#she DOES do her job. excellently in fact. i talked about my feelings and then she gave me a new direction for my thoughts

[onrainynights]

I'm about to be so annoying btw

[maple-leaf-in-autumn]

me: ugh i’m having an awful day

my therapist: i finished watching bungo stray dogs. the movie surprised me there was a lot of chuuya

me: actually i am having a GREAT day do u want to hear about translation differences between the sub and sub in dead apple because there’s this one line-

[ploppythespaceship]

Uglies - Movie Thoughts

On a whim, I decided to start re-reading the Uglies series a couple months ago -- so imagine my surprise when I found out it was getting a movie! Said movie is now out, and it was interesting to watch with the book being so fresh in my head.

Overall, it's... eh. It's not a complete train wreck, the way most critics seem to want you to think, but it is fairly bland and uninspired. It's a very watered down version of the book. It also has the misfortune of feeling like yet another a Hunger Games wannabe, despite the original book pre-dating that series by several years.

Spoilers for everything under the cut.

What I Liked

Based on reviews, I seem to be in the minority here, but I thought the cast was pretty good. People seem to hate Joey King as Tally, but I thought she was fine. Brianne Tju is easily the best in the cast, stealing the whole damn movie as Shay. Laverne Cox also gives an excellent performance as Cable, though I do think she should not have been given that role for other reasons (which I'll get into later).

I've also seen complaints that the characters aren't ugly enough. They talk about how ugly they are and point out their specific ugly features, when they don't actually appear that ugly. And I think everyone complaining about that is completely missing the point. The "Uglies" aren't actually ugly -- they're just normal people, who've been conditioned to think their imperfect features are hideous.

I was honestly unsure how the Pretties would be visualized -- in fact, I wondered if the book would just be fundamentally unadaptable because of it -- but they did a fairly good job. I think leaning on CGI and unnatural affectations was the right way to go. All the Pretties have this uncanny quality to them that suits the story perfectly.

The overall production design was solid as well. I like how Uglyville is all gray concrete and muted tones, while New Pretty Town is shimmering golds. Then upon reaching the Smoke, all the colors of nature finally come through. I do think that could have pushed that last one a little bit more, but it still works well.

Apart from that, I don't really have much to shout out. It's competently written, well-performed, well put together. I know it doesn't sound like I have much praise, but it is a competent movie.

What I'm Mixed On

By far the biggest change from the book is Peris becoming a Special. And I'm torn on it. On the one hand, it does make him a bigger part of the story -- he's honestly not much more than an inciting incident in the book. It gives him and Tally a unique arc that's probably the strongest through-line in the story. On the other hand, the Specials as a concept are so under-cooked (more on that later) and the actor is so bland that it still doesn't quite land the way it's supposed to.

What I Didn't Like

The pacing of this movie is by far its worst issue. We are flying through this plot. There is no time for anything to breathe, for characters to develop meaningful connections, for the bigger moments to feel earned. Some things do make sense to condense -- Tally's journey to the Smoke would have been incredibly boring without her internal monologue, so condensing most of that into a montage makes sense. But I do feel we lost too much. That's where a lot of Tally's characterization comes out, where we can see her bravery and ingenuity -- none of that comes across in the movie.

A lot of important beats are rushed. Tally agreeing to help Dr. Cable is over in a flash. It feels like Tally's in the Smoke for all of fifteen minutes. Tally and David barely interact, so their relationship has no real stake. Everyone is kidnapped by Special Circumstances, and then rescued immediately after. I almost think a 5-6 episode mini-series would have worked better -- but that might have introduced the opposite problem, where everything takes too long.

The movie also has frequent montages that don't really work. It seems like they were trying to show the passage of time, but it just makes everything feel even shorter.

The beginning of the movie has an exposition problem, as well. It opens with a montage explaining the entire setting... before leading into several scenes that also explain the setting through dialogue. We get fed the same details about the surgery and the Rusties and the flowers at least three times at the start, and it gets grating.

As already mentioned, Tally is pretty severely underwritten. In the book, she has a distinct personality and a unique presence. In the movie, she's just the main character because she happens to be the main character. Her intelligence and resourcefulness are pretty much gone.

I also think changing her motivation for going to the Smoke did her a disservice. In the book, Tally goes to the Smoke so she can have her surgery, and because she's convinced herself that Shay needs her help. In the movie, Dr. Cable tells her that the Smokies have a weapon, and she will be saving lives by helping to find them. I think giving her a more selfless motivation robs her of her character arc. She always comes across as someone trying to help, who wants to best for other people, rather than someone who had to consciously learn that.

The Specials are barely even a presence. I'm not sure they were even directly called Specials. People who hadn't read the book would never realize that there was an entire separate status of person here. You never see their disturbingly beautiful faces or their terrifying strength. Considering how pivotal the Specials are to the overall story, especially in the later books, it's really odd not to see them properly established here.

Like I said, Laverne Cox gives an excellent performance as Dr. Cable... but I think they should have thought twice before casting a trans woman. It's not necessarily that there's a trans woman in the villainous role, but that there's a trans woman in the villainous role who specifically wants to force people to have surgeries to brainwash them. Like... did the optics of that really not occur to anyone? At all? I think Cox could have played David's mother, instead.

[queenofapeacefuldawn]

SPY × Family: Chapter 93 analysis

this is my first time doing something like this, and I'm no expert so please take my analysis with a grain of salt! all of this is my own theories, so you might disagree with me. please don't be mean, though (also, long post incoming!)

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 93 UNDER THE CUT

The chapter opens with the Eden kids getting the results of their marks, with Anya's...

overall rank shooting up, from 213th to 168th. Showing how she's slowly adjusting to the school and its pace of learning, despite being younger than everyone else (and, also, presumably doing extremely advanced things.... I remember seeing the pythagorean theorem on the board once in the anime)

Damian got highest in History (good job, buddy!), and Anya got second-highest in Classical Language (the one exam she genuinely studied hard for). But what I want to focus on is her expression:

Shock. She'd put up that front (that fake-face, if you will) in front of Becky, Damian, Emile and Ewen, pretending to be all cool and suave but when she sees her results, she's genuinely surprised to get good marks in Classical Language. And even her excited reaction. She was scared of disappointing Twilight (and maybe even Sigmund and Barbara) because she'd genuinely worked hard for this exam, tried to understand, and gave it her best attempt.

But, then, it all comes crashing down with her 24 points in math: but a win is a win!

Maybe this is Twilight's turning point in the fact that acquiring knowledge can be interesting, exciting, and not just a tool of survival? Twilight himself doesn't have a great relationship with studying, (see: his father scolding him as a child for not studying, later: his friends dying because he didn't know enough about the campaign they were going on... but Twilight's relationship with knowledge and its pursuit is a whole other post in itself).

Honestly, him realising that Anya is actually thriving in the setup where education is fun for her, opens up two new avenues:

Twilight himself trying to make learning fun for Anya (unlikely, he tried that before... it didn't work.)

