#but he overcomes it and has a wholesome character arc so he gets to be a happy boi

[joskiski]

People who claim that RWBY has "bad writing" just because they don't ship Blake and Yang irritate my entire being

Let me rant for a bit lol

1) they claim that it was "out of nowhere" or "poorly developed"

Have we been watching the same show? While I don't think it was perfectly executed (no story is), Yang and Blake are very clearly an example of the friends to lovers trope. They've cared about each other deeply from the first arc. They go through so much together, helping each other overcome trauma. This couple has a very solid foundation. Then, the nature of their relationship clearly shifts to become romantic in later volumes. They've been planting the seeds for it for years already.

2) they're mad Blake isn't with Sun even though they had a crush on each other in early volumes.

Have yall never had a high school crush before? It's cute, but that sort of thing dies out with time. Blake and Sun went their separate ways and haven't seen each other in a while. So much has happened in the story since the last time they saw each other. While I understand the criticism that Sun kind of disappeared without much explanation, so has most of the other characters from the Beacon arc. CRWBY has a lot of ground to cover in terms of story telling, and the episodes are short and each volume only has several episodes. My hope is that we'll get to see what everyone else is up to when the time is right, and Black Sun shippers will get some sort of closure. I've always shipped the Bees, but I respect Black Sun as a ship!

3) they claim that "this wasn't what Monty would have wanted" and that the writers "gave in to the threats of the toxic side of the fandom"

How do you know? Were you in Monty's brain? We'll never know (rest in peace, king). I'm sure Monty probably had an idea of where he wanted the story to go, and I'm sure CRWBY is trying their best to honor that. Also, stories evolve. I think CRWBY has created a vast and expansive world with interesting characters and a phenomenal plot. Sure, it's not perfect. But it's fun, and RWBY as a franchise has grown up alongside many of us, so it has a special place in my heart regardless.

I hope it's not true that people were sending threats to the writers to see their ships come to life. At the end of the day, these are fictional characters. Plot devices. No ones wellbeing should be threatened over that. That being said, the ugly parts of fandoms are often just a vocal minority. I think most people who ship the bees are just gays who love RWBY and love seeing wholesome wlw representation.

Also, Blake and Yang's romance isn't a huge part of the show (it's more so in this volume since they finally have a break from the Salem mess so they finally have a chance to work through their ~feelings~). So, it's easy to skip if you like the show but don't like the ship.

If you don't like RWBY, don't watch it. Point blank period. If it's such "bad writing," move on and find a different franchise to pour energy into.

(Honestly, it's screaming homophobia. Saw someone say it was an issue of "morality"... like what century are you in, bro)

[kyouka-supremacy]

Ask game can you do kyouka

Yay Kyouka!!!

Favorite thing about them: HER EXISTING. The fact that she's one (1) fleshed out female character and for one I will love her for that. I also generally really like the trope of little girls facing unimaginable horrors and defeating them, it gives me hope. The fact that she was able to get out of an abusive environment by her own forces is very inspiring, too. More Kyouka love words here.

Least favorite thing about them: I feel I'm cheating at this with always mentioning things that are really not about the character but rather about the way they fit in the story but... I'm very disappointed when the author flat out forgets about her. 55 Minutes and the whole airport arc. I've said it before but I really wish she would have intervened during the Atsushi / Akutagawa airport fight because what were she and Yosano and Lucy doing the entire time. In general, I wish we'd see her more outside of her relationship with Atsushi which I LOVE but that is starting to feel quite limiting of her right now.

Favorite line:

Eheh. It's been this blog title since day one. It's just that crepes is one of my favourite desserts too but most of all I really appreciate the feeling of carrying on living even if it's just for the small nice things in life. I may be worthless, and with no right to breathe; but crepes still make life worth living. I appreciate the sentiment. Ss/kk should learn from her it'd spare them a lot of trouble lol

brOTP: I LOVE LOVE LOVE HER RELATIONSHIP WITH ATSUSHI. It's really one of my favourite things. I think Kyouka is about the only person Atsushi truly cares about beyond his own selfishness and it's really heartwarming. They make each other's lives better every day and comfort each other that they're good people capable of doing good. I also think Kyouka really helps Atsushi in the way she's so blunt and straightforward, she helps him overcome his insecurities and second-guessing everything; she's a reassuring presence for him because he knows she wouldn't lie to him. And Atsushi allows her to be a child, and it's so sweet!!! They need each other in a lot of ways and they're so perfect for each other. Platonic soulmates fr. I also really like her relationship with Kenji, that too is so wholesome, I'm happy she has someone her same age she can do 14 y/os things with!!! Oh and I LOVE her relationship with Lucy, they're so much fun in their low-key animosity but I like to think they truly care about each other and that Lucy fully took Kyouka on as her annoying little sister she wouldn't hesitate to die for. AND the potential of Kyouka and Yosano, AND Fukuzawa. AND Akutagawa and Kouyou (more as like, relationships to explore rather than think they'd actually get along). I think about Kyouka's relationships with other characters a lot lol.

OTP: You know I'm fully convinced I would have been a full flagged Kyouka/Kenji supporter if only they were a little older, but the way I can really only think of them as children kinda makes it hard for me to say I ship them just because personally I don't really like to imagine them in a romantic picture in general (个_个) It's a shame because again I know what I like and this kind of sun/moon coded het ship is something I would have been really into ;;

nOTP: Likely Kyouka and Kenji for the reasons mentioned above :// It's just something I noticed I'm not very into when it's brought up in ss/kk fics. That said, it's not like I have any strong feeling against it either.

Random headcanon: About that, I really like to think she and Kenji are going to be partners when they're older.

Unpopular opinion: Not sure this goes here but right now I can't think of anything else– I do think that in the early chapters of the manga there was some level of writing Kyouka like she was Atsushi's love interest. Overall I think the manga verges way less in the “siblings” direction than the “eventually couple to-be living together” direction than the fandom makes it to be (I don't think they were ever directly associated to siblings in the manga, like, ever? I don't remember Atsushi ever saying he sees Kyouka as a little sister or something in those lines). Which I personally do not like, but in my reading interpretation that's the direction the manga was going for. That's why the chapter 15 opening is extremely distasteful to me, it really feels like pushing forward the stereotype of little dainty young house wife waking up early to prepare breackfast for her husband... And the way we know she's so young makes it downright disturbing. (But again, that's only as far as my understanding of the manga goes, feel free to disagree with me on this).

Song i associate with them: Shinkai Shoujo by Yuuyu-P!!!! It's just so her, both in the girly j-pop vibes and lyrics. It literally talks about a girl sinking in the darkness but managing to find the light in the end :')

Favorite picture of them:

Favourite panel from the manga:

Favourite illustration:

Favourite illustration in the anime art style:

Favourite Mayoi card:

Send me a character?

[chzdavmpr]

Goodnight Punpun Reading Diary Volume 2

Content Warning: I try to avoid going in detail about the more explicit parts of this story, but this does book gets real explicit for a while, so I'll still warn here that this post will discuss a plot point about abuse and sexualization of a minor. Also if you plan on reading this book yourself PLEASE LOOK UP THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST CAUSE THAT'S JUST THE ONE I CAN'T AVOID TALKING ABOUT

Theory: perhaps "God" represents a part of Punpun's inner thoughts. (Note: I tend to be pretty bad at picking up on themes and symbolism in a story before finishing it, so for some of you that statement is probably pretty obvious.)

There's 2 of him now???

With the wager Punpun and Yaguchi set up it's very much them ignoring Aiko being her own person, but for different reasons. For Punpun he's in his incel arc but for Yaguchi it very much he more has his own issues in how he sees himself that he needs to overcome before he's ready for any relationship.

In volume 1 I thought Punpun's uncle was a chill dude, but he not only has a pretty cynical outlook at life, but he thinks his own sister should die just for having armpit hair, but gets off to a vhs labeled "high school hotties" and now I think I hate him. [Note from after finishing the volume: it get's worse. Now I 100% hate him]

Ok so either we are getting guy-with-afro lore that he works the this karaoke bar, or he's just a gag character that the author puts everywhere for no reason

Uh oh. UH OH. I see where this flashback is going STOP USING THE SAME WORDS YOU USED FOR THE POTTERY TO DESCRIBE THE 16 YEAR OLD!

As of the end of "part 3" I am very uncomfy. And that's probably the point, it forces the reader to be like "that's fucked up" and then look back at that whole date scene that was played mostly wholesome and say "this whole situation is fucked up" (which they probably should have already but the legacy of Scott Pilgrim has taught that you can never be too obvious with this stuff).

They have a lot of zoom ins on Yuichi's eyes in the scene where he brings- what's her name again (checks list of important characters at beginning of part 4) oh shit her name hasn't even been said. That makes this even worse then I thought.

Back to the point though, the scene in Yuichi's apartment has a lot of zoom ins on his eyes being drawn in a more human and realistic manner. I think this is to remove that "goofiness that undercut the darkness" I talked about for Vol 1. If this scene played out and was constantly showing Yuichi as a little bird in a crude artstyle it would make it easier to look past the monstrous behaviour of him by writing him off as "silly." But I feel the author really wants you to stew in the uncomfortability of this so that you really grasp that Yuichi is a bad guy.

