hvbris · 1 year ago
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𝐇𝐕𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐒 Independent, private, mutuals only, and selective multimuse RP blog written by chloe
Including three paranormal original characters: Dr. Isaac Soliman (alien), Mina Miller and Cassandra Miller
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revengeisalwaysanoption · 2 years ago
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-     Unless Isobel also unlocked some feelings from the past, I can’t see how we are supposed to believe she bonded with Tezca so quickly and so deeply
-      Great job there, Rosa!!
-        WHERE IS ALEX?? COULDN’T MAX JUST HEAL HIM? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!
-        I love Maria and I love Dallas but I’m not loving how they are trying to shove Maria/Dallas down my throat?
-        “You went through a lot of trouble to find me” = ????? she decided to go looking for you five minutes ago and all she had to do was ask DS’s help
-        You better share this memory with Michael too one day, he should get to see his mom as well!!
-        Start with taking those IVs out maybe, Rosa???
-        I just love how Kyle has been learning about alien science all on his own!! And I’m really loving this trio!!
-        You tell her, Clyde!! That’s exactly what I thought from the moment I heard that line in the promo…
-        And we’re done with this stupid plot that has driven all season and most of the series half way through the episode, thank God…
-        WHO DOESN’T WANT TO GO TO A WEDDING!!
-        Such a sweet moment but this is making me bitter about having no redemption for Flint and come on, Tanner could have found a moment to come back just for a quick wedding shot
-        When she said “Don’t hate me” I thought that she maybe reached out to his mom… I’m a bit disappointed
-        MICHAEL BEING SO NERVOUS IS ADORABLE <3 <3 !!
-        “It’s got tequila in it” … and it’s Sanders, ILY Iz!
-        Sanders in a tux <3 <3 !!
-        If I were Nora and thought there might be a chance I could never see my son again I would have wrote down a diary or something, but that’s just me…
-        That was a sweet pod squad moment <3 <3 !!
-        MY HUSBAND!!!!! I’m never getting over that, thought I’m bitter we didn’t get to see the actual wedding with sappy vows and all!
-        We get a song but not the vows??? Such lazy writers.
-        Ok, spoke too soon we get to see (at least in shots) the wedding!!
-        THAT IS BONNIE??? TALK ABOUT A MAKE OVER!!
-        Who baked that cake, a five-year-old kid?? I see “malex forever” again, so maybe Bonnie?
-       @softie-city was really onto something with her post about being no longer a Manes man!
-        Michael and Alex aren’t even dancing, Maria, they are just swaying and kinda groping each other?
-        Ouch, I felt bad for Echo for a moment there but I’m so glad they got their happy ending!
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wanderfan2000 · 4 years ago
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Craig McCracken is my favorite cartoon creator! Here are my true stories on how I got obsessed with four of Craig McCracken’s TV shows. 
I first discovered The Powerpuff Girls on Boomerang back when I was about 10 years old in 2010, I have seen the old bumpers of it announcing after its run on Cartoon Network, it had found a new home on its sister channel. Since I was waiting to watch Pokémon The Johto Journeys, I had to watch other shows I never even herd of like The Mr. Men Show. But other then that, The Powerpuff Girls were actually my first look at the works of a cartoon creator that I would soon known from years to come.
Then flash-forward to 2015, I became a Craig McCracken fan all thanks to a loving adorable alien. (We’ll get to him later.) I decided to check out PPG again on Netflix and as luck may have it, my obsession with this series and the three superhero trio was born! 
For Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends, I didn’t watch its original run but thanks to YouTube, I discovered the series back in 2016 and watched two episodes and one of the specials, Berry Scary, Afair Weather Friends and Destination Imagination. Soon I became a Fosters nut just like everybody else. I’m planning on watching the series more during my vacation. 
Wander Over Yonder was the Craig McCracken cartoon I obsessed with a LOT when I got into it. I remembered seeing the small clip of The Picnic that played during the Gravity Falls 2013 Comic Con Panel, but I wasn’t hooked on it...not yet actually. 
Flash-forward to 2014 when I discovered Wander’s Wikipedia, saw these screenshots of Wander and from that moment, I was HOOKED! Wander became my favorite show, I talked about it, drew pictures of Wander, Sylvia and all their friends, I loved looking it up on Tumblr. (This was way before I had an account.), recited a bunch of episodes, watched Season 1 and 2 thanks to ITunes and Disney XD, got obsessed with Wander’s vocie actor, Jack McBrayer, took a bunch of screenshots of the friendly alien and even dressed up as the helpful Wandering Wanderer for Halloween one year! To this day, I keep WOY alive and I am proud to be in this Wanderful fandom with all of these epic Wanderers out there! You guys rock! 
Now it all comes together with Craig’s newest show, Kid Cosmic. I still remember hearing the news that he was developing a brand new series for Netflix. I was curious and wonder, what would it be about? Then as the years went by, I got my first look at it, thanks to this amazing fanart drawn by the incredible talented @signor-signor. Sooner or later, I saw new promo pictures, the trailer, the sneak peeks and I guess you could say, I was HYPED to watch this! 
And I certainly was! Kid and Jo’s relationship reminded me a lot of Wander and Sylvia. Even Papa G was basically Wander! Orange shirt, green hat with a star on it. Reference to our favorite Wandering Wanderer. :) To make a long story short, I loved Kid Cosmic and I am SUPER EXCITED to see what Seasons 2 and 3 hold for Kid Cosmic and the Local Heroes! 
Happy 50th Birthday, Craig McCracken! Thank you for making these four amazing shows that I grew up with as a teenager and a adult.
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despiteherself · 3 years ago
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King Julien?
THIS IS SO LONG RIP
King Julien my beloved…….
Also sorry this took me so long omgggg
* favorite thing about them
everything <3
okay, so this comes as no surprise to literally anyone who’s heard me talk about kj but his big heart. i absolutely adore that so much of his story is about how his big heart fumbling around saves the day, even when the story is about his own hubris. Whether it was intentional or not ahkj ended up being a powerful story about a kind-hearted party animal with an inherited legacy of violence and mistreatment heal from his own trauma with the love for his people. yes! it was messy and it is a kids show so it had a lot of continuity issues and like…. toilet humour, but underneath it was so tender. kj’s story of wanting to be king for perks, to feeling like he didn’t deserve to be the one true king but managing to unite the entirety of the kingdoms Madagascar under his love as a symbol was so…….. kj’s big heart saves the day <3
even in the movies, where he is classist and bigheaded he still manages to do it? melman is brave because of kj’s empathy for a talking head, and the circus goes back to the Central Park zoo to help the zoosters bc of kj’s love. his line about “it doesn’t matter what you smell like, or what i smell like, it matters what we smell like together.” is what prompts everyone to forgive the lies.
* least favorite thing about them
nothing he’s perfect <3
I don’t know how to feel about season 5 after exiled. I know it must have been hard trying to tie everything up, going back to the joke based continuity and toilet humour after the emotional sucker punch of exiled. it just. feels like it rehashes old plots but makes them more complex and I think if it hadn’t been after exiled I wouldn’t feel so…. Unsure. kj in this, starts off desperately trying to prove himself as king (again) for good reason, but then seems to lose himself in petty ways he out grow and serious things reveled through jokes get left behind to make more jokes and it just feels…… kj grew into being a good leader and i wish it wasn’t forgotten again. This isn’t rlly about him, more the writing, and the plot problem - episodic vs long form story telling is a hard one, but it’s what I dislike. Let kj have growth bc he was given some and it’s hard to see it’s gone when we know it’s possible.
