#he's so 90s anime love interest coded

[r--kt]

Do you like Kakashi's dogs? Let's talk about why there are eight of them.

another example of naruto's ✨cultural code✨

contents | the eight dog warriors chronicles · legacy · eight confucian virtues. also look at the cuties love them sm

Naruto Vol. 10 CH 90

[ one dog is wonderful, I'm saying as the owner of a sweet little york terrier. two dogs are good, they won't be bored together. three dogs? yeah, cool! how are you going to walk them though? four? yes... look, maybe we have to draw the line h- wha- EIGHT? Excuse Me!? ]

surely, it's worth starting with the fact that eight is a lucky number in Japanese culture — everybody watched Hachi. of course, this is not the only cultural detail where the eight is mentioned. I want to pay special attention to a thing that I didn't know about until I googled it, and this is clearly what Kishimoto was doing homage to with Kakashi's eight ninken.

The Eight Dog Warriors Chronicles

Better known as Nansō Satomi Hakkenden. and it's not just some kind of book, it's a novel, consisting of 106 booklets written by Kyokutei Bakin in XIX century. Hakkenden is considered the largest novel in the history of Japanese Literature. this is one of the main representatives of the gesaku genre, which includes works of a frivolous, joking, silly nature. further I will emphasize a few more times how damn popular this work is and how often it is reflected in culture.

here are some illustrations for these books

now let's talk about the plot. It's weird, but it's weird at samurai-dogs-story level so stay here.

In brief, the story tells about the commander Satomi Yoshizane, whose native lands were attacked by the army of a man, whose forces surpassed those of Satomi, and the samurai in despair swore to a dog named Yatsufusa that the dog would get his beloved daughter Fuse as a wife if he chewed that man's throat. surprisingly, the dog not only understood the owner, but also fulfilled his wish! after that the commander refused to keep the promise. however, Fuse, true to her word of honor, went with Yatsufusa to the mountains and became his wife. upon learning that his daughter was pregnant, Satomi, in a rage, sent a samurai to kill Yatsufusa and bring Fuse home. she stood up for the dog anyways and died with him. at that moment, eight pearls with hieroglyphs that denoted the foundations of Confucian virtue burst out of her womb. (...cheers for mythology, I guess)

Soon, eight dog warriors who were Fuse's spiritual children were born in different parts of Awa province. after going through hardships, they got together and became vassals of the Satomi clan, then won the battle, and soon reached peace.

some more illustrations made by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. from left to right: Inukawa Sōsuke (the dog warrior), Inumura Daikaku (the dog warrior), Princess Fuse (their mother).

the novel mainly tells about each individual warrior dog and his shenanigans in a funny adventurous way. huge fame has led to excerpts from Hakkenden being staged at the Kabuki Theater and mentioned in the anime and manga, such as Inuyasha, Dragon Ball, as it turned out, Naruto and so on. there's also a lot of films and video games.

The eight virtues

these are loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, love, honesty, justice, harmony, and peace.

they relate more to Chinese culture, but basically Hakkenden was inspired by it too. since I did not read the whole novel, I would still like to mention at least the values on which it is based, and which were embedded in the symbolism of this story. It's quite interesting to apply this to Kakashi's dogs. gives them more weight and depth.

It is also interesting to note that the reason why Fuse gave birth to dogs was also that her father was cursed earlier in the story in a way that his descendants would become depraved like dogs. in Japanese culture, dogs embody the duality of character: the same mentioned filth and depravity, and devotion and bravery. so as samurai. but this is a different conversation, more related to Kakashi and his dog poetry.

Did you get here? Here's an additional discovery for you✨

Pakkun's name (パックン) is derived from the Japanese onomatopoeia “pakupaku” (パクパク) which reflects the sound of munching.

Kakashi, that's very sweet of you.

thank you for reading this to the end ♡

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

˗ˏˋ Arthur Morgan Modern!AU Headcanons ´ˎ˗

To answer this ask from the lovely @crystalofmoon19 , I got to think a bit more deeply about what a modern!AU Arthur could be. This absolutely stunning Arthur pic is from @arthurmorgan-vp!

JOB ´ˎ˗

Has a job that means a lot to him and is totally dedicated when doing it.

Arthur flourishes when helping others. I saw a Chartur fanart that portrayed him as a nurse and god I love this idea. He's emotionally VERY tough, making him efficient even in difficult and stressful times when a patient's life is in his hands. He's also a practical person who needs to have a concrete, manual aspect in his work. On top of that, we have the whole "service to society" aspect.

Police officer could also fit this dynamic. (I know it's pretty ironic considering he's a criminal in the canon but it's one of these jobs where he could put his strength into action to help others).

Also, without the need to survive and do criminal acts, with a caring family who could push him in the right ways, he also could have a job in arts. Arthur canonically is a curious and inventive person, he draws every little thing he finds interesting around him and cares for places, characters and events most people wouldn’t. I could picture him as an illustrator/concept artist. Or tattoo artist too? Why not.

HOBBIES ´ˎ˗

Sooooo artsy.

If he works at the hospital, he needs to have a sketchbook to just write and draw like in the canon. With other mediums being way more accessible nowadays, I think he could also paint and even sculpt from time to time.

Art helps him to get dark thoughts out of his head and focus on something when life gets hard.

However, if he already works in an artsy field, I think he would need to get up and move after a whole day sitting and would love to just go jogging, hiking, and taking long walks in nature. A combat sport could also do the work, as Arthur has an important code of honor: a discipline like Judo or Wrestling could help him get all his pent-up energy out while respecting his opponent; boxing could work too.

100% have a Polaroid and takes pictures of good times and his close ones every chance he gets. His bedroom/apartment is full of objects that carry an emotional value to him.

MODERN THINGS HE LIKES ´ˎ˗

Barbecues.

Would wear the ugliest apron and cap while doing them btw. And doesn't see what the problem is.

Classical rock music and vinyl. Thinking about Led Zepplin, The Stones, The Doors. Vintage music all the way. Has a secret soft spot for Lady Gaga though. Don't tell John. And (not-so) hot take, it's Hosea who introduces him to his old blues and rock records (Dutch prefers Jazz music.)

Camping and long hiking trips. Trekking when he feels really adventurous.

Going to the cinema. (100% eats salty popcorn and messes with John during the film if it's a family outing.)

In modern days Arthur would have been born in 1988. This means he was a '90s kid: he fondly remembers VHS tapes, baggy jeans, his old PlayStation One, maybe watching the first episodes of Pokémon, too. He's canonically such a nostalgic.

Would 100% make his own mix on cassette tapes btw

Flannels. I picture him with comfy rather than fancy clothes. He would also have a big leather jacket or vintage bomber for winter. And a leather bag like this one where important work papers are mixed with random trinkets found on his hikes.

RANDOM LITTLE FACTS ´ˎ˗

Arthur is so messy (I mean look at his tent). His car (Hosea's old one) is also a complete mess, cups, leftovers from meals, CDs, work stuff and random objects cover every possible inch of it.

Talking about it, looooves to drive. Totally do it with one hand on the wheel. And with good music ofc. (He would put his other hand on your thigh)

Has a dog. Or wants one deeply. A big one. And he definitely wants a lot of animals once he has a bigger house with you.

I said he could be a tattoo artist. I think he would have a tattoo, of an animal. Of course, we as a fandom thinks of the deer, but it has to be something meaningful to him. Maybe the animal who inspires him the most, or one they have seen in the wild with John during a walk in the woods.

Arthur is not a good cook. Buys a lot of food telling himself this time, he will succeed at making this damn dish. Biggest mess ever, ingredients everywhere on the floor, the walls, his body and hair. Pure chaos. Everything burns. Kitchen ends up on fire. Uses the internet as last hope, tries to watch as many tutorials as possible but it doesn't help+his phone ends up covered in egg white, flour, and wet ingredients. Throws away the food and gives up, orders a pizza.

Repeat previous paragraph every time he wants to try a new dish he saw somewhere.

(The phone is okay because he has the strongest and largest phone case ever. The kind of enormous one made to protect phones in building zones, for his hikes. It's pitch black.)

Overall I'd say a Modern!AU Arthur would probably be a bit happier even though still very nostalgic and melancholic at times (without the constant need to run away and kill people, his mental health would be much better.)

Important disclaimer: these are my personal thoughts, they could totally be shitty, I'm not at all claiming this is the absolute truth about him. A character is always subject to a personal interpretation, therefore anyone could picture him differently! Btw, I would love to hear your thoughts about it!

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked my silly little ideas.

I'm thinking about doing a part.2 where we could dive into his habits, his relationships with family, friends and s/o and other little fun facts. Let me know if I should! -Pine 🌱

[alice-makes-things]

Inspired by a conversation I recently had with friends, here is my “The JellyCat Orca Is Trans Masc and Non-Binary” theory.

(as you read this, bear in mind that I am neurodivergent and at the age of 6 my special interest was orcas)

If you’re not familiar with the JellyCat brand, they’re a British plush toy company that first became popular in the late 90s / early 00s but have recently skyrocketed in sales due to strong TikTok social media presence during the pandemic. They do cute and quirky plushes of everything from cute baby toys to stuffed animals to fruits and veggies to tacos and sushi. They’re all very soft and snuggly and a sensory delight. I’ve never owned one myself, because they’re extremely expensive, but if you enter any gift shop in this country there will be a JellyCat there somewhere.

Anyway, each of these toys are given a name and a little personality - think TY’s Beanie Babies, if you’re old enough to remember those. Anyway, enter Ollivander the Orca, who for the purposes of this post I will use he/they pronouns for:

I met Ollivander in a Blackheath gift shop a few months ago and was delighted by their existence but alas could not afford them. Now, for my theory.

Ollivander strikes me as a very masc-coded name. Like, it’s basically two traditionally male names smashed together (Oliver, Alexander), like somebody couldn’t decide between two names and just said screw it, why not both. The thing is, Ollivander has the ‘wrong’ markings for a male orca - compared to his body size, he has a small, curved dorsal fin, with no saddle markings at the base. Male orcas have tall, straight dorsal fins, with prominent grey saddle markings at the base (unless held prisoner by certain unethical US marine parks). Here’s a picture for comparison:

(for the orca nerds out there, I’m leaving out too many resident / transient orca dorsal fin comparisons here, because I think these are difficult to replicate in a stuffed animal; also Ollivander’s saddle markings are non-existent so there’s not much to compare there)

Compare Ollivander to Hamley’s Kai, or IKEA’s Blåvingad, who both have tall pointy dorsal fins, which indicate they are male:

Anyway, when my neurospicy self excitedly bounded up to the orca plush in the aforementioned gift shop, I was under the assumption Ollivander was a female orca - until I saw their name and description, which I believe is the same as on the JellyCat website:

There are no gendered pronouns in this label (which I love, because children should be able to gender their beloved toys however which way they like). So from then on, my own personal head canon became that Ollivander is a trans masc orca whale who couldn’t decide between the names Oliver and Alexander, and they use he/they pronouns. I love them and can never afford them, lol.

Anyway thank you for indulging my silly neurodivergent rant about orca plushies and their various gender identities.

[koalatysleep]

YYH is actually a LGBTQ romantic tragic comedy masterfully told through subtext

In a nutshell, Canon uses very sophisticated show-don't-tell techniques to SHOW us Yusuke and Kuwabara are in love with each other, while outright TELLING us the narrative misdirection that they're supposedly in love with Keiko & Yukina (almost every canon character mistakenly thinks this & tells us this deliberate misdirection), so much so that even Yusuke and Kuwabara themselves believed the other really is in love with their supposed female love interests!

Canon had to use such show-don't-tell techniques + misdirection in order to sneak in the Kuwameshi Love Story in 90's Japanese mainstream media where there's no tolerance for outright LGBTQ representation, especially in its heroes, but it's been more than 30 years after YYH was first created, so it's a frigging tragedy if people still think the love story is between the two heroes and their supposed female love interests who are barely in the story other than as narrative misdirections, so LET'S PEEL BACK THE LAYERS AND DIVE INTO THE HEART OF THINGS!

