#and *everyone* has an opinion on how phantom died

[jnece-maharlika]

Danny accidentally becomes the Ghost king, The president and the BIGGEST threat to Bruce's social status.

Pt 1 Danny becomes the Ghost king

"Fenton's were never allowed to have a "normal" life, we are either extremely successful or extremely unsuccessful, there is no in between. Maybe a spirit cursed us back in the days, but who knows, but one things for sure, all Fenton's will definitely make the news."

-Grandma Fenton from whatever generation

Danny's starting to believe that now. He used to think that it wasn't true, but now? He used to wish to have a normal life, be a good normal son with good grades an be an astronaut one day.

But like they said, a Fenton is either EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL OR EXTREMELY UNSUCCESSFUL.

He was EXTREMELY UNSUCCESSFUL in that.

Instead of a normal life he turned a half ghost teen superhero. But oh well, the Fenton's were also known for their ability to go with the flow

But how in the world did the flow get him here???

In Danny's defense, he wasn't really expecting this. The only thing in his mind at the moment was keeping his town and his people safe from pariah. He just wanted to get rid of the rotten fruitloop. He was EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL, so successful in fact that he ended up becoming Ghost king.

The fudge????

But okay, sure, he didn't wanna become king but if he also didn't want to give up the crown for others to take, what if an evil person becomes king and attacks amity again?? Fine, he'll be king, he'll figure it out. Just go with the flow.

Surprisingly, not only did he get the crown, he also got THE MONEY. as in literal gold and silver bars, coins and jewelry. Appearantly, one the kings a long long time ago, before at least two generations before pariah had an obsession with MONEY. So the king made a Permanent Royal Degree (a law that cannot be changed by any future kings) that when someone dies and becomes a ghost, 20% of the MONEY that they've acquired in their entire life. (The money turns into an equivalent of ghost currency in the realms but is still physically in the living. Kind of like how the soul is in the realms but the body is the earth. Also, the only reason money exists in the realms is for convenience and a sense of normalcy, it doesn't really have that much value unless the ghosts brings it to the living) would belong to the ghost king.

Basically, it's ghost taxes that only have to be paid once for the entire afterlife. (Or is it more of an entrance fee???)

But anyways, hes got the MONEY.

He's rich now and he thinks, "I have so much money it's disgusting"

So first things first, getting rid of some of it.

By this point, his parents know he's phantom and have changed their opinions on ghosts, instead of attacking they are now looking at ghost like they're equals and try and help them as an apology for hurting them.

They are also looking for a new project to spend time on. A new purpose

So Danny thought, why not give them the money then? Danny proposed to his mom a project to make things that can benefit both ghosts and humans.

Next thing he knows is that he's appearantly funding, building and making:

A ghost job agency

A human job agency

Ghost proof buildings (ghost can't pass through walls, it won't hurt them, just keep em out.)

Ghost proof clothes (overshadowing proof!)

A practical fashion line for ghost and humans (Bullet proof, blast proof etch. Borderline vigilante clothes that look like a civilians day to day outfit)

Homes for ghost and humans

A ghost obsession help center where they can ask humans to help with their obsession.

A school for both ghost and humans.

Liminal 101 because apparently because of the whole, pariah dark and, living in the ghosts kings haunt situation, everyone is liminal now

An entire line of technology that can be used by both ghosts and humans.

A fight arena where ghost and humans can fight for fun.

And so many other things , he can't remember

HIS NAME IS EVERYWHERE . His parents didn't even bother hiding the fact that their son somehow has enough money to fund these projects, everyone knows him now.

He ends up basically owning most of amity park.

And here he thought he wouldn't be the kind of king that expands their territory.

He was extremely UNSUCCESSFUL in that.

[sneckoil]

ok so i haven't watched housemd since i was a kid and just finished s1 and i am just. why is cameron written like that. genuinely her thing with house had me so completely lost this season. feels like a waste of a great actress but?? maybe I'm wrong?? she just feels so. empty as a character to me. regardless i would love to know what your opinion is on the character bc from what i remember it doesn't get better from here

I dont blame you ban-joey and I really appreciate your courage to send this off anon. We probably have the same experience. I watched house as a kid too (when I was 14, like 10 yrs ago) and hated her for being contrarian and inconsistent and in the way. But since then i’ve looked inward and found i was imposing double standards wrought by internalized misogyny. Anyway.

My opinions on cameron:

Number 1, if i were her i would shoot my shot with house too. excuse me. as if most of us on here are not just twenny… thirty somethings pining after old men. happily going on a monster truck date? getting a date in return for the old man to have me back on my team? Yeah. I respect the hustle. fuck that old man or whatever. marry him when he’s sick. phantom thread him

Number 2, liking Cameron is easy once you accept. That she is really really really not normal. I know this may be something you already know. But internalize it. She says something righteous but it doesnt mean that that is her defining trait. There is something so deeply wrong with her. I know you’re still on season 1 and Yes she Gets Worse but if you are working with the same lens as i am (that there’s something WRONG with her) then everything that happens makes sense. [spoilers] Of course youre only attracted to people when they’re sick and dying. Of course your reaction to being told youre boring is getting high on your patient’s drugs a few weeks away from your HIV test results. Of course you wanted to cheat on your dying husband with his best friend who comforted you while your husband was dying but you didn’t and you still haven’t after the fact he died. Of course you kept your dead husband’s sperm. Of course you wanted to kill a dictator but didnt, and then got pissed at your husband who Did kill him, a husband you actually felt nothing for and was hesitant to even let propose to you [/end spoilers] she’s so funny. If she were a guy they’d call her a messy bitch and love her for it. she has uncategorizable mental illnesses masking as a savior complex.

Number 3, you’re right about the emptiness on some level though. They wanted to write her out of the show and they did her so bad. And I’d say yeah she’s inconsistent as a character, but that goes for Everyone in this show. House isn’t consistent. Wilson isn’t consistent. None of them are consistent. Cameron is only as well-written as the writer who knows how to write her. I’ve suspected the only reason i hated her when I was 14 was she got in the way of hilson. But nowadays that stuff is so unserious to me. All i care about now is messy people being messy about other people

Number 4, she compels me. I like that she’s interesting. I don’t like most of her decisions, I disagree with her the most, but it’s interesting. She’s fun to Watch. She’s no Foreman (that guy is a case study in layers of character depth but that’s for another ramble) but that’s more than i can say for her than someone like, say, Chase LMAO

That being said if you dont like cameron then that’s fine 👍 we live in a society etc etc

I end with this (thank you jackie for putting this image on my feed)

[scientistservant]

I'm sorry for sending in another ask 🙈 But I need to know your opinion, as I haven't had a chance to read it. Sooooooo, why is Long Live The Pumpkin Queen, bad? Did they fuck up the doc and Sally that badly? Like are we talking about Love Never Dies level of shitty? (musical sequel to Phantom of the opera that most of us fans loathe.)

Oh boy, okay

This is gonna be long, please bare with me 😭

So the book completely changes/“fixes” Sally’s origins. She wasn’t a creation, or never even FROM Halloween Town.

She’s a special princess of dolls from “Dream Town” and has parents who are also dolls. She was kidnapped from her bedroom when she was like 12 by Finkelstein.

This is fucking bullshit.

How she even physically ages or how dolls can even conceive is never brought up or explained. Nor is how Fink even kidnapped her in the first place. The book and author just expects you to accept this new canon, which conveniently comes out like three decades after the source material.

Because the book is in first person and in Sally’s point of view we NEVER hear any perspective or proper explanation from Fink or any other character about anything.

Fink is just reduced to a one-dimensional villain who kidnapped Sally all because he apparently can’t create life or bring things back to life via science. You know… HIS FUCKING JOB.

He despises that Jack and Sally get married, despite that Fink would be ecstatic at this (Sally’s his creation and Jack one of his very old friends.)

Sally is also reduced to a one-dimensional protagonist who never questions anything and every third word from her mouth/brain is either “sad”, “ragdoll”, or “stitches/seams”.

She just believes these two doll people who she’s never met before, and doesn’t bother to leave “Dream Town” to ask the elderly scientist she’s known for her entire existence about this (not to mention everyone in the entire world including the holiday realms are dead asleep at this point at this part in the book anyway…)

Oh yeah, the book has a main villain too, surprisingly. It’s not Fink, even though the book certainly treats him like it.

It’s the fake ruler of “Dream Town”, Sandman, who’s actually kind of cool and creepy. But his reasoning for his villainy is bullshit, just like everything else in this damn book.

He’s just tired.

Yeah.

The Sandman is tired because he can’t sleep and his sand doesn’t work on him so he can’t get to sleep. You’d think a being as powerful and seemingly dangerous as this guy wouldn’t need sleep, but apparently he does. He’s cranky and needs a nap with his blanky, boo-fucking-hoo.

The ONLY thing I actually sort of enjoyed in the book was the bit where Sandman was stalking Halloween Town, putting everyone to sleep, and Sally was hiding from him. That was actually kind of suspenseful and I wish Sandman was that threatening throughout.

And does Sandman get any punishment for taking over “Dream Town” and putting everyone in an eternal sleep?

Nope. But FINK gets punished! Firstly, Jack completely believes these two random doll creatures he has never met before and that say they’re Sally’s parents. He yells at Fink, without asking his dear old friend if any of this is even true. And then Fink gets 100 years of prison and community service, which is stupid because why the fuck would Holiday realm laws, much less HALLOWEEN TOWN laws, function the same as the real world’s?

Speaking of which, apparently Halloween Town’s an actual monarchy, and the Pumpkin King isn’t just a cool title for the face/mascot/figurehead of the realm. The book even lampshades this, but doesn’t take this anywhere further aside from Sally complaining she has to wear a crown and Jack doesn’t.

This whole book is stupid and I will never accept it as canon, ever.

What sucks about this is that I fucking PREORDERED the book! I thought it was gonna be a story about how and why Sally was created, and get some backstory/lore for Fink, as well as explanation of why his relationship with his creation got so bad. Maybe a little extra plot of how Sally and Jack met.

But it didn’t. I fucking cried. This book made me cry my fucking eyes out, out of anger and betrayal because my favourite character and his creation/daughter was butchered.

After reading the whole thing I threw the book in a little library and never looked back.

I’m still working on a complete and total rewrite/fix-it-fic, it’s just gotten put on the back-burner because of other projects I’m currently working/fixated on. Apologies for that. But I promise it won’t be forgotten!

EDIT: Oh yeah, and the Holiday rulers have a meeting about climate change. Because Holidays have super importance with the weather or some shit. I’m not fucking kidding.

