#She used to be the protagonist of a fan project i had but that died

[dichenlachmandaily]

Severance’s Dichen Lachman Gets Inside Gemma’s Head

“I definitely think she doesn’t want to be down there,” the actress says of her mysterious character, “and I don’t think Gemma would volunteer to be severed.”

[Spoilers ahead.]

For three long years, Severance fans were left clinging to two words at the end of the season 1 finale: “She’s alive!” In that thrilling scene, protagonist Mark S. (Adam Scott)—who underwent the severance procedure that separates his working self (“Innie”) from his personal self (“Outie”) after his wife Gemma (Dichen Lachman) died—desperately tries to tell his sister that Gemma isn’t dead after all. As we, and Mark’s Innnie, found out in season 1, Gemma is still very much alive and wandering the stark white halls of Lumon Industries as the wellness director Ms. Casey.

In season 2, we finally get some answers about Gemma’s journey. The seventh episode, titled “Chikhai Bardo,” chronicles her relationship with Mark, showing their meet-cute while donating blood, their happy life as college professors, and a devastating miscarriage that changes their marriage. The episode directed by Jessica Lee Gagné (who primarily works on the show as a cinematographer) jumps through time, flashing between these intimate moments between the couple and rare glimpses into where Gemma is now. She’s kept like a prisoner on Lumon’s testing floor and is forced to repeatedly enter rooms where she faces bizarre situations like writing thank-you cards on Christmas or riding an airplane amid turbulence. (Viewers might recognize the names of those rooms as the projects that Mark is working on with the Macrodata Refinement team.)

While Severance is known for its fan theories and mind-boggling sci-fi elements, Mark and Gemma’s love for each other is deep in the show’s core. It was crucial to Lachman that audiences “understand why Mark did what he did [to become severed], to feel the loss of that relationship,” she told ELLE.com over a Zoom call. While she didn’t feel comfortable speculating on the meaning of the seventh episode title—the chikhai bardo is a Buddhist belief about a transitional state between death and rebirth, which could point to reintegration for both Mark and Gemma—she did agree that the severance procedure is all about transforming, something both characters are grappling with throughout the series.

So why—and how—is Gemma at Lumon and what is going on with the rooms on the testing floor? Will she ever be able to escape, especially after we witness a failed attempt in “Chikhai Bardo”? Lachman spoke to us about what she thinks is going on at the company, her layered performance, and how she and Adam Scott established their chemistry in this standout episode.

This is the first time we really see Mark and Gemma together. How did you and Adam Scott create and establish your chemistry?

Adam is just such a generous actor. Up to this point, I was sort of left out, so for me it was like, I gotta get in, I gotta deliver, and I’ve got to be absolutely on point. Adam went out of his way to make me feel comfortable, and I think that that chemistry is there because of his generosity. Also the writing helps and Jessica really did a wonderful job framing it. Severance is in a very controlled, oppressive, and symmetrical setting, but this episode had so much more movement and was so much freer. With the combination of the medium and style changing a little bit, Adam’s generosity, and obviously all the other departments who were so integral in telling the story, that all helped make everything just click and feel really lived-in.

This episode reveals how Mark and Gemma coped with the grief of a miscarriage. How did it feel to portray that as part of Gemma’s story?

I thought it was a really important story to tell, because it’s such a common thing that women go through. A lot of women feel very isolated when that happens to them, so it was nice to be able to represent that story even when it’s not the most important part of the show. I appreciated that, and because two men [Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman] were writing the scripts, they were open to input from Jessica and myself in terms of delicately playing with the balance of that.

Blood was a recurring motif in the episode: Mark and Gemma meet while donating blood, Gemma suffers a miscarriage, and a Lumon employee pricks her finger to gain access to the various rooms. Blood can represent a lot of things, from life and death to family. What do you think it symbolizes in Gemma’s story?

That’s something that I hadn’t thought about, but perhaps it’s a reminder that we’re all human. If you prick us, do we not bleed?

Your performance had to be nuanced when balancing the different versions of Gemma. How did you keep all of it straight?

That was really tricky. I used my body to transition into the given circumstances. We don’t get to spend a lot of time with these Innies; it’s just part of the the torture Gemma’s subjected to everyday. There are a lot of rooms down there, and we’re only seeing the Christmas room and the airplane, but what else could possibly be down there that’s even darker than that? The Innies don’t really understand the outside world, so I leaned into the circumstance that each Innie had a different physicality. I would be in a position of fear or boredom or a rebellious teenager. It was subtly working on the physicality, and internally figuring out what that Innie was going through.

Do you remember any specific direction you got from director Jessica Lee Gagné?

Specifically with the Christmas scene, it was that adolescence and that defiance, and we went from internalizing that to getting quite angry with [Doctor, played by Robby Benson]. [Gagné] really wanted to test scenes in lots of different ways, so we had the time to go through such a spectrum of intensities.

One of the big themes of the season is the consciousness of the Innie vs. the Outie. Do you think your Innies are fully aware of what’s happening to them within Lumon’s walls?

I wonder about that too—maybe it depends on how much time is spent as that Innie. But also everyone reacts to things differently. Like, ibuprofen will really affect me but my friend will pop them whenever they have a bad back. It’s got to be the same thing. I feel like if you’re going to get a chip in the back of your head, the length of time of it being there and the amount of time spent as that person has to affect [the experience].

Why do you think Gemma signed up for this program at Lumon?

That is still a mystery to me. But you’ll notice that they’re living in a Lumon world—everything they come in contact with is Lumon branded. The card that she's looking at in the mail in this episode is from Lumon, the Christmas tree in their house is reminiscent of the Christmas tree in the Christmas room. So there’s some bigger involvement in terms of this town and this world. The possibilities are endless.

What are they trying to get from Gemma by putting her into these rooms and having her experience these different scenarios?

In our society, we have this desire to avoid anything unpleasant. I think Lumon is trying to develop a chip so that no one ever has to experience anything unpleasant, like going to a job they don’t like or giving birth or going to the dentist, like we see Gemma do in this episode. Our society is going in a direction where we don’t want to experience or feel anything unpleasant, and this is a way of shutting all of that out. But I would probably never get this severance chip because you can’t experience joy, fun, pleasure, or leisure without the contrast of the things that you don’t like.

Do you think she regrets signing up for whatever is happening inside the Lumon walls?

She definitely doesn’t want to be there. You’ll notice in the flashbacks that the doctor is present in the fertility clinic, he walks by in the background. So I definitely think she doesn’t want to be down there, and I don’t think Gemma would volunteer to be severed.

The doctor tells her that Mark remarried and has a daughter now; Gemma responds by hitting the doctor on the head with a chair. Why do you think she doesn’t believe their manipulation?

It’s funny that you bring that up, because we did that scene a few different ways. I’m glad they chose the one where she’s not affected, because it shows her resilience. Down there, time moves at a different pace, and in the episode before, [Severance] alludes to the fact that she broke [the doctor’s] fingers at one point—I think that that’s why Jessica wanted a little bit of that rebelliousness to come out in that Christmas scene. Because even if you compartmentalize the pain, there’s going to be qualities that end up in these Innies.

Gemma’s severed personality, Ms. Casey, appears when she tries to escape and winds up on the severed floor. Ms. Casey seems to sense that something was amiss and it felt like a glimpse of Gemma’s consciousness was pushing through there. Did you read that scene like that as well?

Yes. Ms. Casey is wearing a completely strange outfit, she doesn’t have her hair, and she’s kind of confused. The last time she was in that hallway, it was to say goodbye, and she wasn’t given any answers. So she’s a little bit like, Oh, I’m coming back, but it feels different because she’s just been through something. That was a tricky one to film because I also wondered, would she physically have a little bit of that adrenaline from escaping running through her and maybe that's why she feels a little weird?

How many times do you think this cycle has happened, where Gemma tries to escape but gets stuck in the loop of exiting on the severed floor?

I want to believe that it happened many times, and that she just doesn’t give up—every now and then she’s like, I’m just gonna go for it again. Maybe this time it’ll work. To me, she’s been trying to get out of there since the moment she got in.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

[marshmelia]

Reposting some do my old art!! I won't do all of them of course since there's too many, but here's a bunch of OC art from all the way back at 2022

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

It's been, like, a decade since the story has completely ended (... I don't acknowledge that spin off with the kids or the weird novels), but I still don't understand what people mean when they say Sasuke has a lot to apologize/repent for. What exactly does he have to apologize for? The only thing he ever did wrong was attack Karin to get to Danzo, and he already apologized to her for that. His desire for vengeance was completely selfless and motivated by love and respect for his clan. He didn't attack innocents. He didn't involve anyone else in his problems. Yet, so many fans love how Shikamaru got revenge on Hidan when, to me, it just emphasizes how selfless and justified Sasuke is in contrast. Shikamaru wants to avenge Asuma who died fairly in battle on a mission because he wasn't strong enough. He even tells Tsunade he would leave the village regardless of if she allowed it or not. He involved Ino and Chouji, rushed in without knowledge of Kakuzu, and almost got them killed immediately. And Asuma is just a teacher! not even a fmily or clan member! They all would've died if it weren't for Kakashi being there to help them. Whereas Sasuke takes on his burden alone.

And for all that the fandom likes to critique Kishimoto on his writing choices, he's not a horrible writer. This sequence is purposeful. Shikamaru was the one who led the Sasuke retrieval mission. And shortly after Hidan's death, Sasuke kills Itachi. It was a well-structured sequence showing the validity of Sasuke's motivations compared to Shikamaru's whose motives weren't as justified in comparison, despite the validity of his feelings.

So, it's not that no one in the story can understand Sasuke--they can! All the characters just want to project things onto Sasuke. Naruto wants Sasuke to be a surrogate/prerequisite for the village to validate his sense of self and carry the burden of Naruto's loneliness. Sakura wants him to return her empty "love." Kakashi wants to right his wrongs vicariously through Sasuke and making him return Sakura's affection like he wished he could have for Rin, be a present friend for Naruto like he wishes he could have for Obito, not seek revenge because Kakashi is a mediator meant to to maintain the status quo in the village (a guard dog/"Hound" lol). Itachi wants Sasuke to be a blank slate anyone can impress whatever upon: he wants Sasuke to value the village over their clan and family (which itself is incomprehensible with the feudal structure the setting is based on). The village, and Naruto once he becomes Hokage, wants Sasuke to be a tool to use for the village's benefit. Maybe the only thing Sasuke has to apologize for is being a the protagonist of a revenge-based seinen but forced to be the deuteragonist in a battle shounen 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Dear anon, thank you for this gem. I don't know what else to add, because this is so perfect on its own.

