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obligatebureaucrat · 7 months

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Mario Wonder spoilers below the cutoff!!

An overly long overanalysis of Castle Bowser, the Wonder Flowers, and why Flower Castle may be one of the most magical places in the Mario world:

So the Flower Castle must hold immense magic/wonder power, right? Let’s compare a typical Wonder Flower effect to Bowser’s transformation into Castle Bowser:

Regular Wonder Effects

Leaves the user and surrounding world entirely at the mercy of its effects.

Can be stopped with a regular Wonder Seed.

Naturally ends if the user leaves the area (by finishing the stage, exiting the stage, or sometimes by leaving a certain part of the level)

Castle Bowser

Grants the user the ability to create custom wonders at will. These wonders range in scale from spawning a single enemy, to radically altering entire palaces, and possibly up to universal reality warping (if Bowser’s boasting is to be believed).

These user-created wonders can be as strong or stronger than those created by Wonder Flowers, as many require either a Wonder Seed or Royal Seed to undo (see the end-of-level Poplin houses and palaces, respectively).

Can only be stopped by a Royal Seed, but the user can shield it from multiple Royal Seeds (see the Cloud Piranhas).

Persists perpetually even after leaving the level and world the Wonder Flower was found in. Additionally, the user-created wonders persist simultaneously across the kingdom.

So yeah, what happened to Bowser is orders of magnitude more powerful than a typical Wonder Flower effect. Why do I blame the castle itself, then? First of all, Bowser seems to say it directly. When he transforms, he says:

“The Flower Castle is me, and I’m the Flower Castle! Soooo much Wonder power!”

Pretty cut and dry, right? Eh, maybe? He could just mean that the act of transforming him came with a lot of Wonder power. So, to be more sure, let’s run down some other possibilities:

The Wonder Flower at the start was special.

It’s possible, but there was absolutely nothing about that Wonder Flower that seemed different than the dozens of others.

Bowser is more powerful than the other users.

There is some precedent for Bowser getting stronger effects from powerups due to his raw strength. For example, in the final boss of 3D World, Meowser seems to be a much better climber than Cat Mario and his Double Cherry clones don’t die in one hit.

That said, there’s a big difference between “gets a bit better effects from powerups” and the vast gulf in power we see in Wonder. Sure, Bowser is stronger than Mario, but the difference isn’t orders of magnitude like “funny little transformation vs world-altering magic god.”

Bowser’s magical talent allows him to tap into all Wonder Power through one flower.

Various games have portrayed Bowser as a bit of an evil wizard (see him transforming Toads into blocks in SMB1). And this wouldn’t be the first time he’s gotten more mileage out of a magical artifact than Mario and friends, best exemplified by Power Stars. In 64, he seemingly uses them to transform Peach’s Castle and create warps and/or pocket dimensions in the paintings, whereas Mario can only use them for one-time warps back to the castle and as keys. And in Galaxy, Power/Grand Stars are basically just fuel for Rosalina and Mario, but are being used to create a whole Galaxy in the center of the universe by Bowser. This is the most plausible in-universe explanation imo, but there are a few holes.

Frequency

First, while Bowser has pulled off some astounding feats with Power/Grand Stars, he’s never exerted this level of power so easily. Both the transformation of Peach’s Castle in 64 and the Galaxy at the Center of the Universe in Galaxy 1 were planned operations that seem to have taken some coordination and time to execute (plus a lot of technology in Galaxy’s case). And importantly, these are actions Bowser takes, but not powers he can whip out willy-nilly.

But in Mario Wonder, Bowser does almost everything completely on the fly. From the moment he transforms into Castle Bowser, he’s flying, spawning massive Piranha Plants, trapping Poplins, transforming levels and palaces, etc. And this isn’t a one-time thing either. In palaces and the final world, Bowser is constantly creating small wonders by spawning enemies. The one exception is his hyped-up “big wonder” which takes time to charge up. But even ignoring that, he’s casually and constantly doing stuff his counterparts in other games could only dream of.

Form

If Bowser’s immense Wonder Power is just due to the flower and not the castle, then we’d have to assume that he could wreak all this havoc with any Wonder Flower in the game, which just doesn’t sit right with me. As hilarious as it would be, I doubt Wubba Bowser would be the kingdom-altering terror that Castle Bowser is.

And it can’t just be because he’s huge, because we’ve seen giant Bowser countless times and it’s never enhanced his magic like that.

Peach

The real elephant in the room (pun fully intended) is Peach. While not as gifted as Bowser, Peach is often portrayed as a counter to Bowser’s magic (recall that the reason she was kidnapped in SMB1 was that only she could undo the spell that turned Toads into bricks). Despite this, Peach gains no more power from the Wonder Flowers than any other character. You could chalk this up to Bowser being more powerful, but like in the section on his physical strength, the gap between Peach and Bowser’s magical abilities is nowhere near the scale of “funny little transformation” versus reality warping magic god.

Bowser gets different powers because he’s evil.

Plenty of stories have magical artifacts that react based on the heart of the user and it’s common for these artifacts to be much more devastating in the hands of someone evil. My problem with this theory is twofold: first, you’d think that, if that were the case, Prince Florian would’ve said something about keeping the Wonder Flowers out of the hands of evil, but the Wonder Flowers are portrayed exclusively as amoral wild magic. Second, there’s Nabbit.

Nabbit is not a good guy, nor one of Mario’s pals. The game specifically states that he just follows them around, meaning he presumably hasn’t abandoned his thieving ways from New Soup U. Despite this, the Wonder Flowers react the same to him as they do Mario, Peach, etc.

That said, maybe the Wonder Flowers just have an evil threshold. So like an evil conqueror like Bowser is bad enough to activate Evil God Mode, but a small-time thief like Nabbit isn’t. Interesting side note: if this is your headcanon then it means that the Wonder Flowers have a separate and almost opposite system of moral judgment to the Mario afterlife. In Super Paper Mario, the standards of goodness to make it to the heavenly Over There are so strict that even Mario and Luigi don’t make it, and the Wonder Flowers would seemingly have an equally strict badness criteria. So this explanation is possible, but between the Nabbit question and any sort of moral standard for the Wonder Flowers being totally absent from the text, I don’t quite buy it.

This Wonder Effect both merges you with the Flower Castle and gives you incredible power.

Wonder Effects can get somewhat complicated. I’d argue that “turns the level into a pyramid dungeon” is about as complex as “turns you into the main villain.” However, I’d actually argue that this explanation works in favor of the Magical Flower Castle Theory™.

Wonder Flowers are depicted as nearly identical - the only differences being that the color depends on the world. From this, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that Wonder Effects are context/location-dependent. You only get Hoppo effects in levels with Hoppos, only get attacked by an airship in airship levels, etc. If that’s the case, then there’s something about the area around Flower Castle that would make the local Wonder Effect turn you into a wonder-powered castle god.

With all other explanations (hopefully) ruled out, let’s take a look at some of the implications/why this makes sense in the Flower Kingdom.

Flower Castle as a seat of power

At least three different worlds in Mario Wonder are home to sprawling ruins of separate once-great civilizations (plus a lot of smaller castles, ruins, and structures possibly built by lost civilizations, such as the Search Party parks and underground areas in Pipe-Rock Plateau). You have the Wubba Ruins in Fungi Mines, the lost Goomba/Spike ruins in Deep Magma Bog, and, most prominently, the lost civilization of Sunbaked Desert. The Sunbaked Desert civilization was so powerful that it managed to create a massive structure that holds multiple levels, including the world’s palace (which is dwarfed in size by the structure as a whole).

So how did a land populated with so many great and powerful kingdoms get dominated and united into the Flower Kingdom - especially when the dominant Poplin society’s buildings are humble by comparison? Well perhaps the Flower Kingdom originally only controlled the Pipe-Rock Plateau (maybe even just the first part of it with the first three levels). Then, they either built their castle on an especially magical spot, or managed to infuse their castle with incredible amounts of magic, and used that power to expand and conquer the rest of the land. Some capitals exert control through military might, some through central location, and some through finances, but the Florian Dynasty does it through magic.

A Wiggler Prince?

For decades, it’s been a fun question in the Mario fandom to wonder how a human (a species virtually non-existent in the region) came to control the primarily Toad-inhabited Mushroom Kingdom. Wonder’s Flower Kingdom presents us with a similar conundrum. The Flower Kingdom is primarily inhabited by Poplins, and we only see three Wigglers besides Florian himself, yet the reigning Prince is a Wiggler. We don’t need an explanation for this, but I like to imagine that the first ruler of Florian’s dynasty came to power by using the magic of Flower Castle.

Cross-Kingdom Chaos

This last bit is less of a proper implication and more of a funny observation. Out of all the places in the Flower Kingdom where the ultra-magical seat of power could be, it just so happens to be in a small valley a couple of miles from the border of the Mushroom Kingdom. It almost feels like the Mushroom Kingdom’s craziness is leaking out into its neighbors.

So yeah, that’s a lot of words to make sense of a game whose entire mission statement is to have fun not making sense lol. I don’t actually think we need an explanation for Castle Bowser, but I adore this game and the fact that we have a 2D Mario that actually has a little bit of lore and worldbuilding, so I’m gonna dig into it as much as I can :)

#mario wonder #super mario bros wonder #spoilers #flower kingdom #castle bowser #theory #headcanon

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valentinehorrors · 23 days

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I'm not a vessel for your good intent

(CW: Mikey POV, gore, manipulation, Casey isn't doing well)

Where there's a shadow, there's Mikey. As much as he found her annoying, he had to admit it was quite nice to always have an eye on his favorite plaything. Even while keeping up his mask around his brothers, watching Crognard the barbarian with one eye while the other observed as a certain red head talked to his pet.

"You know, you could've told me. I would've understood you two wanting to keep it secret." The girl attempted to comfort Casey, the two currently in the barn while Casey worked on the old car that had been stored there. Both he and Donnie had been working on it as of late.

Hm.

That was a familiar feeling. He did not appreciate it being aimed towards his own brother.

"If only you could kill someone who looked like Donatello to handle those pesky feelings." Annabeth oh so graciously mocked from the deepest, darkest, depths of his mind. Unfortunately, she's become much harder to tune out, Mikey attributes it to how often he uses her abilities to spy on Casey.

"Keep telling yourself that, brat."

...

It doesn't hurt to be cautious.

"Better." He would be a fool to ignore it, as much as he hates feeding her ego, these new developments are... alarming. Still, the only thing he can do now is make a note of it.

Ah, he got distracted, good thing his toy was an expert learner. He's worn the mask Mikey made for him very well on his own.

"Well, I was just, nervous I guess..." Casey accurately portrayed said nervousness, fueled by a very truthful anxiety of knowing he was being carefully watched and was already on thin ice. " You know I ain't exactly perfect... Like, I'm not like, homophobic or anything."

"Obviously." The girl added with a touch of humor, offering a comforting smile, albeit tinged with embarrassment. "Still, heh, would've been nice to know..." Her cheeks flushed with the humiliating memory of her foolish confession.

"Yeah... sorry, again. I should'a just told ya instead of, uh, running away like that." Casey hissed as he accidentally pinched his finger with some mechanical parts of the car, sliding out from underneath it to inspect the damage while also taking the opportunity to allow his spine to crack and pop as he arched his back. "I just... Freaked, I guess? All this stuff is still new to me and... I don't wanna, fuck it up with Mike, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Still, I'm kinda surprised that Mikey's that good at keeping a secret like that." Oh, she had no idea. Mikey knew that Casey thought the same thing during his hesitation before he replied.

