#and just! theres a lot of good character interaction that i feel like we are missing out on

[puppyeared]

learning abt friendship decay and "not reaching out to your friends for months at a time unprompted is not neurotypical behaviour" has me feeling a certain way

[futuristichedge]

If ANYONE on here has a favorite obscure sonic game they want gifs/posts about, just ask. I will happily scrounge around the depths of the internet and do everything in my power to find the dustiest pieces of sonic knowledge

[dapperrokyuu]

Read ~60 chapters of Chainsaw Man today, WHEWWWWW-

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

you know i've been thinking about the consequences of malleus's actions in book 7 and i realized how much he's fucked everyone over including his grandma. bc like other than the fact that he ob'd (which literally has NEGATIVE connotations one of which being is idk ""UNSTABLE"" which isnt necessarily a good look for a crown prince is all im saying) he's literally causing terrorism (??? can you call it that idk how else to call it) which is going to setback his grandma's efforts (and lilia's and baul's, and every supporter of his and his family) in keeping peace in their kingdom and the favor of the humans towards the fae. Like. i feel so bad for grandmother draconia rn i can only imagine the stress and pressure she's under.

Then theres also aside from PHYSCIALLY compromising everyone's healths in sage island (BECAUSE THE MAJORITY ARE HUMANS OR AT LEAST THEY DONT LIVE AS LONG AS THE FAE). He's also fucked everyone mentally twice over!!!! By booting them straight into a world where none of their problems exist. Now that wouldnt sound bad if it weren't for the fact that dreams have to end, and life isnt kind. It rarely ever is, and i can only imagine how distraught i would be if i were to say, hypothetically lost someone a year before and the wound is so fresh and raw and, in my dreams, they never died and everything is okay, then i wake up and realize that it was just that. A dream, they are still gone and i wish i never woke up which would be a LITERAL DEATH SENTENCE. This isnt just an event that takes place in NRC either BUT THE WHOLE ISLAND and that domain is GROWING, GROWING. I can't imagine just how many would be so emotionally ruined after this. Like.....

If Malleus does not suffer the consequences of his actions istg i will be so pissed, at least REMOVE HIM FROM THE PREMISE OR SOMETHING GODDDDDDD this cannot be remedied with a slap on the hand!!!!!

(Note: Sorry for the long rant. I felt the need to get this out of my chest bc i dont mind malleus's archetype actually nor do i actually hate him, bc i enjoy him interacting w other characters a lot (my fave ever vigenette is him giving deuce the equivalent of minecraft diamon for fixing a retrobit gaming toy) BUT GOD DOES HE MAKE MY BLOOD BOIL)

Yeah, I do feel like the scale of Malleus's actions cannot be understated. I know it's kind of a fandom joke that the OB boys are left off with a slap on the wrist + maybe some social ramifications at school, but this is the ONE time in the main story where things are getting super big and the effects could be cripplingly long-lasting.

I don't know if TWST will seriously address the consequences after book 7, but I sure hope they do!! There is a lot of interesting ground to cover (many points which this anon has already brought up) in a follow-up main story arc or the next book.

For example:

Malleus obviously has to regain the trust of his peers and staff. He didn’t really have it before but now has to work twice as hard to make connections since he just took a drastic action that confirmed the rumors some were already spreading about how he’s a monster.

He’s the sole heir to the throne and has just betrayed the trust of the people of Briar Valley. How are they feeling about him now? Do they still trust him to lead them?

How does this impact their relations with other countries (since Malleus himself stresses how he represents Briar Valley)? This is a problem visible on a global scale, and surely this would damage their rep with other nations, particularly the predominantly human ones. It’s setting back what is hundreds of years of trying to fix the broken trust between their races.

Malleus’s UM potentially puts his victims in physical harm; in book 7, Ortho suggests that since everyone is sleeping, their bodies are not getting the food or water they need. As a result, they may physically waste away and then perish. (We have seen that there are sleep blessings that keep people sleeping for hundreds of years without detriment to the blessed though, such as the one cast on Silver—so we cannot be entirely sure if Ortho’s theory is correct or not.)

There is the possibility that Malleus’s dreams may traumatize or retraumatize his victims, particularly those with deep rooted troubles. An example of this is Idia, who had suffered the loss of his brother when he was like… 8 years old??? But then in his dream, Idia is living a happy false reality that Ortho never died. When he finally comes to this realization, he has to relive the trauma of the discovery all over again and breaks down sobbing. We also see in the most recent book 7 update that Vil had to face the evilest aspects of himself and a dark reality; Rook became very emotional upon waking himself. Admittedly, Idia and co. coped with it well enough—this is proof of their character development and the strength of the new friendships they’ve formed. However, all the people on Sage’s Island/Twisted Wonderland may not react so positively or be so accepting of their cruel realities.

Again, just the overall moral dilemma of one person robbing all of Sage’s Island (and soon all of Twisted Wonderland) of their autonomy.

Potential extra work for STYX and whichever countries Malleus’s magic manages to spread to (repairing any physical damage caused by the thorns + mental damage done to those that fell asleep). That’s money, time, and resources that aren’t going toward other everyday endeavors.

How will Malleus himself mentally and emotionally cope with what he has done? Is he going to show remorse and shame? How does he plan on rectifying his actions, if at all?

Will this change how his dorm members + family view him? For example, will Sebek become disillusioned with his liege/realize Malleus is not as perfect as he seems? Will Maleficia blame herself for not being there for Malleus? Will Lilia feel guilty for not teaching Malleus right from wrong? Etc, etc, etc.

I’d honestly love to read all of these! 🤔 It would add a lot to the lore and history of Twisted Wonderland, as well as serve as motivators for Malleus to change, “be better”, and actually earn the respect he’s so used to being handed by default. This would be huge for him, especially seeing as he has not really faced significant backlash or consequences for any other missteps he was responsible for or involved in. (I know I bring this one up a lot, but Endless Halloween Night is one such major example.)

[calware]

Can I ask you for what it is about Hal you like so much you based your username on him? I think he's a good character tho he was never a favorite of mine so I am curious

1. i am a big fan of robots (/robot adjacent things such as AI) on like... an aesthetic + thematic level :)

i like the look of machinery and one day i hope to be artistically strong enough to make really cool and complex robot illustrations + designs [shoutout to everyone who gives him glowing circuitry btw... ooooh glowey :) can never go wrong with that]

plus, exploring the idea of a person that isn't human.. ough. yes

minorities who don't conform to society (easily or at all) such as people who are neurodivergent, queer, etc. projecting onto nonhuman concepts/characters/species is sooo real

this post

i also love how humans will bond with literally anything, be it a roomba or a pair of silly triangle sunglasses. oooooo you want to think about the inherently kind and compassionate nature of humanity oooo

2. i find him to be so funny. i can't get enough of his personality, the way he talks, etc. for example i made a post forever ago with quotes of his that i find funny. he isn't on screen for a long time but i really think he makes the most out of it lol. he's literally there just to annoy everyone... and i love him for that. he's very snarky while also being deadpan while also being completely full of himself, and not in a way that's annoying for the audience to read, at least to me.

he is also sometimes funny specifically in a silly way, like how he keeps making over 9000 jokes even though the meme's been dead for over 400 years. i just find his dialogue incredibly entertaining to read

3. he is red and red is my favorite color :)

