#it's probably so you can sympathize more with the characters but some of you seriously need to calm down and look at the characters from

[iqmmir]

Milgram is so funny because the more you like the character the more you make up a backstory for them so you can like them even more. The more you like the character the less of them you understand basically

[petrichormore]

(Another ramble incoming - this one I’ve been sitting on for a bit. But it’s about Bebou & the French. And the jail incident. And also bla bla bla this is about the characters)

I might be wrong but I really think that if some of the french agree with q!bbh about the government being bad/anarchy being good thing… it’s not because Bad managed to convince them that q!forever is some horrible dictator with his wily demon cunning and manipulative silvertongue or something. it’s because. they just. agree with his views and sympathize with him. Like they just sometimes think Bad has a point, is the thing. Now I know Bad likes to spread misinformation but he rarely does it in a way that can really be taken seriously, or have any big effect (with a few… exceptions).

Bad likes to jokingly blame Forever for like anything and everything but if anyone actually presses him about it (I’m pretty sure pierre, antoine, and etoiles all have to varying degrees) he’s pretty quick to emphasize that he trusts Forever’s judgment and moral compass.

Or he used to. Until he got pushed into a cage trap. It’s clear he lost a significant amount of trust in Forever and everyone else who was involved with that. And he suspected Forever (or Cellbit) of framing him, but I’d say that’s relatively reasonable considering, from his perspective, they jumped to a conclusion with no proof. He doesn’t understand why they wouldn’t hear him out, so he’s looking for a reason. And he’s telling other people not because he’s trying to spread misinfo but because that’s just what he believes and usually, he’s telling people because they’re asking him.

Anyway, Pierre didn’t really steal the waystones because he automatically believed everything Bad said about Forever being a dictator immediately and with no hesitation. If he accepted or encouraged what Bad said, it’s because he probably already agreed to some extent. Pierre, Antoine, Etoiles - they’re smarter than blindly accepting the truth from badboyhalo the Chronic Gossiper. And at least 2/3rds of them are also convinced that Bad and Forever are dating - so they’re not taking what Bad says about Forever that seriously.

If you ask me: Pierre did it because he was probably already more politically aligned with Bad’s anarchist ideals than he ever was with Forever’s and, most importantly, because he witnessed Bad get jailed unfairly with his OWN. TWO. EYEBALLS. LIKE HE SAW THAT. HE WAS THERE.

How did he know Bad was framed? He TALKED TO HIM. He went to his base and had a conversation with him and of the two (count it with me - TWO) people that actually heard Bad out that day (Foolish and Pierre) both of them came out of the conversation believing he wasn’t the culprit. Wouldn’t you know it - communication solved that conflict pretty fast, but Bad didn’t get a chance to communicate to Forever or anyone else because they almost immediately dogpiled him. And Pierre saw that happen.

And I’m pretty sure he also saw Forever hold a vote and then accept that Bad was guilty of a crime. A crime. That isn’t illegal. That he didn’t even do in the first place.

So. I’m sure you can see why Pierre might feel the urge to defend Bad - maybe even from Forever specifically, and of his own volition. Although I can’t say stealing all the waystones and rearranging them into a pentagram above Forever’s house was a particularly reliable method of doing so, nor can I say Bad really needed the protection - Forever had no malicious intent and was fully trying to be fair. (can you tell im a q!forever apologist? because if you can’t: he did nothing wrong. Maybe one day I will make a giant post about how much of a q!forever apologist i am).

Am I making sense. At all. It’s 2am. And I’m getting the sensation that I’m missing something with this one but I’m too tired to correct it so I’ll look at it later.

[chuuyaandreaderkilldazai]

Ranking JJK Characters I Don't Like

Ranging from mild dislike (14) to LOATHE WITH EVERY INCH OF MY BEING (1).

14. Mai: I don't hate her. I sympathize with her. I just wish she wasn't the way she is.

13. Junpei: I do have compassion for him, but ... school shooter vibes. Not a fan.

12. Noritoshi: Bad vibes.

11. Toji: Bad dad. And he's so nosy, too. Why does he always insert himself into situations with his fists swinging? Actually, now that I think about it, that's kind of iconic behavior. But all it ever really did was create more problems. If he had never inserted himself into the plot, Geto would have probably never turned mass-murderer-cult-leader--WE COULD HAVE HAD EVERYTHING. So it's a pass for me. Also, his haircut is off-putting for reasons I cannot articulate. It's like one day in middle school he got a haircut and just never changed up the style ever again.

10. Jogo: Ugly.

9. Uraume: Character design: slay. Helping Sukuna: not slay.

8. Like every adult from the Zenin clan: BECAUSE THEY SUCK.

7. Tengen: Old and entitled.

6. Kenjaku: Old and entitled part two. What gives him the right?

5. Sukuna: Horrid, nasty man. I feel like I shouldn't have to elaborate.

4. Ui Ui: Annoying. Literally, why are you even here?

3. Mei Mei: First of all, how am I supposed to take you seriously with that stupid braid hanging in front of your face? From the very instant her character was introduced, I did not like her, but I thought maybe I was being a woman hater for no reason, so I really did try to tolerate her. But when we finally saw that scene in season two. PRISON!!! I was right. She's the worst. We are not gonna ignore that. Check her files.

2. That thing with the blond side ponytail: I hate him so much I don't even know his name. I don't care to know it. I would say why do you as a man look like that, but honestly why do you as a HUMAN BEING look like that? Why do you act like that? Why are you skipping around wearing a poorly made DIY toga? Whole nip is hanging out, and no one asked to see that. Why are you HOLDING HANDS with your blade? Freak. There is something so intrinsically, inherently, ONTOLOGICALLY wrong with him, you can't even blame it on childhood trauma or a personality disorder. The only time I ever supported Sukuna was when he bullied this emaciated Jo Jo Siwa lookin' thing in Shibuya.

Mahito: I hate him so much. I hate him more than I've ever hated any character. I actually lose the ability to speak coherently when I think about him because I hate him so much. I think it's so cringe when try-hard dudes say, "When I'm angry all I see is red." But when I think about Mahito it really is like blood and pure rage cloud my vision. He is literally the embodiment of if you gave an edge lord psychopathic eleven year old the power to kill people. "Wee, I'm so powerful and killing people is just SoooOoOoOoOOOo much fun!!" SHUT UP!!!!!!!! SHUT UPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!! YOU ARE NOT FUNNY. YOU ARE NOT CUTE. YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL IN ANY WAY. He is genuinely the most irritating character I have ever come across. And as the story progresses, he just gets worse. What do you mean he can duplicate himself? Now we have to deal with TWO of this wretched creature? What do you mean he can be decapitated AND HIS HEAD WILL SPROUT LIMBS AND SPRINT AWAY? STOOOOOOOOOP. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHAT HAPPENED TO NANAMI--I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT. Mahito is such a nasty, slithy, bothersome, despicable, nauseating little cockroach. "Yuji, you and I are the same." Huh? You thought you did something there, didn't you? You thought you ate and came up with some kind of deep, revolutionary concept? It's giving pretentious philosophy dude who thinks he's superior for being a little contrarian, nihilistic Nietzsche butt licker. When Yuji finally humbled him, I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed seeing the fear in his eyes. For one brief, fleeting moment, I could finally understand what sadists must feel like. Honestly, we deserved to watch him suffer, and I wish he would have suffered far more for far longer. Rot in anguish, Mahito. You will not be missed nor forgiven.

