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mdhwrites · 5 months ago

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Gravity Falls Versus The Owl House: How Did It Write It's Women; A Flawed Comparison

If you compare a wlw story and an mlm story and ask which story used women better, 9/10 you're going to to get the answer you expect. One story prioritizes a gender over the other and so they are going to utilize that gender better, just how like some genres will inherently be in a better place to use certain elements better. Would you compare a shounen show and a slice of life show for which one has better action? No, because that would be an unfair comparison.

That is what this blog is actually about. It's about rhetorical devices we use in our debates and arguments. Because why do people even ask this question? Dipper is the main character of Gravity Falls, above all others. Luz is the main character of TOH, above all others. His core supporting cast is mostly guys with one who is a girl, Mabel, who is used as a comedic balance to him and then one more beyond that with Wendy. Luz has a primarily female cast around her with the exceptions of one core member, King, who is used as a comedic balance to her, and Gus beyond that. Both shows include both genders but by all means, they do not use them in the same way. Their priorities are different. Gravity Falls is a very male centric story. TOH is a very female centric story. So... What's the better comparison?

Does The Owl House write male characters better than Gravity Falls writes its female characters? I can't give an answer to that because I haven't watched Gravity Falls but so long as you take in the legwork to make comparable comparisons, fair comparisons, I would say the core issue people have with how the secondary gender is used in each work is valid.

From what I have heard, the problem people have with the female characters in Gravity Falls is that they're underutilized and that their plots focus around romance. Now, romance is not a negative thing in and of itself so we need to properly analyze this complaint. The problem with the focus being on romance is that the homogeny of it across characters flattens them, made worse by using something that is seen as such a stereotypical, basic plot for the gender. Is there a counter to that amongst guys? Yeah. Machismo. If you write a dude character, inadequacy, proving himself and flexing his toxic masculinity is essentially the number one most basic plot because that's what testosterone does to someone.

We all remember that S1 King is literally just toxic masculinity incarnate, right? Like literally every episode is just about him using others in order to make himself look better before learning to treat people better but then not actually doing so. It's really shitty, one dimensional and oh right, that's also what Gus is doing in his two episodes (both of them include lying to make himself look better) and also Hunter's entire life in the EC is about proving himself better than others, even at the cost of others which is the closest this element comes to actually being addressed. So... Yeah, I would say that they are 2 dimensional, homogeneous characters who are all just some amount of stereotype of 'dude'. The loud dude, the silly dude and the tragic dude. And yes, we can argue that these change but Gus loses his entire character, Hunter just becomes tragedy and Gus goes with most common plot B for both genders: Daddy issues. It's like trying to say because Mabel also likes girly things, she's some nuanced character. A second stereotypical trait does not a stereotype fix.

So, once again, why do we ask which show wrote women better? Well, there's two cynical answers and one I find more interesting but sadly the least likely. The first is that Gravity Falls still has more clout than Amphibia, TOH and many other cartoons with female focus coming out right now. As such, being able to get an easy, cheap win makes the show you like more look better. It's explicitly using the unfair comparison maliciously, even if not consciously maliciously.

Two: For a lot of extremely valid and good reasons, we analyze how women are written and kind of just ignore writing the male gender. Like when was the last time you saw something, outside of I guess the times I've talked about how TOH is fucking awful at writing guys, analyzing male writing that wasn't just whining about not putting a female lead into the work they want. To make it clear, that's not what this is. Even now, I do have to include that I don't think TOH's writers were being misandrists or the like. No, this comparison explicitly showcases how the show recycled how other shows handle their secondary gender and thus recreated all of its problems. It's not malicious but it is something that happens when you aren't being actually smart about your storytelling .

Three: TOH never really even attempts to pretend like its male characters are anything but jokes. Like... Literally ever. The closest is trauma child Hunter and the point of him is "Look how miserable this fucker is." Otherwise, they rarely come up in plotlines, especially plotlines the fandom remembers, and are the constant butt of jokes. Episode one of TOH has King be mocked for the things he will be mocked for for the entire season and his one moment of real pathos being how childish he is and that being a bit charming. Compare that to episode one of Gravity Falls where even as early as that, the push and pull of priorities between the twins is creating conflict between them but also strength between them. The first time a male character is given ANYTHING like that is Hunter, who shows up in S2 and Hunter is not complex. People want him to be, which is why people talk about JUST Hunter, but in general, he isn't. He's just a worse Amity because he is simplified to just trauma and the need to prove himself and little more.

Quick note: Yes I'm focusing on the guys on the good side but the Collector and Belos are still both examples of toxic masculinity, just, you know, very explicitly and in very awful ways when related to the modern day. Also, neither get much screen time really. They're both absentee villains, leading to stuff like how The Collector is an entirely inconsistent character and Belos doesn't get things like a backstory.

All of this though, the lack of attention, importance, etc. like that creates the fact that... Why would you want to talk about the guys? Why would you consider them to be a similar grouping to the girls in Gravity Falls? It is genuinely a fair blind spot. I mean, who fucking remembers the fact that King has three plus B plots in S1 where the whole premise is "King gets a minion and learns that using people is a bad thing?" Those parts of the show are boring, bland and repetitive so just dump them and move on.

People compare the girls in Gravity Falls to other shows because they care about them. That's WAY better than you can say about the guys in TOH. That doesn't make the comparison fair though so if you really wanna do some proper analysis, maybe think a little broader next time? Otherwise, you might forget to take a whole gender of people seriously, just like both of these shows. See you next tale.

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Small note: Just like how a romance plot for a female character is not inherently a bad idea, neither is one about incompetence and machismo for a male one. It's the stereotypical story for that gender for a reason because boy are we some stupid dumbasses out to prove ourselves.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #gravity falls analysis

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 3 months ago

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Since we’re talking about Death Battle again, Mod, I wonder what are your top 10 battles and top 10 most wanted battles? You can ignore if it’s too much to think about

//What's funny is that I actually talked about my most wanted matchups recently with crossover, and this list is ever changing. But to give you an answer, I think my top 12 Death Battle episodes, at least right now, are:

12. Omni-Man Vs Homelander 11. Joker Vs Giorno 10. Rick Vs The Doctor 9. Samurai Jack Vs Afro Samurai 8. Cole Vs Alex 7. Frieza Vs Megatron 6. Xeno Trunks Vs Archie Silver 5. Bill Cipher Vs Discord 4. Goku Black Vs Reverse Flash 3. Goku Vs Superman 3 2. Scooby Vs Courage 1. Bowser Vs Eggman

//And below are my Top 12 most wanted matchups, as well as why I want them (This does not include any confirmed matchups or matchups that have already happened):

12. Yuma Kokohead Vs Will (Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Vs Metaphor ReFantazio)

Reason: Okay, genuinely, this is a meme match for me and I don't ACTUALLY want it, I just think it's funny for Not Persona and Not Danganronpa to face off.

11. Xiao Vs Jingliu (Genshin Impact Vs Honkai: Star Rail)

Reason: I really like both these games, and not only were Xiao and Jingliu my first 5-Star characters for both of them, but they are surprisingly similar. Xiao, a former warrior, is heavily influenced by his karmic burden, a result of his battle against dark forces, whereas Jingliu was once a renowned swordmaster and leader who succumbed to mara and became a mara-struck murderer. Both characters share a tragic relationship with the side effects of immortality and the struggles against the dark forces of their respective worlds.

10. The Eevee Battle Royale (Pokemon)

Reason: To be more specific, this is a battle between Eevee Vs Vaporeon Vs Jolteon Vs Flareon Vs Espeon Vs Umbreon Vs Leafeon Vs Glaceon Vs Sylveon. If Pokemon ever makes a return to Death Battle, I want it to be this, because not only do I think it would genuinely be a great battle royale, but I also want Death Battle to dive into the feats of each Eevee, and find out who, lore wise, wins.

