#I love it how my most favorite characters are two angered kids who didn't deserve the world's cruelty so they became ruthless to fight it

[inquebrar]

oh how i love well-constructed character developments!! i understand more and more why q!roier became my favorite character so quickly from the beginning. and when i say that, it doesn't mean that i'm incapable of disagreeing with some of his actions and that's probably what i like most about the character. this current arc has been PAINFULLY DISTRESSING to watch, and i'm loving how all the actions match the character. is it being horrible and sad? yes, and that's why it makes so much sense.

q!roier saw his son dying in front of him without being able to do anything to help and when he thought he could save him in the end it was false hope that only brought pain. he went through and still goes through the grieving process, with a lot of anger buried inside him... and then to make everything worse, he went through two weeks of purgatory, he had to kill people who were important to him and when he thought he was going back "home" his entire family did not return with him. his son and sister hospitalized with no news of when they will get better. this isn't purgatory and much less home, it's more like hell. then he woke up to several people telling him "wow what a bad father you are!" "go take care of your son!" without even saying where leo and richas were, they threw a new child to a man who is completely destroyed mentally, emotionally and physically, still full of bruises and blood, unable to sleep. what a great idea, right?

poor kiddo, it breaks my heart to watch how pepito is being treated by his only father figure at the moment. "i'm scared" he said when he arrived at the adoption center, and then his first experience of having a family was being traumatized by his dad. he saw how the other kids are treated by their parents, how much tenderness there is in their interactions. "i loved bobby more" "do you see this castle? this city? i did all this for my son who died. but if you die i won't do anything so be aware of that, got it?" pepito is not at all to blame for the way his father treats him, he is just a child who deserved all the love, patience, affection and care. unfortunately, q!roier is not even sane enough to take care of himself right now, much less a child. pepito hugged him and he didn't even hug him back, he walked away and went straight to the top floor of the castle... he looked at a painting of bobby and threw himself off the balcony. unlike the reaction of other new parents, it wouldn't make ANY SENSE if q!roier immediately treated pepito the same way he treated bobby and richas, the way the character is acting makes perfect sense and has all the potential to develop into something incredible. but it is painful to watch, yep.

[hyperactivewhore]

How do you think the Mikaelsons would react if Hope had a kid (let’s just say hypothetically, in the very distant future in which she wanted a child). Do you think that they would push to be in the kid’s life - even though they kinda abandoned Hope. Do you think that since Hope had failed to live up to their expectations they would then look to Hope’s child to now fix/redeem their family? And I also wonder if Hope would even allow the Mikaelsons to be close to her kid - because despite popular opinion, Hope does love her family but also isn’t very close to them (particularly Rebekah - who I think Hope holds a lot of anger towards).

I think Rebekah’s reaction would likely be the most complicated. I really wish the show explored Rebekah’s desires to be a mother more. She’s a very interesting character - and her wanting to be a mother is very complex aspect of her. Honestly, I think that she would make a terrible mother. She has this fantasy in her head about what a mother is that’s not realistic at all. I think what she really wants is a baby to adore and take care of - not an actual child with their own sense of self and personality. That being said, I do see her being jealous, bitter, and resentful of Hope, if Hope did have a child. And I also think that she was likely jealous of Freya when Freya had her baby. But I also wonder if she (and the rest of her siblings) now expects Freya’s son to redeem the Mikaelson family since Hope had failed?

Please don’t take this as me bashing Rebekah. I really do like her as a character, but truthfully, she would be an awful mother (and considering all the lives she destroyed and all the innocents she killed, I don’t think she deserves to be a mother or to live out her totally unrealistic dreams of being human). Again, I do like her and she’s my favorite Mikaelson (right after Hope and Marcel).

I imagine that by the time Hope wanted/had a child, then her cousin, Nik, would be already all grown up: the cousin that would turn out to be completely fucked up because Freya would be a shitty parent, and the Mikaelson aren't a stable family.

I mean, once they saw Nik couldn't fix their family I can certainly see them dumping him at school like they did with Hope, occasionally checking in once in a while to make sure he still breathes - I don't know what to think of Keelin, to be honest. She wanted kids, but only because of Freya, and considering her relationship with her is stockholm syndrome it's just weird to think about this whole situation. Hope and Nik would be really close in my headcanon, and they would probably chose to ghost their relatives because they're shitty family members.

I just can't see Hope actually staying in contact with her family, and if she does it would be out of respect to her father and also because they're the only people she has, but they obviously don't really care that much about her and Hope had been all on her own for what: two, three years? And they also didn't even give a damn about the fact that she jumped into Malivore and was completely erased from existence: Freya came into scene, gave her a quick hug and then vanished once more.

But either way, we all know how obssesed Freya and Rebekah are with babies, so they would 100% want to be a part of the life Hope's kid would have. Marcel would probably want to be present too, but not just for the baby, also because Hope is his little sister and that kid would be his niece/nephew, and who knows about Kol? The thing he wanted the most was to be away from his toxic family, he may check on them once in a while but if he didn't have a solid relationship with her, his brother's daughter, he surely wouldn't have it with her kid.

Elijah would, of course. I don't think he would have started with the whole "this kid will be our redemption" again, because he realized his mistake with Hope and he apologized. Hope and Elijah were already rekindling their relationship by the end of season five and I do imagine they would have a good relationship if he had lived, probably because Hope would have latched on to him considering he was the only person around.

I do think that Klaus and Hayley would love their grandchild, though. The thing Hayley wanted the most for Hope was for her to grow up normal, to get married and probably have kids, so she would be probably fine with her getting pregnant. I'm not too sure about Klaus, though, because we all know he's jealous and possessive but I can't actually see him hating his grandchild, perhaps he would throw a fit because someone had sex with Hope (lol) but I can see him growing a soft spot for her kid.

I share your opinion about Rebekah being a bad mother, to be honest, and I don't think she even actually wants to be a mother, but that's another talk for another day. She would be an awful mom to any kid, just look at the way she talked about Hayley once she died! It was so out of place: "I was jealous when I saw her with Hope. I was jealous when she got married. I guess I'm even jealous that she's dead." Yeah no, Rebekah is forever stuck at the age of seventeen, how would she react once her child grew up older than her? Would she start being bitter, jealous because everyone around her is more emotionally mature? It's just weird, I definitely think she was jealous of Hope for the fact that she could procreate and don't even get me started on how Freya and her told her she could maybe get pregnant when her humanity was off, as if that was the most important thing in her mind at the moment.

And don't worry, bashing a character doesn't necessarily mean you hate them: I talk shit about the Mikaelson 24/7 and they're kinda my comfort characters, but pointing out their obvious flaws isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

[nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice]

I think my favorite thing abt Zuko is how hard it is to actually hate him once you get to know him. Like idk but he's just trying to hard and he's so soft and you look at him and think "baby 🥺" and that's that. Even when he was the enemy i never really hated him bc like, he never really did anything too bad like?? He didn't burn down the SWT village, and yeah he hit Sokka but not hard bc he got up right after. So idk but he's soft bby and hard to hate and i love that.

Okay I love Zuko as much as anyone but like .... he did some true asshole stuff in this series. Like homeboy burned Kyoshi village 

kidnapped Katara and held her hostage to kidnap Aang 

paralyzed Katara and Sokka with the shirshu 

kidnapped Aang in the North Pole when he was in the spirit world, leaving the oasis temporarily defenseless (indirectly allowing Zhao a window to get in and kill the moon spirit) 

while he was usually ethical with his Blue Spirit crimes, I’m gonna say stealing from these two was a dick move 

ya know....Ba Sing Se

and then the whole Sent An Assassin After Them thing.....explicitly hiring someone to murder a 12-year-old 

Zuko is a lot of things, but “baby” he is not. 

Deep down, yeah he is soft, but for the majority of the show he wasn’t. We saw that he cared, that he was hurting, and we understood that all his actions stemmed from just wanting to please the father that hurt him, but he wasn’t a soft baby by any means. His anger stemmed from an understandable place, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take it out on everyone around him (especially Iroh in season 1). He was selfish. That doesn’t mean he was a bad person, but recognizing that he did awful things and understanding that he hurt people honestly makes his character better because it makes his redemption arc all the more powerful.  

The reason why we appreciate Zuko as a character so much is because how much he changes. It’s because he does break from the mentality he was stuck in thinking his value rested in Ozai’s approval, his recognition of the suffering of others not just under his nation’s actions, but because of his actions, and the lengths he went to earn forgiveness. 

That’s why his redemption arc works, though. He did do awful things. He did hurt people without caring. He was selfish. He was rude. Just because he was acting that way because of his trauma doesn’t negate the severity of the things he did. 

But he did make up for it. He came to regret all of his actions and did the work to make amends. Not only by internally recognizing that he was wrong and saying he was sorry, but actively making efforts to repair some of the damage at every step. 

And the reason we do sympathize and root for him is mostly because of his motivations in comparison to other characters, namely Zhao, Azula, and Ozai. (And because he loses, a lot.) There’s a post that explains it better, but Zuko’s motivations were completely rooted in his own self-interests, ultimately rooted in just wanting to appease Ozai. And that we can understand. We can’t really sympathize with Zhao, Long Feng, or Ozai because their motivations are political-- they want to exploit people and systems for their own glory and power. They aren’t seeking acceptance or validation like Zuko, they’re seeking control and domination over those who don’t have power. 

But it’s easier to root for Zuko, not because we want him to succeed, but because we want him to change sides. We don’t want him to capture Aang because doing so would validate Ozai, who is objectively awful. We don’t want him to win against the gaang because that’s who we’re rooting for. What we want for him is to change because unlike other villains on the show, he isn’t swept up by an ideology and hasn’t let power go to his head. 

And part of that is us wanting for him to change how he acts towards others. In season 1 he’s explicitly rude to Iroh multiple times. He was an asshole to everyone because he was taking out his hurt feelings on the people around him.

The reason we’re rooting for him to change isn’t that he was a sweet person or because he was “soft.” It was because he was the underdog. 

Those feelings of crushing failure, inadequacy...that’s relatable. It’s certainly more relatable than other villains doing selfish things and hurting people without caring to gain power or to perpetuate imperialism. Those are feelings people can relate to and that makes us want him to overcome those feelings. We want him to realize that his father was wrong and terrible to him and that capturing Aang isn’t the answer. 

