#i do have thoughts that are more in depth with norman as a character i never deny that. but that also means i get to deck him at least Once

[cursezoroark]

this panel is so good at scaring the shit out of me.

[emeryhiro]

My thoughts on The Book Of Carol Episode 1

-Spoiler-free edition-

I know that some information about what was discussed during the panel has already been posted online, but I personally will try my best to refrain from posting about it since that was what was requested before the episode showing, and the panel.

Setting the tone for the rest of season 2

Firstly, Episode 1 immediately starts the season with huge emotional implications, primarily focusing on Carol and her current mindset. I truly believe that if they keep at this pace, we will have Daryl and Carol on an even field within the spinoff by the end of season 2.

Over the seasons of the main show, we got the chance to see so many layers of Carol, but since the screen time on that show had to be shared with so many other characters, we never got to go as far into Carol's mindset as we wanted to. But after watching this episode, I now know beyond a doubt that Melissa has the talent and Carol has the depth to be a brilliant leading character. She can fill an entire episode with her storyline, and there would not be a dull moment; on the contrary, during the showing, I constantly had chills because of the absolute power of Melissa's performance.

Storyline split ratio

As Norman has already said, The Book Of Carol will not be an exact 50/50 split between Daryl and Carol. There will naturally be slightly more of a focus on Carol, which I found was already so evident in Episode 1. The heavier focus on Carol was done beautifully, and like I said earlier Melissa fulfilled the role of a leading character so perfectly that I couldn't help but be a little disappointed whenever I saw that a scene had changed away from her.

Carol's mindset

Carol's mindset and emotional state had me in a chokehold this episode; I don't think there was a single scene between Carol & Ash that didn't bring me to tears or leave me with chills. As Melissa mentioned in her behind-the-scenes interview for Daryl Dixon episode 6, Carol's journey is about her mindset and how she needs to know that her friend is okay.

This theme is already heavily touched on in episode one and delivered in a way that brought me to tears repeatedly. They utilised a few vital flashbacks and some moments where we find Carol alone, going through some powerful emotional moments that opened old wounds and addressed certain things that were never fully resolved on the main show.

One of the most heartbreaking moments we see of Carol alone revolves around a song that Carol sings along with (to herself); even though the song itself has very simple lyrics, I immediately thought that it fully explains why Carol is prepared to do anything to get Daryl back.

Even before watching the episode, we knew that Carol would do anything for the ones she loves, but this current situation with Daryl truly asks more from her than anything she has ever done before. Still, there is no hesitation within her about how many lines she is willing to cross to find him again.

In all this Carol also showed some immense growth, especially in how she handled guilt and loss compared to her actions and mindset in season 10.

Daryl's change

This is mentioned in the new season's synopsis, so I no longer classify it as a spoiler. The synopsis stated that "Daryl struggles with his decision to stay in France" which appeared to be very true to me in episode 1.

I saw a colder, more aggressive, and mentally exhausted side to Daryl, which is evident in how he handles all his conversations with people from the Nest and how there seems to always be an slight undertone of resentment in his words that he is trying to hide.

Additionally, while watching season 1 of Daryl Dixon, I noticed that the longer Daryl is away from Carol, the more he regresses into his trauma. It's like all progress is being lost, and he's slowly turning back to his old ways, not standing up for himself and hiding in Merl's shadow.

Additional quick takeaways:

Ash is an angel and must be protected

Genet looked scary and really creeped me out at one point, which was really thrilling and showed the possibility of a really interesting villain for the season 2 arc

It appears that (according to Norman) we'll be getting more screen time with some of the other characters, like Sylvie and Losang

Some of the nest members' scenes evoked a sense of impending doom and eerieness, which suggests that there may be more to the Nest than meets the eye, with perhaps something sinister hiding within it.

This episode had gorgeous cinematography, which I personally liked more than season 1's, and I found that it felt richer too.

Episode 1 of TBOC is now, by far, my favourite episode from any of the spinoffs. It shows that when a show about Daryl and Carol is true to its characters, it becomes a natural success and a beautiful piece of the story.

Melissa's voice and influence are clear in how Carol's story is told in this episode. And Melissa herself seemed very proud of the work that had been done for season 2.

Norman teased one of his favourite upcoming scenes, which is of Daryl and Carol bickering like an old married couple, and Melissa teased about her favourite location where they slept and woke up surrounded by horses (I'm just imagining Norman waking up and immediately being terrified)

Melissa was absolutely glowing in person and exceeded any and every expectation that I may have had of her

Conclusion and final thoughts

If episode one is a good example on which to base my opinion, then I'd say that season 2 looks very promising, with the very likely possibility of surpassing the main series in ranking as my favourite show.

It has planted seeds to potentially resolve many of Caryl/Daryl's storylines that were left unresolved in the main series, in a way that's true to who Carol and Daryl are and how even we, as viewers, envisioned it should be.

And in Melissa's words from the panel:

"12 years of The Walking Dead, there was a lot unsaid... we picked some of the core issues and built on that"

