#franchise: where the dead bloom

[killjoyconstruct]

Another ref for Art Fight, I'm drowning in these things

[imagopirateversion]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales; Why It Shouldn’t Exist

Or how I invested time and energy into an analysis of a relatively dead franchise instead of doing it for my actual media analysis university course.

An essay by: a bitter and obsessed PotC fan since they were 7, with a lot of free time.

Lads, this is going to be long. You have been warned.

The Beginning

At the very beginning of the movie, we see a young Henry Turner looking for his dad.

Now, we're not talking about characterization problems or how likely it is that a ten-year-old child would risk his life to look for a man he technically only saw once; we're talking about plot problems, actual logical fallacies. My questions are:

How? The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ship, impossible to be found unless She wants to be found. The only reason we see Her in Dead Man's Chest is because Davy Jones himself is looking for Jack to collect his debt, and in that occasion the Dutchman's captain wasn't even doing what he was supposed to do, so he was most definitely in the living world. Will otherwise, he's doing the job Calypso gave him, so he's constantly in between. Is the movie trying to convince me that a kid was able to do something no one in the history of piracy was ever able to do? And even if he did, why hasn't anyone explained me how? He simply looks at a map and throws himself on the bottom of the ocean. How did he know The Dutchman was there? How did he know it would've come to surface?

Where is his mom? We got to know Elizabeth in the first three movies; we know she's a smart woman and we can assume she's an attentive mother. She didn't notice her son preparing himself for a trip in the middle of the ocean to go look for his dad? Was she distracted? Was she outsmarted by a 10ish-year-old? Or is she just not contemplated in this scenario?

Why does Will look like that? Will is doing his job, so... why does he look like he's slowly corrupting? That kind of corruption is the punishment Calypso reserves to The Dutchman's crew when the captain fails her, which isn't the case. Did they forget about it? Was the idea of putting algae on Orlando Bloom's face just impossible to resist to?

Alright, this isn't actually from this movie but it's bothering me, so I have to write it; also, it would make this whole movie unnecessary, so it's somehow related to it. Why (and I can't stress this enough) can't Elizabeth be on the Dutchman? Why can't they do the job together? Is it because she's not a pirate? I'm pretty sure se actually is. Is it because she's a woman? Last time I checked she was the KING. She wants to stay with Will forever, Will wants to stay with her forever, they can literally live forever on the same ship. Why aren't they?

Whatever the Hell Happened to Jack Sparrow

Imagine creating a character that is so iconic whenever you ask a person who was a kid in the early 2000 to imagine a pirate, they imagine said character.

Now imagine fourteen years pass and you decide to ruin that character by making him the most hideous, annoying, idiotic person in the whole saga, and we're talking about a saga that has Philip the Missionary in it. Why? Jack Sparrow is THE anti-hero. Never on the right side, but never on the wrong one. You can tell he's doing something morally questionable, but you still find yourself rooting for him. He's stupid enough to make you laugh, but he's secretly clever enough to always get away with it. Now he's just... drunk. And that's not even an excuse for this horrendous new characterization, because he was always drunk. The guy FORGOT HE WAS ROBBING A BANK, the same guy just one movie earlier was able to escape from the King of England's palace and steal a lady's earring (by pretending to be a literal slut) in the process. He just switched from the iconic drunk bi bestie everyone loves to my cringe uncle that drinks too much at Christmas parties and makes everyone uncomfortable. Please, if the risk is ruining an entire generation's beloved character, either don't make the movie or find a better explanation than "Bad luck dogs you day and night".

The Pearl in The Bottle

So... what you're telling me is that Jack Sparrow, the guy who was able to defeat Hector Barbossa, Davy Jones and Blackbeard thanks to his slyness, and who loves his Black Pearl more than anything else in the world, had said ship in a bottle in his pockets for FIVE YEARS... and he never thought about breaking the bottle to free Her. That's what you're telling me. This is the pivotal point upon which the entire Jack's plot hinges. I... I don't even know what to say. Was this supposed to be funny?

What an Incredibly Lucky Coincidence

A guy needs a treasure to save his father. To find it, he needs the help of a notorious and legendary pirate. He looks for him everywhere, sailing on dozens of ships just so he has the remote chance to stumble across the pirate. The last ship he's been on has sinked, he's the only survivor. He's been found in the middle of the ocean and someone brought him to the nearest city. Which city? I mean, the one that has both the pirate he was looking for and a lady who's the only person in the whole planet who's able to find the treasure he was looking for! And, oh my... he finds the both of them! In that same city! Without even LOOKING FOR THEM! A hell of a coincidence, if you ask me. Also known as lazy writing.

What's Wrong With the Guards?

Now, I know Pirates of the Caribbean isn't exactly known for its accurate historical reconstructions, but why are the guards in this movie acting like they're some sort of hellhounds ready to kill anyone in sight? Even pirates and traitors as Jack and Henry were supposed to stand trial before being sentenced to death. It would've probably been an unjust and barbaric trial, but there should've been one. We literally saw it, in the previous movie. Why's Jack been sentenced to death for simply existing here? He gave pirate vibes and they decided that was enough?

Paul McCartney

This is not an actual point of the analysis, I just wanted to remind people that Paul McCartney is in this movie and that's the only valid reason to watch it.

Salazar

I am confused. Once again, I have questions.

El Matador Del Mar was so good at his job he had almost defeated piracy. "The last ones joined together to try and defeat me". The last what? Pirates? There were no pirates left? This happened when Jack was young, so a lot of time before the first movie, right? Where were, I don't know... Blackbeard? Davy Jones? Barbossa? All the other Pirate Lords? I might be wrong, but I guess Salazar didn't kill them, did he? Why weren't they there during that "last battle" in which "the last ones joined together"?

The Devil's Triangle. I just don't understand what's the logic behind it. So, this is a cursed place. Whoever enters there, can't get out. One would think it means that if you get there, you die; and Salazar does die, but he somehow also becomes a ghost whose only purpose is to find Jack Sparrow and have his revenge. So, do people become ghosts when they get in The Devil's Triangle? We have to assume people have gotten stuck in there before; otherwise, there wouldn't be legends around the place. So why isn't it like full of spirits ready to haunt people? Why are Salazar and his crew the only ones?

Poseidon or Calypso?

What's the Trident of Poseidon? Does Poseidon exist? Isn't Calypso the Goddess of the sea? Breaking the Trident, you break all the curses of the sea, so the Trident must be more powerful than Calypso, which leads to a question. Where is she? She IS the sea, right? So she must have known someone was about to find the Trident and brake all curses, including her one. She just decided it was okay? It really feels like someone decided to suddenly change the world's mythology without giving explanations.

The Compass

This is possibly the most blatant plot hole in the whole saga. Probably the most blatant plot hole I've ever witnessed, and man, I watched all the Harry Potter movies. In Dead Man's Chest, Jack meets Tia Dalma in her "shop" and he tells her he's looking for the Davy Jones' key. She asks him "The compass you bartered from me, it cannot lead you to this?", making another pivotal point of Dead Men Tell No Tales factually senseless.

That man couldn't have given his compass to Jack, because that wasn't his compass.

So either Salazar is lying while telling his tale or they forgot about that line in the second movie. Anyway, let's pretend that line doesn't exist; even if that captain gave Jack his compass in that exact moment, why would it be the key to free Salazar, exactly? How is the compass in any way related to The Devil's Triangle or to Salazar? In the movie, they try to explain it with a sentence: “if you betray it, your greatest fear comes true”. So, is Salazar Jack's greatest fear? I really doesn't seem right, Jack almost didn't remember Salazar when Henry mentioned him. To Jack, he's only a guy he outsmarted decades earlier. Also, Jack technically already gave the compass away, twice: to Elizabeth in Dead Man's Chest, to make her find the chest, and to Beckett in At World's End, when they're negotiating.

That's... That's Just Body Shaming, Mate

Let's talk about her. So, the woman's ugly. It can happen that a woman is ugly. Was it necessary to build an entire scene around some blatant body shaming? This scene wants to mimic the similar scene in Dead Man's Chest: Jack's on an island, running from the main villain, and he's forced to do things he doesn't want to do until someone saves him, then it was Will, now it's Hector.

Except in Dead Man's Chest it was LITERAL CANNIBALISM he was facing, and yet he looked LESS TERRIFIED and DISGUSTED. What's exactly the message here? Lads, is marrying an ugly woman worse than cannibalism? I don't know... that was just bad.

Justice for Hector Barbossa

If you know me (you probably don't, but if you do) then you know about my obsession with Hector Barbossa. I truly believe he's the best written character in the saga, and he's in my top five of the characters I love the most in all media. I watched The Curse of the Black Pearl when I was seven and I am autistic, so I had all the time to develop a literal relationship with these characters in my head. As much as Geoffrey Rush's interpretation was impeccable, as always, it really hurt to watch Hector in this movie. He just doesn't sound like him. First of all, why isn't he on the Queen Anne's Revenge? Why's he letting someone else sail around on his ships? He would've never. Why's he just sitting on a throne and shooting musicians instead of, I don't know... being a pirate? Being a pirate is the only thing that matters to him. He says it at the end of On Stranger Tides, and he even says it in this movie, to the witch. "I'm a pirate. Always will be".

So, why isn't he pirating? What happened to him? And what about the pact with the witch? He made her curse all his enemies; that's honestly the most out-of-character thing he could've done.

Seriously, watch this movie, and then The Curse of the Black Pearl and tell me he sounds like he's the same character. Then there’s his death... was it necessary? And I don't mean if it was necessary to the plot (it wasn't), but the way he died, did it make sense? He takes the sword and sacrifices himself to kill Salazar, but WHY? Salazar was back a mortal. They could've brought him to surface and then shoot him. What was the point of his death, Disney? I will never forgive you.

I would've preferred if they never showed him again. He's alive and living his best life in Tortuga, if you ask me.

How does Carina Smyth exist?

Let's do the maths. Carina Smyth has approximately the same age as Henry Turner, who was born around nine moths after the end of At World's End. At the end of that movie, Barbossa once again stole the Black Pearl (he's iconic we stan a legend), so we have to assume it is during that time (between the At World's End and On Stranger Tides) that he conceives Carina. He stays with this woman during the whole pregnancy, bacause he says he was there when she died. So nine months, at least, right? Except; Jack makes it clear that he and Barbossa met Carina's mom, Margaret, together.

When, exactly, did this happen? It can't be between On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales, because Hector himself says only five years passed between the two, and Carina doesn't look like a five-year-old;

it can't be between At World's End and On Stranger Tides, because we know Jack and Barbossa weren't together, and Hector was too busy losing a leg and planning his revenge by working for the King of England; it can't be during At World's End, because Barbossa was too busy rescuing Jack and then slaying (literally and metaphorically) Beckett's men to save piracy; it can't be during Dead Man's Chest, because he was dead; it can't be during The Curse of the Black Pearl, nor during the ten years before it, because he was... he was a skeleton, I hardly believe he could reproduce, despite what’s written in some fanficions; it can't be before, of course, because Carina would be too old. The only chance, but it's a stretch, is that Hector and Jack met this Margaret Smyth years and years before, and that at a certain point (while he was still busy slaying, losing a leg or planning his revenge), for some reason he decided to come back to her and accidentally had a daughter. That would mean that Jack remembered Margaret Smyth's name DECADES after he met her.