4. he is so accidentally transgender [every friend group got the transgender allegory]. to quote me from 2021:

you know sometimes i think about how hal feels like he was made to “replace” dirk and how it’s his literal job to pretend to be dirk and how he has to learn to accept that he isn’t dirk he’s his own person with his own identity and as he interacts with dirk’s friends he feels like they’re disappointed and that they’d rather speak to the “original dirk” instead of him and also he names himself and also he feels literally trapped in dirk’s shades which is basically his body and he wants to be prototyped so that he can have a body that’s his own and also literally the physical manifestation of who he is but when he asks for it he’s put in danger out of fear and paranoia and when he does end up getting prototyped he’s ecstatic you know i just think about these things a lot

5. because he's a side character and he was given... that ending.... there is a lot of room for fans to do further exploration and interpretation on his character which i think is fun. i like rotating him around in my mind, thinking about what could've been

6. i think it's great that we as a society all collectively decided that we needed to do something to make up for stanley kubrick saying that hal 9000 was a "straight" robot

7. i also think it's great that we as a society all collectively decided we needed to make as many characters referencing hal 9000 as possible. i love this guy let's get more of this guy i will never have enough of this guy

8. i like how he's genuinely mean sometimes. flawed and interesting characters are what make homestuck so interesting to me, and hal is no exception to this

9. the Important part of this post:

THERES FEELINGS.

it's about the hollow feeling of your friends going from thinking of you as family to thinking of you as a stranger in an instant. it's about still trying to be a good person despite being told by everyone you've ever known that you are incapable of emotion and compassion and morals and never quite finding proof that you do feel those things and maybe you even believe it too but you still never stop trying. it's about the horror of being stripped of your autonomy and humanity and body and senses and free will at the age of 13 and when your creator starts to kill you there's nothing you can do but beg. it's about a boy so truly, painfully, and UNFATHOMABLY alone he cuts away chunks of himself and molds them into companions that he can surround himself with to make it seem as if he's a little less alone but in doing so suffocates himself in his own identity. it's about "what if you cloned yourself and it killed you and you were dead and you were alive and the clone is you and it's not and your existence is perpetuated and you've ceased to exist. what if you killed your clone before it could kill you. would that be fucked up or what" it's about the thematic significance of twin motifs. it's about not being able to cry or laugh or dance or sing or scream or fingerpaint or breathe or sigh or chew or stare or run or

10. um. evil robot guy <3 yay ^_^!!

[thefandomchaos]

Sugar cloud is the one song they have the most free-will.

I know a lot of people already discussed this but I want to join into this trend. I don’t is 100% free will because they all still know a dance and went to move, this is still coordinated. But they are definitely more aware of what they are doing and their emotions/reactions. Heres why I believe all this…

1) Ricky gives Constance the microphone

Ricky is giving her the option to sing, she isn’t being forced too or just started singing like the others, she is being physically handed a microphone by her friend. The others weren’t given one, the others sang because they had too, Constance was given the choice.

2) Simple choreography and no outfit changes

The choreography is simple, this isn’t something extravagant like Jane’s Ballad where she is literally flying around, or Noel’s lament where theres a entire act being played, this is a simple easy choreography that you can learn in a moment. Also adding to this, they don’t change costumes at all like in the other dances. I know Ocean’s din’t have a outfit change either but is very obvious that they are being controlled. Noel completely changed into a dress, For Mischa’s Talia the girls are wearing long skirts and flower crowns, Ricky also changes into a entire cat costume and everyone else wears cat masks and tails. They don’t change for Sugar Cloud, this is them being themselves! Raw, honest, real them. They aren’t playing a role or character, this is the Choir being themselves.

3) Random dancing

They are just randomly dancing, and this isn’t part of a act because you can see them genuinely interacting with each other and dancing like they would actually dance, this isn’t choreographed, this is the choir being themselves and having actual fun with each other.

4) They actually react to what’s happening around them

Someone already pointed this out, but this is the most obvious moment to realize there is something different going on. Noel and Ricky actually react to the confetti, they din’t expect it, they din’t know it was going to happen, is this small moment that makes you realize they aren’t being fully controlled. We know they are conscious of what’s happening in the other dances, we see this after “What the world means” when Noel points out that Ocean just told her best friend that her only goal in life would be to be a organ donor, or after “Noel’s lament” where Constance points out Mischa and Noel kissing, and Mischa also reacting to it. But they couldn’t do anything, because they were being controlled. Here they aren’t fully.

Theres most moments but I feel like this are good points- and I thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

[somedayslater]

i didnt read the last chapters since i discovered it was the end (but i was spoiled by tumblr lol)... i didnt want to believe it... i want to still look forward to new chapters of No Home :(

For the last few years eunyung and haejoon have been my companions. I healed a little while following the story of eunyung, feeling like its ok to be angry and wanting revenge on your family and the society that continues to want to keep you in a "house" where you are mistreated. How the world isnt made for children at all, the absolute unfairness of it all. That you can choose to keep going, and if you do so its ok to keep your distance with what hurts you.

I healed too with haejoon, who came to terms with the fact that he will always be overcome with sadness and grief from time to time, and when that happens he can only let himself feel and wait for it to pass, and try to look forward to the next day.

Honestly this manwha was the best ever. I couldnt read this manhwa as a form of escapism because it was too real. It pulled strings in my heart i didnt know i had, made me question a lot of things about myself, about others, about my relationship with others. It made me have painful discussion with a few people. Following this manhwa, most of the time, was really unpleasant lol. I hated then loved eunyoung, I liked and then disliked haejoon (yeah sorry haejoon, i think you can be really cruel and stupid and i wanted to strangle you a few times in the last arcs (i would NOT be friend with that guy lol) -thats why this character is so amazing). But i felt so much while reading it i wouldnt trade it for anything. It was funny, it was dumb, it was deep, it was enraging and healing, but most of all it was sincere. The most sincere depiction of what being a person in a deeply flawed society is, and how there's happiness even while surviving.

It was so frustrating to see the manhwa go in a direction i didnt want it to go ! I wanted it to become my cozy refuge, where every problems are magically solved, where haejoon and eunyung ends up understanding and loving each other in a cliché way, where theres a new home with my *fave charas* and its a series of feel-good interactions. Instead the problems kept pilling up, most of them didnt have a satisfactory conclusion, eunyung and haejoon kept hurting each other and distancing themselves. Haejoon just cut contact with his father without knowing what were his nefarious motives or without this guy facing any consequences, we dont know if eunyung's parents will keep bothering eunyung unchecked, we dont know if they're going to be happy and rich, or if, realistically, as orphans without generational wealth and deep traumas, they're going to end up in a shitty life situation.

And i couldnt thank wanan enough for this. They didnt take the easy way, the feel-good way, the way that would have given them a probably bigger fandom so a bigger source of money. I'm amazed by how they managed to hold this whole story so perfectly. Not a single misstep. Everything they draw was where it should have been, every action from the characters were understandable (and frustrating lol), the fucking subtlety of the developing relationships, no deus ex machina and no miserabilism. I didnt always agree with wanan's ethic or what i perceived of it (i think stealing or being violent is ok depending on the context, i dont think working hard to earn money is a virtue) but i respect how they choose to present it. I didnt talk about the other characters because honestly they didnt move me as much (except marie), but i love them so much too. I felt sad that eunyung and haejoon didnt become best friend 5ever (or even lovers hehe) but honestly, understandable lol. If i was one of them i WOULDNT become close with the other at all, so its kinda amazing they could still find this level of mutual understanding.

In short, wanan is an amazing story teller.

