#bros ability to make himself the victim is more powerful than killers ability to be gay

[lemm-moxx]

Just realised i never posted an ut au i've had for a couple years called voyagetale and its ex whore, now boy fail (Voyage) sans

it's b-plot is crazyyyyyy 😔😔💥💥💸💸💸💸

And also old ass art to better explain the dynamic/ plot ( you can tell it's old since it doesn't stun grenade you when you look at it )

[fandompitfalls]

Prodigal Son: The Story of Fan Activism

Originally posted: 5/21/2021

On September 23rd 2019, Fox television premiered a new kind of crime drama. A disgraced FBI profiler asked to work with the NYPD on major crimes committed in the city.  The profiler’s name is Malcolm Bright and he was responsible for the police capturing noted serial killer “The Surgeon” at the age of 10.  The serial killer who also happened to be his father.  Being the son of a serial killer, Malcolm has the unique ability to view crimes from the point of view of the killers, giving the NYPD the edge and the information needed find and capture their target.

Rounding out this show is a cast of amazing actors.  Malcom’s father, Martin aka The Surgeon is played by Michael Sheen. Malcom’s surrogate father, the man who mentored and now has Malcolm assisting him, is Lieutenant Gil Arroyo played by Lou Diamond Phillips.  The cast is rounded out by Malcom’s family, played by Bellamy Young and Halston Sage as mother Jessica and sister Ainsley respectively as well as Gill’s team of Aurora Perrineau as Dani Powell, Frank Harts as JT Tarmel, and Keiko Angena as Dr. Edrisa Tanaka, (in my opinion) one of the best medical examiners on television since 2017.

The show gained popularity quickly because of both lead stars; residual popularity of Michael Sheen from his recent run on Good Omens and The Fold, the online fans of Lou Diamond Phillips eager to see their favorites on the small screen once again. Once in, fans quickly realized that there was more to this show than the initial star power.  As I personally stated once “come for Michael Sheen, stay for Tom Payne.”

It's the truth.

The interaction between Martin, who now resides in Clairmont Psychiatric Hospital, and Malcolm, who is not only dealing with the notoriety of his father being a famous serial killer but his own fears and anxieties that he will become just like him is jarring at times.  Sheen plays the line between loving father and intelligent psychopath brilliantly. We all have issues with our parents, but they aren’t nearly as chaotic as Malcolm’s. Between a serial killer father, a high society, alcoholic mother, and an ambitious younger sister who is determined to make her way up the ladder by any means necessary, it’s easy to understand why Malcolm ties himself to the bed to keep him from sleepwalking from hurting himself from waking nightmares.

With Gil’s team, he has a different interaction.  From JT, a detective who never know what to think of Malcom to Dani, who immediately takes a sympathetic role towards what The surgeon is doing to Malcolm’s psyche to finally Edrisa, the ME who has a huge crush on Malcom and is the only one who is able to understand and connect with his weird sense of amusement, (getting excited over headless bodies while the rest of the team looks on in concern is prime Malcolm and Edrisa content).

Over two seasons, Prodigal Son has held its own on Fox.  Their loyal fanbase, lovingly known as #Prodigies, rallied in the beginning of Season One to let the broadcasting network know they wanted a Season Two.  A global pandemic couldn’t keep them down, the fans continually going onto Twitter to keep the name and interest alive, holding watch parties, keep the hashtags going.  When Season Two came on in January 2021, the fan base was ecstatic and immediately began their push for a Season Three.

On Monday May 9th, 2021, Fox announced it was cancelling Prodigal Son with the final two episodes of the season being the last.

Immediately the fans rallied to save this beloved show. First with a petition, then, led by twitter users @tinkerbritt @ProdigalSaviors has become an organized effort to not only bring awareness to the plight of the show but to convince another network that the show is a viable and comes with a fan base that will follow it to another network or streaming site.  With catchy hashtags such as #SaveSunshine (referencing Malcolm’s bird)  and #BewaretheHeels (Jessica is deadly with heels) this grassroots campaign has been getting traction and has been helped by members of the cast and crew as well.  On May 18th word circulated that Warner Bros was looking into the possibility of taking over the show.

Prodigal Son is an uncut gem.  In its Sophomore season, it can only get better.  There are still so many questions to be answered, not only between Malcom and Dani (Brightwell shippers unite), but JT and the problems he is dealing with as a black man on the police force.  There’s the question of if Ainsley is the one who will truly follow in her father’s footsteps and of course, will Gill and Jessica finally get together (Gillica shippers unite). Story lines and threads ranging from Malcolm’s past and the lingering effects of being a child of a serial killer, the missing victims of The Surgeon, the repercussions of what happened in the end of Season One, so many things to draw from.  And come on, if you haven't seen the Season Two finale, the networks cannot leave us like this! Malcolm Bright fans worldwide shouted at that ending!

