#and jack's courier [wes] is such a fucking good courier six

[kyngsnake]

and for the record since i feel like this might get confusing otherwise, I'm gonna be defaulting to F:NV Avery for the time being and foreseeable future. I've been really enjoying the rewrite. Core things about him, personality traits, morals, favorite snack foods etc, are unchanged but some story and design elements might shift around. Still same ol' Avery at the end of the day. FO:4 flavor Avery isn't so much nixed as he is shelved.

[vault81]

OC Interview

I was tagged by @orionlancasterr to do an OC Interview! So here is Jacks! (though I may edit this later with more of them)

"Oh- you uh wanna interview me? fuck it why not! ask away!"

name:

"I go by Jack mainly, but I guess you want 'ma 'government name'"

He starts biting down on his lip while his eyes scan the room

"I think it's Jack Andrew Cooke, ha! It's been a hot minute since I had to remember that one! Not used that since the G.O.A.T! exam!"

nickname:

"My nickname? most folks just call me 'courier' or 'six' but back east people did start calling me 'the lone wanderer', That one doesn't exactly roll off the tongue like the other two though."

gender:

"I'm a male! or man! dude works too!"

star sign:

"Uhhh what's my what?"

After being told what a star sign is, he begins counting on his fingers to work out when exactly his birthday is and what that'd make him, breaking out in a bright wide-eyed smile when he finally figured it out.

"I'm a libertarian! Oh- Arcade say's I'm wrong, apparently it's 'Libra', close enough in my book."

personality type:

"My personality type? uh, I'm a nice guy, I guess? I can be a bit dense sometimes, but I try not to be mean or rude.. wait, that's not what the question means does it?"

height:

"The last time my height got checked out, I think I just shy of 6'3? no wait! Arcade is around my height! and he's 6'3 I think? so yeah! I must be!"

orientation:

"Uh- hold on, lemme check my compass.."

He tries to stop himself from laughing, as if he just made the funniest joke in the world

"Bahahahaha! d'ya get it?! orientation, compas- oh okay I guess It wasn't as funny as I thought... uh- I suppose you could say I'm into guys, always have been I suppose.."

nationality/ethnicity:

"American! I'm sure 'liza said we had some Scottish in us too, Wherever that is!"

favourite fruit:

"Hmmm I'm gonna say Watermelon! They didn't grow 'em often down in the vault, so when they did, it was always for a special occasion! I haven't found anything out here that compares to them yet!"

favourite season:

"Winter! I absolutely hate the heat- yeah I know I live in a desert whatever! But I just love when it gets freezing, wrapping up warm in front of a fire and getting all cozy! and the snow! I love snow!"

favourite flower/scent:

"Lavender, I think it's just for the smell really. It reminds me of home, 'specially Old Lady Palmer! she used to smell like that when she'd come and babysit us! It's just become a comforting scent I guess, If that even is a thing?"

A smile crosses his lips as he closes his eyes, softening as he briefly relives those early years of his childhood

coffee/tea/hot chocolate:

"I'm gonna go with hot chocolate! I don't like how bitter coffee can be, besides It messes with my stomach, so I can't really drink it anyway!"

average hours of sleep:

"7-8 hours I'd guess.. used to be I'd be getting 'round 9-10 but we're always on the move these days so I've gotta be up early!"

"Although good luck waking me up! I sleep like a brick!"

dog or cat person:

"Dogs! Dog's all the way! One of our first adventures outside of the Vault me and 'liza found a dog! he kinda just kept following us around, think his owner died or something, we ended up calling him Dogmeat!"

He smiles, looking down at his pipboy, a picture of a blue heeler smiling away while it gets a bath is on the screen.

"'course we had to give Dogmeat away when we left D.C, he was getting old by that point, so it was best for him. Besides, he's in good hands with Moira!"

dream trip:

"My dream trip? ya'know I don't think I really have a 'dream trip' never had a place that I've been dying to go! guess you could say I've always been about the journey rather than the destination."

favourite fictional/real character:

"Hmmm.. think I'm gonna say The Mechanist! what's not to love about a dude with a robot army?! I mean yeah he was a villain but rule of cool overrules I think!"

"Ya know that reminds me I actually met 'The Mechanist' a coupla years ago.. fought a 'gal dressed up as The Antagoniser, but I'll save that story for later!"

number of blankets you sleep with:

"I actually don't sleep with a blanket most nights, my body runs too hot! I end up overheating under those things, Arcade compares me to a human furnace, so he ends up hogging 'em all!"

random fact:

"I'm actually allergic to some types of medicine! my eyes get all itchy and swell up! mainly ibuprofen that does that one... I just pop a anti-histamine and I'm right as rain though!"

Jack jumps to his feet stretching out all his limbs and gestures to the door

"Now, was that all? I got a few errands to run for the Followers over in Freeside!"

Since I'm not too sure who to tag (idk who else has done this or not) I'll just leave it open for anyone who else who wants to do it!

[kickingitwithkirk]

Deuxième Omega

Summary: Jensen is not dealing well with his unexpected divorce and before the ink is even dry, he is pushed into another union with a complete stranger.

Pairing: Alpha!Jensen Ackles x Omega!OFC

Word Count: 3363

Warnings: A/B/O, angst, angry Jensen, cursing, alcohol abuse, parental manipulation, arranged marriage, Alpha dominance over Omega, unintended injuries.

A/N: So, get this; a lot of my original writing ideas from my weird as hell dreams about Sam Winchester but for some reason Jensen is starring in this one. I’m gonna blame the bad PMS I’m having for all the angst in this.

A/N II: There is no intentional hate or malevolence intended towards any of the Ackles family. This is a purely fictional piece containing real and created persons/names/events set in the fictional A/B/O verse.

*Supernatural doesn’t end in season 15 and some dates/events have been altered to fit the story.

*no beta, all mistakes are mine *photos found online

Jensen was sitting slouched on the leather couch staring at the paperwork that had been dropped off by courier this morning, official notification of the dissolution of his marriage to Danneel when Jared entered his trailer. “It’s not gonna say anything different no matter how many times you look at it.”

“I know,” Jensen sighed heavily, “never thought I’d be in this position.”  He tossed the papers on the table and picked up his beer draining it in one go.

“You better not drink anymore, we’ve still got two more scenes to get through before we can leave tonight.”

Jensen rolled his head towards Jared leaning across the kitchenettes bar counter with a very concerned expression.

Jensen had always been a social drinker, he did love his beer, the slight softness over his toned stomach was the biggest indicator. But there had been constant uptick in his drinking during the mandatory two year waiting period for an Alpha/Beta divorce. So far, it hadn’t seriously interfered with work but there had been several instances of his obvious imbidding that Jared,  Alex, even Misha ended up pumping him full of coffee to get him through.

