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zaebeecee · 1 month ago

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The New Assignment

Post-Mastermind What If

The day after the trial, IMP has a new assignment, one that no one outside hired them to do. Nobody told Stolas, primarily because they were afraid he might have a heart attack if he knew.

•••

Just a little one shot I tossed together in the emotions of the last episode, a ‘what if’ for something I would honestly love to see happen. So… spoilers for Mastermind, if you haven’t seen it yet.

This might work its way into the Stolitz soul mate fic I’m starting as soon as Loveless Bond (which is looking like it might have its own sequel) concludes.

•••

“You’re actually going to go to work?”

“Yeah, of course. Gotta capitalize on the good PR while people remember it.”

Stolas sat on the small, ratted couch, hands folded between his knees as he watched Blitzø move around the living room of his apartment preparing to leave for his job. Behind him, he heard the sounds of Loona rooting around in their tiny kitchen, but he couldn’t exert the effort it would have taken to turn his head to see what she was doing; the only reason he was watching Blitzø at all was because the imp was in his line of sight.

I’m in his home.

It didn’t feel real. Nothing felt real; not the apartment, nor the previous day, nor even Stolas himself, as though he were a walking shadow of himself silently gliding through a netherworld constructed solely from the stones of his own fears and insecurities, a self-manifested and self-inflicted torturous space that existed exclusively within his own psyche. He was disconnected from his magic, which meant he was disconnected from the stars, an energy he had been constantly in touch with since he received his destiny as a small child. It was akin to being disconnected from his own soul, the place where it had once been now a chasm of ice and empty darkness.

He couldn’t let himself think about Octavia. If his mind lingered on her, even for a moment, he felt he might simply collapse into a catatonic shell from which he would never emerge.

Instead, Stolas kept watching Blitzø, focusing on him looking for his phone to cleanse his own mind of the image of the other demon chained and kneeling at a chopping block. At the time, Stolas’s actions had felt… natural. So natural, in fact, that they were practically a reflex, his body moving to intervene in the trial before his mind had fully registered what he was seeing. It wasn’t simply the reality of Blitzø facing an unjust death, but the undeniable fact that he never would have been there in the first place if Stolas hadn’t been so utterly foolish and hadn’t failed so thoroughly at protecting Blitzø from consequences that Stolas was fully aware of. It was true that Stolas had known he would never lay eyes on Blitzø again, but he had told himself time and again that at least Blitzø was out there somewhere, running his business and killing humans and taking care of his daughter. If Blitzø was alive, Stolas knew that he could find a way to carry on.

But now, Blitzø was in the same room as Stolas. Stolas was, in fact, inside Blitzø’s own home, which he had never once thought he would lay eyes on. He was wearing Loona’s clothing and (somewhat) wrapped in a small blanket with colorful cartoon ponies all over it. It was surreal enough that, the more Stolas marveled at its strangeness, the more he found himself able to take in his surroundings and truly marvel at this insight to the life of the demon he had loved for what felt like countless lifetimes but had never been given the freedom to truly know or understand.

I didn’t know homes could be so small.

Stolas remembered the last full moon, at least as much as he ever allowed himself to think on it, and thought back to Blitzø’s assertions that Stolas lived an ignorant and privileged life (even if the imp hadn’t put it quite that way). At the time, Stolas had found the claim ridiculous; his own living spaces were nowhere near as extravagant as many other Goetia, and the palace had been quite dramatically simplified following Paimon’s disappearance. He watched Hellanovella religiously despite being told that it was trash meant for common folk, he attended common festivals, he patronized common businesses… Hell’s sake, he even went to Loo Loo Land not infrequently for several years and that place was more of a death trap than most anywhere else in the Greed Ring. Stolas had always thought of himself as more grounded and self-aware than most other Goetia, who (as a whole) seemed to have less than no interest in the populations that made up most of the Rings.

But that had been more than delusion, hadn’t it? Stolas could see, now, just how completely blind he was and how utterly willful that blindness had been. This entire apartment was roughly the size of his own bathroom, and it was living quarters for not just one, but two demons.

He truly was right about me, wasn’t he?

“Mmkay, Stols, up. Let’s go.”

Stolas blinked, his blurred vision refocusing on Blitzø fastening his coat. “Go?”

“Yeah,” Blitzø said, looking at Stolas and raising his brow. “You can’t possibly think I’m leaving you here alone, not after yesterday. Loonie and I are going to the office, and you’re coming with us.”

Stolas stared at him, fingers clenching in the pony blanket and drawing it closer around himself like a shawl. “…b-but—”

“Stolas,” Blitzø said, just a little more firmly. “I’m not asking. I’m not risking anything happening to you while I’m gone, and if you want a reason to comply that isn’t self-preservation, I don’t wanna see what someone might do to my apartment if they tried. Okay?”

“…yes. Of course,” Stolas said, slowly rising to his feet.

Loona stopped and looked him over, frowning a little. “Gonna wear the ponies all day?”

Immediately, Stolas felt his cheeks flushing. “O-oh! Right, of course.”

Before he could rectify the embarrassing little situation and place the blanket back on the couch where he had found it, Blitzø waved his hand. “Ignore her,” he said airily. “She’s just jealous that you’re allowed to use my special rare misprint Pony Valley Princess Warrior island adventure four-part special commemorative limited run blanket.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m giving Leviathan a run for their money over here,” Loona said dryly. “The fact that one of those ponies has an upside-down face is just so cool.”

“Yes. It is,” Blitzø said with a firm proudness, completely ignoring Loona’s sarcasm, which was heavy enough that even Stolas could tell. “Bring it if you want, Stols, the office can be pretty cold. Millie gets downright genocidal if she finds the place too hot.”

“I…” Stolas wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He tightened his grip on the blanket again. “…alright. …thank you.”

He followed the other two to the door, barely remembering to duck underneath the ceiling fan, and spared another glance for the wall of photographs near the front entrance. He thought he might have been imagining it when he first arrived, but no; in every single picture that featured Blitzø, his face had been violently scribbled out with what seemed to be a permanent marker.

The day after the full moon, Stolas had been so dismissive at Blitzø’s admission of insecurity, seeing it as both a sympathy tactic and an unnecessary admission of his obvious dislike of himself. Now, he was wondering if the imp wasn’t criminally understating what he truly thought he himself was worth.

He would need to find a way to ask about it.

Apparently, the van had been destroyed in their attempts to escape arrest, so the three began walking to the building that held IMP headquarters. It was early enough that there weren’t many people around, and Stolas was grateful for that, uncertain he would handle having things thrown at him any better than he had the previous evening. Blitzø and Loona made idle conversation as they walked; Blitzø directed his words to Stolas not infrequently, and while he was appreciative of his attentiveness, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist at the moment. It was strange, how calm and patient Blitzø was being with him, and Stolas couldn’t help wondering when the other shoe would drop. What if Blitzø kicked him out? What would he do then?

Stolas had only been in IMP headquarters once, and it looked very different when he followed Blitzø and Loona inside that morning. After passing the door with a sign stating the office would be closed for the next week, Stolas saw they weren’t the first to arrive. Four young imps that he had never seen before were scurrying around, cleaning up what looked like the results of a great deal of evidence destruction. There were scraps of shredded and burned paper everywhere, destroyed costumes, broken furniture… despite how alarming it was, Blitzø looked the four of them over. “You came back,” he observed.

Immediately, the four young imps froze, turning in unison to stare at him like wild animals facing down a speeding truck. “…yes, sir,” one of them said, the one who put off the strongest assertive air. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“Y’know, the whole… decoy thing that could have gotten you killed or whatever.” Blitzø waved one hand. “Thought it might put you off the internship idea.”

The four youths looked at each other before they turned back and the one who appeared to be their leader spoke again. “Is… was yesterday unusual for this line of work?”

“Only a little!” Blitzø said, turning and crossing the room. “Good work, you four, keep making this place look like it’s functioning.”

Stolas ducked into himself as he followed, aware of the strangers staring at him with a mixture of confusion and disgust. He leaned close to Loona, murmuring, “Who are those?”

“Interns,” she muttered back. “Dad hired them because they work for experience. Don’t know their names, won’t learn them.”

“I see.” Stolas moved back again, resisting the urge to look backwards and instead following the other two into what appeared to be a small conference room off the main office. There was a long table that looked as though it would comfortably seat around twenty people, as well as a large whiteboard at the front of the room, but the only other occupants were Millie and Moxxie. They were sitting on the same side of the table near the whiteboard, both of them deeply engaged in their own quiet conversation that only stopped when Moxxie raised his eyes and noticed their arrival. “You’re here,” he observed.

“You got the interns working quick,” Blitzø said as he began rounding the table.

“Well, duh,” Millie said. “I don’t wanna clean it up, you won’t, Loona definitely won’t,”—Loona made a wordless sound of agreement—“and I ain’t lettin’ ya drop it all on Moxxie. Here,” she concluded, holding out a to-go coffee cup. “Thought maybe we could all benefit from a lil’ pick me up and no there ain’t no bourbon in it.”

“Aw,” Blitzø said, frowning at the coffee.

“It’s got an extra shot, don’t whine.”

“Here, Loona,” Moxxie said, offering her a cup as well. “You guys walked? You know we could have picked you up, right?”

“It’s out of your way.”

Whatever Moxxie and Blitzø were saying proceeded to escape Stolas’s notice as Millie crossed over to him and offered a cup to him as well, extending her arms almost completely up over her own head. “Here ya go, Yer Highness,” she said with a complicated sort of smile.

Stolas didn’t respond at first, until he fully registered what she was doing. “…that’s for me?”

“Mhm,” Millie nodded. “Knew Blitzø’d make ya come in with him, an’ I figure you ain’t used to wakin’ up early for office shit.”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that. He decided on, “Thank you,” before he carefully took the warm cup from her. “…and you should simply call me Stolas, Millie, there is hardly any need for formality.”

At that, her smile turned into something more warm and genuine. “Okay, Stolas,” she said with a nod. “Oh, me an’ Moxxie didn’t know whatcha might want in yer coffee, so we guessed. Hope it’s okay.”

“I’m sure it’s lovely,” he assured her, fully aware that he would appreciate such a kind gesture no matter what it tasted like. It turned out, however, that they were fairly close in predicting his taste, as the latte was primarily coffee and steamed milk with just a little sweetened vanilla. Out of curiosity, he glanced at Blitzø—he’d taken the lid off of his cup, and Stolas could only see whipped cream covered in pink and green sparkly sprinkles—and resisted the urge to laugh. It seemed that they were both as predictable as they were chaotic, at times.

