#lessens the death imo

[lavenderjewels]

Spoilers/Leaks for JJK 247❗️

I read this when I saw the fan translation was out and have been SO busy since, so my thoughts are everywhere. But Yuuji!!

Liked this chapter, although very sad over Higuruma (my favorite new character of the culling games ;-;). I expected many deaths with the Big Boss fight and unfortunately he had a lot of death flags and not much of a future :( Despite the Nanami comparisons both from fans and in the manga, he’s been a huge comparison to Yuuji for me too, with their guilt, “death wish,” and desire to fulfill their role. Not a mentor like Nanami or Todo, but closer to an equal in their attitude and approach. His fate makes me curious to what Yuuji’s will ultimately be.

I actually think Higuruma’s death was fairly well done. It’s clever that Higuruma thought of using curses from dying to his advantage. One of the better (side character) deaths in JJK, although I’m slightly confused on how RCT works since Higuruma got it. Are Sukuna’s slashes too deadly and quick for Higuruma to heal from?? If it wasn’t for his last words being a way to strengthen Yuuji, I’d say there was a chance of survival, but that’s extremely unlikely.

I’ve only quickly looked online and have both seen comments that Yuuji isn’t fast enough to defeat Sukuna and also that the blood technique was Yuuji’s??? I’m not a powerscaler so I’m possibly missing things, but I don’t know what sprung up those???

Expecting Ino (part of that new gen.) and Choso to survive this fight. At least with Choso, he needs to live long enough for Yuki’s sacrifice to not be thrown completely in the garbage.

I’m enjoying this fight SO much more than the Sukuna vs Gojo (although not as much as the recent Takaba vs Kenjaku or Yuki/Choso vs Kenjaku) especially from the protagonist side, but I mostly want Sukuna lore soon. There needs to be something else to make his character more captivating if this fight will continue. Or else it might feel repetitive and uninteresting to have the same routine of characters dying to him. There were a LOT of fans making fun of Sukuna being a cursed or neglected child, but I don’t mind having backstory, especially if we get more into his whole thing with cannibalism. On top of that, the protagonists need a small victory or perhaps even an update on Megumi for the same reason.

I’m not sure if Yuuji has RCT, but I’m inclined to think that him being unaffected by Sukuna’s attacks was a result of either being a cursed object from Sukuna’s CE or (possibly) eating his brothers (also cursed objects). Love seeing Yuuji fight and I hope Higuruma’s death isn’t in vain.

Honestly, the way this chapter ended was very cliffhanger-y and I’m expecting something to go wrong OR a classic shift of perspective. I don’t have much else to say because the direction of this chapter depends more on what I see following it. Sukuna still hasn’t used his fire powers, revealed what the hell allows him to have those powers, etc.

Hoping for some good stuff in later chapters (sooner rather than later), mostly with Sukuna’s character or the fight progressing. At least there’s around a year left in JJK—need that to be enough to conclude this and Kenjaku’s backup plan (along with character conclusions).

#I haven’t watched the recent ep yet #jjk spoilers #jjk leaks #jjk 247 #a shame it’s gonna be awhile before the next chapter AND no anime #more chapter spoilers but: also. did think Higuruma’s passing was effective #but would’ve hit harder if deaths like Tsumiki/Yorozu and Kashimo did more #by that I mean I would’ve liked Sukuna to either change or be more introspective past his musing on strength and hunger #while I hate how tsumiki/yorozu were handled I didn’t mind Kashimo either #but having higuruma w those back to back while sukuna is the absolute same w not much to contribute #lessens the death imo #if we get more into Sukuna’s backstory or relationships or motives on a deeper level #I’ll start enjoying this fight even more #I think that’s why adult gojo AND sukuna both were better in smaller appearances #their overpowered nature wasn’t boring if it was occasional rather than being the main focus #I need something else to add intrigue #and imo I still like gojo a lot more because of his weaknesses #so yeah longing for some sukuna characterization or reveals #it’s also why I don’t like him AS much as Kenjaku or Mahito (who are my favorite villains in jjk). idk

[genericpuff]

I simply don’t agree that Aphrodite sleeping with zeus was coercion. Eros was rightfully going to be punished for doing the same crime as persephone. Aphrodite was the one manipulating zeus into sleeping with her again to lessen his punishment. (And they had a previous relationship/fling considering Eros is his GRANDSON and Aphrodite definitely hurt Hera in that process as well) if Eros was innocent I would understand the viewpoint but Zeus was doing his job and he is scummy for being so easily swayed but Aphrodite was perfectly scummy as well using sex to get her son off the hook.

I don't entirely disagree with some of the points you raise (that Eros had committed an act of wrath that led to this whole thing to begin with). That said, I think that more proves the point that Rachel's framing could have been more clear, as it's why the debate of "is it coercion or not" even exists in that scene. Yeah, she was totally attempting to get her son off scot-free from committing an act of wrath, but then the plot expects us to also root for Persephone to get off easy, who still gets a trial. It might not be a fair trial, but the implication with the Eros / Aphrodite / Zeus scene was that Zeus was just gonna go straight into punishment without even bothering to give him a trial to plea his case. And unlike Persephone, Eros didn't go to insane lengths to hide it from Zeus and Hades (which was more why Zeus took such offense with Persephone's Act of Wrath in the first place - he didn't care that she killed people, he cared that she killed people and then hid it from him and his brothers.)

Apparently Artemis and Apollo were outright celebrated for committing an act of wrath.

(notice how Zeus shifts the goalposts from it being about the death of 300 mortals to it being about Eros harboring a mortal?)

In the original Greek myths, acts of wrath were common. Poseidon would drown sailors at sea, Aphrodite and Eros would toy with the emotions and lives of mortals who had wronged them, and Demeter has created an entire dang season that resulted in the starvation of mortals en masse.

So in LO, which is it? Are acts of wrath something that need to be taken to trial? Or are they not that big a deal and Zeus is simply an asshole who picks and chooses who he punishes? Because when taking how he treated Persephone's act of wrath into context - as well as Artemis and Apollo's - then him deciding to punish Eros right then and there seems a little unwarranted, I don't blame Aphrodite for trying to think on her feet. I'd like to think if he was willing to offer Persephone a trial, he could do the same for his grandson, but evidently not. He didn't even know Apollo and Artemis were his kids yet back when he rewarded them for murdering people, so his relation to them can't even be used as a "well clearly he's biased towards his kids".

If it's meant to highlight how unfair of a king Zeus is, then flipping the script from Aphrodite to Zeus offering sex as a bargaining chip would have made the intention a lot more clear. That said, I do still agree with the notion that Aphrodite was clearly backed into a corner here knowing fully well that her son was about to be unfairly punished for something that wasn't even being given a fair trial or route to defend himself. That's why I argue that Aphrodite is still a victim of coercion, even if she's the one who "offered first". It says more about Zeus that Aphrodite even felt the need to go that far in the first place IMO.

#lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus #ask me anything #ama #anon ama #anon ask me anything

[veliseraptor]

Top five spiciest untamed opinions!

man, I've been in my own little corner of fandom for long enough that I feel like I struggle a little to parse what is spicy of my opinions and what isn't, but here's a go at it

The Untamed is a show with complex, morally grey characters that's telling a slightly different but not inherently inferior story. Maybe I'm just a bit defensive about this, and I have with time come to appreciate a lot of things about the novel over the way they play out in the show, but The Untamed was the first version of the story that I fell in love with and I think at least some of the criticisms of it overstate the degree to which it morally simplifies the story. I think, whether because of requirements of censorship or other reasons, that the moral messiness of the story is subtler, I don't think it's absent, and while Jin Guangyao in particular falls victim to a pretty intense villain edit the narrative still has plenty of sympathy for him (even if the audience, all too often, does not). I think it's telling a slightly different story (as others have discussed), but I think it's a strong adaptation that still works with the underlying themes of the text.