* favorite line
Oh this is hard :/
I like whenever he does his little pep talks. Or when he says he loves his kingdom. Those are fun & nonsensical and yet, an encapsulation of why he’s such a good ruler. he does understand his people, in a way the juliens before him didn’t, because he was never supposed to be one of them, and left to his own devices with his big sensitive heart made a connection that would outlast even the cruelest of julien kings. julien wants to be loved so badly, and he makes a mess of it, but he holds together the cracks of the lemurs before him, hurt by others the way he was and together they build something worthwhile.
“think of it as me sandwich, stuffed with me.
Pretty good right?” Bc that’s one of the funniest scenes
* brOTP
royal quartet <3
kj and literally everyone. i love him being friends and loving towards just about everyone
* OTP
hmmmmmmmmm
kj x his kingdom as a wholistic statement <3 i think married to his kingdom is what’s most satisfying for me. Kj who makes the specific choice to focus on his kingdom instead of personal goals - and despite loving children so much, making the specific choice to end the julien line (it’s reign of terror) with him. Ahhhhhhhh that would be so satisfying narratively.
also, not to bring this up again but i do think it would be beneficial to both their characters of like kj and ted had a idk passionate summer fling and are now each other’s wingmen post divorce. i say again but i barely think I’ve hinted at it so you know, whatever. i just think their dynamic is SO interesting, and the one scene in exiled where Ted saves everyone is just……. ah, perfect. I wish we got a deeper exploration of Ted & Dorothy, and Ted & his rejection by julien at lemur school & losing prom king & his obsessed with being needed/wanted.
I have no issues with any of the pairings that happened lmao, but obv most of them are exes and i think they’re fun that way. Karen, rob, crimson, karl probably, idk, i guess skipper? i don’t think they date bc skipper is homophobic <3
* nOTP
There’s just way too much family symbolism & literally having clover and Maurice ACTUALLY taking his parents place for me to be anything but squicked by kj/either of them/both of them. no shade to anyone who does, but it just makes me feel :////// I also just love their dynamic as friends, and whilst exploring toxicity in relationships can be interesting, i rlly think that if the three of them became more dependent on each other it would just stunt them all. they do better as a unit in relation to everyone in the kingdom.
I didn’t include mort in the family part even tho he pretends to be kj’s son once but he’s included in that. people who say royal trio over royal quartet break my heart, mort is equally important in this dynamic and also. notp thanks
aslo don’t care for pancho :/ sorry pancho lovers <3 it’s just i don’t think he’s half as important as anyone makes him out to be and i don’t think he and kj rlly have that much chemistry, especially not compared to like his interactions with pretty much every single adult lemur. it’s whatever! ppl have fun with it, i just personally don’t see why you’d pick it over literally any of the other side but main-ish characters. i actually think, if anything, kj is more dismissive towards pancho than a lot of characters, especially considering he’s so flirty. and no amount of the Manchurian candidate can make up for that, especially when it was about family again.
ok now that I’ve alienated like 98% of the ahkj fandom it’s okay it’s not like super notp it’s just i don’t care for it <3
* random headcanon
kj starts watching todd’s unboxing videos one day when he’s relaxing, after he’s calmed down about the captain booty butt toy being stolen, like 3am channel surfing and like gets rlly into the concept bc like surprise toys out of box is peak adhd excitement. he wants to start his own channel and in his excitement gets everyone to watch his stuff which doesn’t have the care or knowledge (bc the excitement for kj is the surprise - can relate) that Todd’s has and Todd’s show gets canceled. he’s obv pretty sad bc that was Todd’s only hobby outside of doing what his mum makes him do & he gets rlly upset. eventually, somehow, kj stumbles upon Todd being sad and they have a convo and kj realises that he stole Todd’s hobby & that actually, the hovering, full attention of Tammy is suffocating and not something kj should long for. I rlly want Todd & kj to have an end to their “rivalry”. They make up, kj retires his unboxing channel and promos Todd’s, Todd gets to hang out in the plane as a friend to get away from his family for a while, kj learns the value of space.
* unpopular opinion
again… are there unpopular kj opinions???
i just think he should have had the proper number of rings on his tail. when i look at it I’m like, sir please give him the correct number it hurts me to see like 7 of each colour and i think it ends in a white tip which >:/ which is a silly thing to find annoying
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stevenuniversallyreviews · 5 years ago
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Episode 125: Doug Out
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“It can't be all ‘Bam!’ ‘Pow!’ action all the time.”
(First things first: Lamar Abrams’s delightful promo art leans away from traditional cards with the title and storyboarders, and this is my favorite of the bunch. He really knocks the visual pun out of the park.)
Dr. Maheswaran is a titanic presence in her daughter’s life, and while she does have a canonical first name—Priyanka, according to Ian Jones-Quartey—it says a lot that the show itself only presents her as “Doctor” or “Mom.” She, not Doug, is the person Connie must reconcile with in Nightmare Hospital. She, not Doug, is the one that’s late picking Connie up in Storm in the Room. She, not Doug, takes the role of Yellow Diamond in Stevonnie’s psychic dream from Jungle Moon. And Doug, as should be clear now, has a first name that we actually hear on the show. Hell, it’s in the name of the episode.
Doug’s status as a background character allows his characterization to be more fluid than his wife’s. In Fusion Cuisine, which is a weird episode period in terms of Maheswaran behavior, he tells a joke to break the tension and disapproves of Steven and Connie hugging. In the far superior Winter Forecast, he’s frustrated with Greg in the bad timelines, appreciative of Greg’s cherry sweater in the good timeline, and we learn that he can’t drive in the snow (but thinks he can). Connie has told us that her parents are strict, which logically means he’s strict, but we see more impatience than strictness in his voiced appearances.
None of what we’ve witnessed lines up too well with the Doug we get in Doug Out: sure, we’ve seen his awkwardness, and I guess his tendency towards jokes at inopportune times means he can be funny, but he’s super silly in this episode. Normally such a huge shift in characterization would bug me, buuuut:
Doug is such a minor character that it’s not a huge deal that his personality adjusts to fit the story better, and
We’ve only seen Doug with Dr. Maheswaran nearby and I can totally buy that he acts differently when she’s not around.
It would’ve been nice for the canon if a little more of Doug’s behavior from Doug Out had been established earlier, but yeah this isn’t a dealbreaker for me. It’s already weird that Connie said in Bubble Buddies that her family moves around a lot because of his security job, considering they don’t move at all over the course of the show and her mother’s job certainly pays more than her father’s, so at least showing Doug at work lends some consistency to her claim.
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Entering the episode by pulling a prank on Steven is a succinct way for the show to tell us this is a new Doug. We do get references to the Maheswarans being all about safety, namely his concern over Steven's hydration after eating salty fry bits, but he’s simultaneously silly with the kids and proud that his daughter is a “swashbuckling swashbuckler.” Plus his dopey smile is the same as his daughter’s dopey smile and it’s the most precious thing in the world.
