#nostalgia isn't worth it sometimes

[bonfirefighter]

Against our better judgement (seeing as how we bought the tickets months ago), we went to see s*y *nything last night. Worst fucking show I've ever been to. You-know-who would just shout a few words - completely off-beat, might I add! - and point the mic at us. Bro if I wanted to do karaoke, I would! But we're there to sing along WITH you, not sing the whole damn set.

What's hilarious to me is that apparently he was on "vocal rest" and couldn't talk to ppl during the meet and greets, yet the man was ripping fat vape clouds between every song. I think that's the last show of theirs I'm going to. Put a nail in the coffin for me.

[wanderingandfound]

Cleaning is so physically exhausting.

[eddiemunsons-missingnipple]

Christmas with you

♡ Eddie Munson x reader

♡ Summary: Eddie takes you shopping for Christmas trees.

♡ Warnings: none, fluff. Some suggestive themes.

A/n: While this is still a fluff piece, I'd rather minors didn't interact with my work. Please like, comment, and comment, reblog for support. Not proofread.

"What about that one?" You pointed over to a rather tall, very wide Christmas tree.

"Uhhh, babe, I don't think our ceilings are tall enough for that one." Eddie frowns. He hated telling you no, but there was no possible way to get to that thing in his van, let alone in your trailer.

He squeezes your gloved hand, bringing it up to his lips for a kiss. "C'mon, let's keep looking."

"Okay." You smiled softly at him.

You gasped, what about this one?"

"Sweetheart, look at the size of that thing it's like two of my vans put together." Eddie shook his head.

You and him continue walking hand in hand, searching for the perfect Christmas tree. This was going to be your official Christmas together in your own home. You needed the best tree you could find. You had a specific vision, and you were not going to let anyone ruin it.

Tall, fluffy tree decorated with red and gold bulbs. Warm lights and a pretty star on the top with a velvet red skirt at the bottom. Gifts tucked all around it for friends and family.

Letting go of his hand, you make a bee line for another tree. It was large. Very large. Eddies eyes widened at the size of it. The thing must have been at least way above seven feet tall.

Do you remember where you lived? It's not like living in a trailer was a new concept to you. He thought to himself. You both grew up in one. You should know how low the ceilings are. That tree is not fitting at all. Even if it could fit, it's not make it through your front door.

"Uhh baby, that's too tall." Eddie said, eyeing it up and down.

"Pleeeeaase." You fake a pout knowing it was getting more and more difficult for him to tell you no.

"Waaay too tall." He's not caving. He physically can't no matter how hard it becomes.

Your face falls. "You think?"

"Yep, unfortunately." He sighed.

Eddie isn't surprised by your enthusiasm, though. Christmas has always brought out this child like happiness in you. Maybe it was because everyone just seemed so giving and thoughtful around this time. Or because you got a wave of nostalgia anytime a Santa commercial came on the tv. You always told him he reminded you of your step dad.

Even those little frosted Christmas cookies that had too icing and tasted like cardboard that you loved so much. Whatever was in the air around this time, Eddie wishes it never went away. Seeing your face light up at the pretty lights on people's houses was worth more than any gift.

"Take a look at this one." He rushes over to a tree that resembles something straight from the Charlie brown Christmas special.

"Umm, it's nice, but it's a little....bald." You swallow hard, trying your best not to hurt his feelings.

Eddie looks it over again. "Hmm, I guess you're right."

You grab his hand and take him down another row. The trees all started to look the same after a while. They were either too tall. Too wide. Sometimes even both. You were starting to get down on yourself. You haven't found the one yet, and Christmas was already five weeks away. Eddie can tell you're starting to get discouraged.

It was getting colder outside the more the sun sets. You and Eddie have been out here for more than three hours now. Your hands felt like popsicles. Your cheeks and lips chapped.

"M'cold." Your whole body shivers next to his.

Eddie looks over to you, worry etched on his face. "Here, take my coat."

"But what about you?" You tried to argue. The freezing air turning you into a shakey chihuahua.

"Don't worry, this doesn't bother me too much." He waves a hand around.

You sniffle. "Kay... JUST for a little while, then you take it back. "

"Yes, ma'am." Eddie removes his coat, wrapping it around your frame. The inside was nice at toasty from his body heat.

Eddie pulls into his side, keeping you snuggled to him. You walk down row after row, not really finding much luck. Your eyes water from the freezing gusts of wind. Eddie, on the other hand, seems unbothered.

"Sweetheart, what about that one?" Eddie pointed to a tree just up a head.

It was large but not too big. Fluffy and was just the right size to fit in your trailer and his van.

Eddie jogs over with you in tow. Puffs of breath visible in the cold air. He stands next to it, leaning it up so you can get a better look.

"It's perfect, huh?" He looks to you and back at the tree.

"It's perfect!" You cheer a smile spreading across your once sulken face.

Eddie calls the man over who's selling the trees to give him cash. The gentleman even helped your boyfriend load it up in his van, so you didn't have to.

"Ready to get her all set up?" He asked, starting the engine.

You nod enthusiastically. "Yep, and don't forget you're putting on the topper."

"How could I forget... you've mentioned it since before Halloween." Eddie joked, leaning over to give your cheek a quick kiss before pulling off.

After you and Eddie got back home, he had Wayne come over to help unload your tree and put in the living room. You busied yourself running around your home, gathering all the decorations you bought. You didn't realize how much you had until it was all laid out in front of you. You counted about nine boxed of Christmas ornaments. Two different types of tree toppers and a ton of lights.

"Someone got excited." Eddie walked over to look at everything you purchased over the course of the month.

"Oops." You chuckled.

He pulls you in tight, wrapping his arms around you. You rest your head against his chest, listening to his heart beating.

"Havin fun?" Eddie murmured, swaying you in his arms. You felt like home to him. Something he never really had or ever thought he could experience. But he knew it the very first time he laid eyes on you. Your warm smile and bright eyes.

The moment he first met you, he knew you were special. You had just moved to Hawkins a year after you both graduated. He still recalls the first moment he met you. You were having some car troubles, and he took the opportunity to not only help you but strike up a conversation.

He pulls back, walking over to the ornaments "baby these all look the same."

"Did ya accidentally buy the same ones?"

"They're not the same, Ed." You roll your eyes playfully. Of course, he would think they all looked identical.

"These are burgundy, and these are maroon." You pointed at the various boxes filled with glass bulbs.

Eddie quirks an eyebrow. "Uhh they're all red to me."

"Well, they're not they're different." You corrected.

"Whatever you say, this is your the expert anyway." He holds both hands up, backing away slowly.

"Can we bake cookies while we do this?" He asked, going over to plug in the Christmas lights him that Wayne put around the tree.

"Of course." You smile, picking up a box of glass ornaments. "We can make hot chocolate too."

"You know just how to turn me on, huh?" Eddie was extremely playful tonight. More so than usual. Your happy demeanor was infectious, and it was rubbing off on him. He wasn't complaining there was this warm feeling in his chest. He felt safe.

"Eww." You scrunch your face trying to hide a smile.

"Eww?" His jaw drops, and he clutches at his heart.

Eddie always brought the dramatics, but that's why you fell in love with him.

"Wasn't very Eww this morning or this afternoon or before we left to get this tree." Eddie teases walking to hug you from behind.

He lays his head on your shoulder, watching you put the hook through the ornaments. "Won't be very eww tonight either."

"Okay, that's it. Go put this star on the top of the tree." You wriggle out of his hold. You heard him chuckle. He lets you go does as he's told. The rest of the night was spent decorating your Christmas tree and Eddie twirling you around dancing to old records.

The cookies barely got baked since he decided to eat half of the cookie dough. You didn't even have a chance to put it on a baking sheet. You hope he doesn't get a stomach ache tomorrow. He promised to take you Christmas shopping for Wayne. Which should be very interesting since it's going to be you and Eddie doing it together.

