#like i truly think he’s an endearing and tragic character

[lettuceflower]

over a year ago when i finished yakuza 0, my friend, the one who literally got me into yakuza in the first place, told me that nishiki was ok but in the grand scheme of the series he’s not a great character compared to the ones i had yet to meet

well jokes on her because i just finished yakuza 4 and nishiki is still my favorite character (besides kiryu and majima of course)

[burningvelvet]

more rambling thoughts about wuthering heights now that i've finished my re-read

1 wuthering heights is basically the looney tunes if the looney tunes were goth. 90% of the novel is people arguing, dying, and running around threatening to kill each other, and often all three of those at once.

2 love how it's filled with dark humor. "he's such a cobweb, a pinch would annihilate him" is such a camp thing to say about the terminally ill child you abhor and who you spend weeks trying to set up on dates with your dead lover's child so you can steal her property when your son finally dies. heathcliff lecturing his son on Seduction 101 right in front of cathy 2.0, trying ridiculously to play cupid and compel them to fall in love with each other before giving up and just kidnapping her instead... surely he's the most insane brontë man?

3 i can't remember what i had for dinner last night but nelly dean can remember what the weather was like on any given friday twenty years ago (love her and her snarky comments)

4 love how after nelly finishes telling the story to lockwood she's like "any way. so you know cathy 2.0 is single right ;)))" and then cathy 2.0 shows zero interest in him. so then he's like "oh i just remembered i have somewhere to be :/" then fucks off to london for nearly a year then when he comes back nelly is like "nvm as it turns out cathy and hareton are actually soulmates lol who knew! gee, it's a good thing she didn't like you!" and he's just silently suffering. emily was just fucking around here. hindley was the only linton/earnshaw/heathcliff who was wild enough to marry someone who didn't share either his gene pool or his neighborhood.

5 i imagine joseph to look like smeagol from the lotr films but taller

6 [heathcliff, after stabbing his alcoholic arch nemesis and then pushing his servant into the puddle of the blood] "Wash that stuff away; and mind the sparks of your candle—it is more than half brandy!” LMAO

7 this opinion list is just turning out to be a list of the most insane heathcliff moments but truly the novel should've just been called "heathcliff"

8 heathcliff's weird paternal feelings for hareton, saving hareton's life, him saying he would truly love him if only he wasn't hindley's child, basically giving hareton his blessing to love cathy 2.0 toward the end... so oddly endearing

9 heathcliff walking out just before the "i am heathcliff" part of her speech. why WHY

10 hindley protecting isabella from heathcliff before she flees was nice and i wish we saw more of their dynamic around the heights. honestly aside from the child neglect (which is par for the course in wuthering heights) hindley is a pretty sympathetic character; his rivalry with heathcliff was fueled by both sides and truly the fault of their father for pitting them against each other by letting heathcliff usurp hindley's place of favoritism as a boy. hindley's gambling and drinking, his general dissipation and failure to secure his son's future, are all tragic.

11 i think hindley/edgar/heathcliff are all interesting foils for each other; they each lose the women they love and are left to be single fathers, and each responds to the task totally differently. if we include mr. earnshaw, all the fathers in the story essentially fail their children after all the mothers die. hindley and heathcliff have a special parallel through their lifelong brotherly competition, the women they love both dying in childbirth, and in their own deaths. hindley slowly kills himself while ignoring everyone around him; heathcliff also kills himself, but only after trying to systematically ruin the lives of everyone around him. they also say that they want to kill each other but fail when they try; heathcliff nearly kills hindley but ends up saving his life at the last minute.

12 heathcliff jr. is so terrified of heathcliff sr. and so traumatized and petrified by fear and he doesn't deserve the hate he gets for being annoying. he's been sheltered his whole life, his mother just died, he was sent to his uncle/cousin only to be immediately torn away from them to be abused by a stranger who treats him horribly, he's terminally ill, he's still a kid, he's threatened into marrying someone he barely knows, etc.

13 if any of you have seen the british comedy show "the young ones" that's literally hindley's household in wuthering heights when joseph/hareton/hindley/heathcliff/isabella all live together. the filth, the slop for dinner, the petty games, the violence, the fierce hatred yet weird loyalty to each other, etc.

14 i really wonder how cathy would have reacted to heathcliff's treatment of everyone else if only she had known the full details (ie his harsh abuse of isabella, his son, cathy 2.0, etc.)

15 heights was my first brontë novel but i think i like jane eyre and tenant better now that i've read them all back to back! next on the list is likely agnes gray. anne, my underrated queen!

[apotelesmaa]

I do think it’s incredibly frustrating and tragic that ohkubo has such great world building skills and interesting plot ideas and the ability to write such interesting and endearing characters with really realistic and enjoyable relationships to one another but he chooses to actively sabotage the emotional beats of his story and growth of his characters by making unfunny weird sexual jokes and being a terminally horny freak. Genuinely cringe inducing to have to experience I don’t think he should be allowed to write anymore. I have never hated an author of a work I truly enjoyed like I hate atsushi ohkubo.

[froginabogg]

AND ANOTHER THING i also actually need to talk about the flashback family scenes in season one and why those specifically got chosen because hhhhhhh

jake's scene is a tender little moment with his mother, of course showing how much they mean to eachother and she takes care of him as much as he does her, and in one way firmly establishing gary as the ultimate loser dad, classic trope but look i'm a sucker for a momma's boy it's very endearing to me

i also find it interesting that, since jake is the only one without siblings, this is really ALL he has, it's football and his mother, those are his only driving forces and that little flashback is so fun because yeah, you could have figured out this part just from watching the rest of the episodes, but you need to know just HOW important she is and how angry the possibility of a better dad makes him in the alternate universe, she is truly his one lifeline

andy's scene also kind of lives rent free in my head, again because that dynamic with his grandma and his dad is so cool, his mother clearly loves him but she's not a main player in that family (i'll forever love you though mrs lau i would give my life for you), it's his dad and grandma that really set the tone, the constant theme of not being able to live up to her expectations radiating off the both of them, but his father made his peace with it and andy is still stuck in the thick of it, because every time he looks at his sister or at his father he's reminded of not being good enough

also the talk of ghosts and traditions being respected mirroring andy's aversion to magic until he can prove it definitively and just treat it as another subdivision of science that he can study and understand and control? mmmm i love that so much, very excellent little bit of characterisation, where does that need for control come from huh do you need to sit with that for a bit bud? also those dumplings looked great and i want some

i started writing this cause i was thinking about andy's scene and the about the others and i realised i forgot what sam's scene actually is, i think it might be him playing with his brothers? unless the mia scene is actually his flashback, which i am going to go with because that's more interesting actually

