#ethan was THE main character while the other three were just kinda there

[agent-47023]

After years of playing Quantic Dream games I realized I prefer supportive characters.

[teecupangel]

I actually had a small unrefined idea of a Resident Evil AU with Desmond in it but it’s just… Well… my notes are just this:

Desmond gets transported to RE ‘verse. Starts to check out Umbrella because they’re the same as Abstergo (pharmaceutical company, shady af) and this world has no Abstergo so Desmond thinks that the Templars have just made Umbrella their front instead of Abstergo. He’s wrong. He’s in a totally different ‘verse. (Maybe owns a bar in Raccoon City? Turn this into a sorta RE2 + RE3 fix it fic???)

You know what would make Desmond being a reoccurring npc funnier?

Desmond is mostly just pretending to be a bartender because the main cast of Resident Evil just so happen to be in places where he was looking for something (maybe documents about POE?) and it started out as sorta true but ended up kinda being a running joke at some point.

There’s a bar in the train and Billy and Rebecca saw him there both times. Rebecca thinks he might be survivor. Billy thinks he’s sus as fuck (he is). (RE0)

He was in Spencer mansion because he’s looking for something and he and Chris just ‘met up’ in the mansion’s sorta-kinda bar in the mansion (because rich people are weird) and Desmond just goes “Welcome, what can I get you?” and Chris is just “???”. Oh look! Zombies! Time for Desmond to make his exit! (RE1)

He’s truly a bartender of a bar in Raccoon City. Thankfully, STARS members do not go to his bar because they prefer the diner instead. Leon and Claire barges into his bar in different parts of the outbreak. (RE2 + RE3 + Outbreak)

It would be funny if Claire and Chris saw Desmond in the Antarctic base because it apparently has a sorta ‘in-house’ bar. Just the Redfields siblings being “???” because they both saw Desmond in separate occasions in a bar and Claire remembers Desmond being in Raccoon City as a bartender while Chris remembers him from the Spencer Mansion incident. Desmond just greets them and tells them the weird shit he saw before asking if they want something to drink? He could make something quick if they need a bit of ‘liquid courage’. “On the house!” “Do you… even work here?” “Haha, your brother/sister said the same thing.” “You saw Chris/Claire??!” (Code Veronica)

There was a tavern in the village in Valdelobos and Desmond was just there, checking the map he got when Leon, Ashley and Luis came barreling in as they tried to get away from the villagers. “Oh, hey, Leon!” “Desmond?! Wha- what are you-” Villagers came crashing in! “Ah, that’s my cue!” Leon watches as Desmond jumps out of the tavern after throwing three bottles at the villagers and he starts to wonder if Desmond might be like Ada??? (RE4… it would be funny if Leon starts comparing Desmond and Ada like they were the ones who got away, maybe make Ashley joke that he has a complicated love life XD)

Chris and Shiva sees Desmond in a few parts in Kijuju and Chris and Desmond joke about how Desmond isn’t in a bar this time. Desmond teases that that makes it sound like he’s an alcoholic. Shiva wonders if something is going on? Is Desmond a spy? An ally? Or just… some weirdo Chris knows? The last time they see each other, Desmond throws Chris a bottle of his favorite alcoholic beverage and Chris just chuckles. (RE5)

It would be so easy to just have Desmond be in Edonia for this one. It would be super funny if he was in the same submarine as Ada was in the beginning of her story and they just stare at each other before going their separate ways. XD (RE6)

Considering the setting, the most we can get is a cameo from Desmond where he was actually working in a bar (for real this time) that Ethan passed by on his way before the start of the game. Maybe the characters of the prologue/demo would also pass by his bar and Desmond would talk to Ethan about what those doomed protagonists talked about and give Ethan a sorta-kinda head’s up. (RE7)

Desmond and Ethan always see each other in the tavern in the village. Ethan thinks Desmond might be a member of Chris’ organization. Desmond’s like “Nah, I’m a free agent”. (RE8 – honestly? This is seriously the game that Desmond would definitely help out the most because he’s going to see how out of his depth Ethan is and how he just wants to save his daughter and he’d be like… okay, man, I’ll help you.)

(I only focused on the main games but just assume that he’s also in the spin off games and the cgi movies. It would be funny if, by the point of Dead Island, Chris and Leon sees Desmond in a bar in the island and they just give up and ask for a drink instead)

Alrighty folks, you know what time it is!

Assassin’s Creed x Resident Evil

Idk why I can’t find any good shit of this idea, especially with Desmond, but I am severely disappointed.

Because, c’mon: sketchy ass company? Genetic experimentation?? We got a lot going on around here!

Plus the Assassins could easily infiltrate some shit, I’m just saying.

Also, Desmond’s there, because he’s either there for a mission, cause he’s a master and shit, or he’s a bartender and listening to drunk ramblings of some of our favorite protagonists from the games.

Whatever works.

A lot of shit can happen when you’re an assassin in a world where bio weapons and fucking zombies are a thing. Though you might have to fuck with the timeline a bit if you want Desmond to be there for some of the bigger events, on both sides (Desmond’s age and the RE timeline) really, but it’s doable.

Or we can have Desmond be revived via bioweapon experimentation, but hey, who knows. ;)

Idk, I just wanted to get this idea out there, have fun with it. ^_^

[nancydfan]

So I have been a fan of resident evil for a while now and I have to say without a shadow of a doubt Ethan is my favorite protagonist. I feel like the rest of the protagonists in the series are kinda the same, you’ve got the police/army guys (Leon and Chris) who are determined to save the world, and then with the rest of them they’re kinda the same, badass people willing to give their all to get rid of evil and return the world back to normal. And that’s fine, except it’s a kind of story that’s been told over and over again and not just in resident evil.

That’s why I love Ethan so much. He is a breath of fresh air that the series needed. And while yes, you can argue that his type of storyline has also been used a lot, it’s something that has never been explored in resident evil.

With the rest of the protagonists, they choose to fight. They volunteer to put themselves in horrifying scenarios for the greater good.

Ethan isn’t like that.

He’s literally just your typical average dude. He has a normal job, and has a relatively normal life which he was happy to spend with Mia until she went missing.

In RE7 Ethan doesn’t volunteer to deal with the horrors that he faces. He just wanted his wife back, and even after 3 years he still loves her enough to drop everything and rush out to find her.

When I finished RE7, I liked Ethan as a main character, but it was RE8 that made me fall in love with him. In RE7 there were a lot of times when he just didn’t respond or kind of reacts underwhelmingly, but I think this is less of his character and more of Capcom trying to make you feel more like Ethan and having him react too much might take you out of feeling like the main character is you.

Of course his actions are still very reflective of him, like when he first enters the house and has to “kill” Mia the first time, when she reaches out to him he reaches right back, implying that he regrets what just happened and that he still wants her to be okay, no matter what is wrong with her.

I know Jacksepticeye said one of the reasons why he doesn’t like Ethan is because he doesn’t have a character arc, but I disagree. Like I said, Ethan goes from not being very vocal at times/ underwhelming reactions in RE7 to I feel the exact opposite in 8; he talks a lot more with lines that make sense, and you can feel his emotions at times even with just seeing his hands. Now one can argue that Capcom just wrote Ethan differently, which I can see.

But I feel as though Ethan has changed- in the first game, he’s scared and confused, and finally ends on frustration as the game nears its end. In RE8 he is angry, angry that his life keeps getting turned on it’s head because of some stupid mold. He is angry, and fueled by his grief and determination to save the only family (he thinks) he has left. He is 100% done with everything and has honestly given his last fuck a long time ago.

And again, this is what makes him special- he doesn’t necessarily care about the mold, about Miranda or any of the “bigger issue” things- he just wants his family. In 7 he just wants to get his wife and get out of there, and In 8 he just wants to save his daughter. He didn’t sign up to be a hero, to save the world from it’s own creations. He just wants his family.

And honestly that’s what makes him more human and alive to me than the rest of the protagonists- the rest of them kind of just feel like characters with their (almost cheesy) need to take on insurmountable problems to save the world. But Ethan is different, he’s just a man who probably just wants to do his taxes in peace and have a normal, quiet life. The rest of the protagonists, though I’m sure would love to quit, wouldn’t change their jobs or their situations because they know someone has to do it and it might as well be them. But not Ethan. If he had the choice than he’d make it so none of this ever happened, and that he and his family never have to be involved in something like this again.

Which is why I think this is what makes his sacrifice so much more tragic. With any of the other protagonists yes we would be sad but we’d find comfort in knowing that they died doing what they loved (saving people), and wouldn’t have it any other way.

But Ethan is different.

He didn’t want to sacrifice himself- we can see that in the way he struggles with Chris to get out, to stay in one piece for his daughter because he wants to be there for her. He went through hell and he just wants to see his little girl grow up. And when he hears Mia’s alive that want only grows more because he has a chance to have his family back, but I think he knows he can’t. He’s falling apart, his body has dealt with so much and kept him alive but not for much longer. And so even though he desperately wants to go back with Chris, after hearing Mia’s alive he knows he can let go. I think another part of why he was fighting so hard to escape with Chris is because he didn’t want Rose to live without both of her parents, but when he hears Mia’s alive he realizes that Rose will be okay, she will at least have one parent. He is so tired, so tired of fighting that even though he hates the fact that he can’t go back with her (you can physically hear the pain in his voice when he says “Goodbye Rosemary”), he knows that it’s something he has to do.

And he isn’t happy or content with sacrificing himself. In fact this is the last thing he wanted, which again is what makes it so heart wrenching. After all the pain he’s been through he doesn’t even get to see his daughter grow up, doesn’t get to grow old with his wife, his painful adventure to get his family back ends just as painfully as he pulls the trigger to destroy the mold.

This is why Ethan is special to me. Ethan is just a man who wanted to be happy with his family, not some stereotypical stone cold hero who would gladly give up his life for the greater good. He is truly unique and in a way I saw myself in him and his personality, which is what crushed me so much when he died. I wanted him to have a good ending and he got handed a shitty end. I really hope Capcom gives him a good resolution, one where he doesn’t have to be a main character at all but at least give us something where we know he’s okay and reunited with his family.

Sorry for getting weepy and deep lol, it’s just I really love Ethan and have no one to talk about how upset I am at his ending lol. Thanks for listening to my rant!

Oh my dear nonnie you’re always welcome to rant in my inbox. Long or not, thoughts, etc. that’s why my box is always open :)

And just so you know, I’m currently crying in an airport lobby over Ethan Winters 😆

I’m on mobile so I won’t be able to properly respond probably except to say you are absolutely right on all of these things. He really is such a stark contrast to the rest of the RE heroes and that’s what makes him so special to me too. He is just a man. A man who does everything he can for his family. All he wants to do is be left alone to love his wife and raise his daughter. I keep thinking of that scene in re8 where he’s talking to the doc. That is the Ethan Winters Capcom refuses to let us see all that much. Easy, happy, carefree moment. There’s a lightness to his voice. He doesn’t care about the problems of the world. That isn’t his job too. And it’s unbelievably tragic that not only does he get pulled into this twice (with three years of suffering for Mia before Dulvey and then the heartache of her “murder” and Rose’s kidnapping), he then dies in the end???? He doesn’t even get the reward to live with his wife and daughter? WHAT DID ETHAN WINTERS DO TO YOU, CAPCOM!!?

also overcome? Miss me w that bullshit. Y’all blew him to smithereens.

I swear if Capcom doesn’t bring him back in some way I don’t know how I’ll proceed w this series. I love Leon and Claire and Jill a lot too but nothing like Ethan. And I’m super not interested in getting my heart ripped out every few years. Especially w a new protagonist.

Ethan is just the perfect representation of deserved better. He pays his taxes on time, probably helps that old lady down the street whose husband just died. Tells the same joke we’ve all heard a thousand times to the point only Mia and him are laughing at it. He would be there for every parent teacher conference and up at 130 with a flashlight chasing away the monsters from Rose’s closet. The world may be crazy somewhere but he’s content to just be here with his family.

And Capcom took all of that away. I don’t think I’ll ever not be angry about it.

[piracytheorist]

A ridiculously needed defense of Mia Winters

(and I say ridiculously because I don't particularly care for her as a character. But I care for Ethan, and I care that he went through so much shit to save her and never gave up or even thought to, so by extension Mia needs to make sense to me so I need to have a clear image of her in my mind to justify Ethan's ridiculously brave actions in re7, and his devotion to her in re8. But also because my experience watching the show Once Upon a Time and engaging with its fandom has taught me to not hate on characters when they're not fully fleshed out and their bad actions are not adequately explained, especially when said characters are women written by men. And considering that Ethan himself is not fully fleshed out in re7 either, it's no wonder Mia's character is suffering)

So. I'm not here to tell people they're wrong to hate or even just dislike or distrust Mia. That's not my point. But if you do continue to read after the title, you're checking in on your own accord. And my main gripe with people hating on Mia is that they seem to dislike her character when the game itself didn't give much of a good basis on her character in the first place. So yeah, being a woman myself and having seen how fandoms work, I do tend to get a little pissed when people (no matter their gender) are so ready to hate on female characters for no good reason.

Now, I'm not saying Mia is a saint, far from it. RE7 makes clear she holds a lot of the responsibility for what happened, and she even accepts that. But she's also been given redeeming qualities, if you're willing to look for them.

The first glimpse we get of Mia is of her sending a happy message to Ethan, then immediately after we see her admit her wrong and warn him to stay away from her. There's a reason we even get the second video, and that's called setting. The writers wanted Mia to be shown as protective over Ethan while also accepting responsibility from the very first moment - and it's something that repeats itself when we do find her. She apparently has no idea she asked Ethan to come, she self-harms in an effort to stop hurting him, and even through Eveline's control she manages to tell him to leave her.

(like idk why people take lightly the fact that she fucking banged her head on a wall, giving herself a concussion, all in an effort to protect Ethan from what she knew she had turned into but leave it to a fandom to underplay self-harm I guess)

But that's only from the beginning, and from the confused POV of Ethan and a first time player. In Mia's flashback, we see that she'd been given orders that should Eveline get out of control, she had to be eliminated. Now, Eveline had grown fond of Mia, and she was super powerful herself. Taking a powerful being on your side and using them to be on top? That's a super villain origin story if I ever heard one. But Mia doesn't even consider it, from the first moment that civilians are getting in danger, she's ready to eliminate Eveline.

