#it’s like thomas learned nothing from Am I Original

[tstwitterupdates]

Adding in my two sense with the other anons (as someone who's opinions matter like. so little) I feel like it's extra frustrating when he keeps showing he IS capable of getting stuff out in a timely manner, like roleslaying (which I very much enjoy!) Doesn't have insane wait times between and they get multiple seasons worth of shots done in a few days. I know sander sides is a bigger production and I get wanting something you've been working on for so long to be perfect, but teasing it without any actual, substantial updates is like... idk it just seems mean at some point aksgsiajdhdojahdif.

And I am a writer, I have stories that I've worked on for years and aren't done, I've abandoned stories for years only to pick them back up way later, but I'm also not sharing them with anyone (except occasionally my queer platonic partners) and certainly not getting PAID BY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE to keep them up to date. Asides was supposed to help the wait but it became essential viewing and full production instead of fun one offs, all actual small fun videos are merch plugs. This is long and probably doesn't make much sense, you also don't have to post it if you don't want to, but I dunno I have thoughts and wanted to get them out :p

I dunno, I enjoy the series and the other videos, I just feel like at some point along the line he got burn out for sander sides and instead of saying that he just kept talking about the characters to keep us interested (and because I do think he genuinely likes them, they're his ocs and he's clearly fond of them) and now only has the motivation to film stuff for the sides when he's being paid MORE to do it by merch drops.

( somehow this blog every once in a while becomes a safe space for people to vent their criticisms on anon haha which is fine i know we all need it sometimes, just funny how it keeps happening. i guess it’s inevitable when the blog is about video updates. oh well. don’t forget to block # ts criticism if you don’t want to see this stuff! )

yeah like i understand that even if they are capable of producing a video in a few days it doesn’t mean that that should be the standard for every single one. makes sense that some scripts and effects and stuff will take longer than others, and they can’t be at maximum productivity all the time. however.. having these small things done quickly once every few months doesn’t sound so bad? but i don’t know i don’t know i have no experience with this.

like they definitely have the money, equipment and staff for the production and post production of a video to go somewhat smoothly, so i think the problem is that the planning and scripting are just too hard because it’s just way too ambitious now for every single sanders sides episode, including asides. hope they realize not every video has to be dealing with intrusive thoughts to be good enough but who knows.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Ladybug and Cat Noir: The Movie

Once again, I'd just like to apologize for the lack of activity the past few months. The holidays have kept me busy, especially at work, and I've officially decided to go back to school next month. Don't get me wrong, one of my new year's resolutions is to at least try getting back to consistently working on this blog, which is one of the reasons why I'm going to tackle She-Ra in the future. Either way, I'd like to thank you for supporting me this past year even though I haven't been as active as I should be.

When I heard Miraculous Ladybug was getting a movie, I didn't really pay too much attention to the news due to all of the side projects that have been canceled left and right, but then I saw the trailer. It looked decent, and while I had issues with the animation, I was willing to give it a shot since Astruc wasn't on the writing team. Then the movie came out, and while it got mixed reviews, this was how a lot of people in the fandom saw it after suffering through Season 5.

Yeah, a lot of fans hold this movie in high regard. It's nothing as groundbreaking as other animated films that came out the same year like Across the Spider-Verse and Nimona, but for a Miraculous Ladybug project, it turned out pretty well. That is, except for the brief schism it caused in the fandom. While it's mostly subsided, when the movie came out, there was a debate on which handled the story better, the movie or the show. As always, fandom arguments tend to get complicated, and things only got worse when Thomas Astruc himself decided to throw his hat in the ring by claiming that the show he worked on was better.

Yes, even though fans enjoy a movie based on his characters, because he isn't the one who made it, Astruc thinks his version is better. Just remember, he tweeted this about a month after “Derision” premiered. I feel like that speaks for itself.

Thankfully, the argument has died down for the most part, though there's still discussions on which is the better version. Before I really get into the movie, I just want to remind everyone reading this that my opinion shouldn't be taken as fact. I am not the authority on what people should like, and I don't want anyone to use my review as an excuse to bully other people online for having a different opinion on the movie. While I've made jokes about the show's decline in quality, the show and movie both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and we should be able to discuss them.

With all that out of the way, let's get into Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie

Just to be clear, I'm not going to tackle this like my usual reviews. Instead, I'm going to break this review into three sections: what I liked, what I didn't like, and what I'm mixed on.

Things I liked

For one thing, the characterization is pulled off very well. None of the characters are really as annoying or incompetent like they were in the show's later seasons. Part of what I think makes it work is that there's more focus on character arcs that have to be completed by the end of the film. Marinette has to learn to step up as a hero, Adrien has to learn humility while dealing with the loss of his mother, and Gabriel struggles to resist the allure of villainy.

Marinette's anxiety is more pronounced in this movie, especially since in this continuity, Chloe is just starting to harass her, so she's not used to this kind of treatment. While Chloe is a minor antagonist in the civilian plotline, the biggest threat to Marinette when she's not Ladybug is her own self-doubt. Her status as an outcast is used to add to Marinette's lack of confidence in herself. The whole reason she even meets Adrien here is because she tried to hide from Chloe in the library, and she was too nervous to really speak up to Adrien. Hell, the first time she transforms into Ladybug, it's only because Tikki forced her to transform.

I like how Marinette's insecurities transition into her origin as Ladybug, where she's put in a situation where she has to take charge and be more confident. She still gets frustrated with her situation and her new partner's ego (more on that in a minute), but she struggles to really get her head in the game at first compared to how things were in “Origins”. It makes her development into the confident hero we're all familiar with feel more natural, as the climax of the movie shows her fully asserting herself as the protector of Paris and a beacon of hope for those to look up to.

Adrien is also handled very well here. As much as I liked “Origins”, I have to admit it didn't really do much with him as a character. With the exception of wasting his first Cataclysm, he just goes about the two-parter like it's another day at the office for him. That's why I'm a huge fan of the movie actually giving him stuff to do. Unlike the show, his arrogance is shown in a more negative light and is shown to be a major character flaw he needs to overcome. Nobody tries to excuse or deny his actions, and he learns how to become a better person.

This is what makes his dynamic with Ladybug so interesting. For their first battle together, he's overconfident and assumes that he's the leader, even though he's just as new at this as Ladybug is. The two trade insults and bicker while fighting their Akuma and even when they meet Master Fu afterwards. While Cat Noir does fall for Ladybug, Marinette still isn't open to it, not because she loves someone else, but more because she finds him to be unbelievably annoying. She doesn't really hate him the same way she does Chloe. It's more like that one coworker you can't stand but have to tolerate regardless.

Both Ladybug and Cat Noir help the other improve as they gain each other's respect. Ladybug gains more confidence in order to keep Cat Noir from bossing her around, while Cat Noir becomes more humble to become a better hero. Eventually, Cat Noir reverses his position and assumes he's the sidekick, only for Ladybug to deny that claim and declare that the two are partners. This statement also reflects how both of them are responsible for saving the day in the end. While Adrien ultimately reaches through to his father, Ladybug saves Adrien and repairs the damage caused by Hawkmoth. Both played a role that was instrumental in the climax, and neither one feels ignored by the narrative.

Another character who really got a much needed revamp is Chloe. Yes, she's still Marinette's primary bully, but it's more downplayed than in later seasons. She stays a challenge exclusive to Marinette's civilian life instead of trying to be a challenge to Ladybug. The closest thing she does to opposing the heroes is kick Cat Noir off a runaway Ferris wheel out of fear, and even then, she gets her comeuppance through Ladybug throwing her in a dumpster while saving her. Chloe is also much smarter than in canon, being able to read the room to mask her emotions and maintain her image or to prey on someone's insecurities if they get in her way. Don't get me wrong, she's still a source of comic relief, but the movie treats her slightly more seriously than canon does.

Speaking of comic relief, here's something that I think made this Chloe better than the one seen in the show: The jokes were actually funny. Yeah, it's not laugh out loud, but I like how rather than make jokes about how immature and stupid Chloe is, her jokes are focused more on her own ego and self-image. Well, that, and wanting to kick Marinette's ass. I'm not making this up. Chloe in this movie threatens Marinette several times, and it's honestly amazing.

She unironically put the fear of God in Marinette's eyes in her first scene alone.

I also like how they handle her role as a love rival to Marinette. Unlike the show, Chloe and Adrien never interact, and it's implied that this continuity won't use the childhood friends element introduced in Season 2. It's a good way to show the difference between her and Marinette, how for all her boasting, Chloe doesn't know Adrien the way Marinette gets to know him.

Gabriel is easily the best part of the movie. This version is more fleshed out compared to the show. Rather than flip-flop between sympathetic and pure evil, the movie leans more on the sympathetic side for Gabriel's character. His very first scene shows the grief he's going through while thinking about Emilie, and Keith Silverstein gets to show off more emotions than just over the top sociopathy. You understand why he chooses to become a supervillain, but you want to see him get better, making for a very somber character. I especially love the delivery of the line where he finally gives in and transforms for the first time.

Gabriel: If chaos is the way, I will burn the world and lose myself in the flames to do so!

That line has no right to go as hard as it does.

We see him descend more into villainy as his appearance becomes more disheveled. Despite claiming to care for his son, the Gabriel and Adrien don't interact until the 70-minute mark. By the time the two do talk, Gabriel looks like a mess compared to how he looked at the beginning.

I really like this writing decision, as it highlights the distant relationship between the two, and how being Hawkmoth has only made things worse for Gabriel. Seeing Gabriel finally realize how unhealthy his coping mechanisms have been when he learns Adrien is Cat Noir is a satisfying scene, as it feels like a natural way to put an end to his arc. Compared to canon where he wins and never really feels bad for what he did, this version of Gabriel is far more remorseful at the sight of his son battered and bruised and breaks down sobbing. Remember, this was the version Astruc said we “wanted” and not the one we “needed”.

As for the Miraculous, things were changed to better fit the story, and I like most of what they did. I like how there's more focus on the teamwork between Ladybug and Cat Noir. Their Miraculous don't just grant a wish when used together. They literally become stronger when the two work together, and it makes a lot of sense. I like how the teamwork aspect is rewarded in-universe, because it shows how the heroes can do more than create and destroy stuff. I also think the addition of a call function on their Miraculous makes perfect sense, and clears up a ton of potential communication errors.