All I gotta say to wrap this up is get excited!! The future of Caryl is looking bright!

~~~~

I have also written a full spoiler version of my thoughts, which goes into a further in-depth analysis of specific moments and their significance. However, I will post that once season 2, episode 1, is officially released in September.

[reel-fear]

Bendy And The Power Of Representation

So those graphic novel pages huh? Seems I posted my cover post at just the right time because literally minutes after I was informed the preview pages came out and uh. This is Buddy and Norman!

Oh dear... I'll put the full graphic novel pages down below but I have so much to say on how awful this is it'll need several posts. However, right now I want to mostly talk about representation and briefly touch on why it's so damn important + inform others about the current shit Mike and Meatly are saying about the books n such.

Now note: All the things I'm saying below are based on my personal experience, maybe some people don't care about seeing the representation of their identities in the media they consume. Maybe some will think I'm merely being dramatic and I might be but I'm not lying when I say I personally believe being represented and seen in the media you consume can be one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.

Look I'm not here to argue with people who think that Norman in particular was never meant to be a person of color, I would argue he is very coded but the points I'm making here are not about how Norman particularly had to be black. The point I want to make is the lack of diversity in our cast in general and how Norman's design has heavily dwindled it considering most people [including myself] rightfully assumed he was at least one of three black characters in our cast. Not according to this though and looking at the the rest of the pages our chances of seeing any kind of decent diverse character designs dwindle more.

So firstly... Buddy a character who has been said to experience discrimination for being Jewish, lacks any kind of ethnic features at all. That's... Cool but yeah I think this shows a rather grim future for the character designs as a whole.

Also, Norman... As I mentioned he was largely assumed to be black due to his southern dialect, his voice, and other factors. But nope, he's a generic white guy. With... Gross looking hair tbh...

Sadly this is not the first time the topic of poor representation has come up concerning Bendy either.

[note how he disregarded the other mentioned minorities and specifically cites LGBTQ+ characters]

This sucks as a response but sadly considering Mike's recent behavior it seems to fall in line with the Bendy team's general lack of care towards representing anyone who isn't straight and white.

So how did Mike respond to all of this? Well...

TDLR - "Who cares if the Graphic Novel we're selling to our fans for full price sucks, we now no longer consider the books canon."

This is horrible, I know Mike and Meatly are only really in this for the money, the fact BATIM is in the state that it is proved that, but they really couldn't have been less obvious about it?

So basically when it benefited them, AKA when it meant people would have to buy the books to understand important lore like Boris' identity... [the character you spend all of chapter 4 trying to rescue] They were considered canon... At least the author sure thought so.

Hell even in the tweet Meatly made here he doesn't say the books aren't canon, he just says they're not needed to understand Bendy's world. Now Mike is using that as a shield instead of doing the right thing and saying "You're right, the poc in our fanbase deserve better we'll have it fixed right away!" Like most reasonable people would considering how his studio has literally been accused of bigotry, poor rep, and general lack of diversity before. Why risk making more people avoid this franchise?

Also just... Imagine how insulting it would be to be an author who helps flesh out so much of this world and gives its characters depth like NONE of the games have managed to do, filling in plot holes, creating a timeline for events, etc... Then because they couldn't bother to change the graphic novel for ur story to be better they instead throw out all ur writing and declare it non-canon.

If I were her to put it bluntly I'd feel insulted and horrible. Why make her do all the work of making sure her works align with the timeline and game's canon if they're not part of it?

I can't speak for her obviously but Meatly and Mike know of her account, so speaking out against this could very much risk her being fired or at least not allowed to work on Bendy anymore... So I would take all her tweets on this situation with a grain of salt. She very much is not in a position where she could be honest if she was against this.

So with all that history now, the question I'm sure many are wondering is... Why does this even matter? Who cares how diverse the characters are when it doesn't affect the story?

Well for one thing, if you think like that consider having more empathy for your fellow human beings but also it does affect the story. One of DCTL's themes is about the bigotry of the period it is set in.

Now the Bendy team has managed to make the discussion of this book centering around their bigotry which is ironic in a way I almost find funny... Though this entire thing is just a bit too hurtful and upsetting to find any humor in, at least for me...

But another thing is representation can bring people such joy when it's done with care. It really shouldn't be understated how far it can go to make people feel more comfortable in their own sense of self to have a franchise choose to represent them and their experiences. I know this from personal experience.

Now if you've been following me for a while, you know I'm a big fan of Transformers. I no longer engage with it much due to baggage from the fandom's awful treatment of me, but before I left I remember being able to witness the release of Transformers: Earthspark first few episodes.

These introduced the Maltos the family who meets the Transformers and serve as our protagonists and guess what?

It's a family of Filipinos!

Now look I'm not Filipino, but I am half Mexican and I have a lot of love for that part of me. So seeing the representation of any Spanish culture in this franchise I loved made me so happy! I remember just watching the first episode I was happily telling my partner how fun it was to see people like me and my family in a world I love!!

But it didn't end with the Maltos in fact... There was another character who spoke to me, their name was Nightshade. Their pronouns are They/Them and they spoke about it on the show! Not just mentioning it and moving on but actually sitting down to speak about their experiences...

This clip in particular really turned them into an absolute favorite among fans and well... I'll let you see it for yourself.

This scene... Fills me with a joy I cannot describe. It is the creators of a franchise I love telling me they see people like me and find the stories of people like me important enough to include in this series. There really is nothing like being able to say there are Non-Binary characters in a franchise I have so much love for. I was far from the only one too.

This is amazing, this is wonderful, this clip and character were moving to so so many people and...

This is a joy the Bendy creators have no interest in giving their audience. They don't care how you feel as a queer and/or black person, which... Hurts...

I... Discovered I was trans while in the Bendy community... It was where I learned the word Non-Binary and started using it for myself. To me Bendy will always have that connection... But the devs themselves seem to hate the idea of being forced to actually represent that in their games... And I still haven't really gotten over that pain or betrayal if I'm being honest.

So...

With Norman now being portrayed as white here, we are down to two black characters. Thomas [who Meatly has claimed is white in the past] based on a vague conversation with Sammy in DCTL they could easily ignore... And Jacob.... A book exclusive character which according to Mike means he is non-canon.

If we don't count Thomas' vague talk with Sammy about disrespect as confirmation he's black [which the devs don't seem to think so] then we have one black character in all of Bendy... And he recently got retconned into non-existence. Great.

Look... The Bendy fanbase has always been full of wonderfully diverse designs for the staff and even more diverse people creating them. Bendy's fandom was built with the work of queer people from all kinds of places.

If the Bendy team continues to show how little they care for anyone who isn't straight or white... I wonder who they are counting on to buy this book or in general financially support their franchise?

I know right now, I am furious, I am hurt and I most certainly don't feel like buying a book that's currently just a massive fuck you to the fans and I hope I've expressed why I feel this way in an easy-to-understand way here...

Either way, I will not be forgetting this anytime soon and I hope the fanbase does the same. Maybe just maybe, if there's enough backlash to this series of horrible decisions they'll learn better.

Right now, it's kinda of our only hope for a better future, and if you know any poc who are into Bendy right now... Maybe consider making sure they're feeling okay.

I know from experience how much this sort of thing hurts, to have the creators of a world you love straight up tell you they don't intend to fix the fact no one in their stories represents your identity or life...

What I'm trying to say is...

This is a really low point for Bendy and its fans... Even more for the poc who have to witness such ignorant and careless attitudes from Mike and Meatly towards their feelings.

Please don't forget them when you discuss these tweets or this situation. That's exactly what Mike and Meatly want right now.

For them to be unrepresented and therefore... Unheard.

[gartenofbanny]

Striker was one of my favorite antagonists in Helluva Boss. He's a (mostly) thought-out character with an understandable motivation, has a great personality, is a threat to IMP and Stolas, conflicts with Blitzo moreso than Moxxie, and his design is cool. Well when Western Energy was released, you can tell that Striker's character has been changed, and not for the better. While I still consider him my favorite antagonist (because he's the one with the most depth), I can't ignore the character change he had in Western Energy, and believe me they did change a lot about him. So this is going to be a simple comparison of both versions of Striker, some of the topics I'm going to be talking about are listed in this meme I made. Anyway, let's get started.

Show vs Tell

Helluva Boss has always had a show vs tell problem, but it was very apparent in Western Energy. For this example I'm going to bring up the Ballad of Striker.

The song is insanely catchy, but my problem is that they just describe traits or stuff about Striker that we already know about or we're going to know about later on. We know he's fast and strong and tall and mean because he already expressed those traits in Harvest Moon, we're told that he's the best assassin in the Ring of Wrath despite him failing to kill Stolas twice, they say that he's this famous assassin even the cacti know his name but Blitzo, Moxxie, nor Millie never heard of him before Harvest Moon and there was no foreshadowing that he even existed.

The only things we know that's new when it comes to Striker is that he likes to eat Pâté for lunch and he likes to ride on the choo-choo train. So yeah those are the only two new things we know about him, the rest of those traits don't make sense or were things we already knew and we have Harvest Moon Festival to thank for that.

Striker is fast because and strong and tall because he's Blitzo's physical equal and he overpowered Millie swiftly. He's mean because we've seen him insult and hate on Moxxie just because he's weak. None of that was told to us, it was shown.

So not only did the writers implement tell instead of show this song that's telling us all this stuff just regurgitating information that we already know or stuff that doesn't make any sense. It's just a catchy song with no meaning.

Striker also mentions that Demonic Royalty took away everything he had, but it's very vague and not even brought up again in the episode. Stolas doesn't even know what he's talking about and doesn't even care lmao. This could've been a good opportunity to flesh him out a little especially considering that he's the second major antagonist to make a second appearance as an antagonist.

Voice Acting