Prodigal Son deserves to have it story told. It is one of the prolific shows on television and it deserves to have a chance to shine.

If you want to join the other Prodigies in our fight to Save Prodigal Son, just follow the link below and embedded within this post.

Fan Campaigns work, we’ve seen it multiple times, from shows like Lucifer, who was cancelled by Fox after three seasons and moved to Netflix where it is currently on its 5th season, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which was cancelled by Fox after its 5th season and picked up by NBC for three more seasons, to Sense8, a Netflix series that was brought back for a 2 ½ hour finale to wrap everything up.

Prodigal Son deserves to have it’s name on this list as well.

#SaveProdigalSon

[whoknowsbud]

Stand Mutation AU DiU

Again, this is FILLED with body horror and somewhat loose connections to the recent epidemic but they are there. There’s also a massive amount of angst around the Nijimuras.

See the first post & explanation here

Morioh is under a sort of quarantine. Due to not being contagious, it may be more of a research center, to keep research subjects in one place. When people start getting infected again (from the arrow, of course) there’s a pretty massive panic, from people assuming the virus must be evolving. So, aside from finding Josuke, the Speedwagon Foundation has Jotaro there to find who’s using the arrow.

Josuke is pretty much Crazy Diamond; his pompadour is basically a massive diamond helmet, with a heart-shaped front, a few thorny details from dad. Skin might be a little shiny, or sparkly.

Okuyasu begins as extremely feral and rather monstrous, but over time becomes more human. His form becomes smoother, until the infection becomes localized on his right arm. He has the common headlight eyes and his normal hair, but with the black mark covering above his eyes & reaching the tip of his nose, in addition to his scar.

Keicho is also fried, and is basically something of a human-transformer mix. Green camouflage body, bandages around his head, gun arm, helicopter blades in his back… Looks a little like something you’d expect to see if the Terminator had real flesh, with additional machine parts..

Koichi gains the common headlight eyes and starts turning green first. Following, not overnight but still fast, comes the beak, tail, and his lower legs become wheels. He does not lose any of his ability or evolve in the same way, but does change. As ‘act 2’, he regrows his legs (the wheels now his feet), his beak becomes more of a reptile snout, and he’s more armored. As ‘act 3’, he’s back to looking more human. The wheels are now just his heels (yes, heelys), and his tail is shorter.

Yukako… maybe fully made of hair? Or just the same as canon...

Tonio can just imbue his food with the sort of healing power. That or he grows the Pearl Jams on his body, which is very disturbing, so we'll probably go with the first. His power is extremely limited with this infection, which upsets him quite a bit. He can strengthen your body and all, but what can it do with stand shit? This isn't the flu.

Rohan’s arms are like heaven's door's hat; just the yellow lines outlining them. Depending on mood, desperation, & writers block, his sketchy-ness spreads more through his body.

Shigekiyo is a bunch of Harvests in a trench coat! Original Shigechi is essentially the ‘queen bee’ so to speak.

Mikitaka is an actual alien (cause fuck you, we do what we want). Planet was probably overrun by the virus, and he left to… either help other planets with it or prevent it or something… That or just. To find somewhere he can live a better life.

Tamami… probably just about the same, but creates locks on himself as well, for each victim currently affected - not because of guilt or anything, just to make sure they’re still in his control should they separate.

Hazamada is pretty much just Surface.

Akira is, basically, a toxtricity (amped, of course.) But yea, basically take RHCP, give it rocking hair and music ability, and there ya go.

Yuya basically sends his own feet, which gains a vague body to go with them.

Kanedaichi is SuperFly. A few bug decals on the tower maybe… He uses radio waves to communicate, and an unsettling doll to make himself known… Tickle me Elmo.

Terunosuke appears to be origami, with his face drawn on. Despite this, he can’t actually change his overall form.

Yoshihiro is probably the same as canon...

Kira’s mutation is much more subtle than most. His skin is pink, he has Killer Queen’s eyes, and very sharp and stiff ears. He hides most of this with makeup, contacts, and clips his own ears, to live under the illusion that he's 'just a normal guy'. When he feels stress, his face starts turning translucent, so you can see his skull - which reveals that his ears are more part of his skeleton. His hands frequently explode, and his sweat is explosive.

Stray Cat is just the same as in canon.

As mentioned earlier, the Nijimura’s story here is (I believe) even more upsetting than it is in canon. Though Angelo doesn’t happen, Josuke’s grandfather is dead.

Keicho finds the arrow, as he did in canon, but nicks himself in the process. He (somehow) hears the Speedwagon Foundation is looking for it and, realizing the arrow played a big part in the infection, panics. This makes his infection, which was already starting to mutate him, go wild. He turns feral in a different way than most; he guards the arrow, obsessing over it - like their dad over that ripped picture. Okuyasu, of course, tries to get through to his brother.

