#I tried to take the more violent aspects of the original story and mix them with svsss and the disney version because soul contracts go hard

[cl4ssyjazzy]

I've had this draft for who knows how long, I am not gonna make this longer. I'm just gonna release it here in the wild. I saw this piece of fanart, wrote all of this, went to sleep, and woke up having forgotten everything about this and leaving it in draft purgatory for a while. Enjoy

Little mermaid AU but make it an amalgamation of the Hans Christian Andersen version, the disney version, and svsss:

Shen Yuan just couldn't understand, or refused to understand a few facts of life.

Firstly, he couldn't understand why that muttonhead of an author couldn't sit his clock-watcher behind on a chair and do what he must: write more of those famous childrens fairytales of his. Shen Yuan needed more light literature to read- that amused his siblings! (Clearly) But being apparently unwilling to work, the buffon that gave life to such stories was constantly going on long holidays with those drunken, draffsacked so called friends of his.

to clarify, it was not that he particularly cared for the fairytales!! He was, after all, no longer a child. He had been of age for a long time, a highly educated man yet to marry, still loving on his father's state. So of course, upon learning of the author, he had done some... perusing of his other, more recent works, and to say he was disappointed was a light understatement. His novels paled in comparison to his other works, his poems and fairy tales. Who cared for all those auto-biographies he was publishing as of lately? If you asked him, he could throw those in a ditch somewhere in his beloved spanish cities he bragged so much about.

He had sent several letters to Hans Christian Andersen expressing his overall disappointment in his abysmal drop in quality in those tales about travel and "charming bazaars". He had also, kindly advised him to stop with those feables attempts to become a "serious novelist", and to go back to forget those foolish desires of grandeur and focus on his far superior hability to write children's books. Sadly he had not received a response and he was starting to doubt he would ever get one. Some authors just couldn't handle any criticism! He wished someone could think about killing that bloody author!! Had his favourite books been his own, rather than that bastard's, he would truly be happy and satisfied!! A-And he would care for the characters in a far more delicate way!

For example, why should the protagonists in his books suffer so much? Aren't children's tales supposed to be happier? The mother duck in "The ugly ducklings" should have either noticed the difference in the physiognomy of the egg and taken it out of the nest before it hatched as one would assume is the normal behavior of such animal, or accepted the "ugly" duckling and raised it as one of her own like a mother ought to do in normal, more human, circumstances.

And the moral wasn't even that great. He personally believed that a creature needn't be considered pretty to be treated fairly, since only one's character truly matters for one to be respectable. If the author believed so as well, clearly the duckling should have stayed ugly in the end! "Do not judge people based on its looks" says the quack author, but he isn't willing to truly accept his own morals! What a hypocrite! He had similar criticism for all his books, and "The ugly duckling" wasn't even one of his and his siblings, favourite tale.

The book he had the most to say about would be his sister's favorite book: "The little merman". He quite agreed with his sister's assessment of it being the best of the bunch: The prose was well constructed, the characters mostly delightful, and the setting sparked decent conversation, but the tale was one of the saddest he had ever read!

The story was about a young merman prince called Luo Binghe; a beautiful and fair soul who falls in love with a veiled human princess named Liu Mingyan, rumored to be the most beautiful girl in the world. They meet when she falls off board on a trip to a neighboring country and Luo Binghe saves her from drowning, accidentally revealing her face and falling in love with her at first sight.

Ever the relentless romantic, he looks for any possible way to reunite with his love, and that's when he's tricked by the evil sea witch Shen Quingqiu!!

Shen Quingqiu, makes him sign a terrible contract where he promises his soul and blood in exchange for the ability to meet his lover. And if that didn't sound terrible enough, in order for the metamorphosis to take place and legs to grow in place of a tail, Shen Qingqiu cuts Luo Binghe's tongue and tail in half!! And if THAT didn't sound terrible and violent enough, the spell would only become permanent if he successfully kissed the princess after only three days!! If he failed at the task, he was doomed to a life under the witch's torture!! Truly such a pitiful end!

Poor Luo Binghe accepted, but as soon as he took to land and caught a glimpse of his lover, he realized she was already promised to another!! Who she believed was the one who saved her from drowning!!

But still he never gives up. Once he had gained access to the palace by working as a servant, he tried to charm the princess and stop the marriage from taking place. But it was of no use. It was the princess duty to marry since she had no living siblings to take the throne, even if she had been charmed by him, they could never be together.

It was in this moment of despair that NingYingYing appeared in front of Luo Binghe. She was the merman's childhood best friend, and a beautiful, dedicated girl. The sweet mermaid had successfully convinced the evil Shen Qingqiu to make another deal with her, taking advantage of the fact that he liked her to lessen Luo Binghe's sentence. She had given the witch 10 years of her life in exchange for a magical sword that Luo Binghe could use to kill Liu Mingyan, become human forever, and escape from Shen Qingqiu's cursed deal as long as he never touched sea again.

Luo Binghe stares at the sword, but he can't bring himself to kill Liu Mingyan. He uses the sword to kill himself instead, his soul becoming sea foam and escaping Shen Qingqiu forever.

...

WHAT?

He had always hated this ending. WHY did Luo Binghe DIE in the end?? He had been nothing but a loyal lover, a pure romantic soul!! Why must he accept the terrible fate of never knowing peace as lowly sea foam!! He should have killed the bastard Shen Qingqiu!! He is the actual villain, who gives Luo Binghe the worst deals in existence just to see him suffer and die!! And he doesn't even get punished in the end!! In its stead it is the protagonist who constantly gets the short end of the stick.

It's on a restless night, having just put his siblings to sleep, that he decides to write another of his strongly worded letters to that bastard of an author. He writes long into the night, as his ink runs thin, and the candle is almost burnt. He writes, and writes, forgetting the chill, forgetting the rest, and even forgetting his weak constitution, that which prevented him from properly traveling, and working, and leaving his father's state at all. He keeps forgetting, until the candle no longer casts any light. Until the ink has long dried on his quill and forehead sat upon the letter on his desk. And as the morning light returns, he forgets to wake up.

Shen Yuan just couldn't understand, or refused to understand a few facts of life.

Firstly, Hans Christian Andersen's stupidity.

Secondly, why man is not created equal. Why had he been born frail and weak?

And most importantly... Why had he woken up in a dimly lit cave, with 8 TENTACLES INSTEAD OF LEGS?

little mermaid prince bunhe and one delusional sea witch 🐠❣️🐙

[shihalyfie]

Some fun talking about and analyzing the tri. stage play, and its relationship to Kizuna

The tri. stage play (full title: "Super Evolution Stage! Digimon Adventure tri. August 1st Adventure") is honestly quite an unusual entry in this franchise, even within Adventure standards. Nearly everything about its production is unusual -- the entire genre it's in is unexpected, the choice of time period to release something like this is unusual, and moreover, now that Kizuna’s out, a lot of people have noticed a lot of suspiciously similar themes and even language, most notably the key “we’ll always be together” line (phrased even exactly the same way in Japanese). In fact, despite ostensibly being a tri.-branded product, other than a few vague token nods to the anime series in the play itself, said stage play has very little to do with the actual anime sharing its name, so the similarity to Kizuna is even more striking in retrospect.

Perhaps another interesting thing about this play is that it’s a very good example of a standout work in the Adventure universe that didn’t have any original creator involvement (other than some minor tips from Seki). I think there’s often a tendency for people to think that in order for a sequel or spinoff to be true to the original, it has to have some member of original staff on there, especially since the Adventure (and 02) characters tend to be a bit overly complex and it helps to have the reassurance that someone who knows them is behind the wheel -- Kizuna used the presence of Seki and Yamatoya as an outright advertising point -- but this stage play’s director and writer had no experience with the franchise beforehand, not even as a fan, yet still made a very respectful product that has generally been received well by Adventure (and 02) fans and even got the original director’s approval, too. If anything, that makes it all the more impressive!

(Note that the below text spoils the story content of the play, but not Kizuna’s to any substantial degree.)

Some production background

Anime and video game stage tie-ins are fairly common -- much like this one, they tend to have very short runs and are targeted at a limited audience -- but they’re usually stereotyped as being for the otome crowd (i.e. predominantly female otaku audience), so works like this are generally associated with it. As a result, when this play was announced and released between tri. Parts 4 and 5, quite a few people were surprised, because this franchise originally came from products associated with shounen anime. In practice, this was a period where it was becoming increasingly clear that there was, in fact, a huge female audience for Digimon (especially Adventure universe), on top of the fact that (as noted by the performers in the final show) the audience for this show ended up being unusually mixed-gender, because Digimon really is universal -- but it did lead to the announcement of the play being initially received with heavy skepticism, partially because of the usual misogyny (stigma around things associated with female audiences, etc.), and partially because this was during a time where...well, saying that a very huge percentage of the fanbase, especially the Japanese side, was really pissed off at anything tri.-branded at the time is kind of an understatement. Ultimately, the play ended up very well-received with a small but dedicated following, and it’s currently referred to as “dejisute” (short for “Digimon Stage”) in Japanese fan shorthand. Bringing it up generally elicits positive critical feedback, even among those who were initially skeptical.

Some interesting things also surround the circumstances of its production as well. As some might know already, the tri. anime series and Kizuna share only one key member of staff: Kinoshita Yousuke, who was involved in tri. Parts 5 and 6, and eventually went on to become the producer for Kizuna and the upcoming 02-based movie. tri. was a work that (for some reason) had a huge number of producers on it, of which Kinoshita was only one; he seemed to have been replacing Arai Shuuhei, who left the project after Part 4. However, while Arai was formerly one of the most visible of tri.’s producers (he was the only one regularly brought up in interviews), how much degree of influence Kinoshita had with tri. is unknown, other than the fact he had no involvement in its story. Given that the decision to make Kizuna also seemed to have been made around Part 5, it seems that Kinoshita may have been brought on specifically for the purpose of observing and prepping for Kizuna, because his role on tri. seems to have been so minimal that the moment he was put in charge of Kizuna, the production philosophy ended up becoming completely different under his management. (When you think about it, tri. and Kizuna have very little in common, other than the rough premises of involving the older Adventure cast.)

The thing is, though, Part 5 isn’t actually the first tri. work Kinoshita is credited for, but this stage play is -- which is interesting to consider when taking into account the heavy amount of thematic parallels between this and Kizuna three years later, and in general the very unusual creative decision to make a stage play that suddenly popped up at exactly this time, making heavier tributes to Adventure (and even 02) than the actual anime it was branded with. Making things even more interesting was that the stage play’s director and writer, Tani Kenichi, was allegedly recruited by an unnamed producer impressed with his work (by the way, did I mention Kinoshita used to work in live-action before joining Toei?). Given all that, perhaps this stage play coming off unnervingly like a sort of Kizuna prototype isn’t all that surprising...

Unfortunately, right now we’re still kind of in a time period where official will get barraged with violently angry comments for even so much as putting the series on streaming services, so it’ll probably be a few more years (if ever) before official will be willing to be more open about what went on behind tri. production, and it’s probably a bit much to get too speculative about things like this when real people are involved. Nevertheless, one thing is apparent: the director and writer, Tani, was a newcomer to Digimon -- not even someone who’d been a fan beforehand -- but watched all of Adventure and 02 in preparation for it and stated openly that he was very, very emotionally touched by it. The work itself is obviously made with a lot of love and respect for the series, and one really cool thing about it is that you can also tell that it came from the perspective of an adult with no preconceived notions about it, therefore meaning it comes from someone analyzing the series without necessarily caving to fanbase mantras, and making some very cogent observations about the characters. It’s also just a fabulous work production-wise in general -- the puppet work and making the Digimon look convincing on stage is very well-done, especially when you consider that this play had only ten showings -- and you really gotta appreciate the fact that, even before Seki gave him a few pointers, he was so passionate about the importance of Digimon partners that he pushed for all eight to be represented despite the expenses.

Taking a look at the play itself

Despite ostensibly tying into the tri. anime series it's branded with, the play only really seems to loosely refer to some of its key elements as taking place at approximately the same time, such as Koushirou’s server, infected Digimon, setpieces like KNIFE OF DAY, and an eventual “reveal” that this seems to take place ostensibly around the rough time period of tri.’s Part 4. Look closely, however, and you’ll notice that a lot of things in the characterization and plot arena actually don’t track much with tri. at all -- for instance, in a very non-comprehensive list of things:

It’s implied that Yamato himself is embarrassed about the KNIFE OF DAY band name and is desperately trying to get through it with passion, which doesn’t quite line up with his attitude about it in the anime.

The timeline just really doesn’t line up; Mochizuki Meiko, Meicoomon, and the infections obviously exist, but you can’t have a time period in Part 4 where the kids recognize Meicoomon as being related to the distortions or infections while also being separated from Meiko. Moreover, the “reboot” just doesn’t seem to have happened at all (and to be fair, if you’re planning on making a two-hour tribute to Adventure, not having the Digimon with memories of said adventure would seriously limit the scope of your plot, so this kind of “leeway” was probably downright necessary).

The tri. anime series portrayed Takeru as having a very sharp shift in language, presumably under the implication he’s putting up a front as a flirtatious, aggressive playboy, and so his first-person pronoun was turned into the aggressive ore and his way of referring to Yamato aniki. In Adventure and 02, Takeru had used the polite boku and childish/cutesy onii-chan, and the boku was prominently used as a plot point to hint at Takeru’s identity as the series narrator. (Yes, these kinds of things are actually kind of a big deal in fiction.) Since even longtime fans generally agree that at some point Takeru would be likely to stop using onii-chan once he became old enough, the stage play likewise also prefers aniki over onii-chan, but, notably, it doesn’t even bother with ore in the slightest nor any of the implications that surround it, and Takeru comfortably uses boku for the entirety of the play. Considering that the use of aniki is still a bit unusual (both Diablomon Strikes Back and Kizuna prominently favor the slightly more polite nii-san instead), it seems that the play was made with an awareness that both aspects of Takeru’s language had changed, but a conscious decision to hold over only one from the anime.

And so on and so forth.

In general, the way you could describe this play’s handling of Adventure universe lore and characterization elements is that it’s a bit selective about which tri.-related elements it makes use of, particularly in regards to ones that might be too difficult to reconcile with the original Adventure (and 02). (This is basically the same attitude Kizuna roughly takes in regards to handling of tri. elements, although it’s less noticeable there partially because of the five-year gap between tri. and Kizuna.) Obviously, being completely incongruous with the tri. anime would be a pretty crude thing to do for a play that’s actually branded with it (and especially when said anime was still ongoing at the time, regardless of public opinion), but, regardless, the end result is that its actual relationship with the tri. anime’s version of canon is a bit tenuous.

The main reason for this is probably that, on the flip side, the stage play's references to Adventure -- as in, the specific series that aired in 1999-2000 and took place in the in-universe August 1 and 3, 1999 -- are incredibly aggressive. In fact, it’s actually far more aggressive in this respect than Kizuna is. For all Kizuna is branded as an Adventure movie and puts the original Adventure cast first and foremost in all of the advertising, if you watch the actual movie, in practice, it’s more of something that lies in the gap between Adventure and 02 and the two series together as a whole. Adventure was a series that practically revolved around a "trapped in another world" story and the specific impact its events had on the kids involved, but Kizuna focuses more on the “larger world”, including real world society (very much 02 things), with a lot of themes with suspicious pertinence to 02 and references to its epilogue looming over the plot; the specific Adventure references and even the Digital World don’t come into play until the climax. (And that’s before we get into the fact that the 02 quartet gets more screentime than a good chunk of their seniors.) Really, you can see it just by the fact that a majority of the primary key visuals line the 02 quartet up with everyone else; it’s a movie about both, not just Adventure.

So in other words, Kizuna is really about mixing Adventure and 02 elements, serving as a sort of stopgap work, and recasting the Adventure group in a lot of 02′s context. (And that’s by no means a bad thing; since Adventure wasn’t about that, the differing juxtaposition is a fresh perspective in its own way.) But in terms of revisiting what the actual series called Digimon Adventure was and how those events might have an influence on its relevant cast years later, this play (which actually has longer runtime than Kizuna, being around two hours) is a good place to go to if that’s what you’re looking for. The entire premise of the play revolves around copiously referencing that specific adventure back in 1999, and, more importantly, what impact it’s still continuing to have in this particular group’s memories, to the point where they’re starting to romanticize it and wish they could return to it forever...

Ah, right, that’s what this play has in common with Kizuna: the overall theme of unhealthy fixation on rose-colored nostalgia, and the need to move forward from it. (And, driving it home, “unhealthy fixation on the events of Adventure” as a symbol of that rose-colored nostalgia, to boot.)

The premise of the play itself is that the kids decide to hold a camping trip as tribute to the adventure in 1999, as part of a desire to "go back to those times" (and, as is eventually revealed, it’s actually part of a pocket universe their subconscious wishes had dreamed up as a desire to recreate the past, thanks to the power of the Digital World). So all of the references to Adventure are concrete and fleshed out in specific detail, ranging from everyone referencing specific events and how they impacted them (Jou very explicitly refers to his experiences in Adventure episodes 46-47 in terms of why it fuels his current desire to become a doctor) to even the most minor of references (direct reference to bananas on File Island, from Adventure episode 3).

As a brief aside, a positive side effect of centering the plot on this specific adventure is that it justifies the reason for why these eight are working together (at least prior to the endgame reveal that they’re still involved in tri.’s events); the eight of them weren’t portrayed as liable to do so without good reason, and while certain aspects and events from 02 are alluded to when they’re relevant, the absence of the actual quartet passing without note is completely justifiable because they simply were not on that adventure anyway. (They weren’t initially planned to be at the event in 02 episode 17, and knowing them, it’s likely they wouldn’t want to be at this kind of outright commemorative camping event, because they’d feel like they’d be intrusive in something they had nothing to do with.) So within the scope of the play in two hours, the narrative can be very neatly condensed to be mostly about Adventure itself.

Although this play and Kizuna both share the common theme of the existential crisis that comes with getting older and the tendency to romanticize one’s childhood, the underlying reasons are a bit different; Kizuna’s is very close to 02 in that it’s largely to do with societal pressures and expectations, especially since the question of "what you want to do with your career" is a driving motivation in it. In other words, the existential crisis comes from living up to other people’s expectations, or trying to fit into an arbitrary societal mold of an “adult” without necessarily knowing if that’s what you really want. In the case of this stage play, being set in everyone’s high school years where everyone’s relationship to “the world at large” is a bit more tenuous, the reason for the existential crisis is somewhat closer to Adventure’s: everyone’s started to think they might have been better people back then. More confident, less hesitant, more honest with their feelings. Adventure was a series about self-improvement and one’s relationship with oneself, so it’s understandable that a work meant to look back on that specific adventure will ask the question “well, did they become better people after all?” as a result.

But there’s two problems with this line of thinking: one, this is a very rose-colored evaluation of their former selves, because just because they might have been “more confident” back then doesn’t mean they didn’t have other problems going on (Hikari calls her past self out for being arguably “more honest”, but also somewhat of a dependent child), and two, being more hesitant doesn’t make one a weaker person, just one who’s dealing with a lot more problems and awareness and things to worry about because of how much the scope of their lives has increased. As Agumon says at the end, the old Taichi and the current Taichi are still the same person; it’s just that he’s dealing with more, so he’ll naturally worry about more, and taking on those extra burdens is actually his own way of “evolving”.

Particularly interesting is the position of Jou, the not-so-unsung hero of this story, who is explicitly identified as the person most clearly aware of his future dreams and proceeding without hesitation towards them, to the point of being somewhat immune to the effects of the dream world. (Somewhat, mainly because the ending establishes that he wasn’t entirely.) It's consistent in line with the fact that we actually saw, directly, the train of thought that led to his decision to become a doctor back in Adventure, and he even states it directly in this play himself: he doesn’t consider himself someone who wants to solve things through fighting, but rather someone who can prevent casualties and heal the injured if he pursues this line of study, and thus is determined to make it happen. Even from the very early points of the play, there are several hints at him being able to see a metaphorical “future” that the others cannot, and while he remains unfailingly loyal to his friends (there’s a long sequence of him constantly claiming he’ll leave them as per Koushirou’s request but constantly coming back because he just can’t bring himself to abandon them), he also is the first one to depart the camping trip to attend to a test -- that is to say, he treasures his past, but he has a strong enough dream for his future that he’s willing to move on better than the others can.

Jou’s also the one to personally advise Yamato about the difference in nuance between doing things because you feel you must, versus doing it because you yourself truly want to, a difference in nuance that also becomes very pertinent in Kizuna. Also pertinent to both works in common is the discussion of nuances between “staying trapped in one’s memories” and “violently cutting them all away” (the consequences of the latter being more extensively discussed in Kizuna), versus the ideal situation of reflecting on those memories and experiences from the past in order to productively move forward.

And in the end, rose-colored nostalgia is, indeed, rose-colored nostalgia. Because, sure, that adventure back in the day was great, and they grew a lot, but they also grew a lot because they were overcoming some very harsh, difficult troubles; omitting those parts is losing the substance. The re-invocation of the fun “camping trip” also means re-invoking all of the other things that came along with it, including all of the dangerous threats they’d faced back then. It’s a package deal, and you can’t just filter those out, because it misses the point of what you gained out of it in the first place.

In general, the character writing for this play is also very good; there are some differences between the characters here and them back in 02, but they’re all within the believable scope of positive progression within three years and general adherence to core tenets of their character (Koushirou is certainly more assertive, but emphasis continues to be placed on his deference to others, penchant for spotting details, and capability for being an organizational leader in his own sense). Also notably, this play manages to verbalize a lot of the subtleties in Adventure and 02 that the mainstream tends to gloss over (and don’t tend to get put in official profiles) but are well-known to those deeply familiar with the series. This is the kind of attention to detail usually associated with those who have been studying the series for years, so it’s refreshing to see these come out in words -- for instance, Koushirou stating outright that he was one of the closest people to Taichi for a long time (very true!), Hikari and Takeru actually commenting on each other from back in Adventure (something we never really got in 02, despite “them having known each other for a while” being part of their character arcs), and Sora explicitly admitting that she goes out of her way for others because it’s easier to work for others than it is to even think about herself.

