#I was originally just going to post about that cartoon - with live action parts- and highlight the very weird dog.

[just-the-cool-page]

The project we were shooting was for the magazine’s Holiday issue so predictably the art directors wanted to explore photographing them as Santa and his Elf.  In this town virtually any costume imaginable is available at one of the studio wardrobe departments but it was obvious that these outfits wound need to be custom-made, a task that the magazine delegated to me.  I immediately made the executive decision to make the Santa suit for Verne and designate Shaq as the Elf.  I felt this was not just more visually interesting but perhaps less offensive to little people who were regularly cast as sprites, elves and mythological characters.  This decision delighted Shaq and Verne but seemed to infuriate the art director that had flown out from New York for the shoot.  After the shoot she insisted on keeping the wardrobe and told me upon her return to NYC that she had “burned the outfits so that no one else would have them”.  Needless to say there was an “interesting energy” on the set that day. 

Robert Sebree

[femmescripter]

Medley of Maxley Headcanons

Greetings, all! It's been a long time since I've made an original post. So I wanted to make one for a favorite old pairing I enjoy that's been making a resurgence. A collection of all my Maxley headcanons. I hope that you enjoy them! Species Headcanons Max is a Labradoodle, a designer crossbreed between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard/Miniature Poodle. Along with being great family companions they're known for being great service dogs. Both breeds are in the Sporting Group and are water retriever dogs. He gets his Labrador Retriever side from Goofy and his Standard Poodle side from his late mother. I picked this breed for Max because both breeds have loppy ears, black fur and outgoing personalities. Bradley is a Saluki, a purebred dog that originally comes from the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East. It is well known for its hunting prowess and hunts by sight rather than scent, making it a sighthound. Additionally in Islamic culture it is the only dog that's described as being clean. I picked this dog for Bradley because the common fur coloring for the breed and its background as a hunting dog fits his personality and overall look. It's also used as a mascot for the Southern Illinois University Carbondale varsity athletic teams, called the Southern Illinois Salukis. And being the athlete that he is just made it an even more perfect choice for Bradley.

Regular Headcanons Bradley, being the Alpha male type that he is, will howl at Max when he walks by to tease him. The first time he did it Max whipped around to slap him out of instinct. Bradley barely dodged it but still likes to tease the cute freshman by howling at him. Now Max just rolls his eyes at the senior. Although he can't deny that he blushes a bit whenever Bradley does it.

Max likes pop music, which surprises a lot of people as he comes off as an alternative music type. And recently he's gotten into city pop(Japanese 70's/80's pop songs). So Bradley takes Max on a surprise trip to Japan to attend a live city pop concert.

Max is a chili head, and Bradley tries to eat a super-hot Serrano pepper chili to impress him. Even in spite of the fact that he has the spice tolerance of a two-year old. It goes about as well as you think. But Max is there with a nice, triple chocolate fudge ice cream cone and gives the Uppercrust a kiss for effort.

Bradley is very possessive and dangerously protective of Max. He does not tolerate anyone who's not part of Max's inner circle touching his freshman. Once at a party a guy tried to get handsy with Max when Bradley turned his head for a moment. Max tried to make the guy back off for his own sake - but it was too late. Bradley already had the creep out on his ear. For the rest of the party Bradley keeps Max sitting in his lap. And even as they leave, he carries Max all the way back to his dorm.

Before either of them enters a skating contest, Max and Bradley always rub noses for good luck. It was a little intimate tradition of theirs that started by accident when they bumped into each other - and their noses touched. Bradley quite liked the sensation, and Max finds it cute how the Uppercrust is a secret romantic. So they started rubbing noses for good luck.

Bradley likes to watch 70's/80's Saturday morning cartoons(i.e. Transformers Generation 1 and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero), but he never told anyone until he started dating Max. When he told him the Labradoodle started watching the cartoons with Bradley - also having an interest in them. Max even got Bradley a collector's edition action figure from a favorite cartoon of his for his birthday. It was then that Bradley knew he wanted Max to be the new Mr. Uppercrust.

Whenever Bradley is upset he'll seek out Max to lay his head on his lap, and the Labradoodle rubs his scalp. Doesn't matter if Max is at the library studying, chilling at the park or it's late at night and he's about to go to bed. Bradley will text him that he's mad and Max immediately knows what he needs. He'll tell him where he is and Bradley will come to him and lay his head down on his lap, an angry pout on his face as he lets Max rub his scalp. Cute as this is, professors did have to express to Bradley that this isn't allowed in the middle of a midterm. When Bradley proposed to Max, he told him that there was no pressure or expectation to take his name or even hyphenate it. He's actually come to like the name Goof - and knows how much it means to Max. The Labradoodle found this very endearing of the Saluki to reassure him. However Max did at least want to hyphenate his last name. So, on the day of their wedding, Bradley Uppercrust the 3rd and Maximilian Goof-Uppercrust were wedded.

Max does get jealous over Bradley, but it's a bit more complex. Along with general insecurity Max is an angry jealous type. Not angry at Bradley - but angry at the person who tries to steal him or make light of their relationship either by claiming Max is just a gold digger or Bradley just has his wealth and looks to offer. Max would be rightfully pissed and tell off the person by saying Bradley is more than just some rich guy. He may be an arse, but he's trying to do better. And how it's more than he can say for his peers who go out of their way to be nasty people. And if it's someone trying to steal Bradley he tells them off by saying how trashy it is to go after a guy who's already attached and how they could have all the money in the world and still not buy good taste. Then he storms off. Bradley of course is elated to see his normally sweet Goof show some fire. And he spends that whole week just spoiling him from roses to breakfast in bed. Footnote: Don't panic at that last part ! He had someone else cook!

Bradley has always had an affinity for horror movies, so when a school dance was coming he got on a Scream costume and did the whole "Do you like scary movies" bit with Max and towards the end asked if he wants to be his "final girl". Dork that he is Max giggled and said yes.

Bradley was so nervous about asking Goofy for his permission to date/marry Max he actually gave him a bridal dowry. Let's just say you could rent two thirds of Spoonerville for what Bradley gave. But Goofy was cool about it and said that Bradley has his permission. Although he would like a new fishing rod, and Bradley happily got him a top of the line one.

Max wears a white-tailed suit to give the illusion of a gown as the bride and a veil. Bradley wears a classic black tuxedo as the groom. In place of a garter Max wore an ankle band for Bradley to take off and toss. A very special headcanon for all of you House of Mouse enjoyers! Bradley comes to the club every night Max works and always tips him. None of the Gammas, even Tank, go along with him after the first dozen(well for the other members it was the first three times, for Tank it was the first dozen) times because Bradley so shamelessly fawns over Max in his uniform. Older Disney characters like Aladdin and Hercules try to tell him to just talk to Max���but as the kids say, he fumbles the bag. Often. It takes Pongo doing his old ring around the leash trick to literally bring the two together for it to finally click and they actually get together romantically. Max's pet name for Bradley is dreamboat, while the Saluki's pet name for the Labradoodle is macaron. Max speaks fluent French thanks what he learned from his late mother's side of the family, as she originally hailed from Paris. While he doesn't have an accent per se his voice does change into a distinct tone when he speaks French. And it really gets Bradley in a romantic mood any time Max says so much as "croissant". Bradley's Family Headcanons

Bradley having emotionally/physically abusive parents or even a whole rotten family is getting really tired out. So, I'm going to do what Spongebob said and make aggressively NICE people!

Bradley's father, Bradley Uppercrust the Second or Bradman as to avoid confusion with his father or son, is a successful man and a man about town. He's intelligent, a strong leader and also a family man. However…he's a might uncoordinated. Like very uncoordinated. Like…Well like this fella here. For those who don't know, for reference's sake, this is Inspector Clouseau from the original live action Pink Panther film franchise.

Anyway, Bradley could never understand how in the world his accident/danger prone father got to where he was without offing himself just by walking on air. But if nothing else Bradman has a good head on his shoulders(which is amazing that he can keep it on) and is always there to support his son. However, he does wish that Bradley would tone down the intensity at times. As such Bradman views Max as a true blessing as someone who can keep his son grounded and as much on the straight and narrow as possible. Eloise Uppercrust is a mix of two women. The kind you see in beauty pageants, and the kind you see play as the dangerous femme fatale luring the hero to their doom as she was the villain all along. If Bradley got his smarts and looks from his dad, he definitely got his cunning and athletic prowess from his mom. Eloise is not a woman to trifle with, especially when it comes to her loved ones and career. She's a woman filled with ambition and righteous fury. But she can take a moment to settle and be a peaceful lamb when in the presence of her two most favorite men. When it comes to Bradley's fierce competitive streak Eloise does blame herself as she feels she didn't teach her son that there are times when you should stop and not go overboard. So, when Max comes along and shows himself as being both able to keep up with Bradley and having the willpower to make Bradley stop when he needs to, Eloise immediately approves of her future son-in-law. Mercedes Uppercrust, or Mercy for short, is Bradley's tween younger sister. She's usually reserved by nature but does have a wild side that she lets loose when she gets a burst of excitement. Mercy is very close to Bradley but felt that she was losing touch with him after he got more involved with the X-Games and felt that he was more focused on being the champion than he was being a person. And, by extension, being her big brother. So when Max came into the picture and began to help Bradley get on the road to the redemption Mercy looked up to the Labradoodle as a hero. A child prodigy in her own right, Mercedes has a predilection for all things music and cooking. Her favorite instrument to play is the harp and she greatly enjoys baking. And when she learned that Max is a culinary arts major and likes to listen to music Mercedes told Bradley not to blow it with him. Bradley Uppercrust the First, or Grandfather Lee, may be an older gentleman but he has a sharp mind and a strong spirit. Being the doting family man that he is Grandfather Lee loves his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren very much. When it comes to Bradley he wants nothing more than for him to find the person that he wants to be and for him to be happy in his choice, rather than trying to continue what he thinks is a legacy his grandfather is trying to set up. Grandfather Lee actually takes a great liking to Max as his bright spirit reminds him of his dear late wife. And as it happens the oldest Uppercrust has a rather surprising past that not even Bradley was fully aware of. In his youth, Grandfather Lee was a vocal coach who taught the one and only Powerline. And he was actually backstage when Max and Goofy got on stage with the singer at his concert all those years ago to provide support for his old student. So, in a way, Max has actually "met" Bradley's family early on. Suffice to say - Grandfather Lee gives Max his blessing. Max is a Gamma AU Headcannon

Deciding that he wanted Max apart of the Gammas more than anything, Bradley begrudgingly agreed to let P.J. and Bobby join the Mu Mu fraternity as well. So the freshmen all joined in with the Gammas for the X-Games. And before long Max pretty much became the den mother of the bunch. Having lived with a single dad Max knows about how to run a house and clean. Even though his aloof, free-spirited nature would have you thinking otherwise. He listens to the other Gamma members and talks to them when they need a sympathetic ear. And he knows how to cook actual food, which has certainly worked to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood. Max's kind nature has also helped Bradley chill out. So much that this year he decides not to cheat for the X-Games. Mainly because he knows how disappointed Max would be if he found out.

At some point when Goofy arrives at the college, though, Bradley does feel compelled to come clean to Max about not always having been the nicest guy(understatement) but quickly adds that Max made him want to change. Of course Max is disappointed like he expected him to be. He even contemplates quitting the team. But eventually he's just glad that Bradley decided not to cheat this time - and tells him he'll stay if he puts in the work to win the competition fairly. Bradley does so, and the Gammas do win. It doesn't take much after that before Max and Bradley start dating, and the king soon lands himself a freshman consort.

[yourhighness6]

NATLA Episode 1 Debrief (by yours truly)

Hello my lovlies! There are so many opinions swirling around right now in the fandom and I wanted to give my own opinions a quick (this is not going to be quick but whatever) post of their own. I'm probably going to do this with all of the episodes, just an fyi

First of all, Sozin can fuck all the way off. I don't think I really have to explain that one but goddammit they really made me hate him (and I love to hate the villain)

I LOVE the detail of seeing the flames reflected in his eyes whenever he kills someone, as a symbol of fire's natural brutality consuming him from within. Kudos to whoever added that detail because it is absolutely perfect. I look forward to seeing more of this monster in future flashbacks.

The firebending itself was absolutely brutal. Watching the cartoon, you don't really think about how painful and horrific being burned alive is, and the live action explored that element in a way the previous show could not.