Now this is going to be a bit controversial, while I do like Edward Bosco's voice, Norman Reedus' voice acting is just on another level. Simply put it, Norman Reedus is a more experienced Actor than Ed Bosco because Norman has been in the game for well over 10 years at least. Edward Bosco from what I've seen only does voice acting for cartoons meanwhile Norman Reedus does both acting and voice acting and has been doing so since the 1990s.

Norman is just better, but that doesn't mean Edward Bosco is bad. I will say that Vivziepop should've had Edward Bosco voice Striker from the beginning because in all honesty, whenever I see or hear Striker I immediately think Norman Reedus until I remember Edward Bosco also voiced him. Having a big actor voice an antagonist leads to the audience identifying that antagonist as the actor.

And when that big voice actor gets replaced by a lesser experienced one it'll be difficult to fill those shoes, I'm not blaming Ed for this, moreso Vivziepop because I don't know why she decided to hire Norman fucking Reedus for this role and could've known that Norman Reedus most likely wouldn't be back for it.

Personality Change

So Striker has had a personality change in Western Energy, while remnants of his personality in Harvest Moon remained (like his hatred of Overlords & Demonic Royalty) there's more stuff that was added and removed that made his character a bit worse.

One of the things that they added to Striker was the fact that he has a statue of himself with a stick poking out between his legs. Obviously not going to share the image here because of reasons. While he was pretty narcissistic, it wasn't to the extent that he would literally make a fucking statue of himself with a hard-on. It's literally something Chaz would do and you all know my opinion about that guy. Not to mention it's yet another male character that's obsessed with dick so yeah.

Striker all of a sudden is also more sensitive to insults compared to his Harvest Moon version. He gets triggered whenever Stolas insulted him which is weird because before when he did get insulted he just didn't care and bit back with his own insults. Now he's just an angry goofball.

Striker gets disgusted to sexual remarks to the extent that he'll literally stop what he's doing. Whether it be stop torturing Stolas or stop choking out Moxxie because sexual jokes and cries are oh so disgusting to him. Remember when Blitzo essentially flirted with him in Harvest Moon and Striker didn't have a reaction to it? Yeah, me too.

This sensitivity to an extent also makes him less intimidating because now if you just insult Striker or say something dirty around him, he'll all of a sudden stop what he's doing to look at you disgustedly or gag. "Greatest Assassin in the Ring of Wrath", but he can't take insults or dirty jokes, fuck off with that.

Reckless Actions

Time to list Striker's reckless actions in a single episode alone

1. He attacked Stolas in public in a café where possible High Ranked Demons dine at

2. He has a wanted poster yet is in public

3. Is well known and possibly famous despite being called "The Greatest Assassin in the Ring of Wrath"

4. For some reason he lets imps be aware of his hideout which is what literally caused Moxxie and Millie to find him

While Striker in Harvest Moon was a bit reckless (Like why did he leave his door open to for Blitzo to find him assassinating Stolas and why was he immediately hostile towards Moxxie when Moxxie found his gun), but he wasn't reckless to this extent. I can also explain why Striker decided to snipe Stolas. It's because there were a bunch of Imps around and once Striker instantly kills Stolas it actually leaves a lot of suspects instead of one. And due to the fact that Imps are the bottom of the social hierarchy, it would lead to many members of Demonic Royalty just hating on Imps which can become a problem for Moxxie, Millie, and Blitzo because they are all affiliated with Stolas.

So if Striker just straight up killed Stolas in Harvest Moon, he probably won't face the consequences. That would be an interesting conflict, but it's definitely not gonna happen.

Conclusion

Anyway, Striker as an antagonist has really changed for the worst in Western Energy and it's such a shame because he was my favorite antagonist. He still is, but it's just not the Striker I liked. Oh well at least the DHORKS Agents are still around, hopefully Viv and her writing team don't fuck them up.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you all have a nice day! ❤️

[fullscoreshenanigans]

I’m never going to be over Ray and Emma both having visions of Norman when they both desperately needed the comfort of his presence.

I could have gone with manga panels for both of these for uniformity, but yet again CloverWorks takes advantage of the medium shift to add such beautiful nuance to (hallucination!)Norman and Ray’s exchange in the S1 finale—Norman speaking to Ray so, so gently in both the English and Japanese dubs with his final remark featured here, Ray being so overwhelmed by everything that’s happened in the past hour already and now topped with seeing one of the two people who was most important to him reappear, after he thought he’d never see him again, that he nearly cries at his words. I can’t express how much I adore the way they handled this scene.

By turning out to be a hallucination/dream as opposed to a ghost, we’re shown Norman’s departed spirit isn’t actually guiding them as its own independent entity with an agenda in another incorporeal form, but instead how they both internalized his character and personality and, most importantly, how they wished to see him again that manifested his appearance (see this post for further differences between their perspectives of him on this particular night).

Ray has spent over half of his life utterly loathing himself for the choices he made in order to save Emma and Norman. So much so he built up a bravado around the act of his self-immolation for years, resulting in the manic fervor he displays when giving his speech to Emma in the few minutes before the clock strikes midnight on his officially listed birthday (this is also fueled by his fraught relationship with Isabella, but that’s for other posts). He not only believes he deserves to die for his actions and perceived inaction, but that he should do so in a violent, agonizing way.

Ray knows Norman, knows his sense of rigid morality well enough to account for him discovering his alliance with Isabella and using that to his advantage, to further push Norman away so he’ll be more comfortable with using him (he even chides Norman for not keeping his original plan to do this a secret) and so his death will hurt him and Emma less. And for roughly the entire back half of October 2045, Norman did genuinely hate Ray for his betrayal in the same way he hated Isabella, his reaction so visceral at being deceived and hurt by people he had loved all his life. He would have been willing to sacrifice Ray if not for intervention from Emma, which opened him up to directly confronting Ray and, in turn, led him to discover Ray’s true motives. He was so humbled and taken aback by the depths of Ray’s love and loyalty he returned to his original categorization of him: a dear friend who needed to be saved from his intended fate in their cruel world. Even if saving him came at the cost of his own life; even if he desperately wanted to live.

One could argue Ray hallucinating Norman up on the wall was to assuage his own guilt at being unable to save him as he originally planned (something that, on his darker days, I think Ray himself would believe), but I prefer to view it as the final marker of his truly internalizing one of the deepest desires in his heart that he had locked away for so long. After living under that oppressive reality of dehumanization and exploitation and believing that there was nothing else for him, that this was all there was, that things would never get better and after everything he did up to that point, he didn’t deserve better, on top of Isabella throwing him completely off balance by shipping Norman out early and just being this incredibly conflicting and painful presence in his life, to have his siblings come together for this escape plan and without putting it explicitly in words convey “you’re worth saving, Ray, and we love you,” and that they gave him hope back

(Chapter 36)

it fucks me up something fierce.

Emma’s hallucination of Norman is much more brief during this time.

No words are exchanged, but none are necessary.

(Chapter 31)

After two and a half months of grappling with the real, palpable grief she felt at his death, seeing him around every corner and hearing his voice, and sublimating it into her efforts to ensure the success of the escape, she’s able to find solace in her vision of him before the wall.

(Chapter 119)

It’s why she sheds no tears for him until their reunion nearly two years later.

(TPN Light Novel 1: A Letter from Norman - “The Day Emma Cried”; translated by @1000sunnygo​​)

But up until that point, she repeatedly draws strength and comfort from his memory.

Even before chapter 93, she’s unconsciously reaching for him in her fevered dreams.

(Chapter 45 Side Scene)

Him and Isabella, predominantly in black due to her belief they’re dead, and Ray and the rest of the escapees who she hopes are still alive, predominately in white.

(Chapter 50)

Though she had to compromise on their original plan by only bringing along those over five at its outset, she’s committed to their end goal. She was the spark that pushed them to strive for the ideal outcome instead of settling for the safest one that would be tinged in regrets, and he gave up everything to facilitate it.

(Chapter 53)

The three-panel overview of her thought process ends on her final handshake with Norman. It’s painful enough for this man to be insulting her living family, but when her thoughts drift to the boy who had given his life so they would have a chance to live freely, who came to believe in all those things the man was disparaging, it’s the final straw that breaks her silence. She won’t stand and let her family be disregarded so casually or let Norman’s memory be desecrated like that.

(Chapter 64)

She eventually brings him up to Yuugo in an attempt to connect with him over lost friends, and her framing of it is interesting because while viewing Norman as having agency in making his choice (as much as they can have under the circumstances in that he went willingly, which isn’t much, but from her perspective as a traumatized child), she states simply that she let him go. (Shoutout to the way SKATES delivers said line in the manga dub. Wonderfully heartbreaking. </3)

(Chapter 30)

After she and Ray both knew how much he wanted to see the world beyond their walled existence and live on with them.

So when we get to chapter 93 where she’s on the brink of death, having visions of all the suffering experienced on the grounds of Goldy Pond before finding refuge and strength in visions of her family, the one who catches he when she begins to sink is Norman.

Unlike with the hallucinations at the end of the escape arc that were meant to obfuscate his fate, at this point we as an audience know he’s alive at Lambda, so this is all coming from the perception of Norman Emma holds deep within her heart. Even from beyond, even if it meant being separated from her longer, she sees him guiding her out of the unknown, murky depths so she can continue fighting to actualize their plan. (To say nothing of the way she imagines him delicately intertwining their fingers upon reaching her as the way he catches her. The association with safety and gentleness is always present and yet another valued refuge in light of the violence she’s in the middle of.)

Minor tangent to end on, but it’s interesting to me how when Emma brings up Norman’s name among people she misses, during the only time they privately mention him, Ray takes a beat to gather himself before focusing on what’s still obtainable in this life.

(Chapter 55)

There’s zero chance she blames him for Norman’s shipment, but he’s still not ready to look her in the eye and delve into it where they could potentially draw attention from others when he considers it a failure to his two most precious people after years of meticulous planning.

(Chapter 65)

But Norman’s still in his thoughts too as he adamantly refuses to fail Emma again.

(Chapter 93)

Though he comes very close.

(Chapter 123)

And he’s the one to remind Emma of how special their bond is when she’s having doubts about voicing her disagreement with Norman’s plan.

[thewriteblrlibrary]

Anime and Manga just... hits different. Doesn't it?

.... want to know how they do it?

(Spoilers for The Promised Neverland.)

_____________

For character creation.

(based on what I've seen, particularly from the promised neverland)

Japanese storytelling is originally inspired by a type of Chinese poetry, and so you can see a poetic way of storytelling throughout all of anime and manga

