#dude i feel FANTASTIC i need to limit how and when i do this so i don't build up a massive tolerance/go into withdrawal

[autistic-shaiapouf]

Am I placebo effecting myself or is the caffeine actually working

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Dude… are you ok? Cause you’re kind of interpreting this whole thing as something deep when it really isn’t.

Hello, welcome to my blog.

I interpret things deeply when they shouldn't be, FOR FUN how are you doing?

loooool.

Like, It is a silly little youtube show, and the writers are on a time crunch and everything is likely half improv half written in a day. And they've done this for two years going on three.

So I don't expect expert writing. And I have nothing but the MASSIVE respect for the voice actors, writers and everyone involved.

I was even disappointed by how KC and Bloodmoon were handled too. So it's not the first time I've been disappointed by which direction the show takes.

But the over-analysis is literally for fun.

I am legit having fun.

But honestly? At the same time I don't think I'm okay.

I get super emotional when Robots replace other Robots with something with different memories with the same face. I was pretty much the same way when OldMoon died too.

I could go into a trauma dump on why this whole thing upsets me so much, but no one on tumblr needs to hear that. I honestly do understand the other side of the fandom that do take the Celestial Family's side in this whole thing (which I don't think there should be sides to begin with. lol) For me, personally, the whole thing happened way too quickly for me to understand how people are behaving in the way they did.

It's a conflict of me being unable to buy into the narrative because of how quick everything transpires.

And I can run here and chase my tail and do the "You are not me and I am not you" thing all day so ofc we have different thoughts on things but I think that is part of what makes the Sun and Moon show so special to me and a lot of other people

So? I overreact and relate to a character because I find their situation extremely relatable?

GOOD. FANTASTIC even.

It means that the Youtube Channel that makes content for shock value got me to FEEL something.

They are doing their job as intended, and the show will move on.

Nothing but respect and the highest regards they've been able to keep the show going for so long.

If things get stale for them, a new villain shows up, someone dies, or something in the status quo changes. They have to keep it fresh. This is nothing new. It's another evolution.

And honestly, I'll leave when I want to leave. I know my limits, and for now, Color me intrigued to see where all this is going...

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

when people say wwx is not truly good because he rightfully sought revenge (justice!!!??!!) against those who wronged him and his former sect... dude some of them are so silly it upsets me

I have said it before but I think when people read, they don't want to draw a line between the conventions of what are considered everyday expectations of what is considered justifiable morals in our very monotonous domestic lives, to that of what is presented as wild and fantastical for fantasy.

The best accompaniment I can think of to compare to what we see from MDZS in a well-known English work is The Hunger Games. We have a protagonist that is very proud and independent in their own talents, they know what their limitations are yet still are able to go above even those when they are pushed to do it, every time this is out of a sense of duty but also devotion to what they love. They are not naive of the cruelty of life and at times can even come off as rather jaded about the reality of their worlds for good reason as both essentially are made caretakers and keepers of children their own age because of the incompetence of the adults in their lives and needing to learn how to survive themselves, but still offer love and hope for the best for the ones they care about.

They are also both thrust into continuous life and death situations, not because of any fault of their own, but because they didn't want others to be hurt needlessly. Neither Katniss or Wei Wuxian WANT to be self-sacrificial, they actually fight tooth and nail to live, they want to live because it is very human, but they also disavow real cruelty, not justifiable vengeance. They kill themselves to survive and partake in gruesome ones, yet the thing is that even in their own settings these are not condemned as them having ever been wrong for that by the narratives, one is in first person perspective and the other is from an omniscient other perspective.

This also reflects in the traits of their respective love interest that they both admittedly knew little about but were unconsciously taken by in their younger days and continued to have that admiration grow partly in due to the kindness within the love interest that is focused on heavily as a point of draw. And ironically both are called "oblivious" in their feelings of love when no, they rationalize it as friendship each time throughout the novels until they can and do safely admit they cannot be or it would always be the other for them.

Morality is a very fine line to argue when what is not my every day expectations of it are defied by the themes meant for novels and plots. In not one instance would I try to say Wei Wuxian or Katniss are "morally grey" or not justified in their actions when they continued to stick to their own ideals as much as possible without compromising what they believed to be right. They themselves do not ever try to deny their part in hurt or harm caused but do not take more and do not want more blame then they realistically are due. Maybe people see that as selfish and callous, I for one do not when they decide to take responsibility for what is theirs all the while being unapologetic about wanting to survive and happiness as what they deem is happiness.

[draconscious]

NAME : dan!!

PRONOUNS : he/him

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION : tumblr im. discord. passenger pigeon. I'm very slow sometimes but you should plot with me!!

NAME OF MUSE(s) : clair, cynthia, barry, jupiter/eris + so many mooore (how did it come to this? LMAO)

BEST EXPERIENCE(S) : dedicating this section to both ash (@analuein) and aya (@distortsverity)! ash and I have been writing together for infinity years right here on tumblr. no matter the muse, it's always a blast spinning up plots and watching the magic unfold from there with her. from thorton to violet, to noland and clair. from wildencounters to indie. it's been a fantastic ride. day one. 😎

I transitioned from group rp to indie a few years ago and--at the time--I was all alone. I had no connections, just a lonely barry blog to my name. I wrote drabbles by myself in the dark for two weeks until aya came across my blog with her hikari, and everything just clicked. aya made me feel included, reached out with ideas, plots and feedback, and showed love to barry and all of my muse(s)--and to this day, I still feel TREMENDOUSLY grateful for the helping hand when I felt so isolated. I definitely would not still be writing here without her.

since then, I've had an amazing time here. writing with so many different people, muses, and groups--it's all so good. my best experiences happen when I'm writing (or even plotting) with someone, and everything just works, flows, and fits together and I can just feel that shared excitement. that feeling that we're building a great story together. that's magical. that's why I'm still around, trying new muses, diving headlong into amazing plots/dynamics, letting my imagination run wild, and--as always--writing a lot. much love to EVERYONE who has helped keep that fire burning over the years, but especially ash and aya for giving that flame a chance in the first place. tysm. ❤️

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS : it's been said, but--on a personal level--I wish private communication would happen more, specifically when it comes to interest levels. my time is becoming more and more limited here (sad as that is) and I have always written at a slower, longer pace. so, given how fast this place moves, I would appreciate knowing if a thread has grown stale, or if something's off.

I'm flexible. I'd like to think that I'm pretty laid-back. I want you to have fun, and you need to drop or backburner our thread because life, interest, etc. that's okay. I promise. I also don't mind reminders about cold threads or overdue replies on my end. if that's the case, please let me know right away, and I'll pick it back up or let you know my thoughts. we can try new things, or not. just let me know what you'd like to do, and we can adjust from there. that being said, lack of time or muse =/= lack of interest. I get that. you never need to rush a reply with me, and I will always (for better or worse) assume interest is still there unless told otherwise by you. I'm no herlock sholmes. (I wish I was...)

so, as a courtesy, I'd ask to please talk to me if something's wrong. if you feel the need to drop our thread or aren't interested in an interaction and/or want to start fresh. I won't be upset (quote me on that.) I just want to make sure that the writing vibes are still good, and I want to spend my time here writing things that you (and others) are still into. and in the end, it's not really a big deal--this place is great and I adore my past/present/future thread partners--but it's something that I would appreciate!

(also since I haven't made it clear before: no AI with me, please. let's meet at the same level.)

MUSE PREFERENCES: strong women and brash, sunshiney dudes. (I'll really try anyone, but I certainly have types 😊)

PLOTS OR MEMES : whatever's easier for you to get in the door with--c'mon in!! I don't find myself with the time to reblog many memes lately, but my inbox/IMs are always open for spot interactions, and I'll do a lil' starter call here and there!!

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES : I don't mind receiving either, but I always tend to lose myself in the sauce and write a lot oops. you never have to match my length. as long as we're writing together, that's chill enough for me!

BEST TIME TO WRITE : my healthcare job is killing me. I'll try to sneak on for some stuff here and there, but I'm most active during evening/nighttime CST US. confirmed night time scrawler. 🦉

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S) : some common threads linking all of my muses to me is the fact that we always want to be active, we have (too) high expectations of ourselves, we grew up and are still growing up, and we spend too much time working (and loathe it LMAO)

[inventors-fair]

Delight and Declamation: Play Contest Winners ~

Our winners this week are @hypexion, @just--a--penguin, and @spooky-bard!