And that's when the first holes start appearing. For what kinds of wars did Mia know that Eveline was made for? How long had she been working with The Connections? Was it before or after marrying Ethan? How did they approach her? How did they know she'd be okay with making a bioweapon to assist in wars? And as herself, how deep was she willing to go in terms of human experimentation?

That's all stuff we have no way of knowing, and frankly any answer, from one extreme to the other, can be assumed. For all we know The Connections approached her, and before she had even realized she was assisting them in creating Eveline. So in general I feel it's kinda unbased to jump on the Mia Hating Train so easily when there's so much missing from the whole story.

Though again, I’m not here to tell people what to like and what not to like. It’s just that I feel there’s a bit too much focus on how Mia is such a horrible person and the true villain of the story and like, it’s getting super tiring, entering fandoms and seeing people being so fucking pissed at some characters. Like, ok. You can’t like everything. But it feels like some people are trying to make that everyone else’s problem.

And the victim blaming is not helping, either. People say all of what happened in re8 is Mia’s fault because she didn’t tell Ethan the truth about what he is, and like. Are we fucking serious. Like I see people call Chris dumb for not explaining the story to Ethan from the beginning, and how it could’ve made things much more simpler if he had, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone call him the villain of the story (if anything because without him being cryptic we wouldn’t have had the story in the first place). He had his reasons to be cryptic, and if you pause your hate train for a moment, you’ll realize Mia had her reasons as well. We don’t know how long she knew that Ethan was all mold - she wasn’t even conscious during the moment Jack killed Ethan in the first place to see how serious the injury was. For all we knew she only noticed while being pregnant with Rose, or after she was born - so we can’t really blame her for not speaking up. If anything, considering she did realize it and still she stayed with him and knew he and his feelings mattered (”We matter, Ethan! You matter!”) is a big thing. She also seemed to want to tell him, but like, how do you even begin such a discussion? Ethan also saw that she was troubled; you can’t convince me that they were like this, with Ethan knowing she was holding something from him, and Mia knowing and knowingly having a child with him who would definitely be infected by Mold, for three fucking years.

Like at some point you start going like “They can’t have shown us such a fucking toxic relationship and expected us to feel sad for Mia at the end.” But like, people do believe that yes they intended them to be so toxic and Mia to be such a horrible person and for us to just shrug at it, so of course they would blame everything on Mia and not like, idk, Miranda, who was actually the one actively harming the entire Winters family. Or that Rose getting kidnapped was because Mia had been working with The Connections, and that’s how Miranda found out about her, and I’m like, y’all can’t separate butterfly effect from actual blame, can you? Ethan and Mia decided to have a kid two whole years after the Baker incident - when they felt they were safe, on the clear from whatever could be chasing them. They were on witness protection, the newspaper Ethan looks at in the beginning says that Ethan and Mia’s whereabouts are unknown; they were understandably feeling safe to move on with their lives, until someone from The Connections found where Mia was, and through them Miranda was able to learn about Rose. That’s an entirely different concept from Mia being careless or carrying the entire blame for Rose getting kidnapped or Ethan being self-sacrificingly determined to save her. But of course, let’s hate on Mia and then seriously ship Ethan with the villains because they have redeeming qualities and Mia doesn’t ig

I don’t know. Maybe I’m a bit too jumpy of people hating on female characters. But on the other hand, it says a lot that I don’t really care much for Mia or her character, so it’s not like I feel defensive because my fave is receiving hate. If anything, Ethan is my fave, he gets much more uncalled-for hate and I just shrug that off because who gives a fuck about them haters right. But with Ethan... I feel that the hate he receives is mostly because he subverted expectations; he’s not your average trained badass who knows what he’s doing and remains calm through anxious situations, he’s the exact opposite, and people hate on him for not being the former like... you’re missing the entire point of Ethan purposefully being clueless, panicking, saying cringy-ass quips, and honestly, your fucking loss lmao. With Mia, it feels like people choose to see the worst in her when there aren’t too many things to see. And knowing stuff about the world of gaming, it’s fucking telling. In the world of fandom, that’s just fucking annoying. I hate stuff too. But after a certain point you learn to not make your biases everybody else’s problem. Or at least you should. What would I know, being here hoping fandoms could be calmer places.

[acourtesanofedgewater]

Open Heart 3 Ch. 8 SPOILERS for Bryce/Raf/Jackie Stans

I know I'm one day late. Blame PB for releasing the scripts so late. Why they even did that? Idk. It's not like this chapter is good.

Oh, here we are again. Honestly guys? I'm pissed off lmao. And you will be too when you're done reading this. But enough talking, let's begin. Beware, spoilers below the cut

Let's start with Bryce

•He DOES make an appearance this chapter AND has a diamond scene. Should we celebrate? Nah. It seems the only options with characters who-are-not-Ethan in this book are not having appearances at all or having mediocre little plots when they do appear. He makes his cameo at the begging. He's in the lobby with a friend of his, who's sick and wants Bryce to operate on him but Bryce seems reluctant to do so because it's a dangerous surgery. Does it have anything to do with his failed surgery? We won't find out, because instead of his premium scene being about... idk, having a coffee while he tells us about the consequences of his mistakes (not only at work, but also mentally), it is about... visiting a Escape Room with him and his friend? Um, ok. Should I mention that Bryce's pal call MC his 'friend' twice? Yep, PB still refuses to acknowledge MC's relationship with Bryce, even though they've been together for two years and shared a tender moment when MC was about to die. When I was reading the scene, I was like "uuugh, let me guess? we get this corny funny scene and near the ending Bryce and MC find a hideout to make out". Turns out I was wrong lmao. I expect nothing and I'm still let down. They just share a little kiss I front of Bryce's friend when they are leaving the Escape Room. It is mentioned they all are gonna have dinner after this, but we don't get to see that because that would mean PB has to actually write interesting dialogue and develop Bryce and that's sacrilege.

Ok, Jackie's turn.

•She doesn't show up in this chapter. She's not even mentioned. Silly us, Jackie already had her crumbs of development last chapter, there's no need to give her more screentime this chapter lmao. Not when that screentime can be used developing Ethan.

And lastly, Raf.

•He turns up too, but it's a situation similar to Bryce's. He's rehabilitating a little boy who's sad because he will miss his birthday, so enter the bonus scene where MC has the idea of recruiting Sienna too and organizing a surprise party for the kid in the Pediatric Ward. It's actually a cute scene, and spending time with Sienna is always good, but that's the problem. The scene is about the little boy, zero Raf development or plot, and I even feel he wasn't even needed here. We know Sienna visits the PW every once in a while so they could've made her be the one who came to us with the little kid situation and everything would have turned out to be the same, except for some dialogues. Then, near the end, Raf and MC share some flirting words and a little kiss, but everything is in front of the kids, so it's over pretty quick.

And... that's it for our LIs. It sucks, but it's not the worst thing abour this chapter. I'm gonna leave some spoilers of the general plot here below so you can be as angry as me.

•MC confronts Ethan about the trial thing. You can choose to go soft on him or be outraged and point out he's a piece of shit. I recommend the second option. Anyway, if you end up agreeing with him about his decision, he says something like: "I knew you'd understand me, you care about these patients as much as I do" which, for me, given the fact he's older than MC and their boss (and being a victim of grooming myself by someone older than me and that was kinda in a position of power above me too) IS FUCKING GROOMING. If you had any doubts the lead of this book is a creep.

•Yadda yadda, we get Bryce and Raf's mediocre scenes, and back to the main plot, MC and Tobias have to diagnose a patient together. The patient is the most annoying character on this series, only below Ethan. Seriously, she's worse than that Nigel guy from Book 1 who called Bryce "Ken doll". Tobias is kinda shady with her (but... light and funny shady. He's never mean or anything) and we're supposed to be like "ugh, Tobias is the worst" but the patient is annoying so yeah, I loved Tobias' actitude.

•There were lots of Tobias moments this chapter, and he's honestly really nice. I hope we can keep him in Edenbrook. We could even kick Ethan's ass out in order to raise his salary❤.

•Ok, and now the cherry on top of a shitty chapter. Do y'all remember how we were afraid PB was gonna make Harper MC's rival? It seemed like they had dropped that plot and we were safe... but it turns out they haven't. Harper finds out our patient has cheated their way into the trial and while Tobias and MC are bonding in the DT' office, she comes in furious as hell, and starts blaming the MC and insulting them, assuming they're the one who did the trial thing. Harper' screams are so loud that Ramsey, who was in the hall, listens and comes in running. Harper explains what "MC" did and we have three options: blame Ethan, insist we're not guilty but not blame Ethan, and ignore the accusations. Either way, Harper keeps on with the accusations (she's even more enraged if you blame Ethan)

•Ethan lets her mop the floor with MC a bit more before stopping her and admitting he's the one who cheated. Harper is shocked and Ramsey HAS THE AUDACITY of angrily leave the office. He really thinks he's the one who should be outraged in this situation. He's the most childish character PB has ever created. (Props to Tobias for being the only decent character in this situation, asking Harper to calm down because she couldn't know for sure it MC was to blame in this situation).

•MC runs after him. And sure, irl I'd run after him too, but to confront him and complain about all the mess his shitty behavior has caused (or, how we say in my country, putearlo. I wanna clarify to my fellow Latinoamericans, "putear" has a different meaning in Ecuador than in the rest of Latam lmao for us is similar to "mandar a la verga" JAJSJAJAJSK). But no, MC fucking goes to see if he's alright. And cue to the most ridiculous scene in this series:

•Okay, I know we all made fun of the BDSM outfits when the assets came out, and yeah, they're cringey af, but I was curious to see how the story would develop towards these outfits. Everyone guessed they meant kinky time with out LIs. Wrong again. Ethan is so mad about... well, idk why he's so mad, he's just facing the consequences of his actions, but anyway, he needs to release that frustration and that's when we're offered the kinky outfit. Yep, the kinky scene is Ethan-exclusive. It was so fucking easy to include the other LIs in this. Bryce could be frustrated because he's not the same after his failed surgery, Jackie because she has to lead the interns and Jade keeps screwing up, and Raf... well, he should be mad because PB tried to kill him and then decided not to but kept sidelining him and can't even give him a decent storyline could be frustrated because it's exhausting to try to help the patients when they make little progress and become disappointed. PB just was lazy and didn't care.

•Don't ask me about the BDSM scene, nothing in this world will make me read a sex scene with Ethan. I kept scrolling until I was sure that abomination was over. Although I caught the word "safe word" somewhere there so... yeah.

•The next day after that heated discussion, MC enters the DT' office. Harper doesn't even offer an apology for treating MC like shit, she acts like nothing happened. MC notices there's this peace in the air and there's no whining, so they ask where's Ethan

•Turns out, Harper reported MC to their superiors when she thought it was them who messed up the trial and now Ethan had to turn himself in and is meeting with the board. Then, she blatantly admits that if she knew Ethan was the one who did it, she would have talked to him first. She says she regrets telling the board, although, as she doesn't offer MC an apology, it seems she only regrets getting Ethan in trouble, not her awful attitude. Tobias is named the new leader of the DT, and that's the only highlight in this mess of a chapter.

I have more thoughts about everything, but I'll post them tomorrow, when they can reach more people. And I'll catch up with this shitt book just so I can join the mob law tomorrow lmao. See you then.

[crystalelemental]

Blue and Arcanine are released as the third of these limited time free pairs, following Bugsy&Scyther and Swimsuit Misty.  I...really wish these units were made free.  We got all the free legendary units released freely, and now permanently.  Why are these three still limited event?  The legends are way better than these three, so it just seems kinda pointless?  I dunno.

General Overview Getting bias out of the way first: I do not like that this is Blue.  Nothing against Blue, but he's the second character to hit four alts, and the other is Erika.  Only two characters got four alts and they're both Kanto, what a surprise that even after 8 generations, Pokemon-related games have trouble not deepthroating Kanto's dick.

But free is free, and Blue and Arcanine are now a reasonably available option for people.  The main, and dare I say only, selling point is Fire Shift Hyper Beam, an incredibly boring strategy that is regrettably also very effective.  Big BP means big damage number means big win.  There's really nothing else to it.  His trainer move increases crit and accuracy, a nice combination of traits for Hyper Beam that makes it able to always hit, and gives the most valuable offensive stat.  It does put him at the mercy of special attack buffers, but if you just need special attack it's not so bad.  It's only a problem when you need special attack and crit in the same supporter.

The main thing people dunk on is his hilariously low offensive stats.  220 at 5* is...really low.  And this is definitely because of Hyper Beam's outrageous BP, and the fact he does well with Sun, which is currently monopolized by Kanto units that synergize well with him.  But for all the complaining, he still deals solid damage, so what is the real drawback?  Honestly, that he's practically locked to on-type.  Super Powered 3 is great for on-type damage, and Double Down means he's got a solid sync nuke as well, but both are strictly on-type and those are the only multipliers to his meaningful damage.  And while he has Terrify and Overwhelm on Swift, it's only Overwhelm 2, so a whole 30% chance to lower attack by 1 stage.  Sure hope you didn't pull Palentine's Marnie or boy is he about to show how bad that is!  Blue offers exactly nothing to any team while off-type.

As a result, if you have, like, anyone else with Fire-type capabilities?  You don't really need him.  And Fire isn't exactly hard to come by.  Most people did pull SS Red because of his notorious status as "eternal best unit in the game what's a powercreep?"  And tons of people pulled Anni N due to being the noted best of the three at launch, even though Lillie is objectively better now fight me.  But even new players have tons of potential for Fire-type.  Hilda's absurd as a sync nuker, Serena's fantastic at any move level for damage and technical support, Ethan...is there too.  And then there's Silver.  A permanently available Fire-type who packs a guaranteed burn on every hit, Grass-type damage, also self-buffs crit but can work with either physical or special attack supporters making him more flexible, AND can set his own sun on sync to get great multipliers even off-type and faster move gauge.  So...why use Blue?  I mean, Gauntlet, yeah, that's the answer to any such duplicate situation anymore.  But beyond the need for many sync pairs for Gauntlet, Blue feels hilariously outclassed.