[rock-and-roll-hell]

July 25, 1980

Unmasked Tour

Palladium - New York City, NY

Eric Carr's live debut with KIϟϟ wearing the first version of his "Fox" makeup. While heavily featuring the 1979 and 1980 studio albums, it is somewhat strange to consider that the set included three covers: "2,000 Man," originally recorded by the Rolling Stones; "New York Groove," originally recorded by Hello; and "King of the Night Time World," originally performed by the Hollywood Stars (though never commercially released). "Is That You?" while not written by the band had also not been commercially released by the writer or other artists. The only United States "Unmasked" era concert and contemporary performance of material from that album. This show marked the live debut of three songs from "Unmasked" including "Is That You?," "Talk To Me," and "You're All That I Want." The Palladium was the renamed Academy of Music, where KIϟϟ had made their industry debut in December 1973. KIϟϟ spun their appearance at a smaller venue: "It was a night of nostalgia for Ace, Paul and Gene. And a dream come true for Eric Carr. KIϟϟ planned a special performance at the Palladium in New York to introduce Eric to its staunchest home town fans. There was very little publicity. The one-night-only show was mostly a word of mouth affair. Although small for KIϟϟ today, the hall was chosen for sentimental reasons. Most of the fans, as well as the band, were remembering the historic night KIϟϟ played its first important New York performance on that very stage... the show was a resounding success".

From local press: "KIϟϟ performed at the Palladium on Friday night, which was unusual; the group usually plays venues the size of Madison Square Garden. Slipping popularity may account for the Palladium date to some extent, but KIϟϟ could certainly have filled the theater several nights running and chose not to do so. The show's primary purpose seems to have been the introduction of Eric Carr, the new drummer, to the band's hard-core fans. A few diehards yelled for the departed Peter Criss, but not for long. This listener kept trying to remember what Mr. Criss used to sound like, but the effort proved fruitless. Before long, he became accustomed to Mr. Carr, who played a somewhat elaborate drum kit and was sometimes a little floppy but kicked the music along nicely. The band had installed its flashy stage set and resorted to a number of its tried and true visual gimmicks, but with the scale of the event reduced, one tended to focus more on the music. It wasn't bad. It was heavy-handed, macho to an almost comical degree, rife with bombast and excess, everything one expects heavy metal to be, but the playing was tight -- much tighter than the last time the reviewer heard KIϟϟ, at the Garden -- and most of the songs weren't padded with unnecessary solo noodling. Whether KIϟϟ fans will take to Mr. Carr remains to be seen; one would think they'd be satisfied with Gene Simmons's tongue-wagging and fire-breathing and Ace Frehley's flaming guitar. In any event, and for what it's worth, Mr. Carr's addition to the band seems to have been a positive step, though it isn't likely to make KIϟϟ' music 'genuinely important to life'" (New York Times, 7/27/80).

Another: "Carr proved to be a capable drummer but no Peter Criss. The show wasn't quite the visual extravaganza I'd anticipated, nor was it the Sodom and Gomorrah meets 'The Night of the Living Dead' I'd feared. Instead, it seemed like the 'Wizard of Oz' gone awry" (Aquarian).

From a mainstream review: "It was apparent from the appearance and playing of Carr that KIϟϟ one of the most successful rock acts of all times, was not taking any chances with the music or the formula now that original drummer Peter Criss has departed for a solo career... So it was almost the typical KIϟϟ show. But with the new drummer now more in the background, the focus was more on the front three... And although performing on a smaller stage than usual, the show was basically the same" (Billboard, 8/9/80).

From a regional review: "KIϟϟ concerts are a little like Christmas. The anticipation is half the fun, and everyone was up for this one... KIϟϟ crashed through their 20-song set with the delicacy of a chain gang" (London, CT, The Day, 8/1/80).

[flutter-of-pages]

Unpopular Disney opinion: Disney has every right making remakes/reboots or sequels of beloved films.

For one, making movies that people will go see is literally their job as movie studios. And how do they make money? By making films they know people will go see. Remakes and sequels are safe options that get people in the theaters to go spend an hour and a half or longer feeling nostalgia as they enjoy the characters and stories they already know.

The movie industry has been suffering due to the introduction of streaming as less people are going to the theater and waiting till it goes to streaming, so these "cash grabs" from nostalgia ands continued stories allow disney to keep going for years to come. Even last night at D23, there was a mix of original content and sequels and remakes announced. And yeah, sometimes it's frustrating to see a franchise continuing on for years after you keep thinking they're done like Toy Story. But enjoy the nostalgia while they make a film targeted at a new generation. I for one am excited for a film that's targeted at the ipad kids, even if I don't know what the plot will be.

And for the worries they'll be woke? Disney has always been a little controversial. We just don't see it as much anymore in the old stuff because that stuff isn't controversial anymore. And oh hey, even if it is, it does NOTHING to take away from the original media you love. So there's no reason to worry that they'll "ruin" your beloved childhood film with a remake. They're separate pieces of media. They don't even have to be a shot for shot remake. In the case of Snow White, it's coming out almost 90 years after the original. It's going to be a different story as the people consuming it are different people. Society has changed since 1937.

Finally, cash grab or not, people need to stop being so pessimistic about these films. Stop hating on every square inch of a film before you even have a teaser. Films are meant to be enjoyed. Enjoy the nostalgia and storytelling and the magic. Remember what it was like to be a kid and try to experience that magic all over again. Whether you like remakes or not, that doesn't change the fact that artists put tons of work into these films and pull off some INCREDIBLE feats with these films. It's magical. And maybe after the movie comes out and you watch it, you don't like it. That's okay. But don't go in with the mindset that you'll absolutely hate it from the moment you find out they announced the movie.

Movies are supposed to be fun. It's okay to enjoy a new version of an old story. Let yourself embrace the magic. It's not worth the negativity. We've got enough of that in this world right now as it is.

[lazy-l]

Seen people on Twitter getting all mad because the official Pokémon Japanese account didn't post anything about Ash on April 1st and posted about the 1-year anniversary of Horizons today, and people on the quote are like : "The account forget Ash like he never existed"

"Shame on you for having the audacity to post"

"They really hate Ash, don't they"

Or simply saying to cancel Horizons and bring back Ash. I bet that the moment Ash returns, people will be like "Ugh!, Why the make him so childish!? This isn't MY Ash, booo" It's ok to miss Ash and Pikachu, everybody grow up watching him trying to become a Pokémon Master, and nostalgia can make us blind, and still, you can watch 25 years worth of content about Him and Pikachu on the internet or if you are really desperate, Fan Fiction.

What I like about anipoke is that if you miss Ash, you can go and watch the OG anime, but if you are searching for something new, then you have Horizons, and I see that as a win-win.

With that said, Happy One-Year Anniversary, Pokémon Horizons!

The adventure so far has been so interesting, and I can't wait for seeing the next episode every week, love the characters and how the writers are handling the plot... Yeah, sometimes can be really hit or miss, but overall the story is really solid, and the animation is consistent or top tier, and I love it. This series, and sun and moon, are my favorites from the anipoke

Thanks for reading this rant/opinion on the anipoke situation and Horizons.

[bwaldorf]

ramasha do you have any bollywood movie recs?? 🎤

omgggg em im so honored you thought of me!! 🫶🏼🩷

tbh i've sorta been on a journey of watching more bollywood (and south asian cinema in general), since there was a huge chunk of my life where i just never really kept up with releases and was sorta discouraged from watching it so my taste isn't the Most diverse (in terms of genres and years) but i'm working on it 😭 that said, here's my attempt at giving you a lot of different options, so hopefully there's something here that strikes your fancy hehe :3

lots will be under the cut bc im a huge YAPPER.... sorry. also, some of these haven't really aged that well and are sometimes more of just a nostalgic fav and/or ones i think are iconic so... take some of these recs with a grain of salt

some of my bigger personal faves:

om shanti om (2007) — it may hit more if you have a bit more exposure to bollywood cinema and its industry bc it references it a lot, but i still think it's an enjoyable movie regardless! (yes i am biased bc this is one of my fav bollywood movies ever + a huge nostalgic fav. plus SRK and deepika padukone.. can't go wrong there!)

haider (2014) — this movie is SOOOO good! i highly rec it 💞 it's an adaptation of hamlet, set within the backdrop of the 1995 kashmir conflicts. this is actually a part of trilogy of shakespeare adaptations by the director: the other two are maqbool (2003) which is macbeth and omkara (2006) which is othello

main hoon na (2004) — another SRK nostalgic fav

ghajini (2008) — it rips off christopher nolan's memento but i think it adds a lot of its own stuff too and i have a soft spot for it 😭

andhadhun (2018)

kahaani (2012)

tumbbad (2018)

amar singh chamkila (2024)

