#that one specifically is my favorite in the whole franchise

[angee1011]

Rules: without naming them, post a gif of ten of your favourite films, then tag ten people to do the same

@hopeless-soul-happyface 😘🥰

Tagging: @she-doesnt-have-the-range @brilliant-soul

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

Flickle #859

🎬🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟩

📆 - 🔥 14 👑 60 🏆 - 🔥 4 👑 8

ngl I held off submitting my last answer just so I could hear that musical cue in the last clip go off a few more times

one of THE greatest mood whiplash moments in movies

[kestrel-bee]

I know I’m biased because Rise was my first positive experience with TMNT as a franchise, but I really cannot fathom how any TMNT fan who has watched more than the first half of season 1 could call Rise a bad iteration. Like, I can understand it not being someone’s taste if you’re used to the older style, but you HAVE to at least admit they had so much fun mixing up the usual formula and did a pretty good job with it.

They’ve had the same weapons for 40+ years? Switch them up for a little bit as the characters grow into themselves! Give them world-building explained super powers too!

The turtles are usually confined to just NYC and mutant related shenanigans? Throw in a whole hidden underground city with an unknown race that is hiding from human discovery!

Master Splinter’s always wise and responsible with a dark past? What if he was a runaway movie star who spent his life shirking responsibility until it came back to bite him?

Leo’s always the oldest brother and responsible leader? What if he’s a cocky middle child who has to learn responsibility during an alien invasion?

Raph’s always the moody middle child with anger issues? What if he’s the oldest, the main figure of responsibility in their household, and is the one to take the helm of leader for awhile?

April’s usually a boring female side character who only meets the turtles at the beginning of the show? Make her the fun family friend/oldest sister of the family! Let her be crazy and kick people in the shins! Let her be close with Donnie WITHOUT the weird and unnecessary romantic tension! (I am talking specifically about 2012 April.)

Oroku Saki and Karai, the usual heads of the Foot Clan? The Shredder’s a late-game villain whose spirit is trapped in evil mystic armor gifted to Saki by the Krang a thousand years ago, and his daughter turned into a magic sword to keep him trapped in a prison dimension.

Casey Jones? A Foot clan recruit whose identity is only revealed at the end of the series. Oh yeah she also has a time-traveler son by the same name who brings news of the apocalypse.

The Krang weren’t terrifying enough before? Make them capable of the most horrifying body horror you’re allowed to get away with on TV-Y7 rated television.

Baxter Stockman? Make him a 10yo iPad kid who’s bored and decides to make fake ghost stories on the internet for views. (Not my favorite villain, but it’s still a funny and unique take.)

The point is, difference can be good and interesting! Not every aspect of the story needs to be kept the same, sometimes it’s fun to mix things up! And Rise is a good example of that.

[panlight]

Does anyone else remember when breaking dawn book came out the fans criticized it, and meyer kept retconning her words in every single interview? she stated one thing then she would say something else. There was a person who made a petition about a letter to her about breaking dawn and her brother seth gave a very rude response. Fans of twilight (I myself just realized this) need to realized the twilight books are about the author stephaine meyer herself. it's meyer's dream, she is bella cullen, edward is her dream man and renesmee is her dream baby girl she never got. the whole twilight saga franchise of the novels are written for her, not the fans as she stated before in a interview (when she said that i was shocked).

what are your thoughts on this?

I was around for the Breaking Dawn controversy. I wasn't as invested in the fandom at the time, just sort of dipping my toe in, so it was more that I was watching it from the outside than being really involved myself, but yeah it was a lot. A lot of people really hated Breaking Dawn, and one of the sticking points was that the fandom felt like SM had shut down any possibility of Edward and Bella having kids with her answers about vampire reproduction, so for her to do this surprise twist of like, "haha I didn't say a vampire couldn't have kids with a human!" went over like a lead balloon. A lot of people felt lied to, even if SM didn't technically lie. Misled, at least.

I vaguely remember the petition to the brother (who managed her website at the time), and I also remember some leaks a few days before the book came out and everyone trying to figure out who Nessie was and what the name could be short for, and people guessed Agnes because it meant lamb and people complained about what a terrible name Agnes was (oh you sweet summer children!).

As I said, I wasn't super invested at the time. I had read the other three books but I had read them as part of a marathon read of vampire books, so it wasn't that I was into Twilight specifically, more vampires generally, but I spent quite a bit of time reading through Amazon reviews because some of them were so funny. I waited for the book to be available at the library before I read it, though. I wasn't in a place of "you ruined my favorite thing!" it was more like, haha wow this is weird!

And like, I get it. At the end of the day, SM wrote this for herself because she had a cool dream. She's a mom and a wife and that's the world she knows and the "happily ever after" she wanted for her story. But Breaking Dawn just kind of laid all the weirdness of the other books bare. Things I thought were hyperbole or exaggeration I was like, "oh wait, that was all literal this whole time? Wild." And everything that bugged me about Bella being the center of the universe who everyone fell all over themselves to help and protect and comfort and reassure (and if they didn't, they were Bad) was taken to the next level with everyone's instant devotion to Renesmee, who I personally found uncanny and soulless as written rather than cute and endearing.

I found it interesting how SM misjudged how a large portion of the fandom would feel about Renesmee, and especially Jacob's imprint on her. It's like she didn't understand Team Jacob at all if she thought they'd be happy with this. I remember following someone's recap and they got to a point where they were like "ugh are Jacob and Leah going to be a thing? That's so predictable" and then read them epically freak out when the imprint on Nessie happened and they were like "I take it back! Give me Jacob and Leah!! Anything but this!!!" And she misjudged a segment of Team Edward too, who wanted Edward and Bella to have sexy and romantic vampire adventures rather than a kid.

She wrote the story she wanted, so much so that she fought to have a fourth book so she could include Renesmee who was in her original ending (Forever Dawn). And that's her right as an author, and you know it worked out for her, she made a ton of money from the book and movie(s). But her version of a HEA (marriage and kids) came off to some as strange in a teenage vampire romance. I remember SM explaining that the Twilight Moms seemed to get it, that nothing was sexier than your boyfriend becoming your husband and the father of your child, and it's like, cool, but these characters are teenagers so the younger readers who related to them weren't expecting this yet.

[blood-starved-beast]

Wouldn't say it's the best character design in Hades game franchise (that is subjective) but for me personally Eris Hades game II has to be my favorite design in the whole IP.

From Hades game I the goddess of strife was established to be source of conflict within the narrative - she is a bearer of the Adamant Rail - something that goes against the narrative setting of the story within Ancient Times. They build further on this anachronism by evoking Punk aesthetic - we see her short hair, wild colors, studded corset, torn clothes, wild makeup (which double as evoking her own wings), her band makes her look like she's got tattoos, eating plastic wrapped snacks, her disregard for typical social norms. Her and Exagryph both are anachronistic and therefore punk by the aesthetics of the game. While also not being too off - she wears a chiton still. As well as that braided bra style idk what's it called.

