#because he can fly really fast and he's a shapeshifter

[social-mockingbird]

It is late enough that I am willing to argue that when Oberon put the love potion on Titania’s eyes he turned her into a succubus no I will not explain myself

[a-shoebox-named-meap]

aight. have some nimona canon divergence AU fic ideas because i’m no writer but i AM going insane

as a huge fan of canon divergence AUs where One Small Decision Changes Everything™ i can’t stop thinking about little bits and pieces from the nimona movie like:

what if the squire had shown ambrosius the video (ohh a fic like this would be Delicious) (mm ambrosius x squire tag team) (ballister’s two biggest fans) (this might be one of my favorite ideas so far) (lots of potential here i feel like)

now there have been a lot of people asking “let’s feel some ANGST what if real ambrosius had walked into the director’s office before nimona” but i will take that and raise you: what if ambrosius had walked in while nimona was doing her thing in the director’s office. perhaps around the time when the director stabbed fake!ambrosius. please consider. may the chaos ensue

ballister had noticed his sword-laser-cannon powering up and moved it away from the queen but it hit something else! or someOne else! (or it killed the queen anyway but still hit somebody else in the process) (oh gods what if it took off his own arm) (or even ambrosius’s—) (can you imagine the kinda twist that would occur if he took off ambrosius’s arm by accident and ballister not resting until he found out who the real culprit is skdjdjdjdjddj) (oh but wait let me make this WORSE what if he hit ambrosius instead of the queen ((don’t worry ambrosius is wearing armor, he doesn’t die he’s just,,, gravely injured?)) and ballister, even if he still gets framed for it, will stop at nothing to find out who did this to ambrosius) (now incorporate nimona into that storyline and hoohoohoo) (i’m rubbing my hands together like a maniacal fruit fly right now)

what if they had uploaded the squire’s video when they got it huh. what then. back it up to the cloud. or just TEXT it to ambrosius you Fool. you absolute Buffoon. (but perhaps this seemingly obvious course of action results in some unexpectedly dire consequences oh no—)

“ooh… nemesis.” “nemesis?” at which point nimona and ballister get stuck in the closet, nimona reveals her shapeshifting abilities, and oh, screw it, if ballister’s situation with his arm-chopping nemesis is really so cOmPLiCAteD then maybe since they’re breaking out of jail anyway they might as well kidnap ambrosius while they’re at it. aka the au where nimona breaks ballister out of jail and she takes ambrosius with them. (i am FEASTING on the possibilities of this one)

let’s take todd’s suspicion and blame directed towards ambrosius (“why didn’t you tell us ballister was working with whales?”) and dial that up to 100. slowly, though, not too fast, it’s gotta build momentum. let’s breed some mistrust in ambrosius. let’s see people refusing to let ambrosius lead the manhunt for ballister on account of their close relationship. let’s see people turn their backs on him thinking he was a conspirator. let’s see ambrosius losing the public’s favor. let’s see ambrosius starting to feel some doubt when he’s alone in his room — let’s see ambrosius wondering what if people are actually as wrong about ballister as he knows they are about ambrosius himself. (what if everybody hates ambrosius too—)

this one is not nearly as straightforward a canon divergence but ponder this: the director noticed the squire was there in the locker room (?) that day and swapped out the swords after the squire had left. or maybe she swapped it out before the squire was ever there. the squire never knew the director had been there. there was no video evidence. now what? up to you >:)

ok hear me out. the squire is a #1 ballister fan right. the squire is probably very careful with the swords and armor he handles. the squire is probably intimately familiar with the swords and other various weaponry and armaments of the institution. the squire is probably very familiar with ballister’s in particular. when ballister first picked up his swapped-out sword he noticed something was off about it, but what if — WHAT IF — the squire had noticed something was off about it first. now of course there’s Possibility #1 where he sees the director swap the sword, and then he checks out the sword and feels that something is wrong with it etc etc (or maybe he mistakes the sword change for an equipment upgrade) BUT now let’s combine this with the previous bullet point for Possibility #2 where the squire DIDN’T see the director swap the sword but he DID notice something was off about the sword before ballister did and actually investigated it. would he discover the hidden weapon, or not? if he did would he bring it to ballister’s attention? ambrosius’s? the director’s? what if he caught the hidden weapon but didn’t mention it and then the queen died and the squire was left fully believing ballister killed the queen (ballister knows mechanics, you’ve seen his arm, it’s plausible he built the weapon into his sword himself) and then ballister and nimona kidnapped him and interrogated him and ballister and the squire were left spiderman meme-ing each other like *points* “i thought YOU were behind all this!” and now the squire is an unwilling sidekick dragged into this by nimona and ballister to figure out who the real culprit is and there’s ACTION and ADVENTURE and COMEDY and it’s absolutely metal—

the squire really feels like a lynchpin in this story is all i’m sayin

if you can’t tell i’m also a fan of happy endings. in my brain most of these canon divergences result in a similar happy ending as the movie. except maybe faster (not always). which i enjoy because i’m sappy and silly anyway thank you and goodnight

[tartiflvtte]

First Encounter | Homelander

hello! here's the very first one shot i've ever written for Homelander (and hopefully the first of many). This is based off the first time Homelander meets Qilin. Even though this is based off of my OC it's can also be read as Homelander x Fem Asian!Reader as no physical description occurs in this except powers/shapeshifting descriptions.

Summary: Homelander meets the path of something, or someone? That will change the course of his life. Timeline: Pre-Canon (2014) Words count: 1,1k Warnings: None!

It was a sunny day, with a few clouds in the sky, and a usual boring patrol. Fucking annoying, Homelander thought. The only thing that kept him from missing them was the cheers he was getting when he was a bit too close to regular people. Honestly, it was a bit nice, just a bit though. He was flying so fast, soaring through the city clouds, he was only checking if someone needed any help. But to be honest? He didn’t care. Nothing thrilling was happening today. Homelander debated whether he preferred patrolling or shooting the most random ad for a useless Vought product. 

Ugh, he thought, either way, that day was as basic as usual, an ad or not wouldn’t change how bored Homelander was. Not enough spectacular saves, not enough cheers, not enough praises. Can we get this over with, he thought. He wanted to get back to the Vought Tower and just have a break. Until he smelled something unusual, well, more like, unknown. It was the first time he smelled something like this. He rushed towards it, not even questioning anything.

And that was when he saw it, for the first time. The Cloud Beast, people called it. He always found the name ridiculous because he wasn’t able to visualize how massive The Beast was. It was… probably bigger than an elephant. Homelander couldn’t process the information, because The Beast saw him. It approached him, leaving a trail of clouds behind it, and made a long eye contact with Homelander. 

The Beast was impressive. It looked like a horse… Or a deer, maybe a bit of both. But with scales, oh a lot of scales, a large tail that fades with the clouds, and a mane… a mane that moved as if it had a will. Its fur was a sort of blue canary, and the scales were darker. The mane was white but with a black gradient on the end. Oh and did I mention the long almost ethereal gold mustache that Asian dragons also have? Yeah, Homelander was struggling to process what he saw.

The Beast was still staring down at Homelander, not moving. It looked almost like it was amused by the Supe. The Supe couldn't draw his eyes away, until he heard his heart beating faster, and felt some sweat on his neck and forehead. Oh dear, was he scared? The Beast felt it. Homelander was scared, so The Beast just approached him a bit closer. But it drew Homelander to the edge, and he fled as fast as he could.

Oh shit, Holy fucking fucking shit! He thought. He fled to the Seven Tower roof and stayed on for a few minutes. It felt like hours. Homelander knew that this… beast existed, but he never saw it from his own eyes. And now what? He was supposed to be the greatest American Superhero, and he fucking fled because that… thing scared him! He felt ridiculous. He ran his gloved hand into his hair, sighing. Compound V did incredible things, yes, but its range was so unpredictable. He knew that there was a person behind the Beast, the question was, did it talk? Did it even have a human form? It should have one because you can’t fucking hide a monster that big! 

But wait, was it really a monster? For Homelander, it was one for sure, but he was curious. Too curious. He quickly made his way into the Vought Tower and called for Madelyn. He stormed into The Seven’s Room and quickly took a seat, fidgeting with whatever he could find. Madelyn came a bit after, obviously in a rush. 

“I have work to do. I hope it’s important Homelander.”

He took a moment before answering.

“You wouldn’t leave your office If you knew it was not serious. I’m going to be straightforward, do you know anything about « The Cloud Beast »?” 

She froze. And Homelander saw it very clearly. He raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her to answer.

“We…” She cleared her throat. “We have barely any information on it. We just know that they call themselves «Qilin», Cloud Beast is just a name that people gave them because they’re scared each time it flies in the sky.” She paused, feeling the intense gaze of Homelander on her. 

“From what we know it’s a Supe that can shapeshift into this creature. Apparently, it’s a creature from Chinese mythology, that’s why they want to be called Qilin. Not a lot of people saw their actual human form but it seems that some sources describe them as a masked woman in a Chinese-inspired hero suit.”

The Supe clenched his fist, the more he listened, the more he was curious. He wanted to know who was behind this enormous creature. He wanted to know if it was powerful, he wanted to know everything. Homelander wasn’t the curious type, oh no, but this moment when Qilin and he were staring at each other made him feel so many different emotions.

He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he felt weak, and powerless, in front of the Beast. It was the main reason why he ran away, but at the same time, he was drawn to the creature, he wanted to stay, observe it, follow its path. It was so conflicting for him, he never felt so… confused. Madelyn was still talking but he was lost in his thoughts.

He clenched his jaw, then looked back at Madelyn. His expression was unreadable and it threw Madelyn off. 

“Thank you for all of this important information.” He didn’t seem sincere, as usual, but it seemed he was thinking of doing something he shouldn’t do. He stood up pretty abruptly, which made Madelyn jump a bit. 

“Homelander, I hope you’re not thinking of doing anything irresponsible?” He snorted.

“I’m serious. We barely know anything about this woman, let the other supes and the Crime Analytics take care of this.”

He sighed as he headed towards the door. “Fine. But I’ll need reports! Every little thing, whatever saves or little apparition she makes I want to know.” His voice was firm. Madelyn didn’t feel like questioning any of his decisions when he was as stubborn as he was. So she just agreed without complaining.

He then left without saying a word, directing himself to his penthouse. He was tense, and a bit frustrated. The sun was already setting down. As he made his way inside his penthouse, he took off his gloves and let himself fall on the couch while running a hand into his blonde hair. Little did he know that this day was about to change his life. Little did he know that he would think of this first encounter every day until he would see her again. Little did he know that The Beast was so much more than just a mythical creature and that he would be the one that we call a Monster.

taglist: @sunshinetomioka

[another-nihilist]

Please comment or reblog for my selfworth:

Idea for a boldheart fanfiction- feel free to add to it!

It begins post movie when Bal is in his tower and wants to plan a surprise for Ambrosius.

But since Ambrosius is literally glued to his side, it's literally impossible. And he kind of likes his boyfriend always being with him so he wouldn't tell Ambrosius to give him space.

Instead he pretends to be nimona with these easy steps:

1. Get earplugs and put them in his ears

2. Blast full on freestyle Jazz and pretend to enjoy it.

3. A pink Streak for the hair, just to be on the safe side.

At first it works, with Ambrosius even telling him that he would never fall for such a cheap Ballister Imitation. At least until Nimona opens the door.

Ballister meanwhile focuses on planning his suprise, as he doesn't hear the two.

