#it was hilarious seeing a post say “despite them doing so well they're valued at XYZ”

[reviewinghiccup]

DEFENDERS OF BERK | HTTYD SERIES | BREAKING DOWN HICCUP

Blog Post Series: Breaking Down Hiccup

Title: Tunnel Vision

Ep/Season: Episode 4, Season 2 (Defenders of Berk)

Premise:

Somethings brewing underneath Berk and it is up to Hiccup and gang to find out exactly what that is.

THE VALUE OF TEAM WORK

From the very trivial pursuits like giving Gobber a bath to fighting off the Screaming Death, the team has to be in it together. As girlboss as Astrid is on her own, as intelligent and savvy Hiccup can be and as strong as Stoick is, IT TAKES A (literal) VILLAGE to well... run a village.

Though the episodes called Tunnel Vision, everything about it is peripheral. The gang straggles along for answers and solutions to their water problem and then to the rogue dragon issue and then back to Gobber's bath. It is just interesting to actually see an episode where the dragon dynamic also relies heavily on teamwork.

I didn't catch this at first, but the Screaming Death and his siblings, the Whispering Deaths, are one whole unit and function as a team too. As such, the strategy to beat them can't be one-to-one combat. To be fair, Hiccup and gang always function as a team but the movies don't highlight the importance of the other members of Hiccup's unit as they should. I understand why they built it that way, and I love the movies (no complaints), I am just thankful we get to explore it in the shows.

Defenders of Berk, unlike Riders of Berk, focuses more on the life there and what they do to defend it. It has a more nuanced approach to the other riders than just solely on Hiccup and Hiccup training them. Which is an interesting shift suited to the mood of the second season.

I say that this was a pretty feisty episode and I like that it stayed within the confines of the village, because I can't get enough of the day-to-day village-viking-dragon issues. It's theatrical in one word. And the way the Screaming Death was introduced is a great built up to becoming an actual threat to Berk.

SNOTLOUT THE BUSINESS MAN

Can we also like appreciate the fact that Snotlout's pretty industrious. I mean, he's a jerk by community-living standards, but if anyone is going to capitalise on anything, its going to be Snotlout. That drop Astrid laid when she discovered Snotlout charged the villagers for water was a hilarious exchange, because let's be honest, we've all purchased bottled water. We've all been taken advantage off. I mean, why isn't water free? Anyways...

I like how despite the episode harbouring on teamwork, the individual aspects of Snotlout, Astrid and Hiccup was highlighted in this exchange. Astrid explains that Hiccup didn't mean for the people to be charged for water and Snotlout's proud that the trade was his idea because he thinks profit and Hiccup thinks people. This is just a great marked difference between leadership qualities and a capitalist.

ENEMY DRAGONS

I do not emphasise enough on Hiccup's dragon nemesis. I really should've paid more attention, but after re-watching this episode, it just clicked. The Screaming Death is a terrifying monster of a villain. I mean, I suppose he's not a villain, he's just marking his territory where he was planted. The Outcasts are villains, but the Screaming Death is a worthy adversary. It's intelligent, strong, fast and responsible. I mean, all its trying to do is protect its own and find a home, just like anyone of us would.

And that's why, I never really viewed them as Hiccup's nemesis, because they're just doing their thing in line with nature. People like Viggo or Alvin the Treacherous or Dagur purposely upset the balance of the ecosystem to get ahead in life. So it's easier to pin them as threats or enemies. But, I like that in the second season, Hiccup doesn't just have to deal with difficult people, but very difficult forces of nature and survival.

The Screaming Death would go on to have another episode I really love in the franchise and I can't wait to get to it.

THE GREAT APOLOGY - I CAN EXPLAIN

I have been away for too long. Longer than I expected to. Numerous are the reasons but procrastinator, that I am. God, I am not sure if that previous sentence English-ed well. The truth is, I needed a break. I was super gung-ho about the last number of posts and made many in response and was super hyped by them, I literally lived to produce content for this page.

But then, I kind lost the luster for it after I finished my exams and resigned from my previous posting because I was just feeling really blah. I'm quite honest with my feelings on this page, and if you've been following, you'll know that my life is in a period of a pretty great transition and that hasn't really been... transitioning. So I got stuck. Then I got sick. And am still a little under the weather. And every time I wanted to post something, I felt like I took too long a break, no one's gonna read this stuff anymore, so I stopped writing.

But I never stopped consuming HTTYD content and I was in the Jay Baruchel rabbit hole for a very long time and frankly, I missed my Tumblr interactions. (Images above placed to illustrate me, being in a hole.)

I also felt like, I wanted to improve my writing and analysis, so I was reading a lot more. Then I got stage fright, or writer's fright, and got scared you guys might find me dull and cancel me. And lived in that period of insecurity for weeks.

