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stepswordsen · 21 days ago

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【KagePro】 KuroEne Coffin YCH Commission by Mire 🖤💙🐍🐇

Kuroha (Saeru) and Ene Coffin YCH Commission by Mire (@/miremiremire)

Mire's Instagram: (X)

Mire's VGen: (X)

Intro

Inside the Coffin ⚰️✨

If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.

I commissioned KuroEne wearing formal wear with a Snake and Bunny theme, surrounded by Red Higanbana (Cluster Amaryllis), the flower that Saeru is associated with 🖤💙🐍🐇💐

I asked for Kuroha to be drawn in his Design Poll outfit, and for Ene to be drawn in her Seek at Mekakucity outfit 🥰

I chose their formal outfits because I feel like they fit very well with the Royal theme and Coffin aesthetic.

I asked for Higanbana to be scattered around the coffin, and to have a snake wrapping around an Ene-themed bunny plushie (with her digital facial structures) and a blue ribbon 💝🎀

Once again, thank you to Feila for helping me discuss and come up with ideas 💗 I'm glad you were able to share your thoughts with me!

This comm has 1 main flower type, so at first I considered Forget me nots, the flower I associate with Ene, but I decided to go with Higanbana.

I chose Higanbana as Kuroha's flower based on its Hanakotoba meaning, since it fits him aesthetically (colours wise) and symbolism wise. It's also the flower that he's associated with in the Kagerou Daze -from the darkness- art by Sidu.

Kuroha: Higanbana (Cluster Amaryllis) - The Flower of Death, Death and the Cycle of Rebirth

Ene: Wasurenagusa (Forget me nots) - True Love, Memories, Don't Forget Me

Thoughts

After the gorgeous KuroEne Ticket Comm that Mire did for me, I was very excited to commission them again.

This time too, I first got the message when I woke up in the morning, so I was pleasantly surprised... My forever beloved childhood OTP~ BREATHTAKINGLY GORGEOUS 🥹💗💞💘

My commission came out absolutely stunning! 🥰💞 I'm so happy with how it turned out! KuroEne look so beautiful in Mire's style 🖤💙

Mire perfectly captured their theme-ing and motifs. The art style, colours, rendering, and graphic design are all so pretty… I'm amazed by the attention to detail. Everything is so gorgeous 😭💗

I love the geometric rendering style Mire has that makes their hair look so fluffy. The colours harmonize so well together, omg. Mire always delivers 😭💞

Mire puts SO much effort into the colouring, rendering, details, and graphic design. The design of the frame is so good 🤯💥I'm utterly blown away... Everything is so gorgeous 😭 💗

Their art style is really pretty... They're so attentive to details and included all the requests I asked for: Kuroha's smug expression, the red Higanbana (Cluster Amaryllis), and the snake wrapping around an Ene-themed bunny plushie.

They were super nice and accommodating with minor changes as well, such as with Kuroha's headphones.

The vertical and horizontal versions are both so good! I would love to print this out for personal use and hang it on my wall as prints 💗

I was wondering if VGen had any way to tip artists, and it does, with the Boost feature.

So I boosted the commissions on VGen for both the Ticket and Coffin YCH comms to show my appreciation for the gorgeous artworks Mire made me. So I sent roughly a 25% and 35% tip :)

Misc Rambles

OH MY GOD THEY'RE SO PRETTY PLEASE ASDFFGHJKL 😭💗💞💘 I'M GONNA SCREAM

I really wanna gush about this art, because Mire captured KuroEne's theme-ing and motifs perfectly 🥺🙏 They drew their design details and outfits so well, and the colours and rendering are so amazing…

They have such great attention to detail, like with the snake wrapping around an Ene themed bunny plushie... The bunny plush is SOOO cute. I love the design of the border frames used for this YCH comm too. The quality is seriously outstanding…

I requested KuroEne with Mire's Inside the Coffin YCH comm after my previous KuroEne Ticket Surprise Me (Omakase) comm, since I really wanted to see KuroEne in Mire's adorable chibi style.

Ene's feet scatter into pixels in canon, so I like how Mire made Ene wear boots with cross-laced XXX shaped straps since it makes things easier to draw with the YCH base.

Ene with her XXX straps on her dress and boots, and Mr. XXX peering over the coffin ❌😌 Not visible, but he has little X's on the back of his Design Poll outfit.

I asked for a bunny plushie with Ene's digital facial structures on it with a snake wrapping around it to represent KuroEne thematically, since I thought it'd fit them very well.

Kuroha/Saeru is associated with Higanbana (Red Cluster Amaryllis), the Flower of Death, by Sidu.

The dark evil cunning and malicious entity who is the cause and center of death, is the one lovingly (menacingly) peering at Ene lying in a coffin while putting his hands on the sides, as a kind of ominous foreshadowing for what comes at the end of a Route…

If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.

I've always thought of this quote in terms of confronting your own death and mortality. He's not ready to come to terms with it, either, hence feeding the cycle (with all the time loop resets)

The higanbana is so pretty and detailed… They're so good at drawing flowers. The scale textures on the snake look hand drawn too.

My Message

This was the message I left for Mire!

Thank you so much again for the wonderful commission! KuroEne look so adorable in your chibi style! You drew their design details, expressions, and outfits very well.

You have such amazing attention to detail. The colours and rendering are amazing~ I love the colours you chose!

Your art style is gorgeous, and you have such pretty colours and rendering... The way you drew their expressions, outfits, and the flowers are so pretty and detailed!

Your commission formats have such amazing graphic design and compositions! The art quality is seriously outstanding... 💖💗

Thank you for including the details I asked for (ie. Kuroha's expression, and the snake curling around a bunny plushie). You drew them perfectly 🖤💙

Commission Rambles

I sent these as refs. Feila and I discussed ideas on what poses, expressions, flowers, and items would fit best based on their symbolisms and in terms of visual contrast.

He owns this :} expression with the insane smug smirk and eyebrows

If I wanted them as marketable animal plushies, I'd pick these. The snake and bunny plushie are SOOOOO cute.

The bunny plushie with the headband is just so cute, I'm obsessed with it 😭💗 It's just SO Ene-core 💙🐇

I love their Design poll outfits and Ene's Seek at Mekakucity outfit sm… They look so elegant. Takane/Ene, my princess 💙

閃光の舞姫 (Senkou no Maihime) has also been translated as "Dancing Princess of the Spotlight" in older fan-TLs 😌💗

...

I initially had the idea of a snake wrapping around a bunny plushie or a golden apple (that Saeru is associated with in the Joker art by Sidu because it symbolizes immortality)

Added with how Fujimori (most likely) depicts Saeru in the chibi MekaDan Playing Cards as a Shinigami (死神, lit. "Kami of Death") or a Grim Reaper, with the scythe (which are closely associated with shinigami and grim reapers), and a Jester/Clown aesthetic with the Jester hat, to play up to the Joker card motif 🃏♦️

Feila said the depiction of him as a Shinigami or Grim Reaper feels fitting for him since he brings death to other people.

And that the Jester/Clown look is to represent the eternal looping of the Tragedy (August 15th incident) is a grand show/play that's been rehearsed many times

Snake wrapping around a bunny -> Saeru trapping Ene

Snake wrapping around a golden apple -> Saeru is the embodiment of knowledge

Went with the 1st cuz it represents his S/O falling for his trap (seductions). Since snakes trap their prey by wrapping themselves around their prey.

I liked the idea of Saeru having a smug smile while holding onto the coffin's edges, and Ene having an annoyed pout :< like in a "Damn it, stop killing us" kinda way

Higanbana

Forget Me Nots and Cluster Amaryllis

Wanted to ramble about how Saeru is associated with Higanbana.

I thought that picking Forget Me Nots (Wasurenagusa) could have interesting and yummy angst fuel, like how Ene won't remember their past memories together in previous Routes since he's the only one that remembers (aside from Ayaki), and how she wouldn't want him to ever forget the crimes he did and his past karma.

Even if he's the only one that remembers and has zero remorse about his deeds (lol), his karma still follows him like a shadow :)

Even if he's the only one that remembers and has zero regrets about his deeds, his karma still follows him like a shadow :)

Using Higanbana, the Flower of Death, Saeru's flower, would represent him always being with her while also being her cause of death. Its symbolism is perfect for Saeru, which is why I chose it.

Black Higanbana doesn't exist IRL (similar to Blue Higanbana too), but they tend to be used in creative works. Red higanbana sometimes turns black when they wilt.

However, there is "Black-flower Higanbana" (Kurobana higanbana) that's a variant of Higanbana. It's a deeper red colour and has a darker black gradient on the reds.

When I first saw the LN 7 art of Kuroha, I HC'ed that it was Higanbana because of how similar the shape (how it looked like the spindles of Higanbana), so I associated it to him as one of his flowers due to its Hanakotoba meanings (flower symbolism) as the Flower of Death.

Also cuz the MekaDan are associated with various symbolisms (ie. Shintaro and Ayano with paper cranes, Ayano with Chrysanthemums (Kiku) in Sidu's Hanafuda Calendar Art (2016) and in Additional Memory)

So I expected that Sidu making Saeru's Awakening Eyes manifest as black snakes or a black aura that resembles Higanbana, to be very intentional on her part.

I'm very happy to see my HC was confirmed cuz Sidu writes Higanbana (彼岸花) next to him on the rough sketch version 😌❤️

Higanbana fits his character perfectly with how he's at the center of death. It's the Flower of Death/Hell and grows in hell (the side of the dead), Higan (彼岸, lit. "The other side"), the far side of the Sanzu River.

They're usually grown around cemeteries and grave sites. They're usually red, the colour of blood, somewhat toxic, and are often associated with an unlucky/bad omen symbolism, which fits him.

Though Higanbana also has good omens too, like symbolizing that happy things will come, since it is also called the "Heavenly Flower"

I'm in the process of writing a more detailed post on KuroEne and Flower Symbolisms, based on my own picks, but I haven't finished writing it yet since I want to talk about all the flowers I chose for them in depth.

I put the ideas that Feila and I came up with for the comm under the cut.

So the YCH form has a couple different poses and expressions and flower suggestions listed.

When Feila and I discussed ideas, we figured that Ene fits more as the one in the coffin. I was wondering whether to have him holding onto the coffin or resting his elbows on the coffin while his hands press against his face. One is reminiscing, the other is mocking.

But then I went with the 1st cuz his Design Poll outfit has larger sleeves and I wouldn't want it cover too much of his design, since his arms would be raised in that pose.

Total coincidence and the shoes definitely a stylistic choice, but it fits since she's occupying an android body in the context of my KuroEne AU, so she would have shoes.

Commission Rambles

I sent this commission form!

I also included a quick sketch as a visual ref guide when I sent the form :) Figured it'd make Saeru's expression easier to draw

The comm has mainly 1 core item inside the coffin, so the details of the bunny plushie are simplified (which is perfectly fine with me 👍)

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restinpeacesensei · 1 month ago

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@melda0m3

Okay, hold on, let me just appreciate everything properly… Alright! So, first off, you draw cars, and damaged cars, very good! It's not a skill I have yet, so I needed to point that out (side note that Akoya's car has lashes. I just find it funny) Now to go through each character… Io's expression of doom at realizing the cost, Ryuu and Akoya's rage (oof), Ibushi doing his best to de-escalte the situation, and Kinshiro being just done with it. I think Io and Iboshi have my favorite expressions! But Akoya takes the medal for my favorite pose! Also, the outfits! I don't quite remember if those are the canon vacation outfits or not, but nonetheless, you did a wonderful job at drawing them and they each fit the characters perfectly! In short, very nice art, if it was edible, I think it would be crunchy on the outside and also crunchy, but a bit softer on the inside. Probably simultaneously sweet and salty too!

