#let the others have some more important screentime I’m begging

[undertheorangetree]

How to Improve HOTD S2

This is truly just me feeling frustrated with the second season and screaming into the void. Feel free to ignore it I wrote it at 10pm in a hater spiral and probably have some information wrong

1. Shift away from the Alicent vs Rhaenyra thing and highlight Aegon vs Rhaenyra. It would be hard when zero relationship had been established in season 1 but after Jaehaerys’s murder it would have been SOOO easy to shift the focus of Team Green on to Aegon and make him really want to take Nyra down.

2. Speaking of Nyra I’m begging them to give her some agency. Her son was MURDERED. She spent TEN DAYS SEARCHING FOR HIS BODY. She should’ve been ready and raring to go to war at the end of episode one!! She should be doing everything she can to destroy those who took her baby boy from her!! Instead they had her crying about going to war and no one taking her seriously for 5 episodes. Let her be morally grey I’m begging you she is not a saint nor should she be

3. Introduce Ulf and Hugh WHEN they claimed their dragons. No one cares about their lives yet. Regular viewers don’t know who they are. They can talk backstory once you’ve shown why they’re important

4. While we’re introducing characters GIVE US SOME TIME WITH DAERON. Non book readers have no idea who he is. Establishing his place in Oldtown, the fact that he has a dragon, the dichotomy between himself and his brothers all would have been GREAT to see before they started throwing his name around.

5. More screentime for the younger generation! Helaena lost so much of her arc due to them removing her fall into madness (which I’m not mad at btw) but showing her grief would’ve still been nice. Baela is ride or die for house targaryen and that’s about all we’ve seen from her, plz give my girl some agency. Rhaena is angry about being cast aside and that’s got so much meat for character motivations but EVEN THE WRITERS ARE IGNORING HER AND GIVING HER ONE 30 SECOND SCENE EVERY OTHER EPISODE. Jace is also being done dirty, they should be establishing reasons why we should care about him and why he’s such a good heir before the battle of the gullet (which in an ideal world would’ve been where we ended season 2 but).

6. ENOUGH WITH THE HARRENHAL ARC!! The first few scenes were fine but now it’s just repetitive. Daemon wanting to be king in his own right came out of nowhere and will have zero consequences when we all know Nyra is just going to take him back when he’s done pouting. He’s literally just wandering around Harrenhal like a freak. That arc needed 3 episodes at the absolute max to establish the castle and Alys and the river lords and then he should’ve come back. I hate him but they’re wasting his character.

7. Aemond turning into a super villain?? After we established he regretted what he did to Luke?? Trying to take out his own brother for power is fine and I support you if that’s what you want king but maybe give us some more context other than “brother bullies you in front of his friends”?? Maybe my sister was just mean but that’s an average sibling experience as far as I’m concerned. It would have made more sense with the characterization they had already given him if Aemond had been given no choice but to burn Aegon in order to save him and take out Rhaneys and Meleys. The 180 into anime villain felt way too abrupt (like dany going mad sorry)

8. Alicent and Cole………… as much as I fly the Alicent is gay flag it could’ve made sense if they didn’t just immediately beat us over the head with it. We were immediately thrown in the deep end of them having a sexual relationship with zero context other than “everything you feel for me… as your queen” PERHAPS GIVE US SOMETHING MORE. I actually would have loved Alicent reclaiming her sexuality after 20+ years of having to fuck her rotting old husband but they went about it the wrong way.

9. Speaking of Alicent, I feel like they truly do not know what to do with Alicent. They took away every ounce of agency she could have had in order to make her a victim and now they don’t have anything for her to do. They just keep taking everything from her in a way that just shoves her character in a box while also trying to maintain her as one of the main characters?? It’s just all very odd to me

10. In that same vein, I feel like they don’t really know what to do with ANYONE honestly. Game of Thrones also had a big cast following multiple locations but somehow juggling between them all felt much cleaner than it does here. It’s as if they lose track of their characters and forget about them so they throw in a quick 30 second scene to be like “btw they’re still here!!”

11. I need more character interactions. Aegon/Helaena. Daemon with his children. Just people you expect to have some kind of relationship. I don’t think any of those characters have ever actually had a significant interaction with each other which feels absolutely WILD to me but

12. STOP WITH THE TEAMS!!! STOP IT!!! There is no good guy and bad guy here and there shouldn’t be. It’s a monarchy, a whole ass empire that has its roots in an even worse empire. None of the Targaryens are good. They aren’t gods. Rhaenyra has been completely screwed over due to the patriarchy but being a victim doesn’t make you a good person. She’s still sacrificing the country for her birthright. Let her be evil, morally grey, ANYTHING is better than her pushing against common sense in order to seem like a good guy. Aegon and co as well shouldn’t be portrayed entirely of super villains and victims. They’ve also done a shitty thing but at the very least give us some nuance no one is entirely good or bad.

13. This is nitpicky so it’s at the end but it’s called house of the DRAGON. I wanna see more rider/dragon interaction. I shouldn’t be introduced to a dragon the same episode it’s maimed (Sunfyre). You shouldn’t be telling me one of the main characters has a dragon when we haven’t so much as heard her speak about it (Dreamfyre). If a bond is so important between a dragon and it’s rider I want to see that bond

• IN THAY SAME VEIN why was vermithor letting nyra and daemon get all up in his grill?? They’re bonded dragonriders they’ve got their bestie, he doesn’t. Shouldn’t he have lit them up for that?? What makes them so special?? He’s barbecuing Targaryen bastards left and right but these two get a pass?? Why??

And now for some general overall complaints🫶🏼

1. Fix your pacing I’m begging you. They could have made 8 episodes work if they had let us move through the plots faster but instead there’s so much dead air. After Jaehaerys was killed we should’ve been FLYING through plot points. Two child murders are enough to declare a war started, but we still hadn’t seen any battle until episode 4 and then it stalled out again. Harrenhal doesn’t need this much screentime. You don’t need to hint at Rhaena claiming Sheepstealer for 3+ episodes. We don’t need to hum and ha about going to war for 4 episodes. There should be fewer long shots of the actors faces simply reacting and more SPEAKING. More PLOT. MORE OF ANYTHING TO MOVE THE STORY FORWARD

2. Stop repeating information. Characters constantly beat you over the head with the same information over and over again. One character will tell a person something then a second character tells that same person almost the exact same thing an episode later it’s like no one proofread the script.

3. Why are you having your actors use giant words in order to sound more period accurate?? You don’t need to repeat lickspittle every five seconds. You don’t need to use gainsay or comportment. I promise your audience knows it’s a medieval setting, put the thesaurus down you sound like an idiot

4. It’s almost totally inaccessible for non book readers. I watch with my mom and sister, neither of whom have done any research about ASOIAF but have seen GOT, and I’m constantly explaining shit to them. The showrunners rely too much on people having read them that they don’t explain anything. I know Helaena has a dragon, but they don’t because NO ONE HAS MENTIONED IT BEFORE!! BY THE SECOND SEASON!!

5. This is just a me thing but I would’ve LOVED more regional costuming. We got a hint of it with Sabitha Frey wearing a headpiece when treating with Jace and I love the idea of each region having their own specific fashion trends. The costumes are fine, some are even great, but most are lacklustre and feel too fantasy to me. I’m a history girly I want to see more hoods and headpieces and different shapes in the dresses etc etc.

Despite all this there are still some great scenes!! Aspects of this season were awesome and I think the first two episodes in particular were really strong, there is just so much lost potential this season and it has been really disappointing. I’m still gonna be sat for the finale this week but I hope that they really up their game in season three

[kachinnate]

,,,,okay i know i just said i wasn’t going to talk about the deh movie but actually yeah imma talk about it for just a sec bc y’all actually make me legitimately distressed sajkfndsmjkgds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQ_A0H1otc i dont have the braincells to do a shot by shot analysis right now but here’s what we’re lookin at

under a readmore because ghhhhhhh

firstly, let me lead with this: yes, from what we know, there’s a lot of things wrong with this movie. 

the worst, in my humble opinion, being the bts treatment of the (very few) actors of color, and the lack altogether of any production team members of color. that’s something that should be acknowledged, talked about, and fucking dug into especially at the current fucking period of time we’re living in. it’s unsurprising, but disgusting nonetheless, and it set this movie up for failure from the very beginning. i’m a white person so by no means so i feel inclined or like i have any authority in saying what one should feel wrt all of that, however i will say if there’s to be a boycott in not watching this movie, that should 100% be the reason why. it’s fully poc’s choice whether or not to forgive the production team or give this movie a chance for the irredeemable shit it did in regards to handling the movie’s production. the movie imo definitely doesn’t deserve their forgiveness, but again, that is not for me to say. 

there’s some little things too that i can’t fully think of off the top of my head - like, the whole making larry connor’s stepdad thing fucking irks me, for example, but, like...... listen.

if you know me like at all, you know my favorite word is nuance.

so, i’m going to say it outright: the way you people are approaching this three minute trailer shows literally.... none?? no nuance ??? is it no-nuance november over here or ???? like i’m begging you i’m BEGGING YOU to put aside your pre-determined prejudices against this movie and like stop pretending to be a renowned film critic for ten seconds because it’s really not as outright fucking abysmal as you are saying!! and also it’s possible to have opinions that aren’t completely fucking polarized to one side because guess what, the deh movie? a piece of media! what is the shit y’all are constantly preaching about having the ability to consume media critically ? because you’re trying to cancel a fucking trailer based on the contents of the trailer alone !!!!! hello !!!!!!!!

media is bound to be problematic. if y’all were as quick to judge any movie as you did this one, guess what you wouldn’t be watching any movies like ever <3 

anyway lets get into the parts that are probably going to get me cancelled lmao 

ben platt - listen. LISTEN. listen i know he’s too old to be reprising evan we ALL know he’s too old to be reprising evan i’ve heard this same argument since the announcement was made we get it we all know. haha he’s a grandpa yes bestie ur so right ur so funny wow. i do agree that we should’ve maybe had a not-ben-platt evan moment but here’s some things to keep in mind: the arguments of “oooh ABF is right there !!!!!!” 1. who’s to say he was available? 2. the environment of a movie is so, SO much different than that of a musical -- as much as you wanna pretend you know everything from just a trailer, there’s no way of knowing what scenes were added that might’ve made the movie like.. idk possibly more intense story-wise not even COUNTING the fact that just inherently a movie set is different than a musical one? like yes ben platt might be just being used as a device but that’s probably not the sole and only reason. Also, if i see One (1) more comment about his FUCKING HAIR 😃 first of all it’s not that deep like... if you’re so distracted by an actor having their hair different that’s on you, but going as far as to call it bad or distracting or being like Vehemently a way about it? y’all i know it’s most likely not your intention but that is literally just ben platt’s natural fuckin ETHNICALLY JEWISH hair sajknfgkjds!!!! i’m not the first to make this point, but like dsjnfkjdsg!??! y’all are being so mean about it and for WHAT? again, maybe not intentional, but it reads as like high key Very antisemetic and you should.... maybe not 😳 be that way

connor. the thing about a trailer is that they don’t show you all the scenes because they want you to come see the movie. right? can we agree on that? all the connor scenes in the trailer had SEVERAL hard cuts, omitting a lot of the scene -- like the computer lab scene! we see the beginning of it, there’s a VERY obvious hard cut, and then he’s running out! in my opinion my first watch through of this trailer i had a very like “:// hmm all these actors feel a lil like dry”, but man oh man the comments ive seen about connor. holy shit guys. this boy gets 7 minutes of stage time in the actual musical, and the whole thing is we DON’T KNOW VERY MUCH ABOUT HIM. not to burst your bubble, and i by no means hate connor, i love me some good connor lives fics and stuff, but everything we write with connor being alive? that is !! speculation on our part !!!! those are headcanons and us using the little context we have!! connor doesn’t have any significant development IN THE SOURCE MATERIAL that is being adapted into a movie !!! you 1. can’t fully judge a character with already limited screentime in a 3 minute trailer, 2. can’t really call what connor has canonically in the musical as in depth character development !! what is his arc then !!!! he pushes evan, goes to the computer lab, has an outcast loner kid moment, gets upset, takes the letter, DIES. sorry stans, that’s just how it is !! and, AND, everything in between, all the idiosyncracies, that depends on the actor playing connor! speaking of, you know who the actor is playing connor in the movie? that’s right, colton ryan! so, i don’t know, maybe... have some trust in the process, in an actor who ALREADY has played connor on broadway???? and also trust that you will get more connor content then u are seeing from a 3 minute trailer!! dhgnijsdg and some of the comments on like his appearance specifically? like are you really made that he doesn’t have long hair?? they kept his nails and his rings but nahhh the hair was apparently a MUST HAVE (even though like.. not all connor actors on broadway always had/have long hair but w/e).. REGARDLESS. tldr on THAT , the movie would have to do a pretty shitty job if they want to take something from someone who doesn’t have much to begin with and i think y’all are being extremely harsh on this point 

jared. honestly i’m a bit worried too about the like... name change, because it does have the potential to be taking out some representation, but... they did change the name to fit the actor’s ethnicity? it’s a really [hmm] topic because, again, from a trailer and from what we have been told we don’t KNOW a lot of the context, but i think it’s important to remember that uh.. jewish people aren’t just? always white ?? there’s a possibility they changed the last name to fit with the [ethnicity] while keeping him jewish?? ofc there’s the possibility that they Didn’t and ... again hm that’s its own thing altogether but just reiterates the point that you can’t knock a whole movie just based on the trailer. you can’t talk about things you know nothing about. 

alana. same thing as before, you can’t.... completely bash a character based on a 3 minute trailer. there was discussion about how she seemed ‘shy’ when talking to evan, which like.. maybe she is but also that scene was them talking in a library like if u actually take notice of what’s happening in the scene jdskngsd though i do share the general consensus with many others that she won’t get a lot of screen-time but that’s neither here nor there 😔 moving on

scenes and the setting. one of the things i was most like.. tentative about in regards to a switch from a musical to a movie was how they were like... going to do certain scenes? naturally, a lot has to be different when we’re going from a minimal stage set to an entire movie with like.. settings. there are going to be new scenes because a movie lends to have like, physical places that aren’t just [evan’s bedroom] and [murphy kitchen] and [implied school]. so new scenes, new conversations, slightly different pacing.. this is all to be expected right like are y’all geneuinely surprised here or ........

there’s a lot we aren’t seeing yet because this is a TRAILER. again i already mentioned this re: connor but like... again, y’all are making some Claims that just... fucking outlandish. there are so many moments in the trailer that are very obvious Hard Cuts. you don’t have all the information yet. you are angry at a tiny fragment of something that is confusing you because you don’t have all the context. is there a chance that some of this shit is just genuinely Bad? yeah but you really cannot 100000% say it with your chest and gauge it without seeing the movie and understanding what that scene is in context. lowkey uhhh saw some jokes about the zoe scene in the car and :’))) ? jesus? christ????

concluding thoughts because my brain hurts but like. you don’t have to like the movie. you don’t have to WATCH the movie. like all media if you choose to consume the movie you should do so with some CRITICAL THOUGHT. but, just like the novel (and i do not want to have any discussions about that i don’t care if you think it’s good Or bad that’s not what this is about) you guys are going in this WANTING to believe it’s bad and completely polarizing your thoughts on what this is going to be. yeah, maybe there shouldn’t be a movie. i genuinely think we could’ve gone without. but it’s just a piece of media, it’s not a progression like all your (musical is good, novel is bad, MOVIE IS WORSE OH NO) posts are suggesting. they are all just. different pieces of media stemming from a source. at the end of the day it’s just a fucking movie. if you already hate it so much, guess what? you don’t have to watch it! you don’t have to put so much needless fucking hate into a 3 MINUTE TRAILER. you can stop being performative and dissing it for its poor treatment of POC while then going on to make fun of ben platt’s hair and just targeting a different group like! please !!!

i’m not trying to be a fuckin’ advocate for this movie because there’s so much opportunity for it to suck, i do Not have high hopes for it, and i’m not even really sure i want to watch it (i bought the novel when it came out and have yet to read it, and i’m sure the movie will like.. elicit very similar vibes from me lsdngjkdsg like im just not uhhh feeling it) but y’know what? watching the trailer did not bring forth the fucking onslaught of hatred in me that apparently has fuckin posessed all of y’all and like djnsgjksdg plagued my dashboard for this whole evening. don’t come into my inbox trying to like.. argue with me about this (preemptively im turning off anon because i like i Can’t lmao) this is just like... a rant i needed to get out of me real quick. 

SO. tldr for now: have critical thought about shit you consume, there’s no ethical consumption under [the film industry], you can’t judge a movie entirely on its trailer, and y’all need to calm the fuck down 

[runolllo-fanboygirl]

---------------------------------

I'm going to start by clarifying that these are messages I got in response to my post here /// LINK /// After this, I'm not replying to messages about this kinda thing in a long time. Talking about sexualization and such other topics is important but I'm not in a state to be made the center of it. Please, don't come to my inbox asking for discourse, go and create your own posts if you want to raise awareness or vent.

And now to answer to these new asks:

FIRST OF ALL: while I love the way Murata draws men, robotic stuff, monsters... I actually HATE the way he draws ladies! I prefer their proportions in the OPM anime and games. Murata is literally SO BAD at drawing women compared to the level of expertise he has drawing men, and it's all ‘cos he keeps drawing ladies "the h0rny way". We all know this, let's move on.

"He's drawing all the monster girls sexualized" Did the fact that Manako's genre reveal deconstructs the trope "the default is male" totally go over your head? That Psykos's reveal as a woman running the whole MA was a big deal for this same reason as well? There are a bunch of female monsters… you just assume they're all male unless you see big b00bs and then complain about that very fact. They literally made a whole point about this specifically!

"He changed Mizuki's shorts to p4nties to please fanboys" I liked the shorts better too (just because I find her whole character design a bit more balanced that way) so that change bothered me as well, but the "p4nties" are actually standard athletic wear for competition. Shorts are not. Technically, she’s drawn more accurately now.