His body isn’t completely developed; the helicopter blades are half-stuck in his body and his gun doesn’t work. So, when Okuyasu tried to reach him, Bad Company only understands that someone is approaching the arrow, and attacks him… With the arrow. Fully aware of what the arrow did to his brother, Okuyasu is at peace with what’s going to happen to him. His only family is like this, and they don’t even remember him… How much worse could losing his own mind be?

The house is said to be haunted, so when Josuke and Koichi pass it, they stop to look. Koichi mentions, now that he understands a little of the infection, that he wonders if the ‘ghosts’ ‘haunting’ it are just more victims. Josuke realizes it's likely, and tells him to call Jotaro and wait outside.

Koichi calls Jotaro and does not wait outside; he goes in after Josuke, gets lost, and ends up finding the room Bad Company is in.

Meanwhile, Josuke’s struggling against Okuyasu, who may or may not be crying. Josuke realizes this guy really is a victim, and thinks he must be able to help. So, when he does take him down, he tries to fix this, only to feel terrible because this is another thing he can’t fix. But he can’t stay, because Koichi screams, so he has to run.

He finds the room, but it’s obvious that whatever attacked Koichi hasn’t left, and he’s worried this’ll go horribly wrong if he runs in, but if he doesn’t, Koichi’s probably going to die. This is when he hears the bass boost ‘bbbvvvrrrrrrrrr’ and he spins, ready to fight, but Okuyasu’s already erasing the space between them and Koichi, and now he’s in range for Josuke to heal him. Josuke’s not sure what’s happening, but it’s obvious Okuyasu isn’t going to attack. So, Josuke’s healing Koichi, and trying to figure this all out, “so do you… have a sibling here?”

He nods, looking at him with pleading eyes, begging for something. Josuke starts thinking aloud, “they must be infected, too… uh, you... want me to fix them?”

He's nodding so vigorously it looks almost painful, and this is when Koichi wakes up, and he shrieks because what the fuck is that. Josuke makes sure he's okay (Koichi's irises are turning bright yellow, but he can't worry about that right now), and has Okuyasu watch Koichi.

Okuyasu is surprised that he's being trusted like this; but Josuke's already ripping the door off the frame, holding it in front of him like both a shield and battering ram, and he's charging in.

Koichi is far, far too tired to move himself, so Okuyasu carries him away from the fight. But Okuyasu starts fidgeting, worried. He's hearing shots, explosions, and yelling, and there's a lot of smoke. Obviously Koichi's worried too, so they kinda sneak back over to get a look, and what koichi sees is... alarming, to say the least.

Uninfected, you don't see the full quality of his skin, and his helmet just looks like a weirdly solid block of hair. But now koichi's getting the whole picture, and… He's gorgeous.

His body is suddenly shining and sparkling from the armor, his skin almost glittery, and the massive diamond form encasing his head reflects light like a goddamn disco ball - it's all almost blinding

Sexuality crisis ahem so anyways

Josuke eventually gets Bad Company down, and he's trying to heal him, but the light suddenly comes on. They all know someone else is here, so Okuyasu - not wanting anything to keep his bro from getting fixed like he was - runs in to intercept the form coming fast, but Keicho's a little faster

But instead of going for the arrow, it's Okuyasu he targets.

Okuyasu and Josuke are alarmed at this; he'd shown that he only cared about the arrow, why do this? Why go after Okuyasu, before he even got the arrow back?

But Keicho's looking at him - even as this electric being's arm goes through his stomach, his eyes are focused on his brother.

"I act on my orders," he says, whereas before the only thing he ever said was "the arrow", "follow orders"... things like that.

Because Bad Company had been ordered to protect the arrow at all costs

But Keicho Nijimura did that to protect his brother

Which clearly worked against him but moving on

Okuyasu makes this cry, this wail, and Koichi can feel the hurt echoing in him and wishes he could've done something as the being takes the arrow into the light

But Josuke realizes there's a fuse box in here, and its being overloaded, and they need to get out right now, so he grabs the two survivors and jumps out the window.

He ends up being hurt pretty bad splinters of wood dig in his calves and his back, but he's gotta make sure these two are ok.

Josukes not sure if that actually helped, because he's crying so so hard now, and the three just sit there for a while

Okuyasu looks at josuke, crying, pleading... Josuke knows what he wants

"I saw it," he chokes out, "you should know.. Ididn't bring him back, I barely reached him… You did."

Jotaro spots the building when the room explodes and comes running, of course relieved to see these kids are sitting outside, safely... Well. Not dead. Josuke asks about Okuyasu.

"Yea that happened to me, he'll be fine. It's pretty common."

Then he sees Koichi's eyes are a little different and just fuckn grabs the kid and stares super close for a few minutes

Irises are yellow, but more important, the whole ball is getting kinda... segmented? Like... there are creases forming. W/e - they're slowly becoming headlights.

It's an uncomfortable minute for these children, until Jotaro lets him go and says (usual deadpan), "you've been infected."