Her design simultaneously works withing the narrative of the story. I've already talked a bit here how she scratches out the Moon Sigil on her gorget and wears it upside down on her face to opposed the Unseen. But that sigil on her face also golden - which we've specifically associate with Chronos, the Unseen's Enemy (who prefer silver). It's also gold like her Iconic Golden Apple, the symbol of her most famous crime. Eris's design also bears the colors of the Three Eriynes - who in the first game, serve as a much more personal antagonist and foil to Zagreus the protagonist there. Here, Eris is Mel's most personal guardian boss outside of Hecate - they've got beef with each other, and that's likely due to their past history.

The colors and the tassels to me also recall the jester archetype. The jester in history was tasked to entertain the king and also dole out information that the royals might not want to hear (and do so without getting killed cause rule of funny). Eris is the most verbally opposed to Mel - challenges her on her motivations especially. Why is she so hell bent on this task when she doesn't even know her family (who she might not fit in with)? What does she plan to do with her life then? Loosen up! Which she tries to get Mel to do - by fighting her to the death. "This is for your own good Trouble" and all. The Jester indeed.

This conflict leads me to another detail - Eris is an excellent enemy foil to Melinoe. Melinoe who is neat and proper compared to crass and messy Eris. Melinoe who is hellbent on restoring an Order she's got no familiarity with. Eris, who lived it and opposes it. Melinoe who's a slave to her task and whose future post-task is a big Question Mark - she's never considered it, never questions it. Eris who also lives in the present but specifically to have freedom and hedonistic-ally strife causing as possible. Melinoe who has an insane level of rizz and is absolutely adored by all around her - but is unaware of the effect she has on others but somehow is fixated on Eris herself. Eris, who is loathed by all and actively is aware of the effect she has on people at all times and intentionally cultivates a negative response from them - with the exception of Melinoe, where her troublemaking serves a dual purpose of exasperating her but also luring her in. Melinoe and Eris both are estranged from their birth families - Melinoe due to circumstances leading to nurture, Eris due to her nature. Melinoe, who Chronos describes as not fitting anywhere despite her clawing for a place in said world, Eris who had no place to begin with, and continues to dig herself out of each subsequent one. I could go on.

It's such a great foil dynamic for a boss. I love Eris.

[bomikalover]

Austin & Ally (Auslly) Dynamic Analysis

Hello Again!

A while back I posted an A&A Analysis in which I asked what other things you want me to yap about. Well, this Yap Session was asked by @filmmakerdreamst so I was eager to answer!

The last one was about Auslly having horrid parental supervision and just bad parents in general. Which you can read here:

But today, we are talking about the Auslly Dynamic as a whole and in each season specifically in order to truly gauge why Austin and Ally have such a strong bond that any singular other character duo can replicate.

Warning: This is LONGGGGG lol

SEASON ONE: THE BESTEST OF FRIENDS

Season One was pure platonic friendship and I love that. Of course, they had that episode where Austin thought Ally had a crush on him and flipped out, but that was only because he didn't want to ruin their friendship and partnership with silly feelings and crushes. They were comfortable being friends and both decided to keep it that way.

-

During the first season, Austin time and time again makes mistakes that in other shows would cause episodes of drama and not get resolved till the end of the season. But Austin's respect for Ally and her feelings makes him think over his actions, realize that he did wrong, and handle the issue in a sweet and mature manner.

For Example, when Austin was continuously late and disrespectful of Ally's time, he got Ally a signed guitar by Bruno Mars (a favorite artist of Ally's) and gave her a planner to plan all the time she needed him since being her partner meant there was no more "Austin Time" but "Austin and Ally Time."

Another example is when the jealous blogger was ruining Austin's career because of Ally, yet he never blamed her. Even when threatened with never-ending blackmail he still chose Ally over his career. (Which he does all throughout the show which I will mention in other sections)

A Third Example, is Austin giving up his chance with the club owner at Trish's party to slow dance with Ally after getting rejected by Dallas (Ally's Crush in S1).

-

In S1 Ally had broken the personal boundaries and walls she had set up with everyone else for Austin and his career.

Like doing activities with Austin that she had never done with Trish. (The HorrerFest and doing a duo costume with Austin which led her to find out about Trish liking the Zaliens Franchise. Meaning she never went with Trish to any of these events before.)

Running onto a stage just to apologize to Austin even though she has extreme stage fright.

Also performing with him when Taylor Swift was injured.

Revealing how she had gotten stage fright in the first place in order to help him overcome his fears.

-

Season 1 was just the writer's way of selling their friendship to their audience. They weren't instantly friends, they had plenty of episodes of petty arguments and learning about each other to become as close as they were at the end of S1. It was realistic and fun to actually see them go from strangers to really close friends who entrusted secrets to each other. It was also refreshing to have Austin and Ally be opposites but have music be the thing that connects them. (Which I will give its own section at the end) Whether it be their parents' disbelief in their careers or just having someone to talk to who was at their professional musical level and truly understood music. Season One may not be the best season out of the four but it was extremely necessary for the realistic growth of auslly.

-

SEASON TWO: FRIENDS OR FEELINGS?

Season 2 is when things start to get interesting. Feelings were revealed, crushes were had, couples got together, people were jelly, and couples broke up. You could immediately see these two were WAY closer and their friendship has blossomed.

Austin realized his feelings after Ally but definitely had a harder time dealing with them than Ally. He gets with Kira Starr (daughter of the Owner of Starr Records - Jimmy Starr) after her bad breath is handled. (Kira Starr you deserved so much better as a character. I could write an analysis of her as well! Comment, if I should!) But when Ally starts to hang around an old camp buddy, Austin gets extremely jealous and Dez helps him realize his feelings for Ally. So after a lot of back and forth between Ally & Kira, Austin picks Kira....then kisses Ally...then dates Kira anyway. But after more back and forth, he breaks up with Kira and serenades Ally, resulting in them FINALLY getting together.

-

Ally realized her feelings before Austin while helping him go on the perfect date with Kira. Ally immediately pushes her feelings down and does the mature thing like always. She decides to focus on her career after Austin continues to unintentionally play with her feelings. Then finally gives in when Austin breaks up with Kira and sings a song she wrote about him to her since he feels the same way.

-

Though their relationship lasted one episode, I wasn't too mad. Once again, the writers are taking a more realistic approach and aren't making Auslly immediately a perfect couple with no faults. They are friends first and it showed this season more than last.

Austin was willing to give up his first magazine cover for Ally and Ally was willing to front flip off a building so that he wouldn't have to give it up.

Austin snuck out of his house to help Ally since he knew she was counting on him.

Austin tries to write his own songs since he is taking up the time Ally needs for her own career. (and his first successful song was about her.)

Austin gifts Ally priceless glass slippers which resulted in him carrying her for days since she couldn't walk in them. In the same episode, Ally helps Austin reinvent his childhood role model of a rock star's career.

Though they had a pretty big fight and realized that they had doubts about each other, they quickly made up and didn't let those past feelings control how they feel about each other now.

At the end of the season, they both agree it's better to be happy that both of their careers are taking off even if it's tearing them apart. This already shows growth from S1 Auslly who had the chance to be separated from each other (Ally going to NY for music school and Austin signing with another Manager and leaving team Austin) but chose each other over their careers.

