#graham has motivated them in the past

[strawglicks]

Cathal snaps

[girlfromthecrypt]

Note: This is merely a pitch introduction post. My main project remains Such Happy Campers. I have no title in mind for this IF (suggestions are welcome), although I am very passionate about the idea and will work on it on the side while I write SHC.

You are... or were one of the most famous yet mysterious characters in the 21st century pop-rock scene. 

It all started when you discovered your love for singing during an extended stay at a psychiatric hospital as a teen. Music became your motivator, and from then on, you knew the stage was where you belonged. Your friends agreed… and that is how your band came to be. After years of practice in your friend’s mother’s garage and cheap gigs at dingy bars, your journey to the top begins abruptly when you team up with a skilled manager.

It's a meteoric rise— until it isn’t. 

And now, a decade after your band has withdrawn from the public eye, you’ve accepted an interview by the acclaimed Groove Magazine. You and your former band members have agreed to give them the truth, the whole truth; as ugly as that might be. 

Follow the story of your band’s rise to fame (and eventual fall from grace)

Play as a pop-rock vocalist

Name your band and customize your music, lyrics and image

Handle the media, interactions with pushy fans and your own repressed thoughts and fears 

Romance your coolgirl-bassist, the childhood friend you cut out of your life, your absolutely insane guitarist, or your biggest fan/stalker

Give one hell of an interview

Inspiration: Daisy Jones and The Six, Fleetwood Mac

TW: themes of mental illness, substance abuse, death, mentions of suicide, suicidal ideation and self-harm, unhealthy relationship dynamics

ROs:

Stevie McLaughlin, bassist (f) — “I suppose I was the sanest one in that bunch.”

She’s one of your oldest friends, and if you follow the clanking chain of cause and effect all the way back to the beginning, it is her you have to thank for your entire career. The band was her idea, after all. She’s level-headed, composed, and always there to talk you down when you need her. Sometimes, she acts more as your retainer than anything else…

Paul/Paulette Zima, lead singer & saxophonist (f/m selectable, trans) — “Trying to figure out where you know me from?”

Your band’s brand-new, second lead singer. Your manager says they’re going to give your music the kick it needs, that they’re the one missing ingredient to your success. You’re not entirely sure if you agree. Worse yet, you happen to know this person, and your time together didn’t end on a favorable note. They’re part of a past you would much rather forget. 

Angel Monsanto, guitarist (m) — “I was always going to make it big, with or without those guys. Only, I… I really wanted it to be with them.”

Your crazy but good-hearted guitarist. His passion for music borders on obsession, and he will stop at nothing to make a name for your band. Sadly, he’s very much of the conviction that all publicity is good publicity, which has encouraged him to pull some very questionable stunts in the past. 

Lincoln Saunders, groupie?? (f/m selectable) — “What can I say, I loved them. When they first walked out onto that stage, it felt like my heart was going to explode.”

Calling Lincoln a fan would be an understatement. Fanatic is more like it. You remember seeing them at your very first show, and you’ve continued to spot them at every venue you’ve played at since. You don’t know anything about them, and perhaps changing that would be a very bad idea. But maybe you still want to.

Others:

Fatima Shah (f), drummer — “I’m pretty sure they tried to make me disappear with their fog machine.”

After things didn’t work out with your original drummer, Fatima saved the day. She’s a sweetheart to you, but from what you’ve heard, she can be kind of a terrible person. Maybe it’s best to stay a little wary of her.

Kalena Graham (f), manager — “The first time I saw them… well, they kind of sucked. But I knew, I just knew, that they had what it takes to suck on an international level.”

Your band’s manager. You can’t believe how lucky you were to have caught her attention. She’s experienced, driven, well-regarded in the industry and… kind of mean.

Simon Young (m), reporter — “Start at the beginning. And then, don’t stop.”

The guy conducting the interview for Groove Magazine. He’s nice enough, if a little starstruck. It seems he has been waiting a long time for this.

[dividers by @thecutestgrotto]

Please consider reblogging if you like my work!

[local-redhead-bookworm]

Finished Gundam 00. My closing thoughts, in no particular order:

I’m glad that almost everyone has their happy ending and something to keep working toward

I enjoyed how Graham’s arc was about learning to live for something other than revenge (you may be noticing a recurring pattern with me). He spent most of season two being driven only by his desire to fight Setsuna again for honor, and how it closes with him finding something new to live for.

I still find Katagiri’s story a bit frustrating. Like yes Sumeragi shouldn’t have used his feelings to her advantage, but my guy. Becoming a fascist is already a bad idea, somehow it’s even worse when it’s motivated by relationship issues

Lyle killing Al-Saachez is just as deserved as if Setsuna had done it. I know we’d just had the whole big realization about the necessity of understanding each other, but Al-Saachez had no interest in trying to understand anyone else.

I was so upset about Tieria, but if he’s still alive inside Veda he’s not really gone. It’s like how in Ninjago Pixal went from an android body to being a program in Zane’s memory bank. Idk, it’s been a long time since I watched Ninjago

This show takes a very interesting philosophy on war. Wing asked more vague questions on the ethics of war, and what happens when you take humanity out of the fight and replace it with technology. IBO comes closest to truly analyzing the role of capitalism in war. But 00 questions the interplay of diplomacy and war, and how our approach to interpersonal conflict affects how we approach conflict on a broader scale. The message I feel 00 was aiming for is one that aligns with some of my core beliefs: in order for us to live at peace, we must see each other as equals and make every possible effort to understand each other. We may not always succeed, but if we approach our problems with the goal to find common ground and work together, the world will be a better place. Will it be perfect? No. But we don’t have to be perfect, we just have to try to be better

I’m really fascinated by the angle this show has on religion, sin, and deity. The religious themes are baked into the show, starting with a protagonist raised in a militaristic religious war, to the final villain being a man who wants to make himself God because he sees humanity as below him. There is also an element of guilt, the idea that there is blood on everyone’s hands. There is blood on the hands of the soldiers, but there is also blood on the hands of the civilians who choose to remain ignorant and look away. But the show does not say that we have to find a way to wash off that blood, only that we learn from the past and keep growing and trying to be better each day.

I did feel like all of this was slightly undercut by the fact that at the end, Celestial Being is still active. However, it did seem that Celestial Being would be looking less to act as they did in season one and more to work in conjunction with diplomatic forces, as a last resort when all else failed or intervening to help the innocent. I’m still a bit saddened that Setsuna doesn’t get to settle down and live a peaceful life, but that wouldn’t be realistic with him, to be fair. Marina says it herself, all he knows how to do is fight; if he cannot stop fighting, he has to change how and why he fights.

I really enjoyed this show overall. To be fair, there’s yet to be a single Gundam piece I wholeheartedly dislike, but I like a lot of how this story was told.

I feel like this one was a lot less character-oriented than other Gundam stories were. It works for this particular story, because like Wing, it’s interested in asking a broader philosophical question and less on the characters themselves in the situations. The characters’ backstories are important to why they choose to become involved with Celestial Being, but their life experiences did not have much influence on them otherwise. I do think that’s because the scope of this show was so big, and we as the audience are looking at this entire story from a much broader scope, so the extreme minutiae of character are less important than the broad strokes that lay the scene for a much bigger conversation.