"Sports Bras don't work that way he just wants to draw b00bs" neither do the shirts and bodysuits the guys are wearing. You can see all their muscles and manb00bs and cr0tch lines, just as much as with Fubuki and Tatsu's hero outfits and Mizuki's top.

"But when the boys are drawn that way, it's not to please the ladies, it's male power fantasy" THERE IS NO HETEROSEXUAL MALE POWER FANTASY BULLSHIT THAT CAN POSSIBLY EXPLAIN THE WAY MURATA DRAWS GAROU, FLASH, SONIC, STINGER AND SOME OF THE OTHER GUYS. The fact is that the way he draws eye candy of them appeals to other collectives other than the cis het men and he knows exactly what he's doing. Period.

"He constantly draws sexualized art of Mizuki to please the fanboys" Why exaggerate so much? This is simply not true. She's a woman in athlete wear, most of the time she's either standing up talking or fighting, no weird angles or anything. There is like 1 sexy cover of her, the back cover with all the girls in bikinis and then that infamous watermelon sequence. That's all the sexualization you are talking about.

"Mizuki only gets so much screen time because of how much p0rn of her there is" oh yeah Mizuki got a grand total of, like, *drum roll* 1 chapter and a half dedicated to her! Wow! Which is NOTHING taking into consideration how dense Garou's arc is and the fact that they will need at least 2 seasons of the anime to finish it.

But think about this: OPM desperately needed more female presence, in special with the prospect of finishing Garou's arc in the anime. Making anime is hard and COSTLY. Most of the people who is going to watch the anime haven't read the manga and they'll be like "what the heck there are no female characters in this anime for like 3 seasons?" and there is no team that's going to risk it working with such prospects. We know why.

Of all the expansion that Garou's arc got in the manga adaptation (and later in the anime), one of the most sensible and balanced decisions was to add more ladies. They put all those monster ladies for season 2, and then for season 3 we get Manako and Mizuki having some strong presence, Shadow and Kamaitachi there a bit in the back too. It benefits the pace and balance of both the manga and the future season 3 so immensely because Fubuki, Tatsumaki and Psykos take a LOOONG while to be relevant during Garou's Arc… in special with all the filler the manga put in between (but all that filler is of the S-Class boys getting development and a reality check which is kinda important too lol).

Point is: the screentime Mizuki got was VERY necessary to balance things in between of all the relentless Garou fights and the boys being boys. Sure Mizuki is beautiful and sexy and all, but really EVERYONE was waiting for a new female character that was relevant, likeable, fun… and on top of everything, it's so rare to see a strong 2m tall girl in fiction in general, not even just anime. Everyone got instantly excited about her because she's exactly what we needed AND MORE. And sure, people draw p0rn of her like they do with most other popular characters, what did you expect.

"The ladies are always more sexualized-" YES, in the OPM manga, the ladies are a little more sexualized than the men –but not by much AND not during plot stuff. By that I mean that most of the so called "sexualizing the girls" happens in the covers, back covers and promotional art very exclusively, and not during the story itself. HOWEVER, a lot of the sexy men bits do happen during the story, curiously.

 In the anime though, there is almost zero ladies fanservice (which makes sense since there is almost no female presence in the first 2 seasons anyway). Yet it's full of naked dudes, sometimes for a good reason, but mostly just so we can look at them being sexy and silly.

 I personally don't care if the man candy and ladies fanservice is not perfectly even in Murata's manga adaptation, because there is enough of both in his work, as well as other official OPM stuff like the anime and games to bring a very nice balance in the s3xy department.

 "The way the women are dressed-" Most of the background ladies are wearing skirt uniforms and shit, but all the relevant ladies primarily dress in nothing you can call "sexualized" except for maybe Tatsumaki with her strong leg game. To recall:

 Lilly wears the same as the men of the Blizzard Group; Twin Tail just dresses like a jester; Mizuki is the first to show so much skin, but she's still wearing real standard competition wear for athletes. All the other sportwomen (Hornet and Swim) and martial artists (Shadow, Suiko, Lin Lin) wear standard clothes for their respective professions too. Sure we've seen Shadow wearing some, uh, ninja bikini thing under her ACTUAL work clothes, but for actual fights she's fully dressed and surprisingly not stuffed in a tiny nylon bodysuit that rips like stocking, like all the ninja men in the series do lmao.

Fubuki and Tatsumaki are, like, the only ones wearing dresses and they can because they use psychic powers anyway. Fubuki doesn't even show ANY skin, ever! She just happens to have big b00bs! Kamaitachi is the other one wearing a "skirt" but it's similar to what Japanese martial artists would wear, too.

So, again… all this sexualization we are talking about is not even happening anywhere except in Murata's covers and some promotional art. ONE is famous for treating ladies very fairly, even if Murata tries very hard to exploit the sexy out of every single of the ladies ONE creates. All these ladies have their own agenda and personality that have nothing to do with being pretty or f*ckable. In fact, in-universe, no one ever mentions if the heroines are beautiful or sexy and no one ever talks about liking them for those reasons (except for Lilly and Erika who are gay for Fubuki and Tatsumaki respectively, amazingly enough no hetero characters mention it). I think the first time we've ever seen a relevant character talking about dating another relevant character is when Suiryu told Saitama and Suiko to date (but Suiryu is the resident h0rny fuckboy of the series, if someone was going to say something so stupid for all the wrong reasons, it was going to be him).

For being an adult series, a seinen that parodies shonen tropes and all, OPM is seriously very tame in the sexy ladies department. For this series, the sexy is just a luxurious accessory, just one more little thing. It's always pretty weird when people get so angry and disappointed about a new sexy girl cover or a couple of compromising panels, like they don't know what to expect.

 "He only draws that way to please the h0rny fanboys" Murata IS a h0rny fanboy himself and draws shit that appeals to him as much as he feels he’s allowed to insert in the series. Please remember he's the insane fanboy that reached up to ONE to beg him to continue One Punch Man and offered to make a manga adaptation to promote OPM.

From the moment Murata started drawing OPM, the tone of the manga was set and never changed: lots of blood and guts, comical and non-comical nudity, irreverence, sexy angles, Genos ripping his shirts off, ninjas in body suits that rip like they are nylons… people in shirts, tanktops and dresses so tight you can see all their muscles, boobs and even belly buttons whether they are men or women or otherwise… h0rny chapter covers, stupidly h0rny monsters…

Just reading the manga to the point where Genos and Mosquito Girl first appear, you know what you are in for with OPM. I don't know what some fans are expecting to see in OPM next, but I'm going to take a wild guess here and say: you should expect more of the same.

 At the end of the day, the manga is Murata's work with ONE, and if he likes drawing h0rny ladies more than boys, that's how things are! This is just 2 guys with their passion project. I don't expect of them the same as if there was a bigger team with a big budget behind the series, like it happens with many games and shows. In this last case, I would be a lot stricter about all this, because with more resources you're expected to do better things.

[arsenicpanda]

Here's an ask: what are some betty & jug moments or scenes that you've always wanted to see on the show? I don't necessarily mean relationshipy stuff (altho yes sure that too), but investigation stuff, family dynamic stuff, serpent stuff, etc etc. Expand this ask outside of bughead too, if you'd like!

A good but difficult question!  Let's see, let's see...

- Jughead proposing for realsies is one I desperately want.  Like, he's had two pseudo-proposals already, where is his real one?  I deserve to see it.  Bonus points if it's impulsive and he uses one of the rings he's always wearing to do it.

- I really, *really* want Betty and Jughead to be engaged and then do some crimes and have to rush up their wedding so they won't have to testify against each other.  I will also accept them dating but not engaged, and then Betty is going into emergency mode, but Jughead is like, "So, uh, I've had this engagement ring ready for like three months, and I know this is a bad time, but will you marry me?" And then Betty says yes and they get married and don't go to jail.

- I want to see Betty and Jughead have to makeout as a cover when they're caught somewhere they shouldn't be.  Like, that's a classic, I want to see it.

- I need more of Betty and Jughead doing shady shit while both wearing their Serpent jackets, I want scenes of them acting as a clear power couple, I deserve this.

- More dark bughead!  I don't even care how it manifests, I want them doing morally dubious things because the ends justify the means.

- Vengeance quest!  I want Jughead to go on a vengeance quest like the one Betty went on for him in season 4.  I deserve this parallel.

- Cooking!  I want to see Betty and Jughead cooking for each other, bonus points if it's Jughead doing the cooking because Betty deserves to be taken care of for once.

- Jughead getting better at writing!  I just want the show to hire someone who actually is good at writing prose to write his narrative segments.  Just, please, show, you want me to believe he is a good writer, so just hire someone who can write prose, I am BEGGING you.

- Betty and Gladys!  I was ROBBED of seeing them together!  In fact, I desperately wanted the whole Jones+Betty family to sit down to breakfast or dinner or something because I bet it would be so awkward.

- Betty and Jellybean!  Betty, Jellybean, and Jughead!  I already made my post about this, technically, but I would still love to see it, especially the three of them together.

- Serpents + Betty!  I so wish they had explored this more, to have the Serpents see Hardcore Scary Betty and Betty see how much the Serpents and Jughead are friends.  The 3x01 Hot Dog mission was good, but I wish I had seen them working more as a team in some heisty situation.  Bonus points for throwing Cheryl into the mix.

- Toni joins the Blue and Gold!  I'm still mad I didn't get this.  I crave Betty/Toni interactions, and I think Toni would make an interesting addition to the investigation team, and I'd enjoy seeing them all in planning mode, only for Betty and Jughead to drift off into "Investigations are sexy" mode and then Toni has to spray them with water to get them to focus.

- Jughead + Serpents!  All permutations of this are important to me.  I think Jughead's friendships with the Serpents are really interesting because they're based on a common experience that Jughead just doesn't share with anyone else.  There's a sense of community and family, of sorts, that I get from the teen Serpents, the feel of those friends who you can not speak to for ages but then easily slip back into normal patterns once you see each other again.  I think they're four people of varying levels of impulsiveness and "I will FIGHT YOU, right here, right now" who have to keep each other in check.  Like, there is not one single one of them who stops the others from doing stupid shit; they ALL are capable of doing stupid shit and picking fights on principle alone, but there's also usually at least one of them who's like, "Ok, guys, calm down", and I find that hilarious.  Also, bonus points for being three grumpy people and also Fangs, a ray of sunshine and king of bad decisions.  I really wish we got more of Fangs as a speaking character; for all he's had screentime, he doesn't talk much, and that leaves him with considerably less characterization, and it's frustrating.  Also, I wish we had gotten more of watching them play G&G, I find these seemingly tough kids playing tabletops games to be the funniest fucking thing.

- Betty + Veronica!  I would like to see more of this friendship, and specifically I'd like to see Betty supporting Veronica, because we haven't gotten much of that.

- Betty + Kevin!  I wish I knew more about their friendship and could see more of it.  I want to see Kevin try and pry details about all the drama in Betty's life out of her.  I also wish we had gotten to hear even one of his gossip columns.

- Jones family!  I just want more of the Joneses, they're such a disaster family.  Like, I want more of every permutation of this dynamic, it's fascinating.  I mean, I especially want Jughead and Jellybean, but I'm also interested in FP and Gladys, FP and Jellybean, Gladys and Jellybean, Jughead and Gladys (outside of drug lord problems), the whole family at once.  I know it won't happen, but I'd love to see the whole family reunited because it's clearly something Jughead wants and I want him to have all the things he wants.

- Unrelated to Betty and Jughead, but, more than anything, I want a shot of Veronica standing in front of that painting of herself ala Hiram.  We have been doing parallels with them and "If Veronica isn't careful, she could become like her father" stuff since season 2 at the latest, I DESERVE this shot.

- Archie's gay awakening!  Look.  Look, they have given Archie so many homoerotic friendships, and RAS famously wrote a play about Archie being gay that he got a cease and desist letter for.  Everything should come full circle and RAS's Archie tv show should include Archie's gay awakening.  Bonus points if he's with Reggie.

- Betty v Hiram!  Everyone else has gotten at least one season where they went up against Hiram, Betty deserves hers.  Granted, she would probably take him down, or almost do so, so it might be best saved for the last season, but still, I want it.

And I think that's it?  At least, I think I've got everything I can think of for now.

[streets-in-paradise]

Fictional Sibling relationships i live for

I had been thinking about this topic lately and decided i would like to make a post about it because it is a very fun and interesting one for me. I had mentioned a few times here that in terms of fandom involvement i am more invested in family and frienships than in shippings, particulary i have a fixation with strong sibling bonds or sibling like friendships. I think it must be because i have a strong bond with my younger sister, i identify with that and that’s why i tend to get more involved and interested in this sort of character interactions. 

I will keep this just in movies, movie adaptations of books and tv shows because i don’t want it to be super long but still want to talk. In movie adaptations i will try to stay in movie’s territory as much as i can, if i add commentary on the book versions this would never end but i may slip a bit towards it because i can’t help it. 

As always, i make the disclaimer over the images i will use here, they belong to the sites where i found them.  

Sorry for my pathetic language skills in english. 

Note: this got so long that i will probably make a second part for more characters i coulnd’t include 

Boromir and Faramir in lotr 

Lotr is full of great material for people who, like me, obsess over families. Frodo and Bilbo, Merry and Pippin, Elrond and Arwen, Theoden ,Eowyn and Eomer are other great examples of family relationships i’m interested on from here ( i pretty much love to overthink stuff about almost all the lotr family relationships). I choose to talk about this bros because they have a particular place in my heart. How many times we had seen the common trope of a royal or noble family where the father is a dick who gives all his love and attention to the older brother, neglects the little one causing him to grow up resentfull and ending up as a villian while dad’s favourite is the hero of the tale? Not this time, and it is so refreshing. 

Boromir and Faramir choose each other over their father’s bullshit, you can see it in the lovely deleted scene the gif up here comes from. When Denethor shows up they are both annoyed, when he is mean to Faramir Boromir calls him out and tries so hard to make him show some appreciation for his youngest son. it is clear that, in this version, Boromir is more family to Faramir than his father ever was. I love how much they care for each other, how they pass beyond the differences. Boromir is a super amazing big bro, i love how he protects Faramir and is there for him instead of letting his father’s praise get in between. I could talk for hours about this two because i love them so much. I’m doing a hard effort in stopping myself from throwing a whole set of headcanons i have for them so i will stop now before i get too excited. 

Fili and Kili in The Hobbit

Staying in Middle Earth for one more mention i had to talk about this two. Being fully honest, the movies broke my heart because they took the exact opposite way i would had wished for. When they were introduced In An Unexpected Journey this two adorable brothers were one of my favourite aspects of it because i loved their Merry and Pippin like dumb chaotic energy. One of my biggest complains with the Hobbit adaptation is to have shifted the narrative of the strongly family focused story arc of the Line of Durin. Kili’s romance with Tauriel shifted the focus and, in my particular perspective, i hated that because i was already super involved in the family story. Besides from the “I belong with my brother”  iconic line we don’t see much more of Fili and Kili’s bond after the introduction of Tauriel. In fact, Fili loses a lot of his initial screentime in Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies.

 I love this two, the relationship with their uncle as it was introduced in the first film and i would had loved to see more of their family dinamic explored. One of my biggest complains, besides from the change of focus on their supposed ending, is that i’m convinced that they should had entered the mountain with the rest of the company. It is such an important moment they would probably waited for since they were children, is the legacy of their family. In short terms, i love them and i would had loved to keep seeing future developments of the Line of Durin story they had in AUJ. 

Hector and Paris in Troy 

This two represent the opposite case. The relationship they have in this movie is very different from the source material but i love the great development it has here. It is outstanding to see the importance the sibling bond has in a movie that is supposed to be about a war caused by a romantic passion. 

The sons of King Priam are absolute opposites. Hector is the embodiment of a true hero, a Steve Rogers of ancient times. His strong caring nature and will to protect everyone reminds me of Boromir as well. Unlike Faramir,Paris is a freaking mess. He is the careless, adventurous and reckless little brother Hector ends up protecting every single time he gets into trouble. I had stated before that i think Paris is a selfish prick but i think that is a slight confussion of mine with the original. This Paris is more a reckless dumbass and, unlike Iliad Paris, his arc in the movie it’s a bit more simpathetic. In this version Helen is trapped in a loveless marriage to an old prick who treats her like trash (in the director’s cut Menelaus jokes about how he only cares for his wife for breeding purposes on a conversation with Hector). I can understand at some point that, if he trully fell in love with her, he felt horrible for letting her stay there as a prisoner of her husband. Going back to the my focus for this talk, i like that the movie had decided to make this two close brothers who actually care for each other despite being absolute opposites instead of two guys who barely know each other, are barely aware of being brothers and share only hatefull interactions. 

Hector’s protectiveness over Paris warms my heart. He had threated him a few times ( director’s cut has the “ i will rip off your pretty face from your pretty skull” excharge. I love that scene), he gets furious at him for his foolishness, they argue but when the time comes he always chooses to protect him. Honestly, that’s such a big bro thing, i can’t help to feel identified. The weight that this relationship has in the development of the story is a surprising thing and it makes everything more tragic. Paris being the killer of Achilles has a more significant meaning because, now it’s not just the irony of the weakest character killing the strongest. Paris is aware that he owns the memory of his fallen brother so much, he wants revenge. Hector was there for him all his life, the least he can do for him is to kill his killer and avenge his death. Briseis begs him to stop but he can’t let himself do that, he owns it to Hector and that debt is bigger than anything. 

I will not delay this any longer, the family relationships on this movie are my favourite aspect of it and i have a soft spot for the bond between the trojan princes. Don’t get surprised if i one of this days i end up making an entire separate post talking about the family dinamics displayed in the film (same goes for lotr but that would take me ages and i would have to make an entire series of posts if i wanted to discuss every lotr family relationship i would want to talk about). 