Though they obviously have feelings for each other and both know that, they realize that if they truly loved and cared for each other...they needed to let each other go.

-

SEASON THREE: SEASON TWO BUT MORE COMPLICATED AND MORE ANNOYING.

Season 3 is a whirlwind of emotions. The first half of S3 is focused on Ally on the Austin Moon Tour and them in school WAY more often. (which makes no sense btw. A&A are both EXTREMELY popular teen idols yet they aren't bombarded every hall they turn down? Like how are paparazzi not at Sonic Boom or the beach they famously hang out at? If anything they should both be homeschooled or do online schooling. PLUS Ally was working at Sonic Boom, working on songs for her and Austin, doing school, attending all her clubs, doing all her other duties as an artist, was in committed relationships, AND finding time to hang out with her friends?! Give that girl an award..)

The second half is the part I didn't like. They did the same thing they did in S2 but with different love interests. Ally with Garett and Austin with Piper. Both relationships last like 2 maybe 3 episodes then get broken up since Auslly can't think of anyone else but each other lol.

They get together once again at prom and stay together till the end of the season. (They technically break up in the last episode but Austin professes his love in front of the whole world on live television and throws away his entire career for her so I think that means they are together lol)

Now Austin and Ally are officially a couple and the season ends with Austin joining Ally on her tour parallel to Ally joining Austin on his tour at the beginning of the season.

-

SEASON FOUR: MATURE SEMI ADULT AUSLLY

Season 4 is all fluff with very last-minute angst. Austin and Ally are finally together for good and it's a breath of fresh air. They help each other deal with their problems like Austin struggling about not being able to live out his passions and dreams. And Ally freaking out about her future and thinking she's not ready. Plus the constant problem of the two of them struggling to be a couple while being artists and now owning a factory together.

The overarching theme of Auslly blurring the lines between them as a couple and them as business partners and two extremely big names in the music industry is so intriguing to me. It was a slow buildup but S4 showed this buildup in its full intensity. Austin was so conflicted about being upset and saddened for himself but still extremely happy and supportive of his girlfriend that he was having nightmares of Ally living his dreams and leaving him behind. Also insecure about Ally going to Harvard and leaving him for a smarter man.

But Ally constantly reminds him that she loves him for him and only him which calms him every time.

But as always, good things always come to an end...Austin & Ally break up.

AND DON'T TALK FOR 4 YEARS!

Austin got back his career and Ally decided to go to college while still being a musician so they didn't have any time for each other. That distance took a toil and ended in them leaving each other's sides for a while. But with a little conniving from Trish and Dez, they were brought back together and realized that they never stopped loving each other. But the two of them still question how to be a couple when they're constantly competing against each other and being dragged away from each other. But then Austin had the bright idea of just becoming a singing duo instead of going head to head as competing artists for the rest of their lives.

That ends up being the right move and they live happily ever after with their two kiddos and music factory/museum.

-

This was my stupid long dynamic analysis but I'm not done.

I also want to more intently explain why Austin and Ally are so close.

...and the answer is music.

I know what you are thinking, no duh...that's like the whole show premise but I'm digging into it deeper.

Remember in my earlier post I mentioned Auslly writing their songs about each other like no one else is there for them like each other?

I believe if A&A were on a more mature network, we would see the straight pressure and anxiety these two felt while being in the industry so young. Like, think about it...Austin and Ally were 14-15 when Austin went viral and Ally became his songwriter. Then Ally was around 15-16 when her personal career went off. They were absolute BABIES! With little to no support from their families, friends who could never fully grasp the amount of pressure they were under, and the entertainment industry watching their every move. Trish and Dez both play parts that are behind the scene (Manager and Director) and allow them to still keep their youths to themself instead of the youth being taken away from them like Auslly.

Austin was on a full-blown multi-city and state tour at 16!?

Ally was doing the same at 16-17...

in NYC performing Times Square BY THEMSELVES

Like literal children.

look at some of the lyrics these kids wrote about each other...

Parachute - Ally - Her First Album

"I remember life before

Faraway dreams and locking doors

Then you came, then you came

Afraid to fall, to be free

Always my own worst enemy

Isn't what, what you see

I took time to realize

That I couldn't do it by myself, myself

There's no gravity

when you're next to me

You will always break my

fall, like a parachute

When you're holding me so

weightless I can barely breathe

You will always break my fall, my fall

Like a parachute

You're my parachute"

LIKE? IM SORRY?

(Pls listen to the whole song and read all the lyrics cause it's really deep and emotional.)

here is Austin talking about Ally...

Austin - Stuck On You - Austin gets over stage fright by only looking at Ally

"So, I'm singing all the words I'm scared to say, yeah So, forgive me if I'm doing this all wrong I'm trying my best in this song To tell you, what can I do? I'm stuck on you I'm hoping, you feel what I do 'Cause I told Mom about you I told her, what can I do? I'm stuck on you

And like the nightsticks to the moon Girl, I'm stuck on you"

(Austin's isn't as deep and sad as Ally's but that is the character difference.)

But either way, the song is extremely sweet and endearing.

And this is only 2 songs out of 4 seasons worth of dedicated songs to each other. There was never a single song dedicated to their families only a couple for their friends but never as deep and descriptive as this. I think I can safely say that Austin and Ally were each other's safe places and utter sanctuary. It makes sense why their hugs were so long and their simple glances turned to deep gazes. They were each other's home...a place of peace.

Austin and Ally grew up with parents who gave up on their dreams, settled, and expected them to do the same. To work in the family business and forget their dreams since they had a one-in-a-billion chance of making it. No one fully understood how hard they worked and how much it hurt to have no one on their side.

No one but each other.

Trish never had the work effort that Ally had or the ability to not like having attention on her like Ally hated.

Dez never cared about being the one on camera like Austin or cared about what the public thought about him like Austin constantly did.

Even their best friends could never fully grasp their dilemma.

No one understands Austin like Ally.

And no one understands Ally like Austin.

It makes sense...they were two in a million.

-

OK, THAT WAS SO LONG I AM SO SORRY.

But I love sharing my brain thoughts with you all so I'd gladly do more. Just give me recs in the comments even if they aren't A&A related.

This is the second yap session of this new series so you can always find this by the hashtag I put on each one...

#Yappin' with Shy

maybe next time I talk about the secret romance between Austin and Dez/Ally and Kira, or how Trish can be an aro-ace, or how Ally's dad's money problems root to something deeper than just being cheap.

