#most metal disney villain ever... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

twistedtummies2 · 4 years ago

Text

31 Days of Disney Villainy - Number 16

The 31 Days of Disney Villainy Continues! I’m counting down my Top 31 Favorite Villains from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film output. We’re roughly halfway through the countdown, and still going strong! Today’s villain is particularly interesting: he comes from what many call “the Black Sheep of Disney Movies.” Number 16 is…The Horned King, from The Black Cauldron.

“The Black Cauldron” is widely considered one of the biggest disgraces in Disney history. To be honest…ehhhhh, I can see why. Much like “Hercules,” I used to watch this movie a lot as a kid, and I do confess I have a soft spot for it. I love its dark, gruesome atmosphere, I even like a couple of the side characters…buuuut the main character is kind of a dunderhead, and the secondary protagonist/comic relief figure…well…I probably enjoyed him as a kid, to be fair, but looking back, I have no idea why, if so. He’s pretty obnoxious. Perhaps fittingly, the Horned King is a villain people seem to either love or hate; there’s rarely ever a middle ground. I’m in the love ground, but I will concede there’s a fundamental problem with the character, from my perspective…but we’ll get to that later. Let’s look at the positives first. What makes the Horned King so great is that he is, frankly, the most freaky Disney Villain out there. His voice is supplied by John Hurt, and to be honest, the way he delivers his lines makes me wonder why never got to hear or see the man play The Scarecrow from Batman. His design is essentially a lich; a near-total-skeleton in a robe, with demonic antlers growing out of his scalp. From time to time, he’s shown to have blood red eyes. Other times, the eye sockets are empty. Either way, he’s a frightening figure to behold, and because of the way the film is styled, frequently his full form is kept in shadow, only heightening his unnerving intensity. I love this villain’s style and dark intensity. I also love the mystery to him; throughout the film, they keep talking about the King having this “power,” presumably some sort of magic, but it’s never made entirely clear WHAT that magic is. For him to even be alive is pretty shocking, given his appearance, and he’s shown to have the power to teleport, and he clearly has a knowledge of sorcery…but just what he can do and why no one dares go against him is left kind of unclear. Some people have felt let down that the character doesn’t show more of his abilities and that they aren’t explained, but for me, personally, it’s the unanswered questions that make him so intriguing… …To an extent. See, there’s one big problem I have with the Horned King, and it’s the ONLY reason he doesn’t reach the Top 15. And I do mean the ONLY reason. That problem is…his motivations. Or, perhaps more appropriately, his goals. You see, in the film, the King’s evil plan is to amass an army of the undead called the Cauldron-Born. This army is meant to do nothing but kill, and with this army, he shall eliminate all of humankind, and presumably could lay waste to all life on Earth. They cannot be destroyed, they feel no fear nor pain…they’re basically the perfect warriors of doom, and they exist only to ruin and slay. That’s a pretty nasty plan, but…why? See, here’s the thing: there’s a big difference between wanting to CONQUER the world, and wanting to DESTROY the world. Many Disney Villains have had desires of conquest, but that isn’t really what this guy seems to desire. The Horned King literally wants to wipe out all life…which…honestly doesn’t seem like a very smart idea, not in the way he’s doing it. Again, keep in mind, the Cauldron-Born ONLY exist to kill. They have no other functions. The king says at one point that the reason he does this is because he has “thirsted to be a God among mortal men.” Well, once you’ve wiped out everyone on Earth…what exactly will you be God OF? What will you DO, and why do you want to do it? With other characters who have sought global or human destruction, they had a reason: whether it was to repopulate Earth with their own kind, or just some sick way of getting back at mankind for all the harm they’ve done, or even something as silly as destroying the planet because it obstructed their view of Venus (yeah, even MARVIN THE MARTIAN has goals that make more sense than this), they had a PURPOSE to their diabolical schemes of genocide or planetary destruction. The Horned King doesn’t really seem to HAVE any purpose, aside from…well…he’s a scary evil dude and this is what a scary evil dude WOULD do, I guess. On that note, however…to be honest, it doesn’t really bother me TOO much, and it’s not a problem I hear a lot of people complain about. I think the reason why is that, frankly, he IS a scary evil dude doing scary evil dude things, and that’s really all he NEEDS to be at the end of the day. It’s entirely possible he’s just doing all of this because he gets sick pleasure out of it, and because, hey, what’s more Godlike than having the power to generate the apocalypse? For someone who longs for that sense of power and dominancy, it does make some sort of sense. So I can’t really hold it TOO hard against him, and the pros far outweigh any cons for me. The rest of the film is rather blasé, but the Horned King is a winner in my books. On a final note regarding his motives…maybe he was just tired of everybody around him having noses. I guess I’d be pretty ticked off in that case, too. :P We’re roughly halfway through the countdown now! Tomorrow, the countdown continues with my 15th Favorite Disney Villain! HINT: He’s a Real Beast…But You’d Never Know It.

#31 days of disney villainy #halloween advent calendar #halloween #october #disney villains #horned king #black cauldron #so underrated #in the words of a caption #most metal disney villain ever...#...almost no one knows he exists

9 notes · View notes

the-starlight-papers · 19 days ago

Text

Alright for those curious the answers are below the cut. Warning for spoilers obviously.

A 13 year old is tied up in a closet for over 24 hours: Maybeck getting trapped in Space Mountain in book 1

Two characters break into Disney’s server rooms to install a software backdoor: Philby and Finn in books 3 and 4

The US government has a secret facility for orphans with superpowers in Maryland: as of The Syndrome, this facility apparently no longer belongs to the US government, but it did for most of the series and also idk how canon the syndrome is anyways.

An 18 year old is possessed for 3 years and no one notices: this is talking about Storey, who gets possessed by Ursula, who then fakes Storey’s death. And no one notices that Storey’s acting weird or knows things she shouldn’t for a whole three years, until she gets un-possessed in book 7.

Two of the main villains are stuck in a cave eating rats for three years: I have been corrected in the comments of this post that it was in fact three villains. But yeah Cheranbog, Tia Dalma, and the Evil Queen are stuck in some catacombs in Mexico eating rats for three years.

Multiple characters get stuck clipped into walls: there are multiple instances in book 7 of characters loosing all-clear while partway inside a wall and getting stuck in excruciating pain.

A character with powers gets taken by the government and has to be broken out: THIS IS THE FAKE ONE. Although I made this before I read The Syndrome, and Mattie does get captured but she also breaks herself out.

A woman has to get bailed out of jail for hacking Disney: Wanda at the beginning of book 4.

A 15 year old hacks Disney repeatedly and does not get caught: Philby in book 3 onward. Repeatedly.

The invention of color television and holograms are due to a paradox: In Return 1, Jess and Amanda find documents in the Disney archives detailing the creating of color television and holograms in the archives, which they send back in time with Finn to a young Wayne, who then uses those documents to invent color television and holograms, and then presumably create the same documents that the Keepers later found.

A different version of the book series and associated websites exists in universe: this is never directly addressed but I’m assuming is true because no one ever recognizes Jess and Amanda. (Ngl I forgot about the reality TV show when I wrote this)

The old guy gets kidnapped and trapped in a metal box for a week: This is where Wayne spends the second half of book 3.

Notable mentions of things that didn’t make the cut but should have:

The main character is tricked into stabbing his best friend in the heart, which kills him

Aforementioned best friend had been trapped in a duffle bag for two days before his death.

Three years later, to help the main character cope with his friend’s death, at the wishes of the friend’s parents, a hologram of the dead kid is created and is basically just a surprisingly accurate representation of ChatGPT for being from 2014.

The author names a character after his daughter Storey, and not only is this character possessed for three years and presumed dead by her actual family, but she constantly flirts with 15 year old boys in books 5 and 6.

In the most pre-Sandy Hook writing move possible, Charlene convinces her mom to drop her off at her friend’s school for the afternoon during a school day. And then Charlene and Amanda proceed to don masks and beat up a kid.

Finn almost gets incinerated by a dragon because Philby gets drugged and can’t operate the switchboard

All communication in book two is done via Nintendo DS

Places disney did not install hologram projectors: the Fantasia! stage, which presumably could benefit from hologram effects. But nope, all in shadow.

Places Disney did install hologram projectors: the utility tunnels, various server rooms, ect.

The main character has a younger sister who is mentioned a whole three times in the entire series.

Time travel is real but you have to be a hologram to do it.

Maybeck’s aunt gets tasered and Philby’s mom gets strangled by Greg Louwski.

Finn gets super strength from getting electrocuted

Everyone jumps out of a moving car at least once in book 3.

#kingdom keepers

17 notes · View notes

legobiwan · 2 years ago

Note

I recently watched a video that analyses the character of Count Dooku, and said video went into his supposed views of human supremacy, as well as a bit of ableism he held, particularly towards Anakin when he got that metal arm after he cut off his actual arm. Most of this is part of the Expanded Universe, or Legends, and there isn’t much evidence pointing to these views in Disney Canon, as I like to call it, other than Revenge of the Sith, when Anakin gets back at him by cutting off not only his hands, but also his head. What are your thoughts on this?

Gods, you're so right, anon. The whole human supremacy thing basically does not come up in the Disney-era version of Dooku, nor does any ableism he might have held. Now, let's be honest - Dooku is not exactly snow-white in his outlook towards others. He definitely regards, if nothing else, himself as superior to most anyone else with the small exception of those in his inner circle (Rael, Qui-gon, Obi-wan, and a few others). I don't think he holds droids in any great regard except as tools to be used (and this includes Grievous).

Likely, he views a fair amount of beings/species/etc as tools to be used to reach his ultimate goal, even if that ultimate goal may be a bit murky to himself. Dooku winning would be like the dog catching the car - what do you do next? and I feel like part of it, for him, stems from the challenge of it all, the need to prove himself (which is a little similar to Anakin, to be honest). Contrast this with Palpatine, who was content to be a despotic ruler for as long as he could manage, to the point where (and this is in Legends and Canon) he created clones of himself. I don't see Dooku doing the same thing.

It's interesting, because in both the Legends and Canon Wookieepedia entry for Serenno, it lists Humans, Twi'leks, and get this - Chiss - as immigrated species to the planet. And you have to wonder what that societal landscape looked like. Serenno, it would seem, is not 100% humano-centric, despite its governing families being (as much as I can tell) 100% human.