Team 1: Blue, Blaine, Rosa/Sabrina It's kinda hard to pick a supporter.  You want someone who can buff special attack, but ideally you want someone who can heal as well.  Rosa is the one taking just special attack.  She exists to do one job.  Sabrina exists to give more survivability to the team, thanks to Reflect and healing.  Granted, the healing may all just go to Blue anyway for the special attack buff, but MPR exists.

Team 2: Blue, Lyra, Dawn I consider this something akin to the SS Erika approach.  Dawn is a great frontline tank, and Lyra's buff capabilities under Sun are tremendous.  The only downside to this is that Blue loses out on his own sync, because Lyra has to keep applying Sun.  So his grid here wants to forego Double Down 5, and instead pick up some alternate options.

Team 3: Blue, Erika&Vileplume, NY!Sabrina Blue, as a Fire-type, can beat up Cobalion, provided he has support from a status user.  Erika and Vileplume are the best option, packing guaranteed Paralysis, the status Cobalion is weakest to, and Double On A Roll off Energy Ball to lower special defense.  This makes Blue's Hyper Beam as strong as it can be.  NY!Sabrina is a generally suggested pick for the main tank.  Healing support, Endure, buffs special attack reliably, but perhaps most importantly of all, gives Special Moves Up Next to really power up those Hyper Beams.  Given that this is Gauntlet, you likely want someone with a bit of sustain, but frankly Arcanine's defenses aren't terrible given its Terrify on entry, and Erika is notably tanky.  So you might get away with someone who just buffs special attack.  Maybe.

Final Thoughts He's not bad.  I do want to impress that Blue and Arcanine are not bad, and I think in general a lot of people are pushing back on the complaints of low stats to insist he is, in fact, doing a good job with his good doggo.  My issue with Blue is not that he's objectively bad.  My issue is that he's outclassed, and is a limited availability unit who's far less flexible and thus far less valuable than Silver.  Also it's just Kanto again.  Like, do they not realize how bad Kalos has it?  How there are no freely available Alolan units?  How Sinnoh, despite getting two months of focus narratively, only picked up four new units and only one was a brand new character?  There are so many options to use for a free unit with a unique pick, why'd you go with Blue?  Just do something that doesn't involve Kanto or Unova for like, a month.

“Hey, did you hear they may have found another form of Blue in the datamine files?”  ...let’s just hope that goes the way of Sygna Suit N right now, shall we?

[polyamoryinfandoms]

Monthly Fic Roundup!

Hey gang! I’m posting the fics that were recommended on our last surveymonkey poll; thanks for everyone who recommended fics. Please note I did not get to read every fic on here and depended on your responses and the AO3 tags to mark for any triggers or story notes, so please read with caution if you’re worried about any content warnings!

If you want to recommend more fics, I’ll be posting another roundup poll later in the day today! 

Under the cut are 32 fics from: 

Agents of Shield (1) 

Bill & Ted (1) 

Castlevania (1) 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (1) 

DCU (2) 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (4) 

Game of Thrones (1) 

Harry Potter (1) 

Leverage (1) 

Mission Impossible (1 -- series) 

Sanders Sides (1-- series)

Sense8 (1)

Sherlock (1-- series) 

Star Wars (1) 

Stranger Things (8) 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1) 

The Untamed/CQL/MDZS (2)

Teen Wolf (2) 

White Collar (1) 

Agents of Shield: 

is it chill that you’re in my head? by lazyfish 

Pairing: Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse/Alphonso Mackenzie

TW/TAGS: PTSD, Referenced Torture

Summary: It doesn't take long for Mack to realize he's in love with Bobbi and Hunter and has been for a while. Other realizations take slightly longer.

Bill and Ted (movie):

Our Home, Our Family, Our Love by CaptainWeasley

Pairing: Bill/Ted/Elizabeth/Joanna

TW/TAGS: slurs, implied/referenced child abuse, internalized homophobia, self harm

Summary: A series of firsts in Ted's life, as he slowly comes to terms with his sexuality and learns how to handle being in love with both his wife and his best friend. When Billie and Thea come out as trans, each in her own way, he does everything he can to help them be who they are.

Castlevania: 

Deliverance by cricketsong1985

Pairing: Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades/Alucard

TW/Tags: Blood kink, explicit sexual content,  gore, trauma, angst

Summary: Adrian is beginning to think that Wallachia will be a smoking pile of ash long before he, Trevor, and Sypha can stop Dracula’s war on humanity. They’ve been chasing the castle for months, but each time they get close, it vanishes. Traveling with such genuine and trustworthy allies has been unexpectedly pleasant; Adrian doesn’t mind that Trevor and Sypha are involved with each other, but he is taken entirely by surprise when they open their relationship to him one evening. Hopelessly in over his head, his heart keeps urging him forward, even when he’s forced to confront the darkest aspects of his nature. Adrian must learn to swallow his pride and let himself be vulnerable if he wants a chance at happiness. Unfortunately, there isn’t much time for looking within when the world is drenched in blood and magic, and the path to victory may destroy him completely.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: 

We will be judged by the courage of our hearts by MagicClem

Pairing: Harvey Kinkle/Sabrina Spellman/Nicholas Scratch

TW/TAGS: mention of an abusive parent 

Summary: It's been a month since the 13 almost destroyed Greendale. Now a full Witch, Sabrina tries to move on, with the help of one Nicholas Scratch.But one night, Harvey arrives at the Spellman's house and everything becomes complicated.

DCU: 

not for the faint of heart by pasdecoeur

Pairing: Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent

TW/TAGS: Explicit Sexual Content 

Summary: Clark opens a door that was meant to stay closed. Things spiral. or, What Not To Do When You’ve Fallen in Love with Batman: A Guide by Hal Jordan & Clark Kent.

All Good Things Come in Threes (Legends of Tomorrow) by IncendiaGlacies

Pairing: Gideon/Rip Hunter/Miranda Coburn

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting

Summary: “Two is a couple, three is a crowd,” Gideon stated. In which Gideon navigates her polyamorous relationship with Rip and Miranda. Domestic slice of life goodness.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:

Pairing for all of these are Pairing: Cameron/Ferris/Sloane and are written by @fbdo1986

it’s enough to be whiplash

TW: death mention (no character death), drowning

A/N: To put it plainly, I took a few tricks from John Hughes’s earlier scripts of the film, which were more surreal and up-front with discussing death and end of the world scenarios. It was inspired by a concept that I couldn’t seem to shake after I thought of it: what if the pool scene was just a bit more high stakes?

all the things I never told you 

Summary: It’s Sloane, Ferris, and Cameron’s first afternoon alone at the Bueller residence in months. The busy twenty-four year olds who’ve struggled to find time together as their lives unfold in front of them try to think of what to do for the day when Cameron decides to let them in on what he’s been keeping from them.

bye bye love 

TW: Death mention (none of the main characters)

Summary: A hopefully angsty number that details Sloane’s, Cameron’s, and Ferris’s journey through heartbreak and loss after their Sophomore year in college. The title is named after a song by The Cars by the same name!

firestarter

Prompt #5: Where it doesn’t hurt with the OT3

Game of Thrones: 

Constellatory by blueandbulae

Pairing: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell/Robb Stark (polycule, NO incest) 

TW: Some canon typical violence

Summary: It’s strange and messy and maybe nobody else will ever understand them but it works. It’s theirs, and theirs alone, and nobody can take that from them.Or: Robb and Theon storm King's Landing, rescue the princesses, and save the kingdom. Then comes the hard part.

Harry Potter: 

Unconventional by silver_fish

Pairing: Harry Potter/Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger

Summary: A few years, now, have passed since Hedwig’s death, and Hermione thinks it’s time Harry got a new pet. What sort of pet, though, neither she nor Ron know. Not until Harry himself offers her the perfect solution, that is.

Leverage: 

for better or worse (we change together) by idkimoutofideas

Pairing: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer

TW/TAGS: Canon typical violence

Summary: The moment Parker saw the stranger standing by the elevator, a dozen alarm bells went off in her head. She froze, and Hardison nearly walked into her as he entered behind her. It took her a moment to realize that while half of the alarm bells were telling her to get the fuck out of there, the other half were telling her to look closer. Or, Eliot Spencer is a recent war veteran who just moved to Portland in an attempt to lead a calmer lifestyle. He ends up with some weird neighbors, but it's Portland, everyone's a little weird.

Mission Impossible: 

Polyamorous Spies (series of 2 fics) by MagicClem

Pairing: Benji Dunn/Ethan Hunt/Ilsa Faust

TW/TAGS: Blood & injuries (2nd fic) 

Sander’s Sides: 

Love and Other Fairytales by SoDoRoses (Fairychess)

Pairing: LAMP/CALM (Logan, Roman, Virgil, Patton)

TW: violence, major character death, no NSFW in the main fic but there is a side series with NSFW, animal death, description of rot, nonconsentual control of another person, 'like death' state of being

Sense8: 

Crazy Life by MagicClem

Pairing: Kala Dandekar/Wolfgang Bogdanow/Rajan Rasal

Summary: Rajan would admit that this past few years had been crazy and life seems determined to make it crazier and crazier.Or: This is "Amor Vincit Omnia" from Rajan's perspective.

Sherlock: 

Lorem Ipsum by Saathi1013 (series) 

Pairing:  Sherlock Holmes/John Watson/Sarah Sawyer

TW: Abduction

Star Wars:

so just pull the trigger by Darnaguen

Pairing: Han Solo/Qi'ra/Lando Calrissian

TW/TAGS: Alcohol use 

Summary: “Oh, don’t pout Haan.” Lando lounges back, licking his newly berry-tinted lips with a lazy grin. “You know all you have to do is ask.”(Qi’ra’s eyes are glinting and her smile is dagger-sharp. Han knows the look: it’s one she wears whenever she has a winning hand.The dice on the table are mediocre at best. He shakes his head and drinks deep.)

Stranger Things: 

All pairings are Steve Harrington/Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler

The Hawkins Three by nonymos

TW: Some canon typical homophobia and slurs

Summary: It's two weeks after the Snow Ball, Nancy's officially with Jonathan, and Steve is trying to move forward. If only he wasn't on a path that keeps circling back to the both of them.

lovers in a dangerous time by diogxnes

TW/TAGS: Briefly: panic attacks/PTSD, parental neglect

Summary: “So,” says Robin, sitting back in her chair, “what’s the deal there, anyway? With the whole you-Nancy-Jonathan thing.”The question makes his mouth run dry. Why would she ask that? Can she tell, possibly, how much he’s been thinking about Nancy these past few days? How starstruck he was when Nancy showed up at his house? Does she know about the mysterious warmth in his stomach when he thinks about Jonathan? “What do you mean, the whole me-Nancy-Jonathan thing?” “Come on, Steve. She’s your ex and he famously beat you up two years ago and now they’re dating each other and all three of you somehow ended up a part of this weird little monster-fighting club together. There’s gotta be a story there.”“I don’t know, Robs,” says Steve, rolling his eyes, relieved beyond measure that that’s all she meant. “You pretty much just covered all of it. There’s not much more to tell.”

Have Happened by cortexikid

TW/TAGS: Homophobia

Summary: "I overheard you. You were talking in your sleep.”Steve's heart fluttered nervously.“It was a little funny at first,” Nancy admitted, her tone a mix of teasing and apologetic, “you were moaning my name and I thought it’d be kinda funny if Mike accidentally overheard you having a sex dream about his sister—”Steve couldn’t control the guffaw that escaped him. “But then you said Jonathan’s name. Right after mine. All in the same breath.”

it’s a risk, it’s a gamble by nondz (pinkjook)

TW/TAGS: NSFW

Summary: “I think we should pretend to date,” Robin says. "What?" Steve answers.

still turning out by scoutshonor

TW/TAGS: Homophobic language

Summary: Steve knows senior year's supposed to be tough, but seriously?Not only does his dad want him to take over his business, but he lands himself into a fight with his best friend leaving him friendless and booted out of his inner-circle, gets stuck watching a bunch of kids after school because of a missing credit, has to repeat eleventh grade history, and, oh yeah. He has the minor issue of having no idea what he actually wants to do with his life.But it's not all that bad: not the kids he has to watch, and certainly not Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, two friends from his history class. Friends. Just friends. Yeah, he and you both know that's bullshit.Steve's got a lot of figuring out to do.(or: HSAU Stoncy with Steve as a senior, doing his best)

(Following Stoncy fics are by @pterawaters​) 

Now and For Always 

TW/TAGS: Explicit, Sex where one party is drunk and the other isn't

Summary: Between graduating from college, starting new careers, and planning a wedding, the summer of 1990 is a busy time for Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan. When a war starts in the middle east, Jonathan gets called away just three weeks before the wedding. He’s determined to make it back in time, no matter what it takes.

It's not like people live like this

TW/TAGS: Car Accidents, Period-Typical Homophobia, NSFW

Summary: Concerned that Steve's less-than-stellar grades might have been making them look bad, his parents hired him a tutor, Jonathan Byers, they were sure he wouldn't find as distracting as his last one. Sure, Jonathan had good grades in school, but he really wished he didn't have to take the extra work to help his mother put food on the table. After all, everyone knew Steve Harrington was a jerk. Right? It turned out, not so much. After an impromptu study-session-turned-party and a game of spin the bottle, Steve and Jonathan both found themselves dating Nancy Wheeler. And that wasn't even the strangest thing that happened to any of them that week.

Mr. Sandman (series) 

TW/TAGS: Canon-typical violence, Explicit scenes

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: 

Simmer On Low by canardroublard

Pairing: Illya/Napoleon/Gaby

TW/TAGS: semi-implied consensual voyeurism, whump

Summary: Scenes from five kitchens.

