#Kinda good king skeletor

[altra]

Story idea for masters of the universe revolution.

Skeletor, remembering he is actually Keldor, decides to try being an actual king now that he pretty much is in the leading position he wanted.

He stays in his Keldor guise, now fighting on the side of the good guys, not that those know it.. Yet.

A story about Skeletor being a good king (somewhat), Adam actually liking his uncle and Hordak of course destroying that happy illusion of Skeletor thinking his plan of not revealing himself could work out.

[emperorsfoot]

📓📚📒📖

chill mah dude

📓 - I would like to, one day, write a fic of the events leading up to Keldor's coup in the Core/CGI series. We got the "I, Skeletor" novel, but that's about Keldor and Randor in their early teens. Randor is not king yet and their parents are still alive. I want to write a fic taking place when Adam is six, Randor is King, and Keldor is laying plans for his coup.

📚 - I also wanna one day write a really ambitious fic that utilizes the prophesy from the Classics-Line comics. In the Classic-Line there's a prophesy that when the Three Towers are restored, the "great kings" of Eternia will return to the living. But in the comics, the only kings that return are Randor and Miro and, I'm sorry, but those dudes ain't that great. If you're gonna put in a prophesy about "the great kings" then use the great ones! King Grayskull for example! Have the prophesy bring back King Grayskull! Like, come on! The gimmick is right there! Also, the prophesy does not specify the great kings having a "good" alignment, so in my version of the prophesy, King Hiss would also come back. He was a "great" king of Eternia. Full roster of "great kings":

D'Vann Grayskull (alignment: good; goddess: Zoar)

King Hiss (alignment: neutral; goddess: Serpos)

Hordak (alignment: evil; goddess: Horokoth)

Skeletor (alignment: chaotic; goddess: Bash-Or)

Four kings, one for each goddess.

They'd each also have a sorceress.

Grayskull - Veena

Hiss - Teela

Hordak - Entrapta

Skeletor - Evil-Lyn

📒 - I wanna do a cute ship fic for Skeleteen that makes excessive use of the trope "Identity Porn". Identity Porn is when one character has 2 identities (think Superman and Clark Kent) and the rest of the characters they interact with think they're 2 separate people. I've dipped my toes in this idea already. But with an OC that I kinda high-key hated. Next time I wanna try it with a canon character. (Probably Ram Man II, I don't know why, he's just the one I picked out and stuck with.) The premise is, Skeleteen is unrecognizable as Skeleteen without his helmet. Ram Man II would happen upon Malkyn when he's doing some innocuous thing while not wearing his helmet and they would become friends with Ram Man II having a huge crush on Malkyn. When Malkyn shows up to their meetings with bruises or bandages, he assumed someone's been mistreating him and Malkyn needs to be rescued. He has no idea that the injuries come from their own battles together. One day Malkyn shows up riding Skeleteen's gryphon and Ram Man II assumed Malkyn might be Skeleteen's beast trainer, that would mean that Skeleteen's been the one beating him and Ram Man vows to defeat Skeleteen and free Malkyn once and for all.

📖 - multiple AUs where Zalesia is never destroyed with varying impacts on the present depending on where I wanna take the story.

[drnotreallystrange]

Masters of the CW

I did not care much about the original “Masters of the Universe”, which I found kinda cheesy even back then (yes I’m that old). But several people I admire gave a rather negative opinion on the new “Masters of the Universe” animated show, and the now well known accusation game of “review bombing”, “toxic fanboys who don’t like strong girls” etc etc is in full swing. So I took a look...

I don’t care much about the marketing and the very obvious fact that the show-runner Kevin Smith straight out lied and tried to start a shitstorm against some fans who passed on some information which turned out to be very much spot on.

So, the main character is Teela. Do I have a problem with that the main character is a woman and not He-Man? Nope. I like women. But, that said, how they wrote Teela and the rest of the characters is everything that is wrong with many shows and movies these days.

Spoilers below, don’t read on if you don’t want to read about some major plot points.

In the first episode, she’s about to get a promotion to “man-at-arms” and everyone she meets tells her how incredibly amazing she is (the queen, her dad, ...) Then the rest of the plot gets going, Adam/He-Man dies saving the fcking Universe and the infamous scene in the Throne room happens: in front of the queen and king whose son JUST DIED, she throws a tantrum, because she did not know that Adam was He-Man:

“everyone lied to me”

“you knew and did not tell me”

“whine whine whine I quit!!!”

and she quits her new man-at-arms job, like an angry toddler, abandons her duty, her friends, everyone and everything, because she hAs bEeN LiEd tO. Cry me a river.

Are we supposed to like this character? YES, because it’s the main character of the series, she’s a “strong independent woman”, who just threw a tantrum because she was not in on a secret. Do I like her? NO, I don’t.

Because basically, she’s the same type of selfish, entitled bitch we see on the CW shows so often, like Iris WxstAllen, Lena Luthor and (to a lesser degree) Felicity Smoak.

Later in the show, there are a few more great quotes from her, my favorite: Adam: “I DIED!” - Teela: “And the rest of us had to live with it”

Throughout the series there are many more well-known tropes:

Adam / He-Man sucks up to Teela (”I go where you go, Teela”), and is of course worse at everything (except dying, which he does again(!) in the fifth episode). But luckily he does not appear all that much in the main story.

They trust and work with Evil-Lyn, who predictably switches allegiance back to the bad guy Skeletor at the end, and Andra (Teela’s girlfriend, because of course) says the famous CW line which appears whenever a villain needs to be stopped: “YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!” I really laughed out loud at that.

Teela’s greatest fear is to be ... too perfect :-D

There’s much much more, but I’m lazy.

Anyway, the “toxic fanboys” are right. The writing of the characters is just garbage, which is a shame, because the basic story is interesting and good. And the animation, voice acting, etc is great. But it seems the men(!) who wrote this forgot that you can have great female AND great male characters at the same time. Any real strong woman should be angry at this abomination of a main character, and many female fans ARE as horrified their male counterparts.

[demonfox38]

Okay. Made it through the last season of Netflix's "Castlevania" interpretation. Thoughts are below the cut.

I've often thought of this series as the exploitation version of "Castlevania," and hiring Malcom McDowell confirms that.

Although, I find it hilarious that both Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Stewart have ended up voicing the same character. I'm sure there's a "Star Trek Generations" joke to be made in there, but I'm not Mike Stoklasa.

Also, I was cracking up a bit when Varney's plot twist happened. Mostly, because it came off a bit Skeletor-esque in vocal performance.

Also, also—laughing that the final boss went the "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence" route despite barely touching on that game's plot.

Animation had its ups and downs with this season. It seemed like there were some frame issues (not enough inbetweening.) I do appreciate how they incorporated more of Alucard's SOTN animations into his fights, however.

Additionally, some of the fight scenes' pacing seemed to have issues, particularly regarding weapon recovery.

