#they were all saturday morning cartoon villains

[morgenstern16]

Does the fact that Zephia raised a bunch of humans to serve as her family when she couldn’t have children of her own make her the dragon equivalent of a cat lady?

[showtoonzfan]

Now that the episode is out officially, here’s my rant review of Oops!

PROS:

- Fizz and Ozzie were adorable and I honestly love them. Despite the sex jokes, you can tell they love each other for who they are OUTSIDE of sex. While I did wish we would have seen more, (like how Ozzie took him in and fell in love) they’re still adorable to watch. They’re the better version of Stolitz, can the show be about them instead?

- Brandon’s voice acting holy shit, he really knows how to sound like he’s in tears or is broken. As much as I hate the character and feel no sympathy, he displayed genuine and broken emotion very well.

- Alex Brightman Alex Brightman

Okay that’s it. Moving on to the Cons. Bear with me, it’s a lot and I go back and forth a bit. 😭

CONS:

So for a quick short summary, this episode:

- Once again puts more focus on the filler plot rather than actually focusing on the relationships between the characters, so all we're left with is a 10 second clip of Fizz being burned while the rest of the episode is surrounded on sex jokes/petty bickering and Stolas and Ozzie sitting around.

- Completely erases what made Blitz and Fizz's dynamic interesting in the first place because it retcons it with a dumb miscommunication trope about how Fizz actually wanted to see Blitz and Blitz tried reaching out to him. Not only does this feel like a cheap attempt to make Blitz out to be sweet/sympathetic and NOT the one in the wrong so Fizz can suck up to him, but this also makes no sense within the narrative.

- Has Fizz forgive Blitz despite him being the last person anyone would think would forgive him. (So honestly ruins Fizz himself because it turned him into a soft boy who's forgiving compared to the asshole he was in Ozzie's) All because Viv would sell her whole soul before she even remotely considers painting characters like Blitz and Stolas out to be the one's in the wrong.

- Takes Stolas out of the hospital completely, erasing all the drama/tension Western Energy had and proves that that episode was utterly pointless.

- Turns Striker from an interesting complex villain to a Saturday morning cartoon goon.

- Proves to us that Crimson is just a flat tool and gives us more prove that the world building rules Viv set up in season 1 legit don't matter.

-Ruins Blitz/Barbie's feud now because now you're making Barbie look like the one in the wrong since the fire was an accident. God forbid a female characters emotions in this show are justified.

But if you want my more in depth rants, it’s under the cut! (There’s a lot so bear with me lol)

- As usual WAAY too many sex jokes and swearing. It gets annoying and repetitive at times and some of them distract from the main plot. There’s a long and I mean LONNG dragged out joke of Fizz talking about Ozzie’s dick, then later saying he’s hard when Striker has a gun to his head, as well as Blitz making a joke about him and Fizz making out once they hug. Again, Viv can’t be serious for 2 seconds without an unfunny shitty gag. I genuinely wonder if Hazbin is ganna be like this, where a character is in a life threatening situation or a deep dark serious scene happens only for the next scene to be sex related.

- This is one of those “shit happens because the plot demands it” and it shows. Crimson and Striker COINCIDENTLY meet up with each other, and Fizz and Blitz just so HAPPEN to be in the same exact area they are. Viv wonders why we call her shit a fanfic and this is what we mean, when she creates wild wacky plots and focuses more on THAT rather than the actual character writing. This entire episode hinges on a useless poorly last minute planned kidnapping plot that didn’t need to happen. Also way to once again make the characters idiots so the plot can happen, cause Fizz KNOWS Ozzie worries for him and that the Greed Ring is dangerous, yet purposefully puts the spotlight on him.

- Stolas did NOT need to be in this episode. The plot completely ignores the fact that he was in the hospital the last time we saw him, and he’s only here for Stolitz banter. You’d think that a character admitting they have feelings for someone would be a big deal but he just flat out says it and it’s so underwhelming and feels half assed with no weight to it. Fan comics have made more dedication to this than Viv has. We're supposed to believe him too despite the show failing to actually SHOW us this. Same for Blitz ranting about how “nice” Stolas has been to him, laughing at his jokes and liking his posts…hey Viv, can we actually SEE that on screen so it’s more believable? Or are you only determined to show them sexually flirting? 😑

- Once again Viv felt the need to shove a B plot into this episode and this one sucks because it’s just two characters sitting and doing fucking nothing. It felt like Viv had no idea what to do with Stolas and Ozzie, and I refuse to believe that Ozzie just sat there knowing Fizz was in danger. If anything he would have said “fuck the paperwork” and went to save Fizz himself. Way to show that gif of Ozzie getting mad as a sneak peak to get fans excited, only to see that Ozzie spends the rest of the episode sitting in a dark room LMAO what a let down.

- Ozzie is weirdly chill and cool with Stolas and it’s something I don’t get. While he did say that Stolas had the real “spirit of Lust” in S1E7, it still gave you the impression that he was also more poking fun at Stolas rather than respecting him. The whole point of House of Asmodeous was that Ozzie outs him and publicly embarrassed him. Stolas literally was intimidated just by Asmodeous’s mere name, and hid his face around him. It seemed like Stolas certainly didn’t want someone like Ozzie to know about his private life especially since they’re both part of the Ars Goetia. Now here Ozzie is just cool with him and it feels like a missed opportunity for their dynamic.

- Stolas confessing his feelings about Blitz also makes…no sense narrative wise. I thought the whole point of The Circus and the ending to Western Energy was that he was realizing that Blitz didn’t like him that way and was finally waking up. I thought that’s why he was doing this whole crystal deal in the first place, so he can let Blitz go, yet the show keeps flip flopping and insisting that these two love each other and are good for each other. It’s really making you realize how this season and the previous stuff set up is becoming nonsense because the writers retcon EVERY damn episode. Also….why the hell is Stolas telling Ozzie his feelings for Blitz? Out of all people, why is it Ozzie, the person who outed Stolas and embarrassed him. Why is Stolas even respectful of Ozzie? He has no reason to, and he’s not under the impression that he’s dating Fizz either. I get that he needs the crystal but mentioning his love for Blitz makes no sense.

- Striker and Crimson teaming up to kidnap Blitz and Fizz was such an ass puller last minute decision. It feels overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time, more because it feels like Viv has no idea what to do with these two villain characters other than give them something evil to do to start the plot. Also…why…are they working together? It feels so random.

- Striker’s character especially is all over the place. First he’s working for Stella, then he’s painted as the best assassin in hell, and now he’s…looking for more work I guess and working for Crimson? Why? Does this guy even have a motive anymore? It feels like his character is just dangling around until Viv wants to use him for another wattpad kidnap plot and it ESPECIALLY shows when Striker escapes for the THIRD fucking time. Can this character/storyline actually GO somewhere or are you just going to keep introducing him and have him run away. 🤦🏽‍♀️

— How did Crimson not know who Striker is despite him being labeled as “the most popular assassin in hell”, and how the hell does Crimson know Ozzie and know all the information about him being in a relationship with Fizz?? Oh right because we needed the plot to happen somehow. Still, even if Crimson did know that Ozzie was the "weakest" and loved Fizz, (which….what about Beezlebub?)) he still should have known he was playing with fire. I get that he's supposed to be evil and intimidating but how could he have predicted that Ozzie would actually stand down and fill out the paperwork? He could have immediately came there and killed Crimson for all he knew. It's just distracting how..not planned this shit was.

- Fuck this episode for calling Striker a supremacist. It makes no sense?? Viv is trying SO hard to villainize him despite him being the one in the right and it pisses me off. He has every right to be mad at the upper class, he’s part of the lower class that we’re said Hell takes advantage of, but god forbid we call out Rich and powerful Stolas because that would mean he’s a b-bad person and we can’t have that complex morality! This is so not a “eat the rich” story and it shows bc Vivzie is rich as hell. Striker as a character deserves so much better man. Congrats writers, you had an interesting character and motive set up for him, now he’s nothing but a silly goon that you might as well kill off already cause you clearly don’t care about him. Crimson meanwhile is just a piece of paper, a boring plot device I could give less of a shit about. I thought his motive was to go after Moxxie, now he’s just doing fuck whatever because this show desperately wants a bad guy for their filler fanfic plots.

