gritsandbrits

[gritsandbrits]

what i think is really funny about xiaolin showdown is that all of the villains overuse the word evil. like. “oh, he thinks that i’m going to a sleepover with some evil friends” is something that wuya said? and i’m laughing because wE KNOW YOU’RE AN EVIL BITCH OKAY OKAYWE Get it you honestly could have just said ‘friends’ and we’d get what you mean

[gritsandbrits]

Jack acts like he can touch Wuya's mask (or sometimes seems like he actually sorta can) just for the sake of messing with her

[gritsandbrits]

Fighting Style Parallels: Dashi and Raimundo

Using a projected force to repel foes: Both Rai and Dashi have the ability to use an unseen force to push enemies away from them. Dashi’s force is a chi wave projected in the form of the Repel the Beast technique. He shows great skill in its use as he can use this force without prior concentration and with versatility in his stances. It looks to have become an extension of himself. Raimundo’s repelling force is his wind powers. As the Dragon of the Wind these powers are already intrinsically attuned to him. So far he has only been shown to use this ability in a very straight forward manner, though he has shown great control of his element on multiple occasions and has the potential to use it in a similar capacity to Dashi’s chi waves.  

Flexible and flowing movements: Rai and Dashi both use the entirety of their bodies in combat. Their moves are always fluid and lead directly into the next, both planning ahead and reacting quickly to their opponents. The Tiger Sense ties into this through ones need to predict an opponents actions in order to react quick enough. Dashi shows to have an excellent grasp on this ability while Rai has been shown to have difficulty with it. Although there are a few instances later in the series when he seems to have used this sense to great effect, which is usually followed by a self congratulatory moment that leads to his downfall. (When fighting the big cats in The New Order.)

Unconventional Methods: As Dashi is a Grand Master his ability to fight without using a conventional stance comes as no surprise. The skilled martial arts master defeating foes with simple gestures is a trope seen in multiple movies in the genre. Both Chase Young and Master Fung have performed similar feats, usually to show the difference between their skills and the younger Monks. Dashi also stated to Omi at one point, “I’m a Grand Master Dragon. I make the rules”, which speaks of his willingness to fight a little differently. 

Raimundo’s fighting style can be classed as unconventional as he merges multiple martial arts styles together, Kung Fu, Capoeira, and Taekwondo. He has a tendency to use items in the environment as weapons, to his own amusement and benefit. His unconventionality can be seen in both his mannerisms and the Shen Gong Wu closely related to him. Both of them being swords that don’t function as swords. (Sword of the Storm can’t actually cut anything. Sword of the Nebula turns into a set of nunchuks.)

Showboating: This is more of a personality similarity then a combat one, yet they both do it. The above example is one that is the most obvious. Both warriors throw themselves through an enemy, an enemy they could both defeat without using such extreme methods. Both then proceed to make sure they look cool afterwards. Rai with his ‘must wait for the explosion’ trope and Dashi smirking like the overly powerful Grand Master he is. He probably bragged about it later to Guan or Chase. There are even more instances of Rai showboating during a fight, some of them subtle, others less so.

Disclaimer: I know very little about martial arts in general. These are just little observations I have made about these characters. 

[gritsandbrits]

[gritsandbrits]

Now I wanna see what Spider Doing Hokey Pokey looks like

Repulse the monkey!

Viper striking rock! Cheetah leaping tree! Bear fighting moose! Wolf attacking ox!

Chimp yanking chain! Rooster frying eggs! Dogs playing poker!

Goat Biting Tail! Horse Skipping Pebble! Cat Playing Fiddle! Duck Flipping Burgers!

It's interesting that Chase seems to call out the names of his attack while he's fighting with Omi (either against him or together with him).

And even then, only sometimes. It's not a constant.

Chase doesn't call out any of his attack names during his matches against Guan or Wuya or Hannibal or Jack. Even when he's clearly using his more complex techniques in those fights.

He doesn't call out his attacks against the other Xiaolin monks he fights, either, be it Master Fung or the dragons-in-training.

He just lets out standard grunts there. If anything besides the insults and taunts.

He didn't call out any attacks during his first fights with Omi in his introductory episode.

But he starts doing so in earnest when they spar during their first "lesson" in The Evil Within. Chase calls out attacks in unison with Omi while they're fighting the spiders together, and while they're taking on Jack's evil army together.

And Chase does it when he and Omi are one-on-one during the soccer match.

In his younger days as a monk, he seems to call out attack names more often, like Omi does. But the fact that Chase does it so sparingly now makes it feel like a very deliberate choice when he does.

It seems like Chase is only calling out his attack names during the times when he wants to teach Omi, so Omi has an easier time following along and identifying the moves so he can pick them up properly after Chase's demonstration.

[gritsandbrits]

Six years later after I had written post, have my feelings changed?

....nope! It still sucks!