We could relate to Zuko even in season 1 because his arc was about the realization of his own self-worth. It was about a kid learning that no one deserves cruelty, even him. That’s something he always knew, but didn’t internalize and apply to the world and himself until he witnessed how the Fire Nation affected the people of the Earth Kingdom. 

From season 1, we know that it was cruel and wrong and hope that maybe Zuko will realize it too. Because no one--  no one earns cruelty. 

And his actions stemming from his hurt doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt others. He did a lot of awful things in this show. His betrayal of Iroh, him putting his own goals in front of people who needed the Avatar to win the war for them, and putting others in danger for his own goals. Zuko hurt a lot of people but he arguably did the work to fix his mistakes. He helped restore the world his family destroyed and made personal amends with the specific people he hurt, Iroh most importantly. He put his life on the line several times, stood up to his father, and protected the gaang from the people he once stood alongside to hurt them (Combustion Man, Azula). We saw his remorse and it wasn’t rooted in being mad at his father, it was upon gaining perspective on the world and realizing how that also applied to him, both in the recognition of the harm he did and the steps he had to take to make amends and the fac that he didn’t deserve the abuse his father delt him. 

We wanted Zuko to break out of his mentality from season 1 not only because we wanted the gaang to succeed, but because we knew that his selfish actions stemmed from hurt and a lack of perspective on the world, both things he comes to understand throughout the series. He’s not Zhao, wanting glory or military ranking for capturing Aang. He’s not Long Feng, wanting control over others to keep his position of power. He’s not Azula, who was successful in a way he never was. And he’s not Ozai, perpetuating suffering because he believes himself to be that important. He’s a kid who was told he wasn’t good enough and was willing to do anything to appease the people who told him that, even if that meant hurting other people. 

We root for him because he really just a kid who wants to not feel like a failure and honestly? That’s one of the most relatable motivations I can think of. 

[purplerose244]

My thoughts on Seabound!!! 🌊🌊🌊 (1/4)

SPOILERS ALERT!!!

Finally Nya's season! Our queen, our water goddess, our amazing girl gets what she deserves! 😍😍😍

What I know about the season beforehand is that Nya's powers apparently are getting problematic for some reasons? Which is a pretty common topic in other shows but it's a first in Ninjago, usually the elemental powers don't have focus and I LOVE that we now get to see stuff like that 💕💕💕

I know there should be Wojira involved, trusting The Island to deliver that little foreshadowing at the end of the episode 🤷‍♀️ Also Maya is back... MAYA IS FINALLY BACK AFTER SEVEN SEASONS YES!!! 😭😭😭

I have nothing else to say, I have no idea what this will bring, hopefully something as good as Master of the Mountain! 🖤

Alright, here we go!

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Warning reader, I might be fangirling to an extreme because I love mah girl Nya and I've been wanting Kai and Nya's parents to be back ever since Hands of Time ended. So yeah... screaming alert 😅

At this point I don't doubt that the intro is great, we reached such a level of animation and we got The Fold 😍😍 Love the marine vibe and how it's similar to The Island, because it's a great intro 👌

NOW I like the writing! Maybe they rushed the dialogue's quality for The Island to get here? It's just fun and in character, maybe it's just me but I'm enjoying it a lot for now

How many episodes are in this? Wiki says ten, then I checked again and it's sixteen like with Master of Mountain... eh, it looks good so far so it's fine whatever happens 🤷‍♀️

A BIG SPLASH

Oohhh, new villain! One that uses... flames... huh, does she know there's literally a master of fire in the ninja team? Eh whatever she looks cute, give it up for Miss Demeanor!! 👏👏

Wait... OMG IS THAT ERIN MATTHEWS??? WE GOT MACY!! ❤❤❤

Whoa, we're finding out where did the order of the vengestone from season 13 come from?? YAS! CONTINUITY!

Yep, there it is, Nya lost control... her attacks look so cool 😍

Lol that kid trying to be a nindroid and Zane being offended 😂😂 Sorry hun, you're that popular

Aaahhh, thank you Ninjago! You gave me back Nya the perfectionist 😂 I was worried her reaction to her powers wasn't going to be in character but it looks fair so far. Brings me back to Possession, my favorite season 💙💙💙

WE GOT BACK THE FACT THAT SHE CAN MAKE IT RAIN!!! YAS!!! I might be easy to please but I love these details 🤩

🤯🤯🤯 Okay they are definitely going somewhere this time and I LOVE IT, because wow. WOW. Are we actually addressing the forever questioned fact that wind and water weren't elements that Chen needed at the Tournament? Are we giving a reason for them to exist outside the main set of elements and the elemental masters?? Duuuude, season 15 don't let me stop you, keep going 😍

Mm, so water and wind are connected to Wojira (now I see the connection with the special). Are we setting the ground for a new master of wind? 😏😏 It's risky going for a Morro replacement but it's a super intriguing idea! Oooor Edgy Boy TM might come back? WHO KNOWS I'M CURIOUS ANYWAY 🤩

Love how it is universal knowledge that Nya is super indipendent 👌

YES YES FINALLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYA!!! 😍😍😍 Is it too much hoping into a Ray cameo as well?? Pleaaaase? Also addressing Krux after so many seasons, this feels exciting!! 😊

This is what I'm talking about, training, fighting scenes, show me everything that water goddess can do! 🌊🌊🌊

Aaahhh, Nya flexing her mightiness through anger, just to remind us that she is the descendant of a water master as much as of a fire master 😅

YES YES YES YES IT'S HAPPENING FINALLY AFTER SEVEN SEASON THE FIRE WATER PARENTS ARE FINALLY BACK!!! 🔥🌊🔥🌊🔥🌊 I'M SO HAPPY I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG!!! 😭

RAY IS THERE TOO HECK YES!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 I shouldn't get this excited at only the first episode... WHO CARES RAY IS BAAAAACK!!! ❤❤❤

Omg Maya is definitely different from what I expected, turns out Kai's enthusiasm came from her 😂

Oh look at my flame babe 😍

He's so happy his parents are here, he's a total family man ❤❤❤

Nya is maaaaad... 😅

THERE SHE IS

WELCOME BACK JILLIAN I MISSED YOU 💚💚💚 Would it be too much having a "Your voice sounds familiar" moment with Maya and Lloyd? 😂

I'm so stoked for this! I want all the interactions I've missed for all of this time, asap!! HECK yes!! 😍😍😍😍

Oh, are we looking over the Miss Demeanor, vengestone situation? Mm... for now at least... WHO CARES FIRE WATER PARENTS!! 🔥🌊🔥🌊🔥🌊

THE CALL OF THE DEEP

Imma just slow clap for The Fold because this is another amazing intro, one of those things in this show that stays awesome no matter what happens 👍👍

So Maya gave Nya her discipline and perfectionism, but not the passion behind it 😂 I like this, it's not your conventional master of water, although I'd say it's different from the impression she gave me back in HoT. Maybe this is how she is when she's not trapped for fifty years? 😅😅

Is it too much asking for Kai and Ray bonding while the water women get the work done? 😅😅

Is this the sequel of Green Eggs and Ham?

Green Pancakes and Ham? 😂

Oh it's seaweed nevermind... at breakfast? I'm all for sushi rolls but this is a little 😅 Although since Maya missed their childhood she probably never cooked meals for them... how did I get myself sad 😢

Whoa, Maya is a strict teacher! I got flashbacks from my first and only dance lesson, teachers nitpicking every single pose, uuurrrggg I feel ya waterlily 😡

Again, not a fan of Misako, but coming from her the whole speech about wanting to be there for her child makes a lot of sense

Yes. YES.

YEEEEESSSS KAI AND RAY FAMILY BONDING THIS IS EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WANTED I'M GETTING ALL OF MY WISHES GRANTED FOR THIS ONE ❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤

AND MY FLAME BABE IS SO GLAD HE GOT HIS PARENTS!!! 😭😭😭

Lol with Kai's new hair they look even more related 🤣

Ray also sounds so happy he gets to have his moment with his son 😢 I feel so blessed in this moment 👍

Also this scene makes a lot of sense. Nya grew up to be indipendent, one that succeed in most of stuff without problems, she built her life without any help and doesn't look for it. Kai grew up more insecure, he got some walls up but loves to take care of others and be taken care of. With a childhood lost he looks forward to a bit of softness ❤❤

Did Maya make real bacon for that sandwich? Do I smell some favoritism? 😅 Or maybe she really wants Nya to get onto the water mind setting idk 🤷‍♀️

Little tiny complain, why isn't Jay doing the fixing? Did he give up mechanics completely? It feels like we haven't seen him do tech stuff in so long, I miss techy boy in action 😞

And no, having to check on the bathroom doesn't count 😅

Aww robot date 💜🤍💜🤍

AAAHH ROBOT DISASTER 😱😱😱 ZANE DANG IT YOU WERE DOING SO GOOD NOT TRYING TO DIE IN THE LAST TWO SEASONS!!

Oh that was weird, weird magic purple wave thingie?

I DID NOT ASK FOR A SEASON WITH A BEST GIRL AT THE EXPENCE OF ANOTHER BEST GIRL PIX DON'T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME 😱😱😱😱😱

"Well this is troubling." I love this samurai so freaking much 💜💜💜

GUYS THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND EPISODE, I'M A LITTLE SCARED NOW 😢

Okay Nya admitting that something's wrong looking so apologetic, girl you don't need to do that you already own my heart 😭

Alright, I'm guessing this is Wojira's power or something, and they will have to go down below and find out why... just throwing this in, maybe Maya did something? Because she wanted to finally be with her family and needed an excuse? JUST A THEORY WITH NO BASE I REALLY HOPE I'M WRONG!!!

