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kerakitty · 3 years

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Hugo Lives AU Headcanons

Just wanted to share some headcanons from my Hugo Lives/Best Music Teacher Scarlemagne AU. Some of these might become fics at some point (a la A Gentler Night), but most are just fun little ideas. This post is pretty long, so headcanons are under the break.

Hugo spends season 3 in a more humane cell. The cell used in the actual show is nothing short of a literal torture chamber. No bed, no toilet, no privacy, no enrichment, no access to water. US solitary confinement cells still provide access to bedding and hygiene facilities, and even those are deemed inhumane by human rights groups like Amnesty International. In my HC, he instead is housed in a converted studio apartment style dwelling in Timbercat Village. The windows are covered with the same (presumably plexiglass) material that the cell in the show was made of. There’s a bathroom, a bed, and access to fresh water. There’s a sort of visiting area at the front of the cell with more plexiglass providing a barrier between the visitor side and the interior of the cell. There’s seating on each side of the barrier and a table on the visitor side. The barrier has a slot like the one in the show, but instead of being used solely for food, visitors are allowed to also transfer small items (e.g. books, puzzles, clothing, a certain star blanket). Items too big for the slot require approval from at least 2 out of 3 of the following individuals: Kipo, Lio, and Yumyan (Molly inherits Yumyan’s vote after he’s cured). The first large item to be approved is the electric keyboard Song gave him in It’s a Trap. In my HC he gets it a lot earlier. Kipo points out that he was more open to communicating when they played the piano together, so it’s given in the hopes that it’ll help with rehabilitation. He also has sound cancelling headphones to plug into the keyboard because having to listen to banjo makes him extra irritable and harder to deal with.

The Oak family spends way more time together. The family dynamics shown in the first 2 seasons are mostly put aside in season 3 in favor of the cure plotline, and I think this was a real loss. We got a little bit in Song ReMix and Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing, but I wanted a lot more. Inspired by @editoress , Hugo and Kipo jam regularly. She brings a guitar and they play and compose together. For Hugo, it’s the one bright spot in his incarceration. For Kipo it’s fun, but also how she tries to reach him. He’s more willing to talk when there’s music involved, though he still shuts down at certain topics. They also play board games with Kipo moving his pieces for him. Kipo has suggested he play with others as well, but he doesn’t trust anyone else not to cheat. Song listens in all the time. Both when Hugo and Kipo are jamming, or when one of them is playing on their own. She and the rest of the Oak family slowly build up an informal sign language for her to use. Some of it is based on ASL, but much of it is unique to them given their rather unique situation and Song’s extra limbs. The first thing she signs is ‘I love you’. Lio visits Hugo in the hopes of patching things up. I won’t go into too much detail on this one as I’m already writing the fic, but Lio goes to visit and they start to hash things out. The process long and difficult, but they make progress. Lio and Song both take an active roll in reining Kipo in when she tries to take on more responsibility than she can handle. Kipo is all too eager to play savior, even when doing so puts her health and safety at risk. Lio runs interference when the mutes are asking too much of her and Song has been known to pick her up and place her in front of her room then sign ‘sleep’ when she’s been awake too long.

Hugo is injured the crash. I already wrote a fic about this, so again: not going into detail. He survives with a few busted ribs then spends his recovery with the rest of the Oak family. He initially stays in the hospital, but eventually moves with the rest of the family into a restored house.

The Oak family finally gets to live together. After the series’ end, the humans (and any displaced mutes) pick out houses on the surface. These houses are then fixed up by the Timbercats. Song and Kipo choose the family’s house together. Wolf really only cares about having reliable shelter and Lio is just happy to have the whole family together. There’s 3 bedrooms, so initially Wolf and Kipo share out of necessity while Hugo’s using the third room. He moves out a couple months after recovering and into a Victorian-style mansion in what used to be one of the wealthier neighborhoods of Las Vistas. As much as he enjoyed spending time with the family their tastes just aren’t as refined as his and he needs room for his baby grand and a proper art studio. After Hugo moves out, Kipo and Wolf still share a room. Lio and Song make it clear that they can have their own rooms if they want, but they both express that they’d rather stay together. Until they decide otherwise, the 3rd bedroom is used as guest room/informal music studio.

The family has weekly game nights. Friends can come too (Benson and Dave are regulars), but the core group is the Oak family. When they have too many players, they’ll pair up in teams. Wolf and Hugo are not allowed to be on a team together. They did that once while playing RISK and not only utterly destroyed everyone else, they started acting like supervillains. They took it way too far.

Lio and Hugo reconcile… eventually. Even after the progress they made during season 3, things are still rough between them for a while. Hugo remains somewhat antagonistic towards Lio for much of his recovery. He does try to be better, but his default reaction to emotional discomfort is to verbally lash out at others and, given their history, Lio makes for a tempting target. Over time, and with a lot of work, the antagonism fades into good-natured ribbing. Hugo still crosses the line at times, but isn’t as slow to admit to fault and apologize. Every now and then an argument will break out. While Hugo isn’t as obstinate as he used to be, there are still times when he gets defensive and escalates rather than accept that he may have gone too far. The relationship is still pretty strained by the time Hugo moves out, but having his own space allows him and Lio to find a sort of balance. They can see each other whenever they want, but also have distance whenever they need it.

Hugo becomes a music teacher. The idea was Kipo’s. Given his love of music and how good he was with the mute kids, it just made sense to her. In a rare moment of agreement, Lio and Hugo both point out that most parents in Las Vistas would probably object to a former dictator (who may have mind controlled them) teaching their children. Song eventually comes up with the suggestion to start out giving private piano lessons. The parents of the mute kids he played with back at Timbercat village have formed a grudging trust for him, so they might be willing. Hugo exclusively gives private lessons for about a year. His students love the lessons (even when he gets a little manic) and their parents come to see him in a new light. Over that year, word of mouth reaches most of Las Vistas, and the idea of him teaching at the school becomes less and less objectionable. The school initially hires him on a part-time basis to test the waters, and he’s okay with that as it leaves him plenty of time for his private lesson students. Music and band rapidly become the most popular classes among students, and the school offers Hugo full-time hours. He accepts, but only at the start of the new school year. He adores his private lesson students and doesn’t want to just drop them. He gives extra private lessons in the months leading up to the new year, making sure each kid is confident in their abilities before they ‘graduate’ from his tutelage. At each kid’s final lesson, he lets them know that they can come by every now and then if they have questions or just want to jam. Every single one of them takes him up on the offer. The whole Oak family is immensely proud of Hugo, but none more so than Lio. Lio was the one who taught Hugo to play, and it was their favorite way to bond back in the old burrow. Seeing Hugo pass along the gift of music and get so much joy out of doing so makes Lio happy and proud in a way that makes his heart feel so full it might burst.

Wolf and Hugo bond. Neither one of them is initially thrilled to have the other as an adoptive sibling, but during Hugo’s recovery they begin to realize they have a lot in common. Mostly a pink-haired sister and taste for violence, but every relationship starts somewhere. After the RISK incident, they’re thick as thieves. They both still prefer Kipo over each other, but they’re partners in crime now. They continue to bring out the worst in each other.

That’s it for now! I have more, but I’ll save them for another post. This one is already super long.

#kataow #kipo and the age of wonderbeasts #hugo lives au #best music teacher scarlemagne #kipo headcanon #kipo oak #hugo oak #scarlemagne #lio oak #song oak #kipo wolf #wolfatha christie the fourth #kipo benson #kipo dave #oak family #happy oak family

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sepublic · 4 years

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Tbh if you're a hazbin fan, you honestly at least are cool for acknowledging that the series has tasteless problems. I pretty much just wish that my Discord friends that like Hazbin and Helluva DIDN'T unironically think it was perfect,, - Boxy

Honestly, Hazbin/Helluva is a... bit of a dilemma for me.

I can’t deny that I have some interest in both shows (mostly the former). And I DO like how the show looks visually, usually. In particular, I especially like how fun and creative the background characters, and the premise to me is fascinating. It’s a show that itself has a LOT of potential, if it could actually apply it.

But the thing is...

I can’t deny some of the things that Viv has done. And before anyone howls at me about how cancel culture is ‘bad SJW stuff’ or whatever they want to call it... Put that aside and actually look at Viv regardless. I won’t deny that while some criticisms at first seemed exaggerated to me, others have emerged, both recently, or been brought up.

And, like- I know she’s apologized for it. Which is why I want to be a fan. But it’s a cautious process, because amidst the harassment others have received from her fans, among other issues, it feels personally wrong to me to not consider that. That isn’t to say anyone who likes or follows her is necessarily a bad person- But in my case it’s hard to reconcile some of the things I’ve learned and witnessed. It’s not easy admitting that the creator of something you’ve looked forward to might not be so great, and there’s certainly moments of denial upon hearing the news. Times where one may seek someone to validate their refusal to believe.

I said it again, but the premise really fascinates me on the idea of exploring why people do bad things, and how one could recover from that while still acknowledging their horrific crimes. I thought the world that was established has some potential for neat lore and world-building that has fun with the idea of a bunch of different people from different time periods stuck together. I even did a few posts speculating on ways the show could explore this idea.

But by the end of the day, a part of me has to admit that I’ve more than likely been projecting my hopes quite a bit. Because the more I look at what Viv is clearly interested in, as well as the fandom, I have to admit that I probably won’t get what I’m actually waiting for, and that low-key sucks.

I think that may be my biggest issue with the show itself- It has POTENTIAL, but it handles itself a bit poorly. Amidst the discussions of a certain slur from Helluva Boss, two of the characters’ depictions of their ethnicities and/or sexualities, and so forth, it feels in bad taste to dismiss these valid concerns by insisting that the show is set in Hell. Feedback is an important thing when making stuff, and so far it seems like Viv isn’t exactly good at actually acknowledging most of it in a constructive manner.

And, that’s not even getting into the technical aspects of the pilot. Again, it shows promise, but admittedly I have to admit that it’s also kind of a mess in terms of direction, the main cast design, and so forth. On their own a lot of the cast probably looks fine, but when you group them together they all look far too jarringly-similar. Even individual designs could use a lot more sprucing up (or the exact opposite), especially when someone considers who the characters are. Plus, the show’s whole premise is about redeeming oneself, but it seems like Viv doesn’t seem concerned about actually addressing most, if any of the cast’s character flaws? Or character flaws in general? And the FANDOM... the less said, the better.

It’s a situation where what I’m interested in is, like... heavily flawed, and clearly so. But there’s also just enough good in it, that I wish it was better? I DO want to enjoy it, but I can’t ignore a lot of things I’ve noticed or observed. I can’t ignore the part of myself that won’t stand for it. The whole concept of Cancel Culture emerged from the idea of people understandably not wanting to support those whose values had too much dissonance from their own. And while it is fair to mention concerns on how far it can go or lose control, it also feels cheap and callous to just disregard the thing entirely. People have a right to be concerned about how media represents and treats certain groups. Everyone is willing to acknowledge the power of fiction and boast about how the pen is mightier than the sword, how stories are a reflection of humanity, but the moment someone suggests that it could be problematic? Then people suddenly insist that it’s just fiction, just a cartoon, and that it has no effect on real life!

Ultimately, this is a series I’ll cautiously look at. I’d really like for it to be better, and for the creator to follow that kind of growth. But I can’t get my hopes up, either. Maybe one day if I grew more of a spine, I could post some vent-y thoughts, a bit of a detailed rant, on this blog regarding my full thoughts on things and my specific criticisms, but for now that isn’t coming anytime soon.

#reply #anon #my thoughts

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gothamloveforever · 5 years

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This is the second article that Film Daily has published about Gotham.

Gotham is an innovative show based on DC Comics characters and produced by Warner Bros. Television. The Batman origin narrative helped us, as rapt viewers understand how our favorite heroes (Batman) and villains (The Joker, Penguin) came to be the way they are. It also cast a light on just how Gotham City became the wretched crime-filled cesspool we all know & love.

Despite general network issues (the old “being moved to a much worse timeslot” thing), Gotham’s fanbase managed to rally Fox into renewing the show for a fifth and final season – a whopping two seasons short of what the fanbase were promised.

Gotham certainly doesn’t have a shortage of fans or viewers but Fox, like many networks before, has been using the outdated Neilsen rating system to make decisions about shows’ popularity. Let’s be serious: who under the age of 70 actually watches live TV anymore?

Just because an episode gets a viewing figure below that of a series premiere or finale, that doesn’t mean the viewership has fallen considerably. Networks now have a responsibility to establish a dialogue with streaming platforms to consolidate more accurate figures and finally find out for themselves which are the best performers.

Because Gotham is a Warner Bros. production, not a Fox property, sadly the show was less lucrative and more expendable for the network. The show being packaged with the hot mess Lethal Weapon for advertising partnerships also didn’t do the show any favors.

We’ve got plenty of ideas on how Gotham could be saved, but today we’re focusing on what the fans think of the show. TV execs: prick up your ears. Don’t you want to help this incredibly passionate fandom with a continuation of the stories that they love? We would . . . .

These tweets have been edited and condensed for clarity. Join the campaign to #SaveGotham over on Twitter. (Tweets by Fans, under the cut.

Beatriz‏

“Gotham lost about 54 episodes of content, the character development and storylines were lost due to that, some characters had to be killed, others didn’t have the screen time they deserved. We fans were not happy about it.”