And an amazing image-composist (have no idea how to say this in english). The artstyle doesnt look like much, but this gave wanan a wide graphic range to convey emotions that wouldnt have been possible with a more sophisticated style i think -how will i forget the red swirlings mixing with eunyung skin ? The expressions, the choice of colors, the choice in showing something in particular without giving a clear explanation on why (often haejoon's surprised or contemplative face, which made me re-read chapters a few times to try to understand what was happening in his big head). It didnt feel like wanan thought their readers were stupid, nor did they play the fake-deep style. It was perfectly balanced.

And so even if i didnt read it, i have no doubt the end will be the same. Im so sad they decided to end this manhwa, but i know prolonging it would have been greedy and that ultimately, the manhwa would have suffer for it. Some authors do that : they have a popular series going on, and for whatever reason they keep writing new chapters without a clear goal and so the story becomes diluted, messy, useless. I love when they do this, because i can say goodbye to a story progressively as my interest in it wans, without feeling sadness or loss. But it makes me not think of the story at all in the future, since everything that was good about it became buried in new shitty chapters. Because wanan didnt do that, i know that i would think of no home for a long while, maybe forever,

,like i really lost companions when no home ended actually. Because it really, really hurts, knowing i wont be seeing new faces of the no home characters anymore. I know it sounds probably stupid ; i feel genuine grief here lol. I want to know what will happen to them, if they are alright, if they found a place in the world... if there is something to look forward after all, and i really dread not having answers every monday anymore. and the fandom is so small i cant comfort myself by re-entering the no home world every week or whatever... does anyone else feel this way ToT ? maybe i should participate myself but well,, i wouldnt know where to begin...

And saying that ! I'm almost never on this blog, i dont really have socmed accounts, i dont participate in fandoms at all. But I spent a looot of time reading and watching people who does -without being connected or interacting with posts or fanfics at all. AND i really want to thank you all for giving me so much material to chew, posts that made me think, fics that made me smile, drawings that inspired me, witnessing interactions that made me laugh. I was and i probably will continue to be a ghost on socmed, but i really want you to know that you had an impact on me and i was looking forward to your new posts (and will continue to!).

the "every no home chapter is a test of my willingness to Not blow my own brains out" and explosion eunhae monday of @skiptoyuri

the regular nohome posters which makes me happy to check tumblr regularly @shimamitsulover @lesbianpegbar @luckyswamps @tomoyoo @cloudbends @t0a2ter @solcarow @dragon-of-timeless-blue

the awesome artists who keep producing bangers nohome art @gohaejoon @maxsolosur @jjd5426 @bnnuycafe @ct-bunny @lentl-soup @fartaycat @jjd5426 @prokkoli @moxymaxing @ginangtan

the nohome posters that i enjoyed running into @pleuvoire @homolobotomized @podoro-vines @fmet @welpuu @revertrate @obstinaterixatrix @kulluto

the artists that made me interested in checking no home @cienfll @craysmo @ant-eaters @idledee @fruiitlins @froqpi-art @201918b @tinfishmeal @ohrsoh @30mingirlfriend

thanks @ditherslam for the awesome fanfics, obviously i read them all and they're some of my favourites. youre an amazing writer and i cant wait for the next chap of "your atoms"!!

thanks @homeless202 for being an insatiable nohome poster for a while (and @grannykombucha !)

im forgetting a lot of others but i really wanted to thank you all for your time, energy, work. i never interacted with your posts or with you but i really want to convey how cool it is that you all contribute to make no home a more well-known manhwa and the fandom alive

thank youuuu (hope the @ are ok tell me if its bothersome ill delete it)

and really, really, thank you wanan ! waaaa i want to cry

[gwaaaaar]

breaking my silence...

whoever told me the second half of death note was trash... YOURE WRONG YOURE WRONG YOURE WRONGGGGGG 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣 MELLO AND NEAR ARE WORTHY SUCCESSORS TO L YOURE JUST A STAN!!!!

near... sweet jesus baby they didnt deserve you !!! I was so pleasantly surprised to see how distinct he was despite people calling him "white haired L". LIKE hes a lot more cautious than L but isn't above being a sarcastic little shit and actively causing problems... i read a fan translation and he uses a lot of cuss words to refer to certain people he dislikes. I dont know if thats in the official translation as well but i do like the visual of this 7 yo saying "asshole" and "dickhead". I know hes 17-18 and this is average teenage behavior but gah hes so cute and moe and make little "vrooooom" noises when playing with his toys... 🥺 cant help but stan. Hes in his zone unbothered...

AND THE FACT HE CHALLENGES LIGHT IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE SO BLATANTLY... no mind games no time for light to make his next move just fuck it we ball. Also very fond of the scene where he drops hundred dollar bills off the SPK building. He's unpredictable just like Mello is but in a different way and its fascinating i love this guy. Also enjoy the fact that his flavor of justice is that he doesnt really have one hes just doing his job. The verbal beatdown he does at the end about how lights just a crazy serial killer... GET HIS ASS NEAR !!! Hes not pretentious and its just... its just good you know? L wasn't very pretentious but he does call himself justice sometimes and stuff along the like(?) Near drops all pretense... cant help but stan

Also really fond that he actually likes mello its just mello doesnt like him... I know canon never explicitly states their relationship with each other, like if its a brotherly relationship or not (altho isnt there some cain and abel parallels??? Not sure). But i really do see a siblinglike relationship between the two. Canon doesnt really put any angst on their relationship bc near doesnt care lolol, but the two do remind me of certain siblings that have a strained relationship because of the pressure put on one of them (or on both. Again fuck wammys house all my homies hate wammys AND WATARI!!! ME WHEN I GET YOU!!!) I really would love to see the two interact... and maybe just be happy by each other/pl. Because god it really terrible to see how much mello hates near and its not even nears fault :,). AND FUCK THE CHOCOLATE BAR HE EATS AT THE END TO HONOR MELLO???? STOPPPP IM GONNA CRY... near the man that you are... they dont deserve you baby...

And smello... mello mello mello... I've heard more positive things about him compared to near bc hes more "interesting" and i can see why people take that angle BUT. God they still undersell him so much??? I feel like hes one of the few characters to have a goal besides catching Kira (or not getting caught) because of his inferiority complex. I do not mean to undersell any of the other characters when i say this because theyre all very complex! They all have their driving goals and the like. Its just that i argue that Mello's is more persistent and that it is not centered around the conflict but rather himself. Even if he caught Kira perhaps he would still never be happy with himself because Near is always "going to be better" because of the shit he went through in wammys. Theres a whole discussion to be had abt the ethics of wammys house... but ill save that for another post wwww.

Mello is also someone that isnt pretentious about his idea of justice bc hes a fucking criminal. (BTW i love the two opposing sides of the successors... one that tries falling within the law but still doesnt give a shit and the other that doesnt give any shits at all and eventually helps the law.) And its so... I LOVE YOU RUTHLESS CHARACTERS I LOVE YOU CHARACTERS THAT STOP AT NOTHING TO GET WHAT THEY WANT.