Actually, the attention to detail in general is fantastic; other than a minor slip-up (Sora refers to having met Koushirou during the summer camp at the beginning of the play when she’d actually known him prior from the soccer club, a detail that’s very easy to miss because it’s only mentioned once in Adventure episode 16 and clarified further in the novels), a lot of things from Adventure and 02 are made use of and framed in very clever context; the choice of Etemon as the enemy for this play is well-placed for both his entertainment value and the fact that, as an enemy personally defeated by MetalGreymon in Adventure episode 20, it makes perfect sense that he would have a grudge against Taichi in particular. (It’s also explicitly mentioned that Hikari and Tailmon never met Etemon in person even once, and that Taichi never actually got to see MetalEtemon, so there’s a lot of attention paid to logistics like that.)

Also, while 02 is not really brought up within the scope of the story (and really shouldn’t be, not when this story so heavily centers around Adventure and its themes), its place in canon and its contributions to the worldbuilding are fully respected; a lot of the offhand references to family situations and background are elements that were originally introduced in 02, and many aspects of its Digital World lore are used to assist the plot premise (in particular, the idea of the Digital World being connected to something that can conjure up unconscious dreams wasn’t explicitly invoked until 02). Rather amusingly, at one point, Hikari uses the events of 02 episode 13 to tell a “scary story” to troll Mimi, and it’s interesting and rather refreshing to see the implication that Hikari’s been able to move past the incident enough to use it to troll someone else. There are also some latent epilogue references as well, with Hikari directly bringing up her goal of becoming a kindergarten teacher, Takeru making some really subtle references to wanting to be a novelist and chronicle their adventures (in true Takeru fashion, he never states it outright, but anyone familiar with the epilogue can figure it out), and Taichi alluding to an ultimate goal of humans coexisting alongside Digimon.

Finally, attention should be called to the play’s relationship writing in general. As stated before, the play does call attention to relationships between characters that often don’t get brought up by the mainstream but are somewhat more well-known to fans -- Koushirou and Taichi, Sora and Mimi, Jou and Yamato -- but even the well-known ones are treated with nuance endemic to that from Adventure and especially 02, given that Taichi and Yamato don’t actually have the stereotypical “cold rivals” atmosphere that shounen anime would usually suggest, and the two of them have an extended heart-to-heart in which Yamato actively tries to figure out what’s wrong with Taichi and treat him kindly. (Like in Adventure, the only time they break out in a fight is when Yamato gets emotionally compromised and starts worrying that Taichi isn’t doing enough for others’ welfare.) It’s also very consistent with how the two treat each other in Kizuna as well (the izakaya scene comes to mind, and has a lot of similarities to the awkward-but-ultimately-close conversation they have at night in this play).

And, of course, the centerpiece of the narrative overall: the human-partner relationship. Of course, a lot of this was probably helped by Seki lecturing Tani to not mess this part up, but it really is impressive to consider in light of the fact we’re working with a lot of puppets that have handlers clearly in plain view, so you have to have some massive suspension of disbelief to make this work. But not only are the movements well-done to make it convincing that you really are seeing these actors physically interacting with their partners on stage, the narrative also puts huge spotlights on them, making the Digimon outright be the ones to snap their partners out of their worst patterns of thinking (especially with Agumon and Taichi), and dedicating a long period of silence where literal stage spotlights are dedicated to each kid having some alone time with their partner. The intimacy is very convincing, and, truly, Tani’s insistence on making sure every single one of the main Digimon was represented in spite of the prohibitive budget paid off very well. The point is made: a Digimon partner has to be someone who knows you well and intimately and can call you out at your worst moments, and Taichi even spells it out: Agumon’s capable of seeing right through him.

Putting it next to Kizuna -- a movie dedicated entirely to examining the meaning of a partner relationship, what happens when it deteriorates, what that means for oneself, and what it takes to recover it again -- it’s perhaps unsurprising that this play ends on the same line that was used in all of Kizuna’s advertising and was central to its own plot: “We’ll always be together.”

[celiabowens]

underrated SFF books (YA and Adult)

So uhm, since I keep seeing the same books on my dash all the time (and I like them too, just...there’s more! to read!) here’s a list of less popular SFF books, divided into YA and Adult. I’ve tried to mention when there is lgbt rep and the trigger warnings. Also, books written by poc will be in bold. Please point out any typo or mistake or if I’ve forgotten specific rep/tw mentions.

All of these are books that I’ve read and enjoyed (by enjoyed I mean anything from 3 stars and above), but if anyone wants to add titles please feel free to do so!!

YA:

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: beautifully written, fairytale-like story rich in mythology (inspired by several Hindu myths. There’s a full list on goodreads indicated by the author herself). Roshani’s prose is gorgeous.

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi: it’s a companion novel to The Star-Touched Queen, but both can be read as a standalone. I liked this one more than its companion and I particularly loved how the romance was written (slow burn, but specifically, the author really highlights the mutual respect between the characters, we love to see it).

The Young Elites by Marie Lu: fantasy trilogy set in a world inspired by Renaissance Italy, in which children who survived a mysterious and deadly illness ended up with strange and dangerous powers. Secret societies and a female villain!

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu: historical fantasy following Mozart’s sister, Nannerl, a girl as talented as her brother, but afraid of being forgotten because of the lack of opportunities she has to be seen and heard. Nuanced sibling relationship, no romance.  

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski: fantasy f/f romance! Both a coming of age story set in a society with a rigid class system and a slow burn f/f romance with a lot of banter. TW: abuse.

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: magical realism. The book follows two families of traveling performers that have been locked in a feud for over a generation. This was the author’s debut and I remember getting an arc of it and being impressed by both the prose and how the forbidden love trope was handled.

When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: another magical realism novel. One of the main characters is a trans boy and the book focuses on issues of racism and gender. One of my favorite YA!

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton: fantasy romance set in a village that periodically sacrifices a young man in order to keep a deal with the devil that ensures their prosperity. Also, polyamorous and non-binary rep.

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee: first book in a duology following avatar Kyoshi’s life. It explores the political and cultural aspect of the Earth Kingdom and Kyoshi’s past. Bisexual rep.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: sort of a murder mystery fantasy, as the main character finds herself suddenly thrust into power once her father has been murdered. The story has a slow build up to a last part full of twists and machinations and it features lots of court intrigue. Warning: the ending is quite open and afaik there isn’t a sequel planned as of now.

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones: a quite unique take on zombies influenced by Welsh mythology (it’s super cool). The novel follows Ryn and their siblings, as they try to get by after their parents’ death by working as gravediggers. Only well, the dead don’t always stay dead. The characters read a bit younger than they are imo. There is chronic pain rep.

The Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas: retelling of the original ballad of Mulan. The book follows Mulan, who’s trained her whole life to win a duel for a priceless heirloom, as she joins the army. There’s a lot of political and historical details, which I really appreciated. Do not go into it expecting a fun adventure though. The descriptions of war aren’t extremely graphic, but be aware of the fact that most of the book is set during a conflict.

The Candle and The Flame by Nafiza Azad: standalone fantasy set in a city on the Silk Road! It’s a quite slow-paced tale about love, family and politics. It has lush descriptions of landscapes and cultures (and FOOD, there are some really great descriptions of food). It’s a very atmospheric book and while I struggled a bit with the pace I’d still recommend it.

Forest of a Thousand Lanters by Julie C. Dao: sort of an East Asian inspired retelling of Snow White, but following the Evil Queen before she became Snow White’s stepmother. I honestly haven’t read its sequel (which should focus on Snow White herself), but I do think this can be read and enjoyed as a standalone too.

The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner: it’s hard to point out exactly what this series is about because it has evolved so much with time. It starts out as classic quest/adventure series with The Thief (which may seem a classic and simple book, but is actually full of foreshadowing and has a really clever set up), but develops into a complex and intriguing political fantasy in The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia (and then goes back to the quest theme in book 5, Thick as Thieves).

Adult:

A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong: I’m cheating with this one because it’s technically a short story but I love Alyssa Wong’s stories so I’m putting it here anyway. It can be read for free and you should just...read it.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: grimdark fantasy (TW: abuse, self harm, rape, drug abuse), inspired by Chinese history. It’s adult, but follows younger MCs and the unique blend of different historical periods/inspirations makes it extremely interesting. The characters are extremely fucked up in the best possible way, plus the use of shamanism is awesome. Please make sure you check all the TW before reading.

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang: a Japanese-inspired militaristic fantasy, with elemental magic, a badass housewife dealing with her past and hiding a sword in her kitchen’s floor. It has interesting and nuanced family dynamics and a great reflection on propaganda and the use of narratives.

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri: first book in an epic fantasy duology inspired by Mughal India (TW: abuse, slavery). I really liked both Empire of Sand and its companion and I find them pretty underrated. Both books have great slow burn romance (with a focus on mutual trust and respect) and focus on culture, religion, self acceptance and politics.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: a fantasy bildungsroman set in Mexico during the Jazz age. It’s a great approach to adult SFF as it follows a young girl on a life changing adventure. It features Mayan mythology and a god slowly becoming human (this trope is everything!).

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: a coming of age story inspired by Russian folklore. The trilogy as a whole has one of the best arcs I’ve ever seen: each book is perfectly self-contained and has its own arc, but also fits perfectly in the bigger picture of the trilogy. The atmosphere is amazing, the cast of characters is extremely well developed. Also frost demons are better than men.

The Binding by Bridget Collins: historical fantasy, but with very minimal fantasy elements. It’s set in a world vaguely reminiscent of 19th century England. I’d say this book is about humans and self discovery. It’s about cowardice and the lies we tell ourselves and those we wish we could tell ourselves. Gay rep. (TW: abuse, sexual assault, pretty graphic suicide scene).

The Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett: starting with City of Stairs, it follows a female diplomat and spymaster(!!). The whole trilogy features an interesting discussion about godhood, religion, fanatism, politics, without ever being boring or preachy. It has complex and rich world building and a pretty compelling mystery.

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett: heist fantasy following a thief as she’s hired to steal a powerful artifact that may change magical technology as she knows it. Set in a Venice-like merchant city. Also, slow burn f/f romance.

Jade City by Fonda Lee: sort of a gangster urban fantasy, heavily inspired by wuxia and set in an Asian-inspired metropolis. It follows a pretty big cast of characters, each with their own journey and development. It features nuanced family dynamics and a lot of political and economical subplots. Not extremely prominent, but book 2 features m/m side rep.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse: inspired by Native American culture and specifically by the idea of subsequent worlds. It has a kickass MC and a good mix of original elements and typical UF tropes. TW: the book isn’t extremely violent but there is death and some gore.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine: space opera inspired by the Mexica and middle period Byzantium. It focuses on topics like colonialism and the power of narratives and language. It has one of the best descriptions of what it’s like to live in between spaces I’ve ever read. Also very interesting political intrigue and has a slow burn f/f romance (and a poly relationship recalled through flashbacks). I ranted a lot about it already.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee: a Korean-inspired space opera with a magic system based on math. It’s honestly quite convoluted and difficult to follow, but it also features some of the best political intrigue I’ve ever read. Plenty of lying, backstabbing and mind games. It also features lesbian and bisexual rep and an aroace side character (TW: mass shooting, sexual assault, abuse). I also really recommend Yoon Ha Lee’s short-story collection Conservation of Shadows.

The long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers: character driven space opera featuring a found family journeying through space. A fun read, that also deals with topics such as sexuality and race. Quite easy to go through, as the world building and plot aren’t particularly complex themselves. f/f romance.  

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo: an Asian-inspired fantasy novella that gives a voice to people usually silenced by history. It follows a cleric (non binary rep) as they chronicle the story of the late empress, retold through objects that she used in her life. It focuses on bonds between women and the power that lies in being unnoticed. f/f side rep.

The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark: an urban fantasy novella, based on Orisha mythology and set in an alternate, sort of steampunk, New Orleans. I really like how creative Clark’s worlds are and how good he is at writing female characters (which rarely happens with male authors).

The haunting of tram car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark: novella set in an alternate steampunk Cairo populated by supernatural entities. It’s set in the same world of a Dead Djinn in Cairo, which is a short story you can read for free.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: epistolary novella set during a time-travel war. It has gorgeous writing and an amazing f/f romance. As a novella, it’s quite short but it’s beautifully crafted and so complex for such a short book!

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard: a novella set in the Xuya universe (a series of novellas/short stories set in a timeline where Asia became dominant, and where the space age has empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration), but can be read as a standalone. It’s a space opera featuring a disappeared citadel and the complex relationship between the empress and her daughter as war threatens her empire.

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake: self-published urban fantasy following two rival families in New York. Sort of a Romeo and Juliette retelling but with gangster families and magic. Honestly recommend all of her books, I love how Olivie writes and especially how she writes female characters.

[thetypedwriter]

Cold Iron Heart Book Review

Cold Iron Heart by Melissa Marr Book Review 

I don’t think many people are aware or have read the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr, but that’s alright. I originally started this book blog as I had so many thoughts and feelings about the books I was reading and yet no one to share them with. 

So I might be talking to me, myself and I in this book review, but at the end of the day, it’s still a way for me to express how I feel about the literature I’m consuming even if no one else is reading this. 

Wicked Lovely is one of my favorite series from when I was young. I still remember very clearly how my love story with these books started as it was odd and coincidental. I was at the grocery store with my mom and a promised “quick” trip quickly turned into an hour-long shopping spree as my mother was prone to do. 

Back then I was in middle school, had no cell phone, and was bored out of my mind. So what is any pre-teen to do? I went over to the small, sad book selection in the grocery story and picked up the novel with the most interesting cover. 

This book was Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. 

I read it the rest of the day and finished it that night, consuming page after page. I was completely transfixed. It was dark, gritty, violent, sexy-all things that my twelve-year old self found entirely fascinating. 

It was a fantasy book about fairies, but these fairies were deadly, life-sized, cruel, violent, beautiful and loving. 

I’ve been enamored with fairies and fairy lore ever since. All because of this book and the series that followed. It hooked me in ways that I still don’t fully comprehend, but I understood then that I hadn’t read anything like it before and I was drawn into Melissa Marr’s world and never quite left it, even all these years later. I’ve gone back and re-read Wicked Lovely multiple times and each time I still found it enjoyable and alluring. 

Cold Iron Heart is a different beast. 

A few days ago, my best friend (who is a journalist) sent me an email saying that local Arizona author, Melissa Marr, was releasing a new book and that she might have the opportunity to interview her. 

I was ecstatic, of course, and not so subtly tried to persuade my friend to let me silently snoop in on the interview (I didn’t, by the way). 

It was then that I realized I hadn’t checked in on Melissa Marr for some time-what had she been writing? Imagine my surprise that one of my favorite series of all time not only had a new book-a prequel no less, but also several new short stories. 

I was flabbergasted. And beyond excited. 

So I ordered the book immediately and read it the moment it arrived on my doorstep to eventually find myself with...mixed feelings with a negative tinge. Okay, more than a tinge, more like a cascading waterfall of negative feelings. 

First off, the book is a prequel. 

Now. Melissa Marr could have done so many cool things with this. There are so many interesting characters that I would have loved to see more in depth or delve into their histories. 

Like Miach and Beira, for example. I’ve heard about the late Summer King since book 1, but never got to read about him as he was dead before the series began. However, his legendary love with Beira, the Winter Queen, would have been so incredibly bewitching to read about it, especially if it involved the birth of Keenan. 

This would have been an awesome choice. 

Irial and Niall would have been another incredible one, probably the best one. We’ve been told over and over again throughout the series that these two hot-heads with a past used to run the Dark Court together, wreaking havoc, taking lovers, seeking new heights, etc. 

But do we get to see this transfixing time? Nope. 

I would even have settled for a story about the Hunt, Sorcha and Bannanach, literally any character done in the right way. 

But...no. Melissa Marr decides to write a prequel that is literally a carbon copy of the first book Wicked Lovely, but innumerably worse. 

Everything in the prequel is exactly the same as the original novels. Miach is dead, Keenan is looking for his Summer Queen, the Winter Girl is pissed off for not being the chosen love of Keenan’s, Irial is temptation in the flesh, Niall and Irial are at odds, Bananach is causing discord, Sorcha is isolated and frigid, the list goes on and on. 

Nothing of consequence, novelty, or importance happens in this book. 

Frankly, it just felt like a terrible redo of the first novel, just set 100 years back. 

I didn’t give a single flying crap about Thelma or Tam or whatever her name was. She was a worse version of Leslie, of Aislinn, of every other cool female character we eventually get to read about in the main series. 

Thelma was contradictory in the worst of ways. She said one thing, like she would rely on no man and never have children and then turned around and did every single one of them like some sort of hypocrite galore. 

She was so irritating and boring to read about that I tended to skim her parts because it was just paragraph after paragraph of bitching and moaning about the same goddamn things over and over again: stay away from fairies, oh god this fairy likes me, no sex, no children, no love and then bam! She just throws it all away. 

Urgh. 

The worst part too is that this isn’t a well written book. It’s repetitive, quite boring at times, and caters way too much to the reader. 

Something I loved about the first Wicked Lovely is that Melissa Marr kinda just tosses you into her world and calls it a day. She doesn’t hold your hand or over explain. She just describes and lets you glean for yourself. 

I loved this aspect of the original series. I liked learning about her world and the characters this way. 

Cold Iron Heart spits on the idea of this concept. Marr repeats herself so much about the same things, who Irial is, what fairies are, why this is happening, that I grew increasingly irritated as the book went on. 

Who on earth is she explaining this for? New readers? Why in the world would any new reader start with this book? The newest one that comes after six others???? It makes no goddamn sense. 

So not only did I feel patronized and aggravated, but the love story between Thelma and Irial grated on me as there was no basis for their love. 

It was ridiculous with no shred of authenticity and I hated it, especially knowing that he already loves Niall and Leslie only to come back and say, “wait a moment! I had another true love that I’ve never mentioned before. Yeah. Her name was Thelma. Or Tam. Or whatever, I don’t know. I knew her for three days, most of which was just sex, and then I lost her after she had my baby but I conveniently forgot about it because of nonsensical plot! Hahahah, good right?”

No. Not good. Horrible. 

Overall, this book is a waste of time and trees. 

I don’t know why Melissa Marr even wrote and published this. I can see her writing this for herself because why not, but as a fan and a reader this was beyond disappointing. 

It’s like how all Harry Potter fans felt when J.K. Rowling wrote The Cursed Child and we got movies about Newt Scamander when we literally wanted anything else-Marauder series anyone??

It’s a particular kind of egregious offense when a favorite series or author of yours ends up ruining the canon you’re in love with. For that reason alone, I am stripping Cold Iron Heart from my heart and mind, like it never existed. 

Just like I did with Cursed Child, or the fact that you-know-who dies in Death Note (if you know, you know). I just...don’t believe it. It ruined all the lovely things Marr had previously written and the stories that defined so much of my love for YA, for fantasy, and for my own writing as a whole. 

I know for a lot of you this was a bumbling mess of a review with little to no clarity of the plot or who these characters are. Frankly, I’d be surprised if you are still reading if you didn’t know the book or the series in the first place, but that’s alright. 

Like I said at the beginning, this is a way to get my intense feelings and thoughts down onto paper and now that I have I feel marginally better, although still pissed off that this book exists and that I currently own it. 

Sigh. 

Well if you stuck around for the ride, I appreciate it. If you skipped this particular book review, I understand that too. 

Recommendation: Burn this book. However, if you want a gritty, tantalizing fantasy story, pick up the original Wicked Lovely and be whisked away into a world that has stuck with me since the first moment I read it on the fateful day at the grocery store. 

Score: 3/10

[goldentournesol]

The Receptionist and the Profiler (One)

Chapter One: Wins and Losses

(Spencer Reid x f!Reader)

Series Masterlist

General Masterlist

If you’d have told high school senior Y/N that she’d be working at the FBI after graduating college, she would have never believed you. Not only did she have zero interest in law enforcement, she also seemed to lack any athletic skills to back her up. She was nothing like her fiancé, who’d had his heart set on joining the bureau since middle school. She and Grant Anderson were friends in high school and ended up getting together during their junior year. Anderson proposed to Y/N during her second year of college. She’d graduated almost two years ago now, but the wedding date was unknown. They’d been dating for four years and engaged for another four years with the wedding nowhere to be seen. He’d been the first and only boy–and man, to ever pay her half a mind. To her, that was good enough. Hell, she’d been with him for eight years, if she’d wanted to leave him, she’d have left long ago. Right?

Imagine her surprise when he’d told her that his new boss, Aaron Hotchner, was looking for a receptionist for the BAU. Fresh out of college, landing a secure job? That was a miracle, and she really did have to thank her fiancé for it. But everyone around her was so cool and she was just…there. Her job was basically to sort through files, organize Hotch’s meetings, among other things like making reservations at the hotels the agents stayed at on their cases. 

The Agents of the BAU.

They were essentially the coolest people she knew.

First comes Agent Gideon, one of the founders of the BAU. His ability to read people scares her sometimes. How can one man’s beady little eyes have the ability to read people like they were some kind of book stowed away on a dusty shelf? A shelf only he can reach.

Then, comes Agent Hotchner, the unit chief. A stoic man with an even more stoic face. He’s a man who, to put it lightly, takes his job very seriously. On more than one occasion has she met his wife, Haley. They made a beautiful couple in her eyes and they’d just had their child, Jack Hotchner. She never knew how a baby’s face could be so wrinkly–yet so cute. Haley and Aaron were high school sweethearts, much like she and Grant. But that seemed to be the only aspect they shared. Despite his suffocatingly hard shell, Aaron was a loving man. That much was obvious. She wondered if Grant had ever looked at her the way Aaron looked at Haley.

Agent Derek Morgan, where to begin? He was tall, dark, and every bit handsome. His charming nature made all the ladies of the sixth (and fifth, and seventh, and eighth and–) floor swoon over him anytime he walked by. He is one of the bravest men she’d ever known. His ability to put himself in the place of the unsub was something she’d only heard stories about–but it gave her chills every time.

