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tokiro07 · 3 months

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Cipher Academy ch.58 thoughts

[Thank You For Playing]

(Contents: Reflection)

I think it's pretty clear from this chapter that Nisio had a lot of other storylines planned, though I'm not sure how much attention each one would have gotten

Toshusai's mission to round up the Gun Eyes, Yosaimura's mission to dredge up the Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier, and of course Iroha's mission to save the Battlefield Dancer, all could well have been their own story arcs, but it's also possible that all but the latter would have been background events. Regardless, Nisio is telegraphing that there was more story to tell, and that we'll need to fill in the blanks on our own at this point

In a certain sense, I appreciate that Nisio is showing me what could have been. Being given breadcrumbs even after the story's conclusion allows me to continue creating the story in my heart, even if the canon is beyond my reach now. To borrow Nisio's wording, it feels less like the story has ended and more like it's stopped

Endings usually come in one of two flavors - wrap-ups or "our journey continues," but this one kind of feels like both in a way. It's demonstrating how the previous storylines wrapped up, but while also showing what new journeys started since then and which were never completed. It's a bit more realistic in that way, as people's lives aren't stories that can be bound neatly in the narrative of a book

That said, this is still a story, and some elements do need to be presented neatly. With the story concluding with every class working as a unit, I think it's fair to say that my take that this was, at its core, a Friendship story was correct. I wonder if perhaps every first-year class was made to treat the other classes as enemies or rivals specifically to build up to the point where they would be allies later? It would make sense for a military academy to lean into basic team-building structure like that, as the stages go as follows: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. Every class is built from strangers, they're put at odds with each other to become acquainted, their dynamics normalize, and then they can operate efficiently with that familiarity. It makes sense for this to be repeated at every level, from intra- to inter-class relationships, and possibly even inter-school relations. In the end, I do wish that we could have spent more time exploring those relationships, as they were easily the most engaging part of this narrative

Oddly, the most reassuring thing about this ending was that it kind of gave me closure to a question I've had for over a decade now: was Medaka Box canceled? Based on this ending, I'm inclined to say no. There are so many parallels between these two endings - the timeskip, the where-are-they-now, the final shot of a group photo, the literal credits sequence. It was all so familiar that I recognized it pretty much immediately, but there was one key difference: while Medaka Box took us through the goings-on of the entire casts' lives, very little of it felt like story that could have drawn out the series' lifespan. I mean, sure, it could have, but none of it felt like it was meant to be story that we would have seen directly. It was everyone catching up and talking about what they've heard their friends have been up to, but with the exception of Munakata becoming an exorcist when ghosts or demons haven't been an established concept up to this point, all of it was just "oh, she's a baker now, he's a cop now, he's a politician now, she's a calligrapher now," etc. None of it was of any real consequence to the lives of the cast, it was just flavor text to reminisce on the events of the story and how far everyone has come

Here, I feel like we could have seen all of it and it would have been engaging. We're not just touching base with old friends here, we're waking up from a coma and learning that we missed all of the fun. It's such a vastly different feeling that I can't help but feel like this is how it would have felt if Medaka Box were canceled, therefore it most likely wasn't

I'm sure I could come up with more to wax poetic on with this series, but to be honest, I'm getting exhausted here. It's heartbreaking seeing one of my favorites get cut down like this, and as some of you may have heard, Martial Master Asumi has been canceled as well. I don't want to harp on this for much longer and make myself sadder, so I'll conclude on as positive a note as I can

I had a great time writing about this series. Being able to explore shonen tropes through Nisio's lens is always a delight and a bit of a trip, and getting the chance to share that experience with others was great fun. Iwasaki's art was fantastic, as evidenced by how many of these girls I absolutely fell in love with, and I'm glad I got to see so many parallels to Akira Akatsuki's style. I actually have to wonder if the styles of both series were directed by Nisio's vision or if perhaps Iwasaki is a fan of Akatsuki. Either way, this last year has given me the opportunity to relive my time with Medaka Box while also giving me something completely new at the same time. I'm so grateful that Nisio and Iwasaki at least got to make it this far, and I hope that we'll get to see both of them again in the near future

To everyone who read all 58 of my reviews for this series, thank you so much. To everyone who only read a few here and there, or even only read this one, thank you as well. I'm glad I got to spend time with you and I hope my little essays enriched your experience, even a little

Until next time

#cipher academy #fouryearsandananime #one year no anime #4y1a reviews

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idabbleincrazy · 11 months

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First Turn of the Spiral

Fandom: Angel (Buffyverse)

Rating: E

Pairing: Spangelus (William/Angelus)

Word Count: 2729

Warnings: smut, pwp (mostly), bottom!Angelus, bottoming from the top, first time bottoming, obsession, anal sex, control issues

Summary: Angelus plans to rid himself of his obsession with a certain part of William's anatomy once and for all.

A/N: this started as one fic, then turned into a completely different fic as I went along. Cuz I just can't keep feelings out of my Spangel even when they're soulless. Written mainly for @countblucas , my constant cheerleader for bottom!Angel in every form. Oh, and I left the ending open for a sequel 😈

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He didn't know what it was about the brash young fledge his insane Princess had brought home that made his cock perk to new, and frankly, dangerous and frightening, thoughts, and yet, he seemed unable to banish them.

Oh, sure, he'd been no stranger to the pleasures to be found in that nature of rutting. He had Darla for a Sire, after all. He had felt the delight of a certain spot being pressed against when Darla had rode him with the double headed ivory dildo she'd commissioned during their stay in Paris. He had written off the force of his climax to the combination of virgin blood they'd supped on, the stream of filthy praise from the one who'd created him tinkling in his ear, and the taste of Drusilla's sweet drippings on his tongue as his face was pressed further into her slick cunt, and thought no further of it.

But he could not deny that the soft, pretty faced lad intrigued him. That he often caught himself staring at that long, pale cock as it pushed into Drusilla's folds, shaking himself from thoughts of what pleasures that cool, curved shaft could bring. Blinking, he would come back to himself, and his thrusts into whichever hole he was currently filling would gain in speed and ferocity, his aching cock pistoning in and out of Darla's cunt, Drusilla's mouth, and on a few occasions, William's tight little pucker, until he roared out his release, coming hard, but slightly unsatisfactorily, before quickly pulling out and shutting himself up in whatever room presently acted as his study.

He couldn't resist it any longer, though. The thoughts were becoming maddening, following him into slumber so that he awoke hard and leaking, his buttocks clenching around emptiness, aching from a phantom stretch. Much more of this, and he would soon become as crazed as his dark haired progeny.

The girls were still across town, some minor dignitary within the demon world had thrown a feast, and would not return until dawn the next day. What better time to finally rid himself of this befuddling obsession without them meddling in?

After a quick hunt for their nightly meal, quicker than normal because if he had to watch William sink fangs and cock into one more half-naked harlot in the fetid London allies, he was going to tumble the unsuspecting lad to the ground then and there and have his way with him right in front of the squealing whores, Angelus dragged the tawny haired fledge back to the house they'd usurped. He pulled the complaining young vampire directly up to the master bedroom, his trousers tight as his cock throbbed against the stays.

The room was comfortably warm, the fireplace still alight just as he'd ordered the minions before their departure. He had also had them bring up a decanter of the best wine the previous owners had in their cellar, but found himself in too much need to ply the young fledge with it now. Besides, the lad rarely gave much objection to their dalliances these days.

"Bloody hell, Angelus!" William looked up at him as he thrust the slighter vampire up against the wall, expression caught between anger and confusion. "Look, mate, I can smell that you're hard, but couldn't we have had a bit more fun with the humans, first? Barely had my fill of the last one before you dragged me off her. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't just slake your lust in that red-haired strumpet that offered to take us both."

"Aye, but they weren't what I've had a taste for tonight, me boy. If you're still not sated by the time we're finished, we can always drain the stable boy."

Angelus crowded William against the wall, breathing in the scent of his own substantial arousal and letting out a low growl of hunger.

"Darla would have a fit if she came back to find we have to hire a new hand again."

"Let me handle Darla, lad. Now, are you going to keep jabbering, or are you going to be a good pup, and strip?"