“Okay, everybody, sit down,” Blitzø said, taking his place standing at the head of the table and picking up a blue dry erase marker. He reached up, using his hand to wipe away the majority of what appeared to be an unflattering caricature of Wally Wackford. “You all got your assignments last night. I want updates.”

Stolas, after a moment of hesitation, sat a few chairs down from Loona so he could observe the meeting without directly inserting himself. The hellhound pulled out her cellphone, turning her attention to it. “The target has posted fuck all on her socials,” Loona said. “Not that I expected it, of course, but her Voxtagram and QuackChat are silent and she hasn’t logged into CHttR in nearly a week. I shot her a DM on Voxtagram, but she hasn’t opened it; I’m willing to bet her phone was taken for her own good or some other bullshit.”

Blitzø nodded. “Alright. Mills?”

“Security was rampin’ up late last night,” Millie said. “Drove past th’ place and they already had a construction crew movin’ shit in. I’m guessin’ they’re correctin’ th’ weak points you were exploitin’, but it don’t seem like they’re thinkin’ about keepin’ us out explicitly. Gotta keep an eye on how fast they’re workin’, but if we move quick we can probably take advantage of th’ construction to get in.”

“Fabulous. Moxx.”

“Case law isn’t my strong suit, like I said,” Moxxie admitted, and Stolas felt himself perk up just a bit in spite of himself. “That said, I found a handful of pretty old cases that might have set precedents we can exploit. Of the two I’m most sure of, one of them is out of Gluttony, and with Beelzebub’s apparent standing with the nobility I don’t know how seriously they would take it. The other one is out of Wrath, though, and I doubt Satan would dismiss his own judgment out of hand.”

“Beautiful. Keep looking,” Blitzø said, pointing at him. “Loona, keep looking for any other way we might have to get in contact with her; if she’ll talk to anyone, she’ll talk to you, I’m still positive about that. Millie, keep an eye on the construction and keep me updated on the progress. Moxxie, keep… reading, I guess, and give me the cases you’ve found so far.”

Moxxie gave him a dry look. “Why, because you’ll understand them better?”

Blitzø laughed, once. “Ha! Fuck no. Because I’ll take them to an overlord or some shit, I dunno yet, find someone who’s got more legal experience than we do.”

“Um…” Stolas said, his soft interjection somehow loud enough to get all of the eyes in the room on him. “You said… case law? From the other Rings?” When Moxxie nodded, Stolas continued, “I have a great deal of experience with legal documents. I’ve even acted as legal advisor to Lord Asmodeus. If… I mean, if it isn’t inappropriate, I would be glad to go through anything at all you need examined.”

Blitzø looked at Moxxie, who hesitated, then gave his boss a shrug. “…okay, Stolas,” Blitzø said. “You wanna bore yourself and help Moxxie out, you’re more than welcome to.”

Stolas nodded. “Very well. …what, precisely, is the job you’re working?”

“It isn’t a job, really,” Moxxie said evasively. “I mean, no one hired us for it. Or… Blitzø did, I guess. It’s more of an assignment, really, or—”

“We’re breaking into your old place and kidnapping your daughter,” Blitzø interrupted.

If anyone else responded, Stolas didn’t hear it, too busy spraying a mouthful of coffee across the conference table. “What?!” he nearly squealed the moment he stopped spluttering, getting to his feet quickly enough to knock his chair over backwards. “You’re going— You want to— Do you actually think— Are you out of your fucking minds?!”

Blitzø’s smile didn’t change, except for his little forked tongue to poke out for a second. “Kinda,” he said, his tail swishing behind him, a sure sign he was so goddamn pleased with himself.

“Did all of you forget what happened yesterday??” Stolas came around the table, focusing on Blitzø and Blitzø alone. “You barely managed to avoid execution, Blitzø. Don’t you think they’ll be keeping a close watch on you from now on? They will be anxiously awaiting any chance to withdraw your status as the only pardoned Hellborn in history! Why the fuck would you go out of your way to give them a reason?!”

“Stolas,” Blitzø said firmly, reaching up and taking him by the upper arms with strong and steady hands. “Look at me.” Stolas drew a shaking breath, forcing himself to calm enough to look at Blitzø without speaking. “Your ex is a crazy fucking bitch. Your brother in law is a crazy fucking bitch. Octavia isn’t safe there anymore, not without you to look after; you really think Andraelphus is just gonna let her keep living her life the way she has been? You think his massive ego isn’t gonna start immediately dick swinging and making it everyone else’s problem?”

“I know, of course I know,” Stolas said sharply, glancing away. “Do you think I haven’t already thought of everything that might happen to my daughter in the event that I’m…”

When he trailed off, Blitzø squeezed his arms a little, drawing his gaze back. “I know you have,” he said. “I’m not telling you, Stols, I’m reminding you. What I am telling you is I don’t leave people behind. No matter what we escaped from, I wouldn’t leave Loona or Millie or Moxxie. I know it’s dangerous. That’s why we don’t leave people behind.”

Stolas stared at him. “…you hardly even know her,” he said, his voice weak. “She isn’t one of your… Why would you do something like this? You’ve only met her twice!”

Blitzø frowned at him. “She’s your daughter,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What else do we need to know?”

It wasn’t often that Stolas was rendered speechless, but each time it had happened, it was always because of Blitzø. The imp took advantage of his stunned silence to steer him back to his chair, and Millie put his coffee back in his hands as Moxxie finished wiping the table down. They then returned to their discussion about, of all things, breaking into Stolas’s former home and abducting his daughter.

Despite everything that had happened, no one spoke with any level of uncertainty or hesitation, at least not about anything besides the individual ideas for how to proceed. They had been arrested, dragged before Satan himself, mocked and ridiculed by the entire Goetian court, very nearly beheaded, and in spite of such horrific events, they were planning to kidnap a Goetian princess less than a full day later.

Because they care about her, he thought. Because… because he cares about…

Stolas felt his eyes welling with tears, and he turned his head down, focusing on keeping himself calm as he simply listened to three imps and a hellhound plot to risk their lives saving a member of the class that had almost unilaterally declared them worthless the day before.

Stolas was at a complete loss, trying to grapple with such an action and wondering what he could have possibly done to deserve such kindness. He knew, however, that no matter the outcome, he would be eternally grateful for each and every one of them.

•••

#helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #helluva boss fanfiction #helluva blitzø #helluva stolas #helluva stolitz #stolitz fanfic #stolitz #helluva millie #helluva moxxie #helluva loona #helluva interns

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aotopmha · 11 days ago

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I saw Sonic movie 3.

And it was a really solid movie, in fact, surprisingly strong in terms of theme and character writing in particular even if I already expected an improvement.

But I think the blunt nature of the movie was my favourite aspect of it.

It had the brisk pacing and concise writing of the best Dragon Ball movies.

I saw some reviews say the second act was slower than they would've liked, but I never felt any kind of slowdown myself.

There was some stilted exposition here and there, but because the movie was so propulsive, none of it ever overtook the story to the point where it started affecting its overall quality, same for the pop culture references or human characters (helps that the roles the humans got were relevant to the story at hand).

Some of the references were actually funny because of the more snappy execution – among other elements the comedic timing for jokes improved considerably here (though I personally still could do without most of the referencing).

They did exactly what I think they needed to do, which is to tighten the pacing and focus on the strongest aspect of their writing: the forementioned themes and characterisation.

Team Sonic was great, the Robotniks were great and Shadow was great.

Though by the end, there was a mild nagging wish for just a little bit more of everything on my part.

All of the above elements were great, but because there were so many characters to focus on in a relatively short span of time, the exact opposite issue for pacing in comparison to the previous movies popped up in that I think the movie needed just a little bit more runtime to let some scenes sit a little more.

Because it was so larger-than-life, I also had no issues with the back and forth between comedic and serious scenes like I saw some reviewers say they had, as well, not just because it is a movie about an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog, but also because the movie did a great job of setting the tone to make the more ridiculous elements work.

The best I had to say about Sonic 2 is that it was a live action cartoon and Sonic 3 fully embraces this element of itself.

So, the movie is as fantastic of a Sonic Adventure 2 adaption you could get given the time limitation of a movie, but just short of truly amazing because of it, as well.

What truly surprises me is that I think I can recommend this as a generally good movie, not just a good movie for Sonic fans.

I brought this up with the other two, but these movies feel like classic 90s kids' movies and this movie is that ten fold.

Definitely, absolutely go see it if you're a Sonic fan, though.

SPOILERS FROM HERE.

They totally killed both of the Robotniks because they don't know if they can get Jim Carrey back, and if they are able to get him back, they'll absolutely bring him back.

He was at his peak performance here in my eyes, but more than that I love how he ended up also having a character arc that tied to the themes of the story along with Sonic and Shadow.

Putting everything else aside, I think the part of the movie which earned that 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating with the critics is the strong thematic throughline augmented by the extremely economically told character stories.

Gerald Robotnik's existence allowed to explore Ivo Robotnik and his lack of any familial connection similarly to Shadow's and Sonic's familial losses.

Robotnik's farewell and acknowledgement of Stone at the end of movie not only paid off his arc in the movie (the realisation that he did not share his grandfather's hatred for humanity), but also all of the screentime Stone and Eggman had in the other two movies.

While Sonic's similarity to Shadow was highlighted when Shadow attacked and seriously injured Tom (even without willingly wanting to do so) and Sonic temporarily went down a similarly vengeful, solitary path.

Unlike Shadow, however, he ultimately chose the different, better path, by sparing him.

And both of them understood each other by the end because of their shared experience of loss.

I think how Shadow and Knuckles were handled actually was the best example of this movie's extremely tight script.

Shadow actually didn't talk that much, with a very large chunk of his story actually being "shown" via flashbacks characterising Maria, but when he did, it always felt like it had gravitas.

And to me the absolute best of this was the scene at the tail end of the movie where you actually see Maria die; the cinematography transitioning to present Shadow powering the Eclipse Cannon said everything it needed to say just via the visuals and nothing else. It was a fantastic example of "show, don't tell".

Because it is all so firmly consistent, when it all comes together in the final 20 to 30 minutes, everything feels natural and earned.

Everything connects and makes sense on a character level, even if the plot itself uses a bunch of coincidence/contrivance to streamline the order of events and, in turn, all of the side characters tie into this three-way web.

I mentioned Stone, Tom (earlier in the movie, Tom also has a thematically good, if more stilted heart to heart with Sonic) and Maria (who I also like because she's just a fairly normal kid in this interpretation of the story), but I actually really want to highlight Tails and Knuckles, as well.

Moreso Knuckles because I like how the argument throughout the movie about the team name evolves from Team Sonic or Team Knuckles to just "team" by the end and I really like how Knuckles responds to (and opposes) Sonic recklessly asking to use the Master Emerald, which ties into the themes of the second movie. It's a surprising bit of refreshing nuance.