I know this is controversial, but actually really like how they devoted a good ten minutes to establishing some background with the Air Nomads before we dove in. In my opinion, it gave more depth to the Air Nomads besides just what we see through Aang's eyes, which I think helps the viewer connect with him more and sympathize in ways the cartoon didn't. One detail from this part that was absolutely heartbreaking was the Comet Festival.

Something about the way a time of joy was turned into a time of pain and misery was absolutely awful (this was the first time I cried [I cried three times]). The fact that all of the Air Nomads were in one place kind of filled in why there was no evidence of the FN ever having been to the Western Air Temple in s3 of the cartoon. It also adds another layer of awfulness to the whole thing. I can't really put into words why I feel that way, it's just a sort of vibe.

I also liked the way they established Aang's character flaws right off the bat:

The episode was named after him, so it only makes sense to show all aspects of his character almost immediately. This also gives me hope that they might address these flaws later a little more than the cartoon did.

Super glad they included a female Airbender on the counsel (or whatever that was). She was also fighting later and she looked super badass.

Now, onto the Water Tribe.

I can't express how glad I am that they included both boys and girls in Sokka's little warrior pack. People have talked about this before, but the gender roles in the SWT didn't make a lot of sense. Perfect little detail to fill a plot hole.

I am also over the moon that they decided to expand on the differences between the Water Tribe sibling's outlooks on the world. Katara was raised as both a beacon of hope and a liability, whereas Sokka was raised as a warrior and a protector. It gives insight into their characters and also symbolizes the way the war shaped them. The pressure within a society to adapt to the times even as traditional values are abandoned and culture is devastated is something that the original show laid the groundwork for, so I really hope we see the live action build on it further. There's also this:

Gives the perfect insight into the ways their parents leaving affected them both differently and expands on their different mindsets. 10/10 for the sibling dynamic.

I'm not sure if I liked the changes to this scene. Katara was characterized pretty well, in my opinion, and it does make sense with the "toning down" of Sokka's sexism that she didn't explode on him, but it's still an iconic moment I would have liked to see translated to the live action. I also found the fact that Appa wasn't included at all just plain weird. He should have been there, and even if he was established differently later, again, I'm not sure I liked the way Aang was introduced to the siblings. (At least they didn't include any romantic Kat@ang moments. Platonic besties for the win)

Zuko's introduction was just kind of... there, in my opinion, but I did love the detail of the icons on the shelf glowing. There were several homages made to Zuko's search for the avatar that I really appreciated, from the early establishment of his antagonism towards Lieutenant Jee to his pages of research, which I really appreciated. There were also several moments that implied that Zuko had a more spiritual journey throughout his banishment to find the avatar, which was partially a little bit of worldbuilding and partially a play into the idea that he will legitimately try everything possible to find the avatar that was another nice detail. Sadly, Dallas didn't really make a huge impression on me. This might be because of lack of screentime or the fact that this is THE Zuko, but I was kind of expecting more. Still, I don't think it was an irredeemable portrayal by any means, and I look forward to seeing more.

This is sort of random, but I just need to say that I'm glad they included more evidence of Katara's PTSD. It was already pretty established in the cartoon that she did have PTSD, but the live action allows exploration of that in a more mature way, which I appreciate. It made the kat@ang conversation hit that much harder, and gives more depth to Katara's character.

The fight at the gates was also just perfect. Zuko acting on impulse out of a need to prove himself:

Katara's speech and Sokka's change of heart:

And this line:

Sokka kind of fell flat to me a bit in this episode, and I feel like Katara was the MVP in all of their interactions, but I loved this line. I just have a feeling he really needed to hear this.

There's also this moment that I thought was really significant where it looked like Zuko was actually going to kill Sokka:

My heart legit stopped at this part. Like, I knew it made no logical sense for it to happen, but I still got scared for a moment. I know it was just another one of those moments to show how Zuko's anger gets the best of him, ect, ect. but this was overkill. I don't think they took it too far by any means, but it was still just so unexpected.

I also noticed they removed the zukka parallel of the two of them getting ready for battle at the same time, which I really disliked. It plays more into the warrior mindset for the both of them, and even though we had that established in other ways, I would have still liked to see it.

Aang's sacrifice is the same, but I appreciated his little conversation with Iroh. When Iroh showed up, I half expected him to just let Aang go, but I guess that wouldn't really be in character for season 1 Iroh. Either way, that was some good stuff.

The framing also sort of reminds me of the season 3 conversation between Zuko and Iroh when Iroh is in prison back in the FN. Both shots give the impression that it is not actually the one behind bars who is in prison. This makes me think that they might give Iroh more of an arc in season 1, which I would kind of like to see, but at the same time, I'm not sure about. I think it was important in the cartoon that Iroh had already completed his journey and was doing his best to guide Zuko through a similar one.

I am disappointed that they removed the fight scene between Zuko and Aang inside the ship, but there was another huge moment this allowed for that I REALLY LOVED:

I LOVE that they let Katara have her hero moment I LOVE that they let her discover her bending a bit more in this episode I LOVE that Aang helped her I LOVE IT ALL. Katara gaining more confidence in her abilities is the season 1 Katara arc I want to see and they legit made me fangirl over this moment so much I squealed. There's also something about her blocking a fire blast from Zuko after being powerless to stop him from killing/seriously hurting her brother in the earlier fight that's just... chefs kiss. (also maybe establishing that ZK yin and yang concept early... I'm reading way too much into this but the way Katara's arms are positioned kind of looks like the yin symbol a little bit...)

And finally, we have the air temple scene. The whole thing was so incredibly sad, and I actually didn't mind that it was part of the first episode. It makes everything go full circle, in my opinion.

I also thought that Gyatso's voice instead of Katara's being the one to calm Aang down was a really good choice. Aang coming to terms with his death should be about his memories with his past mentor, not about Katara comforting him. I loved the hug though. Perfectly devastating:

Also, the last parallel at the end was just SO perfect:

Something about how tradgedies in their lives forced them both to become dedicated and adapt to a new world beyond their control. Aang and Zuko parallels always wonderful.

Overall, I really enjoyed it! I would give this episode an 8.5/10. Not perfect, but definitely not bad. It surpassed my expectations and I'm so excited to see more!

[tossawary]

Someone I know is watching the original ATLA while I'm in the next room, listening and looking in through the doorway every now and then. It is EXTREMELY horrifying-funny to view the first couple episodes (Zuko's arrival at the Southern Water Tribe) with an adult perspective on war, especially with greater knowledge of imperialist and colonialist wars.

(Warning for direct passing discussion of war-typical violence and death. Also, I wrote most of this post last night before I saw the first episode of the remake, so I've added a few extra thoughts about that.)

Also, this is a show for children, so pretty much all of the important actions are taken by our main characters, Aang and Katara and Sokka, who are children. That's how it goes. It's fine. From an adult perspective looking in on this cartoon, it's pretty weird that none of these adult Southern Water Tribe women, who presumably have been doing all of the hunting and fishing and warding off of dangerous animals (polar bear dogs) apparently have any opinions on what to do about a Fire Nation ship arriving. No one tries to run? No one picks up any hunting weapons? If the strategy is to present apparent harmlessness and hope the Fire Nation passes through with minimal damage (the last raid did just take Katara and Sokka's mother, though presumably many other people were injured and killed in the attack), Gran Gran should be dissuading Sokka from attacking first at all costs.

Playing harmless is extremely risky, of course. The raids (which have happened in living memory! Within the past ten years!) prove that the Fire Nation is willing to kidnap and kill women and children. As do the actions that left Aang the last airbender. And the men of this tribe are actively at war with the Fire Nation, so the "provoked" Fire Nation has a ready "excuse" to attack.

I don't think that the Southern Water Tribe women necessarily SHOULD have run for it (into the extremely hostile antarctic landscape???) or brandished weapons at the Fire Nation soldiers (could have provoked an extremely harsh response). I have no idea what the "right" or "intelligent" course of action is in this scenario. I don't really think there is a good course of action here. Anything could happen and anything could make everything worse. It's all bad. That's part of the problem of war.

I just think it's funny (due to the fact that this is a children's show where the rest of this tribe are not really going to be significant characters) how simplified everything is here, even for a show that does include the Southern Raids and the genocide of the Air Nomads, as the women in the background are not shown to be angry or vengeful or hysterical or divided about what to do here. They're scared for their lives, but... they're kind of part of the background, almost like props, rather than people with distinct personalities or agency (because the show wants to get out here quickly so our main characters can go on an adventure).

Rewatching this, a ship full of Fire Nation soldiers (apparently entirely men) coming across a village apparently consisting of only women and children is a nightmare scenario for this tribe. If I was listening to a history podcast about any war (not even a war that has already had MULTIPLE genocides) and someone said the phrase, "And then the imperialist soldiers found the defenseless camp of women and children," I would immediately be bracing myself for the worst possible following sentences about what the soldiers did next. The next sentence being, "And no one was killed or sexually assaulted," would be a SHOCK.

If it had been anyone other than Zuko and Iroh to find the Southern Water Tribe in that state, that probably would have been it for the tribe. Someone like Zhao might have ordered an attack to get rid of everyone just to be "efficient". Someone like Azula might have taken this small crowd of people hostage to use against Hakoda and the other Water Tribe warriors. (I don't think the Fire Nation knew just how bad things were for the Southern Water Tribe, even if they had probably decided that continuing to go after a reduced tribe living in the antarctic wasn't worth the further cost or danger (polar expeditions are so dangerous IRL and must also be costly for firebenders).) The men of this tribe could have come home to all of their wives and children dead, and that would have functionally been the end of the Southern Water Tribe.

EDIT: The live-action show felt pretty weird to me because they made the tribe look much bigger and Zuko's ship look much smaller. If they wanted to introduce some "girl power" realism, they could have had the women of the Southern Water Tribe grimly arming themselves and hiding their children, and making solid plans on when/if to fight back. But no, the show still left everything to Sokka, and kept the cartoony elements like children throwing rocks at soldiers, which in my opinion just don't work as well in live-action. Sokka looks older in this remake and is slightly more believable as an interim chieftain figure, but why doesn't he have a council of opinionated older women guiding him and arguing over the correct course of action??? Everything is kept so cartoonishly FLAT instead of being expanded in interesting ways.

[redfountainpostin]

thoughts on riven (fate)?

I hate him.

(Disclaimer, I'll be answering this with consideration for the source material, not my own headcanons about Riven)

The thing is with a different direction he might have done wellish. For the aesthetic part of it he does have that angular, somewhat foxy face that I think fits Riven well. But getting rid of his haircolor is a crime. Also his hair should be messier. I don't think his cartoon style would work in live action and I also don't think simple spikes would work, that's very hedgehog vibe and his cartoon vibe is not that. His hair should have just been dyed and made voluminous and messy or he should have gotten the appropriate wig.

Now the writing. First of all, without Brandon and Tommy the whole balance is off. Combining Riven and Brandon in a Substance like monstrosity (RIP ElisaSue) and dousing it in homophobia and making it an apprentice sex predator is not it.

But let's go bit by bit, first: the brandon/riven combo. It doesn't work. Riven and Sky were barely friends in season 1. Riven had huge beef with him and Sky gave back in kind. In Fate Riven acts like an insecure younger brother mad that Sky is better than him in a really whiny way. Riven hated that Sky is better than him (or considered better) in OG and he was ANGRY about it. He met that guy and for some reason got competitive real quick. Instead of exploring why that is, they just made them close as brothers, and then Riven has his meltdown (was it even a meltdown? The conflicts in Fate are so weak (unless, ofc, we're directing a white actress to call a black girl a rat in disgust, THAT got to be intense) like Sky bitches to him about Beatrix (my blood pressure rises just thinking about it) Riven goes "whaaah, I'm just a guy you look down on!" and then they're cool next season as if nothing happened.

Now there's also a badassery level missing. Now in the show boys very rarely get to actually be badass bc the girls outshine them, yes. However, one thing about Riven is that the motherfucker is durable. Cartoon Riven would NEVER fold just bc Flora mildly plant choked him and he would rather eat glass than run away with his tail between his legs.

Now to the homophobia/sex predator part. 1) The way he cornered Dane at first was creepy as fuck. The way Dane then reached out none the less is not that unrealistic sadly, but wasn't addressed at all. Riven's lack of boundaries itself was not only not addressed at all later on but it also disappeared. It's inconsistent writing. Now I don't mind Riven being biphobic even though he is clearly bi himself. Like sure a self hating queer isn't an original trope but meh you could shoehorn it ig (the self hate part, not the queer part, I'm not annoyed at that). BUT my problem isn't a homophobic character, it's homophobic writing. I have a separate post for that ( https://www.tumblr.com/redfountainpostin/763521760187580416/beyond-racism-one-of-my-most-hated-aspects-of?source=share) but short version is that making villains (sorry excuse for villains, what did Bea even do? BLOOM released the big bad) the sexually "lascivious" ones is TIRED and I'm TIRED of softcore preporn of characters that are 16 and 17.

