#still neat and really shows how much similarities there are in the stories we tell ourselves

[lunellum]

Also, there is no "original" version of (many) fairy tales. There are just... versions. They are the result of a long and varied oral tradition, which means there is no definitive, known starting point that we know or can determine. (There are branches of academia that try but they can only speculate)

Plus, as the above alludes to, many fairy tales can be categoried as a type or pattern of story. These types (basic story structures) are surprisingly common and pop up in many different regions and cultures with many variations. None of those variations are more "original" than any others.

The first time you can put a concrete date on a fairy tale, as above, is the first time they get written down. But it's important to remember that is the first *published* date. Because they originate in an oral tradition, they probably existed for a long time before they got written down, so the first published date is their *minimum* age.

(If you want to know more about the fairy tale types (from a white, EU perspective), look up the Aarne-Thompson-Uther index. It's pretty fascinating. Also a fun resource for making up folktales when worldbuilding)

I’m tired of hearing people say “Disney’s Cinderella is sanitized. In the original tale, the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to make the slipper fit and get their eyes pecked out by birds in the end.”

I understand this mistake. I’m sure a lot of people buy copies of the complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales, see their tale of Aschenputtel translated as “Cinderella”, and assume what they’re reading is the “original” version of the tale. Or else they see Into the Woods and make the same assumption, because Sondheim and Lapine chose to base their Cinderella plot line on the Grimms’ Aschenputtel instead of on the more familiar version. It’s an understandable mistake. But I’m still tired of seeing it.

The Brothers Grimm didn’t originate the story of Cinderella. Their version, where there is no fairy godmother, the heroine gets her elegant clothes from a tree on her mother’s grave, and where yes, the stepsisters do cut off parts of their feet and get their eyes pecked out in the end, is not the “original.” Nor did Disney create the familiar version with the fairy godmother, the pumpkin coach, and the lack of any foot-cutting or eye-pecking.

If you really want the “original” version of the story, you’d have to go back to the 1st century Greco-Egyptian legend of Rhodopis. That tale is just this: “A Greek courtesan is bathing one day, when an eagle snatches up her sandal and carries it to the Pharaoh of Egypt. The Pharaoh searches for the owner of the sandal, finds her and makes her his queen.”

Or, if you want the first version of the entire plot, with a stepdaughter reduced to servitude by her stepmother, a special event that she’s forbidden to attend, fine clothes and shoes given to her by magic so she can attend, and her royal future husband finding her shoe after she loses it while running away, then it’s the Chinese tale of Ye Xian you’re looking for. In that version, she gets her clothes from the bones of a fish that was her only friend until her stepmother caught it and ate it.

But if you want the Cinderella story that Disney’s film was directly based on, then the version you want is the version by the French author Charles Perrault. His Cendrillon is the Cinderella story that became the best known in the Western world. His version features the fairy godmother, the pumpkin turned into a coach, mice into horses, etc, and no blood or grisly punishments for anyone. It was published in 1697. The Brothers Grimm’s Aschenputtel, with the tree on the grave, the foot-cutting, etc. was first published in 1812.

The Grimms’ grisly-edged version might feel older and more primitive while Perrault’s pretty version feels like a sanitized retelling, but such isn’t the case. They’re just two different countries’ variations on the tale, French and German, and Perrault’s is older. Nor is the Disney film sanitized. It’s based on Perrault.

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

As someone who's stuck with Villanous since the first shorts, I love all of it, but it's kind of a jumpscare moving from the older stuff to the full episodes. The focus shifts so dramatically from Black Hat and mansion shenanigans to Flug and Demencia completing their missions, and if you read the comics - hero or villain tritagonists of the day.

Don't get me wrong: if the comics are anything to go by, this is good. The team can easily tell engaging stories about interesting faction wars between good and evil all centered around one or two charming protagonists you love. The show is great and still hilarious! And I love how much Flug and Demencia have evolved. Demencia especially gets really neat blink-and-you'll miss it moments with her propensity for mental maths and actual caring about Flug that you wouldn't expect from her archetype, and I hope they do more with that.

But it's just like... I kind of miss the evil goofiness with Black Hat. The creative ways he uses his powers to mess with people around him and the way things go wrong in the mansion because of his subordinates' incompetence. The early shorts have this unique, snappy, memorable vibe of chaos to them while similar shows with villain casts like Evil Con Carne tended to linger around and be way too slow with.

I get his relegation to side bits - you can't really have someone with his level of omnipotence interfering with the main plot, or you'd have no main plot. He's also much simpler of a character than Flug and Demencia as a representation of pure evil. But it feels like they could be doing something more creative with him than making him like. screw with TV and play mini-golf. Sitting on his throne until it's time for another episode's plot to begin or end.

Maybe have him hunt down a client for fun, or something. Drip-feed us history about what he's helping to screw up in the villain world. Maybe throw him against other non plot-relevant characters in disguise and have him pick at their weaknesses - turn them against each other. And then have him arrive back home at the same time as the other characters and just never telling them what happens.

We know he's always going to have the upper hand and not really affect the plot too much, so they should really be having more fun with him. You don't get omnipotent characters like this often - the creators should really be taking more advantage of him to write and animate the most creative, off-the-wall oneshot B-plots of him screwing with people that you can imagine.

[andradrawsstuff]

An in-depth character analysis of Skipper: pt 2

So, tv Skipper is a bit of a contrast to movie Skipper, as I stated in my MASSIVE ramble in part 1 💀 Even though he’s so different, he does have his quirks and some decent character development. It’s also great to see how much Tom’s voice acting evolves over the seasons and I thank him so much for putting his heart into it 🥺

This is also going to be a long one I am so sorry, I tried

This version of Skipper started off pretty similar to his movie counterpart as the show was finding its footing, but soon evolved into his own version of himself as the series went on. In early season 1, we see Skipper be somewhat down to earth and have quite an honourable attitude. He’s not super shouty-screamy and we see him being pretty domestic, which is probably because season 1 is pretty slice-of-life compared to the other two seasons.

I think the main points to mention here are in Happy King Julien Day and Assault and Batteries - in hkjd, despite all sorts of interruptions Skipper gets a little angry, but doesn’t really act upon it, he just minds his own business. Eventually he confronts Julien, but remains civil throughout the entire thing. In Assault and Batteries, he takes the batteries but does so sneakily to minimise confrontation. And when Julien chases him, he doesn’t fight. Throughout the entire episode (and a good bit of the show), he remains somewhat civil and tries to minimise confrontation with Julien. He’s also pretty sweet at the end when he offers a high five like bro that’s adorable I can’t-

We also get to see some decent character development for him in season 1, as there’s a lot of Skipper-centric episodes. In Needle Point, Skipper realises he should take the shot so that Private doesn’t get sick - he takes accountability for his actions, and his conversation with Private is pretty sweet. I love that you get to see Skipper being sweet (especially with Private) in the series, since they’ve had the time to show a bit of his vulnerable side here and there.

But I think that the most important character development point in Skipper’s story is Miss Understanding - Since the start of season 1, Skipper was pretty sexist and it gets so bad that he thinks he can’t do anything he did before because he’s a girl. He eventually saves the guys and the episode comes to a resolution.

But here’s the thing, not once is he sexist after that (Unless I’ve missed a few things here and there but I think he genuinely learns his lesson) which makes me think that his sexism is intentional on the writers part bc they do make it a point that it’s wrong, so w tpom and it’s pretty neat and rare for an early 2000s show to cover. This is why I love love love season 1 Skipper - he’s flawed but in a realistic way and he usually makes an effort to fix his mistakes. He’s also quite nonchalantly chaotic like in the movies, whereas in later seasons he’s more aggressively chaotic if you catch my drift? Idk how to explain well lmao.

As for his other traits, he’s pretty paranoid and egocentric, but still as suave, sassy and sarcastic as movie Skipper. He’s defo got a lot more of an “I’m right and you’re wrong” attitude than his counterpart and is a fair bit grumpier which is pretty funny. He’s got a bit of a hero complex here (eg. Treasure of the Golden Squirrel) and at first he’s arguably more chaotic good than neutral compared to the movies, but it’s not such a big change that it makes it bad in any way. I mean, he still kinda has it out for the humans and chooses violence without a second thought which is hilarious to me 💀

As the series progresses, Skipper starts to get increasingly paranoid and aggressive, and a lot of his negative traits start to show more. In early season 2 he’s fine but you can tell when the writers were starting to lose the plot both with the characters and stories in late season 2. It kinda feels like his character took a 180 turn and went backwards, but honestly it’s not that noticeable and I just happen to love analysing these things. I mean, it also happens to Kowalski, who around the same time starts becoming a bit of an asshole and gets worse in season 3 - in Snowmageddon, he’s rlly dismissive of Private and Fred.

I think Skipper also ends up suffering what I like to call the “Sabrina Spellman treatment” because he starts making mistakes and refusing to take accountability, usually pinning the blame on someone else without repercussions. I guess it’s the only real “problem” I have with his character in the series but honestly it’s just something that tends to happen as shows go on for a long time and it’s not all that bothersome. But the thing is, he starts getting better again in season 3 and he gets more character development (eg. Snowmageddon where him and Marlene work rlly well as a team and Antics on Ice where he’s pretty much doing everything for Private 🥺) so idk what happened there 💀

Overall, tv Skipper is still a loveable little guy and I find it so funny when he gets angry out of nowhere, my fav crazy Skipper moment being the one where he swears he’s never gonna end up in Hoboken and starts screaming his lungs out 💀 (absolutely top-notch voice acting as always ofc).