For the record, I dislike Shikamaru, but I think he was right to want to avenge his sensei and go after Hidan. What is totally enraging is that he gets sympathy and assistance for doing all the things that Sasuke is trashed for. He is hateful and vengeful, and nobody tells him to just let go and not get consumed by revenge. He risks his friend's lives and gets zero reproaches, while Sasuke gets emotionally blackmailed by Naruto for all the kids that risked his life trying to forcefully bring him back, even when Sasuke had zero control over that. Kakashi goes far and beyond to help him, when he had tied Sasuke to a tree to lecture him about revenge. There is just so much hypocrisy that it hurts.

I am tired of reading all the ridiculously absurd "wrongs" that Sasuke supposedly did. This is a freaking show about murderer ninjas, but nobody seems to have a body count except for Sasuke. Which gets inflated to ridiculous levels, because Sasuke is apparently to blame not only for the crimes he committed, but also for the ones he imagined. He has no right to be angry and upset, he has no right to fight for his justice, because, in a world where the end justify the means and shinobi are meant to behave as tools that sacrifice everything for a mission, Sasuke is the only ninja that is demanded to find his way without even scratching a fly.

Sasuke has nothing to apologise for. He is the one being owned serious apologies and reparations. From everyone. From Sakura, for sexually harassing and trying to murder him. From Kakashi, for being the shittiest and most biased sensei, for being a hypocrite hokage that never attempted to make justice and for never prosecuting the surviving instigators of the Uchiha massacre. And from Naruto, for glorifying Hiruzen and for the same reasons as hokage Kakashi, because he too swept everything under the rug and never even tried to make justice.

Sasuke did nothing wrong. He grew just too magnificent for an antagonist, and they had to murder his character and his soul to make main character shine in his dumbness.

[blissfulphilospher]

So, I don't know why I am posting this but I had this in my heart since a long time. So, bear with me.

I read Princess and the Queen and Fire and Blood back in 2019, after GoT ended for more content. And I got to know about The Dance from Tumblr, the awesome artists and fanarts.

When I read those books, I felt for Rhaenyra. No I don't have a step mother but Rhaenyra felt alone, like her mother died and her father remarried, her new step mom was first kind and loving but then after a brother all that changed.

I can't blame book Rhaenyra for not having good relationship with her siblings, she was a child, just like them and the world was trying to replace her with them just as her mother had been replaced. (When my brother was born, I felt the same and we don't have the best relationship even now, but you know whose fault is that? Adults. Adults who love to compare and pity siblings against siblings)

Why Viserys never tried to mend the relationship between his eldest son and daughter? Even Alicent tried. And then Daemon evidently manipulated Rhaenyra more to hate her siblings for his own benefit. He was pushed down in succession. (He should never have been in succession)

Then Rhaenyra grows older, bold and doing as she like, fighting her step mother, beefing with her siblings and people are following her. She is being courted and has freedom in that era.

I liked book Rhaenyra because she seemed ruthless. She wasn't trying to pretend being good, she was ambitious, she was fighting for the throne because her father chose her. Not because of a stupid prophecy. We all know how that ended. She wanted the throne. (I will eat my brother alive if my father chose me for something and not him). She was unhinged.

And I liked that about her. I liked Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. She was greatly flawed, she offered her brothers for Laenor, she fed a man to her dragon, she hosted a lavish feast in a starving city, she was a woman and let men do the fighting. She was a mother and did everything to protect her children (foolishly though). She faced death with bravery and didn't begged and didn't offered negotiation, didn't ran. A true dragon. Like those menacing cruel dragons?

And then HotD gave us...

1) 'I rather serve as a knight and ride to battle and glory' but she isn't train with swords. If she wants that then why isn't she trained? Was this to appease Arya's fans? Also this message of feminism, 'a woman only cool and worth something when she wants to be like men, Do what men does.' I am not saying this is bad but you are making her a feminist atleast let her appreciate females? Also, again, if she wanted to train with swords then why didn't she? Nobody stopped Visenya and Alyssa, no one would have stopped her.

2) On Aegon's nameday, enough people have said that already, Rhaenyra being mean to her two year old brother and acting like a spoilt child but I want to add this—

Everyone came there for Aegon, hoping Viserys will name him heir. HotD gave us Rhaenyra acting like a brat and then killing a boar and totally projecting her as a protagonist by showing White Hart, and sexy cool asf covered with blood. She could have made alliance, like book Rhaenyra would have mingled with everyone, dressed better than everyone, charming everyone. Not arguing with other ladies and lords.

3) Daemyra. Enough said. I never thought Book Rhaenyra and Book Daemon had any great love story, they were not even written as such. Nah, Rhaenyra desired Criston, tried to seduce him first. Daemon was only using her. He had one healthy relationship in the book and that was with Laena. They both came together because none of them considered Alicent and her children as their family too.

I hate this show for promoting them as some great tragic love. Nah, Rhaenyra needed his protection and Daemon wanted to be closer to the throne. Why didn't they let them be that? How are they going to justify as to why Daemon left Rhaenyra and his son alone to go die along with Aemond?

And if Daemyra is a great tragic love story why they got afraid to show Rhaenyra having Laenor murdered? Because that was the level of her craziness in the books, and that's in the character of Daemyra. That's 'I will do anything to be with you, for you' energy.

Gods, I thought Rhaenyra would be Cersei Lannister level in HotD, cool, snarky, awesome, beautiful, unhinged, fashion icon, doing everything for her children, doing everything for her and not shying away from the person she is, a necessary evil (like feeding Vaemond to Syrax). And incestuous. Of course Jaime x Cersei level of craziness in Daemyra?

In HotD... Emma and Milly did awesome job but their character was bland. Served to us by writers as 'a goody two shoes always right'. 'she can do nothing wrong.'

Why is media afraid of showing what women are? Why can we only be 'goody two shoes, patriarchy bad, I am awesome cause I am not like other girls' in feminist shows? Why can't they women as humans, as grey, ambitious? Why can't woman be anti hero? Rhaenyra is suffering from stereotyped blend of Arya and Dany.

Alicent is a fresh breath in that regard. But I hate the show for stripping away her agency and making her a crybaby. You are showing me that the Queen, who may or not have murdered Viserys, cried for him? That her, who plotted and plotted and led the Greens, crowned her daughter would not want her son to be king?

They even changed the dinner scene, everyone was supposed to make fun of the other party. No heartwarming and Aegon was supposed to fight Jace.

But make two female characters cry over each other, cry over men, abuse them, strip their agency, make the person you are trying to show as protag (she should not even be a protag) blander than water and call it a feminist show.

(HotD should not even be a feminist show, it should have been a family drama show. Imagine my embarrassment when I told my brother that I love Rhaenyra and I am just like her before the show started and by the end I was like ... Wow Aegon Second of His Name, I stan the One True King. Because he, despite they made him a monster is more interesting than Rhaenyra at this point.)

I was robbed. We were robbed of spicy hot pizza and instead given a bland cheese toast.

I refuse to eat bread, give me cake. Cersei, Margaery, Catelyn were cake, Alicent... She is the cookie. (Not adding Sansa because in the end of the show... Book Sansa is pastry.)

At this moment we all most cope. Thank you whoever read this. Also wanted to add, I was Team Woman but I can't stan this Rhaenyra. Nah.

[breadandlottery]

I think I'm going to make people upset but let's go Do you think Gi Hun has grown in terms of character development? In my opinion, what bothers me most about round 6 is the lack of significant growth in gi hun because he doesn't seem to have lost several people in the first season he remains naive I expected an improvement or development from a person who has already won the games. I would like you to answer me, I love your analyses.

My dear anon, apologies in advance for what is sure to be a very lengthy response…

I would like to say first that this is a tough question for me to answer with confidence since we haven’t seen season 3 and because it feels a little like a season 2A and season 2B situation. 

I’ve been working through scenes that I’m flagging in my mind for moments that should have raised red flags for Gihun but, from what we’re shown, didn’t. As I often tag ramble about, I do hold out some hope that he had legitimate suspicions of 001 and a loose backup plan. I have also noted that, interestingly, s2 does not have any of the flashback/realization scenes we were given several times in s1 and honestly, that feels very intentional? Like we’re supposed to notice it’s missing (I also have thoughts about ADHD Gihun, but that may just be me projecting because I’m real familiar with the exact kind of lightbulb moments he has, lol). My hunch/hope is that the show has been misdirecting us to make us believe everything you just said about the apparent lack of character development.

Now, I do think there has absolutely been character evolution. I can understand fans not seeing it as “development”, because I think we tend to think of character development as positive growth, but honestly, it doesn’t have to be… like a villain arc is still character development (just an example, I do not think this is a villain arc situation). I think instead of a lack of character development, I’d be more apt to call it a lack of “learning his lesson” or a lack of apotheosis (the point of realization/epiphany).

If we view squid game as monomyth/hero’s journey, he’s kind of not to the point yet where that would have happened (because the end of S2 would be the abyss?). Now, am I certain that the story being told is a hero’s journey? No, although I am somewhat confident.

So— I'm working under the assumption that we have a hero’s journey told in trilogy format. We have a LOT of comparison media out there… the Matrix, Star Wars, LOTR, among the most popular. What does the end of the middle installment of all of these have in common? They’re bleak af. 

Matrix: Neo unconscious, Agent Smith breaking into the real world

Star wars: Luke battles  Vader and loses his hand/almost dies, Han encased in carbonite

LOTR: Gollum’s betrayal, battle of Helm’s Deep (a win but with an ominous warning accompanying it)

The psuedo trilogy structure is where I do feel slightly perturbed at netflix for passing off a split season as 2 separate seasons. With a “real” trilogy, each component should be able to stand alone (like with 3 act structure-- set up-> conflict -> resolution) which is true of the examples above because the primary narrative conflict is actually resolved but super not true of squid game s2. Which means s2 and 3 combined could be the middle of the trilogy, with the mystery future season being the final part, but I don’t know that that’s in the cards. 

As an aside, we could just be totally wrong about the direction this is going in. Narrative arcs that involve the protagonist “learning a lesson” isn’t a universal concept. I always think of James Bond movies (especially the older ones) as an example of a “flat arc” character, because like, if you sleep with her she’s probably gonna die James, didn’t you learn this last time? If you’re too reckless there will be consequences, didn’t you learn this last time James? Like. That guy never learns. Not every character learns from their mistakes. Do I think Gihun is ultimately gonna be a flat arc character? No. Is it possible? I guess, man, look at the world, anything’s possible!!

So, ugh, sorry that’s a ton of speculation and uncertainty that isn’t directly answering your ask, but I do think that any of these possibilities can explain what we’re calling a lack of character development because we’re just not at that point in the story yet.

