#don and nina arc

[fallstaticexit]

Darling is such an icon! I'm begging you queen, can you put her up for download? It would make my day!

I love Dalring! And her upcoming arc with Nancy ✨

I’m going to be putting all my made over townies for download veryyy sooon. I’m working on the Messy Sisters, Dina and Nina and F Boy Don sometime this week. All the college kids are up next!

[solipseismic]

2023 poetry rec list

technically a day late but who cares! i don't. it's gonna be a long one this year too despite not having read or written as much poetry as of late; i'm putting my overall fifteen favorite + poetry book recs up here and the rest below a cut to spare your dashboards :)

2022

2021

books:

calling a wolf a wolf (kaveh akbar)

cinema of the present (lisa robertson)

dictee (theresa hak kyung cha)

pilgrim bell (kaveh akbar)

prelude to bruise (saeed jones)

the crown ain't worth much (hanif abdurraqib)

top 15:

abecedarian requiring further examination of anglikan seraphym subjugation of a wild indian reservation (natalie diaz)

about eight minutes of light (robert king)

at luca signorelli's resurrection of the body (jorie graham)

ginen the micronesian kingfisher [i sihek] (craig santos perez)

gods, gods, powers, lord, universe-- (chen chen)

kupu rere kē (alice te punga somerville)

look (solmaz sharif)

ode to the 9,000 year old woman (@/goodbyevitamin)

one art (elizabeth bishop)

petitioning the patron saint of childbirth (danielle boodoo-fortuné)

so mexicans are taking jobs from americans (jimmy santiago baca)

the death loop (jon lovett)

the difficult miracle of black poetry in america: something like a sonnet for phillis wheatley (june jordan)

the madwoman as rasta medusa (shara mccallum)

vocabulary (safia elhillo)

& the gun echoed for centuries; interlude with drug of course; & the light devours us all (yasmin belkhyr)

a brother named gethsemane (natalie diaz)

a map to the next world (joy harjo)

between autumn equinox and winter solstice, today (emily jungmin yoon)

cherish this ecstasy (david james duncan)

coffins (derick thomson)

conflict resolution for holy beings (joy harjo)

failing and flying (jack gilbert)

ginen tidelands [latte stone park] [hagåtña, guåhan] (craig santos perez)

how to be a dog (andrew kane)

i love you to the moon & (chen chen)

i'm sorry birds (@/quezify)

insomnia and the seven steps to grace (joy harjo)

i was sleeping where the black oaks move (louise erdrich)

i watch her eat the apple (natalie diaz)

moth wings and other things (@/grendel-menz)

my father (ollie schminkey)

my soldier, my stranger (scherezade siobhan)

new year's day (joan tierney)

october (louise glück)

praise song for oceania (craig santos perez)

praise the rain (joy harjo)

real estate (richard siken)

sharing a cigarette with joan of arc (dante emile)

song of the anti-sisyphus (chen chen)

table (edip cansever, transl. richard tillinghast)

tear it down (jack gilbert)

temporary job (minnie bruce pratt)

the blue dress (saeed jones)

the lesson of the moth (don marquis)

the universe, as in one last song for the lonely hearts (michelle hulan)

throwing children (ross gay)

untitled (joan tierney)

voices (naomi shihab nye)

when i die i want your hands on my eyes (pablo neruda)

why i am not coming in to work today (jess zimmerman)

wolf moon (nina maclaughlin)

yes, it was the mountain echo (william wordsworth)

[gayleviticus]

FMA 03 writers

i had an autism moment and decided to look into the writers of FMA 03 and am now going to vomit out my findings here (nothing very in-depth but it's interesting to see which niches they fall into)

Sho Aikawa: 1-3, 7-8, 13-16, 21-22, 25, 29-31, 32 (w Yamatoya), 36, 39-51, Shamballa.

He wrote the first three episodes, the Nina/Barry the Chopper double whammy, the Marcoh/Scar arc, the latter half of Lab 5, Hughes' death, a decent chunk of the Wrath arc, the Elrics learning Scar's backstory, and then everything from about when the Liore arc begins.

Clearly as head writer he takes charge of the most significant turning points in the series - interestingly, aside from E35, E37, and E38 ("Reunion of the Fallen", "The Flame Alchemist, The Bachelor Lieutenant & The Mystery of Warehouse 13", and "With the River's Flow" by Inoue, Takahashi, and Yamatoya respectively), Aikawa is the only writer to write anything after the series fully diverges from the manga (which I would place at Ed killing Greed in E34). Wikipedia tells me has a reputation for working on adaptations that diverge significantly from the source material, as opposed to original works.

Other writing credits include head writer for Martian Successor Nadesico, Kamen Rider Decade, and the second half of Kamen Raider Blade. At 29.5/51 episodes (he co-wrote a single episode) he was responsible for 57.8% of the series.

Natsuko Takahashi: 6, 11, 17, 23, 26, 37.

She wrote the first Nina episode, The Other Elric Brothers 1, the Elrics recuperating in Resembool, the Elrics recovering post Lab 5, the Paininya episode, and Warehouse 13.

Her forte here is almost entirely slow, character-focused stories without danger or high stakes, with a tendency to emphasise cooling down from big dramatic moments and exploring the implications of these events for the characters.

Other credits include Tokyo Mew Mew, Chrno Crusade, Bleach, and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. At 6/51 episodes she wrote 11.8% of the series.

Akatsuki Yamatoya: 28, 32 (w Aikawa), 33-34, 38.

He wrote the Yock Island training episode, Greed arc, and the episode where Ed and Al get into an argument and meet by the river (while Winry and Sheska investigate conspiracies).

Interestingly he is the only writer aside from Aikawa involved in writing actual ongoing arcs after the anime begins to diverge significantly from the manga (I would consider this the introduction of Wrath in E29); the only other contributions past this point are Warehouse 13 (E37) by Takahashi, which a joke episode, and Inoue's Lust and Lujon episode (35), which is valuable characterisation wise but technically standalone. Essentially Yamatoya writes solely for the transition point where FMA 03 is moving from following the manga's blueprint (with significant elaborations, albeit) to its own path.

Other writing credits include Soul Eater, Ghost Stories, Naruto, Detective Conan. At 4.5/51 episodes he wrote 8.8% of the series.

Toshiki Inoue: 4, 10, 24, 35

He wrote Majhal, Psiren, Al defending the Ishbalans against Barry the Chopper with Scar, and Lust and Lujon.

His episodes are largely anime-original and standalone, without significantly shaping the course of the series, but arguably contain valuable characterisation. The Al episode is something of an exception here as it is tied into an ongoing arc (Al's existential crisis) which is also based off manga material, but the episode itself is not a direct adaptation of anything from the manga. Majhal and Psiren are arguably the only genuine cases of pure 'filler' in 03.

Other credits include main writer of Don Brothers and the Death Note anime. At 4/51 episodes he wrote 7.8% of the series.

