#and 3. I fear the character who needs to appear in the story in its evolving direction is too similar to another character

[david-watts]

I will not fall into the trap of rewriting everything because my writing skills have improved since starting the work

[absolutedestinyapocalypsse]

Raine is the embodiment of trying to fix the system from the inside, of the idea that is taught to us by people in power that the institutions that are designed to hurt us are neutral, and need only be wielded by the right people. If the finale of the show is trying to teach how you dont owe forgiveness and kindness to people who dont want to change, Raine's part of the story exemplifies how even the kindest, most forgiving person can be rendered helpless by these institutions if they try to fight from within them, how sometimes the very institutions we accept as given in our word dont deserve our forgiveness either, don't deserve our hope that they will change for the better, because they were always designed to hurt people.

Raine became head witch because they wanted to be a mentor, to help- this intention is never muddied or changed at any point in the series (this is very important- Raine is not corrupted by the power or position, it's not a matter of good people becoming bad with power, its a matter of good people being unable to do good within the system)

It's an isolating job- it appears to be them alone against the covens and belos. But the most effective change we seen them enact is not through their status as a coven head- something they are not comfortable or suited for as someone who "can't stand an audience"- its done through the CATTS, a group outside the coven system designed to persuade and help people against the throne. They get to wear a mask, get to perform in a way that makes them comfortable get to overcome their fear in a group setting. The CATTS organize in a very realistic way, and through them Raine meets Eda again, comes closer to the love and community they lost around the time when they joined the Bard coven.

But then, the plan changes- they go under cover. Pretend theyre working with the emperor until the last moment, use their status as a coven head to change the outcome of the day of unity. Whe they're doing that, they have to very publically denounce all of their beliefs, and behave as if the system that's trapping them is good. They aren't actually being controlled at this point, but the nature of the plan is such that they have to act like an arm of the emperor, going against everything they believe in. So, in a very real, non-magic way, they still are being controlled.

And the plan ends up being a disaster. All that work, all that deep cover planning, none of it stopped the day of unity from happening. Meanwhile, Raine's spent all this time- what was probably their last opportunity to reconnect with Eda and build back a damaged relationship before the world ended-compromising their beliefs and behaving as a propaganda machine for Belos. It appears, at the beginning of season 3, that Raine has given up everything- their autonomy, their friends, their love- for nothing. So, of course Belos picks them to possess- he's so used to Raine being a puppet in every other way. They have inadvertendly made themself a vessel for the will of the emperor through trying to stop him.

And now, they have another internal battle to fight- one over direct control over their own body (I don't think it's a coincidence that the biggest trans character in the show has this struggle, but thats for later.) What has been more of a symbolic or ideological control for all of the series becomes an inescapable physical control, one that they fight with every inch of their being to overcome. And they do overcome it- they push Belos out- but it doesn't stop him. Just like how it was being a coven head, being a tool for Emperor Belos didn't actually give Raine the power to stop him, it just put them in close enough proximity to him to be hurt more.

It's meaningful that they finally do get to take down Belos when he's without the system he build to prop himself up and put down others, literally ripped from the heart of the titan- nothing but a manipulative pile of goo. It's meaningful that they do it surrounded by friends and allies and lovers, and it's meaningful that they get to enjoy it, after all this time scratching at the surface and trying to change the coven system for the better, the thing that finally destroys it- destroys Belos is an alliance- a found family- curb stomping him into oblivion.

[caw4brandon]

TMA: Horror By Sound

A long while ago, I discussed about the interesting values of Audio content. Heck, I even talked about it in a [Video Here] Audio content, despite being considered as old media is emerging from the corners of the internet in the modern era.

With how things are moving at such a fast pace. A quick and secondary type of medium is bound to rise in popularity. Let's discuss;

- Statement Begins -

< The Magnus Archives > is an audio podcast/drama following an archivist at the Magnus Institute, London. The recordings follow Jonathan Sims who recently took over the position of Head Archivist after his predecessor, Gertrude Robinson mysteriously passed away.

What started out as a typical job of filing documents and old cases spiraled into an unusual turn where Jon and his Archival Assistants; Martin, Tim and Sasha are haunted by a grotesque monster as written in the statements.

As of now, the show has a total of 5 seasons and as the seasons progress. The monsters become more aggressive and frightening against the character's lives and their psyche.

- What's Your Greatest Fear? -

The series has the characters deal with entities that feed on the fears of the victims. From the typical fear of the dark to specific fears such as, spiders, filth, heights, closed spaces, and eventually, death itself. Each fear manifested itself onto the victims in various ways that feels personal.

At the end of the statements, Jon or the others will provide their thoughts on the case and report their findings in reality. Often dead end trials where either the victims have long died or went missing.

The series as a whole, has an ecosystem of connections to the manifestations. From the cursed books of Jurgen Leitner to a cast of active creatures hunting for prey to feed upon and tear into madness.

Aside from the main cast, there are also reoccurring characters that joined the show as well. There's former Paranormal Investigator; Melanie, former officers; Daisy and Basira and a few others.

The show takes a slow burn approach, learning the truth as Jon improves. Having the unknown beings creep deeper into his life inch by inch till he is no longer himself.

We get to see him get exhausted, frustrated at his lack and the comical failure of his preparation against the monsters knocking at his door with the conspiracy that he is but a pawn at the bigger game of these Abominations.

The show also shows a number of audio manipulation, adding to the creep factor. Such is when the creature; The Stranger appears by distorting sound and echoes when they speak.

- Statement Ends -

In a disturbing way. The show seems to suggest that we, the listeners are the very monsters that is affecting the characters. Our constant need for more brings the characters descend further and there is nothing we can do about it but listen.

I've talked in the past about how [ASMR is Sound for the Soul] with the ability to simulate soothing tingles and tell a story with one sided conversations. What TMA does is to do the secondary.

Telling a story by second hand accounts. The way how some of the statements feels can get under your skin. The use of words and the annunciation of the statements feels like something is pulling the statements closer to the audience. Simulating a different kind of tingle.

It sometimes feels like we are prying into closed conversations. Listening to the deepest and darkest parts of humanity without the characters noticing.

As of now, I caught up till Season 3 but it seems like Jon will be getting involved more and more to the beings at the threshold.

What I think TMA does really well is not making horror out of typical fears. It relies on those fears and amplifies its ability to make one cripplingly terrified at things we have yet to understand. Reaching out of the tape recorder and into our world in an unpleasant way. Yet, you can't help but click to the next episode.

Recording Ends

[percheduphere]

LOKI SEASON 2 - END GAME THEORIES PART 1

This is going to be a super long post that will need to be divided into 2 parts due to the 10 image posting limit. Here's what I'll cover:

Part 1:

1.) The Original Timekeepers

2.) Trust as a Theme

3.) Social Intelligence is a Leadership Skill

4.) Mobius's Presence Through Food - Food is Socializing ... and Friendship

Part 2: (read: here)

5.) Mobius's Plotline

6.) Sylvie's Role

7.) John = Mobius?

8.) The Original Timekeepers & Time Paradoxes

THE ORIGINAL TIMEKEEPERS

I am 99.99% certain that the original 3 timekeepers are Loki, Mobius, and Sylvie, and that we are in a time paradox by which the future influenced the past. The lore and set design have repeatedly highlighted that there have always been THREE timekeepers.

More than once, the camera has held on the TVA seal for an extended period. The seal above is from the past, when HWR was in power.

This seal is from the future:

In both cases, the image of the seal remains the same. The dagger represents Loki, the hourglass (drawn like a mobius strip) represents Mobius, and the mask (that looks like shield but isn't) represents Sylvie, who can enchant. The papers covering the text appears intentional as well, a nod to the comics, "Loki: God of Stories".

And the writers, cunning folk that they are, are counting on the most avid fans to be too busy looking for scenes supporting their ships to realize that the end game is for Loki, Mobius, and Sylvie to trust and care about one another enough to protect all time(lines), always. Please note that I'm not an anti. I love shipping! It's fun. But an awareness of shipping is also a useful tool to keep the audience distracted from the narrative and cinematic hints that are right in front of our faces. These three need to become a team. The shots below (adored by Lokius fans, including me) foreshadow this in 2 ways:

First, that Loki's character has progressed to the point that he trusts and supports Mobius. Second, that both shots are imbalanced. There needs to be a third person on Loki's other side to balance both shots' composition. The Heart of the TVA is missing its 3rd timekeeper: Sylvie.

This shot is significant for several reasons, all of which are thematically connected. Despite there being two people on either side of Loki, the shot is still imbalanced. Loki is slightly closer to Mobius. In this scene. Sylvie is positioned at a distance, demonstrating lack of trust in both of them.