But with this, I hope that you’ve enjoyed my ridiculously long character analysis and feel free to tell me your thoughts, this is all just my opinion after all :)

If you’re somehow still reading this I congratulate you, you get a gold star ⭐️

[grandisknight]

thinking thoughts / headcanons for xavier’s birthday (10/16)

i do realize his birthday is still a couple months away, but i’ve been thinking about ways his first bday story could go so don’t mind me yapping

+ will edit at a later time, not beta read lol

+ mostly fluff, they’re in love basically

⊹˚₊‧───────────‧₊˚⊹

(1) a date in the stars

- starry sound card audio inspired my initial thought (spoiler: he’s in space and leaving a voice message diary for MC, ends with him saying he misses her)

- for his birthday they go to an observatory to admire the stars since they frequently star gaze together anyhow, mc thinks it would be a fun way to integrate their interests and celebrate his special day

- xavier talks about stars and constellations, showing off his profound knowledge in astrology

- he gets quiet at one point when looking at a vast map of the constellations and stars, recognizing where philos once was and if he calculated just enough, he could spot uluru and his gaze softens for a brief moment

- MC decides to give him his gift then, it’s a small box wrapped in a neat bow and inside is a singular star tassel

- she shows her bag and points out how she has one too, so they’re matching; bonus points in that she made them herself (similar to his 3rd annecdote)

- they go outside for air and the cool night sky greets them with a shooting star, she tells him to make a wish especially since it’s his birthday

- he makes an earnest confession while holding her hands and looking only at her, with a sea of stars protecting their heads

- also need him to mention uluru like my life depends on it that planet is so precious to me

- bonus: xavier tells her the moon is beautiful tonight (iykyk) and kissing under the moonlight

⊹˚₊‧───────────‧₊˚⊹

(2) party for two, homemade cake for me and you

- similar to how we made a cake in-game for rafayel’s bday ^^

- MC wants to bake xavier a homemade cake!! and tries to be very sneaky about it, not-so-subtlety texting him about cake flavors and what he likes (tbh he’s not really that picky)

- but she remembers he’s been caring for some strawberries out on his terrace alongside other plants

- so she invites him to go strawberry picking (she’ll use them in the cake!) and they have a cute moment, talking about which ones are the best to pick and he offers her one to eat

- a week later, his birthday comes and she surprises him at her apartment under the guise of needing help with something

- streamers and celebration decoration everywhere and her homemade cake plated nicely on a platter

- spoiler alert: he knew what she was up to this whole time, but played along because he adores her regardless

- they eat the cake together but get distracted… (vaguely gestures towards spice here hehe)

- alternatively: this entire scenario but with cherries and making a cherry tart (bc his favorite fruits are cherries) (and we all know how well that went the first time) (wink)

⊹˚₊‧───────────‧₊˚⊹

but overall, the greatest gift he could ever receive is mc and time spent with her since to him, time can be a fleeting thing and he’s simultaneously had so much yet not enough left at the same time 🙏^_^

[aotopmha]

Spoilers for the entire Dawntrail MSQ!

Here's my post on the side characters.

Wuk Lamat's character isn't as bad to me as some people seem to think it is, but I think I did end up "liking" a lot of the side characters better.

This is actually also an opinion I have about Stormblood's story – eventhough I don't dislike Lyse, either, I take Gosetsu, Yugiri and the Azim Steppe cast above her (except Hien, I think he's really boring).

I just think a lot of the DT side cast is extremely effective in terms of screentime.

Koana's arc about being his honest self comes together when he gives up his position as a Dawnservant candidate to help Wuk, but the campfire scene with him and Thancred and Urianger is still one of my favourites in the expansion because it also ties together with their character arcs.

Aside from acting beyond his mask, he also gains nuance in terms of his absolute perspective regarding the value of technology.

It's a downright layered arc and I enjoy it very much.

I think people are really finger-waggy at Bakool Ja Ja's story because "it solves a bad system in 10 minutes", but I read it as more of a first step, especially in tandem with an aether current quest in the area, which had someone's whole world essentially crumble.

But I liked it for being an honest, earnest exchange between him and Wuk. He's the kind of minor villain trope that isn't the most graceful "redemption arc" because it is too close to a switch flip, but I also see him as pretty strongly in the side character bracket that doesn't really try to be a hyper-complex character.

He got a dark story, but to me it never felt like they wanted for you to cry super hard for him. Be shocked for sure, it is the first tone shift, but not really weeping your eyes out.

It reminds me a lot of the one-off Monster of the Week villain that might eventually become part of the main cast.

I ended up finding him super entertaining after he started supporting everyone in his own way, so I think he's actually not a misinformed redemption arc because he never goes back to being the same asshole, it's just not very gradual or "nuanced".

Next, I really liked Krile's journey.

The lalafell lore was neat.

But her getting to reunite with her parents was the highlight regarding her character and made me cry a bunch because it was both expected and unexpected; I was wondering where the story was going with her character the entire way through and it made so much sense to lean into her origin as an orphan.

On an emotional level, it was closure you would never expect.

I also really like the initial Echo cutscene with no dialog that first revealed her to be from another reflection. I love that kind of "show, don't tell" storytelling.

Otis is another favourite of mine. I love the contrast between his design and personality and just find his knightly behaviour super fun.

I know Zoraal Ja's child is another divisive character, but it's his relationship with Otis that sold his character to me. The campfire scene with them is super sweet. And doing the play with him was good closure. Not quite as tearful to me, but sweet nontheless.

Finally, there is Erenville. He was in a similar situation as Krile to me. The entire way through, I was wondering what they were going to do with him.

And it turns out, pain.

We learn about his mom early on and the entire way through Heritage Found and Solution 9, there is this feeling of unease when we meet her as "a robot".

In fact, I knew there is probably tragedy waiting in regards to her.

She's an absolutely wonderful character. Adore her teasing and "embarrassing mom" energy.

And Erenville is simply another example of how people face loss. And well, he simply couldn't face it.

Who could properly face everything he went through in the short time it is revealed in?

He went home the first time in years and was met with a completely different place he left with the person he probably cares about the most in the most morally horrendous situation you can think of.

His entire role in this expansion was suffering.

So when he finally honestly talked to her at the end, it was another really impactful scene to me.

I mentioned it in another post, but I know there is another pretty prominent complaint about some characters getting too little time in this expansion, but so many of them have just these really strong and meaningful scenes to me.

I'd rather take a character with 3 really meaningful scenes than 10 "simple" ones.

And I really, REALLY hope they don't walk back any of the deaths. Because this time around it really is intrinsic to making the story's point.

And these stories also left a lot of room for exploration for these characters.

Erenville has a newfound motivation for exploration I wholly believe.

Krile has an entire new civilisation to look into.

And I think Koana's interest and perspective on technology could still be explored.

And I actually think they really could do more with Bakool Ja Ja and Gulool Ja, too.

I'm a little worried about there not yet being setup for new true big picture 10-year stuff because all of this could be resolved in the patches, but I get the feeling that key might lead us to it.

I think a lot in the big picture perspective with this story and in that sense, I enjoy that DT left us with so many possible leads.

[azuresquirrel]

You and other people I follow have been talking about dungeon meshi for a while, and how good it is and how everyone should read it, and like, I do curate my dash pretty well, so i know you guys would have a taste somewhat similar to mine, and therefore I would really like it, but I guess the stars just have never been in position, also I keep seeing you guys posting about a lesbian ship and l didn't know if it was gay gay, or just two girls that barely interacted in canon but we just think it would be neat if they kissed (nothing against that, I do this myself a lot too).

But the anime is here, and so I watched the first episode, and then read the entire manga in less then 2 days, and you guys were absolutely right it is a great show, and also while there could be an heterosexual explanation for marcille and falin, it is just as equally possible for them to be very very gay for each other, so I taking that route

Also, while I am seeing and agreeing and respecting the themes of this show, Falin is still like part dragon or whatever so she is gonna live for like, a thousand years, right? Look, I am just saying that making a cake and eating is also a theme for this show, please let me have this

Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon spoilers

YES, YOU HAVE SUCCUMBED TO MY FUNGUS, MY POSTING HAS BOURNE FRUIT.

My two points to your message (well, two besides You Have Succumbed to My Fungus):

I enjoy that Ryoko Kui left any "romances" vague because it is plainly not The Point of the story she was telling, but I also like to think the vagueness re: Marcille and Falin was a bit intentional. Like its Up to Interpretation but without the insult of when Bandai tried to do that with Gundam: Witch From Mercury.

Likewise, I appreciate her being vague regarding what Falin's new dragon-incorporated body means, as given the entire situation she experienced its probably likely no one else in-universe has experienced it or its such a rare experience there is not knowledge to draw from, but I PERSONALLY choose to take it as that Falin does now have the lifespan of a dragon which means that while Marcille will have to face losing most people she knows to their natural lifespans, Falin can be around for much, much longer :)

[fallloverfic]

TGCF donghua Season 2, Episode 10 thoughts

This episode T-T T-T T-T T-T. Spoilers for the show and the book below. CW reference to suicide.

The dude being racist to An Le looks vaguely like a love child of Feng Xin and Nie Mingjue (the donghua version) roflmao. Animators have made little references to The Scum Villain's Self Saving System this season so I would not be surprised if someone snuck in a reference to the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua, too lol And this is similar enough to at least one Meng Yao + Nie Mingjue scene that I can see why they'd do it here.

So the Xianle goons licking their lips is because, I imagine, whatever was in that pouch Qi Rong brought An Le infected them or maybe it was these actual soldiers or something. Makes it less mmm... Strange. Having seen recordings of an attempted assault on a principal government building with government officials inside and what bloodthirsty folks bent on literal murder of said officials get up to around that, I mean I guess it's not that..... strange......

