#so it’s not just ‘which character would be willing to do this’ but also ‘which character has that sort of relationship with your character’

[nokkiart]

As a long time httyd fan who has been heavily involved in the fandom since the first movie and who has spent years working in the animation industry, I’d like to share my thoughts on the new httyd movie. Keep in mind, this is just my personal opinion and it's completely fine if you disagree with me. I just want to say a little something about all this that really bothers me.

The core reason that Dreamworks and Universal made this film is that it’s a quick and easy cash grab for them. Thats it. They don’t care about telling a good story or making a “better” version of the original movie for fans or even having an accurate portrayal of the characters/story. It’s purely about money. They know that fans of the original film will go see this movie, whether it’s good or bad. And those guaranteed ticket sales are all that matter to the studios. And with Universal, it has the added bonus of being a cheap promotional and merchandising opportunity for the new HTTYD land in Orlando that opens around the same time that the film is premiering in theaters.

And to help the studios make even more money out of this, they are using non-unionized VFX companies around the world to make this film, so that they can get cheaper labor and push the artists to do more that would be against American union standards. The same thing has probably happened with the costuming and fabrication for the filming, hence why the costumes look un-weathered and the sets look cheap. They don’t want to pay for the extra time and effort that it would take to make the practical bits of the production look good.

On top of all this, Dreamworks has already announced that they’re shutting down all their in-house animation projects in favor of using AI and outsourcing projects to cheaper international non-union studios.

With all this in mind, I just can’t support this film and I will not be seeing it in theaters. And I hope that others will do the same.

The only way to stop all these horrible “live action” remakes (which are actually just realistically animated remakes) is to not buy tickets to see them. Money is all that matters to these studios, and if they don’t make any money off of it, then they will stop and try something different. Maybe they'll even go back to focusing on original stories!

That’s the power that we hold as audiences. Our wallets help drive the decisions that the executives make. So support unique storytelling and gorgeous cinematography in movies. Support indie films. Support animators as they're fighting for fair pay and better contracts. But don't support a mediocre shot-for-shot remake riding on the coattails of an already successful film.

And I just want to wrap all this up by saying I have absolutely no hate towards anyone that has worked on the new film. Toothless looks incredible and I know the artists and creatives involved in this project did the best they could with what they were given.

But I also know that those same artists have so many more brilliant ideas that they would’ve loved to be given the creative freedom to do. I just wish hollywood would be willing to take a chance and let them do it.

[sapphiresaphics]

Here’s the thing. Arcane season 2 was finished being written back in 2020. It was completed before the first season of Arcane even aired on Netflix in the first place. Before they even knew if it was going to be a hit or not. Before any of the fans had hot takes about the characters.

Which means that all of these “new subplots” (such as the black rose) weren’t just added in on a whim. They have an intentional purpose in the story they’re trying to tell.

It also means that the pacing was always going to increase and become faster as the two seasons went on.

I think a lot of fans are coming at this show from the perspective of a lot of live action shows where the writers see how fans respond to certain things so they add them into the story or focus on fan favorites to grab your attention and keep you engaged. And live action shows can do this because they’re filmed relatively close to when the series airs and so they’re aware of what the reactions are on social media (for good or ill).

But this is animation. Very TIME CONSUMING animation at that. It took 4 years to finish animating the 9 episodes of Season 2. If you include the 6 years of development and production of Season 1, that’s almost a full DECADE of working on this show.

My point is that they literally (and logistically) can’t respond to fan input and make changes in the show based on the way it was received on social media. Like it or not, these specific characters beats and storylines were always the plan from the start.

This is a long winded way of trying to say… if you have problems with the way certain characters are behaving, or certain plot points feeling rushed, or feel overwhelmed by the number of added subplots that need to get resolved before the end of the show… I strongly suggest rather than saying the writing is “bad” or that the writers “don’t know what they’re doing” or just complain about anything really… I suggest you take a step back and ask yourself “why are these the stories and actions they chose for this 2 season arc?”

I think that’s a far more productive thing to do than to go online and whine about things you didn’t like. I find it’s better to try and understand WHY they chose to do these things rather than write them off. More often than not when you look into the why, or try to come up with reasons why the writers would take certain characters down the paths they do, you end up coming out appreciating the media more. Even if you still don’t were with their narrative choices, learning and understanding the WHY is far more rewarding I think.

I’ll give you an example of something I don’t like, but that I understand why. Isha. I don’t like that Isha was introduced and then killed off in the latest episode. If I were to look at it just from a surface level reading, it seems pointless to add this cute mute kid character only to take her away a few episodes later. But NARRATIVELY she’s extraordinarily important. She is what Jinx needed to become more empathetic to her sister and reach out to fix their family. She helps push Jinx into the role of Vander for season 2. And her heroically framed sacrifice is probably going to be the push Jinx needs to stop trying to commit suicide.

Would I have liked to see more of her and Jinx’s relationship? Yes. Would I liked to have learned more about where she came from and why she’s mute? Yes. But at the end of the day, this is not a show about Isha. Isha is a narrative device to help forward the character development of Jinx. And so, while I do not like that she sacrificed herself… I understand it. And that understanding helps me appreciate the writing and the level of depth the writers are willing to go to push their characters around where they need to be by the end of the series.

At the end of the day, Arcane is just another show on Netflix. It is not beyond criticism. There are a lot of legitimate criticisms you can have against the show. But I’ve found that recently the number of bad takes and people refusing to engage with the narrative has resulted in a bit of a backlash against the show and I do not think that’s ultimately very productive. Please… if you’re going to criticize the show, please try to do better than just write off anything you don’t like as “the writers just suck” or “they changed X character for no reason!”

Because I guarantee you, there IS a reason for everything in this show. No matter how small and trivial it might be, this show was put together with love and an extraordinary attention to detail. There are reasons for why characters do and say the things they say. The writers often make these into intentional parallels, foreshadowing, and callbacks.

Please… take the time to actually stop and dissect what you see. Even something upsets you. I implore you… try to understand why. Try to understand what the writers are saying. Try to understand how certain plot points and events could have a bearing on different characters.