@hypexion — Witherbloom Janitor

There’s a certain silliness to a world of real influence and the magical sphere. Out of all the cards this week, I found myself drawn to this as a subtle example, something where the humor is both present in-world (as the skeletons being subservient or animated homunculi-figures) and with a reference to the figure of speech which may become reality. Quite lovely to see the question there as well. There are minor wording possibilities, like, “At the end of a term/end of term” being something that rolls off the tongue more than the current wording, but that’s my English side and doesn’t take from the overall strength of your structure.

Lorehold is probably the place where this is a bigger hoser. Discarding and drawing means that there are some other considerations to be made, but that’s merely one limited possibility. What if this card wants to see constructed play as a body-to-Tormod’s-Crypt effect? Simple and reasonable; seems like every set needs a graveyard hoser, don’t it. Nothing complicated, but nothing that isn’t necessary, either. The effect’s permeability is what makes it stand out for me alongside the fact that it made me laugh, so there you go!

@just--a--penguin — Expose Fraudulence

This time, I want to talk about the meta and the gameplay first. Even if you don’t have Citizens, you’re gonna get some, and the semi-Fog-to-two-creatures-that’s-probably-a-card effect (and tbh I don’t have the time to look up the card I’m thinking of) is only stronger if you have yourself some Citizens to kill whatever’s coming at you. Wham, a big Rhino or Raccoon or Elf Guy is gonna do what he has to do. Wham bam the plan is to live. But, that’s a given, and it’s a pretty fun effect that can also just serve to aggressively whack out the opponent who doesn’t have their Citizens in a row and win.

But holy cannoli that flavor text and world. Three-raccoons-in-a-trenchcoat is such a vibe, honestly. And the callback to the weirdness of Witness Protection makes that dramatic little edge all the more endearing. How honest—no, what’s the word—genuine! It’s a genuine nature that makes the drama connect with the heart. The chase is on! I’m invested in these little dudes and the people exposing them! Magic can’t really have the story for a heist, but frankly, I like that much better than whatever Rankle had going on in MOM, so that bar is cleared. I’ll be wary of any fur-faced salesfolk coming by from now on.

@spooky-bard — Speedy Delivery

“Or else.” What’s it about Capenna that had people so interested in Food? Or, no, it was also this contest, there was a LOT of food. “Or else.” Man, I’m sorry, I’m bouncing around a lot, but I want that little turn to just stick for a little bit. In the middle of a busy week, I’m reading over all the entries, thinking about the commentary I have to do and when the hell I’ll have time to do it, I reread it thinking about how good the card is, and I laugh. I just start letting myself laugh, letting that come into this space, and it’s all I need for a second. It’s a fantastic card as-is, but it’s what I needed, and that’s why it’s here.

On the boring gameplay side of thing, I’m going to smack someone with a double-striking Raccoon—again—and I’m gonna have me some pizza to go with it. Actually, there was a really fun Heroic-ish uncommon from SNC draft I remember, so that’s very fun to think about with this card. Ach, what does it matter? Maybe in a Food-matters world it’ll be all the better and a token-matters one, too. What if the new world of Capenna’s rebuilding is a Masterchef-style contest and we have some espionage with the different families, having come together, succumbing to their old tricks and murders because of the prize? I don’t know, but it’s something where I can feel the levity coming to me. So thank you.

Runners if I can get to them before class! Whew. @abelzumi

[snurtle]

Please I need more of the 'Gin and Tousen survive' AU im starving for themTM content

It’s been a hot minute since I got this ask! Care for a drabble? I wrote this a while ago but I just never got around to posting it. I’m always starving for more AU content of them too my dude ! 😭

840ish words of questionable decisions and research acquisitions ft! Yoruichi and Kisuke. Gin is not technically in this one except as the object of conversation, but it does set up the scenario I like to imagine for Gin’s half of the “los stinky boys survive” AU, so good enough in my books.

_________

"What in the world compelled you to save him? Do you have any idea the consequences it could bring down on our heads?” Yoruichi demands with the imperiosity of a lord, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Ichimaru Gin is not exactly an obscure persona non grata. Urahara!"

"I don't know...." Kisuke stalls. Reclined on the floor as he was, his head leaned back, the late afternoon light radiating through the paper doors made his dark eyes gleam gold. Up until the unfortunate discovery of a makeshift ICU in the basement, he’d been trying (and mostly succeeding) to sneak in a nap. Even given the impossible, ridiculous powers of Benihime, to stitch back together what remained of the former traitor captain had been no easy task... and he could not remember the last time he had ever considered himself a healer. To excise the pernicious reiatsu from the wound, to modify just enough of his soul chain and soul sleep that Ichimaru could survive a continued intrusion from it while Urahara figured out another stop-gap... It was a lot.

Finally, Kisuke hits on the string of words he was after, just as a black Tabi sock starts to insistently probe the soft space under his floating rib for weak organs.

"Ahh, ah-! I suppose I feel responsible for him!"

Yoruichi's eyebrows lift a fraction of an inch. She pulls her foot back for a kick.

"In a way! He's a bit like Jinta and Ururu, or even little Nemu...” Kisuke half whines, half explains, squidging hurriedly away from the imminent contact. “The product of being raised with monsters, or- ahaha- something like that."

"Oho! That's a good explanation Kisuke.” Yoruichi says. Her foot continues to hover just a centimeter above the floor mat, but the promise of an explanation stalls her ire.

“I might even believe it, if I were anyone else. But that’s a hell of an evasion. Something more concrete, please."

At this, Urahara laughs, a silly man caught in an easy deflection. He pulls his hat further down over his face.

"You're a little too good at reading me, Miss Yoruichi..." he says, mock mournful.

"A good lord must know his vassal and source of wet food like the back of his hand."

"Cat."

"Mouse. The actual reason." She crooks her hand as if waiting for Kisuke to place something in it. When his head turns a fraction of an inch and only the glint of his eyes return from the deep shadows of his hat, Yoruichi knows that he's obliged.

"... Mister Ichimaru was exposed to Aizen's reiatsu for a very long time. Not only his, but that of the Hogyoku.. And their combined form, as well, which I think merits a distinction. And seeing as how the actual Aizen is now both locked up and /fantastically/ unhelpful by personality... any other samples of the effect it has on a soul are.. ah. hm. Off limits."

"So an experiment." She offers. Was that so hard.

"Uncharitable. I could take offense to such a clinical explanation for saving another being-"

Yoruichi snorts. Charitable, she would not call Kisuke Urahara. Not the one she knew. But his insistence on a non-threatening appearance had always amused and been handy in equal measure.

"I’m waiting for an alternative.”

"Why, insurance!" He replies musically.

"Your insurance is more likely to injure you than the thing you're keeping it against."

At that, Urahara just smiles. Yoruichi didn't sound un-supportive. Far from it, though she tried to sound otherwise. Through her cautious, callous pawing around the edges, she was just as interested in what Urahara might do as he was in /doing/ it. It had always been this way. But it was her self-appointed job to at least sound like she hadn't already jumped onto the bandwagon with him. Call it part of the vetting process. Part of keeping them both safe.

That was what he was doing too. At least partly.

“Are you sure?” He asks. And then, after a pause,

“Are you willing to risk the alternative?”

A shiver runs up Yoruichi’s spine. Her gold eyes turn to slits. The exiled head of the Shihoin clan couldn't think of a better way to describe Ichimaru Gin, peacefully sedated and hooked up to a half-dozen life support machines, than a risk. The alternative Kisuke was talking about-- some unmarked day in the future where Mugen was no longer the air-tight private hell that it always had been-- that was supposed to be weighed against the immediate possibility that the strange, conditional goodwill they had earned for themselves over the course of Aizen’s betrayal and subsequent capture could be stripped away by sheltering a traitor less charming than the Visored, and useful to no one but, possibly, themselves. Possibly. If he didn’t kill them on a lark, or get them killed in any number of other ways.

"Besides...! With a one-of-a-kind material, one should take risks in acquisition!" Kisuke just had to add, damning any charitable interpretation of his schemes to the realm of wistful imagination.

Risks, risks. Risks indeed. Yoruichi’s face scrunches up- and then deflates, all at once. An enormous sigh escapes her.

“I just wish you’d tell me before you show up with more strays!”

[kingofthewilderwest]

I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the dragon designs in TNR, but I actually liked them. (With the exception of Wu and Weiʼs wings, which look awkward). What do you think about the dragon designs?