Someone here let me know that the servant/friend is the same official from S02E01 who ran past Xie Lian to help Lang Qianqiu, which makes sense! I totally forgot he showed up then and wondered after S02E07 if he was An Le acting funny (though by the end of S02E09 he is clearly not). He does show up in the novel in that S02E01 scene, but he's not named so far as I can tell, and I don't think we see him in Yong'an flashbacks like we do here. It's neat to see the development of this side character, and how some officials reward people who support them in life (besides Xie Lian and Yin Yu).

Xie Lian seeing the guy nervously looking for Lang Qianqiu and then being like: -sigh- young love is such a trial. You should spend more time studying the blade!

Oh shit, we get a preview of Xie Lian's parents' suicide. Wow. Will we get the donghua that far please T-T

I'm just in love with Fangxin's cape. It's so beautiful trailing behind him.

I'm sorry but An Le screaming in the same way Nakahara Chuuya does whenever he's mid-Corruption in Bungo Stray Dogs made me laugh so hard roflmao Unexpected (and likely unintentional) cameo lol

Imma keep saying it, the animation in this episode is really good. The fight scene is wonderful. When they go back to Qi Rong cackling is good. The show is just pretty.

Qi Rong: "Why is everyone here so fond of crying!"

This man is tired. Can't you do a little mass murder and gloating in peace? Honestly. Hard times.

Qi Rong: "You want your parents? I haven't gone asking for mine yet!"

Aw Qi Rong, babe...

Qi Rong got anime slashed. Who could have foreseen??? /end sarcasm

Xie Lian having a sad moment about Qi Rong, thinking he died. I'm wondering what the crying scene is from, or if that's something new. Qi Rong did cry I think in one flashback (I think where he's complaining about something) but this looked sadder? And less "spoiled".

Xie Lian sadly reaching out for Lang Qianqiu T-T

Xie Lian: "Is the truth so important? . . . What's the use of him knowing that? If I killed a few less people, would that make my reasons more justified?"

I really do love this so much. Just... sometimes the truth isn't important. Sometimes the truth is more painful/results in a worse outcome. Being bluntly honest isn't always the answer. You could argue that Xie Lian sacrificing himself isn't the answer either, and it's better overall that Lang Qianqiu knows things, but I love how this story brings up this idea, that maybe ignorance was better. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and Xie Lian did still intentionally murder two people, as part of a cover-up.

Also, "You'd rather be right than be loved," is something I think about a lot from personal experience. It's not Hua Cheng's intention, but this kind of thinking can lead down that path so easily.

Hua Cheng really feeling that "fucked around and found out" part of this whole thing. Like I don't necessarily disagree with his goal here, and Xie Lian's plan is kind of well... imperfect (to put it lightly). But I do think this is a nice moment of Hua Cheng realizing that yes, he is Xie Lian's #1 fan, he is Xie Lian's strongest believer, and Xie Lian clearly cares deeply for him in return, but this does not mean that Hua Cheng understands Xie Lian perfectly, or knows all his thoughts (does Hua Cheng know a lot about him? Yes. But Xie Lian hides a lot of what he thinks, and has done so throughout his life). When thinking about Hua Cheng, I often think of Sosuke Aizen's line in Bleach chapter 170: "Admiration is the state furthest from understanding."

Unlike other people, Hua Cheng sets himself apart by not forcing his views on Xie Lian or trying to get Xie Lian to change to suit him, and he's realizing, "Oh shit, I fucked up with that here, didn't I," because in his quest for justice, to protect Xie Lian, he did just what he hates other people doing (to an extent, it's not nearly as bad as other folks). One thing I love so much about their relationship is how much they listen to each other, and learn from each other, and how Hua Cheng tries to see Xie Lian in ways other people don't. Even here, he's seeing Xie Lian (I really love that they focused so much on Hua Cheng's expressions here, even if he's not visually doing as much as Xie Lian, it's the little clear signs of upset that mean so much). He's not interrupting Xie Lian, he's not arguing his case (though to be fair, he already mostly has). He's trying to learn and be better. They recover from this because of that. And I love that about them.

Xie Lian: "I deserve whatever punishment I get and I can't die anyway. So why not put all the blame on me?"

T-T Crying in the club, folks. This man...

Xie Lian realizing he's being mean to Hua Cheng and apologizing got me T-T He's so scared of himself and what he's capable of - and incapable of, given all his work to try and save lives and mend old anger has come to naught, and he can't fix it. He always doubts himself before others. The scars of Bai Wuxiang are all over this episode, and Xie Lian himself, figuratively and literally. All this episode I cry T-T

Xie Lian's Chinese voice actor has done such a good job. Everyone is amazing (Qi Rong's VA doing amazing), but dang, he is phenomenal this episode. You can really feel Xie Lian's desperation and sorrow.

All in all the subs were also better this episode! They still call Qi Rong the "Green Immor" for some reason, but outside maybe one slightly awkward sentence, I think it was okay! But that doesn't necessarily mean anything cause they've been good and then got worse again lol

An excellent episode. Truly phenomenal. I think one of my favorites, particularly for this ending bit with Xie Lian and Hua Cheng talking to each other.

Other episode thoughts for season 2 (didn't start till episode 3):

S02E03

S02E04

S02E05

S02E06

S02E07

S02E08

S02E09

S02E10 (you are here)

S02E11

S02E12

[nerves-nebula]

Sorry bout this thing but I kinda wanted to tell my thoughts about your stuff. Im kind of hoping this will get drowned in your inbox honestly, since this is just a really long unsolicited rant of mine.

Sometimes when i scroll through your account and I encounter csa, incest and mentions of suicide in your posts I get uncomfortable but then I remember that one phrase that goes something like "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted" and I just feel kinda bad bout myself.

When I was a kid my nannys bf forced me to kiss him in the lips whenever we met. I was 6. It was uncomfortable. I never did tell my nanny about it. My parents are both police people and my mother had long explained the concept of rape and how unconsensual touch is bad and you shouldnt allow that but something prevented me from telling anyone what was happening. I dont know why. I know they would immiedietly jail that guy if they did but somehow it felt like no one would believe me. I never told them until now, then when I was what, 6-8 years old? I cant even remember. Yeah somewhere around that, he molested me when my nanny was few feet away and asleep and for the next 4 years of my life i felt dirty. Desecrated. Stupid. I couldnt even look down at my naked body when i shower back then, but somehow I managed to trudge on living by trying to forget the fact it happened. Its been 8 years since Ive last seen him. Ive told anyone who I knew who doesnt care enough to be friends with me but cared enough to listen about it but my Parents are none the wiser and i plan on keeping it that way.

Also. Im a year away from being legal now. Ive thought about killing myself or just generally not wanting to exist anymore many times since then, cuz lifes equipped with motolov cocktails of "get fucked dumbass" and i somehow managed to get a coupon for at least a million of them.

(I hope that line made you laugh if you read this).

Coming back to the phrase i mentioned earlier, it feels weird whenever i feel something similar to the feeling of being triggered while looking at csa being depicted. By definition, i would be considered a victim, and id of course would be comforted by seeing similar experiences happen to people because relating to something usually induces a positive feeling. I dont. I see your art and it guts me. It guts me and the fact that it does also guts me, because what does that mean? I am supposed to be the comforted? Despite the fact that I was taken advantage of as a child and spent night after might thinking how stupid i was and why I let that happen to me even when I was equiped with the information that makes me less vulnerable than other children? So i do I correspond more with those who are defined as comforted then, was i not disturbed after all? Was i victimizing myself all along? Am I a bad person for thinking i was? No wait, that doesnt make any sense at all. Its all wrong. Why am I so guilty about this? Why am i subjecting myself to this?

And then it repeats.

I still go through your blog because well, i love tmnt, i love your artstyle, i love the way you tell stories, I love how you dont sugar coat csa, incest and other darker topics like body horror, erotism and sadism, i hate how much it haunts me, i love the fact i can relate, i hate how much you hurt them, i love the fact that you dont hold back, i love how you show the ugly sides of healing, i love how you depict how much people can change and struggle. Its comforting to me. Its discomforting to me. I stick hand into the fire knowing I would be burned, then I do.

And i like it. I like it somehow, like taking a nice smoke break when you have mild asthma, but like, better. Its a nice change of pace to feel so conflicted like this, its a nice change of pace to feel anything at all really.

But yeah. Tldr. Sorry for the trauma dump and your art makes me feel complicated. Its neat 👍

lot to reply to here! also, unfortunately for you, i check my inbox obsessively and dont get nearly as many asks as you seem to believe i do.

so firstly, no snappy saying is meant to encompass all of human experience, and you certainly shouldn't judge yourself for not fitting into it. easier said than done, i know, but still. i'm gonna try to address some things here, not gonna touch on all of it, but just know that i appreciate you sitting down to write me this.

(I hope that line made you laugh if you read this).

it made me smile, but i laughed at this, because it's a very sweet look into you writing this. puts into perspective how, even though this is public, it was written TO me. like a letter in victorian times or something. that's sweet, i like that.

and id of course would be comforted by seeing similar experiences happen to people because relating to something usually induces a positive feeling. I dont.

you're making a lot of assumptions here that are kind of wild in that "this thought process was clearly designed by your mind to upset you specifically" sort of way. I mean, would you say this to literally anyone else when they feel uncomfortable or triggered about viewing media that relates to their trauma? There's really no telling what a survivor will feel comforted by and you aren't Doing It Wrong by having a different reaction.

there's a reason i tag it as "csa tw" and that's so people can AVOID it as well as search it up.

how stupid i was and why I let that happen to me even when I was equipped with the information that makes me less vulnerable than other children?

i know you recognize at the end of the thought process that this is not true, but i feel the need to reiterate: there is no such thing as being less vulnerable than other children through your own actions. you can try to equip kids with knowledge that might protect them, but that doesn't make them any less vulnerable.

my dad told me about rape and molestation all the time, but he never accounted for the kinds of scenarios i was actually the most likely to fall victim to, partly because i don't think he actually knew much about childhood sexual abuse, and partly because he was more obsessed with the idea of me being kidnapped and raped/murdered than he was about forms of sexual abuse he'd consider more "mild"

No wait, that doesnt make any sense at all. Its all wrong. Why am I so guilty about this? Why am i subjecting myself to this?

i can't answer that one, unfortunately. personally, i like to feel gutted, it's cathartic to me. might be something like that to you, based on how you go on to describe it, but you might also be doing some kinda self harm.

