#<to refer to comics him as well as netflix him

[gendrsoup]

so... lapel-grab-turned-kiss next season???

[cosmonadarovicarts]

Series/webtoons if you like Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss

Lovely hell

I'll start right away with the probably least known AND best of all - at least in terms of being similar to the universe of HH and HB-.

"Tanz, a powerful creature of pure evil, is vanished to Earth agaist her will. Weak and without a plan, she'll have to rely to Cain, a human, to guide her throught the world and figure a way back to her home: Hell."

First of all, it's a webtoon, so you can read it for free on Webtoon! Created by Tita (stage name Lorsupp), the story takes place in the present day. our protagonists are biblical characters (I won't give spoilers about who Tanz is. Cain, you guys must have already understood...).

This webtoon deserves much more recognition! the story is organic and well-paced, funny and tense when necessary. The characters are super charismatic and have chemistry, the Lore of Hell is super interesting and with a different approach from HH/HB. I love the character design - you can see the evolution of the author's traits as the chapters go by.

It's great to see other ways of approaching well-known characters -like the Jewish/Christian angels and demons-. A emphasis for Gabriel, ahhh this character hahah Anyway, this webtoon is the one I most recommend!

You can read it -> Webtoon account

When Instagram starts working again, I'll share the creator's account here!

Vilanius

This series - with just a few episodes left - is a Mexican animation released for Cartoon Network. Compared to HH's type of humor, here it is much more toned down, as it is aimed at a younger audience.

"Villainous is the story of Black Hat Org., run by Black Hat (whose name is synonymous with villain, a reference to the evil black-hatted cowboys of Western films) and his team of three less evil sidekicks. Black Hat is trying to sell various evil inventions created by Dr. Flug and is desperate to fulfill his evil aspirations. However, things often end badly for him, as brilliant innovations tend to have small and often comical flaws."

The lore has nothing related to the Hell, but it still focuses on the evil side of the story. I love the character designs, very similar to HH. It's worth checking out, even more Latin animation!

The Good Place

A series already consolidated and finished. One of my favorites on Netflix!

Even though it's not exactly Heaven and Hell, the concept is very similar. but what stands out here is the philosophical debate about what is right and wrong, how to be a good person in a world marked by individualism, competition and exploitation so that a person can have the basics to survive? -neoliberalism cough cough-.

"Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up to discover that she has died and entered the afterlife. But when she is told by her mentor Michael that she is in the "Good Place" because of her good deeds, helping to get innocent people off death row, she realizes that a mistake has been made because the people They think she is someone else with the same name."

Question about existentialism, ethics and the meaning of life debated in a fun way! A quick comparison to Bojack Horseman, a series that I love. in The Good Place, the existentialism, life and death are treated in a much more optimistic and... beautiful way, while in Bojack it is pessimistic and heavy. the debates on human existence can have lighter conclusions - this is not a criticism of Bojack, just a different approach.

Guardians of the Mansion of Horror

This recommendation won't have a personal review because... I still need to watch it! but I saw so many people recommending it, saying that it has good LGBT+ representation that I thought it would be interesting to bring it here. If anyone has already watched it and wants to say something about it...

"Guardians of the Mansion of Horror follows friends Barney and Norma as they work at a theme park during the summer. The two take the night shift and are responsible for organizing the place while it is empty. What they didn't expect is that this fun place is actually an interdimensional portal to hell. Suddenly, several supernatural creatures appear to haunt the Earth and the two friends must join forces to stop them. To do this, they receive help from the talking dog, Pugsley."

Inside Job

Here we have the biggest injustice in the history of Netflix, the cancellation of this series! I brought it here because of their type of acidic and critical humor towards society - not that this criticism is present in HH-. An adult animation, with swear words and the same irreverent touch as HH, following the shadow side of society.

"A dysfunctional team working in a hidden government department is tasked with keeping conspiracies around the secret world. From complicated attacks to secret societies, anti-social technology genius Reagan Ridley will need to work in a place full of shapeshifting reptilians and psychic mushrooms, at the same time as she must deal with an unbalanced father, in order to achieve the dream she dreams of. promotion."

Emphasis to the animation itself and the character design. When it comes to other species, we have unique designs, they even resemble the design of demons in HH.

irreverent, intelligent and humorous. 🤌

Good Omens

It's almost a rule, if you watched Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss, you also watched Good Omens!

For those who have never given the series a chance, here are some reasons to watch it now: Inspired by Neil Gaiman's work - and approved by him! -!. It is focused entirely on this universe of Jewish/Christian characters - and it is possible to see how well they are studied! There are references that only those who have studied demology or the sacred writings of these religions will understand-

The first season has a wonderful rhythm with captivating characters - the second lacks this a little. The angel and devil couple are super charismatic and you root for them.

Watching some of the biblical events from the point of view of the questioning and sinister demon Crowley and the good lamb Aziraphale is wonderful!

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Hide & Seek references compendium

I put so many little easter eggs and hidden things in my Hide and Seek fic, so here is my little ongoing list of references I purposefully put in the fic for those of you who like this kind of thing idk man

Chapter 1, Disney's Hercules: "Hey, Mack! Ya wanna buy a sundial?" Disney's Jungle Cruise: “Trader Sam’s! Come shop at Trader Sam’s! He’ll give you a great deal on shrunken heads! Two of his heads for one of yours!” the Holmes Hotel, Hugh's Pies is a reference to Nickelodeon's Jimmy Neutron series, Lilo's Stitches and Embroidery is a nod to Disney's Lilo and Stitch, "Crusty the Crab" is a nod to Spongebob Squarepants, Chell's Portal Stop is a reference to the game series Portal, and the final scene is from the ROTTMNT episode "Hidden City's Most Wanted".

Though this is not technically a reference or Easter egg, I wanted to add this note… I made a point of referring to Splinter as Lou Jitsu when he was mad or angry or selfish, and as Hamato Yoshi when he was scared or sad.

Chapter 2, Leo's determination to have Raph call him "the world's greatest ninja" is a reference to the film, Leo's quote "Land safely!" is taken from the episode "Mystic Mayhem" as well as the episode "The Evil League of Mutants", Leo's complaining to be leader is a nod to his future role, Raph referring to his father as a "sewer monster" is a reference to the episode "Man vs. Sewer", Splinter has a flashback from the episode "Goyles, Goyles, Goyles" and the line "OW! Why, you little--!" is also taken from that same episode.

Chapter 3, Mikey's dream is obviously a nod to all that he will do in the future.

Chapter 4, The origin of Lace Face from the episode "Man vs. Sewer".

Chapter 5, Phineas and Ferb "Escape from Phineas Tower": "That's some mole!" The line "Raph! Your enormous body is crushing me!!” is a reference to Disney's Lilo and Stitch, "sweater town" is a reference to the Gravity Falls episode "The Hand that Rocks the Mabel", the line "I didn't want to believe it, but... *sigh* science." is taken directly from the ROTTMNT film as well as a moment when Leo mentions that Donnie was wrong, Donnie uses two really's, a reference from the episode "Breaking Purple", Donnie gives Leo the comic seen in the episode "Jupiter Jim Ahoy!"

Chapter 6, Splinter's tv flips through several channels which include clips from media. These include a Thomas Sanders vine with "Weatherman Al", the quote "My leg!" from Spongebob Squarepants, part of the Fairly Odd Parents' theme song, Mrs. Cuddles' catchphrase "Let's be friends forever!", "I've got bad feeling about this" is a quote from Star Wars, the fake show about "Goosey" is an easter egg to @gooeseyleo and her Gooseyleo series. When Leo goes onstage, he does "a few improvised dance moves", which is a nod to Ben Schwartz and some dance moves he did in the Netflix improv comedy special "Middleditch and Schwartz”. The Lou Jitsu play the boys perform is a parody of the Godzilla franchise and the Pacific Rim films. Donnie's line "I strive for accuracy" is a reference to @sleepis4theweak 's comic (which I think about every gosh darn day), Horsebot-3000 and Splinter's line "I liked Horsebot-3000" are references to the show Community, season 3 episode 7: "Studies in Modern Movement".

Chapter 7, in the illustration Leo and Donnie are wearing Transformer and Decepticon t-shirts, respectively, and in the background you can see spray paint that spells out "Atomic Lass", as well as a drawing of the turtles' weapons.

Chapter 8, a young BEBOP AND ROCKSTEADY make an appearance, as does a very young Harvey Hokum from the ROTTMNT comics. When Bebop tries to sell Leo, he calls him “Shelly”, a reference to my pet turtle of the same name. In the illustration you can see a goldfish on the shelf, which is meant to be Piebald.

Chapter 9, How It's Made, APRIL O'NEIIIIILLLL, Harvey Hokum, Warren Stone and Kendra are referenced, "Operation Blue Suede Shoes" contains the title of a song, a reference to how in the show there are several similar code-names used for the characters ("Purple Rain" for Donnie, "Yellow Submarine" for April, etc.) Leo says that Mikey has empathy amplified, a reference to the fanfiction of the same name written by @filsa-mek on AO3.

Chapter 10, the boys watch "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit". Leo promises to never leave Raphael alone and to always find him. Raph offers several scenarios that actually happen in the future where Leo searches for Raph - sewer monsters (a reference to the episode Man Vs. Sewer), getting captured by bad guys (the episode Bug Busters), and aliens attacking (the events of the film). The chapter as a whole is also based off of a few sketches I made - one of which shows the boys watching the film with Splinter, and one where Raph has a bad dream and wakes up to seeing he hurt Leo, who offers to help and gets the bros together for a turtle pile.

Chapter 11, the episode is heavily inspired by an episode of the audio drama series Adventures in Odyssey, specifically the episode "Mandy's Debut". The line "Wow, the shortcake of death" is a reference taken from said same episode! During Leo's flashback, a reference to the meme "She knocked that smug look off my face, but fourtunately I had a smaller smug look underneath" when Leo takes off his sunglasses to reveal a cooler pair of sunglasses underneath. Leo and Raph make a note to the fact that Leo is not the eldest in this universe.