Since Yuichi is the one telling this story, I wonder if he's lying about any details, in particular I wonder if he did actually go all the way with the 16 year old. I hope I'm wrong, but there is a chane.

WHY THE HELL IS THE CAFE GIRL STILL INTERESTED IN HIM? Honestly that makes me highly suspicious of her, cause I don't buy "love at first sight" for an appropriate motive to still be interested in a guy significantly older then you, who you've gone on ONE date with, who just told THAT story. Honestly I hope that there's more to her motive cause if not I will be honestly disappointed in that character writing.

Wait the guy who attempted to murder the mom and then set himself on fire isn't either dead or in prison? He's just fine?

The appearance of another "God" who is a different face raises a lot of questions and I don't think I have enough info to piece together an answer rn.

It's definitely healthier then being dead, but this relationship with Yuichi and cafe-girl doesn't seem healthy at all.

"God" opened his eyes. I wonder what that could mean.

So it looks like there will be a 2-year timeskip at the end of each book. Assuming Punpun was like 8 in Vol 1 he'll be like 20 in the last. Interesting.

Closing thought on the volume: This is honestly more what I expected going into Volume 1. I would no longer call this a "dark comedy." We are in full on dark drama now, just with some goofy elements.

Looking back at my notes I had a whole lot more to say about Yuichi's story then I did Punpun's, and I'm trying to think about why that is. Cause Punpun's story is one which I feel I probably should have more to say about but most of the time I'm just kinda along for the ride and don't end up having much to write notes about. The only thing I can think of that I probably could comment on is how Yaguchi is like the only morally good character (except maybe cafe-girl) in this whole volume.

I think part of this is that Punpun himself isn't really the strongest character to me. I know about him, how he feels, what he wants, but him rarely talking and has almost non-existent body language so his scenes flow weird. He can't really bounce off the other characters. I hope that by the end of this story I have less of an issue with this.

While reading this volume I also, as an exercise to get better at media literacy, tried to ask "what is Goodnight Punpun about?" What is the main thing this story is trying to tell? My conclusion so far is that I have no idea. My best guess is it has something to do with how being surrounded by negative influence can make someone worse. Which I guess isn't the worst first attempt at figuring out the theme. But with later reading diaries we'll check back in with this theme and see if it holds up.

Also I realized I only used 1 image for this, and it was for basically a background detail. I should be more liberal with them next time.

[biblioflyer]

Discovery S5E2 First Reactions

I've always been lukewarm on Discovery. This episode charmed me. Something I've long appreciated about Discovery is that it has continuously worked to address valid criticism without tossing overboard literally everything that sets it apart. I don't agree with every spicy Picard S3 take, but in spite of my enjoyment of that season, I felt a mild concern, if not irritation that what I liked about the series from its first two seasons was largely being ignored.

I've never had that sense with Discovery. With the exception of that utterly baffling episode where everyone started acting like Georgiou had redeemed herself without ever actually walking back her psycho persona significantly, Discovery has done a really good job of growing across all dimensions. The writing is more polished, the cinematography is excellent, the actors live inside their characters in a very natural way. There is nary a jar of eye drops in sight.

If this was pre-streaming era Trek with its 20+ episode seasons, we'd recognize this as the beginning of Discovery's third season. When Trek usually starts getting actually good rather than something with hokey charm.

And I'm actually kind of bummed this is its last season.

This was a nice "lore" episode. Lots of nice callbacks to bits and bobs of Trek trivia, but not overwhelmingly so.

I didn't see the twist coming with Raynor but I dig it. I liked Saru's observation that Burnham is "a force of nature." Like in previous seasons, Burnham's much criticized character flaws are acknowledged and overcoming them and working around them are part of the story, and handled quite well. Burnham is impulsive, empathic, and fiercely a creature of conscience. She benefits from having level headed people around her. Like Saru, whose arc throughout the series has been phenomenal.

Of course maybe I'm just a massive Doug Jones fanboy.

Culber doesn't seem like he's going to be a major player in this season, but he's doing good service as being the guy to deliver the good stuff, like "I asked how you were, not what you've been up to."

I'm steeling myself for a sudden pivot to the YA relationship drama genre next episode. I do have hope that given how everyone else is increasingly very natural in their roles and not feeling the need to oversell things, this will also be the case with Adira and Gray.

I recognize this is a loose end that deserves tidying up for fans of this particular relationship and I will endeavor to not be a spoil sport. Rest assured ready, its because I just don't like teenage / YA cringe, not because of the identities of the characters.

I'm not overly enthusiastic about Burnham and Book either. I've just never found it persuasive as an on screen romance, from a chemistry standpoint or character dynamics. It sort of made sense when Burnham was looking to leave Starfleet and as a sort of legacy of that time when having a sort of Han Solo type character as a partner made sense. But again, its just not my jam. They're interesting characters on their own, and it lowkey frustrates me that Discovery seems to think that romance is the primary way to do character evolution.

That having said, I maintain my promise to be seriously grumpy if anything happens with Saru and K'rina.

I am curious about what the MacGuffin will be in the end. I'm already assuming its another callback to TNG where everyone is hugely disappointed because its not the sort of thing that would radically shift the balance of power in the galaxy, but rather something more wholesome. Another message, the Progenitors' library: that sort of thing. A kind of passing of the torch where the Federation is kind of the new Preservers.

[yourlazykitkat]

Omg I love this question (warning: long post)

The aesthetic: there's a delicious dynamic between fire & shadow, one which ties into the characters more than just "opposites attract". Azriel who has been crippled by his fear of fire for centuries learns to embrace its searing, all-consuming nature, and then Eris, who works alone in shadows to scheme against his father- perhaps finally finding an ally, someone to trust, in those same shadows. I personally love overthinking this simple aesthetic as a metaphor for codependency (fire needs oxygen and Azriel might have choking kink i.e the High Lord Meeting/ fire burns brightest the darker it is/you can't have a shadow without fire or light)

Their perceptions of love: Azriel is a romantic but also a messy bitch (affectionate). He wants desperately for love and a mate- pining for Mor for 500 years, desiring someone else' mate, the whole necklace debacle. (I eat this drama up) He loves a good damsel in distress- Mor, Elain, Gwyn. He loves beautiful people, people are resilient despite the traumas of their bodies. The biggest slap in the face for him would be to realize he's mated to Eris because of his own prejudices, animosities and toxic masculinity. It would be so interesting for him as a character to have his delusional fantasy of romance shattered only to learn as he falls in love that Eris always held the resilience that he's attracted to. It also lets him work through his own self-hatred, especially through the lens of toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia. Eris, on the other hand, has a more sterile relationship with love (this is my interpretation of what we know). I think the prospect of love excites him but is inseparable from ideas of marriage and politics. His parents' loveless and political marriage, and his own engagements/proposals to Mor and Nesta- reinforce that he respects power and wants a marriage that will allow both him and his partner to thrive in their own power/autonomy, unlike his parents. The taste of rejection perhaps has left him feeling unworthy of love similarly to Azriel but I think what he truly wants is to love selfishly without punishment. This really resonates with the community that headcanon Eris as a closeted queer and Azriel is the antithesis of who Eris is supposed to marry/love: a Lesser Fae, a powerful man, from a rival (sometimes enemy) court. There's also this insecurity as Eris is fully aware of Azriel's hatred of him and how he doesn't fit what Azriel wants either. This could be something really wholesome they both overcome together.

For the love of god, can these mates or pairings please be similar in age. Please!!! 5 centuries is a big deal!!!

The Awkward Family Dinners: Both of them are family people. (I need Eris to be.) Them getting together creates really interesting dynamics within their respective families: sorry Mor I fell in love with the guy who kinda ditched you, sup Lucien my mating gift for you is that you don't need to worry about this other dude trying to steal you mate, hey dad (buried six feet under) this is my boyfriend that I love and who you would hate, mum please like him- i know i tried to kill/he tried to kill me. This is here because I think it's funny.

The political intrigue: God, I just want to visit the Autumn court and finally sink my teeth into some real courtly drama. I just want to see Azriel finally do his spy shit, use his shadowsinging abilities. Just the image of them working together, going through that classic enemies to lovers arc while they plot to kill Beron and/or Koschei- god please. Give me the ballrooms, the shady corners and code only they understand, the secret, forbidden relationship that happens in the moment and they know will have to end once they finish their objective.

They're both mama boys allegedly. And this isn't a reason I use to justify why I ship characters but I still think it's important to point out, they have a lot in common especially shared trauma of abusive households (fathers and brothers).

This is my personal opinion but I need Azriel to get out of the Night Court/ IC desperately. He's the only original IC member (along with Nesta) I really care about and I personally feel that he's being suffocated there even if he loves his family. While I like Elriel and Gwynriel in some ways, neither of them gets him out of the Night Court. He's not challenged or pushed to change/ grow. I think it's pretty well understood among the fans that Azriel is still extremely traumatized and has a lot of healing to do compared to other IC members and I think an interesting way for him to heal is to leave the Night Court where he hasn't healed or really changed in 500 years. Azris drags him out of the Night Court and allows us to explore a completely different court, one we haven't seen yet! One of my favorite things about Azriel's character is how he's a subservient guard dog. It's extremely unhealthy and toxic. He has always been trapped in a hierarchy of power, forced by Rhys' father at a young age and continued by choice to support Rhys. Azriel finds comfort in this position because it lets him be blind to his own morality and the consequences of his actions. It's also reflective of his self-esteem issues- how he's a tireless workaholic and loyal to the fault because he needs to pay Rhys back for his kindness. With Azris, there's this fascinating moment that being with Eris means leaving a place of subservience and entering a position of power as a High Lord's mate/partner. This is an example of Azriel's character growing out of the paralysis he's been haunted by.