Katsuhiko Takayama: 9, 19-20, 27.

He wrote the Yousewell episode, first two episodes of Lab 5 arc, and the one where Izumi catches the Elrics.

His work seems fairly solid but nothing very innovative: he adapts manga material well but it's hard to see any strong theme here I think. Notably his Lab 5 episodes mainly cover manga events; the Lab 5 arc does end up significantly diverging from the manga with elements like Scar, Greed, Kimblee, and the Homunculi trying to convince Ed to make the Stone, but not in his episodes.

Other credits include Star Ocean EX, Mirai Nikki, Magia Record S2. At 4/51 episodes he wrote 7.8% of the series.

Manabu Ishikawa: 12, 18.

He wrote The Other Elric Brothers Part 2 and Marcoh's Notes.

Not much to say here - an adaptation of a light novel and a manga chapter.

Other credits include production assistant on Neon Genesis Evangelion, and writing for the Arc the Lad anime and Kimi no koe o todoketai. At 2/51 episodes he wrote 3.9% of the series.

Aya Yoshinaga: 5.

Wrote only the train episode so hard to draw any strong conclusions.

Other credits include Golden Kamui, Natsume's Book of Friends, and Durara!! At 1/51 episodes they (unsure of their gender) wrote 1.9% of the series.

as a special bonus I have made a pie chart bc I like pie charts

[abybweisse]

Is ciel wearing Burberry during the murder arc?

Does our earl wear brands like Burberry?

Burberry was established in Basingstoke in 1856 (but has its HQ in London), so it was definitely around... even when Grandma P was watchdog. I find it interesting Burberry was established there because I once looked at Basingstoke as a potential area for Phantomhive Manor and its surrounding estate. Even tried to figure out whether St. Michael's Church in Basingstoke could be the reference for the parish church where Vincent and Rachel marry... and where Vicar Rathbone worked as reeve for Vincent -- because Rathbone even mentions St. Michael's Day -- but it doesn't seem to be. I still haven't definitively found the Phantomhive estate on a map of England, but the North Downs area is still promising....

I've also looked at Burberry for being the reference for Grelle's red trench coat, which I think might actually be true. (I think Abberline might be wearing an Aquascutum 🧥.)

You bring up a valid question, here. Is this:

This?

And I do believe the answer is YES. Yana-san has dressed the bunch in it, including Arthur:

And a lot of websites try to pass off similar designs, like these with extra red lines:

But true Burberry has those single red lines, like our earl and the others have donned.

Yana-san is lucky to not get sued for it, since... as I mentioned in the linked post above, Burberry also has licensing in Asia, so the brand might be looking for knockoffs or other trademark infringements there. In the west, Target (among other stores) has been sued over the years by copying the signature check pattern, sometimes even with the single red line. Target is lucky that the lawsuit was dropped after talks. Idk why it was dropped, honestly. 🤔

Anyway. Yeah.

Of course, in the Kuroverse, it might be that Nina Hopkins has made all sleuthing outfits worn by our earl and anyone else in his household. No telling where she claims to buy the fabrics she uses. 😆

But many fans recognize that iconic check.

Bonus: I searched my blog for "Basingstoke", hoping to find something about my old search for the Phantomhive estate, and lo and behold, the only post that came up was from the murders arc. But it's about Bartitsu... and Arthur accidentally calling it Baritsu. Someone says it's time to go to Basingstoke Bartitsu Irregulars. It's real. 😳😂

Now I'm back to wanting to figure out where the estate must be located.... 😭

[boolpropper]

Ideas I have brewing:

PREMADE UBERHOOD BUT MAKE IT MEDIEVAL YAASSSS and mortimer/bella are king and queen

Don Lothario redemption arc? I have ALWAYS hated him but it's my game so like im either gonna make him a pawn of bella in this supernatural war brewing w/ her and mortimer, OR he is gonna shape up

ALTERNATE DON OPTION: thruple with Nina and Goopy LMAO

ALTERNATE alternate Don option: Don gets someone pregnant before he dies somehow and that’s something she grapples with (she as in the baby I’m assuming it’s a daughter) — bc he would be just as shit a father alive?

Kaylynn Langerak turns to shady means of supporting herself (criminal career) even though she's such a sweetie pie, goes to therapy, meets Brandi Broke and they bond and become besties (BONUS: they open up to each other about their unexpected pregnancies, Brandi's as a teen with Dustin and Kaylynn's with Don, and how they explored their different choices)

Like i mentioned earlier....supernatural turf war (I can't say more heheheheheeeee it's in the queue. you'll see)

create a second pleasantview college (community college or a small liberal arts school? idk i want it to be smaller and more specialized than SSU)

TS2 MYSIMS OH MY GOSH!!!!!

Gender bent hood?

Someone opens a wedding supply store and bakes cakes/sews dresses? that would be SO CUTE

FARMERS MARKET.

continue my silly little TS4 uni remakes

Buzz grunt x Loki, Circe x vidcund?

Strangetown mafia challenge based on that hotel someone uploaded as an apartment building? dont remember the creator at the moment but it's in my bookmarks

headcanon: Crystal Vu is transfemme

[sillywitchsong]

I'm about halfway through round 6 of 4 day rotations in Pleasantview. Each round has had 1 twin birth. Revising my rules to say only after halfway through adulthood can the 4th level of aspiration tree be reached. My currrent ages have sims starting adulthood at 22 (also when acr allows pregnancies to begin). I have not adjusted the fertility arc in acr (fertility begins decreasing at 30 i think, with 0 reached at age 50). They age to elders at 70 in my game though. So at age 30? I would add the 4th tree level (40 days to elderhood). I add second aspirations at adulthood, but haven't really made rules about how strong up the tree that goes. I have discovered I don't like the needs tree. With a good bed they almost never sleep.(this means i play daniel pleasant out on dates-3 in a day) plus the home lot to make him tired enough to sleep at night. I do not have the comunity time mod. I've had sims stay out for 24+ hours to get them tired enough, and that would be awful to wait through on the home lot! I also think that the lower the overall needs are the more frequently they reroll wants. And in basegame guide it said must sleep in a bed for 3 hours to even reroll wants when they rise. Discovering the cheat to increase allowed visitors was a blessing. Especially for going on dates or hunting date material. When you're related to half your peers with only two visitors allowed; finding townies to woo was rough🤣.