he has a whole loving family like i discussed in that other post, but the thing he is reminiscing on is mia, he is obsessed with her through the entire narrative and tries constantly to improve himself for her, it's really cool that that kind of disregard for others comes through in that flashback as well, when pressed, sure, he can tell you what his mum's favourite paintbrush is (OBSESSED with that) but really? he's thinking about himself, and it's one of the first flashbacks as well so it really immediately centers sam's character around, well, sam, and allows him all that wonderful room for growth

and felix, ohhhhh dearest felix, his flashback scene is clearly something that is always on his fucking mind, this bitch is tormented by guilt and he is constantly thinking about that moment no doubt, it's tragic of course to see and a logical choice for a flashback, but it really does SO much. we get a lot of jake's parents both real and au, and they are well established characters, same with andy's parents, we don't see a lot of sam's but it's clearly implied they are incredibly similar both in au and in real world

felix on the other hand, we hardly see any of his parents until the damn movie, and all of mrs ferne's character is in the alternate universe. it's around this time as well the boys start calling attention to felix being the only one happy to be stuck there, and then BOOM the flashback hits and the entire narrative shifts, your entire view is switched upside down cause not only is felix the one responsible for oscar's accident, but his parents, or at least his mother, clearly deeply blames him for it, and all of a sudden you're both angry at him for hiding this for so long and you understand him, because how awful to be fifteen and have that weight on your shoulders? i've felt guilty for so much less, and it makes mrs ferne's character so much more compelling to me, she's hurt and trying desperately to love both her sons but she is struggling, and it must fucking suck for felix to see her happy again when he's literally Not in Existence

[winters-rose-daughterofcain]

Nobody understands Lucy Gray Baird like I do. She resonates in a deep part of me, she means the absolute world to me. A lot of characters do, but she's different. I can and will talk about her for hours. She is beautiful and complex and tragic and by the end free and ever a mystery.

She is doing what she has done from the beginning, driving people mad trying to understand her, to fit her into boxes and stories and familiar narratives they can understand. People hate the vague, the ambiguous, the open ended; people hate and fear what they cannot understand. People say they love an enigma, they will use the word positively. They find it charming, endearing, a personal challenge of sorts. But an enigma is only fun when it starts out that way, an enigma is fun only so far as you can learn to understand it, to find a neat conclusion an ending. But Lucy Gray doesn't give people that, and she's never made any pretence to.

Lucy Gray is a girl who was forced to a place that was never truly home. She is a girl who lived by her charms as nothing but a child, she preformed to survive. She is a girl who will constantly adjust her appearance, always making sure she looks her best, who loves colour and who wears her mothers dress to her death. She is a girl who is always preforming, every careful word, every moment, every note she sings. She sings when she has something to say, she sings to have a voice, and she will not be bullied into relinquishing the power of her own words. Because the covey love colour and Lucy Gray more than most, but Lucy Gray also understands the power of words, a power no one can take from her. No capital, no arena, and no boy.

She is a girl who loves wild and dangerous things, she loves a boy she grew up with, a boy who betrayed her. The bet he lost at the reaping. She is a girl who was forced by life to be cautious, to love yes. But to never make the mistake of placing it above trust. She is a girl who loves a lot of things she can't trust; storms and snakes, but they will never matter more to her than trust.

She is a girl who despite all the suffering of her life, all the tragedy and all the betrayal is untimely kind. She looks after the people around her, the younger and older, the children and the the people her age. She is a girl who tries her best to let other children be the girl she was never given the luxury to be. Even the capital children, the very people whose parents and government have her in a cage, who treat her like an animal, who are sending her to the slaughter. It's a tactic yes, it is performance, but it is also kindness. There remains something genuine in her performance, a genuine love and compassion and kindness she shows as she lets a capital child, arm sticky with melting ice cream, touch her mothers dress through bars.

She's not perfect, not always nice and good, she is human. She is a survivor and no surviver has clean hands, but she makes it her life's work to stay on the right side of the line, to stay good. She is a girl who will grieve in private and to the people she trusts, forever preforming, forever observed. Because after all is that not what girlhood is? Is that not what survival takes?

She is a girl who even filtered through the point of view of a man who thinks she belongs to him, who goes from idolisation to contempt to infatuation, to his uttermost hatred, even through the perspective of a man who never saw her as fully human proves herself to be. She is unapologetic, she is alive and she is free and she is loving and bright and hurt and traumatised and she is an artist. She is not the art, she is not the muse, she is the one with the pen, with the voice. She is unabashedly human, and despite everything she retains her humanity, even through a narrator who denied her it.

Lucy Gray I will never forget you. Always and forever one of my favourite characters ever written.

[kookoofufu]

I love that what makes characters respected and honorable in One Piece isn't what side they're on but whether they have an ideology they wholeheartedly believe in and fight for, even if it's considered impossible or doesn't make sense to other people.

This is established right at the beginning with Luffy's dream to be king of the pirates and Zoro's dream to be the world's greatest swordsman. Their refusal to back down is honorable because they're 100% committed, even if it means dying.

This also applies to Sanji's refusal to hurt women. To many readers it's a dumb standard since he won't fight certain battles, even if it puts him and his friends in danger, but it's what he truly believes and his commitment to his principles is respected. This is what makes him asking Robin for help in Wano so powerful— he's relying on his friends without feeling like a burden, even though his principles can be inconvenient for them.

This extends beyond the Straw Hats, of course. We respect Koby and Garp even though they're part of the Marines because of their commitment to justice, to the point where we forgive Garp for not saving Ace. We see his internal conflict and understand the choice he makes, even if we don't agree with him.

Bellamy is my favorite tragic example of this. Bellamy defends Doflamingo even after being betrayed, refuses to back down, fights Luffy even though he doesn't have to, and we still root for him. Bellamy was so adamant about not believing in dreams, so committing himself to an impossible ideal is admirable and significant character development, even if he makes the wrong choice.

More recently, Buggy wanting to be King of the Pirates makes him 100x more endearing—he's defying two former warlords to commit to his impossible dream because its what he truly wants. He isn't going to succeed, even Buggy probably knows he doesn't stand a chance against Shanks and Luffy, but he's going for it anyway which is HUGE since he's spent his whole life as a coward.

Not to mention characters like Gin, Katakuri, King, etc, who are all likeable antogonists because they're honorable.

And this is what makes Akainu a great villain. We all hate that mf but he truly believes in his idea of absolute justice. I think the biggest difference in why we like other characters and hate Akainu for having the same ideological commitment is that his first instinct isn’t being willing to die but willing to kill, and that makes him incredibly dangerous.

[rrosiepetals]

don't know if you do ask but got curious what some of your favorite things about Marlon and also maybe your favorite pics of him in game

AAAA love this ask, thank you so much anon!!! I love Marlon and I will take any opportunity there is to gush about him!

