#we have some great backstory going on and the 'act' he's been playing into

[bubblesandpages]

I think we’re getting an honest to God friendship squad 

[mylordshesacactus]

I don't think I'll ever be over the way that the thesis statement of OWK is represented, more than anything else, even more than Reva's plotline honestly, in Haja.

Like.

Genuinely? The one "twist" I wasn't emotionally prepared for was that Haja was legit, and he really was trying to help, and there really was a massive grassroots shadow-network underground railroad evacuating Jedi survivors and Force-sensitive kids across the galaxy, and he really was part of it.

Because the thing with his whole setup--the magnet tricks, the motion-controlled windows, the cold-reading, the crowd-working kid identifying obvious offworld marks, the "audience plant" stormtrooper playing along over the comm? Yeah, they're cheap tricks, but it's a SOPHISTICATED setup.

This guy is a straight-up conman. He really is every bit the sleazy grifter he appears to be.

That matters. That's important. Haja is not an angel. He's a mid-level fake psychic, callously cashing in on the Jedi's legacy to do, like, bullshit fortune-telling. It's--it's the way you can see this guy's whole backstory in a few minutes of screentime. Because we DO see him identify a Force-sensitive kid....and the escape he offers them is genuine.

So: Haja. And the story we can see in him at a glance.

He's a scam artist! He's dressing in knockoff porn-vid robes, waving his hands, and babbling half-remembered vague tropes before murmuring generic platitudes and sending rubes on their way. The Jedi are dead, right? It's not like they're around to be offended. He's not even really lying, right? He gets people what they want! The Jedi stuff just lets him upcharge! He's just skimming a little, a man's gotta make a living.

And then, one day, someone came to him who'd used all their hope just getting there. Someone with a Force-sensitive child, and the Empire on their heels, stumbled terrified into his little den of cheap tricks, because they'd heard a whisper of a rumor that there was still a Jedi alive on Daiyu.

And in that moment, Haja learned that he was a better person than he'd ever realized.

They must have staked everything on reaching him, and then they found him, and what they found was...Haja. Just some guy in a cheap costume. Just some guy, and not a particularly great one. How much is the bounty on a Force-sensitive youngling? Enough to retire on. Enough to set you up for life. And Haja is just some guy, who had just been slapped in the face with the reality of what he was capable of doing in the next five minutes.

There are moments when you learn who you really are, and sometimes you surprise yourself.

After all that time "acting like a Jedi," when given the opportunity--he chose to act like a Jedi.

Ultimately, the thesis statement of OWK is: There is a galaxy full of Hajas. And that's hope enough to keep going for.

[saijspellhart]

Things I liked about the Netflix ATLA and some critiques:

Before you read. Please go watch the series, take off your blinders and keep an open mind. It’s surprisingly good. This review has spoilers.

They reordered some scenes so that emotional moments would have a larger pay off. Like getting to see and experience Aang’s relationship with Monk Gyatsu, and seeing his tribe before it was destroyed. So when he has his breakdown in the air temple with Sokka and Katara later, you really feel and understand his agony.

Azula is introduced earlier, with a story running simultaneously with the Aang’s journey but not involved with his. So she has a chance to be more fleshed out and explored before she becomes a major threat. Only time will tell if this more complicated Azula comes close to the animated one. Big shoes to fill, but not a bad start.

Fire Lord Ozai plays a more sinister and oppressive role. Not a faceless boogeyman anymore. You get to see his machinations and the cruel games he’s playing with his family, and see the emotional abuse that warps them.

Appa is adorable as fuck, and so is Momo. So well animated, such gorgeous care put into them.

Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Roku make more of an appearance. With Kyoshi narrating the prologue. And if you loved the novels you’ll see they incorporated more of Kyoshi and Kuruk’s backstory from the novels than what we saw in the animated cartoon.

The acting was competent, even if a little wonky at times. I found Sokka very endearing, I loved the kid they cast as Aang and you can tell they really tried to find a balance between serious and playful. They didn’t always hit it, but the effort was there.

Zuko was great. I think they nailed him and he had great chemistry with the actor playing Iroh.

King Bumi was great, I love how they made his internal struggles more complex. He wasn’t just a crazy old man anymore. He was a crazy old man who was weary and worn down by the horrors of loss and war. A crazy old man who struggled to reconcile that the best friend he lost is the avatar and wasn’t there for him.

I loved the costume and set design. It was like stepping into the actual world of ATLA. Cities were complex and well constructed. Every setting was incredible and the attention to detail was intense.

Zuko’s boat is full of artifacts he pilfered from the Air Nomads while hunting for the avatar.

They changed how Aang got the bison whistle so it makes more sense and fits more seamlessly into the story. It never made sense why a random peddler would be selling a bison whistle if air nomads and bison have been gone for 100 years. Not impossible for a peddler to do, but not probable. The Netflix series actually gave more meaning for the artifact and changed how Aang received it.

Emotional points in the show are now more intense and brought me to tears.

Commander Zhao is more competent and conniving, and his presence felt more dangerous and less comedic.

Sokka’s outright sexism was changed from putting girls down, to just manly machismo, talking himself up. Not gone, but not degrading. They decided to let the sexism message shine more prominently with the northern water tribe, rather than tackle it twice with Sokka too. (Sokka’s sexism being solved in one episode was never well written to begin with. And the animated series quickly forgot about it and moved on to him tackling more important issues, like his being a non bender inadequacy, his leadership journey, his physical combat journey, and him finding himself as more than just the funny sarcastic guy.) For time constraints, it was better the Netflix series did not to tackle the same problem twice, especially when you might not have the resources to give both sexism issues the gravity it deserves. By focusing the sexism problem to the northern water tribe they were able to give Katara more attention.

We got to see Katara’s water-bending go from being ultra sloppy and weak to badass. It feels like they are spending more time focusing on her developing into a warrior rather than being the mom of the group. I’m honestly not sad about it. She’s still the hope ridden, emotional glue, but now it feels like she explores that warrior side a little deeper. It felt so earned when she got the title of master at the northern water tribe finale.

The actor playing uncle Iroh nailed the role. I couldn’t think of a better live action adaptation of Iroh. I love him so much.

The shirshu looks fucking phemonal.

Koh was scary as fuck and I love it. They really nailed his horror elements. Even if I’m a little sad that they changed some things about his face stealing. (He eats faces now to steal them, rather than stealing when someone shows emotion.)

The three actresses who play Mei, Azula and Tailee actually look appropriate for their age. Since they are introduced earlier, they are clearly younger, and since this show is intended to get more seasons, the casting choice made sense as we are intended to watch these girls grow up over the course of the entire show. These actors will get older, and the characters will get more menacing and sharper. It’s great. It’s thoughtful. I love it.

We get to see Zuko’s dynamics with his crew more. And find out that he did more than just speak out against his father at that meeting. His outburst at that meeting saved an entire squad of soldiers, and they don’t even know it. Zuko feels such disdain and bitterness because of the situation, and his crew doesn’t even know why. It’s so complex, you can see how the abuse Zuko endured causes him to take out his anger on his crew, and in turn they are bitter back. And it’s this cycle, that festers. But the crew also grows with Zuko, they change and evolve as he evolves. And it’s such a delight to watch.

They could have cut the Secret Tunnel minstrels altogether, given the time constraints and that the episode was mostly fluff in season two. A fun romp, but not necessary. But the creators knew people loved the minstrels so they found a way to use them anyway. Because they knew they were special. I am thankful for that, even if they show up waaay earlier than they should.

I was honestly more sold on Sokka and Suki’s relationship in the live action. It’s was so adorkable. Do I wish it had more time to develop? Yeah, of course I love a good slow burn. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun as hell watching the two flirt so badly with each other. Sokka being a buffoon, and Suki overstepping and being too rough, before realizing she was being too hard.

Some Critiques:

They reordered some episode storylines to happen at the same time, and while it does bloat some episodes. it’s understandable due the episode and budget limitations. In the cartoon, during the inventor episode Katara didn’t have a lot to do, and during the freedom fighters episode Sokka didn’t have a lot to do. So they ended up combining both stories into one hour long episode in the live action, so that both Katara and Sokka would be involved in something. Is it the best? No. But it makes sense. I get it.