Sam and Dean Winchester in Supernatural 

If you reached this point you may had noticed that i have a big thing with family tragedies involving siblings. Supernatural is my favourite show because it combines lots of elements i love. To mention just a few: horror, mythology,classic rock and a strong family approach in its pretty tragic but outstanding plot. 

Sam and Dean are one of my favourite duo of bros of all time. I don’t think i have a lot to say about them because their relationship has been analized lots of times by the very big fanbase of the show. My main difference with the common interpretation is that i don’t see the Winchester family in a similar way to the movie versions of the Steward of Gondor and his sons, which means i don’t think John has been the shittiest father ever despite his many mistakes. Unlike movie Denethor he tried hard and in the interactions we saw of him with his boys he actually cares for both of them. 

This bros were the ones that made me realize in an actual concient way of my tendency to get too attached to families, story arcs regarding them and sibling love. I’m super attached to this story, i don’t know what the hell i’m going to do with my life once it ends. 

I will end this post here. It is more than sure that there would be a part two because i have tons of more brothers,sisters and other family relationships to talk about. 

Thanks to everyone who has read my very long ramble 

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Tamatoa

Sometimes all you need is one scene to make a lasting impression on an audience. This is because, when it gets right down to it, it isn’t the amount of time you’re onscreen that matters, it’s what you do with it. Look at Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, for instance; his screentime in The Silence of the Lambs wasn’t even a fourth of the film’s runtime, and yet he’s perhaps one of the most beloved and important villains in all of film history. You don’t need a lot of time to be good, because if you’re good your time will be well spent.

And that brings us to a certain Disney villain, one who you might say shines in a sea of underwhelming twist villains… That’s right: Tamatoa, the shiniest bad guy who has ever existed. In a sense, Tamatoa is a twist villain, with the twist being that he exists at all; his appearance in Moana is not one that was really marketed all that much. Of course, this only serves to make him far more interesting and all the better because of his absence in marketing.

Actor: Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame voices this giant enemy crab, and let me just say that I don’t think they could have lucked out any better than getting the Maori man who can do the best David Bowie impression out there to play their giant evil David Bowie crab.

Motivation/Goals: Well, he wants to be SHINY! Tamatoa has a serious hoarding addiction and an obsession with decorating his shell and making it look more beautiful; we don’t get a full explanation as to why, but his song does hint that Maui has something to do with it. Maui DEFINITELY has something to do with Tamatoa’s missing leg, and since Maui has a tattoo where he’s shown fighting Tamatoa it’s clear there’s no love between the two, which is reason enough for the crab to lay the smackdown on Maui when he comes for his hook. While it would have been nice to get some more explanation, for the two’s past conflicts, it is pretty impressive that for such a short time so much is laid out for the audience to pick up on and infer.

Personality: He’s vain, he’s shallow, he’s campy, and he has an ego even bigger than he is, especially considering he has an entire musical number dedicated to stroking his ego. He is also, despite all appearances to the contrary, quite intelligent and downright scary when he needs to be; this is a guy who goes for the throat of the “Be Yourself” message that Moana’s grandmother taught her in the opening lines of his villain song and then later cheerfully describes how he is going to dismember someone in song form while beating the snot out of them, after all. It’s interesting to note that Tamatoa is actually sort of a dark mirror of how Maui is; much like Maui, Tamatoa decorates himself in an attempt to cover up his cripplingly low self-esteem; however, where Maui truly wishes he didn’t need his self-esteem to be defined by his heroic deeds and the praise he receives for the, Tamatoa absolutely REVELS in the fact that he is overcompensating for his insecurities, openly admits this, and outright says that his way is the way to go. It’s honestly kind of neat to see a villain not only draw a comparison between themselves and the hero, but also wholeheartedly accept the flaws they share with the hero as a good thing. Of course, as he’s only in the one scene these concepts sadly never really get expanded on, which is a shame as there is a truly brilliant rivalry sitting here, but still, it’s impressive how much character they were able to cram in to a villain with less than ten minutes of screentime.

Final Fate: Moana and Maui make their escape by geyser, a geyser which knocks the treasure-encrusted crustacean onto his back… and unfortunately he’s a bit too top heavy to get back up. He appears again in the film’s stinger, still stuck, and begs the audience for help, saying that we’d help him if he was Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. He shouldn’t even worry; I’m more inclined to help him because he’s Tamatoa.

Best Scene: He only has one extended sequence in the film, but easily the standout of his brief appearance is the incredible David Bowie tribute “Shiny,” which is perhaps the greatest Disney villain song in years, and second only to a certain French judge’s song about insurmountable lust consuming his soul with sin. 

Best Quote: From his song “Shiny” comes the lines “Far from the ones who abandoned you/Chasing the love of these humans/Who made you feel wanted/You tried to be tough/But your armour's just not hard enough.” This not only reveals a dark truth about Maui, it also serves as an extremely effective breaking speech, showing that under his goofy facade he’s actually a really cunning bastard.

Final Thoughts & Score: Tamatoa is that rare modern Disney villain that actually feels like he would fit in with the classic bad guys of the Renaissance; not since Facilier has their been a villain that this could easily be said about. Even King Candy, the only other Disney canon villain in recent memory worth mentioning, does not evoke that feeling. Maybe it’s because of Clement’s hilarious performance, maybe it’s his design, maybe it’s the awesome tribute to Bowie that is “Shiny,” but Tamatoa is just a Disney baddie worthy of standing alongside the all-time greats. Despite his limited screentime, despite the potential that ultimately went underutilized, despite the flaws I could nitpick here and there, I think Tamatoa truly earns a nice, shiny 10/10.

Frankly, Tamatoa is a perfect example of the effective utilization of screentime in establishing a villain. Look how much mileage I got out of, what, maybe ten minutes of screentime? In that time he manages to establish a clear personality, a connection to a major character in the story, act as an important obstacle to overcome, and sing an amazing villain song - more than Bellwether, Yokai, Hans, or Evelyn Deavor ever did. He is second only to Vincenzo Coccotti in terms of one-scene wonder villains, and that is incredibly high praise.

[miraculouscontent]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you didn't like Onichan.

lol I wasn’t aware I had snarky anons. :3

My reaction to both episodes that aired was a hard meh. I mean, they were basically what I expected. I knew about Kagami’s salt over Lila due to the leaks and I have unfortunate experience with family-centric plots, so I knew how Bakerix was going to turn out.

Knowing about the plots themselves don’t inherently make them bad episodes, of course, but Onichan and Bakerix don’t provide a lot for me.

I feel like “Bakerix” needed a few more laughs. It spends a lot of time with this grandfather character who spends 90% of his screentime shouting. I mean, I suppose if that’s funny to someone, the that’s great for them, but for me, it’s just a grouchy old man that I’ve been given no reason to care about. It’s like… he’s family, so what? I don’t see why him being family means he deserves anything. Heck, we don’t even see how Tom is affected by his father not being around; Sabine just brings it up.

By the way, why do both of Tom’s parents dislike him (or, well, Gina favors Sabine at least)? I know I criticize Tom a lot but still, dang.

Maybe it was supposed to show that Marinette’s family isn’t all sunshine and rainbows (not that I thought that in the first place), but I feel like the grandfather thing could’ve been mentioned in passing, like if it was an episode about Sabine’s father and Marinette asked about Tom’s father at some point. I’m not against the idea of a “bad relative,” but if they’re supposedly worth redeeming, I need a reason to like them aside from blood relations.

Anyway, point being, if Marinette’s grandfather is too stubborn to listen to reason and would rather live out the rest of his life alongside the three not-blind mice, that’s his business.

As for “Onichan,” I feel like it needed more structure and focus. I appreciate that it established what Kagami did with the rose and that Gabriel is considering Adrien’s relationship with Lila (I actually guessed that would happen eventually so that was something), but I think it gets bogged down by the fact that it’s spilling a lot onto its audience. Akumatization episodes try to have focus on the characters being akumatized (with very few exceptions, such as “Sandboy”), but Kagami can’t be afforded that attention because the episode is busy with the “Marinette following Lila and Adrien” plot.

And without the Marinette’s side of the plot, I feel like this would feel a lot more fresh, but since the episode spends time having Marinette chase after them and try to sneak in, it means less time on Kagami and less time developing the Adrimi dynamic.

I’m not going to compare it to “Silencer” because I don’t feel like that’s fair. “Onichan” threw a lot more into its episode than “Silencer.” For one, we have Lila added into the mix. For two, unlike “Silencer” where we hardly needed at all, “Onichan” needed Marinette since she’s the main-est main character.

The fact that it didn’t balance these things despite the obvious reasons for an audience to compare it to “Silencer” though? Yeah, that’s definitely something to critique.

For example, Marinette didn’t need to follow Adrien and Lila. She needed to be tied into the plot, yes, but not to waste time with stuff we’ve already seen her do.

That’s where Kagami comes in, because in the episode, Kagami is just kinda mentioned and then just shows up when the plot needs her. We also get a very brief interaction with Tomoe to show that she’s strict (we could’ve already guessed that, but okay, I’ll keep it in mind anyway).

So, here’s my pitch…

Kagami gets a tear in her red fencing uniform. We are relayed this information in the episode itself as Adrien’s phone goes off right at the end of class. We see Kagami’s contact icon, a few messages (presumably explaining the situation) then an image of the tear in question to show the severity.

Adrien considers this (as Lila is trying to peek at Adrien’s phone), then glances over to his side. Lila thinks that he’s going to speak to her at first and opens her mouth to greet him, but then Adrien calls out to Marinette.

Marinette (who was talking to Alya at the time) is surprised to be addressed, but rushes over to his side. Adrien shows her the picture and, in a hushed and begging tone, asks if it’s possible for her to fix Kagami’s outfit.

Marinette is at least happy that Adrien thinks highly of her sewing skills, but a little put off that he’s talking about Kagami in front of her.

As Marinette begins to ask why she has to do it (just because it seems weird for a rich girl like Kagami to need someone who isn’t a professional), Lila cuts in and starts rambling to Adrien as she does in the episode, wanting to go to Adrien’s house with him.

As Lila starts leading Adrien outside, Adrien gives Marinette a glance. Marinette, both knowing that they haven’t finished their conversation and that Lila around Adrien is a solid nope, follows them out to the limo. Lila gets inside (much to Marinette’s surprise), and when Adrien looks back at Marinette, he points sheepishly to his phone to remind her of Kagami’s uniform.

Marinette hesitates, staring at Lila in the limo. She doesn’t trust Lila around Adrien.

…But, Adrien also asked her to do something important.

With a smile, Marinette nods her head. Adrien, obviously very grateful for that, smiles back and gets into the limo alongside Lila. He’s seen typing on his phone (presumably texting Kagami back) just before Gorilla closes the door.

As the limo is driven away, Marinette takes one last look at it before racing back to the bakery.

Time passes, with Marinette talking to Tikki and wondering why she did this because Kagami probably hates her and–

The conversation is cut off as Sabine shouts up that Marinette has a visitor. Marinette calls back to tell Sabine to just send them up to her room.

Enter Kagami, and Marinette notices immediately that Kagami’s demeanor is… different.

Kagami’s steely gaze is shaken; anxious. She avoids Marinette’s gaze, but it’s obvious that something’s wrong.

Trying to be considerate, Marinette just gestures to the uniform in Kagami’s hand.

Kagami glances at Marinette, then walks over and hands it over with care.

Marinette inspects the uniform, observing the tear for a few seconds, then realizes that Kagami hasn’t sat down yet. She offers to let Kagami sit on her chaise, but Kagami insists that she’s fine.

The atmosphere is a little tense and awkward, but Marinette goes to work. Seeing how Kagami’s eyes are practically glued to the uniform, Marinette supposes that it must be important.

Cut to Lila and Adrien arriving at Gabriel’s mansion and everything continuing roughly as it did in the episode.

Return to Marinette and Kagami, the latter of whom is still awkwardly standing beside Marinette. Curious on the matter of the uniform, Marinette asks why Kagami doesn’t get a professional to fix it.

Kagami replies, a little too quickly, that… no! She can’t!

A pause.

Kagami collects herself, reluctantly explaining that her uniform is special and thus, her mother would be furious to know that she was “reckless” enough to let it happen.

Marinette is a little put off by that as a future fashion designer, observing that the uniform, while clearly given care, can’t hold up forever. Honestly, she doesn’t think any type of clothing can. A little wear is natural and things happen.

Kagami looks surprised that Marinette just tried to make her feel better, but makes no comment.

Marinette continues work on the uniform, though does get a bit discouraged and brings up that Adrien can probably relate to Kagami’s problem.

Kagami asks if Marinette has some sort of motive for mentioning that, to which Marinette insists that she has none; Adrien and Kagami just have a lot in common (as much as it pains her to admit it).

Then, we get the important piece of the Adrimi puzzle, as Kagami eases into talking about Adrien and why she is pursuing him, filling in the gap between “Riposte” and “Frozer” with interactions they’d had. This allows Marinette and Kagami to understand each other and know that neither have any ill intent with Adrien; Kagami even shows Marinette the pressed rose and Marinette shows Kagami the Lucky Charm that Adrien made for her.

As Kagami nears the end of her story (still holding the rose in her hands), she mentions the ice rink in “Frozer.” Marinette flashes back to that time, recalling Adrien holding the door for Kagami as Kagami got inside her limo, then flashes to Adrien watching Lila get into his limo, as it happened not too long ago.

Marinette asked what Kagami thinks of Lila, since Lila tries to be around Adrien often so surely Kagami must’ve met Lila at some point?

Kagami responds that, no, she doesn’t know anyone by that name, then questions what that girl has to do with Adrien.

Marinette looks hesitant to tell, as talking to anyone about Lila never seems to go well, but now Kagami seems set on hearing.

Marinette begins, but the scene cuts back to Lila in Adrien’s room, essentially showing roughly what Marinette would tell Kagami about as Lila lies, invades space without asking, and then gets “fake evidence” to prove a claim she’s made (I know Lila is bad about that last one but we all know that she should be doing this).

As Lila sends out the picture of her kissing Adrien’s cheek, the scene cuts back to Marinette and Kagami.

Kagami is sitting down on Marinette’s chaise, looking more like she belongs in Marinette’s room and isn’t so nervous anymore.

However, now she’s annoyed. Her grip tightens on the rose she’s holding. She tells Marinette that, if Marinette is speaking the truth, then Kagami is furious that such a lying, evil girl exists.

Marinette is honestly shocked to have someone on her side–and for it to be Kagami of all people–but she isn’t complaining.

Then, just as Marinette is about to tell Kagami that the uniform has been patched, their phones go off.

They see the picture. Kagami is now fuming.

Before Marinette can explain, Kagami already assures that she’s aware that Lila is deceiving people. Why else would she just send this picture to everyone except to brag?

Kagami isn’t mad because Adrien is hers or Lila is trying to steal Adrien. No, Kagami is mad because Lila is using Adrien.

Hawk Moth sends out an akuma. Akuma flies into Marinette’s room. Marinette tries to stop it by swatting it away and remaining calm, but it manages to land on the pressed rose that Kagami’s holding.

Cue Onichan.

The rest of the episode plays out mostly as normal, though with time tweaks here and there to make up for any lost/added time from the changed scenes.

By the end, Adrien still scolds Lila, but Kagami shows up to greet Adrien at the door. Marinette and Alya are walking towards the doorway at the time, and manage to see Kagami taking Adrien away from Lila, insisting that they have important business to attend to.

She shoots a smug glance at Lila then a fond glance at Marinette. She walks away alongside Adrien while Lila just stands there, stunned.

Alya is entirely confused, asking Marinette what happened and why Marinette isn’t concerned about Kagami being near Adrien when Marinette freaks out when it’s Lila. Like, what happened to Adrien being “in danger?”

With a smile, Marinette simply says that her and Kagami had a heart-to-heart and she knows Kagami has a good head on her shoulders. She starts to add on something else, but stops herself upon realizing that she’s talking to Alya, who wouldn’t understand. Brushing off the comment, Marinette instead starts heading back home. On her way, she gives a glance back at Lila, who’s walking in the other direction, clearly irritated that Kagami just swept up Adrien and took him away like that.

Oh yeah, that was definitely worth it.

[mobius-prime]

221. Sonic the Hedgehog #153

Oh god, is Sonic, like… okay? Is he all right up there? What horrific manner of trouble did he get himself into this time to have his face become deformed like that? Also, I like how this cover implies that Sonic is being hunted down by someone shooting lasers or something, when literally nothing even close to the sort happens within the issue. I know it's perhaps getting a bit stale to point out every time the cover art doesn't reflect the stories inside, but dammit, it makes me laugh so I'm gonna keep doing it.

Songoose (Part 1 of 2)

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Ron Lim Colors: Jason Jensen

Eggman has a new agenda to enact. He's offered Nack the Weasel a large sum of money in exchange for assassinating someone very important within Knothole, and despite Nack's apparent reservations about waltzing into a place where he's wanted for quite a few crimes, he seems pretty jazzed to accept the offer nonetheless. Within Knothole, Sally has arranged a mock battle training exercise between the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix to strengthen team bonding and combat skills, and oversees the training along with General D'Coolette, discussing the various combatants' strengths and weaknesses.

Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. In fact, at that moment they get a call from the king and queen, still halfway around the world, and apparently the king is also exhibiting similar symptoms to the general, prompting Sally to muse on whether their illnesses are related. She wonders if they should cut their trip short and return home, something which the king is against but the queen tentatively supports, but the conversation is interrupted when suddenly, the general seizes up and then collapses onto the ground. That's… probably not a good sign. Worse still, "Antoine" doesn't even seem to care, though of course we know why.