1) have a concept/problem/weird little phenomena to explore (like the trolly problem) For the promised neverland, this is the idea of morality in dire situations. In a system that doesn't end well for them, who should you save? How many can you save?

In essence: ask a question. This is not a moral. It is not a theme. Anime and manga tend to have more nuanced themes because instead of portraying a moral, they ask a question.

2) each character will have a different answer to this question <-- and this doubles as their worldview.

For the promised neverland, Emma wants to save everyone. Her answer is that they should save everyone, no matter the danger. Ray thinks they should only save the three Main characters, because it isn't practical to save everyone. If they try, they will only be killed. And Norman is in between. He is a strategist and while he knows this will be insanely difficult, he does want to save everyone for Emma

3) why do they think this? Have a base motivation or backstory for why they have this answer. What is their reasoning for why this is right?

For Emma, she is showcased from the beginning to love her family and like praise from her mother.

For Norman, he doesn't want to be alone, and he cherishes his friends because they always kept him company, so he's going to want to try to cater to the both of them For Ray (spoilers).....he knows the secret of the house because he remembers when he was a baby. So he knows how impossible this is, and has had to live with his siblings dying for years. He's tired.

One of the best ways (I think) to do step #3 is to have backstory, and it can be as basic or as expansive as you want.

Posts on writing backstory here and here. <-- also where I talk about desire vs fear for characters, which I think adds more depth and you'll see it a lot in anime/manga. The desire is typically more obvious though, whereas the fear is a bit more subtle and nuanced.

To summarize it - the character will have a desire, and a fear that stops them from getting that desire, both rooted in their worldview.

(Like for Emma and Ray and Norman, they all want for their happy life to be true, and they fear failing to save themselves or their siblings. Each has their own version of this, depending on what their answer/worldview is)

_________________________________

For the story itself

(following kishotenketsu for this. Resources here and here.)

Ki - Showcase a shorthand for the character immediately, so people can get a good sense of their base personality.

Sho - Then you can showcase more development. How does their behavior affect their current situation?

Based on the whole desire vs fear thing, the character will have nuanced behavior and thought patters. The audience will look at this and it will build intrigue for WHY they act like this. (You haven't revealed the backstory yet, this is after the backstory.)

The character will be actively avoiding their fear and chasing their goal... and yet they cannot have their goal without facing their fear. The character will try to use their personality to get their goal without facing their fear... but it's going to be difficult... and they may prioritize avoiding their fear.

Ten - Then you can showcase the backstory. This works as a twist + answer to why the character acts the way they do.

Essence of this video: the flashback should be added when it makes the next emotional moment have more weight(edited)

Now you can put something like a parallel to the backstory and see how the character will react differently. (The backstory has taught them something about how they should act/how the world should work) This time the character's full change will be very apparent.

Thinking back on this... I think this is what Haikyuu does.... for literally every character.

And I imagine this would be how you would introduce your character/story/first arc

From here you would use the kishotenketsu method in similar ways... but it would work like this

Ki - introduction of a problem that will test the character's internal conflict/worldview

Sho - how the character is going about it - their misbehaviors and suches and such (you can also include backstory here if it explains a certain aspect of why the character acts the way they do)

Ten - something happens that forces the character to either get scared and avoid both their fear and their desire, or they are able to narrowly get away with getting their desire

Ketsu - their realization. The character will go about their life/see the world a little differently because the twist caused a change in their perspective. How do they act as a result?

Additional videos -

And there you have it. Yet another writing methodology from the writeblr library.

And as always - the best writing methods are the ones that work for you, take what you need, modify it for your wip, or make something up on your own. There's no need to take advice as the end all be all!

[hawkogurl]

What do you think about Norman's pre death line ("Peter don't tell Harry")?

Alright once again reiterating that the tag Norman slander exists simply to allow people who don’t wanna see this to block it. I get it. Negativity is just gonna come with the territory of who this character is, but I also understand if you simply don’t want to see it. That’s why that’s there.

I really don’t think this is as well intentioned as people make it out to be. Frankly I think it’s arguable that it’s mainly just a plot device that’s probably easier to try and retrofit into any interpretation than it’s actually meant to align with anything but that’s beside the point.

I have gone into a perhaps frightening amount of depth onto why the like, main Norman defense scene in the Raimi trilogy doesn’t actually make him look that good. I won’t rehash that all here, if anyone is interested in reading it’s linked.

That being said, considering the selfish and malicious undertones to how he interacts with Harry in pretty much every scene, I don’t know if I’m really meant to read it as a benevolent or well intentioned move. I can’t even say if many of my points here that I would have would even be conscious for Norman or really just be more of a subconscious desire to preserve his power and his image. At the end of the day, because this line is primarily a narrative device, I don’t really care about the intention of that line. It’s secondary to what it represents later on for Harry, Peter, Norman’s flaws, and Norman’s lingering presence.

Norman functions both as a character and a narrative device, because at the end of the day all characters are narrative devices. The perceived humanity of any character is, unless it breaks the suspension of disbelief, often less important than what they accomplish as a narrative device. Often times, Norman analysis can end up falling flat to me because there’s a prioritization of the perceived humanity of a character over what they’re accomplishing for the narrative. At the end of the day, whatever interpretation of him makes the rest of the narrative the most compelling and the strongest is the most important. I say that Norman is a narrative device because at the end of the day, the influence I read from this line that might not be logical as his thought process or as a non cartoonishly evil intention are more important to me than trying to figure out a way where that thought process makes any damn sense. This is Doylist vs Watsonian, when it comes to this line I personally think it’s going to be easier if Watsonian interpretation that contributes to my hesitance because of how hard it would be to make the following make any damn sense as Norman’s conscious intentions plays second fiddle to the personally far more interesting ideas of what this accomplishes from a Doylist perspective. Overly long explanation accomplished, let’s move on.

Norman as a narrative device is primarily a foil for Peter. Give a man a mask and you see who he really is. Peter chooses to do good with little reward while Norman is effectively using anonymity as a tool to get what he wants, which is primarily control. Every scene with the Goblin is preceded by a scene where Norman experiences something, usually negative, that gives him a reason to want to do something drastic. He is using anonymity and his physical power with the Goblin to effectively try and eliminate anything that threatens the power he already has as an influential and wealthy person. It’s easy to interpret it’s about control for him from that; he is doing whatever he can to control every factor to prevent anything from threatening that he has what he wants and wants to continue to have it, regardless of what extremes he needs to go to or who his need for control harms in the process, because at the end of the day his need for control is entirely selfish. This contrasts well with Peter, who makes the conscious choice to help others regardless of the cost to himself because he believes it’s the right thing to do and those people deserve that protection and the ability to live safely. Norman/the Goblin quite literally states that he views the masses as a tool to elevate himself, a mentality that Peter’s actions do everything they can do prove that he doesn’t buy into as a character beat for him. Peter is choosing to take on a massive, selfless burden to himself and use the power he has, power he could use to exert control over people like Norman does, to instead help others and elevate them, rather than using them to elevate himself. This is the primary point of the movie, hence why it’s reiterated and expanded upon so much: the most important part of the movie is showing that Peter is a benevolent person who is learning that his power is best used to protect and elevate others, instead of using them to elevate himself. Norman being his foil, what aspects of his character strengthen that arc are more important.

Therefore, it’s easy to read that in Norman’s purpose as a character, that’s about control. It’s also an easy plot device just from that—he is exerting control over how his son sees him, a fun and cool plot device that will allow Harry to experience the horrors later on. He only demands Peter don’t tell Harry, but he effectively eliminates anyone else from knowing in the same move. If Harry can’t know, Peter can’t create any way for the public to know. That preserves Norman’s name in regards to many of the things he’s shown to care about. It’s also a sort of double bind for Peter if he ever even wanted to tell someone: he’d have to explain that he’s Spider-Man and the reasoning behind why preserving the last wish of a terrorist is more important than letting that be public and letting Harry make his own decisions. He’s never stated to tell MJ, because MJ would probably question these things and I think Peter knows that! At a certain point, Peter probably felt he was in too deep and that being his last words became more of an easy excuse for Peter to not have to do the main thing he struggles with: have difficult conversations. From every angle, letting Harry continue to suffer without all the details is a bad move… but after not telling Harry for months, is it too late to explain himself or for letting him hurt to be inexcusable? After a year? After the two years that we are shown in the time between the first two movies? It’s no longer if it’s more important to help the very alive Harry than respect the very dead Norman, it’s now that Peter is in an impossible situation where both options feel wrong. Anyone would be angry he hid that for that long, but the more time that goes by, the reaction becomes even more likely to be explosive, especially as Harry sinks into quite literal clinical delusion. And that’s not even really digging into the fact Peter just avoids those sort of difficult interactions in any way he can.

The idea this line is more of a narrative device is more clear when it comes to Harry. At the end of the day, this line exists to rationalize and make more believable Peter’s refusal to talk about it as Harry slowly experiences a pretty harsh psychological decline. I half resent this because I wish Peter’s avoidance was allowed to exist as its own flaw, but I also understand the line preserves suspension of disbelief. Harry is near constantly lied to by the people in his life, something that creates the distrust that makes him so much more dependent on his largely selfishly or maliciously acting father, even in death. Harry’s an odd specimen as a fictional character who’s a child of abuse, considering he’s shown to idolize his abuser instead of hate him—and yes, I am going to insist on the idea Norman was emotionally abusive at best. It’s in the text.—so having this sort of control via this line and his hallucinations is another narrative element to contribute to the idea that Harry stepping away from his father, existing independently from his attachment to Norman and Norman’s influence on him and towards the people who love him for himself and the creation of his own identity is the best thing for him. I understand liking Norman, especially in a post-NWH world, but there’s a reason he is the quite literal face of all of Harry’s worst traits, worst decisions, and the things that allow him to continue causing himself pain.

