#some unintentional batman parallels there

[starry-bi-sky]

So after reading the writing attached to this post my brain is going SO hard over this idea. But a line that caught my attention is this one in particular:

"Instead, they saw the interaction for what it was - Danny had grown up a spy, and just like Damian had thrown his all into murder, Danny had thrown his all into spying, until everything he was - his expressions, his emotions, his body language, every aspect of communication down to the last detail - was exactly what he wanted it to be.

Meeting in any other circumstance, Tim would've taken him for just another Clark-type in the making. He was the perfect actor.

How long had he waited here, Tim wondered, molding himself into this for just a scrap of attention from the League? And after a full decade, how much of the real Danny was left?"

and i just? Maybe it's because i'm a sucker for identity crises in general but the urge to expand on that idea itself and go "how can i make this WORSE" is taking over my brain.

Now I know that this is from Tim's pov and Danny's pov contradicts it a lot -- he's become his own person in the ten years he's been gone and he's acting as he should -- but I'm just thinking about a what-if where Danny hadn't been sent to the Fentons when he was six, but when he was ten? nine? eight? However many years it is. But before that, when he'd been with the league he'd actually been sent on assignment after assignment. All focused on spying. So Danny is, as the quote describes, thrown himself into spying.

(this gets long so im sticking it under a 'read more')

And i'm thinking; Danny becoming "Daniel Fenton, son of Jack and Maddie Fenton" did not free him from that aspect of spying. It didn't free himself up to become his own person. to grow into his own (sort of). Being Danny Fenton was just another mask to wear that's glued itself onto him over time. There's a thin lining of plexiglass between the mask of Daniel Fenton and the boy beneath that you may just mistake one for another. Danny Fenton is the lie.

And while his love for the stars and his want to have a dog and his jokes are genuine, a lot of Danny Fenton is still just him playing a part. A part he's become very good at playing. Danny is picking and pulling at every little aspect of himself and moulding it into the perfect part he is supposed to play. He is a doll to be used as it should be.

And he never fully escapes that. And it only becomes worse when he's Phantom because now its another part he has to play. Danny has no obligation to the city of amity park. but his time there has allowed him to grow fond of some of the people there - most notably: jazz, sam, and tucker. (jack and maddie are still up in the air depending on how you view it). But he still protects it because "Daniel Fenton" (and perhaps a little of himself) is a good person at heart, and wants to help others.

(Daniel Fenton's obsession is to protect everyone. Danyal's obsession is to protect the ones he loves.)

The main meat of this idea however, and the big reason I made this reblog, however. Is that I want this to reflect in Danny's ghost form. A ghost form is dependent on a few things, although not everything may be applied: what they looked like how they were alive, their obsession, and their personality.

Danny before he died... doesn't really know who he is. He's not sure what is Danyal, twin of Damian Al Ghul, and what is everything else he has every played as: a street urchin, the son or nephew of an influential figure, the son of two mad scientists, the wimpy and nerdy school friend, etc. He doesn't know where Danyal begins and where his masks end. Daniel Fenton gets close, sometimes. But it's still not him.

The ghost hero Phantom is a reflection of a boy named Daniel Fenton. Shining white hair like a knight's white steed, a blinding smile, and witty, stupid puns. He's mischievous but harmless to the living. He is well meaning. That is the ghost Amity Park sees. And, largely, the ghost that Sam and Tucker see.

The Ghost of Danyal is... however.... ever changing. Draped in shadows that is constantly ever shifting and vaguely resembling his league of assassins uniform. He is big, he is small, he's whatever you need him to be. His voice echoes and distorts, as if its not quite sure what it sounds like, like its constantly tuning itself to whoever he's speaking to. His eyes are blue -- or maybe its green? It's hard to tell sometimes, and you really never see Danyal's face under the shadowy hood he wears. Sometimes it feels like he's wearing one of those old venetian masks that cover not only the eyes, but the mouth and nose.

Sometimes you can see his smile. Lit up and fanged. his smiles feel threatening when you can't ever see his face. It changes to whatever face he wants or needs. Whenever his hands peek out of his shadows it reveals fingers that are long and sharp, curling at the ends as if they're ready to slice into whatever thing its closest to.

His cape of shadows glisten occasionally -- flowing whenever he moves. Many times its like he's wearing shadows, but when it glistens its like he's wearing stars. The few glimpses you ever see of the boy beneath. It makes him look bulkier than he is, casting a silhouette of a beastly thing. Danyal -- Danny -- feels like a monster in this form.

The form and core of a ghost is dependent on many things: their death, their obsession, the way they looked in life, their personality, their likes and dislikes.

Because of this. Danny is an unstable ghost. He is powerful, yes, but unstable. An identity crisis is as dangerous to a ghost as a bullet wound is to a human. Identity is everything to a ghost, and danny's not sure what his is. he's capable of being 'Phantom' a lot of the time. But... he slips. Sometimes. And that 'true' form. That shadowy, amorphous boy draped in shadows to make himself scarier than he actually is, to protect himself and his family, slips through.

Dpxdc AU: Damian decides that it’s time to go collect his brother from his assignment. Danny is starting to sniff out some non-ghostly bullshit for once.

Damian knew his twin had been exiled from the age of seven, banished to travel and observe how scientists around the world engaged with Lazarus water. The only word that Damian received that his spare was still alive were the letters of lab reports and findings that were sent back to base. As the Heir, he’s pushed to be better lest he himself be exiled or simply executed. Danny becomes a fleeting thought and then once Damian arrived in Gotham, a none existent thought.

They weren’t raised to be friends or even friendly. The were not taught codependency or allotted time to bond. The could have been perfect strangers if not for their appearance and the stories of Danny’s shortcomings becoming Damian’s praise.

It’s only once Tim informs him of an intercepted letter, one sent and saved from years prior, that Damian recalls Danny enough to care. Tim prompts him to share more, especially given the coup recently committed by Deathstroke (Slade) and Talia gone into hiding with her zealots.

At family dinner that night Damian supplies: “I suppose I should be the one to bereave my twin of his assignment. His reports will certainly go unread.”

Chaos in the Batfam ensues- meanwhile across the country- Danny sneezes and finishes writing his yearly report: “No major discoveries aside from public record patents (attached), No assistance required. -Spare”. He doesn’t know why he bothers, he hasn’t received any contact from his mother or grandfather since he was 10ish and certainly hasnt thought about his twin. But, if there’s a chance (even an itty bitty one) that his reports are being read and are holding off his reassignment, he’d rather keep assassins out of Amity Park.

Little does he know that this letter is about to be intercepted by Pru, former assassin and friend of Tim Drake. He hadn’t expected his twin to suddenly arrive and tell him that his job was done. And certainly, seeing a plane filled with an uncomfortable looking ‘family’ that requested he join them and get to know Gotham and his birth father, was not on his bingo list.

Danny does his best to let them down gently- and they seem to be accepting that he’s acclimated to this weird little town and will leave him be- when Danny suddenly has to transform into Phantom in front of them to handle a rocket sent by Skulker.

They are less willing to accept his appeal to be left alone after that… Damian is trying to “bond” with him and all the others are trying to “help” in their own way.