I stick hand into the fire knowing I would be burned, then I do.

saaaaame. i triggered myself into a breakdown in class once cuz i'd been reading fucked fanfiction before class and i got SAD lol.

Its a nice change of pace to feel so conflicted like this, its a nice change of pace to feel anything at all really.

we are shaking hands over this.

anywho, no need to apologize! i am glad, if nothing else, to provide you with a strange and upsetting experience that is not entirely bad.

I really do adore hearing how my stuff makes people feel. it's like, a solid one third of the reason i do this. i still make stuff that doesn't exist to be shown off but WOW showing shit off and getting a response feels FANTASTIC. like, i'm in your head now!! you have been CHANGED by my ART. it's maybe the best part of being alive.

[silverview]

hI it just clocked for me that you wrote that tlw smut fic - absolutely loved it btw 👏🏼 ngl i'm just as fascinated about this episode as you are, and am honestly *obsessed* with your thoughts on it so please Tell Me More 👀

aahh thank you so much!!! i'm so glad you liked it!! 🥰 (for anyone who might be interested, my the last weekend fic is here, but obviously it's pretty dark so PLEASE read the warnings)

thank you for the opportunity to rant some more. i hope i'm coherent. if you have any thoughts yourself i would LOVE to hear them too!! and pls feel free to dm me any time about this or any other episode! (this goes for anyone, my dms are open, i am very friendly and i live to yap about shows)

actually, to talk more about tlw, i need to talk more about its similarity to simon says. at their cores, they are both interrogating what creators owe to fans, and they are both horror stories about what your fans might do to you if you disappoint them. if your work doesn’t please them, if you hurt their feelings online – what will the fans do? will they weave an elaborate web of lies around you, ruin your life, and trick/coerce you into sex? in these episodes they will!

nobody talks about how chas's punishment is in kind. i don't mean the nine years. i mean the specific nature of the punishment, the tables turned against him. "loving someone who hated you." he failed to honour the parasocial contract with his fans, and so he is subjected to the ultimate parasocial rejection. manipulated into caring deeply for someone, believing in a real mutual emotional connection, only to discover it was just a facade. that the person he loved never even said i love you back.

it's a dark revenge fantasy for the fan who's had (for example...) their tv comedian crush be a little mean to them on twitter. a nightmare for the tv comedian in question. i think, consciously or unconsciously, it's a very personal story for them and especially for reece, who is on the receiving end of a lot more obsessive fan behaviour and understandably has a much stronger reaction to it.

i mean, who's really being queerbaited in tlw? not the viewers, not in the traditional sense. chas is being irl queerbaited to death. some people say the deception was too obvious – that he shouldn't have accepted only seeing his partner on weekends, for example. but the humiliation of being easily deceived, of accepting scraps, is important to the punishment. like 🤡 when you let a showrunner transparently string you along.

a little over seven years ago, i sent some fanmail to one of my favourite creators, and we started dating. we are still happily together now, and i am still a fan. but the transition was hard. we self-aware parasociality enjoyers like to think we have things in perspective – that we know we're just projecting and we actually have no idea about the real, flawed human being who exists in private. but knowing that intellectually and being confronted with the reality of it are two very different things. creators and their fans, regardless of positive intentions or demographic similarity or anything else, inherently approach each other with different mindsets which inevitably create discomfort for one or both parties. it's a really interesting and fertile kind of dynamic and i think tlw and simon says are both fascinating explorations in that space.

i think simon says is reasonably authentic and respectful to the fan perspective (never forget they did enough research to drop their own ship name in the podcast about it 🫠) but i see it as a major oversight that simon's reaction to the mention of fanfiction is to say dismissively, "no, it's more sophisticated than that." my partner – who seven years ago would have been confused by or dismissive of this sort of fan culture, but who has learned a lot by living with me – turned to me and said, "a real fan wouldn't say that."

i don't have a neat segue here, i just have one more dumb thing i wanna add about tlw, i'm crazy about this comment from someone on reddit:

he is a prettyboy!! a very pretty boy!! 🥰 but here it's clearly being used as a euphemism for slutty, which i love. oh chas. you poor little pretty monster. you will always be famous. i wonder if reece would be more comfortable with his own attractiveness if he was handsome instead of pretty.

[genderfluiddoppio]

Hiiii you should talk about why you love pakunoda a lot, I absolutely did not glom onto her when I was watching through hxh 2011, but I am so excited to be sold on her. Sorry if this is the wrong blog to ask on!

I'm so glad you asked :) I also didn't really click with Pakunoda after watching the 2011 anime. I thought she was neat but that was it. But the 1999 anime (and ova) gave her a bit more time in the spotlight and developed her character A LOT more and once I watched that I was obsessed.

(Honestly I think the 1999 anime is better than the 2011 anime in general but that's a topic for another time)

Any time I go into the Pakunoda tag I get so mad because a lot of people tend to make her one personality trait Being A Woman. And I suppose it's my own damn fault for becoming obsessed w a female character in a shonen anime, especially one that only shows up for one arc (and a flashback in the manga).

Okay I'm gonna start with actual canon evidence (meaning like. literally any scene that has her in the 1999 and 2011 animes and the manga) of her personality/character before I delve into my insane theories/headcanons. Also spoilers for the manga obviously I'll try to keep the most spoilery bits to their own section

So Pakunoda doesn't get a lot of screen time and before the hostage exchange situation, she's pretty passive. She doesn't speak much and in the beginning of the York new arc, she's chilling with chrollo at the hideout. She doesn't get an active part in the story until the blackout happens and she decides to ignore chrollos orders to save him. Before this, the phantom troupe were like. Not generic villains, but they haven't had a chance to truly show their motivations. As far as the audience could tell, they were villains through and through and didn't have any sympathetic qualities. During the hostage exchange plot, we see a sympathetic side to Pakunoda and the rest of the phantom troupe and the troupe becomes more nuanced as characters. Not only do we see the spiders loyalty to chrollo, we see it's not as simple as "aw the villains wanna save their friends too just like the heroes" though that is part of it. It's made clear that some of the troupe considers following chrollos orders true loyalty, while Paku, shizuku, machi, nobunaga, and kortopi think saving chrollo is more important. Pakunoda even admits this would be seen as a "betrayal" because she's ignoring chrollos orders and compromising the safety/integrity of the troupe by valuing his life above all else. She says "consider me betraying the spider for your sake" when she decides to follow Kurapika's demands and go through with the hostage exchange. her loyalty differs from most of the other spiders because she's loyal to chrollo ABOVE her loyalty to the spiders. While I'm sure most of not all the spiders consider him a friend, they value his leadership and his orders above that. 

Also everyone talks about how chrollo and kurapika are parallels and like they're not wrong but kurapika and Pakunoda are just as similar if not more so and melody even points it out (internally) during the negotiation!

Melody says "[Pakunoda] who you despise with everything you have is driven by the same motive as you. She wishes to save her friend, her boss." 

Kurapika doesn't realize this because he's still clinging to the mindset that the troupe is a group of bloodthirsty heartless monsters, when in reality they are complex people with the same motivation as him, especially Pakunoda. The only reason kurapika is able to get Gon and killua back safely is because Pakunoda is just as desperate to get chrollo back safely. 

(Manga spoilers here kinda)

In the phantom troupe backstory, we see that Pakunoda was closer to chrollo than any other member of the phantom troupe. she refers to him as her "little squire/little brother" (depending on which translation you read) and says she likes how kind he is

gonna throw one of my headcanon/theories in here but like. i feel like pakunoda still thinks of chrollo as that sweet kid who everyone had to look out for. i think part of her yearns to just be happy and carefree with her friends again. I didnt mention the ova's extended scene with the cat before now because i feel like thats the scene everyone points to when they say they like pakunoda. but i think it's even deeper than "pakunoda is nice to cats" because in the ova, the cat represents her and the troupe. while she takes the cat back to its colony, she flashes back to her time in meteor city when the troupe was first formed. not only that, but the cat has purple eyes like paku does (in the 1999 anime) and the black cat is positioned on top of the slide like how chrollo is positioned on top of the junk pile. i think thats when pakunoda made her decision to go back to the troupe and share what happened during the exchange, though she knew it would cost her her life.

Tldr; Pakunoda is (almost) singlehandedly carrying the phantom troupe's reputation as well written and nuanced characters and people tend to forget that

ALSO. Very important information.

she has dimples

[fazfacts]

TYKE & SONS LUMBER CO. SENTENCE STARTERS!

feel free to change these as needed.