Bandi

“People say that Gotham doesn’t need saving because it’s getting an ending. This is true, but the ending we’re getting isn’t the planned one. The writers had plans for 7 seasons. That’s a lot of story left! We got 4.5 instead.”

#SaveGotham | #Gotham spoilers‏

“Gotham is such an original show. It the closest thing we got to a live action adaption of the Batman origin story universe and it’s so good!”

catherine haverty‏

“Gotham is The Coolest Show.”

Angela #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“This show has been mishandled for so many years by the network. Not only was there so little promotion,the use of a outdated & inaccurate rating system(Nielsen),but there was so much drama that went on with Warner Brothers & Fox. All this played a part in getting Gotham cancelled.”

#Gotham | Thursdays 8PM on FOX‏

“Gotham inspires such devotion! The fandom has been holding daily Power Hours on Twitter for an entire year, as of May; advocating for Gotham, writing letters and emails; utilizing other forms of social media. It’s all a labor of love! #SaveGotham”

#SaveGotham!‏

“Gotham is an exciting, daring sort of show with characters that no other show quite has. For lack of better explanation, Barbara Kean said it best on the show: It’s Gotham, baby. We’ve all got flair!”

Liz ‏

“Gotham is a show that truly deserves more than is has received. For years we’ve watched the early lives of beloved characters in the Batman universe grow into who we know they’ll become. Each of these characters are played by actors that pour their soul into their work.”

Mr. Millicent Cordelia‏

“Gotham’s provided a fresh take on the Batman mythos, created original characters of lasting merit, and re-worked minor comic characters to have major impact. #SaveGotham”

James Rankin‏

“For years, peeps have been denied a Batman TV show. Gotham was never that, but it had the makings of revealing all of the back stories. “

λουισα‏

“This show deserves better. The acting is incredible, the writing never cease to surprise, the atmosphere of the show is powerful, the fights are good, the costumes are great! It’s one of the best if not DC TV’s best show and it didn’t deserve to end like this.”

Gothambatcatfanspain‏

“We want to see development of the characters with the same actors. We love the cast, they deserve to continue.”

Svetlana‏

“Gotham is such an interesting show. I want this show to continue, I’m not ready to say goodbye to my favourite characters.”

#Gotham spoilers here | #SaveGotham‏

“Not giving the seven seasons they were contracted for…That’s unfair.”

Kate O’Riley Cosplay

“Fox and Warner Brothers were constantly fighting over because one owns the right to the characters and the other was broadcasting it and they all wanted the most out of it .”

Mr. Millicent Cordelia‏

“I never imagined Oswald Cobblepot as the most compelling character in the Bat-verse, but Robin Lord Taylor has brought him to life in such a way as to make him endearing, charismatic, terrifying, and endlessly fascinating.”

Destiny‏

“Gotham is a show that’s been pushed aside by the network one to many times and it needs to have a full story without cutting massive plot lines out, it’s insulting to the fans not to finish it off properly! #SaveGotham”

DONT LET GOTHAM END!! #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“Gotham has some of the most wonderful story telling and some amazing villains out there. Some great action too and I would love for it to continue its 7 season run like it was supposed to.”

MORDRED LLEWELYN JONES‏

“Gotham fully embraces everything that DC can offer in a way that films & even comics fail to do. The violence, grief, dark humour, love, struggle, psychology, charisma etc. It paints a beautiful picture & showcases just how much DC is capable of in a way which nothing else has.”

#Gotham | Thursdays 8PM on FOX‏

“Gotham’s production values, art direction, and cinematography are of a quality so high which is very unusual for TV. It rivals the quality that’s usually reserved for films.”

Ellen Sunden

“Gotham is a cleverly written and brilliantly acted show with top notch special effects and wardrobe designs.”

“Gotham’s Season 5 has an ultra-impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes…a score reserved only for the best of the best in film and TV shows!”

#SaveGotham | #Gotham spoilers‏

“Gotham is totally different from the other DCTV shows as it’s an origin story for characters of the Batman universe. It’s original, dark, funny, esgy, action-packed with some humor, exactly like the comic books. The cast is big and very talented especially Bruce and Selina.”

Tam Loves Kris

“Gotham is a home to so many quality characters that are played by a wonderful cast of people. The fans know what they want and we hope for what is right. #SaveGotham”

Angela #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“Gotham was treated unfairly, so fans have been campaigning to #SaveGotham, tweeting every single day for 10 months. We’re missing 2.5 seasons and we hope to recover them someday. The talent on this show is extraordinary to watch and hope a network can pick up the show ”

nicolle | GOTHAM SPOILERS‏

“This show is so unique and creative.”

Eoghan

“I believe it should be saved as there’s many more more stories to tell. Giving more development to Jeremiah, seeing Bruce as Batman and everyone in their future roles. I feel like Gotham is the perfect combination of The Dark Knight Trilogy And the 60’s Batman TV show. It’s great.”

#SaveGotham!‏

“Gotham is a creative take on traditional comic stories. The actors who portray their characters do so with passion and individually bring fresh, unique takes to the characters they obviously care so much about.”

shane nygmobs endgame now‏

“Gotham’s latest season currently scores 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a unique take on the Batman mythos that’s embraced the exploration and development of these iconic characters in a prequel, which has never been done before. And yet, there is still so much left to delve into.”

E. Nygma‏

“There hasn’t been a live action Batman TV series since 1966. Put aside the format of the original series. It was revolutionary and could easily fit in today’s market! Gotham may be a prequel show, but it’s absolutely a continuation of the original series! Let it go on!”

ᔕIEᖇᖇᗩ // Gᴏᴛ Hᴀᴍ?‏

“Gotham is one of the reasons I am still here today. The cast and the fans have helped me through so much. I used to be afraid to show my love for superhero’s but bc of this show I am happy to express it. One of the best tv series there is today. And that does not deserve to go.”

lee‏

“Speaking as a lifelong Batman/DC fan Gotham has put its own unique spin on the franchise that has brought new life to the franchise and new fans. The fans want the show to continue. The creators want it. The actors want it. Gotham deserves a second chance.”

ulia‏

“This show is outstanding and it’s absolutely incomprehensible how this show was cancelled.”

Kathryn ‏

“Gotham is the only modern Batman interpretation with constantly increasing ratings, an amazing cast and memorable characters. There isnt a single character thats lacks personality.”

Space_Invader/Spoilers!‏

“Gotham is unique in every way and you can tell the people that work on it, cast and crew, love working on it. It’s in every detail of the show, in every interview they do. The deserve to grow even more.”

KatsaysNo| Gothamit‏

“Gotham has a beautiful cast and great story arcs that can still be extended, so many characters that are fleshed out and amazing to see on tv!”

Beverly‏

“At this point, Gotham would be better off on a network or streaming channel that will give it the freedom to keep making the episodes that keeps fans so loyal. Each season has gotten better. Who knows what could happen if it continues.”

Aurea‏

“I love Gotham! well-acted, visually appealing show.”

Shae Anderson

“We need to #SaveGotham because the retelling of these stories that we are so familiar with has been done so beautifully.”

simplyandsanely‏

“I’m not going to lie: I started watching #Gotham just to see what they were going to do with the Joker. But as time went on, I grew to love this show that’s helped grow so many characters in such a unique way.”

☆ sam‏

“No one has ever done a story about young Bruce Wayne growing up, no one has ever seen the backstories of villains. The characters are amazing, the actors are amazing, the fans are worldwide and so extremely passionate about this show #SaveGotham”

ρнσєиιx ‏

“Gotham went down in viewership because of the networks handling.”

charlie sora | #SaveGotham‏

“We were originally promised 7 seasons. In 2 weeks we will reach the most anticipated moment of the whole series, the arrival of Joker and Batman. But we will only have a 45 minute episode to see this happen which is extremely sad for fans.”

“We still haven’t explored major characters. This is extremely sad considering how well the writers have done.”

Brooke Brown‏

“This show just keeps getting better and better. Gotham just has so much potential that was completely wasted on Fox.”

Ana‏

“Gotham quite literally breathed new life into me with its inspiring characters and plots. The takes on the familiar Batman characters are unique and interesting, the cast is superb, and this show has a lot more stories to tell – and fans who want to see them

#SaveGotham”

Anders‏

“Gotham’s a great drama show with dark humor & amazing visual. Plus it’s great to see several lgbt+ characters in the main cast.”

Mirela‏

“I think there are many reasons why the show shouldn’t end yet and I’m sure a lot of fans have already pointed it out before.”

Scheming Minor‏

“As a lifelong Batman fan, Gotham has meant new beginnings and creative new ways to wind the mythos of Batman’s beginnings and before. It’s hard to pick where to start, but this show make me jump back into the Batman fandom after watching from S1.”

Mariah Sturtevant‏

“The cast and crew both are absolutely amazing! Everything from set to costume to music to characters is breathtaking and it makes the show truly immersive. We care about the characters because the actors make them real. That’s why it should be saved.”

Sadame21‏

“It does not deserve to end this way, at least someone make Penguin a spinoff please!”

James Gordon’s Stan‏

“It’s a show filled with mystery, interesting topics, and many characters were under developed because of this cancelling.”

Batmanfan935‏

“It is the perfect take on the Batman universe.”

Reah #SAVEGOTHAM‏

“The style is dramatic, edgy, and thrilling in it’s exposition for a new age in the Batman timeline. We’re still starving for more. #SaveGotham”

#Gotham #SaveGotham #Film Daily #Gotham article

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lesbianmarrow · 2 years

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It was editorials decision to cut X factor short (because it wasn’t a great comic that didn’t do well) and it wasn’t Williams’s decision to show parts of David’s corpse (though she had to know it was more than possible writing the the story?) but it was absolutely unforgivable to base David’s murder (that he recovered from????) on two deaths that had occurred in real life less than five years ago (less than two in one case!) it’s exploiting true crime in a worse way than the average genre these people’s families didn’t have justice cramming it into a comic was horribly distasteful at best

i agree it was unacceptable and in poor taste for her to use those real life hate crime murders as such direct inspiration for her fictional story. i feel like because the way the storyline was ultimately executed was so far out of williams' hands, it's hard to judge her based on that, if that makes sense - but you're right that she never should have incorporated a fictionalized version of that real life tragedy into her story in the first place. i don't blame anyone who has lost faith in williams as a writer because she made this choice.

i personally am still willing to support her as a writer just because it is very clear to me that she does genuinely care about these issues of racism/homophobia/etc, even though some of the ways she's addressed these issues have wound up being insensitive and inappropriate. there are certain white writers whose work makes it clear that they see the inclusion of racial diversity or examining racism as a quirky gimmick or something to be used solely for shock value. and although williams' attempts at addressing these issues are very VERY flawed, i would rather have her earnest yet misguided attitude over the more uncaring and exploitative attitude of certain other writers. i think she's capable of growth in the way she handles sensitive subjects, and i'm willing to continue supporting her. but her good intentions don’t erase the harm she perpetuated, and again, i don't hold it against anyone if they feel differently.

i also wanted to address what you said about x-factor getting cut short. from my understanding, the series was cancelled not because it was doing especially poorly, but simply because cancelling it and spinning the trial of magneto into its own event book rather than having it be an arc of x-factor would be MORE profitable moneywise. i really think it had less to do with the quality of the series and more with putting out a new #1 and selling a bunch of variant covers. i'm not saying this just to try and "well actually" you, but because i think it's worth keeping in mind the economic motives behind these decisions.

#anon

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zdbztumble · 6 years

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“Batman” Series Take

After chatting with @echidnapower and others about the DCAU, headcanons, rewrites, and the like, I remembered this little number I put together years ago - an outline for a hypothetical Batman series - a high budget animated series.

Some initial premises: it may seem repetitive, but I think TAS got it right with "Dark Deco." 30s dress and cars mixed with modern computers and TVs (which all have black and white screens) just worked for Batman's world, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I would push the architecture into a more overtly Gothic/Victorian style, with interiors taken from the late 50s/early 60s. I wouldn't mind a more "cartoony" character design either; I think a clean, simple, retro look to the characters mixed with very dark backgrounds and stories would make an interesting clash. The format would be hour-long, with 20 episodes a season and a TV-14 rating.

SEASON 1

On a foggy, drizzly, miserable evening, Bruce Wayne slips back into Gotham unnoticed after his many years away. Alfred picks him up, takes him to his parents' graves, and the obligatory flashback to the death of his parents is shown. This is as much of his origins as we'll ever see; Bruce's past, his travels, his training are to be left a mystery.

The Gotham Bruce has returned to has, for years, been under the total control of the Gotham Hold (an equivalent to the Five Families of New York), an alliance of the five major organized crime groups in town - the Falcone Empire, the Maroni Family, The Penguin's Flock, The Grissom Syndicate, and the Thorne Gang. The heads of these gangs are all public figures - Carmine Falcone and Carl Grissom relish their notoreity - but while Gothamites of all stripes have some awareness that the game is rigged, the true extent of the Hold's power and its true make-up is a complete mystery to the public and to most of law enforcement. Harvey Dent, fresh off his election victory, and Captain Gordon have put forward the most determined team trying to bust the Hold, but their efforts have been in vain. The judges and police commissioner they work with are openly corrupt. Of the three largest private companies headquartered in Gotham - Wayne Enterprises, Daggett Pharmaceuticals, and Shreck's Entertainment - two are in league with the Hold.

