#like let's establish the fucking stakes here okay!!!!

[fiercestcorpse]

still absolutely baffled by the fact that when the untamed got popular on here you had people posting stuff like "i know it seems kind of weird and confusing for the first couple of episodes but don't worry, it picks up after that" like what the hell are you talking about. i loved the first couple of episodes. i was having the time of my life right from the opening monologue and it only got better from there.

[allwormdiet]

Extermination 8.3

Oh fucking boy

This isn't a really revelatory passage, it's just like. Even more reinforcement that Leviathan is a fucking beast. More dead, more downed.

Taylor the fact that you even bothered to show up is above and beyond what should ever be asked of you, you are fifteen for fuck's sake, staking your life against the defeat of a hateful animate Splash Mountain is not your fucking purview! You should be playing Minecraft or something!

"Sorry I wasn't traumatized in a way that lets me save your life" Hello??

I can't imagine Taylor gets to feel like a part of most communities, honestly. Also I'm not sure that the cape community is any kind of monolith, so whether she "fits in" with them all is kind of moot.

Byyyye, Iron Falcon.

That's such a funny thing to ask somebody, honestly.

And then this is a crazy hardcore thing to ask somebody. This arc does a lot to establish that Skitter is just straight up on another level when it comes to comfort on the battlefield compared to even veteran capes, girl will nearly get pulped by Neptune's fucking wrath and then wonder why other people died while she's still conscious

Oh, Taylor. I'm so sorry, he only gets worse the more layers you get into him.

Also. Okay so Gregor the Snail felt like a pretty sympathetic perspective on how fatphobia stings people, but the life and death of Chubster in the realm of this story... kinda sucks. Like oh no, he's too heavy for Skitter to save him, have to leave him to drown I guess. I'm not saying it's an impossible circumstance, it just feels crass to have it in.

Hey Flechette, keep up the good work girl

The thing I keep coming back to with the Endbringers is that. Okay. These things have been causing horrific damage, mass death, and world-changing devastation for decades, and they've never been killed, and only one cape has ever meaningfully made the things fuck off in the history of ever. They are considered to be the most likely cause of extinction for humanity. Every time it seems like they're winning, even in the short-term, it's just the setup for another knockdown. It's giving them hope just so the despair hits deeper. What are the odds that's on purpose? What are the odds that everything the Endbringers suffer except Scion is just play-acting for them? Selling the capes' moves like it's a wrestling match, even as they don't feel a goddamn thing.

What if it's all just a sick game to an alien god?

This is so cool and so, so fucking dire.

God that's dark

Sacrifice play. Some desperate attempt to redeem himself in the public view maybe? A genuine belief that he can make this stick? I dunno. It doesn't matter, unfortunately.

What a way to sell the fucking outrageous devastation that this monster unleashes in the span of. What, an hour? Less?

Also hey what good is all the missiles and lasers and forcefields if Leviathan is just gonna pick the whole PHQ up and smash it onto the shoreline

So many goddamn downed, it's crazy. And y'know, knowing the rest of the arc we know Tattletale's still standing but of course Skitter is fucked up over losing Tattletale, that's the last person she's got who's willing to extend a hand towards her.

Most powers are dead useless here let's be real

Hey, good job Eidolon

Fucking brave of y'all to be shooting Bakuda bombs anywhere in the same ZIP code as someone you care about, but also god it would be so cool if this had actually worked. Just fucking lock Leviathan down in time out for a hundred years or so, buy that much time? Shame it fails.

Well. I'm not gonna miss the fucking Nazis, but rip in peace Dauntless, we hardly knew ye.

Triumvirate member tagged out. Alexandria was already down for the count, wasn't she? Or she at least stopped showing up at some point, so now it's just Eidolon repping the Big Three

although I guess if you asked Eidolon he'd call it "just Big Me"

First dead kid out of the lot, I think, if we don't count Falcon dying off the battlefield. Sorry, Shielder. I think Leviathan knew you were strong enough to keep being a problem. Gotta be fucking awful for Laserdream though, watching your brother die violently in front of you is. I actually can't imagine, thank fuck.

And then Sundancer down but not out. Honestly if anyone was gonna have decent odds of doing damage I'd have given it to The Fucking Sun, but that doesn't do much for defense does it.

Fucking outrageously brutal, god.

Man. I didn't even think about the fact that this thing is silent the entire time. No Godzilla roars or shit the entire time, nothing except for the rush of water.

Clockblocker keeps coming in clutch to save the day against citywide threats... Someone please for the love of god stop putting these children in the line of fire.

Also interesting that Taylor might be the only one here whose first response is to get him out of the water, for all that he's been her enemy.

Clever.

Taylor can be really harshly judgmental at times but I'm gonna be real I'm with her on this one, Trickster what the actual fuck is your problem. Like good job I guess but what the hell.

Y'know, the fucked up thing is that Armsmaster actually isn't wrong here, and his plan could've worked if he was, uhh. Genuine about it.

Does everybody's ability to give a speech go down the fucking toilet when an Endbringer is within half a mile of them? Is that what it is?

Current Thoughts

Wildbow really fucking knows how to put a battle together. Our POV character isn't actually fighting through 95% of this entire arc (and maybe shouldn't have been fighting in that 5% but we'll get there) but you feel just totally surrounded by the death and devastation that's raining down on all sides.

Unfortunately, I think it's about time for Armsmaster's big reveal on how to lose an arm and a shitload of credibility in record timing.

[ipatrichor]

my thoughts on dead boy detectives after watching episode one

okay first of all i gotta say i love the vibe. two ghosty boys running around solving cases and helping trapped spirits move on? that's so fun i love them

tbh. i don't know whats going on btween these two if it's platonic romantic whatever and i don't think any distinction can be drawn that matters. maybe that's the aro in me but they are each other's most important person and who cares about the semantics!!!

charles trying to get edwin to learn self-defense is very sweet. however i will say girl how has this not happened sooner. you literally just got chased through london by a knife ghost and your next case involves fistfighting a possessed psychic Please learn to throw a punch minimum. i would say learning how to fall properly is more important but it's not like they can get more dead. so.

unless they go to the afterlife or something i guess? interesting stakes, especially with the lady from the end of the episode who's looking for them. also the scene hanging outside the window was very sweet, with edwin promising he won't let them get separated. at this point i think it could go either way whether that was to establish their dynamic or to foreshadow, so we'll have to wait and see if the promise holds, but either way very touching moment

crystal my girl crystal!!!! i love her so much holy shit she is so messy!!!! i love love love her getting angry about her shitty situation bc. yeah! that's scary as hell having amnesia bc ur literal demon ex stole your memories and she's got no one except the boys, one of whom very openly doesn't want her around. that's really rough and i Love that she blows up at them about it in a moment of extreme stress instead of being unnaturally chill about an objectively awful situation like many mystical characters (especially when they're women)

anyway i think crystal should get a knife and stabbing privileges. she'd for sure misuse them but i think it'd be funny

edwin is so real for the 70 years in hell thing. girl if i was in the torture dimension for SEVEN DECADES i'd be awful to everyone, it's actually impressive that he restrains himself to being a petty bitch. good for him tbh, i think he's earned the snark. don't get me wrong it's unhelpful and sometimes downright mean, but it's also funny so i'm letting it slide

the witch... esther i think? god what do i say about her. ok im first gonna start with this: she's fucking chilling, it's so scary watching her body the group with ease until charles basically hail-marys and possesses her AND EVEN THEN it's for less than a minute til she forces him out!! it feels like encountering the bbeg when your party is level five- you know you can't touch her and have to play the situation carefully so she doesn't just end you, and the win is getting away with a different objective (here saving the kid) while knowing she's gonna be actively hostile to you now. scary stuff!

idk if this is the popular opinion or not but i just don't find her hot 😭 like yeah she's serving incredible cunt, but her awful pta mom energy keeps that from being attractive. idk if it's the mommy issues but i would feel unsafe and constantly judged in her presence which is usually a dealbreaker for me finding people hot. sorry ma'am i deeply respect your vibe and the cunt you serve i would just avoid u like hell if u were real

the whole snake in a bone dimension in her cupboard is pretty cool though, and i love that her blowing smoke in people's faces isn't just a power play but a paralytic that's So clever

any other thoughts.... the girl with long hair is pretty, and that interaction with crystal has me wondering if the show got cancelled for lesbianism. i feel like maybe not? idk, if it was the start of a relationship that seems weirdly at odds with the tone of the rest of the show, so im leaning more towards crystal was picking up a weird psychic vibe from her that might be important later. who knows though!! i'll just have to find out haha

anyway i got sucked back into reading a novel but i should get caught up on that sometime today and then it's on to episode two, lol. very interested to find out what's up with the cat's vague ominous warning and what esther's gonna do when she finds out they rescued the kid she kidnapped

[rindomness]

hello hi tell us about mementos and the security level

OH HELLO. Welcome to my personal hill to die on. This post is long. It's one of my out-loud rants in text form. Sorry in advance. There's a cut down there somewhere.