NOW.

Personally, I do think that Gihun is very perceptive, and I hold out hope that he wasn’t as trusting and oblivious as we’re made to think. I also believe that even if that is the case, he’d still have further to go/more development needed before he could actually reach the end of his journey. The reason for this (and I think one of the reasons people sometimes think of him as not smart) is the narrowness of his worldview. Not narrowmindedness, just literally not having broad knowledge about the world. Like not knowing where Pakistan was. Or not really getting that neither he nor the Frontman have the power to end what's happening because it is a symptom of a much larger, systemic problem. And in complete fairness to this sweet man, lack of perspective and a narrow worldview is an incredibly common flaw in people. 

So a few things that can be interpreted as Stagnation or Lack of Development:

Still a gambler: as seen in Russian Roulette and in going back into the game. Definitely risky, definitely reckless. He is like kinda suicidal though, so I don’t know that the underlying cause of this behavior is the same as it was in s1.

Still just out here trusting everyone: Yeah. That’s what he does, though. He came right out and said it, he doesn’t do it because he thinks people are trustworthy, he does it because what else is he gonna do? Is this a dumb-as-shit approach that should be “character-developed” out of him? Or is it a very important key defining feature of who he is as the hero of the story? I could go either way on that, tbh.

Naïve/easy to fool: I don’t think he ever was all that easy to fool, I think he consciously chose to let a lot of things slide and/or second-guessed his intuition because people called him stupid and slow all the time. 

Things that I think are Character Development

Ability to Focus: Maybe I’m ADHD projecting again, but this guy was all over the place in the beginning of s1, now he’s running a whole ass operation (maybe the medicine Mr Kim brought over was secretly adderall lol).

Leadership: I’ve said all along he just naturally exudes leadership, but he wasn’t really aware of it or comfortable with it in s1. In s2 he’s really embracing decision-making (even if they’re bad decisions) and seems comfortable being the one planning and leading, which is impressive.

So. To sum up a very very long answer:

I do see character development, if not the “hero finally learned his lesson” kind

I do still think it’s possible that Gihun wasn’t quite as clueless as we’re shown, and I’ll cling to this delusion until at least June 27th lol

I think it’s possibly too early in the narrative for his full revelation, anyway, but-

Part of why that feels “off” is because s2 is missing the “last Act” of the story it was telling (like don’t split a sequel in 2 and try to shoehorn it into a trilogy if it’s not an actual trilogy please for the love of god it throws off the balance)

[lokiinmediasideblog]

I Intentionally Start Shit in the Loki Tag

If you complain about Sylvie being "harmful queer rep" BUT want "Lady Loki" in the MCU, which was Loki possessing Sif's body just to torment Sif, I need you to sit down and shut up. a. Genderfluid people don't go by "Lady " when they're femme or women. b. If you don't see the transphobic dogwhistles in the comics possession subplot, I don't know what to tell you... But let's say that hag that wrote those crappy books would love it. c. If you weren't aware about this, maybe you should read the wiki at least before giving uninformed opinions.

I definitely agree that they should not have led people on with the promise of genderfluid rep during the promotion of the series. But get mad at Disney/Marvel for that. Not at the writers or Sophia Di Martino that had to cave in to Feige's demands. That's literally what they have to do.

I really don't give a damn about the "autogynephilia" allegations, which again, is ALSO PRESENT IN CIS WOMEN. Like why the fuck should I care about someone finding themselves hot? There's fascists out there. AGP even if it was a trans-specific thing harms no one. The only harm said to come from it is DUE TO FASCISM because it plays into RESPECTABILITY POLITICS.

If you use AI to create a "proper" Lady Loki or love interest for Loki, you can't complain about the blatant product placement in S2. I am not a fan of product placement either and won't defend it, but those are the rules. Show some integrity. And before you ask, I have not given a cent to Disney since they pissed me off with attempts to trademark Dia de los Muertos for Coco.

If you complain about how being a "Loki" is not a role (unlike Spiderman) and how it should have been all 100% Tom Hiddleston, you don't get to call it selfcest as a gotcha, because you're already differentiating between the variants with different DNA. Like do y'all hate selfcest or not? Make up your mind. The series treats a Loki as an archetype of sorts, so it can be a role. Also, having the same name does not make you related because we don't know what Sylvie's parents are? And we don't even know if Sylvie is also a Jotun, a prop claims she isn't.

If you say you want Sylvie dead but claim to not be misogynistic, because you'd love if a specific love interest from the comics or mythology replaced her, STFU. You only like those because you can project whatever the fuck you want onto them.

If you claim Sylvie is a misogynistic depiction of women but salivate over characters written by cishet white men in the 1960s-1980s that made wanting to fuck Thor or being in a monogamous marriage with Loki their entire personality (there's so MANY OF THESE), STFU. Do you hear yourself? And no, it's not misogynistic of me, a woman, to criticize offensive depictions of women by cishet white men. They're not real.

Our MCU!Loki is not the young adult Ikol reincarnation currently. Of course 20-something Verity is not going to be there! The Loki show should be praise for having multiple female cast members around the same age as the protagonist and pragmatic clothing choices that allowed SdM to nurse her baby.

Selfcest isn't real and I cry tears of boredom whenever someone clutches their pearls over it.

The comics aren't perfect. As much as I loved the recent Dan Watters run (and German Peralta's art), the comics art has some very questionable tendencies, especially regarding Loki's nose when she's femme. It's associated with how some kinds of facial features are considered masculine or feminine (and racialized). Noses have no gender, ffs! Women with nose bumps exist! For some reason Loki always has a tiny button nose when she's a woman or femme. There's also the BLATANT physiognomy that has ALWAYS PLAGUED Thor comics since their inception, and Loki's facial features as they've become more "grey" and less evil is an interesting study. Peralta's far from being the only artist with this problem, and is far from being the most problematic. For comparison from Loki (2023) run:

Loki from ye olden days:

[rayan12sworld]

💖💙Unveiling The Imposter

By:ladyflufffluff

Summary:

While tracking a suspicious fortune-teller, Shen Qingqiu falls unconscious. The fortune-teller extracts a glowing orb from his body, telling Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge that this Shen Qingqiu is an imposter, and they can see for themselves if they don't believe it.

Alternatively, the Demon Lord and Peak Lords watch Scum-Villain's Self-Saving System.

Characters Watch the Series fanfic. Post-Canon.

Chapter:9/?

Words:97,626

Status:ongoing

A few part in this fanfic :

“I can’t believe it!” Qi Qingqi groaned. “We let a baby be in charge of Qing Jing Peak!”   Yue Qingyuan coughed. “Twenty is not necessarily…”   “A baby,” Qi Qingqi reiterated. “ Zhangmen-shixiong , most of us were in our thirties or forties when we were named part of the ‘Qing’ generation. We ascended to our peak Lord positions decades after that. And this kid fell into the position of a Peak Lord at barely the age of twenty. He is a baby!”   Yue Qingyuan scratched his chin in thought. “Perhaps we could reduce some duties from him…”   “Forget it, he managed it for a decade already.”  

~~

Fine. I transmigrated into a stallion novel, but why not as the protagonist?! Even cannon fodder is good, but why must it be as the person who abused the protagonist and for the transmigration to happen after all the abuse has occurred?!’  “This almost sounds like if he’d transmigrated before, he would’ve avoided the bad treatment.” Ren Qingyue mumbled.   “Don’t be absurd. Remove the almost.” Liu Qingge said.  ~~

It’s the handyman Luo Binghe!’     Luo Binghe choked. ‘Shizun, really…’ he thought helplessly, unable to keep a smile off his lips. This kind of Shizun was really too cute.     ~~

Also, the fact that even with 3000 women, his stamina could keep up… it seems the protagonist’s halo even reaches his ****.’     …    Ren Qingyue coughed. “What… did he say…?” She thought she may have heard wrong.     The remaining Peak Lords were too busy gaping and choking on their saliva to answer her query. But really, that answered her query regardless. They’d never thought they would ever hear such a crass, explicit word from Shen Qingqiu.    Qi Qingqi facepalmed. “How does that even concern him? Heavens! His priorities are too messed up!”    ~~

What did you say earlier? ‘Do you think I’ll tell you’, right? Not only have you told me right now, but you also seem to have said something out of the question and even revealed your future plans! The intelligence of the villains in this world was beyond saving.’      The audience felt a sudden sense of existential crisis. Was everyone in their world like this? Or was it limited to the villains only?    “We’re not… that dumb… are we?” Lan Qingxuan finally voiced the crisis in their minds.    “Of course not!” Mu Qingfang immediately refuted. He refused to believe this was the standard of intelligence of the beings of their world.     ~~

Shen Qingqiu shouted: “Last word!”     Butterfly stopped to listen: “What else did you want to say?”     Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment, then asked: “How’s the taste of sleeping with an old man in his sixties?”     The audience choked for a moment before bursting into laughter.    “Goodness! Oh my god!” Lan Qingxuan hiccupped. “He actually asked that!”    ~~

…Shen Qingqiu was shocked. ‘What a pure white lotus!’  

Luo Bignhe thought in amusement, ‘did he call me black afterwards then?’     

~~

Shen Qingqiu calmly fanned himself, not an expression on his face. His mind on the other hand. ‘Not as long as I’ve been waiting for you.’      The Peak Lords, “…”   God damn, this baby.    The pressure around the Demon Lord had fallen to a minus.  

~

Shen Qingqiu, ‘ No, no, no. Your original Shizun really didn’t care about you, he’d rather you died, really…… However, what troubles of mine did you realize? You should say more; I’m also very curious!’     The coughs grew more frequent. Luo Binghe’s brow twitched.     Mu Qingfang’s lips twitched. “Goodness, it’s like a chicken speaking to a duck. Neither knows what the other is saying…”    ~~

‘Don’t say the same things as you do to your harem! ’ Shen Qingqiu shrieked in his mind, showing a mildly disturbed look which Luo Binghe didn’t miss.      Both of Luo Binghe’s brows rose up as his lips curled into an easy grin.     The Peak Lords didn’t miss it.     Sorry baby, you are his harem now.    

