#judge jury and executioner vibes

[where-is-caithe]

i made a new girl. she was originally gonna be a ranger but I thought about it and she's a guardian instead. she gets to keep the bird tho. and the dog.

[vastiitas]

cole is not actually that much of a yapper tbh, i think at times he can veer towards laconic

[fangsandfeels]

There are so many Astarion/Jerra moments teeming in my head, my personal comedy gold (to me).

Like, The Bite night.

What Jerra expected a vampire in disguise to do:

Sneak into the grove at night through the very hidden passage she basically walked him through (oh, Gods, they literally showed him how to get in past the traps...).

Drag away one of the refugees (maybe one of those orphans who won't be missed), drain them till the last drop.

Hide the body.

Return to the camp before sunrise.

Repeat everything the next night.

When refugees start getting suspicious, subtly frame the druids for the disappearance due to the existing feud between the two groups.

Revel in the chaos.

What Jerra didn't expect a vampire in disguise to do:

Sneak out at night to chase boars.

Leave exsanguinated boar carcasses in plain sight.

Try to bite someone in his camp.

Try to bite who can do a great deal of radiant damage and generally can and will retaliate.

Fail to bite someone who can do a great deal of radiant damage and generally can and will retaliate.

Attempt to scamper away like a twitchy cat caught in the process of stealing sour cream.

Confess to being a vampire and intending to bite, and then still ask for blood. Pretty please.

Jerra, after processing all of that:

She is more than used to expecting the worst from people.

But she isn't always prepared for The Stupid.

[helmsrnan]

the dichotomy of being just a regular guy, a normal able bodied sailor who excels at navigation, and also being a harbinger of death at sea.

[mrinafria]

Seen some viewers not liking The Judge from Hell for different reasons, and I think I kind of get why (just my guess). Also, disclaimer (in case it's not obvious enough): I respect and am fine with anyone disagreeing with me and not liking the show for whatever reason.

If you've watched The Devil Judge, then The Judge from Hell is not that. Unlike The Devil Judge, it doesn't have a dark, grim, ominous setup that stays true to that heavy vibe till the end. If you've watched Lucifer, it's not that either. Close but also not really. Unlike Lucifer, The Judge from Hell hasn't shown us an anti-hero/anti-heroine who, underneath the charisma and confidence and tricks and looks, is full of self-loathing, unprocessed angst and human-like emotions. I'm just going off of the 8 episodes of TJFH aired so far. Unlike Lucifer, Justitia doesn't seem to display a subconscious desire not to be misunderstood and abandoned, nor does she feel complex emotions about humans and humanity (it's just starting with Daon she still has a long way to go). We don't see a Fallen/Demon with a semblance of a moral compass here.

Even her "I trust what children say" doesn't mean much because she doesn't do that out of some morality; to her, it's just facts that children are the least crafty and least vile amongst humans. Justitia is very mechanical (and petty even) in what she does- she's not on some great self-discovery or redemption journey in here to even entertain the notion of humanity or morality. If we expect such nuance from her so early on in the story, we maybe setting ourselves up for disappointment. Y'all she's been doing this for Lord knows HOW many hundred years. It's not her first gig. If you have been having coffee at night despite being an insomniac for like three decades, it's highly likely you'd stop thinking or caring about the morality, the 'rightness' of drinking coffee even when it destroys your health.

It's like that for her, to the point where she can, in fact, treat every murder, every crime, every criminal lightly. She's been the judge, jury and executioner all along, and that's the job she needs to do well on earth too. As audience, we may be living on earth longer than she's been but the moment Justitia stepped in, it became 'her world' that we're now getting a peek at.

She's not some vigilante or messiah; just an eccentric, murdering demon from hell who likes Z cola and a pretty wardrobe and Han Daon too- what's wrong with that lol. I remember seeing similar sentiments when Vincenzo was on, because some felt the comedy and humor didn't go well with the overall theme, with a psycho CEO committing all kinds of crimes+ ML's childhood grief and mafia ptsd+ revenge etc. I feel like it was a conscious choice not to make the show so heavy or serious, despite the subject matter. TJFH feels like it treats heavy stuff casually because it is mostly shown through Justitia's lens, and so far, SHE has been treating heavy stuff casually. She really doesn't feel anything emotionally for the girl being in an abusive relationship, or the child being with that horrible excuse of a stepmom. All she sees are the sinners and their sins, and whether they can help her fulfill her mission.

But even that is changing now, gradually, with Justitia/Kang Bitna starting to feel more and more human emotions (props to Daon).

Now, could we have gotten a more nuanced character arc with a serious undertone? Maybe yes, maybe no. The story is yet to unfold fully so I say it's too early to decide that? However, three things that come to mind are: 1. kdramas generally don't get seasons unlike TV series in the US or UK, to explore things gradually with each season geared towards a certain theme or development. Lucifer did what it did in six seasons. 2. I've noticed that unless it's a super horror, super apocalyptic or dystopian show, kdramas like to incorporate humor in their story no matter what genre it is (even shows like The Light in Your Eyes or Moon Lovers or Hi Bye, Mama have their lighthearted moments). Kdramas aren't perfect. Different shows become perfect to different audiences because of their personal preferences. I watch the show because the trailers promised us a fantasy drama with angst between the leads, because it gives me a good laugh, and also maybe because a small part in me kinda sorta lives vicariously through Justitia's ultimate reckoning lol.

I'm actually glad it's not a heavy show because the stuff they've shown so far can be quite disturbing and triggering and I'd be very hesitant to proceed with it if that were the case. 3. I think it's also okay to acknowledge that not all writers/creatives would prefer to do the research needed to pull off certain themes, nuanced character arcs and dynamic, which can leave some viewers wanting more out of a character/show too.

It's fine not to like a hyped drama or a character (happens to me too). But in my opinion, the show is delivering what it promised to deliver initially, and I'm glad it is.

