#'what about 97-' A NEW ONE. THAT IS NOT A SEQUEL

[zehecatl]

we do actually fr need a new X-Men cartoon

[not-the-cheese]

one sentence(ish) summaries of every magnus archive episode PART 2

(eps 61-110) thank u for the funny comments and tags on the last part i love u guys

the rest of these may take a while as i've caught up to where i am currently in the podcast but i will finish them like in a month i promise

----

61. the thrilling sequel to man does not open coffin: man DOES open coffin.

62. surely this doctor can find an easier way to scam people out of money than putting them in a little book.

63. THE DARK ATE MY BROTHER IN LAW.

64. this is possibly the plot of laura croft tomb raider

65. mmm crumchy

66. what's the opposite of an unboxing video

67. as close to a coffeeshop au as you're going to get from this podcast

68. Doctors hate him! Man REFUSES to die from tuberculosis!

69. your college's psych department has the worst idea ever.

70. reverse death note

71. not even death will stop this woman from taking the british subway

72. man doesn't want to be low key racist in his last moments before getting eaten

73. police versus the second coming of dark jesus

74. lady is haunted by an ad for coffee

75. mike crew says "uh fuck it let's just put this guy on a skyscraper forever"

76. ryan from buzzfeed unsolved breaks into a train yard and suffers consequences

77. you're not a enough of a bitch to be my real mom

78. man gets harassed by his cousin and then exorcises him

79. you know that chase scene in scooby doo with the doors

80. stupid idiot motherfucking jurgen leitner

81. i have been personally victimized by the sequel to the hungry hungry caterpillar

82. pov: elias threatens to cancel you

83. mannequin takes matters into its own hands after people don't like its pitch for a new window display

84. a hoarder put newspaper on my friend's face :(

85. hey there's maybe a little man upon these stairs?

86. man gets got by a squiggly thing in the dark.

87. plumber is so oblivious to spooky happenings around him that it possibly saves his life.

88. guys i think this guy likes to dig

89. lesbian investment banker finds a new, less evil job: arson!

90. guy who turns people's bones starts a gym where he promises not to turn your bones! (he is lying)

91. i was stalked by lightning for 10 years and i all i got were these stupid scars

92. jonah magnus is a bad friend // another day another elias slay

93. ocd is no match for purple fuzz

94. let the bodies drop gently to the floor let the bodies drop gently to the floor

95. im so sorry my brain refuses to remember what the war ones were about but i think one guy got gently kissed on the forehead so that's pretty nice.

96. diversity wins! the not-quite-human delivery men who stole your identity and business are maybe gay?

97. man gets gaslighted by an entire town about a hole

98. 🎶mister sandman bring me a dream, actually don't, please stay far from me 🎶

99. another one bites the dust

100. archival assistants face off against the general public (they lose)

101. jon finally levels up high enough to unlock an eldritch horror's tragic backstory

102. LOCAL MAN MARRIES BUG

103. peppa eats a clown and they cover her in concrete instead of congratulating her.

104. pennywise stole my brother's skin

105. it's world war z baby

106. Something Big Is In Space.

107. man is interrogated about the time he saw thomas the train roasts people alive and also sans is there

108. actor is stalked by mask who liked his monologue so much that it tells its mask friends to come watch.

109. sometimes a family is just a serial killer's daughter and that guy who maybe killed some vampires

110. yeah man those spiders be eating

Part 1 |

[biblioflyer]

Finding hope in an Age of Apocalypse: maybe Xavier’s dream isn’t dead, just wounded.

X-Men ‘97 ends on a series of cliffhangers: the team split between eras, likely having to choose between helping a mortal enemy or altering history in unpredictable ways but probably for the worse, and with the present day team facing a new wave of anti-mutant sentiment and the potential for President Creed. Yet contained within this ending are seeds of hope.

This is part 5 in a series of discussions about the pessimism of the X-Men setting, its origins, its consequences, and whether that’s even a fair assessment.

Part 1 laid out some of the core conceits of the setting.

Part 2 discusses theories of historical change.

Part 3 is about the messiness of allegories.

Part 4 compares X-Men to other popular settings and their status quo or evolution.

I hold out hope the next season of ‘97 might complicate the status quo a bit. Maybe build upon Steve Rogers looking very unhappy when the Magneto protocol was authorized to show us humans and superhumans who are more willing to buck the system. President Kelly is likely to be seen as a big disappointment by idealists who want to work within the system, such as Steve. 

If ‘97 does go forward with a transition from having a President who is sympathetic to Mutants but whose ultimate priority is order to a President who is a fire breathing anti-mutant extremist, that would be a fruitful way to bring in dissenting humans and superhumans. It would be interesting to see the status quo, from the perspective of supportive non-Mutants, move from unjust but seeming to have room for reform to one that is intolerable.

It’s very much not Captain America’s show and there is no obligation to depict him in a sympathetic way in the X-Men’s corner of the setting, but adding extra dimensions to the conflict by having a broader ideological mix of Humans would offset the fatalism of the first season and the potential extra gloom of a President Creed arc by bringing a smidge of optimism that Sapiens vs Mutatis does not have to be a zero sum conflict.

I’m just personally not a fan of settings without hope. It’s what frustrated me about the way the Star Wars Sequels wiped away the achievements of the legacy characters as if they had been built on sand and without even really giving us any appreciation for what, if anything, they did achieve. It’s what made the first couple seasons of Star Trek Discovery kind of a chore, not that there wasn’t hope, but you really had to dig deep to find anything approximating the idealism of TNG. 

I know things are hard, I know the world is a mess, and I’m fine with fictional worlds being hyperbolically messy but give me hope dammit! I don’t want to come away from an epic journey feeling fatalistic about reality by finding no hope in fiction.

Which is incidentally why I want to thank the writers of ‘97 for capping off the season by having the touching moment with Scott and Cable and for Xavier being willing to die trying to break through to Magneto, even after everything Magneto had done.

Grim is okay if it's complemented by heroes being that much more heroic for contrast.

If I wanted bad people doing bad things, having bad things happen to them, and becoming worse people for it I’d reread Game of Thrones.

If I wanted all of that with superpowers, I’d pick up the original The Boys comics.

[milesonthenet]

We need to talk about X-Men '97!

October 31st, 1992, saw the release of the iconic X-Men animated series. It quickly gained praise and viewership from its audience. For years, it has been regarded as one of the most high-quality animated adaptations.

This year, the X-Men Animated Series finally gains a sequel; X-Men '97. The next chapter in Marvel's Uncanny Mutants is only halfway through its season. Its journey is only just beginning, and it has already gained praise from critics.

Welcome to the House of Milesverse. Today, we will be talking about X-Men '97, and its growing impact. I hope you enjoy the read and remember to (SNIKT) leave a comment or suggestion, bub.

WARNING. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

'97's story:

Unsurprising to anyone, '97 picks up a year after the events of the last episode. With Charles Xavier gone, Cyclops has taken full reins over the team. The X-Men are facing off against new and dangerous challenges.

'97 has a timeless vibe to its story, almost as if you never left. These are still the same characters as they were before. The X-Men's lore and story within the animated continuity have not changed.

Much like its predecessor, '97 also provides some interesting adaptations. For an example, look no further than Madelyne Pryor, the clone of Jean Grey. In just one episode, the series condensed the events of her story.

Another good example is their destruction of Genosha. Watching it play out on the screen was such a shocker. Its destruction was carried out by Cassandra Nova in the comics. Interestingly enough, she's completely absent from the series, with this being a conspiracy done by Bolivar Trask.

The X-Men have been missed.

Dear X-Men, we have missed you.

X-Men's animated series is in line with other serious, action-heavy stories from that time. Their story focuses on the message of hate, and the real-world issues it can relate to. The persecution that mutants feel has often been used to represent various minority groups across history.