I think Tails is the most standard out of all three, serving as a mediator and the brains of the operation, mostly staying the same from the previous movie, with perhaps simply less prominent admiration for Sonic.

Everything, from sometimes to the smallest of lines or visuals to the most impactful ones is tied to the theme of family and familial loss.

Eventhough they have such comparatively small roles in the movie, even Tom and Maddie wanting to join the insanity is a great payoff when thinking about where their characters started.

This story has a theme that is extremely old, but you can't argue with rock solid thematic/character substance (and so can't the critics it seems).

Do I myself think as highly of the movie as the current Rotten Tomatoes score?

Not really, I think I see it more in the ballpark of a firm 7-8/10, but it certainly is fantastic for what it is trying to be.

Thinking a little bit about the future, though, I'm really curious about what they'll do with Metal Sonic and Amy because I think CD and Heroes are to this day my personal "flawed favourites" of the series.

CD was my favourite Sonic game when I was younger because I loved the aesthetics of it, from the intro to the zones to music and Metal Sonic might be my favourite rival character for Sonic because of how the game presents its set pieces.

Unfortunately, I think it just doesn't hold up in terms of level design, in the same way how I think Heroes has awesome level design, but does not hold up because of the control issues and glitches.

So if there's one Sonic movie made "for me", it'll be this 4th one.

I certainly have much higher expectations for it with the context of this one, at least.

#Sonic movie 3 #Sonic 3 #Sonic The Hedgehog 3 #StH #Shadow #Sonic The Hedgehog (series)#Shadow The Hedgehog #Sonic Adventure 2 #SA2 #Sonic #Sonic The Hedgehog

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hello-nichya-here · 8 months ago

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Some Peter Pan 2003 edits, enjoy.

(Nichya, do you agree with me by thinking this movie is the few examples of a live action Disney remake being as good if not better than the original?)

I agree and there's a very good reason why that is the case: it wasn't made by Disney, but by Universal, who wanted to be more loyal to the original story - and like Jason Isaac's himself said, that was the thing that made this movie so different from most adaptations of it.

I'm gonna be real, I used to hate basically every version of Peter Pan, mainly because of the Disney cartoon being my introduction to the story. I just never understood why Wendy liked him, or why he liked her, or how Neverland was in anyway special/different from any generic "Magic place", or why I should care if any of these characters leave it behind or stay. And keep in mind, this was coming from a child that was all about the Disney formulas. Peter Pan, as a concept, just REALLY felt hollow to little me.

... And then I watched this movie.

Let me tell you, 6-year-old Nichya was OBSESSED with this movie (and with Jason Isaac as Hook). 24-year-old Nichya too, even more so actually, because EVERYTHING ABOUT IT is perfect - including the thing that aged "poorly", aka the special effects.

Neverland doesn't really look real and that's good. The dated effects, the epic music and the very colorful lighting make it look like a place that could only exist in dreams, so when Wendy and her brothers are in awe of it, I totally get it. Today's tendency of films in which every scene look super dark and/dull makes me appreciate it even more.

The lighting also does wonders for the storytelling, showing Peter's magical connection with Neverland as it changes based on his emotional state, or in moments like Wendy seeing Hook for the first time, with the extra focus on his eyes - you can practically hear the book quote of Wendy being fascinated instead of frightened.

Speaking of the book, the fact that this adaptation had the guts to go with THE thing that could end making it far too corny and silly, aka the "kiss" Wendy has on her lips and that shows she's starting to grow up and become interested in romance is SUCH an important plot-point and key aspect of her character arc, and is delightful to see an adaptation that goes "We already have a magical land, fairies, mermaids, and a boy that stays a kid forever. How is the 'kiss' going to make it less realistic? It's fantasy already!"

And I love, love, love how they make sure we know who Wendy is outside of romance (a storyteller that wants adventure, a child that is both really mature and responsible, but also activelly trying to escape that role, someone who is very motherly but has a ton of anxiety about the prospect of eventually being the adult in charge) - but without ever downplaying how much her romance with Peter means to her.

He was the boy that was giving her everything she was looking for at the moment: friendship, adventure, excitement, and, more importantly, a way to escape any responsibility she didn't want - forever. He really is the hero she had been waiting for, and that, as a consequence, makes her realize that growing up and eventually having a family is not that scary after all, as long as she finds the right person, someone who understands her and that she trusts.

Obviously, she doesn't want to get married and have a ton of kids NOW, but she wants the promise that this will happen - when they're ready for it, when they're older. But Peter Pan is no ordinary boy. It's not just that he's too immature to fully embrace his feelings for Wendy right now, and could truly allow himself to love her later. He is NEVER going to reach that point, he's far too afraid to allow himself the chance to even try. And that breaks Wendy's heart.

And it breaks Peter's heart too, because he WANTS to be loved, and he already cares for Wendy in a way he never cared about anyone else. But because of who he is, she, and everyone else, will inevitably leave him. Because ALL children grow up. He is the only one who was blessed, and cursed, to be the exception.

He'll never be a husband and father. He will never be someone's child or sibling. He's the true lost boy, out of reach forever. He is truly free from everything and everyone, but the price is the knowledge that, sooner or later, he will find himself completely alone time and time again. And Wendy, the girl he loves, will one day either forget him or grow old and die - after having lived a full life with someone else, because Peter couldn't, and wouldn't, grow old with her.

He's doomed to be lonely forever... just like Hook. But unlike Hook, when he is immature and selfish (like when he closes the window at Wendy's house in the hopes that she'll believe her parents stopped waiting for her and her siblings), he does it out of pure desperation, because he's a child that genuinely doesn't know any better.

Hook however, is coming from a place of malice. When he "pursues" Wendy, he does out of jealousy that Peter managed to find true love, while he will never have that. He does it to steal that from him, to hurt him, to make him endure the pain of knowing that, of all people that could have replaced him in Wendy's heart, he was the one who did it.

And, of course, while he never really does anything to Wendy, the constant implication that, at any second, he might, looms large. Their dynamic is inherently predatory, with Hook exploiting the fact that Wendy is mature enough to want a romantic connection, but is still too naive to understand all the implications behind it, and, more importantly, that no adult that wants to be with her like that could possibly be someone she's safe with it.

He is an intriguing, tragic figure like Peter and thus can "seduce" her rather easily too (the fact that Jason Isaacs is really fucking hot doesn't hurt either), but he is doing it through constant manipulation, reminding her that she can never have the boy she actually wants and exploiting her childish need to have some form of petty revenge against him for it, by "befriending" the person he hates the most in the whole world.

But there's another thing that brings her closer to Hook: the fact that, despite being the complete opposite of her father, he still LOOKS like him, is the real adult authority figure around, and he is offering her advice and comfort when she experiences her first heartbreak. He represents both her adolescent impulse to rebel, to proove she's grown already, and her childlike instinct to just run to the arms of her parent and let him call the shots because she's afraid of making mistakes and wants someone who can tell her what to do, how she's supposed to act.

There is a recurring theme through the movie of Wendy's mostly innocent fantasies being read through an adult lenses (see the teacher's concern and offense at the drawing of Peter above her in bed - because he's FLYING, not touching her in anyway). Much like when she was the "mother" of the Lost Boys, when she is by Hook's side, Wendy is a child playing pretend. But the threat Hook poses is very real and his intentions are downright evil. Because Wendy ran away from the flawed, but well-meaning adults she could trust, she walked right into the trap of a very dangerous man that is taking advantage of her need for a protector, a mentor.

And that's why the kiss scene is the perfect climax for the movie, as it concludes three character arcs at once. It shows us Wendy choosing true love, however fleeting, instead of Hook's lies, and indulging in one last childhood fantasy before growing up. It gives Peter the only form of closure he could ever have, knowing that even if he can't be with Wendy, he will always be "the one" for her and won't ever be forgotten, just like he won't ever forget her, because they mean too much to each other. And Hook is forced to accept that, because he can't connect with anyone without manipulation, which could never last, his life truly is void in a way even Peter's never would be.

So yeah, it's a great movie with serious guts, and everyone else can just quit trying to make a new adaptation, reboot, sequel, prequel or whatever because they're never getting anywhere near this level of quality.

#asks #peter pan #peter pan 2003 #peter x wendy #wendy x hook #jason isaacs

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sonicphobia0601 · 6 months ago

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Nostalgia hit me in the face.

I remember a time where having a lot of Silly Bands were the rage. Where owning Heelys and slap bracelets automatically made you cool. Where Nokia was Indestructable. And a time where remembering your family's landline was cruicial. And twirling a phone cord between your fingers. 2D animation being popular before dying out sometime in 2009 (only to be revitalized on YouTube in the late 2010s).

Yes. I'm a 2000s kid. I was born in 2000.

Some of the stuff we did would make zero sense to this generation. Such as blowing on a disk and wiping it on our shirts to make it work in a CD player. Or having that Metal Slide.

And no, LGBTQ stuff wasn't really noticed or talked about. And video games used to be for boys ONLY. I used to really want a Wii or a handheld gaming device as a kid. Mom constantly told me no because it was a boy's thing. Jokes on her. Now I play video games and make memes for everyone to enjoy. And having any sort of disability got you shunned big time. Stimming? Got you publicly mocked as a kid. Talking about autism or being LGBTQ in the early 2000s was seen in the same vein as [redacted]: very taboo.

It brings joy to see characters be much more diverse in both disability and LGBTQ+ standards. Seeing Billie Bust Up and learning that the cast of characters have good representation made me really heckin happy.

I got a new favorite gif. And surprisingly this is the first time I felt truly connected and relating to the characters. Before Billie Bust Up was even a twinkle in the devs' eye, all I had for representation was Sheldon Cooper... who I don't even like because his autism is played FOR LAUGHS.

Barnaby/Aristotle/Fantoccio feel like actual autistic beings who I can see interacting with. And Barnaby's overall design hit me right in the nostalgia. 2D looking? Check. Rubberhose feel? Check. Strong personality? Check! A motif that tickles my inner goth? Check! And the best part? These characters really feel authentic to me and not just cariactures.

That does explain why I like Lackadaisy, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss (even though I'm not too fond of the creator), Chikn' Nugget, and all 2D animation I found recently. Even Ramshackle reminded me of really old Cartoon Network cartoons.

Don't get me started on how the live action Scooby Doo movie would have been different. That's a whole other post entirely.