So from Nimonas and especially Ambrosius point of view:

1. Ballister being apathetic and kind of lethargic, doesn't seem to register anything around him.

2. Ballister listening to very loud freestyle Jazz

So of course it doesn't take Ambrosius very long to drag Ballister away from what he was doing. Nimona is along for the ride and doesn't resist when Ambrosius literally orders her to take them to the hospital as fast as she possibly can.

Meanwhile Ballister wants to convince these two that he is completely fine but makes the mistake to not address the prank.

Ballister: Ambrosius there's really no need for that, I'm fine!

Ambrosius: you were listening to freestyle jazz, have a pink streak in your hair AND didn't react to me and Nimona for full five Minutes!

Ballister: Nimona, will you at least believe me? Ambrosius is not your boss you know?

Nimona: I don't know Boss...How many arms you've got?

Ballister: Two of course. What a question..

Nimona and Ambrosius: *Blankly staring at him*

Ballister: *realising what he said, eyes going wide*

Nimona: *flying faster*

Ambrosius: *pulling Ballister closer promising him that they'll find out what's wrong with him*

Then they crash land in the doctors office. The doctor literally sees that Ballister is fine. But doesn't want to tell that to a panicking Goldenloin and a feral shapeshifter. Therefore they send Ballister an apologetic look before diagnosing him of mental exhaustion and prescribing him a month of rest.

(Basically much needed holidays, after rebuilding an entire kingdom.)

Ambrosius takes Vacation too, because with Ballister being like this he will not take any risks.

Also because he is now the one in charge he will definitely show his newfound lack of impulse control.

*at the grocery store*

Todd: Hey Ballister!

Ambrosius: *shielding Ballister from having to look at him* *growling*

Ballister: *sighting* is that really necessary?

Nimona: No need to look Boss, you're on a well deserved break.

*Ambrosius beating up Todd in the background*

Also a full month of Ambrosius and Nimona full on fussing over Ballister and a lifetime of increased protectiveness so he doesn't ever again get into a state where he hears freestyle jazz.

And Ballister learning to otherwise organising suprises for Ambrosius and of course succeeding.

Also please add something to that post 🙏

[mossy-paws]

MOSSY HAI!!! @hyp-fixator here....

I have... a few questions!!!

First, if you've figured it all out, what fishy species will all the phighters be? This could include Npcs/Deities too if you wanna :D

Second... what would be your favourite pair to write about in this au?? It doesn't even have to be a ship, literally just- which sillies do you wanna talk about the most, and GO HAM WITH THE ANSWER!!

and lastly, I heard you talk about ships and whatnot in your fishy broker headcannons? Does that mean that theres some phighters who are mermaids and some who aren't? And like....... what do they do.... AUGH THIS AU IS SO GOOD

Literally holding onto you. Like. More fish food pleaze... pleaze.... donate some fishy scraps for the less fortunate pleaze..... insert miserable cat eyes/lh

HHEHEHEHEHEHEHE SO FUNNY STORY I actually woke up really early this morning and I saw this ask and I had to physically restrain myself from answering it because I didn’t want it to be really rough LMAO OKAY SOOOO!

This is a pretty popular question actually HAH, I’m not gonna list all of them since I’m a little paranoid about the ideas getting reused/stolen and I don’t really want that SOOOOO as a teaser here’s some of the ones I’m gonna be doing next: :3

boombox is a seal, katana is a lionfish, skateboard is a shortfin mako, banhammer is an orca, scythe is a seasnake, shurifin is pretty much just a mermaid that can shapeshift to resemble the shurifin skin, vinesplash is the same, and slingshot is a flying fish! I have all of the other characters figured out but those are all the ones I’m giving away

2. OHOHOHOHO THIS IS A FUN ONE! The main center focus of the au I would say is shurifin and Medkit, technically they’re supposed to be friend/just fully platonic but I can see it being interpreted as not! Also, Subspace and broker because they absolutely HATE eachother and banhammer and boombox because of the orca/seal motif (banhammer specifically thinks boombox is the perpetrator of a crime that he did not do (scythe and broker just pinned it on him) so he’s on like a manhunt for poor boombox who’s just really confused LMAO)

3. HEHEHEHEH YEAH! So pretty much a good chunk of the mermaids and stuff have powers, mainly the ability to shapeshift and such, broker and scythe are both mermaids who can shapeshift to resemble demons (they are also pirates as well, and are wanted by BOTH worlds for 1. Raiding ships, and 2. Selling out OTHER mermaids for money/riches). Medkit works with scythe and broker because he needs the money. Medkit, sword, venomshank, paint buckét, spray paint, etc are all regular demons! Sword and venomshank have their own shop and are trying to get Medkit to join it so that he can get away from broker and scythe and avoid prosecution as venomshank’s ship is more noble/looked up too.

(As an add on to the shapeshift thing, Rocket, shurifin, and vinesplash all can to an EXTENT, not fully though like how scythe and broker can. Other Phighters also have other abilities that aren’t tied to powers but I think are just cool, specifically like boombox having echo-location because of being a seal, slingshot being able to “fly” (more so glide) because of being a flying fish, or skateboard just being incredibly fast because he’s a mako shark which are the speediest sharks in the world! They aren’t powers but their fun quirks that I feel fit their characters!)

also,,,, soon my friend,, soon,,, I am cooking with this au so HEHEHEHEHE

[corporatefrog]

꒦‧₊ ꒷ Team Stan w/ a reader who can shapeshift into animals! [Headcannons] ✧.*

✧.* tags: college au, superhero au,

✧.* Charactions: kyle broflovski, stan marsh, kenny mccormick, butters scotch

a/n: this is an old request but i think i was able to get pretty silly with it

masterlist

Kyle

FLYING TOGETHER PLEASE

Imagine soaring through the sky with fucking human kite

And being such a better flyer than him

Literally cliche flying through the clouds and kyle traces his hands through them 

“Stop going so high! I can’t gain altitude that fast!”

“Uh… lame power? Get better? Don’t be a human kite?”

“I fucking hate you.”

“SORRY CAN'T HEAR YOU AIR PRESSURE TOO LOUD”

Yall probably fight really well together 

He thinks up the plans and you shapeshift and attack

Dynamic duo vibes fr

DROPPING IN ON A VILLAIN FROM ABOVE 

BLOCKING OUT THE SUN OR SOME SHIT

Coolest duo 

Stan

“Dude I TOLD YOU not to go in the radioactive lake”

“Oh… I thought that was code for go into the radioactive lake”

“In what world is telling you not to do something code for doing it?”

“Uh- YOU CANT CONTROL ME I CAN TURN INTO A BIRD NOW”

Tries to not be impressed because he’s supposed to be annoyed 

But he thinks its so fucking cool

Lowkey wanted that to be his power if he could choose anything

After the veal thing he volunteered at animal shelters 

This is real because I said so let me be delusional 

Asks you to turn into a cat and talk to the other cats to make sure they don’t hate him

Because ferguson always glares at him from the corner and he is NOT interested in being attacked by a bunch of pissed cats

Convinced they’re scheming against him

Still mad at you for going into the radioactive lake though

Kenny

He cannot comprehend it

Like you try explaining it to him and it is just NOT clicking

The only thing that works is telling him it’s like Beast Boy from Teen Titans

“Oh so you can shapeshift into animals while still regaining your consciousness?”

“I literally said that fifteen times- You anger me so much every day.”

Wants to make the teen titans

He is robin (obviously)

Probably has the costume from halloween a few years back

PLEASE turn into a bear and pretend to fight him

He wants to say he fought a bear

And cartman bet him $100 that he couldn’t 

Choreographs an entire battles scene in the middle of town

Because it’s not like south park animal control actually does anything

Kenny now owes you 10 favors that can be cashed in whenever needed

Butters

Turning into a tiger whenever he gets bullied and scaring the shit out of whoever is bothering him

(usually it's eric)

Or turning into a little puppy whenever he’s sad 

“Everything alright, butters?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“So you don’t want me to turn into a husky and play with a frisbee?”

“Well you didn’t mention that. That changes everything!”

Just being his lil animal buddy

Turning into an elephant walking to a doctors appointment to get there in like 2 seconds

If he’s professor chaos, he refuses to attack when you’re an animal

It’s animal abuse 🙁

He’ll punch you in the face as a person but he REFUSES to hit a cat

Even if you’re a mountain lion lunging at him

Heart of gold fr

Overall

NO ONE TELLS CARTMAN

A rat got into his sock drawer and ripped holes in all of them?

What a shame :( so sorry that happened to you

Suddenly all of his clothes have cat piss on them

How could that have happened??? Poor poor eric

What do you mean you’ve found spider webs everywhere but no spiders? Hopefully there aren’t spider eggs everywhere. That would be terrible.

Really just looking for excuses to ruin cartman’s day

[iamthekaijuking]

It’s been about a year since I drew the Flesh God, so new sketches were overdue, and yes it took me roughly around 2 months to work on these on and off.

As a recap on the face for my content, he’s an infinite paracausual expanse of flesh that occupies the space between galaxies across the multiverse and the spaces between universes, and has the genetic code of everything. But what I’ve actually drawn are pseudobodies, little bodies he sends out to interact with things.

So more deets on him under the cut

- he’s actually a plastic cell colony with genetic singularities and cellular processes that operate faster than light. Each cell can operate and move independently but work together and move like a slime or liquid, but usually just acts like solid flesh. The perfect light speed shapeshifter. He basically moves like the player character from prototype, Atom Eve’s siblings, venom, and the thing but fast.

- pseudobodies can be anywhere in size from a few meters to the size of celestial bodies. The biggest ones have neutron stars suspended between their horns. They’re are often stored in “recharge cysts”. They basically sit suspended in amniotic fluid with umbilical cords attaching to their spines supplying them with power. All the heat from the cellular processes are vented out a pseudobody’s back, but his main body doesn’t really need to worry about overheating much by virtue of being in space and having his own internal pressure and in some places his own atmosphere.

- pseudobodies have a set amount of energy (granted it’s enough to end worlds) and biomass, and while they’re creative with what they can do, they can’t violate conservation of mass. But they can open up a portal to the main body inside of themselves and establish an umbilical cord connection to get unlimited power and biomass and become unstoppable.

- attacks often involve lots of spinning and rolling while shape shifting and redirecting kinetic energy. He also uses a lot of jukes and rapid flurries of hits and slices. And while I didn’t illustrate it, to give himself an extra kinetic push, pseudobodies will usually shoot tendrils into things in the direction he’s going to move and yank himself forward or steer in midair like they’re grappling hooks and/or utilize controlled explosions to blast himself somewhere. Ultimately its about hitting as fast and hard as possible in short bursts while outsmarting attackers and maintaining momentum when sending them flying.

- he can form organs as needed in an instant and just as quickly reabsorb them. The pseudobodies don’t necessarily need organs but he just likes to have them. Usually a full skeletal system, digestive system, adrenal system, and a circulatory system with a six parallel heart set up.

- when he’s nervous he starts waxing and waning limbs and body parts, but usually this doesn’t happen because he just redirects all chemical signals that induce stress into a “stress sack” so he doesn’t have to deal with it.

- he actually used to be human, and he’s just arbitrarily appointed himself as the god of life and biodiversity, not that anyone can contest him.