3 idiots (2009) — the most likely one that non regular bollywood watchers will know and deservedly so imo

gully boy (2019)

hum saath saath hain (1999) — okay not objectively the best movie.. but its a hugely nostalgic and comfort movie for me and i think its great if you wanna watch something that's heartfelt and doesn't have a ton of high stakes conflict

maine pyar kiya (1989) — same as above ☝🏼 i watched this one a lot as a kid

jab we met (2007)

devdas (2002) — worth it for at least the beautiful cinematography, costumes, and gorgeous talented cast

fanaa (2006) — plot is kinda messy at times but it was a real angst machine for me as a kid 😭

photograph (2019)

sir (2018)

bulbbul (2020) — tw for a rape scene though. sorry for the spoiler but it was genuinely really harrowing for me to watch so i think its important to mention

misc other movies i've seen:

qala (2022)

dil bole hadippa! (2009) — admittedly, i haven't rewatched this one in a long time so i can't totally say it holds up. it's a rip-off of she's the man, but … better….. TO ME. yes im speaking from nostalgia bc this is the one i saw first

badhaai do (2022) — this is technically a 'sequel' to the similarly titled movie badhaai ho (2018) but they're actually total standalones

gangubai kathiawadi (2022) — i have such mixed feelings about this one but it's a movie that really stuck with me ever since i watched it soooo yeah

raees (2017) — SRK looks unbelievably fine in that movie. need i say more?

koi mil gaya (2003) — it's a mix of both ET and close encounters of the third kind... but in my very biased, nostalgic opinion: better 🫣 there's also a few sequels, but i only really remember seeing krrish (2006)

josh (2000) — another entry to the SRK looks super gorgeous in this movie 😭 this is basically a desi west side story

go goa gone (2013) — not the best to me, but its a bollywood zombie movie! which was a very new concept to me in that industry so ofc i had to throw it in there

chennai express (2013)

mohabbatein (2000)

dilwale dulhania le jayenge (1995) — had to include this for SRK reasons and also bc it's a massively impactful movie in the industry so i'd be remiss not to

andaz apna apna (1994)

ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga (2019)

jaane tu.. ya jaane na (2008)

aaja nachle (2007)

munna bhai mbbs (2003)

gangs of wasseypur - part 1 (2012) — i've only seen the first one in this series but if you want a somewhat slower, meditative, gangster movie this one def fits the bill

what's your raashee? (2009) — can't remember how well this ages (i think it was pretty mid?) but the concept is fun! priyanka chopra plays 12 girls: each personifying a different zodiac sign as the main guy tries to find his soulmate 😭

taare zameen par (2007) — you'll also see this listed as 'like stars on earth' sometimes

amar akbar anthony (1977)

don (2006) — villainous SRK? sign me up! he actually has multiple movies where he's this sorta antihero/"antivillain" type character. and even a few where he's a straight-up villain. i've been trying to get through all of those bc i just love his range

anjaam (1993) — an example of the aforementioned thing ☝🏼 SRK plays a genuinely terrible guy here, and i love how it actually challenges a lot of the tropes that bollywood tends to use in its romances and shows how creepy and stalkerish they actually are (despite it being typically framed in the narrative otherwise)

partner (2007) — i recently found out it was basically ripping will smith's hitch 😭 i haven't seen that one so i can't say which is better, but if you enjoyed that one, you'll probably be into this one too. it's very unserious and not the Best. but i watched it a lot as a kid

aaja nachle (2007)

roadside romeo (2008) — okay this is a very unserious, low budget animated movie rec. it's soooo so silly and dumb but if you're in the market for smth like that, this is an amusing one for that

welcome (2007) — i gotta rewatch this one bc i don't remember a lot but it seems like a lot of tomfoolery and shenanigans

my name is khan (2010) — another one i gotta rewatch for its politics but i figured i'd throw it in regardless

black (2005)

kal ho naa ho (2003)

kuch kuch hota hai (1998)

sholay (1975)

hungama (2003)

some from my watchlist that i haven't seen yet:

(as if this list needed to be any longer.... but anyways! including these bc i think they seem promising/interesting and i think they introduce More variety of genres/time periods than the ones before)

ijaazat (1987)

thappad (2020)

udaan (2010)

merry christmas (2024)

chhoti si baat (1976)

hindi medium (2017)

the lunchbox (2013) — heard LOTS of good things about this one!

lipstick under my burkha (2017)

neerja (2016)

queen (2014)

rajnigandha (1974)

kaagaz ke phool (1959)

anand (1971)

paheli (2005) — it's a mainstream bollywood remake of duvidha (1973)

baadshah (1999)

monica, o my darling (2022)

madhumati (1958)

raaz (2002)

satya (1998)

highway (2014)

oh darling! yeh hai india! (1995)

pyaasa (1957)

sardar udham (2021)

awaara (1951)

shree 420 (1957)

kaminey (2009)

mahal (1949)

chandigarh kare aashiqui (2021)

bunty aur babli (2005)

talvar (2015)

duplicate (1998)

lootera (2013)

mughal-e-azam (1960)

baazigar (1993)

trapped (2017)

fire (1996) — a hugely significant movie in explicitly showing a wlw relationship in bollywood. i believe it was the first in that regard?

stree (2018)

piku (2015)

english vinglish (2012)

umrao jaan (2006) — there's also an earlier version of this movie with the same title that came out in 1981! i haven't seen either yet so i can't say which is better

jodhaa akbar (2008)

darr (1993) — big movie for villain SRK enthusiasts if that interests you too like it does me 🤭

zindagi na milegi dobara (2011)

dil dhadakne do (2015)

dear zindagi (2016)

special 26 (2013)

badla (2019)

mardaani (2014)

raman raghav 2.0 (2016)

peepli live (2010)

drishyam (2015)

[aromanticgarbage]

h3h3 said that joji ghosted him after he got famous, ian says they don't talk anymore too. I wonder if max was the only one he was really close with or maybe they just recently reconnected.

Ok that's a tricky topic of conversation. Read more because as always i cannot shut up.

H3h3 and iddubz don't really mean anything to me outside of their old filthy frank collabs. I actually actively dislike them. Yeah you read that right. Thats why ive tried to make the fact that i am NOT running a cancer crew blog here clear. I just hate iddubz's old solo content. Seeing him beat himself up online nowadays isn't great either but by god his old stuff is so so bad (to me). Internet drama and borderline hate speech is a recipe for disaster and if he was smarter he would have seen this coming. I understand that some people like his older stuff out of nostalgia but i am not affected by this. I was not into YouTube back then. Im still not into YouTube. I only know of him and h3h3 because im obsessed with their old homie. My perspective is different, these people barely mean anything to me.

Ok now, disclaimers aside. Ethan said that joji told him not to call him filthy frank when he was talking about his music and he personally interpreted that as him being embarrassed of his past. Personally its just clear to me that what joji was asking for when he was taking his first steps as a full time music artist was space. Being known as an ex youtuber can kill someones career and considering the sort of content he was making as ff it just doesn't seem weird to me that he wanted to separate the two lol. He gave countless interviews where he mentioned his old content and that he understood why people found it so hard to move on from such an iconic character but that he didn't like conflating the two. And even then, a few years later he was encouraging fans at his concerts to chant filthy frank so i cant help but feel like Ethan's assumption that he is embarrassed and trying to forget it ever happened is baseless and biased. And after that....well. Its pretty clear to me that h3h3 used to be enjoyed by people but its had a pretty obvious dowfall since then. Idc about Ethan's drama (or the man himself for that matter) but to be completely honest i wouldn't keep in contact with him either. Idk if you are one of those people who still enjoy his podcast but to me and to many others it just seems bad. Real bad. A lot of drama and too little substance.