TRUST AS A THEME

Stepping back for a moment, S1 predominantly focused on Loki and Mobius developing trust in one another:

By Season 2, that trust is well-established. Sylvie hasn't had enough time to build trust with either them. She continues to operate in a survivalist mindset. Her history justifies this: she's relied on herself since childhood. But not having anyone to trust is not the path to happiness, nor is it to the path to success when in the face of an annihilation event. Sylvie is still emotionally and psychologically where Loki was at the beginning of S1.

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE IS A LEADERSHIP SKILL

I'm an older fan. If you've ever worked for a medium to large employer, the different types of managers that exist become apparent.

1. The micromanagers, managers who do not trust their staff and consequently create a tense environment that can become toxic where no one trusts one another.

2. The absent managers, managers who delegate and disappear, leaving their team feel uncared for.

3. The blurred-line manager, who's friendly and approachable but doesn't hold others accountable and doesn't know how to create and implement plans at a high level (out of fear of upsetting anyone), making their team feel frustrated with in-fighting and lost in terms of what the main goal is.

4. The authoritarian, a manager who follows the book to a T, is rigid, punitive, and has no compassion for individual circumstances.

5. The leader, a manager who takes the time to know team members individually, change their management style based on individual needs, keeps an eye on the big picture and ensure actions are taken toward it, holds people accountable but also makes time to make sure people are getting along.

Renslayer, Brad, and Sylvie tearing Mobius down are foreshadowing, plot set-up, and red herrings. Mobius is not a perfect leader, but he is a strong one by virtue of having exceptional social skills, which Sylvie doesn't have because she's never had real friends before. It's not her fault. However, it is imperative that she move beyond this.

And Loki, who has developed compassion, self-awareness, and personal accountability through Mobius's friendship and love, extends those things to Sylvie. He is gentle when he confronts her. He shares his experience with Thor because he knows where Sylvie is at mentally. But he also doesn't force her to come with him. He leaves her with the free will to choose.

MOBIUS'S PRESENCE THROUGH FOOD - FOOD IS SOCIALIZING ... AND FRIENDSHIP

In S2E4, Mobius's presence and influence are heavy in scenes in which he is not there. The pie scene is one of them, with the flickering lights and sweets sitting forlornly behind glass symbolizing that Mobius's sense of self (very much grounded in trust and hope in others, even if they are broken) is wavering. And as @charcubed noted in their INCREDIBLE meta here, everything goes wrong from this point. Why?

Having pie together was an opportunity to build trust and friendship with Sylvie.

None of them have the technical know-how to help OB, Victor, and Casey. The best thing they could have done is get out of their hair because too much overseeing leads to anxiety and anxiety leads to mistakes. Mobius knows this. What can they do in the meantime? Stress eat and integrate Sylvie as a member of the team.

Note that every moment Mobius makes to eat or drink is not only a moment to de-stress, it is also a moment he uses to bond with others and get to know them better. Renslayer (and later Loki, because he's become close enough to Mobius to know what comforts him) uses this method, too.

S1 - Whisky scene with Renslayer

S1 - Cafeteria scene with Loki

S1- Salad scene with Loki

S2 - Cracker Jack scene with Loki

S2 - McDonalds scene with Brad

S2 - Pie scene with Loki

S2 - Hot cocoa scene with Victor

Knowing what people want and care about is critical to motivating individuals, and yes, this talent can be used as manipulation when the situation calls for it.

Socializing over food is also a means of feeling less alone. We tend to eat with people we trust and care about (a tradition meant for family, found or otherwise), or at the very least want to get along with.

The second scene where Mobius's presence is felt despite not being there?

What does Victor dobwith the hot cocoa?

He gives it to D-90.

Victor gives it to D-90 out of a sense of comradery, a basic human desire to share something nice with someone and maybe make friends.

But this moment leads to tragedy. As @charcubed explained, Mobius separating from Loki led him to comfort eat via hot cocoa. The hot cocoa caught Victor's interest. D-90 goes with Victor to check out the machine. D-90 is pruned, and Victor is separated from the team. This causes a delay in getting Victor prepped and out onto the Loom gangway, which causes the temporal radiation to build up so high, it's impossible for Victor survive. The Loom consequently explodes.

PART 2 HERE!

Thank you to @bebx and @mobius-m-mobius for responding to my asks which consisted of end game theories for Loki Season 2 (here, here, here, and here), and for @wowwwmobius for supporting my thoughts. Your replies got me to feel brave enough to post everything I've been thinking in full!

[pencil-peach]

Thinking about Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Specifically the Persona 3 side of it.

I think it's interesting (and kinda funny) how a lot of the P3 content in this game is built upon the many CD Dramas that released in Japan following Persona 3/FES' releases, specifically the New Moon/Full Moon and Daylight/Moonlight Duologies.

As what's most likely the largest example, Labrys, one of the two major characters introduced in the game, was actually named in the Moonlight CD, which was released back in 2007 (Arena was released in 2012, for reference)

"The 7th Generation, Aigis, was created from all the data we'd obtained from all prior designs up to the 5th Generation, Labrys." (Moonlight)

Aigis' and Labrys' motivation of finding their mother is also building upon the story of Moonlight, where Aigis is able to speak with the girl whose personality was one of the bases used for the Anti-Shadow Weapon development project, and who refers to herself as her mother (but looks more like her younger sister).

"That's right... in human terms, I guess I'm kinda like your mother or something? A-ah, but based on our outward appearances, I guess I look more like your younger sister?" (Moonlight)

(For context, she is forced to forget this meeting at the end of the CD, but resolves to meet with the girl in real life. She isn't named, but we're told she has black hair.)

I think Mitsuru is the most interesting, as her appearance in the game is almost wholly influenced by the story of the New Moon/Full Moon Drama CDs, which are a side story covering her and the broader Kirijo Group's situation immediately following Takeharu's death, released in 2009.

Mitsuru's story opens up with her going public about the bloody past of the Kirijo Group and the existence of the Dark Hour and Shadows. This is following up on her resolution near the end of Full Moon, where she states plainly that this is the path she's going to take.

Ichiro Takadera: "Well then, do you intend to make a public announcement regardless of what follows? About the Shadows and so on?"

Mitsuru: "That is my path in life. I cannot stray from it." (Full Moon)

Kikuno Saikawa, Mitsuru's right hand maid and one of the shadow operatives, also made her debut in New/Full Moon. The two of them met when they were children, and Kikuno vowed to protect Mitsuru after she'd saved her from her despair as a child.

Kikuno: "Six years ago, when I learned my stay at the hospital wasn't because of illness but because I was sold over by my parents, you were the one who saved me from my despair. On that day, I swore I'd devote my life to following this person." (Full Moon)

Ultimax was the first time she was given a design, but she would later appear in the Persona 3 Movie: Winter of Rebirth. Her characterization in Ultimax is pretty faithful to her depiction in the CD.

(A fun fact is that Kikuno was also mentioned in the "Seaside Vacation Before Death's Scythe" Drama CD, which was released in 2013 as a promotion for the then upcoming first Persona 3 Movie, Spring of Birth.)

One of the Kirijo artifacts mentioned in Mitsuru's prologue is a ring that gives its wearer immunity to the effects of the Dark Hour. This too is an object introduced in New/Full Moon.

"Also, there is no need to worry, as everyone who are not in possession of special powers, including me, will wear this ring. While it's on you are able to experience the Dark Hour and even when you take it off your memories of it will remain." (New Moon)

Something that doesn't come up in Ultimax is that if you smash the jewel in the center of the ring, you'll lose all your memories of the Dark Hour. It's an interesting little thing! I mean it's. Useless now cause the Dark Hour is gone but it's pretty cool...

Mitsuru's main internal conflict is her inability to ask others for help for fear of burdening or endangering them. This is something that comes up in Persona 3, but in the Drama CDs this aspect of her character is very deeply explored. It's her main emotional arc and the source of her conflict with Yukari in both the New/Full Moon CDs and Persona 3 Character Drama Vol. 4, which focuses on their relationship.

Yukari: Is your faith in us that weak?

Mitsuru: To be frank, I can't bear it anymore. I don't want others to die for my sake!

Y: And you're gonna sacrifice yourself because of that? Why do you take on so much by yourself? Is that really okay with you? Don't you want to see your friends and family again?! And to survive?! Why can't you just be honest?!