[theseerasures]

notes on the owl house, season 1

was gonna do a sequence of liveblogs but then??? i got really into it??? so i guess the most important tl;dr is that yes lesbians you were right this time

S01E01

*watches first scene, where a single brown mother gives her kid a brochure for Conformity Camp with a cartoonish image of a child being crowded into a box, when her kid has already been established as being comically and cartoonishly imaginative, while a flock of doves fly into the air spelling out the words THIS IS A JOKE PLEASE DO NOT MAKE A DISCOURSE ABOUT THIS*

*pauses episode*

*gently and reverently rests finger on screen* a discourse happened here

i knew that Wendie Malick voices Eda before i started and thought i'd properly girded my loins and yet every time she opens her mouth i think she's gonna tell Luz she's punishing Luz for being alive

S01E03: gotta say i'm appreciative of this show's policy of "NO BOYS ALLOWED" unless the boys are the LITTLEST GUYS IN THE WORLD in which case "SON BOY ALLOWED"

S01E05

it's weird that the Adora in this show has Catra's haircut

wait

siSTER???

i guess kudos for subverting my expectations but between this and Frozen what is it with Disney properties courting the Incest Yay people

was the thought that since Eda and Lilith are Old(tm) it wouldn't happen this time because. uhhhhhh

i guess since Catradora was NebulaGamora you could argue Dana Terrace was just returning the trope to old familial roots??? bah i'm not gonna think about this anymore. Lilith def cursed Eda tho

spotted: Amity Blight and her best frenemy Luz Noceda dueling over the last open spot to the Magic Yale welcome luncheon!!!! xoxo GossipWitch

S01E07

not only does Amity have siblings her siblings are VEX AND VAX??? what is happening

Amity: you're a bully Luz!!!! i would know, because i call myself that in the mirror every morning!!!! not because i'm self aware though. it's to pump me up for another day of Bratz the Movie level shenanigans

wow this enemies-to-lovers is turning around fast. i was expecting Amity to at least girlboss if not gaslight but she barely got to gatekeep before being all "i guess :) we both learned something today :)"

yes Amity Luz accidentally hurting your precarious sense of self once is definitely the same as you tormenting Willow for years

S01E12

oh i've seen this Steven Universe episode.

*sees the monster* and so have the storyboarders

why is everyone so mean to Hooty :(

seriously tho i get having one person in the friend group that everyone inexplicably dislikes is a comedy standard or whatever but. it feels out of place for a show that otherwise bellows "it's great to be weird!!!" from the rooftops

Hooty never did nothing to nobody!!! except be all powerful and occasionally asking to be included in shenanigans

on the other hand given King's design they had to work REALLY hard for me to dislike him, but wow! it's definitely paid off, he's the worst

this is the third episode in a row where King's plot is that he has to learn a lesson about not being Disney-brand-selfish and i know this didn't happen but i'm suddenly imagining the world where he eventually takes over as the main character and The Owl House became Disney's answer to Teen Titans Go

S01E13: okay fine King reaching Todd Chavez levels of shenanigans in this episode was good. he can stay

S01E14: MAYBE THEY SHOULD CALL IT SHAPESHIFT LAND. BECAUSE IT'S A LAND WHERE YOU GO TO SHAPESHIFT

S01E15

can i just say that. naming a powerful-but-overlooked witch--who is the BFF to the main character, who thrives on both a) The Hubris and b) The Resentment--Willow is. well no harm in wearing your influence on your sleeve i guess

she does plant magic! it's not like they could have called her Glimmer

i can't believe Amity was made to end her friendship with Willow by CAITLIN GLASS'S SHADOW LAUGHING ON A WALL

*Amity pulls on Skara's invitation like she's gonna rip it apart* NO AMITY THAT'S AN ACTUAL BUTTERFLY

Amity: i'm not actually gonna rip it because it's a real butterfly, but you get the gesture, right?

me: ...fine. FINE

>:(

*watches Amity release the butterfly invitation as a symbol of overcoming her past self* wow. trans Amity confirmed

all the Blight kids are trans actually the twins transed and nobody even made a fuss bc their parents are terrible and Amity is a fourteen year old with youngest most specialest child syndrome

S01E16

Amity: i can't fight my worst fear because it's SO EMBARASSING

me: Amity if it's the one where you fail a test and then your mother shows up and calls you fat i guarantee everyone in school has already guessed

i guess we're just getting everybody's mommy issues huh

Luz's greatest flaw is how hard she commits to the bit, truly the ADHD representation we need

like it has literally not occurred to her that she could change course with what to tell Camila at any time. she chose her path and it's the only one for her now forever

oh Amity's greatest fear isn't even the obvious mom thing!! it's that Luz might turn her down!!! that's so fucking stupid Amity never ever change

S01E17

the recurring potshots at JoRane's intellectual property this season sure are.

this was produced and came out during the years she went public about losing her fucking mind, so like. everyone had to deal with it in the way they felt was appropriate. i'm not really out to judge the exact timbre of one's response so long as said response does not align with her bigotry, and i sympathize with the petty joy of belittling something owned by somone hateful, especially if that something once meant a lot to you...

i guess i'm just not super comfortable with it because a) you're still picking at a wound even if you end up making funny shapes out of the scabs, b) these hot takes are about general magic-school tropes but often are so specifically about her it feels like we're giving her credit for creating them, and c) owning her like this feels like an opiate when the real issue isn't that her fictional society is founded on 11 year olds taking one uquiz, or that the fake sport she made up is hideously unbalanced, it's that she's...the leader of hate group

all of which are misgivings i have about the Disney Corporation as well and i get that people don't watch this show to be REMINDED that we live in a society, so like. whatever i'm gonna stop talking about this

that Amity sure is gay amirite! she went from "mostly bormal about her obvious crush" to "Jodie Foster at the Golden Globes" in the span of one episode

S01E18

wow!!! Hooty saved everyone's bacon by being all-powerful. thank you Hooty sorry your squatters just take you for granted

oh hey Hordak

the fact that Willow and Gus immediately figured out what Luz was up to because of the helpful diagrams she drew for her non-plan is just so. i'm love them, actually

LILITH??? cursed Eda???? what an unexpected turn of events

okay yes Eda sacrificing her soul to her chronic illness for Luz provoked some genuine emotion from my flinty irreverent heart

it was just the emotional climax of Brave with a Last Agni Kai color scheme but hey i cry during the emotional climax of Brave, so

S01E19

is King...not sad his momowner is about to die??? i get that Luz is the focus here but it's weird that he's not even a little bit distraught

um

Lilith

oh my god what

what????

you really think someone would do that??? just ESTABLISH A FASCIST STATE AND TELL LIES????

Lilith how the fuck did you become the head of the secret police when you're like THIS

MINDWIPED WILLOW HAD MORE DEDUCTIVE SKILLS, LILITH

i thought there'd be SOME fascist ideology buy-in like cursing Eda made her scared of Power without Discipline or something but she's...only here??? because this one thing Hordak said he'd do???? HE DIDN'T EVEN PINKIE SWEAR LILITH

like yes yes i know. "cop older sister fails upwards and yikes her way into defending her genocidal boss" I KNOW the only way she could be more my type is if she had dyed her hair white, but i can't pay attention to any of that bc i'm too distracted by the logic-defying stupidity

Lilith when you ditched your glasses for your Goth makeover did you just. never get contacts??? because the only reason i can think of for even you blithely sailing past every red flag is that you were literally too blind to see them

i just

i can't believe i thought Winter Schnee was the purest encapsulation of "in my defense your honor i really am the dumbest bitch alive" when Lilith was there all along

i guess her existence is a powerful statement that MILFs can be morons too

*Luz confronting Lilith and displaying a level of anger that's probably supposed to be unsettling* oh my god Luz YES GET HER PUT HER OUT OF HER FUCKING MISERY

Lilith: i just don't understand why even after i've restrained and assaulted them no one believes i just want to have a civil conversation :(

tHIRTY YEARS????

like yes okay i'm sure there are some profound implications here we can draw about grooming and abuse and sunk cost fallacies but i just

Lilith: i was on the fence about cursing my sister, but when i asked for the Emperor's advice he said "god forbid women do anything."

Luz:

Lilith: i'm realizing now that was bad advice. and that he probably meant it in a different, even worse way than how i interpreted it.

but don't worry gang! her solution to fixing all the evil she's been complicit in is to...uh, continue being complicit in the evils! it's the best way to ensure that the incredibly specific scenario that befell Eda and herself will never!!! happen!!! again!!!

quick Lilith, Hordak just ensnared you in tentacles! this is a perfect opportunity for you to show exactly how you're going to prevent "~this" from ever happening ag--oh she's gone

Eda, finding out Lilith didn't actually mean to curse her forever and this was all her sister's incredibly weird way to make amends: what kind of fucking mORON--wait actually this makes perfect sense

Eda honey obviously i love you for trying to shield your sister and petson from petrification but i don't think Lilith noticed you did that

given the established buffer speed of her brain i'm not sure she's even put together that the owlbeast and her sister are the same person

okay okay i'll move on

:') Luz you brave darling sunflower you've never done anything wrong ever in your life and i'm glad you committing to the bit saved the day, even if it came at such a high price

not sure you'll be taking home the coveted gold for Committing to the Bit tho, now that your witch-aunt has revealed herself as the undisputed champion of Blindly Committing to the Bit for the thirtieth consecutive ye--OKAY YES WE'RE NOT BEATING THIS DEAD HORSE ANYMORE

because i do want to take this show seriously, and nothing demonstrates "i'm gonna take responsibility for my own actions now" better than using your literal body to bear some of the harm you inflicted on others. it's a very nice way to bring their relationship full circle, and it resonates with other instances when characters are forced to stop defining themselves by outside standards and embrace what they're already good at.

(and what Lilith is good at is soothing the pain of others via self-harm! which i think is the point the Helen's-Type-Generator starts emitting confetti and oily black smoke)

is this the first instance of magic having a cost or rebound in this world? beyond "whew i did a lot of magic today, i'm tired?" hm

Dana Terrace really went "i'm gonna give the whump enthusiasts everything they want" with this trope huh

Going Forward

yes i liked it yes i know the second season is more heavily serialized yes i will watch that soon

this did make me think about how all seriality in TV these days seem to be about building up to one series-wide showdown as opposed to different seasons having their own mytharcs, but that has less to do with this show specific and more with the death of television as a medium and we ain't got time for that

given how much my exposure to this show beforehand was Lumity (to the point where i wasn't sure there were other characters besides Eda) i'm...kinda surprised at how sparse Amity's presence was in this season. i liked what we did see of her, but i went in expecting a lot more antagonism for a lot longer in that dynamic

but i guess that's tied in with this season not having much in the way of antagonism until the very end, and not-Hordak seems to be the only one actually invested in his whole world order. we don't have any sympathetic true believers, which I assumed would be Lilith and/or Amity? i guess neither Shadow Weaver nor Catra really gave a shit about the Horde's ideology either, but Shadow Weaver remained an unrepentant ball of spite until the end and it didn't really matter that Catra didn't give a shit about the Horde because the Horde was the only thing she knew. in contrast Amity and Lilith's ties to the existing system feel very shallow--in the latter case so much so it kind of boggles my willing suspension of disbelief?

i suppose the next season can change that, i know new characters get introduced so--

oh wait is that what's gonna happen to the bad sad twink

i've only seen his armor but given how many AO3 fics seem to be about him i'm just gonna assume that he's a bad sad twink

wait can i call someone a twink when he's probably in his early teens like the rest of the cast?

is there discourse about this i hope not

don't make me break out the flock of doves

[winwho2]

I did it doom patrol as mlp okay are you happy now brain

I don't have any pony names for most of them I'm not good with names in general

First up is jane

I imagine when she got her powers and stuff she became like a weird Alicorn thing

Blue was not her original color she got that when she became an alicorn

Her hooves can be used as like fingers she has 4

The scales are supposed to be like dragon and kirin since she can like catch on fire