Him leaning on Sigmund and Barbara to tutor Anya (this seems more likely- Endo is probably going to cement the Authens as recurring characters, so them being Anya's surrogate grandparents/neighbors/tutors would seem like a great way to do so!

And then...

My main focus is on the fact that he mumbles this (also his face. But that's irrelevant). Twilight may claim, "I don't understand children", but he's an extremely perceptive man. As much as I love to clown on him, he's highly skilled at picking up on cues of people's feelings. The few times he's failed are mostly due to Anya's shenanigans trying to hide her telepathy, mixed with his usual flavour of overthinking.

But the couple of things he knows about Anya are this:

She was probably raised in an environment where Classical Language was used.

She's not fond of talking about or remembering her past.

Which is why he didn't have the heart to fully sound out the question. In the case of Anya, this is an extremely delicate matter, and he doesn't want to upset her (or, in his words, "ruin Operation Strix.") The way he asked the question and it's portrayed made it feel like he'd been pondering on it for quite a while (which he has; since the beginning of the Cruise Arc), but more so usually. Most likely due to her high marks in the Classical Language tests (aka a dead language), and the fact that she got excellent marks in it, despite formally studying it for less than a year (at least, as far as he (and we) know.) He's been thinking of the possibility, and also thinking of a way to ask her. In the end, when he does ask her—

she lies.

and he lets her. (at least, that's my interpretation)

Obviously, he knows she's not ready to speak about it yet (though we know it's probably connected to her telepathy, so she's not ready to divulge that info).

Look, as much as I love talking about how clueless he is with his own feelings, in this scene, he was just... perceptive? I don't know if that's the right word. But he was trying to keep Anya happy, and bringing up this complex topic without ensuring proper care for her wouldn't be fair to her. And he knows that. So, he leaves it at, "Just forget about it, okay?"

This entire scene felt so... tense, and in itself felt like a fucking gut punch, so I don't know how I'll react to the reveal.)

And now, onto the main focus of the chapter:

him.

If I'm being honest, I thought Demetrius was, like, 16-19 (judging by his voice in the anime), and not... fucking twelve.

Honestly, that just makes his character all the more tragic: he's barely a teenager, and yet... he's going through this. From his awards ceremony, we can see that he got, what, 6 stellas? In addition to the eight he's gotten to be an Imperial Scholar, and if he performs this well in every exam... bro is literally hoarding the Stella supply of the school (sorry, bad joke).

But...

this panel comes up. It's definitely not Anya's telepathy malfunctioning, (heck, it works on Bond and even penguins). Honestly, I think, again, it could be one of two things:

He was experimented on, like Anya

He was trained, (most likely by Donovan), to keep his mind blank.

We're told that he and Donovan had an extremely close relationship:

This could be in support of both the theories: it could be Donovan checking up on his "experiment's" progress (a crude term to refer to him), or, it could have been him subconsciously training Demetrius to hide his thoughts, keep them safe. Anya's project is connected to Desmond's administration, and at the time she was "made", Demetrius would have been around 7 or 8. Old enough for him to figure out what he wanted to have been in life (ofc, that's different for everyone! It takes time, and 8 is an extremely young age to figure out what one wants to do). But, like, how Damian wants to be a politician, it's most likely that Demetrius, the prodigal, studious, first child, would have to follow the path of politics laid before him.

So it could have been Donovan teaching Demetrius to protect his sensitive thoughts from the "weapons" he himself was making: the test subject(s) of Anya's project (again, a crude term to refer to them). Donovan was putting a lot of faith into creating telepaths (most likely for covert work), and them having unwavering loyalty to his administration was not very likely.

And, even if Anya's project was the work of another administration or even country, there's no doubt that Donovan would want to keep his thoughts hidden from these kinds of spies: ones than can see into your very mind, especially if the world is at war: a physical battle or a war for information.

The first theory of Demetrius himself being a test subject is probably Not What Happened; so I think it's probably just Demetrius being trained to keep his thoughts hidden.

But then, we get some of his thoughts:

Which is a lot reminiscent of:

So, it's probable that Demetrius imbibed this from his dad.

It's honestly a bit scary to see how Donovan's "parenting" has affected him: for him, age 12, to be like this.

After this, the chapter ends lightheartedly: Anya trying to emulate Demetrius, and Loid Being Tired™️.

I'm mostly curious about Demetrius: I was so excited when he was finally revealed! But I hope we get to see more of his thoughts, soon. Especially more about his relationship with Damian. But, this chapter was fantastic!

(This was super fun to do- if i do posts like this for chapters as they come out, would you all like it? Again, I'm not an expert in psychology (or even analysis). It's just me and my silly lil thoughts. I hope you liked it!)

[bombasticsalt]

Arcane and systemic issues aka why Jinx isn't the biggest problem for Arcane's characters

So this post is mainly based on this comment I saw on some random reaction video that said Jinx was the biggest problem in Arcane's universe and why they are wrong. Did we watch the same show? Of course you can root for whoever you want to but I don't feel like you can say people of the undercity revolting are the main problem.

See the thing is Jinx wouldn't have been created as she is if it weren't for her being born on the wrong side of town. I've seen people say Mylo created Jinx or Vi created Jinx but the thing is that arcanes society as it is created Jinx. Often when people talk about powder I see people say that she's only a kid and of course she's bad at stuff, but I think the bigger issue isn't that Powder is bad at stuff it's that she shouldn't have to be good at making bombs, or fighting, or parkour. Powder was a child, a sensitive child at that she's not less talented than any other normal child but, she's surrounded by other kids who have had to have thick skin and have been forced to survive on their wits. Of course, compared to Mylo, Claggor, and Vi she's the weak link because she's the only one in that group who doesn't have something she excells in. Powder has the talent of a child because she is a child who shouldn't have been forced to be at anything other than a childs level. Vi has always been a fighter from what we've seen and that's something that helps her but not every kid is like that, not every kid is a natural leader and they shouldn't have to be they're children it's their job to learn. But for kids like Mylo they don't see it that way all they can see is that everybody else is good at something except for Powder. Mylo makes Powder feel bad for not being good at anything, for jinxing every job because in his eyes she should be up to Zaun's standards. Even though the kids in Zaun shouldn't have to be tough, by normal standards Powder is a smart child but by the undercity's standards she's a weak link. It's not that Powder is bad at everything or a Jinx she's just a child who wasn't born equipped for the world she was brought in.

