#i know there are other scoobies but the core four are like. the forever scoobies. the always scoobies

[jennycalendar]

what colour do you associate with each of the scoobies?

ooooh fun question!!!

buffy: for some reason my brain always goes straight to powder blue for early seasons buffy? she just has those vibes. later seasons buffy it's just all black with those blue undertones here and there.

willow: basic answer mayhaps, but that specific shade of witchy purple. can't help it. girl's got a vibe.

giles: olive green!

xander: bowling alley carpet. that's a color.

[deanmonlover]

my glasses, my glasses!

a/n: here is my oneshot coming from the wonderful idea involving glasses that @nachtmahr666 had!

also this is post-michael starting from when corey first got a taste for blood. however, he took a night off in this for the reader 😂 I'm so sorry this took forever and it might not be great but I hope you like it 😭

tw: implied smut at the end 😉

"Scooby dooby doooo, where are you. We got some work to do now!" You sing along with the TV as it blares the 'Scooby Doo Where are you!" theme song. Recently you and Corey had both been staying home more often than not due to the rumor that there was a serial killer back out on the loose that killer being the Michael Myers. In reality that wasn't the case, it was someone much closer to you than that.

Corey got up and grabbed the empty popcorn bowl to go make some more. "I honestly think I like the seventies Scooby more. Something about it just screams nostalgic to me." He commented from the kitchen, peering from the doorway every so often with a grin at your dorky self sprawled out on the floor with fuzzy socks up to your knees, shorts and of course his t-shirt. It was quite contradictory to wear long socks and shorts but it looked really good on you.

"Okay yes, those were the days but What's new Scooby Doo is still good too! I mean sure it has major two thousands vibes but still it was one of my favorites hands down." You added, reaching for your drink as you took a sip you noticed a pillow laying on the ground. An evil idea popped into your head as you reached for the pillow and made your way silently past the doorway to the other side of the kitchen whenever the curly headed male wasn't looking.

Whenever Corey turned back from the fridge with a yoohoo in his hand, he perked an eyebrow as he looked out into the living room. "y/n?" He put his drink down on the counter and began walking out towards the living room in search of you until he felt a pillow whack him upside the head causing him to stumble backwards.

"Oh my god, Core! I didn't mean to hit you that hard I just–" That apology didn't even make it past your lips good before Corey had a pillow in his own hands and was bopping you over the head with it. He picked the lightest couch pillow that you had and with a devious smirk the battle was on.

You ran and tried to take cover behind the love seat but he was hot on your heels, the sound of your laughter filling the room as the chase ensued. Corey tried to throw his pillow at you but you ducked behind said loveseat before he had the chance. "Missed me, missed me now ya gotta kiss me!" You shouted as you jumped up from behind the couch and chucked the pillow right at Corey, knocking his glasses to the floor acidentally. When the realization hit you, your heart dropped as you ran over to him, not sure where they went.

"Core, we're gonna find them I swear, here maybe they're over here." You suggested, getting on all fours to look for them.

"My glasses, I can't see without my glasses!" Corey chimed in, a goofy smile painted on his lips as he recited the famous line that had literally just played with good timing in the background. He loved little moments like this with you, healing his inner child. It made him feel like he was finally catching up on the things his mother had never approved of. It was one of the things that made you so special to him, it was important to you that the two of you experience all the things he missed out on together.

"You're such a dork, did you know that?" You teased, reaching down to pick up the rimmed glasses that were dropped, handing them up to him before standing. As you tried to help put them back on, Corey grabbed your wrists and pulled you in close before meeting your lips with his own.

"Yeah but at least I can say that I'm yours." He mumbled against your lips, hands moving down to rest on the small of your back. The sounds of the mystery crew lost in the background as you made your way over to the couch to get comfortable under the blankets for the night.

[ofstormsandwolves]

Buffy comics speculation below cut:

So I was looking through some descriptions for the upcoming comments, and for the ‘Every Generation’ run, it says:

Discover the secret origins of some of the most important Slayers in history and the first appearance of a new character with a familiar face who will change the way you look at Buffy Summers and everything about her world forever! This is the Buffy comic that everyone will be talking about and the most important new character in over twenty years!

Now, the fact they talk about a ‘new’ character who is ‘familiar’ suggests that it’s a character that’s been altered for the comics and served a different purpose in the TV show- someone who looks like one of the actors, but whose character is completely different to what we’re familiar with. 

My first instinct following my reading of Hellmouth #5 was that it was going to be Slayer!Willow. as we were introduced to her as a new version of Willow- aka, a new character with a familiar face. But while I feel that at some point we’ll get Slayer!Willow alongside our Buffy, I feel like they perhaps wouldn’t have revealed her yet if they wanted to make it a surprise for ‘Every Generation’. 

So I started thinking about other characters from the show. The only character I could think of that would fit the idea of changing how we look at Buffy is Dawn Summers. With Slayer!Willow, it got me thinking about the other worlds and alternate versions of the characters. We’ve already had another version of Buffy the slayer, plus now a human Buffy who’s known Xander since childhood. So what’s to say that there’s not a dimension  where instead of Buffy Summers there’s a Dawn Summers who is the Slayer. And, like I’ve already suggested with Slayer!Willow coming into our Buffy’s world at some point, perhaps there’s something that brings this version of Dawn into the comics and has her fighting alongside her other-dimensional sister. What I’m suggesting is the idea that Dawn is an alternate Buffy- after all, in the show Dawn was made out of Buffy. 