There hasn’t been any indication that Connie is distant from her father, despite his lack of screentime; in fact, one of my favorite unspoken bits of characterization for the family is how she (and through her, Stevonnie) often wears his signature flight jacket. But it’s still great to see them get along so well, keeping up the light mood from the beginning of the episode and amplifying it through paternal playfulness. 
While bringing kids along for a security mission after hours doesn’t sound like something an ultra-responsible parent would do, I choose to see it as a sign of Doug’s respect for his kid and her friend. He knows they’ve handled dangerous situations before, and it’s neat to see him acknowledge this by allowing them to ride along. Moreover, the whole point of the episode is that he doesn’t think his job is exciting, so it’s not like he thinks he’s throwing the kids into a violent situation. And considering he wants to see more action like his daughter does in missions or his wife does in the hospital, I’m glad that this jealousy never turns petty or mean-spirited: this wasn’t a given, as he’s been unfriendly in the past. Doug sort of rules in this episode, and it’s nice that veteran voice actor Crispin Freeman finally gets something to do with him.
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The goofiness isn’t limited to Doug, as half of what makes him great is his playing along with Connie and Steven’s prepackaged goofiness. The kids are in top form in Doug Out, dressing as ridiculously-named parodies of Carmen Sandiego and Mario while they’re on the case (Connie’s assertion that Pizzapoppolis sounds more Greek than Italian is in contention with her bemoaning the laws of physics in the Gravitron for the best “Connie’s A Nerd” joke of the night). They’re down to mess around and ruin a teen’s night, and I’m here for it.
Still, I wouldn’t call this a full-on goofy episode, particularly when it evolves into a sequel of sorts to Gem Hunt. Aivi and Surasshu’s soundtrack evokes exaggerated noir as Doug talks shop, but shifts to a menacing drone as the trio encounters evidence of something sinister afoot at Funland. Steven and Connie stay in-character during the chase, but drop the act when discussing the possibility of a Gem Mutant or Homeworld Gem. Whatever they’re hunting is clearly hunting them, and perhaps the most impressive aspect of Doug Out is maintaining a tone of genuine looming danger that isn’t undermined by the episode’s numerous jokes.
The mystery, as in Gem Hunt, is complicated by a red herring. During Connie’s first big mission we’re led to believe that a Corrupted Gem might be healing itself, given the multiple distinct footprints, but we learn in the third act that it was Jasper all along. This time we get a wide array of dangerous possibilities, so the third act Onion reveal initially comes as a relief. But we’ve never seen him this scared before, and his distinct silhouette doesn’t match that of the shadowy figure on the roof.
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Before we can think about the hints that Onion isn’t our perp, the focus shifts back to Doug as we conclude his character’s episode-long arc. He wants to be taken seriously, projecting a badass vibe that’s often undermined moments later by an intentional joke (like calling his daughter by her “Cucamonga” alias with a straight face) or by the emergence of his inner square (pretending to be undercover by removing his glasses then instantly relenting because he needs them to see). He’s not incompetent, correctly deducing that the culprit isn’t a regular teen and quieting the children to listen for clues, but he’s just a normal security guard in a family with a surgeon and a kid hero. You can’t blame the guy for developing a bit of an inferiority complex.  
So again, I really appreciate that his behavior doesn’t devolve into toxic overcompensation, because that’s the obvious route to go and it would’ve made this episode so much worse. He respects the kids and doesn’t pretend he needs to protect them, and he doesn’t let his desire for action let him get in over his head—in another similarity to Gem Hunt, he stresses the importance of calling for backup instead of stubbornly going it alone. When Connie talks about how much she loves and values him, we’re allowed to feel it, because she’s reiterating what we’ve seen rather than letting a petty control freak off the hook.
We’re coming off another terrific Dad Moment in Lion 4, but Greg being great is par for the course. Most Dad Episodes are understandably about him: other father/child relationships have their days in the limelight (Fryman and Peedee in Frybo, Kofi and the Pizza Twins in Beach Party, Bill and Buck in Shirt Club, and Yellowtail/Marty and Sour Cream in Drop Beat Dad), but Greg gets more focus episodes than all of those combined. So while I would’ve liked to see more of him in an arc that hinges on the phrase “my dad,” I love that we get one last new Dad Episode to kick off the end of Season 4, especially if it lets us see Connie again before her kidnapping.
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Onion may be a red herring, but the whole ending with Doug and Connie’s sweet talk is another red herring, tricking us into thinking the episode is wrapping up and that despite the suspicious inconsistencies, Onion was just being Onion. Unlike Gem Hunt, our heroes don’t solve the mystery, and because they don’t, neither do we. We have more information than Steven that something sinister is afoot, with an alien threat that for some reason is going after Onion, but before our sleuths can learn more, we cut to black.
After the victories of taking the ocean back from Lapis and saving the world from the Cluster, Act III of Steven Universe is the first with a tragic midpoint, and the fallout of Steven’s sacrifice at the end of Season 4 ripples through the first third of Season 5. Episodes like Storm in the Room and Lion 4 bring plenty of angst as well, so Doug Out wisely gives us some comic relief before the sweet-and-somber flavor of The Good Lars and the tension that follows. That tension is still present here (we get a cliffhanger, after all), but I’ll take moments of pure happiness where I can. This isn’t a silly episode in the vein of The New Crystal Gems, but it’ll still be a while until we have this much fun in one episode again.
We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!
It’s time again to expand our Top List, from a Top Twenty to a Top Twenty-Five! Most are Act II classics that got pushed down by the sheer volume of great episodes, but Lion 4 makes the cut as well. We’ll keep it at 25 until Change Your Mind; normally I’d switch to 30 at Episode 150 to keep up the Top 20% trend, but it seems more fitting to expand when the original series concludes.
Doug Out sadly does not make the cut, but it’s still an episode I love. We’ve had plenty of cliffhanger episodes that feel incomplete, and while this one also leaves us wanting more, it still works as a full story and not just setup. And the story is great!
Top Twenty-Five
Steven and the Stevens
Hit the Diamond
Mirror Gem
Lion 3: Straight to Video
Alone Together
Last One Out of Beach City
The Return
Jailbreak
The Answer
Mindful Education
Sworn to the Sword
Rose’s Scabbard
Earthlings
Mr. Greg
Coach Steven
Giant Woman
Beach City Drift
Winter Forecast
Bismuth
Steven’s Dream
When It Rains
Catch and Release
Chille Tid
Lion 4: Alternate Ending
Keeping It Together
Love ‘em
Laser Light Cannon
Bubble Buddies
Tiger Millionaire
Lion 2: The Movie
Rose’s Room
An Indirect Kiss
Ocean Gem
Space Race
Garnet’s Universe
Warp Tour
The Test
Future Vision
On the Run
Maximum Capacity
Marble Madness
Political Power
Full Disclosure
Joy Ride
We Need to Talk
Cry for Help
Keystone Motel
Back to the Barn
Steven’s Birthday
It Could’ve Been Great
Message Received
Log Date 7 15 2
Same Old World
The New Lars
Monster Reunion
Alone at Sea
Crack the Whip
Beta
Back to the Moon
Kindergarten Kid
Buddy’s Book
Gem Harvest
Three Gems and a Baby
That Will Be All
The New Crystal Gems
Storm in the Room
Room for Ruby
Doug Out
Like ‘em
Gem Glow
Frybo
Arcade Mania
So Many Birthdays
Lars and the Cool Kids
Onion Trade
Steven the Sword Fighter
Beach Party
Monster Buddies
Keep Beach City Weird
Watermelon Steven
The Message
Open Book
Story for Steven
Shirt Club
Love Letters
Reformed
Rising Tides, Crashing Tides
Onion Friend
Historical Friction
Friend Ship
Nightmare Hospital
Too Far
Barn Mates
Steven Floats
Drop Beat Dad
Too Short to Ride
Restaurant Wars
Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service
Greg the Babysitter
Gem Hunt
Steven vs. Amethyst
Bubbled
Adventures in Light Distortion
Gem Heist
The Zoo
Rocknaldo
Enh
Cheeseburger Backpack
Together Breakfast
Cat Fingers
Serious Steven
Steven’s Lion
Joking Victim
Secret Team
Say Uncle
Super Watermelon Island
Gem Drill
Know Your Fusion
Future Boy Zoltron
Tiger Philanthropist
No Thanks!
