#maybe they'll make some characters look older in the live action

[onepiece-polls]

Several older actors than characters submissions probably come from me. I have terrible memory, including for famous people, so the ones I know are the ones I've seen my whole life, which are now old, as I'm not that young anymore 😂😅

I'm convinced it's not just one person who submitted them, though! Sometimes I just see an actor I know and go like 'that character is not THAT old 😂' or sometimes it happens when I check the picture of an actor I don't know.

[tossawary]

One of my other strongest hopes for future seasons of the live-action "One Piece" is (and I am aware that this is hugely subjective, feel free to disagree) that I kind of hope Chopper is actually a youngish and short actor in make-up (with CGI touchups? whatever the fishmen had going on) rather than a fully CGI creature.

I mean, I won't mind if Chopper is a CGI creature. I thought that the special effects in OPLA were overall pretty good. The News Coo was very cute. The Sea King was fun. But most of the time, the show was real people interacting with other real people, and I thought that this atmosphere was hugely beneficial to this adaptation. I think that they'll probably do a pretty good job if Chopper is a mostly CGI creature, it's definitely doable, but I also think having a much more expressive and reactive speaking character around constantly and casually is much more difficult (and expensive) than a silent, blank-faced bird present for a few minutes, and I would rather have more Chopper than less Chopper if redesigning him to be more humanoid would give us that. (He can be fully CGI during transformations, obviously.) I really like seeing these actors inhabit these characters! I've seen some really cool Chopper cosplays.

My other argument towards making Chopper more of a human in reindeer make-up is that, while I think adorable babyish Chopper is extremely cute and the humor of him being so small and cute most of the time (while being a very talented doctor and able to transform into more beastly forms) is funny, I would... also like to see Chopper taken more seriously as a teenager and as a character. I think fandom, and maybe the story itself, has a tendency to give Chopper less attention because he does seem to fit more of a funny mascot appearance. (I also saw a Chopper post-time-skip redesign that made him more a lanky teen, both more like a human and more like a reindeer, and I liked it a lot more than how he apparently became even shorter. And it made him being mistaken for a tanuki even funnier.) I don't think anything truly important about Chopper's character will be ruined if he's allowed to look a little older and be a little taller. He's fifteen years old!

If we end up with Canonical Babyish Chopper, identical to the manga, that'll be fine! But I will think it's a missed opportunity for the live-action show not to explore and present a different side of Chopper's character, to an audience who might take him more seriously as a hero and as a person if he's allowed to appear more like a humanoid reindeer and another teenager / young adult crew member, rather than looking like a gag character. Yes, ideally, we SHOULD all take Chopper seriously even if he looks like a gag character, but I think the reality is that a lot of people don't.

[tacobellabeanburrito]

Hopes for TDI (2023) Season 2!

I've been a Total Drama fan since I was a very young kid, probably too young to be watching the show to be honest. But I loved it with all my heart, and I've recently gotten back into it with the new season dropping (I didn't watch it when it first came out because I just wasn't interested in TD anymore) But I watched it and it was so good! Not great, could use some work and some more concrete teen stereotypes, and could've used more character development (They'll probably do that with the second season though). Anyway, here are my hopes and predictions about season 2!

Caleb will be sort of a main antagonist like Justin was in season 2. I think this is such an interesting concept, and could be done really well (Justin's was done fine, but I never thought of him as a main villain. He just seemed like a jerk). But I think Caleb becoming a bit of a villain would be super cool and with these new TD writers, it could be done amazingly well. It also makes sense since he was voted off first and would totally want revenge.

Some of the older cast members will mentor the newer ones. I love this idea so much! There is so much potential with this, and with Noah in the Ridiculous Race talking about how he and Owen were asked to come back to what we all presumed was a new Total Drama season, I think it would be cool to have them come back as mentors for the others. The dynamics would be killer, especially since the old cast are in their 30s now and would be so confused at all of the Gen Z slang. It would also just be nice to see the old cast interact as adults, even if just a little bit. I would literally kill to see Julia and Heather interact, even though Heather has probably mellowed out since her time on the island. Owen and Zee would be totally be besties. I also think it’d be cool to see some of the old contestants talk to the newer ones about how fame kind of ruined their lives and how they don’t want them to make the same mistakes. Truly, nobody else is the villain here aside from Chris. We have to keep in mind these people are teenagers, practically kids.