The fight scenes are also pretty creative. There's a lot of focus on using the environment to fight the Akumas. The very first fight has Ladybug and Cat Noir defeat the Akuma by letting a train hit it, and the second major fight involves a Ferris wheel going out of control. This leads to more varied action and well choreographed fight scenes. I especially like how with the exception of the Mime (and a brief reference to the Bubbler and Guitar Villain), all of the Akumas are brand-new, so older fans don't know what to expect with these guys.

This level of action also extends to the climax. Hawkmoth uses an Akuma on himself, sending out a massive flock of butterflies. You'd think it'd be like this movie's take on “Heroes' Day”, right? Nope! Instead, the Akumas become tiny attack drones that swarm over Paris like the eight plague of Egypt. I don't know how the animators managed to make an army of purple butterflies menacing, but by God, they did it.

Speaking of animators, my thoughts on the animation have changed drastically. While I still have minor gripes with the character design, I still love how the city of Paris is brought to life, making it seem more populated than in the show. I never really held the limited amount of civilians against the animators in the show, but I'm so happy we can see this show's environment on a cinematic budget. The animation is another reason why I think the action works so well in this movie.

Things I didn't like

When it comes to the changes to the Miraculous, one thing I'm not a fan of is Ladybug not getting her Lucky Charm. It misses the point of her having the power of creation. Yeah, she still has the spotted vision thing she had in the show, but it takes away what made the way she defeats Akumas interesting. She doesn't just beat them into submission. Sometimes, she outsmarts them or reasons with them, and part of the fun with the Lucky Charm is seeing just how she'll use something like a coat hanger or an old football trophy to defeat them.

I also don't like this movie's take on the Butterfly Miraculous. The very first scene has Master Fu build it up as an evil artifact capable of turning people into monsters. Remember, “Origins” established the Butterfly as something capable of creating superheroes, a power Gabriel twisted to create villains instead. Hell, I hate this rule, but the Paris Special made it clear that Miraculous can be used for good or evil, and it all depends on how the power is used. In other words, Miraculous don't kill people, people kill people. Bottom line, I prefer the idea of the Butterfly being the same as the other Miraculous, with the user and intent making it evil.

The one character who I felt the movie absolutely misrepresented was Plagg. This version of the character has none of the heart he had in the show. Yes, Plagg was crass there too, but he had just as many scenes showing how he cared for Adrien like a little brother or a nephew. He was Adrien's primary confidant and wanted to help him however he could. Even bad Plagg-centric episodes like “Kuro Neko” or “The Kwamis' Choice” made it clear he wants what's best for Adrien and is capable of coming up with plans if they'll help him.

Here, Plagg is mostly just there to make snide comments and fart a lot. Say what you will about the show, but at least it didn't make Plagg farting into a running gag. Plagg only gets a handful of lines in the entire movie, to the point where even Tom has more lines than he does. Tikki gets plenty of scenes with Marinette and an entire song, while Plagg feels like an afterthought.

Things I'm mixed on

This might be a little controversial, but I have mixed feelings on the portrayal of the Love Square as a whole in this movie. Don't get me wrong, the Ladynoir scenes are great, but there's not as many Adrienette, Ladrien, or Marichat scenes. In fact, I don't think there were any Ladrien or Marichat scenes in this movie, which is weird. I can at least excuse those, but it's weird how little Adrienette scenes there are. Not counting the masks, they only have four major scenes together before the end, and one of those is a deleted scene that had the dialogue cut over a montage.

While I'm glad the entire movie wasn't about the Love Square drama, the romance between Marinette and Adrien specifically feels a little rushed. I think it would have benefited the movie to have ten or fifteen more minutes to flesh out this subplot a little instead of only focusing on Ladynoir.

I'm also unsure what to say about the songs. Most of them are pretty catchy and have great visuals, but the dissonance between the singing voices of Marinette and Adrien throws me off. I don't get why neither actor for the French or English dub was asked to sing. For some reason, Tikki and Gabriel's voice actors got to sing, but not Marinette and Adrien. At the very least, Drew Ryan Scott's singing voice sort of sounds like Adrien, but Lou's singing voice makes Marinette sound twice her age. Don't get me wrong, I still liked the songs, but this choice was very jarring to me.

And now, because literally nobody asked for it, here's every song in the movie ranked.

8. If I Believed in Me

A very dull “I want” song that's just Marinette wandering around Paris on the way to school. Compared to “Little Town” from Beauty and the Beast, where you can easily follow Belle and understand how she goes about her day, it's not clear what kind of route Marinette is taking. Even the lyrics are pretty bland, just talking about wanting to follow her dreams and be more confident. The issue is that her dreams of being a fashion designer barely factor into the plot, and she only becomes more confident thanks to being a superhero, something she didn't dream of. The only real dud in the soundtrack.

7. Opening Remix

Not much to say here. It's a remix of the opening theme with the new singers. It sounds nice.

6. Reaching Out

This is a much better song than “If I Believed in Me”. It does a great job expressing Marinette's doubt and how she feels pressured to be somebody she's not. Great way to follow up on her heart getting broken by Adrien.

5. My Lady

This one's a quickie, but it's still fun. I love the visuals in this one and how it gradually crescendos, reflecting the new feelings Cat Noir has for Ladybug developing.

4. Stronger Together

Surprisingly, Ladybug and Cat Noir's only duet in the movie, but it's still really good. I love the use of the set in the theater Cat Noir took Ladybug to at the beginning before they run around Paris. The lyrics do a great job showing how far the two's relationship has come, making it clear how close they are, only for reality to metaphorically kick them out of the sky.

3. You Are Ladybug

Another duet, this time between Marinette and Tikki. While I still think Cristina Vee should have gotten to sing this one song given her chemistry with Mela Lee, Lou still does a great job expressing her anxiety. The back and forth between Tikki and Marinette makes this a blast to watch, especially with it using the same music as the theme song. Even the rap part with Tikki was fun to watch. I especially love the part where Tikki excitedly tells Marinette about how dangerous the job is and how close she'll come to getting killed.

2. Chaos Will Reign Today

The villain song in this movie had no right to be as good as it is. The visuals are eerie and fit the more menacing tone of the song. Keith Silverstein gives his all to make up for his crime of singing the Hawkmoth Rap. It's also a hell of a lot better than the villain song Disney had to offer that year.

1. Courage in Me

Easily my favorite song in the movie. The visuals of Marinette struggling to hop across these black spots symbolizing her yo-yo before her transformation into Ladybug is awe-inspiring. The lyrics are a great way to solidify Marinette embracing her role as Ladybug, and it's such a triumphant song to listen to.

Other things I noticed

During the first Akuma fight, Ladybug and Cat Noir pass by some guys with stereotypical French accents while almost every other character speaks like they're in America.

Careless Whisper plays one time in Cat Noir's mind as he develops feelings for Ladybug. The fact that he listens to it after getting his heart broken has to be one of the most subtle jokes I've ever seen in this franchise. Of course, it's clear what the best superhero cover of Careless Whisper really is.

Cat Noir says he has the power of destruction in his introduction while being impressed when Master Fu says the same thing.

There's a Volkswagon tie-in that actually features the two heroes promoting some cars in-universe. This is a real shot from the movie.

I think Chloe ships Alyanette, judging from this exchange:

Marinette: Seriously, Alya, you think Adrien would say yes?

Alya: Of course! I'm gonna ask Nino.

Chloe: I think you should go together, 'cause Adrien is coming with me, not with some baker girl.

I don't think Ladybug ever learned Cat Noir could play the piano, so seeing Cat Noir try to woo her with a little piano number is a nice inclusion.

When Cat Noir's mask is destroyed in the final battle, his exposed eye is still green. Was this where the chibi shorts got the idea from?

Other people have pointed this out, but the picture of Adrien as a kid is traced from a character from The Boss Baby. That's an automatic ten point deduction for making me remember that movie exists.

The post-credits scene with Nathalie was weird.

Did Master Fu not know he lost the Peacock Miraculous too?

Why isn't Emilie in any form of suspended animation?

Is the Peacock still damaged?

Did the Peacock still kill her/send her into a coma?

Was Adrien still created by the Peacock?

Why didn't Gabriel use the Peacock or at least consider it?

Did Gabriel forget to tell anyone about the other Miraculous he has after turning himself in?

Why did Gabriel choose to tell Nathalie when she didn't seem to help him while he was still Hawkmoth?

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a really good movie, and a fresh take on the show's universe. I had issues with it, but I still think this movie series has promise. The animation was great, the songs were catchy, and the characterization was on point for the most part. It even manages to be a better musical than the ones big names like Disney and Warner Bros have made in the past two years. It's one of the best things to come out of the franchise, no question. I wouldn't mind future installments set in this continuity over whatever Season 6 churns out.

[yourlittlebunnyy]

a court of shadows and darkness

masterlist - previous chapter

chapter four

summary: Selaene, Rhysand's sister, Azriel's mate runs away after the High Lord of Spring tries to kill her.

warnings: none

enjoy 🌝

"I mean, how is it that I am only now learning of your origins in my court?" Selaene's laughter echoes in the emptiness that has now, century after century, become comforting. "My grandfather was part of the Night Court, but then he fell madly in love with my grandmother and decided to go with her to the Dawn Court. But you know the story."

After so many years together, Selaene and Vanessa can say that they have become more than friends, they have become sisters. The friend had seen the tiger a few times and had been amazed by her elegant and feline form: she had a white coat with black stripes that shone like the moon under the soft light of the passers-by, as they had called them. She had a sweet little face, and one could almost imagine her human form. From time to time, a passerby would come close enough to walk past her, but never close enough to catch her in time, and in recent years, the number of passersby had dwindled, making her doubt her plan.

"You know, Vane, I'm grateful you're here with me, I would have gone crazy without you."

"I was on the verge of madness when I found you. Maybe Mother wanted to give us a sister. You don't have one, do you?"

"No, only a brother, as you already know."

Another pause between the two as they continue to watch the darkness. A sad, bitter smile makes its way through the Fae's voice.

"We deserved a history like your grandparents'."

"But we got it. You have Azriel and I have Thomas."

"Vane..." Selaene did not have the heart to admit to herself that her beautiful mate, after her family thought her dead and after all these centuries, had probably forgotten her and moved on with his life. Not to mention telling Vanessa, who had so much faith in fate to envy.

"No, don't say that, Elle." She knew the tiger was haunted by such thoughts as well, and coming to terms with reality hurt too much. The conversation faded into a heavy silence, like at the beginning of their journey.