     6. Horror Club      5. Fusion Cuisine      4. House Guest      3. Onion Gang      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure
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sebeth · 6 years ago
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Young Justice: The Return (Animation)
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In an earlier post, I wrote my thoughts on the upcoming return of the Young Justice comic book. Now it’s time for the cartoon series.
I’ve tried to avoid most interviews but I have seen the promo images and watched the two trailers repeatedly.  I like to go in as spoiler-free as possible when watching/reading media but I only have so much self-control.
Let’s start with the main plot –
There will be a time jump between season 2 and 3 – we’re just not sure of the exact length.  
The formation of the Outsiders, along with the rescue of Terra, will be the main arc of season three.
Dick reunites with Conner and Artemis in the beginning of the season for “one last mission”.  Black Lightning accompanies the trio to Markovia to shut down the metahuman trafficking ring.  Why?  Besides the fact that human trafficking is bad.  Black Lightning has no previous connection to Young Justice but he has long-standing connections to Batman.
Has Batman already formed the Outsiders minus Geo-Force and Halo?  We briefly see Batman, Katana, and Metamorpho jump from a plane and later brawl with Deathstroke.  Batman formed the group in the comics - it would make sense for him to be behind the group’s organization in the cartoons.  A covert group for more adult missions he wouldn’t want the Young Justice children to participate in.
I’m guessing the Markovia mission reveals the metahuman trafficking ring is way more extensive than previously thought – leading Dick to reunite with - and resume leadership – of Young Justice.
The Light and the Reach experimenting with metahuman activation began in season two.  Per Wonder Woman, the Justice League “have confirmation that on multiple worlds, earth’s metahumans are being deployed by the enemy as weapons of mass destruction.”
Wonder Woman’s comment suggests the abducted metahumans are being subjected to brainwashing along with experimentation.  I highly doubt the newly activated metahumans would rampage across the universe without mind control directing their actions.
The “multiple worlds” comment ties together Bart’s “we have a mission in space” with the glimpses of the New Gods, Superboy’s brawl with Lobo, and Dick and Conner fighting Sensei/Silver Monkey on a foreign world.
New Genesis might be one of the world’s affected by the “metahumans of mass destruction”, Lobo could have been hired by the Light, and Sensei/Silver Monkey is guarding one of Ra’s Al Ghul’s headquarters.
On to the characters:
First up, the Outsiders –
Geo-Force, Katana, Halo, Metamorpho, Black Lightning
Terra
The Markov Royal Family
As I said above, I’m fairly confident Batman has already formed the Outsiders before the beginning of the season.  Possibly as a true “covert” group – as in without the Justice League’s knowledge or permission.
Young Justice was told they were a “covert” group by the Justice League but mostly it was a “training wheels” type group – smaller missions while being trained by the more experienced heroes.  They did covert missions but were still in the press and public’s eyes.
The Outsiders will be the true covert group – sticking to the shadows, away from the press, down and dirty missions, etc.
As for the individual Outsiders:
Geo-Force - Brion is an adorable big brother.  Noble, protective, eager to find his sister and stop the bad guys.  Visually his powers should be awesome – they are similar to Terra’s.
Terra – Not a member of the Outsiders but I wanted to include her with Brion.  The big question: will Terra be a villain?  I’m guessing “yes”.  Comic cannon dooms her to this fate.  I do believe it will be the result of the Light’s brainwashing instead of the general “evil” nature.  Possibly making her a tragic villain.  Will Deathstroke be involved with Terra’s brainwashing?  Comic cannon says “yes”.  Could Batman, Metamorpho, and Katana storm the island looking for Terra?  Is that why the Outsiders end up fighting Deathstroke?
Black Lightning – Jeff appears serious and mature.  Love his visual design.  Can’t wait to see him in costume.
Metamorpho – We only have a visual impression.  Very nice. I wonder if we’ll see Sapphire or Simon Stagg?  Rex will be the one who gives Deathstroke the most trouble in the upcoming fight.
Katana – Not much to go on yet except visually.  Katana’s design reminds me of a more adult version of her DC Girls attire.  Excited to see her in action.
Halo – Will be entirely different from the comics.  She is a person of color and possibly Muslim?  Let’s skip all the drama and hatred over the race change.  Please?!  She’s seems to be a new character.  I highly doubt her name is going to be “Violet Harper”.  For those unfamiliar with Halo, she wasn’t a great character.  Apologies to Halo fans.  Violet was a sociopath who was murdered by the 100, a criminal organization.  Aurakle, an alien entity, merged with Violet’s deceased body.  The “resurrection” caused amnesia.  It gets more complicated from there.  Let’s agree to start fresh and give the new Halo a chance. ��Halo’s powers are light-based – different colors have different effects.  Halo’s colors were the same ones used by every color Lantern corps.  However, Halo predated the emotional spectrum Lantern corps by twenty years.  I’m betting Halo receives her powers in the cartoon due to the Light’s genetic manipulation. The one thing I would like to see carry over from the comic books is the maternal/big sister role Katana has in Halo’s life.
On to the Young Justice newbies:
Spoiler – I’m excited – I love Stephanie.  She had a brief cameo in Season Two.  How and why did she join the team? Is she involved with Tim?  Will this cause friction with Cassie?  I hope not as I would love to see Steph and Cassie bond. Cassie is very exuberant in the cartoon and Steph has the same approach to life – I would love to see the two become close friends.
Arrowette – A surprise choice since we already have Artemis, Roy, and clone Roy in the series.  Glad to see her as she was a prominent member/supporting character in the comic book series.  Will she develop a close friendship with Cassie and Bart?  Those were her two besties in the comics.
Thirteen/Traci 13 – Another surprise choice. Traci can easily step into the void Zatana left when she joined the Justice League.  Will Traci have a romance with Blue Beetle?  They were a cute couple in the pre-New 52 era.
Oracle – Not a true new character but Barbara has clearly been through some changes since season two. Will we see a Killing Joke flashback? Or did Babs become Oracle in a different way?