"Eh, it's mainly cuz I told him to. He's... different in private, I guess."

"I'll take your word for it, I'm sure you make each other very happy." April smiled, completely unaware that Casey had been unable to look her in the eye even once before he wheeled himself back under the car.

It was a small price to pay, reveal the smallest and most harmless part of the truth to cover up for his pet's mistake. After all, it was the only thing to logically explain such a dramatic overreaction from Casey's end. Even if she slipped up and told his brothers, it was something easy to adjust his mask to. Casey may need a touch more guidance when it came to his, but nothing the two of them couldn't handle.

Speaking of Casey being able to handle something.

It had happened just the night before, their little deal, Mikey's catharsis. What an obedient pet Casey became when he knew it was needed. And cathartic indeed, Mikey reveled in being able to tear apart someone who looked so much like April. Casey picked well, if it wasn't for how she was slightly shorter, with hair a touch more curly than April's, he would've thought he was killing the real one.

And how treasured that memory was.

Casey's wide, traumatized eyes, staring at the gruesome scene as Mikey's stared back. Taking in the tears that streamed from the human's eyes, more gorgeous than any waterfall he could ever witness. What a treat it was, watching as those eyes went from pure horror to numb, the tears only stopping after the vigilante physically couldn't continue. The best part was when he never looked away. Yes, Mikey had made him watch initially, when the girl's face was still recognizable, but he'd let him go eventually. It was a delight to see Casey's gaze never leave the mutant as he tore apart his prey, flesh tearing from bone, limbs being torn off and neatly folded in ways the joints didn't allow to bend.

Mikey had kept eye contact as he worked at the head of his food, tearing off annoying scalp to slurp up the soft fleshy material behind tough skull. There was no word other than fascination to describe the dark curiosity that took over Casey's numb eyes. He was observing, much like Mikey did to him. The vigilante watched closely as Mikey bit into skull as though it was stale bread, the mutant saw Casey's eyes trace each fang as he easily got through the toughest bones in the human body.

Well that was different, and so very delicious. He almost seemed broken. Almost. He could taste it, the diminishing shreds of Casey's sanity. The light of hope and dark positivity simply turned dark. There was still much left in him to break but how far had he come. So very delicious as Casey took a handful of purplish red meat and eyed it curiously. Mikey had been deep in his feeding, and his knee-jerk reaction to his food being disturbed was to growl, a demand to give him back his prey. He wasn't expecting for Casey to the reach his hand out in offering.

It was the closest thing to truly vulnerable that Mikey allowed Casey to do. Instead of simply snatching the meat back, he had slowly crawled over, keeping eye contact with the human as his carnivore teeth got very close to Casey's hand.

Mikey allowed his pet to feed him.

Perhaps it was a bit too vulnerable, as Mikey could've sworn his own cheeks felt a tad warmer than usual. And yet, he allowed as Casey took another piece of his food, a lung this time, and once again he was fed.

He truly had no other word to describe how he had felt other than vulnerable. So very vulnerable. And yet, he allowed it to continue. Casey fed him handful after handful of human flesh, and Mikey licked his hand clean. During the process they had gotten close enough that Casey was going to need quite the cleanup afterwards, which he did. But that moment was near bliss, there was a time when he had thought it was a very bad idea to allow Casey so close when he fed, but this? He wanted it to last eternity, just Casey feeding him while he smiled down at him, a bloody mess on the human's lap. It was deeply intimate in a way Mikey didn't know he craved, satiating any desire to eat Casey right there and then.

It was bloody, it was delicious, it was euphoria.

"Hey guys!" Mikey was snapped back to the present by a certain redhead as she walked into the living room, the creaking floorboards adding to her loud entrance.

While they all greeted her, Mikey made sure to add a bit more enthusiasm to his own greeting, adding a wider smile and passing a knowing look to April that she reciprocated, now understanding that Casey is very very very taken. If only he could be more... aggressive in his assertion, however this will need to stay in his fantasies. Mikey would be a fool to not lay out another string to someone that could turn out to be very useful. Since April believes she's been allowed in to such a grand secret, she's sure to believe there's a tad more trust between the three of them.

Like the fool she is.

"You guys finish making that grocery list? Me and Casey are going to be going out soon."

"Going out?" Donnie asked much too quickly, Mikey's sure that even Annabeth cringed. Said taller turtle quickly overcorrected once April gave him a confused look, "I-I mean, yeah! Duh! Groceries! Yeah, uh." He chuckles nervously as he nearly trips over his own feet walking over to her "I could, um, come with? Like, just in case you guys might need back up or something?"

"I... don't really see why? It's just a grocery run." April shrugged as Donnie tried to come up with another excuse.

"Mikey, do me a favor." The oldest of the three, leaned over to whisper to the youngest. "Don't do that." He proceeded to gesture towards their bumbling brother as he continued to stutter his way through awkward excuses to tag along. Trying to throw out any and every excuse that's not just blatantly saying that he wants to make sure Casey and April don't grow any closer.

Oh Raph, if only you knew.

"Don't worry bro, I'm not a neeeerrrrdddd." He whispered back before gasping dramatically "Yo! Did you see that sick move?! Crognard is the best!!!!" His loud exclamation interrupted the bumbling idiocy happening behind them. As expected.

"Anyway," April the continued, "You don't have to worry Don, we're miles from any kraang anything. You can rest easy, It'll just be a quick run." She offered a small smile, a hand on Donnie's shoulder in an attempt to soothe his nerves. If only Donnie could read more into her insistence to not worry. There is no competition in his way.

Come to think of it, if those two were to get together, it could benefit his little game. Even help lay out strings for that brat.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" He obnoxiously raised and flailed his hand as he threw himself on the couch, closer to the painful exchange. "What about candy! And snacks! AND PIZZA!" Faking a sparkle of excitement in his eyes was second nature at this point, easy to manage even while using one eye to keep watch over his pet.

A delightful sight indeed, Casey was currently curled up in the barn were he and April were just talking. Mikey could only imagine the amount of thoughts that were whizzing through his mind, he knew the human was just as surprised as he was at what had occurred the night prior. He was trembling, hugging himself tightly as he carefully breathed, no doubt trying to avoid hyperventilating.

"Well, we'll have to see what they have. Not a lot of stores around the area so we'll have to take what we can get." April paused, seeing the false sparkle and chuckling warmly, "But I'll try my best." She promised with an insulting pat to his head.

He wanted to bite it off, how fucking dare she touch him.

Casey stopped trembling, seems he made peace with whatever was in his mind. Wait.

Was that...? Laughing?

Yes, there was no mistaking it, Casey was softly giggling to himself, his head in his hands.

"Okay!" Mikey beamed "I trust you! Don't let me down Apr-eroni!"

She giggled before turning to Donnie who cleared his throat. "Um, well, let's give the kitchen a once-over to see what we need. I can help." His gap-toothed smile screamed desperation.

"Hey Mike..." His attention instantly got brought back to his pet. "I know you're watching, I'm really stuck with you aren't I?" There was something so delightfully broken about his voice as he leaned back against the car. They both knew the answer to that.

Casey let his head fall back as he stared at the ceiling, hair falling out of his eyes to reveal that something dark has begun to take hold. His smile blessed with a touch of insanity as he sighed "Well shit, might as well go with the flow... I gotta be honest, up till last night, I thought maybe I had some chance of like, keeping a hold of ya or something..." He snickered to himself. "Fuckin stupid, am I right?"

Yes. Very.

"Hope ya forgive me for thinking that..." He took in a deep breath before then stretching, cracking joints once again. "I wonder... If it'd be that easy... For you to eat me, I mean..." His hand rubbed at the back of his neck, fingers lingering and trailing over the veins of his neck, his collarbone. Was he trying to tease him?

Wait, he actually might. Especially considering the dark smile still laid upon his lips. Casey was teasing Mikey about eating him.

Casey was teasing Mikey about eating him.

What an idiot.

What a moron.

What a fool.

What a fucking tease.

"Anyway, you got a mask to keep up, probably shouldn't be distracting ya too much." He laughed with a trickster's intent as he stood. "If you can still watch me from across Manhattan, I'm guessing you can still watch me while I head out with April. Hope so anyway..."

He hopes so? Oh yes, his dear and precious pup, no need to worry. There is nowhere Casey can go where Mikey won't be able to follow.

"Mikey?" Once again he was snapped back to his mask. Looks like he had acted on auto-pilot, once again sat in front of the TV. The concerned voice came from Raph. "Hey, you good? Spaced out there for a sec."

A flip of the switch, wide smiles, sparkling, innocent eyes. "Yeah! Was just thinkin! What if Crognard had to fight, like, a pizza monster! And then! They had a giant pizza party but-!"

"Nope. That's enough, I can feel my brain cells shrinking." Raph rolled his eyes, annoyance with the care for the youngest he refuses to show tinged in the way the edge of his mouth twitches, wanting to smile fondly.

He made his mask falter. Casey successfully made his mask falter. There had only been one time before when Casey tried to tease him while his mask was up. Not only had it been an unsuccessful attempt, Mikey swiftly educated Casey on why it was a very stupid thing to do. And yet, not only did he try again, he succeeded. He wasn't sure whether to remind him of his place or be impressed. Or the third option of simply enjoying how far he's pushed Casey's psyche.

Hm, perhaps all three, he'll decide later. It would be wise to focus more on his mask, just to be sure that it won't happen a second time.

True to his unsaid promise, he made sure to keep an eye on Casey at all times when the time came, both humans leaving on a journey for groceries. Casey was the one driving, focusing on the road while April gave directions to the nearest convenience store which was still quite aways from the house.

"Dramatic much?" Shut up.

Casey still hadn't looked April in the eye, hell, he barely looked at her at all. And that dark look in his eye hadn't completely left. April seemed uneasy, she could tell that something was off. Hm, he'd have to coach him better the more deteriorated his mind gets.

"So..." April carefully began, "You and Mikey..."

"Yeah."

The tension that suddenly made itself known was almost comedic. The awkward silence felt much longer than it actually was.

"Um... Are things gonna be... weird now?" April shifted anxiously in her seat, eyes roaming everywhere. It was a joy to see her so uncomfortable.

"Weird? Whattaya mean?" He casually replied, leaned back with one hand on the wheel. Casey was the picture of casual and relaxed, but one look into those eyes and she would see that something was indeed very wrong. It almost felt like Casey himself was aware of this, considering his lack of eye contact with the girl.

"Well, just, ya know. You seem, kinda off since the whole thing. I mean-"

"What do you mean? We were just talking about it in the barn, I'm just..." Believable hesitation, very good. The touch of gaslighting is appreciated, squash the doubt quickly and swiftly. "It's just new to me, and I don't wanna fuck things up with Mike. I've been with girls before, this is all new to me."

April seemed appropriately embarrassed, "W-Well, yeah, I get that. But I just don't want our friendship to be weird."

"It'll only be weird if you make it weird, which you kind of are, Red." Casey risked a look at April to prove his point. Presumably, he took after Mikey in knowing that she was going to look away in embarrassment.

"I... Sorry, sorry, no you're right, I'm the one being weird about it." She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, picking at a loose strand of fabric. Her cheeks were lightly flushed with shame, humbled, uncomfortable, and ashamed? Mikey may just forgive a punishment for Casey, witnessing this was a treat.

