#one is a bit of a mess but overall a girlboss

[symbioticsimplicity]

When I call Steve Harrington babygirl I mean it in a Bubblegum Bitch way.

When I call Billy Hargrove babygirl I mean it in a Pacify Her way.

Hope that clears up any confusion.

[carnivorousyandeere]

Werewolf Pack Intros

CW: Yandere stuff

Werewolves (from shortest to tallest because I wasn’t sure how to organize them lol):

Brat (he/him, she/her guy): Shortest, smallest. Has dyed hair in human form. Wolf form has black fur. Demanding, bratty, pouts a lot but is genuinely really sweet.

Girlboss(?) (she/her): Second shortest of the group, but still taller than a lot of humans. More bark than bite, and thinks of herself as a big dog and girlboss even though she’s not quite there yet.

Nerd (he/him): Shyest of the group by far; always keeps his head down/nose in a book. His wolf form has reddish brown fur, and he’s got the hardest time controlling his instincts out of the group, being the most recently turned/added to the group. The others try to drag him into their fun and shenanigans but he’s pretty reluctant and kinda touchy. Prone to angry outbursts as well— he didn’t really want to be turned or stay with the pack. Some of them are growing on him though.

Delinquent (he/him): Wolf form is dark brown. Definitely has an attitude problem, and views werewolves as being better than people. Local heartbreaker— prone to flirting and running, getting into fights at the bar, and driving just a little too fast. This adrenaline junkie doesn’t want to stop for anything— except you, baby ;)

Hunter (he/him butch): Second-tallest of the group, with a white wolf form. Fastest and most efficient at hunting. No-nonsense kinda attitude overall but remarkably chill with the others’ nonsense, for better or worse 😅

Sheriff (he/him): Tired old man. His back hurts from carrying the pack and trying to keep them a secret from the government and human residents in the area. Doesn’t really like his job, but it gives him access to destroy certain files that could expose them. It also gives him an excuse to look after that damn troublemaker.

Interpack Dynamics:

Brat + Girlboss: Frenemies with benefits. Girlboss often feels the need to fuss at Brat and keep him in line, so he’ll be poutier around her. They also fight over makeup and clothes sometimes, having similar styles.

Brat + Nerd: Brat flusters Nerd a lot, and nerd is kinda tsun/unsure about it, not used to people being so affectionate or open in attraction to him. Brat loooooves how flustered nerd gets, but also wishes he felt more comfortable around him and has a genuine crush 💔

Brat + Delinquent: they’ll hang out and cause trouble together for sure. Parties, bars, good wingmen for each other. Delinquent has a definite weakness for Brat’s, well, bratty attitude and indulges her quite a bit.

Brat + Hunter: Hunter finds himself rolling his eyes at Brat quite a bit, but can’t find it in himself to be genuinely annoyed, unlike Girlboss. Brat likes Hunter a lot, and is always trying to figure out how to get them to like him more.

Brat + Sheriff: Brat really enjoys messing with the Sheriff and getting on his nerves, but is careful to not go too far with it. The Sheriff, for his part, immediately gets a headache whenever Brat comes up to him with that mischievous smile. Does his best to be patient, even with the over-exaggerated flirting Brat likes to put on. Brat would definitely let Sheriff hit, but Sheriff doesn’t seem too interested.

Girlboss + Nerd: she’s really the one he feels most comfortable around. She likes hanging out with him as well; they like a lot of the same shows and music, and they don’t stress each other out much.

Girlboss + Delinquent: she’ll go along with his antics, but they definitely have a frenemies thing going on. They respect each other but also despise the way the other goes about doing stuff, if that makes sense? He’ll also use her head as an armrest just because it gets on her nerves😂😅

Girlboss + Hunter: Hunter and Girlboss like each other pretty well. Girlboss looks up to Hunter and has a bit of a puppy crush, wanting to get stronger and be more like him.

Girlboss + Sheriff: Sheriff has a soft spot for Girlboss; to be fair, she doesn’t give him too much trouble. She thinks he’s pretty cool, but not as cool as Hunter.

Nerd + Delinquent: really at odds over how they view being werewolves, and how they think of humans. Delinquent tends to push Nerd’s buttons and bully him. Nerd can’t quite decide if it pisses him off genuinely or if it makes him feel something a bit… different 😳

Nerd + Hunter: Hunter has conflicting feelings towards Nerd— guilt for turning him, wariness for the dangerous anger he holds inside, but also a desire to help and protect him. Nerd feels resentful of Hunter for turning him.

Nerd + Sheriff: Nerd is also pissed at Sheriff for the circumstances of his turning. Sheriff feels some guilt over this, too. They are often at odds. Usually Sheriff has to keep closest watch over Delinquent, but since Nerd came around, he’s had to keep an eye on him more.

Delinquent + Hunter: the Delinquent tests Hunter’s patience anytime he gets, but Hunter has yet to cave in. Once in a blue moon, Delinquent can also convince Hunter to go in on his harebrained schemes like kidnapping you

Delinquent + Sheriff: Headaches all around. Delinquent is pissed at the sheriff for being so uptight and controlling. Sheriff gets annoyed at the delinquent for jeopardizing the group’s low profile. Delinquent is delighted at Nerd for being angry and difficult for Sheriff and getting Sheriff off his back lol.

Hunter + Sheriff: deep mutual respect for each other, they spend more time with each other than the rest of the pack. The decision to kidnap you, which Sheriff did NOT sign off on, drives a wedge between them. It’s hard to stay angry forever when the Sheriff is forced to face the fact he’s happy you’re here to stay too…. Even if it makes his job much harder.

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2024: #11

11. GREECE Marina Satti - "Zari" 11th place

Decade Ranking: 38/153 [Above Pasha Parfeny, belowGjon's Tears]

The internet is sometimes so strange yo. Fans went ABSOLUTELY FERAL over "Zari" over release, were sacrificing their firstborn sons (metaphorically. most of them -thankfully- won't ever procreate) declaring it a POTENTIAL WINNER, A CLEAR TOP TENNER. Even now, the chants of ZARI WAS ROBBED are still ongoing even if they calmed down a bit since the Final last month.

Meanwhile, I was sitting on my island thinking "um why do these human skidmarks enjoy that horribe cacaphonous abortion of a song?"

YES, that was the take preshow, and I'm not sorry about it. "Zari" was a lot of shit and most of it was... well... shit. Ethnic instruments that were thrown together with zero regard for harmony, pivoting between "edgy" hiphop and "romantic" downtempo bits at the drop of a pin. The TA TA TA? A throbbing MIGRAINE of a chorus (I guess? I don't get headaches, I only cause them). "Zari" was tailored for Zoomers so again, why is this OLD ASS MILLENNIAL (lol she's three years older than I am) playing up to people half her age... by using TikTok memes? Stick to your generation, nerd. It was like a dozen Greek clichés haphazardly strung together as the ultimate clickbait. Borderline un-fucking-listenable.

Now, I am FULLY aware that take puts me in mortal peril since the first and only step in Marina Satti fandom is to make it your personality. I've accepted the fact that a gang of Zari Zombies will be standing at my front door all

but it's MY TRUTH, children and the truth WILL out!. The song was a mess in studio version and that a hill I'll happily die on! Annoying song + obnoxious fanbase => I was SO ready to rank it low and be veeeeery petty and supercilious about it!!! You know, the usual Me Stuff.

But then... we get to the semi and turns out "Zari" t actually works really well and its fans were right all along lmfao oops!!! MORPH!!

Yeah, "Zari" was just the contemporary and Greek equivalent of "My Slowianie", wasn't it? (you'd better say Yes, because I'll compare them for the rest of this post...x) Esothertic ethic mess that somehow functions as a Stage Piece. Obviously NOT AS GOOD as "My Slowianie" (a social media overlay does NOT compensate for the lack of butter churners - where are the olive press workers, hmm?), but it was a decent enough forllow-up, on the clock ten years after Cleo.

Not a large part in the live being good was Marina herself though. Laryngitis or not, she went HARD.

GIRLBOSS

GASLIGHT

GATEKEEP

This is loads of fun!!! I hear the Satti Stans were disappointed by the stage presentation and that is fuckin' daft. The act was honestly... hot and slay and sold the song. It wasn't without faults (the styling and social media overlays were SOOO tacky lmfaooo), but christ who the fuck cares about a few inaccuracies after Marina took the camera (literally? lol) and ran away with it. Second most charismatic on-stage personality in this year after Ladaniva.