However, that being said, The lessening of Wei Wuxian's culpability, as in the introduction of the second flautist, weakens his character. I feel like the character of Wei Wuxian as we see him in The Untamed still has the recognizable flaws of the character from the novel - I think the degree to which they're sometimes claimed to be toned down is overstated, which I think I've written some about before. He's still at least a little arrogant, causes problems, has a definite temper, and doesn't always respect other peoples' choices, among other things. But what The Untamed does do is remove some of his culpability, or at least temper it - both for Jin Zixuan's death and the massacre at Nightless City, which are two moments that contribute to a strong tragic arc in the first life, which makes for a more powerful (imo) arc in the second life. Removing, or at least lessening, Wei Wuxian's culpability for Jin Zixuan's death and Jiang Yanli's death makes him more a victim of circumstance than of his own human flaws, and at least for me, a character who is doomed by their own flaws is a far more compelling one than one who just happens to fall victim to outside forces. It makes him, I would argue, more passive and less of an active force, and I think the culpability for those two deaths - and the loss of control that causes it - makes for a more powerful narrative than that of a man who is victimized by someone else's actions.

Jin Guangyao was a good Chief Cultivator. I see people talk about him as though he was corrupt and evil and just plotting all the time, but the Bad Things™ he does mostly happen before his tenure as Chief Cultivator and, even taking those into account, have a limited impact on the world at large (with the exception of Nie Mingjue's death, but even that I would argue has more personal repercussions than broader political ones). As far as his responsibility for the cultivation world at large, we have no evidence prior to his downfall that he is negatively perceived by people, except for the fact of his birth/origins.

this is more MDZS-related than Untamed specific, but: MXTX deserves praise for writing "problematic" and messy queer sex, but it's just not hot. I don't have a whole lot to add on this one, but one of my least favorite parts of some corners of The Untamed fandom are people who are thoroughgoing MXTX antis who are quick to cry about the ~problematic~ aspects of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian's sex life (which, honestly, I think are overstated a lot of the time, as is the weirdness of the sex scenes); however, in my opinion, the sex scenes as they stand just aren't very sexy, and I don't think that's intentional (as it arguably is in SVSSS). The sex scenes may be a shortcoming in the text, perhaps, but not the one certain people think it is.

this is again a stronger argument in the novel but I think it's present in the show as well: Jin Guangyao and Wei Wuxian are "there but for the grace of god" foils, but not in the sense of Jin Guangyao being "Wei Wuxian if he made bad moral choices" but in the sense of "who Wei Wuxian could've been if his circumstances were different." I've definitely written about this before and how much it drives me nuts the way people treat narrative foils in this story in general as Goofus and Gallant style duos, but this is a specific one. I think Jin Guangyao is an example of a story that runs alongside Wei Wuxian's, but ends in a different place, and I think the story isn't saying that he ends in that place because of something inherently worse about Jin Guangyao, but because of the way his circumstances happen to diverge from Wei Wuxian's in specific key ways. In some ways his ending is even a near beat-for-beat rewrite of Wei Wuxian's death, and Wei Wuxian receives the grace of a second life not because of any inherent merit, but actually because of his bad reputation. I think this goes for Xue Yang, too, actually.

I absolutely know I'm forgetting things and there are probably things back in my bitchy opinions tag that I could dig out, but here's at least a few that came to mind.

#conversating #maester of spreadsheets #lise has opinions #none of these feel so bitchy they need to go in the bitchy opinions tag but just in case i think i'll #lise's aggressively bitchy opinions about irrelevant and unimportant matters #lise memes #top five meme #the sad queer cultivators show

[squish--squash]

The best Sherlock Holmes adaptation (that people hardly know)

The stories and adventures of Sherlock Holmes is probably one of the most well-known, most referenced, and most recognizable series out there, as well as one with an insane number of adaptations. Hell, Sherlock Holmes even holds the world record of being the literary character with the most screen adaptations.

This has led to many, many people making ranked lists of their favorite adaptations, and I've looked at a lot of them to see if my favorite one appears. It doesn't. Not here, here, here, here, here, here, or here.

On the Wikipedia page for Sherlock Holmes adaptations, it is listed...in the external links section, at the very bottom of the webpage; it's only visible by expanding the "screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes" panel

On here, under the three names it's regularly tagged as, there are a collective 13.9k followers (the breakdown is 5.2-1.9-6.8). In comparison, the "bbc sherlock" tag has 47k followers, "sherlock" has 644k, and "john watson" has 13k followers. Pretty underrated, if you ask me.

And so, you're probably wondering what this adaptation is, and why I think it's the best. Wonder no further!

The best Sherlock Holmes adaptation (at least, to me) that is criminally underrated is called Yuukoku no Moriarty, or Moriarty the Patriot. (and before you ask, yes, it's a manga! with its own anime!)

Now, because this post is already long enough, and because there is going to be A LOT OF BIG SPOILER WARNINGS, I'll be defending my claim under the read-more. But with that out of the way, let me begin...

Reason #1: Wait, Moriarty??

Moriarty is well-known to be the arch nemesis of Sherlock Holmes. He's the big baddie of the original series. So why in the world is this adaptation named after the villain? Because the plot is focused around Moriarty. As far as I am aware, this could be the ONLY adaptation so far that has done this (please correct me if I'm wrong! I'd love to find more). Furthermore, the "James Moriarty" in question is actually three brothers: Albert, Louis, and William (the "main" Moriarty), and the overarching plot follows their schemes as "the Lord of Crime" to... change 19th century England for the better?

Reason #2: The Premise is INTERESTING as FUCK

Yeah, you heard me! The big baddie in this adaptation is trying to do what they deem as "good"! It's called Moriarty the Patriot because William, Louis, and Albert are trying to make England a better country in their own ways; they view the class system of 19th century England to be, quite frankly, shit, and want to lessen the abuse and dehumanization of the lower class caused by the nobles. And, well, they do this by killing corrupt nobles. Or, well, more accurately, they help people commit crimes to kill the nobles, and stage it to look like an accident or make it extremely difficult to solve. It's actually really fun and cathartic to watch imo, especially in the early episodes of the anime and the early chapters of the manga. I'll come back to the plot later, but for now, I think it's time to get back to the characters.

Reason #3: The Gang's all Here!

The three Jame Moriarty brothers aren't the only characters: you also have the baker street gang (Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and Ms Hudson), the Baker Street Irregulars, Mycroft, Sebastian Moran from the original series, Lestrade, Irene Adler, Herder (another character from the original series), and interestingly enough, Billy the Kid (in the manga). And these characters aren't just one-dimensional name-drops, but characters with so much personality, backstory, and motives. Take, for example, Sebastian Moran: he's a sniper who works for the Lord of Crime, yeah, but it's because he has a long-earned loyalty to William; both of them have a keepsake from the other, and after William's supposed death during this adaptation's version of "The Final Problem", it's the keepsake he gave to William that saves him from a dark path (there's much more to this story in particular, but you'll have to find out more yourself if you're interested). Also, there's Moneypenny in the manga. But why the hell is she here?

Reason #4: His name is James. James Bond (and he's trans!)

NAME ONE OTHER FUCKING SHERLOCK HOLMES ADAPTATION THAT HAS JAMES BOND, I'LL WAIT. YOU CANNOT. But yes, James fucking Bond is in Moriarty the Patriot, and is one of the best characters for many reasons. One of them? We actually meet him as a woman. And who is that woman, you might ask?

Irene Adler.

