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bookwormyyy-blog · 5 years ago

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First Post :)

My Opinion On The Underrated Emotional Complexity of Roman Sionis:

Maybe it is as simple as Harley said it was when being interrogated by Roman, that he really is not that complicated. I, however, beg to differ. One of the key details of Roman’s backstory is how he was disowned by his family and thrown out of their business, otherwise known as Janus Corp, that specializes in cosmetics. One of the things I noticed is that Roman clearly has the right perception of a family. They are supposed to love, protect, and accept each other, bonded by their shared blood. During his business negotiation with the head of another notoriously wealthy family, the Golden Lions, Roman expresses his hatred for the idea of family as presented by the head(forgot his name :/), and yet proceeds to apologize for his words, as if he respects the idea of family, yet resents it since he could not experience it himself. He then continues to describe the benefits of the two becoming partners, how they could look out for each other and create their own family. In my brain, this was a major indicator that Roman understands the concept of a family, and has a desire to create his own new family in order to make up for the lack of affection and acceptance from his blood family. Despite his narcissism, cruelty, and sadistic tendencies, Roman is searching for the affection he was never given, and that may very well be the reason he developed so many destructive behaviours. Continuing with this idea, my next though comes from the scene where we are first introduced to Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary. The song she performs that night, in my opinion, is clearly directed at describing Roman. The song, titled “ This is a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”, included lyrics that perfectly encapsulate Roman as a person. Dinah sings about a man being lost “He’s lost in the wilderness, he’s lost in the bitterness”. Not to mention that during her performance of this song, the camera does a dramatic zoom and upward pan that focuses on Roman, which I interpreted as a clear indicator that it was a song about him or describing him. It makes sense. He’s lost in the chaotic wilderness of the criminal underworld after being thrown to the wolves by his family, and he’s lost in the bitterness of being rejected, disowned, and looked down upon by his own blood. Another scene I would like to reference is when Victor and Dinah inform him they’ve lost the diamond, and Roman has a sort of manic episode/ panic attack. He becomes extremely agitated and possibly even terrified at the though of losing the Bertinelli diamond, which he believes to be his rightful property. Roman only calms down after being consoled by Victor, who even takes his hands and promises he will retrieve the diamond to Roman. I will unpack the meaning of this later, but I need to reference yet another scene first. Arguably one of Roman’s most awful and horrific moments was when he humiliated Erica, a patron at his club, by forcing her to stand on a table, dance, and having a man cut and tear off her dress. This is not what I believe is important, though. What I noticed about this scene was how easily Roman came to the conclusion that Erica was laughing at him after being turned down by the head of the Golden Lions. Looking at these two scenes, I came to the conclusion that not only does Roman suffer from some form of anxiety, but also severe insecurity. His anxiety over losing the diamond, and how quickly he lashed out at Erica due to his own insecurities about himself, are most likely perpetuated yet again by his family, or feeling inferior to them, like he has something to prove to them( he is better than them). Finally, one of my favorite scenes in the movie, is when Victor calls Roman and informs him that he has been betrayed by Dinah. I absolutely cherished his reaction, because it was so unexpected and revealed so much about the his character. Despite being betrayed, Roman does not burst into a fit of rage and screaming. Instead, he appears genuinely heartbroken, even doubting that Dinah would betray him. And, despite his notoriously violent behaviour towards those who dare to betray or reject him, he orders Victor not to kill her, as if he cannot bear to see her killed, yet cannot forgive her and is sincerely wounded by her traitorous actions. Soon after, Roman experiences a kind of psychological break, and suits up as the Black Mask to go after Cassandra Cain and his diamond. This scene is important, since I believe it further highlights the extent of Roman’s trauma over being abandoned by his family. He develops, anxiety, insecurity, and major trust issues, which further enhances the pain he feels when being betrayed yet again, by someone who was supposed to stand by him and remain loyal to him. Due to all of this, I believe that DC has finally created an intriguing and emotionally complex villain, something not often seen within the DCEU. Roman Sionis is set apart. He is not another villain with insane powers or any apparent fighting skills(except being able to handle a gun and knife quite comfortably), super intelligence, or godly origins. He is a seemingly broken and deranged man who, as a result of his insecurity and need to prove himself to his family, used his reasonable intelligence, resources, and undeniable charm to build one of Gotham’s largest and most powerful criminal empires. Roman Sionis is a realistic villain, which makes his violent behaviour and demeanor all the more terrifying, since people like him could very well exist in the real world(many arguably do already). Am i sympathetic to Roman Sionis? Not necessarily. All of the awful and gruesome acts he has committed can in no way be excused or justified, however I do understand that every person develops into who they are for various complex reasons, and that not everyone can prevail as a good, moral person after experiencing pain. Despite this, he is definitely my favorite DCEU villain and character so far, because I think he is an interesting character who can be dissected in various thought-provoking ways. Thank you to anyone who bothered to read this far into my head and explore my theories, and I hope you enjoyed my thoughts regarding Roman Sionis.

P.S. I could also unpack the significance of his obsession with wearing and collecting various masks, but I’m kind of feeling brain dead right now, so I might come back to that later. Also, apologies about any misspellings/ typos.

#birds of prey #blackmask #roman sionis

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mazojo · 5 years ago

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Favorite Sohma’s

Hi yes, uh, I needed a space to rant about fruits basket because I am still very broken so yea

Disclaimer that this is just my opinion and I still love them all very much, just needed to get this out of my system ayee. Also I will include a song that reminds me of them because I am that invested in this so yeaaaa

14- Kagura Sohma

Boy by Little Mix - “I know what you’re worth girl, you know what you got”

I rank Kagura as my least favorite just for the fact that I cant really relate to her I guess? I mean, she is okay, I think she is cute and all but I don't think violence is the way to go about her struggles and she is so much more worth than she gives herself credits for. In the end, I dont think I full understood her big struggle as much as the other characters and thats why she is at number 14, although I want her to be happy and full of love and support like the others ;w;

13- Akito Sohma

My Eyes by Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day - “But it’s plain to see, Evil inside of me is on the rise”

Akito is a complicated one for me man. Of course, in the beginning and throughout the manga you learn to really dislike her because she did some terrible things, specially to my baby boi Yuki and eye-.... But then when we learn more about her and everything she has gone through we start sympathizing with her but i..... cant just forget everything she did. I get she was traumatized since she was little, she became dependent on the zodiacs because of her father’s words and mother’s behaviour thus becoming a broken person with this big responsibility she didn't ask for. It really ticks me however, how much pain the others underwent through her, and even though its a healing process, the traumas and everything they suffered is still there which is why I cant place her higher. I do not hate her by any means, but she isnt my favorite person on this list either. I do ship her with Shigure and I think they help each other out, and they grow from the other.