Although I don't think it would happen based on the supposed leaks of season 2 shown, I would really like for the campers to do an Action season. There's so many more movie genres they could do! Or maybe they could do another out the deep end kind of season? I don't know, not that I don't love the Island season, but I have to say, Action has one of my favorite concepts and character interactions. And it’s nice to be back to the classics, even though it wasn’t that classic. But it’s a good start for a reboot.

I really hope we get new characters, 16 is fine since it gives us time to really see all the characters in action and meet them (Although it still feels like the season went way to fast and character development went a little too fast) But I would love to get some new characters, like how Alejandro and Sierra got put into the cast. Maybe it'll happen a little later, but I hope it actually does happen. I also just hope that the characters we get be more unique teen stereotypes, I mean, how have we not gotten a theater kid or band kid? Easy pickings (Ella doesn't count for theater, nobody liked TDPAI and theater kids aren't like Disney Princesses)

Sincerely hope we get more character dynamics and character interactions. Everyone feels a little underdeveloped. I know, I know, 13 episode season, but still. It all just feels like the cast isn't as close as they once were in the og TDI. It's definitely better than it's been. But I seriously want more interactions with characters who would never interact! That's what the whole og show was about anyway, making teenagers who would barely look at each other in the hallways if they went to school together, interact!

I really hope we get some new Aftermath show. It’d be so much fun! It just be a few episodes per season, but I think it’d be sweet. Bridgette and Geoff would so still have to host it, and some of the older contestants could be there too as peanut gallery! But it’d be nice to just see how everyone is doing and have them interact with the newer cast in a more realistic way.

[innocentgoblin]

CAMPFIRES & VAMPIRES!

Camps & Vamps is a new TTRPG I am working on! I want to give you the first sneak peak at this game, it's mechanics, what it should play like, what I am excited about, and a few ideas I am playing with!

Before I say anything, LOOK AT THAT GIF!!!

regal_bones is an actual genius and commissioning her on this was such a great experience! So please check out her amazing stuff!

Campfires & Vampires has been heavily inspired by Gothic Horror, the inner conflict between two sides of oneself that either results in the acceptance of both sides or utter distress as they deny half of themselves.

As the name suggests, Camps & Vamps is a TTRPg where you get to play as Vampires in a number of settings, each bringing their own setting, lore, and additional mechanics. I don't want to go to into the settings I have planned so instead I'm just going to leave this picture here

STATS

Campfires & Vampires will only include two stats: Human and Monster These stats will change and adapt as you play, reflecting your character's evolving actions and morality on their journey. As one stat rises, the other lowers an equal amount.

DISTRESS & INNER CONFLICTS

If your stats reach 23/1 in your stats, your character falls into Distress. You gain a major negative trait as your character deals with whatever Inner Conflict is driving them

CHARACTERS

Everyone wants to make an amazing Vampire and with Camps & Vamps we have made 3 major 'archetypes' these are mainly to allow you to pick your starting stat ranges and what that would mean for the character. These archetypes are Temperance Traditional Turned

Temperance Vampires try to keep themselves as human as they can, they don't like to embrace their monstrous side. Many refuse to drink Human blood, instead turning to various indulgences to keep them from faltering on that oath.

Traditional Vampires are charismatic, charming, well dressed and alluring. They tap into both their Human and Monster sides and tend to be more well adjusted. Older Traditional Vampires can get very into their own lore and enjoy playing up the various Vampiric myths

Turned Vampires have truly embraced their monstrous side. Many have lived for such a long time they have grown detached to the Humanity they once clung to. Turned Vampires often have a more animalistic form, their ears more bat-like, their skin more leathery

ABILITIES

You can't be a true Vampire without a bunch of strange and wonderful abilities! Whether you want massive claws, to turn into an animal, mind control, innate charm and straight up immortality, this game has you covered!

CHARM

Vamps are innately charming and in Camps & Vamps, you have the ability to make people charmed by you or to manipulate and use it for selfish reasons. But you have to be careful, if their Charm for you goes below 0, they can become erratic, scared, or outright hostile

FEAR

On the opposite of Charm, every action you make impacts the settlements you are in. acting against the people in that settlement could raise its fear level. The more Fear the area has, the more they less they will trust you and the more erratic and dangerous they'll become

FAMILIARS

Not much to say here, you can have a Familiar, a thrall and other such helpers! You can also choose to reward them with the ever hunted for conversion whenever you want!

COMBAT

This was one area I wanted to get right! Combat in this game is quick, dangerous, and potentially deadly! Each hit is felt as you fight for your lives!