EDIT 2: The author is also a New York Times best-seller which is already pretty suspicious since that is basically a huge scam. The book has hundreds of 4-5 star reviews that don't even really get into the specifics of WHY it's good. They're all either extreme Jack x Sally fans (the book starts off with them getting married and Sally's main dilemma is worrying about being "a good enough queen") that like anything tnbc/Jally related OR a bunch of people were paid to give this book glowing reviews.

[lapseinrecs]

And He Was Dead

By uaigneach

On Archive of Our Own

Status: Complete; 1,356 words; 1st part of What People Forget series

Summary: They didn’t talk about it. Regardless of their opinion on him, no one talked about how young Phantom was, how he was dressed in a hazmat suit like some sort of lab rat. They didn’t want to think about the one time anyone gained a peak under his suit, they saw a patchwork of scars and bruises. They didn’t want to think about the one time parents were mentioned in his presence, he flinched. They didn’t want to think about how Phantom died. (AKA everyone in town has a theory of how Phantom came to be. It isn’t pleasant.)

My thoughts: This is rough. Like this is really sad. Outsider POV can be so real tho.

[iwantjellyfsh]

Crossover Fics I would die happy if were created.

TGCF x DC Universe - Mu Qing gets into DC universe somehow and becomes either becomes a League of Assassins' servant (Damian's personal one) or Alfred adopts him. Either way exploring what Mu Qing feels being a servant to the wealthy again. Or in the Damian one, Mu Qing comes to Gotham with Damian because like hell is he letting this literal child go alone (he's getting Hong Honger flashbacks). And the batfamily just wonders why tf Damian is so not a little demon brat to Mu Qing. (there has to be some symbolism with blue, like if he wears it bc that's what he wore during the Xian Le servant era)

DC Universe x Class of 09 - Kind of like a Magic & Mystery situation with Tim Drake infuriating the school. It could be a trafficking ring because of how many p3doph!les there are or smt. Either Tim interacting with the absolute insanity that is (I think the game location is georgetown?) highschool. Or him coming back messed up to bits like "Miss. I'm a sociopath" is coming back with a bang. The ending with prison maybe Timcole can see Joker? And manipulate him? Either joins the rouges or manipulates them.

MDZS x DC Universe - Lan Wangji as Damian Wayne makes so much sense to me. Emotionless, rule following, animal lovers. Would Lan Zhan find comfort in the LOA? Following their rules and training? It's just really interesting... does he find Wei Wuxian (ship of choice)? Lan Xichen (definitely Dick Greyson)?

TGCF x DC Universe - Hua Cheng / Tim going crazy trying to find Xie Lian. Becomes a rouge and breaks into bat cave cutely. Batfamily or the Sirens start finding the little stalker cute. Maybe Xie Lian just doesn't exist in this world and Ra's tries to grab the little psycho. Maybe he becomes batman when Bruce get's lost in the time stream?

Black Butler x DC Universe - Ciel Phantomhive as Bruce Wayne. Sebastian Michaels as Alfred Pennyworth... Unlocked after Bruces parents die? Alfred always knew????

Angels of Death x DC Universe - I want Rachel at the ending to attempt self delete but she like fails (Zack is still gone (maybe)) and decides to run away to the states. I want Rachel to attempt to be like Zach and for Jason to find her. Like he's doing his shtik at the LOA and he find Tichel either getting hurt or murdering someone. Or Tichel is still Red Robin somehow but they imprint on each other when Jason goes to kill them. I want family feels luving !!!

Bungo Stray Dog's x DC Universe - Rampo dies super sad but BUT he comes back as Damian Wayne and can you imagine this 26 year old man who's never run a mile in his life do assasin training? LOA doesn't give good vibes and Ramian makes that everyones problem. Also he completely shows up Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne "Smartest Detective Duo" This is his PRIDE on the line ppl! Does he do vigilante things or sneak in the background because violence is boring snacks are life?

Genshin Impact x JJK - Imagine Kaebedo as Satosugu. Does Albedo take the Gojo Clans whole thing laying down? Imagine calm Gojo I think canon would combust. Kaeya stays mostly the same in my opinion...

Danny Phantom x Class of 09 - Nicole dies then just decides to sonder off to the most haunted place ever™. She could become Danni (clone) somehow or be Phantom... Ghost King Nicole is my Roman Empire she'd burn the place to the ground.

TGCF x Naruto - Can go Kakashi as Xie Lian or Xie Lian as Kakashi, either way is about to come more traumatized than anyone barganed for. Obito / Hua Cheng can come too because the obsessiveness. Make Hua Cheng / Obito a little more crazy and he wants infinate Tsukoyomi so Xie Lian / Kakashi will quit being traumatized !!! Codependency is key and they could both join Akatsuki for shits and giggles.

Demon Slayer x Angels of Death - Muichiro with Rachel Gardener personality is curious... how much would be different?

[gryphonlover]

well you know me, i wanna know more about the eah au 👁️👁️ but also the emotional support loftwing. Whichever you feel like sharing :)

- crazylittlejester

Ever After High AU - Main

As you know, the premise is that the Links have been crammed into the Ever After High universe. I'm treating them as characters in addition to the canon characters in EAH, which means a lot of fudging, as it turns out. It's also turning into a game of "how mean can I be to the characters" and I can't exactly lose at it. XD

I've already given you a list of all the Links' and Zeldas' roles so far, but to recap, here's an updated list.

Time/Mask - a child stolen by fairies, unknown legacy, possibly the next Godfather Death, unsure of his stance on destinies.

Lullaby - Mulan's legacy, neutral about destinies.

Warriors - Helen of Troy's legacy, hates his destiny but too afraid to rebel against it.

Artemis/Athena - Athena's legacy, thinks her destiny is boring but is going along with it.

Wild - Rip van Winkle's legacy, but it got messed up with Sleeping Beauty's curse during a magical attack on the school, accidentally woken up by Hyrule.

Flora - Unknown legacy, gains the ability to turn into a dragon and uses her dragon form to wait for Wild to wake up.

Sky - The next person to fight the Jabberwocky, likes his destiny but wants to end the cycle of legacies.

Sun - [redacted] legacy, just waves it off and says it isn't important right now, 100% in love with Sky and supportive of his agenda.

Legend - Merlin's legacy, feels neutral about it since he has to wait a long time to be an adult wizard due to their longevity.

Fable - Legend's twin sister, inherited magical abilities as well, but is not a fan of the princess legacy she inherited, which will make her a side character in someone else's story.

Twilight - Unknown legacy, cursed to be a wolf-dog that Wild adopted and now is stuck with him until someone puts two and two together, he just wanted to be a farmer.

Dusk - Unknown princess legacy, is very suspicious of the weird dog Wild takes everywhere with him, but can't prove anything.

Wind - The child of an ocean deity, probably from Atlantis, doesn't care about his destiny and spends all his free time with Tetra.

Tetra - Knows who her parents are but refuses to be boxed into a destiny, so she never tells anyone what her legacy is.

Hyrule - Jack the Giant Killer's legacy, saves a bunch of people because he's just that nice, is wonderful at what he does, but everyone thinks he knows the technical stuff when he doesn't.

Dawn & Aurora - Miscellaneous princesses, they don't really know what they want to do with their lives and are kind of figuring themselves out.

Four & Shadow - Were supposed to share a legacy, but there was a falling out in the family and now the whole story is messed up.

Dot - Is fine with her destiny and really just spends all her time working on hobbies and getting random certifications while she waits to be rescued. Honestly could not be happier, this changes nothing for her.

Ravio - This is probably going in a side story later, sorry.

Malon - Also probably going to be in a side story later. Sorry.

Spirit - Wasn't supposed to have a destiny but ended up befriending a ghost and then died in a train accident caused by a magic fight that made him a ghost, too.

Phantom - Was born into a legacy family but was an "extra princess" who ended up getting assassinated before she ever found out what her destiny was supposed to be, ends up being best friends with Spirit.

Anyway, here's a bit from the main plot. :)

No, it was too early for him to fall asleep! It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. He didn’t sign The Storybook of Legend yet, none of this was supposed to be happening… Regardless of his opinion on the matter, his eyes drooped shut. The magic permeating every fiber of his being and lulling it to a deep, dark sleep. Despite his best efforts, he was rendered unable to fight it, his will simply too weak to assert itself over something so powerful. His last dim thought was gratefulness for the fact that Flora would be his last sight before he woke up again. If he ever did.

[impostorsshow]

Another rant about my "YHS Grian gets time travel-kidnapped to participate in an MCC" daydream/au, with a focus/reflection on how permadeath worlds would affect skills, except it's not a rant it's a 1.2k - 1.8k oneshot

When Grian finds out the future version of himself got signed up to...whatever this is, he has enough to be surprised at - they're on a series of floating islands, and use a portal to travel between islands that are larger apart, something Grian's only ever seen when he traveled between England and Japan.

He saw that when [Jimmy? Timmy? Did he have to check his hearing after all this time of using firearms?] was injured after being turned from a 27 year old into a teen, he got disqualified since he wouldn't be healed by the time this whole championship started, Grian decided to not share the bullet wound at his hip [Timmy was more than eager to tell him where one of the "admins" had stored some bandages once he figured out where the clinic was].

And then they got their first round of training, courtesy of Scott wanting to make the team's more balanced to skill level when the event was closer - it was a simple game in his opinion, fill in 9 blocks with your teams color and kill your opponents before they get you [Grian wished he could say that he wasnt used to death matches being considered training.] A kid named Tommy, about 11 years old was [incredibly reasonably] distressed about murdering other kids and was disqualified, so Grian was glad he learned to keep his mouth shut.

He wasn't the best by any means, but he was more than good enough to avoid dying, his team having 3 people that were on wool duty with him and a girl named False being the only ones confident in their fighting ability. False got injured, and Grain thought she died if not for the fact she reappeared without any injuries after the round was over. Grian didn't find the time to ask and False didn't catch any of his questioning expressions, but his teammates kept getting injured and were praising him on not getting hurt [how would he have gotten this far in the Yakuza otherwise?? How did you get cut across the abdomen with an iron sword and survive? Why is he the only one freaking out ?] So Grian played it off and accepted the compliments as best he could.

The last round they didn't get the wool capture, and the other team was out for blood. Grian saw False get shot in the head by an arrow and somehow survived a 3 v 1, shooting two of the players with a shot in his shoulder and watching the last player run to place the wool, ending the game with 1 loss for his team.

He felt dizzy for a moment and closed his eyes, opening them back up to see he was teleported back onto the main island, a leaderboard infront of him. Grian felt his shoulder, confused that the blood that had stained his blue uniform [he really needed to ask for a comfier change of clothes at some point] was gone and his shoulder was just fine, even if he felt the phantom pain of the arrow, quickly fading.