The one-shot camera

into the choreographies

into the explosion of colour

into a diffusion of energy that interacted with the audience-

heralded the metamorphosis from an obnoxious TikTok degenerate into a very well-executed Eurovision entrant that - despite possessing multiple ideas that shouldn't work on paper - got most of its shit right, in the correct dosage. It was more than enough to drag me on board, and I was a massive fucking sceptic! It worked, period.

At the end of the day, 11th place is actually a perfect result for Marina.

First off, it's where I've ranked her myself. (which was unplanned, since i fold the songs into my excel first before I look at their overall placements)

Secondly, I never thought she would be top 10 (then again, the only people who thought that were the contingent of her fanbase that thought she was the main character of Eurovision 2024 (over... Eden, Joost, Baby Lasagna and Nemo? lol.), and also thought she'd WIN which is a whole nother slice of insanity ham.)

And thirdly, some of the things Marina did were better executed by some of the remaining artists so it makes sense she didn't outrank them, here or on the scoreboard. She wasn't the biggest revelation (Ireland was), nor the most charismatic (Armenia were) nor the best girlbop (Italy, sort of), etc. She was very good at all of those things, but not the top dog.

In sum, "Zari" is just too um... unconventional to win many juries over. It did as well as it could have done, and still got left side thanks to a beefy televote. That's a good result in my book. It's good when my negative first impressions are proven unfounded by a strong and engaging live, and even better when these growers are rewarded with highish spots. Such results can only benefit the battles, which needs all the small victories it can get.

Pity I'm really that keen on dragging Olly Alexander into my top ten, huh?

CONGRATULATIONS TOP TEN!!!

(not in order...x)

[inverted-flowers]

Secret Life Tarot Reading no. 6!

It's Scott's turn!

Quick reminder that as of reading number 5 with Tango these are done after episode 3s have come out. Also! You don't really to know anything about Tarot Cards to enjoy this post. Just understand that I'm using them to predict how our lovely ccs are gonna do in Secret Life.

First Card - Start

So to describe the (now passed) start of Secret Life for Scott I drew The Hanged Man. This card feels like it's more so saying he did well in terms of avoiding rash descions. How? My thoughts are on how while everyone else was taking silly bits of damage, from falling off of things for example, Scott didn't really do that. He did very well in thinking through his situations to avoid losing hearts.

Second Card - Individual

This card is meant to describe how Scott plays this season. I drew The Lovers. This card talks about positive collaboration and how trust in your team provides strength. I'm thinking this is saying Scott plays with a strong bond with his team or at least intends to. He wants to be able to work with his team and trust in them.

Third Card - Social

This card is supposed to describe how things go for Scott on the social aspect. I've drawn Justice in Reverse which discusses dishonesty and one-sidedness. It's funny because at first I was just looking at this card and the one before it and wondering how the heck that could make any sense. They're kind of difficult for someone to have at the same time here ya know? But then I changed perspectives a bit and it makes more sense.

There's a few ways we can take this. Usually when I'm drawing this card when someone's I'm got a team assuming that it's going to refer to their team first and the rest of the server second. Since we're looking for the more major kinda baseline stuff it just makes sense. So I suppose the first idea here is that this card is referencing Scott's social experience outside of his team. I'm not really feeling that theory but it felt best to mention it anyway. The next idea is that the dishonesty is coming from either Gem or Impulse. I'm also not going to completely shoot down the idea that Scott is the perpetrator in either of these. I just think the cards are saying he gets deceived- maybe marinated if we don't mind using Among Us terminology lmao. Someone pulls the wool over his eyes and keeps it there.

Fourth Card - Big Impact

This card is meant to tell us about what has the biggest impact on Scott's season. I drew The Chariot for this. This sounds like he survives something by the skin of his teeth. That or it's describing something like what usually happens to the last green (which Scott has plenty of experience with). If that's the case I'd reckon he sees it coming from a mile away and narrowly avoids it.

Fifth Card - End

I drew The Emperor in Reverse. This card talks about being blind to others needs as well as hiding one's true intentions. This sounds like it could be a callback to our 3rd card. Someone, whether that be a teammate or someone else, decieves him.

Final Thoughts and Theories:

I somehow drew all Major Arcana cards for this reading? Also as I was interpreting this the song Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine by The Killers popped into my head which was ironic with some of these cards. (I always have a song stuck in my head at this point I swear.)

Is he gonna win a second time? This reading certainly doesn't sound like it's giving a definite 'no' but I'm not sure it's a 'yes' either. If I had to make a guess as to how it unfolds I'd say he trusts someone he gets deceived by (cards 3&5) and it does him in. Could he pull a gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss? Sure but thats not the vibe I'm getting. Maybe he gets decieved and it results in him being unable to help his teammates. That would leave him alone after he builds his game around working strong together. If we wanna go back to my previous reading with Impulse, I said there's a chance he betrays or just overall messes things up with Gem & The Scotts. Maybe Impulse stabs him in the back for a task? The task would be the need Scott is blind to here (card 5). There's also the whole thing with how Scott is usually one of the last alive. Those who will be around towards the end of his season are likely to all be red. Yeah we'll see I suppose!

'Til next time! :D

[peraltiagos-paper-rings]

the more I think about it the more it just annoys me what they did with roykeeley in s3…throughout the whole show it really seemed like they were building up to them being together and staying together, yeah they had their issues and setbacks but they were working through them together and could’ve continued to do so. but then in s3 the writers went “whoops lol actually they broke up!! will they get back together???? maaaaaybe…or maaaaaybe not…who knows?!?!?? 🤷‍♀️🤪”

obviously relationships can have their ups and downs and maybe I wouldn’t have minded them breaking up if the subsequent will-they-won’t-they teasing ending in an ambiguous “maybe” hadn’t just frustrated me…especially since in brendan’s AMA he says they were “exploring the love triangle trope”?? in the finale???? when roy keeley and jamie have never been presented as a love triangle before…keeley dumped jamie halfway through season 1 and chose roy and stayed with him until season 2 without ever seeming to doubt her decision or have lingering romantic feelings for jamie (apart from sleeping with him once to make roy jealous). jamie moved on and didn’t seem jealous over roykeeley to me, he went to check if roy was ok when he heard they broke up and he said in s2 that he respected their relationship and also if he really felt that keeley belonged with him wouldn’t he have tried to make a move on her when roykeeley broke up?? but he never did?? apart from that “I still love you” comment at the funeral in s2 but he apologised for it and said that was just his emotions being all confused and messed up from being around dead people or something didn’t he? and as for roy, his s1 rivalry with jamie was never about a girl and his jealousy was more about his self-hatred and not feeling like he was good enough rather than believing he deserved keeley more than jamie or whatever.

overall I just never got the impression that roy keeley and jamie were ever a love triangle, it really seemed to me that keeley and jamie’s relationship was over and roy and keeley were going to stay together - it felt even more official with the addition of having scenes with keeley and phoebe, making it feel like keeley was becoming part of roy’s family. i just felt it was dumb that they would bring up a rivalry again and make keeley have to choose one of them or neither when it seemed like she already chose and also jamie and roy had such a nice friendship going, why would you ruin it by having them fight like teenagers over a girl?? and in brendan’s AMA he said they wanted keeley to have this independent girlboss ending where she don’t need no man because she’s keeley fucking jones and like…yeah but?? she can have both?? she can be an independent businesswoman AND have a relationship?? being in love isn’t bad or anti-feminist, sure she doesn’t NEED roy or jamie to feel fulfilled or complete or anything but it isn’t bad for her to WANT one (or both!) of them…she was still keeley fucking jones when she was with roy, he said so himself!

in conclusion yeah it just felt pointless and annoying to me as well as unsatisfying to build up my expectations for them to be together and then end it ambiguously…especially after teasing that they slept together after roy’s love letter apology only to then be like “actually they’re just friends now” and then have roy say he wants to be more than that…but then an episode later they’re still not back together. feels a little bit like I rooted for them and believed in their love for 3 seasons but was rewarded with nothing. well not nothing I guess but like, they were the one endgame I was sure of and now you’re telling me they might not even be back together???? there was no ending where they kissed and made up and worked things out together????? and maybe they needed to break up so roy could work on himself and keeley could focus on her business but they both did that and they STILL didn’t get back together???? ugh

[lmelodie]

The Santa Clauses

Okay so the series has concluded, and this is my series wide review of the entire thing (Long ramble under the cut). And just as an aside, if you did enjoy the series all the props to you! It’s got some good stuff in it truly. But for me personally it’s complicated. 