“Then let’s get them done so I can get really fucked up before that shit show happens tomorrow.”

“Jack, give this new marriage a chance. Your dad said she’s a good match right? You never know, maybe it’ll work out like Gen and me.” Jared’s marriage had been a private match and he was happy with the Omega that his family had chosen.

Jensen snorted, getting up and walking out of his trailer, “Yeah, you lucked out with her, not always the case. Look at me, I’m getting a second hand Omega.”

*** To say the atmosphere in the private arrivals area was strained was an understatement. The Ackles were seating several feet apart awaiting their son.

“Mommy…daddy, how’s it..go..going?” They both turned in unison to see their very drunk middle child staggering towards them followed closely by Jared and Clif.

“Jensen Ross Ackles, how could you show up in this condition!” Donna Ackles snapped as he gave her a cheeky smile before passing out. “Fuck!” Jared blurted out, catching him before he face planted onto the tiled floor.

“Jared Tristan Padalecki you’re to blame for this!”

“I’m the one who’s been there for him, not the one forcing him to do something he’s not ready for! This is on you, I’ve tried to get him to stop but he’s hurting like hell and you don’t care!”

“You can’t speak to me that way young man! I always knew you came from trash and this proves it.”

Jared let his inner Alpha surface, eyes glowing red in anger, “If you ever speak disparagingly about my family again…” Clif quickly stepped in between them giving Jared a look.

“I’ve had it with you inserting yourself in our family business! I’ll make sure you never have contact with Jensen outside of work ever again!”

“You go ahead and try, Jensen’s forty two years old and more than capable of making his own choices. The only reason he’s agreed to this is because you’ve duped him into believing this is the only way to uphold your family’s social standing in the Dallas Pack because all you care about is how you look to those fucking country club bitches!”

“Alan, could you please bring the car around so we can get away from this embarrassing situation.” The older Alpha gripped his mates arm giving her a firm look of disapproval and steered her towards the exit. They could still hear her grousing, “how dare he deliver Jensen in this state,” as they went out the door.

Jared hefted his friend over his broad shoulder and carried Jensen back out the private entrance as the SUV pulled up. Clif opened the back door and helped Jared place him in the vehicle, carefully laying him across the seat.

“How bad has it been for him?” Alan inquired after Clif shut the door so his mate couldn’t hear.

Jared pulled off his beanie, running both hands through his hair, not hiding his frustration before answering, “He’s been in a downward spiral, drinking continuously, got him to stick to beer. I found him looking at the divorce papers and as you see… ”

Alan sighed heavily. Jensen’s divorce came out of nowhere, everything on the surface appeared good between him and Danneel but in hindsight he realized there were telltale signs all along, the biggest was her reluctance to have children.

Anytime anyone inquired she waved it off, saying she wanted to wait till Supernatural had ended, it wouldn’t be fair to leave all the responsibility for rearing their pups predominantly on her, she wanted Jensen there, to be a hands-on father.

Alphas were involved to an extent in care and raising of pups, but it was unusual for one to be as hands on as the Betas or Omegas were.

Jensen was one of those exceptions. Whenever with his siblings, he was right in there helping, never turning down a chance to play with them, even princess tea parties with his only niece. When on vacation or at conventions with Jared and his mate, he always was willing to help with their pups.

“I want to formally apologize for what Donna said, she overstepped the lines of etiquette. This is no excuse but she doesn’t know how to handle this situation. Jensen’s always been her favorite and she personally picked Danneel as his mate, it’s been a slap to her ego.”

Jared smiled, “I accept your apology Alan. Jensen’s always said his mother has been a…handful.”

Alan laughed, “That’s the diplomatic way of putting it,” he signed again, “Donna’s family always spoiled her being the only Omega, somewhere along the way she’s forgetting that being part of Dallas society doesn’t give you the right to treat others badly.”

*** Late next morning

Jensen was sitting on the edge of his hotel bed contemplating how he got here.

He thought Danneel was the one. When they were introduced by his mother a few months before his twenty seventh birthday they instantly clicked and started dating that night.

Jensen proposed six months later, couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have found a love match. Danneel stated she wasn’t ready to give up her career yet, so they compromised and decided on a long engagement.

Supernatural started filming its fourth season when Kripke announced that the series would end with season five. Danneel also found out her current role was being written out of the series she was in about the same time so they set the date for May 2010.

Jared’s surprise wedding in February that year reaffirmed Jensen’s desire to settle down and start his family in a few months. They bought a home outside Austin like Jared and his new mate Genevieve. Things were going as planned, then the unexpected happened.

A couple months before they finished filming the CW announced Supernatural was being picked up for season six under new leadership.

Jensen returned to Vancouver not long after they were married. Danneel continued working, doing guest starring roles on other series and was cast in the occasional recurring role of Jo.

Every year when the show went on hiatus Jensen would bring up about starting their own family, he was feeling the biological pull more and more. Once again, she stated it wouldn’t be fair for them to have a family and him be a drop-in father, and moving to Vancouver full time, nope, he worked too many hours.

Danneel started dabbling in other interests outside of acting and in 2018 they opened The Family Business Brewery with her family. A few months later Jensen was served with the divorce announcement.

*** “Jensen, it’s time.” He looked up and Alan was saddened by the lost look in his son’s eyes. There was a resignation in those green eyes that never existed before. Saying nothing Jensen got up, slipped on his suit jacket and walked out of the room.

Alan mentally shook himself but that nagging feeling was back once again, something wasn’t right about this whole situation.

*** The Uber stopped at the back door of the small country church. The woman in the backseat thanked the driver and got out, pulling the garment bag with her. She walked to the door and rang the bell. It opened revealing the minister’s wife.

“You’re very late, the wedding is starting in fifteen minutes.” She said, hurrying up a staircase to the second floor and entered an empty room. “Where is your family? They should have arrived already to help you get ready.”

“There is no one coming,” the woman replied as she hung the garment bag over a closet door next to the mirror attached to it. The minister’s wife’s jaw dropped in surprise, “and it won’t take me long to get ready. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”  

She unzipped the bag removing a veil and shoes having arrived already in her dress, chosen by the groom’s mother, and attached the veil to the headpiece holding back part of her simply styled hair. She looked at herself for a moment before pulling the front part of the veil over her face then joined the minister’s wife who was to escort her to the chapel. She placed the shoes she wouldn’t wear until after the ceremony on the small table outside the double doors and took her place in front of them.