12- Shigure Sohma

Used to the Darkness by Des Rocs - “Now would you pray before you twist the knife? Yeah, would you take my hand and take a life?”

*big sigh* Shigure is also a complicated one for me. It may be my big dumb energies showing but I didnt fully get a grasp on his character? I know he was doing everything for Akito’s sake to liberate from the curse and be with her so she is finally a “woman” but he always acted a bit shady xD?? I would have love to know more about his backstory, we dont get much from his motivations and character other than the perverted aspect and that he loves Akito lmaoo. I do think he is hilarious and I love the dynamic he has with Hatori and Ayame lol

11- Ayame Sohma

Starships by Nicky Minaj - “Starships were menat to fly, Hands up and touch the sky “

To be honest I am pretty neutral about Ayame’s character. He is hilarious and I love how Yuki insults him every tike he gets the chance lolll. I like how throughout the story he tries to change to become a better brother to Yuki and person even though he is pretty extra most of the time about it. He has a good heart and even though he made some mistakes he owns up to them which in my opinion, makes him a good character <33 I love his friendship with Hatori lmaooo they balance each other out sooo well

10- Kureno Sohma

Taking Chances by Celine Dion - “Never knowing if there's solid ground below, Or a hand to hold, or hell to pay”

I really like Kureno! He has gone through quite a bit and he needs a hug. I am sad thinking how most of his life he lead it pretty similarly to Yuki’s, apart from everyone and super enclosed to his relationship with Akito due to him breaking the curse and feeling bad about it. I do wish we would have gotten to know more about his personality and story, if we did I would have definitely ranked him higher! He really reminds me of Tohru’s father and I think Uotani is perfect for him <33 would have love to see more about the two of them and hopefully they expand upon it in the anime

9- Ritsu Sohma

Waving Through a Window by Ben Platt - “On the outside, always looking in, Will I ever be more than I've always been?”

Okay okay so I have a lot of thoughts on Ritsu. Manga Ritsu is okay, I really dont have much of an opinion on him due to him appearing only in a few chapters, I feel like from the Sohma’s, he is the one we get the least information about. But then the anime episode came out where they presented Ritsu and I thought they gave him so much more life and rounded personality where, I get to relate a lot to him? I am someone who is constantly apologizing for absolutely no reason and seeing him be all anxious and stressed about others interactions is big relate to me and I stan. I also think the whole dressing as a woman plot line is better dealt with in the anime and I hope we get to see more about his insecurities and troubles in the future because he is truly a very interesting character! I stan my one (1) anxious monkey.

8- Kisa Sohma

Mean by Taylor Swift - “But you can take me down with just one single blow, But you don't know what you don't know”

Cinnammon rooooooolll. Kisa is such a cutie. I dont have much to say other than my mood every time I think about Kisa is hugging her like Tohru does because she is babyyyy. Also her bullying story is one I think many viewers and readers can relate a lot to and such an important topic I think they covered pretty well and I loveee. Also her and Hiro are one of my favorite ships because they work so well and asdfgh in this household Kisa is a queennn.

7- Isuzu Sohma

Take me Home by Jess Glynne - “Came to you with a broken faith, Gave me more than a hand to hold”

I really like Isuzu!! I am pretty bummed we wont get to meet her in season 1 of the Anime reboot but hopefully in the nest season! She is quite a complex character that I didnt really understand at the beginning but once we see how much she loves Haru and all that she does in order to protect and keep him save she really went up my list. She has gone through so much, from her shattered reality from her parents, Akito threatening Haru, her being locked up withour given any food.... Isuzu is so strong and one of the best build characters in the series and I am super excited to see her in the anime!

6- Hiro Sohma

Time to be a Man by The Airborne Toxic Event - “And it’s time to be a man, Tell me how does that go?”

My bastard childdd <33 He is such an asshole and such a sweetie at the same time. His whole inner struggle of not feeling like a good enough man for Kisa is so heartwhelming and I think it really makes sense to the type of person he is. The flashbacks of him telling Akito how he loves Kisa and the feeling of uncertainty and impotency when seeing the girl he loves being hurt by his actions and wanting to be good enough for her even though he is more than enough sdfghjasd. I am also a softie for older brothers who love their families *cough cough* spoiler alert: Momiji *cough cough* that I love me one angry boi

5- Hatsuharu Sohma

4 Seasons by Rex Orange County - “I saw myself as less and you so high above me”

Cow boil! apart from the fact that I love love loveeee Haru’s design, I think he is also such a well build character! He is not only supportive of everyone (aka the loves of his life, Rin and Yuki xDD) but he is so interesting! His split personalities give him a cool trait (even though dark Haru doesnt appear much in the end of the manga) and I love how he helps everyone and makes sure those he loves are protected at all cost and happy. He is Rin and Yuki’s fan club stan leader and I am co-leader so we been stanning aye

4- Hatori Sohma

Fireflies by Owl City - “I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes, I got misty eyes as they said farewell”

Boooooy the next four to come are my absolute favorties and I would die for their happiness and love so *takes big breathe* I LoVE hAtORi sOhMAAa. To be honest when we first meet him I didnt like him much. I thought he was your usual dark deep character who doesnt talk much because he is too cool for everyone (which, he is) and that was that. But boi was I in for a riDE. His story about having to erase the memories from the woman he loves is one of the ones I cried through the most. I put myself in his shoes and wonder if I had to erase the memory of the person I loved the most, make them forget they ever met me, all our happy times, sad times, angry times.... No matter what its one of the most saddening moments and the whole scene is heartbreaking, which makes me love Hatori even more for the fact of how strong he is and selfless. He puts himself before others and he need to know he also deserves happiness and I am glad in the end he got it because homeboy needed a break ;w;. I also adore Ayame’s relationship with him xDD, he is like his idol and big same.

3- Kyo Sohma

This song saved my Life by Simple Plan - “Sometimes it feels like nobody gets me, Trapped in a world where everyone hates me”

Top three babyyyy. We have now my angry cat boi™. I mentioned it before but going into the reboot firsthand without reading the manga nor watching the first anime, I thought Kyo was going to be my absolute favorite character. I knew he would be the angry boi who was soft inside and probably had a tragic backstory™ that made him act the way he did and I am a sucker for those types of characters. And I love Kyo, I really do, specially when we find out more about his struggles and past. The exclusion he felt throughout his life for being the cat, the abandonment, feeling like he had no one and was ready to die because he didn't have any source of genuine happiness (well, apart from Kazuma ya know but stillll). Then he finds Tohru, the girl he promised to protect, the one that reminded him of the woman that helped him out all those years ago and I just.... poetic cinema at its finest. Kyo and Tohru make one of my favorite couples and I love how flustered and In absolute l o v e he is with her and Kyo is great man....