Katara starts off bland in the first episode and it takes a bit for her to grow into the character.

The past avatars can be a bit strong with the doom and gloom, and I wish they’d toned that back.

Koh and Heibei (I dunno how to spell the panda spirit’s name) got combined to the same episode, and Koh stole Heibei’s spotlight. Again, I understand why these got combined, but I think it could have been handled a little better and Heibei should have gotten more closure.

There should have been a ninth episode, placed between the two episode Koh storyline, and the Northern Water Tribe storyline. Why? Because the Koh storyline was really heavy and intense. And it leads right into the season finale. An extra ninth episode should have been added with a more lighthearted tone. Something to ease the tension between the two very intense storylines.

Aang should have been using a glider to flit about the temples in the first episode. But it’s not something that ruins the whole show. It was a dumb that only happens in a single episode in the season.

I really missed Momo and Appa’s presence. They appeared atleast once in every episode, but it was still sad they weren’t more of a presence. Again I understand why. They were so beautifully animated that everytime they were on screen it (without a doubt) cost the production thousands of dollars. They were generous including as many of the unique animals and creatures as they had.

I still don’t think Sokka had enough time to develop a relationship with Yue at the northern water tribe. It was rushed and contrived in the animated version, and it was rushed and contrived in this Netflix version. There also wasn’t any of the chemistry like Sokka had with Suki to make the whirlwind romance work. I never liked the romance from the original, and I wasn’t a fan of it here. But that’s ok, because it’s such a small and insignificant thing.

In conclusion most of the changes I can see made were due to budget, and episode limitations. The creators were clearly trying to bring theater-cinematic quality to what was essentially an eight hour long film. And you cannot deny that this show is stunning. Absolutely breathtaking. Most of the episodes cut were filler, and while hilarious and mostly loved by fans, were stories not as necessary in the grand scope. You could feel the love and appreciation the creators included in this series. It wasn’t soulless, it wasn’t a heartless cash grab, it wasn’t a shot for shot (thank god) but it also didn’t butcher the source material.

I understand that the animated show creators had creative differences with the live action Netflix adaptation creators. But that doesn’t mean that the Netflix series completely failed. As every fanfic writer out there knows, the original authors are not going to love what you create based on their works. Tolkien hated every adaptation of his works, HATED them. But no one is going about saying that the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies were hot garbage. A creator doesn’t have to endorse a project for it to be good.

Netflix ATLA is good, it’s not perfect. And it never was going to be perfect. The cartoon it was based on wasn’t perfect either. But the ATLA cartoon was definitely some huge shoes to fill that set a bar very high. Any adaptation was going to struggle to be just as good.

I think the Netflix adaptation was a treat and a pleasure to watch. I think people should go into it with an open mind and see that it’s not trying to replace the cartoon. It’s a love letter to the cartoon.

PS: According to behind the scenes commentary on the Nickelodeon ATLA cartoon, the reason we didn’t get a season 4 was because the creators wanted a live action film. Nickelodeon offered the original cartoon creators the option to make season 4 or to spend the budget meant for season four on a live action ATLA film. The original creators chose the live action film directed by M. Night Shamalan. They wanted a live action for their show over a 4th season. They had no idea M. night would butcher their baby with his pathetic film all those years ago.

This show was a second chance after the M. night abomination. And you know what? It’s a pretty decent adaptation. And guess what? With a resurgence of interest in the series, we are getting more animated content for the original animated series. There’s definitely something for everyone on the horizon if this succeeds.

[kadextra]

Alright explaining the new individual lore guideline and also giving my take on it

Creators will be in charge of making their individual character lore & admins won’t be able to interrupt/participate unless asked to

So, this is literally exactly what we’re having and have had with multiple character stories on the server already.

Bad’s lore, with Dapper and Pomme participating from the start. The ghostie cam streams where he invited all the egg admins to come and build their characters. His glowing eyes custom model

Philza’s hardcore lore with Chayanne & Tallulah participating. Admins building places like Rose’s sanctuary, affecting the environment & making a custom crow wings item & Enderking corrupted model

Fit’s lore with admins playing Madagio’s spycats, Cucurucho, and building unique locations he visits

Quackity’s lore with various characters played by admins

Cellbit’s murdering the federation workers arc with admins making the enigmas & acting as fed workers, custom knife item

Roier’s ratoier and Doied lore

Antoine’s whole *gestures* thing going on with Cucurucho

Aypierre’s Ayrobot lore with the Federation

Maximus’ code infection & nuke lore with custom models and items

The great Tazercraft prison escape from back then

Luzu’s radioactive lore and his other character Arin

Probably more I’m not thinking of

It’s not a new thing with players driving their own lore and in all honestly these stories are some of the best we’ve ever had on the server. and ofc CCs are able involve whatever & whoever they want into it (like Fit involving Pac, Cellbit involving Bagi) without any worry, and improv roleplay as usual

We’ve had situations in the past where stories like this were intervened in by administrators / sudden events, without communication, and we lost what could’ve been- like Cellbit’s murder arc. We’ve had creators get put in lore jail unable to log into the server. These new changes Quackity is making are gonna prevent that kind of thing from happening now

Lores “affected” by this change are ones that were made only by the admins. These are ones like:

The Resistance

Foolish federation worker arc

Baghera’s experiment backstory with the federation

Etoiles code warrior lore

Bagi’s backstory

Some of Tina’s demon lore

But I don’t think this is anything to worry about. Even if these plotlines were started by the admins, it’s still become the characters’ own lore. Now that these CCs are in control they can choose to keep it if they want! They can decide to continue having the admins’ support with it like before, push it forward themselves, or do a different idea. it’s up to them now

And honestly let’s be real, things like the Resistance weren’t going anywhere anyways. If say- Bagi liked this plotline enough, talks with Etoiles/Fit/Pac + the admin team and wants it to continue for her character then she can do that now, and we won’t have to sit in limbo wondering what’s going on with that whole thing for months as we’ve been doing

All in all I think it’s really good :D

[madi-writes-things]

Nobody Pt. 3

(C.Sturniolo X Reader)

Summary:

Chris and Y/N never seemed to get along, but sometimes help comes from the most unexpected places

Word Count: 547

TW: Cursing, SH (not in detail, but it is talked about), Hurt Comfort, Crying, Death (sibling), Grippy Sock Mention, Not Edited

A/N: mostly a filler chapter, but it’s important backstory stuff. I also forgot to add the pictures to chapter two 🫣

-Madi <3

“”“”“”“”“”

as I started to wake up, I noticed a newly familiar presence on top of me. I open my eyes to see Chris, eyes closed and hair messy, lying with his head just below my sternum. In a moment of weakness I start playing with his hair. He stirs for a moment, before opening his blue eyes to look up at me.

“Good morning” his voice was scratchy with sleep. My heart fluttered and my face flushed. I tried to play it off by distracting myself with his hair. “You enjoying yourself?” He asks, forcing me to look at him.

“I actually am.” I tug on his hair lightly, causing him to groan. We both averted our eyes after that. “You just have such pretty hair…”

he looked at me again, this time feeling more serious. “Are you okay?” In general? No. About the nick stuff? No. About the fact that my best friends hot brother is in my bed? Definitely.

“it’ll be fine, nick will just have to get over it…. Speaking of nick, we should probably come up with a cohesive story.” I could see it in his eyes that he didn’t think nick would care enough to grill us about our relationship. “He already accused me of letting you lie about us sleeping together to cover up a different lie… which is true, but he can’t know that.”

“ok… we’ve been talking/dating for three months. We haven’t said ‘I love you’ yet, but we both want to. The other night was the first time we ever slept together… it was great.” He winked at me after adding the last word. “You know practically everything about me and my family… is there anything that I should know about you? In case nick asks me.”

I stare at Chris, contemplating whether or not I should tell him anything.

fuck it.

“you were… myfirsttime” I rushed the last part in the hopes that he wouldn’t hear it. He looked at me confused for a second before nodding for me to continue. “I used to have a twin brother, he died when we were in seventh grade… I never had a good relationship with my parents after that, and that’s one of the reasons that I changed schools at the beginning of eighth grade.” He immediately sat upright, staring down at me with a look that I couldn’t quite decipher.