The whole bit with St. Germain was off. Like, he's a weird asshole in "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness", but he's more of a weird asshole there in the same way that casually encountering "Doctor Who"'s Doctor would also be strange. Not a straight up villainous boob. Kinda makes sense thematically to have another character who is willing to do horrible shit for their lost loved one, but the series honestly did not do a good job establishing her. Like, did she even have a voice actor? Or a name? All I'm saying is it was much easier for outsiders to get the Lisa revenge thing Dracula had going.

Also, how dare you joke about not being deaf and then have a villainous monologue, TV show.

Greta's a good girl. Well, outside of being an occasional homewrecker. Point is, she's competent and trying her best to save people in a bad situation, and anyone having issues with her is not to be trusted in the same way that you don't trust people who don't like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2."

Look at me. Do not trust people who do not like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2." Yes, her writing could have been better, but she's still a viable character. Let people Thunder Child their ships on the rocks of your better self. Got me?

Also, y'all really need to embrace more polyamory. Or understand the fact that Alucard's not going to love just one person in his life. Dude lives to be at least 600 in the game's timeline. For a dude who loves humans, constricting him to just one who may live to be 100 at best is cruel.

There are some interesting philosophical dialogues going on here, but I can see where some people may lose their patience for them. Considering one of Castlevania's most popular memes is a philosophy debate, you're just gonna have to suck that up. My personal favorites included the topic of acting versus reacting, as well as having agency in one's story.

Striga's battle theme was cool, but otherwise, the music was forgettable. Yes, that is a sin. Punishable by Death? In this series, maybe!

The gore's still over the top. Which, okay, fine. There's a bit of that in game. It's just generally a bit more reserved with it or uses it in crucial boss fights.

RIP doggie.

The Targoviste plot's a bit of a wash, but it doesn't feel as useless as Trevor and Sypha's previous plot predicament. It's just nothing of a surprise, considering how many times the writing has played the "authority figures are useless" and "dark secret surprise" tropes in this series. Like, Greta being reliable is actually more surprising than anything with this plot.

I cannot emphasize enough how boring I found Carmilla's interpretation and plot arc. You guys could have had a giant, naked lesbian riding a skull and spewing magic at people while her cat-eared girlfriend jumped them for extra damage. But no. Vanilla lady with a scarlet sword for you. So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Good night.  

Gotta say, as much of a deviation from his source character as he is, Isaac really turned out well in this series. He's definitely evidence that you don't always need to stick to source material.

His Abel is fucking sick, dude. Way to go, king.

Also, I was expecting more violence from Hector this season. Oh, well. At least he got a teeny bit of a spine.

Look. I'm not an alchemist by any means. I'm just a bit baffled by this season's emphasis of obtaining a Rebis. Like, any time the game series has talked about the Magnum Opus of Alchemy, it's more been in pursuit of making a Philosopher's Stone (or at the very least, a Crimson Stone, as seen in "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.") Pulling a Rebis out of the aether is…well. Could have been more interesting than it was. I mean, it was a bit nightmarish, but it really didn't do much.

Sypha's really never getting back to her family, is she?

Love the idea that the cross subweapon is basically a fancy chakram.

GERGOTH. BUDDY. FRIENDO.

Really appreciating the monster variety in these last two seasons. I mean, that's a big selling point of the "Castlevania" games. Not so much vampires standing around and bickering in dick-waving contests.

Breaking out of the bullet points to hit on the big subject of this season—that is, the ending being surprisingly happy.

There's been a lot of shit that's happened over the last few years. Obviously, a pandemic. Konami's run by pricks. Then, there's the situation with the allegations of sexual coercion with Warren Ellis. Additionally, the terrible ending of "Game of Thrones" likely impacted how this season was developed, considering it seemed to be chasing its progression in construction. (I mean, look at Carmilla and Daenerys.) I don't know how many people were happy with the last season of "Castlevania," but from my POV, it double-tapped itself in the foot with the way it pushed simultaneous sex and violence in its last two episodes. My point is, there was little taste for additional darkness, considering everything that has been happening. Society is drained.

A happy ending was what people really wanted. And man, did this pull through, in that regard. But, there's a conversation to be had in if this swerved too far or if it violates some artistic integrity to give people what they want. So, let's have it.

Look. Man. Have you seen a "Castlevania" ending? When you do it right, it's crumbled castles and rainbow-colored skies. If you do it really right, it results in a pretty girl holding the main character's hand. There is happiness in these games. Hope. Forgiveness and redemption. If this is supposed to be any bit an accurate interpretation of these games, it absolutely should end in such a joyful fashion. (Okay, maybe giving Dracula and Lisa a second honeymoon at the end was a bit much, but I get where people would want that.)

Did some items need to be addressed more? Absolutely. Alucard staking people and Hector getting sexually coerced into servitude are some pretty big topics to just wave away. (Oh, shit. That second part is even worse now with what Ellis was allegedly doing, isn't it?) I suppose I'm just glad the series didn't go full Sephiroth with Alucard. And at least Hector finally took some stand in his situation, even if it wasn't the bombastic, hateful revenge I'm used to seeing from this character in other stories.

I think the creators of this series were trying to save this show from the fate of "Game of Thrones." (To some extent, perhaps the "Voltron" re-interpretation as well.) There's so much media out there anymore that if a production team doesn't nail the ending, their creation gets wiped out of the collective consciousness. To that extent, I think the creators were successful in saving their series. Did it do damage to itself in yanking out of its construction and themes? A bit. But, in doing so, it pivoted back to being more like a proper "Castlevania" product. (And of course, by proper, I mean anything ignoring "Lords of Shadows." God, people need to stop chasing other products when developing "Castlevania" stuff and just let the series be as it is.)

I am very curious as to how much of this season was part of an original draft and how much was revised in backlash to everything that has happened. It doesn't seem like Trevor was intended to survive, but to some extent, Sypha had to. (I mean, until she has a kid, anyway. See "Lords of Shadows" series for dickery regarding that.) I'm also wondering if there was more intended for the Carmilla subplot, as much as the series was banging on about her invading locations. I'm not even sure St. Germain was intended to be a villain all along. Getting into a bitchfight with Death? Sure. Doing what he did here? That's a weird arc, dude.

If you come away from my POV with anything, it should be this: GO PLAY THE GAMES.

Do it. Do it, you ghouls. Go to the Steam store and download the "Castlevania Anniversary Collection." Boot up your PS3 or 4 or 18 or whatever and get "Symphony of the Night." Throttle Nintendo's stores until "Aria of Sorrow" or "Dawn of Sorrow" or "Harmony of Dissonance" or whatever rattles out of their moldy pockets. Find a ROM. Find an ISO. Just play a game. Especially, one of the ones made before 2010.

"Castlevania" as a game series isn't about hordes of vampires dick-waving at each other or edgy swearing or being grim and dark. Some of that stuff's there, sure. But, at its core, it's what game developers created when they looked at Universal Monster Movie creations and went "That's cool. Let's fight that!" It's a series about pushing technology in MMC chips to make rich, vibrant music. It's about flourishing artwork and layers of sprites dripping particles and gore onto players. It's sober and goofy and very pro curry.