Okay, two episodes and I'm BEYOND engaged, let's keep it up! 😍

UNSINKABLE

Getting an idea how this episode might end already 😂😂

Look, I love best girl Pixal, but I'm kinda sad that she seems to be the only one tinkering at this point. Like, I saw Nya fix little stuff, while Jay dropped engineering altogether, I miss my engineers team 😭

Aww, the guys didn't want to crush Pixal's dream of an unsinkable boat 💜 But honestly yeah, I agree with Cole, this might end badly 😅😅

Thank goodness

I was worried they forgot about Jaya ❤💙❤💙 Jay is such a cutie omg

Nya: Mm, going on a potentially dangerous mission with unstable powers in the heart of my element or... mom's tofu pancakes... *yeets herself over the ship*

I'm making too many screenshots of the Smith family... WHO CARES THEY ARE BACK AND THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD!!! 😍😍😍😍

Aww Ray wants to play with his son and his friends so CUTE ❤❤❤ Still can't believe they play Prime Empire after everything that went down 😂😂

Whoa whoa whoa, Kai and Cole are sitting this one out? That's actually interesting, I'm pretty sure I saw Cole's scuba suit in the sets though so I didn't expect it... lol it's actually kinda fair that the two that used to be afraid of water aren't going 😂😂

Bet Kai is happy to stay behind because he gets to spend time with his dad 😭

Also studying the fire elementals?? Uhm, yes please?? TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT MY FLAME BABE!!! 😍😍😍😍

I'm sure this one scene...

... made so many lavashippers happy ❤🖤❤🖤 Cole you got Ray's blessing

Ninja team acting cool while Jay is being Jay, it's how it always goes, it's the entire show's description and I absolutely love it 😂 That wink though 💙

PIRATE ZANE IS BACK 😂😂😂 Haven't seen him since Possession, and this time he's not even malfunctioning 👌 Pixal is so done with his dorky boyfriend 😝

Of course Jay already has a ghost butler theory going on 😂

OF COURSE IT'S MAYA 😂😂

To be honest muffins would sold me too 😅 Not sure if she will make them out of tofu again though...

It's actually really interesting that we still haven't met the actual enemies, it does build up excitment! Very curious about these squid guys 👍

Well what do you know, the Unsinkable sank. Who would have thought?

... yeah same, sorry Pix 😅

FIVE THOUSANDS FATHOMS DOWN

Aaaahhh, Nya fixing stuff! That's more like it!! 😍😍

Oww, that one speech, I've been waiting for so long for that! Maya just wants to catch up with her daughter and it's not her fault she was separated from her children, but Nya did everything on her own with Kai. Only fair she isn't seeking for her help right now... still sad 😢

Pff, with this ninja team there's not a moment of privacy 😂😂

Maya cleaning his future son-in-law's laundry what the HECK 😂😂😂 To be fair Jay has a bit of a history of having to change underwears during sea travels 😝

Zane was attached to a battery? When?... are you talking about that one scene in Prime Empire? Cause that's not really a flashback I wanna ha- whoops never mind got the flashback 😱

Maya looks more calm now, I think she's trying to act more reasonable and she's got good points 👍 I know people were a little weirded out by how more cheerful she looks in comparison to Hands of Time, but I think she gets the most serious and rational when time needs. That's actually fascinating of her 🤔

CALLING OUT AN ATTEMPTED MURDER

THIS GIRL IS TOO GORGEOUS MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT 🤩🤩🤩 Like my gosh that smirk, what the heck Pix 💜💜💜

Okay but Jay looking at Nya until the doors are completely closed?? CAN YOU FEEL MY JAYA HEART BEATING?? ❤💙❤💙

Whoa green gas I thought this was Nya's season 😂

MAYA WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS STUFF YOU'RE SCARING ME 😱😱😱 I SWEAR LEGO IF YOU BROUGHT BACK WATER MOM JUST TO KILL HER OFF I'M GONNA SUE YOU 😭😭😭

I really REALLY like the atmosphere of the entrante of the temple! Super sealike and ancient! 🌊🌊🌊

Maya: off we go, into the spooky old temple! (Why does it feel like something Kai would say? 😂)

Oh gee, someone sleeping in the deep, who could that be? Coff Wojira coff

Whoa the jellyfishes look pretty lifelike!

HERE HE COMES

WELCOME BACK GILES!!! ONCE AGAIN ON A LEGO SHOW I MISSED YOU SO MUCH YOU AND YOUR GODLIKE VOICE!!! 😍😍😍😍 Gosh he's a villain but he's got Clay's voice, how can I even try to hate him?? 😅

Alright, knocking down my water girls, that is pretty hateful material... BUT CLAAAYYY 💙💙💙

So they need the two amulets to wake up Wojira? Isn't one on the island? Fire dad and son coming to the rescue? WHO KNOWS BUT I'M ENJOYING THIS A LOT SO FAR KEEP GOING SEABOUND 😍😍😍

[nagorin]

So, I’ve finished reading Sindbad no Bouken up to its ongoing (ahh, I’m so happy that I’m able to stay with the fandom even though Magi is over, not to mention that the prequel is so g o o d). And to celebrate it, I made Magi character sorter one more time.

Now THAT is the perfect TOP-3 result for me.

Putting the rest one under cut, but it’s kind of confusing I don’t know how the hell Zepar managed to get higher than magi!Sin, like, of course I love him in snb much more but WHAT THE...And Ren siblings are lower than they should be, so do not trust it completely, better ask me if you’re interested.

4 Judal

5 Sinbad (SNB)

6 Ja'far (SNB)

7 Kougyoku Ren

8 Dragul (SNB)

9 Yunan

10 Ugo

11 Ugo

12 Aladdin

13 Scheherazade

14 Yamuraiha

15 Morgiana

16 Ja'far

17 Sheba

18 Dunya Mustashim

19 Sphintus Carmen

20 Matal Mogamett

21 Solomon

22 Badr

23 Mira Dianus Artemina

24 Falan

25 Arba

26 Mystras Leoxses

27 Hinahoho (SNB)

28 Rashid Saluja

29 Hakuren Ren

30 Kouha Ren

31 Hakuei Ren

32 Leraje

33 Pipirika

34 Paimon

35 Sahel

36 Hakuyuu Ren

37 Koumei Ren

38 Gyokuen Ren

39 Zepar

40 Kouen Ren

41 Drakon

42 Masrur

43 Sinbad

44 Esra

45 Marga

46 Baba

47 Tamira

48 Myron Alexius

49 Ithnan

50 Sahbmad Saluja

51 Ithnan

52 Setta

53 Phenex

54 Valefor

55 Rametoto

56 Parsine Pratemia

57 Leila

58 Sahsa

59 Spartos Leoxses (SNB)

60 Goltas

61 Armakan Amun-Ra

62 Narmes Titi

63 Darius Leoxses

64 Toya

65 Myers

66 Muu Alexius

67 Hinahoho

68 Pisti

69 Spartos

70 Koubun Ka

71 Alibaba Saluja

72 Razol

73 Isaac

74 Seisyun Ri

75 Sharrkan

76 Irene Smirnoff

77 Vittel

78 Wahid

79 Lo'lo'

80 Mahad

81 Vinea

82 Ahbmad Saluja

83 Anise

84 Zagan

85 Baal

86 Mariam

87 Yaqut

88 Doron

89 Barbatos

90 Astaroth

91 Agares

92 Nadja

93 Shambal Ramal

94 Imsisika

95 Mina

96 Jamil

97 Budel

98 Elizabeth

99 Barbarossa

100 Darius

101 Fatima

102 Cassim

103 Ekaterina

104 David Jehoahaz Abraham

105 Zaynab

106 Hassan

107 Olba

108 Toto

109 Amon

[kitkatopinions]

Can I have uhhhhhhhhhhhhh lil whitley for the ask game :D

My boy Whitley! I love him so much. Okay, let's go.

What are my top four favorite non-romantic relationship dynamics for them?

Weiss - Okay, but I sincerely love the potential in their relationship. They're very different people, but have a lot of similarities too, and their interactions could be so great and interesting. I know season eight threw this sibling relationship off, but I'm still hoping that they get more screen time and we can see them progress in more natural ways when Weiss returns to the real world. Ruby - These two being friends would be super good! They have quite a few similarities just in how they act, and I think Whitley would understand some of the pressure on Ruby and her tendency to hide behind a bright, happy persona, even though he absolutely would be weirded out and frustrated by her reckless tendencies and uncouth behavior. XD Ironwood - James could've been the father figure that Whitley deserved. Just imagine an AU where for whatever reason, Whitley having to temporarily move into James's house, and James isn't used to having a kid around and does things like try to cook for Whitley or talk to him about school, and Whitley is wary and suspicious at first, but then starts coming around and relying on James more and wanting to be like him. Also, the Ace Ops would love Whitley and work with him on his training. The next one is such a toss up between Qrow and Winter - Winter is the cold, problematic, somewhat toxic elder sister who doesn't get Whitley, but in my headcanoned version of things, she would start trying harder and wanting to be there for and protect Whitley after he goes through danger. And they would argue and fight all the time, but also love each other underneath it all. As for Qrow, he'd be a 'bad influence,' telling Whitley he doesn't always have to be perfect, and Whitley would get starry eyed over him and start following after him and emulating him, but Qrow would also be kind of absent and careless (not on purpose, he just has a lot going on.) The reason why I really can't pick between these two is because even though I can see Qrow and Ironwood accidentally co-parenting Whitley in like a wholesome and stable way... I can imagine Winter and Qrow legit acting like divorced parents who argue all the time about what Whitley needs or which one of them is 'messing him up' the most, but then unite to lecture Whitley for doing something really reckless.

Winter: "He gets that from you! You teach him to do things like that!" Qrow: "One of us had to teach the kid to fight and you sure weren't doing it, Winnie." Winter: "I was going to before you gave him that garden tool to fight with as if it isn't one of the most dangerous weapons you can use!" Qrow: "I didn't give him that, he wanted to fight with a scythe! I mean, he coulda used dual sabers, but he probably didn't want to look like an idiot." Whitley:

What season were they at their best and why?

Season eight. Boy was one of the MVPs of that season. The only problem I have with the writing towards Whitley for this season is the way they had Willow freaking attached to his shoulder every time we saw them, as if Willow wasn't a neglectful and highly problematic parent and now is just super mom. But other than that? He was interesting, fun, layered, his interactions were good, his character has remained consistent, they did good with him, they gave him a pretty appropriate amount of screen time (the problem is that Ruby needed more screen time, not that Whitley specifically needed less.) Over all... Two thumbs up from me.

What season were they at their worst and why?

I want to say season seven? Not that I didn't like him in season seven, but he got very little in that season and the wine prank thing was literally just annoying and kind of angering. So... Yeah.

How would I rank their outfits from worst to best?