Bruce and Dent have been friends since childhood, but while the friendship has survived Bruce's long absence, Dent doesn't turn to Bruce for support. Upon his return, Bruce Wayne comes off as a "goody goody," completely incorruptible, but with no social skills, no public presence, and no business sense. No one in Gotham notices or cares that he's back. But while some of that persona is unintentional and genuine, Bruce does get more serious behind closed doors. While he leaves Lucius Fox in the CEO chair that Fox has held since Thomas Wayne's death, Bruce asks him to do more for the city and to ramp up competition with their crooked rivals. He also starts pilfering various cancelled and untested technology projects, which Fox turns a blind eye to.

Batman makes his first appearance on the docks, making short work of some small-time drug dealers. They are associates of the Falcone Empire; applying his detective skills, Batman is able to trace them to the Empire's largest narcotics crew and takes down the whole lot of them as they attempt a big score. On a Halloween later dubbed "Nosferatu Night," he tracks down and assaults the bosses of all the Hold gangs and uses sonar technology to sick thousands of bats on each of them. This strike throws Gotham upside down and emboldens Dent and Gordon, who succeed in forcing out the corrupt commissioner and finding a judge to prosecute the captured Falcone crew. It is Dent who Batman first contacts in this series, though Gordon is soon brought in, and the trio concot a plan to expose the extent of the Hold's power and take down the biggest and most public of its gangs - the Falcones.

Batman's methods let him uncover more than his legitimate partners ever could, and Gordon makes a turncoat of one of the captured Falcone soldiers. In a televised event analogous to the Valachi hearings, Dent uses the soldier as a mouthpiece to make public all of Batman's intel: each gang has its own primary racket, and various systems are set up to interconnect their interests. The Falcones make their living through narcotics and arms smuggling. The Maronis, once the one and only powerhouse in Gotham organized crime, have been cut down by their younger partners over the years and are now headed by a man, "Don Salvatore," who had hoped to escape his family's criminal past and reluctantly oversees his organization's gambling interests. The Penguin's Flock is a loose cabal of eight upper-crust figures who dabble in white collar crime, primarily counterfeiting, fencing of valuable antiques and artifacts, and high level political corruption. Their true leader is unknown, but Batman has observed all its members coming and going from the supposedly ruined Cobblepot estate. The Grissom Syndicate handles prostitution, with waste management as a very strong "front.” The Thornes control the unions of Gotham. There is also the Red Hood, the Hold's murder squad (made of one member per gang) so named for the unique outfit its members wear to avoid detection. Not even Batman could learn the names of the Red Hood's members, known only to the crime bosses. Each gang has a set number of seats on the Hold's "board of directors," and they meet monthly to coordinate and plot new illicit business. The public notoriety drives the Hold underground, and Batman makes a spectacular raid on Carmine Falcone's home, making off with "The Roman's" ledger. Dent is able to use it to secure arrest warrants for the top administration of the Empire, and in the biggest trial Gotham has seen in decades, manages to put Carmine Falcone away for life.

The victory is short-lived, however. The soldier-turncoat is gunned down by the Red Hood as he is brought in to testify at a new trial. The first of the radical criminals make their appearance: Catwoman, who seems more interested in playing cat and mouse with Batman than in any of the things she steals. While Batman hunts down the Cat, Bruce meets Selina Kyle. They immediately form a bond, though Selina seems more interested in a flirtatious friendship than anything serious. When Batman finally catches Catwoman, she proves gracious in defeat, revealing where everything she stole is, though she eludes actual arrest. Selina abruptly stops seeing Bruce around the same time. Next is Ivy, who seduces Dent with a mind to kill him for prosecuting eco-terrorists. Batman stops her, but the affair strains Dent's relationship with his wife Gilda. Finally, Mr. Freeze assaults Daggett Pharmaceuticals, hoping to take revenge on the underlings who caused his condition and to force Roland Daggett to pay for research to save his wife. When Batman stops Freeze, he is able to convince him to put vengeance aside, orders Fox to set up a research lab for Freeze in prison, and for the rest of the series, Freeze is an ally to Batman.

The affair with Ivy is kept hidden from the public and the Hold, but it shakes up Dent's mental state. He begins to see a psychologist - none other than Jonathan Crane, who sees Dent on the side from his duties at Arkham Asylum. Dent is revealed to have a split personality, born from his efforts to suppress his rage after he accidentally killed his alcoholic father while trying to defend himself and his mother. Crane has lately cut deals with the Thorne Gang to get their men out of jailtime, and also engages in many twisted experiments concerning fear. He now wants to see what would happen if Gotham's greatest hero became its greatest public menace. He approaches the Thornes for aid, and without the approval of the Hold, they agree. Dent and Gilda are kidnapped; restrained, Dent sees Gilda murdered before his eyes. As The Scarecrow, Crane tortures Dent with fear toxins, what he knows about his past, and a face full of corrosive bleach. Batman learns of the kidnapping and rushes to the rescue, but is too late to save Dent or capture Scarecrow. When Dent recovers physically, his mind is gone. He becomes "Two-Face Dent," and with a flip of the coin, vows to take down the Hold by killing off all its members. He goes on a mass shooting spree, sending Gotham into a panic. Rupert Thorne manages to escape Two-Face's wrath, but is killed by the Red Hood for helping to bring this menace upon the Hold. Crane delights in his "experiment's" success, and Gordon and Bruce are left to deal with the loss of their friend.

SEASON 2

A few months have passed. Two-Face has continued his shooting spree, driving all of organized crime further underground. He has claimed several Thorne soldiers, an entire Falcone crew, and the Falcone acting boss. The next in line for that job, Angelo Falcone, finds the Hold falling apart. He and the Penguin (who finally reveals himself to his fellow mobsters via speaker phone) both conclude that the strongest Hold gang could take advantage of their situation and absorb the others, and so the two begin a race to conquest. Their most visible battlefield is in their support for competing factions in the Thorne Gang; underboss Lew Moxon is backed by the Falcones, while lieutenant Vasily Kosov has the support of the Penguins. Angelo also adopts the guise of Holiday and starts killing off the biggest threats to his Empire in the other gangs. The Holiday guise is a risk; after the Two-Face fiasco, the Hold has voted to cut all ties to the "freaks." Not only has Angelo become a freak, he has kept in contact with Crane. And while he and the Penguin duke it out, sister Sofia and aunt Carla work within the Empire to undermine his reign.

Meanwhile, Gordon and Batman have soldiered on without Dent. The new DA, Janice Holder, is unfriendly towards Batman (and, as a social friend of Angelo Falcone, is lax if not openly corrupt when it comes to the Hold). Nevertheless, Gordon and Bats do have their successes. Gordon has put together a loyal team (Bullock, Montoya, John Blake, O' Hara). Selina abruptly reappears, and she and Bruce start casually dating. And Batman has an ace in the hole - Salvatore Maroni. After the Two-Face fiasco, the reluctant godfather has had enough. He won't testify for the police or the law, but he will talk to Batman. Among the nuggets he gives up is the identity of all the Red Hood assassins, as well as the leaders of the hit squad - Joe Chill and "Glasgow Jack," who have only been seen before this as chauffeurs and, in Jack's case, a popular stand-up at Underworld nightclubs. Based on Maroni's tips and Batman's own work, the Grissom Syndicate becomes the next prime target in the Hold for law enforcement. Tipped off by a mole, Grissom tries to avoid Carmine Falcone's fate. He resigns as head of his Syndicate, names Jack as his successor, and goes into hiding. Jack is unpopular as a boss in the Syndicate and in the entire Hold, not because he is too greedy, but because he frightens them. Ever since Batman first appeared, Jack has grown more and more wild - and he was barely in control to begin with. Since the Red Hood will not betray their boss, the Hold recruits Grissom gunmen to take Jack and his crew out as they inspect a chemical plant they operate as a front, Axis. Tipped off, the Red Hood all don their standard disguise and ambush their attackers. Batman and the police try to break up the fight and bring Jack to justice, but in the end, two are captured, two slip out, and another is accidentally knocked into a vat of chemicals by Batman. Jack and Joe Chill are not accounted for.

While Maroni's testimony is helpful, Batman has no respect for him. He is horrified when Maroni turns up at a Wayne fundraiser as a guest of Leslie Thompkins. It is revealed that Salvatore's father Luigi was a patient of Thompkins, was also a reluctant mobster who tried to reform before the Falcones started a mob war, and had his life saved by Thomas Wayne. Dr. Wayne and Luigi became friends in spite of themselves. Salvatore is also Thompkins' patient and has kept a correspondence with Alfred started by his father. Bruce develops a reluctant respect for the godfather, and just in time. The Hold has found out that Maroni talked to the Batman, and kidnaps his two sons to try and force him to come forward and reveal what he told. Instead, Batman and Maroni blaze into where the boys are being kept and save them. Maroni officially cooperates with law enforcement, convinces several of his top men to do the same, and is deported to Sicily, where he takes up his dream job as a writer.

The testimony of the Maroni defectors opens up the entire Hold to prosecution, and Batman and Gordon are hopeful for a successful strike against them, despite distractions from new "freaks" (Man-Bat) and Catwoman's return. But a few weeks after the incident at Axis, a radio message announces that Grissom will meet his death at the hands of the Joker. The prediction comes true, down to the minute. Several more members of the Syndicate meet a similar end before the targets become random civilians. The deaths are all caused by "the Joker's Patented Smylex Venom," which Batman is able to synthesise an antidote for, but no one can predict when or where the deaths will come. The Joker makes his first public appearance in a deadly parade that leaves one of the busiest streets of Gotham in ruins, courtesy of Mr. J and his Red Triangle Circus Gang. It is implied (but never confirmed) that the Joker is either Jack or Joe Chill, and whichever he isn't is the Ringleader character of the Circus Gang. The Ringleader is the Number 3 man in the group; Number 2 is Harley Quinn, who has Dini's origin but met Joker outside of an institution.

The Joker keeps up his reign of terror, always evading the law and Batman. His antics are destroying organized crime. After Grissom's death, what remains of his gang is absorbed by the Penguins; what was left of the Maronis was absorbed by the Falcones. They continue to fight each other through the Thornes. Angelo Falcone hires Crane to take out the Joker. Crane gets his chance when the Joker breaks into Arkham. As Scarecrow, Crane tries his fear gas on the Joker; it has no effect. In response, the Joker gases Scarecrow, and all of Arkham, with a laughing gas, and sets them all loose on Gotham. When Sofia Gigante gets wind of her brother's failed plan and Holiday guise, she puts a contract on his head; on the 4th of July, Angelo takes them both out in a suicide strike, leaving his top man as the boss of the Empire. In the Thorne Gang, Kosov kills Moxon and agrees to serve under the Penguin. Batman exposes the Penguin as Oswald Cobblepot at some point in the season, but he is able to remain an obscure figure to the public. Two-Face, with a flip of the coin, plans a bombing of the Cobblepot estate, but the Penguin escapes to an underground lair. He and the new Falcone boss make peace, and the streamlined Hold plots its future in a Gotham where the criminal scene is dominated by the freaks.

Batman and Gordon rush to control this situation. Batman targets the Joker himself, getting unexpected help from Catwoman. In the end, the Joker falls from a building and his body can't be found (the Joker's appearances would follow in the vein of his earliest comics; he appears to have died, but you're never sure). While most of the inmates of Arkham (and Scarecrow) remain loose, Gordon manages to scatter them, capture most of the Circus Gang (Harley and the Ringleader get away), and Two-Face. He is promoted to commissioner.

SEASON 3

The most episodic season, featuring encounters with classic Batman foes. A proper confrontation with Scarecrow, a proper confrontation with Penguin, Riddler, Harley and Ivy, Mad Hatter (with Tweedledee and Tweedledum as henchmen, naturally), two more rounds with the Joker, King Tut (who is more Catwoman's foe than Batman's), Clayface, Two-Face's escape from Arkham, and Croc. Catwoman gets into hijinks throughout, and we (but not Batman) are privy to her darker side.

I've always wanted to see a Batman story that went something like this: Gotham hits a calm spell, and while Gordon spends the extra time with his family, Bruce has no clue what to do with himself.

Throughout, Bruce and Selina get more serious. Eventually, her identity is revealed, with the twist that it's Bruce instead of Batman who discovers it; he doesn't take her in right away, not knowing how to take it. The season finale is an adaptation of the Mad Monk story, forcing Batman to accept the existence of the truly supernatural.

SEASON 4

It opens with a trip to Metropolis on the trail of some of Penguin's smugglers, a "World's Finest" episode. When Bruce gets back to Gotham, Selina has left town under mysterious circumstances. However, a woman named Talia who Bruce meets at a ball keeps his mind off of Selina. Talia appears to be the daughter of a visiting diplomat, and as she and Bruce fall in love, she puts pressure on Bruce to become a more public figure, to use his wealth and influence for philanthropic causes. Lucius Fox has encouraged similar goals. This leads to Bruce having an experience based on the "Ghosts" segment of "Haunted Knights." This experience causes him to question his image of his father and his commitment to his persona. This also causes him, when he next faces the Joker, to make an offer similar to that at the end of "Killing Joke;" the Joker refuses, but agrees to go to Arkham "for a nice long vacation." Meanwhile, a few more notables from the Rogue's Gallery make their appearances; Solomon Grundy, Ventriloquist, and Hugo Strange.