Not giving the fledgling a chance to retort beyond the start of an angry growl, Angelus gripped him by the chin and mashed his mouth to William's. The younger vampire responded without thought, his lips parting to welcome the forceful tongue pushing past his teeth. Angelus grinned into the kiss, loving how compliant the boy became under his ministrations.

As the kiss deepened, he tugged William's shirt free of his trousers, fingers blindly working at the buttons until he felt flesh under his fingertips. Turning them away from the wall, he backed the young vampire across the room until they tumbled to the bed, Will's gasp swallowed as Angelus refused to break away from the blood-sweet mouth he was so intent on devouring.

Angelus maneuvered them up the bed, still straddling the lithe body as it squirmed and grasped at his hair and shoulders. He barely registered his own shirt being ripped open, buttons clattering as they pinged off the wall and floor, William becoming more brazen as the kiss went on. Barely resisting the dulled instinct to pant, Angelus pulled away from William's mouth, smirking down at the pouting form as he wriggled free of his somehow undone trousers, his cock slapping against his stomach and dripping pre-cum.

William started to turn over as Angelus finished disrobing, and Angelus let out a soft chuckle, stopping him mid-twist. Lust-darkened blue eyes met his in mild confusion, but William stilled nonetheless.

"Dammit, Angelus, you know I don't like being taken like a woman, let me turn over, 's easier."

"We're trying something different tonight, boy. And if you don't stop your damnable complaining, it'll be the only time we do it this way."

Content with the fledge's temporary silence, Angelus eased William's shirt down his shoulders and slid his trousers down his legs to his thighs, leaving the slender limbs restricted in their range of motion. He may be giving in to the new desire to be filled, but he wasn't going to let the whelp think he was in any means submitting to him. Control had been key in keeping the sometimes-upstart in line since the day Drusilla had brought him home, and domination had been a major factor in maintaining that control. The boy could not be allowed to forget his place, regardless of who's cock went where.

Keeping his features stern, Angelus straddled William again and reached over to grab the tin of salve he used if he was feeling more magnanimous when he was taking the slim vampire. Scooping out a generous dollop of the slick liniment, he let a smirk quirk his lips as he reached behind himself, William's eyes narrowing in further confusion as the expected fingers failed to penetrate him. They widened almost comically as realization sunk in.

"Sire?"

"No questions, lad." Angelus grunted quietly as he stretched himself, his cock twitching at the burn, the pain heightening his arousal as he scissored his fingers inside the tight passage. "This is still for my pleasure. Yours is inconsequential."

William gulped and his gaze drifted down to where Angelus' hand disappeared behind his back, his half-hard cock filling further, a low growl building in his throat at the knowledge of what the elder vampire was preparing to do.

When he felt himself adequately opened, Angelus eased his fingers out and wrapped his hand around the dark blonde's length, stroking it to full hardness. Lifting up on his knees, he held the long shaft upright and shifted back until the slick tip was notched against his aching hole. Biting back a groan of pleasure, he bore down on William's cock, his own leaking a spurt of pre-cum as he felt himself being filled.

"Oh, God, Sire! So bloody tight!"

"Hmm." Angelus stilled as his ass nestled in the cradle of William's hips, relishing the feeling of the sizable cock stretching him better than any piece of ivory ever could. It was better than he had imagined all those times he'd watched the boy taking Dru or being ridden into the mattress by Darla, better than any of the dreams that had left him waking up sticky and unsated. He was surprised at William's exclamation as he sheathed the stiff length. "Have ye not taken any of the men you've killed yet, boy? I've seen you tease them with the hope of salvation if they pleasured you with their mouths, but have you never taken a man's arse?"

"N-no…never had a mind to. Would've done, if I'd known it would feel like this. Bloody hell, Angelus, is this what it feels like when you take me?"

Angelus was strangely pleased that he had been yet another of the lad's firsts. The first to take both his ass and his mouth with his cock, and now this final scrap of virginity belonged to him, as well. William let out a low moan as Angelus shifted, his hands moving from his sides to slide up the brunette's thighs, inching up towards his waist.

"C'mon, pet, let me feel you move."

Angelus growled and grabbed William's wrists, pulling his arms away and over his head, the brusque movement drawing William's attention away from his attempt to gain control of their coupling as Angelus leaned over him, the clenching tightness sliding up his shaft. Not giving the fledge time to recover from the distraction, Angelus started a slow, rocking, pace. The cock stretching him open felt good. Too good. He could already tell that this wouldn't be the last time he'd be in this position. Hell, he could feel his climax creeping up on him already, and they'd barely begun. Much as he wanted to ride the slim body beneath him, rough and fast, until he found a roaring release, he would not let himself be so thoroughly undone by the younger vampire. William always spilled first, when he was allowed to at all, and that would not change.

"Sire, oh, Christ, Angelus!"

Angelus clenched his ass around the girth filling him as he shifted, slightly regretting his choice in position; the dual sensations of the long shaft stretching his slick passage and his own aching cock rubbing along the surprisingly muscular torso beneath him proving to be a harsh test of his restraint. In dire need of a change in the equation, he guided William's hands to the headboard, wrapping his fingers crushingly tight around one of the rails.

"Don't move, boy. So much as a twitch of those fingers before I say, an' you'll be wishing you'd only been buggered tonight."

"Yes, Sire."

Decently satisfied that William would obey, Angelus sat back on his heels, his hands sliding down the blonde's arms to rest on his chest. He quickened his pace, his lust-blown gaze drifting over the slim yet sturdy body beneath him. William's tight grip on the headboard brought his muscles into stark relief in the flickering light of the fire, mesmerizing Angelus as his eyes traced along them. How had he always thought the lads' prettiness as soft? No, revealed like this, with his hands splayed across straining pectorals, he could see it was a masculine beauty. The odd realization made him husk out a deep groan of pleasure, his hips thrusting against the cock within him mindlessly.

"Do you feel it yet, Sire?"

"Feel what, William? What nonsense are you about?"

"That spot, Angelus. The one you always find when you're shagging me, that makes me beg you for more. Christ, luv, 's bloody brilliant when you feel it," William moaned and wriggled under him, slightly changing the angle of his cock's journey. "Please, Sire, let me show you, want you to see how good it can feel."

Angelus slowed, his thoughts overrunning him. He'd seen the look of ecstasy that would cross the boy's face when he'd shift and suddenly feel his cock pressing against some nub of flesh inside him. The blonde would moan and plead so prettily then, pushing back against him to take him impossibly deeper, hand straying to his own heavy cock, desperate. He longed to feel like that, to feel that euphoria coursing through his body; but could he give up the control needed to find that mysterious bit of hidden flesh? Would it be worth the risk of allowing the fledge this concession of power?

And why not? Would this not bring him the very pleasure he sought in this act in the first place? As patriarch of this little family, did he not deserve to feel exactly as he so often made William feel? Was it not owed to him?

"Angelus?"

Having assured himself that this divergence of the status quo would not lead to lasting consequences, Angelus nodded at William, allowing him to release his grasp on the railing.

"Tell me when I've found it, Sire, when the angle's right."

Angelus let his eyes fall closed as William's hands encircled his hips, guiding him up and down his stiff cock, shifting beneath him before each downstroke. He turned his thoughts from seeking his own release, letting the younger vampire seek it out for him. His cock throbbed, aching at having held out this long.

"Jesus!"

Angelus' eyes shot open as his nerves sparked with nearly forgotten life, the bulbous cockhead buried deep inside him pressing insistently against some hitherto unknown bit of tissue. A lightning bolt of arousal flared through him, pushing his climax dangerously close to the point of no return.

"There, William. Oh, feckin' hell, there!" Angelus let out a drawn out groan, one hand moving away from William's torso to wrap around his leaking cock, stroking the thick shaft in time with the fledge's thrusts. "Shite, lad, why'd you not tell me of this sooner? Feels almost as good as fucking your tight arse, Will."

"Told you it was brilliant, Angelus. Christ, you feel so good, Sire, clenching so tight around me like that. Gonna make me cum, 'Gelus, 's too bloody good."

"Do it, me boy, cum for me. Just keep hitting that spot. Oh, fuck. C'mon, William, give me your pleasure."

"Oh, bloody fucking Christ!"

