#despite this she is actually the weakest of the characters i consider most powerful and is only above average for a Valkyrie.

[once-and-future-alaskan]

I wanna clarify that despite all my 'tisming about making the military and tech of Følslava relatively grounded, it is generally my most bat shit and power creeped setting. Literally the only reason I can't say it has all my most powerful ocs is because Nika exists.

And being honest, I don't actually know who's more powerful there.

[acourtofthought]

The Asteri arrange bondless matings in Midgard to produce powerful offspring. The Asteri corrupted the Cauldron. ACOTAR is the only world where the Cauldron has influence. ACOTAR is the only world where we know some matings bonds can be wrong. Rhys says mating bonds may be from the Mother or the Cauldron, and might just be to produce powerful offspring. If SJM wants to make Elain and Azriel true mates she's already done all the work. It's all in canon. Elriel, Nessian, and Feysand could all have bonds from the Mother, just like in CC and TOG. Elucien could have a bond from the corrupted Cauldron. It's not that hard.

In 15,000 years.

After Danika / Baxion, Kallias / Vivianne, Feyre / Rhys, Rowan / Aelin, Bryce / Hunt, Nesta / Cassian, and so on.

In 15,000 years, ONLY the Elucien mating bond is corrupt? Those are some fucking odds, let me tell you. And damn, Elain and Lucien must be really important to be the sole recipients of such a unique plot with such far reaching implications.

It's really strange how the Asteri, who have never met Elucien and will never meet Elucien considering the ones on Midgard who are responsible for all this corruption are (spoiler) DEAD, would have gone to so much trouble.

If you're trying to claim Elain and Lucien were mated only to create the most powerful offspring than I feel pretty bad for E/riels future children since you're telling me they will just never measure up and that Az is in fact the weakest link.

It's also really strange how this same corrupt Cauldron created Elain and Nesta. Maybe it's not the bond that is corrupt but Elain herself, right? Since everything that comes from the cauldron now has the potential to be tainted I guess neither Lucien or Az should end up with a girl with that sort of questionable creation. I mean, the author did include the line about Elain having tightness on her face and Cassian suspecting she wasn't telling the truth about something. Clearly, that's SJM already "doing the work" to support Evil Elain and Az and Lucien will need to put her down together.

You know what's not hard? Understanding why some bonds are poorly matched.

You're referring to Rhys's parents, correct?

Rhys's father was cold and vicious and stole his mother away the second their bond snapped because he felt entitled to her. He also refused to ban wing clipping despite his her begging him to.

Rhys's mother was soft and fiery and beloved by many.

Elain sounds like Rhys's mother, does she not?

Cold and vicious, cold and vicious, feels entitled to a female. Gosh...that just doesn't sound like Lucien.

But it kind of does sound like someone full of an icy rage who is a far better liar than Rhys himself and knows how to perform a symphony of pain during his torture sessions. The guy who feels he should have gotten Elain as a mate for the simple fact that his brothers are with her sisters.

Elain and Az will never be true mates and let me tell you why.

Because as Elain was violated in the most horrible way possible to her character, Az was crying out for Mor.

As Elain was depressed and traumatized, Az never bothered to ask how she was doing, did not visit her for weeks after she was turned, and actually drew straws so he didn't need to stay and guard her.

After Elain lost her father, Az was relieved not to get her a Solstice gift and blushed and stared at Mor with heat and yearning.

I don't even need an Elucien mating bond to understand he is by far the better male for her.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 55 Review - Friendly Matches With The Elites

It’s nice that the story takes a break in order to have a fun little match with the Elite Four members. While the fights were fun to watch, what worries me the most is that the matches will be used for power scaling debates. Please take those debates out of here and just watch the kids battle Elite Four trainers for the fun of it! Pokemon is all about fun, after all! These matches do not determine which Elite Four is the strongest or weakest or which of the three kids are the strongest. It’s just a test for students to see how well they have progressed and how well they can terastalize. There is a set of rules with these battles: The students must pair up with the Gym Leader they took the test with and only the student can terastalize. The match ends when one of the Elite Four’s Pokemon is knocked out or when the student’s Pokemon is knocked out. I like that the rules are strict because it handicaps both the Gym Leader and the Elite Four member and gives the student the spotlight because they’re the most inexperienced.

Four matches were shown in this episode. To be honest, I thought that the pacing would be a bit messy, but it’s not as bad as I assumed. The main highlights are Dot and Roy’s matches, so Coral and Sidian’s matches are trimmed down heavily.  For Dot’s match, she’s paired up with Iono and they’re matched against Poppy who uses Tinkaton and Copperajah. Dot uses Quaxly and Iono uses Bellibolt. For a nine-year-old, Poppy actually shows why she’s an Elite Four member as she’s very strategic in her battles. She uses Sandstorm mechanics and she even commands her Tinaktink to use Brick Break to break Bellibolt’s Reflect. I think that’s the first time its secondary effect is shown? Speaking of battle effects, I loved the little detail where Quaxly gets shocked by Discharge because it’s a move that affects the ally too The battle was very exciting, but eventually, Copperajah gets knocked out by Bellibolt, securing a win for Dot. I do like that Dot is actually frustrated with her win because it’s in-character for her. She wanted to win with her own merits, but Poppy tells her to cheer up.

The match with Roy and Brassius against Hassel was also fun to watch! While the previous match with Dot was a match full of strategy, Roy’s match was one full of creativity. I do like that Roy and Brassius teamed up to create moves that can be used in a contest battle. However, I did expect Roy to lose; it’s not because of the fact that he was the only one of the three who won his Terestal Course battle, but it’s because Baxcalibur got so many power-ups due to its ability that a win for Hassel was already guaranteed. Seeing the two struggle against him reminded me of when I was battling him in the game; I struggled hard with him too—that Baxcalibur is terrifying. Despite losing, Roy is happy. He learns that battling is all about teamwork and that he needs the help of others to get things done. I love that the mindset between Roy and Dot differs in these matches. I love the part where Hassel bursts into tears and is comforted by his Pokemon; seeing Baxcalibur hugging him was the cutest thing ever!

The Explorers duo get their matches too, but it’s trimmed down a lot. Coral actually loses her match when she uses her infamous Self-Destruct tactic to not only knock out her own Glalie, but her partner Kofu’s Wugtrio and Larry’s Flamigo and Oricorio Pom-Pom form. The way she got mad that it’s not considered a win and how Larry roasted her by telling her that her personal rules won’t apply when she goes into society was hilarious. Sidian also loses his match with Rika because he was protecting his partner Tulip’s Espathra, knowing that if his Pokemon is knocked out, he’ll lose. He explains that it’s not in him to use “backup” as a means to secure victory, showing off his usual honorable side. Seriously, Sidian is a rather nice guy; I do wonder why he’s with the Explorers. Overall, I feel like the matches with Kofu, Tulip, and Larry are cut down because they’re most likely the focus for the next stage of the Terestal Course; that’s just a prediction on my part.

Overall, these matches were a lot of fun! It’s just nice to see the kids battle and see their improvement! Now that the next episode will focus on Liko and Katy against Rika, I do wonder who will win. Liko has the type advantage as Rika is a Ground-type specialist, but her ace Clodsire is also a Poison type, which means that Grass moves won’t be as effective. If I was her, I’d target Dugtrio. Who do you think will win?

[proxissima]

Least favorite Ozai take you know (you can also name more if you like too)

Even after taking a thorough break from the ATLA fandom in the past year, that Ozai "isn't the sharpest tool in the shed", that people seem to think that he's the dumbest member in the royal family is the take that came to my mind immediately, and it's the one that I still abhor to this day.

Dishonourable mention goes to Ozai being also the most talentless and/or weakest firebender, which tends to go hand-in-hand with the above-mentioned take.

People who spout this nonsense with such confidence make me wonder if they even watched the same show as the rest of us or if they transferred here from some parallel universe, because what part about Ozai shooting lightning like fireworks during Sozin's comet, what part about him sensing the end of a total eclipse in a bunker deep in the earth, from his inner fire alone (all while regular firebending soldiers hadn't even noticed that their bending was gone in the first place!!), what part about Ozai being the only person that was able to summon lightning from both hands simultaneously (in the OG show tbf), near instantaneously and with just a sliver of the sun (never mind that by this point there were only two other people in the world that were even able to generate lightning and neither were on his level), gave the impression that he's an unskilled or untalented fighter?

And that's just listing his feats regarding his lightning, not even his general technique and bending.

Ozai is both powerful AND capable of extreme precision, something people also just love to ignore when they're forced to admit that Ozai is no chump in the power department.

EOS Azula would absolutely NOT defeat prime Ozai and Iroh would at least have a hard time with him. Jeong Jeong, however, is decisively getting smoked, never mind anyone less than a master; some people need to come down from cloud cuckoo land.

On a side note, I like how in the bottom right picture, it looks like Ozai is bending blue fire when he's unleashing huge lightning bolts in reality.