As always, proper meta with proof points, screencaps & larger canon context at this Kuwameshi meta series on AO3!

The latest addition to the series Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - Kuwabara's Retreat from Love is now up!

Now on to the post that sums up the romantic tragi-comedy of YYH!

In the above heartbreaking scene where Yusuke silently says goodbye to Kuwabara, Yusuke is wearing the same green jacket that he had on during Genkai's succession trials, when Yusuke and Kuwabara had their Arcade Date as per the Kuwameshi undercover love story meta, and both realized they're falling in love with each other 😭😭😭😭

Yusuke's sartorial choices had gradually matured throughout the series until we saw him wearing more grown up clothes such as this dashing ensemble just before the heartbreaking goodbye scene:

So the sudden reversion to the green jacket is a deliberate choice by Anime Studio Pierrot to tell us that this heartbreaking scene is Yusuke saying a romantic farewell to Kuwabara 😭😭😭😭.

In fact, Yusuke is wearing the exact same ensemble he had on after he first came back to life post car accident (green jacket with yellow vest over red flannel), when the first thing he did was to save Kuwabara's cat in a really sweet romantic gesture as per the Kuwameshi undercover love story meta. This symbolizes how Yusuke is now at the start of another journey just like he was after his first revival post car accident, and foreshadows how he'll promise Kuwabara to check in on him first thing after Yusuke comes back from the Makai, to see whether Kuwa got into the school he's aiming for, as a way to tell us Kuwa'll still be Yusuke's romantic interest even after the Makai separation. But I digress!!

To recap, when we last saw this green jacket, it was when Yusuke and Kuwabara first went all out to show off for each other in peak courting behavior :

This was when Yusuke initiated their first hug!!! Look at Yusuke throwing himself bodily at Kuwabara!!!

This was when Yusuke outright tried to kill Rando for hurting Kuwabara!! It's worthwhile to note Yusuke doesn't actually outright want to kill anyone else, apart from Toguro, because that was the only way to stop him! Both times are because Kuwa's hurt!! (Yusuke didn't want to kill that territory arc Dr Kamiya either, until he was forced to do so to save the entire hospital who were on verge of dying). This tells us that Kuwa is so important to Yusuke that Yusuke would actually break his own moral code (to avoid killing), if it was for Kuwa!!! This is canon literally showing us Yusuke would do anything for Kuwa!

As per play-by-play proof points in The Chocolate Shake Date meta, after Genkai's succession trials when Yusuke started to realize his romantic feelings for Kuwabara, it's implied that he phoned Kuwabara for what he hoped was a 1-1 date, and Yusuke was actually trying to get Kuwabara alone all throughout that hilarious fiasco after Keiko unknowingly became the third wheel by crashing Yusuke's hoped-for date with Kuwabara after she bumped into Yusuke by pure chance!

Coupled with the fact that Yusuke was seriously creeped out by Keiko trying to kiss his unconscious body when he was still a spirit + the fact that Yusuke has never shown any romantic interest in any girl + many more canon proof points that I will add to the meta series in the future + the fact that my canon may have vastly different dialogue/meaning from your canon, I read Yusuke as gay (but feel free to interpret Yusuke as whatever orientation floats your boat, I just personally read him as gay as per the canon versions I got & reasons stated in meta).

Yusuke was always in love with Kuwabara from the start, which is why Yusuke was actually romantically pursuing Kuwabara in The Chocolate Shake Date!

Unfortunately Keiko's romantic interest in Yusuke (which was not reciprocated by Yusuke) threw a spanner into the works and prevented Yusuke from getting together with Kuwabara all throughout canon, as symbolized & foreshadowed by Keiko crashing The Chocolate Shake Date! (sorry Keiko, but I have faith you eventually figured it out & moved on happier!)

Thus, even though Kuwabara got an inkling that Yusuke may not be romantically interested in Keiko during The Chocolate Shake Date and Kuwabara started romantically pursuing Yusuke all throughout the 4 beasts arc as per proof points in Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - Kuwabara's Retreat from Love, Kuwabara mistakenly thought Yusuke was in love with Keiko after Yusuke gave his life to save the girls from Suzaku. That's right, Kuwa's 'prank' on Yusuke about the girls not making it post-Suzaku-fight was actually Kuwa testing Yusuke to see his unfiltered reactions so Kuwa could ascertain one last time how Yusuke really feels about Keiko! Unfortunately Kuwa mistook Yusuke's panic for the girls as romantic love for Keiko,

And so Kuwa Retreated from Love with Yusuke so he doesn't get in the way of what he thought was reciprocal romantic love between Yusuke and Keiko (just like he offered to let them be alone during The Chocolate Shake Date), because that's how nobly and selflessly Kuwa loves Yusuke - he wants him to be happy even if it breaks his own heart,

And thereafter Kuwa throws himself at Yukina as a way to try to get over his heartbreak and to process/express his emotions for Yusuke which he thinks he cannot show Yusuke (Denial & Transference are hallmarks of Kuwa's psyche),

Which prompted Yusuke to think Kuwabara really was in love with Yukina, and so Yusuke Retreated from Love with Kuwa because Yusuke is also a noble idiot in love who wants Kuwa to be happy even if it breaks his heart,

And even though they each got an inkling after the events of the Dark Tournament that the other might be in love with them, and they're almost on the verge of stopping their Retreat from Love with each other, especially Yusuke,

Sensui hit them with his shit and Yusuke sacrificed himself nobly so he can save Kuwa, all his friends and the entire human realm, and even though this is when Kuwa finally breaks through his Denial and his Transference which are hallmarks of Kuwa's psyche and outright admits that Yusuke's the one he's been in love with from the beginning as per proof points in It's All in the Eyes + Denial is a river that runs long and deep meta,

Yusuke was reborn as a Mazoku who is so much stronger than Kuwa felt he could ever become as a human (Kuwa has felt inadequate since 4 beasts arc), that Kuwa felt he could no longer protect Yusuke against the S-class opponents he'd face, and since fighting to protect Yusuke was one of the reasons (in Kuwa's mind) that Kuwa could 'legitimately' be with Yusuke even though he's supposed to give Yusuke space with Keiko (because fighting to protect Yusuke is something that Kuwa could do for Yusuke that Keiko can't), and so Kuwa Retreated from Love again, this time into studying,

While Yusuke knows he cannot afford to lose Kuwa after having lost Kuwa in the Dark Tournament and nearly a second time to Sensui, and at this point in time Yusuke just felt that he's Bad News for the one he loves (Kuwa), he only puts Kuwa in danger and stress, and he can't keep Kuwa safe from an unknown S-class ancestor demon who could take over Yusuke's mind at any time, just like he felt he failed to protect Kuwa against Toguro and Sensui,

And so Yusuke Retreats from Love yet again and goes alone to the Makai in this heartbreaking goodbye scene, even though his yearning and longing for Kuwabara to be with him is SO FUCKING PALPABLE I FELT IT IN MY HEART WHILE WATCHING THIS EVEN BEFORE I CLUED INTO KUWAMESHI!!!!

FUCKING HELL!!!! WHY ARE THESE TWO IDIOTS SO FUCKING NOBLE IN LOVE?!??!??!

And that in a nutshell is how our two idiots in love are in a romantic tragi-comedy all throughout canon!!!!!!

WHAT I WOULDN"T GIVE TO SEE YUSUKE AND KUWABARA GET TOGETHER I TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the Kuwameshi Meta Series if you wanna, because I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SCREAM ENOUGH ABOUT THESE TWO!!!!!!

If you'd like to see them fulfill their romantic potential with each other in fic, check out The Good Fight which guarantees a much more satisfying narrative than the bittersweet one we got in canon!

Not that I'm complaining about canon, because IT IS FUCKING MASTERFUL I TELL YOU! So much so that it managed to sneak in one of the greatest love story of all time under the radar in uber conservative 90's Japan mainstream media where LGBTQ love stories were not allowed any representation, and it did it in such a rich subtextual way that holds up to the most stringent literary analysis and character analysis, that most heteronormative audiences over the past 30+ years since YYH was created still doesn't realize the real love story is between Yusuke and Kuwabara!!!

Now, THAT is Great ART! 😭😭

❤️❤️🌈🌈🐦🐦❤️❤️🌈🌈🐦🐦

[villainessprefect]

~Tell It to My Heart~

title: Commencement

Prompt #1: Being too afraid to confess during the school year, so you wait until graduation.

Idia x gn!reader

Read on AO3

"You're going to do it, right, Idia?" Ortho asks as he hovers beside his brother.

"Do what?" He asks. For once his focus isn't on playing a game, but rather coding one. With that, he doesn't notice the smile in his brother's voice nor the mischievous glint that sparks in his eyes.

"Confess to the Prefect!"

Idia is glad that he hadn't gone for his energy drink because it would have spilled everywhere. The sudden declaration makes his hair flare for a second and tests the code when it's not done. It ends up in a loop, crashing. Ortho had done more damage than a final boss doing his signature move could ever hope to do.

"Wh-Why would I do that? It's so cringe and n-normie! Besides, the Prefect has other options...they'd never pick me."

"I know they would," Ortho reassures. Idia lets out a sigh and he can't tell if it's his brother's endless optimism or the fact that he can't recall when he last saved his work. "I've analyzed their reactions and heart rate whenever you're together. The chances of you two becoming more involved are 90%! Please, I know if you just ask then you two can be happy."

"Not happening."

He picks up from where he left off with his code as if he were never interrupted. But his focus doesn't last long, not when his mind lingers on Ortho's bluntness about his feelings. Pah! As if he would ever admit those aloud. Not in a million years. No matter how much Ortho pestered him, he wouldn't- couldn't do it.

No matter how many times he's dreamt of the scenario or even dared to practice in front of his PC. The amount of times he's tried to mimic those dating sims and tried to sound as cool as a love interest is truly embarrassing. The memories make him cringe.

He's a weirdo, he knows this. You know this. The whole damn school knows this. He's a shut-in who barely has any friends let alone a love interest. It's a miracle that he even has you.

Those stupid feelings for you should have disappeared a long time ago. They blossomed before he could even realize it. You just had to waltz into this world and steal his heart- just like a true MC! But what was he to you in your life? An NPC you were fond of? A passing friend who would be forgotten soon? He doesn't dare to think of himself as anything more to you.

You should have gone home. At least, a part of him hopes you would have by now. That way he could bury those feelings in his heart and get over this lovestruck phase. He could find comfort in an anime character who was just like you and be fine with that. But you've pretty much settled on staying in this world. And that's a scary thought.

You were going to remain in the same world as him.

And his feelings for you would never disappear.

"Ortho?"

Idia doesn't want to confess and lose...whatever it is you have. Friendship, he guesses? It's...nice. To have someone that he can spend time with. Someone who isn't his brother and can get along with him too! It's something he didn't think he was capable of having.

Yet, he fears losing you to someone else. Anyone could snatch you up. Even the weakest soul that walked the school grounds was stronger than him. At least they had the courage to be out there while he found safety in his room. It's pathetic, he knows...

"Yes?"

But it can't be like this forever, can it? He can't keep cowering away despite how easy it may be. Fighting against fate is pointless, he can't win.

But he can try. All he needs to do is take the first step.

"M-Maybe I will...b-but under one condition!"

Graduation.

That is when he would confess. Idia finds the timing to be good considering he missed the other holiday events. Plus he has time to prepare (and test his theory if you're really staying in this world or not). And if everything goes to hell, well, he won't be here to deal with it! He could flub his confession and go home and never have to deal with that or you, again! Even if he loses, he wins.

If only graduation hadn't come sooner than he thought. It's only thanks to Ortho's enthusiasm does he remember that 'promise' he made to him. His face instantly pales at the reminder and how he's been neglecting to prepare for the upcoming day. Grinding in his games was always a priority but they've been put even higher when learning he has to appear in person to get his diploma before leaving this place for good. Ugh. Seriously? Couldn't they just send it to him digitally? No? Figures.