Angelus barely held in the shout of surprised pleasure when he felt a tepid warmth filling him as William gripped him tighter, the body under him going briefly rigid before thrusting faster as it worked itself through its release. He felt a hand join his around his cock, their fingers lacing together as he stroked himself harder.

"Come on, Angelus, let it go now. Let me feel you cum, Sire, please."

The obeisance in the blonde's voice tipped him over the edge, his cock pulsing in their joined hands as he came, ropes of sticky spend shooting out to land across William's neck and chest and dripping over their fingers. Angelus rode out his orgasm, reluctant to release the softening length still thrusting inside him.

Surprised to find himself panting needlessly, he released his grip on his spent cock and disentangled his hand from William's. He felt the cock within him twitch weakly as the boy brought his cum-covered hand to his mouth and licked away the viscous mess, his own cock giving a feeble attempt to stir itself at the debauched sight the blonde made.

With a grunt, he lifted himself off William's cock and collapsed to the bed beside him. He had thought going through with this would clear his mind of the growing obsession he had over the fledgling and his cock; instead he found himself more obsessed than ever. Even now, the sticky, limp length lying along a strong, pale thigh, Angelus wanted nothing more than to suckle that soft flesh back to steely hardness and feel it thrusting back into him. The more the blonde's spend leaked out of his throbbing hole to soil the sheets, the emptier he felt, the fullness, that sense of completion, gone. He felt himself spiraling deeper even than when he had stalked his Princess those long months. More obsessed than he had ever been with his own Sire. This result was wholly unexpected, but he was reluctant to even consider the consequences of his surrender as he reached over and pulled William to him, wrapping his hand around his flaccid cock.

"What have you done to me, boy?"

******

All Things Spike: @leatafandom

#william/angelus #lemon #a:ts fanfic #buffyverse fanfic #spangel

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rabbitheadcanonspuyo · 9 months

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Late Primorial Age ancestry

So for those who don't know about this Puyo headcanon blog yet I am @rabbitriceball and I have made a headcanon timeline for the SEGA-era Puyo universe. It only has three ages compared to the infamous Madou Cronology's six: the Primorial Age, the Dawning Age, and the Modern Era (which is its own age). The war between humans and Heaven still happens, but it is different...let me just sum up history prior to this point.

Universe comes to existence, cosmic force comes to existence and expands universe, cosmic force creates a manifestation of itself in the form of a young girl, a goddess and god become born and fight each other, girl breaks up the fight and the two end up creating the Primorial Puyo Puyo world, angels are born, girl creates her brother as a companion, humans are born, the Constellation Zone is formed, some guy manages completes a decade long journey to the edge of the universe and gets awarded for it, Puyos come to exist, and what becomes Ringo's world becomes linked to the Puyo world.

and then the war happens.

As I said, what happened during the war is different to the Madou Chronology. First off, Dark Prince (Lucifer, as he was known back then) still participated in the war and managed to lose a few times and got cast out of heaven after the war ended as a result. Speaking of Lilith, she doesn't participate in the war at all. In this timeline, she was a child when this happened.

Anyway onto the ancestry, the thing that the title states to have. Marle and Squares aren't on here, they're obviously still here, and they've been around long before the war began. Carbuncle and Dark Prince/Lucifer exist around this time too, so they're not listed here either. Most of these guys live in like a village that existed before Arca or Primp did, and none of the residents there partake in the war. The Goddess of the Sun and God of the Moon also aren't taking sides and in fact were trying to find away to stop the war from happening.

Arle Nadja ← Lilith (quite the obvious one. Would end up helping the Goddess and God find a way to end the war and puts herself on a fetch quest for the Seraphim Orb)

Original demon (Cyan & Crimson Spirit's original form) ← A demon that the Goddess was once friends with. Would birth the demon that would split off into Sig's ancestor and Possesed Klug.

Amitie ← Goddess of the Sun (Would end up using the Seraphim Orb to split the world in to at the cost of her physical form. She regretted "dying" this way)

??? ← God of the Moon (rumors say he still exists in his true form, but he was grieved by the loss of the Goddess. He holds no grudge towards Lilith, since the Goddess brought her "death" on herself, and there are rumors circulating about a reincarnation existing in the present day somewhere...)

Klug ← A guy that wanted to write a famous book in ancient times.

Ms. Accord ← A teacher that Lilith went to to learn magic spells.

Lemres ← A wandering merchant who runs the only store in the village, much like the shopkeepers in Madou Monogatari. Like his descendant, he likes making sweets to give to people, which in this case is traditional Japanese sweets like dango and monaka.

Rulue ← A previous Fighting Queen.

And I think that's it until I can think of some more.

#arle #arle nadja #amitie #klug #accord #lemres #rulue #puyo puyo #headcanon #headcanons #rabbitriceball's sega-era puyo timeline

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toku-explained · 1 year

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Jama Ball: Extra Time

Decker: The Spheres learnt of the Eternity Core from their previous interactions with Kengo, and Mother Spheresaurus is draining it now. The younger members present their plan to Murahoshi and Kaizaki, having learnt the Mother's weakness from the Phase Riser data. Kanata has to admit to them he's Decker, and Murahoshi isn't willing to let him risk his life, and Ichika even less, but they're convinced. Ichika in the Falcon, and Ryumon in the Hawk, run air support, Trigger drains Eternity Core power from the Mother, and sends it as light to restore Kanata's transformation. A barely restored Nursedessei, and Hanejiro in Terraphaser, join the support, but Decker is reverted to Flash-type and Spheres grabs everyone in GUTS-Select, floating in the void. The Mother tells them that it needs to destroy individually, all must become Sphere, in order to stop conflict, but they unilaterally reject that view. GUTS Gryphon fires the Hyper Thorn Laser, Nursedessei the Nurse Cannon, Terraphaser the TR Mega Buster and Decker, assuming Glitter, a Solgent Ray. The Mother is destroyed, and the Spheres vanish from Earth and Mars. The D-Flasher and Dimension Card Holder vanish, and Kanata sees a vision of Agams and Laelia, before everyone reunited to see ships returning from space.

Geats: Daichi gives Sae the Ninja buckle and the Riders barely manage to equalise the score, meaning am extra round will happen. During the interim, Keiwa is met by Kekera, who encourages him to be less trusting. After more training, Neon tells Sae she can't distrust Keiwa yet. Ace runs into Michinaga, who got back to town, and relates what he's experienced, including Rook being able to turn others Jamato into duplicates to Shirowe, Ace then encourages Keiwa to demonstrate he isn't the DesaStar, and what he heard, before voting ends, while Michinaga is found collapsed by Niram and Samas, who intend to stop him interfering. In the next round, Geats shows Tycoon the Jamato aren't literally the past riders, as Rook and a Jamato Rider both revert to Shirowe, and he is thus encouraged to work with the others to win the game. Nadge-Sparrow is voted out, but probably wasn't the DesaStar, as Niram has Michinaga returned to near the greenhouse, hoping to see him become a true Jamato threat. Ace and Keiwa are both encouraged by their sponsors. Gonna predict now the DesaStar is either Ace, or Keiwa is but doesn't know.