[okkos-ferrum]

gray's return in the show and how it defines gray as a truly morally gray character

i just gotta ramble more abt this scene, with it being one of my favorite scenes in the show. but really i just wanna talk abt how this scene encapsulates gray's ... grayness... of the moral variety

especially since it is done so effectively since, like i mentioned in other posts, our screen time with actual gray and not graham or whatever is limited.

this scene sees the return of gray in the plot, picking up directly where we leave off from all the way back in episode 2

Bye-bye, Black Sheep...

I assume you prefer I continue to call you "Carmen"?

as i stated previously on other posts, because of the silly brainwashing plot, much of graham scenes can be thrown out. in a sense, it's the writers' way to put a big old pause on his character

and these are only one of the two conversations carmen and gray have in current day as themselves -- with no mind wiping or brainwashing (not including flashback cuz the actual issues of the relationship that need to be addressed havent been established yet)

so resuming directly right where we left off with gray trying to kill carmen, we return back to gray trying to kill carmen :D

but this time he did recongize carmen's name, alluding to his change ... even tho he is waving his electric stick around -- mirroring their last encounter in paris

side tangent: something i, additionally, love about this scene is just how it is blunt and honest. much of carmen sandiego's drama/conflict is built of misunderstanding and misdirection and mistrust of the characters. Which while, yes, i am eating up, but unfortuntely can cause many characters relationships to be burdened with a lot of things that can be easily cleared up with a talk. gray for once just bluntly takes a stance.

something that i do like is that in their only two scenes with each other as themselves, carmen (the pilot flashbacks) and gray (this scene) open up so fast with one another. there's never any miscommunication between them during these scenes .... well until vile barges into the conversation....

ANYWAY here we get revealed gray's full perception of himself and his goals very explicitly, especially since his memories and alliances was the biggest question over the viewers' head for most of the show

here gray explains that he believes that he is not a good person, someone incapable of change.

from his perspective, the only way he was able to be a "good" person was when he was brainwashed. and he had just had however long with his chats with maelstrom emphasizing that he has always been a bad person by nature. with the knowledge vile will forever have full control over him -- either as a vile operative or as a mindwiped civillian -- gray essentially accepts his fate as a bad person, because at the very least he is himself.

carmen may have gotten away from vile, but he is told by maelstrom it is due to her being a naturally good person. because his own perception of himself is as somebody who is incapable of good, he will never be able to leave vile now

and carmen is right there in front of him. it was his hesistance that landed him into this debacle, and with maelstrom and bellum both just past the door and carmen alone, gray has every chance to right his wrong.

but he doesnt. because he realizes that the very least he can make the choice of is never hurting carmen. as i stated in other posts, gray's main motive is to be free from any standard that could get in between him and his success. but his want for this freedom ironically got him trapped within following vile's orders. he had been so caught up in following vile that he had lost sight of himself and what he cares about.

so now he explains to carmen his absolute refusal to hurt her again, begging her to give up in stopping vile

selfish and selfless

But I'm begging you, give up trying to stop us, because I don't ever want to be put in a position to hurt you again.

gray's plea to carmen here is so perfectly two-sided

he is acting out selflessly in not allowing his alliances against carmen blind him. i mean that is what he fucked up last time in the train, where it was clear gray wanted to spare carmen - with giving her time to share her side of the story and providing the offer - put unwilling to stand against his mission. like an actual human being, gray acknowledges his mistake and is trying to amend it by stating clearly that he cares abt carmen.

he, in essence, is apologizing for trying to harm carmen by expressing his major regret. moreover, he acknowledges their chat in the pilot, accepting carmen will not return to vile. it stems likely from the ink blot scene earlier, where maelstrom speaks about nature, making a distinction between vile, and by extension, gray's, and carmen's morals. he is finally reconciling that he and carmen will not be on the same side, no matter how much he wants it to be otherwise.

it can also be viewed as a sense of wanting to protect carmen. because he feels so small compared to vile, he barely can ponder how anyone can actually succeed in going against them. i mean they brainwashed him and easily gave and took away his civilian life. in his eyes, carmen staying far from vile is the only way she could be safe

however, viewing it from another perspective shows gray's selfishness in his plea. when he speaks about never wanting to be put in a position to hurt carmen again, he kinda places such a responsibility on carmen, not recongizing he himself is capable of changing that.

Essentially saying "hey quit while you're ahead so you don't gotta make me feel guilty when doing crime" while ignoring that he is making the choice join vile

It kinda stems from his lack of faith in carmen or his own cowardice against vile or a combination of both. What may just be the only way he can protect to protect carmen comes off in his own lack of faith in her ability. as i mentioned earlier, this practically is his own resignation to his fate that vile cannot be fought against. he took his own defeat as the only way to be safe, refusing to believe carmen can successfully fight them.

while he was able to get past the hurdle of accepting carmen changing and no longer standing alongside him, he cant seem to understand his own responsibilty in this.

he's being selfish by demanding a change in carmen's behavior while he continue along with his own desires. While yes, i did just detail the various factors that led to him to such a conclusion, the window was LITERALLY OPEN for him to leave

following carmen blowing up the facility and rejecting gray's demand -- SHE IS SO REAL FOR THAT I LOVE HER SM IN THIS EP -- the wall LITERALLY IS OPEN FOR TO LEAVE CARMEN WITH

Goodbye, Gray

Idk how intentional this is, but the framing shows carmen literally, by her own will, forcing an opening for herself out of vile (both figuratively in the past and literally right now lol) while gray watches on idly, too scared to leave the grasp of vile but just watching on.

and his cowardice is followed through in the finale, with after months of idly watching carmen slip deeper into evil by the brainwashing, he actually takes actions against vile by actively choosing to work with acme, abandoning tigress, and being the one to land the memory recovery thing on her.

it is what makes gray such a stand out character in this show, admist his frustrating back-and-forth and selfishness and sometimes wasted writing. he keeps making a mistake but proceeds to fix it right after. his growth into a better person requires him to make these mistakes, because unlike carmen and most people in the show on the side of good, gray doesn't work on any moral compass. he is not actively evil and wishing to inflict harm and conflict like paper star or vile facilty, nor is he driven by morals such as team red and julia. he is driven by whatever he selfishly cares abt. and from what we see of him both in the pilot and this ep, he makes as many mistakes as he does have slivers of good actions

basically gray is an interesting character cuz he literally fucks up his personal goals, but he makes an earnest attempt to make it better lol

[lucawrites11]

we're back at it because barça stressing me out man so...

my optimal barça line-up and game plan (v ch*lsea)

warning: controversial BUT i justify all my choices

yeah i forgot to change keira's number and made a typo in paralluelo sorry

My Game Plan:

Okay, first of all, if Graham Hansen is not fully healed. I want and need this instead and because I cannot have a conversation with medical staff, I will be justifying both of these line-ups.

The Wings:

Left: Ona Batlle and Salma Paralleulo

I think one of Jona's big mistakes last weekend was not having these two on the same wing. It has been deadly all season down that left-hand side for both Spain and Barcelona. It is better on the left but I also will take it on the right-hand side, especially, if Graham Hansen is injured and Rolfö is playing in place of Bronze.