AAAAAA!! ;/////;; thank you for appreciating everything so much omg!! \>/////</

waaa im so happy you like how i draw cars!! im so glad you can tell they are damaged!! >.< (i honestly watched car crash test videos over and over for reference for this... it was difficult to find pics of the convertible with airbags out and the roof off, so i ended up guessing a bit LOL;;)

tbh the main things i find useful for drawing a car is to 1) look at a photo of a car, 2) even though we think of them as boxy, they actually have a lot of curved lines, 3) feel free to simplify to the most basic shapes LOL;;; (AND YOU NOTICED akoya's car has lashes!! \;;W;;/ im so happy you can tell it's akoya's car omg!! \>////</)

im so happy you recognized every character's feelings and expressions in reaction to this scene!! \;;O;;/ i love how you described io's expression as one of doom at realizing the cost, that's EXACTLY what he's thinking!! XDD im so happy you can tell ibushi is trying to de-escalate the situation (before ryuu and akoya's rage stresses everyone else out! T--T)! "kinshirou just being done with it" LOL you're so right, that's the perfect way to describe it! he is ready to just turn the situation over to the police! XDD im suuper happy you noticed and liked akoya's pose omg!! \;;/////;;/ he is bringing so much sass even to this situation! XDD;;;

im so happy you like how i drew the outfits!! ;;w;; they actually are the canon vacation outfits except for akoya, but im so happy you like how i drew them!! \>////</

crunchy actually makes so much sense for this one, bc of the sharp edges of the damaged cars and the prickly feelings of the characters! XDD i love how it's still crunchy but softer on the inside! thank you so much for sharing all your thoughts, i hope you had a wonderful holiday!! \;;W;;/

#reply

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beardedjoel · 3 months ago

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smother is everything! i found it when looking through tags on tumblr. i'd been reading fics on ao3 and was oblivious to the fact all these authors and fics i read are also on tumblr! started it last week. would have finished it much much much sooner if not for life things but i swear when i tell you i ate it up so quickkkkkk, like was so hard to not just finish in one sitting. i will need to re-read again to hold me over and also to dig into the scenes more too! not a lot of people out here doing what you're doing and doing it this goddamn well!!!!!!! i was wondering what your favorite part to write was, or your favorite scene? apologies if this has already been answered elsewhere!

i can't decide what my favorite chapter is but there are a million moments i love in this fic, even less ~big~ ones, simple things like joel feeding blossom bread and cheese in pt 2 and she asks why he hasn't hurt her yet too was so precious to me or basically any of the times blossom feels pretty, like when she's putting on the clothes he's picked out for her for the very first time, or feels like she wants to be sexy (all those types of moments are so endearing and in my head i'm like, i get it girl). these are just some small things that come to mind but there are a million more moments i love - can't wait to reread and rediscover them. also the one shots of them are mindblowing. satin is the sweetest thing i've ever read, and polaroid is so fucking hot and lowkey a commentary on kinks lol. i was also curious if you have any other series planned for when this one is wrapped up too?? no worries if you do not divulge these details! i will be very sad when smother is done but so glad i came across it.

helloooo!

thank you so much for reading, i'm really glad you ended up finding my story and sent this thoughtful message. omg where to even begin? i would say my favorite parts to write have been 8 and 11! in pt 8 i really enjoyed writing the cuter stuff between them with the reading and her getting so comfortable with things, kind of trying to imagine more finally what their day to day life together would look like! and pt 11 i found powerful to write. i really was proud of the emotion i drew out of the chapter even if it broke my heart a little bit. i feel like i have a favorite scene from each part though honestly!

also, agreed with you - there are sooo many small moments between them - the getting drunk, the haircut, joel cooking for her, picking the outfits like you said, all their intimate moments, OMG HIM PAINTING HER NAILS LIKE... there are just so many good moments between them that i still love so much.

and the polaroid one shot is definitely up there for favorite things i've written for them. and tbh, i never even think i meant for it to be a commentary on kink but because it came from a genuine place of how i feel about the subject it really does read like one towards the end there, which i love! 😋

as for future series i don't want to promise too much because i'm a very slow writer, but i maybe have a few random one shot ideas and a sugar daddy!joel series i have had rolling around in my brain since like way earlier this year! and definitely some smother one shots if things keep coming to mind once the main storyline is done.

okay anywayyyys, ty if you read this far! and thanks for all the fun questions and commentary! 💗

#ask #fic: smother

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cadybear420 · 1 year ago

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Hi! I love your edits! You're doing god's work editing these men in the fem outfits, they all look so good! Also I agree 💯% with your frustrations about all the LIs having "sculpted abs", it's so lazy and boring. I think we should at least get to pick bodytype for the MC to be honest. Anyway! You said you were bored and you wanted asks. I don't know much about your main fandom and LI, but I'd love to hear some of your headcanons about the LI experimenting and exploring with fem outfits, if you'd like to talk about it! I'm a newcomer to your blog so Idk of you have written about it before. Have a lovely day!

OMG Thank you thank you thank you so much! I'm glad you love them <3

I kinda understand why having bodytype options for MC might be a bit more difficult since you have to make different versions of each outfit, but even then it's not something they're incapable of doing. I mean they basically had that in BOLAS to an extent. At least have bodytype-neutral writing for the MCs, why can't they just say "stomach" instead of "abs" or "waist" instead of "curves"?

And even with that in mind, it should at least be much easier to have different bodytypes for LIs since you're not going to customize it.

Anyways for the actual question, I do have some headcanons about m!LIs and a few m!MCs trying fem outfits (and vice versa). I don't have many headcanons about Cas, Gabe, Drew, Jordan, and OH m!MC since they're not characters I'm very attatched to despite the edits I made for them, but...

Aiden: Aiden's interest in exploring with outfit mainly comes from hanging around his girlfriend Evie, AKA my HSS MC who is a very openly GNC woman. He especially takes interest in stuff like crop tops and short shorts and later leg-slit dresses– he's at first a bit embarrassed about them but grows to like how he looks in them. Not to mention he has a bit of a thing for receiving praise/attention from Evie, and wearing those sort of outfits gets him a lot of compliments from her. Later on he does become more interested in wearing dresses and even wears a gown when he and Evie get married.

Michael: [tw: abuse discussion] I have a headcanon that Michael had an abusive father who pushed him into super masculine things and actively shamed him for any feminine things he liked. So I think he likes dressing fem sometimes partly because he enjoys dressing in them to be flirty, and partly because they give him more confidence and are a kind of a "fuck you" to his dad. He's especially partial to 80s-style crop top fits.

Ajay: It takes him a bit longer to try and explore fem clothing, but the first time he tries a crop top is when they're in Paris during the Spotlite trip. He and Cher (my HSS:CA MC who is more fem-leaning genderfucky) are going on a double date with Aiden and Evie and he takes interest in it from Aiden.

Tyler: Dressing in fem clothing I think is something he does enjoy from time to time, but doesn't do much of because those other jock assholes who pick on him. Becoming close to Peggy, AKA my MAH MC who is futch, and seeing her defend him from those other jock assholes does make him start to feel more comfortable with it.

Bryce: I haven't played past OH 1 and I'm kind of on hiatus for my replay of the book, but we all know he would be very open to trying fem outfits. Despite his in-game wardrobe, he is definitely the type who would love to go strutting around in a crop top and short shorts. I don't think this should even count as headcanon cause it's something he'd 100% do in canon if PB weren't cowards lol. He'd definitely wear the crop top Nighthawks baseball outfit.

Liam: My MC Lew has very GNC tastes in clothing/appearance. She does occasionally enjoy wearing the big fancy ballgowns, but both she and Liam agree that they look much better when they're tried and fitted onto him. I haven't yet played past TRR 2 Ch 1 but I'm considering swapping their wedding outfits. And their sexy underwears, because the "sexy underwear" they gave to Liam is so lazyyyyyilw

Alan Kim AKA my HSS m!MC: I haven't done a playthrough with him yet, but in an alternate universe of mine exists my HSS m!MC. He's just as much of a proud GNC guy as Evie is a proud GNC gal. A lot of his wardrobe consists of some of the HSS f!MC's outfits that I am in the process of editing.

Cedric Zhao AKA my ILW MC: I haven't yet played ILW, but I'm making my ILW MC a very proudly GNC guy. His default outfit is that one crop top outfit, his formal outfit is the leg slit dress option, his default underwear is that one lingerie outfit. Yes, all of those outfits are indeed existing outfits in the ILW game for a male/masc MC, because PB COULD NEVERRRRRR

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arcadian-vampire · 2 years ago

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Do you have an info or art about the other characters involved with Kalamari??? Esp Glass since you mentioned them directly!!! OwO

Okay SO I do have a few things!! Most of these are old and a lil messy/outdated, so I'm really hoping to whip out a bunch of new stuff soon, but!! I'm gonna put everything under a ReadMore link again bc boy I have things to say and none of it is organized or really coherent so good luck (and also I am still shy)

I've got my two protagonists, Iso (I-20) and Aerani--

[These are Old outfit designs, I redesigned them sorta recently but haven't finished a drawing of them, sobs] I first drew Aerani in like, 2016 I think? and Iso followed not long after! Iso is a bunny chimera, so he's got big silly ears, wahoo. Chimeras have identification codes to keep track of like, when they were created, and Iso's is I-20: Chimera Generation I, Specimen Number 20. Aerani gave him the nickname Iso <3

Here was Iso in like. 2017? 2018? idk but it was ages ago. He's changed quite a bit, mostly bc I would Constantly misplace sketchbooks and Constantly forget exactly what things looked like lksad;f

This era of my art was so cute,, I wanna draw hair more like that again tbh

Here's a semi-recent doodle wip of their new outfits, hoorayyy. Don't mind how unfinished it is and my silly notes all over the place. I'm gonna just redraw this at some point bc my art has improved since then aklsdjf;lskdk

Comfy boys!! Iso's clothing is always kinda ill-fitting bc he Hates skintight stuff, and he is gonna lose those cute slouchy boots SO fast bc I'm gonna drop him in the desert. Woe, sand be upon ye

Iso used to live in a mansion w a rich guy that was Kind Of A Dick, until that guy's daughter-- Iso's childhood best friend-- snapped and killed her dad w a fireplace poker. I haven't drawn her yet and honestly How Dare I. I wanna draw her making flower crowns w Iso

I was Nervous about jumping straight into making smth about them, because I feel like I need wayyyy more practice to be able to tell the story I really wanna tell, so I ended up scooping up my dorky purple merchant Kalamari like 'you know what sure, you can be the protagonist of my practice project and it will be Silly As Hell'. I call my main Eventual Goal 'Quote Unquote Quest', so Kalamari's adventure I'm calling 'Quote Unquote Quest Negative One', since it becomes before the main thing! Aerani will be in that practice project as a side character, bc he's Glass's little brother, but Iso won't be

Also, please witness Aerani's pet, a squishy jello-like blob he calls a frog. It is absolutely not a frog. It sits on his head a lot and makes squeaky lil noises

Here's another chimera! She's much older than Iso, from gen F! The only one left from gen F actually. She calls herself Fa, and she doesn't like to talk, she just hangs out by a pond all day to watch the fish

This is OLD so I'm def gonna redraw it soon, but here's one of my antagonists! They by the name Scratch, and they're sort of. the opposite of Kalamari. I have So Much I wanna draw abt them omg,,

While I do like their color palette, I'm gonnadesign one to match. everyone else. The colors I wanna use for this project (that might eventually change ofc) are brown, orange, golden yellow, magenta, a slightly more purple magenta, violet, indigo, and blueee, with Very Dark Blue and Very Light versions of the other colors for lines and junk. Basically Kalamari Colors ft. some extras to spice things up, since my silly littol practice project revolves around her and how he sees the world:

Everything is very saturated of course bc I'm. cannot and will not use desaturated colors. It's kind of like my chunky lineart-- I can try So Hard to make it thin, but that just doesn't look right to me and as I work woopsie everything is thick and I'm dying

AND FINALLY. MESSY SKETCHY WIP OF GAY PEOPLE IN MY ART PROGRAM

Glass and Kalamari!!!!!!! I hadn't drawn Glass yet and I'm crying bc she's turning out so cute. sobs. I was working on this before I realized oh shit yeah the oc tournament is posting Kalamari tomorrow, and I had to stop to go finish up my other art + my oc sideblog bc I wanted that to all be ready to go

#pikaposts #alo(e) art #quote unquote quest #slides facefirst down the stairs. thank you for attending my chaotic infodump. don't ask me how long i spent writing it #i wonder what it's like to be a person that can write a simple post in a reasonable amount of time. must be wild.#what do y'all do w all that free time #anyway i need to practice drawing more i am Dying

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reflectingiridescent · 3 years ago

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Character Ask Game: Sophie Devereaux for 2, 5, 8, 14, and 27

2. When I think I truly started to like them (or dislike them, if you've sent me a character I don't like)

I loved Sophie's introduction because it hits a lot of buttons I like watching: she's so socially apt while she's so bad on stage. And Nate's clearly enamored with her. It drew me in. I wanted to know why he was so into her, and I love a multi-faceted woman who holds a ton of contradictions.