9. Luz Noceda Vs Anne Boonchuy (The Owl House Vs Amphibia)

Reason: Luz and Anne are protagonists of Disney animated series that aired around the same time, who are thrust into magical worlds that challenge them to grow. Both are teenage girls with unique quirks. Luz is an imaginative, eccentric dreamer, while Anne is a fun-loving and loyal friend. They start as outsiders but gradually develop deep bonds with their newfound families and communities, Luz with the residents of the Boiling Isles and Anne with the citizens of Amphibia. Both face moral and emotional challenges, learn about leadership, and ultimately fight against powerful dictators to protect their worlds (Emperor Belos and King Andrius respectively). Their journeys emphasize themes of friendship, self-discovery, and embracing one’s individuality, making them kindred spirits in their narratives of growth and heroism. Both these shows ended a while ago now, but I still think that they are among Disney's best cartoons in the last decade, and I still kind of want to see the fight because I do love both shows, and both characters.

8. Naofumi Vs Maple (Rising of the Shield Hero Vs Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense

Reason: They are both isekai protagonists who have an unconventional reliance on defense-focused abilities in worlds where offense is typically prioritized. Naofumi is the Shield Hero, unable to use offensive weapons, and must creatively use his defensive tools to overcome challenges in a hostile world. Similarly, Maple, through her in-game character, maximizes her defense stats to absurd levels because she's afraid of getting hurt, resulting in unique, often comedic ways to defeat enemies. Both characters are underestimated by others due to their atypical builds but gain respect and allies through their ingenuity, resilience, and unconventional strategies. Also, the track Brandon Yates made for it goes hard.

7. Solidus Snake Vs King Bradley (Metal Gear Solid Vs Fullmetal Alchemist)

Reason: Again, this is largely because of Brandon Yates' music, even though we won't actually see them in the fight itself, but I am actually familiar with both these characters. Both are charismatic yet morally complex antagonists shaped by military ideology and secretive organizations. Both are also artificially created human super-soldiers, with Solidus being a clone of Big Boss, who seeks to liberate the world from control by the Patriots, believing in a harsh but free existence, while Bradley is the Führer of Amestris and a Homunculus, who enforces Father’s plan for human sacrifice under a guise of benevolent leadership. Both are highly skilled warriors—Solidus with his enhanced physique and swords, and Bradley as the Homunculus sin of Wrath with superhuman speed and precision. Despite their power, they grapple with existential themes: Solidus with his identity as a clone and Bradley with his artificial creation and limited autonomy. Their arcs explore questions of freedom, control, and the cost of serving higher powers.

6. Bendy Vs Cuphead (Bendy and the Ink Machine Vs Cuphead)

Reason: Okay, so admittedly I kind of fell out big time with Bendy and the Ink Machine, but I still kind of want to see this fight. Especially since with the release of the Dark Revival and the Delicious Last Course, there's new stuff for both of them. Both come from indie games that blend retro aesthetics with modern storytelling, drawing on vintage art styles to create unique atmospheres, and both of them are characters rooted in 1930s-style animation, sharing a nostalgic connection to classic cartoons while exploring darker undertones. Bendy represents the eerie corruption of creativity, as his world is a decayed cartoon studio filled with monstrous ink creatures, while Cuphead’s world is a whimsical yet perilous land filled with colorful bosses and a high-stakes deal with the Devil. Both stories explore the darker side of their respective settings: Bendy through horror and mystery, and Cuphead through challenging gameplay and moral consequences. Their shared connection lies in their homage to the golden age of animation, reimagined with innovative and contrasting tones.

5. Monika Vs Flowey (Doki Doki Literature Club Vs Undertale)

Reason: First of all, I think that this could be fun on the same level that Bill Vs Discord was, at least I'm really hoping it will be. Both of them are self-aware video game characters who manipulate their worlds to achieve their goals, often at the expense of others. Both break the fourth wall, using their awareness of the player’s presence to influence the narrative. Monika seeks the player’s attention and love, altering the game’s code to eliminate her competition, while Flowey uses his ability to manipulate timelines and reset progress to exert control, often displaying cruelty and detachment. Despite their antagonistic behavior, both reveal deeper vulnerabilities: Monika yearns for genuine connection, and Flowey’s actions stem from his inability to feel emotions after losing his soul.

4. Goku Vs Sonic (Dragon Ball Vs Sonic the Hedgehog)

Reason: We've had Shadow Vs Vegeta, and we've had Archie Silver Vs Xeno Trunks. This is the only Dragon Ball Vs Sonic matchup we've yet to get, and if Goku Vs Superman was anything to go by, this one has the potential to be a spectacle and a half. Both are energetic, freedom-loving heroes who rely on speed, power, and an indomitable spirit to protect their worlds. Both characters embody a carefree, adventurous attitude, but step up with determination and bravery when faced with challenges. Goku’s martial arts skills and transformations, such as the Super Saiyan form, mirror Sonic’s speed and power-ups, like his transformation into Super Sonic, which in itself is a clear homage to Goku’s iconic golden-haired state. Both characters frequently face off against powerful enemies intent on domination, such as Frieza and Dr. Eggman; dictators who wish to rule the universe; and rely on their friendships and teamwork, whether it’s with the Z Fighters or the Sonic Heroes.

3. The Traveler Vs The Trailblazer (Genshin Impact Vs Honkai: Star Rail)

Reason: Basically the same reasons as Xiao Vs Jingliu. Traveler is actually getting a matchup against Aang soon, but honestly? I really REALLY would have preferred his matchup be this, because this has the potential to be so much more fun. Both are HoYoverse game protagonists who share the role of being interstellar explorers thrust into worlds fraught with mystery, conflict, and adventure. The Traveler searches for their lost sibling while uncovering the secrets of Teyvat, while the Trailblazer seeks their identity and purpose after being imbued with the Stellaron. Both are connected to celestial forces; the Traveler to the enigmatic Unknown God and the Trailblazer to the Aeons; and are guided by a diverse cast of allies, such as Paimon and the Astral Express crew. Both are also capable of using every element in their respective games (Traveler at this point can use the power of Anemo, Geo, Electro, Dendro, and Hydro, and Trailblazer can use the elements of Physical, Fire, and Imaginary)

2. Junko Enoshima Vs William Afton/Springtrap (Danganronpa Vs Five Nights at Freddy's)

Reason: Because trust me, this fight is a lot cooler and way more fun than the DBC made it out to be. I kind of talked about this match a little bit during the DB crossover we did, but not only am I a fan of both DR and FNAF, but these two share striking similarities as deeply manipulative and morally corrupt villains who derive a twisted sense of satisfaction from causing chaos and suffering. Both characters are obsessed with creating despair and fear, manipulating others for their own gain, and exhibit a cold, calculating demeanor that hides their inner emotional turmoil. Junko, as the mastermind behind the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, orchestrates mass despair to feed her nihilistic worldview, while Afton, through his involvement with the creation of haunted animatronics and the murder of children, creates terror to further his own goals. They both use their intelligence and charisma to control and deceive, often hiding behind a facade of normalcy or charm, and their actions ultimately lead to devastating consequences for those around them. Both are embodiments of twisted obsession and the destructive impact of unchecked desires.

1. Hajime Hinata Vs Izuku Midoriya (Danganronpa Vs My Hero Academia)

Reason: If you've known me for the whole time I've been doing this blog, you would know that this was my most wanted because I've talked about it before I even first started regularly talking about DB on here. They share a deep connection in their roles as unlikely heroes who rise above their perceived limitations through hard work, determination, and unwavering optimism. Both begin their journeys feeling inferior—Izuku initially lacks a Quirk, while Hajime starts as a relatively average student in a class of exceptional talents. Despite these perceived shortcomings, both characters exhibit remarkable resilience, developing into strong, dependable leaders who inspire others with their actions and ideals. Izuku is driven by his desire to protect others, particularly through his inheriting the powerful One For All Quirk, while Hajime's growth is shaped by his desire to understand his purpose, uncover the truth of his situation, and pave a better future to overcome the mistakes of his past. Both characters embody the power of self-improvement and the importance of believing in oneself, even when facing overwhelming odds, but where they diverge is that Izuku's story is that of a rising hero, while Hajime's is that of a fallen hero.