[coraniaid]

Does Joyce ever treat Buffy badly? Absolutely she does: telling her not to come back in Becoming is horrible, however much she obviously regrets saying it, the way she talks to her in the second half of Dead Man's Party is awful and deeply self-centered, and the retcon that she had her commited to a 'clinic' after Buffy first tried telling her about vampires before the show even began is (if one accepts it as canon) genuinely indefensible.

But the way Willow talks to Buffy in Dead Man's Party is also awful and selfish, and so is the fact Willow and Tara live in her house for free while she's struggling to pay bills and don't even offer to pay rent. And so is the way everyone treats her in Empty Places (throwing her out of her own house!), and so is the way Giles treats her in Helpless and in Season 6, and so is the way Xander behaves every time he opens his mouth in the first three seasons of the show, and so is the way that Angel and Faith and Spike and Riley treat her, constantly, which doesn't stop people somehow insisting that they are all good people who really want what's best for Buffy. Why are you so willing to forgive all of these people for what they are shown to do, and either reinterpret canon to make them as likeable and sympathic as you can or just insist that the writers wrote them out of character and they somehow really didn't do it, when you're not willing to show the same grace to Joyce Summers for the crime of being an imperfect middle aged woman who -- thanks to the premise of the show -- can't understand why her teenage daughter is suddenly behaving so differently and getting into so much trouble?

(To be clear: I think it is right to recognize all these things as unfortunate writing choices that don't actually make any of these people monsters. You should be charitable to Buffy's friends and take the show seriously when it tells you that they have a good relationship with Buffy. That is the way the show wants to be read. You should accept that Giles has an almost parental bond with Buffy. That is the way the show wants to be read. I do this myself. I'm just asking you to extend some of the same understanding to the only woman over thirty the show bothers to include for more than half a season before killing off or writing out of existence. The show explicitly wants you to think Buffy loves her mother and that her mother loves her. Why disagree now, when you didn't any other time?)

And, yes, in the metaphorical reading where coming out as a Slayer means Buffy coming out as bisexual, Joyce's attitude is -- to put it mildly -- not particularly commendable, her dubious claim to have "tried to march in the Slayer Pride Parade" not withstanding. But however compelling that reading is, understanding fiction is not just about finding a metaphor you like and ignoring the literal text. Especially when this is a reading that the show's writers probably didn't even intend and certainly don't fully commit to.

In the universe the show actually depicts, it is very understandable that Joyce isn't happy to learn that her daughter has spent the last two years risking her life fighting monsters every night (and has even died once while doing so!). Or for her to be unhappy to learn that she has been doing this largely at the urging of a strange man Joyce does't know, a man who has repeatedly done his best to convince Buffy that she should not tell her mother anything about it. (even when, as with Angelus, this came at a direct risk to Joyce's own physical safety!). This is, in fact, perfactly compatitble with the idea that Joyce is a good mother: she doesn't want her daughter to be hurt. It is very silly to pretend that wanting Buffy not to die young fighting supernatural horrors somehow makes Joyce a bad person.

(Frankly, if Joyce didn't seem upset about any of this I swear half of you would just use that as another reason to claim she's a terrible mother anyway.)

[weakherodiaries]

Weak Hero Musings (8): On Baekjin's Fate

SPOILERS ALERT

This one is super long and I'm sorry for that.

A. WHY BAEKJIN (DONALD) MUST DIE: THE SOCIAL PROTEST AND THE LAWS (for the counter-argument, please read point B).

Disclaimer: I'm not a Korean lawyer and I'm sorry for any mistakes.

The thing is, I understand that this webtoon is a social protest medium mixed with the action genre. I'd suspected that this was the case since early on, when Sieun (Gray)'s backstory was revealed. I Googled and found that there were kids whose fates mirror Suho (Stephen)'s. And there are other real cases that the webtoon included too.

These cases are probably just the tip of an iceberg. I'm sure that Seopass and Kim Jinseok know so, so much more about their social problems than I do. Through the webtoon, I can sense that they hope to make strong statements. "Our child welfare policies are bad". "The bullying problem is a national epidemic". "Our urban development plans are harmful to the society". "There's something wrong with our educational system". Etc etc.

In this lens, Baekjin (Donald) must die for the statements to be impactful. His demise as a complex character will probably matter, especially since this webtoon has quite a following and a new adaptation is coming.

Since the webtoon is serious about child welfare, I'll try to take it seriously when it comes to real juvenile criminal proceedings. I'd since learned that had his crimes been uncovered, and had Baekjin survived and made a full recovery, he would've possibly stood trial in the Criminal Court, instead of in the Family/Juvenile one. Because he was a genius head of a criminal organization, he would've been considered competent in the eyes of the law.

Baekjin's crimes are severe. Theft, breaking and entering, destruction of property, tampering with evidence, assault and battery, corruption, blackmail, extortion...you name them. Baekjin would've ended up in prison for some of his crimes, (maybe for 2-4 years or more, depending on how the prosecution and the court see his mitigating circumstances as an abused and abandoned kid) and he would've been heavily fined for the others.

Afaik there's no total expunction of criminal records in South Korea. Even though 5 years after he was released the records could be deleted from public view, law enforcement officers would've still been able to access them until his death. Undoubtedly, this would've created difficulties for Baekjin to apply to universities and to look for jobs. Barred from many opportunities, the future would've been bleak for Baekjin and he might've turned into a reoffending criminal.

Perhaps it was better for him to die.

B. WHY BAEKJIN (DONALD) SHOULDN'T HAVE DIED: THE FUNCTION OF FICTION

In spite of my understanding, to say that I was flabbergasted from Baekjin's death is an understatement. I was reeling from the shock. I know that he's a fictional character but there's even a research on how the human brain can sympathize with both fictional characters and real human beings.

So, in my brain, Baekjin is both that relentless juvenile criminal and the downtrodden kid whose life was cut short.

Baekjin deserved to live. To make amends, and build great friendships with the Eunjang and Union kids, and other people outside of those circles.