The thing is, "Castlevania" players have their own unique connection to the series. We're the weirdos you see clapping their hands when a mutilated dinosaur shows up on screen. It's not because the monster alone is cool. It's that we've fought and struggled and bodied that thing through several floors like a goddamn "X-Men: Children of the Atom" stage. It's kicked our asses. We've kicked its ass. We've got a connection to it that you just don't get from passively watching it barf lasers through a computer monitor or TV screen. Like, you know how people go, "Well, the movie wasn't as good as the book?" It's obnoxious, sure. But, those who read the source materials have to go to the effort of constructing their own sets and people to understand what's happening. In a similar fashion, game players build up their own skill set to reach that next rung.

Maybe you don't always get a payout when you invest your resources into something. But, there is a sense of accomplishment, seeing what you can do.

There's a reason this series got an adaptation. I mean, outside of Konami's head executives wanting easy money. "Castlevania" is a fantastic video game series. Has it got a few problems? Oh yeah. Especially after outsourcing and pachislot machines became all the rage. But, there's a reason Simon and Richter Belmont are playable in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate." There's a reason I spent a significant amount of time playing these games and writing or drawing fanworks for it. These games are wonderful. Beautiful. Difficult, but inspiring. Reasons I will still bang on about them decades years down the road.

When I get exasperated by layers of angst and edge lord content this Netflix series generated, I want you to know why. The roots of this show are good games held captive under poor management. Some people on staff know this. I wish they had more scenario and writing control. But mostly, I don't want to shit on them or their work. (Well, other than perhaps the obvious target.) I just want you to see what I love in these games.

And also to watch Crashervania. Because that's legit.

[bitch-of-the-wilds]

Dragon Age 2: Abridged

You start the game and as you're running 🏃‍♂️💨 away from the Zombi- I mean Darkspawn, the very first thing that happens is one of your 2 younger siblings fucking dies. ⚰️💀🥀(RIP Carver)

Then there's a dragon 🐉 which is awesome! But also: fuck, there's a dragon and you're level 1. But wait, now the dragon's an old lady who you swear sounds familiar. 🧙‍♀️ But she won't teach you how to become a dragon, so who cares.

Anyway, your mother cradles your sibling's cooling corpse to her chest and blames you for their death because you're the oldest and (somehow⁉️) you were supposed to protect them from the massive 5-ton ogre and stop it from crushing their rib cage like a gerbil in the hands of a vindictive toddler. 🐹

It's mentioned in passing that "At least they're with father now," and oh, yeah, guess your dad is dead too.

Surprise! Welcome to Dragon Age: 2 -The game where the plot is made up and your feelings don't matter. 🎆🎇

After you finally escape the fuckin 🍭🔥Candy Land from Hell🔥🍭: you're sold into servitude (see also: slavery) to pay your way into the city because your drunkard of an uncle has gambled away every penny of wealth your family ever had, including the house (and the dog too, but don't worry, there's DLC for that ���)

Then, after a year of smuggling and/or shady mercenary work for the dickheads that hold your leash, you're still broker than a ramen-filled Millenial with an undergrad degree in psychology, so you have to go into the Deep Roads to find your fortune.

Do you take your only remaining sibling with you into one of the most dangerous places in Thedas? Or do you leave them in Kirkwall, an almost equally as dangerous place, without even little ole' you there to protect them or your aged, decrepit, spiteful mother (who still kinda hates you for letting your sibling die)?

📱VOTE NOW ON YOUR PHONES! 📱

The kicker is that NO MATTER WHICH CHOICE YOU MAKE, you still lose your sibling! They're taken by the Chantry, (the ⭕Circle/⛑️Templars) if you leave them at home, and if you take them with you, they fucking DIE.

Oh, UNLESS you brought that one edgy, possessed, fugitive Gray Warden you met in the ass end of Darktown with you. Then they don't die. Instead, they themselves are given to the Gray Wardens to try and save them from 🤎😩The Taint 😩🤎 who then disappear back into the Deep Roads for 3 fucking years. IN FACT you don't even know if your fucking sibling LIVES or DIES until Shit City winds up on fucking 🔥FIRE🔥 and they just happen to run into you while you're up to your tits in body organs.

And also that one edgy Gray Warden rebel, Anders -who you actually kinda like, even if he is a whiney bitch, happens to stay on with you because you helped him kill his ex boyfriend (*Micky Mouse voice* it's a special tool that will help us later!🎁)

Oh, and let's not forget that Grand Adventure where your ancient ass mom 🤶 is kidnapped by a Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs serial murderer and then canabalized into a semi-living sex doll 🧟‍♀️(that smells a bit like formaldehyde under the stench of rotting old lady flesh) just because she happens to look a little bit like the dude's dead FWB/wife. 👩‍❤️‍👨

So, when you finally fucking find her -buried under a cesspool of blood, shit and demons (where else?)- you obviously have to kill the dork-ass, serial-killing, LITERAL MOTHERFUCKER who took her.

But OOPS! His blood magic🩸 was the only thing keeping her build-a-bitch body alive, so naturally it disperses as he death-rattles on the floor.🤮

She only lives long enough to say her last regret is leaving you alone in 🗡️ Murder City™️ 🗡️ by yourself before she fucking DIES IN YOUR ARMS in front of your sad ass friends and probably your love interest.

Speaking of which, I hope you didn't dick-down the pirate 🏴‍☠️ then fuck around and find out you caught feelings and shit, cause she straight up leaves your ass to skip town on bail with a Super Special Book. 📖

And god forbid you romanced Fenris because his broody ass just ups and leaves you after a mediocre as fuck one night stand, leaving you with Lyium-blue balls. 🧪 Oh, did I mention that it took 3 fuckin YEARS of courting to get him to into bed? 🛌 But at least he stays with you, helping kill bitches and whatnot, casually twisting that little knife in your heart an inch at a time because he has enough emotional baggage 🎒👜🧳🛍️ to sink a fucking naval armada to the bottom of the Boeric ocean. 🆘⛵🛥️🛳️⛵🚢🛥️🆘

But the fun doesn't stop there! No, no! Because while you may have lost your entire family -i.e. your mother, father and both baby siblings- and potentially your love interest 💔 (You can keep your shitty drunken uncle tho lmfao), that doesn't matter cause we're not done with our field trip through hell just yet kiddies. 🚎 Beep beep, bitch.

So, what's next on 💥Apocalypse Bingo?💥 Oh, that's right, you gotta stop the invading force of massive roid-raging dragon-people with kick ass horns, and their leader just decapitated the king👑 in front of you.

Also they burned 🗑️Trash Town🗑️ to the ground and you have to pick of the pieces of your shitty city. Again.

And after you've done that, after you've done what all the king's horses 🐎🐎🐎 and all the king's men🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️ couldn't fucking do, you're awarded the title of Champion because no good deed goes unpunished!

Yay! You're the savior of Shit City! Hooray. 💩

✨🌟⭐ But wait! There's more! ⭐🌟✨

That one Glowy Red bitch you've seen around the Gallows when you're not ogling Cullen's noodle hair is pissy at Skeletor the Secret Blood Mage. Time to play peace keeper.