The Untamed/CQL/MDZS: 

inclusions by keiyashi 

Pairing: Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn/Xiǎo Xīngchén/Xuē Yáng | Xuē Chéngměi

TW/TAGS: NSFW

Summary: “I guess I feel left out. And I’m asking you to show me how not to?”“Show you?” Xue Yang laughs, easing the tension the only way he knows how. “Daozhang, if you aren’t careful, I might think you’re implying something quite forward.”Xingchen blinks at him. “Xue Yang, I feel like you’re trying to embarrass me, but that is what I was implying.”

melting the glacier by keiyashi 

Pairing: Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén/Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo/Niè Míngjué

Summary: Wanting to be with Nie Mingjue is something Lan Xichen accepted about himself long ago. He wants only happiness for his friend, no matter what form it takes. Even if that form is quite lovely and possesses an enchanting mouth.

Teen Wolf: 

Feels Better Biting Down by callunavulgari, hiza-chan (callunavulgari)

Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale/Lydia Martin

TW/TAGS: Blood

That I See You by FiccinDylan

Pairing: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski/Jordan Parris

TW/TAGS: NSFW, abo, m-preg (non graphic), werewolves, triads are normal

Summary: Deputy Jordan Parrish and Chef Derek Hale are in the prime of their lives and ready to take the next step in their relationship by courting an omega. Everything seems to be progressing smoothly until the new omega (aka Stiles Stilinski, the sheriff’s son) surfaces some unresolved tension from Jordan’s past. Jordan originally had the benefit of amnesia to block out his harried background, but now with his amnesia behind him, will he be able to resolve his past before he ruins his future?

White Collar: 

Always Starts the Same, with a Boy and a Girl by lightgetsin

Pairing: Neal Caffrey/Peter Burke/Elizabeth Burke

Tags: AU 

Summary: Summer, 1998. Neal Caffrey robs the gallery where Elizabeth O'Dell is working late, and comes away with a lot more than art. Agent Burke has no idea what's about to hit him.

[virgil-writes]

hey anon so I'm going to try and format this with my commentary to the best of my ability. also, thanks for sharing!

Hi! Just read your thread about Heisenberg's powers and Miranda's intentions, and I feel like what Miranda was specifically looking for in a vessel can be summarized in this one line of hers from a villager's note: "This [Rose] is the chosen child. She will return to her original form no matter what befalls her." 

It's also implied several times throughout the game that Ethan Winters is being put through some sort of 'test' for Miranda to study exactly how resilient he is, and thus have a better idea of Rose's powers. Cutting Rose's limbs and putting her in four different flasks in itself was also a way for Miranda to evaluate the baby's powers and see how they operate. With that in mind, I honestly believe that the one thing Miranda was looking for was not really an all-powerful weapon, but simply a vessel with high regenerative powers. We're talking about a mother who was traumatized by the loss of her child, who died from the great influenza pandemic. She doesn't want to risk her daughter to die on her again while she's completely powerless about it, so it makes sense that she would favor subjects with strong defensive powers over those with strong offensive abilities.

I definitely see your point here, but I wonder how she could know Rose had such regenerative powers, considering her network of knowledge comes through the megamycete and absorbs those who died there. she mentions discovering of her existence through the Connections, which could mean they were studying Rose since before birth? idk, it just seems like a massive shot in the dark.

buuut Heisenberg also mentions Miranda being scared of Rose because of how powerful she is, which to me sounds like she was fully aware Rose wasn't just good at defense, she was also powerful offensively, so we circle back to her wanting to create New God Baby.

about Ethan, I think him being tested was bull she fed the lords so they'd keep him alive. she mentions at the boss battle that he has "awakened" the megamycete - I think Rose's connection to the mold likely made her somewhat aware of what her father was going through and stirred something within her, something that awoke her powers and then weakened Miranda in retaliation.

Hence why Dimitrescu was the one that was labeled 'Most compatible' with the Cadou in her medical report, and was considered, in Miranda's letter to Eva, as the nearest to perfection any of her experiments ever came, despite not having offensive abilities as powerful as Heisenberg's. Her main feature was to be a total bulletsponge, and she was only made vulnerable by a specific mixture of several poisons that interfered with her regenerative properties and made her possible to kill.

Two of the other three Lords were more resilient than regular human beings in their mutated form, but not as invulnerable as non-poisoned Dimitrescu was even in her normal form, while all three of them could be defeated with regular weaponry and, in their normal forms, were just as vulnerable as regular humans are.

to be fair, Alcina did grow metal claws at will. combine that with being near invulnerable to attacks, and again we circle back to a nice combo of defense + offence.

I think we enter iffy territory with discussing the lords' resilience, because aside from Donna, we don't really know anything. even with her we don't know, because Ethan did stab her weak spot. we don't really know if she'd die if stabbed, say, in the neck or something. we never shoot unmutated Moreau and bullets don't reach unmutated Heisenberg, so it's mostly conjecture at this point. mutated Moreau is invulnerable when cocooned, and for mutated Heisenberg you don't even shoot him, you shoot the malfunctioning metal bits he's absorbed.

Little Rose was the only one whose regenerative powers outclassed Dimitrescu's, and, unlike her, there doesn't seem to be any downside to her abilities. Although Jack Baker would have been an equally good option but I don't think Miranda ever learned about him (nor would she have bothered traveling all the way to Louisiana to abduct him, anyway).. 

So, in the end I don't think age or gender played a part in whether or not the Lords made good vessels for Eva, the specific powers that came from the Megamycete are truly what Miranda was after. Heisenberg seemed like a good option to us because we tend to think that great offensive powers are always the superior choice, but Miranda appeared to mostly value resilience over combat skills in her search for a vessel. I guess that's why Rose, followed by Dimitrescu, were considered to be better vessels than Heisenberg. 

Rose is a literal baby, so we really can't know what her weaknesses are. which means it's a colossally bad idea overall, especially when we factor in that she was aware and actually fought back. but that is besides the point.

I think you're kind of missing the point of the posts, though. it's not that I think Heisenberg's offensive powers made him a good specimen or vessel, but more on that a little later.

About Heisenberg having the potential of being truly OP when we think about it, however, I believe we kinda saw almost all of the bosses in their full glory (minus Dimitrescu who had to be specifically poisoned to be killable, and Mother Miranda whose powers and control over the Megamycete were being overruled by baby Rose) and that their powers are simply limited. Heisenberg can't deflect bullets nor control iron in other people's blood, for example (in fact, he seems to only be able to control the metal that he can see, within a certain range) so I doubt he would be able to do all the things that you talked about as well. Moreau's acid couldn't melt metal and other non-organic materials either. Beneviento's psychic abilities are useless if you wear a gas mask to avoir inhaling her flowers and Dimitrescu won't be able to regenerate if her organism is already busy fighting poison. Indeed, writers could make Moreau's acid able to melt anything, the spores of Beneviento's flowers able to penetrate any material, and Dimitrescu invulnerable to everything including the strongest poisons, but what would be the point in that? I think not giving them those limitations would be a disservice to their characters and impair their complexity more than it would flesh them up as you suggest. And, as you pointed out, it would make the whole narrative of Heisenberg dedicating his life to build an army to defeat Miranda and get a taste of freedom pointless, instead of just accepting the fact that his powers have limits. This whole last point is just my opinion, though. 

my point, anon, is that Capcom gave these characters these powers and then promptly limited them because from a narrative standpoint, they'd ruin the plot. you can't not give Dimitrescu a weakness, because then the game doesn't progress. however, we're not really talking in game here. in game, yes, Heisenberg is limited. what we were discussing is that they gave him this immensely vast power and then limited it either because they didn't think too much of it or just because he can't be an OP villain - and we're exploring what he could do if narrative confines weren't an issue.

I'm not saying Capcom portrayed them wrong, or did them dirty, or anything. what I am saying is that maybe the reason they couldn't do these things you mentioned is because they don't know they can, or haven't developed such abilities, and those are fun ideas to explore, in particular when you are talking about things away from canon. we're not likely to get in depth explanations or development in any of that, so we make do. in particular because there are people out there RPing, writing, or just daydreaming theories about their favorite characters.

the way I see it, it's kinda stupid to give a character fire and then stipulate that it can't burn. for Heisenberg in particular magnetism is this really weird part of science that does things that are hard to understand and what we see in game is "metal man only pulls metal, but can't even bend it". we see "creepy doll gives man bad trip" when we could be seeing "creepy doll spread trippy pollen all over village and now everyone's dancing naked". you know? we're not arguing Heisenberg was the right vessel, we're playing with canon but away from it. I'm not sending a letter to Capcom to say they were wrong, I'm writing pre-canon shit that explores "what could have happened before moldy man and choppy baby"

[tawmlinsun]

@sinterblackwell​​ tagged me for this book tag, so thank you kaylina! i’ve really gotten back into reading this summer so i’m v excited to get into these questions 🥰

how many books are too many books in a series?

oof i think 5 is kinda pushing it??? i mean i grew up with harry potter and percy jackson, but i probs wouldn’t pick up a new 5+ book series today. i’d honestly rather do 5+ stand alone books from a single author than a long series

how do you feel about cliffhangers?

depends on the book. i like having a complete story when i close a book, but i also enjoy cliffhangers that really push a series forward (though i hate the anticipation of waiting for the next book!!!). i feel like i know a good cliffhanger when i read it akldsjlaksdf

hardback or paperback?

paperback!!! hardcover books always feel too stiff in my hands. i like how pliable and light paperbacks are

least favorite book?

well i really hated the lord of the flies when i read it in high school asljasfk idk if it’s my absolute least favorite, but it’s defs up there, right along with ethan frome

love triangles, yes or no?

yes, when done right. love triangles for cheap and pointless drama suck. but love triangles that have a deeper meaning, where each suitor represents something different for the main character and lets them grow, are where it’s fucken at. the hunger games still has one of the best love triangles i’ve ever seen in YA. i also really liked the love triangle in kelly quindlen’s she drives me crazy, where scottie had to deal with developing feelings for someone new while still having lingering feelings for a toxic ex that she’s trying to heal from. 

the most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

i actually hate not finishing books!!! the only time i don’t finish a book is when it’s an assignment for school and i just have so much going on that i don’t have time to finish. i’ve been out of school for a couple years now, but the last one i didn’t finish was beasts of burden: animal and disability liberation by sunaura taylor, which was for a disability theory class. i got about halfway through it, and i actually would like to finish it one day!!

a book you’re currently reading?

just picked up little black dresses, little white lies by laura stampler. i read it years ago and for some reason it kept popping out at me every time i walked by my bookshelf. nothing to write home about, but defs a cute and light read to end the summer. plus i’ve read three e-books in a row and i miss having a physical book in my hands 😂

last book you recommended to someone?

she drives me crazy by kelly quindlen. i rec’d it to my gf bc there were a lot of lil moments in it that reminded me of her 🥰

oldest book you’ve read?

off the top of my head i’d say the epic of gilgamesh. it was one of the first books i read my freshman year of college for my liberal arts core. that class was focused on ancient texts so we also read parts of the iliad and the bible (among many others i’m forgetting) but i think gilgamesh is the oldest

newest book you’ve read?

one last stop by casey mcquiston!!! adored it!! v excited for their wlw ya debut next year!!!!

favorite author?

i honestly have no idea. i spent my entire childhood saying jkr was my favorite author (🙃), but now that i’m getting back into reading as an adult, i think my favorite author is still to be discovered. i do really really love casey mcquiston’s writing tho!

buying books or borrowing books?

buying always!!! i enjoy borrowing from the library or from friends, but i love the feeling of buying a new book and making a lil home for it on my bookshelf that i can always come back to whenever i want to revisit the story. also i hate finding a story i love and then having to give up my copy at the end!!! i borrowed the song of achilles from a friend and now i need to buy a copy omg

a book you dislike that everyone else seems to love?

oooh dislike is a strong word for it, but maybe where the crawdads sing by delia owens. everyone i know who has read it has absolutely raved about it, but i just. wasn’t impressed. the ending was predictable and underwhelming, and the constant back-and-forth between coming-of-age story and murder mystery was off-putting and kept me disengaged from the book.

bookmarks or dog-ears?

bookmarks!!! i hate dog-earing my books asljask if pages get folded up by accident i will literally unfold them and then leave the book under a paperweight for a day or two to fix it 😂😂😂 the bookmark i’m using right now is from my fave lil indie bookshop in new hampshire

a book you can always reread?

my tried-and-true classic is audrey, wait! by robin benway. i read it for the first time in 7th grade (so literally half my life ago holy shit alksdjafsd) and the writing doesn’t really hold up now, but it just shaped me so much as a kid and will always always hold a place in my heart. i usually come back to it every year or two (and use the same bookmark every time lol)

can you read while listening to music?

yes, unless the book is super intense or complex. i couldn’t listen to music while doing any sort of reading for school, actually. and the music has to fit the book!! i read one last stop while listening to clairo’s immunity, and then listened to waterparks while reading one of us is lying.

one pov or multiple povs?

i prefer one pov, but do like multiple povs sometimes. if there are multiple povs, i like when there’s a rhythm to the pov switches (characters take every other chapter, or maybe two chapters in a row before switching, etc.)

do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

multiple days, typically. i most often don’t have a long enough chunk of time on my hands to tear through a book in a single setting anyway lol

who do you tag? 

i’m tagging: @lepetitepeach, @fatoujallovv, @sweetbitterpdf, @feathered-minds, @kritiquer, and @brieflygorgeouss 💖🌻💖🌻💖

[danwhobrowses]

20 AEW Dark and Elevation Regulars that AEW should sign

Now I know, AEW has a very stacked roster, in fact I've considered writing an essay on the risk of AEW's growing roster being top-heavy

I mean we've barely scraped the potential of Brian Cage, Scorpio Sky, Wardlow, Sammy Guevara, TH2, Sonny Kiss, Matt Sydal, Proud and Powerful, Nick Comoroto, Will Hobbs, Serena Deeb (who I know is injured atm), and many more. But with Rampage oncoming maybe there is room for them.