Donbrothers: Inuzaka is formally welcomed to the team, but he is more concerned with reading Shiina Naoki's manuscript, and after encountering in it a Gagamura where the portal to the demon forest is in the fridge of the police station, asks to join Taro and Jiro on their trip to Kakamura, Kijino meanwhile is refusing to accept Inuzaka and complains that Miho has vanished again, and storms off when Taro agrees with Inuzaka that Miho is a Juto. Taro encounters Miho struggling with some Cats, and tells her he will find a way to stop the Juto replacing people. On the ride to Kakamura Inuzaka tells Taro about what he read, conveniently said police station is where Terasaki lives. The Noto trio discuss what to do now, because of their personal connections Sononi and Sonoza propose to join the Donbrothers, but Sonoi points out they'll never be forgiven for the loves they've taken, and rejects the suggestion to claim the ring of forgiveness from the Juto Forest. Terasaki meets Taro and Inuzaka when Taro spots penguin origami the man admits to being a Juto, but took on the original Terasaki, a member of the Don Clan's task of protecting the gateway to the Juto Forest, and he's been preparing Jiro to replace him, as he will die when the host dies, which is coming after about 100 years. Sonoza and Sononi find their regular activities disrupted by individuals they recognise. Kijino, desperately trying to find Miho, becomes HyakujuKi, and only OniSister and SaruBrother are there to face him, he goes wild and becomes HyakujuKing, reveling that they cannot stop him, as Sonoi confronts them, intending to fulfill his duty. Taro and Inuzaka get into an argument, but stop when they hear Jiro talking with his friends, but they look in and see nobody, as Rumi has him close his eyes, and brings a penguin origami towards his mouth. Taro snatches the origami, and not willing to let Terasaki force this on Jiro, decides to atone for his clan's sins, and to Terasaki's shock, puts the origami in his own mouth, and is sucked into the Juto Forest, a transformation triggering as he vanishes. Simultaneously, HyakujuKing is attacked by Don King-Ohger, Haruka wondering if it is somehow Taro, which forces him to revert to a HitotsuKi. Sononi and Sonoza come to warn Sonoi, but two new Noto appear alongside Sonoshi, and cut down HyakujuKi, sealing Kijino away, and Momoi Taro is trapped in the forest, an interest taken in him by the various Cat Juto.

#toku explained #avataro sentai donbrothers #ultraman decker #kamen rider geats

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williamaltman · 3 years

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All the ending theories for the 4th movie

So, I just thought of compiling all the endings I can think of for the 4th movie (which, for god's sake, better be the last one).

These are sort of general "how can the status quo be after this movie is over", under the assumption that it's meant as the final ending, and with the fates of Madoka and Homura as the focus.

1) Undoing Rebellion: I find this one unlikely, especially after finding out Urobuchi started working on the script soon after Rebellion, but basically: Madoka gains her memories, becomes one with the Law of Cycles again, and takes Homura with her. I guess Sayaka and Nagisa being back to life is the biggest difference with the original ending (and, well, Homura being gone). It's a very logical and easy to come up with ending, and I would be ok with it, but as I said, I don't think they would make Rebellion just to then undo it.

Especially when, as I said, this is apparently not a matter of them starting the movie years later, in which case maybe they would look back and think "Hm, yeah, let's go back to the previous status quo", but Urobuchi actually having an idea of where to go from the beginning.

2) Things stay the same: This one sounds ludicrous, but I guess we can't rule it out. Basically, Homura is able to keep her barrier and Madoka on earth and continues ruling everything which makes this whole movie pointless, no, no way they do that, right?

3) No More Magical Girls: I think some people think this already happened in Rebellion, but it didn't. Homura mentions the Law of Cycles still existing separate from Madoka. We also saw the Concept Movie with them as magical girls.

How and where we would get there I have no idea, but it's what a lot of people seem to think it's the solution, and I can see why so it's definetely possible imo.

4) No More Incubators: The idea is presented in the show... And many thought that was what Madoka would wish for. Yeah, he said it's likely we'd be living naked in cages, but... Well that's not what happened in real life, so who knows! They could create any kind of interesting status-quo in a incubator-less world in the Madoka universe. Again, no idea how to get here though.

5) Homura is reset (Rebellion reverse card): In many ways this movie feels to me like a reverse Rebellion already... I mean, Madoka is living in this new world where everything is fine and she thinks her life is great then she slowly starts finding out the truth... At least that's the vibe that the Concept Movie goes.

So I can see the ending being exactly a role reversal of Rebellion: Madoka, now back to being Madokami, sends Homura in a world without her, this time without any memories of her previous life, where she's a transfer student again. I think we can agree that Homura's love for Madoka is what resulted in this whole thing, both for the show and Rebellion, so I think it makes sense for that to be the "solution" to finally put an end to things.

It sucks though because it literally erases all of Homura's character development... And as a Madoka fan I absolutely HATED when that happened to her. Who knows though, so many people seem to think it's a good thing that Madoka "gets to live a happy life on earth again" and think Rebellion is fine for that reasons, so who knows what the reaction from the fandom would be... I guess divisive, but I would be frustrated again...

6) Balancing the universe: I have thought of this for a while... Basically Madokami is back again, but Homura stays as a demon, maybe cause Madoka can only erase witches and she's not that anymore. So basically, both Madokami and Homucifer would stay in their ascended forms and balance the universe with hope and despair, like a literal yin-yang, it could even be kinda romantic as in that they're together in the higher plane of existence...

The way it kinda falls flat though is that Madoka isn't really an actual god of the whole world though, but more like just the goddess of magical girls... Either way, cool for the fact that it doesn't erase anyone's character development. And the possible "MadoHomu cosmic endgame" angle it could have.

7) Planet gone, everyone dies: Pretty self-explanatory. (and dumb??? I saw someone say they wanted that once and I was like... why)

8) MadoHomu dies: Well, that's one way to really end the franchise. A demon can't just keep a magic barrier around earth and create chaos forever I guess, and if the law of cycles is separate from Madoka, I guess she wouldn't be "needed" anymore.

Since they're deities at least to some level maybe they'd just go to some kind of heaven and hell, simply not interfering in the world anymore but still being Madokami and Homucifer... Or maybe they would really just stop existing completely.

9) We MagiReco now: Doppels are on the main timeline! Instead of being taken by the law of cycle, now magical girls just get to use their witches as a badass form, just like in KamiHama.

That way, Madoka gets to be a magical girl, not have to sacrifice herself and not have to leave her family, but still remember everything from before that (or not?) and live happily ever after. Maybe she can even keep the Madokami look, since at the end of Rebellion she started glowing and got her golden eyes... Idk about Homura with the whole devil thing though, but I guess they could be nice and give her this too somehow.

The fact that the script for the movie started being written in 2014 and has been finished for years, got me thinking up a conspiracy theory that maybe MagiReco's whole concept actually came from Urobuchi himself in the 4th movie, that they've been just holding off from us for some reason.

10) Time-travel happy ending?: Well, since the movie is called "Walpurgis no Kaiten"(turning the tide? Revolution? Heaven? I've seen many translations lol), I guess there's the possibility of traveling back to the past back to Walpurgisnacht somehow??? And maybe if they can beat it they can chill?

Not sure what that would mean for Madoka and Homura though? I guess Madoka never makes her wish, and Homura is not a demon as she seems to be physically back to where she was at the beginning of the month every time she went back, rather than how she became, only keeping the memories of previous timelines...

11) Madokami/Homucifer fusion: I don't know why but I kinda thought about that and think it it would be kinda cool? Like, Madokami sort of absorbs Homucifer, similar to taking magical girls through the law of cycles, and since Homura's corruption is so immense and above a witch, which is what she can really erase, they sort of create a new being that's a mix of the two... The real endgame is literally becoming one! loool.

12) Improved Law of Cycles: This is an obvious one so I don't know why I didn't say it before: Instead of magical girls vanishing when their soul gem is corrupted, they simply lose their powers and go back to being human. I feel like this goes better with the message of the franchise than erasing the magical girl system entirely. It's basically just a tweak to make the original show's ending a better status quo and deliver more on the "magical girls spread hope" theme that Madoka wanted to honor.

#Madoka Magica #Puella Magi Madoka Magica #Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica #PMMM #Madoka Magica Theories #PMMM Theories #Madoka Magica Speculation #PMMM Speculation

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azu-ita · 2 years

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So I've got a couple of fandom-specific OCs.

Akio Aizawa (A3! AU)

Father Owen Reid (Genshin Impact)

Hiro Mitsugi (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Simon Black (The Owl House)

I could go into their stories in detail, but instead I'm gonna give some basic info about them under the cut.

Akio Aizawa is a 27yo convenience store clerk. Up until the previous year before the "au canon," he was a depressed NEET who eventually moved out of the house when he summoned the willpower to do so. His little sister's wedding triggered a huge depressive episode, and that's when he meets Itaru.

Owen Reid is the head priest at the Church of Mondstadt. He's in his mid-20s and pretty much does nothing but sleep all day. He's very unkempt and only bothers to look presentable when he absolutely has to. He, Rosaria, and Kaeya are in relationship limbo, bc they're all terrible at communicating their feelings.

Hiro Mitsugi is two years older than Nanami, but he was his kouhai at his old office job. He's spiritually sensitive (and psychotic) and Nanami helps him out when he mentions his apartment is haunted. They start dating after Nanami quits to become a sorcerer again.