It doesn't go well. They're both still assholes. 🤷🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

Oh but, remember Anders? The edgy Gray Warden dude? The one who hears voices in his head, but swears it's just his 👻☄️Spirit Friend☄️👻 The one who you kinda like?

He needs to go grocery shopping. For... cookie ingredients. 🍪

Here's the list: 📜

-Mushrooms 🍄

-Literal, actual shit 💩

-Sulfur 💨

-Amonium Nitrate 🔥

-Other shit, this time metaphorical🚫💩

Okay, weird request, right? But he did help you kill some hoes and give you the map to the Deep Roads which may or may not have gotten your sibling killed, so you owe him one, right? And, well, maybe you kinda like this edgy weirdo who occasionally turns blue when he's mad 👺, so you're willing to do him a solid.

Well, turns out that trip to Kirkwalmart wasn't for ingredients to Anders' fav cookies.

It was actually

⚡💥💣☢️A FUCKIN NUKE☢️💣💥⚡

which he uses to blown up the church ⛪ which happens to be in the city 🌇 your pathetic ass spent 6 years Humpty Dumpty-ing🍳 killing a few hundred innocent people and probably at least one or two dogs🐶💀🐶 so either way he's a fuckin dildo.

Oh, and that kicks off World War Thedas, and the FBI 🚔 thinks you're responsible, so you have to leave your Shit City and lay low.

But you got to meet Varric so it was worth it. 👍

Probably.

[autistic-girl-academic]

okay overall here’s my thoughts on season 1 of netflix masters of the universe

to begin with 5 episodes is pretty short and I wish there was more but I mean if that’s all you’ve got to work with they did a great job!

probably my biggest gripe: I like Andra but she really needed more focus and development, like what’s her backstory? she tells Teela she wants to stand out and be special but not much more, and they didn’t really go into why her fear caused the underworld enemies to become zombies - is she afraid of death, of letting people down?

I also wish the flashbacks Teela had were more evenly divided between her with He-man and with Adam, since her feeling betrayed over him keeping that secret was such a big deal

also this is probably the best, sweetest, himbo-ist version of both Adam and He-Man I’ve ever seen, I love it. He-Man really does feel like a younger kid playing out this act of what he feels like a big strong hero would be

and also this is my favorite version of Orko, just the little change to his eyes makes him so adorable to me somehow? but good god like every scene with him in it hurt me

the Scareglow episode could’ve used some higher stakes at the end, like instead of him trapping everyone with a single rock tentacle around their leg that gets broken off very quickly, have him at least collapse the floor or something if you don’t have the budget for some unbeatably huge undead army? also I think they could’ve tweaked his design to look a bit less like Skeletor (even just the color scheme if you wanted to keep the skullface) unless there’s supposed to be some connection in the lore now

Mossman’s death felt pretty throw-away-ish, as for Orko I’m still fully in denial that he warped or away or something and he’s fine guys, also Adam’s gonna be FINE it’s fine!!!

much more minor things: I’ve mostly watched the 2002 version so I had no idea Cringer could talk and that felt kinda weird, also Tri-Klops looks super goofy with real eyes on his visor though that may have been the point. was also not expecting stupidly handsome King Greyskull to be voiced by CANDYMAN???

and of course Mark Hamil was so fun as Skeletor and I can’t wait for more lines from him in season 2

I was very happy with all the hot buff ladies also

overall I’d say 4-4.5 out of 5 if I had to put a number on it

[former-mudscamps]

((Hey so like back in the beginning of February, I went through my posts in chrono-mode and just had a good ol’ time, but I also wrote down my reactions and saved it as a draft because??? reasons. Everything below is the og post!

Live notes from my throwback thursday-but-actually-its-wednesday:

-oh god the old art

-I used to characterize Willow WAaYYY differently holy shit; she started off with actual confidence?? wtf

-and remember when the tone was actually in line with AT

-do appreciate that little me was droppin' hints about Willow's past from day 1

-how old are Willow and the kids?? we just don't know; we've n e v e r known

-younger me thought she was hilarious. she was right.

-apparently Willow had an evil mudscamp twin

-remember when this blog was about mudscamps?

-she keeps saying "heck" instead of "fuck" jhgffghjk

-remember when I had to share a desktop with 8 family members and sneak on to post things in the middle of the night?

-Willow almost drowned once

-Queenie is just...absolute queen in every way, i'd d i e for her

-DEAR FUCKING GOD THE BUFFSCAMP

-Owl Wizard has always been so good... She's so important and I love and miss her more than words express;;

-The transformation scene... OW mun redrew that at some point and it was so lovely!!!!

-Willow for sure got like, d rast i ca ll y more anxious and timid once she was turned into a human. Maybe that actually kinda makes sense narratively? she had reason to be unafraid before people started paying attention. she also felt extremely uncomfortable in a human body at that point

-god i love king "i think im going to cause problems on purpose" frozen

-totally wack that at the start of this blog, Willow was completely illiterate and had 0 first hand experience with any technology more advanced than a windmill

-RAPH.... ABSOLUTE DARLING

-so many of these posts are just comedy go l d out of context

-apparently anons were threatening to sacrifice her to cthulhu for a while?????

-old willow was savage as hell sometimes goddamn

-she deadass, physically threw Sammy and Lily's birth mom away.....we love an icon

-the first comic I ever made for this blog is sweet as hell; i insulted the art in the og tags and just...you're gonna come a long way, kiddo

-Perb steppin the hell up to defend the fam against Eden?? sick as hell!!!!

-Eden has not changed one fucking bit

-Finn ALSO steppin the hell up!!! and the thread where Willow actually gets to meet him is so sweeeeet!!!

-do y'all remember puppy princess?? precious x1000000, absolute angel, im cryin over her

-TEENAGER WILLOW M!A WAS A THING AND SHE CUTE

-Willow actively trying to get someone to curse her is just so fuckin funny to me

-Saharah is here!!!! She is and always has been so pretty too godDAmN

-Raph babysitting the kids....kill me now before i go into cardiac arrest

-anon asks sammy what he wants to be when he grows up...."uh, a mudscamp...?" ICONIC

-willow stood the hell up to magdolin once holy shit??? famous last words but also u go girl

-willow FINALLY starts saying fuck

-fun fact: I didn't come up with Puppet Wizard until WAY later in the blog. She was a pretty late addition, which is funny considering how integral to the story she became

-SHEY

-I ALwaYS FORGET THEY MET CAUSE SHEY TRIED TO ROB WILLOW

-Skeletor is here for some reason??? and I am fucking ELATED

-just....this ask.... "Anonymous asked: My favourite thing to do is to watch best friends punch each other to death over me. I like that. Keeps my swag swag levels up. What's your hobby?"

-this was an awkward time for my art style....art puberty

-people keep leaving willow notes and forgetting that she can't read

-anon: "Sammy, how do you see your mom?" sammy: "With...my eyes??"

-willow has so many kickass moments in these old posts what the fuuuuuuck

-I think the mudscamp-by-day, human-by-night days were my favorite!!

-anons once gifted mudscamp!willow a jacuzzi

-i think this is about the time Willow started getting more timid, and again, it does somehow feel like a natural development. her lack of powers keeps coming up and situations start becoming a lot more dire, and interestingly enough, she starts getting real submissive around people she l i k e s. The fawning kinda behavior is definitely a result of abuse.

