#and then they follow the same formula that every episode before followed

[princesssarcastia]

the thing about the leverage series finale.

Does Parker even know you got Hardison killed?

the thing is. if the second story Nate spun for the interpol agent and Sterling were true. If Nate got Hardison and Eliot and Sophie killed as part of his crusade while Parker was trapped inside the server room, waiting for a reunion that isn't coming...if Sterling says, does Parker even know you got Hardison killed, as Parker is standing in the crowd of agents, wondering where her boys are, prepared to carry on without them but so so so worried, the kind of worried Archie always tried to warn her against, the kind of worried her team spent five years teasing out of her so she could feel things again.

If that were true, if that was what happened. Idk man. There's a good argument to be made that Parker would kill Nate then and there. Whether that's out of rage and loss, or a kindness so Nate doesn't have to finish the job himself, I'm not sure.

[shitpostingkats]

An Asexual's love letter to Good Omens 2

There's an infamous quote by Neil Gaiman going around, regarding the general vibe of season 2, and many people (I believe humorously) yelling that it could not be further from the truth. Particularly in the last episode, where that happens.

I disagree.

The final episode of season 2 was deeply, deeply comforting to me. 

I am asexual. Have been my whole life. Even before I had the words to describe what that was, child-me had this feeling in their gut of being an outlier, that everyone was exaggerating, or in on some joke, that I wasn’t privy to. Because I was bombarded on all sides by shows and movies and books, telling the same story of love, again, and again, and AGAIN. It’s drilled into our brains with the same fervor as the days of the week, or the quadratic formula. Meet-cute -> misunderstanding ->declaration of feelings ->kiss. More or less steps can be added to account for runtime or complexity of narrative, but that’s the basic structure that a relationship follows. It MUST be, because that’s the formula every character who's ever been in a story goes through, often times when it even feels like an add-on, like it’s only there because this is a story, there HAS to be a romance. And it has to follow the steps.

For a long time, I felt love wasn’t for me, because if there’s only one way to be in love, I sure as hell wasn’t feeling it. 

Instead, the relationship I ended up in looked a lot like what Beezlebub and Gabriel go through. Meeting someone routinely until it starts to feel comfortable. Getting to know them and slowly growing more attached. Eating chips and listening to music.

We like to joke whenever someone asks us how long we’ve been together, because the answer is we just sort of slowly fell into it, and we honestly don’t know when the line got blurred between ‘friends’ and ‘partners’. And, at least for me, a good deal of that confusion, that hesitancy to label, came from the fact that what I was feeling, what we were, couldn’t be love. It couldn’t be romantic. 

We were just quiet and gentle.

And that wasn’t love.

Because it was slow, because it wasn’t physical, because there was no structure aside from consistency and companionship. Because it didn’t follow the Rules.

Then I found myself in stories, and it felt like a revelation.

Beelzebub and Gabriel aren’t the first time I’ve seen a love like I feel represented in a narrative, but it never stops feeling special. And I don’t know if I’ll ever stop celebrating it.

Throughout the sequence in the pub, I kept expecting them to “confirm” Gabriel and Beelzebub. A dramatic line, a kiss, a whatever. That’s what I’ve been taught to expect, after all, that’s the only way a relationship is “real”. Of course, this doesn't mean Crowley and Aziraphale sharing a dramatic kiss is wrong, or that I can’t see why it resonated with so many people, but for me. Those moments in the pub are worth so much more.The last scene might have been literally showstopping, but those handful of moments between the duke of hell and an archangel were the beating heart of the season for me. A simple love story in four scenes. No kisses. No ‘I love you’s. Not even any definition of what. The love Gabriel and Beelzebub have is strong enough for them to both want to shatter their worlds and flee their lives and it's just. 

It's just that. 

Two people in a pub, playing the other's favorite song, giving a little gift, buying a packet of crisps. 

That sequence means far more to me than any kiss ever could.

Love isn’t only real when it's hot and sudden and ephemeral, it can also be

Quiet.

And gentle.

And still romantic.

Still real.

[bekolxeram]

I caught some flak a while back for digging too deep into the technical lore of the show’s emergencies and disasters.

90% of the criticism I got was “they writers don’t care, it’s a the shark on freeway beenado show.”

In hindsight, the only thing the writers care about or put any real thorough effort in this season is the beenado (and subsequent aviation disaster).

All the storylines set up last season were dealt with (not resolved, just dealt with) at the speed of Boeing’s downfall. The supposed big villain Ortiz showed up for half an episode then poof, gone, together with Gerrard in the same episode. Zero lasting effect from his brief stint as captain seen on screen. Madney fostering Mara caused zero friction with Henren, other than one single slightly disappointed expression from Hen in 8x01. We saw none of Mara bonding with Jee on screen, and Madney had the baby conversation in the B-plot of 1 episode, and it turns out Maddie is pregnant all along. I don’t know if they’re going to follow up on Bathe a building a new house. If not, if the house is just going to magically appear in the future, then it’s one more storyline dealt with in one episode.

And I absolutely didn’t vibe with Denny’s near death experience. I understand it’s interesting to explore work-life balance of a firefighter, and I think the message of “first responders sacrifice their time with their family so you can safely enjoy yours” is nice, but they went too far. It was too high stake too quickly, I barely even had time to react before it was over.

I asked myself, “can the Wilsons experience one day of peace?” Well, after assassinating Tommy’s character and putting Back back on the hamster wheel for the 8th season, my answer is leaning no. And I simply don’t have the heart to witness what they have in store for Madney in the near future. I’m dropping the show because I grew too attached to the characters. My heart has been completely shattered once by this show and I’m not coming back for more, to protect myself, à la Tommy.

I’m not interested in watching my beloved characters Sisyphus week after week. I’m not Cardassian.

I guess, I initially picked up this show because it’s more similar to House than I’d like to admit. And I loved that show, I watched it 4 times front to back. Every episode follows the same formula, almost all of the characters are stuck in an endless loop of self-destruction but I just couldn’t stop watching.

Except for House, I voluntarily signed up for the pain and despair.

(Tbh I’d pay money to see Buck crash a car into Tommy’s house lol)

[televised-uhhh-nerdistry]

in awe over the fact that community truly knows how to pack a punch. in season 3, episode 17, “basic lupine urology”, the show once again makes a parody, just like it has for the past three seasons. the entire episode is law and order based, and it every single joke is seamlessly written and performed, like genuinely the whole thing is perfect. the serious tone of law and order, coupled with the absurdity of the show, it works so well! by the end of the episode, despite the jokes, and despite the parody, the show manages to create a tone that is far more sombre and dramatic than most episodes so far. when the call about star burns’ (his name is alex) death comes in, it feels surreal, it feels genuinely heartbreaking, and it feels utterly different than the rest of the show.

they used the entire sombre setup, despite it being parodical, to force their last line to pack a ginormous punch. of course, the end credits scene show that the cast is back to their usual shenanigans, effectively breaking the soap-opera esque episode that they had just aired. it’s their way of saying “hey friends, thanks for watching, here’s a cookie”. and i eat that shit up every time!!

by the time they craft another parody of a serious crime related media, they manage to do the exact same thing over a season later while still making it fresh and new. in season 5, episode 3, “basic intergluteal numismatics”, they opt for a parody of david fincher’s “seven”, and if i’m being real here, i know next to nothing about the film other than its general premise. however, they still manage to use the same formula, while accomplishing something brand new. here, they use the sombre and serious tone to once again deliver bad news in a way that packs a punch. it’s their way of saying “we’re a comedy show, but we can go toe to toe with all the academy award winners if we so please”. but this time, they follow through on the storyline introduced in basic lupine urology: star burns. he’s alive and well, and they incorporate him seamlessly back into the show as if he never left. they set up his death perfectly, then use his death to set up arguably the biggest storyline in the series, before resolving it with what is simultaneously the most serious and the most silly resolution possible. then, just when you are comfortable in the show’s parody seriousness, they do it again! they lure you into a false sense of security and introduce another major character death without it feeling like a cliche or a repeat scenario.

man i love community

[crimesolvin]

Okay. After like 3 years I’m finally posting that essay on leadership in the pilot episode of Star Trek Voyager that was a term paper for me during college. I was very hesitant to post and still am not due to quality, but out of sheer caution in regards to plagiarism software used in education nowadays. So PLEASE DO NOT COPY FOR BOTH OF OUR SAKES.

Thankfully, I am graduated now, so I have less resignations on the topic (but it is still in the plaigerism testing systems, so please don’t copy it, mostly for your own sake in academic writing).

It’s probably boring to a lot of people, but for anyone who wants to read it here you go.

A “Voyage” in Leadership

Wc: 3080

I. Introduction

“Space the final frontier”; these are the words that have been imprinted on viewers by the not so subtle branding of Star Trek (Star Trek,1966). While the original series surged television screens in the 60s, the 90s were flooded with a revitalization of the pop culture phenomenon. Until Voyager aired, the series that preceded it, like Next Generation, were very formulaic; they took place in known regions and dealt with pre-established alien species and conflicts. Voyager in its nature broke the mold by instating Star Trek’s first female captain and brought Trek to new heights with new moral dilemmas. The series takes the Voyager ship away from all command structures the crew has ever known. They have to make every choice and decision with little guidance but each other. Star Trek has always been about exploration and when referencing Voyager with that same lens, that exploration also applies to people. Each individual aboard this journey makes decisions that impact who they are as leaders and followers, some like Voyagers captain, Janeway, demonstrate several healthy leadership qualities, where others are just getting their footing in their leadership journeys. Within this paper I will be diving into the depth of Captain Janeway as a leader, the forming of the Voyager crew, and small choices the individuals make which define their character.