Thesis statement of whatever's about to come next is that Mementos fucks actually as a concept its execution was just horrible and also Yaldabaoth is a terrible final boss. OKAY LET'S GET INTO IT

First things first I really do think Mementos should have gotten a security level. The game plays "Mementos is the public's Palace" very straight, all the way to the end, insisting that Yaldabaoth is created by the public's desire for a status quo yadda yadda yadda. So like. Here's the screenshots actually

I didn't get the whole conversation mostly because I think I was streaming at the time and complaining out loud but like. He just straight-up says this? And then they do nothing with it???

Imagine this with me. Enter the imagisphere or whatever.

It's October. You've just defeated Okumura, and you just watched the mysterious black-masked figure you've been told cryptically about for a while now kill his Shadow. You watch Okumura have a mental shutdown live. It's horrific! It's worrying! What happened? What's going to happen to you? The Phan-Site meter starts dropping rapidly. You go to Mementos to prepare for the next Palace.

There's a security level.

NOT ONLY did this act make the public lose faith in you, but now you're enemy #1, and it's reflected in the collective unconscious. This Chekov's gun that they set up back in May goes off. You have to be much more careful in Mementos because if you aren't, you could get kicked out. The stakes are higher. Mementos, the public view of you, has changed. It's not just doors opening for you anymore.

THAT WOULD BE SO COOL. RIGHT? RIGHT??? BUT NO! No we don't get a security level until the depths, which contradicts itself, actually, because once you get to the depths, the whole POINT is that the public ISN'T reacting to you or your actions! Why the hell would they care that you're In There!

The obvious answer is that it's because the security level belongs to the Holy Grail/Yaldabaoth/the fuckass cup/whatever you personally call him. And okay, whatever, but the game goes out of its way to establish that the Grail isn't really a separate entity from "public desire," he IS "public desire," the status quo incarnate, so once again, I ask, why is this the only time you have a security level! (I know it's because this is the home-stretch to the final boss and mechanically it has to act like a proper Palace. I still think it's stupid.)

And now that I'm talking about the Grail. Hi. Hello. If you've talked to me on Discord you already know this but I fucking hate the Grail. I think it's stupid. I think it's thematically inconsistent. I think its only purpose is to be the "Let's fight God!" final boss. I truly believe that if I hadn't gotten into Persona 5 through Royal, I would not still be into Persona 5, because I would have gotten so frustrated with Yaldabaoth that I would have dropped the game. I regularly complain for half an hour straight about this thing in voice calls. One person once told me the only thing they knew about Persona 5 was that this cup sucked because I wouldn't shut up about it.

I've somehow managed to not do this on Tumblr but I can't really talk about Mementos without talking about it so I guess we're talking about the cup

Narratively: Yaldabaoth just sort of comes out of nowhere??? The whole game is building up to Shido. The whole game. And you do it! You defeat him! And then... there's this other thing??? Apparently??? I was genuinely really confused when I got to this part of the game the first time because I was going ok we beat the final boss complete with eight hundred phases! Hooray! And now there's this other fucker. Going back through the game there's some foreshadowing for him? But it's kind of all concentrated in the start of the game, around Madarame's Palace, when you're just getting used to Mementos, and then it all sorta just disappears.

YOU KNOW WHAT IS FORESHADOWED, THOUGH? MORGANA.

Imagine with me x2 because this is where I thought the game was taking us when it went "btw we need to tackle the depths now"

Morgana has no memories. Morgana knows there's something in the depths that explains who he is. Morgana assumes it's because he's human, and will become human again if he finds out what it is. The WHOLE POINT of exploring Mementos was for Morgana's memories! And then he starts getting these really unsettling dreams, right, where he's a Shadow, or has a Shadow, or whatever. And then you get to the depths.

What I thought was about to happen was that we were going to find out that Morgana was more or less what the Grail claims to be(a being created by the wishes of the masses) and that Mementos was going to be Morgana's Palace. "Oh but Morgana has a Persona-" Morgana's already a weird case I could easily see him having a Shadow or being a Shadow himself while also having a Persona. I'm ignoring Maruki because we're talking about vanilla and Maruki didn't exist yet.

I thought our final boss was going to be Mona's Shadow and that by defeating him(the part of Morgana(as a Shadow/Metaverse being/etc) representative of what they were trying to make Yaldabaoth: wanting to let the status quo handle everything, more or less, the desire to let the system do what it's designed to even if that thing is "crush everything in its path") we would reaffirm that change is possible as long as we all work together. Morgana getting to be this very physical symbol of rebellion and force of will and getting to go NO I want to try even if it hurts me.

What actually happened was... a lot more underwhelming.

What we got was, in a game where one of the primary themes is "rebellion against systemic injustice, you can't just get rid of the One Guy and fix Everything," a final boss who was... one guy who if you got rid of him you'd fix everything?

And I get it Atlus doesn't want to actually shake the boat that much but at the same time Yaldabaoth comes out of nowhere and says absolutely nothing of substance in a game that, over and over again, gets SO CLOSE to saying something really powerful and then sinking back into what's comfortable. It's the aesthetic of rebellion without the teeth of it.

Anyway now that I've complained for an essay's worth here's some positive stuff

I really do like Mementos. It gets a lot of shit for being repetitive and boring and like I sort of get that but on the other hand it is a JRPG. I'm not sure what you expected from the area that is, mechanically, "Here's where you go to grind." I don't see a problem with having this area. I think the special floor events manage to spice it up enough that it's not all that boring. I like Jose being there in Royal, I think he adds a lot, actually. The implications of everything Jose says are fascinating to me. The fact it's impacted by the weather! Like, as a world component, Mementos is so so cool actually guys. I know it's a Persona game so "world impacted by cognition" is sort of the bare minimum but it's really cool!!! The aesthetics fuck! The only layer I really don't like is.. fuck, I think it's Kaitul? Whichever one gets unlocked after Kaneshiro's Palace, I haven't gotten there in my current playthrough yet. It's just... too dark to see, all the time, imo. Mementos feels(except for... 90% sure it's Chemdah) very oppressive and spooky and I honestly think that's great. It's a depressing place to be! For a game about how corruption and systemic violence hurts everybody, it's really good!

In conclusion... don't ask me about Mementos unless you want an essay LMAO in seriousness I understand why Mementos gets shit but I think it should get less of it. And also that I could have fixed it(the cup. The cup is the big bad part of Mementos. Not the grinding you're going to get that with a JRPG no matter what you do you signed up for it when you launched the game.)

[ihavemanyhusbands]

Can I request one where Richie and reader get in a big fight over something that ends with reader being really upset until Richie eventually apologizes? A little mean Richie, hurt/comfort, established relationship.

Thanks for requesting! <3

——

Never before had you spent an entire weekend without speaking to Richie. Then again, all of the arguments you’d had in the past had been much easier to fix.

Since the Bear’s grand opening was right around the corner, things were hectic at the restaurant. Richie had been under a lot of stress, sleeping less and slowly losing his already small reserve of patience.

Given that you were so close to everyone at the restaurant, you came in a few times to try and help out however you could. But sometimes there’s just too many cooks in one kitchen and it ends up being less helpful.

So on a particularly stressful day, in which the inspector was meant to come in to check on the gas, Richie had reached his limit.

You’d been having a discussion with Fak about something trivial — which you had to admit was kind of distracting him from his task — when Richie stormed over to interrupt the conversation.

“Okay, okay, I’m sure this is a real interesting conversation, but we don’t have time for this shit right now. The inspector will be here in an hour and if everything’s not in top shape, we’re gonna be absolutely fucked.”

“I know that, Richie, I’m working!” Fak countered.

“No you’re fucking not!” Richie said exasperatedly, turning to you. “Do you even understand how high the stakes are right now? We could lose everything, we can’t afford bullshit like this right now.”

“Alright, calm down. I do understand. I know Tina mentioned she might need—” you started to say, but he interrupted.

“Don’t go bothering Tina, she’s busy, too. We all are! You know why? Because we fucking work here, and you don’t,” he pointed at you as if to emphasize his point. “I need you to leave. You’re in the way while we’re scrambling to get shit together and we don’t need your help, okay? Just go home and let us handle our shit.”

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Fak said immediately.

“Shut the hell up, Fak. This is between us, not you,” Richie snapped.

“Well I’m standing right here!” He argued.

“It’s okay, Fak,” you said, trying to swallow the bitter lump in your throat as you glared at Richie. “Just… Whatever, fine. You’re gonna mess it up by being a fucking asshole, and I don’t wanna be here for that anyway.”

“Oh, I’m being an asshole?” Richie scoffed, shaking his head in what seemed to be disbelief.

“Yes, you are. I know you think its fine to take your frustration out on other people, but I’m not your fucking punching bag, got it?”

You shoved past him to get your stuff by the backdoor, not even saying goodbye to anyone as you made your way outside. Your face was hot from embarrassment and rage, so you didn’t want anyone to see you like that anyway.

You cried on the train ride home and ignored all of his calls later that evening. In fact, you didn’t talk to any of the staff members, wanting to distance yourself from the whole thing for a little bit.

It wasn’t until Monday evening that there was a knock on your front door. You opened it to reveal a forlorn looking Richie, holding a bouquet of flowers and a bag of take out from your favorite spot.

“Hey,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. “Can I come in?”