- We get more world building issues, Ozzie and Fizz are so determined to hide their relationship for obvious reasons, but then at the end of the episode just say “fuck it, no one would dare tell anyway”. So now they’re being open about their relationship and lmao I told y’all the newspaper scene of Ozzie being called out for being a hypocrite wouldn’t go anywhere. Even if Ozzie did threaten his workers to not tell, they can’t be so sure that someone wouldn’t see or snitch, it’s kinda a retcon too cause they were pretty lovey dovey in Ozzie’s. Still, it makes the characters look dumb and it makes the rules Viv set up for Hell once again not mean anything.

- We finally get to see Fizz’s backstory in action and it’s executed in the most underwhelming way possible. It’s literally a fucking 10 second clip of what went down, and rather than experiencing the event for ourselves, it’s in flashback mode but with Fizz’s voice talking over it. That’s it. I’ve seen fan comics/fanart that built this shit up better than Viv did, that actually took the slow time and dedication it needed, and here it feels like such an afterthought, like Viv could care less. Maybe if this actually was a character driven show like Viv claims, Stolas, Striker, and Crimson would be taken out of the picture and then that would leave us with PLENTY time to actually explore and develop Blitz/Fizz, bc most of this episode is just them pettily bickering and Stolas and Ozzie sitting around. But nah, we gatta have our fanfic kidnapping plot. Same goes for the reveal of Blitzo’s mom dying in the same fire. Glad to know that she got the same treatment Moxxie’s mom did, where we don’t even know her and yet we’re supposed to feel moved and care about her death. You nailed that one Viv. 👍

- I predicted that this episode would victimize Blitz and have the fire incident be an accident, (because Viv is a pussy writer and can’t make her characters actually do bad things like god forbid) but I never thought they’d actually have the balls to have Fizz forgive Blitz immediately in the same episode and pull the “actually turns out that horrible thing you did to me helped me in a way”- trope. Biggest flaw of the episode, fuck you Viv. I was actually going to applaud Blitz for taking accountability, but then the dialogue reminds you that an abuser wrote this, and he shifts his apology to “okay but I lost something too see so it’s not all about you” as if he’s fucking dismissing Fizz’s trauma and making it about himself. “I love flawed characters” my fucking ass. I would have smacked a bitch if I was Fizz because Blitzo loosing his mother in the fire too isn’t an excuse?? Fizz lost his fucking ARMS AND LEGS, and at the end of the day Blitzo STILL KNEW HE WAS HELPLESS IN THE FIRE BUT LEFT HIM BEHIND. He could have gotten help and came back, but didn’t. If this were a good show Fizz would have threw that apology back in Blitzo’s face and said “I don’t care if it was an accident or not, you still left me there and then proceeded to loathe me for years”. This is why Helluva will never be Bojack cause at least characters in that show who got treated horribly by him knew when to say “no, fuck you.”

- The episode retcons again, this time they make it out to be that Blitz TRIED contacting Fizz the years they were apart but no one would let him see him. Then they say that Fizz actually WANTED to see Blitz but assumed he didn’t want to, so their entire feud was solely because of miscommunication?? Number one, show don’t fucking tell omg. And number two, that makes ZERO sense. Blitz talked badly about Fizz in Loo Loo Land, and when they finally reunited in Ozzie’s, it was clear they fucking loathed each other. You got the impression that Blitz was petty and jealous just because Fizz was more popular, and Fizz not only loathed him for the accident, but liked to rub in his face about how much of a big shot he was. They literally do that in this episode too, so the episode is literally contradicting itself. Blitz and Fizz had multiple chances to meet up with each other, you can’t just say “oh they couldn’t because no one would let them”- So which is it? Did they hate each other because of bad blood, petty drama, or that they thought the other didn’t want to see them? Pick ONE Viv and stick to it, but she never does. Their feud was interesting and now you ruined it just to have some sweet happy ending. “Adult mature show” my ass lol.

-Bottom line is Fizz shouldn’t have forgave Blitz so easily, or forgave him period. I find it funny how he says “it’s hard to just forgive you” and then he literally does lol. I feel so bad for Fizz fans, him and Blitz’s feud was honestly interesting, so to see all of this go down in a half-assed piss poor way as if this was Care Bears is….wow. The fan interpretations had more thought and care put into this storyline but what else is new lol.

- I’m really tired of these shitty annoying songs. If you’re going to get Broadway actors, please put effort into your songwriting and actually have them sing something good, not something that’s literally nonsense. This Fizz song sounds like it took less than a minute to write and Sam Haft was just thinking of anything he could think of at the top of his head. Also Why the fuck are Striker and Crimson just STANDING there while Fizz sings. They look like idiots, just SHOOT them omg. If this were a funny show, Fizz would have started his first note and Crimson just rolls his eyes and pulls his gun out.

- Fizz and Ozzie kill the lawyer but not…Crimson? Despite Fizz knowing what ring he’s in and even Ozzie knowing what he looks like? Same for Blitz, he doesn’t try to make sure Striker is dead. I get that the plot demands for these two to still be around, but there’s a way to keep them alive without making the main characters look like fucking idiots. Also Stolas just leaves without doing or contributing anything to the plot yay.

- Fizz: “Let him have it, you could say he’s earned it”— Uhm….Nope. Blitz did NOT earn shit. He didn’t even earn Fizz’s forgiveness. Last time I checked, the moment Blitz cried and said it was an accident, Fizz forgave him, knowing he didn’t mean it. What effort did Blitz do to “earn” that as well as the crystal? Because he saved Fizz and didn’t leave him behind for the SECOND time near the end?? Cause if so than the bar is extremely low. That’s the bare minimum, just because Blitz cried and felt bad about it doesn’t mean he should be let off the hook Viv. I hate this so much, what a shitty conclusion, it feels forced just so Blitz can have the crystal and just so the writers can once again paint him as the one in the right. It’s almost insulting that they make it seem like Fizz was in the wrong for assuming Blitz starting the fire too, same for Barbie.

God what a shitty day it is to be a Fizz fan, I’m sorry. The episode did NOT do him justice. Fizzarolli deserved better than that half assed gaslighting apology for someone who lost their arms and legs man, and I’m tired of the show letting every character suck up to Blitz and Stolas for their horrible treatment just because they feel bad. Not only that but the episode (as most recent HB episodes) was a huge time waster. Everyone was really hoping for an in depth walkthrough of his character/backstory but again, when he’s not with Ozzie, the rest/most of his screen time is dedicated to him being helpless and pointlessly arguing with Blitz, plus a long dragged out nonsense song that didn’t need to happen. It felt like SO much time was wasted when we could have used the runtime we have to dive deeper and see more, like….again it would have been nice to see Fizz’s life AFTER the accident and how he became well known as well as how he fell in love with Ozzie, but his backstory is briefly scratched upon in a single scene and that’s it, all because Viv wanted this filler plot and wanted to dedicate more time to THAT rather than actual character expansion/development, something we could have got had you took out Stolas and Ozzie’s B plot and Striker and Crimson.

Viv is so on her way to murder/ruin every character that isn’t Blitz and Stolas and I won’t be here to watch further. I’ll check out the Mammon music video thing but that’s it man, this show is going off the rails, Adding Fizz to the character adoption list!

[turtleblogatlast]

Do you ever think of how the turtles were so used to their low stakes Saturday Morning Cartoon villain fights that when the Big Bads like the Krang and Shredder came about they got hit with a whiplash of “wtf this isn’t our genre???”

Buncha amateur vigilantes for the most part then one weekend they all hit up the Foot Clan for a fun time with Generational Trauma in Physical Form™️ with a dash of The Looming Threat of the End of the World™️

[lizardsfromspace]

Stumbling across that weird fanatically anti-transmasc cult again and this tweet really sums it up better than anything

Trans women are defined entirely by misery and tragedy. Historical trans women all died in asylums. That's why Christine Jorgensen, the first trans woman to get gender-affirming surgery in the US, tragically *squints* spent decades as a in-demand public speaker and headlining entertainer. Because trans women literally can't experience anything other than misery

I have a book from the 70s with an ad for a speaker's agency that lists her alongside Rod Serling and Cicely Tyson. And underneath Erich von Daniken, which is irrelevant to my point but really weird. She was not wasting away in an asylum. Many trans women led tragic lives; but many is not all, and there are historic examples, even really famous ones, of trans women who were happy

Why would they erase that to tell people trans women all suffer tragic fates and must suspect everyone oh yeah bc they're a cult preying on the vulnerable and trying to convince them they need protection (but oddly enough from other trans people more than anyone else?)