[sisislair]

Thinking about a malevolent x venom crossover. Eddie is still an investigative reporter, but in 1930's San Francisco. He's investigating a cult that's been kidnapping homeless people for sacrifices. His previous investigations led to him getting his fiance fired from her secretary/cleaning? Job under Carlton Drake(the head of this cult). Finds out that this fucker managed to summon several eldritch entities, and gets it into his head to try and bond them with humans in order to unlock the secrets of the universe and tap into their knowledge. Eddie breaks in, gets bonded to venom, and honestly I think the story progresses mostly the same as the movie from there on out, except you know. 1930's call of Cthulhu themed. Cut a few years in the future to when Arthur's in New York. Eddie is also there doing investigation into the Order of the Fallen Star. Somewhat because venom wanted to check out his home city, some what because people where starting to become a bit panicked about the amount of headless or otherwise eaten bodies they've been leaving behind in San Fran, and they needed to leave to draw some of the heat away. They end up meeting Arthur and Jon, and after some very funny massive amounts of suspicion on both their parts, they end up teaming up for some cult busting. Imma be honest given the prison pit Arthur cannot rightfully judge anyone for cannibalism driven by necessity. This will not stop him from judging tho lol. But I think he could vibe with the only eating very bad people thing. He and Jon end up playing judge, jury, and executioner often enough for it.

[babyangelsky]

You know what, Jin?

You're right. You are the one who should apologize to Non the most.

I (and many others I daresay) saw Jin take out his phone to record Non in episode 7 and realized that he had met and quite possibly surpassed everything that that little friend group had done to Non up until that point. The video on its own was bad enough, but then it got leaked and it became infinitely worse. I think we can all be in agreement about that.

That being said--

The other day @kerrikins posted a video where Copper is talking about Jin's motivations for recording Non and it's been rotating in my head like a rotisserie chicken ever since.

Let me just say, ese muchacho nunca fue santo de mi devoción, okay? I never really liked Jin but I didn't actively dislike him either, he just failed my vibe check. And even after he recorded that goddamn video, I was still willing to give him a little bit of grace. He did something incredibly stupid and reckless out of anger and jealousy because he's a teenager with an underdeveloped brain and while that doesn't justify his actions, I can almost understand them.

But having seen Copper about talk his motivations--and I am going to defer to Copper's insights because Jin is his character and he knows him far better than we do as the audience--I'm rescinding that grace.

I could almost understand why a jealous angry teenager would record that video but that's not why Jin recorded it. It wasn't jealousy! He did it with the specific intention of teaching Non a lesson. Why? Because he saw Non with who he presumed to be Non's boyfriend earlier (mind you, he never ascertained this) and then saw Non with Keng and decided that it was his place to do something about it.

(What he should have done was call the police when he saw a grown adult man taking advantage of one of his students but we all know that by now.)

If he really felt some kind of way about his own ideal of Non being shattered, it would've been a very simple thing to just confront Non about it, which again, wouldn't have been his place anyway. But instead what he did was assign himself Non's judge and jury, and regardless of whether he was the one to post the video or if it was someone else, he became his executioner as well.

That video ONLY EXISTED to be leaked because Jin recorded it in the first place, and he only recorded it to punish Non. And he knows it.

Like @respectthepetty said, es el peor de todos.

[allwormdiet]

Sentinel 9.2

Hey Flechette, glad to have you aboard, please mind the bloodthirsty coworker

Interesting way of greeting people, Sophia. At least she has the decency to apologize, eventually.

Also crazy good reflexes on Flechette, holy shit.

Somehow I doubt she's going to only be stuck here for a month

Also God, Sophia is such a tryhard, it's kinda funny when she's not trying to kill somebody about it

Fascinated by the idea that you can tell whether a cape is the type to run across rooftops by vibes.

More exposition, this one to explain Flechette's power and the associated power ratings. With this, I get how she was able to wreck Leviathan's shit better than basically anyone else, "borks physics on projectiles" is a massive benefit. Girl's busted.

Describing Brockton Bay as jerky, awkward, and demanding feels appropriate lmao

Also oh no why do the out of towners keep thinking they should connect with Shadow Stalker, she's like the least friendly one

"Gotta wait for them to obviously commit a crime so we can swing in and kick them in the teeth" - definitely not a cop

Oh yeah, no threat from tranquilizer bolts, except I guess the fucking broken glass that can get embedded in the flesh, Jesus Christ

This fight feels harsh, swift, these guys are going down fast and hard and there's already two nasty blows to the neck.

Speaking of harsh and brutal, Jesus. Sophia really likes to make people hurt, huh?

The restraint thing is cool, very Spider-Man, although hanging people upside-down for an extended period of time feels... dangerous.

Also yeah no kidding Sophia is too comfortable with violence

So, I'm going to sidestep the ethical dilemma of "should someone who was very nearly victimized be allowed to kick the shit out of the people who almost did awful things to them" because I think that's a pretty delicate and complicated topic

What I'm going to focus on instead is "should government-employed superheroes deliberately allow the above to happen," and I'm pretty sure the answer is no? This is an interesting glimmer of sympathy from Shadow Stalker but it's coming at the cost of the physical health of people she's responsible for taking down; even if they're shitheads, even if they were going to try to rape that woman, it doesn't look any better for Shadow Stalker that they're brutalized any further than what it took to incapacitate them

So how's it going trying to make a friend out of the girl that's your age

Shadow Stalker literally calls herself a cop! She says it! And then she throws on "judge, jury, and executioner" just to really drive the point home! Protectorate heroes and Wards have the room to treat themselves as goddamn Judge Dredd in times of emergency, either because of tacit approval by their superiors or because of insufficient oversight! Both options are bad!

Flechette is smart enough to distance herself at least

The only real rebuke against Shadow Stalker's whole deal is that nobody who knows her especially likes her

Let's not shame a man for knowing things about dolls, hmm? We can do better than that

The detail about what a parian doll is is kinda neat though

Also very neat that she's a fashion student using her superpowers to make herself stand apart from her peers

That could've gone really poorly, holy shit

Goddamn, Parian takes this seriously.

Well, glad she's finding someone to connect with at least, for all that Shadow Stalker was a bust.

Being a conflict-avoidant parahuman has to fucking suck, good lord. No wonder Parian's on edge, she's acting as muscle for an entire group of survivors and probably on call the entire day, and she hates every second of it.

And so a spark is struck.

Wonder why Parian is dressing up to look white. Further obfuscation of her identity? Makes as much sense as anything.

At least Flechette is wringing some kind of benefit out of this ass assignment

Current Thoughts

Nice to more officially meet the both of these characters. Flechette seems nice and has a neat power, Parian seems nice and has a neat power. Wild to me that they're gonna be like, the token wlw couple in this story, there's already so much tension involving Taylor and other girls.