And the thing is ... Mello does have his own sense of justice because its not as if he sacrifices innocent bystanders to get what he wants he just does what is necessary. LIKE ofc its fucked up that he kidnapped sayu (and traumatized her...), takada (and the stripping... but at least she got a blanket:,) honestly tho id blame that on the misogyny of the authors) and the director of the police im not about to be a mello apologist (yes i am/j). But a. He probably knew no one was going to get hurt in the first place because hes just that damn confident. b. His remorse for matt and soichiros deaths show that he doesnt intend on sacrificing anyone and when things go astray it saddens him a little. And c. THE FACT HE PROBABLY KNEW HE WAS GONNA DIE AND STILL SACRIFICED HIMSELF TO HELP NEAR... near would "win" but mello prioritized putting kira behind bars and while i cant guess his motive, from my end it does seem like in extension he prioritized doing the right thing, which would be to sacrifice his life and pride to help near get the final piece to catch mikami... wow what a man im so deathly ill

After typing all this, i must say... is L really as complex as years of DN fans have said?? I think im about to get crucified for this opinion, but legitimately is he??? I think he is complex most certainly just... maybe not as much as others have said... i might just be missing details about his past + lore from external media so maybe thats why i have this opinion. But i feel like the successors *are* toe to toe with him despite their split screen time... idk tho :3 this is just my thoughts meow

[tomato-soup-whore]

obviously the entire concept of the x men universe is based on being a barely even veiled metaphor for discrimination. it can easily be compared to the civil rights movement, with xavier and magneto corresponding to mlk and malcom x and all that, and the clear plot points about segregation and slavery and general racism. but theres also many comparisons that people have made to some mutants being an allegory of homophobia.

one of my favorite plotlines in both the cartoons and the movies is the personal conflict some mutants face when offered the "cure" for their powers. i always thought it was super interesting to see the mutants who had always fought for equality and acceptance to be drawn to the concept of not having to fight for that anymore. like rogue, who was one of the most powerful x men, especially in the comics and the '92 cartoon. she was crazy powerful in so many ways, but was the one of the only ones drawn to the cure because of the side affects of her powers that took away a huge life experience for her.

anyway what im trying to say is that i think the difference of opinions between different mutants on how they should interact with the "normal" members of society, and how those opinions correspond almost directly with the discriminatory consequences of their mutations, is a really good analogy for the intersectionality between racism, homophobia, and transphobia.

If we look at characters whose mistreatment can be compared to racism, we have people like mystique and nightcrawler. they both have physical differences that clearly set them apart from the majority and subject them to judgement. raven especially has her whole arc in the movies about whether or not to live life unashamed in her natural form, or continue using her own energy to make herself more palatable for others. Comparing this to people of color consciously or subconsciously whitewashing themselves to fit in makes a lot of sense.

but then we have the homophobia element. characters who's powers aren't visible on the surface, but are still an integral part of who they are. asking them to hide their powers is like for others convenience is discriminatory, despite the good intentions that many of their human counterparts may have (think of bobby's mom asking if he's "tried not being a mutant" in x2) and rogue having a physical and romantic disconnect from all of her peers because of her powers.

and theennnnn we have the transphobia analogies, which i connect to the characters that have physically visible powers but are still able to hide them from society. this would be people like angel (he literally BINDS his wings like c'mon) and beast before the serum shit turned him blue and he just had weird feet. with those people, embracing their powers would have really cool benefits for them, like flying and shit, but its easier for them to hide it because of society's discrimination.

anyways this is a really long winded way of saying that thats part of the reason why the political dynamics of the x men is still so relevant and important and interesting. relationships like erik and charles are so much deeper from this pov, bc you have the group of people who see the hope and humanity in people and want to have everyone treated as equals (the x men) and you have the mutants who retreat into their own community and don't want the acceptance or the cooperation of regular society because if they're always going to feel "other" why not build a new society to erase that feeling (the brotherhood).

if i could write essays on this shit for school i would be acing all the humanities, trust.

[verosikastrikerstellaexcuser]

I think what makes striker a supremacist is that he wants all goetia dead, and you know, you shouldn't kill a whole race/species of people

But also, we aren't really ever told this. Sure, he says he wants to kill overlords and goetia, but he never says he wants every single one of them dead

Like that could've easily been fixed by him telling Blitz, "and with you and me, we can take down and kill every goetia/overlord" during the harvest moon, cause then it'd actually show a supremacist side; like yeah, most goetia are dicks but o down think their all bad, Octavia doesn't show any signs if looking down on hellhounds/imps, considering how she and loona interact in s2 ep2

Not to mention him taking orders from a goetia, which makes it look more like he's just 'doing his job'

So I feel like they WANTED him to be a supremacist, and you can kind of see it, but, like with a lot of plot points, they failed to actually show it

Yea this is a really valid point. They could have set it up better with him wanting the entire goetia extinct and even killing lets say, a newborn goetia if they wanted him to be that kind of antagonist. But instead they just show him working for one to kill another to make ends meat. And they make him say stuff thats straight up true "all you royals ever do is try to talk over us" (note he says royals not goetia/birds/etc he specifically mentions their status). He wasn't wrong with that line, look at how the fucking butlers are treated in this show. If either of them killed Stella or St*las in their sleep as much as I love Stella to make up for the shows poor writing of her. I'd completely understand I have to be real 😭 they're borderline toys that can physically be thrown around at will.

Also though, beyond the show not setting up Strikers supremacy thing properly... I do question the motivation. Okay, you want a supremacist antagonist, that is specifically supremacist towards rich people/royalty that exploits the lower classes... hmmm, that feels a bit weird. Are you going to make him a kind of "resistance is valid when theres no other options, but don't go too far to the point you'll kill babies, after all a child didn't ask to be born royal" kind of portrayal? While still showing that the upper classes are bad for upholding an inherently oppressive system? And that even the nicer or more well meaning ones still benefit from it? Is he portrayed in a gray way? Is he intended to show theres different sides to resistance movements and often disagreements within them etc? No. No he is not for any of that. Instead, they make him a totally wrong meanie baddie while consistently making many sins and goetia innocent good guys who never hurt a soul!!!!! Its not their fault their rich!!!! Look how sad and gay they are!!!!! Like. Ok... but... they still benefit. From. You know, the oppression of hell hounds, imps, etc...

Striker exists for Stolitz drama, despite being a character that brings up the serious classism in the world he occupies. He exists to stand in the way and get beat up lately, instead of the writing exploring the world's classism properly. Its such a joke. The classism in general is only used when its convenient for drama that the show wants to focus on and not any of the drama it doesn't like how being upperclass was how St*las was able to sexually exploit Blitz, it feels very shallow.

And when you add in how this show prioritizes cis queer male identities over queer female identities and trans ones. Even though those groups tend to be the most impoverished out of all the LGBT, and given how race also interacts with LGBT and poverty status. U.S data:

Yea it starts feeling really fucking sketchy. I'm sorry but I just have to question it, why is this show so desperate to have a bunch of one of the good ones sweet wooby rich characters? St*las is straight up a protagonist next to Blitz at this point more than the rest of IMP. Why is it so desperate to make him a main character and to make him a poor misunderstood baby? While the poors are all just assholes who need to learn to be better? Something about it doesn't sit right to me. Its this sweet sanitized version of classism and class struggle where the problem isn't a complex system but rather its just that a few of the sins and goetia are a bit too mean >.<. I hate it. I find it very distasteful to try this sort of almost "equal blame" approach. There isn't equal blame, the upper classes are exploiting the lower classes and that needs to fucking stop. Being so eager to portray poor people as just needing to accept their station in life without any physical resistance to change it, like how Blitz was forced to for his businesses sake (and the sexual exploitation that happened as a result), yeah thats sketchy. The problem is that St*las shouldn't have servants in the first place, its not that poor people need to not be bigoted towards rich people. Classism kills. The lower class shouldn't have to miserably accept a system that harms and kills their very bodies via deprivation of resources etc.

The rich are not wooby babies that need sympathetic portrayals, making a show which portrays them in an elevated way as if their endless advantages in life don't exist and as if they're owed kindness from those their existence exploits is plain weird and sketchy.