She was originally an earth pony

She doesn't have a cutie mark because trauma stunts your growth and stuff and I don't know how to make a cutie mark with someone with multiple personalities

Next is cliff

I like to imagine his cutie mark was painting on by baby doll

He used to be a Pegasus

Those little things on his back aren't Wings he can't fly they're like fingers since I imagine robot hooves don't work the same as normal ones he just keeps it that way when they're not in use since he misses his wings

He's a pegasus who didn't really want to fly but wanted to go fast so he became like a Race Car Driver

Rita

She still has her powers but now it's like magic based so her normal Magic is weaker since it's being used as like stretching magic now

Actually have a name for her it's shiny star because you know she's a star and she shines

Larry

He's still Radioactive

I imagine that he's the opposite of Cliff a unicorn that wanted to fly so he became like a Jet Pilot

He still has the negative Spirit but it's magic and unlike Rita he still has his original level of magic since the negative spirit is like not his magic Though his magic did turn blue because of it

Also have a pony name for him it's silver bullet

Vic

Don't really have much to say about him he's just cyborg he does have fingers though

(he's a little to red but I accidentally drew him with a red pencil and I just like drew it over with a brown one since I didn't want to erase all that)

And last but not least her um laura

To tell you the truth I don't know anything about her all i know is that she's like a spy or something and she shapeshift so take this as like a placement holder I'll probably redo it when I finish watching Doom Patrol

[Extra]

The color of their magic and Cliff and Larry's cutie mark

Larry's cuter Mark is a jet and cliff is a wheel with a wing btw that's what Cliff original cutie mark look like

By the way I imagine that janes magic is much more Wild because she didn't used to have that

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for accidently insulting my daughter

despite the title sounding already terrible, i want to preface that i love my daughter (12 F), its just that an accident happened awhile ago and i want to put my feelings to rest

my (46 M) family is a species of shapeshifting faries, we have to keep ourselfs in peanut shells because if we dont control our emotions, because of our shapeshifting abilities we might cause destruction

and on that note my daughter ... really likes this kid (12 nby) at her school, even though i dont like him that much for reasons (fought with another unrelated kid in a medival-like battle to get her to do a school assignment, making me almost run into my daughter and i crashed into the kids house instead is the tip of this iceberg) but i tried my best and he cant get away, ill call this kid G

so this night, we were invited to a school play, featuring my daughter and, you guessed it, G, they were playing beauty and the beast and at the end he had to kiss her, but apparently he didnt do his job well

after the play, i was at home with my wife and younger daughter and i was worried that my daughter in question wouldnt come home, so i was going to look for my daughter, and by chance she was outside with G and G's sibling, and the thing i saw shocked me

a crack over her eye, on her shell, it freaked me out becuase no one in our family has had their shells cracked, so in a fit of rage i argued with G, i grounded my daughter and G and his sibling went away

fast forward, i was driving back from taking groceries, and suddenly a slimey creature was on the trunk of my car, and i could tell that was my daughter, she had broken out of her shell! i was mortified! G came infront of her and we have a conversaion along the lines of this:

me: what have you done? youve turned her into a freak G: a freak…ishly beautiful young lady. me: you turned my daughter into a monster! G: -truck! of prettiness?

my daughter, rightfully tired of hearing this, shapeshifted into her dragon form and told me she was going to live in the woods with all the other monsters, after flying away G rightfully told me to man up and that i shouldnt have treated her that way, and he made me pop the hood of my car, after that conversation i decided to go chase them

in the end they had a really sweet moment with eachother, and i decided to let my daughter come out of her shell, even if G is alittle bit troublesome, he really showed that he loved her no matter what shape

it was stupid of me to blurb that, it was just so, in the moment, i wish i never said that its just, im really worried about her, with the whole shapeshifting based on her own emotions thing, she can be really sensitive and i dont want her to cause destruction on accident, and thats also the reason why i felt terrible making that comment

answer honestly, AITA?

[waeirfaahl]

My thoughts about Aku from “Samurai Jack”. The Child of Sorrow in-depth

Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. (c) Ishiro Honda As a kid I watched lots of animated films from many countries. Some of them I liked, some of them even stuck in me very deep and had strong influence. Among animated series in my childhood there were several I really enjoyed — one of them is “Samurai Jack”, of course. Unusual visual style, unique atmosphere, memorable characters, feel of threat, epicness and tragedy, humour and horror, mind-blowing setting and locations, the relatable protagonist you respect and... the antagonist, who became my favourite character and inspired me in many senses. Of course, I am talking about Aku, who is genuinely the most underrated and deprived character of the show. Very sad, but true. Here I will talk about exactly what I noticed during watching the show. Some kind of tribute for Aku and the original classic seasons, i.e. true canon. Probably Aku was the first unusual and unique creature for me, when I was a child. He had otherworldly traits, but at the same time he was incredibly relatable, he was a living being with lots of emotions and bright personality, he could be funny and dangerous at the same time. I associated him with a tree, a totem of forest spirit and alien, similar to the ones from “The Thing” (1982 film). Although Aku is a shapeshifter, in his true anthropomorphic form he has traits of a dragon, a cat, a wolf and a bat. The spikes on his head, similar to the crown and spider’s legs, are some kind of ears and vibrissae, since he moves them, raises or lowers them depending on the joyful or sad mood. Aku has a very keen sense of smell, because he easily smelled Jack hiding, and before that, he realized by the smell of blood that Jack was the son of the Emperor. His hearing is also quite acute, because even through his rolling laughter he heard the rustling produced by Jack, albeit belatedly. But with eyesight, not everything is so clear. Despite quite a good reaction speed, because of the squinting, it seems that Aku sees very small objects (especially flying and fast) much worse than large or medium ones (in "Birth of Evil" episodes as an example, when he fought against Jack's father). At the same time, he calmly measures and controls his enormous physical strength at any size (for example, he did not scratch Jack much, although his huge and powerful claws could cut or tear apart Jack easily). He takes forms of animals and insects, very rarely (2 times — Ikra and in 9 episode 4 season) humanoids, what also can hint that he likes (or at least neutral) animals (if they don’t try to attack him) and dislikes sentient beings or specifically humans. Even his army is always demons and robots, so in comparasion with humans, who used animals for battles and wars, Aku is pretty humane, surprisingly. Moving aside from stereotypical “Darkness means evil”, his colors (black, green, red and white) have ambiguous meaning. Green can represent envy and life/immortality, red can represent anger/danger or love, black can represent sadness and mystery, white can represent innocence and death. Surprisingly, but these meanings are parts of his personality (remember this moment), and he always keeps his true colors in every form. It means that he can’t change the structure of his body and he only mimics visually, from another side, it means that he doesn’t hide his true self. His biology, aside of lots magic abilities, is also pretty interesting for analyze. Aku has no inner organs, no bones, no muscules, no skin, no genitals, no dna and so on (hence absolutely no sexual reproduce and no half-breed offspring and no pregnant mortals). Aku is neither male nor female, his species reproduce, using fragmentation or budding (what we can see in “Birth of Evil”), i.e. Aku is genderless creature and genetically he is a sibling to his dead ancestor from “Birth of Evil” (yes, they are two separate creatures — Aku doesn’t know about the alien gods and their weapons, Aku sees only Jack’s sword as the only weapon that can hurt him, Aku doesn’t have memories of his ancestor, only ability to shapeshift). But his blood resembles petroleum and acid, his blood/essense easily melts iron and metal and, how we could see in the classic seasons, is incredibly deadly and poisonous and even devours a mortal to death, if his blood happens to be inside of mortal. That confirms Aku is unable to mate with mortals or other deities at all. But it doesn’t make him the evil — lots of animals from Earth (sea snail, jellyfish, fugu fish, various snakes for example) are deadly poisonous and can kill human, but they are not the evil. Since Aku sleeps at the bottom of his castle in the bowels of the earth, he likes warmth, and temperature of his body is also pretty high and hot, while frosty and cold locations make him sick (I still have no idea, how he got the flu, being immortal and invinsible creature, who can travel in space for visiting Imakandi tribe and oceans — especially considering acidic blood, which is a perfect disinfectant; and I wonder, whether he found out about Jack being infected by his blood or not — probably Aku slept and felt himself as a gamer with Oculus Rift) probably because of changes and decreases in body temperature. Another interesting moment I noticed in “Birth of Evil” and in 1 episode 1 season. I always wondered, why the black lake released new spikes after absorbing drowning beings (humans and animals). As well as I always wondered, why Aku was imprisoned as a stone tree and was free after the solar eclipse (like, Jack’s father didn’t know, what can happen and how to either destroy or seal Aku, and how he can be free again — he knew only that the sword harms and weakens Aku). The only explanation I have about the stone tree is that it was not only Aku’s prison, but also defense mechanism, some kind of cocoon for hibernation and healing after serious wounds and weakening, while the energy of the solar eclipse just helped Aku to be cured faster and be free again (apparently even his ancestor had some connection with stars in the space). Hence logically even if Jack will defeat him, Aku will be in this hibernation stage again and won’t die (although, I wonder, what happen, if Jack will pierce the sword with Aku into himself or any living being instead of ground, or if he will not pierce it into anything). About the black lake and spikes... Logically it is also a defense mechanism and a tool for investigating location, getting information about life around and killing any threat, which wants to attack (partially that can explain, where this entire “Aku (”evil” in Japanese, akuma “demon” in Japanese), Shogun of Sorrow, the Deliverer of Darkness” comes from — some drowning humans could yell these curses during death toward the black lake). Another moment I wondered — what kind of poisons the arrow had, since it somehow gave the life to Aku instead of somehow killing the fragment? Earlier I assumed that Aku was inside the fragment, which was in gestation-like stage (what also can explain lots of spikes as a defense mechanism — it protected Aku and gave basic information for fast adaptation and successful surviving in the world after birth), while the poisoned arrow forced the fragment to birth the creature before the need time, i.e. Aku is kinda premature and underdeveloped. However, what if these spikes are also failed attempts of the fragment to birth the new creature, while Emperor’s poisoned arrow had a mix of materials and substances, which helped the fragment finally to birth the new creature, Aku? (like, after interaction of the poisoned arrow with the black lake we see the two small flames, indicating the life) I.e. literally the forest of corpses, i.e. Aku’s dead siblings, which became the defense tool. Maybe it’s creepy, but very plausible. And Emperor can be called Aku’s father literally (creator is the correct word for this, but you got my point). And exactly here is the starting point of Aku’s tragedy and Jack’s tragedy (yep, when your enemy is your brother). Despite acting like a ruthless tyrant in some episodes, Aku never gave impression of absolute villain. He was a cynical, asexual and always lonely trickster, a mirror opposite of Jack (Ying and Yang thing), but they both had the same problems — suffering because of ancestral mistakes (Emperor’s mistake specifically), deprivation of free will, they were abandoned, lost and lonely in the cruel world. Since my childhood I felt bad for Aku for many reasons. Several episodes gave some hints about his past and his personality and reason for fixation on Jack, but after “Birth of Evil” episodes the puzzles finally became the single picture. In "Birth of Evil” episode, we see the ancient cosmic entity, and how the three creepy alien gods kill it (my thoughts about what this entity is and about three alien gods and about weird aspects of Jack’s sword you can read here — better if Jack and Aku finally became allies and fought together against these gods, who are the true villains, that would be awesome and epic ending). But one tiny shred of the dead entity falls on Earth, causing extinction of dinosaurs, it eats and grows. Obviously, all human generations considered the shred/fragment/black lake as pure evil and wanted to kill it. Jack's father wanted to destroy the fragment of the cosmic dead entity, but instead he accidentally created Aku and rejected him, attacking him and causing his aggressiveness and the events we see later in the story. I guess, Emperor has pretty low IQ, since he thinks it is a good idea to insult and to provoke the large and unpredictable supernatural being, which even wasn’t aggressive to him (I’d say, Aku was pretty friendly), and to tell that he wanted to kill the being. Lots of people say “If Aku was not the pure evil, he would ignore Emperor and go away. I wouldn’t conquer the entire world because of one dude who insulted me”. I guess, these people think and judge from perspective of mentally and psychologically healthy person with normal childhood and normal life. They don’t realize that it is almost impossible to meet an adequate human in the Middle Ages for such a creature — nobody would simply accept Aku, all would consider him a monster and the evil that needs to be killed (might I remind you, in ancient times some people believed that swamps and bitumen pits are den of evil spirits, while solar eclipses symbolize the arriving of evil). Under such pressure, he would have done what he has done in “Birth of Evil” anyway. The only chance for Aku to become normal member of human/mortal society in Middle Ages and further — if Jack’s father accepted him, when Aku was born. But Jack’s father subtly said to Aku “You are an accident that should never have existed and lived. You should have died. My intention was to not give life and freedom to you, I wanted to kill you” and started to attack him with arrows and sword, confirming his intentions, where the battle and imprisoning strengthened hatred within Aku toward humans, mortals and especially toward Jack’s father and later Jack (who took responsibility without knowing the origin of the conflict). And we got unwanted, abandoned, rejected and embittered creature, who never got a chance to be loved and accepted. Aku is the result of humans’ fear of unknown, prejustice, ignorance, disregard and indifference, where the one human could undo this, but in noble desire to save his family and kingdom he himself created the monster, who punishes and shares his eternal pain with all. When Aku looks at arrows in his hand and then looks at Jack’s father, for few seconds you can notice resentment, sadness and disappointment on his face before anger. Plus, Emperor’s words and deeds could be interpreted by Aku as not only insulting and rejecting, but also as “You and other world think that I am the evil from the beginning and even without knowing about me. Very well, I will be the evil, because there is no point to be anything else". Aku was born innocent, but death surrounded him before birth and became his companion, he could learn to trust and love, but anger and hatred replaced them, hence he sees it as forbidden weakness and disgrace of worthless mortals, immortal life was corrupted with envy especially toward Jack, formidable foe and the son of the fool, who created Aku. Aku is the true child of sorrow, the painful grief, deeply rooted within Aku like the poisoned arrow of the human, who could become a father to him. (I still think that the arrow is still inside of Aku — plus, in some cultures arrows symbolize war or life, so it makes sense) After this, his lines about "Once again I am free to smite the world as in the long past" and "Now, my formidable foe, you will pay for my pain in the past with your pain in the future!" toward Jack get deeper shades. The line about “to smite the world” is literally "to punish humankind” (how it happened in “Birth of Evil” episodes). The line about “my past pain and your future pain” also partially explains, why Aku didn't try to kill Jack in some episodes, but only destroyed or stole time portals, mocking on Jack. And it gets even more deep shades in episode, where saddened Jack finds his destroyed kingdom and remembers his happy childhood — like, similar feelings of pain and loneliness of someone, who was abandoned in cruel and unknown world. Aku’s line from comics “You will always be alone, samurai. But as long as I have you, I will never be alone!” is another perfect explanation. Aku sees Jack as his equal and as someone, who probably could understand him. Also I think, Aku sees in Jack not only the enemy, who can ruin his plans etc, but also he sees in Jack his father, what strenghtens his hatred toward Jack, and Aku probably feels... envy. Because Jack was a wanted child for his family, because Jack is open for world and can find friends, because Jack never gives up and stays kind person, he helps to everyone and has a hope to return home, where his family and friends loved him, and where Jack was happy. He has something Aku was deprived of (and even never had). I always wondered, why Aku calls himself a wizard instead of demon or some supernatural being. Can it be self-hatred because of unability to accept and let go the past? I don’t know, but Aku needs therapy. Aku created the multicultural society with technological progress instead of killing entire life, he didn't harm kids from the fairy tale episode (I assume, his first fairy tale can represent his hidden desire to be a hero in kids’ eyes — if he didn’t care, he’d just ignore/kill them or whatever), he used only robots and demons as his army and policy. (for some reason I recall lines from the song from Moana "Far from the ones who abandoned, you're chasing the love of these humans, who made you feel wanted").