Chapter 12, Raph, Leo, and Mikey teach April a game they play in the episode "Late Fee". When using sign language, Donnie tells Leo to "Stop yelling at me", which is inspired by a moment in Spy Kids 4. April introduces Raph to Ghostbear's starting career. Mikey repeats a line from the episode "Bug Busters", which is "Remind me not to ask questions anymore." Mikey uses the phrase "hydrate or die-drate", which is taken from a meme but is also something I say constantly as well. When in the Hidden City, Splinter hears people calling out to customers, one uses the lyrics to the Fairly Odd Parents' theme song, another is selling Mary Poppins' umbrella, a third is selling the three mystery journals from Gravity Falls, the fourth is selling Cinderella's glass slippers, and the last one is selling the Stanley Parable bucket of reassurance. Ochimizu is a Japanese mythical elixir of eternal life. The introduction and origins of Loathsome Leonard and the Mud Dogs. Malicious Mickey uses the "creepy doctor" line from "Stuck on You".

Chapter 13, Donnie delirium is directly based off of my own experiences with delirium, as well as his and Leo's conversation about whether or not Leo would miss him when he dies (which was an actual conversation I had with my mother when I was sick with croup as a little girl). The second half of that conversation was adapted from a scrapped fic called "The Kids Are All Dying". Donnie references the song "Big Yellow Taxi". The seven-tailed fox comes from Japanese folklore, but specifically this one was a reference to Naruto! Mikey sings the first line of the "Wonderfilled" song by Owl City. The secret ingredient being a discontinued soda was inspired by the ending of the musical "Be More Chill". The toad yokai becomes Heinous Green.

Short story, in the illustration you can see several signatures and sketches on Leo's cast, such as Raph signing "Mad Dawgs" and Mikey drawing his stickers. On the wall behind Leo is an eye exam that has the words "RISE" and "PHOEBE" on it. There's also a computer monitor in the back with Leo's vitals on it, as well as a notification about the trackers, and a list of all Hamatos Donnie tagged.

I will update more when I post new chapters... ;)

[room-surprise]

Delicious in Dungeon Anime Season 1, Episode 2 Review

Spoilers for season 1, episode 2 below the cut! There may also be mild manga spoilers so proceed with caution.

This episode was great! I think it was a big improvement on the first. Honestly no real complaints... I do kind of wish both Marcille and Chilchuck could have had stand-alone episodes dedicated to their character development, to allow for a deeper focus, but I understand why they didn't do it, and the pacing was still excellent. I do still sometimes feel like the show is in fast-forward at times, because with 3 meals in one episode, it feels like the characters finish eating, and we jump cut to them saying that they're hungry again, without anything to help really impress upon viewers that time has passed. Makes it feel a bit like we're reading a collection of short 4-panel gag comics instead of a continuing story… which, early Dungeon Meshi DOES have that as part of it's format, but it changes with time, as we get into longer individual stories.

During the Basilisk/Doni and FIonil section, I really do miss some of the dry humor from the manga. ("Hurry, he's getting cold!" "Move him closer to the fire!") The hilarity of slowly preparing a meal while someone is dying of poison has unfortunately been lost, which makes Doni and Fionil much less memorable characters…. But it benefits the other 2 stories in the ep to have more time so I think it was the right choice to make. It also gives people something to go back and read the manga for, since it's a little different! If you're reading this and you're an anime only, consider reading the manga while you watch the anime! I promise it's worth it. I'm excited about next week because I think they'll devote the entire episode to Laios and the living armors, which is me and my spouse's favorite early DM storyline, and the part where we both said "Oh, I LOVE this manga..." and got really invested. It's 2 chapters in the manga so it could be an entire episode…. which also would make sense, if that's why they needed to crunch 3 chapters into episode 2. Just like the first episode, animation was fantastic, and as usual the weakest points are when characters are just walking or talking and not doing much. Everything more dynamic is just bouncy and adorable and full of life. Very rarely is anything animated in a dull or flat way. They're doing their best to use "move a drawing around" or "zoom on a drawing" for comic effect and I think it's working well so far. There's some great animal animation in this episode, the bat flying around and the basilisk chasing Marcille in particular. Translation was better this time around, no dumb modern or game references in the dub ("newbs" "as if" etc.) … But there are differences between the subtitles and the dub script that change how easy it is to understand what's happening. When Senshi tells Chilchuck to cut up the giant bat, the subtitles make it hard to understand what he's telling him to do, and the dub makes it a lot clearer. In the subs when Senshi calls Chilchuck a half-foot child, the subtitles say "I'm not a child" and the dub says "I hate it when people call me 'kid'"… The latter is more interesting for keeping the mystery going for things that happen later in the story. If the show continues like this, I think the English dub may be the more satisfying way to watch it (even though the Japanese performances are great), mostly because the subs are very literal and sometimes miss things that the English dub somehow manages to include. And for some reason Netflix isn't including translation of Japanese signs on-screen during the subtitles, but they DO provide them when you watch the English dub. A lot of Dungeon Meshi's humor is sometimes in those background signs so completely missing out on them sucks. Anyway those are my thoughts for this episode! See you next week Meshiheads.

[whatfamidoinghere]

The Umbrella Academy Season 4 Final Thoughts

I have opinions I need to share. Obviously spoilers ahead so… enter at your own risk?

Firstly, the positives

To give it some credit, this was a beautiful ending. It was technically the only way they could end it bc it was clear no matter what they did, the apocalypse would follow

I loved the reference to them saving the Eiffel Tower in an alternate timeline, like they did in the comics

…yeh, that’s it

Oh wait, I loved Klaus’ relationship with Claire. I love Klaus. I love everything about him. Thank you. End quote

Now for the negatives - this will be in no coherent order so bare with me

It’s embarrassingly clear that this needed its usual 10 episodes. I think I read somewhere that the director felt that 6 episodes were the perfect amount so maybe Netflix didn’t cut it, or perhaps he was trying to make the best of a shitty situation. But every scene felt like it was missing something.

Where was the family dance sesh???

Five and Lila. No. Just. No. They’re begrudging step-sibling and that is it. And even if they did want to go down this direction, even if I wasn’t so opposed to the ship, I just didn’t care. You can’t just time skip 7 years in 1 episode and simultaneously get me to feel invested in their relationship. They needed 2 episodes at least to make me feel the impact of those 7 years. I know for 5 that’s probably nothing compared to his time in the apocalypse, but to Lila, that would’ve driven her insane, and in her breaking point, that’s when she goes to 5, bit like how they did this. Not to mention, they come back looking the exact same. 5 is supposed to be, what, 27 at this point? I sure as hell don’t see it. I would’ve much preferred a scene where, once Lila releases they’re going back home, frantically tries to clean up and cut her hair to look exactly how she did before so that her family still recognise her. Ugh that entire point was just so shit

The baby shark gag was not funny

Why did Diego and Lila have to have twins as well. I get it, they’re tired parents who miss their glory days. But if you want us to feel really sorry for them, and later mourn them when Lila has to say goodbye, maybe let us see the family interact as… as well as family. I was so excited to see Diego in his real daddy era just for him to talk to his oldest daughter maybe once? ALSO why does Lila get that whole emotional goodbye to her children and Diego just, nothing? “Get the family out of here” umm hello, even if you didn’t like the in-laws, those are 3 of your fucking children that you’re saying goodbye to forever. I think I’m just upset that they reduced Lila to being a tired mother (to me anyway) and forget Diego was the father. I would’ve so rather seen him being the dad that he never had in his life.

Like putting the family on the Subway to nowhere. Literally. It’s not like she knew how the Subway worked so she was just sticking her family on the train and hoping for the best. They made it seem as though they had never found a world safe enough. Like truly the best place for them to stay was the fucking Greenhouse world, so how did she expect the family to survive, and with no powers mind you. And also didn’t thy know at that point that all ultimate timelines would be destroyed, except for the main timeline. Was she hoping they’d magicallly be taken to the main timeline orrr? I’m just so fucking confused man

The Subway. What a fucking missed opportunity oh my fucking god. Its only true function was to have all the Five’s meet up to tell Prime Five the super duper important convenient information that would bring upon The Finale. It was such a cool concept and we saw… none of it. Firstly, they made it wayyy to easy that Five just happened to find a journal his future self made that worked out the tunnel system. You’re telling me that in 7 years he never worked any of it out. Uhhh I just wanted to see how the Subway worked and we couldn’t even get that. AND they only showed us 1 world!!!! I think alternate timelines are such a. Fun concept because you can explore multiple worlds that are like your own but a little more freaky with little to no consequences in your own world. I LOVED seeing the Phoenix Academy so much but… that was it. Imagine a montage of Five and Lila visiting a ton of worlds like our own with messed up Academy. Can you imagine if we saw a comic accurate Umbrella Academy??? Omfg the ultimate homage. I’m tearing up just thinking about what we could’ve had.