Next comes Agent Elle Greenaway, one of the most headstrong women Y/N has ever met. Her bluntness can come across as harsh, but she knew a woman in law enforcement had to stand her ground to be treated with as equal respect as her male counterparts. She admired her strength.

Agent Jennifer Jareau, or as Y/N knew her, JJ, was a kind hearted, compassionate woman who’s way with words absolutely blew Y/N away. The way JJ handled the media with such finesse was simply astonishing. She knew she could never string together the right words like JJ seemed to, up on those podiums, in front of all those nosy reporters. It was mind blowing to watch her in her element.

Penelope Garcia, or otherwise known as literal sunshine embodied in a technical analyst. She was the best at what she did, hacking, searching, filtering. It was a science, and Penelope Garcia made it look easy. She and Y/N had grown close since both of them stayed at the office while the other agents flew around the country, solving cases. They’d often spend endless lunches together in Garcia’s ‘batcave’ as she called it and was practically hellbent on teaching Y/N how to use Photoshop every chance she got.

And last but certainly not least, Dr. Spencer Reid. She’d never met a man with a more brilliant brain. He was known as the resident genius, the expert on well–everything. The man had an eidetic memory and the ability to read 20,000 words per minute. Is that not the most impressive thing on the planet? Nope, he just has to have three PhDs in three of the most complicated fields of study: mathematics, physics, and engineering, achieving all three before reaching 22 years of age. 

He had joined the bureau about a year after Y/N had started there. She could remember their first interaction like it was yesterday. 

He had been in and out of meetings before spotting Y/N at her desk, where she usually stayed during her lunch break, at least for the first year she was there. She was halfway through a cup of mixed berry yogurt when Spencer came up to her desk to ask where the breakroom was. Y/N directed him to the room and followed his gaze to the yogurt container in her hands before he left.

“Did you know that the origins of yogurt are pretty much unknown, although historians agree that there was no mention of it before 5000 BC? It’s thought to have been invented by the Mesopotamians.” He said as he pursed his lips and raised his brows, as if realizing he made a mistake too late.

“No, I didn’t know that! That’s super cool. You must be Dr. Spencer Reid, right?” She said, giving him her full attention, which made him slightly more nervous than he had been previously. He nodded, a shy smile on his face.

“And you’re…” he looked for her name holder, “Y/N Y/L/N.” 

She giggled and the sound activated some kind of blood rushing mechanism right up into his cheeks, “Yup! I’m the BAU’s receptionist slash Agent Hotchner’s assistant, you know, nothing fancy but I like to think I’m pretty good at sorting through files.” She raised a brow and gave him an adorable smile and suddenly Spencer wasn’t so nervous to talk to her. 

She seemed way more interactive and easygoing than just about 98% of the people in the building. He wondered if it was because she wasn’t an agent. Spencer also wondered if gaining a title like ‘Supervisory Special Agent’ would make him cold like the others, but then he remembered he has three doctorates and already introduced himself with the honorific. 

She picked up on his silence, “You know, you have nothing to worry about, I overheard Agent Gideon talking about you landing the job with Agent Morgan.” She nodded her head towards a tall, muscular man, who Spencer gathered must be Morgan. Spencer smiled back at her, her words easing even more of the tension he collected in his shoulders.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, you should see the massive list of exceptions they have to make to let me into the field.” He said with a ghost of a smile on his face. She had to physically repress a laugh. And right then and there, the seed of a beautiful friendship was planted.

Fast forward to two years after that interaction, Spencer and Y/N became pretty much attached at the hip whenever he was actually in the office and not flying around the country catching serial killers. Their desks were quite far from each other, hers right near the glass doors of the BAU and his across the room right near the railing that had Hotch and Gideon’s offices as well as the conference room. It gave them both perfect views of each other, which they used to send each other encouraging smiles throughout the day, maybe a funny face or two. He always had a way of making her smile, she hadn’t felt the fuzzy feeling of friendship in years. Besides Garcia, Spencer was the only person who had made an effort to get to know Y/N. In the past two years, she’d say Spencer knew her better than anyone else, possibly even Anderson, but that was surely because he was a talented genius profiler…

Budget meetings at the FBI were definitely the most boring types of meetings in the world. She had to be there because she was the one making all the reservations at the hotels, but once they began talking about the jet and fuel consumption–Y/N totally spaced out. Spencer enjoyed the meetings, though. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that Y/N would sometimes space out and let her head fall against his shoulder. The weight of her head brought him inexplicable comfort and joy. He hates it when people come near him, when did it become so endearing to him for her to trust him enough with such a simple gesture? He found himself attending the meetings and sitting next to her whenever he got the chance, hoping that one day, maybe, just maybe she’ll allow her head to rest upon his shoulder again. Perhaps it was pathetic, but he found himself feeling overjoyed at the thought of budget meetings, they became the only thing he’d look forward to. 

He wondered if this was how Anderson felt when she rested her head on his shoulder, but then his knee would start bouncing and he’d practically feel the envious monster growing in the pit of his stomach, so he’d stop. It certainly didn’t make it any easier to stop when it was so easy to look over and find Anderson leaning against her desk and flirting with her. Technically, he has every right to flirt with his fiancée, but that didn’t stop jealousy from coursing through Spencer’s veins violently.

The team had just landed last night, they were coming back from a case revolving around the famous actress, Lila Archer. Apparently, she’d had a stalker. Y/N couldn’t wait to hear the details of the case, she had watched almost all of Lila’s movies. She eagerly awaited Spencer’s arrival. Just then, she heard the ding of the elevator and saw a very sheepish -and flushed- Spencer with a very playful Morgan hot on his tail.

“Morning, pretty girl!” Derek halted his seemingly incessant teasing to greet her as they walked towards her. Spencer was oddly quiet as he tried to pass by, offering her a small, awkward wave instead of his usual smiley ‘good morning!’, but Derek grabbed him by the strap of his messenger bag. He made it his mission to embarrass Spencer as much as humanly possible when he woke up this morning. What Derek didn’t know was that Spencer wanted Y/N to be the absolute last person to know of what happened. Spencer shifted uncomfortably and was positive he was sweating more than he ever had in his 24 years of life.

“Morning, Derek! So, tell me all about it! Did you meet her? Of course, you met her, duh! What was she like? Was she a stuck up diva like her character in Wins and Losses or was she more down to earth?” Y/N questioned curiously with a hint of excitement.

“Oh, I think pretty boy here has all the answers you could ever wish for. After all, it wasn’t me who made out with a hot movie star in her own pool.” Derek laughed, eyes squinting as he clapped Spencer on the shoulder proudly. Neither of the two men caught the way Y/N’s face dropped. Spencer was too focused on looking anywhere but at her and Derek was too triumphant to look anywhere but at Spencer’s -alarmingly- red face. He attempted to clear his throat when the few seconds of stunned silence became much too suffocating. Derek turned back to Y/N just in time to see her collect her jaw from off the desk and morph it into a smile.

“Spencer Reid, you did what?!” She attempted to laugh in order to lighten the mood, hoping the two profilers wouldn’t pick up on her dis-ingenuousness. 

They hadn’t, thankfully.

Spencer’s shy eyes met her curious ones as he tried to imitate Derek’s proud smile,and he could have sworn he saw a sort of unfamiliar heaviness in her gaze, but it disappeared as soon as it came. 

Could it be? Was she feeling jealous? There’s no way, she thought. But what else could be behind the not so subtle burning feeling in her chest? 

“Um, yeah. She kind of pulled me into the pool with her…” he recounted with a small voice, scratching the back of his head nervously.

“And?” Derek said in anticipation, despite already knowing.

“Alright! We kissed a few times, what’s the big deal?” He huffed, turning to look at Derek and resisting the urge to punch him in the face for embarrassing him in front of Y/N.

Garcia suddenly appeared next to them, catching the looks between the two agents and Y/N’s shocked expression, “Oh! Are we talking about boy wonder locking lips with miss Lila Archer in her pool?”

Spencer’s face dropped, “How do you know about that?!” he all but screeched.

“I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere.” Garcia wiggled her eyebrows at Spencer before sharing a knowing look with Derek which led to a prompt punch to Derek’s arm from him which then led to an over exaggerated yelp of pain.

“I’ve also got photos!” Garcia said, quickly pulling out her PDA and showing Y/N.

“Garcia! How?!” Spencer exclaimed, but it was too late. Y/N was already scrolling through the photos, laughing.

“Spencer, you sly dog!” She laughed, though the situation awoke an unprecedented, seemingly underlying feeling of envy. Spencer rolled his eyes in embarrassment and stormed off in the direction of his desk, leaving the three of them behind. 

The rest of the day went by smoothly, although Y/N had to keep fighting against the way her chest felt tight every time she remembered those photos. She had a feeling she was never going to watch Wins and Losses ever again.

next chapter

feedback is always appreciated!!

[cherry-valentine]

Summer 2020 Anime Season

What I’m Watching:

Deca Dence is one of the better shows this season, probably the best one that started fresh this summer. It has a very strange setup that I won’t detail very much here to avoid spoilers. It’s strange in that it’s a fairly unique twist and in that they waited until episode two to actually drop that particular bomb (whereas most anime would definitely try to cram it into episode one). The bare bones premise of episode one is that there is a huge, mobile fortress that contains some of the last remnants of humanity as they try to survive in an apocalyptic world overrun by monsters of unknown origin that range in size from tiny insects to huge kaiju. A young girl named Natsume dreams of being one of the warriors who fight the monsters, but is instead given the lowly job of armor maintenence, where she meets the older, gruff Kaburagi whom she learns was once a famed warrior. Natsume’s relationship with Kaburagi sets off the actual plot, but the story takes several turns that I honestly didn’t see coming. The series is quite violent, with literally tons of monster blood flowing and plenty of human death, but it maintains an overall upbeat, adventurous feel, with some well-done humor and genuinely touching moments. The art is colorful and bright, with some truly impressive animation. It clearly has high production values. Natsume is a fun character (even if we’ve seen characters like her many times before). She’s your typical optimistic, never-give-up, spunky sort of girl but she works really well as a hero in this kind of story and is generally entertaining to watch. Kaburagi is also a fun character that we’ve seen the likes of before (the stern former soldier type with a heart of gold). Overall a great series and very high on my watch list.

Gibiate is an oddity. It’s a series that had the potential to be top tier. I mean this show could have been not only the best of the season, but possibly the best of the year. It has gorgeous character designs by Yoshitaka Amano. The voice acting is top notch. And the premise is awesome: In 1600, a samurai and a ninja are both suddenly transported to a modern, near future Japan that has been completely ravaged by a disease that turns humans into powerful, grotesque monsters. They fall in with a small group of survivors that have gathered around a couple of scientists and a doctor who are working on a cure. Sure, it’s not 100% original, but it’s an exciting premise that results in some great samurai and ninja action. The problem is, for all the show’s great ideas, the execution is totally flubbed. For starters, the animation budget is obviously quite a lot smaller than it needed to be. What should have been thrilling battles of katana and shuriken on monster violence end up just being sort of bland. Too many cut corners. The writing also suffers, with often nonsensical dialogue and character behaviors that are so illogical that they end up being unintentionally hilarious. A good example of this is how practically everyone in the group of survivors just takes the fact that these two guys are time travelers from the past totally in stride. Hardly anyone is surprised at all or even questions it. The show tries to dismiss the stupidity of this by having one character say, “Well we have these monsters running around so why not have people traveling here from the past?” Which is still dumb because he’s a doctor who has been studying the virus and knows how it works, scientifically. But he has no questions for the guys who show up out of nowhere claiming to be from 1600? Another example would be how the samurai and ninja react to modern technology. Basically, there’s very little reaction. They don’t even react to a freaking helicopter! They should be losing their minds over this stuff! Still though, despite the show’s many shortcomings, there remains a small nugget of greatness. I can almost imagine how fantastic this show would have been with decent production values. And because I can see that potential, I’m still watching and I’m actually enjoying it very much. The characters, poorly written as they are, somehow remain interesting. The visuals, despite being sabotaged by clunky animation, are still appealing. I know it’s strange to watch and enjoy a series because of what it COULD have been, rather than what it IS, but here we are. Surprisingly high on my watch list.

Koi to Producer is an otome series with very pretty art and a supernatural plot. It’s based on a Chinese phone game that I’ve never played but sounds a lot like Mystic Messenger in how the game is played. It follows a young woman trying to produce a television show about various rumors, urban legends, etc. who gets mixed up in the world of Evolvers (humans who have developed special powers). Of course four of these Evolvers are handsome single men who are very successful and clearly attracted to her. She also ends up becoming a target of Black Swan, a shady group studying Evolvers. The show is somewhat plot-heavy, in that it tends to focus a bit more on the overarching story than on the romance. This is fine by me. The men are handsome, but two of them look a little too similar to each other, making it hard to tell them apart when they’re both in the same scene. It’s nice that the heroine is an adult and a big part of the story is about her career, but other than that she’s a bit bland and could be switched out for any other bland otome heroine and no one would notice. So far the series has hinted at an interesting back story for her so I’ll just have to hope it follows through on that. I’m enjoying the show because it’s pleasant to look at and not boring, but it’s the lowest title on my watch list.

Appare Ranman is my overall favorite of the season, which is ironic because it actually began last season. It was put on hiatus due to the pandemic and resumed this season. If you remember the old cartoon Wacky Races, this is basically the anime version of that. It focuses largely on two Japanese men who end up stuck in California after some crazy hijinks: Appare, an aloof and eccentric mechanical genius, and Kosame, a straight-laced but genuinely kind samurai who had been given the thankless job of keeping Appare in line. Broke and lost in an unfamiliar land, the two of them decide to enter a cross-country race and use the prize money to get back to Japan. Along the way they meet a whole cast of wild, crazy, and fun characters (including my favorite, the lovely, badass, and determined Jing Xialian, the only woman in the race, who had to fight against sexism and discrimination just to get the opportunity to drive in the race). The series has a very fun vibe, but has enough serious moments to keep it from being a straight up comedy (the aforementioned discrimination felt very realistic, and at least two characters are still suffering emotional trauma from losing family members to violence when they were children). One of my favorite aspects is Appare himself. He pays absolutely no mind to social norms and doesn’t care in the slightest what anyone thinks of him. This resulted in his family back in Japan being ashamed of him and everyone else viewing him as a weirdo. But Appare doesn’t mind any of that, and happily pursues his dreams. An interesting scene early on is when Jing is grappling with the fact that she’ll never be accepted as a racer because she’s a woman. She’s clearly in emotional turmoil. Kosame, who is the kinder, more compassionate of the two leads, can’t really help her. He can sympathize with her plight, but his own rigid regard for social norms prevents him from telling Jing to just go ahead and be a racer, society and their expectations be damned. It’s Appare, the guy who seemingly has very little regard for, or interest in, other people, who encourages Jing to follow her dreams. To Appare, there’s absolutely no reason why Jing can’t be a racer. The fact that society refuses to accept her means nothing. Jing has the skill to be a racer. She should be a racer. The scene did a lot to endear Appare to me. Aside from great characters (and there are so many that I can’t possibly mention them all here), the animation and design work are amazing. The characters as well as the vehicles look fantastic. The music is also great, with my favorite opening and ending themes of the season. If you want totally fun and wild romp, you can’t go wrong with this series.

Carry Over Shows From Previous Seasons: Black Clover Ahiru no Sora Major 2nd Season 2

Best of Season: Best New Show: Appare Ranman Best Opening Theme: Appare Ranman Best Ending Theme: Appare Ranman Best New Male Character: Appare (Appare Ranman) Best New Female Character: Jing Xialian (Appare Ranman)

[aion-rsa]

Doctor Who: Why Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Needs an ‘Everybody Lives!’ Moment

https://ift.tt/39pw5MX

Doctor Who! The children’s own show that adults adore.

Doctor Who, as a format, requires an intrinsic joyfulness in its stories to be so adored. If adventures become too continually grim, or not sufficiently fun, then ultimately there’ll be a tipping point where it becomes implausible for the story to continue. Why, ultimately, would the character keep travelling if they weren’t enjoying it? And even if they did, would this be something that would sustain a family audience?

It’s not that you can’t have darkness in Doctor Who, it’s just that it can’t be sustained and eventually something has to give. As such, there’s an inherent optimism in a lot of Doctor Who, even in episodes where it isn’t high in the mix. For the show to make sense, there has to be some hope that wrongs can be righted.

For example: even though William Hartnell’s Doctor starts off trying break his own programme by getting rid of Ian and Barbara as quickly as possible, the show quickly settles into “a great spirit of adventure”; the Second Doctor comforting a grieving Victoria by pointing out that “nobody else in the universe can do what we’re doing” followed by the Doctor letting Victoria leave the TARDIS because it’s the best thing for her. In both cases, the gesture is one of compassion. The Fourth Doctor refers to Sarah Jane Smith as his best friend and she only leaves because he has to go somewhere she can’t (His home planet of Gallifrey, something that on original broadcast had more dramatic weight as he’d only visited it once before in the series and then been forced into regeneration and exile).

When Russell T. Davies relaunched the show in 2005, the unspoken idea became explicit. “Can I just say: travelling with you…I love it,” says Rose Tyler, who – despite portentous trailer statements – survived her travels. In episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures Russell T. Davies expanded on the Tenth Doctor’s victory lap in ‘The End of Time‘ to make it more celebratory, giving past companions happy endings (some in stark contrast to their grim fates in Nineties’ spin-off media). The departures of Rose and Donna are tragic, but the journeys to get there are framed in terms of joy and excitement.

The next showrunner, Steven Moffat, preferred happy endings. Companions had previously been married off (Susan, Vicki, Jo, Leela, Peri) as they left the show. Amy Pond got married and stayed, travelling with her husband. This was a leap forward, but unfortunately the following series’ pregnancy storyline was handled poorly and attempts to deal with its repercussions were not successful either. Clara, the next companion, dared to be like the Doctor but unlike Donna managed to both die and have a happy ending.

Moffat enjoyed Immortal LGBT+ Women Having Adventures in Space so much that he used it again for Bill Potts in Series 10. An important aspect of both characters’ storylines is that they suffer a terrible fate, but the version of Doctor Who in which companions die is rejected in favour of one where they get what they live happily ever after. Moffat, a comedy writer to his core, was unwilling to make Doctor Who a story where travelling on the TARDIS left you in a worse place. Davies also tried to give his companions happy endings of sorts to ameliorate their loss.

If we look at the populist peaks of the show, Doctor Who has never been overwhelmingly cynical. Whenever it’s been taken in a darker direction it usually rejects that approach in favour of a lighter balance. In Season 21 the show put its characters through a series of almost unrelenting grimness (‘The Awakening’, the story where a demonic entity attempts to get an entire village to slaughter each other is the light and fluffy one) culminating in the Fifth Doctor’s heroic regeneration story ‘The Caves of Androzani’– voted the best Doctor Who story in several polls – where the Doctor goes to extreme lengths to save his companion and distances himself from the violence that surrounds him.

And then in the next story ‘The Twin Dilemma’, the Sixth Doctor strangles his companion.

Read more

TV

Why Doctor Who can’t sustain dark storytelling

By Andrew Blair

TV

Doctor Who : Revolution of the Daleks to Air on New Year’s Day, Trailer is Here

By Louisa Mellor

Taking ‘Grimdark’ storytelling to mean stories in which violence and misery is perpetuated throughout the story universe in a seemingly never-ending cycle, that period in the show’s history is a perfect example of it. Why diminish one of the finest stories ever by immediately negating the heroism involved? Why would you have the main character reject the violence that he’d become a part of only to immediately embrace it again? Among the many problems it means we have a Doctor/companion relationship that seems grim at best. Why would you keep travelling with someone who strangled you, refused to apologise and then continually harangues and shouts at you? I don’t watch Doctor Who to see the companion trapped in an abusive relationship. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that the ratings went down as the production team systematically removed as much hope from the show as possible, ridding it of that great spirit of adventure. After ‘The Twin Dilemma’,the show was put on hiatus, and ultimately cancelled.   

Which brings me to the current version of the show.

I don’t think Jodie Whittaker is miscast or that the current version of the show is woke nonsense – which is a relief because I think using the phrase ‘woke nonsense’ unironically is quite the red flag. I think that the enthusiasm Jodie Whittaker has for the part hasn’t been used well, because we currently have a Doctor who is great at showing unabashed joy travelling the universe, but whose stories lean towards grimdark and don’t give her anything approaching ‘Everybody lives!’

One of the most lauded episodes in Series 11 is ‘Rosa’, which was co-written by Malorie Blackman and showrunner Chris Chibnall. In it, the TARDIS crew see Rosa Parks in the run-up to her being arrested for violating segregation laws, and need to stop Krasko – a mass murderer from the future – interfering in this event and stopping it from happening.

The inclusion of Krasko makes an interesting and depressing point in this story, and I’d be fascinated to know the villain’s development in the writing process. For what we have here is a story about an important act of defiance that changed human history, and is celebrated for its impact, alongside an acknowledgement that there will still be racists in the future. In fact, there will be racists who murder 2,000 people in the future. Racism and its associated violence is not, the episode says, going to go away.

In isolation this might seem like optimism tempered with caution, but since Chris Chibnall became showrunner, edgy, provocative ideas have crept in and given stories a cynical edge. Small moments have a cumulative effect, such as Epzo’s story about his mother in ‘The Ghost Monument’, Robertson surviving ‘Arachnids in the UK’ without learning any moral lessons and indeed likely to cause more suffering, ‘Kerblam!’ ending with the system that blew up an innocent woman being allowed to continue (while closing the warehouse for four weeks and offering employees two weeks’ holiday pay), Daniel Barton escaping freely in ‘Spyfall’ while the Doctor wipes the memories of someone doomed to die, ‘Orphan 55’ shows us the unavoidable destruction of the human race, as does ‘Ascension of the Cybermen’. Under Moffat, we had some episodes ending with cynical quips that left a bad taste in the mouth, but under Chibnall the bad taste is there before the outro quip.