So far the only sims to age to elders have been the Pleasants. Daniel was caught cheating for the 3rd time when a townie asked him if he wanted to meet someone perfect for him (I didn't realize this immediately started a date) and had 3 bolts with Bella Goth. Mary-Sue decided enough was enough, and broke up with him immediately after the date ended- and I was caught off guard again when he became unselectable and left the lot. (I had planned for him to pack his exercise machine but Mary-Sue had other plans). He has since married Marylena Hamilton, whom he knocked up with twins! As she was a townie, I rolled my percentile dice and she was the unlucky one. Used sim blender to move her in, then impregnate with, then had her find her own place. I thought for sure he would run away or turn her down when she proposed and suggested elopement. She is the last house of the round though, so I haven't had a chance to play them yet for round 6. My next house to play is Nina Caliente, who married Benjamin. Her first child is just getting ready to head off to college in a day or so...the hot tub did not protect her on day one from Don Lothario. Since she is so shy I saw her as a one sim romance...constant dates. Very rare to see a meet someone new want in her panel, and her kids bringing home friends fills that regularly. Not entirely sure how friends are counted in this game... Brandi's friend count cut down to just 3 when her last child moved out to college... I've removed the no carpool for mother's mod, but not sure they get paid for using vacation. I know they weren't getting paid with that mod in. (My families are all dirt poor) Lillie managed to bring back several thousand from grants/ scholarships, which is good because she still hasn't rolled a want to get a job...

Dirk Dreamer married Lillith a few days after she moved in with him (went by day of the week when they moved out, so the girls are actually younger than the boys). While her sister got immediately knocked up with twins Lillith did not, and her husband found a lamp on his last day as a teen so wished for wealth. They have a very nice house, which is good. Maybe Dirk will take in his half siblings and help raise them. I just thought of that- I had Mary-Sue take them in (via sim blender so no name change/ memory) The dog was originally Dirk's so that was the only thing I was thinking when I moved the kids into the Pleasant house. Since she was adopted I figured she would be more willing to do that for the orphans. Also, Dirk is trying to raise an alien child...and I think I just saw Lillith puke behind her hand when visiting someone...👀

Lucy Futa stopped by to visit her parents (Burb) and threw up twice in the toilet...I hope that doesn't mean twins are coming from her...she'll be twin 6 if it is! Anyone a simpe wizard and know how to modify 4x acr for longer? Like, 6?

[pixuou]

Nina Caliente (yes, the household herself)

Nina got left to her own devices in the house she and her sister inherited from their grandfather, and while she enjoyed being completely independent for a bit, she started feeling unhappy. She kept going on dates with different men, but in reality she was devastated at how hard it’s become to reach her favourite lover Don since he got married. And to think he’s there with not only Cassandra but also Dina! Nina is feeling quite uneasy about the situation and taking every opportunity she gets to get close to him, even when it’s risky. Even getting in a casual relationship with the Malcolm Landgraab IV himself couldn’t get her mind off of him. She’d been struggling to find herself a suitable job too, but not so long ago she got hired as an aerobics instructor in the nearby Desiderata Valley’s neatest dance studio and she got overjoyed at the realisation that she, in fact, absolutely can earn a living by just doing exercise to music if she gets over her fear of doing it in front of other people.

[fellowstrangetownappreciator]

Well, that was cold

I have mod that makes diseases actually dangerous. (actually several of them and they’re all listed here on Pleasant Sims’ modlist)

The first rotation? Everything’s fine. The only one who fell ill was John Burb and he, as a family Sim, was able to soup himself to health in no time.

The second rotation... Ajaj Loner got sick.

With cold.

I was like, “I know flu is pretty dangerous with this mod but cold should be fine, right? I mean, I used to have it four times a year. So glad it’s not flu!”

I thought I was lucky.

I wasn’t.

After Ajaj’s turn ended, he was free to wander around and spread the cold everywhere.

Because they have chemistry and she was on a prowl, I even had Nina Caliente seduce Ajaj. She got the cold but I was like whatever, she’s a strong quasi-alien, running nose for a few days won’t kill her!

How fatally wrong I was I realized during a vacation that Nina went on with her sister and Ajaj. She was just chilling, sleeping in her hotel room, when all of the sudden, Grim Reaper!

You sure, Dina?

Nina was dead. Dead from the cold. And she was pregnant, no less!

I reloaded because it was on a vacation and Nina was the only playable Sim, so I was quite worried what would become of the grave. I managed to get her home and moved Chloe Curious in, so that someone can eventually plead for her. She was lucky the second time around and survived. Chloe got infected but survived as well.

But we had an epidemic on our hands now. Ajaj and Nina have been quite successful generously sharing their cold all across the hood and I failed to keep track of who has it.

Still, I thought it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t understand the scale, I was still thinking that it was just Ajaj, Consort Capp and the Pleasants.

Again, I was wrong.

When I got in the rotation to the Capps (the Capps 1), everyone was infected. I was still optimistic, though, because we were talking about a household where 2/4 Sims are Family and one is a Family Secondary, they can bathe in the soup!

The teens ate their soup and survived.

Consort died that night. He was due to die at the end of their round anyway but because he didn’t do so of old age, his grandchildren received no bonus inheritance.

The only one who gained something from that was Olive Specter who was delighted to see Consort, her crush, perish, so she could finally raise him as a zombie.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a screenshot of her actually raising him, so here’s at the very least Olive walking menacingly to work.

Anyway, moving onto the Capps again (the Capps 2, Goneril edition), things looked bleak. Goneril was pregnant and she and all the kids were infected. Albany was immediately called to action to generate enough soup but the house devolved into utter chaos. Everybody had their soup but just as they recovered, they got infected again!

Ok, I was thinking, Consort was quite old and fragile. Nina must’ve had the cold for a long time, given she was on a vacation. There’s no way the kids are gonna die on the first day they got infected. They had the soup, so I’ll send them to beds, so they can get a good-night sleep and enough rest.

Nope.

Ariel, a child, died in her sleep.

Nobody was able to get to her in time to plead for her.

While I was contemplating an in-character way of resurrection, Desdemona, a young teen, died in her sleep just about two hours after her sister.

Again, nobody was fast enough.

Luckily, Miranda was already in college and she was roommates with Ophelia Nigmos, who was in possession of a genie lamp she was safeguarding from Olive. Hearing about the tragedy that befell her friend’s family, moved by the death of a little girl and her not much older sister, Ophelia the Family Sim offered Miranda the lamp on the spot.

Miranda rushed home to drop off the lamp and then ran off so she doesn’t get infected. Well, she did anyway but since I haven’t played the college Sims yet, I don’t know of her fate.

Hal made a good use of the lamp. He rolled the wants to resurrect both his sisters and that’s exactly what he did.

He triumphantly finished making the wishes...

And dropped dead.

Another young soul succumbed to cold.

But! Since there was still a wish left and his sisters were back alive, Desdemona swiftly brought him back.

Ariel’s and Hal’s resurrections were perfect.

Desdemona’s was faulty, so her personality got reversed.

But as long as they’re alive and preferably not zombies, everything will do.

The Capps were all cured! Hooray!

Wait. Not all Capps. There was still Regan’s branch and, predictably, they were all infected. And this time, there was no Family Sim in sight.

The only non-infected Sim in the family was a little toddler. The poor, poor child was in for a life-long trauma.

Kent went quick and quiet the first night of their round. Regan fortunately recovered. Cornwall did too. They had a very lucky start of the round all together, I may add. Kent’s tragic death was followed by Regan’s demotion that lead to her subsequent want to quit her job (...and she was the only one who was making any significant money), then Cornwall set the house on fire while cooking breakfast, then he got fired.