Another take I despise is the common notion that Ozai wanted to have Zuko dead since his birth, or that he couldn't wait to kill his infant son, which is factually wrong. Even the comics, despite instigating this whole mess, made it clear that Ozai wasn't that bad.

Okay, further tonal whiplash incoming, but there's another topic on my mind. That's your warning.

I also used to hate the notion that Ozai is a rapist and that the relationship between him and Ursa was one of constant abuse. (I think it was a bold move of Bryke and generally everyone to portray Iroh, of all people, as the polar opposite and a demure character, considering his history with women... but Iroh is a whole different can of worms.) Let it be said that I still think the plot of the comics is complete horse-shit in that regard, so my opinion on that hasn't changed.

However, I won't lie and say that there isn't a certain, morbid appeal in Ozai using sex as a weapon to exert control over people.

There was a fic, I think it was called Queens and Consorts that portrayed Ozai's manipulative and subtle side quite well, where each chapter is written from a different woman's perspective that all are either in or have some business with the royal family. Ursa felt unloved, but when it turned out that she was the only one Ozai truly loved? *Chef's kiss*. The fic deals with the inner workings of not just the royal family but also the political intricacies of the royal court in a captivating manner. I remember it being worth a read, but I digress.

Back to my original point though, I do also have to give Dominion credit where it's due, because the particular chapter, chapters? where Ursa departs, written from her POV, were an interesting read that gave insight into Ozai's character and their toxic and abusive relationship. I liked that Ursa was actually in love with him, but turned to despise him all the same. One part that has stuck with me was, paraphrased, how Ozai would sometimes forcefully take her, but she would spread her legs for him willingly on enough other occasions.

The abuse, in general, is a touchy topic and it's a delicate balance to strike, between giving Ozai edges, without taking away from his humanity entirely, and avoiding making it grotesquely obscene, but if done right, it can add a whole lot of complexity to their dynamic. Needless to say, the comics busted it miserably. Like, so thoroughly, a twelve year old could come up with a more cohesive and interesting plot.

I think this type of characterisation of Ozai works best, when it's not just him, but also the rest of the family to be depicted to have extremely dubious morals that serve as a reminder why exactly no one was objecting to perpetuating a century-long war their ancestor started, but also why practically every member of the following generations was either willing to carry out a genocide/mass murders on their own, have successfully done so, or were actively endorsing it. (It's certainly noteworthy that we know nothing about Lu Ten's mother, and that any of Iroh's past in the military has been carefully tiptoed around in all official portrayals post-ATLA.)

All of this being said, I don't get it when Ozai is the one portrayed as this depraved, sadistic rapist, all while characters like Azulon and especially Iroh, out of all people, are treated as the bastion of moral superiority in the meantime, or something, like they'd genuinely be outraged by... (marital) rape and abuse. These two. It's a bold assumption at best.

It's just kind of a pointless endeavour, trying to apply modern-day (western) morals on the setting ATLA takes place in and pretending [favourite] characters would hold those same values and act accordingly, when it's more comparable to the late 19th century. (Yes, there's enough people on stan Twitter and Reddit who actually seem to forget about this)

Obligatory disclaimer that I've got nothing against modern AUs or whatever. I just don't like it when people are genuinely pretending that is how characters would be thinking in canon.

[landonkirbyappreciation]

I still can’t get over how the writers made Landon being left behind and/or sacrificed the solution to like every problem on the show. Landon’s death and pain was somehow always the answer. Landon’s suffering was somehow always necessary for everyone else to survive. How was the “human,” the one without powers for most of the show, who was considered the “weakest,” always the one who had to die and pay the price in order for all these supernatural beings to live?? You have all these people with powers who are praised and call themselves heroes, yet they couldn’t seem to be heroes without sacrificing Landon? (I’m referring to the squad and not Hope when I say this btw, she was obviously capable of being the hero without sacrificing Landon. And she never wanted that or considered it as an option till the writers forced it and had the squad pressuring her and gaslighting her.) Landon was treated as the weakest, well, aren’t heroes supposed to protect the weak? Aren’t they supposed to protect and save the innocent, which Landon certainly was? But no, the “heroes” of legacies sacrificed the innocent in order to protect themselves. Despite them supposedly being the strongest and most powerful as the “super squad” and the fact that they claimed to be heroes. And of course, Landon being sacrificed was always portrayed as the right and noble choice, the only choice (when it absolutely was not the only choice, and definitely wasn’t right). In these same scenarios that coincidentally just kept happening over and over again, where Landon being left behind and/or killed was somehow always the only option. Because the writers felt the need to keep forcing those scenarios and that kind of reasoning, as if they were determined to make us, as well as the characters, believe that Landon being saved will forever be the wrong choice? As if everyone will die and the world will end if Landon gets to live? How was it so impossible for like a half a dozen supernatural “heroes” to save the day while also allowing Landon to live? The squad could just never manage to do anything to save Landon. It happened to be this impossible feat every single time? And also happened to be “wrong” too, something that shouldn’t even be attempted, apparently. Why was saving such a good and innocent person always portrayed as some terrible thing? The most innocent and pure character just has to be disposed of for everyone else’s protection. He just has to be sacrificed and left behind every time for the “greater good” which wouldn’t even be a thing if the squad would just do something instead of putting it all on Hope and pushing her to let Landon die. And if the writers would let the characters actually make the effort to find another way, the way heroes should. But no, the suffering of someone who has only ever done good is always the solution to everything. Even after Landon’s last death, when he’d already been left behind and sacrificed how many times, since they couldn’t sacrifice his life anymore with him already dead and trapped in purgatory and cursed for eternity, they had to come up with some other new way to sacrifice him. So what did they do? Sacrifice his soul. Like they really pushed sacrificing him as far as it could go. And made it so his soul being sacrificed just so happened to be the only way to ensure the squad’s safety and happiness once again. Because him giving up his life for them before just wasn’t enough, he’s gotta lose part of his soul too, the only thing he had left. Landon suffering for everyone else’s benefit was really an endless cycle that clearly never would’ve stopped, no matter how long the show went on. Genuinely, what on earth went on in that writers’ room that led to this? What made them think any of this was okay? To make this kind of a character losing absolutely EVERYTHING over and over again the answer to everyone’s problems?? It’s downright disgusting and disturbing on so many levels.

[lovetheangelshadow]

N'Pressions: Ghostbusters: Answer the Call Comic Mini-Series is a Better Movie

Greetings lethals and villains-it is spooky time and I decided to go chatter about a Halloween classic: the ghostbusters series. Granted I don’t consider the original Ghostbusters this sacred golden cow of cinema but it is one of those franchises that gives way to a lot of flexibility if the two animated series and comic lines have shown us anything. The first one has the best jokes, the second has the best storyline, and Afterlife has the most heart. I’ll admit I didn’t like Answer the Call….on its own terms. A lot of the scenes dragged on to get to the point or the jokes were repeated until they just lost all amusement. And there was just this undertone of unnecessary bitterness that just…why? I could even forgive the special effects if the writing was better. What is crazy is that it wasn’t the story or character concepts themselves that were bad because both Channel Awesome and Lego Dimensions could take those ideas and actually make them funny. Heck the IDW line did a mostly female team arc in their main Ghostbusters series about two years prior to the film and I highly recommend it.

Thinking about that; if they had used the basis of that story for the film-it would have been a huge improvement and maybe I’ll squawk about that one another day. One of the boons that came from Answer the Call was that a lot of the IDW Ghostbusters comics were on sale on Comixology way back in the days before Amazon and their meddling with the UI of the site. Which is really frustrating now especially when you live in the middle of nowhere and you would have to drive almost an hour to get my wings on comics and manga.

Which actually brings us to this mini series that is based off the Answer the Call team. This isn’t the first time they were featured in comics, that would be the crossover miniseries: Ghostbusters 101. Unfortunately that crossover is the weakest out of the six crossover specials but this is another discussion for another time. Though their comic journey would be improved in this 5 part miniseries and the Crossing Over event.

These issues would come out in 2018 and in timeline it would take place after 101 with the story written by Kelly Thompson and the artwork done by Corin Howell. The story begins inside a brownstone house and the team is fighting a ghost child. After the capture we see that something is up with Abbey. Back at base Patty is researching up the history of the place and finds something disturbing-that the house used to be come to a Doctor Kruger.

On the nose, I know-even the comic admits that and that he was researching nightmares. And then it shows Abbey being possessed. Holtzman brings out a new weapon and starts technobabbling like she did in the movie and Patty and Erin actually tell her to shut it. On a side note-one thing I will give the movie credit for is the variances of the proton functions and other tools. Sure they will use the basic wand shooters for most jobs-but when they are facing a different sort of enemy-they know they have to vary things up as we shall see later in the mini. Anyway, while they do recuse Abbey-Kruger uses Intimidate and then runs off. In the next issue they chase Kruger into the Empire State building but he is able to push back the capture streams. When they question why-Kruger gives them a demonstration of just what he is capable of even in his current power level by putting them each into their own personal nightmares. Erin is chased by giant bees. Abby is surrounded by clowns, Patty by creepy dolls, and Holtzman surrounded by automatons.