The trans man thing is a reference to Victor Barker, who was, indeed, a trans man and a fascist in the 1920s. But I think another key point is, uh, that was one fuckin' guy. Why are they tacking that on, except if they're trying to imply trans men are secretly fascists? But that'd be an absurd thing to belieTHEY BELIEVE THAT. That is a real thing these creeps believe now and are seriously implying on the reg

"You must be suspicious that trans men are fascists" is now part of their ever-evolving litany of apparently endless evil from transmascs who...called a internet famous trans woman an asshole? Made a bad tweet once? Literally anything a trans man ever does (or doesn't do) transforms into a collective action on the part of all trans men in their minds. Trans men aren't just not allies in their mind, but are comically evil Saturday morning cartoon villains

Also, of course, the insistence that trans men had it much easier than trans women. If all trans women's lives weren't misery, all trans men's lives weren't happy, either. This insistence they had it "easy" is giving James Somerton on Radclyffe Hall

This is, again, A Single Guy. You have proved two white trans men are fascists, one in the 1920s and one now. Maybe. Maybe some other factor is at play, some other identity shared, by these two men, and the majority of fascists. "Why do people think I hate trans men?" says a group with a list of trans men they hate they can trot out instantly

I think people are just primed to think evidence of one member of a marginalized group doing a shitty thing is proof they all do it, or to go "that's just one guy?". In another life this jabroni wouldn't be posting about how Mao would be a Baeddel (???), they'd be sharing Fox News stories about crimes to declare we need to deport all Muslims and Mexicans. It's the same psychology, just rotted by internet discourse instead of a more traditional reactionary ideology

Also you may wonder "wait, I'm a trans woman, and trans men calling me a Nazi happens quite rarely, actually". I'm a trans woman on the internet and trans men calling me a Nazi has happened a grand zero times. So you may then wonder why, precisely, this sweet, innocent bean who's never done anything wrong is called a Nazi so regularly they think it's a universal problem.

Anyway they tweeted out the Fourteen Words, but they said gay women instead of white children. Truly, how could anyone ever get the idea they're a Nazi

[gooeyslime]

I will die on this hill but William Afton being a good dad would have worked so much better at making him feel realistic instead of becoming a cartoonishly evil man and honestly the juxtaposition of like, witnessing him kill a kid, dropping his cheerful Springbonnie act as he locks them in a room, just a cold glare as he kills them, making the player go "what a heartless monster... I feel so bad for his kids, having to deal with such a piece of shit" as we see him get out of the suit, cleaning up the blood and head home, as he opens the door once again we see his attitude change as he tells his kids "Dad's back home!" And we see them run up to him, Michael playing it cool bc he's an angsty teen but you see him smile as he points out he's late, you can tell they all care for him and got worried, after all there's a murderer on the loose and while they seem to target kids who knows? They could kill adults too... William smiles at them, genuinely, not like the smile he gave his victim whith his Springbonnie act, they all eat dinner together and if you hadn't just seen him kill a kid in cold blood you'd think this was a normal family, just a single dad eating and chatting with his kids... As he makes sure they are all sound asleep you see him walk into his bedroom, looking at a picture, it's a picture of all of them, smiling together, next to William is a woman and it dawns on you that she's nowhere to be seen and that she might be dead and he's trying to figure out how to bring her back by killing a bunch of random kids bc nothing can stand between William Afton and the only people he cares about, not even death itself... that stuff would make me way more scared of him than any "oh I am so smart I planned for you to try and set me on fire again so now if anyone scans my parts into a computer I can brainwash a random person and get them to rebuild myself ooooh I always come back!"

Like even showing him before he completely loses it would be terrifying, how he's just a normal guy who has his own troubles sure, but still isn't going around killing kids to study weird ghost stuff... Not yet anyway... And the the last straw happens and he falls to the deep end and you wonder, if you were in his shoes... If you lost the love of your life... And everyone just tells you life goes on and you just gotta get over it... What would you do? Would you also break? Would you go as far as killing someone in the hopes to bring her back? To put your family back together? And as you do that how would you handle your family breaking apart even further? Your daughter killed by YOUR machine, the machine you built to kill kids, the machine you desperately tried to keep her away from? Your older son acting out, angry because he couldn't handle his own sorrow at losing his sister shortly after his mom, he's falling apart just like you and in a moment of anger he ends up killing his younger brother, your other son killed because you couldn't see that your older son couldn't handle his own grief too? What would do then?

Stuff like that is utterly terrifying to think about... At least for me... Shame they made him so evil he's basically a Saturday morning cartoon villain now, he could have been so terrifying in so many ways but instead they made him an annoyance... Like even him coming back post Pizza Sim could have been terrifying if he wasn't such a joke by then, like we thought we finally defeated him but he's back, because he still hasn't done what he set out to do, put his family back together, and absolutely nothing can stop him from doing just that... Instead we get him showing up in 1 (one) ending and he's just... Walking around... Then he stares at a monitor and eventually he hacks Freddy by... Holding out his hand like he's using the force?? He doesn't even have a jumpscare either... I really hope the DLC at least gives him that bc him being threatening again is almost impossible after all the peepaw jokes people made...

Anyway I'm sure you can tell I have very strong feelings about this and so many thoughts for plot points that could be added to the lore if this was canon but I'll shut up for now before I write a whole essay lol

[celestial-lions-den]

I like the idea of a magical girl story where the monsters are dangerous and people die, and that is near-exclusively the source of the horror.

The magical girl system isn't a faustian bargain, or a corrupt system, or a con job. There is no terrible secret at the center of being a magical girl. You can genuinely trust that your cute little mentor mascot genuinely has good intentions. Your troupe members really are your friends. Your powers really do come from love and justice, and being a magical girl really does make the world a better place.

But all the same the monsters are horrifying, and they kill people, and when they don't kill them they figure out ways to do things even worse. The powers of darkness are not incompetent saturday morning cartoon villains. They are disturbing in their depravity, cruelty, and efficiency. They own the world and they know it. When you go to fight you have to fight with all the love and hope shining in your heart, and sometimes it isn't enough.

You could give up and pass the mantle on to someone else if you really wanted to. Nobody is forcing you to stay or fight. This doesn't have to be your problem.

And yet.

You do stay. You do fight. You do put yourself in danger in spite of all the danger and terror.

Because in spite of everything you were chosen to do this. And the thought of forcing someone else to have to endanger themselves is just too awful.

You don't choose to be a magical girl only at the start. You choose to be one again and again each time you choose to go out and fight the monsters that hurt people. Each time you choose to be a little light trying to shine in the darkness. Each time you choose to be kind and hopeful and good and compassionate in spite of how tired you are.

You are a magical girl because in a world where horror movies and found footage paranormal activity and slasher villains are all too real, there needs to be heroes. And you have chosen to be one.

[voidsentprinces]

Shadowbringers took Emet-Selch from ARR Lahabrea levels of mustache twirling, Saturday Morning Cartoon villain. All monologue and evil laughter while his evil boobs malevolently boobed down the Post-Stormblood's darker breast boobily and changed him into an actual character. And the first Ascian who actually spent time with us in a more meaningful way. Flipping them from one note, evil that must be defeated. To one we came to understand and a group that connected to our character's literal past reincarnation that we do not recall.

Additionally, atmospherically, Shadowbringers brought us to Post-Apocalypse that wasn't 28 Days Later, Mad Max or Rapture-esque. While pulling from all those series. Its a world 100 years after the Apocalypse was averted but still causes the world to live in its shadow.

