D'enfant" or Love me if you Dare, which is amazing too and deserves to be watched) and they were so cute together. Their scenes were everything to me. The characters were great. The kids were hilarious and dramatic and most of the time I was wondering what brain cells they even had to rub together to get ideas out. The adults were the most toxic, dysfunctional people I've seen in a minute. Every adult, even Gunes, was problematic! (And I say even Gunes because there were so many moments, but one that stands out to me is in episode 26, while this kid is reeling from his entire life being a lie, she goes up to him and is like "your dad feels really bad right now, you should talk to him and help him." like no! No!!!) It was ridiculous. Episodes 16 and 17 were obviously my favorite, and every scene with Ali and Selin being cute. I like that there are actual obstacles in everyone's way, especially the kids (since the adults are the obstacles in most cases).

The music was banger! Loved it! The cinematography was kind of shit, which was annoying. Very old fashioned and low cost production type of camera work, especially in the beginning.

Godspeed

This made me cry. I genuinely did not expect that twist at the end there. I mean, it made perfect sense and I don't know why I didn't see it but... Anyway. Tolga and Engin do an amazing job in this.

Baba

Once again watching a show for Tolga Saritas. I'll say he makes it worthwhile. Baba was a good show, it had a complex story line that was focused on family. Love a father has for his sons, love a father has for his daughter, love a brother has for his sister, love children have for their parents. These themes stayed central to the story line. It was a good show, although I will say that season 1 was better than season 2 (and generally just made more sense). The first season is about a middle-class family entering the class of obscene wealth, and how one son is the only one who can keep them from failing, and all the obstacles in his way. Then season 2 is about how despite all his efforts, the family is now in extreme poverty, and once again the son is tasked with leading his family and the rest of the community.

I noticed, and love, that Tolga Saritas has never played a bad character in the shows I've seen him in. Whoever is his agent does a good job of picking projects for him. I hope to see the trend continue. His character, Kadir, is a great man, who loves his family and is willing to do anything to help people. He is acted wonderfully and has amazing chemistry with his costar Haluk, who plays his father. Their relationship is a big draw to the series.

Religion is also a big aspect of this show, and how it serves as a tool for justice and consequence. I enjoyed that they used it to make people accountable for their actions. Good show overall.

Senden Daha Guzel

A good story. Very cute actors. They had a good chemistry that was very fluffy. It was a simple story. There wasn't much going on or need to put any thought in it. A good little short to pass the time.

Ask 101 (Love 101)

This was cute. I watched it mainly for the Yargi pairing but the kids storylines were cute as well. I found the second season much better than the first. It was very short for a dizi, so I recommend it as a palate cleanser or something to watch when bored. The cast was filled with exceptional actors. The soundtrack was good too. Overall, I'm pleased with this show.

Miracle in Cell No. 7

Remake of a Korean Movie by the same name. Both movies are perfect for sobbing your heart out. Admittedly, the Turkish version does end on a happier note than the Korean version, but both are full of heart-wrenching moments. About a man with mental disabilities who gets sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. He and his daughter are the miracles in the cell. Very moving story. Absolutely recommend, both versions!

Içerde

I saw this one after Cukur. Aras had impressed me so much that I wanted to watch his other works as well. I'll say that he still is one of the best aspects of the show. Him and Cagatay. They played very well and had excellent chemistry. I think I would have liked it more if they had more scenes together. They had great stories separately but we took forever to get to the reveal and they had so little time together, I felt like there was a missed chance to show off their chemistry, which was really the highlight of the show. Because they were crazy alone, but they were completely chaotic together. These two were crackheads.

Also, what is it with the shows I've watched recently fridging the love interest!!! Why?!?! They need to stop! It upsets me.

I think my biggest criticism with this show is that there is a lot of over acting. Sometimes they'll say things and I'll just be thinking that it's a little ridiculous. Also it went on a little too long. But otherwise, a worthwhile series to watch. Great plot! Mert is a great anti-hero and Sarp is a great hero. I was heartbroken for Mert for a lot of the series but also I was rooting against him for the most part what with him being on the wrong side. But anyway, great series.

Son Yaz

Good show. Not bad. I think what bothered me the most is that there was a naïveté to the characters in the mafia that shouldn’t have been there if they were born in the mafia. I mean, other mafia shows, the characters knew not to trust anyone, and that everyone was out to kill them. And on the off chance that they did trust someone, they were smarter than them so they could counter. But here, the characters are all stupid and trusting. I’m just like… you dumb dumbs. DUMMIES!! WHY!?! Who’s got the braincells here. Maybe Soner? Sometimes? No. That’s not right either. Selim most of the time, but try as I might, couldn’t like him that much. I tried, I genuinely tried to be on board with him, but he was so complicated in a way that was not appealing, mainly because he was an absent father and an overbearing one at the same time, while also having a very narrow view of the world that didn’t allow for other people’s points of view. It sucks because he was the only remotely competent one there. 

That’s another problem. These dummies are so dumb, all their plans are stupid. How did they get this far in life? I say this with love. I mean, it was part of their charisma I guess. They were young, so being stupid is excusable. It’s not like I’m putting them on the same level as Yamac Kocovali from Cukur or something. That guy was in his late 20s at the start of the series and he was smart. Also that series was much more liberal about murder. These kids are just dumb and there’s the stakes are pretty much just being imprisoned. Understandable since it’s not about being in the mafia but trying to get out of it.  

Okay, but besides them being so stupid, their relationships were cute. Naz and Soner were adorable and I love them. Yagmur and Akgun were chaotic little beans who I love so much. They are both so impulsive in different ways. Yagmur is straightforward with her emotions while Akgun is PANIC! EMOTIONS!

Season 2 was definitely better to me. I really liked the darker turn it went to. Good series. Not a bad watch. But it was canceled so the ending is full of plot holes and loose ends. 

UFO

A good movie. It had a nice premise and I enjoyed the actors. I watched it for Mert and it was well worth it. A good little palate cleanser. Not a lot to say about it, but it was worth checking out.

In Good Hands

A good movie. Had an unexpected twist at the end that was very clever. I enjoyed it. Don't have a lot to say about it considering it was only an hour and a half. Heartily recommend as a palate cleanser.

Yali Çapkini

Ongoing while I'm writing this. I dropped it at around episode 17, but I might come back to it if I see that there is an improvement in the characters. Cinematography, acting, music, are all good, but I had to drop because I don't like any of the characters and I'm constantly frustrated by them. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't like them, it's that I don't like that they are the main characters. If Ferit and Seyran weren't the lead couple, I think I would be much more entertained by them, because I wouldn't have to see the consequences of their (Ferit's) actions. But I do see, and Ferit is such a dumbass. If he weren't the lead, I could just call him a himbo and be done with it. But he is the lead so I have say that he's a narcissist, inconsiderate, and immature to boot. So... you see my struggle. I want to like him so much because Mert plays him so well, and he is so charming and good-looking, but, unfortunately, he's a dick. I want to come back to this show when he improves as a character. To be fair, a lot of the situations that happen are not his fault, but he does not make the situation better in a lot of the cases. So I hope they have a time lapse where he improves himself over a course of years and then reunites with his wife or something, or he just is a better character in another 10 episodes. I'll check up on it.

Oh Belinda

Honestly I skipped through most of this movie trying to get to the end. It wasn't terrible but I also didn't really feel the vibe of it.

EGO

I am so sad that I didn't like this. I gave up around episode 9 and I can understand why it was such a short show. It's so complicated. I really could not understand the plot lines at all. Everyone was so toxic and destructive. I love the lead actors and had seen them together in Carpisma where they had such great chemistry but it was the same problem as Carpisma where the plot couldn't save them. Like, the plot buried their natural chemistry. I'm so sorry for it. Just a really boring, complicated show. Not for me unfortunately.

Üç Kiz Kardes

I gave up. I'm sorry but this was just too ridiculous for me. And I'm sorry for it because it's a beautiful show. Like the actors are beautiful, the set is beautiful, the cinematography, the music. Lovely show. Honestly, the plot is not bad, like as in there is a good story in there, but it's . . . how do I put this . . . not well executed. I don't believe the love story, because it's scattered, the parents are either too evil or too good, or too oblivious. The sisters are naive. The boyfriends are either assholes (except Serdar, who's an angel and the only one I rooted for). I gave up at episode 15. I couldn't anymore. Sadly. Maybe someone else will like it. But it wasn't for me.