#billie bust up #bbu barnaby #nostalgia

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headcanonsandcupcakes · 10 months ago

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My Thoughts on NATLA :)

Sorry that this wasnt posted yesterday as I had promised, but life got in the way and I wanted to write it without feeling rushed. And I want to preface this by saying that I am not the biggest blogger on ATLA, nor does my opinion truly matter, however, ATLA has meant a lot to me since I discovered it 4 years ago. It is the reason I reopened up my Tumblr since not touching it since 2015 (I know, I'm old). In addition to this, I have also been closely following the live action coverage since 2020 (thanks to the Avatarist on YouTube), so I feel the need to say something about it.

Now with that out of the way, below are my thoughts: The biggest criticism that I have seen is that the plot felt rushed, and most people that are using this point to criticize the live action are not noting that the show was only greenlit 8 episodes. In addition, the show was only greenlit for 1 season, making the writing process incredibly hard to make sure that fans were happy but also getting the main points across. Book 1 of ATLA appears to be considered the weakest season by many of the fans. And as someone who started watching this show back in 2020, I completely agree. There were many filler episodes, and there were some writing aspects that appeared to be all over the place. It should also be noted that Bryke was unsure if they would get another season, so they also had the same struggles as the NATLA showrunner/writers had. However, it appears as though many are holding the live action to a higher standard than the cartoon instead of realizing that both had their challenges. Another point that seems to be criticized is the acting. I think people seem to forget that most of the main cast were kids/teenagers that did not work in many roles besides this one. So of course, we arent going to get an outstanding performance. Lastly, another point that I have seen around the internet is the argument that, "this is why the creators left". Okay, I get it, to not have the creators involved in the series could be reflected as troublesome for sure, however, I think those making this argument seem to forget that Bryke are not perfect either. For one, they executive produced the abomination that is the 2010 film, and were gassing the movie up until the movie was released and was received poorly. Additionally, they also were heavily involved in Legend of Korra and look at how that turned out. So, what do I think of the show? Well, perhaps it is because I found this show later in life and I am not blinded to the nostalgia factor, but I personally loved this adaptation. To me, the changes that were made felt so necessary in order to get the plot moving, as well as please the OG fans, and also ensure that new fans can understand the lore. I also feel like they did capture most of Book 1 and you can tell that they cared about the source material. I also went into watching this with a very open mind and understood that this was an adaptation, not a carbon copy (which was constantly hammered by the showrunner multiple times but still seems to surprise people). I also feel as though you cant make everyone happy. The best analogy I can think of is the Lion King live action. People were upset that it was a 1:1 adaptation and didnt make any changes. I cannot help but think that if NATLA did take that 1:1 route, people would be upset that no changes were made. The SFX and the fan service that was given to us was so good, and it was nice to see Koizilla in live action. Now, I wont say the show was perfect. There were some clunky aspects and the dialogue could use some work, but to me I think they did a good job for what they were given (episode lengths and unsure of a season renewal). I think should they get a season 2 (fingers crossed), Netflix needs to give it at least 10-12 episodes. I mean, if somehow Orange is the New Black had 13 episodes for most of their seasons, why cant an exception be made for this franchise?

My favorite episode was by far episode 6. As someone whose favorite character is Zuko, I guess I'm biased, but I loved everything about this episode and the Pohuai Stronghold escape was so cool to see. I also think that Bumi's characterization made sense in this live action - I know this is a hot take but I feel like realistically, someone that has dealt with 100 years of war would be jaded and angry and hold some resentment. Again, maybe its because I am not blinded by the nostalgia but I thought it made sense. Additionally, I think it was very smart to include Azula in this version. We have to remember that Azula is a teenager just like Zuko and is manipulated by Ozai. To see her struggle and feel insecure doesnt inhibit her character to me. In fact, I think it sets the stage for when she eventually has that mental breakdown, it will make more sense and people will sympathize her more.

I know this is all over the place but I really hope we get a season 2. I think that all the criticisms aside (if you weed out the nitpicking), the NATLA team can make a great season 2.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #natla #avatar live action #live action avatar

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school-sanctioned-movie-bullying · 11 months ago

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Since the new live action Avatar is apparently out on netflix, I figured now is an excellent time to remember the last attempt at a live action this series got.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, with amazing writing, world-building, and characters. Conversely, The Last Airbender (no avatar in this title) is one of the most detested and worst movies of all time. I doubt that I have anything new to say about it because it has been getting dragged since it was released 14 years ago, but that won't stop me from dragging it some more.

As is the trend with many live action reboots, this movie hates fun. The original show was colorful, funny, and charming; the movie is none of those things. The color palette seems to have been taken directly from a Saw movie, with not a warm tone to be found. For comparisons sake, here's a side by side of the gaang from the movie and from the original:

Isn't it incredible how they managed to sap all the color out of the original character designs?

One of my favorite things about the original cartoon was the expressive animation. I don't expect a live action movie to have expressive animation, but I do expect expressive acting, or even just regular acting. Unfortunately for myself and the world at large, the main actors did not get the memo that they were supposed to do that, so instead they delivered their dialogue stone faced with weird pacing. I don't want to hate on the actors too much, as many of them were children when this movie was released, and who knows what sort of direction M. Night Shyamalan gave them. However, I will say that with maybe the exception of Dev Patel, who played an okay Zuko, the cast did an awful job of capturing the magic of the original characters. I am willing to give a pass to Seychelle Gabriel, because she voiced Asami in The Legend of Korra, and I am nothing if not an Asami supporter. But the rest of the cast is on very thin ice.

Another fun thing about this god-forsaken movie is the way it manages to make the viewer feel incredibly uncomfortable. It has an aura about it that I can only describe as constipated. The feeling I got watching is reminiscent of the time I was roped into listening a coworker at McDonalds talk about his crypto scheme, except that only lasted about 15 minutes, and the movie is 103 minutes long.

Truly the only good quality of the movie is its ability to bring together so many people in hatred. There aren’t too many things we can all form a near-universal opinion on, but we can all agree that this movie is a dumpster fire.

Unlike some of the other movies I have hated on this blog, I don’t think it is controversial for me to hate this one. It has already been so thoroughly hated on that all the points I make here are hardly likely to be original. Regardless, I felt it necessary to kick this dead horse, both for the opportunity to complain (one of my favorite activities), and because I need to choose one movie to hate per week for the class this blog is for, and this one is so so hateable. I didn't even list everything wrong with it and this post is already so long.

I haven't watched the new live action show yet, and I don't really have high hopes, but given how low the bar is, it would have to limbo into hell to disappoint me.

#atla #live action avatar movie #avatar the last airbender #I dont feel bad about using regular atla tags because I dont think anyone likes this movie #I know the comparison image is blurry dont @ me #long rant

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lumiereandcogsworth · 1 year ago

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hey lumi! I just thought of another question I wanted to ask you, other than batb, which live action remake do you think is the best? I haven't seen any and I want an expert opinion 😄

oh my gosh!!!!! i’m so honored. and i’m also SO autistic so i did so much more here than you asked. but anyway i wanted to wait to answer this until today because the little mermaid (2023) just dropped on disney+ and i JUST watched it for the first time. so i can include it in my list!!

of course prefacing with these are all my personal opinions, im not a film expert (and i pray to God i never am) i just like what i like! so without further ado: my thoughts! also this is just in chronological order, not ranked.

alice in wonderland (2010) - dude!! this was SUCH a hyperfixation for me when i was a kid. somehow, batb 2017 is NOT the first live action disney movie i’ve been utterly obsessed with. this movie is so good. i love the lightly gothic, mysterious fantasy aesthetic that is has. i love the wardrobe, i want to wear every outfit alice wears. i love how dark it is, like there’s such an edge to it while still being pleasant and fun enough to respectably be a disney movie. johnny depp does a fantastic job of course, (purely discussing his acting abilities here) he truly brings the madness into the mad hatter. all the acting is fantastic though. i highly recommend this film. you don’t really need to have seen the 1951 cartoon, i hadn’t, but it doesn’t hurt to! (i don’t recommend the sequel, alice through the looking glass, though. they really should’ve quit while they were ahead on this one)

maleficent (2014) & maleficent: mistress of evil (2019) - i enjoyed both of these!! i actually liked the second one more, but either way, it’s such a fun take on sleeping beauty. and this is coming from someone who LOVES sleeping beauty 1959!! it’s different obviously but it really is a good time, absolutely worth watching.

cinderella (2015) - beautiful! lovely!! not the most exciting film honestly but i do love the aesthetics and wardrobe. it’s a really pretty, pleasant movie. i’d love to rewatch it sometime! if only disney+ had it! which it doesn’t! for some inexplicable reason!!

beauty and the beast (2017) - i know you said besides my wife but obviously i have to still list it because. that’s my wife. anyway perfect film no notes!

the nutcracker and the four realms (2018) - i wanted to like this one so much more than i did. but it was just, so weird. it derails from canon in a way that isn’t enjoyable. ah. twas a let down, for me.

christopher robin (2018) - i don’t remember much honestly but it’s cute!! certainly worth a watch, but i don’t recall anything too special about it. it did make me cry though (that’s not hard for me to do at movies, to be fair)

mary poppins returns (2018) - CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH!! THIS MOVIE IS LIKE IF JOY WAS TURNED INTO A FILM!!!! AAAHHH!!! :) SO LOVELY SO WONDERFUL!!!

the lion king (2019) - :/ genuinely not worth your time. it was TOO similar to the cartoon in terms of storyline, so it felt incredibly pointless to me. plus, it’s kind of boring that they look like real lions. i felt like i was watching animal planet but then pulled out of reality whenever they spoke or sang afjskfj

aladdin (2019) - ever since i saw this, i’ve only ever had three takeaways, and i’ll say them like a compliment sandwich. 1. visually STUNNING. the colors and the choreography, the people! all very beautiful. 2. the romance was… very flat? i honestly kept forgetting there was a love story going on. when they kiss at the end i was like “OOOHHH RIGHT!!” lmao. there’s just so much other stuff going on, jasmine & aladdin’s love story really fell to the wayside for me. 3. i LOVED that they gave jasmine her own song. she’s like the only disney princess that didn’t have her own song, somehow, so i was happy they gave her one and it was SO good. i remember it giving me chills on the first listen. — so, all in all, it was fine. not the worst but also not a personal favorite. worth a watch.

mulan (2020) - BLEGH sorry i almost threw up a little. maybe the worst live action remake of all time? let’s think: what are the best parts of mulan 1998? the music? mushu? shang’s bisexuality? shang, in general?? WELL LOOK NO FURTHER BECAUSE THIS HAS NONE OF THAT!!! :) it’s genuinely just… so bad. they took the basic concept and turned it into a freaky ass action movie. they make it so mulan was like, gifted from a young age with superhuman abilities (calling it chi, which, i don’t know the full story but i believe there was some major cultural appropriation that occured) instead of just being a normal badass human!!! and it wasn’t the villain from the cartoon it was a random witch. nothing made sense and it was stripped of everything that makes mulan one of the greatest disney films of all time. *godfather voice* look how they massacred my boy.

the little mermaid (2023) - so honestly i never really liked the original cartoon. it just never clicked with me. but i had every bit of hope that this one would maybe bring it to life for me!! and… well, it wasn’t bad! it was visually lovely and the music was fun. i just don’t think i’m a “love at first sight” kind of person. but eric was an incredibly likable nerd boy, sebastian the crab was funny, and ursula was SCARY. especially at the end oh my gosh???? anyway. worth a watch, but not my personal cup of tea. ariel and eric get points for dancing a bit AND they hugged at the end which was really sweet. couples Do Not hug enough in media.

lastly, i can’t comment on: peter pan & wendy (2023), the jungle book (2016), dumbo (2019), lady and the tramp (2019), and cruella (2021), because i have not seen them. i will absolutely note though that i despise cruella 2021 in solidarity with my friend @freakwiththeknifecollection because it blatantly disregards the canon of 101 dalmatians 1961 and they couldn’t even like?? train the dogs?? for ONE scene?? huge huge mess. i’m just scratching the surface. if you want a live action cruella, look no further than 101 dalmatians 1996. top tier live action that i loved as a kid!!