But that’s a yapper-sation for another time - Shy

[3416]

1634 sun card tapestry (9/7/23-11/9/23)

here she is!! this is my individual attempt to manifest the toronto maple leafs the success and happiness they deserve this year. last year, mitch marner tying the franchise's longest point streak on november 30th was maybe the most fun i had watching a hockey game (except for the playoff series win, of course), but i wanted to memorialize my favorite picture of my favorite boys celebrating that day (thank you kevin sousa for this beauty). instead of doing that by itself, i also wanted to include the rider waite sun card somehow, as it represents positive outcomes for current struggles and general success, abundance, happiness, etc. shoutout to every wonderful person here that helped encourage me and commented on my stuff and just <3

for my fellow crocheters/anyone curious/future self, i've included some of my process below.... took months but was SO worth it. (still not technically done bc i need to block/iron and want to add a backing and a way to hang it, but one step at a time... HAD TO SHARE asap)

step one was playing around in photoshop/procreate and combining the images i wanted to use... there's what i came up with.

the most helpful tool throughout the whole process was a website called stitchfiddle which lets you convert images to pixels for graphgans/whatever you want to make in fiber art honestly. you can change the amount of colors and pixels.. size up and down until you get a look you like. it will also convert your specific chart into colors available in certain brands of yarn which was REALLY helpful to me too. my chart ended up shifting color because of what was available in the yarn brands near me, but i loved the changes so... my chart looked like this.

as for specifics, i used a 4mm hook and did just basic single crochets per square on the chart... the final product ended up being about 55 inches by 36.5 inches. this was my first real attempt at something super intricate, and i kind of just jumped in despite only learning crochet a few months ago, but!!!! i am super happy and proud and hope all the good vibes are felt by the leafies. really just wanna get everyone else into crochet too... feels so rewarding to make something with your hands like this <3 ANYWAY THANK YOU FOR CARING AND SUPPORTING IF YOU HAVE. LOVE YOU ❣️

[sugarpasteltmnt]

What are some of your favorite character relationships/dynamics in TMNT, and why? Is there anything that you particularly like seeing explored with them in fan works (art, writing, comics, etc)?

oh wow!! what a fun ask!!

stashing this under a read-more because i really popped off LOL

My favorite relationships and dynamics??

I feel like i should preface this by admitting that Rise was actually my first real exposure to the TMNT franchise-- and after reading and watching some other iterations it became incredibly apparent how different Rise was in several aspects. And i loved it!!

but with TMNT as a whole, i really love the Leo and Raph dynamics across the TMNT universe (shocking i know lol). It's probably my favorite dynamic of the whole franchise lol. I love love love how they can clash against each other in dramatic ways. And yet, at the end of the day, they would lay down their lives for each other. It's so fun and heartwarming to see that across all the different TMNT iterations.

I also think how Splinter's relationship with the boys can drastically fluctuate between iterations is super interesting. Splinter is such a cool character, and playing with his relationship with the boys has such a crazy big impact on the story and vibe. My favorite Splinters are 2003 and Rise and those two are hilariously different. But something they share is their protectiveness of their families. Which is a dynamic some other iterations turn on its head! And I love that!

And April. GOD i love April so much. The concept of her character is a trope i love. A human who is not just a friend but family with non-humans??? I'm obsessed. And I love that each April of every iteration has her own level of unhinged-ness.

Honestly I could probably write a thesis on each character but I'll try to keep it short lol. But something I really love???

The TMNT franchise itself isn't afraid to experiment with its own iconic relationships or story beats.

It doesn't take itself too seriously while putting a lot of thought and care into the wild, different storylines or concepts. What I might think is an iconic relationship/dynamic in TMNT might be different than someone else's-- and that's fun! The level of flexibility and boldness for trying different things for dynamics and relationships is something I really adore about TMNT as a franchise.

There are tropes and dynamics that are totally my favorite. But I also love seeing those things experimented with!!! But I had to absolutely pick something, it would be all the dynamics seen in Rise. I just love it so much!!

And fan works??

as for what I like seeing being explored in fan works, i gotta say--

I LOVE IT ALL AHHHH!!!❤️💞💗💖💕❤️💞💗💖

TMNT is such a fun and unusual IP, and i totally enjoy seeing other fans going wild with their own creative ideas. I love seeing people pop off with whatever their hearts desire. Anything from the iconic tropes to the niche, hyper-specific concepts-- I love it all. Because there is so much to explore with these characters. And I adore seeing people having fun with their ideas. It's hard to answer what my 'favorite' things to see are because I'm greedy for ALL of it! Because seeing all the different experiments with my favorite dynamics and relationships is so incredibly refreshing and exciting!!

I love seeing people play with each brother's relationship with one another. I love seeing the different takes on Splinter and his role as a father figure (or lack of). I love seeing the potential early-days of Rise-April's relationship with the boys as kids. I love every possible take on every possible character. I will always be a sucker for the juicy story tropes. But I'm just as ravenous for the off-the-cuff twists and concepts. I love any and all of it. Because it's so fun to see what people can cook up-- especially when it's a setup that you never would've thought of before but gave you a new perspective!!!

Because at the end of the day, TMNT is-- frankly-- a silly franchise. And it knows it! But it's not afraid to put in the serious moments and emotions that make all the dynamics interesting. And it's not afraid to experiment with its own building blocks. And I love that fans aren't afraid to push the unexpected in fan works, or do a deeper dive of the dynamics and relationships we've seen in different iterations.

This turned more into a love letter for all TMNT and TMNT fans rather than what my favorite parts are, but it's still all true! I am constantly collecting my favorite dynamics and tropes and putting them in my mental shelf of favorite things. While there are classics I'll always love no matter what, some days the flavor changes!!! And I love that TMNT both as a franchise and as a fandom is so diverse when experimenting with these characters!!

So, in a way this is me saying keep having fun creating and experimenting--because not only does it make me happy, but I hope it makes you happy too 🩵

[papagabu]

The other day I kind of went on a whole thing about Shadow regarding my feelings towards the character to help people understand how I plan to portray him in my AU. But I decided I want to give my reason for why Tails is the main character of my AU.

The short answer is the Metal Breakers AU is inspired by two ideas I had: What if Metal Sonic rebelled against Eggman early, and the idea that if Sonic died, Tails would replace him as the hero of Earth.

The long answer.

Tails is a character that I feel has loads of untapped potential, like Silver, but unlike Silver, whose potential is wasted just off the fact we almost never see the guy, Tails is just held back by two things. First, his age; people like to call him weak a lot of the time, but Tails is frequently shown and even stated to be comparable to Sonic. He’s still below him but very close. Tails is also younger, so there’s a lot of potential for growth there; he would likely easily surpass Sonic if it weren’t for the second, more substantial thing holding him back: his complacency. Tails doesn’t really strive to be the best; he strives to be equal with Sonic, which is not a bad thing. It’s cute and nice that he’s got a humbleness to him that makes him not really strive for more than standing beside his big bro.

Tails is also just flat-out my favorite character; he always has been since I was little and likely always will be, seeing as how I still have love for the little guy after the character assassination he went through the during previous decade. For the longest time I couldn’t figure out why I liked Tails specifically. Looking at him, he didn’t seem particularly remarkable compared to other characters in the series; even at his best, sure, he’s cute, but that can only get you so far when you have to compete with characters like Shadow and Blaze. But I’ve finally realized why in recent years, to me Tails is easily the most relatable and inspirational character in the franchise; this seemingly innocuous little boy has such real aspirations and shortcomings.