-WILLOW GETS A DRAMATIC CLOAK FOR WANDERING THE MOORS AT NIGHT AWWW YEAH

-Willow hasn't known what year it is for at least three years

-OW mun once spammed willow with puns and it was AMAZING

-one time lily dressed up as a ghost for halloween...just a lil sheet over her lil mudscamp self...PRECIOUS

-this post

[spaceorphan18]

The Black Cauldron

You know - when we started this thing, I was looking forward to getting to this one.  There are a few Disney films I haven’t seen (a lot of them the more recent ones) but this is one of the few classic films I had never seen before -- and of course this film has a reputation of being the worst of Disney.  Well.  It’s not.  Unfortunately.  

I was really looking forward to it being a train wreck and, I mean, it’s not? It’s a competent story, even if it’s not that interesting of one.  I mean Sword in the Stone is far, far worse a film.  But -- I would definitely not categorize this film as ‘good’ either.  

So, hmmm, where to begin with this one.  The creators of this film adapted a high fantasy children’s series from the 60s.  All the elements of fantasy are there -- the epic quest, the hero, the old mentor, the princess, the magic item, the evil lord, fairies-slash-elves, weird creatures, witches, spells, etc, etc, etc.  I can see where this might be a rather entertaining series for children.  The first problem of this whole thing is that they tried to take a story that’s probably on the Lord of the Rings scale and distill it into an hour long film.  The plot was boiled down, I’m assuming, to the essentials, which leaves out world building and character -- things fantasy novels usually rely on heavily.  The script is... fine. But at no point are they able to break away from the fantasy tropes that we’ve all seen a million times.  Nothing about this feels particularly new or novel. 

On top of that -- you can tell they were adapting from a book that has certain points in the plot that you have to hit.  I mean, at point they were all like -- the black cauldron can be very hard to find, and then, bam, they’re at the place where it’s found.  Plot happens because it was something that happened in the book, not because it makes organic sense. 

But more so -- weighing it down are the characters.  They’re mostly annoying or pointless.  Our main hero is Taran -- though he spends the entire film either being arrogant or yelling at people. There’s no reason we should like him.  Then we have Princess Eilonwy -- I have no idea how she’s a princess, nor does she do anything of interest in the entire film.  There’s a bard at one point, whose purpose is.... ? Anyway, my point is that these characters aren’t fun to spend an entire film with.  They aren’t developed enough for us to care about them, and what little personality they have is kind of annoying to watch.  

Case in point - the ending sequence involves one of the furry creatures sacrificing his own life (it’s a bit dark for a children’s film) and Taran wanting to bring him back.  But since Taran spent the whole film being a dick to the creature, it’s hard to believe that he actually cares.  There isn’t any emotional satisfaction to how this film plays out.  

The villain, btw, is a dude named The Horned King.  He kind of reminds me of Skeletor from He-Man.  He’s actually not that bad - has an interesting design, and with a little development, would have been interesting! He’s definitely not the worst part of the film. 

The animation isn’t bad -- and one of the better aspects of the film.  While there are a few moments of clearly rushed animation -- most of it is rather nice to look at, and the parts they did spend time on are gorgeous.  

Another weird thing about this film is the lack of music.  The score is fine -- and has that epic fantasy thing going, but it’s unusual for a Disney film not to have songs in it.  It doesn’t stand out or anything, the film works fine without them, it just doesn’t feel like a Disney film.  

Anyway - I have to wonder if the reason this film has such a bad reputation (I mean, Disney has zero merch or recognition of it -- which is weird) is because there were a ton of changes going on at the time.  A lot of the old crew of animators were on their way out, and the people coming in were going to go in quite a different direction.  This film just happens to be at the junction of change, and the clout around that hangs over the film.  

Other thoughts: 

This is Disney’s first PG film.  I get that - there are some scarier images in it.  

Like all films of this era, it starts out with a grey sky.  What is up with that trope? Maybe it was the mood of the animator’s room. 

This is the first time the classic Disney Logo is on the front of it -- ah, childhood.  

This film also has its credits at the end instead of the beginning -- another indication that we’re headed into a new era.  

Princess Eilonwy’s haircut drives me crazy.  It’s longer, but she has two shorter pieces that frame her face, and they move about every time she turns her head, which is every time she speaks -- and it just looks weird.  

There’s an entire sequence where the bard gets turned into a frog, and ends up stuck in one of the witch’s cleavage.  It’s kind of bizarre to see, in a Disney film, a close up of large boobs for a good five minutes.  

There’s a magical pig that can has premonitions.  That’s relevant to the plot and I feel like I should mention it.  

Final Thoughts: Not the worst Disney has to offer - but they bit off more than they could chew, and the film kinda falls flat as a result.  It probably should have stayed a book.  

[reallyanotherunderswaptake]

What’s your opinion on underfell and or swapfell

I really like both Underfell and Swapfell. I like the idea of Underfell where all good characters are now bad and all bad characters are now good. In fact Underfell was one of the first AUs I came across and the reason why I like AUs. I remember the first time seeing the Underfell counterparts of sans and papyrus along with their Underswap counterparts in a comic dub on YouTube. The comic was a parody of the scene from the lion king where Timon and pumba distracting the hyneas with hula dancing. In that comic Dub, the Underfell skelebros's design really caught my eye and why I even went to Google to find out more about the AU. I really liked their personality and how "edgy" they looked. They really looked like classic cartoon villains like skeletor from he man or the skeleton king from SRMTHFG. Also Underfell Mettaton kinda reminded me of four arms from Ben 10. As for Swapfell well... when you have two really popular AUs in the fandom your obviously gonna fuse them into one single AU. My favourite take on Swapfell is Swapfell KH, where the main colour scheme of the characters is purple, White, black and a bit of grey. I really like how it combined Underswap's blue and Underfell's red colour scheme, symbolising how its a combination of both AUs. I don't really like Swapfell takes like Swapfell red where the colour scheme is just the same Underfell one. So anyway, that is my opinion on Underfell and Swapfell. Do you have any other AUs or Underswap takes that you like me to talk about?

[jidblogger]

Something about my He-Man Universe

One thing I sorta do in my He-Man universe is that while I do like to hopefully give the characters 3 Dimensions they kinda see Good and Evil as almost jobs and less like “Morality”

Skeletor is Evil/A Villains and see’s it more as a job then a morality. He enjoys the fact he gets to blow up stuff, ruin peoples lives and what not. But he doesn’t hurt his own friends and has his family.

Teela is good yes genuinely speaking but she mostly just enjoys her job in the Eternian army and wants to rise through the ranks no matter what. She is a bit aggressive and can be shady at times.

King Miro is a terrible human being and jerk but he still unites the realm and under him Eternia was  prosperous.

Adam is probably the most “Morally Good” because he enjoys being good, he likes it both as a personality and as a job.