He deserved to go to karaoke and scream from the top of his lungs with those friends. To play online and arcade games. To play basketball, soccer, or baseball. To read and rant about animes, novels, mangas, and webtoons. To have his life read in Tarot. To eat at random roadside food stalls. To go to cinemas, make some noise and be shushed at. Or to use a friend's streaming account and refuse to pay the bills. To sing and dance at school festivals.

He'd probably never be able to go to a decent university if this was real life but since this is fiction, why wasn't he allowed to go to a local university and rant about his know-it-all professors? Why was he not allowed the chance to doze off in early morning classes like any other kids, being glued together by a bazillion cups of coffee (yes I still remember that cute fanart)?

Why was he not given the opportunity to present a new Math formula, and receive an echoing standing ovation afterwards? That kid had never been appreciated in his life, fgs.

Didn't he deserve to get a job and whine about it while drinking, eating out, and logging in to online spaces like the rest of us? And maybe someday he would've even dated, got married, got divorced, raised kids, or stayed single forever and traveled the world.

We'll never know.

Why, why, when life's already tough on real juvenile delinquents and criminals, must it be made tough on a fictional one? Doesn't fiction exist not only as a medium of protest but also as an entertainment and a catharsis?

[rosesradio]

If you were casting Camp Jupiter characters as though they were getting a TV series to show us the concurrent events with the Titan War, who do you think you would cast?

this is an excellent question, anon i love you--

i am probably the wrong person to send this to lmao

for one thing i don't watch a lot of tv, and for another i'm like an old person when it comes to asking "what's that actor's name? what else is he in?" lol. that, and i think i'd be bad at fancasts. then again, considering how many cursed white leos i've seen (so, so many), i can't do too bad, so let's bite.

the main characters to be cast would be jason, reyna, and octavian. if there are any other side characters that should be cast or if anyone disagrees with my casting i'd suggest anyone reading this to comment their ideas as well :-)

Jason Grace: Xolo Maridueña

i'm aware he's too old to play the role now (it's hard to find actors young enough bc i did not know the kids in the pjo show pre-show--except for walker in the adam project). And i know he has more Percy energy in some of his later roles (i'm thinking blue beetle), but considering he went from like...nerd to kickass in cobra kai, i think he has the talent and range to portray jason's child soldier background while displaying his heart of gold.

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano: Rachel Zegler

(i can hear the sound of @heavens-vault readying tomatoes to throw at me but let me speak my truth--)

I enjoyed rachel zegler's acting in shazam: fury of the gods (or maybe i just really liked that movie), and seeing her play a godly role kind of gives a reference to how she would be as reyna. she encapulates the seriousness/deity energy while simotaneously showing a softer side that just wants to live a more normal teen life.

Octavian: Sebastian Croft

I also really enjoyed sebastian croft's performance in heartstopper, he does a brilliant job of playing...well, a snot-nosed punk you love to hate. even so, he does an even more brilliant job of adding in those elements that make you see the cracks to the nuance within his character. i know lately in the pjo revival there's been some people that sympathize with octavian's character--it's not something i've explored, though i know it'd be interesting to have someone play him with consideration & range to show his depth.

That's all i got, like i said ik these actors are too old, but for the spirit of the characters...i don't think it's that bad? thanks so much for the ask! <3

[overobsessedfanboy23]

Timeline of me becoming smitten with Kuaidul

(Basically just me recounting my thought process during episodes 74-77 in more detail of why and where this Kuaidul obsession of mine came from. At the time, I had fallen behind on Go Rush and episode 76 was the latest episode, with episode 77 in the process of being subtitled.)

Episode 74:

Oh, the person behind the darkness cards is a new character? Not just some Sevens fanservice guy? Hell yeah! I'm down for that! Please have absolutely no connection to Yuga or Otes!

Episode 75:

...fuck, he's talking about a 'road' just like Yuga and Otes. Oh no... Please be original, new guy who looks a bit like Yudias. It's gonna take me a while to learn your name.

...wow, he uh... he has a really cool voice... in that... villainous yet attractive way that I like... His name is Kuaidul right?

Oh my gosh! His plan is so over the top and insane! This is so cool! Oh my god, am I actually invested in Go Rush's plot again?! Kuaidul! You're a miracle worker!

Episode 76:

Pfffft! "I'm so excited to see rush duels!" Is that seriously your motive?! That's... kind of amazing. What a dork. He reminds me of how Ai was when he was a villain.

HE'S THE REASON THE WHOLE SHOW HAPPENED?! WHA- ...wow. So he's super silly and entertaining AND actually competent and intimidating?! That's everything I love in a villain! I... think I have a new favourite Go Rush character. Damn, maybe I am starting to get a crush. He does have a cute dorky smile and attractive voice... I dunno, it's a little soon to tell for sure...

My Wait Between 76 and 77:

While messaging my partner the next day: ...wait wasn't Kuaidul's motivation explained? Wasn't it... Him feeling like a pawn of the Creator or something? ...hold up... Is he sympathetic or am I going crazy?

Rewatching episode 75:

...So he feels like he can't control anything and wants to create a world where he can control everything....

His entire motivation is just an unhealthy version of my writing coping mechanism?

......I think I'm in love.

Episode 77:

.......did he just ask his dad if he prefers a card game to him?! What the hell?! Is he gonna be another character with parental trauma? Because... That's also relatable...

Shit, do they actually want me to sympathize with him? I thought I was reaching earlier but... they might actually want me to sympathise with him! ...I love that in a villain too-

Oh... aw :( I didn't expect him to cry... Surely he has to be redeemed with a backstory THIS sad right? There's no way they won't, not after all the other villain redemptions in this series. I think... I actually want that for Kuaidul though...

P-please don't cry... Oh god. You look so soft and vulnerable for a villain... I wanna give you a hug. I'm so sorry. You deserve better than what that guy did to you. Please be redeemed.

Okay... guess he's gonna be a villain for a while longer. That's cool and all, he's a great villain and it would probably be a waste to redeem him after only a few episodes but... Man, I just... Hope he'll be okay...

....Yeah okay fine, this is definitely a crush.