#mod #death battle

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crispy-crust · 5 months ago

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top 10 yuris

usually i would answer these asks in a jokinG manner but you've asked me about a topic i am extremely passionate about so prepare for a massive text post

addinG a cut here because this post is larGeee and i don't want it cloGGinG up any dashes

NUMBER 10: hatbow!

at number 10 due to the extreme lack of canon interaction but the fact it's here at all despite how little of it exists is a testament to how much these two have rotted in my brain. Go play a hat in time it's so cute and so fun i wish there was more content of these two

NUMBER 9: kimona!

ah kimona. how i wish there was more actual canon content of these two. this shit made volume 5 for me it's the reason volume 5 is the only volume i own of the hardcovers (for now). there is undeniable tension between these two i refuse to believe bryan lee o'malley wrote this without the intention of makinG it seem romantic. and as a friend once said "they two bad bitches n they kissin each other 🔥🔥🔥🔥"

NUMBER 8: ROSEMARY

iconic in every sense of the word these two are special to me. i have to include them here purely due to how influential they were it's awesome not much else to add here as this isn't one of the ships i'm severely brainrotted about i just think they're neat!

NUMBER 7: lumity!

i used to be biG into these two they're wonderful and it was Great seeinG somethinG like this on modern television. shoutout dressinG up and travelinG toGether (iykyk)

NUMBER 6: weblena

now we're GettinG into brainrot territory. the showrunners said somethinG alonG the lines of "webby won't Get a romantic interest because the show isn't about romance" and i Go "what the fuck are you talkinG about we already had a romantic subplot with her and lena that was clearly the point of all of that" there is a scene in season 1 where webby calls lena a "beautiful idiot" and then looks at her like this

TELL ME THAT ISN'T gAY! YOU CAN'T BECAUSE IT'S gAY AS SHIT THESE TWO ARE SO FRUITY TOgETHER DUCKTALES 2017 I LOVE YOU FOR EVERYTHINg BUT I WISH YOU ALLOWED THESE TWO TO HAPPEN

number 5: sashanne!

much can be said about this ship and the anGst behind it and all that. i'm huGe on sashannarcy as a whole and i considered addinG that ship to this list but i thouGht talkinG about the dynamics of the pairs would be more interestinG sashanne is a stronG case of missed potential to me, a lot could have been done to make their dynamic a lot more compellinG even more-so than it already is and a lot could have been chanGed about the way they handled sasha's "redemption arc" in season 3. season 3 as a whole is a mess that i have many opinions on but that's for another day. despite all the flaws and missed potential this ship still aches me in the best way possible. they were 13 years old at the time of amphibia and they had to deal with ALL OF THAT. at aGe 13 sasha elizabeth waybriGht attempted actual honest to God suicide due to a fiGht she had with anne while lean on me was playinG in the backGround and the world was forever chanGed. amphibia was so held back by so much and the amount of missed potential in it (especially in season 3) kills me but despite all of that this relationship shined throuGh as one of if not the best part of the show for many people. Good shit!

NUMBER 4: lapidot!

NOW WE'RE gETTINg TO THE gOOD SHIT how come even in media that has explicit queerness everywhere i always tend to Gravitate towards the dubiously canon clearly more than friends who were done dirty by their lack of screentime toGether? lapidot is a lot for so many reasons and i'm very much not alone in beinG abnormal about these two. IN FACT REBECCA SUgAR HERSELF DREW HUMANSTUCK ART OF THEM! AND THE OFFICIAL CARTOON NETWORK SOCIALS HAVE RECOgNIZED THIS SHIP MULTIPLE TIMES!! the way these two Grow to be comfortable around each other and learn to live in this new stranGe place toGether is so charminG and so Gut wrenchinG when you're rewatchinG the show and know what's cominG. in the episode where peridot learns to bubble stuff for the first time she sends the bubble off and when she asks steven where it'll Go he says "home" AND THEN IT CUTS TO LAPISSSSSS. SHE THINKS OF LAPIS AS HER HOMEEEEEEE DON'T EVEN FUCKINg gET ME STARTED ON DISTANT SHORE I ACTUALLY SOBBED SO FUCKINg HARD WHILE WATCHINg THAT SCENE IT'S UNREAL they were done so dirty with their reunion as well what do you mean all we Got was a "hey" I NEED TO SEE TEARS AS THEY MAKE OUT DAMN IT!! these two are imperfect and they stumble throuGh this whole life thinG a lot and there are many ups and downs to their relationship but that's what makes it compellinG that's what makes it so Good and damn it at the end they made it back to each other... if we ever Get more official su content and these two aren't canonized in it i will end up on the news

NUMBER 3: stephcass!

yea what did you expect of course this was Gonna be here these two are everythinG to me and every day that passes by where they aren't canon is a day i am in physical pain their dynamic throuGhout batGirl 2000 Gives me life and the anGst that comes from it is delicious the obvious queerbait in batGirls doesn't help this at all. they knew what they were doinG and you can't convince me otherwise these Girls and their relationship persevered despite all the editorial nonsense that tried to split them up and each time they came back stronGer than ever they have such undeniable chemistry and they're universally loved as a pairinG come on dc you would be actually stupid not to put them toGether come on everyone already clocked them like 2 decades aGo

NUMBER 2: junerezi!

dear lord this pairinG has had an affect on me. you really do Go into the epiloGues expectinG roxyGen and then end up on the other side screaminG and clawinG at the walls in the name of junerezi i was hooked on them before i even read meat! the little crumbs in candy were so dense and so impactful to me their dynamic is so incredibly fun to read and their scenes in meat are so painful and so powerful they are the reason i own the epiloGues physically i need beyond canon to be done already so i can see the end of this plotline throuGh i need them back toGether you don't understand june's death in meat while in terezi's arms actually made me feel numb irl for like a week i wish people would Give the epiloGues a chance because they're actually really damn Good and the junerezi is sooooo delicious i cry so hard i usidgfbuiydboguiszdghbfuijdsbvgfyihsdfobuijgbf[9usapigbvfuidjbsfuijdb

NUMBER 1: MARCANNE

spoiler warninG for amphibia

i don't talk about these two often on here, not as much as i'd like at least. but marcy wu as a character and this ship specifically literally chanGed me as a person. there is a reason i still call marcy my favorite character in fiction despite havinG read stories i consider to be much better than amphibia since. and this may sound stupid but i Genuinely do not know if i would be alive today were it not for marcy i started amphibia at a very rouGh time in my life and the character of marcy and the lenGths she went to for anne hit me so incredibly hard due to that imaGine with me for a second that you are 13 years old. a child Genius! everyone around you recoGnizes you as someone who will be incredibly successful later in life you have 2 people who are incredibly important to you. they mean everythinG to you you would Give the world for them and yet those two people cannot be bothered enouGh to enGaGe with you about your favorite movie or your interests in General

marcy Gave up her entire life back on earth just to be able to exist around anne and sasha. she had everythinG GoinG for her earth was her home she Got Good Grades her future looked briGht she was studyinG for the SAT from aGe 13 and earth was where all of her interests were. everythinG she knew. and she Gave that up for anne and sasha. do you know how deeply you have to care about someone to be willinG to do that? do you know how stronG your love for them has to be? cut to true colors. this episode ruined me i won't even Get into the confession scene. i have that scene memorized by heart and i start to tear up whenever i think of it i Genuinely don't think i can handle talkinG about it the stabbinG scene however.

once aGain i remind you this is a 13 year old. imaGine beinG 13 and usinG what you think may be your very last words ever to apoloGize to someone. someone you so deeply care about. you are dyinG in front of them and all you can think to say in that moment is sorry. because you believe they hate your Guts at that moment. could you imaGine GoinG throuGh that?