Jensen was sitting in the first pew of the small country church wondering why this place was chosen for the wedding as Donna and Alan made their way to sit next to him. His siblings, Joshua and Mackenzie, were already seated in the one behind him with their mates as the rest of the Ackles clan that had been invited filled up the rest of the pews.

He looked over at the bride’s side. There was not a single person seated in any of those pews. He frowned, finding it strange, wondering where her family was when the intro music started.

The minister took his place and gestured for him to rise. Jensen couldn’t move, his body feeling like it was tied down with lead weights. “Jensen!” His mother hissed at him in a low tone.

Suddenly, he felt himself get up, urgently needing to get away from her as his inner Alpha became agitated, as if it sensed something was amiss.

Each secondary gender pairing had their own ceremonial traditions so he was required to remain facing forward when the music changed and the doors behind him opened.

As the guests stood Jensen focused his senses on her as she proceeded down the aisle. He couldn’t scent her, too many different scents mingling together to isolate hers. He listened to the whispering material of the dress as she slowly walked, finally stopping next to him. In his peripheral vision he could see her head bowed under the thick veil obscuring her face and hair, her hands were clasped together in front of her, devoid of a bouquet.

The minister started speaking, talking about the obligations each Alpha and Omega were required to follow as dictated by the book. Jensen inhaled sharply, realizing what was occurring.

This wasn’t the common ceremony but the ancient, traditional version that only the extreme believers still used today. There was absolutely no out for either party from once the proceedings started.

If he objected to the ceremony he would be shunned by his pack, his family would be forced to never acknowledge him again or suffer the same censure; if the marriage didn’t work and they separated, he was responsible for her care as she would be set aside from society and forced to live in isolation.

He looked over at his parents, Alan was pinching the bridge of his nose trying to quell his anger knowing that his mate had put Jensen in an impossible situation as Donna sat there with a fake, placid look.

His own mother had irrevocably bound him to this Omega for the rest of his life.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur, neither party was required to say anything, there was no exchange of rings or a kiss at the end. The minister finished the ceremony and turned to the altar signing the marriage certificate with a quill pen dipped in ink. Jensen signed next, his hand was shaking so violently in anger making his signature barely legible.

The Omega didn’t sign, only her name was required for legality and the minister filled it in. He poured a powder on it to set the ink, blew off the access, rolled it up and tied it with a piece of twine before handing it to Jensen offering his blessings for a fruitful marriage. It took every ounce of his acting ability to politely smile, shake his hand, thanking the minister for the proceedings.

He turned, marching out without acknowledging his bride and she obediently followed behind him, pausing to grab her shoes along the way and scurrying to the waiting limousine climbing in after him.

Jensen sat in the back on the farthest side pouring himself a drink from the bar as his new wife sat quietly near the still open door. A few minutes later Jensen was on his third glass of whiskey when his parents climbed in and the chauffeur shut the door. He started the limo and as they pulled out Alan pressed the button to close the privacy window between them.

The tension in the back was so palatable an icebreaker couldn’t have cut through it. “Donna how could you…” Alan was unable to say anymore, his disgust for what had happened thick in those few words. “I did nothing wrong,” she snapped back, “I only had Jensen’s best interests…”

“Like when you threatened to sabotage my friendship with Jared again? By the way, Clif’s the one who dropped the dime on what happened after I passed out last night, not Jared, so you don’t get to blame him for that too.” Jensen threw back the rest of his drink before continuing.

“Oh, don’t think I’ve ever been ignorant of your disdain for him ‘cause the clan he comes from isn’t good enough for those highfalutin bitches in your social circle. Or how you’ve persuaded me to do this only to find out you took it to the extreme, forcing me into an impossible situation, accept this marriage or lose everything. Congratulations mom, you are still the queen bitch, sorry, bee, your precious reputation is secure.”

They traveled the rest of the way in silence. The limousine pulled onto the grounds of the country club in front of its grand entrance. Jensen got out before the chauffeur finished putting the car in park leaving his new wife to scramble out behind him as Alan and Donna got out the other side.

Jensen finally took a good look at his bride. She was in a simple, modestly cut, long sleeved dress, the only adornments a row of buttons down the bodice, no jewelry and apparently a pair of shoes that didn’t fit as she was struggling to get them on.

She was still fussing with her left shoe when he spoke in a stern voice, “Since our wedding was in the traditional, we’ll continue with its edicts. You are not to remove that veil, acknowledge or speak to anyone. You will not leave my side for any reason. Where I go, you go, three steps behind me. Nod once if you understand.” She nodded once.

“Son, I think…”

“Dad, as the traditional also states, I’m well within my rights to make demands of my Omega without interference, am I not?”

Alan acquiesced, “Yes, you are.”

“So” Jensen rubbed his hands together, “let’s go celebrate this disaster, shall we.” Putting on a fake smile, he went into the venue to greet his family with his Omega obediently three steps behind him.

*** Several hours later

“This shit has got to stop cause I swear it’s the only time I’m doing this dad.” Josh grunts, annoyance thickening his voice as he helped guide his inebriated brother to his hotel room. “Come on.. have ‘nother drunk, ‘posed to be celebrating my disaster marriage to that…’mega..don’t even want her.”

“Jensen, shut the fuck up! I’m not gonna stand here and let you insult your mate.” Josh snapped at him.

Jensen ripped his arm loose, “ ‘en go, not stopping you…and she’s not my mate,” his free arm waves unsteadily as he points towards his new wife standing by the main door, “my real mate took my money, my home, my fucking heart!!!”

Josh turned his back on his brother, “Jensen, I can’t stand seeing you like this, you need to get it together.” He headed for the main door,  pausing to speak to his brother’s new wife, “I’m sorry he’s taken his anger out on you now. My brother is a good man, an honorable Alpha,” he stepped close to her and lowered his voice, “there is far more to this than what you’ve been told, please be patient with him.” He left slamming the door behind him.

“Fuck him,” Jensen muttered staggering into the bedroom and sitting on the edge of the bed slumped over.

“Jensen, your brother is right, you have got to pull yourself together. Therefore, as the Alpha of our clan, you are banned from our family. When you are back to being yourself, the Alpha you once were, you may appeal for re-admittance.”

Alan then did something he hadn’t done since Jensen was a small child, he bent over and placed a kiss on his son’s head, “I love you and I want my son back.” Nodding to his new daughter in law he left.

It hurt him tremendously knowing he wouldn’t see his son for a long time but it was for his own good. Now his Omega was the only one who could help him mend. Hopefully Jensen would see this marriage wasn’t the biggest mistake he’s imagined it to be.