The combo of both their speed is almost impossible any defender to handle and if you think about the Ch*lsea back four that H*yes is likely to put it, their speed combination will be difficult for Charles or Carter to handle as their speed historically has not been able to match the speed of Paralleulo and Batlle. Ultimately, Barcelona's best chances on the weekend came from fast counter attacks and speed getting into the box and, from the past, we know that is something that Paralluelo and Batlle can reliably combine to do either down the left or the right (down the right if Rolfö and Pina are playing)

Right: Lucy Bronze and Caroline Graham Hansen (if fit) / Fridolina Rolfö and Claudia Pina

Honestly, the primary motivation for picking Bronze and Graham Hansen as the preferred starting players is because I would prefer to see Batlle and Paralleulo on the left, however, I am pretty flexible on this wing and would like the fittest players to play and it's obvious that Graham Hansen has been dealing with some sort of injury. If Bronze and Graham Hansen start, I want to see them subbed off for Rolfö and Pina and vice versa.

Ultimately, Rolfö and Graham Hansen did not link up well on the wing last weekend and due to injuries they haven't had much time to gel. The better partnerships and pairings in my opinion are Rolfö and Pina and Bronze and Graham Hansen. Bronze was one of the best players as a sub on the weekend and has a lot of experience in these situations and against Chelsea, I think it would be good to use her.

The Defence:

Goalkeeper: Cata Coll

The obvious choice, clearly, the stronger Barcelona goalkeeper at the moment. Confident with her ball at her feet and a good ball-playing keeper with the ability to come out of her goal and act as an eleventh outfield player to overload a Ch*lsea midfield and progress play down the pitch.

Centrebacks: Irene Parades and Ingrid Engen

Taking Ingrid Engen off the pitch at the weekend was a crime, she was the best player and I think if she plays like that again, the only way she is coming off the pitch is surrounded by a medical team. I am serious, she is so fucking good and underrated. Her and Parades are also the strongest centreback pairing that Barcelona has put out all season, there is no doubt in my mind about this and judging my who Jona is resting and playing, there is no doubt in his mind either.

The Midfield/Forwards:

Defensive Midfielder: Keira Walsh

Solid for club and for country in every match. Most underrated player on the pitch and one of, if not, the best defensive midfielder in the world in terms of her ball recovery and blocking the passes. It was clear that Ch*lsea's tactic was too partially mark her out of the game and she needs to be brought into the game more likely by Engen overloading the midfield as an extra player with some forward movement out of the backline.

Central: Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey

Alexia and Bonmatí were two of the best players on the pitch on the weekend. They have so much combined experience and talent and are a deadly midfield pairing in the centre of the park. Alexia should've started on the weekend, she changed the game when she came on but there is only so much one player can do. Both she and Aitana have a bad match and come back better and fighting. They live and breathe Blaugrana and seemingly contrary to popular belief play really well together. Their combined fluidity allows each other to have a lot of freedom in the midfield.

Mariona is the strongest choice in that central position. She is best placed as a nine or false nine other than the wing that Jona had her play on the weekend. That position can also be fluid with her ability to drop into the midfield and Alexia's talent or playing that false nine position. She is better at being in the box and finishing chances than anyone else on the team and has a talent for creating space.

I would like to see Patri, Brugts and Vicky come on into the forward/midfield line as subsitutes but given the match could be 90 or 120 minutes, I don't want to apply exact timing as to when those substitutes should be made as that would depend on how the game is going and how it needs to managed.

Due to the fact, I will be in the stadium (in the home end (undercover and still firmly hating Ch*lsea)), I will not provide updates about the subs I think should be made. Only the friends who will likely regret going with me will hear my wonderful commentary and yapping on a level that has the ability to compete with Mapi Leon. But I am taking my camera so you will be all be blessed with some pics (if they are any good).

[monarch-afterdark]

Titan History: Monster Zero/Ghidorah

Welcome once again to Monarch: After Dark, the digital gateway between you and the organisation dedicated to understanding and navigating this troubled new world we live in.

Our first entry under Crimson-level clearance, and this is one we've been wanting to get out there as soon as we could. We've covered a variety of Titans and superspecies before, each unique in their own way, but none quite like this. Today, we finally break open Pandora's Box, as we dive into The One Who is Many; Monster Zero...

(Pictured above: One of the earliest cave paintings found confirming Monster Zero's existence, circa. 1973)

Monarch Database File: Monster Zero

Monarch Designation: Monster Zero, "King Ghidorah"

Height: 521 feet

Weight: 141,056 tons

Wingspan: 1,300 feet

Nature: Bio-Electrical

Behavioural Classification: Destroyer

-----

A creature so dreaded by the ancient civilisations that walked this Earth before us that they tried in vain to erase it from history, Monster Zero (also known as Ghidorah) is a Titan unlike any we have encountered so far, or likely ever will. Widely considered by Monarch to be an extraterrestrial organism, Monster Zero came to Earth several millenia ago in an attempt to terraform the planet for itself. Defeated in a climactic battle with Godzilla, Monster Zero was sealed in a frozen tomb in Antarctica by the ancient Titan Shimo (as determined by new evidence), where it would lay dormant for thousands of years, awaiting the day it could rise again...

Monster Zero is a golden three-headed dragon of truly gargantuan size and strength, able to generate cataclysmic storms that it can use to conceal itself. These storms are also capable of merging with other storm systems, turning them into natural disasters, as was the case with Skull Island. Monster Zero is additionally capable of firing "gravity beams" from each of its three heads, able to push back other Titans or even disintegrate smaller creatures outright. The Titan is also capable of firing blasts from the tips of its wings after absorbing a sufficient amount of electrical energy.

A rare instance of a multi-headed organism, Monster Zero's heads each have their own individual personalities as observed by Monarch. The center head is seen as the 'leader', commanding and authoritative. The right head is particularly aggressive, while the left head is more inquistive and curious. While some took to misinterpreting the left head as being aloof and childish, all three of Monster Zero's heads display a level of malice unlike (almost) all other Titans.

Monster Zero is also an incredibly durable and resilient creature. Surviving millenia of being frozen inside Shimo's ice, immunity to the effects of the Oxygen Destroyer, and even its severed middle head surviving without its body whilst dangling from Godzilla's mouth are all testament to this creature's drive and refusal to die. Its brief posthumous resurrection inside of Mechagodzilla is additional testament.

(Pictured above: Monster Zero frozen inside of the 'Wall of Serpents', circa. 2019)

Much of Monster Zero's past is shrouded in mystery, lost to time through the efforts of the ancients to erase it from history. What was recovered, was that Monster Zero was a dragon who "fell from the stars", whose storms "swallowed both man and Gods alike". Its motives wouldn't be known until much later, but it clashed with Godzilla several times, who had seen Monster Zero as being a rival Alpha. During a final battle in Antarctica, Godzilla worked with Shimo to defeat Monster Zero, the ice Titan sealing it in a frozen tomb where it wouldn't be able to conquer Earth for itself...

In 2016, Monarch discovered Monster Zero frozen in Antarctica, though the organisation were aware of his existence from as early as 1973. Outpost 32 was constructed around his tomb, under the guide of Vivienne Graham, who had omninously recorded in her footnotes that "the Devil has three heads". It was Emma Russell that had designated the creature as Monster Zero.

In 2019, after awakening Mothra from her ancient temple, Alan Jonah's organisation stormed Outpost 32 and took over, planning to free Monster Zero from the ice using explosive charges. The creature was released after Monarch arrived, during a confrontation between Emma, her daughter Madison and ex-husband Mark Russell. When Monster Zero awoke, it effortlessly reduced Monarch soldiers to ash with its gravity beams, before setting sights on the survivors' Osprey.