My primary opinion on this line is that it allows Norman, even after death, to keep exerting a deep control over almost every major character in this trilogy. That is its purpose, because that control makes the rest of the narrative more solid and more interesting. You can’t just remove this element without consequences. His intentions are very secondary for me, because I just don’t think they’re that important, though I doubt it was good intentioned on any more than a conscious level because it doesn’t align with the tone of every single other interaction with Harry and the idea that a line that has this sort of influence was meant to be helpful just has incredibly strange implications on so many levels.

[anulithots]

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...

I haven't been asked this question before, so thank you for asking!

I'm not sure if I'm going to run over ten, so I'll include duos/dynamics as well. (That was a mistake.. this is soo longggg. Thank you so much for asking but I don't think you knew what you were getting into. /pos.)

(In no particular order.... and I've written a lot about most of these characters, sorry if it's a bit long <3 )

Just a note that my JJK analysis's are up to the Hidden Inventory arc. I keep rereading that one to avoid the pain of the Shibuya arc... but I should be on my last reread for now!

Character quick list:

Donnie and Mikey from Rise,

Teacher and Shiva from The Girl from the Other SIde,

Itadori yuji, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki from Jujutsu Kaisen,

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto from Jujutsu Kaisen

Inej Ghafa and Jesper Fahley (sorry if I spelled thier names wrong!) from Six of Crows

Emma, Norman and Ray from The Promised Neverland

And I really liked Roz from the Wild Robot, and The Magnus Chase series, but It's been a while since I've read them. Currently reading 'A tale for the Time Being' and I like Nao's deep thoughts and unabashed honesty. She's also quite dark and casual about dark themes, and it does feel like how my brain used to be... dark stuff is casual there.

I do like Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. I watched the movies but have not read the books yet, and I want to before I start analyzing. I also want to read Sherlock Holmes so... yea.

#1: Donnie and Mikey from Rise of the Teenage mutant ninja turtles

Donnie is literally me. From the way he pronounces random words from his theater kid energy to his obsession with science. (I don't like physics but I'm writing a fanfiction on biology soooo....) I have a need to be useful otherwise I'm wasted space (because the information is more useful and important than the individual), go on infodumps for hours, get irritated and defensive easily and overall, I've never related to a character more. I just don't have the same empathy levels. For that I share traits with Mikey. I like being overly nice and trying to listen and make everyone feel heard. I also get very emotional very fast and constantly need hugs.

Also his relationship with Mikey reminds me of two of my siblings.

Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles took me out of a depressive period with the most intense hyperfixation I've ever had, and it's the first time I've read fanfiction (Like father like son..... sobs)

#2: Teacher and Shiva from the Girl from the Other Side.

They have the most wholesome found family relationship ever. The pain they give me is insurmountable. Every time I reread the manga I have the widest, dopiest smile because the wholesome scenes are so so so pure. I don't see a lot of stories that let the mundane be that special.

Also the way Shiva's written is just.. chefs kiss. Because she isn't written as an annoying child. She thinks she's being helpful, and she is helpful. All she wants is to keep everyone together, and for everyone to be happy, and the thing she hates the most is people hating her/being scared of her.... and the guilt. The most depth-filled child character in existence here.

And teacher... Just... *screams*. His overthinking and endlessly caring demeanor. The way he second guesses everything he does and worries so much that he gets worried about worrying. He's also quite hard on himself.

And I think they are supposed to represent the two sides of loving others. Shiva is the 'they make me happy and I can help them' part. The wholesome, childlike side.

Teacher is the worrying side. The side that tries so hard to protect the others that their anxiety drives them crazy.

(I got up to the second delux edition.)

#3 The Tokyo Trio (Itadori, Fushiguro, and Nobara) from Jujutsu Kaisen. (my most recent hyperfixation.)

Itadori: His fear of regretting his life, using a role to avoid that, making sure not to think about his execution or his death too much. Him trying so hard to help others in a way only he can do. Using 'dying a natural death' to justify to himself that he's okay with this (he isn't). Fearing death that he doesn't have control over. Structuring his life around caring for others. The sweetest bean here.

Fushiguro: HIs morrallittyyyyy. The way he needs to be the one to deliver fairness because the world isn't fair to him. The way he thinks bad people shouldn't be saved, that they deserve retribution, and that good people will let themselves suffer because they are good. So Fushiguro is going to protect good people as much as he can (see Itadori.) Itadori and Fushiguro's morality struggle is sooo interestingggggg aaaa-

Nobara: She's the strategist of the group, the one who'll keep emotions out of the missions so she can enjoy herself later. Kill people? Well, it's part of the job, she's not going to let that effect her. She tries not to get attached to people, and values enjoying herself in Tokyo. ITADORI AND NOBARA'S DYNAMIC IS SO FUNNY (and she would've gotten along with Gojo... I just want an episode with them accidently meeting each other on a shopping trip and getting into trouble.)

And I'm sorry in advance for all the writing I'm about to include:

Fushiguro:

Nobara:

#4 Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen

(Also I love Shoko despite how little screen time she gets. )

I've analyzed them here and I'll include my notes and written analysis... but overall...

They encapsulate a comfort and trust and love for each other that I rarely see. It's something indescribable and special. They truly transcend labels for each tother and just.... yeah the relationships and dynamics in JJK are on another level. I've ranted about them before <3

AND I'LL RANT ABOUT THEM MORE:

#5? Inej Ghafa and Jesper Fahley.

(I read this before I started writing my analysis's down. Everything from here on out has less writing. Thanks for being patient with me <3)

(I prefer book them to Show them tbh... although I haven't watched all of the show and I prefer books/manga to shows sometimes because it's easier for me to analyze as I'm reading and reread)

Also it's been a while and I'm doing some analysis from memory so I apologize for any inaccuracies!

Why I like Inej: Her making herself a tool for others so that she could survive. She put her own wants and past to the side so she could become dangerous, so no one could take advantage of her again. Her growth to chasing her dreams, living for herself, saying that her heart aims true for making the world better. She has such a good arc.

Why I like Jesper: He's impulsive and silly and him not being able to get rid of his addiction to gambling even though he's aware of how it's making his father more in debt. Him using a skill he has (sharpshooting) to express his Grisha powers and not wanting to acknowledge that he's a Grisha. ALso him and Wylan. Adorable.

#6 Emma, Norman and Ray from the Promised Neverland.

(last one for now!)

Emma's caring nature and will not hesitate to beat you up if you're being self-sacrificial. (I wish they went more in depth with Emma's disregarding other's emotions to do what is best for them. Could've been cool conflict). Her wanting to save everyone no matter how hard it will be, loving her little siblings so much. The betrayal of Isabella towards her. ('She didn't like the tests, but she liked her mother's praise'). How scared and conflicted she became. How much she mourned her old life.

Ray's cold cut nature, practical, resourceful. His backstory in which he had to live with the death of his siblings for years, to the point where he resolved himself to save only Norman and Emma. His preparation for years and years to make sure they were safe. Not wanting to save all of the Grace field children because it would doom them all.

Norman knowing that they might not be able to save them all, but wanting to try for Emma. How much he strategized, how hard he tried. How he's in between. How scared he was for himself, how much he admired Emma's care for others, how he tried to strategize for all of them. How he hid his pain and fear.

______________________________________________________________

ThANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK!

and to all my mutuals/followers, @mylee-sketches, and anyone else who stumbles across this post...

yes I hyperfixate.

[lildoodlenoodle]

How I would have personally wrote the villains in Marvel Spider Noir

First my bias (that’s a little controversial), didn’t enjoy the carney gimmick. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of critiques they could’ve made of the 1920-30s treatment of disabled people and ‘carney culture’ that they didn’t do that would have made me like it more. I could get into the ‘why’ more but for now I’ll just say I didn’t like it.

Black Cat/White Widow - not a villain, but she’s here. Honestly I just wish we got more of her, she is such an interesting character and unlike the majority of Felicia’s we’ve met. I would have definitely leaned more into the White Widow thing AND given her a storyline with Daredevil and Electra(Eliza).

Chameleon - No notes really. The like melting face scene was awesome, just wish we saw more of it.

Doc Ock - Let’s get it out of the way: Making the two disabled villains also nazis was very ableist, and very much villainized the disability.(I’m making a post going more in depth dw) And to be quite honest, dude did not need to be disabled. You could change very little and still have the same story with him not being disabled, the only thing is we’re less likely to get the multiple arms. So I also would have had him come back. I would’ve had his boat go down and him have a ‘transformation’. I’d probably keep it in the same mystical eldritch god vein, but like an octopus god so we get freaky octopus Octavious.

Goblin - The fake skin thing was kinda a stretch for me(of all things ik lol) but whatever. Again, leaning away from the carney stuff and leaning into curses and eldritch god horror. I think him making a deal makes the most amount of sense, cause in other comics HE HAS! I’d still keep him a freak and I’d consider not killing him off and actually sending him to jail in the first run. It just feels like a cop out by the narrative so Peter can avoid truly exploring his morality and the consequences of working with a corrupt system(sending Norman to jail). Would I also have Peter eventually kill him when he gets out of jail? Yes.

Huma - she’s an interesting character, not one of the typical Spider-Man villains… but that whole comic was kinda a mess so it’s kinda hard to pick apart what she actually was and what her relationship towards Peter was supposed to be. The concept of someone else who is embodying a god but using it for evil is a nice contrast to Peter and the spider god.

Kraven - honestly I feel like they kind of wasted the character. Like I do get what they were going for but there is sooo much potential there. I would have had him come in after Peter felt established as the Spider to hunt him. Maybe he was after the spider statue and came across The Spider instead? There’s just a lot you could do there with the whole mystical aspect too. Like he could’ve been a monster hunter and Peter is just another monster to him.

Lizard - Again with the disabled Nazi thing but whatever. His appearance was very much blink and you’ll miss it in EWAF. And I believe he’s one of the scientists who gets apprehended(?). I saw in a fic recently the idea that the US gov. cuts a deal with him where he can still do science but for them, and I agree with that a lot. It makes sense, cause the US actually did that A LOT before and after WW2 with Nazi scientists. And I could see an interesting Lizard story line coming from that, where he gets to be a freak of his own creation.