II. Description

The Maquis, a rebel group to the Federation, are sent through a shock wave to the other side of the galaxy, 70,000 light years from the solar system. Captain Katherine Janeway is sent on a mission to track down the Maquis ship. This mission includes standard starfleet personnel and the addition of Tom Paris, ex- Maquis doing time at a Starfleet Penal Settlement. En route to Voyager, Tom, meets fresh out of the academy, Harry Kim. Despite only just meeting Kim, Paris saves him from getting caught up in foreign schemes. We are introduced to the show’s namesake via Paris and Kim making their rounds checking in with the less than personable head of medical, the similar first officer, and finally a non-judgmental individual, Captain Janeway, as the ship disembarks on their journey. The same phenomena that launched the Maquis ship 75 years away, launches Voyager to the same location as the Maquis, each with substantial damage. Janeway leaves her position on the bridge to go and aid engineering in repairs. The entirety of the crew gets transported to the array, the ship of The Caretaker, which sourced the anomaly that brought them to the other end of the galaxy, also known as the Delta quadrant. They all awake three days later, each crew missing 1 person. For Voyager, that person was Harry Kim. Janeway and Chakotay, the Maquis leader, unite and join forces in hopes of finding their crew mates. Paris becomes especially upset at the loss of Kim. Kes, a local, informs them that Kim is with her species the Ocampa, a cave dwelling group. The Ocampa have been cared after by the Caretaker for generations. Kim attempts to escape to the surface and by the time the rescue team make it to the Ocampa, he had already left. With the Caretaker beginning to collapse the cave exits, the rescue team escapes to the surface, but not before Chakotay gets trapped and Paris goes back to help him. Upon returning to their respective ships, the Kazon, a local gang-like race, begin attacking Voyager in attempts to attain its technology whilst the Maquis ship holds them off so Janeway can speak to the Caretaker to send them back to the Alpha Quadrant, where Earth is and where they all began their journey. What Janeway discovers is that the Caretaker is dying and that he plans on self-destructing the array so the Kazon can't use it against the Ocampa. Before he gets the chance to, he dies. Janeway makes the decision to destroy the array to save the Ocampa thus truly stranding them all in the Delta Quadrant (Berman, 1995). The captain of Voyager is the epitome of the ideal leader, her followers are her crew, and her situation is nothing less than complex and ever changing as she must “navigate the ambiguity” within (Wheatley, 1999).

III. Group Formation and Interactions

Although Janeway had never met Paris before, she is immediately very personable in their conversation and establishes a connection before even attempting to recruit Paris to join her team (Akin, 2020). She references working with his father before becoming a captain, and in the novel, Voyager: Mosaic, Tom’s father was the one who pushed Janeway to pursue command because of her strong leadership (Taylor, 1996). Tom and Janeway’s relationship immediately develops into one of familiarity and becomes strong with their commonality, which makes Tom feel more comfortable with his decision to go through with the deal to join Janeway on this mission. Janeway also eased the decision by providing Paris with a reward. Janeway is quite smart about this encounter because she lets him make the decision on his own and does not punish him if he chooses to not go through with it; it is clear she is using a variety of influence tactics in this conversation, like rational persuasion, personal appeals, exchange, and apprising, to get her goal accomplished (Curphy et al., 2014).

Paris meets Kim in a compromising position of blatant racism, but knows he is younger and less experienced in the ways of the galaxy, so before their introduction, Paris in fact saves Kim from danger of which, in the novelization, includes Kim thinking to himself: “I’ll never be that cool” in reference to Paris, putting him on some sort of pedestal early on in their relationship (Graf, 1995). The chief of medical and the first officer are put off by Paris because of his criminal record, that his new friend, Kim, still is unaware of. These crewmembers that they encounter are understandable in their attitude toward Paris given his past, but they each fail to recognize he is there on his own accord; they are still in the Newtonian mindset where they understand the individual parts, but fail to grasp the total situation (FOWLETT). Kim confronts Paris about his misdeeds and says, “I don't need anyone to choose my friends for me” (Berman, 1995). Their relationship is already so strong from this comment. Paris also notes that he took full responsibility for his actions involving his time with the Maquis, increasing the characters overall trust we as viewers give him (Akin, 2020). Though he was put in a penal colony for the actions, he still has the trust of those in authority, which is why he was chosen for this mission and Janeway knows he has potential to grow and get past that part of his history. Later in the episode, Paris is the one who notices Kim isn’t on Voyager .“The writers put a lot into their relationship being developed” actors Robert Duncan McNeil and Garrett Wang note, who play Tom Paris and Harry Kim respectively (McNeil, Wang, 2020). Down on the planet, Kim and the stolen Maquis crewman get to know one another in captivity; despite their different backgrounds, they try to understand their situation together and become mutual allies because of their situation. This demonstration of the group forming process is what leads them to team up and eventually escape back to their ships (McNutt et al., 2004).

IV. Captain Janeway as a Leader

Janeway takes everything she is dealt one moment at a time, although she has more than one thing on her plate at a given time in the episode, she somehow manages to keep things in order to deal with each one to the best of her ability individually and not get distracted. While Janeway is not always perfect, she is a prime example of good leadership in practice. Janeway has a great understanding of her duty as a manager which allows her to cope with the natural complexities of commanding a starship. If she needs things done a specific way, she is tactful and organized, but ends up getting her followers motivated to get things done (Kotter as cited in Wren).

When Paris and Kim finally meet Janeway for the first time in her ready room, Kim is even more stressed than meeting other members of the ship. Janeway sees this panic in his behavior and puts him at ease, but keeps the situation formal as she is still the captain. Janeway knows what she wants and how she wants it done; she uses precision and accuracy to deliver her message of trust to Kim. Janeway is a very adaptive kind of leader. Everything she does is a causality of what is occurring around her; she is constantly looking at the bigger picture and highlighting areas where problems occur (Grashow et al., 2009).

Janeway stays as level-headed as she can in the distress of her damaged ship, but is forceful getting things accomplished. She recognizes that many of her crew have died and she still remains calm, not allowing herself to mourn them until the ship is in a more stable position (Akin, 2020). Janeway leaves the bridge in the hands of the remaining crew there and trusts they know what they are doing and to continue performing admirably with her absence as she goes to assess and command in engineering, where she is more urgently needed(Akin, 2020).

When Janeway arrives in Engineering she provides insight and guides them to a solution to fixing the ship, but she still leaves the duty of actually fixing, to the crewmen. Janeway took control and got them on to a problem solving path and then let them fix it in the end, even though she could have (Akin, 2020).

Janeway is adamant about getting onemember of her crew and a member of her enemy’s crew back; Janeway shows remorse and declares she needs to get to know who her crew really is in order to get them home. This moment is very thought out as she has actively demonstrated her urge to create connections with everyone she meets, but because she has lost Kim, she is doubting herself; in this moment, her feminine attributes could be a downfall, but overall it allows her to care for her crew like they are family (Beggan et al., 2004). In her nature, being a female also influences her leadership style; she reaches out to crew members in time of her own struggle despite her being higher up in the chain of command than them (Beggan et al., 2004). In this moment of self-reflection, her security officer says, “The crew will not benefit from the leadership of an exhausted captain” and she snaps out of her head to get back on track (Berman, 1995).She knows that if she is to be successful in saving Kim, capturing the Maquis, or even getting them all home, she needs to detach her strong emotions, but remain connected to the tasks at hand and she has that switch in her brain accessible, not letting the sociology define her leadership too much (Beggan et al., 2004). As noted in the Leadership Encyclopedia, women tend to be more democratic and throughout this episode she is constantly aiding a variety of people of which in return she receives input and counsel from them without asking for it (Beggan et al., 2004).

Captain Janeway makes all of the crucial decisions away from her higher ups. No one can dispute her except her followers, and they don’t, in this grand decision to travel back to the Alpha Quadrant the long way home because they have trust in their leader. Janeway essentially breaks down the barrier of what is normal and from this point further, the ship is unlike any other in Star Trek history. The crew of the Enterprise and Deep Space 9 were all very close, but Voyager became a family. Janeway made sure that even she got to know every crew member(Gabriel 2018). Janeway is noted throughout various forms of Trek media for her leadership. From her interactions with individuals, knowledge of when to put on her manager hat v. her leader one, to tactics in influence and delegation.

V. Other Leadership Demonstrated

In servant leadership, an individual leads by serving others, meaning they are not necessarily the one in command of a situation, but they lead themselves as being part of the followers . Tom makes a daring move when Chakotay gets stuck in one of the tunnels; he returns to help him escape. While each still having residual feuds from Tom betraying the Maquis by working with Starfleet, this brave example of servant leadership does not go amiss. While servant leadership general doesn’t include risk of bodily harm, Tom uses it as such, he had learned from earlier in the episode he had to initiate things for himself and in this he chooses to risk his own safety to serve the goal he had made for himself, “the invisible leader”(Northouse, 2019). In this same scenario, even in the face of death, Chakotay’s leadership style is in full display as he tries to command a situation he is not in command of; he virtually argues with Tom the entire time he is saving his life and is a clear display that authority is a personality trait for him. Tom has grown from the first time we see him in this episode to this point; in the beginning he was very the follower that required the use of several motivation tactics to get work out of, but at this moment he has learned that his growth as a person is stemming from not necessarily being in command of a position, but serving those in those positions to the best of their ability(Northouse, 2019). Despite Chakotay’s near death experience and Tom’s clear display of servant leadership, Chakotay’s attitude does not change, but there is a clear shift in his heart and end goal as he is willing to die to save both crews. At every encounter, Janeway has tried to negotiate and ultimately, she dooms her and The Maquis crew because of her unrequited obligation and active servant leadership: “We never asked to be involved… but we are” (Berman 1995). Without consultation, Chakotay agrees to join the crews and strand themselves far from home because it will save the Ocampa.

VI. Conclusion

Since time began, species far and wide have been looking for good leadership. Star Trek is just a glimpse into the future stating that while thought processes may become more evolved and technology will advance, individuals will still have the same core functions that they have always had. There will always be want to develop strong relations, there will always be some hesitation to trust everyone, and at some point will return to where one came from. Voyager is the embodiment of leadership both good and bad, it stresses moral debates, ethical dilemmas that often leaves you thinking. No one on board is perfect, but it is clear they will grow on the journey home.

(I apparently wrote the following paragraph after my conclusion and forgot to delete it before I submitted. Oops, I think I meant to find a way to work it in during the main paragraphs, but obviously never did)

Janeway left the bridge with Tom having a look of disappointment due to the fact that he never received orders. He had faith that he had gained Janeway’s trust to aid in other ways than just being ex-Maquis, but it is clear that Janeway takes full consideration of his identity right now. This small interaction displays how his time as a criminal has heightened his need for more hands-on leadership than the rest of the crew needs, in the future he needs to follow the invisible leader or else he will be left continually disappointed as we see here (Hickman et al., 2004). By the end of the episode, Tom has a huge shift where he becomes his own invisible leader and takes charge of his own situation (Hickman et al., 2004).

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I really enjoyed writing this, however long ago it was.