Duy Beni

Uhhh... this was interesting, in the way that watching a car crash is interesting. These kids are in desperate need of therapy. All of them. None of them are likable. The only person worth rooting for is the mom. Everyone is ridiculous 95.5% of the time. I mean, the main characters aren't even on screen. They have, like, 5% screen time together. Which is a really missed opportunity because they are crazy attractive and have good chemistry. I'm just... no. I started this because I was looking for Gunesi Beklereken (which I can't find anywhere) and this was on it's recommended page and people have said it was good, but I'm just. Not for me I guess. It was way too melo. No one really deserves any sympathy, a lot of problems could have been solved if they just hadn't been so ridiculous. I want to feel bad for the leads, but even then I'm just exhausted by them half the time. The love story was hard to believe because the lead actors didn't have any screen time. Sorry I couldn't like it.

Safir

The amount of disappointment I feel for this drama is incredible. It had the potential to be so good. The casting was great. The acting was good. The scenery and film was perfect. But the plot collapsed! I mean. It was so bad! I disagreed with every choice that was made and I ended hating nearly every character. That's hard to do. Ates is the only character I ended up still liking, and it was mostly out of spite at the end too because I hated every other character who kept f*cking with him so much. I HATE Yaman. I loath him. I think he is the worst character ever and the fact that Feraye stayed obsessed with him in the end. I mean, girl?! This is so dumb of you. You know at this point, they are both so infuriating, they deserve each other. I was justifying her in the beginning because she was going through some emotional stuff, but I cannot support her choices. And just... this is all I can say about this show. It was disappointing. The show could have been great, and it flopped. It flopped hard!

Ferhat Ile Sirin

I didn't understand. I thought it was going to be a love triangle, and it sort of was, but then it went off a deep end and I just didn't understand what happened in the end. Ended on a weird note, probably because it was cancelled. Tolga was the only good thing about it. I mean, the acting and everything was fine, and ignoring the incomprehensible plot it was okay. But . . . yeah... not a worth it watch unless you're doing it for a specific actor like I was.

[cienie-isengardu]

The OBI-WAN KENOBI TV series just debuted so here are some of my thoughts. Obviously, spoilers ahead:

🗡So far, it wasn’t bad, worked better than the Book of Boba Fett premiere episode for me but still it didn’t knock me down with any special emotions. The fact that the old, prequel cast came back for this project is my main motivation to watch it in the first place thus I won’t give up watching the next episode(s) until I see Hayden as Anakin/Vader. That is my current (and only one) resolution in that matter.

🗡Does Disney even care for its own canon? Grand Inquisitor’s death seems to contradict that. And that is really irking. 

🗡I don’t get Third Sister’s plan. She came to the conclusion that Obi-Wan is gonna save Bail’s little girl because once they were close friends / comrades. Okay. But wouldn’t it be actually smarter to keep eye on Bail and dunno, eavesdrop and track him, and then follow the man once he left Alderaan? That way Organa would lead her straight to the Jedi. Instead there is some complicated trap in the middle of the city and other Inquisitors getting in the way. Dunno, this part felt a bit weird. 

🗡Okay, generally speaking Third Sister seems like an interesting and cool looking character, especially with the unexplained yet connection to Anakin Skywalker. But also funny how other Inquisitors kept the violence under control (to the minimum) while she is like I’ll murder this man and this and everyone bla bla bla. 

🗡I get that Star Wars likes to emphasis the special relationship between child and father (and oh boy, the single father Din Djarin is pretty popular these days, isn’t he?) and okay, Leia was always Bail’s apple of the eye sure, but it would be fucking nice to see more about Leia and Breha’s relationship. I’m disappointed about this one, ‘cause it feels like Breha is the strict parent tired of Leia’s constant antics while Bail is the supportive one and you know, special.

🗡I also don’t understand Kenobi’s work, I mean, no one is angry that he is stealing the food? No one really noticed? I kinda thought it was gonna be an issue at some point, but nope? Not to mention they work in the open air, in the desert and leave the meat (?) just like that as soon as the work is over? Who the hell is wasting food in the desert like that?

🗡Owen Lars though, I like him and his guts. I guess his and Obi-Wan relationship is gonna be a pretty interesting part of the series. I hope so.

🗡Obi-Wan buried his lightsaber with Anakin’s one, that was the most emotional part for me so far. Some good symbolism to think about. But then, later he carried the lightsaber just like that, in an easily visible place, by the waist? Wearing a typical Jedi cloak? In times of purges? Eh. It's hard to call it a disguise.

🗡I’m also not sure how I feel about the fact that Obi-Wan left Tatooine and had adventure somewhere else. Dunno. I always thought he stayed there for twenty years, coming in terms with his trauma and watching Luke. I get the show needed an “action” plot but dunno, I could just watch Obi dwelling on the past and remember the missions / war experiences shared with Anakin and his character (psyche)  being explored that way. Do I make sense? 

🗡And the last but not least important let down. The veteran clone trooper begging for support. I guess it was supposed to be an emotional and heart-breaking moment, two veterans broken by Order 66, the “executioner” and victim of that day. A scene to put Obi-Wan in a good light for sure by him showing empathy for a clone and so on. But it did not work for me. For one, the marking similar to 501st Legion - maybe chosen to give a hint about Anakin? - irks me because I can’t imagine Vader not caring for his legion (the only one part of the army just his at that moment). Like yeah, his empathy is questionable right now, but come on, Vader’s Fist doesn’t come out of nowhere (oh, how I miss Legends sources about 501st clones’ personal loyalty to Darth Lord). And even if that wasn’t the 501st trooper, why would the Empire even allow veterans to be, you know, useless, when the man is still capable of fighting? I mean, only 10 years passed between Order 66 and now, so the clone was 23 years old (doubled as 46) and still could be part of the army. And yeah, the new wave of soldiers were natural born and all, but clone veterans were kept in the rank as long as they were useful or either died in the line of duty. In Legends, Cody served at least up to 19 BBY–1 BBY (The Force Unleashed), which is way past his prime. The unnamed clone does not look to have any serious injury (or did I miss it?) and mental health was hardly the concern of the Empire and it is really weird to think the imperials would let the clone retire from the army for whatever reason. Even weirder is that the clone kept his armor that is provided by the military and by logic, is military equipment. So there is no reason to allow retired clones to keep it? The Empire doesn't care for its soldiers, sure, so why let (“not useful anymore”) clone to take something that he does not even own in the first place? That scene just doesn’t work for me and I’m gonna admit, it was a bit confusing. Did the Empire suddenly give clones a chance to get out of the army instead of exploiting them to their last breath, as they used to do in Legends?

[thestonelady]

I don't know if you are open for request but I just love so much your fics of NiallxNikkal so I wonder if I could request jealous Niall? Please and thank u 💖

Hello anon! 👋

Finally finished your request 😄 hope you enjoy it, I tried to keep them as in character as I could 👉👈

Also, SPOILERS FOR THIS UPDATE

Jealousy wasn't something he thought he had the right to feel. After all, what should he envy others for? He was well aware of his privileges and that what he had many couldn't even dream of.

Well, that was until recently...

~

He first noticed during practice. During their lessons they practiced both fire and sword.

"Got you!" Nikkal exclaimed happily, her wooden sword pointing at his unprotected side.

Niall blinked. That wasn't a move he or the other lecturers taught.

"Well done," he smiled, "I think it's enough for today."

At that she smiled happily.

"Tea?" he offered.

Nikkal brushed away sweat from her brow and sighed, "Would love to, but I already promised Su and Shimun to meet after practice... Thought, if you are free, you could join us? Iyar will be there too."

He had to bite his tongue, because the word 'yes' was already on the tip of his tongue. He wishes he could, he wanted to, but stopped himself. He shouldn't. He was their warden, and Tiamat knew he was giving them too much leeway already, and Nikkal above all.

He smiled sadly at her.

"Understood," she mumbled, disappointed.

He saw her off, but before she left, he asked her who taught her that move.

"Oh, a friend," she answered, "A fellow student."

As she left, he watched her, wondering which of the students could have taught her something he learned from Kingu.

~

Yes, he felt envious that he couldn't spend time with Nikkal freely. He tried not to show it, though, nor let it influence his decisions.

But then they came to Ur.

"And don't forget to tell her to visit us again," his father said.

This was already the umpteenth time he was internally smacking his head against the closest wall. He swore there couldn't be a bigger fool than himself. He acted too hastily and should have thought things through before he dragged Nikkal here. Niall looked at his father barely concealing his disgust and anger.

"Of course, my lord," he said through gritted teeth.

He thought of his mother. He remembered her face: full of sorrow and regret. She only ever was happy when he was with her. All other joys were already taken from her by Enki.

There was no way he would allow that to happen to Nikkal.

~

Practically running up the stairs, he gripped his sword again. Tiamat, this day couldn't get any more worse!

"...I am even tempted to invite you to stay with us. It's been boring around here lately."

Niall froze. That voice. That was Enlil.

No. Not them.

The air became thick. A strong current hitting him in the face, howling on the staircase. He heard something from the floor below fall and break. Them near her, suggesting these things to her, it made him see red.