Sam and Tucker howl with laughter at Danny’s suddenly very large family- all while secretly working with the Wayne’s to get Danny the fuck away from the Fentons before the scientists do something they can’t undo.

[nightmare-foundation]

I'm going to fucking Scream

There's so many parallels between No Way Home and A Death In The Family (specifically the movie version, I haven't read the comics yet).

Like. Please tell me I'm not insane for this?? Cause the parallels are jumping out at me and it's making me want to eat drywall. Like at this point the parallels between Peter/Batman and Peter/Jason as well as Joker/Goblin AND May/Bruce in the whole. Condo fight CANNOT be unintentional. There's no fuckin way. You could also argue there's some UTRH vibes thrown in but I'm less sure about that

Like. Idk it really feels like there's a lot of similarities between Jason and Peter. Similar traumas and events even if it's not 1:1. Specifically Peter kinda reminds me of Jason pre-hood.

A lot of people argue Peter is exactly like Dick, and he is!! There's definitely similarities there you can't deny. But MCU Peter, at least right now, reminds me WAY more of Jason than Dick. Peter, in other media such as the Spider-Man games, is definitely more like Nightwing than anything. But MCU Peter always felt fundamentally different and I think this us why??

He feels way more like Jason and I can't really explain it bc I'm frankly worried about getting it wrong. It feels more like Peter's journey in the mcu is there to match Jason, not Dick. Not listening to his mentor, being a brash and rebellious teenager (not angry, but he IS rebellious), wanting to do good no matter what, but life beating him down time and time again- fucking up and almost/actually getting people killed (the ferry, or Felipe), having issues with their superhero billionaire father figure, getting benched because of their brash actions, almost dying, ACTUALLY dying bc of said rebellious nature, green and/or purple themed nutcases killing them/someone close to them just to prove a point (one bad day vs no good deed goes unpunished), wanting said green nutcase dead, etc.

Like. Please tell me I'm not insane for this?? Ever since I got into batfam stuff all of these parallels have been jumping out at me. They feel REALLY similar except Peter hasn't, and very likely won't, go down the path Jason did.

Honestly this makes me really want to see a movie exploring Peter struggling to hold back, dealing with his trauma and darkness, though lbr, that likely won't happen. It'd be cool tho

[dcviated]

disney villain hc asks :: open

@sakuradreamerz sent: LADY TREMAINE, GASTON- Diluc CRUELLE DE VIL, MOTHER GOTHEL- Tharja

LADY TREMAINE - What does it mean to their muse to carry on their legacy?

It's hard to tell sometimes. What Diluc decides to carry forward from what Crepus left him is intriguing. On the one hand he holds onto the art and collections, on the other he sold their mansion (presumably living in the one that was built in the winery instead?). The delusion that was left behind ended up destroyed. And the coat that was passed to him was modified to be something of war and trepidation for the Fatui than regality.

I think more important to him than the Ragnvindr legacy (not to say it's unimportant) is the continued future of Mondstadt at large. There can hardly be one without the other. His father died doing something to protect their home country, and he's done quite a bit to do the same, hasn't he? When you think about it this is just another goddamn Batman parallel what an idiot.

GASTON - What does your muse love most about themselves?

It would likely be his intellect. He has a tendency to be full of himself and the things he knows. Wise and mature beyond his years and yet plenty of faults to the visage of the uncrowned king. Not to say that he isn't intelligent but damn if he couldn't serve to have some more humility when faced with confrontation. Or Kaeya. Same difference.

CRUELLA DE VIL - What is your muse’s fashion style?

Loose, free flowing, elegant- and definitely an unintentional sensuality suggested. However, I'm in the party of personal retcon that while her attire can emphasize her assets, she's not wearing a sheer body stocking over a bikini. But the texture, ease of movement, and sleek profile is still preferable under the cloak.

Tharja grew up in a desert country, it serves that she's used to dressing light to avoid over heating. If she were to go back into Ferox she'd suffer quite a deal. And wear a huge bundled coat. Sure, it hampers her magic, but it's better than freezing.

MOTHER GOTHEL - Would your muse want to live forever? Why or why not?

This is something she may have considered in the doomed timeline, given all the other mad dark magics she ended up divulging herself into in efforts to save her daughter (and almost accomplishing quite the opposite in the process oops!!). Given her aversion to losing herself in the first place and putting family at risk it's safe to assume there's no moral limit to worry about or price to her sanity.

In the victory timeline in which the Shepherds are victorious, however... most likely not. She'll hand wave it off as growing bored of living at some point once she's learned all she can be bothered to know. The crux of the issue however comes down to watching so many others die around her. A sinking thought that harrows the dark mage.

[brawltogethernow]

How would you, personally, go about writing a plot where twenty-something Dick Grayson has to take care of suddenly-deaged-to-just-after-his-parents'-deaths Bruce, who doesn't remember anything of his adult life? (I mean, other than Necessary Alfred.)

Well, the part of this concept that can really sock you in the face is. Dick knows exactly what Bruce needed to hear right after Martha and Thomas died.

Bruce, though not lacking for people trying to take care of him, did not get what he needed after becoming an orphan. He grew up, and he made the best of things, and he thought about what he needed from the world and didn’t get, and he became that, and that’s Batman, and that’s Bruce Wayne. When he saw a kid go through trauma very similar to his own, he had an entire playbook written by his own suffering and fixer tendencies ready to go. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best thing in the world for Dick Grayson short of his family spontaneously coming back from the dead, and things were good for a long time.

And now Dick Grayson, age, I don’t know, maybe the same age Bruce was when they met to intensify the parallels, has this playbook memorized. So.

Brief, miscellaneous scenario that’s about to cause the de-aging, to establish adult Bruce’s voice. He is motivated and capable with a strong sense of deadpan humor, and there is a large mishealed wound at his core. He is aware of this. He is used to working around it. He isn’t even that bitter about it, most of the time. Basically any supporting cast members filling out the scene could be interesting, so lacking an established roster to pull from you can use anybody. I think I'd use heroes who aren’t in the Batfam - characters with their own concepts of Batman but who don’t all know Bruce’s entire life story from a personal or Gothamite perspective. Dick is not present.

So something goes zam or zap or “Go back to your beginning, hero!” —Actually yeah, I like someone using magic to try to turn Batman into a baby but the symbolism catching wrong and rewinding him to when Batman was “born” instead. Some heavy-handedness is good with DC.

Elementary age Bruce Wayne is deeply unsettling. He intuits most of the situation without assistance or effort. He also doesn’t care. You can’t expect a pile of shattered glass to care about some sci-fi nonsense suddenly happening. He is a million years old. He hates you. He should be dead, they shouldn’t be dead, nothing is right. Breathing hurts, or, doesn’t, but should. It’s unconscionable that it doesn’t hurt to breathe. This child's despair is actively uncomfortable to be around. The grit of a nascent Batman grants him immunity to being comforted by the surrounding gaggle of semiprofessional child comforters. —I’m of the opinion that Bruce Wayne was probably a weird child to match the weird adult he grew up into, just initially happy about it, which I’d gun to make clear in his reactions even with the bottomless agony.