In addition, the original series combined that with beautifully made animation. The action scenes have been well-remembered by fans for years. The animated series has become such a beloved part of the animated media circle within comic books. For anyone who's a fan of our merry mutants, they definitely have spent some time with this show.

97 has proven to be a perfect follow-up by many fans. In just two episodes, 97 was able to impress the audience. It's following in the footsteps of its predecessor. X-Men 97's acclaim and interest can only rise, especially thanks to it's renewal.

What's so different?

These may be the same mutants you have met, but their voices are not. Some of the actors, such as Norm Spencer (the original voice for Cyclops) unfortunately passed away over the years. Others have been recast to play different characters.

Here are what I feel are the most notable additions:

Cyclops is now voiced by Ray Chase, well known for being the voice of numerous characters such as Noctis Lucis Caelum (FF15), Bruno Bucciarati (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), Tengen Uzui (Demon Slayer), Roy (Fire Emblem), and the Master of Masters (Kingdom Hearts)

Jean Grey (and Madelyne Pryor) is now voiced by Jennifer Hale, well known for being the voice of Commander Shepherd (Mass Effect), Princess Morbucks (Powerpuff Girls), and one of the Hex Girls, Thorn (Scooby-Doo). It's also worth noting that Jennifer Hale reprises the role, as she initially had it during Wolverine and the X-Men.

Gambit is an interesting case, as his prior voice actor, Chris Potter, is now playing Cable. He's instead voiced by A.J. LoCascio, who does voice work for both Prince Lotor (Voltron: Legendary Defender) and Marty McFly (Back To The Future: The Game).

Speaking of? Cable is voiced by Chris Potter now, whose done work as Peter Caine (Kung-Fu: The Legend Continues), and Evan Owen (The Young and The Restless).

Cable's old voice actor was Lawrence Bayne, but he was replaced by Chris Potter. Ironically enough, Lawrence Bayne plays a new character who debuts in the same episode as Cable's birth, The X-Cutioner. Lawrence Bayne is known as the voice of Gill (Street Fighter III: Third Strike) and Raven (Gargoyles).

Lastly? Jubilee's old voice actress, Alyson Court, wanted someone of Asian descent to portray her. That is where Holly Chou comes in, acting as the new voice of Jubilee. She did the voice work for Akame (Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name). It is also worth noting that Alyson Court acted as the voice of an older Jubilee in an episode, named Abscissa.

As you can see, a lot has changed with the voice cast of the X-Men series. Some characters who were voiced by older actors had been replaced. Others, like Cal Dodd (The voice of Wolverine) and Alison-Sealy Smith (The voice of Storm) still reprise their iconic roles.

While much has changed? At the end of the day, these new actors all still portray the spirit of the character. Ray Chase for example makes for a standout, with how closely he sounds to Norm Spencer's Cyclops.

What to look forward to & Conclusion

X-Men '97 is heating up, and we are already almost at the end. If you haven't checked it out yet, then I recommend it. The series is short, but its episodes all have a distinct impact and role. They not only move the plot forward but also help the characters to grow.

My hope is that Superhero Animation swings back into full gear. I remember as a kid it felt like it was practically already there. From the 90s to the 2000s, you could not miss it. The DC Animated Universe, for example, stands out as one of the best superhero animation projects. An entire generation grew up on those stories, and those adventures.

X-Men shows that its importance and value to people matters. Much like the DCAU, it raised so many children and was their first introduction to the X-Men. It stands out as one of the most iconic superhero action cartoons ever, and frankly? It's earned its title.

I think the future of superhero animation is steadily climbing back up. We have had great animated series, such as Invincible, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, My Adventures with Superman, and now? X-Men '97.

This has been a wonderful episode of House of MilesVerse. I hope you join us for a deep dive into our favorite robots in disguise. I'll be doing a full review of Transformers: Earthspark.

And? If you didn't know it, then now you know. We'll chronicle some adventures of Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur.

[italeteller]

So there's been some talk about Spider-Man: The Animated Series getting it's own sequel in light of X-men 97's success (Nothing confirmed of course, but they're obviously aware there'd be interest in it especially since that Spider-man's had two cameos in the show this season). What would you want to see them do besides resolving the cliffhanger if they did make that show?

Woof, what a question. I don't even remember what the OG show covered tbh

But ok, my biggest wish is that we get 24 episodes. As much as I lvoed X-men '97, as good at it was, 10 episodes was far too little, and personally I think the finale suffered for it

As for stories... I want Peter and MJ to get married and have a kid. I want Mayday on the story. I don't think we're getting the spectacular Spider-girl, not if disney wants to keep the animated universes as an interconnected cinematic universe (which all the cameos in '97 suggests they do) but just. Make the characters age. Make their story go forward. If you're making this for your adult audience, the people who grew with the cartoon, then make the cartoon grow too

Also, maybe a basic bitch answer but Kraven's last hunt and Soul of the hunter would be interesting to see animated. They could do some really horrific stuff with that storyline

Also also, I wanna see Peter as a school teacher and the Ezekiel saga. Specifically, I wanna see the storyline where Peter tracks down one of his student's brother who vanished after getting out of jail - a jail he was in because Spider-man put him there. The idea of really looking into what happens to the regular ass people Spider-man catches, and how his responsibility extends to them after beating them up was incredibly interesting and I'm so mad the comics never really did anything with it

Speaking of really cool things the comics never did anything with! The other. Peter got all these cool new powers and horrible foreboding mystic monster stuff and then they one more day'd it all away. I wanna see it back. I wanna see how Peter's life would've gone with all that stuff

And while we're at it, agent Venom would be cool. Flash in general has a lot of really interesting stuff - I don't remember if the series did anything with him - but him coming back from the army and losing his legs and dealing with that, plus the agent Venom stuff are all good, specially if they include Mania in it. Double specially if we get a Peter-Flash team-up to cleanse the shit taste of what Superior did to my boys

And Kaine! I would love to see the edgelord clone, maybe a few episodes adapting when he moves to Houston as the new Scarlet Spider

I was gonna add something else but I forgot which I'm gonna take as a sign from above to stop here, because the more I think about it the more I could keep going

[itsjustjelly]

I was going through old Vox Machina posts, and I found one from @/eponymous-rose, where they came up with funny alternate titles for the episodes of the campaign. I stole that idea and did it with JRWI Riptide! Here you go:

(Spoilers for up to 115)

Episode 1-2 : "Everything Immediately Went Wrong (Unsurprisingly)"

Episode 3-7: "What's So Funny?"

Episode 8: "This Hot Purple Tiefling Can't Possibly Be Evil"

Episode 9-10: "Is This the Plot of The Hangover?"

Episode 11: "You Should Really See a Therapist, Jay"

Episode 12-14: "These Are The Most Viewed Episodes Because a Popular Minecraft Youtuber is in Them."

Episode 15: "What's a Little Battle to the Death Between Friends?"

Episode: 17: "This Isn't Techincally Kidnapping, Right?"

Episode 16: "The Best (Worst?) Ship Name"

Episode 18: "The Single Worst Possible Character Design Decision"

Episode 19-20: "Holy Shit We're Finally Doing Dungeon Stuff"

Episode 21: "How to Queerbait your Audience"

Episode 22-23: "Cursed Artifact is Given to Person Most Likely to Use it"

Episode 24-25: "Battle of the Bands"

Episode 26: "I Bet This Decision Won't Have Any Consequences (Sequel to Cursed Artifact)"

Episode 27-28: "This Feels Like a Sidequest"

Episode 29-31: "Violent Game of Capture The Flag (With a Frankly Absurd Amount of Pantsing)"

Episode 32: "Oh Yeah, We're in the Middle of a War"

Episode 39-40 "Oh Yeah, We're Still in the Middle of a War"

Episode 33-38: "Cat Fight (Literally)"

Episode 41: "That Decision Had Consequences (Cursed Artifact Part 3)"

Episode 42-46: "Making Bad Decisions (but it Works Out)"

Episode 47: "Finally Naming the Pirate Crew After Almost 50 Episodes"

Episode 48: "Really Feeling the Treasure Planet Inspiration Here"

Episode 49: "Was This Episode Real?"