Gene and Jean were rly fun but again, what waisted potential. I loved my quirky not-so-instance parents sm

Uncle Five? Uncle Luther? Gone. Maybe I’m misremembering but they always seemed so excited to meet Claire. Ik they’re pissed at Alison or whatever (but they’re literally not though) but you’re telling me we never see them interact, despite them being some of the only sibling to care about Claire??? Oh okay, okayyy

The powers. Does nobody care that some have multiple powers now orrr? So Lila had laser eyes but could still mimic everyone else. Also the running gag of not being able to control her eyes could’ve gone on for so much longer. And Alison. Was she just so powerful she could rumour ppl without saying anything now? And when her eyes went yellow, that was a completely new power, right? And did Viktor’s powers seem different to you guys or is it bc he absorbed Harlan’s powers last season. Me personally, I think they’re should’ve gone down the Tinkerbell: The Pirate Fairy route and swapped the sibling powers with each other or completely different ones

It would’ve been such a good plot twist if after learning that the Cleanse restored them to the one true timeline, they all think it’s their original lives as a misdirect and they the horror sets in as you realise that they’re actually part of an ultimate timeline. They just could’ve done so much more than that. I know with limited episodes they had to wrap things up quickly so after they learned they had to be erased they just kinda had to accept it but I would’ve loved an entire episode of them grappling with the fact and saying goodbye and reminiscing about their past and maybe even being in denial and self sabotaging or whatever (kind of in the style of that ep in s2 when they have an hour to meet up

Why was Jennifer in a squid??? Why? did she get all the durango? Why weren’t there 42 other kids who got ur? That could’ve been such a cool parallel like cmonnn

I always suspected Ben’s death to be connected to Reg in some way so I loved the reveal… but I hated Jennifer’s involvement. Like it just felt tooo convenient. And I understand why they did it from a writers/ directors perspective that they wanted to wrap everything up but I just felt it could’ve been done much smarter. ALSO I just realised that Klaus doesn’t know how Ben died. Diabolical. I will not stand for it

Reginald didn’t recognise his own wife??? Like when Fake Gene called him “love” and Reggie didn’t clock it???

Speaking of Reggie ARE WE EVER GOING TO DISCUSS THAT HE’S AN ALIEN ROBOT BITCH???

Soooo Luther never once asked Reggie about Sloane???

Ray. Where’s Ray? Maybe the actor was working on something else and they had to get rid of his character

WE NEVER EVEN HEAD ALISON SAY “I HEARD A RUMOUR” NOT EVEN ONCE like I get she’s powerful enough to the point she doesn’t have to say it anymore but that line eats down every. Single. TIME!

Lastly and most importantly… the soundtrack. The songs didn’t slap. Simple as.

Final Statement

I think I covered all my points. I doubt I’ll make a part 2 bc honestly, the show isn’t worth my time and energy anymore. I just needed to rant bc I don’t know any ppl who watch this who have any lick of media literacy.

The finale was painfully underwhelming. It didn’t feel like the same TUA I’ve grown to love over the past few years. I can accept the ending but the journey to how we got there was one massive slap in the face. I’m going to ignore this ending ever happened thank you <3

[alchemicalwerewolf]

it’s time to infodump, me thinks.

⚠️⚠️DEAD BOY DETECTIVES SPOILERS AGEAD⚠️⚠️

Ok so, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but I’ve been posting about it a lot. I’m obsessed with this Netflix show dead boy detectives.

It’s based on a DC comic series created by Neil gaiman. It’s about two ghosts, Edwin payne (an Edwardian school boy who was killed by demonic sacrifice and spent 70 years in hell before he escaped) and Charles Rowland (an 80’s punk who went to the same school as Edwin but 70 years later, and died bc he stood up for a Pakistani kid. His friends threw rocks at him while he was in a freezing lake. He died of hypothermia and internal bleeding)

The parallels of their deaths is literally so scrumptious. Like both perceived as odd? Yes. (Edwin seemed queer, in both senses of the word. And Charles was seen as weird bc he wasn’t white and also had pink views and style). Both killed by people they thought were their friends? Yes. It’s so wonderful.

So basically, they run a detective agency together, where they solve mysteries for ghosts, that way said ghosts can conclude their unfinished business and move on. However Edwin and Charles are constantly running from death, because Edwin wants to help others, and Charles wants to stay close to Edwin. One of their cases leads them to a psychic girl named crystal palace. She can see them bc of her powers (also important note, people with near death experiences can see ghosts as well). She was possessed by a demon (who is anlso her ex situationship/bf(?) and named David. He anlso wears a fuck aas ugly fedora) and they helped her. But the thing is she can’t remember anything, so Charles being the sweetie he is tells her she can stay with them. Edwin doesn’t like this bc she is human and humans are “messy,” he is also jealous bc he can tell Charles likes her. Well, he pushes that asside and desires to just be catty towards her. Crystal’s powers lead them to begin a new case, across the pond, one might say, in Port Townsend Washington (for reference their office is set up in London I believe. So this is a long journey) they land and hijinks immediately ensue.

One demon named cat king, many cases closed, one Charles and crystal kiss, a lesbian butcher date gone wrong, one sweet yaoi loving Aquarius girl, a crow turned boy, an evil witch, a walrus turned man, a few constituents of death, and many repressed feelings later, Edwin finds himself ready to admit his feelings for Charles. Btw, Edwin didn’t even know his feelings for Charles was love until a certain crow turned man, kissed him and made him realize. But Edwin is about to tell Charles, when suddenly he is ripped back to hell by a spider made of babydoll heads.

Charles is obviously very upset about this, and he convinces a certain constituent of death to open a portal to hell, so that he can retrieve Edwin. She agrees, but only after reading his memories, and finding out how Edwin and Charles met.

Edwin was soaking wet and shivering in the attic of his boarding school, when he sees a boy dressed in an old uniform carrying a lamp. The boy gives it to him and Charles asks him questions about himself. This is Edwin and he reveals that he is dead. So they talk for the last few hours of Charles’s life. Edwin had literally just escaped hell, and felt he had to help a boy who had undergone something as, if not more, traumatic than himself. This is why Charles wanted to stay with him and help him solve cases.

After she sees this, Charles basically says “he shouldn’t be in hell.”

And he goes to find him. He guides himself with a map that Edwin had drawn in a notebook. When he finds Edwin in hell, Edwin is shaking and terrified. He reveals that his punishment is to see himself be ripped to shreds by this spider thing. He says he can’t make it out, and Charles is basically like “naw mate I’m here” and he throws an old timer bomb at the spider.

They run away and as they are running through the last layer of hell, the staircase back up to the mortal realm, Edwin stops. And he’s like “Charles so gotta tell u this in case we don’t make it. I love u” and Charles is like “yah i loc eu too ur my best mate” and Edwin says “no I love you as more than a friend, I fear.” My reaction to that: 😭😭 And Charles essentially says “is this some typa Orpheus and Eurydice type shit” and Edwin is like “bruh that story ends badly.” To which Charles goes “idk I didn’t finish it I was bored. Anyway, I can’t say necessarily that I’m IN love with you. But if we make it outta here, we will have like eternity to figure it out.

so they escape, and Edwin is like “I was rejected”

BUT DUDE. Charles literally said, I haven’t thought of my love for you as romantic, but we have time for me to figure out if I can love you like that.

And I think about that everyday 😭😭😭😭

This is a very simplified version of the story. There’s so much sad awful heartbreaking shit. But I cut it out for ur sake. This show is like addicting. Straight up crack.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my incoherent babbling. If u made it this far… congrats? Idk

Ok bye bye.

I did make it that far. That seems very interesting!

[datusaguy]

All TMNT Shredder’s Revenge Color References - Miyamoto Usagi

Other Color Reference posts are linked at the bottom of this post.

Been playing Shredder’s Revenge recently due to the new dlc and since I haven’t seen much discussion in terms of references the new dlc, I decided to look into a lot of it myself. Feel free to give me any additional info/corrections you might know and I hope you enjoy checking this out.

Now is finally Miyamoto Usagi who I feel the least confident in whether I even made the correct guesses for these references. I haven’t read any of his comics before, only watched a bit of the Netflix show a while ago (which is set in what might as well be an entirely differently reality as the original) alongside the 1987 and 2003 crossover episodes. So I’m not even sure if half of these are references since a lot of the outfits just seem like a random robe color 10 nameless swordsmen have already worn.

So, if any Usagi Yojimbo fans see this, I would appreciate any help with references. Anyways, I tried my best to find out the references myself by skimming through the Usagi Yojimbo wiki by clicking through every character page with an associated picture, alongside skimming through a lot of the TMNT wiki.

# 1 - Default (1987 TMNT show) - I don’t know how much this is based on the 87 design vs his own comics, but it seems close enough to be the 87 design

# 2 - 1989 Playmates Toys Action Figure

# 3 - TMNT 2012? - Usagi’s color scheme and design in general doesn’t seem to change a whole ton between iterations, although 2012 specifically doesn’t seem to have black pants so I’m using that as the example. It doesn’t seem to unrealistic to say that this is his design from another TMNT incarnation.

# 4 - Chizu? - This outfit is for the Netflix series version of Chizu, although that isn’t the same person as the one from the comics. Chizu does seem quite significant to multiple Usagi stories though, as a morally conflicted antagonist/potential love interest for Usagi. Plus, she has appeared in multiple versions outside the comics such as the aforementioned Netflix series and a bit in the 2003 show.

Alternatively, maybe it’s a reference to Nakamura Koji, an amazing warrior Usagi’s met on his journeys. Given Chizu seems more relevant to Usagi’s stories however, I chose to focus on her, although Nakamura does seem to connect more closely visually and the amount listed on his wiki page implies he is also quite notable.

# 5 - 2003 TMNT Murakami Gennosuke? - Alternatively known simply as Gen, he seems to be one of the most recurring characters in Usagi Yojimbo who is a friend of Usagi. While normally he seems to don other clothing colors like purple, the 2003 version of Gen wore this outfit which looks the closest to this Usagi outfit out of anything I’ve seen. It also makes sense that he would get a reference out of any characters since he seems to be quite close to Usagi and is one of the most common characters in the comic. There also isn’t any purple outfits for Usagi, plus this is a TMNT game, so this white outfit Gen wore multiple times in a TMNT property seems likely to be the reference in the TMNT game.

# 6 - Kitsune? - Kitsune is a recurring friend of Usagi who according to the wiki, seems to be a Robin Hood type of ‘stealing from those who deserve it.’ She seems to wear a more so teal color for her clothes that’s the same for her whole outfit rather than this mix of green and green-tan, but I think there’s a chance it could be her.