Even more horrifying were these lines, these lines! This sentence “make new dishes for you every day,” wasn’t it used by Luo Binghe to make those select noble eldest Misses let go of their anger and willingly enter his harem?     ‘Things can be eaten carelessly, but words cannot be said carelessly!’     The Peak Lords, “……”    Aren’t you eating them still?! Would this demon brat dare do anything without your encouragement?!    Shen Qingqiu thought for a while. ‘ What does it have to do with me? Since he’s already done so for me, I would be a fool not to take it. Speaking of that, the male protagonist being a free cook for me is something worth showing off!’     The Peak Lords, “……”    Zhang Qingren sighed. “I really would like to open up and see how his brain works.”    “There’ll be too many pits in it for you to see anything,” Ming Qinglan said.     ~~

I think I have included too many part 😅😅 really I couldn't hold back there are many amazing scenes

This part had my roll up 😂😂

‘Then, the poison, how was it cured? After doing pa pa pa, the girl’s poison was naturally cured!   The Peak lords, “……(￣_￣|||)”    Mu Qingfang gaped before coughing and looking aside. No wonder Shen Qingqiu didn’t say anything…     Yue Qingyuan wanted to spit a mouthful of blood. What priceless, obscure treasure?! How vulgar?!     Who is the damn author for this?!     😂😂‘Even if I only needed to pa pa pa with the protagonist to cure the poison… Like hell I’m doing that!’     The Peak Lords, “……”    Let’s tacitly ignore the fact that you’re now cured, shall we?!    ~~

I have read a few fanfic in bingqiu fandom but I think it's one the best one ,in there🥰

[frenchkanna1808]

WHAT YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS SAYS ABOUT YOU: YTTD EDITION

PART 1) THE PARTICIPANTS

SARA CHIDOUIN:

You can’t stop praising her about how amazing of a protagonist she is compared to other protags in similar games such as danganronpa. You would and WILL fight anyone that says anything bad about your homegirl an you DEFINITELY need therapy

JOE TAZUNA:

You have the terrible habit of falling immediately in love with the best friend archetype that we met in the beginning who’s clearly gonna die. When they die you keep telling yourself you won’t be fooled again and then you do. Anyway you are in denial

KEIJI SHINOGI:

You keep justifying you love for him by using the “he’s a complex character, he’s deep and shit” but that’s just an excuse to not say “i want him to carnally fuck me and treat my little bitch with his huge arms and tits”. Whatever sexuality you were before, his deep look probably turned you gay. Anyhow you are horny as fuck and you definitely need therapy, you little whor-

REKO YABUSAME:

Either you are the the most gay motherfucker on the planet or you’re veeeeeeeeeeery straight.  you’re favorite ship is naoreko. NEVERTHELESS you want her to step on you. 

Q-TARO BURGERBERG: 

there is exactly two type of q-taro fans, The meme lord or the 20 page Reddit post defending his character from any criticism. We allllll know which ever type of fan you are, you cried like a baby in his final moments.

 KAZUMI MISHIMA:

You definitely made every possible outcome in ytts, an replayed it multiple times. You probably follow  “ mishima-in-places-he-shouldnt-be” and is still sad that this gentle loving dude had to die first why it is. always. the. cool. dudes. who. dies. first., WHY, WHY NANKIDAI ?

KANNA KIZUCHI: 

You are awesome, smart, and just the perfect person to be around, you’re aura smells pure awesomeness, no, NO i am not biased.at.all it’s not like  she’s my profile picture. 

In all seriousness, you probably crave any green bling content and also loves shin too but kanna passion and pure kindness made you make the choice to kill shin. It seemed to difficult to vote for a kid so you voted shin. You relate to kanna struggles And ADORES her character development in 3b. Also you definitely need many therapy session (not projecting at all) .

NAO EGOKORO: 

If being a joe fan is sadness, a greenbling fan depression, well being a nao fan is literal despair and anger with anguish. Bro what the fuck did she do to have such an horrible end like that, her entire experience in the death game was  a pure nightmare. Homegirl did nothing wrong, she shouldn’t literally even be here dude😭😭. You have only one consolation is that now she’s in heaven with her girlfriend, also obviously you ship naoreko

GIN IBUSHI:

You are right in fact you are 99.99 percent of the fandom. And i know that if one day you see anyone put gin below S tier or say anything relatively negative about him, you WILL find them, you WILL track them , and you’re gonna BOIL THEM ALIVE. And i will probably cheer you so go on, pop off, girlboss or mansplain bestie !  

KAI SATOU:

You are mesmerized by his beautiful aura and luscious long mane. Every time the characters talk about him you feel so much happiness that his sacrifice was in the end really worth it, but still you cry that the cutest malewife had to go first.

ALICE YABUSAME:

His atrocious hair made you burn your eyes, his cringe fail personality made you laugh but his death destroyed you entirely. In the end you fell for this transmasc king. If you played logic rote you probably died a second time lol.

S H I N  T S U K I M I:

Shin tsukimi, oh, Shin Tsukimi the character of all time. So from what i understand he’s your favorite character. Were you the weird kid in your class when you were in high school or that one queer kid that tried to hide your identity but everyone knew just by a single look? Just by looking at you i can see a lot of self loathing and unaddressed personal issues that you try hiding under a rug instead of actually addressing them. Do you take time to eat, to drink, don’t forget to take a break from negativity when you are at your lowest, okay ? Diagnosing you is pretty hard you probably have a thousand problems but at least, i hope, not as much as this little dumbass.                                           There is two type of shin fans:

-the one who want to punch him, shove him into a locker and bully him 

-the one who want to give him a warm hug, a nice soup and a good night of sleep.                                                                                                                    In both cases, you are exactly like him and projecting so hard onto him. Also you are supeeeeeer gay like extra gay. Like your aura smells GAY you know. No cis het allo kinnie of shins exist actually, it’s as possible as dividing 0 by 0.  

So conclusion go to therapy

KUGIE KIZUCHI:

Ao3 is your god, your lord and everything that you need to live. Every time ao3 get down you die inside. You crave any content of her and wish that we can know more in the future about her (i do too) and you probably feel in love with her trough fanfic.

MEGUMI SASAHARA:

You guys exists? Well you like evil boss woman, i guess.

This shit full of errors and mistakes also this is a joke don’t get offended, remember as a greenbling fan i am probably the least respected type of yttd fan, well above the keiji simps you guys are wild. 

[natlacentral]

YVONNE CHAPMAN ON HER EARTH-SHATTERING PERFORMANCE AS NETFLIX’S AVATAR KYOSHI

Reviving the fanbase that never truly died, Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024) was a popularity powerhouse — snatching the number one spot in Netflix’s English TV Top 10 list less than a week after its debut. The series adapted Nickelodeon’s animated Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005), making it the latest live-action adaptation since director M. Night Shyamalan’s film in 2010. After nearly two decades of fans craving official content, the show performed immensely as the newest addition to the multi-million dollar franchise. Adding more fire to the show’s flaming traction, Netflix confirmed Avatar: The Last Airbender’s renewal for an additional two seasons.

With an estimated $15 million budget per episode, Netflix didn’t skimp on the details. Showered with glamored visual effects and world-building, Avatar: The Last Airbender brought to life many familiar facets of the original series. Capturing the hearts of old fans and new viewers alike was Yvonne Chapman — the starring actress behind the beloved character Avatar Kyoshi. Bursting with a bright demeanor unlike her broodier, badass role, Chapman chatted with EnVi over Zoom to share some earth-shattering revelations on the secrets behind the face paint. 

Avatar: The Beginning

No stranger to portraying a badass martial artist, Chapman was once Zhilan Zhang — a cold-blooded warrior in The CW’s Kung Fu (2021). Killing the protagonist’s mentor in episode one and quickly becoming everyone’s living nightmare, Zhilan was a top-class villain. Having the traits of a snake in more ways than one, Zhilan was an alluring yet dangerous presence that left viewers reeling. Although more akin to a murderer than a mentor, Zhilan was another weapon in Chapman’s arsenal of portraying badass Asian women. 

Michael Goi was a familiar face on set for Chapman, having been a director of Kung Fu. As the executive producer of Avatar: The Last Airbender and director of the Kyoshi episode, he was heavily involved in the vision of our Earth Kingdom Avatar. Interested in Chapman’s acting prowess, he inquired about her interest in portraying Kyoshi in the upcoming project. Naturally, she accepted. Ecstatic as a fan of the original series, Chapman recalled this decision as being a “no-brainer,” whole-heartedly agreeing to partake in the nostalgic re-imagining. 

Chapman was prepared long before filming began. “I read the Kyoshi books, which are awesome. If anyone has not read them, I highly, highly recommend it,” she urged viewers. The Kyoshi Novels were never adapted into a series but are often regarded as a popular branch in the Avatar: The Last Airbender multimedia tree. Having a reference to Kyoshi’s past that wasn’t nearly as expanded on in the animated series, Chapman leaned on the books as a foundation in fleshing out Kyoshi’s character. 

Stealing the stage in episode two with Avatar Kyoshi’s on-screen appearance, Chapman didn’t just bring her to life. She embodied Kyoshi, marking Chapman as one of the most well-received casting choices. Relieved at the positive reception, she recalled feeling a lot of pressure before the series’ release. With a sizable Hollywood budget and fans clamoring for a polished re-telling, the anticipation was equally exciting as it was frightening. “I knew people held it near and dear to their hearts,” she explained, “so I think all of us really wanted to make the original fans proud and have them see something that is familiar yet fresh so that they can enjoy both worlds.” 

Avatar: Behind The Scenes

Donning her iconic face paint and gearing up with a heart of steel, Avatar Kyoshi was a product of the sheer amount of research done behind the scenes to bring her to life. With various teams covering hair, makeup, design, and even culture consultants onboard to create the on-screen visuals, Chapman was in awe of the details that Kyoshi’s design entailed. “We had layers of skirts, shirts, and drapery for her and the armor,” she described, “even the stuff that the costume department knew that you guys weren’t going to see.” 

Gesturing towards her feet, she recalled wearing designed boots that were “hidden behind the three layers of dresses and skirts,” knowing that they were simply a finishing touch rather than a necessary implementation. These additional design decisions weren’t because of artistic perfectionism. It was purposeful as a nod towards the Asian and Indigenous culture that Avatar: The Last Airbender embraced. 

Dedicated to respecting these communities and their culture, the teams’ efforts didn’t go unnoticed by Chapman. She voiced the extent of their research, revealing that there were discussions with consultants within Asian and Indigenous communities to make sure that all of the details were culturally respectful and correct. Even the shoes. “They didn’t leave any stone unturned because they wanted to honor where those details were coming from and show that representation in the best, most effective way.”

The most recognizable feature of Avatar Kyoshi is her face paint — a white base that has her eyes pooled in red and brows accentuated to her temples. Inspired by traditional Chinese opera makeup, the face paint played a vital part in bringing Avatar Kyoshi and her warriors to life. Undergoing an initial process that took up to two and a half hours, Chapman recalled the makeup team trying various methods to “get the exact angles for the face to make sure that the eyebrows matched perfectly on each side to get that symmetry and the perfect white for her face.” 