The day of graduation feels quite surreal. For the most part, he's blanked out. Unimportant NPCs were called one by one for their flimsy piece of paper and a handshake from Crowley. It was a painstakingly, extensive ceremony. He never liked his surname thanks to the curse it brought, but now he disliked it even more due to the fact how low it was on the list. His curse loved screwing him over in more ways than one, it seems.

It's not surprising that Idia disappears the moment the diploma is in his hands and he's free from Crowley's hand. He played his part and now he has no reason to remain there. Even if teachers barked at him to stay, did it matter? He was a student here no longer.

Idia finds solace in the courtyard. It's empty and devoid of life. Everyone is crowded at the ceremony, waiting for the final names to be called. The cheers of celebration for this event is heard even from here. Good for them.

"Idia?"

"Eek!" The blue-haired boy squeaks at the call of his name. He jumps and practically squeezes that flimsy piece of paper in his hands like a lifeline. When he sees that it's you, he lets out a breath. Just for a moment, he is calm. Then he realizes, it's you.

"P-Prefect? What are you doing here?! You're not...watching the rest of the ceremony?"

"I came to look for you," you answer with a soft smile. So warm and comforting. It's hard to believe you don't have magic when you make him feel at ease with just a smile. "I figured you would leave and asked Ortho to tell me where you went. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Ah, Ortho..." He shouldn't be surprised. "I, uh, I'm okay. Better now that I'm away from...there."

"The ceremony is nice and all, but...there really are a lot of people. I'm just glad no one ruined it," you laugh.

"Planning to ruin another ceremony?" He scoffs, a playful grin itching on his face. "You could have showed up on stage with Grim."

"Maybe for my graduation, I'll do something like that. You can be there to see it too."

"Y-Yeah...I will." He agrees before properly processing his answer. Of course, he would go to see you graduate. It would be under the guise of doing it for Ortho, but for you two...he thinks he could brave the crowd. Well, he'd be all the way in the back near the closest exit and be watching you both up close with a drone while he's avoiding the crowd, but he'd be there.

Silence falls between you. It's not unwelcome, but Idia has the looming sensation of dread hanging over him. He made a promise to Ortho and he wants to keep it. Even if it makes him feel like he's going to pass out. If he's going to be a good older brother, he has to do this. For him and Ortho.

"I'm going to miss you."

"Eh?"

You're the one to break the silence first. Your gaze lifts towards the sky, eyes on who knows what. Idia catches a glimpse of how your smile has fallen from your lips.

"I kinda dreaded graduation. It means losing out on my older friends, sort of. I know no one is leaving for good, but you're going to be busy with your family business, right? I don't know if you'll have time for me, but...I'd still like to keep in touch with you."

His face burns upon hearing your words. It feels like you're the one making a move on him! You totally are, right? Right?! Wait, was Ortho seriously right this whole time? No, no. It's too early to tell.

"Y-Yes!" He squeaks out, again. He's happy to have given a verbal response and see your face light up.

Idia opens his mouth to continue speaking but finds his voice lost. A hand reaches out to pull out his tablet hidden in his robes. It's kept in his hands with a firm grasp as he thinks how easy it would be to convey his feelings through it. But that's so lame. Who confesses via tablet when you're literally right in front of each other?

"You okay?" You ask.

Idia gives a quick nod. His gaze is focused on the tablet, looking at the reflection of himself through it. His flames capture his attention and he can see the tints of pink giving his feelings away. He doesn't like how he looks. Pathetic. Weak. Cowardly. It's times like this when he would just run and lose everything. Things would be so much easier if life were a game.

He forces his head up and takes in the surroundings. The courtyard is still empty aside from you two. There's a slight breeze that causes your hair to sway in the wind. The setting sun is casting an orange glow upon the world and on you, caressing your face with a gentle glow. If only there were cherry blossoms, this would be a peak anime scene. The normal tree behind him has to do the stand-in job for it. Video games may show the ideal, but this...isn't such a bad cutscene.

"I...have something I want to say to you," Idia gulps. All he has to do is be the MC he was meant to be! Er- love interest! If he can do this in a game, he can do this IRL. Easy peasy.

You don't rush him. You're patient. Always being kind and letting him take his time to formulate his words. To be considerate, makes his heart warm, especially with the way you're looking at him.

"I just have to pick the right dialogue options," he mutters to himself. He takes in a breath and hides his tablet. "I've been wanting to tell you how I feel...a-about you. That I really like you as a person. You're not like the rest of the normies, you're actually pr-pretty cool. And I wouldn't mind you being in my life longer than them." His voice cracks and he lets out a whine. He wishes for these robes to have hoods so he could hide. "I-Is that good enough? I think I messed this up...just KO me already, please."

Now the silence feels like it's chipping away at his HP. The lack of response is more threatening than anything before. He doesn't even have the courage to look at you. Not until he feels warmth against his cold hand. It's yours atop his.

"It's good enough. I just have one thing to say." You wait for your eyes to meet. Those golden eyes full of fear hide their true beauty. "Will you wait for me?"

"Wait...?"

"Wait for me until I graduate. So I can be with you."

"O-Of course! Wait...Wait- You want to be with me?!"

"I do. You're one of the most important people here to me. I want to stay with you, Idia."

A pathetic noise escapes him. Even he's surprised by the sound he makes. It's not a cheer or a yes, but something akin to a joyful cheap. This was definitely not the outcome he was expecting, but it was the best one he could have had.

"Just promise to come to visit every now and then, okay? If not, I'll get Ortho to drag you here," you chuckle. "Even if you're busy, make time for us."

"I will!"

"Thank you." You squeeze his hand. "We should probably celebrate your graduation- and us."

[penn-dragon]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

This is such a sweet question I would love to!

These are in no particular order because my level of passion for them changes depending on my current hyperfixation, and I’m limiting myself to one character per media but giving honorable mentions because I tend to love two or three characters almost equally

1. Monkey D. Luffy!!! (Honorable mention: Zoro and Sanji)

One Piece holds a special place in my heart. I watched it on 4kids when I was growing up and it was the first anime I watched as a teenager. Luffy is so so so important to me as a character. I got myself through the worst parts of teendom by imagining that if he was real Luffy would love me. He’s such a warm, loving, and joyous character. He’s Joyboy!!! He came into the world without a family and so he made his own and that’s so special, the message that no one in this world is born to be alone and somewhere out there someone or ones will love you and fight for you. And on top of all this he’s an aroace king!!!

2. Mogami Kyoko -Skip Beat!

Kyoko was my Girl Crush™️ in high school. I remember telling my best friend “yeah if I was gay I’d date Kyoko” LMAO. Beyond that there’s just something so special to me about reading this manga over and over, watching this girl—who only knew how to live to make her existence as palatable to other people as possible—grow into herself and find her own passions and loves as she heals from the abuses she’s dealt with her whole life. (Just looking up images of her made me want to reread the whole manga)

3. Peter Parker (Honorable mention: Harry Osborn)

Spider-Man is an OG, a forever love. No matter how many years go by I’ll always circle back around to Spider-Man. I love him and his pain and his Anger Issues™️ and his iron-clad morality. The people’s hero, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He’s also responsible for coding my brain to always gravitate towards the comic relief characters. I love a jokester who quips through dangerous situations.

4. Yosuke Hanamura - Persona 4

So I always joke that a majority of my favorite characters fall into one of two categories. 1. Hides their insecurities behind jokes/false bravado, and 2. Internalized homophobia/in love with best friend. And the characters I go FERAL for have both. Yosuke Hanamura is one of the both. I love a comic relief character!!! I love a man that’s hopelessly in love with his best friend but won’t admit it because he’s terrified of the implications!!! When I played this game for the first time, like most people, I was SO MAD THAT I COULDN’T DATE YOSUKE. 90% of the time when I play I don’t end up dating anyone because I refuse to deny the protag his one true love lmao. Yosuke and Yu also have the bonus of being my first ever gay ship. Their love is so powerful it pierced through my own internalized homophobia lol!!

5. Din Djarin -The Mandalorian (Honorable mention: Luke Skywalker)

I’m out here projecting so much onto this man!!!! He’s autistic, he’s asexual, he’s Traumatized. My other category of favorite characters is “Stoic Dad who learns to love again through a pseudo child figure” so he’s right up that alley. The man responsible for finally getting me into Star Wars after 27 years of having absolutely no interest.

6. Virgil Hawkins!! - Static Shock (Honorable mention: Richie Foley)

The way I waited with baited breath for every Static Shock episode as a child. It’s still one of my favorite shows, I own all 4 seasons on DvD and cherish them. I love Virgil so much!! He taught me about diversity! He’s such a lovable character and it makes the show an absolute delight to watch no matter how dated some parts of it get. The show does such a wonderful job balancing Virgil’s super heroics as Static with the heroics of every day life and it’s so endearing.

7. Oliver -Space Boy (Honorable mention: Amy)

Oliver is definitely the most niche character on this list (which is a crying shame please PLEASE read Space Boy on Webtoon it will chemically change your brain.) I’m just so attached to him. I feel so much for him and his story. If I could give him the biggest hug I would in an instant. “Take away his humanity and you can ignore his pain. Define him as a tool and you can justify using him.”

9. Rex Salazar - Generator Rex

Oh maaaaaan I love this asshole teenager!! I’m soooo obsessed with characters who get dehumanized for the sake of using their abilities like a tool and not a person. Re: the above Space Boy quote. The aesthetic of this show is so cool! (Also hello character who hides their insecurity behind false bravado.)

8. Aang - Avatar the Last Airbender (Honorable mention: Zuko)

Oh Aang… My sweet boy… my beloved… He imparted so much wisdom to me growing up… and also taught me it’s okay to have fun. I’ll always love him so much. There’s so much to rant about Avatar but it would take three hours.

10. Yugi Mutou - Yu-Gi-Oh! (Honorable mention: Atem)

I related to Yugi SO MUCH as a kid. He’s just a little weirdo who loves games and craves friendship more than anything. Honestly Yugi might have been the character I most strongly related to when I was young. I remember feeling swells of happiness when people would say nice things about Yugi as a character because it felt like they were saying nice things about me too.

[dukeofdelirium]

https://www.tumblr.com/dukeofdelirium/760911562701701120/do-you-just-have-those-characters-that-you-see?source=share

You're so real for this...2024 and I still see people said, "Aw how cute it is between Light and Misa or (any female characters)...."

See, even for someone who don't really like shipping, since the first I watch Death Note anime, then read the manga, I can't get it if people don't ship Light with L...

When I found your blog : Lawlight & Kataang shipper, yes? Kindred spirit...See, when I tell people I ship Kataang, most people will be 😁😆🥰🤩 but then I said I'm Lawlight shipper, people be like 😑😭🙁☹

Like, why people can't love 2 very different ships, right?

So, in ATLA, are you Zuko/Mai or Zuko/Sokka shipper or neither? Why?

Right?? I don’t get it fr. Shipping Light with Misa specifically is like.. LMFAO I CANTTTT he literally hates her so much but it isn’t even that he hates her, he actively avoids all sorts of intimacy with her and when he Does do something, he only does so to continue using her as a pawn. I mean, the only reason he even kept her alive was bc he didn’t have a choice in the first place bc of Rem. And like, his avoidance and internal rejection of her and other women isn’t even a “Kira” thing, bc he still did so when he was memoryless and we also know he avoided dating girls pre death note/Kira persona bc he said he was “waiting until college” etc. So there’s a clear canonical pattern of Light avoiding romantic relationships with women. Which on its own would be like ok whatever, but at the same time there is a clear pattern of an active interest in male characters even when they are equal to the female characters such as Takada vs Mikami. There’s also the fact he shows no discomfort whenever L touches him specifically during Yotsuba arc, and also the fact that in the manga he asked one of his friends to send him a holiday card to which his friend replied “I only send them to girls” which is essentially stating this is a romantic gesture and Light did just ask for it.