Series 11 showed us a joyful Doctor in a nasty universe, and the latter regularly overwhelms the former, but at least ended with Graham and Ryan clearly rejecting murder as a solution. Series 12 was less focussed on real-world evils, and uses them on the fringes of its storytelling (with the Doctor now seemingly embroiled in the universe’s cynicism, using Nazis to imprison a Master now played by a British Indian actor), but we’re still getting real issues reflected back at us along with the message that the Doctorcannot sort this, which is based on the false assumption that this is what Doctor Who is for.

I hope that this is building towards a reversal, that the Thirteenth Doctor gets her Androzani moment where she gets to take a stand against everything that she’s seen. However, we have now had a fully grimdark finale as the lasting impression of Doctor Who for nine months. ‘The Timeless Children’ has proven controversial for its approach to continuity; as well as the retcon of the Doctor’s history this was a ‘Twin Dilemma’(also the last story in its season) to ‘The Day of the Doctor’s Androzani. The heroism is now nullified. When we watch ‘The Day of the Doctor’and the day is saved at the end of the story, now we know all the Doctor has done is defer those deaths (those two billion children’s deaths) and the cycle of violence will continue. At the end of ‘The Timeless Children’the following is presented to us as the good guys winning:

The heroine cannot bring herself to destroy the animated corpses of her entire species, so Joe from Derry Girls has to do it for her. An entire planet now a lifeless husk. The main character’s centuries of trauma are revealed. Their best friend is now a genocidal maniac.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

This is Doctor Who in 2020: violent, cynical, cyclical. A mirror when it should be a window. If Series 13 repeats these trends then I fear history may repeat itself once more. But then, what is Doctor Who mostly about if not seeing a cycle of oppression and then breaking it?

The post Doctor Who: Why Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Needs an ‘Everybody Lives!’ Moment appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/39z4Rn4

[battlestar-royco]

I seen you post about the BoP film, and I was wondering what you think about film adaptations changing a characters history to be more likeable. There was a lot of hate by certain people for the Joker film bc he has done horrible things in the comics. But there didn't seem to be that kind of hate when HQ gets adapted into films even tho she also has done horrible things. It seems like there is a double standard. (Part 1)

At least with the Joker film they kept this man as evil while also talking about mental health. It never tries to paint him as a hero. Harley was marketed in an ultimate girl power film a film that took out a disabled hero who was sexually assaulted and a victim of horrible gun violence) for a character who has in different adaptations helped murder a child and has sexually assaulted heroes. (Part 2)

Okay so disclaimer: I’ve literally never read a superhero comic in my life. So I really only have a vague understanding of her comic character, and I’ve seen mixed reviews from the comic readers and positive reception from people like me who went in essentially blind. I also haven’t watched Joker. Next: there are a lot of parts that I want to address in my answer, so I’ll try to get to all of them while also keeping this a readable length.

1. I was wondering what you think about film adaptations changing a characters history to be more likeable.

Generally, I’m not a fan. Often this results in erasure (ie Peeta’s disability in Catching Fire), or the adaptational choice comes from a misinformed place and takes away integral parts of the original character (ie Cersei’s personality and horrible deeds being severely tamed in the show). The original author wrote what they wrote for a reason. For the most part, if a character’s history is softened for likability/mass appeal, it kind of contradicts the author’s purpose with the original character. And we know this is the case with Cassandra’s character in BOP.

2. There was a lot of hate… for the Joker film bc he has done horrible things in the comics. But there didn’t seem to be that kind of hate when HQ gets adapted into films[…].

I think what’s happening here is audiences, particularly women, are getting frustrated with movies about violent and/or morally ambiguous men when there’s a relative dearth of that for women. Like for example I don’t think this conversation can be had without mentioning characters like Kyle Ron, Snape, Walter White etc.

3. At least with the Joker film they kept this man as evil while also talking about mental health. It never tries to paint him as a hero. Harley was marketed in an ultimate girl power film a film that took out a disabled hero who was sexually assaulted and a victim of horrible gun violence[…].

So this is more of a subjective thing, but I genuinely don’t think BOP was meant to be a redemptive story for Harley. I interpreted it more as a Gone Girl scenario in which the lead is a Veritable Baddie and represents wish fulfillment for women imagining revenge on a toxic ex. Especially with the ending, I don’t think the movie approves of Harley and her behavior—it’s positioning the BOP as better people than Harley, and Harley is morally somewhere between BOP and Sionis/Zsasz. That said, I absolutely think your interpretation is a valid one. And if redemption was the creators’ goal, I think the movie failed in that aspect.

As for the erasure of Cass’s disability, I find that abhorrent especially in a movie that’s supposedly more intersectional and girl power-y. Unfortunately it seems like par for the course with these superhero movies because from what I know about Cap Marvel, they did the same with a black girl character. I’d really like to see directors/screenwriters do a lot better in this regard, ESPECIALLY if they’re going to posit the movie as feminist. This is my biggest problem with the movie, alongside the one-second “Harley-is-bi” flash and the mlm coding of the villains.

[thisuserhasoriginalideas]

(Still nameless project) Character and Species master post

Soo how some might have noticed I am working on an original Idea for a comic and this will be my Character master post which I will add to whenever I got a new addition for the cast.

The premise of the story basically some aliens going on an adventure to find earth and join a supposed interplanetary peaceful conglomeration because they caught a transmission of an old cheesy and corny scifi series (ala star trek or well early Perry Rhodan when you actually know that novel series you get a free smooch from me)

The Lophorel and the Narlaha

Those are the first Species to be introduced and well the ones where the original three crew members will start off .

For demonstration purposes I include a pic of the parents of the first three bc I still need to make a general species guide for them lol

(From left to right: Shejeren, Noroph'a, Uruphija'l, Charalah I will give some short specific info about them later lol)

Both species share one planet which is the second in their solar system and has three moons orbiting around it.

The Lophorel are native to surface of the planet and usually have a skin color ranging from very light blues to dark purples. They have gem like growths on their heads which is surrounded by a skin covered bone structure which either is build like an ark or a row of lill spikes. They have pointy ears and their bigger eyes have octagonal pupils which form a cross when constricted. Usually their Iris has the same color as their gem and their Sclera is black, in rare cases there can be mutations of color tho. With their eyes they can perceive a wide array of colors and even some elektro magnetic phenomena in their environment but they are pretty much blind in low light situations. They usually wear longer hair (short hair is seen as obscene in their culture) in different braided styles. While white hair is the most common hair color in their species there are also variants of reddish browns that can occur. They aren't very strong however but do to their legs agile and good at jumping. Height wise they can get from 1,60 m (5' 2'')up to 1,90 m (6' 2'') They are generally hermaphrodites and don't have naval  due to laying eggs. They use the terms Eren (Seedgiver) and Ophat (shellcarrier) to adresse their parents and it occurs that siblings from the same parent pair use diffrent terms for addressing the same parent. They also number their children with the last sibille of their name so for example having 'rel' at the end of a name means that it is the first hatched child YEP I gonne write a language guid later someday lol . While being omnivore they have developed a distaste to eating meat and as a culture live mostly vegetarian.

The Narlaha are used to live mostly under the surface of the planet and are often called Nipht by the Lophorel which is similar to calling someone and earthworm. In turn the Narlaha call the Lophorel Kar'alarf which literally means stone-head. They are significantly smaller than their surface dwelling neighbors and only get around 1,50 m (4' 9''). They have four arms and are significantly physically stronger. Due to their carnivore nature and history of hunting they have sharp claws and teeth and usually a very dark grey skin completion mixed with red markings which makes them blend in with their stone surroundings. Their four eyes are one tones and most of the time their eye colors range from white grayish to red. They may only see the world in reddish and green tones but they have excellent vision in dark areas. The bone structure on their head helps them sensing vibrations from their surroundings. They are more like us humans when it comes to their genders and sexualities soo no big explanation here. But they don't really have their own names instead a family name is given from the chosen parent to the child with either a 'lah'(born female), 'ren'(born male), 'len' (born intersex) at the end depending on the biological sex they are born with. Also they tend to have brown to black hair only sometimes they mutate blond hair. Also there are albinos I'm the Species

In the history of their species they obviously didn't get along very well most of the time so after a view wars the Lophorel sadly established a trend of enslaving the Narlaha bc the Lophorel (having the advantage of not limited airspace) were technology more advanced than the Narlaha, who due to limited space couldn't build respected deferenses against the most of the time vibration based attacks of the Lophorel. While the violent ages of this planet are now gone both their cultures got so accustomed to the practice of slavery that there are barely any objectors on both sides of the coin. Still during the events of the story there some thing about to be changed lol.

And now off to a few words to the named characters above. They are as stated the Parents to the first three crew members of the story. Noroph'a is a rich space miner that makes his living with deploying mining ships to other planets of their solar system. They married the way less fortunate Uruphija'l due to practicality and the wish to produce taller offspring (They are a little insecure about their height). Both of them are rather strict and caught up in outdated social rules. After they conceived their first egg they bought Shejeren and Charalah bc they also were expecting a child and Noroph'a wanted their offspring to grow up with an always present play buddy bc he also grew up with a Narlaha play mate. After Charalah gave birth to a little baby daughter (Shejelah) She and her husband were kept as bodyguards for the two Lophorels while a third Narlaha took care of Shejelah and the now also hatched Ala'phrel.(Charalah and Shejeren already had a older child Chararen who at this point already worked in a diffrent household [Narlaha children get independent pretty quickly]). In general where the two Narlahas pretty happy to have landed in Noroph'a's household because their new daughter now had the privilege to get the basics of a good high tier education together with Noroph'a's offsprings which would mean that she could later find a home as a home preschool teacher which is considered a honorable position for a  Narlaha. Noroph'a  and Uruphija’l had one more child (Nirlaph) and even tho Shejeren and Charalah tried to also conceive again Shejelah stayed the only young Narlaha in the household. 

On to the important peeps

(From left to right Nirlaph, Ala’phrel, Shejelah)

Growing up together the three established a strong bond and even tho it was planed to send Shejelah away as she got old enough to be sold off again Ala’phrel and Nirlaph both protested against their parents wishes and kept Shejelah around. This is partially because when they were younger and first got to have tech based toys the three of them build a simple signal receiver which accidentally lead them to catch an old transmission of a show called "Captain Jacks search through the stars" which depicted a utopian society without racism and slavery. They didn't understand a word of what was said in the show but the depiction of different races (even tho they were suspiciously similar in general looks) working together seemingly without race hierarchy fascinated the three kids to such an extend that they from there on strived to one-day be able to meet Captain Jack and his Crew and join their ranks. They over time established a translation of the alien language and made it their own. Learned all principles which Captain Jack resided as foundation of the peaceful planets conglomeration and started studying all skills need to actually fly a space ship.

Even tho the three kids treated each other as equals the older they got the more Shejelah had to oblige to the house rules, meaning she had to adapt to the servant clothing, had to learn formal speaking rules and wasn't allowed to speak without spoken to in general. While she did conform to those rules to some degree the suppressed aggression against them lead to her having a very strange relationship with human swear words. She really likes to sprinkling them in when she has the opportunity to speak freely. In general she seem to be a rather reserved individual (despite the swearword occasionally slipping out) but that's just as long as she doesn't trusts you. At times she seems to be just a tad sassy which is a way for her to handel her insecurities about her social status and her struggle to actually  come forward with requests  regarding herself, bringing her ideas forward or just simply saying ‘no’ to a request. It is very important to her to be able to choose her own clothing and she often will change her outfits as she sees fit just because being forced to wear a unified and dull outfit for most of her life evoked a desire of outward expression of herself in her. So even tho she dawns a version of the uniform they have seen the crew members of captain Jack wear she  will take her own spin on them and  proudly wears her own creations. She wears an open nose ring to honer her upbringing as slave and symbolize her now found freedom. Shejelah is often called just Jelah by her two friend after  seeing the crew members of Jack using Nicknames for each other, while this is a shorter version of her name it also means ‘brain’ in an ancient language of the  Lophorel. And indeed a brain she is, not just having the strength of her species  Shejelah is quite smart and has a high interests in quantum physics and chemistry. She will often work together with Nirlaph, who has a interests into engineering to invent and upgrade all sorts of gadgets and knickknacks.   Speaking of Nirlaph (Nick: Nor translatable with ‘fluffy chicken’) they are non a less brilliant but suffer a severe case of being skittish and uncertain. As the younger sibling they often had to live to the standards the older one leid down first  and while they are in many aspects superior to their sibling the stress of being held up to already high standards got to them at a young age. So while they are capable of being  brilliant and an absolute genius their anxiety and stage fright often hold them back. So more often then not they tend to overthink decisions and either screw something up in the execution do to the anxiety or just not doing it at all even tho deep down they know they should have. They still don’t hold a grudge against their older sibling to the contrary they heavily rely on the fare more outgoing and intuitive  Ala’phrel to pull them for Support and to just pull them against  through it. But other than  Ala’phrel and Shejelah they prefer to keep to them selves  often working in the dead of the night and in secret  on their projects  to avoid the awkwardness that brings working under the public eye. But also he refuses to give their  and Shejelah’s brilliant invention to a society that wouldn’t even acknowledge Shejelah’s part in them  which they think is way greater than their part in them. So even if both of their work could have revolutionized the space travel of their society they keep their inventions a secret which will later be to their advantage. But well without  Ala’phrel the trio wouldn’t get to the point where they will find them selves.  Ala’phrel is bold, charismatic and understands how to get their way. They are the driving force behind the whole story dragging the other two further  into the right direction. While lacking the brilliant and deep understanding of the scientific backgrounds  their bordering on delusional positive attitude and admiration of the concepts  they have seen in the show keeps them all moving forward. Ala’phrel isn’t shy of justifying controversial actions ( like stealing a ship from their parents) with the greater  intention behind them which sometimes leads to further trouble they need to deal with together with their friends which more often than not build the perfect contra weight to  Ala’phrel ‘s at times insane schemes. They definitely are a bit too much obsessed with captain Jack and his crew and them being real so you could say they are a super fan. But in the end they have good intentions even tho they lack the experience they always try to do the best for their friend and for themselves.

[epiphyllous]

What if: Marine!Luffy (technically)

I feel like a lot of people have touched on the AU if Luffy ever became a marine instead of a pirate, and I really like reading about them! I watched a video on YT that goes into it pretty in depth (check it out here), and I do agree that some of it is very plausable! But it takes away a lot of what I believe is integral to Luffy’s story (asides from the fact Luffy wants to be a pirate).

Honestly, this stemmed because I don't want Luffy to lose most of the integral part of his life-- which is meeting Shanks.

As stated in the video, it due to Shanks’ influence and Garp's absencenthat sets Luffy on the path to becoming a pirate, and I do see why Shanks has to be out of the picture for Luffy to even consider being a marine.

But what if Luffy raised to be a marine but still maintains his integrity that not everyone is bad just because of what they are? And thus we would still see OUR Luffy but Marine, which makes me happy :)

(Feel free to interact and share your thoughts too! I'm just trying to have fun fleshing my thoughts out. ‘tis long post)

Luffy doesn't grow up wanting to be a marine hero like Garp, bc I still maintain that he doesn't want to be a hero. He should still be a free spirit for the most part, but I think his main goal in this AU at first would be strong-- whether it's to be strong for the sake of being strong or to protect other people.

Or maybe he hears and listens to marine stories and learns how they travel through the Grand Line-- all romanticized, btw, but I do believe marines out there who do fight justice (not that Luffy is interested in that aspect at the age of 6) and go on "adventures" as they put it, making Luffy star eyed about the world. Regardless, he isn't off-put by the marine thing and that's the big point. Maybe if Garp hadn't just forced him to be a marine and instead instilled the aspect of adventure and camaraderie, Luffy wouldn't be so resistant.

When Luffy meets Shanks, I think most of the interaction remains, except Luffy's fascination is replaced with curiosity. Doesn't change much, but it does let Luffy still be as fearless as ever in the face of pirates and want to know more about Shanks. Maybe as a child he DID have the mindset that all pirates are bad, so he tries to fight them off much to Shanks' amusement and eventually realizes after interacting with them that not all pirates are bad after all.

"Take me to sea with you!"

"No way! You're too weak! Besides, aren't you afraid of sailing with a bunch of pirates?"

"Shanks is not a bad pirate!"

"So there are good and bad pirates now?"

"Yeah. Good pirates party all the time and have fun. Bad pirates do bad things," is what I'm sure Luffy at age 6 would think for the most part.

And they'd laugh and tease Luffy for being weak, Luffy would cut his eye to prove he's not, and at this point Shanks is more of a role model rather than a pirate role model: he shows what a man should do, how he should protect his friends, and when to stand up for yourself.

And in saving and sacrificing his arm for a Luffy who doesn't want to be a pirate but a marine, it solidifies the theme that it doesn't matter what you are, but who you are that counts.

And that teaching follows Luffy everywhere he goes for his entire journey.

As for the straw hat, I stubbornly refuse that Shanks does not give it Luffy. As we know, the hat plays in a much larger role than being the crown for the next king of pirates. It's evident in the large straw hat in Mariejoa and the significance the Gorosei puts on a symbol like that. Anyhow, I'm not going to go into that much but REGARDLESS, Shanks gives Luffy the straw hat and to return it to him once he becomes a great (read: powerful, impactful, influential) man.

I think a large bump in the road with this theory is that Luffy would have an insanely harder time in his childhood. As a big-mouthed child, he wouldn't shut up about being the next Marine Admiral (best position of power little does he know; Luffy just knows they tend to be the strongest Marines), and knowing Ace who would never EVER want to be a marine because of his influence with Sabo and his upbringing of bandits, this does not fly well. I could probably entertain that Ace could have been a marine because people hated his father so much, but I think his goal of being more than just his father's son really paves a path for him to be a pirate, regardless of other influences.

So if you think Ace hated Luffy before at this point in time, oh boy.

I mean, Luffy can't just DIE, so really the meeting between him, Ace, and Sabo go relatively the same except Ace and Sabo are much more suspicious of Luffy, which doesn’t really bode well for him. But I’m pretty sure, marine or not, even Ace and Sabo wouldn’t abandon Luffy if he refused to rat them out-- or they might even feel even more incensed that Luffy didn’t say anything because he wants to be a marine.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“If I said anything, you wouldn’t be my friend!”

“We’re going to be pirates; you’re going to be a marine-- we’re not even on the same side! We shouldn’t even be friends!”

“But why does that matter?”

And everything goes well, they become brothers, and Sabo “dies.”

And above all, I think this moment is a turning point in Luffy’s life (wow he’s having a lot of revelations as a ten-year-old; poor kid) because now he not only recognizes that not all pirates are bad but also know not all marines are good (because how could they be protecting someone who killed his brother?) and their system has a lot of fixing to do.

Ace has a lot of mixed feelings about this, because his baby brother may want to be a marine, but Sabo died from going against the government-- so what does this mean for their future? But in the end, Luffy is still Luffy, and Ace wouldn’t abandon his brother, especially not when after he announced he wasn’t going to die Luffy declares that he was going to be a Marine and destroy the system from within.

Not really sure how small Luffy would put that in words, but the feeling is already there, and that sets his beginning, seven years later.

Some Straw Hats are not going to be with Luffy, and it’s unfortunate but a must. Some will, like Zoro, who Luffy saves at Shell Town-- and honestly, it might just be easier for him to find Mihawk if he’s part of the Marines-- and Nami, whose mother was a marine and the Arlong Pirates never gave her any reason to like pirates anyhow. There is some sticky business considering Nami’s earned treasure was stolen by the marines, but I’m very sure meeting Luffy would definitely convince her that there are good marines out there.

Many of the Straw Hats would have never been pirates if not for Luffy, asides from Usopp and Brook, who were or had aspirations to be a pirate before. As such, Usopp’s village would be saved by Luffy, but he wouldn’t go be a marine because he’s always wanted to be like his father. Brook would probably go back to Laboon after getting back his shadow on Thriller Bark and Luffy wouldn’t have a musician and the One Piece Universe Beyonce would never be born :(

Tbh, there’s a high chance Chopper wouldn’t join either, considering his father-figure waved a pirate flag, but I wouldn’t put it past Luffy to defend that flag anyways because of its significance to Chopper and the bravery that Dr. Hiruluk conveyed through it. But for the sake of this indulgent AU, lets say he does. :))

Robin though... uhhh being a wanted women makes it pretty difficult for her to join Luffy and considering Enies Lobby and the whole Buster Call deal... probably not. I can see her joining the Revolutionary Army pretty early on as a result though, but Luffy’s choice to save her life would not have changed nor would his impact on her change as well. You know, low key, I kinda want her to hide out on Luffy’s ship for a while and his crew being all “wtf captain, she’s a danger to society; isn’t she a bad person?” and Luffy just shrugs and laughs and tells them it’s okay (his original Straw Hat crew that stuck with him as a marine just smh but they know him too well to think he wouldn’t save Robin otherwise) and to have them decide if she’s a bad person or not themselves.

And EVENTUALLY Robin will be recruited into the Revolutionary Army, maybe in like a intense, “You have to go Robin, because even I can’t save you if you stay” sorta deal. (This could also be a chance for Luffy to meet Sabo, but that’s like a whole ‘nother can of worms.)

So Enies Lobby doesn’t happen. Franky doesn’t join either :/ And I don’t see Jimbei becoming a pirate after all the shit that’s happened to him and his bros, and honestly I just ever see him as being a marine, no matter how much he admires Luffy. Maybe they’d be buddies when he’s a Warlord though :))

So Alabasta-- Vivi gets to save her country with actual marine support aka Luffy. He works together with Smoker (heehee!) and Tashigi (god I would die for the interactions between her and Marine!Zoro) and kicks Crocodile’s butt regardless of his title as Warlord. Luffy calls it as he sees it, and violent dictatorship and mistreatment of his friends is a BIG no-no, maybe especially as marine who upholds goodness.

He gets promoted and gets the credit he deserves, though he’s too busy chomping down on food to even notice.

Vivi stays with her people, and they leave.

Meeting Ace during the Alabasta arc would have taken a little more secrecy-- or maybe Ace goes undercover for a brief period of time like Oda drew him a while back; wouldn’t put it past him to meet his little brother while he chases after Blackbeard.