Regarding the story, the writing was lacking to say the least. The story feels disjointed and the pacing is all out of whack, it feels like it was still trying to figure itself out in every episode. As is, I feel like it would've been better off as a movie, the episodic series format doesn't seem to gel with the story they tried to tell. But even still it was all ruined by THE ENDING. Nothing spoils a piece of media (good or bad) more than an unsatisfying ending. 

I LOATHE that Simon as a character was utterly wasted the entire time. He just got to go up to the pole, cause a big mess and then get “dusted” and not remember anything at the end. I was really rooting for him to actually be reformed in some way and to end up being the next Santa instead of Scott COMING BACK. In universe it's explained that he wasn't even supposed to retire that early anyway, but I got the vibes from the entire series that the Santa position was supposed to properly go to Simon, and he learns a valuable lesson about family and charity and he gets to be a good Santa after that, and then Scott can be with his family.

Another personally niche qualm that I have, is that this series has many callbacks and references to the first two movies, BUT THEN TRIES IT'S HARDEST TO SWEEP THE THIRD FILM UNDER THE RUG. In fact, the existence of Buddy and that one half mention of Jack in the first episode are THE ONLY indicators that the third movie ever happened in this series. And I just think that's a shame.

An unexpected saving grace of this series is to actually leave out the legendary council and the Miller family, so that they are all spared of the inevitable butchering their characters would have gone through, had they been included. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for Charlie and Bernard.

Overall, the series fits in well with the movie trilogy in that it has a lot of good ideas! It is chocked full of great concepts, THAT THEY DO NOTHING WITH. All of the good world building ideas are either heavily fumbled, completely unexplained, or utterly retcons other established ideas in the trilogy. 

Examples being Charlie and Bernard, whose appearances in the series were very welcome! I loved seeing both of them back. But I just wish that they were maybe written a bit better. Bernard especially, THEY FUMBLED BERNARD SO HARD. Also Carol's Mrs. Claus storyline was also extremely fumbled, it didn't have an impact, it raised a lot of questions but then gave absolutely zero answers.

On another note, here is a brief list of all the things that I actually enjoyed about the series:

Buddy as a character. His himbo energy was one of the few saving graces of the series, it kept me going through the entire thing and he was actually very funny. He takes a firm second place on my list of favorite characters.

FIRST PLACES GOES TO THE MARRIED COUPLE BETTY AND NOEL! They are my entire world and they will absolutely be included in writing stuff if I get the chance. Girlboss x malewife couple? Best decision this series made. 

La Befana also has my entire heart!! I love that SHE WASN'T A VILLAIN! She was just a chill cottage witch living in the woods the whole time and I love that for her. Her vibes are so on point as well.

Bernard brought THE SASS. Bernard's energy was very very welcome and I do very much enjoy his appearance. Could've done with more screen time, but I'm just glad he's here at all.

The existence of Krampus is also very welcome. I love this funky little goatman, and I'm glad he's cannon, I just think he's neat :)

[merakiui]

We dragged Diluc in this mess too? Aight. *Cracks knuckles* Let's do this man.

Phew. Finally! You're out from that shithole and moved in with Diluc and his brother. First impressions? Great! It was a bit strained with Diluc's seemingly cold demeanour and Kaeyas pick-up lines. But overall atleast they're a huge upgrade from asscara and weirdzuha.

God you were so wrong.

Sure they argue with each other once in a while but atleast they don't argue with you! Well you kind of choose to not go in the argument. Yeah, Living with Scara made you learn to stay passive if it's not towards you. But dear god. The arguments were so fucking annoying that you couldn't help but gesture to them to shut the fuck up. Sadly that only drags you in this mess. One particularly fight of there's led you to just think of getting the fuck out. So you tried.

You got a new laptop and was searching for a new place to stay at. Then kaeya and Diluc got in the house bickering with each other once again. You didn't care to be honest.

You shouldve cared bruv.

Apperantly Diluc and Kaeya had one thing in common. and it was making you stay in here. Forever. Diluc burned your laptop and Kaeya proceeded to try and gaslight girlboss gatekeep you. Sucks to be them but you experienced this and fucking bolted out with your things and find a new roommate since rent won't pay itself. You also might've gotten a glimpse of a certain angry scara and kazuha in the sidewalk but yeah. New destination.

(cw: yandere, unhealthy behaviors, mention of non-con touching, coercion, mention of alcohol/intoxication)

At this point the poor reader is going to live through every bad roommate horror story imaginable. Whether they childishly bicker like Kaeya and Diluc or team up to get what they want like Scara and Kazuha, there will never be a dull moment in your life.

Can you imagine how smug Scara would be if you end up crawling back to him and Kazuha because you believe they’re better than Kaeya and Diluc? Oh, he would not let you live that down! He’s such a brat about it, constantly bringing it up and holding the fact that he and Kazuha even bothered to accept you after you left them over your head. Kazuha goes along with it because of course he would. He always does because he wants to look like the pacifist who resolves conflicts—not start them like how Scara does.

At the very least, you had privacy when it was just you and Diluc. With Kaeya…not so much. He’s good at talking sweet and pushing you in directions that seem right on paper but are wrong in practice. You learned that the hard way when he coerced you into doing shots for New Year’s Eve, even though you were originally adamant about not wanting to drink. You didn’t want to get too drunk and then stumble upon Scara or Kazuha, especially since so many people were going to be at the party Kaeya was throwing and you don’t know how far his connections reach. Instead you found Diluc—or more accurately he found you and could only scoff at how drunk you were as he brought you to his room so you could rest up—and whatever happened that night is fuzzy. You truly can’t remember much, no matter how hard you dig through your brain for a fraction of a memory.

Diluc knows, but he won’t tell you about it.

And let’s not forget that time you visited the aquarium with Kaeya and some of his friends. Diluc had work that day and had bitterly texted the two of you that he’d rather do that than look at boring fish all day; though secretly he wanted to come because he would get to keep an eye on you. Kaeya was good at leading the group into the exhibits that were dark and had only the faint glow from the large fish tanks to give a semblance of illumination.

His friends didn’t notice a thing when he got closer to you, pressing your body against the tank and innocently pointing at the tiger shark that swam idly in the water. Or when his hand would grasp your shoulder and give it intimate squeezes. Or when his fingers danced along your hip, traveling further down to your ass. You’d look at him with confusion and discomfort and he’d give you his signature smirk and tease you with some cheesy line about how you can’t stop looking at him because he’s so attractive. He’s always toeing the line like this, pressing your buttons to see which one will make you snap. At home, in public, or even when you’re with your friends and he tags along to subtly tease you in front of them. Sooner or later you’ll break; Kaeya knows it.

Diluc tries to be better than Kaeya. He puts on the front of a gentleman so that you won’t look at him in disgust like you look at Kaeya whenever he makes another explicit joke. Diluc seems like he’s the perfect man: he’s considerate and responsible, he knows what he wants, he works a stable job and makes it a mission to be upfront and honest with those who are close to him (except when it comes to Kaeya, of course), and he tries to take care of you in little ways. Draping a blanket over you when you fall asleep at your desk; sometimes he’ll help you to your bed. He’s there for you in the morning when you wake up with an unbearable hangover, courtesy of Kaeya and his alcohol-loving friends.

And when he can’t be there for you he’ll occasionally send a text or leave a note so you know he cares. Medicine is on your bedside table when you feel absolutely wrecked after a night of heavy drinking, complete with a note that’s half-insulting, half-endearing. Or when he knows you’re swamped with your own work and can’t offer his help, he’ll message you and tell you to take it easy. Don’t try to do everything in one sitting; you’ll burn yourself out, he says. It’s strange how he’s so in-tune with you and your life, but he’s showing better colors than Kaeya. The least you can do is show your appreciation.

They have their pros and cons and are absolute children when they bicker, but you’re willing to tough it out. You keep telling yourself they’re not as bad as Scara and Kazuha. Maybe that’s true. Or maybe all of them are equally bad and you’re just trying to survive rent, work, and school, and you don’t need the extra stress.