If Azriel had moved on, she would not have blamed him in any way, in fact, as much as it hurt, she would have let him go for his sake. Sometimes loving means knowing how to let go.

"Please, Selaene," it is rare for the friend to use her full name, and when she does, she is aware that she is beginning a serious and poignant speech, "remember. If you are lost in the darkness, seek the light."

"Or light it up." She cannot see her friend, but she knows she is smiling and nodding at the same time, as she is wont to do when she is pleased with something Selaene does.

This little play on words, which has become their phrase, has been with them for nearly four centuries, and every time they repeat it, that little spark of hope in their chests shines a little brighter.

A snort comes from the Fae's mouth. "What's wrong, Elle?"

"Nothing, it's just boring." Vanessa chuckles, "Come on, tell me about your family again, last time I think you missed a few adjectives about your brother's eyes."

The two women laugh, and Selaene is grateful that Vanessa enjoys listening to her so much.

"Rhysand's eyes tend to be more blue than mine. Mine are all purple. When he looks at the stars, he dreams. You know, Vane, I think he would be a big believer in if you get lost in the darkness, seek the light" Her friend's laughter echoes in the now familiar darkness, warming the atmosphere.

"Let me guess, he is also the biggest dreamer you know?"

"Of course. But only after me."

"After us. There is no one who dreams more than us."

Azriel sighs, the last breath as a free male of the evening.

Like every weekend, he and his family join in a dinner party at Feyre and Rhysand's house, and after Nyx's birth it is a rare event, which is why he could not say no.

He hasn't spoken to Feyre since what was said in his room, and he hopes she hasn't mentioned it to her mate, or tonight he will have to endure yet another lecture about how in life one must move on, that he also loved Selaene but that they must let her go.

Dinner doesn't go on so badly, it allows him to clear his mind a little and spend some light time, and Feyre doesn't seem to have said anything, doesn't even seem to remember what happened. She does not look at him with pity, and Azriel would like to hug her.

Later that evening the family is divided between those who play cards, those who drink and chat, and Azriel. Actually, he was part of the players, but after winning three out of four rounds, he was kicked out by a slightly tipsy and irritated Cassian. He wanted to retort that he only let Amren win the fourth round because he is slightly intimidated by her, but he opted to keep quiet. Now he stands on the terrace to get some fresh air. He gazes at the stars and the moon, smiling to himself as he remembers nights spent stargazing with his beloved. A sad smile. Azriel always thought Selaene was the reincarnation of the Moon, she shone with her own light, but not blinding like the sun, no, she was beautiful and deep and mysterious like that silver orb in the sky.

"Azriel?" the voice of Feyre distracted him from his thoughts.

"Yes?" Azriel sang victory too soon. He hoped Feyre had forgotten the whole thing, or simply decided to ignore it, but of course not. If it is not Rhysand, or Cassian, now Feyre is added to the list.

"I wanted to talk to you. About a few days ago...," the Fae's sea-colored eyes stare at his face for signs of despondency. Azriel continues to look at the moon. His Selaene.

"I... I haven't talked to Rhysand about it. I know Selaene's history, though, and I know-I mean, I see how your brothers look at you. Or how you're still loyal to her."

At the sound of his mate's name, Azriel grits his teeth. His body stiffens, but he forces himself to breathe. Once, twice, three times, before he looks at Feyre, meeting her eyes full of pity for him. But when he does, he finds none.

She looks at him understandingly, as if to say "I am here, talk to me."

He is surprised.

"Do you want to know my - our story, so then you will look at me as if I were a puppy left alone?"

Feyre smiles sadly, her gaze following that of the Illyrian warrior to the moon. There is a small pause before she responds.

"No, of course not, Az. Clearly I'm saddened, because from the way Rhysand described her, from the way you react just to hearing her name, she sounds like a really special person, and I would have liked to meet her myself. But I won't look at you with pity."

Azriel weighs his words carefully before speaking. Feyre for a moment thinks he might pull back, his posture stiff and his breaths short. But then the male sighs, muscles relaxing almost imperceptibly, and Feyre smiles at him before gently stroking his hand, as if to invite him to speak. As if he is saying "talk to me, I won't judge you," and only then does Azriel relent.

"She was a very special person. She was ... she was my moon."

The female senses the pain he is feeling from the squeaky voice, and knows it must be the first time he has spoken of this to anyone. She has never seen the ShadowSinger so...human, so fragile. And yet, her gaze remains fixed on his face, and her eyes do not make him pull back, but urge him to vent.

"She, we planned to accept the bond the week when she... On evenings like these I would sneak into her house and fly with her to Velaris, we would lie on the rocks and as we watched the stars, we would talk all night. She was...she was everything to me, Feyre. I've never loved anyone the way I loved her, and I don't think I can. Rhysand wants me to move on, to find someone to keep by my side. But I can't even think of another woman when my wound is still so fresh."

When Azriel finishes his speech, he feels a weight lift from his chest. Perhaps this is the first step, he thinks, to moving forward.

He looks at Feyre, searching her blue pools for something he cannot find. And he does not know what he finds there, but he is happy with what he sees. She smiles at him.

"You know, Az. Maybe sometimes loving someone is also knowing how to let go, maybe you've kept this weight on your chest too long, too afraid to show yourself vulnerable to your brothers. I'm glad you trusted me."

A comforting silence falls over them, and Azriel smiles. Feyre tries to speak again, but is interrupted by Cassian.

"Come on, you two! Who wants to play mime?"

And with that, the two return and take part in the games.

next chapter

[steam-beasts]

How I'd adapt TTTE BWBA s22 ep 2; "Forever and Ever"

Original summary; Gordon has a tantrum about all the changes being made to the railway and is sent back to his shed in disgrace, Gordon insists that he is happy to stay there forever but his new friend Nia from Kenya helps him to see the changes in a different light.

My adapted summary; Ever since Edward left the sheds, Gordon had been quite bitter about the changes. Now that Nia has moved in and Henry suddenly announcing that he's moving into Vicarstown, Gordon becomes enraged. In retaliation, he takes his frustration out on Nia and causes an accident.

Plot

A year had gone by since Edward's departure from Tidmouth Sheds, and despite how long it's been, Gordon still can't stop being bitter about it. Since Nia's arrival, Gordon had been disrespectful and belittles her often, bumping her out of the way and calling her a "weak little tank engine". He just directs his grumpiness on to her. One day, he hears a conversation between Henry and Sir Topham Hatt and is horrified to learn that Henry wants to move out.

(Not my art btw, it's on DeviantArt)

He confronts Henry the next day, and Henry tells him "Going to Vicarstown is my choice, Gordon. I don't need your say in it!". Gordon then goes to Sir Topham Hatt about the changes, ranting to him about the changes, but STH just says;

"Edward left Tidmouth to mentor Phillip and Rosie by his own choice, Gordon. Henry is moving away by his own choice as well, nothing can stay the same forever, you know. Just deal with it, and move on"

Sir Topham Hatt doesn't realise how much the changes are actually stressing Gordon out and agitating him.

When Gordon is getting his coaches shunted, he finds that Nia is shunting instead of Percy or Thomas. He's already angered by the sudden announcement of Henry moving out, and Nia, the one who (in Gordon's eyes) replaced Edward, decides to try and calm him down.

Gordon yells back at her, and Nia just retorts by saying;

"Ugh...I wonder how Edward and Henry put up with you, you're such hard work!"

Nia never means this in a rude way, she's just annoyed by Gordon. This remark upsets Gordon even further, so he decides to pull a trick on Nia... the same trick he pulled on Thomas decades ago.

He goes along with it and heads off with the Express early, and doesn't give Nia time to uncouple from the coach.

As Gordon speeds down the line with Nia in tow, he doesn't listen to her begging him to stop and just laughs it off.

(Imagine he's laughing maniacally)

My version of Nia was built without a proper safety valve, so she is a boiler explosion waiting to happen. Her boiler is heating up fast, luckily, her driver manages to reach her coupling rod and uncouples her. But as she's uncoupled, Gordon had reached a junction at that point and Nia ends up going off the rails and hitting a tree at full force, denting her buffers.

Later on that evening, everyone and STH find out what happened and confront Gordon about his errant behaviour.

Gordon is quick to defend himself, claiming Nia "replaced Edward and forced Henry out". This is when he tries venting his hatred of the changes. STH and everyone else just assume he's making up excuses and is overdramatic; he's not.

STH; "Excuses, excuses! I am sick and tired of your whining, Gordon! Nia is staying in this shed and that's final! We must not be so rude!"

Thomas; "You're definitely a big fat Galloping Sausage now, Gordon! You just can't go a day without complaining! Bother, even pulling the same trick on her like you did on me? That's pathetic!"

James; "Just disgusting, Gordon! I don't remember you being so horrible towards tank engines like you were today!"

Emily; "Shame on you..."

After this argument, STH tells Gordon that he's banned from pulling the Express until he gets his behaviour sorted out and is being locked in his berth. Gordon desperately begs him not to, but STH doesn't listen. He is shut up in the sheds, where he has a nightmare about Edward and Henry getting scrapped and wakes up in the middle of the night, unconsciously tearing up and reflecting on how everyone treated him and his dream.

The episode ends with Gordon whispering;

"....N-Nobody cares how I feel...my own controller doesn't c-care how I feel... why does nobody care about me?"

The episode ends.

Yeah, if I were to do Forever and Ever, it would be pretty dark and angsty. It's all hurt for Gordon and no comfort. Plus, it would show a bit of Gordon that's vulnerable and no longer all pompous and arrogant, instead all self-conscious and soft.

[burningvelvet]

I completed Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey in one day yesterday. I'm in a book hangover, but here are my initial thoughts on the novel, as well as on Anne:

- Anne is an underrated Queen, but I already knew that from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, her second novel. If only she hadn't died at 29! Agnes Grey was her first foray into novel publishing, and proves how much she developed her talents in the interim between itself and Tenant, which most people would agree is much better.

Yet, for a debut novel, Grey is nevertheless impressive. Her acute observations and descriptions of social experiences are some of the most clear I've ever read, and she was as adept in her satire as Jane Austen. After reading both her novels, Emily's only, and more than one of Charlotte's (Jane, and currently 1/4 through Villette) I can say she's certainly the most moral and progressive Brontë, and maybe even the most socially intelligent. There's a lot of humor in this book, and despite some of the dark themes, it never feels miserable.