Poor thing. First got house-fired, then job-fired.

Regan’s LTW was to reach the top of the Law career, so she got herself a new job there. On her first day, she got promoted!

And she brought home a friend! Sweet!

No... nooooo...

It was Ajaj F*ckin’ Loner.

Both Regan and Cornwall got infected before you could say “act your surname and social-distance, you jerk!”

Cornwall died almost immediately. Unfortunately, Regan was asleep and failed to get up and ambush the Grim Reaper in time.

On the bright side, she recovered!

So I watch her go to work, the nanny arrives to baby-sit the toddler, everything seems to finally have settled down.

But then I spot an unexpected movement in the house.

It’s Titania Summerdream. Who let her in? I have no idea.

It would be quite sweet of her to check on her friend Regan after she lost two family members and to help with her young daughter.

If... if she didn’t have the fricking cold!

Regan returned from work and I rushed to have her send Titania away.

Of damn course she didn’t go before giving the cold to Regan.

Now it was the third time Regan got infected and there were no other family members to take care of the toddler if she dies. It was very suspenseful. I decided to use extreme measures and I teleported Albany in, made him selectable and had him cook the soup.

Instead of that, he proceeded to bicker with Regan.

If he got re-infected, I swear...

Anyway, after a three tries or so, Regan got her soup and Albany was on his merry way away.

What a relief! I sent Regan to sleep, trusting the soup to do its magic. The next morning her needs all looked great! No notification yet but I was sure it’s gonna arrive any second. When suddenly...

Yeap, she died.

Regan Capp died the way she lived. Paying her family’s bills.

I used Simblender again to quickly move in Hal. He was there in time to plead for Regan!

And for the first time in the Capp household, he actually made it! He pleaded!

And... and... lost.

So I had him stay to take care of the toddler until their round was over. Then I moved them both back with Goneril’s branch.

At the very least young Ione, the genius toddler with maxed Logic skill, got something resembling a birthday party with her cousin and his boyfriend Alexander Goth.

Given that Montys had their losses as well, the cold has already taken out much of the adult population of Veronaville.

The only two adults left (not counting fresh elders Albany and Goneril) in Veronaville were in fact the Summerdreams who were extremely lucky and with an abundance of soup, they survived.

To be completely honest, I’m very happy with the mod. I tend to play large hoods and although it tends to be rather tragic, the occasional epidemic of cold trims the population down a bit without me killing anybody off and it gives the game an additional bit of challenge and randomness.

...or maybe I’m just a sh*tty person to my Sims.

Bonus screenshots of the Strangetown cold outbreak:

Vidcund Curious spent two nights sleeping in a chair in his children’s bedroom because he was afraid they’re going to die from the cold in their sleep and wanted to be there to plead for them. In the end it actually happened, he pleaded and managed to save his daughter.

The Smiths had to be unfortunately visited by the Therapist. PT9 died on the day he was supposed to die of old age but hours prior, he became yet another victim of the cold. And it was very unlucky, since it meant no inheritance and by the Watcher, Jenny and their 5 kids could definitely use it. They were completely broke.

But not everything was morbid and tragic!

Lazlo rolled quite the unexpected want to get married to his girlfriend, Cassandra Goth. They weren’t engaged, she wasn’t pregnant, he’s not a Family secondary, and the date they were on wasn’t even in the stage Sims usually roll engagement wants, he simply rolled it out of the blue. And of course I went with it! (Cassandra had recently divorced Don, rolling the wish to remarry almost immediately.)

The only family in the hood that could technically mass-produce medicine so that not everyone is dependent on the soup, the Beakers, of course didn’t. Why would they risk their hides, toying with the Mysterious Disease, when they didn’t have to? Instead, they social-distanced and spent the rotation raking in promotions and taking care of their army of children. (Loki kept rolling wants to get abducted and ARC wasn’t kind to them either. But with Loki being Family secondary and Circe leaving most of the parenting on him anyway, I don’t think they mind.)

Note the alien toddler, the second youngest child. He has 10 Nice points. That’s 4 points more than all 5 of his siblings and his parents combined. He’s gonna have a rough childhood, the poor thing.

Jill Smith managed to get nibbled on by the pack leader just in time, a few days before going to college. She’s thrilled by her new wolf-y powers! And regardless of what her mother says, she knows the fur goes with her school uniform just perfectly!

Rachel Pleasant, the youngest offspring of Daniel that he knows about (the second youngest overall), aged up into a child! And judging by the look on her face, she already knows how much of a mess her family is.

Not even being brought back from the dead made Desdemona Capp immune to the Summerdream charm. Bottom, the young Romance Sim, invited her girlfriend to hang out in their hot tub. It was an afternoon to remember for both of them.

Local ageing general married a successful young athlete, Kristen Loste. Unfortunately for everyone attending the wedding, the bride’s former roommate Chloe Curious decided that flirting with her literally the next interaction after Kristen said, “I do.” was a smart idea. No need to add that the wedding cake was left to rot forgotten, never cut. It was a sad wedding cake but even though it started to stink around two hours after the wedding, it still lasted longer than the marriage.

And far away in La Fiesta Tech, two estranged siblings were talking things out and healing their relationship.

Now I lost this hood (again) and started a new one, so the next gameplay post will probably feature the same characters in completely different circumstances and nothing is going to make sense but... what does anyway?

[simnationlifebefore]

Do my sims stories pass the Bechdel test?

The Bechdel test essentially keeps track of the bare minimum in terms of female representation   in media (particularly films) it’s incredibly easy to pass as it requires probably less than a line of dialogue to pass. 

It doesn’t automatically make a film/book/comic feminist or have decent story arc, it’s just like a minor representation of women in media. Passing the test doesn’t make the tv show/play/video game good or bad, it just means there is slightly more female representation in the story than we are used to. 

Rules 1- There must be two named female characters  2- They have to talk to each other  3-They have to talk to each other about something other than a man

Examples of films that pass would be Star Wars The Force Awakens, Wonder Woman and surprisingly Star Trek 2009 (Just barley and the scene features two women in their underwear getting stared at by Chris Pine) 

Examples of films that don’t would be Harry Potter and the half Blood prince (Film) Star Trek Beyond and all three of the first Star Wars trilogy form the 70s and 80s. 

Anyway, have I passed it?

So because just about every sim has a name passing the first rule is very easy!  The second rule is pretty easy to achieve as well in the sims so we really only have to worry about the third.

Let’s start with my Simnation 2020 series because there is only two of them!  You have to scroll down a bit to find the part that passes the test, but Ophelia talking with a certain interesting faced Capp counts as passing the test as it mentions no man, only families and Ophelia’s legal right to a home. 

Angela and Lilith’s story passes instantly as the talk about a bar and Coral Oldie! 

Now onto the main series Pleasantview Life Before.