M: Of course I want to! But...that is...what should I say? It's always like that...whenever I get soft or burden others... They might end up dying again. [...] Aragaki, and my Father... What am I supposed to tell you after all that happened? Even if I'm afraid and wish to be saved, what do I say?! What should I say?! (Full Moon)

Yukari even brings up that they've had this talk before. It could be referring to their heart to heart in Kyoto, but I think it could also be read as their conflicts in the CDs too.

When Ken asks Kikuno where she learned to fly a helicopter, she states that she learned it after being involved in an assault operation on a high school dormitory, an incident which Ken says he remembers. (Say it with me now!) This is most likely referencing the climax in Full Moon, where the Kirijo Group led by Takadera attempt to raid Iwatodai Dorm and forcibly apprehend SEES, so as to avoid the possibility of Ikutsuki's plot and the Group's sins from becoming public.

There's definitely more stuff, but I just wanted to point out the things I noticed/particularly liked with Mitsuru's story.

I think Junpei suffers the most from having a lot of his characterization be taken from the CDs. A lot of people were (and still are) confused about P4AU Junpei's seemingly sudden hard pivot to Baseball, as in Persona 3 proper, it's not a very large aspect of his character.

But in the CDs, Junpei being Into Baseball is MUCH more prominent. As in he refers to everyday situations in baseball terms sometimes.

In Persona 3 Character Drama Vol 2., (released in 2008 and centered around Junpei and Chidori) Junpei dreams about taking Chidori out on a date, and eventually settles on asking her to go to a baseball game with him. (She accepts, if you were curious).

He talks with Chidori about baseball so much that she got into it herself and started watching baseball in the hospital.

At the end of Moonlight, the SEES gang talk about what they want to do after they defeat Nyx, and Junpei says he wants to go to a baseball game. They even kind of tacitly explain why he didn't talk about it all that much ingame by saying he'd fallen out of interest in it but that he "feels like it's returned in full force!"

The thing about P4AU's heavy references to the CDs though, especially in Junpei's case, is that they were never officially translated or released outside of Japan. To this day the only way for non-Japanese speaking audiences to experience the CDs is to listen to them with (usually slightly incomplete) fansubs online.

While I kind of appreciate the novelty of that, it's definitely caused some confusion when it comes to characterization. In P3 Reload, for instance, Junpei makes a lot more references to baseball in his dialogue. And for a lot of people, it feels like the purpose of that is to retroactively make Junpei's appearance in P4AU make more sense.

And while that's not incorrect, it misses the fact that Junpei was already established to like baseball in supplementary material before Arena came out. It's more like making his character consistent with the same material that P4AU used when writing Junpei.

But it's not like you can even blame people for thinking that because a lot of people are normal and don't listen to 16 year old fan translated Drama CDs uploaded to youtube. It's just interesting to me I suppose. I wonder how much characterization we miss due to lack of access to supplementary material.

Anyway you should listen to the CDs though they're really good. New Moon/Full Moon especially.

Moonlight is also very good, it's a pseudo-prelude to The Answer, and the character writing is top notch.

But that's all I had to say, really. Just thought it'd be fun to talk about.

Translation Credits: imaginary_numbers (Moonlight) pipeds (New Moon) pipeds (Full Moon)

[whumpty-dumpty-doo]

“We Are TroubleD” Masterpost

Welcome to the "We Are TroubleD" masterpost! Here you will find a list of things related to my OC whump fic "We Are TroubleD"! If any links aren’t working, please let me know!

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Story Overview:

Two college boys have their peaceful lives ripped apart when a ransom-seeking stranger abducts D, the son of wealthy parents. The kidnapper gets more than he bargained for when T, D’s roommate is home during the invasion. In captivity the friends must lean on each other to survive their harrowing situation and find a way out of their shared hell.

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Rating:

18+ - contains mature themes

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Series content warnings, Chapters, FAQ and more below the cut!

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Content warnings:

Please note that each chapter/entry will have its own individual content warnings listed at the top of its page. Not all of these elements will appear in every chapter (especially the more intense and mature things, those will come much later in the story and will have clear warnings, so you should be safe for a while if you want to avoid that stuff!)

Overall warnings for this story’s content include (but aren’t limited to):

abuse (physical, emotional, and mental), blood, bondage, cages, captivity, crying, distress, drugging, dub-con, emotional whump, fear, forced participation (in sexual and non-sexual acts), gaslighting, hunger/starvation, hurtful language, injuries, insults, kidnapping, manhandling, non-con (both sexual and non-sexual), pet whump, physical violence, shocking, sickness, stress positions, swearing, things that are neither safe nor sane, thirst, threats, restraints

This list will be updated as things come up or need to be removed.  

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Character Profiles:

Coming Soon!

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Canon story:

Coming soon!

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Misc. entries and one-shots (some might be worked into the canon story later):

Listed in chronological order, even if they were posted out of order due to an event/whump prompt.

Saturdays Are For Soup - (Pre-Capture) - T pushes himself too hard and needs a hand from D. - Day 9 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

The Capture (D's POV) – D comes home to an unwelcome surprise after a night out on the town – Day 1 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

It's Never Enough – D and T are in need of sustenance, but their captor likes to play sick games – Day 2 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event! --- 3 part mini story ---

Cut Me Loose – Part 1 of 3 - A crazy stroke of luck allows the boys a chance to escape if only they can cut through their bonds. – Day 3 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

A Shocking Offence – Part 2 of 3 - T must find help if he hopes to save both D and himself. – Day 4 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

Feeling Bushed – Part 3 of 3 - With their captor so close, T must be very careful to avoid being spotted. – Day 5 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event! BONUS CHAPTER!

Feeling Bushed - Trailing Behind - You never know who's watching...

A Breathtaking View - D is desperate to buy T more time to find help - Day 14 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak no Evil - D's captor returns from searching for the escaped T, and D is left wondering just what happened to his friend. - Day 8 of WoW's Birthday Whumpe Event!

White Out - D slowly loses himself mentally, physically, and emotionally. - Day 6 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

Reunited and Ignited - Things heat up when D and T's reunion does not go how they hoped it would. - Day 15 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

Burning For You - D has T's back, but who's got his? - Day 13 of WoW's Birthday Whump Event!

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Alternate Universes (AUs):

Coming soon!

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Art:

Coming soon!

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FAQ:

Are “T”, “D”, and “Their Captor” really these character’s names? For now, yes, but probably not forever! They are stand-in placeholder names until I can think of proper names for these guys. I wanted to get the entries that I wrote for WoW's Birthday Whump Event! posted in time, so they don’t have names yet. Can’t rush those things, yanno? Hopefully when I’m ready to post the actual canon story they’ll all have real names!

How old are the characters in your main story? D and T are college age, though Iʻm not sure what specific ages yet. Theyʻre both beyond legal drinking age, and D is slightly older than T. Thatʻs all I know for now, as Iʻm still writing the main canon story.  They might be older or younger in side fics/AUs. If so, Iʻll state it in the post of the story entry itself.

Why is the “D” capitalized in “We Are TroubleD”? Because right now the characters stand-in names are “T” and “D”, so “T”rouble"D”! “We” are T and D, and they are in trouble because they are whump characters.

How often will you update the canon story? Hopefully frequently once I get it off the ground, but you can never really predict that. Iʻm going to try to have as much as I can done of the whole story before I start posting in earnest, so hopefully once it starts going you wonʻt have to wait long!

Can I draw/write about your characters? Sure! Though it might be a bit challenging without references or profiles for them yet. Fingers crossed Iʻll have those made for the future! The one thing I ask is that if you create anything with my characters, please link back to me and donʻt claim them as your own. Thanks!

[entropiceye1342]

Spoiler free review for Netflix's live action One Piece!

WOW.

A lot of stuff to love! I absolutely ADORE this take on the adventure of the Straw Hat Pirates!

The Straw Hats are all cast perfectly, the supporting cast is spot on. Everyone NAILS their characters!

Give the man a crown!

Iñaki Godoy as Luffy is goofy and oblivious in all the right ways. He sticks the perfect landing of the emotional intelligence that was crucial to bring the deeper side of Luffy to life, and doesn't neglect the hyperactive child side either! Seeing him gleefully bounce around - both in and out of fights- was special. The CGI was pretty good! Better than I expected, really. I appreciate making Luffy a little more level-headed, it's a good choice to tone down the chaos goblin for live action 🤣

It was magnificent to see Luffy grow into a "real" pirate in this arc, and he will be the KING!

Mackenyu as Zoro is a bit "too cool" but honestly I expected it to happen, people tend to overlook the fact that 90% of the time he's just as dumb as Luffy 🤷 but MAN is he cool. He really surpassed my expectations for the fight scenes, and did not skip on the brutality! 3 Sword Style was stunningly realized and incredible fun to watch- even without drawing a single blade!