(note: the version I read calls him James Bond, but from what I've heard, his name is actually spelled "James Bonde" to avoid copywrite issues. However, for this post, I'll use "Bond") It's...incredible. The entire arc introducing Irene Adler and her arc into becoming James Bond is one of my favorite arcs in Moriarty the Patriot. It takes the original "A Scandal in Bohemia" and sprints with it. Like, the entire Bohemian-king-wanting-that-photograph with Sherlock and Watson is just a ploy, so Irene can be under the protection of public-hero Sherlock by tricking him into thinking he blew up her house with his smoke-bomb trick. Because she stole ENGLISH GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS SO CLASSIFIED, THE GOVERNMENT WANTS HER DEAD. It's just the way the series builds off the original works by Doyle in a way that not only stays true to the original, but is also its own thing. Because yeah, we don't see Irene Adler again after her "scandal" is solved; and that's because she fakes her death as Irene, and starts working under the Moriarty brothers as James Bond, now a man. Additionally, Moriarty the Patriot handles Bond being trans in an amazing way. Him being trans is no joke! The Moriarty group accept him as a man the moment he tells them (except for Sebastian Moran, who's confused about it at first before he warms up to it; in all actuality, it's his confusion and reluctance that's joked about, not Bond's manhood, which is a refreshing thing to see as a queer person myself). Even when reuniting with Sherlock, John Watson, and Ms Hudson, the three are respectful and understanding. Oh my god wait a minute I just realized I haven't even mentioned Sherlock yet-

Reason #5: Benedict Cumberbatch WHO

Sherlock Holmes in this adaptation is the best Sherlock, hands down. Why? Because he's fun, goddammit! So many Sherlock adaptations see the genius personality of Sherlock Holmes and see nothing else. They make him cold, uncaring, calculative. A lot of Sherlocks would shoot a man dead for a lead on a case. But not this Sherlock. Is this the face of a man who's cold and uncaring?

HELL FUCKING NO! And he's literally presented with the opportunity to shoot a man for a lead on a case, and he turns it down! Because he's good! Yeah, he's prideful. Yeah, he can be a prick. He treats Scotland Yard like a joke. But he's also silly. He's kind to the people he cares about. He wants to help people. He's hilarious with Ms Hudson and Mycroft, and his interactions with William Moriarty is one of the best things to read about in this adaptation, because their cat-and-mouse game matters so, so much in this story.

Reason #6: Cat and mouse; puppet and puppeteer; friend and...friend?

Sherlock has a very interesting role in Moriarty the Patriot as a whole. Sure, he's the detective. But he's so much more. When he's introduced (in episode 6 of the anime, mind you!) to the story, the overarching plan of William and his brothers shift to include him: William wants him to be the hero of the play they're setting for the country, because in the end, William plans to be defeated as a common enemy of the people. And so, the game begins. The Lord of Crime starts setting up crimes for Sherlock to solve, so he gains publicity. So he's recognized as the hero. He's the only man smart enough to solve the trail of breadcrumbs Moriarty leaves, after all. Sherlock starts as just a puppet in the plan of things. Led along on strings from crime-to-crime, slowly piecing things together. And Sherlock hates it. But...Sherlock and William meet outside of being a simple detective and criminal. They meet on a ship, and for the first time, William finds his mind not drafting up plans or thinking as the Lord of Crime the first time they speak to each other. And for the first time, Sherlock finds someone with a mind equal to his own. They meet again, on a train, and solve a murder together (one William was NOT behind). And behind this game of cat-and-mouse, behind the puppet and puppeteer, something blooms. When Sherlock learns that yes, the William James Moriarty he's grown to known is indeed the Lord of Crime, he's not mad. He's...glad.

(note: Sherlock calls William Moriarty "Liam", beginning with their meet on the train; he's the only character in the series who does this. Not even the other Moriarty brothers call their brother "Liam")

He's glad it was William; it couldn't have been anyone else, in his opinion. It wouldn't have been worth it otherwise. It all comes to head in this series' version of "The Final Problem", where Sherlock finally confronts Moriarty, once and for all. It's where William plans to be defeated by his nemesis, the hero. Because he's the self-proclaimed villain. "Catch me if you can, Mr Holmes", is what he challenged to Sherlock on the train, after he joked about William being the Lord of Crime. And Sherlock catches him, in the end. But not as a detective. He catches him, as a companion, after William jumps to his death into the river Thames to set his defeat to Sherlock in stone.

Reason #7: What Comes After

The anime ends after "The Final Problem", but the manga continues. And this is where I really, really think this adaptation shines its brightest, with the aftermath of everything the series has been building to. The main reason Moriarty chooses his death is because of the bad things he's done his entire life. He never enjoyed killing people, but felt he had to, and felt his death was the proper "punishment" for it. But through Sherlock, he finds that that isn't the answer. It's obvious that Sherlock would live through the fall into the Thames. But what about William? In most adaptations, he dies. In the original, he died. But in this? They both live. They both survive. Some big ideas floating around before "The Final Problem" involved revenge. An eye for an eye, if you will. Judgement, and delivering it. But afterwards? It's atonement. It's forgiveness, and the lack of it. It's growth, and redemption. They're saved and taken to America to recover and start new lives. William Moriarty finds ways to atone for his actions without choosing death. Sherlock does too, for his own crimes. They decide, together, to begin anew, find new purposes.

and it's beautiful. When they return to England, three years after their disappearances, their growth is obvious and amazing to see; the other members of the Moriarty gang have also chosen their own paths of redemption, and seeing it all come together is something I'll always enjoy rereading over and over. And the redemption and reunion with England is just the end of part 1 of the story. There's more to be made with this series.

Reason #8: Made With Love

It's so, so obvious that Moriarty the Patriot was made with love for the original series. The way details of the original stories are kept and built off of to work flawlessly as it's own story is something I will be continously impressed by. There was so much thought, heart, and soul put into this adaptation, and you can tell it by reading and watching it. There are so, so much more I could go into—like the music in the anime, deeper dives into the arcs of the main cast, how well the relationships between characters are formed and established—but I think it'd be better for you to just find out all of these things by yourself.

So please, if you've gotten this far, give Moriarty the Patriot a try. Let it prove to you how good it is. Let it show you that it really is the best Sherlock Holmes adaptation out there.

#moriarty the patriot #yuumori #yuukoku no moriarty #sherlock #sherlock holmes

[deliciousdefendorinternet]

comparing the writing in the first film overall with the writing of the Third so people can Hopefully see what my problem is with TBT.

first off lets start with the two films big emotional music numbers that are meant to showcase meaningful character Growth that being "" True Colours ""

and "" Better Place "" now the main Difference between these two is that despite what some negative reviews of the first film said at the time Branch's character Arc wasn't literally just wrapped up in this one song like Bro zone's was in TBT.

True Colours was the climax to Branch's arc but it wasn't literally the only piece of Branch's arc throughout the film we had small hints under his uncaring exterior that he was actually a good guy who just wasn't good at showing it.

like the fact he saved Poppy from those spiders and when he tried to help her come to terms with Creek's supposed death even if his way wasn't 100 percent perfect.

and of course after finally opening up about his grandmother he showed more signs of trying to change for the better helping Bridget by giving her his love poem to say to Gristle Jr.

afterwards attempting to join in on the Snack Pack's happy screaming over Creek still being alive and even pulling a little High five Joke on Poppy showing clear effort of attempts to change beforehand.

he also attempted to comfort Poppy and the others when they opened the locket and Creek was gone and they assumed he was dead and all this leading to True Colours which was the big moment for his Arc.

Bro zone didn't have any of this before hand instead all their moments prior to Better Place are either them being Jerky or its mostly comedic gags with not real flashes of posotive character moments for them that could help with their Arc.

anyway back to True Colours despite technically getting what he said he wanted at the start of the film ( that being for the other pop Trolls to finally stop seeing the world as all cupcakes and Rainbows and finally see the Dark sides of things )

he was actually disheartened to see them all this way and worked to help them get out of this state which he was all too familiar with.

anyway one thing that makes True Colours work better than Better Place imo is

1. Branch still has agency in the choice their all about to die and well his choice to try and lift up the other people's spirits doesn't effect that at all.