You could also snug a very traumatizingly timed identity reveal moment in here if somebody was tagging along who can go, WHY do I recognize this face from old news... WAIT.

Now Dick can show up. To a JL workroom, or the batcave, or maybe the manor, because I would want to demonstrate that Alfred is well versed in this and is sent back to a not great mental place by it. The old coping methods rise easily to hand even after decades, but he feels he never properly figured out how to fix the problems Bruce had in this period instead of just working around them. Eventually Bruce started working around Alfred’s inability to help. —But anywhere you put that sequence seems like it would drag the pacing.

So Dick shows up, and he crouches down with his characteristic gymnast’s fluidity, and he puts his hands on this kid’s shoulders, and he says...something. It’s not going to be okay. How could this ever be okay? The people assuring you it will aren’t trying to lie to you, there just aren’t words for this. But you can stop this from happening to anyone else. Opening with a conscious deployment of Bruce’s own words from a decade and then some ago, because Dick has always understood this element of their dynamic.

Except then he’s touching this real child who is warm under his hands and small. The shoulders under Dick’s hands are bony, which is a brain-meltingly irreconcilable detail with adult Bruce Wayne the meat slab. When Dick says, “My parents were killed when I was your age, too,” it’s a completely unintentional verbatim quote that crawls up out of his throat like a toad in a fairy tale. He hates that; he has a whole snarled up capital-T Thing about unconsciously parroting Bruce. But also it’s not like he’s going to stop comforting the actual child who now has a complicated look in his eyes—like he was drowning and then Dick threw him a life preserver and told him to hang on until they get to land because it’s impossible to reel him back up to the boat.

So then we go to the manor, and finally get to do some domestic nonsense, but hideous. Ugly conversations about coping and grief in your socks in the kitchen—when your parents just died, the sentence “The weather looks bad” is about your dead parents—because Alfred is coping by airing out whatever rooms Bruce used when he was smol he doesn’t now so hard you’ll never know they were shut up, which leaves Dick free to feed the child a fortifying dinner of instant oatmeal. (Mourning and food have a complex relationship, and I don’t feel food you actively enjoy is always a good choice!) This process involves Dick walking on the counter unnecessarily, which entertains Bruce for a quarter second before he’s swamped by guilt at having the audacity to enjoy something.

It’s miserable, but there’s a distinct glimmer of something promising under the murk. There’s this building surety that this could lead to something good. Bruce gave Dick the tools he needed to heal once, and as an adult Dick could repay that to this version of Bruce with interest.

And then Bruce pops back to normal, because that’s not how time works, with all of the ways that his emotional wounds healed wrong and healed open intact. But also with this Escher-like doubled recollection of the most formatively terrible point of his life, a short new version layered over the original that was pointing distinctly in a direction that would have sucked less.

[cheri-translates]

[CN]  Kiro’s Original Intention Date (Eng Translation)

�� Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date (and Season 2) which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Knowing the basics of Season 2 is necessary to understand what’s going on in this date. Do read this post if you don’t know anything about it!

Parallel World Dates Collection: Gavin // Shaw // Victor

Check out @skyholders​‘ translation of Lucien’s date here!

“When popular star Kiro returned to the country yesterday, there were hints of a new collaboration?”

The name “Kiro” has taken over several hot topics. Kiro received a short and sudden interview at the airport, attracting countless discussions and guesses. 

Reporter: I heard you signed a contract with a well-known music company in the period before this. Is your return to the country due to any special plans?

Kiro: There’s nothing special. I could be returning just to take my guitar? 

Reporter: ...we know you’ve taken on the role of a lead singer and are about to embark on a world tour. There must be some special reason for you to return to the country, right? 

Kiro: For this, it’s better to ask my agent.

Kiro smiles and pushes a bespectacled uncle in front of the camera. He playfully sticks out his head from behind the uncle, and pats his shoulder.

Kiro: I’m leaving it to you.

Once the words are out of his mouth, he runs off. 

~

My phone screen displays a photo of Kiro’s smiling face as he turns back. His golden hair plates his entire body in a generously brilliant and blazing splendour. 

I brush his face gently with my fingertips, my heart feeling heavy.

Like a raging wave, unspeakable longing and sadness knead together, fiercely slapping onto the shore.

Kiro has returned to Loveland City. 

However, this meeting doesn’t give me much time to feel low. 

Dad is standing in front of the projector in the conference room, orderly explaining the upcoming work arrangement for the company.

Dad: ...these are all the materials on Kiro. Everyone, please confirm the content on hand, and ensure that we are all on the same page. We’ve recently signed a contract with Kiro’s company. Kiro has received his Admission Letter and will continue pursuing his studies in the music academy. After he finishes his world tour, he will officially sign the contract to return to the country and develop. The contract this time is the very beginning of the collaboration, to work with Kiro’s upcoming tour. All departments have to make preparations. That’s all.

After the meeting is dismissed, Dad sits at my side. 

Dad: Suddenly calling you back from school - am I giving you too much stress? 

MC: I’m just a little surprised. I never thought the company... that Dad would make such an arrangement. 

Dad: This isn’t just Dad’s arrangement. You’ll know the specifics next time.

Dad pauses. When he speaks again, his tone seems to have a certain depth to it. I blink, making secret guesses in my heart. 

This means... it could be Black Swan’s arrangement. 

Dad: You once told Dad you wanted to be an outstanding producer. Of course, I’ll support my daughter in doing what she wants. This time, I’m just letting you get used to the tasks. Don’t be too nervous. Dad can’t bear to let you to dive into work so quickly!

MC: Hahaha, thank you Dad! I’ll learn seriously! I definitely wouldn’t cause trouble for everyone. 

Dad: The contract for the collaboration will happen three days later, so we can do some preparations before that. 

~

After greeting my father, I walk out of the building and turn back to look at it. With complex emotions, I head towards the convenience store.

The world proceeds forward slowly, but there are some differences from back then.

In my memory, Black Swan used B.S. Entertainment to lead public opinion. In an accident arising from multiple causes, it was replaced by my company.

As a similar media body, Dad has been expanding the company’s scope of influence since several years ago. 

In a way, we’ve already met Black Swan’s requirements and purposes. 

From some imperceptible moment, the entire world has moved towards a familiar yet unknown future.

However, there are coincidences that are either heaven’s tricks, or destiny. 

This time, my father’s sufficiently powerful company has replaced B.S. Entertainment, and has become Kiro’s future home. 

Without realising it, I’ve walked into that small convenience store. 

I stand in front of the shelves, staring dazedly at the final bag of chips.

I think about that person’s “warning” --

“Your unintentional actions may lead to irretrievable consequences.”

As though I’m deep in a black swamp, I’m trapped in place. My lips are sealed, and I sink into the darkness. 

After a long time, I pat my face fiercely with both hands, letting out a hard breath. 

MC: This time, I’ll be the one searching for you...

When I reach out for the bag of chips, a beautiful and slender hand appears in front of me - we’ve grabbed the same bag of potato chips. 

I turn my head, and the person beside me turns to look at me as well.