Doing test runs of everything, the makeup team ventured into a streamlined process that had Chapman in her chair for half the time with the best results. Translating well on camera, the face paint was an exquisite detail that really made Avatar Kyoshi and the Kyoshi Warriors stand out on-screen. Getting into costume and makeup was often a highlight of the Avatar Kyoshi transformation for Chapman. “It was just so much fun seeing it come to life because it was so highly anticipated and because I’m also a fan,” she enthused. 

Avatar: Kyoshi

In all live-action adaptations, there are naturally some differences and details that are lost, altered, or added during the adaptation process. As a fan of the original series, Chapman recalled the lasting impact she felt from the animated version of Avatar Kyoshi despite her few appearances. Kyoshi, to her, was a “fearless warrior woman who was well known for her ferocity and protecting her people.” 

Coupled with the label of being one of the strongest Avatars of all time and a name that lasted generations beyond her death, Avatar Kyoshi left giant footsteps to follow thanks to her towering figure and elemental mastery. “There’s a certain refinement that I think Avatar Kyoshi would have having lived 230 years on Earth. She lived way beyond our years. Oh, girl lived. She lived.”

Alongside her visuals, Avatar Kyoshi’s strength was one of her biggest trademarks. Wanting to relay this ferocity and groundedness, Chapman strived to embody this innate power and wisdom through the Kyoshi Island arc. “That’s what was really showcased at Kyoshi Island and with the Kyoshi Warriors, as well as these really powerful women who protect their people,” she explained. Although her interaction with Aang was received by some viewers to be harsher than in the animated series, this approach wasn’t unfounded. “In her interaction with Aang, she took what I believe would have been her approach to get him to act in order to save the island, the friends, and the people there. It was a balance between trying to find the right representation of her talking with Aang in the spirit world,” she explained, “and trying to show the sense of urgency that needed to be portrayed.”

Although Kyoshi’s mentor-mentee relationship with Aang was a more serious one, Chapman had nothing but high praise for Aang’s actor, Gordon Cormier. “He’s wonderful, and I had such a great time working with him. He is Aang. He’s Aang,” she declared. “It’s unbelievable how much he embodies Aang as if he walked off the cartoon, and he’s just really great to work with. He deserves all the success that this is getting.”

Avatar: The Takeaway

More than happy to take on another badass warrior role, Chapman expressed her deepfelt gratitude for viewers who were inspired or awed by Kyoshi’s strength. Throwing a rock that rippled through Hollywood, her role assured that a woman can stand on equal ground if not higher than her male counterparts. This was a lesson that was learned in the series itself — courtesy of the Kyoshi Warriors and Sokka. And to that, Chapman wants to encourage “the audience and especially the young girls and women to see that they have the ability and the permission to take up as much space as they want. You know, to have a powerful voice, to have a presence and to not apologize ever for being who you are. That’s what I hope that they can take away from it.”

Recognizing the significance behind this diverse and culturally respectful series, Chapman expressed the positive changes that she felt the industry is undergoing. “We’re in the golden era of television right now for representation. For the longest time, we’ve always played the sideline characters, but now we actually get our own storylines,” she assured. “We get to be the protagonist, the heroes, the anti-heroes, the villains of the story. We get to be seen front and center rather than being in the background with a checkbox of diversity. No, this is what actual diversity looks like, in my opinion.” Amassing millions of views spanning internationally, the series showcased that largely POC shows and stories can exist and also succeed. With a story deeply rooted within Asian and Indigenous culture, Avatar: The Last Airbenderdid exactly that. It succeeded. 

Beyond Avatar: Yvonne Chapman

After Avatar Kyoshi, Yvonne Chapman has taken another badass role in The CW’s Superman & Lois. Casted as Amanda McCoy, Chapman is a fresh face suited this time with more brains than brawn. Although a minor character, with her streak of grabbing the audience’s attention from the side, more action awaits. 

Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to watch on Netflix. To see more of Yvonne Chapman, check out her official Instagram and Twitter. 

[dwollsadventures]

Magnus Chase Project Idea

The next thing for my list of projects is something a little closer to home and achievable, but also perhaps less anticipated. 

Percy Jackson was the first series of novels that I ever read of my own volition. It instilled a love of reading and appreciation of mythology that continues to this very day. When I heard that Riordan was going to be writing a series based on Norse mythology in 2014, I was ecstatic. Unlike before, I had a basis of knowledge to draw from to prepare for the books. When the books were released and I read them though, I felt a little disappointed. I actually have a large document that I wrote back in 2017 detailing all of my criticisms, but I’ll summarize them here: 

Magnus Chase as the protagonist goes through a very well defined and meaningful character arc in the first book. It’s probably one of the only things that make him stand out from Percy Jackson, who he can sometimes read as a carbon copy of. In the subsequent two books, however, he loses everything that made him special. His identity as a peacemaker and healer, and his choice to not use Jack the sword as a weapon are all forgotten about. 

Rick Riordan’s passion for Greek and Roman history oozes out of everything he wrote for his previous books. And while he did make an attempt, the mythology presented in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is one of its greatest flaws. The gods of the stories are shallow, one-joke cut-outs compared to the complex parents and power players in PJO. Heimdall is the worst example. Rather than echoing themes and remixing myths, oftentimes the characters play out recreations of Norse myths word for word during the course of the story. Norse mythology has a lot of large gaps in its content, meaning that an author will almost certainly have to bridge them with their own creations at some point. Riordan chooses to do this by mixing in modern culture and folklore from the 1800’s of Scandinavia. 

This book was not the first to feature cross-overs from other Riordan books, but it is the one that leaned the most heavily on them. Annabeth’s inclusion in the first book was appropriate, but it seemed like pandering to include Percy in the last one. When reading reviews to refresh myself for writing this, a good percentage of them cried out about their insufficient screen time. 

Slavery. The mythology point above makes me the most peeved, but this one baffled me as I read the books. One of the first einherjar characters introduced is Hunding, from the Volsung Saga. In the Saga, another of the characters, Helgi, kills Hunding, and his reward for the victory is that Hunding becomes his slave in Valhalla, commanded to “of every hero / Wash the feet, | and kindle the fire, / Tie up dogs, | and tend the horses, / And feed the swine | ere to sleep thou goest”. This is present in the books, but couched in PG13 language, so that Hunding is Helgi’s “servant”. One of the main cast of characters is Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Jr., a runaway slave that died fighting in the Civil war. In the third book, one of the other main characters replays a scene from mythology where she gets a bunch of jotunn slaves to accidentally kill each other. This character then apologizes to TJ for killing the slaves and they make up off-screen. Hunding is never rescued from eternal slavery, the existence of slavery in Valhalla is never acknowledged, the end. 

So what? Why did I list all of my gripes with the series and put it under the future projects title? Well, after I wrote my laundry list in 2017, I capped it off with a “what I would do” section. I’ve never been able to get into the realm of fan fiction. But what about fan rewrites? Rewriting the book chapter by chapter with my own changes? 

The reason I haven’t done this is because, again, I don’t have a foot in the fan fiction world, and for most of my time I’ve thought that spending so much time and effort working on something like that would be a waste of my time when I could be working on my own stuff. But recently I’ve been rethinking that. Finding the motivation to work on my own Acronym Pending series is conflicting with my anxiety about perfecting it so that I don’t tear it down a month afterwards. What if working on fan fiction doesn’t trigger this response? After all, the hard work’s already been done. If I end up doing this, it will be because I can’t bring myself to work on the TDG, which is bad, but it would mean something is still getting done, even if it’s something I cannot claim as 100% my own. 

What would I do differently? Here’s a few examples:

Magnus is not a demigod. Demigods are not a big thing in Norse sagas or myths, and it links the series too much to the previous ones. 

Samirah would not be a valkyrie, but another of the einherjar. 

Valhalla and the Norse elements would not be modernized, at all. 

Hearthstone’s father would be Volundr. 

Overall, the story would be closer to a runaway tale rather than a hero’s journey. The overarching mythological theme would be focused on breaking the cycle. 

[jackdawandicarus]

My character naming process

My friend @robinsinthesummer did a post like this so now I’m doing one too. Also I’m probably going to put more effort into this than is really necessary but idc.

The first method is just giving them a name that randomly spawns in my brain and fucking haunts my thoughts until a name a character it or create a new character solely to name something that name. The current name haunting my brain is Sidney fwi. I have an OC named it but I don’t really like said character, they are too un-queer. Sidney is a name for the gays. A name-ghost I actually went through with naming the character is Michael for my main project’s protag’s father and Sandy for this little cryptic hunter character I have. Honestly might give her a sister just to name said sister Sidney lol. Or a friend or something. Maybe-

If there’s another character with a name too similar to the current name-ghost (e.g. my *other* potential Sidney, who is very queer, is a main character for my book in which there is already a main character named Kit, I found the start of the names too similar to use Sidney for the character, Sydney might’ve worked but I hate that spelling), I begin an actual active naming process. I think of names with similar sounds and vibes (to continue with my example, Macey or Darcy which have the ending sound which I want for the character), using Behind the Name to assist if necessary. Usually I’ll have around 3 names on the list.

I’ll try to to think about themes, personality, arc, etc. with some more important characters. My protagonist in one of my current projects is named Ophelia. While Ophelia was a name-ghost, I gave it to the character I did because I thought that the meaning of ‘help’ fit for the character (also something something Hamlet something something idk I don’t know shit about Hamlet, I just know Ophelia goes mad and kills herself, which actually fits my Ophelia tbh) because she begins the story very passive, she very much views herself as a supporting character. It also fits as a silent cry for help hidden within her name, she is unable to reach out for help, and attempts to repress her negative emotions. Pretty sure Hamlet also had something to do with it at the time but I’ve genuinely forgotten.

Her sister Casandra’s name was chosen in a similar fashion. Only I know for sure that I named her after the Greek mythological figure of Cassandra. I dropped an S because I like the way it looks like that. Casandra has Schizotypal Personality Disorder, which is a pretty recent addition to her character but I think makes sense with my pre-existing characterisation of her as having ‘magical thinking’, to quote Wikipedia’s page on STPD lol. Cassandra in Greek mythology is obviously most known for being cursed to see the future and have no one believe her (though she’s a personal interest of mine and I could probably tell you everything about her if you asked me to), which is how Casandra perceives herself. I’m still working on figuring out how I’m going to adapt her character now I’ve decided to give her STPD.