Now, in terms of human-cybernetic modifications...I don't doubt that Dooku would see those as something "lesser," something that in some way was a "cheat code," a way of compensating for failure or inadequacy, and in doing so, announcing one's defeat to the galaxy as a whole. Anakin's arm is, in a way, a trophy to Dooku, a reminder that he won and that Anakin would have to live with the memory of that failure for the rest of his life. A lesson, as it were. (Harsh as it may be, but Dooku is ever the teacher).

I don't think we necessarily lose anything with this characterization being dropped between Legends and Canon. (I mean, it does make Dooku a more difficult character to empathize with, even if he remains a fascinating study). Dooku has enough self-revolving supremacist views that they don't necessarily need the lens of human-centrism to drive home the point. (Although let's be honest, he wasn't going to lobby too hard against Sidious in this regard). The main point of Dooku is just how a Jedi so powerful and so respected fell so hard and why. (And this is where I start to take issue with the Disney-era, as it starts to depict Dooku as more of a generic villain rather than someone who was flawed and made decisions for logical, if morally wrong, reasons. From all the leaks I've seen regarding Tales of the Jedi, I'm...not holding my breath for a layered depiction of Dooku but hoping for the best. Again, Dark Rendezvous is hands-down my favorite iteration of Dooku, with the Qui-gon and Rael-era flashback sequences in both Jedi Lost and Master & Apprentice coming in second place).

And just as an aside, one thing I did notice in perusing the Dooku wookiepeedia entries is how often he is mentioned or only seen in hologram. He has an outsized influence on the galaxy in ratio to the amount of screen/book/comic time he gets and I just find that...fascinating about the man. He was very, very good at what he did and you have to figure Sidious would have had a much harder time with the war if he hadn't had someone as effectual and charismatic as Dooku on his side. Honestly, the only other contender I could imagine who would fit the same bill would be a corrupted Obi-wan.

#hello there #ask legobiwan #count dooku #sheev palpatine #obi wan kenobi #yeah....i love dooku #is he a good person?#no.#is he a fascinating person?#YES

24 notes · View notes

creativeashproductions · 3 years ago

Text

Broken Sticks & Muffins Mix // Owen Joyner

IN WHICH: Owen finally meets his next-door neighbour in his new apartment complex after hearing her frustrated yell. A pair of his drumsticks in hand and a basket of muffins from the reader blossoms into a friendship that just might turn into a romance.

Warnings: Swearing, insecurity, feuding neighbours (not with Owen) and fluff

Words: 2.9k

A/N: This is inspired by Cassidy Mackenzie’s TikTok cover of the animated What’s New, Scooby-Doo series. The gif has absolutely nothing to do with the fic, but there’s not a single one that fit the fic...soo.

TO BE TAGGED, SEND AN INBOX/ASK, PLEASE!

I’M BACK FROM THE DEAD

Masterlist

Your e/c eyes scanned the analogue clock on the wall above the admittedly little-used television in the living room. It was an old clock with some Disney villains in the design going back to your childhood. Your left arm reached out into a euphoric stretch you felt in your entire torso while your hand-rubbed your eyes. You'd love a nap, but you had a deal with your neighbour Lance. A mutual set time when you could work on videos.

Lance had been the neighbour from hell to live next to you, and for three months, it had been an all-out war. Then Lance had called the building manager with a noise complaint that ended with both him and you being scolded as if you were in the principal's office in middle school. The result was rules Lane and you made in order to coexist in peace, but you were not friends.

Well, you weren't until he stormed into your apartment with a scowl that competed with the one he had for you.

"Whoa! Ever heard of knocking?" You questioned the pacing man. He barely shot you a glare before he exploded.

"I have another teen neighbour-"

"-I'm twenty-two-"

"Who also enjoys banging his goddamn drums into the middle of the damn night! At you play decent fucking music. His bullshit is like a toddler panging on his mom's pots and pans." Lance spat with his hands deep in his thick curly hair. His molten chocolate eyes scanned everywhere in the apartment.

You watched as he paced back and forth with the frown lines prominent between his eyebrows. His mind racing 100 miles per second with odd little expressions he made.

"What's worse? He has friends over. They hauled in guitars and I-"

Lance stormed out of your apartment as sudden as he had stormed into, 'UGH!"

You winced as Lance slammed his apartment door closed strong enough to shake your picture frames on the wall. You halted your movements to process that entire interaction with the neighbour from hell.

Declaring it safe, your feet pushed you to the collection of guitars in your music corner with your favourite rhythm, bass and electric in front. Your fingers caressed the pristine white electric you considered your baby. You didn't grab it; however, instead, you went straight to the drumkit you'd moved into a different location.

The stool swivelled as you sat down in front of the light metallic baby blue drums. Your headphones tugged over your hair before you picked up the drumsticks.

The song recommendation on TikTok you'd handpicked was the theme song from the early 2000s What's New, Scooby-Doo? Performed by Simple Plan. Despite watching the animated series's reruns, you still went over the drum tab for the song countless times.

"Sorry, Lance." You mumbled before got situated with the camera rolling. Like most of your video recordings, you didn't smile. You focused solely on getting the timing correct.

A smile tweaked when you got through to the end of the third recording perfectly. Well, almost until the drumstick in your left hand snapped. A searing pain coursed over your palm with a hiss from your lips.

"FUCK!" You screamed, tossing the remaining stick at the floor, you may be angry, but you won't jeopardize your walls.

The drumstick's two broken pieces mocked you from the position near the small second bedroom's open door. The only sound in the room was your frustrated heavy breathing in the overwise now quiet apartment.

"So close." You softly breathed, noticing now the time was far past closing for any music store close to your apartment. You settled instead for cutting the camera.

The floor was cold on your bare arms. The ceiling was the most interesting as you worked through the frustration of being so close to finishing the song. The only part left had been the singing and the drums. You'd already recorded the bass and the rhythm yesterday, as well as the lead guitar this morning.

Your pity party ended as an unfamiliar knock sounded on your door. But that didn't mean you didn't drag yourself to the front door. The peephole disfigured whoever was on the other side of the door. All you saw was the back of someone's blonde hair.

"Can I help you?" You grumbled with the door partially opened, the chain still locked in place.

The person, male now nothing blurring him, turned with a half-smile that fell as Owen actually viewed his neighbour up close. Sure Owen had met the passive-aggressive neighbour who had knocked on his door a few times. But Owen had only seen you from afar in the few weeks he'd been living in the building.

"We heard-"

"-we?" You questioned the stranger. He seemed friendly but so did the charismatic Ted Bundy back when he was alive.

"My best friends are staying with me for a couple days." Owen supplied, "I'm Owen, by the way."

"Y/N." You stated still with not even moving to unlatch the safety chain and open the door to the young man.

"Anyway...we heard the music playing through the day. Your band is good, by the way! Practising without putting the instruments together...is an artistic choice." Owen's blue eyes held panic as his mouth continued speaking even when his mind screamed to shut up, "The beat sounded familiar, and then we heard you scream-"

"Okay, so why are you at my door near 10pm acting concerned like we're best friends?"

"More like a fellow musician understanding the frustration of being so close to a goal than losing it." Owen lightly laughed with a flush to his pale cheeks. The tall young man shrugged to add some lightheartedness, "Anyway, I know the tone of that fuck you yelled that you broke a drumstick."

As soon as the blonde-haired boy cussed, his cheeks turned a dustier pink colour that brought out his blue eyes more. It was then you noticed he had new drumsticks in his hand, nothing fancy.

"Are those…?" You trailed off, staring down at the peace offering he gave, "Lance is gonna detest you even more."

"Eh. Nothing I can't handle. You can have these. Borrow them, or whatever. It'd be nice to hear you play more." Owen shyly informed you. Both of you went still at the far off sounding giggle coming from the hallway of the apartment building, "I should get back before Charlie and Jeremy broke anything."

"Uh...thanks. For these." You motioned towards the sticks he'd gently scooched through the narrow door opening.

Owen waved it off as he started walking back towards his own apartment, "The guys and I have a watch party for this show, so-"

"I'd suggest taking the party to the parking garage." You interrupted him with the door now fully open, giving the new neighbour a full view of you. Owen was breathlessly and wondering if he should see a doctor for the fluttering his heart had.

"Why?"

"Lance already threatened to call the cops. He won't go through the building manager like he did with me. Besides, I can't do anything; the time I agreed to not causing a ruckus is now." You told the boy with the beautiful big blue eyes, "I'll see you around Owen."

Owen returned to his apartment with a big grin plastered on his face at how easy it was talking with you. He couldn't believe it had taken his best friends to convince him to go over with the drumsticks.

"So…?" Charlie questioned from his position on the couch beside Jeremy. Each sitting uncomfortably.

"Like you weren't eavesdropping." Owen scoffed with a shake of his head that would break open the can of teasing.

The one thing you hated about your job was the requirement for people to physically see you in the video. It meant you had to be put together for each video you uploaded to the video platform. For this video, you'd tugged on a russet-coloured long sleeve shirt pushed to your elbows with a pair of black jeans that ended just above your ankles. The outfit you'd used for the other parts of the video from yesterday.

"Thank god for Lance's Saturday run." You mumbled from behind the drumkit holding the gifted drumsticks.

Maybe it was the drumsticks or the large coffee you'd inhaled to be up at this early hour, but you managed to get a perfect take the first time. All that left was singing before you'd have to edit the entirety of the video for TikTok.

You'd moved to the same spot you'd used in recording the guitars for the theme song with a microphone in hand. It was such a standard routine to make these short clips that you'd already started singing with a beaming smile.

What's new Scooby Doo?

We're coming after you

You're gonna solve that mystery

I see you Scooby Doo

The trail leads back to you

What's new Scooby Doo?

The smile only grew as the animated series played in your mind, you recalled in each rerun you'd watched as a kid.

What's new Scooby Doo?

We're gonna follow you

We're gonna solve that mystery

We see you Scooby Doo

We're coming after you

What's new Scooby Doo?

Don't look back

You may find another clue

The Scooby snacks

Will be waiting here for you

While you found this to be fun, you know the videos got traction from the clips of each video running together with only one person playing everything. No one would ever know how long it actually took to prepare everything to be posted.