Alternatively, maybe it’s Tokage, a small, green, dinosaur-like species that’s common enough to have appeared in multiple crossovers with Usagi. Both him and his Netflix descendent also get Tokage’s named Spot.

# 7 - Yamamoto Yukichi? - He’s a fellow wanderer like Usagi who seems to be currently sharing adventures with Usagi in the IDW comics. I do think his coloring is off compared to this outfit though (mainly the bottom half), but it’s definitely orange and he does seem like a notable enough character to get a reference.

Alternatively, it could be Inazuma She’s a woman with a high amount of skill, alongside someone who ended up possessed by the villain Jei. I’m not sure her orange outfit is even that common a wardrobe choice for her (especially when possessed by Jei) and even the orange outfit I’ve seen is only about as accurate as Yukichi’s.

Or maybe it’s Keiko who I wrote down as a possibility when doing notes, although she both seems to be visually the least likely and least important to Usagi’s story as a whole.

Edit: As bluberry-san mentioned in the comments, this may be a reference to Yumeji Kurokouchi, a character from the Samurai Showdown fighting game series. A lot of Usagi’s moves are references to characters in Samurai Showdown, so a color reference to one doesn’t seem impossible. The in-game sprite specifically for Yimeji does look the closest to anything else I found, with an orange-ish top and white bottom.

Usagi on the left, middle is Yukichi, right is Yumeji.

# 8 - Jei? - Jei is a major, recurring antagonist in the Usagi comics. Given that the Usagi wiki lists Jei as “Usagi’s true arch nemesis,” I think it’s likely he would’ve been referenced with a skin. He does seem to wear predominantly black which fits this color well.

Alternatively, it may be a reference to ninja’s in general in the Usagi comics. There’s 3 different Ninja clans within Usagi Yojimbo and from my memory of the 03 crossovers and looking it up online, all 3 seem to be recurring antagonist groups. There may be a specific ninja this references, but it appears that Ninja in general tend to be depicted with black attire (likely to aid in their sneakiness).

# 9 - Lady Mura? - I did see a Reddit comment describe this one as a reference to Gen. However, Lady Mura seems the most fitting visually given her clothing here is definitely a white upper half and a red lower half. Story wise however, she doesn’t seem incredibly significant given the synopsis on the wiki ends shortly with her death. Although I do want to add on for anyone interested, her story is based on a real person named Murasaki Shikibu who wrote “one of the world’s first novels” according to Wikipedia.

# 10 - Comics - Many of Usagi’s comics were initially printed in black-and-white which pairs well with the black-and-white TMNT skins. IIRC, he also has outright crossed over in the Mirage comics before.

# 11 - “Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo” - While it does look like an NES color, I think it’s actually a reference to this old PC game. The picture I nabbed online was from the Commodore 64 version.

# 12 - Gameboy - As far as I know, he doesn’t have any Gameboy games, but the pallet does seem to be based on the Gameboy.

Update: Forgot there was an Edo period set of stages added into Shredder’s Revenge with literal Usagi Yojimbo characters in the background. Will check out later to see if any of those stages seem to link to his colors.

Update 2: When I played a lot of Survival mode earlier, I saw 5 characters in there in the Edo period. 2 were characters I don’t think I even saw in my wiki research, 2 others I did somewhat recognize didn’t seem to share pallets with Usagi, then the 5th one I’m pretty sure is a human Hamato Yoshi from TMNT who I highly doubt the orange costume references (also in part because the lower half is different like many other potential candidates I found). I may do some further analysis of the stages later on, but I don’t think there’s much significant to add to this post.

All other Color References posts:

1. Karai

2. Leonardo

3. Michelangelo

4. Raphael

5. Donatello

6. April O’Neil

7. Master Splinter

8. Casey Jones

9. Usagi

[jaztice]

Villainous Violence and Purposeful Power: An Essay On Child Abuse In Superhero Stories

So I wrote an essay a while ago and posted it on my website here, but I figured all y'all tumblr girlies might enjoy it too, so I've decided to post it to the hellsite as well. Enjoy my angry ramblings <3 CWs: mentions and descriptions of child abuse, mentions and descriptions of murder, mentions of rape

There’s a trend I often see in popular superhero media that has always rubbed me the wrong way. Specifically, in movies and TV shows, superheroes, if abused as children, are rarely if ever abused by their biological parents. Supervillains, on the other hand, as well as many antiheroes and even some non-villain antagonists, often are. It’s a trend I first noticed in the TV show Daredevil, which premiered on Netflix in 2015 and can currently be viewed on Disney+, but since noticing it, I’ve been unable to stop noticing it in other popular pieces of superhero media. I’ve seen it in the Jessica Jones TV show, the popular Batman movie The Dark Knight, in other less popular characters from the Batman mythos, the first season of The Umbrella Academy TV show, and even in J. Jonah Jameson of the Spider-Man stories. Even when considering examples of heroes suffering child abuse, like Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Hulk), something always felt amiss to me in these representations. So naturally, I decided to dig deeper.

It’s important to note that trauma has been used in superhero media as an inciting incident for both heroes and villains since the genre’s inception. Popular superheroes like Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker often become heroes due to witnessing the unjust death(s) of their caretakers or people important to them. Child abuse, however, is a very specific sort of trauma, and child abuse from specifically one’s biological/birth parents even moreso. Natasha Romanov/Black Widow of the MCU’s Avengers certainly suffers child abuse, but it’s not perpetrated by her birth parents—instead, she’s abused by the mysterious organization that created her as a living weapon. All the kids in The Umbrella Academy are undoubtedly emotionally abused and neglected by their father, but he is very specifically their adopted father. To reference yet another Marvel Netflix TV show, Danny Rand from Iron Fist does suffer from child abuse; however, it comes at the hands of the monks who rescued him from a plane crash, not his own parents.

In terms of villains being abused as children by their biological parents, on the other hand, there are quite a few that come to mind. Wilson Fisk from Daredevil is a prime example, suffering from emotional and implied physical abuse from his father, until Wilson kills Fisk Sr. by beating him to death with a hammer. Kilgrave from the first season of Jessica Jones is experimented on by his parents until he develops the power to control people with vocal commands (and then uses it to escape their grasp). Trish Walker from Jessica Jones—who, granted, doesn’t become a true “villain” until season 3—is abused in a multitude of ways by her mother and acting agent. Leonard Peabody, the villain of season 1 of The Umbrella Academy, has a physically abusive father who he, similar to Wilson Fisk, beats to death before being imprisoned for 12 years for the murder. Even the Joker claims to have had an abusive father in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (though his actual past and the veracity of any of his statements in the movie are up for debate).

Even more interesting are the instances in which superheroes (or at least non-supervillains) are abused as children. The most notable, of course, is Bruce Banner, though this may come as a surprise to anyone unfamiliar with his character from the comics. After all, only one of the movies about him, Hulk (2003), really addressed the child abuse aspect of his past, and most movies about the Hulk aren’t very popular in the first place. Other instances include some members of the Batfamily, Jason Todd and Cassandra Cain, who both had fraught childhoods due to the actions and abuse of their biological parents, and J. Jonah Jameson, the notorious head editor of the Daily Bugle in the Spider-Man mythos (and a real piece of work), who, according to Wikipedia, had an abusive father who was also a war hero in the U.S. military. In the cases of Jason Todd and Cassandra Cain, both of these characters often vacillate between hero and villain status in the comics, and additionally, they have almost no appearances in popular superhero media (and certainly not as a main character). Jameson’s history is even more curious; his father’s hero status and abusive behavior towards his son and wife explains Jameson’s hesitation in fully believing Spider-Man is a hero, and yet in later editions of the Spider-Man storyline, it’s clarified that his abusive father is in fact his uncle and foster father (his biological father had to, quoting from the J. Jonah Jameson Wikipedia page, “leave his son behind for undisclosed reasons”).

Bruce Banner, however, I found to be a fascinating case study for this topic. According to the Wikipedia page for the Hulk, “As a child, Banner's father Brian often got mad and physically abused both Banner and his mother, creating the psychological complex of fear, anger, and the fear of anger and the destruction it can cause that underlies the character.” In the aforementioned 2003 movie, Bruce’s father tries to kill his young son, believing him to be a danger, but instead kills Bruce’s mother when she tries to stop him, causing Bruce to repress most of his childhood memories. In both instances, this abuse is considered one of the driving forces behind the Hulk, a monstrous, destructive, and very green force within Bruce Banner that reveals itself when Bruce becomes too emotional, excited, or angry. However, the Hulk is almost always considered a wild factor in situations, both out of control and often unable to be fully controlled. It is useful and even heroic, yes, and Bruce does manage to control it in some stories, but the Hulk is ultimately violent and destructive. That is what makes Bruce’s superpower useful. The Hulk is considered dangerous, volatile, and sought after by other violent factions like the military (and even, that one time, a gladiatorial ring). The result of Bruce’s abuse is a violent, uncontrollable, rage-filled monster, and only in controlling this monster can Bruce be considered a hero; otherwise, he is simply considered a threat.

Compare this to Wilson Fisk in the Daredevil TV show, who is depicted as a soft-spoken, deeply traumatized, and terrifyingly violent man in charge of a criminal empire. Wilson, like Bruce, has developed emotional and aggression issues as a result of his child abuse, and though he uses these issues throughout the course of the show to both his own benefit and detriment, he is always cast in the role of a villain. Additionally, Wilson only attacked and killed his father to stop him from beating his mother, and one possible reading of his character might be that both his need for safety and control and his drive to protect others are what drove him to become the leader of a criminal empire with the intention of reshaping Hell’s Kitchen.