The way I see this sort of thing panning out is that we get a few issues where Kendra takes the lead with the remixed Scooby Gang of Anya, Rose, and Cordelia (with potential bonus Jenny) while Giles and Buffy deal with the fallout of losing Xander and Willow leaving town. Perhaps Buffy and Giles will occupy themselves tracking down Buffy’s predecessor. Then, after a little time, something happens that means they need more Slayers. The First has already been mentioned, but also the Hellmother might not be dead. Instead of a Buffy & Angel team up, perhaps we get something more like Chosen, with lots of Slayers. Instead of activating potentials, different Slayers are pulled in from across dimensions because the threat is linked to every Hellmouth everywhere. It’s already been stated that the lake the Hellmother fell into is an unknown- nobody knows where it leads, after all. 

That would allow them to utilise Slayer!Willow we’ve just met, as well as having Buffy and Kendra, Buffy’s predecessor, and potentially Faith (which I mentioned here). It would make sense to have an alternate version of Buffy in Dawn, as we have already seen an alternate Willow as the Slayer. Plus, it’s a way to bring Dawn into the comics in a new way, as much of the backstories for the characters have been rewritten. And Drusilla, back in Hellmouth #2 was muttering about locks, which at the time felt like it might be a reference to Dawn. Maybe it was a hint about the character joining the comics, or maybe not, but right now Dawn being from a different dimension seems like the best way to get the character into the comics if they’re going to add her in.

I also can’t help but wonder if this means we might get an alternate Xander- we know of at least three worlds where the Scoobies co-exist. we have the main world of the comics, the world alternate Buffy came from (where she lost all her friends), and then the world of slayer!willow. perhaps original Xander might be vamped and gone forever, but they might use the other dimension thing to bring in a new Xander from another world. and perhaps this Xander will have different abilities, like Slayer!Willow does? it would allow them to be a little more flexible with the character as it’s an alternate version, while also keeping the core four Scoobies...

Anyway, I don’t fully know where i’m going with this, beyond that I think we might get a new version of Dawn, as well as Slayer!Willow fighting alongside Buffy, Kendra, and potentially Faith as well as Buffy’s predecessor, and tbh i’m here for it.

[douxreviews]

Legends of Tomorrow - ‘The Getaway’ Review

"My friends and I here are time travelers, we’ve kidnapped Nixon and we’re headed to Disneyworld."

The Legends serve up a giant sugary treat to help us get down a couple of awkward bitter pills. They don't need to get to Disneyworld, we're on an emotional rollercoaster already.

See what I did there?

There is a philosophy of screen-writing that, if at all possible, having the protagonist confront their emotional problem should be the solution to solving whatever their plot-related problem might be. See, for example, Craig Owens defusing a spaceship by declaring his unspoken love, or more subtly, Willow's lies finally being brought to light curing the Scooby Gang's amnesia.

It's easy to see this as being formulaic, but really it's just a matter of solid storytelling and remembering to give your narrative an emotional core. With the caveat that if it's done too awkwardly it's a one way ticket to schmaltz-town. See, for example, Craig Owen blowing up Cybermen with the power of father-love.

So, when I observe that this episode of Legends of Tomorrow is a textbook example of solid comedy overlaid onto a situation wherein one character is avoiding dealing with the emotional consequences of recent events, only to pivot to heartbreaking pain and reconciliations as the characters learn to honestly deal with their emotions, that's not a criticism. Doing that kind of thing well is a real skill, and they pull it off here quite well. Again, "Tabula Rasa" is a great example of the all-comedy to suddenly-way-too-real-drama pivot. It's done badly much more often than it's done well, so what we have here is well worth praising.

It helps enormously that the jokes in the jokey parts are pretty much all laugh-out-loud funny. The swallowable bug that makes you tell only the truth is 100% uncut phlebotinum, but it's grade-A phlebotinum, and it leads to Mick Rory confessing his desire to grow out his hair like Fabio, so let's all agree to cherish it forever. The phlebotinum-iness of it is made even more easy to take due to the fact that it's only used to cause Sara to blurt out those hurtful truths to Mona, which drives Mona away from the team. The painful truths that Sara has to confront to fix the situation, in which she both confesses how much she's hurt by the loss of Ava and how much she's failed Mona by not being there for her are all completely coming from herself and her own heart, which gives them genuine emotion and validity far beyond 'magic made me say it' plot contrivances.

The takeaway here, future screenwriters, is that you can only use the phlebotinum for the jokes. The genuine emotional responses have to be just that – genuine. I promise that that's the last time I will use the term phlebotinum in this review.

But we have to also acknowledge something about this episode. All the jokes and the post-breakup heartache and teambuilding are at least partially on display here to help us to get past the one, big, awkward, clunky plot correction that this episode needed to make happen.

This was the episode that needed to make Hank Heywood not the villain of the season anymore.

It will be interesting, later on, to find out exactly when and to what extent the plans for the season changed, but it seems abundantly clear that change they did. The Hank of the first half of the season was an unmitigated bastard, with the occasional moment of charm. He was being built up to be the face of the 'government turns monsters into evil monster soldiers' plotline. At least, it seems reasonably clear that that was what was happening to the monsters. That wasn't a spoiler, just my assumption about what Hank was doing with the monsters when he had them tortured. However, at some point they appear to have decided that Hank needed to be redeemed, and so we do a lot of back-paddling here in a short space of time to justify Hank suddenly deciding to let the Legends go when he finally had them dead to rights in order to make things right with his son.