Whitley only has one outfit, so I'll rank it from one to ten and, I'd say it gets a 5/10. It's nice enough, simple, dressy, but nothing special, and at this point, it's gotten old. I want to see Whitley in tall boots with a white vest, a fancy blue tank top under that, and a white short cape.

Which Hogwarts House would I sort them into (optional; what would their wand be?)

Whitley would be a Slytherin, he's got all the ambition, he's sly and resourceful and occasionally ruthless, and he'd wind up being a Slytherin prefect. Also, he'd get roped into playing chaser for his quidditch team during his later years. I'd say vine and unicorn hair for a wand, 13 ¾ wand, springy.

What do I think this character would be like if they were on the opposite side (good characters are bad, bad characters are good)

Whitley is an odd one because he's more minor antagonist turned minor helper figure. So changing him, I'd make it so that he actually starts out mostly the same, but instead of wanting Weiss to lose her inheritance, he actually isn't happy about it and tries to fix it and tries to comfort Weiss. But then after he's left alone when Weiss runs away from home, Whitley starts getting more bitter and angry. The wine prank scene stays the same and Whitley's reaction to Jacques' arrest stays the same, but then when Weiss and the others come to use the mansion as a hiding place in volume eight, Whitley sells them out to the Atlas military to try and get them out of his home.

If I suddenly had control of RWBY, what would I want to do with this character after the events of V8?

I would make him more involved in things, using his technological prowess and other skills when needed and starting to try and learn to fight, being kind of a 'guy in the chair' character who Team RWBY and the others can call about situations outside of their skillset. And I would have the relationship between the Schnees being rocky, with Whitley wanting nothing to do with Willow and giving Winter nothing but a cold shoulder and quips, but being more willing to work with and get along with Weiss despite the fact that they still fight, and he's receptive to Ruby. While Weiss is also having problems with Winter and Willow but just wants them all to get along. And none of them are doing well with poverty or having to get by on charity, but finally starting to humble some. And I would have Whitley involved in Mercury's redemption arc in some way, because it'd be great. I don't know, I have too many ideas for Whitley. XD

[kemonododo]

Decided to rewatch the whole series after seeing the finale, here's my thoughts as they come along part 1

Razz tells Adora not to look for others to tell her what to do and asks her what she thinks. Adora decides she must fight the Horde. It's poetic that Adora gets so hung up on destiny and fulfilling her goal, when the final message she needed to learn was said in the third episode. Razz is the wisest of us all.

Angella repeats what she heard in the legends of She-Ra, notably that she is meant to "bring balance to Etheria". From Angella's perspective this seems like a good thing, but it's so much more sinister knowing that basically means "to turn the death star on".

Catra was pissed at Adora, but seemed willing to leave the Horde until Hordak elects her as Force Captain. This is the start of her conclusion that Adora was only holding her back, and so the decent of her madness. That little smirk kills me, because that face will shed a lot of tears from this point on.

Season 5 showed us what Adora's She-Ra looks like, without the First One's influence. It might be a bit blasphemous, but I think that reveal would have worked better if this early season She-Ra was the mini-skirt, cleavage design of the 80s. Have a bit of symbolism about societal beauty standards. Love the muscles though that part is perfect.

The first time Catra and Adora meet back up after their falling out is a little unremarkable, the wounds are still fresh and they're still angry at each other but I think both still don't understand how big this schism between them will be.

I just realized Entrapta's castle has a picture of a Tyrannosaurus rex with a unicorn horn and Pegasus wings. Is that what Mara's dragon was!? 😂

God I love Entrapta, even when I first watched this I was excited to see the purple Hatsune Miku in the intro. She always cared about people since the beginning, she just doesn't understand politics.

Castaspella and Angella were shipping Glimbow from the start lol.

The show gives us a full view of how Shadow Weaver's abuse affected Adora. Being constantly pressured to be the best and strongest at the threat of Catra's health has left Adora a jittering wreck. Call me sadistic, but I love that it wasn't resolved in this episode. Adora wins the battle against SW today, but all the way up to the series finale we see SW's dirty fingers clawing away at her conscious. It takes more than 20 minutes to escape a life of manipulation.

Princess Prom! This is when the show goes from a 7 to a 10. Not only the prom being a fun venue, but this is where Catra begins to get some agency. This is the first time she really feels like a main character, which is great because I love her more than anything. Also the first time we see Double Trouble and the Star sisters, which I guess are different from the Star Siblings in season 5? A bit of a continuity error.

Aww, Glimmer is jealous. I can relate to her fears of being pushed out, but the fact that she's pretty madly in love with him adds a whole new layer. Bow is right but he's being a bit insensitive here.

Let's just take a moment to appreciate how far we've come. Remember when this was the gayest thing in the show?

It's fun watching the princess alliance so early in their friendships, they obviously care enough to go with Adora on this mission to save Glimmer, but I love how annoyed and distracted they get with each other.

This episode is also really big for Catra, realizing she will never get Shadow Weaver's approval, that longing look at Adora, "this is not because I like you".

The Beacon is sandwiched between two great episodes that make it feel like filler, but a lot actually happens. We see more of Adora's insecurities, especially how she starts to take it out on herself when she runs into a problem out of her control. We got the formation of the super pal trio, a short lived group with an amazing dynamic. And we also have a huge moment with Angella that basically defines her entire character.

Entrapta's insecurities are revealed. She wants friends, she loves people, but they're complicated and hard and always seem to leave her. It's heartbreaking and something that comes to a head on Beast Island.

I love this scene with Catra and Shadow Weaver. It's clear she still loves her evil mom, and we see how SW has abandoned the idea of Adora for now and is now beginning to manipulate Catra. We also see another Catradora parallel, both of them tell straight to SW face that she has no power over them anymore, something we continue to see is not true.

Promise! 18 months later and it's still my favorite episode of the show. I like how it starts off with the anger they've been feeling up until now, but through the mind melting manipulation by skynet Light Hope, it's multiplied a thousand fold. Before this Catra was pissed at her friend, now Catra wants to murder the person she thinks destroyed her life. After this Catra isn't a cute tsundere, she's completely homicidal. She still loves Adora obviously, but Light Hope has corrupted that love into the most vitriol hate on the planet. It's wild to think they both love each other so much, and yet the abuse that have scarred them prevents that love from breaking free. This is the true moment where the show starts, this is where it became the best cartoon I have ever seen.

Also this is the only time since the first episode and Catra's redemption in season 5 where their chemistry is in full play. They just love each other so much, god I'm fucking tearing up again.

An important thing people forget about the Catradora dynamic is Catra's inferiority complex. She has been told since the day she was born that she is worthless, below Adora in every way. She loves and looks up to Adora, but her existing in Adora's shadow blackens that love. Which is why her joining the rebellion isn't a good ending for her. She needed time on her own, away from Adora, to carve out her own identity. It was her struggles as Force Captain that finally pushed her to start doing good, that realization that she is unhappy in that role. If she had left with Adora in episode 1, she would still be bitter and cruel and toxic, because she'd still be standing behind Adora.

Shadow Weaver's abuse goes both ways, as now Adora feels like she needs to protect Catra like a helpless kitten. That dynamic was not healthy, and it would not have lasted. Catradora can only exist now because they both accept each other as equals.

That final "you promise?", probably the most important words in the show. I've seen this episode a dozen times, but after seeing the finale the tears are running down my face again. Adora was the light of Catra's light, nothing mattered as long as Adora was there with her. She loved her so much. The Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver, her own insecurities, they all impacted Catra. But in that moment, them cuddling on their bunk, it didn't matter. Little did she know Adora loved her back just as much. Fuck I'm crying again.

Catra took that memory, tainted by Light Hope, and saw Adora as a monster. Someone who manipulated her like everyone else and abandoned her at the first opportunity. Someone who broke her most important promise, someone who broke her heart. Catra is probably the best written character in fiction, no I am not exaggerating.

It's a hard follow up after that episode, but the amazing juxtaposition of Entrapta and Light Hope telling the same story with different information is bone chilling and goosebumps giving.

Knowing the whole story of Mara, Light Hope's speeches are terrifying. Her manipulation makes Shadow Weaver look soft. Luckily we have an Alicorn to help, like all other abuse in the show it isn't over in a single dialog exchange, but Swift Wind is speaking the truths Adora needs to hear. The thing about Adora though is one of her main character flaws, she gives in to the doubt her abusers seed her. Her friends constantly tell her she has worth and deserves love, but she has it in her head that she must sacrifice herself for the greater good. That's another reason why Catradora works in the end, Catra helps bring out the selfishness she needs.

Battle of Brightmoon isn't a great finale, my time in the MLP fandom has soured me on "then all the friends came together and shot the villain with a rainbow" conclusion. Luckily, the show would knock the next three out of the park.

Catra starting the new season strong, I love the juxtaposition of the horde soldiers fearing her while the super pal trio doesn't. I love that little smirk, she thinks it's the first she wants yet we all know it's the later.

Frosta got a character change, I understand what they're doing where the other princesses are bringing her out of her shell, but it all happened off-screen so she just seems out of character. The little moment with her and Glimmer is great, and a little bit of forshadowing for Glimmer's queenly role.

Every Shadow Weaver and Catra interaction is fantastic, I love how SW gets so easily under her skin and how Catra pretends to brush it off. Those black tenticles still have a hold on the Kitty's heart.

Ties that Bind is a fantastic episode, especially seeing Catra's interactions with Bow and Glimmer. I love how this contrasts with the season 5 episode A shot in the Dark, here Catra is bullying the best friend squad with malice while the later has Glimmer and Bow playfully making fun of her with love.

Glimmer's actions here are also great forshadowing for her role as queen, especially how desperate she is to destroy the horde and how it affects her morals. Makes her decision to use the heart in season 4 very believable.

I love how Adora keeps referencing ghost stories she heard as a kid. I love the idea of her and Catra under the covers telling scary stories to each other until they'd both end up cuddling while insisting they aren't scared.

Entrapdak! Entrapta's love of science, complete lack of fear, and unending kindness can turn even a dictator cute. They have fantastic chemistry.

I love this little moment with Catra, Shadow Weaver correctly assumes that she's being pushed out and left behind by Hordak, and sure enough she finds Entrapta standing next to him in the lab she was almost killed just for stepping in. Her fears are repeating.