What tipped me over into "I really like you" was maybe in The Miracle Job, when she was able to speak to Nate (she's the one who brings it up, actually) about Maggie, with such openness and earnestness. She holds a lot of space for Nate, and it was rare for me at that point in my life (I was like 15?) to see a character be in a situation like that without any of the kneejerk jealousy I was used to seeing in fiction.

5. My favorite ship of them

One of the reasons why I didn't read fanfiction for Leverage very much when I was younger (and certainly didn't write any of it) was because Sophie and Nate's relationship journey was so satisfying for me (laid out in lots of detail here). But I also consider them to be pretty poly, especially Sophie. <3

8. Your favorite outfit of them

HANDS DOWN the gold sparkly dress (+ matching shoes and clutch!) from The Lonely Hearts Job.

14. Best storyline they had

Omg, this is so hard. I'd say it's her identity arc. I know that's kind of her main arc, and it's so beautifully executed over the course of the show. But in my opinion, the most brilliant manifestation of it comes not from her name but in the two instances we get the "alternate team", in s2 and s4.

The first time, Sophie has neither had her self-realization nor gone off on her self-sojourn, so she doesn't get a team alternate. She's the light and dark versions of her role simultaneously, which just drives home the point that what she's doing isn't sustainable.

The second time, Sophie understands who she is and what she is to the team, and so she does get an alternate. And the alternate...is Maggie. Which says something about how Sophie has accepted her own darkness, because Maggie's definitely the "good" twin out of the two of them (every single other member of the team is the "good" twin, but not Sophie?). But it's another way Leverage never really lets us forget that Sophie's really, really dangerous, and we're lucky that she chooses to use her powers for good.

That's the other part of Sophie's arc that I really like, how it's her choices that make all the difference, more than anyone else.

27. If they could meet a character from another show/movie/etc, who would be the most fun for them to meet?

Oh man. Back in the day I dreamed of her teaming up with Fiona Glenanne from Burn Notice. Like, Fiona's more of a hitter than a grifter, but she's in the spy game! Sophie rubs elbows with people in the spy game. Fiona's heavy-handed and fiery. Sophie's light-fingered and emotional (but definitely not fiery). They met during Fiona's IRA days. They bond over having relocated to the US. They go to fabulous parties together and teach each other stuff. It's fun.

Send me a character and some questions!

#alinaandalion #memes #ask box memes #sophie devereaux #leverage

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portraitsofguilt · 2 years ago

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here's a little game, who do you ship moss with whichever fandom? (arcane, valorant, overwatch, league of legends, resident evil 8, and the last of us ALSO IT CAN BE POLY)

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

well, i myself definitely can see a very cute relationship between you and caitlyn. your creativity and lovely personality is what drew her in the first place. she loves how excited you get over small things and how you can always cheer her up with your puppy like personality. it's like a black cat/golden retriever girlfriend. you strike to me as a person who has a lot of patience, so you are able to but up with caitlyn, which unfortunately isn't so much of an easy task for some people. she is stubborn af, so it's a game change for her finding someone who actually finds that trait cute. cait would love spoiling you rotten from the most lavishing and luxurious outfits from piltover to little homemade cookies she made.

first of all, OMG ESTELLA HI !!! MOSS HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN SUCH A LONG TIME, THEY MISS YOU VERY MUCH, hope you are doing well <3 <3

second of all, CAITLY KIRAMMAN MWAH MWAH, moss loves her very dearly, and learning to main her in the game rn too haha haha you are so spot on it's embarrassing like... moss really does find their s/o being stubborn cute, like it's so funny and so cute as they fuss and kick like a baby awh

THANK YOU FOR THIS, moss is your biggest fan 💗😗🤭

#✒️ › moss notes #📞 › moss' phone #estellathemoot<3

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talesofafangirlwithadvr · 4 years ago

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April 2021 Picks

And we’re back with the end to another month. April! Wow! Lots more great picks to talk about this time. Lots of new ones to the list too. So, let’s dive in!

Spoiler territory ahead!

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

or should I say Captain America and the Winter Soldier

I just finished the finale last night, so it felt right to start off with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I really enjoyed it and I feel the episodes got stronger as the series went on. Each one felt like a mini-movie and I was upset it was over and had to wait another week for another one. I think the finale was my favorite. Especially the reveal of Sam as Captain America. I love his suit, his speech and the montage of everyone watching him. The last part of the episode was definitely my favorite and one I can watch on repeat. I loved seeing happy Bucky and him goofing off with the kids in Louisiana. He deserves so much happiness as he has now accepted he’s no longer who he once was. Bucky and Sam’s relationship is fantastic and I can’t wait to see it more. I know there’s a possibility of a second season and they have to be in a future MCU movie. Regarding the villain, I feel I was confused for most of the show as to what their objective was. I’m curious if this is because they had to reshoot parts during the pandemic. I also am mad with Sharon. Like what happened with her? She is definitely the true villain of the show. I also don’t love that we haven’t seen the end of Walker (but Wyatt Russell did a fantastic job). I also loved Torres and I hope he becomes the next Falcon. Definitely so different vibes from Wandavision, but just as good!

THE IRREGULARS

This is a show that more people need to be talking about! It was SO GOOD! I feel like I heard some buzz about it when it first came out, but not much after. It follows the teens featured about who live on the streets during Victorian London. The leader of their group, Bea gets approached by Dr. John Watson (that’s right...as in Sherlock and Watson) to take on a case that has more supernatural qualities. The story takes off from there. I think the group dynamic was fantastic. There wasn’t a character I didn’t like and each one brought something else important to the group (which they even bring up towards the end of the show). [I’ve watched a few cast interviews since finishing the finale and they seem like they get along really well in real life too.] There is a kind of love triangle, but it didn’t bother me and was over fast. I did like both combinations though. Lots of twists and turns along the journey. I have no idea if there will be another season, but there should be. It didn’t end on a major cliffhanger, but definitely ended in a way where it could continue nicely. Come on Netflix.

HBO’S THE NEVERS

From one show set in Victorian times to the next. The Nevers just premiered on HBO and HBO Max earlier this month. It follows an ensemble of characters, similar to other HBO shows, ranging from characters who are called “the touched” to men in government who are against them. Being “touched” means they have a special talent or power, which can range from healing to speaking other languages, being extremely tall, or being an expectational inventor (I seriously love Penance. I just don’t know how to explain her ability). Amalia True and Penance Adair are two of the main characters and they help bring in others who are touched to a remodeled orphanage that is a safe haven for people like them. Of course there are those who are against them existing. This seems to be at least two groups as someone is abducting and experimenting on some of the touched, but we don’t know who they are...yet. I love the fusion of a historical setting with a fantasy element. I am very excited to see where the show is headed. I also love seeing so many of my favorite British actors on the screen together.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND

Time for a throw back. Fans of ABC’s Once Upon a Time might remember the short lived spin off following Alice in Wonderland (and some of Aladdin). It only lasted for one season of 13 episodes, but I remember loving it and I am so happy I can rewatch it on Disney Plus. It reminds me of why I enjoyed OUAT so much and I think this show deserved another season or more crossover with the original show. (Luckily the Knave got that opportunity.) I think it should have aired as a summer show or when OUAT was on hiatus, this way more fans would have tuned in. It is something I’ll believe forever.

Anyway, I’ll stop ranting now... I love Alice. I think she’s a badass and a fierce warrior. If you follow some of my posts on my other blog, Lydia-yougowith-Stiles, you’ll know that I love a warrior romance and Cyrus and Alice fit that perfectly (even if they are apart for much of the series). I also love Alice’s hair and outfits. Everything about her is cool. Her relationship with the Knave is one of my favorite friendships ever. I think they balance each other out so well and how they spend most of the journey together. Back in the day, I totally shipped them, but now I definitely don’t. (Even though I don’t love Anastasia.) This is definitely worth the watch if you’ve ever heard of Once Upon a Time or not. There is very cheesy CGI especially for 2013, but once you get pass that you’ll love it.

ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST

It was on a longer break than I expected, and I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would (which I know doesn’t sound good for a show), but I am still loving all the episodes this season. It feels like there are more musical numbers, which I love. Mandy Moore is killing it with the choreography. There are so many amazing moments. I also was a big fan of the newest glitch episode. Everyone is so talented and I also like that we’ve started to hear from more like Jenna and Tobin. Leif has become one of my favorites. I don’t love the new neighbor next door, but I think we’re done with his storyline. I’m not loving the Zoey love triangle, but I do like her with either Simon or Max. She seems really happy with Simon now. (FYI: I haven’t watched the most recent episode yet. The glitch one was my latest.) Can’t wait for more!

KUNG FU

CW’s newest show this month was Kung Fu, which I just learned was a reboot. It follows Nicky who returns after 3 years to her home in San Francisco. Her family has mixed feelings as she has had no contact with them for the last 3 years. She is now a Kung Fu master and warrior, out to avenge her mentor’s death and stop a villain from acquiring mythical weapons. The show gives me Arrow vibes every time I watch it. It has similar flashbacks each episode to an earlier time in Nicky’s life. While Nicky’s mission is different, the style just gives me early seasons of Arrow vibes, which I am not complaining about. It stars Legacies’ Alyssa Chen, who I didn’t love on Legacies, but instantly fell in love with Nicky. I think she’s a bad ass character and love how she’s fighting for the underdogs on the streets of San Fran, while also taking down a bigger evil. The love triangle is heating up and I’m definitely team Henry (even though there’s some mystery there). I think he’s great and once again we have an awesome warrior romance. They balance each other so well and it’s only been like 3 episodes. Now they’ve also been sleuthing together and it’s just amazing.

NANCY DREW

Are you sick of hearing me talk about CW’s Nancy Drew? I hope not because I’m going to fangirl again. I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH! I can’t wait till Wednesday comes and I tune in a little after it starts, so then I can fast forward on my DVR. Then when the episode is over I basically start it all over again and watch select scenes that were awesome. (More specifically, they tend to be Nancy and Ace scenes because I love them and we’re entering so much angst I don’t know if my heart will be able to handle it!!!)

I’ll say it a thousand times: THIS CAST IS EVERYTHING! Their dynamic is amazing. You can have any match ups and it’ll be a great time. There is not one person I don’t like. I was so upset that there wasn’t a new episode last week (especially because it was my birthday). I loved the last one with the Hardy Boys and that Nace reveal! OMG! I’m so sad that Grant has left again because we barely had him, but I feel he’ll eventually come back. He has to. I loved the ending when he spoke to Thom by signing to him. (My heart!) I seriously can’t say enough great things about this show. It is not your typical CW show and deserves more love and views. So happy a third season has already been confirmed!!

LAST NOTES

Just started Shadow and Bone on Netflix and am loving it! I’m sure I’ll have an entire post dedicated to it when I’m done. (Currently going to start episode 6.) I have no background on the universe or the books (just what my sister is filling me in with as we watch). I definitely plan on reading Six of Crows after this!

So what are you enjoying? Let me know. I’m always looking for more shows to add to the list! Can never have enough.

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allixirr · 3 years ago

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ally i need to know who are ur favs in project sekai

asking me my favs about anything at all is a mistake because i can and will list basically everyone except for like 2 people that i have neutral feelings towards

but you have asked and i shall answer to the best of my ability

keeping in mind that i've only read some of the band main stories: here's a list of where i'm up to for every band

L/N: 17/20 MMJ: 13/20 VBS: 20/20 WxS: 12/20 N25: 6/20

but i think my favs as of right now... definitely Rui, Mizuki, Ena, Akito, Airi and An! They're the ones that stand out the most to me so far.

As for why...