#thanks for asking and also i’m sorry for going overboard afjdkfjd #the chance to Elaborate was too strong 🙏 but thank you truly! i hope you find one you like !! (and let me know your thoughts!!)#romeoandjulietyouwish #answered

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belletroxa · 1 year ago

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an easier one for you: sam or max and you can only choose one and it will be as if the other never existed

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

⚠️ LONG ASS POST ABOUT SILLY CARTOON DOG AND RABBIT ⚠️

⚠️ I'M LOOKING WAY TOO DEEP INTO THESE BASTARDS SOMEBODY SAVE ME FROM OVERANALYZING THESE BITCHES ⚠️

🚨⚠️ YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. ⚠️ 🚨

"an easier one."

"an. easier. one." is what he said

how do you feel after ruining me huh.

do you feel good.

bet you do.

DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS CHOICE PHISICALLY HURTS ME. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING, I'M SO PARASOCIAL ABOUT THEM THAT I LITERALLY FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN STABBED RIGHT HERE IN MY CHEST AT THIS VERY MOMENT. I LITERALLY DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO START CHOOSING. BECAUSE I'VE SEEN BOTH SIDES OF THEM BY THEMSELVES AND LIKE. DUDE LET'S JUST START WITH THE FACT THAT MAX IS CANONICALLY DEPRESSED AND LITERALLY HATES HIMSELF. BRO IGNORES HIS SUICIDAL URGES BECAUSE SAM EXISTS AND IS THERE FOR HIM. HE CANNOT STAND TAKING LIFE SERIOUSLY AND WOULD LITERALLY BE A DEPRESSED HOBO LIVING ALONE IN THE STREETS WITHOUT SAM. HE WOULD LITERALLY PROBABLY HAVE A CRIMINAL LIFESTYLE AND STILL FEEL PURPOSELESS BECAUSE THE WHOLE REASON HE FEELS HAPPY IS BECAUSE HE HAS SAM'S COMPANY AND CAN COUNT ON HIM WHENEVER FOR ANYTHING AT ALL. THERE'S NO MAX WITHOUT SAM DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME I MEAN THAT LITERALLY HE WOULD NOT HANDLE IT WITHOUT HIM AND EVEN IF HE DID HE WOULD NOT BE HAPPY HE LITERALLY IGNORES HIS MORALS AND HIS POTENTIAL TO BE BETTER BECAUSE THAT WOULD NOT MAKE HIM HAPPY, WHAT TRULY MAKES MAX HAPPY IS JUST HANGING OUT AND HAVING FUN WITH SAM. HE IS ALWAYS MAKING JOKES BUT HIS ACTIONS SHOW THE OPPOSITE OF THE OVERCONFIDENT PERSONA HE PORTRAYS THROUGHOUT THE GAMES AND COMICS, ALTHOUGH HE ACTUALLY IS INSANE THE FACT MAX IS NEVER EVER CONCERNED FOR HIS OWN SAFETY IS BECAUSE HE LITERALLY DOES NOT CARE OR HAVE APPRECIATION FOR HIS OWN LIFE, THAT IS LITERALLY SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR, THE ONLY REASON HE STILL IS NOT DEAD IS BECAUSE OF SAM AND THAT IS SHOWN SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE, HE STILL ONLY PUTS HIMSELF THROUGH THESE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS (AND EXPECTS) SAM TO SAVE HIM, AND HE IS A 100% CORRECT. MAX LITERALLY ONCE SAID, AND I QUOTE: "I KNOWN YOU'D TAKE A BULLET FOR ME SAM", AND HE COULD NOT BE MORE CORRECT. MAX NOT CARING FOR HIS WELLBEING IS LITERALLY NOT BECAUSE OF SELFISHNESSS OR THINKING HES UNTOUCHABLE, IT'S BECAUSE OF HOW SAFE SAM MAKES HIM FEEL, SOME COULD SAY "OH BUT HE IS BEING SELFISH BECAUSE HE THINKS SAM'S LIFE REVOLVES AROUND MAX", BUT THE IRONIC PART IS THAT THAT'S KINDA TRUE!!! THEIR LIVES REVOLVE AROUND EACHOTHER!!! BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES WHO MAKE TEMSELVES TRULY HAPPY AND ACCOMPLISHED!!!

OH AND. HAHAHAH. FUN FACT. BUNNIES CAN DIE WHEN THEY'RE ALONE. THAT'S RIGHT. THEY GET DEPRESSED AND DIE.

ha. hahahah. ooooh but that's still NOT JUST IT. SEASON 3 SHOWS A LOOOOOT OF MAX, EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT NOT REALIZE IT....

WARNING:

⚠️SAM & MAX TELLTALE/SKUNKAPE SEASON 3 THE DEVIL'S PLAYHOUSE SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️

ONE MIGHT SAY MAX "DOESN'T CARE FOR SAM BECAUSE HE IS SELFISH", AND EVEN THOUGH THATS WHAT MAX WANT US ALL TO THINK, IT IS NOT TRUTH. IN FACT, HIS BEHAVIOUR AND ACTIONS SHOW THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE. A LITERAL PROOF OF WHY MAX IS NOT SELFISH IS BECAUSE HE LITERALLY SACRIFICED HIS LIFELONG DREAM OF DYING WITH SAM FOR SAM'S OWN LIFE AND WELLBEING! AND NOT ONLY FOR SAM! FOR THE ENTIRE CITY! WHEN MAX CHOSE TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF, HE SHOWED THAT HE CARES, WHICH IS THE LITERAL OPPOSITE OF WHAY HE WANTS EVERYONE THE THINK, BUT HIS ACTIONS ARE LIVING PROOF THAT HE'S NOT THE OVERCONFIDENT SELFISH LONE WOLF HIS PERSONA PORTRAYS, BUT ACTUALLY THE OPPOSITE!!! CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING MORE SELFLESS THAN A LITERAL SACRIFICE FOR OTHERS' LIVES??? WELL I CAN'T. LIKE BITCH HE LITERALLY NOT ONLY SEVERED ANY CHANCES OF SAM SAVING HIM, BUT HE LITERALLY GAVE UP HIS DREAM OF DYING WITH SAM AS WELL!!!!! AND REGARDLESS OF IF MAX COULD COMPREHEND THE SITUATION, HE FELT SO SAFE WITH SAM IN THE MOMENT HE REALIZES SELFLESSNESS!!! MAX COULD ACTUALLY COMPREHEND THE SITUATION A LITTLE BIT AND AGAIN, HIS ACTIONS ARE WHAT SHOWS THIS, FOR ANSWERING SAM'S CALLS, FOR SMILING WHEN SAM BROUGHT UP MEMORIES THEY SHARED IN THE CITY... AND. MAINLY. I THINK WHAT SHOWS HOW MUCH HE CARES ABOUT SAM, IS THE NEED THE ALTERNATE-DIMENSION MAX HAD TO LITERALLY TIME TRAVEL TO ANOTHER REALITY TO FIND A SAM FOR HIM, BECAUSE HE LITERALLY WOULD NOT STAND LIVING WITHOUT HIM, AND DOESN'T TAKE THAT AS A PLAUSIBLE CHOICE.

⚠️ SPOILERS OVER! ⚠️

you can go on now! :)

anyways... the center of everything that surrounds max:

sam.

sam is essentially the reason why despite everything, max is still happy. sam is the one and only person that has always been there for max. the one that always knows what he's thinking and the only one that truly understands him. while max is portrayed to be the more extroverted of the two,sam is the one who is actually able to actually talk to other people and even befriend them! i know this seems like an useless fact considering the current topic, but if we actually consider how max is supposed to be kind of an extrovert (which i seriously doubt he is), let's just see would would be his social life without sam: oh that's right, HE BASICALLY WOULDN'T HAVE ONE, THAT'S RIGHT, THE BITCH WOULD HAVE NO FUCKING FRIENDS. SAM IS LITERALLY THE ONLY ONE MAX CAN COUNT ON! and the only friends max ACTUALLY made WERE BECAUSE OF SAM. but if you consider that if max didn't keep playing thevideogame SAM made at prom night, and considering the fact sam wouldn't exist if i chose max, max would've become way more social after that prom, as it's shown in his flirty behavior when talking to momma bosco, he would probably attract dozens of girls and be so popular amongst everyone, but would he be happy?

not really... :(

anyways, i think sam might have made max more introverted than he could've been (and pls let's thank him for it, I CAN'T IMAGINE the possibility of max being a straight rizz-and-bitches-haver motherfucker in an alternate reality...), and we know that, when max suffers from lack of sam, he becomes lonely. theres nobody there for him anymore.

if we look back into the cartoon for a second, we can see that sam and max's relationship means a LOT to max. the cartoon max is UNDOUBTEDLY the sweetest version from the rest of the medias max appears on, and therefore, probably the most expressive one as well, that way we can see max express how his relationship with sam means so much to him, to the point that if they weren't friends, max's life would be PRETTY GOD DAMN TERRIBLE!-

DON'T GET ME WRONG! sam WILL be depressed without max aswell, but to some extent, he can go on. meanwhile, max is basically not able to function properly without sam, and ends up in bad places.