Simon Black is a human in his early 30s. A year before show canon, he ran into Eda and followed her to the Demon Realm, where he drank a potion that turned him into a cat. After it wore off he was stuck with cat-features, so he can't go home. Now he does odd jobs and runs errands for her while searching for a way to turn back to normal.

It's hard to get a beat on their personalities, from just this so:

Aki is very reserved when he doesn't have to force himself to socialize and look happy. He also avoids everyone when he starts feeling down on himself.

Owen is incredibly jaded and flippant, but he still fusses over everyone he cares about. He likes to tease people, too.

Hiro is a nervous person, but genuinely friendly and happy with everyone. He laughs easily. (He's also the only extrovert in this list.)

Simon is a short-tempered whiner who takes orders from Eda without question. A very "please rely on me even if it's just to ask me to die for you" kind of man lmao He is surprisingly doting.

#uh so here it is #feel free to ask more about them if you want

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lizzybeth1986 · 4 years

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I seriously need to hear your take on the mess with Aurora. I don't know if they are trying to demonize her or to dumb her down. I don’t even know what the writers expect us to think about this situation. Are we supposed to be mad at Aurora? I agreed I’d do the same and the writing still made it look like Aurora was a snake. They have created a great female rival who had nothing to be redeemed for, so they thought 'we should give her Landry's story.'

Disclaimer: The read more doesn’t appear to work properly for asks, so apologies if it’s not functioning properly on your end!

TW: discussions on racism in PB’s books

I'm sorry it took me such a long time to answer this, anon, but this question sparked a LOT of thoughts that I wanted to sort out and make sense of before I could present them as a response! Some of these were thoughts that I had for a long time but never really got to talk in detail about, and I'm happy I can expand on those thoughts through this ask. Thank you so much for this question because it's one I've myself had been thinking about often before I deleted the game.

In my mind, the hate towards Aurora had always exceeded her perceived crime. Aurora is viewed with scorn and suspicion pretty much for minding her own fucking business and not liking the MC (ultimate crime right there). Even though the narrative does mark her as innocent in the end, show Landry as the culprit and eventually integrate her into the friend group - it is done in such a way that Aurora is

Not allowed much opportunity for pushback even after being suspected. For instance, Aurora is so aware of the extent of the MC's dislike that she spells it out to them that they were suspecting her. Yet the MC doesn't exactly apologise to her and Aurora is instead expected to be grateful for the small kindness of allowing Aurora room in their flat later on.

Sympathized with only by option rather than default, even when it's obvious we were wrong about her. Even Landry is given better - he has the upper hand in the conversation where we confront him, and we behave civilly to him during the time we have to help Banerji (as opposed to Aurora, who the MC could choose to blame for her very legitimate reasons for keeping a distance. The MC also has the option in the closet scene to tell her to "suck it up" and minimize her negative previous experiences as well). In this way the treatment reminds me most of Kiara because Kiara, too, has to jump through hoops to get the tiniest crumb of sympathy from the MC and Drake, with zero remorse for putting her through that...while women who have behaved worse than her can demand 5-star treatment. So the MC is allowed to only optionally sympathize with her in the closet scene, still allowed to accuse her of being a jerk in the best option, and never really has to apologize for their misconceptions about her. In both cases the MCs are viewed as ultimately right in their treatment of these characters.

Still disrespected, even after the narrative shift that marks her as innocent. Not only does Jackie still make snide remarks on her nepotism - the MC who is aware that Aurora is practically blameless and in fact is under immense pressure from her aunt Harper doesn't bother to correct her. The words "Princess Nepotism" are still used against her as well.

Still subject to what could become a future pattern of behaviour from the MC's side, where they're allowed to shit on her even when it's clear she's innocent or didn't intentionally cause harm. Many many Open Heart stans have pointed out by now how we're given practically no options to fully have her back and show her sympathy that isn't rooted in blame. And this is not a pattern we even see in ALL people who embody the love-hate or even antagonist trope - but I will discuss that later.

Might I add, Landry was allowed to be treated better and he ratted us out. Until the fandom called the team out, the narrative was VERY happy to shoehorn an immediate redemption arc around the same time that the MC's friend was still snarking on Aurora.

I'm not very surprised they went this route with Aurora. Well...maybe a little, because somehow I assumed that her popularity among the fandom would protect her a little more - but I guess when you're a person of colour who has seen story after story after story of characters of colour being repeatedly thrown under the bus, there are certain patterns you learn to expect.

Here's (IMO) the most important one: check out who the narrative rewards you for treating well, as opposed to who will be made to support you either way.

You're allowed to show basic decency to a black or brown woman. But you're expected to show kindness, understanding and empathy to a white woman, and richly rewarded if you do. In some cases you will also face consequences if you don't. (Fandom - take note of the difference, and be sure not to forget it).

The woman of colour can get penalized by the narrative for something as basic as not liking, or not wanting to interact with, the MC. Very often, she is written as an inferior foil to either the MC or to another character (preferably white) and very little effort is made to explore her origins, motivations or backstory. In certain stories we are allowed to speak garbage about her behind her back, we're allowed to say things about her that have no basis in canon. In certain stories (TRR, Open Heart, perhaps Veil of Secrets may apply in this category as well) the narrative encourages us to suspect and blame her, with no consequences to us as such when it's revealed that she was innocent all along. In a lot of cases, she isn't even allowed to call you out on your words or behaviour. It's also interesting to note: a lot of the black female "antagonists'" behaviour (since the trope has been misused often in their case) doesn't even begin to match the way a white woman in the same role is allowed to behave with us.

The white woman's rude behaviour, on the other hand, is often followed up with elaborate backstories, excuses and explanations - often in such a way that their initial crime is forgotten, ignored or retconned and what they do to the MC and/or their friends is almost viewed as secondary. The narrative begins with framing her as an antagonist before using her (sometimes tragic) past to excuse her actions, and you as the MC are expected to be understanding and let her off easily, even when her actions have caused serious damage. In some cases (like Olivia's) she is praised merely for being the "snarky badass" who will make snide remarks and underestimate you/your friend, while you rejoice for even the smallest crumb of acknowledgement for this friendship. In some cases (like Madeleine's or Vanessa's) she does unforgivable things which are then immediately followed by a massive sympathy arc - one that diverts our attention from the previous action...and eventually faces the barest minimum in terms of consequences.

Vanessa Blackwood is an obvious and glaring example of this pattern. She targets our child with the word "guttersnipe" from the moment she meets her. She delivers the papers contesting the MC's custody of the child with a smile, rejoicing over the thought that this child will be ripped away from her impoverished mother. She enables and in some cases even encourages her son August's bullying. She engages in classist, racist and homophobic behaviour. In a bid to make her case in court stronger, she devices the plan to frame the MC for shoplifting at the store she worked in so she would lose her job.

Who faces the (arguably not enough) consequences for this? Tallulah, the brown woman who stole items on Vanessa's say-so, for Guy's benefit (Guy is also her accomplice, which is hardly ever addressed in court). The worst that happens to Vanessa is that she loses her case, but given that she ultimately chooses to do so…is it really that much of a loss after all?

And what does Vanessa get in the end? A nice, cushy little diamond scene where you have to stand patiently, listen to her sob story, and maybe tell Vanessa she was "a little bit racist". This is the story that I had seen some on my dash hail as "the god-tier realistic story that acknowledges racism and sexism". A friend of mine argued once that Tallulah's accusation would probably not work since it would be seen as hearsay, but it's not like PB are powerless puppets in the hands of their own story. They were the ones who created it. They're the ones who encouraged that expectation that they would address sensitive issues like these with sensitivity and respect. They could have found ways to not hide the evidence behind a paywall and to leave solid proof along with that accusation, but in this case Tallulah wasn't even allowed to mention their names.

Constantly, Vanessa was shown in a position of power, and was shown abusing that power then getting away with precious little consequence. Contrast that to Xanthe, who had very little real power in ACOR, could wreck very little real damage in the overall story, yet met a cruel, horrific end that two black people were witness to, and were made (by the narrative. I refuse to believe that Syphax as he was written would NOT be disgusted if he saw/heard about it) to laugh at. I don't recall her ever getting a nice cushy diamond scene aimed at getting us to sympathize with her circumstances (which in fact are pretty tragic if you actually sit down and think about it. She'd be groomed to be a courtesan since she was a literal CHILD!)