could you imaGine then wakinG up realizinG you're alive only to be Greeted by niGhtmarish hallucinations of your worst fear. and what's your worst fear in that moment? your friends hatinG you. them leavinG you behind after all that you went throuGh to stay close to them

the first thinG she said when she woke up was "sashy...? anne..??" SHE WAS DREAMINg OF THEMMMM

AND THEN WHEN SHE'S TAKEN OVER BY THE CORE HER FANTASY IS gETTINg TO EXPLORE NEW FANTASTICAL WORLDS ALONgSIDE ANNE AND SASHA!!! ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS SPEND TIME WITH THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO HER this is quickly turninG into an essay about just marcy so let me try and Get into some of the more liGhthearted aspects every sinGle scene we see of marcy and anne throuGhout their time toGether in season 2 is the Gayest shit i've seen in my whole life. them sobbinG and huGGinG each other after beinG reunited... anne boopinG marcy and tappinG her on the head later in the episode.. anne tryinG to impress marcy by actinG smart... marcy STANDINg STILL IN ONE SPOT UNTIL THE SUN WENT DOWN IN A DAY AT THE AQUARIUM AFTER ANNE LEFT TO gO WITH THE PLANTARS. ANNE BLUSHINg AT MARCY'S INFODUMP IN NEW WARTWOOD. THEIR ANTICS IN THE SLEEPOVER EPISODE. THE PROCESS OF ANNE gETTINg HER NEW ARMOR AT THE END OF SEASON 2 AND THE WAY MARCY LOOKS AT HER AFTER SHE DECIDESSSS

as previously stated this ship is extremely influential to me and i would not be the same person today without it. i don't even know if i would be here today without it. so i would like to close this post off by sayinG thank you amphibia. thank you matt braly. and most of all thank you marcy wu <3 you are a treasure that i will cherish for the rest of my life nothinG will ever compare to you

#gwen thought dump #thanku for the ask jackie!! sorry for the insane amount of text #i Get passionate about my yuri's

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darrellenjoyer · 6 months ago

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i remember i got into amphibia like halfway through season 2 airing and. when true colors first came out it was like 9/11 for annoying people i was freaking out. the before episode warning had me shaking in my boots

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moistvonlipwig · 8 months ago

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Top 10 Favorite Final Seasons of a TV Show

For @loisfreakinglane's enjoyment.

...This was actually so hard. I'm limiting myself to TV shows with multiple seasons that have officially for-real ended, as well as to final seasons that I've watched in full (so there are some seasons of shows I watch that maybe should make the cut that won't because I haven't gotten around to them yet). In the order that I thought of them:

Breaking Bad Season 5: A really strong & exciting final season with some great new characters (Lydia Rodarte-Quayle I love you Lydia Rodarte-Quayle!!!) and some of the show's best episodes.

Once Upon a Time Season 7: My favorite season of the show, and one that weirdly addressed a lot of the problems I had with the first six seasons. The new characters were great and they did some cool & unexpected things with the old characters. Hardly perfect, and it somehow made the show's already-convoluted timeline worse, but it was a very strong note to end the show on & it helped me look on the show as a whole in a much fonder light, which was no small feat after some of the bullshit the show had previously pulled.

Amphibia Season 3: A great final season. I loved seeing the Boonchuys on Earth in 3A, and I loved the story arc of Anne & Sasha co-commanding the resistance in 3B. IMO a lot of the complaints about this season come from people who didn't really understand what the show was about. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Steven Universe Future/Steven Universe Season 5: I kind of consider Future to be the proper 'final season' of Steven Universe and not its own show, but I know some people disagree and consider it a separate limited series and would say that Season 5 is the real final season of the show. Either way, both seasons are quite good. I think Future is consistently stronger -- Season 5 has a stretch of 6 or so episodes that are kind of weak -- but Season 5 has higher highs. But again, both are very good final seasons, whichever one you consider to be the 'true' final season.

Person of Interest Season 5: Honestly, this is not the best final season -- I think being limited to 13 episodes really hamstrung the writers, and not all the episodes are good -- but it does end on a really strong note, and also I ran out of final seasons I consider legitimately great, so, uh, good for you PoI, you arguably don't deserve to be here but you're here anyway!

Better Call Saul Season 6: I'm not gonna lie, I had problems with the way 6B unfolded -- I thought the pacing wasn't the best and some of the character/plot beats didn't quite land -- but both 6A and the finale were very strong, and I'm not opposed to most of the events of 6B in theory. Plus, BCS is just well-made TV in general, so even when I didn't love it, I was still appreciative of the artistry that went into the show.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 9: I remember really liking the first half of this season and thinking it was some of the best stuff the show had put out in years. The second half was more par for the course but not bad. The actual season-long plot was pretty whatever but it produced some good episodes, and Daniel Ingram, as always, delivered with the music.

Battlestar Galactica Season 4: Look, anyone who's taken a cursory glance at my BSG tag knows how I feel about what BSG S3 & 4 did to Boomer, and S4 additionally committed the sin of killing off Anastasia Dualla, but I don't actually think S4 is overall a bad season. I think it could've been better, sure, but I honestly was fine with it aside from the stuff I hated. Lol. Also, Kara Thrace turns into a pigeon, and that's hilarious.

Infinity Train Season 4: Technically this is a better season of television than some of the seasons listed above, but it was not intended as a final season and you can tell; nothing about it makes for a particularly effective ending to the show. I will forever mourn the remaining 4 planned seasons of this show that we never got. But, hey, it's still a good season, even though it's probably the show's weakest outing.

...Revolutionary Girl Utena's Apocalypse Arc: LOOK I KNOW IT'S NOT A "SEASON" I RAN OUT OF FINAL SEASONS I LIKE OKAY. It's better than pretty much everything else on this list though because it's RGU, how could it not be.

Tagging @jioinfocommlimited, @02511213942, @occidentaltourist, @cassphos, @nocticola, and anyone else who wants to tackle this challenge. Be warned, it's harder than it looks!!!

#i think only the first 4 on this list actually deserve to be on here but i wanted to push myself to reach 10 so here we are!#with only minimal cheating!#bacon bad #and it's the story of us #the absolute destiny apocalypse #we wouldn't have hot dogs #train to nowhere #something about pylons #mysterious as the dark side of the moon #you are being watched #the road has good choices and it has bad choices #frogblogging

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spopsalt · 8 months ago

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The Heart Part 2 vs Fear No Mort, a spop and Rick and Morty comparison!

Gotta be honest, didn't expect to make this post, I assumed that people would think they are too different to compare, but here we are! I will be comparing them based on the opening, emotional moments, the story, and the ending scene since that's the big moment for both of the episodes and the main thing people tend to focus on for these episodes. Then I'll give a general rating for them both, this will be a long post and different than usual, so please enjoy!

The opening

So with both of them I'll count the first 5 minutes as the opening, it's usually easier with Rick and Morty because it normally starts with a cold opening, but Fear No Mort doesn't have one. So I'll take the first 5 minutes of both of them

Ok let's rate the first 5 minutes on spop. There is a lot going on we see Catra protecting Adora because the plot told her to, then we see Glimmer somehow removing the chip from her dad which is...fine I guess? Then we see Bow with Scropia, none of these plot lines are all too interesting but I mean they work fine I guess. Could use a bit of explaining for how the chips get removed other than ✨️friendship✨️ yes I get it this is a kid's show, but still.

Sooo 1/10 for the opening

Ok now onto Fear No Mort, usually Rick and Morty episodes have a cold open but this one doesn't have one so I'll just use the first 5 minutes like how I did with spop, besides the blatant Denny's advertisement, it's not bad, it sets up the main plot very well and there's a few good jokes here, besides the incest joke at the beginning that we shall never speak of.