Mysterio - Making him a two bit magician who stumbles across actual magic and immediately uses it for evil is so funny to me.

Sandman - I liked this more than I thought I would. Making him just a condensed hulk of a man is so funny to me but absolutely brutal.

Shocker - again hard to judge but whatever, dude’s kinda meh. His steroid version tho was crazy.

Venom - We’ve gotten 1/5 of a comic of this guy but I do not care. I think what the comics have set up is super interesting, because this a symbiote that didn’t contact Peter before Eddie, AND Eddie is a priest. One who fully believes all the bad things he does, including his gambling addiction, is in service of god and the greater holy good. AND WE’RE EXPOSING A SYMBIOTE TO THAT? As it’s FIRST HOST? Not going to end well. Ik I’ve been saying symbiote but we don’t actually know if that’s what this is. With the things we’ve seen in this universe it is very possible that this is some form of mythical or eldritch creature rather than extraterrestrial. And personally I’d go with the former.

Vulture - … it’s weird in how many universes he’s a cannibal. But anyways, again I would have moved away from the carney thing and more into the mystical thing. We have god like creatures chilling in the wings in this universe, USE THEM. Maybe he was chosen, more likely he cut a deal of some sort and became a monster from that. I also would have made him more of a monster, not just the teeth but also vulture eyes and talons/scales, maybe even some patchy feathers on his shoulders and arms.

[corvidcrossbow]

hihi ! i just read your intruders fic and it was so good, do you have any tips on how to write Daryl properly?

Hiii!!! For one, thank you 😭🫶🫶 You're so sweet (this is a little lengthy, the nerd got out)

As for writing Daryl; one of my favoritest things is media analysis, especially in regards to the structuring and development of characters: so when watching shows/movies/etc., I try to pay a lot of attention to major and minor details in the plot and a character's mannerism, actions, dialogue, etc. since I not only find it fun, but I think it really helps in giving and understanding the depth of characters writing (yes there's a lot of reading into things too much & overanalyzing, but in this house we assume everything happened for a reason and was meticulously planned ‼️) (except for when we ignore canon because sometimes writers don't know what they're doing) (*cough*, Leah)

It's pretty straightforward; it helps in learning how a character behaves, reacts and would handle certain situations (since you're essentially studying how they do it). I generally get to a point where I know a character well enough that I can see something and just be like "oh yeah they would/wouldn't like that" or "*this* is how they'd do that" (still I am guilty of indecisiveness in headcanons 😔🤞)

But beside all that, turning to other people's interpretations is also really helpful! Norman Reedus himself is obviously a good resource; listening to and reading the extra things he's said about Daryl in interviews and stuff (and what other cast/crew say too) Then of course other fan content (fanfics and headcanons are a key ones. I also end up on old reddit comment threads pretty often with people discussing episodes) I'm on his Fandom page all the time (occasionally the Survival Instinct/Onslaught specific one too, but take that one with a bigger grain of salt cause there's always gonna be inconsistencies)

I also used to be a really big role player so pretending to embody Daryl or put yourself in his shoes might also be useful(?) (I think I do this subconsciously 🗿), and I find Daryl to be very relatable so that inherently aids

I think Daryl in particular can be a more challenging character to feel like you've written "properly" (in a way that feels in character) because of how complex certain parts of his personality are (like most characters or people with years worth of trauma), and the way he handles things is very dependent on his relationship to the those involved, what it is, what period of his life it's in (like how he's much harsher and hot-headed in the early seasons, but shuts down a lot in mid seasons, but towards the last ones we get to see more of who he actually is; so his behavior is gonna vary a lot depending on context)

But don't let feeling ooc hang you up! The more you write for Daryl (or any other character), the more you'll understand him, and subsequently the better you get. No matter how long I've loved a character or how well I feel I understand them, I'll still always be having sort of realizations or developments in my thoughts

OH THIS IS A BIG THING; imagine him as a real person, blissfully ignore the word "fictional" – this helps me connect to him way more and on a deeper level because I'm viewing him as someone that genuinely exists and has experienced these things (am I little out of touch with reality?... maybe)

His thoughts, emotions, inner monologue, how all these things had an impact on his development in childhood and adulthood, etc. Eliminating the idea of him being fictional might help you see him as a fully rounded person rather than bits of writing and acting we watch and read.

Think about how real world events & circumstances would've affected him (I view him as being born in 1975, so raised post-Vietnam war, lower income in a conservative area, redneck and white trash, War on drugs, 9/11, etc.) (Some of these aren't that important in writing him, but they might help in formulating ideas about who he is/ again, understanding him) – that idea in general is important though; theorize about how certain events/ scenarios (big world things or more mundane ones) would affect him/ how he'd react to them — all this wraps into the first things I said; about analyzing his character.

Okay maybe I'm rambling now, but overall just go for it and have fun with it! As I said, the more you do it, the faster it'll come to you, and the more solid idea of Daryl you'll formulate. Everyone has different interpretations of things and I love to see how others view characters compared to my own!

[the-ace-with-spades]

I've had mixed feelings about this season of 9-1-1...

Some of the issues about this season are, I'm pretty sure, caused by how short it is and the pacing being messed up for a lot of plotlines there.

The first two episodes felt overstretched to me, like the whole cruise bit could have been fit in two episodes instead of three - the third cruise ep was better but that's because it was oversaturated with characters and side plots and you couldn't compress that much of it. The first two just felt very slow and had put a lot of boring exposure on Lola and Norman that didn't really parallel the struggles Athena and Bobby had that well in my mind. 9-1-1 was always really heavy on narrative parallels in episodes (rescued people's dilemmas paralleled the crew's personal problems and guided them to have a look inwards into their own lives - it's quite common in procedural dramas and serves well if done with heart) but this time it feels very disconnected and mismatched.

Buck's arc was mostly good, very in character and paced in a way that didn't feel very rushed - stuff happened fast but it still felt realistic and natural. I do think it could've been done more in depth and show Buck's thought process more in some occasions but it wasn't bad.

I didn't like the wedding episodes as much as I thought I would (Jennifer and Kenneth were brilliant acting wise tho). I have a big problem with how Maddie's relationship with her and Buck's parents is treated in the show (mostly I don't think 'the united front' was really there as much as the writers tried to push but that's a typical depiction of 'parents are always going to be your parents no matter how shitty and deserve countless second chances' that you see in media and never like) but the idea of a huge wedding for Maddie and Chim seemed so out of character for them and the hospital wedding was also less private and romantic than what I'd imagine for them. I didn't like the bachelor party bit, it seemed very pointless to me and took some time from Chim's story that could give it a better pacing. Not to mention the depiction of encephalitis was very jarring as someone who actually had treated patients with encephalitis...

Eddie's arcs are... well, a bit ridiculous this season. Marisol has zero depth from the beginning, adding that whole almost a nun background didn't make it better. It might be just me, but in the scenes where Eddie is alone (not with another main cast member) he almost seems to be lacking personality?? Like his behaviour feels like a plot device more than something that matches what we could see of him beforehand?? The Catholic guilt took the worst turn possible with the whole nun bit, there's so many ways you could show Catholic guilt without making it about something as shallow and impersonal as having sex with an ex almost nun. It's literally not related that much to what Eddie's Catholic guilt (that is implied to have existed for years in him) would relate.

Kim is a whole other thing. Not an affair but still feels like an affair. The most unrealistic, farfetched way to deal with guilt and resentment for your dead wife ever. People don't just meet doppelgangers of their dead wife and decide to use them to deal with their issues and said doppelgangers don't just agree to it and find it normal. It's just some messed up way to push Eddie into that direction faster but it's just taking away the complexity of Eddie's feelings about Shannon and pushing it into a couple of short scenes that seem like they were taken out of a bad soap opera.

Mara's story line is...ugh. Look, foster kids in TV are my pet peeve. Especially troubled foster kids and the way people treat them and how people treating them is portrayed. Karen wanting her rehomed the minute she showed troubled behavior took away a lot from her for me, even if she retracted later, this just shouldn't be the first instinct of a foster parent and should not show. The way how they portrayed the whole investigation of Mara's past also pissed me off - this is not how it'd look in real life, so many of the foster parents just don't know what happened to the kid and have to work on figuring it out with the kid, on earning their trust by putting actual work into the relationship than just playing a detective and finding out how they got 'messed up'. Denny is literally having the most empathy out of all of them and that's just so bad. The way Mara magically opened up in such short notice and seems to be now an angelic child that trusts Hen and Karen completely is also something so jarring.

Involving a councilwoman into it all felt like such an overinflated way to stir trouble again. The realistic problems foster parents and adoption parents face are much more mundane than a whole ass politician suddenly deciding to run a vendetta on Hen. Hen and Karen are lesbians and black, Hen works a demanding job with long hours. CPS could get fussy about such a small thing as a teacher that is not the most tolerant reporting them for late pickups or forgotten lunches or even someone from social services Mara isn't making enough progress fast enough. The adoption judge themselves could be biased towards them and make the process difficult. There's so many ways it could have been done without involving the councilwoman and the incidents Hen's been either cleared off charges or acted with the protocol. That is, in my opinion, a cheap way to make it a conflict that is relying, emotionally, on hating the villain only (the councilwoman) and not showcasing the real struggles Karen and Hen could actually have, which would take time to expose in plot.

I did like Bobby's episode(s). A lot. Amir, as a character, is well rounded as well, it's just that any time other characters interact with him, they just seem to be acting so illogical and out of character - this is mostly about Maddie and Athena, I can understand why Bobby would act the way he does. I think Bobby is by far one of the best explored characters in the show and they didn't mess it up this season like they've done with the rest - the rest feels actually a bit two dimensional almost.

On another note, this season feels like a drama rather than procedural drama. I barely remember any rescues and emergencies and the ones that happened were really short and uncomplicated and brought almost nothing into the episodes.

[bluemoondust]

Here we go again! Some time ago I wrote some random yan thoughts and such for other characters over here. Once again, I'm doing this with some more characters. Feel free to share your own thoughts!

Also, someone did want Avery and Klara to be here, but I've decided to go more in depth with those two in a request I got for them (where the two are at each other's throats, fighting over the same darling). So look forward to that!