But if you look a second time there is a second nightmare underneath all that. Both Erin and Abbey have a fear of being laughed at and mocked by the scientific community despite their research and evidence. Patty being left behind by the others because she is not a scientist like the rest of the crew. And Holtzman being unable to escape the pressure of conformity. Again it is a nice little character moment that plays into the narrative without halting the plot.

Kruger leaves them behind and as Holtzman puts it afterwards he does not see them as an actual threat to his goals. But after a pep talk they head back to the firehouse to make a new plan and gather information. They realize the only way to really beat him is to either increase firepower (which they can’t do through legal means) or outsmart Kruger on his own turf-the latter being decided. After a joke about memory implantation and soup they discover they all share a singular experience from years ago and they can use that experience to level the playing field.

Back at the empire building they face off-though with some hiccups they manage to capture the field and have a plate of nightmare scrambled eggs. The end.

Honestly this comic is what the film should have been. It captures what is best about the franchise-a horror comedy that is still a fun adventure with some snark in the mix. In my opinion it addresses some of the issues of the 2016 film but fixes them in a more subtle way as opposed to shining a flashlight on them. I won’t go though every gag in this book but there is a clever running gag involving Kevin and the phones. The first time they didn’t receive calls because Kevin unplugged the phone. Later in the next book Kevin had cut the phone line but Abby had a storehouse of phones. And finally in the last book they bring up he can run the siren if he can master the phone plugged in. It’s a cute and clever bit of humor that varies it up enough and spaced so the gag actually works.

Though I wouldn’t say the comic is perfect. It’s biggest issue is that it tends to repeat the same story beats for the five issues. They encounter Kreuger, he scares them, he gets away-encounter, scare, escape-encounter, scare win. It really disrupts the flow even for a comic miniseries.

Even shows that play on the Fight to be Continued next episode still weaves into one another without falling back into a repeating loop. I get that they only had a limited space to work with unlike films but it some things could have been cut down such as Abbey being possessed (really aside from a quick reference to the film it doesn't do anything) or cut out to fit in those transitions more smoothly. If this ever got an adaptation this is something that could be fixed easily enough. That being said, if you can get your hands on a copy I recommend giving this mini-series a try and shrug about what we could have had. Also, Sony darling? Extreme Ghostbusters practically handed it to you! I’m Noctina Noir and take to the skies.

[voltronfandomhag]

Albegas/Gladiator Voltron Revisited

A few years ago I posted about Gladiator Voltron, the proposed third Voltron season which was to be adapted from Lightspeed Electroid Albegas. Ultimately it was abandoned in favor of producing another batch of Lion Voltron episodes. About a year ago Toei released the first two episodes of Albegas with English subtitles on Youtube. You can watch both episodes here and here. 

This post is meant to be an update of my first Gladiator Voltron/Albegas post, with more detail about the characters and setting. I also briefly share my thoughts on the show based on the two episodes available.

SETTING AND STORY

In the future, the nations of Earth have been at peace with each other for many years. Our three protagonists, Daisaku, Tetsuya, and Hotaru, are talented students at Aoda School, which is famous for its robotics program and located near Mt. Fuji. Their lives are turned upside down when the evil alien Derringer Empire, who already rules the galaxy, invades Earth. Earth’s only hope against this threat is the super robot Albegas and the three teenagers piloting it.

THE HEROES

Our heroes are teenagers who attend Aoda School in Japan. Each of them created a robot for a school competition. Their bots were later improved and modified so they could combine into Albegas. 

Daisaku Enjoji

Daisaku is brash, confident, loud-mouthed, and a total cad. Despite his bad grades, his skills in robotics are apparently superior to both Tetsuya and Hotaru’s. He comes from a working class family consisting of his painter father, stay-at-home mother, cheeky younger brother Jiro, and a younger sister. Both he and Tetsuya have a crush on Hotaru, though Daisaku is more blatant and perverted about it. His hobby is soccer. Pilots Alpha Robo (black).

Tetsuya Jin

Tetsuya comes across as more reserved than his two teammates. Like the others, he’s a student at Aoba School and skilled in robotics. It’s unknown what his grades are like, but at least one of his teachers, Ms. Danko Kibi, scolds him for his rebellious attitude. He and his sister grew up orphans with no other family to take care of them. Currently he lives alone in the school dorms. Tetsuya feels lonely and envies those who still have parents. What happened to his parents, along with the whereabouts of his sister, aren’t mentioned in the first two episodes. Unfortunately, he’s  something of a slob; his dorm room is a mess. Like Daisaku, he also has a crush on Hotaru. However, he’s more subtle about it and expresses exasperation at Daisaku’s pervy antics towards her. His hobby is playing guitar. Pilots Beta Robo (blue).

Hotaru Mizuki

Hotaru is the daughter of Professor Mizuki; her mother isn’t mentioned, but it’s implied she’s been out of the picture for a long time. Beautiful, intelligent, and feminine, she’s the star of Aoba School and her class representative. Despite being adored by her teachers and the heartthrob of her male classmates, she’s bullied by her female peers. She also longs for a mother figure; there’s a scene where Hotaru outright tells her father and his assistant, Saeko Asabuki, that she approves of their relationship and hopes they get married so Saeko can be her stepmother. While annoyed by Daisaku’s caddish ways, it’s implied the attraction might be mutual. Her hobby is tennis. Pilots Gamma Robo (red).

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

The allies, family, and friends of our heroes. 

Goro Kumai

HIS JAPANESE BLOOD TINGLES! A well-meaning but bumbling classmate of the main trio who serves as the show’s comic relief. Goro does his best to help defend Earth with his self-made gorilla robot but he’s simply out of his league. Daisaku considers him a burden while Hotaru pities him.  He has an unreciprocated crush on Hotaru. 

Professor Mizuki

A brilliant scientist and Hotaru’s father. His knowledge of robotics is second to none. After the main trio’s robots were nearly destroyed by invading Derringer, he not only rebuilt them, but made them much more powerful and able to combine into Albegas. He also serves as both a mentor and the voice of reason; he tries to encourage the trio to exercise caution and patience. However, his words often fall on deaf ears, and the trio’s insistence on rushing headlong into battle against his repeated warnings frustrates him. But he believes in the trio’s abilities. It’s implied he’s sweet on his assistant, Saeko Asabuki.

Saeko Asabuki

Professor Mizuki’s assistant and love interest. She’s soft spoken, beautiful, and lady-like. Hotaru wants her as a stepmother.

Ms. Danko Kibi

An overbearing, outspoken and strong willed teacher at Aoba School. She takes her job very seriously, is fiercely proud of the school, and believes it’s important her students grow to be strong, stout, and fearless. Despite not being the head teacher, she often gets her way through sheer force of personality.

THE VILLAINS

The villains aren’t very fleshed out, but given I only had two episodes, that’s not very surprising. Anyway, the Derringer are an evil purple-skinned alien race of conquers who have set their sights on Earth. They desire our planet for its beauty and consider humans primitive. Albegas is humanity’s only effective weapon against their superior technology. Their giant robot Mecha-Fighters are the Derringer’s most fearsome weapon.

Lord Deran the Great

Supreme ruler of the Derringer. We don’t actually see him in these episodes. The only information we learn about him is he desires all things beautiful as his own.

President Azass

The leader of the invading Derringer force stationed in a base orbiting Earth.

General Duston

President Azass’s top officer, at least during these first two episodes. He’s ruthless, prideful, and doesn’t take humans seriously.

General Catastra

Another army officer on President Azass’s orbital base. 

Dyme

Yet another Derringer officer. He considers Duston an incompetent moron for not taking Albegas more seriously as a threat 

LIGHTSPEED ELECTROID ALBEGAS

The three robots that compose Albegas (Alpha Robot, Beta Robo, and Gamma Robo) were not originally designed to combine together. Instead they were individually built by the main trio as entries into a school competition. When the Derringer attacked Japan, the three teens attempted to fight off the invaders in their robots, but were soundly defeated. Professor Mizuki, seeing the robots’ potential, both rebuilt and heavily modified them, making them far more powerful and able to combine together into multiple configurations. However, the three pilots, at first, don’t know and understand just how extensive the modifications were despite Professor Mizuki’s repeated warnings. Unfortunately, circumstances in the first two episodes have not given them time for proper training. As a result, the pilots are learning about Albegas’s abilities, and how to use them, in the heat of combat.

As stated, the robot comprising Albegas can combine in different ways, with each combination having its own specialization.

Denjin Dimension

Alpha, Beta, Gamma. This is the basic combat configuration. Can use the finishing move Denjin Sanbai Sword.