He is standing against the light, and a smile brims in his eyes. He gives the bag of chips a gentle tug, pulling me a step closer to him in the process. 

It’s as though he’s pulling me, who’s continuously sinking. 

A heavy feeling rising up from my chest and up my throat. I blink hard and clench my teeth. Even then, I can’t stop the redness in my eyes. 

MC: Kiiii... mmph!

Kiro suddenly covers my mouth with his hand and glances around. 

His smiling eyes tell me that he’s not angry at all about my rudeness. 

Kiro: Shhh... I don’t want to get noticed. 

I nod. 

Our little scene seems to have drawn attention, so we squat down in hiding.

We crouch together next to the shelf, shoulders nearly touching. Looking at the bag of chips in my hands, I suddenly laugh.

Kiro: You’ve smiled. 

MC: Hm? 

Kiro: You looked like you were going to cry just now. I even thought I frightened you!

MC: How can that be? I... I was just too excited. I didn’t think the big celebrity I saw on the screen would appear in front of me. Now, we’re squatting here like little kids in kindergarten. 

Everything is too similar to how we once met. The words involuntarily leave my lips. It’s as though in front of him, no matter how many times the scene repeats, I’m still the me of back then. 

Kiro: If I were still in kindergarten, I definitely wouldn’t let you have the last bag of chips. 

I turn around and find Kiro looking at the chips in my hand, seemingly not willing to give up.

A breeze enters the convenience store, lifting strands of his golden hair. Eighteen-year-old Kiro is beside me, looking as though he’s emitting light. 

MC: The Kiro now is already a mature Kiro!

Kiro: You’re right.

Even though I said that, Kiro still looks unwilling. His eyes are crinkled, and his mouth slants to a side. 

I look at him and think of a time long ago. Making a silent prayer that this bag of chips contains the Batman AR card, I tear the bag open slowly. 

MC: It’s a Batman AR card!!

Kiro: Eh, how are you even more excited than I am. 

MC: Haha. 

There’s a twinge in my heart, and I'm unsure if it’s longing or sadness. I try to shoot Kiro a smile, though it probably doesn't look good. 

MC: This is for you. 

Kiro takes the card and smiles, his eyes becoming even brighter. 

Kiro: How did you know that I'm collecting these? 

MC: ...I-I guessed it! Because...

Kiro: Because I look like the type who would collect these? 

MC: Yes yes yes, that’s it. 

Kiro: And I also look like I’m just missing this card? 

MC: ...y-yes, I guess? 

Kiro: Mm! I think so too!

Those blue eyes are filled with smiles, not containing a shred of impurity or suspicion. I release a relieved sigh in my heart. 

Kiro: But... I think we’ve forgotten to pay.

MC: Ah, you’re right. So sorry, ma’am. I’ll buy ten bags later! Sorry!

Kiro: Sorry!

We look at each other and burst out laughing. 

This time, our eighteen-year-old selves still share this tiny secret.

~

After walking out of the convenience store, I suddenly wonder why Kiro has appeared here and at this point of time. 

Kiro looks towards my father’s company and starts whistling playfully.

Kiro: So this is [-MC’s company name-].

His tone is light, not carrying the same anticipation he has on his face. 

Kiro: Are you an employee of this company too? 

MC: ...

The light of spring is in his bright eyes. Kiro looks at me quietly. This simple question seems to have a meaning behind it.

MC: I am. I just learnt that you’d be coming to the company after three days to sign the contract. But I came here to buy some things for myself...

Kiro: I see. 

His eyes crinkle, as though accepting my explanation. 

MC: You’re here to take a look beforehand? 

Kiro: Actually...

Just as Kiro starts speaking, my phone suddenly rings. Kiro smiles and signals for me to answer the phone first, then takes a few steps away. 

MC: Hello? Dad? 

Dad: It’s a little sudden, but come to the conference room in 15 minutes to prepare. The collaboration contract with Kiro has been brought forward to today.

On the other end of the line, I can hear faint sounds of various departments busily preparing for the various contract-related issues. 

Their conversations reveal the importance of the contract which is about to commence. 

Once this collaboration succeeds, it will herald a new phase of the company’s future development in the aspect of acting. 

??: Kiro hasn’t reached the office...

Father: Savin, don’t worry. MC, I’ll hang up now. Hurry back soon.

MC: All right. 

MC: [to Kiro] You brought the contract signing forward to today? 

Seeing that I’ve put down the phone, Kiro stuffs both hands into his pocket and bounces over to me. 

Kiro: Something cropped up, so I communicated it to the company. I hope I didn’t cause trouble for everyone. 

He retrieves a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, putting them on confidently.

Thinking about something, he tugs his sunglasses downwards lightly, revealing his smiling blue eyes. 

Kiro: I tend to get lost easily. Could you show me the way?

MC: Isn’t it just in front?!

Kiro: A person who lacks a sense of direction wouldn’t be able to find the entrance even if the building is right in front of him.

He squints. Tickled by his odd logic, I burst into laughter, then give him a mock bow.

MC: Follow me then, big celebrity.

Kiro puts his sunglasses on properly, then does a thumbs-up gesture contentedly.

~

They reach the office, and Kiro apologises for the trouble caused

He looks over the contract meticulously and voices his opinions on certain terms, providing suggestions on how they can be mutually beneficial

He signs the contract and the employees leave the conference room

MC is surprised at how anti-climatic the whole thing was, and in her distracted state, forgets to change the settings on the photocopier (which is set to printing small cards)

As a result, the photocopying machine only prints Kiro’s signature on an A4 sheet

Kiro: Is that gentleman your father?

MC: Mm.

Kiro: I see... doesn’t that make you my future boss?

MC: Eh?!

I’m momentarily startled by his words, my brain slowing down and my eyes blinking continuously.

Tickled by my expression, Kiro smiles and crinkles his eyes. 

Kiro: Am I wrong? 

His tone is sincere, and embeds within it a sort of curiosity and probing.

I lower my head, looking at that sheet of invalid A4 paper, and lift my head with a deep sigh. 

MC: You’re not wrong. It’s just that... I’m still very lacking right now. I’m not outstanding enough, and there are many things I can’t do. But I won’t stop here. I’ll make you believe that joining this company is something to be proud of.

I’ll continue running along this path that you’re shining on, and be like you, to become the light.

Kiro’s eyes slowly grow darker. I instinctively tighten my grip on my pen, but am unable to avert my eyes from his. 

These seconds of silence feel like I’m being examined. Gradually, he lifts the corners of his lips.

Kiro: Will you be participating in my upcoming world tour? 

MC: Probably not... I’m a newbie, so Savin should be going with you.

Kiro: Shall we practice then? 

MC: Practice? 

Saying this, Kiro leans forward. With a blink, he places his hand on the back of mine.

Kiro: Practice for when you become my future boss. 

The sweet scent of the young man brushes the tip of my nose, reminiscent of a person secretly pouring melted hot chocolate into the cup of someone he likes. 

He grins and tightens his grip on my hand. On the right side of the invalid A4 sheet, he writes his name crookedly.

Kiro: Your turn.

MC: ...I can really do that?

Kiro: I already said that this is a rehearsal for our future. 