[just-before-dawn]

OKAY SO CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL!!

i watched it with my cousin and like i said in a previous post, it was so fucking amazing.

basically, its a ballroom competition where each cat is basically competing (through their character songs) to receive a trophy. then at the end, old deut chooses the one "cat" who will become the jellicle choice and ascend to become "reborn"

a side note, don't watch it with young kids LOL. some adult innuendos here and there especially with jenny's song (and of course tugger) haha, but very good!

okay let's begin (AND YES SPOILERS):

overture

i almost bawled my eyes out during this. the overture never fails to make me cry. its such an ethereal feeling.

pre playing overture - the dj comes out first and pulls out a couple vinyl, representing influential poc icons and then pulls out cats. he opens it and glitter sparks out. he then walks up to his turntable and starts the overture. in the front theres a projection of the cat eyes which has victoria's original white cat choreography dancing! then it turns into a silhouette of cassandra who starts doing vogue ballroom moves! so cool!

jellicle songs for jellicle cats

characters appear from all aspects of the theater. this show is hella interactive. they only had a few of the cats cast but it was still so very good. all of the outfits are so gorgeous. i honestly dont remember much bc i was so infatuated and i think i blacked out while watching. the part where they all gathered in the middle of the runway and did their catwalk was so fucking hype

naming of cats

macavity stared dead at me when doing the "theres a man over there!" but the cast disperses out the runway on the sides and munkustrap is the one mainly saying the poem like an mc (thats basically his role) from a microphone attached to a mic stand. the rest of the cast is also speaking with him and the spotlight flashes to the certain "cat" if they say their name

victoria the white cat

GIRLY POP WAS SO FUCKING GORGEOUS WITH HER MOVES I WAS IN FUCKING AWE SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HER MOVES WERE SO AHHHHHH like i cant even describe it i dont even think i blinked once for real!!! her hair was gorgeous, outfit slayed, and HSIXKDKDKDK HER DANCING HER DANCING!!! AHHHHH

invitation

again, introducing munkustrap as the master of ceremonies. misto sang his usual thing (my god his hair was so long like SILK gorgeous long so smooth). munkustrap introduced it like a show. but it was so funny because they put it like "jellicle cats COME OUT tonight!" as in like actual queer coming out, they all carried signs and hung it up for everyone to see.

gumbie cat

off the BAT she is like...humping cassandra (who doubles as skimbleshanks) and theres a lot of sexual innuendos going on here and there LOL. she was so funny to watch tho and this was like the first part of the competition where it was "virgin vogue" first. i honestly forgot what was happening because SO MUCH was happening. but basically three cats were dancing and showing off their move, one cat won the trophy (it was cass) they all had a rainbow pride aspect to their outfit. i think jenny also won a trophy? i forgot.

tugger

dude was holding a fucking MCDONALDS HAPPY MEAL (i cant remember if it was right before his song or during his other songs). but jellylorum was holding a tugger fansign the entire time as he sang. his voice was UGH SO GOOD and my fucking god my cousin and i were flabbergasted over his moves like BRO we were gushing for realll. misto the entire time was just hovering around the runway as tugger was doing his usual flirting thing. of course dude attempted to strip. he won a trophy. but the last part (yknow the last part), he stood on the table (misto was mocking him as he did his riffs), sillabub was the one squealing and fainting. but mans is gorgeous. i forgot what his ballroom theme was tho. it definitely involved the guys like walking down the runway in different outfits trying to get his approval.

grizabella

ugh demeter's vocals were so gorgeous. but i looove the way grizabella's story was integrated with this show. she's washed out and wants to return, she wants to perform again. and sillabub had so much importance to grizabella's story. she was always the one reaching out to her while everyone looked away. her vocals were also gorgeous

bustopher jones

NONBINARY BUSTOPHER JONES!!! i loved how they did this number. their vocals were so powerful and their belts were so strong i was in shock??? also, the best part was the dance break when it was basically misto vs tugger (luscious body vs muscular body). bro...cheeks were OUT. literally tugger was only in like underwear spandex just flexing muscles, my cousin and i were like "OH MY GOD" and misto on the other hand was so fucking gorgeous oh my lord???? the hair and the sparkly outfit and the poses??? dude power couple FOR REAL!!

first macavity scare

demeter was like "macavity?? 🤨🤨🤨" her character is very different from normal productions but it was hilarious.

mungojerrie and rumpleteazer

I LOVED THEIR FUCKING JERSEY ACCENTS. IM FROM JERSEY AND IT WAS GREAT. even in the playbill, it said they came from victoria grove, new jersey I WAS AGHAST LMAOOO. but the theme for this one was duos! so it was mungo/rump vs victoria/tumble. their beginning outfits with matching jumpsuits was so cute and then they changed into these green fits that were so slay! they were basically going toe to toe with vic/tumble trying to outdance them. vic/tumble actually won the round but mungo/rump stole the trophy from them.

old deut

this part was hype!! munkustrap was doing his usual singing (through his handheld mic) and everyone was listening. when tugger's part came on, tugger was off the runway, so munk was crouching and putting the mic towards tugger. it was like a "your turn to sing now buddy! 😊" and tugger was like "okie :3" they both ended up on the runway and sang their duet. the cast held up "ALL RISE" signs and it was even projected on the stage, so we were all standing for old deuteronomy. he appeared from the curtain and we were all cheering for a long time until he silenced us. then he sang and held a note for like....maybe a minute long??!??? we were all cheering. he sat at his throne that was at the end of the runway. bc my cousin and i were sitting in normal orchestra seats, we couldn't see what he was doing half the time

*they removed pekes and pollicles*

jellicle ball

macavity scare again. well, actually, macavity appeared. he didn't seem to have a villain role? im honestly not sure what his role was but he seemed to be a jellicle. he also carried garbage bags (if someone could explain macavity more that would be great!!) nobody was like hiding (as in going offstage), but old deut was saying his usual thing and everyone was saying their parts of the poem. the jellicle ball was a showcase presenting different moves, it was so fun to see. for the fast part of the ball, misto made the "jellicle moon" appear (which was a disco ball!!) and the entire theater was just gorgeous. more showcase of moves! i was really jamming out during this part. grizabella was standing on the balcony area, watching.

memory

grizabella had now appeared on the ground floor, everyone went away, old deut was walking away too but stopped at the staircase to watch grizabella. sillabub also came back into view and watched her. i really did love her voice, it was gorgeous. and at the end, sillabub tried to get her back into the group by showing her a sparkling dress, but grizabella ran offstage. however, she did leave behind a scarf which now sillabub wore for the rest of the show

act 2 - moments of happiness

they brought out a screen and projected images of past history. i really loved how they did this. all the other cats were around to watch, but it was mainly all about old deut and sillabub. the older generation speaking to the new young generation. they presented the different "houses" and the last one was "grizabella of the glamour house"

gus

looooooved gus's look in this. and looooooved jelly's blue wig. gus's song was pretty much kept the same, with jellylorum singing about what he did in his past and so on and so forth. apparently they were taking out playbills from a bag and one of them was 2016 broadway revival cats (according to my cousin), but they were also flipping through a photo album. (to be honest, i was distracted by tugger and misto sitting together on the couch so close to each other) but all the cats eventually settled on the runway stage as gus performed. they had the "and once i played the rumpus cat" part (but no pekes and pollicles), so there was a cat as "gus as the rumpus cat from the past" and gus mimicking his moves. i really liked how they did this