I mean, I could go on and on but there is quite a lot of gay coding going on in the manga and then of course in the anime and subsequent DN adaptations (minus the Netflix movie that we shall pretend doesn’t exist)

I don’t rlly get the hatred toward Lawlight tbh? It’s pretty weird, because their relationship is like… 90% of the appeal of Death Note imo. But to each their own I suppose. Personally, I just think there is a lot of canonical justification and intentional gay coding/subtext to warrant it.

If Ohba didn’t want us to ship lawlight then perhaps they shouldn’t have written them to be some sort of fucked up soulmate pair who complete each other and perhaps they shouldn’t have make jokes hinting at L and Light having a homosexual undertone to their relationship and PERHAPS they shouldn’t have had an entire story arc where L literally handcuffs himself to Light for 100 days straight and where they share an UNMONITORED room…. LMFAOOO that right there was 100000% ship tease idc what anyone says. Ohba knew what they were doing idgaf

And yeah I know about the kataang stuff. It’s weird for me too. See Lawlight is my OTP hands down. Kataang is a strong second contender. I love both pairings about the same but in very different ways. It’s funny because they’re very drastically different pairings of course, but that also is the stories themselves and the narratives.

Kataang is about the most wholesome ship you could ship meanwhile Lawlight is inherently fucked up butttttttttt Death Note itself is a fairly mature story dealing with inherently fucked up subject matter and characters so there’s rlly no avoiding that.

I don’t rlly care what someone thinks of my ship preferences, the only thing that annoys me is antis who misrepresent canon like with Kataang or antis with Lawlight who basically say we’re bad ppl for shipping it. Like as if Lawlight isn’t a huge ship in anime/manga lol. Truly one of the forefathers of toxic yaoi 🤣

As for who I ship Zuko with: I do ship Maiko though I’ll say I’m not hugely invested in the pairing. I don’t have much to say on it other than I enjoy their scenes in the show and I think they are a nice couple. I don’t care for Zuko and Sokka, I think it’s kind of in that same category as zvtara and I don’t care for that ship at all.

I actually ship Zuko with Aang lol. Like Zuko and Aang when they’re older, I can get behind zukaang 100% in part because they are like that kindred spirit thing similar to lawlight to me. I really enjoy that aspect of their relationship and I again think canonically, zukaang would be plausible if it weren’t for maiko and kataang.

Anyway, thanks for the message! Hope this answered your question :)

[dg-outlaw]

X-Men '97 and the Gambit Ford F-150 Trailer Hitch Clutching

So I haven't watched all the episodes yet, but I wanted to address the stuff I've seen/heard about certain dudes in the "fandom" getting all upset about Gambit's crop top and how it made him seem gay or bi coded, even though in the entire episode he's classic Remy LeBeau from the original 90s series--not too interesting in helping out or doing anything other than what he wants to do, shamelessly flirting with Rogue, and busting everyone else's balls/possibly flirting with them too, but will still jump into the fight when it's time.

Oh, and Gambit was my favorite X-Men character growing up and I'm a cishet male, if that matters. Spoiler alert: It shouldn't.

"Holy Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, Batman! It's his belly button."

If that's you, you clearly were too young in the 90s to remember the fashion of the day. The top photo and the ending basketball scene (a references to the comics as well), was soooo 80s/90s. Bishop's got a lime green tank top on and Cyclops' tank top is tucked into his shorts. The animators understood the assignment.

If anything, Remy (above) is rock-n-roll coded more than anything else. Just Google most 80s era rock bands that had songs about partying, sex, hot babes, etc. and you'll see big hair, eyeliner, bright colors, leather pants, jewelry, fishnets, fingerless gloves, and yes... crop tops. Maybe the 80s and 90s were "gay", IDK, but I remember most of my childhood clothes in the 80s and early 90s were some variation of a neon color as was every other kid's regardless of gender.

As mentioned above, he soooo badly wants in Rogue's pants, which possibly eliminates any gay coding, which only leave bi coding if a 90s crop top = being bisexual.

Who. Freakin'. Cares. Say this out loud with me. You can like, love, and enjoy a character without identifying with that character in any way, shape, or form (and that's probably a good thing for some characters). This can mean their sexuality, gender, ethnicity, religion, morality, or anything else about them. Yes, we can bring in the Punisher debate and how military and law enforcement appropriated the Punisher logo as their badge of honor and intimidation, and how they cherry-picked traits from that character to signal their toxic masculinity when Frank Castle is not meant to be a patron saint of law enforcement or the military. But it is also possible to just enjoy a character without making that character your identity. You can enjoy their characterization, storylines, or even something as simple as their costume, superpowers, or where they're from because you were born or grew up there too.

As mentioned above, Gambit was my favorite character growing up when I first got into X-Men, mostly thanks to this series, and he and I are very different. To me, Gambit was the cool, confident guy that I wasn't. He also wasn't Cyclops or Wolverine.

As a kid, most kids wanted to be Wolverine when playing X-Men on the playground because he had the claws and the healing factor. To us, he was OP which fit in with the whole childish argument of big, bigger, biggest, and finally infinity whatever... until someone busted out with the infinity times infinity argument. Also, there was no real internet and comics weren't readily accessible, so most of the knowledge at that time was from the show and limited comics one might've had. Plus, I think the whole Magneto pulls the adamantium from Wolverine's body storyline hadn't happened yet so yeah, that would've been a good game changer on the playground.

Anyway, outside of Batman, I was never a fan of the "popular" thing growing up and often preferred more underdog characters, teams, and things. Also, due to self-esteem issues I always felt less than, so while I liked Wolverine it was hard for him to be my favorite since he was everyone else's and I felt like I wasn't cool enough to like him. Cyclops on the other hand was the clean cut boy scout, which also didn't appeal to me because that was also something I didn't relate to. Outside of Beast and Morph, who got sidelined earlier in the series, that then left Gambit. (Note: Bishop wasn't a part of the main group and came later on.) But Gambit also seemed cool to me. He had a cool looking outfit, was agile and knew how to fight (I was into martial arts at the time as well), and could throw explosive cards. He definitely fit the "Rule of cool" in my child brain.

Lastly, and this goes back to point #4 above, it shouldn't matter what a character is like or how they identify. They're fictional and enjoying them as a medium should be fun. They are not you and you are not them, even if you have things in common. That said, I do think it's great when there's representation as well. I don't recall if this was in the OG series, though I seriously doubt it was, and I don't know about main Marvel canon, but I also think it's cool that Morph now has they/them pronouns as seen in the profile credits and Marvel wiki. I'm sure some people have missed this and I'm sure that'll be the next hot-button issue, but whether Gambit is gay, bi, straight, or whatever, he's still one of my favorites and it's why I grabbed this guy when it first came out.

I have more things to say about this first episode and my experience with the X-Men growing up, but I'll save that for other posts as this has gotten long enough already.

[cottagedreamy]

I am bored, so let me make a list about my favorite random things about Quack Pack (or small things that i notice and i found interesting that i remember at the moment):

The triplets see Donald not only as an uncle, but as a full literal father for them. This is explicit in the 3rd episode, where they go to a medieval kingdom and in their analogy, if Donald (their uncle) is a king, that would make them princes! But well, you know that the lineage of the royal crown is passed from father to son, so as much as we know as viewers that Donald is a father figure to them, it's great to see this being reinforced by the triplets theirselves :) Another occasion, is that they don't seem bothered when Donald introduces himself for the others as their father (made very clear in episode 31)

Huey has PTSD and Black Cat phobia (and cat allergy as well)

The boys took a lot more habits from Daisy than from Donald, like the facial expressions, the skincare routine and filing the nails (those last two is shown by Huey), and this proves that Daisy is very present in their lives :)

As mentioned by Daisy, they can't have a normal travel without someone ending on the jail

Louie is coded neurodivergent!

I really like how Dewey's Middle Kid Syndrome is written in QP. Yeah, i know it's something showed in all the duckverse versions of Dewey, but i love how QP introduces this. Dewey loves his brothers, but sometimes he feels suffocated and his own space is being invaded, but his brothers don't do that on purpose and he knows it, so while he fights the urge to open up to them (something he can't do well), he also doesn't want to make them upset. He thought that his desire to want his own space is to want to be alone, but then he realizes that he doesn't like being alone, but that he just need a moment alone sometimes. And so, Dewey's lack of communication about this issue ends up making his brothers mistake that he's stressed, and they try to cheer him up and show support (in a hyperprotective way) that ends up leaving him more suffocated. And then when Dewey finally speaks out and walks away, it makes Huey and Louie realize that they never had a personal space, because their personality during their childhood was based on the fact that they were triplets, that they complemented each other, that they had to share things, and that meant they didn't have their own personal space. Huey and Louie get into an argument about each other's bad attitudes that might have upset Dewey, but then they realize that some of the other's habits actually really bother each other. I love how they end up resolving this issue, and how their relationship improves from there on through the episodes.

Dewey has sweet tooth!

Many QP episodes makes a lot of references to others disney tv shows and rock music hits in 90's (Dewey, Louie and Huey are into rock!)

Louie is an environmental activist and opposes trafficking and wild animals

Louie is a multi-instrumentalist! He is shown to know how to play drums, harmonica and violin.

Dewey has a strong artistic connection. He writes texts, poems and paintings!

Dewey is also the "teatral kid"

Dewey is shown to be interested in physics, aliens and halloween.

Apparently, one of Dewey's hobbies is building and inventing things! This is shown in some episodes.

Although the triplets don't work directly for Kent Powers, they often help Daisy and Donald with work, like doing the recordings and giving them script ideas (and it's funny, because Kent himself forgets about it and thinks they are his employees)

This is shown MANY times during the show. The triplets have their own code language. They use a specific word to represent an idea that must be executed like "haircut", "special treatment" (and others that i can't remember right now)

Huey is the only one of the triplets who knows how to drive (implying they are around 16 years old)

Huey have trouble at sleeping, and have a tendency to have nightmares

If you watched Quack Pack, you may have noticed that Louie started to guard his thoughts more after being constantly scolded by Huey, and became more audacious and rebellious episodes later

Louie has trouble understanding sarcasm and identifying danger. It's also notable that he doesn't understand some common social situations.

Huey is quite superstitious, especially because he defends the idea that nothing happens by chance and that everything has a purpose, and that the universe always seems to conspire in his favor

Dewey's full name in Quack Pack is Deuteronomy

As much as Huey, Dewey and Louie are the triplets nicknames, they nickname their own nicknames LOL some exemples are Hueson, Dewman/Dewis and Lou-Lou

In Episode 11, Dewey admits he likes the idea of ​​being a woman.

I think it's cute that despite Huey's gruff personality, he is constantly worried about the well-being of his family, like disapproving of the amount of candy Dewey eats and worring if he doesn't feeling well, or when Louie gets into trouble (Huey always gets desperate because he knows Louie's tendency to be in danger) and when Donald ends up being the victim of scams (which makes him furious with whoever is messing with his uncle)

As stated by Louie, Huey has a "trying to take over the world mood"

I love Daisy's dynamic with the triplets. She is always encouraging them, protecting them, worrying and listening to them. This makes her a true mother figure for them, and I am happy to see that they reciprocate that affection and respect for her.

Louie and Dewey communicate by looking constantly

Huey is extremely sarcastic

Dewey is into photography!

[isekai-crow]

Mr. Villain's Day Off / Kyuujitsu no Warumono San Episode 1

Overall Rating So Far: 9/10 (i WILL buy merch for this)

MR. VILLAIN IS TOO MUCH CROW BAIT.

I have a thing for curly bowl cuts. I like goth-coded characters, and this demon does a decent job. I love Yakuza/Gangster/Evil coded villains that have gap-moe (a side to them that seems completely counter to the personality they present). Most of all I LOVE SHINTAROU ASANUMA'S VOICE.

He's probably most famous for being Samatoki, the gangster rapper and leader of the Mad Trigger Crew, from Hypnosis Mic, and I've seen him perform at multiple live viewings and his character has a rabid following. His other famous roles are Saiki Kusuo, Ugetsu from Given, and he's in Ensemble Stars, A!3, and Tokenranbu (can you tell this dude can sing).