[collisiondiscourse]

Rant about Tiger & Bunny please

THANKYOUUUUU SM !!! I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABT THIS SHOW!!

for a show made in 2011... Tiger and Bunny holds up SURPRISINGLY well. when i first watched it, there were so many times i had to remind myself that the show itself was relatively old. its certainly not perfect and there are some parts you can see that dont age very well, but overall? its a pretty! damn! good! show!

first on the animation — it should be said that tiger and bunny is laughably VERY explicit with their sponsorships. its a very tongue in cheek joke that all the companies sponsoring/working on the tiger and bunny anime are actual companies within the universe of t&b and thus also sponsor the heroes themselves. every superhero has a logo emblazoned SOMEWHERE on their suit like a funny take on formula 1 racers

i mean, talk about being loud and proud am i right?

stylistically speaking, tiger and bunny uses a very very good blend of 3d and 2d animation to get its action scenes across. the matching suits that tiger and barnaby wear are completely 3d animated, which makes them a DELIGHT to watch as they duke it out. the anime also does this thing where occassionally, their helmets will be flipped up in order to see their expressions which are completely done in 2d and very very interesting to look at.

is it the best and most highquality animated thing i've ever seen? no. not by a LONG shot.

do i think the animation quality and style enhance the way the show is watched? FUCK YES.

t&b's style is extremely fun and dynamic and i could NEVER get tired of the way they make kotetsu move whether he is in the suit or out of it.

MORE THAN THAT — its extremely cheesy! but in a good way!! THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS IN THIS SHOW like classic hero catchphrases, kinda-cringy hero poses, and EXTREMELY funny hero move names that make this show so damn fun to watch and so very nostalgic. its about the funny announcer voice when tiger and bunny do their special! the way fire emblem's flames literally spell FIRE as they shoot it out of their hands! the way a character designed after a samurai and named origami cyclone is some white dude when kotetsu, an actual japanese man, is right there! the director of herotv is literally a girlboss french woman! blue rose has bracers with pepsi branding! both nothing and EVERYTHING makes sense in tiger and bunny and i am here for every wild, wild second.

not to mention they constantly subvert my expectations by going against what i thought was the norm for shows like this! despite the whole HEROTV having a points system and all... the bond between all the heroes and supposed competing companies? is very wholesome! they all love and respect each other by miles and trust one another to a degree that they work out together, know each others addresses, and never feel the need to hide their secret identities. all the heroes are genuinely good and caring people who believe in justice and doing right by the people before the points themselves.

whats more is that the media and journalists? aren't an enemy!!! they work with heroes! respect their privacy! hell, theyre the ones who are clearing the heroes names whenever someone attempts to sabotage their reputations. the herotv producers literally WORK to give communication and act as the eyes in the sky for the heroes and ping them whenever they spot crime! if a mission needs privacy? if a hero accidentally reveals who they are? if a fight suddenly gets personal or too bad that the heroes are about to get beaten up live on tv? THEY CUT THE CAMERAS!!!

Not to mention! all the citizens are nice and reasonable! they evacuate when the heroes tell them to. they respect the heroes and dont badmouth them without reason. HELL, when tiger underperforms? messes up a little bit while saving people and causes a little more property damage than needed by accident? they dont boo him or jeer or ask for his resignation. they laugh and tease him and tell him to do better next time! the people of stern bild are FUCKIN AWESOME!!!!

as you watch the show, youll realize that it was probably the point of inspiration for SOOOO many other pieces of media! mha is heavily inspired on everything about tiger and bunny. voltron legendary defenders has a few obvious points of inspo here and there. its such an unsung but persistent piece of media that really makes you step back and think "oh. so THATS where it came from." and it makes you fall in love w the show all over again.

i could rant about how kotetsu is such a good character for DAYS. or the parallels between him and bunny and bkdk that have me screaming. OR the fact there is a literal nonbinary african-american character who is so fucking badass and totally has their moments. OR anything about every single other character BECAUSE I LOVE THEM ALL. but i wont bc that would take too damn long and i wouldn't even know where to begin.

my tldr is this.

tiger and bunny is a DAMN good show and will make you hyped for every episode you are on. you'll be left thinking abt it for DAYS, mourning the lack of content on the internet it has.

its fun. its sweet. its heartfelt. and its so so so so COOL. watch the first 2 episodes and i guarantee, you'll be hooked.

[magiefish]

Heyo it’s been a very long time! I’ve been screaming over Batdr and now I’m having an overflow of ideas for my AU (idk if you remember it).

What about you?

I had a period of around a day of losing it over the game but I think I’m chill now. I can’t say that BATDR is objectively good but it’s definitely The Most and I appreciate it for that. Bit disappointed that more characters didn’t return and that it didn’t build more on the lore from the first game: like, guys, I don’t even know how Lacie Benton died and you’re telling me there’s an ink city based off a real city in the outside world that has ghost trains like ???? All it would take is one audio log to accomplish and you already have her voice actor on hand like c’mon it’s not that hard (obviously there are other things that didn’t get answered but I just used that as an example). I had also hoped to see more of characters from the last game in the aftermath of Wilson’s takeover - Like, how’s the Ink Demon cult faring?

OH YEAH, NO INK DEMON CULT?? LIKE NOT EVEN A BIT??? They literally had another cult living in the sewers it would have been so easy to just put any remaining Demon cultists there and it would have made sense too I just AGHHHHH. They did my boy Sammy so dirty - like yeah there were some characters from the last game whose stories felt largely resolved already like Buddy!Boris and The Projectionist that they didn’t need to feature and I’m happy they left alone but SAMMY?? INK DEMON CULTIST AFICIONADO?? FORSAKEN PROPHET??? YOU REALLY COULDNT THINK OF ANYTHING BETTER TO DO W/ HIM THEN HAVE HIM SHOW UP ON A BALCONY AND THEN WILHEIM SCREAM DIE?? There were literally so many interesting directions to take his character and they gave him zilch, nada. I’d even be happy if he just stayed behind glass being sad and we found a letter nearby talking about his loss of faith and lack of purpose - that would have been a good conclusion to his arc. Or even if he joined in W/ the others in the fight. But no, they just made him a joke. Also Malice - I’m happy that they gave her some closure in the form of the moment with Allison, but it’s weird that she didn’t remark at all on Wilson’s takeover. Like, she just shows up as if she’s been dropped in directly from Chapter 3 of the first game, completely unaffected by her time likely imprisoned by The Keepers or the Ink Demon’s absence. Like, you’re telling me the Ink Demon ‘died’ and she didn’t even try a little coup?? Ms Malice ‘torture device creator girlboss gaslight gatekeep manipulator heart eater elevator dropper’ angel didn’t take one look at Wilson’s scrawny ass and said ‘oh yeah, I could take him’.

But, the game had a good emotional core to the story and I liked all the stuff to do with the Cyclebreakers and the Keepers and Wilson. The new technology using colour was a really neat visual, and the whole trapping and documenting subjects thing really scratched the Southern Reach-Control-SCP part of my brain. Honestly, kind of wished all the areas in the game were larger. Each had neat ideas and I feel like if they just had more time to breath it would have elevated them, but as it was it felt a bit like ‘ok heres this cool thing ok done now go here new cool thing ok done let’s go new thing go go go’. Joey was fun in this game but I still don’t understand why he was an ink ghost. Really liked The Ink Demons character in this one too, like *chefs kiss* he has issues. Call him the new projectionist because he sure is projecting hard right now. They should honestly rename this game to Bendy and The Daddy Issues because that accurately sums up the entire thing.

Overall, I’m satisfied but kind of disappointed. Audrey is best girl and I hope she and Benders go get ice cream together.

Honestly, I don’t think it’ll change my AU that much? A lot of the story already kind of aligned with what I had so while I’ll probably add stuff from the game (e.g. Betty and Wilson) to my AU it doesn’t really mess it up either? If anything it makes it easier because it’s like ‘cool, canon characters who fulfil the same role I was going to have to make up a fanon one for anyway, neat’. Definitely going to be incorporating the Keepers, Wilson, and Benders tho, that whole part of the game was cool as hell. Idk if I remember your AU that well but I’d be happy to hear about some of your new ideas too.

[aquato-family-circus]

time for "Owl Does Not Shut Up" once more. Today's topic? The Psychic 7 getting back into the swing of things at the Motherlobe post-game.

Helmut helps the interns/junior agents make KLOB have more than one song. He becomes a guest DJ on there, and he's done a couple interviews to hear all about what's happened without him around. Bob has showed up on air a couple times, mostly because he was told to get out of his shell and talk to people. Helmut's interviewed him and it was just the gayest thing ever seen or heard in the Motherlobe, including the literal mural of them holding hands.