What's new Scooby Doo?

We're coming after you

We're gonna solve that mystery

I see you Scooby Doo

The trail leads back to you

What's new Scooby Doo?

You wore your cheeks hurt when your favourite part of the theme song came around. The 'na na na' part would sadly be cut off near the end with the time constraint on TikTok.

Na na na na na

Na na na na na na na

Na na na na na

Na na na

The second it was over, you collapsed onto your back, breathing slightly laboured from the exertion. But the same couldn't be wiped from your face as you finally finished the song with the help of a former stranger. A stranger you wanted to thank via food because everyone couldn't say no to food.

Instead of focusing on another video you had planned, you instead spent the rest of the morning baking and editing the What's New, Scooby-Doo? video. It was a simple recipe your cousin sent over she used for her gluten, nut and dairy-free son. Can't be too careful, and the recipe was absolutely delicious.

"Hey!" You beamed from the open doorway of Owen's apartment. The fellow musician rubbed his eyes with one hand, "I wanted to properly thank you for giving me those drumsticks."

"No problem," Owen spoke with such a groggy and deep voice your knees shook from the force of keeping yourself standing. You sidestepped him as he gestured to enter the clean apartment, "Guys! We have company!"

He'd barely even said the first word before two males slid around into view with beaming grins. Simple introductions were made.

"Holy shit." Jeremy, the oldest of the trio, blinked connected your name to your face, "Your Owen's neighbour?"

"I am." You chuckled as you dug your hands deep in your pockets. The basket of cookies was set on the counter, a particular long-haired brunette nose deep in them.

"My wife loves your TikToks." Jeremy snickered, already imagining the amount of teasing he could do with this meeting, "Do you actually play all the instruments?"

And just like that, the trio of actors and the multi-instrument talent got on like a house on fire. Instead of popping in to drop off the cookies, you stayed well into the afternoon, getting to know each other.

"You're Canadian?" Charlie marvelled, leaning closer with an excited grin splitting his features. While all three were incredibly handsome, you were partial to the blonde boy sipping his coffee.

"My mom is. We moved here when my dad took over the family company. He went to university in Canada, where he met my mom. We stayed in Canada until I was in my teens." You informed the fellow Canadian.

You settled into the couch with soft country music playing in the background as you sipped on the drink you'd grabbed from your apartment. The trio had chosen their drink during the short intermission of the conversation.

"Another Canadian. Am I gonna have to stock my fridge with maple syrup?" Owen joked with a returning twinkle in his eye.

Owen could admit he was attracted to you, and for a second, he'd thought maybe you felt the same but then he remembered. He was friends with Charlie Gillespie. The unofficial face of the fandom and Owen was only human. He couldn't help but compare himself to the actor with a bigger following.

"Oh, so you think I'll be here often?" You teased, turning your entire gaze to the now flustered male. He didn't need to know you were just as flustered.

"I-well...um we-"

"I'll have to write down the kind I like. I know what kind of cookies to have for you."

Owen blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

"Char, I'm kinda craving a milkshake." Jeremy had swiftly picked up on the tension between the occupants of the building. Jeremy practically dragged Charlie out of the apartment for a drink he was now admittedly craving.

"I'm not reading into this, right?" Your tone changed from confident to questioning with a frown that hurt Owen to see. The Oklahoma native was quick to scoot closer to you.

"I-" Owen shakily gulped as that instinctive nervous feeling you get in conversations with someone you could see at your side more than friends would hang out. The thrill of stepping on the ledge, not knowing if you'd fall alone or hand in hand with someone.

It was your turn to blink.

"Those drumsticks I gave you? I wore mine out so much I needed a new pair." Owen whispered, trailing each freckle you had to your nose he deemed adorable. His blue eyes drinking in the surprise he found in the pools of e/c Owen was jealous you got to see each morning.

Owen slowly reached out to grasp your hand with that nervous energy of his, and in turn, you gripped his hand tight.

"Why did you give me both when I only needed one?" You asked with a teasing aspect in your light tone. Owen's eyes crinkled at the edge with the grin he offered on his handsome face.

"Bad luck to separate a pair…?" Owen trailed off at his own response. His blue eyes crinkled at the sides, "But you're into me? Not Charlie?"

"I'm gonna lie and say he isn't attractive. But so is Jeremy, but they both aren't the one that's taken my attention." Your tone of voice changed from flirty to concerned, "Do you think Charlie is more popular with your fandom?"

"He has more followers. Have you seen hi-"

"I have, but like I said, there's something about you that has taken my full attention, Owen. You're incredibly kind, sensitive, talented, down to earth and caring for your friends. You are also very handsome, by the way." You pointed a singular finger towards him, "You're more than just an actor in a show that boomed."

"I'm just a kid from Oklahoma."

"A kid that starred on a Nickelodeon show that has a long name. Now you're on an internationally known show that's created a wave. You're successful, I mean, look! You have your own apartment you bought with your own money."

Owen's lips parted with a flush developing on his cheeks at the gushing you continued for him. You barely even knew him with the information you regurgitated from the long conversation with the guys. His shoulder relaxed.

"Thank you." Owen murmured, reaching out to squeeze your hand, "You need to watch Julie and the Phantoms to believe that speech."

"Are you busy on Thursday? I have nothing planned other than reading over the chords for my next cover. I'll shoot on Friday and Saturday."

Owen beamed, "Could I watch how you put together the covers?"

"Yeah! It's a date...if you'd like it to be a date?"

"It's a date." Owen parroted with a beaming grin on his handsome features. You nodded with a matching smile.

"I need to upload my new cover, and I should really get some sleep. Come over Thursday at 8am so we can have breakfast together." You informed the actor. Owen offered you his hand to pull you up from his couch.

Like in a romance film, your feet stumbled on the carpet straight into Owen's arms with a breathy gasp. His blue eyes drifted to your lips momentarily, only to meet your e/c eyes once more. As if tugged by a string, you leaned in as he did. Just as his lips lightly brushed yours, the sound of the door unlocking broke you apart.

Charlie and Jeremy stuttered in their steps, holding a milkshake in their hands. The two older adults flicked their eyes between the two of you.

"It was nice to meet you guys." You informed the two. Charlie was the first to hug you goodbye, but your eyes never left the Oklahoma native.

Your eyes only broke contact as his door closed behind you. The minute you entered your apartment, you squealed. In perfect sync with the excited sound, you pegged as Owen.

Tag List(s) PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED! I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ON THE LIST VIA POST COMMENTS!

Julie and the Phantoms Taglist

@safehavenmuse @siennanoelle01 @whiterose291 @mell-bell @blackhood5sos @ficrecsideblog @ifilwtmfc @deadpoolgirl23 @crappy-unicorn @sunsetcurve-h @elioelioeli0 @lovesanimals @popcrone818 @lolychu @deepsleepnat @tenaciousperfectionunknown @aunicornmademedoit @just-a-writer-here @simp4reggie @faithiebrock01 @overlyhypedup @differentsoulrascalsalad @aesthetic-lyss @versaceapa @carleywhittaker @lostgirl219 @itsalexx21 @elllaoo4 @merxxleighann @mediocremunge @fantomlovesjuke4ever @dpaccione @oswin05 @kaylinfayezink @aberette13 @faithie-brock-gillespie01 @eharvey0218 @overlyhypedup @benstormy @auriandthepussicats @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @whothefuckstolemykeds @siriuswvrld @princessvader15 @xoxbloodreinaxox @heimdoodle @joshy-obx @lovesanimals @oopsiedoopsie23 @am3l1a-24 @flying-solo-without-you @jaskiers-sweetkiss @lostrandomfangirln @must-be-a-weasley-92 @jatp-holland @ilikealotofpeople-younotsomuch @dxlanhxlland @dasexydevitt13 @ifilwtmfc @arianagrandes-things @kinda-really-lost @marinettepotterandplagg @ssprayberrythings @morgandamrose @thedarkqueenofavalon @zukoshonourr @crybabyddl @spooky-season-bitch @kcd15 @morganayennefertyrell @magnet-girl @all-in-fangirl @kinda-really-lost @tenaciousperfectionunknown @badwolf00593 @blowakissbabe @talksoprettyjjx @thesweetestsinner @kaitieskidmore1 @writerinlearning @aiofheavenandhell @sageellsworth05 @link-102 @merceret @kexrtiz @biqherosix @lukewearingbeanies @dangersolns @soverignparker @omgdani17 @julessbrown

9-1-1 Taglist:

#owen joyner imagines #owen joyner x reader #owen patrick joyner #julie and the phantoms imagines #jatp fanfic #owen joyner #owen patrick joyner imagines #jatp #julie and the phantoms #caitsy and ash productions

90 notes · View notes

otnesse · 2 years ago

Text

Yeah, no kidding. When I was on All The Tropes, I repeatedly tried to tone down Claude Frollo's entry in the Complete Monster category where they used those exact buzzwords (really, the only one that came close to actually fitting was genocide due to his intending to outright exterminate gypsies). Particularly the claim that he was a rapist (he really wasn't. The worst he ever did was "marry me or die", which is hardly the same thing as rape by any stretch. And even IF we were to somehow pretend it is somehow the same thing, that makes the likes of Gaston, who showed FAR less hesitation in doing something like that, a rapist as well, yet they claimed he "wasn't nearly as bad."). Also abuser, largely because even at his worst, he STILL was stellar father material for Quasimodo compared to Uncle Vernon in Harry Potter (which I even tried to point out in my edits). Unfortunately, DocColress, the guy notorious for overmanning the whole Complete Monster category a'la Vladimir Lenin to make sure only precisely HIS interpretation of a Complete Monster was allowed to exist, kept on undoing my attempts, retaining those buzzwords. What's even more sad is that I actually could name two villains who came far closer to committing rape (and I mean ACTUAL rape, not the buzzword) than Frollo EVER did who failed to even qualify: Jafar from Aladdin (the guy literally tried to have Genie make Jasmine fall in love with him, even came VERY close to forcing Genie to breaking the rule against that. For the uninitiated, what that essentially meant is that Jafar nearly had Genie rob Jasmine's free will and become his sex slave), and Ursula from The Little Mermaid (based on her "so long, lover boy", if we take her at her word, that implies she may have slept with Eric during the third day when she was Vanessa. And since Eric literally had his free will removed by her at that time... yeah, I think you can definitely see where that ended up.). If we count Maleficent's plan for Phillip after a hundred years, there might be a case of engineered rape as well in her case (sort of like what Skull Face tried to do with Chico and Paz in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes).