Oh wait, would Sky Island even happen??? Honestly, who knows, but if he fights Bellamy, it would just ruin his redemption arc during Dressrosa bc wouldn’t Luffy just capture him?? or maybe he just punches him and that’s punishment enough who knows I didn’t think about this part in particular

BUT MARINEFORD. oh marineford

You see, I think as a marine, Luffy is completely different from Garp from the fact that he would NEVER put his job over his family. Luffy has already had one brother die, and he isn’t going to let another die if he can help it.

So what does that leave us? Maybe a prison break? Maybe going behind the scenes (as per Nami’s suggestion and implementation bc Luffy can’t be subtle for shit) to rig the execution and fuck up the cannons.

But the real mega problem here, is if Ace dies, I don’t know if Luffy can be a marine anymore, and that’s a big problem. Or maybe in having his brother die in his arms, despite trying to help him escape, will incite him to challenge the system and destroy corruption once and for all. (Demotion be damned.) But when Sabo finds out Luffy let Ace die in front of him, I think the connotations would change with their reunion since Luffy is a marine and thus still, regardless of who Luffy is, “on the other team.”

In fact, the existence of the Marineford Arc makes it extremely difficult for Luffy to continue being a marine, so honestly, at this point, even though it goes against the entire Marine!Luffy AU, I think Luffy could just go rogue, like he was always meant to be in the original One Piece timeline. So maybe it’s a full-circle to Luffy being what he was meant to. Who knowssss but that’s all I’ve got.

Let me know what you think!! If you read this far haha I’m always down to talk about Luffy bc I love him sm.

[miguel-manbemel]

Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 10: Getting to Know Wrath: Roman’s Dream Factory

Here comes the 10th entry of the “Aspects & Fanfics” blog, based on “Sanders Sides” by Thomas Sanders & Joan. Who would have thought this would have gone so fast, but this is the 10th episode already. Lately I’ve slowed down in the frequency, though, as entries have been longer lately, and I’m still having technical issues with my PC that I hope to get solved soon. Next week is going to be a busy one for me, so I expect the next entry to get a little delayed too, I hope not too much, however. As always, thank you to each and anyone reading, and I hope this new entry, in which I’m trying new things, is enjoyable. You can read all the previous entries here, I recommend it since this entry makes references to previous entries, including original characters and situations. Remember that this is a forked AU, which means it follows the canon and story of the original “Sanders Sides” up to “Embarrasing Phases”, and from then it goes on independently. And that’s it, enjoy.

SYNOPSIS: Thomas is angry because he has just seen his ex with another guy and that has hurt him, not because he wants him back, but because he feels left behind and unable to find love again. When the only suggestion Wrath can give them is to find something positive to think about, Roman has the idea of taking them to his Dream Factory, the place where he makes Thomas’ dreams, where dream scenarios look completely real, to create positive scenarios inside there that can help Thomas get his anger behind. But it’s one failure after the other when Thomas’ wrath overcomes him and corrupts the scenario each and every time.

WARNINGS: There are going to be dark references along the episodes, including references to past episodes of physical mistreatment to some characters. Character Thomas is going to go through a lot of angst in this episode, there’s a new return to his broken relationship, and he’s going to show a verbally violent attitute in the first part of the story, including insults and bad words (conveniently “bleeped”) against the Sides. The end card will feature a horrible nightmare by Thomas that will further explorer some episodes narrated at the beginning. I tried to introduce cute and heartwarming scenes to compensate these moments, though.

EPISODE INDEX

THOMAS: Okay, all ready to go buy these props for the next project… After so many tries to get them and not finding them, I swear for the thing I love most in this world that I’m not returning to this apartment until I get them all!

[Thomas goes out. There’s a wait of 10 seconds, and he returns]

THOMAS: [chill voice] Forgot my car keys… and my wallet… Still need to find my memory that is forcing me to throw to the trash can the thing I love most, my “Kingdom Hearts” video-games… [he goes out again]

[intro sequence]

[Thomas enters the apartment with an angry face and slams the door behind him. Then, he throws his things furiously to the counter and initially goes to the couch but notices the camera and stands in his spot]

THOMAS: [angrily] What is up, everybody? Yes, I can hear you all wondering what is up with me. Well, you may or may not be interested in hearing about that, but I’m gonna talk about it anyway, who’s gonna have the f… [bleep] guts to stop me!?

PATTON: [rising up] Whoa, whoa, whoa! What’s going on with your language, mister?

THOMAS: Patton, I’m not in the mood for a lecture, right now! So please leave me alone!

HONESTY: [rising up] Okay, I always support being honest, but that was just unnecessary.

THOMAS: And the reason I should care about that bulls… [bleep] is…?

LOGAN: [rising up] Thomas, control yourself! You’re in front of the camera and there are kids watching you!

THOMAS: [yelling] I DON’T CARE WHO’S WATCHING! I DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ANYMORE! GOT IT, TEACH!? SO SHUT THE F… [bleep] UP!!

[Thomas points at Logan and he covers his mouth. Deceit appears]

DECEIT: I’m sorry, Logan, Thomas is in charge and he’s forcing me to silence you.

VIRGIL: [appearing] Thomas, calm down! There’s no need to be so rude!

THOMAS: [yelling angry and frustrated] My goodness gracious, you too? Can’t I vent like a normal person without suffering the attack of the clones!? Why me!? Why did it have to be me who suffers this curse of having to bear all of you!? Why can’t you all just leave me alone for good, you BOTHERSOME FREAKS!

[Thomas gets silent, breathing fast with a face of despair and anger. Virgil and Logan look at Thomas in shock, Logan still with his hand on his mouth. Deceit and Honesty look at Thomas with a horrified face. Patton looks at Thomas with a mixed face of sadness, shock and disappointment]

PATTON: [voice of deep sadness] Thomas… Is that what you really think about us? That we are freaks and a curse for you? Do you really want us out of your life… for good?

THOMAS: [suddenly realizing what he has said, with a face of horror and voice of remorse] Oh… my goodness gracious… What did I say? I… I’m so sorry, Patton. I’m so sorry, you guys… I… I… I hope you know I didn’t mean what I said.

[Logan takes his hand off his mouth, but he still doesn’t say a word]

PATTON: [same sad voice] Yes, I know you didn’t mean what you said, but you said it anyway, and the pain it has caused is very real.

THOMAS: I have no excuse… I apologize for my behavior, I promise I won’t do it again. Will you please forgive me, all of you?

PATTON: [after a little pause, he lets go a little sad smile] That’s what friends do, right? They forgive each other’s mistakes. What I wonder is, what could have happened to you to make you lose your mind to the point of hurting us like that?

ROMAN: [rising up, in a mood as sad as Patton’s] I’ve got the answer for that, Patton. Thomas is hating himself, and in the process, he’s hating us, because we are himself.

PATTON: But why?

THOMAS: Well, I was at the store, getting some props for a future project that Joan and I are working on, when… I saw him.

PATTON: Him?

ROMAN: Thomas’ ex-boyfriend, Patton.

PATTON: So? I thought that we had already moved forward from him.

ROMAN: I thought so too, but… when Thomas saw him… he wasn’t alone, and that… hurt him… and me, his romantic Side.

PATTON: Oh…

THOMAS: It’s not that I feel jealous, at least romantically, or that I want him back or anything. It’s just that… I suddenly realized that he’s managed to move on. He’s managed to find another one to replace me, and… I felt like… left behind. I know it’s stupid that I feel this way, but I felt again what I felt on the first months after the break-up, thinking that I would never get to find another one like him again. And I hate myself for feeling like that. I hate my insecurity which doesn’t let me step up my game and take the initiative on my quest for… the right one.

VIRGIL: [a little offended] Well, I’m sorry I had it rough and I’m sorry I’m not enough, Thomas.

THOMAS: No, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t blaming you, Virgil. I know that you, as my anxiety, have no choice other than making me feel anxious about it. The problem is in me, because I’m not strong enough to cope with that, which makes me mad at myself. And I’m sorry I vented my frustration on you, guys. You didn’t deserve anything I said, at all.

LOGAN: Well, Thomas, now that you let me speak…

THOMAS: Sorry about that too, Logan. When someone gets mad like I did, they don’t let logical thinking speak out, and I guess that’s what happened with me and you.

LOGAN: [pulls out a vocab card] It’s water under the bridge, Thomas. As I was saying, now that you let me speak, the problem here seems that you had an outburst of anger, right?

THOMAS: Right…

LOGAN: And who is in control of anger in the Mind Palace?

DECEIT: Wrath. And I know what you’re going to suggest, Logan, that we should summon him or go to see him, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea yet, you guys.

THOMAS: Well, sooner or later he had to make an appearance, Deceit. And if there are issues in his department, he must be held accountable for them like any other Side, isn’t he? I don’t want to force him to be a friend of us if he doesn’t want to, but at least he should have the basic interactions with us regarding his job. I don’t think I’m asking for something so difficult.

DECEIT: Well, you’re in charge, Thomas. [worried face and voice] I’m so calm about this…

THOMAS: I hope he’s not in autopilot this time. If he is, I swear I’m going to the Dark Realm itself to get him here. Wrath! Wrath can you hear me? I demand you to come here right now!

[Wrath appears in his spot. He shows a shy and nervous attitude, with his arms covering his chest, and almost shaking from head to toe]

DECEIT: [mumbles, looking at Wrath with a worried face] Uh-oh…

THOMAS: There you are. Can you explain what has happened right now?

WRATH: [stutters with a face of horror] I… I…

THOMAS: [angry] Don’t stay there like a dummy! [yelling] Say something!

[Wrath shows a face of intense horror and then faints]

THOMAS: [scared] Oh, my goodness!

DECEIT: [running to him] I knew this was gonna happen! [kneels down on him and tries to fan some air onto him] Wrath? Wrath, are you okay? [angry] Thomas, you shouldn’t have been so harsh on him. Don’t you know he’s really scared of social interaction?

THOMAS: No, as a matter of fact, I don’t. He didn’t look scared at all the last time he showed up here.

DECEIT: The last time he was still a servant of the Dark Master. Since then, he’s been all alone and isolated in the Dark Realm, too afraid to make an appearance because he feared what has happened right now. But I didn’t expect that you’d get so harsh on him on first view. What’s wrong with you, Thomas? You’re not being yourself today!

THOMAS: I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I guess I… jumped to conclusions about his character.

DECEIT: Well, I hope that when he wakes up you treat him with a little more tact. Do you think you can do it? Cause he’s my friend and I don’t want him to suffer.

THOMAS: Yes, yes. I’m so sorry. And you’re right, I’m not being myself today. I don’t know why…

[Wrath starts showing signs of life]

WRATH: [mumbling] Sorry… my lord. I’m a piece of junk and I don’t deserve to exist… Please don’t use your whip on me again…

THOMAS: My goodness… He must have had a horrible life while the Dark Master was there…

DECEIT: We all had, Thomas, you’ll never get an idea. Not even if you could see the scars on my back…

ROMAN: [horrified] Oh, my God…

VIRGIL: I can relate to that too…

PATTON: [sad emotional] Oh, my poor, not so little boy…

DECEIT: Yes, Virgil, but you were lucky you could escape to the Light Realm as early as you did. It became a lot worse after you left. The Dark Master wanted to make sure that no one would follow your footsteps if and when we had the chance. And he didn’t care that, until Thomas heightened us for some reason, if that was ever going to happen, we were trapped in the Dark Realm with no possible escape from him. In time, he had nullified us so much we just resigned to do his evil will, and even did it with joy. So brainwashed we were that we thought everything he did to us was normal, deserved and fair, even that it was for our own benefit and we should be thankful to him. [chuckles ironically] We were such a bunch of fools…

THOMAS: Thank God that’s over.

DECEIT: At least for the time being… [to Wrath, noticing he’s waking up] Wrath. Wake up, buddy.

WRATH: [regains full consciousness] What has happened…? [notices Thomas is there and starts shaking in horror]

DECEIT: [soft voice, holding his shoulders] Calm down, my friend. Calm down. It’s okay. He’s not gonna hurt you.

THOMAS: I’m so sorry, Wrath. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. Could we start again, please, and do as if nothing had happened?

WRATH: Yes, my lord, if you want me to, my lord…

THOMAS: What?

[Wrath gets up with Deceit’s help, who then goes back to his spot]

WRATH: It won’t happen again, my lord. Please, don’t hurt me.

THOMAS: I’m not going to hurt you, Wrath, what are you talking about?

DECEIT: Wrath, you remember that this is not the Dark Master you’re talking to, right?

WRATH: [realizing] Oh, I guess so… It’s just that… for a moment you looked so much like him…

DECEIT: Well, of course he looks like him, the Dark Master was Thomas’ doppelganger.

WRATH: I mean in the attitude. I wasn’t sure if it was Thomas or… him.

THOMAS: Oh, my gosh… Have I really been so horribly harsh? I’m terribly sorry, Wrath. It never was, and will never be, my intention to hurt you. You’re safe here with us, you have nothing to be afraid of while you’re with us. It’s just that, today, I can’t control my anger, and I don’t know why. And that’s exactly why I called you, to see if you, my wrath, could give me some answers about it.

WRATH: Well, typically I’m triggered when you experience things that upset you for some reason. Is there anything that has bothered you recently?

THOMAS: Well, yes.

WRATH: The strongest that feeling is, the strongest I’m triggered, and the strongest your anger will be. If possible, you must solve whatever has bothered you and calm yourself before I can get calmed down.

LOGAN: Well, to know that we wouldn’t have needed to call you in the first place…

WRATH: Sorry I cannot be of more help, Logan, but that’s how it is. My advice is that you get positive thinking, imagine happy thoughts and distract yourself from whatever is hurting you.

THOMAS: Well, Roman, Patton, I guess it’s your turn then. You’re in control of my happy thoughts and my imagination. You’ll have to work as a team so that we can get out of this loop.

PATTON: You can say that a…

ROMAN: [annoyed] Stop it, Patton!

PATTON: Sorry…

ROMAN: Okay. I think I know what you need so you can think about something else. You need an evasion from the real world.

LOGAN: [concerned] What?

ROMAN: We’re going to my special playground in the Mind Palace, where I like to test some of my ideas when they’re in the beta phase.

HONESTY: I don’t like the sound of this…

ROMAN: [ignoring him] Let’s all go to Roman’s Dream Factory!

[Roman snaps his fingers, and they all appear in a huge room that is completely empty, with no kind of furniture, decoration… Only stone walls made of perfect square gray ashlars in all directions]

THOMAS: Um… where are we?

ROMAN: I told you, Thomas, this is Roman’s Dream Factory. Here is where I test your ideas and dreams before I release them in your mind so that you can pursue them.

VIRGIL: [checking around] No windows, no doors, no lamps, even though this is illuminated by I don’t know what… This looks more like a crypt than a factory… [grins] I like it.

ROMAN: Well, it wouldn’t be safe to let uncontrolled unfinished dreams to get away out of control. This is like… some sort of… bubble where they can’t escape till they’re tested.

VIRGIL: What would happen if they got away unfinished or faulty?

ROMAN: Oh, that has never happened… except when Thomas is sleeping. Then the walls get weak and some of them slip out between the ashlars. Then they wander around the Mind Palace until they’re caught by the dream vacuum cleaners in Thomas’ mind. That’s when you, Thomas, start having weird illogical dreams that don’t make any sense. As all of this happens while you’re asleep, there’s no possible damage for you or us. If they got away when you’re awake… who knows? You could go from having the most unexpected nonsensical random ideas to full fledged, sometimes horrifying, hallucinations.

VIRGIL: [concerned] What?

ROMAN: Like I said, that has never happened, Texas Chain-Fear Massacre. The ashlars on the walls are not ordinary stones. They’re made of the material that separates Thomas’ notion of reality from Thomas’ notion of fantasy. Thomas is a grounded, healthy person, so the walls are extra strong on him.

VIRGIL: What isn’t extra in your department?

ROMAN: It would take some sort of… issues to make these walls weak and breakable, which is not the case with Thomas, so don’t worry, anyone. I mean, my factory has existed for 30 years now, and I don’t think you have ever had any problem, did you?

THOMAS: Okay, so we’re here. What are we supposed to do here?

ROMAN: Just what Wrath suggested. I’m going to create pocket dream scenarios from scratch based on Patton’s happy thoughts so that we can cheer you up.

THOMAS: Why here? Why not in any other ordinary room in the Mind Palace?

ROMAN: Because here dream scenarios look and feel more realistic than on the rest of the Mind Palace, Thomas. It will feel as if you were living them in real life.

THOMAS: Is it safe? I mean, they’re untested if they’re here, so what could they do to us?

ROMAN: Oh, Thomas, you should have more faith in me. I’m gonna make sure that nothing weird comes out of me that could hurt you in any way.

VIRGIL: Well, if you could always have full control of what you create from scratch, you wouldn’t need this isolated Dream Factory in the first place, so it’s natural that Thomas is feeling me right now.

ROMAN: I’ll say it again, don’t worry. If anything goes wrong, we could always go back to the living room.

[A pedestal with a red button on top appears next to Thomas]

ROMAN: If you ever feel threatened or endangered for the tiniest reason, Thomas, just push the red button and… boop! We’ll be back. No questions and no reproaches, I give you my royal word.

THOMAS: Why is there a turtle drawn on the pedestal and on the button?

ROMAN: I don’t know, I just liked it.

PATTON: [squealing] That’s cute!

HONESTY: I don’t like this for some reason…

ROMAN: [ignoring him] Okay, Patton. Things that are heartwarming for Thomas.

PATTON: [happy voice] Puppies!

ROMAN: Okay. That one’s easy.

[Roman rises his arms. The room around them changes. Walls emerge from the ground and cover the ashlars. Doors and windows appear and a couch next to Thomas and the button, to conform an office around Thomas, who sits down on the couch]

THOMAS: Okay…

ROMAN: [smiling] Three… two… one… go!

[tiny little barks are heard from the door and a huge stream of puppies of all races emerges from it and goes straight to Thomas]

THOMAS: [happy voice] Oh, my gosh! So many puppies!

LOGAN: [in shock] This cuteness is hard to process…

VIRGIL: [grabs one of the puppies next to his cheek and it starts licking his eye-shadow] This is better than Halloween…

THOMAS: I’m so happy… but…

ROMAN: But?

[The room suddenly goes a little dark and the puppies disappear]

VIRGIL: Hey! Where did my tiny makeup eater go!?

[Suddenly from the door a huge wolf appears. It threateningly growls at Thomas]

THOMAS: [scared] What is going on?

WRATH: You’re not letting go of your anger Thomas! It has corrupted the dream scenario and concentrated to turn the puppies into that wolf!

[The wolf gets ready to jump onto Thomas]

THOMAS: [whining] Roman? Do something!

ROMAN: I’m trying, but I can’t unsummon it! It’s too full of Wrath’s energy, I have no control over it!

THOMAS: Wrath!

WRATH: I can’t Thomas! I can’t help it!

[before the wolf jumps, Virgil transforms into his panther form and lets go a loud growl. The wolf then gets scared and fades away]

THOMAS: Thank you, Virgil, you saved me!

VIRGIL: [transforming back to his emo form] You’re welcome. My mission is to protect you and I’m not going to back up on the only thing I can do good.

PATTON: Virgil, you do a lot of things good, don’t make me…

VIRGIL: …physically fight you, I know. Sorry, Dad.

THOMAS: Okay, this didn’t come out right.

ROMAN: It would have if you tried to concentrate to fix it, Thomas.

THOMAS: I’m sorry. That feeling’s overwhelmingly strong.

HONESTY: May I…

ROMAN: [interrupting and ignoring him] Okay, let’s try something different. Patton, give me another heartwarming thing for Thomas.

PATTON: Let’s see…

ROMAN: And no cats, Patton, Thomas is allergic.

PATTON: [disappointed] Awww! Okay, then… Something that makes Thomas happy… Broadway!

ROMAN: Of course! And that’s my department too! [rises his arms] Okay, changing scenario to a proper scenario…

[The office scenario disappears and is replaced by a stage scenario. There’s a huge crowd in the audience, and Thomas is suddenly dressed as Sweeney Todd, in the middle of the scenery, next to the red button. Roman is backstage on the left wing, with Wrath, Patton and Virgil, while the rest of the Sides are on the right wing watching in silence]

THOMAS: [whispering to Roman] What is happening?

ROMAN: [loud whispering] Thomas! You know this show by heart! Sing!

THOMAS: I didn’t rehearse anything!

ROMAN: [frustrated] For Patti Lupone and Ethel Merman’s sake, just sing!

THOMAS: [music starts and he starts singing] These are my friends… See how they glisten… See this one shine…

ROMAN: [to Wrath] Great, I’m sure he’s feeling happy now. There’s nothing that makes Thomas feel more alive than stage performance, right?

WRATH: However, I’m not sure if you have chosen the right musical for him to perform right now.

ROMAN: Why? It’s Sweeney Todd, one of Thomas’ dream roles.

WRATH: Yes, but have you forgotten what kind of character Sweeney Todd is? I can already feel myself heightening to help him to perform!

THOMAS: [singing with a face of anger] …My frieeend! My faithful frieeend!

ROMAN: Uh-oh… Didn’t think about that…

WRATH: It’s like that other character from that Shakespearean play, that Scottish king that also wanted to kill his enemies, what was his name? Oh, yes…

ROMAN: [in panic] Don’t say…!

WRATH: …Macbeth.

ROMAN: [horrified] Oh, no!

[the audience starts booing at Thomas and throwing tomatoes at him]

WRATH: Oh, no! The anger has corrupted the dream scenario again! It is pouring into the audience and they’re turning against Thomas!

ROMAN: [desperate] The show is cursed, he mentioned the Scottish Play inside the theater! Curtains! Curtains!

VIRGIL: Okay, time for Virgil to save the show again… Lucky that I’m an expert techie now…

[Virgil runs to the ropes and lowers the curtains down. When he does, the audience noises disappear]

THOMAS: Is this a dream tester or a nightmare tester, Roman?

ROMAN: I’m sorry, Thomas. Wrath gave it the coup de grace with the Scottish Play, but I guess I should have chosen something more relaxing instead, like… “The Sound of Music.”