❝ Well, little [___], the day has come! ❞

❝ No, not the beginning of summer or your coming of age, but me throwing you out on your ear! ❞

❝ That's what my father said to me when I was your age. ❞

❝ No one knows where [they] went. Really weird, if you ask me. ❞

❝ You'll soon be let free from this prison you call "home." ❞

❝ It's time for you to explore the world. ❞

❝ I'm going to be watching you from a safe distance. ❞

❝ I am a professional. ❞

❝ Now, get lost. ❞

❝ This is your time to shine! ❞

❝ Promise to make me a proud [parent], will ya? ❞

❝ This is as important as me teaching you how to walk on two legs. ❞

❝ I need a Mixchiato to-go, quick! ❞

❝ I ordered a Mixchiato, not a regular coffee. You really need to listen closely. ❞

❝ I expected more of you. ❞

❝ For real, if you fail this, I will ground you forever. ❞

❝ I would help, but I'm waaay too busy complaining over the simple things in life. Like weird-tasting coffee. ❞

❝ Now go! Go and make me proud! ❞

❝ The moral of the story is that you can make cocktails, even without the ice. ❞

❝ [___] is going to ruin the whole thing for me. [They] will expose me. ❞

❝ I can't let that happen. ❞

❝ I have to get rid of [them]. ❞

❝ That won't be too much of a problem. I've done similar things before. ❞

❝ I will continue to take care of those who find out more than they need to know. ❞

❝ I'm a mastermind. I can't fail. ❞

❝ Did I just have a stroke? I actually forgot my name. ❞

❝ I'm gonna get you, [___]! ❞

❝ I'm always ahead of you, you little brat! ❞

❝ Tomorrow is another day, where I hope nothing unexpected happens. ❞

❝ Please don't make this difficult. ❞

❝ What's a car? ❞

❝ Move now or I will take out the taser. ❞

❝ [___], do something! ❞

❝ Don't drag your [child] into this. ❞

❝ And that, [son], is how you avoid the cops. ❞

❝ Something isn't right. I really don't recall doing something illegal this time. ❞

❝ We need to get to the bottom of this. ❞

❝ YOU need to get to the bottom of this. Because I'm old. ❞

❝ Who told you that I would actually pay you with money? ❞

❝ Bad things happen from time to time. I'm just happy that I'm still alive. ❞

❝ Go take a look. You will like what's down there. ❞

❝ Listen, I need your help again. ❞

❝ You still owe me one after the coffee incident yesterday. ❞

❝ Go fight the robot. Or make it go away. I don't care. ❞

❝ Something happened that really upset me. ❞

❝ I was supposed to get trashed, yet I am working perfectly fine. ❞

❝ I woke up here in the dump this morning. ❞

❝ You animals wanted to trash me. ❞

❝ Look at my six-pack. I'm ripped. RIPPED! ❞

❝ I am going to crush you. I'm going to smash you to the ground, sit on you, tear you apart, and make lumber out of you. ❞

❝ You think you can stop me? ❞

❝ I knew you could do it! ❞

❝ Overall, a pretty neat battle. I give it a seven out of ten. ❞

❝ I was young once, too. I know what's hip. ❞

❝ I would strangle you if I could. ❞

❝ Nobody can ever know what my deal is. ❞

❝ Ahahahahahaha! I'm so evil! ❞

❝ Where have you been!? I was slightly worried. ❞

❝ I have something interesting to show you. ❞

❝ That's it! You're under arrest for sleep disturbance and murder! ❞

❝ Murder? Since when is that a topic? ❞

❝ Man, we really need a television. ❞

❝ Oh, [___]. Violence isn't always the solution. ❞

❝ That's what your mother would say. ❞

❝ That was a sick move. Good [boy]. ❞

❝ What. ❞

❝ ...they all died...blah blah blah...screams...blah blah blah...magic creatures and all that stuff...blah... ❞

❝ And then I sold them on the black market because the company wasn't paying off. ❞

❝ I don't like unannounced visitors in here. Get out! ❞

❝ I didn't know who was the right person to turn to. ❞

❝ I was tricked, I tell you. ❞

❝ The day would come where I would have my revenge. ❞

❝ That's what actually happened, for real! ❞

❝ We had a fight afterwards and [they] THREW me out of the window. ❞

❝ I landed on my head and they had to give me a new body because I would have died. ❞

❝ I look like a Minecraft Creeper now. ❞

❝ He looks like something that died under my bed and was stored in my fridge. ❞

❝ Agh, I'm just not a bad person. ❞

❝ Oh, boy. I think we're in for a treat. ❞

❝ I do have an answer. Yes, I really do. The answer is very interesting, [___]. The answer is complex. However, I'm not gonna tell you what it is. ❞

❝ We know that we're the good guys, and that counts, I guess. ❞

❝ Good night, and don't let the monsters get you. Hahaha. ❞

❝ Seriously!? How dumb are you? ❞

❝ I came to the conclusion that the best solution was to just lure you down here, and that was easier than I thought. ❞

❝ Don't worry, I won't just kill you off. ❞

❝ You're trapped, after all. What can you do? ❞

❝ I just wanted to experience what it felt like to be the star, for at least a moment. ❞

❝ I've had it with you!!! ❞

❝ Wow! You need to teach me that! ❞

❝ Sorry for being such a weirdo. ❞

❝ It's not like there has been any lore, ever, that took more than five years to solve. ❞

❝ If anyone needs me, I'll be in the underground disco. ❞

[strugglingyetvibing]

let me put y'all on something real quick

we all know children's animation rocks (bluey, phineas and ferb, steven universe, etc etc etc)

well i've stumbled across a banger of a show that either i have yet to find the fandom for or is being incredibly slept on

it's called "Go! Go! Cory Carson," it's on netflix, and it is so freaking adorable

first of all, this is the character design:

i mean, look at them!! the little green one is Chrissy, and she is the goat of the show. the orange one chrissy is sitting on is Cory, the blue one in the background is Mama, and the one with wood paneling is Papa.

the world of the show is super cute as well! i won't bombard with photos, but the plant life is all this neat felt-looking texture (which you can kind of see in the tree in the background of this pic), and the world itself is quite adorable, using over-exaggerated hills for much of the landscaping with sparse trees and bushes adorning them (which is reminiscent of a child's landscape drawing)

the show isn't built for older kids, like shows such as steven universe, but it's also not structured in a 'dora-style' format like some shows for kids are (being overly interactive with the audience with overwhelmingly positive protagonists or pointing out the obvious every five seconds to really drive home whatever message the show is sending)

the show is about cory and how he learns about life through playing with his friends and his family. it's really endearing, with a solid cast of characters, and the storytelling is very well done. the episodes, while short, are usually nicely paced, and they provide good messaging about healthy relationships with friends, family, the world around you, and even with yourself.

the characters are decently fleshed out as well. of course, headline protagonist cory has the most character development, and we ride along with him for most of the episodes. but chrissy is a pretty fleshed out character for being a toddler who still calls 'superheroes' "Scooplbeeple," and Mama and Papa have their moments that connect with older audiences that aren't just overused stereotypes. some of the episodes also vaguely spoof popular movies and television (like mission impossible's theme and dance dance revolution), which make these already cute episode even cuter

part of my system of deciding whether a piece of media is good or not (in my super subjective opinion) is if it can make me cry. it's not always a factor, but usually, if it makes me cry that's a pretty good thing. that's because there was enough emotional heart in the media to tug at my heartstrings enough to make me cry. bluey absolutely smashed this category out of the park (sleepytime, granddad, rug island, to name a few episodes that made me sob), and i could talk about how good that show is for quite some time. cory carson has six seasons so far, and i'm part of the way through season three. so far, two episode have made me cry, "Grandpa's Treasure" and "Show and Tell," so this show definitely passes the test.

long story short, "Go! Go! Cory Carson" is an adorable little Netflix show to check out if you have about 8 minutes to spare for an episode and want to see adorable little cars zoom around their cute little town, and i highly recommend it if you like children's animation similar to shows like bluey

but, really though, chrissy is the best character in the show, hands down. she's a little car of few 'words,' but when she speaks, you listen

[fervency-if]

WHY DID I ONLY KNOW OF THIS GAME TODAY?! Its everything I want in a vampire game T_T

I haven't explored all routes yet so for my first run I fully embraced the thirst and explored the Metropolis with Audrey and focused on his romance. Let me tell you, I was gushing, giggling, blushing, at their dynamic. I adore the Madwoman x Madman troupe, they're both crazy for each other in their own way. My MC having a taste for the macabre since they were human but isnt afraid to be shunned by people and gently coaxing out Audrey of his shell and comforting him the way he deserves. Fully supporting and even participating in his hobbies and genuinely wanting to hear his thoughts and opinions on matters while also having a personality of their own. Sunshine x Grumpy? No! Its Sanguine x Melancholic (or is Audrey more Phlegmatic?) troupe! The coincidental symbolism between the Butterfly costume MC and the Skeleton costume for Audrey? Pure poetry, in a sense both respresent an aspect of the cycle of life and death. Words cannot describe how much I am in love with them both. Seeing their journey together and how well they compliment their personalities, yes I made my MC more jovial but my god, is she more similar to Audrey when it comes to chaos and mayhem. Oh my god! I'm on my hands and knees for both of them! I haven't explored the other moral choices in fasting and having sympathy for their victims but I liked the choices where we are being a monster. This is what I really look for in a vampire game. Political intrigues, field agents, and other plots common in vampire stories are nice and all. But this is genuinely the first time I played where there are elements of a "Slice of Life/Unlife" in them. Yes! Give me vampires who are enjoying their undead life! Prowling the streets without remorse, creating art! Making love! Making friends! Looking down at feeble humans! Rolling in luxuries in blood and gore! Show me a life of a monster to the point I look up at the ceiling, contemplating on the choices I choose throughout the story with a horrified expression. That I am ridden with guilt at the ones they kill. Yet I am happy for them too as they live a life of eternal bliss. Your writing style definitely suits the atmosphere of the game. I enjoyed it greatly, it reminded me of some of the classical literature I read. Thank you so much for creating this IF. I hope you are still healthy and writing! God bless to you author!