[sadquickchristmassnowman]

Overall what do you think of mythic quest? It's on my list to watch. How would you intrigue someone to watch it

(just want to preemptively say that I know this ask has been sitting in my inbox for months and I am so sorry for taking so long to get back to you)

I absolutely love mythic quest. It's my #4 sitcom of all time, which might sound not very high, but numbers 1-3 are taken by the good place, community, and it's always sunny, and I mean. there's no beating those. anyway

I don't know how much you know about it, so I'll give a quick introduction. mythic quest is centered around a video game studio, which produces a video game of the same name. season one opens with them launching their new expansion: Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet. the show follows around the different employees of the company as they each chaotically try to achieve their goals. there are a lot of sitcoms centered around a workplace (the office, parks & recreation, brooklyn nine-nine, superstore, just to name a few), so I suppose you could say mythic quest follows a similar sort of formula to those. but, I think it's super unique and has a lot of stand-out qualities, which I love. it's difficult to make something so unique, to do things on tv that have never been done before (or, at the very least, are rarely done) and I think mythic quest does a great job with all of that.

for one, the types of interpersonal relationships mythic quest portrays are extremely unique. it's hard to go into detail without spoiling too much, but I'll do my best. the show is definitely an ensemble sitcom (a whole gang of "main" characters), but I'd say the show focuses mainly on Poppy and Ian, and their relationship. but, they make it explicitly clear that they are NOT romantically or sexually involved. there's a few jokes here and there, but they react with disgust every time. their relationship is 100% platonic, throughout all three seasons that are out, and it is the FOCUS of the show. how many tv shows have done that? hell, how many stories, period? it's so incredibly important to me, especially as someone on the aroace spectrum, and it makes mythic quest that much more unique and interesting.

(disclaimer that of course there are some people who ship poppy and ian together, which is just kind of. objectively wrong imo. but yk. people can do whatever they want I suppose. the point is, that ship will never sail in canon.)

the ONE current romantic pairing is a lesbian couple!!! that is just SO wild to me. literally none of the other main characters have any sort of (canon) romantic subplot or anything. and the lesbians don't get put through a ton of heartbreak and unnecessary drama either!!! there's pining, there's slight miscommunication and the characters themselves go through some things, but the relationship itself??? pretty much thriving, even through the end of season three. again, SO incredibly important to me.

the character work, writing, and acting is also exemplary. given that mythic quest is already on your list to watch, you probably know some of the actors who are in it: namely, Rob McElhenney, Danny Pudi, David Hornsby, Ashly Burch, etc. The show was created by Rob McElhenney, Megan Ganz, and Charlie Day, who all obviously worked together on iasip. Megan actively writes for MQ, Rob stars in and writes, and Charlie has been pretty hands-off since the show actually got up and running, but who knows. maybe he'll have a cameo one day. David, Danny, and Ashly have all also been involved behind the scenes. I'm sure there's other stuff I’m missing, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head, production and acting-wise.

one of the biggest things that makes mythic quest unique is that, once a season, they have a "backstory" episode, which provides context to a different aspect of the show. the first time I watched season 1 and the backstory episode came on (it's called "A Dark Quiet Death") I had to double check that I didn't accidentally click on another show lmao. I didn't know What was going on. the backstory episodes from seasons 2 and 3 have more immediately recognizable connections to the main story, so they're easier to follow right off the bat, but yeah. the mythic quest backstory episodes are absolutely fantastic. it allows the writers to play with different story layouts, deviate from the established feel of the show, introduce different characters, etc. I could talk about each one for hours, but I won't right now. but yeah. those episodes alone would make the show worth watching.

a few other things I love: danny pudi playing mean, brad as a character in general, the chemistry the characters and actors have, the way it's shot is beautiful, the post season 1 specials (quarantine and everlight), how fleshed out and real the universe is (so much so that I thought mythic quest was a real game for a while), the animations they use as scene transitions, the multitude of background details that I notice more of on every rewatch, the sheer complexity of the characters, the diversity and representation (queer characters, mental health issues, familial trauma, etc), and god so much more. I could go on and on and on about this show. because this ask was so long ago it's possible you've already watched it but if you haven't please do! if you're not the asker and you haven't seen mythic quest and are reading this, ALSO please do! and let me know what you think afterwards If You So Choose. as we've pretty clearly established, I am always super down to talk about my favorite shows :)

TL;DR: mythic quest is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. unique episode/season layouts, dense worldbuilding, great writing and acting, lesbians, hilarious yet occasionally heart-wrenching plots, complex characters, and so much more. give it a shot. you won't regret it 👍👍👍 (plus season 4 is coming out this year!!!)

[scooby-review]

The New Scooby Doo Movies Season 1 Episodes 1 - 4

No iteration of Scooby Doo lasts too long, with the longest running series being Mystery Incorporated, Be Cool Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? all with fifty-two episodes. 

The New Scooby Doo Movies is no different, lasting a total of two seasons with a total of twenty four episodes, just one less than Where are You? 

This series makes two huge and notable changes from its predecessor. Firstly, the episodes are doubled, now forty two minutes in length. Secondly, every episode features a guest star, rotating through a slew of celebrities and fictional characters, this selection being bizarre to say the least. 

Airing in 1972, just two years after Where are You? the show followed a cycle of reruns of the original series! Cartoons like Scooby Doo are built on the image of reruns! They are easy to pick up, they are entirely episodic and need no introduction, one can simply understand the structure, the characters, and therefore, less episodes can be made, and they can be aired in any order. Despite this iteration adding an additional twenty four episodes to this possible cycle of reruns, as far as I can tell, CBS opted instead to air reruns of Where are You? instead, doing so until their contract ended and the franchise shifted networks, although I’m not certain on this - finding information about broadcasting habits in the 70s isn’t easy! 

Other than the two major changes, the show's formula remains the same, following the five original members of the gang solving mysteries!

1. Ghastly Ghost Town

At the time of writing this, I have pretty much finished watching season one, and I regret to report, I pretty much hate this iteration of the franchise. I’ll try my best to provide a nuanced look into the episodes, but this is a warning that I don’t love this series, for a myriad of reasons!

Ghastly Ghost Town follows the gang meeting The Three Stooges, aiding them in solving the mystery of who is scaring away customers at their ghost town theme park. 

Weirdly, this episode feels very different to the rest of this season, almost leaning on being a parody of what is to come despite being the first episode. 

For starters, the intro to this show is amazing, maybe even better than Where are Yous! It opens on such an eerie vibe that doesn’t even match all that well to the tone of the show, before growing into this more vibrant sounding and appearing intro! There’s two versions of it that are aired, this coming as a result of copyright disputes with certain celebrities or characters in the show, therefore, a version cutting out many characters is used when the show airs now. 

In fact, the aforementioned copyright issues came from the Addams estate, of course owning the Addams Family. This has led to the episode being scarcely available, most notably only on two region exclusive VHS tapes, which I couldn't find being sold anywhere. However, as of around a week ago, the entire series was dropped onto Max, where this episode is inexplicably present.

The three stooges were a vaudeville act, best known for their short films, composed of Moe Howard, Curly Howard and Larry Fine. Although some aspects of their slapstick style is still present here, the characters were heavily toned down for the show, with Moe’s character being changed drastically from a malicious bully to a pretty nice guy. By the time the episode aired, the actors were all either retired or had passed away. 

I don’t love the three stooges, the closest thing I’d seen to them before watching this was Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, who I honestly love, but I just didn’t care about these guys - I had no reason to. Also, I imagine for fans of the three stooges this couldn’t have been all that great either, given the characters toned down personalities. Yet, every episode acts like you know these people, sometimes they are shown throughout the episode to be unique and interesting, but here they feel like devices for gags, completely void of any interesting character or personality. 

Like I mentioned before, this episode almost feels like a parody of the show, a weird concept given it’s the first episode in this series, but it almost appears reflective on its past, making fun of how serious Where are You? felt. For example, in one scene early on Daphne grabs onto Fred’s arm, it’s a detail that feels like it’s commenting on the idea of them being romantically paired, something never even hinted at in Where are You, yet, I assume fans had already gravitated to the concept. It’s as if it’s making fun of itself, poking holes in the original’s formula but having nothing of substance to do or say, made all the more baffling by the fact that nothing like this happens again. It just feels different, something only emphasised by a later scene where we see the writers have given Fred a new character trait! He’s a misogynist now! It’s done in a “I hate my wife!” kind of way, he jokes about women talking lots, it’s very of its time and something now seen as a parody in on of itself, yet, we again don’t see this new character quirk return. Every other episode removes this from him, placing him back into a blank slate once more! 

As for this episode's villains… I think the best way to explain it is that I had to search who the monster was three quarters of the way through. Given the episode’s ghost town location, we see the villains of the Gunslinger and Geronimo, a cowboy and Native American respectively. This, of course, falls into every single stereotype you’d expect it to. Both villains are statues, amusements placed around the park that have seemingly come to life. 

I think the gunslinger is the more active villain here anyway, and therefore, the better one. This episode has a particular stand out scene where Scooby has a duel with him, and it rules, there’s a reason it appears in the intro! It’s perfectly crafted and one of the best scenes in the entire season!

The villain’s just don’t take an active role in the episode, and as we shall see in future episodes, this is not a one off occurrence. This, in my opinion only emphasises New Movies weakest element: that run time. Nothing of use is done with the extra time, it instead just highlights that many of these characters are frail, that Daphne and Fred really haven’t got much going on yet, and it grows egregious with how long scenes can drag on for and how little is done with the time it has. My hope was that the mysteries would be given actual depth, a chance to be the focal point, but no. I truly cannot explain what this extra time is spent doing, and in many episodes, segments are cut down or omitted completely in modern reruns. The pacing here is dreadful, these episodes are truly a drag to get through, and it dilutes any positive and interesting aspects. 

There’s a lot going on here, and yet, hardly any of it works, it’s a poor start and one of my least favourite episodes of the entire franchise let alone the show itself!

Also, there’s a scene where Scooby has the tiniest waist. That’s all! 

2. The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair

Growing up I had the Scooby-Doo meets Batman VHS tape, and I would watch it fairly frequently, and while I couldn’t remember much, I did remember enjoying it! Alongside the Harlem Globetrotters DVD, this is all the experience I’ve had with

This episode features Batman, Robin, The Penguin and Joker, the former pair aiding the gang in solving a mystery of a plane crash and clown toys stuffed with counterfeit money. 

Despite liking this one a whole lot more than the previous episode, it’s still just okay to me, it suffers from similar pacing issues that plagues this series, but it manages to still be entertaining a good chunk of the time. 

I think the best way I could describe this episode is convoluted, which is a whole lot better than boring, but if I was given a few more words, boring would eventually end up there. It sucks because this one could be great, but it’s padded to hell, it’s again a victim of the runtime. I think that without the long middle section of this episode, the gang attempt to thwart The Joker and Penguin, which I described in my notes as a “Scooby-Doo episode maker”, where they use a myriad of traps, all with the classic shows aesthetic. Like, it’s fine, but it’s too long without any substance, which could be said for the entire episode. So many aspects here I enjoy, but it’s all too long, every scene feels like it could be shaved in time, it’s so frustrating. 

The voice actors here are particularly fun, with Cassey Casem, the voice of Shaggy, voicing Robin, their voices just similar enough for you to tell, but Robin feels like he’s secretly Shaggy here, a more well put together Shaggy. I also really enjoyed Larry Storch as the Joker, who I felt had an air of Mason Verger to him. And in a similar vein, I really enjoyed Batman’s dialogue, he talks so matter of factly. 