His one liners and sarcasm are on point, ESPECIALLY regarding Sanji 🤣

Emily Rudd as Nami is INCREDIBLE. Smart as a whip and wily as ever, this cat burglar lands on her feet! In and out of combat, Nami is quick on her feet and with her wit. One Piece passes the Bechdel test once again, and her story is every bit the emotional powerhouse as its manga and anime counterparts- better in some moments! 'Nuff said.

Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp is delightful, though unfortunately he doesn't get as much time to shine as the others. When he does though, it's fantastic!

He really got the little things down about the character without needing to be as over the top as his counterparts- a bullseye from the sniper!

Sanji is perfect as well, you can SEE the training Taz Skylar went through for the part, from the mouth watering food to the killer martial arts. Every bit as fun to watch as the rest of the Monster Trio! My expectations for him were already high, and he kicked them into the stratosphere.

I'm glad they toned down the flirting, they found the right balance and played it well. Sanji matches Zoro in the bickering spectacularly, an absolute must that exceeded my hopes in both of their performances.

I'm not gonna list everyone but because I love this stupid fucking clown:

Jeff Ward as Buggy is an absolute TREAT, I am a huge fan of this take on the character. The perfect storm of bumbling dipshit who wants to be taken seriously, but still pretty intimidating at times. LOVE it. His jokes are GOLD.

Speaking of! Gold Roger, the man who started it all! *mwah!* Dazzling performances from him AND the Marines.

The few nitpicks I have are minor, the childhood acting ranges from ok to abysmal, Lily Fisher as young Nami is a notable standout. Some of the "minor" characters suffer from wooden acting, but honestly that's about the worst of it.

The Fishmen look a little low budget in their early appearances, but are absolutely PERFECT when they are the ones in the spotlight. Absolutely phenomenal work from McKinley Belcher III, my biggest fear from this was Arlong being done wrong and he CRUSHED IT!

The soundtrack was rousing, it truly felt like a call to adventure! And above all the SET DESIGN 😭

They TRULY brought the world that Oda Senseii has been drawing for us all these years, to life.

And now, anime One Piece is trending on Netflix.

THE GREAT PIRATE ERA IS HERE!

Here's to hoping Netflix doesn't Netflix it 🍻

What did you think?

Especially if this is your introduction to One Piece, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

[munchkinmarauder]

My review of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver #4

I would give it 4/5 stars - lots to like but not without its problems - probably could have used another issue to flesh it out. Spoilers below the cut

I enjoyed it a lot more on my second reading than my first! However I would say this is one of the weaker of the 4 Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver issues. Stronger than the first one but #2 and #3 were better.

Firstly the art and the colours are killing it. I am going to miss Tammetta's work going into the next series. Williams also does a great job with his bold colours.

The summary of this issue following the announcement of the scarlet witch book did get this on the wrong foot for me because it is all about Wanda which I felt was disrespectful for a co-lead 60th anniversary series for both characters. While the last book itself is a little more Wanda heavy it has a much better balance than issue 1 did and Pietro walks away from this book with his head held high in my opinion (and if the Q&A at the end is to be believed he will have more regular appearances in the Sclaret Witch solo as the Giver is still after him as well - good he brings the missing piece to Orlando's books - a lot of fun and someone Wanda can genuinely emote off of and who matches her beat for beat)

How Orlando would write Pietro was one of my biggest worries going in but I have been really happy with his portrayal so far and wouldn't mind him writing Pietro more. We see a good exploration of his powers and his emotional maturity after his growth in Quicksilver no surrender is on full display! He shrugs off the reveal from Magneto's letter to give his sister the pep talk she needed to control her full power, takes out the frightful 400, lands a solid blow on the Wizard and his confrontation at the end with Magneto was a good one - hes so done with his fathers BS and shrugs it off, tells his sister how much he loves her and leaves. I like that his relationship with Monet St Croix has not been forgotten - Orlando and Tammetta were really like - we're going to have a parent say one of the worst things they can to a child so we're gonna get this man laid (Pietro and Monet messy sex marathons was not something I thought would become cannon but I'm happy it did - I hope the comics keep this couple around for a while and explore them - I hope Monet appears in Wanda's next solo cause I want to see her interact with Wanda).

Cthon Wanda was very very cool. I am excited to see what is coming up with the Giver plot however I do feel this mini could have benefitted from an extra issue, cause having to set up the next Scarlet Witch solo does bog things down a bit. The twins don't actually interact much this series, for something that was advertised as being about their relationship I think it really needed a lot more of that - they spend nearly two issues separated so I think we needed more of a moment between them to resolve their fight. Unfortunately my fear that Magneto would overshadow everything sort of happened with his small appearance at the end immediately making it all about Magneto.

Speaking of Magneto the revelation in the letter is one I liked the more I thought about it. It's not a big reveal but it is Magnetos abusive tactics on display at his finest- a clear setting up of a narcissist parent creating a golden child and Scapegoat dynamic. I know a lot of people are taking what he says as him being right at face value and crying about Magneto being character assassinated or this being an affront to Pietro and I disagree. Yes it's a bit over the top considering what we saw in RoM and Krakoa but it is not out of character. Magneto has always been a dick to his children, Pietro in particular - I could go on for days but this review is long enough - but let's not be surprised that the man that murdered his son and was willing to let his daughter be murdered for mutant kind is a good father in any sense of the world. I think the story itself and Wanda and Pietro saying so to Magneto's face that he is wrong about the twins is very apparent. Tammetta emphasises the physical resemblance between Pietro and Magneto to make it clear that Magneto is projecting onto his son and to a degree wants to seperate the twins. A tactic he also used when the twins were under his "care" in the brotherhood.

Pietro and Magneto were done well in that scene, however, Wanda's response is what is off and I believe that is what does Wanda disservice as a character. She sent the Wizard to a hell dimension for hurting her brother but only gently tells Magneto he is wrong when he tells his only son that he should have stayed dead and calls him poison to Wanda. Orlando's finally calling out Magneto for what he is but the way he won't let Wanda herself go at Magneto or yell at him feels out of character for Wanda. Also the fact she agreed with Magneto initially pissed me off (though maybe this was her self blaming) Is this building up to something more? Will we get and explanation for it? I hope so but until then I am not happy with how Orlando writes Wanda around Magneto. She did overall take a back seat to the men in this series a bit, Magneto infantalise her and she takes it, vision talks down to her and is the kne figuring everything out for Wanda (I'm glad the vibe seems to be they're friendly ex's with no intention of getting back together and it shohld stay that way- though we got a forced cheek kiss - two series now which forces a Wandavision kiss but not Wanda giving her brother a hug when he's emotionally vulnerable - all for a racist MCU show it's very dissapointing) and a lot of the really good moments are taken up by Pietro until she has her main moment at the end - however twins dynamic is even,their partners, Wanda has a solo coming up so I think this last point can be forgiven.

Overall to wrap up this long review I have enjoyed and had fun with this series overall but it has it's flaws - the Wanda/Magneto dynamic being a big one and sometimes Orlando gets a bit too wordy (maybe a bit rich coming from me) which derails the pace a bit and makes my eyes glaze over - but I'm really happy with this series and hope it's success means we get more co-lead series with the twins or more Pietro in comics in general (and Wanda to keep being as prominent as she is)

[orionsangel86]

Welp. Okay I watched the last episode of ofmd.

To sum up my thoughts on this season I will say that whilst I enjoyed it and felt the love and passion and respect for its queer fanbase throughout, it didnt hit me the same way the first season did. It felt like maybe a little bit of that season 1 magic was missing and for that I very much blame Max's cutting off 2 episodes and slashing the budget. They had a lot of story they wanted to tell that would have worked so much better in 10 episodes.

I consider the last 3 episodes of season 1 some of the best TV I have seen in my life. From the use of The Chain in ep 8, through the dramatic highs and lows of eps 9 and 10 it was edge-of-your-seat drama and I was in awe at the creators that put it together. But one of the reasons why those 3 eps were so good is because the drama and the pivotal moments were given time to breath.

If those 3 eps were given the same lack of time and budget as season 2, no doubt they all would have been crammed into 1 episode and it would not have had the same impact.

If anything that last episode should have played out across two, with Izzy's death being the half way point and cliffhanger ending leading to a final battle and somewhat happy resolution.

I'm not mad at Izzy's death. If anyone was gonna die, it was gonna be him. His status as Blackbeards enabler and sometimes mentor is over. For Ed to truly be free, I think Izzy always had to go. From a storytelling perspective it makes perfect sense, even though I am sure a lot of fans are absolutely heartbroken about it.