What, you might ask, is the point of listing all these different depictions of abuse in superhero stories? To that, I ask you to examine the trend of agency in these depictions. In the case of those cast in more heroic lights (Bruce Banner, perhaps even J. Jonah Jameson), these children suffered from abuse but had little to no hand in stopping or escaping from that abuse. The more extreme the action taken to stop or escape the abuse, however, the more likely the individual is to be cast in the role of villain. Jason Todd and Cassandra Cain both ran away from their abusers, but the former was killed as a child, came back to life, and became a crime lord, while the latter eventually killed her own parents and then became a notorious assassin. In both these instances, Jason and Cassandra are cast as villains in their respective storylines. Trish Walker, though she doesn’t start out as a villain by any means, ultimately becomes one due to her desperation to prove she can save not only herself, but also others, due to her childhood abuse. Kilgrave develops his powers and immediately uses them to perform absolutely heinous acts, including repeatedly raping the main and titular character, Jessica Jones, as well as killing his own parents as an adult. And of course, Leonard Peabody and Wilson Fisk kill their abusive fathers as young children in brutal, violent ways.

Let me make something clear; I think the Daredevil TV show is a fantastic piece of superhero media. But it still falls prey to this trend I’m describing even in its attempt to deconstruct it. Wilson Fisk is not painted in a purely villainous light during the show, at least not for the murder of his father. Even though the heroic protagonist hopes to use this fact (once he discovers it) to put him away in jail, the other protagonists argue that Fisk was, perhaps, justified in his actions. Fisk is a character we’re meant to understand and even sympathize with; the juxtaposition of his motivations against the hero’s motivations are what make the story so compelling. And yet, Wilson Fisk is undeniably a villain, because even though his violent rages and desire to help others allowed him to save his mother, they have also led him to murder innocents in the name of creating a better Hell’s Kitchen. Despite his “good” intentions, he is a villain. He is the villain of this story. And the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father isn’t the reason he is considered a villain, but it is the driving force behind how he became one.

Perhaps it’s easier for people to give a backstory of child abuse to villains. Most people have no knowledge or understanding of what it’s like to grow up in a home where your parents, your birth parents, the people society claims should love and care for you and keep you safe, hurt and scream at and scare you. Perhaps these people cannot fathom how someone wholly good can be created in such an environment. In this way, attaching child abuse to villains is viciously puritanical in its narrative efficiency. When this is the story you see, the implied lesson is that good people always come from good parents (from “good stock”), and bad people come from those who are themselves bad. It is simple and easy to stick to the black and white tale of good vs. evil, hero vs. villain, to repeat (even unknowingly) the idea that good people beget heroes, and bad people beget villains. To show a superhero as flawed is compelling, and to show a supervillain as virtuous is revolutionary. In fact, even in today’s world of superhero story reimaginings (e.g., The Boys TV show, the Invincible TV show), it is far more common for heroes to live safe and healthy home lives before being thrust into their trauma, and it is far more likely for villains to have suffered abuse from their earliest moments.

I would argue it’s also more “tasteful” to write off those suffering from abuse as villainous if they kill their abusers. Suffering and being saved, like Bruce Banner, creates someone who could become a hero, as long as the emotional results of their abuse remain monitored and controlled. Suffering and daring to rise up, to take your power back from those who have hurt you and save yourself, on the other hand? That is the mark of a villain. Villains wrest power from those that hurt them with bloody hammers and bruised fists. And because in so many pieces of superhero media, heroes do not kill, they are doomed by that very action to be the villains of an inherently violent story.

It is a sign of great and unrealized privilege to write stories that center around violence and immediately villainize those that kill. Especially those that kill as children, and especially those that kill their abusers and tormentors. Superheroes have always been larger-than-life figures, bastions of hope and justice that people are meant to admire, so it makes sense that killing others would not be something they do with abandon. But these abused children were not killing with abandon. For those who have been abused by the very people society claims should love them, there are few depictions of how to survive such abuse in superhero media. Either victims of child abuse are meant to stay helpless and sad, props to be saved and then to be regulated and controlled lest their violent, traumatized urges hurt others too, or they are doomed to become villains from the start for daring to deliver a child’s justice to their abusers. After all, in these kinds of stories, killing is wrong, no matter what.

Perhaps now you can see why this would rub me the wrong way.

The world is not black and white. The world is not good vs. evil. It is a privilege to grow up loved and safe and happy and accepted, and most people don’t even realize this because it’s more common for that to already be the case. And for the world to be so safe and happy is a truly wonderful thing. But when the people who grow up without realizing their own privilege then saturate the popular superhero mythos with images of children murdering their abusive parents and becoming villains for heroes to fight, what do they expect to happen? What would you do if your favorite stories said your only two choices were “suffer in silence and control your violent urges” or “take action and become an unforgivable villain?” How is that message any better than the rhetoric used by abusers everywhere to keep those they hurt in line?

I implore those writing superhero stories to read this and think. Think about violence, about killing and murder, about abuse, in the stories you are crafting. Think before you create your heroes and villains, and have empathy for those who were, perhaps, not as lucky as you growing up. Think about the reality being created in your story, where problems can and are often encouraged to be solved with violence, and then consider what it means to villainize those who are violent and suffer violence from their earliest moments. Think about how you use abuse in your story, with your supers and their powers, between your heroes and villains. And think about why suffering abuse at the hands of your birth parents seems to be so different from suffering abuse at the hands of someone or something external, and why it’s alright for heroes to attack and target their abusers, but damning if villains do it to theirs.

Think about what it means to take your power back in a world where violence is not only commonplace, but a viable option for solving problems, and then examine why a child killing their abusive parent is considered a villainous act. Are you afraid of what children in this situation will learn if such an act is not considered evil?

Should you be?

[orionsangel86]

Word to the wise that as much as I love speculation, I'm not taking any articles about Sandman season 2 remotely seriously unless they are using direct quotes from NG or the cast, or are official announcements from Netflix.

The article going around about Hob Gadling is a clickbait because those sites know how to entice fandoms and clearly Hob is a popular character.

That said, I still stand by my view that it makes SENSE for characters from season 1 who already have established actors to be reused and have their roles expanded or merged with other smaller characters because having an revolving door of new characters like in the comics just isnt a fitting way to tell a cohesive screen adaptation or keep an audience engaged.

Hob is a contentious character in Sandman fandom. But having a stupid screenrant article use clickbaity language to speculate on an expanded role for him is not a reason to celebrate or throw a fit depending on which Hob camp you fall into.

I also refuse to get preemptively upset and worked up about possible changes to A Game of You. We know practically NOTHING other than a few BTS pics from filming.

Since I'm in the middle of a rewatch whilst simultaneously rereading the comics, I'm reminded of how much I fucking LOVE this show and how much I love the comics as well (even if some of the stuff is pretty damn dated now and I loathe every and all reference to the DC wider universe - I do not need fucking Batman in my Sandman thank you very much). It saddens me when I see really negative posts about it based on stupid clickbait.

I guess all im saying is dont get worked up. And if I see a bunch of negativity on my dash im gonna be unfollowing. Sigh.

[tea-with-cinnamontoast]

so, we’ve all at least heard of the iron fist, right? whether it’s from the comics or netflix show, i am 90% sure you’ve at least heard about him! well, i’m here to tell you that there’s more that meets the eye! :)

the netflix show doesn’t flesh out danny as a character that well and some of you probably despise him (...i do too) but his comic self is waaay different. if nmcu danny is whiny and all "because im the iron fist" every five minutes, then comics danny is a mix of a silly little guy, dumbass (affectionate), and a walking sunshine.

of course, there are some comics where he may act a lot different, but he is just a green flag—albeit traumatised—little guy!

the iron fist show itself MESSES UP the lore so badly that i literally do not know what’s so special about the iron fist. so here’s a (not so) deep dive into the lore of the iron fist mantle until lin lie! and some comic recommendations of danny :D

(open the cut for more 💖)

let’s start with the basics, shall we?

What is the Iron Fist? Who is the Iron Fist?

the iron fist is a power that comes from a dragon named shou-lao. this power is the dragon’s chi—or the soul, according to chinese belief. this chi allows them to access the dragon’s powers and unlock different ways of using said powers! the most common was is to turn their fists into "things of unto iron"!

however, the iron fist is not just a power, it’s a mantle given to those who can defeat the dragon themselves. these candidates are trained in k’un lun and if they do win, they will be named the champion of k’un lun. the first iron fist is quan yaozu.

What? What the hell is K’un Lun? What do you mean ‘champion’?

i’m glad you asked! k’un lun is one of the capital cities of heaven! there are 7 capital cities of heaven, according to iron fist lore, each with their own champions who possesses different abilities. they are also called the immortal weapons.

(note that the new weapon in this picture is davos, a long time nemesis of danny, because of circumstances. the actual weapon is the crane mother’s child.)

the fat cobra is from peng lai, a child of a pig farmer raised in abandonment. he was an opera singer as a child and fought in both sides of the world war.

the bride of nine spiders is from the kingdom of spiders, yet her origins are unknown.

dog brother comes from the under city and used to be a poor street orphan with an adoptive brother to protect. he was a slave, too.

tiger’s beautiful daughter is a strong woman from tiger island, an island where women ruled over men. i’m not kidding, in the one chapter where her origins are introduced, she literally destroyed the patriarchy. we stan.

prince of orphans is from z’gambo. unfortunately, we do not know his origins, but he is powerful. like necromancer powerful.

read more about them in ‘the immortal weapons’! absolutely worth it.

Wait, wait, wait. The Immortal Weapons? Are they immortal or just the mantle? Is Danny immortal?

...yes and no.

they are immortal until they die in battle. in a sense where the immortality only applies to their age not their whole body. however, this is highly speculation, since we do not actually know if the term ‘immortal’ refers to them or their title. what we do know is that danny refused to eat the apple of immortality, making him more or less fully human. and he dies multiple times. sort of.