I already mentioned how he just wants to stand beside Sonic. Tails doesn’t want to be the coolest; he wants to be seen as cool as Sonic. He doesn’t want to be the strongest or fastest; hell, he doesn’t even seem to want to be the smartest; that just seems to be something he was gifted with. Tails just wants what makes him happy, and that’s being beside the person that makes him happy, the hedgehog who practically gave Tails everything he needed in life. Sonic, the first real friend Tails likely ever had, the first person he could ever really call family. And I love that about Tails; at his best, his relationship with Sonic doesn’t just serve to make Tails a better character but Sonic too. I don’t think Sonic would be anywhere near as likable of a character to me if he didn’t have this precious little bean he’s constantly uplifting; Sonic inspires Tails to be better, and Tails inspires Sonic to be more loving, because without that relationship, Sonic would be almost all snark, which would really get old, as games like Colors, Lost World; and Forces have shown us.

Tails also easily has the saddest backstory; as sparse as it is, the bigger picture we can gather from what we know is not pretty at all. The fact he was bullied is what’s usually focused on, but we also know Tails was homeless and had to sleep outside a lot before he met Sonic, and that stormy nights were the hardest to get through, which is why he’s scared of lightning. That one statement has so many implications; why wasn’t Tails put in an orphanage? Why did no parents or other family take him in? Why did no one take him in? There’s no reason given, but you can make some assumptions; one I personally headcanon is because of the fact there’s implied to have been an ancient civilization on West Side Island where Tails was born. The people from his town or village are likely descendants of that civilization and have carried superstitious beliefs from that ancient culture. It’s very likely that Tails’s mutation was seen as a bad omen of sorts, so he was chased out of town; it would explain why he wouldn’t even be allowed in an orphanage and why he’d be such an easy target for bullying from the other children. And living isolated and ostracized like this, Tails probably had to do stuff like eat garbage, bugs, and small animals to survive. It can also give an explanation for how he took up engineering; he likely attempted to build ways to defend himself from the elements using parts he’d find in people’s garbage, or at a local dump or something. And this trauma has obviously left him with some deep-seated issues, low self-esteem being the most prevalent. You can even easily rationalize his portrayal in Sonic Forces, especially when you take into account the fact that since Colors, Sonic had seemingly been actively holding Tails back, keeping him away from danger rather than letting Tails stand beside him. Tails had come to rely on Sonic again due to Sonic’s actions causing Tails to lose the confidence he built up over time. Lost World is inexcusable, though, but I like to pretend that game doesn’t exist, considering it contributes nothing to the series (that anyone actually likes). 

I headcanon Tails as bisexual, I used to be against the idea of Tails being gay due to all of the evidence of him liking girls but I got into a weird conversation with a friend of a friend a couple years ago where I ended up conceding and saying I could accept Tails being bi.

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 4A, MATCH 1 OUT OF 2!

*Includes the original 1950 animated film, the 2002 sequel Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, and the 2007 sequel Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Disney's Cinderella:

she is very iconic, she is super kind and has a beautiful dress

Submitting specifically because Cinderella III: A Twist in Time has lived rent-free in my head ever since I was a small child.

This Cinderella is most young (western) peoples introduction to this very story. Cinderella is so hopeful and by getting one small magical adventure, her whole life changes for the better. She is skilled and inspires such loyalty with her kindness that it’s hard to dislike her for any reason she gives. I’ve always been jealous of her ball hairdo too.

Walt Disney put all he had into this movie. And his favorite animation was the dress transformation scene. There’s a reason she is often front and center on the Princess group promotions.

she is the original. to me. probably the first exposure to cinderella for a solid chunk of people alive & on tumblr today. she is just a perfect encapsulation of everything that cinderella is, even if she's become warped in the public consciousness. also i'm pretty sure she's the reason why the glass slippers are so predominant in more recent retellings bc she is simply so iconic. 100/10 no notes 💜

She's maybe not the OG OG but she was one of the first animated Disney princesses and strangely enough it doesn't stop her from having an amazing personality. She's literally a slave but keeps being a nice person, forgiving and always doing her best. And the sequels absolutely didn't ruin her character. She's a sweet girl who tries to fit in but who's loyal to the person she is and who tries to change things always in a cute and sweet way to show people it's not that hard. She literally forgave Anastasia and tried to help her after all she did to her (the scene where the step-sisters destroy her dress still is terrifying to me)... she's awesome and deserves more recognition honestly...

(Mod's note: the following submitted specifically for Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, but I condensed the animated movies into one entry.) No she is not the same as the original Cinderella of 1950. This girl’s biggest chance was unfairly snatched away from her. When the Prince was brainwashed she was enough to get him to double take. She was so Right that their connection over powered magic. And she had to be rescued from a ship. And was almost crushed within a pumpkin! And finally had to expose another imposter, who turned out to be just another victim of Lady Trameine. This Cinderella fought harder for her love because she knew what True Love was like and she still was able to forgive those who asked for it.

(Mod's note: the following submitted specifically for Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, but I condensed the animated movies into one entry.) Listen yes it's the same Cinderella from 1950 but she has an arc in this one! It's Disney's greatest film!!

Listen I love them both but the animated Cinderella definitly shine in every single movie she has. And she has 3.

Vote for Cinderella because she deserves it and is still underrated in the Disney Princesses Franchise when she survived so much (ab*se... Lady Tremaine still terrifies me and she doesn't even have magical powers except when she steals the magic wand in Cinderella 3) Also one vote for Cinderella is one jump outside the window Henri is ready to do. Yes it's real.

Disney animated the original fairytale but definitely made it more magical and less creepy (like the birds making the step sisters blind? It gave me nightmares for ages). If I think: which one will I want to rediscover multiple times? Disney's Cinderella. Plus Cinderella 3 is a masterpiece.

Mofurun as "Mofurella"

listen. they do an episode where they're all sucked into Cinderella and they make the trans teddy bear Cinderella. Incredible story writing, 10/10, no notes.

Mofurdella is even plot relevant, that episode is how they get the Rainbow Carriage for their group attack anyway MOFURDELLA FIRST CINDERELLA PRECURE EPISODE TO GET ONE MOFURILLION VOTES

[physalian]

Character Types: Schemers

Saltburn was one of those pure shock value movies, putting spectacle above rewatchability, imo, but that moth monologue was great, and it’s all about how the protagonist is a schemer. Reminds me of Squidward’s accusations to Plankton in The Spongebob Movie and I mean that with 100% sincerity.

Schemers probably need no explanation, but these are characters that sacrifice a couple battles to win the war, these are the quiet ones who come out of nowhere in the last lap. If they’re villains, they’ll probably botch it, if they’re anti-heroes, they’ll probably eek out a victory, but these types usually aren’t full-blown heroes as “scheming” is seen as unheroic, but more on that at the end.

So! I’ve collected a couple of my favorites, because this time I haven’t written one to gush about worth spoiling to hell and back (but I do have one, and he’s campy as hell).

The Villain Schemer

Starscream

Top of the list is, to no one’s surprise if you follow me, Starscream. Specifically the iteration in Transformers Prime as I know that one the best and that show has some of the best character work in the franchise.

Starscream is forever second-best to his Lord and Master, Megatron. He’s second-in-command to the entire Decepticon contingent, a former Energon Seeker (a title which only he cares about and thinks it’s cool as the group went defunct before Cybertron went dark), and is quite like a cockroach. Somehow, he just keeps narrowly escaping death.