[minetteskvareninova]

Oo what's the drama with Colin Falconer

I only ever read one book of his, but God was that more than enough. It was about Hürrem sultan... Well, mostly, there's this subplot about this chick named Giulia and guy named Abbas, anyway hon if you ever had trouble with low blood pressure, 10/10 would recommend, otherwise it's not a book for you, in fact I cannot imagine a book less for you if I made it up Goncharov-style. It's basically like Magnificent Century, if it was very much written by a western author and A BILLION TIMES WORSE

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century was a little unfair to Hürrem? In Harem, she's the most evil harlot to have ever been spat onto the face of the Earth by the hell itself. Seriously. Think of any redeeming quality she could have, quick. This Hürrem very pointedly and explicitly does not have it. Her love for Süleyman? Hah! She's been pretending this whole time to make Süleyman her slave! Love for her children? Nope nopity nope! This Hürrem actually lies to Süleyman at her deathbed that Bayezit may not be his son, just so he would kill him, because she wants Selim to take over. Not because she prefers Selim, but because she knows he would be a terrible sultan and destroy the empire she hates so much. Oh, so she's a broken, traumatized kidnapping victim lashing out against her oppressors? Well, I guess, but Falconer downplays this aspect of her character as much as possible, basically only mentioning her feeling "trapped" at the start of the book, just making her seem angry and not at all like she's, you know. Traumatized. So she at least has some empathy towards her fellow slaves? Or anyone else in the entire world??? No! This Hürrem is an absolute evil incarnate, like she does not do a single good thing for anyone else ever, even by accident.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century didn't quite do the justice to Süleyman the Magnificent? In Harem, he's but a pawn in the hands of eeevil Hürrem, who catches every bait, is fooled by every trick and unwittingly helps her fulfill every evil plan of hers. To Falconer's miniscule credit, he does make an effort to kinda, sorta make reader see what Süleyman sees in Hürrem, and at times he's almost an interesting character, but one of the greatest statesmen of the Ottoman history he is not.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century can be a little bleak? Well, In Harem, Colin Falconer has made it his life's mission to prove that he's the edgiest little edgelord, to only be beaten by Tara Gillespie. This book is an excellent example of wannabe gritty realism that ends up saying nothing about real world and not feeling real for a fucking second. Like, just focusing on the harem itself, the life there is presented as miserable, which, fine, we are trying to sympathize with these women... I would say if I didn't have a sneaking suspicion that Falconer lowkey hates, or at least does not particullarly care for the other gender. So what you end up with is an endless parade of suffering women that the narrative doesn't give any dignity, agency or empathy. The only exception is Giulia, whose life of repression and meagre attempts at reclaiming agency would be kinda interesting, if they went literally anywhere, but they don't, because Falconer kinda hates women, but readers even moreso. And don't get me started on the sexualization, because if Minette says you enjoy describing the titties too much you, you definitely enjoy describing the titties too much. Which together with the endless abuse of women just makes this book feel all the more gross.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century has a problem with not being critical enough of the empire? Well, Harem tries that, but then Hürrem is presented as irredeemably evil for trying to ruin the empire and tricking Süleyman into fighting less, which she does not do out of political consideration, even though her arguments make sense and it's probably what IRL Süleyman realized on his own, also saint Mustafa is still there and still as much of a brave soldier destroyed by the evil Hürrem as ever... Basically any effort at critique is demolished as thoroughly as possible by the sheer force of author's hatred for Hürrem.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century has unfortunately left out or underserved some interesting female personalities of the era, like Süleyman's granddaughters or the female buddies of Selim II.? In Harem, Ayşe Hafsa is... Well, there for a portion of the book, basically twiddling her thumbs, which is nice, because at least they can't ruin her. Mahidevran is yet another female victim without agency, just a bit more prominent than the others. Mihrimah is there for one scene, just to establish she hates her husband, have her exposited on by Rüstem and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. Yeah. Like, fuck, this book almost makes me want to appologize to the Magnificent Century Mihrimah, she's a pretty unlikeable character, but at least she is a character. And Nurbanu? Nurbanu who? We don't know 'dem, and we certainly don't have 'dem over here!

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century was unfair to Selim II.? In Harem, he's a monstrous child rapist in addition to a drunken glutton. Also, no Nurbanu, because fuck you, reader, at this point of the book you really shouldn't have expected anything.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century plays fast and loose with history? Harem can't even get the order of Hürrem's children right. Seriously. For example, Selim is the firstborn in this. Because why pass an opportunity to be pointlessly stupid?

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century is a bit lacking when it comes to medical knowledge? In Harem, an important plot point, by which I mean Selim's conception, hinges on a castrated man conceiving two children with two different women. Like a character in the book explicitly notes that unlike harem eunuchs, guards don't have the entire package chopped off, only balls WELL WHERE DO YOU THINK GAMETES COME FROM, AND YES THEY CAN SOMETIMES STILL HAVE SEX, EVER HEARD OF SHOOTING BLANKS YOU FUCKING GENIUS???

And just in case the things weren't bad enough, there's one final fuck you on the road with the epilogue, which mightily strives to be the stupidest fucking thing I've ever read - for me, a veteran of braindead straight women-oriented porn. Because no BDSM loving billionaire with a sixpack and big schlong can ever top this.

Basically, Falconer is trying to make his wildly historically inaccurate book seem like it's remotely plausible, which, cute, not the first time I've seen a historical novel do that. But at least they weren't trying to justify a man without testicles siring a child... And they didn't do it by claiming that every sultan before Süleyman was this mighty steppe warrior and statesman (after he portrayed Süleyman himself as a dupe completely ensnared by one woman's wicked wiles, again, adorable) and every sultan after him was this lazy, decadent tyrant, often also crazy (because sure, Mahmut II. isn't even in this book, but why the fuck not insult also him for good measure?!), so his argument is that "the line must've been broken". Because the great Süleyman the Magnificent (who again I cannot stress enough how not Magnificent he is in this book) couldn't have possibly sired a failson, his mighty sperm isn't capable of such a feat, it must've been someone else, like A FUCKING EUNUCH.

Now if you excuse me, I've gotten the long-requested review of this heinous book out of my system, please let me either drink myself to death, or detox by watching Good Omens, whichever comes more easily. Thank you and good night.

[pansy-picnics]

@okayishalchemist i’m not gonna reblog again bc i’m already embarrassed about making that whole thread on someones art post + it’s not really related to that discussion LOLLL but YES YOU GET IT!!!! rapunzel was NOT responsible for varian the way some ppl seem to think she was….temporary queen doesn’t mean you need to drop EVERYTHING to help one little white boy especially when the entire kingdom is simultaneously in danger….and obviously this isn’t meant to be accusatory and i know i’m literally the only one making it a gender thing, but it just kind of annoys me sometimes because when it comes to the general audience who don’t look much deeper into the situation they ALWAYS side with varian, and act like rapunzel is this horrible person for not helping him….when like lbr if the genders were swapped and this was a man who was asked to help a little girl ppl would NOT CARE!!!! they’d be sympathizing with them if anything!!! like “ohh he’s so sad he couldn’t help that kid :(“ even if his ass did NOTHING. but whatever. that’s for another day and i think i might get bashed for that one so i’ll just leave that there.