Scars: I think something that Eris envys Azriel for his how bravely and openly he wears his scars (similarly to Lucien). While I don't think Cassian's comment at the end of ACOSF that Eris is a coward completely rings true, I do think it hits him hard. He's always dressed up looking fine but he's always hiding something. Scars from Beron's abuse, his emotions or his own ambitions. I think just like Azriel taught Feyre how to fly despite her fear of falling, Azriel could help Eris learn how to be vulnerable and open about certain parts of himself.

Some canon things: Azriel is characterised as the quiet, always in control character but oop- someone can't seem to control themselves around a certain redhead. Eris always seems to be on the lookout to pull azriel's pigtails and can always find him (okay it was like twice, let a girl dream).

An actual enemies to lovers arc!!!

I just want Eris to steal one of Rhys' many murderwives that he does not appreciate.

The true reason: I think Azriel needs to get fucked for his own good

I’m seriously trying to understand how Azris became so popular. Like what sparked it? Azriel literally launching himself at Eris at the High Lord meeting? Eris catching him spying? What? lol it’s one of the crackships that makes the least sense. Can someone who ships it tell me why?

[shooks-stupid-stuff]

i still don’t have a single fucking clue how i ended up with this design, but not gonna lie it does fit this dumbass and his lack of anything resembling an actual fashion sense-

[the-irreverend]

In Defence of Growth Spurt

Well, this has been quite the last quarter of the year…

As if we Undertale fans haven’t already been spoiled enough, the beginning of October blessed us with the triumphant return of one of the most beloved UT comics in the fandom. From the cold ashes of a long hiatus, Growth Spurt rose like a glorious Phoenix, treating us to 29 panels of vibrant colour schemes, sharp writing, and one of the most unique art styles this godforsaken site has ever known, an art style that this godforsaken artist has taken a lot of inspiration from.

But as great as this page was, it did leave me a bit stunned as it unveiled a shocking twist…

...that Alphys is not a good person.

*GASPS SOMEWHAT SARCASTICALLY*

Pardon my hyperbole and lousy humour, but I knew from the moment I read this that some were going to discuss how Alphys is depicted in this page, and I understand why. 

I know how easy is to dismiss these kinds of viewpoints, especially since the excessive idolization and demonization of morally complex characters is a bit of a tradition here, and the Undertale fandom is no exception. Trust me, as a person who’s been part of the Chara fandom, I know from experience (who was also exceptionally well-written in this comic by the way). 

I’m very glad I didn't talk about this immediately because it’s given me some time to think about this scene and you’ll be relieved to hear that I no longer have an issue with this page. But I still understand why people would take issue with this. Because hey, at one point so did I.

But to say that everyone who has a differing opinion is just a salty Alphys stan is nothing short of tasteless. That’s why I am going to explain the best I could criticisms that someone might (and that I used to) have, before explaining why I decided to abandon said criticisms.

To give a brief recap, the Matainence/Defect Arc centres around Alphys and Asriel, along with Frisk and Undyne as they attempt to fix the CORE which has suffered from, would you believe it, a defect. In addition to repairing the CORE, Alphys must also repair her relationship with Asriel, as she’s haunted by the creation of Flowey, and dreading what might result from it.

Wholesome family-friendly entertainment, am I right?

Fast forward to where we are now, where we see the CORE starting to break down completely, along with Alphys’ and Asriel’s emotional state. While starting to doubt if the meltdown can be stopped, she argues with Asriel that it may be better to just give up on their efforts, and when she’s confronted with the possibility of fatalities resulting from that course of action she says this:

As I read this panel, which did give me a bit of a shock, these were my first impressions, which I must re-emphasize are impressions that I NO LONGER HAVE.

There’s a difference between saying “we can’t save them all.” and “it’s just a few deaths.” It’s the same reason people were left reeling when Superman asks his dad if he should’ve let the kids die to protect his secret identity, to which he replies "Maybe." I understand the feelings behind what’s being said, but to articulate said feelings like that wouldn't sit well with some people.

But the real reason I had doubts about this scene's direction was not that it highlighted a flaw in Alphys’ character but that it, as it seemed to me, potentially undid Alphys’ progress in overcoming those flaws. Let me better explain.

It should go without saying that Alphys isn’t the greatest person in Undertale. I mean, no one is. This has more to do with just her checkered past with Amalgamates as she does possess personal qualities that… aren’t the best. Just look at her true motivations for helping Frisk get through the underground.

But while she’s not the greatest person, she did become a better one by the end of the Pacifist Run. Yes, she didn’t exactly get a complete redemption arc, but she’s in a better position than she was now. She did find the courage to release the amalgamates and confess to her former king and queen about her role in creating them, which gave her the honour of becoming the former royal scientist. 

So for Alphys to be beside herself with regret about what she did to the Amalgamates AND Asriel only to later be seemingly unconcerned with the deaths of people (AS IF SHE WON'T REGRET IT LATER), while also reducing their demises to being “outliers” just didn’t click right with me… AT FIRST.

But eventually, after a little consideration, I eventually came to accept this scene, and realize that this panel in the Defect Arc is anything but a defect. All you have to do is look no further than to the panels that followed it.

You don’t need to express indignation about what she said because Asriel already did. Of course a well-deserved chastising should follow that line, but what makes Asriel’s lecture that much more impactful is not just because it’s just a well-deserved reprimand, but because of what it does for Asriel’s character development.

Keep in mind the previous page saw him asking Alphys not to call him by his title because he felt he didn’t do anything to deserve it. And yet one page later, he displays qualities that show that he does. But what makes this scene even more memorable for me is what came before the reprimand:

See? Right before he proceeds to humble the good doctor, he takes a moment to EMPATHIZE with Alphys plight and shows that he fully understands that this isn’t worth “taking at face value”. Though he still rakes her over the coals for her statement, he still takes a moment to show that he fully understands why she made it.

It’s while I was re-reading this scene that I realized something: if Asriel can learn to understand Alphys, then why the duck shouldn’t I?

This is what continues to draw me and many others back to Growth Spurt to this day. It’s more than just the comedic one-shots or sadistically revelling in Asriel’s teenage angst. 

The story didn't need grand clashes, shadowy conspiracies, or inter-dimensional antics (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It’s just the main cast learning to confront their past. It’s so simple, yet so impactful, just like the art style.

I’m not concerned about what Alphys is like here because I know where she’s going to end up. Just look at what happened with Toriel!

Remember this scene where she completely attempts to shut down Asriel as he attempts to get her to talk with Asgore? 

It’s not a good look for her if you just cherry-pick these panels, but look where this scene eventually led up to. Only perhaps my favourite story arc that I have ever seen out of any Undertale comic period, and one of my favourite comic scenes!

Seriously how can you not get teary-eyed looking at this?

I save the can't even-ing about this particular arc on another post, but for now, all I know after reading this comic is this: sometimes when a character’s progress takes a step back it’s because it’s about to take a bounding leap.

Because in the end, that’s what Growth Spurt is all about: GROWTH.

So don’t judge a book by its cover...

...and don’t judge a character arc before it’s finished.

Thank you for reading the incoherent nonsense I've typed here. I look forward to hearing your own insights.

Growth Spurt AU belongs to @potoobrigham // @potoo-reblogs

[space-blue]

An emotional first reaction to Arcane's finale

With an accent on Silco's arc...

*Wipes tears away*

Anyway. When was the last time you sat down to a tv show that punched this hard and respected its villain this deeply? Silco is by far the most interesting character, and he carries the show on his scrawny shoulders.

Compelling if mysterious backstory, overcomes his demons and his traitorous brother in one fell swoop as he gains power. Silco's a zealot who dreams big for everyone. And yet in the end he finally understands why Vander did what he did. Finally has an emotional tie on a personal level that means more to him than the Nation Of Zaun, that big all consuming project that's been driving him from the start.

And yet in a completely masterful twist, Vander chosing his daughters over Zaun means the Status Quo, while Silco choosing his daughter over Zaun means War.

He gets everything he ever wanted. He's a villain who uses all ends to reach his goals and actually gets there, and the creative minds behind Arcane had the guts to make it absolutely irrelevant to his death. That is so wild, honestly. His love is his personal downfall (or more likely, the lack of mental health care in the Lanes is his downfall...) but he's never more human and more like Vander than when he dies...

For the creators to chose to NEVER redeem him, and instead just... humanize him to the very end... To let him say his piece and clear out misunderstandings and also to go knowing all his *fucked up* efforts fucking paid off...

*Silco style slow clap*

Fucking bravo.

Turns out Silco wasn't lying, not anymore than any of us do from time to time, even to our loved ones. Turns out that he was really worrying, really caring, and that it was really "just the two of them".