“is that why you started…” his words trailed off as he looked down at my legs. I immediately felt ten times more aware of the fact that I was in shorts.

“yeah, I really struggled with it for that first year or so… after my parents caught me in the act they sent me to a hospital over the summer.” I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone seem this interested in me, or the things that I’ve been through. “They decided to move after that… small towns, gossip… but then I met you guys, and Nick helped me out a lot.”

“I’m sorry” it was simple, I almost told him not to apologize because it wasn’t his fault, but I knew that wasn’t what he meant. “Do you want to go pick something up for breakfast?” I quickly nodded, getting up and grabbing some clothes to change into.

“”“”“”“”“”

@unbruisable @bernardsbendystraws

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

I know theres a lot ot talk of Hobie's past and I love the idea of BigFamily!Hobie. But may I PLEASE add to the table:

StreetKid!Hobie -

It's not as happy or wholesome of a backstory as Hobie with a big family, and a big community - but there's still tenderness there I PROMISE.

Like - Maybe Hobie understood what Gwen was going through because he's been through it himself. He knows what it's like.

I like the headcanon that Hobie just...didn't have a family. No tragic backstory or anything. Just the sharp reality that the system lets some kids fall through the cracks.

Because it's a story or reality we hardly ever see, but it's one that exists - being a homeless street kid. We hardly see that story in it's entirety, rather than just the dramatic scenes.

But like STREETKID!HOBIE

He doesn't have anyone to take him to school or buy him uniforms - so he went to the library to teach himself. He doesn't have much money, but the men at the kebab shops know him, the kid that comes in asking for 'anything they've got' , with 2 pounds 50 pence. So they start feeding him, free of charge.

He helps run errands for the old ladies, and they make sure he has clothes for the winter. They'll knit him sweaters and scarves, and give them to him, telling him to run home and get inside, not knowing that might not be an option for him.

But even if they don't know the whole story, the know Hobie the streetkid, who looks tough but has a heart of gold and will help with anything - the kid who'll feed the stray cats before himself.

Most nights, he sleeps at F.E.A.S.T - because we always talk about how great F.E.A.S.T is but never what it's like to actually have to live there as a homeless person for an extended period of time.

The adults know his face, they worry if they don't see him in a bit. They set blankets aside for him, ask him if he's eaten, and for the first time in forever, maybe in his life, he has people who cares - people who want to help.

F.E.A.S.T makes Hobie wanna help people.

And THAT's where he finds his family.

He starts finding other kids too. Older Streetkids start helping him out. They let him squat with them, and show him how to do things like steal electronics, and which shops throw out a bunch of good food at night.

And he starts meeting people, and seeing the teens that'll make him person he is later.

He starts hanging out with them more and more - and they start calling him Hobie.

The take him under their wing. They looked out for him, made sure nobody messed with the youngest of the bunch.

Anywhere they sleep or squat - Hobie does too. And on the nights that it's the worse, that's it too much, or too scary - or the nights where he's just angry at the world,

They're there to remind him there's kindness in the world.

That kindness and joy and having a laugh with the mandem is RADICAL, it's an act of defiance, and a form of power. And that you don't need a big house with the picket fence and 2.5 kids to grow up 'right'.

One of the street kids give him his first patches. They snag him the leather vest he wears today, back when he was tiny and short and he had grow into it.

They taught him everything he knows - from laces code to how to stud a jacket. They start taking him to protests, starts explaining why things are the way they are, how the system is meant to keep people like them down.

They teach him what ACAB means and true anarchy

The first person he ever met wearing blue laces - was a Streetkid. An older kid that Hobie couldn't help but look up to, or even be a little jealous of. A cooler kid with tall leather boots and blue laces.

And when the kid smirked and told him what they meant, Hobie couldn't help but think 'That's SO kickass'.

One night, one of the kids brings a record they stole. They play it on the player - and it's Ramones. Hobie, maybe only 13, hearing rock for the first time.

And he's wide eyed and asking who that is, who's playing the guitar, what's the song name, and the older kids just smirk and chuckle cause they KNOW -

That's when Hobie falls in love with rock.

And Hobie spends his teens with these people, becoming the punk rock anarchist god he is. He learns how to help people like they help him.

Some of those kids are still around, some on their feet now, and some living free, sticking with the life of a Streetkid by choice. Some he sees often - they're the ones he has a laugh with at the pub.

Others, have moved on, or passed away.

And one day Hobie looks around and realizes he's the oldest one now. He looks around and realizes he's the older street kid now. He's the big bro - and he loves it.

Gwen wasn't the only one staying there when she lived with him. She's not the first Society recruit either.

Because of the streetkids that gave him a family, Hobie is who he is - he has a houseboat that always has at least one or two kids staying there, just looking for a place to stay or a meal to eat.

No matter what - Hobie will help.

At to all the StreetKids that came before, Hobie remembers them all - all the help they gave him and all the times they saved him. He hopes that one day, there are people to remember him too, the same way.

Because that's what he wants to be remembered for.

Because he's not a hero - SpiderPunk isn't the hero. Those streetkids were the heroes.

They way they helped him - is the way he helped Gwen.

I need more StreetKid!Hobie SO BAD S OBADDDDLLY

What if Hobie's brown ideology and fashion and beliefs and his love for everyone around him is a reflection of the very teens who raised him and kept him safe and they're the reason why he does any of this to begin with for the streetkids MY GOODDDDDD

HOBIE BROWN - THE PATRON SAINT OF WARWARD TEENS

[breathe-2am]

hey idk how to tell u this but the big cliffhanger in s1 isn’t the crew being separated it’s stede going out to find ed when ed has fallen so deep into heartbreak and self-loathing that he’s destroyed stede’s ship and split up their crew. the cliffhanger is about “how will ed and stede fix their relationship after stede broke ed’s heart and ed went off the deep end?”

bc what’s going on with the crew is not the main storyline. the main storyline is the romance between ed and stede, djenks has said this many times. the main plotline is the development of ed and stede’s relationship. the show didn’t “shove most of the characters into 1 minute scenes between much longer gentlebeard arcs” in 2.04, the crew was just part of the B plot that episode, which is to be expected because they are all side characters who are always in B or C plots if they’re not part of the plot with the main characters (ed and stede). the main A plot of 2.04 is ed and stede making up now that they’ve finally been reunited, and the show develops this storyline in a rewrite/adaptation/homage to the play who’s afraid of virginia woolfe.

it’s fine if u don’t like gentlebeard or if your main enjoyment from the show is izzy/the crew, but if that’s the case for you then unfortunately you’re always have a harder time enjoying ofmd bc the writing in the show is always going to prioritize gentlebeard over the other characters. the crew reuniting was always going to be much less important than ed and stede reuniting and making up. that’s what david jenkins meant when he said “the show is the relationship.”

Heyo! I see my meme has breached the side of ofmd tumblr I usually interact with, which is really cool! Thanks for stopping by haha

I think your response is so emblematic of the shift the show went thru from season 1 to season 2- namely, that season 1 was an ensemble show and season 2 was not. Stede was the main character, yes, and he got more backstory and focus than a lot of the crew, but the story of the show in s1 was that it was a bunch of people with conflicting personalities shoved onto a boat together. Stede’s the center, but every other character gets focus as well. This show, by djenks own admission, was not originally intended to be a rom-com romance between stede and ed. He said that he didn’t commit to actually have them be together until filming season 1 episode 6- more than halfway thru the story of the first season, and that it was mainly due to rhys and taika’s acting that made him change it from an unrequited love to a relationship. So while the story is a lot about gentlebeard, saying that every other character is secondary to them and their romance isnt true.

I think a great example to bring up would be season 1 episode 7, the episode that solidifies (via lucius) that yes, this is happening. This is a very relationship heavy episode, but crucially gb isn’t the only focus.