Strange, as it turns out, is in the employ of the diplomat, who is of course Ra's al Ghul. Together, they deduce Batman's true identity. After the obligatory test of his "rescue" of Talia, Ra's wants Bruce as his successor and Talia's husband. When Bruce refuses on both counts, Ra's and Strange attempt to frame Batman for various crimes; they eventually succeed, Gordon the only one keeping the faith. Batman flees Gotham and the country on the trail of Ra's and Strange. He eventually learns of Ra's immortality through the Pits, that there are only a very few Lazurus Pits left, and that Ra's plans to detonate them to wipe out humanity, courtesy of Strange's technology. However, Ra's has misled Strange about his intentions. When Strange learns of the double-cross (courtesy of Batman), he engineers a controlled destruction of the Pits, preventing mass destruction and robbing Ra's of his immortality. When there is only one Pit left (the one their headquarters is built on), Ra's stabs Strange, and he and Batman have their classic duel. Ra's seems to have the upper hand, but in his last moments of life, Strange draws a gun and puts a bullet in Ra's head. As the headquarters begins to collapse (Strange had set it to blow), Talia throws herself into the fire rather than go with Batman.

As Batman, badly injured, flies back to Gotham, the military is scrambled to shoot him down. He is still not cleared of false charges. Alfred has been working on exonerating him, and sends his evidence to Gordon, but Gordon can't spread the news in time to stop Batman from being blown out of the sky. He staggers out of the wreckage, only to be shot into the water by soldiers. He barely makes it back to Wayne Manor. As Alfred pieces him back together, Bruce decides to give up the cape and cowl and honour his vow another way.

SEASON 5

We open six months into "The Year of the Dark Knight's Rest." Bruce and Alfred have closed Wayne Manor and moved into a penthouse in the city. Bruce has taken Talia's and Fox's advice, becoming a public philanthropist and more involved in his family’s company. However, he is still Batman at heart, and his unsatisfied desire - his need - for the cape and cowl is taking a toll on his state of mind. He has also been diagnosed with the early stages of Type 2 diabetes. In the Batman's absence, Gordon has generally managed, though morale in law enforcement has sunk and morale in crime has risen. The Penguin has turned over his criminal interests to underlings (ostensibly; in fact, they are front bosses still answering to him) and set himself up as a legitimate figure. Though he had been known as a crime lord, the public never knew the extent of his misdeeds, and he enjoys a wonderful reputation and a greater degree of political influence than ever before. Many of the freaks have been released (or escaped) from Arkham, and have carved up the city into spheres of influence, where their particular brand of crime dominates. The Joker breaks out of Arkham and goes on a rampage to try and lure out Batman, but when he never appears, the Joker gives up and goes back to Arkham. The damage caused is another weight on Bruce’s psyche.

A year on from his “retirement,” Bruce attends a charity circus, headlined by the Flying Graysons. Another member of the circus is Bane. Imported as an enforcer for the Falcones, he has gone undercover in the circus to ensure that they pay their protection money. When they stop, Bane enlists a crew to cause an accident for the Graysons, leaving 13-year old Dick an orphan. Bruce gives the boy a home and, seeing the effect the loss of his parents has had on Dick, finally takes back up the mantle. He tracks down the hoods, who finger Bane. When facing Bane, Batman is faced with just how much of his edge he's lost, and almost has his back broken when Dick (who found the cave and stowed away in the Batmobile) saves his life. Together, they bring down Bane, and Batman realises Dick's drive. Reopening Wayne Manor, he offers to train Dick, and Robin is born.

Batman and Robin spend the rest of the season bringing down mobsters and encountering notables from the Rogue's Gallery. Along the way, they encounter Barbara Gordon. Wheelchair bound from childhood in this continuity, she deduces their identities and offers her computer services; Oracle is born. Selina returns to Gotham, with nothing to say about her absence. She starts going out as Catwoman again, and Batman dutifully goes after her, though it soon becomes clear that she is handing out wealth she aquired during her time away, not stealing it. During one encounter, they say certain lines to each other; in their first meeting out of costume, they repeat the lines, and Selina learns Bruce's identity. They get together, and Catwoman becomes (a distant) part of the Bat-family.

SEASON 6

Two years have passed. Batman, Robin, and Oracle are a seasoned trinity of crime-fighters. Bruce and Selina have maintained their relationship, and Catwoman assists on a case-by-case basis. Bruce is as close to happy as it's possible for him to be. Most of the radical criminals are in Arkham, or well-contained.

But the Bat-family is faced with a new kind of foe. The Penguin, as a legitimate figure, has formed closer partnerships with Shreck and Daggett. They have successfully funded a mayor, forced Gordon out of office, bought most of the city councilmen, and gotten massive deregulation passed. They've destroyed the environment and preyed on the populace, and all of it legal, since the start of Season 5. Because this was done over a long span of time, and because the radical criminals are still so visible, no one has really stopped to notice. Batman's new strategy is one of espionage; with Catwoman and Oracle's help, he uncovers the full extent of what has been done, and through viral messages, turns public opinion against Penguin and his allies. Meanwhile, Bruce redoubles Wayne Enterprises' efforts to compete with Daggett and Shreck.

It isn't all corporate espionage and stealth campaigning, though; there are still crooks to fight. The beginnings of the the Royal Flush Gang pop up, and Hush arrives on the scene. This version of Hush has a grudge against Bruce and Harvey Dent, who was with them on that fateful day at camp. He kidnaps Bruce and Two-Face, but the experience reawakens Harvey and his free will. He stops Hush without killing him, frees Bruce, and checks himself in to Arkham (I figure at least one version of Harvey should have a happy ending).

Things begin to turn south towards the end, however. The Joker breaks out of Arkham and kidnaps Robin on his first night going solo. Batman, Catwoman, and Oracle search for weeks, without leads, when a massive explosion rocks the Axis Chemical ruins. Robin is found, hideously scarred and barely alive. When his fate is pronounced "uncertain" by ICU, Batman tears through the underworld, demanding leads on the Joker. He finally tracks him down to a ruined carnival, where he sees Harley kill the Ringleader for perceived disloyalty. When Batman finds the Joker, he is treated to footage of Dick's torture, and the Joker reveals that the Boy Wonder was eventually coerced into revealing everything he knew about Bruce. It is implied (but not confirmed) that the Joker knows something about the deaths of the Waynes. Batman attacks, and it becomes clear that the Joker's whole plan in torturing Robin was to drive Batman to kill him. He comes very close, but in the end, just cannot do it. When he refuses, the Joker goes on the attack, hoping to force a murder in self-defense. In the end, the Joker ends up killing himself. His last words: this isn't funny.

Harley is taken to Arkham. After a few months, Dick has recovered physically. Emotionally, there is some work to be done, but he wants to take up the costume again. When Bruce refuses, the two argue, and Dick ends up stealing the Robin costume and running away. Bruce does not go after him.

Even with Dick's departure, the strategy against the Penguin works; his mayor is recalled, Gordon is reappointed, and regulations are restored. The Penguin is arrested on evidence of his past criminal deeds, and Daggett falls under investigation. But Shreck weasels his way out of trouble. When his secretary finds out about a certain scheme, he hires Black Mask to kill her. That secretary was a good friend of Selina's. She tracks down Black Mask, and the fight ends with Mask and Shreck in a precarious position. Catwoman lets them die, and becomes wanted for murder. When Batman confronts her about it, he appears to talk her into coming home with him. However, she sees him reach for handcuffs. She swipes him across the face and skips town again. The deception causes friction with Alfred and Oracle, and Bruce gives up on any love life.

SERIES FINALE MOVIE

It is 20 years in the future. Gotham is not quite as futuristic as in "Batman Beyond," but it is on its way (it has a retro-futuristic look, with Gothic touches of course). This "New Gotham" barely hides the ruins of the old; not long ago, a massive hurricane struck, crippling the city. It has just gotten back on its feet. Dick Grayson has gone through the Teen Titans and Nightwing phases of his career, married Starfire, and is running for mayor of Gotham. Barbara Gordon has replaced her father as police commissioner. They are in a similar spot to Dent and Jim at the start of the series: organized crime is again ruling the streets. Supplanting the Falcones and the Penguins as the major force in the underworld is the Jokerz. They operate in several large groups, loosely involved with each other but all paying homage to Harley Quinn as the queenpin. Harley has clung to the delusional belief that "Puddin" will come back for her, and her inner circle has taken on a cultlike atmosphere. The biggest corporation in town is DagShreck Power, an amalgam of the old Daggett and Shreck businesses bought and controlled by the unscrupulous Derek Powers.

The Jokerz and Powers pose a problem beyond what Barbara and Dick can manage alone; they need Batman. But Barbara has not spoken to Bruce for years over some mysterious falling-out. Dick and Bruce are still estranged. And Bruce himself is not up to the task anymore. Years as Batman and advancing diabetes have taken their toll on his body. Technology enables him to patrol the entire city still, but in hand-to-hand combat he can only manage for short periods of time. While his mind is as sharp as ever, he is limited in what his detective work can accomplish, not having a partnership with the police anymore. As Bruce, he has lost touch with his company. Fox's replacements have not done well, and there is immense pressure to sell the company to Powers, something Bruce seems prepared to do. He spends his days being pieced together and cared for by Alfred and playing dice with Harvey, who has fully recovered and lives a quiet, anonymous life in the city.

Though Alfred hides it well from Bruce, he is feeling his age, and soon is on his deathbed. He tells Bruce that the has planned his funeral, that certain people will be there, and that he wants Bruce to try and make amends with these people. When the funeral arrives, Bruce meets several mourners, including Don Salvatore Maroni, whose sons have become honest and effective businessmen at Wayne Enterprises. But the people Bruce is expected to make up with are Dick, Barbara, and Selina Kyle. Selina and Barbara remain cold to his (admittedly feeble) efforts, but Dick, encouraged by Starfire, agrees to try to patch things up. Also at the funeral are members of Bruce's mom's family - the McGinnis family. Bruce's cousin Warren, an employee of Powers, asks Bruce to give his wayward son Terry a job. Bruce initially refuses, seeing Terry as a punk, but he later observes him defending his brother from bullying cousins. Knowing he'll have trouble living alone in his condition, he agrees to take Terry on as an attendant and chauffeur.

Terry, a 17-year old ex-punk with a healthy social life, is initially bummed about the job, but starts to have a better view of Bruce when he observes "the old man" outmaneuver Powers and the traitors in his own company, appointing Maroni's sons as the new heads of Wayne Enterprises and retaining ownership. As they make their way home, they are attacked by some Jokerz, and Bruce again impresses Terry by fending them off. The fight drains Bruce, and he has to be rushed home. While preparing to go home, Terry finds a bat in the grandfather clock, and uncovers the Batcave. Bruce throws him out.Terry and his father fight over his losing the job; when Terry comes home after the fight, his father is dead. A note written right before his death indicates Warren knew something about Powers and the Jokerz, but he was unable to finish writing it before being killed. Terry goes to Bruce, who does not offer or refuse help. When he leaves to take his medicine, Terry steals the suit and jet, intent on getting Powers. Bruce takes control of them and brings them home. He tells Terry that what he uncovered is the first piece of a puzzle, and that he is willing to train him so that they can solve it together.

Over the next few weeks, this is just what they do. Bruce gets more involved in the company to have opportunities to meet with Powers, while Terry is given the batsuit and allowed to spy on Powers and the Jokerz (but nothing else). Terry is a fast study on detective work and logic, being a fan of Sherlock Holmes, but is unrefined in physical combat, and Bruce is limited in what he can teach him. After a time, Terry wants to be allowed out on a full night. When Bruce refuses, he takes off anyway. He takes on a gang of Jokerz, gets in way over his head, and barely makes it out alive. Meanwhile, an attempt is made on Bruce's life; Powers wants him out of the way. All the stress of the night results in a heated argument in the cave, culminating in Bruce having a diabetic stroke. During his recovery, Dick, Barbara, and Selina all come to visit, and they all (more or less) reconcile. Dick and Barbara remain skeptical of Terry, though Dick is more open to the idea of a new Batman. Selina and Bruce find they still have feelings for each other, and Selina moves in to Wayne Manor to help take care of him. Being in much better condition than Bruce, she is the one to train Terry in martial arts, and in whip work; this Batman has a bit more of Zorro in him than usual.

Together, the three of them uncover the plot: Powers has been smuggling in equipment for the Jokerz. While he thinks it will be used to extract ransom, it is actually meant by Harley to fulfill an old "master joke" the Joker had drawn up years ago (a variation on "Joker: Last Laugh.") When push comes to shove, Bruce is both afraid for Terry and reluctant to give up the mantle, refuses to let Terry fight, and instead passes the information on to Barbara and Dick. But when a Jokerz mole passes along word, the pair are attacked and hospitalized. Starfire is injured too, leaving the Bat-family as the city's best line of defense. Bruce eventually relents; he and Terry both don the cape and cowl (with Selina as Catwoman) and take on their enemies. Powers is turned into Blight and escapes, most of the Jokerz leadership is rounded up, the plan is foiled, and Harley dies (the Joker didn't want anyone doing this "gag" but him; he found a way from beyond the grave to kill anyone who tried). In the conflict, both Batmen show their stuff, but Terry ends up having to save Bruce.