This expansion seems to be the beloved darling of the community. Even topping Heavensward in most regards. But, also, personally, I feel like Shadowbringers is only good Shadowbringers for the last three levels of it. And rest is just so much set dressing and putting together the A-Team. For lack of a better comparison, 70 - 79 is our Avengers Infinity War. We get the band back together, fight off the big bad and actually almost win. But then we lose and we lose HARD and we spend a handful of quests somewhat wandering aimlessly until we resolve to go after the one who took victory away from us. That lead up, to me, is alright but the story didn't really HIT, outside of my long winded story analysis reasons, until we reach Amaurot.

Even its Post-Patches seemed to struggle to figure out what to do. Having Elidibus bounce hither and thither without the Scions really trying to stop him because, "We don't know what he is up to." which was counterproductively frustrating to me. You are literally not stopping and banishing the villain so the plot can happen. Alisaie literally kept tabs on the Warriors of Darkness because we were focusing on dealing with Nidhogg. Why the hell couldn't they have kept tracked and harassed Elidibus at least? But no, the sky starts to shower stars and then it is go time. And while To the Edge and the Seat of Sacrifice are awesome. My suspense of disbelief that our Scions would just shrug and only off screen keep tags on lesser Ascians and then just be like, "I dunno fellas, this here Elidibus is tricky." strikes me as dense. Like, this is denser than a dead star. They let things happen for the sake of it happening.

Bottomline, there is some wiggle room here. Shadowbringers may be the community's darling. But I wonder if, its just because we remember the super highs of Amaurot to Seat of Sacrifice. And kind of brush things like; the Ran'jit fights, the Supernatural problem of Lucifer's Cousin's Roommate being the big bad in Lunar Primals, Thancred's treatment of Ryne and Speedrunning him some redemption in the Amh Araeng second half.

I'm rambling now, as a whole. Did you enjoy Shadowbringers? If not why? Vote your answer and leave your opinion in the tags if you'd like.

Note: I am aware that the Post-Patch production was stunted by the COVID Pandemic. Still, I'd like your opinion about anything you felt lacking. Even with that dead whale hanging over the entire thing.

[inamindfarfaraway]

So I saw your post here [https://www.tumblr.com/inamindfarfaraway/690058488775327745/batfamily-fanworks-that-purport-to-be-set-in-the] and oh my gosh YOU ARE SO RIGHT!

As much as I enjoy it, Hush is definitely to blame for this as it is held as THE end-all-be-all of all BatFam stories yet Cass (who an acclaimed ongoing series as Batgirl around the same time) was suspiciously missing from it along with Steph. Yet we only ever get flashbacks to Bab's time as Batgirl so that storyline also ended up cementing Bab's legacy as "the one and only Batgirl". Methinks a certain editor in charge at the time mandated for Cass and Steph to not appear in Hush because they-according to him-"were way too toxic" for said storyline. Because you see, as soon as he became a leading editor, his number one priority was getting rid of Steph and stripping Cass of her Batgirl role.

And so the age of darkness began...

First, there was War Games that solely existed to torture Steph in the most vile, most voyeuristic ways before killing her off. Then there was Robin: One Year Later, one of the worst, horrific character-assassination storylines since Spider-Man's One More Day, where Cass was suddenly turned into an over-the-top Saturday Morning cartoon villain obsessed with killing everyone, giving long-winded "together we can rule the world" speeches and being able to speak and write in fluent Navajo. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT LANGUAGES IN THE WORLD. Then there was Redemption Road which, despite its good moments and happy ending, did even more damage to Cass's character. And finally, we have Battle For The Cowl which ended up pushing Cass and Steph so far into the background, they were basically erased from the BatFamily altogether.

Yet despite Steph's well-received run as Batgirl, DC's poor marketing and the lead up to the New 52 prevented the series from becoming a proper bestseller and it was cancelled without any fanfare whatsoever. Still, all those horrible decisions and storylines (like War Games and Robin: One Year Later) did such massive, long term damage to the characters that, even despite all the small good things (Steph's Batgirl series to the excellent Gates Of Gotham mini-series starring Cass), they were buried from public consciousness. As for Duke (another character, I'm a fan of), I think its just a case of him being a very recent character, a lack of marketing and higher-ups not knowing what to do with him.

As for the asshole editor who everything to burry the Batgirls, he was eventually fired for creating an "unsafe working environment". And yes, his name rhymes with "Ban Video".

As for the people who keep erasing Cass, Steph and Duke from fan works, I know it sounds depressing but hear me out: Fandom, be it comics, video games, films, cartoons, TV shows, ect, has an unconscious bias of white male favouritism. (Yes, I know Dick is Romani, Damien half-Arabic/Asian yet they're still quite white-passing)

YES! THANK YOU! ALL OF THIS!

It is so sad and frustrating that these bias persist even in communities that are meant to be about joy and love; but of course the Batfam fandom has issues with sexism and racism when the canon also has for so long. I'm sure most fans don't try to be prejudiced, but male and white-passing characters are so much more popular than others. The unfair treatment of Steph as Robin and both her and Barbara in making Babs Batgirl again for no reason is one of the things I wrote Robins: The Musical to vent about, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Thanks for the explanation! I was already familiar with most of the context you generously provided, but I still really appreciate it as a specific comics shame/recommendation guide and education for others. I wasn't aware of Gates of Gotham and will read it! Black Bat my beloved. Dan Didio when I catch you...

(My original post is here)

[m3nt4llyr4v3d]

It honestly kind of baffles me how some fans (mostly the narrative itself) used to say that Chloe was acting “exactly the same” in Seasons 4-5.

Like… wha?

You can say she’s been a bad person for about the whole series, I get that, but huh??

Chloe, in Seasons 1-3, wasn’t great (understatement). She was a bully, furthered insecurities of her classmates (Juleka and Mylene come to mind), Sabrina was her lapdog, she used her dad’s power to get anything she wanted, etc. She’s not good.

But.

Seasons 4-5 have her act like a straight up Saturday morning cartoon villain.

I’ll be in the camp to say that I was disappointed she wouldn’t get a redemption, but eventually came around to a proper damnation arc (or an arc like Zuko’s where he fell from grace before becoming good again). But the way the show treated her after the season 3 finale was so???

She didn’t have a graceful fall or a plummet down, she was teleported to the bottom and the show acts like she was there the entire time. One thing I remembered was in season 4 where she broke off her friendship with Adrien and a few episodes later brags about him being caged up in his house by his father?? Because she didn’t want the classmate’s fantasy of Marinette swooping Adrien’s off his feet to come true (pls tell me I’m remembering this right)??? Or when she got akumatized because she… didn’t wanna play soccer? She doesn’t even care about Sabrina in the slightest and is keeping her in her closet (where is her father!?) Then in season 5 she’s being a dictator??? And she caused Marinette trauma before all of this happened??? Like, cmon!

Even if you think she was bad the whole time, the show literally goes out of its way to show her being the spawn of Satan! The characters, even when they were being bullied, didn’t take her that seriously in the earlier seasons! They could even joke at her expense!

But honestly, this is how I viewed the show’s treatment of her character from season 4 onwards.

[rossellini-tyrell]

Nothing’s Gonna Change My World

Ch. 1 - Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4  Chapter 5  Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Word Count: 3,095

Warnings: Attemped SA/kidnapping, Pavitr beats up the bad guy, panic attacks, discussion of SA (this fic is potentially really triggering for some, please stay safe!)