Please just…. Try?

[spinchip]

Will any of the fights be different than in canon? ESPECIALLY since Zane and Nya are now competing,,,, do you have any ideas for that? Is the Jay-Cole fight still gonna be a thing, and if so, how will it manifest? (I imagine it would be similar to canon except w/o all the initial fighting. But the lack of Zane in the dungeon completely removes the core of Cole's subplot while he's down there, even if it does eventually become a general "ok lets figure out how to free everyone" thing. I could also see them BOTH being sent down there,, Chen WAS trying to do that when he saw that neither of them were willing to win ("so both of you will lose" etc. etc.)... And the Jay and Cole here are different from canon in that they're much more ride-or-die w/ eachother, so to speak, given that they have no one else.)

Pixal is sort of filling in for Nya's role this season, right? How does everyone react to.. yknow... android (THE WORD NINDROID DOESN'T EXIST IN THIS UNIVERSE EITHER.... our whimsy.... gone....) or does she stay out of sight entirely (or never get her cover blown? Does she even do the disguise thing that Nya does?),,, My main question is, does Zane see her as an android and if so, how does he react...

Karlof is out on the Jade blade section of the tournament so Nya essentially takes his spot on the bracket. i thiiink that makes it evenly balanced since Zane doesn't participate. the Jay-Cole fight still happens (they're both really upset they're fighting each other) but they give it their all and Cole eventually throws the match because of Zane lol. Lloyd wins all his fights 1) because he's genuinely a fantastic ninja and he knows spinjitzu and 2) because most of them will hold back because they're fighting a literal child lol.

Zane never officially competes in the tournament!

SO the boatride to chens island in a day and a half long and then, when the arrive, there's at least three days of downtime before the actual tournament begins. this is where we get a lot of character interactions. Cole and Zane form a fast friendship then, Chen gathers all of the contestants for dinner where Zane openly challenges him and hints he knows more than Chen expects. Chen, threatened by this, makes zane... disappear.

but not before Zane catches on to the fact he's in hot water and literally says to Cole, "Come find me." the morning after that dinner, Chen regretfully announces that Zane has a family emergency and had to take their only boat back to land late last night... so everyone is effectively stranded for at least three days on the island... and zane is no longer competing. Cole realizes something fishy is going on and when he loses to Jay, he looks for Zane down in the dungeon.

Pixal IS filling in for Nyas role and she absolutely does not hide her nature. she monitors chens palace for a while, gathering intel. She ends up being pestered by a falcon that just wont leave her alone >:[ finally, She sneaks into clouses room and steals the spell page during a time when he shouldn't be there fort a while. Clouse catches her in the act and she tries to run but she's caught. Falcon swoops down and tries to grab the spell page but she tries to hide it, suspicious of the bird being under clouses control before Falcon reveals his robotic nature and attacks the members of chens cult surrounding her. reassured he's not clouse or chens pet, she gives him the page before she's captured and he disappears out into the forest around the island.

pixal is brought to the dungeon and thrown in a cell. she breaks out because she's awesome. eventually she finds cole and the others and agrees to help him hunt down Zane which they do!!

i would say everyone is visibly weirded out and freaked out by her android nature, but she doesn't let it bother her. she sees her existence as a point of major pride. Zane doesn't outwardly react to her appearance, seemingly neutral on it.

Pixal, with pride: i am the worlds first android. i am the most advanced technological being on ninjago!

zane, thinking: oh she is going to be very mad

[cosmicheartz]

This is Naenia ( fun fact: the name is an alternate spelling of Nenia Dea who is the Roman Funeral Deity ) She's a Snow Leopard and is the goddess of death in the goatverse ( in my goatverse the bishops still represent the same things as my lambverse but kinda swapped around outside of Naenia herself ) compared to my Nari interpretation shes a lot less shitty but still pretty shitty/morally bankrupt in a sense. She saw her followers as playthings/"sims" and experimented with resurrection which often backfired and caused her followers to become catatonic or cursed which caused her imprisonment along with her attacking her siblings in a fit of anger ( basically a temper tantrum ). Naenia regrets the attack she did ( though at first it was more of a " i shouldn't have attacked them so viciously " deal and after she was ursurped it turned into " oh god i shouldn't have attacked them at all " ) i havent really fully developed my goatverse yet ( i havent even given them a proper name yet ) but heres some stuff i do have - light genderswap elements with some of the characters ( a inverse of the reg bishops with the shamura of the universe still being nonbinary ) - there wasn't a genocide on goats since the prophecy didn't specify a species that would free Naenia ( just that someone would free her ) but that doesn't mean the bishops aren't cruel as after Naenia was locked away they set out to forcibly convert her followers lest they be tortured and/or executed/killed in fear that one of them would be the " chosen one " - Goat's family refused to be converted and they were all promptly killed ( presumably sacrificed to the bishops ) outside of Goat ( who managed to escape and for the next couple years fended for themselves before they eventually got killed - unsure if my Goat was killed as a sacrifice or was simply unlucky and died by a heretic but either way they end up in Naenia's domain and is handed the purple crown ( ie this universe's red crown ) and is asked to start a cult in her name/"reviving" her cult along with convincing the bishops to free her ( which Goat took as " i'm gonna kill those mfs " both because of revenge and the bishops weren't exactly willing to hear Goat out ) - Goat went sorta mad with power during their vesselhood ( partially fueled by them wanting vengeance for their family's death and partially because they have a lot of unchecked issues ) and Naenia could see that. she knew she was going to have to fight them because she knew Goat wasn't going to give up the crown that easily - Goat was initially going to kill her after defeating her but couldn't bring themself to bring the final blow ( had a moment of clarity ) and spared her - their relationship was pretty tense afterwards, not hostile but they tried to avoid each other as much as possible. overtime Goat and Naenia reconcile and she becomes the secondary leader and head disciple of Goat's cult. -They also have a very playful flirtatious relationship and its a hot debate among Goat's followers if they're actually dating or not - Goat started to turn over a new leaf regarding how they ran their cult ( beforehand it was kind of a no mans land/shitshow ) they still enjoy violence but they decided to channel it into training the followers how to fight/fend for themselves. They also have a fight pit and mainly do rites of wrath ( there is a no killing rule with the rite of wraths however )

I see so many different goat's nari designs and ah i love them all so much 😭😭

If you have one please show them to me whaaaa😭😭😭😭

[mvrdermeharder]

I’m still very much fucked up over ch 284… in a good way and in a bad way. I have a lot of contradictory feelings and thoughts regarding Isagi x Kaiser.