THAT brings me to my next point: Riven is made to look like he's a girl crazy sex crazed teen. He's not. I know several fanfiction authors gave him and Darcy a sexual relationship that's very intense and I respect that- just like I hope to do with my own headcanons, they work off of canon, exaggate themes, push them in desired directions and they make it WORK. However none of them make sex the ONLY think Darven has and Fate makes that mistake. Canon Riven is not girl crazy and no matter the dub you never get the idea he's thirsty for Darcy. He's in LOVE. Puppy love, if you will. Could sex be added in the live action version? Sure! But OVERDO it and fail on the love part and you ruined Darven. Speaking of which, are Riven and Bea even together in season 2? I swear to God I don't remember scenes of them together?

One thing I disliked as well was how crude and vulgar he was. However, that's something that could have been a plot point. I recently made a post about Riven's drinking habits (https://www.tumblr.com/redfountainpostin/766437598221697024/riven-actually-drank-quite-a-lot-for-awhile-im?source=share) and was considering merits of him having had a nasty vocal when he first came to Red Fountain. Why? Bc one of the more popular theories about Riven was that he spent his childhood on his own, homeless, on the streets. That IS breeding ground for bad habits. And those are ugly. From that environment you don't just get a tragic backstory, you get some UGLY traits that make people in general want to avoid you. Riven having those and slowly healing out of them would be GREAT. (having Brandon and some others, even Sky, be there for him and offer him friendship before he's officially "deserving" or even ready to fully accept it would also be lovely and speak loads about their own character) But we never really see that. He's a bit less of a prick by the end of season 2 I think (I never finished it) but not bc of any on screen growth.

Overall, Fate Riven is a sad, sad disappointment. He should have been the CARRIER of angst and edgy there. When Straffi promised us darker and grittier Winx, I was like FUCK YES, Riven angst here we go. And what did I get? Fuck all. Mellow not villain just ass, and fuck all of it.

The least problem is limited Rivusa time but honestly even that is fucked by the fact she got a nice boyfriend already. Let Musa pine, damn it. She needs heartbreak for her art.

[thewiz9062]

Smiling Critters AU: Dogday's Psyche

NOTE: THIS IS NOT RELATED TO CANON IN THE SLIGHTEST. An accurate description of this au is that I took every playtime.co poster art and promotional material from the game and lit up the rest of canon in a bonfire. Meaning that EVERY character is part of one big cartoon. Thats it. No bigger bodies project, no child souls, no experiments, just a depiction of a cartoon. PLEASE do not ask me to do anything suggestive with anyone.

OK I know it's been a while since I posted one of these but bear with me here this one was interesting to write

So dogday

In my other posts, I've already made him a constant in everyone's lives (as he's the main character) but I want to go into how he thinks because that explains alot of his actions and most importantly, his interactions with catnap.

Tldr, dogday is elation (que demoic giggling if you get the reference)

Now usually when you see a happy go lucky character you immediately go "they've either had the happiest childhood ever and are genuinely like this or they didn't and they're faking it" and that was gonna be my original assessment with dogday. But yk.....that's bland. So i decided to mix the two: pretty bad childhood but they're happy....unhealthily so. Hear me out here:

In my au, dogday was abandoned as a baby at a foster home. So they "raised him" (they just did just over the bare minimum, I don't wanna villianize the workers though because they did have like a bunch of other kids there as well, not excusing them of course) but he was mostly left to his own devices. Normally this would dampen a child's spirit but dogday is quite a fighter, finding joy or happiness wherever he could. Whether it be picture books or TV shows, he found a way to make himself happy. And All the media he knew subtly shunned sadness or anger or anything of the sort. So now all dogday knew was happiness, as anything else was 'bad' and needed to be fixed.

The people around him didn't help his mindset either. After interacting with the other kids there, they usually had some semblance of an uplift in mood for the rest of their day. It usually didn't last long, though, because while dogday lived there their entire life, the others were there due to...unfortunate circumstances. He also could notice how the workers felt like he was a breath of fresh air compared to the other children, who mostly needed consoling, while dogday was 'self-sufficient' (they try I swear they're just not good at it)

So all in all, after 13 years of this dogday... was in a very unique state of mind. If you want a simple explanation, then he has this mental limiter. Anything happy or can bring joy can stay, and any other thoughts get snuffed out immediately. So he's not faking happiness. In a way, he just doesn't know anything else. Present him a situation where someone is sad his first instinct is to cheer them up, and usually it works, but in the situation it doesn't, he'll pretty much blue-screen. Cuz after all, it's always worked before, what else does he know?

So enter catnap.

Catnap is essentially his foil, and his main purpose is to help him see the other side of things because sun and moon dynamic yk I had to do it

Someone like catnap won't be cheered up normally, catnaps sort of nihilistic when it comes to problems, believing nothing can be done about it, cause in his situation he had no control over what happened, so why try and fix what he can't, that's meaningless. So letting his emotions pass by and move on is his way of 'comfort' So dogday's attempts at cheering him up doesn't work, and as Dogday does in those situations, he blue-screens. Normally when dogday fails to cheer someone up and he visibly panics, they'll give him a smile or a laugh, and seeing that instantly fills dogday with relief, even though he doesn't see that it doesn't reach their eyes.

Catnap won't do that however, because of his own coping mechanism. So dogday will panic, quietly spiraling into thoughts like "why isn't it working, what do I do, how do I fix this" and catnap reads his face and tells him to stop, he just needs a moment. Dogday wouldn't understand, he's never seen sadness be good for someone.

And from there his learning journey begins (aka how to feel other things)

God I love making them mentally unstable

[asocial-inkblot]

Things I Hope/d to See in the New ATLA Live Action Show

A source material-accurate Azula (duh) and Aang (the show's namesake!) with something extra added to both. See #7 and #8 for more on that.

Tweaked war-related plans that come across like they could reasonably be implemented in real life and which may be based on/allude to actual battle proposals from throughout history. I know little about these sorts of things but others have pointed out before that one of Sokka's plans, for example, may not have actually made much sense. And Ozai's plan near the end? Yeeaaahhhhh... I mean, I kinda get it in hindsight. But still. Let's have him come up with something better than that.

Appearances and clothing that call back to the ethnic groups and cultures that the show takes inspiration from (things are looking great on this front so far), but also

Eye colors like the ones from the original cartoon. This may seem petty but I find that it's actually important to use the right hues for each character and not just make everyone's eyes brown or black or gray (looks to me like that's exactly what they did). The reason being that, although I personally tend to dislike when non-white characters are given what I now call "white qualifiers" (meaning traits often used to make them still appeal to whiteness, such as light hair, light eyes, bone-straight hair, round eyes, etc.), in the context of the show, the eye colors are actually by and large ethnic characteristics and differentiators themselves. As I've noted before in a previous post from a while back: Ocean blue eyes = Water Tribes, brown and gray = usually Air Nomad or Earth Kingdom, amber or light tan = Fire Nation, with few exceptions for all of them.

Enough similarities for it to feel like ATLA but with enough differences that it's actually its own story. Again, duh, but we all know how often adaptations tend to get this part wrong.

An age rating that won't be used as just another excuse to shoehorn in as much violence, gore and sexual content as possible but instead to allow for the full illustration of the impact that war can have on a people and their society/traditions. We saw, imo, only little hints of this throughout the cartoon (when Aang found Monk Gyatso's remains is one extremely devastating example), but not near enough. I know the reason why, of course. However, things like that only helped sell the show short by not allowing it to fully flesh out into a world with true, viewable consequences.

An Azula who, from day one, is unquestionably made out to be exactly what she is: A child soldier who is also a victim of the war in a similar way to how the Gaang is. I want to see her allowed to show worry, even fear, either during or after a situation. Not because I don't love how kickass she is, but because at her age, level of trauma and amount of risk to her life everyday, she has all the reason to be more stressed from the get-go. Not to mention her family issues. I want Azula to clearly have anxiety or depression, something many of us can relate to. I also want that scene of her mental breakdown to STAY in some capacity, but be seen in-universe and hopefully—eventually—irl, too, as what it really was: A teenage girl pushed to her limits until she had no where left to step. Real, living people have had anxiety/panic attacks and meltdowns before and that didn't make them evil or any less worthy of sympathy. It only makes it that much more obvious how real Azula herself is, and how much she needed and deserved understanding.

I want an Aang who's allowed to cry, not once, not twice but over and over again as the weight of the burden of what it means to be a child avatar during a world war—and one who was out-of-commission for a century—start to take their toll on his mind, body and eventually spirit. After he reaches his breaking point, I want him to learn to forgive himself and even forgive others, and come back from it, stronger than ever.

A Toph who's tough but maybe a little less...umm... She should be/feel affected by the war too, okay? And have some level of guilt, fear or self-awareness at all times. So she should be like her original self, but deeper.

More Ursa pleeeaaaaaaassse. We know next to nothing about this woman and what we do know, still involves a lot of inferring. I need to know just what her beliefs were about the war and her family/relatives. I need to know if she...if she often feared for her or her children's lives!

A little less romance and a little more danger, planning and large platonic relationship growth as well as character growth.

Zuko actually learning something from his travels; early on, every time he meets someone/some new people, and on a regular basis. I also kinda want to see him have consequences for his actions. Not just that one time, where he was only a clueless 13 year old boy anyway. Doesn't have to be huge or bloody, but he needs to lose something every time he gains at the expense of another. The ATLA world (if not within the cartoon then definitely within the live action show) should have a real, tangible concept of Karma present, if it doesn't already. That would make so. much. sense.

If possible, a little more fleshing out of characters like Jet and the Freedom Fighters, Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors, Hama, Mai, Ty Lee, etc. And can we not demonize or shrug off victims anymore?

A still sexy Hakoda, Ozai and June. (I'm so sorry, don't hate me...)

An ending that won't make me break out in hives plez.

(That's it for now. I may come back here to add more.)

[zonedelicious]

Defending Ben 10 Alien Force Season 3 With My Life!

(An analysis of Ben's character and why I find it consistent up to this point)

This essay thingy is part one of a bigger project where I rewatch all of Ben 10 and look back on the series. A sort of retrospective.

Originally I wanted to watch all the shows, and then write one big post. But I decided to do it in parts to make it easier. And since the final season of alien force is largely hated, I thought I should focus on it specifically (since I have very different opinions than everyone on this).

Now when starting I did expect to see Ben's character be inconsistent, going from classic, to alien force, to season 3 of alien force. That is the popular opinion online and the one I had as a kid. Ben goes from childish kid, to mature teen, to an even more childish kid.

So I'm sure a lot of people are going to be shocked when I say that not only do I completely disagree with this perspective, I found Ben's character strangely consistent through both shows and I think he only becomes more nuanced and interesting by the end.

First I think most people who say Ben is either childish, or mature, or a psychopath, don't really know what these words mean, or don't even understand how Ben's character traits work.

(the psycho thing we'll get to in the next post since we haven't gotten to ultimate alien yet)

Does being mature mean you can't be petty or selfish sometimes? Does having negative traits automatically make you a child? This is the kind of flaw in ben 10 discussion I have noticed with this rewatch, we associate bad traits with regression and good traits with development. But that is very shallow way to look at fiction. Characters can have more than one trait, they can even have conflicting traits. And character development can also include negative development.

I think Ben's maturity is something that's greatly overstated, because his personality in Alien Force is a trait he has shown in the classic series many times. And by boiling him down to childish and mature Ben, it takes away a lot of the nuance he has as a character.

So enough about that, let's go back to the beginning.

Ben 10 (the original show)

The start of the series shows us that Ben is a kid who just wants to sit back and enjoy life, but hates bullies and wants to help others. And also he really loves his grandpa (this is a clue that will help us later).

Throughout the first season Ben struggles with being a hero. He struggles to differentiate helping people selflessly, and helping people because he gets a kick out of it. For a 10 year old his behavior is very realistic. Of course he wants to be seen as a big shot and be validated for his actions.

It isn't until Max is hospitalized that Ben finally realises the dangers of the world he's in. That's when we see Ben drop the hero act and turn into a scared kid. We see him at his most vulnerable. The first look at the real Ben.