Another casualty of the reduced screentime meant certain original cast members weren't given anywhere near the amount of screentime they should have had. I was expecting a lot more focus on Jim as they were basically the third lead of s1 due to them getting the same backstory as Ed and Stede. All of the crew appear to have had drastically reduced parts which does feel like a big loss to me.

Its funny actually, OFMD S2 suffered from the opposite problem to GOS2. OFMD had too much story to tell in a limited timeframe, GOS2 had very little story to tell outside of the flashbacks and probably too much time given to it. Both shows season 2s suffered from tremendously bad pacing issues.

Also, the one thing the final episode made so obvious to me, is the uncertainty of getting a s3 renewal. It is so clear in the way they tried to wrap things up in a happy bow as best they could, so that if they do get cancelled it leaves fans at least somewhat satisfied. I hate this though. I hate that studios are so fickle and ruthless that creators have to gamble with good quality writing and avoid cliffhangers because of asshole executives who dont actually care about the stories.

Because of the fast pacing, and the fear of cancellation, it felt more like a rush happy ending instead of a part way point in a bigger story, with important character development still to come. Perhaps I need more time to absorb the story in a full rewatch, but im not exactly itching for more at this point, whilst also not really being satisfied with what I got either. I wish we had left Ed and Stede in at least some minor peril, like have them captured and threatened with hanging but at least in a good place romantically, so that we can start speculating about what kind of escape plan they will come up with in season 3. Leaving them in a dilapidated old inn somewhere just felt wrong to me. Instead of ending the season with the stakes sky high (like season 1) it feels like they left season 2 with zero stakes at all, instead of at least a happy medium. At this point we should be turning to fanfiction and wondering what happens next, but instead I'm left thinking "okay then. That was good. What can I watch next?" I don't need to bury myself in fanfic and fanart to feed the hyperfixation this time around, and that is where I feel the most loss.

I'm sure others will have hugely different reactions to me though. Perhaps my expectations were too high? Perhaps my GO obsession just isn't leaving room for OFMD this time? But then again, I think if GOS2 hadn't ended the way it did, I wouldn't still be so obsessed with that either.

Sigh. I dunno. It was a good fun show and will no doubt still be hugely popular with devoted fans, but for me I just can't say it cast the same spell over me as it did last year.

[clay-cuttlefish]

Some speculation about the New 52 Question.

aka: his identity was finally revealed and I'm trying to figure out why he's like that.

If you haven't read any of Trinity of Sin, it is bad. Mostly for normal event reasons - it's cluttered, the OCs are boring, the continuity and characterization changes needed to make it work are bizarre, you know the drill.

On top of that, though, there's a very strange problem: the central Trinity is barely a Trinity. Pandora and the Phantom Stranger are both powerful magical beings with obvious reasons for being the world's "greatest sinners." (Not that this is a good angle for PS, but it's a well defined one.) They're set up as foils almost immediately, and they each get their own solo to develop them before the Trinity events properly kick off.

And then there's the Question, who has 1/3 as many appearances, no solo, no clear reason to be part of this trio, and powers that mostly let him be a dick. His true identity is a mystery, and his arc never resolves. In his final appearance he tells the others he hates them and learned nothing from their adventure together, betrays them, and disappears.

So. Who was this guy, why was he here, and why was he the Question?

Well, he's Narcissus... (can't believe it took a decade for that come out) ...sort of. The hints we get of his identity before it's wiped are that he tries to fight the wizards, he claims he'll regain his power, and that the world fears his name, none of which line up with Narcissus. Those hints were dropped by Geoff Johns in the Question's first appearance, and it sounds like he doesn't really know what the ideas editorial ended up pursuing were, so I doubt they were part of that later plan.

Narcissus also doesn't make a lot of sense as a huge dramatic sinner. He's a jerk who breaks one person's heart and dies for it, not associated with grand ideas of sin or lasting punishment. Really not the mythological figure I'd go to as a match for Pandora and Judas.

I think Johns started with the idea of the Question being on the team first, then assigned him a supernatural role and mythical figure afterwards. On its surface this is an even weirder choice for a character who's mostly a detective, but consider:

Johns is open about Vic and Renee's scenes in 52 being his favourites, and was the one who pitched Renee becoming the Question in the first place.

The Trinity of Sin was an original concept Johns had a lot of control over, not an established team, and they were originally meant to appear in books he was writing.

This Question mostly has nothing to do with Vic, but in an early Johns-written appearance, he's in Hub City saving a kid who might be Jackie.

Vic would be a reasonable fit for a story about sin and seeking redemption, since he's a deeply philosophical ex-douchebag with a lot of identity problems.

Vic's pre-development self, as characterized in the O'Neil run, was a self-centered prick who loved attention and had zero respect for authorities or people who could kick his ass.

My guess is that Johns wanted to write Vic, came up with a way to cram him into an OC project he was working on, and then assigned him a mythical figure with vaguely similar motifs without caring too much whether the details lined up. When the plans for Pandora and the Phantom Stranger changed, the Question was pulled away from being more Vic-inspired, and there wasn't a lot left over.

Not a very satisfying answer, but it's more than I had before.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 1: #F8 vs #F1

#F8: Young boy gets sold to a demon to be his grandson

Iruma Suzuki is sold to a Demon by his abusive parents. Fearing for his life, he is greatly surprised to learn that the demon bought him because he desperately wants a grandson. Iruma agrees, as he is unable to say no when anyone asks him nicely for something. He thus begins a new life in Babylus. However, he needs to hide the fact he is human, or he may be eaten by other demons. Throughout the series, we see him grow as a person and embrace this new life, making many friends along the way, including his closest friends, Asmodeus and Clara.

#F1: High school girls go to Antarctica

16-year-old Tamaki “Kimari” Mari wants to make the most of her adolescence when she encounters Kobuchizawa Shirase, a schoolmate who has saved up one million yen in an effort to travel to Antarctica after her mother went missing on an expedition there three years ago. The two team up with Miyake Hinata, a convenience store employee their age who’s looking for an adventure, and Shiraishi Yuzuki, a teen star who’s never had friends due to her career. Together, they travel to “a place further than the universe” as part of a civilian expedition to Antarctica.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#F8: Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (Marimashita! Iruma-kun)

Propaganda 1:

The main character, Iruma, is very kind and wholesome, and you really just want to see him succeed throughout the series, especially after knowing everything he’s been through. He was neglected and used by his parents, but now he gets to live out a nice life despite being surrounded by demons, as his new grandfather spoils him. The demon that adopted him, Sullivan, is an extremely powerful figure in the demon realm, but through most of the series, he looks like an egg. The side characters are also well-designed with interesting personalities. The main two, Asmodeus and Clara, become almost inseparable from Iruma after they become friends, and the three of them are very cute together. There is also a canon nonbinary cat person, who is technically Sullivan’s servant, but he is treated as part of the family, and he’s a disaster bisexual.

Propaganda 2:

It’s really good in terms of art, plot, and characters. There’s nonbinary representation in the form of Opera, and there’s friendship galore with very poly undertones. It’s so sweet and good, and it’s just rahhhhh. Everyone is silly but also realistic and well-developed. There are reasonable arcs, and there’s a well mix of plot-driven growth and character-driven plots. I love every person who appears onscreen, even for like two seconds. The world building is lovely and so bright and colorful.

Propaganda 3:

You should vote for it because it is genuinely one of the best animes I’ve ever seen. It has good character development, mysteries, focuses on the cast well, and it is not a harem anime. The plot is also really good and is suitable for all age groups.

Fun fact: the main character crossdresses three times in the first three seasons

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse (mild)

#F1: A Place Further than the Universe (Sora yori mo Tooi Basho)

Propaganda:

Let’s start with the fact that this is Madhouse doing a (relatively) grounded coming of age story about high school girls - the show looks gorgeous, of course. The music’s solid as well. (I still regularly listen to the ending.) But what really shines is the writing and characterization.

The pacing on this is perfect. For a show that spends half its runtime getting to Antarctica, you never feel like the time should be allotted differently or that you’re missing out on hijinks. Episode 12 is a particular standout, with tension building up until it explodes, and then goes still for the true emotional climax of the show. The four main girls all feel like believable teens, and seeing their relationship develop over the course of the series and watching them come into their own is well-done. The way it handles Shirase and her emotions, and how this complicates her relationships with them all is a particular standout. This may not be eligible in that it’s one of those anime people who watch A LOT of anime will recommend highly—it was on Crunchyroll and IGN’s best anime of the 2010s lists and on several “best of” lists for 2018. But it never quite took off the way it truly deserves, so I’m submitting it. It’s getting an English dub soon, though, and I really hope that gives it a resurgence of popularity. The girls are alright.