There's plenty wrong with Jinx's arc as a villain in the becoming, the whole "hearing voices makes me unhinged and violent" really isn't palatable.. it's an easy cop-out that puts people with IRL mental illnesses in another toxic limelight.

But there's incredible beauty in her being truly embraced by the villain, for the most wholesome family to really be with him. To be fought for as hard by him, as much as Vander did. Vi doesn't want Jinx. She truly wants "Powder", and even if she probably loves her and probably needs the mental help Vi would desire for her "to change" and "become stable", Jinx's toxic, zealot, asshole second dad loves her exactly as she is. Why the fuck would you not chose that side, being in Jinx's boots?

*chokes up for a minute*

I can't clap my hands hard enough to applaud the team behind Arcane (so I'll use them to write fanfic instead)

How did they manage to break the curse of video game adaptation?

Well, I think it helps that the studio itself retained absolute creative control. For once it's not a film industry giant buying rights and trying to do it's usual "adaptation" cash grab wringer. It's a studio getting another studio to work their (insane) magic and produce the best 9 episodes cinematic we've ever seen.

The vision was theirs, the story was uncompromising and unflinching.

I am not surprised the writing punches this hard. Video game writers know what the fuck they're doing, because they create immersive worlds and storyline in which the players/viewer is directly active. I mean look at other hard gut punches out there like God of War, Wticher 3 or even Jackie's arc in Cyberpunk.

But for them to stick to their guns to the very end... To give us characters this compelling instead of following the cliche route... For them not to betray us, the way so many other storylines do by trying something bold for a hot minute before falling back on tried and true cliches like deflating souflés...

Guys, I'm sorry but even Disney doesn't clap this hard. Arcane came on to the scene and swatted everyone aside. The visuals, the animation style, the music, the cast of character all painted in deep shades of grey, the riveting plot with its series of mirrored pairs going through the same divisive process... Arcane is the show we've all been begging for, but we were asking for it to the wrong people.

Bravo team. None of y'all will ever see this post, but know you're appreciated. You made me scream and choke up and built a whole new condominium in my skull for Silco to live in rent free. Fuck you and bless you, I love you guys.

[heyhojoy]

The Case for Hornigold

So like a lot of people I would love to see S2 focusing on Ed’s character arc, him finding out who he really is / wants to be, freeing himself from the constricts of expectations and toxic masculinity and integrating all the different parts of his personality into something wholesome (preferably doing all this independent of Stede, as has been argued really well in other metas that I will link here as soon as I find them again).

And you know who he absolutely needs to meet for this integration and healing to happen?

Hornigold!

Let me explain why this would make for excellent storytelling.

The epic potential of this meeting struck me like a lightning bolt when I was reading up a little bit about the historical version of Edward Teach. In an article somewhere there was one sentence that let the whole story unfurl in my mind immediately. It’s the last sentence of this paragraph:

Uuuuh. So “historically”, Hornigold is out there somewhere hunting pirates. At the end of S1, Ed has just broken his Act of Grace contract after like one day, so we can assume that the British navy will be after him real bad (not just a  Badminton brother out for personal revenge this time!) and will presumably start something of a hunt for him / put a price on his head. It would be very believable for Hornigold to start taking up that trail.

Now, we now that this show does not care about historical accuracy, but why pass up a chance of such  juicy meeting, when history serves you a cue like that? (An excellent opportunity to go with the “yes, and…” of improv!)

We know from the breakfast conversation with Calico Jack that also in the OFMD universe, Ed sailed with Hornigold, back when CJ and Ed “first became outlaws”. We know that Hornigold abused them, verbally and physically  (“worse than dogs”, “stabbed us”, “ground us down into nothing” etc.). So Ed learned the way of piracy from an abusive asshole, an epitome of toxic masculinity. Let that sink in. He (presumably) ran away from home after he killed his dad in a very traumatic experience and first place he ended up in was Hornigold’s ship, which sounds like horrible environment to be at any time, let alone after something like this.

But he got out of there and is now one of the most infamous pirate captains himself. He made a name for himself by telling a ghost story of violence, by creating a creature that came straight from Hornigold’s ship of horrors, if you so will. But we know that he did not turn into that person, it is just a performance – it has been drilled into him that this is how piracy works (and it does! it does work! But for what price) and he performs this role brilliantly for a long time.

At the end of S1, Ed turns into the kraken. He does not ‘revert’ to Blackbeard, his flashy, charismatic fuckery persona, but turns into something much darker, where actually he is all the things that he only ever projected before, dead-serious, stone-hearted.

Good storytelling will show us how he gets out of this again. How he makes deliberate choices that bring him closer to peace and understanding of himself, to acceptance of all sides of him, the soft and the chaotic-violent ones. It will be very hard and obstacles will need to be overcome. And, very importantly, for this to feel like fulfilling storytelling he needs to face his past and tell it: No. I will not follow your dictate, I deliberately and consciously choose to leave you behind and forge my own path – my past does not determine my future!

What better way to spell that out than meeting the abusive mentor (who has even taken a pardon!!! Who has even ‘betrayed’ the concept piracy??) and tell him NO to his face?

It would feel really threatening to be hunted by your horrible former mentor, having to face him, making you inevitably revert back to feeling small, young, helpless and hopeless. (Is there any other character that could possibly have this effect on Ed??)

So imagine how good it will feel to then slam your foot down, because you’re not young and helpless anymore, you’ve grown, you choose a different path, and you stand up for your current self and your younger self.

Imagine how good it would feel to Ed to tell his abusive mentor that he did not deserve to be treated like this, that Hornigold was wrong about life (and I guess piracy) and that he can go suck eggs in hell.

So, anyone else excited for Hornigold in S2???

[destinysbounty]

Screw it, it's time for more elemental roulette AU stuff - Morro Edition

Morro not just being a member of the team, but being one since the very beginning, is perhaps this AU's most significant point of divergence. That much is obvious. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this has so many more impacts than I had originally realized when I first started planning out this AU.

The basics are still the same. He's still an orphan, was still adopted by Wu, and still has a borderline fatal need to be the green ninja. The main difference is that in this AU, he didn't die horribly 40+ years ago. He's still alive, and he's roughly the same age as the rest of the team.

Now for the differences.

Since the Golden Weapons haven't yet been gathered at the start of the AU (this whole shebang starts during the pilots), Morro and Wu haven't had the opportunity to discover that he isn't the green ninja. So they're still at that early point in their relationship, with Wu believing Morro to be the chosen one and Morro training excessively to prepare himself for the path he thinks destiny has laid out for him.

I personally hc that the reason Wu was initially so reluctant to share information about the green ninja prophecy was due to his baggage over losing Morro, and he was determined not to have that happen ever again. However, that hasn't happened in this AU. And since Wu didn't go through that experience, he hasn't yet learned the lesson he would have from it. So in this AU he isn't quite as reluctant to impart information about the green ninja prophecy. And while Wu tries not to make it quite so apparent, the others aren't blind. They know Wu thinks Morro will become the green ninja. Which is...interesting. For a number of reasons.

Think about it like this. Morro and Kai are both self-destructively obsessed with proving themselves worthy of the green ninja title. Both of them are at a point in their character arcs where they haven't overcome those behaviors. What happens when you combine Morro and Kai under these circumstances? Nothing pleasant, that's for sure!

Once the Golden Weapons are united and safely in the ninjas' possession, obviously Wu and Morro will test to confirm their beliefs - and then watch in surprise and a teensy bit of horror as those convictions are crushed. Morro isn't the green ninja. And he gets just as bitter about it here as he was in canon. And this only exacerbates the tensions between Morro and Kai. Kai sees this as his chance to prove he's the green ninja instead, Morro is determined to prove destiny wrong, and they're both...painfully competitive about it. Like, dangerously so.

Eventually, they all get their true potential arcs. Since Jay and Zane aren't in the og4 here and don't become ninja until later down the line, Cole is the first one to unlock his true potential, followed closely by Nya. Then comes Kai, when he realizes that Lloyd is the green ninja and comes to terms with this fact.

Here's where things get spicy. See, I personally kinda like the green cousins dynamic. And I think it'd be really cute if Morro and kid!Lloyd initially got along pretty well. Morro is the only person who's edgy enough to match Lloyd's energy and earn the kid's respect. And having been a homeless, unsupervised child himself, Morro can empathize with Lloyd's situation in ways no one else can. I think Morro would also project his resentment towards his own parents onto Misako and Garmadon, which results in him being a bit protective over Lloyd. So like, edgelord green cousins being angsty and stupid together. Wholesome. I love it. 10/10

BUT. Then he learns Lloyd is the green ninja. The one thing Morro wants more than anything in the world. To be the chosen one. To be someone important. But now his snot-nosed brat of a cousin is destiny's golden boy and not him? Morro doesn't take that news nearly as well as Kai. From Morro's perspective, Lloyd took his destiny from him. Lloyd stole what was rightfully his. You've all seen season 5, you know how this goes. Except...now there's this added layer of conflict. Morro cares about Lloyd. They have a fond relationship. But now that's being turned on its head due to jealousy and pride, and of course a mountain of insecurity/self-worth issues. So he loves Lloyd and cares for him deeply, but he's also struggling to tame a newfound fierce bitterness towards his beloved cousin. Messy internal conflict abound

It takes Morro a long time to overcome this issue and finally unlock his true potential, and as such he's the last member of the team to do so (discounting Jay and Zane, who don't begin their ninja training until later). I have a few ideas for how that would go down, but however it happens it needs to touch on the core of Morro's motivations. Much to think about.