Ah! Goosebumps! The show is slowly moving to be more and more Sci-Fi, and that little shot of Mara's crashed ship with the fantastic music is just a hint to what's to come.

Roll With It is an absolutely adorable low stakes slice of life episode that shows how fun these characters are even when they aren't fighting a war. It's probably the funniest episode in the series, the 80s She-Ra segment is my favorite. There's also the wonderful moment of Adora's breakdown, the pressures of being the world's savior takes a toll on her.

White Out! One of my favorite episodes. The mostly self contained story, the new setting and outfits, great Super Pal Trio bonding, Scorpia being a lesbian, Sea Hawk, and the only time we see the corrupted She-Ra. It's a fantastic microcosm of the show itself, and it's really funny. The Scorpatra stuff is a bit sad knowing how it ends, but it is nice seeing how Scorpia can have a crush while still realizing the toxicity of her relationship later on.

Shadow Weaver's backstory and the biggest window into her head. She believes what she is doing is right, but her methods are full on psychotic, and she was power hungry from the start. I love her so much, she's so deliciously evil. The Eldritch horror that is the spell of obtainment is a treat, and SW's arrival at the Fright Zone is beautifully terrifying. This episode also has the best scenes with her and Catra, it's devastating to watch Catra continue to pine for SW's approval and how, after all this time, SW still only sees her as a tool.

Shadow Weaver is one of my favorite characters, literally every scene with her a amazing. "I can tell by how your voice turns shrill when you scream" what a bitch I love her. I also really like how you can tell Catra and Adora still love her, even after all this abuse. She's a monster, but she's also a mom, and both of those identities conflict in their heads.

Shadow Weaver's and Light Hope's reveal of Adora's origin is goosebumps giving. The revelation that there is a universe beyond Despondos is amazing, but I especially love Light Hope continuing to withhold information and effectively lie to Adora. Razz, Swift Wind, Angella, Catra, they all tell her to make her own decisions but this moment with Light Hope where she is told she doesn't have a choice is what Adora latches on to.

There's also the deal with Hordak, when Light Hope tells the story, she paints it as Hordak ripping the poor baby away from her family. We later learn that's wrong, Hordak saves Adora, he finds a tiny baby and even as a heartless destroyer he knows he can't leave her out there to die. He steals her away, but he does so from Light Hope, the original kidnapper. If Adora was raised by Light Hope, she probably would have fired the heart without question. The Horde was not a good environment to grow up in, but it was an important part in making her the hero the universe needed.

I love Hordak's monologue, the art style and music are fantastic and the whole thing is terrifying. To imagine the big bad horde of the show is just a tiny sliver of what is out there. It also shows Hordak's motivations, which don't excuse his actions but do explain them. This show does a fantastic job at letting us sympathize with the evil-doers, and that has only grown now that Wrong Hordak has shown what it's like to be disconnected from the hive-mind. Bonus points for explaining Imp's origin and showing how Entrapta is exactly the person that he needs right now.

Catra is being embarrassingly edgy here, but it is funny that she's talking about "lost it all" and she seems to think this is rock bottom, oh girl you are in for a ride awakening with how much farther you can fall.

Promise plays again as Adora has another break down. We finally see Mara, and as with everything to do with the First Ones it is chilling. I love this slowly unraveling storyline of Light Hope's true intentions. At this point it is clear she is not to be fully trusted, but we have yet to see how truly sinister her intentions are.

Catra, again, being one of the best characters ever written. She finds a minimum amount of happiness in the wastes, and immediately it all comes crashing down when her trauma resurfaces. That scene of the anger taking over is a masterpiece. I have said a million times that she'd never be truly happy in the wastes, and the later seasons confirm it, but it is heartbreaking to see how even the slightest hint of a smile is ripped off her face.

The Glimmer Angella arguments hurt, they're both right but it's sad to see them fight and how Angella takes Glimmer's advice while Glimmer doubles down on her faults.

Shadow Weaver back on her bullshit, manipulating teenagers to give her power. Noelle mentioned how she truly believes she's on the good side, and obviously she doesn't want the Horde to win, but you can't deny she has some selfish motivations behind recruiting Glimmer. That lust for power remains with her until the very end.

We see Adora getting to Entrapta here, people I think really didn't get their impressions of her right. Entrapta loves tech and science, and sometimes it blinds her, but she isn't immoral, she does care about the safety of her friends.

"You made me this way, and you get to be the good guy" "you couldn't wait to get away from here, from me. But you came back for Adora". You can see how SW's betrayal not only reaffirmed Catra's fears, but was probably just as much a force behind her decent into madness as Adora was.

There's also something beautiful about the symbolism of Shadow Weaver using her new victim like a battery to crush her old.

And Catra betrays Entrapta and Scorpia, this is officially the worst she gets, at this point her hatred of Adora is taking over her. We see more of it in season 4, but her desire to hurt Adora as much as Adora has hurt her causes her to crack like an egg. Scorpia's face says it all.

I love getting to see Catra and Adora in their element, completely in love with each other. None of the complexity of the world at large, just them two together. Even Shadow Weaver's approval of Catra, this is her dream world.

It's funny how Scorpia's first instinct upon seeing Catra is to hug her while her first reaction to Adora is to insult her. She has terrible judgement of character lol

Everyone's insistence that it's "perfect", watching the world shift and fall apart, the confusion, the panic, the show masterfully shows Adora's emotions in this mind-melding episode.

"Soon the two of us will be ruling Etheria together just like we always planned" "Is that what you really want, to rule the world?" "I mean, yeah, obviously. Isn't that what you want too?" God this little moment is perfect, it shows how much they're wavelengths differ. Catra focuses on the "together" while Adora focuses on the "rule the world". Like DT says later, Catra's heart was never truly in it. This thirst for power is just the world's most destructive coping mechanism.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of July 10th, 2019

Best of this Week: Batman and the Outsiders #3 - Bryan Hill, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini and Clayton Cowles

Batman’s Outsiders has a lot to learn before they can properly function as a team.

After losing Sofia, the girl that they were charged with protecting, Baman gathers the team together and tells them that they are going to get her back, but first they need to be tested. On the other side of the coin, Sofia finds herself in the clutches of Ra’s al Ghul, who places the man who killed her father in front of her. Ra’s tells her to kill him, her own test to see if she’s worthy of being trained by him.

The book flips the focus between two central characters specifically, those being Sofia and Duke Thomas, aka The Signal. As mentioned in my last review of Batman and the Outsiders, this book was slated to come out around the same time or after an arc in Detective Comics where Batman’s sidekicks were being targeted by a murderous villain by the name of Karma. His primary targets were the Cassandra Cain and Duke Thomas, the latter of whom is still suffering from PTSD after failing to save a kid with a bomb strapped to him by Karma and being injured in the explosion.

Ishmael, the man who killed Sofia’s father, kneels before her and goads her into attacking him, telling her that he heard her father’s last thoughts before he died. He says that her father wishes that she were killed instead of him and Sofia succumbs to her anger, striking Ishmael. After a smokescreen clears, Duke is met by someone wearing Karma’s gear and attacks the figure in a rage. “Karma” tries to convince Duke that he doesn’t deserve the metahuman power that he has, the ability to see what others cannot (see Dark Knights: Metal), and that Batman must be disappointed.

After thoroughly thrashing Ishmael, Ra’s gives Sofia a sword, telling her to end Ishmael and become another of his weapons. She holds the sword in her hands and thinks long and hard about her decision. Ultimately, she decides that vengeance is the only option and chooses to plunge the blade into Ishmael. Ra’s reveals the test for what it is, allowing Ishmael to defend himself and telling Sofia that if she joins him, nothing will hurt her again.

Cornered and afraid, Karma approaches Duke and asks him where is his team now, making him think that The Signal is all alone. Suddenly, Cassandra kicks Karma in the face, Katana slashes him in the face of the mask and Black Lightning picks the kid up from the ground. Bruce reveals that he was the one under Karma’s mask and tells Duke that he is very proud of him.

This issue was made great by the duality of the situations presented. Batman normally takes in broken kids and builds them back up to be strong, compassionate and in tune with their emotions. Ra’s al Ghul takes young men and women and turns them into unrepentant killing machines under his will. Duke could just as easily have been in the same position that Sofia is in now and vice versa. Sofia, however, will be a harder case to bring back to the light now that she knows that she has given in to her darker side. Sofia has a chance to become like Damian if she’s lucky, but who’s to say?

Duke has already been to the dark depths since his late childhood, watching his parents get forever Jokerized, dealing with an army of wannabe Joker kids as a teen and fighting against the Dark Multiverse as Batman’s new ward. Duke has been through a lot, but he’s also been able to overcome every threat in his way. Karma took that security away from him when he made Duke watch his own failure and this left the young man angry and broken, unwilling to take orders from anyone lest he make the same mistakes again.

Batman and the Outsiders succeeds at placing it’s focus on characters other than Batman, leaving him as more of a support player while the stories hone in on individuals or team dynamics than Batman’s leadership. Duke Thomas has been out of the picture for a while and having the gates flood open on his headspace in particular made me very happy. I also kind of like Sofia. While not exactly super fleshed out yet, she shows a lot of promise especially making the decision to have this new character go down a dark path in the beginning. She has good motivations and I actually hope that by the end of this arc, she earns a place on the team properly.

High recommend.

---------------------------------------------------

Tom King’s Batman can be hit or miss sometimes, but this one is definitely a hit.

Runner Up: Batman #74 - Tom King, Mikel Janin, Jordie Bellaire and Clayton Cowles

For the entirety of his superhero career, Batman has been driven by one singular goal: to make sure what happened to him as a child didn't happen to anyone else. He's vowed to protect the streets of Gotham and to honor the memory of his parents and the city they loved.

This vow has become increasingly harder to honor over the course of this run; from being unable to save a possible replacement in the Superman-like Gotham, to being told to stop being Batman by his father from an alternate universe, and ultimately being left at the altar by the love of his life. One man is responsible for it all, Bane.

Part of the (admittedly) convoluted scheme to break the Batman was to somehow bring the Flashpoint Batman from his Universe to finally convince his son to stop. Thomas rationalizes that all Bruce needs is the love of his parents and his sickness, his broken need to be Batman will go away. As revealed in the last issue, Thomas' goal is to resurrect Martha Wayne in Ra's al Ghul's most powerful Lazarus Pit and reunite the Wayne family. 