One of the things I love about arcane is how much content they give us outside of the canon show especially, the enemy music video. Scene's that stick with me are when Powder see's these two people fighting and she has this sad little face it's so heartbreaking, and when she does her little finger gun thing with enforcers. Which brings me to my next point, the undercity is ultimately stuck in a cycle of violence. Doesn't it say something that Silco's best idea of how to control the undercity is to introduce a highly addictive and dangerous drug that grants ordinary people the chance to be strong and retaliate. Most of the enforcers don't care about justice and are more focused on keeping people in the undercity than keeping peace. When you're raised around violence for that long it becomes all you know, hell what made Powder get into wanting to make bombs in the first place. As long as Jinx has been alive the enforcers and topside has been the enemy who has repeatedly said let them eat cake to the undercity's struggles. In fact the entire undercity is full of Jinx's, people who crave violence and chaos who begin to have an unstoppable rage against topside. Jinx is the person who had the guts to look topside in the face and declare war, a revolution to cut off Marie Antoinette's head. Of course in that moment for Jinx it probably was not a statement it was an act of hate, an act of passion, an act of rebirth.

Jinx is a symbol because of her defiance (killing the counselors) but somebody was going to have to do it eventually. Jinx is every top-siders worst stereotype about people from the undercity personified, but of course she is she's a mentally unstable person raised in a society that would rather pretend she does not exist rather than stopping this cycle of poverty and insanity. Of course she's a stereotype in a government that's done barely anything to support her or her sister. And the thing is it was never about Jinx, well it is but not really. Jinx is a name for the monster, a face to make the people raise their pitchforks and burn the entire coven. Jinx is the image not the movement. The biggest issue with the undercity isn't that the people are naturally disturbed it's that they're trapped in an endless cycle of suffering that ultimately leads to mentally unwell people.

Classism is such a big subject when it comes to arcane that I feel as if some fans refuse to acknowledge in a way that says something other than "oh yeah the under city is poor how sad". So many people talk about how you shouldn't compare trauma but it's objectively clear how class effects how people handle trauma. One of the biggest examples is Powder and Vi's parents death vs Caitlyn's mom dying. A line that sticks with me is during the first episode of season two when Vi says she watched the enforcers kill her parents and that Caitlyn has no idea how that feels then Caitlyn says she does because she's sounds so genuine when she says this but she doesn't at all. When Jinx killed Caitlyn's mom she was allowed to hate Jinx, allowed to hate the people of the undercity and nobody ever tries to justify her mother's death. Vi doesn't have that luxury she can't afford to not like the enforcers, she's not allowed to not like them because "they're a symbol of justice" sure they killed her parents but these are the supposed good guys! Vi isn't allowed to express her grief for her parents because the same people who killed them are the same people supposed to protect them, she can't afford to not like people from top side because "they're the good guys the civilized one's among a sea of beasts" sure they made mistakes and sure those mistakes get people from the undercity killed but still "We're the good guys"

Caitlyn claims that Vi can show people that not all of Zaun supports Jinx which feels wrong especially since Jinx shot that rocket with absolutely nobody supporting her. People supported Silco and that they should fight but in that moment that killed Cait's mom it was only Jinx. Yet for Caitlyn it's not Us vs Jinx, it's Us vs The undercity, she even tells Vi that she thought Vi was on their side. Not the side of justice the side of piltover because all it took for Caitlyn to hate the undercity was one bad person. That's what it took to make her see these people as inhumane and lesser than the people of piltover. Caitlyn and Jinx are parallels and I think the only difference between them that isn't just class is that; somebody gave a name to Powder's monster.

[ot3]

can i please hear your thoughts about franema. blease. i know they have something going on between them

oh yes yes.... franema happy to talk about it. for starters just everything about how ema behaves herself in aa4 makes me believe that would be some excellent yuri because bitch4bitch femslash is always so important.

in general though i think they're two people whose lives are very centered around their work (as much of the main ace attorney cast is) but they center their work extremely differently in a way i think would cause the other person to question a lot about their own perspective. I think a situation where two characters can really ruffle each others feathers just by existing in proximity has a lot of good ship fodder.

i think in many ways franziska is what ema wanted to be. she's a child prodigy, competent and excelling in her field and earning respect from a very young age. meanwhile when she's several years older than fran was passing the bar ema is still just a high school student just dipping her nose into forensic science for the first time. by the time she's in her mid 20s ema still isn't at the level of career success fran reached in her teen years, being stuck as a detective after failures to pass the forensics exams. and i think it's really worth paying attention to the fact that Detective was specifically the job that lead to her sister's life turning to shit, so i think the longer and longer she stays trapped in that position the more she's gonna start feeling like the walls of her life are closing in on her. i know we don't know where fran is at career wise during this point in the timeline but my personal headcanon is that she ends up doing a lot of work with interprol and primarily specializing in prosecuting cases that take place across various countries' jurisdictions, and has had good success doing so.

Then on the flipside I think Fran see's ema's fully self-motivated passion for forensics as something enviable and admirable. Fran is i think someone who has spent her entire life running through a treadmill of carrots and sticks that dictated what her life was going to be like since she was born. Obviously prosecuting is the family trade and she was started extremely young, then pitted against someone much older for the majority of her childhood. I think the ebb and flow of validation or disinterest from her peers and family was such an overwhelming motivator that she never had the chance to even consider whether or not there's anything she's passionate about. As an adult, i think she does come to find an honest passion in her career but it's nothing like what ema has, it can't be decoupled from external validation, and that's something she's come to understand as a bit of a weakness.

Then interpersonally i feel like since ema is much more personable and socially adjusted than fran, i could feel that being something she instinctively kind of leverages against fran to try and level their playing field. like, okay, franziska may be this bigshot famous prosecutor (just like edgeworth, who ema wants sooo bad to impress) but ema can find ways to embarrass, frustrate, or otherwise fluster her in social settings so that's totally the same as being intellectual equals right. right. right. (<- thoughts of a girl who is definitely being normal about the situation). but i feel like fran could kind of learn to be grateful for the lack of deference ema treats her with and it could be a real first step to them actually getting to know each other better.

i feel like they'd have a lot of similar opinions on the broader aspects of life. i think they'd both be fine with a more casual relationship that involves a lot of traveling for work and isn't particularly romantic by a lot of people's standards. and i think it would be fun for them to fuck each other. overall it just works imo. thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

So, controversial topic. taking in count that in a month, the webcomic "scarlet lady" is gonna end ¿what are your feelings about it?

I know that there's people out there that don't like it for the chloe salt, but i have to admit that the damnation that chloe went through, at least for me, gave her more agency than canon, for the fact that it wasn't manipulated by outside forces like canon did, it gave her the right to choose to be better or worse.

Another great element is that it does what canon refused to do: five back Adrian his agency by letting him vent his frustrations AND let him realize that his father is a bastard.

If you don't agree, that's more than excellent, i want to know your take in this topic, that being positive or negative 😄👍

My friend, you are talking to a big Scarlet Lady fan, so I'm happy to give my thoughts! Get ready for some gushing and in-depth discussion of the adaptation process. That's really what all fanfiction is, but Scarlet Lady is more of an adaptation than most since it's a true canon rewrite that often requires you to know canon to fully appreciate its jokes and meta commentary.