Jensen didn’t move until he heard someone shuffling their feet. He looked up squinting at his new wife still standing by the bedroom door. Sitting up straight he grunted at her and passed out, falling backwards on the mattress. She slowly walked over and hesitated a moment before reaching out touching his shoulder, shaking him.

Getting no response she sat down near him lifting her right foot, gingerly removing the ill fitting shoe with a gasp and then repeated with her left. The blisters on both her heels that had busted open earlier were raw and had bleed. She detached her veil and wadded it up, stuffing it in a shoe and bent over untying Jensen’s and removed them too.

Standing up she gripped both his jacket lapels and hefted him upright to lean against her as she worked it off letting him flop back down and unbuttons his shirt leaving him sleep the case of everything he drank off. She left a pain reliever and bottled water on the nightstand.

Quietly shutting the bath door she found the dress had too many small buttons down the back. She laughed mirthlessly at the irony she was stuck in the dress like this marriage. Pulling the skirt up over her knees she sat on the counter to soak and clean her sore feet in the basin.

Once the worst of the ache was gone she pulled the drain and climbed off to finish washing up the best she could. The mirror reflects back the emotional toll of the last few months in her eyes.

She went over to the bed only to find her husband had moved, sprawled out over its entire surface. Searching for extra bedding and not finding any she gave up going back into the main room and curled up on the couch hoping to find a comfortable position to get some sleep for a few hours so she could briefly forget what her life had become.

Part II

SPN: @donnaintx​​​

Dean/Jensen: @flamencodiva

[turqrambles]

I watched all 26 episodes of an obscure Australian cartoon in one week and I’m not okay - My journey with Wicked! (2001) PART 1

Here it is, the reason I started this blog in the first place. I need to talk about this cartoon I ran into completely by chance. 

It all started, like you would, with Tubitv.

Good ol’ Tubi, the free streaming service that makes you either an expert at being able to find diamonds in piles of garbage or a connoisseur of said garbage. It’s thanks to Tubi that I put down that I watched Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation on Letterboxd for all to see and judge, but it’s also thanks to Tubi that I finally ended up watching Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

Anyhoo, one day I was browsing their family film selection when I ran into this selection. And that was the day my life changed forever.

What you see before you, posted to a streaming service accessible in the United States, is the movie adaptation of an Australian TV show that never made it to the United States, which is based off a series of Australian children’s books from the 90′s that also never made it to the United States. It made it to other territories like Germany and the United Kingdom (and it apparently did super well in France but don’t quote me on this) but the TV show ran for one year and then disappeared without a trace after one 26 episode season.

How obscure is this franchise? Well, for starters, at the time I’m writing this in 2020, the books, the TV show, and the movie all don’t have a single Wikipedia page to call their own, and the easiest way to get info about this thing is to find the (rather tiny) TvTropes page. 

Let’s just get right into this shall we.

What is Wicked!?

Before you try to be all cute and make any references to the hit musical, there’s a reason I’m putting that exclamation mark there.

Wicked! started out as a series of six children’s books written by Paul Jennings and Morris Gleitzman. I actually grabbed a kindle copy of all six books (because I’m in this thing too deep and I wanted to see how the cartoon compared with the source material) and I gotta say, they’re very charming.

The best way I can describe them is that they’re in the kid horror genre, but they’re less Goosebumps and more The Weenies book series by David Lubar in terms of gore and child endangerment. Wicked! has some artful depictions of blood and gore, but in a way that can be digested by the grade school crowd.

Being a former child, I can proudly proclaim that I would’ve adored this series when I was younger. Just look at these covers!

The plot of the books is that there’s a widower with a daughter and a divorced wife with a son who get married, and the two new step-siblings Rory and Dawn absolutely hate each other. They can’t stand the fact that their parents are getting married! Gross!

But then, on the day of their wedding, creepy things begin to happen after Rory receives an appleman doll in the mail, and then, over the course of six books, a deadly single-minded virus that feeds on hate and is targeting Rory’s bloodline begins to spread across wildlife, creating crazed mutant animals that try to kill everyone in the household. It’s up to Rory, Dawn, and Dawn’s grandfather Gramps to stop this virus before it kills Rory and his mother, and to do so, they have to seek out Rory’s father, who seems to be the mysterious cause and/or the solution to the virus.

I’m not sure how well these books did, on account of the whole “not Australian” affliction I seem to suffer from, but they seemed to do well enough to get a TV show adaptation.

And surprisingly, the TV show is a very close adaptation of the books, only they changed the plot in two big ways so that it fits an animated series with a “monster of the week” setup.

The first big change was that, of course, they toned down the blood and gore and removed the deadliness of the virus, choosing to go with a more cartoony mutagenic approach. Rory gets infected by the virus several times in the show, just like how he does in the books, but unlike the books, he never thinks that he’s going to die from it and it’s definitely treated as a more temporary thing. There’s no race against time either. Everyone is trying to live their lives except every so often, the virus shows up. A wacky cartoon virus with cartoony stakes.

That brings me to the other main change that they make in the show. Unlike the books, where the main villain is a mindless virus that feeds off of hate, an invisible foe that can only be defeated at the end of the last book with the help of Rory’s father, the TV show decides that that’s no fun and instead makes a main villain out of one of the main plot points in the books. Say hello to The Appleman. (Apple-Man? Apple Man? Fuck it, I’m going with the first one from now on)

Instead of having the virus mutate mysteriously and having the main characters constantly hypothesize what’s going to happen next, the TV show made a main villain who constantly reinvents new strains of virus in a laboratory that he set up in an abandoned refinery.

What then happens is a basic plot set-up that the show follows pretty consistently in every episode. The family is trying to do something, we get the theme for the episode, and The Appleman, who is a spiteful bastard who is trying to ruin this one family in particular (and I’ll get to that), decides to make a virus that will infect the theme of that episode.

Pretty standard cartoon stuff, right? Ah, but then you don’t realize the beauty of this show. But first, I gotta introduce the main stars of this show.

The Characters

(quick note: this bus is incredibly important to the plot, but only in the books)

First we have Rory (the boy holding up the tin) and Dawn (the mad red head).

Dawn is the step-sister who lost her mom, a bus driver, in a gruesome bus accident, Rory is the step-brother whose parents got a divorce and then his dad went missing, believed to have run away from his whole family. Both of them are meant to be the dual protagonists, but I feel that there’s just a tiny bit more focus on Rory. There’s a reason for this that I will mention later.

What is interesting to note is that they make Rory the smart, non-athletic little nerd that gets picked on a lot at school for being a dork while Dawn loves sports, is failing science, gets made fun of for not being as girly as the other girls in her class, and likes violent computer games. I wouldn’t exactly call them “fleshed out” but they did enough to make these kids feel like actual kids.