Well, today I got out of my head and decided, look, I did this because I love HTTYD. I never expected to have a single following. I wrote because it gave me purpose, it realigns my life. It provides structure to my day-in-day-out and I miss you guys. So, I took out my laptop, re-watched this episode, cut my stills to post this.

I'm really sorry for disappearing, I guess I was just embarrassed, but the truth is, I'm trying and with each day, it is getting easier to keep at it again. I hope.

Love you guys!!! XOXO and thanks for sticking around.

[sweatersexual]

Assigning random fictional characters to orders of the Knights Radiant

My only rule is, they can't canonically have magical powers in their own universe, or else I'd try to assign them based on what magic powers they have. I want to do this based on their character development and the ideals of their Radiant order.

Penelope Alvarez from One Day at a Time - Windrunner

I love One Day at a Time, it's one of my comfort shows. And now that I think about it, Penelope is very similar to Kaladin. They're both veterans who work in healthcare and struggle with depression. Protecting her family and the people around her is one of Penelope's main motivations, and we see her really come into her own as a leader over the course of the series. TV mom of all time, honestly.

Nancy Wheeler from Stranger Things - Skybreaker

I'm not saying Nancy is a cop. Far from it. I think she is motivated by justice though. Nothing gets her going like seeing others being unfairly dealt with, whether it's her friend's death being covered up or a little old lady not being listened to. I will say that she is like the canon Skybreakers in that she has faith in the system and she generally tries to work within it. It's only when supernatural circumstances defy the way the system is supposed to work that she reaches for her gun.

Edward Teach from Our Flag Means Death - Dustbringer/Releaser

Blackbeard is why the Releaser oaths are so concerned with self mastery. He caused so much destruction even without having any magical powers, imagine if he could incinerate things with a touch. Despite all that, Ed refused to let himself directly kill anyone because of what murder has turned him into. His character development is about learning the self control required to create instead of destroy. Also, he totally dresses like an ashspren, they would see him as one of them.

Blanca Evangelista from Pose - Edgedancer

Another iconic TV mom. Caring for the forgotten is not only Blanca's entire thing - breaking off and starting her own house specifically for that purpose is literally the inciting incident of the whole show. Taking care of others is how she copes with the difficult circumstances of her own life, but her friends remind her to take care of herself as well. The actress who plays her - Michaela Jae Rodriguez - moves with a grace that perfectly suits an Edgedancer.

Elle Woods from Legally Blonde - Truthwatcher

I woke up this morning thinking, "Elle Woods would totally be a Truthwatcher," which is what inspired me to make this post. She learns to value scholarship, and she basically uses Progression on all the friends she makes over the course of the movie. Elle heals Paulette's self confidence by helping her realize her best self. She and Vivian help each other realize they both deserve better than Warner. And she speaks truth to power, whether it's to her bestie's shitty ex or her asshole of a professor.

Wirt from Over the Garden Wall - Lightweaver

Probably the easiest to assign an order to. Aside from having the dramatic tendencies and creative ability of most Lightweavers, Wirt definitely lies to himself and others a lot. The show is very focused on Wirt learning and speaking his truths. I also think having a Cryptic with him 24/7 would drive him up the wall in the most hilarious way.

Janine Teagues from Abbott Elementary - Elsecaller

I thought about making her an Edgedancer, I really did. The Edgedancer ideals are a big part of her motivation for getting into teaching. But her character development is headed more in the direction of self actualization. She doesn't only want to be a teacher, she wants to be the best teacher possible. Janine also has the cautious personality and logical problem-solving skills of an Elsecaller.

Prince Wilhelm from Young Royals - Willshaper

Because Wille is constantly surrounded by lies, my first thought was that he'd be a Lightweaver. But he doesn't have the temperament to be a good illusionist. His character arc is more about seeking freedom and self expression for himself as well as others. Okay, mainly for himself. He's just a kid, but now that he (spoilers!) has abdicated the throne he can totally rage against the machine.

Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place - Stoneward

Eleanor starts out as probably the worst candidate for a Stoneward you could imagine. Good thing her show is all about self development! Her friends really come to rely on her by the time season 4 rolls around. Her team becomes her main motivation, and she overcomes her defensive selfishness to connect with and be there for others. The one Stoneward quality she did have from the get-go would definitely be her stubbornness, though.

Leslie Knope from Parks & Rec - Bondsmith

Leslie is all about unity and bringing people together. Her personality alone is powerful enough to be a Bondsmith. I definitely think she could fight Dalinar and steal the Stormfather from him, don't you? Maybe it's a good thing she can't worldhop . . .