Then jotaro sets him down and says, usual deadpan, "you've been infected." And Josuke freaks out, assuming he was the cause.

So, Jotaro has to explain that - no, the only way to become infected is if you or a (close enough) relative is injured by the stand arrow. Okuyasu jumps on the phrase, practically barking with desperation. Jotaro, having gone through a rather similar stage, figures it out pretty quickly, "you know about it… where is it?"

“Is that what that weird arrow was back there," Josuke wonders around, jumping when Jotaro focused on him, "well, uh�� some electric thing took it… after killing this guy's brother."

Jotaro can't really do much with that, so he moves on, "alright, you three get to the Speedwagon building, I'm gonna do a walkthrough."

They agree, but Okuyasu's looking at the house & not moving Josuke & Koichi try to reassure him about keicho, while Jotaro just walks right in to investigate.

After a minute he comes out carrying Weird Frog Dad who's holding the ripped picture, "what is this." Okuyasu makes this "aa!" sound while the other 2 are Shook.

Okuyasu's looking at Josuke, though he's already moving, but Jotaro stops him, "this can't be fixed." Josuke's like "but i gotta try" and does, and newsflash it doesn't work, but he sees the picture and fixes that and at least that's sweet

So, nearly on the opposite side of the emotional spectrum, the next day we see Koichi skating to school. At first he's very weirded out, tries to hide it, but then he realizes "wait. The town's full of infected people, this isn't that bad." His mother and sister, of course, freak out, but Koichi knows enough to explain it all and put them a little at ease.

Also he does not end up with Yukako, they both deserve better. Like, yea she probably still has her obsession, but it gets handled after the first time. It takes a little while for her to adjust to... not.. doing any of that. But they're both way healthier for it. Not cool or healthy to date your fixation or stalker

[kryptsune]

🌼Alright, heeeere we go. After much deliberation and tons of design doodles, I have scrapped this is a good representation of what my multiverse version of HorrorFell is all about. As I said before this is going to be more Eldritch and supernatural horror. I did say before that the other one focused more on the psychology of it but I have to argue now that this is really that AU and I will explain that briefly like I have in the past. This is a lot to unpack to stick with me! 

What you see above is Red’s occult/ ceremonial outfit he does not wear this huge imposing headdress all the time. First, it is probably super heavy and second, it’s only worn by the cult members, which no one knows what monsters are actually initiated. I don’t know if you can tell or not (sorry for the quick sketches) but that headdress is a Gaster Blaster skull. I had a lot of fun drawing this idea since I love all that kind of occult and secret society stuff. I will not be ashamed to admit that I have been super inspired by four main materials for Horrorfell. They are Bloodbourne, Fran Bow, The Order, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. All great shows and games that are definitely worth a play/watch if you love this kind of stuff. Onto the story (buckle up cause the angst train is pulling into the station). 

Horrorfell takes place after a pacifist run by Frisk. The story briefly goes as follows. Frisk ends up in the Underworld (Underground) and befriends the monsters and wants to help them. She never dies once either. It is basically a way watered down version of WTU in essence. I will point out that Red is still a killer and that becomes worse after Frisk’s absence ( I will explain this in a bit). Once reaching the end of her journey the monsters refuse to let her be that final soul. They would rather wait and figure out something else. Frisk promises to return to them and set them free. She is like 18-19 by the way. Asriel sacrifices himself to that end to see her leave through the barrier only the humans capture the poor girl after she leaves. They conclude that she is not mentally stable due to her insistence that monsters are real and throw her into an asylum to be “treated”. We all know what that means. 

Nearly 5+ years later and she manages to escape finding herself once again in the Underworld only it is far different from what she remembers. At this point, she is questioning whether anything is real or not. After being “treated” for so long she doesn’t quite know which reality is real. As Red (aka Saw) points out: “Ya really don’t know believe what happened do ya?” 

Frisk is the one person that gets him to turn a new leaf when it comes to his numb feelings in the beginning. It’s harder to go against what was originally natural and he struggles with overcoming his base instinct. That guilt hits him heavy now that he feels even guiltier because he didn’t care that he’s even forgotten the victims. That’s always going to haunt him. He only cares about two people in their world and that is his brother Eldritch and Frisk so everyone else is on his kill list so to speak. I would think that he would use others as a means to an end. If I keep him yandere like Blade, though not as insane, then he would do anything to see her again including becoming a ruthless killer again to do it. Get the souls, break the barrier, find the girl. Essentially he’s more of a calculating yandere in this case. So rather than being socially acceptable to kill humans, his dilemma in beating his nature with his yandere extremes and how he’s got to hold himself back. Frisk is just the person to help him recognize that he’s gotta broaden his view and that comes with accepting his flawed nature. It’s that whole killing makes me feel good/ numb idea. When accepting your flaws you end up going through lots of denial initially, being yandere, he’s going to see his view as right, even justified.