The leaderboard placed him in the upper middle of players, which was worse than he expected. Everyone around him was talking to each other excitedly though, so maybe MCC was only a place where seasoned professionals played and he wasn't as numbed to death as he thought. The Yakuza in his town weren't really high quality, nothing in that town was anyway.

"Hey." Grian jumped, startled at the voice and turned to his right to see False [he made eye contact with her forehead more than her eyes, not quite able to understand how she was alive. No one could survive that, he knew that much.]. Awkward silence made itself known for a few moments, False clearing her voice and snapping Grian back to reality. "Good job. You only got hit once."

"....Yeah."

"I'm saying that it's impressive. Where did you learn to do that?"

"Oh. Uh, death matches are common where I live, you kind of just..." Grian looked away from False entirely, glancing over at people in the crowd he could have sworn were dead and another count of blood on his hands. "Have to know how to survive that, or you learn the hard way."

Grian heard False mumble some agreement and walk away, narrowing his eyes at the leaderboard. He needed to figure out which adult was trustworthy enough to ask about this without getting a target in his back, as soon as possible.

In the end, he decided to ask Timmy. He was still in the clinic so surely some adult would have shared something with him, and he didn't rat out Grian for having a bullet wound ["What's a bullet?" "...a piece of metal that's used in a gun." "What's a gun?" "No wonder your in the infirmary"].

"Do you know anything about people dying and coming back?" Grian stated out of the blue, the first 5 minutes of his visit being pure silence on Grian's part to make sure an admin wouldnt come by to check up on Timmy's wounds anytime soon.

"What? Whaddya mean, Gri?"

"I mean that people keep dying and coming back. Injuries in games disappear randomly. I've seen at least like, 8 people die in the past week multiple times and all of them seem to be fine. No one's questioning it at all and-"

"waitwaitwaitwait-ow-" Timmy started waving his hands to motion for Grian to stop talking, flinching when it stretched his injury and stopped to hold his stomach where the injury was, but still eyed Grian as if he was insane. It made Grian immediately regret asking. "Are you seriously- do you not know about respawning?"

"No, unless you mean it in terms of the Gamecrab."

"I don't know what that is but -oh my god, I never thought I had to explain this ever -respawning is what happens whenever you die. Most of the time the only thing that happens is your inventory gets wiped, and you might feel like however you died for a bit or whatever injury you had last."

Grian deadpanned, getting his thoughts across very clear and making Timmy throw his hands up in exasperation. "I'm serious! How is it you've never heard of respawning, did you live on a hardcore world or something?"

"define hardcore."

"....oh my god you cannot be-" Timmy took a breath,pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering to himself for a few seconds before talking louder at Grian. "-Hardcore is used to define permadeath worlds with added difficulty to them. If you die your done forever, and even a shot to the arm can be bad enough to kill you."

"..oh,-"

"but I KNOW your not from a permadeath world because that was made illegal, right?" Grian heard a tone in Timmy's voice that sounded like Sam when he was about to snap, and decided to not ever bring this up again, responding immediately and eyeing the door.

"yup, I cant even imagine what that would be like -when was that made illegal, out of curiosity?"

"1337? seriously what-?" Grian was up from his chair and out the door before Jimmy could finish his sentence.

—————————

My version of YHS Grian is much less prone to questioning things than actual YHS Grain, and that's because this daydream is A. Made by someone who never finished YHS and B. Because it emphasizes to me the skills you would need to learn to survive living with a delusional serial killer and being in the Yakuza in general, much less a town with adults that aren't doing anything and at some points actively putting students in danger with zero consequences except for maybe getting murdered by the students.

Alot of fanfiction I see that follow the YHS -> Hermitcraft Grian timeline make him the god of combat/PVP and the most traumatized skrunkly in the world. I'm not going to deny that I may be doing the second trope can you blame me it's good content but humans learn from making mistakes, and knowing you'll survive combat gives you a hell of a lot more confidence to be more aggressive and taking risks that pay off later. I imagine children in Minecraft are just kind of thrown outside and taught how to deal with a creeper by blowing up and crying to their mom about how much it hurts to die until they stop dying or are old enough to learn to move past the pain of dying, which would have it's own psychological consequences but like. Psychological consequences of a world without death is for another post this is about how said world would compare against a world of mortality and the fear of death being less equivalent to a spider and more equivalent to the fear of being forgotten.

Anyway what im getting at here is that I think when YHS Grain is written he needs to stop being written as a PVP god, he needs to instead be written as the god of survival. It's not that he knows how to most effectively use a weapon or he can find weak points in an enemy quicker or any of that, what makes him Grian Dreamslayer is that he has the skill of dodging and misdirection, of near misses that give him just enough of an upper hand that it doesn't matter if he doesn't know how to use a sword because he thinks that if he gets hit in his stomach or chest he's not coming back, and he knows to aim for the chest of his opponent. He's absolute shit at hiding, but he knows when to identify that you've found him and when to run.

Can you tell I have a hyperfixation anyway if you read my last post I have become aware that cannibalism doesnt actually happen the way I thought it did so just like. Ignore that bit that's been vanished and if you didn't read my last post uh. I don't watch MCC and I don't watch Falsesymmetry so like feel free to critique my characterization or give me ideas this is fully self indulgent so any advice is only going to help me make up more silly things while I'm daydreaming and I might make another post about this [i have more than enough content to make like 3 similarly sized posts of this i just don't have any knowledge of who is in MCC and how they act ive literally had to search up "MCC competitors" every time i post about this]

[luneemeritus]

The Phantom of the Opera x Hazbin Hotel crossover AU (only Erik specifically actually)

So here I am making crossovers that no one cares about but fuck it these are my two favorite medias at the moment so. Here we go. (Please forgive my drawing skills I know it's not good)

Erik died in 1881 and went to Hell for obvious reasons.

He's a scorpion demon, and as he never sold his soul to any Overlord, he became independent and used his skills to handle himself. It's not easy, and he's been living in poverty and vulnerability during all those years, but it's nothing too different from his life.

He's poisonous, his venom is strong and he uses it frequently. It's not fatal because only angelic weapons kill sinners/demons, but it's still strong. He developed a new Punjab Lasso and has the power to hypnotize people with his voice, similar to his siren technique when he was a human. He discovered his pansexuality in Hell, every cloud has a silver lining.

So, years passed and now is modern days in Hell 🌈✨. Erik watched Charlie's fiasco in the TV and thought she was utterly pathetic. He doesn't deserve redemption after all, does he?... and even if he does, it's an impossible dream. No one cares for people like him, he's a lost case.

HOWEVER, after the news of Sir Pentious's arrival in Heaven spreads among Hell, Erik finally saw a chance of, maybe, at least finding a place to fit in. A place to not be completely alone for once. So he goes to the Hotel, yaaaayyy✨

.........…..........

Erik's relationships in the Hazbin Hotel

I think the person Erik would relate the most is Vaggie. They both have dark pasts that they deeply regret and that still affects the way they interact with people. They both use violence as their only coping mechanism to keep any kind of vulnerability hidden. They both have physical disabilities in their face and felt in love with a blonde walking sunshine with daddy issues that sing like an angel. Also Vaggie is a literal angel sooo...

As for Charlie... well, I think he would apreciate to know the best side of her instead of just judging her as a fool, but, I still think he would find her dreams and projects extremely utopic. And let's be real, Charlie is unintentionally condescending sometimes and she is not the BEST with therapy or healing mechanisms for sinners, Erik wouldn't let it unnoticed.

I think Erik would be fascinated by Lucifer. First, because he's the literal Angel of Music, an archangel, and like, the 'Lucifer' archetype is a lot similar to Erik. The 'fallen angel' casted out from his home and judged as the devil by everyone. Very tragic, very Erik-y. And Lucifer is also a dreamer, maybe more rational than Charlie, and he is naturally friendly so I think Erik would be fascinated.

Niffty scares the hell out of Erik but that's on everyone.

Alastor... uhm listen I'm not obsessed over Alastor as everyone else is so I'm not an Alator expert BUT. I think he and Erik would hang out well. Not friends, but like, having good conversations. They're both cultured and have very strange and cynical views about humanity (misanthrope bonding lol). I don't think Erik would be horrified hearing about the horrible tales about the Radio Demon's crimes, first because he hates himself and thinks of himself as nothing better, and second because he doesn't consider himself a target for Alastor's wrath. Also I'm pretty sure Erik would prefer old fashion rather than modern technology (could they shit talk about Vox together? maybe).

If Erik had met Angel before S1-EP4, my god Angel would annoy the Hell out of Erik. It would be funny though, imagine if Angel starts flerting with Erik and he's just like ? Bro? I'm a hideous gargoyle why ya wanna fuck me? But, he meets Angel post-season 1 in this AU so. Erik would probably envy how beautiful and confident Angel is, but I'm not sure if they would hang out that much. I think Erik wouldn't really have an opinion about Angel. They just exist next to each other.

Husk! Well I have a headcanon that Erik drinks... a little. A little too much. And I imagine him drinking at the bar and dropping insane Leroux lore to Husk. Lol. Husk wouldn't be surprised 'cause he probably heard much worse things but, yeah, their relationship would be this.

E: "So I fucked up everything"

H: "that sucks man, 've been there".

.........…..........

I won't do one for Pentious because he's already dead in this AU, but if you want to theorize how they'd interact feel free. anyway cringe ass aaaah crossover

[raviniaraven]

Since I'm seeing Phantom posts due to its closing on Broadway, I just wanna remind everyone it has a sequel musical called Love Never Dies that is amazing if only bc it's like a soap opera on every point. I'd call it fan fiction-esque but it's official and written by Webber.

It's got everything--baby daddy drama, love triangles, characters spontaneously being alcoholics when they weren't before, an early 1900s carnival freak show, I love this musical

My favorite details are Raoul claiming that he's "beaten the Phantom before" even though he nearly died and Christine saved his ass, and the fact that apparently right after the events of PotO Christine not only found where Erik was hiding from the mob but decided this was the perfect time to bang nasty. They have a whole song (Beneath a Moonlit Sky) which is legit just Erik and Christine reminiscing about how good the sex was

Also the songs in this kinda slap??? Beauty Underneath goes hard, and all of Meg's performances are in my opinion great.

So yeah in memory of Phantom of the Opera, go find a recording of its sequel, Love Never Dies. I originally watched it on YouTube but I don't know if it's still there

[sonicasura]

Tales of Father Rung: Jak

The last example for the Father Rung saga and I saved the most traumatized character for last.