Anne was a remarkably resolute woman, which comes through in both her heroines; even when they are oppressed and trapped in the most dire situations, they consciously refuse to adopt a victim mindset, instead trusting in their own strength and resilience. After enduring much suffering, both heroines trust in their faith, focus their energy on creating good lives for themselves, and by doing so achieve happiness in the end.

Anne Brontë's heroines are true examples of female stoics in the original philosophical sense, capable of great empathy and feeling as well as self-control and self-discipline. The Anne Brontë heroine has a quiet confidence about her. She champions moderation and common sense, not because she is boring or easily written off by the misogynistic epithet of "prude," but because she has witnessed true chaos and experienced true misery, and these things have served to make her more calm because she does not internalize them but triumphs over them. She has decided to learn from life's lessons and seek a life of tranquility, simplicity, and faith.

- This novel has everything! We've got the (literally designated) not-so-reformed rake in Sir Thomas Ashby (and what a rakish name that is), we've got some demonic children, we've got a sexy country parson, religious discourse, depictions and poignant criticism of classism, sexism, marriage, animal abuse, etc.

- Mr. Hatfield is basically Mr. Collins from P&P. Matilda rejecting him was golden.

-- The beginning of this novel, summarized: "I can't wait to meet these amazing children I've heard so much about! Gee, I really hope they aren't sociopathic animal torturers! What are the odds, am I right?"

-- No wonder the Brontë's didn't succeed in setting up their own school -- being a governess or teacher was simply horrible back then, as it largely still is today, and I think for the most part some of them simply weren't cut out for the job to begin with -- which is saying nothing bad about them or their abilities. Maybe if they lived today they would have done well as teachers or professors with a little more modern structure and having workers rights, etc...

-- I like the short length of this novel! It goes by very fast, and I read the first 100 pages or so myself very quickly, and the rest in audiobook format, but this is very rare for me. I've become accustomed to the Brontë family "language." I'm glad I didn't start with this novel though; I think it's easier to appreciate Agnes Grey after reading their "greatest hits" (Tenant, Jane, and Heights). It definitely isn't my favorite Brontë novel but then again I don't have a favorite. They each fulfill slightly different functions yet have many overlapping themes, so it's difficult to rank them.

-- I think one of the reasons this novel may not be as popular as it could be is because the first half of the novel is generally bleak and this may cause people to give up. The narrator's life generally improves in the second half of the novel, but still, Grey does not have as much dramatic "umph" as does what I hereby dub the "Brontë Greatest Hits Triad" (Heights/Tenant/Jane) which all will prefer. Still, the novel is worth reading for any Brontë fans as it is good and contains many of the Brontë tropes we all know and love. It also stands as a marked contrast to Anne's second novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and makes me appreciate that novel so much better.

[john-laurens]

At this very moment Kinloch writes a letter to Mr. Boone, which will perhaps influence my future destination. If I cannot live as I would like, according to what I have told you, I would hope that in the event that I had to spend my life in solitude, I could share yours; but the way to live! It is very doubtful that I will be able to travel with an English Lord, because I am somewhat averse to this project, feeling very well that I do not have enough stolidity and gravity to maintain a certain character of reserve and wisdom during a series of several years with a young man, whose character is unknown to me. I will say nothing more to you on these matters until I have received some response from Mr. Boone. This winter we are going to read public law by the Abbot Mably, Dangeuil's book on commerce, the Abbot Raynal and some lighter authors, such as Vertot, St. Real etc. I in particular plan to study, after Mr. Hume's history and a few books on America, the works of Viscount Bolinbroke. We read a few letters from Earl Chesterfield every day, and in this way I learn to pronounce the English language, something which is of the utmost importance to me, and which I do with the greatest pleasure. I plan to finish Haller's collection this winter; I will finish the XIVth volume this week. When you see Haller, tell him a lot for me.

Johannes von Müller to Karl Viktor von Bonstetten, in a letter dated Decmeber 1775

The original text (below) was in French and was translated with Google Translate

Presumably, when Müller referred to works by the Abbot Raynal, he was referring to L'Histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes by Guillaume Thomas François Raynal. Francis Kinloch owned volume two of this work published in 1774.

Dans ce moment même Kinloch écrit à Mr. Boone une lettre, qui influera peut-être sur ma destination future. Si je ne peux pas vivre comme je le souhaiterois, d'après ce que je Vous ai dit, je souhaiterois, que dans le cas, qu'il me fallut passer ma vie dans la solitude, je puisse partager la votre; mais le moyen de vivre!

Il est très - douteux, que je puisse voyager avec un Seigneur Anglois, parceque j'ai quelque éloignement pour ce projet, sentant très-bien, que je n'ai pas assez de flegme et de gravité, pour maintenir un certain caractère de reserve et de sagesse pendant une suite de quelques années avec un jeune homme, dont le caractère m'est inconnu. Je ne Vous dirai plus rien sur ces matières, avant que j'aie reçu quelque réponse de Mr. Boone.

Nous allons lire cet hiver le droit public de l'Abbé Mably, le livre de Dangeuil sur le commerce, l'Abbé Raynal et quelques auteurs plus legers, tels que Vertot, St. Real etc. Moi en particulier, je compte d'étudier, après Mr. Hume's history et quelques livres sur l'Amérique, les ouvrages de Mylord Bolinbroke. Nous lisons tous les jours quelques lettres de Mylord Chesterfield, et j'apprens de cette manière à prononcer la langue Angloise, chose qui est de la dernière importance pour moi, et que je fais avec le plus grand plaisir. Je compte finir cet hyver la collection de Haller; je finirai cette semaine le XIVème volume. Quand Vous voyez Haller, dites-lui beaucoup de ma part.

[league-of-starlight]

Voice Update concept: Talon.

I was originally going to wait until after the poll, but I’m not sure how many votes Talon would get. So… consider this a brief gift. The poll’s still active, so feel free to vote for your pick if you haven’t already.

@thomas-jefferson-miku-binder I hope you enjoy.

First Move:

“Another assignment.”

“My blades are sharpened.”

“They will fill the slum.”

Long move:

“I am a blade sharpened by Noxus. No more and no less.”

“Honour is the mark of a fool, not an assassin.”

“The true assassin only trusts their blades.”

“I serve the man who bested me.”

“I must be perfection. An assassin feels no remorse. A blade has no family to love. A killer has no tears to shed.”

“In the gutter of Noxus, I learned one thing. How to kill.”

First encounter:

“You are my mark.”

“Found you.”

“Don’t struggle.”

“Escape isn’t possible.”

Joke:

*Talon tries to slowly draw his finger on his blade, but accidentally cuts himself and shakes his finger off*

“I have no room for- *sound of pain* Ow, ow, ow!”

Joke response:

“Do you see me smiling?”

Taunt response:

“I’ve heard better last words.”

Killing:

(General):

“Swiftly slain.”

“Down.”

“Finished.”

“Pathetic.”

Pentakill:

“The gutters will be full today.”

Recall:

“To the darkness, I return.”

“I must heal.”

Death:

“Bested…”

“Back to the gutters.”

*Groan.*

Respawn:

“Their assumption will doom them.”

“An error. Must not repeat.”

“So close to the edge of perfection.”

Character specific dialogue:

First encounter:

Briar: “How do you keep finding me? No, really, how?”

Cassiopeia: “The lesser daughter of Du Couteau.”

Garen: “You are the man Katarina has fallen for?” *scoff*

Ionian ninjas: “Honour is the way of fools, not assassins.”

Katarina:

Ally: “The blades of house Du Couteau, reunited.”

Enemy: “One of us will live to savour this.”

Kled: “You… are very strange. Please stay away from me.”

Leblanc: “I do not swear loyalty to you.”

Swain: “Your power makes you corrupted.”

Vladimir: “Your eccentricity does not fool me, leech.”

Taunt:

Cassiopeia: “Father mentioned you. It wasn’t good things.”

Kayn: “I don’t need a demonic weapon to kill.”

Swain: “In the name of House Du Couteau, you will be slain.”

Vladimir: “I’d never attend your parties. Frankly, I don’t see why anyone would.”

Taunt Response:

Katarina: “I spotted three openings in the time you took to say that. No, wait… four.”

Kill:

Cassiopeia: “Farewell, sister.”

Garen: “How to tell Katarina…”

Jhin: “Performance is a child’s pastime.”

Katarina: “We both knew it would end like this.”

Kled: “I think he spit on me.”

Leblanc: “That felt… strangely cathartic.”

Swain: “The general will be pleased.”

Movement near an allied Katarina:

Talon: “This changes nothing.”

Katarina: “I thought so. Don’t die out there.”

Talon, quietly: “Likewise.”

Movement near an enemy Katarina:

Katarina: “You can be more than his weapon, Talon.”

Talon: “What other future is there for me?”

Katarina: “You already know.”

If joking near a Katarina:

Talon: “Stop looking at me like that.”

[logically-asexual]

it's been 3 years since putting others first. Thomas keeps teasing the finale but that's about it, I think he's trying to do more Sanders Sides now since he's (finally!) realize that he can't give us nothing forever and we'll be happy about it.

My guess is that the fandom will resurrect for a bit before going back to other stuff since it'll probably be forever until the part 2 of the finale comes out.

What Thomas NEEDS to do, probably when posting the first part, is to establish a clear timeline of when stuff will happen.

like in the end credits show off a schedule like "part 2 will be posted in October, part three around January and part four in March" or something like that with approximate estimations of when we'll get the parts.

That'll help keep the fandom and momentum going. Not all the waiting with the tiniest little hints that don't tell us anything. Like it's been 3 years, before that wasn't there like a year between that and the episode before? The waits are getting longer, and people are sick of it. What's the point in seeing the first part of the finale when it'll take years to see the next part, especially if it's four parts. That's a long ass time.

Thomas has also said that once part 1 is done that the rest will be easier, ig he's writing all the scripts now. But there'll still be a wait, so to me I think there's 2 options Thomas could go with.

the timeline of approximately when all the parts will come out

or, make the 4 parts into one, or 2 parts. More content means that people will probably be more forgiving of a long wait for the next part. A big part of this fandom is analyzing EVERYTHING after all, more content = more stuff to analyze

either way his current method of "teasers" and "I'm working on it I swear!" then making a lot of new series that take up a lot of time and energy while not mentioning Sanders Sides at all isn't working.