Marlon is devoted, he’s got a good heart and wears it right on his sleeve. Take one good look at him and you see someone who’s (trying) to keep it all together. He was genuinely so passionate when talking about how well fortified Ericson’s had become. It was endearing seeing how much he boasted to Clementine about running the place and how he and all the other kids had worked so hard over the years to protect the school. 

He is a tragic character, and although only appearing in one episode, you can sense there is more to him than meets the eye. He is someone who has been weighed down by responsibility and by the world he was forced to grow up in. These kids had been sheltered, most of their lives had been spent surviving at the school. The teachers and other staff they'd looked up to… the ones that were entrusted to take care of them had abandoned them, leaving them for dead. As a result, they had no adult figure to look up to and seek guidance from.

Who could they lean on now?

This is where Marlon comes in; I like how despite his feelings of sorrow and betrayal, he decided to step up and take action, even though he was just as scared and confused as the other kids. It highlights just how much he cares for his friends; he doesn’t want to see them suffer and live in fear. It's a scary world out there; practically anywhere they go, it could mean death. However, as determined as ever, Marlon strives to make the best of their situation, and they work together to make Ericson the home that they never truly had before the apocalypse. The fondness in Louis' voice when he talks about him is really heartwarming and goes to show how dedicated he was when playing into the leader role.

Marlon is a person who will do anything in his position to protect his friend's safety. As the self-proclaimed leader of the abandoned boarding school, he goes to great lengths to ensure that everyone is well fed and has a good night’s sleep. When he speaks with Clementine, you can see the desperation in his eyes; shouldering so much responsibility alone for so many years is hard. Despite his doubts that cloud him, he attempts to make it work with the limited resources they have.

The situation involving the twins is extremely heartbreaking from both perspectives. Some people paint Marlon as this “heartless villain” who will just willingly hand over his friends like it’s nothing. I want to pose some questions. Do you think he wanted to hand them over? Did you think he hasn’t gone days upon days without sleeping? Wrecked with the guilt of his decision? Spending hours trying to come up with some sort of rescue plan to get them back? It doesn’t erase the fact that he knew these kids… he grew up with them in this fucked up world. He’s literally still a kid himself! What was he to do in a situation where all he had was a gun practically pointed at him by adults who could easily overpower them? Perhaps he could’ve handed himself over, however what would happen then? They’d just come back anyways and take the rest of the kids without a second thought.

At the end of the day, he wanted to be a good leader and good friend to everyone at the school. He kept all his worries and stress to himself so that the spirits of the school weren't weighed down because of him. He was so insistent that everyone abided by the safe zone rule so much to avoid any conflicts that could disrupt the peace they made for themselves. Thus, these built up emotions/worries caused his eventual downfall and he died thinking that all his friends potentially hated him for what he did. Watching those hurt and dejected looks on their faces when being confronted.. especially the look of sadness from his best friend. It hurt more than anything. I love how they handled Marlon, even if I wished he and many others had more screen time to truly shine, the amount of impact they had is worth it. Also many love towards his va Ray Chase, he put in his all with that performance!!!! 👏

A bit of a side note as well: Marlon had broken his own rule regarding the safe zone as he managed to save Clementine and AJ outside the train station. Why was he out there in the first place? I believe that he was actually planning to scout the Delta from afar, finding any weak spots necessary before making a solid rescue plan to get Sophie and Minnie back. No one else was with Marlon at the time as far as we know, only him and Rosie when he refers to "when we found you." I could be wrong but that’s what I’d like to think.

As far as picture wise go I have a few of them! Mainly love the ones where he’s smiling!!!

[prettyboykatsuki]

okay if i've already asked you this just ignore this but could you help me understand gojo better what do you love about him what intrigues you about him etc etc etc

OKAY. i had to grab my laptop bc my little paws saw an opportunity to do something other than dunk on gojo.

first of all. i think gojo is an objectively unattractive character if ur type isn't assholes. this goes doubly if u are an anime only (idk how far / if u have read the manga so i will try to avoid major spoilers). it's not really about his physical appearance but more that his personality is really annoying. he's arrogant, frivolous, and hard to understand.

and i think a lot of people do fundamentally misunderstand his character like all the time. which is normal because that's kind of the point of his behavior. it's like a purposeful misdirection, and most people who know him well can tell you that.

but who really knows gojo? other than maybe shoko, and the principal. who knows gojo forreal? it's not his students. it's really not anyone.

there's this scene from the vol. 10 extras that is probably one of the greatest insights into gojos character. not for what it says, but for what it doesn't say at all.

you'll notice how no one can say anything about him other than the fact he's the strongest. some of his students call him an idiot, and nanami goes as far as to call him flippant and egotistical. megumi feels like he's indebted to him same as yuuji.

but in the eyes of everyone in the universe, the only thing that gojo satoru can ever be or will ever be is the strongest. his whole life has been one long journey to accomplish that. to become a god amongst men.

but gojo isn't god. even if everyone imposes it on him, he won't ever be. and despite how devastatingly lonely that existence is - in the end, he's still trying to accomplish something in order to prevent his tragic fate from occuring again. even when he won't benefit from trying to twist the hands of fate because his time for happiness is well-past.

there's actually very little for gojo to do what he does. no one really respects him or appreciates his effort among society. and yet they impose responsibilities on him all the same with no remorse. he could be cold and unfair and arrogant to his students, but he ultimately cherishes them all and guides them like a real sensei. there's not any good reason for gojo to try changing all of this. he doesn't have the same resentment of a zenin. he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth and could only do what benefitted him.

but he hasn't. and he wont. despite all odds and all misery, gojo is still holding onto hope that things can be different. he is actually very desperately clinging to the remaining sense of humanity he has which is why he behaves the way he does.

in the end, his acting is just that. acting. gojo puts on the mask to put everyone at ease but his life is doomed to be lonely. all he wants is to share that burden and for things to be different. for other people not to suffer the way he did.

it's only natural to write off gojo as a flippant and arrogant asshole. that's his whole thing. but he actually isn't at all, not really. he is the strongest, certainly. but he never really asked for that.

to me, i will have a deep love for gojo because he is just so tragic. that part of him that is so desperate to share his burdens and retain the innocence of his students is deeply endearing to me. i truly and genuinely love him a lot

[madarasgirl]

Madara Romance HC Ramble

While I sometimes read (and enjoy) a MUCH more intense version of Madara than I would write for my own work, I strongly believe he would NOT BE DEGRADING or abusive to his S/O. He's all about love. Accuse me of wearing rose-tinted glasses, but here's my take.

Madara is difficult to write since he's so complex. He isn't some static character who's always optimistic, gloomy, violent, or whatever. He changes with time, growing more cynical and bitter as he lived through his tragic life and came to conclusions about the truths of the world. I will try to consolidate what we know about him and extrapolate that into what romance with Madara might generally be like.