Now Ian...Ian is definitely less clear to me as an outside observer. I may not like ~the old iddubz~ but joji obviously didn't have a problem with him. They always seemed to get along pretty well on all the behind the scenes and going through the cake trilogy together probably means that they developed something similar to a warriors bond. He was fun on their collabs. But alas, sometimes people who used to be close just stop keeping in touch. A lot of Joji's old college friends (pookie/david, the shaman/lewys, wheelz/tyrell) are no longer in contact with him and yet they all speak of him very highly. People online like to act like he somehow ""betrays his roots"" by not keeping up with people he collaborated with on youtube back in the day but youtube isn't his roots lmao. His high school and middle school japan friends have always clearly been very important to him and he never fell out off touch with them. He is often touring alongside Rei Brown and he has mentioned in interviews that he relies on these friendships on his day to day life (admittedly the interview im talking about was from 2018 but there's no reason to assume that he has suddenly stopped talking to people that he has been friends with since he was like 12 years old). At the end of the day he doesn't owe people online to keep in contact with anyone. People grow up and change and not all relationships survive the test of time. And thats okay. Stuff happens, people move on. For what its worth tho, i feel like iddubz's drama driven channel (because lets be fair the content cops were his biggest thing and they were youtube drama no matter how self righteous or fair they seemed at the time) didn't help. The thing about joji is that he had always avoided internet drama like it was the plague, which is once again one of those things that i appreciate deeply about him. I hate internet drama. But even my kinda biased opinion aside, the reality of the situation is probably very simple. They are both grown adults who live very different lives. They hanged out together during a few summers a lot of years ago. They followed different paths in life. It happens. Joji has been very offline for years now and i get the impression that he tends to isolate himself when his health acts up so its probably not that hard to fall out of touch with him.

And last but not least....Max. I won't lie, out of the cancer crew the only other person i actually like besides my man Joji is Max. Maybe he really was closer with Max, i certainly find him more likable. Around 2018 both Joji on twitter and Max on that one cold ones podcast episode said that they still keep in touch. Max was replying to a lot of Joji's tweets up untill the nectar era but once again, at the end of the day they live in different countries. I obviously have no way of knowing if they were still as close as they used to in the following years. Maybe they grew more distant for a while, maybe they reconnected around 2023 when joji took chad and max backstage at his concert, and then of course the wedding !! Its all very sweet, the gimme love Max and Chad video from the concert lowkey made me tear up.

But once again, at the end of the day they are all living their own lives, doing their own thing. And people who act like they owe it to them to be each others everything forever and ever because they met online a decade ago and collaborated on some extremely iconic videos make me laugh.

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

Star Trek Is A Failing Theme Park

Much like many others I used to be a bonafide Star Trek Discovery hater, and even though I thoroughly enjoy it now, I honestly don't regret that time in my life.

I think Discovery season 1 and most of season 2 were a little ashamed of having to be an old sci-fi show, so they kept trying to be a show about violent, impulsive, very special unique people that happened to go to space every once in a while. Which Star Trek has been, on occasion, but never in a way I personally find better than what it usually is -- philosophizing and talking about real world or allegorical drama for 40-50 minutes until a solution arises that doesn't really make anyone super happy and not everyone comes out unscathed, but the compromise means there's hope for a better solution tomorrow, and the day after that, until it works.

The personal dramas usually related to their reactions to storylines, but were ultimately secondary to the bigger pictures, and acted as bows you tie the narrative with at the end. If Kirk did not make it through the episode unscathed, that's cool, but the episode was rarely only about his demons. It could heavily relate to his demons but that wasn't the whole source of the spectacle. The Naked Time works as a way to examine characters in crisis, not necessarily as a Kirk episode where it's all about him.

Because of that, I was basically the audience for seasons 3 and 4. While Season 3's ultimate plot wasn't the most interesting thing in the world, the idea that they were now dealing with their "own version" of the galaxy, writing their own plots that didn't have to come before everything else and figuring out their own threats that didn't have to eventually connect back to Star Trek canon was a massive improvement.

The decision to interweave character drama into storylines as opposed to making the storylines about the character drama also greatly expanded upon people's roles in the ship, and you finally got to see people like Detmer or Owosekun doing shit and being useful, instead of just being on the bridge nearly unnamed. I genuinely think Season 4 of Discovery is one of the best seasons in modern Star Trek; even if it trips and falls sometimes, I think it's well worth the creative risk and I was left very satisfied after watching it.

So when Discovery season 5 turns around and tells me it's about an episode of TNG I watched once, and then they start going to a planet from an episode of TNG I watched once, and then here comes another episode where they go to an episode of DS9 I watched once, and there's more 24th century-specific stuff that's gonna happen, it's...

It's very hard to feel like we're not regressing? I realize at this point the show is very, very cancelled -- they weren't even told it was happening until they were filming the finale, but at the same time, is this really what the plan was? To not boldly go into something original, instead picking up threads from episodic shows released decades ago? What are we, Star Trek: Picard?

Now for the sake of transparency, I feel like this is might be more of a personality problem than a media consumption problem for me, because I am genuinely allergic to nostalgia. I have no respect or attachment for media whose only mission is to remind me of things that existed, and franchises that have made that their entire MO have basically died for me. Like, I can't watch Star Wars anymore. It stopped mattering how good or bad it is for me because all I see in stuff like Mandalorian season 2 is pilots for shows I'm not gonna watch, and cameos from characters I don't want to see right now. The stories are no longer the point, the point is the brand and how easily recognizable it is.

So when Discovery tells me that their last hurrah is going through the Star Trek theme park, pointing at rides I've already gone to and saying "Isn't it cool we get to say these words again? That we get to see this thing again?" I'm left cold. I don't want to see the Progenitors again. I don't want to see the Promellians again. I like seeing the Trills again, it's one of my favorite species in the franchise, but we have seen so much of the Trills between DS9 and DIS, I really feel like this is... not the way forward. This theme park is not the reason why I think about Star Trek.

It reminds me of why I stopped caring about Star Trek Online. The practical reason was me not liking the minibuys and the combat, and the game's only mode of operation being to attack -- it's a fine ship combat game and a mediocre but working third person shooter, I just don't care enough to play it forever. But the secondary reason, and the reason I think about the most, is because every single storyline is less a story and more a Star Trek reference.

It's always someone coming back, or an alt universe version of a character being introduced, or picking up on a random episode that I already watched, making the action figures fight instead of anything else. Instead of using fanservice to broaden the appeal, the only appeal is the fanservice; there is very little to Star Trek Online that isn't just the equivalent of going to Star Trek Land and looking at the Harry Kim bust again.

I keep looking at Burnham, a character I have come to like in spite of her place in the franchise, in spite of the fact that her entire conception was made to connect her to Spock, and to Sarek, and to Pike, and to all these characters I already know, in spite of the shortcomings of her original character arc -- I look at her and I see a character who has built her own path after being allowed to exist separate from the others, after being given the same chance everyone else was to be more than a Star Trek reference, and then she just knows to go to the planet of the Booby Trap aliens because that's Star Trek, we're going on the ride.

I'm so sick of going on the same rides. Specifically, I'm sick of going on rides after they just proved that they can do something different, that doesn't need Star Trek references to exist. Please I am begging you stop showing me Picard's face, I get it, I like TNG too. But I tuned in to watch Discovery. I am not into this brand because I am into the brand, I am into this brand because it's fucking good, stop acting like I'm here for nostalgia's sake.

"Hey, what about Lower Decks? You love that show!" eh Lower Decks can do it, don't worry about it.

[phoebe-delia]

Hello, here is my prompt for Eight Drarry Nights: Lovesick by Laufey.

Hello, lovely anon! Thanks very much for the prompt! And what a nice angsty song to write to. There's an unhappy ending to this one, but that doesn't mean there can't be an imaginary happy one eventually in this little universe. Hope you enjoy!

tryin' to hold on to the memory of your lips

You're a world away from me now. You always have been, in a sense. We collided in the past, to be sure, but we couldn't have been further apart.

Ironic, isn't it, how distance brought us closer? We all politely exchanged contact information after graduation, and banter in the eighth-year group chats led to private messages. You and I got along best via telephone wires and internet waves. Your connection is strong, my phone would tell me. And it was right.

I still remember the last day I heard your voice. When you decided that loving me in secret, from across the planet, wasn't worth it. I should've seen it coming, and I think I knew deep down it could never last, no matter how much I wanted it to.

Truthfully, I think you were meant to stay in London, and I was always meant for New York. I think we were supposed to end up exactly where we are, assuming there's such a thing as fate—and I think you would tell me there is.

Still, you're a sore subject. You're a tender wound that I forget about until it's bumped and for a few moments I'm hissing from a phantom pain. And then you're gone, leaving a warm relief in your wake.

Sometimes I wonder why we didn't try harder to make it work. We could've used portkeys, or I could've learned to brave Muggle planes. I'd have done that for you if you'd asked. But you never did. And I never offered. But then again, I'm not supposed to be the brave one.