Rui, his eccentricity is what makes him so interesting, it's fun watching him torture wxs come up with different ways to make shows more interesting. I think apparently he didn't have a great childhood? Not sure about that part I might be remembering wrong. I also just really love that expression he makes when he knits his brows but then he's also smiling like that is the smile of a madman I love it sm (and i would be lying if i didn't say his character was attractive)

Mizuki is just such a fun character... they're someone that basically puts on a persona as far as I know to hide something (based on the single episode of the Exciting Picnic thing that I read, haven't read Secret Distance or Exciting Picnic yet because school has been kicking my ass) that they don't want to show to others? Also I fucking love pink characters! Omg! And I absolute adore their friendship with An, and also because they have an interest in textiles is what really drew me to them. Their fashion style is everything I want to have, and I especially love all the bows and ribbons and frills mwah mwah

Ena Shinonome the Artist Ever I think I just really relate to her struggles to get recognition for something she doesn't have a talent for and?? Ouch my heart?? And I really love the more shallower side of posting on social media to get likes, because on one hand that's not great to base your value as an influencer OR an artist on how many likes you get, and on the other hand I relate to that too much to just ignore it... Also her outfit?? Is so cute?? Also I think for both Ena and Mizuki I relate to them both because they cannot get up in the mornings and I love them for that ALSOOOO PANCAKES AND CHEESECAKE IS THE BEST

Can't really talk about Ena without thinking of Akito too, I just love his like... way of telling the truth as it is, always working hard to match up to his peers because when everyone else has talent, you need to work just a bit harder to catch up. And to backtrack a little bit on telling the truth as it is, I genuinely would rather someone tell me the hard truth than to sugar coat things, because I don't really see the point? Like I get that it hurts but the truth however harsh it may be is something I really value

Airi I think similar to Akito I enjoy her more hard headed nature? To be honest what drew me into her was her voice acting I think, it's just so well done and not to mention a really unique voice you don't see a lot in Japanese media, but then also her whole pink heart theme and and the 🎶tsundere girl ai-ri~🎶 which is so cute lmao idk I love her because she's cute and motivated and willing to get mad at people for her friends but chooses not to because she is an Idol™ who brings hope to everyone and I respect her for that fr ALSO the love of cats?? I feel so bad I hope she can hold a cat one day

An!!! For An her personality is who I want to be... she's so outgoing and fun, and I think her love for singing as well is amazing, and not to mention her hair?? Is so pretty?? her theme of all these stars and the whole Summer vibe she has is just, so nice and she looks good in both a suit AND a dress she is the moment!! also as an aside my friend told me that I reminded them of An which I hope means that I'm getting close to my goal of being that kind of friend/person :D (i thought about this for a bit longer and I guess my feelings towards An are very similar to Kohane's "I want to be just like her" lmao)

I think recently though I started following a daily Shinonome siblings account on Twitter and I've been brainrotting over them for the last week so as of this very moment Ena is my fav but that'll probably change in like... a week or two

I dunno, I just love them all ;A; (and thank you for giving me an excuse to brainrot over them and explain why I like them!!)

#tbh i haven't read much of n25 #mostly because someone said they go into rly dark topics and #i am a bit iffy w that bc if i consume too much of that at once i will literally question my life and be unable to function #so yea #also i'm so sorry for not answering this sooner!! i rarely go on tumblr </3 i promise i will start writing #i just think i hold myself up to too high of a standard when writing #um i'm rambling again #i'll probably make those rambles a different post #project sekai

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curetapwater · 4 years ago

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My turn to subject you to The Mortifying Ordeal Of Being Known:

In both art and writing, you seem to have taken inspiration from Monster High, Bratz, Equestria Girls, Barbie and probably some other stuff in that realm that I can't recall because I wasn't in that sphere growing up, plus the more obvious Magical Girl inspiration. In fact, I feel like every character in Power of Rock is a bit of a homage to each one of these, both separately and in general. I don't know enough about any of it to pinpoint with precision, though.

but I'll take a wild guess and say your favourite EqG movie is Rainbow Rocks, followed by the Legend of Everfree.

You're spot on, especially about Rainbow Rocks! In fact, Power of Rock arose from an mlp fanfic I'd been kicking around since I was 11 years old! Now, as I talk about this, please bear in mind I've been developing this story since middle school so things get kinda wacky.. Star started out as Twilight and Sky started out as Rainbow Dash. The rest of the characters have nothing to do with mlp, unless you count Crescent being partially inspired by a friend I had in middle school with whom we bonded over our shared mlp hyperfixation. I see how one could interpret her as Pinkie Pie though.

Rainbow Rocks in particular was a gigantic inspiration! I fixated really really hard on it when it came out, partially because I had a major crush on all of the Dazzlings plus human!Rainbow Dash and partially because that's when I was getting really into rock music. I'd listen to music and always imagine my in-name-only fanfic versions of The Rainbooms playing the songs and casting spells with their instruments. I was so enchanted by the concept and at that point had realized that the thing I'd created was so far removed from mlp that I scrapped the mlp angle entirely and zeroed in on the rock band element.

Star originally arose as me realizing that Twilight had an incredibly privileged upbringing and thinking that it'd be funny if she acted like a spoiled brat that was full of herself. By the time she became Star, I'd fleshed her out way more and softened her up to be less arrogant and more confident in an endearing way. Aesthetically, she takes the most from the influences you brought up, especially Bratz and Barbie!

Sky is a subject I'm gonna have to tiptoe around because the only thing that ever stayed consistent about her is also a spoiler. But although the logic behind how Rainbow Dash became Sky seems pretty straightforward, I promise you the story is wild and insane and omg I'm honestly shocked that I was able to make Sky into a good character 'cause... omg I don't even know where to start haha. To give a taste of what she was like when her name was Rainbow Dash, I'll say she got infused with demon blood as a child and it ~haunted~ her afterwards and she was ~sooo angsty~ about it. And then I removed all demon stuff from the story along with pony stuff and decided to tone things down by making her a vampire instead (because vampires are cool, something Monster High convinced me of!). But with the demon stuff also left her ~tragic backstory~ that I'd based her entire character around and after losing that I realized I was left with nothing that made her interesting. Then I listened to Escape From the City from SA2 and thought, "hey, Sonic is a cool and endearing character, what if I inserted a little of his rebellious spirit into Sky?" And then her current backstory sprouted from that point and shaped her further into a far more distinct character that I love writing for. She's naturally the most Monster High inspired character in terms of aesthetics but I also drew from punk and pastel goth fashion for her.

The rest of the main characters are heavily retooled transplants from a scrapped WIP of mine, complete with visual redesigns inspired by all the influences you listed!

I tend to consume a lot of children's media like the ones you brought up, plus kidcoms like Hannah Montana and iCarly, and I wouldn't be surprised if that influenced my writing style, especially dialogue.

The stories I could TELL about how Power of Rock came to be, my goodness! And the art... oh god the art........ I drew some bomb outfits from when they were still the Humane Six but my anatomy was AWFUL so I'm unsure if they'll ever see the light of day.

You're right about Rainbow Rocks being my fave EG movie, in fact it may be one of my favorite mlp things period because of what it's led to in my life! Shine Like Rainbows is enough to move me to tears. My second fave is actually the first one, for nostalgia reasons. Legend of Everfree I only watched once but I should give it another look!

#oh the infodumping i could do #oh the stories left to tell #my middle school and high school sketchbooks are just stuffed with art documenting power of rock's creation #a real passion project of mine

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sincerelyreidburke · 5 years ago

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Boy Scout Dex drabble time!!!!!! (S/o @bitsfordays for talking this through with me like 10 days ago and creating this concept in my head)

Anyway, CCU, Nursey goes home with Dex for senior-year Thanksgiving, let’s have a field day.

It’s not that Derek is scared of Will’s parents.

After all, he’s met them before. He’s pretty sure the first time he met them, at least distantly, was Family Weekend freshman year. They know who he is, and they’ve always been nice to him. When he first met Will, he was sure that he came from the type of family who would cast judgement on him without knowing anything about him, based only on the way he looks. He’s known plenty of those types of people— at Andover, back home in New York, even at Samwell. It’s a part of life. He was sure that Will came from that type of environment.

But he was wrong. Three years later, it turns out, there are a lot of things about Will he was wrong about.

And so here he is, spending Thanksgiving with the Poindexters in Maine.

He should be okay. He shouldn’t be intimidated. After all, he isn’t scared of them. They’re kind people, and he knows it full well. They were the ones who extended the invitation, who wanted him here, to share their family holiday with them.

It’s just… the way they invited him, as Will’s friend, and what he actually is to Will, these days, are two different things.

It’s okay, though. Derek knows how to stay firmly closeted around people who can’t know. This is nothing new. It doesn’t make it easy, but at least he knows how to do it.

The point is: he’s not afraid of Will’s parents. But he does sort of care an awful lot about what they think of him.

Not that he’d admit it. At least, not to them, or to Will, or to anyone, really— except maybe Chowder, a few drinks in at a kegster, spouting off anything and everything about all of his love for Will and hope for their future. But he’s not so sure that telling Will he’s been anxious for days about making the right impression on his potential future in-laws (God, he hopes) would be the best idea. He’ll tell him later, maybe.

He has to get through this Thanksgiving break first.

So when Mrs. Poindexter is giving him the tour of the house upon his first arrival, he’s on high alert.

Chill Mode is a hundred percent activated; it’s in overdrive, in fact. He trails her, a short lady with strawberry blond hair who he’s pretty sure is simultaneously the sweetest thing ever and also the most likely person to kick somebody’s ass given the opportunity. She brings him to the bedroom he’ll be staying in, to drop his stuff— Will’s room, the one he used to share with his brother; there are still two beds, Mrs. Poindexter explains, because Drew only moved out a few years ago, which works out just great for you two, doesn’t it?

(Ha. Derek wonders if he can get away with some funny business once the bedroom door is shut tonight. He’s not sure he wants to test the waters with Will’s parents, but then again, if he was extra careful to keep Will quiet…)

Not the point, not the point. Derek is chill. He’s doing the tour of Will’s childhood home, the space he grew up in, trying to see all the imprints of his memory in the worn floorboards and the old furniture. “You have a lovely home,” he tells Mrs. Poindexter in the living room. She smiles at him like this is the best thing he could’ve said.

“Well, thank you, Derek,” she replies, gracious and kind. “It’s nothing all too fancy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Derek shrugs, flashing an effortless smile, and replies, “Fancy is overrated.”

Mrs. Poindexter chuckles. Over his mother’s shoulder, Derek watches Will as his face washes with relief. Derek knows what he’s thinking. This is going well.

Derek hunts for more things to compliment, and his eyes land on a series of photos on the wall next to the fireplace. “Oh!” he says, with a smile, as he steps towards them. One of the pictures features Will in a cap and gown, in what Derek recognizes as the front yard of this very house. “Will, was this your graduation?”

Will nods, and so does Mrs. Poindexter. “It was a beautiful day,” she remarks. “And look at the weigela in bloom right behind him; aren’t they nice?”

Derek nods like he has any idea what plant she’s talking about. There’s a big pink bush over Graduation Will’s left shoulder, so he’s guessing it’s that. “They’re great.”

“We’ll need another one soon,” Mrs. Poindexter hums, with a smile, and then puts her hands up in a frame shape like she’s imagining just where it’ll go on her wall. “When you boys finish this year.”

“God, Ma,” Will mumbles, with a smile that might be real or might be forced. “Not so fast. We’ve still got over half a year.”

Mrs. Poindexter laughs. “I know,” she replies. “I’m just teasing. But it’s gone by so fast, hasn’t it?”

Derek catches Will’s eye, and answers for both of them. “Quicker than anything.” He pauses, smiles at him. “But it’s been a good run.”

Will smiles back, just a tiny bit, and then looks back at the pictures as if they aren’t on the wall in his own living room in the house he lives in. Derek follows suit, and this time, he catches sight of one below the graduation one, of Will with just his parents in some kind of banquet hall.

Derek squints at the picture. He does a double take.

What is Will wearing?

It’s…… he’s in some kind of a sailor outfit. It’s white on the top and bottom, with a hat and a dark necktie and a bunch of pins or maybe patches near the collar. His parents are in regular dressed-up clothes, his dad in a suit and his mom in a dress, and they both look as proud as can be.