And you can see this with so many books that by now I've lost count. A Rowan Thorn can be punished for betraying Kenna (even if, in that playthrough, Kenna is a tyrant who doesn't deserve to rule a can of beans, much less a kingdom) - and it's made easier for her to die even if we've secured her loyalty, whereas Diavolos lives on and can even marry Kenna BECAUSE of said loyalty. A Madeleine will be given a sympathy arc, after which writers will then use her victim to majorly retcon a bullying incident so the writers would never need to address what she'd done, but a Kiara will be hated, treated with scorn and suspected for treason just for being ambitious. An Ellen would only get respect for her hustle towards the tail end of a standalone series about the cutthroat journalistic world, a Scarlett wouldn't even be given a future - even the goddamn bed and breakfast owner gets more importance!! And all of this happens alongside the other characters praising the MC for being an inspiration, or being "different", or being a "trusting kind person". Sometimes even a character from the list I've just named is made to heap those praises on this person.

Within this book itself, Landry the real antagonist is allowed to push a narrative that blames us for not gassing him up to Ethan — even though our very first diamond scene involves him having an opportunity to engage with Ethan but being too nervous to take it and instead passing the task to us. The narrative is written such that it sounds like Landry had a right to be angry with the MC for "not doing enough", and for having the attention from Ethan that he craved. In doing this, the same narrative ignores the positioning of Landry as a mediocre white male armed with privilege that an optional person of colour who is new to the environment, will not have, and ignores that you can't equate the MC not recommending friends to superiors to deliberately sabotaging another person's career. Despite his duplicity, gross entitlement and flimsy excuses, the narrative still jumped on his weaksauce redemption arc faster than you could say 'scalpel'.

Aurora was a character that in some ways could fit Olivia's particular trope very well - the prickly rival who is shocked by your uniqueness and (sometimes) kindness and gradually grows to be your friend. In fact she fit it even better - because she never really knowingly harmed someone or tried to undermine us. This is what a lot of people in the fandom wanted to see as well - an arc that somewhat resembled Olivia's or Becca's (I will always see the fandom as complicit in the way black and brown women in these books are treated, as many in fandom also value said women less. But in this case, Aurora was eventually viewed as an exception and loved). Yet the treatment she is given at this point fits Kiara's more. The character who has potential, has promise, should be respected the way white women in her narrative position already are - yet is never really allowed her own voice against the horrible treatment meted out to her. With such characters, it always makes me severely uncomfortable to see them not address their pain and instead praise the MC, or watch them call them/her a friend. I'm acutely aware of how those MCs (or sometimes, their group as well) do not deserve their loyalty or devotion, or how little they give them in return. I'm aware of how all this will end too: the MC will be "right", again - never have to apologize, again - be treated with a respect they do not deserve, again. In a better book, I'd much rather Aurora or Kiara gave the MC the middle finger and left them for good.

I'm tired. Honestly. Women of colour (men of colour suffer this too, but this is perhaps not the post to address that. It's important to note also that often the men of colour pushed into similar situations are often not even antagonists to begin with, but our own friends and potential partners in the story. Shane Parker of Platinum is a good example of this) in these stories are forever expected to place the comfort of others above their own pain, and I'm done with it.

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movie-magic · 3 years

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Loki: Every MCU Easter Egg In Episode 1

Loki has officially begun on Disney+, and Tom Hiddleston comes bearing plenty of Marvel Easter eggs in the premiere episode. Here's what we found.

The premiere episode of Loki is burdened with glorious Marvel Easter eggs, from potential future villain teases to skulking Skrulls. Even before the considerable success enjoyed by WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier, MCU fans were eagerly anticipating Tom Hiddleston's return as the God of Mischief. Now blessed with his own Disney+ solo series, Loki has all of time and space to bother, and the premiere wastes little time throwing Hiddleston from the Avengers' frying pan into the TVA's fire.

After using the Tesseract to escape The Avengers in Avengers: Endgame, Loki is swiftly picked up by the Time Variance Authority - a seemingly omniscient organization overseeing the entirety of time and space. Evidently not ones to take prisoners, Loki's fate at the TVA looks grim, but Owen Wilson's Major Mobius intervenes, handing the silver-tongued variant a reprieve. In the opening episode, Mobius successfully digs to the root of Loki's dastardly ways, breaking him down to (presumably) build him back up, all with the aim of enlisting Loki's services as an ally to hunt down an especially vicious variant murdering the TVA's Minute Men.

Loki's premiere is predictably heavy with exposition, and relatively limited in scope, mostly taking place within the walls of TVA HQ. Nevertheless, Michael Waldron (creator) and Kate Herron (director) pepper the 50-minute installment with an array of references to the Marvel comics, MCU history callbacks, and hints of the multiverse madness to come. Here's every Easter egg we discovered in Loki's "Glorious Purpose."

The Avengers Intro Sequence:

Loki's introductory scene is somewhat of an Easter egg itself, retelling the famous Tesseract heist from Avengers: Endgame. Much of the footage here derives straight from the 2019 box office behemoth, meaning no other MCU stars filmed additional footage or recorded new dialogue especially for Loki. With that said, a few extra Tom Hiddleston moments are spliced into the existing footage to show events entirely from Loki's point of view. The villain's Steve Rogers "search and rescue" gag is zoomed-in, and there's a closer shot of Loki waving goodbye to Hulk in the elevator, as well as fresh reaction shots during the Stark scuffle in the lobby.

An Iron Man Callback:

After commandeering the Tesseract in New York, Loki finds himself falling from the sky above Mongolia's Gobi Desert, landing unceremoniously in the sand below, and this scene might trigger a sense of déjà vu for longtime MCU fans. In 2008's Iron Man, Tony Stark escapes capture by creating a rudimentary suit of hi-tech armor. Flying to safety, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist also lands roughly in a remote desert. There's a symbolic correlation in how Iron Man marked the beginning of the MCU, while Loki is now ushering in a whole new chapter, and both begin with their protagonists in matching predicaments. Both characters also crash while evading incarceration, though only Loki immediately finds himself in chains once again.

"Burdened With Glorious Purpose":

As a man who rarely shuts up, Loki has plenty of wry MCU catchphrases, and one of his most famous would be "I am burdened with glorious purpose" from The Avengers. Disney +'s Loki premiere leans heavily into the line's popularity, with Tom Hiddleston repeating the quote on several occasions throughout the episode, the phrase becoming less sinister with every utterance.

The TVA:

The addition of the TVA to MCU canon was confirmed ahead of time via Loki's trailer and, sure enough, the paradoxical pen-pushers play a prominent part in the premiere. Although their motivations and methods are somewhat altered from the source material (as well as their aesthetic, which now sits closer to The Umbrella Academy's Commission), the TVA hails directly from the Marvel comic books. They were introduced by a 1986 issue of Thor that featured several time-hopping agents, one of which picked a random Earthling up for jaywalking.

A Skrull At The TVA:

Given their propensity to shape-shift and assimilate the forms of other races, it's not surprising that a Skrull might be lurking around the TVA's front desk. One of the MCU's green aliens can be spotted in the background as Loki gets marched in, and though it's not clear why the Skrull is present, the distinct lack of guards would suggest they aren't a variant. A timely reminder that Secret Invasion is right around the corner.

The Time Twisters:

As you'd predict, Loki tries running away. With minimum effort, Hunter B-15 (played by Wunmi Mosaku) clicks a device, and Loki is pulled back to where he stood moments earlier, effectively making escape impossible. These time twisters appear to be standard issue at the TVA, and have a vaguely similar counterpart in the Marvel comics called the Retroactive Cannon. Far more lethal than Loki's little clickers, these devices would rewind a person completely until they were unwritten from history. Like The Algorithm in Tenet, but less confusing.