So this is actually a plot point that's kept up throughout a lot of subsequent issues - apparently, Tails' crush on Fiona is still going strong, despite the fact that he literally "fell in love" with a robot duplicate of her which had nothing in common with the real her. It's honestly a very weird detail to seize upon, as while Fiona being a real person and a unique character in her own right is interesting, and the fact that she's joined the Freedom Fighters even more so, Tails trying to like… flirt with her and become her boyfriend is just a bizarre place to take it, especially considering the age difference. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know it's not uncommon for a kid to end up with a crush on an older teenager, but multiple writers from here on out write Tails as being actually infatuated with her and unable to "let her go" after her robot duplicate broke his heart. It just doesn't feel like Tails to me and it's frustrating, to say the least. But anyway, moving on, everyone agrees it's a good idea to go to Mina's concert tonight and disperse. Sonic catches up to Fiona and tries to explain that Tails looks up to her, but she just makes a snarky comment about Sonic being one to talk about respect given how he acted the other day towards her - yeah, apparently he still hasn't told everyone that it was his evil double flirting with all the girls. Also, we never actually saw Evil Sonic come on to Fiona before, but I guess it just happened offscreen. She then admits to him that she hated him for a long time for leaving her behind in Robotnik's prison camp all those years ago, but changed her mind after seeing him sacrifice himself for the planet during the Xorda invasion, making her realize that he never left her behind on purpose. Aww, that's actually nice! Fiona has the potential to be a really interesting and complex character, and, well, honestly she's one of my favorites of the later comics, so I'm glad to see her getting more screentime.

That night, Sonic and the others show up backstage at the venue to give Mina a friendly pep talk before her show. She hugs Sonic, thanking him for the encouragement, and Ash immediately becomes very jealous and butts in to remind everyone that he's Mina's boyfriend and band manager and that she needs to go to the stage now, prompting a clueless Sonic to wonder what his problem is. However, Mina's performance actually kind of reveals that Ash has a good reason to be suspicious of her interactions with Sonic, as the sappy, lovey-dovey lyrics of her songs all reference the color blue in various ways, and are clearly influenced by her previous infatuation with Sonic. But things aren't as happy and peaceful as they seem, as a suspicious figure lurks in the crowd…

So Mina was Eggman's target, huh? Strangely enough, Nack, with a totally clear shot to the stage, misses and hits a tree several feet above and to the side of Mina. Like, it's not even played off as "oh, he was trying to make the tree fall on her, or someone bumped his elbow" or something - he just straight up misses for no reason, sets the tree on fire with the blast, and then tries to make a run for it. Some assassin you are, especially considering your alternate name is Fang the Sniper! Sonic, Bunnie, and Ash immediately race onstage to check on the startled but unharmed Mina, and Bunnie focuses on putting the fire out while Sonic races after Nack, catching and knocking him out easily. Nack wakes up hours later in Knothole's jail, where Sally and Sonic attempts to question him on his motives, and he decides to be all flippant and act like it's no big deal that he was caught, as he'd rather spend some time in prison than ruin his "cred" by giving up the name of his employer. I'm sorry, Nack, but what freaking cred are you even talking about? Like what, are you gonna go around telling prospective employers that your skill set includes missing a target forty feet away, setting a random tree on fire, and then immediately getting arrested? Sally merely points to the cell across from him, where he's quite perturbed to see the three other weasel associates who helped him kidnap her a year ago, and she invites him to go ahead and spend his time in jail sharing space with them after he knowingly left them to take the fall for his failed plan. Of course, he spills the beans on Eggman immediately.

Well… I suppose that's not even out of character for Eggman, considering his original counterpart also hated music. Sally decides to assign Sonic as Mina's personal bodyguard for now, while the other Freedom Fighters keep an eye out at the next night's concert to make sure nothing comes near Mina. Ash isn't pleased at all with Sonic being close to his girl, and stomps off, with a bemused Sonic commenting to Mina that he's pretty sure her boyfriend doesn't like him. Gee, what gave you that idea, Sonic? Sally's caution is warranted, however, as back in New Megaopolis we see Eggman preparing his next plan of attack in the wake of Nack's abysmal failure - he's rebuilt Heavy and Bomb, and is ready to sic them on Mina! Man, it's been a while since we saw those guys, huh? Now that I think about it, after they got reprogrammed by Eggman before, Sonic just kind of straight up killed them when they tried to attack the royal family, and no one seemed upset about it at all. Well, maybe with them back, they'll get a chance to be freed and find redemption… or maybe the writers still don't care and they'll get fridged again. Guess we just gotta wait and see!

Fairy Tale (or the Adventures of Pirate Sally)

Writer: Romy Chacon Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Josh Ray

Wow, it's been quite some time since we last had a "telling a bedtime story based on real events in the storyline to kids" episode, huh? Apparently, Rosie's three young charges have caught a bad cold, and as she brings them medicine to try to help them sleep they all start begging for her to tell them a story. She's reluctant, claiming she's not good at stories, but relents when they persist in asking. She invents a magical world of pirates and wizards, where the "Elfen Fox" falls onto "Pirate Sally" and "B-Bot's" ship, having had one of his two magical tails stolen by the "Rogue Assassin," who doesn't really live up to her name if all she's doing is going around stealing things. Man, what is it with wildly ineffective assassins this issue? Pirate Sally and B-Bot decide to help out the fox, and along the way meet their new allies Ant the Foole and the Blue Knight, who help them defeat various baddies based on the main villains of the comic's storyline. Finally, they make it to the Evil Wizard Kintobor's lair, whom they fight against as a team and help the Elfen Fox take back his missing tail.

I actually love this story, entirely because of the way the kids just start roasting Rosie's storytelling skills as soon as the whole thing is over. Hey, look on the bright side Rosie - now that they're preoccupied with coming up with a way to fix your terrible story, they won't be pestering you for more anytime soon!

[kisilinramblings]

If I'ma be real, I think most of the investing side characters are female with their involvement in the plot, or analyzing their logic/motivation in situations. Alya, Chloe, Kagami, Lila, and Nathalie! Like I mean I love the guy characters too but most of them are kinda just soft/dorky (which isn't a bad thing to say), with the most interesting being Gabriel and Felix to me in looking more closely at them.

I must first apologize to you, Anon, I’m taking an awful lot of time to reply to you. Because overall I do agree most of the active characters are indeed girls and women. Especially when I first read your opinion, yet there was something bothering me and the more I re-read your ask, the harder it was for me to write a proper answer. 

I mean, let’s quickly look at the characters. We have Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Chat Noir are the main characters – the main heroes. The main villain is Gabriel/Hawkmoth. As for the secondary cast, we have Tikki, Plagg, Alya, Chloé, Nino, Lila, Kagami, Luka, Nathalie and Master Fu (up until end of s3). As for the rest of the classmates, from my perspective, they fall more into the supportive cast category. 

So, 7 females, 6 males. We could say the main and secondary cast is overall balanced during S3. But the more I think about it, the more I can’t help but think this is a matter of perception when we talk about character being active or passive. I don’t know exactly why, but it might have to do with what we expect out of their gender and what it the character do during their screentime. 

Let’s take for example Master Fu who had the role of the mentor. He gave informations related to the Miraculous. He worked on translating the grimoire, worked to decode the secret formulas to give new powers to Ladybug and Chat Noir. He guarded the Miraculous box and was there for Ladybug when she needed more allies. But he stay behind, hidden and never pushed training to either Marinette and Adrien. Instead, as it was shown to us during Syren, he waits for them to be ready. Just like Marinette had to find and meet him by herself, guided by Tikki.

Kagami, although competitive, confident and determined, was mostly shown through Marinette’s eyes. In Animaestro, she was the reason why Chloé and Marinette team up, but Kagami wasn’t doing anything wrong. She simply wanted to be in Adrien’s company. In Backwarder, Kagami observed Marinette but she didn’t badmouthed her or took actions against her either. Kagami’s “crime” was to be allowed to spend an entire weekend in London with Adrien, even though it was their family’s decision they travel together as her mother and Adrien’s father are business partners and both families were invited to the event. She is a skilled fencer and when there is an Akuma attacks, Kagami doesn’t hesitate to charge and defend even as a civilian (Desperada, Miracle Queen). We also know she can take the initiative or the lead (by disobeying her mother and solving all the riddles during Ikari Gozen even though Marinette was not cooperating) as well as being forward to Adrien when they are alone. 

Nino hangs with Adrien a lot… when Adrien is allow out. So we end up seeing them the most together when they are at school. Now, Nino is in couple with Alya and hangs with her as well. And since we follow more Marinette, we often see him with Alya instead that with Adrien outside of school in S2. Thus we can sometimes get the impression he is more of Alya’s boyfriend than Adrien’s or Marinette’s friend. And the Miraculous power given to him is a defensive one. However, Nino is shown capable of taking the lead, though he might tend to boss other a bit (Horrificator). In Party Crasher, he is the one who rallied the boys of his class to throw a party for Adrien while Gabriel is believed absent of the house and encourage them to lie to the girls so they can go on with the plan and spend the afternoon with Adrien. He is shown to cheer up his friends and wants to be there for them. Especially Adrien and Alya, two people he holds dear. For example, his speech to Alya in Puppeteer 2 when the Akumatized are people LB and CN helped and then proceed to tickle her. Or when during Bubbler, he went and begged Gabriel so Adrien could have a birthday party. He knows he can be powerless, yet that doesn’t stop him to try (Anansi was such a good episode for him). 

As for Nathalie, though she does help convince or reason with Gabriel, siding with Adrien from time to time, she still obey most of his orders as he is her employer and she is his assistant. From S2 finale, she takes initiatives more and steps in more to help him as Mayura. So her role gradually took in importance. She isn’t just assisting Gabriel. She is becoming his most precious ally and partner in crime as they scheme together some plans (like in Miraculer). In Ladybug, she bypassed Gabriel’s edict to no use the Peacock Miraculous and although scolded by Gabriel was also praised for her plan. So back in S1, I’m not sure people would have guess Gabriel’s assistant, become such an important secondary character as the show progressed. 

I’ll stop it here, but I think there might be some internalization when it comes of seeing male characters as supportive and kind. I ultimately don’t like when we say a mean character is more interesting than the kinder ones. Though I realize it might be hypocrite for me to say so as I love villains characters and likes to figure out what they are plotting and what makes them act like they do (it’s no secret I love writing analysis centered around Gabriel and Lila the most), but maybe it’s not much how mean or kind a character, how active or passive they are, that make them interesting, but the conflicts that challenge either them or the characters around them. And aside of Félix (but that is only because it will take me a few more episodeinvolving him to be consider him really) all of the characters you name fit the conflict criteria. Thus why you find them more active, more involve to the plot even though each character contribute to advance one or more character’s development.

[niennavalier]

So I’m sure no one cares but

I’ve recently discovered genderbent Frozen covers and animatics and honestly I love these? Like, a lot? 

(Rambly thoughts under the cut, because I got invested in talking about Disney movies and ways they write characters and generalizing stuff, despite writing this all on a whim and doing not much research but hey, that���s what this blog is for. Random thoughts about movies and stories and Youtube comments)

I mean, I’ll admit that I’ve never been a big fan of Frozen - nothing against the story (cause it is good and for all I will criticize Disney for not generally being particularly uh...keen on taking any risks, I do appreciate the way they do break the mold here) or the music (it sounds like a Broadway musical, hell yeah) - but tbh Let it Go far overstayed its welcome and yes, I’m glad kids enjoyed the movie, but we heard it nonstop for way longer than we should have. The song honestly never felt like it went away for, what like, 2 years? I can listen to songs on endless loops, and this was still too much for me. Granted, I never hated it (my brother did, possibly still does, so I didn’t mind listening to it for the sole purpose of tormenting him) but still. It sorta turned me off from the franchise. I didn’t need to hear it every time I walked into a store.

And I’ll also admit to never being big on genderbending. Nothing against people who enjoy it, but it’s never been my thing, and the few fics I’ve read with it never felt like it used the swap for any sort of message or to explore anything particularly interesting. Which I would’ve preferred, because otherwise, I didn’t see the reason for the swap, personally. (and to be fair, I turned off of this pretty quickly, so I’m sure there are good ones out there, but it’s really just never been something I’m big on)

But like...okay. There is this animatic for Show Yourself, but with the audio dropped into the male vocal range and I love it so much. It’s wonderful and adorable (and the song is legitimately very good, so I’ve seen that part, despite never having actually watched Frozen 2). And also a handful of actual covers, which are absolutely amazing. And now I’ve found the same sort of thing with Let it Go (which I’m now okay with - I guess it just takes 7 years for me to get over the oversaturation of that song in society) and like holy shit, friends. Big fan.

Scrolling through the comments also gets all the “can we please get a Disney Prince movie” thoughts and hey, I’m so on board with this. I know, there are movies with princes (Aladdin, Hercules, Lion King, etc), but it’s less that plain fact of having a prince, and more of the arc for the character? Basically, I wanna destroy the trend of having male-oriented movies be more action-adventure-y. Let boys be soft and have feelings, that’s all I ask. Make that the character arc, have your main character be male and need to discover himself, all of the fears and insecurities included, I am begging you. 

(Sidenote because I did see some other interesting mentions: I haven’t seen Hunchback, back from what I’m aware of with that movie, that one probably fits closer to what I’m talking about. Also Treasure Planet, because honestly, that really is exactly the kind of arc that I’m talking about, and there’s a reason I love that movie with all my heart, it’s amazing, and go watch it if you haven’t. But like, it’s a coming of age story with some good ol’ found family and no romance! And while Jim is really smart and has some bad-ass moments, I love when we get insight into his emotional state. But I could gush about this movie forever, moving on. The one thing about these is not the lack of royalty (for me), but just...box office? I don’t know the circumstances for Hunchback, except that the numbers apparently aren’t great, and to my knowledge, someone over at Disney just didn’t want Treasure Planet to do great, and this goes to show what marketing does. Apparently, they did the same to Emperor’s New Groove, which isn’t entirely relevant, but my point is, whoever did this to these movies, screw you, they’re wonderful)

(Apologies for the tangent)

Anyway, I’m not saying remake Frozen, but doing the genderbend works really well here, I think? Obviously, I love that Elsa’s arc is entirely her own, and stories about opening up to family and accepting yourself have messages that everyone needs to hear, regardless of any barrier. So this isn’t a criticism, just a thought. Because (granted, I’m not doing research to write this, and I’m admittedly not 100% caught up on Disney movies) it feels to me like female characters do tend to have the more emotional arcs. Talking Disney Renaissance, this feels true in the female-lead movies, especially if you compare to the respective princes. In male-lead movies, it’s not entirely true, and I’m not calling the characters flat or emotionless, but that’s not the main thing going on in the movie. (ie, Simba has his reservations about returning and so he talks to Mufasa, and that’s a big scene and its important, but it feels more like it’s just a step to ultimately taking down Scar - tbh, compare the screentimes there). Again, the Renaissance movies are fantastic and I love them, but I just want to make some comparisons. And I don’t want to delve too deep into the more recent ones, because I haven’t seen them all, but the focus seems much more on the strong, independent female-lead (again, not a criticism because we can always do with more strong ladies who don’t need no man - I am just saying). 

But anyway. Frozen. I like the idea of keeping Anna as herself, because the Hans twist and more slow-burn-y development with Kristoff is good - that accomplishes the idea of breaking down tropes. But Elsa as a male character is really interesting to me? Having an arc that centers on fear that’s born of isolation, and ends with self-acceptance and familial love, is something that I don’t recall seeing in male characters very often (not never, but not often)? But I can think of tons of male characters who appear confident and charismatic, even if that’s in their own way, and then even if we do peel back to find trauma and pain, I can think of more instances of it presenting as bitterness or anger rather than genuine fear (or at the very least, we as the audience don’t quite see that fear). I want to see a male character who was forced to repress who they are and has real fear as to who their true self is. I want this character to discover who that is and have a hard time coming to grips with it, and all that stuff because I honestly just really like writing a lot of self-deprecation. Won’t deny that. And then pairing that with magic is also just interesting IMO. I don’t know how magic tends to fall with regard to this sort of thing, but just the fact that it’s inborn and different (akin to D&D sorcery), rather than learned and understood (like D&D wizardry, or even HP wizards), is an interesting thought to me? Maybe because the “strange and different” type of magic reminds me more of the general conception of witches (or...the Salem Witch Trials) which is also more female-leaning, but I won’t stand by that super strongly, because it’s not something I’ve looked into all that much. But it means, to me, that it would be an interesting way to sorta...turn the tables in the way magic gets used.

Point being: I just think this would be a really solid message. That bravery doesn’t have to be saving the world or killing the dragon or even the self-sacrifice story that’s become more prominent in stories now. It can also come from battling your own demons and opening up to people to ask for help. Which is obviously something everyone needs to learn, but if we’re gonna fight the submissive female character trope with some badass heroines, then I say we also do the same thing in reverse for our male characters. Just a thought

[goji-pilled]

I'm rewatching Reflekdoll,again,and tbh I can say for sure this is by far my favourite episode ever.Here some thoughts since I'm a little late to that party lol

-The talk between Chat and Ladybug is like this mix of friendly teasing and joking and a very serious topic (at least that's how I see it lol)But honestly the parts I love so much come after that so skip that

-Juleka and Luka sibling moment.I mean we finally got to see what their realtionship is like and I couldn't be more happy with what we saw.Luka engouraging and supporting his sister and her dreams?Fuck yes that's some really good content

-What else I like about this scene is that I can personally relate to Juleka a lot,not only in Reflekdoll but also in Reflekta.The fact that she didn't want to bother Marinette or how insecure she is is something I did/said/felt too (or well still do/say/feel)Like this feeling that you're all alone,that noone cares or notices you?That hurts,a lot.And it's something I know all to well.And honestly it's super important to show children that these feelings exist because it might help someone

-Juleka not being able to handle a compliment?Yep,absolutely relateable.I swear I'm going to protect Juleka 'till the very end

-Alrighty this is the part that makes me slighty salty:Alya pushing Marinette into things that clearly make her uncomftable.I mean yes she means well and want to help her best friend but seriously,pushing her like this and forcing her into uncomftable situations with Adrien is the absolute wrong way to do it and the girl just doesn't seem to get that.Fucking hell Marinette pretty much begged Alya to not invite Adrien but she is just like "Fuck it!" and disrespects Marinette's wish.