Also, they fight. Constantly. This is the main complaint of anyone who actually looks into this show judging by my brief skimming of Internet comments because these two constantly bicker and insult each other and that makes up like 40% of the dialogue in any given episode. While this is one of the main story conflicts and they’re like this in the books too, it just feels super exhausting to see these two constantly at each other’s throats in every single episode.

They get mean too. Which, surprisingly, makes them both more realistic (I babysat multiple times and kids can be pretty verbally awful to each other) while also making them just a tiny bit unbearable at times. Here’s some actual dialogue.

"My dad sent it to me!" "Gee, he must think a lot of you to send you a doll full of worms." "Your mum thought so much of you she drove this bus over a cliff and into the river to get away from you."

GEEZ, guys...

Eileen, Rory’s mom.

It feels out of the three adults in the family, she gets the least amount of character development, but she does get a fair amount of screentime, so you can’t really say they’re intentionally ignoring her. She divorced her previous husband and works as a mail courier. Instead of owning a car, she drives a motorcycle, and, in the first episode, even drives it to her own wedding while dressed in a bridal gown. Rory’s mom rules.

She tries to bond with Dawn because she always wanted to raise a daughter, but Dawn clearly doesn’t like her new stepmom very much. Dawn is also afraid of the motorcycle and it comes up a couple times in the show.

Eileen is the adult that gets targeted the least by The Appleman’s schemes. There’s a very pointed reason for this, and I swear, I’m getting to it soon.

(quick note: yes, the show uses real photos to put in picture frames in the backgrounds and it’s real weird and never addressed)

Jack, Dawn’s dad.

Jack is a sheep shearer, just like in the books, and he’s a big easy-going dope that is hard not to love. Look at him hammer in this carpet. A true champ.

Out of the three adults in the family, he seems to be the one that nearly dies the most, with The Appleman going out of his way to specifically target Jack in some episodes. If you know Appleman’s backstory, this reads as absolutely petty spite and I love every minute of it.

Gramps, Dawn’s grandfather and Jack’s dad.

He’s an aging WWII veteran (one that has killed people in combat no less) who radiates constant Boomer vibes and, unlike Eileen and Jack, he actually sees some of the crazy shit that happens and will sometimes sense when something is infected with virus when the other two adults can’t.

In the books, he’s suffering pretty badly from dementia, but thankfully the cartoons drop that completely. I’m glad too, because I don’t have the confidence that they would’ve written it with enough sophistication to make it not seem ableist. Instead, he’s just your typical kooky cartoon grandfather.

He’s probably the adult that gets the most screentime because he will actually help Dawn and Rory out. Again, this ties into the books, where he was the main adult ally for the kids.

He says a lot of army-themed catchphrases. It’s a tad overplayed but it never really gets to a point where I would call it “annoying”. Also, instead of living in the house, he lives in a tiny granny flat on the property. Sometimes Rory spends the night there.

Last but not least, we have the star of the show, and the reason why the easiest way to find information of this show is to google “Wicked The Appleman”.

The Appleman, as explained, is the main villain of the story. Dressed in a very fancy suit complete with dress shoes and a nice blue tie, he lives in an old refinery full of rats, bats, and giant worms (called Slobberers), and he’s rocking a voice that can be best described as “Australian Mark Hamil” with an absolutely heavenly evil laugh. He has gross clawed hands, a rotten apple for a head, and likes making people miserable, because he’s basically the living puppet for a virus that feeds off of negative emotions. The main goal of each episode is to either defeat him or to stop the mess he’s made. Usually both.

Since all of his minions are non-sentient animals, a lot of his dialogue is him lurking behind something while he monologues to himself, sometimes turning it into a creepy little rhyme. He’s a pretty lonely guy, so him hanging out with this family can be seen as a very non-subtle cry for help.

The best episodes are the ones where he tries to lurk about in public with a very poor attempt at disguising his hideous features. Somehow it always works, you know, despite the fact that he has yellow eyes, the skin like a moldy apple, and no ears.

What Makes Wicked! Unique

(no, The Appleman doesn’t actually use that axe)

The first thing this show does that most of the formulaic shows don’t do is that it does, in fact, have a beginning, a middle, and an end. That’s why this show was packaged into a full-length movie - you can glue scenes together and actually make a pretty decent narrative, even if the resulting movie definitely had a “glued together TV show episodes” feel ala some of the bad Disney sequels like Cinderella II and Atlantis II. 

This show even has some plot-heavy episodes that dive into just why this whole Appleman situation is going on and why he seems to have it out for this one family in order to flesh out the characters more.

Because that’s a thing that this show does. The Appleman is a cartoon-y villain who cackles in his lab and constantly invents new strains of viruses that can mutate things like animals and household appliances, but he doesn’t do it to take over the city or to “destroy the world”. He does it purely to inconvenience this one Australian family, who he stalks pretty regularly. This is a thing that comes from the books and honestly, it’s a thing that elevates Appleman from “ugly-looking cartoon villain” to “pretty damn creepy, if also still cartoony in execution”.

Sure, a lot of cartoon villains target the main protagonist in their evil schemes, but this one is definitely more personal.

He regularly follows Rory and Dawn to school and, when the family goes on a camping trip, he comes too. If Rory decides he’s going to hang out in the wrecker’s yard, The Appleman will be cackling and hiding behind totaled vehicles. If Gramps takes the kids out to the bay to go fishing, The Appleman will pull an ice cream truck out of his garage and follow them there. That’s how the main conflict is really set up.

I think if a scarier cartoon tried, they’d make him out to be this grotesque stalker, but instead, since this show is kinda goofy in execution, he’s like the shittiest cryptid in the world, constantly crouching behind trash cans and on top of rooftops while constantly cackling about how clever he is and how, miraculously, no one notices anything’s amiss.

This alone would make this villain interesting, but then they set up something about this show at the beginning if you watch the intro and the first episode and put two and two together.

Right from the start, the opening shows that The Appleman was once human by depicting his transformation by the virus. They don’t even try and pretend that he’s some demon or some sort of supernatural monster - he’s specifically a blue collar worker who had a nasty run-in with fate and mutated into this hideous apple-headed creature that now has to hide out in an abandoned refinery. You see why he’s dressed like that - he’s still wearing his work uniform.

Right after you watch that intro, the first episode of the show has Rory receiving a mysterious package from his father on the day of his mother’s wedding. It’s the first time that Rory and his mom Eileen have heard from their dad after he mysteriously vanished years ago. 

What’s inside? An apple-headed doll, which contains the first virus-infected monsters, The Slobberers.

When The Appleman makes his first dramatic appearance, he never says Dawn’s name, but he does know Rory’s name.