I find it very powerful how he still chooses to be happy in that moment and tries to lift the spirits of everyone around him despite the fact that for all he knows his worst fear is about to come true their all about to be eaten by Bergens aka the very thing he's spent most of his life terrified of.

but with Better Place his Bros don't have agency so it isn't a meaningful character moment their literally imprisoned and forced to take part in the Harmony in order to save their own lives its not even just about Floyd anymore.

its sorta like if Branch only sang True Colours to lift everyone's spirits because he needed them to all have access to their longer Hair Powers so they could lift the lid on top of the cooking pot in order for them to escape.

kinda lessens the impact of the scene a bit doesn't it? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

and as I said before True Colours would be a cute scene on its own but if it was literally the only scene that was meant to show Branch's character Arc and growth then yeah it would still fall flat imo but it isn't because the movie made sure to have lots of other little moments.

showing Branch making the effort beforehand so True Colours was just the final result and not literally the only action taken in his Arc.

unlike Better Place where

1. the Bros Agency was taken away so they literally did the Harmony for selfish reasons and

2. it was the only moment meant to show their character Growth which just isn't how character Arcs work.

you don't get to have characters showcase a whole bunch of flaws and frankly crappy behaviour and then have their Arc be wrapped up with a single action that isn't even all that noble no character Arc works that way.

the writing of the first film understood this and did a Fair amount of it Right but TBT didn't understand this at all.

I'm not an Expert writer but this is all fairly Basic stuff so yeah. 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

#Youtube #trolls #trolls branch #trolls brothers #trolls band together #trolls bro zone #trolls brozone #trolls 2016 #Trolls #Trolls Branch #Trolls Bro zone #dreamworks trolls #dreamworks trolls 3

[ragnarokhound]

puts this on your list of things to do

Skcnwksks *adds another stone atop the mountain, and the world sinks another inch closer to hell

But okay fr. I actually read Knight Terrors: Robin today, and with the enormous grain of salt that I am working mostly with fandom osmosis, esp re: their established relationship, I think they alllllmost wrote something that worked. Almost. Long rambling nitpicks under the cut:

I think if they had about three more pages they could have established Tim and Jason's relationship and their problems with working together a little better; and either cut Babs out as the middle man who introduced their individual issues to the audience, or used her more effectively as a mediator.

They very clearly wanted to showcase two problems: Tim is working himself to death trying to save everyone, and Jason is suffering by insisting on working alone. Good! I like this concept. It's annoying to me that Babs is the one who tries to reach out to both of them about these issues, gets rebuffed, and then is never heard from again. I'd much prefer it if they tried to talk to each other on their own and it went poorly at first, only to be forced to open up in the nightmare realm. It would tighten up their combined arc if they'd had one single conversation before the Inciting Incident occurs.

Like, don't get me wrong. I am waffling about this because Babs is a good entry voice to help introduce our primary actors. She is the person they have in common, and by having her be the voice in their ear, we see that other people in their support networks are worried about them.

But man, why not just have Tim monologue to himself about being ready to wrap up his third bust of the night and consider hitting up Jason to see if he needs help on the intergang drug bust he's in the middle of. It could be on Tim's way to the next place he's going, demonstrating that he's stretching himself thin and looking for even more to do; even with people like Jason who he isn't all that close with. And then Tim and Jason have their own snarky conversation (with some veiled flirting) about not needing each other's help or each other's nagging, and that's when the nightmare mist hits.

Because the story is only tangentially about people other than Jason and Tim. They're both too wrapped up in their own problems to notice other people reaching out to them about their fucked behavior. So Babs could have been used as a yardstick for each of them - Tim dismissed her fears at first, Jason hung up on her outright - but only if she comes back.

If Babs had also been there at the end to check in with them, yeah, it might have lessened the impact of Jason's plea for help and getting only Tim in response, but it would have been the indicator that they were now ready to hear the worries expressed by their loved ones. A very *clear* indicator of what has changed in the narrative that justifies Babs' involvement in the first place. You could have her come in right as Tim and Jason are catching up after the initial plea, having just escaped her own nightmare (*editors note: see Babs' knight terrors issue, lmao). She could groggily direct them to someone who needs help. All three of them are working together now, Tim and Jason are on their way to opening up to more people; huzzah

And hell. If you want to justify why Tim knows stuff about Jason he shouldn't - or why Jason might know something about Tim that he shouldn't for that matter - a little extra time spent together in the nightmare zone is great for that. Make them see each other's worst memories. Make them see each other's defining moments. Make it the twisted, terrible, self-directed-blame version of events that exists in their heads, and then they can separately call bullshit.

You literally put them into a shared mind palace!! Why did Tim know that about Sheila? Because he just saw it in Jason's head. How does Jason know Tim has a savior complex too big to shoulder? Same deal. IMO, this would have made their insistence that the other person is better than they think much more natural. It's not an empty sentiment because 'I've literally seen what you think of yourself and I am telling you that it isn't true'. (They're in a shared mindscape. Why not imply that they are seeing what the other is seeing too. That they're having a shared experience and are privy to each other's thoughts, emotions, and memories? Easy to do. "I feel like I'm walking to class in the 10th grade...but when I was that age, I was 6 feet under." "And I'm positive I'm picking up ammo for a gun I don't own. I think it's safe to say we're sharing a dream.")

I'm also ??? about why the nightmare zone let them talk at all?? Maybe that's something that we don't have time to explain/ it doesn't need explaining, but if I were a terrible nightmare creature and I was menacing two people at once, I simply wouldn't let them exist in the same space. Isolation is key to breaking someone's will. If you let them talk to each other they could help each other. Fool. Buffoon. Literally the only reason to let them talk to each other is if you think they'll make each other worse lmao.

There was a clever visual trick in which Jason hits the void barrier and Tim sees the ripples he makes - but iirc that is the closest we get to an explanation of how they might be breaking through to each other. And it happened after they were almost done with their second conversation. Too little, too late, IMO.

Arguments could be made that they were able to break through because they were approaching a hard limit. Jason hears Tim again when he yells at his double to shut up, when Jason himself is just about ready to throw in the towel. The moment of deepest despair, the realization for both of them that they're not cut out to solve the problem with their current method. Something something, breaking the pattern - but why let them, unless the nightmare can't do anything about it? I do like a monster with a secret weakness, so I'm willing to let it slide now that I've talked it out lol but still. It feels like an unearned conversation when the only convo they had before was mostly exposition.

Anyway. Tldr; if the writers had a few more pages and shown us Tim and Jason's conflict with each other rather than water it down via Babs (OR BROUGHT HER BACK TO TIE IT ALL UP WITH A BOW) it would have been a tighter & more interesting story.

#wow that rant got a little long skxndbdjsj #anyway i think i want to own a copy of knight terrors robin now #i want it on my shelf so i can shake it around every now and then and remind myself of what we could have had #cause its honestly not the worst #it just suffers from being a spin off storyline without enough time to sufficiently set up its payoff #jaytim #also im still enamored by how that convo would go #jason: drake? is that you? #tim: jason? where are you? are you okay? #jason: not remotely. but first things first *coughs blood* what are you wearing

[lloydfrontera]

actually we are talking about it making lloyd see as arcos falls and breaks his neck while he's completely unable to do anything but watch??? sick and twisted oh my god

first of all, ouch. second of all, how dare you. and third of all, ouch இ௰இ

this is one of the changes from the novel that, while i don't completely agree with it, i do acknowledge it makes the even more impactful.

don't misunderstand me! lloyd's entry for arcos' death in the novel is heartbreakingly sad, just look at it

[This is the first time I have chosen to write in a journal. I am sad. The count got into an accident. He was simply enjoying horseback riding like usual. He was riding through a path he often enjoyed taking. Who would've imagined that a weasel would appear and surprise the horse into suddenly jumping? Who would've imagined the count would fall off and hit a tree branch on the neck? The physician says we should wait and see, but... I'm not so sure. I'm just sad.] Flip. [The count woke up after a day. He says he can't feel anything below his neck. But he forced a smile and tried to calm everyone down. He said that he was fine. That it doesn't hurt because he can't feel anything. That he's comfortable since he's on his back all day. He flashed a bright smile. And those were his last words. Right now, the countess is quietly weeping in secret. To be honest, I want to cry too. However, I should go out and comfort her first.]

like i said. heartbreaking.

however. making lloyd watch as it happened?? absolutely evil. i love it <33

i do think marbella's is sadder in the novel tho :((

like

this is fine. but.