As they start to recover, Dick and Barbara concede that Terry is worthy of the mantle, though it is clear he needs more training. Barbara agrees to tolerate his presence on the condition that Bruce permanently gives up the cowl. Bruce agrees, but can't resist one last "flight." While patrolling the city, he spies a couple and their son being held at gunpoint in Crime Alley. He swoops in to help, and he does scare off the gunman (and the couple), but he takes a fatal bullet wound. With his last strength, he makes it back to the cave and extracts a promise from Selina to finish Terry's training. Two funerals are held; one in public, one for the Bat-family, who bury Bruce in the cave. Terry prepares for his first solo flight. Batman lives on.

#z's fics #batman #DC #fan fiction #headcanon

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hufflepuff-ravenclaw-reviews · 6 years

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Review of Harrow Season 1 Episode 1

I randomly found Harrow on the (now defunct) site where I get my streaming stuff from. I decided that it sounded interesting, and that it was right up my alley. So, I bookmarked it to wait for the first season to finish... as well as for me to catch up on some other stuff in the meantime.

Well, today, I had nothing else to watch. I've finished Lucifer (WHY WAS THIS CANCELED.) and just finished Agents of SHIELD. So... Harrow time, I guess?

The formula for the show is one that you're all familiar with, if you're into medical crime dramas. Which I am.

However, the show's main problems lie in this familiarity. It's too familiar. To the point where it seemed like it just went down a check-list of characters and tropes.

The main character is Harrow, who is a medical examiner with the police. He basically is the person who decided if it was a suicide, homicide, heart attack from eating too many cheese burgers, etc etc. He's snarky, rude, refuses to let go of tiny things, but literally the only reason why he even still has a job is because he's so fucking good at it, that he can guess the COD just by looking at the body. No need for an autopsy with Harrow on the case.

He has a troubled teenage daughter who's into drugs and stealing rare, historical medical tools from her dad in order to fund her drug habit.

He has an estranged ex-wife that they only talk to in regards to said troubled daughter.

He has a POC assistant who is probably being set up to be the comic relief. He's also openly gay on top of the fact that he's Asian.

The only other ME shown in the one episode is described as being narcissistic and not that good at his job.

Harrow is introduced to a hot female police officer who's new in town. They instantly have eyes for one another.

The only other police detective shown is older and hates Harrow's guts because Harrow actually makes the detective do his damned job.

And as you're reading through the list of characters, you're probably able to think of at least one other show with literally all of these characters. If not similar, then almost identical.

Because I know that I have.

The set up for the show was so bland and predictable that I literally almost turned it off at about the 20 minute mark. Harrow wanted to leave to Bora Bora with his troubled daughter... but then got caught up in a case where the father insisted that it was murder, but the other (incompetent) ME insisted was nothing but a drunken, accidental suicide. And, because you know that this is a medical crime drama, we all knew right from the get-go that it wasn't suicide, and that it was her creepy fiancee.

The actual twist of the series, that sets it apart from all of the other series JUST LIKE IT is that Harrow apparently once killed a guy and dumped the body in the water. Which was recovered at the end of the episode. We see Harrow out on the water as he tosses some sort of wrench he used to cut the corpse's finger off... and then a flash back of Harrow putting the body in the water in the first place.

So this is apparently literally just Dexter... but this just takes place in Australia?

I'm afraid that I don't understand the appeal. I mean... sure. If you've literally never seen another medical crime drama in your entire life, I suppose that this could be rather interesting. But for me, this is just another thing that'll get put in the “DNF” pile.

#Harrow #The Ravenclaw mod

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musesarcade · 6 years

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The Mavericks of Ashley

When I was writing my canceled Beyond the Battle Network Line series, I did create eight Mavericks to with the series. I will draw them out in the future but for now here’s their information.

Armageddon Anaconda A seven-foot Anaconda theme Reploid who was originally made to explore areas that have a high level of radioactive that no life form can handle without dying or getting sick from the dosage and disarm nuclear weapons and stable nuclear power plants too. But Armageddon Anaconda isn’t the kind you want to stick around with when he makes his presence near for he is also known to be a cannibal Reploid. This Anaconda Maverick is known to kill and devour his victims and often times, he’s known just eating a part of his victims and Nityan is one of them after Vile tore her wings off and fed them to his snake friend. He’s is horribly known to have a cold and merciless personality which explains his great friendship with Vile. He only joined Accord’s side just so he can eat more Reploids. Carcass Vulture A Griffin Vulture theme Reploid who was made to find and recover dead bodies of Reploids and humans in natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and crisis made by Maverick crimes. The job took a terrible toll on him, driving him to hate his own kind for murdering innocent lives and he joined Accord’s side to help end the Reploid Race for good. Carcass Vulture is designed to look like a care Taker and he’s known to be a gentleman personality and even going as far as giving his opponents condolences over the deaths of their friends and loves one which, something that makes the Maverick Hunters either flinch or go into rage. Scorch Jabberwocky Based off of the Jabberwocky from Lewis Carol’s poem, “The Jabberwocky” Scorch Jabberwocky was made to help gather data on forest fires to help humans to combat against it easily and to prevent more lives and homes from being lost in the fire. Scorch Jabberwocky starts to question if Reploids truly need free will in order to live and joined Accord’s side while believing that free will is nothing but a burden. Scorch Jabberwocky is known to speak in a poet like sentences and it’s known to drive everyone around him crazy (And his mun too) Echo Orca An Orca theme Reploid, Echo Orca was made to do underwater exploring of sunken ships and caves where humans can’t reach without dying and handle pressure from crushing him. He never got along with Chill Penguin due to Orcas and Penguins being predator and prey and has the habit of hunting and trying to devour him. But he did have high respect for Duff McWhalen but yet always fighting with Metal Shark Player before he was punished. Orca doesn’t talk like a human, he mostly speaks the same way as a normal Orca would and translation has to bed used and he’s know to hunt and kill his victim. Unlike Armageddon Anaconda, he just toys with his prey before killing them. Flash Cheetah A Cheetah theme Reploid, Flash Cheetah was created to outrun poachers and arrest them on the spot to bring them into justice and protect endanger animals from harm. Flash Cheetah developed a strong hatred toward the human race and see them as nothing more than a disgusting mistake made by nature and started killing poachers rather than arresting them on the spot. He joined Accord’s side on one condition that every Reploid is brought back as an animal theme Reploids only. For this reason is that he also developed a hatred toward humanoid Reploids and finds hybrids between humans and animal theme Reploids to be the bane of the Animal Reploid race and even going as far as being open about his hatred toward them and calling X out for having a relationship with Nityan by claiming that her parents deserved to die for tainting the animal Reploid race. Flash Cheetah is build to be incredibly fast and know to even match with Overdrive Ostrich. Quick shot Jackalope A Jackalope theme Reploid, Quick Shot Jackalope never have a scrambled twitchy mind from the start. From the start of his life, he was a kind and respected Border Patrol Officer until the Sigma virus happened and when he was fighting it off, it fried his brain so badly that it turned him into a psychopath who can’t tell the difference between right or wrong, causing him to play judge, jury, and executioner when he comes across a Reploid. He joined Accord’s side in hopes that she can reset him and cure him of his illness and willing to do anything for her without knowing that he’ll be losing his free will in the process. He’s the reason for Nyiem almost getting killed when he rat him out by claiming that he’s the one who almost killed Konnar during the Repliforce crisis when Nyiem made his dragon form notice. It was later cleared by Konnar that it was Double who almost killed him. Quake Zebra A Zebra theme Reploid who was created for handling fracking for oil companies and to move heavy equipments around and thanks to Flash Cheetah, she was convinced to hate the human race for destroying nature for their greed for oil. Quake Zebra is powerful enough to rip out telephone poles and lift the heaviest of rocks over her head and crush anything with her hooves and takes pride in her strength in battle. She uses to have a crush on War Ram from the Repliforce in the past and thought he was killed in The Repliforce Crisis. That is until words got out that he simply just himself in exile. Digital Ferret A ferret theme Reploid who use to work in Maverick Hunter Security before Sigma's uprising happened and she joined his side until she grew bored of Sigma and joined Accord’s side to work for her instead and found the thrill that she is seeking. Her job was to locate and help hunt down New Generation Reploids for Accord’s Chimeras to tear them up and collect their copy chips to bring back. She may be small but yet Digital Ferret is not afraid to go all David and Goliath on any Reploids when it comes to fighting.

#Maverick OC List

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reggiejworkshop · 1 year

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"VHS 'Screenshots' from Wakko's Springfield Score"

"Coming this Saturday, everyone famous daytime trio will get to meet up everyone's famous primetime family on April 1! Only on Fox!" proposed tagline.

These are recovered, totally not fake, screenshots from a lost crossover special of Animaniacs and Simpsons made circa 1996 before it was canceled mid production due to unknown production issues, and totally not by a bored artist who wanted to have another go at creating VHS screen captures. No, its not based on a crossover fanfic I never got around to writing.

Okay, maybe it is.

Here's some dialogue for each screenshot scene going top to bottom.

Not to be long winded with a lengthy explanation, the fanfic story basically would have been a AU crossover fic where Yakko and Wakko Warner are former street hustlers turned detectives who run into Clancy Wiggum, a private investigator. (loosely based on that one shot Simpsons episode where he goes by Wiggum PI)

Wakko wants to team up with him, but he's turned down when it's considered to be too dangerous. What followed would be a series of hijinks as Wakko proved his worth as a detective; Krusty the comedian being framed for a serious crime, Inspector Scratchensniff on the hunt for the Wanrer Brothers and the missing Warner sister, all of it tied with together with some involvement with the Springfield Mafia.

So yeah, a simplish plot. Maybe if I ever get into writing fanfics again, I might actually write the whole story.

1)Wiggum PI: "Sorry Rover, I already got a partner, this city's too dangerous for a cat, dog...what are you two again?"

Yakko Warner: "Look, PI we barely know on our own show, that's not changing here"

2)Krusty: "Hey, Why the hell should I trust you? You're the reason I'm this mess in the first place!"

Wakko: "Cause I'm the only one who can clear your name!"

3)Skinny Boy: "We got to find those three deformed children before Fat Tony and his goons do! There's no telling what will happen when he gets a hold of them!"

Inspector Scratchensniff: "He's not the one we need to be worried about!"

4) Yakko, Wakko, and Dot "Heeelllo Tony!" (group kiss)

Fat Tony: "This meeting was a mistake..."

#the simpsons #animaniacs #crossover fanart #fanart #warner bros animation #fox animation #90s cartoons #fake screenshot #digital drawing #yakko wakko and dot #wiggum pi #fat tony #seymour skinner #hello nurse #dr scratchansniff #krusty the clown #ralph the guard

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geekysweetie · 6 years

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Top 2018 PS4 Games For Girls

I did a lot of research for this list. So the 40 2018 PS4 Games below are not ranked in any particular order.

If I had to pick a few favorites it’d be Detroit Become Human, Kingdom Hearts 3, Shenmue 3, Stein’s Gate Elite, Atelier Lydie & Suelle, Yakuza 6, Your Four Knights Princess Training Story, Shining Resonance Refrain, A Way Out, FF7, and Ni No Kuni 2.

This is not a full release list for the PS4 in 2018, but instead a collection of games I thought would appeal to other gamers such as myself based either on story, anime graphics, cuteness, or gameplay mechanics.

Leave me a comment below and let me know what games you’re looking forward to on PS4 this year!

40+ PS4 Games for Girls Releasing in 2018

1.) Moss

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A virtual reality game that features a mouse who knows sign language. The environment is beautiful and the characters are adorable.

2.) Ni No Kuni 2 Revenant Kingdom

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Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch is one of my favorite PS3 games. So it’s no surprise that I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel from Studio Ghibli and Level 5 on the PS4 in 2018.

3.) Red Dead Redemption 2

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It’s not often that I enjoy a shooting game; however, I am quite fond of the original back on the 360. I enjoy the open world environment, myriad of quests, and choice and consequence system. The horseback riding was also fun.

4.) Detroit: Become Human

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I think above any other title on my list, I’m most excited about this PS4 Exclusive from the makers of Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls. It’s a story driven game where the player must make choices at various points which will fork the story down different branches resulting in different endings.

5.) Shenmue 3

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Shenmue 3 broke records when it debuted on kickstarter 2 years ago. Finally the wait is over as the title will launch in mid 2018. In case you missed the first two games, rumors abound about an HD remaster that will include both Shenmue 1 and 2 also arriving on PS4 in 2018.

6.) Knights and Bikes

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This quirky cute co-op game aims to recapture the feelings of childhood innocence and fun. You can explore a colorful island, fight baddies with water balloons or race your friends on your bicycles.

7.) Bloodstained Ritual of the Night

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This is basically a Castlevania game, except since Kojima left Konami, he’s not allowed to use the name Castlevania anymore. I’m also digging the anime style characters as opposed to the more photo realistic characters the series has been using recently.

8.) Final Fantasy 7 Remake

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The wait is almost over for the Final Fantasy Remake with new stories, new visuals, and new combat systems. This is more than just an “HD Port” this is a reworking of the game from scratch, using the same characters, world, and story, but improving upon it in many ways.

9.) The Last Of Us Part 2

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This story driven post-apocalyptic action game is finally getting a sequel.