I wonder what you're up to right now. Probably sleeping, like I should be, but you'll be awake in a few hours with that notorious bedhead of yours; I always wanted to run my fingers through it.

I like to imagine you going about your life. I like to imagine you're happy. Because if you're not; if you're half as miserable as I am some days, then none of this was worth it. And if I can't have you, if my heart is going to always be a little bit broken, then I want it to be worth it.

And, perhaps distance is what's needed to bring you back to me. Perhaps, in time, I'll move on entirely, and I'll remember you every now and then with a fuzzy nostalgia. I suppose all I can do is wait, and hope it's worth it.

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Free Day Thursday

As mentioned before, I spun a wheel with many options and what we landed on was:

Zelda: BOTW

Link liked Daruk.

He appreciated all the Champions -- yes, even Revali.

Sometimes.

Occasionally.

And Mipha had been his friend since, well, since about as far back as he could remember.

Aren't kids supposed to have memories outside of a career? Did Father have to present me to the king so young?

But there was something about Daruk that was different. He didn't look at Link with the childhood nostalgia of Mipha. He wasn't the King of Hyrule, always watching, always measuring, sifting him to see whether he was truly worth anything. And Daruk was not one of the Hylian soldiers. He didn't have the first clue about what rank Link's father held, and he had absolutely no opinions regarding how well Link was measuring up to Arn's legacy.

Daruk expected nothing of him save for courage in battle and a hearty appetite afterward.

Rock Roast isn't that bad, Impa is just being mean-

Why did Daruk care so much about whether or not Link was eating well, or had adequate protection from the deadly heat? Did he fuss over his subordinate Gorons like that?

In Hyrule, everyone had always left him to figure everything out on his own. First aid, starting a fire, shaving, communicating, even. It was like...like they thought he had come into this world already bearing the knowledge and experience of every Chosen Hero who had lived before him.

He was supposed to know these things! He was supposed to excel at everything!

...and Father wonders why we never talk...

But Daruk never demanded excellence. He didn't frown in disapproval if Link didn't balance just right, and he wouldn't make Link drill for hours if he performed a classic attack incorrectly, like the Knight Captains used to.

like they still would if I weren't so much stronger than them, now-

It was strange. Sometimes Link caught a glimpse of Daruk out of the corner of his eye; he saw the barrel chest and sideburns and sometimes almost mistook him for Arn.

But it's been a long, long, time since Father had the chance or inclination to ask me what I thought...

"You okay, little guy?" Daruk jostled him amiably. "You look like you got some pebbles not sittin' right in your gut."

"Just...thinking." Link responded, then blinked. Usually he answered with facial expressions or sounds. Did Daruk know Hyrule Sign?

Daruk's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Hoo! That Hylian accent is thick, boy! Those hands are dripping with fancy manners. You know any miners' jargon? It'll make talkin' to the brothers around here a lot easier."

The smile was out and about before Link had time to even process the question. Daruk understood! It had taken weeks for Mipha to learn how to talk to Link. He'd expected Eldin to be much like Lanayru.

"I only know Hyrule Sign, and some words in Zora," Link answered, "Will you teach me?"

"Is Death Mountain hot?" Daruk retorted, "Of course I will! Come on, little guy, let's see if we can find you a teacher!"

...maybe...maybe it's okay to not know everything. At least, it's okay with the Gorons.

[blazehedgehog]

What do you feel about the Concord game situation?

Another live service grave for the cemetery. Who cares

I am getting extremely tired of live service games. Currently, I play:

Fortnite

Multiversus

Mario Kart Tour

I usually play Fortnite and Multiversus one right after another directly after the shop updates (5pm PST) and I do my one daily Mario Kart race right before bed.

Mario Kart both is and isn't so bad. A single race in that takes less than two minutes, but I have other complaints with its leaderboard and ranking system we aren't getting into right now and I've been debating on making a video about it (to the point where I captured a lot of footage).

Fortnite and Multiversus on the other hand eat up hours of my night, every night.

I am a Fortnite Founder. That means I bought (or was gifted) the Fortnite: Save the World Founder's Pack before it left early access. I have kind of a love/hate thing with Save the World, but the founder's pack means I get free currency as long as I finish one mission per night. It's a minimum of 80 vbucks per night ($0.80), but there can sometimes be bonus "Alert" missions on certain days that can multiply that up to about 260 vbucks per night ($2.60). That could be upwards of $50 in free vbucks per month, meaning 95% of my vast collection of Fortnite cosmetics (over $2000 worth according to Fortnite.gg) was free.

Each STW match is about 10-20 minutes. And if you're doing, say, four per night, that's at least an hour. Just for STW. If I'm trying to finish my Battle Royale battle pass, I'll often do 2-3 matches of that per night, too. So now that's two hours. And at the start of this year, Fortnite also launched Festival (Rock Band 6), Rocket Racing and Lego Fortnite. Each with their own progression.

So for the last 8 months, I've been playing a minimum of 2-4 hours of Fortnite every single night. And it's starting to make me very, very upset, because once I'm done with Fortnite, it feels like I don't want to (or don't have time to) play any other video games for the night.

And then there's Multiversus, a game I also enjoy playing, which unfortunately has developers whose favorite thing is presenting its players with the slowest grinds on earth. They will start an event in that game to let you earn rewards and it'll be like, 1500 event currency to "level up" to the next reward... and each fight only gives you 25. Meaning they expect you to play 60 matches just to level up the event once, and an event pass can be 12-18 levels long.

Usually there are quests attached to give you 3-5 levels for "free," but the bulk of the event is still this horrifying grind. They genuinely expect you to play 300-600+ matches over the course of maybe three weeks. I like to play Multiversus, but I am constantly teetering on the edge of dropping the game entirely because it feels so hostile and disrespectful of my time.

These games want to be your only game. You don't just play Fortnite, you only play Fortnite. This is further reinforced by Fortnite incorporating multiple entirely different games now. Why go anywhere else? Launch Fortnite once and never think about anything else.

You can like Concord's world, you can like Concord's characters, but at the end of the day that game was a trend chaser. It was a live service game, very likely originally pitched as an "extraction shooter", the flavor of the month. When it became apparent people were getting sick of that flavor, they hastily retooled it into a hero shooter to ride somebody else's coat tails. And it was designed to be one of the only games you'd ever play. Just like every live service game is, these days.

There are literally hundreds of games it will be buried next to, a long legacy of "WoW Killers" and such from the mid-to-late 2000's that thought they could dethrone the genre leader only to discover human beings only have so much time in the day and nobody's going to juggle more than two of those games at any given time.

They say nostalgia cycles are every 20 years and it seems a lot of developers are repeating mistakes they already made once back in 2004.

Concord, you will not be missed. I'm sure people worked on Concord that really cared about making it a good game, and it may even be a good game on some level, but it follows a long line of games in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to steal thunder that was not theirs to steal... and failing.

The people who cared about making Concord a good game will go on to care about other projects that might ultimately also end up good. Talent probably did not wither and die in the creation of making Concord.

But, well, this post on Cohost put it best: (try not to) think about all the Tokyo Jungles, all of the Patapons, all of the Vib Ribbons and Ape Escapes and Jumping Flashes and Parappa the Rappers and Icos and LocoRocos that Sony could have made instead of apparently spending 8 years developing Concord. Concord, a game that still has not even broken 700 concurrent users on PC yet. I've made games more successful than Concord.

And just think: Sony canceled upwards of 6 other Live Service games this year alone. That leak from last year suggested they canceled something more like 14 live service games. Concord was just one unlucky enough to limp out the door.

These people are vampires in the worst description of the term.

[kamenstranger]

Batman: Caped Crusader Review.

Well, I didn't expect to be reviewing another cartoon so soon but I forgot this was still happening and here we are. So much like X-men '97 I will be getting into spoilers, even some finale stuff. But it's nothing you probably wouldn't already know. Like is saying something along the lines of "Harvey becomes Two-Face" or "Selina becomes Catwoman" really a spoiler? Still, if you want to go in completely clean then I'll give short spoiler-free summary: It's fine. It's good, even very good. It has enough going on without being overly reliant on nostalgia, though a lot concepts and ideas that never made it into TAS are used; which is obvious in some episodes like 2 and 8 which honest to god feel like lost episodes (sans the obnoxious references in 8.) But even a number of other episodes feel like they could've fit right in.