(Admin: Propaganda has been edited slightly to remove spoilers)

Trigger Warnings: None

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

[hamofjustice]

it's nice that we're getting anything i guess, but, i'm gonna be what may come off as a little petty and whiny here; it'd be cool if either iteration of the gen 9 anime so far was actually about gen 9's characters instead of using them as cameos to promote original stories we have no investment in yet

it's like, i dunno, like the bait and switch with sonic appearing in wreck it ralph ads, except if wreck it ralph existing meant there would never be a sonic movie, and if you were invested in those characters and recognized they weren't generic platformer mascots, sucks for you, nobody cares

maybe they're just giving the DLC space to do its thing with them first (if they do anything at all...) but idk, i was cautiously optimistic about nemona in horizons, only for her to be a character of the day that the episode wasn't about, and pretty excited by "gen 9 prequel anime" only to find out it's going to be like, four short stories about OCs who have quick brushes with them. these are like the lacroix hint of what an anime about the game could've been like and you're left to imagine the rest yourself

i shouldn't be that surprised if the gen 8 anime reduced hero of galar hop to a character of the day with a level 5 wooloo in order to let the galaxy revolve around ash battling his brother because epic charizards, but man. what if it wasn't like that that now that ash is gone.

we haven't seen penny and team star at all because they're the hardest to talk about without bringing up the trauma of school bullying and the fear of being yourself at school when you're way too young to be dealing with all that drama responsibly. she's still learning to love and forgive herself and feel wanted.

arven's story is about, like, being a latchkey kid to a self-absorbed parent, being unsure how to feel about repairing the relationship or how seriously to take them saying they love him, and struggling to make friends due to misdirected resentment toward people he's jealous of for having apparently normal families and the stubborn self-reliance he was forced into. he's still trying to process things, find himself, and let people in.

nemona is supposed to have been a directionless lonely and depressed kid who hated being called gifted when everything was hard for her, until she met the player character and gained a peer who understood and appreciated she was a little different and she didn't have to mask her true self to have friends anymore. she's happy for now, but may still be under a little too much pressure to be perfect at the expense of her own personality, and probably won't deal well with being abandoned.

as much as they resonate with adults and are a little darker than usual pokemon fare, they're also smaller scale and realer. they are all stories that are explicitly about and meant to be relatable to kids going to school! y'know, your audience! you don't need to paint over them with 3-4 new characters and new stories every time like there was nothing there, or something shameful you need to sanitize and cover up! you can just use the game the way it is!

this got a little more heated than i intended, i just feel a little ridiculous waiting anxiously for loose scraps of a sign that this story isn't over and in the trash already and nemona's life-changing attachment to the player character isn't going to go totally ignored, as we are bombarded with what is supposed to be followup material that almost all seems eager to talk about literally anything else like they think the main story was a mistake they need to run away from

now, i'm not one to complain about original stories being told, but this was already a story that had room to grow. imagine a world where the gen 9 anime was actually about nemona, arven, penny, and the friend who brought them together. or what their lives were like before that friend came along. every episode. that would get me to watch the anime again and whatever movie came out for it. ask yourself why we don't have that, or even the traditional, like, 1-2 characters tagging along with the MCs per region thing that would leave us knowing them better than we know some irl friends

how was starting over with 100% original characters and new lore that might conflict hard with the upcoming DLC the safer bet? why is a 44 minute miniseries specifically for fans of the game making up OCs for them to get invested in and scrambling to tell their stories as quickly as possible before throwing them in the trash instead of being about the damn game?

sigh. i shouldn't get invested in a series that's about selling monster plushies just because it had one story that stuck with me

[thewriterowl]

What is even happening with canon sw right now? -_- I am not even invested in them anymore (not even in the mandalorian, which is a shame because it used to be my everything... but man where is the story even going now)

I'll just stay peacefully in the fanon works among awesome clan of three (or more) contents where it's about din being a dad to grogu with luke who isn't being actively erased out of his own franchise :)

Honestly, I am not sure. I mean, I have been aware of this weird anti-Luke sensation within Lucasfilm/Disney for awhile. And i know a lot of things are coming from a sense of a combination of misrepresentation/push for women (and POC, but within Lucasfilm, over Disney, it's the women) which has its perks--but it does mean that many things originally written for characters like Luke are now, potentially, being given to female characters (i.e. Thrawn and Heir to the Empire to Ahsoka). There are great positives and intense negatives to these things within these new shows and it can come down to personal feelings, bias on favorite characters/what is "law" within this fictional universe, and if there is an overreach for profit vs. an actual care for representation (i.e. while Kathleen Kennedy is not great, I feel like her pursuit of female representation has a more positive intent (though can be very exclusive and white-washed) than some of the decisions Disney is making with live-action remakes and just swapping out races (again, there are positives--but there is a lot of profit grubbing and intense laziness to it that feels more like they are trying to appear they are doing something without putting true effort in)).

I will be the first to admit, I am 100% character bias. I adore Luke. I think this should've been his story as the book was intended. I wouldn't have been thrilled if we got him and Mara Jade together--but seeing more of him and being part of a story that is really, really well loved in the SW book community would've made me cry. But, I have to understand Ahsoka is like that for others and this show is going to do the same thing for them--I just really wished she would be getting her own new, creative storyline and that it doesn't seem that Kathleen and Dave hate Luke with a weird passion.

My not as personal, but what I feel is actually a flaw, is the writing. there just feels to be an intense corporate layer to it that is sucking out the stories and characters to sell things.

It started with Book of Boba Fett--there was no need for Din to be included and for it to all of a sudden became The Mandalorian 2.5 when the vast majority wanted a Boba focus story. The bits with Din should've been the first half of season 3, at least, with the series focused just on Boba and his pursuit of Tatooine and self-redemption. But, they wanted the cash of Din and Grogu and the whole series fell apart.

Then Obi-Wan Kenobi. This series was so close to being perfect. But it was too short. It felt like it was actually written and plotted to be 8-10 episodes long (as the Mandalorian) but then all of a sudden they were told "nah, despite this being the MOST asked for character driven piece of media within the franchise, we want the budget and focus elsewhere" and so it just fell a bit short because it wasn't allowed to breathe as it felt like it was supposed to be.

Andor, miraculously, was perfect. But, it didn't feel like was pushed or loved enough. It came after two series that were not as universally loved as predicted (overlooking the said problems that would've fixed them). I am happy we are gonna get the season 2, but I fear executives will try to say any poor numbers are based on the writing for it...while not doing the same for others.

Season 3 of the Mandalorian....it has great parts! There is a lot of fun and lovely things (and i loved Lizzo's and Jack Black's cameos) but it feels like it is a push for theme rides and toys. Everything we have had slowly simmering has just been "oh yeah, this happened".

Like, Bo getting the Dark-saber is FINE. I can see that being the best choice overall. That execution? Not really. Or the helmet and how Bo is accepted but a massive subplot of Din's story was who he was and what he was as a Mandalorian and within his place as the tribe. That is such a beautiful and great character arc that was just...dismissed? And to have him bathe in episode, what, 2? Almost every big or subtle interesting plot within the first two seasons are just being overlooked or handled without any sort of true thought or care, like we as the viewers are fine with basically starting over in the third season.

I am gonna wait to see the whole season to see it together, but it feels choppy and feels lazy and feels like they are trying to sweep Din aside for Bo-Katan to take over, pretend it was the plan all along, without any sort of real and true build up.

I just wish that there wasn't such a intense legal and protective battle to write and publish Star Wars books because I would be using so much energy to have more Luke stories out in the world cause the poor guy needs them at this point.

At least we do have fantastic fan fiction!

[ssskilamalink]

HII!! THANKS FOR ASKING ABOUT MY OCS!! I LOVE YOUR ART!! TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SUPER SPACE KIDS!! THEY LOOK SUPER CUTE!! :3

GAAAAAHHH THANK YOU!!!! NO PROBLEM ABOUT ASKING BTW THEYRE SOOOO SILLY... but on2 the ssd kids ... so like

basically their story takes place somewhere in the future. not too far. but there r humans EVERYWHERE in the solar system and whats the most human thing to do?? order stuff off the internet. and you need DELIVERY PEOPLE for that so its a new minimum wage pickup—the main 'payment' is having a license to mess around in space. they call the interstellar delivery orbit running

umm so 16-17 year olds really should NOT be permitted to travel through space. but their respective hyperconglomerates do NOT care (theyre called galaxz and nepTunes btw. 2 of rhem work for galaxz and 2 for nepTunes) as long as their orbit runners are like. alive. and can get the packages to their destinations

galaxz and nepTunes kids HATE eachother at first they're always trying to beat eachother to their destination and eventually the competition results in the galaxz kids losing a package. and then they get FIRED... UNLESS they can whip something up for the recipient to make up for the lost package. and theyre like ‘wow this is all nepTunes fault’ so they TRACK THEM DOWN and force them to help make something

ANYWAY HOW ABOUT THE CHARACTERS IN PARTICULAR?