Godzilla's arrival saved their lives, though Monster Zero soon gained the advantage and shot Godzilla down the crater it had made in its escape. The arrival of the Argo jet forced a retreat, with Godzilla chasing Monster Zero down toward Isla de Mara, Mexico. It quickly dealt with Rodan after Monarch had lured him into its storm, though Godzilla arrived before it could target the Argo.

(Pictured above: Monarch footage of Monster Zero's "alpha call", Rodan bowing to it below, circa. 2019)

Whilst Godzilla quickly gained the upper hand on Monster Zero underwater, their battle was interrupted by the Oxygen Destroyer's deployment. Godzilla became severely weakened and had to retreat, whilst Monster Zero emerged moments later unaffected by the weapon. It perched atop Rodan's volcano, absorbing energy that it used to regenerate a head that Godzilla had torn off, before emitting an "alpha call" that awakened Titans from across the world and commanded them to destroy humanity under its instruction.

Monster Zero and Rodan would later travel to Washington DC, where the former was described as roosting. Monster Zero's cataclysmic storm generation had completely destroyed the city, leaving it a flooded waste.

Madison Russell, after stealing the ORCA sonar device from under Jonah and Emma's noses, travelled to an evacuated Boston and used the device to pacify the rogue Titans. This succeeded, though Monster Zero had arrived to Boston first under the assumption that there was a rival Alpha to be eliminated. Monster Zero proceeded to hunt Madison down through Fenway Park, though the arrival of a revived Godzilla and Monarch's military forces stopped it from killing her.

Godzilla and Monster Zero's duel was brutal and long, the two Titans evenly matched until Monster Zero bit down on a power transformer and absorbed vast amounts of electrical energy, allowing it to fire a burst of lightning strikes from its wings, incapacitating Godzilla and wiping out most of the Monarch forces also attacking it. Seizing the advantage, Monster Zero carried Godzilla into the skies, almost breaching the stratosphere, and dropped him back down into Boston. Mothra attempted to shield Godzilla and charge Monster Zero, though it disintegrated her body with a powerful blast of its gravity beams.

(Pictured above: Monster Zero using its "wing beam" attack to destroy Monarch forces in Boston, circa. 2019)

Monster Zero bit down on Godzilla after Mothra's ashes rained down onto him, absorbing energy (seen as a red glow travelling along his necks) to empower himself. A desperate plan from Emma Russell to use the ORCA as a distraction to buy Godzilla time to recover, and for Mark and Madison to be evacuated. It worked, and Monster Zero was consumed by thermonuclear pulses given off by Godzilla after he entered his Burning form.

Boston was virtually wiped off the map, though Monster Zero's disembodied middle head was still alive, even as its neck hung out of Godzilla's mouth. A final blast of atomic breath destroyed the final head, and Godzilla cemeted his place as the Alpha Titan of Earth.

In Isla de Mara, Alan Jonah and his organisation acquired the severed head of Monster Zero from Isla de Mara after it had been dredged up by fishermen struggling due to the Oxygen Destroyer's effects.

(Pictured above: Monster Zero's skull in Apex Cybernetics HQ, repurposed as a control module for Mechagodzilla, circa. 2024)

At some point between 2019 and 2024, Apex Cybernetics acquired the severed Monster Zero head from Jonah's organisation, stripping it down to a skull and using it as a control module for their ultimate weapon, Mechagodzilla.

In 2021, one of Monster Zero's storms that had persisted travelled toward and merged with the residual storm system isolating Skull Island from the rest of the world. This merge plunged the island into chaos, allowing the Titan Camazotz to reawaken, and resulted in the island's destruction, necessitating Kong's removal and relocation to Hollow Earth.

In 2024, after acquiring an energy source from an ancient temple in Hollow Earth, Apex accidentally revitalised Monster Zero, whose consciousness had survived its death but remained dormant within its skull. This consciousness merged with Mechagodzilla's AI, creating a new hybrid consciousness. After killing its creators, Mechagodzilla rampaged through Hong Kong before engaging Godzilla and Kong in battle. The two Titans working together resulted in Mechagodzilla's destruction, and the final end for Monster Zero.

-----

And that's all she wrote on Monster Zero! The implications of extraterrestrial Titans are certainly unsettling, and the lack of attention being put toward the stars may well come around and bite humanity one day in the future, though Monster Zero currently remains the only known alien. Much of its history on Earth, or reason for coming here at all, is unknown, though Monarch are working hard to uncover the entire story.

Until next time,

Monarch: After Dark

[k-s-morgan]

I have another question. Why does Will Graham prefer to kill other killers like himself? I keep thinking about Chilton's assent of him in season 2 where he states that "Will Graham likes to play God. He catches these killers simply to prove he is smarter then them." I think he has a good point, given that Graham is deeply insecure and is a bit of a narcissist. If that's the case then do you think maybe that's the reason why he kept lying to Hannibal in season 2? Albeit I'm sure he was pissed about Abigails death but as you've pointed out he only liked the idea of her. So if that's the case then maybe it was him trying to prove he was better then Hannibal. If so is that why he also prefers killing killers? To prove he's better then them or is it some deeper reason? That he hates them because he hates himself? What are your thoughts?

I think you made an excellent point about Chilton's words. I always found it amusing and fascinating how despite the fact that Chilton is completely wrong in his accusations against Will during the trial, he actually presents a surprisingly accurate profile of him. He's extremely wrong and extremely right at the same time, particularly with this: "Will Graham has never been diagnosed. He won't allow anyone to test him. He has carefully constructed a persona to hide his real nature from the world. He wears it so well, even Jack Crawford couldn't see past it."

With Will being motivated to outsmart killers: I think it makes a lot of sense and it could be another amazing detail in his portrayal, although I don't think it was really shown. It could be something existing deep inside him that might come to the surface after he settles into his new life with Hannibal. The only time Will seemed competitive to me was when he was being possessive over Hannibal's attention - he wanted to hold his admiration and focus instead of seeing him single out other killers.

For the most part, I think Will prefers to kill killers because it makes him feel better about himself. He knows he has darkness inside, but he also longs to be a normal, moral person. Being able to excuse some of his impulses helps lessen his self-hatred. I don't think he cares about innocent people per se - he's shown as careless and cold with them on more than one occasion. In S3, he downright stages the murders of quite a few of them (Chiyoh and her tortured prisoner who might or might not be guilty, Chilton and FBI officers; possibly Bedelia, whose actual crimes are far lesser than Will's). Will seems genuinely caring only with those he can relate to, like Peter, Georgia, Reba, and murder-children. But he still has enough morality to understand that he doesn't like liking what he does, so killing bad people is a compensation and a more acceptable solution to his inner conflict.

Regarding S2, Hannibal, and Abigail: I think Will's biggest problem was the feeling of personal betrayal, rage over this, and a lack of comprehension of how Hannibal could have killed Abigail when he claimed to care about her + the fear of what it means for Will personally. Why was Hannibal so cruel about it - Abigail was killed sadistically, he cut off her ear and implanted it in Will? How can Will trust that such a person loves him when this is what he did to a girl he supposedly treasured? If Hannibal is a monster whose love is fleeting and superficial, Will doesn't want it - he wants revenge. But if there is something more to it, then Will might change his mind. We see his inner struggle in this dream conversation:

Will: I want an admission. Admit what you are.