Shadow Stalker basically told on herself this chapter and will continue to tell on herself for the rest of the arc

[sabrondabrainrot]

☀️🌟☼🔅

Random Idea but with what I know about current spoilers I have two ideas. One is that Sun will somehow becomes the Witherstorm (I AM BANKING ON THIS) or he's going to be relevant to the Witherstorm of their dimension and be scattered through dimensions.

One of my most favorite series of all time is "Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles" and the crux of that series is they need to put someone back together and to do so, they have to travel to various dimensions to find the missing pieces of the person's soul. I totally see that happening to our Sun? I don't know why.

Even to this day, Sun still hasn't quite opened up about himself. Not to Old Moon, New Moon, Solar, Earth, Lunar, etc etc. I think the most he's been open towards thus far is probably Dazzle ironically?

I'm still getting caught up but I can tell Dazzle actually wants to get to know him so she's asking about him and he's honestly telling her. (also loving how Sun is spending more and more time with the kids in the show, He spends so much time with FC, Dazzle, Jack, etc. It's so wholesome) I'd say Earth and Lunar are in second place of knowing him best but they also still sometimes are kept an arm's length away.

Solution to this? Scatter parts of his 'soul' into the multiverse and make it the family's responsibility to find him! Heck he could even be in a coma the entire time they do this! When they find a Sun fragment they get to see his memories or feel and hear his thoughts.

In Tsubasa the fragments are called 'feathers' and they can warp reality, break time and space, or even gain sentience. I think it'd be so neat if one of the fragments of Sun became Dark Sun but I know it's not likely.

"I am doing this for Sun, Because I am Sun" vibes

Just an Idea but it'd be so cool if it happens!

My second Idea, has to do with a sketch I did a bit ago (still working on more sketches for it) but basically I know Sun's currently gathering power. He's a fighter and wants to help! His family is still keeping him away from the action though. It's not malicious and comes from them wanting to protect him but it's going to ultimately leave him more vulnerable and a target.

Dark Sun I know is tampering with dark energies, he's raising a dragon? He's associating more and more with Witherstorm energy and he still hasn't quite confessed what his motive/plan is besides the fact this is "all for Sun"

So wouldn't this mean Sun is going to ultimately becomes a Witherstorm? It's what the creator studies and the one of the main dimension is different from others so who's to say our Sun and Moon aren't also built different with different fates?

Creator created something specifically just to torture and wear Sun down but when you think of it, that's also what Old Moon was until they split. I don't think that was the intention but the fact Old Moon just decided to point blank torture Sun? Sus, like it was meant to happen.

Dark Sun I think needs Sun to be his pet Witherstorm, and he's maybe planning to use Nexus to make that happen? I just got to the point in the series where he just picked up New Moon from space and took a chip out of his brain. Bruh...he needs him but won't say for what.

I love it. Dark Sun my beloved what are you evil little plans <3

Hoping Sun doesn't fall into a Coma but it'd be so sexy of him aha~

I really like when Sun spends time with Earth and Lunar too it'd be so cool if they have an adventure to save him.

BTW I've been listening to Aurora's song "The Seed" and it literally gave me a big brain AU idea for tsams but idk if I should try to write it.

I really hope Sun ascends to some kind of God-hood like being especially involving destructive energy like Witherstorm stuff. It'd be so neat and sad if one of the nicest people ever became the ultimate judge, jury, and executioner-like being. It's especially ironic since Nexus/New Moon can't decide what's real anymore and just decided to frick off and become God so it'd be realllyyyy funny if Sun was the one to become a reality altering being.

I'm just Madoka-ifying Sun at this point

[piracytheorist]

something i love about spy family is that its a very funny manga, but it isn't afraid to be serious and talk about serious things (and its also really good at transitioning between the two)

Tatsuya Endo has an amazing grasp of balance. There are a lot of posts going around about how Spy x Family goes from something as heavy as "war makes monsters of us all" to something as silly as "Anya finds Loid's tourist fashion choices lame" and it somehow works.

It's one of the things that made me fall in love with the story from the second if not the very first episode of the anime. It dares to be realistic about how war impacts humans and how it takes them into a path they wouldn't normally take, but at its core it's a story filled with humor and love and connection, because this is how humans are supposed to live like. I mean, not to break it down to a "live laugh love" moral, but at the end of the day it does prioritize people living happily together and in peace. Even the "enemy" is shown in a sympathetic light from time to time.

And the humor and silliness attributes to that. It makes the story light-hearted despite the heavy issues it tackles. It would be hard to find hope in a story that focuses only on those heavy issues, if its vibe was constant grittiness and violence and dark themes. Not that there's anything wrong with stories with such themes; but you wouldn't usually watch such a story and expect to feel full of hope afterwards, nor expect it to have the humor that SxF has.

What is amazing is how Endo manages the balance of it all. How he works in the silliness amidst an environment of a cold war, of hardened spies and assassins, because it would be very easy to veer right into tone-deaf cheesy territory that gives you (unintentional) emotional whiplash. I think it's due to how the characters are only slightly exaggerated versions of something you'd see in real life. Anya behaves as any five-year-old would, where her focus is to work in protection of peace, make sure the family won't break apart, and above all, have fun. Yor's view of the world has been impacted by how long she's worked as an assassin, but her "naivete" is mostly her tendency to see good in everyone, even the "bastards" she's sent to kill. Twilight keeps telling himself everything he does is "for the mission" but he's only human and can't help bonding with his family even if he doesn't realize it.

The characters may behave in an exaggerated way from time to time, but they're not caricatures. The humor and ridiculousness (affectionate) in their actions are based on real human traits and behaviours we can see in real life. The want to have fun, the tendency to see the good in people, the desire to love. Endo simply takes those and has three people whose special traits clash with those three mentioned traits. Anya grew up as a science experiment in a lab where she wasn't allowed to have fun, so now that she has people who care for her emotional growth she goes all out with fun activities. Yor was forced into the choice of becoming an assassin, having to be told "This person is BadTM so you play judge jury and executioner", but with Yuri being her motivation (and later on the Forgers too) she managed to keep her kind heart. Occasionally she can't control her monstrous strength and may also consider killing people who inconvenience her and then go like "Yo wtf chill maybe". Twilight became a spy and distanced himself from human connections, but now that his job brought him into the position of staying long term with a kid and a wife and a dog, his desire for such a connection is rearing its persistent head. And so you get a Professional Master SpyTM playing "Rescue Princess Anya from the Evil Clutches of Count Scruffy Head".