Now, that's a fair story to tell, and I think they would have pulled it off easily if that's where they'd been intending to go all along. But here, in this episode, it feels very much like a retcon/course correction, and I just didn't buy it. Having the demon Neron in Dez' body kill Hank immediately after his redemption, and setting up things so that Nate thinks Nora killed him, thereby setting up a Nate/Hank rift, just felt contrived to me. I'm sorry about that, because the rest of this episode was fantastic, but there it is.

Still, we shouldn't complain too much over one awkward bit of plot housekeeping. It was great to see all the Legends together, more or less, and a road trip in an RV was just what they needed.

Aim for the horsies!  Wait... .wrong show...

So what have we learned today?

We've learned to stop asking questions, since nobody seems to care about causality anymore. The Legends can watch Nixon's 'incorrect' version of the 'Not A Crook' speech from a future vantage point, then go back to change it so it doesn't happen. But then Mona becoming a were-kaupe in the middle of a restaurant goes totally unnoticed by history, not to mention the theft of an RV and a patrol car.

I don't know, I think maybe I should just enjoy having a show with time travel in it that doesn't get too concerned about temporal physics. As the MST3K them song so eloquently stated, 'If you're wondering where he eats or sleeps, or other science facts/ Then repeat to yourself, "it's just a show, I should really just relax."'

Sound advice.

Everybody remember where we parked.

Nixon's famous 'I am not a crook' quote was from a televised Q & A that was, in fact, at Disneyworld on November 17, 1973. The Legends pick Nixon up pre-emptively in Washington D.C. a few days before that, but apparently Nixon's truth telling was already an observed problem by the White House staff. We hope that after the events shown they got around to going back for Charlie. The running joke of realizing that they'd forgotten her was very, very funny. I'd forgotten her too, the first time it came up.

The Time Bureau still appears to be in 2018, although they didn't directly say so. Zari once again appears to be a conduit between the 2018 Bureau and wherever in time the Legends are at the time. It's just a show. I should really just relax.

Abrupt redemption arcs can be quite painful.

Quotes:

Mick: "What? No Redford? No Sundance. No indie film. No artful nudity. We gotta fix this!"

Gary: "I’ve always wanted to untangle a conspiracy. I’ll need a bulletin board… index cards… I already have yarn, I’ve been getting into crochet." Zari: "Yeah? Me too." Gary: "We should start a club." Zari: "We’ll talk."

Mona: "Grrr."

Agent: "Here that? The truth. Something is very wrong with the President."

Hank: "Siri… Alexa… Gideon! Fire up the ship!"

John: "A bit on the nose, no?" Sara: "We left subtle back in Mexico."

Mona: "You know, I’ve never been in a car that’s a room before."

John: "Not to bother you, but we’ve lost the ship, drugged the President, and I’m stuck in the back with her."

Sara: "Maybe it’s best if we all just don’t talk."

Sara: "Maybe that’s what family is – the family you don’t mind being annoyed by."

Bits and pieces:

-- The group truth telling scene was comedy gold.

-- It looks like they're definitely setting up Zari and Nate as a couple. Sigh. Oh well, I'll learn to live with it.

-- We finally get a Ray and Mick pairing on their own mission, and we barely get to see any of it. That was disappointing.

-- No Ava this week. I wonder if that was for the plot convenience of Hank being in charge, or if Jes Macallan had another commitment. It was probably the right choice to take her completely off the board while we process things with Sara.

-- Several clever plot details this week. Zari's solution to communicating with the RV and Nate's plan for getting Hank's password were both nicely done.

-- This was the first time they've found a way to use Charlie's powers that didn't make her feel too powerful to be part of the team.

-- Whoever's idea it was for all of them to have changed into t-shirts that read,  'Barnes family vacation – Our family is a trip!' should be given anything they ask for, immediately.

-- John's little 'not really a speech' to Sara was a nice bit of dialogue writing.

-- Having a were-kaupe on the team who retains their personality and reason and who can transform on command kind of works.

-- Despite the way she was set up for being blamed for Hank's death being a little contrived, I like the way they got Nora back onto the board here. I hope they don't go the obvious route with Nate wanting revenge.

-- Did they ever give even a handwave explanation for why Zari is working at the Bureau and not on the Waverider now? I mean, from the Bureau's perspective. I get from Zari's point of view why she's there.

So much funny. So much emotional honestly. Just a little bit of clunky plot mechanics.

Three out of four forbidden red toilet buttons.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

[gayafchoices]

choices friend groups ranked... so far

back here after a hundred years to do the lord’s work. more rankings to come!

shit tier

17. alpha theta mu from the freshman - y’all... do i... have to elaborate... these evil bitches really be out here committing arson, fraud, theft, hit and run... fucked up... alpha theta mu stans don’t interact

16. atlas crew from across the void - they really do be like that... individually some of them are amazing but why are they such a wreck together... how the atlas is still holding itself together is a miracle sent from heaven itself 

low tier

15. kaitlyn’s band from the freshman - did they aCTUALLY go on tour with the loose pins or did i have a fuckin stroke y’all?!?! the freshman series is wild!!! not shit tier because they’re cute when they’re not being Dramatique or Idiotique but they really have to stop dragging mc into their problems just play your guitars and go

14. the housemates from the freshman - remember when they were cute and pure and sweet in the freshman book one? when the biggest drama that existed was vasquez’s illness??? HA HA HA god i deserve a veteran’s discount........ why are they like this..... am begging them to please just STUDY like actual college students should be doing........

mid tier

13. nomade team from rules of engagement - look they’re just trying their best to provide all these goofy bitches on the ember of the sea with some food they deserve some credit... blake and mira were just tryna get that michelin star in peace... tina and carter and our boy daniel tryna get that coin... they did a good job

12. mc, matt, seth, teja & victoria from red carpet diaries - they did a really good job dealing with markus in the first book and i respect them for it. a shame it went to shit in the second book. smh tragic. 