10.) Death Stranding

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Kojima’s answer to Konami cancelling his Silent Hills game. It looks creepy AF. So if horror is your thing, check this one out. I’ll be picking it up but I know I won’t be able to play it alone in the dark.

11.) Beyond Good and Evil 2

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Fans have been begging for this sequel for years, and now finally, the wait is almost over. This quirky series is best known for its anthropomorphic animals and charming worlds.

12.) Kingdom Hearts 3

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I am currently preparing for Kingdom Hearts 3 by playing the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 HD Remix which combines like 8 of the Kingdom Hearts games. I was a big fan of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 when it first came out on PS2, and am excited to revisit the worlds of Kingdom Hearts again in KH3.

13.) Monster Hunter World

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Open world RPG adventure game with huge monsters and a variety of weapons and equipment.

14.) Concrete Genie

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Your graffiti creations come to life in this PS4 exclusive.

15.) Anamorphine

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Another PS4 VR game. This virtual reality game puts you in the role of a young man trying to recover his memories and make sense of the world around him. The story is about his relationship and his wife’s depression.

16.) Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory

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This prequel will reveal the events leading up to Digimon Cyber Sleuth as you play as Keisuke, a young man accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He must join a team of hackers to uncover the truth. Over 320 Digimon to discover.

17.) Iconoclasts

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This game is full of intricate puzzles and a deeply moving story about faith, purpose, and the challenge of helping people.

18.) Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT

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The characters from various final fantasy games return for this fun crossover fighting game.

19.) Past Cure

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This story driven stealth game will let players use a variety of skills that blend dreams and reality as they try to help the main character master his new found powers while escaping from frightening horrors.

20.) Shadow of the Colossus

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A story of a boy trying to find his lost love. Armed with only a bow and arrow you must battle fearsome giants.

21.) The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia

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Based on the hit Netflix anime, this beautiful looking brawler features all of your favorite characters in a brand new storyline.

22.) Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[ST]

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This new fighting game from the creators of Melty Blood and Tsukihime features not only great anime artwork, but an excellent story in campaign mode as well. The game blends story and fighting sequences in a similar fashion as Blazblue

23.) Crossing Souls

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This colorful adventure game takes place in the 1980s in California. It features puzzle solving and fighting.

24.) Kingdom Come Deliverance

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Kingdom Come Deliverance is an open world first person action RPG with non-linear story and stunning graphics.

25.) Secret of Mana

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This gorgeous remake of the SNES classic will launch in February 2018.

26.) Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

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Based on the popular Sword Art Online Anime. This new title features gun-based combat and 4 player co-op or vs modes.

27.) Frantics

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Cute animal characters star in this 4 player party game where you must bluff, battle, or negotiate your way to victory.

28.) Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

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Yakuza is a spin off of the Shenmue Series. It features a deep lengthy storyline, intriguing characters, and of course crazy, fun, zany minigames, all in an open world. New to Yakuza 6 is the cat cafe and spear fishing just to name a few.

29.) A Way Out

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A narrative game that can only be played with 2 players. Don’t worry if you don’t have any friends, you can play online as well as local co-op. The story revolves around 2 men trying to break out of prison. To do so you must make decisions in the story that will help build trust and friendship between the two inmates.

30.) Dollhouse

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An interesting game that lets you create your own maps and stories. It seems to be about artificial intelligence. The multiplayer mode says you are fighting for control to be the “dominant mind”.

31.) The Lost Child

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The Lost Child is an anime RPG in which you are able to collect over 50 different gods from various mythologies and train over 250 different skills. It includes both English and Japanese voice overs.

32.) The Witch and The Hundred Knight 2

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This cute anime RPG lets you craft new weapons and items as well as recruit minions to fight for you.

33.) Gintama Rumble

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This fighting game is based on the hit anime and manga. It will launch in January 2018.

34.) Fist of the North Star

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From the developer of Yakuza, this action brawler is based on the hit retro anime and manga by the same name.

35.) Stein’s Gate Elite

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This is a remastered version of the original Stein’s Gate game using animation taken directly from the anime based on the first game plus new animation created for this game. The goal was to create a fully animated visual novel (as opposed to still images). The developers are said to have been inspired from Yarudora, a series of fully animated visual novels from the 90s. I would also compare it to School Days HQ which is also fully animated. (and that animation style is why it ranks among our top 10 games for girls). I reviewed the original Stein’s Gate here. I highly recommend it. And since the first and second Stein’s Gate games have both been released in North America, I’d say there’s a good chance we will see an English release for Stein’s Gate Elite as well.

36.) Your Four Knights Princess Training Story

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A “Raising Sim” similar to games such as Princess Maker and Graduation 95. Gematsu has an excellent article detailing how you will train your princess. Basically it involves scolding or praising your princess at various times, for example during conversations or while exploring dungeons. The story and characters change based on your decisions and how you raise your princess. The princesses each have various parameters that you can train to unlock new skills or increase their stats to help them in battle.

37.) Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists & the Mysterious Paintings

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Atelier games focus on gathering ingredients and crafting new items. As you can see from the trailer, they feature beautiful anime graphics, and deep stories. Their gameplay is often long, and at times it can get tedious, however, for those who love crafting and exploring, Atelier offers the ultimate crafting system.

38.) Super Robot Wars X

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Gematsu indicates that there will be a southeast asian version of this game with English subtitles. For fans wanting to play these games in English you should be able to import the game from Play Asia. It appears to be a compilation of many different retro Super Robot War titles, better known as Gundamn in North America.

39.) OK K.O. Let’s Play Heroes

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This colorful brawler game from Cartoon Network arrives in early 2018.

40.) Shining Resonance Refrain

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This is a remaster of the PS3 Shining Resonance Game, part of Sega’s Shining Force/Shining Wisdom game series. The PS3 version was never released in North America. Perhaps the new PS4 remake will find its way overseas. In addition to new graphics, this version includes new story scenarios and gameplay modes.

Top 2018 PS4 Games For Girls was originally published on GeekySweetie.com - Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

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automaticpostinfluencer · 4 years

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The Mandalorian: Everything we know about Disney Plus Star Wars show

The Mandalorian is the first live action Star Wars show, and it’s getting a second season in fall in 2020.

Lucasfilm / Illustration by CNET

“Mandalorian, look outside, they’re waiting for you.” The wait is over — you can watch the all eight episodes of the first season of Jon Favreau‘s live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian on Disney Plus right now. The show introduced us to the gift that is Baby Yoda (subject of many a fan theory and an onslaught of merch) and may bring a beloved Clone Wars character into live action for the first time in Season 2.

Disney Plus won’t be launching in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Germany until March 24. The first two episodes will be available that day, with the third coming on Friday, March 27. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly, and hit the service at 8 a.m. each Friday.

Now playing: Watch this: First look at the best Baby Yoda toys coming this year

3:49

What we know about season 2?

It’ll start in October 2020, Disney boss Bob Iger (who’s since stepped down) said in a Feb. 4 earnings call. He also mentioned the possibility that some of the show’s characters could go “in their own directions in terms of series” — hinting that we might see some Mandalorian spinoffs down the line.

Rosario Dawson will reportedly play Ahsoka Tano in the second season.

Rich Polk/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Entertainment

On March 20, Slashfilm reported that season 2 will see Ahsoka Tano, former Padawan of the late Anakin Skywalker, make her live action debut. She’ll apparently be played by Rosario Dawson, whom you might remember playing Claire Temple in Netflix’s Marvel shows.

Michael Biehn, who played Kyle Reese in The Terminator and and Corporal Hicks in Aliens, will join the cast as a bounty hunter, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Bill Burr will apparently also reprise his role as gunslinger Mayfield, and principal photography on the season was apparently completed before the coronavirusoutbreak, according to i09.

The day the season 1 finale aired, Favreau mentioned season 2 in a tweet featuring a Gamorrean — the porcine species that served as Jabba the Hutt’s guards in Return of the Jedi. So presumably that race will show up in the next batch of episodes.

CNET CULTURE NEWSLETTER

Movies to music, toys to technology, entertain your brain.

What happened in season 1?

You’re in luck! I wrote detailed recaps of each episode that you can use to catch up:

Chapter 1: The Mandalorian

Chapter 2: The Child

Chapter 3: The Sin

Chapter 4: Sanctuary

Chapter 5: The Gunslinger

Chapter 6: The Prisoner

Chapter 7: The Reckoning

Chapter 8: Redemption

Now playing: Watch this: Your guide to Star Wars lightsaber colors

2:16

Who’s in it?

Pedro Pascal (best known for playing Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones) is the bounty hunter behind the helmet: He’s a lone Mandalorian gunfighter operating in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Pedro Pascal is the man behind the Mandalorian’s helmet.

Gabriel Maseda/NurPhoto via Getty Images

He’s joined by a star-studded cast, but a couple of these characters didn’t survive season 1:

I dunno about you, but the sight of happy Baby Yoda immediately calms me.

Disney

What’s the deal with Baby Yoda?

This little guy captured everyone’s hearts the moment he appeared in the season premiere, and we’ve got a whole separate guide for him. He’s officially known as The Child — we don’t know his real name, race or home planet, but he can use the Force pretty effectively and the Imperial Remnant wants him.

Oh, and the most detailed version of the puppet apparently cost around $5 million.

Mando walks away from his ship, the Razor Crest, in the show’s poster.

Disney/Lucasfilm

Why isn’t this about the usual Jedi and Sith conflict?

The Star Wars underworld is a very rich storytelling environment, according to executive producer Jon Favreau. He wanted to get back to the tone of the old Western and samurai films that inspired George Lucas, and said the show is Star Wars meets Mad Max.

The Mandalorian is one of four shows set in a galaxy far, far away coming to the Disney Plus streaming service.

The seventh season of The Clone Wars started in February, and the company announced a Rogue One prequel series focusing on rebel spy Cassian Andor in 2018. And Ewan McGregor will return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a brand new show, set to start shooting in 2021.

Now playing: Watch this: We rode Disney’s new Star Wars ride

8:02

Who else is involved?

Directors for the first season:

Favreau, Filoni, Colin Wilson and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy are the executive producers, with Karen Gilchrist as co-executive producer.

The Mandalorian is among the first projects for ILM TV, a division of Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic visual effects company. The show’s soundtrack is composed by Ludwig Göransson, who scored Black Panther, Venom and Creed II. Göransson’s Black Panther score won him a Grammy and an Oscar in 2019.

Is there a bounty of Mandalorian merch for us to hunt?

Merchandise hunting is a complicated hobby, but you know you want it. Three characters from the show are represented in the six-inch Black Series — The Mandalorian himself (along with a shiny carbonized variant), Cara Dune, IG-11, the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian (named Paz Vizla) and the Offworld Jawa. Baby Yoda will join them in spring 2020.

What’s a Mandalorian?

Mandalorians are humans from the Outer Rim world of Mandalore, its moon Concordia and the planet Kalevala, whose story was largely told in The Clone Wars and Rebels.

Sabine Wren (seen wielding the Darksaber) could appear in the show.

Lucasfilm

Their world went through major political upheaval during the Clone Wars and early days of the Galactic Empire’s rule, but many of the clans united under the rule of Bo-Katan Kryze after she took control of the Darksaber. The black-bladed weapon was created more than 1,000 years earlier by Tarre Vizsla (the first Mandalorian to join the Jedi Order) and became a symbol of leadership — it also showed up in The Mandalorian’s season 1 finale.

You probably associate bounty hunters Boba Fett and Jango Fett with the term because they wear the cool armor, but they aren’t true Mandalorians. Jango once claimed to be from Concord Dawn, a Mandalorian world, but the government considered him (and by extension, his cloned son Boba) to be pretenders.

Bounty hunter Boba Fett wears Mandalorian armor, but his status is disputed.

Lucasfilm

Could Boba Fett show up?

Fans have been clamoring for Boba’s return to the Star Wars galaxy despite his fall into the maw of a hungry sarlacc in Return of the Jedi, but there’s been no indication that will happen and he didn’t show up in season 1.

Fans of the Legends material (developed in novels, comics and games prior to 2014) will recall that Boba escaped the sarlacc in that continuity and went on to become the leader of Mandalore in a very different (and non-canon) post-Return of the Jedi galaxy.

In canon, Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy of novels saw Mandalorian armor that’s heavily implied to be Boba’s being recovered from the pit and worn by former slave Cobb Vanth. Using the armor as a symbol of power, he becomes sheriff of Freetown (a settlement on Tatooine) and offers sanctuary to anyone willing to battle the world’s crime syndicates.

We also saw a mysterious person approach assassin Fennec Shand’s body on Tatooine in the final moments of season 1’s fifth episode, but the show hasn’t followed up on that tease yet.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian AT-ST Raider stands tall in Hasbro’s Vintage Collection

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What other stories could they draw from?

Star Wars 1313 was a video game that got shelved when Disney shut down all projects at LucasArts — Lucasfilm’s game development group — in 2013. We saw an impressive demo for Uncharted-style adventure before that, featuring actor Wilson Bethel (who recently hit the target in Daredevil season 3).

It would’ve seen players exploring the bowels of the city planet Coruscant — the title was a reference to its grimy underworld Level 1313 (which later appeared in The Clone Wars).

After it was canceled, we found out that Boba Fett was going to be the star and that Kennedy later agreed the concept art was “unbelievable.”