A few particular moments are great in this one, such as where Fred chokes out this masked individual in a scrap-yard, Shaggy and Scooby nearly getting crushed to death and the way the episode transitions using the bat insignia. The final act is pretty enjoyable too, where I especially love the fake-out villains. 

Throughout the episode, we are led to believe that The Penguin and Joker are the villain’s, but no, it’s instead the hooded individual we see early on who’s been masterminding everything this whole time, being the sweet old lady we meet early on, Mrs Baker. I love this twist even if the actual design of the villain is whatever, the purple colour scheme is great, but they really have nothing else going for them. It’s not a great sign when different places list different costumes and villains for an episode, but this entire series sees this happening, with nobody entirely agreeing on who counts and who doesn’t. Generally, this comes down to the uninspired designs, and their lack of a presence within the episode. Take the previous episode for example, where some sources list a cactus costume we see as one of the villains, while others don’t, and in this episode it is disputed whether or not the Penguin and Joker’s disguises, The Living Skeletons, are separate villains or just alternate costumes they wear. Despite every episode having a villain, they aren’t always the monster’s we see in Where are You, instead they can be anything, but their designs are frequently dull, lacking much flair or character, a hooded individual is boring when done like this, we see this disguise for such a short period of time that it’s never something you’ll remember looking back on the episode. Focus now is shifted to the guest cast, which means an episode can be made or broken based on who appears, while the mystery is placed on the backburner. Although Where are You never truly put effort into making an interesting mystery, the difference is the length of time we spend in the mystery and the villain’s opposite them! Everything here feels so uninspired and drear, and although there are some seriously egregious examples later on, reused sounds such as the phantom's (Where are You, episode 3)  laugh are seen in this episode, and it removes any personality that the character’s could have had. 

Moving on to the living skeletons, they’re just fine. They act as disguises for the Joker and Penguin, they do their job fine being basic horror archetypes, and I enjoy the cheeky grins they both share.

This episode is notable for having the first female culprit also!

Overall, this is simply a fine episode, it could be good if it were shorter, but the guests here are enjoyable to watch, there’s a reason Scooby-Doo and Batman are still crossing over to this day, both in several movies and even more recently in a comic run. 

3. Wednesday is Missing

Despite this episode having what is one of the worst Scooby-Doo villains, I kind of like this one! 

Wednesday is Missing follows the gang becoming house sitters for the Adams Family while Morticia and Gomez go on their second honeymoon, an already tense situation that’s only exacerbated by Wednesday’s sudden disappearance. 

Much like the previous episode, the guest stars are what make it, the Scooby gang just fit so seamlessly into this world, it makes watching it a delight, seeing how they interact with different characters and aspects of the Addams Family’s life. I love this episode so much because it’s the characters entering the world of the Addams Family, they’re driving along and stop by their house, and for me, that’s so much more interesting than them driving into the fictional ghost town theme park the three stooges have. In fact, my favourite episodes in this show tend to be ones where the gang enter the world of the guest stars, or the guest stars join in on a mystery, effectively planting themselves into the world of Scooby-Doo. 

To skate past the worst of this episode, I hate the villain. He’s a giant vulture, piloted by a group of old housekeepers. The villain is so dull, and it’s so frustrating to have a villain like this in the episode that takes place inside the gothic house of the Addams Family. Alongside that, a little nitpick I have is that the Addams Family are described as being TV characters by Shaggy, which just opens a whole can of worms as to what that means and what the gang are doing here if that's the case. 

Mostly, I enjoy this episode because of the way the two worlds interact, it feels like a crossover more so than a guest starring episode, and therefore, it feels so special. I’m not the biggest Addams Family fan - I have vague memories of seeing the 1964 show on TV as a child, I’ve seen the first movie and a production of the musical - yet the styles blend perfectly, the character’s reactions write themselves. The house acts as a more fantastical Where are You setting, it’s a huge gothic manor house that oozes with style, every room unveils a new horror. 

The mystery doesn’t settle into the episode until just over halfway, and truthfully, the mystery is just a vehicle to get the gang searching through more of the house, to push them into new horrors that the family lives inside of every day. They surround themselves in the unusual and supernatural that the gang always attempts to explain. 

Every character here radiates with personality, everything so fully realised, it’s a shame there isn’t another episode with these characters! There’s a few guests who appear more than once, and I would have loved to see more of them! 

This episode is so fun because of the atmosphere it creates. Truthfully, it’s just as long and drawn out as the previous two episodes and I can’t confidently say it does much different other than appealing to my tastes better! Sure, I love the dynamic between the gang and Batman and Robin, but here we get to see the characters in the world of the Addams Family too - I think that aids in my enjoyment! 

4. The Frickert Fracas

I think this episode is one of the most tedious in the show, it’s a shame given how much I usually enjoy both a farm setting and a scarecrow as a villain! Yet here nothing flows, every second feels doubled, every scene too long with no substance to back it up. It’s not bad, it’s just dull, it pushed me into a state of boredom, which is maybe worse than some episodes in the series I outright disliked. 

We follow the gang as they drive guest star Jonathan Winters to his friend's farm, but on the way they find two people attempting to steal the formula to her secret rooster enlarging drug. 

I don’t love Jonathan Winters as the guest star, he’s playing a very specific style of character here, and that character is certainly one that is defined and clear, you always know how he will act. However, he talks so slowly and his dialogue never worked for me, but I think that comes down to personal taste. In real life, he was a jack of all trades, being a comedian, actor, author, TV host and artist, although he’s probably best known for his work as an actor. 

He’s mostly paired with Scooby and Shaggy here - often the single guests will be paired off with a set of characters for the majority of the episode - which is where I start to have a few problems. The scene in the barn stands out to me as especially egregious, it’s tedious and not that funny, with later reruns cutting out sections of the episode to streamline it. This is something that can be seen across several episodes!

The villain here is fine! Something I hoped going into these was that the extra length would be used to flesh out the mysteries, but these villains and mysteries almost always feel miles weaker than anything coming out of Where are You. Here we hardly see the villain until halfway through anyway, a common trope within these episodes, before that we usually sit through a series of gags and jokes surrounding the guest meeting the gang, an extended set up for the final twenty minutes. 

This scarecrow has a mostly brown and tan design, he has a jacket, a hat, the usual scarecrow attire, however, his face is a powder blue, it stands out starkly against everything else, and not in a positive way. As a design, the blue face just feels out of place, it clashes so poorly with all the other colours and it’s the only hint of blue in the design, it truly is just curious as to why this colour was used, because sure, it stands out, but in no way does it do so positively. 

I really have nothing else to add on this one! Very whatever episode.

Episodes Ranked:

Wednesday is Missing

The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair

The Frickert Fracas

Ghastly Ghost Town

Villains Ranked:

The Scarecrow

Gunslinger

Living Skeletons

Hooded Man

Vulture

Geronimo

Previous Review: Every Scooby Doo Where are You Episode Ranked

Next Review: New Scooby Doo Movies Season 1 Episodes 5 - 8

[reidsvest]

(gif is not mine,credits to @hotch-girl )

Hello!I'm completely new to this so first things first.My name is Avra,my pronouns are she/her and I am 21 years old.I'm currently on my third year of college, studying away from my home which sadly means traveling a lot, so i'm not sure how much or often i will be able to upload fics but I will be trying my best.Also my native language is not english and while I will be proofreading my fics before posting,I apologize in advance for any mistakes.I have a really big rambling problem as it has already become evident.That will probably be showing in my fanfictions and in the actual rambles i wish to post about whatever episode of criminal minds I'm watching so I feel like I want to apologize in advance for that too and I hope that it's not too boring/annoying.I promise my thoughts follow a logical order😂

Like I mentioned in my description I love everything spencer reid (and cm in general), jay halstead (same for cpd) and charles leclerc (you guessed it roughly the same applies to f1).Honestly what I'm trying to say is that I love most characters on chicago pd,criminal minds and many many drivers from formula 1 but the ones I mentioned are my top favorites.I have watched almost every single film that matthew gray gubler has acted in,i pride myself for making it through some really weird scenes but at the end of the day it was worth it for more mgg content to feed the obsessive monster.I also absolutely adore elizabeth olsen/wanda maximoff but i will not be writing for her.This is also a great moment to state how much i love Taylor Swift and her music!I am tho completely open and would love to talk with anyone about wanda or any of these topics.

My fanfictions for starters will be of the above mentioned characters (mostly spencer reid as he is my current biggest obsession) and will be female reader x character fics.I will be writing angst and nswf content (probably a mix of both) so minors please do not interact but I will also be writing fluff too. I'll try to post my first fanfiction soon-ish but I just wanted to write a quick introduction to my blog and say hello!If you read this whole essay,thank you so much!I cant wait to start!🧡🌼

[autisticlenaluthor]

I feel like every single ✨️ romantic ✨️ relationship in The Girls on the Bus is on Thin Ice. So...which relationship(s) do you think will make it to the end of the season?

a) Lola x Josie (aka multi-tasking organizer)

b) Sadie x Malcolm (aka Loafers)

c) Kimberlyn x Eric (aka boyfriend, now fiancé, wait no-- husband)

c) Grace x Charlie (aka retired husband)

*Bonus*

d) Sadie x Walker

i fully agree, every single episode has me stressed

lola and josie i don’t think will make it. my prediction is that once josie finds out lola slept with someone else, she’s going to be hurt and end things. in the last episode josie seemed to be more into the genuine relationship side of things rather than the situationship they’d had going on previously. so the fact that as far as we know, lola hasn’t even told josie about the hook up?? i don’t see that working out.

sadie and malcom i feel like will end up together. personally i don’t ship them. i’m rooting so hard for sadie to be queer even though im not sure melissa would ever willingly play a queer character. but my own feelings aside, sadie is the main girl, and she has history with them. given the formula the show is following with the whole ‘will they won’t they’ slowburn and ‘forbidden love’ tropes, i think that’s going to be what the writers have gone with.

kimberlyn and eric i feel like are kind of doomed. especially with how things started going after they got married. they just never seem to be on the same page. i think it was grace (or lola??) who pointed out that eric always makes kimberlyn’s big moments about him, which doesn’t make for a good dynamic. especially since in the marriage ep, kimberlyn was already getting kinda fed up with it. in this past episode, we’ve seen kimberlyn really start to grow into herself and fully stand up for what she believes in and what she wants for herself. like she’s putting herself and her career goals in front of her loyalty to Liberty Direct News and she isn’t standing for anyone’s racist bullshit. like the growth from “at least liberty is honest about their racism” to fully wanting to leave the network is incredible. anyways, my theory (and hope) is she’ll realize that in other elements, she deserves better. i think it would be really interesting if she met someone on the campaign trail or went through this period fully independently. if we get a s2, i think showcasing her on her own this season would be really interesting before diving into another relationship after she’s done some healing and growing on her own.

as for grace and charlie im not sure. i’d assumed they were already divorced tbh, their dynamic had confused me??? so i dont really know what i think for them.