It's the contrast that makes the humor of it all, and in such a way that it never takes only one character's side. I think that also adds to the "flexibility" of the story. It's easier to connect to a story when there's multiple sides explained and understood by the audience; and I mean, the only thing the story looks to be trying to "convince" you of is that humans live best when they live in peace and surrounded by people they love, and that's an undeniable fact of human nature. The characters can and do make mistakes but they're shown to be able to grow from them, and even someone radicalized and extremist like Yuri has understandable motives and a very human nature - just one that was taken advantage of by people in power.

Overall yeah, I think it's how focused on the characters' humanity the story is that it makes the balance between humor and heavy issues work. Again, though it can be exaggerated at times, it's not a caricature or slapstick, just for the sake of making the audience laugh. There's a depth and a genuine reaching out for the audience's emotions and understanding.

(Anime only fan here, don't spoil me for the manga 😁)

[sauntervaguelydown]

what's interesting about Zenigata throughout the Lupin iii franchise is that he doesn't really have a core interiority. Everything about Zenigata is exterior.

Part 4 does this insane thing with him where he's locked into his role as judge/jury/executioner to such an extent that it seems pathological--he has to keep Lupin in prison even though it is making him, personally, miserable with grief. He has to make sure Lupin dies rather than let him escape. It will literally destroy the foundation of who he is as a person if he succeeds in the goal he's assigned himself, but he can't possibly do anything else. The law is the law and his job is his job, and he can't let himself be anything else even for a moment. It's fucking intense! It's Greek tragedy!

Compare that to part 5, which was made like? two years? later. And in this one, Zenigata explicitly states that he wants to put Lupin in jail because it's the only way to make Lupin understand his actions have consequences. To force him to turn over a new leaf, make him go straight, and then meet him on the other side. Literally wants to buy him a drink when he gets out of prison.

These could not be more different--I mean it's Antigone vs A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Are either of them more true to the spirit of the character than the other? Well. It's really hard to say, because we just don't know these things about Zenigata in Part One!

What's his relationship to justice? How does he feel about The Law? Is he a corrupt cop, is he noble? Is his chasing Lupin driven by career aspirations or personal passion?

EDIT: I have now read the manga translations, and uhhh well. Apparently they met in college and Zenigata hated his vibe SO bad he spent the rest of his life trying to kill the guy. Not sure that helps us much here.

As it stands, here's a rough list of the stuff I've watched and what its take on Zenigata is

Part One: in the first episode, Zenigata gives a brief explanation of their dynamic (for the sake of the audience) which is already WELL established in-universe. Here he says something like, "Lupin, if you weren't the Grandson of Arsene Lupin, and I wasn't the descendant of the famous Zenigata..." implying that something about this dynamic would change if it wasn't for their Cosmically Assigned Destinies as products of their Two Houses Alike in Dignity etc. What would be different? Would they be friends? I don't know! But Zenigata definitely seems to be beholden to the legacy of his own family here.

there's also an ep where Zenigata has Lupin in jail successfully. Zenigata stays on site guarding the jail the whole 6 months, and eventually one of the other guards says if I didn't know any better I'd think you were looking forward to seeing him escape.

later episodes led by Miyazaki lean more heavily on the context of his career; his relationship to his boss, a conference he wants to attend in his field, the fear of one's job being outmoded by technology etc.

The Mystery of Mamo: Zenigata has so much personal passion! When they tell him to drop the case, he literally quits the force to chase Lupin as a private citizen! This is the one where he swears he'll follow Lupin to the gates of Hell because they are fated rivals. This is also the one where he literally tries to stake Lupin in case he's turned into a vampire. so. I don't know man. He's fucking unhinged in this movie, it's pretty great.

Mamo is known to be closer in tone to the manga than anything else, but Zenigata is not this rabid in the manga. Manga Zenigata is more contemptuous and put-upon.

The Castle of Cagliostro: this is a neutral good Zenigata at his most admirable. When he can't get justice through the law, he teams up with criminals in order to circumvent corrupt government officials. He's also headstrong and fully willing to risk his own career, but not ready to throw it away at the first inconvenience. He is "very fond" of Lupin. He enjoys the chase, but he can put it aside in order to fry bigger fish. You get the impression that he cares about correcting injustice more than the letter of the law.

Part Two: Lupin fakes his death twice that I can remember and BOTH times Zenigata cries about it. On the first occasion, Zenigata shakes the corpse, begs it to wake up, then wonders tearfully what he's going to do with himself now that Lupin is dead. On the second occasion, Zenigata first tries to KILL himself rather than allow Lupin to rescue him (out of a sense of pride) and then cries and calls Lupin a "great man" after Lupin fakes a fatal crash. The resentment IMMEDIATELY gives way to mourning. He's very cavalier with his own life, but precious about Lupin's.

By the way, I love how much this man cries. I ALSO love crying in public and being homoerotically obsessed with my enemies. He's so relatable

the other thing is that this Zenigata is VERY binary about roles; he refuses to jailbreak from extralegal imprisonment because "cops don't escape jail". Doesn't matter that the jail is run by terrorists who are going to kill him, that's Not What Cops Do.

The Fuma Conspiracy: Lupin has faked his death yet again, and Zenigata has--in direct response to this--quit the force and BECOME A MONK, and explicitly says he is busy praying for Lupin's soul so that Lupin can be reincarnated as a law abiding citizen in his next life. What the fuck does this say about Zenigata? Buddy we don't have time to unpack that whole suitcase. In brief: Zenigata is prescriptive about law and legality as equaling goodness/dharma/morality etc. But he also changed his entire life so that he could remain dedicated to THE SOUL OF HIS DEAD NEMESIS. So this is clearly very personal, and has nothing to do with his career.

Part Three: limited familiarity with this one but I HAVE seen the episode where Zenigata gets fired due to his boss's embezzlement scheme and subsequently uncovers the scheme--there's a bit where Lupin pretends to mug him in an alley so they can have a private conversation, and Zenigata IS pretty quick to jump on the trail of this embezzlement scheme instead of chasing Lupin, once he's been tipped off. Perhaps more career driven in this one.

Lupin First Contact: some combination of career-based ambition and, like, Unrequited Rivalry At First Sight. He came here to chase Fujiko and got so distracted by this other idiot that he nearly forgot about her. To be fair, this story is narrated by Lupin so it may not even be an accurate representation of Zenigata within its own canon.