The Post-Credit Scene: What?

WHY'S DAVY JONES BACK? The Trident technically broke all the curses of the sea. He is THE cursed man of the sea. AND HE'S DEAD. The only answer I was able to give me, is that the moment the Trident broke the curses, the curse that said if you stab his heart he dies was also broken, so he technically didn't die, but it makes even less sense, because if the curses just aren't real anymore, then a man shouldn't be able to... carve out his heart and put it in a chest, right? (Which by the way, makes Will Turner being alive senseless as well). Even if so, Davy should've come back as a human.

My conclusion is that this movie should not exist, and we, as a community, should pretend it was never made. Hector is alive. Bye.

Imago

[absolutebl]

Welcome to Tumblr BL Fandom - Here’s Your Primer

memes, insider trading & obsession meta post

The Death Stairs 

They haunt us. These same stairs constantly pop up in Thai BLs and we worry that someone is going to die on them (or fuck on them, or both).

BL origin = unknown, we only recently started tracking them (but the actual origin of the death stairs is 99 Home Studio117, RPC6+JM3 ซอย รามอินทรา 117 Min Buri, Bangkok 10510, Thailand. It appears to be a house rented out for filming. Honestly? They should AirBnB that level of fame. I’d rent it, buy a cactus and a chili plant, just for the photo op.)  

Rain Makes BL Boys Sick

For which the only solution is a sponge bath administered by another boy with a bowl of water and a damp white towel.

We don’t make the rules, the BL gods do. 

origin of the rain=fever = cultural

BL origin for the sponge bath = 2014′s Love Sick

The gayest bridge in Thailand

The Rama VII Bridge has appeared in so many Thai BLs - boys kiss on it and in front of it... A LOT. 

BL origin = SOTUS 2016  

Honor the Crumbs

Side dishes given very little screen time always end up being everyone’s favorites (especially in the pulps). Also falls under side dish syndrome. This is mostly a Thai BL thing, since they’re usually the BLs featuring more than one couple. (Taiwan is getting there, tho.)  

BL origin = @heretherebedork

The Engineering Department is Gay (also Pink Milk) 

The hot Thai boy in the engineering smock (red or blue) is either gay or a chaos bisexual. There are no exceptions. 

BL origin = SOTUS 2016 

Korea’s BL bubble 

A world where queer is simply accepted and a hostile society doesn’t exist. ​

Origin, probably Strongberry’s 2017-2018 shorts, but best known starters are 2020′s Mr Heart & Wish You

Namgoong award for best wingman 

Supportive straight(ish) besties! Appear throughout BL history, but really reached peak awesome with Namgoong, so a collection of us just started saying “thank you, Namgoong” whenever this archetype shows up. 

BL origin, Light on Me 

Korea’s BL formula 

(1 short Kpop idol + 1 tall actor / random separation in the last half of the final episode) x a small cast = KBL (usually 6-8 episodes totaling under 2 hrs)

BL origin, 2015′s The Lover 

Korean male beauty ideals here. 

Korea figured out boys can kiss 

To be fair Strongberry always knew this and Just Friends? gave it to us in 2005, it’s just they forgot for a while. A long while. 

origin = Korean 2022 BL

speaking of... 

Dead fish kisses

This tradition carried for years by Japan’s light BL, early Thai BL like Love Sick, & then Korea. It took Thailand’s 2016 BL (specifically elder gods KarnNut & MaxTul) to start breaking this curse. Could be argued that Ohm in 2016′s Make it Right also paved the way (while BoomPeak exemplify dead fish kissing). 

origin = early 2000s JBL when it was still known as Live Action Yaoi 

Taiwan = the kings of high heat 

Taiwan always serves up the most consistent and authentic chemistry, kisses, and higher heat. Thailand has it as well, but isn’t as consistent about it. 

BL origin = 2017 HIStory franchise and every Taiwanese BL since (although Eternal Summer probably started it in 2006) 

Taiwan’s marriage equality 

Taiwan was the first to feature sanctioned gay marriage in a BL, the first to depict queer engagements - and they regularly like to remind us that it’s legal there. As they should. 

BL origin = HIStory 2: Right or Wrong 2017 

Thailand’s food = love

Lovers cook, serve, feed, and/or eat together. Always. At least something along these lines in every Thai BL. 

origin, well just Thailand in general (and Asia to be fair), but probably SOTUS & Love Sick 

Vietnam’s domesticity

Vietnam always depicts at least some of their characters in a home environment, with family life, adopted kids, and more.

BL origin = Tein Bromance Extra

Cactus baby (and chili plant younger sibling) 

Hilariously a cactus plant was deployed as a courting gift, spy device, and blooming representation of sexual awakening in MaxTul vehicle Manner of Death. Tumblr adopted that cactus baby. 

BL origin = Manner of Death 2021

What China Did 

Massive wholesale censorship curtailed/abruptly cut short multiple shows in progress in 2016-2017. Also resulted in rewriting and reshooting of those in production, and more weird and invidious things. This also showed up as a purge (and likely persecution) of Chinese queer vloggers on YouTube, the imprisonment of several danmai authors, and eventually the censored bromances we now get today. 

BL origin victim = Addicted, Advance Bravely, etc...

Japan’s lanes 

Japan’s propensity to lean in favor of either

sweet, campy, and very low heat live action yaoi shot in a manga style with HEA, or 

dark, gritty high heat queer cinema and pinks shot in an atmospheric style with tragic endings 

BL origin, Boys Love 2006 & Takumi-kun 2007 

History of Japanese BL here and the weeds of Japanese BL here. 

#In Strongberry We Trust 

Small, queer, Korean production house Strongberry had been producing short form pro-queer KBL successfully for years, long before larger studios picked BL up. But when they transitioned to long form in 2022, we were a little scared they wouldn’t stick the landing. #InStrongberryWeTrust became our mantra.

BL origin = Choco Milk Shake 2022 

Faen Fatal(e) 

A side character, usually an ex-girlfriend but occasionally an ex-boyfriend, whose sole purpose is as a plot device to drive a wedge between the leads, or cause jealousy. 

BL origin = Love Sick

The Thai BL Pulps

Very low budget BL with terrible sound, crazy soapy plots, and earnest acting.

BL origin = Make It Right 2016 (term coined by @heretherebedork​ & self) 

The Mame effect 

AKA #oh mame must you? 

The mameverse features great characters, killer actor chemistry, and higher heat combined with terrible damaging tropes and non-sensical plot devices.

BL origin = TharnType (although technically started in Love By Chance) 

The 2 Moons Curse 

When a popular BL franchise struggles to survive over one season and keeps having to recast the leads. 

BL origin = 2Moons original 2017 

Dread Episode 11 

AKA Doom of Ep 11

Explained here. 

Golden Rules of BL 

Never trust: 

a Thai trailer, 

a Viki Category, 

a Vietnamese sub, 

an MDL description, 

a Taiwanese title, 

Japan, 

or a BL made before 2014.

Origin = me over the years 

BLoundary Test: has the seme ever respected a single boundary?

BLechdel Test. 2 ukes discuss something that is not their seme(s). Also uke indicates actual interest in sex in a relationship.

(source)

okay what did I forget? 

[s10127470]

Franchise Idea: Nickelodeon Kingdoms

What you're seeing right now is actually real.

This is the official title card for an online Nickelodeon game called Nick Kingdoms, released back in 2014.

The premise of that game is that it's set in a fantasy world where various Nickelodeon shows (specifically those from the Nicktoons line-up) co-exist as separate kingdoms.

As you could tell by the title card, you can see various Nickelodeon from around that time being completely redesigned from this whole new universe!

SpongeBob looks like a pirate captain.

The Breadwinners look like they're part of a biker gang.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles look rightfully like they came from feudal Japan.

Bloom looks like she came right out of a fairytale world.

And Sanjay and Craig look like absolute party animals.

And after stumbling upon this after nearly a decade, I couldn't help but think....

Or more importantly, why didn't Nick do more with this game.

All the shows you see represented here were the only ones that were.

After 2014, they never updated the game, most likely because it's a online game that can only be accessed through the Nickelodeon website.

And it really sucks because it would've been cool to see them add other notable Nick shows to this world.

And since I'm bored and I have nothing better to do today, I thought of the idea of Nickelodeon bringing this forgotten game back from the dead.

But not as a mobile game or even a video game, but instead as an entire franchise.

It would kind be like how Disney has multiple franchises under their belts involving their original animated films like The Disney Princesses and Disney Villains.

It would be cool to see a company like Nickelodeon having a entire franchise based around their huge catalog of IPs....

Which I don't think they've ever done before.

Sure the IPs themselves are basically franchises in their own rights, but Nick hasn't had a franchise that used them all together.

Anyway, sit back and grab a snack and follow me as I take you all on a journey through the new and improved world of.....

Nickelodeon Kingdoms!

For this post, I'm gonna list some shows (both notable and virtually obscure) from the Nicktoons line-up and share how they would be represented as kingdoms for this franchise.

As for the ones that were already in the game, they would be expand on a bit.

SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob's kingdom in the original game was presented as sort of a pirate-themed version of the Bikini Bottom. For this franchise, the pirate theming would be ever stronger here. In fact, SpongeBob's kingdom would be based in a part of the ocean filled with tropical islands that are brimming with pirates, both human and aquatic. SpongeBob's kingdom would draw heavy influence from The Caribbean, specifically during the Golden Age of Piracy.

The Fairly Oddparents: The Fairly Oddparents' kingdom would be presented as a mixture between Dimmsdale and Fairy World. It's architecture would be a mixture between fantastical and modern, it would be inhabited by humans, fairies and other fantasy creatures, and it would based high up in the clouds.

Rugrats: The Rugrats' kingdom would be a presented as a prehistoric metropolis in the veins of The Flintstones. The prehistoric theming would be a reference to Reptar. The land the kingdom is based in would be surrounded by various environments commonly found in prehistoric-themed media: grasslands, jungles, swamps, lagoons, volcanic mountains, polar regions, and bone-filled wastelands.

Ren and Stimpy: Ren and Stimpy's kingdom would be city heavily inspired by various locations in Canada. This would serve as a reference to the duo's famous role as Canadian Kilted Yaksmen.

Aaahh, Real Monsters!: The Real Monsters' kingdom would be presented as a junkyard city inhabited by monsters.

Angry Beavers: The Angry Beavers' kingdom would be presented as a forest-themed metropolis inhabited by slightly anthropomorphic forest animals.

Hey Arnold!: Hey Arnold's kingdom would be presented a urban metropolis with a heavy sports-theming. This would be a nod to the fact that in the show, one of Arnold and his friends favorite passtime was playing sports.

Jimmy Neutron: Jimmy Neutron's kingdom would be presented as a floating futuristic version of Retroville (smack-dabbed in the atmosphere) with a 1950s theming. This would be a perfect combination of the many out-of-this-world adventures Jimmy and his friends have gone on, and the 50s-styled town they live in.

The Wild Thornberrys: The Wild Thornberrys' kingdom would be presented as being themed around colonial Africa....but minus the problematic elements. The land would be presented with a colonial town, multiple tribal villages, and landscapes like savannahs, jungles, swamps, and deserts. Admittedly, coming up with a kingdom based around the Wild Thornberrys was a pretty tricky concept since the family travels all over the world. But one of the many locations they've traveled to, I believe Africa has been the one they've visited the most, so I felt like that would be best place to based the kingdom around. As for the colonial theming, I felt it would help give the kingdom a safari theme to fit perfectly with the show.