Ben and Max fight a lot in the original show, but despite that Max is probably the most important person in Ben's life. Even more than his parents. And I think it's largely because Ben wishes he can be more free like his grandpa. Living in an rv and going wherever you want. So losing Max for 10 year old Ben is the worst thing that can happen to him. He not only looks up to grandpa Max, he idolises him and wants to follow in his footsteps. Which becomes more obvious once Ben finds out about the Plumbers. And now season 2 is about Ben becoming an even bigger hero.

The first season definitely has the most consistent narrative of the classic series. I think Ben doesn't really learn much until the movie. He does learn to be closer with his family, but there's no real challenge for him like the first season. People will say this is the show recycling his character arc, which I sort of get, but it's not the same to me. Ben isn't being challenged on the same level, he's just going through episodic cartoon plots. A lot of it isn't serious so Ben isn't really being serious. To him he's the cool alien with a badass grandfather and can solve any problem. It's all a fun adventure to him.

Even when he meets his future self the message is that Ben being a kid and having fun is what makes him Ben. It's future Ben who has to learn to have fun and be a kid again. A clever twist on the time travel trope.

Despite that Ben is shown to be more responsible with the hero stuff. He tries to help others not just by literally saving their lives, but also talking to them, or standing up to villains. Kevin being the best example. Ben tries to befriend him many times, but will also risk his own life to stop Kevin from hurting Gwen. Which at the moment Ben didn't even have the Omnitrix at the end of season 2. We see that despite being a kid he's also gotten braver.

Another note, Gwen and Ben have a pretty good relationship from the start. While they do fight it's never anything serious, they're just being kids and fooling around. The kind of childish arguments you forget in an hour. Yet they're very close and love goofing around together. You can tell that they care for each other despite the petty banter.

Of course once we get to the secret of the Omnitrix (the true ending of the first show imo) Ben's character is finally given its conclusion for the classic series. Here Max's role is swapped with Tetrax, Ben looks up to Tetrax in a similar way, and while Tetrax is friendly, he's also the guy who really knows how to get Ben to reflect on his actions. Once Ben thinks he has lost Gwen he is back to the scared vulnerable kid. We see all his aggression, how he blames himself, how all that weight is really hard for him to process at such a young age.

What's even better about this is how the movie starts with Ben causing trouble for Gwen and they get in a fight. But Gwen still sneaks into Tetrax's ship to help Ben. So losing Gwen is not only him losing his cousin. Ben's losing someone he felt responsible for. He's failing Gwen, himself, and grandpa Max all at the same time.

Of course Gwen is alive but it doesn't change that Ben has finally opened up about his insecurities and we finally get a full look into his inner self. Which brings us to...

Alien Force, the show that made Ben mature (or did it?)

Now remember everything I said about his character? Now think about the plot of alien force. Ben realises his grandfather is missing, there's an alien conspiracy that his grandfather entrusted him to solve, and even an old foe is there he needs to ally with.

Ben is essentially forced to take up the role of grandpa Max in the story. And for a 15 year old that's a lot of pressure to take.

I'd say Ben's character shift for Alien Force is not only organic, it's the natural follow up to his character arc in the classic show. As someone who's always seeking validation now finally being put in a position where he has to be the person he always looked up to. Sure the stakes were high in classic, but Max (and Tetrax) was always there to help and give Ben motivation.

There's an aura of tension early on as Ben still doesn't even trust Kevin. He doesn't understand the new Omnitrix or the new aliens. He has to watch max die and still keep his cool. Because he was trusted this role and can't let Max down.

I don't think Ben matured, he was forced into a role of being the mature adult at 15.

Even Ben's parents are mad at him for doing all this. As they should because Ben is still a kid. He shouldn't be risking his life. He should literally be at the club. The first thing he does before he puts on the Omnitrix again is talk to Gwen. Because he needs her help. And Kevin. Later from other plumber kids too. He isn't doing it all by himself, and he understands that he can't do it alone to an extent. But despite that there's still that urge to be the leader. The one who has to be in charge all the time. He wants to prove himself after all.

Ben's ability to befriend others, is ultimately his strongest trait in the first 2 seasons. It's what ends up saving the universe after all. Something that wasn't all that present in the original show, but can be seen through characters like Kevin, who Ben tried to help many times. And now he's his best ally.

A lot of this is very subtle, and some of it might even be my own interpretation of the story. I don't know if the writers intended all this nuance I'm describing. It is only interesting to look back and analyse it.

The mystery and the slow lumin threat of the highbreed is a good plot for Ben's arc of taking up responsibility. It's something he can't directly solve as easily as in the classic show. Where in the classic show any problem he faced was over in 1 or 2 episodes. All mystery was behind the scenes with him not being aware.

But now it's different. The mystery comes crashing into him. He literally got a football medal the same day he found out his grandfather has went missing because of a secret alien invasion that's been going on for a long time. Again the pressure he's put under comes at him suddenly and he has to adjust to it all in the moment. He's 15 years old.

And despite all odds Ben comes through and stops the invasion, saving the entire galaxy. With the help of all the people he befriended of course. Ben finally proved himself to his grandfather and to the entire universe that he is worthy of being a hero. In the classic series he showed he was a hero, but was still a kid who had learning to do. But now he proved he can stand on his own as a man at age 15.

So naturally Ben took a break.

The part where I shamelessly defend season 3 with my life

The shift for season 3 is off (especially when the first episode starts with an argument we have no context for) and I understand some of this was a mandate, yet I love it. It's a strange shift at first until you start to think what is actually going on in Ben's head.

He finally did what he always wanted to achieve. Become a great hero like his grandfather. The galaxy loves him. And all that validation is more than enough to tell him to relax for now.

Ben had to take a break after all the pressure that was placed on him. He needed a break. He needed to be a teenager again who watches cartoons and has fun. It's important for his mental health after all.

Of course this is a cartoon and he isn't real. But this analysis isn't about that, it's about trying to understand what kind of person Ben is.

Still i do not see how Ben is stupid or childish in these episodes. Relaxed and silly yeah, but in a teenager way, not a 10 year old Ben way. With the gold poop episode for instance I went in expecting to hate it, but now I love it. It's a decent mystery, and Ben's chill attitude makes sense for the situation. It's a celebration and Ben loves to party. Of course he'd be silly with the little aliens.

What I have noticed however is despite Ben being relaxed he's still pretty clever and mature throughout season 3. His quick thinking is actually a major part of this season. With it being directly referenced and even being how he saves the day at the end of the season. I did not expect the show to directly point out Ben's most useful trait and then focus on it durring what's basically his downfall arc.

To reference a few times Ben does this in this season:

In the vreedle episode, Julie emergency calls Ben and Ben shows up seconds later. He didn't wait to think, he arrived as fast as possible once finding out she's in danger.

In the episode where Ben is trapped in the null void without the Omnitrix, we see him actually surviving and doing smart things like covering himself in mud so he won't get spotted.

In the plumber kids episode, Ben is playing the role of the villain mastermind and he has to quickly adapt to the situation and train these kids while not breaking character.

In Charmcaster's debut episode, Ben calls out Kevin for not trusting Gwen. Ben being the mature one in this situation.

We see Ben hasn't changed at all from previous seasons. Season 3 having some of his best moments even. What has changed is the context and circumstances of his actions. He's trying to stay cool and simple because he wants to live his childhood stress free, even if the universe keeps calling him back over and over again, he wants to stay a kid. And that's interesting. We haven't seen that in ben yet. In the classic show he was trying to be a big hero. But now he's tired of all that weight on his shoulders.

Unfortunately the universe keeps calling for his return. The moment Ben tries to relax Vilgax is back. He has taken over 10 planets. And has killed the galactic enforcers trio (they are 100% dead he literally killed 3 side characters just like that). And Ben of course does the reasonable thing and tries to hack the Omnitrix yet again. With horrible results.

People try to use this as an example of Ben being dumb but you gotta realise he's panicking and not thinking straight, and the result is him causing a mess for himself and Kevin. The show is aware Ben is in the wrong here and his actions have consequences. The rest of the season will spend its time exploring Ben's actions and how his quick thinking is both his strongest weapon, as well as his biggest flaw.

Anyway the fight with Vilgax is brilliant and really shows how much Ben had grown. With the return of Diamondhead being both nostalgic and a great way to show his growth. As well as giving Ben another victory that increases his huge ego.

But I must also mention the visuals being beautiful themselves. Season 3 of Alien Force has a subtle upgrade in visuals that I never see mentioned. Everything is more colorful, backgrounds more interesting, the animation more smooth, and the storyboarding is simply wonderful. Don't know why people never talk about this. I guess it will ruin the narrative this is the worst season ever made because of like 4 boring episodes. But I digress.

Still apparently people hate this fight too and claim this scene RUINED Vilgax. How? The only argument I see is he got defeated too easily which.. Have you watched the classic show? Vilgax gets defeated in one single episode by a 10 year old. Vilgax is actually stronger in Alien Force if anything. I don't get how this ruined him at all.

Don't get me wrong. I also prefer his original design and personality. I think this was a poor choice to change him so drastically when the point was bringing back an old foe. But that doesn't mean he's weak. He's clearly stronger. He does a good job fighting Ben. And has even killed 3 characters that you'd expect wouldn't die considering they showed up in a ben 10k episode.

(remember when I said I will be fighting for my life here? I wasn't kidding)

The rest of Season 3 is very episodic ,which is an interesting shift from the previous 2 seasons since they didn't have to make it like this. They had more episodes this time too and cartoon network wasn't against plot or lore. So I'd say this was more of a creative choice than a mandate. Ben's more relaxed so we go back to less world ending threats. Which is good imo because the best standalone episodes are in this season.

Notably Gwen and Kevin get a good focus here (even Julie who should have been the 4th member). With Gwen's best episode so far is in this season. We get more character development for the other 3 protags. And it's very much needed.

Gwen I think didn't get much in the first 2 seasons. She did feel a bit of a downgrade from her classic self. Now however her rivalry with Charmcaster is back, she has her magic, and she has one of the best episodes in the season. The time travel episode is beautiful both visually and naratively, not to mention it's basically writen like a Doctor Who episode, and you gotta love that. But what I love more is how we see Gwen making a huge mistake. Gwen so far hasn't been writen with flaws, unlike Ben and Kevin she isn't given as much depth. So to have an episode that gives Gwen time to make a mistake and fix it, while showing all the effort she'd go through to help Kevin. It was very much needed. Her character deserves more moments like this.

Julie's relationship with Ben is given a bit of drama but in a way where they do communicate and aren't in anyway toxic. I hear this is when their relationship fell off but I don't see it. Their arguments are something Gwen and Kevin often have too and are only there to strengthen their bond. Julie definitely needs to be characterized outside being Ben's girlfriend though, but she's never in a position where she's just Ben's girlfriend. If anything her friendship with Gwen is given more spotlight. Her last appearance for the season being her hanging out with Gwen. Julie definitely deserved to be more than just a side character.

On the other end Kevin gets a huge upgrade with his story line being imo significantly better than what they originally had planned. Originally the story was going to have Kevin turn evil and I am grateful they saved that story line for a later season while this one builds up to it more organically. Here we see how desperate and insecure Kevin is. He even goes back to his more evil self at times. But never too much. His badness is due to his circumstances. He wants to turn back to human. He gets angry. He doesn't trust Gwen. He teams up with villains. But all because he's being pushed into being vulnerable rather than him turning evil suddenly. It's a good small arc that builds up to something bigger later.

As you can see I value character flaws as much as their positive traits. To me a character is less interesting if the story avoids giving them a human element. That's why the character assassination of Ben Tennyson that people talk about to me is one of the best things to ever happen to him.

One episode I HATED as a kid, but now love is the one where the gang go to an alien planet to solve a conflict between 2 identical armies. Kid me hated this because Ben kept messing up and there was no solution in the end. Now however I see the political genius that it is.

While I think this was meant to parody the political system of the US (one group being red and one blue doesn't make it all that subtle), i think the other message I got from it is showing the problems with white saviorism. Ben comes to a planet he has zero political understanding of, and decides he knows how to solve all their problems and can save the day in like 3 hours. Of course he won't and of course he'd end up making things worse.

If you're expecting things to actually be solved and characters to make logical and satisfying actions then this episode is definitely one of the bad ones. But for me, someone who likes to see how characters mess up and the story to collapse on them I really found this episode enjoyable. It's also just very funny. Ben comes off as very comedic to me in his attempt to be helpful and reasonable. He's not being immature but he's being very self centered and too up his own ass to notice that he's coming off as a dick.