2- Yuki Sohma

Nandemonaiya by RADWIMPS - “Crying even when you're happy, Smiling even when you're feeling lonely”

THIS WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST DECISIONS OF MA ENTIRE WEEB CAREER SO EXCUSE WHILE I SCREAM. Yuki Sohma won my heart and entire soul throughout the series. I liked him from the start but he wasn't my favorite favorite at the beginning you know? I thought he was isolated and thats why he didn't have much friends and he was perfect and what not but boi was I wrong and happy about it. I think one of the reasons Yuki is one of my favorite characters in fruits basket is how much I can see myself in him. Having the constant need of perfection while also wanting to connect with others but finding it hard is something I personally struggle with and every time we learned a little bit about his backstory my heart broke. Everything Yuki had to go through, the rejection, the isolation, understanding that you are loved and not a burden, falling in love with someone, finding that figure of a mother/friend he always yearned for.... The complexity of Yuki’s character is astounding and I love my rat boi so so much.... When he joins the student council, finding his little group of friends and opening up to a more carefree and true Yuki, forgiving those around him and going and eye- YuKI IS MY BABY RAT BOI AND STAN HIM OR PERISH FROM HERE ;w;

1- Momiji Sohma

Eine Kleine by Rachie - “If I were to go through life living just to take somebody else's place, Then I would rather have been born as a pebble, living out my peaceful days “

*Clears throat* *trumpets sounds intensify* *stands on podium* I LOVE MOMIJI SOHMA WITH ALL MY HEART AND HE MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. Thats it. Thats what I want you to get out of this post. I don't know if this is maybe an unpopular opinion-ish but Momiji’s backstory of his mother rejecting him, saying awful things, him having to accept being forgotten by his mother and sister whom he loved, not even being able to live with his family, is one of the most heartbreaking ones of fruits basket. Maybe its like what I said with Hiro and I am a sucker for big brothers that love their families, the sad smile of Momiji, my baby, angel, perfection when he sees his family and not being able to be with them, him loving Tohru but letting her go and be with Kyo because its her happiness that matters to him and I am-..... The selflessness of Momiji and how much of a sweetheart he is, his heart of gold and always being there for those around him, that moment where Akito was looking for Tohru and he got hurt trying to defend her.... Momiji is one of my all time favorite characters. He is a precious bean and I will never not shut up about my love for ma boi <333

Anyways that was long and ramble but I just needed to shout this somewhere because I've been missing they //rip

#anyways uh spoilers #but I love they #bye read fruits basket and come back to me later #t h e m #fruits basket #anime #manga #fruits basket spoiler

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age-sliding-flug · 5 years ago

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FAQ/Q&A

Figured I outta do this, just so everyone knows my pronouns/so I can answer some questions in advance.

PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Q: What are your pronouns? A: He/Him, please.

Q: What’s your name? A: Harrison [REDACTED], but y’all can call me Harry :3

Q: How old are you? A: [REDACTED] (Not comfortable with sharing, but I am 18+)

Q: How long have you been writing? A: 6+ years; pretty much all fanfiction. Working on a few original projects, but I’ll probably never share them here.

Q: Why so secretive? A: I hate to admit it, but age-sliding isn’t exactly well received by most folks, as most people associate mental regression with DDLG/CGL sexual play, which is... problematic, to say the least. Also, I’m very shy. (I swear to fuck if any of you send my series to Alan, I will fucking kill you. I would die of embarrassment.)

Q: Is Harry even your real name? A: No, it’s not my most preferred name. I’m a trans guy, so I’m already coming up with a new name for myself; thought I’d experiment with one I liked on here, even if I already pretty much have my new name figured out. (And no, it’s not Harry as in Harry Potter, it’s Harry as in Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files)

Q: Do you age-slide? What even IS age-sliding? A: Yes, I do indeed age-slide, but it’s not as often as it used to be for me; a lot of this series is me low-key coping with my age-sliding issues. As for what age-sliding is, age-sliding is when someone- typically an adult/older teenager- will mentally regress. More often than not, this is due to trauma from the age-slider’s youth (such is the case with me), and is the mind’s attempt to return to what was perceived to be a simpler/safer time. It’s different for everyone, and can be on different levels of manageable/difficult to deal with.

Q: Why is your AO3 username BottomDeathstroke if you’ve only written Villainous fics on there? A: That account was never intended to be for this series- which wasn’t planned to even be a series to begin with- and was intended to be a place for me to write and post NSFW/unrelated mental regression DCU fanfiction (starring Deathstroke usually, because I love him). Once this series is done, I’ll probably post that sort of content on there, but for now Villainous has taken over my life.

Q: What’s your main account? Both on AO3 and Tumblr? A: [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]

Q: What did you think of Villainous’ pilot? A: I absolutely loved it! I actually wrote an alternate ending fic for it set in the AU, which you can check out here! The pilot is very good, please watch it on YouTube and support the people behind it!

Q: Are you okay with getting asks/questions/prompts? A: Absolutely! I’m always happy to answer people’s questions; whether they’re about age-sliding, the series, or just from a few curious anons!

Q: Can people do fanart? A: YES!!! A thousands times yes!!! Gosh, that would absolutely make my day! If you do any fanart, please either send me a link/submit it to me and I’ll make sure to check it out/post it on this blog! If you want to be labeled as anonymous through a submission, please let me know so that I can list you as such!

FIC/SERIES QUESTIONS

Q: Did any other fics inspire this one? A: Yes! “Spare the Rod and Spoil the Scientist” on AO3 by yucky was a HUGE inspiration for this series. I know they haven’t updated in awhile, but the fic in general is very good, and definitely has some elements that I really like! Please check it out if you can, and send the author your support!

Q: What made you start writing this fic series? A: TBH, I dunno. I had just moved to [REDACTED] at the time I started, and was feeling incredibly lonely (I also was just getting over 1+ year’s worth of writer’s block). I only intended the first fic to be a one off sorta deal, but to my surprise, people seemed to actually like it, so that gave me the courage to keep going and, well... I got thinking about the rules of this AU’s universe/added the Heroic Crew, and from there everything spiraled out of control.

Q: Where can I find your fic series? A: I plan on posting full descriptions/links on this blog at some point, but for now, here’s a link to my AO3 profile: BottomDeathstroke.