Episode 50-52: "What the Actual Fuck Grizzly"

Episode 53: "Crying About Daddy Issues in Cosplay"

Episode 53-55: "The Mario Water Level of the Campaign"

Episode 56: "Why Would You Do That?!"

Episode 57-58: "Family Reunions and Lesbians"

Episode 59-60: "Our Friend Might Be Dead. Anyway, Lets Go Shopping!"

Episode 61-62: "Making Bad Decisions Again (it Doesn't Work Out This Time)"

Episode 63: "Loss of the Single Best NPC in D&D History"

Episode 64: "Reminder That Your Actions Have Consequences"

Episode 65-67: "Roblox Murder Mystery"

Episode 68-68: "No, That's Not a Typo"

Episode 70: "Fighting Our Friend's Inner Demons (Literally)"

Episode 71-72: "The Feywild is Insane"

Episode 73: "Hey, Where's Gillion?"

Episode 74-80: "Hee Hoo! This Arc Was a Fever Dream!"

Episode 81: "Oops, This One's Got Self Worth Issues"

Episode 82: "Gillion Hatches"

Episode 83-84: "Semi-consensual Attempted Murder"

Episode 85: "How to Lose All of Your Money In Three Simple Steps!"

Episode 86: "Fight to the Death Between Friends, but with Character Development"

Episode 87: "Fanartists' Hell"

Episode 88: "Return of the Single Best NPC in D&D History"

Episode 89: "We're Not High Enough Level for That Yet'

Episode 90: "Cat Fight (With Murder This Time)"

Episode 91-92: "The Riptide Pirates Get Blazed (and Then Eaten)"

Episode 93: "Oh Shit, Lore"

Episode 94-96: "Callbacks: The Arc"

Episode 97: "The Best April Fools Prank Ever"

Episode 98: "Gillion Doesn't Die (Somehow)"

Episode 99: "This Ended Too Well, Something Has to Go Wrong"

Episode 100-101: "Something Went Wrong"

Episode 102: "We're Finally High Enough Level for That"

Episode 103-108: "NO WE WEREN'T HOLY SHIT AAH AAAAAH"

Episode 109-110: "Chip Dies (NOT CLICKBAIT!!!)

Episode 111-112: "Tonal Whiplash"

Episode 113: "No Comment"

Episode 114-115: "Here's a Massive Cliffhanger, See You in Six Months!"

(Since the campaign is still ongoing, I will be updating this as new episodes release)

[kamenstranger]

Batman: Caped Crusader Review.

Well, I didn't expect to be reviewing another cartoon so soon but I forgot this was still happening and here we are. So much like X-men '97 I will be getting into spoilers, even some finale stuff. But it's nothing you probably wouldn't already know. Like is saying something along the lines of "Harvey becomes Two-Face" or "Selina becomes Catwoman" really a spoiler? Still, if you want to go in completely clean then I'll give short spoiler-free summary: It's fine. It's good, even very good. It has enough going on without being overly reliant on nostalgia, though a lot concepts and ideas that never made it into TAS are used; which is obvious in some episodes like 2 and 8 which honest to god feel like lost episodes (sans the obnoxious references in 8.) But even a number of other episodes feel like they could've fit right in.

Likewise, the animation is simply lovely and feels like an appropriate continuation of the DCAU while also working as a throw back to TAS with its use of shadows and art deco design. They even have a film grain effect that looks shockingly good; uplifting the show's late 30s early 40s aesthetic by adding some literal grit. I've seen numerous productions go overboard with adding grain in post, but Caped Crusader keeps it very subtle and is probably the best you're going to do with a modern production. Frederik Wiedmann's score also complements the atmosphere, adding that quintessential gothic noir vibe. The entire soundtrack is on youtube and is well worth listening in isolation.

If I had one compliant... it's that Batman is the weakest and most underwritten part of the show. Regardless, the show has enough quality elements to make it worth a watch.

However, if you're interested in leaning more about my thoughts, hit the jump.

Let's start with some background information. Contrary to how it seems, this isn't nor was it ever intended to be a prequel to TAS-- at least that's what they say. It was originally a sequel to The New Batman Adventures before transmogrifying into another 30s-ish setting and using abandoned episode concepts from TAS along with completely original works. A number of episodes at the very least feel like they were written with a prequel mindset, and the final shot of the series was absolutely conceptualized as lead-in to TAS and is begging for the Walker Theme to kick in. But despite how much this could work as a prequel with just a few tweaks, I think making it disconnected was the right call. For one thing, with Conroy gone I don't think you could ever make something that leads into that very specific version of Batman, it wouldn't feel right. Secondly, it allows the series to stand on it's own and not rely on TAS as a crutch; even if comparisons are inevitable with the period setting and Bruce Timm's designs. Additionally the tone of the series is right in line with The Animated Series, only slightly darker and never going overboard just to be considered "adult." Characters say damn, people die, sometimes there's blood, the occasional gruesome character design, some stories are super pulpy and even have a slower pace than what they would've done on network TV for Y7+. But otherwise this would've fit fine on Toonami back in the day and the option to go darker is there should the story demand it. I will admit I'm a bit of an easy mark for this, particularly the heavy pulp elements that remind of The Shadow and The Spider.

On that note, Cape Crusader is a bit more basic in terms of setting and scope. I'm using "basic" loosely because there are still some eccentricities like Gentleman Ghost showing up, but outside the one supernatural aspect-- and an umbrella cannon-- there's nothing too crazy. No Freeze guns, mutant plant ladies, robots, Lazarus pits, mind controlling cards, airships etc. Clayface might be the one other outlier, but even that's just a guy who can change his appearance, not a big clay monster who can form a mace hand. I'm perfectly fine with all of this. We've already had a vintage Batman series that did all that anyway, so why not do something a little different and keep it simple? In maintaining that simplicity, most of CC is episodic with a larger narrative sprinkled throughout: Ruport Thorne is slowly taking over Gotham and begins trying to leverage Harvey Dent who is running for Mayor. That's it, that's the main plot. The more nitty-gritty parts largely center on relatively self contained adventures around the trio of Lawyer Barbara Gordon, GCPD detective Renee Montoya, and Therapist Harleen Quinzel.

It's a decent compromise between how involved modern shows have become sprawling season long stories while still maintaining the appeal of a self contained case in any given episode.

Of the three, Barbara (Krystal Joy Brown) has the most active role throughout the entire run and is arguably the main character of the show. She's compassionate about people, her clients, criminals and their circumstances. She has a strong balance between someone who is optimistic yet not naive, although still young enough to not have the harsher experiences as her father. This allows a contrast between her and Gordon's world weary, almost Black and White POV. In fact, her willingness to hear people out and consider alternatives leads to her establishing a form of contact with Batman before her father.

Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla) is about on par with Barbara in playing an active role in the series, albeit almost always work related for obvious reasons. She's a consummate professional, brilliant detective and the only trustworthy cop outside Gordon. That last part is particularly note worthy since it actually gives Gordon a reliable subordinate and not just Bullock. She has solid chemistry with Barbara and there's a lot of untapped potential with her and Harley. And hey, nice to get little bit of the two dating and smooching. Speaking of, Harley (Jamie Chung) is surprisingly prominent in the first half and I love how they handle her. She's legit intelligent and even knows there's something up with the public perception of Bruce. She's quirky without rehashing the whole bubbly blonde routine, she's delightfully flirty with Renee and she's also fucking demented. Oh yes, Harley is already cracked, but in a curious way where she's not exactly insane but clearly has a dark side she indulges. Honestly? Really neat to see a version of a character not influenced by Joker. She's still a Harlequin, of course, but much more traditional and I love that we don't waste time going through an origin. She just uses her therapist profession as a means to hash out her idea of justice against clients she can't reach, often mind breaking rich jackasses who refuse to better themselves. Harley assigns them personalities and forces repetitive tasks or absurd tortures. In a cute little meta nod she's responsible for creating the persona of King Tut, a character originally created for the '66 show, just as she was a creation for TAS.