There’s also a little (read- pathetic) guy I named Pigeon. They’re my most recent character because I’m tired of not writing about anthropomorphic cats, I’m a Warriors fan goddamn it it is in my blood. Pigeon is named after a bird species which absolutely no one will be able to guess from his name! He’s named after the bird because said bird has this whole tragic ‘used to be a valued pet and working animal and then we abandoned them and call them sky-rats’ thing going on which fits their character arc.

Sometimes I’ll just go to Behind the Name and look through it to find a suitable name though lol. After naming Ophelia and Casandra I needed to name their triplet brother. I literally just looked through the masculine Ancient Greek list on Behind the Name until I found Zopyrus at the very bottom and thought it worked well enough. He dies half way through anyway.

Sometimes I’ll name a character after a real life person I went to Primary school with or something. This is most common with my Sims, though, tbh. I named a character Jessica, but I think that’s literally it for OCs so far

And thus ends my overly long post!

[thephantomcasebook]

Hii I wanted to know , did helaena and aemond died on the same day ? I saw many antis on Twitter claiming they don't and helaena die few days later after aemond died. Now antis saying the Rise of dragons books has timeline and they dont die the same day

saying RoTD says aemond and helaena died on different days.They even contacted the mod to edited the wiki page.

You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - the most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: You believed George RR Martin's canon is rock-solid!

In all seriousness.

I've been apart of the ASoIaF fandom for going on thirteen years - before the show. I picked up the books the moment I heard that Lena Headey got cast in some pilot for a new fantasy show project called "Game of Thrones" - being a huge "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" fan I had to check it out.

In all twelve and a half years ... never once has GRRM ever settled on one thing or the other. He has constantly retconned and changed canon to fit whatever gaff or inconsistency he put in the later books. The history of "The Dance of the Dragons" has changed so many fucking times in the last ten years that it'll make your head spin. Rhaenyra went from being an well established tyrant and villain in the ASoIaF Historical canon - written into the fucking books for Twenty Years! - to being a grey character, to now being the protagonist of the story.

Alicent was introduced as a ghost that allegedly haunts the Queen's chambers in Cersei's POV chapters, described by Cersei as a former queen who loved her Kingsguard and leapt off the balcony when he died - Cersei thinks that she could relate. This is followed earlier by Jaime's POV talking about Criston Cole who was loyal to his queen to the very end - a man he admires. You're supposed to but two and two together.

Now, some Black-Stan or Reply Guy will come into this post and go "Na-ugh, asshole! That's not in the books!"

Yeah, not anymore, mother fucker! It was taken out of the book in later printings once GRRM got the development deals with HBO to do "House of the Dragon" and started writing "Fire & Blood" as a pitch bible for his tv show ideas.

Do you know how many times "The Disaster of Summerhall" has been rewritten and changed by GRRM? Do you know that in the original book it is said that Rhaegar was the sole survivor of the fire, saved by Jenny of Oldstones - and that he saw something that night that made him realize the coming of the "Long Night"? Now, GRRM changed it so that Rhaegar was born during the disaster. Once more the new printings of the book changed the text to fit with what was written in "The World of Ice and Fire".

Even the "Fire & Blood" on the shelves right now is not the same book that got released five or six years ago. Whole section are rewritten to gel with "House of the Dragon".

All I can say is welcome to the fold, Nonny. Get used to smug jerk-offs coming into your DMs and Asks claiming that canon which has been established for nearly a decade is now not canon and that you're spreading "Misinformation" or "Fanfiction" when its simply that Evil Santa Clause changed his mind again and they got the new update before you.

[hohoz]

The ones that suffer the most

I wanted to talk about this for a long time.

I’m a Resident evil addicted, I finished almost every RE game released and I must say that Capcom made some poor choices regarding Jill and Chris, they are EASILY the most mistreated characters in RE Franchise. 

But let’s explain why is that: 

Jill and Chris are survivors, they had to survive in a mansion with a lot of puzzles and zombies, while looking for items that could help them to progress and find a way to reach Brad. 

When they arrive at STARS Office, they are revolted that Umbrella did all that under their noses and innocents were dying because of that and they explained EVERYTHING in a report - but Irons made that go away. 

In the ORIGINAL RE3 we had this special file (Jill’s Diary) 

August 7th Two weeks have passed since that day. My wounds have been healed, but I just can't forget it. For most people, it's history now. But for me, whenever I close my eyes, it all comes back clearly. Zombies eating people's flesh and the screams of my teammates dying. No, the wounds in my heart are not healed yet...

August 13th Chris has been causing a lot of trouble recently. What's with him? He seldom talks to the other police members and is constantly irritated. The other day, he punched Elran of the Boy's Crime department just for accidentally splashing Chris's face with coffee. I immediately stopped Chris, but when he saw me he just gave me a wink and walked away. I wonder what happened to him...

August 15th Midnight. Chris, who has been on a leave of absence for a "vacation," called me so I visited his apartment. As soon as I walked into his room, he showed me a couple of pieces of paper. They were part of a virus research report entitled as simply as "G". Then Chris told me that, "The nightmare still continues." He went on to say that, "It's not over yet." Ever since that day, he has been fighting all by himself without rest, without even telling me.

August 24th Chris left the town today to go to Europe. Barry told me that he would send his family to Canada and then he would follow Chris. I decided to remain in Raccoon City for a while because I know that the research facility in this city will be very important to this entire case. In a month or so, I'll be joining with them somewhere in Europe. That's when my real battle begins...

For some weird reason this file isn’t available in RE3 Remake. 

But ok, here we see that Chris was doing some investigation - in the RE2RMK  you could see this letter that Chris left in a way that normal people wouldn't understand - the only thing that Claire says is that “doesnt look like him” but how normies would understand what Chris is like is he is not well represented in media ??????????????????

And Jill had all the detective work in her wall. 

So far so good - we understand the basics about them - they are Special police force, the elite, they had a traumatic experience and they survived to tell the story. 

Some problems until now:

Jill had a MAJOR personality change in RE3 RMK- I honestly like most of that, she is a badass in the originals and she is a badass in the rmk but I still dislike the fact that she swears all the time (specially because in RE1, RE Rev, RE5 she doesn't do that) 

We can tell a lot about her personality just looking at her room, but I still miss some stuff (I had expectations - so this is not a real problem. but still) like a Vinyl player (since she is probably into classical music), some letters from her father so new players can understand her origin and why is she so good in lockpicking and more about her dog (she had a pic in the original that could’ve been her boyfriend but it was replaced by a dog in RE2 rmk but in RE3 Rmk there in no dog) 

Okay - after you finish the game the only thing we see is this: 

In my opinion this is Chris since he is always associated with Green colors while Jill is associated with blue. 

So my speculation here is that she found him while in the original we had this: 

This is not a major chance but still is important (lore of course - duh) but the problem here is that while Jill is looking for him - Code Veronica is happening. 

So I can only assume two things, they did not show him because they DON’T HAVE A FACE FOR HIM or I am wrong and that is Jill, but if that is Jill so why there is no decent epilogue like the original ? 

Okay, now we are arriving in the real trouble area

I will do RE5 first and the Wii and Rev1 (even tho those two comes first in the lore) 

RESIDENT EVIL 5 

So before the game was release we had some propaganda, including this: 

So have in mind that Jill was dead, I thought that she died and RE5 would explain that shit. 

But in the beginning we see that Chris is looking for her and have in mind that Chris HAD A MAJOR CHANCE IN HIS APPEARANCE, and I’m not talking about his muscles. 

I will not address Chris in CV since he was good in that game but I the team that made CV also made the original, it had CONSISTENCE. 

Here we have Chris, he’s THE classical american soldier protagonist from Hollywood in the 80′s/90′s and he had some omage to TOPGUN

He also shares some traits with his sister

A major trait here is that HE HAS BLUE EYES, typical good looking soldier from US. 

and now let’s have a look at Chris in RE5...

Yeah... I still hate this face even tho I love his Character in this game, this ugly a** monkey looking mf and he had a lot of steroids

So we have some lore to him in RE5, Jill and Chris went to a mansion looking for Spencer (one of the fathers of Umbrella and the one that was behind project Wesker, he wanted to do this Virus so he could live forever, so RE has a good lore, it’s not just about zombies) but when they found him, he was dead and Wesker was by his side, in a fight Jill sacrificed herself to save Chris’s life. 

Chris started doing mission after mission because her body was never found, and he made a name for himself, he became a ‘legend’ inside BSAA and you can see that in the beginning of RE5.

The reason behind the muscles was probably to fight Wesker mano to mano but still is not well made, it really felt weird playing for the first time. 

So now we have a problem here, there is thing that you use in a narrative that is to make someone strong af powerless, and they did that to Jill. (a good example of this is in TWD- Ricky is a fucking legend and Negan made him powerless in the face of a event) 

Jill was used in a Boss fight and that is it... She is not in the game as a character, she is being manipulated and her whole design was changed, she looks like Nina from Tekken. WTF. - BTW, the fact that Wesker had mind control over her created 1000 fics of sex 

 So that is it, my main problem here isnt Jill itself, but it’s the fact that they used her character as a boss even tho she is the heroine, she never appears in RE lore again until some guy inside Capcom said “Well people are asking about Jill so let’s place a file in Rev2 saying that she is in rehab” 

The only time that she appears again is in a 3DS NINTENDO ONLY game, it felt that Capcom simply don’t care about her character. 

By the way Revelations 1 is a great game and was adaptable some years later for PC and consoles

But you think that this is bad, wait until we arrive at RESIDENT EVIL 6 

When I learned that Jill was not in RE6 I was mad... But after I played that game I said “thank you God” that game was bad, transformers kind of bad, it had bad writing, the lore was all over the place and Chris was the one that suffered the most in this game. 

He was responsible for the death of an entire squad, suffered amnesia and people still wanted him in the command 

THEY MADE HIM AN ALCOHOLIC 

The golden boy of BSAA reduced to THIS. 

By the way, the director said that HE WANTED TO KILL CHRIS IN THIS GAME to SUBVERT EXPECTATIONS - so if you liked Piers now that he died only because of that. 

So now let’s analyse what we know: 

The first 2 main characters are not well represented in media until RE6, they don’t know how to re introduce Jill in the games and Chris was reduced to a normal guy at a Russian bar;

But it gets worse... 

Capcom LOVE Leon, we know that. he is always the hero, he is the protagonist in almost every movie and he is always the cool guy so when he get’s a new model, he looks like this:

But When Chris get’s a new face he look like this: 

WHO DAFUQ ARE U, no offense to the model but he has NEGATIVE JAW LINE.

And still he doesn't look like Claire’s brother, there is no blue/green eyes and he looks younger that he was in 6 (and 6 still uses that ugly character model) 

But let’s go in the lore- we HAVE 0 info on Jill in RE6 / RE7 and no sight of her in RE8 

And speaking of which, they tried to make Chris the bad guy in the trailer so when we play we see “Ohhhh he was not the bad guy, that happened and that is why he did that” 

But still... 