Before we get into it, I want to give a link to the comic for those who haven't read it. The artist/writer is @zoe-oneesama and this is page one of the comic. I'd follow the comic link if you haven't read it as the comic is nearing its end, so going straight to Zoe's page will spoil you on elements of ending.

General Thoughts on Adaptation

Adaptation is an art, not a science. There are things that are objective elements of a story. Things you really cannot change if you want people to feel like you're telling an adaptation of a given tale. But there are also plenty of elements that are more subjective. Things some people might consider vital, but that aren't truly necessary to stay true to the story's core. (Yes, the character core thing applies to stories too!)

For example, to be a Cinderella adaptation, you need to have some sort of big reveal moment where "the prince" finds Cinderella, but that moment doesn't need to involve a slipper and the prince doesn't need to be an actual prince. My favorite modern Cinderella adaptation is A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song and it twists both of those elements while keeping the major story beats in place, making it fully deserving of the Cinderella label while also being its own unique story that isn't a straight retelling, it's an adaptation.

I bring all this up because, as readers of this blog may have already guessed, Scarlet Lady does a lot of things that I personally would not do when adapting Miraculous. A big one being that I prefer a more complex take on Gabriel, but that's simply a matter of preference. A complex Gabriel is not a requirement for adapting Miraculous. Complex Gabriel vs comedic villain Gabriel is just a choice you have to make when it comes to adapting canon because canon is such a mess that both options have straight up backing in the source text. Even if they didn't, Gabriel's core role - villain - is one that leaves you a lot of room for interpretation based on other factors that we'll talk about in a second.

I'll close off this section with this: having read all of Scarlet Lady, I'll be so bold as to say that Zoe and I almost perfectly align when it comes to identifying the flaws in Miraculous because I've agreed with pretty much every change she's made. She did a fantastic job staying true to the core of canon while also telling the story she wanted to tell. It's not the way I'd redo canon, but it doesn't need to be for me to call it a fantastic story. Plus a lot of the different choices I'd make come down to narrative style and tone.

Narrative Style and Tone

I'm a novelist at heart, which means that I favor serialized storytelling. For those who don't know that word, it means stories that are one coherent whole just broken into chunks. Stories where the order matters. You can't start watching at a random episode, you have to start at the beginning. And skipping an episode usually means that you'll have no idea what's going on.

Miraculous is not a serialized show. It's primarily an episodic show, a word that means that episode order doesn't matter. Every installment stands alone.

Obviously Miraculous isn't completely episodic, but that's fine. Purely episodic narratives are rare these days. Most stories have at least minor serialized elements even if those elements are often ignored for multiple episodes at a time. This is where both Miraculous and Scarlet Lady fall. They're mostly episodic stories with serialized elements popping up every now and then.

Miraculous does this element poorly because it acts like it's a purely episodic show and then takes that to an absurd extreme. Rules, characters, and lore can never be counted on to stay the same from episode to episode even though that's not actually how episodic stories work. Scarlet Lady doesn't make this mistake. It understands that episodic narratives should have STORIES that stand alone, but that the WORLD the stories take place in must stay consistent.

Now that we've gone over the basic format stuff, let's talk about tone.

Generally speaking, tone is the vibe of your story. It can be serious, silly, dramatic, and so on. One of Miraculous' biggest flaws is that its tone is all over the place. It's a silly romcom that brings in serious topics in serious ways and then handles them with all the grace of a hippo performing ballet in a china shop because of course it does! Those topics are horribly suited to the show's overall tone so it has no way to properly address them.

This is one of the many things I love about Scarlet Lady. It takes the show's absurdist tone and honors it. That's why Zoe's version of Gabriel works so well! He's a silly cartoony villain in a silly cartoony comic as he should be. It's also why my versions of Gabriel tend to be more complex. More serious serialized narratives are where more serious complex villains thrive. Neither option is better than the other, it all comes down to how you're adapting the original work. Zoe's choices are perfect for her version's style and tone. If mine are even close to that good for my preferred style and tone, then I'll be a happy author.

Narrative Weight & The Chloe Thing

This is getting long, so I'll end with a note on Chloe since you brought her up as it's another great example of the fact that there are very few choices that are inherently right or wrong when it comes to adaptation.

I don't know if I'd say that I'm a Chloe fan, but I certainly don't hate her. I also love what Zoe did with the character! It's a prime example of a thing that I've talked about before: the issue with Chloe is not a lack of redemption. The issue is that Chloe was given too much narrative weight to be what canon made her.

Quick definition: narrative weight is the importance a narrative places on a person, event, thing, etc. The more time you dedicate to an element of your narrative, the more weight that element has in the eyes of your audience. The more they expect the element to matter. The way that you develop the element will also shape audience expectations.

In the context of canon, Chloe has more development than almost any other side character. We know more about her family, her childhood, her personality, and so on. This was an absurd choice for canon to make because Chloe is not actually important to the story they told. You could pull her out of canon and almost nothing would change. Gabriel can make akumas do whatever he wants so, lore wise, he didn't need Miracle Queen. In fact, he arguably shouldn't have made Miracle Queen. He could have just taken the miracle box and jumped right into the plot of season five. Similarly, Chloe being mayor was an absurd one-note moment that's easily replaced with something more logical.

Because of this, there are a lot of things you can do when adapting Chloe. Everything from turning her back into a one-dimensional mean girl to redeeming her to what Zoe did: take Chloe's narrative weight and petty brat behavior and lean into both to make Chloe a main antagonist while also acknowledging the fact that Chloe is a messed up teenage girl who needs some serious help. I'm super excited to see the end of Chloe's arc in Scarlet Lady as I think it's going to be one of my favorites in the fandom. That is admittedly not a high bar as I'm very picky when it comes to Chloe content. I think most of it falls flat because most of it fails to let Chloe hit some sort of rock bottom when she absolutely needs to if you want to do anything interesting with her. She's not the kind of person who will easily change or see the error of her ways.

Conclusion

Scarlet Lady is a fantastic adaption of Miraculous and Zoe is a fantastic and funny adapter. The comic might not be to your tastes - and that's fine, nothing has universal appeal - but it's still a great example of how to honor source material while doing your own thing with it, which is a true skill. One of the problems with many modern retellings and reboots is that the people running the show don't understand how to adapt a narrative. They take far too much creative freedom and end up with something that doesn't feel anything like the source.

If I found out that Zoe somehow got hired to adapt something I love, then I wouldn't have any concerns. I'd have no idea what she'd do with it, but I'd be confident that it wouldn't spit in the face of the thing I love. I'd personally read a hundred Miraculous re-imaginings with her at the helm.