Pairing: Pavitr x F!Reader Posted here on tumblr for the first time, also found on AO3 and Wattpad. This is being posted a second time for people who do not wish to leave tumblr to read the fic ---------- Preface: This story takes place several years after the events of Across the Spiderverse, Pavitr and the reader are somewhere in their 20s at this point in time. This story involves a reader who survives an attempted SA, there will be brief description of the rescue from the event, and extensive discussion of the emotional impact of the event on the reader. There will be no graphic descriptions of the event itself. The contents of this story may be triggering for some to read, for that reason. ------------ Being Spider-Man is not so easy. Pavitr doesn't like to admit it, but not even he can fix everything. Sure, Spider-Man thinks it's pretty entertaining to knock down the outlandish supervillains he's encountered trolling around the city, but Pavitr knows that the property damage left behind might take years to recover from, if ever. Businesses, homes, dreams crumbling to the Earth in billowing columns of dust. Pavitr had to watch one of his best childhood friends move away because they had nowhere else to go after his home was destroyed in a fight. Unfortunately, that wasn't the hardest lesson. The hardest realization Pavitr had to make was the one that regular people were the worst villains of all, capable of cruelty no magical creature nor mutated abomination could match. He'd thought he knew what evil was from Saturday morning cartoons: garish getups, twisted features, convoluted plans for world domination. He learned differently the first time he had to punch out a creep who refused to keep his hands to himself. No, it was not easy at all. Exhibit A: This asshat ruining his otherwise pleasant Friday evening eating his dinner in peace. Bitten-off cries tickle Pavitr's finely attuned ear, his Spider sense an itch, a prickling whine that beckons him walk this way. Pavitr doesn't bother to wipe the crumbs from his face, he yanks his mask around his chin and darts to peek into the alley below. There's a man down there, he's attempting to frog-march someone to his waiting car. It's not going that well as he's only got one hand free to do so, he's trying to muffle his captive's protests with the other, and it's clear she isn't interested in whatever he's offering. Spider-Man has had it with this shit. A younger him might have fought first with words, a puffed chest, the chance to walk away unscathed. Not anymore. His sense is keening now, its sharp talons scraping along his skin. The bangle is whipped off his wrist, the web follows behind it as vortexes in the air, the low whir intensifying as Pavitr picks up speed, the weapon spinning faster and faster overhead. He aims for the ankle and casts out his line with incredible ease. The bangle is now an impromptu bola, it swiftly winds its way around the assailant one, two, three times before Pavitr delivers a sharp tug, and the assailant stumbles. He waits for you to step out of reach, and you do so quickly. In a few graceful wall jumps, he's there, recalling his bangle only to fling it down with a mighty crack on the man's head. Pavitr pins the sputtering main to the ground and lands a jab in his gut, there's cheap vodka on his breath and his eyes are bleary, unfocused. He makes quick work of binding him up with web, leaving a note behind as to what landed him in this predicament. He wants everyone to know what he did. Nostrils flaring, he turns now to you, hiding behind the front of the man's car. Pavitir nimbly tumbles over the car's sleek hood to get to where you're crouched, hands over your ears. He lowers himself down to your level. "Miss, are you alright? Are you hurt?" he gently asks. He gets no response but a gasping sob, red-rimmed eyes meeting his through his mask as you turn to acknowledge your rescuer for the first time. Pavitr gives you a once-over for any obvious injuries and oh his heart aches. Tiny bruises are blooming on your jaw, the rivulets from your tears trailing along them. Your chest is heaving as your breathing comes quick and hoarse, and he notices one wrist wears an angry purple blotch from being restrained. Nothing looks broken and he doesn't see any open wounds, but it doesn't stop his sense's painfully sharp hold on him. The shrill wail pitches in and out, not unlike a radio being tuned to the right frequency. He can hear shuffling in the building you must have come out of - a local nightclub - and he knows he needs to make his exit. "Hey, I have to get you out of here," he explains. "Can you walk?" On shaky legs, you stand, pulling yourself up on the car's rear view mirror. Pavitr immediately offers his own hand to help you up the rest of the way, but is met with a sharp twinge from his sense as you recoil from the gesture, and winces himself. She's so frightened of me. Pavitr exhales and steels himself for what he has to do next. "We're out of time, I'm sorry, but I have to swing us out of here before people come out and see.  I need to you grab on around my neck and I'll do the rest, I promise I'll make it quick and I won't drop you, okay?" he instructs. He waits for your nod of assent, even though his sense is screaming that you don't like this. Pavitr guides your hands around him and takes firm hold of your waist, his breath hitches and his pulse stutters when he feels you hide your face against his shoulder. "There you go, good job," he praises, attempting to defuse your anxiety. "Ready?" he prompts. He feels your nod and tosses out a web, finding purchase on a nearby rooftop and up, up, up he goes. Pavitr truly does try to not swing too fast, he feels awful enough seeing your eyes screwed shut, face firmly jammed against him, but you still feel the cold breeze sailing past your legs as you swing. Just as promised, he sets you down shortly after. He's found a quiet rooftop a few blocks away, you open your eyes to find your vision swimming and blurry at the edges. You stumble out of Pavitr's hold, eyes blown wide and breathing still at breakneck pace. "H-he was gonna- I didn't want to-" you whimper. "Woah, hey now, you're okay-" Pavitr starts. "I t-told him n-n-no and he just, he just grabbed m-me and- my friends are gonna-" "Hey there-" he tries to gently interrupt. "Why did he do that?" your cry is so quiet from running out of breath, you're wheezing now and it's getting hard to stand, so you don't. Pavitr's heart sinks because you look so crushed, his sense has set his nervous system on fire, the burning arcs from spine to fingers. "Hey, hey, darling, hey, shhhhh..." he coos, moving to sit across from you. "Hey, can I borrow one of your hands for a bit?" You oblige him, and he takes your hand in his. They're warm, with long, elegant fingers, and your eyes are drawn to the dried blood staining the knuckles of his suit. "Can you tell me your name, darling?" "(You)" you stammer out between labored breaths. Pavitr's lips give the tiniest quirk of a smile through his mask. "Okay (You), if you keep breathing like that, you're gonna pass out. So I'm gonna put your hand right here-" he splays your hand across his chest, over his heart, and he holds it there. "And you and I are gonna take some deep breaths together, yeah? Can you try for me?" You nodded again. "Good, deep breath in -"  he inhales, and you follow, shaky and shallow. "- and out," he releases slowly. You try to mimic him, but end up coughing instead, your throat feels raw and parched. "Good job, (You)!" cheers Pavitr. He links your free hands together and gives yours a small squeeze. His mask crinkles a little around the eyes, from the smile he must be giving you. You imagine it's probably brilliant to see and thinking about it feels nice. "Let's try some more." You follow his deep breathing for a few more minutes. It gets easier to keep pace, the panic starts to retract its claws from around your throat, your ribcage expands and contracts. Periodically, he rewards you with a "You're doing so good", his voice warm and honey-sweet, his heart a hummingbird's wings fluttering against the palm of your hand. It's cold outside at this time of night, but you can't help but feel heat at the apples of your cheeks. Eventually, you're able to match him. On the final exhale, Pavitr takes hold of the hand on his chest and laces his fingers through it, bringing your joined hands between you. His sense has dulled to no more than a soft hum at the base of his skull. "There you are, darling," he purrs. You manage a wisp of a grin for his efforts, the tear tracks drying over your cheeks are uncomfortably sticky as you do. "I'm - " you begin. "I'm beyond sorry for how I freaked out at you-" "Absolutely do not apologize apologize for that. Do not," Pavitr emphatically cuts you off. "There's nothing unnatural about being upset when someone is endangering you." "But none of that's your responsibility, Spider-Man," you explain. "You saved me. And for that, I'm so grateful, truly. You have entirely more important shit to do than sit with some girl and her feelings." "The point of being Spider-Man is keeping people safe. That does extend to helping people feel safe too, 'yanno," says Pavitr, who takes a moment to brush his long hair from his eyes. "I would think ensuring you feel safe is included in the job description." "I - thank you," you say. "Everyone always talks about how cool it is to get saved by Spider-Man. That we should consider ourselves lucky if it happens, say thank you, and off you go to your next adventure," you swallow. "I don't feel lucky right now, I feel...hurt. Scared. Angry." "Could anyone blame you, though?" Pavitr muses. "I mean, for a lot of people from an outside perspective, it is cool to see Spider-Man up close, I'm pretty handsome, 'yanno?" he waggles his eyebrows. That one does get a giggle out of you, and oh he loves the sound. He wants to let the memory etch grooves into his mind, and trace them with his finger when the days are too long. "Jokes aside, people assume that I'm infallible. When I save people, that doesn't make whatever happened, not have happened. If I were in your position, I'd feel the same as you do. I think that should be honored, not pushed aside." "That's really nice, Spider-Man, thank you," you sniffle. "I'm just...nervous. About tomorrow. He..." Pavitr doesn't miss the delicate wobble of your lower lip, nor the shine of the fresh tears in your eyes. A comforting hand finds a perch on your shoulder. "He is- he was my friend. I've known him for years. In what world would have thought this is something he'd do? I don't get it, truly, I don't. I don't know what signs I missed, or if I was giving mixed signals, maybe my outfit was-" "Darling, don't finish that sentence," Pavitr stops you. "It was not your fault. It's never your fault, you get me?" he takes your hand again, and waits pointedly for you to nod your agreement. "I wanna see a 'yes'." You nod in reply, although your hesitance shows in the way you worry your lip on a canine. Pavitr guides you to face him with a gentle hand on your cheek. "Listen to me, (You). It does not fucking matter what you were wearing, what you were doing, whatever bullshit happened over the course of your relationship with him, or how the Delhi Capitals fared at the auction this year, I don't care. There is no world, no universe where it is okay to do that to someone. He does not have that right, and I need you to understand this." You couldn't see his face, but the mask he wore did nothing to obscure the cold fury in his expression. "But what if nobody believes me?" "I believe you," Pavitr replied, without a hint of hesitation. "Wholeheartedly, I believe you. I'd hope that me tying him up with web and leaving a note about what I saw would help on that end, but if for some reason it isn't enough, know that I believe you, okay?" The relief you felt was palpable. The pain isn't completely gone, and your emotions are still a tangled ball of yarn, knots twisting in your stomach, but having something meant so much in this moment. Not only did he save you, even better, he heard you. You reach up to wipe at your misty eyes, reddened and tired from crying. "This is kind of a weird ask but...can I hug you?" you shyly inquire. Pavitr recoils, his eyebrows raising in surprise at the question. For a moment, you'd though you'd offended him when- "Of course you can," he affirms. And then he does. He's firm, strong, jacked even, but he's not suffocating as he holds you. Inky wisps from his fringe tickle your cheek as you start sobbing all over again into his shoulder. Pavitr says nothing, only moves to support the back of your head with his hand as you let everything out, finally. You sit in silence for a while, the pain slowly dissipating like a sluggish drain into the fabric of his suit. Night air's tiny fangs nip at your ears, but neither of you care. It's quiet, no monsters to fight, no villains to thwart, no crime to bust. It's nice out here, and for now, that's all that matters. After a few minutes, you run out of energy to keep going. Your head feels full of cotton, fatigue pulls at you like the whine of a dying light bulb. You pull back from Pavitr with a whispered "thank you", who wipes off the last of your tears with a swipe of a second knuckle and a "don't mention it". "You look like you could fall asleep standing up," he observes. "Any chance I can swing you back home?" "At this point, I'm too exhausted to care. Why not," you grumble, rubbing at your sore eyes. Pavitr guides your arms around him once more, a dance he's performed hundreds of times over. A strong arm winds around your waist, pulling you closer, close enough to hear the tattoo of his heart against his chest wall. But it's when he asks "Where to, miss?" in dulcet tones that you shiver, letting it ripple from the neck down. Pavitr hopes you didn't hear his heart screeching to a sudden stop when you gave him your reply. He hadn't realized that he'd rescued his upstairs neighbor tonight. "Oh, I know exactly where that is! That's where I- my friend lives! Downstairs! In that building! Haha that's so funny, what a small world..." he prattles, and hopes you didn't catch his near-miss. He imagines that if he pulled off his mask right now, he'd be redder than the suit is. "Yeah, small world," you yawn. Oh she's precious like this. "Alright, sleepyhead, you ready to go home?" jokes Pavitr. Your only response is a high grunt, too tired for words. "I'll take that as a yes, then," and off he goes. This go around, he takes the chance to put some zip in his step, taking bigger arcs and wider corners. The sensation of your stomach dropping wakes you up a bit, and you take the chance to peek over Spider-Man's shoulder. You couldn't be more glad you did. Lights in the windows glitter on the accents of Spider-Man's suit, a golden shimmer flitting across the skyline. The silver shine of the moon ripples in his hair as it whips in his own breeze. Despite the circumstances, the night is beautiful (he's beautiful), and he's given you the gift of the wind. You start to feel somewhat sad when he decelerates to a stop against the roof ledge of your building. Carefully, he rappels you down to your fire escape, setting you down so gently, as if you might break. "Lucky me, I left my window unlocked before I left. I probably should stop doing that..." you opined. "Nah, I think you're good. I think I whooped his ass so hard his grandchildren will feel it. If he even gets to have any after this," said Pavitr, in his attempt to not let you leave on a sad note. "You're right. He probably has enough brain matter left to realize leaving me alone is the smart choice." It's when you have one foot back into your apartment he calls your name, his voice wrapping around it like silkworm threads. "Whatever you decide to do to move forward from this, that's up to you entirely, I support whatever you choose. But if you do want to pursue this officially...I'll help you," Pavitr offers. "You'd really do that?" you ask incredulously. "I really would. I want to, if that's what you want," he says. "Besides, my friend does live here. Chances are you might see me around again," (he hopes he does). "Well, thank you for offering. I'll have to think about it...process all this. I'm sure you'll hear about it if I do go to the police?" you say. "I would. And like I said earlier, it's just part of my job. Don't worry about it," assures Pavitr. You notice he shifts his weight towards his back foot, about to turn to leave, to disappear into the glimmer of the skyline. "Oh, and Spider-Man, before you go?" you call for him, hand outstretched. He pauses a moment before approaching you. Once he's in reach, you decide "to Hell with it", and pull him in closer. Pavitr freezes in place when you plant a kiss on his masked cheek. He hopes you can't feel his face burning through the fabric, or the hitching of his breath when you replace your lips with your hand. "Thank you, for everything. I really do appreciate it. And I'm sorry if I-" you're interrupted when Pavitr's hand covers yours. "Hey, don't finish that sentence, darling." He shoots you a wink through his mask the best he can. "You have a good night. You need it." Reluctantly, you part, and he waits for you to slip back into your apartment, lock the window, and draw the curtains before turning to take the fire escape down a level. Pavitr leaps through his own bathroom window soundlessly, peeling off his mask to look at himself in the mirror. Yep, redder than the suit, just as he thought. Being Spider-Man is not easy.

