#my opinions on the sequels

[violetwolfraven]

Wait wait wait remember that post about how Team Starkid/the Lang brothers are going to be comparable to Shakespeare 500 years from now and it was mostly played for laughs like yeah lol you’ll need a paragraph of footnotes to explain the zefron poster but like

I don’t think that’s actually far off from how Starkid’s place in theatre history might play out and here’s why. Just hear me out

Why is Shakespeare so popular today when he definitely wasn’t the only playwright from that era? When he’s not even the only playwright from that era from England that we have surviving works from?

Two main reasons:

1) Shakespeare’s work is (relatively) universally relatable. The characters do things that are so fundamentally human. They make jokes at their friends’ expense. They complain about being awkward in front of their crush. They have daddy issues. The plot lines of the plays aren’t too complicated. The dick jokes land whether you’re watching in 1611 or 2024, and they probably still will in 2637. Shakespeare’s works are timeless because he didn’t try to outsmart his audience. He wrote about things everyone could relate to rather than trying too hard to peacock his intellect in front of the nobility. This is not true of every playwright.

2) Shakespeare was really popular right around the time England started colonizing everything in sight. Copies of his work got shipped all around the world, translated into dozens of languages, performed probably thousands of times. Setting aside the moral implications of this, the important thing to note is that Shakespeare was about the most easily accessible English playwright during a time of rapid, intense globalization.

Meanwhile, Starkid:

1) Invests hard in meaningful, relatable character arcs instead of spectacle and expensive sets or costumes. Also, lowbrow, immature humor and dick jokes that make A Very Potter Sequel funny and enjoyable regardless of if you’ve ever seen any other Harry Potter media in your life.

2) Posts professional recordings of their musicals to YouTube FOR FREE, making their shows about the easiest, best quality musical theatre you can get pretty much anywhere in the world, regardless of if your area has an active theatre scene. Proshots from other companies are rare and usually not free. Bootlegs are all well and good, but even if the video quality is alright (and that’s a big if) the audio is usually garbage. Starkid has been posting the best quality free recordings they can afford since 2009, shortly after the birth of social media, another time of rapid, intense globalization.

In short, I’m not saying that theatre historians in 500 years won’t remember any our current Broadway faves, but I am saying that in my opinion, Team Starkid is probably going to be more accessible for the general public. If you’re a 26th century English teacher trying to teach your class about narrative structure in 21st century theatre, what are you going to show your students? A bootleg of Hadestown with blurry video and garbage audio? Or the professional recording of Twisted, parts of which they will probably even enjoy, because even long after no one remembers Disney’s Aladdin anymore, your class of 26th century 16-year-olds are still going to laugh at “No One Remembers Achmed.”

[dimetrodone]

Watched Inside Out 1 and 2 back to back with some friends tonight. Shocked that I think the second one is actually the better of the two.

The first one felt a bit like a boardroom trying to trying to write a 12 year old girl character to be a blank slate. Riley wasnt developed enough for the emotional beats with her to hit for me, and the stuff with Bing Bong didn’t quite do it for me either. The movie is still cute but doesn’t get me the same way I know it did for other people

Inside Out 2 feels like it gave Riley a smidge more story and a smidge more personality. The new shit gremlin emotions feel more like the sort of creatures that would run the brain of a teenaged girl, compared to the first movie where the emotions felt a lot more detached from being representations of this girl’s emotions specifically.

It’s weird that the movie implies that people do not experience boredom or embarrassment or envy until they become teenagers. Introducing more emotions for the sequel was a fun idea but there isnt really any great way to actually write it in.

I like that people are apparently shipping Joy with Anxiety now because it’s visually like seeing Tinkerbell shipped with a mangled fraggle

[chelshiart]

In 2011 I drastically reduced my DWJ book intake to dripfeed levels, so it was only in the 2024 new year that I finally decided to read Deep Secret. My god - out of all her books this seems targeted at me personally? Stressed late-20-somethings, making fools of oneself in vicinity of fav authors, artist alleys?? Also, blatant unmistakable LGBT-rep??? I can't believe I slept on this one for so long!!! Definitely putting it on the upper tiers of my DWJ bookshelf.