Ooookay... How do you become the Iron Fist?

to become the iron fist, you must be trained in k’un lun as a child of k’un lun. these trainings are watched under lei kung, the thunderer, who is immortal. those who want to challenge shou-lao has to fight each other and win before they are allowed to fight the dragon. these fights are a test of not only physical strength, but spiritual strength, too. chi is like... an inner power. a part of your soul.

then, they fight the dragon. if they figure out how to and win, they will be given the mark of the dragon (the iconic iron fist logo) and they must plunge their fists into the dragon’s molten heart. survive.

Wait, if only a child of K’un Lun is allowed to be the Iron Fist, why does Danny become one? Isn’t he American?

orientalism

well, he was raised there, i guess. dunno. in orson randall’s case, though, it works because he was born in k’un lun despite his parents being american.

Who’s Orson Randall?

orson randall is danny’s predecessor. he’s the iron fist of the 1900s. he had fought in both world wars and more. tired old man. also a mentor of danny’s dad (whoopee). really a fucking cool character to read about definitely check out the orson oneshots.

Who’s Danny’s successor, then?

a chinese kid named lin lie! formerly the sword master, lie was last seen in death of doctor strange: white fox. he sort of died in that comic but SIKE! he’s back as the iron fist babyyyy !!!!!

Who’s my favourite Iron Fist?

it’s danny rand, duh. 🙄 (it’s wu ao-shi. what a girlboss).

What the hell.

hey man you’re gonna love danny and his tragic but interesting backstories i swear it’s just weird to summarize/say out loud 😮‍💨

anyway! some recommendations:

the immortal iron fist - start with this one, basics and a rework of his older comics history !!!

the immortal weapons + orson randall oneshots - just fun as fuck

avengers volume 2 (i think it was 2012)

defenders (2018) - if you like the nmcu this one is for you!

iron fist: living weapon

iron fist: phantom limb - blood, gore, and body horror warning!

immortal iron fists - girl dad danny rand im not kidding he’s so silly here

heart of the dragon

iron fist (2020) - lin lie !!

that’s it thank you for listening to me autistic rambling

[bulbabutt]

Favorite joke/line in any TMNT version? For me, it's a tie between Rise!Raph's "Donnie, if you don't quit it with your *middle child nonsense*, I'm gonna SHOVE YOUR HEAD IN-THE TOILET!!!" from Flushed But Not Forgotten, and from 12: Leo: There's a force field? Why didn't you tell me?! Donnie: Well, because I wanted us to fail. OBVIOUSLY, I DIDN'T KNOW!!! Runners-up include "Donnie learned to drive in New York City" from 03, and the unintentional hilarity from banking on Vanilla Ice's star power in Secret Of The Ooze

Okay those are all SUCH good choices, especially vanilla ice lmfao

There is like 500 episodes of turtles so let me try and think of the biggest laugh moments me and my sibling had from each show

I can say there was one specific moment in rise where I paused the episode from laughing so hard and then immediately hit super like on Netflix, adding to the hilarity of the moment

which is the part in one man’s junk where Leo says “well somebody put the rust in rustic charm” and we hear BA DUM CHHH "who left this drumset here" because Raph TRIPPED OVER A DRUMSET. so fucking stupid but absolutely killed me

In 87 I feel like I reference it all the time in my comics, but the part in Rebel without a Fin where they’re looking for April in the sewers, Leo says “we’re gonna keep on looking until we find her!” And Raph goes “you know Leonardo, if all the sewers in this city were laid end to end” and he nods his head in such a cheap funny way “UH HUH?” “Well it would be a pretty ridiculous sight” and then Leo looks SO offended “but it would probably be long enough to reach from here to the moon!” And then he shoves his beak in Raphael’s face all mad “THANKS FOR SHARING RAPHAEL” To be honest that whole episode was fucking hilarious, they can’t get the villains name right, the villains henchman being so fucking BORED of being there.

In 12 it’s hard cuz so much of the big laughs I remember came from stupid references tbh (which is us being brain dead, not that the show isn’t funny) nothing made me laugh more than when the neutrinos showed up, and the pair of us were WAY TOO HAPPY TO SEE THAT JOE EYEBALL POPPED OUT OF MUCK MAN. Deadass cuz we were sitting there like aw there’s only one of the garbage men, so no joe eyeball? Then HIS EYEBALL BECAME JOE EYEBALL. Again. Brains were broken by that point.

And 03, i think its that part in notes from the underground where mikey complains that raph called him odd to donnie, and donnies like "youre just being sensitive!" and hes like "SENSITIVE? if theres ONE thing i hate its when PEOPLE CALL ME SENSITIVE!" but this might be because this was such a 'oh my god thats our brother' moment. to which, im happy to report, when i showed it to him he immediately said "this is literally bullying", proving my point abt it LMAO

AND. literally no one is gonna ask, but in the next mutation. any time bonesteel was on screen. cuz he makes this cracking noise with his jaw, its so stupid but so funny.

thanks for the question!

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

Today I am delighted to present you the first of the series you were able to choose thanks to the survey done on my Instagram (@theaddictedwatcherreviews): Sandman! Series composed of 11 episodes released in August 2022, adapted for Netflix from Neil Gaiman’s eponymous comics, the series was a great success and I’m going to tell you why.

A short synopsis to introduce you to the series: Morpheus, the King of Dreams, is one of the seven Endless. While he finds himself captured by a British occultist for nearly 106 years, the Awakened world - that of Men - sinks into an epidemic of « sleep disease ». Indeed, since the Sand Merchant is no longer there to rule the world of Dreams, Men on Earth are sinking. However, he manages to escape and undertakes a journey through the two worlds to find what was stolen from him in order to rebuild his Kingdom, which finds itself in ruins following his long absence.

And a small technical presentation:

- Created by : Allan Heinberg

Based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novels, Sandman, published between 1989 and 1996 by DC Comics

- Music by : David Buckley

- Main casting : Tom Sturridge, Vanesu Samunyai, Eddie Karanja, Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong, Patton Oswalt, Mason Alexander Park, Razane Jammal, Sandra James-Young, David Thewlis.

When announcing the serial adaptation of the Sandman comics, Neil Gaiman said that he would be more involved than he was in the television adaptation of his novel American Gods (released in 2001 and adapted by the Starz channel in 2017), but less than in the adaptation of Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett, published in 1990 and adapted by Prime Video and the BBC in 2019 to meet a posthumous request from Terry Pratchett). He was therefore part of the creative team, the executive production of the series and made important narrative changes with the team of authors compared to comics.

Indeed, the story begins in 2021 instead of 1989 in comics, and Morpheus/Dream -played by Tom Sturridge- was imprisoned for 106 years instead of 75. Other characters have also been adapted to correspond to current questions such as Doctor Destiny, who is embodied in the form of his alter ego John Dee -played by David Thewlis- or John Constantine who has been reinvented as a female character, Johanna Constantine - played by Jenna Coleman. The role of Matthew the Raven -played by Patton Oswalt- has also been expanded in the series so that Morpheus has someone to communicate his thoughts with, which was represented by bubbles in comics but is impractical to do in live-action. Allan Heinberg, the creator of the series, explains that for him « Sandman comics were ahead of everyone in the late 1980s in terms of the representation of women, race, sexuality and gender ». Neil Gaiman explained that he chose to remove various references to the DC universe - such as the presence of Martian Manhunter and Mister Miracle - because the Sandman series was moving away from the initial links with the DC universe. This will also avoid the potential implications that the series could have with other adaptations of DC Comics in the future.

One of the first remarks I will make would be about the quality of the casting choices to embody absolutely all of the characters -the heroes of the story as well as the antagonists. In the cast, I only knew the characters least present, which does not mean that they are characters of lesser importance. Indeed, you may recognize in the names of Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who), Stephen Fry (V for Vendetta), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Wednesday), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who), Derek Jacobi (Gladiator, Doctor Who, The Borgias), Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy, Killing Eve), James McAvoy (X-MEN, Split), Neil Gaiman himself or David Tennant and Michael Sheen (Good Omens). As for the most central characters in the story, like Morpheus -embodied by Tom Sturridge-, the Corinthian -played by Boyd Holbrook- or Lucienne -played by Vivienne Acheampong, it has been brought to my attention after having seen the series that I had previously seen them in various other productions but they hadn’t made a strong enough impression on me in these respective roles and I had all the pleasure to rediscover their talent fully in this series. Each and every actor and actress -whether they are main characters, secondary or even special guest- have been able to bring their own mark on their role, something that identifies their character with their signature. This is partly what makes this production very qualitative in the sense that not only is it very well interpreted but also unique enough to stand out from the thousands of other fantastic series that are released every year.

In addition, I would like to take a moment to talk about the artistic direction of the series. Sandra Phillips and Luc Whitelock, the two artistic directors of the series, did a phenomenal job. Whether on the special effects themselves or even simply on the light games, the camera angles, the different atmospheres from one episode to the next, contribute to creating a very characteristic atmosphere and aesthetic which reinforce its fantastic-horrific aspect. Because, make no mistake about the atmosphere, although the series is tinged with onism through the various worlds of the Endless, it is also imbued with a dose of horror and macabre in the world of the Awakened. Through this aesthetic dichotomy, the series shows the best and worst of humanity, how humans could -if we were to let ourselves be governed by our animal instincts- sink into self-destruction, chaos, violence and let all our worst flaws dominate us. I will not develop more but if you are sensitive -or curious- to what I am talking about, I am particularly refering to episode 5 of season 1 entitled 24/7…

During the creation of the series, David S. Goyer, Allan Heinberg and Neil Gaiman explained that they often discussed the following question: « Why is it essential to tell Sandman’s story now? » To which Allan Heinberg answered every time « Sandman is an exploration of what it means to be human. To be mortal and therefore vulnerable. Able to be hurt, but also able to love and be loved. Sandman is the story of an honorable and arrogant king who learns slowly, very slowly, to love. » David S. Goyer adds that the series is summarized as « the story of a god who, in the course of history, loses his divinity, becomes mortal and learns what it means to be mortal. This is the story of a really crapy dysfunctional family. The Endless, even if they are divine beings, all have their little quarrels. Some of them hate each other. Some love each other. It’s just that when they fight, it’s whole worlds and universes that suffer from it » and called it a melodrama. Morpheus is sometimes simultaneously a protagonist and a catalyst for the events of the series, he is a character who « cares about humanity in the abstract, but not in the concrete ».