So many people are pointing out that they where [age] when [episode] came out and how much older they are now.

Sanders Sides started 6 years ago, at this rate I doubt there'll be a season 2, if there is, I hope that Thomas realizes he doesn't need something like another Forbidden Fruit for every episode. The production value can go down, that'd be preferable to these long ass waits.

that's why Asides was created and it's suffered the same fate of production value being super high when it just doesn't have to be to be a good episode. Writing > production value every time.

At this point I'd absolutly encourage Thomas to finish the finale and move on and do other things that he's passionate about and grow that new audience or maybe even step back from youtube all together, he's been online a long time after all.

i think there’s problems at both the writing and the production stages. and yes both are probably because they’ve set this standard, like you said, with Forbidden Fruit

in terms of writing this high standard won’t let them do anything other than tackle huge issues that need a lot of research and that have a lot of points to address, of which they don’t want to leave anything out in fear that it will leave way for inaccurate interpretations of the issue they’re discussing.

and in terms of production well it’s obvious that they just keep making the videos more and more complicated even when it’s not necessary, since what charmed us back in 2017 was thomas’s incredible acting and editing skills that made everything seem so effortless, how relatable the videos were, and how clever the jokes and little hints for analyzing were.

thomas wants to explore what he can do and try bigger things and i support that, but that doesn’t mean that he has to make huge things every single time. it’s like he learned nothing from Am I Original. and also if that’s just not what the fans want and he cares enough about that to affect the writing of the characters this much, then he should also listen in that aspect. and he could try the cool special effects more often somewhere else.

and about setting a timeline i don’t know. that’s a whole mess with thomas’s personal feelings that i don’t enough about and i also wouldn’t have any idea how to fix anyway. at first he would say “new video this friday!” and no video would come and he would say that he needed more days and then it would end up taking a couple more weeks. and we would tell him over and over that we didn’t mind but he and joan still felt bad. and then they decided no more posting deadlines, but they still had deadlines that they set for themselves or for sponsors and they still couldn’t stick to them even when they worked through days and nights. i could just go “well it’s clear that the issue isn’t the deadline and you should just find a more efficient way of working” but that’s so easy to say and what does it even mean? who am i to say that kind of thing, i know nothing about them and what they have and haven’t tried to do. so idk.

i do think the best case scenario is if they were able to say “next part will come out on [date]!” and then somehow for that to actually happen because it would guarantee constant fandom activity between videos. which we all would love. but i just don’t know if that’s possible.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

THE GEMS Feat. Former THUNDERMOTHER Members: Record Deal Announced; 'Like A Phoenix' Single To Arrive 'Very Soon'

THE GEMS, the new Swedish rock band featuring former THUNDERMOTHER members Guernica Mancini (vocals),Emlee Johansson (drums) and Mona Lindgren (bass),has signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records. THE GEMS' debut single, "Like A Phoenix", will arrive "very soon," according to a press release.

THE GEMS are currently working hard on finishing their debut album, but will also make time to play their second show ever at the Downtown Riot festival in their hometown of Stockholm this Saturday, May 6.

THE GEMS commented on the signing: "We are so happy and excited to be a part of the Napalm Records family. We feel very confident that Napalm is the perfect label for us to spread our music, and that we will make a great team together and conquer the world!"

Napalm Records CEO Thomas Caser added: "With THE GEMS the name says it all! The musicians are already well-known to every rock fan and we are convinced that we have discovered a new star in the rock scene. We are already looking forward to the first anthems from the Swedes!"

THE GEMS made their live debut on March 22 at Pustervik in Gothenburg, Sweden as the support act for THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA.

THE GEMS see Lindgren returning to her original instrument, the guitar. Playing bass at the Gothenburg show was THE GEMS' friend and collaborator Johan Randén.

Regarding the "Like A Phoenix" single title and how it relates to the trio's sudden and unexpected exit from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica recently told Germany's Metal Hammer magazine (translated from German): "We wanted a hopeful and positive first single. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. This is how we felt as we struggled through this dark period of our career."

Mancini and Lindgren also noted that THE GEMS' live performances will include material from THUNDERMOTHER's last two albums, 2020's "Heat Wave" and 2022's "Black And Gold", both of which featured songwriting contributions from Guernica and Emlee.

In February, it was announced that Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren were exiting THUNDERMOTHER and would form a new band together. At the same time, guitarist Filippa Nässil revealed that she would continue with a new THUNDERMOTHER lineup featuring singer Linnéa Vikström (THERION, AT THE MOVIES) and returning bassist Majsan Lindberg. Filippa has also since recruited Joan Massing (HONEY CREEK) as THUNDERMOTHER's new drummer.

Mancini, who joined THUNDERMOTHER in 2017, reflected on her split with the band in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. Asked when she first had a feeling that things were not as they should be within THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "It's a tough question to answer. I would say like this, that it's never been great for me. And it's been six tough years. But regardless of that, I don't regret anything. I still had amazing experiences with the band. And I wouldn't take anything back, 'cause I've grown and I've become the singer that I am. And there are so many positives to that. So even though it has been a very bumpy ride, I still think that it's been a beautiful ride. Because it does teach you a lot about yourself, and you grow as a human."

She added: "When you go through something that's tough and hard for you, you can either choose to learn from it and try to do something positive with it. And that's kind of what I'm aiming to do for myself."

When asked by host Jimmy Kay if she is saying that she was unhappy for six years, Mancini replied: "Not a hundred percent unhappy. It's been [up and down]. Definitely I've questioned how my dream of doing music and everything that I love so much and hold so dear had to be so tough. But in my mind I've always thought that it's probably the price you pay for getting these experiences or whatever. But I think that it doesn't necessarily have to be that. But like anything in life, nothing is gonna be happy and roses all the time. You go through things. It's normal."

Guernica also addressed the fact that Emlee and Mona both voluntarily left THUNDERMOTHER, once they found out Mancini was being kicked out of the group.

"It does make me feel [good], but I also felt really guilty… I felt guilty because I knew the opportunities that they were giving up because of this, but they had their own reasons," she said. "They did this completely on their own. And the problems that we've had in the band, they're not just something that is between [Filippa] and I; it's something that's been brewing and been there always. So when this happened, they also felt that it was very disrespectful towards them, being that they believed that we were a democracy and that we had a say in these things. She more or less [told] them, 'I wanna do this, and I've already found a new singer.' And that's when Emlee just said, 'I don't wanna play with another singer. And if you're gonna go ahead and do this, I'm gonna leave the band.' And that's what she did. And Mona felt the same way."

Guernica added: "I love [Emlee and Mona], and I'm forever grateful. I wouldn't have expected anything, but I also feel like I'm so blessed. Honestly, I'm so incredibly grateful that they are my new band. And they are the two that I enjoyed working with. And I have so much fun with them. And we already had two songwriting days, and we had just so much fun. And it was drama free. It was just a dream. And it's just, like, this is what a band is supposed to be."

Mancini then clarified: "We've had our differences. If you don't fight with your family and friends, that's kind of weird in itself. And we have. But we always… we say 'sorry', and we move past it. And our relationships always grow stronger and stronger and stronger. And that's, I think, the testament of a real, solid, healthy relationship. And that's how it is with them. So I'm really grateful that we have something and we get to continue playing together."

Guernica previously discussed her departure from THUNDERMOTHER in February in an interview with the "Rock And Roll Geek Show". Regarding how she found out she was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Guernica said: "I was blindsided. It's almost like I'm in an episode of fucking 'Survivor'. [Laughs]

"I got an e-mail [letting me know that I was no longer in the band]. I had a feeling it was coming because the week prior, [Filippa] had taken me off all our social media accounts. And I thought we had gotten hacked. I wrote to the group; I was, like, 'Girls, I think we're getting hacked. I can't get into our e-mail or Instagram — none of the accounts.'"

Asked if Filippa had any issues with Guernica's live performance or what she was doing on stage, Mancini said: "No, that's not something that I've… no information that I've received. I think that there's nothing you can complain about my performance or my singing, 'cause I've always brought my 'A game.' And if you have problems with that, I think that's strange, considering that's something that people really enjoy and respect the band for. So I think that would be weird."

Clarifying that the reasons for the split were "a hundred percent personal", Guernica revealed that "a lot of things happened behind my back, and I was the last one to know… Like there were meetings behind my back, trying to convince my fellow bandmates that I'm an awful person, I'm all these things that I'm not."

When interviewer Michael Butler noted that all the girls in THUNDERMOTHER looked like they were getting "along really well" when they were supporting the SCORPIONS on a tour of North America last fall, Guernica said: "I deserve an Oscar nomination for my acting. [Laughs]"

According to Mancini, she is still "really close" to Emlee and Mona. "We're actually really good friends, and that's the best part of my time in THUNDERMOTHER," she said. "Me and Emlee, she's legitimately one of my best friends. And Mona has become a really good friend as well. And we have a mutual respect and similar work ethic and we want the same things. We just work together. I just feel like, if anything, it's really lovely and positive that we have each other and that we all feel the same way and we all have had the same experiences and the reasoning behind not feeling great in the band as it was."

Asked how Emlee and Mona found out Guernica was being fired from THUNDERMOTHER, Mancini said: "[Filippa] had a secret meeting behind my back. She just told the girls, 'I wanna fire Guernica, and I already have a new singer.' And the girls were, like, 'Woah. Hold up. Wait a second. We did not sign up for that. And we thought we were a democracy in this band,' because that's something that we'd been told and that's how we've done everything.' So they were shocked."

In early March, Nässil shared a six-minute video in which she addressed some of the questions surrounding the departures of Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren as well as her decision to carry on with a new lineup. She said in part: "Some stuff you read online and even now in some magazines is true and some stuff has more to it," she explained. "I mean, there's a depth to what happened and it's impossible to read in a few lines or a quote from someone. And I wanna assure you and tell you guys that I did my absolute best to work everything out between the old members. I think we should be conscious in what we're saying and trust that I have done my absolute best for peace, love and rock and roll and I did everything in my power to work it out with the previous bandmembers.

"I would never throw anybody under the bridge. I think that's another private matter. What happened has been behind the curtain, so to speak, so it's not everything that people need to know about or should know about because it's just unnecessary to throw stuff at each other, I think."