He has a lovely deep voice and is an absolute sweetheart, despite being able to growl like a rabid dog. It's the perfect match for the character.

The show itself looks like it will be a cute and fluffy show that is low-risk and chill. Most importantly, it's teaching us the importance of Work-Life balance!

It seems to be based on Sentei/Ranger style shows, but set as if the show is the real world, and the characters are NOT actors. Who knows WHY Mr. Villain and his fellow demons are here to destroy humans, but the Ranger's are here to protect us!

Spoilers and screenshots for episode 1!

Holy shit, Mr. Villain is /adorable/ in both work mode and relax mode.

This almost feels like it's trying to be sexy in the same way the Uramichi Oniisan was, just for the hell of it in a show with almost zero fan service apart from Soft Boys.

The show is basically three little shorts strung together, but gives us a great glimpse of the world.

We get to meet Red Ranger who.... I killed myself laughing over this, but is just as directionally challenged as my Capybara is. We go anywhere together and he starts walking in a direction, and its a 90% chance that it's the exact opposite direction he wants to go in.

Mr. Villain leads him to the train station he was ACTUALLY trying to get to, and as Red Ranger skipped happily through the ticket gate, Capybara said "See, now I'd just get lost and not know what platform to go to."

....only for Red Ranger to have this immediate problem, lmfao. I'm so excidted for more non-existant-sense-of-direction shinanigens, if only to tease the Capybara.

So, Quick Japanese Cultural Lesson -> This is called a Showa Yankee lmao. It's a street gangster / troublemaker with a soft spot for animals. This comes from a brand with cute dogs on it that was popular among the rough and tumble street gangs oh the 1980s and earlier. But you will see this trope across various anime and manga, and I LOVE IT. Gap-Moe at it's finest.

Along with the animal loving, Mr. Villain can't eat spicy curry (Is he British? lololol) and despite getting ready to murder any human at hand because they're sold out of Mild Curry Roux, the panda special immediately calms him down and settles in to watch.

MR. VILLAIN HAS A SPECIAL INTEREST AND I VIBE.

I may not care that much for pandas (Would saying that get my killed by Mr. Villain? Probably, but I'm one of the few people who don't go "awww" when they see a panda, and instead can only remember the baby panda sneeze video lmao) but I hope to keep enjoying all this fluff, especially as I try to push through the last few episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen from last season.

Mr. Villain has his priorities straight, and I'd be happy to hand over the world to his control as long as I don't die :D

Let's hope his faith in humanity continues to grow even as he uncovers more atrocities like the incarceration of predatory beasts for human viewing pleasure.

ep2 ep3 ep4 ep5 ep6 <- these will eventually become links, I hope.

[zahri-melitor]

ok so real of real question, prepare yourself.

which do you prefer, and why—

Tim’s classic robin suit from the 90s to 00s, or the one year later suit.

I’ve noticed that adaptations tend to give the one year later suit to dick or jason, or just copy the color scheme(though technically the red and black colors for robin costumes debuted with the new batman adventures animated series, and while that was technically tim drake—he shared a near exact origin with jason bc they didn’t want to use jason as the second robin in that universe. for obvious reasons. rant over)

I think Tim and the classic red and green go well together.

Ooooh.

You know what? As much as I enjoy the reasoning behind the One Year Later costume (the pain is so tasty), I actually do tend to assign Tim Green when I’m breaking out the Batkids in colour coding. If Jason hadn’t returned I’d be fine with Tim being the Red one, because he had that niche before Jason took it, but well, Jason exists, and DC wants to write him interacting with the rest of the Waynes, so I have to work with that.

Colour palettes:

Dick: Blue

Jason: Red

Tim: Green

Damian: Yellow actually. I would say he’s had more yellow associated costumes in variants than any of the others, plus his classic cape hood set up. Otherwise the leaning into Grey is interesting particularly given his original black and white League bodysuit.

Cass: Black 🖤 But with yellow accents

Babs: GREEEEEN but we can keep Oracle Green a separate tone

Steph: Eggplant

Duke: also primarying Yellow, arguably has a better claim

In terms of costume: I like Tim’s classic look. I can’t go past the fact that since it was introduced it’s become the default ‘Robin’ look that everyone else’s riffs off, including modern Dick and Jason Robin appearances.

It’s not JUST about the pants. But the pants help.

(I love the 90s detail that his pants were 3/4 leggings with the tabi boots coming up to meet them, so when he’s sparring without his boots on he has his lower shins bare. It amuses me every time I see it)

[badassbutterfly1987]

Black Sun Rising ch. 15 live read

This is a long chapter with a lot to say so next few chapters will get their own post.

before we get to the fun stuff, the chapter starts with a teen on a magic drug trip. he's having a great time until something attacks his mind/soul? and he's unable to return to his body in a legitimately unsettling scene.

trio arrive in a dae (town?) called Briand to shelter for the night. Damien notes that there are protective sigils on the gates, some of them designed by Ciani who is no longer able to recognize it, which can keep out lesser monsters.

interesting to note that Damien also has an insecurity that he manages well: he is someone that needs to be active and feel needed, an aspect of himself that he's funneled into service of the Church and helping people.

note that he realizes the innkeeper at the place they're staying is upset about something, suspects it's a family matter, and immediately offers to help (you know how characters are sometimes compared to specific animals? he's a sheepdog to me). turns out she's the mother of the teen at the beginning of the chapter who is now in a coma. Damien examines him but can't identify the cause and his Knowing is actively prevented from reading the state of his soul and brain activity.

with how quickly he's gotten attached to Ciani, I really want to know his previous dating history. is this a pattern for him? is he one of those guys that starts contemplating marriage within a half year of dating? oh, he's going to pair delightfully with Tarrant!

Tarrant finally enters the scene and it's wonderful. Damien is quick to describe how attractive he is. "attractive to women", sure Damien, that qualifier definitely makes it less gay.

worldbuilding: most people don't carry guns (which I did not expect to exist in this world) because technology plus fear of failure or in general can either cause it to fail or outright explode. That Tarrant carries an UnWorked pistol (does a vampire really need a pistol?) marks him either as incredibly reckless or an Adept.

Possible favorite moment of the chapter: Damian tries to perform a subtle Knowing on him, is immediately blocked by a Shield, Tarrant notices and Damien realizes he's been noticed, and Tarrant is implied to get a better read on him and is just kinda amused

I can just imagine Tarrant thinking: "oh this is the priest Karril mentioned? this is going to be fun". Love the Vibes here.

Ciani decides to get to know him the old-fashioned way (by straight-forward conversation) and Senzei makes a dumb comment like "women, am I right?" which marks the second time a remark about women inherently being a certain way (in contrast to men) which I'm willing to be lenient on because it was the 90s.

interesting to note that despite Tarrant acknowledging he knew Ciani and wanted to help her, he doesn't acknowledge that her and Ciani doesn't recognize him. Either they hadn't met in person and only knew each other by association/communicated through letters, or Ciani's forgotten him and he's playing coy for now

the group chats but everyone is evasive (especially Tarrant) about what they're doing and why. progress is only made when the topic of the coma teen comes up and Tarrant offers to help.

to speedrun: Tarrant identifies the problem very quickly and Damien is both unsettled and intrigued by everything about him. The boy's mind/soul/sense of self was permanently separated from his body and is functionally dead. Tarrant misleads the mother into thinking it was an overdose from illegal drugs while admitting to the Damian it was something using dark fae, which he confirms is similar to what happened to Ciani though he doesn't specify that to Tarrant. Then Tarrant goes full "eh, he's practically dead anyway, might as well speed along the body's death" which Damien objects to on the grounds he doesn't want to kill an innocent life.

here's the thing: I get what the author is setting up; Damien's firmly set in his moral code while Tarrant has ruthlessly tossed that aside and their dynamic will include that contrast.

but Damian's trained as a healer, he has to know when someone is too far gone to be saved. This is the equivalent of a coma patient without brain activity on life support; instead of Tarrant deciding to take care of things himself, wouldn't it be interesting to have Damien talk to the boy's mother and get permission before doing it, essentially taking the responsibility for it? It would establish him as someone willing to make the difficult choice while still retaining his empathy (which he'll probably develop into but still) and since I skimmed the next couple chapters, I know Damien is going to be second guessing this scene and wondering if Tarrant was manipulating his perception; how much better (or worse for him) if Damien worried he'd been manipulated into killing an innocent that could have been saved?

they part ways after this point because while they're both heading north, Tarrant only travels at night and Damian's a bit too weirded out to bring him into the group.

[lellu]

What the fuck is an animorphs and why are you going insane about it

OOOHHHKAY. WELL.

animorphs is a childrens sci fi book series most people know best from the fucked up covers that feature children turning into animals. like so:

anyway behind these goofy late 90s-early 2000s covers is a devastating story about the horrors of war and the difficult moral decisions that the characters (who are like 13 at the beginning of the story, mind you) face while trying to save their planet from an invasion of brain-controlling slug aliens. and also goofy as hell things like instant maple oatmeal being a drug, god being an alien gamer, and an alien obsessed with cinnamon buns. there are 52 books in the main series each told from the pov of one of the six animorphs and several side books that provide more lore or supplementary adventures. featuring:

- jake, who is the leader and #1 killjoy ever and i always thought he was boring so i dont remember much about him

- rachel, gymnast shopping queen and ruthless murderer slash battle addict. absolute tragedy of a girl. imagine if sasha waybright was allowed to transform into a bear at will and commit murders on screen. if youre into oversimplification thats pretty close to rachel.

- cassie, animal lover and moral center of the group. people will gush about how animorphs makes you think about difficult moral quandaries and then call cassie annoying like shes not the reason we get that kind of introspection in the first place. girl is Literally always trying to do the right thing and Spoilers: she is right about A Lot. never trust a cassie hater

- marco, the platonic ideal of the sad clown. silly guy, full of jokery and stereotypical middle school boy-ness. also cynical and ruthless to the max and very interested in self preservation. where cassie is the voice of moral reason, marco is the voice of practical reason. his mom is dead so thats fun. hes also bi coded as hell

- tobias, loser bully magnet turned full-time bird boy. the trans animorphs fans have claimed him as our representative due to his perpetual identity struggles. he was my favorite as a kid alongside rachel hmmm i wonder why anyway i cant say much about him thats not spoilers but he's sad and trapped in this by destiny even more than the rest of them and i love him so goddamn much

- ax, blue scorpion tailed centaur stranded on earth who is the equivalent of a stereotypical elf. snobby and elitist bc of his species being composed of assholes but once the teen disillusionment sets in hes a good kid. and bc the andalites dont naturally have mouths, watching him play with word sounds and obsess over food is hilarious and kind of heartwarming in the best cheesy space-alien-meets-human-culture way

anyway the moral is u should read animorphs the pdfs are easy to find online there's a graphic novel series with a few books out now and im pretty sure theres also audiobooks (theres also a 1998 nickelodeon live action tv adaptation. dont watch it its bad and also it got cancelled before the books even finished coming out)

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why do I love Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?

Aside from the fact that it's about my favorite superhero of all time? Let me count the ways...

The animation. I already know I'm not blowing any minds here, but good word, the animation is SPECTACULAR! By blending CGI models with hand-drawn elements, this is the only experience in a superhero movie that made me feel like a comic book has been brought to life. You might say that "it's not live-action," but that's beside the point. 90% of most MCU movies are practically animated, aside from the 10% that have actual humans on screen. So you should have no qualms when this beautiful masterpiece of a film manages to make you feel like you're watching a comic in motion, to the point where you could pause any frame of animation and turn it into a comic panel. Sidenote, if they make this movie into a graphic novel, I would absolutely buy it. I don't care if it's pointless when I could just watch the movie. Give me that graphic novel version of this gorgeous film.

The opening logos are unironically jaw-dropping. They flash through the many variations each insignia could have/has gone through, giving you a taste of the insanity of what this movie will bring. It also plays into what happens to the characters, meaning that while the story hasn't started yet, we're still given a heavy dose of foreshadowing.