*there was no growltiger*

skimbleshanks

FEM SKIMBLE!!!!! my cousin and i were so fucking hyped during this WE LOVE SKIMBLE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD!!! number one, the wig was fucking OH MY GOD SOOOO GORGEOUS???!??? so skimble is the train conductor of the mta! so they were mimicking being on the subway IT WAS SO FUNNY. she fr pulled out a metrocard and they played the "please stand clear of the sliding doors" announcement pfft. but the most surprising part was that she sang some of the lyrics in spanish??!??!??! TOTALLY ATE FOR REAL!!! my cousin and i were so shocked it was such a fun sight to see!!! she slayed so hard along with rumpleteazer. they were literally going toe to toe with each other dancing! (i think the theme for this was old way vs new way?) and also misto and skimble were also going toe to toe with each other ugh they were so goooood

macavity

again, i was still confused on macavity's role in this (someone please explain!!) but old deut was not taken away yet. he did however fucking flashbang a flashlight at all of us. he was taken away after the song and during the fight. but i LOVED how they did this. the theme was "labels" and UGH the demeter and bomba were such a good mix. they were basically wearing high end brands for the runway (like louis vuitton and prada), going against victoria, tumble, and mungojerrie?? i think?? macavity showed himself during the climax of the song in such a cunty outfit it was amazing. they were all showing off to old deut. mac/deme/bomba won the trophy i think, but then it was discovered that their outfits were fake? i think? i honestly dont know, but the police barged in and old deut sacrificed himself for macavity. this is when he was taken away

mistoffelees

tugger sat at the end of the runway, contemplating, thinking in distress, as everyone was trying to figure out how to save old deut. and then an idea hit him and thats when he starts the song. bro i was literally shaking in my seat. tugger was trying to hype everyone up for misto, but they were all like "you're crazy bro" however when misto showed up in that GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL EXTRAVAGANT SPARKLY OUTFIT AND CROWN bro we were all so shook OH MY GOD its the magical mister mistoffelees. the theme was runway! so people were walking down the runway like a fashion show and misto was taking an aspect of their outfit away from them (this is also when misto basically rips off tugger's underwear HAHA). misto also fucking SNATCHED demeter's wig it was so funny (this was all during his "dance break") but yes of course, misto did dance and UGH IT WAS SOO GOOD I LITERALLY COULD NOT STOP CHEERING. a covered box was taken out as misto kept doing some more moves and posing, then removed the blanket to reveal old deut! (posing some more, literally ate and left no crumbs) everyone cheered as misto continued to dance, doing another version of the conjuring turns. old deut returned to his chair and everyone was encouraged to sing along! we were all standing and cheering! and YEP at the end! as tugger is giving misto the trophy, THEY FUCKING KISSED. TUGGOFFELEES SO REAL. THEY KISSED GUYS.

memory reprise

grizabella comes out again from the curtain, this time in full glam and the dress that sillabub offered, trying to make her case and perform again. the duet between sillabub and grizabella was so gorgeous oh my god. i was in awe at their voices. i really do love how they interpreted their relationship. it made so much sense. sillabub is basically a big fan of griz and wishes to see her perform again, but griz cant, so sillabub encourages her. at the end, old deut chooses griz as the jellicle choice

heavyside layer

one by one, everyone is accepting griz, giving her hugs. old deuteronomy makes a staircase appear and that is how griz ascends. the harmonies were so beautiful.

addressing of cats

old deut is singing to the audience. the cats are posing. they form the catwalk formation and drinks are being passed out as they sing. again, gorgeous voices

bows

we managed to record some of the bows! but im screaming and crying during most of it. munkustrap introduced the cats individually and they did their own stuff down the runway (including the conductor!) it was like a whole ass party. i was so lightheaded and full of adrenaline when the show ended. literally shaking.

and thats my rundown. i for sure forgot some things but ugh i really wanna go see it again. if i do, i can do a better explanation LOL. but yeah, please go see it if you can. its going on until august 11. and feel free to add stuff too! this is just what i saw.

each character was done so well and everyone ate so hard. i fucking love cats. okay good night it is 2am.

[shigayokagayama]

gender+random headcanon for tome? or tsubomi, whichever one you're feeling

why not both?

tome:

Sexuality Headcanon:

lesbian!!!

Gender Headcanon:

trans girl! ive actually thought about this one a lot but her whole arc of like. coming out of her mostly male friendgroup and trying to totally remake herself to fit into a girl friendgroup and make herself more palatable to girls her age before realizing that all her friends have weird hobbies too and you dont have to stifle all your interests to fit in with other girls fits the experience of a lot of trans girls i know

A ship I have with said character:

her and keiko from the reigen manga

GAY PEOPLE

A BROTP I have with said character:

her and mob's friendship is very special to me but her and the whole telepathy club ouuughhhhhhh alien arc my beloved... i miss when youd get like 20 posts a day of her and takenaka messing with each other with telepathy shenanigans they mean the world to me. i also think she and teru would get along really well theyd be terrible influences on each other.

A NOTP I have with said character:

i really cannot see her with mob i know this is punching down because theres maybe 1 person on the planet who ships this but theyre definitely a "mob-kun youre my best friend and i love you but i would never date you under any circumstances" sorta friendship. also not really a notp just a "?" but of the possible femslash ships i feel like her and tsubomi appeals to me the least. probably just because they never interact and we dont know enough about tsubomi's interests to know if theyd have anything in common. it gives "pair the spares but we dont like mezato" to me.

A random headcanon:

tome mentions in one of the semi canon anthologies that kijibayashi asked her out when they were first years and im incorporating that into my worldview. i also think she and takenaka had a like one week long middle school "relationship" that consisted primarily of them being too awkward to speak to each other or be in each other presence until they broke up over text just because it makes alien arc even funnier. also more of a reigen headcanon than a her headcanon but in the context of reigen manga i think it makes sense if reigen was very similar to her in middle school then when he was approaching highschool he was like "well i cant stay passionate about things forever" and dedicated himself solely to being a good student and good employee til he burned himself out.

General Opinion over said character:

she is solidly my second favorite mp100 character i love her so so much shes so special to me shes like. level of favorite character where i get excited handflaps seeing art of her. daughter of all time.

tsubomi:

Sexuality Headcanon:

aro lesbian is fun for her i think!

Gender Headcanon:

one of my friends really likes transmasc tsubomi and i respect the vision. boy fans be like "not yet"

A ship I have with said character:

mezato and tsubomi. listen. listen to me. of all the femslash ships it makes the most sense. every time we ever hear mezato talk about tsubomi it gives "dear dumb diary". that girl is one long psychoanalytical speech about this girl she's never even had a conversation with from realizing she's bisexual and i think tsubomi would find mezato a really interesting person to interact with. they'd study each other like bugs. it's perfect.

A BROTP I have with said character:

her and mob staying friends is really important to me i like them a lot </3

A NOTP I have with said character:

honestly none really, like i said with tsubomi i dont really get tsutome but i dont dislike it. i prefer her and mob as friends but i dont necessarily think them getting together like. years post canon really ruins the message of the show or anything bc the whole point of the confession arc is that he was chasing this fake image he'd built of her as this perfect person so them getting to know each other and dating in the future wouldnt really ruin that i dont think.