The Burb’s pass the test on page two on my blog, Tiffany and Jennifer talk about Tiffany’s hospitality. 

The Broke family pass it on page 1, however in the scene Brandi is hiding Skip after having had slept with him. 

The Dreamers also pass on page 1 as Sandy and Darleen talk about Cornelia Goth! 

The Pleasant family’s story passes on page 2 with Claire, Mary-Sue talking about Bella Goth and Cassandra being rude. Michael is also in the scene but there isn’t any rule against a man being present. 

Caliente’s story also passes basically instantly, as the first scene is Katrina and Nighat talking about the family business.

Don Lothario’s story takes a little longer to pass, but it finally does on page 5 when Nina discusses her hangover with her girlfriend. 

 I cannot believe that counts. 

And finally the Oldie’s pass on page 4 with Herb’s mother and sister talking about Coral. Although Herb’s mother isn’t exactly a fan of Coral. 

And that’s it, I have accidently passed the test and have the bare minimum in terms of female representation in my story. It’s very easy, I can’t believe Marvel films struggled with this. 

[dazais-guardian-angel]

☕️+ what things do you wish they did with descole (because I am weak and he’s my fave)

Apologies for the late reply to this; tbh I almost didn’t want to answer it, cause I feel like nothing I’ll say will be something others haven’t already discussed (especially since I just saw you asked someone else this same question), and also I’ve only ever played the prequels once back when they first came out and I haven’t reached them again in my replay yet, so I’m not fresh on everything done with his character and all the Azran/Targent stuff. But nonetheless:

In general, obviously, I wish Desmole’s character “arc” if you can even call it that as it is now + plot twists/identity had been much more fleshed out from the get-go and consistent with who they ultimately made him be, that is, Hershel’s brother and someone who never should have legitimately wanted to hurt him or people close to him. While I think the worst of this really only comes out in Eternal Diva, where he literally tries to swordfight Hershel to death and kill Luke on one occasion cause he goes insane once Hershel out-puzzles him, there really just should have been more nuance to him in the first two entries especially (and in Miracle Mask too of course, but he’s barely in that game so) where he shows some level of frustration and hesitance to go up against Hershel and his crew, even if he still does so because he absolutely has to carry out his revenge plan. Just SIGNS that there’s more to this guy than just a walking one-dimensional mysterious deadly flamboyant badass, beyond just Hershel going “hm he feels familiar”, like no of course that’s not near enough. Even if Desmole’s true identity still wasn’t going to be revealed until Azran Legacy, there still needed to be hints, breaks in his facade/character, hesitation, signs of remorse, even if some of these hints are not outright foreshadowing to a familial relationship/desire for revenge. He could still lose it in Eternal Diva, but just make it seem more desperate and broken, and less kill-crazy. Give him moments of humanization, show that Descole can be kind, such as around Melina or Nina; what I honestly wanted to see was him having interactions around girls other than Aurora where his fatherly nature might show (not that him and Aurora aren’t great, I just wanted more); he had to have spent a lot of time around Melina while making the Detragan, and the potential for their relationship while she was dying is so much. Hershel should have had more moments of familiarity, and thinking about him when he’s not around, trying to figure him out, demanding to know who he is because he feels like he needs to know for some reason he can’t describe, and Descole’s answers/non-answers are extremely telling/bitter/curious/thought-provoking. And Descole should imo have had a scene to himself at the end of every entry pre-Azran Legacy where it’s increasingly obvious this guy has Angst(tm) and some beef with Hershel that seems personal and not just to do with getting in the way of his plots, along with all the earlier hints obviously (iirc he had a final scene at the end of Last Spector but it was nothing more than showing “hey we’re not done with this guy!!”, so that definitely should have had more to it; at the end of Eternal Diva I REALLY wanted to see how he survived his fall, probably with Raymond saving him, cue more ~mysterious reactions to Hershel~ as he thinks on how Hershel cried out his name as he was falling despite the fact that they were enemies, etc; and then the one at the end of Miracle Mask is okay I guess, but I still wanted more to it, more, idk signs of regret or remorse or sadness from him before he goes after Bronev, and not just “grrrrrr finally my revenge is close I’mma take you down all I have is angerrRRRRR” also for him to not look so damn stupid when all Bronev has to do is knee him to take him down, like this is DESCOLE, THE KING OF BADASS, THAT ENDING IS SO PITIFUL; WE DIDN’T NEED THAT FOR A FAKEOUT UNMASKING SCENE THAT LEADS NOWHERE).

tl;dr, Desmole’s story being planned from the very beginning would have made it possible for the writers to foreshadow and develop him properly before you finally see him as Desmond, and make you attached to and interested in him much more than just as a cool badass you kinda wonder the identity of but mostly just enjoy watching be badass and evil. The PL series had never had an overarching villain in the main trilogy aside from Don Paolo, who was more of a comic relief villain who they could afford to not make up his beef with/connection to Hershel until the final game because it was a very insignificant reason in the grand scheme of things, and Don Paolo just..... wasn’t that integral to the plots of that trilogy, he was more of a bonus background villain not meant to be taken seriously or have any true emotional impact. But then you have Descole introduced as the key threat over the majority of the prequel series (you think it’s the Masked Gentleman this time, but no lol, it’s still Descole!!), and needless to say, “actually the protagonist’s long-lost brother trying to get revenge on their corrupt father, both of which are involved in an ancient civilization that ruined all their lives in multiple ways” is a biiiiiiit more important than... “jealous dead girlfriend rival” lol. And so there’s a jarring disconnect between pre-Miracle Mask Descole and post-Miracle Mask Descole, because the Azran aren’t even a thing until Miracle Mask at ALL, and so in Last Spector and Eternal Diva Descole just seems like this mad scientist with a dramatic flair and nothing more, who mayyyyyyyy be searching for eternal life? Since that seems to be the running theme with the golden garden and ambrosia? But even then literally nothing is revealed about him in that game and movie so who knows (and unrelated but it seems like those two places have literally no connection to the Azran aside from an offhanded mention of them in Miracle Mask? idk man); the point I’m taking way too long to make here is that it’s very clear the writers had no endgame plan for him until Miracle Mask at the earliest, and even then I wonder how much of it was completely hashed out (considering the... sort of mess that Azran Legacy is, I almost wonder if most of it was literally not decided on until then). My guess is that Descole was super popular after Last Spector so they decided to bring him back (his final scene in that game could have just been to show that he survived and was still “out there somewhere”, whether or not he came back next entry), but then realized they didn’t have a backstory or identity for him so they had to think up something way too late; I can’t confirm this though of course.