You nodded, stepping away from the doorway to let him in. He shut the door behind himself, but you didn’t let him take one more step, your arms crossed over your chest.

“You were right, I was a fucking asshole, and I was way out of line. With everyone, but especially with you. I shouldn’t have said those things to you.”

You looked down at the floor. “I was just trying to be helpful. I hated seeing you so stressed.”

“I know, I’m so sorry baby. All of the shit I said was stupid, I was just being a selfish piece of shit and-and I just didn’t think clearly.”

“You’re not a piece of shit, Richie,” you said. “But you were definitely a jagoff.”

“Trust me, I’m aware. Carmen and the others chewed me out about it, too. I shouldn’t have let it get to that point. I’m really, really sorry.”

You softened some at the earnestness on his face. You took the flowers from him and brought him in for a hug with your free arm. He clutched you tightly, planting a kiss on your temple.

“How can I make it up to you?” He murmured against your hair.

You turned your head to look up at him. “I could think of a few things… you’re lucky I didn’t make you grovel on your knees.”

He chuckled a little. “I could still do it, if you wanted me to.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

——

[carefulfears]

How do you think it played out between Mulder and Diana? I picture him as being very vulnerable after Phoebe, so to go into another relationship with someone who's also quite manipulative and actually trust them enough to get married... I'd be interested to know your thoughts on what that marriage was like, and the divorce

honestly i think the pipeline from phoebe to diana was just wideeee open like…i don’t see him as having been closed off after phoebe. even though he clearly recognizes things between them as having been bad (he jokes about her having “driven a stake” through him, he jokes about her cheating, he refers to her mind games and the way she just wants to hurt him as “classic phoebe greene”)

but he still….calls her “brilliant” and puts himself in a position of blame (“i got in over my head”) and helps her when she asks. he is still open to her. and he’s open to diana, when she comes back, after having left him. they’re kind and civil to each other. in the end, when she keeps pressing him about scully, he says “i’ve done okay without you,” and it’s not harsh. it’s a reassurance. i’m alright. it’s okay.

all to say that…i don’t think it was a matter of trust, or trusting someone again after phoebe. mulder never really struggles with trust, for all his talk. he’s always walking into the world with a hand out, no matter how many times it’s bitten. and no matter how aware he is of people’s true selves or behavior.

that’s what fucking kills me about mulder in relation to abuse, it’s that he knows. he doesn’t try to convince himself or anyone else that it’s not that bad, that it’s not on purpose, that they’re not hurting him. he knows. he knows that phoebe just wants to watch him walk through fire, and he walks. and for as much as he defends diana and doesn’t want to believe that she was involved in syndicate work, i think he knows that their relationship wasn’t healthy.

(children weaned on poison consider harm a comfort etc etc. children weaned on blame string themselves up on the cross)

so i think you’re right that he was vulnerable after phoebe, in the sense that he’s already been so burned, and is so aware, and he all but goes back for more. but…diana isn’t phoebe. phoebe was college affairs and trysts in graveyards and red hot fire. diana is established. diana is older. diana is…cold.

where phoebe would look away until he was apologizing and begging, diana stares him down. she never backs away. she never wavers, even in her most egregious lies.

i’m sure we’re all tired of me affirming freud, but diana is so much like his mother you guys. they both have that same quietly understated bite. they both know so much more than they let on. they both respond the exact same way to his questioning. (“fox, please. don’t do this.” / “nothing could be further from the truth, fox. nothing.”)

there’s a great post here on what draws mulder to diana, that touches on the difference between her and phoebe:

Mulder, who has never been loved properly by anyone since his little sister, flourishes in her company. She is evidently attracted to him, and he’s attracted to her, a slightly older, slow-moving woman. What does he have to compare her with? Phoebe, who belittled and gaslighted him? Compared to Phoebe, Diana is stable, level-headed, understanding, present, dedicated, encouraging, and admiring of his talents.

they’re both manipulative, and abusive, but diana knows what she’s doing. diana knows what moves to make.

the way she speaks to him is just so purposeful, you guys. her first line on the series is telling a room full of people that she thinks he’s right. that she believes him. she “takes his side” to scully. (and she belittles scully to him, like phoebe did. tells him that she just wonders how far he could go, with someone who really believed him). “fox, i’m going to get out of the car now. i’m alone, okay?”

she knows him. and he responds exactly as she knows he will: the very first script note about her character is that she’s anticipating mulder’s reactions. she addresses his fears and insecurities. (in the end when she tells him that she was impressed with him for his “good catch” on the videotape, he can’t even look at her. he turns his whole body away from her before shaking his head and responding: “oh. you would’ve caught it eventually.”)

a lot of this is learned over years (if they were together from when he graduated the academy, until the discovery of the x-files in 1991, that puts their relationship at around 5 years. from ‘86 to ‘91) but a lot of this is just…..them. just their dynamic.

i said this in my first post on the topic, but, he would’ve married her. if he’d walk through fire, he’d get married. if he’d search for family in extraterrestrial life, he’d get married. he’s a legacy government employee from martha’s vineyard. and he eats out of the palm of her hand, even a decade after she left him. (which isn’t even to say that she would’ve had to initiate marriage. but there’s also a certain level of….it’s just what you do. especially in upper class new england circles.)

he was young, and he was the FBI’s golden boy. he was “the best analyst in the violent crime section.” he was writing monographs that would catch the biggest serial killers. he was being talked about in the academy. that sort of thing matters to diana. even after she comes back, she speaks of following his work. having “an interest” in it. wanting him to be successful.

she looks genuinely concerned in one son, when he says that he feels like he should just give up. it seems like it throws her off, where she usually has the upper hand.

as far as how the marriage went, i think it was short, and cold, and lonely. in the flashbacks of travelers, it’s 1990, he’s wearing a ring, he tells arthur dales that he does not speak to his father.

as far as the divorce, i think she just left. i think it’s implied in her line: “sometimes i hear about you…and i think how it might’ve been if i’d stayed.”

1991: the x-files are discovered, diana gets a job in europe. i love that they worked cases together, in the beginning. she’s the original x-files partner, and she never lets go of that. there’s almost a threat in her voice, every time she throws it in both mulder and scully’s faces. (especially: “hey. you and i found the x-files together. don’t forget that.” …everything that he has, she helped build.)

i really love this fic that goes through mulder and diana’s relationship, it’s completely in line with how i view her character and their dynamic. but i especially come back to the chapter where mulder opens a file on samantha. and diana realizes, after all their adventures looking for psychics in hospitals, that this is going to be something very different, very quickly.

“spooky mulder” wasn’t always crazy and basement dwelling. he used to be the best analyst in the violent crime section. he used to be revered, and respected, for how “scary” quickly his mind works. that’s diana’s husband.

but so quickly, he becomes so enmeshed in so much trauma, and loss. the way he talks in the pilot, he tells scully that he just went to oxford and then went to the fbi, and when she asks what he did after samantha disappeared, he says that he was….good at profiling. that he was successful, and that allowed him room to pursue other interests. he finds the x-files. he spends 2 years trying to get the unit opened. and very quickly, he’s alone in the basement.

as far as the syndicate plays in, i go back and forth. sometimes i think they had hands in diana the whole time, and just pulled her out when the x-files were established. but mostly, i think they probably recruited her in ‘91. they wouldn’t really have much cause to have someone on mulder, before then.

so i think, most likely, the x-files are discovered. at first, it’s interesting, it’s in line with her own personal work in parapsychology, it’s something she’s into. something she believes in. but mulder is so myopic, and his obsessive tendencies are not progressing him anymore. he’s not advancing or respected anymore. things start to fall apart. the syndicate approach her, recruit her out to europe.

diana wants to be doing the work. i don’t think she perceives it as being opposite sides.

y’all remember that week where mulder could read minds? this is what diana says:

I know you know. I know you know about me... That my loyalties aren't just to you... but to a man you've grown to despise. You have your reasons but, as you look inside me now you know that I have mine. Fox... Fox, I love you. I've loved you for so long. You know that, too.

she has her reasons. and, the way she sees it, so does he. the way she sees it, she has loyalties to them both.

and diana does love him, she dies for him. “you know that, too.”

doesn’t it mean something, to know? to not be playing games? not be walking through fire? to be looked in the eye, even when it’s nothing but lies?

doesn’t it mean something, to be committed? i’ve said this before, but mulder and diana are grandfathered in. no one is allowed to speak on or to either of them, in the other’s eyes. even after nearly a decade apart, they still have a place with each other. they stand on each other’s ground. (everything he has, she built.)

there’s a lot of convoluted complexities between them that i could go on forever and ever about, and there’s so much purposeful maneuvering. it’s not just diana’s gaslighting and manipulation, it’s so much above and below her. ultimately, they are little more than pawns in a game. but mostly, i just think she was there, and she was knowledgeable and controlling and respectful in a time where he didn’t have much direction. and that goes a long way.

[gaykarstaagforever]

Part 1

Fine. You want Fat Superman? Here is Fat Superman.

PART 2: FAT SUPERMAN

Spoiler warning: he gets fat from drinking expired champagne on an alien planet.

No I'm not joking.

And while he has to exercise to get thinner, faster, it was always going to wear off and he'd go back to normal.

Those are the stakes of this idiot story.