Bc on one hand: I’ve always wanted to see a team-up between them. It has been teased for a looong time, them being extremely similar to one another has been stated by multiple characters, and it has been the focal point of the NEL arc in general. And we KNOW just how well Isagi can work with someone who thinks in a similar way and who gets his plans (Isagi x Rin in U20, Isagi x Hiori in Ubers, Isagi x Noa in Manshine).

So we could only imagine how well someone who is a perfect mirror to Isagi (regarding playmaking, positioning, play style, comprehension of the field, psychological skills, … ) would play together with him. I think what a good Kaisagi team-up would look like is a continuous “no-look-chemical-reaction” as we’d seen with Isagi x Hiori. (But the requirements of a chemical reaction are not met just yet… and i’ll get back to this)

Both Kaiser and Isagi had learned to understand each others’ abilities and mirrored their own evolution off of them (Isagi with metavision + throwing his pride away for the sake of winning, Kaiser learning not to settle + offering up everything to improve) so now they are even more similar thanks to observing each other…

And in previous games there had been problems bc of the similarities: how they were always at the same place at the same time, resulting in dire mistakes by getting in each other’s way intentionally or unintentionally. But now, as they actually respect each other, they can use one another as “an additional me” on the field.

They understand themselves just as well as they understand each other bc of their similarities, so they could (hypothetically) visualize a play constructed around this. They could rely on each others abilities, thought processes and playmaking because they’re both capable of visualizing the same thing.

What i’m trying to get at is this: nobody knows your thoughts better than yourself. But now, there are 2 Isagis or 2 Kaisers on the field, for them to use as objects for their plans, relying on shared image and understanding, leaving no room for mistakes.

However. A chemical reaction requires their protagonistic goals to align. And there is no way in hell that either of them would give up their desire to score… that would be horrible writing for Kaiser at least, as he’s just found his true originality (to score for love), so he can’t compromise this development that quick… it doesn’t make sense narratively.

And regarding Isagi’s “new discovery” abt how he wants to just… win. We could interpret it as he wants to win no matter what he has to sacrifice, but I think he’d still want to be the one scoring at the end.

So, with the next ch name “Contract” it’s possible that it will be about Kaiser and Isagi establishing a contract that benefits them both: they will work together to get to the penalty area/get through the defense, and from then on they’ll both try to position themselves to score without the other interfering (or something like this… still competing in their own way to score, but helping each other until the last steps). This would make a “temporary-goal-in-common”, which could suffice the basis of a chemical reaction.

But…

On the other hand… it would be sooooooo good to see Kaiser reject Isagi’s offer. And not just bc “woo plottwist!!”, but because it would actually make sense for Kaiser to do that. Right now he is dead set on “living in restriction” so i don’t know if he’d be willing to team-up with Isagi to make things easier for himself.

And also, based on his reactions (or lack there of) this chapter, it’s clear that he wasn’t considering a team-up until Isagi had requested it. He looks surprised by it, in fact.

Additionally, his reaction to being used by Noa was to rebel against it: he does not want to stay in BM to dethrone Noa, he wants to forge his own path instead. And in this chapter, we could see that his reaction to Isagi saying he “exploited” or “used” Kaiser to his plans… well, he certainly isn’t thrilled by this either imo. To my understanding, he’s always been in a “use and/or be used” situation: with his father, Ray Dark, Ness, Noa… So it would make total sense for him to reject Isagi’s offer to team-up and use each other, as he’s quite possibly sick and tired of this.

So well… i don’t know. I REALLY, TRULY, GENUINELY want to see Isagi and Kaiser team-up.

Eventually.

But I feel like right now is just not the perfect time for it (mainly bc of Isagi’s weird character writing tbh).

But since this is the last match they’re playing on the same team… I doubt that we’d get a Football Club arc before the World cup, so even if they sign with the same club, it’s unlikely that we’d see them play together after the NEL… bc cmon, there are already 284 chapters, there is no way Kaneshiro would stretch the story out even more. The World cup arc’ll be long enough anyways.

So yeah. It’s basically now or never for a Kaisagi team-up.

Which is kinda unfortunate.

And while I’m hyped for it bc i LOVE THEM, the circumstances are unsatisfying, which is the thing that annoys me lol

Jfc this got so long

[m4rs-ex3]

(even louder) trailer screaming part 2

the adrenaline i've had all day is making me crash hard so i'm tired so idk if i'll actually be screaming louder but like. internally i am

well starting off strong

oh fucking boy

first i'm gonna say i love the way he said "however ~vile~" like slay

and then i know that like. this feels like such an obvious/lame explanation but i do not believe this is "real". like of course there's the fact that the cube. yknow. isn't like that in real life that's just how it looks in his fever dream. a lame ass reason for sure but honestly my real reason for not believing this is that there's no way they'd put THIS reveal in the trailer. there's a distinctly lower number of new clips in this trailer then there has been for seasons past, which could be them building hype for the end of the arc(s), but still i have a feeling that there's only so much they were willing to put out (which excites me btw), so i doubt this would be one of those things, yk? i don't know anything ok im tired

could be another dream, could be hallucinations, could be anything

i do find it incredibly interesting that he's clearly in a xadian forest surrounded by giant mushrooms tho (zubeia?)

i will say this i believe

fuck she relapsed. but. b-ut also..ooo..w..