Dream Hannibal: Why not appeal to my better nature?

Will: I wasn’t aware you had one.

Will is in denial. He wants Hannibal to confirm to him that he’s a monster and thus not worthy of Will’s attention - Will is trying to literally torture the answer he wants out of him, yet despite his best effort, Hannibal responds with love. This frustrates and confuses him even more. Like Will said to Peter, killing is much easier when you know how to feel. And Will doesn’t know how to feel about Hannibal, not until he finds a way to label him as a hollow monster. So he's torn about it and about his feelings up until Mizumono, where he finally makes his choice.

[captmickey]

Shoppy talky, feel free to do all or none: where do you get your cute ideas, how long does it take to make something on average, what program and pens are you using when you go digital, do you color drop or eyeball it, what makes you happy and what's kinda flustering about the hobby in general, who do you love drawing most and from which angle~.

I could (and did) read this in Graham's voice haaaaaa~

1 - where do you get your cute ideas It depends? Comedy-wise, it almost always stems from either a- A conversation that was between me and someone else laugh or b- it made ME laugh. I ah... I have a weird rule where if it doesn't make me laugh, I don't make it. However, the cute ideas? It's usually inspired by seeing prompts or thinking of situations that has me kicking my feet, something that makes chest feel all warm like a big ol' hug and a comfort I desperately want to give the character. (Sorry if I'm vague... even I'm trying to think where I get it from.) 2 - how long does it take to make something on average Haaaaaa that one is tricky if only because it depends on the work? Like, okay... drabbles and quick prompts is no more than a few days (rarely, but sometimes, its on the spot), but a comic page, colored doodle or a longer fic takes easily a week at the shortest and a few at the longest. Sea of Adventurers and 3adv as a whole can easily take a few months if only because I'm a perfectionist and tend to revise. A lot... act 8 has been in the works since like, September? And as I write this have only finished chapter 2 of Sea of Adventurers. Out of three.

3 - what program and pens are you using when you go digital So for my basic drawings, I use Clip Studio Paint and honestly I use the generic g-pen or texture pen (depending on I guess the theme? Like the anniversary page was g-pen, but my recent KQ comic was texture pen). However! When I do a comic page, I use both CSP and Medibang.... I prefer the comic font/texture Medibang has but I looooooooove the cleanliness of CSP so I do all my roughs/lineart on CSP (sometimes even color on it) but I transfer it to Medibang for that grayscale coloring/texture.

4 - do you color drop or eyeball it Both! Like, for characters that pre-exist I've color in the past (e.g. Guybrush, Graham or Neese), then I'll pull up either their original source material and color drop. However, if it's one that never existed (e.g. 3adv!Zelda or Mako) then I eyeball the colors until it's appealing to me. However, once it's set and I'm repeating them several times.... color drop~

5 - what makes you happy and what's kinda flustering about the hobby in general What makes me happy is really having the ability TO create? I know it'll sound vain but honestly, there's nothing that delights me more than knowing if there's something I want to see, and I'm not seeing it, I can pull up a computer or sketchbook and get to making what I want (that was literally what stemmed 3adv haaa). I also love seeing how people react to my artwork as a whole... sometimes I'll get comments about it that makes me really sit and go "wow, people like my stuff" and it makes me happy. But on the other side of the coin, the flustering part about it... there is a few things, but it boils down ti having the time and energy and motivation to create. Like, sometimes I want somebody else to come up with the idea and the drawing and so on and so forth. Sometimes my bouts with depression gets the better of me and I can't bring myself to create. Sometimes I find myself with an idea that looks so cool in my head but when I try drawing/writing it, it's just... garbage. And it's frustrating. (And then I boot up Final Fantasy when I grumble how I should be working on making it work). And sometimes it clicks for me at 2 in the freaking morning and I forget to write it down and poof! Gone it goes. Like my sleep.

6 - who do you love drawing most and from which angle~ Hmm... while I do love drawing Link (especially in action shots) and Graham without his hat, I have to say it's my two favorite captains: Guybrush and Number One. Especially from like... the 3/4 angles because of how their hair is floop.

Also Guybrush lowkey became ten times more tolerable to draw once I fixed his hair for 3adv and I really really really really love drawing No1's stache.

[kepamount]

i wanted to give graham a chance but i don’t think he’s cut out to be the manager of a club like chelsea. however shit we are right now, we’re not a small club, and he has small club mentality. this kind of performance is unacceptable, and any manager who’s aware of that would be screaming at them from the touchline. he can’t keep their egos in check, he can’t keep them motivated and he hasn’t got the balls to shout at them when it’s necessary. there is no way he should be saying things like ‘the boys gave everything’ or ‘it was a hard-earned point’ like he has been the past few matches. lines like that should be saved for performances like 2nd leg against real madrid last season, not for a draw with forest or a win against bournemouth. he doesn’t understand that he’s managing a club that’s supposed to be one of the best in the world.

[envythemouse]

All-time Will/Hannibal recs (Part 3)

Satyr by sourweather

Summary: Will's anxiety suddenly spikes during sex and Hannibal takes care of him.

Envy’s notes: Another subdrop fic written from Will’s point of view.

Our Place in Time by inameitlater

Envy’s notes: A 217k series with both Will and Hannibal time hopping separately. It’s definitely worth reading at least once.

Atavism by RubyBakeneko

Summary: Will and Hannibal have prolific amounts of sex, but Will refuses to accept tenderness or affection. When Hannibal objects, Will thinks it’s with the aim of controlling him and fostering further dependency. He roleplays as his former self to try and prove his point, steadfastly ignoring his own underlying feelings and motivations. The results are predictably messy.

Envy’s notes: Will doesn’t believe he’s worthy of love after his becoming, Hannibal disagrees.

One Devotes Oneself Wholeheartedly by berlynn_wohl

Summary: “Is this one of those collusions between a corporation and the medical community? Are you being paid by the Sex Council to endorse their product?”

(Hannibal just wants to show Will a good time. Will is a sassy little muffin about it, but ends up crying anyway.)

Envy’s notes: Will prefers toys over sex, Hannibal changes his mind.

Butterfly by multifandom_fanfic_writer

Summary: A butterfly flaps its wings. Will Graham does not survive his stay at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Hannibal Lecter… does not handle this well.

Envy’s notes: Will kills himself in prison. Hannibal confesses his love too late and then lashes out.

Nothing For It... by Phenobarbital

Summary: ‘I started pretending to dirty talk to you an hour ago and it stopped being pretending 58 minutes ago.’

Envy’s notes: Will wants to piss off some homophobic people by pretending like he’s having sex with Hannibal in their motel room. At some point, it becomes more than just pretending.

On the Lam by Shotgun_sinner

Summary: While on the lam in Cuba, Will reads every article he can find on himself and Hannibal.

After Freddie Lounds writes a puff piece on them, Will starts finding erotic fiction written about he and Hannibal that makes him question everything he's ever known about himself.

Like some of the tags say, he's discovering he might be Hannisexual after all.

Envy’s notes: Will finds out about Hannigram fanfiction and becomes a porn addict. Meanwhile Hannibal thinks Will is cheating, until he uses Will’s computer. Very humorous fic.