idk. it just mildly annoys me sometimes because it feels like people just subconsciously expect female characters to drop everything to help others and be like this unconditional motherly figure. but like rapunzel knew varian for what….3 months??? she met up with him maybe 4 times on screen and maybe like 5 altogether since she knew ruddiger’s name??? i’m all for varian and rapunzel being siblings but she is NOT his mom and i feel like a lot of the argument just boils down to everyone expecting her to be. like sure you can say rapunzel should have done more but like really what ELSE was she supposed to do??? she looked for him and couldn’t find him. she felt totally helpless in the situation, and she probably was trying to ignore it bc she trusted that her parents would solve the issue instead. this situation was the first time rapunzel was really faced with the weight of her new position and the fact that she’d feel overwhelmed and revert to inaction feels completely reasonable to me, and in the beginning of the series she trusted her parents unconditionally and gothel always did everything for her so she probably just assumed that her parents would help where she was unable to. i mean it makes sense right??? why wouldn’t they?????

we saw so much of the conflict from varian’s perspective and it seems like a lot of people just took that 100% seriously despite the fact that he’s a teenage boy who’s dad just basically died LMAO. like obviously his feelings are valid but he is not in the best place to be coming up with logical explanations right now.

ofc this is purely targeted at the people who do look at it from a character perspective rather than a writing perspective and STILL come to the conclusion that rapunzel’s in the wrong because on a writing standpoint i understand just being upset about how it was portrayed. but i feel like some people are just trying to find reasons to hate rapunzel atp and it’s stupid

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: One Piece Film: Red

(Thanks @knightsweeties for the picture)

As this is long overdo let me break it down to how I will be breaking it down

Plot

Characters

Animation

Music (Because yes, the music is going to be a huge part in this)

Final Thoughts.

The Plot

HIT SINGING SENSATION UTA is having a concert, her first in person show and the whole world is tuning in. And just like all One Piece Movies, the Straw Hats are going there because it sounds like fun.

Uta sings her opening number and we find out that Uta is actually one of Luffy's childhood friends AND she is Shanks daughter! As in the Red Haired Pirates Shanks.

Things build up when the reveal that Uta has a devil fruit that teleports everyone into a dream world where she controls everything. Uta's plan was to bring the whole world into an era of freedom in this dreamworld by having her fans transported in.

Luffy is the first one to get bored of the idea when Uta tells him to quit being a pirate and enjoy the eternal show. Thats when we see the catastrophic event from Uta's world wide concert. The Navy, The Marines and even the red haired pirates are pulled into a race against the clock to stop Uta before she dooms the world by leaving everyone in her dream world.

But if thats not the worst part, the Tot Musica, a Demon king summoned by the Sing Sing fruit when the lyrics are sung has created a link between the physical and Dream world.

The strawhats must work with allies and enemies alike in order to stop this Demon king of song, and hopefully save Uta.

Now a LOT of this sounds like non-sense if one isnt a One Piece fan.

But the plot does do its best to let the audience follow along the best it can, but this film is meant for the fans, the ones that know one piece.

if you are a newbie with no clue who luffy is its a 5/10

If you are a one piece fan, than I would say 9/10. Because it is confusing timeline wise as well as some of the plot points kind of blending weirdly in the end.

The ending was emotional and it hits right in the heart.

__________________________________________________________

Characters

I think I will divide this section up into 4 categories.

Uta: She is the main Antagonist of this film, and while she is the one causing trouble, she did it with noble intentions. She is a Sympathetic and Tragic character. The film does a PHENOMINAL job making us see her backstory and why she is such an important character. They also integrate her near flawlessly into Shanks and Luffy's backstories. Though I think that they did a cop out when they said the Wake Shrooms were what was making her more crazy. I think they just wanted an out so they can say she wasnt seriously going to kill Luffy. Though if I heard my best friend saying he wanted to be king of Traitors and murderous monsters no matter how much I warned him, I think I would probably gone a bit nutty to. Also I wouldnt have had Uta see the clip of the destruction, there was no point to it, have her have flashes of what happen and realize the truth, would have been better. But that ending DESTROYED MY HEART.9/10

Luffy: Luffy is in top form in this film. You really sympathize with him and how far he is willing to go to save Uta. He doesnt want to hurt his friends, and whats fascinating is the entire time Luffy never threw a single punch at her. Luffy is all for smacking sense into his friends, but he also knows what she needed. I also love how Uta and Luffy both love freedom and we see their ideologies crash, Luffy being interestingly astute in pointing out that Uta isnt freeing anyone. 10/10

Shanks: I think Shanks still maintains his aura of mystery, but the movie does confirm that he and his crew are good guys, always prioritizing the lives of others and their crew. He even was willing to take blame for something that was a tragedy just to avoid having Uta feel guilty about it. Plus we got to see some cool moves from him and his crew. (I love his crew humbling kizaru.) 8/10

Everyone else: Everyone was in top form. Bartolameo was in peak simp mode, the strawhats all mastered their vibe and were in top form, each one getting a moment to shine, especially Ussop who got to coordinate observation Haki with his dad. It was a touching moment, I hope we get something like that in the manga.

The gorosei were creepy, St Charlos got treated like Garbage as he deserves (I wish he died). The Big mom Pirates from Brulee to Katakuri were great. Law and Bepo were fantastic (Bepo making me laugh the loudest) Solid 9/10

If one is a fan of the characters its and easy 9/10. But even if one isnt, their personalities are easy to read and follow along with. 8/10

______________________________________________________________

Animation

I am going to be honest, that was the most gorgeous film I have seen this year. The blend of 2d and CGI was done MASTERFULLY. The way the animation moved with Uta's songs. The animators went HAM on this. It is just unbelievably gorgeous. I wish I could describe it more than just absolutely breathtaking.

When New World and Backlight were being sung, Oh man was it incredible. And the final bout with the Tot Musica? STUNNING

easiest 10/10

___________________________________________________________

Music

I downloaded most of the songs after watching this.

Back light is my personal favorite but they are all FUCKING BOPS!

I was practically dancing in my seat, the song has HUGE CONCERT ENERGY.

10/10

___________________________________________________________

Final thoughts

This movie is an emotional roller coaster and stimulation experience that needs to be seen to be believed. I wouldnt call this a movie as more of a Love letter to the fans, one filled with imagery and love that could fill ones soul.

The emotional highs and lows connect. You FEEL what the audience feels, you understand Uta's pain, but you also understand everyone's motives for doing what they do in this film. It is an experience that left my eyes Red.

As a one piece fan, this is the best movie to date 10/10

As a critic 6/10 with 9/10 music videos. Because without knowing the series there is a lot that is confusing.