-After 'Ladybug and the Miracubros' we present to you:'Adrien and the Girlsquad'

-Juleka getting more nervous untill it's an actual panic attack.Again I can relate a lot to this,even though I wouldn't say that I have panic attacks.It's more this feeling of becoming so nervous that it feels like you have a knot in your stomach,your throat is dry,you feel super uncomftable and all of the sudden your thoughts are worst case scenarios;"What if I mess up?","What if I'm not good enough?","What if they laugh at me or hate me?",etc.I have these thoughts more often than I like to admit since I was 6/7 years old.It just makes me kinda happy that a show for children shows this topic

-Marinette trying to comfort Juleka is something I loved too.Like Marinette is very understanding here and tries to help Juleka calm down which shows us a bit of their friendship and I just really apprechiate that

-And Alya is at her bullshit again dear god.Honestly Alya sees that Juleka is having a panic attack and all she thinks about is getting Adrien and Marinette together.It's just wrong on so many levels.Not only does she keep disrespecting Marinette but she also head on ignores Julekas situation,which is rude and disrespectful.Like seriously that's so not okay and she should've been called out for that.

-Adrien sweetie thanks for trying.It's good to see that he wants to help Juleka in this situation.

-ALYA GODDAMNIT.And again she is being pushy.Yes Marinette said she's gonna do it herself but in a way where you can tell she wanted to help Juleka and remove the pressure,plus Marinette never said she would never consider Juleka as a model again so there is that!But of course a certain Blogger had to be pushy and forceful about it again.And Adrien didn't even want to model,he just wanted to help.Oh god the way Alya told Juleka to give her suit to Marinette is just...no.Juleka is upset and honestly does Alya notice?No.And Marinette's clearly uncomftable oh god why.

Alya:"I care about all my friends equally!"

Alya:"Adrien!"

Alya:"Marinette!"

Alya reading something from her arm:"And uh...Julia?"

Honestly I could go on with this but let's refocus on the positive stuff.

-How the fuck does noone hear or see Adrien and Marinettd talk with Tikki and Plagg????

-Adrien and Marinette in that Partnerlook just expanded my lifespan for 100 years

-"He's too hot-I mean I'm overheating inhere don't you????"

Mari please you need to calm down oh god please someone save the poor girl-

-Julerose.Julerose.JULEROSE.I swear everytime Juleka and Rose interact my hesrt bursts.Also thank god for Rose and Marinette,it's these two who try to help Juleka (just like in Reflekta).Also Juleka bot wanting to bother others with her feelings?Yes hello I'd like to say that this situation is relatable.

-That soft look Juleka gave Rose after Rose kissed her cheek is just...so adorable and it shows how much Juleka loves Rose

-God Juleka talking herself down?Almost crying and super upset by herself?Probably even hating herself?Yep again,this is all too familiar to me and it feels so good to have a chrachter to relate too.

-"Yet again my young prey fails to be the center of attention."Your "young prey"???Seriously????Gabriel what the fuck-

-YEET THEM GLASSES

-No honestly Nathalie's transformation is so amazing.It's simple but in combination with the amazing theme this transformation is by far one of my favorites.I'd go as far as to say my second favourite transformation(Together with Luka's)

-I genuinly love the whole scene in the lair.I can't even tell you why because I don't know but I just love it.

-Them sending off an Akuma and an Amok?Loved it.

-Petition to let Gorilla adopt Adrien

-Also Gorilla is so soft for these kids

-I loved the scene of Juleka's akumatization.Like the purple maskoutline being a combination between Hawkmoth's and Mayura's looks so fucking cool

-Reflekta is back bitches!Honestly Reflekta has always been one of my favourite akumas and I'm happy seeing her again!Also her design is so fucking amazing holy shit

-I'm not fan of Miraculous' english dub but Juleka's voice actress is amazing.Lots of love to her.

-"I'm gonna show you what it feels like to be me!"Honestly that's such a great line on many diffrent levels.Not only does she say it because she's a villain right now but because she obviously has some kind of selfdisliking and ugh can you make Reflekta even more relatable too?

-"Juleka is no more,I'm Reflekta!Everyone always forgets about Juleka anyway..."Honestly this is again a pretty deep line and it shows more of her emotions...And I can relate to certain dagree.It feels like people just forget about you,that you're not important,don't matter,sometimes you want to be someone else so badly...Honestly Juleka truly is one of my favourite characters

-Reflekta turning Marinette into a Reflekta and saying:"Perhaps you'll understand me better now that you're in MY shoes!"It's another line that shows how Juleka(or at this moment Reflekta) feels.She feels misunderstood and wow same here haha...

-Tikki and Plagg's interaction earlier was great and Plagg reassuring Tikki is so adorable.Honestly these two need more screentime together

-"Rose!Where are you my BFF!"Juleka has the 'She's just a friend' desease,we all know what people in this show mean when they say:"She's just a friend".And since she said BFF they're probably married

-Plagg calling for Chat Noir and then almost casually telling Marinette his identity is gold.

-Honestly all Plagg/Marinette interactions are gold.I love this chaos duo.They are the best part about Kwami swap AUs.Also Plagg looks and sounds so soft when talking to Marinette I love them

-Marinette taking the ring like:"Fuck it"

-I love the detail that the Miraculous changes to it's wielder

-LADY NOIR TRANSFORMATION.I absolutly loved everything about it and it's my favourite transformation with Roi Singe's

-Lady Noir is giving me gay thoughts

-Lady Noir said fuck Reflekdoll rights

-Tikki is just like:"Oh god no the choas duo finally found eachother-"

-Adrien not introducing himself,rude.

-Adrien taking the earings:"Fuck it I always wanted to do this"

-MISTERBUG TRANSFORMATION.I love his transformation so much,he's an adorable Bugboy.Honestly his version of the Ladybug theme sounds so great holy shit

-Adrien sweetie why do you have a Reflekta head agi-oh never mind it's gone

-Hot take:Marinette does the Black Cat transformation better than Adrien,while Adrien does the Ladybug transformation better

-"M'lady Noir" I love it

-Adrien did the Orgins-Ladybug move with that yo-yo

-Lady Noir helping Misterbug out even though she sounds a bit rude gives me life

-The Lucky Charm scene is amazing I love it,them arguening and teasing like a married couple god just kiss already you dumbasses

-Again Marinette is explaining how the Lucky Charm works even though she may sound a little harsh she means well but she didn't have to hit him.......well it was funny...haha

-"Why don't you help me instead of making fun of me?!"...Adrien...she explained you the lucky charm the whole time...she tried helping you and teased you....you pun and tease her all the time...your still an adorable bugboy and I love you

-Marinette is so extra when summoning her cataclysm...I love it.Though she could've thought about the idea of cataclysming a sentimonster a bit longer...she's still a queen and I love her

-Adrien getting to explain cataclysming a sentmoster is a nice contrast to her explaing the lucky charm

-That wink Lady Noir gave Misterbug that just gave me a lot of life

-Reflekta is the first Akuma to ask for help nakwsnkwwk

-And again she helped him by reminding him to catch the akuma in a teasing tone

-Idk why but Adrien catching an Akuma and saying Marinette's catchphrases was so awesome

-Adrien admitting and understanding why LB never jokes around is some character developement we stan!Untill the writers decide to take that way that is but y'know

-Marinette admitting that she's happy to have a little less responsibilty for once hurts my heart like the girl has so much responsibilty and stress an in the end it always depends on her to fix thing and she just needs a break and a hug...

-Them working our a plan was great.It showed how well they work together and just ugh,kiss already you idiots!

-Gabriel goddamnit why are you letting her use the damn Miraculous god jesus

-Dusuu is absolutely adorable and I love her

-oh...rip Nathalie

-Oh the reunion with their kwamis was so sweet holy cow my heart is gonna explode

-And here I go again becoming salty,like Marinette should not have been the one to apolagize.It should have been Alya,to both Juleka and Marinette.Alya way the one being rude,pushy,disrespecrful ans inconsidered.But oh well of course it's always Mari's fault...

-Adrien and Girlsquad are the Brotp

Anyway overall I love Reflekdoll so much.It absolutely is my favourite episode.From Juleka/Luka sibling moment,being able to relate so strongly to Juleka,Mayura's transformation,the Kwami swap untill the end I loved the episode,despite being salty here and their but you can't expect me to watch a mlb episode and not be salty

[rainbowravioli]

Please share your thoughts on Avengers Endgame, especially regarding Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow (being very vague to avoid spoilers)

(Sorry for the wait, this wasn’t easy to write)

Oh boy…

So my thoughts on the overall movie are that it was an enjoyable movie for about 80% of its run time, though the other 20% were mostly awful. It’s not anywhere near perfect or a masterpiece as I’ve seen some people call it. The character arcs aside, the movie itself has problems. The pacing, for example, is all over the place. Also, somehow, I left the movie feeling they both did too much and too little, though I would have to delve into specific scenes and characters to explain what I mean. It’s kind of a amazing that they managed to build so many great callbacks to the past MCU movies and still have the movie that’s supposed to close of this chapter end without a sense of finality when it comes to a bunch of plot threads and characters. But you asked specifically for Steve, Tony, and Natasha thoughts.

Before I get into them I would just like to say one thing that may be an unpopular media opinion in general: I don’t believe that tragedy is meaningful by default, and I don’t believe happy endings take away from sacrifice or emotional impact or that a battle without stakes (AKA deaths) is unsatisfying. Especially when we already saw our heroes in this particular case lose everything once. Infinity War was about loss and tragedy. Endgame should have been about rising up from it and taking it back. Why is it more meaningful to end this chapter with tragedy than with joy and togetherness? 

Anyway.

I’ll start with Natasha.

BEWARE SPOILERS

Honestly my biggest problem with Natasha is that they didn’t bring her back. I had this problem with not bringing back everyone who wasn’t dusted, honestly. I thought that the scene between Natasha and Clint in pursue of the Soul Stone was one of the best scenes in the movie and it made perfect sense that both of them would try to sacrifice themselves. Natasha repaying what she saw as her life debt to Clint was very poignant. My problem is with the idea and framing of Natasha’s death as some sort of redemption for her character. I saw a reviewer say something of the effect that Natasha’s death was beautiful because finally the “red was wiped out of her ledger”.

Natasha was taken as a child, groomed to be an assassin, endured a lifetime of trauma, but she still wanted to make herself a better person and, with Clint’s help, she did! She changed her circumstances, she rose up against those who wronged her, she found friends she could trust who were like a family to her, and she spent FIVE YEARS at the Avengers base keeping the Avengers going, throwing herself into work to keep what was left of Earth as safe as possible. She had already done more than enough to wipe the red of her ledger. She was a hero. And it’s vile that she had to die for the greater good as redemption.

It’s even worst though, that she was not mourned properly. Her death was brushed aside so quickly and there was barely any reaction from the team. Clint and Bruce were clearly affected, but I was not impressed by Steve’s Single Tear™ over one of his closest friends or how everyone else just pretty much shrugged it off because you know, gotta move on with the plan. 

Someone had to die for the Soul Stone. I expected it. My friends and I all agreed pre-movie it would fall to Clint or Natasha. But having Natasha be brought back after the final snap would not erase the depth of emotion of the scene where she fights Clint for it, where she begs him to let her go, where she tries to comfort him before making the ultimate sacrifice for the world. Let her come back, let her be welcomed back as the hero she is, let her live out a happy life with her new family who loves her.

Natasha deserved better but then again, she deserved better throughout most of the MCU.

Tony is actually one of the parts of the movie where I felt they did too little in a way. And no I am not asking for more Tony screentime, but that I feel that the 5 year gap screwed over some characters and Tony was one of them. It was beautiful to see him having the family he always wanted, but it felt strange and distant that we didn’t get to see that happiness before it was fully realized. We missed out on the wedding, we missed out on Tony learning he would be a father. It was honestly a bit jarring to be pulled right into the middle of Tony being a husband and parent and living a quiet life without seeing how he got there, even though we can of course guess from his reaction after being rescued from space. It’s just that this was Tony’s endgame. We’ve known since IW. His literal dream was to have a child with Pepper. Personally, it would have been more satisfying to me to see him achieve it. But that’s a minor detail.

And the thing is, the fact that Tony was fully immersed in that life, that he was fully retired, already showed that you didn’t have to kill Tony to get him out of the game: he walked out of it willingly, and he fully intended to get back to his family life once they brought everyone back.

Him getting the stones and doing a call back to the very first Iron Man was spectacular. Honestly an amazing moment. His slow, painful death scene? Not so much. I don’t think he had to die. It felt more like they were killing a symbol than a character, to put a definite period on this chapter of the MCU. So by basically objectifying Tony as mattering more as a symbol, I believe his character integrity suffered. Tony was the one character always focused on preventing IW from happening. His methods have not always been the best, but he was driven by panic and PTSD and ultimately good intentions (even if, once  again, his actions haven’t always been The Best™). He wanted to protect the people that mattered to him, he wanted to go back to Pepper and to watch Morgan grow and be a better parent than what he got.

Killing Tony was unnecessary. Make Tony lose the arm. That’s how I would have handled it. The suit technology protects him long enough to be saved from dying, but he permanently loses his entire arm. He built it in a way that he would be able to make a gauntlet of it and use the stones, he could have also built it in a way that protected him from the after effects. It’s still a sacrifice, but it’s not his life. He can go back and live the rest of it. He can keep contributing to saving the world through his inventions without having to be in the center of the battle itself. It wouldn’t have taken away from the fact that he was willing to put down his life for the world (it’s not even the first time he did so), and it wouldn’t have taken away from how awesome his “I am Iron Man! *snap*” moment was!

Tony didn’t deserve this.

I’m not even sure what to say when it comes to Steve, I’m so angry and heartbroken.

I’ll say that, and maybe I’m extremely biased because he is my favourite MCU character, but I could live with all the other faults of the movie until they had Steve make the most possible out of character decision he could have and trash 8 years worth of movies and character development. That final decision made no sense, broke the movie’s own previously established rules, and was as far from a happy ending as possible.

You’re telling me Steve Rogers, whose character arc has been about moving forward, who has never been one to abandon his friends, who had built a life for himself in the future with a new family with the Avengers, who had just gotten his best friend and main motivator throughout 3 movies and arguably his most important relationship back, who knew Peggy had lived a full happy life, decided to be a gigantically selfish, cruel man and give up on everything he built to go back to the past and rob Peggy of her own life?! Over a relationship that we were shown him making peace with? When Peggy herself tells him the best thing he can do is move on and live his own life?

Steve’s arc has always been about moving forward and protecting what he had with all his might. Steve going back, abandoning everyone he knows and everything he achieved, isn’t him living his own life, it’s him robbing someone else’s, it’s him giving up and regressing completely. Not my Steve Rogers.

Not to mention, the fact that Steve shows up as an old man breaks so many canon established rules it’s not even worth getting into, it simply makes absolutely no sense. And no, don’t give me any of that “he closed his loop and was Peggy’s husband all along” because lol no, all past movies contradict that, and also that means Marvel supports Sharon getting with who she knows damn well is her uncle because it’s ok if he’s young and hot I guess.

There’s too much to say about Steve, it would be a whole essay on its own. I’ll just conclude with something that breaks my heart to say, but it’s where the movie brought me to:

Marvel might as well have killed Steve because what they did was character assassination. 

[themurphyzone]

Rosieverse Oneshot: Guardian

Summary: Tino is just a simple guy who happens to play a villain in a TV show. Recently, the entire studio has become enamored by a little orphan named Rosie with a talent in voice-acting. Well, everyone except lead actor Jim Starling. 

But everyone has their beef with Starling, so it’s really no big deal. 

Or is it?

Jim Starling wasn’t happy. And when wasn’t Jim Starling happy, he was determined to make everyone else’s lives as miserable as possible. He stood on the long conference table, shouting a plan about a meet-and-greet that would surely boost his fading popularity. 

“Just picture it!” Starling exclaimed. “Look, the Fearsome Four can open the event. Five minutes signing autographs for them and no more! And then I make a fashionably late entrance dressed as Darkwing Duck! Maybe about...fifteen minutes or so after the meet-and-greet starts, we can work out the details later. But the point is, I’m there, the fans will adore yours truly, and Darkwing Duck’s ratings go through the roof! What do you think?” 

Someone coughed, but the room was otherwise full of crickets. 

Tino glanced at the lovely bonsai tree on the windowsill, half-expecting an actual cricket to jump in and chirp merrily while ruining the tiny pink leaves. Next to him, Dan sketched a rough schematic of a toaster, humming to himself and not paying attention to the meeting. Jack flipped through a report on Darkwing Duck ratings and merchandise sales, scanning through the business jargon and statistics with practiced ease. 

In Tino’s opinion, Michael was lucky he got the babysitting job. Rosie was a sweet kid and a delight to be around. Much better than listening to an egotistical celebrity prattle on about boosting his public image. 

Speaking of which...

Tino glanced at the clock. 

Almost 4:00 pm, he realized. And it was his day to drive Rosie back to the orphanage too. They needed to get going before the Audubon Bay Bridge got clogged with rush hour traffic. 

Silently, Tino put his hand up, unwilling to interrupt the argument between Starling and the director. 

“Our budget’s already been slashed, and now you want us to spend more money to fuel your ego?” 

“Just pay for the venue! The special events center maybe. I hear the Duckburg Stadium is nice this time of year too,” Starling continued to suggest expensive locations that no sane person at the studio would ever consider. “Tell ‘em to bring their own snacks though. And you could always charge some good money for an autograph, maybe a little more for a photoshoot. That oughta make up your price.” 

“This town ain’t cheap, Starling!” the director snarled. “Do you realize how much McDuck charges for the use of his locations? In case you haven’t noticed, money doesn’t grow on trees!” 

“You’re as cheap as the network!” Starling scoffed. “Sabotaging a fine art for the sake of money!” 

“I’m. Being. Realistic,” the director gritted his teeth. 

Starling stomped over to the director’s chair. Their beaks were inches away as they stared each other down, willing their opponent to cave in. 