Despite everything against him at one point, low on fuel, no friends, no allies, barely a shot in the giant fetch quest to the finish line, he catches a lucky break and manages to fool the Autobots, sneak right past their defenses to steal all the MacGuffins, and then leverages and silver-tongues his way back into the good graces of the Decepticons.

Schemers are usually not physically strong, as to have both a skilled fighter and tactician in one character is OP (and leaves the argument open of why you’d be a schemer by choice if you can Punch Things to solve your problems). He only uses his guns maybe five or six times in the whole show. This version of his design is very sleek and slender. He prefers to use his claws or his wrist-rockets (he transforms into a fighter jet). Back him into a corner and he’ll probably try to either fly away, grovel for mercy, play himself up as weak and defenseless and thus a pathetic and unjust kill, or be completely unaware of how screwed he is and get his ass beat.

He’s got variety.

Starscream’s big thing though is his ego, the fatal flaw of most schemers. He thinks he’s better than everyone else, even when he’s t-cog-less and unable to transform, crawling around in the dirt scrounging for energon once he’s gone rogue. Every chance he gets, he’s either fluffing up his scant accomplishments, trying to undermine Megatron, or trying to prove how loyal he is to Megatron, and the Big M allows this because… it’s entertaining, I think.

Yet, miraculously, this mech always survives. He outlives Megatron at least thrice in this show alone. He always either has a backup plan, has a secret weapon, or is able to just weasel out of capture or execution. He’s an idiot, but he can also be incredibly clever, using Autobot mercy against them a la “you wouldn’t shoot a defenseless prisoner” or “you wouldn’t leave a bot to die even though we all know I deserve it”.

And on top of all that, he’s just really funny. Whether it’s his exaggerated movements, like how his wings will flap when he’s excited, or the one time he dances pretty provocatively in front of his whole crew chanting “All Hail Starscream” after one of Megatron’s deaths. Or when he’s his own worst enemy, getting himself into sticky situations because he just can’t let anyone else have the last word.

Plankton

Another funny schemer is the aforementioned Plankton, in a show that’s a whole lot less dramatic. Whenever he’s in an episode he’s whipping up yet another convoluted plan to steal the Krabby Patty formula, but while he can be mean and a little cruel with his insults, nobody hates Plankton. He never wins, his failures are funny, and Krabs is kind of a dick. Sometimes, you’re even rooting for him.

Maven Calore

On the complete opposite end of the humor scale, there’s Maven, from the Red Queen series. Yet another wimp both physically and magically, Maven is the second-born to the throne, who, at first, actually seems like he’s not out to steal it from his older brother like Claudius in Hamlet.

But of course….

Maven, like another character on this list, is a master of social engineering. His most famous line in the series is, “The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.”

He fools everyone, even the heroine and his brother, more than once into thinking he’s redeemable and in the third book, he and the heroine spend quite some time together where she’s trying desperately to find any shred of a decent man inside him, while he proves again and again that that man died when he was a kid, abused out of him by the queen, and that he’s not even mad about it, it’s just who he is, and she should really stop trying so hard to fix something that can’t be glued back together.

Maven is one cruel fucker, too, either orchestrating or permitting the deaths of quite a few major characters along with everything he does to the protagonist. He’s a fascinating look into the “I can fix him” trope and what it does to the people who have been convinced that it’s their duty to continue suffering abuse for the sake of family or kinship.

I wish this series was more popular, I only know one other person who read it, and they recommended it to me.

Loki

Gonna stick him here because there's just so many versions of this mythological figure, dating back literal centuries. Marvel's Loki is... a hot mess of inconsistencies. So, in general, Loki is at best, occasionally helpful if it also serves his own interests, but he's usually depicted as an obstacle. Honorary mention because everybody knows who he is.

The Anti-Hero Schemer

Lelouch vi Britannia

I get to gush about Code Geass finally, yay. But first, an honorable mention to Light Yagami (a full villain schemer). Didn’t like Death Note and don’t remember it well enough to properly comment on all of Light’s schemes but he’s not even an anti-hero, he’s a straight-up villain protagonist. People just mistakenly thought that Light and Lelouch were in any way comparable… and they’re not.

Apologies, Death Note fans. I don’t like your man.

Lelouch vi Britannia is the protagonist of Code Geass, a mecha anime probably most famous to anyone who doesn’t know it for the Pizza Hut ad campaign and “why are you buying clothes in the soup store?!”

His whole story is revenge on and the toppling of the Britannian empire and its emperor, his supremely assholeish father, who got his mom (the queen-consort) killed and shipped him and his only full-blooded sister off as political prisoners to Japan.

Lelouch is… a beautiful, smart, dumbass. He’s hyperbolically unfit, winded even by climbing a short staircase (like I said, schemers are usually wimps), but a brilliant military strategist and tactician. But above all else, he’s a master at social engineering.

On top of Code Geass being a mecha anime, it’s also got a whole supernatural lore about “geass” an ‘absolute’ superpower held by a couple different characters of the show, and Lelouch’s is absolute obedience. Whenever he geasses somebody, if it is within their power or knowledge to accomplish or provide, they are compelled absolutely to follow his command. With the massive caveat being that he can only use it on a person once in their lifetime (until shenanigans ensue).

Lelouch’s whole story is about gaining social power over his opponent, starting from basically nothing as he’s moonlighting as a high school student of vaguely noble standing. If anyone figures out that he’s actually a prince, his whole plan goes belly up. Why? His plan is to ignite a rebellion in Japan against Britannia, by creating a masked vigilante, Zero, the Man of Miracles, a man of the people, definitely not a blue-blood prince of the enemy. So ensues two seasons of absolute insanity as Lelouch’s rebellion unfolds and collateral damage collapses around him.

Lelouch is his own worst enemy. His ego and arrogance constantly bite him in the ass and he loses constantly, which, to me, is what made him far more likable than somebody like Light, who always won. He’s not above sacrificing a few for the needs of the many, even when those few are people or relatives of people he cares deeply about. He’s not above using his power of non-consent to get what he needs on anyone, no matter how much he knows they’d hate him if they knew he used it on them. He’s not above lying, manipulating, or tossing people under the bus if it furthers his goals.

But he’s not a villain. While it can be argued, even by Lelouch himself, that Japan and all the members of the rebellion that he helped raise from nothing, were just pieces on his chessboard and meaningless to him, that all he cares about is revenge and not an actual free Japan… he’s lying. Otherwise the show would not have ended the way it did, and it remains recognized as one of the best endings to any anime ever.

Schemer Heroes?

Schemers usually aren’t heroes for one big reason: They’re selfish, and selfishness is unheroic. Even with the best of intentions, like the anti-hero or morally-grey hero, the schemer’s personal goals are always, first and foremost, top priority, and if the group benefits, it’s a happy coincidence.

I’m wracking my brain trying to think of one who would qualify and while there are plenty of schemer protagonists, they’re the antithesis of the hero we’re supposed to root for, and I think it says something about us as a society.