Q: How old is everyone in the fic series? A: Okay, lemme list the ages from oldest to youngest: Black Hat: 1000+ White Hat: 1000+ Clemencia: 32 Demencia: 31 Slug: 22 Flug: 18 505: 2 606: 2

Q: Is this series going to go on forever or is there a planned ending? A: All too often I see age-sliding/mental regression fics go on for a bit, only to suddenly stop updating, which is pretty disappointing tbh. I do plan on having a big finale (that’s gonna be one hell of an emotional roller-coaster), but that’s not for quite awhile, as I want to fulfill all my planned fics (Flug confronting his mom, talking about where tf Slug and Flug’s dad went, Black Hat and White Hat origins, Clemencia and Demencia babysitting, winter holiday special, Halloween special, Black Hat teaching Flug to play the piano, etc) as well as do a few requests/ideas for the readers.

Q: What’s the ending gonna be? A: ;3

Q: Why is Flug trans? A: Because I’m trans and projecting, next question.

Q: Any other LGBT+ headcanons for the cast? A: Uuuuuuuuuh, Clemencia’s a lesbian, Demencia and Black Hat are bi af, White Hat is pan, Slug is gay and in the closet, Flug and BH are both trans but handle it in very different ways, and 505 and 606 are... bears. Yeah. I also see Flug as ace, so there’s that. The projection is strong with him.

Q: How old are Black Hat and White EXACTLY? A: Fuck if I know. They’re supposed to be from the very dawn of man, but the few times I’ve mentioned their ages during different time periods, I’ve realized how much I’ve fucked myself over doing that. Does it really matter? Probably not, but I like to be organized and flesh out the universe, so I’m dying, y’all.

Q: Why so much world building? A: I dunno, it’s just the way I am. I like a precise set of rules within my stories, and I like to delve into the politics of that story out of sheer curiosity. Besides, I’ve always been a huge superhero/supervillain fan, so getting into how those professions would actually WORK in a developed universe is fun for me!

Q: Has canon content ruined anything for you? A: Not really, but it’s changed my theories for people quite a bit (particularly for BH’s origins and Flug’s backstory). I’ll admit, there are certain things that I sometimes wish I had done differently, if only to fit my current theories for where the series is heading. But I don’t regret the headcanons I used for this series, and I’m gonna stick to them throughout, even if I don’t believe all of them are true anymore! (Y’all can take trans Flug from my cold, head fucking hands, tho.)

Q: Why are you writing a Heroic backstory fic if they’re not even canon characters? A: First of all, they’re canon in my heart. Second of all, I just thought it would be fun to write, and it definitely has been! Writing it has been interesting to say the least (and an important lesson on why long WIPs are a bad idea for me, rip), but I don’t regret it, and I’m proud of how it’s going so far! Still, definitely looking forward to getting back to our villainous favorites.

Q: When ARE you getting back to the Villainous characters? A: Soon, I promise. In the meantime, I DID write a fic with them in it recently,. Which, again, you can check out over here, as it’s an alternate ending rewrite for the pilot episode. But yeah, they’ll be back soon, I just want to finish “Taming a Stray” first.

I think that’s it for now! Lemme know if you guys have anymore questions that need answering, and I’ll be sure to add them to this post (or answer separately)! Have a good day!

#q&a #questions and answers #harry speaks #please check this out if you can!#black hat tries to be nice #taming a stray

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boatspeak · 4 years ago

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Some of my favourite dramas from the past half a year, ranked:

1. Because This is my First Life

k-drama, 16 episodes, each 1 hour long

So sensitively and personally written. I was sucked into the storytelling and felt as though I was seeing these scenes through the eyes of the characters. Bravo to the scriptwriter; as I was watching it I felt, ah, she must have drawn from some intensely personal and important place. It was not a story anyone could have written. Because This is My First Life follows the stories of three BFFs as they experience, and grapple with, love and marriage. It does not shy away from the complicated sides of these issues - the societal, monetary and financial pressures that love and marriage cannot be separated from, the difficulties of communicating with others honestly yet sensitively. There are some frustratingly incorrigible people in the drama (like sexually harassing superiors), but most of the time the conflicts play out between good people who care for and support each other, yet inevitably butt heads because they have different - and equally valid - views of life. Is it wrong to want to marry and start a family? Is it wrong not to? It was painful at times, I think I cried for some of the characters. Not because they were pitiable, but because sometimes in life there is no right or wrong; you have to make tough choices and it hurts but you have to keep your eyes open and keep watching; keep walking. For the literature lovers out there, especially those who might be sick of gratuitous (often cheesy) quotes inserted randomly into dramas, well, good for you! Characters in Because This is My First Life read and are impacted by (real life) books, and you can see how the books they’ve read influence the way they think, act, and communicate with each other. It’s very realistic and mirrors the way you might consume and digest books in your own life outside of the drama. Oh, the PPL is also wonderfully done and actually contributes to character building. 8-9/10.

2. Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu (I’ll be serious in my next life)

j-drama, 12 episodes, each 1/2 an hour long

One woman, five sex friends. I know. I know it sounds messy and melodramatic and angsty. I hesitated for the same reasons as well. But when I finally got over it and watched the damn thing (very bingeable, totalling at only 6 hours), I regretted not watching it sooner. Raise wa Chanto Shimasu is a breath of fresh air. Most of the characters, whether hypersexual or asexual, are pretty unabashed about it, and I love their self-love. Want to have sex? Go for it, gurl. Don’t want to have sex? Also no problem. The title is an apt one and showcases this message of acceptance. We might have bones to pick with our current lifestyles, but welp, we’ll just be serious in our next lives. As one of the characters said at the end, “we all became independent, working adults, I think we should be proud of ourselves”. Much needed affirmation in a world of moralising, slut-shaming, virgin-mocking, and expectations to get married and settle down.

Warning: one of the characters in a bi/gay relationship is pretty vocal in denying his sexuality even in front of his partner, and a trans woman was harrassed at one point. These were discomfiting for me.

3. The Fiery Priest

k-drama, 40 episodes, each 1/2 an hour long (or 20 hour-long episodes)

Action. Comedy. Kim Nam Gil, who won the Baeksang for this role. Honey Lee. Badass babe. Ahn Chang Hwan, who was so realistic at playing a Thai immigrant my friend who studied Korean for three years didn’t even realise he was Korean. Father Han. One reviewer said he was a literal angel, and I concur. Most dramas leave you with at most three or four characters you really like; this drama makes you fall in love with the whole gang. Everyone has a backstory, or some hidden side that you didn’t expect that just adds so much more dimension when revealed. Where some might find it hard to balance the weight of action and the levity of comedy, dipping too deeply into angst or farce at times, The Fiery Priest manages the tone really well even as the plot deepens and our characters have to deal with deep-seated traumas. I have nothing more to say to promote this drama except, how could you pass on Kim Nam Gil doing action plus comedy MINUS tragedy and the moustache?