Before it could devolve into an insult-fest, Jack cleared his throat. Immediately, everyone turned their attention to him. Even Starling recognized that it was better to listen when Jack had something to say. 

“It’s Tino’s day to drive Rosie back to the orphanage,” Jack said. “He needs to leave now.” 

Tino shot Jack a grateful look, and the corners of the dog’s mouth twitched upwards in response. 

“Wait, that brat lives in an orphanage?” Starling blinked, his beak dropping open in surprise. 

Clearly, Starling had been living under a rock. Rosie’s orphan status was common knowledge with everyone in the studio. 

At least, Tino assumed it was. 

“Not everything revolves around your universe-sized ego, dim bulb,” one of the editors muttered. 

“Don’t insult actual dim bulbs,” Dan scolded. Then his expression softened as he turned to Tino. “And say hi to Rosie for me, okay?”

“Same here,” Jack agreed. “You should get going. I’ll fill you in later, but somehow I doubt there’ll be anything worth mentioning.” 

Since nobody accomplished anything in meetings when Starling was involved, Tino knew he wouldn’t be missing anything. 

Tino hurried out of the conference room. He felt Starling’s eyes bore into his back, but he brushed it off. 

He was the only person leaving early. It was perfectly natural that everyone’s attention would be drawn to him. 

It made his skin crawl. He just wasn’t one for the spotlight. 

                                              --------------------------------

“You’ll get there! Five bounces is pretty good for a beginner!” Michael exclaimed as he showed off a rather complicated yo-yo trick that involved a lot of twirling and loops. 

Rosie smiled, a pink yo-yo dangling from a string on her finger. “Thank you, Mr. Michael,” she said formally. “Would you mind teaching me your walk the dog trick in the future?” 

Michael grinned. “No problemo! Just keep practicing with that yo-yo. I’ve got plenty more.” 

“Oh no, I couldn’t!” Rosie’s eyes widened as she tried to give the yo-yo back. “It’s your toy, sir.” 

Michael shook his head, flipping into a handstand before cartwheeling away from Rosie. “Nope! No takebacks! It’s the highest law in the land!” he giggled. He caught sight of Tino and slumped to the ground, reminding Tino of a child who begged their parents for ten more minutes on the playground. “Looks like playtime’s over, kiddo.” 

“Hello, Mr. Tino!” Rosie exclaimed. “How was your meeting?” 

She hugged him enthusiastically, tiny hands squeezing his waistline and nearly knocking him off-balance. 

“Frankly, a bit boring,” Tino admitted once he adjusted his footing. “At least you and Michael are having fun.” 

Michael rolled his eyes. “What demands did the great and almighty Dumbwing make this time?” 

“Please don’t call name-call in front of Rosie,” Tino said as he ruffled Rosie’s flaming red curls. “She’s an impressionable child.”

“Fine, I’ll ask Jack later,” Michael said with a huff. His eyes flicked to Rosie, and his entire expression softened. “I get a goodbye hug too, right?” 

Rosie immediately latched onto Michael. “Don’t worry!” she chirped. “You get a goodbye hug too!” 

Michael laughed and patted her back. “I’ll be sure to pass your goodbye hugs onto Dan and Jack, okay?” 

“And Mr. Starling too!” Rosie added. 

Michael stiffened, though Rosie didn’t seem to notice. “Uh, sure. Him too.” 

Absolutely not, Michael mouthed at Tino. 

Starling loathed any form of prolonged physical contact. But Tino held his tongue, knowing he would confuse himself if he tried explaining that to a six-year-old.  

                                          --------------------------------

Much to Tino’s chagrin, they didn’t beat the rush hour traffic on the bridge. He turned the radio to a kid-friendly station and hoped the orphanage director would forgive him for being late. 

Caution was highly advised when dealing with St. Canard drivers. Really, Duckburg’s sister city was anything but saintly. 

Rosie didn’t mind though. She folded her hands in her lap, sitting like a dainty little princess upon a flower-patterned booster seat. 

“The view is pretty, Mr. Tino,” Rosie said. 

“It is,” Tino said, though he believed Audubon Bay was more dangerous than beautiful. There was a reason why crime shows loved using this body of water as a background. 

“It looks like the set of Darkwing Duck,” Rosie remarked.

“The main set was modeled off this area,” Tino said, pointing to a tower just above the toll gate. “That’s Darkwing’s lair over there.” 

Rosie craned her neck as she took in the sheer size of the tower. “Is he always up there if he’s not fighting bad guys?” she asked. “That’s awfully lonely.” 

“Darkwing Duck is the loner type,” Tino admitted. “I don’t think he minds.” 

Starling preferred doing everything himself, whether it involved thwarting crimes on a TV show or making himself the center of attention. In the best case scenario, people tolerated him. 

Still, it seemed like a lonely way to live. 

Of course, Michael and Dan would insist that Starling brought it on himself. Tino wasn’t a match for either of them when they were riled up, so he kept his beak shut on the matter. 

                                           -------------------------------- 

It was another hour before Tino got home from driving Rosie to the orphanage. The sunset lit up the sky in brilliant warm hues, and Tino was glad he made it home before nighttime. He didn’t like driving in the dark. 

He parked the car next to its usual spot near the mailbox, figuring that he had some time to check on his flowers before dinner. He circled the front lawn of the house, humming a bouncy tune as he checked the leaves of a violet. 

So far, everything seemed fine. The bushes wouldn’t need trimming for a while, no aphids were destroying his flowers, and the pansies were thriving. 

Before Tino could walk up to the front porch, the front door was suddenly wrenched open, bouncing off the wall with a harsh bang. 

“-AND GROW A DAMN SPINE!” Michael screeched, storming out of the house. He brushed past Tino, cursing Starling under his breath. 

Tino let him go. Michael’s temper cooled much faster when he had a few minutes to collect himself.

Dan and Jack watched Michael stomp down the sidewalk from their safe position in the hallway. 

“I’m guessing something important happened after all?” Tino asked, already dreading the answer. 

Jack nodded. “Dabble decided to use Starling’s idea for a meet-and-greet.”

Marino Dabble had the most volatile relationship with Starling out of all the directors in Darkwing Duck. He always seemed to provoke Starling during filming, disregarding any of Starling’s demands and cutting scenes whenever Starling shouted a contradicting order to keep the cameras rolling. 

“Except he wanted Rosie to be center stage,” Dan added. 

“Starling didn’t take it well,” Jack said. 

Tino wasn’t surprised, but he prayed Starling wouldn’t take his anger out on Rosie for taking his limelight. She was an innocent kid, and Dabble was putting her in the line of fire. Starling became irrational and even more temperamental when he believed someone was cutting into his screentime. 

Not for the first time, Tino wished he could be as outspoken as Michael or as respected as Jack. 

“Is that why Michael’s mad?” Tino asked. 

“I’ll go after him. He’s probably had enough time by now,” Dan said, gently pushing past Tino and hurrying out the door. 

“The meet and greet is two weeks away,” Jack said as Tino sat down at the dinner table. There was already a hot cup of tea and a strawberry salad in front of him. “We should prepare Rosie so she won’t be overwhelmed.” 

The deaths of Rosie’s parents had been widely publicized by both the Duckburg and St. Canard media. While details varied between newspapers and tabloids, the one thing that held true was that little rich girl Rosie had been left under the care of several maids while her parents had a date night. On the way back to the car, they were mugged and murdered for their money and valuables. Rosie found out the next morning, and she was shipped off to a St. Canard orphanage within a week. 

The killer was never caught. 

Several months later, a talent scout discovered Rosie’s acting abilities while searching for a suitable child to provide a voice in an animated film and introduced her to the studio. 

When Rosie wasn’t in lessons or voice-acting, she wandered over to the Darkwing Duck set, making polite small-talk with everyone she came across. Starling was the only one who ignored her presence.

He was always too caught up with himself to notice anything an inch away from his beak. 

Though Rosie only voiced a side character in the animated film, the life she breathed into the drawings captured the audience’s hearts. Tino had cried for twenty minutes straight when Rosie’s character sang a lullaby to herself after getting separated from her parents. 

Now that he gave it some thought, that part wasn’t an emotional act for Rosie. She knew those feelings all too well. 

Tino took a small bite of his strawberry, suddenly aware of Jack scrutinizing him like an interesting statistic. 

“Jack, can you please stop? It’s awkward when you do that,” Tino mumbled. 

Jack shrugged, gaze snapping to the table. “Sorry. You’re thinking about Rosie again, aren’t you?” 

“She’s...she’s a good kid,” Tino admitted. “Kinda deserves a permanent home, you know?” 

“I know,” Jack agreed, his mouth twitching. “She loves science.” 

“Just smile,” Tino suggested. “It looks good on camera.” 

“I don’t see any cameras at the moment,” Jack said as he squeezed a lemon into his water. “And besides, someone has to be the aloof, responsible one in this house.” 

Aloof. Sure, Tino snorted. 

Because aloof people totally shouted at the game show channel on TV. 

                                                 --------------------------------

Tino tore the purple wig off his head and dropped onto the green room’s couch in exhaustion, shoulder still aching from Starling’s punch during filming. Dan tossed him an ice pack from the small freezer. Jack made sure they never ran out of ice packs. It was a necessity when one worked with Starling. 

Tino gratefully placed it on his shoulder. 

Michael immediately launched into a tirade on where Starling could stick his overly large fedora, but Tino was only half-listening. They’d been through this song and dance before. 

There was a safe way for actors to punch and kick in fight scenes, but Starling never held back, which led to the Fearsome Four not holding back out of self-defense, and everything just snowballed from there. 

Starling had been more irritable during filming than usual, but Tino chalked it up to a hissy fit caused by Dabble’s decision to include Rosie in the meet and greet even though she wasn’t part of the Darkwing Duck cast. 

“-AND GET ALL THE WRINKLES OUT THIS TIME!” a voice shouted from outside the green room. 

Speak of the devil. 

“Stupid incompetent wardrobe team,” Starling muttered as he swept into the room. He’d discarded the cape, but wore the rest of his Darkwing Duck costume with overblown pride. 

Starling ignored everyone as he headed straight for the fridge and pulled out a brown paper bag that contained his lunch. Tino tried not to gag at the canned tuna and sauerkraut smell. 

Dan and Michael shifted over to Tino’s side of the room, occasionally shooting livid glares at Starling. Michael’s face turned the same shade of red as his Quackerjack outfit. He was only holding back for Tino’s sake. 

Since when did Starling take his lunch in the green room anyway? He hated eating around people he believed were beneath his association. 

“I’ve never been to a beach, Mr. Jack. Is it nice?” 

“Sure is. Natural saltwater is the best. Just don’t get it in your mouth though. It doesn’t taste good.” 

Jack neatly hung his coat on a row of hooks next to the door. Rosie tried to follow his lead, though she was too short to hang it herself. 

“May I take your jacket, young lady?” Jack asked with an elegant bow. 

Tino grabbed a pillow to muffle a sudden case of the giggles. So much for being the aloof one. 

Rosie smiled and folded her puffy pink jacket over his outstretched arm. Like a true gentleman, Jack placed it on the hook and patted out the creases. 

Starling rolled his eyes at the display and turned his back on them. But Tino knew he was watching Rosie bounce on her tip-toes as she explained everything she learned in her singing lessons. 

                                               -------------------------------- 

“I am the terror who flaps in the night! I am the faulty cord in the outlet of evil! I am Darkwing Duck!” Starling dramatically held his cape out behind him as he appeared in a puff of blue smoke. He shifted not-so-subtly to the left in an attempt to show off his best side. 

Since only Dan and Jack were needed for this episode, Tino and Michael watched the filming from the sidelines. It was for the best. Rosie’s reading tutor had unexpectedly called in sick, so she was able to spend the afternoon with them. 

Tino didn’t want Rosie exposed to a Michael and Starling showdown just yet. Things tended to get ugly. 

“Give up! St. Canard’s hydroelectric dam belongs to us!” Dan shouted, a sinister cackle escaping from his throat. 

“You’ll pay for stealing electricity and throwing St. Canard into the Dark Ages!” Starling retorted. “Let’s get dangerous!” 

The prop team immediately dumped a bucket of water on Starling from the catwalk above the set, throwing the bucket at him for good measure. They didn’t bother disguising their gleeful smiles. 

Starling spat out several plastic goldfish, coughing as he declared how pathetic the attack was. Then Jack crept up behind Starling and threw a quick punch to the back of his head. Starling crumpled dramatically. 

Rosie frowned as Jack tied Starling to a pole with a water hose. “I hope he isn’t hurt,” she said. Her fingers nervously drummed against her pink dress. 

“Unfortunately,” Michael muttered. 

Tino elbowed him lightly. “Starling’s a resilient guy. He’ll be alright. Besides, Darkwing Duck always wins.” 

Starling slipped out of his restraints, which were already loose to begin with, and shot a column of smoke from his gas gun at Dan and Jack. Their surprise only lasted for a minute, but it was enough for Starling to subdue them. 

“And the vigilante is once again victorious against the vile villainous scum!” Starling crowed as he tossed Dan and Jack into the set’s jail cell. He struck a final heroic pose to wrap up the episode. 

While the film crew reviewed the footage they captured so far, Starling strutted off the main set and grabbed a soda from a nearby drink cooler. He didn’t free Dan and Jack from the cell even though the key hung on a peg several feet away. 

Pushing down a burst of anger at Starling’s carelessness, Tino left Rosie with Michael and freed his friends himself.  

“I need an aspirin,” Dan groaned, nursing a bruise on his cheek.

Jack folded his arms across his chest, not looking too worse for wear, but Tino could tell he favored his right leg.

“I should invent an instant healing ray gun,” Dan sighed. “No more bruises, cuts, or pimples and it won’t leave a scar either.”

“A huge hit on the market,” Tino said.

“Supply and demand,” Jack added.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Not all of us majored in economics.”

As they rejoined Rosie and Michael, Starling sauntered over. His fedora was pulled low and tilted sideways in his usual careless, jerkwad fashion. The edges of his beak curled into a sneer.

“It’s awfully nice to have coworkers who allow a little brat to steal my thunder,” Starling growled.

“Don’t call Rosie a brat!” Michael shouted, clenching his fists. Dan stepped in front of him, whispering soothing words to prevent him from punching Starling in the face. “You don’t know her. You don’t know her at all!”

Tino shielded Rosie behind his back. She clung to his waist, innocent green eyes flickering between each adult. He couldn’t meet Starling with equal aggression, remain calm and cordial, or invoke a balance between the two extremes.

This would have to do for now.

“None of us played a role in Dabble’s decision,” Jack said. His tone was even and controlled, but Tino heard the slightest edge of steel creeping in. “I suggest releasing your frustration towards him in the studio’s gym instead.” 

Starling’s cape flared out as he stomped up to Jack. His beak was several inches away from Jack’s nose. “And where exactly were your so-called diplomatic skills when I needed them? Either the fans come and see me because I’m there, or they don’t show up cause I’m not. Who’s the main character of this series? Who’s the person everyone watches the show for? Who’s the inspiration, the fighter, the creme de la creme of all superheroes? Cause last I checked, it sure as hell isn’t Liquidator!” 

Starling always referred to them by their character names. He couldn’t be bothered to remember their actual names, or more importantly, that they weren’t megalomaniacal villains. 

“Go away,” Dan said as held onto a seething Michael. “Some of us have lives outside a fictional world.” 

“Darkwing isn’t fictional, you half-wit!” Starling snarled. “He’s—I’m right in front of you!” 

Starling pointed an accusing finger at Dan, but a grimace flickered across his face and his arm fell to his side. 

“You’re hurt!” a little girl’s voice cried. 

The tiny pressure around Tino’s waist vanished. 

Before anyone could say anything, Rosie latched onto Starling’s fingers, holding his palm with one hand while the other carefully pushed his sleeves away from his wrist.

Michael’s eyes widened, Dan gasped, and Jack’s brow furrowed in worry. 

Tino bit the inside of his beak. 

Rosie had broken Starling’s no-touching-me-offset rule. Everyone agreed with this rule, no matter how much they disliked Starling. 

No hugs, no pats on the back, no friendly jostling, no handshakes. 

Starling hated physical contact unless it involved beating someone up during filming. Nobody asked why, and Starling never offered an explanation. 

A red mark circled Starling’s wrist. Starling’s breath hitched, looking as though he desperately wanted to pull away but couldn’t make his body move. 

“You should put some aloe on it,” Rosie suggested. “It’ll sting, but it takes the pain away.” 

Starling didn’t seem to hear her. 

“Rosie, let him go,” Jack ordered. 

Rosie cast an unsure glance at Starling’s wrist. 

“Now.” 

Startled by Jack’s no-nonsense tone, Rosie let go of Starling’s hand. 

Recovering from his frozen state, Starling scoffed and rubbed his wrist against his blazer to shake off any lingering traces of her touch. “Whatever,” he muttered as he stalked off. 

“Mr. Starling?” Rosie called. 

Starling paused in the doorway, inclining his head towards Rosie. His eyes were covered by the brim of his fedora. 

“I’m sorry,” Rosie whispered. 

“Don’t do it again, kid.” 

Though his tone was blunt, it wasn’t haughty or condescending. 

Maybe there was some cordiality in that universe-sized ego after all. 

                                           --------------------------------

Starling was talking to Rosie. 

Okay, so most of the conversation was about himself and how badass he looked on camera, but he wasn’t entirely ignoring her.  

Rosie clasped her hands together and maintained a respectful distance. She learned from the first incident, taking Jack’s lecture to heart on how some people disliked touch and a few tips on what she could do to respect their boundaries. 

If Starling noticed, he didn’t give anything away. 

Tino found his aloe bottle in the wrong cabinet with traces of green ointment on its side. Wordlessly, he wiped away the extra moisture and returned the bottle to its proper place. 

He had a hunch on who misplaced his aloe, but he didn’t think it was worth mentioning. 

Over the next few days, Rosie settled into a routine. She learned, she played, she voice-acted, and she ate lunch with Starling. 