Frisk’s Mental Demons:

  The psychological toll on Frisk is great as she has been told constantly that she made up her time in the Underworld in order to shut herself away into a fantasy world. A world where she had a family... where she is loved and wanted. This happens a lot like the “Doctors” continuously try to refute her experiences or sensations medically.  Every time she goes to sleep in the Underworld she ends up back at the Asylum tied down kicking and screaming and she only wakes up again when she is sedated. Rinse and repeat. The question is... is it real? Or rather which is real. The doctors go on to state that her dark state of mind twisted her original concept behind her “family” making them this eldritch styled horror. He also goes onto explain that the reason she is so drawn and close to Red is that it is her “flirting with death”. That she is accepting that outcome because if she continues to resist treatment she will die and the moment she trusts him in her “fantasy” that will be the end. (on a side note what a jerk). Anyway, these kinds of situations happen a lot and even sometimes cross over through auditory and visual hallucinations, at least that is what the doctor says they are. I will give an example of this. 

Red zaps her with his old joy buzzer for old time sake. Not to freak her out or anything but after that encounter and she is safe with the Bros. She falls asleep and she ends up back at the asylum, whether it is a nightmare or not. She ends up crying over how real her "hallucination" feels and she talks about the buzzer. The doctors explain to her that it was an external stimulus from her shock therapy. In other words, it’s all in her head. Red tries to comfort her when this happens trying to get her to believe that he is real but he doesn’t push that on her considering how broken he sees she is. A lot of times she ends up in tears wrapped in his arms and he just holds her in a comforting way. My heart. 

The Occult/World:

The cult as I keep referring to it as is a group of powerful monsters. I am not going to say too much about them as I don’t want to ruin certain things. However, they believe humans to be their salvation while the rest of the monsters believe that they are the angels of death. They will kill humans on sight, of course, they want to live in denial of their horrible deeds. This is where the idea of hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil comes in. Each monster falls into one of these camps even going so far as to mutilate themselves to do it. EVERYONE HAS GONE NUTS. Unlike the cult that wishes to break the barrier, the rest want to stay hidden from the beasts above. Red and Eldritch are under see no evil hence the blindfolds. Even though Red is a part of the cult however he has to play the part, the rest of them do as well. The question is which 7 monsters are a part of it? 

There is no monarchy in this since it was dissolved. It is rumored that the cult have extraordinary abilities that far surpass that of regular Boss monsters. They are considered “consorting with evils beyond their control”. I will say that Reds faith in the order is quite strong... only time will tell if their intentions are what has been advertised. The cult believes that humans are the key to their salvation and that they will summon a god to rule both the surface and the underworld. Basically bringing hell to earth. In keeping with the eldritch horror vibe. I have that “god” being an unholy amalgamation of Asriel, God of Hyper death, Chara, and Gaster not to mention that the rest of the cult can become unholy eldritch abominations as well. Reds got the Gaster blaster beast vibe with him but he also has a million eyes when his sockets go dark. A whole bunch of disturbing eyes fill his skull. (If you have ever watched Soul Eater it’s very Asura like)

Each member is associated with a major arcana as well. In Reds case, it is being a seer which in essence is seeing the truth or judgment. That is all I am going to say about them for now. Even Eldritch and Frisk don’t know that Red is in the cult by the way. I am still working on his full body design as everything I have done I am not all that satisfied with. His headshot though will stay the same I am really happy with those. I am thinking of leaning more Bloodbourne. If you have any suggestions feel free to drop them in the comments! Sorry for the massive lore dump! <3 

DO NOT REPOST MY WORK WITHOUT MY PERMISSION IT IS NOT FOR YOUR USE. IF YOU LIKE MY WORK PLEASE REBLOG INSTEAD! It helps me so much! It makes such a difference.💙         

[aion-rsa]

How The Venture Bros. Helped Comic Book Tropes Evolve

https://ift.tt/2FZE6LY

There’s nothing new about comic book and superhero parodies. Many films within the current superhero cinema system like Deadpool even turn a self-aware eye to the source material, while shows like The Tick poke fun at the medium with exaggerated character types. A lot of the material that pokes fun at comics, however, does so for the simple joys of parody or to highlight the intrinsic silliness of superheroes. Adult Swim’s classic and now sadly-concluded animated series The Venture Bros. goes about things a bit differently.

The Venture Bros. didn’t begin as a direct analysis of the form and genre, but it gradually started to tell a story that used comic book tropes to show how dangerous and destructive superheroes can be and how they perpetuate a dysfunctional world. The Venture Bros. will gleefully indulge in parody, but it does so to highlight what’s wrong with these ideas and to help promote change. After the series’ recent cancellation, fans have been mourning The Venture Bros. for many reasons, but what’s unique about this series is how it uses informed parody to spotlight the flaws of comic book storytelling and then present a radical, better rounded alternative. Here are some of the best examples.