iiiiiiiiiii

we're all fairly certain that's human aaravos (which didn't even occur to me until i read one of the comments that shows you how observatory i am) and............... well i suppose it was inevitable. i've personally never really thirsted for aaravos; of course i get it but just can't relate. and now.............. oh my god this is the hottest person i have ever seen in my life. i've been awoogaing from the minute i saw him and damnit you can't make me stop

considering the following shot (also because it makes sense) that this is the spell that brought back all the spirits, but it makes me question the shot of aaravos standing in the valley of the graves cackling as the spirits surround him, because that just gives me very "mwuahaha we've just unleashed them" so idk. this is me trying to convince myself that that's not actually aaravos so i can drool over him without a little shame

ohoho this is exciting and fucking petrifying. that is a freeze spell if i've ever seen one, so it seems we have soren, TERRY !!, and allen rushing to presumably stop them, and then aanya kneeling over lujanne's body!!! yippee!

may i just say that the location zip zapping is hurting my brain. like callum and rayla both go from the nexus to katolis and everyone in katolis goes to the banther lodge and then callum ends up in a random xadian forest but also akiyu's grotto for some reason meanwhile rayla goes to the silvergrove but she also ends up in lux aurea with soren and coruvs who were with ez and aanya in the crystal cavern but ez and aanya were also at the valley of the graves but soren and aanya are also at the nexus where claudia and aaravos and terry are but before/after that they were/are first at the valley of the graves and also a xadian forest but then terry was in a different seemingly not-xadian forest and i need to lie down

in addition to the Cave Fuckers we also keep seeing this mf with BAT WINGS??? HELLO????

ok i know i sound like an edgy middle schooler but i'm sorry this is the most exciting shot in the trailer for me. what can i say blood excites me. my favorite characters covered in blood? even better. short king ram with that sickass head tilt? fucking hell to the fucking yeah (i'm choosing to ignore the way he literally went rawr XD immediately after)

this is another one where there's so much to process like as aforementioned we're in a xadian forest and terry's here looking perfectly content so assuming that he is abandoning ship (which is supported by the nexus shot) this is before that??

also as aforementioned callum in akiyu's grotto which is SO out of left field but whatever

and akiyu is also here. on the ground perhaps. good sign

this is irrelevant but. look at that lil face. hehe

ALSO AA IM STUPID AND AM ONLY JUST NOW REALIZING THIS BUT THE FIRE IS CLAUDIA'S YOU CAN SEE FROM THE BG OF HER DRAGON TRANSFORMATION SHE DEF THERE TOO AAKSDHFKJAHSKJDFHIASDHFLJKHSDKLFHKJSAHDLFK IM FO FUCKING EXCITED YOU HAVE NO IDEA HWO LONG AND HOW BADLY IVE NEEDE A PROPER CALLUM V CLAUDIA SHOW DOEWN EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

also it's giving

[a-couple-of-notes]

I’m curious what makes you ship Rio/Alice (I also love the ship and glad more people are on board)

Oh, boy. Sorry for the wall of text that's about to hit your eyeballs, anon.

First, the main reason is that I love unexplored dynamics. It's more fun for me to write rarepairs that I have to work to justify or understand, that aren't necessarily scaffolded by popularity or a whole canon romantic storyline. Actually, I tend to avoid writing pairings that a lot of other people write or that feature heavily in canon--kind of a strange feeling of "if you don't have anything new to add, don't say it." (Which, to be clear, is not how one has to approach fandom at all. I genuinely enjoy reading my favorite tropes and premises over and over again! I like seeing ten different people gif the same moment! It's just that I, personally, like the narrative space of rarepairs.)

So for me, Rio and Alice occupy that fascinating grey area of having maybe one and a half canon conversations (super rarepair) but also being such strong characters independently that the threads of behavior and backstory are there to connect if you want. (I want.) To wit:

Rio and Alice are two people (person and entity?) whose natures fundamentally oppose each other--Alice is a very mortal protection witch whose natural instinct is to save, to be good, and Rio is the immortal Death, whose job it is to reap, to take, to be villainized. Put them together, and they'll clash in a fun way--especially since, unlike Agatha, Alice is terrible at running away or deflecting. It has the potential to be really toxic, and it has the potential of coming out the other side to actual growth and understanding. (This is what makes Alice so easy to ship/write for me, by the way--I mean, yeah, she's my blorbo, but also her sincerity and instinctive selflessness offer a great counterpoint to, like, every other character. The others, who are balls of lies and deflection and worse coping mechanisms, clarify when placed next to her.)

They also have interesting similarities: they're both bound by duty. Both forced to accept senseless tragedy. Both grieving. Both, in a way, willing to be truthful.

There are so many entry points into it from canon: Rio following Alice through her life via the curse, Alice seeking Rio (death) at some point in her life (which is not exactly canon but you can argue it by...well, Alice's whole deal pre-episode 4), Rio being jealous of Alice saving Agatha (I wrote that one), and of course Rio reaping Alice. Come on. That cheek touch. Like, we saw someone walking beside Rio into her realm, and it wasn't Agatha.

And, well, there's the Agatha of it all. The way I write Rio, you simply cannot cut Agatha out of it. It adds an extra challenge to figure out how Rio and Alice would have a relationship that would stack up in any way to Rio and Agatha's (and what that would look like). If you do it right, it gives extra meaning to Rio/Alice--it's not the destined love, but it's one they had to choose.

And finally, the two other, very shallow reasons:

I wrote a fic about these two, and I put so much of the stuff I like in there that I played myself and got interested.

Aesthetically, Death and her puppy dog girlfriend in a Hot Topic leather jacket? Fire.