Sky Dimension

Beta, Alpha, Gamma. We don’t see any of its abilities, but I’m guessing it specializes in flight and/or aerial combat. 

Professor Mizuki mentions four other modes: Space, Sea, Underground, and Rescue.

My Thoughts

Do I think American Voltron fans missed out by not having Albegas localized? Not really. Between this, Golion, and Dairuggar, I feel this was the weakest show of the three, and I don’t think it would’ve captured kid’s imaginations the way Lion Voltron did. Granted, in some ways Albegas has more elements in common with GoLion than Diaruggar: small number of pilots, planet bound, faster paced, and a simpler story. But, again, I only have two episodes to go by, so I could be wrong on some of those points. But I’m interested enough that I’d watch more episodes if they became available.

[procrastinatingfeminist]

Re-imagine Snape

Someone recently went through pretty much every Snape-positive meta, sometimes with my own additions, that I reblogged (thank you, sweet person!), and for one, wow! I hadn't realised I had so much of it floating on my blog. For another, rereading one of the posts brought something to the forefront that I was too emotional at the time to formulate.

I sometimes struggle to with understanding criticism of media, when the critical voices come from people with a very different lived experience from my own. I am a cis white female who lives in a country with socialised healthcare, I am fully aware that I am insulated by privilege and accept that there are certain things, that I will never fully understand. Doesn't mean I shouldn't at least try. There is an exercise that I found useful, even though it falls back on the use of... very narrow stereotypes.

When 50 Shades of Grey suddenly went mainstream, I found the best way to explain why I disliked the franchise, despite it's fanfic origins, was to substitute the names of the protagonists with arabic sounding ones. Anastacia and whatshisname Mr. Grey became Aisha and Yusuf. And suddenly the fact that the male protagonist demands authority over what the female one wears, eats, where she lives, what she buys, who she socialises with and what she talks about, all outside of their sex play, stops sounding edgy and kinky, and starts looking a whole lot like abuse. Because we are conditioned to recognise abuse only when applied to certain groups, when viewed through certain lens, and it was easier to identify what my exact problem with 50 Shades was, only when I fully leaned into the stereotypes, eliminating my blind spot.

Now, reimagine Severus Snape as a black boy/man. He grew up poor and disadvantaged, in a town/part of town where most people had similar struggles. His home was abusive and neglectful, and he is socially awkward, whether as a result of the neglect or because it is something inherent to him, it doesn't matter. Despite having gained access to an elite school and showing talent, it is clear that his upbringing makes him an outcast. He is discriminated against and is further sidelined, subtly and overtly, by other students, by teachers and by the Headmaster. He is sorted into a House where the majority of racists are sorted into. He is denied access to networking opportunities by Professor Slughorn, despite his show of aptitude. He is constantly and viciously bullied by boys from very rich, very privileged families (I know, that only Sirius and James are from Ancient and Noble Families, but they are also the main driving forces behind the abuse at school; Peter and Remus were at best characterised as hangers-on), and his teachers ignore it; to the point that when his life is endangered the Headmaster outright refuses to even publicly aknowledge any wrongdoing by the responsible parties. He has no recourse against bullying, because he is much more in danger of being expelled himself if he retaliates in kind than to receive justice if he follows the acceptable course of action; and we don't really know how much bullying or peer pressure of participation he was under from his own housemates.

He will have very quickly realised, that even if he manages to finish the school he will have a very hard time to be compensated fairly for his work, despite his talents; because people will look down on him either because of his class background, or his race or his lack of social graces. And his only friend, a white girl, despite sharing the disadvantage of class and race (in the sense that she is also not a pureblood, since blood purism was used as a metaphor for racial inequality), she had a very different experience than him. One - she didn't grow up in an abusive household, two - because her family wasn't quite as poor as his, since, you know, her dad didn't drink away all their income; and three - she was planted into a much more socially flexible environment to make connections, aka the Gryffindor house.

Hell, even the way that some parts of HP fandom insist on hypersexualising the relationship of two prepubescent children is consistent with the portrayal of black boys in media. Because a thirty year old white man is a considered a child, but an 11 year old black boy is seen as a man. And if he is a man, the only thing he could want from this innocent white girl must be sexual in nature. Thus all the accusations of a 9-yr-old Severus stalking Lily somehow making sense.

And while I am not going as far as to equate the Death Eaters to Black Panthers, I do remember that the latter were often vilified as violent thugs and armed gang members, when what they actually wanted was to create a unified, defensible front, to be able to provide a safe, nurturing environment for their weakest members. Circling the wagons, if you want. If the Death Eaters weren't comprised of bigoted purebloods with more ambition and money than ability, but of muggleborns and muggle-raised halfbloods who would seek to increase their bargaining power in the Wizengamot and with potential employers, how quickly would they be labeled terrorists, intent on destroying the traditional pureblood ways? They wouldn't even have to kill a single pureblood.

What if they vowed to never accept less payment for services than what is fair, to never accept abysmal working conditions (except maybe to gain the mastery and then adios, motherfucker) and contracts with immoral stipulations; to invest in each others entrepreneural ideas instead of finding investors from pure blood families; at best accepting loans from Gringotts, because if anyone understands unfair treatment, it is goblins? What if they wielded their combined buying power among their own businesses and charging purebloods horrendously; what if they only apprenticed the children of their own circle, especially if the halfblood master of the field was the exceptionally gifted one and thus much more sought after among purebloods? Their social and financial power would be significant enough for a potential Minister of Magic to invest into courting their voting bloc, and for the Guilds to consider representing their interests. They wouldn't have any power on the Wizengamot, not at the beginning, but not every pureblood family was aligned with blood purists, though it is a big question, whether they wouldn't ally themselves with their former enemies once they perceive the ‘unpure’ as a threat. But if they would at least gain one pureblood family as a dissenting voice in the Wizengamot, as an avatar to promote more egalitarian laws... and then reinforce their message by applying the financial pressure... it is not unreasonable that at least some changes will be made. If this sort of power is what Severus imagined to gain from joining the Death Eaters... I can't actually fault him for that.

But I went off on a tangent. The point is, that Snape is one of the few characters who genuinely regretted his actions, but was still perceived as a criminal and a convicted felon, who only escaped imprisonment because an old white privileged man still had something to gain from pressuring him into a life of service and danger. The way his character arc is handled is also reminiscent of the discussions of the school-to-prison pipeline and incarceration rates in the US. And when he died, he died an ignominous death that no one but Harry Potter even valued. No one else would ever see him as a hero. No one else named their child after him, not even Draco, in whose protection Snape was so invested. He stayed a footnote in history, his contributions to the war effort forgotten or attributed to the man that manipulated him; the man who was lauded a hero and managed to finagle a  state funeral while Snape bled out on a dirty floor in an abandoned shack and no one knows where his body is, still vilified as a Dumbledore’s murderer and Voldemort’s bootlicker.

What I am saying, is seeing Severus Snape as conceptually a black man changes a lot in how i perceive his character, despite not changing even one word of canon.

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

Unpopular Opinion /lh /rp

Talking about dSMP character’s heights and sort of their body types? Not in a weird way just in a ‘how I imagine them’ way. Loosely based off of their irl heights, but some of them I don’t know, so it’s mostly guesswork and vibes. Also if you disagree you’re wrong. (Just kidding leave your ideas in the tags/replies)

Obviously this is all roleplay/character stuff. None of it is intended to be weird or to reflect on the irl people! I’m just having fun with headcanons :)

Tommy is 6′3 and very very lanky. This child is not short. Stop drawing him short. He’s taller than Techno. He’s not as tall as Wilbur, but he’s tall. He towers over most people. Emphasis on most because everyone is so tall on this server what the hell? 

Anyway I think the mental image of this super tall kid actively trying to make himself look shorter/smaller is heartbreaking. Like imagine him curled up into a corner trying to make himself as unnoticable as possible in Logsted. Imagine him slouching when living with Techno to try to make himself seem like less of a ‘problem’. Imagine Dream telling him that he’s a ‘big strong man’ and that he shouldn’t need help, he can defend himself, so when he goes back to Tubbo, he tries to make himself look *tiny* as a cry for help. He wants comfort.

But he’s also incedibly skinny. Back in L’manburg and Pogtopia, he developed some muscle from all the fighting. His shoulders broadened out and he looked slightly intimidating. But like most teenage boys, he was still lanky as hell. This only got worse when he was exiled to Logstedshire, with little food (and no drive to eat the food, or get up, or exersise) he became more malnourished and he just looked *small* despite being 6′3. This probably isn’t helped by the constant use of golden apples when he moves in with Techno, which give him energy and strength but no real nutritional value. Techno was just trying to get the kid to eat normally. When he finally stands at his full height, Techno is shocked that he didn’t notice all the slouching.

Anyway Techno is 6′2. He’s taller than a lot of people but not as tall as his brothers. He makes up for this with muscle and strength and a healthy body. Wow, the only healthy person on the server. Amazing. You love to see it. Good for him. He could win in a battle of raw strength against anyone else on the server. He’s quite broad, which makes him look bigger generally.