Here's a breakdown: we start w a 1:00 gb scene, then roach comes in asking about the oranges, which leads to a 2:00 scene w the whole crew that sets up the episodes plot (swede has scurvy, we need to get more oranges). Jim protests going to st augustine, which is followed by a 1:00 scene between jim and olu, including a jim flashback. Stede and lucius return with the treasure map, there’s 1:30 more of the whole crew, then we go into the captains cabin for 1:00 of stede, ed, and lucius. 6 minutes into the ep flashes to the crew on land, a 0:50 conversation between jim and olu, then 2:00 of the whole crew, ending then nana invites them all to eat some cake at 8:15. We then go to stede, lucius, and ed in the marketplace until the 9 minute mark (abt 0:45), then back to the church where olu and jim talk to nana for 1:15, including more jim flashbacks. Back to the adventure w stede ed and lucius, which is 2 scenes back to back, totally about 3:00 (the “oh my god this is happening” scene). Then back to the church for jim olu and nana, a 1:00 jim flashback inside a 3:00 scene. Then back to the captains and lucius for 1:30, then to jim and olu, more jim flashback, then the a and b plots converge at the 2:30 mark when jim sees stede digging up their tree. Stede, ed, and lucius exit the scene after 1:30, jim and olu have a conversation for another 1:00. We see the crew leaving, then olu and nana talk, which all takes 2:00. Back on the boat, ed and stede become co-captains in a 0:45 scene, then the final 1:30 of the ep is izzy at jackie’s with 1:30 credits

Gentlebeard: 9:00, whole crew: 5:30, Jim and Olu: 11:35, Izzy: 1:30, credits: 1:30

I would say that s1e7 is the most overtly gb episode before the kiss in s1e9. But as you can see, it’s not just gb. There’s a lot of focus on jim, who gets multiple filmed flashbacks, there’s scenes w jim, olu, and nana, there’s scenes of the whole crew together, stede and ed are really only oncscreen together for abt 9 minutes- not even 1 third of the episode. And this is the ep that says directly to the audience “yes, they have a romance building”. I’m not trying to say w this that every member of the crew needs to b given equal screentime, bc that didn’t happen here obv, but everyone is doing something, and the plot is moving forward propelled by more than just the gb relationship.

Now this is very much changed in season 2.

S2e4 starts with 0:20 of stede waking ed up, then 0:45 of stede and the crew, 0:30 of ed and buttons, izzy’s w the unicorn for 1:00. The crew kick ed off the boat in a 1:15 scene. Now at the 2:25 mark we get to the plots splitting. Ed has a 1:15 scene on land, 0:45 is spent talking to a bunny. Stede and buttons find anne and mary’s antique store after 0:45 of walking. The scene in the antique porch is 2:15. Back to the revenge where there’s a 1:00 scene where wee john, roach, and pete talk about how the kraken crew, lucius, and izzy are different, and the kraken crew thinks they’re plotting to kill them. Already we go back to anne and mary’s where theres various conversations for 3:00. We go back to the revenge for a 0:45 scene where the revenge crew scare the kraken crew and lucius by trying to surprise them. Back to land, where anne and stede and mary and ed talk for 2:00. Back to the revenge for a 1:45 scene w the crews, izzy enters at the 1:00 mark and then crawls away. Well that’s that, we go back to the dinner on land for 1:00, then ed storms out and he and stede have a conversation on the couch for 2:15. Anne and mary reenter, followed by a 3:00 argument that ends with anne burning down the house and they don’t kiss for some reason. We have a 0:20 scene of the crew preparing the unicorn leg, izzy is in his room and received the leg in a 0:40 scene, and well it’s been a whole minute on the revenge, time to go back to ed and stede for 1:00, ed and buttons talk end when buttons turns into a seagull after 1:30. Ed and stede talk for 0:30, and then we end w izzy the new unicorn for 0:45. Credits are again 1:30.

Gentlebeard: 19:50, whole crew: 5:05, Izzy: 3:10, credits: 1:30

To illustrate my point, i made some graphs

You don’t even have to think very hard to see the change in distribution of screentime season 1 vs season 2. And i’d argue that this is absolutely to the show’s detriment, because that ensemble cast is given way less time to shine, grow, or even speak. Notice how for the second chart there isn’t a jim and olu section? Yea that’s cause Jim has 10 lines this whole episode, and Olu has 5. Two characters, whose relationship, backstory, and plot takes up more screentime than gentlebeard’s in season 1, have a combined 15 lines between them, only 4 of which are longer than 1 sentence- 2 for jim, 2 for olu, and those lines are two sentences long. god bless us every one.

I get that there’s a large subset of the ofmd fandom that only cares abt ed and stede. I get that that’s how u find enjoyment in the show, and u know what? All the power to u. I’m not saying stop liking the show, stop liking gentlebeard, stop caring abt these characters. I don’t like gentlebeard, but i used to, and i remember really really loving ed and stede and their relationship in season 1. That changed in season 2 because of ed’s abusive actions and stede pivoting from being an independent character to just basically following whatever ed says (but that’s a story for another day).

But let’s be honest with each other, and with ourselves: season 1 was an ensemble show. Season 2 narrowed its focus to gentlebeard, while also making it (for some people) harder to like. That’s why a lot of people (myself included) didn’t like season 2 as much as season 1.

Also, just to focus back in on the original issue, the meme was not about gentlebeard. It was about Anne and Mary. And there is literally no way you can convince me that they were used as well as they could have been, or that they were implemented into the story in a smart, necessary, or even respectful way.

Because i'm a nice person, i made a brand new updated meme just for u, anon!

:-)

[sepublic]

So the jokes comparing Skar King to King Louie over their appearances, with a remix of I Wan’na Be like You playing in the background, are funny and all. But they’re also more true than most might realize???

In the Godzilla vs Kong novelization, it explains that the Great Apes were like any other titans in Hollow Earth… But then they became very intelligent. They got into groups, formed languages. They established hierarchies, made tools, created architecture… And also began enslaving other titans. They conquered and pillaged, expanded past their original roles in the ecosystem.

In essence, the Great Apes became too human. Which is a great way to build off of Kong showing how human he can be in that very film, which introduced his sign language, as well as emphasized that in Mothra’s absence only Kong can defend humanity. He’s always had a symbiotic relationship with the Iwi, and with the stereotype of apes and humans being alike, you could say Kong is the most human of our giant monsters.

So the inverse of that is fascinating to take into account as to why Godzilla fought with Kong’s ancestors, and blasted their empire back into the Stone Age as retaliation for the above-mentioned advancements, which in his eyes were transgressions; I dunno if humanity had already begun the same as the Great Apes, which came first, but one must’ve reminded Godzilla of the other. In fact maybe they evolved into civilizations alongside one another.

And that brings us to Godzilla x Kong and the introduction of Skar King, who is revealed as the original leader of the Great Apes that started that entire backstory. Adam Wingard described him as the most human of the Monsterverse Kaiju, in the worst way possible; He’s the dark reflection to Kong and us in that way. He wanted the Great Apes to become human; Maybe not in the sense that he was emulating us specifically, but in that he wanted to make his species act in all the ways associated with humanity. Dude even has a harem which hammers in how depraved he is.

And like any human leader, he’s not much on his own; But the armies he leads, the tools he has, the beasts he tames, that makes him dangerous. He is just a man in the end; Nothing without his followers and society. Skar King’s ambition in the past led to Godzilla knocking down the Great Apes a massive notch, which led to some fleeing to Skull Island; This sets Kong’s destiny in stone when the Skull Crawlers emerge there and kill his parents. The Godzilla-killing axe must’ve been created under Skar King’s rule, in fact he may have personally made and/or wielded it to begin with; Skar King could’ve recognized that weapon, and been reclaiming it when he first met Kong.

Skar King is responsible for Kong in a sense; To him, Kong is a feral child who just now has reconnected with society and begun to realize how intelligent he can really be; Hence the traps at the beginning of Godzilla x Kong. He’s a reverse Tarzan, funnily enough; Lost his parents and spent more time in the jungle with humans, who are his ‘apes’. Skar King created Kong, in other words his own downfall, just as he sired Suko who rebelled, enslaved Shimo who retaliated, crafted the axe that spelled his downfall, and angered Godzilla who fought back. Skar King made his own demise, he brought his kind to ruin in his attempts to control nature.