If they are going to do that to his character don’t use this character, shit ! Do something with that Wesker’s son that made 0 sense in RE6 but leave Chris out of this - it really feels that they simply don’t know how to treat him right

And you may think that I may be complaining a lot because of his appearance

But this is him in RE8  

(to me this is some random dude from Russia) 

And this is him in RE:Verse (that is going to be release TOGETHER) 

So this tells me that they have 0 clue of how to handle his looks

Jill got RE3Rmk but it felt like a cheap game compared to RE2Rmk where the original RE3 was SO MUCH BETTER

And this is bad because there are so many new fans joining the fandom only to see 2 great characters suffering from poor director’s choices. 

I’m sorry about this rant, if you like Chris face and looks its okay, really, but dont tell me that Chris from 5/6/8 is the same from 1/CV and if you think im wrong about Jill its fine, but she is an amazing character that could have so much more impact in RE universe (I mean, she never even appeared in a RE movie - animations) 

But it’s sad to see so many characters that receive good representation in media and good games/lore while Jill get’s almost none and Chris is handled like random face guy. 

I was going to talk a little bit more about Rev 1 and RE Umbrella Chronicles but there is no need since Im mad right now and it seems that Capcom has 0 interest in making Code Veronica and Umbrella’s fall after that since their fav boy Leon need a rmk in RE4 even tho RE4 is not that old. 

Bonus:

Fun fact: Chris served in the Air force, so yeah, to me even Tom Cruise looks more like Chris than Chris from the games

[katherineholmes]

I've seen people say they hate Elena because "she's always the center of attention", geez, some people need to look up the meaning of “protagonist” in a dictionary. 🙄

I should also say that most of Elena's haters are fans of Caroline or Bonnie (but mostly Caroline), I think the main reason they hate her is because unlike Caroline, Elena is a much more flawed and human character. Caroline in my opinion, is a character that fans often use to project themselves and self insert into the story. I don't hate Caroline and I don't think she is a bad character either, but you have to admit that she is very far from reacting realistically to what happens to her, I mean, she literally accepted vampirism and the fact that she killed someone as if it was nothing. When Elena discovered everything related to the supernatural world she acted the way almost all of us would, and when she became a vampire she practically had an existential crisis.

Anyway, the other anon is absolutely right, Elena is hated for the stupidest reasons, and to think that without her or the doppelgager the show "would have been better" is laughable, without the doppelgager there wouldn't even be a damn plot.

Oof, I’ve been so busy all week so I couldn’t get to this.

You are right! She is literally the protagonist, of course everything is about her 🤦🏽‍♀️ She is the main character, but the disservice done to her….smh.

I do agree that Elena gets a lot of hate from Caroline and Bonnie fans, I have nothing against either of them as characters, they’re interesting in their own right, but I’m personally drawn to Elena. I don’t know how Caroline accepted that she killed someone so quickly though, it’s never even brought up again.

Elena’s reaction to Stefan being a vampire is truly so realistic though, she’s afraid, unsure what is happening, and unable to trust anything, so she runs. Her crises on becoming a vampire is valid, and it gives her so much depth. She was going through hell in that season, and I think it’s just not ‘fun’ for people to watch.

The reason for the Elena hate…. I’ve been in this fandom for nearly a decade, and I still don’t understand why people hate her. At least, not this mass hatred she gets, especially because she’s only seventeen when the show starts. Without the doppelgängers, what is this show even? There’s no Klaus without the doppelgänger, would’ve died a thousand years ago if it hadn’t been for their blood, so….🤷🏽‍♀️

Thank you for the ask ❤️

[kitkatopinions]

It feels so out of place how the narrative and the characters have always treated the Atlas military (alternatively suspicious, tyrannical or incompetent), yet when push came to shove that same military fought and died for hours against Salem's invasion to protect the tens of thousands of people trapped in Atlas BECAUSE of Ruby while Ruby sat and drank tea. How long did that battle go for? Four hours? Five? And if that wasn't enough, it only ended because Oscar was only covering the escape. 1/2

No lie, I feel like the world they invented pretty much requires the presence of a militarized force to sustain itself and it's one reason why approaching the Atlas military as 'point blank bad with no gray area' and approaching Hunters with 'point blank good with no gray area' makes no sense to me.

I've seen fans literally say that they knew Atlas, its military, and James were bad from the get go because of the use of the words army and military, and that army = bad, but ffs it's a fantasy world where the rules are one hundred percent different than the real world. The world of Remnant we're presented with is one with dark monsters thriving on negativity and attacking indiscriminately, reproducing at a fast rate, and adapting while showing intelligence and the understanding of consequences. They're known to bring down towns when something goes wrong, like a bandit raid. Single Grimm can take down whole towns. Panic stirs up Grimm activity and enough of it can bring down whole Kingdoms. The Hunter system we've been shown is A. corrupt, and B. a profession that doesn't seem to churn out a good many hunters, and many of the Hunters we see are concerned with big picture things or specific tasks, or retired or dead, due to the inherent danger level of the job. There simply aren't enough Hunters. There aren't enough Hunters to run border control, to protect the cities if they get attacked, to ferry kids back and forth from school while Grimm activity is up, to investigate suspicious activity and handle it when things go wrong, to save civilians when push comes to shove, to be parts of secret organizations while also maintaining their oaths to protect. Hunters seem more like specialists, at least from what I've seen in show. They're trained to be able to take on high level threats and go through a rigorous program, but they can't act as the only line of defense, partially due to their lack of numbers. They aren't actually the driving protective force keeping the Grimm out of the kingdoms on a day to day, hour by hour basis.

We see this over and over again in the show. Hunters get overwhelmed, towns fall, cities fall, they can't do the work of hundreds of people. Teams RWBYJNR and the Happy Huntresses never would've been able to protect Mantle from a direct attack from Salem, for example, when they couldn't even keep all the civilians safe from the Grimm that were occurring naturally due to political upheaval and unrest. In a world where demon monsters from hell will manifest and attack if too many people feel negatively at once and feelings of safety and security are needed to try and prevent the Grimm from coming in droves, an army is the only real solution here. Remnant is not the real world, the way we view armies is not automatically the way the people in Remnant view armies. And in fact, the show in the early seasons does a very strange thing; they have Ozpin express a belief that unrest and nervousness will occur due to James bringing his fleet to Vale (with every sign pointing to him having been asked there by the Vale Council,) and yet the reactions that we do see are actually the opposite, but this is still somehow heralded as foreshadowing by both the fans and seemingly the show itself. From Ruby geeking out about seeing the Atlas robots being displayed, to everyone being relieved and awed when the army showed up to protect everyone in the episode "Breach," where Atlas ships saved Ruby and she gave a grateful smile, salute, and wave, the Atlas military seems well received.

And the Atlas robotic soldiers taking down Grimm as civilians run past during the Fall is another example.

Even Oz, Qrow, and Glynda who were the only three people to express mistrust or anxiousness towards the presence of the army in Vale, are only seen either telling James to use his army (Oz,) or are seen fighting by the army's side, and then being welcoming and taking direct orders from James without being even the slightest bit suspicious of him.

We don't see the supposed anxiousness and mistrust in anyone outside of Oz, Qrow, and Glynda, who all one hundred percent trusted James anyway and were only worried that everyone else would be worried. The fact that Watts (someone everyone thought was dead) managed to hack the Atlas robots, has been the only negative effect we saw in the first three seasons, and that's not due to any corruption or mistake on the part of the Atlas army or James himself (something going horribly wrong in a way no one could expect due to the evil actions of a group of other people is not actually the fault of the person trying and succeeding to do good until the group of other people did bad.)

I could get into more reasons to not think the Atlas army is corrupt, but I don't want this post to get too long, and I want to address your very right statements about the way they portrayed their protagonists versus the army even while they were trying to push the concept that the Atlas army is corrupt and bad.

Ironwood: Desperately doing whatever he can to save lives from Salem, planning ways to bring down the Whale Grimm, trying to protect the Relics and the Maiden from Salem's grasp.

Team RWBY and co: Risking the lives of literally everyone on purpose because they don't want to be in a no win situation, preventing Ironwood from taking life saving actions because it won't save every live, expressing zero concern or grief for the hundreds dying to Salem on the battlefield.

The Ace Ops: Trying to navigate their morals while they do what they can to try and protect the civilians in Atlas who are directly in danger, trying to convince Penny to actually save people, planning to take down the whale grimm even if they have to suffer knowing a kid died in the process of protecting hundreds and likely thousands of other kids directly in danger of dying.

Team RWBY and co: Prioritizing their friends, prioritizing missions that logic says won't help people especially with the fall of Atlas making it impossible to protect everyone who's going to be in danger, picking fights with people who are trying to save others.

Team FNKI: Delving into war and battle while facing their fears, trying to protect people, trying to do the job they chose and stare floods of Grimm down.

Team RWBY and co: Drinking tea in mansions, worrying about their love lives, crying on staircases, laughing with a murderer...

Even while they were having Ironwood shoot down people that stood in his way and express that he wished he'd thought about torture and sending bomb threats, they still didn't have the protagonists actually seem like likable, convincingly good protagonists that I would want to root for. It seems like they had to try hard to make James someone people couldn't root for because they couldn't make Ruby and her team actually right, effective, and good. They really seem so selfish, immature, unprepared, and entitled. Which isn't to say that the protagonists can't have those flaws, but they're not getting treated like flaws, which is the most frustrating thing.

Before the writers needed to push their message that Ironwood is completely evil and everything he's involved with is inherently wrong, we didn't get much sign that the Atlas army was corrupted and bad, because projecting real world standards onto a fantasy world that we know is very different from ours isn't it. That's not to say that I think 'not showing us this system is corrupted early' means that there's no possible corruption, but I think it's clear that the fandom pushed narrative that the Atlas army is inherently bad and worse somehow than being a Hunter which is somehow much better is very biased, especially when we also see corruption in the Hunter profession.

Making James and the Ace Ops do vile thing didn't make the protagonists seem better. They still fell way short of adequate.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

adventure time wizard city liveblog

 well here we go

my last adventure time liveblog, i havent actually done one of these in MANY years... probably not since 2014

this takes place at the same time as obsidian?

DID-- DID CHOOSE GOOSE JUST DIE

DID BUFO JUST KILL CHOOSE GOOSE

yeah i know that’s bufo, they only made it enormously obvious, tsk tsk

@spaceacepearl​ joked about us seeing choose goose get sent to hell but i diDNT EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN

This music is i assume by one of the many musical artists Adam Muto listed on twitter, it rocks. It’s not as hardcore as Obsidian’s intro, but it’s suitably chill for the scene. 