Static – Like Oracle, Static is a returning character but with an upgrade.  The writers seem to love electricity this season – we have Static, Black Lighting, and Live Wire also makes an appearance in the trailer.
Notable absences:
Miss Martian – I won’t miss M’gann if she’s absent this season.  She started out cute in season one, became creepy with the Conner-molding, and became worse in season two with the unrepentant mind-frying and toying with Lagoon Boy.  So no thank you unless Miss Martian has learned from her mistakes and expresses honest regret over her actions. Feeling bad for mind-frying Kaldur does not count as honest regret.  M’ganns the easiest case for a “hero goes bad” if the show writers wanted to go that route.
Aqualad, Lagoon Boy, Aquaman, etc – Atlantis has had zero representation in either trailer.  Did something happen to Atlantis during the time jump?  Will that be one of the mysteries during the season?
Miscellaneous thoughts on the upcoming season:
We are all but guaranteed a fourth and fifth season of Young Justice.  We know it’s going to be one of the heavyweights of the DC Universe streaming service so I don’t want various plotlines rushed.
Season Three will have 26 episodes.  The majority will focus on the Outsiders and the metahuman trafficking ring alongside a “mission in space”.    That leaves room for some “done in one” episodes or time for the development of various subplots.
The two big questions on fan’s minds: Will we see the return of Wally West or the debut of the Red Hood?
I would bet Wally’s return will be near the end of the season.  The writers will want a “wow” ending for the season finale and that would be it.
As for Red Hood…I feel it’s a strong possibility.  I don’t think the writers would have had Jason’s memorial hologram if they didn’t have any intention of using the Red Hood.
The writers could have Red Hood’s debut be similar to Jason’s appearance in the Teen Titans comics:  Jason attacks Tim, and leaves the “Jason Todd/Red Hood Was Here” message on the walls.  I’m not sure if the writers want to redo the entire ���Under The Red Hood” storyline.  At this point, it’s been done in the comic books, an animated movie, and a video game – most fans are familiar with the details by this point.  Jason’s attack on Tim would allow Dick to fill in the rest of the team on the details of Jason’s resurrection.  Dick has been keeping his distance from the team as indicated by his “one last mission” line.  Dick’s distance would easily explain why the rest of the team is unaware of Jason’s return. Tim wouldn’t explain “Gotham business” to his teammates – he’s much more introverted and was way more intent on respecting Batman-imposed boundaries than Dick.
A developing friendship between Arsenal-Roy and Jason is a must.  Not only because of the “Outlaws” comic book but because it’s a natural development between two traumatized boys prone to lashing out.
What I Don’t Want:
A Conner-M’gann relationship – The pairing started cute but is now toxic.  Creepy molding combined with mind manipulation = abuse.
No Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Starfire, Cyborg, or Raven.  At least not this season.  We have multiple new characters debuting this season, new characters who didn’t receive much focus last season, and a possibly debuting Red Hood. The seating capacity is full – no new debuts until season four.
I’ve rambled enough for now – so excited for January!
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girlsbtrs · 3 years ago
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The Five Best Songs in Movie Scenes, According to a High School Senior
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Written by Jennifer Moglia. Graphic by Laura Cross. 
As a girl who was born in the 2000s, lived out my childhood in the 2010s, and turned 18 years old in the year 2021,  all forms of media have played a huge role in my experiences growing up. From movies and TV shows to all different types of music to YouTube videos and social media creators, I’ve spent a large portion of my life watching other people do things, whether it was acting, singing, playing an instrument, or even just reviewing makeup products on Vine or TikTok. 
However, one of these mediums has stood out from the rest; movies (or as the nerd in me would like to call them, “films”). As a freshman in high school, I decided to try to start watching more movies when I realized that my favorites consisted solely of Disney cartoons and the occasional cheesy rom-com. 
Over the years, I’ve practically exhausted Netflix and Hulu’s libraries, bought a ridiculous amount of DVDs, and my Letterboxd diary has just reached 200 films (shameless self-promo, you can follow me there @happilyjennifer). When watching movies, especially ones that I’ve never seen before, I always try to pay attention to the music used in each scene - not the instrumental score, but the specific songs used to highlight pivotal moments. 
The right track can make a sad scene heart-wrenching or a happy scene exhilarating, a romantic scene fairy tale-worthy or a death scene absolutely traumatic; a particular song can elevate a key scene in a film, making it that much more impactful. So, without further ado, here are my five favorite uses of songs in movie scenes, from films I’ve seen throughout my 18 years.
Honorable Mention: Heroes by David Bowie in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Some might be shocked at this scene’s placement in the “honorable mention” section due to how revered it is, but that’s almost why it lands there. This film and book have both been overhyped to death as a coming-of-age staple for as long as I can remember, and for that reason, I was underwhelmed when I first read and watched it. 
However, I don’t think it should suffer because of its reputation, which is why I simply couldn’t pick a numbered spot for it. Standing alone as a scene, without any of the praise, this song and movie combination is absolutely breathtaking. 
The visual of Emma Watson’s character Sam standing up in the car with Patrick and Charlie, her arms outstretched as the trio zooms through the tunnel to the city, is a visceral experience. Charlie proclaiming that he feels “infinite” is the cherry on top - he finally feels free, free from any past trauma or current stresses or general pressures of being a teenager. 
It’s a beautiful moment, and it’s made iconic by the addition of Bowie’s hit song. The pairing of Heroes with “Perks”’ instantly recognizable “tunnel scene” is unforgettable.
5. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys in “Love Actually”
As a member of “Gen Z”, you won’t be surprised to hear that my attention span is not the best. That’s why, at times, “Love Actually” dragged a bit for me - I felt that the two-hour and 15-minute runtime was just a little much, especially with so many different stories to keep up with. 
Despite all of that, though, I think that the ending practically saves this movie. The words “one month later” flash across the screen, and we are brought to Heathrow Airport, the place that David, played by Hugh Grant, spoke of at the beginning of the film. 
We’re reminded of his opening sentiment, that whenever he’s feeling down, he thinks back to watching families reuniting at the gates in this airport, and he instantly feels better. It’s a perfect opening to a film about love, and calling back to it makes for a perfect ending. 
The viewers see each of the film’s stories wrapped up neatly with a bow, particularly helpful for people like me who practically forgot about some of the characters by the time the two-hour mark was reached. What really makes this scene one of my favorites, though, is the very end of it. 
As the lyrics “God only knows what I’d be without you” repeat and start to fade out, we are taken away from our characters and the screen now shows real families reuniting in Heathrow Airport, not actors. The clips form a collage and then, ultimately, a heart, before it all fades to black. True human connection can warm even the coldest of hearts, and this classic love song by The Beach Boys is the perfect soundtrack to these heartfelt moments.
4. Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop in “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Throughout my middle school and early high school years, I knew more about Marvel movies than I did about my family or the material I was learning in school. I saw “Avengers: Age of Ultron” in theaters five times, skipped my first spring formal dance to see “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in 3D on opening night, and even had a personalized Iron Man sweatshirt that I wore nearly every day.
The Marvel franchise that utilizes music, or at least recognizable music, the most is definitely the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series. Chris Pratt’s character Peter “Star Lord” Quill’s mother made mixtapes for him while she was still in his life, filled with pop music from the 1970s-80s that she listened to when she was younger.