MC: But your hand...

Kiro: Hm? 

My ears feel warm. Kiro’s eyes flash with the light of a prankster, waiting for me to finish.

His hand remains on the back of mine. He doesn’t exert any force. It feels like a catkin fluttering gently in my heart - ticklish, and can be flicked away with a light touch.

But I can’t bear to.

MC: Nothing!

My face is flushed. With his hand over mine, I leave a crooked “MC” on the left side. 

These two names are left on the invalid A4 paper - like a starting point of a certain dream. 

Kiro takes up the A4 sheet. Turning his palm, he entwines my fingers with his. 

Kiro: We’ve made an agreement. I’ll definitely stand on a higher platform, and let even more people see Kiro, and hear Kiro’s songs. I’ll make the name “Kiro” appear in every corner of the world. 

Gorgeous spots of light appear behind the young man, like the most brilliant and pure parts of youth. Still, they can’t compare to the brilliant light in his eyes. 

My heart is beating rapidly, and it feels as though a piping heat is coursing through my bloodstream. A faint heat grows where our fingertips meet.

MC: Mm, we have an agreement. I’ll also keep learn learning, and will use my strength and abilities to better develop this company. In the future, this company will be one that’s worthy to collaborate with the “International Superstar” Kiro.

Kiro: Can I do it? 

Kiro tilts his head, the glinting light in his eyes wavering slightly. It’s as though a tiny bit of doubt has appeared from its depths. 

MC: Do you think I can do it? 

Kiro: I think you can.

MC: Then you’ll naturally have no problem either!

I feel his shallow breaths on my fingertips. He leans his head lightly on our entwined hands. 

Kiro: Our agreement is complete. If one of us doesn’t reach our goal, there’ll be a punishment. 

MC: I won’t give you that chance!

Light soaks in through the window and covers our fingers. Kiro hops down from the table and gently lifts me to my feet, pulling me into the sunlit area. 

Just as he did countless times before. 

Kiro: Before the future arrives, please guide me. Miss Chips.

~

While MC is driving Kiro home, he suddenly asks:

Kiro: Is Miss Chips also from Black Swan? 

Kiro pipes up, his eyes not leaving the screen of his laptop. There is a smile on his lips, but it looks like a natural-looking mask. 

His casual-sounding question startles me. Although it’s a surprise that he would be so upfront about this, my fingers on the steering wheel tighten.

The green light makes its countdown, and I slow down, stopping before the zebra crossing. 

MC: I’m not. Although... I might be in the future. I don’t want to lie to you.

Kiro: Is that so.

His tone is light, as though he isn’t paying attention. As though it could be swallowed up by a flower blowing in the spring breeze. 

MC: Also, do you... remember what happened when you were young? 

Kiro: Bits and pieces. I don’t remember much. 

My heart grows heavy. Does Kiro not remember what happened in the orphanage? 

MC: I... have something that I definitely have to do. No matter how difficult it is, I have to accomplish it. There’s also someone I want to meet. I’ve waited a very, very long time. It’s been so long that I’m about to give up. But once I think about how he’s working hard in some corner of the world, I’m filled with motivation. 

I turn my head and meet Kiro’s eyes. His eyes are filled with an incomprehensible emotion. 

MC: I want to protect him, and want... to meet him again. No matter what misunderstandings this path would bring, I’ll continue walking bravely. 

Kiro blinks his eyes slowly, and finally reveals an unobstructed smile. 

Kiro: Miss Chips, you’ll definitely have no problem. 

~

After Kiro returns home, the smile he kept up in front of the girl finally collapses in a second.

In the pitch black living room, the sunlight outside the window has been kept outside by a thick and heavy curtain. 

He clenches his teeth and sits in front of the laptop, the continuously dancing search results on the screen making him cast his eyes downwards. 

Kiro: ...still no results. 

In the end, he drags himself to the sofa, his pale face almost transparent under the glow of the screen. 

A stubbornness appears on his lips, and dots of sweat appear on his forehead, as though he’s enduring a great agony. 

Kiro: At least... it’s only acting up now. 

At this moment, a call from a foreign number appears on his phone. 

Kiro: It’s me. 

??: You finally picked up.

Kiro: Tell me the results directly. 

??: The test results and your predictions are almost the same. 

Kiro: Mm.

Darkness has swallowed his face, but his eyes are flashing with light. Even though the world has plunged into a deep darkness, there’s still a scorching, blooming light.

Kiro: Let’s meet then.

He throws his phone aside, a look of self-deprecation on his face. Even though he’s curled up, he can’t suppress his trembling. The colour of an abyss is in his eyes. 

Kiro: [groaning]

The young man’s painful groans resound in the dark, and black markings appear on his arm.

The hands supporting the young man’s body allow him to look at the other corner, into the mirror in the darkness.

The hair of the person in the mirror has gradually faded into a silvery grey, and there is a dazzling golden light in his originally blue eyes--

Overlapping with the image in his mind. 

Kiro: ...I, command you--

The young man’s soft voice lingers in the dark.

-

🌸 MOMENTS 🌸

Kiro’s Post: Now that I think about it, did I sign an unfair contract back then?

MC: Is it the fastest contract you’ve signed in your life?

Kiro: It’s also the most important contract in my life ^_^

-

Kiro’s Post: Now that I think about it, did I sign an unfair contract back then?

MC: Written in black and white - behave and call me boss~

Kiro: As compared to “boss”, I’ve always preferred “Miss Chips” as a form of address.

-

Kiro’s Post: Now that I think about it, did I sign an unfair contract back then?

MC: Did I treat you badly?!

Kiro: Does this mean you’re going to treat me to potato chips next time?

-

Phone call: here

[solena2]

Hey y’all so I watched a YouTube video that I think was wrong, and as you know it’s illegal to be wrong on the internet, so I wrote a response!

Video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8LF_KkrCJs

Spoilers for BNHA, in both the video and my response (which I wanted to put in the comments on the video, but apparently YouTube gets pissy about copypasting? Anyway)

Also, probably watch the video before reading this, since a lot of this is a direct response to the points they brought up.

—

I’d like to preface this by saying that you’ve made some valid comments, and that I understand where you’re coming from here.

My Hero Academia is, overall, a story about amazing people with amazing powers doing amazing things, and it’s difficult to see where someone with no power at all might fit in to this, which is the main emotional conflict Izuku faces throughout his childhood, that fundamental dichotomy between his wanting to save people, and his (assumed) inability to do so without a quirk.

But My Hero Academia is also a story that likes to repeatedly assert that anyone can be a hero. From Aizawa with his non-physical quirk, who primarily uses support gear to defeat enemies many times stronger than him, to Shinsou, whose quirk is seen as villainous, who would likely have to fight against other heroes as often as he would villains thanks to the prejudice that’s positively dripping from BNHA’s world.

So I’d like to explain why I disagree.

First, you begin the video by talking about the people who claim that Izuku’s getting a quirk ruins the story. I would like to make it clear, right off the bat, that I don’t hold this view. I believe that while Izuku having a quirk weakens the impact of the story and cheapens a lot of its messages, there is still undoubtedly a story there to be told, and one that is worth telling.