The CCA stamp doesn't get enough credit. For those who don't know, back in the day, comics had to adhere to the Comics Code Authority's regulations, sticking their CCA stamp onto every cover to ensure parents that what was inside was kid friendly. It got to the point where no one took it seriously anymore, and the stamp became an irrelevant system that almost always failed to point out the age demographic for comics. The fact that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is rated PG makes the callback even funnier.

The opening narration. It introduces us to this universe's version of Peter Parker, who's basically the every-man in the Spider-Man universe (The every-Spider-Man?). He features the highest highs and lowest lows of Spider-Man, showcasing his history and origins in a way that fans will adore while making something entertaining for the 1% of people who somehow never heard of Spider-Man.

Miles' introduction is close to perfection. Making him an artist already earns some relatability points from yours truly but having him jam out to music while doing it turns him into one of my favorite characters that I see myself in. I can't count the number of times I'm drawing something, and I get lost in the music playing in my headphones. I've known this character for less than a minute, and I already see a lot of myself in him. The fact that he procrastinated getting ready and did it all in a rush is just the cherry on top. And given how I look whiter than the snow on a Christmas day and Miles looks...very much not that, I already feel like the writers are doing something right if I see myself in someone like him. Most writers go the route of making a character's race or ethnicity their only character trait. There are some good intentions in that somewhere, but writers forget that without things like personalities, interests, and desires, the character's race does not matter. They're still going to be boring. Give me more Miles Morales, less of the hollowed shells called human beings that you find on the CW.

The one-take of Miles walking through his neighborhood mirroring/contrasting with his walk through school does well to visually explain the disconnect he feels about being in a new school and an unfamiliar environment.

I love Miles' dad. I'll get more to the emotional stuff later, but Jefferson Davis starts out great as someone strict but still trying hard to connect with Miles. It's genuinely heartwarming to see. Plus, that "I love you, Dad" scene…I mean, come on!

The montage of Miles' first day does well in showcasing the pressure the character is feeling. Maybe I'm still relating so much to Miles, but I felt how hard his day was for him.

The video of Olivia Octavius is some solid foreshadowing of the multiversal madness ahead and even better foreshadowing of who Olivia is, considering that Miles JUST blocks her last name. This scene also introduces us to Gwen while subtly hinting at who she is by Miles briefly saying, "I've never seen you around here before.”

Community is playing on Uncle Aaron's TV...That's it. I watched all of Community last year and grew to appreciate seeing a reference or two about it showing up.

Miles' moment with Uncle Aaron is sweet. It shows how things are easy between them, and Miles can rant about anything to the laid-back person his uncle is, in contrast to the eggshells Miles seems to dance around when dealing with his dad. Plus, Aaron showing off the shoulder touch pays off for two great scenes in the future. Not to mention his "hey" sends this bisexual a little...haywire.

Miles spray painting the wall is touching for two reasons. For one, it proves how much sweeter this universe's Aaron is. In other iterations, he manipulates Miles, searching for ulterior motives, primarily for Aaron's selfish gain. Here, it's clear he genuinely cares about his nephew, wanting to share this moment with Miles and have fun in a way the two should. It's also touching to see Miles express himself. We got a taste of his phenomenal talent near the beginning, but to see him make that masterpiece that he made proves how much of an artist he really is. It really is the best way to make this Miles not only unique but also engaging. 

The spray paint getting sprayed on the corner of the screen is also a nice touch. They didn’t have to do it, but they did, and I love it.

The Spider bite. The thing that fundamentally changes Miles' life, and the lives of other Spider-People before him, for now, and forever...and he swats it like it was nothing. That's...incredible.

Miles reacting to his spider bite, however, leads to a collection of great moments that are awkward as they are hilarious. 

By the way, have I mentioned that this movie is funny? And not in your face with it like other Marvel movies. I mean that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is naturally funny, having great jokes that work well within the situation while never stealing away from the moment. I won't go over all the humorous moments, but I'll definitely talk about my favorites.

Like Miles' interaction with Gwen post-spider bite. It's awkward in all the right ways, and his facial expression as he stiffly places his hand on her shoulder cracks me up every time.

The "Who's Morales?" bit is iconic. I told you, this movie is just naturally funny!

Using the Amazing Fantasy comic cover as a reference is great. It's the comic that gave us the best superhero ever made, so it's nice of the animators to throw that in as a callback, honoring the contribution it made to humanity.

By the way, it used to bother me how Peter Parker allowed a comic to detail his backstory, but it just now occurred to me that the Peter Parker in the comic looks vastly different from the one in that universe. That, coupled with the knowledge that he has licensed merch, proves that he allowed this comic as long as the artists made sure his identity remained secret. Just another little detail that makes this movie amazing.

Speaking of small details, I love that Miles has a lot of contacts on his phone. Both his contacts and that one-take in the beginning show that he's a social kid instead of an outcast like Peter, which is nice. It’s for the best that this movie shows that Miles is his own person than a mixed-race Spider-Man 

Another fact is that his comic creators are in there too. That's a cute thing to include.

The visual explanation for Miles' spider sense is remarkable. I always get chills with the words "LOOK OUT," illustrating that it's silently screaming in his brain. Gah, such a good scene! Can you marry a scene? Because I want to marry this scene. It's easily my favorite in anything Spider-Man-related.

Peter's fight with Green Goblin is INSANE! Admittingly, when I first watched this movie, it was a little hard to tell what was going on due to so much happening all at once. But, after seeing it for the fiftieth time, I can certainly say that I appreciate how off-the-wall Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gets with its action, especially with this first fight scene. It's only a taste of what's to come, and I'm glad the film slowly eases you into the more insane scenes by prepping you with a moment like this.

Peter Parker’s introduction to Miles is perfect. The writers do everything right, starting with Peter breaking the ice with a joke, attempting to cool Miles off from his first near-death experience, only to get serious once Peter realizes what Miles is exactly. And I adore how Peter calmly approaches the situation, reassuring Miles that while things will change whether he likes it or not, Peter will be there to help him. Peter doesn't even hesitate when he volunteers to mentor Miles. You get the sense that Peter's excited about it, and, gosh dang it, these writers really did a great job in making him the Every-Spider-Man.

Miles recording Peter's fight with Prowler...Because of f**king course, he does. Wouldn't you?

Kingpin's the villain! This is cool because, while he's mostly remembered as a Daredevil villain nowadays, it's great that this movie recognizes that he started off as a member of Spider-Man's rouge's gallery. And, sure, he lacks the depth that Vincent D'Onofrio had in Daredevil. But he's still pretty threatening and even terrifying, being the character that allows this movie to earn its PG rating. 

Plus, his motivation is...good enough. It's not the best thing in the world, but it works just enough to be believable for this character, all while explaining why he's working hard to, you know, break the universe. So, yeah, a solid villain for one of the best superhero movies of all time.

The fact that it's Peter Parker that technically caused the other Spider-People to show up is amazing to me. It proves that without meaning to, he still manages to find a way to save the day. Even if that means pulling other Spider-People from their dimensions...which is ultimately killing them. Yeah, isn't that just classic Peter Parker bad luck for ya?

Also, heh, you can see Peter B. Parker and the others fly away from the explosion. That's funny.

Peter's last words to Miles...Wow. It's one of those moments you know that he knows that he's not going to make it out this time. So, in his last moments, Peter offers as much advice as he can to Miles, telling him what needs to be done and how to do it. What I love most is the fact that he still cracks jokes and still gives Miles the false hope that he'll "catch up," showing that, above all else, Peter cares about making people feel safe and secure. Again, he really is the Every-Spider-Man...Or was, at least.

Peter's eye-roll at Prowler. Even at death, he's still making us laugh.

Miles is a coward...It feels weird to say that's something I love about this film, but it's true. Miles starting off as someone who runs and hides instead of trying to help Peter Parker does the job to make it even more satisfying when Miles eventually does find courage and confidence in being a Spider-Man. 

Also, his guilt seems more reasonable here than it does in the comics. Miles' guilt in the comics stems from not being there to help Ultimate Peter Parker, even though there's not really anything Miles could have done to help, and Peter was already as good as dead before Miles knew he could help. Here, while it's a lot more likely Miles could die, I do understand his guilt as he's right there and able to do something rather than nothing. So not only does Miles' cowardice set up a great character arc, but it also does its job in making him feel better guilt than his comic counterpart. So, nice job all around.

This version of The Prowler is amazing. His motif, his outfit, his silent badassery. It’s just so perfect.

Miles runs home to his family and not to the school...because his family is where he feels the safest. That just hit me--GAH, THIS MOVIE'S GREAT!

Miles' mom is so sweet. She's mostly remembered for one line, reassuring Miles that their family doesn't run away from things, but that one line proves to you all what you need to know: She's there to tell Miles what he needs to hear, even though she doesn't entirely know how much he needed to hear it. Such a great mom.

New York's reaction to Spider-Man's death. You feel it in everybody, literally everybody. Just the number of people showing up to his funeral proves how much he earned the title of "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man."

Best. Stan Lee cameo. Ever. This movie came out a month after Stan Lee passed away, and I feel like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse did the best job of honoring him. Spider-Man really is Stan's greatest co-creation (with help from Steve Ditko, of course), and the best Spider-Man movie being one of the last he made an appearance in really hits hard. RIP, Stan. Thank you and Steve Ditko for the hero that is loved by all.

It's also neat that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has a better reason why Miles is wearing a Halloween costume when dressing up as Spider-Man. It was done in the comics to make him easily hide his identity, but it's also in poor taste, to the point where even the characters in the comics point out how it's poor taste. Here, Miles buys the costume in tribute to Spider-Man when going to Peter Parker's funeral, like a lot of people have done. And, well, he already has it, so he might as well continue to use it. Man, this movie really is trying to make Miles' origin story better than it was in the comics, huh?

This movie manages to do the "Jump/Pussy" scene from Venom, and not only is it funnier, but it's also done better. At first, you're laughing at Miles giving up despite the music epically building up about how he's about to jump. But then, after he gives up the first time, he tries again, using a smaller building because he thinks it'll be easier. This movie took a funny scene, then twisted it to visually tell us how determined Miles is to do the right thing! You see, Venom? This is how you actually make a good movie!

Peter B. Parker's narration does a great job of underlining the contrast between him and Peter Parker (also, for consistency, I'll be calling him Peter B. for the rest of the review. It's simpler). While Peter's narration reveals to us his success and zeal for the life he has, Peter B.'s is all about his failures and how much he's given up on life. Already, it's a quick and easy way of proving how different both Peters are, and I don't mind it. Primarily because each narration works well for the film's main running joke and because Peter B.'s is the funniest because what he says clashing with what is shown. I still laugh at that hard cut of him crying in the shower, as mean as that sounds.

The seahorse bit. I mean, come on. The fact that he gets choked up about seahorses mating for life always gets to me.

While Peter B. is getting sucked into the portal, knowing there's no stopping it, his first priority is to get his mask. That tells me that despite how far life beat him with the bad luck stick, he still knows the number one rule of being Spider-Man: Always bring your mask. 

Also, he tries to save the pizza...which makes me chuckle. I won't lie.

Peter B. and Miles getting pulled/dragged through the city is the best type of chaos. It's great knowing that while the animation is perfect for some epic fight scenes, it also has some impeccable slapstick.

Peter B. is the Spider-Man that rejects the code: With great power comes great responsibility. That part of Peter B. always intrigues me, and it makes sense. He was beaten down because of great responsibility, so even though it was the last words of his Uncle Ben, he'd rather live without them. Yet that doesn't mean he's done with being a good person. He's tired and burnt out, sure. But he still helps Miles once realizing that he can't just walk away from someone that needs him. It presents an interesting dynamic, for while Peter B. has to teach Miles how to be Spider-Man, Miles is there to help Peter B. remember how to be Spider-Man. Not a lot of people bring that up, and it's what I admire about their relationship.