But, we'll stick a pin in that for now, because tonight is AEW's 100th Episode of Dark. A big deal still considering it's one of AEW's 2 weekly youtube wrestling shows, and one of AEW's many Youtube weekly shows if you include vlogs such as BTE, SammysVlogs, Ethan Page's vlog and the AEW-promotional Countdown to and Outside the Ring with Lexy Nair segments and the Unrestricted Podcast. In the pandemic era, Dark became a home to several indie talents in need for work, some got signed but not all, so I'm gonna list 10 men's and 10 women's wrestlers who were regulars on Dark and Elevation who AEW can and should still sign

Note: I will not be including wrestlers who look set for regularity, so Wheeler Yuta, Jora Johl, Fuego and the Wingmen won't be on the list, as will any AEW Women's tournament entrants (Maki Itoh, Madi Wrenkowski, Nicole Savoy etc.). Danny Limelight and Konosuke Takeshita are also signed to MLW and DDT Pro just fyi

10 Men AEW should sign

The men's division is already stacked, and it has a lot of up and comers too, but there are still a few areas where AEW's Dark stalwarts have proven they can fill a void for.

Honorable mentions for: JDX, El Australiano, M'Badu, Jake St. Patrick, Brick Aldridge, Megabyte Ronnie, Suge 'Pineapple Pete' D and Vary Morales. Also Kidd Bandit, but he hasn't wrestled on Dark or Elevation so I couldn't add him in.

10. Marty Casaus Better known as Marty 'the Moth' Martinez from Lucha Underground, Marty trained with AEW after some time out with injury and made some appearances on Dark. As the Moth, Marty demonstrated his character work as a gross heel, but his size was also an asset to his disturbed and near-psychotic persona.

9. Dean Alexander An alumnus of the Nightmare Factory, Alexander has frequented on Dark and Elevation usually in tag action where he hasn't been able to get his dickhead persona across. He is your traditional cocky heel which in the Nightmare Factory showcases has led to his hilarious downfalls, even losing to Negative One in his multiple failures to win in the Main Event of these showcases. Frankly, this is what Baron Corbin should be like if you're gonna mock him, he's also very impressive in the ring.

8. Dillon McQueen Another Nightmare Factory alum, Dillon McQueen has also only been used for jobbing, but his character is actually great. The King of Queens, Dillon brims charisma that would be a winner for crowds, but he has a babyface fire to him as well, easily could be a rising talent with the right training.

7. Dan Barry To be honest, I like his Hawaiian Shirts. He has a lot of experience in the indies and can work in a similar way Colt Cabana works balancing serious and comedy wrestling, would just be pretty cool to see him more.

6. & 5. TNT (Terrence and Terrell Hughes) Sons of D-Von Dudley, TNT have had less appearances on AEW as of recent, which is a shame, because they can definitely be developed as some of the next gen tag teams the Acclaimed and Blonds have been. AEW haven't shied from legacy wrestlers in the past, and the duo definitely have potential.

4. Chandler Hopkins Chandler Hopkins has shown up to be squashed by the big men a lot, but somehow he also manages to eke out some strong entertainment and fluid wrestling in it. His match against Brian Cage is an effective example of this. Like Fuego, Chandler is definitely someone you can use on the undercard for some enhancement, maybe even push up once more character comes across.

3. Ryzin Ryzin has stuck with AEW for quite a while now, even having skits on BTE. The Unholy Father however never got a W on AEW, which is a shame because he has character and promo skills in hand. He could easily be a fit for Chaos Project as well or teamed with Abandon in a James Mitchell kinda role.

2. Carlie Bravo One of the first class alums of the Nightmare Factory, Carlie Bravo remains charismatic and athletic in his showings, he even had a great little pairing with Shawn Dean until Dean's signing, I'd love to see them bring that back - two Navy veterans tearing up the tag scene would be pretty awesome.

1. Baron Black Few have stayed the course during the pandemic era like Baron Black. Debuting in April and still yet to get his first win, he was one of the three touted stars by Cody on Sammy's vlog who he encouraged to be booked around the world because of his workrate and skill. If anyone has earned it that isn't named Fuego del Sol (or that other name Cody mentioned), it's Baron Black.

10 Women AEW should sign In contrast to the men's division, AEW's women's roster does look like it could use some buffing, for midcard and even building more stars.

Honorable mentions are plenty in this one, so just missing out are the following: Ashley D'Amboise, Leila Grey, Renee Michelle, Jazmin Allure, Savannah Evans, Willow Nightingale, the Renegade Twins, Holidead, Kenzie Paige, Jennacide and Brooke Havok (who I would guess will be signed once her leg recovers).

10. Ashley Vox With or without her Sea Stars tag partner, Delmi Exo, Ashley Vox has proven herself a frequent flier for AEW. Talented in singles and tag competition. She also has a strong rapport with many of AEW's current roster.

9. Alex Gracia The Pink Dream has been on ROH as of recent but remains a freelancer, her last appearance being a squash from Dr. Britt Baker DMD. AEW must've been high on Gracia at one point because they gave her a title shot on Dynamite. With experience in Shimmer and Stardom, Gracia would definitely be a worthy addition.

8. Tesha Price Another woman who AEW put on Dynamite rare times, Tesha proved herself to play face and heel during her time on Dark and Elevation. As a heel she showed a lot of fire especially against KiLynn King and Ryo Mizunami, the Psycho Sweetheart definitely has something she can give to the division - who are tbf lacking in heels right now.

7. Vertvixen I am not sure what it is about Vertvixen specifically, but whenever I see her I think she has the look, not to mention the athleticism to boot. Her triple threat on MPW against Jennacide and Jazmin Allure was a definite highlight as of recent.

6. Miranda Alize A former Mae Young Classic competitor, like Jennacide and Gracia she's recently been used by ROH, but she is definitely a confident wrestler and does not shy from the intergender matches either, having fought Laredo Kid and Danny Limelight. She's worked with many impressive wrestlers too, including an Impact Knockouts Title match against Jordynne Grace and matches against Deonna, Taya and Tessa.

5. Reka Tehaka The Samoan Savage may've debuted on AEW's first ever house show, but regular Dark and Elevation appearances have been met with positive reactions. Being partly trained by the Nightmare Factory, Tehaka has done well to establish herself despite only wrestling for a year and a half, she could definitely be a prospect.

4. Veda Scott Okay, so I cheated a little by saying no competitors, but I could not leave out Veda on this list. She has in-ring talent and intergender experience - tagging with her Speedball husband - but on AEW Dark and the Deadly Draw she proved herself excellent on commentary. A female voice in the booth even for just the women's matches would go a long way for the division and Veda's the perfect voice for it.

3. Dani Jordyn The Mean Girl is definitely someone you can call a regular on Dark and Elevation. She works hard and works with a lot of main roster talent, and I don't think I've seen her put on a bad match. So it would be nice to reward her with a contract.

2. Diamante It still baffles me actually that Diamante has yet to become All Elite. Deadly Draw winner and involved in a lot of the Elevation/Dark women's feuds, Diamante has a wealth of knowledge and experience under her belt. She's still popular with fans and can easily step back into her LAX days by pairing with the Inner Circle. Few unsigned talent have won as much as her too, I would say it's when rather than if, but when is taking a long ass time.

1. KiLynn King The three names Cody praised highly were Fuego, Baron Black and KiLynn King, so I think above all else they should be given contracts. In fact, I was surprised King wasn't on the Dark 100 card, by virtue that although King has shown up on Dynamite a few times, she has been on Dark and Elevation 41 times since debuting in May 2020, it was a shock that someone so regular wasn't on the card. King showed she could work as the bully heel but also as a charismatic babyface, even having a little faction brewing with Swole and Red Velvet as RSK, but when crowds came back we seemed to drop the potential of AEW's first all-women faction. King is over with fans...so long as you don't put her against someone as over as Thunder Rosa, and she has put on some lowkey bangers during her time on AEW, especially the one against Riho. Tall and powerful, but fun in the ring and outside the ring with clips of her in the crowd chanting and even vibing to Angelico's music. King would definitely be on the top of my list of AEW Dark regulars that deserve a contract.

I'm sure I might've missed some and opinions may differ, but I think these lot would definitely be able to fit into AEW effortlessly thanks to their time on Dark and Elevation. Many of whom could be used to build or become future champions themselves, and I hope still to see more of them beyond Dark 100.

[anxiety-and-witchcraft]

A very long description of my OCs and their universe.

I have made the decision to start writing oneshots and short stories as well as prompts now, so woo! And that means…*drumroll* I’m going to be explaining in great detail my OCs and the universe I’ve built around them! Also, I am aware that 90% of OC posts are art, but I cannot draw anything and I don’t have any digital art pad type stuff to do it on anyway so no Imma just write one loooooooooong block of words. I regret nothing, btw. (Rosa and Robin’s descriptions will be the longest, so just try not to fall asleep until you’ve finished reading them?)

Okay, so, my OCs all live in this village out in the English countryside called Thistledoor. It’s like a whole old-timey, chocolate-box-village type deal, minus the school (which is joint secondary and primary) of course. (Americans might want to look up when British kids start school if you guys don’t already know, just to understand Noah’s predicament.)

The whole thing is a sort of monster AU, kinda a Gravity Falls type deal where they’re just things like gnomes and goblins and the occasional horde of brainthristy zombies to deal with.

The Maddoxes live in the middle of the village, while the Lupins’ house is a bit further away along the edge of the woods. Robin and Rosa are my main characters, Rosa lives with her parents, twin brother Gabo, and younger brother Noah, and Robin lives with his mum, his two older siblings Molly and Jack, and younger siblings, the triplets Ethan, Ben and Sirsha (It’s actually spelt Saoirse but Robin’s mum spelt it wrong on the birth certificate), and Starling. Robin’s entire family have faint Irish accents (idk and idc why). Maeve is one of their friends and Gabo’s crush, and Marcus is the school jerk who likes to flirt with Rosa. Now, what the characters are actually like:

 Rosa Lupin (15):

Medium-reddish-brown hair that’s so thick and silky but not that shiny and reaches the middle of her back. It’s always wavy even when she brushes it.

Her skin is quite light, and she cannot tan, she just burns. She has freckles on her nose and her cheeks, but you can’t see them as much in winter. When she smiles… Oh. My. Goodness. Her smile is so beautiful, and her nose scrunches up and it’s just ADORABLE! Her eyes are wide and dark brown, but they get a tiny bit lighter towards her pupils. She also has a little crescent-moon-shaped birth mark just above her collarbone. Gabo has one too. She’s quite tall and kind of slim, but still a bit curvy at the same time.

She always wears oversized jumpers and jeans when it’s cold or t-shirts and shorts in the summer, or occasionally she steals Robin’s jumpers when it gets cold because for some reason his are mostly warmer than hers.

She’s about 5’6.

Her favourite colour is purple, she loves ballet, singing, reading, chemistry, and making up conspiracy theories with Gabo, and she’s quite quiet around most people but a force to be reckoned with when someone makes her mad, mainly by insulting Noah. She and Gabo also get killer migraines and insomnia when they’re stressed. Rosa is also the mum friend of my group of chaotic 15-year-olds and has a thing about loud noise and crowded areas (as in if she stays around them for too long she’ll either freak out or get a migraine or both). Gabo’s similar, but he can just about manage.

Robin is her best friend in the whole world, and they’ve known each other since they were 5. Secretly, they both like each other more than that, but they’re much too shy to tell each other, which obviously leads to their siblings making devious matchmaking plots to get them together. Rosa and Robin then get back at them with their own schemes, mainly with Gabo and Maeve.

 Robin Maddox (15):

His hair is dark brown and so messy it’s unbelievable, and literally impossible to imagine him with tidy hair. Somehow it never gets knotty. Ever.

His eyes are really dark brown and sparkly, kind of like an actual robin’s. He’s a bit tanned and he’s not really muscly but still quite strong. Like seriously, he can carry Rosa when she falls asleep in the middle of doing something or if she gets a migraine.

Lives in red t-shirts and brown jeans rolled up a bit so they don’t get dirty, and literally never wears shoes except at school because Thistledoor is the best village in the area for not littering so there’s nothing to cut his feet on. Some people tease him for it but he just ignores them (or splashes in a big muddy puddle to get water all over them) He does actually own a few jumpers that aren’t red or brown, but they are mostly stolen by Rosa. That’s actually why he has them but shh, no-one needs to know that.

He’s about 5’7, or maybe a bit taller.

Robin’s favourite colour is red, he likes inventing, playing music (he can play about a gazillion instruments) and pretty much just tagging along with whatever mystery hunt Rosa and Gabo have gotten themselves into. He’s very bold, brash and silly, occasionally getting into fights with Marcus before Rosa drags him back to her house by the ear, but he does have a very sensitive, protective side, particularly over Starling, which you will learn why when I get to their mum’s description.

 Gabo Lupin (15):

He’s Rosa’s twin brother, so he basically looks like the boy version of her. His hair is pretty short and neat, and he has a fringe pushed over to the left side of his forehead. He is incredibly short sighted and can see literally nothing without his glasses.

His favourite colour is yellow, he likes reading, poetry/songwriting creating conspiracy theories, and dragging his sister on mystery hunts with him, on most she and Robin end up saving his life when he reads out the words from a cave-wall-painting-crypt-thing to summon the dead. He’s very quiet and intellectual and gets scared easily unless he’s too busy finding stuff out.

 Noah Lupin (4 or 5 depending on when the story takes place):

Noah looks a bit like Gabo, except his hair is much lighter and he doesn’t need glasses. Noah is a rather unusual four year old in the way of his intelligence – he’s got the same IQ as his father, who is a scientist. He didn’t start talking at all until he was about three, but when he did it was in full sentences with none of the normal baby talk, but he doesn’t like to talk around people so most people think he’s just dumb.

 Mrs Maddox (Robin’s mother):

Mrs Maddox is possibly the worst mother in the history of the whole multiverse ever. She’s drunken, angry, neglectful, and doesn’t have a job, leaving supporting the family to the government funding and Molly, who’s 19 and has two part time jobs at the weekends and after school. Mrs Maddox leaves most of her children alone in the physical sense, except Robin and Starling. She hits both of them, usually just a slap across the face or something, always small enough for everyone to just assume that Robin had gotten into a fight or Star had fallen down the stairs, clumsy as she was. Neither of them wanted to correct them otherwise. Rosa, Maeve and Gabo figured it out fairly quickly, though.