"It's whatever." Casey sighed, focusing on the road again. "We're almost there yeah? Let's just get what we need, head back, and nothing will be different okay?"

April nodded as she offered a small smile "Right yeah, nothing weird happened, everything is okay."

"Right." Casey nodded as well, in control of the narrative. Mikey could not accurately express how proud he was. His pup learned very well.

"I might be sick." He was in such a good mood from what he was witnessing that even a certain annoying demon couldn't phase him.

The store they had found was... Well, it was a store. The paint flaked off of the walls, what was once a strong blue was now washed out from years of neglect. The sign wasn't even readable, bird fecal matter, rain, dirt and time only allowing the '24/7' to be seen. The windows had a clear line where they had been repeatedly cleaned, the edges showed the years of scum and dirt despite the mostly clean centers.

Through said windows, a single human could be spotted inside, nearly asleep at the register. That plus the somehow still functioning neon 'open' sign, signaled that it was indeed, open.

Both teens paused before just heading in, Mikey kept his eye in Casey's shadow, traveling just beside him. Despite the exterior of the store, the inside was surprisingly neat and organized.

"Oh shit," The man at the counter startled, nodding to them as a greeting, he looked to be around his late forties. He had a decent amount of muscle on him, he'd be quite the meal.

What was interesting was how Casey looked the man up and down as he also nodded in greeting. Was he coming to the same conclusion? Of course April was none the wiser, simply looking at the list she had brought along as she searched the neat shelves. She also didn't notice as Casey slowed his step, staying up by the register.

While April wandered towards the very back of the store, Casey casually browsed near the man who didn't seem to be fully paying attention. The bags under the man's eyes communicated a clear lack of sleep, besides that, he seemed healthy. There was... Something, about how Casey kept glancing at the man. Something that stirred a familiar feeling at the core of Mikey's being.

And then Casey glanced at his own shadow.

Wait.

Was it on purpose?

From within the relatively quiet confines of the chicken coop, was where one certain mutant sat, his full attention given to his pet. As the realization washed over him, he couldn't resist the demented that snuck onto his lips. His pet had learned well after all.

"I'm surprised you aren't considering punishing him even more severely."

"And why exactly would I do that?" Mikey rolled his eyes, head falling back against the wooden wall. His one present eye briefly darting to the chickens whose home he just invaded while seeking privacy. The prey birds could sense the metaphorical fox and were currently crowded in the farthest corner from him. How comedic.

"He's using you."

"Using me is a strong phrase. He simply correctly assumed I was listening, correctly assumed I would follow him, and correctly assumed that if he pointed the gun, I would be content to pull the trigger. He learned well, why would I punish him for that?"

He shifted focus back to the topic of discussion, who was currently conversing with the cashier.

"Insubordination!" Annabeth replied with all the pearl clutching shock she could muster.

"Ooh, big word. Congratulations." Mikey replied with his own lack of emotion. "Please relocate your feelings of deciding to be an annoyance to another time, I'm sure I have some spots in my schedule for 'fuck you' days from today." He tried to shift to be at least somewhat more comfortable amidst the hay and lack of leg room.

"You know, I never liked you. But at least I respected how you conduct this game of yours."

"And I should be flattered? As though I've ever respected or cared about any of your opinions. Now shush, I can't hear what they're saying." Oh, he did not like how Casey was leaning over the counter, they were both laughing. Casey's was so obviously fake in his laughter, yet the man's was genuine.

"Yeah... My wife's a real bitch sometimes, never stops bitchin about the kids, bitchin about me, bitchin about the store. What a stupid bitch." Well, Casey knows how to pick them it seems.

Casey chuckled as he rested his chin on his own hand "Damn, that sucks. She should get off your ass for once, I ain't married but living with her," He pointed at the still clueless April, finding items at the back of the store, "annoying as hell. I getcha."

The man nodded in agreement, looking Casey up and down, "Yeah... What team you batting for?" He suddenly whispered.

Casey smiled like a cat who's caught his mouse "Yours. If you want."

This little shit. Mikey could vaguely hear the chickens panicking from their corner.

"Sounds punishment worthy to me."

"Shut it." Mikey hissed, unable to contain anger filled laughter. He was still able to stay quiet enough that he wouldn't be noticed if one of his brothers decided to come searching for him. At least Casey chose well, good muscle on his soon to be prey and not too old. He'll make a fine meal.

The man got out a piece of paper, scribbling on it before passing it to Casey, mouthing 'Call me later.' Casey quickly snatched it and straightened his back, shoving the paper into his pocket. As April made her way over, Casey quickly took a handful of candy from around the counter and threw it on.

"Want one?" He asked as he looked over at April, holding up one of the candies.

April laid out the groceries on the counter as she looked over at the candy "Hmm... Grab me some sour skittles."

Casey nodded, as he reached for aforementioned candy, he looked into his shadows. If Mikey didn't know any better, he'd say that Casey could see the mutant watching him. That dark glimmer in his eyes conveying everything they need to.

Yes, it was all on purpose.

His darling pup is bribing him with food to soothe his ire. Now how could he stay mad at that?

"Mikey! Hello?! Mikey!" Raph.

It's fine, he saw everything Casey wanted him to see. He pulled his gaze out of the shadows, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, flipping his mask back on.

He couldn't wait for him and Casey to have a talk that night.

The woods were becoming a familiar and welcome environment, something about it appealed to his predatory nature just as he thought it would initially. It was nice to see the twinkling stars, much brighter than what one could ever see in the city. The quiet was, to an extent, nice as well, only the occasional sounds of crickets, frogs, and whatever other wildlife roamed.

Within these seemingly peaceful woods, a monster and his victim met once again.

"So." Casey started speaking before Mikey had even revealed himself. "I know you're still kinda mad, had a feeling you would be. So! I thought," the human paced in a circle, any outsider would see him and think he was insane, not inaccurate but still, "what was that old saying? The best way to a guy is through his stomach or somethin like that?" Casey paused, shrugged, then continued his pacing. "Whatever it was, I know ya babe! And yeah, yeah, I know you just ate yesterday buuuuut, I had a feeling you wouldn't mind. Especially this guy, plus he's a dick, think his family'll thank us for getting rid of the guy-"

Despite his seemingly confident tone, he was still struck with sweet fear as Mikey appeared from the shadows and grabbed his wrist, pulling him close. Mikey paused, gladly drinking up the momentary fear in the human's eyes before clashing their mouths against one another, practically ripping his mask off and tossing it on the ground.

Their kiss was aggressive, far more teeth than anything else, and Mikey delighted in how Casey started trying to bite at him.

Mikey was the one to pull away first, chuckling. "You're sooner to chip any left over teeth you have than to draw blood from me, pet~"

"Aw, so I can't taste you like you can taste me?~" Casey held one of Mikey's hands, awkwardly intertwining their fingers.

"Be still my beating heart. You got me fresh food and you're indulging in my tastes? What exactly triggered such a change of heart?" Mikey asked despite knowing full well why. Planting a kiss to Casey's jaw.

Casey chuckled dryly "Well... Let's just say I... Realized some stuff."

Mikey hummed in reply as he planted kiss after kiss on Casey's jaw and neck, causing delightful shivers from the human. "Regardless..." Mikey suddenly stopped, pulling away enough to grab Casey's face by his cheeks and dragging him down, eyes glowing a bright enough blue that even Mikey could see the glow against Casey's skin, his teeth morphing to sharp fangs. "Don't forget who's the one in charge, have I not already emphasized my feelings regarding endangering my mask? Raph caught me spacing out. I'll forgive you for using my lessons against me this once. Be more thoughtful about time and a place in the future, dog~"

Casey smiled "Message received... So, want me to call the guy?" He dug through his pockets and pulled out the sliver of paper from earlier.

"Very much so. Now." Mikey commanded, earning a giggle from Casey.

His attitude hadn't changed much, but his true change hid in subtler ways. The lack of hesitation and carefulness in teasing Mikey back, the mirrored lack of stability in Casey's eyes and smile. Mikey greedily took all of it in, his beautiful broken pet.

Well, not fully broken, not yet.

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bladeoftruths · 11 months

Text

ok so while im at it i guess i'll just share my thoughts on ff16's story overall since i have a fair share of yays, nays and other abt it. SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

the yays:

- the prologue is still a banger no matter how many times u watch it. it was such a solid opening.

- cid's arc is a banger, even tho im sad that he died halfway thru the story but this is final fantasy. your cid can either live or die so that mid could run, or vice versa.

- jill's arc is my favourite. killing your abuser is ok but again, i have a bias with her.

- i like that they give each of the main cast a time to spend with clive in respective arcs.

- kaiju battles. yes i am a sucker for that. i grew up watching tokusatsu so this is nothing new to me. titan fight is my favourite among all, bahamut second.

- clive and jill's slowburn romance is just AUGHENSKSKDKS I FRICKIN LOVE IT. the mutual pining, the slowburn and the payoff just feels... AUGHHHHHH GRAAAAHHHHH SO EFFING GOOD I CANT DESCRIBE IT IN WORDS *eats a brick everytime i see them hold hands, hug or kiss*

- the worldbuilding is also good especially in the sidequests.

- i like how they portrayed dion and terence's relationship. its not everyday u get to see a well written gay relationship that didnt feel fetishized. we need more of this. also they are both childhood pals to lovers so it hits a soft spot on me.

- the side characters are also loveable in their own right!! enough to be in the top 10 even.

- i think im lowkey glad that they decided to go for an all white/white passing cast for the game bcos god some parts of the game is super fucked up esp wrt the bearers and how the ppl of valisthea treated them. i cannot imagine the sheer backlash yoshiP and his team will get if they have a brown/black/asian character in especially if they are bearers/dominants :')

nays:

- i didnt like how benedikta just comes and goes at the same arc. like i really wish we get to know her more or at least, after she went berserk she could at least be saved so that cid could take her in and we get to know her more. GIVE US A DLC, CBU3!!!

- waloed arc to me is my biggest downer. i want to know more abt waloed. i want to know more about barnabas and how did he get influenced by ultima. the part after jill gives away shiva's power to clive at the shadow coast just... drops and until they arrived at drake's spine it just feels... eh to me. kinda like the idyllshire/hinterlands arc in HW (given that ff16 story is written by the same guy who wrote HW in FFXIV, i am not even surprised).

- i understand that they want to make waloed and origin arc the time where clive and joshua finally gets to bond together but damn i wish they didnt just leave out jill like that in the last two arcs. poor girl, let her fight even tho she can no longer use her eikon power anymore.

- i know i have beef with waloed arc but god, odin fight is so underwhelming. no kaiju battle??? i sleep.

- i want to know more abt the rest of the dominants apart from the rosfield bros!! jill's life before she was sent to rosaria, dion in general, kupka's backstory and his relationship with benedikta, cid in general, benedikta again and again, barnabas. hell, i also wanna know more abt leviathan. GIVE US THE DLC OR FIT IN THEIR LORE IN THE ULTIMANIA!!!

- i think most of us agree that the sidequests were better at telling the worldbuilding and character insight more than the msq itself. the msq focused a little too much on clive over how he and the comrades react to the world around them.

- i think we also agree that we need more characters bantering over each other especially the dominants. im sad that dion didnt get to interact with clive and jill more, nor even we get to see the rosaria trio bantering and reminiscing the good times together at the hideaway.

other thoughts:

- i'm very mixed abt the ending tbh. i like the ambiguity and open endedness a la FF tactics but at the same time WTF??? i was high on copium when i first see thru the ending but now that i looked back my brain is just on hopium. im just gonna cling to the subtle hints that were mentioned in the game where they point out clive, dion and joshua SOMEHOW survived.