WRATH: Don’t you dare! Anything but that!

ROMAN: You don’t like “The Sound of Music”?

WRATH: I just don’t want the cute Von Trapp kids to be turned by accident into the children of the corn, that’s all!

THOMAS: I’m starting to be tempted into pushing that button…

ROMAN: Let’s not give up yet, Thomas. There has to be some way to defeat your anger and make you feel better!

HONESTY: Well if I…

ROMAN: [ignoring him] Patton, please, think of something good! Something that couldn’t possibly fail!

PATTON: Let’s see… This is getting difficult… Um… I think I know. What has always been Thomas’ source of constancy and tranquility? [looking at Virgil with a sweet loving voice] I’m sure my Emo Sweet Dream knows the answer to this one.

VIRGIL: You mean…?

PATTON: Yes, I mean his friends! They’re probably his biggest source of happiness in his life.

ROMAN: You’re a genius, Patton! Of course! If that fails too, I don’t know what else could work! Okay. Moving to a friendly scenario… [rises his arms] Please, Bob Ross who art in heaven… lend me a hand on this one…

[The theater disappears and is replaced by an exterior setting in a park. There is a picnic. There are Joan, Talyn, Adri, Camden, Foti, Jamahl and Derionna, all sat down in the grass around a tablecloth with food on it. Thomas is again dressed as himself]

JOAN: Come on, buddy, sit down with us!

CAMDEN: Yeah, what took you so long? Join us, the food is delicious!

THOMAS: I’m glad to hear it, guys.

ROMAN: [watching from a distance] This cannot fail. There’s nothing stronger than Thomas’ love for his friends, it could overcome anything!

WRATH: I don’t know… Friendship is strong, but unfortunately hatred can be strong too, and Thomas’ hatred against himself is the cause of all of this…

ROMAN: [annoyed] Don’t jinx it again!

[Suddenly the sky gets cloudy and a storm is heard]

THOMAS: Oh, what a shame… It looks it’s gonna rain…

JOAN: [frowning] Well, I don’t care at all. This was being boring anyway.

THOMAS: …what?

TALYN: Yeah, it got boring when you came in. You spoiled everything!

JAMAHL: Yeah, as usual!

ROMAN: Not again… not again… not again…

THOMAS: Guys, what are you saying?

CAMDEN: We’re saying that we’re tired of you using us to rise up to fame, that’s what we’re saying! We’re talented enough to be successful in art without your constant direction!

THOMAS: I never meant…

JAMAHL: I’m getting out of here. And don’t bother calling us again, Thomas! From now on we’re going solo, and you’re not welcome in our path to glory!

[They all get up and leave Thomas where he is, with the most broken face he has ever shown in his life]

THOMAS: Guys… please… don’t leave me… I love you… I’m helpless without you, please…

[his friends ignore them. After they get away from the picnic, they disappear. The Sides gather around Thomas, all with sad faces]

ROMAN: [defeated voice] I’m sorry, Thomas. I’m so, so, sorry… This has been a huge fiasco…

THOMAS: [hurt voice] It has. Not only this dang room hasn’t helped me feel better. It has made me feel even worse than before, and I didn’t think it was possible.

WRATH: If it serves as a consolation, the things your friends said, they would never feel or say them like that. They’re all fruit of your anger corrupting the dream scenario and they’re rather things that once or twice you have thought about yourself, even unconsciously, which have been expressed through them.

THOMAS: Yes, but hearing it all through them… It has been hurtful. And this cursed place made them feel so real it only worsened the pain.

ROMAN: As I said, I won’t question you if you press the red button now, Thomas.

THOMAS: [reaching out his hand to the red button] Of course I will, I’m not staying in this place any longer…

HONESTY: [yelling, before Thomas can press the button] Wait!

THOMAS: What, Honesty?

HONESTY: Can I speak now, Thomas? Or is Roman going to interrupt me again like before?

ROMAN: I did? Sorry, I didn’t notice…

THOMAS: Go ahead, Honesty, say what you need to say.

HONESTY: Okay. You all have been making a huge mistake while handling the situation.

ROMAN: Mistake?

HONESTY: You’re all looking for ways to make Thomas evade from the problem. But that won’t make the problem disappear. It will remain there, haunting Thomas, wherever he goes and whatever he does. It’s useless.

LOGAN: I think we had already agreed on that point, Hon.

HONESTY: However, there is a way to start fixing the situation.

VIRGIL: What is it?

HONESTY: If evading the problem is not working, Thomas, confront the problem, face to face. Be honest with yourself and attack the root of the issue. It’s the only way to start healing your soul.

ROMAN: So what do you propose?

HONESTY: I propose that instead of creating imaginary scenarios in your Factory, Roman, we create a replica of the scene that Thomas has just lived in the store, but instead of Thomas holding his anger and running away, he must speak to him, tell him what he feels and let go of everything he’s been holding back. It’s the only thing that will make him feel better for real.

THOMAS: I think… it might work… but it’s not gonna be pleasant.

HONESTY: You have the advantage that this is not reality, but looks so much like reality you won’t tell the difference in terms of venting, all without making any difference in your real life. So you can keep acting in front of him as if this would have never happened, cause for him it won’t have ever happened.

ROMAN: It’s worth a try. Are you ready, Thomas?

THOMAS: As ready as I’ll ever be, Roman.

ROMAN: Okay. [rises his arms] Dream Factory, one last struggle, don’t fail me this time.

[the park scenario disappears and is replaced by a store. Thomas’ ex is there, his new mate is far away from them looking for something on some shelves. Thomas sighs and approaches his ex, who looks at him surprised]

THOMAS’ EX: Oh, Thomas. How are you doing? It’s been ages.

THOMAS: Yeah, it’s been. [looking at his ex’s mate] Looks you’re doing okay.

THOMAS’ EX: Oh, yes. His name is Steve. We’ve been dating for half a year or so.

THOMAS: I’m glad for you.

THOMAS’ EX: Thank you. What about you?

THOMAS: Oh… well… I haven’t been so lucky, unfortunately. Took me a while to… get over you.

THOMAS’ EX: I’m sorry to hear that.

THOMAS’: But I’m not giving up. Even though it hurts to be alone. Even though the thought that maybe…

ROMAN: [from the door] Keep going!

THOMAS: …that maybe I will never find someone like you again, it hurts.

THOMAS’ EX: Thomas…

THOMAS: No, please, let me speak, because this has been killing me for the past two years. I have cried a lot over you. I know it’s not your fault, and I’m not blaming you for anything. If anything, we both would be guilty that our relationship didn’t work, but still, the aftermath was torturing. You were my first love and losing your first love hurts more than losing any other subsequent loves, or so I heard, as I’m yet to experiment another love as strong as the one we had. I haven’t been wasting time, I’ve met a couple of people that made my stomach feel full of butterflies again… at least for some time, but it never went any further. I just wanted to tell you that I finally went over you and that I’m still struggling to find someone like you, but that I will not stop, and I will never give up till I can say that I’m sharing my life with someone I love and who loves me, just like you did.

THOMAS’ EX: That would make me happy, Thomas. I couldn’t love you the way that I loved you on the first years of our relationship, but that doesn’t mean I stopped loving you as a friend. It would make me happy that you could have love in your life, you deserve it. But you’re making a mistake. You mustn’t try to find someone like me. I’m just an ordinary man and each man you find will be his own man. No one will ever be like me. Some may be similar, some may be worse, and certainly some will be better. Just look for somebody to love and don’t make any comparisons, because each love experience will be totally different from the previous one, and each will be unique in its own way. You’ll find the love you want someday, and in the mean time, don’t get too stressed over it. It will come when you least expect it. You’ll see.

THOMAS: I hope so. And I also wish you the best in your new relationship. It would make me happy too to know that you’re happy.

THOMAS’ EX: Thank you, Thomas. Now, I gotta go. We’ve got a lot to buy yet. Good bye.

THOMAS: Good bye.

[Thomas’ ex reunites with his mate and disappear behind an aisle of the store. Then the store disappears and they’re back to the ashlars room. The Sides gather around Thomas in their positions]

PATTON: Thomas, I’m so proud of you right now, you wouldn’t get an idea.

THOMAS: Thank you Patton. And I’m feeling so relieved. Venting all that I had inside has made all my bad feelings fade away completely. I feel so great right now. Thank you, Honesty. You were right all the time.

HONESTY: I’m glad I could be of help, gentleman.

THOMAS: And I also want thank you two, Roman and Patton. You gave your best and if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have found the solution in the first place.

ROMAN: I’m glad that my room could be useful in the end, even after all the struggling.

THOMAS: Well, now it’s the time to push the button, don’t you think?

ROMAN: Yes, I agree. Let’s get out of here.

[Thomas pushes the button. There’s a red flash and Thomas and the Sides appear in the living room]

LOGAN: Well, that was a swift trip.

WRATH: Yes, it was. Roman?

ROMAN: Yes?

WRATH: I don’t want to go without apologizing to you.

ROMAN: About what?

WRATH: I was harsh with all of you, but especially with you, Roman. I shouldn’t have called you “shoddy pompous prince”. That was rude and mean, and I’m really sorry.

ROMAN: It’s okay, Wrath. It’s… [looking at Logan] water under the bridge.

LOGAN: Correct.

PATTON: And I’m sorry I slapped you, kiddo. Violence should never be the answer.

WRATH: Don’t worry about it, Patton. I really deserved it at the time. I truly regret everything about the way I entered here the first time… It’s been torturing me all these weeks. I was so afraid of how you would react about me.

THOMAS: Well, now you’ve seen it yourself, Wrath. This is a welcoming environment and you’ll never have to endure the pain and suffering you experimented in the Dark Realm again. Please don’t isolate yourself again. We would like to spend time getting to know you, getting to know all about you.

ROMAN: [singing] Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me… “The King and I”, I love that musical.

WRATH: I love it too, Roman. I love musical movies in general.

ROMAN: Oh, would you like to come to my room, then? We could binge watch a few of them. I’ve got “Oliver!”, “Singin in the Rain”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “The Sound of Music”…

WRATH: “The Sound of Music”!? Oh, I would love to! I love Julie Andrews! She’s a beautiful goddess!

ROMAN: [happy] Right!? Wrath, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…

DECEIT: May I join in?

PATTON: Me too!

ROMAN: [sinking down] Of course! You’re all welcome! I’ll go make popcorn for everybody.

WRATH: [sinking down] Great! I have frozen soda in my room, I’ll go fetch it.

PATTON: [sinking down] Yaaay! Musicals, popcorn, soda and beloved friends! I love it!

DECEIT: [sinking down] But don’t get overexcited again, Patton. The last time you choked on your popcorn and you spent the whole movie loudly coughing.

LOGAN: Do you know what I like most about all of today’s conversation?

THOMAS: What?

LOGAN: That the power of reality and honesty has been proven and has finally taken its place at the table.

THOMAS: Well, I don’t think anyone dismissed reality as bad. Other than Roman, that is, but you know Princey.

LOGAN: [sinking down] Yes, he could trip on a stone and say that gravity put a spell on him instead of recognizing his clumsiness.

VIRGIL: Well, Thomas. I hope that, now that your anger is gone, you can keep calm for the rest of the day.

THOMAS: I’ll try, Virgil.

VIRGIL: Don’t try, do it. I’m sneaking into Roman’s room to watch the movies and I don’t want you to uncover me.

THOMAS: Why do you have to go incognito?

VIRGIL: I have a reputation to keep, Thomas, I don’t want them to know I love glowing Technicolor musicals. [sinking down, demonic voice] And if you tell them, I’ll haunt you in your sleep, Thomas.

THOMAS: But they already know you love Disney… Okay…

HONESTY: Thomas, thank you for listening to me.

THOMAS: No, Honesty, thank you for your help. And I’m sorry we didn’t let you speak earlier, it would have saved us so many struggles today.

HONESTY: Glad to help, Thomas. [sinking down] I hope that you get better soon.

THOMAS: Thank you, Honesty, I think I’ve already started. [to the camera] There are times were we get into some sort of sneaky situation, or a problem shows before us, or something makes us feel bad for any reason. In moments like those, the first choice should always be confronting that problem and trying to fix it. Evading from it can be tempting, because it may make us feel comforted in the short term. But if we want a long term solution, we must face our demons face to face and try to defeat them. I know it’s difficult sometimes, but it’s the best way to start our way to full recuperation without having to carry that weight on our shoulders or on our souls. Until next time, take it easy, guys, gals, and non binary pals. Peace out!

[ending card]

[it’s late night. Thomas is sleeping in his bed. And it seems he’s having a bad dream. Then we see what he’s dreaming. He’s in the Dark Realm, and he sees the Dark Master. Wrath is off-screen but the Dark Master’s using his whip on him. Lashes are heard and Wrath cries in pain]

THOMAS: [horrified] Stop it! I say stop it!

DARK MASTER: [evil laugh] Stop it? But why? I thought you loved this, Thomas.

THOMAS: How can you be so nasty? I would never enjoy this kind of twisted behavior of yours, Dark Master! Leave Wrath alone!

DARK MASTER: Don’t be so hypocrite, Thomas. All the power I had here, it all came from you.

THOMAS: What?

DARK MASTER: Yes! Because you’re weak, Thomas. You were unable to gather strength enough to stop me. You had to rely on your friends to do your dirty work! As usual, by the way!

THOMAS: Stop it!

DARK MASTER: All the pain Virgil, Deceit and Wrath had to endure were all your fault, Thomas! And you’ll have to live with that guilt for the rest of your life!

[Virgil, Deceit and Wrath appear before Thomas. They’re totally bruised and with faces of pain]

DARK MASTER: Look what you’ve done, Light Master! Look what you’ve done with your own hands!

[Thomas looks at his hand. He’s holding the whip the Dark Master was using. Virgil, Deceit and Wrath look at him with a face of horror. The Dark Master laughs evilly]

THOMAS: [progressively more and more anxious] No… It wasn’t me! I would never do that! I would never do that! Noooooo!

[back to Thomas’ bedroom. Thomas wakes up abruptly]

THOMAS: No!

[Thomas struggles to breath. He’s covered in sweat. He looks around him and realizes it was a dream]

THOMAS: Oh, my goodness gracious… What a horrible nightmare…

[Virgil appears next to him]

VIRGIL: Are you okay?

THOMAS: [startled] AH! Oh… it’s you… You scared me, Virgil… It’s okay, it was only a nightmare, that’s all…

VIRGIL: I know, I heard you speaking in your dreams, Thomas.

THOMAS: Oh, you did? I thought you all fell asleep when I fell asleep.

VIRGIL: We do, but when you have nightmares, especially if they’re as strong as this one, they wake me up, and I go check if you’re okay.

THOMAS: I see…

VIRGIL: Thomas, you must know that we don’t blame you for anything we had to go through in the Dark Realm. It wasn’t your fault. Heck, you didn’t even know of the existence of the Dark Realm and the Dark Master in the first place. There’s absolutely nothing you could have done.

THOMAS: If I had known what you were going through, Virgil, I would have moved heaven and earth to help you.

VIRGIL: [loving smile] I know, Thomas. And we love you for that. All of us… [sad face] If anyone, the blame would have to be put on me.

THOMAS: Why are you saying that?

VIRGIL: I’ve been out of the Dark Realm for years. I should have done something to help Deceit and Wrath. I should have done something, and the only thing I did was running away like the evasive coward that I am.

THOMAS: Virgil, there’s nothing you could have done either. Deceit and Wrath couldn’t get out of the Dark Realm. Besides, what do you think it would have happened if you had returned? The Dark Master would have caught you.

VIRGIL: I know, but still…

THOMAS: I’m sure they don’t hold any grudges against you, Virgil. You shouldn’t hold them on yourself either.

VIRGIL: Thank you… Thomas?

THOMAS: Yes?

VIRGIL: I don’t feel strong enough to return to my room right now… Would you mind if I slept here tonight?

THOMAS: I would love it Virgil. I’m still scared of the nightmare, and your presence would comfort me… Isn’t it ironic, bearing in mind you’re my anxiety?

[Virgil smiles. Thomas makes some room for Virgil, who changes to his purple pajama and lies down]

VIRGIL: Good night, Thomas.

THOMAS: Good night, Virgil. Have sweet emo-kitten dreams.

[They both close their eyes to sleep, showing a little smile on their faces, and Virgil starts softly purring till they both fall asleep]

[so-shiny-so-chrome]

Witness: Jaetion

Creator name (AO3): Jaetion

Creator name (Tumblr): Jaesauce

Link to creator works: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaetion/works

Creator name (other platform- please specify): Pillowfort: Jaetrix

Q: Why the Mad Max Fandom?

A: MMFR movie was incredible! It hit all of my sweet spots.  And the fandom is great: really supportive people, creative fanworks, and great discussions. I've been playing around with fandoms online for a long time and I've met some awesome people, but the MMFR fandom is just chocked full of interesting fans and ideas (like this spotlight!). 

Q: What do you think are some defining aspects of your work? Do you have a style? Recurrent themes?

A: Oof, I'm not sure. I think my style is a lot of conversation, and very little and very poorly written action? As far as themes go, I love referencing music. Music is important to me, so it usually influences my writing. I identify as a feminist and try to put progressive messages into my stuff. I try to write women who form relationships, live their lives, and drive the plot without having to play second banana to men. On a similar, I like writing/reading sex scenes that are fun and funny for the people involved - enthusiastic yes from both/all parties. (Unless I'm filling a fic request that specifies something else, of course.)

Q: Which of your works was the most fun to create? The most difficult? Which is your most popular? Most successful? Your favourite overall?

A: “Take the A Train" was fun because I love writing about NYC. But the stories in "Citadel City Serenade" have definitely been the most rewarding. I really like trying to fit plots and characters together, and it feels awesome when things snap into place. "Six-String Soldier" is my most popular fic, probably because I started writing it right around the release of the movie and it's shippy. Overall... hm, I think my favorite MMFR thing I've written might be "Metal Bars." I think I did a pretty decent mix of kid naivety and shitty oppression. 

Q: How do you like your wasteland? Gritty? Hopeful? Campy? Soft? Why?

A: Hopeful, but realistic, I think. With everything that's going on in politics, both in America and internationally, and the unbearably awful reports on climate change, I need to cling to some remnants of hope or else I'll just lie on the floor and never get up. I love solarpunk! Reclaiming/recreating the world is what interests me.

Q: Walk us through your creative process from idea to finished product. What's your prefered environment for creating? How do you get through rough patches?

A: I write drafts, either as notes on paper or outlines in Google docs. I have a bunch of notebooks full of fragments. I do a lot of editing - I have a hard time articulating things, so it takes a number of attempts until I get it right (or at least close to right). When I get stuck, I read fic. There are so many talented authors who've produced so many amazing stories that it's pretty easy to find something inspiring.

Q: What (if any) music do you listen to for help getting those creative juices flowing?

A: Folk music! I have a couple of playlists on Spotify specifically for writing Mad Max fic.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a creator?

A: Writing! Specifically writing something good! I'm not sure if this counts as a challenge, but I also struggle with self doubt; posting something that gets no attention really sucks and it's hard not to take poor reviews/no reviews as a personal affront.

Q: How have you grown as a creator through your participation in the Mad Max Fandom? How has your work changed? Have you learned anything about yourself?

A: I've never attempted to write something as long as "Six-String Soldier," or the whole series of "Citadel City Serenade," really. Trying to manage a couple of different timelines at once with different POVs has been complicated and fun. Because of this fandom, I've also been writing more articles for the Fanlore wiki and tracking down references/resources for preservation. I'm an archivist and being able to use some of my professional skills in fandom and even develop them has been sort of neat.

Q: Which character do you relate to the most, and how does that affect your approach to that character? Is someone else your favourite to portray? How has your understanding of these characters grown through portraying them?

A: I probably relate most to Max: tired, wants to be alone, many grunts. But I prefer to write the Wives. They're so fascinating, each in their own way. I love how distinct they are and yet how well they work as a team. The first few times I saw the movie, I focused on Furiosa as the feminist hero that we all needed, but the more I watched and the more I read, the more I realized just how courageous, intelligent, and yes, feminist the Wives are. Victory doesn't require fighting and heroes don't need to be killers. The Wives achieve so much over the span of the story without physically fighting.

Q: How do you translate various elements from the film, such as the theme of the importance of bodily autonomy and critiques of an oppressive ruling class, into a modern setting?

A: This is an amazing question, thank you for asking! MMFR portrays a reality that is uncannily close to our own - In fact, it might as well be a peek into our future. In my mind, there's not even much of a need to translate those elements/themes because oh god we're dealing with them right now. What I was trying to translate with "Citadel City Serenade" is the victory of the characters over those adversities. In MMFR, the characters participate in violent, bloody battle; in CCS, they start social movements. Which is something we can do in the real world! Marches, protests, grassroots activism in general are tools we can use - Music, art, hell even gardening can be parts of a revolution.

Q: Do you ever self-insert, even accidentally?

A: Nope! I'm far too pathetic to survive in the wasteland. Hopefully I'll just die in the initial blast.

Q: Do you have any favourite relationships to portray? What interests you about them?

A: Yes! I'm a shipper at heart, so I am all about the couples. My two favorites are Capable/Nux and Toast/Slit. I love having the women be the ones leading the relationships - not only setting the boundaries but also expanding the War Boys world into completely new territory. I'm also totally into male characters who are sexually inexperienced. Alpha male dudes are meh in my opinion - Give me someone sweet and enthusiastic, someone whose love is based on respect, someone whose enthusiastic about learning. I think Nux is firmly in the category of awesome boyfriend, and I like trying to figure out how to lead Slit in that direction. There's also the idea of redemption in their relationships that I find fascinating.

Q: How does your work for the fandom change how you look at the source material?

A: Hm, I think that I definitely view the film through a feminist gaze. It's entirely possible that MMFR is just an action film but that's not my take on it!

Q: Do you prefer to create in one defined chronology or do your works stand alone? 

A: Why or why not?Bit of both! I just want to read, read, read - As long as the fics are well written, it doesn't matter to me if the settings are consistent. As far as my own writing goes, I get so many ideas for fics that it's not really possible to have them all exist in a single chronology.