I think that's what this season is focusing on. Not Ben becoming immature or childish as like a singular character trait he switches to. No, what the season is telling us is despite Ben being a great hero and a quick thinker, he's also easily able to fall into the arrogant asshole type if he doesn't control himself.

In the ghostfreak episode we even see how despite being his quick thinking self, he doesn't trust Gwen and Kevin as much as before. His ego is getting to him and others are taking notice.

Ben's behavior to me comes off as very realistic. I cannot hate a character who's flawed in a way that a real person is flawed. I don't see a switch in personality. I see one person displaying their traits in different ways depending on the scenario they are in.

So why people hate this season so much I will never understand.

Anyway let's talk about the worst episode in alien force.

Primus

Okay people you're right about this one. Primus sucks. It's bad. It's meaningless. It's confusing. And it's counterproductive for what it's trying to do. Honestly it feels like a rough draft of an episode before they actually start writing it.

Ignoring the fact that the concept itself is flawed, there's no time given to even show us Primus or make us understand it. And it ruins Vilgax's arc by giving him the Omnitrix WAY TOO EARLY. It kind of ruins the finale too since Ben giving the Omnitrix away is part of the climax of this season. Both Vilgax and Azmuth are pretty dumb this episode and it's weird watching them here. Vilgax is a bit better until he gets the Omnitrix and becomes dumb for no reason. Couldn't they just make it so Ben is the one with the key to activate the Omnitrix? Azmuth also what do you mean you turned into Rath to fight Vilgax instead of like way big? Ben isn't dumb in this one though. His trick to get back the Omnitrix is smart even though the way it was written is dumb. And we do get to see him vulnerable after losing the Omnitrix. Still this episode should have been replaced with something better and the show would have been better off for it.

This episode is brought up often because it is the weakest and if it was your impression of the season you'd think it's bad too. I don't even think Vilgax is bad this season but he definitely is poorly writen here.

So yeah this episode is very bad. Like couldn't they have replaced this with an extra Tetrax episode? That man deserves it.

Oh right Tetrax

Tetrax episode is peak fiction and I don't care about the haters. I'd argue it's one of the best episodes in the series and the fact we never got a follow up is baffling.

For starters Tetrax is Ben's real dad. Let's be real. He fills the same role as grandpa Max and so Ben has the urge to prove himself to him. That's why watching Ben fulfill the propercy of the diamondhead people and save Tetrax's planet is one of the most satisfying moments in the series for me. Tetrax destroyed his planet. He made a huge mistake that Ben could have easily made if he didn't have a mentor figure. And now once he sees he has an opportunity to bring everyone back he goes straight to shattering Ben into pieces with no explanation. (Tetrax pretty much is Ben without grandpa Max if you think about it)

This episode is a meme for the Jesus bits. but it works. It's good lore. And it's a great conclusion to a character arc and storyline.

The fact this episode is a follow up to Tetrax origin and incorporates a new alien into it is really smart. Obviously they didn't plan this at first so it's great when things work out like that.

It works as a Vilgax episode too because we see how big of a threat he is. Everyone's struggling to fight him, even Tetrax and Ben. He's not some pushover as people claim.

But more importantly Ben redeems Tetrax by saving the diamond people and that's something he wouldn't be able to do if he's some dumb kid. Ben is a true hero again in this episode. He sees what the threat is and he solves it with his quick thinking and courage. And I think it's thanks to Tetrax's presence that Ben is back to the more serious role, because he wants to prove himself to him.

(if only Tetrax had a bigger presence)

And now the ending

The ending is what made me want to take a different look at this season before rewatching because I remember how cool the Azmuth and Ben scene was. On a rewatch i was not disappointed.

For starters animation was really good and the fights with Albedo specifically were choreographed well. Kevin and Gwen were even using their powers in a unique way.

Then we have Vilgax weakening Ben by taking away Gwen and Kevin. Seems simple at first, but when you think of the narrative of this season you realise it's about making Ben vulnerable both physically and mentally.

And once Ben loses the Omnitrix he has a full mental breakdown and this entire sequence is one of the best moments in Ben 10 ever. The way he runs off into the forest. The small chat with Gwen. How he begs Azmuth for help. The little mutual understanding at the end of their argument. It's peak fiction at its most peak fictionest.

For the entire season Ben tried to relax, he tried to be more straight forward, not looking for others for help. But now he's back at being the vulnerable kid he was at the start of the entire series. And I think it's not just that he lost his powers that's hurting him, but that he's also taking out all the pressure he had building up inside. And now he's asking for others to help him.

This moment makes this season work for me. We see a deconstruction of sorts of the kind of person Ben is. Not mature or immature. But this kid who wanted validation until the pressure was too much for him. He tried to act cool like nothing happens. But then he messes up and he's the one who needed to be saved.

This emotional moment was what Ben needed to come up with a genius plan. Go to Vilgax's ship and activate the self destruct feature of the Omnitrix. Honestly I forgot about this part on my rewatch so it came out of nowhere for me. Ben making a bomb threat as his great 4d chest move? You just gotta love that. Remember he's got nothing on Vilgax right now. Vilgax can easily kill him. So for Ben to confidently come in and threaten to blow up the Omnitrix, that he cares about too, it takes courage.

If there's one thing I'd change about the ending it's bringing back Tetrax. He seemed like he would be a part of this and it would have probably mad the mental breakdown of Ben Tennyson more impactful if Tetrax was there too. Or maybe I love this minor character a bit too much. Maybe way too much I admit.

Conclusion

For me what sells season 3 of Alien Force is Ben's character downfall that builds up to this ending. It's not just that he becomes dumb and then is told to stop being dumb. It's that he's struggling in the role of hero. He's struggling to be both the serious badass and a goofy kid. And letting go of the responsibility and trying to act normal only created a different kind of pressure.

Ben for me is a character who was forced into a role he wasn't prepared for and we get to watch how that affects him. Naturally he will have shifts in how he acts. His environment will affect his behavior. That's just life. That's what being a teenager is like. You're always gonna be screwing up in one way or another. Ben's flaws in season 3 aren't about him being childish. He's not dumb or less mature. Ben still does smart things and is shown to care about Gwen, Kevin, Julie, Tetrax, and everyone that comes to his aid.

And of course his ideas and actions aren't always good. They can be stupid or selfish. And that's also fine. Because he's only human. And his humanity is what makes him Ben. Take that away and he'd grow up to become the Ben 10k who refused to transform back to human.

Most of this is my interpretation of events. Other people watching will have different takes. And that is fine. I'm fine with knowing I'm like one of 10 people who loves season 3 of alien force. I'm just here to write a different perspective and hopefully it will encourage more deeper readings of Ben 10 as a series. But mostly I'm fine knowing someone else read all this. So thanks for getting this far.

See you next time when I will be breaking down the neoliberalism of shadow the hedgehog the video game.

/jk

/or am I?

[eobarried]

ok let’s talk about miguel o’hara because it needs to be done. i want to clarify that this is not a hate post or anti-miguel in any sense, but it is a critical analysis of his character and role in the spiderverse. if you don’t feel like you can read this right now, i suggest you like it/save it for later and read it when you feel like you can with an open mind

especially for anyone who’s a miguel enjoyer (i consider myself one as well) because if you really love his character, it’s important to understand why his character was created and what a great narrative tool it is! anyway-

miguel o’hara is, allegorically, a bigot. 

now - let’s unpack and clarify that. miguel is allegorically a bigot - his character is used to represent a certain, specific type of bigotry we see in real life. notice how i’m saying “bigot” and not “racist” - because despite the memes, i don’t think miguel’s hatred of miles is rooted in antiblackness. i think it’s rooted in something a little more complicated, which is why i’m using the term bigotry. but this can be a little confusing, so let’s start from the beginning. or, at least, the most important part.

the canon.

i want you to really think about the word used here - canon. hearing that word should break the fourth wall for you, just like hearing “he’s got hammerspace!” should have earlier in the movie - or discussions different characters have surrounding their distinct art styles. it’s meant to break the fourth wall and draw attention to itself. specifically, the use of the word canon here is meant for us to take a step back from the in-universe events (treating the characters as “real” people and looking at events logically) and instead think of the spiderman story and mythos.

spiderman, as a story, has been told over and over again. we, as an audience, are deeply familiar with this story, as we’ve seen it as a live-action blockbuster in no less than three separate franchises. that’s not even mentioning all the cartoon adaptations, and of course the comic runs. adhering to a specific formula surrounding the story makes sense. when someone walks into a spiderman movie, they have certain... expectations. that no matter what version of spiderman this is, that they follow certain story beats and adhere to certain rules as they follow along in their journey. miguel, when explaining this to miles, focuses on said story beats (which i’ll get to in a second), but there’s something that’s way more important than specific plot points that we need to address here.

and that’s theme. 

theme (if you’re not an english literature person), is basically something you take away from the story. it’s usually a moral, idea, or concept that can be applied to the world around you, and helps you learn more about yourself, society, culture, or history. all stories have themes - usually they have multiple. so let’s get into it.

the original spiderman comic was notable in several ways. the thing that made spiderman so popular and successful is that he was the first (notable) teenage superhero that wasn’t a part of a greater team. spiderman wasn’t a sidekick that was written in to appeal to an audience of children. he was a teenager himself - but he was no less competent or strong than the (mostly adult) villains he fought. 

and not only was spiderman a kid - he was the kid. he was a nerd. he was an older white teen, yes - but he represented the type of person who would go out and buy a comic book more than any other hero at the time. before he became spiderman, peter parker was just kind of a geek. at the time (the 60s) this still identified him as an outcast. peter was socially awkward, not good with girls, he didn’t have many friends, and he was bullied consistently. the only thing he was good at was science, basically. we can connect peter’s original portrayal to many legitimately marginalized groups - specifically those that might be autistic and impacted by ableism. to those kids reading that comic, they saw a hero that represented them.

and how does peter represent them? what does spiderman teach these children by reading these comics? the original spiderman is the story of a man who, by chance, was granted the opportunity for greatness - to become an integral part of his community. spiderman uses his skills (both those granted to him by the spider, but also those that he inherently has, such as his skills with science and engineering), in order to prove his worth and merit. it’s lonely, the road he has to walk - he can’t tell his friends and family who he is, lest they become victims like uncle ben - or lest they betray him. he can only rely on himself and his own knowledge in order to protect his community. the themes we draw from spiderman are this: luck can strike at any time, but you need to use your own strength and intelligence to pull yourself up afterwards, no matter how hard things get. no matter how many people you lose.

that’s what miguel believes spiderman is about. this original spiderman story is that of the american dream. of a youth who is ostracized by society (for whatever reason), but is still able to use their own merit to overcome the obstacles placed in front of them and the grief and pain they face on their path to greatness. it’s a hard and lonely path, but miguel values anyone who has the bravery to face it.

so why does he hate miles?

because he didn’t do it alone. because miles doesn’t believe in the traditional american dream.

if you want to read more about that, check out my analysis comparing spider-society and visions academy over here (it’s not as in-depth as i would like it to be, but it gets the job done) but basically: miles believes that every person deserves greatness. he states it very clearly when talking to his dad about how he won the lottery to go to visions: he just got lucky. he feels as if he took an opportunity away from someone else. why is it just given to him, when anyone else at brooklyn middle is just as deserving of an amazing education? when these resources should be put to use to uplift his whole community, not just miles alone?

miles brings that same energy as a spider-person. he’s not just an anomaly because his spider was from a different dimension. he’s an anomaly because he had a mentor. not only a mentor - he had a whole clan of spider-people there for him. while peter b parker and the crew weren’t always very good allies for miles, they still wanted him to succeed. each spider-person was an outcast - not in the same way as miles, but they were eager to describe what miles needed to master in order to keep himself safe as a crime-fighter. although they weren’t always supportive, it wasn’t because they were “gatekeeping” - it’s because they were worried miles might hurt himself. to them, he hadn’t put in the work on his own, and because he hadn’t proven himself as a spider-person in isolation, they thought there was no way he could be successful as a spider-person during a very high-risk mission.

however, miles proves them wrong. it’s true that miles has to pull upon his own inner strength, but he also pulls on wisdom from those that mentored him - his father, his uncle aaron, peter parker, and peter b parker. as well as love and support from his community. miles became spiderman - but not in isolation. he had help, and support, and love - always - that helped him succeed.