Ten Thousand Movies other from 1990-2005: girl most of these are so bad they are so SO bad. Most of the time Zenigata is not a major player. I can't remember anything he did in these except--oh, in Burning Memories, he uses the jute he keeps in a shinto shrine in his apartment after it survives a major fire. Loved that.

Also, he dresses in drag at the beginning of Farewell Nostradamus. This has nothing to do with anything I just loved it.

The Woman Called Fujiko Mine: corrupt cop. dirtbag. full stop.

okay, no, really. Here he is explicitly concerned with his career; he laments that he had to take grunt work to get by, talks about being busted down the chain after reporting his dirty boss, is extremely defensive of anyone muscling in on his Case even someone he has every reason to trust... this is a man who only cares about his career

he does fuck Fujiko and it IS a corrupt move. He seems to imply he's done this before with other thieves. He KNOWS she faked an orgasm and he doesn't care. He's mean as hell.

He cares about his pride. He seems to think Having Personal Pride is incompatible with participating in corruption. Does not explain why he exploited Fujiko Mine for sex. Maybe corruption doesn't count if you don't respect the person you're violating the rights of.

So, overall, have I got a thesis?

Basically, everyone who writes Zenigata has a different take on what his core motivation is. All the stuff that is core to Zenigata is in his affect, in his actions. He's enthusiastic, emotional, hotheaded, stubborn, prone to cackling, smart but not quite smart enough. What he thinks and what he feels, what he does in his private life, remains surprisingly mysterious.

Several of these takes are mutually exclusive. Mamo and Cagliostro simply do not overlap, just like Part 4 and Part 5 are at odds with each other. You can't put Mamo and Cagliostro and Part 1 in a blender without creating some new third thing inaccurate to all three.

For my money, here's what I think the core points would be, if I was starting out to write a fresh series or something:

the Shinto angle; his duty to the family legacy, especially with a famous ancestor like the OG Zenigata, looms large over the current inspector. He has a lot to live up to.

although they met through his job, he's very specifically attached to Lupin in a way that has nothing to do with his job; in fact, his desire to be close to Lupin is at odds with his career

he started out being ambitious and career oriented--this is why he started chasing Lupin, hoping to make a name for himself.

his career has fully stalled out and he's in conflict with himself about the joy his gets from chasing Lupin vs the expectations he set for himself ten years ago

ACAB; if he's actually ethical and cares about civil rights, he's got to be Insanely Unpopular with other cops. The only reason he might be able to get away with this and still have a job is that he's A) an accidental celebrity now with a weird amount of public clout B) he's got insane tunnel vision and doesn't notice major violations of human rights unless they are Directly In his Line of Vision. Nonetheless, this is unsustainable in the long term.

*I'm also a proponent of "Zenigata used to be more ruthless and corrupt, but he's actually picked up ethics somehow from being around criminals all the time" simply because. it is funny.

In conclusion: probably the reason we don't have solid answers to these questions is because Zenigata is like a dog chasing cars. He doesn't know what he'd do with one if he caught it. Nonetheless, he's gotta chase that goddamn fiat.

[kooki914]

What do you think will Toriel's relationship with Mrs. Holiday be like? A foil situation maybe? It's kind of strange that for a family so closely tied to the Dreemurr Toriel never has talked about any of them. Wonder what she actually thinks about Noelle?

All good questions, honestly! I believe Toriel isn't really the type to seek out super close friendships with people to begin with (her friendship with Sans seems to almost be an accident in both worlds), and Rudy mentions how their families have drifted apart over the years. I feel like part of this can be attributed to her and Asgore's divorce (as him and Rudy are close, breaking up with Asgore probably made stuff awkward between Toriel and Rudy), but another part is also Dess' disappearance I think (her and Asriel were close, and it's been hinted that after she disappeared, Kris stopped hanging out with Noelle too, and it might've given the parents less incentive to stay in touch with each other overall).

On the question on mayor Holiday and Toriel specifically, I DO kind of see them as foils already? Toriel is a smothering and loving parent while mayor Holiday is strict and cold. The one thing they have in common is they're both reactionary (Noelle being afraid her mother would take away her console if she saw her crying over a game, contrasted to Toriel taking Asriel to church every day for a week because of a first kiss), and they both seem to have a need for control over nearly everything. With mayor Holiday it's not even subtle, while with Toriel it's less overtly "control freak" vibes and more specifically someone who's so used to having all responsibility on her shoulders alone, that she doesn't even notice she's doing it to herself most of the time.

If they were to be proper foils, I'd like if it were an extension of the themes around freedom and control, honestly, and not even in the parental sense. Deltarune seems like it has a lot to say on free will vs predeterminism, and I think marriage - holy matrimony - is an interesting vessel to explore that through. Toriel as someone who ended her marriage for personal reasons, which can be misconstrued as selfish if you don't take into account her feelings and needs as a person, contrasted to mayor Holiday who seems to have an iron grip on her family's dynamic, which can be misconstrued as people-oriented if we fail to take into account the effects that has on Noelle and Rudy (and possibly even Dess when she was around). The Holiday household seems pretty toxic, with Rudy constantly in the role of mediator, Noelle in the (psychological) role of "adaptive child" (see The Entire Snowgrave Route for why that's horrendous), and mayor Holiday seemingly in the role of judge, jury and executioner.

Basically, Toriel as someone who liberated herself and mayor Holiday as someone who refuses to let others be liberated, sort of. A hint of it can even be seen in how they treat someone like Asgore. Toriel privately shittalks him but isn't really cruel to him to his face (which gives him the wrong idea, sadly), while mayor Holiday is "lenient" with his rent payment while being clearly cold and cruel about his personal plights. Toriel is someone who wants to move on and make as little of a mess as she does so, while mayor Holiday could be someone who prioritises a "safe" stasis over any kind of change to the detriment of everyone around her. Toriel is "mean" but empathetic, mayor Holiday is "giving" but cruel - possibly another commentary about how being "nice" isn't always a good thing, how some people do it out of necessity (Toriel) while others do it as a manipulative tactic (mayor Holiday), and how overall issues are always more complicated than they seem. More complicated than someone who, say, just tells you to "sell more flowers" would think they are, based on her limited willingness to see from anyone else's point of view.