Tyrion Lannister

If he counts, the best one I can think of is Tyrion Lannister (did not read the books, only saw most of the show). He’s yet another wimp** who has to rely on his wits and his smarts to compete and stay ahead in the world once he figures out that his money and his name won’t save him forever. And in the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.

He does do some shady things here or there, but aside from maybe Samwell, every character in that show has done some morally dubious things.

Honorable mention to Varys, who is absolutely a schemer, but I couldn’t figure out where to put him on this list. And Littlefinger, who’s a schemer villain, but he didn’t stick the landing (thanks D&D). GOT is made up of schemers, really. I just… don’t want to keep giving GRRM free advertising.

**wimp only in that he's not physically abled like the other characters and cannot rely on his skill with a sword, only his words.

—

All in all, schemers take a ton of planning to be written believably, because their wits are their strongest trait. To write a super intelligent character, you really have to have all your ducks in a row so you can show their thought processes and how their plans unfold, instead of only saying “they’re super smart, trust me”.

Even when schemers are cruel, what makes them distinct from annoying assholes is that there’s some part of their character that’s impossible to argue with. They’re right, even if you hate to admit it, about even one tiny thing in the world.

Why? Because they spit in the face of lawful good and evil. They know the good guys have lines they won’t cross, and it will get people killed. They know the bad guys (usually society at large) needs to be stopped, and they might be bad, but either society forced their hand, or they’re not as bad as the alternative.

My schemer in ENNS is just a straight-up asshole, but he knows how to manipulate the heroes to get what he wants and his plan works.

They do have to succeed, otherwise they’re just idiots. They need a few wins under their belts to prove their competence as a proper schemer and not just a guy blowing smoke. Wondering if this will be the time they flop on their face, or wondering what line they’ll cross to escape this time, is what makes them so entertaining.

[yellowhollyhock]

Why March for Raph specifically? Isn't Donatello your favorite character? And your polls in the past have suggested Mikey is most underrated?

Well, imaginary person asking very helpful questions giving me direct opportunities to provide some exposition, let me tell you!

I'll explain below the cut because the point of this post is actually the link above (in red), and this is a non-essential lore drop for readers who want that for some reason idk I can't stay in character any longer

Reason 1: my beloved Raph friends

I know I talk a lot about Raph and say a lot about relating to Donnie, but really, I love all the turtles and Aprils equally and in different ways (Caseys and Splinters are different, another discussion altogether). I do identify the most with Donatello though, and that's important. I love the other characters through a loving Donatello lens.

And that's why Raph is so dear to me. Because there I am, a Donatello lover who has only ever participated in fandom privately or with occasional likes/reblogs, deciding to get into TMNT. Like actually get into it, be a part of the community, make some friends. Find my people.

And there are the Raph fans, especially 03 since that's what I was most into at the beginning (still? fluctuates more but it'll always be a fave). There was some discussion amongst that part of the fandom at the time of the difficulty in finding 03 Raph-centric content. Firstly, I was very invested in seeing takes on Raph that explored what I loved about him, took the angst deeper than canon (directly) acknowledged, showed the strengths that sometimes get overlooked (in canon and fanon). Secondly, I was posting about all the turtles and the Raph fans responded.

When you're brand new nobody in a fandom that feels huge in a franchise you're forty years late to? To have people express interest in what you're saying and share their ideas with you and follow up on your ideas? It's like

Imagine you're Donatello and all you did was make a small little thing that you wanted to make and had fun making. And then there's Raph. Obviously you're gonna love the guy

there are quite a few beloved friends who know who they are, and very especially @nightwatcherraph

Reason 2: check out the range

Raph is such an interesting character to use as a jumping off point for discussion of the whole franchise and how it's changed over the years. Out of all the turtles, he's the most varied in many ways

I attribute that mostly to Mirage and 1987. They're both just so iconic, and so different. It creates a fascinating split foundation for future iterations to draw from!

Reason 3: Rise

Hello Rise fandom. Immediately easy to find if you are first getting into tmnt, at first confusing because I was looking for 03. I love the rise show, second tmnt I watched and absolutely adored, and I'm pretty sure I'd written a couple rise stories already before March for Raph was born. But the amount of welcome that I've received in the Rise fandom while barely even being in it is like.. I dunno how to explain, it's a very nice fandom. Very very large fandom which is why I tend not to make much for it (crowds are intimidating) and in my experience so so welcoming. As soon as I posted about the idea for March for Raph first time, Rise fandom rose up 🫡 Really living up to the name of the show.

And Raph specifically is the perfect character for this because 1) by making him the leader Rise focused on Raph in a new way that highlighted personality traits which are oft overlooked in the red turtles, 2) Rise Leo or Donnie would have attracted everybody at once and I would be flattened like a beetle in a stampede, 3) I don't have a third reason but if I did you'd be like "that's a good reason"

I sometimes think that maybe someday I'll do events like this for other turtles, especially Mikey since he does so often under-perform in polls and I have very many thoughts about him that I haven't really posted about,, but one month out of the year comes up quicker than you'd think. also, idk. It's gotta fit, y'know? anyways y'all should @ me if you know of any Mikey events

[darkstarofchaos]

Spoilers for TF One.

Considering I've seen all of one person voice dislike for the movie, this might be a rhetorical question, but does anyone else find it kinda disturbing that they had Starscream goading Megatron to hit him? Or, to put it another way, that they had arguably the most abused character in the franchise goading his most frequent abuser to hit him? Specifically while he was being choked to the point of permanent damage?

I will readily admit that I'm predisposed to think the worst of canon when it comes to Starscream (and after EarthSpark, all my trust issues have been exacerbated). I also really do not like headcanons where Starscream provokes Megatron because he likes being hit, or where he sounds like he does because Megatron damaged him. So maybe I'm just reading too much into this, and reacting negatively because now I'm going to see two of my least favorite Starscream headcanons everywhere (and now that one of them is canon, some people are going to act like it's canon in other continuities, which is. Great).

Anyway. It feels like the writers didn't want to deal with Starscream and Megatron having an abusive dynamic. So instead of just, y'know. Not writing one. They decided to have Starscream "ask for it" instead. I mean, they apparently name-dropped Skyfire, you can't tell me no one on the team knew people would treat it as masochism (instead of the machismo it was probably meant to be). It's Starscream, there is no context in which he could provoke an opponent like that and not have people see masochism. But the fact that he specifically goaded Megatron - again, while receiving permanent damage - is just. Really uncomfortable to me. Especially since Starscream is apparently just fine afterward.

Cybertronians are not easy to damage permanently. Normally I refrain from extrapolating things that were true in one continuity onto others, but they're robots. Logic dictates they can repair a far wider range of injuries far more easily than humans can, even if there are still limits to what can be fixed. And voice boxes are one of those things that have been repeatedly shown being difficult to repair. I could accept Starscream being used to battle damage and shrugging it off if it was repairable, but it isn't. Why is he fine afterwards when irreparable damage is so out of the ordinary for Cybertronians? Even if he assumed it was reparable, voice boxes are a known permanent damage risk, so why isn't he at least a little concerned about that?