Anyway, here's some designs I've whipped up for the characters! As always, might tweak 'em if ever I draw more in the future, but that's what's fun about figuring out character designs. Rob in particular is a joy to me.

btw Zinka plsplspls let me table with you

[the-amazing-animated-circus]

I am going to kill the next person I see make a Bendy reference 🙏

[tinyclowndancer]

Hello, Carnival. It's been a while.

[moondyad]

i believe that the reason this debate even exists is because Finn ended up with a way more interesting backstory and character than Rey did. which is definitely the movies' male writers' faults.

an ex-stormtrooper who ends up being force sensitive and chooses to train to become a Jedi, mixed with all his overwhelming fear of the FO and wanting to run as far as he can from anyone and anything he even briefly gets attached to is such an interesting character. Rey's character was written in such a way that yes, she does have that "darkness" within her, but there never really is a moment where we wonder if that darkness could consume her. and that's it, that's the only back and forth or interesting thing they could come up with for her. and it never comes to fruition. struggling on a desert planet is not a new backstory for star wars fans. and i'm not really going to count her being Palpatine's granddaughter as an interesting character trait because i think that earned the biggest groan when it was revealed.

i definitely don't get the misogyny of the argument. they could have made Finn a black woman instead. but i do understand why some people might have been way more interested in his story simply because it was more creative and held more depth than what was written for Rey. it's not Rey's or even Daisy's fault for how... boring? Rey's character ended up, it's completely on the writers who failed to make their lead actually interesting.

one thing that i do not understand about people is the fact that some genuinely believe that finn would’ve been a better main character than rey

what is the logic behind it?

do you think that if it was a male lead, the writing of the sequels would’ve gotten miraculously better or that the story would’ve been more interesting and original?

stop hiding your misogyny behind star wars, it’s not working, we can all see it

seriously, grow up

[majimasleftasscheek]

hi I’m upset again

[galactic-rhea]

So I watched The Rise of Skywalker.

Well, that was awful....And I'm a chill person, I don't tend to get upset at movies (heck, the first two didn't bothered me) so I'm surprised that this movie managed to upset me lmao

Oh, and also:

The only things I geniunely liked was Luke being so sassy even as a ghost and all the jedi talking from the stars (and i think it could have been done so much better)

I also was really enjoying Rose, Poe and Finn, but anything else...holy cow

[devilsskettle]

not that i think they needed to hit the audience over the head with the mimesis of these characters but i do think that maxxxine could have done more to draw comparisons between maxine and pearl as characters since they established the parallels between them as one of the core thematic tensions in x and they’re played by the same actress in each movie. maxxxine hardly felt related to the first two movies at all, i think there could’ve been excellent audience payoff for watching all three movies if maxxxine, as the last movie in the trilogy, fully connected both characters’ storylines, if only to contrast what allowed maxine to succeed as a star where pearl failed

[vertigoartgore]

Danny DeVito as the Penguin in Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1992).

[fights4users]

I think I’ve figured out one of my main gripes with legacy, and it’s one I’ve talked about but it’s never fully registered as an idea. I think this is because I just saw the new ghostbusters a few weeks ago so it’s fresh on the mind.

Legacy is one of those “screw the legacy cast” type continuations.

In that the original characters are sidelined or mis characterized for the next generation characters to step in and take over. It’s in an almost disrespectful way too— like it’s a ripping the torch out of someone’s hands rather than passing it sort of way. There’s no blending or cohesion really it’s just “screw you it’s been 20 years. Those classic characters are either dead or irrelevant— look at these new guys”.