[ballinandcantgetup452]

I legitimately hope that BNHA takes from American comics and allows for several people to work on the title. Vigilantes is proof that Horikoshi will allow for legitimate spin-offs and not just "oooo they're chibi" type spin-offs. I honestly think that Horikoshi would be okay with more spin-offs if they were good ideas. Here's some ideas that I would want to see get greenlit in order of what I want the most to least:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boku No Hero Career:

Basically just Deku trying to be an adult, while being a teacher, while being a hero. Basically, I'm asking for J. Michael Strazinski's run on Spider-Man. But I could specifically see somebody having a field day with how this new society works, and how hero-work is moving more towards helping the oppressed rather than fighting sludge monsters. There'd still be sludge monsters, I'm not trying to de-comicify My Hero, but it's a whole lot more of trying to fight the root of the problem. I think a strength of this potential story could be the use of non-violent conflict resolution. There'd obviously be action, but nothing bigger in scale than say the Overhaul fight. If you want to add inherent stakes, you can always have Deku's armor get damaged or something. Gun to my head, I could see the first long running arc about Deku and crew trying to end a prostitution ring. I also wouldn't mind an Izuocha subplot, but that's just my personal preference. I admit that part of this is just me missing JMS' Spider-Man run.

Skycrawler Adventures:

Okay I only had one cool title name; sue me. But I just want more of Koichi, man. Horikoshi has said he's a sucker for Spider-Man and at the very least one cover is literally a direct homage to Ultimate Spider-Man Vs. Venom. If BNHC is JMS' run on Spider-Man, this is Tom DeFalco and JM DeMatteis' runs on Spider-Man. It's that early 20's, post-college and in your first big kid job vibes. Maybe we start with Koichi starting up his own hero agency and struggling to maintain it. Maybe we finally make him canonically autistic? I admit I'm projecting with that one. But I think that Skycrawler Adventures could be like Chainsaw Man Part 2. Not exactly, but in terms of making this into an epic.

Boku No 52

This title requires some light explaining. Back in the day, DC had an event called 52. This came right after the event Infinite Crisis. After Infinite Crisis, the DC universe had a one year time-skip. However, 52 also released at the beginning of said time-skip. The premise of the book being that each issue would cover one week, and by the end of the series (which had 52 issues), you would know everything that happened during the time-skip. The only real caveat with this book being that Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were practically off the table. So, you had to use more minor characters. The book had 4 all-star writers and it was an absolute smash hit. It's still beloved to this day. I think that BNHA could use something like this. It can even fit my prior two pitches in there. But you can also have chapters about the new class 1-A, Bakguo yelling at clouds, is Endeavor still trying to be a father, what is Momo up to, literally anything. You can have it showcase a bunch of new mangaka. I'm sure that Horikoshi had drawing assistants, let them have a shot at this. This one is definitely the least likely to get passed. But, I also think it has the highest potential.

I'm willing to bet that Jump DESPERATELY wants to have another Naruto or Bleach or One Piece. Specifically a manga line that lasts for a STUPIDLY long time that's extremely popular that they can ride into the sunset. I think that My Hero has that potential. I just think that they should keep Horikoshi as a consultant, and do brand new things.

[jaybird3756]

Httyd Demigod AU headcanons

From a practicing Norse pagan. My experience with the Gods may be different from others' because gods appear differently to different people.

Hiccup: Odin or Njord. Odinn's domain includes knowledge, curiosity, wisdom, and creativity. Hiccup's bravery in being willing to befriend a dragon and then challenge the belief that dragons are monsters reminds me of Odin. In Riders of Berk (When Lightning Strikes), Hiccup gets struck by lightning purposefully to prove that Thor isn't angry with Toothless but that lightning is attracted to metal. That's a pretty hardcore approach to solving problems with science. I also mention Njord because his character is similar to Hiccup. Njord's domain includes fishing, travel, and peaceful seas. Hiccup is a wanderer, and adventurer at heart, a trait which matches both Odin and Njord. Hiccup is also very diplomatic, and his connection to dragons which are used as travel and also a means to provide for people (the way dragons are used for fishing, plowing fields, etc) brings Hiccup very close to the symbolic domain of Njord.

Astrid: Tyr or Skadi. Tyr's domain includes war, justice, and the skies. Astrid is a ferocious warrior who stops at nothing to protect her loved ones and in the later movies she becomes very level-headed and practical, qualities I associate with Tyr. However I think being a child of Skadi is a better fit for her. Skadi's domain is winter but her story also contains aspects of vengeance and strength. Astrid has also had trouble with being quick to anger and eager for revenge (Fright of Passage and A-Team are great examples). Skadi is also the wife of Njord, although Astrid and Hiccup are far more compatible. (Skadi picked Njord for his beautiful feet)

Fishlegs: Eir or Freyr. Eir is a handmaiden of Frigg and her domain is healing; like Frigg, she is one of the common hearth-gods who would have a prominent place of honor in the home. Fishlegs has always seemed more domestic than the others due to his gentle nature and enjoyment of life's little pleasures like his meditation garden. Freyr's domain includes summer, peace and prosperity, sunshine and fair weather, (also Big D I'm not kidding). Fishlegs thrives in times of peace and has a warm demeanor. He also is great at coming through for his friends when he's needed. Freyr is the owner of many magical artifacts, much like Fishlegs and his gadgets and dragon knowlege.

Snotlout: Bragi. I have very strong feelings about this choice, and it's an unusual one. Bragi's domain is art, music, poetry, and eloquence. Snotlout is very performative in everything that he does in a way that feels more like a theater kid than just bragging and bravado. Snotlout is charismatic and very skilled in more than just battle. He's great at stitching (Night of the Hunters), singing (Crash course, Imperfect harmony, Tone Death), acting (last auction heroes), and even writing (family matters). In my experience with Bragi, he is a proud, confident, and boastful poet warrior who is well learned in both swordplay and wordplay. I feel that Snotlout would try to bluff that he's a child of one of the famous warrior gods like Thorr, but his friends would eventually figure out who his real godly parent is.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut: Loki, obviously. Loki's domain is mischief, deception, tricks, playfulness, and quick-wittedness. The twins canonically revere Loki and dedicate their lives to pranks and mischief. There is also a certain amount of deception in their characters, especially with Ruffnut. The twins are both smarter and more eloquent than they seem. They know multiple languages, come up with ideas sometimes even before Hiccup does, and are both skilled infiltrators. It seems they do the things they do for shits and giggles, flying by the seat of their pants, but really they are much more capable than anyone realizes (A View to a Skrill and Twintuition). I feel like they rarely let anyone see how capable they are so that no one expects them to really do anything.