[felis-rach]

Slight Black Shadow redesign for funsies! I thought about posting this on day 30 for fzerovember but I have zero patience. anyway

Idk man the anime made me love this guy. He's ridiculous. The writers were like "hey we're doing THE most generic, one-dimensionally evil, saturday morning cartoon villain ever conceived." But they comitted SO HARD that it kinda circles back and he's awesome actually. Dude's playing 4-d chess 2 with the universe and laughing evily at least twice every single time he appears. All his plans are pure bs but he just looks so cool and intimidating doing them. Love that guy

[jackobbit]

Working for e.v.i.l au....

i didn't know I needed it but i want it on my doorstep

NOW

YES BOSS- I’LL HAVE IT ON YOUR DOORSTEP RIGHT AWAY BOSS 🫡🫡 /silly

Let’s see, let’s see…

Probably not what you were looking for, buuut, I happen to have a summary of the AU’s basic plot outline/info on hand, roughly 400 words total. I also have individual character profiles written for each fella in the AU! But, I’ll post those later seeing as they are MUCH longer than this summary.

So for now, for anyone who’s fancy it might strike, here’s the basic starting info on the Working for E.V.I.L. Au! :]

[What is Working for E.V.I.L.?]

Working for E.V.I.L. is a Sun and Moon Show AU that will be shown using primarily visual based storytelling. Things such as short comics, an ask blog, still images and (hopefully) short animations will be the way in which the story is told.

[What’s the story?]

The story revolves around the members of the E.V.I.L.Corporation and their Saturday morning cartoon villain-esk adventures where the group go out on missions in an attempt to collect powerful items called Stars.

There are hundreds of Stars across the globe. Some are hidden away where they’ll never be found, some hide in plain sight because people didn’t know just how powerful they are. Stars are essentially an ultra powerful battery. They carry within them strength and life in its rawest, purest form. They can extend someone’s lifespan, cure illnesses, give extra strength and immunity’s, and even grant sentience and life to that which is not living.