An Affair To Remember by chronicopheliac

Summary: Will has been sneaking out at odd hours of the night for some time. Hannibal finally decides to find out why.

Envy’s notes: Very much Dark!Will, you will not believe what he’s done behind Hannibal’s back.

Ready, Set, Action! By IWillBeYourPet

Summary: Hannibal is a well-known and popular porn star, and is instantly smitten with his new scene partner, Will.

Will seems reluctant, clearly pushed into this by his boyfriend Mason, but there are sparks between them instantly. Will is sweet and submissive and desperately in need for someone to save him. And Hannibal is more than game.

Gideon would just like them to make the movie.

Envy’s notes: Porn star!AU but I promise it has plot!

Hypnotized by Rolycraven

Summary: Hannibal wants to help Will destroy the forts in his mind that no longer serve him and build a mind palace of his own. When he hypnotizes Will, rather than revisit the past, Will sees visions of the future which lead to deadly consequences.

Envy’s notes: This is a Hannigram fic where Will has visions of the past and future through hypnosis. I know this is a Will/Hannibal rec list but damn, do I ship Francis and Will in this. The guy worships him.

“And you…” Dolarhyde looked at Hannibal, “You should hear the way he speaks of you. He has chosen you.” Tears stung in Dolarhyde’s eyes. Hatred burned within. “I cannot wait to bite you. Had I met him first, he and I would have been unstoppable. I never would have hurt him the way you have. I would have worshipped him. You will never deserve his love.”

Lastly I want to recommend you guys to read these two reaction fics by the same author, if you haven’t already. They’re pretty popular fics.

When the teacup shatters and Scattering of Memory by SolusMormont

[shipcestuous-two]

I was picking up books for my MIL the other day and learned about the Love Lies Beneath series: mostly from reading the summary of the sequel, A Sin Such as This--after thinking the title sounded taboo, lol--and reeling from the amount of fauxcest/stepcest. Seriously, the summary alone is a lot. It's not my genre personally, but I figured some of yall would like to know it exists, lol

You weren't kidding, Anon!

[x]

A Sin Such As This:

In this gripping follow-up to Love Lies Beneath, #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s “fabulous, sex-filled masterpiece of mystery and romance” (Library Journal, starred review), the honeymoon ends for Tara Lattimore when her husband’s ex-girlfriend is murdered, and she becomes a prime suspect.

Tara thought she was finally settling down when she married charming, handsome Dr. Cavin Lattimore, but life seems to be only getting more complicated. During the honeymoon, Tara’s niece Kayla moved into their Lake Tahoe home and quickly hooked up with Cavin’s manipulative, seductive son Eli. In a matter of weeks, Tara has gone from rich, single San Francisco professional to suburban housewife managing her niece’s emotional ups-and-downs, as well as her stepson’s continuing overt advances.

Adding to the family drama, Tara’s younger sister Melody is going through a serious marital breakdown. During a heated argument, her husband Graham insists he and Tara once had an affair. Despite Tara’s vehement denials, Melody is desperate to find the truth.

Enter Cavin’s gorgeous ex-girlfriend, Sophia, whose sudden relocation to Lake Tahoe is causing further shake-up. When Sophia is found murdered, police quickly narrow the list of suspects to Tara, Cavin, Eli, and Kayla. All four have motive. All four have lost themselves in a complicated web of lust, jealousy, and betrayal. But how far was one of them actually willing to go? Tara has always considered herself a tough, self-made woman, on her own since she was a teen after a childhood defined by poverty, abuse, and neglect. For years, she suffered the sins of others. But that doesn’t mean she never committed her own. Are the sins of the past about to catch up with her?

[indulgnces]

☆ –– (caitlin stasey, she/her, cis woman) who is james grey anyways? ew. you don’t know about her, we’ll bet you want to. they’re feeling 30 and crocheting feels like a perfect night to them. rumor has it they’re selfish and fickle because they care, but they’re also passionate and authentic in the best way. she works to make a little money as a(n) radio host they’ve rented on a place on cornelia street in the form of an apartment. august & cardigan is the song they could dance to the beat of forevermore. –– pinterest.

name: james grey

age: 30

birthplace: brooklyn, new york

current residence: cornelia street, nyc

gender: cis woman (she/her)

sexuality: bisexual (w/a preference for women)

occupation: radio host

face: caitlin stasey

positives: authentic, passionate, easygoing, confident, observant

negatives: selfish, fickle, aimless, cynical, irresponsible

character inspo: eddie munson (stranger things), robin buckley (stranger things), hope (booksmart), graham eaton (but I'm a cheerleader), donna pinciotti (that 70s show), steven hyde (that 70s show).

backstory

had a relatively normal childhood. grew up in new york as the only child to a seemingly loving couple. but, like most marriages, theirs ended up dissolving around the time james was ten. big bummer.

her time was split between her parents places after her mother ended up moving, generally living with her mother during the school years and with her father during the summers

loves her mother, truly, but she always tended to favor and take after her father

showed great potential in school, but was largely academically unmotivated. think the smartest kid in your on level classes who refused to go up into honors/ap level classes. classes bored her because they were easy, but she had absolutely no motivation to go to the classes that "challenged" her like her teachers recommended, so she just skipped classes lol

the most notable revelations that came out of grade school to james was that she liked girls, and she was capable of being much crueler than she thought (see: folklore love triangle)

also, that she had no idea what the hell she wanted to do in life

went to college because it was the Next Step to do, but ended up dropping out after two years when she still didn't know what to major in

after dropping out, she moved back in with her father in nyc and started a chain of aimless jobs. some of those jobs: barista, receptionist, model, podcaster, etc.

somehow ended up as a radio host for a small satellite radio station, and has been doing this for the last year, and she honestly likes it more than she thought she would.

her father owns a bar in greenwich, and over the years she's also liked playing bartender there from time to time.

she's honestly just trying her best to get by.

headcanons.

jack of all trades, master of none type.

has picked up and dropped hobbies as easily as she does jobs. some past hobbies: skateboarding (in high school, still does it when she's particularly stressed), drumming (had a small stint with a band in college), baking (gave up when she kept burning/undercooking all her treats). she's currently into crochet, and likes to do it when she's on the air or when she's watching movies at home.

thrifts most of her clothes. style leans vintage, fringe, leather, flare/ripped jeans, converse, but with a touch of femininity with flower prints and hair ribbons. (x)

has always found it easy to talk to people, has always been super laid-back and easygoing, but was never the popular type. can't stand crowds or fake people. charismatic loner burnout vibes.