The reason I believe that Izuku receiving One For All weakens the story is because BNHA is all about the consequences of the kind of society wide prejudice that exists within its world. Every villain the characters face and every problem they overcome is one spawned by the very status quo they’ve spent their childhoods dreaming of upholding- the hero system.

Stain exists because heroes are held in awe by the general population without truly being worthy of it, treated as saviors despite being little more than glorified cops, which spawns anger and resentment from people intelligent enough to see past their facades.

Dabi exists because pro heroes are allowed to get away with just about anything so long as they’re covert about it, and in fact might have grown up to be a hero himself if Endeavor had been held to a higher moral standard by those around him, or had been appropriately punished for his behavior.

All For One exists because “strong” quirks are revered, and those who hold them are taught early to take what they want by force.

Shigaraki exists because those with “unpleasant” quirks are reviled and held in disgust by the general population, which makes them vulnerable to exploitation by outside forces due to their lacking support systems.

I could go on, but I’m sure you get the point.

In my opinion, BNHA has always been centered around the society quirks have created and the consequences therein. I dare you to find a major character arc that doesn’t intersect with the universe’s social issues in some way.

Thus, I believe the message that BNHA attempts to convey would be significantly stronger I’d Izuku had remained quirkless, demonstrating once and for all that quirks and heroism aren’t so intertwined as it might seem.

Instead, it shoots itself in the foot, saying repeatedly that it’s not a quirk that makes a hero, but rather their spirit, while at the same time leaving it implied that the most important character of all would never have been able to help people if not for being given All Might’s power. (Again, it doesn’t ruin the story, but it does hamstring the core message somewhat.)

You say here that Izuku getting saved by All Might is the only reason he became a hero at all, being “saved from his fate of irrelevance”.

This is… Not something I agree with, to state it politely.

Izuku was planning to attend UA’s entrance exam long before he met All Might. Given that he is, you know, Izuku, I don’t think any amount of shittiness from Katsuki would have deterred him from trying. In fact, trying despite the odds against him making it seem idiotic to do so is one the largest parts of his character.

The way you speak of needing to give him a “resilient streak” for him to keep trying despite All Might’s discouragement implies that he doesn’t already have one wide enough to suffer through 14 years of being told he’d never make it as a hero. With how much he’s already pushed through by the time the story even starts, I really doubt All Might would succeed again breaking his will any more than anyone else has.

You say that Izuku’s arc is all about facing the guilt of having reached his goals purely through chance while so many others remain downtrodden.

That’s valid, and I agree.

You also say that this is not a character arc he could have had without One For All, which is not.

Merely being the first quirkless person to make it into UA would likely start this, as he would definitely still have to get through the exam on rescue points, which could feel unearned to him, what with his massive case of imposter syndrome.

Thus, it would still be entirely possible to give him the same overall character arc he has in canon, and it might in fact end up even more pronounced, due to all the discrimination he’d face from the general public.

You say that for this Izuku to continue, even despite All Might’s rejection, he would already have to have the sense of self worth such a character arc eventually gives him.

This is not the case. There are many instances in real life of people pushing past impossible odds and still not feeling as if they deserve to have made it to the other side. In fact, what would likely happen is that he’d try to be a hero anyway and then feel guilty for attempting it even after being discouraged by his hero.

So no, he’s not Naruto, because the personality changes you propose wouldn’t actually be necessary to give him a fighting chance as a hero without a quirk.

The next big point you make is that it would be difficult to give Izuku the standard shounen power crawl without a cool quirk.

You’re correct that technology would have a difficult time stacking up to One For All without feeling like an asspull, making him a Mary Sue, or needing to give him a seemingly infinite array of gadgets, a la Batman.

Notice I said difficult, NOT impossible. While it can be much harder to turn technology into a realistic way to fight superpowered villains, it CAN be done.

Not to mention, there is already a character in BNHA who does it and does it well.

Aizawa doesn’t have a combat oriented quirk, instead fighting almost exclusively with the use of his capture scarf, using which he is shown to be able to take out upwards of ten villains, depending on where you want to pull from. I really don’t think it would be so unrealistic to give a quirkless Izuku something along these lines.

Not that we even need to. We can have Izuku beating villains without the use of any technology he couldn’t buy for himself. (At least in a place with lax safety laws, which I imagine his world likely is due to how pointless it would be to heavily restrict the purchase of things like guns when there are people running around who can shoot glaciers from their hands)

Ninety percent of villains are as vulnerable to getting shot as a normal human. If that’s too violent and bloody for the tone of the show, there are dozens of ways to beat the villains with things like hairspray flamethrowers, slingshots, and traditional weapons (just look at Stain). While quirks certainly are powerful, they aren’t perfect and every ability has a counter, even if it’s not always immediately obvious.

This eliminates the problem of him needing to get his tech from somewhere entirely. (Which is almost a con, because Mei needs more screentime, man)

Actually your point of possibly making Izuku a “super genius” reminds me of something else. Izuku has an almost supernatural ability to identify and counter quirks. Gee, I wonder how that could be useful in a possible plot line where he’s unable to rely on being able to smash his way through problems…

You say that if Izuku getting a quirk is an issue for BNHA, giving him overpowered tech would be a problem as well. Though I already solved this problem by proposing less tech heavy solutions, I’ve decided not to skip over this point because it seems like the right place for me to bring up a piece of context you may be missing for why some people are so against Izuku being given a quirk.

Let’s talk about the disability angle.

Now, as someone with mental disabilities myself, I’m not exactly unbiased here. I’m not going to deny that I have a knee jerk reaction to any story that gives a character a disability (or something analogous within the setting to a disability, like quirklessness) and then “cures” it while implying that they never would have gotten anywhere if their disability had persisted. This is actually why I took so long to get into the BNHA fandom, since I saw a loose outline of the plot and immediately went “oh hell no”.

I did end up joining the fandom in the end, simply because I’m almost certain that this parallel was unintentional.

Anyway, the reason why giving him an overpowered quirk and giving him overpowered tech are so different from a lot of people’s perspectives is that giving him tech doesn’t erase his “disability”. If you give a quirkless Izuku powerful tech, he’ll still be quirkless, with all the hurdles and challenges that implies. (Especially the discrimination related ones) Meanwhile, giving Izuku a quirk removes the disability entirely, as well as most associated difficulties.

I’m sure you can see why one seems so ableist, from a disabled perspective.

You say that you would likely run out of ways to meaningfully progress his tech, in a series as long as BNHA likely will be by its conclusion, but I’d like to point out that this is just as much of a problem with superpowered media. It’s very common in shounen for power progression to feel like more and more of an asspull as the story progresses. Thus, you solve the problem in the same way, by relying more on clever use of what the hero already possesses than you do on creating a new application or ability in every fight.

And no, I can think of several ways to beat both Dabi and Shigaraki without “science magic”. Obviously, neither of them are immune to bullets, though again, that’s probably a bit too quick for this show. You could take down Shigaraki if you could numb his hands somehow, or if you protected yourself with something made of many interlocking parts, like chain mail. You could beat Dabi if you used something like a taser, if you could get close enough to use it. You could also just find a way to outlast him, since he’s not immune to his own fire. Maybe bring some gasoline?