Likewise, the animation is simply lovely and feels like an appropriate continuation of the DCAU while also working as a throw back to TAS with its use of shadows and art deco design. They even have a film grain effect that looks shockingly good; uplifting the show's late 30s early 40s aesthetic by adding some literal grit. I've seen numerous productions go overboard with adding grain in post, but Caped Crusader keeps it very subtle and is probably the best you're going to do with a modern production. Frederik Wiedmann's score also complements the atmosphere, adding that quintessential gothic noir vibe. The entire soundtrack is on youtube and is well worth listening in isolation.

If I had one compliant... it's that Batman is the weakest and most underwritten part of the show. Regardless, the show has enough quality elements to make it worth a watch.

However, if you're interested in leaning more about my thoughts, hit the jump.

Let's start with some background information. Contrary to how it seems, this isn't nor was it ever intended to be a prequel to TAS-- at least that's what they say. It was originally a sequel to The New Batman Adventures before transmogrifying into another 30s-ish setting and using abandoned episode concepts from TAS along with completely original works. A number of episodes at the very least feel like they were written with a prequel mindset, and the final shot of the series was absolutely conceptualized as lead-in to TAS and is begging for the Walker Theme to kick in. But despite how much this could work as a prequel with just a few tweaks, I think making it disconnected was the right call. For one thing, with Conroy gone I don't think you could ever make something that leads into that very specific version of Batman, it wouldn't feel right. Secondly, it allows the series to stand on it's own and not rely on TAS as a crutch; even if comparisons are inevitable with the period setting and Bruce Timm's designs. Additionally the tone of the series is right in line with The Animated Series, only slightly darker and never going overboard just to be considered "adult." Characters say damn, people die, sometimes there's blood, the occasional gruesome character design, some stories are super pulpy and even have a slower pace than what they would've done on network TV for Y7+. But otherwise this would've fit fine on Toonami back in the day and the option to go darker is there should the story demand it. I will admit I'm a bit of an easy mark for this, particularly the heavy pulp elements that remind of The Shadow and The Spider.

On that note, Cape Crusader is a bit more basic in terms of setting and scope. I'm using "basic" loosely because there are still some eccentricities like Gentleman Ghost showing up, but outside the one supernatural aspect-- and an umbrella cannon-- there's nothing too crazy. No Freeze guns, mutant plant ladies, robots, Lazarus pits, mind controlling cards, airships etc. Clayface might be the one other outlier, but even that's just a guy who can change his appearance, not a big clay monster who can form a mace hand. I'm perfectly fine with all of this. We've already had a vintage Batman series that did all that anyway, so why not do something a little different and keep it simple? In maintaining that simplicity, most of CC is episodic with a larger narrative sprinkled throughout: Ruport Thorne is slowly taking over Gotham and begins trying to leverage Harvey Dent who is running for Mayor. That's it, that's the main plot. The more nitty-gritty parts largely center on relatively self contained adventures around the trio of Lawyer Barbara Gordon, GCPD detective Renee Montoya, and Therapist Harleen Quinzel.

It's a decent compromise between how involved modern shows have become sprawling season long stories while still maintaining the appeal of a self contained case in any given episode.

Of the three, Barbara (Krystal Joy Brown) has the most active role throughout the entire run and is arguably the main character of the show. She's compassionate about people, her clients, criminals and their circumstances. She has a strong balance between someone who is optimistic yet not naive, although still young enough to not have the harsher experiences as her father. This allows a contrast between her and Gordon's world weary, almost Black and White POV. In fact, her willingness to hear people out and consider alternatives leads to her establishing a form of contact with Batman before her father.

Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla) is about on par with Barbara in playing an active role in the series, albeit almost always work related for obvious reasons. She's a consummate professional, brilliant detective and the only trustworthy cop outside Gordon. That last part is particularly note worthy since it actually gives Gordon a reliable subordinate and not just Bullock. She has solid chemistry with Barbara and there's a lot of untapped potential with her and Harley. And hey, nice to get little bit of the two dating and smooching. Speaking of, Harley (Jamie Chung) is surprisingly prominent in the first half and I love how they handle her. She's legit intelligent and even knows there's something up with the public perception of Bruce. She's quirky without rehashing the whole bubbly blonde routine, she's delightfully flirty with Renee and she's also fucking demented. Oh yes, Harley is already cracked, but in a curious way where she's not exactly insane but clearly has a dark side she indulges. Honestly? Really neat to see a version of a character not influenced by Joker. She's still a Harlequin, of course, but much more traditional and I love that we don't waste time going through an origin. She just uses her therapist profession as a means to hash out her idea of justice against clients she can't reach, often mind breaking rich jackasses who refuse to better themselves. Harley assigns them personalities and forces repetitive tasks or absurd tortures. In a cute little meta nod she's responsible for creating the persona of King Tut, a character originally created for the '66 show, just as she was a creation for TAS.

I also have to mention Chung's voice acting, which the VA in the show is great all around, of course. But villain roles always get to stick out, and this is a prime example. The shift between that very intelligent caring quirky woman to… what I can only call an analytical seductive manipulator and abuser, well it's just wonderful. We've had so much of bubbly Quinn and silly crass Quinn that this version is so refreshing and one of the most pleasant surprises out of the show.

There are other characters outside the trio, but I simply don't have much to say about Gordan, Flass, or Bullock. The VA is impeccable, as previously mentioned; I love Eric Morgan's Gordon, Gary Anthony Williams' Flass and John DiMaggio's Bullock. Perfect casting. But character wise they simply serve a role and I don't have much to say about them. Gordon is, well, Gordon trying his best among a corrupt department full of people like Flass and Bullock. Flass himself is brilliantly sly and Bullock is a slob who does all the dirty work. I will say that even if I don't have much to go into with them, I do appreciate how much Flass and Bullock are featured and how effectively they're utilized.

The only major reoccurring character left to go in-depth on, outside Batman, is Harvey Dent; ironically voiced by Brave and the Bold Batman, Diedrich Bader. Harvey is… odd in this series. He's a dick headed "tough on crime" sleazy DA who is self interested in becoming Mayor, no matter who he has to steamroll to get there. On one hand it is an interesting angle; a man of once upstanding morals slowing eroding them to gain political favor with the ultimate goal of proper reform-- assuming he even has any left by the end of it. There is an inkling of a great idea in the political process of Gotham grinding you down, bringing out your worst, makes you compromise too much. The system changes you, not the other way around.

The issue is the tragedy of a good if flawed man giving into his worse impulses doesn't entirely work due to the simple fact we hardly see a good side to Harvey. No signs of a different better person underneath or who he used to be before DA. The show only gives Harvey one very minor scene of empathy and moral upstanding before his disfigurement, so he kinda goes from jaded cynical asshat to homicidal asshat. To give the show credit, that is in part the intent. We don't like Harvey all that much but still feel bad when we see how sad and broken he is, all because he finally did something good and he's punished for it. The episode dealing with the aftermath of the acid attack is really solid at showcasing his slip into insanity and drawing forth pathos. In a bubble it works beautifully; A man who was already breaking, even if they didn't know, now thinks everyone is out to get him. Almost every invasive thought is acted upon. They also don't make Two-Face the default or more common of the personas, it's a lot of back and forth. Harvey is relatively calm one moment but suddenly becomes violent the next. Hell, he even has moments of clarity and great remorse not only for his actions as Two-Face but as DA. The episode is handled very well and Bader is selling the hell out of it. I just wish there was more before that change, a little more to like about Harvey Dent. Bruce was friends with this guy and from an audience perspective it's kinda hard to see why, Harvey is a shit head, an absolute knob. I dunno, Batman is kind of dick in this so maybe there's something to be said there? But even so, his dynamic with Barbara is FAR more engaging and nuanced than with Bruce because Barbara has more impactful scenes and is the direct opposite of the same coin. I kinda wonder if the stuff with Bruce was something shoved in at the last minute because they felt they had to. Which I guess that finally bring me to Batman, who you may have noticed I've talked very little about in this Batman show up until now.

Batman is a boring wet white rice motherfucker with barely a character arc and almost no connections to the main cast.