Stoick: Thor or Tyr. Thor's domain is lightning, storms, battle, and farming (I will come back to that last one). Stoick even looks a lot like Thor with his red hair, amazing beard, and large belt. Stoick is quite a fearsome warrior and leader but is also compassionate and protective of his people. Thor's domain being storms is linked to farming because rain gives life to the crops and is a necessary part of growth. Because of that, Thor is also seen as a provider much in the way Stoick is as a chief. Stoick is also very fair and able to change his mindset and admit when he is wrong, as seen after the first movie. I feel like Thor gets a lot of shit in media, often being portrayed as fat, stupid, a giant jerk like Zeus, and cruel. In my personal experience, Thor is much more like Stoick in character. (#StopThorSlander)

Heather: Freyja or Skadi. Freyja's domain includes love, battle, cats, and magic. Freyja is the one who brought seidr to the Aesir, a powerful and mysterious type of magical practice. Freyja is seen as gentler than the other gods, but she has a darker side that modern interpretations tend to forget. Freyja represents female power, but also can be deceptive and secretive. Freyja is a powerful battle goddess who takes half of the souls slain in battle. Heather reminds me of Freyja in the way that you could think she's nothing more than a pretty faced charming woman, but you won't know you're in danger until there's a knife sticking out of your back. I think Skadi also fits Heather for the same reasons as Astrid, except that Heather is even more isolated and cold than Astrid is.

Dagur: Magni and Modi. I've seen others throw around various ideas for Dagur's god parent, but I don't think many people even know of Magni and Modi. They are the sons of Thor and are both battle gods, with Magni representing strength and Modi representing fury. They both resemble Thor and both brothers have red hair. Not a whole lot is known about Magni and Modi, but I know for a fact that they were revered by berserkers (the brothers have a place on my alter along with Odin and some animal totems). If I had to choose just one, I'd say Modi is Dagur's godly parent which would make Magni his uncle and Thor his gramps.

Viggo: Loki. Viggo may not share a lot of qualities with Loki, but he does share the aspect of Loki's silver tongue. Loki is very eloquent, charismatic, and deceptive like Viggo. In my experience, Loki is a god to approach with caution like the fae and is just as tricky. Viggo is very clever, capable of making his enemies do exactly what he wants.

Ryker: Vali or Vidarr. Both Vali and Vidarr are gods of vengeance and happen to be brothers, sons of Odin. I think Vidarr fits Ryker best. Vidarr is silent, much like how Ryker prefers to let Viggo do the talking and have his actions speak for him. Vidarr is nearly as strong as Thor and very reliable in times of trouble.

[i-hug-exploder-shanks]

The Fool: I think Crow best suits this card with its themes of new beginnings and innocence as well as lack of knowledge.

The High Priestess: Ikora comes to mind for this card first because the theme of meditation and connecting your mind and body that this card represents.

The Empress: I saw many suggesting Caital for this card which makes sense but I would argue that this cards themes tend toward gentle guidance and parental support (motherhood is often focused) which I think would actually make Eramis a better choice as someone who cares deeply for her people and is trying to guide them home and who has been a mother.

The Emperor: With Eramis filling the Empress role I think Misraaks works well here as the card for fatherhood, leadership and control.

The Hierophant: This card stands for tradition and ethics typically so I think the Speaker fits well here.

The Lovers: very clearly gotta be Saint and Osiris together. They are just perfect for this card.

The Chariot: Not a character per-say but I would argue the Helm belongs here. Or a ship in hyperspace (our first ship we escape the EDZ in maybe?) its a card of success and finding control of a situation and freedom in many ways so thats what I see. But I did like a few people suggesting Amanda since she also fits those themes.

Strength: Shaxx for certain. He is all about growing your strength and still retaining compassion which is perfect for this card.

The Wheel of Fortune: I can imagine Xur here since he represents the will of forces outside our control but I also think about how Destiny is a game about making your own fate and feel like the traveler itself might be a better choice. It started this path with it's original sacrifice and our journey revolves around it.

If it were me i'd use the symbols from the loading screen here XD inevitable fate and endless cycles indeed.

Justice: I believe Eris belongs here. For her hunt for justice for her fireteam and because she is a very blunt truthful and righteous character.

The Hanged Man: Cayde-6 is the ultimate character of sacrifice and I feel like this is his perfect fit. Acceptance and release also suit him. If you put him in another role then Rasputin can also work well here in that half exo form for his sacrifice. Or if you wanna get deep i think Saladin works really well here as well. He has given everything many times in the name of progress. If you are willing to do ghost characters then Sagira is another wonderful choice.

Death: another good fit for our ghost or the traveler. Or even our guardian themselves if you can find a way to represent them.

Temperance: Eido would be my choice here as it is a card about finding the middle ground and finding meaning. She is the middle ground for the Eliksni people and I think she works really well for this card between Eramis and Misraaks, between old and new, just a nice balance.

The Devil: This is where I would put Calus. This card is about addiction and materialism and unhealthy attachment and I think that makes sense with his character.

The Star: if you are willing to do ghost characters I would suggest Glint here as a sign of hope and faith for Crow. If people characters only then I would offer maybe Ana as a hopeful character who doesn't give up her faith in her beliefs.

The Moon: The Drifter fits well here in a spot for illusions and trusting intuition i think.

The Sun: Eva works well here in a role of celebration and joy

Judgement: Zavala I feel suits this card well. Reflection on one's self and sort of reaping what you sow has been something he had to deal with a lot in his character arc.

Anyway these are just my ideas, I am super interested in what you choose and seeing the art eventually! Good luck!

Hello everyone! I am interested in making a Destiny Themed Tarot Deck and I am in need of some help. If you'd like, I'd love it if you all would drop some ideas on what people/places/things/etc would represent each arcana.

Here's some more info:

I will only be doing the Major Arcana (for now. Depending on how well I do, I might eventually create the Minor)

Please leave a comment on this post telling me which Major Arcana you believe would fit best with your Destiny 2 Character/Place/Event/Etc of choice (Don't be discouraged if you see someone else's comment that might be similar or opposite to yours, I'd love to get everyone's opinion!)