Respects the S/O

It’s really easy to make him out to be arrogant and demeaning, or controlling. He's allowed to be arrogant when he's stronger than 99.99% of the world. Go re-watch his fight vs the Shinobi Alliance or the 5 Kage if you don’t think he has grounds for arrogance. He is simultaneously the hardest on himself. He's extremely self-deprecating when reminiscing on his past failures and transgressions, both as a child and an adult in interactions with Hashirama. Part of him likely believes he doesn't deserve you or to be loved. Of course he would naturally cherish you when you finally become a part of his life. How could he constantly insult or degrade you?

He is 'controlling' in the sense that he likes knowing where you will be/your schedule. It helps him plan when he can spend time with you. It also better helps him keep you safe. Remember Madara is so strong because he wanted to protect what's important to him, but he didn’t even force his clan to follow him when they abandoned him. Madara wants people to CHOOSE him. He wouldn’t force you into things. He wouldn't beat or coerce you either, especially not when that was what was painfully done to him.

By the way, he'll remember those special dates better than you will.

Observant and Sensitive to S/O

During kid Madara’s 2nd meeting with Hashirama, he was able to tell Hashi was feeling down from behind before even talking. And then Mads repeatedly tried to get him to spill what was bothering him in an attempt to console a potential enemy shinobi! Deep down, Madara is a kind sweetheart. He'll be there for you when you need him and there in the background when you don't realize it. He will support you in your endeavors through thick and thin.

He absolutely teases you though, in good faith. Whatever he’s mocking you about is one of your quirks that endears you to him, not something he actually judges you negatively for. The same cheekiness from his younger days is still alive in him somewhere. Don’t worry, he won't roast you as hard as he can where he knows it hurts. Hmm unless you're in a bad fight and he's feeling REALLY petty, then I can maybe see him doing that. His words could cut more than his fists.

Almost a Different Person with His Loved Ones

This is another reason he’s hard to write. While there’s no doubt he can be terrifying (which was how almost everyone in the world saw him), he can be kind of silly with those he’s closer to. He is indifferent or aloof with strangers. He was likely at least civil with others he had to deal with in public and condescending and/or hostile with those who gave him a reason to be. This man’s presence is felt wherever he goes, so of course the average person would have reason to find him intimidating.

In fact, you might occasionally find Madara intimidating too when he's in one of his moods or contemplative. It's how he is, even when not trying to be hostile or domineering. He's still softer with his loved ones than anyone outside his small inner circle. It would break his heart if you were truly afraid of him.

On the other hand, he may be awkward at times. His inability to effectively express his strong emotions to you frustrates him. He wishes he had a better grasp at social interactions, in particular when it comes to you. This guy is just too intense and doesn't know how to chill. 

Cherishes the S/O

He doesn't have much preference when it comes to appearances (body type, skin, hair colour, etc). He wants someone who's easy enough on the eyes? But beyond that, looks are superficial to him. Some people think he is vain because of how he mocked Hashi and his bowl cut/fashion sense. But really? We all know Mads held Hashirama in higher regards than he did anyone else. Madara connects through more intangible traits like values, the mind, strength, and such. He’d enjoy whatever fell out of your clothes if he loves you and doesn’t understand stuff like body insecurities. His "type" would be someone who is family-oriented, placing their children and kin above other priorities, someone who likewise supports him and wants to build a life with him. And someone who can challenge him a little.

Madara is loyal. He values his bonds and was honest until the end. Once you're his, he's also yours. You'd be super precious to him, the light of his life kind of thing. Your presence in his life inspires him to be better than he is.

[razzberrydazz]

Every time I see art of Shadowheart with body hair and a chubbier body, I feel so blessed. Every time I see art of Lae'Zel going 🥺 and looking so much like a sad wet cat, I am blessed. Every time I see art or writings of titless Lae'Zel and trans Shadowheart I feel nature healing, my skin gets moisturized, my crops are watered, truly the characters of all time for me.

Every time I see Wyll my heart grows a size. He deserves more. He deserves better. He could read me the worst poetry on earth and I'd find it endearing because it was spoken by him.

Every time I see Mizora within range of Wyll, I wish for her painful demise. If ya gonna draw Mizora antics, keep Wyll out of it, he's already suffered too much 😫

Spoilers ahead?

Every time I see Orin I internally weep for what could have been, if she had a chance to be more nuanced than the one dimensional villain she was. I love Orin and the Potential for Antics, she coulda been so much more interesting and vile and threatening if she kidnapped the love interest or even the player character, instead of the companion with the lowest approval. I lament that she never got a chance to question the cult she was embroiled in, and the second she even tried to think or question, Bhaal forced her to become the Slayer, taking away any and all agency from her.

I think they coulda made Orin outright tragic, by having the player reveal the secrets and lies Orin were taught, and give her a chance to snap out of the cult mindset long enough to ask the players for help or for more answers, before Bhaal forced his way in. Forcing her to transform After she fully has a chance to think for herself, to question, now That would be a truly tragic end.

Every time I see Gortash I laugh at Larian's waffling cowardice on whether they want to make Durgetash text instead of subtext. Go all in ya cowards.

I wish for nuance where there is only stereotypical 'kill the bad guy' storytelling. It's not necessarily bad storytelling, but I'm left wanting.

[susandsnell]

🔥 Batman comics in general

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

Oooh! I do think a lot of my saltier Batman comics opinions aren't exactly unpopular in nature (too much grimdark and never in the right direction, the misogyny, Killing Joke was a mistake, BruceBabs was a mistake, stop misusing Rogues), so I'll try to bring up some less-discussed ones! (Or at least ones I see discussed less, lol.)

Batfam is conceptually good, but nobody is handling it well. As I've previously expressed, Batfam content constantly oscillates between "Bruce is an abusive kidnapper of traumatized children he trains into child soldiers despite having the means to have them live in luxury, does not provide with love or positive reinforcement, and regularly pits against each other" and some of the most facile, cringey, early 2010s Tumblr conception of found-family to be seen, when I think it's more dramatically effective to find a happy medium between the two. A loving superhero found family with its share of dysfunction, hurts, and mistakes and appropriate nuance being brought to these conflicts is apparently too much to ask for (as is writers remembering Robin(s) and Batgirl literally exist as kid appeal characters).