Sooo 9/10 for the opening! Very good at setting up the plot with some good jokes! Had to dock a point because capalitalism

The emotional moments

I had to rewatch the heart part 2 for this so I hate you just (I kid, I kid, I love y'all) Ok so the first emotional moment (Or it tries to be) is when Catra protects Adora from a monster that was attacking her, and like I said Catra is only protective when the plot demands it. And I...felt nothing. I literally did not feel bad at all. And pf course Catra can say hi to Adora, but can't apologize for leaving her on her deathbed when she literally was begging on her knees for her to stay. Cool cool cool. And then Glimmer removes the chip from her dad...somehow? It's unclear but whatever she did it worked. Also Micah insulting Glimmer seems like it's meant to be emotional but again I felt nothing because we never see how they normally interact so....their one hugs was nice though ig. Then we get Bow telling Scropia that Prime can't turn her into something she's not and that works? It's kinda dumb, then he does something with Entrapta maybe it said what it does in the previous episode but I'm not rewatching that <3 but yeah it removes everyone's chip and Scropia apologizes which is fine ig. Then Bow says they can't give up and for some reason prime's clones stop and let Bow finish his speech, I mean ig they're polite. And again I really don't feel anything at all. Shadow weavers death again I feel nothingggg. It was just such a lazy way to end her arc. I mean I guess I feel some sympathy for Adora because while Shadow Weaver was a horrible abusive influence on her life, she was still like a mother to her. Catra saying she's not going to leave Adora again, I do not care. Like she already left mutiple times even when Adora was ON HER KNEES BEGGING HER TO STAY. I can't feel anything here if Catra does apologize for that. Ok so they try to make you think Adora is going to die, but that's dumb because this is a KID'S SHOW! They won't just kill off their main protagonist! What are they? Amphibia? No! You know they won't do it so it doesn't make you feel anything. Also Catra is trying to encourage Adora to stay alive, and that's the only good thing she did here. Even then I can't feel sad when Catra has been abusive towards Adora, I just don't care. They also make you think Entrapta is going to die but we know nothing is going to happen so I could care less. They already did a fake out with Entrapta. Catra and Adora kiss and AHHHH MY EYES "I love you! I always have!" Uh-huh I'm sure you always did when you were abusing her.

0/10 for the emotional moments, it's trying way too hard

Even though it was hole Rick, we get a really cute scene of Hole Rick confiding in Diane saying "You're the only thing I can't replace " which uhmmm breaks my fucking heart? Yeah I really shouldn't feel bad for Rick buttttt I do. We also get a speech about happiness being a trap, which is honestly sad, it says "Happiness is a trap, it can't last forever, let's say you meet the love of your life, well it's still going to end, it's inevitable! Whether by the slow pull of a disease of the shock of loose footing on a hiking trail, whether it be the correasion of two personalities that reshape each other until they're incapable, or maybe it's the old stranger at the bar that says the things that need to be said to that person, that night." Yeah maybe it lears a bit into being edgy, but it still hurts. Also Morty puts his life on the line to save Hole Rick because he's codependent and believes that his worst fear is Rick dying, but it's even sadder than that. Just you wait we'll get into that scene soon. And look at the ending scene section for the last emotional moment.

9/10 might seem a little edgy at times, but still has a lot of great emotional moments that really hit

The story

It's...fine I guess? I mean the pacing is all messed up but I mean there's no glaring plotholes, and besides the god awful kiss scene it's...decent? Huh, how about that. Even though friendship getting the chip off some of the chipped characters is dumb.

3/10 for the story, it's fine, but can be dumb at parts

Its good, we get a lot of Morty which is great since he was servery underused in this season and it's great to see his trauma actually get some attention, so very VERY good story! The premise itself is very interesting as well and they use it to it's full potential

9/10, the pacing is a little slow at times, but it does a GREAT job with the story and use all of its potential

The ending scene

Meh, it just shows how everything is happy now, I mean yay! A happy ending! But it's just boring. But whatever

2/10 for the ending, again besides the kiss and romanticizing abuse, it's boring

It's so fucking good I can't give it justice with just words, just watch it and you'll see what I mean

spop remember to take notes! This is how you show someone feeling like they don't matter to someone else, it makes sense that Morty would fear that BECAUSE of Rick's consistent emotional abuse, and it's still heartbreaking because you KNOW Rick does care in his own way but you can't blame Morty for feeling that way. It's just an incredible scene

10/10 just speaks for itself if I'm being honest

Overall ranking:

The heart part 2: 2/10. Very VERY boring, tries too hard to be emotional and it romatizes abuse for a young audience and that's no good

Fear No Mort: 9/10 can come off as a bit slow at times, and not all the jokes hit, but it's a really gripping and emotional episode

#anti spop #spop criticism #spop discourse #spop crit #anti c//a #anti catradora #anti catra #spop critical #antic//a #spop salt #Rick and Morty #Fear No Mort

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alfredstvthoughts · 2 months ago

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Amphibia - Froggy Little Christmas (Season 3 Episode 9; 27 November 2021)

Amphibia is perhaps one of the very finest animated shows of modern times and in common with many of my recent reviews, I look at the show's Christmas special which has become a recent favorite of mine that I regularly watch each December now.

Having ended up back home on Earth along with her adopted frog family the Plantars from Amphibia at the beginning of Season 3, the episode opens with Anne Boonchuy's mother receiving an offer to have her Thai food business be represented with a float in an upcoming Christmas parade. Despite this being a dream come true for her, she reluctantly rejects the offer in order to protect Anne and the Plantars.

However, Anne wants to make her mother happy and give thanks for everything she's done for her and the Plantars, so with the Plantars as well as several other people they know, they secretly prepare a float for her mother for the parade and when they reveal it to her on the day of the parade, she finally relents and takes part.

Meanwhile, the Plantars struggle to understand what Christmas is all about and back in Amphibia, King Andrias receives a drone which he then uses to bring a giant Santa figure to life at the parade in an attempt to assassinate Anne...

Like all the best Christmas specials, this episode really gets into the spirit of the season and even the opening titles and closing credits receive a Christmas makeover. Christmas is everywhere in the episode, from the parade to the extensive Christmas decorations in the Boonchuy house and the sub-plot with the Plantars struggling to understand Christmas and Sprig trying to make a perfect present for Anne fits perfectly with the season as well as being amusing, this sub-plot is resolved well in a suitable manner fitting for the true meaning of Christmas.

Although a festive special, the episode also fits nicely in within the story arc of Season 3 regarding Anne and the Plantars' attempts to live life on Earth while remaining hidden from their enemies, particularly with King Andrias' attempts to assassinate Anne. Yet the episode also stands up well on it's own merits to be enjoyed in isolation without relying too heavily on the events of the previous episodes.

Overall, one of my favorite Christmas specials ever and also one of my favorite episodes of the show, this truly is something special and is an episode I am always happy to watch every December to get me in a Christmas mood.

#amphibia #animated tv

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s10127470 · 4 months ago

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Freeform Disney Block Ideas

So for the past few months, I've been thinking about the concept of the channel Freeform having programming blocks for the animated programming from Disney’s expansive library, similar to what TeenNick and Adult Swim did with The Splat and Checkered Past.

I feel like it would help garner more interest in the channel, and would serve as a throwback to those programming blocks like Disney’s One Saturday Morning and ABC Kids.

So far, I’ve taught of about two programming blocks, both of which would air on the weekends.

Funky Fridays:

This would be a Friday night block, drawing heavy inspiration from Cartoon Network’s Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.

The block's format would be set in the iconic House of Mouse, where Mickey, his famous pals, and various Disney Channel characters serve as the hosts.

As for the programming.

The block would feature new episodes of Big City Greens, Hamster & Gretel, Kiff, Zombies: The Re-Animated Series and Primos.

In fact, that would be the biggest draw of the block.

You would be able to see new episodes of these shows before they would properly premiere on their home network.

The block would also feature reruns of Phineas & Ferb, Hailey's On It!, Recess, The Proud Family, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Pepper Ann, and yes, even House of Mouse.

And staying true to it's name, Funky Fridays would feature music videos that would air during commercial breaks, structured in a countdown format ala TeenNick's Top 10.

Finally for the schedule....