Let's face it, Daxter is the only one who stuck by Jak's side since the start. In Fallout Boy's terms 'The Last of the Real Ones'. Everyone else either abandons him at some point or sadly dies too soon. Daxter gets dragged along for the ride. *Man needs his pal since Naughty Dog wants Jak to suffer clearly.*

Let's get started.

Rung comes across an unconscious Demolition Duo one fateful night. Jak is the last to wake up as he sees Daxter talking to the 'giant robot'. Rung offers to accompany the young men since the mech been here much longer.

Jak is skeptical about the therapist at first. Throughout their travelling, Rung never asks the Eco Channeler for help. Both handle their own tasks instead of the young man shouldering it all. Jak's even more confused when Rung helps him instead. No strings attached either.

Meanwhile Rung is a mix of rage and sorrow upon hearing the duo's backstory. Angry at those who groomed a child into a "chosen savior" then toss him away as if he's a worthless tool or a monster. Saddened by the fact Jak is stuck with a Prime Complex.

Daxter being treated like a nuisance when he's the only one who saw how much pain his best friend is in. A voice with wonderful ideas drowned out cause people believe he is just a mindless animal. Rung gonna help these two if no one else can.

A notion challenged when Dark Jak manifests. Rung didn't run or treat this alternate form like a monstrous threat. An action that proves to the eco channeler as a whole about the mech truly caring about them. Daxter is glad he doesn't have to spill it out.

Even when Jak's dark form mutates into something more inhuman, Rung refuses to treat the young man any different. The mech does his best to heal the trauma engraved on both boys. Daxter's opinions and suggestions are heard than ignored. (What I mean by DJ getting worse. Face + body here.)

The ottsel gleefully indulging in being treated as a person. No belittling or push to the side. Even ottsels are people too. (Only ones who treat Daxter like a person can be counted on one hand. Plus he now got tons of pants.)

An incident creates a second chance to set things right. Jak and Daxter wake up back in their world(start of Jak 2) but as Cybertronians. (Jak being a Predacon type Triple Changer, Ramjak with Slam Dozer/Dragon Alt Modes. Daxter is a Minicon Beastformer, Citrus Bolt.(Orange Lightning would be a dead giveaway)). Rung is stuck inside the Eco Channeler's Spark Chamber as a phantom.

The three help past Jak and Daxter reunite the Kid with his actual father Damas. A better future is secured as the King of Spargus not only has his son back but continue to live alongside his two additions. It takes until the end of the journey for the two Cybertronians to reveal their true identity.

The young boys feel at ease afterwards. Jak and Daxter can now switch into their bot forms with some help from Rung. It takes awhile before they can do it by themselves. The Demolition Duo are able to wield Energon now(and so much more.)

Now let's move on to the TFverse.

Earthspark

The therapist's makeshift family lives in Witwicky not too far from the Malto's household. Hiding his ears, Jak works as a stocker at a grocery store near town. A store that becomes commonly visited by Alex.

The two form a friendship unaware of the secrets they are hiding. Jak didn't expect to learn that Cybertronians exist here nor the millennia long civil war ending some time ago. Much less this info being found in media like comic books and other merchandise. (He obviously tells Rung alongside Daxter later.)

GHOST's Decepticon Hunt becomes apparent when their hidden home is found by Ravage, Frenzy, and Lazerbeak try to hide from Elita-1. Rung grants the three sanctuary although greatly concerned about this troubling news.

Soundwave later arrives who briefs everyone about the suspicions on G.H.O.S.T like Mandroid as gratitude for keeping the cassettes safe. A new side to this conflict becomes forged. Keep the rogue Decepticons out of G.H.O.S.T's hands and investigate what's really going on.

Shenanigans

Decepticons meet sassy young adults. All of them still wonder how Rung even found these very strange organics. Most agree that Jak and Daxter are more Decepticon aligned. At least they can reign in the Cassettes.

Jak refuses to throw hands with the Malto kids(human and Terrans). He's already angry that they're being brought into this mess. Rage is aimed at the adult Cybertronians mainly Megatron.

Demolition Duo disguise themselves as bots whenever involved in GHOST activity. Team Autobots are stunned to see a live Predacon specifically a youngling. Or how hostile Ramjak is from the nasty injuries left on Optimus' frame.

Rung decides to be the 'mysterious guide' for the Terrans. Leaving clues about GHOST's true intentions and guidance should they feel lost. The kids share these findings with Bee.

Surprise team up between Jawbreaker, Citrus Bolt and Ramjak. The Maltobot realizes who the Predacon is but promises to keep his identity secret. Jawbreaker gets an older brother figure in Jak.

Mandroid is suspicious about the Demolition Duo while Croft only sees the two as another regular threat to eliminate. When Dark Jak is unleashed on GHOST headquarters does the latter change her tune. Caught Decepticons are now loose while more incriminating evidence is found by the Autobots.

Hidden identities are revealed and the final battle goes WAY DIFFERENT. Light Jak overwrites Death Ray into Healing Ray via channeling before it can fire. Daxter helps Twitch and Thrash kick Mandroid's ass. Rung chastises Quintus.

Mandroid is put under watch, his body fully restored. Old colleagues have a long needed chat. Jak apologizes to Alex for betraying their friendship. The fatherly Malto has him make up for it by looking over the kids. Jak doesn't mind although Dax might be a bad influence. Rung happily provides therapy.

Prime/Rescue Bots

The family of three lives near an undiscovered Energon mine containing various Energon types. A place where they practice channeling these particular crystals. Their peace is broken when scouting Vehicons find their home.

Jak trashes them and hijacks one to sneak onto the Nemesis. An action that leads to Cliffjumper's life being saved while the onboard Decepticons learn why its important to do body scans. The injured bot is taken to Rung for repairs and the three learn the war is going on here.

Soon Team Prime arrives for Cliffjumper only to be shocked by the bot nonchalantly telling stories to the Demolition Duo whilst drinking some Energon. The family is put under protection and the mine becomes a hidden Autobot provision.

Neither side are aware about Rung nor his sons' capabilities. Something that soon becomes known when Megatron returns...and Dark Energon comes into play. The war flips completely.

Shenanigans

Guardian Cliffjumper for Demolition Duo. Ratchet struggles to keep his sanity as the three and Miko become absolute menaces together. Arcee mostly upholds the peace (alongside wrench tossing protection) partly because the family did save her partner.

Rung is unnerved by the Matrix of Leadership Optimus has. It feels like someone had not only tamper with the relic but angered it too. Everyone but Jak and Daxter are unaware of Optimus' broken spark(Orion) slowly repairing.

Bots try to understand where the hell did these small yet powerful organics came from. Jak continues to be a menace while Daxter sabotages things. Shit blows up either way and the humans are the only ones nonchalant about it.

Channeling Dark Energon = Meeting Unicron. Or eldritch deity gets harassed by two youngish adults. Rung further assists them in being a menace much to Unicron's horror.

Shockwave and the Predacons appear way early once Ramjak alongside Citrus Bolt take stage. No one knows how the Demolition Duo can turn into Cybertronians. Predaking and his kin seek to make Jak part of their pack.

Odd family meets Team Rescue Bots. Rung pretends to be a therapy bot for Griffin Rock. Jak and Daxter learn the ropes of rescue. Griffin Rock feels like Sandover Village but in a more genuine way. It eases the homesickness in the Demolition Duo's hearts. Rung considers on getting a second home here.

Rescue Bots become impromptu rescue teachers. Jak has a rough time adjusting to a non-combat situation but everyone pitches in to help. Boulder proves to be a great mediator.

Cody gets two older brother figures who are happy to listen. Jak gets to exercise his inner child even when his dark side wants to join. Cody doesn't mind and happily pats Dark Jak on the head.

Bayverse

The family of three live outside Mission City. Rung had sensed the Allspark/Cube so he might've stolen it from Sector Seven then relocate the object far away from the frozen Megatron. Jak works at a car shop and befriends Mikaela. Daxter bought some of Sam's stuff including the glasses as he felt a bit bad for the kid. (Jak picked it up due to obvious reasons.)

Everything is fine until Bumblebee sends out the signal to his fellow Autobots. Barricade attacks Jak only to immediately retreat upon nearly being torn apart by Dark Jak's claws. Rung avoids getting caught around a patrolling Starscream when he checks up on the Cube.

Daxter isn't so lucky as Frenzy attacks him during a nighttime stroll. Bumblebee, alongside Sam and Mikaela, finds the ottsel after he repels the Decepticon. Daxter almost reluctantly gets taken to meet the Autobots but evades the three.

The odd family now know the four million year long civil war exists here too. Pieces are already in play so they run into action. Especially when everyone knows Jak has the glasses.

Shenanigans

Manhunting your previous buyer is awful customer service even if there's a good reason for it. Jak choses to be a gremlin as he doesn't feel like being shoddily kidnapped by bots clearly unfamiliar with Earth. Daxter tops it via his incredible sense of sass.

Impromptu house visit while your dorky robodad psychoanalyze war criminals. Sam gets a Peacemaker aimed at his head and Optimus barely manages to diffuse the situation. A certain Ottsel complains that the asscrack of night isn't a good time for insanity.

Cube doesn't get destroyed and kept hidden: Pro. Battle of Mission City never happens: Pro. Megatron still gets freed, Decepticons are on the loose and NEST isn't formed: Oh boy.

Jak? Ironhide's Weapons Specialist in training. Daxter and Jazz get along like a house set ablaze. Rung becomes the center of attention with story requests about his two sons.

More Autobots = More child leashes. You know it's bad when the young man recovering from his Prime Complex has more common sense. Good thing Light Ramjak can fly the troublemakers back to base by the scruff.

Military is completely confused by sudden appearances of giant robots, blue angel and draconic devils. A certain William Lennox finds out the truth by sheer accident during a Decepticon scuffle. Funnily enough, Daxter is the weirdest thing this guy has seen. Rung comes in second place.

Relationship advice given by an ottsel keeps Mikaela and Sam from breaking up. Everyone didn't expect for Daxter to have any experience in the love department. Man feels super offended.

Countless humiliations leads to Megatron raising the white flag. Sentinel Prime gets blown apart before even firing a single shot as no one tries to kill Ironhide with an accelerated disease gun. War finally ends and there are no more casualties.

And that's it for now! Until next time folks, I'll see back at Spargus. Transform and Roll Out!

[shipcestuous]

CAN I WEEP IN YOUR INBOX ABOUT HOTD 2X4 SPOILERS

I’m devastated. So many r cheering Aemond on for burning Aegon but not I.

Aegon’s whole life was destined for nothing but absolute pain.