11. mirasol, nikhil & reza from most wanted - one of the ogs! everyone forgets! so underrated. their banter was funny and cute and they were also effective officers of the law and really helped dave and sam a lot. i miss them lmao 

10. mc & company from high school story - they’re so extra but imma cut them some slack because they’re basically kids and they’re trying their best. and they did expose a corrupt ass principal so they’ve got some game

9. mc & company from hero - ok i’m biased bc i’m not a hero fan but eh. good crime fighters and they did a great job against caleb and prescott and all but it’s so hard to judge because there’s only been one book and half of it was paywalled... don’t @ me it’s true...

top tier

8. mc & company from it lives beneath - the concepts of safety and common sense are really not in their vocabularies but they’re so brave and they want to do the right thing... i’m proud of them... these dumbasses really ready to get eaten by some lake monster in order to figure out wtf is happening in town... i love them

7. mc & company from lovehacks - bite me they were funny and stupid and extra and dramatic and entertaining af!!! no life or death drama, nobody getting murdered, no apocalyptic shit, just over the top ridiculous tropey bullshit, they were so good. and they were all really supportive of each other and genuinely loved each other even if they didn’t always show it well... love it 

6. #areyouscared from it lives in the woods - all of mine survived the last game with jane so they really were Those Bitches... they came together to banish an ancient evil after their childhood friend got put into a coma and rekindled all that childhood trauma huh... i just want them to be happy

5. scooby gang from veil of secrets - i don’t know what to tell you... the four of them got together and basically singlehandedly tore down the corrupted core of a small town and turned the law onto the most powerful untouchable family running that town... that is big dick energy my friends

4. mc & company from perfect match - does this really require explanation when have literally put eros on its ass not once, not twice, but three damn times and are this close to burning it to ashes forever

god tier

3. mc & company from the royal romance - i said what i said. they have come so far and i’m proud of them. they were supportive and brave and dedicated and heroic and have basically been there for mc every step of the way. in this house we respect team squid 

2. the catalysts from endless summer - LITERALLY!!! THEY!!! I!!! that’s all i have to say, if you disagree you are wrong 

1. kenna, dom & company from the crown & the flame - sorry but they were The OG. they INVENTED big dick energy. iconic. legends. if we consider the in-game history, they’re the reason why anything exists the way it does in the present. the five kingdoms will reign almighty forever and that is the tea on that 

[sulietsexual]

You did a similar thing with Charmed, so what would you say is the most traumatic thing each of the scoobies went through? (Within btvs universe)

Okay, so I’mjust going to go with the Core Four Scoobies (Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander)otherwise we’ll be here forever, given the rotation of characters on Buffy. So,here we go.

Buffy

So, for me,Buffy’s biggest trauma is somewhat complicated, because what I believe to her biggest trauma and whatthe show presents as her biggesttrauma are completely different. So I’m going to list both, and explain myreasoning behind both.

Narrativelyand within the context of the show and the character and the way the seriestook her characterisation, I would list Buffy’s resurrection as her biggesttrauma. While Buffy undergoes numerous traumas over the series and we have seenher previously suffer PTSD in the Season 2 opener When She Was Bad, herresurrection at the beginning of Season 6 seems to have traumatised her onseveral deeper levels, and it  takes hernearly the entire season to recover from the after-effects.

Not only isBuffy’s trauma linked to being violently pulled out of Heaven, she is furthertraumatised by the fact that she is resurrected in her own grave, effectivelyexperiencing what it is like to be buried alive which, thanks to the Season 1episode Nightmares, we know is one of Buffy’s biggest fears. The entireexperience, coupled with the depression she was already suffering from Season 5, combines to cause so much trauma to Buffy that she literally shuts down andcloses off from human emotions in order to cope.

That beingsaid, I personally believe that thebiggest trauma Buffy suffers is the abuse Spike puts her through. She spends allof Season 6 being victimised by Spike, emotionally and sexually. What we watchunfold over Season 6 is a classic example of an abusive relationship, and whileBuffy is trained/used to dealing with supernatural threats and living inconstant danger, she is not used to apartner who emotionally manipulates and abuses her, pushes her sexualboundaries, sexually assaults her and then attempts to rape her. Buffy might bethe Slayer but she is also human, and abusive relationships have devastating effects on the victims,often leaving them with trauma and PTSD for years afterwards.

Of coursethe show completely ignores this in favour of having Buffy prop up, coddle andcomfort her abuser, and so the trauma and PTSD she would definitely have suffered as a result of the relationship is neitheracknowledged or explored.

Giles

I would saythat Giles’ biggest trauma was losing Jenny and being the one to find her body,especially considering the manner in which he found her body.