[shalomniscient]

TELL ME MORE ABOUT SEVCHINO LORE PLEASE🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

hello alba !!! i admit i haven't thought about canon-compliant sevchino in a long time...... but modern!au sevchino has been ping-ponging in my brain instead. this is about to be so delusional so bear with me ,,,,,,,,

i used to brainrot ceo!arle but then i was given the vision by apollo himself of pediatrics!arle and that has been how she appears to me ever since. i most definitely would not be working with her in the hospital because i was simply not built for the medical grind, though in an ideal world by the point arle becomes the head of pediatrics, i'd be at best an associate prof or at least an assistant prof of ecology, though on tenure track regardless. going into academia and teaching at a university level specifically has always appealed to me so i'm going to indulge a little hsdljfhslf

in modern!au i think arle and i would meet a lot later than in canon. i'd probably find her when we're both in uni, out under a tree somewhere near the campus and just staring at a particularly interesting spider. we would have a nerd to nerd moment and talk some shop about spiders or bugs in general until it becomes kind of a routine. the rest of the relationship would be a pretty linear and typical progression. we don't really go on regular dates because premed is ridiculously demanding, so most of the time it's good ol' study dates. i offer my arm or leg for her to draw all the various veins and arteries on when studying anatomy because her own limbs have that black tinge and she can't really see her own veins. despite that, i feel like arle's hands tend to run a little hot, like a noticeable kind of hot, which makes for excellent massages whenever i'm dying over a 3k word report.

anyway the university i would teach at would have an affiliated hospital, which is also the hospital arle works at. my schedule would definitely be more relaxed than hers, so i'd probably be the one crossing campus to meet up with her for lunch in her office if she's free. from my own experience, if you turn up at the hospital often enough people start to remember you and then you unlock the honorary staff member pass and can head in through the staff walkways. arle's office is professional most of the time, though i can tell if she's had a patient come through recently by the miscellaneous children's toys scattered on a section of the carpeted floor that she didn't clean up in time. she keeps a family picture on her desk, and in her drawer, tucked away in a large, meticulous file are nearly a hundred thank-you cards written by her patients that she's kept over the years.

arle definitely draws a few stares on the rare occasion she meets me at my office instead. funnily enough, i think it draws a bit of controversy with the students. arle doesn't wear her ring on the job (there's a risk of damaging it or accidentally hurting her patient, and the fact that wearing any sort of jewellery is generally discouraged when scrubbing up) while i do, so the students put 2 and 2 together and it's not a pretty picture. but things clear up when a student comes in for a thesis discussion and sees the wedding picture on my desk. it still makes for a funny story in hindsight though. in any case, arle is most certainly a local dilf, and if any of the sevchino kids are in university at this point they do NOT hear the end of it. arle always showing up in the labcoat-over-scrubs fit and somehow eating it up does not help.

we have a place close to campus, though with arle's salary as a department head we definitely also have a beach house. we'd go there on weekends when arle's not on call, and it's her time to unwind. she'll wake up early just to spend the dawn on the deck and watch the sunrise over the ocean before crawling back into bed. i am still in charge of breakfast though because arle would make toast and steak tartare, and while it is certainly tasty it is also generally not a breakfast food. anyway, long walks on the beach in the morning, evening or night are definitely a must. it's nothing special, just walking and talking. sometimes it's just quiet, but it works for both of us. OH and arle 100% does her fuckass hand fishing nonsense...... i could tell her i plan to cook fish tonight and she'll look up from her newspaper, nod, change into a pair of swim shorts, leave, then come back with like. a whole ass flounder. do i grill her a little for going out and just grabbing fish? yes. do i still give her a thank you kiss? also yes.

ok it's. 0100 and i need sleep for the gym grind tmrw so i will end it here but this brainrot goes DEEP i fear........................ my chronic inability to stfu is rattling around in my skull like a terrible creature and i fear it will return 😔😔😔 tqsm for the question though, i really enjoyed answering it !!

[killmongerskeepermain]

Dating Shuri Headcanons

Summary/Request: Now I need headcanons for Shuri please kind ma'am. Just a crumb 👀 sfw and nsfw. -Anonymous

SFW 

You two meeting each other was honestly an accident. She had accompanied T'Challa on a trip to the states to speak with the you and avengers. 

She jumped in your conversation to ask him a question and the two of you hit it off as soon as you laid eyes on each other.

Definitely a friends to lovers vibe

Shuri would show you around her lab whenever you two had a video chat going. 

Sending tiktoks at 4 in the morning to each other, then bickering about why the other is awake.

She’s always sending you pictures of her latest inventions.

You’d tell her stories about your missions.

She thinks you were as good as Namkia when it came to infiltrating and spy stuff. 

When you two started dating you had to accommodate quickly to her habits of staying in the lab for many days straight.

You’d pull her attention out of her work with date ideas for later in the day. That’s usually on a good day. 

Other days her work tends to get hectic which can lead to your princess being aggressive and highly irritable. 

With everything that’s happened she does track your kimoyo bracket she gifted you. Can never be too sure. Not in an obsessive way but more of a, I care too much, kind of way. Like if she looks away for a second you’re going to disappear. 

Gets jealous real easy. 

Will attach herself to your hip whenever she feels like someone is threatening your relationship. 

Loves having her hands on you. There isn’t one spot she hasn’t touched. 

NSFW 18 +

Now when I say she loves touching you. I mean that in both a sweetheart way and a I’m gonna fuck you like slut type of way.

She takes every opportunity she can get to bury her fingers in your pussy. 

Kissing in bed? Yeah you getting fucked. Taking a shower together? You getting fucked.

Hell she would take you on the balcony outside her room. A good fuck and a view? Sign me up.

I’m pretty sure it’s been established that Shuri is a good eater from other headcanons and that fact remains. She’ll never pass up the chance to have her face between your thighs. 

She would have your legs over her shoulders as she ate you like the last meal. 

Pull her hair. Just do it. Her tongue will go into overdrive. To have those curls running through my fingers.

Will overstimulate you so be aware. She has no problem holding you down till you cum a couple of times. Especially now she has black panther strength. 

She does enjoy being worshiped ever now and then. When she has a long day for example, it’s your job to help your princess relax.

Into light choking.

She even cooks up some things in her lab to enhance the experience in the bedroom. All kinds of toys for her to use on you. 

Shuri definitely excels in dirty talk. Seriously, where did she learn all of this?

Favorite place to have you is on the balcony outside her room, under the stars. 

Usually falls asleep first.

Long story short Shuri is our kinky sweetheart.

[da-janela-lateral]

Some highlights from the MP100 Brazilian dub (because I adore it) pt.1

Earlier in this year, I commented on the voice actor choices for some characters, and someone suggested me to talk more about this dub. Of course, I'm very glad to elaborate on my love for my country's dubbing, specially for one of the most enjoyable examples I've seen.

My congratulations for the director Úrsula Bezerra and the Unidub studio for their efforts here!! I could not expect less from such experient professionals! I also want to give my appreciation to the translation team for their lovely spin on the dialogue that made the anime even funnier.

And about the voice actor choices...

Main Characters

Ítalo Luiz as Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama - This man has an impressive voice range and made a spetacular job with Mob. I love how he captured his young, timid essence but also expressed Mob's stronger emotions in a fantastic way. It made him endearing from the start.