[cats2019forthenintendoswitch]

sjjssiissoas ok so I'm just browsing youtube as usual and I see a LEGO stop-motion video. And I see it, it's like someone making a wooden duck toy but with LEGO blocks, in stop-motion, and I'm like oh that's pretty neat! I wonder what else this channel has? And they have more stop motion LEGO videos, yeah...and their featured one (you know, whatever is the big one that appears when you click on a channel) is the fucking. Passion Of Jesus Christ. In LEGO stop motion. Right under a "subscribe and buy our merch!" banner.

And this us already hilarious and I could've ended the post there but there's more. See, in this video (or at least in their own comment for the video) they promote a Christian Movie by "their friend", called Because Of Gracia.

Now just out of curiosity I watch the trailer they linked, expecting it to be terrible, and...it doesn't look too bad at first. Bland, sure, and it's about a basic heterosexual romance, but it seems to be generally ok and even just promoting good values, you may not even realize this is a christian movie! It seems generally harmless and mediocre (ok ignoring the fact Gracia, the main romantic interest who is also Latina, has her first line in the trailer be "just call me Grace :)" idk I feel that's problematic) until we meet this guy.

Now if you couldn't tell by how he looks or the only line he says, "just because something is improbable, you assume it comes from a higher power", this guy is the straw atheist™. And honestly he's not even making that bad a argument like... Wonderbread Boy (that's our main char) replies "and what about dialogue and the pursuit of truth?" and if you know these movies you know damn well he's not gonna do that, he's gonna go through endless fallacies lmao.

But yeah right after that it just goes full American Evangelical Bullshit™. And you may be thinking...hey this is familiar! Yeah aren't like half of these things from that awful Christian Movie from a few years ago with a weirdly edgy title? And yeah, you're right. I watched another trailer and

It's the same fucking guys. In case you weren't familiar with God's Not Dead or knew about it but didn't care to look too much into it, the main plot is Christian Wonderbread boy arguing with an atheist professor about the existence of God, who is revealed to be atheist because of his wife's death and yes, gets evangelized at the end.

Now idk if the first one delved into the theme of fake opression but the second one certainly did, the main plot of that one (oh yeah this paragraph is about this strap in) is a Good Christian Wonderbread Professor Woman getting into a trial because she dared to talk about Jesus Christ when asked in a lecture that was relevant. Now even casting aside the fact this makes no sense even in-universe, she then gets actively opressed by an atheist court, saying all education should be secular and yadda yadda, again, despite the fact he was talking about Jesus in a purely historical context. In real life like...That's just...not how it works. Christianity is the norm both in America and the world in general. They're just not opressed.

Of course this isn't just a silly world they made up, this is how they genuenly feel. See, at the end, they bring up a list of real cases of "Christian Ooression", cases where Christians were supposedly opressed by law for expressing their faith in America in some way. Besides the fact it was like...20 cases total? Most if not all of them were cases like the infamous one where a bakery refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding. So yeah, to these people not being able to discriminate to an actually opressed group is discrimination and opression.

Idk I guess I went on this rant to say that like, christian propaganda (or at least white american evangelical one,) isn't just silly, it's dangerous, and we shouldn't just laugh it off? I wasn't planning on this post being this lonh and I'm not good at conclusions, I kinda just started typing and couldn't stop.

Also I feel like I should source basically where I got all the info for the GND trilogy

[wham-bam-thank-you-jam-wrestling]

Forbidden Door to the Money in the Bank

Alright, I did it!

I shelled out a portion of my hard-earned for a WWE premium live event (previously known as a PPV) for the first time. Ever. I handed over my money for the 2022 version of WWE Money in the Bank, hopeful that, given their recent track record of overdelivering on these things, I would get value for money.

This comes hot on the heels of my 2nd ever AEW PPV purchase - AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door - an event that did manage to surpass my expectations, though, to be fair, those expectations were low because I am simply unfamiliar with the majority of NJPW's talent.

Conversely, my Money in the Bank expectations were relatively high because of the aforementioned lukewarm build/it all comes together on the night streak WWE has been on with their major shows since Wrestlemania.

Of course, I have thoughts on both of these events, so here are those thoughts, in no particular order, starting with my thoughts on Money in the Bank, because I'd rather finish this post on a positive note.

MONEY IN THE BANK

The Women's Money in the Bank match was pretty bad - far too many botches and no memorable high spots aside from the clever but not particularly impressive manner in which Liv Morgan won the match

Shotzi was the major casualty of this underwhelming opener - this was far from her finest showing and far from what I was hoping for from her.

Lacey Evans getting booed was either brilliant, hilarious or both.