Alicent attempted to brainwash Aegon into hating Rhaenyra for taking his birthright she herself brainwashed into it by Otto- CURSE U OTTO forced a crown on his head even though he begged an Aemond in pursuit of him to let him run away Was wed to his “weird” sister who he loves? but is not in love with they then had CHILDREN, children who he tried to show love in the way that his father never showed him& in thanks for all that love he showed he lost one to a BEHEADING.

No one takes him seriously, no one loves him except for sunfyre UGH WHICH MAKES IT ALL THAT MUCH SADDER I CAN NOT or shows him any love- even though he desperately craves it& asks for it

&now even (“To be loved or feared?” , “I need to be both.  My mother and grandsire mind me like some helpless duckling.” , “Oh, well, you’re the king.  Who gives a shit what they say?” , “My brother, at least, knows his place.  He’s as loyal as a hound.  I can set him and his dragon on my foes at will.”)AEMOND has betrayed him. 

Horribly scarred from this, he will be.  emotionally…physically +… based on the books it gets much worse for him from here 

So heartbroken.  I don’t think I understood how gigantic of an Aegond shipper I was till this moment.

It’ll be great for Aegond fanfic in terms of angst &as a viewer I am intrigued to see what Aemond will do with his newfound power

..but all the ships in Team Green other than helaemond who may thrive with Aemond in the power position r being held together by very thin string.

Meanwhile Team Black ships are doing… pretty alright I thought youngRhaenyra would be a 1 episode phantom but I think she’s going to be haunting Daemon the whole season which is cool, I like that despite their distance she is always firm in his mind so that at least makes me happy but still MY WEEPING MAY NEVER CEASE!

what r your thoughts about the season so far, I’m assuming your opinions are much different than my own :P but I like hearing your point of view

--

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Anon! 

I have such a weird relationship with House of the Dragon. I have all of these ships, but I know everything is going to hell. Relationships will only become more strained, and presumably almost everyone of note dies within the scope of the story. So instead of enjoying it, except for a scene here and there, I mostly just watch it with dread. 

Tom Glynn-Carney is doing such a fantastic job as Aegon. Everyone is always praising him in the YouTube reviews I watch, because he is doing such a great job of humanizing Aegon, when he might otherwise have been a Joffrey-like character, someone you can’t stand or even love to hate. But I think it’s also in the writing in season 2 in a way that it wasn’t as much in season 1. Those moments with his son, and his grief, and I really feel for him in his moments of insecurity, too. I like him, and care about him, a lot more than I did in season 1. 

I definitely didn’t rejoice when he got burned, and I never like to see siblings not caring whether their siblings live or die.

It does hurt, knowing how betrayed he’ll feel by Aemond, the one he trusted as loyal, the one he invited onto the council because of his loyalty. 

Admittedly, Aemond/Alicent and Aemond/Helaena are some of my top ships for this show, so I am excited about what this change will bring in terms of interactions between them. We’ve had to wait half a season for even a crumb.

I do like that even though Daemon and Rhaenyra are apart, we continue to have Daemon/Rhaenyra scenes. 

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: West Coast Avengers #37: Avengers Disassemble!

October, 1988

The team is TORN APART -- and this MYSTERY WOMAN is about to make matters WORSE!

Dammit, Mantis!

Stop throwing gas on the fire, apparently?!

And stop ripping the cover and unsettling the issue box! What will happen if the Comics Code seal of approval falls out?

I’m guessing the fallout of Mockingbird/Hawkeye’s divorce is gonna fall out here and they’re going to split up the kids.

Last time in West Coast Avengers: due to secret Russian internet chatter, Hank Pym became convinced his dead deceased wife Maria Trovoya was actually alive. When the West Coast Avengers were ambushed by a bunch of old Ant-Man villains and Quicksilver when they went to Hungary to investigate, I assumed that it was a ruse to lure the Avengers into a trap. Because Scarlet Witch and Vision had also been baited into a trap.

BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT HANK PYM’S FIRST WIFE IS ALIVE AND HAS A MASSIVE BRAIN. Hank is going to quit the team to try to help reverse the giant braining of his first wife.

ALSO: When the West Coast Avengers went to the past times, Mockingbird got kidnapped by a cowboy who drugged her into being his girlfriend. When other cowboys helped her fight off the drugs, she pursued the first cowboy, Phantom Rider, and confronted him. This resulted in Phantom Rider falling off a cliff and Mockingbird not attempting to save him. Because: fuck that guy.

Except it turns out that he became a real phantom and has decided to haunt Mockingbird for rudely manslaughtering him. And when it looked like Mockingbird would come clean to Hawkeye about what happened, Phantom Rider spilled the beans himself, and framed the story to make Mockingbird look really bad.

Hawkeye was Big Mad that Mockingbird killed manslaughtered someone because Avengers Don’t Kill Or Through Inaction Allow A Person To Die and also because she hid it from him. Both Hawkeye and Mockingbird are stubborn, prideful people so the discussion immediately escalates into an argument where Hawkeye fires Mockingbird from the Avengers and Mockingbird fires him from the marriage.

It be like that.

And even after a long flight back from Hungary, they’re still fighting.

Geez, you two, not in front of the teammates!

Look at Tigra! She’s agitated!

Wasp is trying to play peacemaker. Trying very hard.

Hawkeye: “She admits she let the Phantom Rider die, Jan!”

Wasp: “That’s not the same as killing him! Besides, he’s a ghost, so he’s not dead!”

Mockingbird: “He is dead! I let him fall because he deserved it and I don’t apologize!”

Wasp: “I’m trying to help you, Bobbi!”

See. Both stubborn, both prideful.

Hawkeye even says that Wasp has nothing to do with this. She’s just a special guest star, not a West Coast Avenger and definitely not the chairman.

He IS the chairman so he makes the decisions!

(Maybe its different in the West Coast Avengers but the East Coast Avengers used court martials, not just uncontested decree from the chairman. According to the original Avengers charter, it requires a two-thirds vote to expel an Avenger - I’m pretty sure Mockingbird has the support but then Hawkeye would probably rage-quit.)

Mockingbird: “This isn’t because I let a creep pay for what he did to me -- something most husbands would hate, too --”

Hawkeye: “I hate it -- you bet I do -- but I don’t condone death as any answer for anything!”

Mockingbird: “But death isn’t the issue! It’s the fact that I didn’t tell you about it!”

Hawkeye: “You didn’t just not tell me -- ! You lied about it, to my face --”

At this point, Hank jumps in and says okay you, Bobbi, go over there out of yelling range. Me, Hank, will take Hawkeye over here and bum him out with divorce stories.

Oh my god, Hank.

Vision joins this weird huddle to go tell Hawkeye how much marriage rocks, actually. Scarlet Witch and Tigra go to talk to Bobbi.

Scarlet Witch is currently married. Tigra was married but her husband Bill died. So everyone has opinions here.

Well, Wasp, Wonder Man, and Moon Knight hang out in the middle. I assume Wasp is tired of people not listening to her and isn’t joining either huddle. Wonder Man and Moon Knight aren’t married... as far as I know. Hell, maybe Wonder Man did have a wife before he did crime and then died. But he was dead long enough for the relationship to be legally over.

But I’m pretty sure that he wasn’t married.

Wonder Man: “Wasp -- Jan -- is it written down somewhere, this rule about not killing?”

Moon Knight: “Yes! I am new to the Avengers! How serious is Mockingbird’s infraction?”

Wasp: “Well... it is written down, in a charter we drew up years ago...! But Bobbi’s right, Simon -- Clint’s reaction is more his wounded pride than anything else! If I were your chair, I’d let it go!”

As far as I can tell, the Avengers charter doesn’t explicitly say Thou Shalt Not Kill. It says that Avengers won’t take upon themselves any aspect of the punishment process.

I really don’t know where manslaughtering a cowboy falls into that.

But it doesn’t really matter because Hawkeye is just deciding things and Mockingbird is loudly also deciding to gtfo because fuck that guy.

Anyway, the separate pep talks didn’t work.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird get back to yelling at each other and then Mockingbird decides to g t f o.

And she’s taking half the team in the divorce.

I thought I was joking about that but it turns out that I wasn’t.

Tigra decides to go with Mockingbird because even though she decided against doing a murder in the ‘Tigra too horny’ story arc, she cat nature tells her that sometimes killing is necessary.

Moon Knight also decides to stick with Mockingbird. He doesn’t explain himself but he has already expressed support for the idea that sometimes killing is necessary and his god (i.e. him) is the god of vengeance.

I kind of feel like making this about whether or not murder is okay sometimes misses the point that it was a) manslaughter at best, and b) not even really about the killing, its about Hawkeye’s hurt pride that Mockingbird didn’t confide in him and his decision that means that he can’t trust her and his unilateral decree kicking her off the team.

Hawkeye protests that they can’t just split up the team but Mockingbird shoots back that HE is the one who split the team.

She kinda has a point.

I think that’s probably why the East Coast Avengers do the court martial process with 2/3rds vote required to boot someone for bad behavior. It makes sure that half the team won’t split because they think the bad behavior wasn’t so bad.

You fucked this up, Hawkeye.

Mockingbird offers anyone else the opportunity to join team Mockingbird.

Dr Pym... I don’t know why he has an opinion. He’s leaving the team either way. He’s not going with Mockingbird but he also offers a kind of support. Reflecting on how he formed the Avengers and helped form the rules and then broke the rules and got thrown out (actually, he quit before he could be judged but it didn’t look good for him). And that he came back. “Not because I made the Avengers, but because the Avengers made me!”

Wonder Man also says no. He was ready to leave the Avengers recently and focus more on being a movie star. But the movie star life is shallow and he’s happy that he’s doing good, real work with the Avengers.

Hawkeye, who has an opinion, of course he does, reflects that he killed someone as an Avenger. Remember that time? He killed Egghead? But it was an accident and that’s an important distinction! (Kinda like how Mockingbird didn’t murder the cowboy, just didn’t save him. Which feels like a distinction too. But whatever.) He wants the team to stay together but he’s not willing to budge. Avengers should never kill!

-laughs in hindsight-

Wasp says she understands where Mockingbird was coming from because Phantom Rider was a dangerous, obsessed cowboy and saving his life is not required behavior. But she’s also not going to undermine Hawkeye. He’s the chairman, she’s a guest star.

Vision says that he’s not an Avenger currently but he doesn’t doubt that one day he and Scarlet Witch will return to duty. But he says that if it were up to him, he’d call this a leave and not a firing. And he’s willing to nag Hawkeye a lot until he agrees.

(You’re a character, Vision.)