- i dont get people saying that ff16 didnt feel like final fantasy... like all FFs are different in its own right?? ff15 is like contemporary modern meets fantasy, ff6 is steampunk fantasy, ff4 is fantasy with airship... the settings are different sure but as long as you have crystals being the core part of the story, as well as anime fights with giant monsters and summons plus its own unique FF-schtick its still a final fantasy.

- i also dont get the hate on 16 for being more game of thrones-ish... like this is not the first FF to have gone this route. you have effing FF tactics being the first one to do that. the only difference is how they present it. i personally feel that 16 deserves the M-rating so much bcos of how technological advances gives you more creative freedom on how u want to tell the story. back in the day you could only work with what u have so yasumi matsuno really had to restrict with how he want to write the story for tactics. also his writing inspired the ff16 writing team a lot if u notice. and while this is not the first final fantasy game to get an M-rating (FFO did it first) it is the first mainline to get one.

overall i think the game isnt bad nor is it perfect. it manages to hit the right spot but at the same time i have my fair share of nitpicks. i just hope that it makes enough sales on ps5 and wait for the announcement of a pc release bcos god i would still love to play this game even if i probably suck at action rpg games.

----

omake: my favourites among the cast overall:

boys (top 5):

- dion, clive, cid, joshua, gav (bonus: byron)

girls (top 5):

- jill, mid, tarja, martha, isabelle 'the dame' (im so sorry benedikta u deserved better :'))

all (top 5)

- jill, dion, clive, cid, joshua

i have a soft spot for jill bcos she is very much reminded me of ysayle and im weak to ice coded ladies, and dion is just aymeric but a dragoon and bahamut fucker. i know what u did there CBU3

and this comes to no surprise but i fucking love clive/jill. i am weak to childhood pals to lovers with a mix of mutual pining and angsty slowburn romance, and they just hit the right spot for me. im so glad they managed to pull off an adult slowburn romance for them so well auuughhhhhh

#ren rambles stuff #ff16 #ff16 spoilers #ffxvi #someone pls put me back to sleep #this is just one girl's thoughts pls be nice to me

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24hlevi · 1 year

Text

My AIB S2 Review

okay everyone, i had to take some time to write this out because it was only getting longer and longer the more i watched s2.

now, i did read the manga before s2 came out so i already knew what was going to happen, so naturally, this will contain major manga spoilers!!! i do love this show and manga very much it is my number 1 manga but i thought a review could be enlightening to some.

i will be going in episode order to make it easier

episode 1:

i thought episode 1 was pretty good actually. the first scene being the same scene from season 1 was a good touch to remember how arisu was before being sent to borderland and getting a small refresher. the king of spades intro was good, it was dramatic for the first person dying and i thought the actors did great on the whole car chase scene as well. also ann was amazing for driving i love her. i don't really have a lot to talk about this episode to be honest but i think the intro for king of clubs was great. though, i wish niragi was a little more fucked up looking? he looks pretty bad in the manga when they first meet him at the venue for king of clubs but dori does an amazing job portraying niragi. i also enjoyed the cast's reaction to kyuma being naked because i would react the same too.

episode 2:

starting the king of clubs. to be honest, i think it was both good and bad they took 2 1/2 eps to do the king of clubs. good for people who are willing to understand the opposing team more and feel more emotion, bad for people who just want the game to be fun and see people die. i do wish yamashita would've had more...expressions? kyuma is often seen smiling in the manga and while yes, i think he was still portrayed more, a smile or two might've been nice. i think king of clubs personally was the best adapted game in season 2 excluding the queen of hearts. i really liked the band members on kyuma's side too they were all really cool.

episode 3:

episode 3 i really enjoyed. i liked the flashback for tatta being foreshadowing to what will happen to him in the king of clubs game. as always, i really liked kento's acting when tatta died. also, i enjoyed the parallels to season 1 ep 3 when karube and chota died. i think kento did an amazing job for expressing his sadness even if arisu didn't know tatta for that long, he was still a friend, and naturally, people would cry with situations like this. i really liked kyuma's last words as well to arisu. very motivating. also his death was cool.

second half of episode 3. the jack of hearts. when i first saw the images/trailer with chishiya in the jack of hearts, i was worried they would ruin the whole aspect of the game. and while really, chishiya didn't change anything about the game, they did take out some parts from the manga that i'm disappointed didn't make the cut. for example, enji being a hypnotist and hypnotizing kotoko into everything she does and believing he won because of him thinking he was superior to the players. i think hayato did a great job as banda, he definitely gave off a good creepiness to the character that you're supposed to feel even as a viewer just by the way he stares. again, chishiya being there was weird. urumi was also portrayed amazingly i really loved her more even if she was only in one ep she was great.

episode 4:

i don't have a lot to talk about this ep really. the end of jack of hearts was...eh. to be honest, removing enji's whole inner dialogue with himself and removing the fake eye aspect were the things that made me wish were included because it could've been so much better. chishiya...was good i guess. i mean, he's not a hearts player, he's a diamonds player, so why would he join the jack of hearts? i don't fucking know. it felt like he was almost given plot armor from the writers and just made him have a "feeling" enji was the jack. also, the snacks bags communication was stupid in my opinion. it would've been much better if they kept him being a hypnotist instead. other than that, i think it was done pretty good. the second half of ep 4 was good too even if there was only a little bit of action with the king of spades. though it's weird to me what things the makers of the show chose to take from the manga and what not to, but i'll discuss more of that later. i did however, think it was funny how arisu ran into aguni and heiya. i really believed we would get doudou (manga only character) and it worried me about the dynamics that would be created and change by adding arisu into the mix instead of doudou. and i was right to be worried.

episode 5:

alright, ep 5. so, heiya is my favorite character in this series. reading the manga i was so excited to see if they would include her and when i saw the first picture of her in the adaptation i was so happy. what made me even happier was seeing the seven of spades aka her first game. reading it hit like a truck, but it was so good. that's how it felt watching it too. i'm glad we got at least one scene of her before being sent to borderland and her mentioning her mother. while it wasn't told in the adaptation, heiya just appears to have some issues with her mom. well, the manga definitely puts more thought into heiya's character as a whole just by her first appearance in the side chapter 37.1. it's shown that she has quite the broken family. with her father constantly at work, her mother would bring back affairs to the house and tell heiya to not tell her father which started the hate against her mother. the adaptation just didn't even bother with that i guess. we were lucky enough to even see the seven of spades honestly.

now, as i said, heiya is my favorite character. but i believe they just didn't get her right. i love every bit of yuri's performance as heiya and she did phenomenal, but i personally think they could've done more to show her character more. i do like that they kept her "everything i do is for the future" talk so at least they got that right. to me, i see heiya and aguni as a father-daughter duo, especially in the show. in the manga with doudou included in the trio and not arisu, he even says they are like a family. but we got basically none of that. i'll say it, arisu shouldn't have been included in the trio. i think it would've been better if they had even just brought a brand new character to join heiya and aguni instead of dragging a main character into the games where they aren't supposed to be. much like with chishiya in the jack of hearts. the side characters deserve their spotlight, and i think the show was too determined to make sure that they had at least one main character in every game for season 2. i didn't like that. sure, arisu gave some comedic relief in the ep but...yeah.

queen of spades was pretty cool. for it getting a lot of screen time without it being in the manga was interesting seeing as many of the others were just clips from them. the game is basically advanced tag with taking turns involved. the set was really cool though and it was awesome how they were moving around to get to others faster. usagi's speech was a little too long but it got the job done like always so i can't complain when she does great at everything. the queen was good, too.

episode 6:

second half of queen of spades. i thought the fight between usagi and lisa was amazing and fun knowing both actresses did the stunts themselves making it appear more real when they get hit. the kid was there for what seemed like no reason though but i understand why lisa chose him as their teams king since he was just a kid and couldn't do anything, it was a smart move on her behalf that very easily could've made her win if not for usagi. overall, i thought it wasn't too bad for a show only game.

onto the king of diamonds. when i saw kuzuryu in the trailer at the venue for king of diamonds with his pose, i was so happy knowing they would do it. while i don't understand the rules pretty much at all because i suck at anything math related, it was very interesting. i'm glad they did it but upset by what they did with chishiya and his backstory. in the manga, he's not even a full doctor, he's still a med student. the show practically changed his entire backstory for ultimately no reason at all. we didn't get to see him as a child who was neglected all his life which resulted in him becoming the way he is, and we didn't see how he actually was in the manga. they basically dumbed him down to just some sarcastic "unbothered" character when he's far from it. nijiro did amazing as chishiya i really love him and how he did portray him even if it wasn't the same as he is in the manga. i am surprised that they did show a flashback for kuzuryu to understand his thoughts better and why he made his game fair. overall, i really liked king of diamonds and am so glad they decided to keep it in.

episode 7:

this episode was...definitely something. the first half battle royale between niragi, arisu, and chishiya was good, not as great as it could've been along the lines of dialogue, but still good. i didn't think they would keep this honestly. but i was so happy that they did. while chishiya's words weren't the same and didn't have as much impact as the manga in my opinion, i believed it was still pretty damn good. this is also me just being grateful it made it to the final cut.

king of spades. now, i cannot express how unbelievably irritated i was at this whole thing. for one, they basically erased all of shirabi's (the king) thoughts and feelings on how he believed he was giving the players mercy by killing them. we barely got the flashback of him killing his fellow solider and i was annoyed they just made him out to be the bad guy who just liked killing others.

as for the rest of the ep, i was extremely disappointed. i thought that maybe because they would change the king of spades maybe they could have it equal the manga in terms of how the group would defeat him, but no. there was no tracker shirabi had that heiya shot and broke. there was no shirabi burning down the forest and causing the others to venture back into tokyo. it was just so different that it made me hate the king of spades game as a whole for the show. i love love the king of spades in the manga because the trio of doudou, heiya, and aguni were able to do it alone by themselves. but apparently in the show even all of them couldn't defeat him nor could a fucking bomb. they basically just obliterated half of the cast for no good reason except to fuck with people and that alone was irritating. i didn't think they could fuck up the king of spades so bad and then they did.

for personal reasons, i will pretend ep 7 doesn't exist.

episode 8:

everything i hoped for. this was the best ep in my opinion. mira crying was especially interesting to see after usagi and arisu's little moment with one another. people said this ep dragged on and was boring but i thought it was excellent. riisa did a great job at being mira and i just fell in love with the character even more after watching this. i liked that they showed the meteorite hitting them and that they stuck with the manga ending. but, the joker card. personally, i would be perfectly happy with the series ending where it's supposed to. but if they do a s3 of sorts i will probably still tune in. i understand why they did that instead of showing the joker like the manga, but i would rather it just ending. but, a little disappointing they didn't show arisu drinking the tea beforehand and that's why he's believing what mira was saying because i really enjoy the panels where she talks about the tea being a hallucinogenic and causing him to freak out. but, i can't complain too much.

overall:

i thought s2 was still amazing even if there were some downs that i didn't like, i still love this show and manga to death. i was happy with it as a whole product and thought it was still brilliant and i am so glad to have seen this become a adaption and have so many people watching it when it went viral on twitter in multiple countries, the hours viewed are amazingly high compared to last season, and just the general reaction to it. i'm very thankful for the actors who were able to participate in this show and the director. it was truly amazing and i will most definitely continue rewatching over and over again.