You see this? You see Lois being a bitch about it, and all the cruel fat-related puns?

10 and a half pages of that. That's basically it.

This is a joke that isn't funny, that eventually just...stops.

They made this the cover feature.

...A cover feature with a scene that doesn't even happen. Superman just says, "Man. What if I got fat in a phone booth, instead of a space capsule? (He was in a space capsule when he got fat. A FAKE space capsule. Look. It doesn't matter.)

Yeah. God forbid any actual dramatic story beats come out of this, you fat bastard.

Great. Now I'm doing it.

The only mildly amusing thing he does while fat is use his giant butt to plug a hole in a dam.

Speaking as a man with a giant butt...you use what you have, you know?

But even that isn't fun, because he has to make some comment about how he can't fly right, because of temporary obesity.

Yes. Because Superman's flying ability before now was totally a matter of real-world aerodynamics and particle physics.

Having him complain that his thighs are generating 10 million kilojoules of heat as they rub together when he walks would have been cruel garbage, but I would have accepted and even laughed at that. But FLYING? He is too fat to fly? Give me a break!

The blimp jokes were right there, you hacks!

Also, look back at that first dam panel. The people on the dam call him a hippo and wonder how he can still be a hero when he's fat.

It is well-established in the comics at this point that Superman can do anything, all the time, and also has super-hearing. Mostly because he tells everyone any time he does anything. And these jackasses have the nerve to stand well-within even NORMAL hearing range, and make fun of a LIVING GOD WITH LASER EYES for suddenly having man-tits?? He should have blown them over the edge, just to make a point.

Granted, this is Superman, and he's a goody-two-shoes. And they also no doubt know that. Plus he himself is currently whining about how he's TOO FAT TO FLY PROPERLY.

I've been mad for three days about this. Let's pause for an ad break.

Intriguing. I'll have to look up this 'Sesame Street' thing later, see if it went anywhere.

Back to hell.

Speaking of weird physics, I can't imagine how people on a plane flying at like 700 mph, passing even a fat Superman going at least as fast, can recognize anything, let alone have enough time to accurately guess his real Fat Superman weight.

But they do. Because this story is awful.

Okay this panel is pretty dense so let's talk about it.

1) He built that scale super-fast out of NOTHING, just to weigh himself. Looks to me like his super-abilities are just fine, even if he can't see his own penis.

2) ...I mean, okay, he is literally two tons. I admit, that's kind of really goddamn heavy. Maybe he should worry about this a little bit.

3) That last sentence is the greatest sentence in any Silver Age comic, ever. "Why ask questions?" Who gives a shit, right? It doesn't matter. None of this matters. Why did you buy this? Fuck you for reading this, kid. Go outside, nerd.

They didn't call him a blimp, but they DID have him call himself a parade balloon.

And then make him real sad about it.

...Did the Government pay DC to do a comic bullying fat children, because it was the height of the Cold War and they were afraid the next generation would be too porky to battle the Russians on their home tundra? Was someone on DC's editorial staff mad at his overweight mother-in-law? This is reaching frightening levels of antagonizing people who like donuts.

I've lost the thread, here. There is slightly more stupid story, but I've hit the "pictures of Fat Superman" limit, so this will need to continue in a Part 3.

[blackjackkent]

Next up on the circus circuit (hah) is a djinn with a VERY ominous combat title:

Cool, that seems fine. O.O;

He has a TON of loot behind him; this would probably be quite lucrative if I was willing to destroy and/or steal everything around here. Most of it I'm not very interested in, but this one is interesting:

Anyway, let's see what he has on offer.

"APPROACH, UGLY ONE."

...Wow, okay. Fuck you too.

Hector just kind of stares at him for a moment. As mentioned, he's pretty bewildered (and probably kind of overstimulated) by this whole situation. After a moment, he just answers at the top of his voice, "YOU ARE VERY LOUD."

Karlach, again, tries desperately not to laugh behind him (which is probably good, because before that she was debating whether to deck this djinn for calling Hector ugly).

"YES," the djinn bellows, making Hector's ears ring. "BEHOLD: AKABI'S WHEEL OF WONDERS."

"SPIN TO WIN PRIZES BEYOND YOUR TINY IMAGINATION, AND MAKE YOUR MISERABLE LIFE MORE BEARABLE."

This guy is a dick and a spin costs 500 gold, so these prizes better be something special.

"What kind of things can I win?" Hector asks warily.

"AKABI HAS TRAVELED ACROSS THE PLANES, BURNING AND CONQUERING ALL. WIN THE SPOILS OF SUCH CONQUEST. OR, IF LUCK SMILES UPON YOU, WIN THE GRAND PRIZE. THE JACKPOT."

Inwardly, Hector grumps to himself that even at this circus, no one can answer a godsdamned direct question with a godsdamned direct answer.

"What is the jackpot?" he asks with exaggerated patience.

"NO MORE QUESTIONS," bellows the djinn. "SPIN OR DON'T."

...Dammit. This feels sketch as hell but we've established that piquing Hector's curiosity is a way to make him do ill-advised stuff. (Between this and the facepainting we're up to 1500 gold on the day. This place is pricyyyyyy.)

"I'd like to spin the wheel."

The wheel spun, Hector biffed a Perception check (which I'm guessing would tell him the game is rigged), and won this (after Akabi called him ugly again):

Gross.

This is fairly low stakes so I'm actually going to reload, toss Guidance on him, and save-scum the Perception check, purely because this guy called Hector ugly and I don't like him. :P

Returning for a second convo after the reload, Akabi doubled down on calling him a "SPONGY MORTAL" which is also rude.

Anyway, we spin and this time we get the Perception check:

Narrator: [PERCEPTION] You notice a glint in Akabi's beard - as it glows, the wheel moves away from the jackpot. He is *cheating*.

This unlocks a [ROGUE] dialogue line basically telling Akabi to work on his technique in scamming people; this line leads to Akabi offering a free spin and threatening us. Yelling back at him at that point causes him to do this:

Which is hysterical.

However, I don't see Hector really going down this path. What is very Hector-ish is how utterly scandalized the narrator sounded about the cheating. So I think Hector just walks away but Karlach and Shadowheart and Jaheira get to listen to him hold forth for a while on how pathetic such con games are and how someone really ought to put a stop to it.

[waheelawhisperer]

Okay gonna post my thoughts on V9E8 now. Took me long enough.

This was certainly an episode.

Oh boy content warning

I’m sure whatever it is will be handled with the tact and sensitivity Rooster Teeth is known for

This episode contains: graphic depictions of suicide, graphic depictions of animal abuse and animal death, violence, blood, and what is obviously someone's fetish.

It also contains the brutal murder of a beloved character's established characterization. Again.

There, I've already done a better job of tagging potentially sensitive content than Rooster Teeth ever has in its entire existence as a company. Not that hard.

Back to first-person perspective. I like this Volume’s willingness to branch out in that regard

Let it all out, Ruby. Love that she’s finally being allowed to show how hurt and bitter she is.

Oh, Ruby, that is not the bridge you want to cross

I think she’s in the Jabberwalker’s acre now, which is the last place she needs to be when she’s alone and upset and Neo is hunting her

Dafuq is this house

Is this a Neo trap or just more weird Ever After shit? Either way, I want Ruby moving as far away from it as possible

Okay it’s a Neo trap probably

I know a little about the Roman/Neo book so I’m guessing the first portrait is Neo and her parents

The second one though lmao girl you are never beating the bottom allegations

You want someone to serve so bad

Bet you’ve got a praise kink too

“What is this?” I fucking wonder, Ruby. Maybe it’s a trap you wandered into.

Okay, Roman’s new voice is… not bad, honestly, and not even bad for him, but it is distinctly different from his old one. It’s not high or nasal or hammy enough, I think. It’s like Qrow’s new voice in that I think it fits him but it’s different enough from the original voice that it bugs me. I would be fine with it if he’d been voiced this way from the start, but now I can’t help hearing the old VA.

Interesting that Neo’s illusions can talk. Not sure if this is the evolution of her Semblance or a property of the Ever After.

Oh now Ruby can whip out Crescent Rose no problem. So much for her previous hesitation. Wonder if her PTSD will get dropped like Yang’s

Nice to see Pyrrha in the new artstyle. Been too long since we heard her voice.

Yeah Roman makes a good point here

Ruby's still having zero trouble wielding Crescent Rose. What a surprise.

Let her fuckin know, Ruby

I feel like this episode kind of wants you to have read the Roman and Neo book, because even the stuff I picked up secondhand made aspects of the episode make more sense

Tree equated with death again:

"Well, if you want me dead, then come get me"

"You don't deserve to die, Red. You deserve to be broken down, torn apart, wiped from existence."

Note that this last part is said just as the leaf lands in the teacup. Neo wants Ruby deader than dead. Gone. Obliterated.

Ruby responds to the attack instinctively and with no hesitation, apparently having fully recovered from that aspect of her struggles in prior episodes.

Nice showmanship Neo, you missed your calling as an actress

So glad Ruby’s at the mercy of a supercharged Neo, no way that can end badly

Once again WBY show no sense of urgency despite knowing that Neo is out there and targeting Ruby and having recently seen Ruby be unable to lift her weapon to defend herself. It's like they've forgotten that stakes exist. You love to see it.