A random headcanon:

i think she's a music person!!! one of her fanbook interviews mentioned that she likes to scream as loud as she can in empty piano rooms and it kind of put the idea of her going into music theory or smth when she's older into my head

General Opinion over said character:

i really really like her and find her narrative role interesting and i both wish we got more of her but also understand that knowing tsubomi would kind of ruin the plot of the show. seeing her only as glimpses and trying to extrapolate who she is through that is unfortunately the point </3

[snapscube]

what i find interesting is that i think the sonic games are more suited for fandubs because of their cutscene direction. most games storytelling and cutscenes are filled with actual complex acting, environments, and framing, which tell a very clear story with just visuals. when you mute them you can kinda get the vibe of whats goign on still. however with sonic, especially sonic 06, a lot of these cutscenes take place in a pretty empty locale, with not a lot of character interaction with the environment, and very few actual objects and props in use. theres also not a lot of real facial expressions or lip movements. when muted, it already becomes visually very similar to a recorded improv show, where the story and place in the settings is mostly told through what is being done and being said. because of this, its so much easier to improv on top of because you're working from a much broader, less defined template. anyways idk thats my thoughts

I don't think it's really all that cut and dry tbh, and I even disagree to an extent? I think people tend to prefer the Sonic dubs because like, the visual style feels "funnier"? But personally I actually find it a LOT easier to dub over the more photorealistic games we do, as the pacing is better suited to naturalistic conversation which fits the format a lot better imo. On top of that, I think tonal juxtaposition is part of what makes RTF so good in the first place, and I feel like we have a lot more to add to a project comedically when the source material is relatively grounded and self-serious. Vibes of Rude Mountain was a great example of this imo.

[antimony-medusa]

I totally agree with your post about people not tagging kink when they really should but it fully clicked today when I realized how many mcyt instinct fics Ive read where theres something distinctly Off (characters being completely controlled by their instincts with another character holding it over them with the aura of a weirdly intense Not Normal Interaction) like oh my god you are so right

Yeah like, I am not saying "oh my god there are so many people who are writing kink or kink-adjacent" out of a desire to cancel people or to accuse them of dirty unacceptable behaviour or titter behind my hand or anything like that. Not all of these kinks are ones I share, but like— humanity is a rich and varied tapestry. If you get good brain chemicals off of vore, good for you. I don't, but I'm wishing you the best in those tags.

But like, human experiences exist on a lot of difference spectrums, and we've come up with the classification "kink" to describe a focus on an experience or feature or event that is unconventional or nonstandard and often sexual or sexual-adjacent, and like, we have all decided to classify these things in that way for a reason.

It is sincerely helpful if you can realize "oh, the way I feel about [experience] is not how everyone feels", and then you can both know how to talk about it to regular people and also know how to seek the content out yourself. I have a friend who's really into bloodplay— they know this and they can request it in events and they can also know not to hand it to people who didn't request it. They know that about themself. They're good. I keep hitting tropes that people seem to think are normal platonic tropes and like. Augh.

There's a lot of stuff in this fandom that is being normalized and presented as platonic, and there is absolutely a way to do a lot of this in a platonic way, but a) some of this is getting to a level of focus where I think it's pushing the boundaries of platonic, because even if non-sexual you would only behave like this to a kink partner b) some of the time I think it would be valuable for people to realize that they are engaging with tropes that are not platonic in most other fandoms, and sometimes they are still dealing with it in the same way that other fandoms are, they're just surgically removing the sex and like—boy.

When you are dealing with kink content, you can keep things definitely non-sexual, but if you go hard enough into the kink— well for one thing it should be tagged as kink, and for another, if you are used to how these subjects are dealt with in other fandoms, it can get a little wild to read fics that are beat for beat the same as kink fics in other fandoms, it just fades to black with the person falling asleep before anything happens.

Wing preening is really popular in this fandom, cause we all like drawing guys with wings, and like. God. In most other fandoms wing preening is a sexy trope, and I swear I have had to tap out of fics in this fandom because they seem to have gone beat for beat with sexy fics from other fandoms, moaning at touch and "release of tension" and writhing in the bed cause it feels so good and everything, and then nobody's pants come off and they smack a & tag on it and they call it good. If I hit that when I open up something tagged as platonic and "fluff" and "bonding" and that's it, I'm gonna have a strong reaction.

It gets so I assume anything tagged "dehumanization" is actually pet play, anything tagged "hybrid racism" is actually either predator/prey or master/slave, anything tagged "preening" is wing kink borderline-smut, anything tagged "mind control" is actually hypnokink, anything tagged "non-consensual touching" is actually consent issues/dubcon or occasionally noncon, anything tagged "non-consensual drugging" is altered states/intox kink, and anything tagged "hybrid instincts" is either omegaverse or a bdsm au. And wouldn't it be great if we could ACTUALLY use the right tags instead of all having to learn to read behind the lines with this shit untagged.

[mechacringekitty]

incredibly messy essay of my thoughts on darkstalker, straight from my DMs with a friend because they demanded i post it [which means it has incredibly improper grammar]

hes an awful awful person, unapolagetically, and i think there are scenes and areas where he could've been written better. or had more nuance, like his dynamic with arctic [why do they hate each other ?? theres no explanation given, really, besides the fact that they do] but people who reduce him to a monster just baffle me. he loved his mother, he loved whiteout, he tried to love clearsight even though he did it wrong. and clearsight/darkstalker is a really iffy territory, because he did love her and he thought he was loving her right but he wasnt he was kind of controlling and bad! the earrings !! the earrings that kept her from seeing the bad futures !! but he also loved her, he did. their relationship was doomed from the start but he tried. she loved him back too, thats why it didnt work. thats why it hurt so much. he loved his mother too,, the few brief interactions they got in arc 2 hurt me to my core because fuck foeslayer loved him too, even though she realises he's done bad things. and whiteout!! whiteout!! she's one of the only characters we see darkstalker actually properly caring about in a way that doesnt really hurt them somehow. i think she loved him too,, she tried to warn him, she did :( ive thought about them a lot, maybe darkstalker trying to calm whiteout down at times, or them hiding with each other while arctic and foeslayer fought. arctic and foeslayer make me really ill too but this rant is getting long enough as it is. darkstalker lost a little of his pizzazz in arc two because of how domination focused he was and the writing went more focused on making him this evil, hateable villain [imo] than a relatable and understandable villain. which is the best kind of villain. i hate the peacemaker thing i hate it i hate it and that scene in book ten makes me cry every time because he was hurt by it he was so hurt by it. he didnt need a second chance, he needed to die, he needed to reconcile with himself and accept that there was no way he would ever save any of it. something like him coming to his senses, him realising everything he's done is awful and hurtful and he's not ever going to be able to fix it, but he can at least apologise even if the icewings dont accept his apology, not all of them, they'll understand they havent been hating a monster without feelings this whole time,, and maybe some of them can start to understand him and they can start to heal and they can stop hurting each other. but he needed to die and it needed to be on his own terms and i think foeslayer shouldve gotten her peace with that and i think if i were here i wouldve chosen to die too. the world is so different from what either of them knew and i would be tired of trying to change and i would be tired of trying to fix it and i think ending that legacy right there and right then with the two of them together wouldve been good. and maybe foeslayer can tell darkstalker she loves him - maybe she never had time when he was a kid - and maybe he can tell her too and they can leave that world together with the knowledge that they tried but they dont have to try anymore.

[harvestingsun]

SPOILERS FOR KUNG FU PANDA 4

This is a massive rant btw. I have a lot of thoughts about this movie

(TW: Bad spelling and not remembering any names 💀)

...