I’ve already screamed forever and ever about the absolute assassination of Kevin Flynn into him becoming a plot device but it’s also the complete lack of explanation. There’s some backstory but we’re just tossed into a completely new digital world and culture with little mention of the old one or old real world. Even the backstory shared in the film is backstory of the new world— Tron himself is barely there and as much as I like Rinzler could’ve been done so much better if there was some sort of connector piece. I don’t know how to explain this.

The only legacy character to get some sort of respect is Alan but even then he’s sort of “he’s oh so very old and just here to set up hip young guy”.

And this isn’t to say I don’t like Sam or the new world and way of things — it’s just sort of frustrating as a sequel as it’s sort of not? There’s characters to tie it to the original. But it’s so so much its own separate story and rules— like Tron(82) was a fantasy whereas legacy is a generic sci fi.

Contrast this to the new ghostbusters films. Both are much more centered on the next generation cast but in a way that respects their elders™️. They found the torch on the ground and ran with it. The legacy characters get attention, time, characterization and love. There’s a relationship there. The world building is consistent and not rewritten — they don’t do “ew the 80s movies were so cheesy and old here’s our edgy and hip modern universe only related by film name”

Legacy is better (for me personally!!!) when I disconnect it from the original in my mind. And with the way the film and the world is that’s not very hard to do unfortunately. They really banked on “it’s 20 years later you mostly forgot the original here’s daft punk”

[meteorherd]

seeing inside out 2 in a little bit 🤭

[mercuryspit]

I hope one day the Doctor Who fandom as a majority can move past this intense hatred for Thirteen the same way the Star Wars fandom is beginning to steer more in the direction of accepting Rey because it’s unbelievably tiring to hear the same excuses of “oh it’s just the bad writing I hated” or “I’m not misogynistic it’s just that I hate this female character for doing the same thing the male character did”

Resistance to change can be the death to longstanding media, Rey is a Skywalker and The Timeless Children is canon, get OVER it

[rogue205]

Okay...

I'm going to be that person but am I seriously the only one who thinks that Quynh is not going to just suddenly forgive and forget ~500 years of torture by constant drowning, built-up rage and the resultant insanity/instability all because Andy cries and says she's sorry?

Because I don't think she would. However I see a LOT of that in the fandom.

I refuse to believe that Andy is going to die in the sequel so her and Quynh will eventually reconcile their relationship but it's just not going to happen in X number of minutes.

[the-cryptographer]

Think I'm going to tie these posts together now and say that, beyond the reasons Fenris just isn't likely to pick up Merrill's schtick about being one of the 'good' blood mages, Merrill and her struggles generally represent an attack on how Fenris has come to understand his identity and how to keep himself safe. Like, Fenris has told himself a story to explain the circumstances of why he feels so alone and betrayed and threatened, for which he is holding Danarius fully responsible. If he, as an elf, hadn't been born without magic, if he'd been educated as a free man, if Danarius hadn't ripped him from his family (and he's adamant he never would never have chosen to leave his family), then he would not be struggling the way he is now. And Merrill is, well... lovely and brilliant and huge fucking mess of anxiety and neurosis and loneliness and self harm and relying on Hawke for protection just as much as Fenris is. (Which is also reflected in the way that Fenris in the precanon short story characterises the Dalish as people who've been given all the boons of freedom, and are wasting it mucking in the mud.) Basically, if Fenris allows himself to empathise with the decisions Merrill makes about her family - if he entertains the idea that he could be literate and a mage and have had a childhood with a very expansive family, and still be blisteringly unhappy with them - then he has to accept the possibility that he is partly responsible for where his life has ended up, which corrodes his ability to be angry with Danarius for this. And of course I talked about how Fenris being angry at Danarius is absolutely vital in order to keep him from taking Danarius back.

I think this is supported by a lot of Fenris's dialogue surrounding the Merrill and Marethari issue. Of which I can most easily point to this horrific little banter:

Basically him saying, "it's repulsive you had someone who cared about you that much (the way I wish I'd had) (ignore that she constantly negged and belittled and gaslit you), and you still couldn't get your shit together."