Characters: Winona, Wicke, Darach, Noland, Palmer, Courtney, Norman, Byron, Koga, Lucy, Brandon (Frontier Brain), Morty

Warning(s): 18+ CONTENT, MINORS DNI, Hints of noncon/dubcon, usual yandere stuff

Fully believe Winona wouldn't at first catch on to herself being a yandere. She just thinks that her intense feelings is just the urge to battle you whenever she has the chance. After getting her registered on Match Call, she calls you at least once a day if you'd like to battle her or visit Fortree City. That being said, in terms of rivals, she views them as battle rivals and isn't really fond of them pestering you so much. She's your battle partner... Not them. Girl is very poised and may seem intimidating to others but has a huge soft spot for you.

SOFT YAN WICKE!!!! Soft yan Wicke who is only looking out for your health and safety, sacrificing her own well-being for your own. Soft yan Wicke who lets you sleep on her lap/chest and hums you to sleep. Soft yan Wicke who you trust so much that you believe every word she says. Soft yan Wicke who gives you praises every chance she gets and is the only person there to comfort you in times of need. Soft yan Wicke who gives you kisses all over your body, trailing her hands to your most sensitive parts; complimenting every part of your body as you cum on her hand♡

Meanwhile, Darach is the same. He's a service top and I will die on that hill. He treats you like a higher being; someone of higher status. Of course, being someone who serves must give you the utmost care. Because of his extensive knowledge on you, he knows how you tick and what you enjoy. Though, he'll still ask if everything is alright. He's a worshipper yandere, so of course, your needs come before his own. One of the things I imagine is just him, fully clothed, touching your body with his gloved hands. He's very skillful with his fingers and holds some pride for the fact that no one but he is allowed to make you feel this good.

Noland is the ultimate obsessive yandere out of this bunch. He's so fixated on picking off every bit of knowledge he can get on you due to hating not knowing something. If you have a secret, he'll find out eventually. Not only that, but he sticks around a lot too. He's a man who believes that knowledge alone won't do any good, so he hangs around you to match with what he knows. Just... Enjoys your physical presence and may find himself wanting to touch you more and more. Noland likes to push you and it feels good to him, taking the lead. Despite you believing that you're calling the shots, you'll soon come to learn that he was pulling the strings all along.

Palmer, like Barry, is a very 'enthusiastic' individual; always in a rush towards whatever his goal takes him. Which also includes you. From the moment he knew you were the one, this man's reaction was immediate. There are plenty of suffocating types of yandere out there but Palmer... Is a special case. He won't get touchy with you yet, though before that happens he's practically at your side 24/7 or at least how much time he can manage due to his position as a Frontier Brain. His mind buzzes with thoughts and you and just can't get enough; watching from the sidelines doesn't satisfy what he feels.

There is so much yandere potential when it comes to Courtney. Also, I take it back—she is the ultimate obsessive yandere to the max. Once she's hooked, you'll never know peace. You somehow run into her any chance she gets; insistent on analyzing you further. She has so many journal entries about you to the point where you're a special section in her library. All her thoughts revolve around you. She sometimes mutters your name unconsciously, same with wandering to places you visit when not busy. If she's not coincidentally bumping into you, she's full blown stalking you or breaking into your home. Seeing you upset with her... Sends Courtney into a spiral of emotions as she begs for forgiveness. She loves you intensely and would hate herself forever if she disappointed you. Being slain is much better than being apart from you.

Norman, Byron, and Koga. I cannot stress this enough that these three has overprotective yandere tendencies. Just in different fonts.

Norman can say all he wants that he completely trusts his darling in terms of taking care of yourself. Next thing you know, he's sending you calls and subtly following you around. Then there's how limited his interactions with you are, yet he gets annoyed that you spend your time with others more than him (despite it being his own fault that he doesn't spend much time with you). He's just... A bag of mixed emotions and such.

Koga fully stalks you, which is extremely easy for him due to his skills. He lies to your face that he has trust in you. Well, yes, he does... But sometimes he just wants to check on you every now and then. To add on, this man knows how to disguise himself as well so just, imagine, the possibility of him wanting to give you a scare good enough to bring you right to him. You won't even realize that he's ensnared you into his trap until it's too late. Plus, I feel that Koga would sometimes purposely startle you because he enjoys seeing a bit of fear on your face. All in good fun. But oh... Just don't get too buddy buddy with anyone. Wouldn't want them to get inflicted with status conditions...

Byron may seen odd to you, but not in a bad way. He doesn't give off overprotective vibes at first glance though you find out later on how he is when those traits do show up. What does get to you is how he just... Spills certain details he shouldn't know about you out loud without realizing you're there. Did you hear wrong? "You weren't supposed to hear that! Forget what I said!" He always tells you with a jovial laugh but... Then there are moments where you seemed to be pressured into things. Byron isn't someone you'd think would be capable of being disappointed but the whiplash you experience when his tone in voice shifts when you dare say no to an offer or when asked for something. Then the immediate turn to his usual personality makes your head reel. Unbeknownst to you, Byron acts this way to keep you around and make sure you don't go off anywhere without him. Even if these methods don't work, he's sure his own strength can keep you at bay.

Yan! Lucy... Can be intense, which is an understatement. Any sort of rival she finds trying to get too close, they'll be stomped in a battle with no hesitation. Also, good luck to them if they try to run off—Lucy never forgets a person's face. She always burns them in her memory. When it comes to you though, she's a little softer and can be seen as a sort of guard dog; glaring over your shoulder. Lucy loves to hear you talk and makes every attempt to monopolize your time. Whatever it takes. That's the sort of mindset Lucy holds as a yandere and it's terrifying to wonder how far she'll go for you.

Brandon (Frontier Brain) is just as intense as Lucy, but in different aspects. He pushes you, yes, but it's only because he deeply cares for you. Some part of me believes that he purposely shows you the dangers of the world so you can be scared. He lets you slip up, only for him to save you in the last minute. Sure, he doesn't like the thought of you being in harms way, but in this situation he's in charge so it's all good. It should always be like this. Plus... It gets his adrenaline pumping, which he lives for. So maybe... Just maybe he takes the risk of you figuring him out as a little adventure. One where he hopes you'll make it to the end of. The excitement, the passion, and everything that goes along with it... You certainly know how to set him off in the best of ways.

Sooooo, I just want you all to imagine the thought of being lost in the dark. Nothing in sight, no escape. The adrenaline pumping through your veins. Then all of a sudden, the cold hands of Morty are on you—wandering. It's so dark, you can't see him or predict where else he might touch. The lack of sight makes you extra vulnerable under his touch. All you can hear are his hushed words of affirmation and praise. Just let him continue, it'll feel so good if you just behave.

[theteasetwrites]

I just read the last chapter and it seems surreal. I mean these past weeks I reread the whole series just because I am still not ready to say goodbye. I mean I know it’s not goodbye to our beautiful Dixon fam but I am surely going to miss them.

I mean I need more of daddy Daryl and baby Wes together, like uh, they are so cute. And can I be honest here? I want to see Reader and Daryl fight like a real couple just to make up afterwards. And Robin, our sweet little girl.

Do you know that feeling after you finished reading your favorite book? That bittersweet feeling .. well I surely felt that reading the last part.

I have so manyyy fave parts but my top three would be:

- the whole prison chapter that wasn’t in the series

- Reader’s pregnancy and her giving birth to Robin

- the accident in the cave and everything that happened after like Daryl talking to Robin abt her momma (that part really made me cry) and Daryl’s reunion w his wife!

Thank you for writing this series Abbi, for bringing into life our Reader and Daryl’s story and their little family. Idk for the others but I really felt like I’m a part of this story. <3

So with all my heart — thank you aand I hope you don’t stop or get tired of writing no matter what, whether it’s abt Daryl or Norman Reedus’ package and characters, because you are REALLY good at this.

Love u. 🤍

Hi bestie! Sorry it took me a minute to reply, I wanted to make sure I had the time to reply as in-depth as possible!

Wow thank you so much for rereading! I always find it so sweet when people say they reread my series. It's such amazing dedication and kindness. Makes me realize that my writing does mean something to people, which is awesome!

Ikr, Wes is so cute. His little cowboy boots pLEASE. And yes I agree! Definitely need to write a oneshot where they have a big fight and make up afterwards.

And awww please stop you're gonna make me cry saying that it feels like finishing your favorite book. That's so sweet.

Oh cool, I don't think I've heard anyone say that the chapters with Jerome were among their favorites! I must say that I really loved those chapters, even though they were really angsty and traumatic for the reader character. I thought they were good for adding more to her story and her growth as a character in this crazy apocalyptic world. And yes, a lot of people really like where she gives birth to Robin and when she gets trapped in the cave! It's interesting to see the patterns and to see what most people like.

You're welcome! I loved writing it, and I will love writing more for it in the future, I'm sure. That's awesome that you feel apart of the story. I truly feel like that was one of my goals when I first started writing it.

Thank you again, I promise I won't get tired of writing (or talking about Daryl's package). <3

[thevalleyisjolly]

for the fandom of your choice/whatever is more applicable (although if u have any spicy d20 takes 👀👀): 3, 5, 7, 13 and 18

Ooh, thanks Jack! Had curry for lunch today so I'm full of spice and ready to let loose!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I stay out of the general tags for a reason, but my top 3 all fall along the same lines - the idea that K is a "toxic" person to pair with Evan because they don't really "see" him for him (...which is exactly the flaw and the room for growth that Erika built into the character), the idea that Ricky was "bullying" Cody because he was upset about Cody's cultural appropriation, and the whole non-consensual brain surgery thing with Norman.

(The common theme is people accusing Asian PCs of being mean to their white faves and therefore deserving of all sorts of bad things. Funny how that's happened not once, not twice, but thrice, huh)

5. worst discord server and why

As most of my friends and IRL classmates can tell you, I'm not super active on Discord and am horrible at answering messages in a timely fashion, so I don't actually have a server that I particularly dislike!

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Keradin, Limon, and Evan Kelmp are the first ones that spring to mind. Keradin actually has some interesting character beats and flaws but I've never seen anyone try to engage with him as his own character, they just interpret everything he does as part of a relationship dynamic with Lapin. Limon is a fucking background comedic NPC and I am still annoyed that during and after the season, people were willing to credit him with so much complexity and interiority while downplaying/outright shitting on the actual PCs.