[The countess doesn't talk anymore. She doesn't say a word. She no longer smiles and tends to her garden. I picked up the trowel for her lest the overlooked flowers wilt. I hope the freesias bloom beautifully this year and lessen her grief.] Flip [The freesias have bloomed pretty. But the countess can't see them. In the morning, I knew that something was wrong when I heard Emily scream. No one would have thought that the kitchen once filled with everyone's laughter would be where she passed. No one knew until last night. Could it be that she missed the count, who passed away before her. I must call Julian. He should be in the capital. Now our manor, once warm, feels cold a desolate.]

this is better. imo.

i just,,, lloyd tending to marbella's garden,,, picking up where arcos left because he's not there anymore to help her,,,, hoping the flowers will be beautiful that year so she won't be as sad anymore,, and then the reveal that she won't see them any way because she's gone, they're both gone and now their home, lloyd's home, is cold and lonely, empty of the people he loved.

(also i take so much offense to the idea that lloyd would've missed julian's funeral for being 'out of sorts'. he didn't know. he didn't fucking know. he tried to get julian to come home, he wrote to him and when he didn't get an answer he sent ggoming to get him but it was too late, julian was already dead, he was already gone and lloyd never got to see his little brother again. he held his parents' funeral and then held his little brother's and then he tried so hard to comfort sheherazade and even tried to get her to move back home because he was worried something would happen to her. he didn't fucking miss julian's funeral.)

anyway. good episode. i liked it ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

#i talk a lot <3 #tged #the greatest estate developer #lloyd frontera #arcos frontera #marbella frontera #julian frontera #ep 123 #ch 251

[utilitycaster]

Your blog feels like somewhat of a safe haven because you seem like a very reasonable person, which is why I feel safe saying this here only. Some of the responses to L*udna calling Im*gen sister make me very uncomfortable. People literally saying that m*risha is wrong about her character or that it doesn't mean anything, or that laudna doesnt know how she feels. It reminds me of my least favorite aspect of the Fandom, where people will decide how they think the characters feel or think about something or how they would act in a given circumstance, and then in their minds it becomes Canon and they get frustrated when the actors (who in dnd are the storytellers) don't act upon their Canon. This is different than just being disappointed that a ship you like didn't become Cano, IMO. I really like Imogen but I LOVE laudna, and I feel like a lot of the times she is reduced to just be Imogen's other half, and now that people denying what marisha says her character thinks, saying she's wrong, being mad at the choice, it makes it hard to interact with the fandom on this site because I feel like I can't talk about Laudna or Imogen without it circling back to their relationship. My favorite pairings in C1 were Vex and Percy and Vex and Keyleth and I feel like I didn't have this problem as much with them but also I wasn't as deep on the internet or in fandom back then. :(

Hey anon,

Thank you so much for this - it’s really nice of you!

I don’t have a ton to add or say about this, honestly; the post I reblogged about it said it better than I could. This has always been what put me off the ship as it exists in the fandom: I’m not opposed to Imogen and Laudna becoming a couple, but the fanon is deeply boring while also being all consuming and crystalized before the end of the first episode. It’s frustrating, as someone who enjoys both Imogen and Laudna, to try to talk about them without getting obnoxious responses to anything that even hints there might be misunderstandings or conflict between them. It lessens their characters and the work both Marisha and Laura have put in. It makes it impossible to explore their flaws, and it makes everything about them uncompelling, when they are both very interesting characters. I’ve found Laudna especially to be coming into her own in this Team Issylra arc.

The fact is, Laudna said what she said. It doesn’t mean a romance is impossible, but I think it’s genuinely indicative of how Laudna feels at this time. Which to be honest matches how I’ve felt regarding Laudna’s feelings about Imogen from early on! I think Imogen is romantically interested in Laudna, but I think Laudna has always seen Imogen in a more familial way, and I don't know if it's fair to her to try to explain that as just Laudna's insecurities. I also think it's possible Imogen has exacerbated those insecurities - if I were Laudna, I’d be feeling a certain way about Imogen’s exploration of the validity of the Vanguard, and I might even still be feeling the unresolved pull of the gnarlrock fight.

I can’t speak to Campaign 1 ships specifically since I watched that campaign after it had already finished, but at the very least Imodna has felt notably different to me in that usually people talk about at least one of the parties of a popular ship as an individual, even if they reduce the other to nothing. Here it feels like they both get folded into ship fodder. I’ve also seen a really strong trend of people tagging fanart of one of the characters alone, without the other, with the ship name, and that feels new compared to past campaigns and popular ships though the obvious cynical answer is just that the ship is more popular than the characters on their own and so artists are just trying to get eyes on their work in the most effective way. And as I’ve said a few times, the fact that Laudna’s death was more than once referred to as throwing the ship away has stuck with me as an illustrative moment. I think the fandom response to this ship is different than some past ones, and not in a good way.

With that said, I am trying, despite myself, to practice good faith here. I’ll admit that I’ve had enough bad faith interactions with fans of the ship such that it’s no longer an option when I get reblogs on my posts or anons in my inbox. But in terms of what might transpire in the hypothetical situation where Imogen and Laudna end the campaign without becoming romantically involved, I would like to give those who ship it the chance to respond with grace rather than assuming they will not.

#answered #Anonymous #critical role spoilers #cr discourse #(just in case)

[randomnameless]

i know you said hopes had negative character development for the cast, but who do you think is better in hopes than in houses?

Better like in better writing, or better as in I appreciate them more?

Without a doubt, I'd say Felix and Sylvain who are better in Nopes than their FE16 versions, and in a way... Rhea herself, thanks to having more screentime when she isn't PTSD'ing lol

Call it chauvinism, but Sylvain in Nopes was scrubbed out of everything that made him... unlikable/feel flat in Houses.

His sob story about people only wanting to fuck him for his title/crest really felt... straight out ripped from some High School AU, with John McChad acting like an ass because the only girls who want to date him are interested in his situation as a heir of his dad's big company, and not because they love him. Yay. Great. Perfectly what I'm looking for in my medieval fantasy game where you whack people with swords.

Add to that the focus on crusts being the supposedly only reason why people are lusting over him - and not because, hey, you're a member of one of the most important noble houses in the Kingdom - to play in the general "crust bad" orchestra that can lead on the Supreme path, and the fact it's never ever adressed, and we have... this, which completely, to me, hides the other parts of Sylvain's character - like being someone who thinks outside of the box and resolves to lessen the reliance on his relic to defend the border by... creating a situation where they'll be no tension at the border, aka, a peace with Sreng.

Now, Sylvain works so well in Nopes partly because all of his "wah ladies only want my penis because i'm rich :'( " is erased, so we see a character who takes his duties as the heir of Gautier seriously, assists his Lord and friends and bring "new ideas" to help everyone. Sylvain, under his frivolous appearance and behavior, actually thinks and learns and suggests a lot of things that are quite useful, a bit like a "what if Sain wasn't only interested in courtship, but was raised as a future lord and had insight and suggestions on what to do". So sure, it's not as quirky and memorable as John McChad's sophomore year of school, but it fits better, imo, in the FE series.

As for Felix, well, it's more or less the same, his entire "duh boar bad chivalry bad and stupid - but wait no don't die and i'm sorry to have hit you dad i liked you but I was too busy playing the tsundere that I never got to say it to you before you died" schtick felt... old and annoying in FE16.

Sure, Felix can have his own, personal feelings about Dimitri being a hidden boar, but Felix is also the only heir of Rodrigue, and will become the next Duke Fraldarius, aka the second most important person in the Kingdom after the King himself, and the one tasked to protect it. Should Felix completely ignore his feelings and do what is expected of him, or take his role seriously? No, and Nopes has him give some "boar this, boar that", but Felix isn't a petulant 16 years old who wants to be "edgy" anymore, Felix is the next Duke - something he never shied away from, especially in his FE16 paralogue! - and has to start learning the job, thinking about Faerghus in something else than small jabs thrown at Dimitri and how to protect its people and second the King.