Also, can I just say how funny this new og4 dynamic would be??? Like, Kai, Morro, and Nya all have notoriously bad anger issues. They're all feisty and prickly people, and I'm sure they would have a hard time getting along at first. Especially Kai and Morro. But then there's Cole. Who's just kinda...idk vibing I guess. The Only Chill Person Here, Apparently. He is the only thing keeping these three from ripping each other's throats out, and he deserves a goddamn award for it. And also some very strong coffee.

Of course, to be fair, at this point in his character arc Cole is also pretty stern and serious. So I guess they're all kinda prickly right now. Which basically means that in the beginning of this AU, the ninja team is essentially just😠😠😠😒

[junikshanasar]

Mikey needs help (and therapy but like who doesn’t) pt.2

WARNING FOR MEGA BIG TOKYO MANJI REVENGERS SPOILERS!!!

So in Part 1 we established that Mikey honestly needed an entire part/arc just about saving him because of his dark impulses and huge serial killer potential >>> aka yeeting Kisaki and disbanding Toman was not enough because now we need to save him from himself.

So, Mikey is dark, but why does Takemichi need to go back just to save him? Well in the first place, part of who Takemichi is is someone who wants to save everyone, and Mikey isn’t just anyone, but actually someone very important to Takemichi. We see their friendship development with cute and wholesome moments, we see how devastated Takemichi is when he witnesses Mikey’s death even after Mikey nearly murders him (going so far as to have flashbacks, placing his importance to Takemichi right up there with Hinata), and my dude literally says he thinks of Mikey’s smile when he contemplates how happy he is getting married in the good future (i.e. he really can’t be happy unless Mikey is too). A lot of people found this annoying, but I was actually quite moved because this is just who Takemichi is, and because he saw that Mikey was Drowning and wanted to be saved even when I the reader didn’t

I’ll be honest, when Mikey tells Takemichi to let go of his hand and let him die when he tries to commit suicide by jumping off a building, I was like “let him have his peace Takemichi”. Clearly no matter what Mikey will always turn dark, and he himself knows this, so let him end it. And then Takemichi screams at Mikey to ask for help, and this happens:

And I felt this scene like a slap to the face and a stab in the heart. I had accepted Mikey’s dark turn as inevitable just like Mikey had, which can be seen in the video he leaves Takemichi telling him not to try and save Mikey 12 years later in their future. This is important because this is after he hears about what he’s like in the future, so even before anything happens he’s already putting measures in place with the assumption he’ll turn dark.

And Mikey seems okay with that, doing things like separating himself from everyone else (we know that in the good future, no one has been in contact with Mikey for roughly a decade), and indeed he ends up in a different dangerous gang. He portrays this as his role and destiny to the point that he encourages the people around him to accept it too. Just like Draken, Mitsuya, and Chifuyu, I too kind of thought Takemichi would be better off leaving Mikey to do what he is ‘destined’ to, especially when Takemichi finally got the happiest ending after everything that happened. 

But Mikey is not a bad person. Technically speaking, he hasn’t actually committed any of these atrocities, yet he goes as far as to prepare measures against falling to these dark impulses. The scene where he asks Takemichi to keep him in line is one big piece of evidence that he already knew about his dark impulses, but believed he could overcome them. 

Once again, only after hearing of his various futures does he stop taking measures to help himself and start taking measures to save the people around him (i.e. through making that video to prevent Takemichi from coming after him, avoiding contact with all the people he cares about so they don’t get caught up in whatever he becomes, etc.).

And Takemichi is the only one who sees this, who recalls that scene. Really, all the pieces are there for us ourselves to understand Mikey, and really the chapters in the ‘good future’ leading up to the confrontation with Future Mikey set us up for the new arc, and show why it was always going to happen, right from the beginning. 

So Mikey can be, and most importantly, unlike what we were all tricked into thinking, wants to be saved. The signs were all there from the beginning, so the recent developments aren’t random. If anything, the entire scene solidifies the fact that he wants to, and should be allowed to be saved, not only because his eyes are no longer ‘dead’ when he finally breaks down and asks for help, but also because he clearly wants to be helped so bad, he created a time leap connection with Takemichi, which we know from earlier no longer works with Naoto as he no longer has “an intense desire to change the future”.

Anyway I don’t think I said anything too groundbreaking, these are all facts the manga establishes itself. I just wanted to show the people upset why this arc is valid and kinda necessary. I mean, Mikey has always been such a crucial character, did you really think we were just going to leave him like that (•ˋ _ ˊ•)

[rikalovesrice]

My Thoughts on Trollhunters : Rise of the Titans

WARNING : ALL THE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW

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Mmmmm. Okay. So I just finished the movie. I’m fatigued as always so this’ll be a bit of a mess lol. Gotta spew the thoughts while they’re still fresh, y’all know how it is.

Right out the gate, I definitely want to talk about the things I loved.

The animation was, of course, phenomenal and gorgeous!

Voice acting was incredible as always

MUSIC SLAPPED

Douxie. I just loved seeing Douxie again and honestly kept my eyes trained on him for most the of movie lol

OK DOUXIE AND NARI SWITCHING?? BODIES??? Definitely didn’t see that coming and I legit started screaming lol

Nari in Douxie’s body is the most precious, chaotic, and wholesome thing like holy cow that was so adorable LOOKIT DOUXIE CROUCHING AND CRAWLING AROUND ON ALL FOURS WITH THOSE NOODLE LIMBS OF HIS I CAN’T --

We called Nari’s mind control and Douxie trying to reason with her!

In the very few scenes they were together, Douxie’s love and affection for Nari really came through. You could really feel how much he cared about her. ALSO THAT TENDER HUG AND NARI’S LITTLE HAPPY SQUEAK MY HEART NO--

Loved Barbara. Always love Barbara.

Walter and Barbara getting engaged

Nomura back in action

Claire being the powerful sorceress she’s become

Loved seeing Aja, Krel, and Varvatos all together again.

NARI VS SKRAEL WAS ALL SORTS OF EPIC AND CRUSHING EMOTIONS.

The way Douxie yelled Nari’s name and ran to her after she died and the remnants of her magic falling all around him, like she was saying goodbye, just *UGLY CRYING*

It was so cool to see Charlie out of his den and flying about like the mighty dragon he is

Loved the Guardians of Arcadia pulling Excaliber out together.

All the gang all going after Bellroc together

YES JIM MY BOOOOOOY

BLINKY DIDN’T DIE

Aarrgh I love you so much

Stuart, what a bro!

We saw a hint of mercy in Bellroc towards the end.

Toby’s death... That was a huge curveball. Jim might as well have cut my heart out with Excaliber as he sobbed over his best friend.

Uh.....um....and.....Er...what else........ .___.

..........Alright so.......It’s about to get a bit brutal from here on out as I talk about the things I didn’t like at all. And the really sad thing is, at least to me, the cons far outweigh the pros in this movie. Because I’m actually having difficulty picking out things I enjoyed, they were so few and far between...which really sucks.

So here we go.

Gosh, where to begin... I guess I’ll go ahead and say this : I’m really disappointed. 

Like as I’m here typing this, I’m just thinking, “...That was it? That was the movie?? The big finale???”

So much of this movie just felt....unnecessary. I hate to say almost like filler. The entire intro re-caping the series really wasn’t needed. And then Toby went and restated it all again when he was being interrogated. The pacing, oh my gosh...Guys, the pacing in this movie was not good. The action started and it never seemed to stop. There wasn’t a single moment of rest, of levity, of our characters just being themselves, getting to know each other, being friends outside of the battle. No Reckless Club Segment. No fun, just... I mean Claire and Aja didn’t speak to each other at all. Douxie and Toby hardly interacted. Steve was turned into a gross male pregnancy joke. Jim and Krel barely spoke. Douxie and Aja had nothing to say to each other. Even Aja and Krel didn’t have any moments together. The list goes on. The whole movie was just go, go, go. And it’s so frustrating because there was time for it but it was poorly executed.

Like was the whole break-in to the Chinese Trollmarket really necessary?? Guys, I really found myself not caring. I didn’t care to see this random side quest involving an insignificant new troll character and a Trollmarket that had little to no bearing on the plot. Did I love seeing Charlie, Archie, Blinky, and Claire? Of course! But these scenes were so pointless. So needless. They could’ve written other ways for all our heroes to go after the chronosphere (Maybe we could’ve had Zoe for crying out loud). But instead this vital artifact was the hands of a character we don’t know and don’t care about in a place that turned out to have basically nothing to do with anything.

Deaths. The deaths in this movie. Because of the pacing in this movie, there wasn’t nearly enough time for the emotional impacts to sink in. Nomura? Gone and the only ones mourning her are Aaarrgh and Douxie, who barely knew her. Walter’s death was handled better since we got to see Jim and Barbara actually having a moment to mourn him. The weight of Nari’s death was singlehandedly carried by Douxie, but even that was over before it started. The immense gravity of Toby’s death, which really got to me, was also short-lived to make way for an ending that...I don’t know. 