Likewise, canon Harlivy is seldom handled well. As I said on Twitter the other day, "corporate Pride ate Harlivy". Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy's relationship, both back when it was subtextual and later on as it became Harley's main ship in iterations where she's able to get out of her abusive relationship with the Joker was groundbreaking and important. It was absolutely crucial to middle school me. But somewhere along the way, people lost the plot that they are indeed villainesses (whose queerness was meant to make them more endearing/sympathetic/relatable, but not change this status), and it fell prey to the respectability politics traps that plague just too many sapphic ships once they go canon. In order to be 'good representation', their villainy extends to 'haha RANDOM' irreverent chaos, and their personality gets boiled down to the shallow archetypes of 'chaotic and perky' Harley and 'snarky and sexy' Ivy. Their relationship to one another is 100% fluff, because God knows any nuance, tension, flaws, or friction between two master criminal characters with canonically tragic histories can't possibly be allowed. Because of the misogynistic expectations of Women Being Soft And Good coupled with the homophobic respectability politics of being as toothless, soft, and desexualized as possible to appear nonthreatening, sapphic ships are held to such unfair standards wherein the slightest conflict will be termed abusive and bad representation, and as such, they're written cardboard-flat, and unfortunately, this has befallen Harlivy in most canons where they're together. Even if it's realistically exploring things like recovery for either lady, because that's messy, and complicated, and nonlinear, and who wants that when you can have a memeable 'be gay do crimes'? Oh, but don't worry. Sometimes they will be sexually active - for the titillation of straight men. In-universe. (Don't get me started on the Harley Quinn show...) And poor Selina gets roped into third-wheeling/cheerleading the most boring possible version of them too often...

A lot of the most popular/famous titles are not the better ones. (Not you, Long Halloween, you're a delight and everyone loves you.) Everything that's there to say about The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns has been said better by people smarter and better-versed in comics than me, but Batman: Hush is just contrivance upon contrivance, everyone and their mother is tired of the shit-billion stories about Joker fridging yet another person, and perhaps my most unpopular opinion is that Batman: Year One is entirely overrated. I like the noir atmosphere, the truly corrupted Gotham it gives us, and the sweet triumvirate between Gordon, Harvey, and Bruce, but seeing adaptations like The Batman (2022) and even The Dark Knight (yes, I'm saying something nice about Nolanverse for once lolol) take these elements and do so much more with them really highlights the weaknesses in this story. There's some really good origin/character work for Bruce becoming Batman and the psychology behind it, but past that, not a whole lot happens beyond a very thin and confusing police corruption plot, and everyone is just too damn mean for the sake of the grimdark setting. Bruce injures an already exploited child in the red-light district and sexually harasses the Gordons to throw them off his trail for being Batman, and the latter is played for laughs. Jim cheats on his pregnant wife with a coworker half his age and both women are portrayed as stereotypically in these roles as humanly possible. Selina Kyle is...there, to be angry and sexualized and not much else. It just feels like a lot of buildup without much payoff.

Lastly, and jumping off the above, I'm taking away the Gordon family from writers until they've learned to play nicely with them. I don't know what it is about Jim Gordon that makes writers - men in particular - work through justifying their weird issues about women, but my God, the poor man has been character assassinated to hell and back. (Everyone has in comics, but it's always in the same way with Gordon that properly grosses me out.) If he's not cheating on his housewife with a much younger coworker he's presented as oh-so-noble for not outright workplace harassing, he's neglectful, abusive, or otherwise aggressive to his loved ones in ways that are almost always justified or excused narratively because he's 'dealing with a lot' or xyz past trauma. He's frequently made into a mouthpiece for misogyny, calling women "bitches" in the Arkham series and making other such delightful comments, fetishizing Harlivy (in the Harley Quinn show!), or putting down Barbara's capabilities. If he's written to be struggling with addiction, it's always played as a joke. And for Barbara's part, since The Killing Joke, she's always such a favoured writers' punching bag/doll to put in uncomfortable relationships, often having her talents, skills and intelligence undermined in favour of portraying her as a sex-crazed, overemotional disaster who's in it for the thrills until she is narratively punished in some gendered way. I don't get it! I'm all for what makes characters tick or challenging them or giving them flaws or new horrific situations to work through, but why is it always the same tired, offensive hows and wherefores for the Gordon family? Let them rest!

[dainesanddaffodils]

Friends, Romans, Countrymen. I did it. 

I rewatched Strange Magic late last night on a whim.

It’s been, as far as I can determine, at least four years since I had last seen this movie. Probably closer to five. It’s been. A Minute. And I was so horribly worried that I would find all of its faults far more glaring than I had when it first consumed my life back in 2015. That I wouldn’t find the magic in it the way I did before. 

I was both right and wrong. 

I did, indeed, find some things more flawed, to the point of genuinely cringing in a couple places. However, I also came out remembering exactly why this movie captivated me for as long as it did.

I’m going to ramble in more detail about both things, if you’re so inclined to read more.

Things I found as bad or worse this time around:

The pacing. Dear lord, the pacing of this movie is a fucking trainwreck. I knew it the first time I watched it and it was the one critique I would always agree with. It’s just, it’s so bad. I can’t even tell you how I’d fix it but it just. It needs an overhaul please. 

Like, in my memory it was just the first half that was paced poorly. Once you got into the second half, things improved. 

My memory was wrong. It’s a mess the whole way through.

Tragically, Griselda. I always found her character a little grating but at least sort of endearing...  but it has. gotten worse. The matchmaking was only good in providing the backdrop for Bog and Marianne to rant about how much they hate romance but every other scene with it made me feel like Bog must. I lowkey wanted to put my head through a wall. 

Plum, too, was a little more annoying than I remembered. In general the whole “Love is Strange” scene is probably the one I struggled with the most on this rewatch. 

The kaleidoscope bit at the end. Which again, I was always kinda... unsure about but like, everything else about the ending is so good and then that just really. throws the whole groove off and it’s sad. 

Also, I wouldn’t necessarily call it bad but like, all of Bog’s scenes in the first half of the movie are so melodramatic and I know that’s the point but I was still like ‘christ my dude we get it you’re ~evil~ now please chill for five seconds’ 

- and that’s really it. All told, while these were definitely more noticeable faults upon watching this movie again, I don’t think they were enough to truly hamper my enjoyment of the rest of it.

Speaking of...

Things I found as good or better this time around: 

Marianne. My beloved punk rock fairy princess. I absolutely adore how three-dimensional she is as a character. They give her the whole badass makeover training sequence and then spend the rest of the movie showing you its cracks. Showing you that she never fully outgrew the romantic she was at heart. She was just scared of letting people see that side of her after being hurt. She’s bitter and angry and touch-starved and sympathetic and caring and she’s allowed to be all of these things and none of them contradict each other. 

Marianne and Dawn’s relationship. Holy shit I forgot how good that was. We see only glimpses of it but every single one of them is perfection and so realistic. This is how sisters behave. They drive each other crazy and point out each other’s faults and make each other want to tear their hair out and if anyone hurt them there would be hell to pay. All of their conversations feel so... grounded in reality for a fairy rock opera musical. 

On that note, a lot of the dialogue is just, well delivered and sounds incredibly natural. It took me by surprise. 