I don't know about you all, but the diner scene always makes me want burgers and fries, without fail. It just makes the food look so good! Too bad it comes from a restaurant with a C-grade health code...Oh, so that's why it closed down six years ago in Peter B.'s universe.

Aside from their narrations, Peter B.'s advice also clashes with Peter's. Peter B. always offers more practical stuff, telling Miles what to do so he won't lose his mind while being Spider-Man. It works with Peter B.'s character and, once again, proves how he couldn't be further different from Peter Parker. With that said, Peter B. still offers great advice from time to time. Granted, it's when things are actually serious and during danger, but, hey, at least he tries.

Peter B. and Miles thinking is perfect and earned being a meme.

Peter B. coming up with the plan. It proves that he's both intuitive for coming up with it so quickly and simple-minded in thinking it would be that easy. Plus, Miles' interjections offer great humor.

Peter B. saying teenagers are the worst always gets a chuckle out of me because of the fact that Spider-Man is the superhero widely remembered for being a teenager.

Olivia Octavius. GOOD! GOLLY! MISS MOLLY, what a twist! Now, there are a few minuscule hints making it more obvious in hindsight, like the octagon decorating surrounding her and what looks like an arm prototype behind Peter B. With that said, however, I WAS SHOCKED IN THEATERS! This kooky lady who, at first, seems ecstatic to see Peter B. turns out to be an alternate version of one of his worst enemies and was actually fascinated by how he got there and how to kill him. Such a good scene that never fails to give me chills!

And the fight that comes after it is equally intense, fun, and epic.

The funniest moment in the movie is the monitor gag. That is all.

BAGEL! By the way, someone actually cosplayed as that scientist who got BAGELED! Not really a fun fact about the movie, but it is a fun fact about life.

Gwen's narration is probably the most beneficial. Nearly everybody knows about Peter Parker, and I think enough people know about Miles, but I'm not sure how well-known Spider-Gwen was before the movie (and, yes, I know she's called Spider-Woman or Ghost Spider. It's just that Spider-Gwen's more fun to say. Leave me alone). People might know of her but not so much about her whole deal and origins. So, it helps that the movie flies by her origins, telling newcomers what they need to know and leaving them to learn the rest from her comics.

Also, Gwen, come on. Miles is the reason you got that dope haircut in the first place. Let him compliment it.

ALSO also, Gwen's a pretty fun character. I have some problems with how she's in the story, but I do love her punk-rock personality and how she's basically the only Spider-Person with a functioning brain cell...Except for that Gwanda bit, but we don't talk about that. Despite some flaws, Gwen's a character with a lot of humor and solid character interactions, especially with Miles.

Gwen and Miles are adorable together. Have I mentioned that? Because it's true. They don't have much time to develop their relationship (that's for future movies to do), but the time they do have is still pretty darn cute.

Kingpin's flashback is beautifully animated while also paying homage to the art style of the comic his design is based on. It's pretty cool that this already brilliantly animated movie still manages to find different ways to look gorgeous.

This movie has the best Aunt May. Don't argue, Raimi nerds! You know it's true! She kicks ass, accepting of Peter's secret, looks old, and has some pretty snappy one-liners. You see this woman and understand how Peter Parker came to be the man he is--Er, was. If you have a problem with this Aunt May, you can take it up with the baseball bat she used to beat Tombstone. Tombstone! How can you hate an old woman who can do that?!

As for May's interaction with Peter B., it's--Say it with me now--perfect. They're both basically meeting ghosts of people they loved, and May and Peter B. interact the same as if it was the version of each other they've always known. There is genuine heartbreak and love in each of their voices, and you feel every bit of it. Even the jokes about Peter B. being fat and wearing sweatpants doesn't spoil the moment but add to it, showing May's distaste over a version of her nephew letting himself go. It's snark, but snark from the love of a woman who's basically his mother. What did you expect?

The Spider-Cave is awesome! Little weird that Peter Parker, a character known for being as poor as dirt in the comics, has this, but then you remember something: The merchandise. This was a Peter who whored himself out with cereal, Christmas albums, and so-so popsicles. Heck, even the Spider-Buggy, also from the comics, was promotional material. This means that Peter Parker made BANK on the stuff he made, so much so that he was able to afford a cave that would make Batman jealous. It might not be one-for-one the exact explanation for how he has it, but the movie offers enough information to make it a reasonable conclusion anyway.

I want a Spider-Noir movie. I don't care if it's animated or not. I want a gosh dang Spider-Noir movie. And it has to be played by Nicholas Cage. It wouldn't be right if it wasn't because he’s the reason that Spider-Noir is the funniest character in the movie.

I love that every single Spider-Person is totally on board with staying behind and leaving their homes forever if it's the only way to get the others back to where they belong. They're definitely Spider-People, alright. Nobel sacrifices like that are all a part of the DNA.

The scene where the others put a lot of pressure on Miles results in complicated feelings. On the one hand, it's not cool for them to do this. On the other, you understand why. This isn't the typical stopping a mugger or fighting a c-lister. This is a fight to save the multiverse with dozens of people who will make the mission all the more dangerous. The pressure they're making Miles feel is close to what they'll be dealing with in the fight with Kingpin, so what they're doing is somewhat validated through the current circumstances. I may not like it, but I do understand it.

And I've got to give Peter B. credit for being both Miles' hype man and telling the other Spider-People to cool it with the pressure. Out of all of them, he understands Miles a little better and wants to keep the poor boy sane. It's pretty sweet.

Jefferson reaching out to Aaron is also pretty dang heartwarming. You can tell there's some definite tension between the two, but they're still brothers. Family loves family, no matter the mistakes (unless your family is reasonably toxic, in which case, you cut them out yesterday). Jefferson reaching out is a testament to that...Even if Aaron might not have deserved it--Yeah, let's get into that.

The reveal of Aaron being the Prowler...Where do I even begin? Fellow comic nerds already knew this was coming, but that doesn't stop this reveal from hurting. The part that gets me is the score. It expertly portrays the amount of fear and betrayal Miles is feeling at this moment, to the point where you don't even need to see what's happening to understand something tragic is going down.

The chase scene that follows is also pretty intense, added with the red sky and the several moments where Miles barely gets away. It's...You know what it is. It's f**king perfect.

Scorpion looks cool. A little weird, sure, but still pretty badass and intimidating.

My favorite fight in the movie might just be the Spider-People battling the...Fearsome Fivesome? Alright, whatever they're called, they're part of a fun and chaotic fight scene, with playing keep away with the Goober being what adds much-needed tension.

Uncle Aaron's death. I love that they let Aaron die a good man, willing to back down so Miles could go free. It's definitive proof that he actually cared for his nephew, to the point where the first thing Aaron felt upon realizing it was Miles was pure fear. Like, "Oh, crap! Not only did I almost kill my brother's son, but this boy is now in some deep s**t! I gotta help him!" And I appreciate that the writers made Aaron a decent human being rather than a diabolical scumbag who wanted to take advantage of Miles or a coward who tried to kill him because he was too scared to fail Kingpin. Even when Aaron's dying, the first thing he does is apologize for letting Miles down, a sentiment that's as sweet as it is tragic. Aaron may not have been a perfect man, but he died wanting to protect Miles, the love for his nephew overshadowing his greed. And I think that redemption is worth everything.

And, MAN, is his death a gut punch! The writers certainly succeeded in giving Miles his Uncle Ben Moment, with Aaron's last words being motivational in telling Miles to "keep going" and how he's the best of them. It's a bittersweet moment, and Miles' dad mistaking Miles to be Aaron's killer doesn't make things any better.

What is sweet, though, is how all the Spider-People are there for Miles, sharing the tragedy they all went through and confirming that the hardest part about being Spider-Man is losing the people you love. And the biggest miracle is that THE CARTOON PIG DOESN'T RUIN THIS MOMENT! Seriously, what does it say about this movie where the character who's practically a Looney Tune manages to keep the emotional weight of the scene going?

Peter B. being tough with Miles...Ouch. It was necessary. Peter B. was doing it as one final test, giving Miles one last chance that he could come through when it matters. The others were even right outside his window, ready and hoping to let Miles join them. But it wasn't meant to be, and it stings to see Miles at this low point. Thankfully, he has someone to pull him out of this funk.

Jefferson's talk with Miles...Told you I'd get to the emotional stuff. But joking aside, this scene...left my eyes a little steamy this time around. Jefferson visually meets Miles halfway and pours his heart out, sharing the feelings Jefferson usually kept guarded except for a moment when it mattered. Sure, Jefferson doesn't know all the facts about the current tragedy he and Miles are going through, but the words he provides give Miles the spark he needs. The spark that Jefferson has always seen in Miles. And the spark that Miles uses to free himself to take that one last step to being Spider-Man. Or, rather, one last leap.

The "What's Up Danger" scene. Do I really need to explain what makes this scene incredible? I know I keep saying the word perfect a lot with this review, but that's really the best way to describe so much of this movie, especially with this moment. The visuals of Miles rising instead of falling and swinging through the city in succession are awe-inspiring. The score mixing in Miles' hero motif with "What's Up Danger," resulting in a moment that's as pleasant on the ears as it is on the eyes. All of it culminates together for a scene that delivers all of the hype, creating a moment where Miles is no longer Miles Morales. He's f**king Spider-Man. And he earned that title.

Also, a small thing, I love that Miles' suit is one of Peter Parker's, but spray-painted black with Miles' interpretation of the Spider-Man logo. It shows Miles stepping into Peter Parker's shoes but doing it in his own style. It's just a great little detail that not a lot of people mention.

Did Kingpin seriously throw a memorial service for the guy he killed? What a filthy, disgusting man...I love him!

The bread scene is hilarious. It involves a pointless character, but I can't help but crack up at how Peter B.'s attempt to find closure with MJ is through him apologizing about not getting her table bread. Peter B. saying, "I want to fill this room up with bread," is just the cherry on top this hilarious sundae.

I really dig Olivia saying, "Goodbye, Peter Parker." You can tell by the way she said it that she wanted to be the one to kill Spider-Man.

Miles coming in to deliver that punch at Doc Ock is a laptop background in the making.

I love how in a situation where the universe is crumbling apart around them, and bad guys are shooting at them all, THAT is the moment when Peter B. realizes that he wants kids. I'm telling you, most of the time, this movie is just naturally funny.

As for the situation they're in, the collider fight is, without a doubt, the most insane final battle in a Spider-Man movie. All the universes merging and tearing the place apart forces the characters to fight as the environment morphs and forms around them, making it a battle where anything could go down. It results in a pretty fun climax, and I love how the colors match the light tone this fight is going for...remember that. It's gonna come back later.

Spider-Ham DESTROYING Scorpion after he dissed cartoons is an exact representation of what the animation community wants to do when someone calls animation kids' stuff or silly. Let it be known that we'd wreck your shop too if we could.

I love how Miles swinging up to the top of the collider incorporates lessons from both Peter Parkers. Obviously, there's the way Miles copied his universe's Peter moves to get up there, but stealing away the Goober by throwing back Peter B.'s "don't watch the mouth, watch the hands" motto adds a little extra that I appreciate.

Miles' goodbye to Peter B. is a culmination of their arcs, where Miles, the student, finally becomes the master, being the one to trip up Peter B. (with the same move he used on Miles, no less) and tells him to get his s**t together and go home. Peter B. taught Miles a lot, letting him see the importance of Spider-Man, the pressure he has to go through, and the faith he must have. And here comes Miles spitting all that back at Peter B., adding more to how they teach each other how to be their better selves. And I relish that!

Remember how I said the colors were bright in the collider, matching the fun of the climax? Well, the second it's just Miles and Kingpin, the colors become darker and more intense, matching the tone of this final battle between good and evil. It makes things way more cinematic and visually pleasing, so kudos...to whoever I give kudos to in this case. There are SO MANY people responsible for animating a single second--Literally, a single second of animation that it's hard to tell who deserves more credit half the time.