Wilbur is 6′5 and also he is a stick. Just. Straight up and down stick. Nothing there! He is just a pale sickly stick. This gets worse the further into the timeline you go. When claiming L’manburg and fighting in the war he starts to get insomnia, causing him to look like a corpse half the time. When in Pogtopia, he’s too busy to take care of himself properly, so he only looks worse and worse. His hair is a mess, his skin is far too pale, and he only eats enough to be able to hold his own in a short fight. There’s a reason he doesn’t wear armour or really try to fight at all. He’s subconciously self-destructive, then actively so when he blows the place to the ground. He’s always been too busy for self-care.

Ghostbur is a much more healthy, younger version of Wilbur. I would say he’s ‘water rising’ era Wilbur. The life returned to his body, in a morbid kind of way. He’s still tall but he prefers to make himself seem shorter just to be less threatening.

Phil is 5′11. He has an average build, with slight muscle from the years of playing in hardcore. He’s older, now, but he can still kick your ass. Also, he taught Techno how to fight smart, not hard. He doesn’t need to be super strong because he’s intelligent enough to outwit most people on the server. He has a wordly knowledge that others don’t possess. He also has wings, large and grey, clipped so he could get onto the server (there is a no flying rule after all).

Fundy is... 5′10, just a little shorter than Phil. His fox genes make him smaller, despite his father being 6′5. He’s got a healthy, svelte build. He’s sneaky and light on his feet. In the wars he built up some muscle, but it was quickly lost since he prefers to take a backseat to any fighting outside of those times (especially now) and he’s built for spying.

Schlatt is an interesting one because a lot of people are gonna fight me on this, but he’s not actually old. Everyone calls him old but honestly I think he’s younger than Wilbur (in canon, I feel like Wilbur is in his late 30s, early 40s, simply because). I think Schlatt’s around 35-ish, but he looks older due to his shitty health. People call him an old man either to demean him or because they see his actions and appearance and go ‘yeah, this guy is old’. Which is fair enough, because irl Schlatt and c!Schlatt both act like they’re from the 1950s.

This guy looks like shit by the end, but he looks alright at the start. Slicked-back hair, sharp ram horns, golden animalistic eyes. He’s intimidating. And loud. Then everything shifts, right towards the end. He’s frail and deteriorating throughout his short presidency, and by the end of it he’s practically a corpse, just like Wilbur.

He’s 6′3, with broad shoulders and a silhouette that seems strong not only because he carries himself as if he can fight, but also because of the percieved power that comes along with it. In reality, Schlatt is a poor fighter, and the abuse he ends up putting his body through (working out excessively to try to fight his condition, and turning to alcoholism as an escape) completely destroys him, making him probably one of the least healthy and weakest people on the server. It doesn’t really show until his death scene, since he’s covered up the deterioration since day one. Basically, mans is dead. 

Glatt, or Ghost Schlatt, or whatever you want to call him, would be a healthier Schlatt. Again, from the ‘water rising’ era. I headcanon him to have longer hair in that era. Not sure why.

Ranboo is the same height as tommy, but is more naturally lithe than made that way by lack of food. His enderman DNA can be blamed for that. He’s healthy most of the time, but may have spirals where he doesn’t take good care of himself (perhaps he forgets) and he looks pretty bad. If he goes a few days without keeping up his self-care routine, he looks a lot worse than he actually is. Sleep tends to be his biggest issue, his mind keeping him awake all night and leaving him looking like shit in the morning. Really, he’s just a kid with a troubled soul, and it shows sometimes. Most days, though, he looks very well put together.

Tubbo. He’s 5′6. He’s more childlike than Tommy, which only makes it worse when he acts in the way he does in season 2. He has burn scars across one side of his body, from his execution, and he is partially blind in one eye because of it. He takes very good care of himself, since he has to look good while being president if he wants those sweet sweet approval ratings. But when he’s super stressed, he will pull all-nighters and forget to eat. He’s got a lot of issues, but his body is very normal and healthy, all things considered. 

Quackity is 5′8. Which is really funny because that’s his actual height. He’s less sharp (?) than a lot of people on the server, but he has some muscle because he’s constantly training to ‘take down Technoblade’ (in reality, it’s a habit he picked up in Schlatt’s era, and never had the heart to drop). He tries his best to stay healthy (again, to better kill Techno) and he’s careful with his life, knowing that it’s his last.

Niki is 5′5. She’s also able to kick so much ass. That is all.

Dream is a bitch and therefore I will not be discussing him. Also he’s a blob or whatever so I guess height is irrelevant. Or maybe he’s a mysterious figure with a mask. Who knows.

No one else is important enough to talk about /j (but really I’m tired so I will stop here). Put your own thoughts in the comments, tags, and rbs. This was all in good fun, so don’t get mad haha.

[megaderping]

So I’ve been revisiting Sonic SatAM season 1, and while I plan to do a more thorough series of video content later (my computer is out for repairs), some casual observations:

- No, Sonic isn’t just an egotistical jerk or an idiot. He shows a TON of survival skills, adaptability, and cleverness. What he lacks in book smarts he more than makes up for in flexibility and improvisational skills. He’s also really kind to most of his friends and grateful when they save him for a change. The only one he really is “mean” to is Antoine, and that’s really more exasperation and dishing back what Ant gives him. 

But he shows a really wide range of emotions and is ultimately compassionate at his core, even when people initially rubbed him the wrong way. SatAM’s version of Sonic is awesome. We stan.

- Antoine... ugh. I love Rob Paulsen as a voice actor. I WANT to like Antoine, but he’s... really not aged well. Between the negative French stereotype, the multiple gags at his poor English, and the fact that in the only episode where he’s proactive, he regresses at the end... It’s just a SHAME because he could have had so many great character arcs. Overcoming his one-sided feelings toward Sally and moving on. FInding courage despite his fear...

But all we got was a comedic buttmonkey, and just makes no sense that the Freedom Fighters even bring him on missions. So many season 1 episodes have Antoine along when he adds nothing and they could’ve better utilized Tails. It’s made worse when you consider that Tails was gonna have a more active role originally while Ant was just the guy who guards the lake.

Ant isn’t irredeemable (comics did him right), but he is the show’s weakest link to me, and it’s a shame.

- I love Bunnie to bits and I wish she got more spotlight episodes. When she’s allowed to take action, she’s delightful, but so often she’s left out in favor of Antoine. I just don’t get it. I am glad that season 1 gives Rotor time to shine, though. He’s really likeable in the first season. I’m gonna miss his look and personality when I move to season 2. :(

Robotnik actually takes more action than I remembered, right down to actively engaging Antoine in a scuffle at one point. Laser finger and all. Shame they didn’t show that proactiveness more often. It also seems like Snively did a TON of the heavy lifting.

- Hooked on Sonics aged better than I expected. It’s the only season 1 episode that tried to make Antoine more active. It also showed Robotnik actually working on some machines, actually fighting, and it had the potential to be a great turning point between Sonic and Antoine. Shame season 1 wasn’t more serialized.

- I think some episodes aired out of order. Warp Sonic should come before Hooked on Sonics, given the time discrepancy between power rings (12 hours in Warp, 24 in Hooked on Sonics). Maybe I’ll try to arrange a timeline at some point.

Anyway, Sonic SatAM is great. The full series is on Youtube for free. :)

[ffamranxii]

Sailor Moon is the only series where I have different ships depending on the adaption. For the most part, manga and anime have the same ships, but the absolute curveball that was PGSM (my favorite adaption, hands down) gave me a TON of new ships I’d have never considered otherwise, who I DON’T ship in the manga/anime.

1. Usagi/Mamoru. Across all adaptions, I ship these two, and the reason is actually funny. I never used to like either of them, so I just shoved them together. It wasn’t until PGSM that I ever liked Usagi at all. I found her to be whiney and annoying in the anime, and once I got my hands on the manga, my dislike of anime Usagi had permeated too deep for me to like manga Usagi. PGSM Usagi is a much more expanded concept of Usagi as a whole, and Mamoru (while still embodying Sailor Moon’s very own Princess Peach) has a whole arc of development and backstory himself. PGSM is the only adaption in which I like Mamoru, even now.

2. Ami/Nephrite, PGSM only. PGSM has a whole side story for many of its minor characters and expands on the girls outside of the concept of senshi. Tbh PGSM is a slice of life show disguised as a tokusatsu, and it’s super apparent in how they treat the characters. Ami has an entire arc of her own where she ends up brainwashed and has several scenes with Nephrite, who is sort of the black sheep of the Shitennou for reasons that are never explained. This fledging relationship continues after Nephrite is reincarnated as human and it’s really cute to see Ami develop outside of her relationship with Usagi (her strongest relationship in this series) and the girls. Nephrite is hotheaded and angry at the world and Ami makes him just so soft.