But in a way I think the real killer for this relationship is that Merrill on some level knows this about Fenris. On some level, she accepts that he needs to hate her. Merrill would absolutely be willing to be friends with Fenris, if he could suck it up and be nice to her, but when he doesn't, she responds with pity. When he goes off about how mages all deserve to be locked up, she goes 'Well, you're wrong and your opinions suck and here's why, but I wouldn't expect someone in your situation to know any better.' Which I think in a way is way more terribly uncomfortable for him than dealing with Anders. Like, Fenris can safely hate Anders, and Anders will safely return the favour and hate him back. But with Merrill he's stuck in this more low broil seething anger that he can never fully voice or act out without being made to lose face. Which is also delicious.

[tachimichishrine]

Please I am begging, I can’t get over just how perfect Tachihara would be with the whole ghost face trend. Please please please

<what. what if I told you I wholeheartedly agree. throws my headcanons and love at you>

"scream for me"

⫭◦⨝◦⫬

tachihara michizou x fem! reader {ghostface trend} hcs

warnings: nsfw ; kitchen sex ; knife play ; intended lowercase ; cursing; unedited so unedited i wrote this half asleep thinking abt being pussy drunk on tachi pls forgive me

manz is a SPY. he's done undercover work and wears a disguise 24/7 (his disguise is a goddamn bandaid but he's hot so we let it slide) he adores getting dressed up

I think he'd be really bad at taking it serious though

100% he gets very childish about things like birthdays, holidays, halloween bc he didn't get that kind of experience with his family when he was younger (womp womp :/)

the hunting dogs obviously don't have anything to do with halloween so imagine his surprise when he caught the port mafia hq covered in spider webs and blood.

the blood was likely real

elise was the one who insisted on it, and if she insists, everyone is wearing cat ears and fake vampire fangs.

chuuya was a vampire the dude definitely had practice

he was definitely in the spooky scary spirit when he had his head on your lap, one hand sliding under and up between your thighs like a pillow and watching scream

i KNOW he felt just the teeny tiniest insecurity when you started calling certain scenes really hot but he tried, really hard, to ignore it.

got a little too comfortable and sleepy when you starting running your fingers through his hair and found himself letting out a yelp at the stupidest jumpscares

you teased him for it all night

"do you think I'd survive in one of those horror movies?" you asked later that night, curled up in bed.

"your dumbass would probably trip and kill yourself on a kitchen knife while making breakfast."

"well, fuck you."

"only if you insist" said with his trademark grin.

you got him back by playing into his jumpiness and hiding around every corner, even when you're on missions

you sprung out with a dramatic ghost-like scream (holding back laughter) on one important mission and the man almost shot you

like he pulled the trigger and everything and had to use his ability to keep the bullet from drilling a hole in your stupid skull.

you toned down the pranks after that.

however, it did give him an idea.

he started using his ability to set up the mood for payback by making metal doors creak or scraping chair legs on the ground slowly

a chill physically ran up your spine when you were walking hand in hand and the front door of an empty "for sale" store slammed open, then shut.

maybe he liked it a little how you squeezed his hand when he did that

maybe he liked it a little when you punched him on the shoulder as you realized it was just his antics

but he sure as hell liked it when you roughly smacked his naked ass and shoved his face into the sheets later that night to teach him a lesson

you liked his screams more like that anyways

tachihara was nowhere to be found after you disappeared into the shower trying to wash off all the smeared cum he'd left on your body. you already thought it was strange that he didn't join you even when you offered, but it was even weirder when you came out in nothing but a towel, and the bed was empty.