So when we go back to the comparisons with another red-haired ape who also wants to act human, in a very destructive way via mastering fire. Yeah I guess Skar King Louie really does wanna be like us.

[illiaccrest]

So, is Aventurine going to come back and have a larger role or is the writing for Star Rail just really weird?

Spoilers for Penacony

I feel like Aventurine's plot in the Penacony storyline is interesting but kind of awkward? The writing in Star Rail so far is pretty awkward in general imo, but him especially.

Like, you're introduced to him as this shifty ally but actually adversary but actually ally. He lies to you a lot, acts like a crazy person (at least he must have looked crazy from the trailblazer's perspective), and then gets YEEETED out of the story. That's all great and cool, his schemes eventually uncover the final secret of the plot, but did we really need the intimate deep dive into his backstory?

I loved getting to see all of his flashbacks, it definitely made him the most interesting and complex character so far, but from a storytelling perspective it's a weird choice.

For Aventurine to fulfill his role in the story we really just needed to know that he's the schemer among the IPC. There's really no reason to go so deep into his past and for us to actually see all of those scenes play out. It would have been enough to suggest that he had a rough past that made him the way he is.

I don't know if I'm reading too much into things but I feel like it's important. Not only does Penacony's story make Aventurine suddenly feel like an important character, but his flashbacks also introduced this idea of people being blessed by gods that aren't Aeons with Giathra which hopefully means they're going to go back and explore the nature of divinities in this universe more and not just forget about it.

Also, am I crazy of does the wording in some scenes seem to imply that Aventurine is NOT the last Avgin? When asked if he's the last of his kind he answers "perhaps". During the IPC broadcast about the genocide they report 6000+ deaths and 3000+ missing. That's a lot of missing people! And in his character story when he asks Jade about the status of his people she says "there are no more Avgins on Sigonia".

On Sigonia. Not that there are no more Avgins in general.

My prediction is that Aventurine is not done causing problems and that we might find out that the IPC is really into human trafficking 😬

[jesawyer]

I'm really interested in hearing about the thought process behind Brother Guy not being the victim in the final version, as well as where his backstory we learn about in Act II might have come from. Considering Act II also introduces the Sommerfeld family, was there a background decision at some point of "hey, we need to acknowledge what is happening with Jewish people in this setting?" Is Guy's story and approach to everything going on meant to sort of contrast with the Sommerfeld's (i.e. Guy as a descendant of forced converts vs Rachel and Benjamin as Jewish people active within their community)?

This element of the game just really keeps sticking in my brain, and I'd love to learn more about what was discussed behind the scenes!

He was never intended to be the Act I victim. When working on prototypes, I try to approach them with the explicit declaration that everything we use will be thrown out. It doesn't mean we will throw everything out, but that needs to be the attitude.

Prototypes are built for effect rather than for establishing pipelines. I.e., the prototype is about creating an experience we can all agree on. The vertical slice expands that experience but builds it "the right way". Vertical slice content usually winds up in the game so it should not only be the experience that you want, but it should be built the way you expect to build (most of) the rest of the content.

If we lean too heavily on material we made in a prototype during our vertical slice, we may incur debt because those things may have been built badly, or oddly, or simply in a way that is different from everything else. So while we did use a lot of our prototype material in our vertical slice, the main quest itself was scrapped (as it was always intended to). The murder in Act I needed to fit into a larger narrative framework and Brother Guy's death wouldn't have worked for a variety of reasons.

Some spoilers below:

Cf. the murder of Adelmo in The Name of the Rose. The death of one monk, even under suspicious circumstances, is only of great concern to the abbot because the Papal delegation is arriving. The death of Baron Rothvogel is of great concern to Father Gernot due to his friendship with the Prince-Bishop of Freising.

As far as Guy's background, I thought it was important that the story addressed various things happening to Jews around Europe at the time. The early modern period was very turbulent for Jews and I thought that should be reflected, even if it was happening in side stories. His experience is not the experience of the Sommerfelds and his way of dealing with prejudices toward his ancestors is certainly unique.

We didn't want to make historical prejudices central to the identities of people in Tassing or Kiersau for the same reason we didn't delve deep into things like corporal spousal/child abuse (though characters like Franz and certainly Lenhardt are clearly emotionally abusive at least) even if that were quite common in the period. The topics are so severe that they would likely derail focus on the other plot and thematic elements. Characters like Vácslav also indicate there are background prejudices at play that keep him in the company of charcoal burners and executioners. Anyway, even if the people of Tassing and Kiersau had likely been indoctrinated with prejudices, they have bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

[pico-farad]

I hit episode 90 of Vrains! Season 2 is long, so I'm stopping here to put down some thoughts.

But before that, I wanted say that I was blown away by the response to Secret Identities AU! I didn't even know the Vrains fandom was still alive, but clearly I was mistaken. I plan to make a part 2 going over more characters and changes I'd make, but I'm going to hold off until I've finished the series, so that I can factor in the larger arc of the story.

For now though, here's my thoughts on the second third of Vrains (up to Aoi vs. Bohman). I had too much to say again, so this part will cover Soulburner and Flame.

Critique is meant in good taste. I don't think the Vrains writers will be offended.

All Vrains season analysis posts

⇀ Soulburner

Well, I saw this coming. With a protagonist like Yusaku, the writers need a character who can engage him and generally fill up that "Yugioh friend" role, which was sorely missing in Season 1. Naoki, Go, or Ai? Not marketable enough. They needed to make an anime boy, and they sure did.

That said, I was expecting more from Yusaku and Soulburner's relationship, it's a little... nondescript. They had the same problem in season 1, where the writers don't leave room for the characters to just be characters and bounce off each other, it's all just plot and duels and exposition. At least season 1 had the excuse of Yusaku's trauma alienating him from others, but not only has Yusaku already resolved to overcoming that barrier, but Soulburner is one of the only people who can connect with him because of that experience.

I really would have liked to see them connect more on both being victims of the Lost Incident. Season 1's emotional conflict resolved with Yusaku putting his trauma behind him, so Season 2 needs a new emotional conflict. This would be an excellent use of Soulburner's character, except they've made the strange decision that Soulburner has also already overcome his trauma... offscreen.

Don't get me wrong, the Soulburner vs. Blood Shepherd episodes are good. Having Soulburner and Flame trick Blood Shepherd with their acting is a fine gotcha, but think about what we could have gotten if Takeru was allowed to grow through the story itself -- Yusaku and Flame both encouraging him, Takeru finding strength in Yusaku, the only person he knows who has been though the same trauma as him, but was able to stand up to Hanoi nonetheless. Instead, we don't even get to see Yusaku's reaction to Soulburner's backstory, he's stuck outside the bubble.

I can see why people like him though. Both his designs are good, he gets some funny lines, some good duels. I like his trait of fanboying over the heroes who saved Vrains, EXCEPT that the duels vs. Go and Blue Girl were unforgivable and I WILL go deep into that in their sections, mark my words anime boy.

Most of all though, I like his relationship with Flame.

⇀ Flame

He's funny. Like if Jack was five inches tall. I like how he just casually puts words in Soulburner's mouth. ("Prepare yourself! Soulburner never shows mercy!" "What? I didn't say that." "You didn't?") Flame thinks he's the Ratatouille rat in this relationship, both of them think they're the one calling the shots, and that's great.

I wish that element of their relationship had come back in the Soulburner vs. Windy duel, which is another case of introducing an interesting challenge for the characters -- in this case, the idea that Flame should want to be independent of Soulburner -- only to once again go Psych! Bamboozled! They were just acting the whole time!

Ah yeah, they sure tricked me into thinking we would get some good character development...

It's a shame, because I think Windy actually does raise an interesting point. The audience is biased towards thinking of Soulburner as the one who calls the shots -- he's the one who plays the cards, who declares attacks and announces effects, while Flame is the one who looks like a mascot and provides standard Yugioh audience commentary. It makes complete sense for Windy to instill doubt in Flame this way, because the conflict between the Ignis and humans is that humans think AI should only serve humans, and Ignis believe in their own free will.