With a game that is so focused on morality, major safety tools will be included, and I am considering commissioning someone to help me flesh that out and ensure it is perfect! Also if anyone doesn't like the idea of those safety, maybe this isn't the game for you.

I am also hoping to put this on kickstarter so I can commission some amazing artist to bring life to the game! And hopefully even commissioning some of the amazing game designers and homebrewers of the community to help flesh out the game in whatever ways they are inspired to do so But I am 100% getting ahead of myself!

So, if you read this far - thank you! What part of Campfires & Vampires is catching your interest? What kind of Vampire would you play? And which of the setting names is getting you hyped?

[juanabaloo]

First Killl! Here's my live (ish) blog of E07 "First Goodbye."

the english captions on this are so bad. Netflix do better.

Ben and Cal and a bunch of students are questioned by the cops. This is so so bad. No! Don't talk to cops. And if you ever do, never talk to them alone. At least Cal says: "where I come from police can't question a minor without an adult present." and then she leaves, not asking for permission. Cops want you to think you have to stay, even when you are not detained. Fuck cops. ACAB.

they got the whitest looking Latino guy to be the "spanish speaking character with 20 seconds of screen time." *eyeroll*

Both J and C end up surprising their parents by bringing the other to their home in this episode. Both parents are NOT into it, but eventually come around to not actively killing the girlfriend. I like that the show makes it clear the parents have zero issue with their queerness. (Cal explains her family is fine with it, and Juliette's sister was good with it.) The problem is the whole vampire - hunter thing.

Yay! Cal's parents are very supportive re the bad watcher guy that Juliette ended up killing. And then both of Cal's parents are in super protective mode when the terrible Guild people show up. The Guild is like the Watcher's Council (from BTVS) but more diverse, more competent, and not British. Fuck 'em. Funny that the one Guild woman is possibly an ex of Jack's.

It feels very real that Juliette makes this off-hand joke about Cal being a monster in the car to a cop and that spirals into the mob looking for Cal. Even the cop snidely remarks on Juliette's privilege in making the joke. The monster checkpoints only seem to work for vampires since they use silver. (see police aren't good for anything!)

Oliver makes another appearance. I def don't trust him. Apparently Sebastian is a ghoul, whatever that means. He's now stronger? They fight but Oliver leaves in the end.

The MAAM group, led by Bunny, is still dismissed by the show. Desperate Housewives, Lululemon lunatics. LOL that Bunny, the only southern accented character, is listening to Shania Twain's "Man I Feel Like a Woman." Shania has a fake country accent and this song was a big country crossover hit. It's a catchy tune with a laughable "we're rebelling against restrictions" vibe. Huh.

Uh. Theo! Here's a gif from earlier where he lies to protect Cal. He feels alone about his mom-trauma-flashbacks so he isolates himself. Nooooo. I love love love the scene where Talia agrees to "leave him alone" (meaning stop trying to talk about it) but then gives him a huge hug, which he gladly accepts. But..... the episode ends and after Apollo accidentally stabs him it seems like maybe he's dead? Or very badly injured??

Apollo and Elinor, who met before, end up making out in the bar bathroom. This clearly ends badly with the stabbing, and she mind melds both Apollo and Theo so they forget what happened. She doesn't seem sad or concerned at all. I DO buy A and E as a potential couple. A and E fit together, the way they act and their personality, and I feel like they are well matched looks-wise. Note E admits "I always fall for the stupid ones" meaning she was falling for A. But getting him to stab his brother is not a good move for any sort of budding relationship or even hookup.

After Ben explains the mob is looking for Cal, Margot tries to kick Cal out. Cal correctly explains why that's a bad idea. That's twice now Cal outsmarts the supposed older wiser adult. (First with the cops and now with Margot.) Go Cal!!

LOL at Margot with the "mismatched furniture" line.

And then J feels scared about the intent of the hunter family, which hmmmm. I guess their actions the night of her Debutante Ball are just now hitting her? Anyway, I can forgive it bc of the great moment with J and C.

awwwww. OK, last episode tomorrow. Lots of stuff for them to wrap up. I assume they'll leave some stuff dangling and hope for a S2.

[whattimeisitintokyo]

Tiger and Bunny Season 2- The Good and the Bad

The Good

1. New Heroes

Yeah, it tends to restrict the amount of screen-time a lot of our old favorites get, but this is a reality TV show and new cast members are expected to come in. At least no one got fired to make room for the new. And it leaves a large groupe with an even number of heroes, which leads toooo-

2. The Buddy System

Obviously a show gimmick that was brought on due to the success of Wild Tiger and Barnaby, but it adds to the relationships between the heroes. Former rivals now paired up in an order you'd least expect: Sky High and Fire Emblem? Blue Rose and Golden Ryan?