As aWatcher, Giles is somewhat used to death and he mentions that he has lostpeople before, but Jenny seems to be the first death of someone truly close tohim, someone he loved. And while he does lose Buffy down the track, as aWatcher, he was always prepared for the day when he would lose his Slayer.Jenny’s death, however, came completely out of the blue and just as he was acknowledging hisfeelings for her again and moving towards a reconciliation, so the trauma andpain of her death cuts through him sharper and deeper than any other loss he’shad, up till that point and after.

As I pointedout, there’s also the way in whichGiles discovered Jenny’s body, which would definitely have added to his overalltrauma, as Angelus set everything up to provide maximum horror and trauma, withthe implied romantic evening, candles, roses, all leading to Giles findingJenny’s corpse in his bed, her eyes wide and dead and seemingly looking at him,a final message that he couldn’t save her. Giles’ breakdown after her death andthe way in which he recklessly goes after Angelus really shows how deep thetrauma went, as Giles is usually quite adept at keeping his emotions in check.The visceral reaction to Jenny’s death has me convinced that it was and remainsGiles’ greatest trauma.

Willow

I think theentire fandom can agree that Willow’s greatest trauma was Tara’s violent andabrupt death. As with Giles, losing a partner in such an unexpected andgruesome manner severely impacts Willow, and her subsequent rage and griefdrive her magical roaring rampage of revenge.

It’s nothard to pin down why this death traumatised Willow so much, as we know frompast experience that Willow does not handle grief or people leaving her well.When Oz cheated on her, her reaction was to cast a vengeance spell, and when heleft for good, her grief caused her to spiral so badly that she lost control ofher magic and power and put her friends in danger. So it’s no wonder thatlosing Tara in such a violent way – and actually having Tara die in her arms –had such a deep and traumatic effect on her, and given Willow’s previouscharacterisation and unhealthy coping mechanisms, it’s easy to understand whyshe went off the deep end following Tara’s untimely demise. I wish Season 7 hadexplored this grief and trauma better, instead of hurriedly shoving her into anew relationship, as the show never really allowed her to grieve properly forTara, nor work through the trauma that was so clearly still with her.

Xander

As withBuffy, I believe Xander has two traumas that vie for top billing, and evenworse than with Buffy, the show tends to gloss over both in favour of keeping Xander as the comic relief character, asopposed to trying to explore the effects of these traumas.

The firstone is somewhat of an ongoing trauma in Xander’s life, and that is his abusivehome life. Xander’s home situation and the abuse and neglect he suffers throughis alluded to numerous times throughout the show and many hints indicate that the abuse is not only emotional butphysical too, with the episode Restless all but confirming this. This ongoing abusehas an extremely detrimental effect on Xander and we clearly see this in hisday-to-day behaviour, his attitude towards women and his fears in the laterseasons of becoming an abuser, just like his father. A childhood filled withthis kind of emotional and physical abuse would have and very obviously didhave a deep and lasting impact on Xander.

The secondtrauma, and this is the one that the show completely ignores, is losing hisbest friend in such an abrupt and violent way, and being given no grieving timebefore he is instructed to kill Jesse if he gets the chance. I have spoken numerous times about the effect thistrauma had on Xander and how it is clearly shown in his attitude towardsvampires and his reaction to the Angelus period. Without re-hashing old points,Jesse’s death was traumatic enough to Xander that he was never able toreconcile Buffy allowing not one, but twovampires to survive and thrive next to the Scoobies, and he never fullylets go of his distrust towards the undead.

[jmorpc]

a masterlist of 40 roleplay group and indie plots, listed alphabetically. I have tried to include plots for different types of groups, but there are certain types I’m not so familiar with - I tried. I will add more when I think of them! If you found this post helpful, or are in the rpc, please like/reblog.

A;

All The Hues: everyone is assigned a unique color at birth; each event in their lives are determined by the color and revolve around their assigned color

AmDram: another musically inspired plot - this time, brought to you by the eccentric members in a community near you!

B;

Bad Girls Do It Well: bitches who get shit done - based on the M.I.A song, and a little bit of TSwift’s Bad Blood - an all female gang

The Breakfast Club: a bunch of high school/college misfits who form an unlikely alliance and forge the path ahead for their peers

Broadway Baby: following the cast of a Broadway play or musical; their highs, lows, rehearsals and shows, etc.

C;

Competition Time: probably based on any generic talent show/competition on TV - to give you some ideas; American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, The X Factor, etc.

D;

Deep Space: a group of astronauts have been sent into space - problems ensue

E;

The Elements: depending on the time of year, place and other factors of where you were born, you are assigned to either the earth, wind, water or fire sector - each member must train in skills relating to their assigned element

Expat Central: following the lives of multi-national migrants who have all emigrated to another country/city/town and are becoming used to the culture/way of life there - they could all be working together or studying together at a college

F;

Fake Dates: could be that they’ve been set up on a blind date, but they have nothing in common but don’t want to waste the day - they become friends and somehow their friends think that they’ve hit it off when really the joke is on their pals

Fashion Mag: based loosely on The Devil Wears Prada, or Ugly Betty

G;

Ghostbusters Inc: our fabulous four have been in popular demand and have opened their big, red doors to the general public - extending their corporation for further business

The Goblin King/Queen: a King/Queen who rules in the labyrinthine land of goblins takes away children to raise as their own because any suitable spouses are deterred by the sight of the goblins, so they must live forever alone until parents, siblings and friends of the kidnapped come to find them, falling in love with the royal

Golden Age of Hollywood: when times were simpler, budgets were not insane and studio regulations didn’t exist - Hollywood produced some of the greatest pieces of cinematic history, starring some of the greatest stars of all time

I;

Inside Out: everyone has a conscience, and everyone has different ways of reacting to situations - the brain is controlled by the emotions, helping us navigate through life, the most commonly known emotions are joy, sadness, disgust, anger and fear, but as we age, emotional ranges extend

The Incredibles: families of superheroes, each relative with unique superpowers who join forces to defeat the world of Evil.