(i havent actually done any more art of them since they got these designs HDHWHDH BURNOUT!! ART BLOCK!!! YIPPEE)

from right to left:

dikya: a peculiar girl from a faraway colony of machinists—known as the robotomists. despite her relative inexperience with AI, somehow, her robots appear sentient.

- THERES A BUNCH OF LORE BEHIND THIS but i wont get in2 it now. "robotomist" is based on "robot" and "lobotomist" so she has a... strange interest in lobotomies. she lives in the STUDs (saturn titan undermethane domes) and icl i am REALLY proud of that pun (if u didnt know a stud is a unit of measurement in computer games)

verita: a masterful cover-up artist—concealing her mild pretentiousness with her quiet nature. hails from a line and lives in a place that none have heard of before.

- she actually lives on the D-SOM (dark side of mercury). the L-SOM (light side) is actually populated but she comes from a NAUGHTY collective of mad(?) scientists called the ALEHI program.. standing for artificial life extension by human intervention. also she is the gifted kid burnout character. she is me. who are we? no one will ever know

lulu: a boy from the venus airspace—a ‘home’ for the children of interstellar criminals to prevent them from growing up to be the same. strangely, nobody can place their fingers on which fiends he hails from.

- ummm hes not human. lol. theres a magic system kinda in this but its a lot to explain so i wont say any now. ill just say hes a thing called a ‘starspawn’—little mercies of the universe that appear in places of intense sadness, and disappear once it's lifted

agapi: the heir to nepTunes with a fear of the future and the immoral. finding that his pleasant life was built off of the struggling of others, he hopelessly attempts to ‘redeem’ himself.

- yeah hes uhh.. hes not the happiest boy in the world. there isn't an ‘inherent’ mystery to his character like all the other kids, bcuz i want his arc to be more philosophical and focus on the human nature in general. but i dont want him to feel left out so i might find a way to give him one

UMMM THATS ALL ILL SAY FOR NOW!!! TYSM FOR ASKING ME ABOUT THEM I LOVE U TO BITS :DDD IF YOU EVER WANT TO RAMBLE ABOUT YOUR SILLIES THEN I AM HERE I LOVE THEM TO BITS AS WELL

[justapillowpetpanda]

How Smosh Took Comedy to the Next Level with These 7 Videos

In recent years, Smosh has elevated its game by showcasing some incredible talent on-screen, including improvised characters and brilliant comedic timing. I believe that YouTube and similar media are often forgotten when discussing television and entertainment, despite channels like Smosh bringing out the best in their cast members. They have proven that entertainment should progress with audiences. Screenshot source: YouTube/Smosh Games Smosh Games and Smosh Pit have become my go-to sources of entertainment. Their tabletop gaming sessions and reactions to bizarre Reddit stories have me glued to my screen for hours on end. The production quality and dedication of the entire team are outstanding, delivering an unforgettable experience for both old and new fans. I've watched some of their videos more than five times, and I still can't get enough of their playthrough of the Love is Blind game. I even had a Barbie-style poster of Toilet Girl as my lock screen for some time, just to be reminded of the laughter and joy that video has brought me. Let's get on to my top picks and I'll explain what makes them so iconic as well as what makes them so memorable.

Smosh: The Chaos Comedy We Need Right Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w33inkzCKU&list=PLYdEgvjg8Aa0-Pt3JXqF_geZtQOyT_lN-&index=1 They say Love is Boobs, I'd have to agree after watching this Smosh Games video MULTIPLE times. Almost every second of this video is iconic and brings some of the most memorable quotes with it. From the fear of rejection to drinking toilet tequila, this is a group of comedic chaos I will always watch. I want the relationship between Straight Chanse and Shayne to work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOfPcDaTdNk&list=PLYdEgvjg8Aa0-Pt3JXqF_geZtQOyT_lN-&index=2 This is one of the most absurd play throughs of the Moose Master game by Smosh. Attempting to remember story actions, repressing seething rage, and much more makes this a gentleman's fever dream. The panic in Amanda Lehan-Canto's face as she realizes she has lost is one of the funniest things I've witnessed lately. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_U4HT2HY9k&list=PLYdEgvjg8Aa0-Pt3JXqF_geZtQOyT_lN-&index=3 The trick to translating nonsense is closing your eyes like you're about to use echolocation to find meaning in the chaos...or at least that helps Angela Giarratana. Watching this honestly made me want to grab a copy of Incohearant and play with some friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-FGRzwDvKs&list=PLYdEgvjg8Aa0-Pt3JXqF_geZtQOyT_lN-&index=4 Watching Shayne Topp attempt to find a bunch of people in a game of hide and seek was a fantastic way to showcase the talent and humor of the cast and crew. You'll have to watch and see who gets found last because it is a wild journey for them and Shayne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTb8rG-K7Ac&list=PLYdEgvjg8Aa0-Pt3JXqF_geZtQOyT_lN-&index=5 Courtney Miller is one of the wittiest comedic forces I've watched, and this series of videos shows how much her talents lift Smosh to another level. Amanda yelling, "She's pink!" when the one dish comes out is absolutely hilarious and had me at a level of laughter just above wheezing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QEXQTU5WmU&list=PLYdEgvjg8Aa0-Pt3JXqF_geZtQOyT_lN-&index=6 Reddit is already a scary place, but somehow reacting to stories alongside Shayne and his guests makes it a little bit better. There's a level of sanity coming from this video that helps someone not feel so alone in feeling one way or another about another story going viral on Reddit. The appearances of Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla from time to time in this series is an added bonus and often hilarious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3i23po1kK4 SmoshCast has become one of my favorite things from Smosh. It is so much fun listening in to whatever Amanda, Shayne, and guests end up discussing. This video in particular gives us an iconic line from Amanda's past regarding salsa. We've all been there and sometimes; our history can show how cringe we truly used to be. Past jobs can also reveal a lot about what we had to become or what weird things we've said. Read the full article

[rappaccini]

gonna dump my btsv spec, salt and wishful thinking here

general thoughts:

no way in hell is this movie coming out in under 3 years. it's gonna be long and extremely hard to animate and they can't even start recording lines yet due to the sag strike, assuming the script is even done and won't need lots of reworking.

i am totally fine with that. the animators were treated terribly during atsv and i hope they get better conditions this time around, including more time to work. and if they're treated as badly or worse i hope they loot the studio like a viking raiding party.

miles's arc is probably good to go. maybe it won't hit its full potential, but it seems pretty safe to say that his character is in good hands.

gwen's is probably fucked since she'll likely be The Girlfriend at the end assuming they don't fridge her.

itsv emphasized miles's bond with aaron, atsv emphasized his relationship with jeff. btsv should emphasize miles's connection to rio to balance it all out.

jessica's going to turn on miguel, to either save jeff from his canon death or gwen from hers.

the movie will start with miles in 42, and follow him traveling home to save it from the spot.

we know they'll stop by in 138 at some point, probably around the halfway mark.

we've heard that margo will play a 'larger role than we expect' -- idk if that's just 'margo pushes the send-miles-to-42-button' or 'she's going to factor heavily into btsv.' i hope it's the latter.

so hopefully, hobie and margo are built up with much more prominent supporting roles and like. actual character arcs. that don't revolve around being the disposable corner of a love triangle whose consolation prize is cheering the main couple on. we met punk and byte in across. let's get to know hobie and margo in beyond.