[catulhu333]

I think this was a point of confusion created by the 2002 series (which happens to be where Stevenson got Despondos). In the episode “The Power of Grayskull”, the Sorceress shows Prince Adam a statue of King Grayskull and enough exposition for him to exclaim “It’s his power I have when I’m He-Man!”

Yeah, I definitely think the 2002 series was an influence on She-Ra being seemingly an entity Adora channels in SPOP, like Adam did with King Grayskull in the 2002 series. (And as you mention, it's not the only influence).

With Adam though, I do think he did channel King Grayskull's spirit, not was replaced by him.

In the 200X comics, as Grayskull was an older He-Ro/Gray this also tied, as He-Ro was there semi-divine himself - being according to the Story Bible a child of a female Ancient (who were divine here) and mortal man, who did though unlock, and enhance his powers after contacting the Starseed. This does connect to the very 80s lore, were He-Ro's past and origin were stated to be "mysterious":

Character Profile: Reared under the tutelage of his mentor, ELDOR, and the tribal chieftess, Sharella, Gray was one day mysteriously drawn to a nearby cave. There, in darkness and in light, he was invested with the newly evolved powers that would change his his life and alter the course of history in Eternia. The exact details of what transpired in that cave have remained secret, but Eldor has made cryptic allusions…references to the boy’s mysterious past, to an amazing legacy… and an awesome task which Gray accomplished that day in the cave. By placing one hand on his heart, flexing the other arm into a muscle and incanting, “Magic and strength…tempered by heart!” Gray causes an amazing transformation to occur, becoming the He-Ro of Grayskull and announcing, “I stand for Peace!”

Still, I think the "She-Ra spirit" is somehow connected to Etheria itself, and is present within Adora, but doesn't control her, as Horde Prime thinks.

And yeah, I'm aware of Morgoth. In general, MOTU writers have a long history of being fans of fantasy stories and games and taking inspiration and referencing them, and in turn MOTU inspired other Fantasy works.

Tyn-Mah also resembles (MOTU) Morgoth, in concept (both being banished from reality, and both having some connections to the Horde, if Tyn-Mah inspiring Horde Prime to get his evil sword), to the point I wonder if it's a coincidence.

I thought you mentioned Saz, though I guess you mean you still didn't 100% figure his role out in your versions of Preternia.

The various Serpent gods (most often connected to Snake Men) are oddly kinda intersecting with each other. Indeed, Serpos is actually the one of the oldest, at least by name, Mer-Man swearing on the serpent deity's name in a 1983 minicomic (Mer-Man’s Betrayal):

This Serpos, might be the divine being that the Goddess/early Serpent Sorceress/early mini-comics Teela-Na represents on Eternia.

Curiously about the Goddess/Sorceress, she was originally envisioned as a negative character, then as a neutral character, neither truly good or evil, sometimes helping He-Man, sometimes Skeletor, before deciding at making her heroic, and the the darker elements of her characterization became a separate character - Evil-Lyn.

The idea also was re-used after a fashion, in Italian MOTU comics, were the Snake-Men served and worshiped an evil, Medusa-like serpent goddess:

(She was identified in MOTUC as Serpentia, the being of which Serpos is a creation/avatar of. She also has a good twin, Asklepia connected to Sharella).

But what is her connection to the Serpent Sorceress, aside from the obvious? Well her costume is literally that of Teela from the first, 1982 DC comics:

Seeing Teela's connection to the Sorceress, I think the evil Serpent Goddess, was based on the earliest plans for the Sorceress.

Serpos in the 2002 He-Man series, is, aside from name, seemingly inspired by Serpent Beast God Sarcedon from Newspaper comics, who also was the serpent warped around the Snake Mountain:

But in the Brazilian comics version of this story, Sarcedon (if spelled differently) was identified as a goddess, and "mother" of the Snake Men:

Because of all of this, I actually like the DC take on Serpos (including her being amoral/neutral), as it kinda gives some cohesion to these various overlapping serpent deities. And because of it, I think your decision to also syncretize them into a singular Serpos, makes sense.

Futher Preternia (era of He-Ro) Thoughts

L-R: Eldor with the Book of Living Spells, Gray, Gray as He-Ro the Most Powerful Wizard in the Universe

Gray’s older sister (headcanon based on “raised by” in his bio) Sharella as tribal archer.

Sharella would also learn magic and eventually become the Chosen of Serpos, perhaps when King Hiss is banished. I’m thinking her cobra headdress/top would connect to a floor-length skirt to make a backless evening gown, rather than the official duplicate of Teela’s classic outfit.

Byron, the Wizard of Zoar (bearded man with orange hat and She-Ra-inspired shirt). Would probably change his species (Avionian?).

His daughter Veena was created first (2003) and has only been seen as an adult already married to King Grayskull:

She would be destined to become the first Sorceress of Castle Grayskull after he, He-Ro and 3 other wizards make the ultimate sacrifice to create it.

(Alternative: if we want a long time to pass between the era of He-Ro and the era of D’Vann and Veena Grayskull, change first Sorceress��� name and look.)

Wizard of Zalesia. Zalesia is said to be the first human country on Eternia. Its oldest relic, the Havoc Staff of Bash-Or, is passed from one holder to the next by merit (kingship will be instituted when the ruling Council of Wizards is gone). Male or female non-human student earned it?

Keclar, the craftsman. The wizard whose last act before sacrificing himself will be to craft the two magic swords the Guardian of Grayskull will guard. Depicted in the 80s UK comics as a white man with a long white beard, make him younger and something else (it’s been suggested elsewhere than Trollans forged the Power Sword).

Noah. He taught Hordak magic, so he’ll be an old-looking Eternian all the way back when Hordak helped build Central Tower. The two of them worked with a Cat folk architect, who came up with its look.

A young Hordak with a normal fleshy head like his SPOP incarnation, blue or gray to match a vintage skin tone, would be the sixth young hero with He-Ro, Sharella, Byron, the Wizard of Zalesia and Keclar.

Hordak’s mother would be a witch who mated with the immortal demon Seferus Kur. Maybe she’s Gar and Hordak had bat ears intermediate between MotU Classics’ Horde Prime’s wing ears and Gar elf ears?

(Two boneheads with light and darker blue skin.)

Core Eternian peoples not accounted for: Mer-Men, Bee people, Arachnae, Crab people, Pelleezeans, maybe Avionians, maybe Gar.

[emperorsfoot]

One thing I think 2002 got right or at least premise wise did was not have Skeletor be the big bad for the whole thing. Having OTHER big bad’s who are more terrifying then Skeletor come in help the character. Since Skeletor is kinda at the bottom of the villain hierarchy as far as I’m concerned

For sure.

Having Hordak as the looming threat far off in the distance did do a good job of making the viewer understand that Skeletor isn't even as bad as it could get.

And then King Hiss was way more proactive and a more significant threat than Skeletor in every episode he appeared in.

Skeletor might have been the main villain. But he was still just the "level 1 boss".

[sosexyalmostevil]

Sapphy Out of Context II: Electric Boogaloo

“YOU’VE BEEN CUPPED, BITCH!”

“Everybody knows that Goku can kick Naruto’s ass.”