because spiderman - in all universes - represents success in america. in the original comics, spiderman is able to overcome his status as an outcast in order to help his city. he now has great power - a potential allegory related to wealth and social or political status. he uses that power in order to protect the community he loves (nyc) as they can’t all protect themselves.

now let’s bring it back. miguel. right.

miguel has already made his mark as a spiderman. although we know he broke canon, it wasn’t related to him becoming spiderman. we can assume that miguel still went through serious struggle and trauma to get to where he’s at. and now, through thematic analysis, we know that becoming spiderman represents success in america.

so, miguel’s dislike of miles, thematically, connects to how older generations may believe that younger generations “have it too easy” or “don’t put in the same effort.” it’s the (mainly capitalistic) ideal that in order to succeed, it has to be in isolation, without outside help. we can infer that miguel is not only upset that miles didn’t do things “canonically” - but that he is afforded success that miguel doesn’t think he deserves. miguel believes that in order to succeed in america, one needs to do it on their own, and suffer in order to succeed. no “hand-outs,” no support, no community outreach. it’s a very rigid capitalistic standard - which is why i called it “bigoted.” miguel is still a marginalized figure - and it’s important that miguel is the one stating the viewpoint, not a white spiderman. because this isn’t a white vs black storyline. miguel’s dislike of miles is specifically a sort of generational, inter-community bigotry.

for someone who hasn’t experienced it - think of it like hazing. you join a new sports team. the senior players say “you carry the equipment out and clean everything after the game.” you ask “why? can’t we all just do it together? aren’t we supposed to be a team?” and they say “no. you’re the new guys. hard work builds character. deal with it.”

alright. so we took a look at canon through a meta-story lens. now let’s pull it back even further.

so, miguel’s ideology. he adheres firmly to canon, a series of events that cannot (or, should not), change. if we apply that to our lives, that sounds a lot like predestination. destiny. fate. let’s call it predestination for now - you’ll see why in a minute.

now, a belief in predestination makes sense. it can bring a lot of people comfort, thinking that horrible events are out of their hands, and often times it can be harmless to believe in predestination in these instances. for example: someone who blames themselves for not being able to say goodbye to a loved one who died suddenly. if this person believes in predestination, it might ease some of their pain and guilt to know that there was nothing they could do - that it was the will of some higher power that their loved one is gone, and that there was nothing they could do to prevent it. some individuals might find comfort in knowing that they are not to blame for the work of the universe.

however, predestination can also be malicious. thinking that things are the will of the universe, or the will of god... that’s been used for some pretty fucked up stuff in the past. in a more moderate (and topical) example - royalty. many kings used the concept of predestination to explain why they deserved the crown. their bloodline was chosen by god himself - that’s why they’re powerful (compare to spider-people and their success. if they are also predestined for their spider-bite, doesn’t that make them akin to monarchs?)

in more nefarious examples, predestination can be used to subjugate and oppress others. predestination was used in ancient indian society in order to justify the caste system - utilizing the hindu concept of karma to justify why certain members of society were mistreated and oppressed. in a more american sense, predestination was often used as a way to justify both slavery and segregation. originally, slavers tried to justify that god wanted black individuals to serve as slaves because it was his will. later, when divine intervention fell out of fashion, they attempted to use eugenics to justify that black individuals were simply born inferior - that it was just science, and that there was nothing they could do about it.

that’s the other reason it’s called canon. the original usage of the word was to refer to the books of the bible that the church recognized as legitimate. it ties back to faith and religion. 

now, religion, faith, and even the belief in fate itself - are not inherently bad. miguel’s belief in predestination doesn’t make him a bad or bigoted person inherently. however, the way he forces other to believe and adhere to it is. it’s very likely that miguel became so attached to the canon in order to justify why his wife and daughter died - in order to remove his own accountability for their passing and instead place the blame on some higher power. this belief snowballed out of control, however - and now influences his jealousy and distaste for miles and his way of life.

because forcing a canon - a story - on miles, is wrong. when miguel tells miles that his father must die, that he has to adhere to canon - that’s a horrible thing to say to a young black boy. to tell him that in order to be successful as a marginalized individual (to be spiderman) that he has to lose the last black male role model he has? it’s heinous! it’s akin to telling miles that in order to succeed, he has to cut ties with part of his culture. which does happen to young marginalized people in america. they are told that in order to be successful, they have to leave their culture, community, and support system behind.

it’s especially sinister when looking at it from the point of view of storytelling. when looking at it from that angle, miguel is basically telling miles that in order for his story - the story of a young black boy - to be profitable, he has to go through even more trauma and loss. it’s similar to what his guidance counselor mentions when discussing how miles should write his college entrance essay - that he should lie, and emphasize that he struggles while growing up, and that his support system was unstable. it’s the traditional story of a struggling black boy - which i discuss more here when talking about earth 42 miles and his inclusion in the spiderverse.

miguel’s bigotry is centrally tried to his idea of what american society expects of marginalized individuals who were able to achieve their dreams despite it all. a story of pain and struggle. one where they were able to - only through their own strength and intelligence, and maybe with a little bit of luck - pull themselves up, and quietly work towards their own success.

miguel’s belief in the american dream and predestination not only influences his treatment of miles, but also his creation of spider-society. now, let me be frank: miguel, in this franchise, is not supposed to represent someone who created systematic oppression. he’s simply one of the people who believed in bigoted ideals and allowed those ideals to influence his decisions. because when miguel created spider-society, it basically became an elitist isolation chamber. spider-society is located in a huge tower on miguela’s earth. the tower is so tall and imposing on the utopian landscape, there’s no way that miguel is able to properly support his own community as spiderman - he’s not worried about what happens to his own community. especially once we learn that a good portion of them live underground, where miguel can’t even see them. even if he wasn’t occupied with anomalies at all times, there’s no way he could even connect with nueva york around him.

the same can be said of all the spider-people in headquarters. they’re not even in their home dimensions. how can they possibly support their communities when they have isolated themselves as far away as they could literally be? it parallels how successful individuals often treat their communities in reality - what do wealthy people usually do at the first sign of their wealth? they build a huge mansion to get away from it all. many times in our capitalist society, wealthy and successful people abandon the communities they should be supporting. 

miguel represents that. he is a successful, powerful person, who decided to focus only on other successful, powerful people like him. marginalized people who achieved the american dream on their own. people who, instead of uplifting others, instead tear down those who don’t fit into their “mold.” who are successful in their own right, but don’t hold the same ideals and values that they do. who aren’t the model example of marginalized success in the eyes of the (white) american “audience.” 

miguel is a product of a great problem within society. while he partakes and perpetuates bigotry, that doesn’t mean that he’s irredeemable. the narrative shows that miguel is a broken man. if we think about to the end credits scene from itsv, where he calls his dimensional travel bracelet a “goober” - he wasn’t always so hateful. he wasn’t always like this. he can un-learn his bigotry and he isn’t completely lost. the way that he discusses his ideas - it’s clear that he knows that there are flaws in them, just as other spider-people consistently point out. he can be changed and improved - just like our real leaders and role models can be changed and improved. miguel is not without saving - but it’s important to remember that he does need to be saved. 

[valdaycare-au]

The Halloween Update! (since we Mateo Vincent??? MATEO forgot to update the blog.) Part 5

Mateo is the one who is responsible for updating the website but as the last photo is his, allow me to do the honors of updating you with the finale of this... Je ne sais pas, this series? Oui, it seems to be the proper term. Mateo went in as this... hm, how curious. This is... a costume? Really? I thought he was wearing his usual outfit! Madame Ling went in as a nurse—which I was later told that she actually went as Nurse Joy from Pokémon (that surprised me), Kirra went in as Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn (Sasha a fait un travail incroyable!) And you're telling me that... Mateo wore a costume? This is a costume? Who is he even supposed to be? Himself? The colors don't fit him, he looks so... plain. Mon dieu, what a disaster. I thought he was an architecture student? Why is he—

Quoi merde—Mateo?!

Cabrón, chingas tu madre.You think you can just push me off the computer like that, homie?

The hit was unnecessary, connard!

And so is pushing me off the computer, so now I'm just giving you a taste of your medicine! Take that, tonto!

Why, you—?!?

Yes, me! Go back and work in admin instead of taking care of children since you're so bad at it!

If there's anyone who's deathly bad at something, it's you and your idiotic fashion sense! Why not ask the new babysitter for fashion tips since you obviously need some, asshole!

What?! I don't need fashion advice from him, I'm the reason he dresses that way! I told him how to dress!

Have you told him that you're just as violent as your aunt too?!

(They continued bickering until Sasha put a stop to them both—or, more correctly, Vincent was taken away against his will as Sasha carried him on his shoulder, effectively leaving Mateo to finally do this job.)

Um... Sorry about that. You didn't have to see that, haha.

Anyway! If you ask me, I definitely had a blast at our party! It was just unfortunate that we weren't able to post videos and other photos besides the ones we have with our Little Wonders since we needed consent from the parents and the, well, sitter after party is, um... not really available to be disclosed to the public (let's just say that depressed adults are involved). But enough about that, let's talk about my lil' homies!

First things first, I love Pokémon. I still have my original Gameboy cartridges for Pokemon Blue and Red, I collect the cards, I've played all of them and I have very strong team compositions in all of my games! I thought that maybe the kids would like Pokémon and so I dressed up as one of my childhood heroes—Ash Ketchum! No kidding, I cried so hard when I watched him finally become the world champion from the episode from last year. There's news about the series finally ending, too! So it felt appropriate to give a tribute to my own personal hero.

I was planning to bring my very own 'pokémon' to the party (it was just a bunch of my exotic pets, nothing much) because the kids wanted to see them but I realized that, well, the kids are very rowdy and it would be hard to bring them. So instead I made little pokéballs for everyone!

As for my favorite buddies, I like to think that I'm putting them here because they're fun and chill to hang with! They're absolutely cute, passionate, and adorable, no one can resist these little troublemakers even if they make a mistake.

I absolutely adore Tala's sass and liveliness. She would talk to me about the Filipino telenovelas her moms would watch with her and I love her enthusiasm about learning about her culture this way. She's quite the conversationalist, too, as she never runs out of stories!

Jamie was livid when I gave him the pokéball I made and I know mi hombrecito would appreciate what I gave him. He reminded me of me due to his obsession with the action figure and cartoon character KAY/O. He's quite the lively and imaginative kid and I couldn't be more honored to have a little space in the little guy's head everyday and every night when he falls asleep.

And of course, who's going to forget lil' Sunwoo Byrne? Kid's got a huge appetite, she absolutely loves the sandwiches I made her before! I do think it's cute that both her and Jamie are fans of Pokémon given that they bond over watching cartoons and the like! Makes me feel secure knowing that there are still kids who loved cartoons as much as I did—do, since I still watch them now. They're just fun to be around with, you get me?

And unfortunately I was the last one in this batch. Maybe in the future we'll get to have another one to be included in posts like this? I don't know, but this was certainly fun to write!

[nerogurl]

Hello! I have never done these match up requests but it seemed fun and your writing is really entertaining. Plus, I'm super curious about this type of fan fiction. It looks really fun! A big reason why I started Fear and Hunger is because someone online described it as being " the main character in the final act of a Lovecraft novel". I find eldritch horror so creative and intriguing to I dived on in.

APPEARANCE - I am 5'3, black/brown long wavyish hair, "top heavy", brown eyes, Mexican, kinda chubby.

Personality - I believe actions speak louder than words. Some people have described me as a social butterfly, but in reality I am hella antisocial and I just socialize so I can just get it over with and be in my own little corner. I really just enjoy being on my own since I don't have to worry about being a people pleaser or anything like that. I just feel more free on my own. That doesn't mean I hate being around people though. I love being around my family and friends. My social battery just runs very low and it takes a while to recharge. My friend had also once described me as having a forest gnome vibe. I do love being out in nature so it's pretty valid. I just feel very excited to be out in the mountains or forest. It makes me feel like an adventure is just around the corner. But I can also be pretty lazy. I love getting cozy and get into reading a book, play a video game, or watching a cartoon/movie. In the future I want to go into archaeology because I'm just fascinated by ancient civilizations and early humanity. I lean more towards absurdist philosophy with a bit of hedonism thrown in there. I just want someone to match my freak lol. No but seriously, I don't care about what other people do so long as no one gets hurt. I tend to like taking in little lost animals. like of course, wet cats. The cat distribution system loves me and I love it. In any kind of relationship I like to have a bit of teasing or light bullying. TO me it's a sign that we're comfortable enough with each other that neither of us will get hurt. And trust that neither of us will go too far. My love language is acts of service, words of affirmation and quality time.