-6:00: Recess

-6:30: Pepper Ann

-7:00: Big City Greens (New)

-7:30: The Proud Family

-8:00: Zombies: The Re-Animated Series (New)

-8:30: Lilo & Stitch: The Series

-9:00: Hamster & Gretel (New)

-9:30: Phineas & Ferb

-10:00: Primos (New)

-10:30: Hailey's On It!

-11:00: Kiff (New)

-11:30: House of Mouse

Jetix:

Now this is a name that I'm sure will take you all back!

This will serve as a Saturday night block, focusing on the more action-oriented/mature programming of the library, ala Toonami.

Similar to Funky Fridays, it would feature various characters serving as the hosts of the block.

However, the setting would be in a high-tech hero base.

As for the programming, it would primarily feature reruns.

Those being of Hercules: The Series, Aladdin: The Series, Gargoyles, The Legend of Tarzan, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Kim Possible, American Dragon: Jake Long, Gravity Falls, Amphibia, The Owl House, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

There would be new episodes of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, X-Men: The Next Mutation, Maximum Marvel, and Time Patrol Bon.

In the case of the middle two, they would be Freeform original series since....

They're a little too mature for Disney Channel

They're not gonna thrive at all over at Disney XD! Also, same issue as Disney Channel

I actually want the seasons for these shows to be longer than 10 episodes. So no to Disney Plus

As for Time Patrol Bon, I know it seems strange it's an original series on Netflix.

But #1, this wouldn't be the first time a Netflix original series would go on to air on television.

And #2, this would sort of a nod to the fact that Disney famously aired the official English dub of Doraemon, another work done by the Fujiko Fujio.

As for the schedule.

-6:00: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

-6:30: Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

-7:00: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (New)

-7:30: Hercules: The Series

-8:00: Time Patrol Bon (New)

-8:30: Aladdin: The Series

-9:00: X-Men: The Next Mutation (New)

-9:30: Gargoyles

-10:00: Maximum Marvel (New)

-10:30: The Legend of Tarzan

-11:00: Gravity Falls

-11:30: The Spectacular Spider-Man

-12:00: Amphibia

-12:30: Kim Possible

-1:00: The Owl House

-1:30: American Dragon: Jake Long

Well that's all I have for now.

A short post I know, but a fun one.

Let me know what you guys think about this block ideas and the schedules for them.

#disney #walt disney television animation #freeform #jetix #programming block #tv idea #programming block idea #schedule idea #fanfiction #marvel #xmen #time patrol bon #house of mouse

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loreweaver-universe · 2 years ago

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every year there's a part of spring where a million ladybugs wind up in my bathroom and I have no idea how they get in

#amphibia #amphibloggin #bloggin #amphibia episode 9 #amphibia09

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shoppncart · 5 months ago

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9/15/2024 - Amphibia

Finally finished this up also. It was quite fun, you can definitely see the Gravity Falls roots coming through in various places. I also appreciate the show for its creative environment and world design, featuring a lot of creative setpieces and creatures in various episodes. Seeing all the weird bug-monsters and amphibian people was a big highlight overall. I don't think it reaches the same heights of Gravity Falls (a large bar, granted), but the first two seasons were still enjoyable as an episodic show. The third season trying to take a more plot-heavy focus didn't really appeal in the same way for me, and I ended up feeling kinda indifferent to the overall climax. The seriousness it portrayed felt a bit out of place compared to the rest of the series... but overall, it was a nice watch.

#media diary #amphibia

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popculturebuffet · 1 year ago

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Based on an ask where you ranked the Disney Afternoon pilots, how would you rank the pilots of each of the newer set of Disney cartoons?The cutoff I'll use is starting with the batch from when Disney moved all their cartoons to Disney Channel in 2018,I'll simplify it by not including the ones after Owl House to cut down on it being a mouthful,Pilots are Star Comes to Earth,Going the Extra Milo,Woo-oo,Baymax Returns,Welcome Home(Big City Greens), Anne or Beast,Tangled Before Ever, and TOH's pilot

Tangled is taken out as I haven't watched that one. And to compensate i'll add in The Curse from Ghost and Molly McGee (Since I haven't seen Hailey's on it or hamster and gretel yet and i've only seen a bit of kiff's first episode) and for my own amusement (and because this is my answer so I can do what I like), Moon Girl Landing.

I"ll also say before this ranking that most of these are awesome first episodes that sell what the series is at that point well. Disney is really good at pilots and first episodes.

9. The Lying Witch and the Warden: Case in point this is the only one on this list that.. isn't good. It has good moments, but as i've talked to at length with many fellow owl house fans, paticuarlly @jess-the-vampire the pilot is very ...

It beats you over the head with it's theme of "BE YOURSELF. BEING WEIRD IS OKAY", when the rest of the series does a much better job of expressing it's messages way better. It also hurt Camilla's character and reputation SO BAD that her next two episodes had to go out of their way to explain WHY she sent luz to what came off as a metaphor for conversion therapy in the pilot, show it wasn't that, show she came back right after to help, and have her accept luz as is. The character as she is now is amazing but how badly the pilot botched the assigment with her still left an impact on the series and it's the only one hwere where something in the first episode had to be course corrected this badly.

8. Baymax Returns: A solid tv movie and a neat way to bring back our squishy soft boy. I've only seen bits of this series but it's pretty good which given who made it isn't suprising.

7. Welcome Home: this is a weird one as Space Chicken was the first ep aired and produced, so my first impression of the series.. isn't this episode. Still as an INTENDED first episode it's pretty good, sets up Bill, Cricket and Tilly well. I just slightly prefer space chicken as, even with Tilly being slightly off, it showcases the entire core cast.

6. The Curse: A really good opener that sets up who molly is, why she needs brighton to be her forever home, and who scratch is and why he needs a friend. I also love the scene with mollys family finding out about scratch.. and after the shock wears off all taking it in stride to his massive annoyance.

5. Moon Girl Landing: The most recent pilot here and it's up so high for a reason. This show is fantastic and the opening does a really good job fleshing both Lunella and Devil out while also having a throughly memorable villian that gives it real personal stakes. Sure we know the family rink won't be gone in the first episode, they spent the money making that setting, but the power going down in LES and so many people's livelyhoods being in danger gives realistic stakes to "Genius 13 year old and giant red dinosaur fight elctro daughter".

4. Anne or Beast?: Another banger. Ugly Ugly Hero is still a tremendous line and it gets across our core 4 incredibly well. Also we have a slug instead of betsy for some reason who I love only because I love slugs and snails. Such shrively little guys.. or big guys in this case. Where did that snail go? Whose his agent? Am I now his agent? It's remakable how fleshed out everyone is from day one in almost all of these. I mean granted as we've seen these aren't the PILOTS but even so many series still take time to get a grasp of the cast. Amphibia and what we're about to see had it day one. 3. Star Comes to Earth: While Star Vs had a weak finish i'll probably never entirely let go it had one hell of a strong start. Star Comes to Earth tells us everything we need to know about who star and marco are. Granted Marco being the "Saftey kid" never comes up again, but it served it's point: to show Marco's a bit in his shell and cautious but wants badly to not be the responsible one, and Star provides a way out of that. Also once again we have a gag that's damn perfect with "I'm a magical princess from another dimension". It's remarkable how in just 11 minutes they set up pretty much everything for season 1 and a lot of things for the series: Star's reckleness and how she has a pretty loose grasp on her magic but a great one of combat, marco's martial arts and safteyness, his awesome parents, star's disapproving mom and ludo and co. It's a snappy 11 minutes that really sets the tone for season 1. I really shoudl revisit it with a proper review.

2. Going the Extra Milo: Speaking of things that need a proper review hot damn do I love this episode. Just thinking back to it, it does what a pilot should do and I know I keep repeating myself but that's because a good pilot is setup, showing you who these characters are (even if they can sometims be slightly off) and showing off the premise. In this case it keeps it simple: Milo meets Zack, who as a new kid serves as a perfect window into the weird shit that happens to milo.... while also showing us why he can be so chipper and happy despite the worst happening to him. The "How can you live like this scene" Is really what lands this so high, showing that milo rather than see his constant misfortune as a terrible thing.. sees it as having fun lifethreanting adventures every day. He gets to have an intresting life and Zack sees that being around milo is dangeorus.. but it's also a lot of fun. And that more importantly.. milo's one heck of a guy. Melissa also gets a lot of fleshing out as we both see her faith in milo via the side bet and her hustler nature. Had this show actually got proper promotion this would've been another hit on this pilot alone. Alas we got what we got.. and at least the two seasons we got keep this level of quality up.