Cassie gets involved with the record keeping at the Motherlobe. She's not one for the spotlight anymore, but she and Hollis have a rapour with each other, so they work together on keeping track of the finances and such. She also helps out with getting the history right again.

Compton likes to be at the Lumberstack more than the Noodle Bowl, since there's a lot less people and a lot more animals. It takes a long time, but he does manage to get the food to sometimes be edible, which is incredible as is because of Sam's... "cooking".

Bob finally opens up a bit. He tries to go to the Motherlobe a few times, but it's a bit overwhelming for him, so he usually likes to be outside. He's almost always nearby Helmut, and if he has to be inside, he usually has headphones or borrows Helmut's hat to help block out some of the noise. And yeah, he just likes to borrow Helmut's hat because it's Helmut's and it's soft and he's just gay. Good for him. (Also, he's trying to get sober! It takes time, and effort, but the others throw him a party when he reaches milestones and they keep him going)

Ford doesn't try to get involved at the Motherlobe, since he's aware he messed up Big Time. Instead, he just tries to build up the Heptadome again, keeping the gulch looking nice and being a park ranger again. It takes most of his time just to get all these places back to how they were before-- Especially the van and Otto's lab. But hey, he's been a janitor, he's been a ranger, he's done it all. Rebuilding the Heptadome after a flood? That's just part of his life.

Lucy's trying to figure out what all she missed and to re-learn what she knew. She helps with her family, and helps with Ford, and still wanders quite a bit, just finding her own places to relax and avoid others when she needs time off. (Augustus usually finds her first.) She's going with the flow, doing whatever it takes.

Otto doesn't change one bit. He's just vibing. Having a good time. HOWEVER: He does make sure to check out all the brains, and he does take nights off to go out with the others to go bowling/get dinner/whatever. He's actually willing to talk to the others, even though his whole vibe is "Otto no" vs "OTTO YES!" when he's got a new idea. He falls back into actually talking with these guys, actually opening up a bit about his emotions.

Overall? Everyone getting to do what they think is best, helping where they can. Cassie and Hollis as girlboss duo. Helmut and Morris at the radio station. Compton re-aquainting himself with his grandkids. All that good people-getting-better stuff. Everyone's happy and nothing's going wrong. (until something does go wrong but that's not the point the point is happy)

excellent ideas all around, I love the life the P7 can all live now that things have been kick started toward recovery and getting closer again... its what they deserve

Do you think Ford and Bob would make any concerted efforts to get the greenhouse lowered down from that nasty vine spiral? Those vines all over the place would be such a pain in the ass to move and Bob's still just getting back on his feet.

[gaylaughingdoves]

I really love how you draw Dottore! he's my favorite character in genshin- do you have any hcs/ideas for how he interacts with the other harbingers? I find other people's readings of him really interesting!

take care, have a good day whenever you read this!

Aaa!! Thank you!! <3 :D And yes I absolutely have hcs about him and the other harbingers!!

(I'm gonna toss them under a cut because I have a tendency to ramble on and use a whole lotta Words-)

Alright, so Signora and Dottore:

Extraordinarily chaotic and evil sibling dynamic

They gossip, like, A Lot, it's mainly Signora talking while Dottore fidgets and works with whatever he's working on, but he gets invested in it pretty easily

Now they also can and will rat each other out when they want, absolute snitches the both of them, they find immense joy in it, however. They also know a decent number of each other's secrets and they aren't going to tell those unless given a proper bribe (which neither have received just yet)

Signora and Dottore also both do Not like Childe

They have bonded over this

Childe is gaslight girlboss gatekept from everything when Signora and Dottore are involved

Also, Signora usually isn't phased by whatever Dottore keeps in his labs, because, yk, she might be 500+ years old, which Dottore appreciates because usually people are constantly on edge in his labs

It's a pain for him to actually keep staff (alive and employed), but having another Harbinger there (even one with a reputation like Signora's) grants the people working for him an, admittedly false, sense of security. Nothing could go bad when two Harbingers are here, right?

So Actually many many things can go wrong with these two in a room with Dottore's experiments

Like don't trust them around fire? Ever? Signora knows her way around it a little bit too well to be safe, and Dottore just likes watching how things burn under different conditions soo a recipe for Arson, that's what that is

Signora also thinks Dottore is hilarious when he's angry, and Dottore just likes being antagonistic, which leads to a whole lotta bickering. It's usually lighthearted but it can get serious and it can get serious fast

But overall Dottore just sorta sees her as an older sibling-ish person? He knows if he lets something slip she's not going to go straight to the other Harbingers to gossip. Which he likes because he can just go off and rant about how stupid something is and she'll just use it as blackmail material, which he thinks is better than like. Having everyone know how much he hates a certain piece of old machinery or something-

However, he doesn't trust her too much, because?? Who in the Harbingers actually trusts each other???

Also he and Signora have Transmasc/Transfem solidarity I will not be elaborating

Dottore and Childe on the other hand:

Pure hatred from Childe's side, he straight-up despises Dottore.

After all, this is a guy whose family is one of the most important things to him, his siblings are children, children who do not know the weight of the world just yet.

And Dottore is the guy who is... well. He's known to treat kids like nothing but a base to experiment on

Now Dottore on the other hand literally just wants to dissect Childe, he's gone absolutely crazy trying to get permission to at least run tests.

I mean, What else was he going to do when the kid Pulcinella found on the side of the road started turning into an entire 10ft abyss creature??? That's part of his whole line of work!! This is literally something he studies!!!

Needless to say, he was not allowed to study Childe's Foul Legacy in any regard and it ticked him off

So yeah, just overall they Hate each other, they argue a lot, like, if the Tsarita wasn't there at meetings they would turn into fistfights

However, they both drink whatever the Genshin equivalent of Monster is

This is not a bonding point, they fight over flavors

Sounds like a dumb thing to fight over but Dottore can't stand Childe's and Childe can't stand Dottore's

This has lead to other Harbingers swapping their flavors around because they think it's entertaining to watch them fight

It actually got to the point where the Tsaritsa herself had to order them to stop switching the flavors around because Dottore and Childe are already prepped to murder each other at any moment, they don't need to make it worse

So Dottore just reserves himself to snapping at Childe with the annoyance of someone who is being blocked from something that could very easily be a big break that's being dangled over his head

For real though, Childe has so much potential for Dottore's experiments but Dottore isn't allowed to do so much as study what effect that the transformation has on Childe afterward, and he hates it

But he can't lose his funding from the Tsaritsa so he stays quiet and angrily compiles whatever information he can

Anyway, Dottore and Scaramouche:

Overall neutral actually?

Like they don't see each other much, with Dottore usually knee and elbow deep in some messed up science stuff, and Scara's work taking him out and about a lot of the time

They bicker and stuff, but overall?? They kinda just avoid talking to each other?

Sometimes, rarely, they do get put on a mission with each other, but when they happens they usually get along pretty well!

They actually have a good time snooping around places, what with Dottore's practically uncontrollable curiosity being easily triggered if there's... oh idk, dragon bones, or old machines, or abyss-related ruins, or anything in the typical Vindagyeran Architecture Style, and Scaramouche just likes to snoop and sneak around for fun, for funsies

There's been a few times when the both of them have bonded over chaotically messing something up (didn't impact them, but sure did impact whoever was living in those houses) and laughed over it, grabbed some drinks, and just hung out

They're sorta like buddies who don't see each other much so they're overall estranged but still have a good time, yk?

Scaramouche has hung out in Dottore's labs before, doesn't particularly enjoy them, what with all the machinery and people crying and whatever, thinks it's boring, but if he has to hang out there he'll find his way to Dottore's office and read his files

This gets on Dottore's nerves, but he knows a little better than to cross the minor god that is Scaramouche

And he would very much like to study Scaramouche, considering, yk, divinity abandoned by the divine?

What an odd predicament!!

What effects would that have!!

How does he still have any power!!!

The questions Dottore could have are endless!!