Mikel Janín's art remains amazing as always. I could gush for days about how he's able to make Thomas and Bruce solemnly expressive through body language and only using the lower halves of their faces, but Jordie Bellaire, is the real star of this issue. She manages to color this story in a way that makes it seem like it takes place in three acts.

The first act takes place in the beautiful drawn and barren desert after Bruce and Thomas reconnect while fighting Ra's ninjas. Everything is bright and the yellows, contrasted to the Blacks of the Bats give things a slightly warm feel. Thomas is happy for his son to join him and give up his crusade.

The second act shows Bruce and Thomas reaching the edge of the pit and is coated in the cool blue hues of night. The scene feels somber and intimate as Thomas tells Bruce how stubborn he was as a child, crying because he wanted to hear his favorite story over and over until he fell asleep. Thomas says that Bruce absolutely got that from his mother, who would constantly insist that Thomas read him that story, how she always had faith that Bruce would sleep. The two begin to climb down into the pit.

Throughout the issue the Russian Folk Tale, “Animals in the Pit” had been told and spoken about in the usual Tom King style. The tale involves a group of animals that get trapped in a pit and perform contests where the loser gets eaten. In the end, one of the two remaining animals tricks the other into ripping himself open and feasts on his flesh.

In the final act, in the dark of the pit, the book takes on a harsh red hue. Thomas is finally there, at the end of his journey to give his son the happiness and family he deserves. Saying that he couldn't deny Bruce his childish wishes as a kid, but now he will deny him remaining Batman. 

Bruce tells him that the reason he wanted to hear the story constantly was because, despite the horror, his father told him the story with a bit of levity. Bruce gained hope that one of the animals just might escape and even if he knew it was impossible, he never gave up hope. He then betrays his father with a right cross to the face.

Janín can draw a beautiful, flashy fight scene when he wants to, but this fight is anything but. It's raw and brutal, it's close quarters and every emotion is felt, accentuated by the excellent coloring. Bruce punches his father, Thomas punches his son right back. Even when the fight pivots away from them to focus on the coffin, the tension is still there. Their ideological struggle is felt through the shadows on the wall and when Thomas is thrown into the coffin, things spiral downward for him.

Right on the heels of the hopefully amazing “City of Bane” storyline, this two issue filler arc strengthens Batman’s resolve for what will be the final confrontation with one of his greatest enemies and all of his pawns in Tom King’s Batman run. While the issue does suffer from the usual King-isms (long winded diatribes taking up entire pages, lack of explanation for possibly crucial plot points, like how Thomas came to this world, and the general pretentiousness in dialogue structure) they don’t pull the issue down in a distracting way. While mildly annoying, they fit this story very well and continue to expand on Bruce’s reverence for his mother, introduced in the “I Am Suicide” arc and furthers him being resolute in his mission.

Bane’s going to have hell to pay when the Batman comes for him. High recommend.

[malexfan10]

Now that my anger has calmed down.....

We got a season 2 renewal!!!

I can't say how happy I am about that. To get the renewal so soon after that wreck of an episode last night means everything! If we had to wait a whole month.....

Trusting the writers to fix what they broke is a whole other thing after that finale. But it can go two ways.

Either they completely decide to screw everyone over and have M&M be endgame (if Michael says 'I never look away' to Maria I will be completely done with it all) or they will test the waters with M&M and when they decide they've had enough, break them up and have Michael go back to Alex. I'm thinking scenario 2.

Now how should this all play out? It sucks that we even got a triangle to begin with and the fact that Michael said 'I never look away' and then ended up looking away to Alex's best friend no less brings my anger back from last night. The fact that Alex was sitting there waiting and wondering, looking at his watch, sad and alone while M&M was happening is not a visual I will forgive the writers for anytime soon. To top that, this ending made Carina happy if it ended there? That still puzzles me. Seriously, lady?? BUT what's done is done. Can't change the past. We can only hope that season 2 is not a terrible shitstorm like last night was.

So how can this all play out? Will Alex be waiting in the sidelines, depressed and upset, watching his best friend and true love across town being happy? I hope not! If they have M&M explore a relationship for half the season or even the whole season, then Alex deserves to move on as well. Do I still want Malex to be endgame? You betcha! But both sides to that relationship deserve happiness, not just Michael. If they can't have it with each other right now because one side has decided his happiness lies elsewhere, then Alex deserves the same treatment.

The last thing I want is for Alex to take that rejection as a sign and shoot his walls back up. He has done amazingly in terms of growth this season and I need his character to keep growing. The boy deserves so much happiness! So does Michael after all he's been through but because he chose Maria and because I dislike the triangle and how those M&M feelings came out of nowhere, he's not my focus right now.

Should a new relationship for Alex be with Kyle? I love that dynamic and I don't want anything to mess with that. Plus, in terms of where they are with each other, there is still so much healing that needs to be done. These two were probably best friends as kids. I love Kyle a lot but you can't fix that friendship overnight. Little by little, they've been making wonderful progress so I want that friendship to flourish next season and an added complication of a relationship won't exactly help. If Malex were completely done, I'd be gutted but I would change my tune on Kylex. But for now, let Alex be with someone new.

All of this is if they keep M&M together for half or most of the season. If it's a one or two episode storyline, then I don't want Alex getting involved with anyone else. But they put the effort to push this triangle so unfortunately, it doesn't seem likely that they will abandon M&M that easily or anytime soon.

Michael and Alex have been through so much in 13 episodes, together and apart. It's why we love their characters and storyline as much as we do because we feel for them and our hearts hurt seeing them tortured. Michael was always searching for a family, for a sense of belonging and when he found his mother, she was taken away in the most cruel and tragic way. But all these people around him see him as family too. They care for him from one degree to another. He's been through a lot on the show but he still has such a huge capacity to love.

For Alex, he started as an abused, scared, gay teenager terrified from his father's actions into choosing a life he never wanted for himself. Did he end up enjoying the Air Force? I think he did because like he said, it felt good winning battles. But at what cost? He put his life and happiness on hold for 10 years and lost his leg in battle. He's the definition of pain and suffering on the show but despite it all, he has always maintained this incredible kindness in his heart that is unmatched.

Alex started the season closed off and unsure and the journey he went through was beautiful to see. He found his inner strength, he faced his demons (Jesse) and he started forgiving those who had hurt him by seeing who they are now (Kyle). He finally reached a place where he wasn't terrified to open his heart to love again. That scene with Michael last episode? That was so pivotal to his storyline. He showed Michael how important he was to him, not just through actions, but through words. Words that have been lacking between them for so much of their history. He was willing to stay and die with him. He wouldn't have been able to have that moment with Michael at the start of the season. Where he was and where he ended up showed the biggest growth from all the characters in my mind. It was easily my favorite personal story arc of the season. Sucks how that growth got spat on last night but it doesn't take away from who Alex is now.

Do I want to see Malex be separated? No, I love them wholeheartedly. I haven't been this invested in a TV couple in a long time probably since Pacey and Joey back in the day. Oh, just a side note - Carina mentioned how she wants Michael to be the Joey Potter of Roswell. Giant No Thank You to that idea. As much as I love DC and PJ, the way Joey ping-ponged between him and Dawson was just ridiculous, never knowing who she wanted until literally the final episode of season 6. That is not what I want to see for Malex. Hope she changes her mind on that idea quick.

But anyway, with Michael choosing his version of a happy ending last night, then Alex certainly deserves the same. I hate that Michael chose Maria. I hate that he knew he and Alex were going to talk but he blew him off and went straight to Maria anyway. I hate that they kissed. I hate that Maria acted on her feelings knowing what Michael means to Alex. I hate that neither thought about Alex in that moment. I hate that he played the guitar in front of her. But if we're going to be forced through more M&M, then let Alex try to move on too.

I want Malex together, of course I do! But if Malex is endgame, and I think that they are, the writers are definitely not making the road easy for them or us. In the meantime, while I fast forward through whatever M&M scenes we're going to be getting, let Alex have some pleasure too. I want them to explore his family more, his mother, his heritage. Just give that boy some love and happiness please!

I love both Vlamis and Tyler equally but it shows how inexperienced Vlamis was with TV fandom. Tyler was a lot more reserved with his interviews - he'd been through it with PLL Haleb vs Spaleb. He expressed how he felt about Malex but that wasn't all he touched on. Vlamis (Oh how I still love him) was all Malex, Malex, Malex for weeks and then the shift in his tone was so obvious. He spoke about M&M a lot more towards the end. The powers that be advised or urged him to do so because everyone knew how the season was ending. But I still love him and of course I love Tyler. The Vlamburn bromance is everything.

I just want to add that Tyler's tweet today really helped heal my heart a bit. He's such a sweetheart for reaching out to the fans and trying to assure us. Knowing we have a season 2, I choose to believe him.

Sorry for the long post. I still hate how it all went down last night, how Alex was left alone and pining while M&M got together. I hate how both Alex and Maria were nothing but props for Michael's storyline. The finale felt rushed and I could probably pick only three things that I liked from the whole episode. Kyle, Liz and Max hugging in the desert and Rosa. I didn't even like that Malex scene in the trailer or Michael telling Isobel he loves Alex because of where it all went.

But now that we have a season 2, we have to look forward. I want to see filming pics and behind-the-scenes when they start planning the season. Hoping that M&M won't be depicted as some grand romance next season because seriously, what the hell? I hope that Alex can continue to grow and his friendship with Kyle grows even stronger. In the end though, I want Malex. I wanted them last night and I want them in the first episode of next season. That's obviously not realistic anymore so all I can hope is that they don't make Alex a sad, lonely, heartbroken 3rd party while they explore M&M being together. Because if they do, this fandom will seriously riot! And no more giving sacred Malex moments to Maria either. Please stop doing that. And flesh Maria's character out more next season too. Away from Michael, preferably, but more than being the bad best friend who hooks up with her besties soulmate. Like, honestly, come on. Girl's got such great potential.