“So our attitude is, we don’t want to throw any of that stuff away. It’s gold,” she told Slashfilm in 2015. “And it’s something we’re spending a lot of time looking at, pouring through, discussing, and we may very well develop those things further. We definitely want to.”

In that same interview, Kennedy noted that Lucasfilm read through the material Lucas developed for the canceled TV show Star Wars: Underworld, which was announced in 2005 and canned in 2010 due to budget constraints. It was to be set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and would have tied into 1313.

The Mandalorian invades Hasbro’s Star Wars: Black Series action figure line

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willowlovestheology · 4 years

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Ecclesiology of coronavirus: How faith communities in the Pacific Northwest are adapting

Temple de Hirsch Sinai, a Reform Jewish synagogue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, announced a few days ago that it would hold last night’s and today’s Shabbat service by livestream only, closing the sanctuary to all congregants.

I have a fond memory of TDHS, as I used to live within a walking distance of it and I attended their Friday evening services for some time when Rabbi Earl Starr was still leading the congregation (a long time ago!).

I tuned into this morning’s service, which was intermittently choppy perhaps because of the unexpected overload on livestream servers (after all, this is a pretty large congregation and if everyone was streaming the live video feed it would slow things down).

This solution may work for Reform and Reconstructionist synagogues -- as well as many Protestant churches -- it won’t for Orthodox and many Conservative synagogues, however.

According to the Orthodox and traditionalist interpretation of halacha, or Jewish law, any use of objects that are typically used for “work” is forbidden on Shabbat. This means telephones, stoves, buttons on elevators, light switches, televisions, automobiles, and computers, among others.

I remember spending a shabbat with an Orthodox family for the first time. Electric lights were turned on before Friday sunset and the switches were taped. Refrigerators were set so that when you opened it, the light wouldn’t turn on. And the dad of the household was scolding his five-year-old daughter for playing with a plastic toy shaped like a telephone (even though it is not a real working telephone). All the meals were already made before Friday sunset and put on crockpots. Needless to say, no television, no musical instruments, and certainly a livestreamed virtual synagogue service would be out of question.

The idea of “work” here in the traditional understanding of halacha is somewhat counterintuitive for us in the modern age. On its surface, technological inventions has made our lives less of work. Driving a car for a mile consumes less calories than walking 20 minutes. Riding an elevator from the ground floor to the 20th floor is no work, but imagine walking up the stairs. After all, most of the modern inventions we take for granted were made to make our lives easier, not harder.

Yet, the concept of kedusha (holiness, the set-apart-ness) at the core of shabbat -- one special day of rest that is different from the rest of the week -- also seems to point to a wisdom of making this one day a technology-free zone. After all, even as we stream the shabbat service, the same device also pops up all kinds of distractions: email alerts, Facebook alerts, Twitter alerts, breaking news alerts, and so on. So I respect those who would rather not to make a shabbat a virtual experience.

I have been monitoring the development in major places of worship in Western Washington and Portland metropolitan area for the last several days.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, has issued directives to all Western Washington Catholic churches to modify the ways how they conduct the Mass. For example, the holy water basin is emptied and administration of the eucharistic elements are modified to minimize the spread of the virus. Similar instructions have also been issued by the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia and the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon.

Sacramental churches (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches -- and to a lesser extent, Lutheran and Methodist churches), in which the holy eucharist plays the central role in their worship, cannot easily make their services go online. The eucharistic elements -- the bread and wine -- must be of approved ingredients and be properly sanctified by a priest in order to be valid. While some Evangelical Protestants can “take communion” on their own, or as some televangelists have done, inviting viewers to bring the elements before the screen as the TV preacher remotely say the words of institution, such a method is not typically accepted by traditional sacramental churches.

An option that has been used in the Episcopal Church is the use of “eucharistic visitors”: that is, have someone from the church deliver pre-consecrated wine and bread to homebound and hospitalized communicants. While this may work for a small number of people, it can pose logistical challenges for a larger number of people.

East Lake Church in Bothell, Washington, has decided to cancel all Sunday services through the month of March, while making available the previously scheduled sermon series and workshops online.

Some megachurches appear to be unconcerned, however. Christian Faith in Federal Way, Washington -- one of the largest megachurches in the Puget Sound region -- is moving ahead not only with the regular services tomorrow, but also their special annual event, Vision Weekend. Since Christian Faith, like many Charismatic and Pentecostal churches, believes in divine healing, perhaps it might consider a cancellation of services as a “lack of faith.”

As many such churches are large, it could pose a unique public health challenge.

This is not new. During the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, many churches shut their doors under the orders of the health authorities.

Beyond the practical issue of whether to hold services this or next week, the spread of COVID-19 in the Pacific Northwest brings an ecclesiological and theological challenge, as well.

In the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament alike, there are mentions of leprosy -- a highly contagious disease. The Torah prescribed for detection of leprosy, exclusion and quarantine methods, and how to certify if a patient has recovered. Given the time period in which the Torah was written, its wisdom on public health is far ahead of its time. In the New Testament, however, we see how leprosy (or suspicion of leprosy) has become weaponized as a tool of social exclusion. It may have been true that by the time of Jesus, it has morphed from a sound public health precaution to a form of collective paranoia (n.b.: while this is a common Christian narrative, it is not without critics).

In recent weeks, many Asian-Americans have fallen victim to hate crimes. Asian-owned businesses, such as Chinese restaurants and Korean corner stores, have been losing customers. Conservative talk show hosts such as Lars Larson claim that this is not racism but just a prudent precaution because they may have traveled to China to see relatives over the Chinese New Year (a rather grotesque generalization).

The problem is that we don’t know.

Lack of knowledge destroys people.

Between the incompetent and politicized government response, sensationalistic news coverage, mass panic, and deliberate misinformation, we all feel like we should be safe than sorry.

This means we act as if everyone we see has the SARS-nCoV-2 virus whether they know it or not, and by extension, everything they touch is literally covered with that virus.

Living a life as if everything around us is a deadly landmine can take a toll on our mental health, as well.

People who have been quarantined are already feeling like outcasts and prisoners. The only human interaction they have are with health workers and emergency responders in hazmat suits. If that won’t make you feel like a reject, I don’t know what else would.

Events are getting cancelled, people are not traveling as much, the sentiment is we stock up on toilet papers and hunker down.

Emergencies such as this makes everyone a suspect.

Exclusion prevails over inclusion.

Paranoia and fear overcome reason and faith.

But we don’t have to. We can practice inclusion while still practicing the evidence-based precaution.

The unfortunate situation is that our idea of COVID-19 has been largely shaped by the news footage of Wuhan and the Diamond Princess -- two of the badly mismanaged cases that, despite all the good intentions and drastic measures, only made the situation worse -- not the better responses by Taiwan and South Korea.

#covid-19 #2019-ncov #sars-cov-2 #churches #synagogues #ecclesiology #exclusion #coronavirus

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xeford2020 · 5 years

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Star Trek and So Much More: The Breakout TV Season of 1966-67

“Batman Cartoon Kit” Colorforms, 1966-68. THF 6651

It was the 1960s—the golden age of television. Some 95% of American homes boasted at least one TV. These were primarily black and white sets, as color TV was still out of the reach of many families. It’s hard to imagine now but there were only three channels at the time. Every year, the three networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC) vied for viewer ratings, shifting and changing shows and showtimes at two pivotal times during the television season—Fall and Winter.

As the Fall 1966 season unfolded, it became evident to TV viewers that something extraordinary was happening. Sure, there were the usual long-running sitcoms, like Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies. But change was in the wind. A new crop of programs emerged—colorful, fast-paced, poking fun at things that were supposed to be serious and exploring contemporary social issues.

Why the difference all of a sudden? Many of these shows were aimed at the youth audience, considered by this time an influential group of TV watchers. Others purposefully took advantage of the new color televisions. Sometimes show producers and creators were simply tired of the old formulas and wanted to break out of the box.

Let’s take a look at a few highlights from the 1966-67 TV season—starting with the staid and true and working up to the wild and wacky—and see what all the hubbub was about!

Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (Sunday, 7:30-8:30 p.m., NBC)

Snow Globe, “The Wonderful World of Disney,” 1969-79. THF174650

On Sunday nights since 1954, millions of Americans had tuned in to watch Walt Disney host his TV show, with a changing array of animated and live-action features, nature specials, movie reruns, travelogues, programs about science and outer space, and—best of all—updates on Walt Disney’s theme park, Disneyland. Since 1961, this show had been broadcast in color.

The 1966-67 season was particularly memorable because Walt Disney tragically passed away on December 15, 1966. But since the episodes had been pre-recorded, there was Walt still hosting them until April 1967. Viewers found this both comforting and disconcerting. Finally, after April, Walt was dropped as the host and, eventually, the show was retitled The Wonderful World of Disney. It ran with solid ratings until the mid-1970s.

Bonanza (Sunday, 9:00-10:00 p.m., NBC)

“Ponderosa Ranch” Mug, ca. 1970. THF174648

Viewership was high on NBC on Sunday nights at 9:00, as Bonanza was one of the most popular TV shows of all time. Running for 14 seasons and 430 episodes, this series about the trials and tribulations of widower Ben Cartwright and his three sons on the Ponderosa Ranch was an immediate breakout hit when it premiered in 1959, amidst a plethora of more run-of-the-mill prime-time westerns. Its popularity was primarily due to its quirky characters and unconventional stories—including early attempts to confront social issues. It was the first major western to be filmed in color and was the top-rated show on TV from 1964 to 1968. Bonanza ran until 1973.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Friday, 8:30-9:30, NBC)

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” lunchbox and thermos, 1966. THF92303

Premiering in September 1964, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. took full advantage of the popularity of the spy genre launched by the James Bond film series. In fact, early concepts for it were conceptualized by Bond creator Ian Fleming. In this series, Napoleon Solo (originally conceived as the lone star) and Russian agent Ilya Kuryakin (added in response to popular demand) teamed up as part of a secret international counterespionage and law enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement). Solo and Kuryakin banded together with a global organization of other agents to fight THRUSH, an international organization that aimed to conquer the world.

During this, the Cold War era, it was groundbreaking for a show to portray a United States-Soviet Union pair of secret agents, as these two countries were ideologically at odds most of the time. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was also known for its high-profile guest stars and—taking a cue from the Bond films—its clever gadgets. In 1966, this series won the Golden Globe for Best Television Program and, building upon its popularity, spun off into two related double-feature movies that year. Unfortunately, attempting to compete with lighter, campier programs of the era, the producers made a conscious effort to increase the level of humor—leading to a severe ratings drop. Although the serious plot lines were soon reinstated, the ratings never recovered. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was canceled in January 1968.

I Spy (Wednesday 10:00-11:00, NBC)

TV Guide featuring “I Spy” characters Robert Culp and Bill Cosby on cover, March 25-31, 1967. THF275655

One series that never opted for campy was I Spy, which starred Bill Cosby and Robert Culp playing two U.S. intelligence agents traveling undercover as international “tennis bums.” This series, which premiered in 1965, was also inspired by the James Bond film series and remained a fixture in the secret agent/espionage genre until cancelled in April 1968. I Spy, additionally a leader in the buddy genre, broke new ground as the first American TV drama series to feature a black actor in a lead role. It was also unusual in its use of exotic locations—much like the James Bond films—when shows like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. were completely filmed on a studio backlot.

I Spy offered hip banter between the two stars and some humor, but it focused primarily on the grittier side of the espionage business, sometimes even ending on a somber note. The success of this series was attributed to the strong chemistry between Culp and Cosby. Cosby’s presence was never called out in the way that black stars and co-stars were made a big deal of on later TV programs like Julia (1968) and Room 222 (1969).

Get Smart (Saturday, 8:30-9:00 NBC)

“Get Smart” Lunchbox, 1966. THF92304

Premiering in September 1965, Get Smart was a comedy that satirized virtually everything considered serious and sacred in the James Bond films and such TV shows as I Spy and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Created by comic writers Mel Brooks and Buck Henry as a response to the grim seriousness of the Cold War spy genre, it starred bumbling Secret Agent 86—otherwise known as Maxwell “Max” Smart, along with supporting characters, female Agent 99 and the Chief. These characters worked for CONTROL, a secret U.S. government counterintelligence agency, against KAOS, “an international organization of evil.” Brooks and Henry also poked fun at this genre’s use of high-tech spy gadgets (Max’s shoe phone perhaps being the most memorable), world takeover plots, and enemy agents. Somehow, despite serious mess-ups in every episode, Maxwell Smart always emerged victorious in the end.

Get Smart was considered groundbreaking for broadening the parameters of TV sitcoms but was especially known for catchphrases like “Would you believe…” and “Sorry about that, Chief.” Despite a declining interest in the secret-agent genre, Get Smart’s talented writers attempted to keep it fresh until it was finally cancelled in May 1970.

Batman (Wednesday and Thursday, 7:30-8:00, ABC)

Toy Batmobile, 1966-69. THF174647

Bursting onto the scene in January 1966, Batman became an instant hit and took the country by storm. Batmania was in full swing by the Fall 1966-67 TV season. The series, based upon the DC comic book of the same name, featured the Caped Crusader (millionaire Bruce Wayne in his alter-ego of Batman) and the Boy Wonder (his young ward Dick Grayson in his alter-ego of Robin). These two crime-fighting heroes defended Gotham City from a variety of evil villains. It aired twice weekly, with most stories leaving viewers hanging in suspense the first night until they tuned in the second night.