What I noticed — Jack’s father even didn't tell to Jack about how he accidentally created Aku, he only mentioned "This evil demonic wizard attacked my kingdom, I heroically fought and defeated him" or whatever (here is more detailed post about this moment). Hence Emperor didn’t realize what he has done. Remember the short scene in 7 episode 2 season, where Jack’s parents clung to each other, and the shadow of Aku's head towered over them — just imagine, how furious Aku was after sending Jack to the future, how he cruelly punishes Jack's parents and all those enslaved and for minutes freed people. That would be really dark and emotionally powerful scene — especiallly if Emperor finally realized his mistake and begged Aku to mercy Empress and other people, since it is only his fault, but without avail. Aku’s hatred toward Jack’s father was also hinted in two scenes — in 1 episode 1 season, where all enslaved people worked together, while exhausted Emperor worked alone and was tortured by demonic servants, and in 4 episode 3 season Aku refers to him as “your worthless father” during confrontation with Jack. Interesting... can Aku be called a mononoke (vengeful spirit, corrupted with negative emotions, caused by human)? This tragic and dark aspect of the character stuck with me for many years. The theme, where the one is a bitter "mistake" of one ignorant human, the another one was destined to destroy his father's "mistake" only 'cause of its dark origin, i.e. both were deprived of choice and free will. And there really could be awesome and dramatic epic, where the two lone characters understand each other's tragedies and through some events change. The theme, where exactly the choice is important, not origin or prejustice, i.e. something more deep and mature than banal "White savior defeats black wizard" thing. Because if to have absolutist one-dimensional worldview and to consider Aku as irredeemable pure evil, there is a chance to meet or hypocritically ignore uncomfortable question “Wait, by this logic, Aku was born that way, so he never asked to be born that way and can’t change, he is doomed from the start of his existence to be the evil and be killed only because of his origin. Isn’t that the tragedy?! He is the victim of either his nature or humans’ sins”. So yes, the best option would be exactly giving to Aku his arc “from antagonist to antihero and hero’s ally”, where Jack helps to overcome his inner conflict, healing him, and they do some heroic thing together. Surprisingly, this “kids show” from early 2000s and made me to think about pretty dark and dramatic themes.

But 5 season happened, and my emotions were “Look at how they massacred my boy!”... Here I already discussed that the father of Ashi and her sisters is unstated. Since her dad is unstated, I prefer to think that he was a random human (probably killed by her mother), while Ashi (similar to Blade from 1998 film) was only one in her litter, who got infected by Aku’s blood and survived (very rare type of horizontal gene transfer or whatever — maybe ‘cause Ashi was the weakest, so also we see some kind of sudden and unusual symbiotic relationship or whatever, ‘cause apparently exactly Aku’s blood saved her life in 3-4-5 episodes, and she didn’t die after falling from height or electricity — it reminds me the moment from “Princess Mononoke”, where Nago’s hatred curse devoured Ashitaka from inside, but saved Ashitaka’s life, when one of the women shot at him and he had serious blood loss). That’s the only reasonable explanation I have. Since I don’t consider 5 season as canon, I have some own thoughts about how 5 season and the true ending of the show should be and about characters’ arcs in it, but I’ll make a separate post about it later. 

This post is a tribute to Aku, who deserved really great story and ending, but was ruined and killed by own creator/author, who cared only about the monkey girl Mary Sue, a thief, a parasite and an impostor, who stole Jack’s and Aku’s arcs and backstories. Rest in peace, magnificent boy, and drink tasty tea with uncle Iroh and Mako, looking at sunset in valley.

[bitterrobin]

tiny appreciation post/insane rambling about Tom Bronson

re-re-re-reading JSA 2007. Tom Bronson is a good character, fight me. Everyday I claw at the air in rage for the many characters introduced into the JSA and then never given any more detail. There's just too many people in the '07 JSA, man. Too Many. Tom is unfortunately one of those comic characters that has a super niche fanbase and nothing to follow up on outside of JSA.

so, in light of me inserting him into the TAXONOMY!verse and putting the guy smack dab into the Battle for the Cowl and Bette Kane's radar - I'm just gonna gush a little bit about his first appearance. (and include some headcanons for the au).

Putting aside my favorite Old Man Trio, can I just say that I like how pretty the art makes Tom look? The first time I read this comic, I got a very James Dean/1950's bad boy vibe from Tom. I'd like to think it was a little bit intentional in order to parallel Ted Grant and his eternal Old Americanism. At least it's something I'll keep in mind.

Getting into the main post though, throughout his first appearance and the later fight with Vandal Savage, its made clear that Tom is surprisingly knowledgable about superheroes and the surrounding goings-on of them. He knows who Wildcat is (though obviously Ted is canonically an old hero, he has to be somewhat well-known) and he instantly recognizes Vandal Savage.

(sidenote: Ted looks like a stiff Barbie doll being thrown into the kitchen there)

I take the fact that he recognizes and correctly identifies heroes/villains as a point towards my "Tom is an observant and analytical person" hc.

Earlier on in issue #3, we see that Tom gets right to heart of things when talking with Ted and that he's quick to reach (somewhat right) conclusions.

Despite this, he doesn't really show it anymore as he quickly drifts into a side character spot as the comic run goes in. I choose to believe that Tom doesn't voice his thoughts to the JSA bc he doesn't know them well and he prefers to make snarky remarks in conversation instead of inserting himself into anything personal.

Later on in the series, Tom is reluctant to learn how to box and is shown to dislike fighting in general.

Given the whole estranged-dad-is a famous boxing champ thing, Tom probably doesn't like boxing specifically because of Ted. He says that he doesn't like fighting because of his were-cat form, which it's assumed that he would unconsciously shapeshift into whenever he got into conflict.

(sidenote: why is this the only time I see his inner monologue in comics *sob*)

This distinct trait of disliking combat, at least the personal fist-flying kind, is definitely something I'm including in the au.

Both Tom and Bette are chosen for the au partially because I like them, but also because they have distinct personalities and philosophies that clash with baby Damian Wayne who's coming fresh into the Bat-scene. There will be conflict as Damian will dislike and mostly abhor Tom's personal disdain for fighting. Tom doesn't seem to fight unless necessary and he canonically prefers to rely heavily on his powers to get out of fights. He's only shown getting more violent than usual after Grant Emerson's death, which is pretty reasonable. They were clearly fast and close friends.

Hooo boy Grant should not have died. Especially in Blackest Night, of all things. Despite my personal dislike of it though, I'm still flip-flopping between leaving him dead and then resurrecting him in the au - or just ignoring his canon death altogether. On one hand, I like Grant and I like their friendship so I want him to appear in the au somewhere (alongside Maxine). On the other, his death allows for a just a little bit of dramatic character development/detailing for Tom that lets me explain why he's not with the JSA and instead is in Gotham. Choices.....