Life Model Decoys:

For someone who spent many, many years unaware he was actually a Frost Giant, Loki probably shouldn't be shocked that some people don't realize they're secretly robots. Heading through the TVA's airport scanner, Loki passes the test with flying colors, though he remains perplexed by the idea someone could be unknowingly cybernetic, Loki's line is a nod to Life Model Decoys, which have appeared in both the Marvel comics, and Agents of SHIELD. These lifelike androids can mimic mankind so perfectly, the LMD itself isn't always certain of the truth.

Secret Wars?:

Whether you've accidentally arrived late for work, or just escaped a group of costumed vigilantes by seizing a glowing blue cube from the beginning of time, being labeled as a variant is confusing stuff. Luckily, the TVA has put together a short animation to fill quantum criminals in on the basics. The helpful Miss Minutes finally provides an explanation of the MCU multiverse, revealing how, long ago, separate timelines fought an inter-dimensional war for supremacy that almost resulted in total annihilation. Since then, the TVA has strictly maintained one single reality - the Sacred Timeline *echoes*. The history lesson bears some similarity to 2015's Secret Wars comic event, in which conflicting universes came together in Battleworld (the setting of the original Secret Wars), and attempts were made to streamline Marvel's sandbox.

The Time-Keepers:

The TVA's infomercial also confirms the organization are led by three Time-Keepers, who oversee the combined reality and dictate the proper flow of history. This big-faced trio were first introduced in the late 1970s, created from the sole remaining survivor of the previous universe's destruction. The mysterious overlords performed much the same function in the comics as they do in Loki, and possessed virtually complete mastery over time.

Kree And Nova's Attack On Titan:

As the animated exposition rumbles on, Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong) uses "starting an uprising" as an example of something the TVA might potentially frown upon. The corresponding image shows two armies clashing, with the blue folk on the left appearing to be Kree, and the force on the right possibly the Nova Corps. Based on the spiky ruins in the background, the battle is taking place on Thanos' home planet of Titan. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Ronan confirmed the Kree and Nova Corps were at war for 1000 years - was the TVA involved somehow?

Nexus Events:

This week's lesson from Miss Minutes explains how stepping off one's designated path can create a "Nexus event," and spiral out of control to spawn countless alternate timelines that trigger another war. This word has cropped up several times in the MCU, first as an internet facility in Oslo (Avengers: Age of Ultron), and then as an antidepressant drug during one of WandaVision's fake commercials. The latter was most likely a reference to the Nexus of All Realities from the Marvel comics, which is essentially a gateway between every possible timeline. The TVA's Nexus events could take their name from the very same source.

The Timeline Diagram:

Throughout Loki's Disney+ debut, the TVA repeatedly use diagrams of a single flowing timeline with branches shooting off to represent unwanted deviations. MCU fans might recognize this from Avengers: Endgame, where the Ancient One drew something extremely similar while explaining the consequences of time travel to Bruce Banner. Perhaps Ms. One has visited the TVA herself once or twice?

Devil In The Church:

MEPHISTO. There, we said it. When Mobius asks a young girl who committed time crimes in 16th century France and the child points to a stained glass window depicting the Devil, Loki knew exactly what it was doing. WandaVision dropped several hints that Marvel's own Satan would appear, all of which proved fruitless, and Loki seems to be heading down the same hellish vein. Alas, there could be a simpler explanation. Mobius claims to be chasing an alternate version of Loki, and it's highly likely the child has mistaken the God of Mischief's famous horned helmet for the demonic horns of Lucifer.

Ravonna Renslayer:

Though her name isn't mentioned in Loki's premiere, Gugu MBatha-Raw's TVA judge is actually Ravonna Renslayer, who made her debut in a 1965 Avengers issue. In the comics, Renslayer is a human from the far future, most often a villainous figure associated with Kang the Conqueror. She certainly isn't a legal official sat behind a desk. One would imagine Marvel Studios has something more interesting in store for Renslayer further down the line.

Explaining Endgame:

During his TVA interrogation, Loki quite rightly points out that it was not he who meddled with the timeline. T'was those pesky Avengers who penetrated the Quantum Realm and disrupted the natural course of events in the aftermath of the Battle of New York; Loki merely picked up the Tesseract that fell at his feet. Unfortunately, this excuse falls on deaf ears, as Gugu MBatha-Raw confirms the Avengers' ambitious time heist was entirely sanctioned by the Time-Keepers. This exchange more or less clears up every single timeline wrinkle in the MCU, including Steve Rogers' reunion with Peggy, and Gamora from the past staying in the present. It's not altering time that irks the TVA; it's altering time in a manner the Time-Keepers haven't permitted.

Loki's "Wooing":

After Owen Wilson saves Loki from being "reset," the pair sit down for a more friendly conversation, but when Loki warns Mobius that cooperation isn't an option, the TVA officer retorts with, "even when you're wooing someone powerful you intend to betray?" Loki has betrayed a fair few people during his time, and Mobius' accusation could easily apply to Odin or Thor. Most likely, however, Mobius is alluding to Thanos here - a powerful figure Loki tried buttering up with intent to usurp him once the universe was brought to its knees.

Josta:

While not strictly a Marvel reference, it's worth noting that Mobius is a big fan of an ice cold Josta. Viewers of a certain age might not recognize this soda brand, but Josta is a genuine Pepsi product that was available in the late 1990s before being discontinued. An early variety of energy drink, there's evidently a few perks to hunting down timeline criminals. In Mobius' case, this includes sugary contraband.

Loki's Greatest Hits:

In a twisted version of It's A Wonderful Life, Mobius tries to change Loki by examining his choices in the past, present and future. Unlike the jaunty 1946 holiday classic, Mobius has access to a handy hi-tech screen which displays Loki's "greatest hits." The footage begins with the God of Mischief's defeat and arrest in 2012's The Avengers - perhaps not an entry Loki himself would've picked for the highlight reel. The screen next switches to Phil Coulson's death (which Loki definitely would pick), before moving on to images of civilian deaths from the Battle of New York, the gala eyeball removal scene, and the dictator speech, all from The Avengers.

D.B. Cooper:

More an Easter egg from real-world history than Marvel lore, Loki reveals the truth about D.B. Cooper - it was Agatha Loki all along! In 1971, an as-yet-identified man boarded a Boeing 727, held the aircraft ransom for $200,000, then parachuted out with the cash. Mobius' dive into Loki's past reveals that, thanks to a lost bet with Thor, the God of Mischief descended from Asgard to pull the plane heist himself as some kind of stunt. From Loki's hairstyle matching the real D.B. Cooper artist's impression to the smattering of bank notes left behind, there's an impressive attention to detail in this scene.

Infinity Stones In The Desk:

The Infinity Stones... Thanos would give his own daughter just for one. Entire worlds brought to their knees by their power. Humans turned into Gods at the merest touch. Gary from the TVA's HR department using one as a paperweight. Threatening Casey with a fishy demise, Loki finally gets his hands back on the Tesseract, only to discover even Infinity Stones are useless within the TVA's jurisdiction. To Loki's immense surprise, Casey's desk draw is chock-full of discarded Infinity Stones, most either of the Time or Reality variety (no surprises there). The scene essentially confirms that the power of these fabled jewels has led to more than a few timeline variant incidents over the years, but perhaps also undermines the once-unstoppable power of the Infinity Stones. Well, the Infinity Saga is over.

A 3rd Millennium Kang Hint?:

In its final scene, the Loki premiere might just be hinting at the future villain of Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. The MCU will soon introduce Kang the Conqueror, a major comic book baddie played by Jonathan Majors, and "Glorious Purpose" could represent the first step toward his arrival. Called out to 19th century Oklahoma, TVA agents find a piece of technology hailing from the 3rd millennium. Though it might be a coincidence, Kang hails from the 31st century, and is known for using advanced tech in his dominion of the timeline. The mysterious hooded figure is more likely a Loki variant than Kang himself, but since Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania and Loki both deal in temporal themes, it wouldn't be strange for the Kang foundations to be laid on Disney+.

- Screen Rant

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

#loki series #loki #loki odinson #loki show #loki spoilers #tv news #tv show #movie magic #mcu #marvel #movies #marvel cinematic universe #movie news #mcu phase 4 #news #disney+#tv series

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arethereanyoriginalusernames · 4 years

Text

Fanfiction review : Unexpected

Disclaimer: Do not send hate to anyone mentioned in this post. If you plan to respond in anyway to this post, I ask that you remain civil to everyone. Also, this review is an opinion post. Do not take what I say here as fact. Thank you.