This show successfully captured the youth audience, with its campy style, upbeat theme music, and tongue-in-cheek humor. Despite the fact that it verged on being a sitcom, the producers wisely left out the laugh track, reinforcing the seriousness with which the characters seemed to take the often absurd and wildly improbable situations in which they found themselves. The filming simulated a surreal comic-book quality, with characters and situations shot at high and low angles, with bright splashy colors and with sound effects, like Pow, Bam, and Zonk, appearing as words splashed across the action sequences on screen. The series was also replete with numerous gadgets and over-the-top props, with the Batmobile undoubtedly most memorable. Batman ran until March 1968, experiencing a significant ratings drop after its initial novelty faded.

Lost in Space (Wednesday 7:30-8:30, CBS)

“Lost in Space” Lunchbox and Thermos, 1967. THF92298

Loosely based upon the story of the Swiss Family Robinson, this TV series depicted the adventures of the Robinson family, a pioneering family of space colonists who struggled to survive in the depths of space in the futuristic year of 1997—as the United States was gearing up to colonize space due to overpopulation. But the family’s mission was sabotaged, forcing the crew members to crash-land on a strange planet and leaving them lost in space.

The show had premiered in September 1965 as a serious science fiction series about space exploration and a family searching to find a new place for humans to dwell. But, in January 1966, pitted against Batman’s time slot, Lost in Space producers attempted to imitate Batman’s campiness with ever-more-outrageous villains, brightly colored outfits, and over-the-top action. The plots increasingly featured Robby the Robot and the evil Dr. Zachary Smith. Viewers and actors alike strongly disapproved of this shift. The show lingered on until March 1968.

The Monkees (Monday, 7:30-8:00, NBC)

“Monkees” Lunchbox and Thermos, 1967. THF92313

Where other shows might have been lighthearted, campy, or tongue-in-cheek, The Monkees at times verged on pure anarchy. This series, which premiered on September 12, 1966, led off NBC’s prime-time programming every Monday night. It lasted only two seasons but during that time, its star shone brightly. The Monkees followed the experiences of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as a rock ‘n’ roll band, often finding themselves in strange, even bizarre, circumstances while searching for their big break. Aimed directly at the youth audience, the band members were characterized as heroes down on their luck while the adults were consistently depicted as the “heavies.”

The Beatles’ films A Hard Day’s Night and Help! inspired producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider to create not only a show about a rock ‘n’ roll band but also to adapt a loose narrative structure (each member of the Monkees was trained in improvisational acting techniques at the outset of the show) and the musical sequences or “romps” that appeared each week. The series built a reputation for its innovative use of avant-garde filming techniques like quick jump cuts and breaking the fourth wall (that is, having the characters directly address the TV viewers). A well-oiled marketing machine behind the show also ensured that strong tie-ins were maintained with teen magazines, merchandise, and live concerts.

The Monkees won the Emmy for best comedy series during its first, the 1966-67, season. However, backlash was inevitable among critics and older teenagers when the Monkees admitted that they did not play their own instruments—although they clearly played them in their live concerts and, in fact, eventually had a falling-out with network executives about this very issue. Though the show was cancelled in 1968, it experienced a huge revival among younger audiences through Saturday morning reruns and especially with the 1986 MTV Monkees Marathon. Remaining band members Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith still attract large audiences of intergenerational fans at their live concerts, while reruns of their TV shows continue to draw new audiences.

Star Trek (Thursday, 8:30-9:30 NBC)

“Star Trek” lunchbox, 1968. THF92299

When Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966, science fiction shows were not very advanced—or even thought of very highly. Star Trek’s closest competitor, Lost in Space, offered only shallow plots, one-dimensional characters, and fake sets. No one could imagine at the time that this rather low-key show would become one of the biggest, longest-running, and highest-grossing media franchises of all time. This series traced the interstellar adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew aboard the United Federation of Planets’ starship Enterprise, on a five-year mission “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Creator Gene Roddenberry, aiming the show at the youth audience, wanted to combine suspenseful adventure stories with morality tales reflecting contemporary life and social issues. So, to get by network scrutiny, he set the premise of the show in an imaginary future. With the freedom to experiment, he put in place one of TV’s first multiracial and multicultural casts and was able to explore through different episodes some of the most relevant political and social allegories on TV at the time. The stories were also considered exceptionally high quality for that era, involving believable characters with which viewers could both identify and sympathize. Unlike the gloomy predictions of most science fiction writings of the time, Roddenberry hoped that the futuristic utopia he created on Star Trek would give young people hope, that it would empower them to create a better future for themselves someday. Star Trek, with only modest ratings, lasted only three seasons. But it would go on to become a cult classic.

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (Sunday, 9:00-10:00 p.m. beginning February 1967, CBS)

TV Guide featuring The Smothers Brothers on cover, June 10-16, 1967. THF275657

In Fall 1966, The Garry Moore Show, a variety show on CBS hosted by the aging radio and TV star, was no match when pitted against Bonanza—even with this, its first season in color. Network executives, at their wit’s end to try to attract viewership, decided the only way they could come up with a quick replacement was to substitute another variety show. In desperation, they landed on a simple variety series featuring the soft-spoken, clean-cut, non-threatening folk-music-playing Smothers Brothers. Considered a “young act,” an added bonus was that their show might capture the coveted youth audience. Little did they know what they were in for.

As the show evolved, the brothers not only became more politicized themselves but felt that they owed it to their young viewers to increase the show’s relevance, boldly addressing overtly divisive political and social issues. Their staff of young writers was only too happy to comply. Unfortunately, as a result, the brothers were continually at odds with the network censors until the show was finally cancelled after three seasons. In its continual conflicts with network executives, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour turned the variety show genre on its ear and paved the way for Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (1968) and, in pushing TV’s all-out rebellion against the status quo, led an explosive charge that resulted in 1970s shows like All in the Family (1971).

These are but a few highlights from the 1966-67 TV season. Some say that this was the greatest television season ever, a clear indication that TV had finally come of age. Because of shows like these, television would certainly never be the same again. And, come to think of it, neither would we!

Donna Braden, Curator of Public Life, was 13 years old during that memorable TV season and proudly wears her fan club button to every Monkees concert she still attends.

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Into the Badlands: What’s Next For Daniel Wu

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought moviemaking to a screeching halt all around the world. For Daniel Wu, who works in both Hollywood and Chinese productions, it’s been about watching and waiting to see which side of the Pacific reopens their studios first.

“For me, it actually just feels like what it feels like between jobs,” says Wu. “It’s just been really long.”

Most Americans know Daniel Wu from his groundbreaking AMC series Into the Badlands. Some might recognize him from his more recent roles in Tomb Raider and Geostorm, and a few may even remember him from Jackie Chan’s Around the World in 80 Days or RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists. But Daniel Wu’s filmography is far more extensive than his Hollywood roles. In Asia, he is an A-list actor with over 70 films under his belt. He amassed numerous nominations from Asia’s most prestigious award ceremonies and won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Jackie Chan’s New Police Story at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards. However, Wu’s 20-year-plus movie career was never his plan. He was going to be an architect and was discovered by chance.

Wu was born in California and graduated from University of Oregon with a degree in architecture. “In ‘97 when I graduated, you know Hong Kong was going back to China and I decided OK, I’m going to go see this event—the Handover—and travel around Asia for two or three months and figure out what I was going to do,” Wu recalls. “My first month in Hong Kong, I got scouted to do a TV commercial and that led to the director of my first film, Yonfan, seeing that ad and then calling me into his office.” That film was Bishonen.

Bishonen is a Japanese term meaning “beautiful boy” and the film was a milestone for LGBTQ cinema in Hong Kong. Loosely based on a true story, Wu plays a gay cop entangled in complex affairs. “What I identified with when I first read it was that this was just a coming of age story,” Wu says. “It doesn’t matter that he’s in love with a guy or a girl or whatever. It’s a basic coming of age story. He’s trying to find who he is. So that’s how I kind of tapped into it with no acting background whatsoever. I jumped into this really complicated character and a difficult movie to make as my first role.”

Since his discovery, Wu has taken on a wide range of roles. “A lot of people don’t know that my career is not just Into the Badlands. I’ve done 20 years of all kinds of filmmaking: romantic comedies to action to noir to whatever to art house films, everything. I didn’t want to be cornered into one genre.”

For anyone who hasn’t seen Wu’s Asian films, he has some recommendations. Gen-X Cops is an effects-laden actioner starring Hong Kong’s ‘Brat pack’ at the turn of the millennium, all of whom have gone on to be big celebrities now. Love Undercover is the rom-com that earned him his “heartthrob” cred and spawned a franchise of sequels. One Night in Mongkok is a noir crime thriller that won many Asian film awards and opened the door for Wu to make what he calls “grown-up” films.

Wu won Best New Director for his Cantopop mockumentary Four Heavenly Kings at the coveted Hong Kong Film Awards. This film was like Spinal Tap on steroids with a brilliant unconventional marketing campaign. The four leads, including Wu, led the public into believing they were forming a boy band called “Alive,” fooling fans and the media alike. Alive even played three real major concerts in Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai, the last two in front of over 40,000 people. They filmed the entire journey, adding scripted scenes and staging scandals to get more media coverage and heighten the parody. It was a meta-level satire because that sort of packaged celebrity was exactly what Four Heavenly Kings was lampooning. The ruse wasn’t revealed until the film premiered.

After Into the Badlands was cancelled, Wu took some time off to let his body recover from all the stunt work. He read scripts and focused on his hobby of restoring vintage cars. “I was offered a bunch of martial arts stuff and I felt like if I took a martial arts role, that’s all I would ever be doing.” Despite his diverse roles in Asia, as an Asian, he could easily get typecast into Kung Fu roles in Hollywood. And Wu has done plenty of action already. Prior to Badlands, he was managed by Jackie Chan for 11 years, but he left that to broaden his range.

“I’m looking for the right project,” he says. “I haven’t found one yet. I’ve been reading a lot of scripts during this Covid period but I haven’t found one yet that I’m into in terms of acting-wise.”

Nevertheless, Wu had already completed work on two films before the pandemic shutdown. “After Badlands Season 3, I went and did a movie in China called Caught in Time.” Wu says that film is completed but its release was delayed by the outbreak. “I play a character based on a real person in the ‘90s who basically went on a robbing spree for like 10 years. This is before China had any kind of technology – no CCTVs, any kind of stuff. So this guy figured out it’s so easy to run rampant in this kind of system. And he did. It became a game for him.”

Wu also shot another project in November, Reminiscence, which co-stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, and Thandie Newton. Reminiscence is written, produced and directed by Lisa Joy, who also writes and produces Westworld. When Joy approached him for the part, he was thrilled. “She was like ‘I want you to play this character. He’s a bad guy but I want him to be evil, but sexy and attractive all at the same time in ways that we’ve never seen in an Asian American male character on screen before.’ And before she even showed me the script I’m like ‘I’m in.’” Reminiscence is a sci-fi film noir, which is Wu’s favorite genre (Bladerunner is one of his all time favorites). More so, he was delighted to be directed by Joy. “It was really cool to see a female person of color, an Asian American sister, just owning it on set.” Reminiscence is scheduled for theatrical release in April 2021.

Wu is also working behind the camera, producing a new TV show based on his 2009 Hong Kong film Overheard. “The first one we did was about three undercover cops who were tapping in on some gangsters and trying to bust this gang. And then they hear some insider trading tips—insider trading stock stuff—that’s not related to their case at all. And so they go ‘Oh, this is not going to hurt anybody if we invest in this’. And they do it and it’s all about this morality of what’s right and wrong.” The plot has been expanded into a TV series and reset in Queens. It was picked up in December by Spectrum. Wu isn’t sure if he’ll appear in the show, but then again, he didn’t intend to appear in Into the Badlands originally either.

What’s more, Wu was pitching his dream project when the pandemic put a stop to everything.

“China hasn’t had a Hoosiers or a Field of Dreams, those kinds of sports feel good movies. And so I wanted to do a movie about basketball, which is my second favorite sport after martial arts.”

China is the second largest film market in the world after Hollywood and it is poised to overtake Hollywood soon. Now with the pandemic eviscerating the global movie industry, who knows what will happen? But now, no matter what, a film must cater to both markets to truly become a global blockbuster. “I went into this trying to crack the code on what is a US China co-production and how can that be successful, right?”

If anyone is positioned to conquer both markets, it’s Daniel Wu. Already, three of his films proved the power of the Chinese market after flopping in the United States: Warcraft, Geostorm and Tomb Raider. Warcraft had a $160 million budget but only earned $47 million in the U.S. In China, it earned $221 million, making it the highest grossing video game movie of all time. It was such a dramatic turnaround that now when U.S. flops succeed in China, insiders call it a “Warcraft Redemption.”

“With these large-scale Hollywood productions, they’re trying to be more global. And so they’re trying to speak to a bigger global audience and that’s why people like me are getting more opportunities because I have a following in the East, you know? And so when you want to stack your cast with people that are pulled from different regions, it makes sense to put someone like me in those movies. And then it doesn’t hurt that I speak fluent English.”

For part one of our interview with Daniel Wu, in which he discusses the legacy of Into the Badlands, click here.

The post Into the Badlands: What’s Next For Daniel Wu appeared first on Den of Geek.

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