At that moment he didn't even care what the main reason for his fury was.

One doesn't easily decline an offer from the Five. Their word was law, and disobedience meant death. But Nikkal, clever, brave Nikkal, said that he wouldn't agree. She was right, he wouldn't. But he himself had little power in this, he knew. It was his father's name that would make them reconsider. Enlil wouldn't challenge Enki, not in his current state. As much as his relationship with his father was a disaster, as much as he was angry at him, he was glad to have him.

The conversation had shifted to him, much to his disdain, but then Shamash dismissed her abruptly.

Had they noticed him standing on the last step eavesdropping?

It didn't matter now. Once Nikkal approached and noticed him, he nudged her to follow him out of the ziggurat. The sooner they would leave the better.

Niall exhaled. The worst already was behind them now.

~

Nikkal noticed it. How could she not? True, at first she didn't think it was actually jealousy, but simply regret having to turn down her offers to spend time with their friends, but then she saw the way he looked when Nanna decided it would be a good idea to hug her after the fire. They weren't that close! And she never showed him interest in that way either.

But still, Niall stood there with an unreadable expression on his face, glaring and looking as formidable as Tiamat.

And then the connection with the forest spirits. It helped her understand his feelings, and understand her own feelings. She knew now.

She still felt anxious after everything that happened during the last days. Ur, the prison, Ethan, Varassa, Leahy, Irkalla, Ereshkigal, Shamash and Enlil taking Iyar-

She sighed miserably. Why her? Why them?

She put her head in her hands. She felt numb. She couldn't sleep. How could she anyway? Tomorrow she will leave to find her mother. Just hours ago Iyar sacrificed himself to protect her. Just mere days ago Niall gave up his soul for her-

No, she wouldn't fall asleep now. Nikkal slipped out of her bed and went on a wall.

~

Turns out she wasn't the only one unable to sleep. She found him sitting on a window sill in one of the corridors.

Silently she sat next to Niall, watching him. He didn't turn to her yet, watching the horizon, where, far away, Ur stood.

"You should rest"

"So should you," she countered.

He didn't reply. She didn't expect him to.

After a while, she reached out to take his hand. He glanced at her tiredly before squeezing it gratefully.

Silence that lasted a few more minutes. The chirping of crickets. The sound of leaves swaying in the wind. A soft breeze caressing her face. Niall gently caresses the skin of her palm.

Nikkal then moved close and laid her head against his chest. He hugged her around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

The sound of his heartbeat soothed her a little. He was there with her and alive.

With that thought, she was lulled to sleep.

[sweetteaanddragons]

Rings of Power, Episode Three: Welcome to Numenor

Spoilers ahoy.

- The visuals continue to be stunning; I particularly like the aesthetics of Numenor and the Harfoot festival.

- “You go tell Pharazon she’s escaped.”

- “I told him last time!”

- “Last time it was a dog.”

- I like the implication that this is something they have to tell Pharazon a lot. I kind of want to write a 5+1 about it.

- We get to meet Elendil and Isildur! And a sister that I don’t think is canonical but who I like so far. Actually, so far I like the whole family, and I’m excited by their inclusion.

- We also got a very solid Elros reference! I was a little disappointed he didn’t look more like Elrond, but otherwise 10/10, solid reference.

- Although their inclusion brings up one of my main issues with our current Elrond: I don’t dislike RoP’s Elrond.

I just.

Hm.

He has not convinced me that he will react to news of Elros’s descendants in a manner consistent with a man who, six thousand years after his brother’s death, was still fostering his descendants. And that matters, if we’re going to be introducing Elendil’s family and Miriel.

- So far my opinion of Miriel mirrors my opinion on Durin: I like her as a character, but I’m still deciding whether or not I like her as Miriel. Although her visit to her father and her hints that she might support Elendil more than she lets on are pushing me toward liking her more.

- I am not impressed by Galadriel in this episode. Galadriel being rasher and more imperious in her younger years is one thing, but failing to navigate a diplomatic situation this badly in court is another. Also, threatening to kill Elendil was not a good look.

- Nor were her repeated claims that the island - which was given to Men by the Valar, something the show supports - is something Men should be grateful to elves for.

- I know Adar is the obvious choice for our “Where’s Waldo?” hunt for Sauron, but I’m leaning more and more toward Halbrand as my personal favorite for it, both for the delicious irony of Galadriel encouraging him to go be king of future-Mordor, and for all the hints. (He’s excellent at wheedling what he wants out of people, he’s fascinated by the forges, he’s intrigued by the opportunities in Numenor, and some of his lines [I took it off a dead man, anyone?] would hit with a wonderful double age if this turns out to be the case.)

- If he turns out not to be Sauron, I might well write a fic where he is just so I can get some mileage out of this.

- The scene where the Harfoots listed their dead actually made me tear up a little, though I’ve got some mixed feelings on how the show is handling Nori’s dilemma. Of course she did the right thing by not leaving a stranger to die, but it seems very clear now that this decision had easily foreseen and serious consequences not just for her, but for her whole family; I would like to see her take that with a little more remorse.

- Definitely leaning toward Stranger = Gandalf now.

- Edited to add additional thought: I love how, when Malva reminds Sadoc that by their laws they should be exiling Nori, he stops and you can just . . . watch his facial expressions as he very clearly searches for a plausible reason that they are Not Going to Do That because he so very clearly doesn’t want to.

- Not a huge fan of the captive storyline in this episode, not because it was badly done - I thought the visuals were highly interesting - but because I wasn’t sufficiently invested in the other elves for the story beats to hit quite right and because the final fight scene was full of frustrating moments.

- Why are you hesitating? Why is our protagonist able to take an orc out with a stick when another elf can’t take out a single warg while armed with an ax?

- Not insurmountable problems, but definitely my least favorite storyline this episode.

Definitely still planning to continue to watch, although I highly suspect there will be more nerdy grumbling about lore in my future.

[sullustangin]

The Obi-Wan recap

Spoilers ahoy for the Obi-Wan mini-series.

After I watched the first two episodes, I expressed the concern that the show writers were potentially making Reva the crappy fan fic version of Mace Windu: angry black character that’s unnecessary cruel.  I worried that the Sith were doing a DS 5: Stupid Evil run, when Reva fragged the Grand Inquisitor.

Sometimes, you just need to shut up and watch.

So I did.

Moses Ingram gives Reva Sevander a beautifully tragic turn.  She has played Lady MacDuff, character who feels that her husband has abandoned his family for the sake of power and thus has left them vulnerable.  Indeed, Macbeth orders the death of Macduff’s family, and thus the Lady meets her fate just off-stage.   

As Reva, Ingram plays someone who has lost everything and everyone, yet she manifests the main message of the Star Wars series: hope.  It’s always been hope.  Therefore, the character of Reva undermines the tropes of tragic women such as the Greek Hecuba and Medea, who upon losing their beloved, they kill to serve that same pain to their male oppressors (in the case of Hecuba, she kills the children of her son’s murderer; Medea kills her own children after her husband Jason betrays and abandons both her and the children on several levels).  Lady MacDuff is killed in the act of trying to save her children.

But Reva doesn’t die.  She does not kill. 

Because that would be unsatisfying.  It is unclear as to whether Reva realizes Vader is the father of the boy on Tatooine or if he’s just another Force Sensitive Obi-Wan is protecting.  If she has figured it out, then killing Luke is pointless because Obi-Wan is hiding the boy from his father; Vader won’t hurt if she kills the boy.  If Luke is just some Force-Sensitive kid that Obi-Wan is watching over, then the person being hurt is Obi-Wan. 

Reva’s feelings toward Obi-Wan are complicated and, I think, ambivalent.  She plans to use him to lure Vader and kill him.  I do not know if she ever thought what she wanted to do with him after Vader was dead. Yes, she has anger toward him as Anakin’s master, which is only magnified by his continued affection for him -- or at least the memory of him.  But is it enough to make her want to kill him?  Vader’s death was probably Reva’s event horizon: she could see no further than that point.  She would have had her revenge.  And then what?  She has a Jedi hostage.  Does she kill him?  Rise through the ranks of the Inquisition with this prize?  Does it attract Palpatine’s attention, now that Vader is dead?  All of this is unknown and hypothetical.

When we leave Reva at the end of the series, there is the question : And now what?  She has not become the thing she hates.  At the same time, she doesn’t have a clear path forward in a post-Jedi galaxy -- especially not after being left for dead by the Empire.  She is, as Obi-Wan says, free.  She confronted Vader and lost; she confronted herself and won when she showed the mercy he did not. 

I can’t wait to see Moses Ingram in Star Wars again.  In her last moments on screen, she really did convey herself as someone in her late teens and early 20s; remember that Reva was a youngling 10 years prior, so she cannot be much older than 20 now.  Throughout the series, when she is the Third Sister, she projects almost an indeterminate age, a combination of energy and calculation... but in her final scenes, we see just how young and lost this character actually is, and it is beautiful. 