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I like sorbet. I do! I prefer it to ice cream, and I would gladly eat half a tub without hesitation. But if I were to eat it every day? I'd get sick of it. It's always bothersome when something like that happens. Especially in literature. Sometimes, a short story is more enjoyable than a lengthy saga. Good things can come in small packages....

... what was I talking about again? Ah, whatever.

Anyway, let's talk about zoophobia fanfiction.

*****

Those who have had the misfortune of reading my last fic review may recall that I went through each and every chapter of TDL's story. This time, however, this will be structured in a sort of ramble. I will be discussing things in sections, and I will give my overall thoughts at the end. This is a review of "Unexpected " by a "Kalum16" , who, if my memory serves me correctly, goes by @kartoonluv on Tumblr. Now, this review was not requested by anyone, so if Kalum (who I'll refer to as KL for brevity's sake) wishes this review to be deleted, I will comply with his wishes. Also, I suggest that you read this on fanfiction.net before continuing with this post.

******

Something I would like to get out of the way are my views on romance and the story's pairing. I'd like to bring these up now as I will be mentioning them later on.

Firstly, I have never been in a romantic relationship. However, I have been in love before, and I know people who are or who have been in relationships. That being said, I have considered that perhaps my lack of experience will mean that with certain things... I might not get it. The importance of certain events may be lost on me, and I may not be able to connect with things couples do.

I would also like to confess that Kayla x Damian is one of my least favorite ZP ships. The idea that after Damian basically harasses Kayla, manipulates her and Zill, and basically makes their lives miserable for his own gain, that he can be rewarded by getting the girl? Not exactly something I jive with. Also, (and this is my interpretation) I do not think that Damian's feelings towards Kayla are genuine. By that, I think (due to how little they know about each other) Dame is more in love with his idea of who Kayla is. Or, if we weren't going to look to deep into it and say that it's because he has a thing for Christians, it would make Dame's attraction pretty materialistic. Neither idea really screams "good ship!" to me.

********

That being said, let's discuss how the pairing is handled here. I'm actually on board with this depiction of the relationship. For one thing, it seems that Kay and Dame have become friends. They clearly care about one another before starting a relationship, and the story makes it so that they can relate to each other. This takes away my issue of these characters not acting knowing each other well, and thus the feelings they have towards one another come off as genuine.

I think that the story makes them out to the a cute couple. However, I still have a major issue with it, and the story as a whole.

Basically, (after a while) I think it's boring.

To best explain why, I would first like detour and discuss Damian and Kayla individually.

*******

Ladies first. I have mentioned in previous posts that I enjoyed the first chapter of this story. Back then, I had not read beyond chapter 1, as I hadn't realized that the story had been updated. And you know what? I still stand by that. In chapter 1, Kayla feels a lot more interesting than she is in the comic. It's interesting to see Kay in a situation where she basically gets what she wants, but she ends up hating it. She struggles with writers block, self doubt and regret. It's sad to see how apathetic she's become, and how she no longer holds the ambition she once did.

I also liked that she still had some internalized prejudice against demons. It made sense, and it made what was going on more interesting as it created inner conflict. Now, if the story was just the one chapter, I would have bought that her falling in love with Dame would have made all her prejudice go away. I mean, you would need to wrap it up by the end.

But we got more than 1 chapter, and thus the evaporated prejudice feels kind of contrived and like lost potential. Hell, it would have been interesting if an ongoing subplot involved Kayla conquering her prejudice by learning about demons and debunking the stories that I heard as a kid. Her just yeeting away her prejudice because she falls for one guy feels kind of lame, and going forward, Kayla feels less interesting in the fic.

Originally, she had all this regret and self doubt. While it's great to see her doing good, her issues feel like they've almost all been resolved by a makeout session. Throughout the story, Kay doesn't grow or develop in any way. Her only real issue is "I'm in love with Dame and ppl don't like it, woe is me"

There's this chapter where Dame meets Kay's parents, and I feel like I should be invested, but I'm more confused than anything. The story points out that Kay's parents were ok with Zill (who's part demon, part whatever the fuck), but they're not ok with Dame. I mean, yes, he's the antichrist, but have they not figured out that their daughter is into some weird dudes? Like, they're perspective is painted as "oh, Kay was such a good girl, and yadda yadda", but, again, they were ok with Zill. You'd think that that relationship would at least make them question that idea? Also, why are Kay's parents deer? Am I missing something?

Kay serves really only one role here. She's Dame's gf, she'll defend the relationship to the grave, and she cares about him. She doesn't become much more than that, and every chapter feels like it's redundant in reinforcing that idea. Like...ok, we get it, let's move on.

*******

Does Damian do much here? Not really. He's mainly the inverse of Kayla for the most part, being "I will defend this love, no matter fucking what". The issue being constantly brought up about how he's the antichrist, so "oh no, that makes things difficult ", is always resolved in about a chapter.

The story feels like it's trying to give Damian some development. I mean, I guess he stands up for himself against Kay's parents, and defends her from his? Oh, and there's that moment where he's like "Yo, I have no control over my life, I don't wanna be a prince, you make me happy ", etc. But not even this really does anything. The meeting with his parents feels like a repeat of meeting Kay's parents. We even get the one parent approval, one on one talk, and it's the mom, just like before. Oh, and Dame's emotional "I will reject prince-y ness to be with you " speech? All that leads to is them having sex.

Ok, well, that last one I might give a pass. I don't find sex to be that big a deal, but I know some people view it as this super important thing, so maybe through that lense, I could see sex as being an emotional payoff.

*******

One thing I won't give a pass is chapter 2, which really didn't need to be here. Jack never shows up again, Kayla can be subtracted from this chapter entirely, and the only build up to this was a couple lines in the previous chapter. The chapter itself is alright, but it feels like it should have been it's own separate story. My only idea as to why this chapter should stay is that, apart from Kayla in chapter 1, this is the only chapter with development. Damian owning up for being a shit is great, and it shows some of only god damn growth for anyone here.

Another chapter that didn't need to be here was whichever was the chapter when Zill showed up again. Admittedly, I skipped this chapter almost entirely. Look, he and Kay broke up, and they're dating different people. That's it. That's all we need. I read the first few paragraphs and the last few. I feel like I don't need to read the entire chapter to know that it's just reinforcing the idea of how great a couple Kayla and Damian are. You know, like basically every chapter in here.

*****

My biggest issue overall with this story is the relationship. As much as I've been ragging on this fic, KL is very gifted at writing. There were some instances where a reread or two could fix some wonky sentences (sounds like me reviewing my posts), but overall he does have a good grasp on it.

That being said, the relationship, the core of this story, is not interesting enough to warrant all six chapters. The only issue Kayla and Damian face are the opinions of others. They never have any reason to question the relationship, question themselves as people, or think about how to handle things. It would have been a lot more interesting if we saw them develop the close relationship the story portrays them as having. It would be interesting if we saw them learn more about each other, or discover ways to deal with each other if one of them is being a dumb bitch. We get it. They love and care about each other. The world around them think it's weird. Every chapter just reinforces the same idea again and again.

I think KL could easily make this better. There's a bunch of plot points that are never brought up more than once that could be interesting. For instance, Kayla struggling to write new songs. We could see more of how she and Dame deal with that instead of having them mention "oh yeah, the problem is fixed now ". Does Damian ever earn Jack's forgiveness? Does Kayla learn anything new about demons?

KL, I believe you when you say these two care a lot about each other. And yeah, seeing how they make their relationship work in spite of what others think is an interesting idea on paper. But the characters don't become closer to each other or anything. Why would I be concerned about the issues presented in the story when I know that they're just going to be resolved in the same way?

You know it's kind of like sorbet...

I would still nonetheless recommend this story tho. Again, as much as I've ragged on it, I still think that the story is good. As mentioned before, I don't have much experience with romantic relationships, so perhaps something here could be lost on me. I'm curious to know anyone else's thoughts.

I apologize for wasting your time

- Spooky S Skeletons

Ps. Yes, quarantine is messing with my head :) just bear with me

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