Then you get to Azran Legacy, and honestly, despite how bizarre and weirdly unimportant and filler-ish 90% of this game’s plot feels, I love the inherent idea of Descole finally coming to Hershel as himself. Hershel always shows up and gets in his way? Fine, he’ll come to him. He always sees through his disguises? Fine, he’ll come to him in the best disguise he has: himself. Ask him for his help in a mission his curiosity won’t let him refuse. Because then, of course, even though Desmond is doing this to further and finish his plot, and use them as tools, essentially, there’s the wonderfully painful obvious second reason for why he chooses to do things this way, and that is he wants to spend time with his brother, whether or not he consciously realizes this. This way, Desmond can be himself, he doesn’t have to hide his appearance or (most) intentions and can freely express a lot of his regular personality while still working towards his ultimate goal, but at the exact same time there’s so much he can’t show, that he can’t reveal or let himself do, and this has to be a hundred times harder than when he’s posing as Descole because now he’s friends with Hershel and the others, and a part of him must want so desperately to just stay with them forever as he spends more and more time with them and grows more attached to them, (again, no matter how much he may realize this). But this is where his “arc” continues to fall flat in that aside from one or two hints towards his daughter and having a brother, there is literally no depth in Desmond’s behavior in Azran Legacy pre-Descole/brother reveal, just like in all the entries before it. He should have shown small signs here and there of something being “off” with him, of sadness, of hesitation, of trauma and mental instability; strange things said to Hershel alone that makes him and the player start wondering things, just like with Descole. Everyone immediately goes, upon seeing Desmond for more than five minutes, “oh that’s Descole obviously” (plus Raymond is just... there lol), but it’s not for the right reasons; there’s nothing wrong with a predictable plot twist, but there needs to be some kind of hints towards it to make you emotionally invested in what you realize is coming, because you’re waiting for it and you know it will hurt but you just don’t know when and how it will happen; not that you guess it for no other reason than “well there’s this new character who isn’t an existing friend of Layton’s and everything is suspiciously calm and we’re 90% of the way through this and Descole has yet to show himself; it’s probably him”. For the record, I actually think Miracle Mask does its predictable plot twist a lot better, even if that game still has issues; I see a lot of people complain about how predictable Randall being the masked gentleman is, and it is, but honestly? The flashback plot mechanic in that game is EXTREMELY effective in 1) making it VERY clear who the masked gentleman is very early on, like they’re not trying to hide it in any way, but also 2) punching you in the gut to maximum effect when you get to the end of the flashbacks and pair it with the present-day plot. Like, they could have just told the player in dialogue/infodumps throughout the game who Randall was and what his connection to Hershel, Angela and Henry was, like Desmond does to Hershel near the end of Azran Legacy, but that would have been tedious and boring and the player wouldn’t care near as much, and the game wouldn’t have been long enough. Instead, you see it firsthand, you experience it with Hershel, and although I’m frustrated at how little is done with masked gentleman!Randall and showing connections/hints to who he used to be (look, my exact problems with Descole) and making Hershel more involved with him at the end, which would have been the icing on the angst cake, the entire flashback half of that game honestly left a huge impact on me and I think that’s why I spend so much time talking about/getting emotional about Miracle Mask despite always saying that Diabolical Box is my favorite, because getting to know Randall and see that friendship and see how it ended just makes it all hit so much harder, as flashbacks should do. The writers knew it would be obvious who the masked gentleman is and they leaned into that, it was a very deliberate choice, what the entire game revolved around, because the point wasn’t that it was unpredictable, but that you would feel for that character and it would hurt so much more. And while I don’t necessarily think Azran Legacy needed full-on flashback gameplay segments for Desmond like Miracle Mask had, I think having vague flashbacks every once in a while throughout that game, vague enough to not directly tell you it’s him or naming/showing Hershel/Theodore much but clear enough that you can reasonably guess it is Desmond, would have done a world of difference, along with all the little behavioral/dialogue hints I mentioned. Similar to the diary entries in Diabolical Box, or if anyone’s ever played Super Paper Mario, the flashbacks in that game after every chapter about an unknown person that it becomes increasingly obvious as you play through the game is the main villain. I just.... really, really wish, out of all the prequel entries, Azran Legacy gave Desmond so much more emotional depth and resonance once we finally see him as Desmond instead of Descole, so many more scenes with Hershel, and to a lesser extent the others, so much more development of his character, so much more of an emphasis put on his prior family and how much he’s hurting and caring and yet at the same time refuses to give up his revenge; all of this, no matter how obvious it made his identity as both Descole and as Hershel’s brother. The brother plot twist, too, feels slightly lame and overdone and out of nowhere, but honest to god I wouldn’t fucking care at all if they just foreshadowed it properly and made it so painfully obvious how much Descole/Desmond wants to be with Hershel and this family and how much it kills him to turn on them all again at the end of Azran Legacy even if he still goes through with it, and how much he regrets everything as he lays dying in Hershel’s arms, but we get none of that goddammitLevel5whydoyoudeprivemeofsomuch-

*ahem* apparently I still had a lot to say. i just wanted so much more for him; he’s SUCH a tragic character... the stupid wannabe phantom of the opera bread man still makes me cry, despite everything, because i am trash. Oh yeah and he should have held Aurora in his arms as she died. And Azran Legacy should have ended post-credits with Hershel opening his door with his hat off (to show that this is after Unwound Future), his eyes widening, then it shows the bottom half of the person’s face, just enough to see the bread hair tips, and the slight sad smile, and then cut to black. level-5 just hire the PL fandom to make the Desmond spinoff game pls

[ofhouseadama]

Thanks for taking my q’s! (Will likely be more later ;) 1) Why did Will date Nina? I don’t understand the narrative purpose and it just ended. And obviously, I’m thrilled we didn’t have to endure it any longer, but he never had real convos with anyone else about it, so I don’t really get it. And forever bitter that we saw them cuddling and never got that with Mac. 2) Mac is the Goldilocks planet, right? 3) Do you think Mac knew Will was still in love with her at any time pre-proposal? When?

No problem!

01. The short answer? Because he was getting too close to forgiving Mac, something that works as both a Watsonian and Doylist explanation. In s02e02, Will and Mac are getting very close to an understanding, even if he hasn’t forgiven her yet. They’re circling the word “love.” In s02s03 He lashes out at her, and apologizes, saying she didn’t deserve his anger. She pastes on a grin and says yeah, she kinda does (in her opinion) and you can pinpoint the moment his heart rips in two. Will is so so close to forgiving her. Nina throwing the voicemail in his face reminds him that he has been so so close to forgiving her for a while. But he can’t. The Doylist explanation is that Will and Mac can’t get back together until the season finale, so Sorkin needed to put obstacles in their path by way of Will having an extended identity crisis that would lead to him forever abandoning some of the conditioning installed by his abusive father to need to be compulsively liked by everyone. 

The Watsonian explanation is that Will is vulnerable often in season 2, and has a deep fear of abandonment, intimacy, and vulnerability. He’s running scared. Nina is the antithesis of Mac. He wants to try to make it work with her because then he can fall back on who he was before Mac came back and made his life uncomfortable and pressed on him to sit with his emotions and vulnerabilities and put himself out there for criticism and attack to be a good news anchor. He tries to be with Nina because then he can be comfortably the scared little boy, not the scared little boy who had to use all his courage to break a bottle over his dad’s head and send him to prison - something we don’t fully see Will unpack until s03e05 on the verge on his journey into fatherhood. 