And, in case you didn’t pick up the hints from the first episode, the fourth episode really drives it home without spelling it out. Then the last episode of the series decides to say it out loud.

That’s right. Rory’s father, the man who mysteriously vanished from Eileen and Rory’s lives, is still an important part of the cartoon’s storyline, but instead of being the man who appears in the last book that knows how to cure the virus while also being the first victim of the virus, he’s the main antagonist.

The Appleman is Rory’s father.

And honestly, because of this little plot point, this show becomes a much richer experience once you look at the unhinged appleman who keeps unleashing horror on these kids and realize that he’s a divorced dad who constantly keeps tabs on his ex-wife's unstable dysfunctional family in order to make them more pissed at each other because that feeds the virus that mutated him.

This is a very cool concept. This is where Wicked! shines when, for all intents and purposes, it is otherwise a pretty average turn-of-the-century Australian cartoon that can be best described as “it’s okay, I guess” in terms of quality.

Because that’s really the rating I can give this show. It’s Okay.

It’s a very solid Okay, but I think any adjective more powerful than “Okay” is really pushing it. It’s not Great, it’s not Amazing. It’s Okay. Alright. Kinda Good.

But man, is it a wild ride.

Next time, I’m going to start discussing the actual episodes as well as this show’s pros and cons. Dividing this up into multiple parts partly because I feel like these things are more easily digested in smaller chunks and partly because I’m pretty sure tumblr now has a size limit on posts soooo...yeah.

Follow this handy link for Part 2 - The Actual Review!

[riddledthrough]

time for you and time for me / 2

continuation of [1]

Stiles's phone wakes him up. Why the fuck isn’t his ringer turned off? He reaches blindly, yanks out the charging cord, and stares at the name. Ralph Ennis. He knows Ennis can’t do anything anymore, Stiles knows this, but he still feels the same sickly surge of dread.

He answers it. “Hello?”

“Stiles. This is a courtesy call. Are you awake?”

Ennis’s growly snappishness never fails to rouse Stiles completely. “Yeah,” he says.

“We just got a call from a pap rep about some photos that were taken of you last night. They’re extremely...tasteless.” Ennis laughs briefly before adding, “Lewd. Incriminating. Pick your word. He offered us a buyout before he reaches out to the media, but I had to tell him that Deucalion no longer manages you. He wanted to know if you’d like to purchase the photos personally.”

Stiles rubs his eyes. Typical fucking Ennis. There was that pap outside the gate this morning, but Stiles didn’t see any last night. So they photographed him leaving a music producer’s house early in the morning -- whatever, they could’ve been discussing the future of Stiles's singing career. “I don’t think so, Ennis. If I started buying every pap photo, I’d be out on the street in six weeks.”

Ennis snorts. “Doubtful. Stiles, you and I are both fully aware that I can’t tell you to do anything anymore, but I’m advising you -- as a friend -- to talk to this man. I’ll send you the photos. You can decide for yourself.”

Friend. Wasn’t that hysterical. Stiles fights back his own petulance; he wants to say no just for the sake of saying no. Instead he says, “Fine.”

“I’ll send his number. Name’s Peter Hale. Good luck.”

“Sure.”

“And Stiles. Happy birthday.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” He hangs up.

Half a minute later, his phone alerts him to an email from Ennis. The subject is “Peter Hale” followed by a phone number. The attachments --

Fuck. Fuck. Stiles sits up, cradling his phone in both hands. He was certain there weren’t any paparazzi outside -- he’d checked through the peephole and then scanned from the open doorway -- and maybe he’d been a bit fucked up, but Stiles has been watching out for paparazzi for half his life; he’s pretty adept at spotting the fuckers.

Stiles, palming some guy’s dick on the house steps.

Stiles, plastered to some guy’s side, kissing open-mouthed with his eyes shut.

Stiles, pressed up against a car, some guy jacking him off in his pants.

He’s still naked, and looking at these photos in the nude makes him feel exposed, vulnerable. His throat is tight; swallowing hurts.

How could he have been so careless? How could he have behaved like this outdoors?

It’s easy to dodge rumours about his sexuality so long as there’s no incontrovertible evidence. Heterosexuality is the accepted Hollywood default, and Stiles knows which bullshit gay stereotypes to avoid. He’s been photographed kissing girls and he dresses carelessly and can pass off suspicious photos as images of close friendship. People question but are easily silenced or laughed off.

If these pictures are published, there’ll be no more silence and a completely different kind of laughter.

Stiles gets out of bed and finds his secondary phone in the jacket slung over the back of his chair. He uses it to dial Peter Hale. The last things he needs is the paparazzi knowing his personal phone number.

“This is Peter.”

“It’s Stilinski.”

Stiles hears a low, pleased chuckle and instantly despises Peter Carson. “Thought you might be calling. So. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Fucking prick, Stiles thinks, seething -- but he speaks evenly. “The photos. I want to buy them. All of them. Exclusive rights.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Mr. Stilinski. The going price is one hundred thousand dollars.”

“Fine.”

“Each.”

“What? What the fuck? How many are there?”

“Twenty-two marketable photos.”

For a second Stiles thinks it’ll be two hundred and twenty thousand, but no: two point two million dollars. He can afford it, of course. But.

He looks at the photo still open on his personal phone, of him against the cab, getting jerked off with his head tipped back and his eyes shut against the pleasure.  Objectively it’s a beautiful photo. It’ll ruin Stiles'slife and massacre his career.

“Fine,” he says. “I’ll pay it. I want them all, though. Every single fucking photo, and you have to destroy all your copies and give me the originals.”

He thinks: 2.2 million to keep these photos from getting out -- and he might as well have doused the bills in kerosene and set them ablaze. The photos have already been seen by at least four people, they’re on at least two phones, they’re on the Deucalion servers -- someone will be hacked, eventually, and the photos will be sold and splashed across the world. All he’s doing is buying himself some time.

“So pleased to hear it,” Peter says. Smug fucking bastard. “I’ll send you my account information, and courier over the hardcopies. What’s your address?”

“Nice try,” says Stiles. “I’ll send someone to pick them up.”

Peter laughs. “You do that. Have a nice day, Mr. Stilinski. Oh -- and happy eighteenth.”

Stiles hangs up.

[julystorms]

SnK Season Two Commentary

Episode 26: “Beast Titan”

I will cover everything in order; if I miss anything you’d like my opinion on, please feel free to shoot me a message and I’ll be happy to write more. These are my generalized thoughts on Ep26 (including my theory about why dinosaurs are in the new opener); they are under a cut due to length and to help prevent people from seeing spoilers.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this season. I didn’t even watch the previously released bit with Hange and Pastor Nick (though I’m pretty sure I reblogged a video of it a long time ago), so I felt like I was going in blind.