#jay things #alice in borderland #imawa no kuni no alice #aib season 2 spoilers #aib spoilers #alice in borderland season 2 spoilers #alice in borderland spoilers #imawa no kuni no alice spoilers

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stuffgoeswrong · 1 year

Note

Heyy, for the ship game - soukoku and ranpoe?

Thanks for asking!

Soukoku

Don't ship it

Why don't you ship it?

I am like, constantly at war with myself on this ship to be honest. I was really on board with it when I first started BSD, and then I really liked Oda so I was like, hmmm, Dazai has two hands man. But that gradually fell away, and now maybe for a week one month I'll be really into it (mainly cause one artist or writer really just gets the dynamic right and piques my interest), but then most of the time I'm like, eh, so I went with this category. I agree with others who believe the fandom has really dumbed down the complexities of Dazai and Chuuya's characters for the sake of the ship and amped up the stereotypes. My biggest issue with Soukoku is the Chuuya feminization problem and how overly sexual their relationship is always portrayed. I once saw a post that said something about how Chuuya in canon embraces his masculinity and loves being a guy, and I hate when people take that away from him. For Dazai's part, I also don't love how he's always the one in control and who has a plan, etc. Just, a lot of reasons.

2. What would have made you like it?

If it wasn't the most popular ship and the fans were more chill about them. If they were just more open to other ships with potential too. Soukoku is literally in the top 100 (I think 20-30?) ao3 ships according to ColeyDoesThings's 2022 summary video. I like Dazai and Chuuya and their partnership, but I've grown to prefer their dynamic as best friends who argue like siblings.

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I'm sure I could think of something, but I've spat out a lot of my brain capacity already tonight. I like it sometimes, just trust me😅.

Ranpoe

Ship it

What made you ship it?

Oh gladly! I mean, it's Ranpo and Poe, how do I not ship them? I love opposing dynamics like theirs a lot, like where there's one outgoing half of a ship and the other is more introverted and they can help each other grow socially because of their differences. That was a big appeal for me, and them having some history aside from the main story leaves room for interpreted events which is always fun imo! Of course, the fact that they're in opposite organizations but it really does not matter to either of them past their second meeting is so funny and wholesome. Poe just continued to show up at the ADA and he and Ranpo share mysteries and cases, leaving room for inspiring each other.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

I like that it's wholesome and seems very natural I guess? I like that they have things in common and how it's actually healthy. I have stickers of them on my laptop actually! I've been trying to get through a 100k+ fic about Poe's life since summer and it's really good, so I'm glad there's balance in Ranpoe's relationship and appreciate how people can imagine them without each other too. And they're both so funny with each other?? Poe taking small competition things seriously that Ranpo doesn't, Ranpo being stunned at Poe's paycheck, I can't explain it, they just immediately become more enjoyable in each other's presence.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not really on the ship, but Ranpo's not one of my top favorites, so I don't talk about this ship or draw for it very often. It's kind of just there in my mind as fanon and I feel like my brain is not creative enough to wonder about them day to day to find the intriguing and fun bits. I did think Ranposano was better at one point, but that was a very very brief time.

#i'm a multishipper if you couldn't tell #all of my time and effort goes into thinking about odazai #they made such a big impact on me and it's still kind of a mystery why #ships #bsd ships #bsd #asks #thank you again!#i don't often talk on my own posts #soukoku #ranpoe #i also don't like when people make beast about soukoku #like that world literally exists for oda and chuuya exists in one scene for 2 minutes #fuck off #i don't care if i get cancelled i will die upon this hill #well this was fun :)#goodnight #ask game

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royalminty · 2 years

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,,,Gotta be honest the new HBO Velma is leaving a really bad taste in my mouth...

I’m gonna just start off with this: No, I don’t have an issue with most of the Scooby Gang being POC. The gang’s races has never been an integral part of their character, and adding in some cultural details could be a really fresh way of developing them as characters!

My issue is that... it feels like the people around this show are only calling it a Scooby Doo series for the brand recognition. The HBO Scooby Gang feel like entirely different characters with the Gang’s veneer slapped on top at the last minute.

Velma, for the most part, seems okay? From what I can find, they’re keeping her as the nerdy bookworm, so that’s good, the core of her character is still there. I think they’re also making her cynical, which I have no issue with, it’s been done before. Her design is also totally fine. She’s still recognizable as Velma, she’s appealing to look at, no problems there.

Next is Fred. I really don’t like them calling him the “White guy who takes the credit”. That’s not who Fred is, at least, not in the majority of adaptations. He’s the popular athletic guy who confidently lays out plans. More recent series have made him an overconfident but well-meaning himbo, and Mystery Inc made him an Autistic guy with traps as a special interest, which I loved!

Fred’s kind of a blank slate, you can do a lot with him, so finding out that he’ll be portrayed as kind of a vain asshole is... disappointing. It’s such a boring take on his character.

His design looks fine, though.

Now for Daphne. OUGH the showrunners have no respect for her! "She was attractive, but also… she wore purple. That’s it. Until now… Our Daphne is diverse." John Showrunner, you have clearly not studied your Scooby history. Your Scoobstory, if you will.

Daphne has been a lot of things in a lot of adaptations. Yes, Where Are You made her the clumsy damsel in distress. It was a 1960′s kids show with a Hanna Barbara budget. But subsequent series have built on that. She’s been a hyper-confident hyper-feminine woman who uses feminine things in creative and amazing ways, she’s an intrepid reporter overflowing with curiosity, she’s a femme fatale with expert martial art skills, she’s a hopeless romantic, she’s a fucking weirdo, she’s the leader of the gang!

She is not just “attractive and wears purple”.

It seems they’re going to portray her as a ruthless popular girl with a crush on Velma. Not the worst take they could go for, but she could be better. Take notes on how previous writers have handled her! Have her be the leader of the school newspaper, nosey and ruthless about getting that scoop!

I don’t know, just something that feels like Daphne.

Another character where the design is fine. Kinda wish her hair was a little different but... eh, not a huge deal.

And finally

Norville.

Now, I’ve seen some people complaining about a “name change” but no, Norville Rogers is canonically Shaggy’s real name, so kudos to the showrunners for knowing that!

So... I have some issues with Norville. I’ll start off by being positive: I kinda like the angle they’re going for with him being autistic and socially awkward. That, in my opinion, fits with Shaggy’s characterization! He would be weird, he would be an outcast!

...I really don’t like his design, though. The only thing he has in common with Shaggy is facial hair and a green shirt.

I get that they’re gonna change his hair style to fit Norville’s race, but couldn’t they pick a hairstyle that better suits Shaggy’s silhouette? Give him longer dreads or braids, hey, how about some jheri curls? I think that’d be a good choice, but I’m far from an expert.

Maybe make the chin hair sparser, make his forehead smaller and his chin more prominent?

Norville is also described as initially anti-drug, which makes me think they’re gonna have him eventually be a pothead because of all the stoner Shaggy jokes/theories/headcanons.

And I’m honestly a liiiittle concerned that the only black man in the cast is gonna be a drug-user, it feels a little... eh...

Honestly, it’s really disappointing that the people making a Scooby Doo show don’t seem to have ever actually watched Scooby Doo! They don’t seem to care about the franchise or the characters.

Not only that, but Daphne gets sexualized in the teaser. She’s literally naked with her bits covered by soap bubbles.

This is a prequel series. Fred is stated to be 16. If they’re going off the canon ages, that’d make Daphne 15 and Velma 14.

You see the issue, right?

#Scooby Doo #HBO Velma

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legion1227 · 5 months

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72 Shows Watched in 2023: Ranked!

72. Titans (Season 4)- 2/5.

As someone who genuinely enjoyed the first two seasons, the fall-off was immensely disappointing. Season 3 was disappointing, but I'm more infuriated with season 4. I did not like the setup or payoff with Trigon, Brother Blood, and any other antagonists this season, or Superboy's character arc. A disappointing, dull slog the entire way through.

71. The Witcher (Season 3)- 2.5/5

I thought the third season started fine. Henry Cavill as Geralt will always be iconic. The rest of the cast, characters like Yennefer, Ciri, and Jaskier are compelling when onscreen but the others feel unmemorable. Episode 5, which focused on Geralt and Yen in the ballroom, was possibly the best episode of the season. But the last three episodes were forgettable enough to bring down my overall enjoyment. I shudder at how Liam Hemsworth will be next season or just how the next season will be. Period.

70. Bupkis- 2.5/5.

Bupkis is a comedy on Peacock, starring Pete Davidson as himself in a slightly more extreme version of his life. It also stars Edie Falco, notable for playing Carmella in The Sopranos and Jackie in Nurse Jackie, as his mother, and Joe Pesci, of Goodfellas and Home Alone fame, as his grandfather. The star power is grand but the jokes are light. There are some engaging stories told from episode to episode, but as a comedy, it could strive to be better. Reel back on your celebrity guests and write stronger jokes for the second season please, Pete.

69. Bel-Air- (Season 2) 3/5

Also on Peacock, the dramatized version of the classic, beloved sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In comparison to season 1, I think it's a bit of a step-down. The actors chosen to portray the iconic characters and add a new spin on them are finely picked and perform solid performances. But the storylines for each character are...eh. Like, Carlton struggles with an addiction to coke for the season and it doesn't feel the most engaging. The character dynamics are enough to elevate it slightly, but it's still just an okay season.

68. Kaleidoscope- 3/5

Kaleidoscope is a Netflix show that spans over 24 years, where a crew of bandits try to steal billions. Part of the appeal of the show is that you can watch the show in any order you want. It's a neat gimmick to tell a linear story, but the story being told could be better. Giancarlo Esposito, known as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, does well in a role that separates him from the villainous roles he's taken over the past decade. Every other actor and character could stand to be better. I'd like to see another show try this gimmick again, but...in a more intriguing manner.

67. Secret Invasion- 3/5

Personally, I don't find the show to be as horrendous as others attest, but it is easily the weakest MCU show to grace the small screen. Wondering which character may or may not be human or a Skrull was fun, the fight scenes are okay, and Samuel L Jackson is always a delight as Nick Fury. But the political drama they strived for here is uninspired. And the show downright looks ugly at times in comparison to far prettier shows like WandaVision or Loki. Rest in Peace to Maria Hill and Talos for having to die in such a mid show.

66. Bookie- 3/5

Bookie is an HBO Max original starring stand up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco as a veteran sports bookie trying to live his life and keep track of the various clients he has that make sports bets in Los Angeles. The premise itself holds some promise, and the characters are mostly likable. Its comedy is similar to Maniscalco's stand-up but still feels light on the laughter. Maniscalco and Omar Dorsey's characters carry the show enough to cross a threshold into becoming okay. It reminds me a little of Bupkis, but better.

65. Willow- 3/5

Willow is a continuation of the movie of the same name released back in 1988. The actor who played the titular Willow over 30+ years ago reprised his role once more as a powerful sorcerer who encounters a young group of heroes who embark on a dangerous quest. While the movie reminded me of The Neverending Story with its tone, the show does the same, more or less. The action scenes and cast were perfectly okay, sorta carrying itself on a cheesy, endearing vibe that you either rock with or don't. What's most egregious is how the show was wiped away Disney+ canceled and wiped from their platform, making it impossible to view via legal means.