Heck, Felix's support in Nopes with Dimitri where Dimitri confesses about the ghosts, where Felix tries to carry him, the more or less cutscene where the general feeling is him saying to Dimitri he can count and rely on them... Given how FE16's Felix was written, even in AM, I can't see it happen before Rodrigue's death... and yet, in AG, Rodrigue is still alive (his optional death doesn't change those scenes), so when FE16's Felix realises there were more important things to do to help both his friend and country and dad but he only noticed it too late because he was too busy... being edgy, Nopes has him drop the edgy act (not completely drop it though, else it wouldn't be Felix anymore!) and act (lel) as his FE16 self, but only, without needing his dad to die first.

As for Rhea...

Having more screentime seriously helps, just like being allowed to talk about non plot relevant things with someone else than Billy or about Billy, I gushed a lot about the Nabatean paralogue, but it depicts her relaxing with her family (pissing on the "u r the only person i can talk to myself not the archbishop" pandering shit from FE16 even if FEH pissed on it first) and making tiny baby steps at apologising and confessing part of her guilt (for something completely stupid like Seiros the Warrior "borrowing" Cichol's shield to gift it to Willy!) to a member of her family.

Would that mean she would have confessed about the rez Sothis plan to Seteth earlier on? I... don't know, don't think so, and we don't have enough interactions between the two.

Compared to FE16 where she is an oyster until Billy turns green and Seteth nags her again and again and again, here she willingly makes the first step to apologise... sure, it's for something silly and not, resurrecting their mother, but it feels like a small progression (tiny baby steps) from FE16 where she has to be reveal stuff due to forced circumstances.

I also like how it sort of teases (or maybe that's just me lol) Seteth realising that Rhea still misses days long past to an unhealthy degree (tfw too much nostalgia), or just, having to remind her twice that those days are gone. Would he later realise her strange nostalgia hides something more deep, and ultimately her wish to "return" to those days by resurrecting Sothis?

idk, it's fuel for HCs and AUs, but for what it's worth, this paralogue and Nopes in general help flesh out Rhea more than what FE16 does, aka tying 80% of her mentions/appearances to Billy and Sothis.

(hell, in Nopes, she finally has lines with Flayn!)

#anon #replies #3 nopes #i confess i recently read fanfics about Faerghus and I'm just wondering why FE16 leaned so hard on the high school AU tropes #when written seriously and in the context we're only told about but never shown in game #those characters shine more? #Rhea is her own category lol #the Julia tier #when the plot drops the pandering she can finally interact with her network and acquaintances #in FE4 the pandering is towards Seliph #like seriously you want me to believe no one from Tine to the Jobros to Altena never heard about the Imperial Twins and Julius's sister? #Especially Tine who's supposed to be close to Ishtar? #but that plot point is completely dropped so Julia is just a waif with amnesia who befriends Seliph and Lana apparently #in this paralogue Rhea can finally talk to Flayn and Seteth for something else than plot related stuff #heck in her battle lines when you use her they all seem to be close Rhea even plays with Flayn #that's not the kind of stuff we could have had in FE16 bcs alone b4 u

[yuripoll]

KNOCKOUTS: Kakegurui (2014 - ?)

Kakegurui is an ongoing psychological series written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Tooru Naomura about a school that runs on games of chance.

Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It's reading your opponent-the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling? At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she's gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like! - AniList

Original JP available on Book Walker & ENG published by Yen Press.

CWs under the cut. General severity rating: mod to major.

not strictly yuri <- there are canon lesbians, an overwhelming femslash majority on ao3, and an undeniable homoerotic pull himejoshis are sure to enjoy, but only a small portion of homoeroticism is texually romantic. it's a shounen with yuri flavour.

sexual content <- kakegurui has ecchi elements, and you get the typical sexual framing that comes with that, including frequent pantyshots. no sex happens but there is obvious arousal and non-explicit masturbation.

dehumanisation <- the only way i can think to word this. people in heavy debt are treated as "housepets," less than human. this results in bullying, harassment and controlling their lives after graduation. the bullying extends to hitting and forcibly cutting hair; harassment includes forcing a girl to strip and threatening rape (both in ch5); control extends to essentially selling people's lives and arranged marriages.

forced sex work(???) <- not totally sure how to categorise this but i think it needs a heads up. references throughout to, in conjunction with above and in the same vein as arranged marriages, making women have sex for political or social gain. never shown or described in detail, but it is a looming threat.

worth mentioning; while the housepet and life plan stuff comes up every now and again, its not as frequent or as dire later on as it is in the early chapters. the recurring cast are, generally speaking, nicer as the series finds its footing.

problem gambling & financial distress <- most characters are obscenely rich so impact of gambling addiction is lessened, though it is a bit glamourised.

violence <- typically in the case if going to drastic measures in gambling, like breaking a finger to win or risking chopping a finger off. includes trauma to the eyes and fingernails. bloody, but not excessively. not graphic, and not especially frequent.

suicidality & attempted suicide <- punishment for one gamble involves jumping from a height (ch33), and presumably to death. ch68, someone threatens to kill herself to make her opponent fold. also, presentation is crazy enough that it doesnt feel like it would be especially triggering (imo) but one character is very fixated on her own death, particularly in regards to getting shot.

internalised racism <- ch19, a child is told to give up on her dream because a japanese person couldnt do it

vomitting <- scene in ch57. not super detailed but icky enough that i baulked at it a bit, and im not usually bothered by it.

#knockouts #kakegurui #not kidding abt the first few chapters. i was starting to regret including it before reading it until it really started #getting into the swing of things #and now im a bit obsessed w it.

[bohemian-nights]

Fuck Rhaenyra, fuck the writers with this sapphic plotline they invented, it's simply pathetic, and fuck Emma D'Arcy who is the cause of that. Im sorry but why trans/LGBTQ agenda should be included, but then they don't care about racism? Cause Laena has bee treated awfully, next is Nettles, reduced to Daemon's new distraction/whim to cheat on Nyra and shows how bad husband he is, or even cut out to redeem him (?) This Show sucks. Fuck white privilegies. Fuck HBO and all the people who's supporting this trash. To all the people who kiss Emma D'Arcy's ugly ass, am i transphobic cause i hate what they did to Rhaenyra and to the story? Ok, and you're racist for using Laena as an excuse of made up ship (Laenyra) to shit on Daemon X Laena in order to praise your incest ship and for not wanting Nettles in the series cause could ruin it. Whatever happens it seems is always the black characters who gets sacrificed for the sake of white characters. I said what i said.

Um, this has the energy of this:

Oh God you really let it all out there. Minus calling Emma ugly(again guys can we please not call the actors/actresses ugly), I don’t think you are wrong and I get your frustrations.

It’s pretty clear this show has an agenda, is biased towards one character in particular at the expense of basically everyone else, and has a misogynoir problem.

Now to be clear, even though Emma is going along with what is being pushed, I think it’s inaccurate to blame any of the actors or actresses on this show for what is happening. Because at the end of the day it’s the show runners and the execs at HBO who are calling the shots. Emma is just a mascot for their agenda(take that as you will).

They more than likely purposely picked Emma because they wanted to make Rhaenyra into some feminist warrior queen who has a rainbow coalition of supporters against the conservative greens.

It’s corny, but with another character like say Rhaena the Black Bride(who’s already a lesbian) or even Visenya(who’s a warrior queen) it could work.

However the problem with choosing to make Rhaenyra into a revolutionary type figure/girl boss/feminist is that she’s the complete opposite of that.

Rhaenyra in canon is a racist to the point where she’s willing to use it to explain away murder, she mocks Laenor for being gay(says her half-brothers who are children are his type), looks down on and underestimates the small folk, and doesn’t even bother to help advance other women(Stokeworth and Rosby) in her class much less women like Nettles.