Sunny! Sunny also surprised me with how much I liked him. His humor is one of the things that has aged the best in this movie and I really enjoyed his character. You can really see how he is a good guy who was just, very easily manipulated and spends the rest of the movie trying to fix his fuck-up. 

The singing. Similar to my point about line delivery, the... way the characters sing in this movie is really well done. I don’t know how to explain it but the way they use songs in this movie really feels like they’re using it as dialogue. Like, there’s plenty of meta jokes about people breaking into song but it also feels like it’s a natural part of this world. People just sing their feelings here, and it feels believable. It’s fascinating. 

 The animation - specifically the character animation. (Like, the movie has gorgeous background shots, we all know this.) I won’t deny that the detail in the faces gets uncanny valley in places but it’s worth it for the expressiveness that it allows. There are so many incredible face journeys, so many subtle shifts in body language, so much that gets to be said without words - either spoken or sung - and it’s just as good as I remember it.

Speaking of things that are just as good as I remember. Yeah, you guessed it. 

Bog and Marianne’s relationship is still just, top fucking tier. 

Like, it goes back to what I said about expressiveness in the animation. I remembered the big things about these two. I remembered the sword fight flirting; I remembered the ranting about hating love together; I remembered the declaration of love at the end set to “Wild Thing” which perfectly encapsulated their personalities. 

I had forgotten how much of their relationship is progressed through small gestures and lingering looks. Things like Bog leaving his staff behind after their fight, and later returning her sword to her - both shows of trust and respect that Marianne is clearly unused to. Things like the way he looks at her throughout the entire “Strange Magic” sequence as he shows her his home and hopes she’ll find beauty in it. Things like the whole face journey she goes through when it’s revealed he survived his castle collapsing, realizing that she loves him. Things like how you can see on their faces that they’re constantly torn between hope and absolute terror at their growing feelings for each other. 

All of these things are done wordlessly and it’s very well done.

(also man, having re-read a bunch of my fics ahead of this I was kind of like ‘wow a through-line throughout all of this is Bog being just, like, absolutely whipped by Marianne from the start’ and friends, upon rewatch it hit me that that was not just some romance novel tropes sneaking into fic - I took that shit straight from the source. My goblin man really was enamored with her INSTANTLY. It was fucking hilarious.)

- 

Anyway, thanks for coming along with me for this journey. I came out of it just kind of accepting, yeah, this is not what I would call a Good Movie. But it gave me so many things that I loved, and still love, and really, that’s what matters. 

Also now I wanna fucking draw fanart again. That’s wild. 

[mirapteo]

top 5 apex characters and any thoughts or opinions on them?

hey anon yeah i love you also i am about to be so annoying i might need to hide this under a "read more" (future me here. yeah i did)

1. Crypto (obviously)

- everything about him (besides current lore 😒) is perfect to me i love backstories that include a wanted criminal aspect and the fact he is wanted but innocent just adds so much more flavor & i think the whole "to break the game i must do it from the inside" idea is badass. i also love all the familial themes surrounding his backstory i love that for the most part he is a cold and calculated person but despite being jaded due to all the misfortune that happened to him in life he still cares about his family and the few people he allowed to get closer to him, that he still has the capability to do that in the first place even when it has hurt him before.

- i love the whole crypto is just a protective mask to hide tae joon park and i like to treat them as 2 separate people. my gripe is that i wish we learned more about tae joon park, but i also sorta like that it leaves room for fans to interpret who tae joon park is on their own. from the very small bits & pieces it does seem like tae joon park is an overall softer more caring & trusting person compared to the closed off, on edge person that is crypto and it makes me all emo that all the unlucky shit that happened to him in life caused him to resort to being coldhearted and distrustful even when (i personally think) he doesnt want to

- also his design fucking rips idc. maybe im just a big jacket enjoyer but its so fun, it makes sense for his personality and the cybernetics ARE SOOOOO FREAKING GNARLY they r both sexy and lore important i love it

- for issues the most obvious one is FORCING A CHEMISTRYLESS ROMANCE BETWEEN HIM AND YOU KNOW WHO. i FUCKING HATE that they have written such an intriguing backstory for him & DONT DO ANYTHING WITH IT WITHOUT IT HAVING TO INCLUDE WATTSON. i hate how they cannot be their own separate characters and have to always have their stories intertwined in some way its like the writers are allergic to making them hang out with literally anyone else. kill code as boring as it was came so fucking close to that but the recent radio play had to ruin it because of course. of fucking course.

- i also hate the completely unnecessary age retcon. i hate that it frames him as a supergenius computer whiz at a young age. he was so much more likeable & easier to sympathize with as a completely normal office worker that just wanted to provide for him & his sister, only for it to bite him in the ass when he did literally nothing to deserve it. i hate having yet another character in their early 20s in this already oversaturated age range in media as a whole.

- i hate that with every lore update hes involved in it just further mutilates his character. i hate that i cant be excited when my FAVORITE CHARACTER gets lore attention because it just provides more opportunity for the writers to stomp on him. they dont care about him as his own character. they care about him in regards to the relationships he has with other people. thats not how u write a compelling, likeable, or realistic bond between people. it makes me so mad i wanna SCREAM

- anyway crypto tae joon park is my pookie bear he is autistic and he likes dragons and cats and kpop and elliott and being a good friend to the point of sacrificing himself i like him normally also he is my oc now

2. Mirage (obviously)

- mirage is just an objectively likeable character truly like there is a reason he is essentially the face of apex. he was my first favorite & for good reason. u get lured in with his endearing goofiness & then get smacked in the face with one of the most tragic and completely undeserved backstories. maybe im just a slut for characters that "wear masks" & have completely polarizing versions of themselves as a self preservation tactic because i love Mirage being the self absorbed, smooth, attention-seeking bastard on screen and i love love LOVE Elliott Witt with his crippling fear of loneliness and inferiority complex, slowly losing the things that mattered most in his life and feeling like it was somehow his fault & he deserves it

- but i dislike the flanderization hes facing in current lore. i dont remember the last time he was anything other than the goofy guy with a stutter that cant take things seriously. that old comic of him losing his friends because of his own douchebaggery & working to fix his wrongs is my prized possession. he is hurt & lonely & it causes him to lash out on people that dont deserve it and i wish they explored that more. i desperately need more asshole mirage in my life. nowadays he just feels like the one-note silly character whos only purpose is to fill in the comic relief role.

- also he has some of the worst fans ive ever seen im sorry they were like the main reason he stopped being my favorite. they baby him like he has never done nothing wrong in his entire life & in turn shit on characters like wraith or vantage bc they were "mean to him." as if he isnt capable of being an asshole, as if there isnt an entire comic dedicated to him being an asshole. i also hate that fans either lean in 100% into his mirage personality or 100% into his elliott witt personality. he is either a loudmouthed egotistical slut or an innocent wittle mamas boy that needs to be protected at all times never anything outside or in between and it drives me insane.