Michael balked at the last development. “Girl’s gonna ruin her nose,” he muttered, shaking his head incredulously when Rosie barely reacted to the smell of Starling’s canned tuna and sauerkraut sandwich. 

                                           --------------------------------

Tino’s day to drive Rosie back to the orphanage rolled around again. It was the day before the meet-and-greet, and they’d spent the entire week preparing Rosie for her first public appearance. 

Rosie could answer questions and smile like a champ now. She’d do well tomorrow. Tino didn’t mind fading into the background and talking to the occasional fan who wandered his way. 

That’s how the Darkwing Duck cast did things. 

Starling soaked up everyone’s attention and signed autographs while everyone else formed a nice backdrop. 

Starling’s animosity to Rosie had lessened over the past few days. While he still wasn’t pleased by Dabble’s decision, he managed to grasp that it wasn’t Rosie’s fault. 

“Got everything?” Tino asked as Rosie slid a math workbook into her princess-themed backpack. 

“Ready, Mr. Tino!” Rosie exclaimed, slipping her backpack over her shoulders. “I don’t think I’d be able to sleep tonight. I’m just happy I can see all of you tomorrow!” 

Tino couldn’t help but grin at her unbridled honesty. 

“Bushroot! Just the guy I wanted to see!”

Tino suppressed a sigh. Only one person called him Bushroot outside of filming, and it wasn’t a person he tried to interact with on a casual basis.

“Yes?” Tino asked politely, channeling what he believed Jack would say in this type of situation. “I need to drive Rosie to St. Canald...I mean, St. Canard. Sorry that we’re in a hurry here. You know how bad the Audubon Bay Bridge is during rush hour.” 

The corners of Starling’s beak turned up. One could call it a smile, but only with a very loose definition of the word. 

“Is your face alright, Mr. Starling?” Rosie asked. 

“What’s wrong with my-” Starling’s snappy mood returned for a brief moment, but he coughed and busied himself with smoothing down his clothes. 

Which consisted of Darkwing’s turtleneck and unbuttoned purple blazer. 

Tino was starting to believe that Starling had no life outside of Darkwing Duck. 

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Starling said. At least he dropped the not-smile. “I wanted to see you off. We talk at lunch, but that’s only an hour. Not even an hour if Dabble decides to rush us.” 

Rosie bounced on her heels, eyes glazed over in thought. She had a tendency to bounce while thinking. 

“Can Mr. Starling come along too?” Rosie asked, tugging on Tino’s sleeve. “He never finished his story about the malfunctioning jack-in-the-box in the ‘Knick-knack Paddywhack’ episode!” 

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea...” Tino trailed off. Rosie’s curls had gone limp. Tino wondered if she had secret hair powers. 

Starling looked a bit crestfallen too. 

If Jack, Dan, or Michael had been in his place, they would’ve ignored Starling and left already. But Starling was actually interacting with Rosie. 

Interaction that didn’t involve punching someone or bossing them around. 

Tino lost the battle. That’s what he got from looking at Rosie when she was nearing disappointment. 

“Alright, he can come if he wants,” Tino sighed. 

Rosie cheered and Starling puffed out his chest as if he never doubted that Tino would refuse. 

                                          -------------------------------- 

“-Darkwing Duck on the brink of defeat, nothing but open air behind him and a monochromatic malefactor cackling madly in front of him! Then he remembers how much the citizens of St. Canard depend on him to keep the criminals at bay, and in a sudden burst of strength, he clubs Paddywhack with his trusty gas gun and seals him in the cursed jack-in-the-box!” 

Tino concentrated on switching to the middle lane, choosing not to comment on  Starling’s deliberate omission of how he got stuck in the springs of the jack-in-the-box during the Paddywhack fight scene. 

Rosie listened attentively, eyes sparkling as she envisioned the scene before her. 

They hit the usual traffic on the Audubon Bay Bridge just as Starling’s tale ended. Rosie didn’t bat an eye. She loved seeing the cargo ships sail through the bay. 

But Starling groaned and tilted his seat back at a thirty-degree angle.  

“Hey bush-for-brains, can’t this seat go back more?” Starling growled, yanking at the lever in a futile effort to make the seat tilt further. 

“It’s an old car,” Tino admitted. “You’ve already got it at the max.” 

Starling rolled his eyes, but at least he stopped trying to mutilate the lever. 

Rosie swung her legs, looking towards the horizon, oblivious to Starling’s numerous complaints with Tino’s car. 

“Rosie, I was thinking of becoming your legal guardian,” Starling said as he slipped a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. 

Tino caught his eye in the mirror, but Starling either didn’t notice or care. Tino returned his attention to the road, trying not to complain out loud when another driver cut him off. 

Rosie’s head whipped around so quickly that Tino was sure she’d have whiplash in the morning. 

“You don’t wanna live at the orphanage forever, right? Living with THE Darkwing Duck is better than those guys,” Starling declared. 

After a brief moment of silence, Rosie smiled at him. “Thank you, Mr. Starling, sir! I’d love for you to be my legal guardian!” 

She reached out for a hug, but Starling just raised an eyebrow at her. “First rule, kid. Don’t touch me,” he reminded her. 

Rosie teared up, but she seemed more happy and relieved. “Mr. Tino, I have a legal guardian now!” she exclaimed. 

Tino knew she was equating ‘legal guardian’ with ‘parent’, but Rosie didn’t realize she’d just accepted a self-centered, vain, gloryhounding jerk who didn’t deserve either title. 

Tino wasn’t looking forward to breaking the news to Michael. He’d dropped hints recently about taking Rosie in. 

“I’m glad,” Tino said. 

He was the worst liar in the world, but Rosie beamed at him anyway. 

                                         -------------------------------- 

When they got to the orphanage, Rosie immediately broke away from Tino and Starling so she could gather her belongings and say goodbye to her friends. 

“Jim Starling, the one and only Darkwing Duck. There supposed to be a few papers I can sign so I can take legal guardianship of little Ruby here?” Starling asked the orphanage director. 

“Actually, it’s Rosie,” Tino corrected, shuffling his feet when Starling glared at him. 

Seriously, who took in a kid without bothering to learn their name first? 

But the orphanage director simply dropped a huge packet of stapled papers into Starling’s arms. “Just sign in the highlighted areas,” she said, returning to listlessly stirring her coffee. 

St. Canard orphanages must’ve been in worse shape than Tino realized if they were willing to hand a kid over to Starling without asking any questions. 

Starling took out a pen topped with a Darkwing Duck figurine and scribbled an enormous loopy signature in the highlighted portions. He flipped through the papers so quickly that Tino only had time to read the bold print on top of the page. 

“Wouldn’t it be better to read the page before you signed it?” Tino asked. The look on Jack’s face would’ve been priceless if he’d been here. 

Jack’s biggest pet peeve was how people never read the fine print before they signed a document.  

Starling huffed. “You wanna be here all night?” 

“Well, no-” 

“Then shut up and let me sign this in peace.” 

Thankfully, the next page asked for name, date of birth, address, and the usual things that were asked on important forms, forcing Starling to slow down. 

Tino’s leg bounced as watched the clock. The hands crept towards five-thirty. Rosie would need to eat soon. 

And Starling’s usual dietary habits shouldn’t be passed onto any six-year-old. 

“Do you even know how to take care of a kid?” Tino asked. 

Starling’s hand clenched around the pen. A glob of blue ink stained the paper. Starling tried to rub it away, but only succeeded in smearing it across his hand. 

“Can’t be that hard,” Starling shrugged. “She gets food, a place to sleep, a stuffed animal or two, and a famous actor for her legal guardian. She could use someone to help her navigate the adoring public anyway.” 

“And caring about her?” Tino asked. “Love, attention, guidance, school?” 

Starling rolled his eyes. “Look, I give her a roof over her head and she doesn’t need to share her stuff with a bunch of other snot-nosed brats. She can run and play and hang with you and everyone else. She can go wherever she wants or do whatever she wants.” 

Starling signed the last document with a flourish and set the clipboard aside. 

Tino gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do to counteract Starling. 

                                          -----------------------------------

Starling’s apartment was several blocks away from the studio, and judging by the amount of dust that had accumulated over the furniture, it hadn’t been lived in for a while. 

Tino delayed going home in favor of helping Rosie unpack and settle in, cleaning the lonely, secluded guest room until it was suitable to sleep in. Tino dressed a spare mattress in a Darkwing Duck bedspread, pushing down a pang of anger at Starling for his lack of preparation when it came to bringing a kid home. 

Speaking of which, wasn’t it the guardian’s job to make a kid feel at home? 

Rosie hadn’t complained once, but that didn’t make it right. 

Tino probably would’ve stayed all night, but he was booted out after he disagreed with Starling’s decision to feed Rosie an unhealthy Hamburger Hippo kids’ meal. 

                                          -----------------------------------

Tino didn’t get home until eight in the evening, and the rice and bean plate Jack had left for him in the fridge tasted like cardboard. 

“You missed Pelican Island,” Dan said as he fiddled with a blender-like invention. “They almost got off the island, but then Dahlia found out that Georgio kissed Valerie and they broke the sail in their fight and all of Mason’s progress got set back by three weeks. Then they look in the almanac and find there’s a monsoon heading their way so now they have to delay leaving the island and find shelter as soon as possible cause the rains are gonna hit in less than a week-” 

Tino listened to Dan ramble about the show, focusing on his commentary and allowing Starling’s legal guardian status to slip his mind for the time being. Tino wanted to break the news gently and hopefully minimize any casualties that might ensue, but he’d need time to work on framing his words so that nobody thought it was the end of the world.

Jack leaned against the doorframe, coolly staring at Tino. Finishing his dinner quickly, Tino scraped the remaining crumbs into the trash and took much longer than necessary to wash the dishes, feeling Jack’s eyes bore into his back the entire time. 

Jack never pushed the issue, but he always had the uncanny ability to sniff out a lie. 

Dan and Michael were locked in a heated debate over who Georgio was better off with, suspecting nothing out of the ordinary. 

                                            -----------------------------------

The meet and greet started at noon, but they arrived at the venue an hour early to help the film crew set everything up. 

Dabble had reserved a section of Barks Park for their public appearance. It was a good park with plenty of grassy hills, a playground, and a bike trail. 

It was popular for family outings, Tino recalled, hoping to spot Rosie’s red curls among a group of children who were playing soccer nearby. 

But there was no sign of Starling or Rosie. 

Starling always arrived later than everyone else so all the attention would be drawn to him. Tino just hoped that Rosie didn’t adopt Starling’s compulsive need to be fashionably late. 

“Places, everybody!” Dabble barked. “That means you, Michael!” 

“I’m in the middle of something!” Michael called as he twisted a green balloon into a sword for an excited boy. 

“Put that helium pump away and get your jester butt over here!” 

Michael rolled his eyes, but he did a handspring-cartwheel combination that propelled him to his seat and wowed his young audience. 

The Fearsome Four’s table was on the right end of the gazebo, while the writers and artists’ table was to the left. The table in the middle had two empty chairs. 

“Wait, we can’t start yet! Where’s Rosie?” Dabble shouted once noon hit. He tapped his watch in frustration. 

“It was my day to pick her up,” another director admitted. “But I called the orphanage and they said Rosie doesn’t live there anymore.” 

“What?” Dabble cried, tearing several white feathers from his head. “Then where does she live now?” 

The director shrugged. “I asked, but some kid knocked over her coffee cup and she hung up to deal with them.” 

Tino’s hands clenched in his lap. Sooner or later, someone would remember that he dropped Rosie off last night and put two and two together-

Jack’s hand came to rest on Tino’s shoulder. 

And Tino knew he couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

“Rosie’s new legal guardian is-”

“I AM THE TERROR WHO FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!”

A column of blue smoke flared out. Several children tried to touch it, but their parents pulled them back.

“I AM THE CAUSE OF GRAY HAIR ON CRIMINALS’ SCALPS! I AM DARKWING-”

“Rosie, get up here! You were supposed to open the meet and greet ten minutes ago!” Dabble called.

Rosie nudged her way through the crowd, politely excusing herself as she made her way to the front of the gazebo. Michael waved, and Rosie returned the gesture, much to Starling’s disapproval. 

Starling crossed his arms as Dabble hurriedly gave a microphone to Rosie and whispered a few instructions to her.

“Are you kidding me?” Starling scoffed. “She’s not even part of the show! And you interrupted my introduction! I spend two hours ironing my cape and this is the sort of reception I get?” 

“You shouldn’t be wearing that outside of the studio!” Dabble hissed, gesturing to the Darkwing outfit. 

“There’s plenty to go around,” Starling scowled. 

“It costs money to make those-” 

“Shouldn’t we let Rosie speak now?” Dan mumbled. 

Rosie held the microphone loosely in one hand, the other nervously fiddling with a ribbon on her dress. For all the preparation they did, Rosie wasn’t experienced enough to handle an argument between Starling and Dabble. 

Starling snatched a spare microphone from the writers’ table. “Well, as much as I love verbally sparring with Babble here, I just want to take a few minutes to address something of the utmost importance.” 

“They’re kids,” Michael hissed. “They’re not interested in whatever you have to say.” 

True to Michael’s prediction, several kids left the audience to pursue more fun activities.

“As a man of action, Darkwing Duck always seeks opportunities to eliminate criminal scum and rescue innocents,” Starling declared. Tino could just imagine his pompous beak growing Pinocchio-style. “And of course, I’m Darkwing Duck, so I believe it’s time for me to put my lessons into practice. And what better way to do that, I wonder, then to become a legal guardian to a talented St. Canard orphan?” 

Michael gripped the tablecloth, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “He didn’t...” 

“I’m Rosie King-Fisher’s legal guardian,” Starling grinned. He bowed, expecting applause and praise. 

But Starling’s words seemed to go over the children’s heads. But the parents understood, shooting venomous glares at Starling as they steered their children elsewhere. 

“Hey! Where’s everyone going?” Starling called. He looked genuinely baffled that nobody was interested in the meet and greet anymore. “Seriously, isn’t this usually considered a good deed or something?” 

An empty water bottle smacked Starling in the face, and Tino silently thanked whoever threw it at him. 

Michael’s face turned a brilliant shade of red, and Dan was forced to hold him back as he screeched profanities to Starling’s face. Starling yelled back, and most of the backstage crew was too dumbfounded to interfere. 

Between calming Michael down, berating Starling for his impulsive decision, and Dabble trying to do damage control, Rosie’s presence was quickly forgotten. Jack gently pried the microphone out of Rosie’s hand. He took her by the hand, made eye contact with Tino, and inclined his head towards the gazebo’s other opening. 

The chaos allowed all three of them to slip away unnoticed. 

“Will Mr. Starling be okay?” Rosie asked as they reached a picnic area that contained several other families eating lunch and enjoying themselves. “And Mr. Michael?” 

She worried about Starling. 

Tino had never seen anyone worry about Starling before. 

“They’ll argue, but they’ll be fine,” Jack assured her. He knelt down to Rosie’s level, but he was still much taller than her, and she had to lean back slightly to make eye contact. “Is Mr. Starling treating you alright?” 

Tino made a small noise in the back of his throat. Starling never treated anyone alright. 

“He took me in,” Rosie said. “He’s kind of grumpy, but he did microwave me frozen waffles. We never got waffles at the orphanage. It was just oatmeal.” 

She spoke as if everything were really that simple. And to her, maybe it was.

“Are you happy?” Jack inquired. 

Rosie smiled. “Yes, sir. I’m happy to have all of you care for me.” 

There was a tiny twitch in Jack’s shoulders. 

Jack probably debated taking Rosie in too, but his logical mind drove him to question the expenses and sacrifices it would take. It wasn’t just Michael and Dan who toyed with the idea. 

And Tino had entertained it too, Multiple times. 

“Rosie, why don’t you go play?” Tino suggested. “It’s a nice park. Run around and have fun.” 

“Are you sure?” Rosie asked. 

“Jack and I have to talk,” Tino said gently. “We’ll stay here if you need us though.” 

At Jack’s encouraging nod, Rosie hugged them both and ran off to play. 

                                       ----------------------------------- Moments later, Rosie joined a game of tag and was having the time of her life. Confident that she’d be fine, Tino and Jack settled at a picnic table under the shade of a sturdy oak. 

“You knew the entire time,” Jack said. It was a statement, not a question. “Starling became Rosie’s legal guardian yesterday.” 

“Yes. Starling mentioned it in the car and Rosie agreed immediately,” Tino admitted. 

Jack didn’t reply. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him,” Tino whispered. “Rosie seemed so happy though. I think she just wanted someone to get her out of the orphanage. It didn’t matter who.”

“You work with Starling. You know how he disrespects everyone,” Jack snapped. “Waffles and giving someone a place to stay doesn’t make him a good guardian overnight. And you just...didn’t say anything?” 

“Please, every time Michael brought up adopting Rosie, you said something about not having an adequate guest room for her,” Tino shot back. 

“Starling knew you wouldn’t say anything because you’re such a pushover! He deliberately targeted you!” Jack shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to them.  

Tino ducked his head, waiting until everyone lost interest and returned to their lunch. While he was more embarrassed from the sudden scrutiny, Jack seemed to interpret the motion as more of a guilty expression. 

Jack moved to Tino’s side of the table, wrapping his arms around Tino’s shoulders in a sideways hug. “Sorry, Tino. I didn’t mean that. I swear I didn’t,” he said frantically. 

Jack rarely stumbled over his words, so Tino knew that the entire situation had gotten to Jack’s head. 

“I’m alright,” Tino said quietly. “Guess we’ve gotta stop beating around the Bushroot now, huh?” 

“You’re never gonna let me live that pun down, are you?” Jack sighed, but his lips were twitching upward. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

They watched Rosie for a while. Her pink dress was caked in grass stains and there was a leaf in her hair, but she was radiating happiness with every spring in her step. 

“Rosie deserves to be happy,” Jack said. “I wish we could’ve said something sooner.”

“She is happy,” Tino assured him. “Didn’t you hear her? She’s happy we care about her.” 