The Interns: at a prestigious company, there’s always that one internship that makes everything feel like it’s that much extra work for everyone - now multiply that by the amount of workers in the office because everyone just got a buddy!

iZombie: I don’t think I need to say more but, I will - when a sudden zombie outbreak happens in a large city, a few people get infected and a couple of people gain specific powers which are in turn, able to aid them in their career paths

J;

Jurassic Age: following the disasters and closures of the original and subsequent parks, the company behind funding and raising the dinosaurs has introduced and decided to integrate dinosaurs in amongst the general public - at zoos, hotels, national parks, etc.

L;

Live From New York: with the lives, writing, rehearsals, read-throughs and eventually the shows from the SNL gang

The Lost Boys: based on the 1980′s vampire movie, starring Keifer Sutherland and that dude from the Bill & Ted movies - when a few newbies arrive in town, the gang leader invites them to a challenge, if they pass they can join the gang, if they fail, they become the next meal

Lost Boys/Girls; there are kids all around the world who for some reason or another, they don’t feel like they fit in anywhere, a plot in which they find out they’re not the only one like them would be pretty darn heart-warming/wrenching

M;

Mapcrunch: people began to go missing and would often find themselves losing days at a time, without recollection of where they had been, or came from - they were somehow teleported from their location and dropped in an unknown location, and given basic tools to enable them to find their way home

Those Meddling Kids: based loosely on Scooby Doo and the Mystery Machine Gang!

Mount Olympus: following the lives of the Greeks who once ruled the Earth from their watchful peak; Mount Olympus - each of the Gods was assigned a sector to watch over and help nourish

Murder House: basically a generic haunted house plot - loosely based on the first season of American Horror Story

O;

Once Upon A Time: a universe in which all storybook/fairytale characters know each other - could be based on the TV show of the same name

P;

Paging Doctor Beat: set in a hospital - think of Grey’s Anatomy, House, etc.

The Peculiars: seemingly regular children with peculiar abilities - a grown-up edition of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

R;

Regal Manor: following a prior bankruptcy and passing of the previous Lord/Lady (insert other regal title here), the Manor or Estate has been willed to their closest living relative(s) - who works to restore everything to its former glory, including hiring a full service staff

Reunion: people who went to high school or college together have suddenly reunited and are reconnected to one anothers’ lives

S;

Seven Sings & Virtues: 7x7 - similar to the soul mates plot, for every virtue, there’s a deadly sin to balance out a couple.

Soul Mates: everyone is born with an assigned soul mate, an according to Mythology, they once made one whole being before being torn apart and made to find each other to test if their love was true

T;

Teacher Life: basically set in a school but the plot focuses on the lives of the faculty - anybody having elicit affairs, blackmailing colleagues, etc.

Toy Story: each time the kids leave the room or go to sleep, the toys come to life!

The Truman Show (see also; The Joe Schmo Show): a pre-selected character goes through life, living as though he is participating with others in a reality show - the catch is, the others know it’s not a real reality show and must continue in their alternate universe to keep the ‘show’ alive.

U;

Under The Sea: set in the lost city of Atlantis or other underwater lagoon - everyone is a mer-person, basically everyone is Ariel!

V;

The Village Of The Damned: where the children are all possessed by some evil demon or you could have it like the 60/70′s movie, where I think it may have been something with aliens?

W;

The Witches of Eastwick: only one of the greatest witch plots to have ever been made! A group of friends all wish for something they have wanted for a while - and behold, an effective-immediate move-in from the local man of mystery and suddenly, the friends are getting everything they wished for through their own core powers

Written In The Stars: each of us are assigned a soul mate - this is another take on that; from Earth, we see the stars, each one is a pre-determined other half for someone, the stars (within the galaxy are people), see each person on Earth as a star - the closer they get to pinpointing their other half, the brighter they glow

[we-pay-for-everything]

20 Buffy Asks: 16 - 19

First of all, THANK YOU. Secondly, Hi!

You picked some interesting questions. Had to think on them. So:

16. Which character do you wish was developed more?

On Buffy, I think Giles. He was such a strong character, played by an even stronger actor yet his role was very limited. He was the father figure and the watcher, but not much else. He had an intriguing past as Ripper that should’ve been explored more; his pragmatism and willingness to do whatever was necessary was a dark, compelling trait that was never really approached (he killed Ben! and there was no follow-up on that); his relationship with the Watcher’s Council seemed complicated (he was forced to become a Watcher, possibly by his parents) and could’ve been brought up in one of the Watcher Council centered episodes - Buffy’s relationship with the Council wasn’t nearly as relevant as Giles’; etc. Tbh, Giles was just a sarcastic, dorky, intelligent, dark character that went through so much yet was never given an arc of his own. The show would have been much better if he’d had more focus like Wes on Ats. 