It goes from them being kind of awkward around each other while trying to form a good system of teamwork out in the field, to genuinely caring about each other and learning new stuff about them that they had never known before.

3. Chubby Agnes

Why did she gain weight? I dunno.

Maybe she's depressed, maybe she's just more comfortable with eating more, maybe she's got a new beau who loves to cook, maybe it's because she's getting older and her metabolism isn't as strong as it was (I don't know her age).

I remember that the creator originally didn't want her to be the standard beauty, maybe he's finally getting his wish? Or maybe there is no reason and it's just the scientific fact that weight fluctuates all the time.

I'm sure they'll explain it once the second half of the season comes, but for right now there doesn't need to be a reason. She's still the same Agnes who's great at her job and obsessed with ratings.

4. Fugan and Mugan

God, they were creepy. They seemed to be age appropriate kids back in their youth, but I guess being raised by Ouroboros really stunts your emotional growth.

5. ROCK BISON

FINALLY he is treated like an actual veteran super hero and not like a joke side character. He is still a bumbling alky, yeah, but he has wisdom and courage and kept the younger heroes out of harms way by throwing them off a skyscraper.

And he brought everyone burritos. That's a plus one in my book.

6. Golden Ryan

How does a cocky, fame-hungry hero feel after being hurt and betrayed by their own teammates? A lot more humbly, I must say.

After The Rising, Ryan was bought by some billionaire to be a part of his own super-hero team. It did not go well and now he is back in Sternbild as Blue Rose's partner. The very thought of being abandoned again when he thinks Karina wants to be Kotetsu's partner actually brings tears to his eyes, the poor thing.

I liked cocky Ryan from before, and I like annoying older brother Ryan as well.

THE BAD

1. Mr. Black

I'M A GOOD HERO! NOTICE ME, LISTEN TO MY ADVISE. I'M THE BEST, I DESERVE THE SPOTLIGHT!!!!

No.

You've damaged yourself enough both in-universe and with me, you're gonna need to do a lot more to make up for it. Or else you can make like a Subaru and ride on out of here.

2. Too cutesy

The more I look back on the first season as well, I just don't feel like the slice-of-life storylines fit in well with a crime-fighting show.

Yes, people have normal lives outside of their much grimmer working environment, but which storyline would you rather follow in a superhero show that's built on action and suspense?

A. Ouroboros returning, twin NEXTS are exterminating heroes and illegal drug manufacturing.

or

B. You made fun of my name, WAAH!

These cutesy stories made up for half of the whole chunk of episodes. I get it's to establish new relationships, but the conflicts are so petty and easy to resolve for even children, let alone professional heroes.

It also clashes in tone with the VERY graphic and bloody finale, in my opinion.

3. Toilet Paper Small Breeze

This moment was so baffling stupid that I had to pause the show and question, "Why are these adult men arguing over something so silly?!" and "Did I seriously wait 11 years for this quality dialogue?"

Also, Ivan? The name doesn't really flow off the tongue, dear.

4. The Animation

I was iffy about the CG costumes for the first season (especially Fire Emblem), but now they use CG costumes for the girls and Fugan and Mugan? *gag*

And not all the time too. One second they're 2D, and the next they're 3D. I think it's fine to use the CG models for fight scenes, but sometimes they're being used for simple dialogue shots. It's jarring.

But I guess it's better than the chicken scratch 2D that some scenes had. This was an issue in the first season, but it's been 11 years since then and you've had years since the announcement of the new season to work on it! And nothing has been improved!

I know animation is hard, but more time should have been put in polishing and cleanup.

5. Barely any Tiger and Bunny

Most of this half of the season was either them standing off to the side commentating on the new partnerships around them fumbling, trying and failing to go out on a date go get drinks, and Barnaby being in a coma for 10 days.

Here's hoping that they get more focus in their own show for the rest of the season, and I hope Kotetsu watered Barnaby's jungle plants during his time in the hospital.

[phoenixdnasty]

The Problem with Season Five

this is already going to have a lot of you in the replies yelling at me. obviously, massive SPOILERS for s5 of she ra and the princesses of power if you haven't already seen it.

okay, so She Ra is definitely a kids' show, but it has a lot of themes aimed towards an older audience: abuse, war, found family, destiny and knowing who you are. I loved She Ra because it made me feel empowered, made me feel seen. after this last season, however, I don't feel the same. I will, however, talk about what it did well.