3. Ami/Zoisite, manga and Crystal. While I very much detest the first two seasons of Crystal for their abominable animation (through no fault of the animators, I blame Toei and their complete disregard of their fans and employees), I DO like that they tried to work in the senshi/Shitennou romance that Naoko hinted at in the art books. It was stupid rushed but it’s the only incarnation that really attempts it. I wish it had had time to develop.

4. Rei/Minako, PGSM only. PGSM only deals with the Dark Kingdom (sadly) and Rei/Minako are its Haruka/Michiru. I actually ship them harder than I ship PGSM Usagi/Mamoru. Several episodes are given over to the development of their relationship, which is not easy to do given the way they took Minako in this series, and Rei is the only one of the girls to even have a real relationship with Minako, even over Usagi. They trust each other on a deep level, and fight with each others’ weapons at two critical points in the series.

5. Minako/Zoisite, PGSM only. Zoisite in this series, like most of the Shitennou, differs drastically from his manga and anime component, and I actually really like this one more than I like him in the anime and manga. Beryl’s hold on Zoisite is the weakest of all the Shitennou, and he spends his time doing exactly three things: playing piano, pining over Mamoru Endymion, and stalking Minako. (Truth be told, I enjoy his relationship with Endymion more, but the one with Minako leads into my next point.)

6. Minako/Kunzite, anime and manga. Minako managed to bag not one but two Shitennou with her love powers and that is a FEAT. You get it, girl. I really like the dynamic of two leaders together, and really enjoy Silver Millennium Minako/Kunzite fics.

7. Makoto/Motoki, PGSM only. This was another fun little thing PGSM did, and Makoto is the only other senshi to have a confirmed relationship in the series. Motoki himself is pretty fleshed out for a minor character, with his own little quirks (turtles!), and he is over the moon for Makoto. By the end of the series they’re engaged.

8. Haruka/Michiru, anime and manga. Who DOESN’T ship HaruMichi? I actually shipped HaruMichi way before I ever shipped anyone else on this list. Along with Touya/Yukito from Cardcaptor Sakura, they were THE definition of LGBTQ+ relationships (for me) for much of my childhood. They have an extremely adult relationship, possibly even an open relationship (or at least Michiru seems to have no problem with Haruka’s flirting hobby), which isn’t really something you see often in anime. I love them, they are goals.

9. Haruka/Michiru/Setsuna, anime and manga. Very specifically during the time they are raising Hotaru. Sometimes a family can be three moms and their child the incarnation of death and destruction and that’s beautiful. They’re just such a cohesive unit that I have a hard time believing that they live together and HaruMichi HAVEN’T invited Setsuna to join them from time to time. They’re also the first OT3 I ever shipped.

10. Helios/Chibiusa, anime and manga. I think the Helios/Chibiusa shippers are as numerous as the Usagi/Mamoru shippers tbh. Like Mamoru, Helios also is a damsel in distress for much of his arc (I guess the Tsukinos have a type, which raises some interesting questions about Ikuko and Kenji), and what I really liked was that, despite the single kiss they shared, it was never really pushed on us? I think Chibiusa/Helios is the first thing I ever shipped without the source material directly telling me to do so, because I wanted them together SO BAD and was SO PISSED they weren’t. 

11. Chibiusa/Hotaru, anime and manga. Another ship I put together on my own with no direction from the source material, and the first lesbian ship I ever did that with. They are just too close and love each other too much, and Chibiusa shares more pictures with Hotaru in official media (art books, stills, promo art) than her supposed future love interest Helios! They’re just a very sweet ship, two girls trying to figure out love and stuff. 

12. Setsuna/Endymion, anime and manga. Setsuna has a thing for Endymion, but never really seems to transfer that to Mamoru. I do like unrequited ships, and this one is my favorite.

HONORABLE MENTION

1. Ami/Usagi, PGSM. Ami has a huge lesbian crush on Usagi in this version. I’m not even making this up. She ends up brainwashed due to her insecurity and depression that Usagi is replacing her by making more friends and getting a boyfriend. Usagi, of course, is oblivious.

2. Kunzite/Zoisite, classic anime. Classic anime gave us (female) Zoisite and Kunzite (named Malachite in the dub I watched) as a couple, which I actually really enjoyed. I remember being disappointed when I read the manga and Zoisite was not only not female but also not banging Malachite. They were another adult relationship, way before HaruMichi existed, that I looked forward to seeing onscreen. I’m cool now with Zoisite not being female, and Malachite’s real name being Kunzite, but I still really like their relationship in classic. Plus, they’re the only ship that can crossover the adaptions in my brain to form the ultimate ot3 Minako/Zoisite/Kunzite. You get it, Minako.

[letbenfuck2021]

tua s1 brought something that was very unique to the superhero scene. it marketed itself as a show about people who had super powers but were very far from being heroes. they were all deeply flawed and heavily marred by their upbringing which seemed cruel, cold, and devoid of affection from their patriarch and this resulted in damaged, bitter, imperfect but also very human characters. what was even better was how different each sibling was in general but also specifically in how they responded to their horrible upbringing and the consequences they faced because of this. their differences allowed for a wider appeal. we're all a little fucked up because of our childhoods but we all respond to that in different ways and having seven different characters who all had their unique responses meant that even if you don't really connect with one sibling's response, it is likely that you might connect with another's. and imo, this is what made the show work. the plot is....frankly it's weak. there are plot holes big enough to fit Five's inflated ego through. but the weaknesses in plot were more forgivable because even when it was at its weakest, the investment in the characters meant you still cared what happened because it was happening to characters you cared about.

s2 completely threw this to the wind. they spent a lot of time kind of....smoothing out the siblings. one thing I noticed was that the sibs all talked far more like each other. and I have siblings so I know that this is something that actually happens in families but in this case, I don't think it added to the story and actually took away from characterization. a lot of the character arcs from s1 aren't continued or built upon but rather they are either retcon-ed, ignored, or rehashed. instead, all of the siblings are smoothed out. their jagged edges are sanded away unt they are more "likable" (which is pretty wild when you consider how much smoothing out they did when transferring the characters from the comics).

why did they do this? well....it's what the fan base, or at the very least the most vocal part of the fan base, asked for. I will say that in a way, the characters are far more palatable now. take diego for instance. in s1, he was possibly the most volatile of the siblings, even Five, the time traveling assassin, takes issue with his level of violence at one point. and we understand that diego's violence comes from a place of hurt and his hurt largely comes from a place of rejection. he is rejected by his father, by his siblings, by the world around him and this manifests as a hyper-violent nature despite the fact that diego is actually quite soft hearted as we see through flashbacks and key moments in the present. he is angry because he cares. most of this is shown to us instead of told. no one ever says in s1, "diego uses violence to cope with his pain."

so in comparison, why is diego the way he is in s2? and how are we told this? most of the time, we are told what diego is feeling and what his motivations through various mouthpieces even if these explanations don't quite make sense. why is he attached to the jfk assassination? a therapist tells us why as well as lila often operating as a mouth piece for diego's internality. five sometimes explains to us who diego is as well. and while there's nothing necessarily wrong with any of these things in isolation, all together and in context to one another, illustrates an issue with how the writers decided to construct their characters this season.

another example, vanya. this whole "characters being dictated to the audience via mouthpiece" device that the writers decided to use constantly this season is a lot more obvious with her because its pretty much built into her amnesia arc. vanya can't tell us who she is because she doesn't know so other characters will tell us instead. take the dialogue between sissy, vanya, and carl at the beginning of the season when vanya says something along the lines of how she isn't the kind of girl that people would miss and sissy disagrees but....why? how does the story tells us this or not tell us this? do any of the siblings, all of whom, save for five, have been in the 1960s longer than she's been there have not spent one bit of time it seems looking for her. even in her relationship with the family she's staying with, we have no context for sissy's statement. who vanya is told to us. never really shown. who is vanya to sissy and harlan and carl? who is she to her siblings? why is she important to any of these people? is that shown to us effectively or is it just told to us?

and I'm not talking about this to shame or bash on ppl who enjoyed the season. I'm not here to say that you are bad for liking the way the siblings are written this season better than last season. I get it. they are far more palatable now that their mean, bitter, jagged parts have been shaved down. but... palatable is not "better" or "good". I think the same goes for writing that is "gritty" or whatever. it all depends on whether or not it works within the context of everything else going on in the narrative. I think the messier versions of the siblings worked better for the story. It provided a grounding and human element to the story, some much needed levity. I don't think the new characterizations work as well and renders much of the "stakes" of the show a lot less meaningful and worthy of investment and while it was clear that the show had a higher budget and was hell-bent on using it to make the show more action packed and flashy but without strong character writing, the resulting product came off as very empty.

