#it’s just a really fun concept (and has a lot of potential in regards to exploring Tim’s character post-TLG!)

[fowlblue]

What’s a little bit of blood spilled between friends, eh?

Redraw time- I remember being super proud of the original a long time ago, and now I can safely say I’ve improved quite a bit!

[tossawary]

Thinking about how hard the "Star Wars" prequel films dropped the ball in terms of female representation. Like, looking back on the original trilogy, it kind of sucks that the only main female character is Leia, and while Leia does kick ass and I love her, it also sucks that the last film 1) put her in that bikini and 2) abruptly made her Luke's twin but didn't let her have a lightsaber or use a lot of the cool space magic powers.

When you only have one female character, she often ends up bearing the unintended burden of a lot of hopes and expectations of fans. She's just one person. She's never going to be compelling to everyone.

And then you have the prequels and you'd hope that they'd do a little better with male-female ratios this time? With experience? But the only main female character is Padmé, who's pretty fun, but also ends up 1) desperately in love with a murderer, 2) spending most of the last movie barefoot and pregnant, staring out a window, because they cut the "founding of the Rebellion" plotline, and 3) dying not because she was Force-choked but because she has "lost the will to live" because "fuck them kids", I guess.

(I know there's theories about Sidious siphoning her life force or what the fuck ever, but I don't caaaaare, because I hate the idea that Sidious has that kind of reach for no fucking reason and also it's not actually IN the movies! It doesn't count!)

The Nubian handmaidens are a cool concept, but they're all background characters, who barely get named. We don't get to actually see them and Padmé do a lot of on-screen work together. She doesn't get to confide in them regarding her love or her fears. She speaks to her guard captain more onscreen than her handmaidens.

And while we do see female members of the Jedi Order in the films, they're ALSO all background characters, like Jocasta Nu and Aayla Secura and Yaddle. As opposed to more active Jedi characters like Qui-Gon Jinn or Mace Windu. Like, damn, the prequels are the perfect opportunity to introduce and show off even a female Jedi supporting character, and they just did not do that. That sucks. The careless absence of women in this universe sucks. The careless absence of women as significant characters in these films sucks.

Every other piece of additional material for "Star Wars" has to move to patch this. The "Jedi Apprentice" and "Jedi Quest" novels strive to add and name female agemates and mentors. "The Clone Wars" television shows add Ahsoka as a protagonist and Ventress as a villain and a whole bunch of new female characters.

Yes, given that these are prequels, there are some characters who are not really realistically changeable. (Yes, trans people exist, obviously, that would be very cool; not sure that "Star Wars" was going to go for that back in 1999.) Obi-Wan. Anakin. Yoda. The Emperor. Unnamed Sad Mother of Luke and Leia. You need those ones. EVERYTHING ELSE was up for whatever they wanted to do.

So, anyway, I'm currently thinking about characters you could potentially genderbend without affecting the story pretty much at all. Qui-Gon, obviously. Mace Windu, as well. I think fandom would then hate both of these characters even more then, unfortunately, because fandom is what it is. Whatever legitimate criticisms levied at both of these imperfect characters would have increased tenfold, I am certain of it. But we're talking about the prequels's badly executed stories, not fandom's misogyny. (And misogynoir. A black woman as the leader of the Jedi Order when it was destroyed by the Sith? Fandom would have been even more of a fucking nightmare.) It would suck that they both die, but the prequels are a tragedy anyway, so, eh.

Bail's role in the prequels could have potentially been played by Breha Organa instead. Although, I don't know how well the Extended Universe novels had extended Leia's backstory by that point in time, maybe Bail had already been established as the Senator and Breha as Queen, so maybe not. At the very least, you could have had Mon Mothma in there doing his superspy stuff with him or something. Padmé's guard captain could have been a woman.

Both Darth Maul and Count Dooku could have been women. Yes, they're both evil, and yes, they both die, so it's not perfect on the representation front. But it's something, especially if you balance that out with some good characters, and look, I can't coherently complete this thought, I keep getting distracted by the mental image of hot evil Sith ladies. I think a female Count Dooku would have kicked ass, honestly, as much as I enjoy Christopher Lee in the role.

My main goal with this thought exercise is purely upping the number of plot-relevant female characters, pointing out that it wouldn't have been hard to add more women without changing all that much if anyone involved had actually bothered to think about that.

The original trilogy only mentioned "The Clone Wars", so the clone army didn't all need to be copies of Jango Fett. There could have potentially been a half-dozen genetic donors, with the Kaminoans creating different clone soldiers for different purposes. Some of them could have been clones of women. (I hold the unpleasant headcanon that the clone soldiers are all sterile (or functionally sterile, incompatible with unmodified humans) anyway, because the Kaminoans don't want clients to be able to "steal" their work.) And the clones are actually a fairly minor role in the films themselves, admittedly, not given any more development than any of the droids (it's the show that does the work), but again, it's still something more.

[yandere-loveer]

Hi uhm firt request so this may be a little all over the place and I apologize for that but could you do aa yandere prune juice cookie it can be as hardcore or soft as you like I just feel like he is very underrated yandere wise

✶﹐✨️﹒yandere prune juice cookie concept!

✶﹒┊I find this request curious, really. I feel like this character deserves more recognition and more potential to be a yandere.

✶﹒┊Warnings: Forced relationship, obsession, manipulation, stalking, unhealthy jealousy, yandere, reader!fem

★﹒This one is really unfortunate, but we love him.

★ ﹒His personality is difficult to deal with, since he is somewhat egocentric or also try to socialize more deeply with this cookie. He is mostly dedicating his time to making his potions and no one bothers him, that's clear.

★﹒In order to meet him, we have to think of two simple situations that first you should be in the same institute or if you are in one of the other institutes you were able to meet him at the big Triple Cone Cup event. But if we are guided by the first option, there may be a lot.

★ ﹒And God, how did you get the attention of this cookie? .... The truth is, he has a somewhat high ego, what you could do was raise it further with your words of admiration when you saw his skills when creating potions. Also if at one point they become closer make it feel enough. What if he is someone without his potions.

★ ﹒His infatuation with him towards you is not immediate, it takes time until he realizes that your company is not annoying like that of other cookies.

★﹒I can tell you that every time time passes your infatuation becomes an obsession that is sick and suffocating. You can tell when you talk to the other students at the institute.

★ ﹒When you talk to someone, you can feel Prune Juice's gaze from far away while he sold his potions to one of the students. And when he gets angry it's not pretty, his eyes can be seen better and he doesn't transmit any good vibes.

★ ﹒But he doesn't show his emotions that much about it, so at least he doesn't take it out on you but on the other cookie you talked about at that time.

★ ﹒You can tell if he has a cute side that if you have an outing together he is very detailed, calculating and careful. That's why he demonstrates it at the event. But if you're going to have a good time with him.

★ ﹒It is also believed that he is someone who is manipulative when he wants to generate trust, he uses that with you and one of the cookies of which one you have a friendship with. I see that little by little it makes you generate insecurity regarding your friendships because of the words of Prune Juice Cookie.

★ ﹒If he has to eliminate someone he will always use his potions at every moment of the day, so when it is something dark he may use manipulation to attract said cookie that is related to you and if he drinks his potions without seeing . I assure you that you will not see that cookie again. That's good, there's more time for Prune Juice and you admire his skills!

★ ﹒I think I could still create enough time to stalk you and see how you are despite being so focused on his potions and see that they never lack it. But you are an exception to him and look away from him to his talent to see you.

★ ﹒But I don't see it possible for him to resort to murder, he uses his intelligence more to obtain what he needs. I also don't see it possible with the issue of kidnapping you to have you by his side, it would be suspicious if you disappeared, but the idea seems tempting...

★ ﹒Maybe I don't think he can do much about the kidnapping, if he can knock you unconscious and everything. But that can apply some physical force and he's not that strong of a cookie. But it is his hands when mixing to create his potions.