1. Woo-ooo!: Look ya'll know I love ducktales, so you likely saw this coming.. but even loving me some ducks woo-ooo is just .. objectively the best on here. It does everything I said a pilot shoudl do while also having some really gorgeous shots like scrooge putting his money in the bin o rthe sweeing intro of duckburg. I'll grant it has more time than most pilots but really it does a LOT of it's character exposition in the first 5 minutes: within that we get who the boys and donald are and where scrooge is now, while the rest shows us who he was and will be again, introduces webby, beakley and launchpad and even sets up the series final villian. The second half adding in Glomgold is just gravy at this point. It's honestly weirdly LESS awkward than the rest of early season 1, where it seems they struggle more to find the shows identity while this.. shows they had the core of it from the start.

#ducktales #the ghost and molly mcgee #the owl house #amphibia #milo murphy's law #star vs the forces of evil #big hero six #moon girl and devil dinosaur

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mdhwrites · 1 year ago

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Did TOH Need More Time For Its Ambitions?

No. Because Amphibia exists. Why can I say that so confidently? Because Sasha and Amity show a VERY clear comparison in how the storytelling in each show is handled and how that shows that even with a similar amount of appearances, TOH is just lacking in actually doing anything with its concepts.

(Quick interjection: Consider this effectively a part 2/rehash on why Anne's arc in S1 is so much better than Amity's arc period, which is a blog I did a LONG time ago that analyzed critical portions of character arcs in general. This one though uses the more obvious pairing and also the two with much closer screen time and narrative importance... though with TOH that term is entirely fucked.)

Both characters are enemies to allies. Both have complicated relationships with the main character and are motivated by that relationship to change themselves for the better. Both have positions in the world and priorities that explicitly makes them opposed to the main character not only ideologically but sociologically. And, above all else:

Sasha's redemption arc, from her first appearance to Turning Point when she explicitly turns full good, is 9 segments. Ten/Eleven if you count Reunion/True Colors as two.

Amity's redemption can range anywhere from seven A plots to nine/ten depending on if A: you count Hooty's Moving Hassle, which I don't, and B: if you count the end of her redemption arc at Winging it Like Witches (when she rebukes her old friends), Escaping Expulsion (when she rebukes her parents) or Looking Glass Ruins, the first episode where she is 100% an ally. Or hell, you could actually for FIVE episodes and say it's Understanding Willow as she apologizes for the past and promises to stop bullying at least Willow at that point, which was her first antagonistic act before.

And mind you... Understanding Willow is in S1. LONG before the shortening took effect. Even the latest one of these puts it at before the shortening. So I think these are fair comparisons of just how the two's arcs were handled with the amount of time spent on them. Which raises the question: What did we get in that time?

Well... We got an actual arc with Sasha while Amity just changes randomly. That's not even really a joke. I'll try to bounce between the two to really highlight the difference, especially in storytelling.

In her first appearance, we get pretty much all possible suspicions about Sasha based on Anne confirmed. She is manipulative, self serving, self aggrandizing and tells people what they want to hear to get them to do what she wants. She is your friend so she can control you. However, she isn't all bad. She could have just ran during the Heron attack but instead helps save the day though it's very possible that she recognized she was better off staying as an equal of Grime's than running off on her own. The Toads are opposed to the Frogs in Amphibia's society though, creating an inherent conflict between Sasha and Anne due to the social dynamics of the world they are in.

Meanwhile, Amity in her first appearance actually makes a strong case for herself. She looks down on those magically challenged, which Luz is, is a bully while Luz is an outcast who has struggled with friends and has a drive to succeed conventionally while Luz uses more unconventional methods. The opposing elements are actually lined up really well between the two but we don't get a lot of Amity's actual personality. She just comes off as an entertaining, almost neurotic bitch. We get more of her personality in her second episode where she is a little more in control of her emotions, shows a potential softer side, and also sets up another sociological conflict in that Luz inherently is on the side of the wild witches due to her mentor and her magic style while Amity is full on the coven train, even to the point to wanting to one day potentially lead the Emperor's Coven. Though, importantly... The only thing that's challenged about Amity's worldview in this episode is the idea that someone she thinks is weak could actually be strong, something that theoretically could have been said to have been covered by the end of Teenage Abomination when Willow proves herself with the seed. Hell, it's also reinforced in an episode I don't usually count for this but is kind of important: Hooty's Moving Hassle. So that's one problem addressed but only tangentially and it's by no means the biggest issue between Amity and Luz. Amity is still a bully after all.

Meanwhile, Reunion goes for the core, both sociologically and personally. The Toads want Hop Pop dead and Sasha doesn't care. Not only that but Sasha assumes that if she tells Anne not to care, Anne won't because in her eyes, Anne serves her. She is the one in charge after all and she won't take no for an answer. Period. We're even shown this explicitly in the flashbacks. The problem is... Anne has gone through an entire character arc to make it so she can stand up to Sasha and challenges pretty much all of Sasha's beliefs. Her need for control, her callousness towards others and her warped view of reality where she is the hero and all else are best off listening to her. Sasha even gives in for a moment in an act of genuine selflessness by letting go of Anne's hand so her and the Plantars can live. It does a lot of work but... It might be considered rushed if that were the end of her primary antagonism.

You know where this is going. In her third major appearance, forth appearance overall... Amity is a neutral entity and a friend by the end of Lost in Language. Honestly, if you wanted to argue that the majority of Amity's arc, especially friends to allies, was three episodes, you'd be actually making a very compelling point. This episode after all is the one where she effectively stops being a bully. She just is now the overly dedicated smart girl. She is explicitly not the antagonist though but instead the victim and the one we're primarily supposed to sympathize with. Then, thanks to Azura, she befriends Luz by the end of the episode. They are already allies and... There isn't much reason for it besides one time teaming up. Sure, Luz has challenged Amity's perceptions but even she calls out in this episode that each time they meet up, Amity gets in trouble or/amd embarrassed. Luz has actually done extremely little to deserve this because all Luz has actually done with Amity before this episode is a declaration of combat and then their last talk in Covention which was just about maybe rethinking if someone could or couldn't do something, not about Amity's morality. Also, Luz is important to consider here. These sorts of arcs involve the MC in a pretty crucial way because they're the one the antagonist wants to become allies with and so the MC needs to accept them. Amity hasn't done fuck all at this point to deserve Luz's attention because she's a bully and is cruel to her mostly besides her final act in Covention. It is literally NARRATIVE TROPES that make Luz forgive Amity and want to befriend. Literally. Nothing about Amity's actions or actual character, Luz just wants to live out her fanfic.

And that brings up the fact that Anne does keep giving Sasha chances but they have an established history and that push and pull of trust is a large part of this. It's the main driving factor for why Sasha will change at all and why the lengths she goes both for manipulation and redemption are important. It's also important to show WHY Anne might have wanted someone like Sasha around. Toad Catcher is not crucial for Sasha's arc, Barrel's Warhammer also shows how much Anne's rebuke of her and choosing the Plantars over her fucks with her mentally, but it does let you see why people follow her. The motivation she can bring them because Sasha does see the best in people... But mostly because people's bests are also the most useful for her. It also doubles down on her good quality that she rarely gives up on someone she chooses to ally with. All while still making it clear that if given the chance, she'll try to get back at Anne because accepting Anne was right is too antithetical to how she sees the world.