~~

I sat on my feels for Tala Durith for a little bit, because I wanted to see how “we originally conceived this as a romance, but we decided not to pursue it” panned out.  Indira Varma has said she played Tala as if she was in love with Obi-Wan.  In her performance, she doesn’t play with infatuation -- she does play love, and that love is of a grown woman.  It’s not necessarily a romantic ‘in love’ that’s played here, which I liked.  She knows and sees everything that this man represents.  At the same time, she sees how haunted he is and how painfully mortal he is.  He is unavailable to her.  She loves the man, not the legend.  Tala knows herself and the limits of this fragile galaxy.  It’s a very good, mature take, and how I wish something more like this (not exactly like this, it’s a different dynamic, but that depth and dimension) had manifested in the Anakin/Padme romantic tragedy.  I’d probably enjoy for more than “Across the Stars,” if that was the case. 

I enjoyed so thoroughly how Tala programmed her droid ‘to help.’  And he did, from the moment he didn’t give away her location to picking up Obi-Wan to his final moments with Tala.  Women and droids are lovely things -- just ask Leia Organa and Hera Syndulla.

~~

Good to see Haja again, but... I almost feel as if he was there just as “See!  He’s alive!!”  I didn’t find what he said or did particularly critical in the last two episodes; the role could have been filled by others.  That said, this might be a springboard for the character to appear later.  We’ll see. 

~~

Ewan McGregor has really taken seriously the transition from Episode III Obi Wan to Episode IV Ben Kenobi.  The character is constantly dynamic and in motion, physically and emotionally.  I do think the writing choices for this character were excellently done; he is a traumatized mess, so much to the point he cannot be the person he was trained to be from the age of 3 to the age of 38.  Now in his late 40s, he’s having to ‘grow beyond’ the events ten years prior in a span of about a week.  Obi-Wan does rise to the occasion -- as one should expect.

~~

Hayden Christensen.  I was impressed.  I understand the creative choice not to de-age him back down to 19 in the flashbacks.   I think it’s also a POV choice as to how Vader thinks of himself now, even as the external reality does not match.  Many other people have analyzed the obsession Vader has for Obi-Wan, that mad love. I’ll leave much of the discourse to them; I feel like I would be beating a dead horse over the words “All he’ll see is me” that are so excruciatingly accurate. 

And it is love.  It is the most intense love, so much that it can only be eclipsed by the hate it generates.  I have a more nuanced view of the Obi-Wan and Anakin dynamic that is grounded in how medieval apprenticeships/giving children unto churches worked, so I wouldn’t call it Obikin or a sex/romantic ship... but make no mistake, that love could light a thousand binary suns.

~~

I don’t know if I want season 2.  It’s one of those things where I feel it��s done.  I rather someone leave me wanting more and let my brain go to work in fan fic, rather than let something run a few seasons too long and destroy my interest. 

[zerochanges]

2022 Favorite Anime

The year 2022 was an interesting one. I’d say it was bad but not all bad. I had a lot on my plate and once again it feels like I never have enough time to actually play or watch all the things I want to within the year. This year just like last year I am going to include stuff irregardless of when it came out, so even if it’s an anime from 2020, if I watched it in 2022 for the first time it will make this list. So without too much more pomp or circumstance let’s just get into my list of anime that I thought was worth talking about in 2022.

A Couple of Cuckoos

So I am starting off this list with yet another basic romcom, just the way I like it. Why not do something a little light and easy for the start? Yeah. A Couple of Cuckoos is more or less what you would expect out of the genre, but yeah, like I was getting at that is more or less all I really want; I’m not asking for a reinvention of the wheel for my entertainment, at least not all of it. The characters are all likable and the show is weirdly 2 cours, something not seen all that often nowadays, which gives you a lot more time with the cast. The slower pace and extra time really helps develop the protagonist’s relationship in a way that feels more believable, well as believable as getting switched at birth and ending up living with randos your whole life then getting engaged to the person your genetic family raised in order to “fix” that can be. 

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Last year was probably one of the biggest highlights for the Boruto anime, really getting into the solid meat and potatoes of the series and covering a large arc from the manga, and this year … pretty much went the exact opposite direction—yet I loved it all the same. It was fairly obvious from the onset that the series would need another cooling off period so to say to distance itself from the monthly published manga material and give it some more time to serialize itself, so expectations for me where always set at tepid, but I genuinely enjoy the anime original content the series is largely comprised of.

This year started off on a very strong foot none-the-less as it went into a nearly 25 episode long story arc, one of the longest in the anime, that returned us to the Land of Water, something fans have wanted for years now. We got to see the return of anime favorite character Kagura, and a joint mission with Team 5, the often little utilized characters of the main cast. And then there’s the fact that Kawaki officially joined Team 7 with Boruto and crew, making this his first formal mission. Overall there was a lot of content to enjoy here, although I admit due to its length the arc drags a bit in the middle, but has a solid start and finish.

The following arc sees Kawaki take over as the central protagonist in an undercover mission to guard a noble attending the ninja academy, this was perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the anime this year for me, as it really helps shine some more light on our new deuteragonist and brought back a fun and whimsical tone. Seeing a character like Kawaki who had a very rough childhood; an alcoholic father, being human trafficked, and then experimented on, have to go to school with younger kids and try to fit in is in itself just a perfect premise for a story. It also deepens his relationship with his adopted sister Hima as she begins to attend the academy. This was honestly Boruto at its sharpest as far as anime original content goes. 

The final arc this year was a bit wacky but just so out-there that how can you not have fun with it. Boruto essentially ends up in a SAW movie and has to survive all these trials to the end. Do people know what SAW is anymore? Should I have said Naruto meets Squid Game instead? Is anyone reading this anyways? Oh well, it’s honestly a lot of fun seeing what death games would be like in the Naruto universe and the large cast created (to mostly die) for this arc have great chemistry with our boy. The staff evenly finds a great way to neatly tie this all together with the main plot of the manga. I genuinely hope we can see a return of some of these characters in future anime original content.

This new year is already starting off strong, covering a Sasuke light novel and then getting back into the next manga arc so I am still really excited to follow the series after all these years.

Call of the Night

I was a big fan of Dagashi Kashi when it originally aired back in 2016, so seeing a new manga from its creator was very exciting. In general Call of the Night is almost identical to his prior series, it carries the same incredibly relaxing and chill aura with emphasis on character interaction. This is a vibe series, largely composed of dialogue between its cast, and that isn’t a complaint, I’d say that is a real strength of Kotoyama’s making interesting dialogue that flows naturally as a pathway to seeing the very soul of his characters. 

I adore the night time only setting, being a night owl naturally myself—and the direction, animation, and general direction of the anime is incredible. This is one solid production, with easily the best soundtrack of the year. The name of the manga itself is taken from a song made by the Japanese band Creepy Nuts, which very fittingly ended up being used as the ending theme, but not only that they provide much of the music heard in the show itself, and they are all  bangers in my book.

Cardfight Vanguard will+Dress

The inaugural season of overDress was a bit of a mess back in 2021, I think I may have said as much back in my 2021 retrospectives, but I’ll repeat myself here again. It was far from bad but it was awkward; probably down to the fact that it was only 1 cour long and trying to both establish the cast, world, and relationships the series will be founded on, while also being a card battle series—and it often had to sacrifice one for the other at times. The second season or cour of overDress largely corrected that and was where the series really began to shine for me, winning me over and making me feel confident in this new single cour a season approach Vanguard is heading in now. 

The newest season of the “D Series” as it is being called now, will+Dress largely continued being a solid but a bit rushed card battle series. Covering an entire tournament arc in under 13 episodes is no tall order but they mostly succeed in what is presented here and have some genuine great battles as well as fit in just enough character development for a couple cast members that it doesn’t overwhelm us with nothing but battles. It wasn’t as strong as cour 2 of overDress but I was honestly on the edge of my seat during a lot of these fights, and Jesus Christ does the soundtrack destroy this season! 

I never seen a card battle anime go THIS HARD before, for real! I have to mention this, I have been a fan of this genre since its actual inception during the mid-90’s and not once have I ever experienced anything as incredible as the will+Dress soundtrack. It’s just that good, a new standard for card battle anime music to follow. 

Chainsaw Man

This is going to be difficult. I really don’t know what to do when it comes to accurately describing my feelings towards Chainsaw Man, if anything putting down into words all my thoughts and emotions have been part of what made me drag my feet on doing this list for so long. Chainsaw Man is a complicated show. Well really, no it isn't. But actually it is. It’s difficult. Let’s start at the very beginning since I think that would be for the best.