Derek looks between picture-Dex and the Dex next to him, who is in distinctly non-sailor clothing, just a trademark flannel and jeans. Dex looks younger in the photo, but not that young. It’s from high school, for sure.

“Will,” he says slowly. “Is there a story behind this picture?”

Will looks where he’s looking, and then pauses to look right at Derek, like he’s trying to figure out if Derek is about to make fun of him. During his silence, Mrs. Poindexter chimes in. “Oh, that one!” She smiles huge, the trademark of a proud mother. “That was his Quartermaster ceremony.”

Derek looks back at the picture. Steadily, the joy of this fascinating new discovery about the man he’s been in love with for 2+ years starts to register. There is a story behind this picture. And he thinks he’s about to hear it. “Quartermaster?”

Will lets out a gentle sigh, tucking his hands into his pockets, and says, kind of unceremoniously, “I was a Boy Scout.”

This, Derek was aware of. Will occasionally makes cracks about being prepared or lets an offhanded comment loose about his scouting days. But Derek hasn’t ever heard a word about quartermasters, whatever they are. And he definitely hasn’t seen this sailor outfit.

He looks at the picture. Will looks cute. Cute enough that he’s feeling some type of way about it. His hair is a little long— at least, long for Dex; it’s still short in general— and it’s sideswept a little under his hat, from which his ears stick out underneath. His necktie is just a little crooked to one side. Even his shoes are white.

He looks like some kind of old-timey boat guy. And Derek is kind of thinking he needs to show the group chat immediately.

“I feel like you should tell me more,” he replies, grinning up at Will.

Mrs. Poindexter nudges Will from the other side. “Oh, darling, you should,” she says. “You’ve never told Derek about scouting?”

“Oh, I’ve told him,” Will replies, but his tone is fully conscious of the fact that she’s going to have him tell Derek again, and Derek has literally never been more pleased with a situation.

He pulls out his phone, snaps a picture of the picture, and saves it for later.

For now, he’s going to hear this story.

BONUS:

Samwell Men’s Hockey 2017-18

Nursey sent a photo to the group

Nursey: everybody

Nursey: PLEASE look at my boyfriend

Nursey: i am a.) dying, and b.) also in love

Dex disliked a photo

Dex: Stop being corny on main

Chowder loved a photo

Chowder: omg!!!!!!!!!!!

Chowder: dex where is that from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ford loved a photo

Ford: DEX WERE YOU IN ANYTHING GOES?

Dex: Looooool, no. Sea Scouts.

Dex: Like Boy Scouts but w/ sailing.

Tango emphasized a photo

Tango: tahts so cool???

Chowder: dex how come i never knew this!!!!!!!!!!!

Nursey: to be fair i also didn’t know this until like 20 minutes ago

Nursey: lol

Hops: Omg you look like sailor moon!

Dex: I wish I knew what that meant

Nursey: hops you’re my hero

Hops: Thanks nursey!

Hops: :D

Nursey: guys i can’t even

Nursey: he looks so cute

Ford: This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.

Bully: nothing but respect for MY captain

Nursey: OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

Chowder: sailor dex sailor dex sailor dex!!!!!!!!!

Ford: Brb changing group chat photo

Nursey: ily ford

Chowder: we should put this on shirts!!!!

Louis: Dexy the sailor man

Dex: Derek, Im going to blcok you

Nursey: love you bby

Dex: GROSS

Rhodey: is group chat flirting a fine

Bully: It should be

#omgcp #omgcheckplease #nurseydex #dexnursey #william poindexter #derek nurse #poindextears writes #ficlet #boy scout dex #this is short but it's fun #i think

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tfw-no-tennis · 5 years ago

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huntoxhunto

we watched 2 whole more eps but we’re abt to vacay so i better recap this biz now before i forget

ok so we finished the zoldyck arc and uhhhh gotta say we werent expecting like any of that to happen lol

ok ill back up so we start w/killuas mom (i dont think we ever heard her name) confronting gon & co....and canary (i lov her) is not dead which i assumed but thank goodness.

zoldyck mom was totally using nen. also she is off her rocker gotta say. tho that visor is super cool, albeit confusing - is it connected to a bunch of security cameras or something? how does she see all that shit?

granpa is wild. his tunic thing that says ‘one kill a day’ or w/e is kinda hilarious, it reminds me of the ‘apple a day keeps the dr away’ saying...a murder a day keeps the....idk away????

i love that killua makes it abundantly clear that he couldve like escaped at any time lol. also tho why didnt he just escape....baby boy just leave

killua getting all serious and threatening milluki if he messes with gon....my boys got it BAD

this family has so many communication issues hvbjadkfbjaskdfj nobody is on the same page at all

the butler guy continued to remind me of kuro one piece this whole time...i was waiting for him to bust out the ridiculous cat claws

oh my GOD wait the flashbacks of EVEN BABIER KILLUA were so precious ;_; he was soooo tiny and cute oh my god. so precious. and canary was also so tiny and cute

baby killua really just wanted a friend :(((( and canary wanted to be friends w/him but knew that mom zoldyck would kill her if she overstepped like that :( thats so tragic mannnn

also canary is so cool man. her beating up all those guys was epic

ok that whole scene with killua and his dad was like, such a rollercoaster lmao

like....it was all over the place for me...first of all the ambiance was wack, the room lighting was weird and im p sure killuas seat was an electric chair??? and the dad was in a coffin thing..???? like....interesting aesthetic choices all over the place here

also i see now where killua got his hair and also his catboy tendencies. the zoldyck catboy genes seem to trace back to zoldyck dad, who has kinda scary cat eyes

also im guessing that the dad is the blood zoldyck and the mom is the one who married in. they sure seem to put a lot of emphasis on like, family legacy or w/e, but the two parents certainty go abt it in different ways

the whole convo b/w killua and his dad was wild, it totally didnt go where i was expecting it to. his dad was weirdly chill while also being super intense?

killua happily telling stories abt gon was so sweet....baby boy baby

and his dad telling him ‘never betray your friends’ was rlly interesting...i wonder what his reasons were for saying that

cause then he tells killua he can leave, and killua does, but then dad zoldyck tells mom zoldyck (i rlly need to find out their names) that he thinks killua will come back on his own time....inch resting

i wonder if dad zoldyck made killua promise that bc he was trying to set killua up for failure - as in, he tells killua to never betray his friends, thinking that killua inevitably will & be distraught abt it, and then turn back to the zoldyck family when this happens. idk

also its interesting to me that zoldyck dad wants killua to lead the family someday. like, illumi is right there, hes the oldest and clearly dedicated to being an evil assassin, and he seems p good at it...i wonder why killua is the favorite....the grandpa (i think) did say that killua is Special(tm) which...yes he is a special baby boy i love him. i wanna see more zoldyck family flashbacks/interactions so we can see what led them to this point

oh lord that reminds me of illumi briefly appearing in the killua flashback and hes just like, suddenly there, wearing some gay ass sweater....like ok dude did you just come back from the Evil Assassin Library or st?????

that reminds me too, ruth tells me that apparently in the manga illumi and hisoka got married or something???? to which i say, thats fucking wild, but also it makes sense, those two are both horrible and disgusting and they absolutely deserve each other hbvajvhsdfjbak peak evil nasty gay rep, i love it. i cant wait to see whatever the fuck the context to that is bc, thats fucking wild

ok back to the plot so like its so wild to me how smoothly everything went hvubsjduhfbjsh like....killuas dad was rlly like ok u can leave and killua just went to the butler house and then canary woke up and was like ok gon & crew lets go to the butler house to see killua, fuck the rules, (and she didnt even get killed for ‘disobedience’ or w/e, or more likely - in most big shounen, she wouldve been attacked by the other evil butlers and gon wouldve had to fight them)

killua Rlly was like fuck this place im leaving my boyfriend and his parents are here to pick me up [puts on gayest outfit he owns and skateboards away] hvbhsjdfbjdkf

i love killuas weird gay preteen fashion so far and i cant wait to see more

killua telling the butler guy to let him know as SOON as gon gets there cause he wants to see him AS SOON AS HE CAN ;_; bro they r....in love

of course the butler is trickey tho lmao, any other shounen this wouldve turned into an 8 ep long fight scene sequence where gon has to fight the butlers in order to see killua

and the of course gon is the same way, gon is like i need to see killua RIGHT NOW take me to him!!! ohhh my god babies

the whole coin game was wild, it was funny when the other butlers got involved too lmao

when gon was like ‘hey leorio can i see your knife’ i was like OH NO I DONT LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING. and i was right bc OWWWWW baby boy oh my god!!!! but that seems to have solved it even tho thats NOT how swelling works at ALL-

anyways gon is a cute smart good boy and i also find it funny how killua eventually gets impatient and just busts in on this whole dramatic situation (and the tension immediately deescalates as a result lmao)

tangent but god its so funny seeing all these butler guys deferring to killua, an actual 12 yr old....i wanna see the hilarious and hijink-filled results of killua being raised as a rich spoiled assassin prince. thats a lethal combo thats gotta result in some wildly skewed perceptions on how things work, especially paired with gon ‘probably eats dirt for fun and sleeps in trees’ freecess

godddd gon and killuas lil reunion is SOOO cute they were so happy to see each other ;_; bro they are SO cuteeeee augh. two tiny babies

killua being like oh hi also uh kurapika andddd [looks at smudged writing on hand] lorpo

hvhhbajfbs dont do my man leorio like that killua hes a hardworking father

the fact that they just like. LEAVE...thats so wild. i cant believe how little fighting this arc had. this all wrapped up SO much faster than i could have ever anticipated lmao

where the heck was alluka!? i assumed she’d show up here but uhhhh guess not......in the silhouette shot of all the zoldycks she and killua were holding hands ;_; my fucking uwus bro

we also didnt see the grandma or great grandpa so im guessing theyll appear later

gon being like fuck it im not using my hunters license til i punch hisoka in the fucking face hvbhahsfbjsk thats hilarious

also a convenient way to let him have his hunters license but not utilize it til later in the story...its so early for him to have achieved that big chunk of his goal, which just shows that hxh is Not your typical shounen and isnt gonna just be centered around gons quest to become a hunter

so we finally found out what hisoka said to kurapika....just as i thought, it was st to do w/the phantom troupe. so theres a handy setup for the yorknew city arc later. bam

hisoka just being like ‘hey meet me in this (presumably) very large city on this date. no i will not tell you where in the city to meet me. bye seeya there’

tbf hisoka is very hard to miss

god when they arrive and kurapika is just like ok well we got killua so im out lol bye everyone....bro hvbjkhgbfjhdksfhjk that felt so abrupt

and then leorio was like oh yeah same i gotta go study time to take the fantasy MCAT or w/e

AND THEY BOTH LEFT....now gon and killua r chilling but im like oh my god no leorio kurapika come back, we need some (questionable) adult supervision over here

and like immediately killua is like ok gon do you have money. and of Course gon doesnt have money. so killua is like well you need money and you need to train so you can deck hisoka, so lets go to a fantasy version of an underground fighting ring! this is why kurapika and leorio needed to stay

tho they probably wouldve just gone along with it

they did all promise to meet in yorknew city, but thats apparently like 6 months away. are gon and killua rlly gonna spend 6 months at heavens arena

the part where killua draws the diagram demonstrating how much of a n00b gon is....hvbajdkhfbhajskf

AND THEN when he drew himself into the diagram and was like :3c wow im so modest HBJHSKHDFHBJS that was so funny

it was like that post thats like ‘you can tell when a cats pupils change and they just shift into Silly Mode’ thats what killua looked like...catboy

so thats basically it i think, gon and killua are heading to heavens arena to join fight club or whatever. tournament arc time!