ALSO DOUXIE JUST??? BEING OKAY WITH HIS FAMILIAR, THE ONE WHO RAISED HIM AND WENT THROUGH SO MUCH WITH HIM FOR CENTURIES, LEAVING HIM FOREVER TO BE TRAPPED IN THAT DUMB TROLLMARKET WITH CHARLIE LIKE???

“I hope he’s happy.”

WHAT. THE. EVERLASTING. FRICK. 

Douxie’s reaction objectively doesn’t make a shred of sense. Geez, it’s almost like Douxie was expecting Archie to up and leave him someday to be with Charlegmane. Just...what???

What also frustrates me so much is how this movie undid so much characterization and development that happened in Wizards. Or more like all that development didn’t even matter.

What was the point of Steve’s arc in Wizards if he was just going to be reduced to...this?

I was so excited to see Douxie really being a Master Wizard. To see him lead the Guardians of Arcadia alongside Jim. To see him in action as Successor to Merlin and Protector of this Realm.

But no.

Douxie, who had such an incredible arc in Wizards and a character who’s come to mean so much to me in my life, was nerfed and sidelined.

And then time restarts and I can’t help but wonder why any of this mattered at all. What the heck was the freaking point of the suffering, the loss, the pain, the growth, enduring and overcoming so much, the friendships and family spanning across three shows... All gone. Starting all over. Undoing everything, except what Jim went through. As much as I love Jim, I didn’t think he’d be the only character I’d be getting closure for at the grand finale of this entire franchise. But that’s what happened and I really hate it.

Just...all in all, this movie wasn’t satisfying. Not to me. It had its good moments. But not nearly enough. The comedy was misplaced and fell flat. The climax was sorely anticlimactic and didn’t hold a candle to Eternal Knight. The writing, the direction, characterization...For some reason it was all lost and confused and none of it felt right and so much didn’t make sense.

I’m not at all upset with the writers, though, because they still pulled through and did what they could. When the movie did something right, it was beautiful. The things I loved about it I truly adored. No, I’m not upset in the least bit with any of the creative team.

I’m upset with Netflix. I’m upset that Wizards was robbed of the seasons it should’ve had. I’m upset with big cooperations stifling creators. I’m upset that this’ll be it. This is the ending we got and nothing can be done about it.

Aaron did say there’s every possibility for the franchise to continue in some capacity, and I’m hoping for that someday. Because so much, too much, has been left unanswered. So much left to be explored that couldn’t. But until then....I guess this is it. This is what we get.

Now, I want to remind everyone that this is my own personal experience with the movie. These are all my opinions. If you enjoyed every second the movie, that’s wonderful! And who knows how my thoughts will change upon another viewing. But in the meantime, Rise of the Titans really missed the mark for me. I wanted found family badassery and fluff. But nope. Just fighting and heaviness and no payoff. It’s such a letdown...a real shame. 

But yeah...Thanks to any and everyone who read to the end of this haha

I still love Tales of Arcadia. It’s a series that has blessed and inspired me so much as an artist, writer, and as a person in general. I do want to keep making ToA content for a while. Cause this movie isn’t the end. Not my ending, at least.

I’ll continue to hope for more Tales of Arcadia in the future (a Douxie spin-off series please Lord pleaaase). We shall see. Until then, fics and fanart fixing this mess galore haha

Until next time everyone! God bless!

[whackdreamer]

who are your top ten favorite black clover characters and relationships (platonic or romantic)? talk about them!

Heya anon! I’ll go with the top 10 BC relationships. Covering both platonic and romantic. I’ll put these instead of individual characters because you’ll also see which characters I like. You want me to talk about it and you shall receive my babbling.

Platonic

10. Julius with his sons Yami/William

I would joke a lot about how Julius is a dad but I think he really has a wholesome platonic bond with his adoptive kids. Firstly Julius quickly took in Yami, who is an outsider, made an effort on teaching him the language, and gave him some purpose as someone who had to survive living in a foreign land. If Julius didn’t find him, I think Yami would settle living on the coast. He would be known as some weirdo fisherman. Second, for William he also reached out to him and gave him an opportunity to live differently. Julius made and gave William his iconic mask.

Headcanon: People used to look away from William because of his scarred face but now he gains attention because of one flashy gold mask. It took some time for him to get used to being stared at.

9. Dad Yami & Black bulls

Another dad & kids? Yami may be rough but he doesn't give missions the kids can’t handle. He knows just when to step in once something life threatening happens. He cares and wants his rowdy kids to be more responsible. And what I really like with the Black bulls is Asta and how he does errands without question. Asta is the most responsible of the bunch. Yes, he does the cleaning, does the pet feeding, and the toilet paper replacing.

-The seabed temple arc can be summarized as; Dad takes his kids on a field trip, it goes horribly wrong because the bad guys messed with the wrong family.

8. Charlotte & Sol

Even though Charlotte keeps correcting Sol's 'nee-san' she doesn't really get mad. I find it cute. *whispers* Charlotte actually likes being called nee-san🤭.

7. Julius & Marx

I like just how tired Marx is with Julius' antics. It is also amusing how significantly younger Marx is than Julius and yet their roles are reversed. Marx is the responsible adult and Julius the irresponsible kid. But! Marx is 25 and Julius is 42, that’s a 17 years age difference. So you can see how Julius has placed a huge trust to have Marx as his advisor who is basically a ‘kid’ to him. Also their scene after the elf arc is touching.

6. Mereo/Fuego/Leopold

I love the lion siblings. I mean they are so ‘fiery’. Heh, heh… Fire literally runs through their veins and it shows individually and with their sibling moments. Leo leans closer and relates a lot to his big bro Fuego. But Leo respects his older sister a lot although she can be very ruthless with her training. Meanwhile the only thing I would say for Mereo and Fuego is that they are BOILING HOT.

5. Yuno & Asta

I like them as bros. Yuno stopped being a crybaby because of Asta. Also them competing on who donates more money to the church… Good kids you two🤧😭.

Romantic

4. Finral x Finesse

You can do it Finral ! You can overcome your curse! Langris lowkey wants them to be together but Finral has to prove himself worthy first.

3. Grey x Gauche

I like the reveal of Grey wanting to overcome her struggles after meeting Gauche. Though I still can't see them in scenes too romantic. More of inspiring each other to grow and become stronger. These two need a bit more character development, esp. Grey.

2. Yami x Charlotte

I don't ship them heavily but their scenes in the anime are something I find so hilarious. Charlotte's screaming “Yami!” after the elf incident gets me every time.

AND FINALLY FOR

Number 1. Lumiere x Secre

Surprise, surprise! Woe is Whack to love such a sad, sad ship. As someone who loves the Faust tragedy did anyone see this coming? This one takes the cake because I must confess for also having a thing towards Master x Servant dynamics. My talk here is long for being my top 1.

Personal HCs incoming, buckle up!

-Lumire did eventually view and love Secre as a woman rather than as a servant. But he held back on his feelings for her as to not create any issues among the royals. Because remember that Lumiere is already viewed as an oddball and I'm sure Lumiere knows what people think about him.

-This man can sew! And did you see the dress he made for her? It was so cute and also far more revealing than Secre's servant clothes. He wants to see her in a cute dress. You sneaky prince!

-Secre during her days as a servant and assistant did not think of Lumiere as a romantic interest and only respected him as her master (not that Secre would also dare think of his prince as any more than a master). However, it was only when he battled demon Licht did she realize how much she cared for him. When she sees him bleeding after and attempts to save him, Secre admits to herself that; Yeah, she does love him so much that she would use forbidden magic to save the prince.

-Sadly, Secre during the present time is only left to reminisce about the past. The anime showed how she still finds the time to offer flowers where she sealed him. *sobs*

-Secre keeps the dress he made using her magic. As in either would seal it somewhere or preserved via sealing magic. She will treasure it forever.

Honorable mentions:

Nacht x decent sleep schedule

Morgen x being alive

Yami x toilet paper

[aliensunflower-fics]

In Defense of Salt AND Sugar: Aka ML Fandom pls chill out.

So I don’t talk much as those who follow me will say I tend to just stick to myself and my own things. HOWEVER, Ive gotten a lot of asks about why I write both Salt and Sugar for Miraculous Ladybug.

The short answer: Both salt and sugar are valid, fun, intriguing things to read and write and the point of writing is to entertain and be entertained.

The long answer: Salt isn’t inherently someone hating on your fav show and sugar isn't someone necessarily giving it a free pass either. Ya’ll are just dramatic as hell.

The LONGER answer:

I write salt because I LIKE Miraculous Ladybug, BUT the show has not lived up to its potential AT ALL. The show could be so much better and the characters are so flawed or full of holes that occasionally I feel FRUSTRATED and mad!

I hate that Alya a character who I was so excited about, gets shafted ignored, sidelined, or written like a jerk! She could have been this great detective working alongside her friend to unmask the villain, but instead she often comes across as pushy, obsessed with Ladynoir or Adrinette, and so damn easily tricked. Not to mention how when shes not gushing over her ‘ships’ shes pushed to the side and ignored. [or you know... LILA]

I hate that Marinette’s crush makes her do things that are so cringy and awkward i feel ill I hate that she’s constantly the only one making mistakes and ‘learning lessons’ when the show has all these other great characters that could use the spotlight and be the ones learning lessons. I hate that she’s so jealous and that she cant ever seem to catch a break as if the show is punishing her constantly.