Vágner Fagundes as Arataka Reigen - VÁGNER FAGUNDES. I didn't know much about him before, but his interpretation of Reigen sold him as a excellent voice actor to me. There is something different about his work. No other Reigen voice has that much charisma or impact to me. I can watch the same heartwrenching scenes in the original audio or any of the English dubs without an issue, but listening to Vágner Fagundes's version will make me break in tears instantly. 11/10.

César Marchetti as Dimple + the narrator - I've always enjoyed his voices in older, charismatic character of dubious morality, so he fit like a glove with Dimple's evil spirit ways. César made Dimple's personality SHINE through his hilarious entonations and word choices, and all this served to emphasize the comic effect the green fart had in his best scenes. I also liked César more serious voice when speaking as the narrator, which further proves his range.

Robson Kumode as Ritsu Kageyama - Famous for dubbing Sasuke Uchiha during the 2000s, Robson Kumode has a way for voicing emotionally complex teenagers and so created an amazing portrayal of Ritsu. He managed to transmit both Ritsu's harsher and darker feelings and the fact that in the end, he was still a child. By character design alone, this voice actor would be an obvious choice.

Felipe Zilse as Teruki Hanazawa - In contrast to Ritsu's case, Felipe Zilse was not a clear voice choice for Teruki, considering how deep it can sound at times. I have to admit I found it a bit difficult to get used to at the start (why does this 14 year old sound so adult!). However, Felipe managed to be a great Teruki through the prideful calmness on his voice and his effort on making the character's emotional scenes filled to the brim with a unique quality.

Armando Tiraboschi as Katsuya Serizawa - Oh, how do I even start? I like Armando Tiraboschi's voice very much, even more his talent for dubbing rugged gentlemen in action-ridden contexts. His version of Serizawa may sound older and a little less awkward than the original, but his spin on the character is wonderful with its focus on Serizawa's gentle giant traits. I guess it contributed to my tiny crush on the 30yo ex-terrorist.

Fernanda Bullara as Tome Kurata - EXCELLENT. IMPECCABLE. Fernanda Bullara was the best possible choice for Tome, as she has lots of experience with energetic and exccentric characters such as her. Her voice was outstanding for Tome's outbursts and more exaggerated scenes, while maintaining some vulnerability when necessary. Not too girly, not stereotipical teen-like. She is just a young lady who is passionate about her interests.

Edit: including some links

[psychicvoidtale]

BLOB OPERA!!!!!

(They are all something like orphans, they are fish and they spent most of their lives in a fish tank, they are mutants, I love them)

Bancy has always been interested in music, in he free time she is practicing how to improve her voice and be better every day! He likes to watch records related to music and podcasts, he is very shy with people, he is currently dating a computer girl

Baldo is not really that excited about the opera itself, the'y does it because the'y does not spend as much time with his brothers as the'y would like, the'm works too much, although the'y is very grumpy the'm has his good moments and loves his brothers unconditionally.

Since Bob joined the world of opera, he was nervous at first but then he got used to it. He always tries to be as friendly as possible and it doesn't bother him. He gets along very well with the other people in charge of the show. He likes to take photographs.

Barry always wanted to be appreciated by people, in fact, at first he liked the idea of being an actor, he could never do it well, Bob encouraged him to take him into this world of music, he is always happy to talk to his fans or part of the rest of the show

Boly has always been somewhat envious, he really likes to show off that he is very popular, this is his defense mechanism, he is afraid of being ridiculed, sometimes in his free time he likes to do crafts, apart from that he is the one who focuses the most on his work secondary

Bambi was very energetic, he once suffered an accident and almost died, thanks to several surgeries, he managed to survive, he is a bit dumb, since his brain underwent a couple of changes, but he is still excellent at singing, most of the time he is taken care of by one of his friends

Bam is the tallest of all, he is quite cold with people and his fans, he doesn't care what they say about him, he is the most responsible of all, he is the only one with a driver's license, he knows how to know very well, he has a car and he has a doctorate, he is quite affectionate with his brothers even though he is very cold

At the beginning, Babi was extremely important to everyone, that was quite stressful for him, and that affects him now, every time he suffers a lot of pressure he feels like crying, he has a second job in cartoons, he likes his jobs, his safe place is his bed and his brothers

Blob is just joining the opera, he feels very bad about his face, he had several accidents before mutating, all his brothers support him too much, his second job is taking care of pets

Bap Is new!

Thank you for reading

sammy, my characters (mark, daisy, doldy and joey) and any other characters will not be available for questions until further notice, they are the main ones now

[foundtherightwords]

🛒 🐀 🥁 "Hoard" thoughts 🛒 🐀 🥁

OK, so I've finally finished watching "Hoard" (after having to put it on hold because I got sensory overload from the damned Interview Magazine photoshoot!) and sufficiently recovered to gather my thoughts. Here they are (placed below the photo/cut to avoid spoilers, obvs):

First impression: It's a lot less gross than I was led to believe. Even the scene everybody claims to be the grossest (with the pop rocks) is not that gross to me. But maybe I'm just desensitized from watching too much Taskmaster lol (when you've watched a man eat hot toothpaste, dog food, burned porn, and a regurgitated donut all in the name of comedy, and whatever the hell this task is, nothing is gross anymore.)

In fact, I'm pleasantly surprised by how whimsical the movie is, especially the earlier scenes of Maria's childhood. Luna did a great job treading that fine line between magical (especially when seen from young Maria's POV) and grim (when seen from the audience's POV). Hayley Squires is amazing as Cynthia; there's so much strength and vulnerability in her character. Hers is the stand-out performance for me after Joe's.

Michael: I'm going to be biased here (of course I am, it's Joe) and say I don't find Michael as despicable as Luna and Joe himself made him out to be in interviews. Yes, a lot of this sympathy is thanks to Joe's performance (though I have to say he's excellent at adding a sinister undercurrent to everything Michael does, especially in the early scenes with Maria). But I think Michael is struggling just as much as Maria, and he doesn't have the support system like Maria does (with her foster mum or her friend) to pull him out of it. His fiancee seems sweet, but she's clueless (and honestly, I was screaming at her to just leave his smelly ass at the end! You don't need him!) I can see how his actions can be interpreted as manipulative and predatory because he's so much older than Maria and already in a relationship. Still, when you think about how both Michael and Maria don't have a normal childhood and they're trying to recapture that sense of childhood with each other, then you can say Maria is in control of the action much more than he is (he freaks out when she goes off on her own and insists that "We do this together", like a little kid). @ceriseheaven has an excellent interpretation that Michael is the personification of grief for Maria, which I heartily agree with and want to add that, if Michael is grief to Maria, then Maria is childhood for him, the childhood he never had (and the fact that he's about to be a dad himself is driving this home for him, making him even more desperate for that taste of joy before he has to be a real grown-up.) This is why the sex sours it for both of them, I believe. It makes everything too real. Everybody keeps talking about Joe's improv of the line "Please love me," but for me, it's the line before that - "Is it that hard [to love me]?" - that really breaks my heart and epitomizes Michael's character.