In the meantime, I will bury myself in writing fanfic to tame my anger at that crap ending until season 2 🙂

Vlamburn ❤

[lucifers-perfect-angel]

THIS EPISODE Season 13 episode 7

OKAY FIRST OF ALL. MY POOR LUCIFER BABY AHHHHH. I hate how many people are actually hating on him. Like shit man. He's actually one of the funny villains

On the show. He's sassy, sarcastic and yes he can be a bit childish

But he can also be charming! And all around adorable. (Mark is also very very adorable)

And when he's character is written constant and correctly! (Which the writers can't seem to do for a lot of characters!) He is also very intelligent! And manages to get himself out of a lot of shit. Sure he's unorthodox. And is corrupt-has anger issues (I can highly relate to this one), major daddy issues, he's narsassistic and well he is Satan. But he was also corrupted by the mark. Which means he wasn't always this way.

Now with the Lucifer cas team up? HOLY SHIT THIS IS MY JAM. My top two favorite characters teaming up (though reluctantly)

Cas was so completely done with Lucifer the whole time they were talking. It was so funny. Especially their banter- "what are you doing back in this world?" "what are you doing alive?" PRICELESS. "Sorry if I'm a bit on egde. Last time we were together you killed me" "last time we were together you stabbed me!" "I'm sorry!" I absolutely loved it!!

Now Lucifer being de-powered.....

That was completely unexpected. Honestly though the second Kevin said archangel Grace I was like.... Michael's never going to use his. Lucifer is NOT human. Just weak. Very weak. He stated to Castiel he needed time after being called the weakest link. Which means he thinks he can build his power back up. Which I think what truly made him THAT depowered was going through the portal. Lucifer only lost a bit of his Grace. Unless this truly shows us how different an archangel's grace is from a normal angel's grace in that in losing just that bit of grace it makes one of the most powerful beings in the universe basically have red glowing eyes as some sort of party favor. And saying that because Castiel lost all of his grace that Lucifer (a being who spent all of forever being pretty much all powerful and who's grace was pretty much ALL he had-no Winchester safety net, no friends, no family who doesnt hate him) shouldn't be allowed to be upset? That's Bullshit. He just lost a part of himself. A person's problem should not be invalidated just because someone else has a worse problem. Thats Like saying you are having major problems but because someone else has it worse that you should never say your problems bc other people have it worse. (I'm guilty of that. I don't share my problems bc I feel like other people have it worse so I shouldn't complain)

And Lucifer being tortured. "He's getting what he deserves." Okay first of all. Lucifer's has been getting the short end of the stick since Chuck slapped that mark on him. Instead of fixing Lucifer as he saw it corrupt him, Chuck decided to throw his problem away in a cage when it caused Lucifer to speak out against humans and rebel. (Being the first angel to express free will) (Which mind you. LUCIFER IS NOT THE ONLY ANGEL THAT LOOKED DOWN UPON HUMANS. THE APOCALYPSE LITERALLY SHOWED US THAT AND EVEN CHUCK WASNT TOO HAPPY WITH HUMANS WHEN METATRON HAD TO TALK SENSE INTO HIM!!) He got locked away and destined to die. Which he even said he didn't want to fight Michael (But he was prepared to fight) killing Gabriel we saw that he doesnt just feel rage or hatred (fueled by the corruption) but you also saw that he felt guilt. And sorrow. LIKE HE ACTUALLY CRIED AT LOSING HIS BABY BROTHER! The baby brother he raised! So no he's not a hate and anger fueled monster. He feels sorrow. He feels fear.

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS. LUCIFER ACTUALLY FLINCHING. He's weak. He knows this. He knows that he can't match up to Asmodeus in this state. And I think he fears that Asmodeus might take advantage of this and get payback for what Lucifer did to him. (Hey if a creature scares even Lucifer THEN THEY SHOULDNT BE LET OUT YOU DUMBASS PRINCE OF HELL. I BET YOU WERE THE RUNT) Lucifer just really needs a hug right now. *opens arms and is ready to give Satan a hug*

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT PROUD PAPA LUCIFER! People keep saying he just wants the kid for power but I don't think that's necessarily true..... I actually think he genuinely cares for Jack. I think he genuinely wants to be a father to Jack. I'm really hoping that this season's leads to a redemption arch for Lucifer. I think being de-powered and having Jack would be good for him and help him gain perspective on some things. Both Castiel and metatron gained perspective when they were human. As much as Mark said Lucifer would kill himself if he lost his grace. I think just de-powering him would be good. Plus it's a change up on the characters story. Instead of just....ya know. Getting locked up in hell with small moments of freedom in between before he's some how locked up again.

Anyways that's just my little rant about tonight. Agree, disagree I don't care. Just don't hate.

[firekracker77]

A Match Made In Heaven

Hi guys! This is my first fanfic I have done so I decided on doing a Perfect Match fanfic since PM is one of my favorite stories.

In this fanfic, we pick up on what happens after Hayden's housewarming party. I felt like a 3rd book would have tied up any loose ends but my imagination will work I suppose lol

I love the blonde haired blue eyed male Hayden and he's the only one I play as on the game. He's too cute!

Disclaimer: All Perfect Match characters belong to Pixelberry as well as some dialog.

Rating: I'm setting it as 18+ due to some smut and swearing. It wouldn't be Perfect Match without sex now would it? 😉

Trigger Warning: Anger towards the idea of Adoption (remember it's how HAYDEN feels, not me.)

___________________________________

CHAPTER 1

As I watched all of mine and Hayden's friends leave his housewarming party at 5 am in high spirits and a bit too buzzed from drinks, Hayden sat down on his couch looking absolutely exhausted.

"Riley, I could sleep for just about forever", he groaned.

"You can start on that after I leave", I teased.

I turn to leave when I feel arms wrapping around my waist. Hayden smooshes his face into my stomach then says, "Wait..before you go, this is important..I love you."

"I love you too Sleepyhead", I reply, kissing his forehead.

"Hayden..." I hesitate but with a deep breath I continue, "Can I come by around noon? I have something on my mind that I'd like to discuss with you."

Hayden sits up straight, looking alarmed. "Are you okay Riley?"

I stare into his beautiful blue eyes and almost lose myself in them. He is so gorgeous, I think to myself.

"Yeah I'm more than okay", I say with a smile. It's nothing bad, just something I wanna talk over with you."

He breathes a sigh of relief. I didn't realize until now how stressed Hayden must be after everything we'd just been through. He endured it so well I thought, but maybe he just suppressed his fear and anxiety on my behalf. If anyone deserved a massage, it was him. How I wish he would have taught me his amazing massage skills!

"Sounds good! I'll make us some lunch while you're here", he beamed.

"Good night baby," I whispered, kissing him softly.

"You mean Good Morning!" Hayden smiled.

I woke up at 11 am, after 5 hours of tossing and turning off most of the time I was in bed. After a quick shower and blow drying my hair, I brushed my hair up into a ponytail then grabbed a cup of coffee in hopes the caffeine would perk me up.

I spray on some of the perfume that Hayden bought me for my birthday last month. I breathe in the scent in deep and think of him.

I quickly put on the new outfit I bought 2 days ago. Hayden hasn't seen this one so I hope he likes it. The crop top is a beautiful baby blue, like Hayden's eyes and has a delicate flower print. The denim shorts I paired with it are..well, form-fitting and are short like booty shorts. I slip on my sneakers and head out the door.

It's quarter to 12 noon when I leave. I arrive at his apartment door right on time and I knock on his door.

"Riley!" Hayden grabs me in a crushing bear hug. "I'm so happy you're here. I missed you." His eyes scan my body from head to toe. "Wow..you look so sexy", he blushes.

"Hayden, watch the super strength babe", I choke out gasping.

"Sorry!" He sheepishly grins. "Come on in!"

He invites me over to the couch and sits beside me. "Oh would you like anything to drink? I have iced tea, milk, water, and...booze", he giggles.

"No thanks, I just wanna talk", I replied.

Hayden's face takes on a serious look. "You upset?" he asks worriedly.

"No, nothing's wrong. Hayden, I..." His eyes are fixed intently on mine, locked in.

"Yes?"

"Hayden, I have been thinking about where you and I go from here. We've been through so much together. Damien gave me a key to his apartment but..." My words trailed off.

"But?.." Hayden prods.

"But I only want to be with you and you alone." I pause then continue. I had asked you at Nadia and Steve's housewarming party out on the fire escape if you thought you and I could have that someday and you seemed open to the idea."

"I was, yes." He replies.

"Well, do you still feel that way now?" I shyly asked.

Hayden looks at me wide-eyed, as if the idea just dawned on him.

"Of course I do! I know everything's been crazy and a whirlwind but the truth is, I was gonna ask you the same thing", he admitted.

"Hayden, I'm so in love with you it's unreal. You're the first person I think of every single day. You're constantly on my mind. I miss you so much when we aren't together..." My words trail off as tears form in my eyes, everything going blurry.

Hayden wraps his strong arms around me gently, stroking my back then kisses the top of my head. "Same here. I'm honestly miserable when you're not here Riley." he admits.

My tears fall and Hayden gently wipes them away. "Riley, I would love nothing more than to have you here with me all the time. I love you so much it scares me but..." he trails off.

Oh God he's gonna say something like things aren't working out...I panic inside.

Hayden looks at me then says, "Stay here for a sec. I'll be right back."

He goes into his bedroom and after a few minutes, he stands in front of me. I can tell he's nervous about something and that's making ME nervous.

"Riley, close your eyes please."

I do what he asks but can hear his feet shuffling. "Okay open your eyes," I hear him say.

I open my eyes and gasp. Hayden is kneeled down on one knee with a velvet ring box open in one hand. Hayden takes a deep breath and then says..

"I've told you that I loved you many times. I told you at the Gala that I had fallen in love with you during combat practice in Indonesia but I think I actually fell for you after our first date. I may be a Match who was programmed to think and behave according to the personality traits you found desirable but THIS is something I've thought about many times on my own."

Hayden takes my left hand in his free hand and continues.

"Riley, love of my life and keeper of my heart, will you marry me?"

I sit there stunned as if the wind had been knocked out of me. My heart starts racing and my tears fall once again. "Oh God Hayden...YES, a thousand times YES!" I cry, kissing his soft lips.

When we part, Hayden's face is literally shining with happiness. A smile so big it goes ear to ear, his eyes glittering with tears. He stares at me then embraces me again.