40 Reasons Why Xiaolin Chronicles Sucks

1. The continuity is wack; like is it a reboot or a direct sequel? The narrative has an internal conflict between whether it wants to be a sequel or a reboot. And if it is a reboot, is it a soft reboot or a complete overhaul of the original show?

2. Clay had a weird goat fetish. 

3. Kimiko really became the Token Girl since her signature color changed from red to pink (probably To Sell Toys) during the showdowns.

4. Omi is now a Creator’s Pet who hogs all the spotlight from the other characters. 

5. Raimundo is no longer Shoku leader; instead everyone’s Shoku, which took away character development from him.

6. Chase’s awesome and quite tragic past became a generic “girl rejected a guy, thus guy becomes evil” backstory. Plus his honorable side is replaced with narcissistic attitude.  

7. The new Xiaolin Dragon is a plank of wood (literally). 

8. Ping Pong’s design which is basically Omi but shorter, less arrogant, and nerdy. Also he’s supposed to be the character representing Europe. 

9. Good Jack is flanderized to an incompetent and manipulative Religious Cult Leader Zealot archetype

10. Shadow has got to be one of the most disgusting and boring villains ever. Also she is a Villain Sue.

11. Dojo is yellow. And gay for Master Fung. 

12. Related to #10 but Shadow and Chase’s incestuous subtext. Even Jack had to call them out on how nasty it was. 

13. Wasted characters like Salvatore Cumo, Princess Kaila, and Dojo’s dragon friend; all of whom are interesting but don’t appear again until like the series finale. 

14. Apparently we needed yet another male member on the main team, so no improved gender ratio.

15. Ping Pong can suddenly use all four of the monks’ elements despite being a novice; also he skipped Wudai and went straight to Shoku. Gary Stu much?

16. Childish dialogue and serious moments aren’t taken seriously. 

17. Raimundo’s backstory is changed from having a normal childhood to yet another sad and depressing past that is even weird because it tried to be played for comedy when it really wasn’t. 

18. Kimiko has a sister despite nothing pointing to that in the original show

19. Omi gets to be in most of the showdowns; any other monk don’t get involved in many

20. A wasted opportunity to add Jermaine as the fifth dragon

21. Wuya’s backstory is changed drastically

22. Jack is a surfer dude/Steve Jobs rip-off; other than that he’s actually the least changed of the characters

23. Clay has a brother who was also never mentioned in the original show

24. The showdowns costumes are now generic cybernetic bodysuits clearly meant to cash in on Tron

25. The CGI is garbage even by kids show standards

26. Too much gross out humor and too little slapstick and jokes that are actually funny

27. There’s no other new Xiaolin Dragons or Elements introduced so we don’t get to see new team dynamics and unique heroic characters

28. The show’s magic system is messed up; now you have people suddenly using magic and random objects when in the original show magic was limited to filler episodes and few people and objects (non Shen Gong Wu)

29. All the characters lacked the depth they had in the original show. Now Raimundo’s the generic leader guy, Omi is even more arrogant and the Spotlight hog on top of that, Kimiko’s the girl and doesn’t change clothes anymore, and Clay and Ping Pong are just there. 

30. Dojo’s gross new way of detecting Shen Gong Wu

31. Chase lays an egg. That is all.

32. Chase and Omi is related, which actually kind of ruins the ambiguity between them.

33. The wood element is barely used in the show; Ping Pong rarely uses his element despite being hyped up as the strongest besides Omi

34. Interesting subplots gets dropped for more humor and subplots that ultimately go nowhere

35. Everything is resolved too easily, there’s no struggle or anything

36. There’s no appearance, cameo, or even mention of other characters from the previous show.

37. The Shen Gong Wu is renamed mostly due to copyright, but some of the new names makes no sense or generic. 

38. Often times, the new voices don’t fit the characters; Wuya’s voice is off, Kimiko sounds too old, Jack is less hammy, and Chase sounds like a generic villain instead of sneaky and sly. 

39. The action scenes aren’t that good anymore.

40. Clay punched a girl (Shadow). Something that goes against his character, even if that bitch deserved it. It would have been better if Kimiko punched her.

* I will add some more based on reader suggestions. Also as of 4/25 I removed the “anti-xiaolin chronicles” after a complaint. Don’t ask me who complained because I do not wish for anyone to start a witch hunt in my name.

** 4/26 I think I was too harsh on Jack. At least he wasn’t a complete wimp and actually the least changed from his original version. Also, I feel like the show could have expanded the roster of Xiaolin Dragons, maybe have Jermaine be a part of his own team but inverted gender ratio (meaning more female monks). The fact that the show was going to add more elements and characters on both the good and evil side made this all the more sad.

[gritsandbrits]

Chase saw what he looked like in Chronicles and had to bounce

Hey guys i havs a new f/o guess who he is?

[gritsandbrits]

Trying to overcome my hate for xiaolin Chronicles (failed, give me compensation)

[gritsandbrits]

Hey guys i havs a new f/o guess who he is?