Scene One: The Wall Titan

The series picks up right where it left off: with the Survey Corps staring up at the titan in the wall (referred to from hereon out as the Wall Titan). Overall, this intro scene was really well-done; I enjoyed seeing Nick’s panic, but Hange was by far the star. The general tonal atmosphere of the scene was amazing, IMO. The soldiers were scared and Hange was no exception. I don’t really have much to say about this scene except that...I was a little perturbed to notice that the only soldiers present were with the Survey Corps. While this bothers me (how...convenient...considering we know the entire district is crawling with both the MP and the Garrison), it wasn’t enough to draw me out of the story entirely.

Opening Song

It wasn’t amazing but it was pretty good. The artwork and animation is, of course, as lovely as it was in S1, perhaps moreso. Some of the angles they used for the opening were pretty nifty.

As far as the animals and dinosaurs go, my theory is that we’re meant to see them as secrets of the world that the Beast Titan has access to that the Walled People do not. Remember in S1 how excited Armin was talking about the ocean? About how Eren countered his excitement with a line about how “if the ocean is full of salt, there wouldn’t be an ocean because the merchants would have snapped it all up already!”...? The concept of the vastness of the ocean is difficult for the walled people to wrap their heads around--just the concept. They don’t know much of anything; they barely understand their own humanity. My opinion on this aspect of the worldbuilding aside, I think the point they are making with that opening bit (which you can see in tiny badly done gifs here) is about humanity’s history--that the Beast Titan (and others, as we now know) have access to information like this; they know about elephants, that dinosaurs once roamed the earth, about whales in the ocean and hippos: creatures you can’t even really begin to describe to people who have never seen one. The vastness of their size, their shape, their mannerisms and behaviors...seem overwhelming and impossible. But they’re not. They exist. And I think in showing this stuff we are meant to think about the fact that there is more to the world than what the walled people know of it...and that the Beast Titan is a part of that world--one not their own.

Scene Two: Erwin’s Discussion with His Underlings

I thought this was a pretty interesting scene; rather bland but it’s clear the Annie debacle is “Taken Care Of” by this point, and that what we are meant to notice is that the Survey Corps is...questioning things. Erwin’s underlings ask how they should feel about this new information, and the implication seems to be a little iffy here but I think these people are just shocked that titans could be in the walls and none of them had any inkling of it even being a possibility.

Erwin’s reply, of course, is odd: “There were only people who knew, and people who didn’t.” 

But it isn’t as ominous as it sounds. He means that nobody had any reason to suspect it, so either you knew it was a thing or you didn’t know; there is no middle ground. 

Scene Three: Cleanup of Stohess

I...did not expect to get a scene with Hitch and Marlowe in it, at least...not this early in the season. I suspected they might give us something because they added an extra bit into S1, knowing Marlowe will be important later, but I think showing us what the cleanup effort looks like now will save them some effort in the future: 

Marlowe: Why are they keeping us in the dark? Hitch: Business as usual. But what’s scummiest of all...is that there’s no ‘official’ reason why all these people died.

We know that in 59 this cleanup scene is the primary reason for Hitch’s upset with the Survey Corps but here we get to see more of it, enough to really believe in Hitch’s side of things later. Her anger feels more justified when we get to see what she’s had to see. And now we know, too, that it’s been hours since the incident happened and still people are uninformed. Nobody’s releasing anything. That means there is something to hide. Yikes. This was a nice addition that I’m sure will be worth the screentime it took up.

Scene Four: Hange and Nick on the Wall Ft. Moblit

I didn’t watch this in advance so I was excited to see it, and...it didn’t entirely let me down, but... I don’t know. I really loved Hange: she didn’t sound crazy at all. Her anger was rooted in fear and in loss. So many people have given their lives for humanity and all the time there were people like Nick...keeping secrets like this. Big secrets. She’s already made assumptions, too: “Are there titans in all the walls?” I mean, goodness. Nick, too, is awesome in this. He’s scared out of his mind but his determination is 11/10 “Deliver me, O Lord!” I loved that. But Hange is equally as determined in her own way, saying she’ll just kill him and find other people to ask until someone fesses up. But of course Nick’s gumption gets to her and she respects it enough to let him go. And then laughs. Says she was kidding. I thought they did a good job of showing her as a fairly reasonable person...angry and frustrated as hell, but not WHOA KUH-RAZY MONEY like they did in S1, carefree and silly. Fuck that portrayal: this is the real Hange my dudes, and it was good to see it.

That said, Moblit just sort of stood there and yelled “SQUAD LEADER!” and “HANGE-SAN!” and didn’t do jack shit. I wish he’d have gotten into the fray a bit, grabbed her sleeve, pleaded in the background even if she ignored the hell out of him. The way all those people just stand around like dopes is annoying. Like yeah she’s in charge but...I wanted a little more protest to her dangling a guy who knows the secrets of the world over the edge of the wall. :|

Scene Five: TITANS ARE INSIDE WALL ROSE!!!! Ft. Tomas

Or Thomas, I guess. How many guys named Tom exist in this world? Apparently three...of them are soldiers. Anyway...

He got hot.

He made weird slobbery faces in the manga but he’s one good-looking dude in S2. But more seriously I dig the rewind bit for the “12 hours earlier” part. But that just goes to say this determined bro rode hard for 12 hours to deliver this news. Like...these kids were a 12 hour hard gallop from Wall Sina? O...okay...? (I’ll get back to this, I promise.)

Scene Six: 12 Hours Earlier...

This scene isn’t spectacular and it seems...smaller, somehow, than the manga, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. I think I felt like the manga had more 104th kids there, but as we can see, there are a handful of 104th recruits from the north/east/west(?)south who are being held here also...I always liked that about the manga and I’m glad they kept it in.

The biggest criticism I’ve seen so far of the series is anger toward Reiner and Bertholt for “being so fake” in this scene, but I think their reactions here are perfectly genuine.

I don’t really have anything to say about Connie and Sasha’s conversation but when Reiner offers to help Connie sneak out to his village I think he has a legit reason for saying it; I’m pretty sure his commentary on their situation (no gear, no information, et cetera) right after fighting Annie (the Female Titan) isn’t accidental or meant to be misleading. Pretty sure he’s afraid the Survey Corps is onto them and he’s thinking of getting the hell outta Dodge why he still can. More on this in a bit, though.