420 friendly baby!!!!

when she was in high school, she got her hands on a tattoo gun kit and did shitty little basic tattoos on her friends and herself. the ones she has have mostly faded, but consist of small little figures/symbols on the insides of her fingers.

bi bi bi! strong preference for women. BIG flirt. lots of rizz. she's giving this tiktok. big top energy.

best gives love through physical touch and quality time. best receives love through words of affirmation.

established connections.

omar ruiz-osman - the mark to her callie

daisy st. james - ex-girlfriend, daisy's gay awakening

charley zhao - queer/musical friends

caroline davis - flirtationship/one night stand

elody maverick - rival

theodore clarke - frequent coworker

lucas duchannes - flirtationship

oliver langham - regular annoyance/friend

juliet eisley - crush

adira ruiz-osman - friendly exes

wanted connections. (page!)

james was born and raised in nyc until she was 10, and then at least spent nearly every summer in the state up until she moved back permanently at 20.

on the main: her best friend & her crush connections (bff pinterest & crush pinterest)

the mark to her callie (vibes): very similar to steve/robin, except sex is in the equation! perhaps they first met as friends and then added fwb into the equation, or maybe they started as a fuck buddy that evolved into a genuine friendship entirely by accident. either way, this calls for a genuine friendship connection where sex is/was a key component of the relationship at one point or another. would be up for this dynamic to be something that is already settled in game (they already Know the ins/outs of their dynamic well), or as something brand new that they're navigating and we write out from the beginning!

relationship inspired by this gifset: a flirtationship, basically! james likes to flirt with your muse, who either plays oblivious or is actually oblivious. james keeps it up to see how long it'll take for your muse to either catch the hint or make a move. (w)

your friendly neighborhood bartender: her father owns a popular dive bar in the area, and over the years, james has taken shifts at the place, playing bartender whenever she is out of a job/needs money/is bored. your muse is one of james' regulars.

friends. very general. james is super chill. she can be a sarcastic ass sometimes, but it’s all in good fun. overall a very easygoing, laidback individual.so she’s bound to have a good group of friends in the city. people she smokes with. queer friends. neighbors at her apartment complex. people she goes bar hopping with to pick up girls. people she thrifts with.

past work connections. between the ages of 20-28, james worked a series of different jobs as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. and it was through these jobs that she met your muse! maybe they were coworkers, or maybe they were a regular at james work. anything works! the following is an incomplete list of her past jobs (more can be added to fit!): barista (she did this for like two years purely for the vibes), receptionist, model (small stint, usually for her photography friends), nursery home caretaker (liked this more than she thought she would bc old ppl are batshit crazy), podcaster (I like to think she didn’t run her own show, but rather was a super frequent guest host on her friend’s show).

hobby buddies. like jobs, james has cycled through a number of hobbies as well. she tends to hyperfixate on one hobby for a period of time before moving onto something else. maybe your muse was someone she met through these hobbies! here is another incomplete list of her past hobbies: skateboarding (primarily in high school, but when she’s stressed, she takes to skateboarding around the city or central park), drumming (led to her being the drummer with a small garage band in college. nothing serious, very amateur, and dropped it after dropping out, but showed off at house parties over the years if she was drunk/trying to impress a girl), baking (massive fail, if any of her friends tried her creations, they regretted it), bingo (got really into it while working at a nursery home, still goes to a game at least once a month), crocheting (current fixation, really into crocheting clothes right now and small plush).

exes. while james isn't opposed to love, she generally is far too fickle to stay in a relationship for long. while she hasn't been actively looking for anything serious. I'm sure one or two relationship developed into something serious despite her best efforts, but she's single now so it must have ended for some reason or another.

situationships. subsect of the above, because I feel like this is actually more where most of james past romantic/sexual connections lie. lots of flirting, dates, hook ups with absolutely none of the relationship defining! james wasn't stressed about it, but maybe your muse was. the undefined nature of it all could have led to some potentially messy situations. or maybe your muse was just as down for it, and their situationship faded naturally without any hard feelings.

I really want anything and everything in between! these are just general ideas, I'm open to all sorts of plots! <; 3

[roomeight]

So, it's been a year since britpopabuse started their account. And as hellish as the past year has been, I just want to say thank you to the fans who listened. In the past year I learned a lot about the metoo movement and how victims are treated when coming forward that I didn't understand until I saw how fans reacted to the GC allegations. As unfortunate as the situation is, I'm grateful to the victims who have come forward to share their story in what is most definitely a hostile environment that always rewards abusers with amnesty, in a music industry that actively upholds abusive people. I'm sad that things went the way they did with Britpopabuse, the amount of harassment they (and Blurhatesme) received was more than a person can handle imo. I'm grateful to them for giving me the wakeup call to speak up about something that had been weighing on me for so many years. If I'm being honest, it was much easier to say nothing at all. It still is. The friendships I lost over this. It takes a lot of resilience to say the things fans don't want to hear and become an online punching bag. I think it's impossible to say you know someone from their online persona, but fwiw I never felt like britpopabuse's motive was in the wrong place. I may have disagreed with their methods some of the time, but I think they genuinely cared about the women they supported. That sort of empathy is very rare in this world.

People will hate us and that's fine. People will question us as being legitimate fans. Maybe it is difficult to understand that loving a band this much sometimes means that you have to hold them accountable, despite it being against your personal interest to do so. I will never fault any fan for feeling the grief that comes from that cognitive dissonance-both in realizing this about your fav and also from alienating yourself from a fandom. I have always struggled with people I like being 'cancelled,' but after the past year and observing how GC victims are treated when sharing their stories, I get it now. This is a problem that directly endangers minors in the Blur fandom, and either you (as an adult) will say something or you won't. It is dangerous, scary, and isolating to say the truth. You will be gaslit, you will be harassed, the overall response is not that different from emotional abuse. What is glaring to me, is that even the questioning of Graham's behavior facilitated a violent response from Blur fandom. If you cannot question the behavior of your favs without being put in danger, then I think there's a problem. Let's address the elephant in the room: there is a new crop of young teens in Blur fandom almost every year/every other year. The pattern repeats itself; I have seen it so many times now. I was the first Blur twt generation. Young Gorillaz fans finding Blur fandom, then sexually tweeting at G. Many of them directly responded to, by him. Minors with usernames like grahamcoxonslut. Does that not make you uncomfortable? If it doesn't, why?

It is important to hold the people we admire accountable. It is also important for Dave, Alex and Damon to realize how concerning this issue is to the Blur fandom and how silence on the topic is not okay. Covering for and enabling Graham's abusive behavior to save face or money for the band is NOT OKAY. Some of us fans will not stand by as these things happen and remain silent. If that stance pisses you off, then good.

[bakushinverse]

シン•バラゴン Shin Baragon [Guardian of the Earth]

“He’s one of the few Kaiju that we’ve had reports of actively seeking to protect humans of it’s own accord. If the Hollow Earth theory might be correct, Baragon could be the link between the surface world and the subterranean realm.”

The great Kaiju Rodan flew North from Mount Calbuco towards the Amazon after his brief fight with Godzilla and Anguirus catching sight of Baragon and Monarch scientists nearby investigating strange spores near the edge of the amazon rainforest which had sprouted an invasive plant like species never seen before. Aggressive and acting more like a rabid animal, these rose vine like plants tore up and destroyed a large portion of the native flora and fauna.

Dr Vivienne Graham, leader of the Monarch Sciences team, studied samples of this strange new species of aggressive of plant and was horrified to find an exact match to the genetic code of Shin Gojira in them. Immediately after reporting this, Monarch Sciences alerted the UN which immediately sent in an envoy to eradicate all traces of the plant. Operation Jaguar is given priority at this news.

Although the humans had a good relationship with Baragon, who had been known for centuries to be a benevolent and helpful Kaiju, concerns lay with Rodan's motives as he accompanied Baragon. The envoy proceeded with caution as Baragon and Rodan encountered and fought the huge 75 metre tall Rose Kaiju that had formed from Shin Gojira's cells. The fight, was barely a fight at all, the enormous Rose monster only lashing out at the two other Kaiju with vines and spitting radioactive sap before burrowing its roots into the ground and travelling deeper into the rainforest, Rodan and Baragon immediately following the beasts trail, human forces also in pursuit, all with one common goal.