I always found Frollo to be a massively overrated villain, and find it particularly hard to believe that people actually think the prior Disney villains weren't as heinous (or that them possessing magical abilities somehow exempted from from being monsters). They also make it sound as though most Disney villains wanted kingdom/world takeover as their goal, yet by my count, prior to Frollo, only four actually had conquest as a goal:

*Evil Queen Grimhilde wanted to be the most beautiful of the land (a gray area as well since the prologue implied she did take over the land upon the king dying, but by the time of the story she clearly already was in control of the land)

*Lady Tremaine wanted better social status among herself and her daughters

*Maleficent just wanted to watch the world burn a'la The Joker from The Dark Knight, moreorless (probably revenge as well, though it's implied she mostly used that as a convenient excuse). Oh, and kill a kid for something her father might have done.

*Madam Mim, the closest we have to a main antagonist in The Sword in the Stone, just wanted to cause mayhem and had no aspirations for the throne at all

*Shere Khan largely had a vendetta against humans

*Edgar Balthazar simply wanted to gain an inheritance

*Prince John wanted more money (he's more of a gray area as the backstory DID imply he wanted to take over England, but by the time of the story he already succeeded)

*Cruella DeVil wanted a new fur coat

*Lady Medusa wanted a diamond

*Horned King DID want to take over the land via the magic cauldron

*Ratigan DID want to take over England

*Sykes was mostly concerned about being a loan shark/mob enforcer more than anything else

*Ursula DID want to take over Atlantica/the Seven Seas

*Percival McLeach wanted to poach a rare eagle, and presumably other animals (and may have had a sick desire to kill kids even beyond silencing them)

*Gaston was mostly concerned about getting married

*Jafar DID want to take over Agrabah

*Scar DID want to take over the pride lands

*Ratcliffe was more concerned about finding a gold mine, and later trying to get rid of indians than actually conquering anything, though he DID eventually gain kingdom takeover goals by the sequel (albeit by subterfuge than overt takeover).

So, no, actually, only five Disney villains at most had kingdom/world domination as a goal of theirs, arguably seven if we count prologues, and eight if we count any motive changes of established villains in sequels. Hardly most Disney villains. In fact, if anything, Disney villains desiring conquest was a more recent phenomenon.

Fandom problem # 3958

I'm tired of fandom exaggerating villains' actions to fit them into social media buzzwords- using "rapist" when they mean "creep," using "abuser" when they mean "jerk," using "genocidal" when they mean "prejudiced," etc.

202 notes · View notes

qqueenofhades · 3 years ago

Note

so…now that we all know what you DISLIKE about star wars (and 400% fairly so, you have my full support here)…

what drew you into the universe, what keeps you around?

favorite characters, ships (OTPs or actual spaceships lol), overall themes, do you have a favorite random weird creature or robot that you adore? whatever you wanna talk about!

go off honey (again, but supportively 💖💖💖)

tax paid: the very nerdy star wars punk vest i made and the even nerdier matching vest i made for starsky

Lmaooo, entirely valid. You were like "star wars?" and I was like the drunk person at the bar who can't stop shouting about how much their ex sucks. But now that I have gotten all that off my chest, let's talk about why I love it (since if I didn't love it, I wouldn't have such strong opinions). Basically my feelings on the OG SW trilogy are similar to my feelings on the OG LOTR trilogy, as that tumblr post floating around somewhere put it: sure, they have flaws, but also, they're perfect. I have a complicated relationship with the prequels, as do we all, since George Lucas cannot write dialogue or direct actors to save his life (stick to what you're good at, George, hire other people to do the rest), but even they have their moments. Like. Hit me with that "Across the Stars" love theme, John Williams. Gahh. Just like that.

Because... Star Wars wasn't actually this omnipresent corporate global entertainment monolith when it started out. It was a dorky low-budget indie sci-fi film in the 1970s which everyone thought was going to bomb. But it told a simple and compelling story in an interesting way, everyone agrees that ESB is one of the best films/sequels ever made, and then ROTJ gave it a happy ending while it was still okay to do that. My main thematic gripe with the Disney trilogy (I will try to keep those to a minimum, lol, but I have to bring it up to compare) is that it very clearly fell into the "actual happy endings are naive and unrealistic and a cynical postmodern audience won't accept anything less than things being Bad" trap that, yet again, we have GOT to thank for. It obviously existed to some degree before that, but GOT blew it up to huge levels, where the only valid situation or character is that which is Grimdark and Depressing. Which, in my view, misses the heart and soul of what SW is all about??

Like. ESB is genuinely dark. ANH was this fun plucky little sci-fi film where the scrappy good guys won the day against the Nazi stand-ins, as they were supposed to, and then ESB comes along (speaking of John Williams, let us all chant together, DUH DUH DUH DUHDUHDUH DUHDUHDUH, DUH DUH DUH DUHHHH DUHHH DUHHH DUHHHH) and things go... wrong. Leia and Han are on the run for most of the movie, then get captured and tortured by the Empire and and betrayed (however unwillingly) by Lando. The Rebellion is attacked on Hoth (I tell you, those fuckin AT-AT walkers were SCARY when you see it as a young kid for the first time), and forced into hiding. Luke loses his hand, doubts Obi-Wan and Yoda and realizes that his mentors are fallible, makes dumb mistakes, and of course gets hit with The Most Famous Line In Movie History. But it's also just adrenaline and excitement. THE ASTEROID FIELD! THE HAN-LEIA BANTER! THE FIRST LUKE-VADER DUEL! THE FACT THAT YOU HEAR TWO FRICKING NOTES OF THE IMPERIAL MARCH AND YOU'RE JUST LIKE OH YEAH OH YEAH OH YEAHHHH!

But also then... Return of the Jedi. It gets shat upon for the Ewoks and reusing the Death Star as the Big Bad and being supposedly cheesy and not as Thematically Dark as ESB. Which is all kinda silly, in my opinion, but also, can we talk about Luke Skywalker's character arc and how he chooses possibly the most radical compassion ever demonstrated by a hero in an action movie, let alone a space opera. He insists that Anakin Skywalker is still in there somewhere and puts his own neck on the line to prove it. Luke doesn't save the galaxy by being a Badass Jedi. He saves it by throwing away his lightsaber and saying "I will not fight you, Father." He saves it by trusting that even in the depths of darkness, Anakin can come back from the charred ruins of Darth Vader and finally do what he was supposed to do all along. He can end Palpatine for good and all (we don't talk about "Somehow Palpatine has returned" because it's nonsense, obviously). Anakin can avenge the Jedi and what was done to him and all the lies he believed and the pain he wreaked on the galaxy, even then. It's not too late. It's not too late. Like. I don't care if this is Lightweight or Childish or whatever. It makes me CRY every time I watch it. Especially the moment where Luke takes off Anakin’s helmet and sees how ruined he actually is under there, and yet the downfall and death of the trilogy’s chief villain is not triumphant at all but instead utterly heartbreaking. “You were right about me Luke... tell your sister... you were right.”

Excuse me, I need to just /CRIES INTENSELY/

Luke won't be tempted to the dark side for his own sake, but Leia's ("If you will not join me, then perhaps she will"). I likewise hold firmly that Anakin/Vader is one of the best movie villains/antiheroes of all time and likewise have many feelings and Strong Opinions about his arc, prequel writing clumsiness and eye-rollingly tepid love story aside. (See: he and Obi-Wan were deeply in love and in a way they still are, don't @ me. I have no problems with Padme and obviously stan Natalie Portman at all times, but Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship is the real love story, the heart of the prequels, and in some ways even the subsequent movies, the end.) And “so this is how democracy dies, with thunderous applause” is... raw af as a line. For being in a Star Wars prequel movie. What?? (Also, the Revenge of the Sith novelization had no business being as good as it was. If only that dude had also written the movie.)

Anyway, my point is: the OG trilogy had plenty of moments of staggering emotional weight and where things genuinely sucked for the good guys and the outcome wasn’t entirely clear. The difference is that it didn’t choose to dwell on them, and it allowed for a transformative fictional space where a happy ending, fiercely fought for and squarely earned, was the right outcome. We didn’t need to go back thirty years later and make everything suck for fear that a cynical modern audience couldn’t connect with it otherwise. (Like I said, we didn’t need the new movies at all, but Disney heard that Cha-Ching of the Almighty Dollar). Star Wars was sci-fi, sure, but it also had the fantasy elements that allowed a happy ending to be the right choice for what we saw the characters go through and the philosophy that carried us through the original trilogy.

Likewise it’s just... Peak as far as dynamics go. C-3PO the fussy metal butler who worries about Everything and R2-D2 who is the droid embodiment of YOLO? Flawless. Sassy scruffy space pirate and badass politician warrior princess bicker constantly, butt heads, drive each other crazy, and then fall in love? Iconic. (And has shaped my ship tastes for... all of eternity, oops.) The above-discussed transformation of Luke Skywalker, whiny ordinary teenage kid, to the truly great man who fulfills what Obi-Wan, Yoda, AND the rest of the entire Jedi order couldn’t manage to do, because of their own flaws and blind spots and black-and-white moral views that didn’t know what to do with a man who loved as passionately as Anakin Skywalker, for better or for worse? The guy who managed to save the galaxy with love? STAN.

So... what? The Disney trilogy decides to retcon all that, throw everything that they’ve fought for out the window, make Han, Leia, and Luke miserable and rejecting the roles they grew into in the original trilogy, and die without ever really reuniting or seeing each other again as a trio? The underlying message was that “these happy endings aren’t satisfactory/realistic/sophisticated enough” and idk, maybe it’s just the shitshow of the last few years, but I’d like to see some entertainment that had the cojones to tell me that despite all the darkness and despair, maybe there’s a chance for hope. (”Rebellions are built on hope,” thank you Only Valid New Star Wars Movie Rogue One.) And Rogue One worked so well, despite being utterly GUTTING as all the heroes died one by one, because we knew what was coming next (A New Hope) and that their sacrifice was going to be worth it. I don’t care if that’s “realistic” or not. As I’ve said before, that’s what stories are for, and if I only wanted things that were Real Life, I would only read the news. Besides, the idea that happy endings never happen in reality is equally bullshit. We as a culture need to accept that more, instead of finding reasons to tear everything down.