I also have to mention Chung's voice acting, which the VA in the show is great all around, of course. But villain roles always get to stick out, and this is a prime example. The shift between that very intelligent caring quirky woman to… what I can only call an analytical seductive manipulator and abuser, well it's just wonderful. We've had so much of bubbly Quinn and silly crass Quinn that this version is so refreshing and one of the most pleasant surprises out of the show.

There are other characters outside the trio, but I simply don't have much to say about Gordan, Flass, or Bullock. The VA is impeccable, as previously mentioned; I love Eric Morgan's Gordon, Gary Anthony Williams' Flass and John DiMaggio's Bullock. Perfect casting. But character wise they simply serve a role and I don't have much to say about them. Gordon is, well, Gordon trying his best among a corrupt department full of people like Flass and Bullock. Flass himself is brilliantly sly and Bullock is a slob who does all the dirty work. I will say that even if I don't have much to go into with them, I do appreciate how much Flass and Bullock are featured and how effectively they're utilized.

The only major reoccurring character left to go in-depth on, outside Batman, is Harvey Dent; ironically voiced by Brave and the Bold Batman, Diedrich Bader. Harvey is… odd in this series. He's a dick headed "tough on crime" sleazy DA who is self interested in becoming Mayor, no matter who he has to steamroll to get there. On one hand it is an interesting angle; a man of once upstanding morals slowing eroding them to gain political favor with the ultimate goal of proper reform-- assuming he even has any left by the end of it. There is an inkling of a great idea in the political process of Gotham grinding you down, bringing out your worst, makes you compromise too much. The system changes you, not the other way around.

The issue is the tragedy of a good if flawed man giving into his worse impulses doesn't entirely work due to the simple fact we hardly see a good side to Harvey. No signs of a different better person underneath or who he used to be before DA. The show only gives Harvey one very minor scene of empathy and moral upstanding before his disfigurement, so he kinda goes from jaded cynical asshat to homicidal asshat. To give the show credit, that is in part the intent. We don't like Harvey all that much but still feel bad when we see how sad and broken he is, all because he finally did something good and he's punished for it. The episode dealing with the aftermath of the acid attack is really solid at showcasing his slip into insanity and drawing forth pathos. In a bubble it works beautifully; A man who was already breaking, even if they didn't know, now thinks everyone is out to get him. Almost every invasive thought is acted upon. They also don't make Two-Face the default or more common of the personas, it's a lot of back and forth. Harvey is relatively calm one moment but suddenly becomes violent the next. Hell, he even has moments of clarity and great remorse not only for his actions as Two-Face but as DA. The episode is handled very well and Bader is selling the hell out of it. I just wish there was more before that change, a little more to like about Harvey Dent. Bruce was friends with this guy and from an audience perspective it's kinda hard to see why, Harvey is a shit head, an absolute knob. I dunno, Batman is kind of dick in this so maybe there's something to be said there? But even so, his dynamic with Barbara is FAR more engaging and nuanced than with Bruce because Barbara has more impactful scenes and is the direct opposite of the same coin. I kinda wonder if the stuff with Bruce was something shoved in at the last minute because they felt they had to. Which I guess that finally bring me to Batman, who you may have noticed I've talked very little about in this Batman show up until now.

Batman is a boring wet white rice motherfucker with barely a character arc and almost no connections to the main cast.

Oh sure, every episode has Batman doing things that move the plot along, provides some very minor characterization or some plain 'ol detective work which is fun to see. But even when he does investigating, finds a clue, confronts a villain etc. it feels lacking because his interactions with the rest of the cast are severely limited and sporadic.

Batman himself is integral to the show, but he's more like an anchor for the rest of the cast who have far more captivating screen time and better defined relationships. Babs is friends with Harley and Renee, Harley and Renee are dating, Renee works for Gordon, Barbara is of course Gordon's daughter, Harley has a brief stint as a consultant for the GCPD, and Harvey works opposite Barbara. These people flow into each others stories, converse, have opposing or similar ideologies to make stories around. Batman lock picks and punches things. I mean, Christ, he doesn't have a friendship with Gordon because this is long before that, he treats Alfred like a valuable tool rather than family and he has more empathy for Nocturna in a one off episode than Harvey over the entire season. I'm serious when I say I think the friendship was tacked on, because there's a line in ep 6 about Dent's biggest donors pulling out of his campaign, implying Bruce never gave any money. Maybe they could've made an entire subplot about the Batman aspect taking so much priority that he ignored Dent's troubles until it was too late. Have Batman learn a lesson about balancing the personas and how Bruce Wayne can be equally useful in aiding Gotham-- and the consequences of forgetting that. Maybe even intersperse flashbacks to a younger Bruce and more optimistic and likeable Dent to show why and how they became friends. This could've been done in a two-parter just like how Robin was handled in TAS.

For the instances the show does put a spotlight on just Batman it's simply going through the motions. The best we get is Bruce Wayne attending therapy sessions with Quinn, which is a great concept ultimately wasted on flashbacks of Bruce's childhood I've seen a dozen times over and maybe should've been used to explore his relationship with Dent.

Another reason why this Batman is so bland is because there are almost no sympathetic villains, which you've probably gathered by now. Harvey in the last episode and Nocturna in ep. 8 are the only two that fit the criteria (And frankly Barbara does more to help Harvey.) But everyone else? No tragic backstory, no victim of circumstance, no injustice, and no chance to showcase Batman's greatest attribute. On paper I understand what they were going for; this is an early Batman attempting (and sometimes failing) to be emotionally walled off. He's in the background, he needs to learn to open up and temper his anger. Midway into the season have something drastic happen to shake his resolve (endangering Alfred, of course)

By the end of the series he begins casually referring to him as Alfred rather than "Pennyworth" and he's established connections with Barbara, Jim and Renee. I don't dislike this slow burn, I enjoy seeing Batman's humanity slowly seep through. The series has a lot of great little moments where we see that happening, like Batman chastising Barbara for being reckless right after she saved his ass and a friend of hers is assumed dead. She's going through a lot and Batman clearly doesn't know how to processes the situation, he doesn't know how to be comforting.

There's also a great scene in the finale that I'm pretty sure was a giant middle finger to a certain director. The problem is the entire season is doing things like that. Sure we get growth for the character, but that's grueling for a 10 episode season. Maybe it's just me, but I'd kinda like to be more invested in the title character before the season finale. But as is so often the case with streaming we're limited to just 10 episodes per season. It's... so tiresome spending an entire run getting Batman to a state where we can actually tie him in with the rest of the ensemble cast and show some goddamn empathy. I realize rushing through this could result in the opposite problem, but this once again leads to me pointing out, as always, the stories writers want to tell are too big for these gimped 6-10 episode season the modern streaming has pushed on all of us. You know the first season of The Animated Series was a whopping 65 episodes? I probably wouldn't be talking about this problem if we even had a quarter of that.

I do want to stress this is no fault of the performance, which I know is going to be on everyone's mind. This is a problem with writing, the limited episode count, and possibly Zaslav not seeing enough blood in his stool before dumping this production onto Amazon. Conroy alone wouldn't have been enough to elevate the more shallow aspects of Batman's character, it just wouldn't. The writing for Batman specifically is very by the numbers at best. If this was material that fell flat because of Conroy's absence that would be one thing, but it's just bland characterization from the get go and no amount of nostalgia, art style, or iconic voice work will cover that up. It's kind of funny because the show is enjoyable by in large, but the title character is the weakest part. I wouldn't be surprised if a great deal of the mixed reception was because of that. "Batman is the worst part of a Batman show" is a perfectly valid and damning criticism.