Her and Alicent have a completely different relationship dynamic in the books than in the show.

She’s selfish and self-focused. She’s malicious bordering on sadistic. She even puts her own children in danger for her own wants.

And before her followers go moaning she’s done too many things to claim that she’s been wrongly framed by the narrative. No sane person is chopping off heads and feeding it to dragons or trying to murder innocent women in their sleep. That’s not maester propaganda. She’s objectively awful.

She may be a woman, but she’s no better than her brother. Women can be just as awful as men(for Christ’s sakes look at real life not everyone is wrongly accused because of sexism). Rhaenyra shows that. Even at the last moments of her life she pretty much has zero remorse IMO.

For those reasons, I absolutely hate that the show is trying to redeem her. I hate how they cast Black actors to use them as human shields to make her look progressive, to lessen her atrocities, and even to make her something like her death look less atrocious.

Fans see Black people(the characters) supporting her vs. the mostly white greens they go that’s the progressive team(that ideology is so f*cked up). They even have Black fans supporting Rhaenyra because of all the Black secondary characters.

Never mind that these characters(who are race-bent) are being screwed over by the narrative, haven’t been presented in the best light, and have had their stories be rewritten to better serve Rhaenyra and make her look sympathetic/noble/just. The best who are treated way worse than their white book counterparts.

They added Ser Vaemond calling Rhaenyra a whore to justify Daemon killing him when in the books he rightfully calls her out and gets unjustly beheaded and feed to a dragon as a result on Rhaenyra’s orders. Then his sons and cousins get reprimanded by with some getting their tongues cut out, but that’s all been cut out.

Instead of showing that was loved or at least cared for by Daemon like in the books show Laena has been regulated to sorta second best(third best if you factor in the Viserys situation). She’s unloved and unwanted. Her suicide is made into a girlboss/empowering moment instead of being criticized for what it is away to make Rhaenyra’s death look better. Laena’s character is a walking stereotype(disposable Black girlfriend, look it up).

The audience eats it up of course and instead of calling out making her into a stereotype they are upset that the show did not make the non-canon throuple situation happen so they could get more brownie points for their I love Black people, I'm not a racist, I just don't want that Black person who isn't a plot device on the show act.

(I’m calling it non-canon cause you can’t only use the word fond to support a relationship, especially when you claim that word means nothing when it comes to Dettles which has more evidence than a single word).

Even Laenor has been made into a deadbeat dad. Corlys looks stupid. The girls have been given nothing to do. Addam’s whole purpose is to scarifice himself for Rhaenyra which is why they are highlighting him so much.

It’s absolutely disgusting.

I have no idea what they are going to do with Nettles, a character who doesn’t need to be race-bent cause she’s already Black, but based on their track record it could be terrible(I’m holding out hope though). She shouldn’t be treated like she’s just some whore or Daemon's mistress. She has her own plot, she’s loved by, and she’s one of the few survivors of the dance(and one of two dragonriders).

If the show was decent at all they’d do the right thing and show her as the multifaceted character she is and not regulate her into another stereotype(I guess they’d go the Jezebel route).

I totally get where you are coming from on the racism aspect. This is obviously lost by most though. Hell, most in the fandom are racist themselves, but skirt by because they like this show using the Black characters as human shields. It's a circus.

And no one is going to take this rant seriously since you went a little too far. All they are going to focus on is you calling Emma ugly, which again was uncalled for, but I get the essence of it.

#bnasks #bnask #anti hotd #venting dragon show addition

[frosted-luckycharms]

why i love the sentiadrien theory.

(NOTE: this isn't a list of reasons why i believe the theory's true, i know that's already been talked about and debated a lot. these are just reasons i think it's a good twist in the story.)

it has the potential to be so powerful for adrien's character arc. whenever he finds a way to free himself, whether that's by getting a hold of his own amok, or even figuring out how to destroy his connection to it (personally i love the foil-miraculous theory so im rooting for the concept of a cool upgraded cataclysm), it'll be so meaningful as a symbol of overcoming abuse and finding freedom. ESPECIALLY if that comes in the image of using the power of destruction he was given to cataclysm his metaphorical shackles just like how he's cataclysmed physical cages and walls so many times throughout the show. just. the SYMBOLISM. chefs kiss

whenever mari/ladybug finds out about this, hopefully we'll get to see her go all Fierce Protector Mode to defend adrien/chat and encourage him that he's still an amazing and valid person (please?? this would be so cute????)

also since marinette, who holds the miraculous of creation, is known for her bravery, agency, and creativity- traits adrien as a senti never had a chance to have growing up- it gives more reason to root for her and adrien's relationship. she can help him heal, bring out his humanity and grow into himself. if that makes sense?? i read a rlly cool meta on this once but i forget who wrote it:(

it gives a meaningful reason for emilie's death. the plot of the show literally wouldn't exist if not for emilie dying (or falling into a coma if that's what you prefer), and it would be a bit anticlimactic to find out that the reason she died was because she just wanted to create, idk, robot assistants or a pet dog or something. whoever emilie created, she DIED for them, and so imo it only makes sense that the being she created was adrien, her child.

sentimonsters are such a good metaphor for abuse. since the show's for kids, it's hard to talk blatantly about heavy topics like abuse, but this lets them deal with it in a kid-friendly way. and i know this has been discussed already, but i don't think that using a magical metaphor lessens the gravity of the issue at all. as i saw someone point out, miraculous has always been a show that uses magical metaphors (akumas, superhero disguises, you name it) to talk about real-life issues both kids and adults deal with, and personally i think that's really beautiful.

it just..... honestly makes the show so much more interesting/dark/angsty???? in a way that's chillingly unexpected, but also makes so much narrative SENSE looking back on it, which i think we can all agree is the best kind of plot twist. personally as much as i love the lighthearted funny parts of the show (i do!!!), i've always been drawn to the contrast of its more tragic, epic-scale side (especially since seeing cat blanc aka my favorite episode lol). IM NOT EVIL I JUST LIKE PAIN, OK

all the potential for angsty fanarts/fics/other fanworks. i've seen quite a few of these but i know there's also a lot more out there i haven't seen yet, and i just love all the concepts that fans are exploring because of this theory.

sentimonster jokes/memes are hilarious sorry. but not really sorry because i am 1000% sure adrien "i-cope-with-my-problems-with-humor" agreste will be TOTALLY on board the jokes too once he gets over the initial shock/existential horror/etc

ok i think that's all i have off the top of my head but if anyone else thinks of more reasons plz reblog and add on!!! let's get some more positivity for this show's writing and for our senti cat child because he sure deserves it <333

#ml #sentiadrien #sentimonster theory #adrien is a sentimonster #ml sugar #ml theory #ml meta #pro sentiadrien #mine #miraculous ladybug

[unhinged-pickle-juice]

TBOSAS should’ve been more violent in the movie imo

I have to say, I wish they didn’t tame down the violence in the TBOSAS movie so much. Let me preface that I am not a fan of gore and might not have even been able to watch the movie if it was an accurate portrayal of the book, and I know that is the case for many. I understand why the violence has been lessened or removed throughout the Hunger Games series; They had a specific audience in mind, had to meet rating standards and the carnage in the series is not the main point anyways. That being, the brutality in TBOSAS specifically, is so important to the plot and understanding character’s actions and motivations.

The violence in TBOSAS was different to that of the rest of the series. In the later Hunger Games, cruelty, at least on the extreme levels, is mostly isolated to the actual Hunger Games. Conversely, in SAS, the horrors don’t stop outside the arena, and are just as, if not more, graphic and upsetting than the inhumanity in the Games. For example, Brandy’s (the tribute who killed Arachne at the beginning out of of hunger) death is much worse than we’re shown. After being shot by Peacemakers in the cage, her body is paraded during Arachne’s funeral procession. And I mean she was strung up above the other tributes (who were shackled and unable to fully stand) with a crane, in a gruesome display. Marcus’ death was much, much worse as well. It’s these sort of scenes that I believe should have been more accurate to the book, because these scenes give us necessary context for understanding just how traumatizing the conditions were during that time.