64. Camp Lazlo- 3/5

Camp Lazlo was a show that used to air on Cartoon Network from 2005 to 2008. I used to watch it as a child then and rewatched it in its entirety for the first time in years. The series follows anthropomorphic spider monkey Lazlo and his bunkmates albino rhino Clam and elephant Raj as they look for fun times at Camp Kidney. It's a goofy, fine TV show that I think kids nowadays would get a kick out of, but there are better shows from that time to indulge in. The characters teeter from being likable to annoying from episode to episode, the character design is fine, and the comedy is lowbrow. It's not offensive in any way, but I'm a little disappointed since I liked this show a lot more as a kid than now. For me, it doesn't hold up too much.

63. The Last Kingdom (Seasons 3-5) 3/5

For 5 seasons, The Last Kingdom followed Uhtred of Bamburgh in the Medieval Age fighting mighty European armies and leading armies himself as a powerful warrior who's grown into his own. The first two seasons, viewed in the tail-end of 2022, were possibly the best seasons. Alexander Dreymon's performance as Uhtred was fine throughout, but not as gripping as I would hope. The same principle applies to every character introduced in the past three seasons after season two. A fine story is told throughout, but the best aspect has to be the action scenes. As disinterest took over towards the final season, I take solace that the movie that followed, Seven Kings Must Die, was really good and a great sendoff to Uhtred.

62. Dave (Season 3)- 3/5

Maybe Dave is the slightly better version of Bupkis than Bookie was. Dave stars David Burd, also known as Lil Dicky, as an extreme version of himself looking to boost his rap career. The latest season was a slight step down from season 2. It's always relied on gross-out humor, but it was too much this season. This season was a huge mixed bag with some good episodes and some that were average. Certain characters could use more fleshing out, like his friends, Elz, or Mike. More of that instead of flexing the cameos like Drake or Rick Ross would bring the show up a bit more. Though, to be fair, Brad Pitt in his episode was pretty entertaining.

61. Ahsoka- 3/5

Former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano seeks to prevent the return of the Empire as she investigates and traverses the galaxy. I wanted to like this more than I did. I loved Ahsoka in the Clone Wars show and enjoyed Rosario's performance in the handful of episodes she appeared in Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett. And while Rosario is decent as Ahsoka here, the rest of the cast fails to thrill me. Ahsoka seems like the kind of show that someone would enjoy if you watched the animated show Star Wars: Rebels because it would help make you care more about the characters. Unfortunately, I did not do that so it doesn't help. All I will really remember from this show is the appearances of Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker.

60. Black Mirror (Season 6)- 3/5

The anthology show pushed out 5 episodes this season, and about 3 of them were good. Loch Henry was an uninteresting episode until the final ten minutes, and Mazey Day was the worst episode of the bunch easily. However, the performances and premises of the other three episodes were enough to bring the show as high as it did for me. If you're looking for a random standalone episode that's either entertainingly perplexing, pleasantly thought-provoking, or thrillingly cataclysmic, check out the episodes Joan is Awful, Demon 79, and Beyond the Sea.

59. Doom Patrol (Season 4)- 3/5

Originally a DC Universe Original before becoming an HBO Max original, Doom Patrol was a spinoff of the Titans show about an unlikely group of superheroes with depressing backstories saving the world. This final season really cemented itself that this particular brand of bizarreness, while engaging, was not necessarily for me. The first season was always my favorite, with Alan Tudyk as Mr. Nobody being an excellent foil to the group, but the proceeding seasons never met the same level of love for me as the first. The characters are likable, their arcs are well written, and there's a beautiful sendoff to the cast, but it has a unique sense of weirdness that, while I do admire it, doesn't resonate with me as much as it might for others.

58. AEW All Acess- 3.5/5

The second biggest professional wrestling promotion in America, AEW, showcased a reality show that gave viewers a glimpse into the backstage antics and lives of wrestlers. I'm not big on reality shows, but I love AEW and the wrestlers who work for the company as well. It was an intriguing peak behind the curtain but to an extent for a reality show such as this. Certain elements of drama feel corny as it's somewhat scripted for a "reality" show, there's only so much you can show. And with AEW battling real dramatic bits, like CM Punk fighting people backstage, it feels underwhelming what they show instead. Though, it's understandable they can't show or talk about those instances due to legal issues. Regardless, AEW All Access if a fine product for AEW and reality tv show fans, if there's a correlation.

57. Righteous Gemstones (Season 3)- 3.5/5

The HBO Max show follows the Gemstone family, a bunch of Christian televangelists running their church in the wake of the patriarch Eli's wife's death. The third and latest season is as consistent as the first two seasons. The performances and chemistry of the children, Judy, Kelvin, and Jesse, are a joy to watch. The entire cast is fun with their obscene humor leading to chuckle-inducing jokes. The Gemstones have heart that makes them so endearing.

56. Dexter (Seasons 5-7)

In a long-lasting endeavor to enjoy the original seasons before finally getting around to New Blood, the misadventures of blood-splatter analyst Dexter Morgan bled into 2023. The best seasons, 1-4, were watched in 2022, and this year, 5-7 were enjoyed. The fifth season was a step down from the first four, but the introduction of the character Lumen and Dexter's handling of his grief after losing someone dear to him made for still compelling television. The seventh season was on par with the fifth thanks to a compelling character in Isaak and Maria Laguerta's role. The sixth season is what brings the show down, as the antagonists are underwhelming against the many that came before.

55. Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide 3.5/5

Ned's Declassified was another kid's show I watched growing up that aired three seasons from 2004 to 2007. The show followed middle schooler Ned Bigby and his best friends Moze and Cookie as they tried navigating through middle school, looking to survive. I'm unsure what most kids are like these days, but I'd like to think that this would be something that kids approaching middle school would enjoy. The show became more interesting as seasons went on, the romance aspects were somewhat intriguing, and the wacky supporting characters were mostly likable. The tips and lessons could still apply to kids looking for a guide today. Kids might get a kick out of this today, but should probably stay away from the weird podcast about the show. They really don't need to hear stories about Moze's actor blowing all the other guys on set or whatever.

54. Star Wars: Visions (Season 2)- 3.5/5

The animated anthology series provided a new season with new stories to tell. The animation across the board is gorgeous. Story-wise, the most engaging episodes involve a former Sith and the one where a bunch of people are stuck in a pit they built for the empire. Not every episode is as interesting as those two, but there are neat ideas explored in each episode that one might not see in a star wars show or movie anytime soon.

53. Only Murders In The Building (Seasons 1-2)- 3.5/5

As season three of the acclaimed murder mystery dramedy released this year, I found the time to check out the first two seasons before the year ended. Watching Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin work off one another and try to figure out back to back murders is highly entertaining as their chemistry is off the charts. The special guest stars like Tina Fey or Nathan Lane have helped bring the show as high as it is and it should be commended.

52. Narcos (Seasons 1-2)- 3.5/5

The first two seasons that detail the rise and fall of notorious crime lord Pablo Escobar are as good as they are due in part to the powerful performance by Wagner Moura as the drug kingpin. There were some solid performances throughout the show, but no one gripped me as much as him. (Bit of a spoiler coming here...) When Pablo died at the end of season two, there was little incentive to watch season 3 for me. Others may find this more enjoyable than me, but I recognize that this is a solid, well-made show.

51. Ted Lasso (Seasons 1-3)- 3.5/5

Ted Lasso was a great show for the first two seasons before the quality of season 3 brought it down. Some character arcs with characters like Keely didn't satisfy me. The show's decision to make the episodes an hour long brought the quality down immensely. If season three didn't make such boneheaded choices in its last season, the feel-good comedy would rank higher for me.

50. South Park (Season 26)- 3.5/5

the raunchy, foul-mouthed sitcom still can push out gems, but I miss the old seasons when they were much longer. The latest season pushed out 6 episodes, and while none were bad, if there were at least a few more episodes, the latest season would've been almost great. Two standout episodes for me involve the conspiracy around Japanese toilets, and the episode written by AI like Chat GPT. Nothing as hilarious as previous iconic episodes, but the topics and creativity was sublime still.

49. Disenchantment (Season 5)- 3.5/5

Created by Matt Groening, the same genius mind behind the Simpsons and Futurama, Disenchantment is an animated fantasy series that takes place in a medieval land, following the main characters of Princess Tiabeanie, her elf companion Elfo, and demon buddy Luci. The fifth season was its last, bidding farewell to the zany cast and its colorful multitude of a supporting cast. An underrated show that deserves viewing.

48. Scrubs (Seasons 5-8)- 3.5/5

The classic sitcom about medical students turned doctors peaked with its first 5 seasons. The stories, premises, and character development would not reach the same heights in seasons 6 to 8. Some jokes are funny but don't land as hard for me as they did upon my first viewing as a preteen. Rest in Peace to Sam Lloyd, who played possibly the funniest character on the show and my favorite, Ted. He encapsulated a depressing lawyer swimmingly.

47. Bobobo-bobo-bobo- 3.5/5

Bobobo-bobo-bobo was like a fever dream that I never stopped thinking about as a kid. The bizarre anime about the man Bobobo-bobo-bobo fighting enemies with his nose hairs used to air on Cartoon Network during its Toonami block back in the 2000s. After obtaining a blu-ray disc some time ago, I finally got to watching. It's rapid pace with jokes, insane characters, and wild visual gags wormed it's way into my heart. If I were to let bias get in the way, this would be in my top ten. But not every joke in this comedy lands. I still love this show to pieces tho and wish they'd bring it back.

46. Twisted Metal- 3.5/5

This adaptation of the racing game was the most fun show Peacock produced this year that I watched. The cast is enjoyable with Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz anchoring the show for its duration, but it's AEW wrestler Samoa Joe as Sweet Tooth, while Will Arnett provides the voice of the same character, that capture a special magic. The action scenes could stand to be more thrilling, but the stories and character interactions help elevate the show to be a blast.

45. Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (Seasons 2-3)- 3.5/5

This Netflix series about the dragon warrior Po was well-made. Jack Black reprising his role as the titular panda was incredibly welcome as he's the best part of the show. Joining Po are an interesting cast of characters that accompany him on a grand journey. Everything from the action scenes and set pieces to somber character moments were perfectly solid. Another fine show for kids or fans of the Kung Fu Panda series to hold you down while waiting for Kung Fu Panda 4.

44. The Mandalorian (Season 3)- 3.5/5

The latest escapades of Din Djarin and Grogu this season were entertaining, but not as much as previous endeavors in seasons 1 or 2 clearly. The decision to have Din and Grogu separate in the season 2 finale and reunite in another show was a poor choice, robbing this show of a gripping emotional return way too soon. But, the action scenes were still decent, the cameos of the likes of Jack Black and Lizzo were cute and harmless, and Bo Katan's arc helped to make the season at least somewhat compelling.

43. I Am Groot (Season 2)- 3.5/5

Baby Groot is adorable. Five short episodes show baby Groot getting into little shenanigans. My personal favorite involves the one where The Watcher gets stressed watching Groot dick around and get into danger. If you're looking for something really cute and wholesome, I Am Groot would make for a fine 20 minute burst.

42. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Seasons 8-10)- 3.5/5

It doesn't matter how much time passes or how old improv legends Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles or Wayne Brady get, they have not missed any beats. The CW version of the show is not as good as the original, due to its over reliance on repeated games or unfunny special guests, but the performers themselves are comedic geniuses that I love wholeheartedly. The latest seasons on HBO Max have had them trying different games and breaking from tradition and its for the best. One of my favorite comfort viewings.