So just... yes. The original trilogy might have flaws, but also, it’s perfect. And do I want to rewatch it all now? Kinda.

(Anyway. I warned you this was gonna be long. Oh look, it’s long, and I’m sure there is even more I could say, but still. Ahem.)

sleepover weekend asks

#buffaluff #ask #star wars #long post

25 notes · View notes

giantroboticplatypusbutt218 · 3 years ago

Text

I finished watching Loonatics Unleashed and I have Some Thoughts. I guess this is like a part 2 to the other post I made about the show so yeah.

I swear I don’t intend for everything I write to be an essay but whatever. It’s all under the cut. No massive story spoilers, but I will talk about episodes and will warn accordingly. (But who actually cares about being spoiled on the plot of Loonatics Unleashed?)

Alright so I finally figured out why Ace has laser vision. ...It’s kinda dumb but it’s because rabbits eat carrots(in cartoons). It’s... a reason at least. Still kinda sucks that it’s his only power when everyone else got 2 and some change. Kickass swords don’t count, even if they are magic. Seriously; Transformation. Duplication. Imitation. Tons of other “ation”s. They could’ve leaned into his trickster side but no. He eats carrots... so he got laser vision. Also he only ate carrots like three times in the show so wtf...

Okay so the pacing... improved somewhat in season 2. Don’t get me wrong there were still problems in some episodes but at least they learned how to build the stakes until the climax. They still sometimes went from zero to eighty after the opening credits, but at least it wasn’t zero to a hundred. Much less whiplash was had is what I’m saying.

I don’t think I really mentioned the villains before but they’re uh... generally not very good. They’ve got cool gimmicks but most of the time they’re just two stereotypes and a cliche in a trench coat. Season 2 brought back classic anthro characters to be villains a few times, and while they still weren’t well written and just referenced old bits half the time... at least they weren’t dehumanized humans.

I also don’t think I mentioned the animation so... it’s fine. It’s got cut corners but all cartoons do. Sometimes fight scenes look cool, sometimes they’re stiff. Sometimes the slapstick is well timed, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes the facial expressions match the voice acting, sometimes they don’t. Speaking of voice acting, it’s good. There’s not really anything stand out to perform in the first place but everyone does a good job with what they have.

Okay random note before getting deeper into things... the intro themes were... not good. I swear the first song ended on a note that it wasn’t supposed to. The second song fixed that but added people announcing the characters which... is just worse to me. Not much else to say because I skipped them after the first few times.

(Very mild spoilers for the general plots of episodes past this point.)

Ace and Lexi improved a little in the second season, but I still find them kinda bland. Ace still just feels like zero calorie Bugs Bunny. His wit is confined to being the leader, snarky comebacks, and some decent sleuthing skills... and that’s really it. He doesn’t really play around with the villains the way Bugs would. Ace was also supposed to have an arc learning to use his magic sword which... didn’t really happen. Lexi’s defining trait outside of her powers is still that she’s “the girl” which... sucks... Uh... she upgraded to Gamer Girl in the second season which while neat, amounted to nothing outside that one episode. At the very least she was never kidnapped for more than 5 seconds?(That “honor” goes to Zadavia) They also never really brought up their backstories in a meaningful way again, which sucks.

I still like the rest of the team. Slam got an episode about wrestling that built on his backstory and was fun to watch. Duck discovered that his egg powers work differently in water which was neat and matched him being a waterfowl.(Lexi’s powers work differently in water too but it’s never brought up again). Rev is still Rev and I still love him. He got an episode about his family and struggle to impress them(specifically his parents) despite his career choice which was also neat, but I will be coming back to this episode later. Tech is also still Tech and I also still love him. But uh, every character and also me wanted to see him get out of the lab more, and then he got like a nibble of an episode to get out of the lab, and then the show was over. Oof.

Speaking of Tech, it might be for the best he hardly ever left the lab because his powers are... possibly way too effective against all the robots and machines the team fights. Now, him being “overpowered” could’ve been used as a fun writing challenge. Robot goons aren’t a good option for villains anymore. Fighting against him in a city filled with metal is harder. Villains can’t rely on simply killing him thanks to his regeneration. Fight scenes including Tech would have to be handled in a fun and interesting way. But... no. In a team with two tech guys, the one with super speed and flight comes with while the one who can control metal and literally can’t die stays behind. Oh well. Doubt they could’ve added him into more fights without accidentally dumbing him down anyway.

Oh crap I forgot to talk about Zadavia! Uh... she exists. She’s the team’s boss who sends them out on missions. Uh... I can’t talk too much about her without spoiling what little overarching plot this show has, but just know that she’s neat, but affected by the usual sexism going on in the show’s writing.

(Character and episode spoilers past this point.)

You know, for being The Loonatics the main cast wasn’t very loony. You know who were though? Basically all the villains. Yeah I don’t wanna go there but oops here I go anyway. It’s pretty messed up that all the main characters’ zany traits were dialed down, while the defining feature of practically every villain (besides their stereotypes)is that they’re insane. I mean, if you’re looking for good mental illness rep in The Looney Tunes you’re gonna be disappointed, but at least in the shorts almost every character was a little unhinged and a bit of an asshole, making none of them stand out for those traits specifically.

Also messed up is that a lot of the villains are disfigured and made fun of for it by the main cast. Hot take of the century, but I think making fun of people for having a big head or only one eye is... bad. Oh and if they’re a woman then they’re also judged on how hot they are. Actually all women in the show are subjected to sexist writing. I remember like one episode where women were treated with a sliver of respect for a split second and that was in the obligatory “the cast comes across an island of amazon women” episode. However since most of the time was spent painting them as villains until the “actually sexism is bad” ending, there was hardly a moment of reprieve from the bullshit if a woman was on screen.

I’m not the best person to speak on this but uh... it’s fucked up that since literally every notable human is a villain, all the people of color are bad guys, right? Like, obviously it’s not as bad as some of the shit the old shorts pulled, but that’s like saying getting punched is not as bad as getting stabbed. It’s true... but I’m sure most people would prefer neither.

And here’s where I bring up that Rev episode I mentioned earlier. Rev’s parents are racist against coyotes (cartoons sure love to make carnivores allegories for black people don’t they?) and obviously with Tech E. Coyote being his close friend, that causes trouble. ...Right? Uh, no. They say some racist crap to Tech, and that’s it. There is not even an attempt to correct their behavior from anyone. It’s just treated as some unfortunate quirk. In fact the episode’s conflict actually revolves around Rev’s brother, Rip. Honestly, I doubt that they could’ve handled a decent “racism is bad” episode anyway. But they could’ve also... just not brought up racism if they couldn’t handle it? I’m sure having no racism topic at all would be better than having Tech just take the parents’ racist bull crap lying down and then help Rev impress them with an invention he doesn’t get credit for. Also at one point Rev says if Tech wasn’t a coyote and a guy he’d kiss him, which has two uncomfortable implications, but this section is already too long.

(Spoilers end here.)

Overall... yeah the show’s not very good. Of course it wasn’t. It was always going to be a little garbage. And no not because of the darker style or strange setting or any of that superficial crap. Team dynamic shows are popular and with Teen Titans doing so well WB probably thought they might as well shove out a 2 season Looney Tunes version to grab a little more cash, probably minimizing the budget to squeeze out as much profit as possible. If anyone working on the show was passionate about it, I doubt they had the budget or time to act on most their ideas.

Still, there were things to like. There are some funny jokes throughout the show, a few of which even managed to come out of Ace’s mouth. Danger Duck was literally just Daffy and he’s always great. Ironically, Rev and Tech were the most fun to listen to, and also to watch interacting in general. Slam didn’t do much but was a sweetheart who deserves success. There managed to be some decently twisty twist villains, if only because Disney ruined my brain with their ceaseless and lazy attempts at them, and I wasn’t looking out for them in this show. And, while almost nothing was properly developed, at least the concepts and characters are fun to think about?

I can’t say I’d recommend this show to everybody, but uh... if you’re a Furry with low standards and too much free time like me, maybe you’ll like it? Just go in with low expectations so when nice things happen you’re decently surprised.

#This took me like 5 hours to write what is wrong with me?#Why can't I dedicate this much time to one thing when it comes to finishing my fanfics?#Loonatics Unleashed #Random Thoughts #Now if you excuse me I'm going to obsess over Rev and Tech for who knows how long.

9 notes · View notes

dj-of-the-coven · 2 years ago

Text

Well nothing can top the other stories here but since we're being invited to share I might as well...

I discovered the game series relatively recently through Kingdom Hearts. Although I got into KH around age 15 or so, and DDD was the first game I played in the series (don't judge me), I didn't actually realize that the side characters from Traverse Town actually had their own game until a lot later--all I knew was that Neku and Beat were my favorite side characters in the game series, basically just because they had such cool designs. Beat in particular was my lil unknown guy. Squimbus from my polls before either of those things existed on tumblr. I really loved how much he cared about Rhyme, especially because I've had so much fatigue over every single guy-girl pair in anything being a couple. It seemed obvious to me that what they had going on was not romantic (duh, because they're siblings), but still very emotional, and that slapped.

So fast-forward about 4 years and I'm sitting around being dumb in my room when someone I followed for KH content posted some art of the twewy characters with other twewy characters that I hadn't seen before. I go "wait hold on what the fuck. there's more?" and manage to search the tags for the name of the game series: The World Ends With You. Since I'm depressed as shit and looking for a new way to waste time, I go to the switch E-shop and find out that there are actually two games in the series. And both of them were on sale for like $15. "Sure, let's do it," I say, unaware that the game was about to ruin my life for the better.

Some things you need to know about me in order to understand why the game clicked:

I had an emo phase in middle school

Rock and Metal are two of my favorite music genres

I like to go tagging in my free time

I used to skateboard

I'm gay

I fucking hate my parents

I have a special interest in 2000s fashion, music, and technology

Needless to say, it immediately drew me to latch on to the thing. I loved everything about it, from the aesthetics to the music to the character design. And finally, finally, I found a character that I could relate to more than basically any from other media I've seen before: the guy himself, my squimbus, Beat Bito.