And then for both, we get episodes that mostly just explore the characters. A sort of holding pattern for both arcs with Barrel's Warhammer, Third Temple, The Sleepover and The Battle of the Bands for Sasha while we have Adventure in the Elements, Understanding Willow and Grom for Amity. This is also where you can extend this to include Winging it Like Witches and/or Escaping Expulsion depending on where you count Amity's arc as fully ending. For both characters though, the status quote they're primarily in doesn't change a lot. Amity is a tentative ally who has to get dragged into things and is generally a good person but not hanging out with everyone else casually yet. Meanwhile, Sasha is barely controlling her growing rage and insecurity about losing her power over Anne, exacerbated by Marcy coming into the mix and, from Sasha's perspective, siding with Anne. Though, there is a critical difference.

One is actually exploring the character, their motivations and their mindset. In all the episodes I listed for Amity, Amity gets small steps but they're NOTHING we don't already know. She's a generally good person who has a compulsion to succeed until suddenly in Escaping Expulsion that she's let her grades slip. There's nothing about what drives her towards success, no exploration on if these changes are difficult on her, both of which are actually in Battle of the Bands to some extent for Sasha. We don't see how this stuff is affecting her besides her growing crush and if that's getting her to act out. That takes until fucking Looking Glass Ruins to actually manifest while Barrel's Warhammer shows how much the idea of changing is fucking with Sasha's head but also why her behavior is toxic. How her best traits can also be her worst. Amity's traits are barely even being examined. She's just slowly becoming more and more obsessed with Luz and bleeding personality for it by becoming a very generically good person.

THEN we get Sasha's big relapse. Her denial of her arc. The attempt to wrestle back control because she saw an oppurtunity to be on top and took it. This is book 2's ending for Zuko. A moment of weakness where the character's vices means they at least have to question their character arc. If that's what they want or if they want to continue being who they always were. True Colors is this for Sasha, even to the point where she is willing to throw out parts of her past if she can't find a way to keep them. It is that same weakness that makes her plans fail though because once she can try to justify her actions and bring Anne back to her, she can't fight Anne properly and loses for a second time. Again, that push and pull of trust and control.

And Amity doesn't have this. The closest there is to it is Escaping Expulsion... Where she doesn't do shit. Calling that an Amity episode is FRUSTRATING for me because she is barely in it. Not only that, but she doesn't decide to do villainy. Instead, it's that she is a teenager with a controlling mother. But don't worry, despite only showing up for like four minutes of the episode, Amity can just tell her mom to piss off and that's that. It isn't motivated by a push or pull, Amity doesn't want to go back at all and she actively is miserable the entire episode despite having explicitly chosen to be a bully for YEARS before this. After all, her parents only told her she couldn't be friends with Willow. They never told Amity to bully her for years and become queen bitch of the school over all. That was Amity's choice.

And then finally resolution. When the character themselves accepts the change and stops shifting morality. This is actually why I consider Turning Point the end of Sasha'a arc. Commander Anne is follow through but it's just reinforcing the version of Sasha that takes form in this moment. The Sasha, who reading how much her betrayal hurt Anne but how much trust she had for the mean girl, who has to face all she's lost in her pursuit of power, takes the mantle of guardian seriously. It is not a moment of weakness like in Reunion that makes her put other lives over hers but instead a moment self actualization and determination. A moment of strength and one she'll stick to for the most part. She is no longer manipulative, she is a commander, even if she doesn't have the title yet. This is especially satisfying because... Well, we've seen EVERYTHING that motivates this moment. Not just Anne's stuff but Grime's loyalty to her and how much that means to her. Percy and Braddock abandoning her and her trying to use the calculus of war to be okay with that. We can see MOUNTAINS of evidence for why she would choose this over her old self. Over one more time to try to conquer Amphibia like Grime suggests.

I... Genuinely can't really say when this happens for Amity. This actually has way less to do with how many times she rejects her past self and more to do with... Why does she? Why does she ever change in fact? What are her motivations? Because even in Escaping Expulsion, Luz's conversation with Amity isn't "You need to stand up to your parents because you shouldn't let others dictate your life." It's instead, "You should stand up to your parents so I can go back to witch school." And this happens CONSTANTLY. Remember: You can argue her villain role ends on her third major appearance and Luz NEVER talks morality with her. Never has Amity actually learn something.

It actually comes down to an inherent storytelling choice with TOH as a whole: Very few episodes are about anyone other than Luz and Luz actually really sucks at helping people during their episodes. Gus actually has some of the best episodes dedicated to a side character as they're actually addressing a core element of the character... And in his first one, Luz is a bystander. She does fucking NOTHING except maybe give Gus a pep talk. She is mcguffin than anything. With Amity though? Covention is mostly about Luz learning about the coven system. Lost in Language is about Luz and the twins and her want to befriend Amity, not the why she wants to befriend Amity. Adventure in the Elements: About Luz having a Winter Adventure where Amity is a perfectly good person. Understanding Willow is actually one of the better ones because at least for that one, Amity makes her final choice because she's nostalgic for an old friend. Grom has her only stand up though when Luz in trouble. Winging it Like Witches? It's just Luz being in danger that motivates her. Escaping Expulsion? Luz being in danger. Looking Glass? Luz needs her.

This is why Amity feels like she changes just for a pretty girl. Luz actually does NOTHING to ever try and change Amity. To ever actually interact with Amity's arc. Reaching Out will be the pinnacle of this where Amity has suddenly written off the entire coven system, one of the only things besides Luz we've been told she cares about... And Luz has never once talked to her about the coven system or Belos. Because Luz has barely actually talked to her about her besides to call her cool and pretty. It is remarkable how little Luz actually interacts properly with Amity and how few real conversations they have, especially about their differences and feelings about each other. Each time Sasha and Anne are in the same room, you know their philosophies and relationship is going to come up in some way. It's too omnipresent for both to ignore. Meanwhile... There's a lot of episodes where Lumity exchange cute jokes and that's it, despite the main plot focusing on those two characters for that episode. And remember: TOH's A plots explicitly have more time to include those sorts of slower conversations. Oh, and, you know, one of these pairs are just friends while the other GETS INTO A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP.

And the pinnacle of all of this: Amphibia does this amazing character arc while also making it plot relevant and REALLY important to its themes. Sasha is a primary antagonist for two seasons technically. She genuinely challenges both the message of change being good from a meta perspective but also challenges Anne's own character arc from a narrative perspective. Her degradation of care is contrasted by how Amphibia makes Anne care so much about others that it makes it harder and harder for her to write off Sasha despite what Sasha did. Then, Sasha changing her perspective and treatment of others, while keeping the core of herself true, is what helps keep Wartwood alive while Anne is gone while also demonstrating the power of change but also that you don't have to change literally EVERYTHING about you.

Meanwhile, it was a fucking meme in the TOH community that if Amity was on screen, nothing could happen and that stayed almost true for literally half the series. Not only that but Amity's complete change for Luz doesn't really feel coherent with the themes of self acceptance and not changing for others. It tries because the show posits that Amity just needed a better environment to go back to being the good person she always was but A: that's never explored because challenging her environment is not actually a part of what motivates her changes, just B: Luz is the whole reason for her change and she changes effectively into Azura, Luz's favorite character. That doesn't feel like becoming her own person and instead changing literally every aspect of yourself for your partner which... Yikes. To put it mildly.

You can cut EVERYTHING to do with Amity out of the show and you lose literally nothing except representation. You cut Sasha out of Amphibia though? You do not have the same story. Period. You have to rewrite a good bit because despite her lack of appearances, she is important. A lot of elements of Amphibia are important like that.

And Amphibia did it with smart storytelling that actually explored its own elements, not because it had three full seasons. Not when Sasha takes up so much less time of her show than Amity does.

This is all because Amphibia actually was interested in telling a character arc instead of just kind of weakly being able to claim it had a character arc. You can even extend that to almost literally any element that TOH and Amphibia both did. And not because of time, simply because one is written a hell of a lot better and was more interested in actually telling its story rather than making a bunch of statements that Twitter could freak out about.

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#the owl house criticism #toh critical #toh #the owl house #amphibia #sasha waybright #Sasha #amity blight #Character Arcs

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