Scarlet Wanda just speaks of marriage. “Some marriages run smoother than others -- I can’t give you any advice -- but marriage -- joining male and female -- is an ancient and sacred ceremony precisely because neither one alone is as good as the couple! And both sides have to give!”

Feel like she’s calling someone out on being stubborn.

Also feels like gay marriage would have blown her mind but she’s a lot more mellow these days.

Ha. Awkward.

Hank can’t let the awkward moment hang because he’s got places to be. He taps Hawkeye on the shoulder and tells him he’s gonna mosey on. Gotta get started on debrainifying his super wife.

He offers to come help if Hawkeye ever needs a two-fisted science adventurer but Hawkeye tells Hank to take all the time he needs because he’s paid his due to the Avengers and deserves a chance at happiness.

-laughs in different hindsight-

Because it seems like the time for it, Wasp also announces that she’s leaving. Or ending her guest starring, I guess.

She came to help the team during the rough period of Iron Man leaving and becoming an international incident but she feels like maybe she hasn’t helped out.

(I suspect that its also because nobody is listening to her. She might as well go on vacation)

Hawkeye: “You’re really let what Bobbi did go -- ? Including the part where she lied to me?”

Wasp: “I would! She’s not you, Clint! She never will be you! That’s not a wife’s -- or an Avenger’s -- job!”

Hawkeye kinda admitted that the real problem was Mockingbird not confiding in him.

So I don’t think focusing on the do Avengers kill/manslaughter is the way.

Get out of here, Wasp, you nut!

Hank walks her out.

Wasp reiterates that they weren’t legally married (-angry noises-) and finally gives Hank that hug he’s been wanting.

Wasp: “It’s easier being friends now, isn’t it -- with the past wiped away?”

ITS NOT WIPED AWAY

GAH!

Anyway.

Inside the West Coast Avengers Compound, Mockingbird tosses her Avengers communicator, defense grid deactivator, and ID card on the couch.

She’s not giving Hawkeye any reason to come after her, claiming she broke rules by not turning them in.

Moon Knight decides to share his thoughts on whether Avengers should do a murder.

Moon Knight: “It is stupid, Mockingbird -- this prohibition against killing! The history of man is the history of murder!”

Tigra: “That’s a little heavy, Moonie! I just think you have to go with the laws of nature! Some of the people we fight are really dangerous! Like that guy we just faced -- the Voice! Maria silenced him, but what happens if her mental block wears off someday?”

Mockingbird isn’t really interested in olde West Coast Avengers business. Instead, she asks Moon Knight and Tigra to form a team with her.

Moon Knight agrees because he wants to help her if Phantom Rider comes back.

Tigra suggests they call themselves the Ex-Whackos, which Mockingbird laughs off as sounding like a mutant group.

She tables the name and Phantom Rider for now.

Mockingbird has another thing she wants to address. She snatched an incoming message from the Fantastic Four forwarded by the East Coast Avengers off the computer.

Master Pandemonium showed up at the South Pole in Fantastic Four #314-315. His first appearance since that whole arc with the cat people in West Coast Avengers. Turns out he got trapped on Arcturus IV after doggy piling out on the demonic river.

As it happens, Steve Englehart is also writing Fantastic Four, thus explaining why Master P showed up in that book.

Anyway, Mockingbird wants to check it out.

Tigra: “We may be Ex-Whackos, but we’re still heroes, no matter what anybody says!”

Meanwhile, outside Hawkeye is grappling with now having a team consisting of just himself and Wonder Man.

Resignedly, he assumes that Scarlet Witch and Vision will be leaving too, what with the kids.

They surprise him by saying that they don’t want to leave him with just Wonder Man. Two people isn’t a team.

Wanda suggests that she and Vision will take turns being the superhero parent and the stay-at-home parent.

Hawkeye is really excited and proclaims that this is what the Avengers spirit is! He’s not wrong to uphold those standards!

(We’ve established though that your real problem was more about wounded pride but whatever.)

Wonder Man is also excited that he’ll get to spend more time with Vision. They haven’t gotten a chance to really bond after coming to the conclusion that they’re brothers, actually.

Wanda opportunistically jumps in and suggests that maybe sometimes Wonder Man can watch the kids so both Scarlet Witch and Vision can be with the team.

Good hustle, Wanda!

This is all good. I love Scarlet Witch and Vision. But Hawkeye can do the math.

Hawkeye: “Still -- that’s only three or four of us! When I had five I used to worry about not being powerful enough! I know me an’ Wanda, Cap an’ Quicksilver were the whole team once, but that was when there weren’t many Avengers!”

He muses about finding Iron Man but is interrupted by the arrival of the Real Star.

IIIIIIIIITS MANTIS!

She’s green, she’s wearing a tassled skirt, and she doesn’t believe in shoes!

It’s Swordsman’s Girlfriend, Mantis!

Y’know, the one who married a tree.

Most of these guys haven’t seen her since she flew off into space on her tree honeymoon and Wonder Man has never met her but has heard a lot.

She got into the grounds when Mockingbird et al were leaving.

And Hawkeye is thrilled to see her because he is going to recruit the hell out of her. And Wanda is annoyed because she remembers Mantis trying to be a homewrecker between her and Vision.

I’m really only surprised that it took this long for Englehart to try to bring Mantis back into things. He has a habit of taking her wherever he goes.

Anyway, Wonder Man introduces himself and shakes her hand, saying he’s glad to meet Mantis.

Upon which she tosses him on his ass and starts jump kicking everyone.

If you were wondering why I didn’t have an image of her showing up, its because a page later there was an image of her kicking people. And I liked that one better. Because of the kicking.

Hawkeye: “What the ding-dong blazes?!!”

Hah, just say what the fuck, Hawkeye.

He asks her if she’s under mind control or something but she doesn’t answer. He shoots some arrows at her but she just catches the smoke and tear gas arrows out of midair and then uses them to blind Wonder Man when he tries to tackle her.

Wonder Man: “My eyes are filled with ionic energy, but they’re still eyes!!”

That’s a mighty weaksauce weakness, sir.

Sitting on his back, she steers him with his belt jets and rams him into Hawkeye.

An interaction that Hawkeye comes off the worse for, by far.

His eyes clear, Wonder Man tries to get her for making him look like a fool chump but she punches him in the solar plexus and then baits him into knocking a tree down on himself.

While he’s pinned, she uses a nerve jab to paralyze him.

Sure!

Apparently nerve hits even worked on Thor so why not!

This just leaves Scarlet Witch and Vision.

Wanda asks what Mantis’ deeeeeeal is? Why is she here? Why isn’t she hanging out with her plant husband that she married and went to space with?

Mantis doesn’t know though.

Also, she kicks Scarlet Witch so her hex bolt hits Vision, knocking him out of the air.

Mantis is really making fool chumps out of this entire small group of Avengers.

Scarlet Witch yells at Mantis, asking where her empathy is for a robot man that she once claimed to love.

Kinda weird angle to take on things but okay.

Mantis: “Empathy is denied this one -- it is one of the reasons she came to you! But now, her victory must not be denied!”

Wonder Man unparalyzes and tries lunging at Mantis again. But she hops on top and knocks him to the ground.

Hawkeye finally recovers his senses and dazedly thinks that this is similar, sorta, to the situation in Hungary where one Avenger had to fight the rest.

And from there, he just jumps to an incredibly bizarre conclusion based on zero supporting evidence. I’m so, so mad that he turns out to be right.

Like in a fever dream, Hawkeye speculates an insane situation where the Voice escaped Maria Trovoya’s mental block against using his powers, followed the West Coast Avengers to California, and happened to mind control Mantis when she happened to show up.

I am livid that this is the actual plot to this comic.

While Mantis continues to beat seven kinds of hell out of Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Wonder Man, Hawkeye wanders off, hops the wall, sneaks through the forest surrounding the compound, and does, indeed, find the Voice lurking outside.

God dammit.

The Voice: “Maria Trovaya’s control of her mind was almost infinite -- but she was new to its use, and I’ve honed control of my voice to its sharpest edge! Every night since the Hungarians gave me back my power, I told myself again and again to throw off any attempt at brainwashing! All those nights I thought I was protecting myself from a falling out with them -- but when Maria struck, and Quicksilver had to go meekly back to the Inhumans on the Moon -- the Voice alone could see his way clear to final victory! I was free to leave Hungary -- free to fly to California and wait for my chance to turn Avenger against Avenger -- which came sooner than I could have hoped, with the arrival of an unsuspecting, and even distracted, Mantis!”

OKAY.

SO THAT IS APPARENTLY THE PLOT WE’RE GOING WITH.

Two things: why are we going with this plot?

Yeah, it’s good to have an excuse to have Mantis show her stuff. I presume that she’s about to join the team. But there’s so many ways to justify it.

Two: how did he know that Mantis could solo the team? He doesn’t know the team was breaking up. Sure, he might have seen Mockingbird, Moon Knight, and Tigra leaving. Mantis did say she saw them on the way out.

But that still leaves Hawkeye, Wonder Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Dr Pym, the Wasp, and MARIA HERSELF possibly inside.

Thing the third, yes, I did add another one: the dude lucked out with Mantis showing up. Instead of having her try to beat up an indeterminate amount of Avengers, why didn’t he just have her lure them out to him? Where he could mind control them all?

This guy is an idiot.

Didn’t even bring anyone to watch his back. He can literally control randos to stand lookout for him and he doesn’t think of it.

Hawkeye tries to talk up what a terror this guy is despite all the grumbling I just did about nuh uh.

Hawkeye, to himself: “How can anybody ever beat this guy? His power is absolutely irresistable if he gets a chance to use it on ya!”

You, specifically, Hawkeye, could turn your hearing aids off. In fact, you’re an idiot if you haven’t done that for this encounter.

Hawkeye, to himself: “I could solve the problem by killing him, of course -- but whatever his power, it ain’t a capital crime! Bobbi’s wrong, darn it! Besides, if I killed him, I couldn’t use him for my purposes...!”

Why are you still relitigating this??

And that wasn’t even the debate that you were supposedly having! She killed ONE cowboy that did something unforgivable to her. And she didn’t even kill him. She manslaughtered a cowboy! It’s not like she became Wolverine and started advocating murder as the first and only solution to all of her problems!

Don’t bring up the topic if you don’t have anything relevant to say!

Back at the fight, Wonder Man solves a problem like Mantis by just grabbing her wrists while she’s beating the shit out of Wanda and then hoisting her into the air so she has no leverage.

She can kick his shins all she likes but he’s a break outhouse of ionic energy and without the nerve pinches, she can’t do much about it.

We barely need Hawkeye to arrive with the solution at this point, even though he does anyway.