Rocket Power: Rocket Power's kingdom would be a mixture between the California seaside-town Ocean Shores and Hawaii. I feel like having the kingdom be a mix between California surf culture and Polynesian culture would be perfect for a kingdom based around Rocket Power, given that the latter has played a major part in a show.

Invader Zim: Invader Zim's kingdom would literally just be an Irken version of the City that the show mostly takes place in. Essentially it would be best of both worlds. Yeah, I don't really have much to say to this place.

ChalkZone: ChalkZone's kingdom is basically just ChalkZone, except it's also inhabited by regular humans.

My Life as a Teenage Robot: My Life as a a Teenage Robot's kingdom would be a futuristic version of Tremorton. Yeah....I pretty much made the town that was sort of anti-robotic into a futuristic community. Talk about ironic.

Danny Phantom: Danny Phantom's kingdom would presented as creepy, gothic version of Amity Park, surrounded like various haunted lands. These lands would be inhabited by ghosts and other supernatural creatures, and have environments themed around the major ghost that reside there. Like a savage jungle for Skulker, an Arabian-style kingdom and desert for Desiree, a 1950s-style town for Johnny 13 and Sidney Poindexter, etc.

Avatar: I don't even need to explain this one.

El Tigre: El Tigre's kingdom would be a version of Miracle City that's a mixture between colonial and Mesoamerican Mexico. Giving that show has presented architecture from both eras of Mexican eras (especially the latter), I felt a even more extreme combination of both would be perfect for a kingdom based on the show.

Back at the Barnyard: Back at the Barnyard's kingdom would be presented as a rural country town akin to the ones found in the American Southwest and Deep South, inhabited by humans and talking farm animals ala Bojack Horseman. Yeah, that's kind of about it.

Tak and the Power of Juju: I don't even need to explain this one either.

The Mighty B: The Mighty B's kingdom would be a bee-themed version of San Francisco. Basically imagine the bee city from the Bee Movie and that's what you got.

Fanboy and Chum Chum: Fanboy and Chum Chum's kingdom would be an icy version of Galaxy Hills, as a nod to the show's well-known (and only) superhero, Man-Arctica.

T.U.F.F. Puppy: T.U.F.F. Puppy's kingdom would be basically Petropolis mixed with Zootopia. Please don't sue me Disney.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The TMNT's kingdom in the game was presented as metropolis that was a mixture between New York City and feudal Japan. And yeah, that theming would still be present.

Sanjay and Craig: Sanjay and Craig's kingdom in the game was presented as a version of Lundgren, but with a heavy focus on partying with stuff like amusement parks and music concerts. And just the TMNT kingdom, that theming would still be present.

Breadwinners: The Breadwinners' kingdom in the game was essentially Pondgea....but the same as it was in the show. But this time, the kingdom would be presented as a chain of various islands based around aquatic ecosystems like swamps, bayous, forests, rainforests, etc.

Harvey Beaks: Harvey Beaks' kingdom would essentially be the Bigbark Woods, but with a fantasy twist to it. Imagine Knothole from the Archie Sonic comics and that's what you got.

Well that's all for now!

I know I left some major Nicktoons out like Rocko's Modern Life and The Loud House, but that's because I couldn't quite think of what their kingdoms would be like.

If you have any idea or suggestions on what their kingdoms should be like, let me know in the comments.

[littlechaoticwitch]

Winx Club Rewrite: Season 5/Final Season

I understand this is me being very late to the party, but that's pretty on-brand for me at this point lol

A few years ago, I started to work on a possible rewrite for Fate: The Winx Saga but it soon became this monstrous project of rewriting the entire franchise. Because while this series is one of my beloved childhood series, it is also very messy with its world-building and plotlines, as well being done dirty over and over again by its countless reboots. As much as I would have loved to create a full-on alternative universe like the ones I've seen on tumblr for years, it just took up so much of my time that could have been spent on other projects and it was starting to feel more like a chore than anything else. Eventually, I did create some fashion boards for how to translate their outfits from the show into real life, and wrote up some concept ideas for their live-action costumes, which led to me just writing up the notes I had for the rewrite to share them with y'all.

Some of these ideas were inspired by other people's rewrite of the series, some of these ideas came to me while writing this up, and a lot of these are my attempt to make sense of Winx Club's fucked-up lore. While these were originally written with a live-action reboot in mind, these could also work for an animated reboot targeted for teens/young adults.

This is probably the extent I'll do for any sort of Winx Club rewrite, but it was still fun!

-The Shadow Phoenix is an ancient creature, born the same time as the Dragon Flame to act as its natural opposite. One cannot exist without the other, and even when the Shadow Phoenix fled during their last battle, its presence lingers with the creation of the Ancestral Witch. In the end, despite being released from the box to possess a suit of armor, the heroes are able to defeat it by using a convergence spell which destroys the armor, before using a spell of holy magic to burn the Shadow Phoenix's essence away. Even after being defeated by the Winx Club, it is mentioned by Daphne how it can never truly be destroyed, only disappearing for a long time and letting its essence roam the galaxy once more. She also mentions how they are lucky he used an empty suit of armor for his "body", as a vessel made of flesh and blood would have been impossible to defeat….

-Beatrice returns, with the mysterious box from two seasons prior, which contains the essence of the Shadow Phoenix. After killing Eldora and stealing the Legendarium, she uses the book as a way to distract the Winx Club long enough while she finds the pieces of Lord Andreas' armor for the Shadow Phoenix to possess. In the end, she is killed by Bloom but shows no remorse for her crimes.

-Instead of being a villain, Selina is an anti-hero who wishes to get the Legendarium back. Her and Roxy were close friends growing up, to the point they even had the same babysitter whenever their parents were at work. But the two had a falling out before high school, so Selina further isolated herself into studying witchcraft. When the Winx came to Earth to find the last fairy, the two old friends briefly run into each other, but Selina ran away before anything could be said. In that moment, she learned Eldora had been found dead and the Legendarium had been stolen, so Selina vowed to find the murderer. At first, she refuses the Winx's help and acts cold, often preferring to work by herself; over time, the Winx are able to convince her to let them help out, where she decides to repair her friendship with Roxy.

-Fun Facts about Selina: Her mother was the last guardian before disappearing, so she resents the book for being forced into this role. She is a follower of Loki, and like most witches (both on Earth and in the Magical Dimension), her magical abilities are not easily defined (she is technically a Green Witch who dabbles in shadow and literary magic, but she is open to all forms of witchcraft). Her family is from Ireland, she is three years younger than Bloom, and she has naturally blonde hair, but it becomes green when she transforms.

-Eldora was a witch who babysat both Roxy and Selina when they were younger, but since Roxy's magical core had been hidden by her mother, she sensed the magical potential in Selina instead. The two had a close bond, with Eldora filling in the space left by Selina's mother, but she was murdered when trying to keep the Legendarium from falling into the wrong hands.

-The Legendarium is a powerful artifact, one from Earth's past life as a realm full of magical beings and mystical creatures. Created by a family full of witches, the tomb was meant to capture and seal away all the evil creatures which threatened humanity. Despite going into hiding when the Hunters began their attack on all magi-users, the family was able to keep the Legendarium out of their hands, passing the book down through the generations.

-Bloomix's new name is Mythix, which is a reference to the fairy-tale theme of the final season, the mythical power of the Dragon Flame, and how each girl performs an act of mythical standards. For the most part, each girl keeps their canon design but there are a few changes: Aisha's form has more a green hue with silver accents (with her having long, dark brown loc'd ponytail somewhat similar to her canon Mythix hairstyle), Tecna's form is purple with powder blue accents, Musa's form is a deep red with gold accents, Flora's form is pink with green accents, and Stella gains the high, wavy pigtails Aisha has in her canon Bloomix design. Each girl earns Mythix in a way that is befitting of a mythical story, though Bloom is an exception, since she was not hit with the attack that cause the others to lose their magic. But she did give up a piece of the Dragon Flame to her friends, causing her to slowly lose the ability to transform, and she soon becomes weak, as the Dragon Flame was a part of her soul; she earns her Mythix by saving Icy when she is thrown into the Vortex of Flames, which was seen as the greatest punishment on Domino. Musa earns her form by stopping the Fossegrim from taking over the Golden Auditorium, Stella earns her form by embracing her moon powers to fight off the Children of the Night, Aisha earns her form by stopping the Dark Sirens from corrupting her mother, Flora earns her form by keeping back the frozen curse sent by the Ice Queen, and Tecna earns her form by stopping Frankenstein's Monster from shutting down Zenith's power core.

-The girls do not go into the Legendarium World, but they can defeat the Shadow Phoenix by repairing the Ancestral Wand (which once belonged to the Ancestral Witch before she was corrupted by dark magic)

-Icy returns, with her dreams of possessing the Dragon Flame being a thing of the past. She has one last conversation with Bloom, admitting she only sought power to undo the pain she felt at seeing Aster Dell fall before her eyes, and she apologizes for causing Bloom so much pain back during her first year. With Jade once again the crowned heir, the two have finally entered a relationship (despite Jade's parents being against the union) and the two plan on turning Eraklyon into a safe, warm kingdom in honor of Domino's memory.

-Darcy and Stormy also have returned, with the former starting a healing practice back on Melody, while the latter is helping out with dance classes on Andros.

[seancekitsch]

Hi could I possibly request a Richie kirsch X reader where the reader finds out he's ghostface and doesn't know how to feel about it at first but ends up warming up to the idea and actually ends up finding it kinda sexy.

It can be your choice if you want to make it nsfw or not 😄

I could talk him out of it, you once thought while sorting through all of his self tapes and short films. 

I could call my friend that lives in Studio City and see if she knows of any early news on internships or…

Selfishly, you thought about it and never did it. Calling her would mean a chance of that internship not being a long shot, would mean Richie moving far away from here and from you. You don’t touch your phone at all while you re-organize his footage. 

I could call his dad, you also think, while downloading all of the completed scenes onto a usb stick. You’d had his dad’s number practically on speed dial since that incident at your twenty first birthday. The infamous night when your roommate had dragged you out to the first and only club you’d been to in your life, when Richie held your drink while you waited in the bathroom line, when he drank your drink assuming he could just by you another. Your drink, that someone along the way had roofied. 

His dad could help me stop this, you think, but again you don’t pick up your phone until you’re in your car to go to work picking out a spotify playlist for the ride. 

A pit grows in your stomach and doesn’t stop until the car reaches Woodsboro. You breathe deeply, eyes screwed shut and trying to pretend this isn’t happening.

“Hey,” Sam calls, reaching into the backseat to grab your knee, “We’ll be back in Modesto in no time.”

If only she knew. 

You smile, hoping the nervousness doesn’t show in your eyes as you look to Richie. Handsome Richie, whose hard drives you have all backed up in your bag and ready to go in case anything… you try not to think about it. You think only of your handsome friend who’s been here for you through it all and you’ll be here for him through this. 

“Do you remember that one we shot for a film project? The one where I had you finish off Ghostface with a home made spear? And then you suggested it should be the pool cue your character was using earlier in the footage?” Richie’s voice makes you jump in the hallway of the hospital. It’s late night and the lights are dim. It’s eerie, like Richie’s plan didn’t need to be a thing to make this a horror movie. 