Titled “Awesome Mix Volume 1”, Quill becomes attached to it as it was one of the only items he had left of his mother after they were separated. The music that she shared with him becomes a key piece of this movie as well as its sequel, from Baby Groot swaying in a flower pot to “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5 to Star Lord completing a mission while Redbone’s “Come And Get Your Love” plays through his headphones.
My favorite use of a classic song in a “Guardians” movie, though, is in an interaction between Quill and his love interest, Gamora. The two are bonding over their unusual relationships with their parents with Quill talking about how music connects him to his mom, pulling out his tape deck and headphones.
The dynamic between the two characters here is hilariously adorable, as Gamora explains that she doesn’t believe in music or dancing, which appalls Quill and leads to him explaining the plot of the movie “Footloose” to her, applying it to the people on her planet. He then takes off his headphones and puts them on her head, allowing her to listen to “Fooled Around and Fell in Love”, though she doesn’t quite appreciate the moment, talking over the music about how the “melody is very pleasing.”
I’m a sucker for awkwardly cute couples and the mini enemies-to-lovers storyline between Star Lord and Gamora gives me butterflies every time; I can’t help but giggle when Quill goes in for the kiss and Gamora immediately pulls a weapon on him. The use of such a well-known love song makes this moment that much sweeter.
3. Where is my Mind? by The Pixies in “Fight Club”
Yes, I realize that I’m automatically breaking the first rule of “Fight Club” by even listing it here, but I had to. This is a movie that countless people (men, countless men) had told me to watch for years, and I finally caved about a year ago out of “quarantine boredom.”
While I don’t praise this film as much as others do (men, as much as men do), I can certainly appreciate the influence that it has had on the world of film at large. There’s a lot of commentary on consumerism, violence, individualism, and the concept of masculinity packed into these two hours, even though many people (you know what these parentheses are about to say: many men) miss all of that and just watch it for the fight scenes.
The scene I chose from “Fight Club” as one of my favorites uses of a song in a film is the ending, which includes “Where is my Mind?” by The Pixies. The Narrator (Ed Norton) has just shot himself, effectively killing his alternate personality of Tyler Durden, and his love interest Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) has been kidnapped and brought to him by his Project Mayhem workers.
Marla is horrified upon finding The Narrator in the condition that he’s in and learning that he’s the one who put himself in this situation, or at least he thinks so. All he can offer to her is to say this: “I'm sorry...you met me at a very strange time in my life.” This is when the buildings start to fall.
All of the explosives planted by Project Mayhem begin to detonate, exploding and imploding as Marla and The Narrator look on, The Pixies’ hit playing softly in the background. She looks startled at first, before relaxing and allowing him to take her hand, and the two watch the city crumble to the ground with “Where is my Mind?” as the backing track; it’s masterfully done.
2. Everytime by Britney Spears in “Spring Breakers”
I want to start this section by saying that I’m fully aware that this scene shouldn’t work, let alone be beautiful, and the same could be said for this movie as a whole, but for some reason, there’s something captivating about “Spring Breakers” and the renowned “Everytime” scene. Netflix first suggested this movie to me as a freshman in high school (complete side note: Why, Netflix? What was okay about suggesting this to a 14-year-old?), and it has stuck with me for years after.
The way that “Spring Breakers” sugarcoats itself in its marketing is almost a microcosm of its themes and storyline. The neon color schemes and promos including former Disney Channel stars Selena Gomez and Vaness Hudgens hide a story of four girls on their spring break consumed by crime, drugs, and murder, and this scene exemplifies that perfectly.
After Gomez’s character Faith gets scared and goes back home, drug and arms dealer Alien (James Franco) takes Brit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Hudgens), and Cotty (Rachel Korine) to a strip club where they meet his rival, fellow drug dealer Big Arch. Alien arms the girls with shotguns and pink ski maks adorned with unicorns (hello, symbolism!), and they gather around the piano next to his pool to listen to him play.
Franco’s character begins to play Spears’ hit “Everytime”, the girls singing along, before Britney’s original version takes over, playing as a montage of the group participating in multiple armed robberies plays out on the screen in slow motion. The juxtaposition of the soft, feminine song with the violent crimes being carried out sums up this entire film in a nutshell; I strongly believe that this scene helps this film earn its title as a masterpiece.
1. Young Blood by The Naked and Famous in Disney’s “Prom” 
Giving the top spot to a movie that most people probably haven’t seen could be seen as a bold move, but I’m telling you, this movie raised me. I have such a vivid memory of seeing it in theaters with my mom when I was only eight years old, dreaming about the day that I’d get to dress up and go to my own prom; pretty crazy that ten years later, I’ll be attending my high school’s prom in a month, and I still think about this movie often.
I identified with Aimee Teegarden’s character Nova Prescott heavily when I was younger, the star student who always wanted to be the best and do the best, quickly turning into the obsessive perfectionist who doesn’t know how to have fun and let go. Thomas McDonnell’s portrayal of Jesse Richter, the bad boy with a soft side who introduces Nova to a whole new world, has always tugged at my heartstrings.
The scene in this movie that has stuck with me for a decade now comes when Nova and Jesse are starting to work together to plan and decorate for prom while also started to develop feelings for each other. Nova is stressed that another school’s theme is too similar to theirs and that they will be upstaged, to which Jesse says, “let’s see how starry their night really is.”
The pair hops onto Jesse’s motorcycle and sets off to visit the rival school. As they take the ride, indie band The Naked and Famous’ song “Young Blood” plays in the background, the upbeat chorus and “yeah yeah yeah”s perfectly framing Nova’s change of heart towards Jesse.
They sneak into the other school to check out their decor, only to be caught by the police and taken home by their parents. Nova’s father snaps at Jesse, and while the girl she was at the beginning of the movie would have agreed with her dad, she doesn’t; in fact, she defends Jesse, and apologizes to him for her parent’s behavior the next day.
In addition to being one of my favorite coming-of-age movie moments, this movie also introduced me to The Naked and Famous and the album that this song is on, “Passive Me, Aggressive You”, which has become one of my favorite records of all time (listen to Girls Like You and Punching in a Dream and you’ll be hooked). As I mentioned earlier, the right soundtrack can make a romantic scene a million times more magical, and that’s exactly what the use of Young Blood does here. 
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kylostantrums · 7 years ago
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This June, Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, finally hit the cinemas. After the complete bombshell that was Batman v Superman (2016), I was half worried for the film — given the ridiculous sexist history of movies since the beginning of film — and half excited — given that a woman was directing the film. To a man, this might not seem like a big deal. We live in a world where action movies a dominated by male cast and crew members. The Avengers’ cast ratio from male to female is 8:2. Age of Ultron’s is 13:4. Guardians of the Galaxy, although co-written by a woman, is 8:3. Harry Potter’s Golden Trio is two males to one female. The Lord of the Rings trilogy features an entirely all-male cast with the exceptions of two female elven characters and Eowyn, whose “I am no man” scene does not redeem the entire trilogy of its utter lack of female characters nor does the book’s version justice. Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise, although features a female lead, she is seriously outnumbered. Star Wars’ featured trios are 2:1 for each instalment. Even Star Trek lacks in female leads (although their upcoming show, Star Trek: Discovery, will feature two female leads — one Asian and one black, too).