ANYWAY the short answer is i think sadie and malcom will make it to the end, even if it doesn’t happen this season (and even though it’s not what i want lol)

and UGH sadie and walker would be such an interesting relationship. sadie’s whole thing with walker is so fascinating because sadie seems completely in love with her but she’s also doing all this work with grace to essentially expose her, and it seems like that would bring her down (?)

i think a sadie/walker relationship storyline would be so insanely fun and interesting to watch for so many reasons. unfortunately i don’t think it’ll happen, but god i wish

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball GT 39

✨GT stands for Grotesque Trot✨

This is it, the final installment of the fight between SSJ4 Goku and Baby.  Goku challenged Baby to fight “seriously”, which is pretty rich coming from a guy who’s been phoning it in for the last several episodes.  Baby vows to eradicate Goku once and for all this time. 

Then they start running down the length of a ravine, shooting ki blasts at each other like dummies.  Stay classy, GT.

Baby’s attacks don’t seem to be working on Goku, and it’s starting to look like this “epic” conclusion is just another mismatch.  Okay, so here’s why this fight sucks. 

✨ “Good” “Ideas”, Poorly Executed✨ 

As far as I can tell, Toei’s plan for this fight was to have Goku get a new form and take on Baby as a Giant Ape. It sounds good on paper, but we’ve seen it before.  Goku fought Vegeta as a Giant Ape in DBZ. It didn’t last very long, but that was probably by design.  This Goku/Baby fight seems to be a pretty good illustration of why it’s not a good idea to do a long battle between a big monster and a teeny little human-sized fighter. In Dragon Ball, it usually boils down to the big monster lumbering around, brute forcing his way through the opponents’ attacks, and/or the little guy being an artful dodger until he manages to one-shot the beast or exploit his weak point. 

The Goku/Baby fight tries to subvert this formula by having Goku and Baby just slug it out, as if Baby were a normal-sized opponent.  And that’s not really out-of-bounds for a fantasy series like this, but it’s hard to visualize.  GT really seems to struggle with having both characters in the same shot during a fight.  I don’t know if that’s corner-cutting in the animation department, or a stylistic choice with the storyboarding, or what.  All I do know is that it sucks.  There was one part of the Goku/Rildo fight where they kept doing close-ups of the fighter’s faces as they dodged ki blasts, and it was really hard to follow the action.  A better anime might be able to pull it off, but Dragon Ball GT has enough problems as it is.  The fights ought to be the show’s saving grace, but instead it’s just one more problem to add to the list.

So you take that flawed approach to fight choreography, and then you apply it to a fight like this, where one guy is literally ten times bigger than the other, and it becomes almost impossible to make it into a five-episode epic.  The closest comparison I can think of is DBZ Movie 13, where Goku fought Hirudegarn.  Much of the action in that movie was Hirudegarn bullying the Z-Fighters with his superior size.  Then Goku turns Super Saiyan 3 and the movie goes into sudden-death rules.  Hirudegarn lands a few blows, but Goku takes them just to create an opening so he can land one big move that ends the whole fight.    It works because it’s short.  GT is trying to do Goku vs. Hirudegarn stretched out to ninety minutes, and it just does not work.

Check it out, here’s Baby getting desperate and using the “Renzoku Super Gallic Gun”.  This guy has fired off more Gallic Guns in the last five eisodes than the real Vegeta ever has in his whole life.

When that doesn’t work, he sets up his “finishing strike!”  And yes, it’s the Revenge Death Ball.  This is like the fourth time he’s used this stupid attack, and it hasn’t succeeded in killing anyone.

This isn’t even the first time he’s used it on Super Saiyan 4 Goku.  The last time he tried it, Goku didn’t even defend himself.  He just let it hit him and it didn’t do anything at all!  So why is Baby using it again?   And why is Goku struggling with it this time?  He’s supposed to be at full power, so if anything, Goku should be stronger than he was the last time he took one of these. 

I guess you can argue that this Revenge Death Ball has more juice because this is the first time Baby’s done it as a Great Ape, but... no?  I don’t think that’s how it works.  Every other time, the idea was that Baby formed the RDB by gathering the collective hatred of his Tuffleized slaves.   In theory, each RDB should be exactly the same, unless he Tuffleized more victims in the last hour and a half.

Also, wouldn’t Baby’s Tuffles be getting weaker each time he tries this.  I’ve always assumed the move was inspired by the Spirit Bomb Goku used to kill Kid Buu, where the Earth’s population was exhausted after contributing so much energy to the attack.  So you’d think at some point Baby would find the well had run dry. 

When I watched this, I thought maybe that’s what they were setting up.  The Kais have been preparing to use the Sacred Water to free Baby’s slaves, so it would have been kind of awesome to see Goku in a pinch, and Baby’s charging up a Revenge Death Ball to kill him, but then it fails because there aren’t enough Tuffles left to fuel the attack. 

The answer, of course, is that Goku has to struggle to overcome this move, because it’s Baby’s final big attack, and it needs to seem effective in order to build suspense.  Then Goku looks cooler when he finally muscles out of it.  And that’s fine.  That’s storytelling 101.  The problem is that there’s no rhyme or reason to it.  GT is literally having things happen in this story because they’re supposed to happen, not because they have any internal logic among the characters.

Like, okay, if you’re writing a story where a guy goes to the post office, you have to explain why he’s going to the post office.  You may be writing it because the plan is to have him meet the love of his life, who runs a small mail-order business and constantly ships packages.  He has to go to the post office, because the rest of the story won’t happen unless he bumps into the love interest while he’s there.  And that’s fine, but your character doesn’t know he’s a character in a love story.  He doesn’t know he’s going to meet his true love, which means he needs some other reason to go to the post office, a reason that would make sense to him.  So you have to write in a line about how he’s going to buy stamps, or check his P.O. Box, or whatever. 

This is why they have different techniques and power ups in Dragon Ball.  You have these back-and-forth superhero battles, and there has to be a way for characters to gain or lose the upper hand.  For the writer, it’s just a matter of shifting the balance of the fight to keep the reader engaged.  But for the characters, they’re in a real fight, so it has to make sense within their fictional world.  This is what draws the readers into your story.  If you do it right, you make the fictional world feel kind of real, and the reader wants to be part of it while you tell your story.

Look at the original Goku/Vegeta battle.  Goku uses the Kai-o-ken Times Three and beats up Vegeta.  He gets furious, and responds with the Gallick Gun, threatening to destroy Goku at a distance, neutralizing the Kai-o-ken’s close-quarters advantage.  Goku has to defend with a Kamehameha, but it’s not strong enough, so he uses the Kai-o-ken Times Four.  But Vegeta survives, so he gets frustrated enough to resort to fighting as a Great Ape.  Goku is too exhausted to fight back, so he uses a Solar Flare to blind Vegeta, and then tries to set up a Spirit Bomb. 

You see how that works? It’s not just that there’s a variety of techniques being used.  It certainly helps, but the important thing is that each technique shifts the balance of the battle.  The next move is a response to the last one, and each step of the fight builds off of what happened before. 

Compare this to the Goku/Baby fight.  Revenge Death Ball, Kamehameha, Revenge Death Ball, Kamehameha, Revenge Death Ball, Kamehameha-- enough already! 

Baby his Goku with an RBD early into the fight, and it didn’t do anything, not because of any in-story reason, but because the fight had just begun, and the writers wanted Goku to look badass.  Later, Goku hit Baby flush with a 10x Kamehameha, and it didn’t seem to do anything... until the next episode.  That delayed effect wasn’t a plot point; Toei just wanted to set up a cliffhanger.  Baby and Goku knocked each other out, but that doesn’t matter, because they got an instant recharge from their allies, essentially resetting the whole battle.  And now Baby’s finally starting to pressure Goku, not because he figured out a better strategy, but because the fight is almost over and Goku needs to look heroic before he turns the tables. 

So of course, Goku powers his way out of the Revenge Death Ball, and Baby is astonished, even though this is the second time he’s seen Goku do this.  Goku returns fire with (another) Kamehameha, and somehow this one puts Baby down for the count, even though the last dozen or so didn’t bother him much at all.

It finally looks like Baby is defeated, and the good guys realize that this means Vegeta will surely die.  Trunks says it’s for the best, since Baby is too great a threat.  But instead of killing Baby, Goku cuts off his tail, which causes Vegeta’s body to shrink back to humanoid size.

Wait, why?  Vegeta didn’t have a tail to begin with.  The whole point of Bulma’s machine was to use higher intensity Blutz radiation to compensate for the lack of the tail.  I don’t even get why the tail grew back, so how does cutting it off make any difference?

Also, even if the tail is important, can’t Baby just make Vegeta’s body sprout a new tail?  I’m not joking.  Baby made that goofy armor, and the big lenses over his eyes.  And Vegeta’s body’s been a lot taller while Baby’s been controlling it.  If he can do all of those things, you’d think making a new tail would be easy.

Then we cut to inside Vegeta’s body?  I guess?  We already saw Uub in there before, and this looks nothing like it.  It looks more like a microscope slide of a tissue sample.  Maybe this is supposed to be metaphorical.  Anyway, Baby is in trouble because his own body grew big to control Vegeta as a giant ape.  But now that the Oozaru transformation is reversing, Vegeta’s body is shrinking, and Baby can’t fit anymore?  What?

So Baby ejects himself from Vegeta’s body, but he looks to be about the size of a tennis ball while doing it.  So how was he too big to fit in Vegeta’s body, then? 

He returns to his humanoid appearance, which now looks as big and bulky as he did before he went ape, but with the same blue skin and Smurf Hat head he had when he debuted.  Honestly, I like this look the best.  It’s kind of a shame they only used it here, and in the opening credits of the show.  The good guys try to stop him from getting away, but he uses a bright light from his eyes to distract them, kind of a Tuffle knockoff of the Solar Flare.  Then he flies to a ship Bulma had standing by, and makes a run for it. 

No Bulmas allowed, though.  I’ll give Baby this much, he’s a classic heel. 

✨Positivity Page✨

Let me pause here to talk about the one bright spot of this whole episode.  Now that Baby is separated from Vegeta’s body, we finally get Vegeta back after all this time. 

He wakes up in his son’s arms, wonders what just happened, and then he looks over at Goku...

And then he just gives him the most adorable smile ever. You half-expect Goku to smile back and say “Well, good morning, sleepyhead!” I don’t ship Kakavege, but I totally get it. 