“get offa my bus kid”

Those wizards in the left and far right groups appear to be new! 

OH MY GOD--

HELP?????? NEW PROFILE PIC TIME

HAHAHAHAH

THE MUSICAL CON DID ME GOOD, I DID REALLY LOUD AUDIBLE LAUGHTER

i bet hanna and co had fun making these signs

my favourite is the cat with “FAMILIARS HAVE RIGHTS”

cadorka..... wow

We’re not even four minutes into the ep and peppermint butler has already killed someone in front of a large group of witnesses

“this smells of DARK MAGIC” “yall kids know thats illegal right” peps watches the other kids nod before later joining in, LOL

i cant believe pep started the great gum wars and got killed by golb

SOMEONE has been playing Overwatch... 

i-- i still cant believe choose goose is fucking dead

how long was he stuck in hell for, or was that recent to together again after new death showed up 

i have to admit im not a big fan of spader, too perfect, and not in that funny way either. i hope they give him some characteristics that make him stand out. 

im getting flashbacks to OK KO and Owl House here...

Cadebra using music is a reference to Abracadaniel’s love of interpretetive dance in Play Date. 

“they only laugh because youre different” “i know” “SO STOP BEING DIFFERENT” oh my god it’s like talking to my own parents cadebra is actually... a LOT like me, less in her hyperactivity but more in her nonchalant enthusiasm and almost acceptance of the inevitable bullying because it means more time in people’s consciousness

ahhh - it’s quietly revealed here that she is responsible and a skilled magician, she is just bored of magic! i like that she parents abracadaniel instead of being downtrodden by his ramblings. 

PEP NO--- oh i see the problem, he hasn’t got his Bug Milk... sorry Martin Olsen fans, no Hunson today. At least we get one more Phil Face for the road! 

candy people in their natural habitat

Ahhh that’s Doctor Calidoneus! The voice actor was at the recent Distant Lands panel alongside Pep and Blaine’s actors. 

“pretty sure hes just trashcandy” - i like you, sassy antler lady

the mystery of how he gets clothes

and once again spader is proving to be the most irritating distant lands character of the lot, there is no subversion here. where is the subversion?  

NANI

what is going on here? are pep and peppermint the same person or not? im sure they must be, but there is something going on here with peppermint butler’s soul being trapped in the body of his child self who hasn’t got the same memories. 

OH, HYNDEN WALCH DID A NEW LINE yes this is what im here for, special over 

peppermint butler cursed himself... of course he did - Shado was correct!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT THE FUCK

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

ROCK STUDENT, BLESSED ROCK STUDENT, WAS THAT POOR GUY WHO LOOKS LIKE A JAWBREAKER

love the reference to astral plane, of course pep cant astrally project because cursed pep is still inside of him 

wow, blaine, wow

they have a crush

LITTLE DUDE! COLE SANCHEZ!

i love the dynamic between cadebra and abracadaniel, imo so far it’s the heart of the special. im not really gripped by peppermint butler’s school troubles. i imagine someone else probably will be but i want to run past that shit as far as possible. 

TRDGFYGHJH

WE

WE MADE  A PREDICTION THAT WAS JUST LIKE THIS

PEPPERMINT BUTLER GETTING TURNED INTO THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF PEPPER MINT BUTT LURE WAS IN THE WIZARD CITY PREDICTIONS ART DRAW THAT HASNT BEEN POSTED YET

ILL SHOW YOU WHEN NICK POSTS THE VIDEO and then ill tell you who made the prediction because i... think it was nick himself, insanity 

who plagiarized finn’s signature???

turns out pep really DID take over wizard city!!!!

i love this band

i understand your pain peps

you probably have a bit too much in common with your mother, and i imagine it isn’t easy being turned into a kid and not being able to do stuff that came so easy. you’re disappointing yourself! (he’s literally disappointing himself)

I’m less than halfway through the special, what the fuck. I wasn’t wrong when I said Wizard City had a lot on its plate. It’s noit that I’ve been particularly gripped up to this point, though to be fair I didn’t pause at all during the other specials barring Obsidian. 

that... that poor kid is still a rock

and then the preview happened and bufo casually revealed to the audience that, yes, he killed choose goose

i dont know whats happening with pep but it seems he needs to be exorcised of... pep. which is a shame. i hope they learn to coexist. 

i have to say the background work in this special is really good! like, really damn good. 

WH

WHAT

DID SPADER JUST DIE

IS THIS WHY PEOPLE THINK PEPBUT KILLED HIM 

oh thats right - abracadaniel is cadebra’s uncle! this must be abracadniels sister. sorry, folks, he doesn’t fuck. 

Where are they? Is this anywhere near Wizard City? It’s an unpopulated prewar wasteland. 

THESE ARE JUST HUMANS

OF COURSE SHE WANTS TO PERFORM TO MILQUETOAST HUMANS

my child

is this an art style choice or did they get the people from that one studio to make this

HANNA FINALLY GETS TO FULFIL HER DREAM OF INSERTING KANEDA INTO ADVENTURE TIME

the red jacket he wears and his head pill shape is a big kaneda reference actually, which i suppose makes sense considering he’s a rival to our protagonist, but it’s a bit on the nose

bufo killed one of his own students? but why????

“MY UNCLE’S A COP”

“no one likes a rat”

i actually really like blaine, though im confused. did their VA change halfway through the special?

HOW NATURAL, NO WASTE, IT IS AN ENDLESS CHAIN

did doctor caledonius steal the trophy,,,? 

EVIL SNAIL EVIL SNAIL

MONMSTER HUNJTER DISCOVERY NOISE, this time it’s a tetsucabra

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I HAVE QUESTIONS

god i wish this is what this special was about, i miss adventure time

these remind me of the comics with their art style :) i wonder who designed them? the one on the right with pb and pep, in particular, very comics-y. 

fdgfhgf because he’s like 500

“pep can be kind of a jerk but he wouldn’t kill anyone”

sorry, cadebra, i have news for you

is doctor calednoius the true villain? if bufo’s out of the picture, she MUST be, 

ANTS

oh no, he might gbe stuck in wizard city :( 

HELP

the writing on the wall...

SPADER LITERALLY FUCKING DIED OH YM JESUS CHRIST

PEPPERMINT BUTLER’S OWN CULT????

THIS IS JUST OK KO NOW

okay im not surprised all the teachers at wizard city are cultists in worship of peps, maybe they killed spader and bufo because they bullied peps T_T

wait no, they thought spader had the potential, but sadly not

HE FUCKING KILLED HIMSELF

sorry, i was distracted by the pretty dope fight sequence and now the special is over????

fucking jesse, hes probably at least partly responsible for the cult nonsense

This credits art is by Maya Petersen!!!! Holy shit it’s adorable!

LRETGFDRGTFGMHGFHFG

LEAF MAN

DO YOU THINK THEY PUT HIM IN RETROSPECTIVELY

DO YOU THINK MAYA PETERSEN DREW THIS AND ADAM PUT IT IN THE EP RETROSPECTIVELY

HE LIVES

MAYBE THIS IS WHY CHOOSE GOOSE WENT TO HELL

okay, it’s over :) 

first thoughts out of the way: not a big fan of this special. it’s like watching a completely different show. it’s not got the PZSHAHH of the normal wizard city stuff and there weren’t a lot of funny jokes or even hearty moments in the thing. 

it suffers from a lack of invested character interactions, much like BMO did. there was not a single main cast member in the whole thing! and like i said before, much of peppermint butler’s character in the show is based on his very sweet relationship to his mother, princess bubblegum, so when they showed a single (hilarious) photo of them together it made me sad we didn’t get any scenes with them together. it would have STOLEN this episode. and they teased the hunson golf photo, and death!!! and jake appeared in a photo T_T last jake appearance. 

it also suffers because Peppermint Butler is clearly not himself, imo he was way more entertaining in the Together Again special, where we seem him back to his “normal” self. 

i dont think peps being a dark wizard was something to “kill off” exactly. i wonder what was going on there? was that actually peps, or was that a spirit he cursed himself with based on himself? we at least know in the future he does become a dark wizard again, and even princess :) this special didn’t answer those questions but lol. 

THE GOOD STUFF, because yes, there was a lot of good stuff! 

God, I’m with Aracle and Maya on this - I LOVE Cadebra and her relationship to Pep. I wish she was even in more of this - I would love to watch the adventures of Cadebra and Pepbut in their first year of school, like in the end credits.

That, imo, is where the heart of the special lay - Peppermint Butler’s attempts to impress himself, versus Cadebra’s self acceptance and desire to follow her dreams of being a goofy goober, no matter what other people thought of her. 

It turned out that Cadebra is a responsible student and family member. I really liked that. Her scenes with Abracadaniel were, somehow, my favourite in the entire special! 

I like that theres a lot of cool magic towards the end of this special, and a lot of HORRIFYING DEATH. It wouldn’t be adventure time if you didn’t randomly kill off child characters. Poor Spader, I hated you but damn, what a grim fate. 

I like that Bufo and Caledonius had this crush/hatred thing going on, but they were part of the same cult in the end. 

I didn’t like the giant peps scene at the end, the monster was extremely milquetoast compared to the madness we usually get in AT. Obsidian, for example, had the awesome Larvo design. Nemesis had some INSANE dark magic!!!!  I wish they drew more from that episode. 

Considering how much Steve Little appears in this special, I do feel bad for Mace (little Peps). He said he would have really benefitted from coaching, but recieved none. He had to re-record his lines 3 times! Judging from his description of events, Wizard City was a hard time for him. 

The wizard school did remind me, heavily, of both The Owl House and OK KO. Personally I was hoping AT would offer me something more insane, but I do love both of those shows, and I know Wizard City was on a really tight schedule. 

I think they should have spent less time on the school bullying plot, and skipped straight to MURDER. 

We did have a cold opening, not on par with Together Again’s at all, but damn!

I am wondering where I would put this in the watch list? I do think it should sit after Obsidian as the third special. The intro scene makes it clear this takes place at the same time as Obsidian!!!

Well, that was it, the last ep of AT for the next few years at least T_T

i think together again was the better finale, definitely. but wizard city feels pretty detached from AT for me, despite the familiar characters it tonally isn’t like the show other than the awesome brutal death scenes. I thought the last 11 minutes was easily the best in the special! Which, honestly, is how it should be, though I do wish it gripped me more. Maybe I’m just not the target audience for Wizard City? It feels like something I would find very compelling if I was a bit younger!