That said, I do want to praise Hamish Linklater, the poor guy's got his work cut out for him, being in the Shadow of the Bat, as it were, and he does a fine job. I can tell it's not Conroy, obviously, and sometimes it sounds like a mix of Brave and the Bold with New Frontier Batman where I'm not sure if he's trying to do an impression or not. But midway through the series it starts to get really close, there are even moments that remind me of Conroy's performance in TAS' Two-Face two parter, glimpses where Linklater almost has the softer tones down pat. And his Bruce is damn near spot on. I hope he stays on as a voice for Batman and gets more opportunities as the character, he could potentially become to Conroy's Batman what Matthew Lillard is to Casey Kasem's Shaggy; It's not the same, but goddamn do they do a fine job capturing the tone and vibe while being a fine performer in their own right.

But they have GOT to give him better material because this Batman is sorely lacking in the things I love most about the character.

Speaking of, I don't want to spend too long discussing the second season (Which it is getting) but I have concerns there. The big one for me is foreshadowing that Alfred is keeping a secret about the night the Waynes were shot. I HATE when they over complicate the murder and try to make it something more like a targeted hit, or the court of owls or some other stupid shit. That's the one major thing I hate in The Batman movie is them muddying the waters with a perfectly good victim of circumstance story-- although it's kinda worse there because they wouldn't even fully commit. But I digress. I do not want the shit with the Waynes more complicated than it needs to be. If Alfred suggested a shortcut and he feels responsible for their deaths, sure, whatever. That's simple enough to add some character drama without going overboard. But it's probably gonna be the big overarching story next season with secret twists and- blegh. Honestly, I think I'd rather just have stand alone episodes without a running narrative thread; just have the characters and their dynamics developing and that be it. The show is clearly better when it's just that. But alas, modern streaming.

But with all that said, I still liked the season well enough. As I said at the beginning, the series is good to very good. I love the atmosphere, I enjoy most of the character and the cast, the self contained stories are solid and there's plenty of potential. But next season I need Batman and the villains to be more interesting, let Linklater give a sympathetic performance for fucks sake. If Season 2 is just more of the same, I'll clock out.

Still, I guess anything is better than say Harley assaulting Nightwing... Or the Killing Joke. You know what, there's a blurb of recommendation for Caped Crusader: "No weirdo awkwardly shoved their fetishes into the story." So check it out.

[literaticat]

No one has ever said "we're hoping for x sales in the first week/month/year" and knowing publishing I doubt anyone ever will. So how can I know if my book sales are meeting/exceeding/falling short of my publisher's expectations?

They won't ever say that, for several reasons. Mainly because, well, it's just mean. MOST books don't blow up the bestseller lists or earn heaps of awards and huge sales or whatever out of the gate. Like, the vast majority of books just kind chug along in a modest fashion -- and that's fine, actually. Hopefully the audience will build over time, as more people read the book, it starts to get in the hands of educators and stuff like that, it gets word-of-mouth from readers... for most books, that's the hope and expectation, and that takes time.

Granted, if you were among the like, 3% of books that got a HUGE advance and MAJOR media coverage and whatnot ahead of the release-- well, yes, in that case they would really like it if it got on the NYT list and might be a BIT disappointed if it didn't. But if you're among the 97% of everyone else? Don't sweat it. You're fine, and they know building an audience takes time.

If you earn out right away? You're doing AMAZING. If you earn out in the first year -- you're doing GREAT. (Frankly, if you earn out EVER -- they are happy!) Even if you DON'T EVER earn out, but come close, you're fine -- because publishers start to make money on your book before you earn out. Any of these things = success in the eyes of the publisher.

If, after a year or two, you are not even close to earning out AT ALL and it's pretty clear you never will be-- that's falling short of their expectations. But also, well -- what can you do about it? Literally nothing, except keep on truckin. They aren't sitting around stewing about it or anything, they forgot already, and hopefully you too will have already long moved on to other books that will perform better.

And who knows -- maybe that first book will be in a viral tik-tok or something and blow up at some point, and then everyone will be happily surprised!

**

(For what it's worth - this does happen. For example, I rep an author who had a book come out in hardcover in 2008, pb in 2010. It did fine but nothing huge. In 2019, somebody at B&N "rediscovered it" and the publisher reprinted with a new jacket - and during the pandemic it BLEW UP, and now a decade after the first book, a sequel is coming out! There's such a thing as *book magic* -- and publishing people have seen it happen too often to not believe in it. May *book magic* strike all of us!)

[randomperson660]

As it is su¡cide prevention month

Here’s 100 reasons NOT to commit su¡cide

Feel free to comment/reblog with resources and more below, you matter, you’re loved

1. It's something your parents will never get over

2. It'll destroy your sibling(s)

3. It'll destroy your best friends

4. Everyone will miss you

5. Your pets will be lost without you

6. Publish your writing

7. Tell your story

8. Give it time to get better, because it will

9. Help other people

10. Travel

11. Art

12. Have a drink at 21

13. Get tattooed

14. Graduate High school

15. Graduate College

16. Get married

17. Have kids (if wanted)

18. Drive/learn how to

19. Live on your own one day

20. Concerts

21. Music

22. New movies

23. New music

24. Next album from your favourite artist

25. Next season of your favourite show

26. Sequel to your favourite movie

27. Learn a new instrument

28. Photography

29. Reading

30. New books

31. See a book your like become a movie

32. Meet your idols

33. Have a job, get a first paycheque

34. Go scuba diving

35. See a bunch of different animals in person

36. Go to museums

37. Go to haunted places

38. Learn a new language

39. Go in a hot air balloon

40. (Go to) New York City/Paris/Rome

41. Food!

42. See yourself recover

43. Be an inspiration

44. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem

45. You matter

46. You are important

47. You are not worthless

48. You make other people happy

49. You are never truly alone

50. Making new friends

51. People do care about you

52. There is only one you in the whole world!

53. You have so much potential!

54. You’re super smart

55. You can do great things

56. Treehouses!!!!

57. Hugs 🫂

58. Kisses

59. Stargazing

60. Dancing!

61. You could save someones life

62. You have so much more ahead of you

63. Beaches!

64. Listening to Rainstorms

65. Waking up to sunshine and birds chirping

66. Snow!

67. Holidays

68. Halloween!!!

69. Autumn/Fall!

70. Opening presents

71. Your next birthday!

72. You’re so talented

73. Laughing REALLY hard!

74. The world wouldn’t be the same :(

75. Flowers!!

76. Be your own hero!

77. Bubble baths and bath bombs!!!

78. Cuddling 🫂

79. Lying on the grass and watching the clouds

80. Drinking hot chocolate

81. Doing crazy shit with your best friend

82. Finally meeting your long distance friends/partners

83. Staying up all night and sleeping in

84. Your scars WILL heal!

85. Cute baby animals

86. Your life can only get better

87. You have a voice and a right to be heard

88. Experiencing life and all it has to offer

89. This feeling is only temporary

90. Going on that car ride somewhere nice

91. Watching broadway!

92. Singing your heart out

93. Eating your favourite meal

94. Discovering new places and things to do

95. Proving yourself WRONG!

96. Proving to yourself that you are capable!

97. Watching yourself grow!

98. Watching those your love grow

99. Giving someone else hope for the future

100. You deserve to be happy

If you made it this far, tell me something about yourself! Anything!What’s your birthday? Favourite song? Artist you like?

I wanna see em! Tell me! I wanna hear all of it!

You matter, you’re important and you’re going to heal

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 001

All right, time for Dragon Ball Super. 