The Monetization and Crooked Nature of Superhero Leagues 

When The Venture Bros. relocates its characters to New York City, they encounter the Crusaders Action League, their universe’s equivalent to the Justice League or the Avengers. The Crusaders Action League run a racket on the city and force civilians to pay them in exchange for their protection and bully those that don’t. Any outside heroes are treated like threats and the group runs a monopoly on crimefighting that’s not dissimilar to how a drug lord runs their corner. The Crusaders Action League is like a major corporation that tries to regulate the public’s safety into something that can be monetized to their advantage. DC and Marvel frequently depict the arguments that happen within their superhero supergroups, but The Venture Bros. evolves this idea to the point where they’ve completely stopped caring about keeping the peace and have turned the privilege of safety into an arrangement that many can’t afford.

The Uncomfortable Nature of “Boy Wonder” Sidekicks

It’s become low-hanging fruit at this point to make jokes about the relationship between Batman and Robin, but The Venture Bros. provokes this topic as a way to say something deep. The show’s Captain Sunshine is more like an amalgamation of both Batman and Superman, but the focus on the character is in regards to his young, boy partner. Hank finds himself in the role of Captain Sunshine’s latest Boy Wonder, which opens a whole discussion on not just the dynamic between Batman and Robin, but that the trauma that Batman experiences from losing so many partners should drive him insane. Captain Sunshine is depicted as highly unstable and he resorts to taking orphans for his new wards. DC often frames a new member of the Bat-Family as a can’t-miss event, but The Venture Bros. pinpoints how this constant loss is the sign of obsessive dysfunction.

A Family of Superheroes Would Never Be Able To Stay Together

The Venture Bros.’ Impossible family is a very clear lampoon of the Fantastic Four. Marvel props up the Fantastic Four as family and friends that have undergone incredible adversity together, but they’re able to use these changes to their advantage, and are made into famous public figures. In contrast, the members of the Impossible family are depicted as horrors of science more than a successful team of crimefighters. The show looks at the realistic pain associated with someone setting themselves on fire or what it means to turn invisible. The effects and aftermath of this accident is shown to fracture this family, not make it stronger. The series reaches the point where the family’s Reed Richards surrogate gets driven to Howard Hughes levels of paranoia, pushes his wife to infidelity, and leaves the parentage of his child in doubt. The idea of a crimefighting family is fun, but The Venture Bros. shows the dangers involved with familial pain and how this is a backstory more appropriate for villains than heroes. 

Mystery Inc. Are Detached Maniacs Who Are Lost in Denial

Scooby-Doo and the other Hanna-Barbera creations from the 1960s often reflect a set of values that run parallel to the idealism and optimism of Silver Age Comics. Different takes on Scooby-Doo are self-aware to contrasting degrees, but The Venture Bros. is the first to frame them as legitimate dangers who need to be off the streets. The Groovy Gang finds ingenious similarities between the members of the Mystery Inc. with feared serial killers and maniacs like Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, Valerie Solanas, and Patty Hearst. The Shaggy surrogate even thinks that he can hear his dog talk to him, which is in itself another reference to David Berkowitz. 

Read more

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The show argues that the Groovy Gang doesn’t have any actual mysteries to solve and that they create more problems out of their delusions. They’ve managed to survive by looting the vicinities of their “mysteries” and they’ve been lost in this façade for over a decade. Scooby-Doo periodically puts its wholesome nature under the microscope, but The Venture Bros.’ Groovy Gang details the true progression of how a life in denial and arrested development can turn people into monsters. 

Spider-Man and The Horrors of Animal-Based Superpowers

Comic books have a tendency to glamorize superpowers and highlight how incredible it would be to suddenly have the same talents as some kind of animal or insect like a cheetah, shark, or ant. The Venture Bros.’ Brown Widow applies a realistic and anatomically accurate take on Spider-Man and how much of a burden his set of skills would be. The superhero produces organic webbing, but from a spinneret near his anus that turns the power into more of an opportunity for embarrassment. Brown Widow also has six eyes, four of which he’s forced to hide underneath a headband for some attempt at normalcy. Brown Widow is constantly ashamed of his abilities and they speak to the disturbing body horror nature of animal-based superpowers in a way that’s more grounded than something like Marvel’s Man-Spider. Even the character’s name is meant to undercut any superpowers and utility with how it refers to the relatively benign nature of brown widow spiders.

Jonny Quest and The Inherent Sadness of Boy Adventurers

Comic books are supposed to create a feeling of excitement the same is true for series like Jonny Quest or The Hardy Boys that find ways to put eager youth into the roles of mystery-solvers. The Venture Bros. features an entire episode that’s devoted to a therapy session where former “boy adventurers” discuss the damage that these exploits have had on their adult lives. These characters emphasize that a life of adventure is actually a life of trauma and that any person who’s spent their life this would want to repress these memories rather than brag about them. Many of the different superheroes in The Venture Bros. highlight the dangerous ways that toxic expectations can warp the public, but this proves that this level of machismo in youth won’t prepare these adventurers for adulthood, but actually debilitate them.