A final note: Technically, The Fiery Priest is a stronger drama than Raise and should deserve the no. 2 spot. The former deals with bigger issues like corruption, morality and forgiveness, while the latter is more light-hearted and deals almost entirely with personal choices. However, some issues Raise touched on were really important to me and came at a time when I really needed affirmation to believe in my beliefs, so it edged out The Fiery Priest in my heart.

4. 传闻中的陈芊芊 (The Romance of Tiger and Rose)

c-drama, 22 episodes, each about 45 minutes long

甜。This drama is just Sweet with a capital S. What a refreshing watch, especially for women. I loved not having tugging battles between two men. I loved the respect given to consent. I loved having so many smart and capable women who have conversations with each other that do not revolve around men. I love how the male lead wasn’t hung up on Male Ego and gave his wife space to be herself and make her own decisions and mistakes. A rare gem. I’m sure I will revisit this when I’m tired of the usual ドキドキ tactics involving possession and pulling around

(If you can read Chinese, I suggest watching it on the 腾讯视频 app with 弹幕 on. I found it pretty hilarious, meaning I laugh-cried so hard in the middle of the night my neighbour knocked on my door to ask if I was ok.)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A quick rundown of the dramas and films I’ve watched so far in 2020 so you know the pool I picked these four from:

Penguin Highway

good watch. super cute. I cannot over-emphasise how cute the penguins were. It got me into a penguin phase and I’m not out of it even after 7 months...

ぼくは明日、昨日のきみとデートする (My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday)

good watch. bittersweet.

わたしに××しなさい！(Watashi ni XX Shinasai/Missions of Love) movie and drama special

would pass on the movie (which cherry-picked from the manga but unfortunately left out a lot of important character developing scenes so the relationship didn’t make as much sense as it did in the manga)

but the drama special. Whew. I watched the drama special twice. It’s trashy good. Because it’s basically a spin-off to build hype for the movie, it doesn’t have to follow the plot of the manga, instead taking on the format of a (very cheesy) otome game. So you have all these ikemen saying clichéd toe-curling lines like “I am also a man you know” and getting stuck half-naked bReAthInG HeAviLy in cabinets together but instead of playing it seriously (as the movie would do because it’s supposed to make you feel like they are falling in love), the main character goes huh??? wtf are you saying?? at her otome game screen, which is so realistic and just cracks me up. definitely would rec.

ごめんね青春！(Gomen ne Seishun/ Saving my Stupid Youth)

hmmm. so-so? Leading lady Hikari Mitsushima is pretty, cool, and fits the bill of gap moe. Ryo Nishikido is also pretty believable (once you suspend your disbelief that somehow all his students think he looks dorky and are not gushing over his ikemen-ness). Unfortunately, relationship development between the otp happened too late and too suddenly.

Он – драко́н (On Drakon/ He’s a Dragon/ I Am Dragon)

a pleasure to (re-)watch as always. Lovely visuals.

Tokyo Ghoul: S

decent! Great performance from Shota Matsuda as the Gourmet. He’s definitely a draw-point for this movie - you can see him being featured heavily in the trailers.

Strong Girl Do Bong Soon

great drama, would rec! 7-8/10. Points docked for all the digressing they did with monks and gangsters. I loved the otp’s dynamic, how healthy their relationship was. One line that struck me was, “Do you know how you’ve found the right person? When you see yourself in their eyes, you look happy”. It was a reminder that while these are obviously fictional characters, we can and should form relationships where our partners are as supportive of us (and us of them) as our dear otp, and not to settle for less. Also loved the fact that smol Bong Soon is so strong and no one can manhandle her >:-) 10/10 also to rookie actor Jang Mi Kwan, who was absolutely terrifying as the villain. How is he only a rookie??

Because This is my First Life

see above

The Fiery Priest

see above

선덕여왕 (Great Queen Seon Deok)

hehe I watched it (again). As great as ever. Somehow cried more than I did the previous two times I watched it? Took me a week to get over one of the characters (even though I already went through all that heartbreak the first two times I watched this..) Sayang... Definitely has a special place in my heart. Available in full on youtube with subs.

传闻中的陈芊芊 (Romance of Tiger and Rose)

see above

来世はちゃんとします (Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu)

see above

覆面系ノイズ (Fukumenkei Noise/Anonymous Noise)

pretty good! Adapted from a manga but very film-like with its color-corrected shots, many cut-scenes to birds and crashing waves. Shison Jun was great in his intense scene, Ayami Nakajo has the most manga-looking face I’ve seen and Koseki Yuta is my bb as always hahaha he’s appeared in, like, four dramas on this list.

博多弁の女の子はかわいいと思いませんか？(Don’t You Think Girls Who Talk in Hakata Dialect Are Cute?)

YES!! I DO!! Wholesome drama packed to the brim with hometown (Hakata) pride). I also loved Okada Kenshi going around looking for Ramen shops hahaha. Now I want to see him host a food discovery show. 8/10. Would rec!

帝一の國 (Teiichi no Kuni/Teiichi’s Country)

面白い。Interesting watch! In which a bunch of high school boys in an elite school take their student council elections very seriously and attempts at political hijinks ensue. Suda Masaki and his pals somehow make over-the-top super seem natural. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s pretty good. Peppered with interesting reveals and counter-reveals along the way.

男子高校生の日常 (Daily Lives of High School Boys)

I liked this! It delivers on what it’s supposed to. As a film, it is very film-like. The background is given a lot of weight in this film, and the director “shows, not tells”. The conversations of our characters are situated in the chatter of their schoolmates, you hear random snippets of conversations drift around, you see the school situated in the mountains, piles of decorations around the hall. This helps in conveying the “daily” nature of what happens in the film - not some life-changing adventure, but a warm high-school memory that is pretty like a paper star in a glass bottle. The boys are also very lovable and dorky in their high-school roles.

ピーチガール (Peach Girl)

not bad. Typical shoujo manga adaptation storyline, even if the leading quartet do well in their roles. Nagano Mei was especially memorable for me out of the typical shoujo heroine roles I had previously seen her in. Inoo Kei also really looks like a boy from a manga. He has a lot of exaggerated actions, but he pulls them off really well.