It's a little embarrassing that I can't claim to have good childhood memories of the series like a lot of other fans can, but I have a lot of good memories of it anyway! I started playing it while I was still attempting to go to college, so I played it in the 2-hour break I had between classes, and while I was on the train, and when I'd go to a coffee shop after school and have myself a little beverage. Sometimes I opened the game just to listen to the tracks when I had nothing better to do, just chillin' and vibin'. All around a good time! I can still remember how I felt and how I reacted to almost everything in the game, and where I was when it happened.

Twewy is the first game that's ever inspired me to produce the amount of fan content and analysis that I have. It's truly a very unique experience, even after having been in the KH fandom as an observer for many years--I think I just like it when characters are able to be a little bit more real, and it's also nice to see myself in something for once, in music and fashion and characters... I see so few representations of teen characters with shitty home lives like how I was at their age, or even characters obsessed with the same kind of music and fashion and art as me. Beat's family life, Neku's problems with understanding people, and their hobbies/aesthetics spoke to me in a way that most Kingdom Hearts plots never could. Basically the only thing I didn't like in the game was Joshua, but not because I think he isn't a well-written character; he and I just have mlm/wlw hostility between us and I just think it's so much fun to hate him. Like disney villains or something.

Well anyway, it's been about 7 or 8 months and this game still has me by the balls. I don't think it's gonna stop any time soon, so send fucking help.

twewy fans when and how did you find out about and get into twewy

For me the way I found out abt it was very silly it was through flipnote Hatena LOL. Flipnote animations weren’t the only thing on there and one thing popular artists there liked to do was post Question Games. In which they write down fun questions on each individual page of a flipnote and post it unlocked (meaning anyone can download and edit it) and encourage their followers to add their answers and then upload it for the creator to see.

Around early 2010 ish I found one of those from an artist I liked so I downloaded it and near the end of the flipnote the creator put in a quiz of naming random characters from animanga and games and having the person filling out flipnote write the name of the IP the character was from to test their Knowledge. A lot of them were from popular shows but the final one (which the creator called a Bonus Round) stumped me it was asking me to name what IP the character “Daisukenojo Bito” was from and I had No idea. Later after I posted my answers I went looking at other ppls flipnotes that were uploaded as a response and I found one where the person knew Every character from the quiz section (though in hindsight they probably just looked up every name online) and I saw the answer to what Daisukenojo Bito was from: The World Ends With You.

Just the title alone caught my attention bc I found it really cool. I thought it might’ve been the name of an anime or something so I looked it up and went on the Wikipedia page and got really interested to see it was a DS game. I tried to read through the article but everything (thankfully) went over my head and the only thing that Stuck in my brain was the one screenshot showcasing the dual screen battle system in the Combat section of the article. I was curious so completely on a whim I downloaded the game onto my TTDS card just to have it on there and started playing it a few days later. Then my life was changed forever lmao

anyways pls tell me how you got into twewy I’d love to knowe 🥺🙏

84 notes · View notes

lokiondisneyplus · 4 years ago

Link

Following in Captain America's footsteps is a weighty task — literally. When Chris Evans' Steve Rogers retired at the end of 2019's Avengers: Endgame, he left his mantle and star-spangled shield to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson. On The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, debuting March 19 on Disney+, Sam is grappling with what it might mean to carry on Cap's role — which meant Mackie had to learn how to throw that oversize red-white-and-blue Frisbee. "I didn't realize how heavy it was," he admits with a laugh. "A 10-pound weight hanging off your arm is not the easiest thing to deal with."

Captain America's legacy looms over the next Marvel live-action show, which follows Sam and his surly metal-armed friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), as they face new threats. Ahead of the show's debut, EW spoke with Mackie and Stan for our March issue, and the two stars teased the six-episode series as part action-packed superhero epic, part awkward buddy-comedy. "There's an odd-couple kind of back-and-forth there," Stan explains. "Like, 'I don't really like you, but I might need you.'"

Sam and Bucky have been reluctant allies since they first bickered over legroom in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. They're both battle-hardened veterans trying to do Cap proud, but they have what head writer Malcolm Spellman calls "a fire-and-ice dynamic."

"There's a real chemistry there," he says of Mackie and Stan, who often improvise insults on set. "Imagine getting to write the first installment of a buddy-cop series, knowing exactly what the rhythm and flavor is with the two characters before you even start."

CREDIT: ILLUSTRATION BY JOSHUA SWABY FOR EW

Both Sam and Bucky have spent most of their screen time in sidekick roles, but the new series will dive deeper into each man's psyche. Sam is wrestling with the aftereffects of the Infinity War and what it might take to become the next Captain America — a role the rest of the world may not be ready to embrace. "The idea of whether or not a Black man could become Captain America just felt like a huge moment and a huge opportunity," Spellman adds.

Meanwhile, Bucky, the World War II soldier–turned–eyeliner-wearing assassin, is still reckoning with his murderous past and how to cope in a world without Steve. "How does that guy function in 2021, in the times of today?" Stan explains. "And there's comedic parts: How does he deal with technology? Is this guy ordering Postmates at home?"

Mackie and Stan aren't the only recurring Marvel vets, either: Daniel Brühl's villain Baron Zemo is back to wreak more havoc after dividing the Avengers in Civil War, and Emily VanCamp's former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Sharon Carter, will also return. New to the cast is Wyatt Russell as the militaristic John Walker, a.k.a. U.S. Agent — who, in the comics, is a government-approved replacement for Captain America.

Ultimately, Mackie and Stan say they're excited to carve out their own little corner of the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"We didn't lose that feeling of security and espionage," Mackie says. "It still feels like you're in a Philip K. Dick novel [or] a Tom Clancy movie. But at the same time, it's Sebastian and I, and we're idiots, so you get more of us being ourselves."

#The Falcon and the Winter Soldier #Anthony Mackie #Sebastian Stan #Falcon #Sam Wilson #Winter Soldier #Bucky Barnes #Disney+

34 notes · View notes

wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 4 years ago

Text

Psycho Analysis: Lucifer/Satan

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Please allow me to introduce this villain. He’s a man of wealth and taste...

Satan, or Lucifer, or whatever of the hundreds of names across multiple religions, folk tales, urban legends, movies, books, songs, video games, and more that you choose to call him, is without a doubt the biggest bad of them all. He is not just a villain; he is the villain, the bad guy your other bad guys answer to, the lord of Hell. If there’s a bad deed, he’s done it, if there’s a problem, he’s behind it. There’s nothing beneath him, and that’s not just because he’s at the very bottom of Hell. He is the root cause of all the misery in the entire world.

And if we’re talking about Satan, we gotta talk about Lucifer too. They weren’t always supposed to be one and the same, but over centuries of artistic depictions and reimaginings they’ve been conflated into one being, a being that is a lot more layered and interesting than just a simple adversary for the good to overcome when handled properly.

Motivation/Goals: Look, it’s Satan. His main goal is to be as evil as possible, do bad things, cause mischief and mayhem. Rarely does anything good come from Satan being around. If he is one and the same as Lucifer, expect there to be some sort of plot about him rebelling against God, as according to modern interpretations Lucifer fought against God in battle and was then cast out, falling from grace like lightning. When the Lucifer persona is front and center, raging against the heavens tends to be a big part of his schemes, but when the big red devil persona is out and about, expect temptations to sin, birthing the Antichrist, or tempting people to sell their souls.

Performance: Satan has been portrayed by far too many people over the years to even consider keeping count of, though some notable performances of the character or at least characters who are clearly meant to be Satan include the nuanced anti-villain take of the character Viggo Mortensen portrayed in The Prophecy; the sympathetic homosexual man portrayed by Trey Parker in South Park and its film; the hard-rocking badass Dave Grohl portrayed in Tencaious D’s movie; Robin Hughes as a sneaky, double-crossing bastard in “The Howling Man” episode of The Twilight Zone; the big red devil from Legend known as Darkness, played by Tim Curry; the shapeshifting angel named Satan from The Adventures of Mark Train who will make you crap your pants; and while not portrayed by anyone due to being entirely voiceless, Chernabog from Disney’s Fantasia is definitely noteworthy in regards to cinematic depictions of the devil.

Final Thoughts & Score: Satan is a villain whose sheer scope dwarfs almost every other villain in history. It’s not even remotely close, either; Satan pops up in stories all around the world, is the greater-scope villain of most varieties of three major religions, and his very name is shorthand for “really, really evil.” Every other villain I have ever discussed and reviewed wishes they could be a byword for being bad to the bone. Even Dracula, one of the single most important villains in fiction, looks puny in comparison to Satans villainous accomplishments.

Satan in old religious texts tended to be an utterly horrifying force of nature, until Medieval times began portray him as a dopey demon trying to tempt the faithful (and failing). Folklore and media have gone back and forth, portraying both in equal measure – you have the desperate, fiddle-playing devil from “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and the unseen, unfathomable Satan who may or may not exist in the Marvel comics universe who other demons live in fear of the return of. Satan is just a very interesting and malleable antagonist, one who is defined just enough that he can make a massive, formidable force while still being enough of a blank slate that you can project any sort of personality traits onto him to build an intriguing foe.

One of the most famous examples of this in action is the common depiction of Satan as the king of hell. This doesn’t really have much basis in religion; he’s as much a prisoner as anyone else, though considering how impressive a prisoner he is, he’d be like the big guy at the top of the pecking order in any jail for sure. But still, the idea of Satan as the ruler of hell was clearly conceived by someone and proved such an intriguing concept that so many decided to run with it.

I think that’s what truly makes Satan such an interesting villain, in that he’s almost a community-built antagonist. People over the ages have added so much lore, personality, and power to him that is only vaguely alluded to in old religions to the point where they have all become commonplace in depictions of the big guy, and there really isn’t any other villain to have quite this magnitude on culture as a whole. It shouldn’t be any shock that Satan is an 11/10; rating him any lower would be a heinous crime only he is capable of.

But see, the true sign of how amazing he is is the sheer number of ways one can interpret him. You have versions that are just vague embodiments of all that is bad and unholy, such as Chernabog from Fantasia, you have more nuanced portrayals like the one Viggo Mortensen played in The Prophecy, you have outright sympathetic ones like the one from South Park… Satan is just a villain who can be reshaped and reworked as a creator sees fit and molded into something that fits the narrative they want. I guess what I’m trying to say is that not only is Lucifer/Satan one of the greatest villains of all, he’s also one of the single greatest characters of all time.