Get a fucking move on you four I’m kind of at the end of my patience with you here

Yang curse count goes up again, and once again it’s “damn it”. At this point she’s cursed more in this Volume than in all her previous appearances put together and I don’t really like this choice. It feels like they want to let her swear properly but are also too afraid to let her cut loose, so they’re splitting the difference and it just feels silly. Either let her cuss for real and fucking commit to the choice or treat her dialogue like everyone else’s and save the profanity for when it has any kind of actual impact like it did in Volumes 5 and 6.

I don’t know Yang maybe she ran away because you all consistently failed to give her the help she needed throughout the Volume, prioritized someone else’s pain over hers, and stood there while Jaune screamed at her. Then you specifically acted like she was a threat to Bland instead of reaching out to her. Great way to be the emotionally intelligent overprotective big sister you’ve been for the rest of the show, 10/10. I guess now that there’s nothing left of your girlfriend to massacre, the writers have started in on you.

Character Assassination: The Volume.

She tried to talk to you, Yang, but circumstances kept interrupting and then you all both failed to push hard enough when you did have time and then focused on Jaune the moment she actually managed to express her feelings

Thank you, Weiss, for being the only intelligent person in this entire season’s fucking cast. You have officially been the best character of this Volume for a while now.

Goddamn Neo’s really tearing into Ruby’s psyche

Not sure how I feel about the choice to skip more or less to Ruby’s Aura breaking. On the one hand, I don’t think we needed to see the actual fight. It’s not what’s important here. On the other hand, this Volume has really not impressed me with the action so far and I would love to have at least one good fight scene out of ten episodes.

"Are you ready for that drink yet?" Just another reminder that Neo thinks that drinking that tea means Ruby fucking dies.

Damn Pyrrha I guess you really can control poles

Too bad you died before you could show that move to Jaune

Why are half these characters here how does Neo even know some of them are dead and why does she think Ruby had anything to do with it

Literally why are Clover and Lionheart even here

Someone on this writing team really loves torturing Oscar, Jesus.

Oh great the Cat is back

Ruby says “I don’t want to be me anymore”. Yikes

What the fuck is the Cat doing hasn’t Ruby suffered enough

“I’ve been trying to wear you down for so long” you’ve known her for like 3 days dipshit don't act like this is the work of years I know your attention span is short but come on

Yeah anyone with a brain could’ve guessed you haven’t been entirely honest you’ve been giving off bad vibes since day one

Okay yeah the Gods remain dicks who casually break people and throw them away, what else is new

GET THEIR ASS LITTLE THIS IS YOUR ONE USEFUL MOMENT IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE BABY

Lmao get wrecked Cat you just got finessed

Wow. Okay. That was a moment. RIP Little you would be missed if you hadn’t been both useless and annoying as fuck throughout the entire Volume but since you were I don’t really feel anything here beyond surprise that the writers would go there. If you want me to feel sad at Little’s death, give me a reason to have an emotional attachment to them to begin with. As it is, I’m just waiting to see what Ruby’s response is. That’s the only part that matters to me.

So there are two possibilities: either this breaks her utterly, or this reignites her resolve and she goes HAM on Neo’s ass. My guess is that we go with option one, that seems to be what this Volume is building toward and it’s too early for her to recover fully.

Okay, yeah, we went there. The main character just killed herself on-screen. Fantastic. What the actual fuck is with these writers and their obsession with suicide?

Also this scene was horrendously executed but I’ll talk about that in a sec

Sorry Neo I don’t care about your mental turmoil oh boo hoo revenge feels empty and now you don’t know what to do with yourself now that you’ve accomplished all your goals. Too bad, so sad, guess you should’ve tried being less of a cunt

Everyone just stands there fucking staring. Lovely.

What the fuck does that even mean, Cat? Who writes this dialogue? It has not been on point this Volume.

Weiss gets ragdolled again lmao this is her purpose in the universe

Lmao good work rabbit creature you saved Jaune’s ass. You’re literally the only useful Afteran

Did we really need such an extended closeup of Neo getting reverse vored? Somebody got to animate their fetish this Volume and milked it for all it was worth I swear to God

Jaune’s too late again it’s his most salient trait at this point, but he still gets more points than everyone else in the cast because at least he did more than stand there staring blankly at any point during this scene

Good riddance Neo you weren’t remotely likable and I can’t make myself feel sorry for you. Get fucked.

Well that’s creepy as shit

but I guarantee you someone on the animation team is aroused by this

Anyway oh look RWBY dropped the ball at the end of the episode again, what a surprise

Most of the episode was mediocre as shit but the end was fucking godawful (just like Episode 7)

You love to see it when 4 trained and experienced combatants see their friend and leader lying beaten on the ground with an enemy standing over her and just fucking stare for 20 seconds of screentime while she drinks fucking suicide tea. Make it make sense. Good work guys you’ve kept up your fantastic track record of failing Ruby for the entire Volume.

No thoughts going on in their entire fucking heads for 20 straight seconds of runtime.

Great showing from the woman who reacted in a fraction of a second and moved on instinct to throw herself in the way of an attack an opponent in disguise launched without warning when she was exhausted after fighting for like two straight days

Great showing from the woman who moved so fast to save her partner that she crossed a platform before the comrade that partner sacrificed herself to save had even hit the ground (way to hand more ammunition to the people who say the Bees only care about each other btw)

Great showing by… Weiss, I guess. She's here. She's participating.

Great showing by Jaune too but honestly I don’t expect anything from him at this point anyway so I don’t care. The other three have the capacity to be useful, so I hold them to higher standards.

The fanbase likes to say they couldn’t have known it was suicide tea but literally who gives a fuck, they know Neo wants Ruby dead, Ruby’s on the ground having obviously gotten her ass beat, Neo’s standing triumphantly over her and sure as hell isn’t bandaging her wounds, and any one of Ruby’s teammates could cover that distance in less time than it took Ruby to raise the cup to her lips. All three of Ruby’s teammates knew everything they needed to know to have a reason to defend her. All three of them have canonically demonstrated the ability to cross the distance between their entry point and Ruby/Neo in seconds at most and have made this exact kind of snap decision in combat situations on-screen. Yang should’ve been firing her gauntlets and parking her ass between Ruby and Neo the moment she saw what was going on, not standing there and drooling like she’d been spontaneously lobotomized the moment she walked into Neo’s House of Horrors and Blake and Weiss should’ve been right behind her

Yang has officially been killed. We now have two corpse-puppets being piloted around by foul necromantic magic and pretending to be characters I once knew and loved. I’m assuming Weiss is next somehow, can’t wait to see what travesties they inflict upon her.

This really is Character Assassination: The Volume, I was like 50% joking before but now I’m not joking at all holy shit I genuinely think the writers hate their characters at this point

Either that or they’re so staggeringly incompetent that they don’t even understand their characters

I bet they blame this shit on the animators again

Somebody please teach these bungling assclowns the absolute basics of screenwriting I am begging you on hands and knees how do you work on a show for a decade and still learn nothing how do you have decades of collective experience and still suck this much it defies belief

Really not sure how I feel about having Neo talk through her illusions but I don’t expect Rooster Teeth to give a shit about a character’s disability in any capacity at this point

Overall rating: DEAR GOD THIS IS AWFUL/10

[neonscandal]

Manga With Me: JJK Crackpot Theories (But Maybe Not) Rapid Fire Edition

I have had a lot of thoughts lately without any time to properly articulate them so let’s start the new year off with a shotgun blast of my least founded hot takes because, why not? Some of them might have some context clues but others might just be ideas I know I’ll never use for fanfics so, now, we all have to suffer. Enjoy my “What Ifs” and weigh in with your own. 👇🏾

⚠️ Spoiler warning: as these are rapid fire takes, covers info through current chapter of 209 and JJK0.

Nobara isn’t dead, Megumi was just paying Yuji back with his vagueness.

I just think it would be such an unhinged turn of events for Nobara to be largely okay but Megumi played the long game because how dare Yuji go along with Gojo’s half baked plan and force him to feel things for a sustained period of time?? Like, no real benefit to the plot in concealing her status except as a prank. I feel like Akutami would totally pull something like that too just for the sake of trolling. But if she came back as a critical plot point!? Even better, she deserved more shine. We also haven't seen a satisfying end to Nobara's need to reunite with Saori so I won't confirm her death until it's conveyed explicitly.

We haven't seen the best side of Miwa

I maintain the Akutami has been pretty good about tying in even the slightest of details (okay bit of dickriding here, I know). I've written about the fact that Miwa may not have such humble origins but I believe the last time we saw Miwa sets her up for a big awakening as well. The Tokyo and Kyoto schools differ in many ways as the latter tends to toe the more traditional line in agreement with the reigning jujutsu elders. Yaga, an indicator of the Tokyo school's tendency toward progressiveness, was considered odd with his cursed puppets and this eccentricity is foundational to those who work and attend the Tokyo school.