[infinite-xerath]

Runeterra Retcons 8: Kog’Maw

I’ll be honest: when people consider Champions that could use a lore rewrite or update, Kog’Maw is probably far from the top of the list. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Riot’s thought process as well. Kog’Maw is another case similar to Twitch where his current story isn’t bad per se, but more-so that there isn’t really much there. His bio on universe consists of only two paragraphs, which obviously leaves him feeling a bit neglected compared to other Champions post-reboot…

Except it kind of doesn’t? While significantly shorter than most Champions’ bios, Kog’Maw’s actually more-or-less does what it needs to. See, Kog’Maw is a Voidborn, a monster born from the eldritch realm of all-consuming cosmic horrors who want nothing more than to see Runeterra and all of reality assimilated and wiped out. While champions from the Void have been shown to have capacity for intelligence, they’re all really just monsters at the end of the day with their only driving force being to consume and grow. They enter Runeterra for that express purpose and that will continue to be their only driving motivation until they either die or until the world ends.

Now, every Voidborn is slightly unique in the ways they go about consuming things. Cho’Gath eats stuff just to grow larger, whereas Kha’Zix eats to evolve, adapting the most useful traits and abilities of his prey. Vel’Koz absorbs the knowledge and information from what he disintegrates, while Rek’Sai eats primarily so that she can continue to multiple and spread her brood across Shurima. It is interesting how Riot made a bunch of monsters whose primary goal is literally just eating and gives each of them a unique twist on the act, and though Kog’Maw is little underwhelming in that department. To get what I mean, let’s take a look at his bio.

So Kog’Maw, similar to Vel’Koz, eats primarily to learn and satisfy his endless curiosity about the world. Kog’Maw is a little unique among the Voidborn in that he’s not malicious or apathetic, but rather possesses an almost childlike innocence that drives him to simply learn all he can. Unlike the others, it’s not clear if Kog’Maw really even understands the Void’s mission or purpose to destroy everything, making him arguably the most sympathetic Voidborn by far.

As things stand, Kog’Maw’s current bio says all it really needs to about his character… Well, all but one thing. Since his inception, Kog’Maw has always been somewhat special among the Voidborn, having a direct link of sorts to Malzahar. The only real change from his original bio is removing any mention of the Fields of Justice or the League itself, but the fact remains that Kog’Maw has always been driven to find Malzahar for some unexplained reason. He wasn’t directly summoned by the prophet like his Voidlings are, but rather, it seems like the Watchers sent Kog’Maw to Runeterra to find the prophet...

But that’s all we know. Seriously, even Kog’Maw’s bio literally says that it’s “anyone’s guess” what will happen when the two finally meet, which, knowing how League storylines rarely get to see a conclusion of any kind, will probably be never. What makes Kog’Maw so special? Why does he need to meet up with Malzahar? How does this acid-spitting Void dog pose more of a threat than the likes of Cho’Gath or Baron Nashor?

Today, that’s what I wanted to explore. I suppose you could say that this episode is less of rewrite or retcon, and more an expansion. I want to give Kog’Maw a more significant role in the story, and while we’re at it, continue the trend of giving him a unique reason to consume things that makes him stand out from the others. So, without further ado, let’s build upon the Mouth of the Abyss and finally give an answer to these age-old questions.

For eons, the Void has gnawed at the barrier between itself and reality, aiming to break through it to usher in the end of all things. The unfathomable horrors that rule over the Void have sent countless of their malformed spawn through cracks in the barrier to further their ambitions, and on occasion have even contracted humans desperate enough to become their heralds. The most prevalent of these heralds are the traitorous ice witch Lissandra and the Shuriman seer Malzahar, but none would ever suspect that the true key to oblivion is a lone Voidling simply known as Kog’Maw.

When Malzahar swore himself to the Void in the remnants of Icathia, the broken seer proved oddly compatible with the otherworldly powers of the Watchers. Just as the Void had called to him, the seer unknowingly called out to something in the depths of the Void. As Malzahar left Icathia behind him, a writhing, twisted creature emerged from the cracks in the earth. A strange, caustic substance secreted from this larva as it slowly took shape. Eventually, the creature formed a mouth and eyes, and found itself intrigued and perplexed with the strange new world around it.

For months, the Voidling wandered the wastes of Shurima alone, driven by a deep-rooted desire to find the one that had summoned him to this world. The more he wandered, the more he began to develop a taste for the unusual, fascinating creatures of Runeterra. Even as he sampled everything he could, however, the Voidling continued to search for the one who called for him. It wasn’t long before he encountered other humans, but they were of little help, offering screams rather than any means of finding the one who summoned him. In response, the Voidling simply melted and devoured those who proved otherwise unhelpful. Those who survived such encounters named the beast Kog’Maw: Mouth of the Abyss.

Having no luck with the caravans, Kog’Maw turned his attention to one of the strange human cities to resume his search. As expected, the humans all screamed and ran, but some, to his surprise, lashed out. Sharp objects pierced Kog’Maw’s flesh, leading to him retaliating with globs of acid that burned through the armor of his attackers. Despite the potency of his bile, though, Kog’Maw was outnumbered, and soon found himself surrounded by soldiers who all drove their sharp sticks into the Voidling’s hide.

In that moment, a violent explosion of energy burst forth from Kog’Maw’s body, consuming the soldiers and their weapons and leaving nothing behind. After that, everything was darkness.

Kog’Maw awoke hours later, alone in the desert once again. Though confused and hungrier than ever, Kog’Maw resumed his search with renewed resolve to find the one called Malzahar. He believes that the Void seer is the only one who can satisfy his curiosity and help Kog’Maw to understand the nature of the mysterious power that dwells within him. The more he consumes, the more this power grows… And all-the-while, Malzahar waits for the destined time when Kog’Maw will arrive before him, ready to unleash that power and tear open the veil of reality once and for all.

So, ominous, right? I admit, it’s still a little vague, but I’d like to think that the implications are clear enough without me flat-out saying it. Basically, in my rendition of the lore, Kog’Maw is a bomb.

One of Kog’Maw’s most notable but also most out-of-place abilities in-game is Icathian Surprise. This passive ability basically makes it so that Kog’Maw explodes when he dies, allowing him to deal True Damage to members of the enemy team. This ability is never brought up or referenced at all in the lore, and it’s certainly a strange ability to have for a creature who’s all about melting things down with acid.

So, crazy thought: what if we actually gave Icathian Surprise lore relevance? What if Kog’Maw’s ability to self-destruct is actually his main ability? He melts things down to eat them, and the more he eats, the more the power inside him grows and swells. When he’s killed, Kog’Maw unleashes that power in a violent explosion powerful enough to obliterate everything around him… And if he eats enough, that power could even become so strong as to blow open reality itself.

Yes, Kog’Maw is more than just an acid-spitting Void dog. In my interpretation of the lore, Kog’Maw is a doomsday weapon. His purpose for eating is to build up power, and when he’s consumed enough, Malzahar will bring him to Icathia. where the Void already has a foothold. There, the prophet slays Kog’Maw so that the resulting blast will widen the gap enough for the Void to begin its assault on Shurima once again. This is the prophet’s grand plan, and for now, all he has to do is let Kog’Maw wander and feast…

The one silver lining is that if Kog’Maw dies prematurely, all the power he’s already built up is released and he has to start over from scratch. This, I think, is a much more interesting direction to take the character and gives him a much deeper significance in the Void plot overall. I also really like the idea that, despite seeming like the weakest Void Champion in the game, Kog’Maw is arguably the most dangerous because of his true purpose. I suppose I’m just a sucker for the trope of relatively harmless-looking characters possessing terrifying hidden powers deep down.

But, that’s my take on it. What do you guys think? Does Kog’Maw work as a secret doomsday weapon for the Void, or do you prefer to keep him vague and more comedic? Leave your thoughts below, and I’ll see you all next time.

[meruli]

Debating if I should watch Aikatsu Friends. Should I?

I'm not sure I can give a definite answer. I'm personally not fond of the series, but I've seen people say it's more enjoyable than Stars and Planet, incomprehensible to me, but it really depends on people's personal taste.

Something I've seen people who like Friends say is that the characters are friendlier than they were in ogkatsu and Stars. Overall, it was really feel-good. People also say it's the gayest installment in the franchise. Aside from that, it has my favorite 2D artstyle out of the entire franchise, though the art went noticeably downhill in S2, when it's clear the producers gave up.

Writing wise, Friends is arguably the weakest out of the entire Aikatsu franchise, aside from Parade. The characters beside the protagonists barely got any focus, and the protagonists themselves were stuffed full of plot armor, leading to them gaining a lot of extra power-ups and victories that did not feel earned at all. Aside from that, the two of them were essentially a hive mind, if those can exist with only two people.

Despite the series being named Friends, friendship, which should've been the core of the series, was extremely poorly defined and executed. Aine, the protagonist, considered her cards and fans friends, and her goal was to make a million friends, which is socially impossible for human beings to achieve. She also didn't think friends should argue. As for execution, a lot of characters barely had time to interact, and definitely didn't have the time needed to build actual, solid friendships.

tl;dr You'd probably like it if you like the protagonists and enjoy what three year olds consider friendship, if not, it could be really frustrating to watch. That's really the most I can say.