Oh, thank you so much for taking the time to write me such a detailed message - it sincerely means a lot, and definitely cheered me up! (I was grouchy from a headache when I checked my inbox... After reading this, it was very difficult to feel grouchy, haha!)

I'm so happy that you enjoyed Aubrey's route and romance - it really sounds like the two madpeople are highly compatible with one another... Your main character sounds very interesting, I will have to say - and by the sound of it, Aubrey more than agrees, hehe. It definitely sounds like they're having a great time together, those two! It was very fun to read about your experience with my game!

I really like what you're mentioning about the butterfly costume and the skeleton costume - I didn't think of that when I came up with costumes for the main character (did I even know that there would be a skeleton at the masquerade when I did it? I don't quite remember.) In either case, that is really neat and fitting, I must say!

I definitely had a good time writing the less sympathetic choices, so to speak - especially because of the contrast with the ones where the character feel empathy and/or pity - quite the dissonance, but that just made it more fun.

It's lovely to read that you enjoy them enjoying life, and I really like the way you described it, that was a pleasure to read - and thank you ever so much for the kind words about my writing style. I'm honoured!

That's so sweet of you, thank you again! I really look forward to write more, and messages such as these truly motivate me. I hope you're having a lovely day!

[healerelowen]

Okay, so I just finished watching a play-through of Poppy Playtime chapter 3 and um

I have a lot of thoughts/pos

Btw, I don't support MobGames or anything in that nature. I just like the game for the story and cool characters.

Rant under the cut + Spoiler warning

My first thought is I love this chapter. I do enjoy the story telling while still being able to add more horrifying visuals that still are realistic in the world of the game. Especially with the whole 'dream hallucination' thing, which allows them to get creative.

Second, CatNap is so cool. I think he only says one line of dialogue and it's pretty hit or miss depending on whether or not you're listening. But that's why I liked Huggy Wuggy so much as an antagonist in Chapter 1. Huggy doesn't say a single word yet still manages to be perceived as threatening. CatNap is similar, in which he doesn't say much because he doesn't need to. Also purple cat, cool heckin design.

Another thing I like about CatNap is that people knew he was going to be the antagonist, he was always seen as a threat prior to the release of Chapter 3, but in the moment of seeing him in action, it pulls the rug from right under you. And I think that's really neat and it does a lot to establish how terrifying CatNap actually is.

Who the heck is Ollie. I mean, I don't hate him, and the name does ring a bell. But I'm not sure if I can recall an Ollie anywhere in the Poppy Playtime story pre-Chapter 3. Maybe it was in Project playtime somewhere and I missed it. But yeah, mysterious character I guess.

Umm, didn't really like Miss Delight that much. I mean, she works in the narrative of having a school at the PlayCare and the whole Bigger Bodies Initiative and what not. But I feel like she could've been more provoked or maybe get a little more of her character. Though there is more than one according to the tape showing The Hour of Joy, so that's probably the reason. It's fine I guess, I just want to see less filler characters going forward, if any at all. Some fleshing out of formerly introduced characters would be interesting.

Dogday, man. It honestly makes me feel so bad for him. Like, from what we can gather from what he says, the Smiling Critters all collectively agreed that the Prototype wasn't really okay with them. And CatNap, seeing that as protest, either did what he did to Dogday or potentially worse to them, or even maybe just straight up killed them. And that's so sad to think about. Also his whole bit actually unnerved me quite a bit. Usually I'm not disturbed with stuff from Poppy playtime (i.e what happened to Mommy Long Legs in Chapter 2), but that was the first time I got an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.

One hell of a final fight holy shit. CatNap just going full out truly shows that he knows what he's doing, he knows who you are, and we don't have any other mention that CatNap has done that with any other Playtime Co. employee. It's very deliberate, and I like it. Also his death is brutal. All of them are, and Dogday definitely got the worst of it, but holy shit man. Looks like Huggy, if he is dead, got a more merciful death.

I mean, yeah he fell after hitting a bunch of pipes, but also we don't know if he's dead or not. Mommy Long Legs had a pretty gruesome death, being grinded up alive by a machine while knowing that if you die you'll become a part of presumably the Prototype is quite the troublesome death. I already talked about Dogday and how disturbed I was with his technical death. CatNap's was surprising, because it wasn't an 'if he was going to die', it was a 'how he was going to die'. And um, yeah being electrocuted, set ablaze, burnt to a crisp then stabbed in through the mouth by the Prototype will do it. Though I would like to see more of CatNap and Mommy Long Legs in future chapters, they're definitely my favorites.

Kissy Missy, oh my lord. The sounds of her screams from above the lift was so upsetting. I love Kissy Missy, please don't let her be doomed by the narrative please I'm begging I can't take the emotional turmoil.

Those are most of my main thoughts, though I will say more if people want to hear me talk about Poppy Playtime some more.

[popculturebuffet]

Supermay!: Superman TAS: Last Son of Krypton Review (Comission by WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy kryptonians and welcome back to Supermay! And.. another schedule change. So long story short I got hit upside the head with a cold, so I was sick most of last week so doing a long 16 part serial THEN a three part mini series may of been a bit much and Kev graciously offered to do something else. And since we've covered plenty of Batman the Animated Series and will again, i'ts only fair we take a look at the other side of the coin, the three part pilot to superman the animated series, Last Son of Krypton

Superman TAS came about for the reason a lot of animated series often do

DC was considering a new superman film, likely the one where braniac wrestled a polar bear, and wanted a series to go with it. Timm naturally agreed. He tried to go for a style reminsicent of the 40's flescher cartoons at first, but realized he simply coudln't match it and instead went full art deco again, going for a chunky futrist design.

The result got us three great seasons of a fantastic show. Like Batman TAS I grew up with this show, though I didn't see it as often on cartoon network or kids wb. Even then Warner's bat bias was strong. I still liked what I saw and rewatching it years later, the series is excellent, distlling decades of superman into a stylish package the same way batman did.

While the two shows would look similar and have simliar "Retro universe that has modern tech and sensiblities", styles, they fitting take opposite approaches to how they tell stories: Batman is case of the week, Superman has overaching big bads in Luthor, Braniac and eventually Darkseid alongside various villians of the week. Gotham is dark and and feels cramped, Metropolis is perptual blue skies and bright optmistic arctechture. The villians Batman fought are mostly people who need help but won't take it and have some sort of tragic past, most of the villians of superman tas are assholes, with the ocasional sympathetic vilian, but the big three especailly are pure monsters, if very intresting and layred monsters. It's not a shock a superman show an da batman show would contrast, but it's neat in HOW they DO SO, yet still feel consitant with each other: Superman still feels like an "ultimate unvierse" take, taking all the best ideas from decades of media and compressing them down similar to batman, while bringing it's own bold new ones to the table.

That approach is seen well in this opening three parter/movie: Last Son of Krypton succesfully crams superman's origins on krypton, his youth, and his first days as superman into one narrative that never feels overpacked while setting up two of the series rotating big bads perfectly. Come with me under the cut and see what I mean and see that a man can fly.

Part one takes place entirely on Krypton and as a kid I found this bit boring, and feel it colored my later perception of stories based on krypton: kinda boring and sterile. I admit I still haven't completely shaken this, as I prefer Superman as throughly human and krypton being a part of his past. There can be GOOD krypton stories, see the New Krypton arc of superman, but the culture's just never fascinated me that much in the incarnations i've seen. So a full episode there wasn't a great prospect.

So it's telling that Superman the Animated Series DOES sell it on me a bit. The design of it still isn't fo rme.. all crystal spires and pretty standard sci fi stuff: robes, stuffy councils etc. But character wise it tells a fairly heartbreaking story of a man BEGGING his government to listen to problems that will destroy them and said government refusing to hear them due to their own petty arrogance and self intrest. And a rampant ai. It helps the idea of a planet destroying itself and not realizing it is all to prescient into how humanity treats the planet, only with thousands of jor els instead of just this one guy. While stuffy boards who don't really buy into what the heroes says are PAINFULLY common and get tediousu, it's part of why krypton has'nt really grown on me, the fact it's all to realistic helps a lot.

That one man? Shooter McGavin

Okay technically that last man is PLAYED by Shooter McGavin actor Christopher McDonald, who you may also remember from such films as Grease 2 , Thelma and Louise, and the tv show Hacks. McDonald does a fantastic job, to the point it was only on this second watch I recognized him.

He fights a monster as he researches because this episode needs more than one action scene apparently, and returns to his wife Lara, voiced by All My Children and Charmed alum Finola Hughes, whose distractingly british but like McDonald does a great job.

At home Jor El plays with Baby Kal El, and argues with his father in law Sul Van. Sul Van is played by voice acting legend Tony Jay , who usually plays the bad guys in these sorts of things but here is just "disapproving old man" which to be fair Jay also did a great job with. Van is a mouthpiece for the council Jor Els on, all of whom think he's crazy and avoid him. Jor-El is confident though that they will belivie him and krypton CAN be saved

Yeah as usual.. it dosen't go this way, partly because the council is utterly flabbergasted at his solution to temporarily shoot everyone into the ghost prison dimensionk nown as the Phantom Zone.. and partly because the planet's AI refuses to back him on this and changed the numbers. That AI.. is Braniac.

Superman TAS choose to completely rework Braniac, mostly thanks to co creator Alan Burnett. As Bruce Timm recalled it was burnett's pitch to make him an AI.. and Timm was skeptical as in the comics, Braniac is an alien invader man. He was also a hypnotist once but we all ignore that. But Timm couldn't deny Burnett's brilliant idea: that Braniac here was the AI for all of krypton, it's backbone.. and didn't prevent it's death because it was downloading EVERYTHING. It didn't really NEED Krypton itself and planned to leave, taking everything it was with him.