 Molly (19), Jack (17), Starling (11) and the triplets (6):

The rest of Robin’s siblings don’t make an enormous appearance in my stories, them being mainly centred around Robin and the Lupins, but I’m going to describe them anyway. Molly’s the oldest, and generally the one taking care of all her siblings. Jack is basically a father figure to his younger siblings, as their dad died when Mrs Maddox was pregnant with Ethan, Ben and Sirsha. Sirsha never learnt to talk. Starling is very clumsy, but other than that she’s just like Robin. They all hate wearing shoes.

 Okay, I think that’s it!

P.S. I’m going to use a tag with my username as a way to get all my stories together, so if you’re reading this in the future and want to read my stories, that’s a quick way to do it without being swamped by reblogs and whump prompts!

[takaraphoenix]

percy jackson for the ask game

Thanks for playing! ^^

Top 5 favourite characters: Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Clarisse la Rue, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Silena Beauregard

Other characters you like: Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Thalia Grace, Leo Valdez, Charles Beckendorf, Tyson

Least favourite characters: Hera, uuuhm I mean Drew I guess and Nancy?? I don’t know, I’ve gone through so many cycles with PJO, I’ve come around on most characters

Otps: again, let’s make that a Top Five? Nico/Percy, Jason/Percy, Octavian/Percy, Triton/Percy, Will/Pery

Notps: Percy/Annabeth, Leo/Calypso, Grover/Percy, Tyson/Percy, book Luke/Percy

Favourite friendships: Canon? Grover & Percy, Clarisse & Percy, Nico & Reyna

Favourite family: I meeean technically they are ALL family since all of the gods are siblings/cousins! ;D Okay, okay. Paul, Sally, Percy and Tyson! A very obvious pick

Favourite episodes: doesn’t have a TV show adaptation yet? xD

Favourite season/book/movie: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Favourite quotes: not really a quote-kinda-gal

Best musical moment: haven’t gotten to see the musical yet!

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: I mean obviously when black on white it was confirmed that Nico was in love with Percy? Like? You can imagine, yes? :D

When it really disappointed you: …so often *whispers softly, voice breaking* but to sum it up basically from The Mark of Athena through to the end. The above mentioned confession was honestly like the only highlight out of those three books...

Saddest moment: WHEN THEY KILLED OFF BECKENDORF AND THEN KILLED OFF SELINA. I CRIED THE WHOLE FUCKING DAY

Most well done character death: Luke’s death was shit, Ethan’s death was frustrating because it was a cheap cop out of an actual redemption arc I really hate the “chose the wrong side and now immediately dies in a Heroic Sacrifice”-trope (which plays into why Luke’s death was shit), Bianca’s death was ridiculous - the fact that out of ALL of the Huntresses they picked the one who had been a huntress for 0.2 DAYS was just pathetic and literally projectd “this 12 year old child with zero combat training is totally gonna die” all along and it pisses me off so much, while Silena and Beckendorf made me cry they were also frustrating because they were avoidable had people used their brains, Octavian’s death genuinely made me furious because it was played for cheap laughs... I guess Bob and Damansen by default then...?

Favourite guest star: uuuuuuuh I got nothing

Favourite cast member: Leven Rambin as Clarisse la Rue?? Holy shit blessed casting thank you

Character you wish was still alive: ...one? I only get one? *distressed Phoe-noises* Silena? Charles? Ethan? Urgh. How dare you make me pick only one...

One thing you hope really happens: ...I know there are people out there still reading the new books and I wouldn’t wish this for them because they clearly still enjoy it, but good gods do I wish Riordan would just finally stop and give Percy a rest. Like, not even stop writing - he could write new things. but stop dragging Percy Jackson personally into everything, be that visiting the Norse because hey it’s his gf’s cousin, or getting dragged into Apollo’s weird shit, seriously just... move on, please

Most shocking twist: quite truthfully that Ares was the traitorous god in The Lightning Thief and not Hades. I am so used to Hades being painted as The Bad Guy and the Evil Mastermind bullshit that it was genuinely so refreshing that no actually he’s just wronged because he wants his property back too and he’s not actually the bad guy??

When did you start watching/reading?: 2010, I guess, right after I saw the movie for the first time

Best animal/creature: BLACKJACK BLACKJACK BLACKJACK. No wait Mrs. O’Leary is also there! :O Both? Both!

Favourite location: THE UNDERWORLD

Trope you wish they would stop using: Everyone Needs To Be Paired Up! Seriously, obsessive shipping in canon is cringey but if you have a literal ship with seven crewmates and it turns out to be three couples and the seventh is first in a Love Triangle with one of the couples and THEN gets his own girlfriend, that’s... that’s genuinely pathetic, like I would raise a judgemental eyebrow at a fanfiction that ships everyone off this perfectly paired up, but a published actual work that is not the author’s very first publication? That’s embarrassing, man

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: portrayal of Greek gods and myths

Funniest moments: snarky Percy sassing gods :D

Couple you would like to see: This implies a non-canon couple I’d like to see become canon and just honestly, genuinely, none, good gods there is already too much romance as it is, dial it back

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: honestly, the second movie took the two only fancasts that were dear to me and actually cast them. Anthony Head as Chiron and Nathan Fillion as Hermes. That was such perfect casting and were my only casting wishes, so like... I got nothing

Favourite outfit: Clarisse’s movie outfit?? It’s? So? Good??

Favourite item: I mean, Riptide is really practical?

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: A very dear friend of mine gave me the movie poster for the second movie and it is hanging on my ceiling :D But other than that, sadly enough this franchise is not exactly heavy on merch - which is ridiculous to me... the opportunities. Please make this into a cartoon and start producing ALL of the figures and toys. All of them. Seriously, the toy opportunity on this franchise is so huge??

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: uuuuuuh honestly no god really fits me so I don’t know

Most boring plotline: Annabeth’s third book side-quest really bore me

Most laughably bad moment: When they had a prophecy about an “angel’s breath” and Annabeth Chase, daughter of ATHENA, stood right there, not figuring it out - but Piper did. That... That did Annabeth such a freaking disservice, seriously the disrespect from Riordan there. Why did you even make her a daughter of wisdom if you aren’t going to use her to be clever? That actively made me bang my head against the nearest wall because it was such an obvious part of the riddle like seeeriously

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: I loved learning more about Annabeth, Luke and Thalia’s past together

Most layered character: I mean Percy, but that’s also due to getting five books exclusively from his POV

Most one dimensional character: lol like the dozen or so characters who only exist as First Name Only? And yeah, I get it, you can’t flesh them all out more. But Jason Grace had a whole-ass life before he came to CHB and we got name-drops of his closest friends in The Lost Hero, but most of them remained a name only and Jason not only didn’t get to team up with them later on, to try and convince them to join his cause, he also never actively thought about them. I don’t know, but if I’d spend months away from all my friends, I would definitely spend some of my POV thinking about them...

Scariest moment: thiiis was not a scary series

Grossest moment: When Riordan tried to sell domestic violence as cute, aka Annabeth judo-flipping her boyfriend in punishment for getting abducted by a goddess :D”““ what the fuq

Best looking male: if we go by actors, I guess Chris Rodriguez? xD

Best looking female: oooh definitely Clarisse when we go with the movie faces *^*

Who you’re crushing on (if any): mmmh yeah no

Favourite cast moment: I do not know any xD”

Favourite transportation: shadow-travel! It’s so cool

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): them entering the underworld was pretty damn cool??

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: NICO’S AGE. CONSISTENCY. Stop posting things that contradict each other like just stop tweeting canons out if you don’t have a fixed list of what is canon. ALSO SALLY’S MOTHER IS NAMED LAURA, SHE WAS NAMED LAURA FOR YEARS BEFORE YOU FORGOT THAT YOU NAMED THAT CHARACTER LAURA AND NOW SALLY NAMED HER CANON DAUGHTER FUCKING ESTELLE AFTER HER MOTHER’S NEW NAME. Good gods. How do professional authors not have lists to crosscheck about vital information of their own characters, like their birthdates and their parents’ names.

Best promo: I don’t watch promos

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: Honestly before I watched the movie already, when I read on wikipedia that a son of Hades was not just A Good Guy in this bookseries but also a main character :D

IN DEPTH FANDOM QUESTIONS

[zhaliacain]

If you could plan season three of Huntik, what you would have them do??

This was actually so hard to answer and I re-did it like 3 times which is why its so disjointed and took me forever to answer but oh well I tried and it’s also weirdly mashing up Gargoyles and Avatar because the villains are basically the Quarrymen and the idea behind Huntik is basically the Spirit World but thats because I’m stupid and unoriginal so oh well.

Actual plot:

Lok and Sophie have bigdecisions about their future to make so they decide to re-double their effortson trying to find Lok’s father before they make any final decisions. I’d probably explore the teamhaving more options, Lok and Sophie are coming to the end of their educationand they need to start deciding on whether they follow further education or notand this is an ongoing theme of contention between them. Lok views that nowthey’re seekers they don’t need anything else in life but Sophie wants to takea break from being a seeker and persue further education (that and managing anew Casterwill family would be too much to also be a seeker alongside.) Andthat would be a breaking point between them at some point when Lok finds outthat Sophie had applied and been accepted to a major university which catalystshim to go do something stupid. Meanwhile, Dante has been reminding them thatthey can only be a seeker for so long before age starts catching up orsomething else goes wrong, hence why he was a detective. But his warnings alsotrigger Zhalia, Harrison and Den who are struggling to have a normal life after the Organisationand Blood Spirals etc happening so close together.

They start delving into howEathon got through the portal in the first place which involves the mandatory oncea season trip back to Ireland to see Lok’s mother and they dig through Lok’sfather’s possessions. They could see that he was digging into a way to accessmore and more of the titan world and then we’re going to find out that Huntikand Normal Earth didn’t start out as two separate dimensions, they were one-kind of like avatar- and the reason Cherit can’t remember his amulet is he never had one because he just got sealed on the wrong side.

The villains are going to besome crazy witch hunter kind of group who believe all seekers are dangerous andshould be eradicated, and they have resources etc which allows them to pop upall over the world.

So off they’d go, trapezing across the world trying to let Lok’s Dad back in, probably find another nexusbut it’s already smashed so they have to go find new titans to help themharness the powers of the nexus fragments to open the doorway to Huntik. 

Then the new villain groupblows up a HQ or something and this becomes a big issue because theOrganisation want to take action to defend seeker kind but the Foundation don’tagree

Breakdown:

Villains: a weird cult thingthat believe that all seeker powers are evil and want to eliminate seekers as awhole/ at some point they attack a HQ which triggers a lot of anger fromseekers, the organisation is threatening to take action against this group butthe Foundation doesn’t like that. This threatens the peace Dante and Grier hadbeen working on between the two.

Main goal: getting Eathon outof Huntik whilst also preventing the new villains from disrupting seekers toomuch. The way to get Eathon out of Huntik (harnessing the nexus fragments) isalso believed to be the way to close the gap between Earth and the Huntik worldso they are also trying to destroy it.

Driving forces: Lok and Sophieneed to make choices about their futures because they soon need to make decisions,Lok doesn’t see the need to carry on further education because he just wants tobe a seeker. Dante reminds them that you can’t be a seeker forever, thingschange, that’s why he did the whole detective thing. Sophie secretly appliesfor a top university and gets in and plans to drop being a seeker for a whileso she can concentrate on that and her family but doesn’t tell Lok immediatelybecause she doesn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Team composition: Lok leading,Sophie, Zhalia, Den, Harrison, Cherit and Dante joining whenever council workallows (there was this test panel for the next line of comic books I saw yearsago when browsing deviantart that had this team.) To be fair, Dante’s only just joined the council, he’s not goingto be in any major position yet so I think thats fair. I also think he’d be incharge of the Venice compound, I always interpreted it as each council memberhad their own area to be in charge of whilst Metz oversaw everything. That wayDante’s close to where his team and is also the member in charge of giving themmissions. He does still have an apartment in NY though for the big meetingswhich are regular (and it is heavily hinted that the team and particularly Zhalia went up and helped him decorate.)

General guideline: They plan toget Eathon out of Huntik, need a nexus but that’s a hard thing to find. They goback through Ethan’s research (insert mandatory visit to Lambert household) andfind out that Huntik and normal Earth used to be the same dimension and theyjust need enough of the Nexus powers to get Eathon out. I don’t know, there’s atitan they have to find who can open the portal if they collect enough (powerful)nexus shards to use, like a hyped up legendary version of Janusea.

Other stuff: I would put Lin inbecause she seemed cool and also I want Zhalia associating with more adultsbecause otherwise we only ever see her with a bunch of teenagers. The mandatoryonce a season appearance of Montague, Tersley and Scarlett, once a season tripto Ireland. Blood Spiral is still a threat and Zhalia’s, Harrison’s and Den’smarks still ache every now and again but that’s not so much of a primaryproblem, that’s just something going on in the background to be picked back upagain in season 4. There’s obviously tensions about how Dante died and they’re all worried something like that is going to happen to one of them but without the resurrection thing. I also want more of Zhalia techy stuff like actuallyupdating the graphics on the holotome because I remember finding that so funnywhen I was a kid. Zhante and Lophie because Zhante and Lophie. I also want Harrison struggling with the guilt from being in the Bloodspiral and that’s like a serious conversation he has with Zhalia about because obviously she’s been there done that. Then probably does something stupid like tries to take on a group of the new villains and it doesn’t go well and then seriously considers whether he should give up being a seeker again. In between, Sophie also has to go to Casterwill meetings as well because they all have concerns about the concept of opening up Huntik. Eathon the dog is seen a lot more because he was cute. If it wasn’t a kids show I’d also broach the concept of various PTSD’s in the characters because, you know, there was kinda war, and Dante died. And I’d make Zhalia’s anxiety a bigger thing because I noticed it slightly in season 2 but they didn’t really talk about it.