(This is offtopic but this is really interesting symbolism to me: if we look at Asgore giving people flowers as a metaphor for giving people love and attention, *selling* more flowers wouldn't even directly help him, in a narrative sense. He's giving Toriel flowers and she keeps throwing them away, EVERYONE does, because they fundamentally don't need or want them. Asgore is someone the community doesn't need anymore, and the mayor's solution to that is "put a price on it", because to her (I speculate) ALL relationships are transactional. She thinks his problem is that he's TOO loving, that he's TOO giving, rather than that hes throwing his love into an endless black hole that will never return the gesture. Anyway, that's enough rambling about Asgore on a Toriel post, sorry!)

Oh, and I nearly forgot to answer: I don't think Toriel would have particularly strong feelings towards Noelle? Toriel's nice to every kid she knows, but I think the inverse, what Noelle thinks of Toriel, is a more interesting question. Knowing Noelle's issues with mother figures, does she see Toriel as aspirational, or does she think Toriel is faking it and using kindness as manipulation (like mayor Holiday may be prone to doing)? Is Noelle weary of Kris' mom, hence not coming over to their house often, or is she nostalgic about the bond their families had and remembers Toriel more like an aunt than a mother? Since we know she's scared of her mom, is she vaguely hoping her own parents will separate, or did Toriel set a "bad precedent" in her eyes and she dreads her family being pulled apart further? All very very interesting questions, in my opinion, and I hope we see more of the Holiday/Dreemurr dynamics as the story goes on.

[gwemmieee]

Hey, have you ever examined the deep fear, paranoia, and shame you feel whenever you try to examine or voice something you feel deep down that you're worried someone else might take issue with? Don't you feel bad about all the subtle ways it renders you less able to know yourself, love yourself, express yourself, and advocate for yourself? If you're thinking about all that social anxiety horror that Super Eye Patch Wolf just talked about, and if you're so utterly afraid of standing out or going against the crowd--this is related to that.

It's probably because you think it's good to call someone out before it's proven that they are knowingly and willfully causing harm. It's probably because you think people should be punished if they harm someone period, even if it was by accident or without knowing. Even if it might have just been a misunderstanding and no real harm done was anyone's fault. And it's only fair that the same standard applies to you as well, isn't it?

It's probably because you've internalized that your value as a human being deserving of love and community can be reduced or eliminated if you say something wrong enough loudly enough. It's probably because, even if you do not ascribe to thought crime, and you agree that we should not demonize ourselves or each other for our own thoughts and feelings as long as we put in the work to be good with our actions, you tripped at the finish line when you forgot about the basic fact of human psychology that we can't translate negative thoughts into positive action without being able to speak about it openly in a space where others will truly understand how we feel, and not just skip straight to the part where feeling that way is already cringe before you've actually fully internalized your own growth past it.

It's probably because you have privilege as someone who has ever had access to real friends/family who stand by you no matter what heinous shit you say or do, and that privilege has enabled you to learn a lot very quickly about how to appear as a good person in society, because those friends/family allowed you to actually feel supported as a human being with feelings before you knew better, which is a hard prerequisite to ever knowing better, and you have not examined that privilege.

It's probably because you think you can sniff out who's good or bad just on vibes and act as judge, jury, and executioner, instead of focusing on harm reduction for anyone who you know was hurt and learning some hard realities about human interaction. For example, being ignorant is not the same as acting on that ignorance. Voicing ignorance without aggression and then being willing to learn something is actually a good thing for others to view in public, because it teaches valuable lessons to everyone paying attention, and anyone who feels validated and empowered to be shitty from such an exchange was just looking for an excuse.

I think this knowledge is something that we feminists should stand for. Anti-militancy. I know it's hard to tell here on this gremlin-ass modern internet for many of us due to circumstances beyond our control, but when you actually go outside and have friends IRL, you'll notice that feminine people out there already understand most of this.

Remember when we used to talk about being tolerant of everything except intolerance? Well, this is part of that. You're not supposed to dehumanize someone and ignore their feelings just for sounding racist one time. You're supposed to try to educate them or, failing that, practice harm reduction (which can escalate into a callout if they're truly a bad actor). Punching nazis is for when you literally fucking know that someone is willfully being harmful (perhaps because they're platforming hate). Most of them don't just cosplay as nazis in easy ways to pick out. That's why fascists are so insidious and good at infiltrating spaces. Each of us has a desperate hope that I am the one, it's me, I can be able to know at a glance who is good or bad, without taking the time and effort to get to know them first. And they prey on that. They use that to make us fight each other instead of them.

"Oh, but Gwemmie, does this mean you're defending X or Y person?" I dunno, how does their situation compare to what I just said? This post was inspired by the many times I have been dogpiled and ostracized for openly using language in autistic ways that have been confused for bigotries or insensitivities that just weren't in my speech or my thoughts (usually because those doing the dogpiling put words in my mouth, didn't parse a sentence correctly, or just decided to be ableist and go off vibes instead of what I very openly say). If you come in here thinking I'm making this post to subtweet about anyone else, you're part of the problem.

[isagrimorie]

What do you think about the very popular theory going around that the Road actually never existed? It was something Agatha made up back in the day to steal witches' powers and this time it was created by Billy subconsciously. That's his tell, that's why Agatha was so surprised when it actually opened, that's why everything in the road can be found in his room, that's what "I didn't think you had it in you" means. What if it really was Agatha all along?

Right now a lot of things are possible. We're in the Schroedinger's series finale...

I have seen it floating around, but I haven't really thought about it. However, I do think the Road does exist. I think it's because Lilia, who is a good hundred years older than Agatha, knew about the Road.

I'm just skeptical that Agatha ever walked the Road. Maybe she has before and she was able to assemble a full coven to make it happen. I know Agatha, is essentially, a noted serial killer among the Witch community but it doesn't feel right to me that Agatha would do something that's so deviously predatory.

Agatha targets powerful witches. Any witch that would seek out the Road would not be a powerful witch. Agatha told Wanda she only took power from the undeserving.

(Of course, who the undeserving witches are is subjective. Agatha's playing Judge, Jury, and Executioner.).

So for me, Agatha setting up the Witches' Road to lure unsuspecting but mediocre Witches doesn't (to quote Criminal Minds) fit the profile.

Especially, if this was all done before she got owned the Darkhold.

Then again, the two-part series finale might prove me wrong.