On Angel, I guess Gunn? He was an amazing guy, with great leadership skills who had been hunting vampires since forever, yet he never got a real story of his own. It was great to see lawyer Gunn kick ass, but that wasn’t the real Gunn. He was amazing before his brain enhancements, and it’s like the show itself was confirming Gunn’s belief that he was only “the muscle” which we all know it’s bullshit!

17. Which character do you wish had less of a focus on them in the show?

Ugh, Spike! Spike! Spike! I don’t like his character, and for someone who wasn’t even part of the Scooby Gang, he sure as hell got a lot of screen time. 

And also, in seasons 5 and 7, Buffy. Season 5 was boring imo, and Buffy was partly the reason why. The show focused little on the Scooby Gang as a whole and demoted Giles to side kick extraordinaire. If Btvs had invested more screen time on the core four and their relationships, and less on Spike, Buffy and Buffy’s own personal journey, that season would’ve been funner and more interesting. 

In season 7, Buffy was obviously on some kind of behavior modifier drug and I could’ve forgone seeing that. 

As for Ats, Spike in season 5 because..Spike… Lindsey too. And Jasdelia. 

18. Which show do you like better, Buffy or Angel.

ANGEL. I think the best way to describe my love for Angel is to say that I love Ats as much as people love Btvs. You know those fans that don’t understand how someone can not love Buffy and not consider Btvs the best show ever? I’m like that, except with Ats.

Small list of reasons why Ats is the best show: 

1. Angel! He’s a much better lead than Buffy. He blends better with the entire cast - neither outshining other characters nor being outshined. He has a multitude of roles and his character is never boring (except for parts of s3 and s5). He was a father, a love interest, a hero, an antihero, a villain, a CEO, a P.I., a sponsor for Faith, a good friend to many - he’s just the best character ever imo. Angel is dark, complex, but has integrity and a good heart. He’s just a fascinating character that combines tons of roles in one singular character. 

2. The characters. I don’t think there’s any character on Btvs who had a journey like Angel, Wesley, or even Cordelia’s. And these journeys were a wonderful emotional roller coaster. Lilah, Darla, Gunn, Lorne, Fred, Illyria, Kate, Anne, etc… all of these characters are amazing and better than like 80% of all the characters on Buffy. 

3. The themes: loneliness, depression, regret, redemption, love are all universal themes. The existential question the show poses never gets old. Throughout the seasons, Angel questions his role and purpose in the world, and what kind of difference his making, and, throughout the seasons he answers his own question: “If nothing we do matters, than all that matters is what you do. ‘Cause that’s all there is.”, “Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It’s harsh, and cruel. But that’s why there’s us. Champions. It doesn’t matter where we come from, what we’ve done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be.”, “Let’s go to work”.

19. Tell me an unpopular opinion you have about the show.

This one is hard. I don’t like Spike or Spuffy but that’s, in a way, a popular opinion… I don’t think Xander’s the devil, Restless is boring, OMWF is boring, season 5 is extremely overrated, season 2 is better than season 3, Bad Eggs and Go Fish are kind of great, etc? 

As for Ats: Ats is better than Btvs, Angel is better than Buffy, Cordelia’s journey is overrated  - it was predictable and she gets Mary Sued a lot, Fred/Gunn is better than Fred/Wesley, Wesley and Lilah are OTP, seasons 3 and 5 are average at best despite having some great/excellent episodes, etc.

I have more unpopular opinions but can’t think of them right now…

Anyway, everyone is free to ask more questions, but thanks sosa lola for these!

[monkey-network]

Mini Stuff of Good: 2019 2nd Quarter

We’re doing a lightning round of anything up to this point, no holds barred! 3. 2.. 1...

One Punch Man 2

The story certainly made up the utter downgrade of its animation. If anything, I’d seriously stick with the manga if we’re talking good spectacle. (Grade: C+)

Care Bears: Unlock the Magic

I can say this is Turner’s answer to Hasbro’s My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic. The look of it is a plus and the episodes are on the same level of quality as MLP, but I had my doubts that this would get the same level of traction, especially since it’s Boomerang. It’s not bad, just not much to write home about. (Grade: C)

Uglydolls

An upbeat movie that I say didn’t deserve the disdain it received. Like yeah, it’s pretty by the numbers, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t entertaining in the slightest, and surprisingly heavy in its racial undertones if you’d believe me. (Grade: B-)

Avengers Endgame

Was certainly conclusive and fun, but inferior compared to Infinity War, especially when it unfortunately has to undo everything that happened in that movie. Not as many good memes from this as the interchangeable Thanos snap meme. (Grade: B)

Tuca & Bertie

Honestly a fun series that makes its cancellation just depressing to hear. The duo themselves made every episode enjoyable and while I wish certain plot points could’ve been better, the overall story arc with our MC’s friendship was very investing. In the least, the season ended on a good, optimistic note. (Grade: A-)

Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart

Essentially the Adventures of Puss in Boots, anime edition. Not to say that’s a bad thing, because there are plenty of differences, but come on, the similarities between the two leads and the premise are eeriely similar. As such, it gets the same grade (Grade: B+)

Shazam

A DC comic book movie that actually tries to be a comic book movie. Bonus points for the director being one that mostly made horror movies. (Grade: A-)

Scooby Doo and Guess Who?