Q: To break or not to break canon? Why?

A: The great thing about fanfiction is that it's transformative. To me, canon is the foundation, but you can build whatever you want on it. Hopefully I keep the characters close to their canon portrayals, but other than that, I like to mix things up. Also, a modern AU setting just fits so damn well in the Mad Max world. I think also that canon itself can be flexible. Death of the author and all that. Once media is out in the world, it'll be interpreted by the audience - and sometimes those interpretations are vastly different from one another. 

Q: Share some headcanons.

A: I don't really have any! Since most of my stuff is AU, the headcanons are limited to those settings.

Q If you work with OCs walk us through your process for creating them. Who are some of your favourites?

A: I have a smatterings of OCs who populate the world as background characters: Vuvalini, milking mothers, and War Boys. I played a MMFR tabletop RPG a couple of years ago, and my character from that and an NPC she saved both ended up in 6-String. That particular War Boy (Stacks) now has a couple of fans and so I've been giving him more screentime, as it were. He's sort of interesting as a foil to Nux and Slit: those two have girlfriends to learn from, but Stacks is on his own as he tries to escape from the WB life.

Q: If you create original works, how do those compare to your fan works?

A: I do! I participate in NaNo every year. I think my fanfiction is better than my original stuff since I write, since the fanfic is intended to be shared and thus I have to write decently enough to get readers. However my stuff tends to be in the speculative fiction genre, so that's something my fanfic and original fic share.

Q: What are some works by other creators inside and outside of the fandom that have influenced your work?

A: There are so many! In Mad Max, @supergirrll, @redcandle17, pbp (@primarybufferpanel),  @bonehandledknife, Tyellas (@thebyrchentwigges), and hell all of the Boltcutters are all really important; the early writers of Nux/Capable fics also really influenced and inspired my love of the characters and the ships. Spicyshimmy, an author in the Dragon Age fandom, has also been one of my favorite authors for years, and I return to her stuff regularly to see how awesome writing can be. 

Q: What advice can you give someone who is struggling to make their own works more interesting, compelling, cohesive, etc.? 

A: I struggle with this myself, so I don't think I really have an answer unfortunately other than read everything you can get your hands on, write everything you can think of. I write basically what I want to read; if I can make the reader!me happy, then at least I've satisfied one person. However, what I consider interesting, compelling, etc, isn't always what other people want. Maybe my advice is to try not to take it personally when your hard work isn't rewarded. Which again, I'm not always able to do. 

Q: Have you visited or do you plan to visit Australia, Wasteland Weekend, or other Mad Max place?

A: Yes, Wasteland Weekend! It was a lot of fun and I'm hoping to go again. Being able to immerse myself in the world was a great experience - A totally new way for me to engage with fandom.

Q: Tell us about a current WIP or planned project.

A: Still chugging along with "Citadel City Serenade!" The two main stories in that series are going to intersect in a meaningful way soon. In fact, they're going to crash. Looking forward to getting that out there (and getting it done!).

Thank you @jaesauce

[dcarevu]

Batman TAS: Feat of Clay (Part 1)

“Sweet dreams, slime ball”

Out of the three two-parters so far, the two best ones have involved a villain with the word “face” in their name. Maybe if Red Claw had been Claw Face, we would have gotten a better conclusion?

Episode: 20 Robin: No Writers: Michael Reaves (story), Marv Wolfman (story/teleplay) Director: Dick Sebast Animator: Akom Airdate: September 8, 1992 Grade: A

Now this is more like it! It’s like the writing process of Prophecy of Doom was someone taking the Renuyu cream and dumping it all over Batman TAS, turning it into a blob. But then for this one, Marv Wolfman and Michael Reaves took that blob and meticulously sculpted it back into something awesome. We’ve seen from Pretty Poison what Michael Reaves can do, and back when we covered that episode, I gave most of the credit to Paul Dini, due to him being the only name I recognized at the time. That is part of why I love doing this blog series. I am learning so much more about the series than I would otherwise! I’m learning about different members of the creative team, breathing new life into the DCAU for me. I swear, it’s like watching something I’ve never seen before sometimes! Looking through Michael Reave’s episode resumé, I’m seeing some very mixed results, and he’s very much responsible for a future episode that many people seriously pan. But he’s also done a handful of potential top 10 material. This shows me that back when tv show episodes were ordered in bulk, it gave a lot less room to throw out potential bummers. When a standard 13-episode season is ordered, you can overshoot a little bit easier and then streamline the selection. I can’t even imagine never producing a show before, and then being told that I gotta make over 60 installments for the first run. I think that being a great writer is only partially about writing awesome things. It’s also knowing what to get rid of and what to cut down. I don’t care who you are, you’re not going to have good ideas always, and your mindset can be in a weird place for one day out of seven, causing something you regret.

Most of what stood out to me for this one was the sheer intensity of it, and I think that stands true for Char as well. She mentioned that the fight was pretty violent in parts, that the origin of Clayface was enjoyably gruesome/messed up beyond belief, and that Batman’s interrogation moment was batshit insane! Going through these aspects one by one, we first have the fight scene. The one that happens right after the phony Bruce Wayne tries to kill Lucius Fox (happy first appearance, by the way). I love the way that Batman just punts Germs (one of Roland Daggett’s thugs who is ironically a germaphobe) across the room, into a switch. It makes me consider doing a post called “Top 10 DCAU Kicks” or something. And then right after that, Germs tries to shove Batman’s head between notches on some interconnecting, spinning gears.

The amount of times Batman comes so close to death during even little scenes like this against ordinary thugs… Like, I get that he’s Batman, and he’s awesome, and he’s not to be messed with, but I feel like he must be so settled into the mindset of “I could die any night”. I know I’ve talked in the past about Bruce having a hard time forming meaningful relationships sometimes, but this adds to that. It’s not just a matter of keeping a secret or physically exerting yourself so often. Being Batman is also about accepting the very real possibility of a gruesome death, no matter what you’ve got scheduled for the rest of the week.

Clayface’s origin is kind of a fight scene as well I guess, and it’s no less pulse-pounding. Roland Daggett mentions to his thugs that he wants them to get rid of Matt Hagen (who was on a magazine cover a couple episodes back), as he has “outlived his usefulness”. They know that he will come around the area, looking for more of that face cream, because it has made him an addict. And it’s not even a simple mental addiction, like how I am addicted to cereal (totally legit). It apparently has chemically addicting properties, and on top of that, Matt obviously has some huge self esteem issues. Not to say that I blame him. He does sorta have a face that only a mother could love.

He’s not just concerned with looking “attractive” for when he’s acting, though, he doesn’t want anyone to see him at all when the face cream wears off. He yells at his best friend, Teddy, to shut the door of his dressing area in a hurry so that no one catches a glimpse of what he looks like. It’s sad to see Matt and Teddy interacting the way they do. They’re supposed to be friends, but Matt has obviously let his situation get to his head, much like what can happen with drug addicts in the real world. And with Matt at probably the worst he’s ever been, Roland Daggett is nothing but a heartless monster. These crime bosses in this show piss me off! 

This is the second episode that we’ve had which has tackled the subject of drug addicting in a very respectable way. If we didn’t get the heaviness and great story with the drug elements, it would seem as preachy. But they use the idea of drug addiction as a plot element rather than revolving the plot around that. It helps make the story flow like Matt Hagen’s eventual skin. And speaking of that, to apparently kill Matt Hagen, what the thugs do when he arrives at the location they predict he will, they take a big container of the Renuyu face cream and dump it all over his body. I think. That’s what I always thought was happening, but it has come to my attention that maybe they were just aiming for directly into his mouth. That is honestly just despicable of them.

That silhouette has way more of a dramatic effect on me than just showing it would have. 

Injuring him in one of the nastiest ways possible (basically turning his body into liquid shit) with the very thing running his life, and ultimately destroying it. If Matt never found that face cream, he probably would have been alright. Maybe not a famous actor, but he could have gotten by. Probably found love. Not this way. At least, not for now. I’ll admit, I really couldn’t tell you if Matt Hagen was a decent person before getting into this mess, and I will talk a little bit more about that next time. But to say he deserved what he got? No way! And this is what makes him another oh-so-tragic rogue for the DCAU.

Okay, and then can we talk about that interrogation scene where Batman stabs the pointy ears of his Batwing through a thug’s car, rips the door off, and then grabs him by the wrist with this little robotic extendable arm, high above the rooftops of Gotham City?

Jesus Christ, Batman! I get that someone is impersonating you (and this time it was in purpose, not coincidental like with Man-Bat in episode 1), and that it may piss you off a little bit, but watch how you’re swooping, man! You’re gonna sever that guy’s wrist and turn him into pudding as he hits the concrete below! Ha, no, but in all seriousness, this scene was just awesome. Probably the most hardcore Batman has gotten yet when it comes to getting the answers that he wants. Even though the guy passed out before he could actually get them… And then I love how when the cops surround Batman (Gotta note their nonchalant reactions too…like, “Batman, c’mon, man, we’ve talked to you about this!”), he releases the guy by dropping him into a rooftop swimming pool which has gotta be several stories below.

Imagine if his aim was just a little bit off! Batman’s like, “Hey, the sign only said ‘No Diving’.” See, this is why you keep your rooftop pool covered when you’re not using it. Hell, the dude probably shit his pants in that pool out of fear. I would have!

Feat of Clay (Part 1) also brought up the subject of fame, and the repercussions of it, much like how Beware the Gray Ghost did, but we take a much different approach to the character, one that I will be going more in detail with…next time! How will Feat of Clay (Part 2) hold up? I’ll give you a hint: TMS.

Watching this episode with Char and noticing her confusion as Bruce acts so shady was perfect.

I don’t remember their eyes glowing like this when I took the screenshot! Their eyes must have reflected the camera flash...

Lucius Fox debut episode. Don’t know much about him yet, though.

Picture that case as a pizza box.

Matt Hagen movie poster. If only the poor guy realized that he still had the ability to play these parts, even if the public found out about his face.

Him licking his lips here was a little odd.

I think that this might be our first time that we’ve had a villain so established and successful among the public. The corruption of his company doesn’t seem to be common knowledge.  Look at his foreboding building!

Ed Asner plays Daggett, an original character to this show. No, I’m not gonna make any “soulless ginger” jokes. What is this, 2012?

There is no way that stuff wouldn’t be all over the conveyor belt.

More satisfying typing noises! Yeah, baby!

The shittiest shots in the episode. Happen as Batman zooms by the camera in the Batwing.

You’ve pissed Batman off if you see this face.

It’s one thing to frame Batman, it’s another to frame Bruce Wayne! And unlike a lot of superheroes, Bruce Wayne is a big enough public figure where it would make total sense for criminals to frame him.

We’ll be seeing more of what kind of monster he’s been turned into next time!

Char’s grade: A

Next time: Feat of Clay (Part 2) Full episode list here!

[tardisgirlepic]

Ch. 5: “The Doctor Falls” Analysis Doctor Who S10.12: The Time War: Floor 507 & Christmas Foreshadowing

<- Read previous chapter

Floor 507: Lots of Symbolism for the Episode

Floor 507 gives us lots of symbolism not just with the people, but also with the setting, itself. In fact, it offers more metaphors for the Time War and even foreshadows some of the Christmas episode.

Rural Life

At the beginning of “The Doctor Falls,” we saw a bucolic setting of patchwork farm fields, a large hill, and sheep grazing.  It looked idyllic.  In fact, this opening immediately set a calm, non-violent, happier mood, except for one thing.  In “World Enough and Time,” this setting showed up in the 2nd close up of a window in the spaceship, so we knew immediately that any calm, non-violent mood would be short-lived.

Because this part of the ship was closer to the Black Hole, time was literally slower here, which matched the pace of life we came to see.  However, like the ship, itself, Time was an antagonistic character, along with the Black Hole, creating desperate situations on multiple floors.

References to “Human Nature” & “The Family of Blood” Set the Premise

The scene shifted and we saw a horse-drawn wagon full of children, adding to the eclectic technology on the entire ship.  Here on Floor 507, there were callbacks to the 1800s, like bed warmers in the farmhouse, although clearly the children were wearing modern clothes. 

The scene seemed to promise a slower life for a little while, except violence already came to this floor. We seemingly saw what happened to the expedition(s) of Mondasian Cyber-patients, shown below.  Like scarecrows, they were chained to Roman crosses in the fields, mirroring the odd scarecrow army in the 10th Doctor 2-parter “Human Nature” and “The Family of Blood,” where the Doctor turned himself human.  This immediately set the premise of one group being targeted for their qualities and converted if caught.  

However, the crosses made these bio-mechanical Cyber-patient zombies symbols of a face of a martyred 12th Doctor.  (Bill, the 12th Doctor, and Missy were all associated with the cross in this episode.)

Because these Mondasian Cyber-patients on Floor 507 were without headgear, they were in constant pain, like the Star Whale in “The Beast Below.”  Suffering on the cross certainly applied to them.  They were martyred beings in the quest for freedom during Operation Exodus.

This brings up moral and ethical questions, which DW has touched on at times because wars create monsters on both sides.  How far does a group go to survive, including forcing people to become cyborgs?  On the other side, did the rural people know these Cyber-patient scarecrows felt constant pain?  What, if anything, would the rural people have done differently, if they did know?  Their priority was the children.  In fact, these questions become important because they are part of the reason people need redemption in the first place. 

Going Back to its Roots: The Man Who Fell to Earth

Regardless of the Cybermen madness, Floor 507 at the opening still set the mood of a slower, quieter life, in stark contrast to the dirty, decaying city life on Floor 1056.  In fact, the wagon traveling down the road brought visions of a scene from The Man Who Fell to Earth.  It was clear from that movie that Newton had been on Earth a long time because he saw visions of a bucolic setting from the 1800s.  DW seems to be paying tribute here to the novel the program is based on.

But it’s more than that, too.  It’s going back to the very root of the story in another way.  The subtext in the movie shows that the man who fell was actually the boy who fell to Earth.  This matches other independent subtext that we’ve examined in Chapter 18 of the Fairytales document: the Doctor at the epicenter was really a child or barely more than one, even if he didn’t look like it.  The 1st Doctor fits this, as well as a Child archetype.

The Homestead Symbolism

Visions of the past were repeated again, when the wagon pulled up outside the farmhouse, shown below. The imagery that spoke the loudest to me at first glance was the much older stonework in disrepair with plants growing in the cracks.  It was part of an old foundation that included the remnants of a stone building with a fireplace.  It spoke of a time long gone.  

In contrast, the farmhouse, springing out of the old remnants around it, was much newer and could easily be a home from today with what looked like modern roofing.  The mix of technological eras was a theme in both parts of the finale and spoke to something the Doctor said to young Davros in “The Magician’s Apprentice,” when he ended up on Skaro by mistake.

DOCTOR: No, this is a war. A very old one, going by the mix of technology. Which war is this? I get them all muddled up.

Therefore, the mix in technology on this prison ship told us that this war was an old one.

We can glean much more meaning from this setting of the entire homestead (farmhouse, barn, windmill, old building, etc.) since they provide abundant imagery, including foreshadowing for Christmas. 

The Farmhouse

The farmhouse, at first glance, seemed like a rather simple symbol, but it was actually quite complex.

A Welcoming Haven One of the first things we saw was that it was a welcoming haven for the children, as Hazran greeted them with open arms, shown below.  We saw the children, except Alit, run to her, squealing in delight to see her again.

We found out later that the children came from around the community to stay at the house, so adults from the community could more easily protect them when the Cybermen came to take the children. 

The Waltons Reference Foreshadows Xmas Surprisingly, Missy added to the symbolism of the farmhouse, mentioning The Waltons later on.  Really? She knew about such things?  The Waltons was an American TV series that ran from 1972 to 1981.  The show highlighted the lives of the Waltons, an impoverished rural family living in Virginia, struggling through the Great Depression.  The later years touched on World War II.

The main themes of the show were important to what was happening in “The Doctor Falls.”  One of them included being kind and hospitable to both neighbors and strangers. We saw that, for example, with Hazran, taking in various people: the children, the Doctor, and Nardole, although Hazran was scared of CyberBill. 

The other major theme of The Waltons was the importance of family, especially during adverse times.  “The Doctor Falls” didn’t really address the family aspect beyond having an extended family-type atmosphere with Hazran welcoming the children.  Hazran did ask Nardole about his family, which he knew nothing about.  Not knowing about one’s origins was a theme, as we saw with the Doctor, Nardole, and Bill.

In prior analyses, we examined the subtext that said the Doctor had to learn who his family was, at least in part, so this theme should be part of the Christmas special.  Keep in mind that because DW is told in metaphor, it could always end up in subtext rather than a direct callout.

The Changing Face of the Farmhouse The farmhouse represented a non-verbal character with a changing personality.  Initially, Hazran personified the welcoming aspect of the house. After a short time, shown below, the colonists upgraded the farmhouse with a rudimentary technological fortification. The house had the beginning of sandbags walls, which would grow quite tall, along with wooden barricades made of pointy stakes.

Later, we saw the transformed house, shown below, in a shroud of darkness even with multiple suns shining, symbolizing Hell had caught up to it.  Not only was there a high sandbag wall around the foundation with more barricades, but also the newly boarded windows had gun loops, the holes in the boards to shoot from.

The personality of the house had changed.  It no longer projected the welcoming, slumber-party-like atmosphere that we saw at the beginning with the children.  Instead, it reflected war.  Correspondingly, Hazran had a rifle and was quick to use it against CyberBill.

This fortification was not that different from Bill’s and other patients’ upgrades to Cybermen, except the farmhouse showed us the other side of the war.  So we were seeing the motivations for escalating war technologies on both sides.

In another upgrade in technology, Nardole rigged the automatic firing of rifles (red arrow example) from the gun loops.

The Doctor, himself, mirrored not just Hazran, but also the house and its armament.  Below, he was sitting in a rocking chair on the farmhouse porch holding a rifle.  

Ultimately, though, the house became a symbol of hopeless desperation to save the children inside. It could no longer protect them.  Nardole had to help the children and some adults escape while the Doctor drew the Cybermen’s attention.  Again, the Doctor mirrored that hopeless desperation at the end and tried to protect the children and adults in the only way left to him, blowing himself up with the Cybermen.

DOCTOR: Without hope. Without witness. Without reward.

The Alamo: A Symbol of Heroic Resistance to Oppression & a Turning Point in the War The heroic stand of the people at the farmhouse and especially by the Doctor gained even more significance with Nardole’s mention of the Alamo.  It was a reference to a pivotal event in the 6-month-long Texas Revolution from Mexico, which put this farmhouse and associated events into perspective of the broader Time War.

Leading up to the revolution and to Battle of the Alamo, the Mexican government’s increasingly dictatorial policies incited the colonists in the northern border region of Mexican Texas. They were mostly immigrants from the United States, and they revolted on October 2, 1835. 

For 13 days, starting in February 1836, a group of Texan defenders housed in the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas, held out courageously before President General Antonio López de Santa Anna and the Mexican army, which vastly outnumbered the defenders, finally overpowered them.

At the end of the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836, Wikipedia says that “fewer than fifty of the almost 250 Texians who had occupied the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas, were alive.”

Santa Anna’s cruelty during the battle “inspired many Texians—both Texas settlers and adventurers from the United States—to join the Texian Army.”  The battle cry "Remember the Alamo" spurred on the rebellion, and, according to Wikipedia, “buoyed by a desire for revenge, the Texians defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution.”

The Alamo became a symbol of heroic resistance and undying self-sacrifice and represented the turning point in the war.  Therefore, the farmhouse represented the symbolism of the Alamo, marking this as the pivotal turning point of the Time War.  The long Time War was nearly over because the Doctor came back to near the beginning – symbolized by Alit and by the 1st Doctor – to change the future from the past.

The Phoenix & the Epicenter of the War At the end of the episode, we saw the Doctor rise from the ashes, gaining new life.  Therefore, he symbolized the Phoenix ("The Pyramid at the End of the World" analysis), like Bill.  However, there was another Phoenix, which we haven’t discussed.  The newer farmhouse, too, was a Phoenix rising from the symbolic ashes of the older ruins, as shown below.  This is a very important point because it gives us a lot of symbolism.

Because this war on the ship represented the Time War and because the new farmhouse represented, in part, the turning point of the war, the older ruins represented the epicenter of where it started.

We examined how the Doctor would have to go back to the beginning to get to the timeline of the Doctor, who was at the epicenter (Chapter 18: Doctor Mysterio Analysis Part 5: Rescuing Children & Missy/Master).  And that’s why Nardole and the children had to go back in time by moving to Floor 502, which most likely was meant to be the very epicenter of the war, the symbolic time period where it started, because we only have one episode left of Capaldi’s run.

Therefore, in the 2017 Christmas special, we have to go back to an older time.  Of course, DW’s metaphors will take us to a different setting, which appears to be World War I.  And that makes complete sense.

Here’s the thing.  I mentioned in the previous chapter that there have been multiple time wars.  The 1st Doctor started one on purpose, using the metaphor of ancient Rome burning.  The 5th Doctor started one by accident in the metaphor of the Great Fire of London, but he didn’t try to stop it.  In fact, he said it should burn.  Then, in the 9th Doctor episode “World War Three,” we had a reference not only to WWIII, but by metaphor it represented the 3rd time war.

In the Christmas episode, we are going back to the 1st time war represented by WWI, as we should expect, since that is the beginning of the global wars.  Also, it matches the metaphors set up, which would be the 1st Doctor.  The Waltons being a TV show set in WWII, shows that we are going back from that, too, which is exactly what we would expect to get to the epicenter.

Other Things the Old Ruins Tell Us

Mirroring the Doctor Just as the farmhouse mirrors the Doctor, so do the old ruins.  There was not much symbolically left of the original Doctor within the 12th Doctor. 

The 12th Doctor made a comment to his mirror the half-faced man in “Deep Breath.”

DOCTOR: You are a broom. Question. You take a broom, you replace the handle, and then later you replace the brush, and you do that over and over again. Is it still the same broom? Answer? No, of course it isn't. But you can still sweep the floor. Which is not strictly relevant, skip that last part. You have replaced every piece of yourself, mechanical and organic, time and time again. There's not a trace of the original you left. You probably can't even remember where you got that face from.