I also would like to acknowledge the work on costumes done by Sarah Arthur who managed to give a strong visual signature to the characters and managed to make them stand out from each other while giving clues about the links between certain characters through small details slipped here and there into the costumes of the main characters.

Finally, as always, I will finish by telling you a little about the soundtrack of the series built by David Buckley. Not only do the different themes of the series make it possible to accentuate the different main characters as well as their intentions, but the music also makes it possible for the viewer to travel between the different worlds explored alongside Morpheus.

If there is one thing I must admit to the series distributed and produced by Netflix, it is that not a single one of the ones I have seen could be qualified to have a bad soundtrack. Although obviously I have not seen their entire catalog, I think I have seen enough to make this remark, which remains a subjective and personal opinion. Obviously you are free to disagree and please let me know if you do, I will discuss it with pleasure! But, at least at the moment I write these lines, none comes to mind.

I think I’ve talked enough to leave you here for this article on the Sandman series! I hope I made you want to at least take a look at this masterpiece!

Don’t forget to keep an eye every Saturday on my Instagram account (@theaddictedwatcherreviews) if you want to be able to choose the subject of the next article!

In the meantime, I wish you good viewings and I’ll see you very soon with new adventures!

Eli.

[chaosthatsmellsgreen]

Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender thoughts, part 3/5

about Team Avatar and side characters

Missing adventures: oh yeah, about that. so we had references to The Waterbending Scroll, The Great Divide and The Fortuneteller. basically these episodes are canonical in NATLA, although whatever run-in they had with the pirates was clearly not about a waterbending scroll since Katara already has it. (more on that later) and i'm not saying these are top tier episodes (i'm partial to The Fortuneteller because Sokka is fucking hilarious and also because kataang), but what's important to understand about ATLA is that even their little side adventures are important because they build character and relationships. that's not filler, it's very much the backbone of the original show. in NATLA, there is very little distraction for our heroes, and therefore we get to see less of their everyday lives and their bond

Team Avatar: i think this is an issue between Aang and Sokka as well, but their moments with each other are much better executed, and so it's less noticable, and then of course Katara and Sokka are family in a literal sense, but also get a lot of time to bond and work on their connection. the overall effect of all this is that Team Avatar (which they also call themselves waaaaaay too early for my liking, but eh, i'd look past it) doesn't feel as close and as bonded as the show is saying they are.

KOH. FUCKIN'... KOH. okay so you know how spirits are very neutral and self-serving in ATLA? they don't really give two shits about humans and their problems and just focus on their own goals? yeah so apparently Koh is just Evil (TM). this is the same issue as LoK had with the spirit world was having to make it more black and white than it was in ATLA. Koh... honestly, he wasn't really evil in the OG. he steals faces because that's what he does, that's his place in the universe. (if you read the comics, it's mommy issues, basically, but still that's not evil, that's sad, and clearly this Koh has the same origin story as the comics, because statue.) he's completely fair to Aang, even very, very helpful, as long as Aang plays by his rules. now, obviously we don't know what ATLA Koh would do if Aang's friends followed him to the spirit world, probably the same as he did in NATLA. he was just so much more intriguing in the original show where he was more than "creepy centipede spirit monster"'

Katara: Katara is so... timid. LET MY GIRL YELL!! she's a hothead, and a very passionate person. to be clear, i don't think this is Kiawentiio's fault, i think it's writing and maybe direction. she barely even gets to get mad during the water tribe episodes, a place in the story where in the original she was BIG mad. it's the closest Katara gets to original Katara, but even there she's very reserved and nowhere near as passionate as she should be. like her duel with Pakku was an on the spot, hot headed, unplanned decision, in this, she lets Pakku insult her, walk away, and then she goes off to contemplate whether she should fight him. i also like that she got quite far as a waterbender by herself, but i wish they gave her some time to train with a master and actually earn the title of master, not just be bestowed it after showing basic combat prowess. she was a very talented bender, but her having discipline and being a diligent, hard-working student is just as important a part of her character, and i don't love the "i'm a girlboss so i don't need anyone to teach me" arc. she's also very much idk, i call it perfect-washed in my head? all her flaws are removed (she doesn't steal the water bending scroll, she doesn't lash out at her friends and family when she's frustrated with her waterbending progress, and the whole thing about her not being nearly as angry or loud, too) and all that's left is this perfect, talented, flawless girl. which is, you know, i wanted to see the Katara i knew, and she didn't feel like the same person. if i try to ignore what i wanted to see, and focus on the character they were building, she does seem relatively consistent, i just find her boring because she ends up being pretty much a Mary Sue.

Sokka: i think Sokka is really well done. he's funny, he has depth, despite removing his sexism, he still has some of his rough edges, and so he doesn't suffer from this perfectisation. i'm glad they acknowledge both his humour and his intelligence, i think a lot of what they chose to build NATLA Sokka around is good insight into who Sokka is and why he was an important part of the Gaang. i find it weird that they are eluding to him not actually wanting to be a warrior, that it's something he's pushed to be - but, well, if that's a direction they want to take his story, i don't think it's necessarily bad. the one thing i hate about it is....

Hakoda: i'm so. fucking. bored. of everyone having to have a shitty relationship with their fathers. Sokka always wanted to live up to Hakoda, but Hakoda clearly didn't care if his children were like him. all he ever expected of them was to be good people, and all he ever did was love them. you're trying to tell me that a dad who was characterized as telling his daughter that he missed her and her brother by saying "I missed you so much it would ache" is going to publicly shit-talk his son because he didn't properly pass his coming-of-age ritual at <13 years old? (let's ignore that actually Sokka never even did the ice dodging because he was too young to, before his father left, another reminder that he was still a child when he was left as the oldest man of their whole tribe, and even though NATLA is putting a lot of emphasis on that, they somehow miss the point that Sokka wasn't even of age when this responsibility fell on his shoulders). it just doesn't follow. and yes, this is actually a bit of the story and Sokka's motivations that is technically done just fine, i'm just soooo bored of it. Sokka himself did want to prove himself to Hakoda, but Hakoda never actually needed any proof that Sokka was... idk "worthy"? of being his son. so yeah, i hated all of that, even though it was fine and consistent in execution

Bumi: is literally the same issue. i prefer ATLA Bumi, even though NATLA is probably more realistic in what 100 years of war and constant, impossible decisions would do to a person. i just... i always loved that there is someone, anyone that Aang used to know, one person who's still alive, still there, who knows who Aang is and what the world used to be like in his time. seeing Bumi be so... honestly, downright cruel to him, it just made me really sad. and in fairness, i think it was supposed to make me sad, so it did what it aimed to do. like i said, same issue as Hakoda, this was done alright, it's just too different from the OG for me to enjoy

Oma and Shu: i loved the animation style for the tale of two lovers, i think it was wonderfully done. as for them being F/F, i can take it or leave it, i don't really care. it's one of those Netflix-style token representation things, it makes no difference to me either way. i'm glad it's made a lot of people happy though

Yue: so the fox thing was a little weird? jury is still out on whether i liked that one or not, it might take me a rewatch to decide. other than that, i enjoyed how they fleshed her character out. the whole thing with Hahn was a little strange, but eh, i'm fine with that change. i liked the forbidden romance thing she and Sokka had going, but i think them just having a normal romance is completely fine. i thought their connection was done well, i was overall very happy with her and her relationship with Sokka

PART 3/5

START // NEXT // PREVIOUS

[moviemunchies]

I’m struggling to come up with a coherent review, but I’m going to do my best!

You guys probably know by now that I’m a big fan of animation that pushes itself out of the usual styles. And while it’s been ages since I read the original comic, I was eager to see it adapted into animated form.

In a science-fantasy kingdom, run by the Institute, Ballister Boldhart, a commoner who would be a knight, is framed for murder and is branded a villain by the media. He only wants to clear his name and get back with the kingdom’s champion, but the young (or is she?!?) shapeshifter Nimona attaches herself to him as his villainous sidekick. Together they uncover the conspiracy to frame him, as well as reveal more of Nimona’s own history and how it ties to the history of the kingdom.

The film has gotten a lot of attention for its queer content. See, it was originally being produced by Blue Sky Studios (and employees of the studio are listed in the credits), which was owned by Fox. Which was then bought by Disney. They shut down the studio, deciding that having ANOTHER animation studio open wouldn’t be worth the effort and money, and eventually shut down production on this movie, despite it being over halfway done. Annapurna Pictures picked it up and finished the movie, keeping a lot of the already-completed work. More than one source from Blue Sky claims that Disney’s executives were very hard on this movie for featuring a same-sex kiss and LGBT themes, so they locked it down.

Welp it released on Netflix anyway!

I’ve seen quite a few sites and articles refer to Nimona as having “queer subtext.” I suppose that’s not wrong, but in this case I’d argue that the subtext is so heavy it might as well just be considered text. I mean yes, there’s the fact that Ballister is in love with a man, and his happy ending is getting together with him, but that’s just kind of the tip of the iceberg. Nimona’s a shapeshifter, who says she doesn’t feel alive if she can’t change her shape, she refuses to answer the question of “What are you?” other than with “I’m Nimona,” and has an entire society label her an unnatural monster. Heck, the villain declares that she is “a threat to our way of life.” 