Much of Will’s identity arc in The Newsroom is trying to run away from being a husband and a father. (Ah, to unpack Sorkin’s own issues with his father and obsessive patriarch themes.) He ends up running headfirst into both roles anyway in a reverse-Don Draper since he’s the bastard child of Sam and Toby when it comes down to it. 

02. Mac is indeed the Goldilocks planet. Everyone knows Will loves Mac in season 2, and no one’s bothering to be subtle anymore because they’re a family. 

03. Oh Mac definitely knew before the proposal. Will’s not subtle. By s02e08 for Mac it’s not a question of if Will loves her, it’s if he’ll ever forgive her or if she’ll spend the rest of her life waiting - and hating herself for a multitude of things, one of which is how much power she’s ceded to Will in their relationship. But Mac absolutely knows the score by s02e08. “It’s been six years,” isn’t a line about him loving her again. It’s about him forgiving her. Mac’s always known his forgiveness would be the impossible dream - but this is a story about Don Quixote, so she came back to him anyway. 

[emmelfish]

Nina looks as confused by this as I am. Okay, so Electrocuted Amazing Hat Guy was in the Calientes’ hot tub, and when the conversation turned to Don Lothario, he took it as an opportunity to talk about how much he fancies Brandi. Everybody in my game seems to fancy Brandi. She’d have done well as a Romance sim.

Anyway, he goes and gets struck by lightning in the hot tub, leaves, and then calls Nina about giving her a sample of a ‘new product’. Said ‘new product’ turns out to be the same bloody tired old flatscreen TV from the base game!

So that’s the most exciting thing currently happening in Nina’s life, given her romantic pursuits and athletic activities have taken a backseat to nausea, indigestion, flatulence, crying at the Cat Lady movie, and pickle cravings. Let’s turn our attention to Dina, who, when she isn’t working...

... is running off to see her beloved Mort Mort. Now, game story or no, there’s a real reason I’m keeping these two crazy kids together.

Why, they’re only crystal ball compatible of course! I genuinely found it rather adorable when Dina cropped up on here, considering she already wants to marry herself off to him. Dina suiting Mort better than Bella, huh. Who’da thunk it?

The age gap between these two is still just bonkers. I mean, my own brother in real life is ten years older than me, but that still would have only made him teenaged when I was around the kid age that Alex is here. Then again, Alex is only a few days off being a teenager... and if that would put Cass in her early twenties... I’m talking myself out of an argument here. Moreover, why am I still trying to make sense of this game?

Mort’s LTW is to max out all 7 skills which is perfect for a retired Knowledge sim. And given his existing skill points from his Mad Scientist days, this one might actually be achievable, if a little tedious, repetitive, grinding...

DINA! Be nice to the fish, you’re a bloody Nature sim.

Dina: But also, fishing is a Nature sim hobby. Rargh! I’m a crocodile! 🐊

Touché.

Kristen: I’ve accidentally run to Pleasantview. Yeah I’ve mistakenly – run – to Pleasantview. I didn’t mean to, just the endorphins kicked in and uh, I couldn’t stop... I feel fucking brilliant! Can I sit down in your front room and play chess before I die?

Context:

In full view of that painting that looks nothing like Bella, you guys. No shame.

Mortimer: She’s legally dead, give us a break.

Take the painting down then and get one commissioned of sweet Diggy here, she shouldn’t have to look at her dead husband’s sister while she’s riding you like Seabiscuit.

Who *doesn’t* want their pension check to arrive right as they finish woohoo, huh? And while all around her seem to trip over and fall pregnant, Dina’s yet to have a Mini Mort in the Making after around fifteen tries at this point. I think that’s possibly fate telling me to have these two adopt, which I’m totally down for.

Hey, it’s Joan of Arc haircut tracksuited Romance sim Lainey again! She’s everywhere, this gal.

Lainey: Haaaaaai.

Kristen: My legs are gone, man... I’m a jelly.

Oh LOVERS UPSTAIRS? Alex is home and wants to yell at you about his good grades. Maybe you should get out of bed and uh –

Oh.

Oh yay, Cassandra’s in here too.

My, young Alex Goth has seen some shit in his short life. That said, at least Mort is a good enough father to get out of bed and congratulate him... even if he did do so in undies.

Dina: What am I marrying into (if he ever asks me).

Oh YIKES Cass. Don just keeps spreading that seed, weaving those tangled webs, and bringing families together in the strangest possible ways! I wonder if one day Pleasantview will solely be populated by raven-haired, green-eyed Lothario offcuts.

And now Mort gets a great reputation! I’m not sure how that’s possible given he’s famous for shoving and yelling at everybody in – what have I got, like 9 subhoods at this point? – who dares look through a telescope during the day, but there we go!

I knew it wouldn’t be long before Dina embraced the Goth Crazy and started playing terrible piano in her panties. And looky who’s here! The most underrated Curious bro of the three (probably with good reason, but he’s an all-time fave of mine)! Did he jog all the way from Strangetown too?

Cassandra: So I say, who needs best friends when you have robots and a great career in Science, right?

Vidcund:

Mortimer: No Kiernan, while I’d love to hang out Downtown I’m afraid Alexander is following me around like a lemming. Yes, well there’s a high probability of a new stepmother in his life. You know the one, Bella’s brother’s widow. You’re right, I suppose that does make her my sister-in-law. Anyway you’ve seen her, she’s very attractive and young and blonde and I’m concerned Alexander may be forming a mild Oedipal complex.

Despite technically being on the grouchy end of the Sim personality spectrum, Cass is super nice and actually praises Dina’s horrible piano playing.

Vidcund: Well I’ll be. Antisocial like me, but raised with enough social skills to keep up appearances. Note to self: Google ‘how to trick any girl into becoming your wife’ later.

Hang on... did Alex bring a friend home from school and I missed the pop-up? Was I off getting chocolate or something? I guess there’s that Pleasantview penchant for Viper Canyon kids going strong again.

Vidcund has no airs and graces and simply blows millions of raspberries at an unfazed Dina.

Whereas Kristen is so nice that she actually tips her.

Kristen: It’s a Fortune sim thing. We understand each other.

Interesting, I thought you folks would be more frugal than that. And there’s Sharla! Oh man, the Ottomi are going to be such hard work. That household is gonna be a slog and a half.

Let’s leave this here because next time, Mortimer and Dina have a date completely dominated by their outerwear. Oh no... it’s not an outdoor date to a park or anything like that... no. They wear their outerwear to a restaurant. They really do. Those delightful eccentrics.