What She-Ra s5 did RIGHT

I very much enjoyed seeing the character development for most characters come to the forefront here. For example, SW returned to her original motivations. When she lived in Mystacor with the other sorcerers, her thirst for power was borne of a desire to fight the Horde. When she was rejected, then she chose to do what she did. We see a return to that in s5, where she takes a stand against Prime by enlisting Castaspella to stop her if she tries to take any power for herself. She ends up just wanting to help, to do what she can, which was excellent. Glimmer, Bow and a bunch of other characters are given some love here as well. I especially enjoyed seeing Bow and Mermista take on leadership positions in the absence of Adora; it was an excellent look into another facet of their personalities.

Character interactions in non-serious moments were, for the most part, good. Swift Wind and Scorpia being bros was not something I knew I needed but something I want more of. Netossa basically being Batman and knowing the weaknesses of everyone around her was great and an iconic scene. Bow thinking Catra was super adorable was also an excellent moment in the season and I could watch 9 more seasons worth of that. Something that surprised me was Entrapta's "not good with people"-ness being talked about and addressed by the other characters and explained by her; I wasn't sure if that was ever gonna be talked about in the show.

Side note: thank you Crew-Ra for giving Scorpia her own musical number, it was great.

Prime was also a fascinating enemy. He's this sort of religious figure, this world destroyer who's been around for seemingly centuries, maybe much longer. He's cold, calm and calculated. I've seen it pointed out that he's everything Hordak is not. He's manipulative, knows body language and facial expressions, and has a perfect grasp on how to get exactly what we wants. My favorite aspect of this season was the hive mind control. This was a very interesting plotline to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed HiveMind!Catra as well as Wrong Hordak. I loved the idea of pitting allies against each other and the angst and emotional weight that carried.

Going to use that point to segue into one of this season's strengths: Netossa and Spinnerella. Wow! We get a chance to see what a healthy queer/wlw relationship looks like, and two background characters get major upgrades in relevance. Two diversity points for one being a big girl and for the couple being interracial (in our world anyway), but diversity is the norm is SPOP and we might have to stan forever. It was extremely heartwarming and resulted in one of my favorite scenes to ever show up in animated media (one which I'll be stealing to add to my vows if I ever get married):

It was beautiful and I will absolutely never shut up about it.

There were some beautiful moments this season!! Absolutely gorgeous. A highlight for me cinematically was episode 5, which will probably bother some people when I say what I will below. I will be honest, the new transformation sequence and the scene of Adora holding Catra as She-Ra was powerful and had my heart pounding with excitement. It was awesome.

On the other hand...

What She-Ra s5 did WRONG

I'm going to break my issues with the final season down one by one, starting with the narrative of abuse.

From the very beginning, abuse is the most prevalent theme in the show. Prime (HP) abuses Hordak, Hordak abuses SW, SW abuses both Adora and Catra, and Catra abuses Adora. I liked the Crew-Ra tackling this issue. Abused people abuse people, right?

Why was everyone redeemed in s5? (Well, except for Prime, he was blasted away by She-Ra.) Hordak was given a blank slate to start over, even though he was the reason Etheria was war torn for at least a few decades; SW was given a hero's sacrifice, where at the end of her life she finally decides to do some good; and Catra is immediately forgiven for doing one good thing and all trust in placed in her simultaneously.

Hordak and H. Prime as abusers are pretty cut and dry; at no point are they ever remorseful for their actions, except for Hordak in the case of being abusive to Entrapta. SW is much more of an interesting character to analyze, because her motivations are geared directly towards herself. This seems to change in the final season, when she returns to her original motivations from back when she was in Mystacor. Defending her home. In her pursuit of the power needed to defend Etheria from the Horde, she fell into darkness. She began to abuse Adora and Catra.

One could argue that the hero's sacrifice she was given for redemption was unneeded. SW was an individual addicted to power. She was manipulative, using fake affection as a means to control. She didn't deserve a redemption. The only evidence we have of this supposed change of heart is a line to Castaspella: "...and stop me if I try to take the power for myself." Okay... so, SW, um... what changed your mind? Was it Micah? Because at no point has he forgiven you. In fact, there should've been much more hostility between the two of you (which is a point I'll address in a moment). In all honesty, the relationship between SW and Micah reminds me of what should've happened between Catra and Glimmer, or Catra and Scorpia.