And honestly.. it's a brilliant concept and works perfectly :Sure he's no longer Colluan.. but it still keeps the heart of the character as a collector of worlds, taking their knowledge.. then destroying them so he can hoard it. The AI part of it makes his cold logic to it more simple: he didn't really evolve emotions like some ais, simply a purpose and a desire and thus dosen't care about the lives lost to get what he wants. When Jor El confronts him... he only gets away because he poitns out if Jor El kills him, Krypton's remains die with the computer.

Jor el sadly can't prove it in time as the death spiral of the planet has begun. He dosen't even have time to evacauate, only to dodge security for one desperate gambit: use the small, multi person spacecraft he planned to use to help migrate the phantom zone projector to send clark there on autopilot. The autopilot was a sneaky way to keep the rocket in good condition, unlike most versions where it's in tact or i'ts soley there to deliver

So Superman would have a spaceship for later adventures. So the parents tearfully part as Tony Jay leads the others away and Braniac and Clark are the only ones to survive krypton.

Part 2 opens with the kents finding the baby and the portrayal of martha here is hilarious. She's just like "The baby likes me we're taking him home and i've already named him" Which is sweet but also is all done as her husband points out some very logical things "He could've been sent up by the us or the russians, we don't know who he belongs to, we shoudl turn him in". It's for the best theyd idn't, don't get me wrong, Martha's heart is in the right place, but she should ask some followup questions.

We have no time for that as we jumpcut to years later. Clark's a teenager and the design for this clark kent REALLY dosen't work on a teenage frame

It does a little but it's clear they didn't QUITE Know how to draw teens just yet. They'd learn, as seen with Kara later on, but it took some time.

Clark has been spacing out lady and his friend Lana Lang asks if he's okay... with the ENTIRELY natural dialouge of "Clark it's me the girl whose had a crush on you since she was three years old". Lana is played here by Kelly Schmidt, who... does her best. I don't want to critcize a child actress.. but it's really stiff and woden and she could've been given better direction.

She sticks out next to clark's actor, Jason Marsden, coming freshly off his star making voice acting role in a Goofy Movie, and soon to be a fixture on Step By Step, his major live action role, who was also young but nails it well. I admit his voice dosen't QUITE fit the character model, but I'm not sure what voice would fit a character model that awkward, so he does his best.

Clark admits to lana he can hear conversations feet away and see through things. Lana just asks how many times he's looked into the girls bathroom. Lana this is a superhero work not porkys. superheroes don't do that

Anymore. What the fuck was that gag.... I swear... anyways Clark hears a car about to have a tire burst and rushes to save it... and then wonders what the fuck IS he and how did he do that.

He confides in his parents who reveal the truth.. well what they know: they found him in a ship and they found a weir dbox with it. Said box shoots a superman signal into clark's brain that reveals holograms of his parents

They explain the basics: he's an alien, distant planet went boom, last survivor that they know aside from his cousin, and his dog and his monkey, all the basics.

Clark takes it poorly saying he's not a freak.. then punching a support beam into splinters. I do like this idea for clark, that he dosen't automatically accept "i'm an alien" as something easy to swallow. It's somethign that takes time to process and MANY a good younger superman story have taken this balla nd ran with it: Superman Earth One, Superman Smashes the Klan and My Adventures with Superman are all good examples of dealing with superman's push and pull between being human and alien, and the latter two cases turn it into an immigrant story and a story about being diffrent respectively and do so brilliantly.

Here they don't really dive into it and honestly the Smallville portion of things feels underbaked in this three act story their telling. Krypton gets a full episode, Metropolis gets one and a half.. but Smallville and Clarks childhood and teen years is compressed into half an episode and while it does a decent job, it feels like they were struggling to cram everything into this space.

How Clark Reconcliles things is nice though.. he jumps.. realizes he can jump long chasms in a single bound and soon flies.. and i'ts the JOY of this that makes him realize while he's not sure HOW he feels about being an alien... it's not all bad. That there is something to it, some piece, some piece of this new side of him that brings him joy. He reunites with his parents and we begin act 3.

The Metropolis Portion like I said takes up about half of the runtime, and while I do feel smallville got short changed as a result I get why: Krypton sets up braniac, one of the series main threats and Metropolis sets up damn near everything else, with a good chunk of the supporting cast and one of the other big bads being introduced, while one of the major pieces of the rogues gallery is also given some small setup for later.

So for the past few weeks Metroplis has had reports of a guardian angel, a mysterious man who has been helping people, most notably saving a small child who fell out of a skyscraper. I'ts nicely set up too, as a human intrest story that pisses lois lane off as her smuggling story got pulled for this "crap".

She's soon has more pressing issues as we meet the daily planet's new staffer, Clark Kent, from Smallville. Lois procedes to respond to him asking if she's been to kansas with a sharp

And is asked to take Clark along to a press confrence on Lex Luthor. She responds by ditching clark as soon as possible by foistering him off on Jimmy. Run clark, run before he can extract your tears!

As you can see Lois and Clark .. don't exactly get off to the best start and this is in line with what the cartoon's taking the most inspiration from: the late 80's reboot by everyone's least faviorite old man yelling at clouds, John Byrne. In the late 80's byrne, fresh from marvel, was tasked with retooling superman: as a result his power set was reduced, and several things were given an overhaul.

One of these was Lois which was mostly for the better: instead of being obessed with superman to early amy rose levels, Lois was a hardnosed military brat who took no one's shit and was often in danger not because she was stupid, but because she was that gutsy and could often get out of it.

As a result her and Clark's Romance was put on the back burner, with him having other love intrests first. Here they split the diffrence: theirs chemistry present and Lois is easily clark's closest friend in both identities, but it's clear their not QUITE as close as they'd get in the comics and never seem to reach that level: they care about each other, but they just aren't together yet and may never get there. Justice League never really gave us any closure.

Lois is portrayed awesomely by Dana Delany, an actress known for China Beach and Desperate Housewives who'd go on to play lois throughout Justice League and Justice League Unimilted after this and is my faviorite in the roll thus far, getting her down as whip smart, no nosense, and hilarious all in one, though Alice Lee's take is a close second.

It works though as it not only lets Lois be her own person, but let's her be bold brash and a bit of a dick: as seen here she isn't the most plesant to work with.. but later gives clark his due when he beats her to the scene and requests a bi line, now getting he's not some clueless newbie, but really sharp.

I also like that Superman TAS dosen't completely short change Clark Kent. Clark.. isn't really diffrent in either identity, something taken from the post crisis/byrne era (he wasn't the only writer) and that's thankfully become the standard. Gone are the days of Clark Kent as a pathetic mask for superman so he can do normal people stuff because shut up. Instead Superman is throughly human and simply wants part of him to be able to live a normal life, while still using his power to help. Clark is witty, helpful and kind in both identities and that's how it should be, with people not finding him simply because most assume he's just... superman 24/7.

Their at a weapons press confrence for Luthor and like everything else, this takes more after post crisis: There Luthor was a captain of industry, the richest man in metropolis who owned most of it and earned his money via his inventions instead of using them to try and conquer the world. He was still a schemer and still did evil shit.. but it was modernized: he kept his schemes on the downlow and used his giant pile of money as a shield from consequences. It was a much needed refresh: Luthor was every bit as dangerous and smart... he was just now a problem superman couldn't punch.

Perfectly playing this version of luthor is Clancy Brown, one of the greatest voice actors ever and one of the most decorated, with plenty of live action work such as his breakout roll in highlander to also sweeten the pot. The man's an icon and THE lex luthor for me. Unlike Clark it's not even REMOTELY close. No other luthor thus far has perfectly matched him. He's THE Luthor, the guy to play him and gets him perfectly. the ego, the facade of friendlness, the thinly veiled threats. He was and still is my lex luthor.

Luthor is unveling a prototype, but soon terrioists hyjack it because it's the mid 90's and that isn't as horrifying as it would be soon. We get a great shot of Clark ducking away and doing the iconic undoing his shirt thing, and thus superman leaps into actoin. He does his best and mostly saves the day, but ultimately the head terroist, John Corbin, shoots a plane an dpart 2 ends as the plane goes down

Part 3 begins as it goes up up and away as superman grabs it in a great sequence where he then helps land it, struggling all the way, a nice way to set him up.. and make it so Clark can no longer keep his other self secret. Superman is out to the world and gloriously so, as Clark finds out when Perry dubs the guy this while Lois is curious.l.. mostly due to his "nice s"

So Clark confides in Ma and Pa, with Ma having been keeping clippings of his exploits, a nod to said Byrne run, and both encouraging him. Clark worries this is the end of him but Pa encourages him "Your clark kent. Superman is jsut a part of you". A perfect incapuslation of who clark is and the anthethesis to captain "i'll kill myself with a tornado so you don't out yourself as a freak son".

Clark does decide to answer some questions by giving lois an interview.. and does so by lifting her car into the air. Maybe it's because he likeeees her, maybe it's because he trusts her, my guess

And tells her he's an alien which she has trouble buying. Keep in mind batman at this point has had a man made of clay and they outright refrence batman.. but I do kinda get it as while batman's had demons and man bats, it hasn't quite got to aliens YET. She still agrees, though can't get him to spill all his secrets, and I like the touch that she DOES get he probably has another identity as he's not around 24/7.