Let’s set the stage first.  In 2013, the Dragon Ball franchise returned with the feature film Battle of Gods.  I often refer to that film as “Movie 14″, in keeping with the convention of the previous DBZ movies, but Battle of Gods was on a completely different level.  In addition to being longer and more complex than the old movies, this one had Akira Toriyama overseeing things much more directly than in the past.  It added new characters and lore to the franchise, and it capitalized on the pent-up demand for new DB content.  In short, it was a hit, and a sequel was planned soon after. 

Shortly after Resurrection F premiered in 2015, there came announcements that there would be a new manga and a new TV anime for the Dragon Ball franchise.  Chapter 1 of the Dragon Ball Super comic was published on June 20, 2015, and Episode 1 of the anime aired on July 5, 2015. 

And so, the Dragon Ball Renaissance was in full swing. The only problem was that Dragon Ball Super had a pretty weak start.  And a lousy middle.  And a pretty dull third quarter.   And... it didn’t really get good until episode 97.  Well, that’s just my opinion.  There are plenty of critics who hated the entire thing, and there are others who enjoyed it from beginning to end.  Still, I maintain that Super was a mixed bag, which kind of tarnishes the brand’s reputation. 

On the other hand, I’m not sure that mattered much in the long run.  Fans love Dragon Ball, and I think most of the fanbase was just hyped to get a new show, even in spite of its problems.  The classic shows were far from perfect, after all, and the important thing was that there was something new featuring Goku and the gang.  And there is a lot to enjoy about Dragon Ball Super, even if it takes a while to get there.

Continuity-wise, this series takes place between Episodes 288 and 289 of Dragon Ball Z.   If you’re not familiar with DBZ... seriously, why are you reading this?  Anyway, Goku and the others defeated Majin Buu in episode 286, and then there were some epilogue scenes, and then the series skipped ahead ten years for a finale depicted in Episode 289-291.  Dragon Ball Super takes place during that period, what fans have termed the “Ten Year Gap.”

Accordingly, this episode opens with a recap of the Kid Buu fight, since that was the last big thing to happen recently. 

Just so we’re clear, this is the big distinction between DBS and Dragon Ball GT.  Both were presented as sequel series to DBZ, but their chronology is different.  GT is set five years after DBZ 291, while Super is set 0-9 years before it.  Also, Dragon Ball GT sucks ass, while Super is just kind of bad in a lot of places. 

Let’s get that straight up front.  I’ll probably draw some comparisons between Super and GT as we go, but I’m not interested in doing some “which was better?” discussion here.  GT is awful, and I recently spent six weeks writing about exactly how awful it was.  I’m not really eager to refer back to that.  There’s some really lousy episodes of Super, and I’m sure I’ll bring up the matter of whether or not they’re GT-level terrible, but there’s no point in doing that every single time.  Super has a lot of problems, but GT is a problem. 

The big issue I’m faced with here is that the first 28 episodes of Super are mostly comprised of a decompressed re-telling of Battle of Gods and Resurrection F.  There’s also a few filler episodes of varying quality, but very little actually happens in any of them, and they’re mostly warm-and-fuzzy-feeling stories with little meat to them.  Which means that there really isn’t a whole lot for me to write about.

So what I’m going to try to do is zip through these relatively quickly, so that I can move on to the important stuff later on.  If you haven’t seen Battle of Gods, then do yourself a favor and check out the movie, because I have no interest in giving it a thorough recap here.

All right, so there’s only a handful of things that actually take place in this story.  Goku’s a farmer now, and sometimes Goten brings him his lunch and drives the tractor for him.  Goku wishes he could train on King Kai’s planet, but Chi-Chi wants him to earn a living, and Goku’s not interested in the kind of celebrity business that Mr. Satan does. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Satan has just received a big cash award for his heroic defense of the Earth.  Remember, even though Goku defeated Kid Buu with a Spirit Bomb, the people of Earth don’t remember Majin Buu, because they used the Dragon Balls to make everyone forget Buu’s involvement in that crisis.  So the world believes Mr. Satan saved them from some kind of alien invasion, but they have no idea what it was.  Satan brags about his power in press conferences, but in private he offers the money to Goku, since he actually deserves it.  Also, Vegeta refused the cash off-screen, possibly because he’s already married to the richest woman on Earth. 

Goku reluctantly accepts, because, as Goten points out, the money would convince Chi-Chi to let him go train on King Kai’s planet.

Then we’ve got a few subplots that go nowhere.  For example, we see Satan here giving a speech about receiving the award, when Buu barges in demanding food.  No one knows who Buu is, and Satan has to explain that Buu is an alien who sought to train under Mr. Satan as a disciple.  The press buys this, which sets up DBZ Episode 290, where Mr. Buu is widely known as Mr. Satan’s top student. 

Meanwhile, Videl buys Gohan an expensive academic book to aid in his research.  Gohan feels bad that he can’t reciprocate the gesture, but Videl doesn’t care because she can afford it, and the smarter Gohan gets, the more appealing he gets as arm candy.  Also, Piccolo watches them from the rooftops.  I remember seeing this in 2015 and foolishly thinking any of this was going to lead to anything in later episodes.  I guess Piccolo was irked about Gohan not keeping up with his training, which did get paid off in the Super Hero movie last year, but it looks more like he’s jealous more than anything else.  As for Muzakashii Hon (lit. “Difficult Book”), you’d think the long, detailed look we get at this book means that it would become an important plot device, but no, it never gets seen again.  Well, it appears in the opening credits, but so what?

Meanwhile, Beerus visits an alien planet, samples their cuisine, and then destroys it.  I remember thinking this depiction of Beerus meant that the series took place after Battle of Gods, since we saw Beerus wake up from a 39-year nap in that movie, but in this episode, he’s already on the move, and it isn’t clear yet whether the events of Movie 14 have happened or not.  But no, we’re just re-doing the same story, only with details changed for no reason, and much slower.

Finally, there’s a whole thing where Goten wants to buy a gift for Videl, since she’s going to be marrying Gohan soon.  He doesn’t know what to get her, so he asks Trunks for advice, and he settles on eau du toilette, since his mom likes that stuff.  This just leads to a “hilarious” misunderstanding, as the boys overhear an old man complaining that the cosmetics at a store are nothing compared to the rejuvenating hot spring.  So they go there, thinking they can just fill a bottle with water from that place instead, but when they see all the old people bathing in it, they fly further upstream and get that water instead. 

Let’s clear this up now, because I’ve seen eau du toilette jokes for most of my life, and I’ve never understood them.  I mean, sure, it has the word “toilet” in it, but the phrase is always used in a pun, which makes no sense, because the pronunciation is different.  “TOY-let”.  “Oh duh twah-LET”.  Goten’s not going to hear the word and think of toilet water.

So what is eau du toilette?  It’s French for “grooming water”, but it isn’t actually water at all.  It’s a dilute solution of fragrance oils in alcohol.  Stronger than aftershave, but weaker than perfume.  The punchline here is that Goten and Trunks show up at Videl’s house and give her a bottle of creek water, and she realizes that it’s literally just water, so she goes through the motions and tells the boys how much she loves it. 

What else have we got?  Uh... Master Roshi somehow hears about the money Satan gave Goku, and he wants to use it to buy pornography.  Chi-Chi doesn’t like that idea.

And the Supreme Kais notice the destruction of all those planets and wonder what it could mean.  So yeah, we’re just introducing characters at this point. 

And that’s it.  Very little actually gets done in this episode, although in its defense, it’s trying to reintroduce characters that haven’t appeared on TV in a long time.  Even if this series wasn’t about to retell Battle of Gods, it would still play out pretty much the same way.  On the other hand, I think it’s kind of dumb to make a show like this, cashing in on the success of two feature films, and then acting like no one knows who’s who. 