I HATE that Adrien is a mary sue, how the writers say hes perfect and treat him as such, I hate that he gets to guilt Marinette into fixing everything and dealing with bullies, I wanted a funny, Ron Stoppable, naive boy who learns about real friendships and grows into a great partner. Instead he gets to be pushy and downright a jerk as Chat Noir ignoring his responsibilities, guilting Ladybug with his feelings, never taking no as an answer. He’s not a good role model for kids.

I hate that Chloe got built up to have a redemption arc several times only for the writers to decide that Chloe a teenage girl who needs some serious therapy [and actual reasonable punishment for her actions] is worse than Gabriel child abuse Agreste. She could have been a great lesson on compassion and growth and dealing with your own pain without hurting others. Instead the writers wrote her off completely.

And dont get me started on how the show treats Nino, Kagami, Luka and the rest of the cast. They may as well be a backdrop for the forced love square that we NEVER get a break from. Seriously I’m a sucker for romance but does it need to be EVERY damn episode?! Can’t we just get some wholesome friendship between everyone including Adrien and Marinette at this point like COME ON.

And i’m not even touching on the white washing, awful lessons on responsibility and forgiveness, awful lessons on well so much other stuff really, the guilt trips, the teacher, the fact that she show could be used to teach kids how to better handle negative emotions and the importance of open communication and not keeping quiet about injustice and/or your feelings but instead decided that the main priority should be a love square that gets force fed to us EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.

My point is the show has FLAWS. That doesn’t mean its the worse show ever and it doesn’t mean its not fun, and has a great premise and characters, and so when I write Salt I write it because i’m frustrated! Im frustrated with the show, with the characters, with the writing and so I vent that out with salt I write those characters as their worst selves because I cant stand how the show has decided to treat them and Im ANGRY and disappointed.

It feels good to write salt and to read it. It’s nice to see characters get called out for bad behavior, its nice to read about Adrien not getting the girl. Its nice to occasionally indulge in salt because it validates that the show is flawed and lets you get out that frustration.

BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE

Miraculous Ladybug is a lovely show. It’s a show that decided to give little girls a FEMALE HERO. And not just as a side kick or background character! No they made her the protagonist! Its so important to me that little girls see good well rounded female characters in media.

And even if the show is clumsy about it they are TRYING to build an expansive lore that tickles the theorist brain. And gets people invested in the world.

The show also made Marinette shy, and awkward, and clumsy something a lot of girls deal with during puberty as growing up can literally make you clumsier as your body adjusts. Having a character who tries to be positive and tries to find solutions who solves things with creativity instead of pure violence. Thats LOVELY for young girls to see.

Growing up I loved and admired Kim Possible, and probably would have loved Marinette, even if the shows not perfect I can admit its trying and I can see why people love it as much as they do! And why they write these fluffy sugary fics its the reason I WRITE fluffy sugary things.

Because even though I am frustrated and angry and disappointed with the show, I still see Alya’s potential and how great she is as representation to little girls who want a black female superhero so I write fluff where Alya’s loyalty, compassion, cleverness and her pursuit of justice are center stage.

I see how Adrien could be better and I want him to be better and I WANT him to be the naive funny comic relief the Ron Stoppable to Marinette’s Kim Possible. I want Adrien to grow and learn and spit in his dad’s face I want him to overcome the abuse and be happy. To show people that neglect and abuse doesn’t mean you will get stuck like that forever, that you can overcome that and be a better kinder person.

I want Nino and Kagami, and Luka and Chloe and the class to grow and get attention and have funny moments I want to laugh and make other people laugh! So I write prompts focused around comedy and shenanigans and where the characters get to be fun and silly and make decisions for themselves!

SO IN CONCLUSION:

I write salt AND sugar. I see the value and merit in both sides of the coin, and I respect how other people see the show. I know its easy to get angry with other people in the fandom who see the show differently then you do but please can we put down the weapons and just BREATHE.

Someone who writes salt might LOVE the same show as you, and they might in fact love it so much that they vent their frustrations in angst and salt and cracky fics. Let them vent about how they wish the show was better, leave their tags alone or block them if you cant stand to see it. But dont attack salt writers for ‘hating on your show’ when they might love it just as much as you do but want a way to vent out their feelings.

On the flip someone who writes sugar might NOT be forgiving the show for its flaws, they might see all the same flaws as you but decide to take that frustration and write fluff and fix it fics and sugar because they want to indulge in a version of their favorite show where everything is just... OK. Where everyone is well written and happy and the character development sticks. Stay out of their tags let them have their sugar, they aren't writing it to hurt you just like you don't write salt to hurt them.

So ENOUGH. Enough hunting each other down, enough sending each other hate, enough filling each others tags. Let people write SALT if they feel angry and vengeful and disappointment, let them have their tags, let them explore the dark side of the characters, let them rant and rave and be HURT when the characters they love upset them with their actions. Its not your place to tell them to stop, to tell them their feelings are invalid, to tell them that ‘adrien is sweet sunshine boy how dare you’ or ‘alya would never’ or ‘i hate your marinette leaves dupont au’. Just leave it be, heed the tags, and let it go.

AND ENOUGH. Enough hunting each other down, enough sending each other hate, enough filling each other tags. Let people write SUGAR if they just want something to feel happy about. Let them makes coffee shop au’s, let them make fix it fics where everything is just happy without needing 8 pages of backstory for why everything is just happy. Let them squeal and gush and talk about the ship they like and the fluff they see. Its not your place to argue with them that the show is flawed, its not cool to ruin their fun by accusing them of not understanding the flaws, to tell them ‘umm actual this character shouldn’t get to be happy’ or ‘wow this is so shallow’. Just leave it be, heed the tags, and let it go.

PS: Now with that said and done. I do have one final message for everyone - If you write/enjoy pedophilia, if you sexualize KIDS. Then get the fuck out of fandom spaces, stop fucking following me, and do everyone salt and sugar a favor by LEAVING. Your pedophilia and child sexualization aint wanted, aint ok, and I will fight you.

PSS: IF YOU HATE WHAT IVE SAID ABOUT SUGAR AND SALT FINE OK I RESPECT YOU REGARDLESS. ENJOY THE SHOW, STAY CLASSY, DONT HURT PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION.

[faraway-wanderer]

BOOKS BY ASIAN AUTHORS MASTERLIST #stopasianhate

In light of recent events and the growing anti- Asian hate in the US and UK over the course of the pandemic I wanted to put together a masterlist of books by Asian authors. Obviously, it’s not extensive and there are HUNDREDS out there, but supporting art by Asian creators is a way of showing support; read their stories, educate ourselves. It goes without saying that we should all be putting effort into reading stories of POC and by POC because even through fiction we’re learning about different cultures, countries and heritages. So here’s some books to start with by Asian authors!

Here is a link also for resources to educate and petitions to sign (especially if you don’t read haha). It’s important that we educate ourselves and uplift Asian voices right now. Your anti-racism has to include every minority that faces it.

https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/

for UK peeps, this is a good read: We may not hear about the anti Asian racism happening here, but it is definitely happening. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a35692226/its-time-we-stopped-downplaying-the-uks-anti-asian-racism/

 THE BOOKS:

·         War Cross- Marie Lu ( the worldbuilding in this is IMMENSE.)

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. 

·         Star Daughter- Shveta Thakrar

A beautiful story about a girl who is half human and half star, and she must go to the celestial court to try to save her father after he has fallen ill. And before she knows it, she is taking part in a magical competition that she must win!

·         These Violent Delights- Chloe Gong (I told my little sister to read this book yesterday bc she has a thing for a Leo as Romeo- so if you want deadly good looking Romeos, badass Juliet’s and to learn about 1920s Shanghai- this is for you.)

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. A Romeo and Juliet retelling.

·         The Poppy War- R.F Kuang (My fave fantasy series just fyi- it’s soul crushing in the best way. Rebecca Kuang is a god of an author).

A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu’s Grace of Kings and N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy.

·         Loveboat Taipei-  Abigail Hing Wen  (Really heartwarming and insightful!)

When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

·         Sorcerer to the Crown- Zen Cho (if anyone is looking for another Howl’s Moving Castle, look no further than this book)

At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, freed slave, eminently proficient magician, and Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers—one of the most respected organizations throughout all of Britain—ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up.

·         Emergency Contact- Mary H.K. Choi (very wholesome and fun rom-com!)

For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. When she heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it’s seventy-nine miles and a zillion light years away from everything she can’t wait to leave behind.

 ·         Jade City- Fonda Lee (I am reading this currently and can I just say- I think everyone who loves fantasy and blood feuds in a story should read this.)

JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu. The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.

 ·         A Pho Love Story- Loan Le

When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighbouring restaurants.

·         Rebelwing- Andrea Tang

Business is booming for Prudence Wu. A black-market-media smuggler and scholarship student at the prestigious New Columbia Preparatory Academy, Pru is lucky to live in the Barricade Coalition where she is free to study, read, watch, and listen to whatever she wants.