★ ﹒I see a somewhat absurd but fun situation to keep you by his side if we leave aside the manipulation. I think he could create a potion especially so that you have his eyes on him and don't think about others, he would love how you would look at him with eyes full of love like he has for you.

★ ﹒Unfortunately his only obstacle later if we talk after the Triple Cone Cup event, his new friends can see his not so normal love. But he's going to fix it. He doesn't want to let you go, so worship him, appreciate him and spend time with him making potions together!

[doink-boink]

I fully think that Zach does what he does because he is a VERY LONELY MAN. He makes robots to do his bidding (keep him company), he acts like he hates dealing with people but leaps at the opportunity to work with the other villains. He's also a genius whose ideas have been scorned since he was little, probably incredibly isolating for a guy who could have taken his ideas and used them in a good way if he was encouraged to do so. Major gifted kid to burned out adult vibes. I just feel like he has a lot of potential......

-Martincrushcameback

Yes!! Regarding leaping at the opportunity to work with the other villains, you can really see that in The Mystery of the Weird Looking Walrus!!

(More under the cut because I ramble for a good while)

He desperately wants Donita's approval as well as her friendship - of course that blows up in his face, not only because he didn't get her the pearl, but also because yknow. He's a big ol liar lol. I haven't watched the episode with it, (as I'm not on season 6) but you can see this when he compliments the Amphi-Trek XT!!

Zach stops himself short as he's about to compliment an invention that Aviva made because he wants approval from Paisley!

I want to explore this more in my fic, especially regarding WHY he and Aviva aren't close. They went science camp together, yes, but the show drops little details between them that implies that they might have actually been friends. Or at least, that's how I interpreted it!

In my AU I think that they were good pals up until Highschool, but Zach's decision to work with animals is what ends that friendship. He had no regard for their feelings and health, using them for his own gain. (Additionally, he starts to use animals/pursue that as concept as AVIVA began working in that field!! He wanted to connect with her, but ended up driving them apart.)

In typical Zach fashion, he refuses to stop what he's doing because it's getting him attention from others, maybe even the school itself, giving him the praise that he needs. His own ego ruins everything!! As it does in the show! Furthering "because it's giving him the praise that he needs" thing, I feel as though he isn't close WHATSOEVER with his parents.

At least, not in the typical fashion. AU wise, I think that Zach has a strained relationship with his father, but was very close to his mother! Want to make it a Moral Orel type deal with Clay's backstory where something happens and his mom is out of the picture, leaving him with his dad. Maybe this happens before he begins to use animals for his bidding? It would make sense! He wants some sort of attention that he isn't getting at home, some sort of acknowledgement that he's doing something good!

Aaaa!! There's so many things to explore with Zach as a character!! He's so fun man. And so very tragic at the same time lol

Also would like to bring attention to his CLEAR want to express his self worth!! I feel like he "looks up to Aviva" in his own weird little way in canon. Of course he is actively 'tearing her down' here, but you can tell that he KNOWS what she's capable of and wants the other villains (that's the context here, I believe it's Paisley's introduction to them) to believe that he's capable.

Even after this it's really clear to see that regardless of how he feels about her, he LIKES Aviva's inventions enough to steal them time and time again!

Dude. Dude just go work with her man it's for your own good... Wink wink nudge nudge I toooootallly won't do this in Somethings Never Change nooooooo

But genuinely, he would have so much to gain from WORKING WITH AVIVA. He wants her companionship so bad man.

Sorry this post got so unbelievably LONG lol, I've got a lot on my mind about these guys. Also apologies that I went on my own little sub tangent about my fic, hope it was okay!!

[misc-obeyme]

I'm curious now. Could you tell us more about your Brainrot over Barbatos "cosmic powers"? Or his time travel abilities?

Do you ever think he's old as time itself? (Google said Time itself is 14 billion years old). I wonder if he's the FIRST demon to exist right after the Demon king.

Anon, are you sure you want to get into this with me? Because when I tell you I've thought about it way too much...

I think there are a lot of possibilities for what the game means when it says that Barbatos has been around since before the Devildom took shape. I think that's what most of us are thinking of when it comes to considering how old he truly is. There's this general idea that the game hints at that Barbatos is far older than anyone and knows a lot about everything. It's implied that he had a younger phase or time of his life when he was less refined and restrained. It hints that there is so much more to his story.

Could there be something actually waiting for us that the devs have considered regarding Barb's history? Possibly. But considering their track record, I'm not sure if we'll ever actually find out what that might be. And if we do, it might be somewhat underwhelming.

That leaves us to speculate what it could be. And I've seen many different takes on it, some I like and some I'm like meh about.

For myself, I have considered multiple possibilities, especially in regards to his powers. What does it mean to be able to manipulate time? To be able to see a vast array of potential timelines? To move through them?

I explore some of this in The Threads That Bind. The curse that MC is hit with causes them to be able to see this sort of in between place where Barbatos can see the streams of different timelines.

But I also explored a slightly different take on it in a drabble where MC asks him if they meet in every timeline.

It's a concept that's so complicated and so twisty that you can write about it in multiple ways and still never fully explore all it could mean.

I tend to go with whatever works best for the scenario I'm writing. In Threads, I kept the ideas consistent with each other, but outside of a longer story like that, I find it fun to see how those powers can work in different ways.

That being said, I generally think about it like there's one main timeline - the one he's in. And then there are many other timelines and he exists in all of them. For instance, we have Timeline A and Timeline B. Barb A can see Timeline B and Barb B in that timeline and vice versa. They're aware of each other but they exist separately.

However, Barb A can also see the various ways that his own timeline can change. Every choice causes it to branch. So while he can see timelines like Timeline B that start separately from his, he can also see branches from his own timeline. Thus creating something like a Timeline A-1, a branch where a Barb A-1 now exists and makes different choices and changes in ways Barb A does not.

But this can get complicated and kinda brain hurty, so sometimes I just scrap all of that and think about it more in terms of vibes. Or perhaps in a more muddled way, such as the "time soup" description offered up by the game itself.

I like to think that Barbatos understands these complexities in a way that's natural to him. He just has the ability to feel and understand it all by instinct. Maybe he explains some concepts to MC in ways he thinks they'll understand or in ways that make them feel like their own current existence isn't meaningless. But he can never really explain it to them in a way that would allow them to understand it like he does.

I also like the idea that he deliberately shuts off his ability to tell what happens in the future. I mean we know he does this and that he'll only travel through time with Diavolo's permission. (Though really it's more like at Dia's request.) It's just so badass to be able to tell how each decision you make will change the course of your future and decide that you'd rather be surprised.

As for his age, I think it makes sense for him to be as old as time itself. But I do think he could potentially be slightly younger than time. His understanding of it doesn't mean he had to exist for all of it. Or maybe he traveled back to the beginning just to witness it all for himself.

If time is a soup, Barb's age probably is, too.

And I like to think he existed before the first Demon King. I think he's older than the Devildom, therefore older than its ruler.

I think Barb is more powerful than the demon kings ever were, but prefers not to have that particular rank or title. He's more of a working in the shadows type of guy.

But of course these are just my own thoughts. Well this is the tip of the iceberg of my thoughts a;dlkjfasdflj. Ask me next week and I might say something completely different lol!

[shuttershocky]

Hey Shutters, what do you think they'll end up going for regarding a 6* arts defender + that subclass' modules? And also what would *you* do?

I think that a 6* Arts Defender has the potential to be the next Horn. I think Hypergryph know it too, which is why this very old archetype has hung around all this time getting 5 stars but never a 6 star when even the damn Sentinels got their 6 star in Jessica (and Sentinels weren't even a real archetype for ages, they used to be classed as regular Protectors).

In fact, I know HG are timid about touching Arts Defenders because Viviana was our first Arts Guard in 2 years since Surtr, and they made her play like a Defender instead with her shield generation and damage reduction against elites and bosses, trying to play as a DPS tank.