“Look at you, you’re so primitive. I have a caveman as a girlfriend. My dream of dating Eep from the Croods has become true.”

“Hey! Who’s the pirate here?”

*doing a terrible impression of Towlie* Hi I’m Towlie and I’m fucking high as balls!”

“Them’s fightin’ words!”

“We’ve gotta watch Laserblast, dude.”

“Remember that time we got Mario to dab? Good times.”

“Sometimes you come to a point in your life where you just gotta run as fast as you can and inevitably die from whatever is ahead, then rage about it.”

“Imagine being in an unfamiliar house. Then imagine seeing things from your worst nightmares happening before you. Now imagine running out of said house only to be drug back in, nails scraping the ground. That’s only a MICRSCOPIC peek of fear Marissa and Hymel felt walking into our domain that Halloween. Pretty horrifying stuff, Cassie.”

“I LOVE BEING PURPLE!”

“Swiggity Swanus, prepare your anus.”

“Fuck you, Cindy! Lemon Oreos are the best Oreos!”

“Breaking News: I’m really fucking immature.”

“I’ve always wanted to kiss Ember McClain, okay? And before you ask, Ross, no I wouldn’t pull a Randy Stair to meet her. I’m immature, not literally insane.”

“Oh wow. Someone made a Quest for Camelot reference on /mhg/. How... random actually...”

“I’ve got blisters on me fingers!”

“Sally Stageplay, Cala Maria, and Baroness Von Bon Bon are all cute as FUCK.”

“So Ash, I heard you like Mudkips.”

*plays ocarina*

“I heard Satan gives guitar lessons for a good deal.”

“I had a dream you got a tattoo of Sans on your butt and you vowed to never wear pants again.”

“Are you telling me that we should make a Bin Weevils account? Because that’s fucking genius.”

“I literally named my Gardevoir after you; A$$-lynn.”

“Totally Spies was literally fetish: the show.”

“What was with the early 2000’s and having literally every girl in a crop top? It’s just something I’ve noticed.”

“At one point Mads had a Neopet named MassiveSket.”

“Hey Ben can we change the topic my girlfriends’ huge thighs?”

“I never said that this wouldn’t become a Gone Wrong, Gone Sexual type o’ deal.”

“As they say in St. Olaf, Helgenbargenflergenflurfennerfen”

“One time I found a to go box filled with food in a Jurassic Park arcade Machine.”

“Bwaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!”

“I’m actually raging hard enough this chairs beginning to melt.”

“They did the mash. They did the monster mash.”

“Hey Ash you came in time to see that Laura is shlumped.”

“Release the Party Freak; Freddie Freaker.”

“Squiddly Diddly came into my house and stole all the churros, Ben! America is fucked! The world will burn!”

“Silence! I KEEL YOU!”

“Get away! I'm too pink to die!”

“Ay Caramba!”

“Sometimes I actually ENJOY plowing through and leaving behind chaos, thank you very much.”

“Someone get me off this merry-go-round called life!”

“Oh? Excuse me for doing pop culture jokes.”

“Hey Mackenzy, you’re the only broad I know who puts bacon on everything.”

“Folks, here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocher She was a red-hot hoochie-coocher...”

“I like to think that I’m the more musical one out of the two of us.”

“If I had a penny every time you said I looked like Weird Al, I’d be able to buy everything out from under Trump a trillion times over.”

*narrirator voice* “...and that’s how Cindy found out she was attracted to Mackenzy’s thighs”

“Oh JJ, fuse with me~”

“I SHALL RAISE THE DEAD!”

*in a shitty skeletor voice* He-Man! I can’t control my murderous urges! NYYYYAAAAHHHH”

“They should make a movie called Cindy’s Ass: Maximum Squish.”

“Why is there a pop tart nailed to the ceiling?”

“Is rather stick my dick in an anthill.”

“I’ll have you know that I can play the ocarina you fucking asshat.”

“Apparently Hamilme is Binweevil famous. What a dork.”

*angry deer sounds*

*Join me as I launch this rock into the air at maximum velocity.”

“They say waffles are pancakes with abs.”

“Remember: draw dicks on everything. Also no buttholes.”

“It takes effort to rob eggs from nests like I do, Ash.”

“Bloberta Puppington is kinda hot.”

“I think you’re gross for shipping yourself with that eggplant.”

“I haven’t eaten a Twinkie since the Permian, dude!”

“Your mum.”

“I’ve been sitting here for the past hour thinking of a funny way to say “futanari” out of context and I’ve literally got nothing.”

“You owe me one Cadbury Creame Egg and 420 Bells.”

“I smell fear. And it smells like sweat and weed.”

“No! I’m not gonna cosplay as Tom Nook! I can’t run around without a shirt, you know!”

“Where the fuck are your pants?!”

“My favorite joke ship is Blue Diamond x Yellow Diamond x Pink Diamond x Bloberta Puppington x Cala Maria x Ghoulia Yelps x a drawing of Figment. It’s hilarious.”

*Bobby Hill voice* “Okeh Dad.”

“Holy FUCK Pink Diamond is a cutie.”

“I’ve got Hoodoo, I got Voodoo, I got things I ain’t even tried! I got friends on the other side!”

*jokingly* “I hate your smile, I hate your uh.. fingers, I hate your that stupid look on your face. It’s so fucking doofy and it’s making me lose concentration, Ash.”

“Fucking Winx Club lore, man.”

“Hold me.”

“Oh bravo. You fucked up. Again.”

“I’ll have you know I watched Life in the Dreamhouse last night and it’s actually kinda funny. Check your privilege.”

“Draw me like one of your French girls.”

“I need some salsa on these chips.”

“It’s a small world, I’m so gay. It’s a small world, I’m so gay. It’s a small world, I’m so gay. You. will. DIE.”

“I smell shenanigans!”

“I’m not the one who mixed 7Up, Fanta, Pepsi, and Hi-C together.”

“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”

“Chloe’s gonna feel a burn alright. A burn called HER FACE SLAMMING INTO THE PAVEMENT!”

“Honk off you dastardly doodybasket!”

“You’re not getting it. I really like a movie about a rag doll saving a friend from pirates.”

“So I read this one book and it was like being kicked in the nads by a fucking cassowary.”

“Trollhunters was good. Shot Steven Universe right outta the water.”

“Quit drawing penis people, Dax!”

“You wanna see scary? Ohhoho... I can be scary.”

“Changeling? What’s that suppos- Oh! Haha! You’re referencing me being trans... aren’t you? *goofy smile*

“What do you call a dweeb who sucks at Mario World? Y O U!”

“That’s when Ashlynn started chomping down on Trix in a raging fit after her death in Ocarina of Time.”

“Macho Macho Man I’ve gotta be a Macho Man.”

“Sometimes, Ash, you gotta dance the magic dance. Also fuck what others think. You’re drop dead gorgeous at all times.”

*whistles Hall of the Mountain King ominously*

[emperorsfoot]

Skeletor is not relatable?

This post is in response to another post that crossed my dash. I’m 90% sure the original post was just a troll because to every reply the OP just kept making the same statement, so I’m not gonna reblog that post or link to it. This post is more a response to one of the other responders reblog of that post basically saying that “Skeletor is not a relatable character.”