·         Wings of the Locust- Joel Donato Ching Jacob

Tuan escapes his mundane and mediocre existence when he is apprenticed to Muhen, a charming barangay wiseman. But, as he delves deeper into the craft of a mambabarang and its applications in espionage, sabotage and assassination, the young apprentice is overcome by conflicting emotions that cause him to question his new life.

 ·         The Travelling Cat Chronicles- Hiro Arikawa

Sometimes you have to leave behind everything you know to find the place you truly belong...

Nana the cat is on a road trip. He is not sure where he's going or why, but it means that he gets to sit in the front seat of a silver van with his beloved owner, Satoru. 

 ·         Super Fake Love Song- David Yoon

From the bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a contemporary YA rom-com where a case of mistaken identity kicks off a string of (fake) events that just may lead to (real) love.

  ·         Parachutes- Kelly Yang

Speak enters the world of Gossip Girl in this modern immigrant story from New York Times bestselling author Kelly Yang about two girls navigating wealth, power, friendship, and trauma.

·         The Grace of Kings- Ken Liu ( One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time!)

Two men rebel together against tyranny—and then become rivals—in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards.

·         Wicked Fox- Kat Cho

A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.

 ·         Descendant of the Crane- Joan He

In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

 ·         Pachinko- Min Jin Lee

Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.

·         America is in the Heart- Carlos Bulosan

First published in 1946, this autobiography of the well known Filipino poet describes his boyhood in the Philippines, his voyage to America, and his years of hardship and despair as an itinerant laborer following the harvest trail in the rural West.

 ·         Days of Distraction- Alexandra Chang

A wry, tender portrait of a young woman — finally free to decide her own path, but unsure if she knows herself well enough to choose wisely—from a captivating new literary voice.

·         The Astonishing Colour of After Emily X.R Pan

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love. 

·         The Gilded Wolves- Roshani Chokshi

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

·         When Dimple met Rishi- Sandhya Menon

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

·         On Earth we’re briefly Gorgeous- Ocean Vuong

Poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

·         Fierce Fairytales- Nikita Gill

Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation.

 BOOKS BEING RELEASED LATER THIS YEAR TO PREORDER:

·         Counting down with you- Tashie Bhuiyan- 4th May

A reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy.

How do you make one month last a lifetime?

·         Gearbreakers- Zoe Hana Mikuta- June 29th

Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose--and falling for each other--in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series

·         XOXO- Axie Oh- 13th July

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

·         She who became the sun- Shelley Parker-Chan- 20th July

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun, a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy.

·         Jade Fire Gold- June C.L Tan- October 12th

Two girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose--and falling for each other--in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series

  Keep sharing, signing petitions and donating where you can. The more people who are actively anti-racist, the better. And if your anti-racism doesn’t include the Asian community then go and educate yourself! BLM wasn’t a trend and neither is this. We have to stand up against white supremacy, and racism and stereotypes and we have to support the communities that need our support. Part of that can include cultivating your reading so you’re reading more diversely and challenging any stereotypes western society may have given you.

 Feel free to reblog and add any more recommendations and resources of course!

[thevindicativevordan]

Action Comics 1000?

Not the legendary creative lineup you'd hope for from such an issue, but a solid enough group that gave us a very enjoyable anthology.

Sucks that many of the all-time best creators to handle Superman didn't participate for one reason or another: Morrison, Waid, Maggin, Ross, Moore (that was never going to happen I know), Millar, Busiek, Yang, etc. Ones who did were still solid but omitting many definitive Superman creators undeniably left a hole in the lineup. I enjoyed it more than Detective #1000 or Marvel #1000 nonetheless, and the creators who were involved definitely tried to live up to the historical weight.

Jurgens From The City That Has Everything - Probably his best modern Superman story other than Lois & Clark. A major milestone issue like this requires a story that is an ode to how awesome Superman is, and Jurgens delivers that. Love the little wink and nod to how Superman is the first superhero and the inspiration/source for all the rest at the end. This is a much better finale for Jurgens Action Rebirth run than the one shot he wrote and ends his run on a high note after the weak Zod arc.

Tomasi & Gleason Never-Ending Battle - Gorgeous one page splashes drawing across Superman's history as a character from Gleason, sweet and sincere if rambling narration from Tomasi on what Superman means. Issue 45 is the better overall ending to their Superman run, but this is a nice little coda alongside the Dinosaur Island one shot that captures the wholesome vibe of their run which won affection from many.

Wolfman & Swan An Enemy Within - Wolfman does his best with what he's got, trying to cobble together a story about Superman's love for ordinary humans, but there just isn't enough leftover art to make this work. Swan deserved to be included so I appreciate the gesture nonetheless.

Levitz & Adams The Game - "Or would you prefer Monopoly?" is one of my favorite examples of Superman's deadpan humor. Otherwise it was a great short story of Superman and Lex attempting to outmaneuver each other. Supes is trying to reach the human being underneath Lex's pompous exterior by offering to play a game of chess, but for Lex it's just another chance at killing "the alien". Loved that this was a story that reminded everyone how smart Superman is and how he can "preptime" too. Adams best Superman work remains the batshit insanity of The Coming of the Supermen, but we get to have him homage himself via Superman breaking kryptonite chains which is great.

Johns, Donner, & Copiel The Car - Wow this was utterly unlike what I or anyone else would have expected from Johns and Donner. A sequel to the Action Comics #1 story that manages to do a "Superman encourages a former criminal to reform" story with the Golden Age incarnation, who preferred cracking heads over exchanging words, and it still feels in-character? Superman here keeps that simplistic outlook on life he did in his early publication history, but Johns & Donner managed to merge that with the modern incarnation's belief in everyone's inner goodness believably. If Johns were to ever return to the character I'd rather read a story from him continuing the adventures of this Superman over the mainline guy. Shame this is likely going to be the only Copiel Superman story we will ever get because he's just as good a fit for Supes as he is for Thor.

Snyder & Albuquerque The Fifth Season - I choose to view this as set in the Birthrightverse, a sad story about the broken friendship between Lex and Clark. Both of them were so desperate to find an answer to the why of their lives when they were young, yet their similarities weren't enough to overcome their differences. Even then there's a smidge of hope in this story too, that Lex is still good enough, or maybe just human enough, to put revenge aside and take a moment to reflect makes Superman want to believe that maybe they can be friends again one day.

King & Mann Of Tomorrow - Oh my God King needs to do another longform Superman project, even just a 12 issue maxi since he loves that format immensely. He's just name-dropping concepts here that are begging to be fleshed out into proper stories: The Black Hole Wars, the Eternity Formula, Lois apparently alive four billion years in the future and running the Universal Info Network. Give me those stories King! Of all the stories in this issue, this is the one that is the best at conveying the sheer grandeur and spectacle of Superman's existence. Crushing dirt into diamonds, crafting the diamond into a little statue, fully powered despite the sun becoming a red giant like Krypton's star to signify how much he has changed, and casually talking about pushing the entire Earth far enough away to escape the Sun's expansion. But even accounting for all that Superman continues to be Clark Kent, stumbling over his words when he gushes over his wife and son, or wants to express how much he loves and misses his Pa and Ma. King nails the spectrum of relatable human and awe-inspiring superhero that the character encompasses. For 1000 issues and 80 years Superman has entertained us and he may damn well entertain us for another 1000 issues and 80 years more if he keeps getting stories like this.

Simonson & Ordway Five Minutes - Solid story about the way Clark's secret and superhero identities overlap in function with great art. Simonson remains an underrated Superman creator, and honestly you could maybe say the same for Ordway. Those two know how to walk the line between grounded and fantastical.

Dini & Garcia-Lopez Actionland - Was this a homage to the Superman theme park that never happened? Garcia-Lopez on art was a welcome sight - his art looked even better here than usual somehow thanks to the inks and colors - and Dini turned in a decent story about the way one of Superman's longest standing Rogues views their relationship. Dini had already explored something similar with Mxy in a backup story during Superman Reborn and I rate that story higher however.

Meltzer & Cassaday Faster Than A Speeding Bullet - Last line between Superman and Lila will be a turn off for some, but it's still overall a good story that pulls off a "Superman is inspired by normal people" in a genuine way and letting Superman look cool with a speed feat to boot. Superman has limits but he's not alone in his fight, and ordinary people can step up to contribute in ways he needs them to at times. Cassaday's art is a great fit for such a "mundane" story too.

Bendis & Lee The Truth - Ahhh this really was the perfect prologue to Bendis' time on the Superbooks. Great characterization for Clark, good art, funny integration of regular citizens reacting to the insanity of Metropolis life, and including the oft-neglected Superfamily with Kara participating in the fight. Superman stopping himself in mid-air from crashing through a store signaled that Bendis had put thought into ways to demonstrate Superman's control over his powers, and he would continue to do so over the course of his run. Then you get Rogal looking like a Doomsday knockoff and spouting cliches we've seen a million times. All the good and all the bad of Bendis in one short story, nice work for a man known for his decompression.

A better showing than I would have hoped for from DC for a massive Superman event like this. You get a couple all-time stories, and those that aren't vary from ok to good. Many times I've let myself been hyped up for a big Superman event only to be let down, but thankfully Action Comics #1000 was not one of those times.