[eusoraya]

⟨ YARA SHAHIDI. CIS FEMALE. SHE/HER. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, SORAYA ASHOURI is actually a descendent of D I O N Y S U S. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-ONE year old PRE-MED & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR from ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite SINCERE & WORRISOME. you can read up on some more information about this demigod below, and follow them over on their blog HERE.

ABOUT | WANTED CONNECTIONS

some random info under the cut ! 

POWERS

chlorokinesis is her strongest ability, and her proficiency in it stems both from natural ability and practice. she can summon and control vegetation, though she enjoys the natural plant caretaking process once they’ve sprouted. she generally uses her powers to help her with her plants or for aesthetic purposes, but she can also manipulate vines for offensive purposes when necessary.

the next power she is most confident in is the ability to cause and cure madness. when she first discovered this ability by accidentally causing someone who had been gossiping about her to go mad, she worked with the camp trainers to learn how to reverse it. now, she can remove madness almost as well as she can give it out. at eonia, she generally uses this power at the clinic to cure those unfortunate enough to have been poisoned or targeted by one of her siblings.

alcokinesis is actually one of her weakest abilities. she can hardly conjure anything from thin air, but when transforming liquids into alcoholic beverages, they generally taste watered down or just gross. since she has no real desire to perfect this skill, it is mostly fine with her, although it is slightly embarrassing when forced to serve it to others.

not much of a party person, in the past she’d mostly used the ability to appear at any party to accompany her friends to parties or escort them out. her natural acting abilities are also apparent, but she sticks to portraying minor characters in the drama club’s productions.

PERSONALITY

depending on the extrovertedness of the people she is around, soraya can be considered quite reserved or even shy. she has a tendency to become flustered around others, especially when she cannot predict their next actions or understand what they’re thinking. this often leads to awkward behavior on her behalf, as it is difficult for her to rely on her natural acting abilities to smooth things over when there is no character to hide behind.

soraya is a very big advocate of communication. she can be especially vocal and direct when it comes to those she loves, as she’d much rather talk it out with her loved ones rather than allow miscommunication to cause a rift between them. this also applies when defending others, as she’s been known to clumsily tell someone off and then spend the rest of her days regretting her existence.

in her natural element, she is a spirited, jocular girl. while she loves to have fun, she is much less likely to make wild or bold choices without the right company. she’s conscientious, but also very agreeable, meaning she will generally follow a friend into trouble despite her protests and mumblings. this applies more to fun hijinks or other trivial things, however – when push comes to shove, it is rare for her to compromise her highest values.

MISCELLANEOUS

classic dork tbh. spends way too much time at the gallery and the multiverse, gets nervous around people who are clearly too cool for her, has never reached quote unquote french kiss territory, texts strange memes at 2 am, and frequently conversates with her plant children.

character inspo: do bong soon (1, 2, 3), fabiola torres (1, 2, 3, 4) ruby martinez (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), justin russo (1, 2, 3, 4), grace olsen/noora saetre/eleonora sava (1, 2, 3, 4)

doesn’t usually refer to non-friends by nicknames unless it’s the only thing they introduce themselves as. generally calls her friends by their full first names or something she’s made up bc she likes to be special.

she has a great relationship with her mother, but she still hasn’t told her about being a demigod. her mother believes that she is just attending an elite university, and she’d rather keep it that way.

went on a couple quests back in the day. she probably complained most of the time but she did what was required.

her alcohol sucks! it tastes very cheap and watered down! she’ll never offer to make it but don’t bother complaining if you’re the one that asked! she doesn’t care!

money is no object to her. will casually offer to pay for her friends if they need it but she tries to do it in the most respectful way she can.

i’m still working on her wcs page since it looked too ugly before, but feel free to message me before it’s posted KDJSJDSK

[donheisenberg]

Better Call Saul Season 5 Review

The difficult penultimate season. It is a somewhat under-discussed but common occurrence in TV drama. FX greats:  Justified, The Americans and The Shield all had near faultless runs, but in their second to last seasons stumbled to different degrees. Depending on how you break it up The Sopranos experienced its weakest run of episodes in 6A before hitting its classic final stretch.  Add to the list Six Feet Under and probably quite a few others and you can see that it resembles something of an obstacle for long-form TV drama. Why is this? In the aforementioned show they spend much of their penultimate season table-setting for their final run of episodes. It can sometimes be forgotten about because all of these shows stuck the landing (similarly Game of Thrones’ weak first half of its last season is largely forgotten about because the last 7 episodes are even worse) but nevertheless there can be a difficult balancing act between setting-up the all-important final season and delivering hours of TV that are satisfying in and of themselves. Thankfully it is a balance Better Call Saul strikes, not only managing to not falter but in fact exceeding with its strongest season yet.

So how does Better Call Saul succeed where others struggled? I think the answer is indicative of very nature of the show. Where the shows mentioned above spent 10 or so episodes, making sure all the dominos were set-up before they were to come crashing down, for BCS the end has always been in place. While Breaking Bad was a propulsive ride full of events; BCS has always been less concerned with getting to the next big moment, instead favouring the times in between. As a prequel we have always know the destination of this journey, admittedly with a couple of significant caveats.

The most significant of which being Kim Wexler. More than just the MVP of BCS, Kim is one of the most compelling characters on any TV series at the moment. Of course her story has the biggest question mark over it because she is the most major character in BCS not to appear in Breaking Bad, but through this season and in particular in the finale a whole new ambiguity comes over her arc.

Mimicking the finger guns gesture Jimmy made toward  her at the end of the last season, which had signified his identity shift to Saul Goodman (as he made it official with a name change) Kim truly turns the tables here. After a night of appearing to be jokingly discussing the ways in which they may sabotage Howard’s career, it turns out Kim may not have really been joking. Despite everything Jimmy has done to Howard this season he is taken aback by the notion Kim would actually consider ruining a man’s career and life. Where we had always thought that this was the story of all the things that break Jimmy down into becoming Saul, the question now becomes whether this is in fact the story of Kim’s transformation?

The other key strength of Season Five was the way in which the show was finally able to intertwine its two halves. My biggest criticism of BCS in the past has always been that it felt like two separate shows edited together. On the one hand you have the Jimmy and Kim show and on the other you have the Mike show. The Mike show has always felt like more of a direct prequel to Breaking Bad, sometimes to its detriment. It is not to say it hasn’t been responsible for some great scenes or whole episodes in the case of season one’s Five-0 but at its worst it can sometimes feel like it is just filling in gaps in the Breaking Bad mythology (e.g. how did Hector lose the use of his legs). In the second half of this season though there’s none of that fragmentation. By finally having the two often separate strands linked the Mike show feels more vital than ever and we get the best run of BCS episodes yet (from about 5-9 I would say).

A large part of that is certainly down to Lalo Salamanca. Breaking Bad loved a big bad, whether it was Tuco, the cousins or a certain Gus Fring, the show was populated by some of the greatest villains in TV history. BCS in its earlier seasons had a fantastic villain but of a very different variety in the form of Chuck but with Tony Dalton’s scene-stealing turn as Lalo they have a truly great out and out antagonist.

The fact he is not in Breaking Bad would seem to point to only one conclusion when it comes to what exactly his fate will be, but the question remains just exactly what havoc he will wreak on his way there. Many expected this season to end with the death of Nacho, but while Gilligan and Gould spared him for now only time will tell. The finale itself actually felt a tad underwhelming on first viewing after the above mentioned run of classic episodes. In some ways it was frustrating but in a way that is typical of BCS.

Having said that, this season BCS was more willing than ever to embrace aspects of its predecessor. This season’s outstanding eighth episode (directed by Gilligan) largely set in the desert evokes some of Breaking Bad’s best hours. At the same time though BCS always feels distinct in various ways. In the penultimate episode Kim and Jimmy are backed into a corner when Lalo arrives and are forced to work some way out of it, much in the way Jesse and Walt so often  were, but unlike Breaking Bad BCS revels in the anti-climax. No blood is shed in that scene. The finale is similar in this sense, while Lalo does admittedly massacre a small army of guys, the tragedy of this story lies beneath the surface. After their big confrontation with Lalo, Jimmy and Kim spend most of the finale in a hotel room not even discussing what had happened. Yet the show still mines a great power out of the smallest of gestures. No planes come down, no hospital rooms explode but this show never lacks in emotional depth.

While I recently re-watched Breaking Bad in its entirety, reminding myself what a clinically perfect piece of storytelling and film-making that show still is, season 5 goes some way to legitimizing the BCS vs Breaking Bad conversation. While I personally can never see myself subscribing to the view that BCS is a better show than Breaking Bad,  the quality of this season on top of the already excellent previous four  seasons, makes it seems a somewhat less outlandish claim, which I don’t believe could ever have been anticipated five years ago when this started.

Grade A