My quibble: pacing. I find the first half of the movie kind of slow, and the second half almost breakneck in pace, so much so that I was surprised when Michelle claims it's been 5 months since Maria left school (it felt like 5 days to me!) Maybe it's intentional on Luna's part, but I wish it could have been more evenly paced so we could really get into Maria's downward spiral and see how her hoard builds up gradually. The last 15 minutes or so, starting with the confrontation with Michael in her room (the "Please love me" scene), is the most powerful to me, but because of the pacing, the ending feels kind of rushed. I guess the catalyst that shocks Maria out of her hoarding is the encounter with the hit-and-run victim, but it feels a little out of nowhere. After all that dysfunction, I wasn't expecting it to be wrapped up so neatly (yes, there is the hint that Maria may be pregnant, but she seems to have made peace with everything.) I'm going to watch it again to see if this impression changes.

Finally: why doesn't Sky Store have subtitles for their films? I'm at that age now where I can't hear without subtitles, and half of the time I have no idea what the characters are saying (their thick East London accent doesn't help.)

So, all in all, a very interesting film, not my type at all (my taste in film is very conventional haha), but it's a testament to Luna's talent that she manages to deliver such a personal story in a way that resonates with the audience regardless of our experiences, and I'm glad it's been brought to our attention thanks to Joe. I'm definitely going to rewatch it (several times!) to pick apart the story and the characters more carefully.

[pepperf]

Sending this ask to a few tua accounts!

Diegolila is probably my favorite ship in the show, but I've been thinking about this a lot lately. What would you change about their relationship in season 4? Obviously they're not in the honeymoon phase anymore, and they have three kids, so I feel like naturally they would go through a rough patch. But what made me sad in season 4 was that none of it got fixed. The five/lila relationship aside, it was weird to see Lila be just completely disconnected from Diego and not come to any realizations about her relationship with him, especially because she IS a deep character and she really does love him. Plus, I don't completely agree with her being a housewife either. It hurts to see them fight and stuff because I feel like they're 2 characters who are really in sync with each other and who make each other better people, but it hurt a lot more when their arcs ended in them basically not really loving each other anymore.

TLDR how would you rewrite their relationship in season 4? Would Lila still be a housewife/Diego a delivery driver? Who would try to fix the relationship first? Why would the relationship go through the rough patch in the first place? Is it because they're both just tired of each other/suburban life/kids? Or is it something else? Would they try to fix it in the first place?

Sorry this is a really long ask, but I love all your tua takes and I feel like they ripped off Diego and Lila in the worst way this season. Would love to know your thoughts.

Extremely belated reply to this, because @lochrannn answered it so well and I couldn't think of what else to add at the time - but I've been thinking about this recently, and now I do have some thoughts!

Honestly, I'd like to rewind the show back a bit further, to the start of s3. I wouldn't have had the pregnancy plot for Lila, I am not a fan. Love it in fanfic! Have written it myself! Came around to it for those two because they were just that chaotic! But as a canon plot, I think it both limited them, and also cemented their relationship too soon. I wanted them to have a lot more uncertainty for longer, more back and forth. I would have had Lila gone for longer - Diego hadn't even changed his clothes by the time she came back! He needed more time to fret/pine/let all those stupid emotions come to a nice simmer, and then Lila returns (her time apart from him was excellent, on the other hand, no notes). Then - conflict, sex, reconciliation, surprises, reconciliation v2, etc.

And then in s4, I would still have had the time jump, for practical (Aiden) reasons, and still have had the D/L kids - but giving them a little while to just live their lives together, child-free. And I would have kept the fact that their first kid was totally unexpected, lol. And all of that could happen off-camera, it doesn't need to be filmed, just there as backstory. Then I would have started s4 in a sort of similar position, in that they would be having some problems (these two are MEANT for conflict lbr), but they would both be sneaking out to do vigilante/spy type stuff. I'm neutral on whether they both have shitty jobs, but I wouldn't have Lila as a full-time stay-at-home mum. And then, plot stuff happens, and they learn lessons, and reconcile by the end of the season - although preferably in a more interesting way than just "talking to some guy" or "being stuck somewhere", something more in keeping with their chaotic natures and weird priorities. And they would adore their kids, this wouldn't even be a question.

Anyhow, that's my take. I don't think it needs to majorly alter the overall story (although I also hate the ending - but that's a separate issue!), but they could've done so much more exciting and unexpected stuff with those two characters, and the actors were wasted on the duff material they were given in s4 especially.

Thank you for the question!

[csuitebitches]

Book Review/ Notes from: The Psychology of Successful Women

I found the book pretty generic but I liked the fact that she added guiding questions to her strategies, which made it more doable. Here are the notes:

1. Define what success means to you. Ensure that it is healthy and holistic.

2. Note down your goals. “What do i want to be/do/have in my career?”

“A study on goal setting at the Dominican University in California showed you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Written goals are proven to increase your focus, strengthen motivation and help you come up with a plan of attack to make your dreams a reality.”

3. We need a combination of the right mindset + behaviour in order to actually succeed.

4. Confidence isnt relative to being an extrovert or introvert. Confidence is about having trust in oneself.

A) developing a positive internal dialogue instead of a negative, critical one

B) focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. “.. revealed that people who used their strengths every day were three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life, six times more likely to be engaged at work, 8% more productive and 15% less likely to quit their jobs.”

C) stop comparison - whether it means logging off social media or unfollowing/restricting certain people.

D) click with people with the same values as you.

E) believe in yourself. It’s not your job to prove yourself to everyone.

5. Developing a personal brand is important. A personal brand is how people see you and what you’re known for. Its important to consider how you present yourself online and offline.

• Your personal (people person/ adaptable/ flexible, etc) and professional strengths (what you really enjoy doing)

• What makes you unique

• Your achievements and qualifications

• Your life experiences

• Your values and the things that are important to you

• Your passions

• Your image

• Your mindset and attitude

• Your behaviour

Ask people around you how they see you - speak to people you deeply trust.

Reflect on that.

How would you like them to see you?

6. Imposter syndrome is often described as a pervasive feeling of self-doubt, inadequacy and incompetence, despite evidence of success.

A. Identity triggers and thought patterns to that lead you to feeling like a fake.

B. Acknowledge your past success and accomplishments. Write a list of some of your achievements and successes. Reflect on some of the great feedback you have received from a client or colleague in the past few months.

7. Boundary setting is a necessary evil. You will feel guilty at first, but it gets easier with time. You dont have to give out excessive excuses, either.

8. Fear of failure: What have you been putting off learning, doing or experiencing personally or professionally, because of fear of failure, or a fear of not being ready? • What can you do this week or month to stretch your comfort zone? • What would you do right now if you knew you absolutely couldn’t fail?