Back to business.  Pan’s like “Grandpa! Baby’s getting away!” and Goku’s like “Oh no he ain’t!”  Yeah, it turns out Goku was just letting Baby have some more rope.

First he waits until Baby’s ship is directly under the sun...

Then he fires another Kamehameha. 

Baby’s like “How could this have possibly happened?!”  Guy, did you forget that he knows that move?  What the fuck?  Anyway, good riddance, you Tuffle-lovin’, Machine Mutant creatin’, Doltaki hirin’ piece of shit. 

Then Goku’s like “There, I shot him into the Sun,” and the others are like “Oh, I get it now!  You let him fly off in his spaceship so you could shoot him into the sun!” Is it that complicated?  I’m not sure Goku needed to go this far to kill Baby, but given how slippery Baby has been in the past, this was probably the safest way to go about it. Unless the Big Gete Star finds him...

Back at the Lookout, Goku has finally reverted to his normal form, and it turns out that he’s still stuck as a kid. For all Super Saiyan 4 can do, it looks like it can’t reverse the wish that trapped Goku in this child body.  Pan is sorry that Chi-Chi didn’t get a chance to see it, but Goku assures her that he can use the transformation at will.  This is kind of an awkward conversation, because Pan seems very invested in Goku using SSJ4 in front of Chi-Chi, and I know it’s just because Chi-Chi was so upset about Goku being stuck as a kid, but we’re all sort of dancing around the reason she was so upset about it, a reason Pan’s too young to know about. 

Anyway, Goku has to choose his words carefully, but it’s pretty much confirmed that Chi-Chi is going to get a demonstration soon, and she’s gonna get an all-expenses-paid trip to Goku Town when things settle down.  Not the Goku Town where you get beat up.  I mean the softer side of Goku Town.  After dark. 

Yeaahhhh. 

(They’re gonna have sex, is my point.)

With Baby taken care of, the good guys dispense the Sacred Water to purify the Tuffle-ized Earthlings.  One thing I like is how the characters act like they’re being poisoned when this happens.  Then they snap out of it and they’re fine. 

Except for 18, who just no-sells it.  18 rules. 

Happy Pride Month from Dragon Ball GT. 

Everything seems to be wrapped up in a neat little package, except for one thing.  A bunch of tremors start, even on the Lookout, which really doesn’t make sense.  Popo says it’s because the Black Star Dragon Balls were never put in their proper place.  Goku said they returned them to the Lookout in Episode 28, but Dende was evil when that happened, and he handed them over to Baby.  

This part always used to confuse me, because I assumed that just returning the BS Dragon Balls to Earth was enough to reset the clock.  And then Baby used them to make another wish in Episode 30, so I thought Episode 39 here must have taken place a full year later. 

But no, that’s not how it works.  Apparently, you have to bring the Balls back to the Lookout, where they can be stored in a specific place. And since Dende was too evil to care about that part, he just blew it off.  So the clock was still running, and Pan estimates that they only have two more weeks before the Earth explodes.  There simply isn’t time to gather the Black Star Dragon Balls again, so what will they do?  Well, that’s a problem for next time.

✨Is this episode worse than “The Roaming Lake”?✨

You know, I would have thought that an episode like this could clear the Roaming Lake bar, but it doesn’t.  Sure, it’s the finale of a major arc, but it feels so hollow, especially after all the repetition and stalling we’ve seen that led up to it.  There’s a lot of nonsense in this episode, from Goku struggling with an attack he’s already shrugged off once before, to Baby’s confusing logistics for controlling Vegeta’s body. 

Also, it’s extremely unsatisfying how they went to all the trouble of defeating Baby, only for this Black Star Dragon Ball issue to come back to haunt them.  I mean, this part of the episode makes perfect sense, but it just points out how unfocused the whole series has been.  They started with the mission to recover the Balls, then got sidetracked into doing this Baby conflict, and now they’re trying to clean up the loose ends, but it just feels very awkward. I’m pretty sure this is why most Dragon Ball arcs only have one bad guy who’s responsible for everything, and when you beat him everything gets solved all at once. And this could have been an interesting opportunity to play with that formula by having two concurrent crises, but Toei didn’t plan for any of this, they just sort of backed into it.

Anyway, “The Roaming Lake” didn’t end with Nam realizing that he still needs to fix his village’s plummeting literacy rates, so that means it’s a better episode than Baby’s swan song.  The score is TRL - 39, GT - 0.

✨The Blade Braxton Memorial Haiku*✨

For sale: Baby shoes

Slightly Kamehameha’ed

Straight into the sun.

[themattress]

So, it's been documented before that following the simplistic criminal villains of Satoshi Tajiri's games (Team Rocket), we had the self-righteous visionary villains seeking to create a new world through destructive means of Junichi Masuda's games (Team Aqua / Team Magma, Team Galactic, Team Plasma and Team Flare), and now we have the underprivileged young villains who are actually decoys to the real villains who hold institutional power of Shigeru Ohmori's games (the Draconid Tribe and the Devon Corporation, Team Skull and the Aether Foundation, Team Yell and Macro Cosmos, Team Star and Professor Sada / Professor Turo).

I'm not at all against the Ohmori model of villainy; lord knows it was high past time to move on from the whole "use the box art Legendary to create a new world!" formula. However, I've recently realized a major negative consequence of it the franchise has suffered, which is that adaptations and spin-offs have much less to work with compared to the villains that came before. For the anime, Pokémon Adventures manga, and Pokémon Masters EX game, there is something....off about how every villain following Lysandre and Team Flare get utilized.

Anime: Prior villainous teams and their leaders were utilized in the service of wrapping up long-running story arcs across each series. But in the Sun & Moon series, Faba of the Aether Foundation is only used as the villain for one short-lived consecutive story arc and from there on out is a mainstay good guy...as is Lusamine, who is never truly villainous at all here. Gladion's ties to Team Skull are removed, and Guzma only shows up in the series' final year to be the antagonist of the Alola League arc. His role is not pay-off to anything, as Team Skull were just occasional villains-of-the-week who had no ongoing arc, nor did they ever really hint at having a boss before Guzma showed up. Then in the following Journeys series, Chairman Rose, Oleana and the Macro Cosmos organization is, yet again, just villains for a short-lived consecutive arc, while Team Yell only features in one episode where they don't even bother pretending to be villains. And for all of these villains, the societal issues that they're supposed to represent go completely undiscussed and unexplored, as if they were just too hot for tots.

Manga: Lysandre of Team Flare was the last major villain in Pokémon Adventures to be, irrefutably and unquestionably, THE Big Bad. Yes, Malva stood at his side, but it was clearly his mad vision of a "cleansed" Kalos region that posed the chief threat of the story arc. Following this was the Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire arc, where it's hard to say who the "Big Bad" is since the chief threat is the Meteor Delta which ultimately every "villainous" character unites to help stop from destroying the planet. And the Sun/Moon and Sword/Shield arc follow the exact same template: no single "Big Bad", just an assortment of intertwined human characters (Guzma, Lusamine and Faba in the former; Bede, Chairman Rose and Oleana, Sordward and Shielbert, and Soudo in the latter) who invertedly cause a powerful and vicious creature (Necrozma in the former; Eternatus in the latter) to break loose of its confines and threaten to destroy the region. And the most straight-up evil of these characters in both arcs (Faba in the former, Sordward and Shielbert in the latter) are played semi-comedically.

Masters EX: Zinnia? Never a villain in this game. Guzma? Ditto. Plumeria? Ditto. Lusamine? Ditto. Faba? Ditto, despite a red herring making it look like he's going to be. Chairman Rose and Oleana? Ditto....OK, Rose does lean toward villainy (albeit the well-intentioned variety) in the first half of his debut, but the second half neuters it immediately with a fair tournament used as the resolution to the conflict he started, and he very easily changes his ways at the end of it. Very different from how Giovanni, Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, Lysandre and all affiliated characters sans Colress got utilized when they were brought into the game (it's never even stopped with Giovanni and Ghetsis, while Cyrus and Lysandre walk the line).

Now, things aren't all bad. Volo in Legends: Arceus is a throwback to the old "destroy the world and make a new one" type of villain done in a fresh and interesting way, the Explorers in the Horizons anime series are an all-new evil team that is shaping up to be the most interesting the anime side of the franchise has ever had, and just from the design alone Briar from Scarlet/Violet's DLC expansion shows promise. Still, it honestly feels like the mainline game series straying away from traditional villainy has compromised what kind of villainy can be done in the other parts of the franchise, and for me that's been kind of a disappointment.

[isabellahawkes]

Simple Writing Advice I Wish I Followed When I Was Struggling

I’ve been struggling with my writing process for the past year and a half. I started writing down advice, some of which I never hear, and some of which I’ve heard but it didn’t resonate until now. Hopefully this helps you if you feel stuck in your writing process.

1) Don’t hold tightly to a plan, outline, or concept. A major thing that stifles the quality, and sometimes the joy of, a story is holding too tightly to your original idea. Creating a story comes from our brains, but the truth is that we typically “find” a story more often than we perfectly construct it. This obviously feeds into the debate over whether you should plot your story before drafting it, or if you should discover the story as you write it. I personally cannot construct a full outline for a story because I get my best ideas through the process of writing. I’m also really impatient, so with my personality type, it’s better for me to plot at a bare minimum, and start writing until eventually more ideas start flowing. If you do outline, and then you discover a better idea that would change the story as you’re writing it, just go with that idea.

2) Embrace your process, even if it’s messy. Don’t base your writing process on what theoretically will make your work cleaner at the beginning. This is a specific piece of advice because I tried an approach to writing that was practically like rewriting the same chapter over and over so it would be clean to edit. I would write the dialogue and the skeletons of every scene first, and then I would write the whole thing over again with narrative. This idea might actually work for some people (so you should try it), but I will explain why it didn’t for me. It made the writing process so technical. I wasn’t personally immersed in writing the story. I was trying to be more efficient, and have a cleaner “first” draft. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try this method. But if you do try it, and find that you don’t like it, then it doesn’t actually “work” for you.

3) Don’t keep starting over your manuscript. There’s this one project that I was working on for years, only to realize that I needed to rewrite most of it. This is perfectly fine. But instead of finishing that first draft and seeing where it took me, I just started over when I had 25% left of the draft. I have started this project over around 6 times. If you count all of the outlines, it’s closer to 10 times. I’m not saying you should never start over writing your manuscript, but I do recommend not doing it more than once. I wrote the pilot episode draft of an adaptation, and I started over only once, after I had finished the first draft. It’s the most successful I’ve been moving forward with a project (which is still progressing so slowly). I think the most helpful writing advice for me is just to keep writing and push against writer’s block. If you have a passion for a project, don’t give up on the draft you’re on until you’ve found an ending to it.