Feel free to reblog!!

Here are the Major Arcana that I already have ideas for:

The Hermit

The Magician

The Tower

The World

Here are the other Major Arcana that I still need:

The Fool

The High Priestess

The Empress

The Emperor

The Hierophant

The Lovers

The Chariot

Strength

The Wheel of Fortune

Justice

The Hanged Man

Death

Temperance

The Devil

The Star

The Moon

The Sun

Judgment

I will edit this post accordingly when I have checked an Arcana off the list

Disclaimer: I am aware that this has been done before by other creators, this is not meant to copy/harass/ruffle any feathers. This is simply something I wish to do for myself and share with everyone in the Destiny Community. Please be kind to eachother 💓

[mouse-fantoms]

On top of being robbed of so much Juke content we’ll never get, what I think about alot is how Juke would have been approached more if it went further.

One of the (many) reasons I love jatp so much is it makes me believe their characters are real, that they have background, they have their own goals and ambitions to them, they’re fleshed out.

That moment of Flynn going “my girls got a crush and his name is Luke” and Julie going “what no?! Luke’s a ghost😳.” And Flynn saying “a cute ghost” and Julie giving in and saying “…with a perfect smile☺️” and adding that Luke is “cute air” which implies she has indeed given this Luke crush idea some thought.

That moment of just two best friends talking about the others potential crush like that’s such a good moment bc I genuinely believe that I am watching these two genuine besties just have that kind of talk with one another bc that happens!

Like that moment we have with our friends when they’re like “hey I got something to tell you 👀” or they approach you like “so… umm… I’ve been kind of noticing your behavior lately around this person.” It’s the realistic little things like that which is why I appreciate this show so much.

Julie having the line of “what no! Luke’s a ghost!” Means so much that, on top of acknowledging “hey he’s got a cute smile, and he himself is cute” she also acknowledged “…he is a ghost though…” but then our Julie being who she is (we love her for it) went “but he still do be cute though 🥰” like this is a genuine teen girl in high school having a crush

And then later on when Reggie and Alex bring up how Luke and Julie ooze chemistry (and the way that throughout the show when Julie and Luke are being cute and them, the looks that we see Reggie and Alex give like Juke and then each other is so good bc I genuinely believe like “yeah these boys are all friends with one another so of course they’d react that way to their other friend showing an interest in their fellow friend”) Luke’s like “no come on I have chemistry with everyone I sing with” HE DOES THE SAME THING JULIE DID WHEN THE EXACT SAME TOPIC EAS BROUGHT UP TO HER! (Soulmates your honor!)

Him denying it, like Julie did, implies too that he also had the thinking of “…she is alive though and I’m not” (I mean me personally I feel like Luke didn’t truly realize he liked her until later on even if there were signs earlier, just bc he seems like the kind of person where like music was his absolute everything like even if the Sunset Curve fangirls were always like ‘omg Luke is amazing 😍’, I just get the vibe that he would never really notice the advances towards him bc he is just so consumed in music and that is his whole existence, so when Reggie and Alex see that Luke appears to be falling for Julie it’s a big deal bc they’re probably like “Luke has NEVER shown any interest ever so the fact that a girl has replaced music in his life THIS IS A MASSIVE DEAL”)

And then the moment when they’re on Julie’s porch and she tries to hold his hand but ya know CANT (huge what a gut punched) and then she awkwardly looks away and he’s like “…this is an interesting little relationship you and I have” and they’re just there for a moment just looking and smiling at each other (THEY’RE FLIRTING SO MUCH WITHOUT SAYING ANY WORDS UGH TAKE ME 😩)

I am sat there genuinely believing that these are two teenagers who even though they know they’re not *supposed* to feel a way about each other, they still do. Like that scene is their confession to one another and it’s so sweet and genuine bc in that moment where Julie tries to hold his hand, they’re brought back to reality as to what they are and yet, they can’t help but still like one another and appreciate each other bc of what the other person has changed so much in their life.

AND THEN, that scene in the beginning of the last episode how Julie asks to talk to Luke (and Reggie and Alex immediately are like “oop leave them be 👀 they’re having a moment” being the greatest friends that they are) and they’re both standing there, in each others presence, it takes a moment for Julie to say what she wants to but they’re just two kids who ended up in each others lives and they know they like each other but they know they can’t act on those feelings yet they still just have this love for each other is so enduring and charming. The way Luke tells her “anything Julie you know that” MAKES ME MELT like ugh 😩 their dynamic and friendship has grown so much with each other from episode 1 to like now and it’s so just ugh it gets me

When I think how Juke could have been approached if we had gotten a chance, I would have loved to see the new like “glowing touch” development and how that would impact their dynamic. (I just imagine Reggie just hugs Julie all the time bc he can (he just seems like such a hugger and I feel like he’d give good ones🥺) and Alex also will gives her side hugs (they just take advantage of being able to physically touch her bc they don’t know how long they’re able to do it for with their new ghost development)) I feel like Luke and Julie would just be a bit apprehensive since the hand holding thing on the porch, and maybe their hug was just a one time thing.

Would have loved to see Carlos referring to Luke as “Julie’s boyfriend” (he was there for edge of great and stand tall THERES NO WAY he’s thinking anything of than “the sleeveless one is indeed my sisters boyfriend”) would be extra great too with like Luke being in the room and Carlos just says that and Julie quickly trying to make him not talk about it bc it’s embarrassing 💀 her just being like “Carlos, he’s a ghost” and him being like “…hey with you having a boyfriend are you going to have less time with Dad and I bc you’ll be busy kissing him?” And Julie’s face just goes pale as Luke takes the time to take himself out of room meanwhile his face his like bright red

Would have loved to see when Carrie’s redemption is happening and it’s Julie and Carrie and Carrie’s like “sooooo 👀 I’ve seen how you look at your guitarist” and she immediately tries to shut it down but Carrie is like “Jules, we may not have been that close in the past year and some but we’ve known each other for how long? I can see your tells!”