And Catra... My problem with her story is that she was kinda just... forgiven? instantly. no repercussions, no long talks about feelings, no... consequences. Catra got the girl and that was it. A small list of things she did over 4 seasons, in no certain order:

Scratched what was implied were scarring marks down Adora's back

Was the cause of Angella's "death" #angelladeservedbetter

Kidnapped both Glimmer and Bow

Opened a world-ending portal all to ensure Adora failed

Also pushed Adora into what looked like an abyss

Verbally abused Scorpia into leaving

Wanted to pit Corrupted!She-Ra against her friends (dehumanization)

Got Entrapta sent to Beast Island, a deadly place no one ever returns from

And this is just the stuff off the top of my head. We all knew Catra was going to get a redemption, but this one was completely undeserved. She apologized to Adora and Entrapta. Two very short apologies for what canonly was at minimum, months of abuse, manipulation, intent to kill (which is literally mentioned by Adora) and general disregard for anyone or anything but revenge for something that didn't even deserve it. The entire cast should've been outraged. Glimmer in particular had a very big reason not to ever forgive Catra ("I'm not losing another parent!"), but it was all glossed over.

The biggest issue with season 5 was the abuse plotline completely dropped. You can't spend 4 seasons explaining how the cycle of abuse affects you and everyone around you... and shelve it. And we know the reason why it was shelved.

Let me first preface this with the fact that I am super happy we got representation. As a queer nblw who grew up feeling alone, it's so good to see things changing in media. An onscreen wlw kiss on a kids' show is groundbreaking and I'm very happy that She-Ra broke this barrier.

But all representation is not good representation. Catra and Adora is not a good representation of a healthy relationship.

Catra is shown throughout the series to be very unstable. This is even prevalent in season 5, when Adora "chooses SW" over Catra, she runs away. This breaks Adora's heart. The last thing that Catra needs is a relationship when she hasn't even confronted the issues that she has. There's no healing done in season 5, no therapy as the fandom loved to meme about, no long talks about forgiveness and the hurt caused. There's no callback to any of the pain and anguish that Catra put Adora through. Catra may love Adora, but if there is no healing done for the both of them, their relationship will fail. They will fall into the same cycle again. Adora will do something Catra doesn't like, Catra will do what she's done for all of the show, and it will repeat until something breaks.

I'm going to talk about the implications of the ending we have now, and feel free to argue with me.

She-Ra is a kids' show. Abuse is one of the main themes. Catra is shown to be an abuser. Here's what we are teaching younger audiences:

a. if you love someone enough, maybe they'll change

b. everyone deserves a second chance

c. your abuser will change as long as you're loyal and never stop trying to love them

d. things someone does to hurt you mean nothing in the wake of forgiveness

e. if someone who hurt you changes suddenly and wants to be back in your life, you should let them back in

Character interactions for the things that mattered (plot threads from previous seasons, general personality clashes, etc) were absent this season, in the moments where they mattered the most. (The best three in my opinion were Scorpia and Perfuma, the BFS inviting Catra in, and Mermista and Entrapta.) Glimmer and Adora should've had their time to talk. Scorpia should've gotten to say her piece to Catra. SW and Micah should've interacted more. Micah and Glimmer should've gotten more than an introduction!

I'm not going to get into how the entire final season was wrapped around making Catra and Adora get together (a fundamental writing no-no; it never ends up working), or how it was bad writing. I just want everyone to think critically for one moment. There are so many other glaring issues in what was, overall, a stellar show. If there was another season, or some mini episodes where the characters talk out their problems and past transgressions against each other, then I could excuse She-Ra. But I doubt we're going to get any of that. So I won't.

[magnusgoetia]

Transcript of a Sinner’s Conversation: A Meeting with Caecus

--Begin (In Medias Res)--

Sinner: You kiddin'? Dyin' was the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Caecus: There’s nothing you left behind? No family to miss?

Sinner: My family? Fuck 'em, I'd ‘ave hired 'elp to kill 'em already if it meant they'd be dead-dead, and I wouldn't have to spend time wiv 'em down 'ere. It wouldn't be right for me to force this on my friends either, but they'll be 'ere in due time anyway. I can wait.

Caecus: So, you’re expecting your friends to join you here as well. The wait must be awfully lonely.