Therefore, we have to go back farther in time.

The Fireplace & the Vestal Virgins Anyway, the most interesting thing about the old house is the fireplace.  In Chapter 13: Clara Has to Come Back: The Love Story and The Ghost, we examined the meaning of fire in fireplaces, symbolizing passion, for one thing.  However, fireplaces, themselves, hold a lot of symbolism.  People would have huddled around the fireplace to keep warm, and it also provided light and security, so it represented warmth, light, and security, just to name a few symbols.  However, there is something important the Doctor mentioned that connects to this.

The Doctor said in “The Eaters of Light” that he used to be a Vestal Virgin, 2nd Class. Vestal Virgins were priestesses of the Roman goddess Vesta, who was the virgin goddess of the home, hearth, and family. Wikipedia says of Vesta:

According to tradition, worship of Vesta in Italy began in Lavinium, the mother-city of Alba Longa and the first Trojan settlement.

So here is another connection to Trojans.

Anyway, Wikipedia says of the priestesses:

The College of the Vestals and its well-being were regarded as fundamental to the continuance and security of Rome. They cultivated the sacred fire that was not allowed to go out.

Allowing the fire to go out meant a severe whipping. 

Since the eternal fire represented the security of Rome, the symbolism in the finale – that old fireplace was cold and also in ruins – represented the Vestal fire going out and Rome falling.  That may be a reason the Doctor was a Vestal Virgin, 2nd Class.  It’s probable that he let the fire go out, dooming Rome. Most likely, Rome is a metaphor for Gallifrey.

BTW, given all the imagery that we’ve examined so far, the farmhouse reminds me of how Daleks became fortified over time.

The Barn

The barn represented multiple symbols: isolation, endings, and beginnings.  In the 1st example, the barn Bill slept in was a metaphor for the barn in “Listen” that the child Doctor slept in.  He was isolated from the other children, so they wouldn’t hear him crying.  It represented endings, as there were signs of potential suicide until Clara intervened in his life and gave him a new beginning.

In another example, the War Doctor in “The Day of the Doctor” originally went back to the barn determined to stop the Time War the only way he knew how, destroying Time Lords and Daleks alike.  He isolated himself quite a distance from the city.  He was going to end billions of lives, until he got a new outlook, giving him a new beginning, along with Gallifrey.

Of course, the barn on Gallifrey showed up again in “Hell Bent,” where the Doctor spent time alone, waiting for Rassilon.  Ohila said the Doctor went back to the beginning when he went back to the barn. Therefore, in “The Doctor Falls,” it was fitting that Bill and the Doctor ended up in the barn.

The Windmill

Windmills hold a lot of symbolism, depending on the context.  We saw several different camera shots of the one on Floor 507, as well as the one on Floor 502 at the end with Nardole and Alit.  The first time a windmill showed up is right at the beginning after the wagon pulls up in front of the farmhouse, shown below.

Since windmills convert wind energy to electricity, they are symbols of conversion.  Certainly, there were a lot of conversions going on in the finale with people being upgraded to Cybermen.  Nardole blew up the windmill, symbolically showing the end of the conversions on Floor 507.

However, when I see windmills, my first thought is usually a reference to the Spanish novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.  The English idiom “Tilting at windmills” derives from the title character, who upon seeing windmills believed them to be giants, and he wanted to do battle with them.  The idiom has come to mean attacking imaginary enemies.

Interestingly, there was a tilted windmill, shown below, about halfway through the episode.  I see this as a physical representation of the idiom. Things really weren’t happening the way they appeared throughout the entirety of DW – in the same way that CyberBill saw herself in an illusionary form.  

In fact, the fiction mist in the TARDIS, spewing out while the Doctor was dead, stopped after he resurrected.  Therefore, things were illusionary until the fiction mist stopped. 

The Forest

The forest was the appropriate place for the Doctor to be while shooting at the Cybermen.  After all, he was Merlin, a.k.a “the wild man of the woods.”  Additionally, it was appropriate that he was able to destroy Cybermen even though he wasn’t shooting at them and didn’t even have a sonic in his right hand at the time. That furthers the whole Merlin symbol.

Also, it seems appropriate that he should die in the forest since River is associated with it.  Of course, there was “The Forest of the Dead” episode in the Library.  However, there was also the phrase mentioned twice, “the only water in the forest is the river.” 

The Time War & Christmas Foreshadowing

In general, the finale was metaphorically showing us how the Time War spread across time and what the stakes were.  By concentrating on Floor 1056 in the 1st part of the finale, it allowed us to see the desperation in that part of the ship and that side of the war.  Of course, Floor 507 showed us the desperation on the other side of the war to save their children.  The stakes were high on both sides.

In one way, it was beautiful to see how this alternate universe model put the abstract concept of the Time War into a concrete example, such as we saw.  At the same time, it was horrifying to watch.  It brought real emotions into play as we watched what happened to Bill, especially.

Because this all was about going back in time to stop the Time War by changing the parameters that started it (not giving into temptation), it was inevitable that we would see a war in the Christmas special.  In fact, in case you haven’t read it, I detailed this and the main points of what was foreshadowed in my post-airing analysis of “The Return of Doctor Mysterio.”

It’s mostly about how important the brains in the big “C” room are in that episode and what they really would mean for foreshadowing of Season 10.   It explains how it would fit into the ideological war (the Time War) that we are seeing now, and how the Doctor had to turn back time to rescue the children at the epicenter of the war.  That has almost all come true, except that the rescue isn’t over yet. 

This arc is about Gallifrey and how to save it, so we should see this at Christmas.  After all, the Time Lords freed themselves from the time lock and were hiding out at the end of the universe.  It’s a matter of time before disaster happens.

The other problem that we examined before is that the 12th Doctor, by saving River in the Library, created a bootstrap paradox loop that they are stuck in.  So this is all happening in looped time.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that people in the Christmas special are stuck in a moment of time, a metaphor for the looped time with the Library problem.  A Groundhog Day hell.  This has to get resolved. 

The icy setting of Antarctica is quite appropriate to give us a preview of the Groundhog Day hell. 

Last Thoughts

I’m looking forward to the Christmas special, although it’s bittersweet.  I’ll greatly miss Peter Capaldi, but I’m also eager to see Jodie in the role.  I’m getting my tissues ready. 

I wish everyone a great Christmas and Happy New Year!  I’ll start posting the analysis of the Christmas special within a few weeks of the airing.

[nyxelestia]

I dunno if you've discussed this before, but I was curious to hear your opinion. Do you think the Hale family was 100% matriarchal? not only was Talia in charge but she didn't seem to take her husband's surname (evidenced by the fact that Peter was also Hale and so far only Hales are the ones capable of fully shifting) and when Deaton was talking about Laura he said that Talia had been grooming her into the next alpha, she never considered Derek for the position (it could be an age thing tho)

This turned very long, anon, so most of it is under a cut.

TL;DR - There isn't any canonical support for matriarchal werewolves, but there isn't any canonical opposition to it, either, and canon does support a feminine leadership style among werewolves over a masculine one. Meanwhile, leaning towards matrilineal or matriarchal structure among werewolves (or supernaturals in general) would explain a lot of the inconsistencies about supernaturals in folklore and mythology.

There are two parts to this: what actually happens on-screen, and my own headcanons (which is not limited to the Hale family alone).

So are the Hales matriarchal?

On-screen, in canon - we don't really know. Definitely, for the last two generations, the werewolves in charge happened to be women. Talia seems to have kept her maiden name upon marriage, but based on age and location, this isn't necessarily that unusual. (I'm slightly biased when it comes to surnames, as my parents gave me a different last name altogether when I was born to stick it to the patriarchy.)

Talia and Laura both happened to be the oldest siblings, so definitely, werewolves are not patriarchal - there's no pressure for the oldest son to be the alpha, but there does some to be a preference or pressure for the oldest child, or maybe for the child most capable of leadership regardless of their gender or age.

That said, "matriarchal" and "patriarchal" don't actually mean much in isolation - isolation, in this case, meaning one family, even a large one. Those are terms to describe communities and cultures, and in that sense, we need to look at werewolves at large - where we don't see evidence either way. There's never any concrete indication of preference for one gender over another, and absence of patriarchy is not automatically matriarchy.

Additionally, when the alphas in the 3A flashbacks are discussing what to do about the Hunters, Talia suggests going because "Hunters are matriarchal" - which could suggest that werewolves are not.

Could.

Because now we go into headcanon territory, at which point we start busting out the mythology.

Absence of patriarchy is not a canonical confirmation of matriarchy, but it is a great foundation for a headcanon of matriarchy. Something we see time and again in Teen Wolf is that the traditional myths are not reliable - they are thousand-year-old telephone games, distortions of reality with little more than a few grains of truth to their story.

From the historical standpoint, a lot of Bronze Age mythologies are very matrilineal in nature. While they weren't matriarchal by virtue of lacking any -archal structure, a matrilineal structure in a pre-accumulation society often leads to an effective matriarchy.

Somewhat interestingly, the werewolves do operate a lot on Bronze Age ethics. Very brutal by our modern standards, but pretty reasonable for Bronze Age standards.

(Bronze Age, I use not just in reference to the strict time period, but rather/also as a catch-all term to indicate cultures and societies prior to agricultural urbanization.)

History has a long, well, history of downplaying, distorting, or outright erasing the presence and contributions of women and other marginalized communities. You can read more about them here and here.

There's one which stands out, though:

“Ancient moon priestesses were called virgins. ‘Virgin’ meant not married, not belonging to a man - a woman who was ‘one-in-herself’. The very word derives from a Latin root meaning strength, force, skill; and was later applied to men: virle. Ishtar, Diana, Astarte, Isis were all all called virgin, which did not refer to sexual chastity, but sexual independence. And all great culture heroes of the past, mythic or historic, were said to be born of virgin mothers: Marduk, Gilgamesh, Buddha, Osiris, Dionysus, Genghis Khan, Jesus - they were all affirmed as sons of the Great Mother, of the Original One, their worldly power deriving from her. When the Hebrews used the word, and in the original Aramaic, it meant ‘maiden’ or ‘young woman’, with no connotations to sexual chastity. But later Christian translators could not conceive of the ‘Virgin Mary’ as a woman of independent sexuality, needless to say; they distorted the meaning into sexually pure, chaste, never touched.”

This poses a very interesting question on the nature of the "Virgins" the Darach needed for her sacrifices, and I actually posit that pursuing Judeo-Christian virgins for a Pagan ritual may've tripped her up a bit or weakened her power, but that's a digression for another day.

More relevantly, it does shed some light onto this old Tumblr post:

The "grumpy grandma" version of that story/comic is very much a matriarchal take on the werewolf lore.

Now, how does this relate back to Teen Wolf?

After all, we see both men and women in charge, the main character is a man, and we don't really get to see how packs other than Scott's work that much.

First let's take a stab at what it means to lead "maternally" or with feminine traits, vs what it means to lead "paternally" or with masculine traits. Then let's try applying it to the characters we've seen thus far.

Now, what does the difference between masculinity and femininity really entail? Well, this post actually encapsulates the femininity aspect quite well - both in the actual meta itself, and in the mass of bullshit that accompany the 4th reblog/2nd gif.

Those traits were proscribed to a character who rarely or never expressed them purely because he was the physically weakest character, and this speaks a lot to our misconceptions of masculinity and femininity as leadership models. "Strong = manly" and therefore "weak = womanly", amirite or amirite? /s

While they were projected onto the wrong person - arguably one of the "manliest" characters on the show despite also being the materially weakest - the traits themselves were summarized pretty eloquently: "feminine qualities tend to be nurturing, patience, loving, empathy".

Almost all of the protagonists demonstrate these to some degree at various points throughout the show - but the one who we see demonstrating it the most is actually a man, Scott.

Scott's going into a career of nurturing, his defeat of various antagonists often boils down to having a little more patience than them, and of course he is a very loving and empathic individual throughout the show. This is the guy whose response to someone holding a gun on him and talking about how they want to shoot him is "I get that". This is a guy who puts the safety and security of his loved ones over his pride without a second thought, not even hesitating to offer to beg for their lives if that's what the villain wanted.

Now let's compare that to someone over on the opposite extreme - Peter, as an alpha in the very first season. He doesn't strive to protect, and in fact quite the opposite - he's willing to kill his own niece for that leadership role, that power. He tries to lead through fear, not respect.

Derek sits in the middle, in that he starts out leading in a masculine way, but then transitions over time towards the feminine - very much in correlation to his relationship to Scott.

Now, let's take a look at the other alphas - when they are trying to lead with violence, with fear, or just pursuing power, they are shown in a negative light (in and out of universe), and demonstrated to be toxic leaders. This means Peter, Season 2 Derek, and the alpha pack.

However, the alphas who are portrayed in a positive light (both in and out of universe), who are respected, and who are seen as a role model of what kind of alpha to be, are Scott, Talia, Satomi, and when they aren't being subject to the violence of the alpha pack, even Deucalion (and up to a certain extent, Ennis). Scott, Talia, and Satomi are far more patient and "quiet" leaders, treating violence as a last resort instead of a first course of action. They preferred diplomacy over domination. Deucalion was described as a visionary during a time when he tried to reach out to the tremendously violent Argents with peace. And Ennis' pre-alpha-pack defining characteristic (second to Biting Paige at Derek's request) is his referral to himself and his pack as the family of a lost packmember - aka, grief borne out of love.

Another term I want to consider is what I used above - matrilineal, rather than matriarchal. Matrilineal basically just means that family is traced through mothers, not through fathers (which is predominantly how they are traced today in most cultures across the world). It's slow and more "sustainable" than "expansionary" - but, compared to paternal lineage, it's reliabe. It's very easy to mix up or lose track of who a baby's father was, but there's no mistaking who its mother is. Part of the source of matrilineal and potential matriarchal traditions and social clout/power is the ability to give and trace life. Basically, the capacity to create more people, while obviously dependent on both sexes, has largely been associated with feminity and the female sex/side of reproduction.

And what is one of the biggest differences between alphas and other werewolves? The ability to create more werewolves.

(Incidentally, while Talia most likely just had a husband whose name she didn't take, it's entirely possible that the reason why we never hear about Laura, Derek, and Cora's father is because they didn't have one. If they are a matrilineal family/culture, then paternity doesn't matter, only maternity, so it's entirely possible that their biological fathers are two or three different men (which would explain why they don't really look alike) that don't play a huge part in those kids lives. I don't consider it likely - after all, werewolves are hardly isolated away from the rest of the world - but it is possible, and it would be an example of what it means for a family or culture to be matrilineal.)

Anyway!

While there isn't really much in the way of canonical support of a matriarchal structure for the Hales/werewolves in general, there isn't much canonical opposition to it, either. Combined with all the other evidence, I headcanon that werewolves and the supernatural in general are matriarchal, or at least lean towards matriachal/maternal leadership - Hunters are just an institutionalization of it with their propensity for female leaders.

Additionally, this can also explain a lot of the inconsistencies in mythology and folklore, and in supernatural "history" in general. Most of what we know beforehand - our baseline knowledge that Teen Wolf then often subverts - is information filtered through centuries of imperialism and patriarchy. The history surrounding the Voynich Manuscript, alone, is a horrific insight into how women's history and health gets warped and wiped away under patriarchy - and men have to live with us. Humans don't have to live with supernaturals day in and day out.

So I further like to headcanon that the supernatural leaning towards matrilineal or matriarchal social structure is part of why there's been so much inconsistency in the myths and folklore about them. Whenver human men would try to record knowledge, they would do through the lens of patriarchy, in which this supernatural social system effectively becomes invisible, by virtue of being incomprehensible.

TL;DR - The Hales - or werewolves in general - being matriarchal isn't supported by canon, but it's not opposed by canon, either, and it should would explain a LOT about the supernatural world of Teen Wolf.

[sportsanimebreakdown]

Breakdown: One Outs

I’m starting with this anime cuz this series is the one I’ve most recently finished and is the spark that’s begun this blog, despite the fact that I’m not nearly as enthusiastic about it as I am about other series. But there’s a shitton to talk about and my friends will appreciate my dumping this on the internet instead of their ears, so here we go. 

SPOILER FREE ZONE

One Outs: Baseball anime (1 season by Madhouse in 2008, discontinued) and manga (finished, 98-2006). 

Production: High. Madhouse does good work. The original manga wasn’t strong artistically, so it’s a too-easy pun to say that Madhouse hit this one out of the park. 

Tropes: Unbeatable Hero, anti-hero, psychological manipulation, cheating, game manipulation, star player dragging team to victory

Not-Your-Wikipedia-Summary: Let’s put aside the annoying grammar mistake of the title and the fact that the protag’s design is basically a sexified Hiruma from Eyeshield 21, and move on to what it’s about: A pitcher from Okinawa, Toua Takuchi, bets on a game called One Outs with the local American soldiers, wherein if he strikes out the batters, he gets their money, but if they get even one hit off of him, they win. Naturally, he’s won 499 games (through psychological manipulation more than skill) and never lost. A pro Japanese player, whose team has been consistently last for decades, shows up and tries batting against him. He loses (his pride along with 400 grand USD) and has to do some soul-searching for like 20 minutes. Then he comes back and bets his career against Takuchi’s right arm, saying he’ll retire if he loses again, and if he wins he’ll get Takuchi’s right arm. He wins (sorta??) but instead of breaking Takuchi’s arm, he “takes” Takuchi’s arm by making him join the weak pro team.

TL;DR Review: Younger, newer fans of series like Haikyuu and Yowamushi Peda will probably scratch their heads at the slow pace, but as a longtime fan of this genre, it’s great to see a series that focuses on the more adult aspects of sports like cheating, gambling, and ruthless psychological manipulation. That said, the series suffers from a lack of relatable characters. It’s okay to have an Unbeatable Anti-Hero, but there needs to be a strong secondary cast to allow the viewer some emotional investment. I think of it as a door; relatable characters are the doors through which a viewer enters a series. This series has very weak, small doors, and not nearly enough of them. So interesting and enjoyable from its different approach to the genre, but it wasn’t strong enough to rate higher... or get a second season.   

'Objective’ Score: 6/10 (4 for story, extra 2 for high production quality)

Personal Score: 7.5/10 (I can see myself watching this again.)

SPOILER ZONE

 Full Thoughts:

So, like I said, fans of more popular sports anime will likely be confused. Not by the premise, despite the fact that it’s one of the very few sports anime shows NOT set in school, but by its pacing. It’s slow. It’s about the psychology of the players, and not in the usual “we can do it!” way. One Outs is about one player manipulating everyone without any qualms. He mentally destroys his opponents, uses his allies’ weaknesses, and generally gives no fucks about anything other than winning money. This is not a feel-good, ragtag-ensemble coming together to win a tournament, this is about watching one man destroy his enemies... and dragging his baffled/angered teammates to victory along the way. 

It says quite a bit about the series that the biggest villain isn’t an opposing team, but rather the team’s owner. That’s right- the owner of the team Takuchi is on is the biggest villain. Talk about a fun twist for those of us who thought we’d seen all the tropes by now. Maybe in older, lesser-known, not-made-into-high-budget-animes works this isn’t unusual, but it certainly was for me. 

That said, Tokuchi is what I call a “phenomenon character”. Like Batman who embodies dark broody justice and would, in real life, be a fucking psychopath, Takuchi embodies an approach to life that has been stripped of all human qualities. He will win. Ruthlessly. He’s not the kind of guy to torture small animals, but only because he doesn’t see anything to gain in it. He’s a sociopath who reads everyone around him and then wins their money.

WHICH IS FUCKING FUN. Until... I start to feel left out. In order to emotionally invest in the series, I need a way in. That’s why Batman has his Robin and Batgirl and all the oh-so-human villains. Because we mere mortals need a way into the world constructed around this force of nature. 

One Outs doesn’t have that. It’s a shame. If it did, it could have been a really strong series.

Miscellaneous;:

What was with that bishounen opening? It feels like mixed marketing messages.

I’m the first to say it’s good to show men as sexually attractive (since society often tells us that men’s bodies are Gross and Unattractive, whereas women’s bodies are [only] Pure and Beautiful) but this struck me as a sort of weird opening for a psychological sports series. Was this Madhouse’s way of drawing in the ladies? If anything, I was a bit weirded out by how skinny he was, but then I also know I’m not really big on the thinness that’s considered fashionably attractive in Japanese men. So I guess if it drew in fans, that’s cool and all, but it made me squint.

Representation: While we’re on the topic of character design, can we appreciate a couple of things here? 

One: The fact that there is a BLACK WOMAN. Yes, that’s right folks, she exists and actually has a SPEAKING ROLE. For like two whole episodes. Do we get her name? No, because the Japanese seem unaware that the “mammy” stereotype is a thing, they all just call her Big Mom. 

Take it where you can get it, folks. If any of you know of ANY other sports anime where a black woman has a speaking role, please let me know. 

In other good PoC news, there are two Black men in the series! One of them is a totally normal dude, the other one, with his eye tattoos, touches on that Dangerous Black Man stereotype a bit, but as he’s not violent and doesn’t cheat, it’s just more playing off of the intimidation factor of such a stereotype. 

Unlike in high school sports, since this is pro ball, the fact that these two men are PoC isn’t even mentioned. The character designs just are what they are. They didn’t try to pull any “black athletes are naturally more talented” bullshit (looking at you, Eyeshield and Hajime). So that was a nice change.

Can we also appreciate that the Japanese players actually LOOK Japanese and the foreign players actually LOOK American/non-Japanese? This matters to me. Why should it? Why shouldn’t it? Why shouldn’t Japanese people drawn by Japanese artists look Japanese? There’s a fascinating history behind this that other bloggers have gone into and I have no authority to speak on whatsoever (since I’m not Japanese) and if I find the posts I’ll link them here later, but suffice to say that it’s unusual to see this in an anime.

Anyway, this concludes my breakdown of One Outs. I’d like to read more of the manga, see where the characters and story go, but I don’t know if I was emotionally hooked enough to stay with it. I may wait until I have that itch to see an Unbeatable Hero again.