I have more fun talking in an upbeat way about the latest media myself! I’ll be honest about my opinions of the dragon designs below, including the good, the bad, and the ugly, but I hope you won’t think I descend into complaints, because I have no intention of complaining for a second. And there’s lots I enjoy and will highlight. TNR honestly does give us some great dragon design material.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Feathers and Plowhorn's designs are fantastic, a perfect reflection of the DreamWorks Dragons universe: taking unique inspirations from unexpected creatures and combining them with lovable, whimsical designs. The limitations to their appearance is the animation budget, not the design itself. Imagine how stupendous they’d look with the budget of a movie theatrical release: they’re just that good they’d deserve to be on the big screen!

Feathers is beautiful, long, and lithe, the forms I’ve gravitated to since I was a kid drawing my own serpentine creatures. With Plowhorn, the combination of the gem horn and the beetle wings was a stroke of ingenuity. Give the artists my applause for creating such uniqueness!

Now we’re getting into the polite constructive criticism territory. I don’t think Webmaster is a good design for a rider dragon. For a single episode enemy, that’d be fine. But I don’t think the shape is conceptually graspable enough to imprint on viewers in the way a main character’s dragon should.

I think Wu and Wei looks clunky and unappealing. In theory the colors should work together, but they don’t. And the dragon’s shape does not work. I hope you’re not upset at my personal opinion, but for those interested into what I really think, I admit I find the design ugly. Which is a shame, because I love the notion of expanding HTTYD dragons beyond Vikingdom into other cultures’ understandings, like Chinese dragons.

I’m not a fan of Thunder’s look. It could be worse but it could be improved. The blaze on the face, for whatever reason, doesn’t come off looking appealing. Mostly, though, it’s the proportions with Thunder that feel “off.” I get that they gave him a lanky, young cat sort of look, but the result is his whole body feels “off.” The flatness of his head combined with the skinniness of his neck is the start of the awkwardness.

Granted, I'd prefer he weren’t a Night Light at all, and I have my bias in that I didn’t like the original trio of Night Lights introduced in Homecoming (in that case, it’s because of how they were babyified). So that needs to be taken into account when I say I don’t care for Thunder’s appearance: the whole premise isn’t catering to someone like me. Chances are you’d be hard pressed to make any Fury-adjacent creature appeal to me in a modern show.

As far as the rest of the dragon designs in the show, I want to make a post where I glibly rate everyone! Go through every dragon, old and new, that TNR shows. I appreciate that we see some but not all of the old species and that the high majority of the screen time is on new dragons. Off the top of my head, the vomiting pus bag is the best thing I have seen in my thirty years on earth. I. Love. It. I would buy merchandise of that dude! The Sky Torcher is a cool concept, though needs more budget and a few tweaks, but it certainly stuck with me among the many new dragons we’ve seen. I hate how the Bubblehorn looks with an utter passion. But overall, I have fun seeing how the new dragons look! And I think there are way more positives than negatives when it comes to the designs of background, non-rider dragons! Definitely can’t complain to MORE DRAGONS!

[hbosscreations]

The Reason Dead in America Doesn't Work for Me

I know that this is the autism brain in me and not necessarily a rational argument that other people will have or even care about, and I don't think anyone is going to see this or care, but what is this platform good for if not shouting into the void?

There are a lot of things wrong with Dead in America, and if I got into the whole 'British White Dude talking about American Racism without understanding nuance or being particularly aware of British Racism' thing...well, I think I'd lose it again. Other people have talked about it more eloquently than I ever could.

So instead, let's talk about the feelings I'm having and the in universe reason that Dead in America feels...wrong to me. This isn't something a person who's starting with Dead in America might pick up on, but it lives rent free in my head and I haven't seen anyone else talk about it.

The world John is in isn't his world. Rather, the SOUL in John's body is from a different universe's John Constantine.

To be fair, if you're not reading the trade of the 2019 run, you might also not have read the Halloween special in which the apocalypse created by Tim Hunter (from Books of Magic) is happening and John gets Chas and his taxi exploded, but it's kind of important to the rest of the story, so I'm glad it was included in the trade. Kind of wish it was included as the first issue of the run. The trade also includes the issue of how John gets a cell phone with an angel trapped inside it, but that's less important.

Let me explain.

Basically, Tim Hunter is an extremely powerful magic user who punched a hole into the multiverse. John is an extremely powerful magic user who, as we all know, REALLY does NOT want to die. The apocalypse is happening, Zatanna is dying, Tefe is dying, John just sacrificed Chas and is dying. So, when a future version of him appears that seems happy and says 'hey, babe, just promise me that you'll give me your soul and I'll heal you up and send you somewhere you're needed' John says yes.

Why does older him want his soul? Fuck if John knows. Future John makes it sound like a con on the universe, and John's into that shit. 'Keep it in the family'.

Remember that line.

He wakes up in a universe where he's been in Ravenscar for years, the only visible scar on him we see is the deal he made with himself. The burn on his hand.

This is a universe (I suspect) where he didn't sell his soul to get rid of his cancer. What would be the point of punting him here if Future John would have to figure out how to get the soul away from the demons who may or may not still have a claim to it.

More to the point, I think this is a universe where Future John was supposed to have a measure of control over the happenings. Let me explain. We see this in Scrubbing Up Part 2 when John talks to Clarice.

(If you don't know who Clarice and Map are, they're from the original run and they're fantastic, but they're also magic people who've worked with John in the past.)

There's a prophesy that says a hungry void is murdering whichever magi it could not first consume, you say? A void like a tulpa, perhaps? An abomination under parliament? You mean the tulpa of Albion that Future John creates?

Why do I think these things are specifically Future John's doing?

Because the story says so.

Back in the 2019 Halloween special, John starts to lose his memories of the multiverse, his lives, his loves. He starts to CUT THEM OFF because they cannot coexist with this world that is so much more limited in scope.

John regularly complains in this run that the CGI shit is 'not his scene' which Future John scoffs at. Of course it's his scene, that's where he's at now, and while people like to forget about it, it was his thing in the original run too once he'd passed through a few hands.

The 90s were a hell of a drug for the comic book industry, I'm just saying.

Side tangent, this would have been an AMAZING jumping off point for newer readers. You literally don't need to know anything because he's been in a drug induced haze for a decade and doesn't remember his old life. A good writer could use this and have John be trying to parse through his memories and figure out what's real, what's not, and what the other him wanted.

Anyway, back to Future John's motives.

'You don't have to be afraid. I'll fix you up. Set you down where this unholy fucktangle didn't reach yet. Somewhere you're needed.'

Emphasis is something that should be important in a comic (Unless you're Frank Miller, I guess). In particular, Future John says 'where this unholy fucktangle didn't reach yet'. 'This unholy fucktangle'. Not 'this unholy fucktangle'.

Meaning there's a place that's already made and ready for John. A place his future self has chosen.

Where, exactly?

'Somewhere you're needed'.

Not 'somewhere peaceful' or 'somewhere exciting' or even 'somewhere familiar'.

No, 'somewhere you're needed'.

And the first thing after the issue of John getting his magical cell phone, what's the first real thing that happens to John that's not a mundanity?

Noah happens.

Noah, who was supposed to be hunting down Clarice (An OLD WOMAN IN A CAR WITH A BODYGUARD) and somehow convinces his friend and partner in crime that actually John is the person they are supposed to be kidnapping.

Noah has no clue why he decided to bring a man who looks anywhere between his 40's to 70's depending on the issue, but John does not look like a five foot tall brunette in a designer dress with a sleek car and a bodyguard, does he?

So, why would Noah do that? Why would Isa go along with it?

This time, this place, this universe was chosen for a reason.

Man, wouldn't it be interesting if John was here because of Noah?

Future John says 'I'm going to send you somewhere you're needed', John wakes up and pretty quickly gets himself attacked by his own son (we can argue about how long based on hair growth since there are not any dates given, but I digress).

His son who has a mother in a coma that hasn't woken up in seven years. His son who has a grandmother no one ever sees, names, or mentions again after the single issue she's first mentioned in. His son who is disabled because of magic and monsters and demon shit. His son who is so angry and yet so, so kind (No, I am not over the fact that he held the hand of his mother's would-be murderer as she died and offered her comfort despite her being an angry, bitter racist).

His son who WILL be killed by his own hands (even if those hands are a future alternate version of him or a tulpa of himself that he created) if John doesn't do what he's told.

His son, who was willing to walk back into the place where his only friend we ever see was mutilated in front of him, because John needed him.

His son who needed him not for his magic but because he was John.

What a perfect carrot. What a perfect stick.

Talk about 'keeping it in the family', eh?

WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH DEAD IN AMERICA?!

Valid question! So valid! So real! This is a tangent that really in my opinion highlights why Dead in America doesn't work.

What does any of this rambling about John Constantine Hellblazer 2019 have to do with Hellblazer: Dead in America?

Nothing.

And that's the problem.

Look, I get that comic runs often don't have much to do with the previous runs, but Hellblazer has always been strongest when the stories built on one another. When there was a transition. And it was written by the same writer, as a continuation of his previous run.

Dead in America feels like someone who's got a vague idea and a bone to pick. 'Look at how racist the Americans are!'

I'm not going to go into too deep of a dive on this one, but I do have a serious question that highlights why Dead in America doesn't work.

What does John Constantine have to do with American racism?

Is there prejudice against non-Americans who are white in the US? Sure, but that's not the story being told. What does this story have to say about racism? That it's bad, that poor white Americans are stupid and racist, and rich white Americans are evil and racist.

WHY IS A BRITISH WRITER WORKING ON A BRITISH CHARACTER HEADING THIS CONVERSATION?!

AND WHY IS DC LETTING HIM KEEP DOING IT SO BADLY?!

There are good pieces of Dead in America, but they're just that, pieces. This story does not work as a standalone, it does not work in relation to anything that came before it, it does not work as a Hellblazer story, it does not work as a John Constantine story.

And it completely forgets EVERYTHING that came before it BY THE SAME WRITER! Did Si Spurrier forget that HE IS THE ONE WHO SENT JOHN INTO ANOTHER UNIVERSE?! WHY ARE WE SEEING PEOPLE FROM THE MAIN DCU WHEN WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN A UNIVERSE WHERE JOHN IS ALONE WITH NO SUPPORT BECAUSE HE FUCKING KILLED THEM ALL IN PREPARATION?!?! THAT'S A MAJOR POINT OF THE PREVIOUS RUN, THAT THE FUTURE VERSION OF HIM HAS KILLED/CHASED OFF ANYONE LEFT BEHIND WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO KEEP JOHN ALIVE! HOW THE FUCK IS ETRIGAN AROUND WHEN I'M CERTAIN FUTURE JOHN IS THE REASON CHAS DIED OF CANCER?!

And don't tell me 'oh, Future John's a tulpa, he couldn't have done that!'. HE COULD HAVE BECAUSE HE FUCKING DID ALREADY! BEING A TULPA DOESN'T NEGATE EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THIS RUN!!!

WHY DID WE GET THIS INSTEAD OF AN ACTUAL CONTINUATION OF THE STORYLINE THAT WAS CANCELED ON HIM?!

Fuck, I WANT to be positive about the things I like. I'm so in love with the 2019 run that I went out and bought the entire original Hellblazer in both physical and digital formats, after years of not really reading comic books anymore just so I could make sure I really understood John Constantine as a character. I know Spurrier can write better than this because he did it five years ago.

I'm still buying the comics because I don't want Constantine to become another character DC pulls out for crossovers and to die and be resurrected as so many other characters are, but FUCK I really hope that someone considers a different writer before continuing forward or at least some better guidelines, because Dead in America is disappointing.

[jonmcbrine-author]

Discussing your desire can be embarrassing. Exposing your ambitious passion can often times make you feel as if you’ve mutated into cringe incarnate. The dream that accompanies every waking thought - which essentially dominates your brain to the point where it’s difficult to talk about anything other than your creative goals - is the same concept you suppress from casual conversation. If these fantasies and lofty career aspirations make up such large portions of our gray matter (and can even feel physically beyond, seemingly flowing within our whole body’s bloodstream), then why is it sometimes awkward to publicly display?

The reason for me (most of the time) is to not sound pretentious. Who am I to boast of any ideas? Have I sold a bajillion copies of anything? Compare and despair plays a big part in my hesitancy to share my deepest daydreams of making it big as an author. I don’t want to sound like the middle-aged dude in a go-nowhere band, or the man-child all-day gamer. Even writing that makes me feel like I should apologize and that I don’t have anything against late-in-life goals or hobbies. Heck, I fit the bill when it comes to both, though I’m not much of a gamer, and a lot of my extracurricular activities are brainless time-wasters. A large chunk of my hobbies, though, are ultimately contributing to an even huger target. Still, the creative pursuit can at least look like a frivolous endeavor that friends and family humor. Writing fiction is, of course, a passion of mine, but it’s also a frustrating one when there isn’t much in the way of instant gratifications.

A lot of the time I resist the urge to indulge in my author-related projects unless the topic of conversation is initiated by someone else. Despite having a legitimately intrigued audience, I will still attempt to limit the info-dump I’m avalanching upon the well-meaning yet unsuspecting person. The self-censor is partially out of politeness but mainly for myself to not sound like an utter weirdo. Recently, however, I had the gift of a certain kind of freedom - a liberating moment where I could fully immerse myself in inspiration.

This flow of exciting ideas was a silent, internalized experience - and brief - but it was a welcome release of fretting over any outward appearances. No, there wasn’t an opportunity to shout these story ideas from the rooftops, but my mind’s unraveling of characters and their fantastical actions didn’t need to be anything other than an interior wandering. Normally, taking a trip into my “mind palace” would be reserved for spare moments throughout the day or perhaps a random idea would manifest itself within my brain and I’d follow for however long I could before resuming whatever daily work or routine I’d be doing at the time. This particular instance from only a few days ago at the time of this writing occurred at a time where it was appropriate and okay to mentally lose myself in a sequence of scenes for a piece of fiction I’ve been developing. My muse in this case was none other than the ocean.

Beach vacations are known for the relaxing times of peaceful meandering and/or serene introspection. My recent trip provided these things, sure, but like with many excursions, there are planning elements, as well as the stress of navigating through a different environment. My sandy getaway may not have offered as many thought-clearing states as I may have liked, but the idyllic moments the vacay did offer were priceless gifts.

I stood knee-deep in cool seawater, enjoying the mercifully mild weather, and permitting myself to know that at that very moment, my situation was a safe and acceptable one. I had achieved the stress-free comfort that soothing shorelines are capable of giving. It was during a time where few others occupied the beach, so the atmosphere was even more freeing. Even the stronger waves’ crashing carried dulcet tones, and the soft breezes blew around my body, reminding me of how wonderfully insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things - while simultaneously assuring the importance of me and everyone and everything else. It’s a good place to be.

The moment evaporated as it reached what was apparently its natural conclusion, but I was gifted the time of mental exploration. Undisturbed yet swirling with activity like the ocean itself, I allowed for some unadulterated imagining. I believe what made this experience more noteworthy than any other time I happen to think of soothing that would be cool to throw into a story is that this was fully acknowledged and embraced. At the risk of coming off as strange or humiliating myself with “gee whiz” naïveté, I am publicly posting this blog that may or may not get read. Cringe or no cringe.

Stay in the loop for more details by following Jonfiction Blog on Substack and be sure to check out jonmcbrine.com for more info about this and all my books.

Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One is available now from the Amazon Kindle store.

https://a.co/2XAtxvH

New blog every Monday. Newsletter first Monday of every month.

[crystalelemental]

PokeFair Select Scouts (September 2023)

There are two whole PokeFair Select scouts active as of today, and the goal here is to talk about both, and who is worth scouting for.

PokeFair Select A

Anni May - Anniversary May is a Psychic Terrain setter that has it as Psychic Wish, which means it goes around flinches because it's a trainer move, not a Pokemon move. This is fairly insignificant, but you know. May's focus is on Terrain, X Sp Atk All, and special attack debuffing through Mist Ball, into a fairly potent sync. At 1/5, she has Psychic Terrain and the ability to cover for someone like Giovanni. But she has direct and significant competition with Bianca. Competition that she never quite managed to completely win. Completing her at 3/5 is a worthwhile choice for the nuke, but Psychic nuke is not hard to shop for.

Anni Skyla - Still somehow the only pair to apply Flying Zone. Skyla is okay. Zone, team speed boosting, and Mini Potion All, but the real nice aspect is a 30% AoE flinch on Air Cutter+Staggering 2. She can also confuse for whatever that's worth. Completion at 3/5 produces an incredible sync nuke for a Flying type, while also opening up some nice support in the form of now a 50% flinch, debuffing offenses, and an odd tank set. Skyla's a pretty solid pick all around, both as a new pair and a completed pair.

Anni Raihan - Sometimes, when I talk about a 1/5 kit, it is from a place of theory. Not here. I had Raihan at 1/5 for a while, and let me tell you, dude is ass. He's bad at everything until 3/5. Sandstorm is frankly a garbage weather condition that few pairs truly enjoy having, and the stacking of moves up next is a lot more common now than it used to be. Raihan's claim to fame is, and always has been, his Sandstorm Propulsion. Raihan fast-ramps on teams, while supplying better DPS pressure for a Striker ally. That is his one and only mission. If you're at 2/5, I can safely encourage it. Otherwise, I do think Skyla is a far better acquisition for a 1/5 pair.

PokeFair Select B

Sygna Suit Diantha - An excellent Zone setter who perfectly complements just about everything on her type. Speed debuffs for Cakewalk sets, defense debuffing for all the physical attackers, defense boosting for team survival, Zone; Diantha supplies a ton. Completion at 3/5 really just offers stronger sync. I will caution, Diantha's Buddy move taking so much time in animations does run out her Zone faster than usual, which is a problem when all her damage relies on it. Operates best with competent offensive allies, but really pushes the definition of what counts as "competent."

Emma - Darling Daughter Emma. If you picked up Oleana, she's not exactly necessary, but she has fantastic 1/5 utility. Buddy move is an obscene nuke of a move, and applying +4 speed to the entire team is bananas. Potion is also very nice. Just be aware that she is borderline useless if the foe isn't Poisoned. 3/5 offers a sync nuke and some odd utility, but 1/5 is perfectly sufficient.

Victor - I shit on Victor all the time, so do not take my word for this. Victor feels middling. Grass is over-saturated, and his damage is nothing new or exceptional. His claims to fame are AoE Max Moves, which are good I concede, and Piercing Blows, which is nice but suffers from Anni Lillie syndrome, where the damage is never where you want it to be as compensation. 3/5 as usual gives the nuke, but Victor lacks for serious utility. I can't see many people needing him given how many Grass options there are, but he's not incompetent.

Ingo - A fairly solid pick. Sandstorm compression on a support is always really nice. I do think Ingo's fallen off a bit, as strong tanking ability has taken over as a significant concern for supports. He's not terrible at it but lack of defense buffing and limited Atk/Sp Atk buffing capabilities do hold him back a bit. And of course, Sandstorm is not that exciting as a weather effect. It's actively detrimental to those who don't need it, and those who do are few and far between.

SS Brendan - I expect this to be a popular pick. Brendan has a lot of good value as a special attack/crit boosting support. My hesitation on recommending him is strictly that 3/5 is pretty required, unless you're able to make use of just +1 crit. Team Sharp Entry into taking first sync is pretty mandatory for a lot of comps where allies want to outsource crit boosting. Luster Purge is good debuffing on a single target, but I always found him harder to use in CS, where Freevenge isn't guaranteed if foes don't attack you, and you have more than one target. I recognize he's still very good, but as a 1/5 acquisition I do think Diantha and Emma perform their roles better. Good if you plan to build him up though.

SS Leon - Hasn't rerun in over two years, and they still lock him to a paid only scout. That's fucking hilarious, DeNA. Anyway, Leon's kinda middling. Same as Gloria, all his power relies on the foe having a sync buff, which is generally bad news, especially in Gauntlet. His damage isn't great, and his self-setup is really wonky. He does get a Max Move, and it does okay, but there are a lot of factors that hold Leon back. 1/5 is borderline useless, 3/5 can do okay.

5* Select Fair Scout Everyone gets a free ticket to select a PokeFair pair from a lineup that seems to be Lodge-centric. So cool, we can get any lodge pair we wa-what's that? Oh, it's only three of them? Oh okay cool, thank you DeNA, very good celebration you've crafted here. The ticket isn't out yet but they did announce the choices.

N - Solid DPS and sync capabilities, even for 1/5. He doesn't gain much in multipliers on grid anyway, just a lot of sync damage nodes. He can be made to function just fine with minimal investment, and is a fairly safe choice.

Marnie - At 1/5, she offers very little. Low DPS, poor sync, no real utility options aside from an inconsistent paralysis rate. Unless going for 3/5 (like me), don't.

Raihan - At 1/5, Raihan is worthless. His DPS isn't great, his sync sure isn't doing much, and he's slow as dirt. Even at 3/5 I don't really respect him that much. Raihan can be good for special Steel damage, if you're having trouble with Steel-weak Glacia or something, but paying gems into one pair that has minimal utility for a single stage is not a great use of your resources.

[justbiran]

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 EPISODE 17 OF DUNGEONS AND DADDIES

Damn I feel bad for Risky Click now....

That intro was dark, okay

"Hobby you get paid for" wait so does that mean that his mom doesn't like her job???

I love Link so much, all of his facts are just so.... Him

THIS PODCAST DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS- DEJA VUUUUU

*screech* is my new favorite character.

Them gasping at Scary's intro is one of my favorite things. The little things in life....

2050s??????? IT ISN'T 2050 IN CANON- WHERE'D THE TIMELINE GO?!? THEY SAID 25 YEARS LATER AFTER SEASON 1, SEASON 1 WAS AROUND 2020, SO WOULDNT IT BE THE 2040S???

pleassssseeee not the goofy taken impression

THE MITOCHONDRIA IS THE POWERHOUSE OF THE CELLLLLLL PLEASE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CELL ORGANELLES IN MY ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY CLASS TODAY

Scary has limits??? (/hj) Wowwwwwwww

Okay I'm starting to like Hermie.

DORITO DEVITO THAT'S THE BEST NAME EVER

Lark>>>> PLEASE GIVE US MOMMA LARK.

oh dorito has a horrifying voice

Lincoln.... Why.... 😭😭😭 we're never gonna get out of this papa johns arc

Don't you dare let my second favorite character die-

lArK you- I love him 😭

HERMIEEEEEEEEEEE SHITTT OKAY I LOVE HIM NOW

ALL FOUR CAN FIT IN THE BOX?!? 😭😭😭😭 SeVeN pEoPlE iN bOxEs-

120 boxes of pizza 😭😭😭😭 this is insane

"Can you order calzone people? Like is that an item on the menu?" I'M DONE- "They have like the big subs-" MHDYDKYDKGDKYXKYFKYX PLEASE STOP /j

~ad break~

Matt having a conversation with himself 😭😭😭😭 I'M CRYING- THIS IS SO FUNNY STOPPPPPP

WHY'D HE USE HIS OWN NAMEEEEEEEE MATT COME ON

"IT'S EARTH DUDE, THEY GOT *69" I love this cast so much

70 ORDERS OF BREADSTICKS WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!!! 😭😭😭

YOU'LL SEE THE PRICE ON THE RECEIPT 😭😭😭😭😭😭 PLEASEEEEEEEE

LARK IS THE FUNNIEST OF THE "DADS" LIKE HE'S A "DILF", HE'S A MEME, HE'S ACTUALLY SOMEWHAT SANE, BUT HE ISN'T EVEN A DAD! He just wants to eat the calzones. Me too bestie.

You can just HEAR Lark grinning when he said "I did~" he's gotta be very proud of that.

LARK REGRESSING OH MY GOD PLEASE LET HIM BECOME THE LORD OF CHAOS AGAIN

Link/Matt totally wants to get rid of Hermie.

Risky "Rick" Click

Hermie alreAdy looks like Risky- I love this podcast so much y'all.

~ad break~ (Beth "our feet are touching" May)

"Here's a tip, get a new job!" That little bit- okay every bit is fantastic, I should stop.

YOU BUILT THE WRONG ROOM MOTHERFUCKER. Taylor needs to meet Glenn. This needs to happen. Make it happen.

This is gonna be a common occurrence isn't it. Trapping themselves in a room with Click.

4 EPISODES IN A ROW FOR INITIATIVE. *Scary groan style* OHHHH MY GODDDDDDDD.

SCARY NO-

"Just a polite concussion."

EXPLODES- HOLY SHIT SCARY-

What the fuck Hermie- this man is not normal. It has to be a likely, I mean he just automatically transforms into lookalikes of people 😭

AWWWWWWW HE PULLED HIM IN A HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG THAT'S SO CUTEEEEEE (I was kinda enjoying the almost childlike Lark and Sparrow, but that's fine)

"I'm sorry I said it" euhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh see this is why Lark is the better twin-

"Too old to share a calzone with your pop pop?" 😭😭😭

CHILD LARK! YOU'RE A VERY STRONG BOY!

Calzone- "Nothings fine; everything's fucked up. That's right, I said it: the f-word."

I love how Hermie went from loving Scary, to Normal, to Taylor.

The wombussy- please stop 😭

"You just hear them staring at each other" You HEAR their stares.

The ~purr~ of the engine of the 🐱wagon

Awwwwww this has gotten really sad really quickly... I just want to join the Norm + Sparrow hug. They both need it. More so Normal but whatever.

"We're gonna have to do it again" DON'T TELL ME IT'S CODE PURPLE. BITCH I'LL FUCKING LOSE IT IF WE GOTTA GET RID OF THE HELL BOIS. DON'T YOU DARE.

also Will's characters are always the main characters. you can't convince me otherwise.

[arc-misadventures]

A Knight and a Dragon Talk it Out

By Quijibo

Yang: Hey Vomit Boy

Jaune: You're never going to let that go, are you?

Yang: You puked on my shoes.

Jaune: Air sickness is a common problem for people!

Yang: Yeah, at least I grossed Ruby out with it.

Jaune: Ugh... so what did you want?

Yang: Just to say thank you for sticking up for Weiss. I know she hasn't always been the nicest to you. I'm glad you're proving to be a decent guy. Unlike a little blue haired twit...

Jaune: What did you do?

Yang (shows a video on her scroll): Just posted the go pro video of when he was riding Bumblebee.

Jaune: Wow, the camera is amazing, you can see really see the fearful tears as he prays...

Yang: Yeah the dude hit on two girls that night too. Weiss is better off. So you made Pyrrha's night! Good work there.

Jaune: She's my partner and best friend. I'd do anything for her.

Yang: You two a thing?

Jaune: A thing? How do you mean.... No, Nonono. Me and Pyr aren't like that!

Yang: You sure?

Jaune: Absolutely.

Yang: Good to know.

Jaune (smiles): How about you and Blake? You seemed to enjoy your dance?

Yang: Ha! Blake wishes!

Jaune: She does?

Yang: Well probably not. Blake is Blake though, I pity whoever opens that can of worms. I love her, she's basically family, but she's not someone I could ever rely on.

Jaune: But your partners.

Yang: Yes we are.

Jaune (sighs): Pyrrha probably feels the same way...

Yang: Maybe, but you showed up in this dress specifically to help her. Blake, well Blake would never do that. Sure she could kick your ass in Professor G's class, but who couldn't?

Jaune (smiles sheepishly): Nice to know my limitations are common knowledge.

Yang: You put your team and your friends first. Trust me than makes up for most of it.

Jaune: Thanks I guess

Yang: You're welcome. Now comes the moment where you compliment my dress.

Jaune (Laughs): I've been meaning to. I love The Seven Year Itch!

Yang: You recognized it! Damn, I thought I'd need to stand on a steam grate for someone to realize!

Jaune: ...

Yang: You're picturing it now, aren't you?

Jaune: Sorry.

Yang (waits a second): You know what, you looked out for my teammate and your own. Feel free to fantasize a little.

Jaune (laughs): I don't think that's a good idea. Hey Yang?

Yang: Yeah?

Jaune: Thanks for coming over. I know Ruby and I are friends more than you and I, but it's nice to talk with you.

Yang: No problem Vomit Boy. Anytime.

Jaune: ... How about lunch tomorrow?

Yang: I'd like that.

///

Alrighty, here’s a story written by my dear friend, Quijibo. Several of his short story prompts will be appearing on here. I’ll take ‘em, By Quijibo in the tags to keep it separate from everything else.

And, here’s a link to his Fanfiction Account, he has a fantastic Winter Knight story there, and a bunch of others as well. I do hope you enjoy it all. Till Later then.

Quijibo7609 Fanfiction

[aikoiya]

Nah, dude. That's all fair. You do you.

And, you're right. It does kinda make the ghosts seem stuck, but at the same time... they're ghosts...

I guess that I just feel like... ghosts have always been portrayed as being stuck in one way or another. Whether stuck on a passion they had in life. Stuck on unfinished business. Or routines that they had when alive. Or literally stuck in the moment that they died.

While not necessarily canon to DP, it is actual ghost lore for ghosts to have habits or routines that they repeat ad nauseum even if they no longer need to. That's part of the tragedy of their existence.

If you ever play the Blackwell series (which I absolutely recommend, fantastic games), you'll see that one way to actively get ghosts to move on to whatever's next is to break them from their stucked-ness & be willing to do something else or make peace with something that happened.

I've always seen the whole ghost thing as being people not being ready to move on for one reason or another & that Obsessions are partially a manifestation of this.

I also think that it can kinda be likened somewhat to an addiction in a way. In that, you choose the start drugs & you choose to continue them because they make you feel good. At the same time, it narrows your life down & makes you miserable, which just causes you to pursue more drugs to make you feel better.

And in order to stop, you have to get to a point where you realize that it's not good for you & that it's not making you happy to a point where you WANT to stop. Sometimes even then, some part of you wants to cling to that comforting habit because it's familiar & comforting. Which makes quitting difficult. Because, somewhere inside, you still like it. It takes some people a herculean effort to stop.

So, I guess that I just see the Obsessions thing as more of an opportunity for complexity than a true limiter.

In this way, I've always seen the whole ghost existence in DP to be a temporary stop while the ghosts finish what's keeping them ghosts. Like, the goal of being a ghost is to get to a point where you can move on to what's next, whether that be the End or reincarnation or whatever.

This would also naturally make it very difficult for ghosts to grow as people because they are innately stagnant individuals. Because the thing about being a ghost is that it isn't supposed to be fun.

I literally have an entire long post with a Ted Talk on my hc of the mechanics of the ghost zone & how ghosts work & how the GZ is basically Purgatory. So, this is something that I'm innately interested in.

But, again. It is entirely in your right to think this way. I just enjoy ghost lore & theory.

Like, the whole point of me giving Danny a protection Obsession is to link him to a category of ghost/spirit called a Tutelary, which is a literal spirit of protection or hero ghosts known for protecting people & areas. Specifically, I liken him to a Greco-Roman Lar Praestite which are a specific kind of Lar that protects cities & city-states. Which Danny does. I also tend to make him a Psychopomp, which are spirits that guide souls to the afterlife & a specific type of something I call a Gatekeeper Ghost.

Gatekeeper Ghosts being the spirits of people who died in the creation of portals to other planes that now guard said portals in death. Psychopomps specifically having died in the creation of portals to the afterlife & guard the boundary between life & death. So, like ghostly boarder patrol.

I find the whole thing unessecarily interesting! :D

Maybe kinda weird but there is One (1) thing i really dislike in the Danny Phantom fandom.

The Obsession Fanon.

Because I believe it takes away some very important characteristic from Danny.

If you make his so-called 'obsession' protection you take away something very important.

The fact that he choose to do it.

He choose to help people. He continues to choose it no matter what. He still helps the people who bully him.

Why? Because as he said in an episode. No one else will.

He is a good person and by just saying he has to because of an "obsession" I feel like you destroy that part of his character.

If you make his 'obsession' space you also take something away. As he mentioned he wanted to be an astronaut. By making it an obsession you take away this thing he loved. Because you end up 'forcing' him to love it because he has to to survive because of 'obsession'

Sure. The ghosts have a theme but they are more than that. Sure Ember has her music thing but she still dates and does other stuff. Youngblood plays games but he is a young kid.

What would you even give Johnny and Kitty? Love? With all the arguements they have?

I dont like the Obsession thing that Fanon seems to be convinced about is Canon and I will die on this hill.

And no. It isnt Canon. As far as I remember (and I watched the show three times but i may misremember some stuff) it was never truly mentioned as obsession. You have ghosts who have goals but the humans also have goals and you dont call that obsessions.

These ghosts are just bored out of their minds and decide to do ghost stuff and cause trouble because of that or to gain more power.

Ember doesnt sing because she wants to be a popstar. She straight up is a popstar because she gained more power from people knowing her name. (An example I know of the top of my head)

Just. Really dislike the fandoms obsession with Obsessions.

Okay that is all. 1am rant over.

[freshmandarin]

just finished the animated harley quinn series and BOY do i have lots of love and lots of thoughts:

first off, wow—thank god production companies are investing in making adult animated series, its such a godsend medium and far superior to live action when it comes to action fantasy

harley is one of my favorite CB characters ever, in nearly all her incarnations—her character backstory just offers this amazing platform for true growth, both in her relationships with others and her relationship with herself

also while there was an overarching story, i adore how much more episodic and low-stake this feels than majority limited series these days, it’s so refreshing to watch

okay, now to really dig in: harley’s growth was so fantastic here. what i loved about the live action birds of prey movie was that it was both a break-up movie and a movie about healing and being there for your friends (a very non-cheesy and genuine female narrative). as origin stories go, this animated show took that theme and shot it into the stars—not only redefining harley’s “origin” with that brilliant repressed memory episode, but also granting her an identity of a villain who is a good person still. both seasons had clear, distinct arcs without running out of room to run (usually season 2s lose steam after origin stories)

god ivy x harley was SO well set up here. rather than a typical formula of a romance being tested by trials, we saw a love that was healthy from the start—a friendship that pushed each woman to grow and to be the best version of themselves. it wasn’t a love defined by superficial attraction or burning infatuation, it was a partnership built by trust, love, and generosity. they wanted each other to be happy, rather than wanting the other person just for themselves. i love kite man’s character, he’s a great dude whose love is true. but even though his love was definitely true, it ran a bit superficial, and while that is okay it simply doesn’t compare with how deep harley and ivy’s love runs for each other.

harlivy was so great i bc this show because it wasn’t just written as a classic romance—it was written as two individual character arcs that were well-intertwined. it about two people who needed some form of change in their lives, and found someone to “do life” with, rather than be at odds with each other. they certainly challenge each other, and are by no means perfect to one another, but their love is true and deep . and FUCK MEN!!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 324: Is There a Force Field Around Him??

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal was all “please tell Midoriya that I spent a concerningly small amount of money upgrading U.A. into a wacky physics-defying funtime grid so as to make the final battle much more confusing for everyone.” Present Day!Mic (or Present!Mic, if you will) and Jeanist were all “if only somebody could deescalate this dangerously unhinged mob, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” Ochako was all “LISTEN UP PEOPLE.” The mob was all, “god??” Ochako was all, “NO, IT’S ME, OCHAKO. I’M REALLY HIGH UP ON THIS BUILDING AND THE VISIBILITY IS LOW DUE TO THE RAIN, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. ANYWAYS, DEKU WAS OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU CLOWNS EVEN THOUGH HE’S JUST A KID, SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD ALL REMEMBER HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, THANKS.” Let’s see if her Big Scolding Energy has any impact.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “so I have this speech planned out, and it’s really good, but it also only really needs about 6 to 8 pages, but I’m gonna see if I can stretch it out to 17 pages so I can kill time before we get to the next volume cliffhanger two weeks from now.” Anyway but it really is a good speech though. There are feels, and tears, and more talk about how Deku is so in need of a shower that just looking at him requires a tetanus booster, and more feels, and more tears, and bonus ship drama, and an iconic callback to the very first chapter which reframes the entire series in a new context in a totally epic and moving way, and it’s all very good. Except that Horikoshi is determined to never let anyone actually give this kid a hug. Who hurt you, dude.

omg we are opening on a callback to chapter 212, a.k.a. the chapter with by far the cutest flashback that doesn’t involve any baby Todorokis

baby Ochako is lethally cute. she could literally murder someone with her cuteness. I just want to scoop her up and play airplane with her until she accidentally activates her quirk while we’re spinning around and we both helicopter up into the air never to be seen again

“a child’s insistence” huh well that’s all well and good, but I sure hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to drag out the whole “sternly lecture the obnoxious citizens” plot for another whole chapter. no offense but I think we’re good

so page 2 is just continuing the whole happy/worried faces monologue, which of course is very important to Ochako’s character as it provides the context for why “who protects the heroes” ended up becoming her thing. and this is making me think we actually are in for a whole second chapter of this sob. when will my boy finally get to rest

OH MY GOD SUDDENLY THESE PEOPLE HAVE EYES IMAGINE THAT

HORIKOSHI: [reaches for a box of tissues while tearfully penning an homage to his beloved Spider-Man 2, specifically the train scene where the crowd sees Peter without his mask and they suddenly realize just how young he is]

HORIKOSHI’S HOMAGE SCENE: “COME TO THINK OF IT, I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF MEAN FOR US TO PICK ON THIS TEN YEAR OLD KID WHO WEIGHS 75 POUNDS AND LOOKS LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT WITH SATAN’S MOLDY OLD BASEMENT”

lol at this one guy who can feel the mood of the crowd shifting and is all “WAIT, NO, I WANTED TO KEEP BEING AN ASSHOLE DAMMIT”

as many pointed out last week, this man is wearing an All Might shirt. that’s some fantastic irony there

-- SDKFJWIGKS

“LITTLE GIRL, I HOPE YOU’RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE WALKING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A SOVIET-ERA BUS STOP.” heh. last week I said I was ashamed of BnHA being my favorite manga. that was a lie, actually

(ETA: in the original Japanese Ochako’s next two lines are basically “the only ones covered in mud will be us heroes!” followed by “please give us some time to get rid of the mud”, with that second line basically being the single funniest thing I’ve ever read rdslkjl. Ochako thank you so much for supporting my running gags. “YEAH WE KNOW HE’S DIRTY. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND CLEAN HIM UP, BUT IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, I’M JUST SAYING. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE AN ASBESTOS COSPLAY.”)

doesn’t the megaphone kind of look ever so slightly like an axe that she’s wielding maniacally here

easy there Lizzie Borden

also that’s a really bold claim to make there. and not one she necessarily should have to make, either. but as we all know, there’s nothing that shounen manga likes more than having its heroes bravely hoist heavy burdens of responsibility like good self-sacrificing citizens

p.s. lowkey loving how Kacchan is positioned here standing slightly behind Deku. not presuming to stand in front of him all overprotectively (because he would hate if anyone ever did that to him), and kind of being unobtrusive and letting others take center stage -- but still being close enough to Deku that he can catch him if he stumbles or passes out again

(ETA: or maybe not lmao.

DEKU: [falls to his knees]

KACCHAN: [glancing up from his phone a few minutes later] “someone just sent me the stupidest meme about milk crates -- oh. uh. you good...?”

really, son. “the burdens you can’t carry, we’ll carry them for you. ...later, I mean. right now it’s late, and we’re all cold and wet.”)

also lowkey loving this OchaTsu moment here

I was going back and binging Ochako chapters this past week for reasons, and I gotta say it really stuck out to me just how often these two are paired with each other. they do everything together. it’s a really sweet friendship that often goes unappreciated but it’s very cute

meanwhile, not to be outdone by the OchaTsu, Iida is staring at Ochako with open admiration talking about how she’s fighting too. it’s been so long since we’ve had any IidaRaka you guys. I was starving and I didn’t even know it

oh my lord IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING

THE LIGHT IS BACK. he finally looks like him again. what a cathartic fucking moment omg

ffklkdw

“I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SCARED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE DEFINITELY CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY AND WE ARE ALL SCARED TOO!” good pep talk there kiddo

BUT, jokes aside, truth be told this is the exact right approach to take imo, and something that’s long overdue. I’ve said this before, but this new generation of heroes is shaping up to be much more transparent than the All Might generation. they’re basically abandoning the almighty, untouchable Superman “heroes as gods” concept in favor of the more nuanced “heroes as people” concept instead. and that’s a good thing. seeing their heroes as humans, with human limitations and weaknesses and flaws, will hopefully not only lead to more scrutiny and accountability, but also more awareness of how hard some of them are working and how much they’re sacrificing. that’s something All Might never quite grasped back at the start of the series -- that the weak, vulnerable, injured him could be just as inspiring as the mighty, invincible him -- perhaps even more so. there’s a power in seeing otherwise ordinary people show extraordinary bravery and compassion. it inspires others to try and do the same

SSDLHK AIZAWA SIGHTING AAHHHHHH

so he was still back at the hospital this whole time?? smdh at this disrespect. that feeling when your sexy self-insert character’s powers of rationality are too strong, and so you have to nerf him so that he doesn’t ruin your Deku Angst arc twice over by (1) immediately talking some sense into Deku and making him come home Right This Instant Young Man, and (2) not allowing him to leave U.A. in the first fucking place. excuse me, you want to do WHAT now, Midoriya?? that’s it, go to your room

also living for Katsuki and Hawks’s soft expressions. Shouto’s too, although his is tinier and harder to see. and Jeanist’s 12-foot-long neck. imagine Jeanist’s head with Mic’s hair. maybe Jeanist had a mohawk back in the day and that’s why U.A.’s doors are so big now

speaking of soft faces, Enji’s is also excellent

what could this random close-up possibly imply?? hell if I know. but Horikoshi truly fears no discourse and that’s what I love about him

OMGGGG

“smh my child is so dumb.” poor Ochadad. your child is cute af count your blessings

SDOFFHSMH

I’m telling you guys. lethally, catastrophically cute

this speech is still ongoing lol. Horikoshi you’re doing so good but I think we get the point now my dude. you gotta learn how to transition out of these things

UNEXPECTED TOGA WHAT

“there we go” Horikoshi says, crossing off the last line on his list of Ochako ships. “that’s all of ‘em”

poor Ochako is just repeating the same “LET HIM REST, PLEASE, WITH EVERYONE’S COOPERATION, IF YOU DON’T MIND, WE APPRECIATE IT” talking points over and over again hoping someone will throw her a bone and acknowledge her already. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER

literally they’re all just staring up at her silently omg. work with me people!!

now she’s saying it for the 56th time but more dramatically all of a sudden

they got so dramatic that for a minute I thought she had suddenly leaped off the building or something

look, not to rush you or anything Horikoshi, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this is yet another one of those “the volume is ending soon so I need to either hurry things up or slow things down in order to make sure we end it on my perfect cliffhanger ending” chapters where you go to ridiculous lengths to drag things out much to the exasperation of your week-to-week readers

(ETA: ftr, volume 31 ended on chapter 306, and I’m predicting that vol. 32 will end with chapter 316 (a.k.a. “you’re next!” [explodes]). I’m guessing vol. 33 will follow suit and likely end on chapter 326, so keep your eyes peeled for a big cliffhanger in two weeks’ time. Deku’s dad?? All Might in peril?? U.A. traitor at long fucking last?? we shall see.)

is Deku straight up falling in love with Ochako right on the spot lol what is happening

I know I just said that I enjoy when Horikoshi gives zero fucks about discourse, but shipping discourse is a whole different beast lol. I hope he’s prepared

(ETA: and for the record, I have no interest in shipping discourse either, as always. and I think this scene can be interpreted as platonic, tbh, with the context being that Ochako was literally introduced as someone who was willing to help him so casually without a second thought, and now here she is saving him again.

I don’t think it really fully hit Deku until this moment how much he needed saving. like I said in another meta somewhere, selflessness is basically just selfishness on behalf of others. and Deku is selfless to a fault, but that’s okay, and it doesn’t mean he needs to change -- he just needs friends who are willing to be be selfish on his behalf in turn. and I think the full emotion of what it means to have friends like that just hit him at last. everything his friends have done for him, how much he needed it and didn’t even realize, and how grateful he is. anyways what a terrible day for rain.)

-- son of a --

is he apologizing?? or pleading?? please tell me that’s not the case, because what the actual fuck. Deku you beautiful precious radiant selfless child, this is the exact opposite of how this should be. all these motherfuckers should be on their knees apologizing to you

DEKU WHY

I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS FREAKING BOMBARDMENT OF EMOTIONS GODDAMIT. OUT HERE ARMED WITH YOUR FREAKING TREBUCHET OF FEELS TO LAUNCH AT ME UNPROVOKED. WHAT’S WITH THAT

FREAKING CHRIST. THIS BOY IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT AND HORIKOSHI IS JUST ZOOMING IN WITH THE CAMERA, LIKE CAN WE JUST CUT HIM A BREAK ALREADY. ENOUGH OF THIS. HE’S SO YOUNG AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND I JUST NEED HIM TO FEEL SAFE, HORIKOSHI PLEASE CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT ALREADY WHAT IS THE FREAKING HOLD UP!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY!!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY PLEASE BE MY HUGGER BY PROXY!! SERIOUSLY GIRL IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA OVER HIM OR SOMETHING AND DON’T GO THE EXTRA MILE I’M ABOUT TO LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS NOW

!!!!

A KOUTA IS GOOD TOO!!! oh my god if Kouta hugs him I will seriously 100% straight up cry. go on and test me

FOR THE LOVE OF --

is this man expressly forbidden from drawing hugs in his contract or something. DO YOU DO IT JUST TO SPITE ME?? this is tyranny, sir

AND I KNOW, THIS PAGE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE VERY PREMISE OF THE SERIES ITSELF, AND HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT HUGS, OR THE LACK THEREOF. “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes.” and just like that, he waves a polite middle finger at all of the Strongest Greatest Chosen One shounen protags of old, in favor of something much less conventional, much more interesting, and much more suited to Deku’s character. because if that one sentence doesn’t just sum up Deku to a T. he gladly relinquishes his Greatest Hero status in favor of acknowledging the hero in everyone. what a class act. that’s my protagonist

I love this kid so fucking much I swear. only just PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GIVE HIM HIS HUG

[anerol152]

Hello! This is anon #2, back with another essay, LOL. I figured I’d try to submit a post instead because tumblr asks have a character limit and it’s such a pain trying to avoid blowing up your notifications. xD

only got a few friends to talk about it that I won’t spoil or bore after half an hour and is nice to have a way to discuss it.

Same here! I don’t know anyone else who’s just as invested so I’ve been doing my best to pretend like I’m having a normal amount of thoughts about this which, HA. HAHAHA. I really wish there was a Discord server, but I get the feeling it’d just get lumped in with all the other RE things and my brain is just like NO, ETHAN AND ROSE. xD

Also you two are really good at making Rose’s childhood even more tragic and I both thank you for that and am in a ;_; mood of my own

Misery loves company. I need someone to suffer with me because I’ve just been completely plagued with thoughts of what kind of life Rose has had and how heartbroken Ethan would be to learn about it.

Though, if I have any gripe with SoR it’s that I wish they spent a little more time with ‘Michael’ and Rose before the big reveal. Just have some scenes where they’re just trading stories about who they are! Give Rose a chance to piece together who Michael really is and Ethan to learn who his daughter is now. (On the other hand, I do love how Rose has known Ethan for all of a few hours and she’s still ready to to completely put down a smackdown when something happens to him. Ethan being like that for Rose is a given, but it was amazing to see Rose turn around and do the same. She threw away a normal life to protect him and didn’t even regret it! MY HEART.)

[…] Which is why I’m afraid she kept her mindset of 'scientist first, mother/wife second’ after Rose was born. Plus the trauma. Even if she was stone cold cruel like some fans believe (think they might be mixing her up with Miranda tho -_-“) she would have had some trauma from it still.

Yeah, sadly, I’m feeling this as well. RE8 never made her seem like a bad parent, but they definitely planted the seed for being a secretive, distant one. Especially considering Mia is still keeping secrets and who knows if she ever told Ethan about her involvement with The Connection.

SoR just kept hitting me over the head with that too. It’s possible it’s just because SoR was about Ethan-Rose, but I kept noticing that Mia was completely absent from all of the memories he shows Rose. It makes me think that Ethan was the one usually the one doing the childcare and the memories were of Ethan maybe telling Mia about their day.

On top of that, the Mia mannequin was in an area where Eveline was preying on Rose’s fears so wtf happened to cause Rose to have anxiety about her mother catching her? W H A T.

Also Rose was… way too trusting of what 'K’ wanted her to do. Going about it in secret like that? Was just odd from the start.

Oh yeah, I think it was a combo of Miranda preying on Rose’s desperation and also using someone Rose would trust completely to lure her in. I also side eye Chris here because it wasn’t him either so jfc, everyone Rose was left with failed her.

Yes Ethan justice!

He really is just a guy. A random dude. A dad. But he is a good dad. Man him cradling baby Rose at the end of RE8 plus saving her in the DLC made me cry so much (first part more but man would it have been very emotionally effective if both came out at the same time)

Oh my fucking god, yes. I was exposed to things a bit backwards because I saw SoR before I watched the ending of RE8. Even knowing what would happen, it completely broke me. Ethan’s voice throughout the entire thing as he struggled to keep going just a little longer and the "Goodbye, Rosemary” just akgjhajf. ;__;

They did such a fantastic job with him - Ethan is my absolute favorite now Rose in second and it absolutely cracks me up that all it took to wreck everyone’s shit was one very upset father-daughter duo (and how it kept going even beyond the grave.) Miranda really messed with the wrong people. I seriously wish RE7 could have given him the same depth and didn’t just have him as a placeholder for the player.

Knowing what I know about his personality now, I can fill in the gaps on how he would have reacted to things like, idk, killing his wife repeatedly, but his character really could have used some love back then. :( I don’t think people would have thought he was boring if he had been given the same treatment.

But yeah, the DLC really does hit you in the feels with the what ifs of Ethan taking care of Rose. Saw a… comic? Animatic? Not sure which; of Ethan taking care of Rose through her life, being there for her. Man. Really gets you feeling ;_;

;_; It does. Both of them deserve to have a family with unconditional love and support. Though, I absolutely adore how self-confident Rose is by the end of the DLC knowing that her dad is proud of her no matter what.

There’s a little easter egg at the very end of RE8/SoR with Ethan’s character model and I’m really hoping it’s a hint he’ll be back (maybe as just a side character to cheer on his daughter or give her ammunition). Like, ffs, Capcom. They’ve both been through enough, let Ethan stay with his daughter! Though… if this happens, it will still make me sad knowing he missed 16 years of her life. You know that’s going to hurt for him.