Honestly I have a lot of ideas for season 3 but I’m just refusing to talk about them so I made this one up instead. Clearly I’m bad at plots.

[peterstanslizzie]

Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 1.22 (The Untitled Stan Jansen Project)

Miranda just broke one of the ultimate #bestfriendcodes i.e. Do Not Spill Each Other’s Secrets! Especially in front of a camera...smh

- Stan Jansen, a famous movie director is at Hillridge Junior High to film a documentary on the lives of the students there. While Lizzie and Miranda are thrilled about it, Gordo feels the opposite because he thinks that Stan will most probably put a spotlight on just the popular kids like Ethan and Kate.

- Moreover, Gordo prefers to be behind the camera instead of being the one on camera. For some reason, Gordo catches the attention of Stan and pulls him aside to introduce himself. Stan tells Gordo he loves his refreshing energy and wants to “keep an eye on him”; I still don’t understand why he’s drawn to Gordo.

The height difference between the two is insane

Gordo Throws Shade

- The next morning, Lizzie isn’t happy about what she’s wearing for school and wants to change outfits for the third time. Well, you know what they say; Third time’s the charm. 

I love Miranda’s shirt; It’s very punk rock and futuristic looking. 

- In school, Stan finds Gordo and refers to him as his “leading man”. Okay but when Animated Lizzie said that Gordo is one of these three attributes, ‘tall’, ‘dark’ and ‘handsome’, which one was she talking about? Was it ‘dark’ or ‘handsome’. Gordo is certainly not tall and doesn’t ‘dark’ mean tanned? So, it has to be handsome right? If so, that’s so cute how she thinks Gordo is handsome.

- Anyways, Stan wants Gordo to add a little drama to his performance in front of the camera. So when Kate comes into the frame and asks Gordo if he could walk her to class (which is obviously not what happens in real life), he throws her the ultimate shade and tells her to her face how he really thinks about her and it’s not good...

I kinda feel bad for Kate 

- Unexpectedly, Kate didn’t clap back at Gordo and I guess it’s because they’re on camera and she eventually leaves. Yikes! I mean, Gordo is right but he didn’t need to be that honest, especially when the cameras are rolling. 

- Well, Stan is very happy with Gordo’s performance but Lizzie and Miranda are kinda surprised by how brutally honest Gordo was to Kate. Gordo doesn’t feel any remorse because he feels like honesty is the best policy.

Gordo Crosses Over To The Dark Side

- After school, the trio are on their usual three-way phone call and Lizzie and Miranda really want for Gordo to find a way to get the both of them on camera. Gordo doesn’t think it’s a good idea but regardless, he tells them he will try to ask Stan.  

- Gordo also advises them that in order for them to get themselves noticed by Stan, they need to find their own voice and be themselves in front of the camera. Easy for him to say. 

Miranda needs to be more observant next time lol

- It seems like everyone at school is trying really hard to get their own chunk of screen-time because Hillridge Junior High basically looks like a circus now with everybody dressed up in colourful costumes and trying to showcase their talent. 

- Stan asks Gordo to go up to Larry Tudgeman and to “create conflict”, which means be mean to him. He asks Larry to describe himself, which he does in his quirky, ‘Tudgeman’ kind of way; Stan immediately gets bored and calls cut. Stan really wants Gordo to go in on Tudgeman and Gordo actually does what he says and proceeds to insult his looks and personal hygiene. 

- Lizzie and Miranda walk up to Gordo and they tell him that he was being mean to Larry. Gordo doesn’t listen to them because he’s been told by Stan that directors aren’t usually the ‘nice guys’. 

- This is when things get pretty interesting and not to mention, just plain awkward; Stan asks Gordo to introduce Lizzie and Miranda to the camera and we go down this rabbit hole, starting with Miranda saying that they keep each other’s secrets. Gordo becomes curious as to what these secrets are and Miranda, with her loose mouth accidentally reveals that Lizzie had a crush on Gordo in the 4th Grade! Shut the front door and say it ain’t so!

Miranda should have known better not to reveal that secret to Gordo, especially when in front of a camera!

- Lizzie freaks out and couldn’t believe that Miranda just blurted that out. She gets her revenge by telling everyone that Miranda used to snack on dog biscuits in the 4th grade. Basically, Lizzie and Miranda are now mad at each other and it’s all Gordo’s fault. Umm, it’s not his fault that Miranda can’t keep a secret.

Don’t Y’all Think That Stan Is A Creeper?

- Back at home, Lizzie feels really down about the whole situation and confides in her mom about what happened. Jo advises her to talk to them without the pressure of having to be filmed, which is the most obvious answer you can give. But, we do see Lizzie telling her mom that she used to like Gordo and Jo was like I KNEW IT! So, her mom ships them together I see. Good choice.

- We then see Lizzie and Miranda make up pretty quickly, which is for the better because I don’t need them to drag out their conflict any further. Meanwhile, Gordo is now targeting Ethan Craft and basically calls him good-looking but lacks any substance, which is highly offensive if you ask me. 

- Anyways, Lizzie and Miranda confront Gordo and tells him he’s being mean to people again. Gordo defends himself that him being that way is what’s gonna help him become a director in the future. Well, that’s what Stan is feeding into his brain. 

- They want Gordo to realize that the director is just using him and asking him to be someone he’s not. They also give him an ultimatum that they won’t want to be his friend anymore if he continues this mean streak of his and they head off into the girls’ room, which can I say it’s the perfect escape for them.

- At the Digital Bean, Gordo tries to talk to them again but his friends don’t want to deal with him until he stops listening to Stan. But the thing is, even when Gordo asks Stan to leave him alone, Stan doesn’t listen and continues to film him. It’s creepy how this grown adult is literally following and stalking a teenager with a camera and his crew. If I were Gordo, I would call my parents and give this guy trouble. 

Time To Make Things Right

- This is when the A-plot intersects with the B-plot. Matt and Melina are also at the Digital Bean because they also want to get the chance to appear in the documentary. 

Gordo is done with Stan, as he should be

- Gordo, who is frustrated with this whole thing gives a mini speech in front of the camera and calls Stan out by saying that he’s been encouraged by Stan to act mean to his friends. Stan is obviously not happy with Gordo at this point but Gordo doesn’t care because he wants his friends back. Luckily for him, Lizzie and Miranda saw the whole thing and they are happy to have the regular Gordo back as well. 

- Melina decides to play another prank on Matt by framing him for putting ketchup all over Stan’s video recorder. Stan sees Matt holding a ketchup bottle given to him by Melina and we then get a chase sequence between the two, which involves loads of ketchup and is that, cream and chocolate? This sequence resulted in this moment:

Attack of the Killer Tomato Sauce

- In the end, Gordo apologizes to his best friends for how he has been acting and Stan tells Gordo that he will never do business with Gordo ever again. Oh, what a shame.

B-Plot: Meet Matt’s Friend/’Girlfriend’, Melina Bianco

- Melina is first mentioned by Matt during breakfast when he informs his mom that he needs to stay back after school because he was framed by Melina for putting a rubber snake in the teacher’s desk. Matt doesn’t seem upset by this because he is somehow impressed by what she did. And of course, we suspect that he has a crush on Melina as well.

- We fast forward to later in the day (I think) and Matt is showing Melina his house and some of his fake accomplishments to which she immediately picks up on them being made up. However, her eyes set on Sam’s gnome statue, which is currently drying from a paint job and asks him about it. 

- This is basically when Melina sabotages Matt again. When Matt leaves the kitchen to set up his video game, Melina sneakily paints all over the gnome’s face, ruining Sam’s work. 

- Sam and Jo notices the butchering of the gnome statue and confronts the kids. Matt suggests to Melina that they both take the blame so that they would go easier on the both of them. Well, Matt should know by now that he cannot trust her like that and to no one’s surprise, she blames Matt and Matt admits he did it lol. 

- I thought Jo was smart enough to realise that Melina was the one who actually did it? I mean, she already knew from Matt that Melina framed him for the rubber snake incident. Or maybe she does know and she’s just doing this to teach Matt a lesson? I don’t know.

- We eventually get a montage of the both of them trying to frame the other for playing pranks on their teacher and classmates at school. And they seem to be having lots of fun; It’s such a weird relationship dynamic they have going on, no?

Overall Thoughts

- This episode was very packed, in a good way. The inclusion of Stan’s character generated a lot of drama within our main trio friend group. I hate to say it but I’m pretty sure there are real people in showbiz who are like Stan and they will do what they can to manipulate minors to get what they want. 

- He fed Gordo lies about how being mean and creating drama/conflict will make you a successful director. And it’s unfortunate that Gordo was caught up in all of that but at least he got out of it in the end. 

- We also know from watching this episode that Lizzie does indeed has or had a crush on Gordo. We got hints of it in episode 1.19, when Lizzie felt a little jealous about Gordo dating Brooke Baker. In terms of Gordo liking Lizzie back, there is no clear indication yet so far in the series but boy, we are going to get there pretty soon.

- The B-plot is actually pretty good. It’s nice to see Matt interact with a female friend (I mean girlfriend lol) from his age group just because we’ve seen Matt only have guy friends like Lanny and Oscar. Obviously, their relationship is portrayed in a silly, comedic way since they’re only kids. So, I won’t get into my deep thoughts about their strange relationship lol. 

[creativity-is-rebellion]

Top 10 Favourite Movies I Have Seen (So Far)

How to Make an American Quilt (1994)

I’m not sure exactly why, but I have always had a thing for intergenerational movies that go back and forth in time, which I think that this movie does superbly. You get to know each of the character’s backstories, and it is also a coming-of-age film where the main protagonist must choose a path and be happy with the one she goes down. This was a film I would watch again and again as a teenager when I was sad (movie marathons were always the cure for my blues back then). More recently, there are other reasons why this movie appeals to me; I can relate to Finn’s thesis-writing (I know it’s frustrating and easy to distract yourself from), and I can also relate with her dilemma in choosing what kind of future she will have. Also, Winona Ryder can do no wrong. Winona forever.

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

Another intergenerational film, I think it does a great job of juxtaposing the difference between parents who immigrate to another country and their children who do not really understand the sacrifices they have made to actually get there, which can cause rifts and divides. It does this specifically with the Chinese culture in mind, which is fascinating in its own right, and quite different to the US, which is where they immigrate to. The daughters who try to understand their mothers are able to bridge the divide when they are able to empathise with where their parents are coming from, by the parents telling them tales of their origins. My favourite character is hands-down Ying-Ying St. Clair, whose backstory is definitely the most tragic. In China, Ying-Ying was happily married to Lin-Xiao (Russell Wong) with a baby boy in China until Lin-Xiao abuses her and abandons her for an opera singer. Overwhelmed by her depression, Ying-Ying begins to dissociate and accidentally drowns their baby son in the bathtub during one of these episodes, which haunts her ever afterwards. Years later, she has emigrated to America and suffers from trauma of her past, worrying her new family, including her daughter Lena. When she is able to get Lena find her voice and to leave her own abusive husband, Harold. I have nothing but love for this film, which breathes life into Amy Tan’s equally beautiful novel. This film adaptation does the novel proud; It’s well-acted, well-told, and simply just heart-warming.

Sinister (2008)

I love myself a good horror movie, and Sinister flips the script by starting out as a crime mystery before going bananas and introducing Mr. Boogie (or Bughuul), a pagan demon who manipulates the lives of children, having them kill their families, until he can consume the child's soul. Ethan Hawke, who both directs and stars in this film, does a phenomenal acting job as washed-up crime author Ellison Oswalt, who moves his family into one of the homes which was the scene of one of the ‘crimes’, where a whole family has been massacred and one child is missing. It isn’t long until he finds a bunch of 8mm tapes in the attic, which represent the equivalent of snuff films, detailing previous family massacres occurring elsewhere. Seriously, some of these 8mm tapes are both difficult but strangely thrilling to watch, due to their haunting quality. It takes him a while before he becomes aware of Bughuul, who he discovers hiding in the corner of one of the tapes, and who he is able to get to know about with the help of a rookie cop and a professor. The ending is also a delicious twist, and indicates the inevitability of not being able to escape evil. Seriously, it’s a must-watch, as it breathes rare new life into the tired horror genre.

Insidious, Chapter One (2010)

Another worthy 21st century horror addition, the Insidious franchise (especially the first film) delivers some great twists, and creates a rich universe way beyond any ordinary haunted house or child-plagued-by-demon trope, by introducing some genuinely scary characters (The Lipstick Demon, Doll Girl, and the Bride in Black, anyone?!), and also introducing The Further, a dark and timeless astral world filled with tortured dead souls and nightmarish spirits. I love the twist that the end of this movie delivers, and also the appropriate jump-scares throughout. It is yet another horror movie that breathes life into a somewhat tired genre. 10/10, I highly recommend this movie, even if The Lipstick Demon looks kinda like Darth Maul, lol.

Reality Bites (1994)

Although it’s kind of aged badly, due to advancing technology, this movie was one of the first to introduce the idea of reality television, whilst also capturing the zeitgeist of Generation X, with it’s rather nihilist message about life after college, and the trials and tribulations of growing up. Some of the characters (especially Lelaina and Troy) are self-indulgent, immature, intellectually snobby and navel-gazing, but you root for Lelaina to succeed because she is played with enough sympathy by the amazing and incomparable Winona Ryder that we believe she deserves better. This is one of the reasons I hate that she ends up with Troy, even if he is the broody bad boy we are all expected to swoon over. Seriously, he treats Lelaina so badly that I just want to punch him in the face. It also has some great side characters, like Vicky, who works at The Gap, but is scared to find a real job, and Sammy, who is gay and afraid that he may have HIV. It is also relatable for me as a Millenial who graduated from university when the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) hit, making it complicated to find a good job, mirroring the recession that these characters graduated into. I love that it talks about pivotal Generation X issues, as well as universal issues that encompass growing up and moving into adulthood. Also, again, Winona forever.