I'm more partial to the idea that Billy unconsciously created or influenced the Road now ala Labirynth. I do think Agatha suspected Billy had something to do with Sharon Davis's death but I don't know if she's right about it. I think she's still missing some details about her hypothesis.

It is clear, Agatha already suspected Billy early on, of shenanigans.

Also, I've always believed Agatha never intended to Open the Road, she looked far too surprised when the Door appeared. And she continued to brood about the Road in the first few minutes of episode 3. She was trying to put things together. She did look at Billy in a funny way when she told him the Road 'suited him'.

But, I have always believed whatever this whole thing is-- This was Agatha All Along.

Someway or another Agatha kicked off the events of the show. I fully believe that Agatha is smart enough to have a backup plan in case she finds herself in a tight spot.

Agatha Harkness is like my other favorite fierce survivalist queen-- Katherine Pierce.

Jac Schaeffer didn't just title this show 'Agatha All Along for the 'vibes''. If we learn something from watching the show, everything is there for a reason. Even if the reason is the commitment to the Bit.

The whole internet search for Agatha? Wildly suspicious to me how convenient everything fell into place for Billy to find Agatha.

Jac Schaeffer used the phrase 'timey-wimey', and solidified my theory that Agatha is Bad Wolf-ing an escape plan for herself. She left messages to herself.

Somehow involving the lyrics of the Ballad. (Agatha started humming the Ballad before Rio or Billy ever made an appearance).

The lyrics of the True Crime Ballad had missing lyrics and borrowed a lot from Lorna Wu's version.

Agatha knew events that she shouldn't know about while she's Detective Agnes. (William's car crash, Wanda 'dying').

The show borrowed and references The Wizard of Oz a lot, and someone has to be behind the curtain. The Man behind the curtain was a huckster and a con man. And that description can fit Agatha.

I don't know if Agatha accounted for Rio during her daring escape.

Unfortunately, for Agatha Harkness, she didn't count on the only enemy she ever really lost too: Herself*.

Somehow, in all the escape scenarios, Agatha didn't anticipate that some part of herself would actually like the dream reality of Detective Agnes.

*Agatha gave Wanda way too much information about the fundamentals of magick. Let herself do the whole Evil Speech of Evil monologue. And, lost.

So, it's very fun and interesting that when Billy asked Agatha what Tell he shared with Wanda was Agatha coyly stated: "Very inconvenient for you."

Anyway, I'm not going to count my girl, Agatha, out in anything. She always has a trick up her sleeve somewhere, and a backup plan.

There is a reason why this show is called Agatha All Along. There's a reason why the pilot episode started with a Mare of Easttown parody, beyond sharing a lot of key issues with Mare. There's a reason why Agatha as Agnes hummed the Ballad's Road when the show opened.

These are some of my theories and thoughts. I hold them loosely in my hand, so I'm not too invested or married to my theories.

It will help me be nimble in my predictions and theories for the finale.

But I hope I was able to help.

[mymoodwriting]

Just read your thoughts on ballerina x ice on my teeth Ateez and I'm actually going insane thank u

The scenery in MV is crazy, I've been thinking about mafia ateez for days now and it's just so delicious. The vibes are 💥💥💥 if u will actually write something with that I'm gonna ascend to heaven haha

No pressure though, have fun!! Hope you're doing great!

Oh gosh yes, the scenery is so beautiful and intense and it's the perfect material for a yandere story. It's been stuck in my head too and I just had to write a little something for it... so enjoy the little tease...

“Line up.”

For a moment you were stunned as you watched Professor Kang enter the dance studio. You had heard the rumors, but seeing such divine beauty up close, you were mesmerized. Although your frozen demeanor didn’t last long. His voice commanded respect and obedience. So once he spoke all the other dancers in the room scrambled to get in line, ultimately snapping you out of your trance and pushing you to get into position as well. Today was your first day, just as it was for those around you, and this was your first class.

Once lined up, your gaze returned to Professor Kang. One would expect a ballet instructor to be dressed similar to the students, but that wasn’t the case here. Professor Kang was dressed rather elegantly, walking with an umbrella as a cane. He took a seat at the small table against the center of the wall across from you. Since he walked in he hadn’t even glanced at the students. Although he wasn’t alone, another handsome gentleman dressed in black followed behind him, but you had no idea who he was. It seemed they were some kind of guard or escort as they poured Professor Kang a cup of tea.

The silence in the room created this serious and anxiety inducing tension. Sure this was the first class of the semester, but it was a dance class, nothing that had happened so far made sense. Then things got even more confusing. The gentleman in black grabbed a sac near the table, walking over to the line and handing the dancers something. Everyone received a black ski mask. Nobody dared to speak, but the looks shared among each other indicated we all had the same question. Professor Kang didn’t need to see the dancers to know what plagued their mind, and he answered with ease.

“I do not care for your looks. If you cannot dance with elegance and grace, then there’s no need for anyone to know your face.” Professor Kang put down his teacup, standing and gazing at the students for the first time since his arrival. “Put the masks on, and let us begin.”

There was a bit of hesitation among the dancers, but his words were not a request. Everyone put on the ski masks, and then the class seemed to begin. Professor Kang wanted to see what everyone could do, having you all step up individually and perform a move before stepping aside. You all did this for what felt like hours. The professor did not speak besides informing the class of what he wanted to see next. His gaze merely watched and he stalked around the room like a predator, the umbrella in hand moving with him. There was not a sound in the room, the only noise coming from the steps the dancers took, and those subtly trying to keep their breathing steady.

“Alright. I’ve seen what I wanted to see. Now I want you to perform for me, individually. Show me something, and then we can decide who will be staying.”

Those words put everyone on alert. You all glanced at each other, sharing the same confusion. Just like anyone else at this institution, you had applied and were accepted. It was a done deal, yet the professor swiftly destroyed that delusion.

“You’ve all been accepted here on paper, but you still have to prove you are worthy of remaining at this institution. I am your judge, jury, and executioner today. So let us begin.”

Nobody moved, everyone still rightfully processing but that wasn’t a luxury you had. The professor pointed at a student and they nervously stepped forward. The silence now burned everyone with dread and panic. The stench of fear seemed to fill the room, but the professor remained calm and collected, seeming uninterested as he summoned forward one student after the other. When his gaze finally fell to you the world seemed to slow down and come to a halt, yet you moved anyway. You had always enjoyed dancing from a young age, and ballet was just so beautiful and ethereal. Even when you weren’t practicing you loved to dance.