But Scaramouche is away enough to be sure that Dottore's interest is solidly in other things (mainly Abyssal, and Dragons, because there's always some Fatui around the dragon skeletons (Durin and Orobashi) and I have a feeling it's Dottore's doing)

And that's it so far I think? They'll probably change as more Harbingers/info on the ones we have already come out and such but that's what I have rn!! Just Dottore being a funny feral little angry science man with at least three sensible braincells, and yk what I love him for it :)

[ncghtshifts]

starts wildly tap dancing w excitement HLO EVERYONE!!!!!! wow i am barbarically excited to rp with u all, below is a wee bit abt my first bebe rosa....... my sun my moon my stars......... give this a like if u wld Love to Plot!!

TW’S FOR CANCER, DEATH, AND GRIEF BELOW!

◜     *     :     maya     hawke     .     ciswoman     &     she/her     .     everywhere     by     fleetwood     mac     .     ━━     the     legend     surrounding     london’s     l’academiae     furorum     would     not     be     complete     without     ROSALIND     SAMUELS     .     the     academy's     TWENTY     -     FOUR     year     old     ASSISTANT     STAGE     MANAGER     has     been     with     furore     for     TWO     YEARS     ,     oft     described     as     OBDURATE     ,     MAGNILOQUENT     ,     COGNIZANT     ,     AUSTERE     &     has     proved     utterly     indispensable     to     the     company.     in     passing     ,     they’ve     come     to     be     associated     with     ORGANIC     WATERMELON     AND     MINT     SHAMPOO     ,     FRESH     LAUNDRY     THAT     DOESN'T     QUITE     COVER     THE     SMELL     OF     THE     SIX     COFFEES     YOU     DRANK     TODAY     &     scoffing     in     a     man's     face     -     how     dare     he     speak     to     you     ?     toughest     crybaby     on     the     block     ,     with     perfection     on     the     brain     .     hands     shaking     from     caffeine     and     lips     pursed     with     determination     ,     constantly     donning     a     turtleneck     and     jeans     ,     even     under     the     heat     of     the     summer     sun     .     still     finding     out     who     you     are     all     these     years     later     -     mirrors     still     intimidate     you     .     whether     this     will     be     their     final     curtain     call     is     anyone's     guess     &     the     company’s     worst     nightmare    .

background.

rosa is the daughter of a pastor in new york so…………… Fun Times was had throughout her childhood!

she’s also the younger sibling of twins who were super close growing up so she always felt like a bit of an outsider……… but they loved her n she loves them even tho they’re . super weird about it

she was always a bit of a . Harsh child…….. fr no reason rly she jst didnt kno how to interact with kids but there was one (1) kid named sylvie who was rosa’s closest friend for a bit and she grew so attached they did??? everything together like they had sleepovers every night they were Obsessed

CANCER TW - rosa hadn’t made friends other than sylvie so when she had to leave school bc she was diagnosed with leukemia it was fkin devastating fr rosa she didnt kno how to exist without sylvie

DEATH/GRIEF TW - lo n behold sylvie unfortunately passed away……… n it rly messed rosa up she was extremely selective w her friends fr most of her childhood (n still is frankly) - CANCER TW END

just when she was getting over it one of the twins?? passed away and the whole family was in shambles once again and rosa for a while was really messed up over it she stayed home for a semester before going away to uni bc it reminded her of losing sylvie again n she didnt kno how to function

she eventually sort of?? forced herself to get over it in a way where like . she’s almost trying to pretend like it never happened?? just refuses to talk abt it rly :/ - DEATH/GRIEF TW END

SUPER keeps to herself rly, she has a decent amount of friends bt nothing crazy n frankly has no desire to meet anyone new or talk to anyone new, jst has trust issues n doesnt wanna lose anyone else

decided to go Global fr her schooling and found herself in england, where an opportunity arose fr her to become an assistant stage manager n the rest is history!!!!

details.

avoids sexual advances if she can/exploring her sensuality fr the most part………. still a wee virgin (not tht i believe in the concept of virginity bt rosa does #catholicupbringing)

can b kinda temperamental n will blow up in someones face

strictly wears long sleeves and pants (mostly overalls) its rare shes in short sleeves and/or shorts even in hot weather

u will RARELY ever catch her in a skirt/dress its jst not her thing

a total tomboy she grew up doing 1000 sports

very dry humour…………

is tough as nails yet simultaneously? cries at anything and everything. #girlboss

hates men and she’s right for it.

connections.

someone she has a crush on bt refuses to face it so she bullies them bc of it

someone who has a crush on her?? bc tht wld b cute considering she wld b oblivious

a few friends who managed to weasel their way into her life

or ppl she’s rubbed the wrong way/enemies tbh

frankly???? anything this isnt much to go off of bt i am also beyond down. to go by vibes smiles at u all

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael in the Mainstream: The Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad has frequently been touted as one of the worst comic book movies ever, and honestly? I don’t really agree, even if I almost wholeheartedly agree with every criticism of it. The editing is bad, the story is a mess, the Squad’s friendship is nonexistent, characters like Waller act like absolute idiots, Enchantress is a bad character and an absurd villain for these people to face… And yet, the core cast of scoundrels are all pretty likable when you wipe off the crap they’re buried under. These characters all could have shined bright if they were given competent writing and direction; the ideas are there, but the execution is unbelievably flawed due to excessive executive meddling (and probably a bit of pretentiousness on director David Ayer’s part). If only there was a director capable of taking the concept of a bunch of C-list villains getting together and performing dangerous missions and, along the way, becoming a found family…

That director thankfully exists, and his name is James Gunn. Gunn has already shown twice that he is capable of doing “a bunch of assholes become a found family” really well with the two Guardians of the Galaxy films, films that have a lot of style and flair that help make them the best films in the MCU, and considering Suicide Squad was mangled the way it was to try and be more in line with his Guardians films, it only makes sense to pull him in to give Task Force X another shot. Why settle for imitations when you can get the real thing? It’s not like he was doing anything else while Mickey Mouse put him in time out for naughty tweets, after all.

But this isn’t Gunn under the thumb of the Mouse, oh no; this is Gunn allowed to go absolutely wild. This is Gunn given the budget of a modern superhero film and asked to make a Troma picture, with all the blood, gore, and cheesiness that entails, and by god did he pull it off. Right from the get go we are given a taste of just what sort of movie we’re in for as a mangy child-murdering weasel man shows up and Nathan Fillion detaches his arms from his body to gently tap enemy soldiers on the head, and somehow things only get wackier from there.

Gunn seemed to actively go out of his way to fix every single problem of the original film. The characters, for instance, are all fairly similar to those of the first film. Bloodsport is clearly the stand in for Deadshot, but where Deadshot was just your average charming, funny Will Smith role to the point it could get distracting, Idris Elba makes Bloodsport a tired straight man to the wacky antics around him and portrays his growth through the film very well. Peacemaker is the jackass of the team in the vein of Captain Boomerang, but where Boomerang had little use in the narrative despite being the best and funniest non-Harley member of the team, Peacemaker is given his full due, with John Cena making him one of the funniest assholes ever put to film and even giving him a bit of depth and moral complexity. King Shark, AKA Nanaue, is obviously Killer Croc’s replacement, but where Croc was bland and really just stood in the background the whole movie, Nanaue is a sweet, charming, funny oaf with brutal strength who is just absolutely lovable and adorable, all capped off with hilarious vocal delivery from Sylvester Stallone himself. Polka-Dot Man is something of a replacement for El Diablo, though while El Diablo was really bungled by the narrative despite being well-acted and sympathetic, Polka-Dot Man is given ample opportunity to be funny, tragic, and useful all at once, and gives him a bit of an arc (pretty impressive for a character who was added in solely because Gunn googled who the lamest DC villains were). And finally, Ratcatcher is something of the replacement for Katana, being the second woman of the squad and the token good teammate, though where Katana was awkwardly shoehorned in at the last minute, Ratcatcher is clearly the heart of this team and brings the band together. Overall, the new Squad is leagues better than the original, and you will care for this band of criminals by the film’s end.

Returning characters get their due as well, particularly the ones really screwed over by the first film Waller and Flag get it the best of all. In the first film, Waller’s entire scheme was stupid, nonsensical, contradictory, and basically everything she did went against what was told to us about her, namely that she is a master manipulator. It was really a waste of Viola Davis, who had the presence and mannerisms down but who was constantly being failed by a shoddy script. Thankfully, that’s not the case here; Waller is very much the ultimate, manipulative girlboss she should be, from using her own troops as a distraction for another team to threatening Bloodsport with his daughter getting raped and murdered in prison over a minor offense if he doesn’t join her Suicide Squad. She is a stone cold bitch you will love to hate, and is easily one of the best comic book villains in film now (quite the turnaround all things considered). Flag is an actual character in this movie, with great chemistry with the members of the new Squad, particularly Bloodsport and Harley. Much like Bloodsport, he also gets a bit of a rivalry with Peacemaker going, which ends up being entertaining and even leads to a truly sad moment late in the film. Quite impressive for a guy who did nothing but spout awkward exposition in the first film.