Candyman (1992)

Candyman is a horror film that subverts horror movie expectations whilst still managing to deliver some great scares. Being set in the long-gone notorious Chicago housing projects Cabrini Green, a name synonymous with vice, violence and murder, and a place which instils non-supernatural horror in an individual all on its own, tells the story of thesis student Helen, who is researching urban legends, and through her participants, she learns the story of Candyman, a vengeful rendition of the classic Bloody Mary, who will split you from groin to gullet with his hook for a hand if you say his name five times in the mirror. 

The people who recount this legend go on to recount a notorious murder that has taken place recently in Cabrini Green which has been attributed to Candyman, and Helen chooses to investigate the claim. Helen rationalises that the residents of Cabrini Green use the legend of Candy Man to cope with their stressful daily lives. Before visiting Cabrini Green, Helen and her research associate decide to test the theory by saying ‘Candy Man’ five times in a mirror, but nothing happens, at least not yet. In real life, the murder rate in Cabrini Green peaked in 1992, the same year that Candy Man was made. Candy Man himself (played with great aplomb by the legendary Tony Todd) doesn’t show up until around 44 minutes into the movie, but when he does, he steals the show with his dangerous charisma. 

In total, Candy Man subverts 3 horror rules: Number one, that you need to have a high body count to keep audiences engaged. By doing so, it stretches out the tension for as long as it can. Number two, there is a Black antagonist. There were some issues addressed by Black critics that this depiction played into some racist stereotypes, such as the idea that Black people need a White saviour, that Black people are especially superstitious, and that Black men prefer to pursue White women. But one could say that Candy Man is more a depiction of the White fears associated with Black poverty, and specifically, White Liberal fears that Black poverty can’t be helped, despite their best efforts. Helen doesn’t mean any harm (some may even call her an ally), yet she dies anyway. 

By making the antagonist Black, the film becomes about so much more than just visceral horror, it is about societal, racial and historical horror as well, albeit told from a White perspective. It also plays into the fear that Black people, through no fault of their own, could be killed for no reason at all but panicky neighbours. Finally, number three, this film is more sad than scary; sadness tends to be the most common negative emotion that I experience, so I am drawn to movies that have something to say about it. The only reason Candy Man gives for wanting to kill Helen is that she demystified him, which seems pretty petty and vindictive. She is also supposed to resemble his long-lost love that got him killed in the first place. When Candy Man kills the psychiatrist in the movie, it is literally the only on-screen proof we have that Candy Man isn’t just a figment of Helen’s imagination. Candy Man, like my most favourite horror film, The Shining, begs the question: Are there really supernatural elements at play here, or is the main character simply going insane? Phew, this was more than I planned to write, but I guess this film is complex enough to warrant it. See it for yourself.

Final Destination (2000)

As time wore on, the Final Destination franchise became more well-known for its gruesome deaths (and tired plot) than anything else, but the first addition was a fresh take on the inescapability of death, and the vengance Death Itself may take if you screw with his Design. The first 15 minutes of the film are truly thrilling through the main character Alex’s premonition, and the wait after the gang have been kicked off the airline for the plane to blow up without them on board. Seriously, that scene gave me aerophobia more than any Air Crash Investigation episode. What follows are some truly twisted, macabre domino-like deaths that prove that Death has a wicked, dark sense of humour. That every character in this franchise dies eventually is kind of disappointing, and definitely places Death in this franchise as possibly the most diabolical villain in all of the horror genre (move over, Jason and Michael and Freddy). The mysterious undertaker played with delightful maliciousness again by Tony Todd adds to the mystery of understanding Death’s Design. and the reality that no matter what the survivors do, Death will eventually come for them, really adds to the overall hopelessness and nihilism of the whole situation. The way that the last film of the Final Destination franchise, which is really a prequel to the first film, rounded out the franchise really well, and provided a twist as good as the original film was epic. If you are going to watch any of the films in this franchise, I cannot recommend the first and last film enough.

Now and Then (1996)

I love this film more for the cheesy, feel-good memories of my childhood it gives me. Christina Ricci is also one of my all-time favourite actresses (I absolutely loved her as Wednesday Addams), which just bolsters this movie in my eyes. Thora Birch does a good job as well. But seriously, I can pop this movie on any time and it’ll just make me instantly happy for a simpler era. Even if I wasn’t born in the 60′s or 70′s, there is a lot to relate to about bridging the gaps between childhood and the inevitable teen cross-over. I mean, who didn’t have seances in graveyards with their friends as a 12-year-old girl? No-one?! Just me then. OK. Ahem. I think my favourite character was hands-down Gabby Hoffman’s Sam, who is trying to cope with her parent’s divorce in a town and time when divorce is unheard of. I like that her grown-up character played by Demi Moore is a successful writer, and is also the narrator of the entire movie. If you want to watch a truly feel-good movie that promotes feminist ideals, this movie is for you.

IT: Chapter One (2017)

Since I watched the 1990 TV miniseries in 1992 at the tender age of 7 (my parents never monitored what I watched - which sometimes led to some gnarly nightmares), I have been waiting for a worthy remake. I, like most of the aficionados that watched the miniseries, loved Tim Curry’s rendition of the demonic entity of IT, but weren’t quite happy about the spider ending. If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. You may be asking why I haven’t included Chapter Two that came out this year (2019), and the reason is, despite Bill Hader’s wonderful performance as the grown-up Ritchie, a cameo by Stephen King himself, and more screen-time for Bill Skarsgaard’s scary clown, the ending here was also disappointing. IT’s true form just doesn’t seem to translate well onto screen. It was adequate. Meh. Anywho.

IT Chapter One, however, is awesome. Instead of jumping back-and-forth in time like both the mini-series and the book did, it focuses on the well-acted ‘Loser’s Club’ as kids, and is truly scary like this story should be. The bully Henry Bowers is truly sociopathic, and Bill Skarsgaard as IT truly nails the fact that IT is so much more than just a killer clown. The death scene with Georgie at the beginning of the film is quite subversive and daring, as it actually shows you the death of a child in all its gory detail. My verdict? Watch the first with gusto, but do not expect anything great from Part Two. Part Two has to exist for continuity, but the first film outshines the second installment in every way possible.

Lady Bird (2017)

For an Indie sleeper film, this story is fantastic as both a coming-of-age film and a depiction of separating from your parents and becoming your own person. Ladybird’s mum is overprotective, and Ladybird needs to break free, whilst also trying not to cause a permanent rift. She’s a different kind of gal, sensitive, intelligent, artistic, and so not meant for a dead-end small town. Her transition toward independence is extremely relatable to me, as I grew up with an over-bearing, interfering mother myself. Also, it’s set in 2002, the year I graduated, with adds to my feelings of nostalgia. It’s the relatablity of Ladybird that makes it so re-watchable to me. I grew up in a dead-end town, was creative and different to my peers, and went to a fancy private school that I didn’t fit into as well. So Ladybird is a cinematic delight as you see her progress to something more hopeful in the future. A must-watch.

[itsswimmingtragedycollection]

Netflix’s ‘You’ or ‘Why (young) people need to read more books’

First of all. the obsessed stalker plot is overdone. I mean Misery, Sleeping with the enemy, Fatal attraction, Secret window, The vanishing?? They’re suing. And despite this unimaginative plot, You is being sold as some kind of groundbreaking, fresh, modern take on the Stalker ™, so I guess it’s no wonder only teenagers can buy into that load of bs. Don’t get me wrong, a boring outline, doesn’t necessarily mean a boring story. Consider heist movies for a second. They are all the same, a group of people use their unique skills to pull off a never-been-done-before job, and get away with it. Regardless of whether it’s your cup of tea or not, different approaches, fresh perspective, suspense build up, comedy, action, character development can make this trope interesting over and over again. Unfortunately, You seems to have missed this memo since all of its characters, situations and outcomes have been done, in the same manner, a million times before. This is probably because the entertainment industry is big on recycling. As soon as a new generation of people, who are too young to have seen the classics of the past, matures enough to actually enjoy them, we are flooded with remakes  of this and that. Easy money. But, you know what? Being boring and unimaginative isn’t a crime nor does it do any real damage. The actual problem with You is the message it sends. Or better yet, doesn’t send. Not only do we see Joe humanized to the point where he might just be in the right, the show failed to condemn his actions at any single point. And if we take into account that their main audience are young people,it becomes worse. By a lot. As much as the term ‘young and impressionable’ is a cliche, it’s true. If you showed Joe Goldberg to a thirty year old, aka someone with a clear sense of self, firmly set values and moral compass, they wouldn’t face the dilemma of ‘Shit! Maybe he has a point!’ and ‘Damn lock him up and throw away the key!’. Like, for example, an eighteen year old would. At the same time, the vast majority of events that unfold in the season are presented through Joe’s eyes. Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume we don’t get an objective perspective on anything. Or anyone. Which is a fairly weird choice if the aim is to show how easy it is to sympathize with a psycho given the fact that we don’t usually experience those type of people through the inner workings of their minds, but through their actions. But, that alone didn’t have to be a deal-breaker, if we had something to compare his impressions to, for good measure. Contrast is a powerful tool and its proper usage is what accentuates the main message in a movie/tv show. But who tf is Joe’s contrast. Peach? She’s about the same as he is, except for the fact that her idea of ‘helping’ Beck is using her wealth and influence in hopes she will stay by her side forever, and Joe’s is to essentially bend her to his will. Beck? I don’t think so. The only striking difference between them is how she doesn’t fit in anywhere, not her first job, not her second job, not with her friends, not with her family, not in her apartment, while Joe seems to fit in anywhere you throw him. Probably stems from the fact that Beck feels like a fraud while Joe feels everyone but him is a fraud (also part of the reason why we found the characters boring or fake, since he described them to us). His past? If anything it justifies his present actions. Paco? Joe’s mini-me? His purpose is basically to paint a picture of how an abused child grows up, so we’d find it even harder to dislike Joe. Even more so since Joe tries so hard to make life easier for him and eventually kills Paco’s abuser, which, in retrospect, justifies what he did to Mr. Mooney. Ethan? The most annoying mash up of every hipster stereotype you can think of? Barely even worth a mention. Honestly it would have been quite interesting to see the differences between how he experiences the world vs how it really is. Or maybe point out some red flags that nice-guy-by-day-murderer-by-night archetype displays, so we can spot them out. And it would also help get the point the show claims to make across. Instead, what happened was, people liked him and hated everyone else, and the show producers, writers and actors acted as if they pulled some grand prank.  ‘HaHaHa joke’s on you, even though we made him completely relatable,good-intended, smart, understandable and likable and all those other people stupid, shallow, boring and mean, he’s the shithead and you all fell for it!’ Kinda like when a three year old covers his eyes and thinks no one can see him.   I mean, the only time his portrait of Beck is questioned is when she pours her heart out to Dr Nicky and we get a glimpse of what is actually going on with her. But by that time, there’s no escaping this diluted, fantasy, basic white girl with daddy issues, attention thirsty, cheating whore, promiscuous fraud Joe’s been showing down our throats. Not only that, but up to that point, his conclusions were, one way or the other, confirmed. He didn’t like Benji, Benji turned out to be a prick. He had doubts about Peach, Peach turned out to be obsessed with Beck. He said Beck craves attention, what do you know, she has no curtains in a first floor New York apartment she can’t even afford. He says he knows what’s best for her, she becomes happier and more fulfilled when he takes over her life, until he kills, that is. The viewers don’t side with him because they really, really, actively want to, they side with him because it’s in the structure of the story. Which is reflected in the ‘Ozma of Oz’ by the way. That’s the first book of the series where Dorothy doesn’t crave Kansas anymore and Oz becomes what she wants. Much like the whole world of You is Joe’s fiction, and we are invited to abandon this world, where psychos are not desirable. Similarly, Peach and Joe both have a thing for the Oz books, specifically ‘Ozma of Oz’,they even get into a bit of a conflict over it, meaning they both want their ‘Oz’ to win. Also, another detail I consider important to the plot, is that Peach is a Salinger. Obviously not a coincidence. Salinger is known for his ‘Catcher in the Rye’ and controversial life. But mostly ‘Catcher in the Rye.’ That book is crowned *the* coming of age book, emphasizing how societies high expectations of young people and no consideration of each person as an individual put too much pressure on them that eventually leads to mental disorders. Basically, how the world ruins innocence. But on the other hand, and more interestingly, the most famous criticism calls it ‘a fictional hall or mirrors in which his own self was replicated and congratulated for its brilliance, charm and integrity over and over again.’ Doesn’t that sound familial? Isn’t every character in You just a version of Joe? Paco is a young Joe, Peach is a rich, female Joe with pedigree, Benji is a brute, rich, stupid Joe, Mr. Mooney is what Joe could have become, Dr Nicky pries into people’s lives and abuses his power (sleeping with a patient), same as Joe. Even Beck. She’s your average Joe, not taken to the extreme. And on top of that, he is congratulated for his charm, brilliance and integrity throughout the season, hence why the audiences like him over everyone else. As interesting as that may be, You asks the questions no one needs asked. And gives the wrong answer. Under which circumstances are psychos likable? How easy is it to identify with one? Can sick obsession look desirable? You says yes to all of that. And it says it to teens and preteens who are already being told that boys hit girls when they like them, so why tf not sell them on hot and sexy murderous stalkers as something to lust over? And them blame them for giving in and not their poor storytelling. Encourage your local teenagers to be better than that. See, shows like You, only thrive because they are well accepted. If young people read more books, watched more old and older movies, took more interest in understanding things in depth instead of taking them at face value, we wouldn’t have to even have the conversation ‘Why being attracted to Joe Goldberg is wrong.’ If more young people knew how may bigger, better things exist, a watered down, bland story like this wouldn’t stand a chance. And most certainly couldn’t get away with calling itself fresh, new, brilliant and provocative. My lit professor used to say ‘Every story has been already told.’ We change the names, the places, adapt it to our time, but in essence, all the love stories, the tragedies and everything else in between, have been written. Basically, everything ‘new’ draws its inspiration from somewhere, it doesn’t come from thin air. With that in mind, the more you see, read and hear, the wider your grasp on things becomes, and the easier it is to smell the bs. Which Netflix in general is full of.