Ending the post here with the final smorgasbord of headcanons and blurbs for the au.

he is Mexican-American, but distant from his roots because his mom raised him single and cut-off from her larger family.

he and Bette will enter a relationship. It came to me in a vision and I decided to implement it bc why not. Tom/Bette is bi4bi.

they start dating bc they both strike me as "why not?" type of people, but it develops relatively quickly after Damian enters the picture and they have to co-parent/watch over him as Gotham collapses in slow-motion around them

its shown in the background of some of the panels above that he's into music, specifically guitar and piano

so he will be in a band at some point

bc Alfred does not have the same relationship with Damian in the au, Tom is one who gives him/lets him keep the kitten

(also bc I don't subscribe to the "League of Assassins hate/kill animals" idea - Tom bonds with Damian over a mutual care for animals/cats)

Tom and Damian are a rocky pair, and it takes them longer to get along than Bette does with Damian

He treats Damian as the annoying little brother he never had, and their sense of humor kinda lines up

Tom fully encourages Damian’s sarcasm and rude comebacks

Believe me, there will be a scene where Tom unconsciously purrs in his werecat form and Damian definitely notices

adding to the maybe Grant stays dead part, I'm still iffy on whether to include a one-sided crush on Tom's part that adds to the angst

unlike Grant though, I'm definitely keeping Yolanda Montez alive

Tom and Yolanda have a semi-distant sibling relationship that's a little awkward bc of the age gap and differing experiences with Ted

Might also resurrect Jake Grant, I need the Wildcat family reunion

Ted and Tom still talk, and even though Tom doesn't stick with the JSA, he's still regularly invited to whatever gathering they have

Tom still keeps up with working out/a bit of training - but he focuses on defense and avoidance instead of out-right conflict

Tom got into heroism bc of Ted, but he stuck with it bc of Grant and Maxine

he does not have strict ideals or a drive to save the world, but he likes to focus on the small things and helps where he can

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Legend of the Dragon S1 Ep 1-13 Watch and Rewrite

I have gone down a rabbit hole by watching a random show from early 2000s (think Liberty's Kids, Sherlock Holmes 22nd Century kind of channel) that is clearly trying to jump on the Xiolin Showdown/Avatar the Lat Airbender and admittedly, it's mediocre but I'm just fascinated by its potential so my writer brain has a loooot of thoughts.

You can find the whole series on youtube if you want to watch before reading cuz this has spoilers.

Here's the plot: The show starts when the previous Golden Dragon has passed on to the afterlife and Ang and Ling Leung, seventeen-year-old fraternal twins, born in the year of the Dragon, are next in line for the Golden Dragon powerband and use of its mystical abilities to defend the mortal world from evil. Ang doesn’t believe he will become the Golden Dragon, as Ling is the best fighter at the Dragon Dojo.

Ling is positive that she will become the Golden Dragon. However, when Master Chin Ho calls upon the power of the Golden Dragon to choose who will be the next Golden Dragon, it chooses Ang. Humiliated and furious, Ling storms out of the temple and is tempted by the dark and evil power of the Shadow Dragon. From then on, Ang is forced to fight his twin sister.

First, the general

Alright, the animation style, let’s face it it’s not the best. But after seeing 80s shows, it’s not the worst. It’s just very dated. It’s a weird combination of some shots are really good, and some just look like bad flash animation yet you can also see the detail in the fight choreography. It’s weird. 

Speaking of fight choreography, the show is just in loooove with doing slow motion shots multiple times in each fight. Like it’s supposed to be epic but since it’s used all the time, I think they’re just padding the air time. And since the speeches are generic, I have fast forward through it unless a shot literally particular interesting or seems to be delivering meaningful conversation between Ang and Ling. 

That or it’s trying to mimic old Kung fu movies with the over the top yelling (gets grating after awhile tbh especially from Ling), people suddenly flying (just assume everyone has the power to fly) and the slow motion. 

As for the powers, each temple guardian has a magic armband that gives them powers related to their zodiac like turning into the animal plus extra like Bengali has super claw rips, the snake guardian turns into a shapeshifting, size changing cobra, the ram has power over avalanches etc. 

Which makes the powers of the dragons disappointing as they display generic fire blasts. I mean if it’s the top guardian, you should put a little something special into the power like flame breath and turning into a literal dragon! So I would give the dragons a power upgrade stat. 

Btw, besides the generic power blasts, each dragon has a voice upgrade. Ang gets a manly hero voice while gets sexy villainess voice. It’s kinda funny because it’s just so unexpected. No explanation for why these teenagers suddenly sound like adults or why that’s part of their transformations, it’s just there. 

As for the dialogue, the show has some spark when it allows the characters to show their personalities with humorous lines that make them distinct but it is also hampered by generic hero speech tropes (like in a fight it’s more about “Incoming” “I know the real you is in there” etc. if you’re going to do the tropes, at least make it specific to your character). Like the animation, it has good potential but also limited. 

Now to the real meat of the show the characters: Like the summary says, the two mains are Ang and Ling who are suddenly on opposite sides due to Ling’s insistence that she deserves to be the golden dragon. 

The first scene brilliantly sets up their personalities with them sparring. Ling dominates the fight with aggressive, offensive moves but Ang manages to outmaneuver her with observation and subtly. When Ang teases her about forgetting Master Chin’s lesson on using your opponents’ leverage, Ling nearly hits him again in anger over losing. 

Foreshadowing. . . Totally 

Ang is set up as the more laid back of the two. Into video games and movies, while Ling has been eagerly awaiting the day to be the temple guardian her entire life. 

As Master Chin invites to the temple, the show further demonstrates their differences and sets up Ang as the real candidate for Golden Dragon. Ling is consumed with getting the prestigious position, focusing on the power she will gain. Ang rightly points out, there’s a lot of responsibility to it too but that’s not interesting to Ling. She will rule, it’s a given, because she earned the spot. 

And so Ling’s pride goeth before fall. 

It’s only natural since Ling represents the yin which is feminine and dark and Ang is the yang, masculine and light (as if the name wasn’t enough of a clue). 

Ling may have memorized the teaching/learned all the moves, Ang is the one who has taken the education/teachings to heart and put them into practice. 

Ling tries to take the armband even when Master Chin tells her it’s not a mistake but it electrocutes her and when he assures her that her real destiny is to support the Golden Dragon and teach the next generation like he did, she blows up and directs all her anger at poor Ang who doesn’t even want the position. 

Anyway, I’ll go into my thoughts about what I thought about the split in the episode discussion but from therein, Ang maintains a typical protagonist personality when one is suddenly the chosen one. He is upbeat but sometimes he gets lazy, he doubts his capabilities, he delivers a few noble speeches.

Even though he’s a bit generic, he’s still relatable and a good protagonist to follow. It helps that his relationship with his twin brings out his flaws. Like his optimistic belief that she’ll regain her common sense and stop trying to take his position as Golden Dragon.

Despite her many actions on the contrary, he still believes she can be good again even though no one else does. In fact, he gets very defensive when others call her evil or psychotic (no matter how accurate a descriptor). He’s just a very loyal person and will do anything to protect his friends.

I still think that he needs a different name if only because Ang is too on the nose for symbolizing Yang. And the other famous Aang from A:TLA. If you’re gonna take the name, it’s gonna bring up unfair comparisons to that masterpiece. Do you really wanna be known as “the other Ang”?

Ling is arrogant, aggressive, entitled, not self aware at all. . . Pretty much a good villainess in the making. I feel like the show (so far) needs to work in more positive traits as to justify Ang’s intense belief in her ability to be good again. 

But she does make a good foil to Ang, easily countering him in battle and thinking ahead of him. Plus she makes a good snarky Shego to Zodiac Master’s Dr. Drakken, introducing such ideas as hacking Ang’s phone to track down other armbands and temples or to ambush him. 

I’ll discuss more about how to improve her characterization in the episodes below. 

Which brings me to the antagonist, the Zodiac Master. He’s a pretty generic villain, wanting to gain all the armbands so he overpower the Golden Dragon and achieve power all for himself. 

And. . That’s it. I know it’s a kid’s show but this was around the same time as Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego and Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, surely they can work in more backstory and motivation than just power for power’s sake. Like how did he even get power? Was he a former guardian, does he relate to Ling in not getting what he “earned” so he is taking it all by force? He needs more, which I’ll get to below. 

I’d also improve his powers which are generic power blasts (seriously why give the secondary guardians cooler powers than the protagonist and antagonists?). He does demonstrate life force draining in one episode which I think he should utilize more to make him a more dangerous threat. 

But between him and Ling, he’s the Dr. Drakken if Dr. Drakken was more evilly competent and took himself way too seriously. 

Master Chin, the teacher of the dojo and all the guardians is another generic (maybe even stereotypical?) wise master character delivering vague wisdom and a sometimes humorous old man line. I also wish he had more of a backstory and developed a more fatherly guardian ie. Uncle Iroh from A:TLA 

Bengali is the Tiger guardian and friend of the twins. It doesn’t say how long but one must assume they grew up together and she’s a little older since she’s been guardian for awhile (seriously this show needs to work on giving people backstories!). 

She’s kinda generic too. She’s a good friend, sometimes teases, sometimes is the voice of wisdom, will go along with the others hijinks, delivers quips during battle. She’s similar to Ang in that she focuses more on the spiritual side of being guardian rather than martial. She also has feelings for him (okay not yet but it’s obvious as the only non related, reoccurring female, she’s gonna be a love interest, let’s not kid ourselves). 

If I had to improve her, I would give more of a backstory on her feelings as being Tiger guardian. Since everyone seems to be an orphan in the show, maybe something about how being a guardian gives her a community, gives her a purpose in life, the spiritualism allows her to find acceptance in the face of so many unknowns of her origins, gave her confidence. 

According to wiki, Tiger personalities are passionate, stubborn, generous, and with a strong sense of justice. She can provide some contrast to Ang as believing things are black and white in Ling’s case and she needs to deliver the hand of justice to eliminate the threat Zodiac Master and his sister pose. If you have the whole Chinese zodiac, lean into it.

Xuan Chi is the Monkey guardian and is exactly what you would expect. At least with western depictions of monkeys, he’s a goofy jokester. Raised in the jungle, Xuan Chi isn’t quite used to civilization and is mainly there to serve comic relief. I think kids would like him even though his one note monkey jokes can get annoying after while. Luckily, he is more than one note as he provides common sense to Ang when the latter continues to ideally believe his sister can change or tries to take short cuts of his guardian training. I like their burgeoning friendship. 

Xuan Chi also has some mistakes in his past like the fact that he came to the dojo seeking help when thieves stole his armband. He doesn’t have powers like the others but his martial arts and tree swinging (and bananas) skills keep people off balance, providing dynamic fights. The loss of his armband provides some depth as he struggles with the humiliation and shame of failing his duty as guardian, revealing the insecure teen behind the happy face. 

Now the first half of the season:

Alright I described most of the first episode up to Ang getting the armband at which point, Ling blows up and the Zodiac Master appears with samurai goons to kidnap Master Chin. This gives the show an excuse to show Ang’s powered up Golden Dragon transformation and save the day. Ends with Ling swearing that no matter what, she’ll take that armband from Ang and become the golden dragon herself. 

First thing I would change is Ling’s reaction, vowing vengeance and all that. She acts more like a frenemy than a twin sister. She shows no care for her brother, and is so willing to hurt him for her supposedly “earned” position. There’s no connection between them and makes it hard to see why Ang would continue to root for her redemption and familial bond when Ling feels nothing on her end. 

So I would change her reaction to her, still being angry, but trying to calm down and say that she’ll try to support him and teach him better cuz he’s still the baby brother. 

Episode 2: Here, Ang goes with Master Chin to the dojo with Xuan Chi who came seeking help to retrieve his stolen armband. That will be saved for another episode as Ang is concerned with the sibling rift. Ling goes to the cliff side to calm down and the Zodiac Master appears to preposition her. Together, they can team up and steal the other armbands so they can eventually overpower the Golden Dragon. 