With this Clark and Lois pay a visit to lex.. and Clark once again impresses her this time by pressing lex, not directly implying anything.. but by pointing out some facts: the war suit he made behing heisted means the government will want more, and better since Kanznia now has one, and that he stands to mak ea lot... heavily implying he let them take it. Luthor is pissed, and Lois.. is shocked. He's only the second person to piss Lex off that much. The first was her when she dumped his ass, another nod to the byrne run and something thankfully glossed over here and it fits: Their both smart and tenacious, but Luthor lacks a soul.. and his penis is presumibly concave

Clark backs up his statment too as it might be MORE than just Luthor defrauding the us government: he saw some old photos on file of luthor.. with the head of Kanznia, a fictional country the government recently stopped sale with, but Luthor seems close with.. and in one of the pictures is the head terrorist john corbin.

Clark here is played by Tim Daly, star of Wings and Private Practice and one of the best supermen ther'es ever been. Ther'es just a nice warmth to his performance copuled with a lot of charm. It's subdued, but in a way that conveys a lot of emotoins at once. Clarks' a calm collected guy, but you can always tell how he feels and when he's pissed you can feel it, as you shoudl when someone this nice is honked off.

Lois goes off to find a source, her old friend Bibo. Bibo is a longtime supporting character from the superman comics. Bibbo is a sailor, dockworker and loveable sailin man whose a massive fan of superman and will help his hero when asked. He's mostly comic relief but he's loveable as hell anytime he shows up which is often as no matter the run, writers really love this guy and I can't blame them. Here he's played by sitcom star and my boy Brad Garret, who does a phenominal job. He'll also later guest star as the main man lobo and do a great job there too.

Bibbos been dealing with a ship tha'ts been pissing him off, so far so normal, because it won't hire anyone union, and is shady as hell. Lois tries to sneak on and is let on by the captain, played my Malcom Mcdowel, neither of which is a red flag. Turns out he was just baiting her til lthey could get out to port and then get out to interinational waters to unalive her for snooping. Seriously lois at least pack some bear mace or a crotch seeking purse dog.

Thankfully she has the best crotch seeking purse dog in superman, as clark figured out she was in danger, zoomed off from having to deal with jimmy and clears the boat. Head Terroist John Corbin flees in the battle suit and we get a drawn out fight sequence as the two lock horns. It's decent, and shows off that this superman isn't super invunerable: miniguns affect him, and it keeps the fights fair. The writers admit he was as weak or strong as they needed to be and it works as Clark is both new at fighting threats on his level, and that power scaling really isn't important when he's the main focus: it keeps the tension up to where needed and he has a more consitent power scale in Justice League when stacked up against others.

Superman saves the day and I love his final line to corben"Want to try another round without th esuit?"

Superman wins ..... and naturally luthor is pissed, as the represnative from Kaznia wants thie rmoney back as they never got their delivery. then gets to get out of haggling as superman is hovering angrily outside Luthor's tower.

The following scene.. is my favorite in the pilot. Luthor rants to superman, figuring he figured out his scheme but can't prove it and Brown delivers the monologue perfectly pointing out he owns 2/3 of the city, and some of them don't even know it. Superman can prove nothing.. and all while superman just GLARES at him, not giving luthor the satisfaction of responding till luthor finally snaps

"SAY SOMETHING!" "I'll be watching Luthor"

It's the perfect incaptulation of their relationship: Luthor has all this power.. but ultimately.. superman disrputs all that. he's outside the systems that let's corrupt billionare jackoffs like luthor get away with their shit. In Real Life Luthor probably would've pulled off his scheme. Here.. superman is there to hold him acountable, to ruin it, to cost luthor billions.. and to watch him. He'll be there again and again till Luthor is finally stopped.. and true to his word.. he is. He's there again and again: he's the one who finally takes Luthor down over in justice league, and does so multiple times. He'll always be there to help us with threats we can't face.. and sometimes that's something embedded in the system. It's a brilliant update of his leftist routes and I support it wholeheartedly.

So we end with superman flying away to an adoring crowd.. while on a disatant ship two aliens are slaughtered..as braniac uploads himself.

Last Son of Krypton is a solid pilot, deftly setting up everything for the series, and setting the tone briliantly: the threats won't be gone as easy, the stakes are slightly bigger, the hero is sightly bigger.. but he's ultimately still human. A truly great set of episodes that unlike far too damn many cartoons is still on max if your curious. Truly worth your time

Next Time: We finish Supermay! with style as we revisit superman's FIRST superteam in their first and only series, it's time to meet the legion of superheroes.

[dailycass-cain]

Batgirls #16 makes more sense in lieu of the news the series will be ending with #19. It's a rare one & done issue, but not necessarily one.

In all honesty, prior to the news on Friday, I figured this was writers Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan paying homage to both Cassandra and Stephanie's ongoing runs by doing a one/done but really a single issue building off what came prior.

Really this issue is a culmination of seeds planted since the very beginning.  It's kind of satisfying in a way seeing story beats from the early issues paid somewhat off in creepy ways.

This puppet Jason has haunted me since I read the issue and IT SHALL HAUNT YOU NOW TOO!! 

*ahem*

Namely, the opening "salvo" of the Mad Hatter showcases what Mr. Greene was doing all the way since #1 (but really we saw all the way to #9).

Now seeing the creepy doll in #9 makes more sense with what he was commissioned with, and a bit of a payoff that yes Steph was right.  Just Greene was someone who developed something rather creepy for the supervillains of Gotham (akin to the Carpenter).

It's a neat little bit where Gotham gonna be Gotham and even working on creepy dolls for the bad guys wasn't gonna protect him from other monsters Gotham had (aka Mr. Fun).

If anything, I'm a bit surprised this wasn't further connected, but I'll base my theory anyway that Jervis targeted the Batgirls with this elaborate scheme because they took out his student. Charles Dante aka--

It is a nice way to circle things all the way back to then besides Greene. But that's my personal theory.

Suffice it to say I did enjoy Neil Googe's art for this story because of the creepiness of the dolls and his style helps bring the monstrous twist all the better.

Again, Conrad and Cloonan have been showing Hatter has been using various stuff (again making me wonder given Spellbinder's modus operandi was the same).

Taking stuff (namely Hatter’s mind tech and Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin) and warping it for his own cocktail twist. I mean the clues are all there.  Hatter used Lazarus Resin and this issue uses a Man-Bat formula on a Batgirl to make her a Girl-Bat.

I'm a bit surprised at the choice because Cass did have a history with Man-Bat (in the ye old Batman & the Outsiders by Frank Tieri). So I figured if anyone was going to be a Girl-Bat it is her this issue.

But nope the recurring theme this series has been is Steph is the one who's gonna suffer. I mean literally, she's been doused with the brew Tutor/Spellbinder had made. She got tortured and "killed" then had the Laz Resin used on her. This issue--

I mean I get it. But dang Steph's been put thru a ringer in this series. The fact that she's still willing to go after ALL this has happened to her is astonishing. It almost makes me wonder...

If the whole point of this, makes Steph retire. That this DC's way to give her this moment but step aside. I really don't want that but man there's got to be a point to put her thru ALL OF THIS. That said--

-- I loved this. Because one it harkens to something Cass has been doing throughout her career. She speaks to monsters.  Treats them fully as humans still even given their deformities and conditions.

She did it with Mr. Freeze (Batgirl Vol. 1). Man-Bat (Batman & the Outsiders). Clayface (Detective Comics). Orca (DC: Doomed & the Damned).

I think it's VERY telling this is Conrad and Cloonan having Cass relive a BAAAAD moment in her life in losing Basil here and being like, "NOPE! THIS ISN'T GOING DOWN LIKE THAT!"

It all feels waaaaaaaaaaaaay too similar in how this issue plays out to how it played out in Tec.

I mean we literally have Babs in this issue in the SAME EXACT POSE as Kate did in Tec with both having a sniper rifle. Just that this time-- Cass FOUND THE WAY.

It proves Cass was right back then and it feels justified in a way that yes she could've talked Basil out back then. Instead of you know--

I also think that's been the greatest problem DC has been skirting away from. You have these two characters with SO MUCH HISTORY. You had Basil remain good for a period even after that and turn him evil on a whim.

Not have ANY payoff with Cass seeing this? Come on DC. Break our hearts dammit!  You literally gave Tynion's Tec run an Omnibus and various trade forms. If you can revisit the overrated rubbish Hush story you can revisit this story!

Back to this one. I really did like the simplicity of this issue where it's all about the "little" things. Things we as readers picked up on and get nods to the past of prior Batgirl volumes (or issues from this) and payoffs.

But the biggest one besides the connection to Tec this issue had was again a connection to Batgirl Vol. 1 I saw NO ONE pick up on. I kept it silent until this moment.

I mean someone did catch the nods to the way Cass thought of Steph during the Andersen Gabrych run. That was a neat detail.

But here's mine I caught.  At the end, we had this mention from the narrator (and I'll fully admit it. THIS WAS THE BEST NARRATION this series has given us. It ADDED to the emotion of this issue). That Cass was by Steph's side the ENTIRE TIME.

Just like Steph stood by Cass's bedside after she had to deal with the Shiva groupie in Batgirl Vol. 1 #26.

That's a deep cut, but a nice one that had me all:

Again, this issue had LAYERS of stuff that I enjoyed.  Which is all the more reason the news this past Friday is so 💔because since #9 the series has been clicking until #14 where it just unleashed that salvo of goodness.

Yes, it's baiting us. I'll fully admit but in a way it reminds me of what creators said akin to Tim/Cass back in the mid-00s that now fully relates to Cass/Steph here.

Cass/Steph literally do act like two people in love with each other who haven't accepted it yet. Well, Cass we know did in #15 but I think this is the first real acknowledgment that Steph gives to Cass this issue.

Will we get SOMETHING in these next remaining issues? Who knows. But I really enjoyed this issue and what it gave us. Just connecting so many dots to this current run and of Batgirl stories' past.