Height: 25m

Attributes :

Orange Heat Ray

Burrowing. Can dig a mean tunnel.

Armoured. Not as heavily as Anguirus or Godzilla but can take a hit.

Can Jump Good.

One of the smaller Kaiju, but always tries his best.

Useless against flighted enemies. Mothra could easily beat him in a fight. Not that Mothra would ever want to hurt a kind tempered creature.

Personality:

Likes humans. Has been known to defend them in the past.

Will fight anyone to protect the Earth, even if he has no chance of winning.

Kind hearted, but fierce and committed.

One of the few Kaiju that interact positively with humans, unless attacked or provoked by them.

Good friends with Mothra and Anguirus.

Godzilla acknowledges his existence once. Thinks Rodan is a dick.

Does his very best.

__________________ ShinMonsterVerse Series FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT __________________ SHIN MONSTERVERSE INDEX

[eggheadsguidetorunning]

Discussing Felix: Who He is and What that Means

Felix Graham de Vanily is a wild card of a character in his use and effect on the plot of Miraculous. The result of this is often the fan base having difficulty placing him. I have seen him get a lot of hate for being more loved by the writers than other characters for no determinable reason to him getting oodles of praise for being the only character who does something. Both of these takes seem to often go too far in one direction with both often not giving the writers any credit. It is for that reason that I want to provide a different way of looking at Felix that would seem to clarify both of these mistakes. To do this I would like to go over first the three sentimonsters we know of, and secondly the theming of rebellion around Felix.

So there are three sentimonsters that we know of currently in season 5 and I'm going to not go in great detail of them to avoid spoilers, but those three are: Adrien, Felix, and [redacted character]. You might be able to guess [redacted character] but if you can't or don't want too they are going to stay redacted in this text. Anyway, Felix and Adrien are not revealed but greatly hinted to be sentimonsters in season 4, so I am okay with going over their characters here. What I want to go over is an aspect of sentimonsters that many people forget that being sentimonsters are created by a emotion. Now the better made the sentimonster the less they are controlled by that emotion, but they all are created by an emotion so what is that emotion for Felix and Adrien? For both it is apparent for Adrien it is that of his mothers love for him and, likely, her husband (I have proof of this but I do not want to go too much into it here since this is about Felix not Adrien). For Felix the emotion is desire. Every action we see Felix takes has a start or focus on a desire he has for something. Whether it be the Graham de Vanily rings or the Peacock Miraculous. This is also why it is so much harder to stop him Felix has never once not gotten what he wants in some way or another. Most of his loses, especially in season 4, are more of delays and setbacks then hard loses. This is why stuff happens when Felix shows up not because he is given cart-blanche by the writers but because in order for him to be justified in appearance he has to want something and be doing his best to get whatever it is he wants. This extends past other characters Felix only ever wants something when he appears it is his drive and motive for anything he doesn't care who he hurts, who he has to step over, and who will get in his way. Other characters do care greatly about these things without these limits so far Felix gets what he wants.

Second is Felix is very often represented as a rebel without a cause, or rather a bad rebel. Someone who is able to rebel or wants to rebel against the system but either does not realize what the system is or why it is. Felix just knows there is a system in place and that it has chained him up and beat him like a dog. In return Felix will burn it to ash and anyone associated with it. I personally really like Felix as a rebel because combined with his powerful desires it can lead him into very interesting villain scenarios. For example, thinking that it was for the best what he did at the end of Season 4 even if he does apologize for it. Put on top of that the fact that his mother appears to be part of the British monarch and their is a hard sense of delicious irony there. Felix wants to burn down the system, while often working for the system.

If I am right and this is the way the writers seem to be going and implying with Felix (and I have seen season 5 stuff including Gloob episodes) then Felix is a very very doomed character, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[misfitwashere]

Matt Gaetz as AG is laughable if it weren't so horrific and dangerous

The nomination is really Trump's loyalty test of Senate Republicans: If they go along, there's nothing they won't go along with.

ROBERT REICH

NOV 13

Friends,

Trump has nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as America’s next Attorney General.

This would be laughable were it not so utterly dangerous. 

Gaetz as Attorney General would all but guarantee that Trump weaponizes the Justice Department against his enemies — past, present, and future. 

Ever since Trump was first indicted, Gaetz has been defending him non-stop, alleging that the prosecutions of Trump have been politically motivated, claiming that Joe Biden is behind them, charging the Biden administration with vindictiveness toward Trump, and saying that Trump would have every right to engage in similar vengeance toward Trump’s political enemies. 

In making these bogus claims, Gaetz has often used Trump’s wildly partisan and incendiary language. 

I worked in the Justice Department in the years following Richard Nixon’s attempt to use the Department to prosecute and intimidate Nixon’s enemies. 

To restore faith and trust in the Department, President Gerald Ford appointed Edward Levi as Attorney General. Before his appointment, Levi had been dean of the University of Chicago Law School and president of the University of Chicago. 

One of Levi’s most important accomplishments was to insulate the Department of Justice from political interference by establishing a set of rules that prevented the White House from privately contacting an Attorney General or any other Justice Department officials. 

How far we’ve fallen. 

Gaetz, a 42-year-old congressman from Florida, has zero qualifications for being the highest law enforcement official in the land. He has never been a government attorney. He has never been a judge. 

Gaetz is now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee in connection with a sex-trafficking scandal. (The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for his alleged involvement with a girl who was 17 at that time, to determine if he paid for sex in violation of federal sex-trafficking laws, but closed the investigation last year after career prosecutors were reportly unsure about the credibility of two central witnesses.)

If confirmed, Gaetz would lead the Justice Department’s more than 100,000 employees at a time when Trump’s allies are demanding a purge of career DOJ staffers who may have opposed some of Trump’s efforts during his first term or worked on cases involving Trump or his supporters.

Gaetz has defended Trump at every turn, arguing that Trump has never violated any federal laws. After Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Gaetz was defiant. “We’re ashamed of nothing,” he publicly said.

In other words, nominating Gaetz to be Attorney General is only slightly less ridiculous than nominating Vladimir Putin to be Secretary of Defense. 

The key question is whether Gaetz can be confirmed by a Republican Senate. 

Two key Republican moderates have already indicated they would likely vote against him. Senator Susan Collins said she was “shocked” by the nomination; Senator Lisa Murkowsi said he was not a serious contender for the job.

But Senator Lindsey Graham — a reliable weather-vane for the unscrupulous, and currently the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee — said he was surprised Trump picked Gaetz, whom he called “clever,” and predicted Gaetz would face “tough questions” at his confirmation hearing. 

But Graham also said he was inclined to support presidential appointments.

Gaetz’s nomination is a really test by Trump of how far he can go in intimidating, bullying, and generating fear among Senate Republicans. 

No Senate Democrat will vote for Gaetz, so Trump and his allies are seeing the Gaetz nomination as a litmus test of loyalty to Trump. 

This will be the clearest signal yet of how far Republican senators are willing to do Trump’s bidding on all sorts of sensitive issues, including cutting back Social Security and giving Putin what he wants in Ukraine. 

If Trump can get 51 votes for Gaetz, he can get a Senate majority for anything Trump wants to do.