AND AGAIN: DON'T GET ME WRONG! that does NOT mean sam loves max ANY LESS! he cares about max just as much as max cares about him, and, as sam is way better than max at portraying his emotions, since in the games we always play from HIS point of view and know HIS perspective about basically EVERYTHING. and it is CLEARLY shown in LITERALLY EVERY PIECE OF MEDIA OF THIS FRANCHISE, JUST HOW IMPORTANT MAX IS TO SAM, they both end up being open about how they love eachother, even if they arent open about ALL of their stuff, there isn't a single moment where these two doubt that the other cares about them. they openly know how much the other cares about them. sam just expresses it better in every media, while max is a little more close in relation to that, because he doesn't like taking things seriously and showing empathy, he thinks of love as a weakness, hence the persona he portrays being a complete sociopath that does not care for anything that does not involve being hilariously unhinged, he portrays his mental instability as a complete joke, because that's what he thinks he is, a pure comic relief, which is not wrong, but he takes that role too seriously, to the point that he thinks showing humanity can be considered as unfunny, and, therefore, not relevant. but still, as i said, his actions show how important sam is to him.

more the devil's playhouse spoilers later in this section because it is literally SUCH A COMPLEX SEASON i'm literally OBCESSED with it i could talk about it for HOURS, this season literally changes the perspective of the characters completely, we see a WHOLE NEW SIDE OF THE PROTAGONISTS THAT WE HAVE NEVER GOTTEN SO INTO IT BEFORE, hence the reason this fucking game rented an apartment in my fucking mind since like i think two years now and it refuses to get the FUCK out. it makes you think and it makes you care SO MUCH MORE about the characters and it's SO WELL WRITTEN UGH I LOVE SEASON 3 SO MUCH. and c'mon, it's clear the main focus of season 3 is sam and max's relationship (hence why i love this season so much, besides it being really good of course), this game explores how much they help, care and generally NEED eachother. and this is done both in a subtle and in a direct way, you've gotta look a bit more into max to truly understand him as a character, in special, you've gotta look a bit more into his super-ego, which reveals a WHOLE other side of max we didn't know before. meanwhile, the way they portray sam's point of view about max is generally the same as this franchise does in every piece of media.

he's openly very worried about him, worried he'll lose him, he does everything to save max every time, because he also cannot be truly happy without his little buddy... :(

in every piece of media, sam is portrayed to go through basically every stage of grief every time he's separated from max (god they're so codependent they literally joke about it themselves LMAO), in the unfinished comic where max dies for example (please purcell finish that comic i'm desperate), sam seems completely purposeless at the final panel. (which happens SO MUCH THROUGHOUT THIS FRANCHISE, I SWEAR THIS MOTHERFUCKER DIES SO MUCH---)

oh and by the way:

⚠️ MORE SEASON 3 SPOILERS AHEAD!!! ⚠️

⚠️ BEWARE!!! ⚠️

ok so, speaking about max's deaths, i GOTTA talk about season 3, and how it expresses the loneliness of sam PERFECTLY to whoever's playing. it portrays how much sam misses max, because WHOEVER'S PLAYING STARTS MISSING HIM TOO!! i mean, two whole seasons of this duo, to suddently be separated for a whole episode, go back to normal, then spend ANOTHER WHOLE EPISODE WITHOUT MAX TOO?? HOW CAN WE NOW MISS MAX! how can't we miss their conversations, miss their jokes, and just miss their relationship in general! it just feels... wrong, to not have max be there around sam. and that's probably what the game wants us to feel! it makes us understand the rage he feels after losing his little buddy in episode three! and it makes us understand the depression and panic sam goes through episode 5, and the NEED to bring him back NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES! it's not JUST to save the city. sam NEEDS max back. you play the game and care about them because they made you laugh, but, when things get serious, all the player wishes is to go back to normal, so you can have the good time you had with these characters before, you NEED sam to get max back, because you KNOW sam NEEDS him. you want them to be together. you want them to be okay. you want a happy ending, because c'mon THEY'RE SAM & MAX! THEY DESERVE A HAPPY ENDING! c'mon, every episode ends up with sam saving the day (max helping of course, but mainly there to be a funny little guy who also serves as a prop), and then they both end up happily ever after! but... this season is a little more complicated. sam's main priority this season was to have max be ok. he wanted to protect him, max went through such bad stuff in this season that weren't even max's fault, so all sam wants is for him to be okay! max doesn't deserve to suffer! and sam feels as if he HAS to protect him. since max doesn't seem to be able to do that by himself.

but... the twist is...

for the first time in this franchise

sam fails.

he fails to keep it all together as always, he fails to solve it all in a way that would make everyone happy.

he fails to save his little buddy. (fuck i'm getting teared up)

and BOY...

does sam feels guilty.

they saved the city, but... at what cost?

max's life, and, consequently, sam's happiness.

max is sam's sun. he wants him to be okay... he needs HIM in general. and he's always sure he's managed to make sure his partner's fine. he literally made a solemn vow to protect max at whatever cost.

but not this time.

then...

the credits roll.

he lost his little buddy. and he thinks it's his fault.

....

nAH SIKE MAX FROM AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION WHERE SAM DIES USES THE TIME MACHINE TO GO BACK TO A REALITY WHERE SAM IS ALONE SO THEY CAN BE TOGETHER AGAIN

but... when max tries to joke about it and treat like it's all a joke...

both remain silent. and max realizes it's not a joking matter. its probably the toughest situation both had to go through. and they know it.

usually they joke about things, since that's their way of communicating, they never take anything seriously, they're always trying to be funny to make the other laugh (insert banang gag here) because their partner's happiness makes them feel achieved.

but this time it's not like this.

they keep quiet for some really long seconds...

theeeen they come back to normal!

the relief that comes to everyone, sam, max & the player, when they come back to joking and just being silly goofy little guys, i can't even begin to explain how relieving it is to have sam & max back! their dynamic! their conversations! their chemistry! it's just immaculate.

one could say "they're repressing their emotions! they should talk about everything they went through! not just ignore all of that and move on!"

but i don't think so.

even though sam is known for comically over-explaining stuff, and max is known to need stuff being explained to him, due to his fish memory and alienation of everything that surrounds him...

they don't need to talk now. they both know what they went through. and both know how awful it is.

they know themselves so well to the point the don't need to talk about how much they love and care for eachother...

they already know. :)

oh i just remembered i was being angsty about them being separated so hey fun fact after the season 3 finale sam is forced to live the rest of his days knowing that his max is dead! and live with an extremely flawed alternate timeline copy who doesn't remember anything from the last three years of their lives! but he's fine with it because he was genuinely about to snap without max so he can't do much about it lmao that's how much he needs max and doesn't complain about the alternate version because he know his little buddy ALSO has been through a LOT.

lmao sorry i couldn't resist i had to be angsty for at least a bit more

⚠️SPOILERS OVER!!⚠️

back to normal programming! >:3

ok not gonna lie i'm kinda tired of writing about how much they love eachother because COME ON MAN we ALL KNOW how they both care and need for one another.

oh wait i had an ask didn't i?

ok lemme check it again wAIT FUCK NO-

THERE CAN'T BE SAM WITHOUT MAX THEY BOTH ARE MADE FOR EACHOTHER THEY'RE A TWO IN ONE PACKAGE THEY CAN'T BE TRULY HAPPY WITHOUT ONE ANOTHER

DO YOU KNOW WHAT SAM'S PERSONAL HELL IS? YEAH THAT'S RIGHT. BEING WITHOUT MAX. SAM WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HAVE MAX WITH HIM FOREVER AND MAX WOULD TOO. MAX LITERALLY DREAMS THEY CAN LEAVE AND DIE TOGETHER. BOTH CANNOT IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT EACHOTHER. AND EVERY TIME THEY'RE SEPARATED THEY PANIC AND FREAK OUT.

i love how i don't even have to speculate how would sam be without max as i did with max before in this essay, SAM LITERALLY SAYS THAT HIMSELF! AND I QUOTE:

"without max, i'd be just another grim loner, skulking through the seedy armpits of the city, assaulting crooks and assorted crook-like punks in a humorless, over-narrated fashion. sure, it’d probably sell like granny panties in a nunnery, but would I be happy? not really..."

AND PEOPLE COULD SAY "OH BUT IN THE CARTOON SAM GETS OVER MAX-" SHUT UP SHUT UP YOU DON'T KNOW THEM LIKE I DO!!!! SAM HIMSELF SAID HE WOULD NOT BE FUCKING HAPPY WITHOUT MAX!!!!!! THEY NEED EACHOTHER!!!!!!!!

...

anyways imma pretend i didn't receive this ask and you pretend you never asked this capiche? sam and max need to coexist and wouldn't be able to keep their shit together if eachother didn't exist &/or live with them

anyways i quoted sam before i feel the need to quote some max sentences!!!

"don’t be such a worrywart, sam. if it makes you feel any better, I PROMISE to take you with me when I merge with the godhead!"

oh and there was that one time where they had this dialogue that still kills me to this day:

sam: "if you die first, promise to wait up for me, okay little buddy?"

max: "oh sam! when i die, i'm taking you with me!"

i swear they're so- *gunshots*

anyways have some photographic evidence of why they need eachother to be happy if you're still not convinced:

buh bye :3c

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monkey-network · 2 years ago

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Good Stuff: The Super Mario Bros Movie

A fan shouldn't always sugarcoat it. Even if you get something you never figured you'd ever want but appreciate a lot, that doesn't mean a bias should bury any deeper feelings. What I'm getting at is Illumination's Super Mario Bros Movie can be so awesome and it was worth going to the theaters to see personally, but I can't get over the crippling flaw it has to say it was as great as I could say now. Better to be honest now than get increasingly unfulfilled later. First, though, I gotta give the props where they are due.

First, Bowser was The Best in this and I want him

For real, the animation was what I waiting for this whole time, no problems here. The film is fun. If it wasn't fun, that means Disney would've made it and it'd never come out anyways because of "creative differences". Illumination I found can make animations that are really bouncy fun, and it's best shown here. Plus the characters look incredible, DK especially, and there are moments where, in the best way, it felt like a cutscene from a video game I would want to play. Not to snipe at the Sonic movies, but this is seriously what I've wanted from video game movies since... Angry Birds 2? Like enough with the hybrid live-action crap, make a cartoon if the sourced game is about a CARTOON universe. "You mean like Ratchet & Cla-"

We do not... talk about that one.

This leads to something tricky I had in mind to discuss, and that's "faithfulness". Not long ago I watched the 1993 Mario Bros movie, a fiasco that one can argue was unfaithful to most of the source materials even with the few things they got right. Did we get something more suitable here? Well, I definitely wasn't annoyed with the fucking stupid discourse surrounding Peach's characterization and Mario's voice that's for sure. Many will cite this as having a great fuckton of references but I enjoyed the liberties they took whether or not they were references. The fact it starts out in Brooklyn made me already smile but the final act had my booty jiggle with unhinged glee. There's some corniness to it, especially with the certain musical needle drops they do, but even then it felt like they reveled in the corniness of those moments. This made me believe Nintendo and Illumination were looking to just make it excitable and enjoyable regardless of what fits where. It pains me though, knowing that there is that crippling flaw I mentioned at the beginning because while this film was fun, it went by fast. Ludicrously so... disjointedly so.