"I'm thrilled to have Majsan back, who's done hundreds of shows with me in THUNDERMOTHER. She's the THUNDERMOTHER bass player. And I'm thrilled to have Linnéa Vikström, my friend since many, many years, on vocals. And I can't wait for the future."

Nässil went on to say that all the previously announced THUNDERMOTHER concerts "will happen. Not a single canceled show. Everyone has faith in THUNDERMOTHER and so should you.

"We are super stoked to tour with the SCORPIONS in Europe again and doing our own shows," she added.

Photo credit: Mikael Hultén

[daisy-dooodles]

About me :D

hi, hello! to start this blog off I think it would be nice to introduce myself a little, so here go a couple of basic questions about me...

What's your name? I go by Daisy in English (cause it's way cuter and easier than my original name in Polish lol and I really like flowers). But let's say my initials are MP, that's why I sign my artwork with it :D

What are your pronouns? She/Her

How old are you? I'm 22 years old, living that early 20s crisis lol

Do you have a degree in art? Nope, I went to uni for Romance Philology, cause I really enjoy languages, literature and different cultures too. But I've always liked art too as a side project!

So why this blog? Well, I don't really know what I want to do in life, so I decided to make this to start taking it more seriously as a possible actual job or just a way of having a place less chaotic than my insta to show the art I'm proud of sort of like a portfolio (and maybe even some behind the scenes I never shared...)

And what would you like to work in? I feel like a creative space would be cool. Maybe like editorial work, maybe designing stuff for books... idk, but I like the idea of being able to work on many different things instead of doing the same for years on end...

Do you do original art or fanart? Both. I have many ideas, sometimes I get obsessed with a show or something and want to try making fanart for it, but I have many original ideas too!

Is it traditional or digital art? Well, I enjoy both immensely. Because I sort of moved to Poland from Spain I don't have many of my supplies, so I'm resorting to digital more. I use the XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 tablet to draw. The program I use is Medibang Paint (and I am thinking of buying Clip Studio in the future when I have more resources at hand, cause I heard it's really good!) Unfortunately, my laptop is not great at colours, so I really like Medibang for letting me upload to the cloud and letting me deal with the colours on my phone :D (none of this is sponsored btw, I'm just sharing my experience)

How would you describe your art style? "I'm just trying" lol. I don't have one, I just try new and different things and supplies and programs as I feel like it. Many times it depends on what feeling I want the piece to have, so that makes me try and learn new techniques and I really enjoy doing that :D

Do you do commissions? Maybe a store? No, I don't. I'm not ready for something like that yet. Maybe down the line uploading stuff to pages like redbubble could be an option, I don't know much about how any of this works, I'll be figuring it out slowly

Can I message you? Please do, for anything! You wanna be mutuals and share with me silly posts or about a fandom we share? Go ahead! Do you need advice or vent to someone? DMs are open :D

What fandoms are you in? Well, I was in Sanders Sides for a long time, but I don't really go there anymore, maybe when we get more content I might just jump back in, though I still follow Thomas and check his content when I can cause I still enjoy it! I do enjoy figure skating and follow a bit on Yuzuru Hanyu, mostly Then we have my most recent fandoms I am kinda obsessed with: MDZS and BTS. Yeah, wild stuff. Have I drawn anything about them? Not yet really, I do have one MDZS sketch I'm working on, and a couple based on BTS songs, so maybe soon I'll share those here cause I feel quite proud of them so far :D I do enjoy many other series and films, but I don't think I'd be able to just list them cause it's so random. You can always ask if you need a friend to whom you get to be weird to, no judgement, we all be like that! I ranted about BTS to my bestie who knows basically nothing about them for almost a year now and they still love me nonetheless hahahah

(...yeah, so let's leave it at that for now, will update when new things pop in my head)

see you around 💜

[aniketsanimationblog]

This Global Animation Industry will never learn from their Mistakes!!

According to Redshirts Always Die, Star Trek: Prodigy was mainly "Initially Cancelled" and Removed from Paramount+ and Nickelodeon by the same cause, Nick Jr.'s "Peter Rabbit (2012)" and "Pac-Man and The Ghostly Adventures" were cancelled and never returned for another season to finish the actual story, Lack of Merch and Toy Sales!!

Despite Good Marketing and Advertising and great numbers at the viewership, Star Trek: Prodigy was cancelled by Lack of Toy Sales?? Excuse me?? Since when, Animation Industry, this very same global Animation Industry changed their policies to center around Toy Selling!! Absolute BS!!

I am really done with this Animation Industry!! And People are telling me, I'm delusional over everything!! For What??

Now you get the Idea of why Miraculous Ladybug and PAW Patrol Duopoly happened in the Animation Industry?? Because, they are Toys Selling Shows!! No longer an Animated Series for Kids!! Toys Selling Shows!! Animation was never about Toys Sales!! It was about Artistic Storytelling things!!

If I was a kid, if I want to watch a Show, I do NOT need any Toys related to that particular Show to show my Affection to that series!! I would be an Avid fan by heart!! I know, Kids love Toys and Stuff!! But also, I don't need Toys and Merch regarding to Shows!! If I want to buy toys, then I would buy Barbie/Hotwheels/Uno Cards or anything at the Supermarket!!

I don't know what the world is coming to. Bluey has Toys, but Bluey doesn't need any merch to show the best art in Animation or Original Ben 10 Saga, to be honest with you!!

This Global Animation Industry should know, that MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING!! You cannot have Toys Sales/Money as an Excuse for your longevity of a Series all the time!!

Suppose, if Avatar The Last Airbender did the same Toys Sales thing, do you think that would be Great?? No, absolutely not!!

It is clear, that this Global Animation Industry is ruined by Toys Sales and Cash-grabbing Shows!!

STOP THIS INJUSTICE AND ACT NOW, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!

If Netflix was not there, then Star Trek Prodigy would've gone forever!!

This is not what The Great Walt Disney dreamed of!!

P.S. And, just Get Lost, Thomas Astruc, from this Animation Industry before Your Egoisticness kill the Animation Industry for nothing!! Simply Get Lost!!

[mrcowboysmovieroom]

Vampires (1988)

Directed by: John Carpenter Genre: Horror, action

CW: Gore, but not any that I find too hard to stomach. It's like 80s blood splatter, heads get cut off type deal. Originally written 07/02/2023

Vampires from 1988, is a movie. It's the most movie actually. It's soooo movie core. I'm being a little mean when I say that, but it's absolutely true. This movie is very 80s and very vampire.

It commits so strongly to the image- its over the top sense of angst and melodrama are really its selling points. It's got that classic angry lead who's got a heart of gold, but a bad attitude and a dark past. It's got sweat and grime and quick quips. It's quintessential in every way. I don't think it does anything unique, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of the movies I adore are very much exactly what they seem to be and nothing more. There is an appeal for me in its lack of remark, though also a permeating sense that it's lacking something. You'll notice I said I have adored movies that are similarly in genre, but this isn't one of them. I don't hate it mind you, but nor do I feel a keen affection. In being exceptionally unexceptional, you are often just that. Just unexceptional and this movie borders on being that.

I've seen this movie a handful of times now and that means I am at least compelled enough to want to revisit it, but every time I do i am reminded of more so what it could of been than what it is and that's not really how you should feel after seeing a movie.

The issue is this movie is not as much fun as I would hope. It's campy and over the top but it could have amped up the intensity more than it does.

The performances themselves are very- ummm what's the word? Fitting? Sometimes its bad. Like when Baldwin yells while burning himself.. that sound lives in my brain rent free only because it sounds so strangely unreal that it reminds me I'm watching actors. It CRACKS me up. Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith) our vampire and Jack Crow (James Woods) give the best performances as just delightfully over the top and living the roles completely. Woods did a lot of roles like this- assholes who somehow endear themselves to you (though Jack Crow is not the best of this type). Griffith, whom to my knowledge I've only seen in this, is just really playing it up. He sneers, growls, crawls, and purrs and if he did any less than that he'd be a very underwhelming vampire. It's his look too- the all black fit and long black hair, claws always out. You need to have at least all that.

In the beginning of the movie Jack and his team successfully empty out a vampire nest in New Mexico. They expect to find a master vampire there (the one who turned all the vampires within), but they don't. This is noted as bizarre and as an audience we know that this means the master will be coming around in no time at all. Still though, the hunt is considered a success and the team decide to celebrate at a local motel. Jack is basically the only one who continues to be made uncomfortable by the lack of the master vampire being present though. It's this gut feeling which keeps him away from the main party for a bit.

Of course, while his back is turned an extra guest arrives.. Wouldn't you know it's that master vampire! It's Valek, though for right now his name goes unknown. We will eventually come to learn that he is the very first vampire. He slaughters the entire team with the exception of Montoya (Daniel Baldwin). Valek basically lets them get away (for attention of course) and greets Jack by his full name (important). The only other survivor is a prostitute hired for the party called Katrina (Sheryl Lee). She's been bitten by Valek though and will turn in a matter of days. As an aside I really like Katrina. She might be my favorite character even though she doesn’t do a lot. I find her to be more grounded, and additionally very sympathetic. She and Montoya have a romance arc of sorts. Which is to say, the movie says they are in love but I don’t really see any chemistry there and I don’t care about their relationship. Katrina is unfortunately a punching bag in this movie.

Jack and Montoya spend a good chunk of the movie pushing, hitting, and yelling at her. There are intense stakes (aha…) at hand, but she’s a victim in this, and that is never appreciated by anyone else in the movie. To them, the fact that she's bitten makes her immediately expendable, especially to Jack. She may as well be just an object. And no one learns from this lesson either. Montoya has a crush on her but that shouldn’t be his motivation for wanting to treat her well. He should just not be an asshole. Somewhere in this it feels like there ought to of been some self aware commentary. It's not like women in real life need to be bitten by a vampire to be treated as objects. The fact that this movie never does anything with this possible critique is something that really disappoints me and serves to push this film toward a lower rating for me. Anyway, back to business.

Jack sends Montoya and Katrina to a hotel while he buries their team and goes to meet up with some of their church contacts. They are employed by the Catholic church and Jack meets up with Cardinal Alba (Maximilian Schell), who has a wicked pair of eyes I must say, and Father Adam (Tim Guinee). There, Jack updates them on the situation and informs them that he is very certain that they have been betrayed and that someone from among the slayer's or church's contacts is somehow involved in the massacre of Jack's team. Adam is assigned to work with Jack to replace the previous priest who was on the team.