During Yuta's introduction, Maki makes it a point to mention that the weak always gather in packs, sorcerers and curses. We see countless times that Kyoto school executes as a pack, whether that is during the Goodwill Event or even when going after Kenjaku!Geto. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Gojo presses his students to go on missions appropriate for sorcerers of his caliber unsupervised. Where the elders and Kyoto seem to be intent on pacification and predictable power scaling, Tokyo is home to those the established order would consider abominations and would rather see gone. Those too weird (Yuji, Panda, Maki, the third years, I believe even Inumaki is a bit of an outcast) or those too powerful to control (Gojo, Yuta). So, the last time we saw little old Miwa... why was she alone? Because her powered up debut is loading. ✨

Megumi will be the one to exorcise Sukuna.

This is perhaps the rawest of theories considering. But Megumi’s technique requires him to summon and effectively exorcise a different animal curse in order to successfully wield it. We saw the eldritch horror he summoned as a final “fuck you” before Sukuna intervened and saved him (seriously, what was that?). So what if Megumi, in the end has the power to exorcise and wield Sukuna (a la Rika to Yuta)? Like... is this the best case scenario to save our sunshine boy, Yuji? This theory is held together by silly string but I am going to stake it on the fact that we were given the hopeless backstory of Gojo and Geto as how things had gone wrong. As the reader, should we not expect that that new iteration of this dynamic would prove to be more victorious? I'm just holding out hope. *weeps in Itafushi*

Megumi is an integral piece of the future of jujutsu and emotional damage is in the forecast

In many ways, this is already apparent. Gojo, following Toji's last directive, plucked Megumi and Tsumiki from their lives alone knowing the value of Megumi's technique and birthright. In cultivating Megumi's talent, we find out that centuries ago their ancestors were powerful enough to fight one another and we already know Gojo is OP. Megumi, unsure of himself and still developing will be a force to be reckoned with. We've seen it in glimpses already. This potential is something that Sukuna also covets which speaks volumes. We've seen with Gojo’s origin story (and Spider-Man) that great power leads to great responsibility. End game, I believe Megumi will be tasked with exorcising or killing Yuji out of necessity. But, if things in the box go horrendously wrong, I also think he'll be responsible for putting Gojo down. Hell, it might simply come down to a painful choice between Yuji and Gojo and we’ve already seen that Megumi trends toward Yuji’s preservation. I won’t say current events put a decision between Yuji or Tsumiki but 👀

Worse, I fear there will be a reckoning when he realizes he didn't have the full story behind what went down between Gojo and Toji. Either way, Gojo has cast Megumi as his equal and so has Akutami. Historically, this has ended tragically and Gojo's heart would simply be torn asunder to be undone by his own beloved protege.

Toji isn’t actually as much of a piece of shit.

This isn’t actually a plot development. I think we, as the readers, are meant to contextualize a few things to comprehend what may come to light about him. 1. He named Megumi “blessing” which leads me to believe that, while he was demonstrably awful, Megumi’s birth could have been a turning point. Tbh I think something happened to Megumi’s mom (well before Toji met Tsumiki’s mom) which sent him back down the spiral of being a degenerate and ultimately selling off his kid. I wonder how much the elders may have had to do with her death. Whether those be the Zenin or Jujutsu elders is really up in the air. 2. Akutami, in interviews, implied that Gojo wasn’t really a monogamous person in that they couldn’t see him settling down with one woman. Mind you, they then slowly reveal the deeper connection to Geto which fills in some gaps to what I'm considering a deliberate misdirection. So I’m wondering if the implication about Toji being a broke ass bum, while valid, has additional context yet to be seen.

Yuji hasn't seen the last of Yuko Ozawa

Again, this is a raw ass theory considering, I can't even lie and call it half baked. But wouldn't it be crazy if Yuko makes it to the end fight, perhaps similarly motivated as Kurusu with some cursed entity within her seeking Sukuna's head but she'll retain an affinity toward Yuji or something? Like why introduce her and that precious history with Yuji if she's not going to boomerang back into the story? Even if all she'll be is sentimental cannon fodder (I'm looking at you Junpei).

[stackthedeck]

What are your thoughts on the new Spiderverse run? I'm only reading it because of Cooper and I managed to find some bits here and there.

Have a good one!

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS! First off, there's never been a spider verse that I didn't enjoy because I just love all the creative spins that writers and artists put on the spider mantel!! And usually, a spider verse run means that at least one of the new spiders will get their own mini series or even a full run (Spider-Gwen and Spider-Punk my beloved)

okay this got long specific thoughts and minor spoilers under the cut

And I love the five issue series of end of the spider-verse because all the new spiders are so cool!! And I think the evil wasps work really well because it allows us to check in on the other spiders we know and love but they're turned evil so that we can focus on the new spiders! It's a very visually engaging villain and it really doesn't need to be that complicated for an end of the multiverse story you know

I love Web Weaver more than words can I express I have not stopped thinking about Cooper since I read his issue!! I just want him to have a mini series after all this is over marvel please I will write it!! I think he honestly has the strongest introduction out of all the new spiders because he actually does stuff and it's not just his origin story. His design is gorgeous but also his panel layout was so engaging like that beautiful web page that summoned up his origin story!!! I love his writing and the jokes he makes, you can tell that a gay man wrote his dialogue like yes!! (Steve Foxe, sir I hope marvel lets you write more of this character please Slott can't be trusted with him!) But like he'd have such an excellent mini series because there's a plot hook established before he leaves for the multiverse and it's his relationship with Albert Moon!! It's a love square with two people I'm literally gaging yes please marvel please I need to see how this goes!! Like Cooper and Albert are exes, but Silk and Web Weaver have crushes on each other and Albert kissed Web Weaver! Like oh my god the drama and if I don't get a comic for either of them soon I'm going to fucking write it myself

I also adore the other new spiders!! I like the new spider UK, she's an interesting character with a cool design, but her writing was a little clunky but I think that would have been fixed if she had a whole issue rather than like a quarter. Same with Sun Spider, love everything about her but the writing could have been stronger but also this isn't her first appearance so idk why the felt the need to go over her origins again. I would love for both of them to get their own solos. The character I'm really excited about is Spintress!! I thought her universe was so creative and the way they translated the typical spider man villains into Disney princess stuff. I hope she gets like a children's book or since Disney owns marvel maybe a little animated short in the traditional 2d style like I'd literally kill for that!!

Okay, I love this spider verse, but its whole is less than the sum of its parts. Like it moves into Slott's Spider-Man run and it instantly stops being charming and exciting. It immediately focuses on Peter despite the fact that this whole series started with Anya Corazón and Julia Carpenter! And they started calling Peter the chosen one which fuck no!! The whole point of spider verse is that Peter Parker isn't special, that anyone can take up the responsibility of spider-man, that anyone can be behind the mask!! And then they take away the tension of the evil wasp turning the spiders by saying that 616 citizens can't be turned which like way to bring down the stakes! Noir now has a sword that erases people from existence which fuck fine okay whatever. But the new spiders are instantly pushed to the background so that Peter can have the spotlight! He makes a homophobic comment to Web Weaver, he's nasty to Spintress, and he hates Felicia for no fucking reason!! Like he's so out of character, but it's Slott so idk what I expected. I'm going to read how it ends, but fuck I wish like the core of the story actually cared about the new characters introduced because what's the point of having them there if they don't do anything

[keptalivebymagic]

Reading A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft but it's challenging me in very specific ways. I have 75 pages left. Let me just say at the top that I recognize I'm a grown ass adult reading a YA novel. (Spoilers)

It occurred to me halfway through that the third person narrator flips back and forth between omniscient and limited. I'd have to go back and check though.

I got confused and thought both Niamh and Kit were saying they were gay, so I was like 150 pages into this book still wondering if this was actually going to turn into a romance between these two. (Yes, yes, they're both bi. But nobody was saying anything to suggest it!!!)

The oppression plotline is just so bizarre. It's cool in its premise since it's very clearly an English/Irish retelling, but the execution is perplexing. It's so simplistic. Neither Lovelace nor Helen Carlile ever say what it is they want outside of broad strokes. Kit and Helen Carlile even meet in person and still Helen says something like, "tell the Prince Regent that I'm not leaving until he meets with me." Woman, the younger prince is HERE. Why wouldn't this spokesperson for the oppressed immediately try to sway the member of royalty who is standing in front of her? And Kit just goes, "oh okay" and fucks off.

On a similar note; all the underpaid Machlish workers walk off. And all the remaining workers are thus overworked and discontented. We see this having an impact on a dinner function and one daytime outdoor function, but then the problem just fades into the background. Your protagonist is a member of the working class. How is she not commenting on this? Like, who the hell is running this palace?? You're gonna tell me a story with a worker uprising, at least acknowledge that, say, nobody's changing the sheets anymore. Nobody is building the fires. Nobody is emptying the freaking bedpans, surely. Right? Right?? I'm so irked at how low stakes this whole thing is. Nay, I'm rattled.

Kit's horrible, awful, terrible meltdown that almost got Sinclair killed is built up so much, and then explained away by Kit with zero details. This is just shoddy storytelling.

Everyone in this world is so simple. There were numerous incidents where the people working for the King weren't getting paid, including someone explicitly connecting the dots for Niamh, and still Niamh didn't put it together that there was some sort of financial trouble.