“But does Starling care about her? As more than a publicity stunt?” Jack asked. 

“I don’t know,” Tino shrugged. “Starling’s a hard guy to figure out. If he does care about her, maybe he could be a better person. If he doesn’t, then we’ll keep our home open to her so she won’t be alone.” 

“We’ll have to figure out that guest room.” 

“You’re planning to drag us all to the store to look at paint swatches for an entire afternoon, aren’t you?” 

“Guilty as charged.” 

Rosie shouted in joy as she tagged another girl and darted away before she could be caught again. She looked just like any other six-year-old instead of the little orphan girl. 

Though she could probably do with clothes meant for playing in, Tino noted. 

A rustle of the leaves from the leaves above him caught his eye. Curious, Tino peered up into the branches of the oak. There was a dark shape leaning against the crook of a thick branch and trunk. It was hidden from everyone else’s view, concealed by the verdant leaves. 

Though his eyes were concealed by the brim of his hat, Tino could see a ghost of a smile forming on his beak.  

Maybe there was hope for Starling after all.

[minaminokyoko]

Spider-Man: Far from Home--A Spoilertastic Review

Oh, my baby boy is back and it feels good.

Like many of you, I was looking forward to FFH due to the trauma left behind by our final film with all the Avengers present, and I needed to see my sweet Spider Son to try to dry my tears. I'm happy to say Far from Home is just the popcorn flick we need this summer: light, enjoyable, fun. I do admit to a bias right off the bat, before I begin the review: I am one of the hugest fans of the Iron Dad and Spider Son dynamic, and so I knew by default that I wasn't going to like this movie as much as the first one. Sorry. I am a skank for adopted family tropes, and I think Iron Dad and Spider Son was one of the strongest relationships developed in the MCU period. Losing Tony is just...agonizing. I've sectioned it off in my brain as Did Not Happen just to get by, honestly, and so keep that in mind as we proceed.

Spoilers ahead.

Overall Grade: B

Pros:

-Lemme get this out of the way: MY SONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN MY SPIDER SON OH MY GOSH PETER PARKER IS SUCH A GOOD BOI AND A SWEET SMOL BEAN AND I HAVE NO MATERNAL INSTINCTS EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO MCU PETER PARKER AND I LOVE THIS CHILD MORE THAN ANYTHING AND I JUST WANT TO PROTECT HIM AND HUG HIM AND BRUSH HIS HAIR AND COOK HIM DINNER I LOVE MY LITTLE BOY Y'ALL.

-Ahem. Tom Holland still shines in this role. I really, solidly care about Peter Parker. He's a great kid and he's very realistic in the way that he's written and acted. He's just a shy, awkward little nerd with a heart of gold who unfortunately has been forced into the worst situations that he's not ready for. I wanted to punch "Nick" in the face for how much goddamn pressure he put on a kid who is literally still in the goddamn mourning process just like everyone else. Peter has so much to deal with and he's only had these powers for a short amount of time, so it's natural that he's so frustrated and anxious and he wants time to go after things that are important to him. I found that very understandable and sympathetic, even if the "I just want to be normal" trope has been done to death in superhero media. MCU Peter has so much heart and I'm proud of this baby for what he's able to accomplish.

-The allusions to Tony and the void left behind hit home quite hard. Especially that fucking gravestone part of the Mysterio sequence. That was just...cruel. Tony taught Peter so much, and he genuinely loved that kid. He grew to love him and trust him and worry about him, and it's so awful that Tony won't get to see him grow up to be his own man. I'm grateful for the time they had together, and I really love Tony leaving Peter the glasses and the A.I., knowing that while he might still make a mistake, he would do the right thing in the end. (Side note: EDITH is as funny as it is fucked up, "Even Dead, I'm the Hero." God fucking damn you, Tony, that is so in-character and it hurts my soul.) "Nick" shoving all that pressure onto Peter made me want to kick his ass, especially since he talks down to him and tries to blame him for not being ready when he only just got into the game relatively speaking. But I also loved the sequence of him in the plane doing exactly what Tony used to do in his lab. It's such a great parallel, showing that Peter is his own person but he's also a chip off the old block, and that is very sweet to see. (I also squealed at the Led Zeppelin comment, oh my son, such a cutie.)

-I was extremely hesitant about them choosing Gyllenhaal for the role of Mysterio (not because of his skill as an actor, just because he looks like a giant puppy, sorry) but now I see why. He's an unstable narcissist and it fits him. What a jerkoff. I was furious with how callous he was and how he shifted blame everywhere like it's just SO necessary to kill all these people for fame, fortune, and money. Ugh, what a shitbird. So kudos to him. I didn't think he could pull it off, but he sure as hell did.

-The effects were fantastic. I really do think the illusion sequence will go down in MCU history as one of the most visually creative, disorienting, heartbreaking things we've seen so far in the saga. It was harrowing, especially the Iron Man suit crawling out of the grave. What a kick in the fucking nuts for Peter, and for us.

-Peter and MJ, while it did get a little overwhelming, were cute as shit. And I'm glad that the modern films are removing the stigma of the "I can't let my family and friends know I'm the hero" thing. It was definitely heavily done in the 80's, 90's, and early to mid 2000's and I'm fine to see it being phased out at least in terms of the MCU. It's a little more realistic that most of your family or friends would be able to handle your secret, and not only that, help you out on occasion. I'm glad she knows and their kisses were freaking adorable. Sweet babies.

-That. First. End. Credits. Scene. What a fucking killer. First off, God bless whoever at Marvel Studios listened to the thousands of fans begging them to cast J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson again, continuity be damned. The man IS the embodiment of the character, and I absolutely fucking ADORE that they gave us the nod and the wink we all wanted even back when Spidey was Andrew Garfield. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Next, oh my God, my sweet baby boy, my smol bean, got called out and branded as a murderer. Fuck, this is gonna be a serious problem, and considering the fact that we don't have the next MCU film lined up yet (at the time this was posted, and mind you, San Diego Comic Con is in two weeks, so maybe they'll clarify) the consequences could definitely be crazy. Poor Peter. He's gonna have a lot of work to do in order to undo this mess and prove that he's not Spidey, but this could also mean they're adapting some part of the Civil War story, maybe. We'll see, but that was a big ass bomb to drop.

-The Skrulls second credit scene was a genuine surprise, and it made sense. I thought Nick felt a little off the whole movie, and that really does explain why--it's someone else doing an impression of him and trying their best. Nick would've been smart enough to know probably right off the bat that Beck wasn't who he said he was. His story was way too noble and convenient. Nick would've probably have run facial recognition and then it would ping for a former Stark Industries employee, and that would've been a wrap. I like that it being a Skrull justifies what would be a plothole. Neat idea.

-I appreciated the Spidey's eye view of the action. Those were some cool shots and they were centered well, so you didn't feel nauseous or anything. It kept you in the action and was very engrossing and cool.

Cons:

-The bystander syndrome that everyone got this time around is a little irksome. It's the same reason that while I really, really love Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, I default don't like it as much as the first one since everyone got put into the bystander spot except for basically Peter in the very end. While it was nice to have them defend themselves, I'd have liked it more of MJ and Ned and the others figured their own way out of escaping the drones. Why? Because it would show Peter that it's not always on just his shoulders. His friends are competent and they can help, and I think that would've been a better way to go rather than him doing it himself.

-Some of the humor was flat. JB Smooth and the other teacher are the worst offenders, I'd say. They were given too much screentime and they're not that funny.

-The May and Happy subplot goes almost nowhere and isn't fully explored, and I kind of would've been fine if it hadn't been in the movie at all. It doesn't add much.

-The ending was kind of unclear? Did Beck actually get shot and die from his wounds? If so, then what was the official story about the drones and his body and whatnot? It's all pretty damn vague. If Beck is dead, that's disappointing. I kinda wish Marvel would stop killing the villains at the end of almost all the films. Longest running recurring villains are Loki and Thanos, I think. Vulture lived, and I'd like him to return in the future if possible. You can use actors more than once, Marvel, they're not tissue paper.

-Nitpick: It did almost feel like we missed a movie where Peter likes MJ. She was more a cameo in the first one than a full lead, so it almost felt like there's a short film somewhere of them getting closer and him getting over Liz and liking MJ instead.

-Nitpick: Same with the whole "other guy also likes MJ" subplot. Eh, I could leave it out and not miss it.

-Nitpick: I still can't with how they expect anyone to buy that Night Monkey story. I mean, it's black suited Spidey no matter which way you look at it. And yes, people should immediately notice he's at the very least one of the students at Peter's high school, and then it can't be too hard after that. I mean, Peter doesn't even change his voice while he's in the suit.

-Nitpick: I was kind of hoping for more clues or reactions to half of everyone, you know, being fucking murdered by Thanos for five years and returning to their lives. But I guess that was just pushed aside because it could become a whole rabbit hole issue. Still, though, I was hoping someone would tell us if the Snapped just don't remember being dead or if there is some kind of afterlife they experienced. (Side note: wow, holy shit, the teacher's mini story about it was dark and awful but I did laugh out of shock. I mean, damn. Low blow, wifey. Low fucking blow.)

-They mention spidey sense but I'd have liked it if they explicitly explain why he has it sometimes but other times he doesn't? It seems to fluctuate, but why and how? Is it more like anxiety or an extra sense? Is it based on his emotional health? I want clarification.

All in all, I had a good time and I'd put this in the middlegrade MCU films. I still really enjoy Holland in the role and I want nothing but good things for him and this franchise.

[travllingbunny]

The 100 rewatch: 1x01 Pilot

I’m a new fan of The 100, who first binged it last year, August to November. This is my first full rewatch of the show. I was planning to start it anyway and finish it before the season 6 premiere on April 30, and when I saw that Fox Serbia was airing a rerun (Monday to Friday, 40 min. after midnight, with repeats the next day), starting on 1st February, it was a great opportunity to start my rewatch in HDTV on my beautiful new TV. I decided to do write-ups and tag other fans on SpoilerTV website, as I did when I was first watching the show. But my posts turned into full blown essays. So, finally, after over a week, I’ve realized: Why don’t I post them on my Tumblr blog, too? I’ll copy my write-ups of the first 7 episodes, and then I’ll post my rewatch posts after I watch each episode. (The next one, 1x08, is on Monday’Tuesday.)

Spoilers below for all 5 seasons of the show. I go of on a tangents and make a lot of references to future events.

Rating: I'd give the Pilot 4/10, maybe 4.5/10 if I'm generous.

Episode opens on Clarke's voiceover. The first mention of how Ark came to be. There were "12 nations" with stations in the beginning, 97 years earlier, and the current Ark is "one station forged from the many". Which begs some questions: how did they manage to make everyone on the Ark speak English (and in American accents), why are they so culturally uniform? Did they try to do it by force? And why did big powers like China and Russia go along with it? But world-building has never been this show's strength. The opening scene shows Clarke drawing, and focuses on her father's watch. Some facts I had forgotten - the cells on the Ark were called "Skybox". Clarke says she is turning 18 in a month. This means she turned 18 sometime in late season 1 and was about 18 and a half year old in season 4. In season 5, she should be about 24 and a half year old. Abby is the first other major character to appear. Abby to Clarke "Your instincts will tell you to take care of everyone else first, like your father", stressing that this is the similarity between Clarke and Jake. "I can't lose you, too, I love you so much" First appearance of Jaha - on the video played to the Delinquents on the dropship. The kids comment: "your dad's a dick, Wells". Yes, he is. "If we knew for sure the Earth was survivable, we would send others. You are being sent down because your crimes have made you expendable". Oh god, he's awful. He became a more enjoyable character in season 4, just because of his interactions with other characters, but he's always been an a-hole. Jaha tells the kids to go to Mount Weather, explains what it is and that it has supplies for about 300 people to survive for 2 years. I had completely forgotten that there were so many Mount Weather references. This was clearly a storyline that was planned from the beginning. The first casualties on the show - 2 Delinquents who imitated Finn's stupid behavior on the dropship, but, unlike him, were killed when the ship crash-landed. When they land, it turns out they landed on a wrong mountain, instead of Mount Weather, due to a technical error. Who knew that this was the luckiest thing that ever happened to them? Clarke and Wells later insist that the kids should go to MW ASAP and find supplies. Every time someone in the episode talks about Mount Weather and says things like "We have to find Mount Weather to survive", it's so ironic now. No, you need to run as far from Mount Weather as possible. Run, run, fast, and don't turn back. At the end of the episode, they try to cross the river, and Jasper even finds a Mount Weather sign. In retrospect, they are so lucky they did not go through with it, after Jasper got speared, but who was to know? Kane looks so young compared to his season 5 self. And it's funny to see early Kane, who was kind of a bad guy. He's so pessimistic and insisting on ruthless solutions as necessary, a total opposite of where his views end up later. But the one consistent trait is that he's always been so stubborn about sticking to whatever course of action he thinks is best, and even naive about it. At this point, he's all about sticking to the rules. And here's Shumway, who seems to want the culling to happen even more than Kane does. I never understood what the supposed difference in policy was between Diana and Jaha. Diana was claiming to be fighting for the rights of the underprivileged? But Shumway is working for her, and wants the culling to happen, Jaha and Kane are intending for the culling to happen... What's the difference? They're all the same. Shumway is also the one to tell Kane about Bellamy's shooting of Jaha - and Kane says they have a traitor. Shumway close-up, he says nothing. Foreshadowing. Scene between Kane and Abby near the end of the episode. Kane says he's the only one willing to do what needs to be done so they survive. Abby: "That's the difference between us, Kane. I choose to make sure we deserve to stay alive." Ironic how they'll end up switching positions during the Dark Year. But then Abby starts hating herself over what she has become. The thing I liked best about the Pilot the first time was that it was really good at explaining the premise and getting a lot of info across, without clunky exposition. Oh god, about half of the Pilot was sooo cheesy. Most of the scenes with kids on Earth are so teen-soapy. That's why I initially preferred the stuff on the Ark (but then a few episodes later, I felt the exact opposite). Especially 90% of Octavia's lines in the Pilot are so cringey,I remember I only found it to be 'just OK' at the time I first watched it, good enough to keep watching, but I only got hooked around 1x05 when it started losing most of its CWness. But now, after having seen the rest of the show, the tone is so weird - so teen-soapy. I guess the first time, I expected the show to be like that, because of the channel it's on - a teen-soap take on post-apocalyptic SciFi. The pop songs and the scenes with kids enjoying the Earth were so corny but I guess they were meant to be, to make the contrast bigger when something bad suddenly happens, like Jasper getting speared at the end of the episode. Or that mutant deer, that was a good scene. Funny that we never get to see any of the scary nature stuff again. What happened to the man-eating water snake? The show pretty much forgets all of that later, because we get human antagonists on Earth. I also probably blanked out a lot of the cheesy teen-soapy stuff the first time, because I wasn't interested, since I didn't even remember some of it. All the potential pairings and flirtations that went nowhere now seem so random and funny. They were clearly just throwing anything to the wall to see what sticks. Who remembers that Octavia used to have a thing for Finn in the Pilot and said "Finn is mine" to Clarke, and he briefly flirted with her? Then there was Jasper's crush on Octavia, but that one actually did last a bit longer in season 1. The show really seemed to be trying to make Finn the main heartthrob. Of course, Finn's main interest was flirting with Clarke non-stop and following her around all the time. The fact he started hitting on her immediately in the dropship really makes him look bad now (whether or not that was initially intended - since they probably still hadn't planned for Raven's character to exist.)

And look, here's Kelly Hu as Kane's girlfriend/Abby's best friend, who was clearly supposed to be one of the mains, and then completely disappeared without explanation after the Pilot. Kelly Hu was even in the main credits for the Pilot, right after Bob Morley, who was credited 6th - after Eliza and Paige and Thomas McDonnel and Eli Goree and after Marie. Which pretty much fits their screentime in the Plot. I doubt they were expecting Bellamy to become the male lead, Finn and Wells were clearly treated as the male leads. Speaking of Bellamy - AARGH, that terrible slicked-back hair! My eyes, my eyes!!! I remember now why I had such mixed feelings about him in the Pilot, unlike others who said they hated him. I mean, he was clearly meant to be seen as an antagonist at this point, but most of the things he says about the privileged and the elite on the Ark is true. I still think that the Ark leaders were the first villains introduced on the show. They sucked. Even if we weren't supposed to see them as villains, and even if some of them later changed and developed (Kane). I wasn't sure how much of what Bellamy said was just him using that rhetoric to manipulate the kids. but the first time he says "let the privileged do something for a change", he said it before he learned about the wristbands. So, some of that anger was sincere. (And it was certainly justified.) A bit later we see Bellamy listening carefully and formulating a plan as Clarke is explaining to the kids that the wristbands are transmitting their life signs to the Ark. 

I don't know where the later idea of Bellamy as a completely hotheaded guy who can't act in a strategic or manipulative comes from. One of the first things we saw him do in the show was manipulate a bunch of younger people into something that would help him not get caught and executed by the Ark leaders, so he could stay and protect his sister. That's what he's doing for the fist few episodes. The first kids he convinces to take the wristbands off and make others do the same are Murphy and John Mbege. It's funny that Mbege's role was at this point almost as big as Murphy's. We still haven't seen Harper or Miller.

So many scenes of conflict between Bellamy and Wells in this episode. It seems like they probably meant for that dynamic to be an important one going forward, with the two of them as foils. "See you on the other side". Oh, god. Those lines will never be the same. It's actually Finn who said it first when he was about to cross the river by rope, but then Jasper went first to impress Octavia, and said that line for the first time. And here comes the spear. "We are not alone". Well, duh. But Clarke had to say that line for a very Lost-like ending to the Pilot. Geez, I can see how this bunch of clueless, silly kids with no weapons, fooling around, looked like such a dangerous invading force to the Grounders who saw them. Yes, the season 5 comparison between them and the heavily armed mass murderers from Eligius who immediately tried to kill the first people they ran across, was soooo apt... *sigh*.