And I get that. 

Skeletor has become a meme. 

Most contemporary viewers of the Master of the Universe shows are more familiar with him as an internet phenomenon than as an actual character. He didn’t even appear in Dream Works’ She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the most recent edition to the MotU franchise, so new fans have no idea what his character is like, and it’s been so long that old fans might not remember. 

It also doesn’t help that his personality changes every incarnation of the franchise. Skeletor is a very different person in the He-Man cartoon than he was in the mini-comics, or the live action movie, or the early 2000s reboot, or even on the bios that come on the backs of the toys. 

That does not mean he’s not a relatable character. 

Skeletor is a victim of racism. 

So, he was not always “Skeletor”. He was not born with a skull face. His parents did not name him “Skeletor”. He’s not some weird male beta version of Ebony Darkness Dementia Ravenway. 

Skeletor was original named “Keldor”, and he was the eldest son of King Miro, the ruler of Eternia. He was the older brother of Randor (whom would father Adam and Adora). And he is the Uncle of He-Man and She-Ra. As the eldest child, Keldor was supposed to be heir to the throne. But, Miro denied Keldor as his heir literally for the sole reason that Keldor’s mother was another race. 

Keldor’s mother was a Gar woman, making Keldor half-Gar. As such he had blue skin and pointed ears. 

His own father felt he would not make a good rule simply because Kedor did not look like him. 

He was basically denied a job because his skin was the wrong color. And that’s something that happens to people all the time IRL. Think that’s hella relatable. 

Skeletor has suffered significant physical trauma. 

Remember: he didn’t always have that skull face. There was once a point in time when Skeletor | Keldor had flesh and soft tissue, and looked kinda like this: 

Now, how exactly it happened changes depending on what incarnation of his origin story you’re reading/watching. In the early 2000s reboot he was splashed in the face with acid. In the mini-comics it was a magical accident while trying to master powerful forces. But it’s always a life-threatening event that nearly kills him and would have killed him if he didn't make whatever deal-with-the-devil he made in order to survive. 

(And when I say “deal-with-the-devil” I am not speaking figuratively. In one cartoon he sells his soul to Hordak. In the toy bio cards he is possessed by the evil spirit Demo-Man.)

People get injured, IRL. People get scared and disfigured. That’s a thing that happens to people. 

Yes, the things that have happened to Skeletor are very over-the-top and dramatic when compared to the average every-day person. But that does not make Skeletor not relatable. 

Obviously, not everyone will relate to him, and that’s fine. That’s normal. Not everyone relates to every fictional character they ever see. But just because you -a single autonomous individual- does not relate to him does not mean that he’s “not relatable”. 

[alamuts-lair-of-madness]

It is an ok show, kinda clunky as a result o mixing light-hearted elements from the original, while simultaneously trying to be more mature and dark, but nevertheless good. 

The intro is a beautifully drawn homage to the old toy artwork and comics from the 1980s, with a hammy narrator spewing an epic tale! And yet the first episode feels kinda forced. They’ve basically did an overkill and shoved EVERYTHING, that the people loved about the original series, as if they wanted to make it up to the fans, that the rest of the show will tell a slightly different story. Also the heroes are idiots - important mcguffin appears, but they stand around, listen to the villain’s monologue for five minutes, allow him to get up, walk to the mcguffin and claim it. 

And yet the overarching idea they had for the show isn’t that bad.

I admit, that (despite his blackwashing) I do like the portrayal of King Grayskull as a fierce warrior and wise king. Teela is also relatable for the most part of the show. Despite coming off as a brat or even a bitch at times, you have to acknowledge, that she’s hurting after the loss of her friend/love interest and also feels betrayed by her “family”.

All in all the show reminds me a little bit of the DC Comic series from a few years ago, where Skeletor actually succeeded, killed the Sorceress and brainwashed everyone into forgetting about He-Man. Now a powerless, amnesiac, but quickly remembering Adam must get the gang back together and defeat his evil, skull-faced uncle.

Only that the show it's focused on Teela, Evil-Lyn and Andra, a minor female character from the old days,who’s quirky and adorable.

I also loved the sub-plot of Triclops becoming a Robo-Pope and basically founding the Adeptus Mechanicus on Ethernia. That was hilarious xD

I know it sounds weird, but Skeletor is the WEAKEST link in my opinion. He has like three awesome magnificent bastard moments, but he's kinda meh. And I can NOT unhear Mark Hamill’s Joker T-T

Honestly Orko's and Evil-Lyn's arcs feel the most developed, and Teela's illusionary fight against her inner demons is some of the best parts of the show.

So I'm pretty much curious for season 2.

NEVERTHELESS I'm pissed at Netflix and Kevin Smith about the false advertising and believe, that the shit they're getting on that front is justified. I also see them as cowards for refusing to either develop existing black characters or creating new, interesting ones, and instead racebending King Greyskull. As I said, he’s a great character, but the show runners’ logic behind changing his race is simply dumb. 

So, you know, it’s an ok show, nothing groundbreaking, but also not the blasphemous end of the world, some hardcore fans claim it to be. 

I still prefer the 2002 reboot, especially that version of Skeletor, his backstory and voice: 

people should just watch the 2003 He-Man it's good and Teela isn't Woke

Never watched it neither have I watched the new one, but I wouldn't doubt the 2003 series is good if not better than the new one.

[fuckblizzardbearlover]

And so often sooo soo often its the younger brother trying to steal the throne.

Like if the monarchy is legitimate then skeletor is king. If they can kick him out because they dont like what kinda king he is then the king is a genetic oligarchy or whatever.

Anyways point is im pretty sure even years later its an original concept. Inhumans and Thor both invoke the "rightful heir is the good one"

The biggest complaint I hear about Skeletor being He-Man's uncle is,

"They just did it for the drama."

And I'm like, "Yes. They did." That's why writers do anything in fiction. What did you think plot twists were for?

But I think there's a misconception about the kind of drama that this particular plot twist creates.

First of all, Adam is not Luke Skywalker. He did not grow up dreaming of what kind of person his father's brother was. He did not spend his free time staring off into the distance watching Eternia's two moons hang in the sky and imagine one day meeting his lost uncle. When Adam learns that Skeletor is his uncle, he does not react like this:

[gif of a scene from Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker in Cloud City screaming "That's not true... THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" while his face contorts with horror]

Making Skeletor He-Man's uncle does not create personal drama.

Adam has no emotional investment in an uncle he's never met.

...But his father does.

And, the rest of Eternia does.

And that's the kind of drama Skeletor being He-Man's uncle creates.

Political Drama.

It's not "He-Man's uncle" that makes this plot twist so important, "King Randor's older brother", it's "King Miro's first born son". It's "Skeletor is the rightful King of Eternia".

That kind of drama.

Skeletor was denied his crown, and so he's going to use every power at his disposal, and some powers not at his disposal to take it by force.

[image of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones with the quote "I will take what is mine with fire and blood."]

That's why they made Skeletor He-Man's uncle.

That's the kind of drama they were trying to create.