Those who know of their power fight tooth and nail to obtain even just one, but unfortunately for the world, the leader of E.V.I.L. wants them all for himself.

The leader of the E.V.I.L. Corporation slowly assembled a small team of trusted individuals to carry out the task of locating and stealing Stars to add to his collection. Eclipse is E.V.I.L.’s head inventor and scientist, and has been under the leaders command for the longest. Bloodmoon was hired one year prior to the story as a field operative, someone who actually goes out into the field to collect Stars.

The story kicks off after Solar Flare, the newest member of the group, is created following a zero-turn-out hiring event. (Turns out no one wants to work for a corporation that’s literally named E.V.I.L.) They are made to fulfill many tasks, but, following a streak of empty handed returns, their first task is to assist Bloodmoon in field work.

Bloodmoon and Solar Flare must work together to obtain Stars, all while learning how to communicate and cooperate in the meantime. Together BM, Solar Flare, Eclipse and even the leader slowly learn what it means to be a team, and perhaps, even what it means to be human.

But first, there’s plenty of monsters, opposing parties and even the forces of G.O.O.D. to worry about before any heart to hearts can happen!

[showtoonzfan]

Predictions for the new upcoming Helluva episode:

Ever since The Circus came out, these writers have had a habit of making long-ish episodes feel like you just watched a whole heap of nothing, but I expect this episode to be REALLY overwhelming and crazy since there’s clearly going to be a lot going on. This episode will probably be around 20-ish minutes unless it’s legit 30 minutes because I see that happening, especially since the crew made it clear that each episode gets longer and longer as the season moves on.

Similar to what I said in the last one, I just KNOW this episode will be insufferable regarding the pacing. Unlike the previous one where we were simply in one location, here we’re clearly going to be in multiple locations with more characters and plot lines, and let’s not forget…more fight scenes. I expect the animation to look very rushed and in your face in some areas, since this show is known for being very fast paced. It’s just going to be a mess, we all know it.

Either this episode will end with everything quickly being resolved and happy dandy, or it’ll drag out and end on another cliffhanger since the show is desperate for you to keep tuning in and have hype. (Cough, only for it to let you down later in the most underwhelming way COUGH) —It’ll either be one of those but I’m not sure which.

Stolitz pandering. Lots and LOTS of Stolitz pandering, with probably no mention of Ozzie’s too since nobody cares about actual character development and buildup, everyone just wants to see the ship in action, not the shit that actually should be setting it up. The pandering will of course revolve around sex jokes since nobody on this team can write believable nuanced gay couples, and like I said in the other post, Stolas will get hurt, uwu Blitzy has to save him since Moxxie and Millie are useless whenever they’re not the focus, and once Stolas ends up in the hospital, Blitz will worry over him and it’ll be dramatic yada yada. They’re probably going to pull another “SEE GUYS BLITZ LOVES HIM”- scene to pander the ship in. I’m also expecting the show to probably once again treat Stolas as someone who always “loved” Blitz and portray him as the uwu bumbling bird boi who’s in love despite it still not making any sense whatsoever.

Again, Moxxie and Millie will probably be useless in this episode. Like…yeah there’s going to be a fight scene between them and Striker, but Viv has proved to me that these fight scenes mainly go nowhere and I feel like it’ll be there to look cool and pad out the run time. Striker will probably just get away again anyway, unless Viv kills him off but I honestly doubt that’ll happen. I feel like I’m going to go out of this episode saying “Moxxie and Millie didn’t need to be in this episode”- because as of now they just seem to be there for the fight scene and nothing else. The focus is clearly going to be on Blitz, Stolas, and Striker anyway so do we really need them? Same for Loona, she looks like she’s here just for a fight scene and because the writers have no idea what to do with her outside of fighting or just appearing for a few minutes to either help the group out or do nothing.

I already said this but Andrealphus is definitely just going to be Stella 2.0 but a gay male version of her. Very flat, boring, and a waste of time. He’s just another pawn existing to merely torture poor Uwu Stolas and make him look like the innocent one because god forbid Stolas suffers from something other than a Saturday morning cartoon villain. Wish Stolas would suffer from the consequences of his actions rather than someone who doesn’t like him simply because they don’t like him but this show clearly has no interest in characters getting what’s coming to them and would rather baby them instead.

Highly doubt Octavia will be seen or even mentioned in this episode since no one gives a shit about her, unless Stolas will of course to show that he’s the good one who actually care’s because god knows Stella won’t mention her, and despite Andrealphus being Octavia’s uncle, I doubt he cares about her either, especially if you’ve seen the leaks where they’re both just getting pedicures and laughing about Stolas trying to call Octavia like fucking 80’s cartoon goons.

More non existent and empty world building or more things that are just left unexplained

Striker may or may not die, if he does I’m not patting Viv on the back for being “bold” because we now know she hates him and sees him as a toxic masculine bigot, and it seems like she’ll strip away what made him interesting in the first place anyway so his character was already ruined. If he survives we’ll know just so the show can bring him back again for the sake of suspense.

I already know that the fight scene or scenes in here with Striker are probably going to be like the fight scene in episode 5, where there are not only countless animation mistakes like the backgrounds changing constantly, but characters hesitating when they could easily just shoot immediately, cause…again…plot. And speaking of the plot, this might be another episode where the characters are dumbed down for the sake of it.

Knowing that Viv wrote this episode, I’m expecting it to be very horny. Perhaps not as horny as the previous episode, but still horny, especially since it’s a Stolitz centric episode.

And that’s it. I’m honestly dreading this episode cause Viv wrote it, and we all know how S1E7 turned out. I really wish we were getting the Fizz and Ozzie episode instead, but nah we can’t go two episodes without focusing on Stolas and/or Blitz. I’ll be here to review it once it drop’s because it is keeping me entertained, so I’ll see y’all then.

[tobi-smp]

Hey can we. Not rehash the "vilbur" schtick with tommy? Especially not through Direct Comparisons.

Like, the original concept is ableist full stop, but at the Very Least you can argue that other characters had reason to be afraid in-universe. That Wilbur's goals were scary and upsetting.

That does not and Should Not justify the intense vilification of his character, treating a suicidal mental spiral like a Saturday morning cartoon villain At Best. But there is at least an alibi for the fandom portrayal, it's possible to see Why people were willing to fall into the tropes that they did at the time and say they genuinely didn't know better.

But

A: there has been an explicit and continued effort to seriously engage with and challenge that fan perception in canon. There is absolutely No Excuse to continue with that black and white vilification of that arc in 2022 and Least Of All with the ableist "insanity" trope. He's not a slasher villain, he was mentally ill and traumatized.

B: Are You Serious.

Are people genuinely for real making the actual take that tommy wanting to kill the Torturing Abusing Serial Killer With The Intent And Means To Torture Abuse And Serial Kill Both Tommy Himself And Everyone On The Server Is Tommy's "Descent Into Villainous Madness" Because His PTSD Is Too Front And Center.

Even Within the ableist slasher insanity tropes presented by Wilbur's fandom vilification, Dream Is The Canonical Serial Killer. Tommy Is Canonically Dream's Murder Victim. Tommy Literally Watched Dream Murder Multiple People In Front Of Him, And Attempt To Murder More. He Literally Watched Dream Try To Murder Quackity, His Friend, Like Two Months Ago. Tommy Is Literally Only Acting In Self Defense, And He's Doing So Reluctantly Because He Doesn't Actually Want Anyone To Die.

Like, I cannot stress enough that Wilbur's treatment by the fandom Is ableist, but what's happening with tommy now is people arguing that the protagonists in horror movies are the Real villains falling into insanity after all because they killed ghostface or Jason.

People are Really willing to pretend that someone defending themselves against a serial killer is some Scary Insanity Spiral if they're visibly traumatized by said serial killer serial killing them.

And the thing is, this being as blatant as it is doesn't Lessen the ableism pointed at wilbur's character, it strips it down and shows it for what it is. Because it's the Same it's the Exact Same intent and motivation from the same people.

I don't think they Know that what they're doing is vilifying stigmatized mental illness, but that's what it is. It's the trauma itself that's presented as scary.