I’m going to skip over the points you make while talking about setting, since I don’t believe you’d have to alter the setting to make a quirkless Izuku feasible.

I will talk acknowledge one point you make while discussing setting simply so I can say: inequality and societal imbalance do not require much, or even any, actual disparity in ability to both exist and be prevalent enough to disenfranchise huge chunks of a population. Just look at how autistic and ADHD people are treated for that. (Or gay people, or women, or the Poors(™)...)

In conclusion, your opinion is valid but I think you lack knowledge of where most of this criticism is actually coming from, which isn’t something you should be ashamed of.

I think the reason mine and your opinions are so fundamentally different here is that we’re coming from very different places, and our thoughts on a piece of media like this are always going to be shaped by our environment.

Thank you for reading.

[goforwardgreenwriter-blog]

The Worm Reads: Empire of Storms, Ch 65 - 67

I want this book over and done with

The Lock had crafted the sarcophagus from the mountain itself. It had taken every ember of its power to bind Erawan within the stone, to seal him inside.

Chapter 65 opens up with Elena’s POV on how Erawan is sealed up.

When [Elena] had stolen the Lock from her father all those months ago, she had not known—had not understood —the truth depth of its power. Still did not know why he had forged it. Only that once, just once, could the Lock’s power be wielded. And that power … oh, that mighty, shattering power … it had saved them all.

Holy fragments, Batman! Holy em dashes, Batman! Was SJM typing with one hand or?

Gavin, sprawled and bloody behind her, stirred. His face was so mangled she could barely see the handsome, fierce features beneath.

Gavin got his ass whooped by Erawan but Elena still needs to bust a nut over how hot he once was lmfaoooooo you’re killing me SJM

But even Gavin had not known what [Elena]’d been planning. What she’d stolen and harbored all these months. She did not regret it. Not when it had spared him from death. Worse.

Lmao is this an unintentional parallel to Alien and Rowboat because i am laughing Elena is punished for keeping secrets but Alien blatantly gets away with it holy fucking shit

Some spirits show up and tell Elena despite her efforts, no cigar. Erawan is gonna bust out of there eventually.

“He will rise again one day,” said the one of darkness and death. “He will awaken. You have wasted our Lock on a fool’s errand, when you could have solved all, had you only the patience and wits to understand.” “Then let him awaken,” Elena begged, her voice breaking. “Let someone else inherit this war—someone better prepared.”

I’m a sucker for conflict like this, where the older generation passes their problems onto the younger generation and the falling out from that, but sadly SJM didn’t give me any good character to inherit these problems for me to care about. Such a good concept wasted on a shitty disguise for fantasy porn.

Elena has to promise she’ll help whoever holds the Wyrdkeys next to fix the problems she made. Thanks, Elena, for making me read Alien’s shitty adventure. The scene swaps over to another memory.

The Princess of Eyllwe had been wandering the Stone Marshes for weeks, searching for answers to riddles posed a thousand years ago. Answers that might save her doomed kingdom.

Wait.....Nehemia?

Nehemia, baby, what are you doing here? Flee this shitty novel! Run my child, be free and flee to the land of actual good writing!

So Elena tells Nehemia about Alien’s destiny to save everyone (gag) and to go forth and seek out Alien to help her.

“And the price?” Elena hated them, then. Hated the gods who had demanded this. Hated herself. Hated that this was asked, all these bright lights … “You will not see Eyllwe again.”

Wow. So SJM really made a black woman’s entire character arc about dying for her precious snowflake OC, huh....SJM really out here dong Nehemia dirty like this.........

Nehemia swallowed. “Then I shall help in whatever way I can. For Erilea. And my people.”

GROSS SOBBING

NEHEMIA DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT THIS SHITTY SERIES DID TO HER NEHEMIA BABY I AM SO SORRY

Chapter 66 opens with Assdion’s POV... great. Can I please see Maeve punch him in his stupid face?

Aedion Ashryver had been trained to kill men and hold a line in battle since he was old enough to lift a sword.

SJM is still attempting to get me to feel bad for Assdion. Well guess what Sarah, too little too late.

But Aedion’s duty wasn’t to remind [the soldiers] of the blunt facts. His duty was to make them willing to die, to make this fight seem utterly necessary.

Anything for your precious queen Alien, huh? Eat my ass, Assdion.

[Lysandra] had modified her sea dragon. Given it longer limbs—with prehensile thumbs. Given her tail more strength, more control.

Holy fucking shit, and I thought Alien was a Mary Sue!!! So Lysandra can not only perfectly shift into a creature she’s never seen in the flesh before, she can also modify it like it’s an RPG??? Holy fucking shit Sarah quit making all your OCs over powered!! How the fuck am I supposed to be feel any tension or fear???

Arrows fired with better accuracy than the Valg foot soldiers, shooting like those rays of sunshine into the water. [Lysandra]’d prepared for that, too. They bounced off scales of Spidersilk. Hours spent studying the material grafted onto Abraxos’s wings had taught her about it—how to change her own skin into the impenetrable fiber.

1. “rays of sunshine” the fucking imagery???? Does SJM know how words work???

2. HOLY SHIT, PULLED OUT OF YOUR ASS MUCH??? We were given no indication Lysandra had been studying Abraxos’s wings until now, what a fucking ass pull!!! If you’re going to introduce new sudden magical elements you have to show them beforehand, otherwise it looks like you wrote yourself into a corner and just farted out a solution last minute!!!!

I hate this book. I hated it before, but I really hate it. The fact that so many talented authors receive no attention but SJM’s absolute garbage dumpster fire novels that are just for porn with no other thought put into them get all this praise makes me want to jump off a bridge.

Anyways, now we’re in Dorito’s POV and SJM Dorito is splooging over how powerful Rowan is. Same old, same old.

But when Aelin found their bodies, or whatever was left of them if the sea didn’t claim them … she might very well end the world for rage. Maybe she should. Maybe this world deserved it.

I mean, if she ended the world this series would be over and I’m on board with that, but you guys have spent this entire novel fighting to protect the world from the bad guys and now suddenly when things get hard you’re like, “eh fuck it the world doesn’t deserve our help”? Wow, some heroes you guys are.

[Dorian] wished he’d had more time to talk to the witch. To get to know her beyond what his body had already learned.

I’m not touching this because it’s beyond fucking stupid and this is the moment SJM should’ve woken up and realized her precious romances have no chemistry and are simply there for porn purposes.

Anyways, surprise surprise, Rowboat’s begging actually worked and his cousins start firing at their own ships. Score one for ass pulls!

Rowan had told Enda about Aelin.

The next chapter opens up with this, and I’m honestly baffled. If Rowboat told his cousins about the selfish shitlord that is Alien, you’d think they’d be more than eager to destroy her ship. But I suppose not.

So [Rowan]’d gone, ship to ship. To the cousins he knew might listen. An act of treason—that was what he had begged them for. Treason and betrayal so great they could never go home. Their lands, their titles, would be seized or destroyed.