He lets go then gently takes the ring out of the box. "Look at what's inscribed on the inside of the band." I look closely and see the words- Riley + Hayden = Forever.

He takes the ring and slides it on my left ring finger. The half carat diamond solitaire sparkles brilliantly. "It's beautiful but it doesn't hold a candle to you," he gushes.

"I have to call Nadia and let her know about our engagement!" I excitedly proclaim. "She's gonna want to see the ring too."

"She already has, hon." Hayden smiles. "She..uh, bought it. But I told her I'd be paying her back once I start my career and make some money." He continues, " But she didn't know when I would propose."

"You two are something else!" I playfully poke his ribs.

Hayden laughs and stands up. "I'm going to go make us some lunch now. What sounds good- sloppy joes or chicken alfredo?"

"Either one sounds good to me babe," I reply.

_________________________________________

Chapter 2

We talk and laugh into the late evening then I ask Hayden when he would like for me to move in.

"Tomorrow. I don't wanna wait any longer. Tonight though, you're mine. Please stay the night with me Riley," he implored.

I reply, "You don't have to ask me twice."

I grab Hayden's hand and lead him to the bedroom. I embrace him tightly, devouring his mouth with fervent kisses. Hayden groans and shoves his tongue in, kissing me as hard and as deep as he can. I rake my nails down his back and he comes up for air, gasping and says, "Clothes off NOW". He tries to help me but his hands are shaking with desire and his movements are uncoordinated. I quickly strip him down and take a look at his naked body.

"You have such a sexy body, you know that?", I say.

Hayden replies, "EROS was evil as hell but they knew how to build a decent body."

"Hayden, take me now please..I can't wait any longer.."

His blue eyes flash ravenously. "Then get on your knees on the bed," he growls.

"I do as he asks and he positions himself behind me, his hard shaft begging for entry. Grabbing onto my hips, Hayden slides his entire length deep inside then shudders.

"Oh God Riley!" he gasps.

With every thrust forward he makes, I slam back, taking him as deep as I can. Hayden is huge so he stretches me with every thrust.

Before long all we hear is skin slapping skin, moans and groans begging each other to go faster and rougher. As I get to the edge, I tell Hayden to stop so I can flip over onto my back.

He wraps one arm around me and flips me over like a pro. I throw my legs over his shoulders, which changed the angle and allowed him to go even deeper. We hang onto each other tight, my nails raking red lines down his back. Hayden sucks on my breasts, panting hard. Both of us are so sweaty, it runs down our faces and bodies.

I beg him for more but he's giving me every inch. Finally I feel the familiar warm tingling. "Hayden..I'm gonna come!" I shout.

He pounds harder and says, "I got you baby, give it to me." My warm juices flood over his dick, pouring down his thighs. "Oh damn! Riley..yes.."

I feel the hard throbbing as he gives a final loud moan which gives way to shaking and finally he rolls over beside me breathing hard.

"Baby...you are incredible," Hayden sighs.

We lay in comfortable silence. Hayden slowly stroking my back, smiling.

"Hayden?"

"Hmmm?"

"Will you want kids someday?"

Hayden stops stroking my back and is quiet, deep in thought but frowning. Finally with a sigh, he replies.

"I would love that but I can't..."

I reply, "What about adoption?"

"Riley, if you want me to be honest, that'd be my last resort. I want a biological child."

"I know Hayden and so would I but that's not possible for us."

Hayden sits up, an angry frown on his face.

"Why didn't you make Damien your one and only then? At least he could probably give you a baby. I'll never be able to!"

With that, Hayden jumps up and quickly gets dressed.

"Hayden?!" I didn't mean..."

"Don't worry about it. The engagement is off." He storms out the door slamming it hard behind him.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of Marvel: Week of April 1st, 2019

Best of this Week: War of the Realms - Strikeforce: The Dark Realm #1 - Bryan Hill, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Matt Hollingsworth and Joe Sabini

If I haven’t made it clear enough, I love stories of War.

I love seeing characters struggle with hard decisions or doing things that normally they wouldn't. I like the idea of burgeoning respect for others for their bravery or absolute assholish-ness in the face of grave opposition and this book is full of it.

While the main War of the Realms series offers a continuing story focused on everyone’s efforts to fight off Malekith’s forces, I like the more self contained and focused stories like this one and War Scrolls. Strikeforce, if that’s the name that they’re going for, is a team made up of darkness, anger and righteous vengeance as that’s what will be needed to venture into Svartalheim and destroy the Black Bifrost.

The book begins with Lady Freyja, Thor’s mother and arguably the wisest woman in all of Asgard, seeking counsel from an unknown individual on who would be best to take the fight to the Dark Elves. She needs those who are uncompromising and full of rage, able to fight fire with fire, so it comes as no surprise when the man that she’s speaking to turns out to be Frank Castle.

She makes it a point to note that while Captain America told her to approach him and while he doesn't like Frank, he respects him enough to know that Frank is the only man that can cross the line between heroism and villainy. She asks him to pick heroes to embody similar natures to his own and he selects Jen Walters “Hulk”, Ghost Rider and Blade because of their individual senses of justice, vengeance and anger.

Walters, taking the position of leader of the team and acting as the seasoned Avengers Vet, asks if she can trust them, calling a vote to join Freyja’s fight. They agree and she puts them through a mental test to show their darkness and see if they can overcome their fears. For Jen, it’s her primal nature now that she’s no longer the She-Hulk that she once was. Robbie has to overcome the Riders need for fear and vengeance. And Blade has to overcome himself, at least a version of himself that embraces the Vampire within and stops protecting humanity.

I will say that Yu's art in this book isn't his best, but it’s still great and absolutely serves its purpose. Everything is mostly dark and gritty. His line work is heavy and is complimented by Alanguilan's dark inks and Hollingsworth’s colors. The action scenes are sparse, but dynamic enough for you to feel the weight of the situation at hand. Frank is naturally grim while Freyja contrasts this with her normally hopefully nature as she's also clad in white, making them both stand out amongst the cast.

The group overcomes their fears and converge on Freyja, defeating her to prove their worth. We don’t learn much of Franks trial other than, he kills the rest of the team but feels bad about it afterwards. He and Freyja then have one of the most chilling conversations I have read, in a little while, away from the rest of the team.

Throughout the book, Lady Freyja comments to Frank that he would be a man welcome as a God in Asgard for his uncompromising nature, laser focus and sheer violent rage. She fears that whatever she does in this war will have a grave cost, maybe even with her becoming the monsters she so fears. We then see a vision of her appearing as the new leader of the Dark Elves in a cook, but unsettling scene. She asks Frank if he knows the feeling… and Frank does of course. He recalls a mission where he was saving a child, murdering through a mansion to save her life and as he looked in a mirror, he saw his blood covered visage and her cowering in fear and just decided that it was better to be the monster.

As long as he was a monster, but lives were still saved and the mission was accomplished, then it didn’t matter what the cost was and... Lady Freyja agreed. “I see why the others fear you, but you have the respect of Asgard.” She says before walking away. Frank has a way of getting into people's heads. He can inspire fear and terror, but I don’t think in all of my years I have seen him turn someone to his side. Hell, last week’s Daredevil saw him try it with Matt, before he was given Heimdall’s sword, and he told Frank to screw off, but seeing Lady Freyja acknowledge Frank’s harsh point of view for the greater good was poetic.

---------------------------------------------------

Death may be a revolving door for the X-Men, but that doesn't mean that things don't hurt when they lose another one of their own.

Runner Up: Uncanny X-Men #17 (Legacy #639) - Matthew Rosenberg, Carlos Gómez, Guru-eFX and Joe Caramagna

I've always had a penchant for the 90s X-Factor team. Multiple Man, Havok, Polaris, Strong Guy and especially Wolfsbane stand out as some of my favorites from that team, but sadly one of them is no more.

Rahne Sinclair has always had a bit of a messed up history; from having religion beat into her, causing her to hate herself and her powers, to losing best friends and lovers like Cypher, to being brainwashed and having one of her best friends murder her child, things haven't gone great for her. Recently, she had found some sort of peace with it all and decided to quit the superhero game altogether.

Scott let her go. Logan let her go. The entire rest of the current X-Men were happy to let her live a normal life and then she was murdered soon after. It came out of left field for everyone, including us readers.

Scott held a funeral service that the rest of the team attended, while Logan and a released Kwannon left to “mourn in their own way.” IE, finding the bastards who killed her and absolutely destroying them.

The contrast between these two ways of mourning is drastic and heartbreaking on both sides. Scott gives a melancholic speech, telling everyone that he's tired of losing friends and names off every “dead” mutant that he can. Logan and Kwannon, however find the guys that killed Rahne and Logan asks Kwannon to show him their memories.

After a lot of pushing, she shows Logan how they catcalled her and kept harassing her until she said no and bared her fangs. Thinking they were “tricked” by a “mutie”, they beat her to death. Suddenly a SWAT team enters the home and corners the pair and Logan goes on the attack.

As always, Logan and Scott are on opposite ends of their respective spectrums with Scott choosing the path of peace and Logan choosing the path of vengeance. It's hard to say which side is more righteous here. Scott promised something of change when he came back and allowed the X-Men to be democratic instead of having him as the leader and that possibly led to Rahne's death. Logan, of course may have cost The X-Men some good in the public eye as it's heavily implied that he and Kwannon murdered everyone in that house. But damn if he didn't get Rahne the justice she deserved.

Loganq returns home later to be yelled at by Scott, who tells him that he should have been at Rahne's funeral. Logan, also in a rage, brings up that Scott knew that Logan would do it and also brings up Blindfolds suicide and their own past schism when Scott tells him to leave the team. They get into a scuffle and Juggernaut stops them, telling them that they should be focused on Scott's list of enemies instead of each other and notes one BIG name missing that no one can seem to remember, I wonder what COLD BITCH that might be?

This issue really hit hard for me. While it doesn't bring up everything specifically, it does tie up her character arc in a bow made of razor blades. There are acknowledgements to her past, her times with X-Force, X-Factor and the New Mutants. It's shown how much she means to Scott as a sister and to Logan as another kid that he raised and couldn't save. Her best friends, Dani Moonstar and Magik reflected on their relationship with her and how kind of a soul she was and how she didn't deserve this. This end was as tragic as Rahne's life was and while she deserves the rest, I hope she does come back at some point.