突然ですが明日結婚します (Totsuzen desu ga ashita kekkon shimasu/ It’s Sudden But Tomorrow We’re Getting Married/ Everyone’s Getting Married)

pretty decent. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s definitely not bad. (Or you could flip it around and say it’s definitely not bad, but it’s not mind-blowing).

ヲタクに恋は難しい (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku)

disappointing. I really wanted to like this film for Takahata Mitsuki and Yamazaki Kento, but there were too many useless musical scenes.

同期の桜 (Doki no Sakura / Our Dearest Sakura)

Hmmmmmm. About colleagues who become inspired in their work and lives because of their colleague Sakura. I wanted more love but that’s not the main point of the drama so it’s not their fault. It got a bit repetitive towards the end, and I felt there wasn’t enough character development. Another drama I really wanted to like more than I did, because I was looking forward to seeing Takahata Mitsuki, Ryusei Ryo and Mackenyu work together.

Tokyo Coin Laundry

A mishmash of lost souls meet at a coin laundry. A short drama about running away, making choices, and moving on. Katayose Ryota might have been cool in My Brother Loves Me Too Much, but this was where I first saw him and I prefer him in this. I enjoyed this a lot and even drew a postcard based on this. 7/10.

兄に愛されすぎて困ってます (My Brother Loves Me Too Much) drama and movie

ok don’t judge; I watched this because my friend said it was pretty good. Katayose Ryota IS pretty cool in this, and Tsuchiya Tao brings to life the quintessential image of the Japanese girl, but if you’re watching this for “so cheesy it’s actually good” I would point you to the Watashi ni XX Shinasai drama special instead. If you do want to watch this though, you should watch the drama before the movie, because they are not standalone.

Nodame Cantabile

What can I say? Classics are classics. 8/10, would rec. This is my first time seeing Ueno Juri acting, and she’s so believable as quirky Nodame I wondered if this was her actual personality. Straight out of a manga. There was potential for messy love-drama, but this drama took the high road and focused on proper character development instead. Thumbs up! They also did really well in “showing not telling” us the OTP’s relationship development. Rather than declarations of love, you can see it in the little caring gestures and almost subconscious smiles. I liked that too. Though maybe I’ll dock a point for how they treated gay expressions of love - “he’s a man you know” and icky faces - and how much casual manhandling there was against Nodame (exaggerated flying punches... maybe that’s how the manga wrote it?)

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aion-rsa · 5 years ago

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How Star Wars Author Delilah Dawson Brings Galaxy's Edge to Life

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We talked to Star Wars author Delilah Dawson about Resistance spy Vi Moradi, and what it was like to step into the galaxy far, far away.

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Delilah Dawson has been a powerhouse Star Wars author since her novel Phasma told the radiation-soaked backstory of the First Order enforcer. Since then she has published several novels outside the Star Wars universe (most recently No Country For Old Gnomes with co-author Kevin Hearne).

She’s now part of Batuu history with her novel Black Spire, a tie-in to the Disney Star Wars land, Galaxy’ Edge. At New York Comic Con we sat down to talk with her about how Resistance spy Vi Moradi developed over the course of the two books, what it was like to step into the galaxy far, far away at a Disney park, and more.

Black Spire is available now from Del Rey. Dawson’s other most recent Star Wars book is The Skywalker Saga, a fairytale retelling of Episodes I through VIII, available from Disney Publishing.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Den of Geek: Black Spire is about Vi Moradi, who was introduced in the novel Phasma. How has she grown and changed since we saw her last?

Deliah Dawson: We brought Vi Moradi to life in Phasma because we wanted to tell a One Thousand and One Nights Scheherazade story, because the thing about Phasma is no one ever gets behind the mask. So all of the stories about her are … stories. Throughout Phasma, Vi is captured by a First Order officer named Captain Cardinal. She is tortured for information and it’s pretty rough, but she’s holding out, and in the end she manages to escape. But she’s been tortured, dehydrated, beaten, starved—it’s a rough time.

Then, we get to see her go back to the Resistance and see what happens between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. We get to see the Hosnian cataclysm and some of her healing, and then she gets sent to the planet Batuu, which is where Galaxy’s Edge is, to build a new kind of Resistance cell. Because as we saw after the battle of Crait, the Resistance needs warm bodies and hidey holes. That’s what they have the least of.

read more: Poe Dameron Returns in The Rise of Skywalker Tie-In Book

When she arrives there, she’s accustomed to being a spy. She works alone, she infiltrates, she gets intel, she sometimes gets tortured, but she’s trained in withholding. So she suddenly has this new job, which is to build a Resistance cell.

The characters there start calling her mother hen, because she pulls this family together. It’s a very new experience for her. She is also dealing with trauma. That’s one of the things I wanted to talk about in this book that we don’t see a lot in Star Wars. We’re in the middle of the war. These people are veterans. And the war just isn’t ending. We get to see what it’s like for her finding a new purpose, finding a new family, and pushing through the various things that make life hard for pretty much anybody over 30.

The other main character is Cardinal, Vi’s former enemy. What is the heart of his story in Black Spire?

Cardinal is one of my all-time favorites. He’s my little cinnamon roll! When we were building out the story for Phasma, we said who would be Phasma’s foil in the First Order? And the first thought was a bigger, badder Phasma! But there isn’t one. The idea is he firmly believes, at least in Phasma, that the First Order is the answer. He was saved by them when he was starving to death, after a life of slavery. He was given good food and a warm place to sleep for the first time. Throughout Phasma he learns all of that is a lie and they don’t have the populace’s best interest at heart.

You don’t have to read Phasma to read Black Spire, but it does build a foundation for the main characters.

When we see Cardinal again, he’s broken. He’s lost his life’s purpose, his family, everything he was working for. He realizes he was basically training murderers. He’s also been stabbed by Phasma and bacta can’t fix the poison.

So he’s trying to find his purpose, along with this woman who he recognizes that he tortured. So he’s a pretty messed up guy. I love seeing these characters with history, and how, realistically, people have to work with other people that are maybe not the person they want to work with. You have to look these people in the eye and go on. Respect is still something to build a relationship on, even if you have nothing else.

What was your experience with Batuu via Galaxy’s Edge before you wrote the book? Had you visited the park?

I had a very big dossier of information with several maps that were too small for me to read them! And they couldn’t be blown up, and they were watermarked with my name. So my experience with most of the book was begging them: I am an hour away from Orlando, let me see a miniature version or show me a map I can read! So they did the best they could. Once, they sent a map that was a half inch bigger, and I was like, no!