LIKES - Campy/older horror movies. Especially if the effects are practical like in "The Fly", "The Thing", or "Pizza, Party, Panic". I appreciate the talent and creativity that goes into that specific type of gore or body horror. Even though it does make me queasy I just end up admiring the effects. I am big on cryptids and the occult, I just find all of that really cool. I love doing art in any and all forms. Especially trippy art! I usually use acrylics. I like really dumb silly stuff in general. That leads into not taking myself too seriously, I like to have fun! Y2k clothing styles are my jam, I always try to add at least a little something to my wardrobe

DISLIKES - People to are boring and aren't willing to have a little bit of fun. People questioning me and my business. I'm a pretty private person, so people prying make me suspicious. When horror movies use cheap scares, horror, or gore just to get a quick reaction. Traveling to places. I like being in places but not so much the journey. I'm more of a passenger princess anyway. Heights make me Shakey and light headed. Spiders.

(EDIT; thank you for clarifying anon! Here's the post.)

Aw, thank you Anon! I'm glad people enjoy my writing. It's nice to know I can make someones day. As for matches, I'm happy to inform you going over your description that I get the opportunity to match you with my favourite character, Nosramus!

Since Nosramus's gender is left intentionally innocuous, I will be using they/them pronouns.

A whimsical alchemist living in the cave system of the dungeons of Fear & Hunger, is a main character in Enki's S ending. They were originally part of the fellowship that would travel to Ma'habre to ascend to New Gods. Realising that ascension was a lie, keeping one's potential stagnant, they would refuse to join them and instead pursue true enlightenment through the constant pursuit of new knowledge. 

Having spent centuries isolated from society, they suffer from an acute loneliness. While they thrive to learn and adapt, as is their own discovered ultimate pursuit of enlightenment, there is a natural cultural disconnect with the passage of time; interacting with the world like a tourist. You might think that Nosramus has generous company drawn to them due to their ethereal appearance and otherworldly demeanour, but rather this actually makes them come across as intimidating. Sure, scholars or rabbit-masked lovers passing through, but interpersonal relationships? A light just too close to the sun or a stepping stone for other people's god-centred agendas, they would appreciate taking a turn of being the focus of fascination:

Trading their knowledge of ancient rites in exchange for learning more about modern society. Your art style and fashion sense are like candy for a alchemist with a glutton for knowledge. Studying the heartbeat of the earth, they love to observe nature in all its forms, they would like to observe you. What's the process behind your creations? The thought, behaviour, body language that goes into the choices involved with the unfamiliar art and fashion? As Nosramus's prior studies show that they had tried to recreate life, they love to watch the life you weave into your creations. 

Originally open to parenthood, I imagine them doting on their partner, similar to a caretaker. They can be seen silently observing your work fondly, taking note of any projects that have piqued their curiosity. They'd help by restocking your art supplies as a gift or offer to provide experiences that adventure into the surrealism that inspires psychedelic art, such as magic or the opium used to alleviate the loss of sanity. Intersecting with Nosramus's experiences, connecting their world to yours through a relatable medium, you could draw for them as a gift. Framing your art on the wall, like how a proud mother hangs their child's pieces on the refrigerator. You might find thrown out pieces sharing a spot among your gifts.

They are a bit of a cheeky flirt, all fun banter and playful, fully prepared that you're just passing through. They would suggest the idea of you staying in a teasing manner, of course if you don't mind bunking with an old windbag, 'hohohoho!'  Once you start to reciprocate, they'd slowly let you closer into their life enough that overtime you might be able to share it. 

Having lived in the Dungeons for most of their life, just like how the game recommends avoiding as many fights as possible, Nosramus relies on a similar strategy to social etiquette as you do, cautious and withdrawn but sociable. A slow-burn relationship, the quality time is what helps kinder the flames before taking things too seriously. A domestic lifestyle fit for an old married couple, sharing the same medial tasks to get through the day. 

Utilising an affinity with Vinushka the both of you share, allows long stretches of time to be spent reading in the sun by hidden grooves and forestry. Nosramus is not unfamiliar with days lazing about, some of which spent in the Sylvain meadows. Open minded to being freaky, they are versatile in all fields when it comes to learning new things.

Foraging in the caves for mushrooms, trading with the lizard-man civilisation for meat, scouring for whatever natural resources can be harvested for alchemy. Nosramus's sensibilities may have been warped having spent so long integrating with other species, their humour and understanding of social norms are probably a bit twisted, they would appreciate someone that wouldn't mind the peculiarity of their ideas.

The transition to a relationship is a delicate process of trust between two parties, but sharing the same approach and attitudes, it feels so seamless that looking back you can't pinpoint where it even began. 

Your next match is Samarie! Reading your mind she could find your headspace relatable. She can get extremely skittish when people get friendly, with her experience as a radiating soul drawing mostly negative attention. Struggling with socialising but wanting to be adored, contrasted with someone that struggles with too much attention being overwhelming: When reading your mind, she projects her insecurities as something you need protecting from. Trying her best to take some of the load off to help prevent you from getting overwhelmed by carrying conversation with the extra boost of confidence you give her. 

Samarie much the same admires Marina, who is so easily fits in the IN crowd. She wants to be someone you can look up to, she would be quite eager to teach you occult magic and offer whatever lore to add to your fascination of cryptids. With her life in the Vatican, she's had too much experience having grave importance staked on her life as a living sacrifice for the older gods. She'd prefer to live a carefree life of fun. Not thinking of the grand scheme of things and just trying to make as many happy moments as possible. Whether that's going out or staying in, positive affirmation from someone she cares about gives her more confidence to figure out what happiness is for her. 

Due to her upbringing, she would almost immediately be drawn to horror. A way to confront traumas in a safe controlled environment. The only apprehension she'd get is the same with you; cheap jump-scares are bad for her frail body. Introducing her to your favourites you could give her warnings by squeezing her hand. Although she can sense through your thoughts, going out of your way to let her know would be reassuring in that she can trust you. She'd be able to control her nerves enough to enjoy herself, albeit with a lot of coaxing.

The cat distribution system loves her too, she just doesn't know it yet. Being codependent on reading people's thoughts to navigate social interaction, I'm assuming that animals don't have the same crux as humans. Cats would be good for her mental health because it forces a situation where she has to take initiative outside of her unhealthy coping mechanisms. She would have a lot in common with cats, which parallels the parasocial relationship that she's able to establish with Marina from their common interests. However, the only acknowledgement she'll get from a cat is if she establishes an actual relationship first. 

A cat is sitting on her lap and she cannot physically bring herself to move. You'll just walk in on her splayed in awkward positions, trying not to move as to rouse any from their resting place. Looking at you with a silent pleading expression to help free her from her indentured role as a human mattress.

Although, physically weak, she could appreciate the outdoors in an unconventional way. She can relate to the disposition of bugs. Like how Enki intuitively learns how to communicate with bugs when thrown inside the well, I imagine Samarie would adapt very much the same. Using her ability to talk to bugs as a safety mechanism much in the same way as her mind reading. Going out for nature hikes is out of the question due to the extraneous physical activity. However, I could see her enjoy urban exploring. The intel from insects enables her to navigate the mysterious labyrinths with ease. Much like how you meet Samarie in a alternate reality on Day 2, after stepping on the Rher's ritual circle; a world just for the two of you.

Tldr; Nosramus & Samarie, but overall Nosramus is your best match.

[azure-firecracker]

ATLA Live Action Stream of Consciousness (Episode 2, Part 1).

Hang on this show is rated PG? Did they not see the people burning alive last episode?

The fire nation theme with a full orchestra goes so hard. I need Azula’s version too.

Zuko tearing up the room looking for his fucking diary while Iroh just fails to calm him down is peak 16 year old and his dad core and I’m living for it. I, too, want to smash stuff when my beloved things go missing.

Zuko’s right, Aang is a coward which is good because he’s nuanced! Now the show should acknowledge that.

We’re going to Kyoshi island yay!

Another good Katara monologue. They seem to have grasped the hopeful aspect of her character well (and it’s clearly in Kiawentiio’s acting wheelhouse). Now let her break stuff!

Wait if Aang can fly why did he fall out of the sky in the last episode?

On the Waterbending Scroll: @juniperhillpatient talked about this in a great post so I’ll link that here.

The Gyatso memorial was a really nice touch. I think Gordon’s acting was slightly flat (emphasis on slightly) but the way his voice broke on the last line broke me. Since it’s the first time I’ve had anything bad to say about his acting, I’ll give it a pass.

I will say idk if it’s sets of CGI but the whole setting is gorgeous. I’m glad their budget let them add in those details that we didn’t get in the cartoon.

Yay Iroh comedy! Give him more!

They nailed Zuko and Iroh’s dynamic. No complaints. Also since the main trio is less funny (which is fine) the comic relief is much needed.

Kyoshi Warrior makeup looks awesome!

Ooh Suki’s mom is here! And Suki getting some more background/development, always love! Not sure if I would have called “kindness” one of her core traits but it’s not like she wasn’t kind. She didn’t have much characterization to begin with besides “cool strong girl!” so I like that she gets a softer side.

Sokka’s fangirling over Suki this is cute and also hilarious. And Suki is EVISCERATING him with her skills.

Iroh is comedy gold (makes sense since I know this actor has a background in comedy) This episode overall is lighter which I think is a nice break since last episode was pretty intense.

Zhao seems like less of an asshole right off the bat. Is he sneaky or just watered down? (Like Katara-no I won’t shut up about her).

Shirtless Sokka was not necessary I want everyone to stay far away from over sexuality the teenage characters I don’t care that some of them look over Netflix don’t Netflix this.

I like that we’re expressing Aang’s grief more overtly. Something the original couldn’t do.

I find Aang and Katara’s friendship really wholesome.

Katara talking about Aang knowing how to connect…BUT THAT WAS KATARA’S THING. Why are they taking her good traits and giving them to her male friends istg.

Suki is so cool I love her definitely no character crush here. Her literally being like “I like this boy. Obviously the logical choice is to show him my fighting skills” she’s so real for that.

“Only justice will bring peace” - please tell me Katara being the one to read that line is important because thematically it’s a very Katara line.

Aang’s backstory with people being scared of him and losing control is an interesting new touch that I think could be used really well. (Also seeing some Azula parallels especially with the “lucky” thing but I don’t think I’m that lucky).

I do miss Sokka’s Kyoshi Warrior uniform. The tension though! A little more of a mature tone than the original and idk how much I want to lean into sexual tension of any kind but the characters are 16 so I thiiink I’m okay with this but NETFLIX IF YOU OVERSEXUALIZE THEM ALL I WILL COME FOR YOU!!

Part 2 coming soon!

[cartoon-buffoon]

We got the first casting announcement for the new Oswald horror movie and I'd like to share it on here as well as other news relating to this film that we have so far + my take on this entire thing.

I know Ernie Hudson from Ghostbusters... That's about it? I'm not a big film guy as I struggle to watch movies unless I'm with friends and I haven't seen any of the Ghostbuster films since I was super young so I have no opinion on him as an actor.

Next up we have a plot summary of what the film is gonna be about, this screencap is taken from this horror film reporting website: https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3798317/oswald-down-the-rabbit-hole-announce-trailer-new-horror-movie-features-the-original-mickey-mouse/ this description of what the film is about is from their IMD as well so ya know, not much spread here other than notes from the director.

The website they list is also worth noting as so far all that's there is this screen that replays Oswald's Trolley Troubles on loop on the TV screen yet maybe we should keep an eye on it for teasers in the future.

Now this is also just word of mouth and I have no source for this other than some Twitter posts I saw awhile back which I did NOT save yet I heard this movie is supposed to incorporate live action with animation similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Take this info with a grain of salt and this is a "dude trust me" moment.