These two pop into a little affair and there's exactly zero consequences for it until the Prince Regent finds out. I specifically expected more of a reaction from Miriam. Where did she even go after letting Kit into Niamh's bedroom? She just fucks off immediately after taking care of Niamh and establishing that she's invested in the latter's wellbeing. Again I ask, why are the stakes so low??

Niamh is supposed to have a whole staff but we never get to see them. What are they like? Are they well paid? How do they feel about a Machlish boss? This is all such a missed opportunity to flesh out this world.

The Prince Regent invites Niamh to a whole slate of high society events and Niamh is barely even fazed. What's more, she somehow already has gowns for these occasions. This peasant from the countryside somehow made herself ball gowns?? Not even high society day dresses (of which I could be convinced, given her expertise in this very field), but actual royal ball gowns???

The whole regency era setting is shaky at best. I know it's just a YA novel, but it feels like there could have been some drama if the rules of etiquette, for example, were better established in the story.

The spice in this is slightly more detailed than I expected from a YA book. Slightly. Maybe I just don't read enough YA though.

Niamh's crippling commitment to providing for her family is compelling. That is all.

[sevicia]

I don't think I can be coherent enough to really get across just how much I loooved this movie so I'm just gonna do it idiot style. Ehe

I typed this whole thing out but it's spoilery so basically: movie so good I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot the entire time. HEART

First of all I liked Andy from the second he popped up on screen stuttering and making puns and then being treated badly because he's "useless" I was like omggg my best friend now we have so much in common<3333 then The Switch happened and I found the whole Greater Good robot dilemma within the movie to be super interesting mainly because you get to SEE said Switch and how other characters react to it

I really hated Bjorn from very early on like sorry I get the whole Trolls movie thing but also literally not Andy's fault that some other guy he doesn't even KNOWWW did that shit. This is probably why robots with the power to make super big decisions shouldn't be modeled after humans like you just can't help but assign them human traits + motivations meanwhile they are code. They are 1s and 0s someone put together with looots of love... Regardless of their self/humanity/sentience/whatthefuckever there is always a human out there that can overwrite it and I feel like a lot of people forget that when it comes to apocalyptic views on robots specifically. "What if they take over!!!" well that means someone fucked up very very badly by letting them take over. We made them bro that's someone's greatest passion you're talking about here....

The horror element from the robot side is sooo interesting too cause if there IS in fact a "true" sense of self in there it's just not guaranteed to last. As a machine you are at the mercy of anyone who knows how to work you. I'm not big on elaborated philosophy for my beliefs can be summed up as Fuck It We Ball but still, having free will only as long as someone wants you to is crazy scary. From a human lens yk. It feels kinda funny to say that tbh cause I do often feel computer-like on account of the autism but ONLY when I'm around people that don't think the way I do. Human but built different. Etc

Something I truly truly loooovedddd was how they established the setting + the stakes and limitations. It was so straightforward without feeling like they were just listing things for the sake of it which is always super satisfying TBH, perks of it all being a mission/operation. The way this movie builds up your stress levels as a viewer is SO satisying it's the only way I can describe it. Towards the end when it seemed like things were going alright I was thinking "Okay, what's gonna pop up now" because even though I had no idea what the runtime was, I could still tell it wasn't the end because it was just too good. The fact that Kay was PREGNANT was also on the back of my mind cooonstantly like something stressful would happen to anyone in the crew and I'd be like "damn... and Kay's pregnant on top of all this!?"

I don't know if it's cause it's been a while since I last watched a brand new horror movie (aka not a rewatch. EHE) but it was so insanely satisfying to feel my whole body shiver and my mouth water again like that I couldn't stop smiling past a certain point. It's a good thing I was on Popcorn Holder duty cause otherwise I would've been fidgeting with my hands the entire time LOLL

But really what made me suuuper giddy in terms of personal enjoyment was the kills and the beautifullll aliens themselves they are so gorgeous it's CRAZY... I didn't do my homework properly so I've never seen the other films (only know a vague outline of the 1st one), meaning I'd never seen one of those creatures move onscreen before. It was so charming!!! I never thought I'd be so into a movie where a creature takes up such a huge role, so I'm really just super happy I liked it so much (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)!!! The way they were so goopy and slimy and pulsated and just the way they MOVED??? I loved it so much!!!

It really made me think of how there's so many things I haven't been thinking of myself just because I never considered non-human entities as a source of harm before. Generally it seems like a much harder idea to go into than And Then A Weird Guy Appear because you kinda have to figure them out and establish rules and MAKE THEM MAKE SENSE..... it sounds like a huge amount of work and I truly loved it all

Recently I've been bouncing all over the place solely because I've been reading and listening to things that I truly believe are amazing in every way. It feels so weirdly fulfilling even though I had no part in making them and I get it may sound like a weird statement but I feel so immensely happy to be alive and to be able to experience these stories right now. The world just feels so bright and welcoming and GOOD after I bite into a good movie/manga/song.

ALRIGHT ramble's over I love evryone always and forever AMEN !!!!

I just came out the theater I watched Alien Romulus I salivated a lot what a good fucking movie I should end my own life

[therainbowwillow]

I know Van Helsing is most popular for post-canon vampire hunter adaptions, but the whole Polycule of Light has so much potential!

They all try to go back to their day jobs, but they’ve spent months honing in on supernatural symptoms and can’t seem to shake off the wariness. Jonathan is tuned in to his clients’ strange behaviors and begins to suspect that something’s up. Seward is at least 50% sure that a few of his patients are communicating with other-worldly beings the way Renfield was. Mina notices that a few of her students are absent for some time after Lucy’s death and seem… off when they return. Van Helsing treats patients with Lucy-esque symptoms and starts to worry. Arthur, now involved in England’s upper class circles, notes that some of these families go way back… but never seem to gain new members, as if the individuals themselves have been around for ages. Quincey… what is Quincey’s day job? Maybe he’s less dismissive about his horses getting eaten by bats?

ANYWAY! Fearing a repeat of Dracula, they come together again, quit their day jobs and form a little society of monster-hunters. Word gets around and soon, everyone knows where to turn when things aren’t going the way they should. And so the Polycule of Light establishes themselves as the go-to monster hunting agency in England, with Jonathan handling financials, Mina, Arthur, and Quincey gathering information from clients (and spying on people & bribing them for further info) and Jack & Van Helsing examining victims. Once they figure out what’s going on, they pull out the good ‘ol knives, stakes & guns (okay, the guns were never put away, this is Quincey we’re talking about) and head off to hunt down some vampires or werewolves or some other monster that they now have to contend with.

There is POTENTIAL here! Give me post-canon adaptions where everyone plays a role in the story!

And now for an expansion of these ideas with spoilers because I’ve already read Dracula and have thoughts.

Spoilers also possible in the notes, use to your discretion!

Again, spoiler warning below!!!

This is your last chance! Major spoilers ahead!!!

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.

.

I refuse to accept that Quincey dies and I feel like any good post-canon AU needs a cowboy to be complete.

There are a lot of work-arounds here. The easiest one is that he is injured, but the two doctors on site (Van Helsing & Jack) manage to save him. I do also enjoy the ‘Quincey is a werewolf’ theory (and thus can’t be hurt by Dracula’s defenders’ non-silver knives). I think it adds another degree of interest to the story that if not all supernatural beings are evil, Dracula is choosing to hurt people and that is extra fucked up. This pairs really well with a Vampire Lucy survives AU, where she takes control of her own (after)life once Dracula is dead and has lost control over her. She rejoins the Polycule of Light to hunt down the undead who are actively choosing to be cruel (with some extra perspective as to which “enemies” aren’t in control of themselves- she’s the Polycule’s ethics branch.)

There is also Jonathan & Mina’s son who makes for a great addition to the plot. I like to think that he is being coparented by the entire Polycule, but is not let in on the supernatural happenings that his six parents + grandpa Van Helsing are contending with while he’s asleep or at school. They tell him when he’s old enough to understand and eventually, he gets to join them on missions.

[whatthehelliswrongwithme]

Voltron Part 49

Oh. My. Fucking. God. It’s the series finale. Where the fuck did the time go??? Now, please remember, that I’ll still post a season review of S8 and of the whole series as a whole. So, no need to get emotional. Yet! Season8 episode 13! 

Here we go:

Yeah.... 8 seasons and I still can’t really comment on fight-scenes

I still just remain, feeling sorry for the crew of the Atlas, who didn’t sign up for this shit

Who needs Allura x Lance, when you have Allura x Anger issues❤?

Space witch is off to another AO3 search!

I love how Shiro just does not fit into the groupshots of the other Paladins, simply cause of the visuals

Like... he sticks out so much! Baby, I love you but you do not belong there!!

Awww, it’s so nice of Space witch to answer the Paladins questions~

Do you ever have these moments in a show, when it just feels like the stakes are too high? Like, Jesus! Calm down a little!

I’m so emotionally detached from this season..... 

The ~drama~ just feels ridiculous at this point

Yaaaaa! Pidge! You go Girl!

What the fuck was that “flashing, yellow eyes”-thingy?

I love how the Paladins struggled so much in this fight before. But now it’s just “Nevermind! We’ve got this!”

Allura, how do you even know where you are?

Why are the Paladins giving Space witch a Ted-Talk now?