To a woman, this inequality is a serious problem. The message we interpret from the male to female ratio in these blockbuster franchises is that women are less essential, less capable, and less wanted. We see ourselves onscreen through the lens of a male writer and director, and what we see is not always good. Even though we are given badass female characters like Natasha Romanoff, Gamora, Hermione Granger, Ellen Ripley, Leia Organa, or Uhura, the majority of the time they have been sexualized in one way or another. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both Romanoff and Gamora’s characters are trained assassins, reduced to either a sex object or love interest. Romanoff’s first appearance in Iron Man 2 leads to a comment made by Pepper Potts that she was a “very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit” waiting to happen. From there on, she was seen by the audience as something pretty, completely forgetting the fact that she took down Tony’s bodyguard Happy Hogan with ease. Her portrayal in the consecutive films she appears in stays relatively the same. She is smart, fierce, and witty — but the script uses that in ways to make her alluring, sexy, and desirable. Fast-forward to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where Romanoff serves as a wonderful main character in one of, in my opinion, the best MCU movies to date. However. If you take a look at her promo poster, there are several things wrong with it. Firstly, it is agonizingly obvious that her entire body has been photoshopped. We have watched Romanoff in action in both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers already, and are familiar with her tight suit — but not so tight to completely alter the size of her arms, breasts, waist, and thighs. In the poster, Romanoff’s body is nothing like Scarlett Johansson’s.
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In addition, her pose is not one of a trained deadly assassin. It is not comparable with Nick Fury’s death glare or Falcon’s action shot. As Bustle put it, “Despite the fact that Johansson’s character Black Widow is a superhero and a member of the Avengers, her poster is wildly sexualized. Rather than striking a pose of strength — something even Nick Fury gets to enjoy in his poster appearances — Black Widow appears softened and coy, almost blowing in the wind along with her hair.”
Age of Ultron brings the worst of it with her completely inexplicable love story arc with Bruce Banner/Hulk. The character of Black Widow deserves so much more than serving as just a love interest. As the only female Avenger, she represents every woman everywhere. That is the burden put on her as the only female lead in the cast. Of course, at the end of Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch joins the team — only to go from a fierce fighter for what she believes in to a love interest of Vision’s. In Guardians of the Galaxy, even Gamora is reduced to a potential love interest of Peter Quill’s. She turns him down in the first film, but yet at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, she hints at what Peter kept referring to as “some unspoken thing” between the two of them.
What I am trying to say is, simply, we need some representation of a female superhero that isn’t sexualized for once.
I entered the theatre for Wonder Woman with all of this running through my head. I was worried that she would become a love interest first, and a fighter second. I knew that this first female-led superhero movie in a blockbuster franchise was going to set a precedent for any upcoming films — DCEU’s Batgirl, MCU’s Captain Marvel — and I was scared that it was going to keep the standard that the previous films had. I went in with the knowledge that the movie had been directed by a woman, but then again, Guardians of the Galaxy was co-written by a woman.
Nothing could have prepared me for the beautiful film that was Wonder Woman. The island of Themyscira was populated entirely by strong, fierce female warriors, training to fight together; wearing functional battle armour that was beautifully crafted but never sexual. Their ages varied greatly, but the elders’ crows feet and wrinkles were nothing to be ashamed of. Their scars and bruises and weathered skin were marks to be proud of, not to be hidden or photoshopped out. I had never, ever seen a film with a scene like that. My friend had sent me her thoughts on the scene on tumblr in this post, reading:
“i had no intentions of actually going to see wonder woman bc i never really loved the brand or whatever, but catch me in the first ten minutes before anyone had even been hurt or died deadass SOBBING in the theatre bc the visual of hundreds of strong, non-sexually depicted, fearless women descending down a wall and prepping for battle in unity and strength rendered me a complete mess. wonder woman wasnt the movie i asked for, but it was the movie i needed.”
“The visual of hundreds of strong, non-sexually depicted, fearless women descending down a wall and prepping for battle in unity and strength rendered me a complete mess.”
How can a scene be that powerful? This Tumblr post nails it right on the head:
“Watching a super hero movie directed by a woman is like putting glasses on for the first time. 
I didn’t realize how much I had to squint through the ‘male gaze’ till suddenly, miraculously, I didn’t have to.
There were absolutely NO eye candy shots of Diana. There were Amazons with ageing skin and crows feet and not ONE of them wore armor that was a glorified corset. When Diana did the superhero landing, her thigh jiggled onscreen.
Did you hear me? HER FUCKING THIGH JIGGLED. Wonder Woman’s thigh jiggled on a 20-foot tall screen in front of everyone.
Because she wasn’t there to make men drool. She wasn’t there to be sexy and alluring and flirt her way to victory, and that means she has big, muscular thighs, and when they absorb the impact of a superhero landing, they jiggle, and.that’s.WONDERFUL.
Thank you, Patty Jenkins, for giving me a movie about a woman, told by a woman,so I can see it through my eyes, not some dude bro who’s there for boobs and butts.”
“I didn’t realize how much I had to squint through the ‘male gaze’ until suddenly, miraculously, I didn’t have to.”
Think about that for a second. We live in this society where our entertainment is so male-dominated and male-centric that us women did not even realize how bad it was until we finally received something that was the opposite. Finally, we have a superhero film for everyone — men and women. The men I have spoken to that have watched it enjoyed it just as much as they have enjoyed any other superhero movie. The women, however, have noticed each and every single difference, because, for once, we have a lovely representation of women onscreen, not catering to the male audience. We have several female characters, not just one token female lead. Diana can hold her own, and her male counterpart quickly realizes that. Steve Trevor is a tough fighter and a good soldier, but never once tries to take control of a situation. He guides Diana through modern society but on the battlefield lets her do what she does best. He will purchase her clothes and ice cream, but never belittles her for not knowing the rules of society or war. He understands and gently guides her in the right directions, but in the end following her where she goes.
There are several powerful scenes in Wonder Woman, but not all of them are as intense or visually stunning as the No-Man’s Land scene. My personal favourite is that scene where Steve purchases Diana ice cream. This post breaks it down into several micro-elements that are hard to catch (I have paraphrased):
The way she eats the ice cream. She just eats it. No coy lick or self-conscious taste, no male gaze here, no oral/sexual pleasure of the viewer. Diana just she eats the ice cream, and it’s the kind of sloppy big bite of someone who is not self-conscious of eating, who hasn’t been trained from birth to think about how she looks as she does everything, even eating. She hasn’t spent her life being told that her purpose is in being attractive, even as she does a vital daily thing like eating. She doesn’t have a voice in her head saying, “oh, but ice cream, it’s kind of fatty, and what will people think?” She’s just, “wow, this thing is delicious, I think it’s great, the person who makes it deserves to be told how great their skill is, how great their actions that have lead to this product are.” Even in this she demonstrates valuing people by their actions and abilities and choices and who they are, not what they look like. The fact that is so rare and startling and obvious to me, the fact that Diana Prince eating ice cream moves me so much is So Terrible and makes me despair for our civilization and (nearly) all media produced before this.