The Opulent Absurdity of Latveria and Castle Doom

Comic books are ripe with megalomaniacal tyrants who aren’t just content to take over territories, but often want to create their own nations that are meant to act as monuments to their hubris. Doctor Doom and Latveria are the best examples and The Venture Bros. offers up its equivalency in the form of Baron Ünderbheit’s  Ünderland. Doctor Doom is often exiled from his own home, yet he always manages to persevere and regain control. In the case of Ünderland, the nation actually prospers after Ünderbheit is kicked out and it becomes a successful democratic nation in his absence. Ünderbheit floats around and struggles to find a purpose. This whole relationship depicts a realistic look at how a ruler can become irrelevant and that nations often outgrow their original purpose. It’d be like if Latveria turned into Wakanda.

The Uselessness of Elaborate Supervillain Schemes

One of The Venture Bros.’ more brilliant ideas is to take established villain tropes and then combine them all into members of Andy Warhol’s entourage like Edie Sedgwick, Brigid Berlin, and Paul Morrissey in order to say something bigger on the convoluted nature of villainy. The Doom Factory is a commentary on the largely conceptual ideas of supervillain teams that go way overboard for what could be a lot easier. The Venture Bros. pushes this to an absurd degree where villainy schemes are more akin to art installations and “happenings” where the victims are more confused than distressed. This attitude results in The Doom Factory’s quick death as they employ a realistic approach to a team that is more about status and appearances than actual villainy. The villains in the Legion of Doom or other similar groups can sometimes come across more like high-concept nuisances than threats against justice.

The Internalized Masculinity of G.I. Joe and Action Figures

Something very interesting within The Venture Bros. is how the majority of the most masculine characters are shown to be the ones with the most dysfunctions. The O.S.I. is the series’ parody of G.I. Joe and while it gets in its jokes about G.I. Joe’s ridiculous characters and their nicknames, it also digs much deeper than that. It takes this idea of character stereotypes to the extreme with how it basically turns the O.S.I. into a flamboyant Village People-like organization. However, The Venture Bros. doesn’t lean in this direction as a way to insult the characters, but instead it portrays them as some of the most competent individuals in the series. It says that a group like this who are open, proud, and different would do a better job than rote military grunts. G.I. Joe and Cobra Command remain locked in irreconcilable conflict due to their stereotypical aggression and testosterone, but in The Venture Bros. these iconoclastic personalities can unite the two and form a stronger entity in the process. 

Constant Cosmic Threats From The Future

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Comics have frequently featured grand cosmic characters that are meant to observe events and pass judgment on the universe with the power to end the whole thing if they see fit. The Venture Bros. beautifully flips this idea on its ear in every possible way in “Twenty Years to Midnight.” A very Jack Kirby-like celestial being known as The Grand Galactic Inquisitor arrives with a purpose that’s nearly identical to that of the Living Tribunal (with a bit of The Watcher thrown in for good measure, too). The entire episode has the Grand Galactic Inquisitor build up dire stakes, only for the character to be shot in the head and swiftly handled. Comic books can get so lost in these cosmic threats from the future and their emphatic vastness, but The Venture Bros. addresses how ridiculous it all is by how it neutralizes the threat before it can actually do anything. There are more than enough problems on the Earth, in the present, to worry about.

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[gothshy]

Your Guide to Pone Countesses

I thought it would be fun to compare the “aristocracy” that’s popped up lol.

Coloratura “Rara” (Default/Vanilla Lite)- On stage Super Star, dynamic, mega wealthy, super famous, huge influence, awesomely creative and ultra talented. Off-stage, waifish, kind of awkward, a little bit of a bitch, not really a countess, actually from a rural area but she is classically trained in music. Has a good heart even if she’s kind of a dweeb. Likes stargazing, restoring old radios, her dog Aloysius and her childhood friend Applejack. Sometimes lyrics are unintelligible because emphasys on the wrong syllable.

Motivation: Creativity and Catharsis

Super Powers?: None. Her special talent is touching the heart with her creativity. (Lowkey might be a little psychic with her intuitive artistic abilities).

Charisma: Very high on stage presence. Off stage pretty average to low when she’s whining.

Wealth: High. Stacks of cash.

Intelligence: Average to Ditzy

Creativity: DAMN SON! Off the roof.

Weakness: I mean, like, a lot of stuff. lol. She’s neurotic.

Sex Appeal: Pretty good, especially when she’s made up to be sexy.

Other Notes: short. don’t forget heels.

Coloratura “Blood Countess” (Mirror/Bloody Edition)- In life a horrible person and in death a horrific ghost who fuels the monster-haunted house White Veil. Competitive soprano who drinks the blood of competitors, youth (foals) and others. A countess by marriage. Pretensions af. Likes being the best of the best and blood and sex. 