Adam is like a big fan of Jack for some reason and gives us a cute little car ride exposition dump on Jack's tragic past… His parents were bitten by vampires and he was raised by the church to be their ultimate hunter. Jack, in one of his perpetually bad moods, stops the car and assaults Adam, basically in an attempt to scare him into admitting he's the traitor if he is. Adam admits to no such thing because he's not, and for now Jack seems to soften to him a bit.

Obviously, Jack is a little upset that his entire team has been killed. As an audience, I don't really care. The team were just props and outside of Montoya we don't really see any interpersonal interactions between any of its members and Jack. Them dying is expected and not sad in the slightest. Jack is clearly motivated by getting revenge for this and uncovering the Judas Iscariot. Still, I don't really know if I can say Jack struggles with their deaths. I suppose that's cause this is the life he lives, but in talking to the Cardinal, Jack expresses how unusual this particular master vampire was. So, it can't be common for so many slayers to be killed like this, and ordinarily they probably have one another to lean on in the face of loss. I think I'm thinking too much about this subpar movie, but I feel like the movie should have thought about these things. Like if more attention was given into the emotional components here, I might have liked this movie more overall. That aside, the movie eventually leads into the third act in which everything is finally revealed! Yes, Jack was set up! And by who you wonder? Well spoiler alert, it was the Cardinal. Usually I'd give more of a warning but there is literally only one person who could be responsible. He's the only person of moderate significance to everyone else but whom the audience could care less about the motivations of. And on to that then. What are the motivations behind his betrayal? He state's it actually very perfectly. "I'm sorry to disillusion you, jack. as one grows old.. as death approaches, we begin to question our faith. And I have found mine lacking. Is there a god? is there heaven? I can no longer answer this for certain. I have witnessed no miracles, had no visions, and the prospect of death terrifies me! I realized I have only one alternative." Sort of on the nose I think. See Valek is trying to make it possible for vampires to walk among the daytime and doing so will make them more competitive with and deadly to humans. Jack is needed in this because for Valek to make this happen, he must presume a ritual akin to his own death where they sacrifice Jack on a burning cross.

Jack dying for our sins... In the meantime, Katrina takes a huge chunk out of Montoya's neck and leaves him for dead having basically all but fully succumb to the bite she received before. Montoya was bit by Katrina earlier in the movie as well but he keeps it hidden from everyone till the very end because, well, now that he's got a huge hole in his neck, ya can't really keep something like that secret. Adam is hiding in a nearby shop but overhearing the whole exchange outside. He and Montoya simultaneously manage to intervene in time to save Jack and get away. Since the ritual needed to take place as dawn rose, now all the vampires are vulnerable and have to retreat into the shelter of the buildings, including Valek. Jack follows him and they have a final confrontation in which Jack finally overpowers Valek. When everyone regroups Montoya announces he's leaving with Katrina because #love or something, and also they're both bitten and basically fucked. Jack allows him a two day head start but promises to hunt him down and kill him. Pretty bad as breakups go I must say... And then the movie ends with Father Adam and Jack talking about Adam having a hard on. This is the second time this happens in the movie. I didn't really know how to talk about it earlier but it happens right after the car scene with Adam. Jack asks if him beating up on him gave him a woody, and at the end of the movie Jack asks Adam if killing vampires gave him one, to which Adam says OH HELL YEAH BROTHER. So, development I suppose.

Overall the movie is worth watching if you like this style of film. I mean clearly I’ve gotten some pleasure out of seeing it, even though I do have my complaints about some occasionally weak performances and some missed opportunities.

Another thing of note is the music which I did enjoy and took notice of on several occasions because I enjoyed it. This is a John Carpenter flick, and in similar practice he has composed the music for it. I really love his scores and this movie is no exception even if it’s not my all time favorite. Still, quite enjoyable and very good for the movie’s tone.

So, not bad but not great either. Certainly a moderate amount of fun to be had.

[redrascal1]

Wuthering Heights

Okay...why am I, a Ben/Kylo fan...talking about Emily Bronte’s classic?

The reason is very simple; in these ‘woke’ days I am waiting for it to be eventually prohibited in schools as some snowflake will say it ‘glorifies the abuse of women.’

If they can say this about reylo, then they can say this about WH.

Already, a toxic on the JCF has announced she ‘refuses’ to teach it at the school she works at because ‘Heathcliff is abusive.’

She is...completely out of her depth and I will try to explain why.

Emily’s book is a work of art not because it’s hero is supposed to be morally repugnant.....but because it deals with topics which in her time were not only taboo, but in many cases weren’t even recognised.

Child abuse. Spousal abuse. Mental illness. The terrible ‘class divide.’ And she presented them without flinching as vile, and as raw, as they are. She didn’t, putting it bluntly, sugar coat anything. 

And Heathcliff, although the protagonist of WH, was most definitely not a ‘hero’...in fact, no one was. 

The story is dark, haunting, passionate....and utterly compelling. It shows the ‘dark side’ of intense love, and how it can destroy lives. But, it also shows us how many people are what they are, because of how life has treated them.

The story is full of conflicted characters, but at its heart, lies Heathcliff, the most fascinating of all of them. Not likeable - hell no - but definitely pitiable because, Heathcliff’s life is nothing but misery.

We first meet him as a belligerent and unpleasant man...but a man who soul is quietly dying inside as a result of losing the only person in the world that meant something to him. Heathcliff is clearly suffering from some kind of mental illness - he digs up the body of the woman he loves for a start - and his behaviour is clearly unbalanced. But, as the story goes back in time we learn how he became that person, and how his history ultimately shapes him as a human being.

Heathcliff is found on the streets of Liverpool by Thomas Earnshaw, brought to WH as a young child who very obviously already shows signs of a brutal life - he can’t even speak properly. At the farm, he is constantly beaten and abused by Hindley, Earnshaw’s son. It’s interesting to note that Heathcliff never cries - he chooses instead to turn his pain into hatred. This hints at how hard his life was prior to his adoption.

Also interesting....Cathy, the love of his life, also abused him until she grew to love him. After the death of Earnshaw, Cathy is Heathcliff’s one constant focus in life; the only person who loves and defends him. She is EVERYTHING to him.

Then he loses her.

What happened to Heathcliff in the three years of his absence is never explained. But it’s emphasised that whatever ‘softness’ in him has been erased. He has become ruthless. He tries to take Cathy from the man she chose to marry; when she refuses to leave with him he seduces Isabella Cathy’s sister in law and treats her appallingly. He treats Hindley’s son appallingly. He treats his own son like dirt. He does his best to destroy the life of Cathy’s daughter. 

He becomes an abuser himself...sadly a fact in real life. But, it never once changes the truth that he himself was abused.

What is also interesting is that Cathy herself, is abusive - something unheard of those days, and which a lot of people tend to gloss over. She is cruel to Heathcliff, to Isabella, to Edgar. In some ways it’s Cathy who is the closest thing to a villain in the book. Her choices ruin the lives of everyone around her - including herself.

And this, folks, is what today’s ‘wokesters’ refuse to accept. That a woman can be cruel. Today’s wokesters do not see we women as flesh and blood, capable of every cruelty just like men. No, they want us to appear in fiction as pure, 100% right in every way. 

Never the ‘villain’. 

I have a very strong feeling that TROS was rewritten to make Rey 100% good, 100% in the right - always. I really think that originally she was meant to kill Chewie, that the ‘look there’s another ship’ was pulled out of the hat at the last moment. Because NO WAY were they going to make Rey capable of darkness like Kylo - heck, like Luke, if you rewatch ROTJ. No, Rey’s gender means she must be, to quote the SOTS novel, ‘magic, sunshine, pure light.’

As opposed to the Dark Prince, Kylo Ren.

And you know what is really ironic - like Heathcliff,  Kylo was abused. But, today’s wokesters, who refuse to accept women can be horrible, prefer to see him as the abuser....because he’s a man. Men can’t be victims.

Only women. And that is what is really poisonous about TROS. What a horrible message this film has to say.

Emily Bronte, I suspect, would find it repugnant.

[thomasfromryua]

anyone there...?

Hi. 

Anyone there?

Can you receive my transmission?

I hope I’m not talking to a void. 

__

I would like to introduce myself, but I fear that the awkward letters of your alphabet wouldn't do much justice to my name. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think I could ever speak English, either. My vocal box is likely incapable. But you can just call me... Thomas. 

You see, I’m not exactly typing this from Earth. I’m not even from Earth— in fact, I'd only just heard of Earth and started researching your history when it popped up on my navigation map a few cycles ago. Wait, sorry – that would be only a couple months, I believe, in your time. 

Let me backtrack even further. 

My ship crash-landed a few Earth-hours ago onto a nearby moon. Yes, the one pictured above. I believe one of my energy tanks failed, and… lets just say I didn’t listen to protocol when I was told I'd need to be installing a spare if I were to explore outer-bounds. It quickly became apparent to me that there was nothing on this moon worth placing my hopes of survival on save for the wreckage I came by. So I spent some time scavenging— the technology woven into my suit was mostly useable (if not severely scuffed up), and so I set to work searching for a signal. I expected to find maybe another of my kind stationed nearby. What I didn't expect was to find you.

I've researched you. I've learned about your ways and your history from the safety of my ship— but that was only using the archives of my kind's limited databases. It was different when I tapped into your very own digital world— your Internet. From the barren surface of this moon I was able to experience life as you documented it, inputting your language into my system to reproduce it in this string of text. And how amazed I was! (What fascinating concepts... music, 'slow and reverb?')

I was born on the planet of Ryua. We are a people of travellers. Though some of us inhabit the home planet, most at a certain age opt to rein their own ship, steering from one world to another, surviving on the bare resources offered by the galaxy. The thrill of such challenge is what sustains us. My kind, unlike yours, are well-adapted to space travel— I am told that there was a great event millions of years ago where we had to evacuate our home planet because of toxins in the air. Searching the galaxy for a suitable home, only those able to settle into the newfound planet's atmopshere were able to pass their genetics on.

As you can tell, the universe has not always been kind to us, but... I am glad it led me here (despite my... predicament). You can probably tell how excited I was to make contact. Not expecting much, I'd typed out a few messages, pressed the send button, and hoped for the best. 

And, miraculously— it worked! 

Shut up,

why do these trolls still exist?

who the hell does this person think he is?,

... they said, and I recjoiced! Connection!