[stsebastiens]

I posted 7,861 times in 2022

That's 500 more posts than 2021!

523 posts created (7%)

7,338 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@autumnhobbit

@miniangel

@dingdongyouarewrong

@starwarmth

@persimmonns

I tagged 4,235 of my posts in 2022

Only 46% of my posts had no tags

#art tag - 670 posts

#ely.txt - 483 posts

#fashion - 194 posts

#moon knight - 193 posts

#quotes - 130 posts

#poetry - 116 posts

#the batman - 104 posts

#video tag - 99 posts

#misc: social issues - 97 posts

#jason todd - 68 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#there’s one song that’s clearly done by a late-teen that goes like ‘why don’t boneheaded boys ever call back’ and it’s the worst thing

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

“i’m asking forgiveness for what im about to do” is still the most raw line in the whole damn show. disney’s delusional if they think they can top that

166 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

#4

tiny, pre-teen jason todd trying on the robin suit for the first time and saying “this is the best day of my life” gets me every time…like yes he’d had a hard life and was pretty much on track to be a criminal before meeting batman but he was still a kid. running around dressed like a stoplight in a party-city getup was all it took for him to be the happiest he’d ever been. ‘he’s a sidekick’ no ma’am that is a Baby !!! he likes bright colors and shiny things and playing superhero!!! also his curfew is 9:00 and if you forget to tuck him into bed he gets sad

187 notes - Posted February 27, 2022

#3

shit cgi aside, it is refreshing to watch a high-stakes ‘superhero’ show from the perspective of just Some Dude. im not even mad that they cut all the fight scenes, i think it makes the pacing really fun. like oh you could see all the cool badass shit that goes on but no instead we cut straight to the man without a driver’s license trying to outrun trained mercenaries in a fucking cupcake van

282 notes - Posted March 31, 2022

#2

love how in btas all the emphasis is on batman’s detective abilities and finesse in combat meanwhile in batman beyond it’s just “here’s a 17 year old who gets the shit beat out of him every night while old man bruce wayne watches through a gopro”

384 notes - Posted May 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

can’t wait for the batman sequel where once again we get batman awkwardly skulking around a crime scene but this time there’s a random teenager in body armor with him and nobody’s really sure how to respond. martinez tries to make a joke about “nobody told me it was bring-your-kid-to-work day” that gets no reaction. gordon finally asks about the new sidekick only for the bat to mumble something near-incomprehensible about an ‘assistant’ and ‘an extra pair of eyes’. the assistant in question introduces himself to gordon with…a smile? and a handshake? the kid even makes eye contact when speaking. unbelievable.

17,038 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[alaffy]

Batman: Caped Crusader

This is going to be some general thoughts about this show. There won't be any spoilers about the plot (mostly because I'm only half way through the season), but there will be some about the characters the cut (although it's probably nothing that people don't already know unless they've somehow avoided any characters references since before the show began).

This show is created by Bruce Timm; the same person who created Batman: The Animated Series (among others). While this series has the same aesthetic as Animated; it is not tied to the original (which is probably for the best as a sequel would be hard to watch without Kevin Conroy).

Like X-Men '97, this show has clearly been "aged up" as the most likely viewers are those who watched Animated. That being said, unlike X-Men '97, this show only had to make a few adjustments because Animated really was geared toward...well, kids could watch it, but the target audience probably was teenagers and young adults. (Honestly, instead of making it more kid friendly with The Adventures of Batman and Robin, WB should've bitten the bullet and made it a prime time animated series). However, like both X-Men and X-Men '97, this show has more of a storyline running throughout the season.

Getting into the character of Bruce/Batman...so, I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a year one Batman; but it's clear that this is closer to the beginning of Batman. Maybe a year two. As for the voice actor, I feel like he's trying to match or he's been told to match Conroy (which he kind of does when he plays Bruce). If that is the case...not a fan.

There's some differences with the characters. Some I like, some not so much. Catwomen was so cool in Adventures and they've turned her into a whiney little brat in this show. Harvey Dent...has become a real asshole. I like Barbra as a character, but are they going to make her Batgirl? I mean, actually call her Batgirl...cause that would be demeaning.

I do like the new Harley Quinn. I mean, the original Harley Quinn will always have a special place in my heart; and what they were able to do with this character was nothing short of amazing (Mad Love, just the fact that they were able to produce that episode...). At the same time, Harley Quinn wasn't made to be this iconic character, it just sort of happened. I kind of like the idea of the creator of the character going back to the drawing board, removing the Joker factor, and seeing what he can do with her. Look, this version will not replace the original; but she's an interesting alternate version.

As for The Penguin, they chose to make her a woman. Personally, I liked this version. That being said, they also gave her sons. And this is early in Batman's career. Wouldn't surprise me if, come season 2, another son shows up and he becomes The Penguin. either way, I'm cool with it.

I

[sunscribed]

forest's whispers summary 2.0 because im a lazy motherfucker and im not writing that multichapter shit (this will be very badly explained i never take my explanations seriously)

for the wonderful @phantom-does-a-thing :3

tw/cw horror , implied gore , themes of death / self harm / sui , derealization

this takes place like during/after ep 99 if you want a timeline ref if you k ow the scene with them sitting by the navy tower i think that happened lmao cant remmeber its been a bit anyways

albatrio pass out, wake up in funky lil forest and are like "lets split up and find shit yk figure out where we are" adn chibo feels drawn to a funny silly path that he goes down! and then theres a lake an he's like "hrmm im thirsty :3" and drinks from it and passes out

wakes up half drowned now in the lake, gets yanked out by the other two, and then has a breakdown (as you do)

and now they go and adventure! but theres something fucked up about the funny forest and every time chibo schleeps we get kuba kinta curse shit but sooo much fucking worse we get several end of 97 vibe scenes where bro is in denial and isnt sure whats real and what isnt (love me some of that shit) all the while the forest is like out to get them theres shit attacking them every so often and chip ends up basically being out of commision really quickly so now its down to jay and gil to fight it off

and during one of these encounters with the very much so alive forest jay goes to defend chibo and basically gets taken (or killed depending on the timeline)

and this is where it diverges between my two timeline ideas

timeline a) gil either rescues jay or gets her out before she can be taken

timeline b) gil doesnt get to her in time and she gets taken (unbeknownst to them shes basically very gorily mauled to death)

both timelines would come to the end of the forest bit shortly after this

timeline a would have chip slowly deteriorating away (atp is puking up plants that fuck up his insides and blood and shit, this stuff also slowly gets worse with the new curse on him alongside the physical effects and injuries he gains) and jay n gil find somewhere where they think they could get him help, he ushers them both away and basically just lets himself die

we get a scene where the other two come back and theres a whole huge grief bit, gil basically is just bonkers as shit now because jesus fucking christ bro just died and they go and find some way to bring him back (not sure what exactly i have ideas tho) and yeah they inevitably bring him back but chibo is very fucked up (very physically damaged and his vocal cords are fucked up from shit lmao)

timeline b, however, is the more fun one

since they didnt get jay, gil goes searching for her and ends up finding her (very gorey) body and just had a breakdown then and there menawhile chip has just decided "im fuckin done i cant do this no more" and basically very violently pukes shit up and kinda claws his own gut open and just has a less peaceful death overall

gil basically had to watch this helplessly because they are frozen in fear and just anguish and now theyre in this tiny little alcove with the gorey bodies of their two best friends and they just go insane and end up just driving their sword through themself because they cant take this no more

so yeah i made that 👍 theres a sequel to timeline a with spittake and grizz but thats another topic for another time

here's my playlist for this au if you want it:

[writingabouteverything]

moon girl

a/n tumblr keeps deleting this bc idk how to make social media images 

summary: reader kinda blew up over night for being a writer (some journalism, but i picture her getting her start on booktok if you know what that is lmao, but dont worry if you dont i dont get that specific) and is starting to get into acting, but she’s mainly known for writing so when ppl see her with harry theyre like NEW MUSIC but then they interact on social media (which is so rare for harry) everyone is ohh thats sus, and then there’s a tiny, sorta really basic twist so maybe part 2??? idk this was fun to make and i just wanted to try it out lol

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Yourinstagram

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yourinstagram: the idea you had of me...