She hesitates for like 3 seconds because she knows he’s evil but damn her resentment makes her easily give in to his proposal. He gives her the shadow dragon armband (basically evil twin, I mean yin powers), she shows up at the dojo, transformed and drunk on the dark side. Ang eventually defeats her, and kicks off the whole series arc. 

The major change I would make here is to continue to make Ling less psychopathic. Have her totally refuse Zodiac Master’s offer because he’s everything she's been trained to fight against. She may not be the golden dragon but she has honor!

Zodiac Master would reveal his backstory-he used to be a teacher alongside Master Chin, training future guardians and warriors. But he grew weary over the years of watching guardians make foolish mistakes. He, with all his wisdom and experience should be the one with the power, he wouldn’t make those stupid mistakes. He knows better than all. So he struck out on his own and got the yin armbands (which corrupted him and so his original good albeit arrogant intentions have disappeared. Now he’s all about the power) 

Ling refuses and returns to the dojo. The Zodiac Master vs Ang/Xuan Chin/Ling fight would happen and after several bad mistakes, Ang would triumph. 

Ling wouldn't be able to appreciate Ang’s eventual victory through his out of the box smarts. All she would focus on is his mistakes and how, if she had been the Golden Dragon as she was supposed, she would have defeated the Zodiac Master with decisiveness. She would have defeated him once and for all, she wouldn’t have let him escape. She should be the Golden Dragon and if only she had the chance, had the armband, she could prove it. 

So she goes to Zodiac Master and accepts the offer, becoming the shadow dragon and the dark side seeps into her. 

Eye on the Tiger, Hero Worship, Terra Unfirma, Master of Sarcasm: All are good episodes, introducing other guardians, have Ang put his training and teachings into practice, some generic hijinks like “Don’t meet your heroes” “What being a hero/warrior really means” “Appearances are deceiving” etc. 

Although I must admit Hero Worship is really dumb in Zodiac Master believing a regular movie actor is an actual warrior even after Ling tells him Wang Lee is just a lame actor her brother worships, he still kidnaps the guy, convinced that Wang Lee is capable of teaching any martial arts to Ang when it’s the other way around. I do enjoy the Drakken/Shego vibes. 

Eye on the Tiger feels a lot like filler even as it shows Bengail’s Tiger guardian prowess. It was more focused on the fight scenes than character interactions or dialogue. Here, I would add more emphasis on Bengail’s friendship with the twins and the characters realizing “oh shit, Ling is serious about being a bad guy.” It does show Ling being not a total psychopath as she refuses to kill Bengali (just fight her and knock her out and steal from her but not kill) 

Terra Unfirma was fine though I wanted more ox guardian action. I liked Zodiac Master’s idea to combine the ram and dog armbands even if it put him over his head and Ang had to help him out in the end. 

Master of Sarcasm was the best. Not just because I liked sarcasm but because of the location change. Ang and Xuan Chi travel to Vietnam to learn discipline from Shoong (unbeknownst to them, he’s the pig guardian though his surroundings should provide a huuuge clue). He was a lot like a gruffer, tougher Master Piando. So enjoyable. 

Temple of Changes was disappointing. After failing in his training because he wants to hang out at the movies and do normal stuff, Master Chin tells Ang it’s time to go to the temple of changes as all the golden dragons before him have done. There he goes through some trippy sequences and fights a dark samurai before emerging victorious and more confident in his abilities. 

This was disappointing as Ang’s big test was fighting himself. Like literally fighting himself with very few psychologically painful taunts of his inadequacies. There was no reckoning with his destiny vs his wants. 

So I would change this with a poignant flashback to Ang’s past. A few months ago to be exact where Ang is playing a game on his phone while Ling spars with Bengali. In the present, he thinks about his new role and his past certainty with his future. He had thought that Ling was sure to be the golden dragon so he didn’t apply himself with the same intensity. He thought he would teach others like Master Chin. That he’d be able to travel, go to university, be able to hang out with his friends without responsibilities and new foes. Now he’ll be bound to the temple, always on alert for evil and he isn’t even as formidable of a warrior as his sister was. Why him?

So the temple would have him face these questions. Since Ling wants the armband so bad, why not give it to her? Why hang onto it? Because of destiny? Does he want this destiny? Is he capable of being a good guardian? Can he actually become better than he is? 

So the temple would force him to really think about why he chooses to stay in this role that he never asked for, ultimately deciding that he is doing it because he wants to. He wants to protect his community, his friends. He believes there needs to be a golden dragon in the world. He’s accomplished so much already, he can do more and he wants to improve, inserting some of the lessons Master Chin has taught him. 

Mindbender is another semi disappointing episode with a good premise that doesn’t go as far as it could. It’s Chinese New Years and everyone is celebrating new beginnings. Ang hopes that will include Ling coming back to her senses which everyone rolls their eyes and warn him that Ling won’t change, he needs to give up the idea. Zodiac Master attacks, setting up a distraction for Ling to sneak into the temple and ambush Ang when he goes to recharge his armband. In the midst of battle, Ang gets knocked out with amnesia and Ling sees the opportunity to trick him into giving her the armband. 

Predictably, it nearly works but Ang’s memories come back and he changes to the right side at the last minute. Also, in the episode, Ling should do a better job of convincing Ang she’s the real golden dragon if she doesn't get impatient and transform into the shadow dragon so they can escape the cave they’re trapped him. That was just so dumb. 

To make it more dramatic, the plot will go as shown up till the amnesia. Ling tricking Ang will have more weight as she references their past relationship (including a cute beach flashback), she is imbuing it with truth. She has always looked out for her brother, she protects him, she cares for him. She wants him on her side as always. And here, one can tell she means it even as she’s angling for him to give her the armband. Again, this will make her look like she has actual emotion instead of a manipulative psycho. 

Ang will regain his memories in time with the help of his friends, and defeat the Zodiac Master and Ling. Only their face off will end with Ang deciding to officially cut off all hope that Ling can be redeemed. He is too hurt that she was willing to manipulate their twinship, to corrupt their happy memories. She’s gone too far. 

Episode ends with Xuan Chi, Bengali, Master Chin and Ang having a fun New Years meal with Ang appreciating his new family. 

But there’s a flashback to his previous happy new year with Ling and Master Chin. Flashback ends to Ling sitting alone at the cliff side, staring at her locket with their baby picture. As fireworks bloom overhead, she decisively closes the locket and walks away, a tear running down one cheek. 

Chow Chow is yet another interesting episode that could do more with its ending. 

It all starts when the Zodiac Master is trying to resurrect the original dak Emperor of Yin, and tries to use Ling to do it by allowing the Emperor to drain her life force. Well, Ling isn't going out that way and realizing the danger she's in, tries to contact her brother for help. But the Zodiac Master intercepts the email and goes to ambush him, making it seem like it had been a trap all along. 

Now I like that idea, and the subsequent execution where Ang does the smart thing and hides his armband before getting subdued by the Zodiac Master in battle which enrages him when he realizes that Ang is useless. 

And Ling makes it much more difficult when Ang accuses her of setting him up and she gets all defensive that he doesn't believe her. I mean, girl, you have set up plenty of times before, you can't blame him. 

Nonetheless, when Zodiac Master threatens to suck her life force, Ang gives in and agrees to show where he hid the armband.

And while all this is happening, Ang's friends have teamed up with the dog guardian, Chow Chow to literally sniff out where he's been kidnapped. I just find these specific guardian traits/powers super fun. It also comes to an entertaining battle where Xuan Chi grabs ahold of the dragon armband and temporarily becomes the Golden Dragon. 

Cool but brings a few plot holes to why did it reject Ling if Xuan Chi can just take it? Does it only repel evil? Then why don't the other armbands repel Zodiac Master when he steals them?

In the end, there's a big fight and Ling returns to Zodiac master despite him trying to kill her just hours ago, proving how stubborn she is about holding a grudge against a brother who has only tried to help her. While Ang realizes she was telling the truth and admits that he wishes he could give up on her, he's sad to admit he just can't. 

So I would change the ending a bit. After Mindbender, Ang won't have any trust for Ling so when he gets her email, he just straight up assumes it's a trap. The plot will go on as expected only Ling will be taken aback by the fact that Ang was prepared for the betrayal and doesn't believe her. He just wants to learn what the Zodiac Master is planning. The life force draining will still take place as well as the battle. 

But the reason Ling stays with the Zodiac Master despite him trying to kill her will be because she sees that Ang doesn't trust her and she is totally alone. So she convinces herself that because this night turned out fine, she can handle it. She never needed Ang's help even if he had offered it. She'll show him and she will show that backstabbing Zodiac Master, furthering her evil descent.  

Monkey Mission was a very fun episode, giving Xuan Chi more depth than I ever thought he would get. For one thing, apparently he has PTSD-esque nightmares of losing his armband. You see, he didn’t just lost a fight to some temple robbers, they held him down and electrocuted him. No wonder he has nightmares! 

But now, he has a clue of where the thieves are going. They’re auctioning it and other temple items off like any good temple robber and Zodiac Master is on call to steal it back. 

Why doesn't he just buy the armband since his civilian disguise looks like he’s the head of a majorly rich corporation, I don’t know, but I guess he’s cheap. 

Anyway, it was a bit of Indiana Jones and a bit of a regular martial arts movie with three separate acts and gave Xuan Chi a chance to shine and prove to himself that he’s an honorable warrior even as it leaves off with a cliffhanger of the armband going missing again. 

The Emperor of Darkest Yin was an episode that felt like a filler with Ang and Xuan Chi disobeying Master Chin's warnings that teaming up with Zodiac Master's vengeful ex-partner. This ex partner calls himself the Master of Red Chi whose powerful blasts mostly make up for his incompetent combat skills. 

I liked the message, "When you  try to use the force of evil, it is evil that ends up using you," and it plays it straight with Master Red Chi double crossing them for another of Zodiac Master's traps as well as the twist ending. 

But it felt riddled with holes like why doesn't the Red Chi Master not have a name? Where did he learn red chi? Can anyone else learn or was he just born with it? His story was very vague and felt like it could have been expanded to add to the magical lore of the show.

The fight in the Hong Kong docks also felt silly with the Zodiac Master's entire samurai army in view. 

Like is this like Marvel New York? Are the people used to samurais and bombs in their harbor? Isn't this supposed to be a secret mystical battle? Just the concepts of what is secret and what is normal in this world is unclear? 

I would have kept the use your enemy concept but have Ang try to outwit his sister, the way she has been doing the previous episodes and throw in the Red Chi Master for the red herring (this was unintentional, I semi swear).

The Last Dragon- I actually have no complaints with this episode. It was solid story wise, revealing that the previous Golden Dragon was the twin’s father who had Master Chin erase their memories to protect him from their enemies. Of course, Ling is dumbly manipulated to turn her rightful anger toward Zodiac Master for murdering her father to being furious at her father for “abandoning” them. 

But the show actually pulls through and has her realize the truth thanks to Ang and of course, a cheesy flashback. 

And then they team up to fight the Zodiac Master! 

It’s a temporary truce but I enjoyed that it touched on my previous complaints that Ang was the only one acting like they had a familial bond. Also Ling was less hostile psychopath and demonstrated she may have some good after all. Also them as kids were cute. I would just change the animation of the last scene because it looked less like a hug in the moonlight between twins but the beginning of something else between not siblings. . . so ew.