(wishful thinking: make them the love interests for gwen and miles instead of each other.)

we know gwen's death is going to be a canon event explored in this movie. it was teased with the 'in every universe...' line and gwen's overall behavior, gwen's literally wearing the Gwen Death Colors (green and purple) in her civvies, and she ended atsv accepting her place as miles's girlfriend (gag) and with none of her trauma regarding her peter's death resolved, as she's about to throw herself into danger to redeem herself to miles, who she treats as a peter replacement.

and chronologically speaking, after the death of the captain, gwen's next. atsv was all about The Death Of The Captain. so gwen's next.

we know we're meeting alternate gwens. candidates include gwen42, gwen138, gwen1610, gwen616, ... and a possible revisiting of gayatri and gabi. also, we've seen glimpses of gwenom in the canon event web and gwen's penguin stuffed animal is a reference to spider-guin. possible for them to appear too. (earth 42 seems like the most apt place for a gwenom to appear since gwen probably won't get her symbiote and gwenom would probably be viewed as the Dark Edgy Corrupted version of gwen (sigh), and now that ham's in the cast, we could drop into his dimension, where guin fits in)

please not earth 8 anything but earth 8. if gwen and/or miles fucking meet their stepford wife selves and are told 'see? you CAN be a couple' and decide its somehow a good thing i will start biting people

big fear: that the spiderverse trilogy will be revealed as an earth-8 gwiles origin story, complete with them abandoning their arcs to be a couple and leading an eight-person hero team called the amazing eight.

i doubt the writers have read that deeply into gwen's comics to know about the council of spider-women. if they have, i don't think they'll be smart enough to put it together that the council doesn't exist to say 'yes gwen! go be someone's girlfriend!'

gwen needs to meet an alternate version of herself a la miles and miles 42. she probably won't.

act i:

the 'let's do this one more time/differently' monologue sharing a character's backstory should be miles 42's. show us a quick montage of his story from his pov, leading up to him meeting miles.

miles and miles 42 gain each other's trust and come to an understanding instead of fighting. miles processes his grief over his aaron, helps miles 42 do the same with his jeff, and miles meets rio 42. there's probably some impersonation. miles learns about the state of earth-42 and decides to help miles 42 save new york, given the stole-your-destiny angst. they learn who each other could've been.

gwen and co land in earth 42 (where they know miles is thanks to margo) and start looking for miles. maybe they get held up by the sinister six cartel, or confuse miles 42 for miles 1610. my guess is we get some indication that gwen 42 is dead to start planting the Gwen Death Seeds (that, or she's the venom of this dimension).

(praying that gwen 42, should she exist, isn't either miles 42's love interest or even worse, his love-interest-who-died-to-give-him-manpain)

miguel, jess and ben prepare to interfere in jeff's death and apprehend miles, but realize miles isn't coming and that the spot's about to swallow this world up. jess probably turns on miguel to protect jeff.

act ii:

miles reunites with gwen and co, probably as they all work together with miles 42 and aaron 42 to take out the sinister six cartel. (my kingdom for a tiana toomes cameo as one of vulture's followers.)

miles is probably going to be harsh to gwen after they reunite. she gave him a shitload of trust issues.

(also, fingers crossed but no hope, he's over his crush on her-- the reason why he's fixated on her has been resolved: he doesn't need gwen to help him with his grief, because aaron 42 did that; he doesn't need validation because he just found it with miles 42; and he doesn't want to leave his community on 1610 anymore-- he wants to go back to save it.)

(fingers crossed, zero hope x2: we expand on gwen's survivor guilt and death anxiety. she thinks that saving miles and/or being his love interest is how she can redeem herself not just for betraying his trust, but for outliving peter. miles has everything he needs to get over gwen, but she has nothing to help her get over him.)

wild guess: interdimensional fuckery ensues, which tips miles and co off to the spot being in 1610.

wild guess: dimension-hopping ensues. to 138 at the minimum, because it was confirmed we'd see more of it.

probably also to 616 and ham's world, since both have alt gwens (spider-guin, and og dead gwen).

maybe a quick return to mumbattan (especially given that gayatri's there and it already has spot damage), or a passthrough of noir and peni's worlds because of how artistically distinct they are. (hopefully margo's too because why leave her out if we're doing the rest. plus given that margo's powers are only through her avatar, it'd be funny to see a totally normal girl juxtaposed with seven superheroes)

this is probably where we introduce the twist that gwen's death is the big canon death miles is actually going to contend with. and that she has probably internalized and accepted it given that she's accepted her place as miles's love interest. so, miles learns, through the dimension-hopping, that gwen's death is a canon event, that's what had her worried this whole time, and that it's oncoming and she isn't doing anything to prevent it.

wishful thinking: please give us more of what gwen and hobie were up to in his dimension. if we're gonna spend more time there, let's fill in that gap. (please have the balls to not friendzone them)

i'm guessing if they split the characters off into trios, they'll be miles-gwen-peter, pav-hobie-margo, peni-noir-ham.

meanwhile in 1610, jeff, rio, ganke, visions academy and miles's community react to the spot causing havoc as the spider-society debate whether to intervene or allow his world to be destroyed. hopefully ganke gets to do something in this movie.

btsv's big Take That at how editorial's treated miles will probably be at how they let his universe be destroyed, so the movie will emphasize just how special his world is and how terrible it is to let it die.

i'm also wondering if miguel's going to catch on to miles in 42 and start chasing him through various dimensions.

again, jess is going to turn on miguel if she hasn't already.

act iii:

the return to 1610 to save the dimension from the spot.

miles's identity is revealed to his parents. they love and support him.

the spider-society, led by jessica drew and/or peter b, rallies to protect 1610, and possibly miles as well if miguel goes after him.

gwen probably performs a heroic sacrifice to save miles or a member of his family, maybe even jeff.

hopefully, gwen doesn't die for miles's manpain and a Gotcha, You Predicted The Wrong Canon Event moment. i doubt that'll happen but you can never underestimate dudes when it comes to thinking that fridging is 'satisfying.'

hopefully, gwen's survival doesn't revolve around miles either-- either by being saved by him, or saving herself/being saved by someone else so she can be his girlfriend. (fingers crossed, zero hope!)

(ideally gwen saves herself for her own sake. another acceptable alternative is jessica saving gwen and redeeming herself for being a bad mentor. an alternate gwen doing it would be even better. just no men saving gwen.)

anyway that heroic sacrifice is going to re-endear gwen to miles.

miguel sees the light. maybe it's because of gwen, since if gabi's his gwen, he won't respond well to seeing an alternate version of his daughter in danger/dying. either way he either lays off or joins in to protect 1610 at the end.

miles 42 probably shows up to help (maybe aaron too). probably has an emotional moment with jeff.

anyway 1610 is saved and miles is affirmed as the ultimate spider-man.

miles comes to the understanding that he isn't the only one who deserves to redefine his narrative-- everybody does. gwen is the natural conduit through which to realize this, as the character with the most pressing consequences weighing down on her, and the one whose relationship with him has the most narrative weight.

(-- and also because miles letting gwen go is the greatest fulfillment of his arc because of how selfless it is. if gwen stays locked into her narrative, then he gets to have her as a girlfriend and be her hero. if she breaks out, then he won't get those things anymore. he gains nothing from encouraging her to be her own person, but it's still worth doing because it's the right thing to do.)

what'll probably happen is the movie will stop at 'wow isn't it so subversive that spider-man and his gwen got to end up together! good on gwen for choosing miles instead of peter! miles is Different!' and they'll have their big upside down kiss and become a couple because the writers don't understand gwen and want miles to have his cake and eat it too. gag.

(fingers crossed, no hope: my pipe dream is that miles helps gwen realize her feelings for him are rooted in her survivor's guilt, and that living for herself is what she actually needs. i hate that it's a girl needing permission to be independent from her male love interest when her original canon storyline is her coming to that conclusion all on her own, but we'll take what we can get: they let go of their crushes on each other, reaffirm their friendship, and support each other in defining their own paths.)

in the end montage, it'll be confirmed that miles is still in contact with his interdimensional spider-friends, that the spider-society probably still exists but has reformed somehow and miles is a part of it (... something tells me it won't end), that his family and friends support him in being a hero, and he's going to art school (because his interest in physics was all in finding the validation he no longer needs, and these movies are a celebration of art at their core. no way is he not gonna be an artist at the end).

also unfortunately i think they'll throw in fluff about how gwiles are going to stay together forever, get married and have those damn earth-8 spiderbabies. gag me. i wish them a very divorce.

(fingers crossed, no hope: give us a margo-miles ship tease instead. miles doesn't need a girlfriend right now because he needs to find himself. once he does, he's ready for love. my kingdom for a casual reference that margo has a middle name that starts with the letter j, aka she's been an mj all along. it follows thematically that in a story about how any boy can be spider-man, we should also discuss how any girl can be mary jane.)

(and if gwen's gotta end up with someone, my kingdom for it being hobie. they have a past that could easily be brought up on 138, margomiles have a future. let the disposable corners of the love quadrangle be the ones who win out in the end. let gwen fall for a spider-man without him getting her killed or turned into a sidekick gf. let hobie have something that humanizes him.)