“Yeah? What about it?” you scrunch your nose at him, genuinely unsure of why he’s bringing this up now. That was your favorite of the short films you'd made with him. He was the director as well as Ghostface, of course. You were the final girl. It was a little obvious, not your best work. Ghostface was the Final girl's boyfriend and she had to kill him but it was a memory held near and dear to your heart. It was when everything clicked and fell into place with Richie. Now that everything is real, now that you’re here, the apprehension you felt has started to dissolve. A mist around you and Richie disperses. You’re looking at him through fresh eyes even though he’s been your best friend since middle school theater. Richie has only looked more and more stressed, more tense here. 

“Thats when I knew about you. That’s how I knew you’d be the new final girl of my new franchise.”

He leaves it at that, and shortly after, there’s a few more dead bodies in the hospital.

It’s you that swipes Tara’s inhaler. It’s a brilliant idea, one that even Richie overlooked. He said he needed a reason to get them back to Amber’s house, and you made it happen. He thanked you and hugged you tighter than a friend should, but what blooms in you is not the butterflies and roses you expected, but bitter jade jealousy. You’ve wanted to be like this for so long; You actively daydream of having Richie wrap his arms around you just like this but you can't stop yourself from wanting to tear his head off because of the fact that Amber, his co-conspirator, will not stop looking at him. Anytime she looks at you she looks with the same disdain as she does for Sam. As if you're one and the same.

She has no idea you're helping her by helping Richie.

"It's you and me," Richie says, his injured arm being the one to wrap around you, "Its only us getting out of here. You're my muse."

Amber and all of her glares has no idea that he's planning on double crossing her for you. A certain pride swells in your chest at that. Nothings changed from before you came. Maybe an internship and a move can be in the cards for you...

"You and me," you echo, nodding and leaning into his embrace, "And you're my director."

You're holding your side as you talk to the police in the ambulance, but you can barely focus on anything past keeping your story straight. Not when Richie lies ten feet away in a stretcher, throat torn open and staring only at you. Your eyes meet and everything clicks into place. The way you found it sexy when he chased you up the stairs with a knife in his hand, the way he jeered at Sam for thinking that she was safe with him, the way he so easily pinned everything on the dead. Sam might have gotten a stab on you, but you had gotten the upper hand.

Hell, he might even be staring at Sam's blood matted into your hair.

But then your eyes meet and it's like they make it feel in the movies. It feels like in When Harry met Sally when they realize they were meant to be, that all these years of friendship melted into more.

"She twisted the knife, officer," not a lie, until you open your mouth again "She called me a fool for walking into a horror movie."

But with Ritchie's weak attempt at a smile being thrown in your direction, its more like you walked into a rom-com.

[tiptapricot]

Gonna wait a few weeks to post this on ao3 so any of my subs don’t get spoiled but had to get somth short out after JW4, so here that is. Please don’t read if you haven’t seen the movie/series thus far but plan to! It’s truly a masterpiece and adds such an interesting new entry to the JW franchise, and is best going into blind. With that, enjoy :-)

Epilogue: Epitaph

Summary: What is left behind after four chapters of life.

The headstone sits under the trees, simple and grey, side by side with its companion.

Loving husband, it reads. The name doesn’t matter, even if someone knows it.

Loving husband.

That’s all they need to know.

The headstone is greeted by a dog every afternoon, led on the end of a leash by a circling group of friends and employees. Some dress in uniforms, some in brown tweeds, some in silks and satin. They let the dog sniff around and lay in the grass, and it rolls over as if the sky itself could reach down to rub its belly. The dog is happy.

Visitors come on their own, too. Some in pairs, some alone.

A woman throws a bloody knife at the foot of the headstone one day, her eyes damp and angry, and mutters something about failure before turning towards the road and leaving. A man with a heavy backpack picks it up an hour later, dabbing the red from the glass like he’s cleaning a friend’s face. He brings a dog too. This man says nothing, but he sets his hand on the stone for a moment, thoughtful, before nodding in a quick goodbye.

Birds.

The lights of New York.

Night is dark and quiet, crickets chirping softly, the haze of car horns drifting across the water. The earth stays still, unmoving. The dead are gone.

Helen’s family visits, a few cousins and aunts and a handful of old friends. They bring flowers, and seem surprised to find she isn’t alone. They share a few solemn smiles, and pull some blooms out of the bouquet for him.

The sun is warm, orange and yellow as it seeps away, the nights getting longer.

New York experiences another war in the fall. Gang fights, the city calls it, but the table screams of insurrection. Hundreds visit the headstone during the chaos, some to whisper prayers, others to hiss threats of revenge and bloodshed, others still to plead for the blessing of an idea.

John Wick, they read.

A man is shot three paces from the graves. He dies before he can reach them.

John Wick, they mutter under their breath.

Someone presses their forehead so hard against the words it leaves red lines in their skin.

John Wick, the martyr.

The Table is picked off one by one, fresh meat hung before it can get appointed. Hundreds of pencils are stuck in the dirt as an offering, and aren’t plucked away nearly as fast.

John Wick, the traitor.

A person in grey spits on ground before the headstone, mouth curled in unimaginable distaste. They watch to see if he will be resurrected before their eyes, if he will spring to life and destroy the world once again. He does not.

John Wick, the one who could fight back.

The streets quiet. The universe is reborn.

Loving husband.

A pair of ladybugs make a meandering trail over the curve of the G, wings fluttering, shells bumping. Fallen leaves make soft homes on the granite.

The man with the backpack and the dog visits again. He talks about a plot of land in the countryside, a lake and a cabin and beautiful trees. He sounds breathless and happy as he laughs and worries the scar on his hand. “Thank you.” His dog sniffs around the edge of the stone and goes to pee against the tree, and the man ruffles her fur fondly. He waves before he goes, and he doesn’t come back.

It rains through winter, mud sticking to the shoe soles of passersby. Hardly anyone visits, besides two old friends, and an old dog. The umbrellas they hold make a pattering sound. They bring a drink to share on his birthday, and reminisce about the good times.

Someone plants daisies around the headstone just before spring. They sprout up against the rigid line where it meets the earth, and pillow out to connect to its partner.

Loving wife, the other reads.

The words lay there quietly, statements to no one in particular, and they rest warm in their flowerbed.

They rest.

[nwoownews]

Can an A.I. Van Gogh Help Museums Generate New Interest?

Vincent van Gogh has been surprisingly busy for a dead man.

His paintings have featured in major museum exhibitions this year. Immersive theaters in cities like Miami and Milan bloom with projections of his swirling landscapes. His designs now appear on everything from sneakers to doormats, and a recent collaboration with the Pokémon gaming franchise was so popular that buyers stampeded at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, forcing it to suspend selling the trading cards in the gift shop.

But one of the boldest attempts at championing van Gogh’s legacy yet is at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris, where a lifelike doppelgänger of the Dutch artist chats with visitors, offering insights into his own life and death (replete with machine-learning flubs).

for more trending news - https://nwoow.com/category/trending-news/

[darkpoisonouslove]

It took less than an hour to come up with those ideas and write them out. I wish I could write the story as fast as I get the ideas!

My perfectionist ass is having a hard time with that but it's getting better. All skills need exercise and maintenance after all.

This is the thing that annoys me the most about the whole thing! Not only did SotLK (and every subsequent installment of the franchise) really drop the ball on the whole situation with Domino, but the fandom also seems to not grasp how devastating the whole situation is as it is and this is one of the better ways it could go. There is a ton of issues that went ignored by canon - not the least of which the fact that Bloom's family was torn apart and she's a total stranger to her parents (and even to Daphne) and vice versa. Just because the planet was revived doesn't magically remove all the consequences that would come from the years it was an arctic desert and its inhabitants were trapped in Obsidian and the same goes for Daphne and her experience of being incorporeal. Honestly, if season 4 wanted to go a more mature route, it should have concerned itself with the political and economic situation in the Magic Dimension now that Domino is back while Bloom tries to navigate the unfamiliarity of her parents and her new position as princess. And then in season 6 when Daphne was revived, that plot line could have been continued and been intertwined with Daphne dealing with all of her trauma (rather than being taught which of her feet is which (I take -10 brain damage every time I remember season 6)) in order to be able to function as a part of her family and in her position of Crown Princess. There is so much material to work with even if you do things in simpler terms because "it's a kids show". Daphne being revived and adapting back to her life would have not only been a good choice but would have made the show so much better and people need to realize that the concept in itself is bursting with potential but it's the execution that has failed which has been a consistent problem with the show, sometimes even in the earlier seasons. I'm tired of reading the same poorly thought out and incorrect reasoning for Daphne to stay dead.

Oh, and regarding what you said about the idolization and dehumanization of the victors in THG - that's also how the Winx fandom sees Daphne. I have seen so many people complain that season 6 Daphne is nothing like the regal nymph from the first seasons which is true, of course, but then suddenly that leads to the conclusion that even if her character had been handled well, she still wouldn't be the ethereal nymph from the first seasons if brought back (which is also true) so therefore she should stay dead (what the fuck is wrong with everyone?). Somewhere along the road the concept of girlbossing got so warped that now being a god-like apparition is better and more important than... getting to live as an interesting human being with flaws and struggles that make the story more engaging? Okay then.

(This could even be a plot point - about how Daphne feels like she sacrificed some of her power/essence in order to get to live again (because I imagine she would have adopted some parts of this ethereal-like identity formed by others' perceptions of her) as in failing in her role as a nymph maybe, which is only made worse when combined with the fact that she has to deal with not having the Dragon Fire anymore after she gave it to Bloom. Only for Marion and Oritel to not care one bit and just be so grateful that they have their daughter back because to them she's always been their little girl first and foremost and their heir second. It could all lead to a great conclusion to Daphne's identity crisis where she finds a better way to balance her image as Domino's Crown Princess and a nymph with her own needs as a person.)

I actually bought the books with my first ever paycheck! I had read them the summer after 8th grade but I got them from the library back then and when I found a job, I promised myself that would be the first thing that I will buy with the money that I earned myself. That was before TBOSAS came out but I did reread them again after watching the movie because they ARE so good! And now I've bought the TBOSAS book too (but am yet to read it).

3, 6, 19 and 21 for Valtor and 2, 4 and 25 for Daphne from the character ask game? 🙏

Thanks for the questions!

Valtor:

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

How overpowered he is. This is literally the crux of pretty much every issue with him. I'm going to take them one at a time.

First off, it is ridiculously easy for him to just get what he wants. He barely encounters any obstacles at all, especially when the Winx aren't there to fight him. This creates inconsistencies with the backstory. If it is this easy for him to steal magic and he's so powerful, it is hardly believable that he wasn't doing this before he was imprisoned or that if he was doing it, the Company were able to limit the damage he'd do (especially since the leftover Company members seem so powerless against him in the present when they should be even stronger as fighters after the 17 years they've had to acquire wisdom, experience and to develop their magical abilities further; make it make sense!). And not just that. The idea that he can just waltz into both CT and Alfea, take over the first and dispose of the head of the latter, not to mention what he did on every other world he set foot on, erases any kind of stakes from the story. It implies that he cannot be stopped by the authorities. So why is he hiding then instead of taking over the world since nothing has given us the indication that there is a force that could stop him? Leaving that issue aside, he just succeeds too easily, which makes everyone else look like weak, incompetent morons and doesn't help him either. Most of the places he robs of their magic were hardly protected at all when making him struggle a little but still succeed and outsmart his enemies would have done much more to highlight his power and cunning. They just go about building him up as a threat in the wrong way.