[cerastes]

for some reason I feel that thing about movie romances is the fault of the medium itself, and the fact that directors have to just direct people to act certain ways to make the story hold together even when it’s clear people Do Not Act Like That. Regardless of who you put behind the camera, it takes real skill to realistically capture people falling in love, and it’s probably even harder to capture people faking it convincingly

That's a good point in regards to the medium in itself, especially since movies have a short runtime, so they have to get things going and doing in more of a hurry than most other artforms. Where I think this doesn't hold up too well, however, is on the realism part of what you said: I don't think anyone with realistic expectations wants a realistic depiction of falling in love in the runtime of a movie, with all the flesh and meat that entails -- you go to other artforms with longer runtimes for that, like books or games -- what I think people want is anything that isn't the whole "Male Main Character annoys and forces himself onto Uninterested Female Character until she gives in" thing. There's definitely WAY more ways in which romance can be shown, in which romance should be shown.

I'm going to run a very different, yet comparable situation by you: The Denko situation.

If you're not familiar with the Denko story, good ol' piece of netlore, it's about a guy without social or romantic skills, well, stalking a girl because he considered her his girlfriend just because he'd sent her a truly absurd amount of texts with small talk in them, inane stuff like "do you like the new McDonald's burger?" or "I wear my socks two days in a row, by turning them to the other side" or "what a nice weather!". When people in 2ch. asked him if he was trolling or if he was seriously thinking they were a couple, the guy answered he was not playing around, and then someone else mentioned "this guy thinks real girls work like dating sim characters" as in, just by talking to them a lot, about whatever, you win them over, and if you don't win them over, then they are heartless bitches that play hard to get, and you have to talk to them more.

The Denko story is about a lot more than that, but that's the part I want to focus on for the purposes of this: Moviebros feel much the same, and it's a pretty fucking sorry state of things having to see yet another article in the newspaper being like "THIS POOR ROMANTIC PLAYED PIANO OUTSIDE GIRL'S HOUSE SO SHE WOULD ACCEPT HIS FEELINGS..." sympathizing with the guy and not with the girl. Sympathizing with the guy! The guy being a public fucking nuisance that doesn't want to take no for an answer because Popular Mainstream Media taught him that a no is just a yes waiting to happen if you try harder and taught the general populace that these constitute romantic gestures and not stalking and harassment. He's suddenly not a creep that doesn't know when to back off, he's an underdog. We root for him.

And we should not root for him for the same reason we should not root for the Denko Guy: Because That's Fucked Up! And Women Deal With This Shit A Lot!

In the end, it's all part of a bigger Alpha Male Fantasy of "pulling yourself by the bootstrings" that a lot of the mainstream film industry seems to have a raging veiny throbbing hard-on for because a lot of them are narrowminded fossils: "The girl hated me at first, but through MY perseverance... Heh, well, I ended up winning her over!"

And it's that part that I think is really bad: That's not perseverance, that's just self-aggrandizing baby behavior. It's such an easy, basic, generic, digestible plot device to sell, despite how bad and silly and overused it is. I don't think anyone wants realism, I think what we want, is not that.

[randomlonelymusician]

Things I Never Talk About: Milgram

While I can not claim to be a hardcore fan or even someone who's always up-to-date with everything, I do seriously like the music project Milgram. It's not even my type of music; I just love the concept, and even more importantly, the characters.

There were three characters that I was drawn to: Mikoto, Mahiru, and Haruka. (Images in order.)

Mikoto for pretty simple reasons: I was interested in his past and his story, especially considering he really does have DID. What happened to cause his alter to kill someone? What's really going on in Mikoto's life? While his story definitely plays into those negative tropes of DID, it's still an interesting and even somewhat compassionate story.

Mahiru I didn't really have an interest in until her second trial song, so very recently. It just put into perspective that yeah, she wasn't just a toxic girlfriend, she's seriously fucked up. Mahiru's story, I feel, is a bit more subtle than others', but I believe that she's probably suffered a lot more compared to many of the other prisoners in her life. (With her perception on love, she had to have experienced some sort of abuse or neglect.)

Haruka, though, definitely has a personal aspect to why I was drawn to him, and I hold a real soft spot for him. I 100% subscribe to the theory that he has autism (or a similar neurodevelopmental disorder), and without getting too personal, I can't sympathize enough with the feeling that you're "born wrong", or having people in your life pass you off because you don't fit into their expectation of normalcy. He's been neglected his whole life, as shown in the music videos, and attaches himself to the first person who shows him an inkling of kindness. Maybe it's because it's something I've seen to much of in life, but I can't help but feel those sisterly instincts when I watch his MVs or listen to his voice dramas.

[snowbellewells]

For the fandoms ask D, K, T, V

Oh @booksteaandtoomuchtv!!! Thank you so much for the ask! I really wanted to do some of these, so I'm glad you saw the reblog and sent them my way. :) Have a great Friday!!

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can't: I hear people talk about FrankenWolf (Ruby x Victor Whale) which does sound like a cool pairing in theory, but I just can't get over not really liking Victor that much, and pretty much finding him to be a jerk and a letch. Ruby is seriously such an awesome character that I want her to be with only the best significant other. ;P

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

I feel like it has to be Killian Jones here. <3 He certainly isn't the only character who goes through a LOT of pain and trauma, but he genuinely learns from where he has stumbled and what he has been through. He starts out so hopeful and innocent, as the young lieutenant hoping he and his older brother can earn glory for their family name, and he gives into the Darkness when he sees how cruel and unfair the world can truly be. He does become a villain, but it is never out of pointless cruelty or just to flaunt his power either. Killian's villain story makes sense, and you're never unable to sympathize or see where he's coming from and how he got there. And THEN! He puts in the work - plain and simple. He decides to be a part of something good, to find that honorable man inside himself, and he becomes a true hero. He accepts blame when he must, he makes amends to those he's wronged, and his courage and bravery are undeniable by the end. Of the show's numerous redemption arcs, Killian Jones is the one with the best, most clear, consistent development . It often seems like he has to redeem himself over and over again, but he does it, where so many of the others fail.

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

I'm really partial to the idea that Graham might have befriended Belle before the Dark Curse was cast, when she was Regina's prisoner in the castle tower and he was forced to be one of Regina's Black Knights because she had his heart. I like to think he might have snuck food or books to her when Regina wasn't looking, so that she had some sort of entertainment and didn't go crazy locked in there all alone. I would have loved to have seen them interact once the curse broke in Storybrooke and have had that story proven true...

I still believe it though, regardless. In my head, it definitely happened.

V- Which character do you relate to most? Probably Belle. I mean, she's always been my favorite princess, to start with. With her nose in the book and just her whole aspect really. I loved her portrayal on Once and thought Emilie DeRavin did a great job bringing her too life. They just should have given her more ventures and action with the heroes instead of tying her down to almost exclusively revolving herself around Rumple. Anyway, she's still the one I probably feel most like.