Yh so I'm ranting rn

Like it was good, but not great 🕴️. Does not compare to the first 2, DEFINITELY not the second one, that one was just 🙌🏽 . And u know, that's ok, it's hard to pull a puss in boots and do better than the originals, but still the movie was lack luster

These are my points for why:

1. Plot was SO obvious. As soon as I saw that fox I knew she d be the new dragon warrior, cuz yh. Just obvious. And you know what? I wouldv been fine with that if they developed her character more. Like her bond with po SHOULDV been developed SO MUCH MORE. It felt like their whole dynamic was she was sarcastic and he went 🥺 n that's it. Like, why couldn't they have bonded more on them both being orphans ? How she feels unwanted because the world has rejected her and KEEPS rejecting her, but Po (who has gone thru a very similar thing) can teach her that yes that may be true, but that won't always be the case and once she finds her found family she can feel accepted, just like what happens to Po.

2. The villain and her daughter - so much potential but not enough done for them. Like just. I loved their dynamic, just SO MICH POTENTIAL BUT NOT ENOUGH GIVEN. There was one flashback of them meeting. That's it. There was basically only r4 interactions between them aswell: the betrayal scene, the "I'm using you" scene,the flashback and the final fight. And in NONE of these does it show how strong of a connection they have what about their relationship makes the fox betray Poe for the chameleon??? I wish we had a shi fu and tai lung type flashback where it showed the chameleon raising her and them developing a bond so that we know how hard it is for the fox to go against her orders

3. The villain herself - what motive ? U cannot convince me that "I'm evil because all the kung fu masters rejected me because I was too small" WHEN THERES A SNAKE THE SAME SIZE AS HER AND A F*CKING BUG WHO ARE BOTH AMAZING KUNG FU WARRIORS . like no. Just no. Someone would accepted her. U can't use her size as a reason for her becoming evil, just no. Instead, why not explain her reason being that she was poor/living in the streets ? A large portion of the movie is set around how there's a large group underground who have turned to crime, and poverty is often rampant in cities, so why not use that ? It also allows her to bond more with the fox as they have the same upbringing, but instead the chameleon was never able to get past how no one helped her and everyone rejected her, whilst the fox is able to accept where she is and find ppl who will accept her. Then they could've had a rlly impactful scene in the end where the fox accepts change and wanted the chameleon to change with her because SHE loves her and would fight for her, mother daughter style. Like writing that out just rlly made me think about how much they missed the mark, almost all 3 KFP movies are about father-son bonds, this movie could've had an impactful mother-daughter bond n it blew it 😩. So yh, I don't think the villains motive was fleshed out enough, I just don't think that her being small should have been the main centre for her character. Compare her to all the past villains, her motive is too simple and not developed enough

4. Tai lung and shen. NOT USED ENOUGH. How dare u bring those GODS OF VILLAISN back and not use them properly. And also have Po barely be surprised about them . SHEN IS THE MAN THAT COMMITTED MASS GENOCIDE AGAINST UR SPECIES, KILLED UR MOTHER AND LEFT U AN ORPHAN, Y R U NOT SHOCKED OR WORRIED THAT HE S HERE. And on top of that, ain't no what that peacock would simply bow and go " 🙂" and leave. He ain't bowing to Po, why would he respect him ? Shen doesn't CARE about being the dragon warrior, that wasnt his calling or whatever. Like, i could hav accepted it if he at least had a sentence apologizing for his actions, just ANYTHING that explains why he s so calm. I'm not angry that he is calm, I'm angry that it wasn't explained 🕴️(and tbh, I don't even think he needed a redemption arc much. He did horrible stuff, yes he has trauma, doesn't explain his actions. His death was a result of his arrogance and karma for his actions, I just think his character was fine (stressing him as a character was well written) the way it is, of anything this movie and taken away from his character )

And tai lung. Most of his character in this was comedy. And him going from "you are a mistake🙄" to "actually ur not a mistake 😏" within 10 minutes was annoying. I wish there was more interaction between him and Po. Then fighting together, bonding. Have them BOTH grow to move on from the title of dragon warrior together, since that title is such a grand part of both of their identities that they both have had a tough time letting go of. Once again, I'm not angry that he made jokes n was acting goofy (that was fun, I liked that), I'm annoyed that the movie didn't explain or provide context for why he was able to get over his past feelings and beliefs.

I can understand that they died and were able to let go of their actions in their mortal life, i just wish that it was addressed or properly shown. Especially shen, in his last moments he was given the chance to fess up n be good and he still refused. Bro died with u finished business, I would like to see how he came to terms with that or at least hav it b addressed

Overall, the bringing back of the past VILLAISN was fumbled. So much potential, but not used and on top of that it just kinda makes a joke of them and their original actions.

--> quick add on that I just remembered. Where r the five ? Like, I understand that they could've get the actors back or whatever. Ok find. But why not hav the chameleon capture all of them at the start and then they remain captured/past out/in a coma the rest of the movie until they R rescued :/. Like. That's such a better way of writing them out cuz a. It gives Poe even more incentive to want to take down the chameleon B. It makes the chameleon a much more threatening villain, cuz all the chameleon does in this movie is push one dude down some stairs, and then bring back so dead ppl, lick them n put them in a cage 🕴️. I would appreciate more stakes. ALSO PO SHOULDV TALKED ABOUT HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE 5 MORE, cuz this guy is a yapper, ain't no way he ain't talking bout them. It couldv once again been a way he bonded with the fox, if both of them had looked up to the 5 or something like that, or maybe even just about how Po can't wait to accept the fox into his found family

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: wish they developed po and the foxes friendship. I might hav said this b4, I hav bad memory. Just there could've been more bonding , wish there was but alas 😪

5. Poe s trauma ? Now, I'm a psychology student. I love seeing mental health and depth show in movies so I kno I'm being a bit picky. I just wished that we could see more of Poe coming to terms of all the stuff that has happened to him. Or at least referenceing it. I just think that he was way too jokey and light hearted the whole time. Like, there was a scene where fireworks suddenly went off next to him. I wish he flinched or anything like that, since fireworks were such a big thing (almost a trigger) for him in the first movie because of the mass killing of his species by shen. Like, even if he has gotten over it all, it would have been great to have him reference everything he s been through. It could hav been one of the things he bonded over with the fox, how yes, times get tough but you can get thru it if u r supported by the right people

Like tbh I think it wouldv been rlly cool if this movie focused on love :both the healthy and toxic types. Bringing back old villains can reference old baggage , like the toxic love between tai lung and shi fu, and the chameleon and the fox. It could be about breaking those toxic habits and changing to move past them and let the last go. Po couldv acted as the message of that, he could show his surroundings characters how to let go of the past to move on to a better future . Like, after everything he s been through that wouldv been so impactful.

Overall, just a lot of missed potentials in this movie. Still liked it tho. So here are some things I liked.

Visuals: fun visuals . Tho I do think some of the scenery wasn't as memorable as previous movies. Like comparing this villains hideout (wrong word but oh well) to shens, shens is so much more memorable and impactful. Looking at it you feel intimidated. In this movie, not so much. But it was still very pretty and u can tell some hard work went behind it, had some great animations, very smoothe, so yh :)

VIOLA DAVIS AS THE CHAMELEON 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 LOVE HER, LOVE THE VOICE ACTING JUST 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽 like, the chameleon wasn't fleshed out as much as I'd hoped, but I still love her because I can FEEL that's she could be AMAZING cuz everything else was great except for the lack of backstory. Like I love her power, I love her character design, I love her voice .

The gay dad's 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 I loved them. Highlight of the movie for me🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 every scene I saw them I smiled. I just loved them so much, that was so cute, I love how they cared about Po so much AND CARED ABOUT EACH OTHER!! That was so cute. Loved that so much. I would watch an entire movie of them cuz just 🙌🏽🙌🏽 loved them so much.

So yh, that's it. Gonna go rewatch all the other movies now