With Evan, I'm not a huge fan of the character concept to begin with but I'm even more livid that in one of the most diverse D20 seasons, fandom actively sidetracked and ignored and even denigrated every other character in favour of the sad white boy played by the sole white player at the table. To be clear, Brennan is great, nothing against the man, but I was in the tags when the season aired live and about 95% of the posts were Evan-centred. Sam, Whitney, and K barely showed up unless they were interacting with Evan or did a particularly funny bit. And that's not even getting into the hate and criticism that got thrown at K for daring to be in a mutual romantic relationship with Evan.

13. worst blorboficiation

See previous question, but oddly enough, I also feel like Emily gets this treatment sometimes? It's complicated because there's one portion of the fandom that acts like she's a terrible chaotic player who keeps trying to fuck up Brennan's plans for shits and giggles (which is outright wrong and misogynistic) and then there's another portion that acts like Emily's characters can do no wrong and Emily may in fact be the only player at the table who knows what she's doing at any given point in time while the rest of them are just comedic yahoos fumbling their way through dice rolls and jokes. Which, placing women on a pedestal is in fact also sexist, and it's not any better than the misogyny you're responding to. It's a huge disservice to the cast and it's especially a huge disservice to Emily - she creates incredibly complex and well thought out characters who have their strengths and their flaws, and acting like they're all perfect girlbosses who are right even when they're wrong erases so much of the depth that Emily put into them.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

I mean, we all know my answer is of course going to be Cumulous Rocks, but as per a recent post of mine (and many posts in the past), the answer is also more broadly applicable to Zac and pretty much all of his PCs.

[emmym1]

My thoughts on... Avengers Academy 2010 (#1-6) "Permanent Record"

So I finally started reading a new comic series, and it's Avengers Academy! This book was an interesting pick for me as it's where Hazmat gets introduced, one of my favorite characters out of Kelly Thompson's Captain Marvel run. So I was really intrigued to see what her past and origin story was like. Not to mention that the entire concept of Avengers Academy sounded super cool to me! Going into this series I didn't really know what to expect. But it's a lot darker and edgier than what I thought it would be so far. And sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I will say though, when it works, it works really well. I really like the cast of characters they have in this. All of them have given up everything or lost everything due to their powers and Norman Osborne's interference. It's super interesting how each issues tackles a different character's backstory and explores how they feel and think about everything that's going on with them. So far the standout characters for me are Veil, Finesse and Hazmat. They all have a lot of depth to them and have interesting mindsets, such as finesse being able to understand and learn litterally anything she sees while not being able to understand the people around her. I found that to be really interesting. I also loved the entire concept of them being told they're the next generation of superheroes and that's why they're in the academy. While in reality, the avengers fear that they will be the next generation of supervillains if they don't interfere. It adds for a really interesting dynamic between the students and their avenger teachers. Especially when all of the students find out about their true reasoning for being here. It causes a lot of distrusts. And it makes some of the students start to have schemes of their owns. It really sets up a super interesting vibe of "everyone of these students have the possibility of being 1 bad thing away from becomming a villain". I'm certainly expecting not all of the students to be heroes by the end of this run, so I'm excited to see how that evolves. I also like the depth they provide to the avenger teachers. Ironically enough they too are all broken people who weren't always good, it sets up a really interesting mirror with the students. I especially liked Quicksilvers characterization in this, it was super cool to learn how he views the world around him and how it's miracle that he's putting up with the people around him. Super interesting take on the character. I will say some of the teenage drama and moments they were writing felt very 2 dimentional and cliché to me. I think there are a lot of more different and interesting ways they could've written that side of the comics. So hopefully that improves somewhere down the line. The first 5 issues are definetely a lot of set up to go through but I do think it sets an interesting stage for what's next. All of these students have their own motivations and plans for being here and it's interesting how not really any of them genuinely wants to be a hero and do the right thing. So it's going to be interesting to see where all of it will lead!

[brakken-spideyverse]

So, as part of my anticipation for No Way Home, I am rewatching all the live-action Spidey movies, and thought I would share my thoughts on them as I go.

Spider-Man (2002)

It had been a while since I revisited this one. It captivated me when I was younger, so I was excited and curious to see how much it held up.

The movie does a great job at guiding you through its story. I appreciate Peter’s narration as a nod to the comics’ monologues, and then it’s outta there as soon as we’re given enough steam to get the story going – it bypasses the need for an overly long introduction and backstory to Peter, which could have been an issue since we don’t spend much time with him before he gets his powers. It’s strange to think how very little we actually get of Peter interacting with Uncle Ben & Aunt May before the bigger narrative moments, yet they still manage to feel like this small and familiar piece of his life.

The weaker part of the opening is how they go about presenting ‘Peter is a loser’. From getting tripped on the bus, to MJ waving at her friends over his shoulder, it’s all a little too obvious and sticks out when there’s much subtler storytelling surrounding it. I love the scene with Harry and Norman in the car – they manage to tell you so much about that relationship, those characters. And then following with Peter and Norman meeting, the movie introduces this notion of parental pride, which flows so effortlessly in that scene that you don’t even feel its significance until their final encounter.

I think MJ probably suffers the most from the pacing. There is clearly intended depth to her character, but despite the story claiming to be ‘all about a girl’, she doesn’t really involve herself in the broader events of Peter’s life, so we don’t get a solid idea of why this is the girl that Peter’s so taken with, beyond a bit of – when it comes down to it - surface-level compliments about how when she looks at him he feels good. They have some nice interactions throughout the movie, but it’s a shame that it’s on Peter to do the ‘work’ to win her affections, while the writing seems content to let her simply exist and he is in love with her.

This next point is ultimately a nitpick, but a big setback on rewatching this movie is the look and age of the actors. The Hollywood filter really hit these supposed teenagers hard, and at times it’s tricky to go along with, say, Flash getting lectured by his teacher when they could be the same age. I think there is merit in really showing Peter’s youth, and how absolutely out of his depth he is with this life-changing burden he’s been given. But here, it’s easy to forget he’s only meant to be 19 or so by the end of the movie.

Tonally, I don’t think the Raimi films get a free pass for being ‘goofy’, but this movie strikes a fairly consistent balance with when and how it achieves that. I think it’s somewhat of a shame to not have a more loudmouthed, obnoxious Spider-Man, but it’s not like it’s entirely devoid of it. The score tells us that this story is mythic in nature, which the rest of the movie sells.

The wrestling scene comes with the most tonal whiplash. We go from this dramatic conversation between Ben and Peter – then it’s like Peter crosses through a threshold into a different movie – one where Macho Man Randy Savage has legal right to kill you, where Spider-Man can be casually homophobic, and forgets to use his Spider-Sense so he can be hit by a chair. Then as soon as that’s over, we’re right back into that harder tone. Parts of it have its charm, and can function as the high before the low, but I found my immersion getting thrown this time by just how sudden it changes.

The Raimi films are the king of having these great little ‘unnecessary’ moments and details that make the world feel more real – more lived in. I love the robber taking the cupcake from the bodega, and the hammy little montage of regular New Yorkers’ opinions of Spidey. It’s earnestly goofy, and doesn’t ‘wink’ at its audience in any way that becomes distracting.

That said, it’s an utterly strange choice to have major characters go entire scenes without acknowledging Spider-Man’s existence. We get all these shots of how the people are reacting, and then Jameson demanding photos (who is 10/10 in this movie). But then… we get a scene with MJ and Peter on the sidewalk talking about their lives as normal, followed by Harry brushing off questions about his ‘new girl’ and Norman offering to help Peter find a job. They’re both solid scenes that move the story forward at a brisk pace. But it’s simply odd that the first moment Spider-Man is actually mentioned by any of our main cast is when MJ says he’s incredible to Harry over the phone, after being rescued by him - and the scene then goes on to not mention Spidey again. The next time Harry mentions him? His father’s funeral. Meanwhile, you could make an argument that for this movie, Aunt May doesn’t even know Spider-Man exists.

Since Jameson doesn’t pay me to be a sensitive artiste, I will say that Green Goblin’s costume leaves a lot to be desired. I don’t hate it, but there’s something so primal to the comics version that would be  fitting to Willem Dafoe’s performance - it’s hard not to wish for a more ‘accurate’ look. And I get it’s the flight-suit, and that works for the lore, but if he can make a silly goblin mask, he can certainly embellish the rest of his get-up. And how dumb is it when he’s wrapped in the blanket and Spidey can’t tell, even though the dumb goblin head is stickin’ out all weird-like? I digress.

For the finale, I want to talk about ‘We are who we choose to be’. It’s what the movie is about, and what Goblin is forcing him to decide on the bridge, but I love that the movie doesn’t have the villain make that character decision for him. I mean, naturally we’re wanting to see him save the day so that Nickelback has a hero to wax poetic about, but it’s still a powerful moment when he manages to deny Goblin’s choice as to which identity holds more sway. In that moment, it isn’t a choice. In that moment, he has to be Spider-Man, not Peter Parker. And Spider-Man has to save everyone. It’s only later, when everything has settled, when that choice catches up to him. And he makes it. He chooses Spider-Man, but he does so on his terms, not Goblin’s.

‘Don’t tell Harry’ is my favourite moment in the entire Raimi trilogy. It gives this final, tragic layer to Norman as he dies – revealing that he still wants to be the man that his son respects and loves. And that line alone is the perfect evocation of the struggle in Peter’s dual identity. He saved the day, he beat the bad guy, but his best friend’s father is dead, and he can never tell him why.

Lastly I want to talk about a realization I had on this rewatch. Now, I’m inclined to think this is reading much further into it than the writers intended, but I like it, so it’s canon now. I had always wondered in the field trip scene why we get the showcase of the different spider abilities, but the movie never did anything with spiders being able to ‘change color to blend into their environment’. I wasn’t necessarily expecting Spidey to have a camo power, but the line sticks out as something we’re told they can do, and I wanted to see a callback to that somehow. I think you could make the stretch that his costume is him changing colour, but it doesn’t exactly make him blend in. Then it hit me. It’s Peter who brings up that fact about spiders, and at the end of the movie, it’s Peter who has to pretend he has no feelings for MJ, who has to lie to his best friend… who has to blend into his environment. Genius storytelling that is definitely deliberate and canon.

Anyway, I like this movie a lot. As a kid it was my favourite film, I watched it over 30 times and could quote every line. And after all this time and all these other Spidey movies, it’s nice to see it’s still pretty darn solid.

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