So for me Chainsaw Man truly began when the manga ran a chapter that featured the characters going to the movies. There they watched a bunch of crappy films all back-to-back and then finally at the end, after hours of countless garbage they see one good film. It brings tears to the protagonist’s eyes over how good the experience was. It was a fascinating and sincere commentary from an author about the movie going experience and what cinema means warts and all. Hell maybe it is even deeper and is about the experience of life itself and how you have to go through lots of bad but that there is still good. 

Either way, I knew nothing about the manga at the time when this chapter went viral on twitter. I kept seeing it, and multiple takes on it, and even read just that chapter. It made Chainsaw Man seem like something special to me. And then that’s it. Much like everything else in my life I just never got around to reading the manga proper. Had some friends that loved it, and that one chapter about going to the movies left an undeniable impact on me. But life is life and mine always sees me never getting around to things I really should.

Years later the series gets an anime and I figured “Great! This is my chance to finally get into it” and what’s more it’s being done by MAPPA? “All right, those guys kill it.” And they did. When the anime came out it was highly praised and easily one of the most talked about series I saw on twitter during that season. I finally got to experience Chainsaw Man and honestly … I just don’t know.

Let’s talk about what works. The animation is stupendous, to a stupid point. Even just characters walking are insanely good looking, the most basic stuff, the most minute little things that don’t usually matter, they are all done as well as the big important battle scenes. The English dub is top notch, maybe even the best this year. The dialogue is incredibly natural, and conversations flow just like real life. I especially appreciate the F-bombs that occur fairly often in the series but never feel gratuitous, just another part of how people naturally talk. Which really impressed me since Funimation dubs tend to be far more squeaky clean and avoid the fouler side of language. 

So what doesn’t work? It just feels kind of hollow, if that makes any sense? Maybe it’s the pacing. The beginning of the show is slow and not much happens, which I am not complaining about since we’re just learning how the world works and about these characters, but then it just kind of ends. Very abruptly. We take our sweet time, and for what? As soon as the show is getting into the swing of things it just stops. It feels hollow, almost like it was canceled. Maybe this is just the nature of the beast and how high quality productions work, we have to settle for less content that is higher quality, but another cour might have really made it feel better. When the final episode finished I just felt nothing. Just “that’s it, huh?” I wonder if there could have been a better stopping point in the manga, who knows.

I wanted a lot out of Chainsaw Man, there was tons to love, and I can’t honestly think of any other grade to give this anime than an A+, but damn dude, I just don’t know. Why do I feel so empty? Maybe I should read the manga, it might have the catharsis and energy I wanted out of the show but was denied. There’s been some controversy over this anime now that it’s over but I don’t want to contribute to it. I can’t help but feel conflicted though. Will I forever be chasing the high of that one viral chapter of the manga I saw all those years ago? Or am I overthinking it and just want more Chainsaw Man and that’s a good thing? I just don’t know anymore. 

Digimon Ghost Game

I did not grow up with Digimon. I say this because there is a very obvious difference between people that did and people that didn’t. I don’t have this irrelevant love for the original series that came before nor even really that high of an opinion on them, and honestly I like when the franchise seems to branch out and try new things—and that’s definitely where Ghost Game squarely falls. 

It’s not a perfect show by any means and it has a fair number of dud episodes that just don’t land nearly that well, but it is overall a much more interesting and easier to watch series than the last five or so years of overly indulgent nostalgia trips the series has been set on. At its strongest I almost feel like I’m watching GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018) again, and that is definitely not a compliment I give out lightly. 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

I had a lot of reservations about this film. I wasn’t crazy about an all CGI Dragon Ball and I definitely had trust issues with this series when it comes to promises of Gohan being important. After the Buu Saga, being a fan of Gohan is endless suffering. My boy has had more false starts and character assassinations than anyone else in all of anime. He really is the character Toriyama and other Dragon Ball writers seem to struggle with the most despite him being an essential core component of Dragon Ball. When I started watching anime Gohan was who I put myself in the shoes of. He was how I related to Goku and everyone else. I just don’t really wanna see my boy done dirty yet again by another false start that goes nowhere.

Well worry no more! Because the film looks fantastic, honestly there were moments where I forgot it was even CGI at all, it was that good and captured the look of a 2D anime that well. And the plot truly lets Gohan be Gohan again. Between him and Piccolo, the two are able to carry the film. It’s a great return to form and does a lot without having to rely on Vegeta or Goku. I love the charm and humor of earlier Dragon Ball shining through again in the film too. 

More of this please. I absolutely would adore seeing these elements of Dragon world explored again.

Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken (2020)

The 2020 adaptation of Dai no Daibouken has been a dream come true for me. One of my all time favorite mangas, a venerable Shonen Jump classic, finally got the anime it deserved and it’s been so much fun. I can’t really comment too much more on this, Toei made an incredible, well paced, well animated, and very faithful adaptation of a wonderful manga. I felt like a kid again watching it every Friday night, and the ending is just as good as I remembered. If you missed it, Dragon Quest fan or not, I highly recommend binging the entire 100 episode series, you won’t regret it. This is one of the best that 90’s Shonen Jump has to offer, and done with the best animation today has to offer.

I’m Quitting Heroing

This was a nice little gem of a title that was exclusive to Hidive. A fun twist on the usual JRPG tropes about brave Heroes fighting Demon Kings, we have the titular Hero throwing away his duty and instead joining the demon army! The army he just crushed not too long ago. You see, after saving the human world from the Demon Army, the humans returned the favor by exiling the hero fearing him for being even stronger than the demon threat. Not taking that lying down, our hero has now changed sides.

This series has an insane amount of heart. It’s a very short story, able to be told in its entirety in its single cour season, and yet does so much with its cast. Learning the story behind the titular hero and what it means to “quit being a hero” and finding your own identity and reason to live. There’s a lot more stuff in this little simple funny twist on the usual JRPG formula than you would expect. 

Kaiji (Dub)

After 15 years the Kaiji dub is finally here! It’s really hard to believe. How did it take this long to dub such a beloved series I’ll never know?! But finally another reason to rewatch Kaiji in 2022, I’ll take it! If anything, Kaiji feels even more poignant today than it did back in 2007 after two more financial crises and who knows how many recessions have occurred. Honestly every day since the mid-twenty-teens have felt like some absurd nightmare with the rich keep consolidating power and the middle class increasingly disappearing. 

The catharsis of the scathing anti-capitalist themes in Kaiji are so needed today. Hell it’s really saying something when a scumbag like Kaiji is the most moral person in the room, money truly does something horrible to all of us. Seeing Kaiji’s moral compass time and time again come to screw him over when he could have gotten out of sticky situations if he was just as greedy and heartless as everyone else really speaks volume to me. It doesn’t help that all the gambling done in these death games are also incredibly interesting and fun to watch on their own even when you ignore the themes of the work as well. 

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer

Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer came out all the way back in 2005 and was one of the debut works of the incredibly talented and often overlooked Satoshi Mizukami. It was a fan favorite manga that sadly never got an anime nor a very widespread publication of the manga over here—with the volumes long out-of-print and often going for very high prices now. Yet somehow, for some reason, all the way in 2022, the series is getting a second chance, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer got an anime! It’s not great though.

Yeah sadly, the anime isn’t exactly worth the 17 year long wait. It’s not awful by any stretch, and condenses the material of the 10 volume long manga into a complete and full story 24 episode long anime, but I can’t help but feel it could have been better. 

Maybe I am spoiled seeing how well other anime productions have condensed materials, the 2011 Madhouse adaptation of Hunter x Hunter comes to mind, more specifically the Greed Island portion, that was a great adaptation of the material, and the recent JoJo seasons like Diamond is Unbreakable is another solid example of taking a lot of material and condensing it, 18 manga volumes in 38 episodes. Animes like these make Biscuit Hammer’s decisions and pacing feel a lot weaker to me. 

Then there’s the animation, to be blunt it ain’t very good. All this screams to me that the show had a very tight and small budget and not a lot of staff. I imagined they didn’t really go out of their way to make this series a priory. It kind of reminds me a lot of what happens to Berserk animes, but thankfully it isn’t anywhere nearly as bad as that!

So don’t get me wrong, the general spirit of a great manga is still present in this adaptation. It’s a very unique and well written battle shonen and it definitely is a good enough representation of Mizukami’s work. I’m really glad it happened and enjoyed watching it. I enjoyed reliving this wonderful series again. If you like the anime even a little I do suggest doing what you can to find the manga and see it at its best. Might be a fun read after seeing the final episode. And hey if you’re seeing this on Crunchyroll good news, CR actually has a digital version of the manga on their CR Manga reader. Yeah, remember that thing? Remember how they tried to break into manga at one point. That was a weird time. Anyways enjoy.