It doesn’t really get more heavy-handed than that. I want to be clear that “heavy-handed” doesn’t mean “bad”; I wouldn’t say it’s bad here. “Heavy-handed” is only bad when it’s badly done. But any adult watching the film is going to pick up on what the movie’s saying. It’s not subtle. In a world though that seems to have increasing calls for violence by political players towards people they hate, I think the message of “Don’t demonize people and call for their execution for being different,” is an okay thing for a movie to be preaching.

One thing (if I remember correctly) about the comic I found a bit jarring (but not bad) was the tone shift in the story. It’s fairly light, a parody of superhero/villain stories, until we get to the end and Nimona’s backstory, where it feels very, VERY dark. The movie has a similar tone shift, but I think it handles it better overall. This does not mean the movie’s better than the comic, settle down People Angry About the Idea of Adaptation. I just mean that I think this one aspect is handled better.

I do also like the resolution better! But I don’t want to spoil it. So I’ll leave it at that.

The animation here is an absolute delight. It seems like Into the Spider-Verse opened the floodgates for all kinds of different styles to be tried out in movies. It’s colorful, but limited to a certain range. It’s memorable, and sticks out from other animated movies. Characters can look like cartoons but not look like the same cartoons that we see in a bunch of animated films. It’s fantastic. I know I always bang on about how much I love unique animation but I still love seeing it.

The voice cast is outstanding. Riz Ahmed is able to wring a ton of emotion out of the role of Ballister, while also having fun with him playing the straight man (comedy term! I know Ballister’s not straight) against Nimona. Ahmed’s clearly not having anywhere near as much fun as Chloe Grace-Moretz. Yeah, she gives a great, emotional performance at times, but she’s having an absolute blast in the moments when Nimona is causing havoc in the kingdom. 

I will admit that I was a little disappointed that the “I’m a shark!” line didn’t get more mileage in the movie; it was a running joke in the comic, and I would have liked to have seen it used more here.

Nimona is, overall, very good. Part of me is just happy to see that this finally made it to being a movie, after so many setbacks. If you’re interested in animation, you’ll probably love seeing how this one plays out. You’ll also enjoy this if you’re a fan of the comic, though I suppose there might be someone more familiar than me objects to the changes made in adaptation. I don’t think it’ll present too much of a stumbling block, though.

[jvstheworld]

The Buffy Re-watch: S2E7 (part 1)

Lie to me

Playground equipment moving in the wind, not unsettling at all. How many horrors feature this type of thing at the beginning of their films or TV shows?

Then Drusilla comes in, stalks and tries to kidnap a child to amp up the creepy. Well done.

Angel appears and he and Dru have history, which makes sense because if he knew Spike, he would know Dru. We find out later what their real connection is and whoa boy, it is a doozy.

The kicker here is that Buffy sees it all. Doesn't take a genius to work out that they know each other.

Hold on! Giles, wants Buffy to have the night off? Did he get replaced by an alien? Or did he finally listen to his slayer about having a healthy work/life balance?

Passing notes in class. Something I never did in school. I didn't do a lot of things in school. God, my time at school was shit. This is not a new realisation, just remembering.

An old friend of Buffy's appears, probably one of the few she has left from LA, Billy Fordham.

If you have never heard the Divinyls song 'I touch myself' take 3 guesses as to what it's about and the first 2 don't count. This song was also famously used in 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' in the scene where he dance fights the fembots towards the end of the film.

Willow's realisation as to the meaning of the song steals the scene for me.

Angel, honey, sweetie, learn to tell your sort of girlfriend the truth. Things would go much easier if you did.

Ford knows Buffy is the slayer. Buffy keeping being the slayer a secret identity is on par with James Bond keeping secret that he is a spy. Both of them are shit at it.

Mysterious club with very heavy metal doors? Never a good sign. And oh look, vampire wannabes.

Ford taking meds and wanting to turn into a vampire. Hmm, me thinks something is up.

Angel appearing again, but at Willow's house because he rightfully thinks Ford is being sus, and Willow confirms this with the school having no record of him having transferred.

Giles understands that Ford is cute, and that Buffy thinks he is too.

Ford came prepared, he has that going for him, but is still sus.

So, the entire club is made up of delusional people who believe that vampires are fluffy bunnies, and that they are really just misunderstood. Not in this universe they aren't. Hell, Angel and Spike while ensouled can still turn into rage machines if the occasion calls for it. They don't even know that one of the most feared vampires in history is standing right in front of them, that would be terrifying to know. To which I now have to ask, is there much in the way of vampires being good? There's Hellsing where Alucard and Seras are good, Blade from the Marvel comics, Alucard from Castlevania (loved the Netflix series by the way and looking forward to the next one), Underworld has Selene. Are there any others? And not just one or two of them, but where vampires as a whole are the good guys?

Jenny took Giles to go see Monster Trucks... I need to see that.

That angry mob in Prague did a shite job of killing Dru, since she is still walking around.

Dru is referred to as a 'sometime paramour of Spike's' does that mean they have an on-again-off-again relationship or just a very long term one? Because either is sort of believable, especially with how Dru can be.

Genuine question: do I come across as sarcastic in these posts? Because when I read through my notes in my head I definitely sound sarcastic, same when typing. I'm just curious.

Anyway, part 2 will be tomorrow.

[fallloverfic]

Fun maybe intentional "Nimona" comic/fandom reference in the movie adaptation concerning Ambrosius Goldenloin

Spoilers for the comic and movie below the cut:

So remember when the webcomic by ND Stevenson was still publishing and we wondered if Ambrosius (in the comic) was related to the mysterious nameless blonde man who takes child Nimona away in the flashbacks to get experimented on:

(Top: mysterious nameless blonde man. Bottom: Ambrosius in the story present, ~16 pages prior)

Ambrosius' mysterious comic parentage is brought up in the comic Christmas Special, where he claims his father is rich and lives in a castle, but Ballister says this is a lie (for additional context, Nate explained in 2013 that Ambrosius was an orphan, and Ballister's father gave Ballister to the Institution to cover Ballister's father's gambling debts).

Prior to the movie's release, pre-release footage was released (I think at a previous Annecy festival) of Nimona shapeshifting into an armadillo and then a girl and hanging out with a pale-skinned child with longish blonde hair (this was an unfinished cut of one of the young Gloreth and Nimona scenes). But we had no context for it (or at least none that I found). Nimona was obviously the shapeshifter (the armadillo was identical to what we saw elsewhere), but the other character's identity was unclear. First theory I saw was that this was young Ambrosius, and "I" figured maybe the movie would feature him and Nimona having a friendship that ended badly (or well, who knows?), and that would give them a stronger connection and stakes in the movie (e.g., a good friendship as children, but they become enemies as adults).

Another theory I had was this was a retconned version of the unnamed blonde man backstory: that he was actually Nimona's friend who later turned her in/otherwise betrayed her for one reason or another (and possibly that he was genderbent to be female in this version, as the blonde child's gender is unclear). Still later when we got the cast listing showing that Gloreth was in the movie (but weren't overtly shown her anywhere; in the comic, she's a brunette, but also there was a big theory that Nimona was Gloreth or Gloreth's beast from the comic, and Nate was close-mouthed about it even back in 2014 outside saying she's not Gloreth's descendant), I wondered if the blonde child was Gloreth... and that the blonde hair indicated she was related to Ambrosius. That change could also create interesting stakes between Ambrosius and Nimona if he was the descendant of someone who'd been her friend/hurt her in the past. Particularly given, in the movie clip Netflix put out, Promise You Won't Freak Out, when rhino Nimona is barreling towards Ambrosius, there's a moment where Ballister is looking directly at Ambrosius and says "Good Gloreth!" and that made me really think "ohh! Maybe they really ARE related!"

Another detail: someone (seemingly a reporter) shared photos on Facebook of a Zoom call they had with Nate and the rest of the crew back in early April 2023, and one of the backgrounds featured was of the giant statue of what we later learned was Gloreth (you can see these backgrounds used in other interviews that have now been made public, but I forget which ones actually featured this background in particular. The two people in this frame are Julie Zackary and Karen Ryan, the latter of whom voices adult Gloreth in the movie opening).

(Above, crop of the image from Facebook, which was later taken down. Bottom, image shared by Netflix of the Gloreth statue in the movie)

At the time, without context of who the statue was, I assumed it was that statue of Ambrosius in the comic, given the long hair and general similarity to Ambrosius' comic appearance:

(the statue in chapter 4)

But given the potential change of Gloreth being blonde and Ambrosius having short hair in the movie, I wondered if this was a statue of Gloreth instead, and the replacement (Ambrosius statue in the comic, Gloreth statue in the movie, the statue actually has Ambrosius' long comic hair...) indicated a connection between them. Heck, they even have Ambrosius do the (mirrored) statue pose in the movie. The parallels are intentional on some level lol

(I mean I also theorized that maybe the statue was still Ambrosius and he just cut his hair after the statue was built or something, or the statue came after he grew it out, or it was just concept art and not actual movie stills, there were many theories alkdjlaj)

And then it turns out yes, actually, Ambrosius is Gloreth's descendent in the movie! And so yes, that was cool to be right about that lol. But I realized just now... wait, they sort of kept the comic fan theory that Ambrosius is related to the mysterious blonde [person] in Nimona's traumatic past! And that's really cool! I'm not sure if it was intentional because of that old fan theory, or picking up a plot Nate dropped or didn't have time for in the comic (Gloreth was an incredibly minor character in the comic), or just to tie into the general plotty stuff in the movie, but it's a nice thought, anyway, especially because of all the other stuff clearly meant to appeal to the comic's original Tumblr audience. (After all, like Nate said in 2014, Nimona is not Gloreth's descendant).

(Anyway if you haven't read the comic, you can buy it here)