4) Don’t take one person’s writing advice as the guide book for what your writing process should look like. The process that works best for you will be more efficient and, more importantly, fun for you. There’s nothing wrong with trying out new techniques, but sometimes we just choose to emulate other writers because we don’t trust ourselves. I feel like the writing community in certain corners online is obsessed with finding a formula for the “correct” writing process. I don’t think it’s necessary to cling to another writer’s piece of advice because you like them as a figure. I want to reiterate this because it sounds like common sense, but it’s also a trap I’ve fallen into. I would convince myself that my most efficient process was like a big time author’s, even when it was so apparent that it wasn’t because I would get stuck in the process every time.

5) The gist is, what is a vital part of your writing process? I don’t like outlining. I’ll do rough skeleton outlines for projects. However, I get stuck in the earliest phases of drafting every single time when I’m trying to have everything planned out in advance. Some plotters will argue that my outline just isn’t good enough. I’ll agree, because I don’t like outlining as much as I like drafting. The farthest I’ve ever progressed on an original story was when I kept drafting until I really hit my stride and figured out where I wanted the story to go. I regret that I didn’t finish that draft. I stopped because I realized I would need to rewrite most of it, as what I’d ended up writing would be better as the second book in the series instead. So I stopped that draft, instead of seeing it through to the end so I could have a better idea of where I wanted the overall story to go. This was a huge mistake I made, and I’m convinced it’s why I’ve never been able to even construct a definitive outline for the first book. I’m a writer who values drafting more than planning. I also value editing (don’t worry, plotters). So what makes the writing process more efficient and fun for me is not worrying about the first draft because I know I can fix everything in the editing stages.

What counts as a vital part of your writing process? What writing advice do you wish you had followed sooner?

[prince-of-elsinore]

Dear M*A*S*H: S1 Ep 03 “Requiem for a Lightweight”

Previous episode here.

This episode follows much the same pattern established in the previous two; Hawkeye and Trapper encounter a problem. Hawkeye comes up with a devious plan to solve it. Trapper assists. Hijinks ensue.

I think it’s worth noting that I always saw Hawkeye as the main character of M*A*S*H and assumed that was the common perception. I’ve since come across the view that Trapper was meant to be an equal protagonist, and that his secondary role in these episodes was a mistake or unexpected. While I don’t claim to know all intentions or understandings behind the scenes, the pilot certainly primed me to see Hawkeye as the protagonist and Trapper as his wing man, and the next few episodes further reinforce that--not necessarily to the show’s benefit, as the formula already feels a little repetitive.

This episode departs from the established formula, though, in that what sets events in action is not the noble desire to send a Korean boy to college or procure medicine for patients, but the far baser desire to keep around a hot nurse whom Hawkeye and Trapper both want to bang. The show does make a point of the fact that she’s also a talented nurse, and to his credit, Hawkeye seems genuine when he tells Henry, “Real talent in the operating room is hard to find.” Given how much focus the episode puts on Hawkeye and Trapper competing for Nurse Cutler’s affections, however, and the fact that her supposed talent is demonstrated with a brief scene in which she... does exctly what every other nurse in the outfit does, it’s hard to believe that it’s her competence spurring the surgeons’ efforts to get her transferred back to the 4077. If only she had done something a little more extraordinary--noticed something a doctor or Houlihan missed, perhaps--the stakes would feel higher, more sympathetic, and more in line with the ethos of the show. The writing doesn’t convince me that anything bad would come of the failure of Hawk and Trap’s plan, which is never a good sign for the strength of a story. There are even plenty of other beautiful women whose pants they can try to get into, so it’s not like they’ll be forced into monkhood without her.

If Cutler weren’t so gorgeous, would they go to such lengths? I doubt it--unless, again, she’d done something more medically significant. But I suppose the writers didn’t think the audience would be as invested in good nursing as hot nurses, especially for a comedic premise. This is the kind of plotline I’m glad the show soon left behind.

One thing of interest to me is the chain of cause and effect between Margaret and our dynamic duo. It’s really their disrespect of Margaret that creates all of their problems in the first place. Margaret regards Hawkeye’s flirting with Cutler in OR with disapproval, but I don’t believe it’s until she attempts to confront him later that she makes up her mind to have Cutler transferred. Annoyed that Margaret is interrupting them chatting up Nurse Cutler, Hawk and Trap let loose on her before Margaret can get in a word. Notably, the insults focus on her womanhood and sexuality with quips such as “At least she didn’t have any trouble figuring out your sex.” It’s after this degrading exchange that Margaret decides to take drastic measures.

Hawkeye and Trapper’s animosity towards Margaret is of course further aroused by the news of the transfer. Yet later, when Trapper is practicing his punches for the big match using Frank’s duffel, Margaret passes by and Hawkeye offers a cordial, “Morning, Major” with no apparent ulterior motive. He turns back to Trapper as if expecting her to move on. Margaret is obviously caught off guard, though, and stops to reply “Good morning, Captain,” with a pleased smile. Surprisingly, Hawkeye continues the conversation rather civilly, though it’s clearly no invitation for her to stay and chat. Now, it’s possible, I suppose, that he’s baiting her with what she notices next; her good mood sours as she points out, “Isn’t that Frank’s bag?” that Trapper is punching. To my eyes, though, there’s nothing that indicates Hawkeye was expecting that turn, or the retort Trapper shoots back: “I thought you were Frank’s bag!”--though I could just as easily imagine this coming out of Hawkeye’s mouth. It’s yet another insult to Margaret’s femininity, and I wonder if what follows would have happened if Trapper had kept his trap shut.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Trapper is the one who stands to pay the price when Margaret attempts to foil their plan to cheat in the boxing match. Frank is against the ether plan on “principle” and, I suspect, simply because he doesn’t like Hawkeye and Trapper and would find it funny to see Trapper get hurt. For Margaret, who actually pulls the switcheroo of ether for water, I think it’s revenge of a more personal nature.

While Hawkeye and Trapper thus create all their own problems in this episode, the show doesn’t cast them in a bad light for it; at least, not for their insults to Margaret. What I do think the show is already implicitly poking fun at is Hawkeye’s Don Juan persona, which is so overdone with Cutler that I believe it was meant to make even contemporary audiences cringe. It’s a proper comeuppance when in the end she goes for Trapper instead, who hasn’t crowded her nearly as much.

It’s interesting too that for all Hawkeye’s Lothario tendencies, he’s hardly typically masculine in this episode. He’s no red-blooded all-American hero, ready to put his body in harm’s way for the woman he loves. He’s ready--eager even--to throw his friend under the bus and let him take the physical beat down. He readily admits, when Trapper questions his “bad shoulder,” that it’s “the result of being spineless.” It’s played for laughs, and the ending reinforces that the coward doesn’t get the girl; it’s also the clearest indication we’ve had yet of what an atypical protagonist Hawkeye is. We’re meant to admire and like him--for his principles, intellect, and compassion, not for his brash readiness for a fight or coolness in the face of danger. A coward he is not, as we’ll see time and again, but he is afraid, of many things, which the series will not shy away from exploring. But I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, suffice to say, John Wayne he most certainly ain’t.

More thoughts:

I didn’t realize before that at the beginning when they’re leaving the mess tent, Radar isn’t playing cards with Hawkeye and Trapper. They’ve roped him into being their table so they can continue their game on the way to OR.

It was a surprise to see Frank happily planting flowers and I actually felt bad when Trapper picked them all. This was probably just for the gag but now I’m wondering about gardening Frank headcanons.

Trapper’s “Only if you put those on” to Hawkeye as he fingers the pantyhose: he really didn’t have to lean in so close and say it so flirty. And yet he did.

I believe this is the first appearance of The Still 2.0! Not in its full glory yet; still rather rudimentary.

When the boxing opponent shows up, his C.O. asks if they can “rustle up some steaks” for him. Maybe that’s why they had steak on hand for Trapper’s black eye later, when we know good meat is a rare commodity at the 4077.

First appearance of William Christopher as Father Mulcahy! And in typical fashion he destroys Trapper with a single word of advice for the match: “Prayer.”

Biggest laugh runner up (couldn’t pick just one): Hawkeye on his fake bad shoulder: “Actually, I’m in pain most of the time. I don’t like to burden my friends,” made all the better by him trying to use the same line at the very end, only to get literally pushed off the bed as Cutler goes for Trapper. What can I say, I love loser Hawkeye.

Biggest laugh: Hawkeye to Trapper, Serious Face on: “You got a cute body.”

Parting thoughts: There are lots of good laughs here, but it just hasn’t got the substance or plot strength of the previous episode or even the pilot, something that might have been easily fixed by fleshing out Nurse Cutler’s competence and upping the stakes.

[lazloorpington]

um ok so i "accidentally" just finished xy because i THOUGHT i was watching the second to last episode but was actually watching the last. anyways (spoilers below) (also this post is very long, you've been warned)

i think it's probably one of the strongest seasons - not necessarily my favourite, but it's very good. i think the characters are on point this season, especially ash! he's still the energetic young trainer with huge aspirations, but you can tell how he's grown from his previous journeys. he may be reckless, but he's also smart!

the other characters he travels with are really great too and never feel too two-dimensional, especially serena! i'm so glad that serena got to have her own experiences and feelings alongside ash explored too, same with clemont and bonnie (including their relationship). i mean, i think this is something all of the seasons do well with their characters, but xy is definitely one that does it very well.

it's also the last season of pokemon that followed the original formula, journeying through the entire region and defeating all the gyms to compete in the region's league. as much as it works, i'm glad they switched it up next season, because otherwise i think it would've gotten too stale. not that anyone liked the fact they switched it up in sun & moon, but i did. so there you go.

and, once again, i feel like some of team rocket's appearances in episodes felt very forced and unnecessary. but... i feel like this season they were also the most evil. i mean, they always were, but this season they especially were. i've said before that in journeys, team rocket feel like nothing but comic relief, and in response i've gotten "well, they always were". and to an extent, that's true! but don't forget, they used to actually do some pretty messed up stuff. there was an episode where they pretended to be ash, serena and bonnie and then went around terrorising people to get the real trio arrested, so they could be separated from clemont, who they could then manipulate to create a machine to capture pikachu! obviously that's insanely elaborate and the end goal is the same one they've always had, but i think it proves my point that their characters really got degraded, because i would expect anything but that from them in journeys.

i also want to bring up the fluff towards the end of the season. i feel like they dragged out the time in between the anistar city gym and the snowbelle city gym a bit too much, every time i watched another xy episode i felt more and more annoyed at the fact they hadn't reached it yet, and we did get some very hard to watch episodes too. i mean, sure, on paper the idea of bonnie doing her usual "will you take care of my brother?" gag only to have the woman respond with "yes" actually kinda funny, but oh dear fucking god i had to skip that episode. it was too cringy. i'm probably biased, i really don't do well with romantic scenes or second-hand embarrassment, but jesus. never do that again.

i feel like the only other gripe i have to bring up is there there wasn't a proper scene where ash and clemont said goodbye. i mean i watched the dub which might've cut it out? no clue. but that really confused me. i mean, clemont was one of the first people ash met in kalos... why... wouldn't we see him say goodbye?! it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, watching the last few moments of that episode, recounting all of the journeys everyone had experienced. but eh, it's not a huge deal.

but yeah overall? xy is really good. i think it's a good starting point if you wanna get into pokemon but don't want to bother watching right from the start. as long as you have a good understand about ash and his goals, the season clicks pretty quickly. it also gives us probably the best version of ash we got, depending on how you feel. of course, ash in alola was skilled enough to beat the pokemon league AND his exhibition battle with TAPU KOKO, but ash was pretty much one move away from defeating alain (which, btw, as much as his alola league win was incredible, i feel like ash should've won his battle with alain) and that's a good enough demonstration of skill to me.

so yeah! xy gets a thumbs up from me. i know i was probably harsh this review but i want to emphasise that i do really like this season and i did enjoy it. that being said, i hope they never show a scene involving a crying hawlucha ever. again.