Oooop, Space witch markings changed. Is she now magically healed?

They’re currently talking about how Lotor wasn’t actually that evil...... He killed his friend, who trusted him. He’s an asshole. He’s an egocentric maniac who made himself a Jesus-figure. He tried to kill the Paladins. And our introduction to him, was him literally killing off a person who didn’t fit into his scheme!

And you’re saying, that he wasn’t actually that evil!!!!?

What! The! FUCK!?!?!?

Wait, will Allura die for real now?

Cause in the other season-finales she often “died” or put herself in mortal danger

It wAy mY fUcKiNg RuNnInG-jOkE!!!!

Why did the writers feel the need to kill off one of the major characters? What is this bullshit?

If they needed a “big sacrifice”, couldn’t they just have destroyed Voltron for the magic bullshit?

Allura’s telling everyone goodbye (Which probably made some shippers very happy)

Lance got really screwd over here (Sorry for the Allurance shippers)

why. does. he. have. altean. markings. now?

(I didn’t know, that being a princess is contagious)

Okay. I know, that I said that Lance got screwed over. But think about Moustache Man!!!! He was literally her father-figure! He basically was her father! And now he doesn’t even get to tell her goodbye!?!?????

The thought of Moustache Man losing Allura made me sadder than the entire “Goodbye”-scene

What’s with this bullshit of killing off Allura???

All the OG! Paladins appeared in the light. and Lotor for some reason...

Okay.... Altea’s back for some reason.....

~!Timeskip!~

Why is Keith now the head of the Galra empire?

And why did it take him one fucking year to hold that speech?

Sailor Moon. I love you. But why are you a cook now?

Matt. Please let your hair grow out again

The Nerd Sibs’ are building a robot, that looks like it came straight out of my nightmares

Moustache man is best dad! He built her a fucking statue!

Oooooh, Farmer Lance!

Okay. Nevermind. Keith’s not the leader

“Classic Keith”..... I hate this.... I literally have the same expression as “Side-Eyeing Cloe” right now

If I try really, really, really hard, I can see a Sheith here

They’re all in their PJ’s!

Why did the lions leave now??????????

How is Pidge gonna get back?

But seriously. What the hell?

.-•-°-•-.-•-°-•-.-•-°-•-.-~☆

Ooooooohh! Credit-scenes!

Oh God. They’ve aged....

Pidge looks great

Shiro looks like a dad.He  likes reading books, while cuddled into a warm blanket

Hunk looks also... good? Not much really changed

I don’t know how to put it, but there’s something so uncanny about Keith

Lance didn’t change. Because for some reason he’s Altean now

Moustache Man ..... deserved better

Why does the Holt Family establish the next Legendary Defenders and not the Garrison?

It’s cool that Hunk’s a professional cook now. But didn’t he say, that his true passion was fixing things? Which is why he bacame an engineer at the Garrison?

Now that Lance is Altean, he can be sad over Allura’s death way longer! Great way, to move on!

Krolia and Marmora Boss Kitty are apparently now the presidents

Keith decided to be social for once in his life, and founded the Space Red Cross

Wait.

Shiro married “Some Other Guy”???????

Oh the irony..... 

Great Queer Representation. They were gay for like... a solid 4 seconds on screen!

So. The lions are just floating around in space randomly?

Welp. I hate this! Time to look for some Fix-it Fics!

[may-tine]

Someone who has never watched TMNT Rise reacts to the movie

@gauntletknight​ this is for you

so the last tmnt anything i watched was the 1990 live action film and the 2003 cartoon, when i was like 7? so we are off to a great start, but lets get into it

hey what, why are we in hell

okay wow Casey is here already i remember him

hey MIKEY??? WHAT im sorry does leo have a metal arm?

are we opening with time travel WHAT

WHY IS CASEY JONES FROM THE FUTURE.WASNT HE JUST SOME PUNK FROM NEW YORK?

I just watched a man die.

things keep happening and i cant put my thoughts down- oh i JUST WATCHED ANOTHER MAN DIE

alright pausing for half a sec to get thoughts down, this is a wild opening, tho i guess for a movie you need some higher stakes then a normal show. Im pretty sure the normal show is more classic turtle hijinks. aight back to it

actaully whats the krang? was that in the original? Are we going to see shredder?

oop yep classic teenage turtle hijinks

now i dont remember much but i remember Donnie and Leo being kinda hard to distinguish personality wise. Im glad they put some further characterization on them both

Mikey is somehow more childish?  but like in a babyish way

oh yeah Raph is the leader this time around.

okay so the magic thing is already established in the show, and Shredder has been dealt with?

oh buddy

WHO THE FUCK ARE THESE RANDOS?

I think Donnie was always tech but was he always THIS tech? Damn son

music is super funky

Eyy foot clan! wait these are shredders guys arnt they?

Raph is still mostly angry but hes like, softer. and WHY IS LEO BEING SUCH AN ASS! is he always like this?

Rat dad! We Love splinter

this version of casey is so weird compared to what im used too, i dont hate him tho

yoo wait thats April? APRIL STEALS?

Yo  have they been training her as a ninja as well? good for her- APRIL DONT STEAL RANDOM CHEMICALS

Oh this is begging to go wron- yep

this entire interrogation scene is amazing

Okay i do adore this casey

shit is it really like, too late, too late?

god this krang thing is heking creepy why are they blocks

OH THE MAGICS OFF, right after i noticed April had magic too

oof Splinters out cold

Do they have a pod for casey? ok yeah- oh leo no

wha

hey waat the fucK? RAPH?

oh god the you survived banner is about to NOT be funny

nooo hes turning on casey

oh god the powers are still gone

Raph isnt captured... is he?

COMMANDER?

oh he is captured, kinda surprised there

ah hostage situation got it- HEY WHAT THEY FUCKKKKK

AHHHHH?????? bye foot clan

same mikey

AHHHHH HIVE MIND

oh caseys about to ruin the mood

or hype them up

oh no reveals are being delayed

GOD  this is horrifying isnt this a kids show?

HEY LEO I THINK THEY SAW YOU COMING!

APRIL HAS A MOTORCYCLE YESSSS (did she have that orginally? maybe?)

Im worried how single minded Leo is getting about this, but at the same time, i get it.

THEY POSSESSED A TRAIN???

SOFT SHELL? oh your kidding

Oh god dont possess the tank

APRIL NO- oh, april yess

Ive never been so scared of a train in my life

WHY IS THIS A STRAIGHT UP HORROR????

WHY DID SHE STEAL SO MANY????

Casey with the call out!- oh not like that kiddo no

yep like cops will do anything- WHY ARE THEY GOOP LIKE THAT, Its too fleshy my guy.

Casey what was that smirk?  Did you do this on purpose?

Mickey with the mystic hands stuff worries me cuase is LITERALLY KILLED HIM

oh the triangulation scene ive seen this

oh no

oh raph is not going to be raph once hes out of there is he

AH I HATE BEING RIGHT

WAIT I THINK I SAW FANART OF THIS EARLIER TODAY I THOUGHT IT WAS SOME AU

WE ARE HITTING FINAL HOUR SHIT AND ITS ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH THE MOVIE????

god krang raph is so spooky

HEEY FAM? HEY TMNT FANS??? ARE YOU GUYS GOOD??? i was not expecting such levels of cosmic horror 

wait why does a turtle have eyebrows?

god the krang possessed tech is the worst, horrific,OH GOD WHAT IF THE TURTLE TANK.

shout out to Donnie having a step counter, same buddy.

i do enjoy the art style

oh why he sound like that

god the animation on krang raph is upsetting

I do adore this mikey as well, i was thinking i wouldnt liked this take on ‘immature’ but hes growing on me

OH NOOO DOnnie no dont do it oh god the goop

guys WTF

GUYS WTF

I DONT LIKE DONNIE IN THERE

AHH THAT EYE

WTFWTFWTFWTF

Hello?? am i about to cry over turtles??

MYSTIC POWERS!!!!!! What about the power cancel?

oh yeah B team. Love that Aprils first idea is dropping a building on somthing

AHHH THATSD A BEAM THROUGH AN EYE AAA, like its an alien but ye

YOOOO MIKEYYYY JUST THROWS A BUILDING

Oh this is so sick

yeee the anti power stuff or not? they still work?

Leo damn it dont do the self sacrificial shit YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT SCREWED YOU UP WHEN RAPH DID IT

hot moment to appreciate the Krang mechs, great monster designs

HAHA PORTAL FUCKERY

Casey my boy ; _ ;

oh god it ended on a portal chop

whats he holdin- NOOOOOOO DONT DO THAT TO ME

ONE OF THEM IS STILL ALIVE AHHH

MIKEY NO DONT HURT YOURSELF

HES CRACKING- THEY ALL ARE AHH

WAIT THIS IS GONNA LET KRANG BACK IN

QUICK SAVE YEAAAAA

ive only been to new york once whats wrong with Staten island

Casey gets pizza!!!

WHo the hek is Cassandra- UH OH

oh this ending song is a banger

WELL That was a lot of fun and SUPER DARK WHAT. At least I get the hype now. I dont know if ill start the actual series but I will be rooting for a s3 for all the fans