Sinner: Ah, not really. I’ve made friends while I’m ‘ere. The shit I can do ‘ere is like, fucking magic and with it I can make up for what I lack in a lot of different ways. Just wish I could remember how I ‘ad died.

Caecus: Maybe it’s better not to remember… Not all of us intended to be here, after all.

Sinner: No. No, perhaps it’s best not to remember. I quickly found out that it's not just evil folks that end up here, lots of good folks, plenty of weird ones too. I'm sensing you’re of the “gooder” ones, you radiate...well, it’s 'ard to describe, but I don't sense any hostility from you at the very least, even though you were born ‘ere.

Caecus: How amiable of you. But remember, a birth is just a new beginning of sorts. You couldn’t have been alone since you were… delivered to us.

Sinner: Ah, you’re a poetic type aren’t ya? Anyway, I’ve not made many friends but I do ‘ave a particular fondness for this one clown...me an' 'im seem to 'ave this weird connection wiv each other. Actually, he's more of a jester type, though rather embarrassingly his name escapes me...

Caecus: Are you, by chance, referring to an imp named Blocko?

Sinner: Yeah, don’t surprise me you know ‘im. He seems like the type to ‘ave a particular reputation.

Caecus: That he does, and yet a divine will connects us. I’m being led to believe your intriguing appearance has an even more… intriguing history.

Sinner: Riiiight...Well, you know what they say about skeletons and closets. Though I suppose I ‘ave nothing to hide ‘ere...Well, to put it simply, I was a broken kid. I never got help, and I did... unspeakable things to anyone who ‘ad wronged me—or simply didn't like.

Caecus: Even the purest of souls can be corrupted by another’s sins.

Sinner: Yeah...Well, it's not like I'll stop doin’ what I did while I was alive, with all that murder and hedonism. Though death has a way of humbling some people...In any case, the murders mostly stopped as I grew older. I seemed to have preferred to just traumatise people instead, ruin lives of the people I saw as bad or evil.

Caecus: Then you found a different punishment for those you had judged.

Sinner: I suppose so. A lot of it involved me spying on groups of people. I'd worm my way into the seedy societies that thought they were safe in their little circles and collect dirt on them. Really sick shit too by the way but don’t worry, the hypocrisy wasn’t lost on me either.

Caecus: Oh? You judged yourself a hypocrite yet continued along a path of self-appointed righteousness... Why?

Sinner: I don’t know, maybe a sense of catharsis? A lot of these were people who I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about killing or whatever. Sometimes it was more personal too, there were—still are people I am attached to up there that got hurt, and I took my revenge on them in their place.

Caecus: Ahh, how noble. Fighting for your friends.

Sinner: Yeah, there was this one particular bastard. Actually, there were a few…but…eh, nevermind…this one particular guy who was essentially lying to one of these “friends” and caused them a psychotic breakdown. I didn’t take action right away, but I did end up killing ‘im. Didn’t even bother hiding the fact it was a murder.

Caecus: What made you wait?

Sinner: Money, mostly. It makes the world up there spin, and you need a lot of it to get anything done, right? Well, I ‘ad to wait until I ‘ad enough money to fly to the states on top of all that shit involved in immigratin’. When I settled in, that’s when I made my move on a buncha grudges. This guy was just the first. Moving to the states made my life a lot easier in some ways. Was a lot easier to sleep when I took care of the grudges too.

Caecus: Oh, wow. You must have had remarkable resolve to keep a “grudge” that long… Tell me, did all of them truly deserve it?

Sinner: No, most didn’t, but I am…was, an angry person. I found I was very much capable of venting my anger, to put it mildly, and I was much too young when I had...shall we say...discovered it.

Caecus: Young minds are impressionable.

Sinner: Right, and the fact that I was generally good at getting away with it made me feel just that little bit better about it.

Caecus: So, you exploited that validation to continue justifying your actions. Most sinners in your position never reach awareness...

Sinner: Yeah? I’ll take that as a compliment, but I was totally emotionally disconnected when committing my crimes. Afterwards I pretty much always dealt with conflict. Cognitive dissonance is a bitch. Though I had largely stopped my ways. I’m ‘aving way too much fun down ‘ere, and even though I won’t drag ‘em down here with me, I’d love to have my friends join me eventually.

Caecus: Would they be pleased being here, embrace this existence like you have?

Sinner: I dunno, some of them have a hard enough time as it is with one existence, I doubt they’ll be too happy to find out there’s another waitin’ for ‘em. The others I’d imagine would be quite surprised all the same, being atheists and such, but I reckon they’d come to like it.