PREDICTION CORNER:

i doubt this is the last weve seen of the zoldyck family. i mean we havent even met 3 of them, and we barely saw the ones we did meet...idk when theyll come back but i suspect theyll be making some big money moves later on and fucking shit up somehow

i think maybe illumi or someone will like, spy on killua sometimes to keep track of him. or theyll track him by other means

ill use the prediction corner to reflect on incorrect predictions so heres a few. i rlly thot killua was gonna be more edgy than he is but hes rlly just a good boy huh. like hes a gay baby assassin catboy but hes so cute and good too. he just wants to live his life and hang out with his tiny bf like... omg :’)

also i thot hisoka held a totally different narrative role lbvahkfjhjjaksfl i thot he was like main villain guy....hes more like an annoying creepy clown dude who (probably) shows up a lot to bother the main cast. we’ll see, but thats what i think of him now

like i thought hisoka would be like p1 dio, where hed be/quickly become a powerful antagonist who would amass a bunch of followers/minions (when actually the only person he seems to hang out w/is illumi, and theyre more like equals than an evil guy/minion dynamic)...or like i thought hisoka would be very well known as a scary evil guy but nope he was just another participant in the hunter exam, albeit a weird freaky one whose rancid vibes everyone seemed to pick up on

anyways actual predictions, i think hisoka is gonna be at heavens arena, which would be super funny. gon is like im gonna train to beat hisoka and he shows up to do that and hisokas just there like >;) hey

i think if i had to guess, the zoldycks will show up again (in a plot important way) at the end of the yorknew arc/before the greed island arc. i know basically nothing abt any of the arcs but i do know the order they go in so theres that

i do think illumi will show up earlier than the other zoldycks tho, since he seems to be out doing his own thing more than the rest. also we still really havent resolved the whole mind control thing that im still convinced of

i think nen will finally be introduced/alluded to heavily in this arc...or like, characters will use nen and gon will be like whoa whats that

i think killua knows what nen is...maybe? it would make sense since im sure all the zoldycks can use it (at least, we saw mom zoldyck use it, probably)

can killua use nen already? that would be pretty funny. i dont think so tho. maybe u learn nen at a certain age. i have no idea what nen is

also isnt gons nen power the power to like, turn into a really buff version of himself or something. how the fuck does that work

ok enough nonsense its bedtime zzzzz

#the rambling continues....#lj watches hxh #hxh

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duhragonball · 5 years ago

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Dragon Ball Z Movie 15: Resurrection F

“Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F” premiered on April 18, 2015. Notably, it had a U.S. theatrical release only a few months later, in August. Movie 14 got a U.S. theatrical release, but it took a lot longer, and fans didn’t really have any reason to expect that much. In 2013, we were just waiting for Funimation to release it on home video. But I think it says a lot about how successful Movie 14 was. Not only did the sequel get made only a couple of years later, but the big shots in Japan who run all this stuff finally realized that there’s an international audience just as eager to pay for this stuff. I want to say the Broly movie got released in the U.S. even faster, but I’d have to look it up. And from what I understand, the Broly movie did even bigger business than Movies 14 and 15, so I think it’s safe to say that if they keep making more of these, we can count on a speedy localization.

Do we have Fox to thank for this? I mean, would any of this Dragon Ball revival have happened if “Dragon Ball Evolution” hadn’t bombed so badly? I mean, let’s say they did a good job and made DBE really kick ass, like the Thor movies. By now they probably would have made a nice little trilogy, starring a mostly whitewashed cast. Maybe the third one would be looked down upon, or they’d try to do a reboot like with the X-Men franchise, and people would write pointless thinkpiece articles asking stupid questions about “Dragon Ball fatigue”. Teenage Justin Chatwick stans would be blogging things like “OMG Did you know there was a Dragon Ball Evolution cartoon?!?!?” Maybe those live action movies would be better than Dragon Ball Super, but they’d probably also mark the end of the franchise. At least with things as they are, there’s no telling how much more Dragon Ball content we might be getting in the 20′s.

Gee, Toei, how come your mom lets you have two logos at the start of the movie?

I just found this out last night, but Res F has the distinction of being the first movie where Toriyama wrote the actual screenplay, as opposed to just coming up with the plot and story, as in Movie 14. I’m a fan of Toriyama’s work, obviously, but I’m don’t subscribe to the idea that anything he does is pure gold and everyone else who contributes to this franchise is ruining it somehow. There are GT apologists who would try to argue that GT was more legitimate because Toriyama had some vague influence on the production, and he drew SSJ4 Goku once, so that means it’s magically awesome. It just doesn’t work. Movie 14 is better than Movie 15, and I don’t think that’s because one screenplay was better than the other, but the point is that you can’t just add more Toriyama labor and guarantee a superior product.

So there’s three big problems I have with this movie, and when I rewatched it this morning, my opinion hasn’t budged since 2015.

First, the sole premise of this movie is that Frieza comes back to menace the good guys again. That’s a bad move, period. I find Frieza overrated to begin with, and they’ve already done handful of Frieza comebacks before this movie was ever conceived. Even if it was a good idea, it’s so obvious that it’s barely worth doing. When the DBS: Broly movie was first announced, I was worried that they were making the same mistake again, but then it turned out they had a bold twist on the character to justify the effort. And that’s what it takes. If you do something obvious and predictable, if you repeat an idea you’ve already used before, then you’d better have some sort of big twist to make it fresh. Movie 15 does not have this. It does an admirable job in spite of that flaw, but it’s a pretty serious flaw.

Second, the visuals are bland and unimpressive. The point of this movie is that Goku and Frieza are going to have a rematch of their epic showdown on Namek. I just went back in my archives and pulled up a still from the Frieza Saga, and it looks ten times cooler than anything in the movie. They were fighting on an exploding planet, surrounded by red skies, lightning, molten lava, and tornadoes. Movie 15 boasts the same guys, supposedly more powerful than ever, but they fight like they’re in a video game, and the background is just this dismal cloudy sky. They had 23 years to figure out how to raise the stakes, and all they could come up with was making Frieza yellow and Goku blue.

Third, everyone acts like an idiot in this movie. Like I said, we’ve done this dance before, but everyone just repeats the same mistakes and forgets that characters can do things that they’ve done in the past. Sometimes I can’t tell whether it’s an honest flub, or a deliberate callback to classic DBZ. All I know is that I remember how it went the first time, and you’d think the characters would too, since they lived it.

Now, in spite of those issues, this film does a pretty decent job working with what it has. It’s not nearly as bad as Movies 10 and 11, which commit these same three sins and puts the main characters on the sidelines. But it’s a step down from Movie 14, and around the same time, Dragon Ball Super was starting up on Japanese TV, and that show was just adapting the movies for the first 32 episodes, so I was pretty displeased with the state of the franchise in 2015.

All right, let’s get started. The movie opens in hell, which is pretty interesting, because up until now we’ve only ever seen Toei’s version of DBZ Hell. There’s a lot of inconsistencies, like whether or not you get to keep your physical body, and whether or not hell is even that bad a place to be. Since Toriyama wrote this thing, I have to assume this is his official version of DBZ’s Hell. Conveniently, we find that it’s got plenty of layers to it, including a scary looking realm full of bats, an ocean full of Pokemon fish, and underneath all of that we have an idyllic meadow with pink trees.

This is where Frieza’s being kept, and he just has to hang from the tree in some sort of testicle-looking thing. There’s angels and fairies and a stuffed animal marching band, and it’s pretty cute, but I can see where you’d get sick of it after a while.

And Frieza’s been here for a while. This movie is set in the year Age 779, and Frieza was killed by Future Trunks in Age 764, so he’s on Year Fifteen of his infinity-year sentence. Has he been stuck in this particular torment for the entire time? Who knows? I don’t know much about Japanese afterlife mythology, but my understanding is that it’s like an even more complex version of Dante’s Inferno, where there’s all these different ordeals you have to suffer through for extraordinarily long periods of time. Maybe they let him out part of the time so he can get beat up by Pikkon and watch Goku beat Majin Buu.

One touch I appreciate is that he’s still in his Mecha-Frieza form. Does it make sense for him to retain his cybernetic parts when Trunks chopped him up into so many pieces? I don’t know, but Mecha-Frieza is my favorite Frieza, so I like the nod to that moment.

Meanwhile, Frieza’s private army somehow still exists after all these years. This movie calls it the “Frieza Force”, which I’m not too wild about, but I’ll run with it. I think it’s kind of stupid to keep calling it that so long after Frieza’s death, but maybe it’s a bluff to anyone who doesn’t know Frieza’s dead. At this point, all they have left is the name. One of Frieza’s administrators, Sorbet, has taken charge of the whole thing, and I guess he’s done a fairly impressive job if he’s kept it going this long, but all he’s really accomplished is to oversee the slow dissolution of Frieza’s holdings.

Funimation made a lot out of the idea of Frieza as an emperor, suggesting he was a head of state and the planets he conquered were part of a vast interstellar nation. I think in the dub there was a comment about how the Frieza Force used to control like 70% of the known universe, but none of that’s in the Japanese version. The original premise of Frieza is that he just has a bunch of guys fighting his battles for him, and he buys and sells planets to finance all the wine and spaceships he goes through. I rather prefer that sort of aimlessness about his organization. If he were like a Roman Caesar, you could at least balance out his brutality with the semblance of authority he brings to his conquests. A Pax Friezae, if you will. But he’s not Diocletian, he’s a trust fund baby who just happens to be nigh invulnerable. He never cared what happened to anyone else, or how things would run after he was gone.

Anyway, Sorbet just doesn’t have the manpower to hold their territory, and all he can do is pull his soldiers out when uprisings get too intense. His only recourse is to wish Frieza back to life with the Dragon Balls, except he can’t find the Namekians’ new homeworld. There’s Dragon Balls on Earth, except that’s where all the Super Saiyans live, so it’s dangerous. But today, he’s decided there’s no other way. To be on the safe side, he leads an away team with just himself and his aid, Tagoma. That way there’s less chance of them being noticed by the ki-sensitive fighters on the planet.

Sigh... this is why I hate the fucking Frieza Force right here. It’s the same old spaceships, same old uniforms, same old plans. Their shuttlecraft just looks like their regular ship, only smaller. Frieza’s been dead for fifteen years, and after all this time, their biggest idea is to try to bring back LOWARD FUREEEZA SAWMA. If that was such a hot idea, then why did he get killed in the first place?

What annoys me is that there’s probably an interesting explanation for Sorbet’s strategy. You’d think he would be happier with Frieza gone. He runs this whole outfit, and even if their domain is smaller than it was under Frieza, it belongs to him, so he’s richer and more powerful than he’s ever been. But maybe he just can’t appreciate that, and he liked it better when he was a middle-manager for a big shot like Frieza. But that never gets explored in the movie. Sorbet just acts like he’s wishing back Frieza because he’s supposed to.

Anyway, it would be risky to try to go through Bulma to get the Dragon Balls, but Emperor Pilaf has a Dragon Radar of his own, so they strongarm him instead. I wonder where he got that thing. General Copper from the Red Ribbon Army had one that was never seen again, so maybe they stole it from him?

Meanwhile, here’s baby Pan. I thought Pan’s appearance in these later movies conflicted with the final three episodes of DBZ, but maybe not. The dub said she was three, but the subs said she was four. And those last three episodes took place in Age 784, while this movie shows her being newly born in Age 779, just five years earlier. So Pan could still be four years old when she fought Wild Tiger, and her birthday just hadn’t come along yet.

Anyway, Piccolo’s keeping an eye on her while her parents are shopping.

Then the sky gets dark, and Gohan and Piccolo know that someone’s wishing on the Dragon Balls, but they don’t know who or why. Oh, by the way, there’s a big statue of Mr. Satan here, and that’s his only appearance in this movie.

So Sorbet makes his big wish to have a resurrection... of F. Which stands for “Frieza.”

Just like the title of this cartoon!

But Shenron explains that it would be kind of dumb to do that. This was the thing I never understood when this movie was first announced. During the Frieza Saga, Shenron was used to wish back everyone killed by Frieza and his men, and Kami said that this would only work for those who had died within the past year. The implication being that Shenron can’t revive people who have been dead for a really long time.

But Toriyama seems to have taken that into account here. Shenron explains that he can revive Frieza, even after fifteen years, but he can’t restore all the damage to his body.

This leads to a quick flashback of Trunks killing him way back when. I’m glad they included this, since it’s worth explaining just how Frieza died in the first place. Trunks chopped him into pieces, then blasted the pieces. Apparently, after all this time, Shenron can only undo the blasting and the dying, but not the chopping.

However, the medical technology used by the Frieza Force has advanced somewhat since the Namek Saga, so Tagoma believes they could finish the job of putting Frieza back together. Sorbet decides it’s worth a shot, so we’re off to the races.