Coriolanus was driven by fear and it was not unfounded, not when he lived in a world in such a state of constant violence that even those in the capitol were not exempt. He wasn’t the only terrified mentor though, many of the mentors and capitol citizens were horrified by the carnage committed by the capitol. Yes, the games and state of the distracts were normalized to the capitol citizens by that time, but that’s the POINT, they were already desensitized and yet were still petrified and disgusted by the events of the games. The brutality of TBOSAS, unfortunately, is crucial to truly understanding the goal, and impact, of the 10th games.

#the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #coriolanus snow #tbosas #tbosas spoilers

[vigilskeep]

entropy is good for slowing down, weakening and paralyzing enemies. my own mage is a full hexer with every entropy spell unlocked. entropy mage is really good at amplifying team damage and lessening enemy damage, rather than inflicting it. curse of mortality, death hex, disorient and such are good for helping to take elite and boss enemies Faster (walking bomb, stinging swarm and bloody grasp from other trees also help in that matter). miasma is also very useful, which is a sustained ability that slows down enemies who enter your field. sleep and mass paralysis can disable a group of enemies. that can become not as useful later (and imo blood wound does it better), but is at the beginning. sleep is also meant to be coupled with horror and waking nightmare, and vulnerability hex amplifies drain life. death cloud is pretty much the only spell that aims to inflict actual continuous damage on a group of enemies

okay okay okay taking notes. yes i think this is supporting my theory that i could make entropy work if i was better at building my non-mages

#all v useful thank u!! #magic and lore hc fun times #<- again so i can find this for magic studies

[i-seeaspaceshipinthe-sky]

i was gonna say this in the tags of your post but my tumblr app is being annoying and slow :/

thinking about it, i'm pretty sure klaus + ben are about hurting each other through the horrors of living in a codependent nightmare. ben is logistically dependent on klaus (he literally can't talk to anyone else unless klaus lets him, which sounds so abusive when you say it like that), and klaus is emotionally dependent on ben (and selfish about it because that's who he is). klaus has all the power in this relationship due to the nature of his powers, so his side of hurting his sibings with them is more like... guilt and mockery and control (especially when ben ever expresses wanting something *more* than just klaus) rather than throwing them into walls

klaus's powers are over death, not life, so as much as he loves ben and however unbalanced the power dynamic is, he still can't actually give ben what he wants. and it festers. klaus isn't like the others imo, he gets *clever* about it; it's more of a psychological manipulation thing (which klaus is soooo good at tbh, remember the mind games he played with the eyeball guy to help five??). and ben is clever enough to know exactly what he's doing and get sick of it but he still can't DO anything, which is the whole problem

the core issue isn't on purpose on klaus's part, but it IS rooted in the way reggie sabotaged him as a child. if klaus knew about his immortality when they were younger, he could've dealt with whatever killed ben without the fear of dying permanently himself (which might have rendered all of the others helpess) (except probs five bc he's so devoted to his fam regardless of the personal cost, but he wasn't there, so it's a moot point) and saved ben, using his powers to HELP. but he didn't know, so he couldn't do that. klaus's lessened fear of his powers came too late and too isolated from the rest of their family to make a difference for ben

thanks for the essay but,

ben literally stayed because he *wanted to* and never mentioned it in all 17 years he spent around klaus, making him feel guilty about it and knowing he *can't* control his powers and refuses to use them because he's scared (and most selfless sibling) (to me)

#umbrella ben doesn't exist anymore and s4 canceled out seasons 1-3 #theres no point discussing that #if we got a show following s1 set up we'd get a better show #it's not happening

[theopolis]

We were talking about Harry and one of the questions that sometimes gets brought up is what Harry's purpose in the comics even was in the post-OMD world. He didn't do a whole lot and it could be some have argued bringing him back lessened his death, so what do you think? Do you have any good ideas what Harry should've been up to in the comics? And if he's ever brought back again, what then?

Hmm see it depends on how you define "purpose" and "doing things"

If by not doing a whole lot you mean that he didn't get in on a lot of action - the same can truthfully be said about pre OMD Harry. His outings as the Goblin were very occasional compared to the amount of time he spent just being a civilian supporting character. But that's what (usually) made them so good! Harry was Just Some Guy who got tangled in this web (pun intended) against his wishes and it pushed him over the edge. His Goblin was deeply rooted in the insecurities and emotional issues he exhibited in regular day to day life, and seeing that buildup was crucial. He was not defined by being the Goblin (even if marvel sometimes likes to pretend otherwise), he was an already amazing character for whom the Goblin was a new venture in his arc.

Harry's "purpose", imo, is to be a valuable addition to the cast. To have good development, compelling relationships with other characters, and thematic relevance.

And I think that was sufficiently the case for him post OMD up to the whole Kindred debacle. We got Harry distancing himself from his abusive father for good, finding a new direction in life that suits his mellow self much better than any form of vigilantism (Coffee Bean owner Harry was SO inspired), trying to repair the relationships he destroyed before his passing. I don't believe his resurrection cheapened his death, because his character basically picked up where he had left off - accepting his loving and tender self and denouncing Norman. (Not to mention that if you're gonna bring Norman back you might as well have Harry around too. Peter and Norman's nemesism doesn't hit the same without Harry as the centerpiece and thematic extension of it)

But that being said, I think there were some problems with post OMD Harry from the get go that were indicative of marvel no longer having a firm grasp on his character - which recently led to them deeming him disposable.

For starters, post OMD Harry seems to have lost a chunk of his characterization. Whereas pre death there was a huge focus on him being jumpy, frail, people pleasing and struggling a lot with lacking conventionally masculine traits like toughness, assertiveness and leadership qualities, post OMD Harry was usually portrayed as more laid back and confident, at times even smarmy. The specifics of Norman's abuse were often (not always! Nice Things my beloved) flattened, the critique of toxic masculinity and male power fantasy was no longer central to either of their characters, which resulted in a lack of direction. Remember the "thematic relevance" point? Post OMD Spidey comics undervalue that in the supporting cast in general but it's especially frustrating with the Osborns because they make up such a huge chunk of nuance to the whole power and responsibility message. If they're written in more redundant ways, the entire thematic fabric of Spider-Man comics suffers for it. (Although from what I've seen, Norman's character had been plagued by these issues since his own resurrection)

Overall I got the impression that post OMD Spider-Man became progressively less and less about grounded stories, which was bad news for a fairly grounded character like Harry

What they should have done instead of forcing - like literally forcing out of absolutely nowhere - a new villain plotline on him is continue the tradition of Harry being a compelling civilian character and lean into that more. Show us how his relationship with his children grows. Let him keep the Coffee Bean and follow his continued exploration of his own identity now that he's free of Norman. They brought back his mom, how does he deal with that? And the elephant in the room - Harry should have become a confidant to Peter. All the development was there. The big focus on restoring and further strengthening their friendship, Harry's gradually shifting views on Spider-Man as well as his now completely broken loyalty to his father. Everything seemed prepared to usher his character into a new era, to give some immensely satisfying development to both Peter and Harry as individuals and their relationship and yet... marvel were simply too cowardly to challenge the status quo like that. Or not interested enough in Harry to do so. Which I suppose is how we ended up with him being contorted into Kindred and eventually killed off.

I don't know how I would handle Harry if he was brought back tbh. It's incredibly difficult after all the damage the Spencer run did to his character. I'm not sure if it would truly work without a couple retcons of his retcons, unless most writers and readership collectively make a silent pact to pretend certain events never occurred like back when Sins Past was still canon (Thanks a lot for "fixing" that one, Spencer!)

I'd say cut the woobie Norman crap, have Harry show up again sooner or later, and more or less set into motion the aforementioned ideas for his character like he was never gone. Preferably written by JMD

#harry osborn #theopolispost #harry