So why the fuck did they decide to help him?

No, I’m serious, Rowan doesn’t tell us. If I was one of his cousins and this fucker showed up after betraying our queen and begged me to risk my own life and family to save him, I’d tell him to go fuck himself.

Is SJM fucking with us on purpose? Because none of this makes any sense. They have no logical reason to help Rowan at the risk of themselves, and I’d bet every cent I ever owned Rowboat won’t lift a finger to help any of his cousins after Maeve kicks them out.

SJM is a shitty writer. She’s worse than fucking George Lucas. That’s right, I said it, don’t fucking come @ me.

Maeve wouldn’t allow it. She’d wipe the Whitethorn line off the map for this.

If Rowboat’s cousin and his lover die because of this I am going to break something.

Anyways, Rowboat and the gang start winning because of fucking course they do, and Lorcan realizes Maeve isn’t actually on any of her ships, but on the same beach Elide was ordered to wait on. Well, duh, did you really expect Maeve to be that stupid?

The chapter is over, and oh my god less then 10 chapters..... I can do this, I can do this...........

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/joker-movie-review-joaquin-phoenix-captivates-in-a-misguided-origin-story/

Joker Movie Review: Joaquin Phoenix Captivates in a Misguided Origin Story

One of the reasons the Joker was such a thrilling phenomenon in Christopher Nolan’s 2008 masterpiece The Dark Knight was that the film opted to make him an enigma. It made him all the more terrifying because you didn’t know why the DC villain did anything, and he deliberately contradicted himself every time he offered a glimpse at his thought process. Ultimately, we are told next to nothing about his background. In other words, The Dark Knight’s Joker had no origin story. The comics have largely avoided fully sketching out his past as well, though the most common elements have included him falling into a vat of chemicals and then being driven insane by the resulting disfiguration. Enter the new take on the character in Joker.

With director Todd Phillips (The Hangover Trilogy) at the helm, who’s working off a script he co-wrote with Scott Silver (The Fighter, 8 Mile), Joker is far from wholly original though. Its basic premise — that of a failed stand-up comedian who unwittingly turns to a life of crime — is borrowed from Alan Moore’s 1988 one-shot graphic novel “Batman: The Killing Joke”. Additionally, the film riffs heavily on the works of Martin Scorsese — who was once attached as producer, but left due to the workload involved with The Irishman — especially the 1976 neo-noir psychological thriller Taxi Driver, and the 1983 satirical black comedy The King of Comedy, both of which starred Robert De Niro. (De Niro is in Joker too, and his role is a reverse homage to the latter.)

It’s why Phillips has also chosen to set Joker is that same period, as it takes place in 1981 in Gotham City, which as every Batman fan knows is essentially New York for all intents and purposes. By its setting, the movie can then trade on New York’s civic, criminal, and social problems from that time, which essentially run parallel to the atmosphere of Taxi Driver. Joker mixes that with the character’s aspirations to have the life of a talk show host and comedian from The King of Comedy. (De Niro played a madman then and he plays the host now.) And just as both Scorsese films did, Joker too follows a lonely individual who’s combating a mental illness and is slowly driven insane. Here, said individual is a failed comic called Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix).

At the start of the film, Arthur is employed as a clown — an intentional foreshadow — who works as a sign waver. One day, he’s picked on by a bunch of kids who proceed to destroy the sign and beat him up. But Arthur’s boss doesn’t buy his story and issues him a final warning, even though he was the victim in this scenario. Things aren’t any better on the personal side of things. There’s no one in his life except his mother Penny (Frances Conroy), whom he diligently takes care of. Together, they always watch Murray Franklin’s (De Niro) nightly talk show, which Arthur vividly dreams to be a part of. On top of all that, Arthur has a medical condition that causes uncontrollable episodes of laughter, which doesn’t earn him any compassion even though he carries a laminated card that says as much.

This takes place against the backdrop of a Gotham City where the divide between the haves and the have-nots is deepening by the day. The messaging is pervasive throughout Joker, with the city having trouble dealing with everything from “super rats” to funding its social services. It doesn’t help that Gotham’s next mayoral candidate is an uber-rich man in Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) — father of a young Bruce, who grows up to be Batman and Joker’s archenemy in the comics — who has some choice words for the city’s poor. Wayne’s demeanour makes him an easy villain in Joker, both on a public and private level, with the film tweaking his past and personality to give Arthur further reason to hate him. (That also helps set up an intriguing twist on one of the most iconic comic book moments.)

In the run-up to its release at film festivals, Phillips used the word “bonkers” to describe Joker. But it’s actually straightforward in pure filmmaking terms. To set up the story of a person who feels neglected by and isolated in society, Joker essentially puts him through the wringer. Arthur starts off in a bad place and things just get progressively worse from there on, as he loses all his support systems: mental, professional, and personal. Joker also literally isolates him on-screen, with the many supporting roles — including De Niro, Conroy, Cullen, his clown pals, and Zazie Beetz as his love interest — amounting to extended cameos for the most part. So when Arthur snaps a little more than midway into it, it’s very easy to identify with him, even though you know what the Joker stands for.

Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin in Joker Photo Credit: Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros.

Joker is most thrilling, hair-raising, and disturbing as Arthur completes his transformation into the title character, with each scene thereafter somehow more terrifying than the one it follows. His actions help the anti-rich sentiment in Gotham boil over, and it’s terrifying to see how the pain and anger of one individual can be co-opted by a system for their benefit. But it’s also here Joker wades into troubled waters. Not only does it state that mental illness can be a source of evil, it also gives a select group fuel for how they see the world. By making Arthur a hero of sorts, Joker can be seen as justifying their thoughts and potential actions. That’s a dangerous notion to peddle — without condemning — in an environment where everyone believes they are “righteous”.

That any of it sticks is because of Phoenix. The 44-year-old — who has wilfully avoided commercial cinema ever since the turn of the century — gives Joker every ounce of what he has to offer, having lost 24kg of weight for the role. His (unintentional) laughs start off with copious amounts of nervousness and sadness, and then slowly morph into something else altogether. By the end, Arthur isn’t laughing as much, but you can tell that he’s smiling to himself. Phoenix is every bit as captivating as Heath Ledger was over a decade ago — it’s why there are calls already for giving him the Oscar — albeit for different reasons. If Ledger was frightening, then Phoenix is spine-chilling. The latter also benefits by getting to work with a character arc courtesy of the transformation.

For those that usually restrict themselves to the superhero genre, Joker will no doubt be a breath of fresh air. And though it’s not part of the DC film universe that includes Wonder Woman and Aquaman, it does leave room for a future with more of Bruce Wayne. Phillips has said he doesn’t see Robert Pattinson’s Batman cross over but that doesn’t mean he can’t create his own world, which depends on how it does commercially. But as an origin story — Arthur is a product of a broken mother, a broken home, and a broken city — it’s unable to meaningfully engage with what it presents. And as a standalone ~superhero~ film, Joker drinks too much from Scorsese’s can while presenting a deeply cynical but ultimately empty viewpoint. It’s provocative but sadly, it’s also irresponsible in the handling of that material.

Joker is out now in cinemas across India.