So Shenron plats along, and a bunch of Frieza chunks fall to the ground. I like the sound effects they make when they land.

Creepily, the pieces try to gather together again. I don’t know if this is Shenron’s power trying and failing to complete the resurrection, of if this is some function of Mecha-Frieza’s cybernetics. Either way, it doesn’t work.

But the pieces are all still alive, which is siiiick. Frieza’s eye even opens and looks at them, suggesting that he’s somehow still conscious in this state. See, this movie still has some cool stuff in it.

Then Shenron asks Sorbet what he wants for his second wish, and Sorbet had no idea that he would get more than one. He considers wishing back King Cold, but before he can decide...

... Shu wishes for cash, and gets it. Sorbet’s angry about this, but he has to hurry up and return to the ship before the Z-Fighters find him. The funny thing is that Shenron leaves after this second wish is granted, but in the Dragon Ball Super version, he grants a third wish, and Mai uses that one too. This is why I’ve spent the last 16 years confused over whether Buu-era Shenron grants two wishes or three. Apparently, the deal is that it’s three, unless you use one to wish a lot of people back to life at the same time. Then it’s two. So did Toriyama goof, or was the wish to bring back Frieza hard enough that it counts as two wishes? It doesn’t matter much, since Movies 10, 13, and 14 all played fast and loose with Shenron as well.

So now they have to load all the Frieza chunks into a big garbage can and haul them back to their ship.

They almost forget a piece, but Pilaf saves it for them. I wonder what would have happened if they left that eye behind?

So then they heal the pieces in their medical machine. I don’t know how this was supposed to work, but I assume they needed someone to stitch the pieces together, then they loaded him in the tank for a while, and then they had to take him out again, dress him up in his uniform, and put him back in to cure a while longer. Also, they have Japanese punk band Maximum the Hormone playing on the stereo the whole time they do this.

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“F” is a pretty good song, and I’m glad they put it in this movie, but I’d probably like it more if I liked Frieza more. The story goes that Akira Toriyama heard this song, probably because the band wrote it as a tribute to his character, and the song inspired him to create the story in this movie.

Anyway, Frieza breaks out of the tank and splashes green crap everywhere because he’s such a drama queen.

Sorbet explains everything that’s happened, and Frieza seems mostly bemused by it all. He’s displeased that he had to wait in hell for so long, but at least he’s out. Sorbet mentions that they plan to wish back King Cold next, but Frieza tells them not to bother, since he apparently doesn’t like his dad that much. This should be the tip to these idiots that this scheme will get them all killed.

Frieza kills a guy just to see how his skills are holding up, and he declares his intent to take revenge on the two Super Saiyans who defeated him. Remember, he still owes Goku for beating him up on Namek, but Trunks killed him before he could get to that point. And that’s my main problem with all of this. We already did a Frieza comeback, and it was Mecha-Frieza invading Earth in the Trunks Saga. He miraculously survived Namek, his soldiers spent months putting him back together, and then the very first thing he wanted to do was go to Earth and kill Super Saiyans. Does any of this sound familiar?

Besides that episode, we had several other stories that repeated the same theme. Movies 5 and 6 were basically the same idea, but with Frieza’s brother as a stand-in for Frieza himself. Episode 195 of the anime had Frieza come back as part of a revolut in hell. Movie 12 had Frieza come back, only to get killed again by Gohan. Dragon Ball GT had Frieza come back and fight Goku. I think Toriyama’s attitude is that he didn’t write those stories, so they don’t count, but it doesn’t change the fact that the audience still saw all of those. By the time this movie came along, “Frieza comes back for revenge” had been done several times.

Tagoma points out that maybe we shouldn’t rush back to Earth and get wiped out in a hopeless battle. Again. He suggests that it might be wiser to focus on rebuilding the Frieza Force, but Frieza kills him for his impudence, along with several other flunkies who just happened to be nearby.

At least Frieza has a reason for wanting to start with revenge. As far as he’s concerned, the Frieza Force can’t rebuild to its former glory, not if they have to hide from the Super Saiyans the whole time. Sorbet points out that Goku’s even stronger than he was before, citing his defeat of Majin Buu. Amazingly, Frieza’s heard of Majin Buu, since his father once told him that he should never mess with Buu or Beerus.

But this doesn’t worry Frieza much. He figured Goku would become stronger, and he thinks he can as well. Frieza was born with this unnaturally incredible power that he has, so he’s never needed to train or improve his strength. But now, he thinks that if he does train, he can surpass Goku after about four months. This is basically the Dragon Ball equivalent of “Why doesn’t Bluto eat some spinach and beat the hell out of Popeye?”

Here’s what blows my mind. In the subs, Frieza estimates that he’ll reach a power level of 1.3 million. I’m amazed that they’d even cite a power level this late in the franchise, let alone a number that low. Frieza claimed to be at one million in his second form, so I think everyone agrees that we passed 1,300,000 a long time ago. Hell, there aren’t any scouters able to measure that high anyway.

Seriously, is this official canon? It has to be right? Toriyama wrote that line himself. Is he saying eveyone from Second-form Frieza to Golden Frieza ranges from 1 million to 1.3 million? So like, Perfect Cell would be 1.1 million, I guess, and Majin Buu’s 1.2? That’s wild. I kind of like it.

What I don’t like is that it’s a little convenient that Frieza can catch up to Goku so easily. It took Gokue fifteen years to reach the level he’s at in this movie, and Frieza manages to tie him in just four months? If it was that easy, why didn’t he just do pushups for a week before he came to Earth the last time? He could have wiped out Trunks in an instant.

Moving on, a few months later, Jaco the Intergalactic Patrolman arrives on Earth to warn Bulma that Frieza is coming to Earth with a thousand soldiers.

I won’t get into Jaco’s whole deal, because I still haven’t read his manga yet, but baiscally he was friends with Bulma’s older sister back in the day, and Tights told him that Bulma knows the Super Saiyan who beat Frieza. The problem is that Goku and Vegeta aren’t on Earth right now, because they’re training with Whis on Beerus’ world. Bulma can contact Whis by holding up delicious food and calling out to him, but she doesn’t know if he’s listening. Also, Jaco waited until an hour before Frieza’s arrival to say anything, so now Bulma has to scramble to alert the others.

Here’s some bank robbers. I like this bit, because in the dub, they say “We’re as rich as rich guys!”

There’s just one problem...

Krillin’s a cop.

Then Bulma calls him and tells him the bad news. I feel like somewhere in the dub, Krillin observed that Majin Buu and Gohan could at least buy them some time, but then it turned out Buu was asleep the whole time, which was why he didn’t show up in this movie. I must be thinking of the DBS version. This is why I’m not big on Buu as a good guy, by the way. They have this insanely powerful good guy on their team, and then they never do anything with him. He slept through this crisis and the Tournament of Power, and I didn’t see him in the Broly movie either.

Anyway, Frieza killed Krillin the last time they met, but Krillin’s got big brass balls, so the first thing he does is suit up to fight his punk ass. 18 offers to go in his place, but he wants her to protect their kid while he’s gone.

Also, he asks her to shave his head, so he’ll look even cooler for this.

To be honest, I liked Krillin’s hairstyle in this movie, but yeah, bald Krillin is the way to go.

As he flies off into the face of certain doom, his big brass balls clanking as he goes, 18 thinks about how cool he is. Get you a lady who admires you half as much as 18 admires Krillin.

As Frieza returns to Earth, he goes over some details with Sorbet. In particular, no one could find the Super Saiyan who actually killed Frieza, and Sorbet speculates that he may have moved to some other planet or died while Frieza was in hell. Of course we know that Future Trunks returned to his own timeline, but Frieza doesn’t and never will. This loose end doesn’t seem to bother him much, and I don’t think that makes sense. Yes, from a dramatic standpoint, he ought to be more concerned about avenging his loss to Goku, but Trunks was the one to kill him, and I feel like Frieza doesn’t spend nearly enough time in this movie thinking about his own mortality.

Sorbet points out that even if Frieza kills Goku, he could just be wished back to life like Frieza was, right? But Frieza plans to destroy the Earth along with Goku, thereby eliminating the Dragon Balls and Earth’s hell. For some reason, Frieza seems to think that Earth has it’s own particular version of hell, and the only reason he ended up in that meadow of fairies is because he happened to die on that planet. So I guess he thinks that if he blows up the Earth, that hell will cease to exist as well? How does he know that?

Is that why he’s not worried about dying again? Does he think if he dies someplace else, he’ll end up in a more favorable afterlife? What happens if you die in outer space? What sort of hell is Tagoma in right now?

At any rate, Frieza thinks he has all the angles worked out, and he checks to make sure Sorbet is prepared for his “emergency plan” in case things don’t work out. This is as close as we ever get to any sort of character development for Frieza here. The last time he went to Earth, he didn’t have a plan B, and now he does.

Meanwhile, Goku is training with Vegeta and Whis, just as Bulma said. Recall that Whis is even stronger than Beerus, who dominated the boys in the last movie. So Whis can fight them both at once without any trouble at all.

But their training wakes up Beerus, so they have to explain how they pay Whis for his lessons with tasty food from Earth. Beerus is annoyed that Whis would eat this stuff without him but he’s awake now, so he can have some of the pizza they brought over.

Meanwhile, Frieza’s ship lands on Earth, and a bunch of his goons come out.

Then he blows up North City, which he calls his way of saying hello.

So it’s up to the Z-Fighters to hold the line until Goku and Vegeta check Whis’s voice mail. Unfortunately, they’re kind of light on guys. We have Piccolo, Tien, and Krillin, and Gohan’s here, but he hasn’t kept up with his training. That’s why he wore a tracksuit to this party, because he couldn’t find his gi after all this time. Tien told Chiaotzu and Yamcha to stay out of it, since this fight would be too much for them. Okay, but why? Frieza will blow up the Earth if he wins, so what difference does it make if they stay out of this? At least if they show up they can help.

On the other hand, Krillin brought Master Roshi along, He can’t even fly! Somehow, everyone involved in making this show decided that Roshi is cooler than Yamcha, which is stone cold, 100% false. Master Roshi belongs in jail, and it doesn’t even need to be a fancy jail with a roof because he can’t fly out anyway.

Then Bulma shows up with Jaco to tell the others that she couldn’t raise Goku and Vegeta. Also, she wants Jaco to help, even though he only planned to pass along the message and GTFO. Bulma trash-talks Frieza, because she figures they still have the upper hand. After all, Gohan’s strong enough to kill Frieza, right? But Gohan explains to her that Frieza’s much stronger than he was 15 years ago, so none of them stand a chance this time around.

She asks Frieza to wait for Goku, so he agrees to hold off for ten more seconds, and then he sics his army on the Z-Fighters. I bet she wishes she had told Goten and Trunks about this rumble.

People talk about this part as the highlight of the movie, and it’s definitely one of the better parts. It’s certainly fresher,since we normally don’t see six or seven guys battling a whole army like this. Also, I like the approach of limiting the cast to a manageable number. I think it’s tactically unwise to leave Yamcha, Gotenks, Buu, and Chiaotzu out of this battle, but leaving them out of the movie is worth it, if it gives Tien a chance to shine for a moment. I’m not saying I like Tien better than the others, but we’re in a situation now where they can’t all share the spotlight, so if we have to pick one, let’s make that decision and run with it, and hope Yamcha gets a turn in a later film.

The problem I have with a fight like this is that they have all these extras floating around in the background of almost every scene, so it’s like Piccolo will do some cool spot with five or six bad guys, while fifty more just sort of stand there and watch. The only explanation I can come up with is that the Z-Fighters are moving so fast that most of the bad guys simply cannot react fast enough to keep up.

For example, you have this scene, where Gohan zips through a whole bunch of guys and takes them all out while they look like they’re standing still. Also, it’s pointed out several times that the Frieza Force isn’t nearly as strong or as well-disciplined as they used to be. Hell, the next movie makes a plot point out of how hard it is for them to recruit good fighters.

Even Jaco makes these guys look like geeks, and he’s a comic relief guy.

But he’s clever, like when he tricks the bad guys into getting eaten by a giant fish. How did he know this thing lived on Earth?

At this point, Sisami enters the battle, and he’s at least strong enough to give Piccolo a hard time.

Also, his shorts are a size too small, but his slutty uniform is his only distinguishing feature, really.