Secondly, he starts to unravel so badly from 3x18 onwards. The minute they introduced the Agador Box, it was game over for him and his credibility as a villain. This might seem to go against the idea that he's overpowered as the Box seemed to be a plot device demonstrating that he, too, is limited. But the truth is that nothing they'd shown before has given us any indication that power could ever become too much for him. The Box doesn't make sense when his goal was always to collect power and he himself never gave any indication that he was getting overloaded in order to foreshadow his need for it. The truth is that they needed a way for Winx to defeat him after they went overboard with his abilities and the Box was pretty much it. All his spells go in, then with the help of some fairy dust all his spells go out. Boom! Problem solved. By a cheap plot to get rid of the virtually invincible villain they created. If they'd set some limits from the start, this literally never would have been an issue. I'd actually argue that it makes way more sense for him to come with preexisting limits installed by the Ancestral Witches. After all, they wouldn't want their creation somehow amassing enough power to overthrow them and possibly kill them. It would have given him something to overcome and been a much more organic way to keep him at a power level that wouldn't require them to turn him into a pathetic wet cat for the Winx to be able to defeat him.

And lastly, I think his invulnerability contributes the most to people misinterpreting him. I have seen Valtor stans swearing up and down that he is composure personified and so in control of himself, which just... isn't true. Valtor is calm and collected for the majority of the season not because that is who he is as a character but because there is nothing that can oppose him and truly stand in his way. Think about any instance when something doesn't go like he wants it to, be it mind-controlled Ediltrude and Zarathustra telling him Griffin is trying to escape in 3x11, the Winx and their teachers failing his plan to kill Bloom in 3x14 or the Trix laughing at him in 3x25. His instant reaction is violent anger (less so in 3x11 but super evident in both of the other examples). Really, his composure is proportionally tied to his excessive power that no one else can challenge. And in those last episodes when it becomes clear his power is not going to be enough, he's not unraveled completely yet because he's exploiting everyone else's emotional weaknesses such as siccing the Trix on Bloom in 3x22 under guise of letting them fix their mistake from 3x20 and lying to Bloom he's absorbed her parents into his body in 3x23 to save his skin. He still believes that he can win because he's holding the better hand but once his spells are scattered in 3x25 and he loses the Trix as his minions, he goes completely off the rails. That is to say that his power is a crutch and limiting it from the start could have afforded more opportunities to explore his character, make him more interesting and compelling if he has to struggle and isn't allowed to keep his composure this much.

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Being obsessed with Griffin

Too many things for comfort. Definitely the pride that easily crosses into arrogance. Recently someone told me that they've noticed I can act quite arrogant and I was like "We know but hey!" I'm pretty sure that it's not in the grand proportions in which it is with Valtor though so... at least I have that going for me. 😅

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

Well, that's easy. I HATE what they did with him and the Trix. Okay, he wants to keep them under his thumb by making them bicker with each other but a) that shouldn't have worked after the previous season and what happened with Darkar and b) why would he feel the need to manipulate them when it's never indicated that they can be a threat to him? I am a firm believer that they should have leaned way more into the fact that the Trix are descendants of the Ancestral Witches. They could have mostly kept his strategy of divide and conquer but with the added bonus that he is implied to be mega uncomfortable in the Trix' presence because of how much they remind him of the Ancestral Witches. That would have done wonders for his character and saved that particular subplot. His discomfort with the Trix would perfectly foreshadow his confrontation with the Ancestral Witches in 3x26 and could give us context of why Valtor is amassing so much magic (to ensure he'll never be under his mothers' thumb again). It'd give more depth to his character and make him feel more real when there is a negative situation he's desperate to avoid.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

My favorite thing is to have him be wrong about something/have someone else (usually Griffin) get the upper hand on him, lol. I think you can easily infer why from all my ranting in the first question so I'm not going to rehash that whole thing again here. I'll just add that it's really satisfying to watch someone wipe his smug look off his face. 10/10 would recommend at every possible opportunity. (Quick note: the way his defeat was handled on the show wasn't even cathartic because they had already torn him down so much since 3x18 through the script itself that Winx didn't really get to crush him in a satisfying way, especially considering how personal he made things for them during the season.)

I don't like having to write his speech patterns because I am always second guessing whether he sounds the way he's supposed to. He does have a more formal way of speaking and I have to remind myself of that constantly. It's a struggle to keep his dialogue in character and I am not a fan of that. But like everything, it gets easier the more you practice it.

Daphne:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

That's so tough considering how badly canon treats her. I'm still unclear on whether her being the previous Keeper of the Dragon Fire is just one dub's version or canon all around. While to me that's always been canon, I'm gonna be very controversial with my unpopular opinion - my favorite thing about her is that she was resurrected. Yes, season 6 could have hardly treated her worse and yes, they probably brought her back for Bloom's sake, not her own but I am happy regardless because it pisses people off Daphne deserves to be more than just the ghost that died for Bloom's sake. Her season 6 storyline may suck but it is the first time that the show has treated her as her own character rather than as a prop for Bloom's story and I support that idea. I really wish people would think about that instead of insisting that Daphne stay dead just because the show dropped the ball with the execution of her revival.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Oh, ouchie, that's a tough question. It may be because of my long-standing obsession that's currently been kicked into motion again but the first thing that popped into my head was The Hunger Games. There is just a great similarity between Daphne and Katniss both going above and beyond to protect their little sisters. And thinking about this a little more in-depth, that would actually do Daphne a very big favor because it will allow her story and feelings to be explored like they never were on the show. If she were the main character just like Katniss is, she doesn't have to be sidelined for the sake of focusing on Bloom. Daphne will be the center of the story which will allow us to witness her journey and more of her character. She would still be defined by her sacrifice for Bloom (so her character won't be warped beyond recognition) but she won't have to be contained and limited by it. She can have her own story and be the main player in it, have her trauma explored because that is one of the central things The Hunger Games focuses on.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Oh, it's impossible to remember what my first impression was because it's been about 20 years since then. But I am positive that I always loved Daphne! However, now I am able to appreciate the nuances to her character and all the potential that she has. She's definitely one of my faves and deserved so much better!

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Okay, you seem to be getting a lot of asks about Winx Club and you don't seem to understand the full picture, so let me break down all the issues the fandom's had with the franchise since the Nickelodeon deal:

1) The most obvious one: the storylines became childish. The first four seasons were targeted to all ages, and had themes that appealed to all: one second there'd be slapstick with bunnies and pixies, next there'd be discussions about genocide. However, with seasons 5-8, fans do think they had potential to be amazing, but the writing quality had significantly declined, with lackluster plots and plot holes aplenty. Season 8 was the worst offender of this though, since the series was entirely retooled for a preschool demographic. Many fans consider season 5 to be the show's last good season, but the upcoming ninth season is apparently going back to the show's original age demographic, but some fans don't have their hopes up.

2) The show's main character, Bloom, had essentially become a Mary Sue. Her main story arc in the series was that she was trying to find the source of her powers, her birth parents and basically who she truly is. This occurred throughout the first three seasons and concluded in two feature length films. But ever since season 4, the writing's desperately been trying to keep her as the center of attention, and big moments that should have been for other Winx members were given to Bloom instead. Let me run this down: Bloom is the lost princess of a powerful and (formerly) lost kingdom, she is the most powerful fairy in the universe, she has TWO SETS of parents (biological and adoptive), her sister's been brought back from the dead, her boyfriend ditched his fiance to be with her instead, and even though the main antagonist of season 5 was very personal to another Winx member, Aisha, BLOOM was the one who ultimately defeated him in the end JUST BECAUSE, and in season 6, a new transformation was literally named after her and essentially a lot of central conflicts always led back to her. Not Mary Sue at all, no?

3) Fans were mixed about the new Hollywood voice cast for Nick's English dub and the CGI animated segments. The voice cast had its ups and downs, and the CGI looked really uncanny. Thankfully, these all stopped after season 6, but the show is going to be animated entirely in CGI for season 9, so... oh boy

4) Fans noticed that Rainbow, the show's production company, had started copying sequences and designs from obscure media, particularly anime and K-pop. They don't really know where these instances draw the line between referencing to straight-up plagiarism, but some seem just too obvious. The worst offender has to be recently; when Rainbow had launched the official Winx merch shop, there was art work traced from Blackpink fan art and Lucas Werneck's Sailor Moon fan art-

5) The biggest issue: THE WHITEWASHING. Since season 5, Rainbow's been using this art style called "Fairy Couture" for promotional material. But since this art style uses water colors, the two darkest skinned members of the Winx, Flora and Aisha, both of whom are POC, appeared... lighter. Even worse, this art style was used for the spin-off series World of Winx, where their skins still appeared lighter (the new art style in season 8 also used the same lightened skin tones). The black Aisha had lighter skin and straighter, reddish hair, and the Latina Flora almost looked completely white. Musa was also a victim of this whitewashing too as her East Asian features were gone - now she has the exact same eyes as every one else. Unlike the Couture art style however, their skins were DIGITALLY colored, not water colored, and there are background characters in WoW that have Aisha and Flora's original skin colors, so there's no excuse; it's just blatant racism.

I think there are a few other issues, specifically in the "dark and edgy" live-action remake Fate, but that's a whole other story. I hope I've shared the main issues and enlightened you on some things to show why some believe Miraculous is going down a similar path as Winx!

Yikes, that’s a lot of problems. I honestly the only problem people really had was the gritty Netflix reboot. Thank you for explaining all of this to me.

[frostfeather13]

Talking About Cookies Part 1

Hydrangea Cookie

Spoilers for Season 7 of CR:OB ahead! And a major spoiler for The Frost Witch and the Lantern in the Snow story from CR:K

So Hydrangea Cookie is probably one of my favorite cookies across the entire Cookie Run Franchise.

She’s so pretty from her color palette to her design motifs, I especially love the long flowy sleeves and the colors!

Her trial theme also slaps and was the first I got the Diamond Rank on.

She also has a god damn frog as a pet!! And the frog has a costume!!!

This frog costume makes me wish we had a costume gacha for the pets. 

There are only two cookies that are canonically friendly to her. The rest are tense. Lotus Dragon (obviously) and Cherry Blossom. Cherry Blossom is an odd choice but I can see it.

Just imagine these two going on long walks admiring the hydrangeas and having picnics. Them watching the fireworks together, Cherry Blossom getting Hydrangea more off track of her duties to have picnics. Them looking longingly into the other’s eyes as they slowly move closer… and I am practically writing a fanfiction at this point. 

She’s in general pretty friendly towards the other cookies (even Pomegranate) but isn’t a fan of Purple Yam (cause he’s loud) Ginseng (cause they don’t agree on the whole ‘life draining lotuses’ thing) and Bellflower (because she tries so hard)

Her Magic Candy skill is also pretty cool, the color of the hydrangea jellies depend on how many of bear jellies she collected. If she collected mainly yellow bear jellies then the hydrangea jellies are yellow and it’s the same rule for pink and frozen bear jellies.