Being a Defender means your stats are good. Being an Arts Protector means you have access to Arts damage on skills. Being a 6 Star means people expect you to be much, much stronger than the rest in your class, when Shalem does 2,262 single target arts DPS and has a 25% RES reduction talent and Asbestos has AOE with a range extension and Czerny has a +100% Max HP skill.

Right now, Arts Defenders are mostly relegated to niche clears and for people who simply like their characters. Their skills tend to be weird (Shalem kills himself, Czerny needs to get hit a lot, etc) to balance out how powerful the concept of combining Defenders with damage is (which goes for the others too: Juggernauts can't be healed, Duelists only block 1, etc). A 6 star Arts protector either won't be shackled by these same constraints, or will have numbers high enough to be worth the janky mechanics.

If I were to make my own 6* Arts Protector, I think mixing some of the funnest ideas from Czerny, Shalem, and Asbestos could make for a really fun operator. And because this is HG and they cannot hide from me that they take inspiration from Dota 2 skill designs, I'm also going to partially base it on a certain Dota hero, Abbadon.

I'm thinking something like:

Talent 1: +5 RES. This unit takes 5/10/15% of damage taken by allies in the 8 surrounding tiles into itself instead.

Talent 2: Every time this unit loses 10% of Max HP, attacks an enemy within range for 100% of ATK + 10% of Max HP as Arts damage.

Skill 1: SP/s recovery. When this skill is activated, +100 ASPD +50% Max HP +100% RES. This unit loses 5% max HP every attack.

Skill 2: ATK recovery. When skill is activated, range expands, all allies attacking the enemy this unit is attacking receives + ASPD. Enemies hit by this unit take -ASPD and are silenced. Each enemy killed when this skill effect is on them increases this unit's ATK by 4%.

Skill 3. Defensive Recovery. When this skill is activated, +250% ATK, +350% Max HP, +100% DEF. Healing effectiveness + 80%. Attacks change to AOE, but stops attacking (can only attack via Talent 2). Talent 1 effect x3 (+15 RES and takes 45% of ally damage into itself instead) and range expands. Talent 2 range expands to Global.

____

It sounds a bit silly but can you really tell me I'm going overboard when HG crammed everything into Hoederer's S3 to make him viable? I for one think the niche of a unit that takes damage for other units is still unexplored beyond Skadi the Corrupting Heart's S1, but I also think it will be extremely funny and unique if we have a Defender that just stops attacking and instead takes damage for all of its allies, but retaliates by shooting AOE arts blasts all around the map every time it takes 10% of HP as damage, sort of like Czerny's S2 combined with Asbestos' S2.

You'll obviously need a healsquad for this guy but I think it sounds funny and usable in niches without being a too straightforward Arts DPS unit.

___

[nightwonder7]

I loovve your idv art/comics and how you characterize everyone its so silly and fun !! i love the fools gold series especially! i know you mentioned the concern of milking the joke once but i think its a really fun concept and i get super hyped when i see wips for another theyre all really good

HHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh thank you so much!! o/////////o 💖💖💖 That's so sweet of you! ;//0//; It honestly means a lot to hear you enjoy my art and comics! ;u;

The series has been a lot of fun for me to make, and I'm just happy to see others enjoy it as well! I understand that sometimes there can be too much of a good thing, which is why I was worried the same joke was overstaying, albeit in slightly different flavours. But ideas just kept coming to me, I guess fhsdjfgds

Something about Norton having to adjust to his new found role was a concept I came to like a lot and saw a lot of comedy potential in. I believe this is the first identity switch I've been around for since I joined the fandom, and it was for none other than my favourite character! Man, I had such a massive brain rot when Fool's Gold first got announced XD (I don't think I'm even over it yet fdsgfsgfdh). Anyway, I'm relieved to hear that this kind of content hasn't grown stale yet 😅 I'll keep making them as long as I have fun with it =u=

I still have more ideas with Norton's misadventures as a hunter that I want to get to eventually! People have also been pitching in some other ideas as well; namely regarding Luchino and Joker adjusting as survivors, which I have something in store for. Not as extensive as Norton's, mind you, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless ^^; Right now I want to get some other stuff done that I've been putting off to ease my conscience a tiny bit gfjsdjdsfdj

[filmmarvel]

PJO Series Overall Thoughts + Pros and Cons

Disclaimer! First of all, there are a lot more cons than pros here, and if you loved the show and don’t want to hear my criticism just keep scrolling. Second, I’m not someone to complain just because it isn’t exactly how it was in the book! I have quite a range of feelings about story changes. In regard to the ones I’ve listed as cons, i’m just irritated that they haven’t been able to match the book in frankly any capacity. I believe that if you’re making changes, it should be a) out of necessity, b) to improve upon the material, or c) taking positive creative license to try a new spin on an element from the source material. But the changes I’m complaining about, for the most part, haven’t met any of those requirements.

Pros:

Sets and Visuals

It was so magical seeing camp come to life!

The Underworld looks fantastic, the visuals are super cool, especially the Fields of Asphodel. That was a really cool spin on the books- the CGI was pretty good, and the concept there was really interesting.

Olympus was very cool looking too! It reminded me of Asgard.

Overall I Just Think There’s Lots of Potential!

Since the leads are fairly inexperienced (and kids), you can’t expect them to be incredible. They’re doing just fine, but I think they have a lot of potential, and I’m excited to see them grow over the course of the series!

Generally I still really like the casting and have high hopes for these actors, I just wish (for our sake and theirs) that they had better material to work with.

Plot Changes

This ones kind of a pro AND a con: Generally, I really like the flashbacks! They add a lot more depth to Sally, and her relationships with Percy and Poseidon. That being said, the episodes typically feel far too short to be adding material that wasn’t in the books. I thought it was fantastic in episode 7, but in other episodes it didn’t quite work when so much else was cut, or there were opportunities left untaken as a result.

I also liked that they included a few flashbacks with Luke in the finale- there was so much training and time at camp that didn’t fit into the first two episodes.

They got rid of the “names have power” stuff which is great (never made sense in the books).

They did a really nice job humanizing Medusa, but still creating conflict with her, and simultaneously setting up further issues with the gods.

I also agreed with their decision to move the fight from Santa Monica to Montauk, to save time.

Cons:

Dialogue and Writing

The dialogue is definitely less charming than in the books. It’s a huge part of what makes them fun, and the dialogue here is honestly pretty bland. The characters don’t totally feel like themselves, but it isn’t only the acting. Forcing the characters to be explaining stuff to each other nearly every time they have a conversation makes them a lot less personable.

Honestly, this series feels kind of elementary in comparison to the middle grade books. I’d imagine that, like the books, they were aiming to create something that could be enjoyed by young kids and adults alike. But I didn’t find it as successful as the book in this regard.

And the dialogue is consistently so surface level! Stiff, boring, and above all, CONSTANTLY telling over showing. This affects the likability of the characters, and the ability of the actors. Both parties are deterred by the info dumping, as they aren’t really given as many genuine lines or interactions as they should have.

Honestly, it kind of feels a bit like they gave some of Percy’s personality to Annabeth in parts of the show? I saw someone else point out that they’re kind of giving Annabeth the Hermione treatment (ie giving her some of the other characters good moments), which I kind of agree with. However, a lot of that was towards the beginning and middle of the season and has somewhat improved since.

I posted a whole rant earlier about the Lotus Casino episode, which I’ll just summarize: theres a consistent pattern in the show of having the characters figure out what’s going on immediately, removing the danger, and more importantly, not allowing the characters to make mistakes, which weakens both them and the plot. In addition, I didn’t like that they brought up May Castellan already, primarily because it was just another info dump, which (in my mind) gets lost amongst all the other info dumps and removes the poignancy from the reveal. Now, there’s absolutely time to fix the May Castellan situation and ensure that it still packs a punch later on, but for this season it wasn’t great. Go check out my last post if you’d like to hear the rest of my argument on that episode!