But Gohan steps in and turns Super Saiyan to take him out. Not sure that was a smart play, since they’re trying to buy time for Goku to arrive. A drawn out battle with Piccolo might have been just the thing they needed. But I suspect this scene was intended to introduce the Super Saiyan concept to the audience.

To wit, Sorbet is horrified by how easily his best warrior went down, but Frieza isn’t surprised at all, since he’s the only one on his side who’s seen Super Saiyans in action. He didn’t know Gohan could turn into one, but it’s the same diff.

This blue guy tries to apologize to Frieza for their defeat, but Frieza blows them all up. I’m just pointing him out because this guy was voiced by Team Four Star’s Scott Frrerichs, which still blows my mind to this day. Also, for some reason, I thought he played Sisima--Shisami, Sashimi... the red horny guy.

Everyone agrees that they stand no chance against Frieza as he is now, and Frieza takes out Gohan first just to emphasize the point. I guess this is his meta-revenge for Movie 12.

Piccolo has to use a ki technique to restart Gohan’s heart, and a senzu bean helas him after that, but they only have one left, so that won’t last them much longer.

Finally, Whis checks his messages and Goku and Vegeta hear about Frieza. Whis can take them back to Earth, but it’s a 35-minute trip, so it’s up to Goku’s Instant Transmission.

All right, let’s get on with this. Frieza insists that he’s learned from their last fight, and he starts out with his “final” form, except it’s not his final form anymore, because he has a new one, so right off we see that he really hasn’t learned anything. He wants Goku to turn Super Saiyan, but Goku doesn’t need to, and they fight like this for a while. Does this really make sense. Frieza came here for revenge, so why is he bothering to play-fight like this?

Eventually Vegeta gets so bored with this part of the battle that he jumps in and starts attacking Goku. Frieza mistakes this for a show of loyalty to him, but in fact Vegeta’s just sick of Goku milking his turn.

They agree to put all their cards on the table, so Goku reveals his strongest form, which he calls a combination of classic Super Saiyan and the Super Saiyan God form he used in the last movie. This eventually came to be known as “Super Saiyan Blue”, because duh, but for marketing purposes it’s still officially called “Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan” or “SSGSS” for short. I have no idea who thought that was a good name for this.

So Frieza shows Goku his new form, which is just his “final” form with a different color scheme. He says he “settled” on this color, implying that he could have made it look different if he wanted to. I like that idea, because it goes along with my contention that the Xenoverse games should let you customize transforms along with your character. If you want your guy to turn into a Super Saiyan Purple, you should be able to, or if you want your Frieza Race guy to have a Crimson form instead of Golden, you should get to have that too.

On the other hand, this is fucking stupid. It’s the same fight from 1990, except the characters are different colors. This is the sort of thing critics make fun of DBZ for, and Toriyama did it unironically. I mean, I get it, Super Saiyan 3 is just SSJ1 with longer hair and no eyebrows, but it’s the way the character is used in the story that sells the form as being more powerful.

The problem here is that both guys have new forms at the same time and they’re supposed to be stronger than almost every other character we’ve seen before. And yet this fight doesn’t look all that different from what they were doing a few minutes ago, before they transformed.

On top of that, we have these really shitty CGI animations that look like they were taken out of a PS3 game. I mean that literally, because when I watched this movie, I noticed it right away, because the way the characters move looks exactly like they do in the games I play all the time. I didn’t mind it so much on the first viewing, but now that I’m looking at screencaps of it, it just looks really awkward and bad. It’s fine in the games, because it’s interactive, and I can control what’s happening. But in a movie, it doesn’t work at all, because Goku has this blank expression on his face the whole time. Also, there’s no physics on the tails of his belt. He’s rushing Frieza here but they’re just hanging at his hip like he’s standing still.

Seriously, who thought this was a good idea? These shots aren’t even that long, and they don’t look that complicated, so I don’t understand why they didn’t just go ahead and use traditional animation. I mean, the Frieza soldiers from earlier were rendered this way too, and I get that, because there were literally a thousand of them, and they wanted to have hordes of them milling about in the background. but this is the main hero and villain in the forefront of the action. If the entire movie looked like this, I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all, really. It’s a “contract with the audience” thing. If the whole movie is CGI or 2D animation, we can accept the visuals we’re given, but once you start switching media unexpectedly, it becomes very jarring.

Then Beerus and Whis finally arrive to collect the dessert Bulma offered them. Wait, he said it would take 35 minutes to get here. Have Goku and Frieza been fighting for 35 minutes?

I get the joke here, that you’ve got this interplanetary grudge match playing out nearby, and these two dorks are more interested in eating ice cream, but it sort of undermines what little tension there was to this story. When Res F was first announced, lots of fans joked that Frieza would find himself completely outmatched by the Z-Fighters. Goten could kill him by himself. But Toriyama introduced Golden Frieza to get around that, which means at this point, Frieza has leapfrogged Cell and Majin Buu to become the strongest villain again, to the point where he might rival Beerus if he put his mind to it. Frieza’s a big deal again, except there doesn’t seem to be much concern over it. Everyone seems confident that Goku can handle it, and if he can’t then Vegeta can, and if things really got out of hand, Whis could kill everyone in one hit.

At one point, Frieza finally notices Beerus and asks him if he’s going to interfere in the battle, but Beerus insists that he’s just here for dessert, and he’s totally neutral in this.

And Frieza seems to think he’s winning, but then Goku informs him that this Golden Frieza form has a weakness. Frieza was so thrilled to have the new form that he rushed to Earth as soon as he discovered it, but he hasn’t learned to regulate his power at this level, so he’s going to tire out in a few minutes. Goku should know, because he ran into the same problem with Super Saiyan 3 a few years back, and the same thing happened to Frieza when he fought at 100% of his full power because FRIEZA HASN’T LEARNED A DAMN THING SINCE THE LAST TIME THEY FOUGHT. This movie is just so dumb. The fact that Goku has to explain this to him again is absurd.

Frieza thinks Goku’s bluffing, but this time the CGI battle shifts into Goku’s favor, and Frieza can’t hit the block button fast enough or break Goku’s combos.

Then they fight underwater, which is just as murky and grey as the sky, only there’s bubbles down here.

Finally, we reach the point where Frieza’s punches don’t even work, and Goku pokes him in the tittly and punches him.

So Goku tells him to get out of here, just like he did on Namek, and Frieza throws a fit, just like he did on Namek. This fight is the worst. I mean, it’s not Gohan vs. Dabura levels of bad, but at least Gohan and Dabura did original stuff while they were shitting the bed.

Then Frieza signals Sorbet while he’s crying, and Sorbet shoots Goku with a ray gun to take him out of the fight.

And this is dumb too, because it’s the same mistake Goku made on Namek, twice. Only this time, Frieza actually got the drop on him, which is dumb because he’s basically doing the same thing Piccolo did to Goku at the 23rd World Tournamnet. Whis even warned Goku about this overconfidence earlier in the movie. I mean, it was forteshadowing, which ought to be okay, except when everything else in this movie is a retread of Frieza’s other appearances, foreshadowing is kind of a bad move.

But Goku’s not the only dumbass in this movie. Frieza decides not to kill Goku while he has the chance, and instead invites Vegeta to do it for him. He even offers to make Vegeta his second-in-command, although his entire Frieza Force is dead except for Sorbet. Geets declines, which isn’t exactly a shock, since he’s hated Frieza for destroying Planet Vegeta. You know, the thing that happened forty-odd years ago that Frieza probably should considered before asking Vegeta to rejoin his team?

Instead, Vegeta tells Krillin to give Goku a senzu bean, and when Frieza tries to stop him, Vegeta deflects his attack so that it kills Sorbet instead.

In return, Vegeta demands to take over the fight, now that we’ve come to his favorite part, the “Frieza-murdering” part. Frieza mocks him for thinking he stands a chance, but Vegeta turns Super Saiyan Blue himself, and now Frieza realizes he’s totally screwed. I guess he figured Goku would be this strong, but he never imagined he’d have to fight Vegeta at the same level at the same time.

This is my favorite part of the movie, where Vegeta informs him that he learned to go Super Saiyan shortly after Frieza’s death. Then again, why didn’t Frieza know about any of this? Sorbet had been spying on the Earth for years, and he seemed to know just about everything else about what was going on. Why didn’t he tell Frieza that Vegeta was living on Earth and that he was about as strong as Goku? “Hey, look, I know you think you can handle Goku with this Golden form, but just understand that you’ll probably be fighting Vegeta at the same time, and he’ll be about the same level.”

For that matter, why did Frieza invade without checking to make sure Goku was on the planet first?

So it looks like everything’s coming up Vegeta in this movie, although this part of the fight is anticlimactic, becuase Goku had already softned Frieza up for him.

But then it turns out that Vegeta swallowed a bottle of idiot pills too, because when Frieza’s Golden Form wears off, he gets desperate and blows up the Earth to escape. You know, just like he did on Namek. At least I can sort of excuse Vegeta for this, because he wasn’t there the last time Frieza pulled this trick, except that Vegeta should have seen it coming, because he pulled the same stunt himself when he first came to Earth.

So yeah, the Earth explodes, again, which just makes the Dragon Ball Wiki that much harder to read, because they count both explosions as dates of death for every character. Goten died in Age 774 and Age 779 and whenever else he would have died naturally.

But all the main characters who were watching he fight are okay, because they were standing next to Beerus and Whis, who made a force field to protect them. Vegeta’s dead, though, because he suffocated when the planet blew. On the other hand, Frieza would have survived, because he doesn’t need air. On top of that, he took out the Dragon Balls, so there’s no way to undo this with a wish.

Then Whis reminds Goku that he has the power to rewind time by three minutes. Yeah, I forgot about this. Earlier, when Beerus woke up from his nap, Whis mentions how Beerus has a nasty habit of destroying things accidentally, so Whis has the power to rewind time and undo it if Beerus does anything especially stupid.

So now Goku has a chance to kill Frieza properly, which he should have just done in the first place.

KILLER QUEEN DAISAN NO BAKUDEN BITES THE DUST

So Frieza’s dead again... until they bring him back for the Tournament of Power, because for some reason fans want him to keep coming back for more of this crap.

Vegeta is understandably upset, because he thinks Goku just jumped in for no reason, but he calms down once he finds out Frieza was about to blow up the planet.

Bulma promises a big feast for Whis and Beerus for helping them, but she adds that it’ll have to wait for them to wish back everyone who died when Frieza destroyed North City. Well, that’ll take six months, because the Dragon Balls haven’t reset since the last wish, right?

Then Goku proposes that he can Vegeta actually practice working together, in case they need to really join forces next time. Vegeta’s like “nuts to that” and Goku’s like “same here”, so at least they have that much common ground.

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The end credits are accompanied by “Z no Chikai” or “Oath of Z”, by Momoiro Clover Z. This song rules, and it’s really much better than Movie 15 deserves.

In the post credits sequence, Frieza finds himself right back where he started, and the angels and fairies welcome him back to hell. Looks like Tagoma had the right idea after all, huh?

And I guess that about sums it up. I feel like this movie wasted an opportunity to do something truly interesting with Frieza. You have a guy who was invincible, then he got killed and spent 15 years in hell, only to get wished back to life by his desperate troops. This could have been a chance for him to ponder his own mortality and the futility of power and revenge. What good does it really do to kill Goku when they both know what awaits them on the other side? What difference does it make to escape the afterlife when you know you’ll just have to go back eventually? You could try to have Frieza answer those questions and have him become a much more desperate and complex villain. Instead, Toriyama just went right back to what he had already written in the Trunks Saga.

Sadly, this looks like the final entry under the Dragon Ball Z brand. Now that Dragon Ball Super is a thing, it looks like any new Dragon Ball stories, like the new Broly movie, will be produced under the DBS branding. I kind of wish DBZ could have closed out on a better note than this.

On the other hand, that Broly movie was a lot better, and even if it was officially titled “Dragon Ball Super: Broly”, I find that it’s hard for the Z to drop out of the public lexicon. When I went to see it in January, the theater had it listed as “Dragon Ball Z: Super Broly.” Old habits die hard, I guess. Maybe one of these years, we’ll see the end of the Z, but not yet.

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