But they were so gracious as to let me come to the soft opening of the Disneyland Galaxy’s Edge—Batuu West, as we call it—and so after exploring the world and taking some notes I got to go back to my document and do one final edit. Super helpful not only for the walkthrough, but also for things I had read a description of and I had pulled out certain details where I had read their description and put it into my story, and I had been wrong. In Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities there is a chandelier, and from it are hanging Ithorian wind chimes. The way they described it, I took and described it in my own words. But when I got there I realized I did a bad job! So I got to fix that.

The Den of Antiquities is an incredible place, but the list of items they had provided to me were not what caught my eye when I actually walked in. I was able to look at the things that literally caught my eye and put those into the narrative to reflect more of what the reader will experience. Which was incredible! There’s nothing like the land and capturing that feeling of loving Star Wars and then living it.

The theme of hope and resilience was important in this book. What does that mean to you personally?

Black Spire is a book that had to serve many masters, but every book I write, whether it’s my creator-owned work or in an IP sandbox, has to have a heart and a theme. It has to mean something. One of my favorite shows right now is Brooklyn 99. I can’t go to sleep without a TV on, so I watch the shows that I love and that are comfortable over and over again. It’s a show that is warm, funny, has that found family. It’s about damaged people who love and support each other. And it never punches down. So I wanted to do the Brooklyn 99 of Star Wars.

The people of Batuu don’t think of themselves as heroes. Most of them don’t even believe that the Resistance and the First Order exist. So Vi has to explain to them that trouble has never come their way, but it’s going to and they have to be ready. There’s one character who says straight up they’re not strong enough to help. And Vi has to convince her, yes, you are, that’s what a hero is: someone who feels the fear and does it anyway.

On the flip side of that, this is also a book involving war and torture. What is your approach when writing the darker tone?

In any Star Wars book, no matter how sweet it is, when the First Order shows up things are going to get dark. There’s actually a note from one of my editors that said “I am concerned you think about torture this much.”

I knew we needed a torture scene. I had to find something new that no one had done before, but was still at a Star Wars level of violence. I was very adamant that there not be any implied or threatened sexual violence, so that was off the table immediately. So I went for the eyes with this one.

My brand is whimsical and dark. I’ve done some horror books, and Phasma is a pretty dark book. So when there had to be darkness there was, and I tried to temper it with moments of light and mercy to give the reader some breathing room in those scenes. The First Order character I created for this book, Wulfgar Kath, was another case where I was looking for something new in Star Wars. So he’s a First Order officer that is very fastidious. He gets a ping from General Hux when he’s working out in the officer’s mess, which he does at night so he doesn’t have to talk to anybody. And he won’t answer until he’s finished his set. He’s that kind of fastidious, sociopathic character, like Hannibal without the style. He will beat you senseless and then put his hair back in place.

Phasma was a much grittier book. Was it easier or more difficult for you to write a more hopeful one?

They’re both sides of my personality and my experience. Every book I write relates to what I’m experiencing in the moment. While I was writing this book I pinched a nerve, and I had to write a lot of the book on my back, on a heating pad, with a special setup. I was in a lot of pain. The line in there where someone says to Vi after her ship crashes “You have the spine of a 90-year old woman,” that’s what my doctor said to me that day. The pain and the trauma is part of me, and when that comes through in the books, that’s because it’s a part of me, and I think that’s important to show in books.

But I also have a family and play with my kids and my dog and have a really nice life, so I think those are balances that most readers will have in their lives.

How is the process of writing a tie-in novel different from writing a creator-owned work?

With IP you’re in someone else’s sandbox. You have to love it—I don’t think you can write Star Wars if you don’t love it and haven’t been internalizing it forever. I think of Star Wars as history. It’s more real to me than Herbert Hoover and William Howard Taft. So I’m already there. I write a lot of IP, and I feel like it’s something I’m good at because when someone gives me parameters I don’t think I’m stuck in a box, I think there are so many things I can do inside this box.

With Star Wars, I don’t just start writing at home. There is a process with a group of people. We develop an outline, and I don’t start writing until I have an outline that is probably 14 pages single spaced. Then I work from there. I can’t randomly deviate from that outline, although there’s always some room to play with day to day stuff like the Indiana Jones sequence in this book, which you’ll know if you’ve read it. That was one line in the outline and ten thousand words of this experience Vi goes through. When you get to the line for Rise of the Resistance [the ride], you’ll hopefully see some of the places Vi goes. But that I can play around with.

But when I write for myself, I have to know the main character, the beginning, the instigating factor, the main conflict, the climax, and the ending. I leave a ton of room to play around. But in Star Wars we don’t get quite that much room.

With Star Wars books, I usually get one to two months. With my own books I get up to three months.

Megan Crouse writes about Star Wars and pop culture for StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider, and Den of Geek. Read more of her work here. Find her on Twitter @blogfullofwords.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Interview

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Megan Crouse

Oct 14, 2019

Star Wars

Del Rey

NYCC

NYCC 2019

from Books https://ift.tt/31flHzN

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ginnyzero · 5 years ago

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Killjoys Season 3 reaction

I promise to try not to turn this into a rant about the state of science fiction media... try. (Might not succeed.)

Last year about this time, I wrote about how I might not be able to make it through Killjoys Season 3. Last season really pushed a bunch of my writer big red buttons of do not want and I was seeing the writing on the screen. As in, this is not going well, red alert, red alert, Danger Will Robinson!

I hate being right.

I won't be watching season 4 or 5 of Killjoys (yes, they've green lit 20 more episodes of this show, and if you like it well, that's great. If you're me, you're in a corner whimpering. Why? TV Overlords, WHY?) I really, really wanted to love this show. It has a female creator, there are some female producers, there are females in the writing room and the main lead of three is, well, female! (Though the male to female cast is still rather disproportionate.)

The end of season 2 left us with a pretty big mess for season 3. The team was split. Dutch was being selfish. We'd lost a great female secondary character they'd taken 2 whole seasons to develop in order to have a male character feel pain. D'avin was the biggest gary stu of all time. And the show had taken a sharp left turn from campy, fun, new and into boring old cliche sci fi story territory.

Season 3 did not get any better.

I was thinking about this while curled in bed trying to convince myself to get up and realized why Season 3 was so jarring. This show had about 7 episodes of world building on their primary pitch of "Bounty Hunters in SPACE" before they took their sharp left turn into "humans versus alien parasite SLIME GOO." And it simply wasn't enough. See, the great thing about the concept of "Bounty Hunters in SPACE" is that you can spend as much damn time creating fun mini stories that explore your universe and it's VASTNESS, sprinkling little bits of information for a couple seasons about the "wrongness" in what is going on to take a couple seasons at the end to fight your parasitic alien goo. (which would have been great fridge horror to offset the campiness and created all sorts of meta and fun fandom discussion and theories!) And this show needed the world building. (They even lampshade this in episode 1 of season 3, "remember when we used to... yeah... that was fun." Yeah, the show was fun back then wasn't it.)