Some additional examples of the ‘not letting the characters experience danger’ thing: Procrustes (obviously), and Kronos- forget whether or not Percy should know who Kronos is, the biggest issue is that there’s very little evidence or buildup, so (again) there’s no tension or shock at the reveal. And finally, with Luke. I was so annoyed when Percy figured it out! I could’ve believe that they were doing it AGAIN. I still enjoyed that scene because Walker and Charlie were great, but that was disappointing for sure.

The thing with the pearls honestly amounted to nothing, and there was no reason for Annabeth to not be present in the underworld: that was just a tearjerker for the sake of being a tearjerker (manufactured drama).

Lowering the Stakes

I just wish they’d made it SLIGHTLY more mature- don’t get me wrong, it’s a kids show! I’m very well aware of that! But this feels a lot tamer than a lot of kids (PG) movies involving monsters and stuff.

Gabe was a real piece of shit in the books, but in the show they just kinda made him look lazy and turned him into comic relief. And I don’t believe in the argument that they had to make this change to benefit a younger audience- they didn’t really need to change anything there.

Throughout the majority of the season, I felt like they weren’t allowing the gods to be truly intimidating, or powerful. First with Ares, who wasn’t BAD but generally didn’t have that kind of dramatic presence that he had in the books. Again with Hades, who wasn’t shown as being REMOTELY intimidating, and perhaps the biggest offense of all- Zeus. Having the deadline pass with seemingly zero consequence or threat of consequence does absolutely nothing (and certainly doesn’t increase tension like I’m pretty sure Rick Riordan said was their reason for changing it). Up until the finale, viewers had very few reasons to fear the Gods. Even Dionysus and Hephaestus! In the books there’s a clear line- you can interact with them, but you DONT want to offend them. There’s a clear threat of power, and that just wasn’t remotely present for a while.

And again, I just want to clarify- this is an overall writing problem! It’s not that Ares, or any other one of the gods I just mentioned has a different personality than in the books, it’s that a show like this (KIDS OR NOT) should still be compelling, and part of that includes having real danger and clear stakes.

I would add that they did a much better job with this in the finale! Lance Reddick gave such an amazing performance, and truly made Zeus an intimidating figure. The fight on the beach with Ares was great as well. So I’m optimistic about this criticism moving into season 2, but I stand by the idea that this was an issue for the majority of the series.

Overall, it felt like they weren’t taking the serious parts seriously, AND they didn’t take the comedy as seriously either? So it isn’t as lighthearted OR as impactful as the books. It feels so much more bland and watered down by comparison.

Episodes Were Too Short

Everything just flowed really well in the books, here the pacing is off and the dialogue isn’t as natural (again, they’re forced to rely on a lot of telling instead of showing which takes away from genuine moments). Many character details and personality traits were cut for the sake of additional verbal explanation

As many others have pointed out, the fight scenes also feel pretty rushed, and haven’t quite conveyed the sense of urgency that they should. It all just lowers the stakes.

This Ones Kind of a Joke, but the Casting for Hephaestus

It’s mostly my book bias. This guy was NOT giving Hephaestus. Mainly because Hephaestus is the god of the forge, and I can’t picture this guy anywhere near one of those. He kind of looked like one of Santa’s elves, he’s giving tinkerer not GOD of the FORGE. This is also something they can absolutely fix/win me over in time lmao

Changes

I already mentioned most of the changes (good and bad) already, but there’s one more. I kind of wish they had kept Percy’s dream about Tartarus, especially given that they decided to have Percy figure out Kronos is behind it all earlier- it just would’ve clicked a little easier.

Finishing Thoughts

I don’t want to totally sound like a hater! I’m still enjoying the series, and I really hope it gets renewed for season 2! I was just disappointed in the weak writing. I hope that the writers will be able to recognize these flaws and improve for season 2.

Alright, I don’t really expect anyone to read this whole thing, but if you made it: thanks for reading! I’m curious to hear your thoughts, so I’d really appreciate comments, just keep it civil!

[002yb]

if you're up for it, could you say more about infertile alpha dick? or recommend any fics?

It's a detail about himself that Dick keeps close to his chest

Went through all the stages of grief over it. Straddles the line between acceptance and resignation because Dick has a complicated relationship with how he feels about having a family of his own

On the one hand, no. Absolutely not. He's aware of the lifestyle he chooses to live and he's conscious of the fact that he won't give it up for anything. Doesn't matter how he wants or yearns for something - Dick chooses vigilantism and he won't put his mate/his pup/any child through that stress/potential for danger/capacity for loss. Dick's life isn't conducive for stability or happiness (he doesn't deserve it).

On the other hand, yes. Please, yes. Because Dick has always wanted a love like his parents. He's nostalgic for the family that was taken from him too soon. He wants a mate, a pack, pups. A whole litter of them - a circus of his own.

The softest alpha when he comes across an expecting omega; always unwittingly lights up because of it.

The same goes for pups. Dick adores them. Is good with them. They congregate around him because he's fun, sure, but more than that it's this hindbrain thing of recognizing safety

Dick doesn't think he'd make a good alpha, let alone a good dad; he doesn't recognize that a lot of people already see him that way in both regards

When anyone asks about his plans for that part of his future, he deflects. He's good about it; discreet. Some people pick up on it before others, but regardless of who figures something might be wrong, Dick doesn't want to talk about it. It's forgotten about, soon enough. A secret for Dick to keep.

It's a bit painful when people talk about what a lovely family he'll have one day though because he knows that's not in the cards for him. It's not even a choice.

It's for the better though, he lies to himself. Again and again.

Basically longing x10000000 but Dick will deny that

Dickjay Portion:

Dick lays with his head on Jason's stomach a lot. His ear pressed to Jason's abdomen, arms wrapped loose around him as Jason scratches his fingers through Dick's hair

Spaces out a lot like that. Thinking of what a beautiful mother Jason would make. How if there was anyone for Dick to share that with - but he cuts the thought off there because it hurts. He nuzzles into Jason's stomach and forces his thoughts elsewhere.

Meanwhile Jason is internally cursing up a storm because fuck, Dick's head on his stomach like this is sweet. It's like what Jason has imagined Dick would do if Jason was -- if Jason could -- and he gets self-conscious because Jason can't give that to Dick

Basically them both making assumptions and wanting each other to be happy without realizing they're experiencing the same struggles

When they do share the truth with each other though - fuck.

Relief but also empathy and heartache and devastation for one another. Jason bringing Dick down to rest Dick's head on Jason's chest and just holding him. Because Jason is stricken by the loss on Dick's behalf. Because he's not blind. Dick can say what he wants; he can lie, but Jason sees how this man wanted that life and he can't have it. Even if Jason wanted it for himself and could give it - Dick can't.

Not getting into adoption debate here. Because guilt complex so big neither of them could pick one and leave others. That aside, concept is different from practice either way. Their lives are too dangerous and they know firsthand what it is to be damned by their livelihoods - this community.

Dickjay, but the comedic bullet point that doesn't really match the rest of the vibes here:

Dick is a kinky guy he mourns the loss of not being able to make Jason plump with his litter of pups it's just kind of tragic

Extras:

Some world where he meets Mar'i somehow and it devastates him. Not in any way that breaks him, but his heart is so full that he sure it bursts. He'd be so awestruck by her. Tender and soft and proud because she's wonderful - sweet girl.

Less niche, more general. Where Dick still helps Roy get baby Lian. Just Dick holding this precious pup to his chest, supporting her and smelling the top of her head for that pup smell and being so in love and the pup isn't even his. Dick not being so much reluctant to let go, but struggling with it all the same because he wants this; he wants and wants and wants. But it's okay because Roy treats Lian just as dear and Dick loves to see his friend have that happiness. That besides, Roy lets Dick stay. Dick gets to help look after and raise her. It's not the same, but Dick is happy for it regardless.