Oh and her main skill is beautiful, I love the look of the hydrangeas and it just looks so pretty. Did I mention how much her music slaps? Because the music slaps.

One thing I love about Hydrangea’s personality is that she will drop everything to look at the flowers. She also doesn’t mind getting soggy unlike most cookies. She just goes with the flow and I love that about her. 

That is where I was originally going to leave this, but then season 7 came out.

So now I have so much more to say!

First off, she straight up was willing to die for the Lotus Paradise. 

The way she was just so okay with it, makes me a bit concerned about what is going to happen to her during the story. 

So I did some digging into what hydrangeas symbolize and found out it depends on the color, given that Hydrangea walks through pink, blue, and purple hydrangeas I’ll be going off of those colors.

In general - sincere emotions, gratitude, deep understanding, grace and beauty

Pink - heartfelt emotions, romance, true feelings, and heartfelt emotion.

Blue - feelings of regret, frigidity and apology.

Purple - deep understanding and a desire to deeply understand someone.

To quote the book Tar Baby, Toni Morrison says “A dead hydrangea is as intricate and lovely as one in bloom.”

Just an intresting quote I found while looking up what hydrangeas symbolize. And it kind of ties into her max affection jelly quote:

“None can stop the cycle of blooming and wilting.” 

So given this information, I think something terrible is going to happen to Hydrangea during the story. I don’t want her to get hurt but given her devotion to Lotus Dragon, it’s possible that she could sacrifice herself for Lotus Dragon (and she attempted to with the whole ‘live draining lotus’ thing). If anything does happen, I’ll cry more than I did during Sherbet Cookie’s death. 

There was also recently an official ‘Which Cookie Run Villian Lies Within You’ quiz, one of the results is Hydrangea and it labels her as ‘the Unintentional Villain’

It mentions that she has an easy time understanding others and that she has a lot of optimism. It calls out that if she keeps empathizing and understanding others she could be ‘the World’s Greatest Advisor’. (Which ties into the symbolism of hydrangeas)

Then it mentions that if you (the reader/Hydrangea) were traveling with heinous criminals you would be okay with it. And it explains that it maybe makes you the scariest out of all of them.

Given that this was from an official personality test, it’s easy to say that this is how Hydrangea is and feels. 

Needless to say Hydrangea has some issues. 

Regardless, Hydrangea Cookie Supremacy

Anyway this was pretty fun, I might do this again if y’all are into it. 

Before I forget here’s a doodle/sketch of Hydrangea in my own style instead of me trying to replicate the CR art style like I normally do. 

[killjoyconstruct]

baby

[hansolmates]

jjk; angel’s trumpet | masterpost

Angel’s Trumpet Scientific Name: Brugmansia Order and Family: Polimonailes and Solanaceae Plant Overview: A higher order of nightshade, the Angel’s Trumpet is a show-stopping pendulous flower that hangs like bells. In myth, they were prized as chimes holding magical properties. In modern use, Angel's Trumpets have occasionally been used to create recreational drugs, but the risk of overdose is so high that these uses often have deadly consequences.

summary; one second, your life is flashing before your eyes and the next, you’re transported into a world exactly like your own. but the jungkook you meet in this world isn’t a renowned singer or your former almost-lover, in fact he has no clue who you are and why you know him so well. as you work to find your way home lost and confused, you conclude that you’re either dead or in the middle of the most wicked drug trip of your life.

pairing; idol!jk x reader (f), alternatively film producer!jk x reader

genre/warnings; fluff, angst, supernatural, idol!au, non-idol!au, alternate universes, themes of fate, language, alcohol consumption, mentions of sex

w.c; ~45k

| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | final | bonus |

a/n; coming soooooon! i’ve been dedicating the better half of the month to this so i really hope u enjoy my first kpop mini series!! inspired a lil bit by the k-drama W and the avengers! 

click under the cut for a preview!

Namjoon smells of dry-erase marker and antiseptic. 

He’s bounding into your apartment like it’s his own home, carrying two paper bags and a stack of leather bound books. The items fly across your coffee table, and you two work together to organize both your dinner and the books. Namjoon looks like a textbook nerd, wearing shades of burgundy and burnt orange as he breaks into your front door. Gone are the boots and sleek outfits that trim his figure, and you can’t help but go a little anti-starstruck at how normal this moment is.

The two of you eat in relative silence, and you gratefully accept the bag he pushes in your direction. To your surprise the sandwich inside is a favorite combination of yours, and you wonder if this restaurant exists in your world. 

Your world. 

“Namjoon,” you place your sandwich down, despite the fact that your stomach is protesting for you to finish the first real meal you’ve had in days, “you know that movie, Avengers?” 

Namjoon’s face is puffed with bread, and you hand him a water bottle to chug it down. “Dunno,” he shrugs, “Marvel isn’t a popular franchise, so even if I had I wouldn’t remember.” 

“Marvel isn’t popular—” what kind of fucked up world is this? Your Jungkook would have a field day if he was in your shoes. “Anyway. There’s a concept from Marvel that there’s multiple Earths. Like you can create a rip in space and land yourself in another dimension if you’re not too careful. Do you think it’s possible?” 

Your tall mentor pushes his charcoal hair back, exasperated. “Is this why you’re taking off? Because you believe in some silly comic book series?” 

You feel your heart cracking, desperately trying to keep itself together. In your haste you grip Namjoon’s arm, desperate. “Please, just hear me out.” you warble, “a few days ago I was out drinking with a friend. Next thing I know, I’m in another world where I run into a boy. That boy is my friend, but he says he doesn’t recognize me! But I don’t recognize this life. Namjoon I can’t even imagine you wanting to be a doctor!” 

Namjoon is looking at you funny, and you know he’s really trying to believe you. Instead of the reassuring words you hope for, he instead says, “this isn’t even pseudoscience, Camille. This is supernatural! How could you possibly think you’re from another dimension? I just saw you last week and everything was fine!” 

“I saw you last week too!” you exclaim, clutching your chest, “and you cried again for the umpteenth time because you lost another pair of custom Airpods.” 

A pause. “That does sound like me.” 

Hope blooms in your stomach. “Doesn’t it?”

“Well, in this supposed other life. What is my profession?”

Your face falls. “Uh, you’re in a worldwide K-pop band. You’re making millions and producing beautiful music.” 

That sounded way better in your head. Out loud it sounded absolutely bonkers. You don’t even blame Namjoon when he bursts out laughing, wiping tears from his eyes. You let him, sinking further into your seat and hugging your knees. You really hoped Namjoon would’ve come through for you. 

[nissakii]

Top 11 Anime Airing this January!

A long year is behind us, after many trials and tribulations, we are now at the end of 2021. For most of us, the days have become shorter and the nights much longer and colder, as the winter season makes itself comfortable for the next months. As one cycle ends, another starts and with that does the influx of new and exciting anime titles!

Some get more busy with the end of the year, others can finally relax, but in whichever situation you might be in, there is no reason not to look at this splendid list of new titles coming out for you to watch and unwind.

As the beginning of the year is a very popular spot for new releases, there are many studios that are bringing out their best work in January, making it the beginning of a new chapter. This time, we have many action driven titles, as well as mystery and romance ones which hopefully means something for every taste out there!

Do be warned, there will be anime mentioned that will contain spoilers for their previous franchises, please be mindful of some spoilers!

With all of that out of the way, let’s start into the new year!

Orient (January 5th)

Our first anime is all about the blooming dreams of the 15 year old Musashi. Being born in the historical “Sengoku” period, also known as the warring states period in which Japan was split into many small states that were at war with each other, a horde of horrible demons attacked the split nation.

The premise revolves around the pact young Musashi has made with his childhood friend Kojiro Kanemaki, to grow strong and become so called ‘demon slaying samurai’. As the country is riddled with demons ruling over them, and samurai are frowned upon, the main characters are up to choose their own way of fighting.

By the creator of Magi: a Labyrinth of Magic, the familiar art style and action ridden fantasy genre, a promising new storyline unfolds. Vibrant colors dance across the screen with loud and motivating characters of different calibers.

For anyone looking for a Shonen with some historical elements but enough hack-n-slash to satiate your action heart, make sure to put "Orient" on your list!

Trailer:

Police in a Pod (January 5th)

Jumping from historical fighting to something seemingly much more mundane- working as a young adult.

Young Kawai Mai has had all of her life to choose where she wants to work for the rest of her life. In the end, she only passed one civil servant exam and reluctantly became a police officer. Still giving it her all, she works hard to please her colleagues and become a valuable member of her workplace.

It doesn't get easier.

Turns out being a police officer doesn’t make one popular with the public. With every move she makes she seems to step on somebody's toes. Every time being ridiculed by her boss and spoken to harshly, she finally makes the ultimate decision.

“Maybe this is not for me after all…”

On the cusp of wanting to quit, Kawai is shocked when another young woman takes the place as the director of her station. With a beautiful and passionate woman as a role model, Kawai relearns what it truly means to love her job.

A story that may play in less of an unrealistic setting, but therefore about a much more relatable young woman that learns to stand her ground in a high-strung field. Action merged with comedy and a representation of women in a new field.

Trailer:

Tokyo 24th Ward (January 6th)

The Tokyo 24th ward, an artificial island created that resides in Tokyo, is a place with the signature touch of high-end officials and good old-fashioned crime.

Ran, Kouki and Shuuta were all born and raised on this outcast island, with very different outlooks and perspectives in life they still somehow always wound up staying together. Mysterious things happen on the island, criminal activities are rampant and all three of them are somehow involved in some inexplicable incidents.

Remembering an event in which they lost something precious, a year later brings them all together again as all of their phones ring simultaneously. The caller ID is supposedly a dead friend insisting on them to “choose their future”.

Now back again as a team, they all deal with this uncertain turn of events differently, and we shall see together how the Tokyo 24th ward will be ‘warded’ against peril.

Promising us a lot of sci-fi and a dystopian twist on the already very modern Tokyo, the 24th ward brings clean fighting animation with a state-of-the-art world building that presents us with seemingly interesting characters and a new and mysterious premise of a futuristic Tokyo.

Trailer:

Slow Loop (January 7th)

Hiyori stands alone at the harbor as she throws her fisher’s line into the water and reminiscences of her late father. Dying of an illness three years ago, she realizes that she always stood behind him and shied away from almost everything.

Now, even though she realizes her reluctant approach towards others, she makes sure to drive away all people around her with an (unsuccessful) grim face so she can avoid talking to other people.

On that exact day, a very bubbly young girl similar to Hiyori in age screams at the beautiful ocean, which tells Hiyori that she must be new here. That girl’s name is Minagi Koharu, and she seems to be the complete opposite of our main character. Still being driven by the enthusiastic personality that Minagi is, she smiles and becomes friends with her as they both keep fishing and cooking their capture together.

The day continues on until they both meet each other's respective parents, and Hiyori mentions that her widowed mother is about to meet her new partner with her stepchild. Turns out, Hiyori and Minagi are now stepsisters, and so begins their journey together.

The mesmerizing animation of the blue sea and the cutesy art style makes this anime look like a pleasant and calm story to watch, with the element of recreational fishing in a sport sense embedded into it. For anyone who is searching for something cute with a touch of slice-of-life is right with this title!

Trailer:

CUE! (January 8th)

Yuzuha Kujou stands in front of Airblue, a brand new voice-actor management company as we might know them from our reality as well. With a fresh start they want to bring new young girls to audition for a chance to get their voices into their first production.