- shes still my sweetie pie. my biggest kin. i love writing him sooo much. i want to chew him. i want to set him on fire. i want to tuck him in and give him a forehead kiss before he goes to bed.

coughs anyway now with all that out of the way

3. Conduit

- im filipino of course im gonna be biased but hellooooo she is also just so likeable it is insane!! a sweet, goofy fangirl we can relate to that is literally killing herself just to provide for her family ouch it hurts GIVE ME MORE. all her little easter eggs and her fun voicelines like the devs really really loved & cherished her & it shows & she deserves it! my main issue is that it is literally her season rn yet all they care about is revenant Revenant REVENANT give me more conduit! what is her story with her family? hows her sister in particular holding up? how does she cope with her illness? will she ever open up about it to any of the legends? are they ever going to try to help her? is crypto gonna help find her a cure like he did caustic & then they kiss

4. Lifeline

- love her. love her personality. a medic that also isnt afraid to get her hands dirty & chew ppl out? love that for her. i also like where the current lore has been taking her (me? liking current lore? what a shocker), the fact that she was willing to destroy one of her strongest & longest bonds to defeat a greater evil? BANGER. she hurt people & she made sacrifices to get to this point but what does she get from it? a best friend that doesnt want to speak to her & a whole fucking army of murderous robots that want her dead. i wonder if shell have a "is this really what i wanted? did i just fuck everything up?" internal crisis cuz atp i feel like she has to. id love to see it

- also i am no.1 lifeline defender idgaf the demonization shes facing in the fandom for hurting their pookie wookie bear octane is so blatant and laughable u ppl really hate black women. its ok for ur favorite male character to make questionable morally gray decisions but got forbid ajay does it. gtfo of here!

5. Rampart

- just another objectively likeable character plsss she is sooo funny & sassy and there is not a single rampart interaction/relationship she has with another legend that i hate. she also has the biggest wasted potential ever. they were cooking something so good with big sister and ramparts relation to her & NEVER DO ANYTHING WITH JT. its been 13 seasons and nothing has progressed in her lore and its so so sad. she needs a focus season soon. u dont just drop a fun character with an intriguing backstory and just ditch it.

look im not going to read this back to fix things around if it seems disjointed with a lack of direction IDCCCC i am cringe and free!

[seiya-starsniper]

10 fandoms/10 characters/10 tags

FUCK YEAH LET'S GO BLORBO LOVING HOURS

Tagged by the amazing @sans--seraph and @verminetroglodyte

Loki from MCU He is single-handedly responsible for my descent into madness with the MCU. None of my friends could get me to watch a single movie until the bestie one day said, "Hey you should come watch Thor with us, there's a character we think you'd like" and it was OVER after that.

The Corinthian from Sandman A lot of people probably think my favorite character must be Dream or Hob because of my ship but nope, it's The Corinthian. My beloved serial killing, eyeball eating, just needs a hug and some validation baby, I love you so. Also, it helps that he'd played by Boyd Holbrook, who I was OBSESSED with as a teen when he was a twinky model lmao.

Hawks from My Hero Academia I know Hawks is a pretty polarizing character in the fandom, and I think that's part of the reason why I love him so so much. He's technically one of the "good guys" as a hero yes, but he has done so many questionably things in the name of corrupt hero society. He's the type of character I'm not sure I'd like if he were a real person, but I think that's part of what makes him so interesting. Absolute sweetheart on the outside, but will gut you like a fish if he thinks it's for the greater good.

Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh MY OG BLORBO I LOVE YOU SO 💖💖💖 What else is there to say about this iconic boy? He's a dick. He's rich, screw the rules he has money. He's a meme. He is absolutely over the top and tries to insist he has no friends but he's been adopted by the heroes as a bestie. Love him forever.

Sara Lance from DCTV/Arrowverse I've GOTTA include my White Canary queen because she was my bisexual awakening. I had always known I had some attraction to women, and even had gone by pan for a little bit, but lord my attraction to women came alive with Sara. I may not longer care for Arrowverse, but Sara Lance will always have a special place in my heart.

Hiccup Haddock from How to Train Your Dragon Hiccup holds a special place in my heart for bucking the trend on traditional protagonists. He's a little weakling. People underestimate him. He doesn't always get things right! But he loves fiercely, he's determined, he's smart, and he believes the best in everyone. One of my favorite blorbos ever.

Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist Smarmy bastard with a heart of gold. He will go the distance to protect those he loves, and he's not afraid to burn people to a crisp to do it. He knows his weaknesses and tries to push past them anyways if he needs to protect someone he loves. Best boy, I love him so.

Harley Quinn from DC Comics Another important character in my bisexual development ahahha. I know Harley's kind of over saturated the market as a Strong Female Character but she's still so important to me for so many reasons. She came out on the other side of an abusive relationship. She's funny, she's silly, she loves life, no matter how many wrenches get thrown at her, literally and figuratively. And her relationship with Pam is SO IMPORTANT to me ahhhhhhhhh.

Jyn Erso from Rogue One Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I love her. She's a grump. She's a survivor. She's a tragic figure drawn into a war she never asked to be a part of and she dies for a cause that never knowing how important her impact truly was. I have read a million fix-it fics and AUs of her and the whole Rogue One crew and still love her to this day.

Q from James Bond (Daniel Craig Movies) My nerdy baby. He's so smart and so awkward and so endearing it hurts. I love him so. He has two cats and a mortgage. Bond takes too much advantage of his goodwill and Q lets him because he's in love a good friend.

Tagging: @rooftopwreck @virgo-dream @nygmobblepot-trash @lyriclorelei @gil212 @valeriianz @valiantstarlights @writing-for-life @two-hands-toward-the-sun @bazzybelle

[adrift-in-thyme]

Rank the LU boys 1 to 9 with reasons

Oh gosh okay

*deep breath*

Here we go

Time. This one’s no surprise to anyone I’m sure XD. I loved the Hero of Time before I even got into LU. His tragic tale struck me as so interesting and heart wrenching. Getting into LU pretty much sealed the deal. He’s just such a great character. He’s through so much yet he’s still kind and tries to be the best leader he can be. I mean, this is the guy who stuck around after his death to train his ancestor cause he felt bad about leaving Hyrule without a hero (and also because he regretted being forgotten. HELLO ANGST). Plus, he’s a major gremlin imo. Just a hidden one lol

Warriors. The captain was actually the Link who got me interested in LU. I read @skyward-floored ‘s fic “Up in Arms” and fell in love with him. I’m naturally attracted to snarky, confident characters with a traumatic backstory and secret soft side (Flynn Ryder was my high school crush if that tells you anything XD) so it was kinda a given I’d love this guy lol. I’ll admit my first read through of LU was mainly me fangirling over him and analyzing his every appearance. (Not that that’s changed much).