Caecus: An existence you cannot escape is itself a prison. Albeit, choosing to enjoy it in spite of that perspective is a marvelous thing. If you could imagine them in your presence, what would you do?

Sinner: Again, I dunno. It’s hard to tell when they’re not here yet but I am somewhat interested in what’ll end up happening should they get here. I dunno if I’ll be able to tell if it’s them even.

Caecus: And how do you dare to enjoy existence now?

Sinner: Well, I’ve been doing everything I’ve ever wanted to do but could never do in life amongst other things. It’s kinda embarrassing, but I played a bunch of video games, so I miss those quite a bit. I’ve found plenty of ways to fill that void though. Some of your movies are pretty sick down ‘ere, and importing goods from the other rings to ‘ere means I don’t miss out…mostly, on their fun too. I just wish I could explore the other rings; I don’t get why us sinners can’t.

Caecus: Decretum is often difficult to understand. However, it would seem a blessing that you’ve been placed with the multifarious company of the pride ring.

Sinner: True enough, whatever that means. There’s a lot of strip clubs, greedy businesses and shit, stuff you think you’d only find in the other rings. Though I think I probably would’ve ended up in wrath if we landed in the rings based on our sins.

Caecus: Most catechisms view wrath as an excessive anger. You strike me as having more control than the average sinner.

Sinner: A lot of people on the surface woulda said the same too, I was and I suppose still am really good at keeping it in check, well, good enough to not make it obvious anyway. Though it’s been a lot tougher down here.

Caecus: This is a realm of collective temptation, after all.

Sinner: My only judge here is myself and perhaps my peers if I let them. I still kill down here, but it’s been in self-defence. I don’t think I’ve killed anyone out of anger yet but let’s just say I’d feel sorry for the poor sod who happened to piss me off on a bad day.

Caecus: You’ve always been your own judge. I suspect the lack of good comparisons for your behavior here has coaxed you further.

Sinner: Actually, I could tell you about the first person I “killed” down here. It was soon after I woke up. I suppose this guy thought it’d be easy—fresh sinner, just in time to be another tally mark on some statistic.

Caecus: A second death, the lake of fire…

Sinner: Uh...yeah, I reacted on instinct and it musta been a sort of “kiss of death” type shit. I only touched the dude with my hand, and he just kinda…shrivelled up and died. You know…like when a cartoon character eats a lemo—ah sorry, you can’t watch TV.

Caecus: Ah, yes… a shrivelling death is nevertheless descriptive.

Sinner: Anyway, I have a bunch of other powers too but that one I’m most afraid of you know? I can drop the ambient temperature of an area so shit gets cold, have some form of telekinesis and a buncha other stuff, like I have some kinda control over this weird glowy energy, it’s how I have my eyes, which are purely for show, I don’t need them since I can see perfectly fine without ‘em...not that you’d know I even have ‘em.

Caecus: I’m aware you observe our world, in a traditional sense. My observations are just a bit more… unorthodox. And I feel as if your fear is not from a lack of understanding.

Sinner: Well I seem to have it under control, but I’m afraid in a moment of weakness I might react without thinking, you know? I’ve not had it happen yet, but it would be so easy when flippin’ out that I just give ‘em the ol’ touch of death.

Caecus: Even a king’s heart is just a stream of water to the hand of… fate.

Sinner: Gonna be honest, I haven’t the foggiest of what you just said. Though if I’m being honest myself, I couldn’t care less if it was someone I didn’t know anyway. Only really care about my friends and such. You seem pretty neat yourself.

Caecus: The impression is mutual. It’s not often that I’m seen as anything other than senseless and intimidating. I don’t find it unwarranted, granted; my appearance is as disconcerting as my psyche.

Sinner: How do you even know what you look like? It’s not like you can just look into a mirror.

Caecus: I was presented with a vision soon before I arrived, my last blessing I suppose… Regardless, my rebirth is a tale for another time. I’ve relished in your company long enough, and I must answer my calling. I’m sure our paths will converge again.

Sinner: Hey, I hope so too...uh....

Caecus: Please, call me Caecus.

Sinner: Well, it’s only polite to give you my name too. I go by many names here, but I am quite fond of “Mr. Death” as silly as it sounds.

Caecus: Silly, yes, but very becoming of you. A pleasure, Mr. Death.

Mr. Death:Well, don’t let me keep you. I’d like to see you again sometime, Caecus. I’ll take my leave.

Caecus: All in due time.

--End--