Arriving at the company, they are blindsided by the fact that they will all star in a new anime production with the audition taking place in that instant with no revision. It becomes a nerve-racking project, a group of girls now having to learn to work together in a dynamic team to make their dreams a reality.

The work of a voice-actor is not as easy as it might sound. Although only the voice is heard, the body and everything around it acts as an important part as well. Fun and very diverse characters each with their own mannerisms and unique traits flood the screen and bring us interesting dynamics.

Staying close to the actual internal pressure and style of actual Japanese voice-acting companies, this anime brings us a fun way to imagine what it must be like for all the voice-actors that enrich all types of media with their voices.

Try it out if you want to see everything that happens behind the scenes of an anime!

Trailer:

My Dress up Darling (January 9th)

Staying in the lane of arts and moving further into intricate craftsmanship, we find ourselves in the midst of first-year high-school student Wakano Gojo’s story.

Invested in becoming a hina doll craftsman, he spends his time at school diligently working on the intricate curves of the traditional japanese wooden dolls. Engrossed in the design and the sewing of clothes for the beautiful dolls, Gojo is rather an outcast in comparison to other students at school.

One day as he works on the sewing machine, the overpopular and elevated heart rate inducing Marin makes an appearance in the workroom. Shocked that the quiet Gojo can use a sewing machine, she confessed that one of her passions is cosplay and promptly asks him to make costumes for her.

Although making clothing for another person is something he has never done, he is encouraged by Marin’s interest in the costume of a video-game character and agrees to work together with her. A beautiful relationship starts to bloom between Gojo and Marin, both from completely different worlds but intertwined by the same interest.

Will they find a love between the swiveling fabrics?

Trailer:

Requiem of the Rose King (January 9th)

Based on the shakespearean plays “Henry VI part 3” and “Richard III”, the Requiem of the Rose King shows us the preparation for the so called “war of roses”

The Kingdom of England is divided by two parties battling for the crown. The House of York and the House of Lancaster both claim to house the rightful king who should ascend to the throne.

In the midst of it all, young prince Richard of York has the urge to help his father, Duke of York, to get crowned as king while he battles with the hatred his mother has for him and the pressure that comes with being a prince. The dark and mysterious aspects of the anime are amplified with conspiracy in their own walls and schemes between what seems to be enemies and friends alike.

Although he wishes to support his father, the young prince has his own passion to become king one day, and through the trials of being at war he is torn between fronts and his inner demons.

Mystery and gothic elements reside in this anime, with a unique artstyle and a beautiful homage to Shakespeare, this anime is something for the lovers of mystery and misery alike.

Trailer:

Attack on Titan Final Season pt.2 (January 10th)

The world was overridden by the horrific creatures called titans, as they decimated cities and destroyed what was loved to us. Until we found out who the actual monsters were.

We've known Eren's story since he was a child, his upbringing which led him to hate titans so much he vowed to destroy them. Over the course of the anime we've seen the knowledge of Titans grow and grow, with one plot twist after the other.

A new perspective has risen with the beginning of the fourth season, the Final season part one. The nation of Marley is uncharted territory with treacherous figures emerging and our beloved survey corps having to do unspeakable things.

With this part of the last season, the widely popular anime Attack on Titan will cease in its story. The trailer shows us glimpses of what is to come, Gabi, Reiner, Zeke and of course Eren making an appearance and leaving fans of the show to hold their breath as the ending comes closer.

Embarking on the end of a long journey, how will Eren's story end?

Trailer:

Tribe 9 (January 10th)

Kazutaka Kodaka does it again, after the creation of the mystery action that is Danganronpa, in comes a new anime based on a game called Tribe 9.

Neo-Tokyo is a metropolis full of vibrant LED displays and a unique futuristic flair that lures in the weak minded Haru and the strong willed Taiga.

Arriving at their destination, with Taiga wanting to become the strongest man in the entirety of the world, they both meet the mysterious man named Kamiya Shun, who introduces them to the sport of Extreme Baseball.

Although it sounds like a flunk, this so called XB is a deadly sport that has its own community which is split into tribes. As an evil group spreads and starts to take on every tribe in Tokyo one by one, Kamiyas's Minato tribe is soon to be the next victim.

If you are or aren't familiar with the "loud" and eccentric flair and artstyle of Danganronpa, you might know that it edges on a very specific note between splatter action and mystery which makes it all the more promising. Tribe 9 seems to go in a similar yet its own unique direction, which will leave it up to you viewers to find out what it truly is about.

Trailer:

Sabikui Bisco (January 11th)

We stay in the eccentric lane and take a detour at Sabikui Biscos's world. In a post-apocalyptic day and age where most of the earth is nothing but a deserted and rusty place, the world was taken by surprise as a pest-like wind destroyed all living things and leaving nothing but rust.

The public believes it's all because of certain mushroom spores that eat the living and contribute to rust taking over everything. The culprit is seemingly the criminal Bisco Akaboshi, who uses his bow and arrow to spread these toxic spores. As he is called the "Man-eating Mushroom", no one would think that he is actually on a quest to save the earth and not pollute it.

His mushrooms, which he can spawn by using his arrows, are supposed to help the earth become what it once was: a field of beautiful green nature.

Together with the doctor Milo and his crab friend Akutagawa (yes, indeed a crab) they scour Japan for a specific spore that might save all of earth.

This anime is definitely full of action and also a title filled to the brim with unique flair that has the viewer on the edge of his seat, check it out!

Trailer:

Love of Kill (January 13th)

Finishing off with another quite unique action title, we dive into the story of the bounty hunter Chateau Dankworth.

Chateau is cold and calculated. She knows how to find her targets quickly and resolves her missions with no issues, being an efficient and stoic killer. It all changes when she goes after her next target Son Ryang-ha, who is famously known to have killed 18 high ranking officials in merely one night.

As she encounters her target for the first time, he beats her in her own game and reveals himself to be after her as well.

The bloodied killer tries to win “her heart” by immobilizing her current targets after he beats them up to be able to spend more time with her. With uncertainty, Chateau goes along with Ryang-ha as they form a classic game of love between two killers.

Truly a very interesting concept and a captivating trailer that incorporates love and death in one swift motion. With Chateau and Ryang-ha being vastly different people that are intertwined by murder, it leaves the viewer wanting for more.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2e7mFzaQ8U

And exactly “more” shall we get next time we cover a listing post of the upcoming anime!

We hope that with this assortment of very different titles there's something in here for everybody. A new year is about to start and with it the possibility to find a new binge-worthy series!

What are your thoughts on this month's assembly of anime? Anything you’re interested in, something that caught your eye? Maybe even a new obsession that is incoming? We would love to hear all about your ideas in the comments!

Don’t forget to stay warm and drink lots of tea~

Until next tea time that is,

-Nissa

[k7l4d4]

Kamen Rider Info and Ideas (Feel free to ignore)

As a huge fan of Kamen Rider, I always wondered about ways it could be expanded, and maybe not improved so much as become More. So, right now, I am gonna make a list of Kamen Rider Series, starting with Black and RX, and continuing all the way to the Reiwa Era! Everybody clap your hands!! *Cricket noises* Okay, here we go!

Kamen Rider Black, and its sequel, Black RX, details the journey of Kohtaro Minami, or Minami Kohtaro for those who prefer the traditional Japanese naming conventions, on his mission to defeat Gorgom, an ancient tribe/organization that has evolved into a cultic terrorist organization bent on world domination. While still holding to the Showa era’s tradition of having Cyborg Riders, Black and RX were the first in which, aside from Kamen Rider Amazon, the supernatural played a prominent part in the powers of the riders, as Kohtaro and his stepbrother Nobuhiko were the designated heirs to the leader of Gorgom, the Century King, and infused with the relics that contained his power, the Kingstones. Both Kohtaro and Nobuhiko were infused with the Kingstones, in the attempt to convert them into the Villains Black Sun and Shadow Moon, with only Kohtaro managing to escape.

One of the things that I felt could’ve been at least a little better in regards to the series was if Shadow Moon could regain his original self and rejoin the path of justice. It would’ve also been pretty cool if Shadow Moon gained his own upgraded form, which did actually happen in tie-in novels and manga, and if either or both of them gained the ability to unleash a final form that drew upon the power they wielded as the New Century Kings. Ah well, that’s what fanfiction is for!

Kamen Rider Kuuga details the battles of Yusuke Godai, the successor to the ancient warrior of justice, Riku, as the Kuuga. Kuuga’s powers are derived from Growth, allowing him to access a variety of forms and powers based on what he needs to grow into, and can be bolstered by mystical energy sources to ascend even further! Yusuke’s enemies are the Gurongi tribe, ancient monsters who abandoned their humanity to satisfy their love of death and conflict, and wished to have all of humanity become as dark and twisted as them, with the “honor” of being the Gurongi to start the process going to whichever of them managed to win their tournament, in which the Gurongi Tribal-members all battled to the death as a whole.

One of the things that bugged me a little, was that Kuuga never fully evolved all his forms, and that his true final form was even used in his series! I mean, seriously, what!? Once again, budget concerns limit the awesomeness of a series before it can bloom, sigh.

Kamen Rider Agito is the story of Shoichi Tsugami, a young amnesiac who belongs to an offshoot of the human race known as the Agito. Agitos possess incredible psychic powers and exist in a perpetual state of evolution, adapting to the changes in themselves and the world around them at an incredible rate.

My only real beef with this series was the limited number of forms Agito had as compared to Kuuga, and that one of the Extra Riders had the lazy name of Another Agito. You heard me right. All in all, not to bad, but a little frustrating.

Next up, Kamen Rider Ryuki, which also served as part of the inspiration for the list. Honestly, with how much I plan on covering JUST for Ryuki, I’ll probably leave this off after this and pick up more tomorrow. Ryuki is one of the first series in the franchise to fully exploit the nature of multiple riders, and basically invented the concept of Dark Riders, which I will also explain.

Ryuki involves the Rider War, a conflict taking place in the real world, and a parallel realm known as the Mirror World, populated by unfeeling monsters known as, you guessed it, Mirror Monsters, which must constantly kill when in our world in order to remain stable, or at least they are allegedly supposed to. The Rider War was a conflict set up by a man known as Shiro to revive his dead sister, under the guise of a tournament to the death for a reality-warping wish, which Shiro wanted for himself. The war brought together 13, yes you read that right, 13 Riders, all with variances in their styles and abilities. This selfish conflict is partially, if not entirely why I said that introduced Dark Riders properly to the franchise; Dark Riders are individuals who bear the same transformative powers of Kamen Riders, but instead of using them to fight against the wicked and monstrous, are instead put towards their own selfish ends, and none of them are the type of individual you wanna run into in a dark alley.

The Riders of Ryuki derived their power from two things, their Contract Monster, a Mirror Monster that they formed a bond with in order to exist without needing to bring about death, and an Advent Deck, a Deck of Cards that harnessed the power of the Mirror Monster it bonded to and allowed the Riders to survive in the Mirror Realm, which is inherently fatal for humans to be in. One of the key aspects of Advent Cards is how they work, each one draws and harnesses an aspect of the Contract Monster it is connected to, or wields a power specifically to fight other Advent Riders. Now, before I get to my thoughts and ideas, I am going to list each Rider from Ryuki, as well as the nature of their Advent Decks and fighting styles.