I just think a lot about how this ship, even though they’re not meant to like each other yet they do and still care about each other, would have been approached more if we got the chance

[karanseraph]

Double Feature comparison report of the day:

Transformers One (2024) and Dark of the Moon (2011)

[And I had a tooth extraction before watching and writing this today, so there's just not as much energy going into it.]

First, just notes on DotM by itself. This movie, IMO, is not *as* wacky and difficult to watch as Revenge of the Fallen from two years previous. IMO, it is like someone involved had this idea that they were making a serious techno-thriller, but then at the same time other people involved were like: but we're still going to each get to create and/or write an eccentric comic relief character, right? And then it was also at the same time another summer-blockbuster flavor action movie.

So, the similarities:

The familiar structure of voice-over, lore drop, and final message.

Both One and Dark of the Moon feature Sentinel Prime as a respected leader revealed to be the villain.

"A deal had to be made" with either Decepticons or Quintessons because the war wasn't going to be won as it was.

Megatron is not a "bitch". And attacks Sentinel.

The Matrix of Leadership restores a bot.

Starscream gets demeaned.

Shockwave is...there. Likewise a Bee, Soundwave, racing bots

Some notable, IMO, differences:

Megatron is not the one who kills Sentinel in DotM, as he (D-16) did in One, although they do fight. Megatron attacks Sentinel, but it is actually Optimus Prime who kills both Megatron and Sentinel Prime. Whereas in Transformers One, Optimus is willing to show mercy to both Sentinel and Megatron and merely banishes Megatron after their battle. (D-16 did show Starscream mercy...once.)

Weirdly, in DotM Megatron attacking Sentinel arguably did *save* Optimus, which he was done doing in One.

In DotM Starscream is demeaned to death by a human and is really whiney about it, which is different from being demeaned by D and throwing out taunts the whole time in Transformers One.

I can't think of more right now.

But, I think, because I ranked movies a bit in other parts of this series, that I would say that, IMO, Dark of the Moon (2011) is not in my top four Transformers movies, but I would rank it above Revenge of the Fallen, so it's not at the bottom. It's kinda in a weird place where it's not as wacky as some movies, but also doesn't really have epic emotional moments of some others or a lot of nostalgia on its own (they did get Nimoy and it does kinda use some elements from "The Ultimate Doom").

Since I found out that Transformers One is on Paramount+ in my region, and since I still have access to this service, I've been watching it every day and then watching some other Transformers content I have access to. Back-to-back like.

It's only been a few days.

The first day I watched Transformers One and then about 6-ish episodes of EarthSpark 'Season 3 '. Transformers One IMO, is the superior work. I don't hate EarthSpark (the obvious shift between seasons 1 and 2 does frustrate me). It generally does a lot of things I like. One of them is that it has an interesting animation style in which the 'Transformers Bots' come out looking very toy-like and the special effects 2D in style and it makes me feel like the whole thing is someone playing with toys, but in a good way (except one of the kids I'm playing with wants to go in a direction I don't like). Anyway, Transformers One is just a more epic thing all around. It's from the same era but made with different style and design. Less like toys (weirdly, considering Director, eh?) and more like an animated Science Fiction/Adventure in general. Also, arguably deeper resonance in the characters and their arcs.

The next day I watched Transformers One and then Rise of the Beasts, which only came out a little more than a year before. So, similar era of media, again. Animation vs 'live action' (but we know those bots are all animated just in a 'realism' style). The characters look pretty good to me in both. And the plots and characters and their arcs are different, but both are interesting and have resonance. I mean it's like the 'brothers' that turn into enemies with one, but then in the other it's largely about these two (three but Primal is so ahead of the others) guys from different planets trying to do their best for their own families and coming together to fight a destructive force. So, both movie are pretty epic. I kinda want others to watch these back-to-back to see what they feel, because one movie is like the one splitting apart and the other is about separate people joining as one.

Now, today I'm watching The Transformers: The Movie (I believe I own this one) and Transformers One back-to-back double feature. I'm still in the midst of this. But I think TF:tM holds up. It's 80s as Hell, right? 1986 up against 2024. But if I think about it in terms of "was this good or typical of its time" then both movies looked good in their era. Both animated, though different in technique and style. Both make use of Quintessons while the main foe is someone else. Both pretty epic plots. Both have that sort of cultural resonance where Transformers One does have those sort of Prince of Egypt vibes (I see what you did TFWiki) or like shades of Set and Osiris or vaguely The Lion King where there's a pair of close characters who split apart dramatically with betrayal. And Transformers: the Movie is very Hero's Journey itself borrowing heavily from Star Wars. Both these movies made use of some amount of celebrity casting and it worked. Transformers One several more girl or woman type characters than Transformers: The Movie, but that's also likely reflective of the eras in which they were made. Transformers One still mainly has the one main pink heroic girl and dark bad girl characters which is a thing with this whole genre of the action toyline adaptation, but yes, many other different types of bots in the background.

I think maybe Bumblebee tomorrow?

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

i still haven’t written out my 261 metapost but i can’t stop thinking about the stsg subtext in that chapter . the parallels between geto slaughtering the village and gojo slaughtering the higher ups…. the fact that gojo does it right after declaring that he has to “catch up” to geto

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Lord of the Empty Isles

sci-fi/fantasy

set on a supposedly utopian planet recovering from a climate crisis, where bonds between people are able to be seen and manipulated (by some people)

follows a young man whose brother was cursed and killed by an infamous outlaw 5 years ago, and he’s finally able to curse him back - but it rebounds, as he’s somehow fatebound to the outlaw

to find a cure and save them both they have to team up, and he quickly finds out that the resources the outlaw is stealing go to the thousands of people neglected on prison planets, and he has to go against what he thought was right to help them

no romance, aroace MC, focus on platonic relationships

arc from netgalley, out june 6

[daisywords]

thinking about this post but also it's more than that. do you ever think about how stories starring men are allowed to be about humanity but stories starring women have to be about Womanhood