As for the fight itself, IT'S AS INTENSE AS THE COLORS IMPLY IT IS! You feel the beating Kingpin gives Miles, but despite how violent it is, there were always these small glimmers of hope that Miles might get the upper hand. That hope gets beaten down by Kingpin's cartoonishly big fist, but there is still hope nonetheless. And it would grow through the most unexpected places.

Is it a little ludicrous that Jefferson is right there to give the most essential words any Spider-Man needs to learn? Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt. But is it still heartwarming that Jefferson still tells Spider-Man to get up despite thinking he killed Aaron, further proofing how Jefferson's always there to tell Miles what he needs to hear when it's important? You'd better gosh dang believe it.

Miles using the shoulder touch on Kingpin is the best. In a way, that lets Miles and Aaron get revenge.

Seeing into the Spider-verse (ha!) is a gorgeous sight to behold, both for the audience and for Miles.

DID THEY HAND DRAW THAT EXPLOSION?! Gosh DANG IT, this movie is insane!

Dang, Jefferson allowing Miles to throw up his art on the wall warms the heart to the fullest it's ever been when watching this movie. He really wants to do better in reaching out to Miles, even if Jefferson still lays down the ground rules for how Miles should express himself.

And Spider-Man hugging Jefferson is equal parts touching and hilarious.

I'm noticing a pattern. My favorite Spider-Man movies are ones where Spidey webs up the big bad for the police to pick up. Instead of, you know...killing them. I loved it in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and I especially adore it here.

The one-take of Miles walking through the streets as Spider-Man mirrors how he did it at the beginning of the movie and contrasts the one-take at his school. It illustrates that he regained his confidence because how could he not after all the s**t he went through. I'd feel pretty big about myself too.

Miles' final narration does well in tying everything together, recapping events, showing how everyone else is doing, and stating the big lesson of the movie. A lesson that Stan Lee himself believed in, as he always thought that what makes Spider-Man amazing is that anyone, anyone at all, could be under that mask. No matter who they are or what they look like, anybody has the potential to represent the ideals of Spider-Man. And while I'm not a fan of movies spelling out their messages to the audience...It's a Spider-Man movie. Narrating to the audience is as essential for the ending as the final swing is, and this one has both! All around, a good ending...with a tease for more.

Though I will admit, it's not every day when I say that a movie's credits are as visually pleasing as the rest of the film.

And while Stan Lee's cameo is a great final tribute to him, ending the movie with one of his quotes is just as spectacular. Again, rest in peace, Stan.

By the way, I adore "Spider-Bells." Not only does it crack me up that Peter has a mental breakdown halfway through singing it, but it also means this movie is a Christmas movie...Because if people can call Die Hard a Christmas movie, then I can call Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a Christmas movie too. Leave me alone.

As for final teasers, Spider-Man 2099 looks dope and I cannot wait to see him tear Miles apart in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse...That felt weird to say, but let the record show that I said with love!

And they got the pointing meme in. Yup, I adore this movie!

So, a pretty flawless film, right?

…Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell–

Ok, I want to make it clear that while there are problems to be had, they don't spoil the movie. Most of them are just nitpicks that always bothered me personally, so don't take them too seriously. With that said...

Where did the spider come from? It's the thing that fundamentally changes Miles' life, and we never really got an answer for that.

Why did Gwen double back on revealing her name? Gwen's a pretty common name to have. And, odds are, the one in this universe looks vastly different to her. We already know Peter B. Parker is different from Miles' Peter Parker, so it's not too much of a stretch. Plus, even if Gwen looks the same, the Gwen we know within this movie is already risking a lot by being out as herself, so why change the name? I know it's a small thing, but like I said, it always bothered me.

And while we're on the topic of Gwen, I'm not a fan of her backstory. Not her origin story, that's fine. But the fact that she was in Miles' universe for a whole week and her spider-sense told her to go to his school is...confusing? If being in Miles' universe is literally killing her, how is she not dead already? And how does spider-sense tell her to go to a new school? As far as I can tell, spider-sense is an alarm system that gives a Spider-Person total awareness of everything around them. Not to act as an instruction manual of what to do in life. I take it that this is an excuse to get her and Miles to interact more and form more of a romantic bond, which I'm fine with because they're adorable together. It's just that I wish this was done in a way that made more sense because, as is, it's making my brain hurt.

Kingpin's design...is laughable. Apparently, it's paying homage to a Daredevil comic's artist interpretation of the character, which I guess it's cool...but he looks ridiculous. And don't get me wrong, I love it when superhero animation goes for a more stylistic approach with heroes and villains instead of a realistic one. It's why Spectacular Spider-Man is my favorite Spider-Man show as opposed to others, because every character looks unique from one another, especially the villains. And while Kingpin certainly looks unique...it's a little too much, and it's the one thing I never take seriously with this film.

Green Goblin! One of the most important and influential villains in Spider-Man's line-up...is wasted as canon fodder, dying just as fast as he's introduced. Kind of disappointing.

Spider-Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham are great characters. They're each animated in great styles that perfectly convey they're from another universe, have some great jokes, and are overall a good time. The problem? They're...not necessary. You can cut these three out of the movie, and nothing will change. I wouldn't mind if they were characters who were there to add fluff and nothing else, but they're there to also add emotional weight to the story. Take Peni's sadness about SP/dr getting destroyed or the characters all saying goodbye to Miles. I can tell that they're all meant to be heart wrenching moments, but we hardly spend time with these characters to feel like it's earned. Miles barely got time to spend with them, so that, right there, takes the punch out of their sad farewells. Again, they're great characters, and I do love that they're a part of this movie. The only problem is that they're in too short of a film to really deserve the emotional beats.

The Spider-People hiding from Miles' roommate might be the ONE joke that fits the more "In your face" style like other Marvel movies. It spoiled the serious momentum before it, and I feel like they kept it in for the sake of a trailer clip.

Hey! Mary Jane Watson is the worst part of a Spider-Man movie! Yeah, go figure. She's an essential part of Peter's life, but there's no personality to either version of the character we see in this movie. Calling her an over-glorified plot device would be generous.  Sorry, MJ, but a Spider-Man movie has, once again, done you dirty. But at least you're pretty good in the MCU...Don't give me that look. You know it's true.

I don't mind Kingpin failing to kill Miles. Villains will stupidly allow the heroes to gain the second wind, and you just need to accept that in superhero media...BUT HOW THE ACTUAL HELL DID MILES, HIS DAD AND ALL THE OTHER NORMAL LIVING PEOPLE SURVIVE THAT EXPLOSION! Look at it! It was massive!

But, seriously, that’s all I have.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best Spider-Man movie. Nerds and losers debate about which of the live-action films are better but note how rarely anyone denies Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse being on top. Can you blame them? With game-changing animation, amazing characters, and a story showcasing everything that's to love about Spider-Man, you cannot get better than this. I look forward to the rest of this trilogy, but I have already accepted that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will forever remain at the best that there is, and it'll take actual flawless perfection to change my mind.

[gravityfallsebs]

Book of Bill thoughts (Spoilers)

I've read too many fairy tales and folktales to fall for this nonsense, "Oh, put your blood here, make sure I get the blood" you're getting ketchup bitch.

This book reveals two things about Bill: he is very smart but he is unfortunately insane, which holds him back quite a lot in the world destroying department.

"Write your name here" Sure thing, I'm Nobody.

I don't know if The Great Gatsby is actually in here because I don't remember the book at all.

Thank you for the Goth Moth Ford, new favorite thing!

I think Bill's whole 'Nothing is real' philosophy is a result of him destroying his dimension. If nothing is real, then it doesn't matter.

Me reading Bill's anatomy chart:

"Methinks? Kill me before you start telling me about your polycule." DAMN OKAY.

Alex Hirsch references Chick Tracts and it's one of the many things that place him as a child of the 80s and 90s.

"There are no codes in this book!" I can see them Billium.

Dipper's search history is hilarious, "attracted to green m&m healthy?"

I like how it explains how Bill knew what Mabel would fall for and other minor details like why the Pines Twins were sent to live with their grunkle for the summer and the mystery of Shermie Pines.

Baby Bill is cute. No other thoughts, he's just cute.

Cipher's trauma effected him so severely it changed his entire personality.

Love how the Government Agents in the 40s were like, "Yeah, hated that entire experience, lets never think about the Triangle again."

The Precious Moments thing would have worked on me, I unironically love those figurines.

Ford's part of the book is the most interesting and the scariest, because up until this point Bill is funny and vaguely unsettling. Here? he's terrifying.

"You remembered my Birthday?" He possessed and killed rats Stanford, this is cause for concern.

"Sixer, it would eat you alive." The only time Bill was close to honest with him.

Krampus's part is honestly my favorite, Ford is just very honest with the children and then tells Krampus he's lucky they don't have grenades because he finds his price for freedom annoying.

Fiddleford forgot to buy his wife a gift but bought Ford a gift. I bet the Fiddleford shippers are happy.

"I Grow Maddened" I want to see this animated, holy shit.

The whole Zom-Bill thing just drives home that Stan and Ford are brothers, I bet Ford told the "aim is getting better" joke first.

Court Mandated therapy. Exactly what Bill deserves

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Michael Darling Through the Ages:

Finally finishing off the Darlings with this post and making it so painfully obvious that I'm color coding these characters that I will assume you lack color vision if you miss it. This is post number 4 for this project! I am making a crossover for Peter Pan, Milo and the Phantom Tollbooth, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. The story will focus on all the main characters from these stories moving to the same town and going to school and having fantastical adventures together.

More info and non-formatted drawings under the cut. Posts for Alice, Wendy, and John.

Chicken Scratch Translation (in the order the boxes should be read):

[Neverland Era. Age: 6. Source: Portraits in the Darling residence]

[Notes: a very sweet young child with a lot of energy and a big imagination. He might not come up with a lot of ideas or plans on his own, but he fully throws himself into whatever the current game is.]

[Chill Jock Era. Age: 13. Source: School yearbook photos]

[Notes: Star of the field hockey team (which he had to start). While he's a very talented player, he happy to run support and/or let others do the strategizing. He's a very matter of fact kind of kid who deals with the facts as they come. . . Although he is still a 13 year old boy.]

[Museum Curator Era. Age: 30. Source: Professional Website Photo]

[Notes: Michael discovered his love for learning about other cultures quite young and has since discovered that material preservation and keeping physical evidence of their cultures alive was quite important to him. While his perpetual baby face makes it look worse than it is, he is still impressively young for his career choice.]

AU Info:

This is a modern!AU taking place somewhere between the 90s and the 2010s

The AU takes place in America, mostly because I am an American and will have an easier time that way. That said, Alice and the Darlings were still originally located in England and relocated to America sometime after their original adventures. Dorothy is from Kansas and Milo is from Indeterminate American Suburbia.

The school is 7-12. During the time of the story, Michael and Alice are 8th graders, John and Milo are sophomores, and Wendy and Dorothy are seniors.

I am using book canon for Alice in Wonderland (I will be using both Looking Glass Land and Wonderland) and for Milo and the Phantom Tollbooth. I'm using Warner Bros Movie canon for The Wizard of Oz. I'm using primarily Disney movie canon for Peter Pan, but will be taking elements from the boon and the stageplay as I see fit.

The story will be equal parts high school AU , focusing on their mundane adventures, and fantastical story, and all of the original Magical Otherworlds will be featured.

While this will be a gen fic, ships will appear! Wendy and Dorothy are both some kind of sapphic and will be shipped (they don't really know their own sexualities, but they do know they like girls). John is gay and Milo is aspec (exact variety as of yet undetermined) and will be shipped in an aspec way. Michael and Alice will stay single, but Michael is straight and Alice is pan.

These information files exist in universe! Who made them? That's my secret! >:)

Other Notes:

I can do what I want. The Darlings are 1/4 Japanese from their maternal grandmother.

While I tried to extrapolate the kids' future jobs and interests from their stories, Michael is unfortunately too young to profile. He carries a teddy bear and really likes Nana, so I was going to give him an animal related profession, but I changed my mind and decided to do something dumb instead. Type Michael Darling into a search engine and see if you can figure it out.

Unformatted versions: