#dunno why the writer seems to think any older hero there

[sl-walker]

DC. Where's Booster? And why is Ted futzing around with a letter opener instead of finding him?

[woodchipp]

I'm gonna be honest - along with OMORI pressuring the player into choosing the good ending lest Sunny kills himself, the whole DUET cutscene doesn't strike me as anything but very blatant emotional manipulation either. Every mention of it I saw was followed by fans talking at length about how thoroughly devastated they were left by that moment, but if you look past the Feels and focus on the Reals, what is there to be devastated about, really?

The (supposed) purpose of the cutscene is to show Sunny placating his depression by recalling the good times he had with Mari and his friends... except that is exactly what he's been doing via Basil's photo album throughout the entire game. That's what Memory Lane, which you have to go through right before the final boss, was there for. And just like the aforementioned two, the good times showcased in DUET are glurgy, meaningless fluff. They don't tell you anything new about the characters and they don't show them helping each other through thick and thin as people you could call "real" friends are supposed to. The fact that the cutscene itself looks like a PowerPoint slideshow or something you could theoretically cook up in Windows Movie Maker doesn't help, especially if you remove the music track altogether.

I think one of my "favorite" moments is Sunny and Mari meeting Kel and Hero, which is represented by the latter two literally popping out of thin air

You'd think that as a story with the power of friendship as one of its central themes, the game would show how the characters became friends in the first place and what makes them gel together, but no. This is all you get.

It's the same thing with Aubrey and Basil. The gang meets Aubrey for the first time while she's crying on the sidewalk before the game cuts to her introducing Basil to them. Was them comforting Aubrey over her lost shoe enough for her to befriend them? How exactly did she and Basil meet? I dunno, you tell me! Think about the plot so the writer won't have to!

So emotional. So peak. Two hundred thousand dollars was spent on this.

Speaking of Sunny and Mari, the cutscene's Peakest™ moment is the smash cut from a bright shot of Mari embracing a younger Sunny to a gloomier shot of the older Sunny sitting there all alone and morose, which delivers the message with all the subtlety of a nuclear bomb explosion

she passed on The Emo to him. truely devastating. also why do they both look malnourished. what the hell is this artstyle

Yes, game. I get it. The grass was greener when Mari was alive. That's roughly her gravestone's epitaph. What is the point of this? What am I supposed to cry about?

That brings me to what I believe is the main problem with DUET, and a problem with the game itself as well - the story doesn't put in any real effort to flesh out the characters you're supposed to feel bad for, yet expects you to feel bad for them anyway. Even after playing the entire 25 hours of this game, I don't know anything about Sunny, nor can I recall anything noteworthy about him except from him calling lemons "oragnes". I don't know anything about who Mari really was except that she's treated by the narrative as if she was Jesus in the flesh. They're not characters - they're effectively cardboard cutouts, and I have no idea why the game's imploring me to shed tears over two cardboard cutouts.

The cherry on top is Omori straight-up vanishing after the cutscene ends. One could argue that Sunny's victory was temporary, but that's not indicated - Omori seems to actually vanish once and for all after the game's events, and the main menu even features Sunny himself as opposed to Omori to mark the change. Because we all know that severe depression can be treated by thinking happy thoughts, right? tfw the powerpoint slideshow was so cringe that even the depression decided to peace out

Maybe I wouldn't have been as harsh if the story had Mari kill herself instead of it being a cover-up for manslaughter. Maybe then I'd have been able to see the tragedy. But given the context of the plot twist, all I can see is a coward and a liar soothing his well-earned guilt over committing a serious crime and lying about it in the most laughably melodramatic fashion possible.

[erdariel]

Okay, so, first of all, a disclaimer. In this post I'm not gonna debate whether Rise of Skywalker was a good movie or not, or whether this whole sequel trilogy was any good or a complete shitshow. Everyone probably has their own opinions, and I don't really care what they are. And of the point I'm gonna bring up next, I do not mean to say it's good or bad desicion (honestly, in these things, is there even objective good or objective bad? Dunno). It just sort of... caught my eye, and I like rambling so I'm gonna ramble about it.

(Also, please keep in mind, I'm really just a casual watcher of Star Wars, not really a fan, I have no in-depth knowledge of the universe and I don't wanna be involved in the fandom. I just think lightsabers and Rey and princess Leia are cool and R2D2 and BB-8 are cute.)

But yeah, my point is, it's an interesting choice to have Kylo Ren redeemed. I mean, yes. I know why they did it, I understand. He was following in Darth Vader's footsteps, and as Vader's life, so his, would lead into the Light again. They were tempted, both by promises of good things and threats of bad, by evil people being evil and by basically good people accidentally fucking up, they were led into the Dark Side, they didn't set out wanting to conquer the world for themselves. It makes sense. Though of course, after the evils they'd done, the only way to end their tale in Light was the "Redemption equals death" trope, because death is the ultimate sacrifice, so of course it's also the one that will get more things forgiven than anything else. But still, they had to be redeemed, both Vader and Kylo Ren.

Except... I think Kylo Ren's sins would in most stories count as worse. Why? Because of the first memorable villainous act - really, their most villainous act - on screen in the movies. I would argue that for Darth Vader, it's killing Obi-Wan Kenobi. For Kylo Ren, it's killing Han Solo.

I don't think those acts are equal. On the first glance you might think so. It's the villain around whom the story revolves, killing the older character who's acted as some kind of a mentor to the hero or heroes. Okay, Han Solo had been one of the cool young heroes in previous movies, whereas Obi-Wan (until the prequels came, anyway) had not, so there has to be even within the story a slightly different weight given to Han Solo's death, it has to be kinda dealt with, properly. But otherwise, you might think at first that it's the same.

However, the intention's of Obi-Wan vs Han when they go face Vader/Kylo are different. As is the relationship between the villain and the character he kills. The intention, as a rule, must affect how the death is portrayed in the narrative and how it feels to the audience. The relationship does not necessarily havr to affect it, probably, I guess, but it typically does and there's certain clear ways it typically affects things in fiction.

Let's discuss the intention first. Obi-Wan goes to face Darth Vader in battle, to give the young heroes time to get their plan done and escape. He doesn't necessarily intend to kill Vader, but he intends to fight him, and is prepared, expects, actually, to die as a result of it.

Han Solo, on the other hand, goes to face Kylo Ren in order to once more offer the chance to turn to the Light Side, to come back to the right path. He doesn't intend to battle, just to talk. He doesn't seem to be prepared for the possibility that Kylo will kill him, or at least he's not expecting it anymore at the point when he is killed.

Those, just story-wise speaking, aren't equam. At least I wouldn't accept it if a story said that killing someone in a fair fight, when they have come to the fight willingly and fully aware that it may result in their death, was equal to killing someone who didn't have a weapon in their hand, trying to solve things by speaking, by surprise without giving them even the chance to defend themselves. But what about the relationship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader/Han Solo and Kylo Ren?

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader used to have a teacher/student kind of relationship. A very close one, true, and there was friendship also in addition to their formal master/padawan relationship.

But Han Solo was Kylo Ren's father. They were close family. And in my experience, western fiction at least (I kinda assume that eastern fiction as well, but I don't have much experience of Japanese fiction and next to none of Chinese, or Korean, or Indian, or, well, you get my point, so I can't know for sure) tends to hold parent/child relationship as especially important, nearly sacred. I'm not saying that's how it should be, and I'm not saying there aren't any exceptions, but I feel that generally speaking, parent/child -relationship is very important. Due to that, still generally speaking, I feel that it tends to be a worse crime in fiction for a child to kill their biological parent (unless the parent is a proper villain, in which case killing them could be a justified act) than for someone to kill their former friend, or their former teacher.

On both of the aforementioned scales, Kylo Ren's act should be considered worse. It should make him less redeemable. Okay, fine, Kylo Ren also killed two bigger villains and saved Rey's life, as opposed to Darth Vader who only killed one bigger villain and saved Luke's life, but I don't think that alone is enough good deeds done to balance out his evil, if even for Vader's deeds, death was still required to redeem him.

It's just an interesting choice, to make Kylo Ren commit crimes that typically in fiction are portrayed as very grave and yet have him redeemed. I'm not saying it's a wrong choice, and I'm not saying it makes the sequel trilogy bad. As I said, I understand the writers' reasons for choosing to redeem him. I have my own opinions on whether it was good or bad, but I tried my best to leave that out of this. I'm entitled to my opinions, all of you are entitled to yours. I just found what I explained above interesting so I thought I'd point it out.

[mr-kamiyama]

Quick thoughts about Digimon:

I tuned in one morning I wasn't working, which was rare at that job I was at at the time, caught 02 ep 10, and was hooked. I later realised the writer of all the Dark Ocean content was Konaka Chiaki, whose work I generally like, so no surprise there.

I gotta say, they probably should've just gone with 「相棒」 for partner. This word is usually a partner in context of a business partner or police partner--in fact, a show called just that has been running for the entire 21st century about detective partners (and it's a pretty good show. I've seen it be sympathetic to the plight of undocumented immigrants, for one)

Using "partner" the English loanword...well, the context I really hear it in is same-gender partner.

Now, mind you, I only figured things out as an adult, and native Japanese speakers here are and always have been treated pretty miserably. (Which is why "exotic Japanese garnish for my human default English" is very, very much rubbing your priveledge in our faces, incredibly offensive, but hey, y'all also repost Japanese fanworks without permission to the point many delete their accounts and give up because y'all are so married to the idea we're not people, which frankly, y'all's treatment of queer men in fandom is equally garbage)

But the reason that point is mentioned is that we're so sidelined, it's hard to even find and connect with each other (e.g. SF Japantown only has Japanese speaking clerks on one floor of Kinokuniya where the books in Japanese for us are kept. It's now "look Asian for the tourists") so a lot of us end up having trouble accessing random words in our own language because we're so used to either no one around us speaking it or bad consequences when we break our English with Japanese.

So, as I've never experienced queer life in Japan, and Japanese immigrants commonly end up yoyoing back to English, I'm not entirely sure "partner" the loanword is the only way to express same-gender partner as opposed to just the only one I've heard.

It does stand that it is *a* way. (Well, obviously, you could still use terms like "boyfriend" or "wife" but think the same as English speakers use it)

When watching 02, it's pretty easy to not go there because they're so young, and interact with the digimon during downtime like siblings, as the digimon are children as well (and you can't tell me that Wormmon isn't spot on for a younger brother in an abuse situation caring for an older brother)

Tailmon isa bit different, and obviously more mature, but ep 10 was the only Hikari-centric episode, and I never really had the desire to go back and watch Adventure. I don't feel like it had something for older viewers like I got out of 02-Frontier (Savers was intentionally about older viewers, and it was like a Doogie Howser/Men in Black/Digimon crossover, and I love it. And it had adults and even an elderly character with Digimon partners! Yay for useful adults!) so I admittedly can't decisively say about Tailmon.

But the rest do seem like siblings to their human children. And they're pointedly all children.

But just now, I was watching the new short, To Sora.

I have to say, as Piyomon has an adult voice, and Sora is an adult, my mind definitely went to "maybe the nomenclature could be better."

I do also have to say that I'm rather disappointed that they're ending this with "adults can't be Chosen anymore." At least there'll always be Savers, and maybe someday, I'll have enough of my massive dual-prong Digimon and Bleach project up that I can call it "extant" (I'm having a handful of the Bleach gang become Chosen as well as Osamu put into a gigai, and if you know Bleach, just imagine Coyote Starrk getting a new friend. Of course, he still has Lillynette and also adopts most of the Arrancar as his own children, but yes, Coyote gets a Digimon friend, too. And they're specifically trying calling adults because the kids keep getting too traumatised)

Ah, things run away from me.

But yes, especially with adult chosen and digimon, "partner" the loanword with no qualifier (i.e. "partner digimon") sounds like something else entirely to my queer mind www

And also "boo" for usefulness having an age limit. I wouldn't be saying this if this weren't specifically being aimed at fans who grew up with Adventure, and, while younger than me, are still well into adulthood. Cross Wars or the reboot have no reason to concern themselves with adult viewership, but Kizuna is being made for adults. So "end of childhood=end of your ability to be a hero" seems kinda... Even if they're just trying to end the original Adventure franchise, seems like a...they can do it better.

While no, Ken's and Daisuke's parents and Jun really *don't* deserve love, just... I dunno, there's just a deluge of teen heroes with powers and some immortal hero stories, but there's not a whole lot of the kind of adults you see in Savers. Yeah, they're side characters, but I'll take what I can get. Kizuna's approach is more common, which is a shame now that the average fan is roughly 29.

(Doesn't it also mess up the whole making the epilogue make any sense, what with everyone being with their digimon in that?)

(And for that matter, I would've loved 02 parents to have names, and maybe they could've gone into Miyako's more. She seems like she has a solid family. We see Ken explaining the digimon, and his parents exploited him until he had a breakdown. Heck, his dad continues to jump down his throat over things. Why couldn't Miyako's get some love? Why can't we see Miyako explaining digimon to her family and stay up all night with her older siblings hanging on her every word? Which considering how much real life kids get sorta discounted when two adults are talking (which I'll often just walk past and wave to the kid, so they know someone sees them) might have actually been an empowering fantasy for viewers. And a really great balance to Daisuke and Ken's home lives. (The kids with unpleasant families feel represented and empowered because they can still be heroes, but kids can also have the empowerment of watching Miyako's whole family, of which she is the baby, hanging on her words

(Also, why can't we see how someone from that family could enjoy the company of someone who slaps her kid brother around? And has some kind of stalker complex? Sure, it's stuff I can make answers for myself in my project, just like the initial reason to cross them was explaining the Dark Ocean, but I really would've loved something in canon about them)

Typically, adults in any kind of action hero story--let's look at Star Wars. The people who raised Luke are non-combatants. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda (an older Muppet, but older still stands) are just there as mentors, like Urahara in Bleach. It's really on Luke's shoulders. Han Solo is as old as a hero gets, and he's pretty young himself. (I've seen the original trilogy, and it was forever ago, so if Luke Skywalker is actually a teenager, forgive the error)

You don't see anyone between 20 year old hero and 60 year old mentor doing much of anything. Buddy cops are the only exception to this.

Shame that digimon is gonna follow that pattern instead of buck the trend, especially now that their fanbase is getting older. I dunno how much of a letdown the apparent Kizuna narrative is for a 29 year old as opposed to someone who wasn't even a kid when it was new, but I'm sure it's there. Even if I am decidedly older than that, I can't be the only one disappointed by it. If I thought I was, I wouldn't make this post.

And it kinda messes up using this to make the epilogue make any sense. When it was first revealed that Yamato suddenly became an astronaut, Gabumon was there with him on Mars. So on and so forth, and all humans had partners. Which naturally includes all the people over 23.

I guess we'll always have Satuma and Kudamon. (Miki and Megumi are nice too, and are also teetering on the edge of canon ship, which it's nice to see queer female fans get that, but they do seem like they're in their early to mid 20s, which arguably puts them at the end of typical "useful age range")

I'd love to already have an alternative up, but for now, I only have a few Bleach prequel one shots posted and over 800 pages of bullet point notes.

[ebhenah]

KLANCE: snippet of random thoughts to fight writer’s block....

Pidge’s 21st birthday ends with her, Hunk, Lance and Keith sitting around on a hotel room floor sharing a bottle of champagne and talking. Keith and Lance have been a couple for years now and old arguments have faded into gentle teasing. The four have been friends so long and been through so much together that there are few secrets left, but they always manage to dredge up one of two on nights of drunken reminiscence like this. Tonight, it had been the revelation that of all of them, Hunk had been the youngest to have sex for the first time, and that Shiro (who is not even present) was the eldest. That led to a discussion about fixing perpetually single Shiro up with someone. Pidge pulls out her phone and passes the bottle to Lance. “I’ve been putting some thought into this,” she explains, “based on comments by Matt, my own observations, and a deep dive into Shiro’s dating history- I have complied...no...compleed? No. COM-PILE-ED this list. Input?”

Hunk leans over her shoulder, “ooooh- the second guy looks promising! He runs a pet store! How cute is that!?!?”

Keith glances over and shakes his head, “nope.”

Lance finishes his swig and hands off the bottle, “Keith IS the resident Shiro expert.”

Pidge sighs, conceding to his point and turns the phone fully to Keith, “anybody on this list look good?”

Keith hums to himself as he scrolls, “nope. Sorry. None of them are his type.”

“Ugh. Fine. Moving on... okay.. umm... Weirdest non-sexual, LEGAL thing your parents ever walked in on you doing... and go!”

“Using medical tape to make my sister’s wedding dress fit better in the... uhhh... chesticle area,” Lance says immediately and everyone just looks at him.

“Pretty sure it doesn’t top... whatever the hell THAT was...” Hunk shakes his head, “but probably making a coconut bra.”

“Why does everyone’s answer have to do with boobs?” Pidge muses, “mine is stuffing my bra for Halloween.”

“Well, I don’t remember anything like that from when I was a kid, so I guess... trying to hijack the blades comms system so I could have a private conversation with my boyfriend? They thought they were being hacked.”

Lance doubles over in laughter, “I remember that! Krolia just.... hung around the whole time we were talking. That was... awkward.”

“IS that legal, though?” ponders Hunk. “The Blades were like 100% illegal as far as the Empire was concerned, right? So, like anything to do with them would be illegal, too.”

“Then, can I count Shiro and Adam? They weren’t my parents, but they acted like they were half the time...”

“Sure- you can count Space Dad,” Pidge laughs, “I mean, we call him Space Dad for fuck’s sake.”

“Then it’s selling condoms out of my locker.”

“WHAT?!?” they chorus.

“Babe... I love you and all.... but... holy crow... what the hell??”

“I needed cash,” Keith answers with a shrug, “and they had this like FISHBOWL of condoms in their bathroom and every time I was over one of them would be like ‘you know we never count those... we have no idea how many are in there’- like they were trying to be the cool moms or something. So, this one time, I grabbed like... I dunno, a couple dozen and then I sold them at school for like five bucks for two. Easy money.”

“Jesus- I wonder what the hell they thought you needed that many condoms for!” Hunk shakes his head, laughing softly.

“They thought I was selling them out of my locker. Which I was. And then they caught me red handed selling them out of my locker. But they couldn’t get mad at me about it, really, because... you know... I was making it easier for my classmates to get condoms... they were very pro-condoms.”

“What did you need cash for?” Pidge grabs the bottle back.

“I have no idea now. Clothes? Food? Movies? It felt important at the time.”

“Well, Iiiiii had no idea my man was so enterprising in school,” Lance coos, curling into Keith’s side. Keith drapes his arm around Lance’s shoulder and kisses the top of his head.

“Oh! I’ve got one! Most awkward crush!” Hunk grins. “I’ll start- my older sister’s boyfriend. He was a life guard and I wasn’t out yet.”

“My best friend in sixth grade. They were sooooo cute,” moans Pidge, “oh my crow, I was a tongue tied mess!”

“You,” Lance answers, tipping his head up to kiss Keith’s cheek. “The whole rivalry thing was... yikes.”

“Can I skip this one?”

“Sure,” laughs Hunk, “it’s pretty obvious anyway. It was Lance.”

“No way- definitely Shiro,” counters Pidge. “That’s way more awkward than Lance! If it was Lance he’d just say so... right?”

“I never had a crush on Shiro,” Keith insists.

“Babe- it’s sweet that you say that to protect my pride and all, but... I mean... come on...”

“I’m serious,” Keith laughs, “I’ve never had a crush on Shiro. He’s not my type! Too...uh... SHIRO-ISH- that’s not a word, but you know- he’s too much of a Space Dad.”

“Even before? I mean, I hear these stories about you guys before Kerderos, and he seems pretty different...”

“Kerderos? Lance, my man, you are drunnnnk.”

“We’re ALL drunk, Hunky.”

“Before Kerberos he was... too ‘cool mom’... and too serious about school and shit... and sure, he’s handsome, but... meh...”

“Did you just ‘meh’ SHIRO THE HERO?” Pidge laughs so hard she falls over.

“Then who was it?” Hunk asks, “s’pretty clear we don’t really care- was years ago, right?”

“Fine,” Keith sighs, “it was Adam... and it was mortifying.”

“Adam? Like ‘Shiro and Adam’? THAT Adam?? BABE!”

Keith nods, “there. I answered. Moving on.”

“Waaaaait,” Pidge leans over, studying Keith’s face, “is that why you rejected my whole entire list? Because YOU didn’t think any of them were hot?”

He nods again, “we have the same taste. He used to try to play match maker for me. It was... weird.”

“Alright! In THAT case... here,” Pidge thrusts her phone out again, “this is my database- parse it down to acceptable options and we’ll try again.”

“You have a database?” Keith blinks blearily at her, “this is color-coded! How much time have you put into this??”

“I can’t believe my boyfriend had a crush on Shiro’s boyfriend,” Lance mutters to Hunk, “I think that means he wins for most awkward crush, right?”

“Yeah, buddy, I think so,” Hunk nods, “unless... you know... it works both ways...”

“Huh?”

“The same taste thing...”

“Hey Hunk,” Keith interrupts, “pass over the booze, I gotta pick out a dating list I guess!”

Things shift gears as they sift through the disturbingly detailed bios that Pidge has put together in a file entitled ‘Mission: GSMO’ (Get Shiro Married Off). Eventually, they have it narrowed down to five guys, and Pidge kicks everyone out so she can crash.

It’s not until later, when Keith is snoring beside him and Lance is about to pass out himself that Hunk’s comment comes back to him  ‘unless it works both ways...’ He snorts to himself and smiles, then bolts upright in bed, sending his head into Olympic-Ice-Dancing levels of spins. “Keith! Keith! You and Shiro have the same taste! And you’re with ME! Oh my GOD! Does Shiro think I’m hot??? Keith! Keith! KEEEEEEEITH!!!” But, it’s no use, Keith is out like a light, and when Lance pries himself back to the waking world in the morning, he can’t remember anything that happened after they left the bar.

[wazowskiofthemikevariety]

mike + identity

1. Wazowski: So for this category I’m going to encompass everything that’s within his name because that’s like the biggest piece of him that made him who he is.

a. Son: Mike holds his parents on Hero Status. He looks up to them and what they’ve done for him. One of his biggest goals in life is to be a dad himself, because he wants that relationship, he craves his people, to have someone to devote himself to. They’ve inspired him to be the person he is because he’s seen his mom and dad sacrifice a lot for him and his siblings, even for their other family members like Mike’s aunts and uncles, grandparents, etc. BUT being a son is a lot more than that, obviously. It’s more of an identity that’s important to him because he finds great pride whenever his parents introduce him as their son. Like, “Oh, Georgia! This is my son, Michael!” and he likes being known as one of the Wazowski’s children. His parents, while they do have their problems and aren’t perfect and are human, are important to him and he is very happy and proud to be their son. He finds it a very integral part of who he is, being their son and being a part of this family.  

b. Middle Child: Mike is the middle child of five and that means he was forgotten a lot of the time. Several times his parents forgot to get him from school, so he got himself a bike with his own money. Several times they forgot about taking him to practice for band or whatever sport he was trying to join that year, so he would arrange a ride himself or put the pedal to the meddle. Several times they forgot to sign him up for something, pay this, pay that, tell him what was going on so he would get home to the family being gone and him not knowing why, or them expecting him to have been packed and ready for trip everyone had failed to mention so all of a sudden he has to get his suitcase together while panicking about not having enough time and crying in his room under the stress as someone yells at him to hurry or they’ll miss their flight. This, although kind of disheartening to him, turned him very independent. It made him have to rely on himself. So he identifies with the stereotype of the Middle Child because oof, he knows that pain, but it played its part in making him who he is.

c. Younger Brother/Older Brother: He’s got different relationships to all of his siblings, as one does, and esp since he is that bridge from the olders to the youngers. He’s the middle, smack dab. Two above, two below. And he loves all his siblings. He’s sort of the second mom tbh because while his two older siblings are the kind that would die for the others or throw down where needed, they aren’t as responsible and put together as Mike is. And the younger siblings, there was sort of a disconnect with them to the older to because by the time they were Humans who could Hold A Conversation the older siblings had shipped off to college and weren’t around the house all the time. Where Mike became the oldest of the house all of a sudden, taking the younger two around. It’s a weird, interesting dynamic but he is very much a loving and supportive brother. He’s not the smartest, but he always worked the hardest. And his siblings were always his best friends when he didn’t have anyone. He was always ALWAYS there for them, even if they weren’t for him sometimes, but that’s okay. That’s what family it for, yah know. Talking shit, getting hit, but coming together to make sure the house is clean before their parents got home to kill them all should they see the state of the kitchen. Being a brother to four very different human beings is very important to him. He loves being a brother and he loves his sibling and is very grateful to them because while he didn’t have friends growing up he did have them. And they will always have him.

d. Ethnicity: This falls within this category, too, and IS important to him because he is kind of ethnically ambiguous. He is of mixed race and he’s proud of that. He identifies with it because his parents didn’t shy away from telling their kids about where they came from or who their families are. Though he may not seem to take to traditions of his heritage, he does, of course he does. And he knows the history of his family, and that’s another motivator for him. As a minority he’s always had that extra stretch he’s had to sprint through in order to make it to the finish line, that extra little bit of weight society puts on him. He does identify with his ethnicity and is proud of it and wouldn’t change it if he could because it is so integrated into who he is as a person since his parents didn’t shy away from telling their kids about where they come from.  

2. The Demonologist: This is, of course, second because he has always wanted to be a Demonologist. It was his lot in life. It was his calling. It was the only thing that got him out of bed in the morning sometimes, that motivation to go to school in order to be called a Demonologist someday. He wanted it so fucking badly as a kid, as a teenager, as an adult. He worked his ASS off to get that title to call his own. But that’s sort of where the irony stands with him because while he might self-identify as A Demonologist he isn’t really. He’s just starting to do things within the field that matter. Like, he never faced a demon until the August of 2018 and even then he got his ass beat by them before passing out and missing the end of the fight and exorcism completely. He hasn’t made any major headway in the field, he is a year out of school, teaching, and really has nothing to show for himself. WHICH IS FINE LMAO, you don’t have to have that jesus Christ, but Mike is an over achiever who thought he would have the world by now. It’s important to him to tell people that’s what he does, he’ll say he’s a Demonologist first and that he teaches at the university second because he doesn’t think he’s going to stay there of course. He thinks he’s just biding his time, using the resources, and soon enough he’s going to make it big. He’s book smart. He is the kind of person who could read a book and be able to regurgitate the information for you later on. But...I think it’s the difference between someone who can cook and a cook. He can cook, sure, he can follow the recipe and it will be good, but he isn’t going to be able to make something that’s great or anything like that because he lacks the instincts to improvise or think, oh well this needs some garlic lemme just add some in real quick. No, he’s the person waving around the menu like, IT SAYS TWO CLOVES. NO MORE NO LESS!! Even though he COULD be that person, he could improvise, he just doesn’t have the brain that would think of the situation like that. ANYWAYS OFF TOPIC, basically what I’m saying here is that Mike thinks of himself as a Demonologist and in a way he is because he got the degree, he’s earned the title on a technical level, but he doesn’t have it in the way that he’s proven any of that to be worthy. MAYBE HE WILL, maybe he won’t, I dunno where his journey will take him. 

3. College Graduate: This is also something very important to him because academics is fucking brutal, and it wasn’t any easier for him. He didn’t come from privilege, he didn’t have the name that would help him, people didn’t like him. College was lonelier than high school for him because at least there he would make surface level buddies within classes because he saw them five times a week and would help them on their homework and cracked a good joke for them to laugh at so they would be civil towards him. And he also lived with his family, his two younger siblings were still there. He had people around him. In college? He had no one. And I think we all know how lonely college can be, how isolated it can make someone feel despite being surrounded by people. That was Mike. And then you have everyone in his classes shitting on him for being enthusiastic! Wanting to talk about what they learned in class! That kid who kept up with the readings, who always raised his hand, who debated, who asked those questions everyone is thinking but didn’t want to say, and who’s presentations were almost spotless. Which is fair, he was a goodie goodie try hard, but he also was that way because he wanted to prove himself to these people who rolled their eyes at him, not knowing that the reason they did was BECAUSE he was showing off. But he went on, he got good grades, a good GPA, did his papers and went to his labs, got a job in between, and did it all on his own. It was one of, if not the, hardest things he had ever had to do in his life. Because Mike is not one of those people who can glance at the notes and get a good grade, he has to study for hours, he has to go to the library until hell o’clock in the morning, he has to make flash cards and pretend to teach the lamp what’s what before he can get that good grade. So! Yes! He loves being a college graduate. He loves his degrees, and he loves when his parents tell people about him having a PhD. It FUELS HIM. !!!

4. Friend: This has been a long time coming, baby. MIKE WAZOWSKI HAS FRIENDS BITCH. I’m telling you, he loVES having friends. He loves BEING a friend. It makes him so! fucking! happy! He was a lonely soul with so much love to give and nOW that he finally gets to give it, oof. I know I’m supposed to be a writer or whAtEveR but I can’t articulate how warm it makes him feel, how fulfilled. There was always this hollow ache inside of him, wanting and waiting for someone, anyone, to just want to be around him for a change. I’ve probably said this before, but since he watched a lot of movies growing up he accumulated that rose tinted glasses way of looking at life. He wanted that best friend he could call/text at any time and know they would reply. He wanted someone to drive around with, to have movie marathons with, to have feels sessions with, or to just hang out and take a nap together. He had high hopes of finding that person. But he never did. 28 years and he still couldn’t say he had a friend. NOW LOOK AT HIM. HE IS THRIVING. And I would say this identity is of the utmost importance to him because he has always wanted to be a Friend to someone. Like?? Being able to be the person people call because they know he’ll be there for them without a second thought, or being that person who makes them laugh and be happy and not think about their worries for a minute, or if they WANT to think about their worries he is the person they call to talk about them with. He likes being there for people, he loves it so much. He loves being in people’s lives and making them happy and smile and laugh and ugh. Being a friend is his favorite thing, connecting on that level to someone just makes him feel fulfilled. If he hears people calling him their friend he will DIE. If he is introduced as, “this is my friend, mike!” he will DIE. It’s his favorite thing in the whole wide world and he constantly gets emotional about it. 

5. Professor: This is lower on the list for obvious reasons but is apart of who he is now. To Mike it’s just a starting point, though, he doesn’t think it will be where he will stay or a long term position. But he loves being a professor because he loVEs demonology! So being able to teach it is kinda like the second best thing to be doing, plus it gives him a place to do research and have access to resources and all that jazz. He likes academia so it’s not like it’s a hard ship to be there reading over essays or listening to the debates kiddos have in class. It’s also just REALLY nice to have a job, especially one as good as being a professor. He’s not proud of it yet, is the thing. It’s not what he leads with when people ask him what he does, he is a Demonologist. And then he is a professor.

  6. Nerd: I mean, I think he identifies as a nerd because. Well. He is. And he doesn’t see that as a bad thing. He is both a Nerd in the sense that he likes to study and read and learn and excel within those things and that he likes to watch tv, movies, play video games, read comics, spend hours on the internet reading Fan theories, and laughing at memes. And to the people who are like, “well fuck you that stuff is for kids, grow up!” he genuinely doesn’t understand why other people feel like they have the right to put other people down? Why must people tell big jokes to make other people feel so small? It’s STUPID and he is soooo far passed calling everything he enjoys ‘guilty pleasures.’ nah. They’re just things he loves and will die on that hill. Worrying about shit like that is just lost on him now cause, shit, liking superhero movies isn’t embarrassing, unless you take it too far then lmfao okay calm down fam no need to set fire to someone over a MOVIE, and thinking it is isn’t about embarrassment, it’s about being insecure. And as much as Mike IS insecure, that’s one of the things he ain’t. If people want to make fun of him for that, fine, yes, it will hurt him and his ego, but he’ll also be the one getting to watch Logan (2017) and weeping into the pillow or having a really interesting conversation over the what preference of Star Trek generation people have. He loves all that nerdy shit, he loves getting excited about movies! and new games! and watching panels and actors and b-roll and listening to podcasts and reading about media news, it makes him happy, gets him excited! And disappointed! Makes him angry and happy and sad beyond belief sometimes, but that’s what he loves about it, too!

[mirrorfalls]

Lego Liveblogs ST: TOS, part 14 (of who-the-hell-knows-how-many?)

So this Court Martial isn’t about the Enterprise crew getting charged for lollygagging on plague victims last time, but it’s the next best thing: the first ep that turns its eyes not outward, but inward on the Federation as a whole. We’re about to learn exactly what kind of society it is that Kirk’s so eager to serve - and whether it deserves that level of dedication.

* Huh, now I’m really starting to wonder if this script was originally designed as a sequel to The Galileo Seven. The question of “were you justified in leaving that crewman to die?” seems almost too fitting... * As a plot in itself - younger me would’ve been annoyed by the Incident taking place entirely offscreen, but the older I get the more I appreciate the “You’re not getting any Objective Version of events, all you have to work with are the after-the-fact testimonies” - because that’s how justice works in real life. What happened and who died isn’t nearly as important as what the living people think and do about it. * That said, I am a bit annoyed by how hard the script is playing Kirk an underdog, what with everyone not in his crew automatically assuming he’s guilty. I suppose this is where Kirk’s modern-day rep as a maverick comes from: not because he regularly breaks the rules, but because everyone else in the Federation seems to hate him anyway. * Anyway, calling it now: either the Commodore guy, this lawyer lady, or both are deliberately trying to frame Kirk for Diabolical Reasons. * Not sure if it’s hilarious or depressingly resonant that Kirk’s assumed to have no chance against a (dun-dun-dun) computer’s testimony. * Jesus Christ, don’t you guys have any Conflict of Interest rules?! * I just realized, from this one shot, that Starfleet Noir needs to be its own genre. * ... huh, first time I’ve ever seen “it was better before we had all these newfangled [spits] computers!” applied to a lawyer of all things. * Oh, I see we’re not wasting any more time. All rise! * Bluster all you want, Spock, but this is your human half talking... and we are all here for it. That hammer analogy is as badass as it is illogical. * Bones is ship’s psychologist now? Sure, why not. * By now, I’m guessing the EU novel writers have dedicated a story to every single one of those decorations. * Gasp! Shock! A mid-episode twist that bears no resemblance to any actual courtroom procedure! ** I mean, maybe it’s different for military tribunals, but aren’t the lawyers for both sides supposed to go over all the evidence before the trial starts? Why’s this guy so shocked? ** That notwithstanding, this does do one good thing for the suspense factor: now the question isn’t “is Our Heroic Captain a murderer” (which you - probably - couldn’t get away with even on today’s Trek), but “did Our Heroic Captain make an honest mistake which nevertheless had fatal consequences?” Those two switches are right next to each other, after all. * Okay, Kirk, no need to for that low a blow... ** Wait, this is what leads to Spock pulling the thread? “The computer couldn’t possibly suck this much at chess if nothing were wrong”? *** I’m legit not sure if this is stupidly awesome or awesomely stupid. * And as our heroes rush this evidence to the court, five seconds before the verdict- ** Whoo. I’ve heard a lot of warnings about how horrifically cheesy and jingoistic The Omega Glory promises to be, but I can barely imagine anything outstripping the defense here. There’s a decentish (if somewhat Luddite) point buried beneath it all, but he sounds two seconds away from name-dropping On the Origin of Species for the hell of it. ** In a broader sense, it’s fascinating to see this ‘60s-tastic approach to AI: if it’s impaired in one area, clearly we can call its entire credibility into question! * So that’s the solution: The Norwood Builder, but IN SPACE. Well, that ambiguity and stuff was nice while it lasted. ** As was my initial impression that Kirk’s any kind of underdog in the chain of command. * Oh, come on, nevermind that you’re basically letting Kirk and friends run the trial now, his whole defense is about the Enterprise’s computer being unreliable. You’re on a Federation base, can’t you at least borrow one of their computers? ** Aaaaand you’re basically letting Kirk go catch the (at this point still purely hypothetical!) not-dead guy by himself. Cool cool cool. * Jesus Christ, all this guy needs is a mustache to twirl. * “Why kill innocent people?” “I dunno, why leave a whole planet of plague victims in the lurch for two days?” ** And also ‘cuz said innocent people are too invested in The Drama(tm) to use the perfectly good transporter that’s just sitting around. At this point they deserve to go down with the ship. * And so it ends, because Evil Has Loved Ones Too or something. * “Do you think it would cause a complete breakdown of discipline...” “Yes, but that's a weekly tradition now, so pucker up!”

I don’t know what the general fandom consensus on this one is, but to me it’s the first episode that’s an outright snake: a compelling start-premise that turns into a less-interesting-but-still-fun Sci-Fi Perry Mason by the middle act, that turns into a hilariously lopsided mess by the final. Which wouldn’t necessarily be a point against it, except most of that lopsidedness is in Kirk’s favor, not to make things tougher for him. And then it all gets solved by a slugfest, anyway.

Those were some damn purdy nighttime shots, though.

Next: Looks like I’m gonna have to talk about the series’ original pilot after all! Be here, for the life and times of Capt. Pike.

[jubesy]

2017 Writing Round-Up

Total year-long word count:

368,981

only counting what’s posted on AO3

Word count by fandom: 

Yowamushi Pedal - 4232 Free! - 5126 Haikyuu!! - 10,750 Kuroko no Basuke - 18,953 Voltron - 71,180 (plus 64k waiting to post) Yuri!!! on Ice - 191,981

The math isn’t adding up...I think I messed up somewhere, lol. But you get the gist.

Fics completed:

65 (plus tumblr-only drabbles)

Works-in-progress

3 or 4...or 7...?

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

I guess I felt like I hadn’t written very much. But looking at those numbers, I definitely contributed to my fandoms!

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?

Voltron, for sure. I was definitely avoiding it, since I’d seen/heard such negative things about the fandom. But I’ve met so many wonderful people who enjoy it (as well as other fandoms I’m in) so it was definitely worth it!

What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?

Uninhibited (OtaYuri - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated T) It was so much fun to write and it felt complete when I finished. The scenes I had in mind worked out just as I imagined and that hardly ever happens, heh.

I also really liked Anastasis (EmiMike - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated T) because I love Hybrid Child and I will continue writing that AU for my favorite pairings until its creator comes after me, lol.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I wrote in a lot of languages I don’t fully understand. Not full works, but parts of works were written in Italian, Czech, and Russian - like dialogue - and, if not for the wonderful friends I’ve met on tumblr, I think I would have butchered those beautiful languages.

Your best story of this year:

I think Swept Away (EmiMike - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated T) was probably my best because it had the most responses and reader interaction. I wrote it as I went (not much planning involved, lol) and the support for the pairing and au was just wonderful!

Your most popular story of this year:

Definitely Back to You (Klance - Voltron - Rated T) It might just be because Klance is very popular, but it also has the kudos and comment to go along with those hits, so I think it’s safe to say that it’s pretty popular (in comparison, of course)

Story of yours most under-appreciated by the universe, in your opinion:

Probably a tie between Red Koi (SouRin - Free! - Rated T) any of my non-Klance Voltron fics. That’s not to say that the vld fics don’t get love and appreciation (They do! And I’m so thankful for it!) but Klance is so popular, it sort of takes the attention away when people peruse my work.

As for Red Koi. Free! as a fandom was pretty dead at that time, so that’s probably part of it. I was so happy with how it turned out and it was my first time writing something based on an artist’s lovely creation. I was kind of bummed people didn’t really check it out. (But it’s all good) :)

Most fun story to write:

Either Return to the Space Mall (Klance - Voltron - Rated T) or Gym Dates (Shklance - Voltron - Rated T) Both were fun for different reasons. RttSM felt like I was writing an episode of the show, tbh. Not one they’d air (because there’s a pairing in it) but one that the writers might get a good laugh out of reading. Gym Dates is my ‘I don’t feel like doing work, so let me write for my fun au’ fic.

Story with the single sexiest moment:

Hmmm...that’s a tough one. I’d have to go with Oral Exam (EmiMike - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated M) It’s more implied, but sometimes that’s sexier. Maybe? Idk. But I liked it, hehe.

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:

Okay, so...I went through a thing where I could write nsfw stuff. Like...I wanted to, but it wasn’t coming out right. I’ve been a real “T-Rated” writer for a lot of this year. So, I’d have to say my one and only nsfw voltron fic. Bath Bomb (Lance Solo - Voltron - Rated E) I just felt forced. The sfw parts are great (imo) and I love them. But the actual nsfw bit seems...lack-luster. You could tell I wasn’t comfortable or happy with it.

Story that shifted your own perceptions of the characters:

I’m going to go with Boundaries (KuroKen - Haikyuu!! - Rated M) because it was my first time really delving into sexuality for the two of them together.

Hardest story to write:

Definitely True Heroes (EmiMike - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated T) Not only was it a cover for someone who dropped out of the EmiMike Exchange, but, as much as I love Super Hero movies...I know nothing about writing them, lol. This was before I watched BNHA or Tiger & Bunny, so I was mostly going off of what I remembered from X-Men AU, haha. I did have a lot of help, though. Thank goodness!

Biggest disappointment:

More Of You (EmiMike - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated E) This was a continuation of Rhinestone Chucks - which I loved!! - but it just...I dunno. People wanted more and I wrote it, but I didn’t feel like it was my best work. This was the start of my inability to write nsfw this year, lol.

Biggest surprise:

I don’t think I planned on writing an Inch-High Samurai AU - Sanzun-bōshi: Shirogane Takashi (Shance - Voltron - Rated G) - but I’m so glad I did. It doesn’t have a lot of hits, but people seem to like it (and senpai noticed me, so...) Yeah. That one was really fun.

Most unintentionally telling story:

Boundaries (KuroKen - Haikyuu!! - Rated M)

Favorite opening line(s):

Opening and Closing lines are hard, okay? But I really liked the way I started Among the Stars (Klance - Voltron - Rated T) - even though I totally abandoned it to write my bb and I haven’t come back yet... oops. Anyway, here’s the line:

“I really don’t think this is a good idea, Your Highness,” Hunk said nervously, gaze darting from side to side before settling on his prince, who was tugging on the rope of knotted bedsheets tied to the heavy desk by his window.

“First of all,” he began, seeming suitably pleased with the makeshift rope’s strength, “It was my idea, so, of course it’s a good one. Secondly,” he lifted the pile of sheets and threw them out the window, watching as they unfurled, creating the perfect escape route. “You’ve known me for, like, my whole life, Hunk. Just call me Lance.”

Favorite closing line(s):

Gosh, these are even more difficult than Opening lines. Wow, um... How about the ending of Peaceful Negotiations (Klance line, but it’s really Shance/Sheith with future Shklance - Voltron - Rated T):

Seeming to mistake his distress for misunderstanding, Keith continued. “Lance, he’s not bigger th-”

But Lance just held a hand up, silencing him. Then he sunk down into the couch, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring up at the other man. “I fucking hate you.”

So much for peaceful negotiations.

Favorite 5 line(s) from anywhere:

Most of these will be Lance because I love writing him and I’ve written him most often, so...

From Return to the Space Mall (Klance - Voltron - Rated T):

Lance’s brows rose to his hairline. “Uh, if you’re asking why I saved us back there-”

“Why didn’t you correct him?” He frowned. “Now he thinks we’re…” Keith lowered his voice to a whisper, “Dating.”

“No.” Lance held a hand up, gesturing between them. “He thinks Lanzo McCool and Fangs are dating.”

Keith groaned. “Stop calling me that. And Lanzo McCool? Are you serious?”

From Back to You (Klance - Voltron - Rated T):

“...we were chasing Lotor through the wormhole he created while trying to keep it open with what turned out to be a wormhole of our own.”

“So, it’s like…wormception?” Lance offered and Pidge gave him a look.

“If that helps you…”

From Lotor Baby (Lancelot - Voltron - Rated T):

“You thought…”

“You were singing your list,” Lotor finished for him. “Odd, but, then again,” he smirked, “You’ve always been a little different.”

“Oh, Baby, no, I-” Lance cut himself off with a nervous little laugh. “Are you telling me you’ve never heard that song before?” he asked and Lotor – looking rather unimpressed – shook his head. “Eartha Kitt? Madonna?” he questioned and received the same response. “Sweet plantains…”

Lotor pursed his lips. “I’m beginning to think I’ve misinterpreted something,” he mused.

From Uninhibited (OtaYuri - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated T):

“Ah, Yuuri,” Victor began, wrapping an arm around his fiancé’s waist. “Remember when I dropped everything and flew out to see you?”

“Yes,” the other man said with a snort. “But at least Otabek gave Yurio a heads up, as opposed to waiting completely naked in the onsen.”

“Good times, good times,” the older man sighed happily.

“Ugh, will you two shut it!” Yuri stamped his foot, chipping the ice. “This isn’t about you.”

“That’s right,” Mila said and before Yuri could thank her, she continued. “This is about Otabek and this extreme gesture of love for our little Yura.”

“I hate this freaking family,” the blond muttered under his breath.

From Swept Away (EmiMike - Yuri!!! on Ice - Rated T)

“But I don’t want you to die,” he sobbed, his face twisted in agony.

“Emil,” he breathed, reaching up to brush some of his tears away. His gaze fell to Emil’s lips, a little chapped but looking just as soft as ever. Just once, he thought. There was no reason to feel embarrassed now. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and then kissed him softly.

He was surprised when Emil wrapped his arms tightly around him, pressing their lips together more firmly and pulling him close to his chest. The kiss tasted salty, but still oh so sweet. And when they broke apart, Michele’s chest felt lighter. He smiled up at Emil, who returned the sentiment, albeit sadly, and touched his forehead to Michele’s. “Don’t go,” Emil murmured against his lips.

“I-” but Michele gasped, a searing pain weaving its way up his legs. He gripped the front of Emil’s shirt to steady himself and whipped his head to the side.

The sun was setting.

Top 5 scenes from anywhere you would choose to have illustrated:

Literally any of them. I would just explode with joy, tbh. I’ve had a few beautiful works of art based on my fics and I’m still screaming internally about them.

Fic-writing goals for next year:

Write more and also less. Don’t stress about it and don’t crank things out like a machine. Also, write what you enjoy. This is for me and everyone reading~

[civilianlillian]

Headcanon: Casey Jones being on the Autistic Spectrum

I see plenty of neurodivergent headcanons for the turtles galore, but never for any of the human characters. In all honestly, saying one of the turtles is on the autistic spectrum is iffy and uncomfortable to me at least because it’s sorta implying that said autism would be the result of a mutation caused by an external element. Because it’s not like we’ve had shit over some dickhead portraying autism as a side effect of vaccination rather than it being a mental disorder that’s as embedded in our genes and beings as internal organs and a massive part of who we are as people. also fuck you wakefield

And so thinking about it more, it just clicked that Casey could fit an autistic headcanon. So here’s a list of things about his character I believe fit such a headcanon based on personal experience and from other autistic people I’ve known:

• Apparently the writers put him at around 17 years old, a year older than April, with some intent that he might have been held back during his education (probably to tie into him seeking April for tutoring). I don’t have any knowledge of American education beyond secondhand information I may see on the internet or pop up on my dash, so my only knowledge of being autistic in a learning system built around neurotypical students is from brief personal experience. Neurotypical education sucks when there isn’t enough awareness of learning difficulties or the teachers don’t have enough training to know how to handle it. Casey might have trouble with his education because he may have difficulties trying to pay attention and absorb information without the tools or support to help him focus. This can get you labelled as just bad behaviour or being dumb/stupid. I sure as hell wasn’t able to follow lessons in school until I finally had someone who listened to why I didn’t like lessons and found them hard to understand. We don’t have any clue as to when Casey was held back if this concept still applies in canon, but being held back might not mean he just didn’t care to study or doesn’t have the smarts to pass. Granted it gets harder to care about learning when you have trouble understanding and your educators don’t bother to help you so much as call you lazy. Which brings me to my next point.

• Casey’s interests and knowledge in gadgets, vehicles, and metalwork. The boy knows his stuff when it comes to Mad Max-looking makeshift weaponry and devices, which is clear from his decked out bike and the crude taser that he’s managed to strap to his arm without frying himself. He worked with Donnie to rig up a supercar as a hobby and helped pimp up the Party Wagon. And he’s still flunking trig. (so’s April but shhhhh that was just a Season 1 thing) Casey seems like a very visual learner in this case: he picks up on things through observation and is self-taught on what interests him. For all we know he figured out cars while being cooped up on a farm with nothing better to do while one of his terrapin friends was in a coma. I’ve ended up doing that with some programs I use or with life stuff in general. Manuals are boring and slow and easy to lose focus on. Maybe look up a couple of video tutorials for something but most of building skills and interests is self-teaching and trial-and-error. (my experience of video editing and art programs is “what’s this do and can i figure out what makes it tick without looking it up”, which is an approach to new interests I think also fits Casey). Likely not something specific or common in autistic people, but figuring things out in such a way has been a thing that popped up for me and a couple of old friends. What I’m saying is Casey made that new mask after half-watching a couple of cosplay tutorials and winging it with some scrap.

• Casey wears those gloves and that headband all the damn time. Even when he’s eating pizza, he’s eating it wearing gloves that have probably been worn working on his bike, wielding a hockey stick/baseball bat that’s likely bashed sweaty heads in rain two weeks ago without being washed, and just the day-to-day things that would get those gloves sweaty or grimey or icky. He wears that headband at all times, even when he’s wearing a mask thank would probably fit better if he took that band of material off of his head. What do his headband and gloves also have in common? They’re articles of clothing that usually have elastic to stay in place. Sure canonically they’re just there to fit his grungy look (get to that hoodie in a second), but digging myself deeper into this headcanon i got to thinking they might also serve sensory/stimming purposes. If there’s something that I think is one thing autistic people have in common or a feeling they share, it’s fiddling/fidgeting and certain sensory things to some level: e.g. I usually wear loose tops because i like fiddling with the hems and corners of my clothing. Some people wear tight or loose clothing based on how they process the sensation of skin against different type of clothing. Casey never taking off his damn gloves or headband could be seen as him liking the sensation of the elastic in them around his wrists and forehead. He probably pings the elastic as well because that’s fun too when you’re bored and need to fiddle.

I refuse to believe that he has never washed that hoodie. I mean yeah the turtles have smelt worse living in a sewer but Casey is a Human who has spent most of his life around Humans and his Human father would probably have burnt his clothes by now if Casey never washed the stink out of them. That and Casey is a hockey player, and I imagine stinking clothes is an annoyance that comes from most sports. Those paint stains on his hoodie I think he’s leaving there on purpose, like he’ll wash his clothes but no dad his clothes get washed separate because he can’t wash his clothes with your clothes because you use stuff that lifts stains and that’ll get rid of the paint splats that he likes on his clothes and why does he want paint splats because he does and they look nice and he probably won’t get the same splatter pattern again if he tried and shush dad this hoodie stays the same because it has to because shut up. We don’t really see Casey tagging anything regularly so unless it’s because they don’t change the texture on animated models because what’s the point it’s not a cgi blockbuster we’re making here Casey probably keeps his paint splattered hoodie like that because it looks nice and it’ll stay nice dad. It’s a Thing.

• Casey constantly refers to a love of heavy metal music. Too much sound for an autistic person can end up in sensory overload and that fucking sucks. And in general just the world around you can suck and you wanna shut it out because ugh. You know what helps? Headphones and really loud music. What genre has really loud music? Yup.

Casey having a social battery. He just pops in and out of the show all the time because the writers dunno what do with him shrug so yeah. Autism likes to play up the variance of a person’s social needs and wants and limits. You want to be friends but you just can’t be asked to be with people right now. You get this surge of wanting to hang out with friends and be loud for a bit, and then you have this mood where you just want to not exist or just not do things. Basically like this:

“raph great to see you i love your face” “whatever weirdo”

[dude where are you] [home] [you’ve been at home for three days] [i’m waiting until i stop hating faces to talk in person again]

If anyone has any other things to add to this headcanon, please do share/add onto this post. Now if you’ll excuse me i’m gonna dig myself further into this headcanon.

EDIT: I forgot another point I wanted to put in and also @a-specforest added some cool addon tags so broski if you don’t mind imma put them here too

• #okay so one symptom of autism is speaking in ’pre learned phrases’ #and casey has a ton of catchphrases • #sometimes speaking in a tone that doesn’t match the conversation? #casey does that a lot too • #he seems to have a few hyperfixations #in season 2 he’s practicing hockey late by himself #and the working on cars that you mentioned

1) how else would he come up with Goongala of COURSE!!! That and pre-learned phrases are great to have when spontaneous speech is a bitch and you trip over words and stammer. not that i would know anything about that nooo We’ve already heard him muddle up words in the moment (I think he said jumbled up “racism” later in S4)

2) Tone control is something I’ve dealt with, too. Apparently I have resting bitch voice so I’ll say something and get asked if i’m in a bad mood or snapped at for “being rude”. Also knew other autistic people who would have ranges of tones in certain convos too, e.g. one always sounded happy and chipper and laughed a lot even when something wasn’t particularly funny, one person’s tone of voice went everywhere it was hard to tell what their feelings were even with the context of conversation. Casey’s attitude and tone in conversation, even serious ones, might be an indication of that, I agree.

3) Oh yeah, he definitely fits hyperfixation. There’s his hobbies, and also there’s how he sees his future. When he and April are in the park for their first study session, he’s got two clear ideas for what to do with his life; Hockey Star or Bounty Hunter. With him immediately trying to play hero when confronted with a walking talking tank of organs his bounty hunter fantasy may have something to do with it. He’s reckless and headstrong, but it also lends to his fixation on one of his dream careers; if fighting a monster that he’s confronted with something he sees as a step to bounty hunting, he’ll likely put up his dukes and get melted because ACID HANDS I have definitely known people who were determined on doing something because it was what they wanted. It might’ve come across as stubbornness or rigidness depending on what it (even something as simple as just doing something like a chore a certain way), but in context of ambitions and their future they were pumped as hell to take the steps they needed to take to do what they liked and what they wanted for themselves. They didn’t care about what people thought of them even if they didn’t pass as neurotypical and would get stares on the street. Not sure how they would react if say culinary career path involved fighting mutated food, but considering the show itself is an action-adventure cartoon with mutant turtles I think we can give Casey a pass on that lack of realism there. we begrudgingly give the writers passes all the time so why stop now

Aaaand the point i forgot to put in my original post:

• Casey’s less-than appropo reactions or attitudes in situations possibly links to difficulty reading people, being empathetic or understanding social cues/priorities. Reading and understanding facial expressions and body language can be a bitch if you’re autistic. There’s even a learning software program a couple of students from my school would use in one-to-one sessions that specifically addresses this for those who find it THAT hard to tell what another person is expressing. It’s especially troublesome because empathy can be a confusing thing too, because it can go from you not really having any empathy to you having so much that you think you’re hurting the feelings of a pair of shoes because you chose to wear something else that day which totally isn’t the extreme i experience at all hahaha help i’m mentally apologising to a boot Casey doesn’t appear to take things seriously in dangerous circumstances the majority of the time, nor does he appear considerate of others at other times. It’s a lot of confidence and certainty that things will turn out OK (with a heaping spoonful of “self preservation instinct what self preservation instinct”). It’s not always an appropriate attitude to make jokes and quips and tease and make jabs at people, but he HAS taken things seriously and shown worry/sadness at appropriate times. He’s really quiet and almost numb when the subject of his family’s fate comes up in Invasion, and he was surprisingly the only one to be most affected after watching someone get mOLECULARLY RIPPED APART. From experience, both personal and through observation, figuring out how to react and respond to things when you don’t really know how to is a pain in the ass and often distressing because you feel bad for not knowing. Sometimes you resort to humour to lighten things and try to ease tensions, sometimes you have an internal screaming match with yourself and panic and go through an archive of potential reactions because what the fuck would apply here, or sometimes you just shut down or just don’t react like it’s not really a big deal or even happening. Or you end up going through verbal barfing and dig yourself deeper into a hole of instant regret because you’re making yourself look like an ass when you don’t want to why is this so hARD. I think Casey would fall into the “address things with confidence and cockiness” kind of reaction pool, because it’s an attitude he’s comfortable with and how he better deals and processes things. It’s not to say he doesn’t have some empathy or disregard for other people’s feelings (hello Buried Secrets), it could be that it’s not comfortable territory for him even when he wants to be serious/emotionally supportive. did any of that come out right fffffffffU

• Casey’s small social circle and it possibly being by choice. His best friends are the girl who he met through tutoring in a subject she was failing before and four giant turtles who are trained in ninjutsu. He only mentions having one friend before, a friend with whom he had a falling out, and he didn’t seem to like Irma all that much (you can say it’s because “she’s a third wheel on dates” but even outside of that he didn’t seem to get along with her much). With things like hyperfixation and the like making a vast group of friends is tricky. Being autistic might mean the friends you choose to make have lots of interest in common with you rather than just being someone you get along with. Not to say being autistic means you are limited to a few friends. I’m no expert on autistic social lives, I can only draw from firsthand experience. I found trying to maintain a number of friendships difficult and often overwhelming so at some point in school I stopped trying to make friends, with the exception of a couple of people I liked and had common interests with. I chose to keep my social circle small because the thought of making lots of friends and keeping in touch with them all and remembering who likes who and what overwhelmed me and made me nervous as a child. Still kinda leaks into adulthood because I don't have many friends outside of the company I keep on tumblr. In this autistic headcanon, Casey’s very small social circle could be by choice. He doesn’t mention having any other friends besides one previously, fixates on April (and yes I am knocking the romantic aspect out the window for this) after approaching her for tutoring because he found her cool and likes hanging out with her (and probably saw kicking a mutant’s ass as common ground/bonding too), hung out with her even when a person he wasn’t keen on (Irma) was also there, and even when he’s introduced to the turtles and befriends them he still appears to be platonically closest to April arguably, depends on how the writers want to write him that week. Considering how the love triangle bullhockey has been given little to no reference as of late, his concern for April in Tokka vs the World and his annoyance at Leo’s teamup picks in Tale of Tiger Claw might be more because he can’t be with his favourite person. (and yes that can be a Thing too) He might also fixate on having April’s company because she isn’t much of a social butterfly herself outside of the friendly neighbourhood mutants living in the sewer. Compare how many times we see him hanging out with the turtles minus April versus when April is present.

[formallyfreya]

Shipping Discourse: Overwatch Edition (also known as, you guys are fucking morons and don’t know how age of consent works)

Let me preface this by saying shipping discourse is the stupidest shit I’ve ever had the displeasure of rolling my eyes at. I literally couldn’t care less about what people ship or why they ship it because it’s all fictional. It’s literally not real. And as any rational human being, I can differentiate between fiction and reality. I know that unhealthy shit depicted in fic (non-con, abuse, etc.) doesn’t necessarily reflect the true life values of the person who writes and reads it. If you can’t do that, then maybe you should back away from reading fic.

And I understand when people get upset when they find justifiably problematic and gross ass shit (ie. Pedophilia and you’re right to call that shit out when you see it) but some of the shit you guys find problematic is fucking stupid, especially since you treat it like it’s REAL LIFE. So fine, let’s address this like it’s the real world, shall we?

So here’s where I mention the discourse that’s bothering me enough to fucking post this: Overwatch shippers and whether or not DVa (Hana Song) is considered an adult.

I can’t believe I have to explain how ages work.

How old is Hana Song? Her bio says 19.

So the short answer to your insanely simple question is: yes. She’s a fucking adult. Case closed for me and most rational people. And a lot of you seem to accept this. Oh except when she gets shipped with, let’s say, soldier 76.

Now suddenly. 19 isn’t good enough to prove she’s an adult for some of you people.

Whenever she gets shipped with anyone even remotely over the age of twenty-something you bitches start screaming ‘she’s just a child!’ or 'stop shipping dva with adults, that’s disgusting/problematic’ or 'she’s not old enough to consent to relationship with someone old enough to be her parent’ and 'anyone that old with someone that young is clearly an abuser and the writer is clearly a pedo for writing it’.

Um, I’m not sure you guys know the definition of pedophilia. Or like, what constitutes an adult? But let’s break this down.

Pedophilia: a psychological disorder in which an adult has sexual fantasies about or engages in sexual acts with a prepubescent child

Ok...guess i have to explain what prepubescent means too since you guys have no idea how that works either, cause if you did we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

Prepubescent: of or relating to the years immediately preceding puberty

Gee i dunno, does a 19-year-old PRECEDE PUBERTY??? NO, YOU DUMB TOMATO!

She’s 19 years old. Legally she’s over the age of consent. I don’t understand what the problem here is. Like literally this would be all anyone needs to know. Capable of consent and very clearly not-a-child, done. But you guys don’t seem to think that matters when the other person involved is older than her? You start screaming that she’s too young and naive to know better?

'she’s not old enough to understand the impact of her decisions’ and ‘the older party is clearly taking advantage of her child mind’

Um, yeah, no. What? Are you serious?

Did you miss the part in her bio where she uh, joined a military organization, risked her life on a battlefield, and became a fucking war hero? I mean, that just screams she’s a child who doesn’t know the impact of her choices or the consequences of making bad decisions (I said while trying not to roll my eyes so hard they fall out of my head). She’s not some naive little child. She’s a battle hardened soldier who more than likely saw good men and women die, at her feet, some of them friends, in a warzone on a daily fucking basis so don’t give me this 'she’s an innocent and a beautiful Cinnamon roll who must be protected’ garbage. If she’s old enough to decide she’s willing to die in a war then she’s old enough to suck old man dick.

You’re all cool with it when she gets paired with people like Lucio or whatnot. You coo and squeal with delight at how ‘cute they are together’ UWU. But throw someone older like Reaper, Soldier76, or Reinhardt and suddenly DVa’s a child again. Sorry-not-sorry, but if she’s an adult when she’s getting banged by Lucio, then she’s an adult when she gets eifel towered by Reaper and Soldier76. You can’t play both sides of the field and call it equal.

It’s fine if you’re not a fan of huge age differences. I don’t write much of that myself, but you can’t shit on people for shipping of-age characters who literally don’t fucking exist.

You just don’t want to admit that a young woman might consent to sleeping with a man old enough to be her grandfather. And that seeing an older guy with a young woman makes you uncomfortable. Which you’re entitled to your discomfort, no one is denying you that. But you have to know there’s a line between saying 'this pairing squicks me, no thanks’ and 'this pairing is abusive, gross, and pedophilic because I don’t like it and anyone who supports it is a pedophile apologist’. That’s absurd. And you can’t get pissy when people tell you that, tell you that you’re being unreasonable and childish and quite frankly stupid in your policing of the media you consume.

That’s the big thing that blows my mind. You don’t like it? Don’t fucking look. Blacklist it. You can’t make people not like it. And you can’t stop others from enjoying it. Look, in the real world nothing can stop some 18-year-old anything from banging an 80-year-old wrinkle farm. And you can’t get them in trouble for liking/writing it because it’s not fucking illegal you whiny piss baby.

So get over yourself and go take a nap. I’ll be over here, deciding to write this ship, one I normally didn’t really give a fuck about, OUT OF SPITE because you’re trying to police what others can enjoy. I’m gonna write the biggest old man/Dva gangbag JUST BECAUSE I CAN AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

DVa:1     Bad guys(ie. You’re dumb ass): ZERO

[bokunoheroaheadcanons]

Matchup Box is currently Open.

Here are few important requirements I need from you all in description. 1. Gender and Sexual Orientation. 2. Male, Female or Both match up. I would hate to assume which pair you want. 3. Personality. 4. Hobbies. 5. What you look for in a partner. (Well, if you want to. I thought it’s be easier that way .o.) 6. Villains, Heroes, Proheroes, or all together? (I dunno, I feel like I need to write for villains and proheroes on these more but it’s okay if you prefer one or another.) My Description Example: All V/H/PH. Both match up. Im 18. Agender (preferably ‘they’, but ‘her’ pronouns is cool too) pansexual who has depression and anxiety. I like to draw a lot, listen to music and read books sometimes. I’m a reserved girl who is sweet and obedient when I can be, I guess I may be a goody2shoes most of the time, I just want everything to be peaceful and I dislike drama that is the same constant thing. However I get easily irritable and can be hostile at first. Once I open up more and you get to know me, I can be weird and talkative. You can say I’m the wise person as well since I give advices and feel a little older for my age. I seems to doubt myself a lot and I don’t know why sometimes, maybe it’s my depression. (Then the results be Tamaki, Kurogiri, Momo, Ochako, etcetc depending on my Info. Sometimes they have similar personality, sometimes they can help you with your problems too, etc. I might include why the alt fits. It’ll be long to write but I think I can manage somehow if I have patience.) Please keep in mind that I usually write for this blog, so it may be difficult to answer everybody’s matchup right away with just one writer. I may have to close match up temporarily if I need to leave until the next day. I may do this box for 2 days. All the other boxes are closed since I’m gonna do matchups, so please refrain from sending any HC/scenarios requests during these times. Thank you! :>

[eisforeidolon]

Episode: The Raid

Oh, this was much better.  Not the best episode ever, but considering the ongoing storylines already in play and the telegraphed likely future conflict with the BMOL over ethics, a solid one.

Thankfully, we finally got to have at least a little time to dwell on some of the emotional conflicts this season.  The BMOL's torture of Sam, Mary's utter abandonment of her children and giant shitstorm of lies, and the Winchester's feelings about it.  Could have stood to have a little more, but at least it finally got some screen time. 

Mary goes on about “playing three decades of catch up” as a sympathy ploy, but it just doesn't work when she's been playing them with the BMOL, not her sons.  She may be their mother, but she has done absolutely nothing to be their Mom.  She's telling herself she's doing this for her sons - her sons she hasn't bothered to get to know or ask what they want.  So no, I don't believe for a second it's about them in any real sense, though perhaps she might actually think it is in the mess of justifications in her head.  Of course, I also find getting out of hunting even for herself suspect as hell, because she supposedly quit hunting when she got married, wanted nothing more than to stay out … and yet they made that a complete fucking lie earlier this season.  So why am I supposed to buy it as a motivation again now after its plausibility has been so effectively sabotaged?  Or are we going back to that thing where all the hunters believe they can’t get out but believe others can, like that bit with Bobby about Dean at the beginning of season 6? 

I can't not find that one BMOL guy gushing about Mary being the awesomest Winchester to ever awesome a little hilarious.  Dude is totally hot for her, that's the only possible explanation so far as I'm concerned, especially considering how spotty their information has been on the Winchesters.  

I get that we're probably supposed to assume the vampire population climbed during the whole Mother of All business or whatever, but I can't help but be underwhelmed by the idea of the BMOL wiping out all of the vampires … when we were told they were on the verge of extinction a little over a decade ago.  Through the efforts of bog standard American hunters.  All the gadgets, and the BMOL can't even match that without nearly getting wiped out in turn by their own arrogance.  Tsk tsk. 

Speaking of gadgets, loved Sam's little quip about the “low budget Mission Impossible vibe”.  Especially since I was thinking earlier with the scene in their temporary headquarters that it was annoying the writers seem to wish they were writing James Bond this season with all the sudden epic gadgets and sci-fi looking hideout crap.  I dunno, I get it as a way to contrast them with the Winchesters, and I’m a little more forgiving of it after this episode showing it failing them so utterly, but it can’t help but feel a little gimmicky and ass-pull-ish.  Possibly I’m just being picky.    

I do have to question why they still aren't managing to recruit any hunters, though. Because they do have gadgets.  And they are apparently effectively killing tons of things.  The other hunters weren't tortured by one of their wackadoo operatives gone rogue.  So....?  I mean, sure, hunters are secretive and suspicious, but seriously nobody but Mary is impressed with their toys and kill rate?  Maybe if they gave less speeches and more free samples or something, I don't know.

Of course the BMOL would know the locations of other MOL bunkers, that only makes sense.  I did like the interplay between Ketch and Dean. He knew enough to bring a gift in liquor form, to get him in the door.  To then not-so-subtly push off Toni as a crazy ex-girlfriend who he tried to warn his organization about to distance both himself personally and the BMOL generally from her actions.  And then to cap it all off by a session of bonding over old-fashioned machete wielding violence.  I liked that he totally thought he had Dean on the hook from it.  Of course, the best part was that I think their interaction over the remaining vampire in the nest makes it clear he actually didn't at all. Dean is a very physical kind of guy and seems pretty obvious on the surface, but that’s just the surface - he's not a sadist by choice, the violence is more a means to an end and an outlet than a real joy.  He’s more than intelligent enough to know exactly what Ketch was trying with each of his overtures, and even pissed at Mary, no doubt wants to know what they’re getting her into.  I think he probably has far more of a measure of Ketch than Ketch does of him at the end of this day.  Well, if the writers have even a smidgen of a clue what they’re doing, anyway.

With the minor question of why all the doors in the BMOL compound aren't on lock down by default, I did think the whole section of the episode that took place with the vampire incursion there was excellent.  Of course the BMOL were overconfident and despite knowing the vampires were all connected - even bragging about that knowledge – somehow didn't realize they'd strike back. Likewise their overestimation that they knew where the Alpha was, and the fact none of them there were fighters or remotely prepared (which tracks much better with what we knew of the American branch, too). Although I've seen people attribute it to seeing the Colt again, Sam's face when Mary is caught in yet another lie about having risked all their lives for it after having lied to get him there ... and his ability to push past it to do the job of the moment.  Sam remembering the recipe for the bullets, the only other hunter there being a mole, all the bluffing between Sam and the Alpha Vamp, Sam and the BMOL guy making and executing a plan without words, and the callback to the old slow-mo of the Colt being fired.

It's a bit of a bummer to see the Alpha Vamp go, but since older characters that get brought back on this show often seem to either die immediately or gradually have every bit of nuance and interest sucked out as they linger on like a bad smell (hey, Lucifer!) … he was awesome in this episode right down to the final quip when he knew he was bested, so I'll take it.  The way it was shot with the flashbacks was particularly striking, too.

I get why Dean would rush to save Mary, but I hate that the writers yet again go back to that place where he has to take back his rightful anger and be sorry for … being upset at being repeatedly lied to and betrayed when not being entirely ignored by his own mother.  Yeah, no, fuck that.  It has nothing at all to do with wanting to be coddled, unless by coddled you mean not intentionally shit on.  You can be incredibly mad at someone, not forgive or excuse their actions, and not want them to die at the same time.  Considering this is always what Dean does when he has a conflict with family, which is why so much never gets resolved and comes back again, it’s way less surprising this happened than that some people apparently think this is somehow character development?  Whatever.

Granted, it will have a lot to do with how it plays out, but I'm not actually upset at this point by Sam agreeing to work with the BMOL, because I can see a few reasons for it after this episode.  I don’t necessarily exclude buying into their spiel to some degree and being impressed with their tech as a factor, though I’d like to think Sam would have enough healthy suspicion for it not to be the only one.

As to other possibilities, if Mary is tied in to the BMOL, any time they're in trouble he and Dean are going to get pulled in, anyway, just like here - and Sam has seemed overeager all along to try and connect with and justify Mary’s decisions despite her own lack of efforts.  It may have been his version of picking a side by going along to look out for Mary, assuming Dean will, as always, eventually bend, especially since he already did enough to show this time.   

For another thing, if the BMOL have really been killing that many monsters, better to know what's going on with them.  Future retaliation might not just come back on the BMOL, it might hit hunters, too – they are changing the balance, and better to know what they're doing and have some time to prepare than be in the dark.  In fact, it might be a good idea to know just what they are doing to make sure there isn't anything shady going on (spoiler: there totally is).  

Finally, I've seen a few complaints about how it makes no sense that Sam would voluntarily join up after seeing how incompetent this op of the BMOL turned out, but I actually think it's directly the opposite.  What better way to convince someone like Sam to get involved than to show that these people actually do need HIS help?  If they're just other hunters out killing monsters, whatever, fine, their organization screwed him over and he wants no part of it.  But Sam got to know these new people a little bit as people.  Humans, fighting on the same side, who were nothing like Toni, and they'd have been massacred if he wasn't there.  Sure, the tech angle was cool and all, and he knows they’re potentially shady, but what better bait could they possibly have come up with to put on that hook than being needed?  One of Sam’s biggest weaknesses is an almost desperation to be the hero, to be doing good and therefore be able to believe he is good. 

I won't, however, be so willing to forgive the writers if it ultimately turns into another fucking brothers-lying-to-each-other debacle.  Let's leave that zombie horse alone, can't we, please?  

[demoisellebeauty]

🔥

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

I don’t hate Descendants, but there are things about it that really annoy me for reasons that have nothing to do it being a Disney Channel original movie franchise. I’m not hating on for it being “tween” culture or because it’s Disney finding yet another way to make money off its older movies. But I… have issues.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate why people like it and I can understand what the draw is. There are aspects of the movies that I honestly enjoyed when I watched them (I like a few of the songs and I really like Evie. She’s a pretty well written character, especially in Descendants 2, where her and her relationships with several other characters is developed more and her subplot is honestly quite wholesome and heartfelt.) I can also see how people would identify with it as gay culture considering how Mal and Evie or Jay and Carlos’ relationships are portrayed complete with the whole outcasts theme.

That said. I think that while the premise is kinda interesting (though not really original seeing as there’s at least one animated show about the exact same thing), I think the writers went about it all the wrong way, and didn’t utilize the potential the story had and what potential they did use was fumbled.

I mean the villain parents are just... the versions walking around the Disney parks. They’re not particularly menacing or competent or anything that make them as fascinating characters as they are in their respective stories and yet the movie is telling us that we should be scared at the idea of them getting out, which I never was. I would die for Kirstin Chenoweth, but her Maleficent, hard as they try to make her scary without chasing away the little kids, she’s instead a comedic character, which doesn’t work with what the narrative says she should be considering she’s an abusive parent and, you know, MOTHER FUCKING MALEFICENT MISTRESS OF EVIL.

But it’s not just the villains who got the bad end of the stick!

Granted, this next part is biased, but I’m pissed off as hell that in this world they build, of all the people that could have been chosen to lead Auradon, they pick Belle and Adam????? Who then are shocked at the idea of giving people with bad reps the chance to redeem themselves????? 

I’m sorry, did the writers just not watch the movie they’re from? You know, the one where they were both societal outcasts and Adam’s curse was literally broken because Belle saw Adam as more than something scary and abnormal? Yeah, I’m SURE those two would have been COMPLETELY fine with the idea of dropping a ton of supposedly “bad” people off on an island and leaving them to rot including their innocent children.

The worst part? There’s one throwaway line LITERALLY LAMPSHADING Adam and Belle’s hypocrisy in giving Adam a second chance but not the VKs but its never followed up on so it might as well not have been in there.

So yeah I’m furious that this franchise dares to claim that Adam and Belle would have not only been fine with this system but created it to boot??? FUCK YOU DESCENDANTS WRITERS. FUCK YOU. 

Actually, would ALL of the other “hero” parent characters have really been fine with this system? Several of them started as outcasts too besides Belle and Adam. I mean Aladdin was a thief and street rat for example. Like… NO ONE was bothered by this system until Ben suddenly got woke? Also so many of these characters are all about kindness and stuff. This... doesn’t sound very kind even given the horrible things the villains have done.

In fact, it almost seems like most of the “hero” parent characters (onscreen or off) are being demonized in order to manufacture more sympathy for the VKs, rather than actually making them into well rounded characters with complex motivations. Which is a general problem with Disney Channel original movies, so I guess it’s almost expected at this point that any character who isn’t one of the protagonists are 2 dimensional walking tropes. 

Even so, I don’t think people get that in order to do a "villain isn’t really a bad guy” story well, you don’t necessarily have to rewrite the “hero” characters, you just need to show the villain’s perspective and give them sympathetic motivations. I dunno, I think that just making out the “good” characters to all be the bullies and abusers as though in their own individual stories they weren’t the victims is imo not great storytelling. It just tells me that the only way you can make a given character sympathetic is by making someone else look bad in comparison, even if its out of character and goes against a lot of what that character is for.

And then there are the “hero” kids… The VKs are... ok and like I said before, Evie is even pretty well done, but Ben is bland as fuck and it’s weird because he IS the plot, but he’s not a character. He’s there to get the VK kids to Auradon and be Mal’s love interest and motivate her to turn good, but his only real character trait is… being nice I guess? You’d think that Belle and Adam’s kid would be a lot more interesting. 

He’s also just completely fine with Mal slipping him a date rape drug love potion but its okay because it didn’t work on him and he’s in love with anyway after they bonded in like… maybe two scenes?

I just… ugh. I think the story could have been significantly improved by completely revamping the world building. Instead of all the villains being shoved onto one island, they’re broken up into smaller groups, each group supervised by a different principality in the larger land of Auradon, each principality dealing with their villains differently. 

The story would take place not long after this system has been established and focuses on one principality, the one supervising Maleficent, The Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil and their families where Belle and Adam hope to rehabilitate their villains, working with the adults, while Ben attempts to reach out to the VKs at the same time. The main conflict is something like the villains trying to get the kids to break them and the other villains in the other kingdoms out. And I don’t know where it would go from there but its a start at least.