[channeleven]

LTA: Velma; An Addendum

This is a follow up to my posts relating to animated sitcoms and my review of Velma, because both have a big connection in my mind.

Velma has maintained a considerably low rating on IMDb, and yeah it pretty much deserves it. I had already discussed the show before, why bring it up again?

Let me put it like this, I had no idea how bad Velma could be. It proved to be so bad, it changed my life. The moment I saw Velma, it changed how I felt about other animated sitcoms. For instance, I’m now more accepting of those generic animated sitcoms because they’re either built to be that way, I know what I can expect with them, and sometimes familiarity can help in the longrun.

Also the fact that different services want to get the same audiences for shows that have been going on for years and still get the same amount of popularity they have for years, it’s almost as if the formula hasn’t exactly worn thin yet.

You may think, well what makes Velma any different from those adult sitcoms? Well, the best way to describe the difference is to bring up Be Cool Scooby Doo. It’s basically like those adult animated sitcoms but without the adult elements, and there you go. Adult animated sitcoms are better enjoyed if you’re in the mood for it and are just looking for something you can watch without getting sucked into it for too long (if you’re not into binge watching and are just looking to kill a half hour)

Now Velma, think Mystery Incorporated but far more edgy and rife with modern social commentary and some of the worst meta humor ever, not even Brickleberry and its offsprings kill it as much as Velma does and at least you can anticipate some edgier jokes slipping out.

Velma has made me appreciate other adult animated sitcoms, I can’t look at negative reviews of those adult animated sitcoms anymore without getting a headache, those, those are what you’re gonna be angry about when Velma exists and transcends all of them in terms of poor quality? I’d rather watch Brickleberry, I had actually got through every episode I watched in full andI  know where I stand with it.

No animated sitcom is worse than Velma, and at this rate it’s a fact. Velma has a far lower rating than any of the other animated sitcoms out there (even still lower than Santa Inc., it has a heavily disliked trailer and it doesn’t even have the diversity crowd defending it, as far as I can tell.

Velma is nothing like those animated sitcoms, it’s far worse, and nothing will convince me otherwise. I don’t need to see anything different, I’m willing to appreciate the same shit from the past.

[starseedfxofficial]

Intraday Fractal Trading: Uncover the Secret Patterns Hidden in Plain Sight Trading can sometimes feel like you're trying to solve a Rubik's cube in the dark. You twist, turn, and somehow still end up with all the wrong colors. Enter intraday fractal trading—a method that promises to shed some light on those bewildering price movements. Fractals may sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but don’t worry; there’s no quantum physics involved here—just some simple (yet incredibly powerful) pattern recognition. And before you think you’re diving into an abyss of math, let me assure you: it's easier than figuring out why someone would buy an avocado plushie (no judgment if you have one). So, let’s explore these fractals and discover how they could be the ace up your trading sleeve. Why Most Traders Miss Out on Fractals (And Why You Won't) Most traders overlook fractals because, honestly, they just sound a bit too complex. I mean, “fractals” are often brought up in conversations about Mandelbrot sets and infinite geometrical patterns, which makes them sound about as approachable as your middle school math teacher. But here’s the thing: when it comes to Forex trading, fractals are simply turning points in the market—think of them as the market’s way of raising a hand and saying, “Hey, something interesting just happened here.” Fractals mark key support and resistance levels, which can act as bread crumbs to help you navigate the market. Bill Williams, the OG fractal trader and trading psychologist, introduced the idea that these patterns could be used as a guide—like following a trail of bread crumbs back to profitability (without the birds eating them, of course). How Fractals Work in Intraday Trading Imagine watching a classic sitcom where the main character keeps making a poor decision—every time, you know it's about to go wrong because you’ve seen the same episode like ten times. Similarly, fractals highlight areas in the market where prices have reversed in the past—essentially, repeating episodes in the chaotic sitcom of market behavior. A fractal pattern is formed by five consecutive bars on your chart. The middle candle is either the highest high or the lowest low, and it’s surrounded by two lower highs or higher lows on each side. It’s like that one stubborn peak in a family photo where everyone else is seated, and Uncle Bob is proudly standing, hands on hips. The Hidden Formula: Combining Fractals with Other Indicators Here’s where the real magic happens: while fractals are helpful in and of themselves, combining them with other indicators is like putting peanut butter on a sandwich—it suddenly goes from "okay" to "I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this my entire life." For instance, combining fractals with the Alligator Indicator (also by Bill Williams) can help traders identify the direction of the trend. Think of the Alligator Indicator as the reptile that wants to eat profit—it’s asleep when the market’s not doing much, but once it wakes up (the lines cross), it’s time to hunt. By combining fractals with the Alligator Indicator, you can spot potential breakout points and avoid entering trades that turn out to be duds—like buying those neon Crocs just because they were on sale. Another powerful ally is the Fibonacci retracement tool. Fractals often form at key Fibonacci levels—levels where the market is most likely to retrace or continue its trend. Think of it like finding those points in a romantic movie where you know the couple’s either going to break up or finally kiss. These levels are predictable enough that, with a little practice, you’ll start feeling like the fortune teller of market moves. Fractal Myths That Need Busting - Myth: Fractals Are Only Useful for Long-Term Charts Many traders believe that fractals are only good for the long game—like watching all three extended editions of "The Lord of the Rings" in one sitting. But fractals are just as useful for intraday traders. The smaller timeframes—think 5-minute or 15-minute charts—show fractal patterns that can help you navigate those unpredictable, high-speed twists that only intraday traders understand. Plus, these quick fractals are less about “waiting for the right opportunity” and more about snatching profit before it’s gone. - Myth: Fractals Work in Isolation Fractals are not the lone wolf of trading indicators—they need friends. Using fractals in isolation is like deciding to jump into a pool because the diving board looks sturdy. Fractals need confirmation from trend indicators or momentum oscillators to tell you whether the water’s warm or if you’re about to belly flop into a disaster. Fractals and Intraday Success: A Step-By-Step Guide to Applying Fractals Ready to see how fractals can transform your trading experience? Here’s a practical, step-by-step approach: - Identify Key Turning Points: Start by marking the fractals on your intraday chart—many charting platforms have built-in fractal indicators, so no need to go full "math geek" and calculate these manually. - Add a Trend Filter: Layer on an indicator like the Moving Average to help determine the overall direction. When the price is above the MA, you should only consider upward fractals for potential entries. - Confirm with Momentum: Use the Relative Strength Index (RSI) to see if the market’s momentum is in your favor. Look for opportunities when the RSI confirms an upward or downward fractal. - Place Orders Strategically: Set pending orders just above/below the fractal high or low. Use the fractal as a point of entry, and set your stop loss just beyond the nearest opposing fractal to keep the risk in check—because nobody likes a "runaway trade" scenario that leaves you sweating like you’re at a tax audit. - Profit Targets at Fibonacci Levels: Once you’re in, watch for Fibonacci retracement or extension levels to plot your exit points—this is how you maximize gains while avoiding the greedy urge to stay in until the market inevitably turns against you. The Hidden Opportunities Fractals Offer Did you know that fractals aren’t just about timing entry and exit points? They can also indicate broader changes in market sentiment. When several fractals align on multiple timeframes—say, the 5-minute, 15-minute, and 1-hour charts—that’s a major signal that the market is building up to a significant move. Think of it like watching all the neighborhood kids suddenly line up outside the candy store; something’s about to happen, and you don’t want to be the last one in line. Fractals are also incredibly effective when trading breakouts. Imagine a fractal forming near a major resistance level; that’s a sign the market’s attempting to test that level. If a breakout follows, that fractal’s your golden ticket to hop in before the momentum traders flood the market. Case Study: How Fractals Saved the Day Take Jane, an intraday trader who was experiencing a losing streak that resembled the trajectory of a poorly thrown frisbee. Jane decided to incorporate fractals into her trading strategy. She noticed several upward fractals forming just above her Moving Average on her 15-minute chart. Combining this observation with a bullish RSI, she entered the trade—and let’s just say, her trading account started to look less like an overdrawn college student's balance and more like one heading in the right direction. By letting the fractals guide her entry and exit points, she avoided overtrading and targeted only high-probability moves. The One Trick to Change Your Trading Mindset Fractals force you to be patient—and that might just be the secret sauce for many traders. Instead of chasing every move (and feeling like you're always one step behind), fractals give you structure. They help you identify key opportunities and avoid being that person who buys into hype just before the dump—kind of like those who invested in Beanie Babies thinking they’d retire on plushie profits. Put Those Fractals to Work Intraday fractal trading might just be the behind-the-scenes secret you've been waiting for. They’re not some mystical trading code—just a way to pay attention to the market’s own signposts. As always, practice and risk management are crucial. Start by back-testing your fractal strategy and combine it with other indicators to maximize your chances of success. And hey, if you’re ever in doubt, remember: fractals have been here all along, quietly marking the spots where big players make their moves—it’s up to you to pay attention and profit. If you’re interested in digging even deeper, we at StarseedFX offer plenty of resources to expand your skills: - Stay ahead with real-time Forex news and economic indicators: StarseedFX Forex News - Take your education to the next level with free Forex courses: StarseedFX Free Courses - Get exclusive tips, insights, and live analysis by joining the StarseedFX community: Join Now - Set strategic goals and plan trades effectively with our free trading plan: Download Your Free Plan Now it's over to you—drop a comment with your experiences or questions about fractals. I’d love to hear how you’re planning to use them to conquer the market! —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article