This idea of soft and sweet alpha!dad Dick lives alongside a separate headcanon that Dick would be the sort of dad that is peak casual. Just holding pups like footballs and rigging up questionable contraptions to keep the babe occupied while he works on something.

Oh geez this ask is becoming about Dick and babies more than anything I'm sorry but like. Dick doing pushups and kissing the top of his kid's head every time he lowers himself down? The baby giggling and smacking his face?? Meanwhile Jason is sat a little ways away, completely enamored and endeared and oops - here comes the baby fever; pup him the fuck up, please.

Only not because this is an infertile!alpha!Dick ask. Big sad.

[showtoonzfan]

—⚠️SPOILERS FOR THE LEAKED CLONE HIGH EPISODE!!! ⚠️—

Okay time to rant about the Clone high episode but in a way some of y’all aren’t expecting. This is just me but some people are painting the leaked new episode of Clone High to be WAAAY worse than it actually is. Like…good god some of y’all are overreacting, I’ve even seen people compare it to freaking Velma like GOD no. While I personally enjoyed the episode, I can see why people may not like it. A lot of people are bummed about Ghandi, the cancel culture stuff, and maybe the comedy, though for the comedy it’s mostly a hit or miss, but for me it was a hit. As for the Cancel culture stuff, it didn’t piss me off like a lot of people are because I honestly expected this. Clone high has always been known to poke fun at whatever was going on in the world at the time, so like…yeah of course they’d do an episode regarding that, and I personally liked the idea of a fish out of water concept since the clones have been frozen for 20 years. Some people were saying that Abe felt out of character and OOC, but honestly? Abe’s character has always been that he’s a stubborn loser who constantly gets into trouble, so him getting cancelled and fucking up everything he’s saying felt in character for me, it was one of the reasons I liked it so much because everyone felt in character, even if you could argue it wasn’t as good. I will say that Abe saying slurs felt incredibly forced to fit the plot, but he’s still a loser like he was in the original so I can’t be mad about it yet. I certainly wouldn’t call the episode perfect, but I overall enjoyed it.

The only two issues I had was Joan and JFK. These personal issues was more of a nitpick, but I was expecting…I dunno, more out them? Don’t get me wrong, I was a huge shipper of the two and I’m happy they’re together, but at the same time I find it weird that they’re both….okay with being a couple. I was surprised that Joan was 100% on board, I’d predicted that she would act like the night they spent together was a “one time thing” and that she needed to figure things out. The beginning of the episode even hints at the drama, but there was really no drama around the love triangle at all, aside from Abe moping. It just…felt like kind of a let down, but I think that’s just me because I was expecting more or something really big to kick off immediately. Joan as a whole however in this episode felt …..off to me, but I can’t really explain it. She just felt….off, like kinda out of character? I dunno I was expecting her to be against the popular kids since her character in the show was more being on “the good side” of things, like I would think she would go “I don’t need to be popular”- but she wasn’t bad or anything. I was always expecting her to be annoyed by JFK’s entire vulgar personality but she seemed to have no mind. As for JFK himself, I was surprised he wanted Joan to be his girlfriend, since he was known for being the ultimate fuck boy, going from one woman to the next. I had really hoped that their relationship would be more of a slow burn, rather than them getting together immediately in the very first episode, since JFK still has a lot to learn about relationships. The scene they shared outside of the prom to me opened a new door for a good character arc and relationship exploration, it was the scene that made me ship them, because there was so much potential for them to become a really good couple, so now that they just start off immediately being one, it felt VERY underwhelming to me. However, this is still the first episode, so for now I’ll wait to see what the writers do with these two. I could care less about Abe moping because all my homies hate Abe, but not in a bad way per say, to me, he’s enjoyable to watch, but we acknowledge that he’s a loser lol.

Meanwhile, Scudworth is the same, he’s hilarious as always and I get a kick out of watching him, and introducing a female boss who he has fallen in love with solely because she’s trying to kill him is funny to me. I have no idea if she’ll legitimately be a love interest or not, again we’ll have to see, but I will say that these new board of shadowy figures ain’t it. I miss the old iconic guys, particularly the main one with the soothing voice because he was iconic and funny. I guess it makes sense on why Scudworth didn’t unfreeze them since they had planned to kill him and take the clones away, but I do miss them and it kinda is a downgrade. Then there’s Ghandi, who we all miss but for the people demanding that he be brought back and that the show isn’t the same without him, y’all need to chill because I highly doubt this is in the creators control. I’m pretty sure if it was, Ghandi would be in the show, but they were kinda forced to take him out due to the controversy, so despite me missing him, I can see why it had to be done, and I don’t blame the show itself. As for the new clones and characters, I’ll have to get used to them and warm up to them, but I certainly wouldn’t call any of them “bad”. Again, this is merely the first episode, and unlike the majority of people on twitter right now, I want to give the show a chance and see how this all plays out until I say it’s “god awful” or act like it’s the worst thing in the world. I will say this however, to the people complaining about the gore and even the comedy style, do y’all know what show you’re watching? Like…this is Clone HIGH lol, I expected most of this to happen since I saw the original show, so I will be honest and say I don’t 100% know why everyone is so pressed about it. I get that people are maybe bummed about the whole “cancel culture” thing since nobody likes that, so I can see why but like I said, this is what Clone High is known for so I wasn’t taken aback.

With all that said, I’m 100% confident about the show and have high positive hopes for it. To me, the show hasn’t changed at all, the spirit of the original is still there, the characters for the most part still feel the same, and so does the humor. I think it’s way too early (LITERALLY since this got leaked) to say that the show shouldn’t have been rebooted or the show in general isn’t good and will be a lost cause. For now I think we’re off to a pretty okay start, and I’ll have to see more in the future to see where things go before I can say my full opinions on wether I think it’s good or not. Keep in mind these are all MY personal opinions on the show so far. Fill free to disagree with me. We all need to keep in mind that there’s always room for improvement however, because I will admit that I think it’s unfair that a lot of people are already saying the show is going to suck. We have no idea yet and we’ll just have to wait and see. Thank you for reading, and I personally can’t wait to see more Clone High!

[demonsfate]

maybe somewhat controversial but saw somethin on a confessions blog saying this and i guess i do kinda miss when rping felt... sillier at times? like with both the existence of magic anons & dash commentaries. things just feel Stricter or More Serious now? not sure how to put it. dash commentaries do still happen, but not as frequently as i used to. like GOSH, i remember 5+ years ago, i'd have my character saying something bizarre and it would BLOW the entire dashboard up. like almost all my mutuals would be commenting on it, a lot of "silly drama" would happen because of it. some would agree with my muse, some would prosecute them. that doesn't really happen anymore. though, i also understand. i get that ppl have boundaries, but sometimes it really feels like you have to walk on eggshells lest you upset somebody.

i recalled one time this character was just being AWFUL to mine (mine who has done nothing wrong lol) just hurling insults, mistreating them, whateves. so y'know, there were dash commentaries about this and it eventually lead to the other mun getting very upset that their character was being "villainized". and it's like ... don't ... write an antagonistic muse if you don't want that? or the very least, don't write them BEING antagonistic toward innocent people? i mean, when ppl's muses & anons used to bully abaddon, i actually loved it. because indeed deserved it, he's a horrible horrible person who mistreats and kills the innocents. and plus it's just fun ok? i love conflict - regardless if it's angsty, serious, or silly conflict.

and magic anons... i get it can be a flawed concept. (ppl can send their Thinly Disguised Fetishes in it - not that i care but obvs other ppl would rightfully care) but i still thought it was very fun because it's like temporary or mini aus. it plunges characters into otherwise impossible scenarios and then give you new thread concepts based on those scenarios. i'd say even to this day, i still accept magic anons. but that feels pointless to say because they're virtually nonexistent anymore.