Scooby Doo and self humor doesn’t sit well with me since the fun came in taking its campy nature straightfaced while having some good sitcom laughs, i.e. Monsters Unleashed, Mystery Incorporated, or Be Cool, Scooby Doo. The celebrity guests are almost always a highlight, but they also admittedly take away from the characters we’re meant to see. (Grade: B-)

Archer 1999

Finally, a season of Archer that has everyone together doing space adventures, and it’s not the final season! (Grade: B+)

Dick Pikachu

Lovely to look at, not so much in remembering it. It has the same grade I gave the game it’s based on. (Grade: C+)

Gokushufudou: The Way of the House Husband

The most perfect yakuza based slice of life comic around. (Grade: S)

Burning Effect

I honestly haven’t seen a webcomic that went this hard before. It’s like Bakugo from My Hero Academia went into every character design and impacting visual, with a story and premise that gradually makes sense the more you carry on and a female lead that is a upcoming warrior in every sense. (Grade: A)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

There’s a Youtube channel that reviews this show episode by episode and I found them more insightful and entertaining than this series. A shame since I like the original She-Ra and I was hoping for a good series about princesses fighting. But this series was slog to get through and it doesn’t help that my attachment to most of the characters has fizzled out. Season 3 certainly picked things up, but it shouldn’t have took this long to pick things up. (Grade: C+)

The Secret Life of Pets 2

Just as good as the first one, if not better, which I bet many who reviewed this will probably say otherwise. The scene near the end is honestly cemented in my mind, it just worked. (Grade: B-)

SMG4, The Anime Arc

This definitely fun. A middling 1st half, but things definitely pick up in the 2nd half. There are some contrivances and conveniences, but man was that the most engaged I’ve ever been with this Youtube series overall. (Grade: B+)

Aladdin (2019)

Oh wow, another remake that pales in comparison to the original. A takeaway from all this is Disney needs to hire directors that aren’t boring. (Grade: D+)

MIB: International

Oh wow, it’s Jurassic World: Men In Black edition with two great actors that are heavily underutilized in it. Where’s Taika when you need him? (Grade: C-)

Lion King (2019)

Oh wow, a remake that doesn’t understand why the original worked. This here was honestly the final straw for me as I am distancing myself from these remakes because unless one actually looks and feels appealing, my sensible bias towards them will never change. I feel annoyed that I DON’T know what people see in these. (Grade: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!)

DC Super Hero Girls

Honestly what I wanted Nu She-Ra to be, better animated, better characterized, and reminds me of the new Ninja Turtles series with how it is setting things up. As a DC fan, I am more than impressed. (Grade: A)

X-Men, Dark Phoenix

They honestly weren’t trying and this movie resulted in me getting Ligma. (Grade: D+)

Our Cartoon President

We had our laughs a couple years ago, but let’s be real. Trump is a dried up meme and there was no reason for a 2nd season of this. (Grade: F+)

Final Space

Season 2 has its hits and misses but I am very much enjoying this series still. The latest episode deep down made me wish it didn’t try to make things drama heavy for the previous episodes, like it’s trying to recapture the sharp turn that was season one’s episode six. Needless to say, they’re certainly keeping the momentum going for this series and I’m all for it. (Grade: B+)

Aero (Comic series)

Imagine if Nejire from My Hero Academia was a Marvel superhero. The dialogue and writing is generic and simple, but you not only get a nice grasp of our heroine but this is one of the first anime looking Marvel comics that looks incredible. This really stood out at my comic shop and I am very intrigued to see more of this character and this artwork. (Grade: B)

Infinity Train

Very compelling, nicely visualized, and the 10 episode work to a good strength of pacing. Though I will be honest, One-One wasn’t a character that stood out to me, I dunno, I felt distant towards him compared to the other characters. But I enjoyed this no doubt and I’m glad there is more to come. (Grade: ???)

Twelve Forever

This is one of those rare shows where I’ll gladly say it’s good but not entertaining. As much as I enjoy randomness every now and then, I felt bored watching it. The Butt Witch was the saving grace, immediately being my favorite character, but she wasn’t enough to make me keep going. I’ll give it a good grade tho with the effort they put into everything. (Grade: B)

Rocko’s Modern Life, Static Cling

I already reviewed this before, but I honestly considered this a great comeback to a very nostalgic and influential show. (Grade: A)

Meta Runner

A new series with surprisingly good pacing and a empathetically great main character. The dialogue can be give and take, with a villain that’s honestly too evil for his own good, but I can’t help but say that this is an engaging series. And it’s youtube sooo bonus. (Grade: B+)

Amphibia

A series that definitely got better as it went along. I like the episodes that had good ties to the season’s climax, the main four are especially the highlight with their personalities, and the character growth felt natural if on the nose sometimes. I’m stoked for part 2,,, hopefully they schedule it better. (Grade: A-)

Angry Birds 2

It was fun. Probably forgettable to many, but I won’t deny that it’s one of the better popcorn flics of the Summer (Grade: B+)

Toy Story 4

I grown tired of people questioning whether or not this movie was pointless, so I’ll come out the gate to say that this is the best movie of the Summer so far. It was a more solemn movie that was organically thoughtful with itself, there were plenty of laughs, I loved Bo Peep, and the way they handled the antagonist is something that rocked the franchise’s themes to the core sensibly. This film makes for one of the few times a fourth sequel can actually come out great. (Grade: A)

T I M E’S U P ! ! ! ! ! !

Welp, looks like the spring and summer have indeed strengthened itself for the better. Can the latter half of 2019 keep the momentum as we reach the new decade? Stay tuned.