Oh sure, every episode has Batman doing things that move the plot along, provides some very minor characterization or some plain 'ol detective work which is fun to see. But even when he does investigating, finds a clue, confronts a villain etc. it feels lacking because his interactions with the rest of the cast are severely limited and sporadic.

Batman himself is integral to the show, but he's more like an anchor for the rest of the cast who have far more captivating screen time and better defined relationships. Babs is friends with Harley and Renee, Harley and Renee are dating, Renee works for Gordon, Barbara is of course Gordon's daughter, Harley has a brief stint as a consultant for the GCPD, and Harvey works opposite Barbara. These people flow into each others stories, converse, have opposing or similar ideologies to make stories around. Batman lock picks and punches things. I mean, Christ, he doesn't have a friendship with Gordon because this is long before that, he treats Alfred like a valuable tool rather than family and he has more empathy for Nocturna in a one off episode than Harvey over the entire season. I'm serious when I say I think the friendship was tacked on, because there's a line in ep 6 about Dent's biggest donors pulling out of his campaign, implying Bruce never gave any money. Maybe they could've made an entire subplot about the Batman aspect taking so much priority that he ignored Dent's troubles until it was too late. Have Batman learn a lesson about balancing the personas and how Bruce Wayne can be equally useful in aiding Gotham-- and the consequences of forgetting that. Maybe even intersperse flashbacks to a younger Bruce and more optimistic and likeable Dent to show why and how they became friends. This could've been done in a two-parter just like how Robin was handled in TAS.

For the instances the show does put a spotlight on just Batman it's simply going through the motions. The best we get is Bruce Wayne attending therapy sessions with Quinn, which is a great concept ultimately wasted on flashbacks of Bruce's childhood I've seen a dozen times over and maybe should've been used to explore his relationship with Dent.

Another reason why this Batman is so bland is because there are almost no sympathetic villains, which you've probably gathered by now. Harvey in the last episode and Nocturna in ep. 8 are the only two that fit the criteria (And frankly Barbara does more to help Harvey.) But everyone else? No tragic backstory, no victim of circumstance, no injustice, and no chance to showcase Batman's greatest attribute. On paper I understand what they were going for; this is an early Batman attempting (and sometimes failing) to be emotionally walled off. He's in the background, he needs to learn to open up and temper his anger. Midway into the season have something drastic happen to shake his resolve (endangering Alfred, of course)

By the end of the series he begins casually referring to him as Alfred rather than "Pennyworth" and he's established connections with Barbara, Jim and Renee. I don't dislike this slow burn, I enjoy seeing Batman's humanity slowly seep through. The series has a lot of great little moments where we see that happening, like Batman chastising Barbara for being reckless right after she saved his ass and a friend of hers is assumed dead. She's going through a lot and Batman clearly doesn't know how to processes the situation, he doesn't know how to be comforting.

There's also a great scene in the finale that I'm pretty sure was a giant middle finger to a certain director. The problem is the entire season is doing things like that. Sure we get growth for the character, but that's grueling for a 10 episode season. Maybe it's just me, but I'd kinda like to be more invested in the title character before the season finale. But as is so often the case with streaming we're limited to just 10 episodes per season. It's... so tiresome spending an entire run getting Batman to a state where we can actually tie him in with the rest of the ensemble cast and show some goddamn empathy. I realize rushing through this could result in the opposite problem, but this once again leads to me pointing out, as always, the stories writers want to tell are too big for these gimped 6-10 episode season the modern streaming has pushed on all of us. You know the first season of The Animated Series was a whopping 65 episodes? I probably wouldn't be talking about this problem if we even had a quarter of that.

I do want to stress this is no fault of the performance, which I know is going to be on everyone's mind. This is a problem with writing, the limited episode count, and possibly Zaslav not seeing enough blood in his stool before dumping this production onto Amazon. Conroy alone wouldn't have been enough to elevate the more shallow aspects of Batman's character, it just wouldn't. The writing for Batman specifically is very by the numbers at best. If this was material that fell flat because of Conroy's absence that would be one thing, but it's just bland characterization from the get go and no amount of nostalgia, art style, or iconic voice work will cover that up. It's kind of funny because the show is enjoyable by in large, but the title character is the weakest part. I wouldn't be surprised if a great deal of the mixed reception was because of that. "Batman is the worst part of a Batman show" is a perfectly valid and damning criticism.

That said, I do want to praise Hamish Linklater, the poor guy's got his work cut out for him, being in the Shadow of the Bat, as it were, and he does a fine job. I can tell it's not Conroy, obviously, and sometimes it sounds like a mix of Brave and the Bold with New Frontier Batman where I'm not sure if he's trying to do an impression or not. But midway through the series it starts to get really close, there are even moments that remind me of Conroy's performance in TAS' Two-Face two parter, glimpses where Linklater almost has the softer tones down pat. And his Bruce is damn near spot on. I hope he stays on as a voice for Batman and gets more opportunities as the character, he could potentially become to Conroy's Batman what Matthew Lillard is to Casey Kasem's Shaggy; It's not the same, but goddamn do they do a fine job capturing the tone and vibe while being a fine performer in their own right.

But they have GOT to give him better material because this Batman is sorely lacking in the things I love most about the character.

Speaking of, I don't want to spend too long discussing the second season (Which it is getting) but I have concerns there. The big one for me is foreshadowing that Alfred is keeping a secret about the night the Waynes were shot. I HATE when they over complicate the murder and try to make it something more like a targeted hit, or the court of owls or some other stupid shit. That's the one major thing I hate in The Batman movie is them muddying the waters with a perfectly good victim of circumstance story-- although it's kinda worse there because they wouldn't even fully commit. But I digress. I do not want the shit with the Waynes more complicated than it needs to be. If Alfred suggested a shortcut and he feels responsible for their deaths, sure, whatever. That's simple enough to add some character drama without going overboard. But it's probably gonna be the big overarching story next season with secret twists and- blegh. Honestly, I think I'd rather just have stand alone episodes without a running narrative thread; just have the characters and their dynamics developing and that be it. The show is clearly better when it's just that. But alas, modern streaming.

But with all that said, I still liked the season well enough. As I said at the beginning, the series is good to very good. I love the atmosphere, I enjoy most of the character and the cast, the self contained stories are solid and there's plenty of potential. But next season I need Batman and the villains to be more interesting, let Linklater give a sympathetic performance for fucks sake. If Season 2 is just more of the same, I'll clock out.

Still, I guess anything is better than say Harley assaulting Nightwing... Or the Killing Joke. You know what, there's a blurb of recommendation for Caped Crusader: "No weirdo awkwardly shoved their fetishes into the story." So check it out.

[squirrelwrangler]

Another Anti-Feanor blog I read sometimes compared the Silmarils to AI art and I got curious about your opinion of them

Even most if Feanor haters agreed that the Silmarils belonged to him (or at least until the Swan Havens massacre) and he owned Yavanna shit. Which I lowkey agree

I mean, its kinda funny how useless the Silmarils are (since they don't really...have powers?). Pretty poor for a Mcguffin, maybe thats why I find Sentinent Silmarils AU cool

The light inside the Silmarils was not Fëanor's creation but the silmara, the substance that imprisoned them in a way that broke the laws of physics to keep their energy from depleting, was. The blessing that made them corrosive for evil to touch was the work of Varda. The jewels themselves were Fëanor's creation- but just like his tengwar itself, the creation was derivative and/or based on the work of others (unlike Daeron, Fëanor's writing system wasn't created from nothing but a major improvement on Rúmil's sarati writing system. I'm sorry but Fëanor's status as the most gifted elf often reads a Amanyar bias and royal Noldor propaganda. But the fandom only likes to play the 'Silmarillion is a biased text' to prop up the Fëanorians and bash Pengolod). So yes, the Silmarils are his. His idea to craft them and his work. Because nothing is really created in a vacuum, nothing 100% original in all components. But his refusal to relinquish them isn't about the definition of art and transformative works. It's about his duty to his fellow beings.