Motivation: Eternal Youth and Ego

Super Powers?: she’s a fucking ghost/ all the nasty shit that comes with that

Charisma: Usual supernatural siren-like allure.

Wealth: In life she was moderately wealthy. Wealthy enough for a big, ol’ house like White Veil.

Intelligence: High.

Creativity: Average to High.

Weakness: Being dead and stuff. Must kind of suck, especially since eventually you have to cross over.

Sex Appeal: Ewww.

other notes: blade glove is her favorite tool

Everfree (Flutters)- Flutters in the Grim Future with a bug up her ass for Twilight/AJ/Rarity and a killing streak that makes Attila the Hun look cuddly. Run. Mad herself rich off of wooing bachelor stallions (sugardaddies) for their fortunes then offing them (aint sayin’ she a gold digger.)Elegant but not actually. Bought her aristocracy. Nasty, psychotic bitch. But also Fluttershy is still in there somewhere so it’s *sob*. Likes piano/harpsichord, critters, wine and fuckin’ shit up. 

Motivation: Wrath, pure and simple, primal, visceral 

Super Powers?: she’s a goddamn vampire. So she can do some cool stuff like regenerate, sire other vampires, has super strength, etc. Also she doesn’t seem to die easily. Well, not if you want her to stay dead.

Charisma: Hmmm. Depends entirely on who you ask. She can be quite cute in a fussy childish way. But overall she has a personality that turns funny scamps into cold-blooded killers.

Intelligence: High. More cunning than she is book-smart.

Creativity: Average except when it comes to DESTROYING people. Then it’s high. She is a Wrath Demon, after all.

Wealth: High. Gold-diggin’ done good.

Weakness(es): Not sunlight lol. She hates dragons/fire aimed at her, though she’d use them against enemies. Being faced with her former life.

Sex Appeal: Supernaturally high when she wants it to be.

other tools: Does care about her coven.

Dale Wraith (Ivory)- Mirror!Surprise. Ultra talented little cinnamon roll pegasus who got screwed over and thrown into a vicious insane asylum. After some years of being beaten down she flipped and probably proceeded to say to the doctors “I’m not locked in here with you; YOU’RE LOCKED IN HERE WITH ME!!!” and burned the fucker down while leading an inmate/patient rebellion. Self-made aristocracy by a found fortune. Actually pretty funny if you pay attention to what she says. Talented renaissance mare (what can’t she do)? A little bit kookoo for cocopuffs but who wouldn’t be. Got a revenge streak for two mares in particular and some accomplices but but stay out of her way and you should be fine; though practical jokes and getting spooked are highly likely once she warms up to you. Likes reading and smartsy stuff. Just a sinnamon roll really, she just misunderstood.

Motivation: Revenge and Catharsis

Super Powers?: Renaissance Mare (one of those people with tons of skillz)

Charisma: Pretty high when she turns on the charm. She has an oddball sense of humor that most people find pretty amusing and she can be engaging in conversation when she’s prep’d for the situation. But catch her off guard and she can seem aloof and almost like a different person.

Intelligence: Very High

Creativity: Very High. Rara levels of creativity plus being intelligent with it means she can make her own visions happen without the middle-pony plenty of times.

Wealth: High. 

Weakness(es): She is a schizophrenic, as one example of an obstacle she fights with. She has some pint up anger issues left over from the asylum and trouble letting go but worst of all is victim-blaming herself. She can be triggered by a few things and start to hallucinate if not careful.

Sex Appeal: Average to good depending on who you ask. She has a certain mystique to her for sure. But her aloofness to physicality usually makes her seem unavailable.

other notes: femme dandy!

BONUS+++

. @theplottingtrio‘s Monte Cristo (Edmond).- Batman pone. Renaissance stallion. Mares want him and stallions want to be him. Got a revenge streak that could rival Everfree’s kill streak, like serious, bro, chill, you’re gonna pop a blood vessel. One smooth af operator, tho. Intricate plans, lots of money, so much swag, wow. Got himself the Count title by finding lots of treasure that dank old map led him to and instead of blowing it on bitches and booze he remade himself. R I S E.

Motivation: Vengeance and the Pyre of OBSESSION

Super Powers?: Technically he’s a pegasus with no “super powers” but let’s be honest. He’s Batman. He can’t cook apparently.

Charisma: High when he’s running the show and has a “script” of sorts (that’s what I’ve noticed). Average to aloof when he’s not in charge, almost awkward. Definitely kind of creepy.

Wealth: Again, Batman.

Weakness(es): Three buttholes named Gerarity, Fernand and Dinglyjerk who got him imprisoned for a long time on false charges. Also his former sweetheart being married to Fernand really ruffles his feathers, I hear. Idle chitchat about stupid shit isn’t really his forte either. Again with the social awkwardness.

Sex Appeal: Don’t quote me on this. But he is a sexy pony.

other notes: <3