The United States title match was also poor - no chemistry, a handful of botches or near-botches, and a confusing finish that, despite what happened later in the show and what some internet wrestling pundits are saying about what happened later in the show, feels like a step backwards for all involved

Bianca vs. Carmella was fine for what it was, I would have liked to see it go a few minutes longer with Carmella being given the chance to absorb a little more punishment before being pinned out of nowhere. I get the whole "but she looked strong because of all the offense she got in" argument, I just disagree. From my point of view, Carmella looks weak and Bianca looks like a one-move wonder

The tag title match was the match of the night by a long way. I didn't fully appreciate it while I was watching it, but towards the end, I thought, "this is great, I want to revisit this one".

Keeping the belts on the Usos was the right move. The kayfabe slightly questionable finish wasn't perfect, but points for trying. I don't know where they're going with all these Street Profits not getting along "rumours" but I think it's still a little early to split them up. Hopefully, these are just seeds being planted for something well down the line

The Rousey vs. Natalya match was better than expected, but I don't really have anything more to say about it than that

Don't get me wrong, I am happy to see Liv Morgan win the Smackdown Women's title, but when I heard her music played after Natalya tapped out, I was beside myself with frustration. The reason is that not only do I think Rousey needed to hold it just a little longer to bring some consistency to the division and her whole "fighting champion" thing but why do the female Money in the Bank winners always need to cash in their contract on the same damn show they won it on?

Too many video packages. Far too many. I get it, a bunch of top talent wasn't on the show, but your fans do have memories that go back further than 15 minutes. I'd like to say that one day WWE will show a little respect for the intelligence o their audience, but that is probably wishful thinking

The main event was an entertaining match that suffered from the act that there have already been a crazy amount of ladder matches this year. There were at least 3 more interesting and 1 safer option than having Theory installed into and subsequently winning the match, but he is getting the mega push despite his many flaws as a performer (decidedly mid-card gimmick, uneven characterisation, cookie-cutter promos with uncertain delivery and ring-work that lacks an understanding of match psychology) so what are you going to do?

Omos was the real winner of this match. Not only can he move and do more than I realised, having watched him for the better part of a year, but he showed a commitment to spots that I was not expecting. That table bump was the highlight of the match

I thought the commentary was really solid on this show.

FORBIDDEN DOOR

Eddie Kingston is overrated. There I said it! his "Eddie doesn't realise it's a work" gimmick requires a level of suspension of disbelief I can't get to; why are there no repercussions for the heinous shit you do, Eddie? And why don't you just start hacking at people with a sword or shooting them with a gun?

Side note: this is why I don't really get into hardcore wrestling

I really need to start watching some New Japan Pro Wrestling, if I can find somewhere to squeeze it into my busy schedule. I was really impressed by the performers they featured on this show, not just in terms of their ring work, but with respect to their presentation as well

I felt a little let down by the triple threat tag title match, which feels a little entitled to admit. The FTR is the best tag team in the world thing is threatening to plateau unless they get put into an actual story soon. This match's story was fine, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would

Roppongi Vice are super fun!

Malakai Black, Miro and Pac are 3 talents that never seem to get to showcase ALL the things of which they're capable. Three positives from that match though, Pac is finally about to get some shine, Black vs. Miro is tasty AF, and Clark Connors was a pleasant surprise

The women's match was the weakest on the show and I want to say that it is largely due to AEW's sub-par commitment to women's wrestling in general, but I also think both Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa are capable of better

I would have switched the title onto Storm

I marked-out hard for Sting from his introduction until the end of the match. And I've never really been a Sting fan

El Phantasmo is great. I don't care what anyone says

Darby Allen has finally won me over completely. I understand that he doesn't want to wrestle forever, so I think they need to give him a title run sooner rather than later. Depending on the MJF plan/situation, perhaps go for a Punk-Darby-MJF path with the big one?

Contradicting how I opened this section, I'd still give Eddie Kingston his moment of winning the World Title, even if it's just a 24-hour run

Will Osprey might be the best overall wrestler in the world and he could be a star in any promotion. Yeah, he does a lot of the flippy shit, but he hits hard, sells well and tells a story. I've heard bad things about his off-screen likeability, but on-screen he plays his role perfectly

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Claudio Castagnoli was something I appreciated more than I enjoyed but it is wonderful seeing the former Cesaro back on-screen and I could learn to love what ZSJ does in the ring

Orange Cassidy is the anti-Eddie Kingston in almost every way and I am fully embracing his shtick. He is also ridiculously over right now

I think that Tanahashi guy is washed, but the crowd loves him!

In one last self-contradiction, I love Jon Moxley. 90% of the time he plays the seriousness/legitimacy of the competition pitch-perfectly.

So, those are most of my thoughts. Now you get to let me know some of yours.

Cheers