What Fëanor does owe if he claims his position of prince and king of the Noldor is to work for the benefit of his people and not just himself. The Silmarils could have revived or regrown the Trees? Oh look, the only remotely good purpose for them and one that benefits more than just Fëanor's ego (he wasn't even displaying them as art anymore. at this points the jewels are art hidden away in some rich guy's vault instead of at least displayed in their home for others to see, let alone the public). Fëanor says that his ego is worth more than helping his homeland recover. And the statement about him dying if they are broken? Either melodrama, which is in character for him. or once again saying his life is worth more than others. Which, okay self-centered eldest prince, but Tolkien at least tries to paint the concept of royalty in a more idealized flattering light. Only if the Silamrils themselves are living beings- at which point then the fact that they are likened to seeds in the only area that gives them any real justification as plot important items, hints that instead of breaking and killing them, they would transform and grow into something else than the trophies that Fëanor made them.

But as they are? They are crystalized nostalgia for the Era of the Two Trees. Thingol only gives a shit about them because they remind him of the trip to Valinor with his buddies that he abandoned for Melian and a symbol of the sacrifices of Lúthien, Beren, (Finrod) and when placed in the Nauglimir, the suffering of Túrin and Húrin. For Elwing and the refugees at the Mouth of Sirion they were a symbol of their family's heroism and sacrifices and the massacre against them but also their hope and a belief that the gems were someone bolstering the prosperity and goodliness of their refugee settlement. They are the only group that seem to believe that the Silmarils have a power beyond that of personal adornment. To the Falmari- these are the limited creations of one man that drove him to destroy the priceless collective work, which were objects equally beautiful but functional and used in their daily lives, of their entire people. Only the Two Trees themselves are more central a beautiful one-of-a-kind creation when compared to the Swanships, and the Silmarils are laughably inferior on that scale. Eärendil's voyage implies that they might be an object of power to lift the veil to allow him to reach Valinor. But for Fëanor? It's vanity. And for his sons' - the filial obligation to the dying father that turns them into vile monsters.

The Silmarils themselves suck. Even before the multiple war crimes done in their name.

[cwarscars-a]

"Are you willing to share one of your war stories, sir?"

the general cocks a brow, a second of scepticism - a disbelief lingering that the other could be entertained by such a thing. so often had he told old stories, recounted them to his kids, to his men - in the media and on tv. war wounds had become press tours, newspaper clippings and gossip columns. propaganda. truths twisted in an attempt to encourage young men and women sign the lives away. would he have it any differently? of course not. but sometimes it was worth it to think about.

why tell a man like weiss of old exploits? would it inspire him? have him eager to claw his way from deepground and up toward the surface - to fight on shinra's behalf as any good soldier would?

heidegger has his doubts; but more-so, his pride. a pride that whispers old stories in the back of his mind, that remind him of his old self. a time before shinra, before all of this.

a half-smirk takes his lips, a fire spell summoned by the click of his fingers - a light of his cigarette and quick kiss pressed to its end. was it dangerous to smoke down here? ah, as if he cared.

"you're interested, hm?" he breathes smoke "well, i can't say that i blame you-" who wouldn't want to hear such stories. after all, there had been so many best sellers based on the general's old life. and there was that movie - a movie that the general public loved ! ( and heidegger had quietly despised ).

he parts his lips with the intention of telling about the old days in wutai; a temptation to twist the man's mind with more hatred of their rival nation but something instead stops him. an old nostalgia that creeps along the thick line of his lips.

"a man's team...can, at times, be just as good as him-" there's a sigh in the smoke of his cigarette, old memories drawn in grey - not entirely told "i once had a squad at my side. when i was young; maybe around your age." he can remember their names but barely their faces; of course, the twisted expressions of anguish each man left after death is not one that easily escapes him. but hell, it's better not to remember them that way.

he continues, body leant against protective glass. as if the other will interrupt his story with a swing of his blade.

"the comradery was brilliant. these men - the sort who would lay their lives down for what they believed. they were brave, tough. no strangers to battle" a time when soldiers weren't cowards, when men didn't shake in their boots at the sight of trouble (though that isn't entirely true, is it?) "together, we fought many battles. our rapport with one another was truly magnificent -"

after a pause and another puff of his cigarette, he speaks again.

"there was a time when we toppled a great malboro together" excitement teases his words, a man reliving his hay-day through old stories "a great malboro! should you ever have the displeasure of fighting one - you'd know they make for a rather disgusting adversary. one soldier, eric, was his name - got caught face-first in the creature's 'bad breath' attack." a scrunched up nose and a half smile see him almost laughing "i've never seen a man go green so fast; he wouldn't touch a vegetable for three weeks after that-" another chuckle "he'd say 'noo, it looks too much like one of 'those fuckin' things - keep your gysahl pickles to yourself'. we all had a good laugh over that one..."

he thinks of missing them, laments the loss of good soldiers ( decent men ) - friends. but then something stops him, a bitter toxin that rises like bile. that shuts off emotion and has his final words, dry.

"all of them eventually died on the wutai front."

[kakodaimones]

@kttybot asked: [ ♡ ] It can't be said that Vox didn't get his money's worth when it came to Kitty: she had come a long way compared to when she first came out of the box. She managed to, almost miraculously, quell Valentino's ire just enough so as not to completely disrupt business flow ( how could she not? She was his easy, accessible punching bag with the added business of being near-indestructible ) - she had better been worth the price tag! [ ♡ ] But the Robo Fizz was starting to learn a little too much. So it's no real wonder that she had taken a liking to wander around the halls on her own accord, without instruction. Began to 'volunteer' in wanting to serve drinks or whatever else was needed, unprompted. One would assume, even, that perhaps she was trying to get away from Valentino. But it's not like she wouldn't answer such a thing when asked. She remained cooperative in her maintenance sessions, seemingly nothing to hide… [ ♡ ] And it's in one of these particular routine visits, as Kitty sits atop Vox's work counter where something rather strange happens… At first, there isn't anything, particularly unusual. They have a set routine, and depending on what kind of damage she sustained, if at all, it probably wouldn't take any more than 2 hours to get fixed up. She would verbally deliver any reports or provide audio / video transcription of whatever exactly Valentino did to her if at all necessary ( so as to pinpoint specific damage ) or whatever it was Vox required. [ ♡ ] Thankfully, very little injury this time around. No hard fixes necessary. When allowed, Kitty unplugs her tail, legs still swinging ( smile present as always; she almost looks genuinely happy ) - "< NO VIRUSES OR MALFUNCTIONS FOUND AT THIS TIME! >" Kitty's pre-programmed response chirps out. Shifting her weight, she pauses for a moment, tilting her head before suddenly moving forward. She kisses Vox right on the mouth - more of a peck, really, just as quick in pulling away. "< THANK FOR YOUR FEEDBACK! >" Kitty looks quite proud of herself, not realizing the severity of her actions…

There's always a therapeutic enjoyment to repairing the robot, something like meditation that contrasts with the apparent distress he sometimes finds Kitty in. For Vox, it brings back nearly century-old pleasant nostalgia of taking apart and putting back together cameras and radios, just to see how they ticked. By this point it knows the insides of the Robo Fizz like the back of its hand - there's almost a kind of perverse joy when Valentino's fury manages to inflict some new kind of damage to the poor girl, giving the television demon a puzzle to work through and keep himself sharp.

But at the same time, this intimate familiarity has started to become a source of concern for the overlord. Every indication is that she should be functioning as normal after these repairs, but time and again he finds her drifting away from that original programming. He can only assume that the cause of Kitty's tendency to act so autonomously is a some kind of damage to her internal systems, but every time he attempts to address it, at the end of their sessions it's always the same. No viruses or malfunctions found....

The television demon is caught off guard by the sudden action. In his paranoia, acting on reflex, a hand shoots out for the throat to try and keep a potential enemy, another potential backstabber, away from him, fingers digging into the throat as an eye flares up. Crackling electricity running between his antennae as his other hand rears back in readiness to defend himself before they process what has happened.

Claws release the robot's neck as clarity returns after the initial fight-or-flight reflex and Kitty is set back down. It's just affection, nothing more. A sigh of relief escapes from Vox as he inspects Kitty's neck, making sure that he hasn't left any marks or indentations as a result of that reaction. Regret is visible on his face, frustrated with himself for acting without thinking. Don't antagonize the damned thing, you need its trust....

"Never do that to me without prior authorization, understood?" Vox's touch is now gentle, attempting to be as reassuring as he can manage. The hand at the neck has moved up to Kitty's cheek, tenderly stroking it like he's trying to soothe a pet. If the machine's autonomy is growing, cultivating genuine loyalty is an extra layer of security, and honey serves him better than vinegar.