[gritsandbrits]

One complaint I often see about Hazbin/Helluva Boss is the lack of villains, or rather all the villains are the same. Cool concepts that end up being more childish than a Saturday morning cartoon. Well for my rewrite I try to lean into that Saturday Morning aesthetic by having a variety of villains with cool gimmicks. Not all of them are Pure Evil though, they're broken souls, but at the same time I want more villains with different motivations and themes. And yes there are unambiguously evil villains who do bad shit for the hell of it. Here's what I have so far:

We have the main villains, a circus that Evan works for early in the beginning until her transport to hell and subsequent redemption. Their goal is to overthrow the angelic hierarchy and hell royal families and turn the earth into a paradise free of pain and suffering. But in the process puts the souls and innocent humans at risk.

Balthazar: ringleader and owner of the Moonshine Carnival. He recruited teenaged runaway Evangeline Smith to steal a powerful artifact to add to his collection. Underneath the eccentric fun loving facade lies a calculating manipulator with a score to settle with heaven...and hell. Wields a Shillelagh that may have been retooled from an angelic weapon. Based on Caine from TADC

Necrobats: Acrobats who work at the circus, they're stylized like Adam's Exterminators but in bright blue&purple.

Hoohah: A clown with an assorted arsenal of tools including ropes, water guns, whips, chains... Huh? Hoohah is a talented actor who skirts thw line between comedy and melodrama. Is based on Gangle from TADC.

Mesmeralda: A snarky fortune teller with standard telekinesis and mind reading. She works for Balthazar. Based on Zooble from TADC.

Magmarock: Pyrotechnics of Balthazar's circus and muscle, he can control different types of heat including lightning, lava, and steam. Despite his might he is shown to have a suspicious side. Based on Kinger from TADC.

Chevy Duty: Monster trucker from the state of Montana, his truck is a literal monster truck. It can only be soothed through Dolly Parton. Is the only character not based on one from TADC but he is partly inspired by WWE stars.

Portia Lane: A ballerina and dancer with razor sharp shoes. Comes off as motherly and somewhat neurotic, but also fiercely loyal to Balthazar. Is based on Ragatha from TADC.

Pax: suave magician who was the closest Evan had to a friend at the circus. Tall dark and handsome, but operates with his own agenda. Specializes in illusions and light magic. Based on Jax from TADC.

There's other performers and actors such as clowns, dancers, water tricks, animal tamers etc. The main ones I describe are considered the Elites, and the most selfish and evil.

Then I have the independent villains. I haven't come up with all the names so shoot me some suggestions!

Georgina Reginald: A wealthy girl who attends the same school Evan does. While academically and socially gifted, she is also cold, cruel and belittles those she deems beneath them. Evan and Adam TP's her house. Later Georgina is given powers from a mysterious amulet and tries to take over the school.

Moore and Artie: A due of robbers who were active in the UK. While attempting a crime in France they were caught in a shootout and Artie was killed. Soon after, Moore revived his friend using an soul artifact. Augmented with new powers they continued their crime spree. Evan and Charlie fights them during a brief stay on Earth

Furie Fatale: Formerly Megara, the first wife of Hercules who was murdered along with their kids by Hera. She pleaded with Persephone and Hades to reverse their deaths but was rejected. Vowing revenge, Megara turned her sights to the Demon Overlords, and made a deal with the Overlord of Wrath to destroy Hera, anyone who worships her and the other deities who reside in the skies. She's a darker reflection of Eve and Lilith.

Dee-Kay: Originally a real estate guru Deidre Kaye who constructor who planned on building a resort which would've risked destroying a wildlife sanctuary Flora Smith volunteers. Following a freak accident involving chemicals Deidre developed the power to make plants Rot. He's Flora's main opponent.

Breezer: A demonic wind elemental, not much for personality other than that they are volatile and hired by overlords as a temp.

Carrie Sensation: Based on Carrie Nation, a self styled activist who tries to get all the bars closed. She was sent to hell for pushing her views onto everyone and her disregard for ruining people's businesses. She's Husk's main enemy.

Tidal Rage: a water demon with the ability to create hurricanes. Originally a surfer named Tina Rodriguez who cheated at competitions, eventually leading up to drowning a rival surfer. Attempts to flood the hotel out of jealousy towards Charlie.

Venjara: A worker for Valentino, she is a ninja and known shitstirrer who weaponizes the pain of others to project her own self righteous sense of justice. She's the evil counter to Vaggie.

An animal trafficker who owns creatures like the chupacabra and small dragons, selling to the highest bidder. At one point he steals Fat Nugget, prompting a manhunt.

Nightmare Imps, demonic forces who torments people in their sleep. To Abel they are merely more than pests that can be easily dealt with a spray bottle.

An elderly mobster was in a rival gang and who knows Angel Dust (before he died) and still alive, nearing 100 years old. Angel Dust pays him one last visit.

A former Exterminator named Harmonie who took things a little too far and started attacking humans under the assumption that by doing so, they wouldn't turn into Sinners. Adam and Lute was forced to retire her but she escaped and now leads a rival group called the Harpy League. She's a reflection of Adam's violent methods & disobedience. Eventually he admits he feels a tad guilty for his role in ruining her sanity.

Wright N. Rung: A former judge who was sent to hell for causing false imprisonment and executions of innocent people. He can condemn souls and is the rare ability to break contracts (for a high price that is). He's similar to Frollo and is another character who serves as a darker reflection of Adam, namely his self righteousness; and Charlie for her passivity and privilege.

Goliath: Warlord from Ancient biblical times with a score to settle with the angels, namely King David's family. He is a counter to Alastor.

Jezebel: Former queen and a biblical figure who led a genocide and was thrown off the balcony by a servant. In hell she maintained her regal status, and creates a league to overthrow heaven. She even tried to overthrow Lilith once, and sees her disappearance by attempting to persuade Lucifer to accept her as his new bride. He hates her ass lol.

I have other ideas for villains but in theory, they're meant to be darker reflections of the Main characters + my OCs and Adam. Showing what'll happen if they don't move on from their flaws

[voidsentprinces]

Think my favorite thing about FFXIV is them taking what was once a group of Saturday Morning Cartoon villains whose entire thing was being mustache twirling evil for the sake of it, and but with the exception of Igeyorhm and Nabriales, has turn them all into 3 dimensional characters with wants, goals, and depth and back story. They could of just kept someone like Lahabrea, the meme, the legend, the loaf of bread himself that one note MWHAHAHAHA, Pa-the-tic dude they had but no, turns out he was being girlbossed, gatekept and gaslit by his dead wife trying to achieve godhood. You know, girl night out kind of deal. Elidibus was always just ambigous, for a group of villains who pride themselves on working in the shadows of history, I thought he was just a fucking troll. Working blatantly out in the open by possessing Zenos and bullying Varis. Turns out he is basically on autopilot and what was once Themis or any surviving piece of the man that once was is fleeting. We see him take a genuine interest in us when we use Azem's crystal in the Seat of Sacrifice but are immediately overridden by the prayers of his people as the heart of Zodiark and contends with us. The boy who once idolize us a frayed and fragmented being fighting for a reason he doesn't recall but he does so anyway. And then there is Emet-Selch. Solus zos Galvus was always just a sort of question mark over the series, he had zero real screen time and was uncereminously killed off in Post-ARR in an attempt to up the stakes by appointed Varis to the post of Emperor. But they looped it back around and made everything the Garlean Empire has been doing and all the comically stupid things like sending an entire legion to aid in Dalamud's fall, fighting under the falling Dalamud in Cartaneau, letting a legion just leave high command and go off on its own under the influence of Lahabrea, letting Doma and Ala Mhigo into famine. Make sense in Emet-Selch purposely trying to sew as much chaos as possible among the factions of the world and then dying in the middle of a crisis for the fun of it. For the last remaining "normal" Paragon who remembers his people and the way they lived even through rose-tinted glasses. Holding true to wanting to revive Amaurot or more accurate Hythlodaeus. Even though Lakshmi shows us that even if the Ancients were revived, they wouldn't be the same. They'd be shells, empty and unresponsive. They'd be "alive" but not truly active. Emet-Selch was always always doom in his goal but he followed it through til his death.