Hawkeye forces the Voice to say “Mantis, return to normal” and nothing else. And then Scarlet Witch scarlet witches him so he can’t say anything else for a while.

They’ll call the Vault later where the prison scientists there can figure out how to safely hold him.

Mantis apologizes to Hawkeye for all the trouble. Just like Hawkeye’s random guess, the Voice did mind control Mantis when she happened to show up. And she’s bummed about it.

And when Hawkeye says he’s just glad she’s back to normal, she bursts out that no, she’s not normal, and she needs the Avengers to tell her what normal is!

So the plot thickens, on the last page.

Mantis woke up two days ago in a house that she apparently owns and no memory of anything since she saw the Avengers last.

Her magical superpower of empathy with people and plants has also vanished so she couldn’t even interrogate the houseplants!

So she went to Avengers Mansion to talk to them, only find out that Avengers Mansion is gone.

A police officer on scene tells her that it’s been moved to Hydrobase, which Mantis is like whatever that means.

This is a really well-informed police officer too because he brings up the West Coast Avengers’ recent Zodiac adventures and that Mantis’ dad Libra was killed by the robot Zodiac.

(It’ll turn out that he survived, he’s just having a snooze.)

Since Mantis isn’t going looking for whatever a Hydrobase is, she decides might as well get on a plane, fly to California, and ask the West Coast Avengers for help!

Hawkeye responds by yelling AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!

Which, I think, in his mind means ‘no sweat, when you’re here, you’re family.’

Okay. So a lot of changes here.

A lot of changes that I don’t really know how to feel about.

It’s not an Avengers book if things aren’t being shaken up. And in fact, the West Coast Avengers roster has felt a little static up until Hank and Moon Knight joined.

And now Hank and Moon Knight have left! As have Tigra and Mockingbird.

I will say that after the secret has hung over Mockingbird for so long, the fallout was sufficiently big. She split the team up!

And her little group is apparently going to stay together as a splinter team. Fun!

I kind of wish Hank wasn’t going. For one thing, I’m still annoyed at ‘oh your first wife isn’t dead and that means nothing that happened in our marriage counts!’ But for another, he’d only recently reinvented himself and joined the team. I don’t think he stayed out long enough to wear out his welcome. And his fighting style of pulling random stuff out of his pocketses was fun.

Alas.

I’m not going to complain about Scarlet Witch and Vision being on the team. I like them. I’m not going to complain about Mantis. Against all reason, I like her too.

And not surprised that Englehart brought her back to the Avengers. Guy brings her wherever he goes.

Follow @essential-avengers​. Do it. It’d be a nice thing to do. Like, reblog, and comment too. Also nice things to do.

[monkey-network]

My Issues/Problems/Disgusts Resolved(?)

When you have issues, troubles, or disgusts with anything, the hardest but relieving thing to do coming to terms with them. A couple of years ago, I made a trilogy of posts exploring three people I found ranging from repugnant to devious. It came at a time when frustrations might as well have come out and frankly they were just about people everyone was more than aware of online. Enough time has passed and while this isn't just gonna be me apologizing or being remorseful for what I said, I want to I guess truly bury the hatchet and resolve these stuck-around feelings as somebody that has... been humbled a lot over these years (make of that what you will). This is coming from somebody that knows a lot about staying in your own head. So yeah, let's talk.

Lily Orchard [OP Link]

Gotta say that... nothing's really changed only in that it's all less with anger now. Put this first because it'll be short. To be as sincere as I can, she's just an unlikable person. Regardless of her out there opinions and ideas of media literacy, or her choices in fictional tastes, I won't be the guy that will throw every evil label and the kitchen sink onto her. Calling the spade a spade, even as a former fan I saw that within reason it was seeing a very insatiable and arrogant media "critic" with negative social skills. Hell, the mentions you see of her on Tumblr or Twitter especially are just the open secret that most people don't like her. For me, that resentment has become passive chagrin.

I won't convince anybody of who she can really be, how bad she can be at being both original and derivative, or what she is potentially. I wouldn't say a lost cause, but there's nothing complicated about this anymore. She's just a massive asshole. Not because of any human characteristic of hers, her opinions, or what was known about her in the past. Take away any personal semantics or bias, I remain only puzzled about how her circle is able to tolerate her presence because she's just an unlikable person and that's all on her.

Butch Hartman {OP Link}

2020 basically was the year where a man responsible for one of the most popular cartoons on Nickelodeon finished swan-diving his reputation just as fast as the likes of John K and Justin Roiland. From scheming a streaming service that still isn't out of early access yet to making a Christian flash cartoon that looks 20 years too late. It's a classic story of pride coming before the fall, culminating in his Youtube channel being a wasteland aside from sketch tiktoks that barely make the thousands in views despite his huge follower count. As much as LSMark looked to make good-faith conversation with him recently, Butch basically became a ghost now after all the controversies died down.

Now despite what I said initially, Butch's fall in reputation is definitely not comparable to Kricfalusi or Roiland's; we've heard nothing of him physically taking advantage of anybody in or out the industry. The worse he's done is take advantage of his legacy for either financial or supportive gains. This is not as bad as domestic or sexual assault of course, but it spoke wonders of how the ego of big time creators can kill any goodwill and faith when they're not actually considerate of the following that respect them. A quick search of his name on Youtube is more about the people discussing his controversies than anything he worked on. People still discuss Danny Phantom and Fairly Oddparents, hell the Cosmo mpreg episode is a meme to this day, but with the detachment towards Butch as the creator.

I'm fine with this predicament, but it's sad to believe this was all on him. It wasn't just about Oaxis being a scam or him saying "he created your childhood" or heaven forbid his attempts of promoting religious healing, it was about seeing a creator of some things you liked reveal himself as someone in a bubble that you lose any idea in looking up to. It's not exactly "Don't Meet Your Heroes," more "Don't glue on rose-tinted glasses". I won't force or insult what remains of Butch's "fanbase" for sticking with him, but this definitely woke me up in terms of how I view the creators I love. Humility is the special word in all this, where some creators can have some disapproving moments but you can still have respect for their craft. With Butch, it wasn't even him entirely that made his shows look great. As of now, he's making poorly illustrated kid's bible stories with Fairly Oddparents getting a live-action show that Nickelodeon regretted making immediately after releasing to the point of erasing it all not even a full year after it was first announced. Even when things are probably fine now, the guy fell off as hard as I expected originally. I can seriously put this behind knowing I was factually right on the money the first time and that does put a smile on my face.

Also... Butt Shartman. That's all, let's move on.

Mysterious Mr. Enter (OP Link)

I'll say this was the reason why I made this post. Lily and Hartman I say speak of an absence of change and reflecting on that absence. Mr. Enter is different and, cut to the chase, it has to do with this recent video.

I've talked my fair share of shit toward Mr. Enter these past few years, reasonably so. At the same time, my vitriol toward him came from some semblance of respect. Many have to this day brought up Mr. Enter calling out the writers of Spongebob for a particular episode they did, but John is right in that that was around the time he barely had a following and just started out with media reviews. Mr. Enter has made bad opinions, I will never deny that and this isn't me defending him, but I see that he can recognize they're bad. He's better than Lily Orchard in that... he can admit being wrong and grow from it. We meme and shit on this dude, but for me, there was still that modicum of respect I had for him being this dedicated. In spite of the harassment or the justified backlash, he's still putting in the effort.

Over the years, I've come to understand that media critics can have different understandings of media. That doesn't mean every critic is always right in their own way, grifters exist for a reason, but I don't see Mr. Enter as a grifter-type critic compared to people who to this day complain about The Last Jedi. He can have some off takes on the types of humor or tropes in a cartoon, but more often than not he's being sincere. That's why I say he still has some respect from me for as long as I've known him. Every bad take aside, I don't take him as somebody who is "ruining media criticism".

I don't agree with everything he says or believes, but John's doing better than I can say for Butch Hartman or Lily Orchard especially. He's doing Admirable Animations again, something I brought up originally, and am intrigued to see that he indirectly took my advice. He can work well with more positive videos. I never felt he was an actively terrible critic, Turning Red meme aside, and I didn't want to just treat him as the bane of online media criticism or the worst thing to ever happen. The dude has his faults but can acknowledge them better than most online personalities I've seen who feel it's weak to admit anything. He's no different from the Nostalgia Critic where the tumultuous attitudes toward them in the past have subsided where yeah, I'm not gonna side with every bad opinion or choice they make but they aren't actively killing any goodwill I would have for them. It's not pity, but making your empathy less black and white compared to people more deserving of scrutiny. Overall I still have hopes Mr. Enter will do better, imperfect as things can get.

Conclusion

I wanna say this post and the former three I made reflected the increased awareness and discourse of the parasocial relationships we can have, especially online. There have been plenty of people that certainly abused their status and paid for it, these three stayed in the mind for how consistently they tracked in soiling their reputation. At the same time, how wary we are about things or the people we followed isn't always cut and dry. That's why the title has the question mark in parentheses, nothing ever ends so I'm not saying these current feelings will just be buried away and forgotten forever. I just know that for this current future, it's better to seriously lay things to rest while subconsciously keeping in mind what can be done differently from now on. To conclude, this is all better than having to care about people like Andrew Tate or Elon Musk living another day.

[ryanmeft]

Movie Review: American Fiction

Thelonious Ellison is an angry man. You get the feeling that he is always angry, always has been angry and unless he changes something, always will be angry. He is right about the world and about people when he thinks that they all want easy answers and spoon-fed entertainment, but being right won’t fix what’s wrong with him. The movie is about whether he can do that himself.

What does he need to fix? Everyone around him has an opinion, and everyone may have a point. Understanding broken people requires broken people, so Monk, as he is usually called, is fortunate that his whole family is broken. They are still suffering from the suicide of the father, an unseen phantom. The mother (Leslie Uggams) is in the early stages of dementia. The plastic surgeon brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown) has recently been divorced after being caught with a man, and has responded to his outing with unreserved debauchery.  The only really responsible member of the family is the older sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), a doctor at a fictional version of Planned Parenthood, but when she unexpectedly dies, the family’s remaining broken pieces must come together to solve the puzzle that is them.

Monk does this while struggling with the low sales of his books as readers prefer more salacious fiction that gives them what they think the black experience is like---guns, drugs, hopeful stories of rising out of imagined ghettos painted in the most generalized of lights. Monk doesn’t want to tell that kind of story, and indeed argues that he cannot. He is a well-educated black professor from an upper-middle-class background, and he wants to write about the experiences of black people like himself. The audience doesn’t want to read them, and eventually in a night of doubt he gives in and dashes off a quick book that plays to the stereotypes, with Keith David and Okieriete Onaodowan as the hilarious personifications of two of his characters. Like the play in The Producers, he intends the book to be derided and to fail, and also like The Producers, it is an unexpected hit. Hurting for money, Monk and his long-suffering agent Arthur (John Ortiz) play along to increasingly hilarious results.