Shinji Kido: Kamen Rider Ryuki himself, and contracted to the fierce Dragon-Type Mirror Monster, Dragonredder. With a Dragon on his side, you’d expect him to be the powerhouse of the group, right? HAHAHAHAHA no. Shinji stumbled upon the Rider War by near-complete accident, and, being the nice guy he is, decided if he was going to be a part, he would protect the bystanders from the conflict and ensure as many of the Riders made it out alive as he could. Easier said than done. Out of all the Riders, Ryuki has the least straight-forward fighting style, not helped by his incredible clumsiness, with his deck emphasizing the ability to have as many options as possible; jack of all trades master of none, but better master of none than master of one.

Ren Akiyama: Kamen Rider Knight, and the contract holder of the Bat-Type Mirror Monster, Darkwing. He comes across as aloof, cold even, whose only in it for himself, but in truth he decided to enter the war to save the life of his ill fiance. Knight’s fighting style blends straight-up direct combat, and subterfuge based war tactics, with his deck emphasizing this by providing him with both weapons and special abilities that optimize getting the drop on his foes. Hmm... themed after a bat, a knight, and mixing close combat with dark and spooky tactics. Now where have I seen THAT before?

Masashi Shido: Kamen Rider Scissors, a Dark Rider, and the contractor of the Crab-Type Mirror Monster, Volcancer. A corrupt cop and detective, Scissors took bribes and cuts in illegal dealings, and used his Mirror Monster to liberally dispose of witnesses as he pleased. He ultimately died when his contract was destroyed and Volcancer turned on him. Despite his practices necessitating subterfuge, Scissors’ fighting style is rather extravagant, emulating that of a gladiator, with his deck providing cards that mix heavy combat with putting his enemy into an unfavorable situation to seal the deal, fitting for a backstabber.

Shuichi Kitaoka: Kamen Rider Zolga, one of the neutral and later heroic elements in the war, and the bearer of the contract for the Minotaur-Type Mirror Monster, Magnugigas, a colossal bio-mechanical behemoth. A shady lawyer with a lot of wealth, Zolga was diagnosed with fatal cancer, and desired to become immortal to continue living his lifestyle forever. While initially uncaring and selfish, he ultimately came to see the value in others, and lamented all the criminals that walked free due to his actions, hoping Ryuki would win. Cunning, intellegent, and crafty, Zolga’s fighting style favors both heavy defense and massive firepower, burying an enemy in a storm of blasts while he hunkers down, with his deck further emphasizing this with a bevy of long-distance combat cards and barriers.

Miyuki Tezuka: Kamen Rider Raia, a fortune-teller beyond compare, he enters the war to save lives and honor his deceased friend, and bears the contract of the Stingray-Type Mirror Monster, Evildiver. Raia’s fighting style places heavy importance on movement, offering cards that can offer him superior movement, and uses a whip as his principle weapon.

Jun Shibaura: Kamen Rider Gai, an utterly selfish and monstrous beast of a man, he wields the contract of the Rhino-Type Mirror Monster, Metalgelas. A prodigy of computers and gaming, Gai sees the death match that is the Rider War as nothing more than a game, and the fighters as players he can wipe out at his leisure. Gai’s fighting style is a straight up rush of overwhelming force, with his cards emphasizing interfering with his opponent’s options to force them to fight him directly and his brutal power of himself and his Contract Monster gives him an edge.

Takeshi Asakura: Kamen Rider Ouja, and the main Dark Rider of the series, holder of the contract for the Snake-Type Mirror Monster, Venosnaker. A sadistic monster to his core, Takeshi killed his own family as a child, and left a bloody trail in his wake for years, remorselessly cutting down anyone who falls in his path in his bloodlust. Despite his seemingly simple minded nature, Ouja is immensely cunning, favoring a sadistic fighting style that emphasizes causing as much pain to his enemy as he can before they die at his hands, and he is far from afraid to get his hands dirty. Ironically, Ouja has one of the weaker decks in the war, bearing limited options to fight with, Ouja thrives due to his sheer brutality, fighting ability, and utter ruthlessness. “Fun” fact, unlike the other Riders, Takeshi never realized that a wish was up for grabs, he was just having a good time! When he finally learned that the winner got a wish, he decided his wish would be to have ANOTHER Rider War, so he could kill another pack of warriors! Ouja’s deck does have two solid advantages over the other riders; Ouja possesses extra Contract Cards, meaning he can add other Mirror Monsters and their powers to his deck, ultimately deciding to save them to take the Mirror Monsters of the Riders he kills, with his other big trick his Unite Card, which allowed him to COMBINE his Mirror Monsters into the horrifying Chimera-Type Mirror Monster, Genocider (ain’t that a name).

Odin: Kamen Rider Odin, a Rider not designated Dark only due to the fact he doesn’t have enough of a mind to be one, and wielder of the Phoenix-Type Mirror Monster as his Contract, Goldphoenix. Odin is unusual, in that he is essentially a puppet, a brainwashed shell that acts as Shiro’s representative in the war that occupies whatever body Shiro gives the Contract to. Out of all the Riders, Odin has the greatest immediate strength, allowing him to overwhelm just about anything in ideal situations, and if things go wrong, Odin (along with Shiro) can REWIND TIME to reset the war until Shiro gets the outcome he wants, only giving up when he accepts that he won’t be able to bring his sister back.

Satoru Tojo: Kamen Rider Tiger, a man who wants to be a hero, and wields the power of the Tiger-Type Mirror Monster, Destwilder. Tiger is a broken individual, lacking a LOT of basic understanding in regards to people, he wavers between good and evil in his desire to be a hero due to his incomprehension of what it means to be heroic, ultimately becoming a hero when he selflessly sacrificed his life to save a father and son about to be hit by an oncoming truck, finally realizing what it truly meant to be a human in his last moments. A highly inexperienced fighter, Tiger often lost, which didn’t help his instability, forcing himself to rely on ambushes to win, his deck favored close-range melee and offered him support in the form of ice attacks.

Mitsuru Sano: Kamen Rider Imperer, a self-styled mercenary rider, and wielder of the multi-type contract allowing him to command the power of the Gazelle-Type Mirror Monsters, with Gigazelle serving as the leader of his horde. Imperer was raised to believe that wealth was what was most important in life, completely missing the fact that his idea to be a mercenary in the Rider War was impossible as all but one of the contestants must die for it to complete and you cannot quit either. After falling in love, Mitsuru seemed to be realizing that there is more to life than money, he tragically died before he could act on his new views, trapped in the Mirror World, reaching out to the image of his love, screaming in fear. Imperer’s fighting style makes use of boxing, and bum-rushing his enemies with his massive swarm of Contract Monsters.

And, because I am starting to grow tired and this is REALLY LONG, I am gonna finish this later today before I burn out.

[littlechaoticwitch]

Winx Club Rewrite: Season 2

I understand this is me being very late to the party, but that's pretty on-brand for me at this point lol

A few years ago, I started to work on a possible rewrite for Fate: The Winx Saga but it soon became this monstrous project of rewriting the entire franchise. Because while this series is one of my beloved childhood series, it is also very messy with its world-building and plotlines, as well being done dirty over and over again by its countless reboots. As much as I would have loved to create a full-on alternative universe like the ones I've seen on tumblr for years, it just took up so much of my time that could have been spent on other projects and it was starting to feel more like a chore than anything else. Eventually, I did create some fashion boards for how to translate their outfits from the show into real life, and wrote up some concept ideas for their live-action costumes, which led to me just writing up the notes I had for the rewrite to share them with y'all.

Some of these ideas were inspired by other people's rewrite of the series, some of these ideas came to me while writing this up, and a lot of these are my attempt to make sense of Winx Club's fucked-up lore. While these were originally written with a live-action reboot in mind, these could also work for an animated reboot targeted for teens/young adults.

This is probably the extent I'll do for any sort of Winx Club rewrite, but it was still fun!

-Instead of Lord Darker, the main villain of this season is Acheron, the leader of the Ancestral Witch's cult. After freeing them from Light Rock, Acheron forced the Trix into accepting his "gifts" and do his bidding. In the end, the trio help the Winx defeat Acheron, as they feel betrayed by the man who promised them freedom, but they are sent back to Light Rock to finish their sentence.

-Helia is a female Specialist. She is introduced trying to save the Pixies and finds herself at Alfea after barely escaping the first time, leading the Winx to help her out. Through the season, she ends up striking a romantic interest in Flora, and after saving the Pixies, she decides to rejoin Red Fountain after her great-uncle Saladin begs her to keep Sky's team in line.

-Nabu is introduced during the Red Fountain opening ceremony, where he pretends to be a hired bodyguard for Aisha, despite her being annoyed at the mere idea; the only time she is fine with him acting like her bodyguard is when it scares off potential suitors. Turns out, he ran away from home after overhearing his parents plan out his future, and upon realizing they share similar home lives, the two decide to fake a relationship in order to keep their parents from putting either of them into arranged marriages.

-During a trip to Earth, Musa meets a Korean American tattoo artist named Nex Park, where they strike up a friendship after finding out they share mutual love for music.

-Unfortunately, Musa and Riven never get to make amends for what happened during their toxic relationship, as he actually does die when helping the girls during the final battle. The only positive impact is that upon seeing Acheron killing Riven (and attempting to kill Musa), it creates a crack in his control over Bloom.

-Bloom tries to have a relationship with Sky, but it begins to take its toll. This is a result of the pressure she feels of becoming queen consort one day (caused by his parents), the pressure his parents are putting on her to revive her dead planet (as they see it as an opportunity to strength their political statue), the guilt they both feel for how their relationship started, and the unintentional neglect she receives from Sky as he begins his royal training. Acheron uses this as a chance to disguise himself as a teacher and manipulate Bloom, feeding into her new to learn more about her home-world and birth parents by teasing at the idea that they might still be alive. While it is clear Sky does care deeply for Bloom, his own upbringing and high expectations (in terms of what a royal couple should be like) have a negative influence on their relationship.

-Instead of getting mad at him, Tecna accidentally shuts Timmy out when he starts treating her like an actual human being (the complete opposite to how people are treated back on Zenith). Once they begin to talk things out, it's clear they're in love with one another but not ready to make things official nor do they need a label

-Princess Amentia's role is taken by Chimera, who is the young leader of a Solarian coven. While the coven is not evil whatsoever, Chimera believes Stella to be a "brat" of a princess and takes a strong interest in Brandon, though her plans for marriage are foiled when Stella interrupts the ceremony.

-Jared's storyline with Musa is not included in this season

-Bloom's friends are the ones to break Acheron's control over her, as their love for her is much stronger than anything else.

-Musa earns her Charmix by coming to terms with her mother's death at the concert, Stella earns her Charmix by accepting her parents are getting a divorce (and they are not getting back together), and Aisha earns her Charmix by standing up to her parents, who do not understand her decision to become a fairy. Bloom is unable to earn her Charmix while under Acheron's influence, but once she is set free from his control, she earns it by admitting she lost faith in her friends and overcoming her need to do everything by herself, leading to them having their first successful convergence spell.

-Charmix is now the perfect blend of both the base fairy form and Enchantix, acting as a true steppingstone for the fairies as they reach their final form. The brooches will become their Fairy Dust bottles, and while they do not get bags, the motifs of their bags are present in Charmix's designs.