BECAUSE... Season 3 has the team split and "war is coming" and suddenly we are slapped in the face with the fact that the Quad is just one of many systems. That there are thousands of these alien goo pools and hundreds of RAC Ships (the bounty hunter HQ) and that there may be a purpose to these hack mods people (Only introduced in Season 2, used for less than half a season 3) and there are some nasty people called "skinners" who also use the green alien goo without realizing what it is. (And yes, it's as nasty as it sounds.) And I'm sitting here going, "Wait, wait, what? WHERE was ALL THIS during YOUR WORLD BUILDING EPISODES? NO. NO. COME BACK HERE. I WANT MORE OF THIS!!!!" The skinners would have been a GREAT way to introduce the green goo. Very, very fridge horror.

By the way, Season 3 spends over 2/3 of it dealing with internal politics and expounding on the Hullen focusing mostly on Aneelah. Aneelah and Dutch are not who they think they are. (DNA also doesn't work that way folks.) Not that we get too much about the Hullen, other than Aneelah is crazy and they're pretty arrogant. Oh, and new villain, the LADY who lives in the Green. (There is a reason why I'm not a fan of the television favorite of the "big bad" method of storytelling.) They set up Aneelah in Season 2 to be this big bad character that Dutch, D'avin and Johnny were going to have to overcome and destroy to destroy the Hullen. Except, problem, she only commands a tiny bit of the Hullen. Oh dear, bigger problem, she's more of a prisoner than a commander. Major problem, they tried to make her sympathetic by making her crazy and the whole of next season I think we're supposed to support her as a "good guy" as she helps Dutch fight "the Lady."

And if you're going, "huh and what?" to the previous paragraph. Then you are right there with me. (I mean, this typical Killjoys though, they spent season 2 turning Kylen from bad villain to good guy.) We spend 7 to 8 episodes of season 3 on internal politics between the RAC members, recruiting Pree's warlord ex-lover (yes, the homosexuality was strong this season), watching Delle Seyah play Aneelah like a harp, D'avin exhibiting his continued gary stu qualities with control over the green and a new story arc that never went anywhere (what else is D'avin forgetting show runners, oh wait, you're forgetting,) new nerd characters being nerdy (oh Hullen technology is more biological than machinery but Johnny is about machinery. Damn it, they had to bring in 2 new characters, one for the bio-techy stuff and one to replace Johnny's charm, then in the last episode pair them off for the wonderful 'pair the spares' sundae special) for the pay off of two episodes of "war" where our main characters are sitting out of the fight for the most part and for Aneelah to well, essentially change sides.

Look, if there had been 50 episodes of popcorn munching buttery goodness world building with BOUNTY HUNTERS IN SPACE before all of this, I wouldn't be so snarky. But here we are at 30 episodes out of 50 and I'm going "this is feeling a bit rushed darlings and everything is suffering for it."

What's suffering the most is Dutch's character. Writing wise, Dutch is the most inconsistently written character in the show. She's the Pinkie Pie of Killjoys. Dutch's problem is still they're trying to make her too many things at once. D'Avin and Johnny are stereotypes and relatively easy to write. Johnny is in fact the most consistently written and possibly most well rounded character on the show. Dutch is well, I'm not sure what Dutch is. I have what I think she's supposed to be, but because they left out an essential "Johnny and Dutch do their first Killjoy mission" episode, I'm not really sure.

You see, Dutch is a gender flipped action hero type. Disregard her back story, (which is cliche and sexist and all around not good) and her role in the story is to be the action hero lead big tank lead of the "trio." (Which imo, should have stayed a duo because D'avin is unnecessary.) Male action heroes tend to be brusque, stoic and at times flippant. They were going for big and tough and then went "Damn it, she's a girl, we have to make her girly too." And that, unfortunately, breaks most writers minds because a "girly action hero" is not a stereotype they are familiar with and is found more in Japanese media than American media.

So, Dutch flip flops between being extremely competent to making rookie mistakes to be a temporary damsel, doing the femme fatale nonsense, being the big sister, to being a selfish "I don't give a shit about everyone else," to being the self sacrificing hero all in the space of 2 or 3 episodes. It gives me serious whiplash. (Her and D'avin's rookie mistakes make me grind my teeth, they are both level 5s. They KNOW BETTER and they are still doing it. No. It's not interesting. It does not make for good drama or conflict. It's frustrating.)

I think they I know what they were trying to go for, a big sisterly type of warrior. She's experienced, competent and will make sure that the newbies make it out the other side of the battle intact, even if that means she gets hurt or almost dies to do it. Throw in some PTSD and call it a day. But instead, they tried to add a heaping spoonful of sex (because no one is going to watch a female action hero if she isn't sexy, am I right?) and keep her "professional" meaning brusque and eye on the prize at the same time. And it's not working. There is complex and then there is "trying to be everything all at once." Which isn't necessary because they have Delle Seyah to be the vamp. They had Pawter to be Delle Seyah's foil in political maneuvering. They added this newbie nerd female character who was a bit naive and innocent and could be the damsel in distress in a pinch. They had Hullen characters and the Hack Mod girl to be brusque and stoic. (Let's not talk about what they did to the hack mod girl. I'm grinding my teeth here.)

It doesn't help that we barely know anything about Dutch outside of bounty hunter and fighting work. What does this girl do to destress other than have sex with men? I mean it? Does she rock climb? Maybe she bungee jump dances or does aerial silks? Does she like calligraphy? Meditation? (Is now so very curious.) As much backstory they've thrown at us about her childhood and her father figure, as much "emotional turmoil and trauma" they've put her through, to me Dutch is still this card board cut out that is so very, very flat. Pawter had more depth than her. It's crazy. I almost feel like Dutch doesn't have a personal conflict in herself. I don't know what Dutch wants. I don't know if Dutch ever asks if what she's doing is right or wrong. And for a main character in a show that's lasted 30 episodes, that's disturbing.

So, basically, I'm frustrated and disappointed that yet another scifi/fantasy show that had the potential to be great and had an interesting basic premise lost it out on the execution. There are other scifi shows that I want to check out, The 100, Dark Matter and The Encounter but their premises sound so stereotypical scifi cliche that I'm having a hard time mustering the energy. I'm either growing up and becoming more discerning or I'm having writer spidey senses.

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