Legend. He’s tied with Warriors for second tbh. But since I’ve gotta list them all out I’ll just place him in third. I hadn’t played any of Legend’s games when I got into LU but right after getting attached to Warriors, I got attached to him. Largely because to me he’s extremely relatable. He’s also multilayered in the best way. A soft sweetheart beneath all that snark he tries to hide behind.

Sky. I love Sky for pretty much the same reason as Legend. He’s relatable. Very much so XD. And also more complex than I think he often gets credit for. Beneath the calm, sleepy nice guy demeanor he’s got going on is a fierce warrior who’s been to hell and back for the person he loves. And would do it all again. He fought a GOD for goodness sake! He’s freaking awesome!! Also, Skyward Sword is my favorite Loz game so there’s that too. Plus, him and Sun? Chef’s kiss. Couple goals

Twilight. The older sibling thing endears him to me a lot. He carries a large burden and always has. Plus, his love for animals, gentle heart, and the way he brought down Midna’s walls with his kindness just makes me love him. Who can’t like a guy who rambles about Ordon goats and carries kittens like babies??

Wild. He is widely liked so for me that puts him farther down the list just because I kinda get tired of seeing endless content for him lol. But still. I love him very much. I mean, wild child with a traumatic past, memory issues, a mischievous and snarky side no one sees coming and a fierce love for his friends? YES PLEASE. Also he has long hair.

Four. Since I came into the fandom right around the time when that comic was posted I’ve always been a bit hesitant to write him. But he’s grown on me a lot lately. I actually had fun torturing him for whumptober XD He’s got an intriguing personality and I hope to see more of him in future LU updates.

Wind. I love this little dude A LOT. But I’ve never truly been able to get super invested in characters who are canonically much younger than me. Plus he is just SO HARD for me to write. So while I find his personality adorable and his dynamic with the other Links great, I can’t help putting him farther down on the list.

Hyrule. I like him, really I do. But I just can’t get as invested in him and his story as much as the other Links. I’m not sure why tbh

[cimeret]

I seem to have a thing for tragic "old soul" characters who end up trapped on desert planets in a binary star system, who are made for infinite sadness, and who are legendary fighters but would rather not fight. Also, there should be an evil brother figure and metal limbs, please!

Anyway, this is about Trigun Stampede. I'm so hyped for the new series. Time again for Deep Space Planet Future Gun Action!

Spoilers for the new and old anime under the cut.

I went in intending to like it, and I was not disappointed! The old anime has a special place in my heart. When I first watched it, I was at a really low point in my life, and I could so relate to the struggles of the characters who find themselves in these perceived hopeless and often unfair situations, having to decide what is the morally right thing to do. The new anime can't capture that (yet?), but it's only been four episodes, Wolfwood has just joined the squad, and Knives has been very effectively established as a threat. It feels like most of the characters are now on stage and the plot can truly unfold!

Even if it doesn't become the emotional spectacle I'm hoping for, this anime is worth watching for its visuals alone. I wasn't prepared to love the CGI so much. At the latest, Hōseki no Kuni convinced me that CGI can work well in anime. How I wish Disney would take inspiration from this regarding its computer-animated movies and try to recapture the traditional 2D look this way. Especially for the action scenes, the CGI feels perfect and creates pictures that are just jaw-droppingly stunning and beautiful to look at. The moment when Wolfwood whipped out his Punisher? Perfection. (Wolfwood in general is such a mood, he just adds so much to the series)

(Just look at this gorgeous gif made by genorium)

It took me a bit to get used to the new character designs. Looking at Vash and Meryl makes me feel so old, haha! But I like them. Vash's prosthetic arm looks beautiful. At first, I wished it wasn't so obvious because I felt it would make the gun reveal more of a surprise. But I think older viewers know the arm is a gun anyway, new viewers will still be surprised by the reveal, and anything along the lines of "omg, the shock, my arm is actually a prosthetic and not flesh and blood, isn't it tragic??" feels outdated these days. Don't need it.

Once again, however, I have a problem with the directing. It's not so much the overall pacing, it's more some small details or how certain scenes are set up. A lot of it just feels cold to me, a bit detached and stiff. It's hard to describe. Shots that linger too long or not long enough to really work. Music that swells or fades in the wrong places. Sometimes the characters don't react at all or react inappropriately to things that are happening. For example, in ep. 3, Meryl's and Roberto's reactions to the destruction of the city or to Tonis' injury. It's a lot better in ep. 4, so either it's a conscious part of the style and I'm getting used to it, or it's not as noticeable in this episode. The many discussions and banter between the characters also helped create a nice flow between scenes.

This is only partly related to the new series, but I adore Vash as a character so much. All the emotion and the softness and the big, pretty eyes, but he is also badass and guns and just so physical as a hero, and then there's his wackiness that is mostly portrayed as annoying rather than cute or endearing. It's a lovely combination and never feels forced. I don't mind that he's less goofy in the new series and that he doesn't chase women; especially the latter has always bugged me in the old series, but unfortunately, it's standard for many male anime heroes. As a result, Vash seems more serious and tragic in the new anime but the new dynamic that unfolds when Wolfwood joins in ep. 4 helps make him seem less melancholy. Compared to ep. 3 with the destruction of Jeneora Rock, the last one was less dark and even had a bit of humor, which is necessary and good. I want to see Knives try and break Vash, and for that to really have an impact on the viewer, we need to see all the beautiful moments and his connection with the humans he wants to protect.

(wearing shades in the club, yo!)

I like that they don't hold back on the weird and gory stuff. Severed limbs and spurting blood, yay! And everything about how they handled Knives so far is great! He's such a dramatic creep, I love it! Zazie, too! Their new design looks awesome and I can't wait to see more of them. The scenes in ep. 4 inside the worm were all great, the goo, the slight horror vibes, characters crawling around in dark, cramped spaces, Wolfwood eating bugs ... good stuff!

I'm slowly warming up to Roberto and his dynamic with Meryl. Although from a narrative point of view, I still don't understand why they swapped Milly for another character. What's the idea? Aside from liking Milly per se, I also found Meryl more interesting when she could play off of Milly and her contrasting sweet personality. The relationship between Meryl and Roberto feels so generic, and so far I don't think it offers much to the story. I'm also not completely on board with Meryl as a journalist. Hm. We'll have to see how things progress. In general, though, I'm quite optimistic about this series. I only hope they slow down the pace a bit in the coming episodes and leave room for some strong character moments. So far, the nostalgia factor and my fanfiction brain are helping me get over the fact that the series takes less time to develop the characters in favor of pushing the plot and creating mysteries. I still have no idea how many episodes there will be, so theoretically anything is possible.