9. “Women tend to apologise a lot more than men in general, even when we have nothing to apologise for – almost out of habit. Do you say sorry a lot? Now this does not mean that we should never apologise, or that we can’t say sorry – of course we can. Just be mindful of over-apologising.”

Phrases to stop saying:

- I’m sorry that our director is unable to come today, you’ll have to put up with me instead…

- Apologies if I’m nervous today, I don’t often speak in public…

- I hope you dont mind but…

- I’m no expert on this but…

10. Stop diminishing yourself. “When we undervalue our role or contribution, we often reflect this in our language, and talk like what we do is not that important. Furthermore, when we don’t genuinely value ourselves, we may start to convince others of the same. People will often mirror back to us how we feel or speak about ourselves.”

11. “People with high levels of resilience think and act in ways that help them cope with change and setbacks. For example, they are flexible and can adapt to changing situations. They also tend to be positive and hopeful – believing the future can or will be better – even if they are in the middle of a challenge. Highly resilient people also don’t tend to dwell on setbacks and things they can’t change.”

Strategies:

1. Dont be afraid to ask for help. “People who are good at reaching out to others, talking about their challenges or setbacks, asking for help and then accepting that help, tend to cope better.”

2. Control what you can control. Do not focus on things you can’t control or change.

[aijousenshi]

so i really wanna talk about some of my favorite aspects of sailor v. i feel there is this misconception about certain qualities she attains maybe because she looks like usagi or how makoto and mina both have this love for romance and tend to get caught up in it , etc etc. she has similarities to her fellow sailor scouts but every sailor has things that make them really who they are. they each individually stand out. I REALLY JUST AM COMPILING SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS.

♡ MINAKO'S DESIRE TO BE MORE

one of my favorite things ( and absolutely one of my favorite moments ) within codename: sailor v. is the fact that mina tends to be hard on herself in her early days of discovering who she is. it's easy to see her within the main canon and see someone who goes to modeling jobs and has been successful with getting people's attention ( as in my canon she has also become an idol already ) but:

representing venus + love and beauty is a lot of pressure. that's a lot to live up to. even mina can be hard on herself. we see that here. to think that she would walk into every room thinking she's just this fabulous , charming individual that will dazzle everyone is just a lie. all of the senshi can be hard on themselves but moments like these feel very human. humanizing a young girl who desires to be so much but doesn't quite know how to find that .. so she'll take time looking in the mirror at herself wishing she had things that she doesn't.

♡ THE RED BOW + BECOMING SAILOR V.

a very important thing to my portrayal is that minako never builds herself around a man. even when it comes down to her LIKING men very much and going to great extremes to get their attention , she built her name on her own. the red bow in her hair does not represent the boy she liked giving her a gift. the red bow in her hair represents her. she trademarked sailor v , she forged her own path. it might be easy to say " oh sailor v wears a bow bc a long time ago she got it from a boy and this is her reminder of him " but keep in mind the very first boy she ever liked (after her awakening) was very toxic. minako making the decision to break things off from him once he showed his true colors and ultimately rejecting his advances because she has SEEN how kind true love can actually be is important. the red bow in her hair represents her determination , strength , and desire to fight for love and beauty.

♡ USAGI & MINAKO

usagi and minako are similar in a lot of ways but some important things they do not share in common are :

usagi is known to be the cry baby. minako does not cry. she finds other alternatives. yes i think every individual ONCE IN A WHILE will cry about things but it isn't excessive with minako. she strives to find other alternatives.

usagi and minako both are slackers but minako can be far more determined than usagi. she excels at things she is passionate about and will work hard to perform well even if it gets hard.

minako is athletically gifted. usagi is known to be quite klutzy.

usagi focuses more on seeing luna as a mentor and a motherly figure while minako treats artemis like he is her partner in crime.

family habits can be quite different for usagi and minako. usagi after her rebirth is very close to her family while minako isn't actually very close to her family at all. she has a ton of trouble with her mother specifically.

♡ SAILOR VENUS AWAKENING

sailor venus ( and this will go for my threads with people ) tends to act like a veteran soldier. she is the first person within the sailor senshi to reawaken to her powers. she is active before the events of sailor moon as we know during codename: sailor v. i like to take the specific canon of it taking a while for her to be recruited because minako believed in herself for so long , it's hard to open up to a group of girls to fight crime with when she GENUINELY wants to solve the world's problems by herself.

by the time of the sailor moon main canon events , the only real partner minako knew was artemis. there has to come a time where she knows she isn't powerful enough to face everything by herself. and it is through these other sailor scouts that she finds that resolve.

[havendance]

New Comics!

Didn't get around to this last month, but we're getting back to this, baby!

Birds of Prey #12 -- Sophie Campbell's art in this was indeed very cute. Plotwise, hmmm, I keep coming back to the fact that Kelly Thompson writes fun comics. And this was a fun issue! There were a lot of fun moments and sight gags. The cartoon/chibi designs of the characters were all excellent. I liked Babs' big cartoon glasses (and I really liked her outfit!) and Cass' ears, and how Vixen and Megara's powers were drawn. I do feel like the cute art does make it harder for me to take the plot seriously though, when I'm expecting something more like Tiny Titans from the vibes. Overall though, I'm going to be curious to reread this arc once it's complete and see if it reads smoother because right now it feels simultaneously too fast and like there's not much going on each issue.

It feels like we're hopping too quickly between all these places and the constantly changing art, while a fun concept is starting to make it harder to feel settled. There are a lot of characters in this arc and it feels like Thompson is having trouble balancing them. These past few issues have felt very repetitive in that they jump through the portal, adjust to the new changes, go beat up stuff, and jump through another portal, cut to the real world for a couple pages while Maps and assorted characters stand around. Right now it's feeling like it would've been nicer if this plot was more focused. Does it really need 5 issues? I'm wondering if this will read smoother in trade.

I think my last comment is that both this and the last issue have a sequence where one character's like 'I have an idea' and then we cut to the birds executing the idea without really explaining what they want to get out of the portal. I get that it's to build suspense, but it's kind of frustrating to be hit by it twice in a row. I'm not sure how to articulate this, but I feel like there's got to be a middle ground between telling the audience nothing and telling them everything.

Shazam #14 -- I think part of the reason why I'm finding myself more eh about Birds of Prey is that I read Shazam right after this and it just feels like Campbell is doing a much stronger job of juggling the different pieces and all the different characters she brings together in this issue in a way that's engaging and really feels like it's moving the plot forward. In this issue we've got Freddy, Billy (and also the Captain!), Mary, and Uncle Dudley and Mary gets a more supporting role, but it feels like there's a good amount of focus on each character.

Freddy's POV so much fun. He's over here like 'I am going to talk my way out of this situation' and the results from that are very entertaining. Uncle Dudly is also fun and there's a good set-up and payoff in this issue with him. I liked what we saw of the continued conflict between Billy and the Captain and I am here for the invasion of the Submen as next issue promised. It's just really fun.