During the shot when she takes the first bite, Steve is reaching his arm out to pay the ice cream seller. That movement is much bigger and more eye-catching than Diana eating the ice cream. This scene normalizes females eating on screen, through both subverting the erotic eating trope and allowing women to eat and enjoy whatever they want without feeling self-conscious.
Even more, Steve isn’t looking at Diana as she eats. A big part of the male gaze is that the default POV of films is generally that of the straight, white, male viewer. Generally, Steve would be the stand in for that default gaze, but he doesn’t even look at her! He doesn’t buy it for her so he can watch. He doesn’t even pull some Nice Guy bullshit like, I did something nice for you now do something nice for me, even as a vague joke or subtext. He isn’t trying to  get anything out of it. He just thinks she’s probably never had it and might enjoy it. It’s about her enjoyment, not his, despite everything trying to tell us that women feed appetites but aren’t meant to have any of their own.
In addition to that, there’s also the overt humour of the moment that could have been gross, too, but wasn’t. The ice cream seller offers her the ice cream but Diana is not familiar with the concept of “goods for money” so they could have made a big joke about it with Steve basically giving her an immediate “lesson” about how she can’t just TAKE the ice cream and how you’re supposed to pay for it. That’s basically how introducing a character from an Utopian society to a capitalist world always works. And that’s always the joke, “oh look how silly and uneducated this person is, doesn’t even know they have to pay for stuff!” But here though Diana does take the ice cream without planning to pay, but Steve doesn’t make it into a “big deal,” he just reaches over and pays. And so the scene flawlessly skips over any need to publicly shame or embarrass Diana and we can just focus on how adorable Diana is when eating ice cream for the first time in her life.
The character of Diana is wonderfully multi-dimensional. She can kick ass, but she also lives in complete awe of the human world. She excitedly exclaims, “A baby!” when she passes by one on the street. She enjoys an ice cream for the first time. She takes complete joy in a light snowfall. She is not just fierce but she is kind, she is strong but she loves deeply. She crosses No-Man’s Land (which, by the way, is a much better “I am no man”) to save the lives of men and women she does not know, because she feels such deep empathy for those crying out for help. She fights alongside men but sees more to them than just their dog tags. She realizes the full potential of each and every man she fights with. This post puts it into words I don’t want to steal or try to paraphrase:
After Veld is liberated and before they’re getting ready to go to the Gala, Charlie finally falters, expressing his self-doubt at joining them after choking earlier.
And Diana – kind, good, darling Diana – she smiles and laughs, not in a way that mocks or belittles, but rather expresses a purity and sincerity.
“Oh Charlie,” she breathes, “Then who will sing for us?”
With such a simple, seemingly innocent gesture, she reminds us of her true superpower. Yes, she’s strong. She’s a fierce warrior, she can fight like a badass and make us cry while watching her deflect bullets and swing a sword, but more than that, more than making us believe in her, she makes us believe in ourselves. 
Wonder Woman inspires and reminds us of the goodness within; of our own value, strength, and significance. 
She reminds Charlie of his own worth. That he is more than an eye behind a lens and a finger above a trigger. That a moment of weakness doesn’t define us, any more than our pasts, and she lifts him out of that insecurity effortlessly.
On the topic of her comrades, one extremely important aspect I noticed about them is that they are of wildly different backgrounds. Of course there’s Steve Trevor and Etta Candy, both white, but Steve is incredibly progressive in his respect for both women and his fellow soldiers, and Etta is an advocate for female suffrage and equality. Most importantly are the men that join Steve and Diana on the mission: we have Sameer, a Moroccan actor-turned-spy played by Saïd Taghmaoui, a French actor of Moroccan descent; Charlie, a Scottish sniper struggling with PTSD, played by Ewen Bremner; and Chief, a Blackfoot Native American played by Eugene Brave Rock, a Blackfoot from the Blood Tribe in southern Alberta, Canada. By incorporating these three men in the mission, rather than three other white soldiers, Wonder Woman has progressed from representing women to also representing people from other cultures and ethnicities.
Of course, the main cast is composed of mostly men. We still have a long way to go for female cinema. But this film, this beautifully written and directed film, is taking modern cinema in the right direction towards more feminist and representational content. The effect has been overwhelming for me, having a female-led superhero movie that is not sexualized or set from the perspective of a male. It is so refreshing. Its effect on children is the most important of all, because they are so highly influenced by the books they read and movies they watch. This post was shared by Patty Jenkins on Twitter and quickly went viral.
I work at a kindergarten and this is a collection of cute Wonder Woman related things that happened within a week of the movie being released. 
On Monday, a boy who was obsessed with Iron Man, told me he had asked his parents for a new Wonder Woman lunchbox. 
A little girl said “When I grow up I want to speak hundreds of languages like Diana”
This girl had her parents revamp her Beauty and the Beast birthday party in THREE DAYS because she simply had to have a Wonder Woman party. 
Seven girls playing together during recess on Tuesday, saying that since they all wanted to be Wonder Woman they had agreed to be Amazons and not fight but work together to defeat evil. 
There is this one girl that refuses to listen to you unless you address her as Wonder Woman. 
Another girl very seriously asked the teacher if she could ditch her uniform for the Wonder Woman armor bc she “wanted to be ready if she needed to save the world”. The teacher laughed and said it was okay, and the next day the girl came dressed as Wonder Woman and not a single kid batted an eye.
They are making a wrap-up dance show, and they asked the teacher if they could come as superheroes, they are going to sing a song about bunnies. 
This kid got angry and threw a plastic car over his head and a girl gasped “LIKE IN THE MOVIE”
A boy threw his candy wrapping in the floor and a 5-year-old girl screamed “DON’T POLLUTE YOU IDIOT, THAT IS WHY THERE ARE NO MEN IN THEMYSCIRA”
On Wednesday, a girl came with a printed list of every single female superhero and her powers, to avoid any trouble when deciding roles at recess. 
I was talking to one of the girls that hadn’t seen the movie, and the next day she came and very seriously told me “you were right, Wonder Woman was way better than Frozen.”
Consider this your friendly reminder that if this movie completely changed the way these girls and boys thought about themselves and the world in a week, imagine what the next generation will achieve if we give them more movies like Wonder Woman.  
The impact Wonder Woman has and will continue to have on audiences astounds and excites me. The DCEU has taken a progressive step in the right direction and I truly hope that the MCU follows in their stride with their portrayals of Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and the upcoming instalment Captain Marvel.
If you have not made it to the theatres to see Wonder Woman yet, please do so. You will not be disappointed.
References and for further reading:
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/women-lead-roles-in-movies-study-hunger-games-gone-girl-1201429016/
https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/gender-inequality-in-film/
https://pudding.cool/2017/03/film-dialogue/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-avengers-black-widow-problem-how-marvel-slut-shamed-their-most-badass-superheroine
http://www.btchflcks.com/2016/05/why-black-widow-is-the-realest-superheroine-of-the-marvel-cinematic-universe.html
https://www.bustle.com/articles/14238-scarlett-johanssons-waist-isnt-actually-the-issue-with-her-captain-america-2-poster
Wonder Woman, Representation, and Feminist Film This June, Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, finally hit the cinemas. After the complete bombshell that was Batman v Superman (2016), I was half worried for the film — given the ridiculous sexist history of movies since the beginning of film — and half excited — given that a woman was directing the film.
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