[aion-rsa]

Does Batgirl Leslie Grace Casting Point to Burnside Version of the Character?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Batgirl will soon become the latest Bat-themed superhero to star in their own DC movie. After a very long gestation period that has directors and screenwriters come and go, Warner Bros. is finally turning the wheels on Gotham’s foremost female crimefighter, with the film set for an HBO Max release sometime in 2022 or 2023, according to THR.

While WB hasn’t announced a proper release date for Batgirl, it has found its Barbara Gordon. Deadline reports that the studio has cast actor and singer Leslie Grace (In the Heights) as Batgirl. Grace joins Sasha Calle, who will play Supergirl in the upcoming Flash movie, and Rachel Zegler, who has a mystery role in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as the latest Latin American actor cast in a prominent DC film role.

Grace brings plenty of talent to Batgirl as an up and comer on the big screen, having already made her big debut as Nina Rosario in Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. The musical film served as an excellent showcase for the Latin Grammy-nominated performer’s singing voice, but Batgirl is a big-name character that will make her a household name. It’ll be interesting to see Grace in a more serious, physical role, taking down thugs and evil villains in Gotham City.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

But just where does Batgirl fit in within the multiple timelines and universes of the DC film slate? Batgirl was originally planned as an installment of the DCEU, but that was back when Joss Whedon was to helm the movie. Since then, WB has also put plans in motion to create a separate Batman movie universe spearheaded by Matt Reeves, who is directing the Robert Pattinson-starring The Batman and producing a Gotham City PD spinoff series for HBO Max.

This is all made more complicated by the fact that the DCEU has its own version of Gotham, and will soon have not just one big-screen Batman but two. The Flash will see the return of Michael Keaton as the Tim Burton version of the Dark Knight, as well as Ben Affleck’s Batman, for a multiverse-spanning adventure that’ll likely have huge implications for all of the Gotham Cities involved.

Each universe has its own Commission Gordon too, either of which could be Barbara’s dad in Batgirl! Your head hurt yet?

Equally interesting is the question of when in Barbara’s story the movie will take place. After all, the character has a very long comic book history that goes all the way back to 1967’s Detective Comics #359 and has seen her take on multiple roles within Batman’s crime fighting family, including as Oracle, who directs Bat-missions from Gotham’s Clock Tower.

However, Warner Bros’ casting of the 26-year-old Grace suggests that we’ll meet Batgirl earlier in her career, which would make a bit of sense when you also consider Titans season 3 is about to introduce an older version of Barbara as played by Savannah Welch on HBO Max in August. In that universe, she’s Gotham’s commissioner.

While we don’t have any concrete details about the film’s plot, conventional wisdom tells us that Batgirl is likely an origin story for the character since this is her first solo movie, but Grace is also the right age to play Barbara as a more seasoned crime fighter who’s been active for a few years. The latter direction seems more exciting to me, and if Warner Bros. wants to create a modern take on a veteran Batgirl, it already has an excellent arc to borrow from: Barbara’s Burnside era, which saw her move across the Gotham River to a new, hip neighborhood.

Aided by the best costume redesign of the modern DC era that saw her don a purple jumpsuit and Doc Martens, Babs Tarr’s excellent artwork, a fresh cast of friends and frenemies, and a more lighthearted tone, Batgirl of Burnside quickly became one of the most popular comic book re-launches of the late New 52 era. It also placed Barbara in her own narrative largely separate from the Dark Knight, giving her the “young, 20-something millennial figuring out life” experience that many readers were going through themselves in the early 2010s (this writer included). She went back to school for her PhD, partied hard, online dated, hung out with friends at the local coffee shop, and even launched Batgirl’s very own Instagram account. The book felt new, exciting, and completely different from what was going on in the rest of the Bat-line.

Grace has already shown her acting chops as Nina, a young woman growing up in The Bronx in In the Heights, and the actor’s own personal relationship with the borough makes her the perfect performer to portray a hero figuring things out in the big city.

Whatever the case, let’s hope Batgirl does Babs, and Grace’s considerable talents, justice.

Batgirl will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) from a screenplay by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey).

The post Does Batgirl Leslie Grace Casting Point to Burnside Version of the Character? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3xWolvr

[101flavoursofweird]

Layton! Or if someone's beaten me to Layton then Pokemon game 'verse?

Thank you! Layton it is! 

Who I will protect at all costs: Nina. She had to go through so much, from getting taken from her family to having Melina’s memories of illness and death inserted into her mind. She’s seven.  Who deserves better: Flora. Who was killed off too early: Rachel! Why invent a character only to kill her off in her first appearance?  Who I used to hate but now I love: I didn’t like Don Paolo by default in the first 2 games because he was the (albeit, comedic) villain. Then Lost Future came along and he teams up with Layton for the Alliance of Convenience and it’s the best. Who I used to love but now I hate: Clive. I don’t hate him but eh…Who needs to be killed off asap: Rachel apparently That actor in the Mystery Room case where the actress gets shot onstage.

Who is unfairly hated: Clark and Brenda. It’s fine if people have certain headcanons for the sake of art/fics. It’s fine (and can even be interesting) if people kill them off for the sake of art/fics. But they don’t have to be discredited just for the sake of having Luke bond with Layton. The games managed to have Luke spend time with his parents and Layton without upsetting either relationship. (Also, there’s always Layton/Clark/Brenda…)  

Who is unfairly loved: All the most popular characters in comparison to the under-appreciated characters. When was the last time I saw fanworks with Katia in it? Or Janice?Who needs to sort out their priorities: Layton with regards to his relationship with his kids. There better be a good reason why he left them. Who needs a hug: Janice… She didn’t just lose her girlfriend - she lost part of herself when Melina left her mind.  Who needs to get out of their current relationship: Ernest doesn’t need to get over his feelings for Kat, but he definitely needs to tone it down and Kat needs to treat him more as an equal. Who the writers love: RANDALL. Who needs a better storyline: Emmy, always. (Or at least more depth to the storyline she got.) Who has an amazing redemption arc: I remember liking Barnham’s realisation  of his role in the story and how bad he felt for throwing Maya into the fire. I also really like how he ended up working in the bakery. It’s so random but also humbling for him.  Who is hot af: Dimitri. Must be the voice.Who belongs in jail: Bill Hawks. Who needs to be revived from the dead: AURORA. 

[pixuou]

Darren and Brandi's wedding was going well, until one careless moment changed the course of the afternoon.

Cassandra: I'm literally right here!

Dina, thinking: Just smile and pretend to stay calm. What the hell. What. The. Absolute. Hell. Neither of them ever learn.

Brandi: Uhhh... Why don't we all go outside and grab some appetizers? I'll go get the drinks...

[pixuou]

The rest of this very humble wedding went just as awkward as you'd expect. This was the worst time and place for Cassandra to find out about Don and Nina's affair, as the man she secretly held in her heart was getting married to someone else right in front of her. She felt like all was lost.

Dirk: I know this day didn't go quite as planned, but that's not your fault Brandi. And your gelatin is really good!

Brandi: Thank you, Dirk. Always look on the bright side, eh?