That core desire of yours took over, so your body moved on its own. Everyone else in the room seemed to fade away in your mind, and the world around you grew dim. You basically blacked out when you met Professor Kang’s gaze. Only returning to your senses as you bowed to him and then stepped back to where you started. Your heart was pounding in your chest, becoming the only sound you could pick up on. Somehow your breathing remained even, and you could remain on your feet, but you knew the moment this was all over you’d collapse. Then again, perhaps something else would get to you first.

Your vision was a bit hazy as you watched the rest of your peers perform, not even being able to compare their skills to yours as you didn’t remember what you had done. Although amongst the mess of your mind your attention was immediately snapped to the dancer that had collapsed mid-performance. The silence that fell was suffocating, and you could only imagine the terror that was running through their veins. The first sound heard was that of the cane hitting the floor, and it echoed in the room like thunder.

Professor Kang stepped forward, the tip of his umbrella moving under the chin of the fallen dancer, coaxing their gaze to rise. Nobody could read the look on the professor’s face, but he was exuding this calm aura that lured the room into a false sense of security. The umbrella moved to pull the mask off the dancer, revealing a shameful face. They tried to look away only to receive a rather stern tap on their cheek from the umbrella, making them swallow nervously and look up at the professor. They were like a deer in headlights, having yet to move a muscle.

“What a waste. Remove them.”

The other gentleman in the room stepped forward and dragged the dancer out, displaying incredible strength as they did just that despite the screams and begging and attempts to fight back. Once gone, silence fell again. You felt bad for the person who had to perform next, but there were still a few dancers to get through. Around the time when the last dancer finished, the gentlemen from before returned.

“Line up.”

Once again all the dancers lined up, nervously waiting for what came next. Professor Kang walked over to one end of the line. He looked the dancer over and moved on to the next and then the next. That seemed to be all he would do, but then he jabbed the handle of the umbrella into a dancer’s stomach, making them double over, followed by a whack on the head making them collapse to the floor. The professor continued down the line repeating his actions a few more times, no one daring to get back up. You held your breath as the professor approached you, mentally preparing yourself for a possible hit, but he continued down the line.

You slowly exhaled, keeping your gaze forward until the professor was done with his inspection. The door to the room opened and other men in ski masks came in. They weren’t given any direction, but it was clear they already had their orders. Two men lifted up the fallen dancers, another removing their ski mask and then dragging out the rejected students. Some tried to beg, some tried to fight back, but in the end the only ones left were the ones standing. The professor took a seat once more, grabbing his teacup and taking a sip.

“If you want to walk away with your dignity you may do so now.” A moment of silence, and nobody moved. “Congratulations on passing your first day. You will remain at our institution for the time being, but make no mistake. At any moment you could be dragged out. Dismissed.”

It took a moment before anyone moved, but they did so quietly. Dancers grabbed their things and scurried out, keeping the ski masks on for the time being. You were on your way out when you froze in place.

“Y/n. Stay.”

Hearing the professor call your name made a shot of panic run through your body. Anyone who was going to get kicked out today has already been removed. You didn’t even think the professor knew your name. Still, you had no choice in the matter. You met the gazes of a few of your peers, seeing pity in their eyes, as you walked over to the professor. You merely stood before them in silence, not daring to speak. Then once the door had closed and you were alone the other gentleman came over and forced you on your knees, removing your ski mask. The professor set down his teacup, looking down on you with the same unreadable eyes.

“Aren’t you something special.”

[glowingsquiddragon]

Am I doing this? Yes. Yes I am

macaques team:

Hisuian zoroark (his ace, both illusionists, back from the dead and fuled by spite). Umbreon (evolves with the power of the moon). Xatu (because sees past and future ). Armarouge (Gifted by wukong) Absol (pokemon no one ever seems to trust) Shedinja (an empty shell of what once was)

honorary mentions, Marshadow (travels in shadows and fighter), dusknoir (reflections of his time under LBD, his darkest times of following orders from another to survive, judge jury and executioner), mimikyu (lonely baby that just wants friends hiding themselves to try and protect people), and Banette (puppet master and puppeteer filled with malice), Darkrai (forced to live in isolation because its mere presence gives nightmares to anyone nearby)

Wukong’s team will include:

Volcarona (secondary sun) Cereludge (gifted by macaque) Darmanitan (Firey monkey that meditates) Lucario (well trained aura warrior) Espeon (day babygirl) Rhyperior (Big heavy rock)

Honorary member: weedle. A bug he just found and it’s following him around

runner ups: solrock and daytime lycanroc

Mei’s team is:

Noivern (ace, loud, party vibes) Dragionair (big noodle) Charizard (fire dragon cretur) Hydrapple (she feels like she’d try to use mostly only dragons, even a slightly silly one. Also she went apple picking with MK and found a tiny apple dragon with him so she kept it) Golurk (family guardian) Sigilyph (artifact protector. Follows the sword and its master to keep both safe)

honorary mention: goodra (just feels like she’d vibe with em)

MK ‘s team:

Tyrogue (Practice and get stronger together) Meinfoo (kunfu massttterrr) Riolu (like mentor, ace) Hakamo-o (gift from mei) Passimian (Monkee, but consistantly works in groups, mk needs to learn to accept assistance but also he dosent ever wanna lose his friends) Monferno (also monkey. Update apparently infernape is based off of sun Wukong and I never realized but put it as one of his anyway so that’s neat)

Redsons team :

Chandelure (ace, reflection of the lost samahdi fire) Tauros palden blaze (bull) Coalossal (Powering his inventions) Magnazone (also powersource inventions n such) kingsgambit (it appears to be skill based but its heavily on tricks that it got to where it is dark type) Hydregion (highly dangerous and agressive, constantly thinking of destruction it was kept because its powerful)

honorary mention: cofegregus

Sandy’s also fun, i dunno a lot about him but

His ace absolutely Drampa (parental creature) Rosesrade (for tea leaves). Gloom (smelly but sweet <3) Leavany (arts and crafts and making stuff likes to make clothes for other pokemon) Leafeon (therapy cat helps other plants grow) And wooper (because i love wooper and i feel like hed like wooper)

Honorary mentions: shroomish, butterfree , sprigatitio other small pokemon