It seems they tried to downplay the accuracy of Mike’s nose, so it’s possible that we could be considering Mike’s sense of smell a retconned or dropped plot thread. In the manga he couldn’t even see the titans and knew how many there were, but in the anime they’re making it kind of obvious that he can’t just smell them but can see them, too.

(By the way, Thomas/Tomas takes 3 couriers with him, which probably means he rode straight for Stohess while the other three went to other locations to spread the word. He could push one horse that hard. The distance between Rose and Sina is ~81 miles. A racehorse could cover 113 miles in a day (and in a famous race from the late 1800s this did happen) if they were trained for it, but it would probably destroy their longterm health...and carry immense risk of leaving the rider stranded if the horse, you know, dropped dead from exhaustion or tripped or stumbled. Anyway, my issue with this is that we don’t know how far south of Wall Sina these kids are and it feels odd that it took this guy 12 whole hours to get to Stohess from this location at a gallop when somehow all the 104th were packed up and brought there without galloping but like, fast enough that it was less than a day... Anyway...consistency lmao.)

My favorite bit is where Reiner turns to Bertholt and says: “Has the wall been breached?!” because this implies a hell of a lot, knowing what we now know about them. This makes me think their fear is 100% real. Think about it: if they didn’t break the wall down, there is...really only one other immediate option. It’s possible there are more, too: I mean, we know of Jaws and Cartman as two other shifters, so in Reiner and Bert’s minds, it’s possible the cavalry has arrived and they have no idea what’s going on but it’s putting them in one very awkward and terrible situation, especially without any gear.

Scene Seven: Humanity Will Only Lose When We Stop Fighting

I take some issue with this scene, but my biggest issue with it is that to save time they shortened it and didn’t really let it be...meaningful. I always felt that scene was one of only a few scenes we ever get of veteran characters feeling doubtful or scared, and it’s also the only one we get where one vet inspires and bolsters another’s spirit.

It was a hugely important scene in the manga, IMO, but was not treated that way in the anime. Probably to save time considering how the episode ends, but...meh. I’m happy to talk about this more in another post if anyone actually wants my thoughts on this scene.

Scene Eight: Splitting Up

I noticed that when Reiner asks Bert to come with him and Connie, Bert agrees much more quickly than he does in the manga. I feel like this might be a smart change but I also liked Bert’s hesitation from the manga... It made him come across as more afraid...of the titans, of course, but we now know it was probably the situation in general that was freaking him out. (We’re not doing our jobs well/fast enough now someone else is interfering. This is our fault because we didn’t do our job properly.)

Also... my son:

And I wonder if this is supposed to be Henning and Lynne...? (Squad Hook Nose + Nanaba lmao.)

Looking at the manga it was kind of hard to tell who said the lines this woman said, but she had a ponytail like Lynne does. This character seems to have pigtails...? (Though the eye shape does match Lynne’s in the manga; Henning is confusing because he hardly shows up in the manga but I can’t imagine they’d draw these characters just to have randos...since we know all the teams converge together again at Utgard later.)

Scene Nine: Eren’s Dream

I didn’t expect to see Carla so soon but waH it got me a little bit in the feelings. That said, Mikasa kind of dozing off and dropping her scarf was sweet. I liked how this scene was soft and quiet and then Armin busted in to ruin their day.

Scene Ten: Erwin’s Office

The guy who says putting Mike in charge was a good idea is...well, I liked Erwin’s hesitation with that, and the kind of stalemate with Levi in this scene. There was a distinct “we’re doomed” vibe to this scene, but I like how we know that none of these characters are sitting around on their hands just waiting for happy funtimes.

Scene Eleven: The Beast Titan

Now we know why the trailer had so much of Mike’s death in it! Because it happens in the first episode of the second season! 

I didn’t like this scene and it wasn’t because Mike died. I admit to being unhappy that he died so quickly; I think I was hoping for a little more emotional push and pull, a little more humanity. And we didn’t really get it.

The Beast Titan was appropriately terrifying. How did he get Mike’s gear free so easily? A question for the ages. 

One thing I was impressed with in this scene was Mike’s fear. He had it together until the BT threw his horse at him. Watching his courage crumble was something else. It makes sense. He was probably hurt badly just from the fall, tearing off all those shingles, not to mention that his legs were broken after that titan got hold of him. Palpable fear was in that scene. And the part that got me was Mike ducking to cover his head like he thought it could protect him--or like he was afraid to watch his death coming for him.

There were a lot of things that could have been inserted into this scene to really drive home Mike’s humanity. What I wouldn’t have given to see a flashback of him younger giving his heart for humanity, or him with his squad.

But all we got was the flashback to him telling Nanaba that they can’t stop fighting. And I admit...I was looking forward to this. I wanted some sad music, some slower motion, maybe a close-up, I wanted this to feel impactful and important, to feel like a declaration. But it felt soulless and weak.

Half of this can be blamed on the rooftop scene, IMO. The other half, though...

I blame on Mike’s actual death. It was unnecessarily brutal. I understand the name of the game in this series is that people die horribly but they went out of their way to kill him as horribly as possible just to make a point, I think. “LOOK WE HAVEN’T KILLED ANYONE LATELY WE HAVEN’T LOST OUR TOUCH HAHA SEE??? LOOK!!! WE STILL GOT IT!!”

My problem with this is that I think it really took away from Mike’s character. He dies with more dignity in the manga, and if they wanted to kill him brutally in the anime...at least let him fight back for a couple of seconds? Let him hit a titan with his sword? I don’t know. It just seemed over-the-top to me. Brutality for no real reason except that they had to prove they could still do it. He doesn’t even get half a second to fight. 

To be fair, I think this is my Mike bias speaking. I always liked Mike and I was hoping his death would be a little altered from the manga--just enough that he could fight back, or that he’d die fighting for his life.

And they did alter his death scene, but mostly so that he’d cry the entire time and scream aloud like 37 times to smash the audience over the head with how afraid he was. No thanks. Bye.

Ending Song

Meh, I didn’t care for it. The art is creepy. But I did check the cast list to see if Gelgar or Nanaba had last names, and they do not. :P (Neither do Hitch and Marlowe, though, so...perhaps later?)

Overall Thoughts!

Some stuff about this episode I really liked and...there was some I really didn’t like. I feel slightly blindsided by how fast everything is happening already, but I guess it drives home the fact that after Levi’s Special Ops squad dies this whole debacle is taking place like 36 hours later I MEAN REALLY. A lot happens very quickly.

That said, my hope that we’ll get some more of Mike’s Squad is...lower now than it was. I’m still hoping they don’t take away from Gelgar and Lynne in Connie’s village, but that should be the third episode. I’m looking forward to seeing Sasha kick some ass in the next one, though, that’s for sure!