this was all i was gonna discuss in this post, but i can also understand why the rpc is often... less engaging anymore? why we have a problem with communication, why we have a problem with less anons being sent out. this isn't a generalization, of course - there are other reasons why this happens. but this is something i've personally experienced in the past, and it makes me think it could be the same for other people. it's just the fear of being blown up at, again - upsetting somebody.

i've seen people be legit hateful towards the anons they get A LOT. like an old rper i've stopped writing with would literally call the anons "assholes" and trying to "ruin fun" because the anons would just comment on the threads or ask questions regarding the threads? and it's like i thought that was supposed to be a common thing... anons like that just help add insight to how the muse is feeling regarding a thread or somethin. but the way they reacted was so unnecessary hostile? when they could've politely told anons to stop or just... fucking deleted the anons like lmao. and it's not just this too but i've seen other people just react bitterly to certain anons they get. or this one time where somebody REQUESTED for CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM and i sent an anon giving my criticism, can't remember quite what it was but obvs i said nothing mean or insulting - i just told them a problem i noticed and gave tips on how they could possibly improve (AGAIN, THEY ASKED FOR THIS) and they later went on their blog talking about how they got ANON HATE???? HELLO????? so yeah, i understand not liking certain anons you get or whatever. but ppl react to them with so much hostility, that it makes everyone else afraid to send anons anymore because they'd rather say nothing than upset the user, especially if they're gonna be potentially villainized for something that is virtually harmless.

then there is just talking to people ooc. hell, i've had somebody who followed one of my old blogs (this was like a few years ago iirc?) and their rules had that blood was one of their triggers. so i told them that i tag that so they don't have to worry and they literally said something like "I didn't ask you to :/" and that's it??? and then they were just rude to me the entire convo until we eventually unfollowed lol. not to mention all the skype & discord contacts i add over the years and then we just stop talking in no time...

anyway, i'm not saying everyone is like this at all! there are MANY super cool people in the rpc, many people i have a lotta fun writing with here. but when you look back at all the bad experiences, or even looking at the bad experiences at are currently unfolding, it makes more and more sense why a lotta the "silly" rp aspects that ceased to exist. why there are no more magic anons, and why dash commentary & anons in general are becoming more and more scarce.

it was this post that inspired me to talk about this. which i actually don't agree with everything op said. in fact, i wouldn't even say the primary issue of current threads is romance or smut. more so, i noticed that fluff / slice of life threads with no conflict is what makes up for most threads nowadays it seems lmao. which is also understandable, because again - it's a popular known issue within the rpc that it's hard to have conflict in threads, lest somebody legit gets their feelings hurt OOC!!! hell, this has happened to me a few times because i often play antagonistic muses. which again, is another issue that makes people feel like they're constantly walking on eggshells. but anyway, it just inspired me to think about and discuss this.

[buqbite]

ok so!!!! i have. so many thoughts about penacony. aventurine the man you are...... his obsession with facades and masks... his future self shit talking him.... 2.1 truly delivered. his dynamic with ratio is also so interesting.... the contrasts... aven not taking care of himself at all vs ratio the self care king........

there's so much unexplored potential for a friendship between acheron and aven... their similarities as people who lost everything ... how acheron works in the shadows and aventurine flaunts himself yet acheron is much more willing to be... openly vulnerable about her past? as compared to aven..... i care them both dearly anyway!!! i have many thoughts on 2.2 but i don't want to intrude or make this too long ajshldfkjasdjf but yes!!!! im having a good time so far (though i'm kinda fed up with the sunday boss fight) and !!!! looking forward to meeting aven again (myriad celestia trailer!) + seeing what other adventures the astral express goes on...

I FORGOT TO REPLY SORRY

aventurine is just such a fun guy. i become attached to characters who try to sell a specific image of themselves pretty much immediately, because the gradual detachment from their own identity and struggle to properly connect with others is always a delight to see. and aven does it so well! he's completely out of touch with himself - kakavasha and aventurine are practically different people by now.

i care deeply about depictions of cptsd in media, particularly when they acknowledge that it really isnt just depression + anxiety + flashback induced panic attacks in a spot the person you ship them with can conveniently find them in and calm them down. such a big part of it is the way it can completely fuck up your self-concept and worldview cuz yknow. your brain structure is altered. it's the key factor in that disconnect that i just talked about. and that constant sense of impending doom and emptiness are a part of that, which often leads to stupidly reckless behavior. i don't even need to bring up aven's whole gambling thing here, do i?

(also please do note that, as i wrote this bit, welt was even further on the forefront of my mind than he usually is. because of course he would be)

him and ratio are also a fun match, because ratio does not care for the way aventurine flaunts himself (to pretend he has his shit together) in the slightest. he'd do a good job at getting aven to just... slow down, and wouldn't allow their relationship to develop into something unhealthy either.

(its one of the reasons i like avenpaz + ratio, bc aven and topaz on their own would most certainly enable each other's bad habits. they have a bit too much in common in that regard.)

AND ACHERON. ACHERON...

miss raiden bosenmori mei i love you so damn much. she does the "oh, i'm doomed? my struggle was meaningless? well if nothing matters then i will do what i want" thing so well, and every dynamic she has with the other characters is fascinating to me.

one really big thing to consider is that, since acheron's whole backstory is essentially the bad ending of honkai impact 3rd, she's already seen all of this dreamscape shit. she's been living in the waking world for a long time now. in the quest "when the sacred ginmill closes," her and welt talk about kevin kaslana, someone who used his last resort to try and save humanity from the uphill battle against the honkai and plunge all of humanity into a dreamscape (etc), robbing it of its future.

a big part of hi3 is the direness of the situation, and the way people push themselves to go further and further in hopes of reaching this unattainable peace. it's an absolutely sisyphian task. and acheron let go - she defeated her version of kevin (why would you name him that) and let her homeworld be enveloped by the nihility.

so acheron's been there. she lost the people she loved, struggled against a meaningless end and was changed so irreversibly that she's not even human anymore. and there's a lot of potential for her to properly guide aventurine out of the nihility (i mean that's kind of her job?) and onto a path that's a lot more meaningful to him.

also, i'm saving a lot of my acheron thoughts for when i actually finish hi3, but there's a few dynamics that i could pick apart and think about forever. my favorites being aventurine and his whole (gestures at this post) stuff, black swan as someone whose whole being consists of memories while acheron perpetually erases them, welt as someone who shares the same experiences and black hole related powers, and firefly, who exists in the moment because she can't dream in the first place, and chooses to fight against the inevitable without being afraid of it.

...also also also i fucking love black holes and i love how it's connected to sun imagery and i think the idea of icarus reaching the sun only to discover a hopeless abyss beyond it is my favorite hsr symbolism thing ever. black holes are like THE thing to show hopelessness and meaninglessness and emptiness and a point of no return, because they devour everything and leave nothing. we don't truly know what lies within a black hole!! we might never find out!!! there are so many suns out there that will end up as black holes but we can appreciate their beauty nonetheless, can't we??? ive never seen a character with black hole (or sun) imagery that didn't fuck severely. a person who will figuratively consume you in your entirety if you get too close. they can't even help it. it gets me every single fucking time. can you guys tell that interstellar changed my brain chemistry when i first watched it as a kid. i need to punch a wall

[laufire]

april reading meme!

BOOKS

We Will Devour The Night by Camilla Andrew. The version I read is available in the author's ko-fi (aninkwellofnectar), and the final version will come during fall of this year. I've talked about this saga before (The Essence of the Equinox), and I still recommend it to those of us who like complex characters (especially female characters), gothic horror, and lush prose. This is a sequel, and I like it even more than the first instalment. It gets deeper into the darkness of the world and it's an amazing read. The third and final part has started been posted on ko-fi as well, for anyone interested.

Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft. I wish I could make everyone read this book. It wouldn't fix everything, because it runs against a lot of people's deep-seated belief systems, but maybe it would make SOME of them start second-guessing those beliefs... Anyway. A MUST read in terms of abuse and intimate partner violence.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I read the book for the first time about 15 years ago, and only reread it now. I loved it even more than the first time. The atmosphere, the revenge tale, the love story between Catherine and Heathcliff, all the ways these families' lives affect the others, how you have to parse through Nelly's account of events... I still wish I could hit Lockwood in the head with a stick lol. Just once. Not even too hard! But hit him in the head, I would xD

COMICS

Batman: Huntress/Spoiler - Blunt Trauma. One of those "it could've been so good if it was good" comics. It would've had to NOT been written by Dixon, of course. His ideas about these two characters are palpable here. He's met real women and girls, I know this, but he's completely failed to take anything from these meetings into account to understand them as people. And boy, does it show in his writing.

Green Lantern: Willworld. I've had this comic in my list for aeons and I moved it up when I found out its author would be writing Jason's upcoming ADITF "what if" story starting July. I really liked this one, and how it showcased Hal's character. It's not a guarantee I'll like his Robin Lives run, because comic writers have biases and blind spots and huge gaps in their knowlege regarding certain characters, but "he seems to be a good writer" is already a huuuuge leg up compared to most modern Jason content lol.

JLA: World Without Grown-ups. This was interesting because I've watched the Young Justice (cartoon) version of this premise, which is VERY different, from the villains to their goals to the handling of the crisis (since the cartoon had an established teen team), down to the emotional beats (the Zataras). They're too different to be compared, tbh. This one was quite fun though, and it made me feel very fond of Bart. Also Tim's parasocial relationship with Jason's memorial made an appearance LOL.

Colin Wilke's appearances. I am MOURNING this kid. He has like 9 appearances (and a couple of them are barely a few pages) but each one is gold. Bring him back. Make HIM Damian's best friend. Integrate him in the storyline!! His character and his dynamic with Damian had so so much potential. I am definitely going to include him in my fics.

Batman: Li'l Gotham. (plus the two stories introducing it in Batman Annual #27 and 'Tec Annual #11). A couple of things conspired (including me finding out there's a version of Colin in this lol) and I ended up reading it while I was sick. It's mostly fun fluff (as opposed to just corny fluff) and a quick read without much meat in it, but a few things nudged the inspiration muscle and Dustin Nguyen's art is adorable.

Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime. I liked this one more than the above! It follows in that universe (a Gotham where everything is smaller and cuter lol), mixing it with some fairy tale vibes. Pinocchio!Damian is A Concept. Although my favourite story was "The Snow Queen", with Mister Freeze. The art goes into a whole other level in all of these, but especially that one.

Batman: The Chalice. Bruce Wayne receives the Holy Grail. I read this one in my list of Talia appearances and hers is the part that interested me: Ra's wants the Grail to make her immortal, like him, and Talia tells him that she has no desire to live forever. Her words are "Having lived my life in your company, the prospect of eernal life is not the attraction for me it might be for another." There are A LOT of things you can read into that sentence, and one of them, to me, is the idea that death to Talia would be an escape from Ra's, which is... interesting. Sidenote: this one was written by Dixon, who once in a while gets his wired crossed and is not wholly terrible with female characters xD

Ghost/Batgirl. I hadn't heard of Ghost before but I'm kinda curious after reading this mini run. I found a lot of the concepts it worked on (resurrection, mind control, etc.) quite interesting, although I ended up feeling the execution didn't delve too deeply into them. It's an story I might want to reread and pick apart at some point, though.

JLA: Tower of Babel. Yeah, THAT arc lol (also part of my Talia-reading). I also read JLA Secret Files and Origins #3 (in May, though), which shows Talia's whole thoughts on it as she steals the plans + some of the consequences the whole thing has for the other bats whose teammates no longer trust them (Dick, Tim, Barbara) + the wording of Bruce's contingency plans (which btw includes acceptance of lethal methods against Clark lol)... he certainly got off easy after this añsdlkfjasdf. Honestly, imo, the most selfish, cowardly thing he did was walking out before the JLA could tell him they'd voted him out. I know he and the comics probably won't frame it like that afterwards, but that's how it felt to me. The very least he could've done is face his teammates.

[gogojetters]

GO JETTERS ☆ FUTURE HEADCANONS !!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a big headcanons post- and this certainly is a big one ! Potential futures for the Go Jetters cast is something that has always intrigued me, so I wanted to share some of my current headcanons for where I think the Go Jetters and co may end up in the future ! This post is messy and a little long, but it’s a lot of fun to think about all of these concepts, and thinking of futures for these characters that reflect their personalities, interests, talents and goals, as well as some more mundane stuff, such as where they live, how they dress, little flaws and quirks, or just how they may act that differs a little from canon !

Regarding the age of the cast for these headcanons- I would imagine that this is around the 30s/40s for the Funky 4 + Tala, and 70s/80s for Ubercorn and Grandmaster Glitch. This post is a little less organized than my usual headcanons posts, and I hope that’s okay! There’s a little bit of bleed and blend that allows for better segues for this one, so making defined segments for each character didn’t really make sense.

Reminder that these are all headcanons, and are meant for fun! If you disagree, or don’t like these, that’s a-okay !! I do hope you enjoy reading them though !

Rambles under the cut because oh boy is this a long one-

To preface- the Go Jetters have long since graduated the academy at this point! None of the Funky 4 work directly at the academy full time, but have kept in contact and are respected alumni. Maybe every now and again, they pop in to visit, or teach a one-off lesson, but the academy is not their forever place, and for the most part they have found new places and passions. This does not mean they have lost contact with eachother- the Funky 4 & Tala are all still incredibly close friends, they just don’t always see eachother as often ! While Ubercorn has had GJ teams before the funky 4, and has had teams since, he still holds them particularly close, because they helped to reunite him with Glitch. Ubercorn has had many Go Jetters, many cadets, but none quite like them- none who left an impression so big that it included reuniting him with someone so important to him.

Ubercorn still works at the Go Jet Academy! Even in his older years, he is still the academy’s top mentor for their globetrotting team for phase 2 students. Nothing can stop him from sharing his funky facts- he’s far too passionate and strong willed to be stopped. He also hasn’t aged much physically- only a few grey hairs and barley any wrinkles! Most assume that this is normal for him- since they don’t exactly know how unicorns work.

Ubercorn and Grandmaster Glitch are finally together! Nobody really knows if they are married, or if they are dating, but they’re romantically involved, and finally at a place of peace in their relationship. And really, that’s all that matters.

At some point, shortly after s3 in terms of timeline, Glitch was welcomed back to the academy, and worked alongside Ubercorn. But unlike his partner, Glitch has now retired. He still lives at the Go Jet Academy, forever a freeloader of that island. He’s a bit of an eccentric grandfather figure to the cadets, and he looks the part too. He still causes antics, no doubt about that, but people seem to be more forgiving of him because they misjudge him as a “kooky old man”. A lot of the staff, as well as more recent Go Jetter teams, have a love/hate relationship with him because of this. He still absolutely wears the suit & chimney ears, and his grimbots still follow him around, forever perpetuating his nonsense.

Who else works for the Academy? Tala Glitch! Although, it’s only part time, with the other “part” of her job being dedicated to her research. Tala has a doctorate in ecology, and studies rare and endangered plant species, taking samples into captivity to research and regrow the numbers, in order to plant them back in their natural habitats again and replenish the species that are most vital to an ecosystem, both gif and small. Thanks to her work with the GJA, she is able to get more resources to accomplish the goal. She teaches at the academy part-time, and sometimes takes cadets along with her on her expeditions to find and recover plants. The cadets all LOVE her. She also does conservation work and has even made a few groundbreaking discoveries- her work is never truly done ! Tala still beekeeps- it’s now just for fun however.