Now, there are far too many depictions of Satan for me to have seen them all, but I have seen quite a lot. Here’s how Old Scratch has fared over the millennia in media of various forms, though keep in mind this is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive lsit:

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” Devil:

I think this is one of my favorite devils in any fiction ever, simply because of what a good sport he is. Like, there is really no denying that Johnny’s stupid little fiddle ditty about chickens or whatever sucks major ass, and yet Satan (who had moments before summoned up demonic hordes to rip out some Doom-esque metal for the contest) gave him the win and the golden fiddle. What a gracious guy! He’s a 9/10 for sure, though I still wish we knew how his rematch ended…

Chernabog:

Chernabog technically doesn’t do anything evil, and he never says a word, and yet everything about him is framed as inherently sinister. It’s really no wonder Chernabog has become one of the most famous and beloved parts of Fantasia alongside Yen Sid and Sorcerer Mickey; he’s infinitely memorable, and really, how can he not be? He’s the devil in a Disney film, not played for laughs and instead made as nightmarishly terrifying as an ancient demon god should be. Everything about him oozes style, and every movement and gesture begets a personality that goes beyond words. Chernabog doesn’t need to speak to tell you that he is evil incarnate; you just know, on sight, that he is up to no good.

Quite frankly, the implications of Chernabog’s existence in the Disney canon are rather terrifying. Is he the one Maleficent called upon for power? Is he the one all the villains answer to? Do you think Frollo saw him after God smote him? And what exactly did he gain by attacking Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts? All I know for sure is that Chernabog is a 10/10.

Lucifer (The Prophecy):

Viggo Mortensen has limited screentime, but in that time he manages to be incredibly creepy, misanthropic… and yet, also, on the side of good. Of course, he’s doing it entirely for self-serving reasons (he wants humanity around so he can make them suffer), but credit where credit is due. The man manages to steal a scene from under Christopher Walken, I think that’s worth a 10/10.

Satan (South Park):

Portraying Satan as a sympathetic gay man was a pretty bold choice, and while he certainly does fall into some stereotypes, he’s not really painted as bad or morally wrong for being gay, and ends up more often than not being a good (if sometimes misguided) guy who just wants to live his life. Plus he gets a pretty sweet villain song, though technically it’s more of an “I want” song than anything. Ah well, a solid 8/10 for him is good.

Satan (Tenacious D):

youtube

It’s Dave Grohl as Satan competing in a rock-off against JB and KG. Literally everything about this is perfect, even if he’s only in the one scene. 10/10 for sure.

Robot Devil:

Futurama’s take on the devil is pretty hilarious and hammy, but then Futurama was always pretty on point. He’s a solid 8/10, because much like South Park’s devil he gets a fun little villain song with a guest apearance by the Beastie Boys, not to mention his numerous scams like when he stole Fry’s hands. He’s just a fun, hilarious asshole.

The Howling Man:

The Twilight Zone has many iconic episodes, and this one is absolutely one of them. While the devil is the big twist, that scene of him transforming as he walks between the pillars is absolutely iconic, and was even used by real-life villain Kevin Spacey in the big reveal of The Usual Suspects. This one is a 9/10 for sure, especially given the ending that implies this will all happen again (as per usual with the show).

The Darkness:

While he’s more devil-adjacent than anything and is more likely to be the son of Satan rather than the actual man himself, it’s hard not to give a shout-out to the big, buff demon played by Tim Curry in some of the most fantastic prosthetics and makeup you will ever see. He gets a 9/10 for the design alone, the facty he’s Tim Curry is icing on the cake.

#Psycho Analysis #Satan #Lucifer

18 notes · View notes

ordinaryschmuck · 3 years ago

Text

What I Thought About Loki (Season One)

(Sorry this is later than it should have been. I may or may not be experiencing burnout from reviewing every episode of the gayest show Disney has ever produced)

Salutations, random people on the internet. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Do you want to know what's fun about the Marvel Cinematic Universe? It is now officially at the point where the writers can do whatever the hell they want.

A TV series about two Avengers getting stuck in a series of sitcoms as one of them explores their personal grief? Sure.

Another series as a guy with metal bird wings fights the inner racism of his nation to take the mantel of representing the idea of what that nation should be? Why not?

A forgettable movie about a superspy and her much more mildly entertaining pretend family working together to kill the Godfather? F**king go for it (Let that be a taste for my Black Widow review in October)!

There is no limit to what you can get with these movies and shows anymore, and I personally consider that a good thing. It allows this franchise to lean further into creative insanity, thus embracing its comic roots in the process. Take Loki, for example. It is a series about an alternate version of one of Marvel's best villains bouncing around the timeline with Owen Wilson to prevent the end of the universe. It sounds like just the right amount of wackiness that it should be too good to fail.

But that's today's question: Did it fail? To find out my own answer to that, we're gonna have to dive deep into spoilers. So be wary as you continue reading.

With that said, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Loki Himself: Let's get this out of the way: This isn't the same Loki we've seen grow within five movies. The Loki in this series, while similar in many ways, is still his very own character. He goes through his own redemption and developments that fleshes out Loki, all through ways that, if I'm being honest with you, is done much better in six-hour-long episodes than in past films. Loki's story was already entertaining, but he didn't really grow that much aside from being this chaotic neutral character instead of this wickedly evil supervillain. Through his series, we get to see a gradual change in his personality, witnessing him understand his true nature and "glorious purpose," to the point where he's already this completely different person after one season. Large in part because of the position he's forced into.

Some fans might say that the series is less about Loki and more about the TVA. And while I can unquestionably see their point, I still believe that the TVA is the perfect way for Loki to grow. He's a character all about causing chaos and controlling others, so forcing him to work for an organization that takes that away allows Loki time to really do some introspection. Because if his tricks don't work, and his deceptions can't fool others, then who is he? Well, through this series, we see who he truly is: A character who is alone and is intended to be nothing more than a villain whose only truly selfless act got him killed in the end. Even if he wants to better himself, he can't because that "goes against the sacred timeline." Loki is a person who is destined to fail, and he gets to see it all with his own eyes by looking at what his life was meant to be and by observing what it could have been. It's all tragic and yet another example of these shows proving how they allow underdeveloped characters in the MCU a better chance to shine. Because if Loki can give even more depth to a character who's already compelling as is, then that is a feat worth admiration.

The Score: Let's give our gratitude toward Natalie Holt, who f**king killed it with this series score. Every piece she made is nothing short of glorious. Sylvie's and the TVA's themes particularly stand out, as they perfectly capture who/what they're representing. Such as how Sylvie's is big and boisterous where the TVA's sound eerie and almost unnatural. Holt also finds genius ways to implement other scores into the series, from using familiar tracks from the Thor movies to even rescoring "Ride of the Valkyries" in a way that makes a scene even more epic than it already could have been. The MCU isn't best known for its musical scores, partly because they aim to be suitable rather than memorable. But every now and again, something as spectacular as the Loki soundtrack sprinkles through the cracks of mediocrity. Making fans all the more grateful because of it.

There’s a lot of Talking: To some, this will be considered a complaint. Most fans of the MCU come for the action, comedy, and insanely lovable characters. Not so much for the dialogue and exposition. That being said, I consider all of the talking to be one of Loki's best features. All the background information about the TVA added with the character's backstories fascinates me, making me enthusiastic about learning more. Not everyone else will be as interested in lore and world-building as others, but just because something doesn't grab you, in particular, doesn't mean it isn't appealing at all. Case in point: There's a reason why the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise has lasted as long as it has, and it's not entirely because of how "scary" it is.

There's also the fact that most of the dialogue in Loki is highly engaging. I'll admit, some scenes do drag a bit. However, every line is delivered so well that I'm more likely to hang on to every word when characters simply have honest conversations with each other. And if I can be entertained by Loki talking with Morbius about jetskis, then I know a show is doing at least something right.

It’s Funny: This shouldn't be a surprise. The MCU is well-known for its quippy humor in the direct acknowledgment that it doesn't take itself too seriously. With that said, it is clear which movies and shows are intended to be taken seriously, while others are meant to be comedies. Loki tries to be a bit of both. There are some heavy scenes that impact the characters, and probably even some fans, due to how well-acted and professionally written they can be. However, this is also a series about a Norse god traveling through time to deal with alternate versions of himself, with one of them being an alligator. I'd personally consider it a crime against storytelling to not make it funny. Thankfully, the writers aren't idiots and know to make the series fun with a few flawlessly timed and delivered jokes that never really take away from the few good grim moments that actually work.

It Kept Me Surprised: About everything I appreciate about Loki, the fact that I could never really tell what direction it was going is what I consider its absolute best feature. Every time I think I knew what was going to happen, there was always this one big twist that heavily subverted any and every one of my expectations. Such as how each time I thought I knew who the big bad was in this series, it turns out that there was an even worse threat built up in the background. The best part is that these twists aren't meant for shock value. It's always supposed to drive the story forward, and on a rewatch, you can always tell how the seeds have been planted for making each surprise work. It's good that it kept fans guessing, as being predictable and expected would probably be the worst path to take when making a series about Loki, a character who's all about trickery and deception. So bonus points for being in line with the character.

The TVA: You can complain all you want about how the show is more about the TVA than it is Loki, but you can't deny how the organization in question is a solid addition to the MCU. Initially, it was entertaining to see Loki of all characters be taken aback by how the whole process works. And it was worth a chuckle seeing Infinity Stones, the most powerful objects in the universe, get treated as paperweights. However, as the season continues and we learn about the TVA, the writers show that their intention is to try and write a message about freedom vs. control. We've seen this before in movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Captain America: Civil War, but with those films, it always felt like the writers were leaning more towards one answer instead of making it obscure over which decision is correct. This is why I enjoy the fact that Loki went on saying that there really is no right answer for this scenario. If the TVA doesn't prune variants, it could result in utter chaos and destruction that no one from any timeline can prepare themselves for. But when they do prune variants along with their timelines, it takes away all free will, forcing people to be someone they probably don't even want to be. It's a situation where there really is no middle ground. Even if you bring up how people could erase timelines more destructive than others, that still takes away free will on top of how there's no unbiased way of deciding which timelines are better or worse. And the series found a brilliant way to explain this moral: The season starts by showing how the TVA is necessary, to later point out how there are flaws and evil secrets within it, and ends things with the revelation that there are consequences without the TVA keeping the timeline in check. It's an epic showcase of fantastic ideas met with exquisite execution that I can't help but give my seal of approval to.