Now I know people will dislike this film for well, obvious reasons ya know public domain kids property turned edgy and scary horror movie character, yet I'm fairly optimistic about this film? Do I believe it's going to be good? Oh abso-fucking-lutley not! However I still thinks it's cool Oswald is getting back to the big screen even if it means he's going to be a part of a horror film where he's the villain. The film is set to release in 2025 and I have no idea when it started production yet it's interesting to know they are holding it off until next year and it makes it seem like they actually care about this product. I don't think we should set any expectations for this film yet I think it's good to be hopeful at least for it being fun. From the descriptions we got it's gonna be a Alice in Wonderland inspired story where we—well—go down the rabbit hole into a world that Oswald (or at least this demonic version of Ozzie) comes from and he likewise is going to hunt down the cast of characters. It's stated to not be pure horror and it'll have fantasy elements which I'm excited for, I can hope this isn't like the Winnie the Pooh horror movie and this film will be more light hearted and take itself less seriously. At the end of the day I'm just excited this could get more people into Oswald, even if they only know of him from this movie they could take interest in his character and do research on Oswald himself and end up liking his old cartoons or his newer stuff like EM. I think we should just see what comes of the film while being respectful to the creators and all those involved, even if this movie does come out bad we can also hope it's going to be the good type of bad. I want a movie I can sit down, watch, get some laughs at, and not expect much from, I feel like that'll truly capture the feel of classic cartoons where the entire goal was to have fun and enjoy some goofy on screen characters.

[thefloatingstone]

After looking into the writers predicament and how it all led to the strike it made me realize that perhaps one of the reasons for the decline in quality media is becuase writers have been given less and less incentives to create good content, do you have any thoughts?

I don't think it would be exactly incentive. I would think in a certain amount of cases it would be down more to demotivation. Generally, writers for film and TV and such genuinely WANT to make a good story and, much like fanfic writers and fanartists, will do their best for very little thanks simply because it's what they DO. But not ever show or movie is going to be a passion project, in fact most of them won't. And if you're working for Disney especially, who owns 38% of all film (not counting TV and other media) so you most likely WILL end up wroking for Disney, you are going to have a TON of studio meddling on every level of writing.

As I mentioned in the other post, Mr Rick And Morty (sorry I don't know his name and I'm too lazy to check) wrote the story for the Dr Strange and the Multiverse of madness at LEAST twice when the movie's FIRST story and script was scrapped by a previous writer. The first script he wrote was heavily rewritten and changed and reworked by the studio. and then the studio just THREW OUT that script and he had write a brand NEW script 2 weeks before shooting started using all the props, sets, outfits and CG segments they had already made. And the thing is this is now STANDARD PRACTICE in working on a big budget Disney film.

Part of the reason the Barbie movie is written as well as it is, is because Mattel were almost completely hands off with the film's writing. (the only changes I heard about was them censoring one Barbie saying the word "Motherfucker" which they censored in the film by putting a Mattel sticker over her mouth) and various other things like the removal of a narration in one scene and one or two jokes were cut. You know! NORMAL screenwriting practices!

But Disney is so paranoid and controlling with literally everything they put out it is a death sentence for any kind of creativity. Even ignoring the fact that they hire brand new writers who they can control and push around easier, I imagine even if you were NOT a new writer just happy for a big break, it must be extremely demotivating to try and write a good story when you know Disney is just gonna shred it to ribbons.

This is absolutely not the ONLY reason of course. Velma's writing is so godawful because people who had only worked in live action cable comedy thought they could do the exact same thing for an animated show and it would work without knowing anything about the medium they were working in because they were arrogant, lacked restraint, and had gotten where they were thanks to being friends with the right people. HGS is so badly written because Raye Rodriquez had shopped around his story idea to EVERYONE and got rejected by all of them until Crunchyroll needed fodder to justify opening up its own studio to create "originals". Many times modern cartoons are badly written because the actual people writing the show are animators who haven't had any formal training or education in creative writing.

There are a thousand and one reasons for WHY something ends up badly written. But as for why we have gotten SO MUCH that is badly written recently I would chalk up to studio execs and the business side of Hollywood choking the creativity out of the writing process in an attempt to maximize profits in the short term.

That's an EXTREME simplification but that would be my opinion. Hell the only reason AI writing is even a conversation regarding film and TV is because it's the kind of thing these studio execs are SALIVATING over the thought of. A writer they have 100% control over that they don't have to pay and don't have to deal with all that "creative vision" or "artistic expression" bullshit which they don't like because it represents risk to sure fire income.

because most Studio Execs are businessmen who have no concept of creativity whatsoever, have no idea what being creative even means, and yet they think because they know how to make money in a corporate sense, they know how to monetise creativity to maximum efficiency.

It's like a fisherman getting rid of all the fish in the sea because they're getting in the way of him monetising the ocean.

Anyway this ask is a mess because this is a complex issue I am trying to express a simplified opinion on. But I hope you get what I mean.

[tickledpink31]

A thought about Princess Yue from the Live Action AtLA

So, I did watch all 8 episodes of Netflix's Avatar just to give it a fair chance. I went in thinking that this is obviously not going to be as good as the original, and I thought it was okay. There are things I that liked and things that I didn't. At least I was feeling some excitement as opposed to the emotionless drag that was the live action movie. At least I get to shamelessly eat up all that Zutara scarfgate content.

But there was this thing that was bothering me in the back of my mind. It's gotten to the point where I actually jotted down notes before my shift at work started, as if I'm writing an essay for school and I don't want to lose my ideas because of my squirrel brain. You've read the header, it's about our favourite Moon Princess and her relation to the patriarchal system of the Northern Water Tribe.

We all love to complain about how Sokka's sexist to upcoming feminist character arc was taken away, and I do too, but I'd like to complain about the inconsistencies of the worldbuilding in this post.

In episode 7, we get this scene:

And in the very next scene we get this:

And I thought, "Huh, something's not right here."

I don't know about you, but a culturally sexist tribe wouldn't allow a woman to do something like that, at least not without her fighting for that right. You might say that, "Oh, but Hahn said breaking off the engagement is her prerogative. She's a princess."

I say nay. If she could do that in the original cartoon, then why was she so moved to tears after hearing about Kanna and Pakku's arranged marriage.

It's never explicitly said, but something tells me that Yue wouldn't have been allowed to reject Hahn's proposal even if she wanted to. It won't matter if she's in higher a position than Hahn. She's a woman and that's that.

Yue breaking off her engagement in the live action doesn't feel like a progressive move, but a conflicting part of the worldbuilding. We end up losing the tragedy of Yue's role as a woman and how that arc pairs well with Katara going toe-to-toe with the tribe's chauvinistic waterbending traditions. The Water Tribe's misogyny is not just about how women aren't allowed in combat, it's about the little things too. It's about how decisions are made for women by men, how women are told to know their place, how they don't have a say in who they marry, and how even men are made to feel emasculated if they stray too far from the "ideal" man's customs.

I do have a way to fix this, though. You want a Yue fighting for her rights? Here are some suggestions:

I love the original Yue the way she is. We love a soft-spoken and compassionate princess, but it's fine if the live action wants to give her a sprinkle of rebellion, just a sprinkle. Maybe you could SHOW Yue tirelessly fighting tooth and nail to break off her engagement.

You can characterize Hahn in the same way as the original—an egotistical warrior. The arrangement ended up forcing Yue's hand, so she decided that she won't have much to lose if she took a stand for herself.

Maybe because of her willingness to break traditional customs, the elders of the tribe are beginning to show Yue less and less respect than they used to.

Yue's defiance is a slow burn arc. Perhaps she and Katara bond even more and Katara's natural fury and rebelliousness rubs off on Yue, so she decides to stick it to Hahn.

Man, I cannot believe I wrote all this. If only I was this passionate while writing essays in high school.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

The trades right now showing what utter bootlickers they can be, and I want to call it out.

Taking Bob Iger’s whole “less messaging, more entertainment” nonsense that he emphasized last year when evaluating the box office losses of WISH and THE MARVELS and other assorted Disney films, the writer of this trash is basically saying “Yeah, he’s right! Appease the angry people who call everything ‘woke’ and you’ll see great box office! Fuck marginalized groups!”

Yeah, never mind that INSIDE OUT 2, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, and MOANA 2 are all sequels to big hit movies. Never mind that last year, “woke” movies like BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER made shit-tons of coin. Yeah, never mind all of that!

It was erasing “woke” from the movies that saved Disney’s collective rears this year, didn’t it?

It’s no surprise that Variety, one of the trades, would publish such a dunderheaded article like this. And one that seems to hand it to Ben Shapiro of all people… That whiny asshole… It only gets worse from there… No link, I'll save you the brain damage for the most part.

And then they center the seemingly-disastrous budget-ballooning SNOW WHITE - due out in three months - as the film that could stop this hit streak, mostly because star Rachel Zegler (already getting needless flack from hobby-less losers because she’s not a white woman portraying Snow White) said some mildly political things online in light of recent world happenings. Disney once again not having their stars’ backs, much like how they didn’t when most of the sequel trilogy actors - namely Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Kelly Marie Tran - all got harassed online…

If SNOW WHITE flops, it’s because it cost $240m (due to all the reshoots and mishaps, and all that CG all for a problem that could’ve been averted in many ways but Disney chose not to) and that audiences just weren’t down for a movie that just looks like hokey slop. Sorry if anyone here wants to see it, but to me it looks like the nadir of these live-action/CGI remakes that have long outstayed their welcome. A ghastly companion to the 1937 animated feature that is monumental for several reasons and is so much more than just some “outdated” “85-year-old cartoon” that this movie is apparently surpassing, I just- Ugh-

Anyways, yeah. I get it. Disney’s a big-ass corporation. Expecting them to tell the far right to fuck off and just go see another movie (like, say, a waste of time like AM I RACIST?) will likely never be in their agenda. They want to get those near-billion grosses for their movies, which is unsustainable to begin with. And that means they need everyone to go see their movies, even bigots from all around the world.

Ya know, Disney used to let the Bible Belt dictate what they could and couldn’t do in the 1970s, and yeah… How’d that work out for them? Eventually, it’ll catch up with them when they run out of films to sequelize. They’re not gonna launch franchises out of new originals if they keep pumping $150-200m into them and expecting them to be these gargantuan behemoths in a post-outbreak era. But no, if those movies (like ELIO, HOPPERS, and Untitled WDAS 2026 Original) bomb, they’ll just blame groups who could use more representation.

And the thing about appeasing that whole beast is, they’re gonna find new things to call “woke”. Soon, movies about merely being good to others or fighting evil will become “woke”. I’m surprised they didn’t attack INSIDE OUT 2 because it has a central female character and a lot of prominent female characters, I’m surprised they didn’t attack MOANA 2 because it’s about an adventurous girl who also isn't white. They will get mad about those kinds of aspects, eventually… They did back in the '90s, for sure. POCAHONTAS and MULAN and such were often called "politically correct". You know that dumb meme that goes around on twitter, saying "Disney was better at doing diversity when they didn't try"? Yeah, those movies were attacked back then, too. The language was different, that was all. Politically correct, woke, now it's "DEI" or some such shit. We all know what the words reeeeally mean...

Which is why Disney should spend less on their movies and stop letting these miserable people who hate art unless it caters to their limited worldview... tell them what to do. That all seems to be Bob Iger’s goal, having each and every movie go BIG or go home. As such, Disney experiences such high highs and really low lows…

After he departs, I can only hope the next CEO embraces something a lot more balanced in both the big budget films and smaller movies that aren’t 20th Century/Searchlight endeavors.

How come little ol’ me can figure this out and not- Ya know what, never mind.

Last decade, the STAR WARS sequel trilogy, several Marvel movies (such as BLACK PANTHER and CAPTAIN MARVEL), and stuff like ZOOTOPIA and COCO came out… Most of those films hit during the Trump era, or at least when he was running for President… They had “messaging”, they fit the right-wingers’ definition of “woke”, they lean lefter than righter… They came out before a pandemic hit and when most audiences could afford a family night out to the cinemas… They were ripped to shreds online by pathetic man babies, but they made beaucoup bucks at the box office. People wanted to see those movies, they liked them, and continued to see them. Most audiences just like something that’s well-made, and they see said things because of that AND in many cases when it’s sold properly to them.

Now, we have losers like Nelson Peltz and Ben Shapiro being heeded by these studio heads and the trades… In this day and age, the first ZOOTOPIA, the first MOANA, they probably would’ve never been made. Or if they were, they would’ve flopped. And Disney and right-wing bastards would’ve blamed it on them being “woke”.

A sorry state of affairs.

That’s why independent is sometimes better. Stories made by people, for the love of doing it, and because they can, no dictators in corporate or whiners outside influencing corporate telling them what to do… One of my recent favorites is a movie like HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS. FURIOSA might be my favorite movie of this calendar year. The movies I gravitate towards year after year don’t do this “please everybody” bullshit.

Disney got to where they got doing the same… Hell, even Jiminy Cricket said it…

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