Onto our first Go Jetter! Foz Helquist is an author, who is oddly known for prolific work in two very different worlds- he writes educational textbooks and sci-fi novels ! It’s the happiest and most fulfilled he has ever been, if you asked him. Post graduation, he had originally pursued a career in science, something he considered to be “expected” of him, considering his skipping of school years to join the Go Jetters team, and early graduation. However, he eventually realized that no matter how hard he tried, this career didn’t make him feel happy or fulfilled, so he took a step back, and took a break. During this time, he wrote the first of his sci-fi novels that would go on to be published. He found that he’d never been happier than when he was writing- and he loved to write just as much as he loved to read- so he decided to take the risk and get into the publishing world. It all worked out, too! While he is better known for his academic works, and the textbooks and research that he publishes, he has a soft spot for his novels, inspired by his adventures at the academy, and classic authors such as Jules Verne and Mary Shelley’s works.

Tala and Foz are together, but they are not married. Not every relationship’s “end goal” is marriage, but this does not undermine their relationship. There is no doubt that their love is strong, and that they are happy together. Tala and Foz have a house together somewhere in the English countryside, with a LOT of land, to accommodate for Tala’s plants and gardens, with room to spare for more. While Tala isn’t always home, due to her job, Foz is there most of the time, as his office and writing room are all there.

Lars Oxford is living his best life, and he is working hard ! He got his first job very quickly after graduating, and not much has changed since then. He works for the military, creating prototypes for military aircraft! He was scouted out thanks to his work on academy vehicles, particularly inventing the turbo zoomster all on his own, and he loves getting to build, try and test new vehicles. His work has probably been the most “consistent” of the four Go Jetters. He travels around the UK for work, and owns two houses- one in England, his mainstay home, and a smaller house in Paris, France, which he rents out to someone else but refuses to sell- it’s got the best view of the Eiffel Tower ever, who knows when he’ll need to stay there again! He has done a *little* bit of work for the academy since graduating- he finally invented a mainstay boat vehicle with similar functionality and purpose to the Vroomster and Truckster! Lars is comfortably single (aroace and thriving!), but has many a pet, including a one-eyed dog and a large red bird.

Xuli and Kyan are married ! If any of the couples was to be- it’d definitely be them. They couldn’t decide on wether they wanted to take one surname, or do a double barrel, so they ended up doing neither and just choosing a new surname instead- Volante! Xuli and Kyan live together in Spain, with Xuli convincing Kyan to make the move because they’d be much closer to the other Go Jetters, and because the US just isn’t the best place to live. Kyan learns Spanish… eventually. (Footnote: similar to marriage, I feel like if any GJ couple was to have kids, it’d be xyan. I have a concept for a hypothetical xyan kid who would fit into this future (Scott, age 8), but I’m still not sure if I want to include it or not. So for now, I’m just leaving this note here, because wether they have a kid or not does not really effect their jobs or living situation. Maybe they have a kid, maybe they don’t! However if you WANT to see the concepts, do be sure to let me know and I will share!)

Xuli has been through a lot of jobs, and a lot of hair colours. After graduation, she was a stunt pilot for a few years, then had a stint as a commercial pilot for all of two weeks, before deciding it was boring and quitting, and tried out test piloting, before finding herself as a flight instructor- teaching younger pilots the ropes. It’s not the same rush she used to get, but there’s a new joy in it. And there’s just something really fun about getting to show off to a bunch of new recruits, and then getting to build them up to do the same. As aforementioned- Xuli doesn’t stop dyeing her hair! At one point, she has to cut it all off because she’s fried it so badly, and has to let it grow back again healthy. She doesn’t keep it as long as it used to be, but it’s still got some sort of undercut or side shaved aspect to it. She still does photography as a hobby, and loves to get a good aerial shot!

Kyan’s journey is odd, but not surprising. He got his big shot in his 20s, getting to compete in the olympics/paralympics (I HC him as an amputee) twice. He places one of the two times. After finishing his run, he refuses the job of becoming a coach to the next gymnastics stars- he cannot see himself enjoying it. Instead, he turns to something else that still allows him to be active and use his fantastic gymnastics and fast thinking skills- cinema! Kyan becomes a stunt double and stunt coordinator for TV and movies! Coming up with stunt routines for himself and others, making sure it is both impressive and safe to perform. At the Go Jet Academy, he already had a stunt gig once in the “hospital for broken hearts” movie, so it’s not like this is new to him- it’s a grand return! He loves to point out his name in the movie credits at cinemas. When it comes to hobbies, he still enjoys dance, but finds himself liking cooking more and more with each day, taking any chance to create an elaborate dish for his friends or family.

Although for the most part, the Go Jetters are split apart, and don’t see each other every day, their friendship is still incredibly strong ! Since all 5 live in Europe, they try to meet up at least once every 3 months, either travelling to the other or meeting at a “half-way” point to see each other ! It’s in no way typical, but when have they ever been? And they make it work. They see Ubercorn and Glitch much less, but if Ubercorn is passing by where any of them live or are staying, he’s not opposed to popping in to say “hi” and catching up.

I know these headcanons won’t appeal to everyone, not all will like that these are on the more “domestic” side, as opposed to the action oriented show, and that’s okay! However, If you read this all the way through and did like it, THANK-YOU SO MUCH !! If you have any questions about these, I will try my very best to answer!! Thank you again!!

[dragonologist-phd]

Character breakdown: Maia?

Thank you!!

How I feel about this character

Oh, Maia…she’s a tricky character! When I first met her, I liked her right away- I thought she was really cool and I was excited to see her character arc. Unfortunately the game itself didn’t deliver on all my hopes for her and imo left a lot of potential unexplored. I still think she’s gonna cool concept, but again, her Deadfire character arc feels kind of half finished

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Maia/Xoti *is* very cute! I like how they balance each other, and how Xoti manages to surprise Maia and break through her shell without even trying. It’s a nice dynamic!

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Her and Eder make me laugh, just for the running joke of Eder trying to make friends with the party member’s pets.

And her relationship with Kana is very sweet! They’re so different and they’ll make fun of each other, but they obviously care about each other a lot, and I’m a sucker for sibling relationships in stories

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don’t actually think I have one? I have my complaints about her companion quest, but I think those are actually pretty common. Maybe it’s different in other circles of the fandom but “cool character with wasted potential” seems to be the general consensus

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Man I wished they’d given her a proper character arc!! As it is, even if you make her doubt her mission…it doesn’t come to much and she ends up feeling static. I wish we could’ve had more of a conclusion when it came to challenging her views and internalized prejudice, and getting her to question orders and stand up against her superiors more.

I’m not even saying she has to do a total flip on her views regarding Rautai- the game clearly wants to emphasize the themes of complicated loyalties. But it also felt like they were setting her up for some kind of moment where you could influence her into being more than a tool for the military and that just…didn’t happen

GIVE ME A CHARACTER and I’ll break their ass down!

[hbmmaster]

what are your best case scenario predictions for the mario movie, if any exist at all

a few people asked this, and I decided to wait until after I had time to fully digest the trailer before I wrote down any of my best-case ideas. then of course the trailer barely revealed any new information, so it didn't really matter.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie good timeline

it's a musical! but only Jack Black is allowed to sing

the story begins with a straightforward telling of Mario's origins (still unavoidable! and also #Confirmed now), but this is only the first like 20 minutes of the movie

after that, we jump to 30 years later. Mario is now a middle-aged celebrity. his years of rescuing princesses are well behind him, until.......

a new threat emerges! a completely original character concept, not based on any specific game. Mario and all his friends need to team up to go one one last adventure, for old times' sake.

a lot can be done with Bowser. Illumination doesn't have a great track record, but one of their well-regarded movies happens to be a film about a Villain who learns how to be a good dad. this genuinely has potential.

while there are several references to fun bits of Mario's long history, none of them are empty references, and there isn't any real focus given to "lore". there is no attempt made to make this "The" story of Super Mario, but rather just one of several adventures Mario has been on in his long career

Charles Martinet is Wario and Waluigi. they're canonically dating now