Macross Frontier: The False Songstress and Macross Frontier: The Wings of Farewell

I’ll show my age and say I watched fansubs of Macross Frontier all the way back when it originally aired on Japanese TV in 2012. It was an incredibly fun time to see a classic series return again and the production quality blew me away, I never seen CG used in an anime that well before, despite it being such a norm now, it was not the case in 2012, it often did not blend well with the flat 2D animation and looked awful, yet the CG dogfights in this show were incredible, almost movie quality like. Hell watching these movies in 2022 I am still impressed. And oh yeah, I watched these movies in 2022 holy shit!

For decades it seemed like the Macross franchise would be stuck in Japan only, I don’t think anyone ever saw this long feud ever coming to an end but it’s finally over. Blu-rays for Frontier, Seven, and so much more are on the horizon, and we even for the two Frontier films to show in theatres over here! Just simply wow. That alone made this special to me. 

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul (the movie) and Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun (Season 2)

The first season of Made in Abyss was a breakout hit in 2017 and it was never a question of if there would be follow up content but when as sadly the manga is published irregularly. Finally in 2020 after nearly three years fans got Dawn of the Deep Soul, a movie continuation of the first season. I didn’t watch it back then, only seeing it now in 2022. It’s great. I’ll be brief since there’s a lot to cover but it is probably my favorite story arc in MiA now, and where the series really seems to be coming into its stride, if you ask me, someone who thought Season 1 was good but not that good. I’m really glad I finally sat down and watched this in preparation to seeing Season 2.

And without further ado, let’s talk Season 2. Also great. By this point creator Tsukushi seems to have a really good command of his series and is able to do a lot more interesting things with it. The Golden City of the Scorching Sun really presents something he simply could not have done earlier on in MiA and is maybe one of the most complex and well crafted narratives I watched this year. It definitely is the most thoroughly and well written arc of the entire series so far and the longest arc in the series. 

I personally think I do prefer the more simple and fun Dawn of the Deep Soul, to me that was simply incredible and had the best fight in MiA occur, but damn if both that film and this new season didn’t impress me equally.

My Dress-Up Darling

My Dress-Up Darling is an incredibly well animated and crafted show, easily the best romance anime of 2022 by a landslide and it’s a shame that while very popular when it aired it seemed to have been forgotten about now at the end of the year. The central relationship between the two leads is just so pure and healthy. Gojo helps Marin with her cosplay hobby and is the first person to not judge her for it. And she in return is one of the few people at their school to see the positive qualities that Gojo possesses. The two are good together and it’s also just refreshing that it’s the popular girl that ends up falling for the guy for once and not the other way around. The two are great together and it’s adorable seeing their supportive side, the season even ending with Gojo staying up all night talking to Marin on the phone to help her feel better is maybe the perfect way to end a season too.

My Isekai Life

Okay I legit only watched this show because it was on Hidive. Being a smaller service they promoted it pretty hard and even gave it a dub despite it seeming like a fairly basic show. I mean dude, look at that name, it even has Isekai right in the title! Like what the heck. But despite this being a very basic and overly simple isekai series, it’s incredibly well executed. I found myself enjoying it every week. I don’t know what to say, maybe I’m a simple man, but the story was never boring and out of nowhere there were fantastic spurts of insanely high quality animation. Why? For a series like this! I don’t know, but the overall package ended up being a nice little show that always delivered every week. I even found myself looking forward to it. Sometimes good things can be something you least expect.

ODDTAXI (dub)

ODDTAXI was a sleeper hit when it first aired back last year in 2021–why it took so long for the dub to happen, who knows, but 2022 finally gave us the English version of this series and that’s what finally got me to watch it. The unique art design is easily the first thing you will notice with the anthropomorphic characters despite this being a mature murder mystery, and it goes a long way to help give this very well written series even more of its own identity. I can definitely see why it was such a well reviewed series last year when it aired and it definitely has some great ideas towards the end.

Sadly talking about it is one of those things that is hard to do, as it will lead to spoilers, but the basic premise is our protagonist Odokawa, a taxi driver, picks up various strange clients, each with their own mystery, and as we follow their cab rides we learn more about the greater murder mystery behind the series at large. I highly recommend not sleeping on this series like a lot of others might have, you are missing out on one of the best who-done-its in anime in a long time.

Shadowverse Flame

Two years back the first Shadowverse anime aired and I called it one of the best animes of the year … for all the wrong reasons! It was a legit mess with an insane plot that flew off the rails and became incredibly dark for some reason. Like the apocalypse actually happens and everyone dies in the show a la Neon Genesis Evangelion, that is something that happens in Shadowverse, don’t ask me why. Despite the apocalypse killing everyone, kids gaining psychic powers and jumping off skyscrapers and not being hurt, and also some part where the cast dimension hopes to the world of Granblue Fantasy because Cygames, I guess, the series got a sequel. And it’s … really good … for the actual right reasons!

Yeah, I never saw this coming, Shadowverse Flame is actually a really competent well made card battle series. I’d even go so far as to say maybe the best card battle anime that aired in 2022. It has none of the insane nonsense that its predecessor did, and actually took the time to explain all the core mechanics of the card game and have dynamic and really well written card battles. The overall plot is fun, basically amounting to a mysterious transfer student Light Tenryu, joining a failed Shadowverse club on the verge of disbanding and resurrecting it. Everything is … good actually. Really who saw any of this coming??? 

If you like card battle anime, definitely check out Shadowverse Flame, it won’t disappoint, and it isn’t batshit insane so that’s cool too.

Shenmue the Animation

I had zero hope for this toonami original when it was first announced. After all a ton of the appeal to Shenmue was the relaxing play at your own pace sandbox style it helped to revolutionize. I wouldn’t say it was the first sandbox title, there are a few early PSOne and PC games that are very experimental  and essentially pioneered this genre, but Shenmue was one of the first big ones, and an inescapable part of the gaming landscape when it first came out. Sure it had a story, and a good one at that too, but the game play and insane attention to detail for the world it took place in is what it is most fondly remembered for.

But despite all that this series ended up pretty solid. Damn it honestly might be the best toonami original series yet, though that’s a pretty low bar. But the series is a pretty solid adaptation of the first Shenmue game, making some very smart decisions in reordering some events and abridging others, it’s overall a solid representation of the original game with the fights fully realized in a way the Dreamcast never could. The latter half of the series that covers Shenmue 2 is sadly a bit worstly paced however and it becomes obvious that the scope of that game was too much for the anime to fully handle, but it still ends in a satisfying manner. 

Hell I had so much fun it made me finally, after nearly 3 years, crack open that Shenmue 1 and 2 remaster I bought and replay the games alongside the anime as it aired! So yes, let me tell you as someone that experienced both actively at the same time, this was a solid version of the series.

Spy x Family

The best way to summarize this anime is cute and it makes me happy. Okay that probably isn't enough, sorry. Found family narratives always get to me though and Spy x Family is one of the better ones I’ve seen in anime over the recent years. The premise of a Spy father, Assassin mother, and psychic daughter all living secret lives but together as one family increasingly presents lots of potential for stories, and it’s a rock solid production. The animation is always strong every episode and the character interactions between the central trio always present a solid through line that keeps every episode consistent and fun. Overall a great series with tons of heart and some good laughs along the way too.

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs

First of all Mob means NPC in Japanese. I just thought you should know that, because the anime doesn’t care to tell you, even the English dub which really should have if they wanted to use that Japanese term. And yes, if you’re like me congrats now you know why Mob is called Mob in Mob Psycho 100, his nickname is essentially Mr. NPC boy. 

I dunno if I would call this show mean spirited? It’s honestly very dark comedy based, maybe even meanly so, but it’s genuinely really fun and doesn’t seem hateful so who knows! The premise of some gamer boy being reborn into an Otomoe (female demographic dating sim) game as an NPC and abusing everything he knows to live the best life is already funny enough, but add that the game is also incredible shitty with bonkers writing, inconstant characters, and takes place in some nonsensical world, and it’s even better. Then there is also someone else in the series who appears to be doing the same but inserting herself into the main story of the game, taking the place of the heroine and wooing the bachelors within it, and how that changes the world is interesting. 

Basically Leon, is a huge a-hole and hates everyone and everything in this story, but is able to still come out on top over and over again because of his gamer knowledge and it never gets old.

Urusei Yatsura (2022)

I adore Rumiko Takahashi’s work. Real hot take, I know, after all who doesn’t like the work of one of the most beloved creators in the entire manga industry? But yeah ever since I was young and just getting into anime I always found myself watching her series and reading her works. 

For some people today a lot of her stuff might seem dated, maybe too predictable, too slow paced; afterall anime today is all about very fast paced and tightly controlled productions that get to the point right away, but for me I honestly prefer taking detours. I watch Boruto guys, enough said. So you won’t be getting much plot progression out of this newest iteration of her classic Urusei Yatsura, but you will be getting an incredibly well crafted and updated adaptation of a series that helped pioneer a lot of modern tropes still used today in anime and manga.