Then we have Harley. I’m going to be honest, Harley has never been written better than she was in this film. While Robbie has had the character down from day one, the scripts have consistently failed her. The original film did nothing with her but sexualize her and have her spout crappy one-liners, and while Birds of Prey was a massive step up and had her written as she should be, the overall narrative of that film didn’t quite give her the due she deserved due to her feeling like a passive character pushed around by the flow of the plot. Here, though, Harley fully grasps at what’s given to and takes charge when she can, leading to one of the best action scenes in a film full of them. She ahs great interactions with her teammates and is just consistently funnier than she ever has been before, and it makes me happy to know someone who loves this character as much as Robbie does is finally getting to truly shine as she deserves.

The music and editing are vastly better. Remember how the original film had a new licensed song every minute, and almost all of them made no sense, and the music that played for Deadshot was exclusively rap artists (which was lowkey kinda racist)? Well, Gunn is bringing his ability to weave songs into the narrative with this one, but he also gives plenty of time for the music composed for the film to shine. As for the editing, gone are the obtrusive comic-book style cards that announce stupid throwaway details (and in a few cases, plot points you will very likely miss), replaced by more amusing and less obtrusive gags. The movie is also cut in a way where, you know, it makes sense. Everything flows naturally, and while there are a couple of points where time rewinds so we can see how we got to a certain point, it’s never so confusing that you can’t follow it.

The stakes are vastly overhauled. It made zero sense in the first film that Waller would assemble a team that consists of people whose powers range from “is good with weapons” to “is an Aztec fire god” to “is a big ugly crocodile man” to take on Superman-level threats. This is like if you sent a Boy Scout troop to fight Godzilla, it’s just not gonna end well and there’s an absurd disparity in power levels. Here, the team is being sent on a general black ops mission and have their skills selected by who would be most useful for the mission, and while they do end up taking on something a bit outside their context in the form of a certain cyclopean starfish alien, it’s a bit easier to swallow because of the buildup and because “big angry alien” is a lot more sensible as a threat to black op vigilantes than “ancient interdimensional witch goddess with a zombie army.”

Most importantly, though, is that this film lives up to its title. This is very much a suicide mission, and where the last team made it out relatively unscathed, this film suffers a lot of casualties. Characters die for gags, characters die suddenly, you might think a character is going to be a big, important part of the plot only for them to be dispatched right when it seems they’re getting going. For a film like this, it works perfectly, and some of the deaths are absolutely hilarious. That being said, you can kind of predict who lives and who dies based on star power alone; do you really think Harley’s gonna bite it? Come on.

I don’t really have many issues with the movie, but I will reiterate: this is essentially a Troma film with a massive budget, made by one of their alumni. Troma is a studio that makes gory, gross, and awesome B-grade movies and a similar irreverent mentality is on display here. If you can stomach gore, violence, and absurdity then this is a film you’re probably going to get into, but it’s definitely not the kind of comic book movie for everyone. Thankfully, it is exactly the kind of comic book movie for me. It honestly feels like the sort of movie I’d want to make, where I take a bunch of stupid C-list villains with dumb powers and give them actual development and characterization to the point the audience feels something for them. You’re going to be moved by a girl who controls rats, a stupid shark man, and a depressed dude who shoots polka-dots from his hands, and you’re not going to care.

I really hope they follow this up with another one, especially if they bring James Gunn back. There were a lot of characters he considered for the team, and a lot of them have potential, be that hilarious or dramatic. I mean, the man considered Mr. Freeze, that guy could be one hell of a leading man! Round out the team with some of the considered ideas like Rainbow Creature, Solomon Grundy, Chemo, Livewire, Punch and Jewelee, Man-Bat, Dogwelder, and the almighty Kite Man, and you’ve got one hell of a Suicide Squad! Also, maybe get Gunn to consider Crazy Quilt and Condiment King.

Really, the possibilities are endless, and that’s what the fun of a Suicide Squad movie should be: seeing the dumbest dregs of comic book history thrown into a place where they’re probably going to die horribly. Gunn managed to get that when Ayer couldn’t, and the results are perhaps his magnum opus. This is Gunn at his best and most free, unchained from the restrictions of forcing a film to tie into a bunch of others while also using all the tricks of his signature style to craft a damn fine film that easily holds up on its own outside the context of the DCEU. These are the kind of comic book movies we need, so let’s hope this film gets the respect it deserves so it acts as a wakeup call for studios content to churn out

[cvastals]

hiiiiiiiiii im . temporarily swapping mercy out fr Mon Bebe rosa..... oh i love her so. abt her below giggles (impish) n waddles off to post w a strut in my step.

* maya hawke, cis female + she/her  | you know rosalind samuels, right? they’re twenty-two, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, one year? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to your type by alvvays like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole wearing long sleeved shirts even in the middle of summer, rolling your eyes as a defence mechanism, crying at nothing at all thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is august 8, so they’re a leo, which is unsurprising, all things considered.

TW’S FOR DEATH, GRIEF, AND CANCER BELOW!

background.

rosa is the daughter of a pastor in new york so…………… Fun Times was had throughout her childhood!

she’s also the younger sibling of twins who were super close growing up so she always felt like a bit of an outsider……… but they loved her n she loves them even tho they’re . super weird about it

she was always a bit of a . Harsh child…….. fr no reason rly she jst didnt kno how to interact with kids but there was one (1) kid named sylvie who was rosa’s closest friend for a bit and she grew so attached they did??? everything together like they had sleepovers every night they were Obsessed

CANCER TW - rosa hadn’t made friends other than sylvie so when she had to leave school bc she was diagnosed with leukemia it was fkin devastating fr rosa she didnt kno how to exist without sylvie

DEATH/GRIEF TW - lo n behold sylvie unfortunately passed away……… n it rly messed rosa up she was extremely selective w her friends fr most of her childhood (n still is frankly) - CANCER TW

just when she was getting over it one of the twins?? passed away and the whole family was in shambles once again and rosa for a while was really messed up over it she stayed home for a semester before going away to uni bc it reminded her of losing sylvie again n she didnt kno how to function

she eventually sort of?? forced herself to get over it in a way where like . she’s almost trying to pretend like it never happened?? just refuses to talk abt it rly :/ - DEATH/GRIEF TW END

SUPER keeps to herself rly, she has a decent amount of friends bt nothing crazy n frankly has no desire to meet anyone new or talk to anyone new, jst has trust issues n doesnt wanna lose anyone else

moved down the coast to pennsylvania for uni where she majored in gender studies, then got a scholarship to do her masters in north carolina n fell in love w the town :D now she TA’s for the university in irving

details.

avoids sexual advances if she can/exploring her sensuality fr the most part.......... basically jst as selective with who she hooks up w as she is w her friends

can b kinda temperamental n will blow up in someones face

strictly wears long sleeves and pants (mostly overalls) its rare shes in short sleeves and/or shorts even in hot weather

u will RARELY ever catch her in a skirt/dress its jst not her thing

a total tomboy shes on the soccer, tennis, n baseball team

very dry humour…………

is tough as nails yet simultaneously? cries at anything and everything. #girlboss

hates men and she’s right for it.

connections.

someone she has a crush on bt refuses to face it so she bullies them bc of it

someone who has a crush on her?? bc tht wld b cute considering she wld b oblivious

hook ups?? i cld see her doing mostly one night stands bt i’d like to see maybe one (1) person she’s particularly fond of n they’re mayb fwb’s now??