[bumbleblurr]

LITERALLY THO like i hate how tfa bumblebee is reduced to a “so random! 😝🤪” only silly idiot prankster kinda guy when like. He’s smart! He’s caring! Yes he can be silly and yes he can be a bit reckless but he loves his friends and he can figure out how to care for them (like where he and bulk are comforting sari 🥺) and also figure out the best strategy to defeat whatever villain of the week is there! TFA bee means so much to me and i am also so excited for earthspark. Continuities where bumblebee is not the kid appeal character my beloves

LICHERALLY !!!! Like I love Bumblebees silly fun nature thats why he's one of my favorites ever, BUT IT DOESNT MEAN he can't be more than that.

Tfa in particular bothers me bc like. It's my fav bumblebee bc he has more bite and spunk (due to being based more on hot shot), but then. They never. Truly take him as seriously as other characters (except maybe bulk but that's bc hes also not taken seriously,)

which is so absurd bc he has some Legit shit going on with him that should fuck him up!! His whole career, his dreams, got flushed down the toilet bc he was unfortunate to have an instructor that doesn't like him and doesn't give him a chance (except when he did 1 singular time and then he immediately sent him to space repair duty for doing the noble thing and taking the fall for bulkhead)

And he doesn't get over this. He is still depressed about it when he says to Longarm "at least one of us achieved their dreams" in like the saddest tone ever (I think it's literally the saddest line delivery bee gives in the entire show) and he talks abt how no one believed he would amount to anything in the trial of megs script reading.

I'd argue his general behavior reflects this too (though idk how intentional it was), bc hes always like attention seeking- approval seeking. He wants to appear to Earth like he's a hero so he can feel successful (and that still went down the drain bc the humans started hating the autobots later)

But do they ever take time to address this issue and sympathize with him? No <3 instead they act like bee has no issues at all, to the point it's like "wasp is suffering so much, bumblebee wtf is wrong with you. YOU CANNOT RELATE TO LOSING EVERYTHING you just can't. nothing bad has ever happened to you. Go play videogames you stupid motherfucker" not that wasp isn't suffering but cmon. don't act like bee didnt have his entire career fucked over like it's not a serious thing

Not to mention as you said he has multitudes to him, he's caring and compassionate! He's quick witted and has lots of skill! He's not just a bumbling fool- Sentinel is wrong about that! (His assessment of ppl is not rlly accurate at all btw, he called bulkhead "bulk and no brains" when that guy is literally the leading expert on space bridge tech)

I am rlly excited to see earthspark bee bc its like. I think he's going to have the same kind of wise-cracking spunk tfa bee has BUT he is in a mentor role now. So there's a good chance he won't be reduced to being a silly jokester, bc he has to have some seriousness to teach (and thus the writers will treat him more seriously) also there's already those earth bots that are probably going to fill up that kid appeal role anyway

tldr: I love tfa bee's personality but I think his writing is lacking bc it doesn't take him as seriously as other characters, and I hope earthspark bee takes what's good abt tfa bee but gets better treatment from the writers

[terramythos]

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett Reading Notes

Full Review Here!

-I've never read anything by Terry Pratchett outside Good Omens (ages ago) 

-Discworld has always been on The List so I followed the general "just pick one" recommendation 

-no chapters :0 here's hoping I organize these notes in a coherent way 

-probably just rando page breaks tbh  

-ok putting a characters drunk rambling in the narration is pretty good. Like drunkenness and blurring state of mind etc 

-oh boy. Footnotes 

-"all this was untrue" oh good. *proceeds to describe something more insane* oh GOOD. 

-... oh no, it IS funny. 

-God the back and forth of nonsense pass codes 

-oh my god the punchline being not just that but they're at the WRONG secret society 😭 

-and the switch to just ordinary pleasantries. With the dramatically grim tone otherwise. Help 

- nooooo another person was at the wrong one. Boomerang-ass joke 

-youve done it, you've broken down megalomaniacal villains to their bare essentials! 

-ok it dawned on me their titles are their professions. Lmao. Brother Plasterer literally a Plasterer. 

-thunder rolled... a six 

-the sword being unique because it's not obnoxiously prophetic/magical 

-"it's a terrible thing to be nearly sixteen and the wrong species" brother, ain't that the truth 

-wait. This is the premise of Elf. Hello? 

-damn, dwarves a bunch of nonbinary kings I guess 

-I like that the word "king" is nonliteral, at least in the way we would think it, but by technicality fits the prophecy shit or w/e 

-"You have to know all the laws to be a good officer" ooooog 

-oops! You're a dragon now 

-thieves threatening to strike lmao 

-"do not let me detain you" brooo lmao 

-thieves having state sponsored organized and licensed crime with annual quotas! So like. The actual cops, not The Watch 

-ok I'm not the only one seeing the poop jokes right. "Back to front way of living." "Sergeant Colon." Vimes enters the story basically in the sewer. 

-If The Fantasy Noir Aesthetic Was Not Obvious Enough Here Is A Magic Glowing Sign That Is Flickering Random Letters 

-nicotine elephants graveyard? Where did he come up with this shit lmao 

-there are a lot of boomerang jokes 

-oh boy them giving Carrot a drink. Like hes not a biological dwarf but. Uhhh 

-ok this has a lot of good bits. But one of my faves wasn't actually a joke. "There were some types of sobriety that you just couldn't budge." So true bestie 

-is the Patrician also the Supreme Grand Master? 

-ok probs not based on that line. And wouldn't make sense based on the SGM's motivation 

-sybil ramkin token chick but also. GIRLBOSS 

-i don't often say this but the sex jokes are really good lmao 

-there are so many good lines that I have to hold myself back but. "A group of swamp dragons was a slump, or an embarrassment" 

-"and then they realized." What a transitional statement 

-"it dawned on him that he was very probably a flawed character" like hello? 

-okay, I like the contrast between Vimes' alcoholism and the SGM saying "I can give it up any time I like" about summoning the dragon. 

-though side detail, It's interesting we havent actually seen him control the dragon from his perspective 

-a little funny that the currency is just dollars 

-"the curious incident of the orangutan in the nighttime" we getting Sherlock Holmes references now 

-the implication it isn't a "real dragon" but it's effect seems to be. Is the SGM transforming into one 

-one thing I like but didn't necessarily expect is there's sobering seriousness throughout the story 

-and sometimes the serious bits are told like a joke. You know? 

-all the innuendo with vimes and ramkin is so fucking funny dude 

-vimes sympathizing with the swamp dragons 🥺

-"in another few hours, the sun will rise"-ass line 

-oh the use of typeface 

-fucking MORPHIC RESONANCE, Terry?! 

-oh good to know New Orleans and Rio are Discworld-canon. 

-halfway point of the book and there's a bookend with a rainy night 

-I like that vimes is way smarter than he or the narrative give him credit for cause he's also Just Some Guy 

-oh i like that the summoning goes both ways. Uh oh! 