It was the Apex Cinema Speedrun, if you will

Many negative reviews claim this has a very thin plot and I honestly didn't consider that a wholly bad thing. A thin plot doesn't mean it wasn't cohesive or focused, or that there weren't any arcs to be had. The real problem comes in that certain moments don't feel earned when we barely get any time to cherish them. The pacing of this was kinda atrocious, the tight runtime truly being a detriment behind ideas for characters getting brought up well only to have shallow payoffs. Peach and Luigi especially had something about them I wanted to see more of, but before you got to see the plant blossom, they keep chugging and you're like "Ah, that's it?" They didn't need to spell everything out but let the characters breathe.

Bowser and DK felt like the exception

If this was the only movie we ever got again (knocking on wood), the fun of it all would soon subside for increased disappointment in the long run. I could say "This needs more movie" as a compliment, but that would mean I was fine with what we got. The live-action film, batshit as it was, felt consistent with everything it wanted to show and tell whether or not you saw the director's cut. That's why it became a cult hit, you remember how batshit it was. I genuinely enjoyed the film, but even with its many stand-out moments, it's gonna be hard to remember this film as much as I want to.

Except for Lumalee, I don't ever wanna forget them

I won't tout this overall as mid or "playing it safe" because they did so much right with this. When I say they stuck the landing with the Mario brothers themselves, that genuinely got to me. When we got the adventure, I relished the adventure. Like for the love of god, give me more of all this PLEASE! However, I won't give it a pass and call it perfect just because it tickled the Nintendo fan in me. Illumination's great when it comes to being in the moment, that's why I stopped hating on them, but in terms of their films having staying power this being a Mario film is carrying it hard from being a potentially forgettable one. For me, this is the movie adaptation of the Super Mario Super Show I never knew I wanted but looked forward to and felt was worth it. At the same time, my mind is fighting my heart strong knowing this Mario movie could've definitely been stronger. My final say is that it's a 6/10 movie with 10/10 moments. If you're looking for fun, this delivers no doubt, and don't let this review stop you from calling it a personal masterpiece.

What matters is that Mario finally made the Range

#The Super Mario Bros Movie #The Super Mario Bros. Movie #super mario movie #super mario bros movie #mario movie #Illumination #Nintendo #animation #movies #reviews #Good Stuff

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orcinusorca2236 · 10 months ago

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My overall thoughts on the live action adaptation of ATLA by Netflix.

While it definitely has its flaws. I do find that for the most part I enjoyed it.

The bending for me is rather good and I definitely felt they translated the bending from the show to live action well. The costumes, architecture and the visuals in general for me are just amazing. And one of the strong points of the show.

The cast did an overall decent job and anything that felt lacking to me is due to the script and not their fault.

The first episode to me while full of impressive visuals and action scenes felt too heavy and rushed. I would have preferred if the episode had followed the cartoon since for me they did the introduction quite well and did the reveal of the Air Nomad genocide well.

The live action series portrayed it incredibly well in my opinion. You could truly feel the terror and brutality in watching an entire culture get wiped out all due to the selfish interests of one man. And I like the fact that they did show that the reason the Air Nomads were all wiped out at once was because they were all gathered for a festival which makes it so much more brutal.

But I would have preferred if it was shown a bit later in the episode or even the season. It would have been built up much better if it did, much like in the cartoon.

I did like that they showcased Aang's guilt and regret throughout the show, far more than the cartoon. And his scene with Gyatso was well done in my opinion.

Katara for me could have used a bit more work and character building. I felt they didn't do her character as well as the OG cartoon did. But I did like the change with her and Pakku.

The fact Pakku only changed his opinion on women's role in the North only after finding out Katara was his former betrothed granddaughter always felt a bit off for me. I like the change they did in the live action, by having Pakku change his ways when he realised it was only setting his people back and doing more harm than good.

But my overall favourite for me would be Iroh and Zuko. I loved their dynamic and the additional scenes the show added (Lu Ten's funeral/Iroh choosing to join Zuko/The regiment Zuko defended becoming his crew) all for me added to the depth and beauty of their relationship. Zuko's trauma was done well, and his need to regain his father's affection was as well.

Ozai and Azula were phenomenally done as well. You can truly tell how manipulative and cruel Ozai is. Him and Zuko fighting while it strayed from the cartoon I felt was decently done. The way Ozai manipulates and treats Azula and pits her against Zuko constantly comparing the two and Azula's need to please her father and gain the trust and affection of the only parental figure she has left in her life is amazingly done. And showcases the pressure and fear she faces due to her father.

Overall I'd rate the show a 7/10

#avatar the last airbender #zuko #iroh #aang #katara #sokka #netflix avatar

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plusultranumber1 · 2 years ago

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My Thoughts on Mobile Suit Gundam Ep 1, 2, 8

This series felt like a much needed breath of fresh air from the previous couple gut-wrenching watches. I like the whole 70s cartoon aesthetic, and the show’s storytelling is quite advanced for its time. Its portrayal of female characters and concepts of morality in wartime give it a modern feel, while the animation style and intense action sequences give it a nostalgic vibe. That being said, it still heavily focuses on war and conflict, militarism, and featured numerous civilian casualties. At the heart of the story, it deals with the consequences of space colonization and the use of new military weapons in a war between independence and order. I look forward to seeing how the story develops.

The series deals with the concepts of the moral gray area that arises during times of conflict. This series heavily plays into a militaristic mindset, and the chess moves each side takes against one another in order to gain an advantage, such as destroying material so it doesn’t fall into enemy hands. In this futuristic society, there is technology capable of being highly effective in combat without the need of many on the ground troops. However, it is also a weapon that is nearly indestructible and can be used to attack civilians. This predicament begs the question of whether or not the usage of such technology that is capable of such destruction outweighs the possible loss of human life. Other moral questions displayed in the series so far is the responsibility of the civilians contributing to the war effort, as many of the characters on Site 9 are used in the fight against the enemy, such as Amuro piloting the mobile suit. Due to the low number of military personnel, regular people must step up in the fight and risk their lives to continue fighting the war. Morality of what is good and evil is a constant in this series, and it makes it compelling to see the choices the characters make in tough situations.

Another aspect the series depicts is the trauma of war. In the early episodes, many characters are seen struggling to deal with the harsh fighting and loss they’ve incurred; Amoro’s friend is clearly shaken during the attack on their home colony when her entire family is killed, Amoro has trouble getting past thinking that he is killing other people when he destroys the mobile suits, Kai freaks out when he is fighting for his life in the mobile suit. The civilian reaction to war is relatable, and truly shows the impact war can have. In the episode where the refugees are escorted to a new settlement, the toll the war takes on both sides is evident. The enemy pilots tasked with escorting the refugees during the cease-fire go out of their way to protect the lone child and mother, disregarding their own orders for the sake of helping out their fellow man. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that the settlement the mother wants to go to has been reduced to a crater, a solemn reminder of the collateral damage of war. The series does an excellent job portraying facets of warfare that affect both sides in a conflict, and shows that while their respective sides may be in disagreement, they are still people.

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therese-lokidottir · 10 months ago

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When it comes to comic books to live-action that has always had success. It's not guaranteed to work, but it's always had more than enough success to be worth giving it a shot. Animation whether it be Western cartoons or whatever qualifies as anime rarely works out. At best, they tend to get some cult status. But I don't think I know any cartoon to live-action adaptation that the majority of people think is a truly good and needed product. Never have I heard that people watch an amazing cartoon and say this would be better in live-action.

The idea that live-action is something better or inherently more mature is such a terrible opinion far too many people have. Because 19 years later people not only still love Avatar: The Last Airbender, but they make analyses and people are inspired by it in their art. I don't know a lot of other 2005 live-action "grown-up" shows that have made the same impact on people.

ATLA never talked down to its audience, it never felt like it was just dumping exposition and it built a world people wanted to see more of. Didn't need to be live action to tell a good mature story.

#avatar the last airbender

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popculturebuffet · 5 months ago

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Before we get to Disney, I'm gonna make a little detour with Total Drama. Since you talked about Island 2007 and Action in the late 2000s Cartoon Network shows ask, may as well try for the other seasons (not including the two reboot seasons since you haven't seen them yet). Who is your favorite character from each of these later seasons/spin offs: World Tour, Revenge of the Island, All Stars, Pahkitew Island, Ridonculous Race, and DramaRama? And as a bonus, I'll also throw in 6teen as well since it shared a lot of staff with Total Drama and it's implied to be in the same universe as Total Drama (plus Jude being a main character on DramaRama, with Nikki getting a cameo and mention in one episode of that show as well).

Oh i've seen most of the first reboot season just not the second yet (I'm waiting till we get a us airdate. I might still binge it , but I want to have it synch up with the us airdate to put it on my best of list. ) So it's included. Also big thanks for including 6teen 6teen: Used to be jude but I think it might be Jonesy.. while he coudl be an ass, he was an entertaining ass who had a lot of style and his realtionship with Nikki was just.. pure greatness. The best. The show itself is great and one I need to watch again, a nice slice of life that uses the mall setting well. Honestly wouldn't mind a revivial just maybe update it to a more modern outdoor mall or have the mall not doing great. It also had a stand in for christopher walken so that's always good. A funny, fun down to earth slice of life show.

Stoked: Dont' really have a faviorite character but since you included 6teen why not. I never quite vibed on this one. I have friends who did and I like the CONCPET, teens working at a fancy resort ala that one arc of saved by the bell.. but the cast felt mostly like copies of the 6teen cast just transplanted to a surf setting. The oppistes attract couple, the chill as hell guy, the sporty girl, the heriess forced to work.... it felt like a weak rehash and that they could've done way better.

World Tour: Noah and Tyler. I was going to say noah with tyler as a tie but.. fuck it they both get the gold as World Tour took two fan faviorites who had a good moment or two in island, but not much else : Noah left very early and tyler was primarily there to cause tension between heather and lindsay that never really payed off as while Island is still excellent it does have a habit of setting up things that never go anwhere (See the whole idea of a tribal council type thing during brunch of disgustingness.

Noah was great, getting to be sarcastic surrounded by mostly idiots, and getting a fun odd couple friendship with Owen. Action hadn't been exactly kind to owen, having him stay around way too long only to come back for boring subplot that didn't really pay off, only serving to get best boy harold eliminated when Duncan and Harold made the most sense for the final two. So instead we got Owen being stupid, and Noah reacting to it while still being supportive of his pal, a perfect foil for Tyler's dumbassery and dj's weird runner, and overall a character who should've stuck around a bit longer.