Plus this is just such a super chill series with some good laughs. I never fall out of my seat, it isn’t that kind of comedy, but I genuinely leave each episode with a smile on my face. 

Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun (Season 3)

Iruma-kun is easily one of the best long-running shonen series around today. Maybe that is an actual hot take, but I don’t care, I’ll fight you. It’s an incredible and well crafted world with very fun characters that all have great chemistry. Season 3 continues with maybe one of the longest arcs yet in the series and has been tons of fun seeing the Misfit Class take on the Harvest Festival. 

I love Iruma being paired with Lead as well in this arc, it’s a great combination of characters and not what you would expect but works so well. Honestly the two of them are kind of the most pathetic people in their class when you really think about it—and that’s why it’s fun seeing these idiots in way-over-their-heads while the rest of their class are genuinely really bad ass in this tournament arc.

I would be remiss to not mention the unfortunate and untimely passing of voice actor Billy Kametz as well, who used to play Asmodeus Alice in the series. Billy was an incredible talent and an actor I loved to listen to in anime; ever since his debut as Josuke in Diamond is Unbreakable I actively followed his roles. When he was cast as Az I thought it was perfect casting and he gave a wonderful performance in the first two seasons. It is a tragedy that he died so young and everyone that knew him seems to paint the man as a truly kind and caring individual. The current replacement for Az, Stephen Fu, is doing a fine job and gives a fairly convincing voice match to Billy, but I can only imagine it is an unenviable situation for Stephen, as he seems to increasingly be casted to fill these roles for Billy. 

Ya Boy Kongming

Ya Boy Kongming was maybe my biggest dark horse series of the year. It came out of nowhere and really wowed me. The premise of the great ancient Chinese war strategist dying and being reborn in modern times only to fall in love with pop music and using all his smarts to help promote a young hopeful singer fulfill her dreams is just so funny but played so incredibly straight and sincerely that it never feels like they are wasting your time. It’s surely a comedy, they definitely are having fun with the characters, but this is also equal parts a legitimate idol anime and a damn good one too. 

This was one of the first animes this year that really helped showcase to me Hidive’s incredible curation ability post AMC buyout. They are grabbing some incredibly high quality shows. They still can’t compete with Sony’s almost monopoly of the market, or Netflix’s raw power, but they were able to consistently pick a handful of high quality really great shows every season.

[qutiesquish]

“WHY?!”

Short story᯽

Character: Ben Drowned

Pronouns: He/Him

A/N: I’m going for 16 y/o Ben, cause he was that age when he died last I checked, so don’t make this weird. Also I tried to make this as canon as possible :’]

Warning(s): mentions of death, obsessive behavior, manipulation, child neglect, alcohol ab@se, toxic romance, mentions of getting drunk and hangovers, kidnapping(?)

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Recently, some common residents of the Slenderman manor have noticed a particular change with a certain link lookalike resident. Ben, Ben Drowned.

Normally he would find random targets and torment them throughout the day/night, fuck with their head, stress them out to the brink of paranoia and insanity on the occasion, and than kill them.

He would sit in the main living room of the manor and sit their on the TV with a laptop and giggle darkly as he tormented some poor bastard.

As of the past week it seems he’s been talking to the same person? He always mumbles and giggles at his laptop screen. Usually mumbling this one name, {Reader}?

It was weird. Usually he wouldn’t go on this long with talking to his victims. Was there something special about this certain one? Were they not scared and tormented enough to fit Ben’s expectations?

In reality, or at least from Ben’s point of view, it was nothing like that.

At first, he thought to himself “oh wow! A kid my age? This should be interesting” but then it all changed after you got up from your TV set up after looking at your phone and running out of the LED light filled room, leaving the game open.

Ben waited for you to come back, when you did you walked in with a woman, seemingly your mother.

That day he learned that your father had been going to work, getting drunk and coming home, leaving you to help take care of him. Your parents were split up and your mother occasionally brought you groceries, or gave you money to buy them yourself. She apparently couldn’t take you in with her as her boyfriend doesn’t want “loud brats” so this was the best she could do.

You seemed so forgiving about it too.

That’s why it pissed Ben off.

You were forgotten. Ignored. Brushed aside. Told some dude was worth to keep around more than you. And you just- accepted it!? Like what?! Are you that easy or are you just blind?

After waiting for about fifteen minutes or so, the woman, your mother, left the room.

You heard your tv make noise, the one that it makes when a chat box from a character shows up. You look towards your TV screen and watch as an npc character speaks to yours.

“Why?!” Is all it said.

There was no reply option to choose from.

“What the…” you mumbled. Questioning how you would react to the question if there was no reply option.

The npc started talking again.

“Why would you let them drown you?!” It said.

“Wha- let who drown me? What?” You questions aloud once more, not expect a reply.

“Why would you let him drown you?” The npc questioned. The music of the game getting darker.

“Heh?! Did- did that- DID THAT JUST REPLY??? I DIDNT CLICK ANY… thing… can it.. hear me? What-“ you yelled, getting cut off by the npc chat box.

“You didn’t answer.”

“I.. I don’t know what you mean!”

“You’re being drowned. Why do let them drown you.” The npc replied. The music of the game seemingly sounding angry, and darker than before.

“This is freaking me out man! Fuck this!” You said, running to your console to shut it off.

When you went to turn of the console it shocked you, making you retract your hand.

“Ow! What the fuck!?”

The npc box went off again. “You’re their son. Why do you let them drown you?!”

On the other side of this situation, Ben was getting more and more upset. The little red light he has for eyes glitching out as the black tears that normally ran down his face come out in globs.

He was crying out of frustration.

Why won’t you answer?! Why don’t you explain?! Why would you let them do this! Why would you let them drown you?!

Those were his thoughts.

And until he got his answers you would not be leaving.

So you’ve been stuck in your room for almost a week now.

You tried to leave by opening your door but the nob zapped you everytime. Your window has never opened once since you moved in since it was stuck shut, so that would’ve been useless to try.

You also tried to call and text for help, but anytime you called or got a call from someone, the phone always hung up almost immediately. Than anytime you typed up a message for help it wouldn’t send and just said “error” above it.

Also, your tv would randomly turn on and the npc from your game would show up, looking worse and worse each time, and ask you the same questions over and over.

It was all so weird.

Though, there were two things you found to be weirder than everything else.

Sometimes the npc would talk to you, normally, and ask random questions. It was almost like it was human.

Than the other thing.. almost every night, or just anytime you would go to sleep, you would wake up to your TV becoming this illuminated white screen and shutting off. Then when you got up to look around, you’d always find food.

You don’t know where it came from either.

Your mom wasn’t supposed to show up until next week with groceries. Than your dad was usually never home, or too busy laying on the couch drunk or with a hang over.

So how did it get there?

You asked the npc one day, as a joke, or just some way to calm your nerves. What you didn’t expect was for it to actually reply.

“I gave you the food from your kitchen”

What? That’s crazy!

“You’re.. but you’re an npc.. in my game.” You said.

To Ben you seemed flabbergasted and confused. He enjoyed it. It was.. cute.. in a pathetic messed up way.

You heard a dark giggle of a boy come from your tv.

That.. didn’t sound like the npc’s voice..

And you were right. It wasn’t the npc’s.

The npc box showed up again.

“I am more than a piece of trashy code… {Reader}… I am… not a human either. At least not anymore..” the npc box said, another dark, creepy sounding giggle after it.

“What… than what.. are you?!… how do you.. know my name?!..” you asked hesitatingly, causing another dark giggle to come from the tv.

“Who am I?..” The npc text box said.

Once again a dark chuckle emerged from the tv, along with a voice.

“I am Ben, Ben Drowned.. and you? {Reader}… Are coming with me.”

Your tv screen illuminated, a bright light causing your vision to go white. The last thing you remember is a shadow crawling from your screen.

[keijislove]

Hi babe! I was wondering if I could request a Tony Stark x daughter reader? With lots of angst and her being locked in her room because she’s being bullied for her darker skin

(I understand if you’re not comfortable with this)

Safe Place: Tony Stark X Daughter!Reader

I think this turned out a bit longer than I expected.

Sorry :(

I hope you like this, I don’t really have a lot of experience with this matter, so I hope I captured the emotions right!

I AM APOLOGISING IN ADVANCE, THE HURTFUL COMMENTS MENTIONED HERE ARE NOT ONES I WOULD EVER USE IN MY LIFETIME.

GIRL, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – YOU DON’T NEED DIMWITS LIKE RACISTS TO DEFINE BEAUTY. YOU WANT THE DEFINITION OF BEAUTY, GO LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

PUT A STOP TO RACISM.

WARNINGS: Slight EXTREMELY racial comments, mentions of death, toxic relationship, angst, Tony being a little... well, Tony.