For reference, here is the exchange that happens (paraphrased) after Soulburner refuses to listen to Flame's advice not to set a card (though this is just part of the act)

Windy: Don't you want to fight using your own will, Flame? Partners are just a nuisance. That's why I got rid of mine. Soulburner: Nuisance? During the Lost Incident, the captured spent every day in an unimaginable situation. Despair, day after day... When we were freed, we were so happy that our hope became reality! But you stole that away from your partner because you thought he was a nuisance? Flame: Windy, we were able to be created because they spent day after day enduring despair. We should be thanking them. We have no right to steal their hope!

Flame's rebuttal to Windy is so bizarrely essentialist. The Ignis don't owe anything to the Lost Incident victims, much less gratitude. They didn't ask to be created, and they are not responsible for the crimes of SOL. The message should have been something like "I chose Soulburner with my own free will."

Flame does not owe Takeru anything, but he chooses to be his partner, because the whole point of the Ignis is that they have free will. That is the proper resolution to Windy asking "Don't you want to fight using your own will?" The answer is no, they choose to fight together. Even if Soulburner appears to be the one calling the shots because he wears the duel disk, they are equals, and the reason Soulburner takes the lead is because Flame trusts him. 5D telepathy chess undercuts that.

⇀ Lost Incident Victims, and Alternate Season 2 thoughts

The more I think about it, the more I wish they used the different Lost Incident victims to explore different reactions to trauma. Yusaku used it to fuel him and his revenge, Takeru went down a route of self-sabotage and lashing out, Jin shut himself down, and Spectre, uh, decided to be Like That lmao.

Here's the set-up that I would have done for Season 2: after Jin is kidnapped, Yusaku decides to seek out the other Lost Incident victims to see if any of them have been targeted too, which could give them a clue on how to get Jin back. This is how he meets Takeru. 

Yusaku has to learn how to connect with people, which follows up on the season 1 finale, where he resolves to open himself up to others and tells Revolver that he wants to be friends. By befriending Takeru and helping him overcome his trauma, and eventually the other Lost Incident victims too, it builds up to the reprise of Yusaku vs. Revolver, where Yusaku finally succeeds in connecting with Revolver, who he realizes is another victim of the Lost Incident.

Jin and Miyu get to be actual characters this way, too, rather than just damsel devices. I'd also pay to see the deranged interactions Spectre would have with Yusaku.

[mspandorasart]

Thoughts about Undertale Yellow

Greetings, I just returned from binging through Undertale Yellow, True Pacifist Route specifically, and am seeking a place to let out some thoughts (and steam). It's the first time I'm doing this type of "review" on my blog, but since my thoughts on it are quite strong, I thought, "hey, why the heck not"? Spoilers for the game and its ending ahead, fellas. Buckle up.

First off, let me begin by stating that, for the most part, I had a blast playing through it. The music is amazing, the boss themes real bangers, the environmental ones great as well. My favorite track was the OST that played in the Dunes: a really catchy western vibe with Flowey's theme in it as well, an earworm that filled me with Determination while running through the sandy fields. Then we have a beautiful pixel art style, gorgeous sceneries, great gameplay with challenging and fun boss fights (side note: although I couldn't fully appreciate Ceroba's fight since it had a couple pretty much unavoidable attacks. Or is it just skill issue on my part? Anyway, that part annoyed me more than it should have. Moving on, lmao.)

Furthermore, the game also has charming characters! They are the ones that kept me going and really ignited my interest. Not gonna lie, it took me until the town in the Dunes to become really invested in the game. Martlet is charming and cute, sure, but North Star and his gang, no, that guy specifically sold it for me. Charismatic, funny, very expressive sprites (well, all facial sprites are quite colorful, but it took me until North Star to appreciate/notice just how many there are for each character) and an interesting internal conflict with wanting to entertain others so they forget about the pain of being stuck underground, but at the same time being so absorbed in his persona that he temporarily acts like a douche towards his pals and forgets who he truly is. He also features my favorite joke in the game when he proudly proposes to the salesman that "he wants to buy a gun for the child". Freaking hilarious, love him, huehehue.

Story-wise, I was pleasantly surprised and taken aback by the dark twists of Ceroba and her husband Chujin. And I appreciated how the flashbacks got intigrated within her final boss fight. I don't know about you, but my biggest motivation to play RPGs are not just the gameplay, it's mainly the characters and the story. If the gameplay is amazing but the characters/plot boring, then I lose interest quickly. To me, the real rewards of a tough battle are story progression and seeing just what the characters will do next. Therefore, I greatly enjoyed the breaks between Ceroba's phases in which we saw parts of her backstory. They even made me cry!

...Although, to be honest, I don't exactly understand why we had that insight into her mind in the first place. Why did we survive so many hits to the point of 0.00001 HP? Where's that coming from all of a sudden? Why did time stop at some point like Za Warudo? Maybe that random plot armor (that happened the first time and never again) is explained in another route, but anyway, moving on-

This review-style blog entry only exists because of the True Pacifist ending. I'll be blunt, I hate it. Why?

So it ends with Clover sacrificing their soul for the monsters so they can eventually break free. Which is fine on its own. Clover is for the most part a blank slate of a character, only driven by their desire to seek the lost humans, that's basically it. Maybe it would have made a bit more sense for Clover to see an actual physical proof of their demise before they give up on them completely, but eh. I'm also wondering whether they are really okay with potentially another, possibly innocent human falling down sometime in the future only to get killed by the monsters. But oh well.

(You know, now that I think about it, I actually am a bit salty about Clover's decision to sacrifice themselves, lmao. Would've been kinda cool if it was up to the player, have another ending split.)

Anyways, the issue I'm having is how our cast of supporting characters, Martlet, North Star aka Starlo and Ceroba react to Clover's decision. They are shocked first, but... agree surprisingly quickly?? What?? Excuse me, the entire hassle we went through to get to this point was to stop Ceroba from taking Clover's soul. Now with Clover volunteering to sacrifice themselves, the gang is cool with it??

Of course they don't agree immediately, but are easily swayed within a few arguments back and forth. Man, what friends you are, guys. The reason I'm having this pet peeve in the first place is because we as the human, who has known these guys for just a day, did a lot for them, alright? They all tried to kill us at one point, but we took the beating, the hard battles, forgave them and were there for them during their internal conflicts. We were a pretty decent friend, if I may say so.

Especially with Ceroba! We did a lot to change her mind and path of self-destruction! Yet our so-called friends don't put in the same amount of effort when it comes to convincing us otherwise- or heck, use force if you must- get Clover away from there, lmao. Wouldn't it have been an interesting act of redemption on Ceroba's part, by the way, if she tried to stop us? Being touched by our mercy and refusal to give up on her, she does the same for us?

I suppose the reason I am so baffled by all this is because of Clover being a blank slate, the player character really felt like me, like I was going through the journey and not like I was controlling another character. It felt like my decision to spare them all, to talk to them and wanting to get to know them better. So the group of characters I have really grown to like giving up on me within about a minute of back-and-forth just felt... wow. Thanks, guys.

If I compare it to Undertale's True Pacifist in which every important supporting character gathers up after the confrontation with Asgore, all agreeing with the decision of me, the player, staying in the Underground with them, then oh boy, it really stings. Just would've been a cool, wholesome sign of friendship if Martlet, Starlo and Ceroba decided that "nah, even for the surface, we won't give up on Clover". By the way, in this game, we don't even really get to see why the monsters want to return to the surface so badly. They keep saying they want to, but what are the reasons exactly? More freedom, I suppose. Yet by expanding the Underground with the Dunes, the Mines, the Factory, and some of Snowdin, the Ruins and New Home, their habitat seemed so much larger than in the OG game- What I wanna say is, their desperation should've been shown way more instead of told, so the player can understand the monsters' aspiration better.

The thing is, it's a shockingly easy issue to fix if you really want "the canon ending" with Clover ending up dead and their soul taken: have Clover still have their moment of doubt and realization, remembering what the monsters told them throughout their journey. Then they go to Asgore with their gang, hoping to convince him. It doesn't work out, so Asgore starts a fight. During the battle, Clover realizes it's useless to fight back, it's better to have their soul taken for the monsters, so they allow Asgore to kill them. Their friends are not powerful enough to stop him. There ya have it.