41. Wrestlers- 3.5/5

Wrestlers is a documentary that follows former WWE wrestler Al Snow trying to keep his wrestling promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling alive. The series focuses on Al, the various wrestlers and workers that he employ as he books his shows week to week, and outside forces looking to work with OVW. Getting to know the wrestlers behind their over-the-top personal and see the struggles of a wrestling promotion nowhere near as big as WWE or AEW was fascinating.

40. Vikings: Valhalla (Season 2)- 3.5/5

Based in the Viking age, the main characters of Leif Erikson, Freydis and Harald remain the most compelling characters in their show. I wish I could say as much for other aspects. The season was a step-down from season 1, but the emotional story beats and cinematography are decent enough aspects to rate it as high as it is for me.

39. Demon Slayer (Season 3)- 3.5/5

The latest season of the hit anime Demon Slayer was fun, but like many other shows on this list, the season to come beforehand...I simply enjoyed more. Mitsuri was an intriguing Hashira to know, and Villains this season were solid. But the lack of presence of other characters like Inosuke are felt and the emotional beats don't work as well as the previous season. But the season finale was stellar enough to bring the season up quite a bit at least.

38. Insecure (Seasons 4-5)- 3.5/5

Insecure remained consistently good throughout its 5 season run. Issa Rae was a great lead for the show as she and her character were extremely likable. The humorous series had a fine cast, but her friend Kelli had to be my favorite as she was seemingly the funniest of the bunch.

37. Food Wars (Season 5)- 3.5/5

The final season to this over-the-top nontraditional battle Shonen anime was a serviceable sendoff to the endearing cast of zany teens. The cooking show anime aired on Toonami this year and as it wrapped up, I felt sad to see it go as I've enjoyed the wackiness many characters provided. But the last episode was a decent sendoff as well. Though not as good as seasons beforehand, Food Wars fifth season is still a treat.

36. Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Season 2)- 3.5/5

The sophomore season of this animated star wars show was as entertaining as its first. Shoutout to Dee Bradley Baker for voicing five different clones and bringing nuance to each character. A ragtag group of clone troopers on their adventures was exciting at times and the season finale was perhaps the best episode of the batch.

35. Total Drama- 3.5/5

Another show from my childhood thats sometimes a gem and sometimes infuriating. Its first three seasons harbored a good sense of humor and a truly sublime cast of animated characters. It was peak. Unfortunately, the following seasons failed to live up to the standards in character work and pacing, among many other issues. However, the season titled The Ridonculous Race, was great enough to bring the show back up. I haven't seen the latest season yet, but the best seasons of this show are worth checking out.

34. Harley Quinn (Season 4)- 4/5

A great season for the books even if it didn't live up the spectacle of its third season. The animation remains solid and the first half of the show was strong. With Bane still hilarious and Harley and Poison Ivy's respective character arcs that focus on their individuality being as entertaining as they were, there's still a lot to like from this season. Even if it lacks in other departments, like, not enough Clayface.

33. Big Nate (Season 2)- 4/5

Huge bias here, but I used to read the Big Nate Books as a kid and I have a huge soft spot for them which applies to this show. The animation is solid, there's a good sense of humor, and the core cast of kids are incredibly likable. If you're looking for 6th grade kid shenanigans that's bound to.make you chuckle, pleas support the show on Paramount Plus so it gets dozens of seasons.

32. My Hero Academia (Season 6)- 4/5

The latest season of teenage superheroes in training focused on two arcs for 20+ episodes. The first arc saw an all out war between numerous heroes and Villains while the second arc saw our main character, Deku, enter an Era of self-doubt and edginess after the events of the first arc. The second arc would've been better if it had more time dedicated to it, but the turns, twists, action scenes, and revelations of the first arc are enough to elevate this season to greatness.

31. Gen V- 4/5

This spinoff of The Boys was a slightly better series that focused on school kids with superpowers than My Hero. It's still got The Boys charm with its signature violence and gore with characters intriguing enough to keep you hooked. Gen V is a great addition to The Boys universe that warrants attention.

30. Avenue 5 (Season 2)- 4/5

An underrated sitcom following a space captain, his employees and crew, and hundreds of passengers on a space cruise trying to.make their way back home. The cast was stellar, the jokes were hilarious, the premise was engaging, and yet it STILL got canceled and I'll forever be mad about that.

29. Blackish (Seasons 1-3)- 4/5

The family sitcom about the Johnson family has picked up for me lately on my first viewing. The first episode and some to follow in season 1 were a bit rocky as the show was finding its footing. But with Seasons 2 and 3 so far, it's proven to be especially funny with a talented cast and thoughtful messaging.

28. Codename: Kids Next Door (Seasons 1-3)- 4/5

Yet another show from my childhood I've been in the midst of rewatching! The Kids Next Door follows children acting as secret agents that fight against teenagers and adults of all sorts. This classic cartoon would fit so well with an audience today, I'd like to think. With an endearing core cast and a truly fun rogues gallery they face off with in episode to episode, I've started realizing how much influence something like this had on me growing up, I love this show.

27. Six Feet Under (Season 1)- 4/5

One of HBO's classic shows has recently come under my radar for the first time, and while it's a bit slow at times to my liking, it's proving to be a unique watch. It's takes on the passings of every day people coupled with a talented cast and stunning cinematography are leaving me to wonder how this show will fare upon progressing into the next few seasons.

26. Wu Tang: An American Saga (Season 3)

For three seasons, Wu Tang followed the rise of Hip Hops most decorated rap group. It's final season was a superb and contemplative sendoff to some of the greatest MCs to grab a mic. Some episodes and storybits were a bit rushed or dramatized needlessly, but the allegorical episodes were incredibly creative sometimes balances out. An underrated gem of a show, in my opinion.

25. One Piece (Live Action)- 4/5

One of the most faithful adaptations of the source material I've seen and I couldn't be happier. The outrageous characters from the anime and Manga look as wild as they do in live action, the set pieces are mesmerizing, and the performances of the Strawhat crew are special. I'm eagerly awaiting season 2 to see how they adapt what comes next.

24. Archer (Season 14)- 4/5

Despite the addition of a new character to the long running sitcoms final season, they didn't stray focus from its core cast of operatives we've gotten to know and love since 2009. Despite wavering in seasons prior, the writing here was on point, the performances did not miss a beat, and the final season was a wonderful send-off to these ragtag of oddballs.

23. Eric Andre Show (Season 6)- 4/5

Hannibal Burress' lack of presence is felt, but the chaotic nature of the show never left and I love that for it. Whether insane bits on the street or at the studio, Eric Andre has still found ways to psychologically confuse and torture strangers and celebrities alike in a manner that still makes my stomach hurt from laughter and absurdities.

22. My Adventures With Superman- 4/5

This take on the beginnings of Clark Kent's journey as Superman was a fun time. Its animation is pleasing to the eye, Clark and Lois Lane's relationship is incredibly endearing and wholesome at times, and the villains introduced are decent foils to Superman.

21. Futurama (season 11)- 4/5

After being canceled and brought back for the umpteenth time, seeing the Futurama cast return again after about a decade (not including that one Simpsons crossover episode from a few years ago) was so welcome. The show tackled more modern topics like Bitcoin and the COVID pandemic to varying degrees of success. Bringing back the entire original cast and still being able to provide solid entertainment is comforting.

20. Superstore- 4/5

Indulging in the entirety of Superstore, the sitcom about employees working in a giant Walmart-esque retail building, for the first time was intriguing. The first season felt too reminiscent of The Office in characters, but as the seasons progressed it slowly started to morph into its own thing. As characters found their own personalities, the show increasingly became more and more hilarious, even with its final season filmed during peak pandemic lockdown.

19. Loki (Season 2)- 4/5

An improvement upon the first season by a margin. Adding Key Huy Quan and Rafael Casal to the cast this season was an excellent choice. The rest of the cast was equally superb, but it's Tom Hiddleston as Loki completing his transformation from a god of mischief to a selfless god was perfect. The finale to the season was bittersweet but also perhaps the best episode of a Disney MCU show so far.

18. Atlanta (Season 4)- 4/5

Donald Glover's experimental series starring himself, Zazie Beets, Brian Tyree Henry, and LaKeith Stanfield, provided possibly the best season of the show. I feel there could've been an opportunity to bring back people from the previous seasons at some point this season, but the episodes this season were pretty remarkable. The final episode leaves one to wonder about the status of our characters but not in a doom-and-gloom manner which I can rock with.

17. Baki Hanma (Season 2)- 4/5

Not since Jojo's Bizarre Adventure have I seen an action anime so ridiculous thrill me almost entirely from start to end. Baki Hanma is a well-crafted, better-written show than its previous series simply titled 'Baki.' Two arcs focus on a prehistoric caveman thawing out of the ice and the world's greatest fighters try to defeat it. While the second arc has our main character try and combat his ultra-powerful dad in a fight that's been built up for years. Both arcs were over-the-top peak that warrant viewing if you live for that nature.

16. Blindspotting (Season 2)- 4/5

The sequel series to the film of the same name is just as great as the film itself. Jasmine Cephas Jones as Ashley, who initially harbored a small role in the film, is good as the lead for the show. Her various family members and friends either helped her or overwhelmed her in ways that made for intriguing television. Combined with fun usage of cameos from rappers and riveting musical sequences, you have another show that gets canceled way to soon and pisses me OFF.

15. Rick and Morty (Season 7)- 4/5

Upon giving co-creator and creep Justin Roiland the boot, the team behind Rick and Morty managed to deliver a quality season up there with some of their best. The new voices for Rick and Morty that replaced Roiland have nestled nicely into the role, and after delivering one of the greatest episodes in the series in 'Unmortricken' any anxieties about the quality of Rick and Morty have been quelled for the future of the show.

14. Jujitsu Kaisen (Season 2)- 4/5

The first few episodes focused on the backstory of a few crucial characters years ago, and while they were sufficient, the meat of the season lies within the Shibuya Incident. As good and evil fight across the city of Shibuya and the bodies pile sky high, JJK has crafted an unforgettable second season with stakes high and memorable moments galore.

13. One Piece (Wano Arc)- 4/5

As the One Piece anime wraps up its longest story arc to date, looking back it's clear to see that the legendary scenes will pang throughout the echoes of time. Despite shit pacing, as One Piece is known to have, it gave us moments of Luffy attaining the Gear 5 form, his jaw-dropping fight with Kaido, and entertaining fights between the Strawhats and the rest of Kaido's crew. Thank god it's over though, and we can finally prepare for the next island Luffy and the Strawhats head toward.

12. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off- 4/5

I think I like this more than the movie, even though it's been years since I last saw the film. But Scott Pilgrim Takes Off took Scott's friends, Ramona's exes, and plenty of other characters with varying degrees of screen time in the movie, amplified it in the show, and made everyone INCREDIBLY likable. With awesome fight scenes and delightful characters, the show has become a must-see for animation fans.

11. The Bear (Seasons 1-2)- 4/5

Who knew how anxiety-inducing a show about a young chef running a restaurant with a hectic kitchen staff could be. The groundwork laid in season 1 elevated season 2 to excellency. The cast is fascinating, and the episodes that involve characters running around frantically, desperately trying to tie shit together have lead to the best episodes on television this year. If you watch one episode from this show, please watch the episode titled 'Fishes.'

10. Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake- 4/5

The spinoff and continuation from yet another Cartoon Network classic is at least on par with the original Adventure Time. Taking the fictional characters of Fionna and Cake and expounding upon them to make them their own fleshed-out characters is amazing. The blossoming relationship of Gary and Marshall was sweet and Simon's existential crisis was heart-wrenching. Eagerly awaiting it's next season.

9. Orange Is The New Black (Seasons 1-3)- 4/5

As I'm currently on my first viewing of this show, as of this writing, I can see how this show about women in prison put Netflix on the map for their original programming. Our leads slow descent into morally questionable behavior is as compelling as every surrounding story with her fellow inmates. The final minutes of the season three finale were powerful imagery for the inmates. And as the depressing dramedy continues forward, I cannot wait to see how the rest of the show shapes.

8. Succession (Seasons 1-4)- 4/5

After binging all four seasons this year, Succession is the closest show I've seen to poetry in motion. The inner dynamics of these deeply disturbed members of the Roy family as they backstab, connive, and try to destroy one another just to reach a comfortable seat of power made for devastating television. I only wish there was one more season to spend more time with the cast.

7. Dragon Ball Z- 4/5

This is the last show on this list that was something I watched as a kid, I promise. The iconic Shonen action show is my favorite anime of all time, but I tried not to let some of personal bias cloud some of my judgment. It's the grandfather of all action anime for a reason, and what prevents it from being my number one is that I believe some of the following shows are just a liiiiiiittle bit more tightly written.

6. The Last Of Us- 4.5/5

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey managed to put on performances as stellar as the voice actors in the game, it's wild. I thought the adaptation was amazing, with sublime performances across the board, a decent pace, and an exploration of character depth unseen in the game with characters like Bill and Frank. It might've been a little light on zombies this season which I hope they rectify in the future.

5. Castlevania Nocturne- 4.5/5

As someone who adored the previous Castlevania anime series, this season had some big shoes to fill. For the first season, they knocked it out of the park. The animation is more gorgeous than ever, the new characters introduced in this spinoff are intriguing, and they laid superb groundwork for the following season.

4. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Season 16)- 4.5/5

Clearly, the best season that this gang of scumbags has put out in years. The entire season saw the gang at their dumbest which lead to hilarious setups and instant classics in its legacy. While all 5 characters were at their best this season, I want to highlight Danny Devito in Frank Vs Russia and Glenn Howerton in The Gang Goes Bowling and Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day as some of the best comedic chops they've almost ever had. I died laughing so much this season.

3. Primal (Seasons 1-2)- 4.5/5

The story about a caveman and a dinosaur going on adventures and was surprisingly...peak. The storytelling despite minimal to no words being spoken is immaculate, and when the first words were dropped I almost lost my shit. The first season was great, but the second season helped elevate the entirety of the show. It's cliff hangers are jaw-dropping, the arcs in season 2 were grand in scale, and the Primal Theory was perhaps the best episode of the whole show. I wish I watched this sooner.

2. What We Do In The Shadows (Season 5)- 4.5/5

The only show to make me laugh just as much, possibly just a little bit more, than It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is the show about Vampires in Staten Island of course. Guillermo's season long arc of vampirism came to a satisfying conclusion and the rest of the cast were on point, especially my personal favorite character: Lazlo. The cast were on point, and the comedic chops were strong, I just hope it's final season is at least as strong as this season was.

Barry (Season 4)- 5/5.

The 4th season of Barry was excellent. Barry the character and Barry the show has been immortalized with the events that transpire over this 8-episode season. The fate of the characters followed over the past few seasons has been befitting and heartbreaking but understandable in some circumstances. The way the show transitioned into something darker over the past two seasons as this hitman who tried to become an actor influenced the people around him and brought them down into the deepest trenches with him. There is no doubt in my mind that Barry was my personal favorite show viewed in 2023. Thank you for reading my list if you did.

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kingbyx · 7 months

Text

The Snowfury

Im writing a bsd Httyd au, because I have an inescapable obsession with both series.

To summarize without many spoilers (incase I ever do finish any fic in the series instead of just planning to write them), ADA are dragon riders, they love dragons, dragons love them, basically the main riders from Httyd in RTTE. Their island is just covered in rescued dragons. PM are dragon hunters who, under Moris guidance, have learned to ‘tame’ dragons through fear and abuse. Chuuya is not in the PM, he’s off being awesome and thinking everybody he loved is dead you know how it is. Atsushi (since Chuuya is not the main charcter even if I love him in this au) is a guy, who, through a series of unfortunate events, ends up with the ADA. His dragon, his bestest friend (Named Byakko, after his ability), is a lightfury (and Akutagawa had a Nightfury names Rashomon of course)

The problem with this is that I have a bit of a problem with the Lightfury. Her concept was cool, and some fanart of her is so nice! But her canon animation was just, eh, and overall I feel like her design could have been better. Some parts just don’t make sense, and really I think they could have done the ´sleek, feminine Fury species that is similar but very different than the nightfury’ idea without having her look,,,, squished. And oddly fem for a DRAGON. I always thought she felt out of place in the world of HTTYD.

So, in my efforts to slightly change her design so I could have a lightfury in my au without using the full canon design, I got carried away and now here we are, I made an entire species, for some reason.

Allow me to explain.

Lore/General Info

The ‘Lightfury’, actually known as the ‘SnowFury’ by the groups that live around them. Though even they don’t see them much. ´Lightfury’ is a term used by cultures who do not naturally have these dragons, as they mistook them for ´daytime NightFurys’ instead of arctic dragons. The dragon eye lists them as SnowFurys, but as artwork of them was limited due to their stealth, few have made the connection between the ‘two species’.

Snowfury’s share a common ancestor with the Nightfury, but evolved in an entirely different environment. While NightFurys are known to prefer forested habitats, preferable near lakes, beaches, rivers, etc, Snowfurys are found only in the snowy wastelands far to the north and far to the south. Though they are now nearly extinct in the south, that is where they were originally named aswell, and no humans are known to inhabit the north.

Just like NightFurys, they are few and far between. In the south, hunted to near extinction (perhaps they truly are gone?) and no one knows if they live in the north. Perhaps they fled there, perhaps they all died in the journey across the ocean, perhaps they have existed there forever and we will never know. Perhaps we are wrong entirely, and they have simply become even better at hiding? Some have heard they can turn invisible, not just blend in, but truly invisible

This will be explained further in the design details, but Snowfurys are larger and bulkier than NightFurys, and though still one of the fastest dragons, they fall just slightly short of the Nightfury. They have a layer of not-quite-blubber, it keeps them warmer but isn’t quite as squishy or heavy, as they still need to be sleek to fly at such high speeds. They can swim in freezing water and walk through blizzards barely noticing the cold.

Their shiny white scales make them nearly impossible to make out within the snow and ice, during a blizzard they are even more deadly. They are known to dig burrows in snow, both as nests/dens and for hunting/stealth purposes.

Changes I made and why/ cool design element of the species

No blue/pink undertones, their stark white but slightly sparkly coulouring is an amazing camoflauge, they are deadly in the snow. Though I couldn’t portray it well (can you tell ive never edited something before and am not at all an artist?), similar to the NightFurys faint stripes, they have a faint rosette pattern, almost like a snow leopard.

Not sure how visible it is, but head is less squished. Proper muzzle for fishing! And carrying babies! All those good things!

Their tail fins do not split at the end, they are known to use it almost like a shovel at times

Their claws are longer thicker and sharper than a NightFurys, they use them to grip onto ice and climb mountains with minimal effort.

Their eyes range from various blues, light teals and pale purples, nothing too vibrant though, they have very pale eyes (while nightfurys have more vibrant eyes, in bright greens and yellows and organes, even red perhaps)

Again, they are bulkier and stronger. Sacrificing a tiny bit of speed for higher strength. Still the second fastest dragon though, just slightly behind NughtFury. This extra bulk not only keeps them warmer but allows them to power through blizzards and scale icy mountains without blinking, they can swim in freezing water without getting cold and walk through deep snow. I made the Snowfurys legs a bit propertionally thicker, aswell as their neck.

Still less ear nubs, but i added a third set. They are shorter but wider than Nightfurys, it’s cold!

Back fin is rufflier and there is a smaller one on head, I mostly just liked the look. The fins on legs and back/head/tail help with aerodynamics, and swimming. They are surprisingly durable, as they need to hold up against freezing temperatures and crazy wind.

More scale definition, though not as muh as a NightFury. They have thick protective scales, but retain a smoother look, not only are they better swimmers than NightFurys but it makes them even harder to spot against the smooth shiny snow.

I made the other two tail fins larger to match the main one

Other little bits

Female Snowfurys are larger than males, and male Snowfurys are about the same as Female Nightfurys if a bit larger and male night fury’s are smaller than female nightfury’s

They have all the same ability’s as Lightfurys, retractable teeth, plasma blast, invisibility, you get it.

You could just say the Lightfruys don’t exist in this au, and Snowfurys are an unique species, but they are still called Lightfurys in most places (Americas, Yokohama seas, United Kingdom’s, etc. Only the southern frozen islands (where Fyodor and Nikolai are from in this au btw) call them Snowfurys, but they found them first so it’s the ‘true name’. It is also what’s in the dragon eye.

Do canon Lightfurys exist? Maybe, how am I supposed to know?

They swim very well as I think I mentioned, better than Nightfurys but not quite like a true tidal class dragon. They eat a lot of fish like Nightfurys, though they will eat basically anything, this would have one day perhaps included humans, but any living ones are sure to avoid humans now

They’re basically cold proof, on land and in water. They can do it but aren’t usually fans of extreme heat, since they have a natural layer of fat (not quite blubber but close) meant to keep them warm. They get hot quick and retain that heat well, they have never been seen in a warm place, though who knows if they go there or not. You rarely see them anyways,

They basically have the same reputation as Nightfurys, but since they don’t live most places even more mysterious. Nobody really knows anything about either species, even the Dragon Eye has rather vague drawings, though it’s still more info than anywhere else. It’s believed that more detailed records exists, but either nobody has found those lenses or the information wasn’t put on a lense

I’ll probably make a more detailed ref sheet with wings (same as canon LF,smoother than Nightfurys and a bit shorter and broader) and eye colours and stuff someday

Pack orientated species, just like Nightfurys. Though adults almost always hunt alone for stealthyness, they always live in groups, it’s important. They are social!

No I will not tell you what is in the north, that is a SECRET! Yes it is awesome and plot relevant and angsty but fluffy at the same time and I will make my readers cry when I write it!

I Hope this was at least somewhat coherent, I’m tired but brain won’t sleep until it gets to share its thoughts.

Will i ever actually write this? Yes probably but like, I’m currently on my avian au, Ranpo bad things happen bingo (I’m on prompt 15/25 now, whoo!) and that unfinished SKK au I’m writing (it’s like, 10k and I’m not even at the main plot what am I doing?? It’s based on a one of my favorite movies ever and includes wolves and feral woods child Chuuya btw). Someday, I will write Httyd au, eventually.

Any ideas for rider dragons are lovely,,,, you know incase you want to. I have most but there’s a few that I’m just, aaaaaah

Goodnight

#bsd #light fury #lightfury redesign #httyd #httyd au #httyd fusion #Atsushi had a lightfury #and Aku has a nightfury #it’s perfect #they’re so great #I love them so much #this au is so cool to me and you guys have no idea why since I haven’t actually written it just planned it

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