Being Tony Stark’s daughter was nearly everyone’s dream. Well, everyone you’d come across at school, anyway. It seemed rational from their point of view – big house, big bedroom, expensive branded clothing, basically an overall exquisite lifestyle coupled with fame of being his daughter which was sure to earn popularity points anywhere and everywhere. A man rolling in that amount of money would make a great dad... right?

You thought differently. Which was one of the main reasons you did not tell anyone who your father really was and your teachers understood your predicament and played along to your story of being an ordinary girl with no scope for coolness whatsoever.

Your mother had met your father a long, long time ago – when Tony was still in university. Of course, he’d left her before he even knew she was pregnant, and they never saw each other again. You didn’t exactly love your life as his daughter. In fact, from what your mother had told you, he was (in your vision) a complete monster whom your mother had the sad misfortune to meet.

It was her untimely death that had forced you to go live with the man who was the reason you were born and the man who ruthlessly left your mother to fend for herself and a baby. You had tried for foster care, but the agents told you that your father was still alive and more than capable of taking care of you – being the famous Tony Stark and all.

So it would suffice to say that Tony was lowkey shocked when you turned up at his doorstep one day with a grudging expression and declarations of being his daughter. He actually didn’t believe you at first and asked you to piss off which confirmed your earlier assumptions about his character – asshole. After you’d snapped at him and showed him all the legal documentations stating that you two were blood-related as father-daughter after all, Tony was even more shocked than earlier.

Though he would rather die than admit it, he felt sad after seeing your fourteen-year-old self standing at his doorstep. He’d missed your birth, your first steps, your first words, he even missed helping you with homework in preschool – basically all precious moments you enjoy with a child. But you made it pretty clear that you didn’t want to be here – something that made Tony’s already overlarge pride swell like a bullfrog and stopped him from ever getting close to you. While you were busy thinking he didn’t want you, you overlooked a small detail – he took you in.

If anyone had the power to bribe an adoption agency to get rid of their kid, it was Anthony Stark, yet he never gave you away. The simple explanation (that he would never, in a million years, admit it to you) was that he didn’t want to lose you – around the only blood-related family he had left.

And so began your life as Y/N Stark. It functioned surprisingly well for your expectations. Pepper was really nice to you and those few occasions when the Avengers came over, you were able to talk to Natasha about ‘girl things’, her presence reminding you of the mother you had lost only too young. You sometimes even asked Bruce for help with homework, too proud yourself to go to Tony. Overall, you stayed out of his way while he stayed out of yours – an arrangement you were both satisfied with.

The worst part was that you never talked. Ever. You would wake up and walk to school, refusing Jarvis’ continued protests of letting you use the self-driving car, came home the same way where you did your homework and grabbed a snack before you ‘father’ came back upstairs from his little man cave in the basement and a small ‘good-evening’ passed between you two as you went your separate ways. This cycle repeated itself every day. Recently, your life at school hadn’t been going great.

You’d known that your skin tone was a notch darker than the others at your school – something you had gotten from your mother – and this was not something you really cared about. That’s when they started coming – the comments. What were originally small, snide retorts of ‘wash your face, ew!’ (A/N: I AM SO SORRY) had now escalated to them calling you obscene names you’d never heard before and asking you to leave ‘their’ school

Which was why, instead of being at school today, you were locked in your bedroom, sobbing into your pillow.

It had started out as a very unusual morning. After getting comments hurled at you left right and centre the previous day, you’d had enough. You’d woken up and declared to Jarvis that you were skipping school and he was to, under no circumstances, notify your father about this. After that you tried to eat some cereal, but the bubbling dread in your stomach made it taste like dry carpet, so you gave up and stomped into your room, locking the door before flinging yourself onto the bed and crying your heart out.

It was in times like these that you felt the need for something – a gaping hole in your chest. It seemed foolish to even admit it to yourself, but you really wanted someone like a parent. Someone who listened to your problems and comforted you accordingly, someone who actually cared about you. And since Tony Stark filled neither of these requirements, you gave up the foolish dream and sunk, once again, into your self-fashioned depths of misery.

-------

Tony casually sipped on his wine, putting one last screw into place to make the latest piece he was testing out. As he powered the device on, it vibrated for a moment before the words ‘model failed’ appeared on the screen Tony was examining.

He swore loudly and shoved it ungracefully aside before running his hands through his hair. There had been many an occasion where Tony seriously considered going to your room to just say something to you that wasn’t a monotonous ‘good evening’ or ‘the milk’s finished’ or something else like that. He wanted to talk to you. To you.

He wanted to get to know the real Y/N – what you were like when you weren’t too busy being bold and refusing to appear vulnerable. As if reading his thoughts, Jarvis’ voice filled the room suddenly.

“Sir, I do believe that Ms Stark is currently locked inside her bedroom. She refused to go to school just this morning.”

“What?” Tony exclaimed, “Why, did she tell you anything else?”

“Just this, Sir, along with a few obscene warnings of not informing you about this occurrence. If I recall correctly, Ms Stark told me she would rip out my sockets with her bare hands had I come to you.”

Ignoring the small smirk that was growing on his lips at the thought of you behaving exactly as he would, Tony wiped his tired hands on a nearby cloth before sprinting out the door and up the stairs to your bedroom.

He knocked on the door.

“Go away Pepper, not in the mood,” came your muffled voice. It was weak and raw – evidently, you had been crying.

Ignoring the poking feeling of dread bubbling in his stomach, Tony knocked again.

“Open up, kid, it’s me,” he shouted.

“Definitely not in the mood, thanks.”

Tony sighed. This was exactly what he had tried so hard to avoid –turning out like his own father. Not knowing how to deal with a daughter properly, he just let you go about your business as you wanted, hoping that it would yield better results than what his childhood had been like. Now, looking back at how much he’d neglected you, he suddenly realised that he had done the exact thing he was afraid of – hurt you.

“Y/N Y/M/N Stark, open the door. Please.”

Perhaps it was the please at the end or the way he acknowledged you as his living, breathing daughter for the first time that made you stagger limply over to the door and push it open.

Your eyes were puffy, red and swollen from bawling nonstop and your brows were knitted into a disapproving frown. It broke Tony’s heart to see you like this.

“Listening,” you sniffed, crossing your arms.

“Okay, why don’t you sit down,” Tony frowned slightly.

You gave another hearty sniff and led him to your bed where you flopped down and watched as he took a seat beside you.

You both sat in a very painful, deafening silence for the next few minutes.

“You didn’t go to school today,” Tony casually remarked as you played with your pillow, refusing to meet his eyes.

“I did,” you said simply.

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Tony offered.

“I really don’t,” you admitted as he burst out laughing and you gave a grudging giggle despite yourself.

“Seriously, kid,” Tony said in an undertone, “You’ve gotta open up a bit more. I mean, it’s been like what, two years since you moved here and you never bother telling me what’s going on. And look where that got you – come on, tell me what’s going on. Is it school?”

“Partially,” you quietly said to which he cocked an eyebrow.

“Completely,” you amended, sighing, “Kids, you know, they’re just being – well, mean.”

“Okay,” Tony nodded slightly, “You want to talk about it?”

“They... they make fun of me,” you admitted, “About – about my skin colour and stuff. And I know I’m being stupid, getting upset over this –”

“It’s not stupid,” Tony broke in, “It’s not stupid at all. Nothing gives anyone a right to talk to you that way.”

“Try telling that to them!” you burst out, final letting go of the pent-up emotions you’d been holding for days, “What did I ever do to them – it’s not my fault I look like this, maybe if I could choose what to look like, I’d choose something they want! Just about everyone seems to have a problem – what the hell do they expect me to do? It’s unjust, unfair, unsettling and unkind, but of course they don’t care, do they?!”

Tony didn’t even flinch throughout your entire outburst until you broke down and tears began rapidly pouring out of your eyes once more.

“Hey, hey, stop, listen to me,” Tony sternly said, seizing your shoulders and turning you to face him.

“You’re a Stark,” he said, gazing you dead in the eyes, “You are beautiful, you’re smart and you’re kind. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

This was too much for you to handle and you started sobbing again – sobs of partial happiness and partial guilt that didn’t look like they would stop anytime soon.

“Come here, kid,” was all Tony could say as he pulled you into a hug, allowing you to sob into his shirt while he stroked your hair, trying to calm you down.

“I’m sorry if I’ve ever been mean to you,” you whispered finally.

“It’s okay, kid,” Tony murmured, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “I’m sorry I haven’t been a great father all this time.”

You two sat in a now comfortable silence, occasionally clearing your throats or sniffling a bit before Tony finally spoke.

“If anyone says that to you again, I will have them cut up and fed to the fish in my house in Malibu.”

“Thanks, dad.”