The most pressing issue on Monk’s mind is his mother, who deteriorates rapidly. Uggams’ performance is full of sympathy. She has a single screenplay-dramatic moment that ends up forcing the family’s hand, but mostly her condition is treated as a slow descent. Notes of The Father, one of the few successful depictions of Alzheimer’s on screen, can be detected here, as she becomes abrasive as a defense and only turns lucid long enough to recall her husband’s infidelity. Brown as the brother injects comedy into the proceedings with his many drug-loving younger lovers and his acid tongue, but it is to the film’s great credit that he doesn’t remain merely comedic relief. His story eventually gets a catharsis that allows Monk to think he might, at some point, receive his own. Monk’s only real ally seems to be newfound girlfriend Coraline (Erica Alexander), but there are cracks there from the beginning, as he covers up for his actual abrasive nature with the kind of humor that is meant to hide hostility.

Monk’s nemesis is Sintara Golden, a best-selling author who “writes black” in every way Monk disapproves of. Played by Issa Rae, she comes off initially as a cheap plot device, but shifts a little when the two are thrown into the same panel of judges for a book award contest. Yet another brave touch in the movie is how their inevitable confrontation is handled. We can at least sort of respect her as long as she thinks she is doing a genuine thing, even if she isn’t. Trapped in a candid moment, she lets down her practiced talk circuit defenses and reveals her true reasons for writing the way she does. What those are I will leave for you to discover, but the character is much stronger and a suitable nemesis for Monk by not being made into a “girl boss” figurehead.

The movie is rife with conversations meant to expose the deep racial and personal biases well-meaning white liberals often inadvertently show. It is sometimes subtle and sometimes not, and for the most part each kind of depiction is effective. What strikes me most about this aspect of the movie is entirely subjective. I saw it in a preview screening at a film festival where the audience was mostly older and mostly white. Every time the film skewered some convention of “black” popular culture and the way non-black people see it, I couldn’t help wondering if I was the mark. If I was, I didn’t feel attacked by that, but rather encouraged to re-examine my views. The fact I did all this while laughing my ass off should at least tell you one thing: you should go see this movie.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Note: I don’t use star ratings. Here are my possible verdicts:

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid Like the Plague

[tabbi-mysteries]

452-467

That's actually two nights worth of episodes I was just busy.

Phantom of Konpira is well phantom of the opera so fairly straightforward. I do like that someone on the anime original writing team got attached to this little theatre troupe they made they and I'm sad that the wiki says that's there last appearance so far. Bring them back again.

Preview screening is a fun case cause it goes a little against the normal structure with the prevention of the crime instead and I like that and the hopeful ending. If I must nitpick tho, the guy didn't need to be in love with the victim as well, he can be sad his friend died without needing to be in love with her good grief. (Also my friend lost it at the star wars parody cause he had no idea it was coming) also hi widescreen!

The overturned conclusion is a fun detective boys case and I think it's the start of 'genta panicks thinking he accidentally killed someone' which will proceed to happen multiple times poor boy. I have no idea how the culprit planned on getting away with this long term tho. He's not good at thinking things through.

The mystery I loved could have been as simple as maybe ask the old lady first you idiot. If she's that good of a mystery writer to impress Shinichi and she was down for it this plan could have gone way better.

Sonoko's red handkerchief is a case I adore because a) Sonoko and b) Ran and Makoto sending a gang's worth of old men flying as a conclusion. I kinda wish the fight had been longer to be honest.

A mysterious man is one of those weird little cases where everyone is a bit fucked up and the plan seems not very well thought through...

Ova 7 (I think) is very cute and I like recognising the method to solving codes and ciphers even if I can't read them so that was neat. Also I relate hard to Agasa's poor eyesight here. I would be useless at providing information in my whereabouts without my glasses.

Class 1B's great operation is adorable though! So so good! Again with fun codes with recognisable methods even if you don't know Japanese and Haibara gets a spotlight in mystery solving and leading the kids and it was very cute.

The missing page is also cute. Simple but has a cute little message. Genta's book report is a mood even tho I'm a bookworm myself.

The shadow of the black organization is... well the cases are fine but the link to the overarching plot feels... a little eh I guess? Eisuke is one of the characters I want to like and yet find myself struggling to :( also the victim from the second half sure was a terrible person. Divorce was probably still the better option tho guy.

(my friend has a collection of bizarre half formed theories here that are okay but mostly a little off cause they are of the opinion that Eisuke and Rena don't actually look that alike somehow XD)

The unsmashable snowman is a nice case cause I think the trick is neat and the detective boys are particularly cute. Damn the victim/culprit and suspects are all kinda like what on earth is with you people though.

Phew that was a lot of EPs. I should get my thoughts out on the daily instead of doing this again. Looking forward to tomorrow tho! My boy KID is there! The next film! Of which all I know is it's pirate themed. Babby Shinichi and Ran! Teasing my friend who lives Eri and despairs over Eri/Kogoro! And maybe even reaching Genta killing a man. Maybe. Depends how much time we have. But theres a lot to look forward to.

[soup-for-ghosts]

I would love to hear your thoughts actually!

I’m guessing this is about the crick thing? well then buckle up buckaroo because you are indulging me and my insanity here good anon and this is either gonna make total sense, or you’re gonna have no idea what the heckity heck I’m talking about

ot2 (temenos chapter 3 stormhail + a bit of his chapter 4 and a little from jftd) spoilers and also me just rambling extensively under cut

ok so first of all, let’s the establish the reason they killed off crick in canon, cause yes there is a reason. obviously they want to make you sad, it’s a tragedy. they want to make you feel shocked and sad over the death of a very prominent and generally lovable side character. but, why? it’s pretty annoying actually, the more you think about it. chances are, everyone who played this game went into temenos chapter 4 with a desire for vengeance. kaldena was the mastermind, yes, but more importantly, she killed crick. see what I mean here? crick dies to give the player a good reason to hate dena, who otherwise is a lot easier to empathize with (at least for me). did she have all those people killed? yes (god forbid women do anything), but why? she’s one of the sole survivors of the genocide against the kal, and she was a child when she witnessed it. not to mention, she, like several characters in this game, was manipulated by arcanette. does this justify her actions? no. but it’s a lot easier to understand why she did what she did when you consider all of those factors. this isn’t about dena though, it’s about crick. why did she kill crick? because he “knew too much”? it’s so out of nowhere, you blink and in the next scene he’s dead, all just to make the player have a reason to hate dena. does she deserve to be hated? that’s a matter of a opinion, and I don’t want to go on too much of a tangent here. I will get back to the characterization of dena momentarily, however.

main thing for me is just how spontaneous his death is. like one second he’s there talking and the next he’s just. gone. you could argue there’s at least some build up to it, but if you ask me, some does not equal enough. man gets all his death flags in one scene, like buddy this isn’t a speedrun… ok so here’s the part where I propose an alternate way for chapter 3 stormhail to go. crick still goes to the library alone, that part makes sense given the conversation prior. he’s trying to find out for himself what to have faith in, and if the sacred guard is not worth said faith. he finds the book of night, and so far everything progresses like it would normally in canon, until dena shows up. dena still attacks him, and the game would still have the player witness that, but I feel like it would be better if her dialogue in this scene was different. just to make an example, in chapter 4, she asks temenos to join her. why wouldn’t she do the same here?? it’s not like she believes crick isn’t capable, she knows for a fact that he is. she doesn’t have to be entirely sorry, because at this point she’s pretty much in that too far to turn back mindset, but I dunno. I just think she could have been written way better overall, tbh. but anyways, crick and dena still have their fight, and crick still gets injured. injured, not killed. he manages to run away with only the page that he normally tears from the book, while kaldena was able to take the rest of it back, and henceforth let him run, considering that he’s probably dying anyways, and she has what she wants. eventually, temenos would encounter crick trying to find him, acknowledge that he’s injured, and probably take him to some kind of healer as soon as possible. whether he tries heal him himself, whether he finds someone else, or if you’re me and you says stormhail’s got nothing on castti florenz, you let her be a miracle worker, it’s up to whatever interpretation you think is more interesting, really. regardless, once temenos can confine that he’s at least stable, the phantom guiding segment would proceed as normal, but instead of coping with the denial that he’s dead, temenos would have to cope with the unsurity of it all instead! is he dead, is he not? is he going to lose him too? no one knows (not yet at least)! so you still get that dread, you still get the sadness of it all, and if the writers so desperately want to make dena more hateable than I personally think she is, you can still extrapolate that I guess (I’d rather no one did though). as for the confrontation with cubaryi, that would progress as normal, with her still regarding crick as dead, because as far as she knows or cares, he is. after all that though, give it some time and eventually crick would regain consciousness, but there’s still that lingering fear that he almost died! it’s not unlikely for death to come back to knock so terribly soon. it’s the fear of not knowing versus the acceptance of what has already happened and cannot be undone. also ort probably has no idea whether or not crick is dead until either the events of chapter 4 or afterwards, so that’s fun for him. but yeah, crick not dying still has that fun sprinkle of tragedy and worry to it, almost more so than him actually dying if you consider that death is a set in stone thing here, and with him dying there’s that stage where it’s just accepted, and they move on. with him still being alive, but having almost died already, there isn’t a chance for that acceptance, because nothing definite has occurred. does that make sense?? I have no idea.

as for crick himself, I’d imagine he’d probably sustain an injury that would more than likely hinder his ability to act as a knight, but that kinda gets into my perception of post-canon, which isn’t. terribly relevant to this topic? but considering that this subject feeds into that, I guess it kinda is? long story short, I imagine ort taking over as the captain, considering both dena and cubaryi are dead by now and he’s kinda the next best as far as the authority here goes. and then like I mentioned before, due to the injury and ort not wanting him to get hurt any further, crick might retire from the sacred guard. that’s. just my view on things, though, I don’t expect everyone to agree. I do have thoughts on the concept of him not retiring, as well, but like. he deserves a break I think. he’d keep the sword by his side, but he’d get a break from everything that caused him such strife. lastly maybe he moves away from stormhail, maybe even to flamechurch. but I like knightlight so of course I’d say that lmao

anyways I’ll cut it there. I hope that made any bit of sense, and that I’m not just being ridiculous with my thoughts here- if I make no sense, and my imaginings are preposterous then oh well, it makes more sense in my head than on paper (tumblr post?) then.