Okay. Admittedly, I received a lot of doubt. The platform I originally started on was different— one with a... blue bird? I believe there was some discourse about it being bought by a single man with a lot of earthly riches— but there, I received a lot of doubt and... what do you call it? death threats? Ha, yes. It made me laugh from my 2387407 light years away, but it was unpleasant to say the least, so I moved on to this much safer, more more.. peaceful place.

Anyway... it’s lucky that the left side of my ship was saved, because that’s where the rations were stored. The fuel, on the other hand… it spilled in the crash, seeping into the cracked, porous surface— unsalvageable. I’ve accepted I’m stuck here unless someone finds me.

Long hours ahead.

[fandomflux33]

Full disclosure: I’ve only read like a couple Batman comics… Cass batgirl origins, WFA, Duke Thomas origins, a dozen Nightwing issues, the three jokers storyline, a couple of the NTT, a couple of YJ98, the killing joke, UTRH, RHOL, and the court of the owls storyline. Like, you can tell how unserious I am by the fact that I don’t remember half the titles or issues and just put what character was in them.

Most of my Batman and Batfam characterizations are based on their cartoon counterparts (JL, JLU, BTAS, TT, etc), animated movies, their fandom/fanfiction counterparts, or the folks I follow on tumblr.

I think a lot of people have been introduced to Batman and the Batfamily via animated or fandom versions, and that’s okay. That doesn’t disclude them from being a fan of Batman, they’re just a fan of another version of Batman and Batfam characters. Originally, I just watched the justice league cartoon as a kid, loved the Batman character, and then got into the fandom as a teen when someone I followed on tumblr wrote great fics about the Batfamily. I learned dozens of years and issues’ worth of cannon information about the characters through fanfiction (my wiki dives have shown that that author’s information was p damn accurate), while enjoying a story format and writing style I vastly preferred to the main line comics at the time. THEN, only after I was obsessed with their fannon versions, did I start to expand my interest in cannon and read/buy comic books. And I’ve been a lifelong lover of comic books (as a little kid: Calvin & Hobbes, Garfield, Healthcliffe, anything I could get my hands on really. Then an all-consuming obsession with webcomics) and manga, so it’s not as though I was avoiding the medium, I just hadn’t found a superhero comic book run I enjoyed yet.

And that’s all okay. Batman has comic book cannon dating back to BEFORE WWII. There’s no way to consume it all. And unless it’s your hyperfixation, there’s little way to consume even a fourth of it immediately and maintain a full-time job / family / live.

Batman and the Batfam are ubiquitous enough that they have many different cannon versions, and many different character takes will inevitably be valid.

Everyone’s on a different stage in their fandom journey, and some will find it most enjoyable to not engage with cannon at all. Who am I to police what others enjoy and what content does and doesn’t count as an interest in Batman?

I understand if someone is spreading blatant misinformation about a specific area of cannon, such as claiming that Jason never killed anybody in UTRH, but as long as they clarify that source of their information (I.e. I read this in a fanfic, or “it’s a personal opinion / Headcannon”), I don’t see any moral issue with someone being a Batman fan and choosing not to engage with comic books.

It’s kinda fun to watch death of the author evolve into death of the fanfic author, the next removed level from cannon. That’s what makes superhero comic books so fascinating to me. A kid reads the comic book in 1948, interprets cannon, and writes the next cannon for the character. That new cannon gets interpreted by another young aspiring comic book author and on and on it goes, creating dozens of new worlds all connected by a single basic character thread. It’s like watching retellings of Greek myths, it’s like watching a religion break into sects.

There’s nothing like the freedom of creativity it brings to know that your interpretation of the character is really, truly yours, and that it can become equal to cannon in someone else’s mind if they like your interpretation enough.

Do I recommend reading the comic books though? Yea. 100% yeah. That’s more good Batman content right there, why would I pass up on it?

its crazy to me how comfortable people are just throwing out their opinions on comic book characters theyve never read for out in the open and just letting it affect how those characters are perceived

“i’ve never read a batman comic but i think-” no. no you dont think. you dont get to come in here and say some wild ass take that will inevitably become deep rooted in the fanbase.

[monstermaster13]

TftW: A Hero For Weirdos Everywhere.

NOTE:

This is an origin story to Dan the Were-Aykroyd and how he became who he is, this story uses a horror anthology aspect to it to help get in the right mood. Featuring Dan Aykroyd as the title character and as himself.

Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality, but there is unseen by most an underworld, a place that is just as real but not as brightly lit…a dark side. And with this dark side come morals we have to learn and we are about to learn that for ourselves, meet Daniel…or Dan, Dan was obsessed with horror movies and monsters, especially ones that could transform people, his dream was to be able to transform and he loved werecreature lore in particular, he often believed his co-workers had powers as well.

He worked at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, specifically as a character actor playing the part of a video store clerk, he had experience as a character actor because he had worked at Universal prior and was a big hit with the parkgoers for his upbeat personality, he was viewed as somewhat strange and unusual because of his interest and some even viewed him as crazy for believing monsters were real. But he knew for sure they were real, every night when he slept he heard voices speaking to him in his mind, one voice being that of his idol Dan Aykroyd. He loved Dan for embracing his weird side and he approved of it, he spent a great deal of time writing a screenplay for a project he was working on.

One evening he was sorting out the videos including the slasher movies when someone came up to him. 'Is it true you really did hear Aykroyd's voice in your head?' 'Yes, yes I do…' 'How?' 'I just do, I think it's telepathy.' Thomas Sheppard smirked and laughed at him…'You're telling me you believe in this stuff?' 'Oh yes, I do. Got a problem with that?' 'Why yes, you're a freak.' 'Being a freak is not something that should be condemnable.' 'To me it is.' 'Thomas, you are going to get it one of these days.'

"Really? Are you going to go all Carrie on me?"

"You are going to wish you never came here."

Thomas thought nothing of this…he lived to put people who were different down, but Dan looked over at him for a bit, he reached for him and grabbed by the shoulder…and suddenly as if he had been given super-strength, he threw Thomas onto the ground. 'Okay okay i'm sorry, hey…wait a minute, you weren't super strong before.' 'I don't know how I did it but…I did it, oh well…let this be a lesson to you.'

The overly confident athlete ran off, exiting the attraction and leaving him alone. 'How did you do that? Was that one of your special effects?' 'I don't think so, I don't believe getting superhuman strength was part of the sfx package.' He shrugged before going for a bit of a walk, and he then adjusted his uniform's badge in the mirror, and as he did something unusual happened.

His reflection shapeshifted in appearance, taking on the appearance of Dan Aykroyd himself only with long hair and an outfit resembling a cosplay of Bob from Twin Peaks. 'We sure taught Thomas a lesson, you should have seen him.' 'Hang on a minute, is my reflection talking to me?' 'I sure am, anyway…hi, i'm your inner Aykroyd. I know it may be hard to believe, but I am going to be your personal spirit guide. And to do this I am going to tell you that you are going to be one with me.'

"So are these what my powers are for?"

"Oh yes, you are going to be the hero this city needs."

'Me? A hero? Well the weirdos in this world need someone to protect them and that person will be mine.' 'That's what I like to hear.' Dan's inner 'Aykroyd' that served as his reflection, reached out for him and gave him some more of his attributes and powers, which of course resulted in his DNA altering, giving him paranormal attributes. 'You've heard of a parasocial relationship with your idol, how about a para-NORMAL relationship?'

A couple of hours later he started having visions, visions of turning into Dan Aykroyd in numerous ways, visions that included homages to David Lynch and David Cronenberg, and one such dream even had him looking in the mirror and seeing he had the same eyes as Aykroyd's character from Neighbors only as a Thriller homage too. He never understood why some people were afraid of the video when it came out, he also chuckled since he remembered being partially afraid of that video but now he loved it.

He remembered people having the same reaction to the Lou Reed music video 'No Money Down' in which a statue of Lou peeled its skin off to reveal a robot underneath, he understood that the reason Lou made this choice was because Lou didn't like music videos or having to be in one. He remembered how the song 'The Worms Crawl In' was creepy since it was essentially about what happens to your body when you die, or specifically if you choose to get buried, yet it was often labeled as a 'kids song'. 'Oh well, there's no wrong age to get into horror I suppose.'

An hour later he noticed something unusual when he looked in the mirror, he saw what appeared to be brown hairs growing on his arms, and he opened his shirt up a bit to reveal the same hairs growing on there as well, he noticed his arms and hands were broadening with a few crunching sounds which was always a bit disconcerting, his stomach also broadened a little as and he noticed that he was growing a bit taller, specifically to 6'1. He had a dream about this prior and he did understand how that went.

Dreams seldom make sense and there is a reason for it, sometimes…those dreams are real, he remembered reading a bunch of transformation tales and being upset by the loss of identity part of it, he thought it didn't make sense. He felt his rear for a little and blushed..he knew there were some people that had a thing for plus sized characters and he could use this to his advantage as his back broadened and his feet shifted in size, also two of the toes fused on each foot on the knuckle making him look like had webbed toes, an unique feature for sure.

His shoulders broadened a little bit as his hair darkened and his eyebrows thickened, his eyes widened, one turning from brown to green as the other remained brown and his features contorted taking on an Aykroydian appearance, his nose broadening as a cleft materialized in the middle of it, his voice shifted a bit…giving him a deeper voice and also eventually giving him Aykroyd’s voice and that is when he decided that if anyone is going to keep the strange and weird people of the world from being targeted it would be him.

When his transformation was completed, he was his new self…and he dubbed himself, Dan…the Were-Aykroyd, also known as the Aykroydian Knight, defender of the strange and unusual. He saw Thomas walking down the street and decided to get his own back on him by taking on a spectral form and entering his house before possessing him by going down his throat and turning him into a Were-Aykroyd like him.

After that he decided to leave Thomas’s body but Thomas remained as a were-aykroyd after that, but our hero’s work was not yet done. ‘You must find someone to share a body with and to protect.’ ‘I know who my choice is.’ Ae looked through the virtual database until he found someone named Monstermaster13 who was a Dan Aykroyd fan. ‘Perfect, he’s the one.’

And so with that, he used his powers to teleport himself over to where Nathan lived and used some of his abilities to communicate with him through telepathy and also through dreams and visions, these dreams and visions would lead to Nathan getting hooked on Dan Aykroyd and getting into the idea of wanting to do tfs into him, and the rest is history.