-ok is this an extended balls joke or am I extremely immature 

-my totally batshit theory: the watch guy who died (Gaskin) is the Supreme Grand Master 

-im so ffxiv brain poisoned but "noble dragons don't have friends. The nearest they can get to the idea is an enemy who is still alive." IF you know you know 

-Lady Ramkin is so fucking cool she just grabbed the horses out of the mist and dragged them back what the fuck 😭

-you know shit about to get real when the Death typeface shows up 

-t-time travel is it? 

-the number of times this printing has typoed Vimes as "Vines" 

-the story has made many comparisons about the dragon's behavior being "practically human", but when we got the dragon's perspective it was more that it had an intelligence that pre-dated anything anthropomorphic so I'm not sure what to think on that 

-the giant fucking dragon hanging from the ceiling like a bat is pretty funny though 

-Oh This Is An Allegory For Capitalism. I See. 

-well this took a turn from light hearted fantasy-flavored ribbing to uh. Kinda horrific! I'm a little impressed tbh 

-oh my god WONSE was the Supreme Grand Master. That just hit. 

-ok well played, he was kind of a prick, and way over qualified for a SECRETARY position 

-and he got that extra characterization for seemingly no reason 

-... AND his flat denial about the dragon being back and his anger at Vimes for it. This makes a lot of sense. 

-I guess you could make the argument "wolf in sheep's clothing" since his surname is literally Lupine 

-The Poop Jokes Are Back, But No One Is Laughing Now 

-okay the previous scene makes it seem like the dragon is coming up with this horrifying arrangement itself. And now we learn it's really Wonse trying to make it "better". 

-but my honest and genuine surprise at the dragon REALIZING this, and its actual HORROR at how horrible people can be by nature. WOOF. 

-so I guess that's the "almost human" connection cause. No it's not. That's just how people read and projected it. 

-"we [dragons] never burned amd tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality" like hello??? This is so dark all of a sudden 

-I guess the comedic tone elsewhere lets Terry sneak this shit in and make it stick especially hard. 

-^ this is nothing but praise, to be clear. I've read a lot of "silly-humorous but with darker moments" work but this might be the best example I've read so far. 

-did we need a canon explanation/justification of Vimes being an alcoholic? 

-ALTHOUGH. isn't that like. Lack of natural alcohol an actual thing? Am I insane? I swear I've heard of that before. 

-like I'm sure missing natural dopamine production which means I do need to take stimulants to function but I'm not sure if that's comparable 

-not to over analyze this but that sort of implies drinking doesn't even make him drunk unless he has way too much which adds some interesting context to previous bits. 

-in before it was literally just a joke 

-If You Somehow Didn't Figure Out It Was Wonse We Are Spelling It Out Here 

-oh shit he said the line 

-I am just shocked that the one token female character is the designated sacrifice, lol. At least she's a GOOD character 

-I will be a little annoyed if she's just a damsel in distress for vimes, considering she just charged six guards with a broadsword and only lost cause one of them tripped her 

-ok the bit about the Patrician and the rat unlocked a forbidden memory of me reading like one chapter of a YA novel in the Discworld series when I was like. Ten 

-i don't remember what it was called lmao 

-one bit I liked in the arrest scene is it was very trope-referential, like literally naming what a hero is supposed to do in a scene like this. But unlike say 90% of adult animation, it actually like. Made a joke of it. "There IS no fireplace!" 

-like the bar is low but YES! JUST BEING AWARE OF THE TROPE ISNT A JOKE! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT! THANK YOU! 

-"never build a dungeon you wouldn't be happy to spend the night in yourself" ok Patrician kind of based actually 

-the sudden strange implication (?) that one can see a thousand miles away with how the Discworld is structured? It might have been metaphorical 

-i love the whole bit about million-to-one odds always working (like the cliche), but then the rank rethinking the actual odds as way better, so now they have to do something to make their odds of success worse 

-the fucking bit being they don't make the million to one shot at the dragon but DO make the million to one chance of surviving being hit by its flame. My god. 

-oh my god errol is farting flame to fly??? Like a rocket? INSANE. 

-ok is that one Tumblr comic about the wolf  needing to get lucky only once literally from a line in this book. I guess there might be something they're both referencing that I just don't know 

-oh my god the twist of the dragon being female. I guess I take the comment back about Lady Ramkin being the only one. Lmao. 

-Shrek moment? 

-i like that explaining Errol's weird behavior and how he like. Decides he has to. Court her? I guess? That's pretty funny. 

-ok I basically chalked and dismissed The Patrician as just like, a Lawful Evill Ruler type but he has a fun amount of depth. 

-ok I like the echo of "Guards! Guards!" as the title line summoning the protagonists this time 

-ive resisted saying it but I have to now. Carrot autistic king 

-Vimes telling the Patrician to shut up. Character growth 

-"killed by a... metaphor" ... "looked like the ground to me" RAW ASS LINE 

-ok this was earlier but I forgot to note it. I like that textually we know Vimes doesn't choose swords because he associates them with heroes. And when he decides to go to the palace for Wonse, he asks for Carrot's sword. 

-"is that you, Brother Doorkeeper? METAPHORICALLY, it said." RAW ASS LINE!!!

-ok. The whole monologue about all of humanity being evil like. Man if that isn't how I feel, sometimes. It's a little cathartic to read. Evil not because they say yes, but because they don't say no. Yeah... 

-is this the first time we've heard Vimes' first name? Book almost over? 

-CASABLANCA? Fucking Casablanca? 

-well that was pretty good! I'll need to think and organize my thoughts 

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

Alright so I've just recently finally watched the latest new animated Halloween movie special Wendell and Wild just yesterday & saw it again a few hours ago. And honestly, this new spooky stop-motion feature is such a good treat in more ways than one. Everything about this movie is just so good on many different levels, from the storytelling to the characters and their designs to also the visuals and great music, not to mention the very poient social community that's just hits so hard and wasn't afraid to go there on said subjects matter. Seriously Henry Selick as well as Peele was on a roll with this one right here.

Another thing that I love about this new animated Halloween special is that most of the characters are of color especially when it comes to the main protagonist Kat Elliot who has has such an cool design overall, with her being this wicked punk-clothes-wearing afro-texture green haired black girl who is someone you can sympathize with when comes to her grief and what she been through cause of the system, while she somewhat rough around the edges due to having to harden herself since the lose of her parents and trying to survive as a young black girl put into the system...she learns to be vulnerable again and open herself up to other people around her. The only downsides I have about this movie is that I've felt certain parts of it seems overwhelming and that I feel this movie probably could've worked a lot better as a full mini series when it comes to some of it plot points within it. While not super perfect...this movie is still such a banger and Wild ( no pun intended ) fun, emotional, meaningful, but overall good enjoyable treat for this spooky season or any season for that matter to enjoy watching.