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booksandbookboys: SHE SAID SHE’S ALWAYS WANTED TO GO WRITE IN THE WOODS, IS THE SEQUEL COMING 

yniloveyou: so pretty!!

bestfriend: wish u were here so we could take basic christian girl autumn pictures together :((

yourinstagram: coming home soon!! we’ll have a pumpkin spice day:) 

haylor_hit_and_run: TAYLOR LIKED!! KNEW SHE HAD GOOD TASTE 

yourinstagram: FREAKING OUT RN!!

haylor_hit_and_run: OMG HI! ITS U 

13th.taylor.stan: RIGHT! 

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harry.updatings 

Liked by harries.for.pleasing, bakerry,supremacy, my_one.d_era, and 22,349 others

Harry,updatings: harry spotted in LA today!

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harries_finsta: HS3 DO BE COMING SOON HUH

nouis_is_mine: HE LOOKS SO TALL HERE 

harry.bake.me.bread: RIGHT BUT SOMEONES IN THE BACK PLS I WANT TO KNOW 

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youristagram story: 

pls tell me how i wrote more waiting at luggage claim than on the plane lol

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updating.harries

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updating.harries: harry leaving  Perch tonight in LA!! 

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harrys.favorite.tattoo: HOW DOES HE LOOK GOOD SO CASUALLY THO 

isitafamilyshow: my friend works at this restaurant!! she said he came in with a group of like three other people, the only one who was completely unfamiliar was this one girl 

erosera: WAIT WHAT-

mcustansforharry: PROBABLY JUST LIKE A SONGWRITING THING RIGHT 

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yourinstagram 

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yourinstagram: not a lot going on at the moment except my coffee order

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HSLOT_outfits: not harry liking this...

jakegroomerhallhateclub: okay but “not a lot going on at the moment” and the taylor like on her last post?? she’s sick for this

cameforharrystayedformitch: HARRY LIKING?! ON INSTAGRAM 

yn_verse: not me zooming in to try to read her notebook....

bettyslovestory: ME TOO LMAO,, GIRLY IS EITHER GIVING US A SEQUEL OR HELPING TURN A VAULT SONG INTO A FT HARRY 

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yourinstagram: 

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yourinstagram: All Too Well the short film premieres tomorrow at 7PM eastern!! I can’t describe how getting to work on this project and getting to add something to a song that’s made me want to cry and call out a non-existent since I was like 12. Taylor, I couldn’t have asked for a better director, thank you so much taking a chance on me and trusting me with this project. Love you!! 

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yn.stan.first: SHES BEEN SO QUIET ABOUT THIS 

augustslippedaway: NOT HER AN DYLAN O’BRIEN BASICALLY HAVING THE SAME AGE GAP AS TAYLOR AND JAKE GYNECOLOGIST 

taygetsacookie: BLONDIE MADE IT SO OBVIOUS, HOW DID WE NOT NOTICE

harrystyles: does this mean you have time to text me back now 

harrynotstyles: EXCUSE ME

belovedhxrry: HES SO PETTY LMAO 

yourinstagram: youve been on delivered for not even ten minutes 😭  pls put the narcissist away 

harrystyles: rude

harrystyles: text me

cowboyharry: SO HE CAN BE ACTIVE WHEN THE NARCISSIST IS TRIGGERED HUH 

starryeyed,yn: OK BUT IT FEELS LIKE JUST YESTERDAY SHE WAS ANNOUNCING THE START OF HER ACTING CAREER AND HER SUPPORTING ROLE IN A HALLMARK MOVIE AND NOW SHE’S WORKING WITH DYLAN AND TAYLOR IM SO PROUD

yourinstagram: this is so sweet :))) your support means the world to me 

starryeyed.yn: AH YOU REPLIED, LOVE YOU

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updating,harries

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updating,harries: harry seen leaving the blues cafe in NY today

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yn.darlings: SHUT UP!! THATS YN’S FAVORITE NY SPOT AND SHE’S iN NEW YORK RN FOR THE ATW SHORT FILM PREMIERE 

harrythecowgirl: A SONG CO-WRITTEN BY MISS YN I WANT IT!!

boa.harry: i guess she finally texted him back 😭

sunflower.vol: i love how we all collectively decided that yn was there LMAO

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yn.updates

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yn.updates; yn via her best friend’s snapchat story

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yn.mylove: recording studio, recording studio, recording studio, record-- 

harrythreads: ohh im already crying over the lyrics 

_harrysogolden: her best friend’s story?? so what im hearing is he’s hanging out with them-

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updating.harries

liked by harryfever, chxrry_tpwk, and 7,790 others 

updating,harries: harry seen by a fan at a night club in New York City!

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tpwkcoucou: this looks like the same place where yn’s birthday party is being had...

yn.she.writes: the red lighting and stuff,, i really think he’s at her party 

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yourinstagram

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yourinstagram: how can a person know everything at 18 and nothing at 22? 

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i had to use that lyric bc im obsessed with it, but all of the amazing love and support ive been receiving is making me feel like i must know something. Thank you for all the birthday love, here’s to feeling 22<3

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taylornation: yn’s birthday (taylor’s version)

yourinstagram: 🧣🧣🧣

zendaya: the birthday girl is glowing!! youre radiant inside and out 

yourinstagram: says one of the kindest people ive ever met:)) love u, Z!

harrystyles: 🥂 🌗 

bakingwithharry: the moon emoji!! i need answers

yourinstagram: 🍾 🌗 

bestfriend: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! SO HAPPY I GOT TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU 

yourinstagram: love you to the moon and back but im never letting you throw another party again 😭 

outterspace.yn: does this mean she’s hungover 😂

tchalamet: u have no idea

yourinstagram: dont expose me 

yn.mydarling: HUH- TIMMY’S HERE

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updating,harries 

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updating,harries: this was posted to harry’s instagram story with the caption ‘even though she’s a bully, i’m wishing the happiest birthday to moon girl herself. Wouldn’t spend hours writing at an airport baggage claim with anyone else’. It was deleted after two minutes. 

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harry.my.soul: ‘moon girl herself’ im crying shaking and throwing up rn

starsforyn: so harry has a friends only instagram story, where he posts about yn, I CANT DO THIS TODAY 

glossy.harry: YALL REMEMBER WHEN SHE SAID THAT SHE WROTE MORE AT BAGGAGE CLAIM THAN SHE DID ON HER FLIGHT TO LA, YOU DONT THINK-

sapphic.harries: OH I THINK 

supremacyforhaylor: THE MOON EMOJIS MAKE SENSE NOW 

harrysboafeathers: this doesnt mean theyre dating they could just be friends/working together bc yn’s a writer first

jxsticeformedxcne: who said they were dating 

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teenvogue 

liked by timmy.statistics, whathappensinvegasmovie, and 18,987 others 

teenvogue: #whathappensinvegas may stay in vegas, but what happens in NYC definitely doesn’t. Timothee Chalamet was seen with his newest costar, yn ln, and from the looks of these pics, we’re wondering if more than an onscreen romance is in their future 

view 213 comments 

ynismynumberone: SHE DIDNT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT A MOVIE 

mylove,yn: she’s swifting us rn istg 

pleasing_harry222: i just know harry is listening to ATW ten minute version rn 

gucciforharry: PLEASE

moongirlherself: guys!! just bc yn is seen with a guy doesnt mean she’s dating them! we dont know anything about her relationship with harry or timothee