Tyler meanwhile was just adorable. The running gag with lindsay was great, but also got a truly heartwarming payoff, while his tendencies to fall on his face got nicely exagerated making him nature's perfect butt monkey.

As for world tour itself it's a decent season and one of the franchises best... but is a bit overhyped in hindsight. The first half DOES live up to said hype: a good cast, the series best antagonist, Heather in a fresh roll stuck on a team that dosen't want her while combatting a villian she has both great chemistry with and who is running circles around everyone. It has some stupidity like Leshawnas and Bridget's cheating on their partners, but it largely works. The second half, while having a great finish and some good songs.. is a step down. The gwen and duncan and courtney drama drags on WAY too long and elemnates gwen for so reason as with Blanely getting added post merge, we didn't need three antagonists and without the gwen friendship she was firmly back in that roll. Cody dosen't really get any devleopment despite the clear room for it, Sierra is one of the worst contestants in the shows history and her one gag is awful, and that gets only worse as the show goes on and there's less people to protect cody from harassment. It's still a solid season, the songs are great and even the second half has some good jokes, but it's one that looses steam as it goes. It's still one of total drama's best, a solid fourth place for me and third beofre the reboot aired... but it's still a tad weak like action, if still an improvment over it.

Revenge of the Island: Is excellent. It's not perfect, a cast member or two dosen't work (looking at you sam and ann maria), the depection of DID with mike is messy as all hell (though I still LIKE mike DID should not be a throaway joke or quirk) and the Ezikel thing continues to be dumb.. but it's flaws.. don't overshadow a great season. It's challenges may be forgetable, but it's cast is fantastic, with Scott being an easy second faviorite antagaonist as his team killing strategy is unique and fun, standouts like Dawn, Cameron, Brick and B, and easily the best final challenge in the shows history: brains vs brawn. Faviorite is Cameron. He's shy, hilarious and his friendship with mike works REALLY well: the two have great chemistry and trying to help mike with his mpd is a nice subplot and one of the few times it's not used to have WACKY CHARACTERS ABOUT YUK YUK. He also gets good character developments, going from a shy scared guy mostly carried by having good friends or working with one of the main villians out of necisity, to a truly self reliant young man who wins the million (In the verison I watched and frankly my canon) and earns his victory.

All Stars: Scott again, whose turned into a down bad butt monkey and it works: he can't team kill again, there are better villians who outclass him, so having him be a comedy asshole not only gives him the buckets of karma he deserved from Revenge, but also makes him oddly adorable and I wish they hadn't half heartedly broken him and courtney up. They worked. The season itself.. is the series worst so far. and of the franchise. I may not like Pahketew or Dramarama and have some issues with action and world tour... but their at least.. watchable. All Stars is a series of bullshit elimeinations, recycled jokes, plots that make no sense, sinking duncan and gwen which while not a ship I liked is taken to stupid lengths here, and a one note villian. Not to mention the finale which while having easily my faviorite total drama line ever

Wastes a good obstacle course on possibly murdering old contestants and the bullshit RESET BUTTON. Just.. the reset button. So much stupidity, not enough fucks to give to go into why pressing a button to cure mental illness is fucking embarssing. I do like Gwen and Cameron's relationship, it's somehow the most healthy she's ever had which I admit is both bogus and sad, but it's really sweet and that cheek kiss is adorable. Pahktew Island: Is boring. It has a few great contestants in Shawn, Ella, Amy and Samey... and not much else. Most of the cast is kinda boring, the sky and dave thing can eat my entire ass in a bad way, the challenges are forgetable and sugar just fucking sucks, taking the problems with ann maria and sam of just being a giant refrence and compounding it by also being the main villian and thus far more prominent. All Stars is far worse.. but I have more to talk about. I forgot Pahkitew soon after it aired and have no real desire to go back for a refresher.

Ridonclous Race: Ridonclus Race is , putting it with the others, my third faviorite season. I didn't think to include it when I was talking about world tour earlier but since it didn't get a second season (though I hope it does get revivied one of these days) and functions similar writing wise, I lump it in these days. Race was a MUCH needed breath of fresh air after the awful production season before it, and if brought back ever has a nice way to bring back old contestants now their all older thanks to the time skip. My faviorite character is hard as the goths are great, Noah and Own once against slap... but I give it to Kitty and Emma, the two have a great dynamic, kitty being adorable and fun to follow and Emma being driven, and their later hooking up with Noah and Owen not only provides great chemistry (Emma and Noah are adorable as hell and Kitty and OWen could work once she's you know, legal), but one of the seasons best subplots. Overlal the show is just solid: While the best friends and daters suck, their pretty much the only long standing teams that are a pain to watch: everyone else works, the shakeups in both a new format of reality to parody and a new host whose not a monster, tons of great arcs and jokes. This season is an easy faviorite of mine and the series third best.

Dramarama: Jude. including him is weird as fuck but i'll take it. The show itself.. I saw a few episodes, coudln't get into it and while it's readily avaliable on max I have no intention too. Why they coudln't be in elementary school, which would provide a bigger cast and most of the same stories is beyond me. Or just have a continuity reboot with everyone from all three generations at the same high school and also the 6teen cast is there why not. This ones more annoyign for the wasted potential of a fresh total drama continuity with whoever they wanted to pick and choose from the series massive cast> it's not as bad as all stars but ceases to make me give a fuck either.

Reboot season 1: God this is good. Faviorite is the hockey players, though a lot of the cast is good (I also like damien, scary girl, and bowie), my love of letterkenny means I can't.. not love these guys as they have a LOT of riley and jonesy energy, but without their accidental jackassery> Their just purehearted jocks with suprising strategic game, and Raj and Bowie's romance is great, as is Wayne hoping Raj will tell him soon so he can ship them openly. THeir just the best. The season itself is my second faviorite, though RR i still closely behind it. The new cast is almost all bangers and even ripper, who annoys the fuck out of me, is at least entertaining as his jackassery goes SO over the top sometimes it's funny. Chase is the only one I really TRULY hate, being an abusive asshat who won't shut the fuck up and adds nothing comedicaly, which says something. The cast is just great filled with good ideas, great chemistry and some all time standouts.

The challenges are also a step up as I hadn't realized till this season that aside from RR (That had the beneift of both going global again like world tour and the amazing race format).. the challenges were just forgetable. Revenge had maybe three that stuck out. In contrast all the challenges for the reboot are pretty good. Id idn't care for the farting episode with real life dinosaurs or the puking challenge, but I can at least give that one points for chef's cooking show style intros that while gross were hilarous, and the rainbow vomit.

It's a solid season, lots of fun to watch and a sign that even if season 2 hits some rough waters the show can still go and the time off for spinoff babies may of been good. It gave the show time to refocus, think of new ideas, and update it for the modern era and it's payed off wonderfully.

#total dama

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fierylittleniece · 1 year ago

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🦁 my favorite ships

From @theeclipse

//Are these my favorite ships from fandoms or favorite ships for my OCs? I can kinda do both since I have the time.

OC Ships (These are just some or else I'd be talking for HOURS):

JohnnieXLucifer: Johnnie is actually an OC inspired by the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia. I think it's a really perfect pair to have her accidentally fall for the man who tried to make a deal for her soul. It's very much an enemies to lovers situation.

RoxyXBen Reilly: This one was full of angst because I used to have a verse where Roxy dated a Peter Parker who passed away. Seeing Ben was like getting a second chance but also a completely clean slate because Ben was a completely different person.

DarrenxMayday Parker: A longggg time ago I had a partner who played Mayday. She was probably the first person I ever got to use Darren with and they were just so cute together. Just two kids in love with family members who knew each other from crime fighting.

Normal Fandom Ships

Marvel Shame Column:

Stucky: As a Cap 2 Groupie, I will not be explaining myself.

SamBucky: As a Sam Wilson groupie, I will not be explaining myself.

Black Hill: I should be able to explain this one. Yet I can't. They're coworkers. It's just too good.

Shuriri: A new one that is just very very cute. I hope we get some more content for this in the comics or something. I'll take table scraps at this point.

Amerikate: This one is much bigger in the comics and we'll likely NEVER see it in the movies. .

Carhodey: Another comic one that I think is tasty and deserves a little hintage in the movies. Not likely but a girl can dream.

Thororo: *screams* That is all.

Claire Temple and Matt Murdock: I do not know why this has no ship name. There was tension here and I guess I'm the only one who saw it that way.

DC:

WonderBat: The cartoons really seal the deal on this one for me. There's something about Diana being the one constantly trying to break past his broody boy shell that scratches an itch in my brain.

Harlivy: Sometimes healing is dating that hottie that has similar hobbies as you (doing crime in Gotham) and that's beautiful. A wonderful ship truly. So nice to see something that started off as a crackship in the fandom bloom into fully canon.

Star Wars:

FinnxRey: I wanted this. I wanted this so hard. And I got...NOTHING

FinnPoe: We all wanted this. Everyone liked this. And here we are. We were fools.

Weird Fandom Ships (Under Read More because I talk for a longggg time.)

Disney Ships

TianaXMulan: No I cannot explain. In like 2009 there was this massive community of people on YouTube who would edit Disney princess characters together like they were in love with all sorts of music and whatever. I honestly think this foundation of YouTube edits is what transitioned into all those Rise of the Tangled Brave Dragons edits that plagued the 2010s. Anyway there were a LOT with Tiana and Mulan and it just felt right.

TianaXSteve Rogers: Similar vein of Disney content but later. After the 2012 Avengers movie came out the Disney Youtube editors were shipping these cartoons with the live action Avengers. Hilarious but I genuinely think they would've had good chemistry. When I started rping as Tiana on Tumblr I did have some really good threads with a Steve Rogers rper who I don't think is active anymore.

TianaXCharlotte La Bouff: I promise these are not all Tiana ships but the Tiana ships are the ones I remember so vividly in my fandom life. This one is so good and honestly I'm fine with them in a throuple that has Naveen in it too. I think Tiana just deserves all the love she can get her hands on.

OUAT Ships

Swan Queen: I stg I was robbed. All OUAT ever did was piss me off and spit in my salad. You wanna talk about enemies to lovers you COWARDS? COPARENTING POTENTIAL? ABC WHEN I FIND YO- I have only once exception to my love of this ship and that one is below.

SwanFire: listen JUST please. I'll never forgive ABC for this one. Neil was the most interesting original character and they just fridge my man like that. There was so much potential for forgiveness and growth with these two. And they just REFUSE to let good men win.

#this became a rant #i am so sorry

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