Spy Hard was also a fun episode. As you might guess, it’s a James Bond parody! Well a parody if James Bond had mystical possession and martial arts powers. Okay, it doesn’t really follow any James Bond movie plot but the Rooster guardian,Lo Wang has a Sean Connery voice which is delightful to listen to. Ang learns a bit about thinking before acting which I’m pretty sure he learned before but I didn’t care since I was enjoying Sean- I mean Lo so much. 

Also, Ling continues to return to her roots by fighting against Zodiac Master again. While she was originally down for the whole possessing the dragon temple, she’s not in it for corrupting the Golden Dragon temple’s spirit with the darkest yin. If she’s going to steal the Golden Dragon, she’s going to do it honorably! 

So yay? She’s not quite on Ang’s side but she’s not the Zodiac Master’s idiotic puppet either. And Ang trying to do an awkward fist bump was surprisingly endearing even if Ling didn’t reciprocate. You could tell she kinda wanted. 

So yeah, as I write this down, I can see that it’s really starting to improve as the season goes on and I’m excited to see what the second half of the season does. 

[aduialel]

You have to spend a week stranded on a deserted island and can bring one person (real or fictional) with you. Who are you choosing?

Oh, my awesome friend, this is just pure evil! 😄 How can you ask me this!? Pure torture, I say. Few persons came to mind so let's see who they are and why, but who to choose, that is the big question.

Thranduil, the obvious choice. You know me and my fascination of him. Besides, who in their right mind wouldn't want to spend a WEEK in the presence of The Elvenking who is kind, wise and capable (in sooo many ways 😏), not to mention his awesome style who is hot as hell, the ultimate Daddy™️. The kind and wise debate is based on the movies but his people loved him and let's not forget he was an elected king and son of one too. Sure, he has his bouts of temper, but hey, nobody is perfect, not even The Elvenking himself. The deserted island would be a perfect setting to get to know him and what makes him tick. Our combined forces and culture differences would make interesting conversations but also solutions how to survive on the island - and if Eru is on my side, maybe even a little more action, at least flirting if nothing else. 😉

Loki. Surprising choice I know, but he is my favourite in Marvel universe. Norse mythology plays a huge part in this. For some reason I have always felt that he is a misunderstood individual in legends. He would be an awesome companion on a deserted island. I love the guy/god. Time would fly by so fast we wouldn't even notice it. Surviving on the island would be easy because of his shapeshifting and magician/trickster abilities - or maybe he is just humouring me. 😄

Keanu Reeves. I have been his fan since the 90's so this is no brainer. He is The Good Guy, humble, mysterious and charismatic person who has amazing sense of humour and he is a gentleman with capital G. It would be interesting to meet the man and discuss various topics with him. Trying to get off the island would be the last thing on my mind but surviving would depend on our abilities and knowledge. One thing I know for sure, we would have no shortage of ideas how to do it. Neither of us is a quitter. 😊

But who do I choose!? Do I really have to make a choice or maybe I could be so lucky as to have three separate weeks with each one. Of course in different islands and conditions so it would be fair for all of us. 😊 That option sounds more and more appealing. What do you say?

Thank you so much for this wonderful ask! 💖🫂

[spokenvessel]

Lucian Archie Bane

Name: Lucian Archie Bane

Nicknames: Luci, Luci Lu, LuLu, Lu, and LuLu Lemondrop

Birth Date: 03'11

Birth Place: Hell (Pride Ring)

Star Sign: Pisces

Race: Demon/Angel

Occupation: Striper/Hooker/Pornstar

Status: Alive

Age: 28 (Looks)

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He.His.Him and They/Them

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual & Polyamorous

Height: 5'5

Weight: 150 (depends)

Skin Tone: Caramel Tan

Hair Colour: Ebony Black, With Pastel Icy Sky Blue fading to Indigo Puprle for the bangs

Hair Style: shaggy mullet, down to his ankles, and scene/emo bangs

Eye Colour: Pastel Icy Sky Blue

Eye Shape: siren

Features: freckles all over his body, and a heart shape beauty mark under his right eye, a clover beauty mark on his left upper hip, and a rose beauty on his back side (upper right hip)

Weapons: Double Swords and Scythe

Skills:

Abilities: Neon Green fading up to neon blue with gold sparkles (Shadow Flame) and Magic

Last Resort: Potions/Weapons

Strengths: Is knowledgeable and fast. Can fly and shapeshift

Feats: is to afraid to show his true form and use his real powers.

Weakness: Wolfsbane and Silver

Family: Chaos and Nyx Sterling

Love Interest: Castiel (His Contract Holder.) (Not actually in Love)

Crush: Adam (First Human/Man) & Lucifer Morningstar

Enemies: Lute & other angels

Lucian Bane's Backstory:

Lucian was born in hell because of his mother, Nyx. (Who is the Demon/God of: Darkness/Abyss) She was once married to Chaos, the creator and the destorier. She birthed Lucian and his twin brother Nova. Nova became born angel fronting. And second form demon. Lucian was born fronting as a demon. The second fronting was angel. Lucian doesn't get along with the angels as much as the demons. The angels find him an obamnation and tainted. That he is bad blood. And he should be killed. But the demons don't care as much. But they do ignore him depending on the demon.

Lucian most of his life played alone and did his own thing. Being a hellborn also means watching others be killed by other demons or angels. It was annoying and very upsetting. He hated how it was. But probably at that age couldn't really change anyone's mind. So he kept it to himself.

As Lucian grew up learning how Heaven and Hell actually was. He didn't trust anyone. Not even his mother's new husband. Which was whatever. He could take care of himself as he always did. Just because he lived with his mother and her servants caring for him. Doesn't mean he can't do anything on his own. And take care of his business alone. He didn't ask for help. At least outloud. He was alone a lot. And that made him realize no one can hurt him that way.

Lucian did end uk making mistakes. Falling into an angel's trap. His name is Castiel. Who has male skin, crimson red eyes, and long blaxk hair to his shoulders. He was an Arch Angel. Who has with black wings with red tips/ombre. Who seeked out Lucian for years. He made a deal with him. And now his soul belongs to Castiel. He would have to go to heaven and help Castiel make money there and in hell. It was dirty and really bad.

Bur over time he got over it. Abuse or not. It was the life he chose.

And one day he ended up meeting Charlie ans Vaggie. And some spider demon named Angel Dust. They invited him to live with them at a hotel. To redeem demons.

Lucian did shit on it. Because heaven was shit. But that was fine. At least he could be away from the world outside.

Over time he did form friendships and bonds with everyone.

And the world Changed underneath Lucian when he met Adam and Lucifer.

Personality:

bubbly, flirty, confident (most of the time), Timid/Shy (sometimes), cocky, random, playful, temperamental, funny (kind of), and outgoing

Quotes:

"Come on! I so had that! He really wanted my fake drugs. How dare you!" Lucian to Charlie

"Cigarettes and Cock Rings are a turn on for me." Lucian To Adam

"Folding was never an option." Lucian to Lute

"Did you see that!? He wanted to suck my dick!" Lucian to everyone at the hotel about some creep

"Sorry? What? I can't hear ya. I think the lines are breaking up." Lucian to Castiel (when in the same room together.)

"Would you like Coconut and Caramel Cream Pie in your mouth?" Lucian to Lucifer (Lucian's scent is coconut and Caramel along with his taste.)

Likes:

Bubble gum

Music

Singing

Dancing

Movies

Sex

Kissing

Blow jobs

Gaming

Cooking/Baking

Cuddling/Snuggling

Plushies/Stuff Animals

Blankets/Forts

Diskikes:

Abuse

Fighting

Yelling

Death

Angels

Hobbies:

Sewing

Collecting Stickers

Collecting Crystals

Writing

Reading

Fears:

Losing his loved ones

His life to angels. (Castiel or Lute)

Rejection

Trivia:

Lucian has a pet hellhound/wolf (feral wolf)

Named: Storm

Favorite Animal on earth: Frog

Favorite Drink: Blue Raspberry Juice, Dr. Pepper, Orange Juice, and Chocolate Milk

Favorite Foods: Tacos and Chili

Goals: To save others and to escape Castiel hold on him.

If you like to know more. Just ask.

I do write stories, songs, poems, rp/role-playing.

Canon and Fanon ships. Yee!!!

Art is by my partner. Their name is (TimidLittlePupen/LittlePupen) CrystalLunaStark

[flightofaqrow]

Five of those bird magic headcanons!

I’m just going to take this as license to give as many as I want, because I haven’t talked about the actual magic side of things much yet!

Ozpin bestowing the twins his magic was a graduation gift of sorts. Or maybe more like their first job offer. He began discussing it with them and slowly revealing darker truths in team STRQ's fourth year, when they were already taking on relevant field missions, proving their worth. Many conversations between the twins and their closest teammates (detailed) and friends (vaguer, and ...given Raven had any) occurred, similar to the Pyrrah/Jaune convo we saw. [this is on the rp wishlist btw] Qrow was nervous but all about it. Raven had her doubts from the start but at the very least, wasn’t about to pass up a chance at something to make her more powerful.

.

Receiving the magic was a process of infusing some of Ozma’s essence (just magic itself? his own aura? are they the same in Humanity 1.0? unclear) into the twin’s aura, much like how we saw Fria to Penny and Penny to Winter pass on the maiden powers. This didn’t leave any visible markings - except for those that would be able to read those extra pieces of aura woven into their own (though I’m willing to bend this for any Ravens that hc otherwise). 

.

It could have been as simple as those scenes as well, but Ozpin made it a (small but special) ceremony because the Branwen Twins Are Dramatic and Extra and also the tribe was big on rituals so this made it more comfortable. Oz also wanted to drive home the unique gift, the sanctity and importance of what he was doing. They had time for such pomp back then...

.

It didn’t hurt. Not the initiation. The first few changes, however, were excruciating. Human and bird aura were now intertwined - the mortal coil of life existing in each pocket of spacetime recognized both forms, but the actual DNA, body systems, physical form took some convincing to, well, shift its shape. It required time and practice and training with Ozpin to make it happen as fast, as smoothly, as effortless as it does now, and to learn how to move and how to fly in a whole new body. 

.

qrow learned to fly first, and took to it quite naturally after the first few bumps.

.

As the aura was merged, so eventually, did bits of each physical form overlap. The birds have an easier time talking, higher level thoughts, movements beyond instinctual, anthropomorphic projections and colors they might not normally; qrow has feathered hair and oil glands, urges to eat bugs and steal shinies, the ability to see more shades of red and feel changes in the sky, to name a few of each. Raven never told qrow what, if any, changes she felt. She was already gone by the time he noticed his. This does not make them separate beings or brains (though qrow sometimes references it that way), just different forms of consciousness.

.

It makes qrow, at least, something of an honorary faunus. And didn’t all those origin tales speak of their creation as the meeting of human and special magic, after all? There does seem to be a limit to the physical changes, but each form continues to learn from each other over time.

.

The twin’s shapeshifting is hereditary. Ozpin did not make it this way intentionally, but like the maiden powers and Ozma’s curse, the magic wants to live on. Unlike the maiden powers, it was bound specifically to two people. However, playing around with aura and DNA so closely means the magic can recognize and bind to other but only Branwen blood. Being a faunus makes this more likely, since it also gives the magic an animal form to cling to and possibly other magic to merge with, if those creation tales have any truth. This also means a form other than a bird is possible. And really, none of them know any of this. [I fold to Ozpin rpers if they veto this one, but the one or two I’ve talked to so far have given it their blessing.]

(As far as we’re aware, Yang did not inherit it. ...But maybe she should try?)