Siiiiigh. Is it just me, being annoyed by that ending? As a whole, the finale felt a little... rushed? Was New Home always meant to be so empty? Is it to build up atmosphere? Yet there were two silly NPCs in the first screen of New Home, making me assume that maybe, there was another plan originally? (If it has been stated in a devlog or any other comment by the creators, then I apologize, I haven't read those fully.)

Anyways, if I didn't care about the game, this rant wouldn't even exist in the first place. I was really invested in the game until the ending just left me... kinda sad, not gonna lie. It will take me a while to process it all.

If you got this far, then thanks for reading. Am I the only one feeling this miffed about the ending? I might go back and edit this post if I find out there are things to be corrected. Buuuut as of now, happy holidays!

[bitter-panacea]

Goultard's backstory, comparing the Dofus manga and the special episode (+ Goultard Bazar special issue) Part 1 - Childhood

Goultard was born in Gisgoul, a small village in the Sidimote Moors, in -1111. To give you an idea of how old that makes him : he's older than Xelor's clock, older than the divine Sadida dolls, older than the 6 primordial Dofus, older than the foundation of Brakmar and Bonta.

Goultard's birth certificate

"Goul" both being in Goultard's name and in the name of the village makes me wonder if it has a specific meaning? Maybe Gisgoul and Goultard are named after the same thing, or Goultard is named after Gisgoul? (Yes, this really is the kind of thing I'm curious about...)

Goultard's the son of the Iop god and a mortal woman named Cabotine. The special issue Goultard Bazar gives us a little insight into their chaotic relationship.

"Cabotine" means someone who acts excessivelly dramatic and theatrical. From the little we see and know of her, it seems like it could be a fitting description. Cabotine had a strong character and quite the temper. Iop himself seems a little scared of her... (Her anger at Iop is perfectly justified and she did what she should have. But ALSO, I dont know what other people think but Goultard having been raised by a possibly histrionic single mother makes complete sense to me. )

(He's inherited his mother's character I'm going to cry heeeelp)

Let's get back to the manga and the special episode. The two are very similar at first, although the manga has more details.

At the time there was a small village lost in the middle of the mountains, in a place now known as the Sidimote Moors. It was a difficult time because the monsters were swarming (and the smallest were the size of a bwork). There were many missing children, despite parents' instructions. The kids at the time were hardly different from those of today.

The manga insists on what a shitty place the village was for children to grow up in. Kids often getting themselves killed by monsters, when they weren't already busy drinking themselves to death.

They were told not to drink alcohol, they were found dead drunk, not to touch eels, they electrocuted themselves, and when they were told not to play outside the village... / Goultard : Say, you guys wanna go play in the forbidden forest? / Kids : Great idea. Yea!

So, not a day went by without a mother mourning her child. Such was life. / Mother : My little one... No... / Father : Calm down, my love... We'll make another one.

When the parents realize their children have left the village and gone to the forest, they know it's already too late and nothing can be done to save them. But when a taur finds them, Goultard doesn't let himself be eaten.

Lagoon was very hungry and decided to grab the most appetizing of the children, the young Goultard. / Goultard ; You want to play with us? / But the monster, so to speak, hit a brick wall.

Goultard : You're not tough enough to have fun with us. Go home to your mom!

Goultard easily defeats the taur and the children all get home safely. But the villagers aren't too happy about it.

strangely, the children's rescue was not very well received by the people of the village. / I can't believe little Goultard could have done that! / Who cares what the kid did, this is bad! I don't need to remind you Lagoon is the offspring of a much more frightening monster... The horrible Kriture!

The villagers decide to kick Goultard and Cabotine out, sacrificing them both to Kriture, hoping to appease his anger. Some of the villagers feel remorse about this decision, but apparently not enough to help them.

Cabotine : I wonder who the real monsters are, in this world!

And when Kriture finally comes, Goultard defeats him as well.

Mayor : What... He's tearing Kriture apart with his bare hands... It's prodigious...

Everybody is VERY freaked out. But having this little killing machine on their side is the best thing they could have hoped for and they all cheer him on.

Yippee!

Goultard as a child is characterized a little differently in the manga and in the special ep.

In the dofus manga, he's a little more cocky, he's confident about being stronger than everyone else. He's aware that the villagers dislike him and his mother and that he needs to be the one protecting her.

In the special ep, he's .... he's so baby. He seems a little younger. He doesn't seem to totally understand what's going on around him. He barely talks. He has friends but stays at a distance, playing by himself in the river, without a care in the world, catching frogs to pet them... so cute... Little weirdo <3

I have to admit i have a strong preference for the special ep when it comes to this. I dont know, there's just something i adore about how adorable and innocent he looks, seemingly unaware of how bad his situation is, that clashes so beautifully with the visceral violence that suddenly and unexpectedly comes out of him....

I like both his characterization in the manga and in the special ep. But to me, they would best reflect him at different stages of his life.

At first carefree, happy of finally getting some recognition when he's tasked with protecting the village (he found his calling and his place in this world) and becomes more cocky as he grows older (teen).

(Maybe he only truly becomes aware of the disrespect he and his mother faced when he's a bit older, and maybe this responsibility he was given so young starts weighing down on him, although he would never ever let it show. Because fighting is his calling, it's what he's good at, it's what he likes... So how could it ever become a burden?...)

He grew older, but stayed just as playful. / Goultard : Woah... Now you look like a tough one. Pff... Not that much, actually.

(... It's all just a game to him. Right? I am insane)

part 2 Part 3 Part 4

[royallpetrichor]

Okay so I haven't posted in like 12 years and I know I'm like a week late, but what's everyone's thoughts on the live-action ATLA teaser? I'm genuinely very interested to know, because I certainly have thoughts, and I've definitely seen some polarised opinions. What do you like about it, and are you worried about anything?

Anyway, my long personal thoughts are below the keep reading line. I probably haven't said anything super new, or any hot takes but they're there.

First, what I loved about the teaser. It looked visually stunning! The shot composition all looked amazing (to someone who knows nothing about film), the visual tone was definitely there, and the set design was gorgeous! The entire time I was just going "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" but in a good way. The characters especially look great. In particular, I loved Suki, Aang, and Zuko. I know some people were disappointed with how the characters looked, but I really think it's the best we could have gotten considering the wide disconnect between animation and live-action, and I think it's something people need to remember.

The acting obviously hasn't been shown very much, so it's still up in the air in that regard. I've been trying to convince myself I'm cautiously optimistic, but quite honestly I've gone straight to pure excitement, despite my worries.

We're also getting more flashbacks, as shown by the fact there's a scene of the Air Nomad genocide. More worldbuilding and backstory is definitely something I'm very happy about, so I'm excited to see where it goes. The thing that stumps me on it is whether they're going to do it well. In the film that shall not be named, Shyamalan put references to the original show everywhere, but he never took the time to understand why they worked. It was like he wanted us to say "Wow! They said the thing!!!!!" as if we'd clap at the screen without actually thinking about anything. I'm really, really hoping that's not the case here.

The tone is definitely something that people are concerned about, myself included. The teaser was very serious and dramatic. Of course, the show has those moments but it's overall very lighthearted. It's a show about friendship first and foremost, and those positive messages are highlighted throughout the series. I'm hoping this teaser is more Netflix saying "Look at these cool effects!" and less "This is the overall tone of the entire series!".

The humour also comes to play in this. ATLA has a lot of jokes. You know this, I know this, they work, I don't have to talk about it. I'm curious about the humor in the live-action series because a lot of the humour in ATLA works because the show is animated, and wouldn't work in the live-action setting. In the film that shall not be named, Shyamalan tried to take jokes from the show, but they just fell completely flat because it was the completely wrong genre and just created tonal dissonance.

The last big thing I'm worried about is the characters, particularly Katara and Zuko.

I'm worried about Katara, because film has had this tendency in the past (and I know this is probably outdated) to "tone down" a female character's more "unsavoury/unladylike" traits. This is a bad example but it's the best my brain can come up with, but Hermione in the HP films compared to the books. In the films she was smart, brave, never wrong, and never made fun of. In the books, she was smart, yes, but also naive, and really mean and judgy sometimes.