a few friends who managed to weasel their way into her life

or ppl she’s rubbed the wrong way/enemies tbh

frankly???? anything

[zepdeans]

decided to lump my gamblenatural and carvernatural reviews into one so enjoy

s6: 7.5/10 fave episodes: 6x04 weekend at bobby’s - 6x15 the french mistake - 6x18 frontierland - 6x20 the man who would be king - 6x22 the man who knew too much

s7: 8/10 fave episodes: 7x01 meet the new boss - 7x10 death’s door - 7x17 the born again identity - 7x20 the girl with the dungeons and dragons tattoo - 7x23 survival of the fittest

final notes: everyone rags on gamble but ngl these seasons were a lot better than I remembered/expected them to be. s6 is a bit directionless at first and damn if the lisa plotline isn’t boring as hell but cas’s plotline? amazing. it really amps up by the end and imo this is the first season dean and cas start to shift from textual/subtextual friendship to ummmmmm <3 you know. but rufus’s death was STUPID. s7 was solid and I liked going back to monsters but no real standout episodes, I didn’t like bobby’s ghost arc, and not enough cas :( overall- gamble is a strong writer, I also can’t tell if she hates or loves castiel. she came up with some cool plotlines (purgatory, prophets, tablets) even if the seasons lulled at times. gatekeep girlboss gamble!

s8: 8.5/10 fave episodes: 8x02 what’s up tiger mommy - 8x07 a little slice of kevin - 8x17 goodbye stranger - 8x21 the great escapist - 8x23 sacrifice

s9: 4/10 fave episodes: 9x06 heaven can’t wait - 9x10 road trip - 9x11 first born - 9x22 stairway to heaven - 9x23 do you believe in miracles

s10: 8.5/10 fave episodes: 10x14 the executioner’s song - 10x17 inside man - 10x18 book of the damned - 10x19 the werther project - 10x22 the prisoner

s11: 7.5/10 fave episodes: 11x04 baby - 11x14 the vessel - 11x16 safe house - 11x17 red meat - 11x18 hell’s angel

final notes: jeremy carver you confuse me. how does the man who came up with s8 and s10 also throw s9 to me and expect me to digest that mess. purgatory!!! underutilized. sam should’ve finished the trials. kevin and charlie’s deaths were dumb as hell, but new characters! claire, rowena, eileen, billie. the amara storyline had potential but weak execution. don’t know how to feel about the chuck stuff. casifer on the other hand? excellent. overall- tons of strong episodes, and by this era of spn there’s a noticeable difference in episode quality between writers. s9 is also the first season that most filler eps start becoming insanely cringey garbage. really wish sam got cooler arcs too :( and I FUCKING HATE THE LIGHTING!

s3 > s1 > s4 > s2 > s10 > s5 > s8 > s7 > s11 > s6 > s9

[m00n-d34r3st]

IKR, she's the ultimate girlboss that is doen for her dad. She would definitely be such a devoted crown princess, despite her efforts being overshadowed and even denied sometimes. Adding on to how humans could treat her, I was thinking of a setting where wukong kind of decided to go home after the journey and settle back in FFM as well as move his kingdom (and possibly other territories, if you count the groups that left and settle else where) and probably helped other neighboring demon populations and formed more networks.

I think Yuebei...just happened and her birth was the thing that really made him put his foot down and put most of his time being a demon king and father. Outside of his duties as a god, he didn't have any desire to interact with humans, because if he had to fight for his own kind to see her as a person, why would he waste his time with humans, especially taking into account the number the journey did on him. So, he help built up this worldwide society for demons and the likes of them.

About how much genetics play in Yuebei situation, I been thinking on it along time and I'm kind of glad, I waited a bit as discussion of wukong's possible lineage and his possible age during his training and the journey itself, especially taking into account demon aging. For a quick breakdown on rather wukong could have been a child or very young during that time for a demon, it's a yes and a no, because what was considered as an adult during the time of the novel is very different from what it is today, so him being adult would be technically correct, but with hindsight, you totally see the choices was made by someone not fully developed and matured.

And that early development, he was in is what really interest me. What effect did the training and the journey overall could have effect him coming into adulthood and possibly him having children. And adding that with his lineage with snake grandma, Nuwa as well as the heavens and earth and some saying the sun and moon as well. So, it's would be interesting to see all the factors that made his birth and existence itself a spectacle would work against her, because I can see her siblings inheriting more favorable abilities and traits.

How, I think demon monkey biology would play into this her size, just putting this down, I looking through the trans wukong lens. Very much a he's not giant monkey man, because he can rip stars apart, he's tall monkey man, because he's trans. While, I can see how afab monkeys are usually larger than amab ones being factor, I banking more on her grandparents or other parent to be the main reason. She just got the worst luck in genetic lottery, socially.

As @sketching-shark added

Man, this girl's social life would is going to be difficult and a rollercoaster of a mess. Don't get me wrong, she's a tough cookie that can stick it out and probably does want to glamorous princess life, but her twins brothers and I can totally imagine her having a bunch of sisters too and them taking after wukong in the looks department and seeing them having a much easier time or not having to work as hard as her the moment they arrive would had definitely did something to her as a child as well as dealing with others outside her familiar circle.

Like, in jttw, how much the demoness princesses and queens got social wise just from their beauty and how said beauty was described. Not to say that they didn't girlbossed at some point, but beauty as social currency got them more mileage and to extent wukong benefited from that too among other demons and the little source material, made it very clear she hand the polar opposite. She of course she has to work harder and smarter, she doesn't have the luxury of short cuts.

So, to see her younger siblings have less or the same experience than her and get much farther, have opportunities that she could never imagine for her as well as her being socially shunned or even her siblings not wanting to be associated with her publicly or keep home life and their social life separate for that purpose. So, her finding sanctuary in her magic studying is such a bittersweet concept, because while she had curved her own place in the world for herself, it's also very heavyweight in her back with the responsibility it would hold her to as well as it absorbing her identity as there is little she could have outside of it.

She knows, she can't be a princess of unearthly beauty as her sisters, who is effortlessly loved by their people and peers whatever endeavor they choose then pursue and she can't be charismatic socialites as her twins brother, who can talk themselves into relationships and possibly marriages that would keep them comfortable, if Wukong ever gets tried of their bs shenanigans. But she knows she could be a glorious warrior, who can dominate with her magic and fighting prowess and had gained her own connections through her campaigns and schooling.

There's a numbness from years of being opening called a abomination, while watching your siblings being praised and showed with affection and gifts for years, but despite loving what she does, it still a bit of herself that is only doing it because it could be the only way to make her keep among the family.

Now, I won't make the everything complete angst for her since, I can see her having a truly loving relationship with wukong and the generals and marshals really looking after her as their crown princess and studies as well as having a few close friends, but also she's not going to be the only one suffering, cause I want to get into how the situation would effect wukong and her siblings. For example, with twins technically having to be socially make their way through to even keep their place in their social circle despite being princes or charm their way into a new one, due to that being how amab monkeys have to do in real life and could see one doing it in a for the hell of it, because it's just how it is and the other to achieve their goal and not really being caring of the consequences for their self and others. And the sisters only being valued for what their eldest sister isn't to some and wukong having to parent through all of this, while ruling a kingdom keeping up with appearances and alliances as well as his own trauma and personal life.

And again I will always stan Yuebei, because she deserves to beloved without having to give anything.

Edit: it slipped my mind, but ELDEST SISTER SYNDROME IS GOING TO BE THE VEIN OF HER EXISTENCE, ESPECIALLY SEEING HOW HER YOUNGER SIBLINGS BEING ABOUT TO PLAY WITH OTHER CHILDREN THE WAY SHE CAN'T DUE TO HER SIZE. Girly's back must her because she's holding on to so much.

I'm sorry, but I can't believe how everybody is sleeping in Yuebei, like she's prime real estate for so much angst and fluff. Like, she was literally born to one of the most feared, yet respected or even beloved demon king and god with many allies and resources that ensure your going to be a powerful person, only for there to just be something you were born with that makes even the most starch of demons get the ick and even have your subjects that are like your siblings in a way to not even be afraid to call you a hideous abomination.

Like, I know the journey to the south isn't considered canon to jttw and she only showed up for a bit, but there is so much that could be done with her. Like, how wukong having looks on him that got him the title handsome or pretty monkey king effected her and how she could be constantly compared to him or her siblings if she has any as well as her feeling on being a princess despite being seen as bottom of the barrel.

Also how wukong would feel as a parent, I know he's still prideful and would definitely be the "she's very gorgeous to me😤" type parents, but I can't keep he would still struggle especially post jttw and adding on his trauma could complicate things farther.

But yeah, even tho she's an obscure character in an obscure piece of media, but the moment I read about her own subjects insulting her WHILE VOLUNTEERING TO SQUARE UP IN THE NAME OF HER DAD'S HONOR, I was like "Yeah, my giant scrankly princess, I will square up in a Danny's parking lot for you babe." And you should too.