Miss Minutes: Not much to say. This was just a cute character, and I love that Tara Strong, one of the most popular voice actors, basically plays a role in the MCU now.

Justifying Avengers: Endgame: Smartest. Decision. This series. Made. Bar none.

Because when you establish that the main plot is about a character getting arrested for f**king over the timeline, you're immediately going to get people questioning, "Why do the Avengers get off scot-free?" So by quickly explaining how their time-traveling antics were supposed to happen, it negates every one of those complaints...or most of them. There are probably still a-holes who are poking holes in that logic, but they're not the ones writing this review, so f**k them.

Mobius: I didn't really expect Owen Wilson to do that good of a job in Loki. Primarily due to how the Cars franchise discredits him as a professional actor for...forever. With that said, Owen Wilson's Mobius might just be one of the most entertaining characters in the series. Yes, even more so than Loki himself. Mobius acts as the perfect straight man to Loki's antics, what with being so familiar with the supposed god of mischief through past variations of him. Because of that, it's always a blast seeing these two bounce off one another through Loki trying to trick a Loki expert, and said expert even deceiving Loki at times. Also, on his own, Mobius is still pretty fun. He has this sort of witty energy that's often present in Phil Coulson (Love that character too, BTW), but thanks to Owen Wilson's quirks in his acting, there's a lot more energy to Mobius than one would find in Coulson. As well as a tad bit of tragedy because of Mobius being a variant and having no clue what his life used to be. It's a lot to unpack and is impressively written, added to how it's Owen Wilson who helps make the character work as well as he did. Cars may not have done much for his career, but Loki sure as hell showed his strengths.

Ravonna Renslayer: Probably the least entertaining character, but definitely one of the most intriguing. At least to me.

Ravonna is a character who is so steadfast in her believes that she refuses to accept that she may be wrong. Without the proper writing, someone like Ravonna could tick off (ha) certain people. Personally, I believe that Ravonna is written well enough where even though I disagree with her belief, I can understand where she's coming from. She's done so much for the TVA, bringing an end to so many variants and timelines that she can't accept that it was all for nothing. In short, Ravonna represents the control side of the freedom vs. control theme that the writers are pushing. Her presence is necessary while still being an appealing character instead of a plot device. Again, at least to me.

Hunter B-15: I have no strong feelings one way or another towards B-15's personality, but I will admit that I love the expectation-subversion done with her. She has this air of someone who's like, "I'm this by-the-books badass cop, and I will only warm up to this cocky rookie after several instances of them proving themselves." That's...technically not B-15. She's the first to see Loki isn't that bad, but only because B-15 is the first in the main cast to learn the hidden vile present in the TVA. It makes her change in point of view more believable than how writers usually work a character like hers, on top of adding a new type of engaging motivation for why she fights. I may not particularly enjoy her personality, but I do love her contributions.

Loki Watching What His Life Could Have Been: This was a brilliant decision by the writers. It's basically having Loki speedrun his own character development through witnessing what he could have gone through and seeing the person he's meant to be, providing a decent explanation for why he decides to work for the TVA. And on the plus side, Tom Hiddleston did a fantastic job at portraying the right emotions the character would have through a moment like this. Such as grief, tearful mirth, and borderline shock and horror. It's a scene that no other character could go through, as no one but Loki needed a wake-up call for who he truly is. This series might heavily focus on the TVA, but scenes like this prove just who's the star of the show.

Loki Causing Mischief in Pompeii: I just really love this scene. It's so chaotic and hilarious, all heavily carried by the fact that you can tell that Tom Hiddleston is having the time of his damn life being this character. What more can I say about it.

Sylvie: The first of many surprises this season offered, and boy was she a great one.

Despite being an alternate version of Loki, I do appreciate that Sylvie's her own character and not just "Loki, but with boobs." She still has the charm and charisma, but she also comes across as more hardened and intelligent when compared to the mischievous prick we've grown to love. A large part of that is due to her backstory, which might just be the most tragic one these movies and shows have ever made. Sylvie got taken away when she was a little girl, losing everything she knew and loved, and it was all for something that the people who arrested her don't even remember. How sad is that? The fact that her life got permanently screwed over, leaving zero impact on the people responsible for it. As badass as it is to hear her say she grew up at the ends of a thousand worlds (that's an album title if I ever heard one), it really is depressing to know what she went through. It also makes her the perfect candidate to represent the freedom side of the freedom vs. control argument. Because she's absolutely going to want to fight to put an end to the people who decide how the lives of trillions should be. Those same people took everything from Sylvie, and if I were in her position, I'd probably do the same thing. Of course, we all know the consequences that come from this, and people might criticize Sylvie the same way they complain about Thor and Star Lord for screwing over the universe in Avengers: Infinity War. But here's the thing: Sylvie's goals are driven by vengeance, which can blind people from any other alternatives. Meaning her killing He Who Remains is less of a story flaw and more of a character flaw. It may be a bad decision, but that's for Season Two Sylvie to figure out. For now, I'll just appreciate the well-written and highly compelling character we got this season and eagerly wait as we see what happens next with her.

The Oneshot in Episode Three: Not as epic as the hallway scene in Daredevil, but I do find it impressive that it tries to combine real effects, fighting, and CGI in a way where it's all convincing enough.

Lady Sif Kicking Loki in the D**k: This is a scene that makes me realize why I love this series. At first, I laugh at Loki being stuck in a time loop where Lady Sif kicks him in the d**k over and over again. But a few scenes later, this setup actually works as a character moment that explains why Loki does the things he does.

This series crafted phenomenal character development through Loki getting kicked in the d**k by the most underrated badass of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's a perfect balance of comedy and drama that not every story can nail, yet Loki seemed like it did with very little effort.

Classic Loki: This variant shows the true tragedy of being Loki. The only way to survive is to live in isolation, far away from everything and everyone he loves, only to end up having his one good deed result in his death anyways. Classic Loki is definitive proof that no matter what face they have, Lokis never gets happy endings. They're destined to lose, but at least this version knows that if you're going out, you're going out big. And at least he got to go out with a mischievous laugh.

(Plus, the fact that he's wearing Loki's first costume from the comics is a pretty cute callback).

Alligator Loki: Alligator Loki is surprisingly adorable, and if you know me, you know that I can't resist cute s**t. It's not in my nature.

Loki on Loki Violence: If you thought Loki going ham in Pompeii was chaotic, that was nothing to this scene. Because watching these Lokis backstab one another, to full-on murdering each other, is a moment that is best described as pure, unadulterated chaos. And I. Loved. Every. Second of it.

The Opening Logo for the Season Finale: I'm still not that big of a fan of the opening fanfare playing for each episode, but I will admit that it was a cool feature to play vocal clips of famous quotes when the corresponding character appears. It's a great way of showing the chaos of how the "sacred timeline" works without having it to be explained further.

The Citadel: I adore the set design of the Citadel. So much history and backstory shine through the state of every room the characters walk into. You get a perfect picture of what exactly happened, but seeing how ninety percent of the place is in shambles, it's pretty evident that not everything turned out peachy keen. And as a personal note, my favorite aspect of the Citadel is the yellow cracks in the walls. It looks as though reality itself is cracking apart, which is pretty fitting when considering where the Citadel actually is.

He Who Remains: This man. I. Love. This man.

I love this man for two reasons.

A. He's a ton of fun. Credit to that goes to the performance delivered by Jonathon Majors. Not only is it apparent that Majors is having a blast, but he does a great job at conveying how He Who Remains is a strategic individual but is still very much off his rocker. These villains are always my favorite due to how much of a blast it is seeing someone with high intelligence just embracing their own insanity. If you ask me, personalities are always essential for villains. Because even when they have the generic plot to rule everything around them, you're at least going to remember who they are for how entertaining they were. Thankfully He Who Remains has that entertainment value, as it makes me really excited for his eventual return, whether it'd be strictly through Loki Season Two or perhaps future movies.

And B. He Who Remains is a fantastic foil for Loki. He Who Remains is everything Loki wishes he could have been, causing so much death, destruction, and chaos to the multiverse. The important factor is that he does it all through order and control. The one thing Loki despises, and He Who Remains uses it to his advantage. I feel like that's what makes him the perfect antagonist to Loki, thanks to him winning the game by not playing it. I would love it if He Who Remains makes further appearances in future movies and shows, especially given how he's hinted to be Kane the Conqueror, but if he's only the main antagonist in Loki, I'm still all for it. He was a great character in his short time on screen, and I can't wait to see what happens next with him.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Revealing that Loki was D.B. Cooper: A cute scene, but it's really unnecessary. It adds nothing to the plot, and I feel like if it was cut out entirely, it wouldn't have been the end of the world...Yeah. That's it.

That's my one and only complaint about this season.

Maybe some scenes drag a bit, and I guess Episode Three is kind of the weakest, but there's not really anything that this series does poorly that warrants an in-depth complaint.

Nope.

Nothing at all...

…

...

...I'm not touching that "controversy" of Loki falling for Sylvie instead of Mobius. That's a situation where there are no winners.

Only losers.

Exclusively losers.

Other than that, this season was amazing!

IN CONCLUSION

I'd give the first season of Loki a well-earned A, with a 9.5 through my usual MCU ranking system. It turns out, it really is the best type of wackiness that was just too good to fail. The characters are fun and likable, the comedy and drama worked excellently, and the expansive world-building made me really intrigued with the more we learned. It's hard to say if Season Two will keep this momentum, but that's for the future to figure out. For now, let's just sit back and enjoy the chaos.

(Now, if you don't excuse me, I have to figure out how to review Marvel's What If...)

#marvel cinematic universe #mcu reviews #loki tv series #loki #sylvie #mobius #ravonna renslayer #hunter b 15 #classic loki #alligator loki #he who remains #kang the conqueror #what i thought about

10 notes · View notes