Katara is a strong female character because she's not perfect. She's hotheaded and can hold a mean grudge, but those make her who she is. Also, in the film that does not exist, other character's strong moments are inexplicably given to Katara to make her more "badass" without actually putting in the work for her.

I'm worried about Zuko for an entirely different reason. I'm scared they'll "tone back" his assholeness in the first season, and possibly even give us his backstory a lot sooner. I really don't want this, because the whole reason his redemption arc works is because he was a villain first. He did bad things, but he atoned for them. His backstory explains his actions but doesn't excuse them. If we're sympathetic to him too early, the payoff is going to feel a lot cheaper, and like he didn't actually work to make himself better because he was already there.

Okay wow that was a lot, but that sums up all of my thoughts/concerns/excitement for the show. I'm really stoked to see where they go with it, and even if it's a disaster I'll probably enjoy it anyway honestly.

[our-transgender-experiences]

Hi Alex. Is it ok to vent a little bit a lot? It's completely fine if you don't post any response, I completely understand. This is a HUGE experience prompt to respond to.

I was birthed with the male sex (he/him) so you can call me that.

Over the past year and two months, I've been feeling just a little off. I keep a journal, and have since before that moment, so I have my experience written down carefully. In short form, I don't know who I am. In a longer form, I'm a weird, cringey high schooler who doesn't know who they are, who wears a galaxy backpack to school, who is agnostic (Christian, but can't prove it right or wrong), aromantic, and asexual. My experience isn't special by any means, in fact, I think I fit literally every queer stereotype known to mankind? Here's the best part: I live in Oklahoma, the famous place of Nex Benedict's horrific death.

About a month ago, I saw "Celeste" in a YouTube video about some of the hardest, but most enjoyable, games of all time. I looked it over, it's on sale for $5, and I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford that. So I got it and finished it within 3 days. I instantly recommended it to my brother, who also happens to be a little queer. He loved it too, but I STILL didn't know the backstory behind that game. Then, I saw the video. It was an amazing reading of Celeste, down to every minor detail of the game. One thing that stood out, was the fact that the both the creator, and the protagonist, were trans women. Even better: it was known for being a wonderful story of the trans experience, and I RELATED TO IT. EVEN BETTER: I had now recommended it to practically my entire friend group, including some incredibly religious people. So what was I gonna do about it? Not care, and continue onto the B-sides.

I want to say 5 days ago was when it really kicked in that "wait a minute, I related to Madeline in a very deep way, and she's a trans..." Now this is the climax, get ready. Because I had been journaling for so long, I had already written about my experience since those early days where I had that so-called dysphoria. And after I realized that could be because I'm trans, I immediately asked my parents what my girl names were before I was born. (doctors didn't know my sex until about two weeks before I was due) "Eden" is a pretty cool name, I guess I'll try it. I walk into my dad's office (works from home) that same day after school, and he immediately turns to me and asks: "So why did you need to know your girl names?" I immediately respond with "... idk?" Very convincing, well done. I text him after I flee to my room, "I'm experimenting, don't take that too seriously" He understands, and I'm at peace. Mom also takes it well, and we're good to actually begin the experiments I was "planning".

First up, change the online bios, like Discord. See how it actually looks on me. AAAAND my best friend sees it within a few hours. Not even prompted, we were talking, playing rocket league, and he just "hey why's your bio say you're experimenting with 'Eden' as your new name?" Explained, but he was in a weird spot. "I'm happy and will support you with whatever you **choose**." Key word there, I'm not choosing anything. I'm actually going with the flow so much more than he could imagine. But okay, we've got a pretty good ally on our side! Going great.

Except here comes "Part of Me" with the anxiety of what could happen, why I shouldn't do anything different around peers, and more importantly why I shouldn't experiment with myself. And to be honest, I believe that part of me. There's so many questions that I ask like "but what if it's all for attention?" or "but you always acted like a boy, why are you changing now? or "maybe the other Christians were right. you are a sinner after all, you're a bad person and you DO deserve to die." You know those.

And with those come the questioning part of it. Am I ACTUALLY just doing what I'm doing for attention? Like I said, I'm a high schooler. I'm a future aerospace engineer for SpaceX, I love computers, and I have top 1% test scores as a sophomore. I'm doing good with school, but that's exactly why I basically have one friend who is also up there with me. I'm not here to brag, I'm here to show that I don't get a lot of attention at school, it's basically all family members who care about me. So again, am I just trying this for attention? I don't think so, but that seems like what my brain would want me to say.

And to be honest, I needed this. I vent every day, but to nobody except Google advertisement algorithms out of Google Docs (my journal). I vent and cry into empty space, but maybe this is finally not just to my phone. This is to another human who I think has had a close experience to mine.

And of course I'm not going to ask you "who am I, who do I like, and what's my gender?" But I am going to ask you one thing: What's your take? I mean this is the trans experiences blog, but I'm not sure if I am a trans. I figured this was the best place to get a good use out of my time. Thank you so much for letting people like me do this, it seriously means a lot.

i'm glad that you feel that this is a space where you can comfortably talk about your experience, and question your gender. My advice, is to keep experimenting,and see where it takes you find out what you're comfortable with, it might take time, and it might change. It took me a while to get to where i am now, and even now i'm not 100% sure. i tried different labels that felt right at the time, but they changed later, and thats okay.

[capn-rikshu]

Messy thoughts on batch 1 of season 2. SPOILERS

First. The first episode is like breakneck pace, pretty much all action, room to breathe is little. The context of the Decepticons betraying the Autobots after a time of working together is brief. I feel it would help if it was a two-parter or at least slowed down a little so we can actually catch up on the characters the past year. I don't think it was best that it was all pretty much action, it was great though, the story boarding and animation.

I liked that Hashtag was shown to have some battle damage and went out of commission for a while but nothing permanent comes out of it. I initially thought it may play into her picking a new alt mode.

Breakdown basically creating and attempting to be a father to Aftermath was funny. Though it didn't last past episode 1. And the only interaction we get between Breakdown and Bumblebee was when they were fighting in the finale, in the background only though. And speaking of Bee, he was barely in this batch. Only in a few episodes with few lines. It was like he's been demoted to cast B and he doesn't seem to be teaching the Maltos anymore. I hope he's there later, he was such a prominent character in S1 and a mentor to the Terrans.

I love Aftermath and Spitfire, they're fun characters. Twitch's and Spitfire's rivalry was great. Disappointed that JB didn't crush on Aftermath. I hope they come back in the next batch. It would be interesting if they were permanently dead though I doubt it. And I knew Starscream would have to rip those shards out of them in order to complete his plot! This answers the question, Starscream would kill a child.

Starscream is not painted sympathetically at all and there is no mention of his and Megatron's backstory. His motive is briefly mentioned though I wish they put more focus on it. Certain people are going to throw a fit over it. I understand though we still have more episodes.

Sad that there is no Hashtag betrayal, sad that there wasn't a big talk between them of her trying to convince him not to awaken the Titan or even him hesitating.

I wonder what happened to Wheeljack after he was hit with the Cyber Slayer, I think he may be dead but no one acted like he was dead. I don't think we see him again after. They better tell us next batch.

Surprised we didn't see Prowl. He was one of the earliest characters leaked. But I think in the next batches we will see him and hopefully Cybertron. I hope we see Tarantulas next batch as well, I hope Tarantulas and Prowl meet.

I hope Tarantulas reunites with Nightshade the most. Luckily there were there and not taken by a UFO!

I still feel like the Terrans aren't fully fleshed out and I'm disappointed that their dynamics didn't get fleshed out more either. It's too same-y still. I want inner conflicts, I want drama, I don't want this perfect siblings. ;w;

The Terrans personalities don't change drastically, sadly. No characters arcs yet.

I keep thinking about this while watching. This batch doesn't feel mature but to be fair it was the same for batch one in season 1. I see bits of trust but not much of the other two. They'd be in the next batches hopefully.

Over all, I need more than one rewatch. I'm interested in more episodes. I didn't absolutely love it, I didn't hate it I just wish they did more. But I enjoyed what was given and I love my Terrans <3

I think the carnival episode with Robby's crush is my favourite. I hope the Terrans also have crushes in the future hehe.