[gritsandbrits]

Im thinking about making Antonia's aura color yellow because it'll go so hard with the wudai formation, it contrasts with her sister's purple, and most fan artists tend to make their oc Dragons of Nature pink anyways. Yellow isn't typically a color one would associate with nature though you could say it can represent flowers such as dandelions, fruits, and autumn. I might save pink for my self insert.

[gritsandbrits]

I have a confession to make: i dont like shadow. I think she was nothing more than a female chase, she acted more like his original self than he did in Chronicles which made him look so stupid, and she doesn't have the same charm that wuya, katnappe or dryis had. So im replacing her with my own charcater Willow-Jeanne LeBois. Her sister is Antonia Perrine who replaces ping pong since warring siblings would make their characters more interesting.

Willow Jeanne had a reputation for being a mean girl, looking down on those she felt were beneath her. In truth she was lashing out over the deaths of her parents, she sees power as a way to gain control over her life.

During a martial arts tournament Willow ajean was scouted by a monk and the next week she was sent to the xiaolin temple to train. But she didn't like the idea of having to follow rules or wasting her time fighting for stupid things like goodness. Realizing she didnt want to be a monk she ran away. Chase sensed her inner darkness dark side and offered to train her in exchange for loyalty. She agreed and began studying under him, acquiring powers to manipulate shadows, levitation and moonlight. Meanwhile the monks were disappointed that they lost a possible new teammate. A few later later the temple got a call from Willow's relatives saying that she hadnt returned home. The monks decided to look for her, running into her younger sister Antonia Perrine who had also been looking for her. Back At the temple Willow snuck into the temple to steal shen gong wu but was caught by master fung. They get into a fight which destroys the temple and force the monks to find a new home. After a few more skirmishes Willow revealed herself to be the new enemy. Antonia begged her to stop her nonsense and come home but she refused. She saw that she can do whatever she want as a heylin and acquired better powers. The two sisters begin to fight with willow quickly overpowering antonia with her powers. Antonia was saved by clay and willow went back to chase's lair. Antonia stays with the monks and becomes the Dragon of Nature.

Througout the show, willow would continue to study under chase. While powerful her talent is held back by her greed and rebellious personality, playing pranks on her fellow Heylin, being on her phone instead of doing her chores, and using her powers to steal Sanrio merch. May Dashi help us all.

Antonia would try to help willow jean but after a particularly nasty incident, Antonia realises her sister is truly evil and cuts ties with her, not before beating the shit out of her with trees. showing that family isnt always blood and some people choose to be evil without outside influence. Eventually she has a change of heart after realizing how badly she screwed up and in the future becomes the Dragon of Balance/Light.

During showdowns she wears a black and red variant of the Blue robes and with a purple moon symbol on the chest.

[gritsandbrits]

If that's the case that only makes me hate sentinel even more. Your friend had to serve time to protect you and you threw his kindness back in his face by belittling him and his team and everyone else innocent in the matter.

I think Optimus Served Time for Manslaughter in TFA...

tfa is both is a little dodgy and specific about when the archa 7 incident occurred.

like we know it's at least 1000 stellar cycles from Blackarachnia but it's kind of implied that Sentinel is like that with Bumblebee and Bulkhead and the other trainees in Autoboot Camp because he's lashing out over recent events. (we need to have more things pointing out Sentinel and Optimus' dismissiveness towards BB after they loss their friend who was also black and yellow but that's a different post)

But then we get Optimus who's punishment for and seemingly right after Blackarachnia's "death" is being assigned a repair duty with his crew WITH B&B and Ratchet, who is clearly used to their antics indicating the three have been working together for a while.

So, where was Optimus during the time gap?

I think a good explanation that fills the gap is that Optimus served some time in prison. Not overly long, but long enough for Ultra Magnus to pull some strings to allow him to keep his title. After all OP didn't do anything treasonous- he just let someone die. However frowned upon, that is not a crime in itself.

So I'm guessing he got the equivalent of a few months in a cell, got released, and basically slapped on the wrist with indefinite community service/exile with Space Bridge Repair.

[gritsandbrits]

I actually don't want a carrie monster high collector because a crucial point in her story was she wasn't a monster. Then again mattel did make a wedding beetlejuice and lydia so...

[gritsandbrits]

hey. hey.

[gritsandbrits]

I can fix you........... I can salvage you.......... Chronicles Jack Spicer.........

[gritsandbrits]

posting this for no particular reason

[gritsandbrits]

it’s so important for your health to regularly interact with people at least a decade older than you who aren’t family, especially as a young person.

When my 45 year old teammate gives me advice on mental health and I know she understands because she’s had a tough adult life.

When my 32 year old friend tells me his life started improving for the first time the year she turned 30.

When the 60 year old man at the soup kitchen gives me permission to grieve by telling me I’m ‘just a baby’ with only gentleness in his voice.

It’s so much easier to abandon and break out from the cultural idealisation of youth when you surround yourself with wonderful people in all stages of their lives.