"michi, I know you're tryin' to be cute or whatever and scare me, but you're not very subtle about it," you giggled, ditching the underwear to just put on some shorts and one of his shirts. your body bounced onto the mattress that was still warm from your bodies, still smelling like sex and gunpowder. the covers were thrown over you and snuggled into and you waited patiently.

it was amusing, at first.

it was annoying after 10 minutes.

you'd gone on your phone, scrolling listlessly to pass the time while you waited for him to finish up whatever stupid prank he was planning so you could get back to sleep, but a whole half hour had passed and it was beginning to feel a little wrong. you weren't worried (he kicked your ass in training too many times for you not to know how strong he was), but sure as hell curious as to what was going on. it was the spooky season, after all, and there was no harm in indulging a little bit; you dialed his number and heard it ring from somewhere in the apartment.

he was really trying to set it up for you, huh? cute. you figured you'd play along.

the phone was vibrating from the kitchen counter, and you picked it cautiously, glancing around you to find out from where your boyfriend was inevitably going to try to jump at you. you heard a chair move, and your eyes darted to look over in that direction out of instinct.

of course a hand clasped around your mouth and another pulled your waist backwards. you bit his gloved hand playfully to get him to let you go and just giggled, shoving your hips back onto him teasingly and trying to flip around to get a look at him.

your entire body got slammed onto the kitchen counter, hair pulled back in one harsh movement

oh fuck.

you didn't think you'd be bent over so fast, his hips already grinding into your ass while the thin, cheap plastic of his mask rubbed against your cheek, his husky voice laying out every lewd thing you both knew you were thinking. from the way his body was leaning onto you, you guessed that he was shirtless and wearing just about the tightest, low-cut pants known to man being held up by a belt (there was definitely a thick belt; you felt the buckle poke into your lower back every time he'd grind too hard)

"michzou..." you didn't have any problems with what he was doing, but loose fingers were touching your body all over and the thin shorts you'd thrown on previously without a second thought were soaking with every word he'd rasp out. "michi, stop playin' around, I-"

it seems your simple ask got you manhandled again, and both gloved hands were now on your thighs, lifting you up to sit you down on the counter so he could rub against you from the front. it was hard to take it seriously and you let out a giggle when you watched him loom over you with the ghostface mask on, trying to be serious. your fingers went to dig into his shoulders as your hips rolled, back arched trying to feel him better.

he sighed, groaning and trying to slip off the mask when he realized it wasn't having the effect he wanted, but you flicked it back on.

"just because I'm laughing doesn't mean I don't think this is fuckin' hot," you reassured him, ironically chuckling again, and this spurred him to grab your hands and pin them above your head on the cabinets above.

"can't believe you liked gettin' fucked by a masked man this much." his voice was deeper than it usually was but god did it get you throbbing. your legs wrapped around his hips, trying to regain control without your hands.

you quipped back with a sly grin. "would be better if you actually fucked me."

shit, you knew just what to say to get him riled up. he let your hands go to pull off your useless shorts which already had splotches of your arousal, and you seized the opportunity to unbuckle his belt, slide your fist into his pants and pull him out.

getting fucked senseless by your masked boyfriend on the kitchen counter at 3 in the morning was not on your schedule for halloween.

"you know," you mused, your pace slowing once the build up had passed but still rocking yourself on him, "usually the victims try to fight back."

"the fuck does that me-"

the cold metal of a knife poked and teased the exposed skin on his neck, and you felt a little irritated you couldn't see his shock through the mask. "c'mon, you've had your fun, baby, it's my turn."

he wanted to play the part, he really did, but before he could try to resist you had him gently sliced into streaks of red, teeth marks coating his body and his tongue gagging on blood-stained fingers from under the mask. your legs were still secured around his hips, fucking into him slowly and deeply, and every guttural groan that echoed out in the hollow apartment was good enough to keep you going while his body tensed up with rigid muscles and heavy breaths.

he couldn't take it anymore once the searing sting of you smearing his blood on his skin mixed in with the pleasure of dragging against your tightly clenched walls, and he murmured a curse before discarding the mask, messily kissing you with groaning lips buried into your neck once he finally got enough air to pant your name.

ah, the dumbass. he really tried to get you to play along but it was hard when you had him under your thumb. maybe next year, he'd try again.