The whole thing just feels poorly thought out. Even if they weren't trying to handwave any future violence between Starscream and Megatron, they clearly weren't interested in how Starscream would realistically respond to the situation. And yes, people handle serious injuries differently, but considering who we're talking about, I can't see it as an innocent "this version of the character isn't that bothered by injury". It feels too much like they needed to get Megatron in position to lead the Decepticons and also wanted Starscream to sound like he does because of damage, and they just didn't think beyond what they needed for Megatron's arc. And yes, Megatron is a main character and Starscream isn't, so it makes sense to focus on what his arc needs. Megatron has also been repeatedly treated as a better person than the mech he abuses, so "he's more important than Starscream" only makes it worse, actually.

[spacetrashpile]

DRACTOBER DAY 3: DRACULA 2000

Welcome back to Dractober, where I watch and rank one film adaptation of Dracula for every day in October! I'll be ranking each film on two one to ten scales (was it a good adaptation of Dracula and did I enjoy it?) and giving the film a final score at the end by averaging out the other scores.

Today's film is Dracula 2000, released in, who could've guessed it, 2000. This movie is executive produced Wes Craven, known for being the man behind the Scream and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises, but (despite what the marketing and title will tell you) he actually had very little to do with the film as a whole. It follows a Count Dracula who has been let loose on the modern day, specifically in New Orleans. He's on a search for a women who shares his blood, and has been born, not made, to be like him. I could get more into specifics, but I'll try and save the spoilers for the review itself.

Let's get into it!

Well, here we are, the first film on my list that I did not enjoy. I knew it was coming eventually, and it coming with the first film that was actually trying to be a Dracula adaptation and that presented itself as such makes a lot of sense. So, let's answer our first question, was this a good adaptation of Dracula?

This film presents itself from the outset as an actual adaptation of Dracula. We open with a shot of the remains of the Demeter, before we promptly cut forward to the year 2000, and the office of Matthew Van Helsing, a collector of antiques, and his assistant, Simon Sheppard. Thieves break into Matthew's shit to steal a sealed coffin he keeps in the basement, convinced that it's got? Treasure? Or something? It's unclear on what they were specifically looking for, just that they believed it was valuable.

Turns out, that's Dracula's coffin! The entire crew gets attacked as they travel with the coffin by plane to the US. They're all killed, and their plane crashes in the bayou of Lousianna. This is our modern day Demeter crew, except they all also become vampires, and the only woman also becomes one of our stand ins for the brides. Van Helsing travels to America to follow Dracula's trail, and is followed by Simon in turn. Simon is kind of our Steward and kind of our Jonathan.

In New Orleans live two roommates, Mary and Lucy. Mary has had nightmares her entire life of a guy who we know to be Dracula, and Lucy- who's full name is Lucy Westenra!- is her friend who suffers the same fate as book Lucy but with way less screen time </3.

All our main characters come together when Dracula arrives in New Orleans to hunt down Mary. Unfortunately, this leans into one of my least favorite things that Dracula adaptations like to do- making Mina (who Mary is a stand in for) into someone particularly special to Dracula to justify her obsession with her. Thankfully, this film doesn't choose to make her his reincarnated lover (my least favorite variation of this trope). What it does do, however, is much weirder.

Matthew Van Helsing is actually Abraham Van Helsing, who first encountered Dracula back when Bram Stoker was alive, and indirectly inspired Stoker's novel. However, Dracula, unlike the other vampires, cannot be killed by any means (that Van Helsing has discovered). After capturing and subduing Dracula, Van Helsing vowed he would live as long as Dracula did, until he uncovered a way to kill him. He's stayed alive this long by injecting himself with Dracula's blood, which he's been extracting from him via leeches.

OKAY?????

The departures this movie takes from the original novel only get weirder from here. Van Helsing establishes early on that Dracula (and the other vampires) don't actually experience a real aversion to the cross or other symbols of God, but that Dracula just really, really hates Catholicism. Keep that in mind. The only ways the vampires can be killed, by this movie, are by stabbing them in the heart or cutting off their head, and they have a sensitivity to silver. Keep that in mind as well.

We then go through a whole lot of movie that I'm not gonna summarize here for the sake of brevity, but Dracula collects his three brides, one of whom is Lucy, and also kills Van Helsing. Sad! We do get one moment of book accuracy here, with Dracula briefly turning into his big dog form to hunt down Mary. Yay!

Eventually, we reach the climax of the movie, when Dracula kidnaps Mary and Simon gets kidnapped by the brides (only after he kills one of them, though). Now that Mary's in his grasp, Dracula decides to reveal to her his backstory, and who he was before he was a vampire.

With all the things you know so far, I want you to guess what historical figure they made be Dracula. There are more hints present in the movie that I didn't touch on, but let's see if you can get it.

Did you guess JUDAS ISCARIOT? BECAUSE I SURE DIDN'T WHEN I STARTED THIS MOVIE.

This also falls into another trap that adaptations of Dracula tend to fall into. They think that Dracula is the main character of the story, or at least that he should be, so they try to give him some backstory or tragic motivation or something to make him land more as a protagonist. I hate when this happens!

The movie ends with Mary killing Lucy and Simon killing the remaining bride, and Mary getting into a fight with Dracula. Eventually, she realizes she can kill him by hanging him, as Judas Iscariot did when he killed himself. She hangs him off the side of the building they were fighting on, and he releases her from her vampirism before bursting into flames in the sunrise. You might remember that Dracula doesn't burn in the sunlight in the original novel, but frankly, this is like, the smallest slight this film has against it.

Now, back to the question at hand. Ranking this one as a Dracula adaptation is surprisingly difficult with the parameters I've previously given myself. I gave Evil of Dracula, which wasn't really a Dracula adaptation of all, a 6/10 due to it grasping the actual spirit of the novel and the characters pretty solidly. In hindsight, this was WAY TOO HIGH, but I'm gonna stick with it. But here's the thing- the previous two films on this list weren't really trying to be adaptions. Van Helsing wasn't trying, and had nothing to do with the novel at all, and Evil of Dracula wasn't trying, but it captured the spirit of the novel for the most part. Dracula 2000 was trying to be a Dracula adaptation, if a looser one in order to put in the modern day.

But I think it failed to do so in an actually interesting or effective way. It leans into some of my least favorite failings for a Dracula adaptation, as mentioned above, and anything that could've actually been interesting about the way this film adapts the story is overridden by the absolute craziness of it or the wildly underwhelming nature of the film itself (I'll get into that).

Mainly, I think this film fails to understand what makes Dracula what it is- our main characters. It's fine if we don't have direct one to ones of the main characters, I can live with that for the sake of moving the story into the modern day or making the plot a bit less convoluted (by cutting the whole suitors thing, for example). But the main characters of this film barely interact. We get maybe two scenes of Mary and Lucy interacting before Lucy dies, we never see Mary and Van Helsing interact despite their relationship, and Simon and Mary don't start interacting consistently until half the main cast is dead. Dracula is undeniably the main character here, as mentioned above, but I don't fucking care about this guy or like him! I'm here for the human characters, but the movie isn't, and it's a complete misunderstanding of what made the book good!

So I think I'm going to give this film a 4/10 for the Dracula adaptation scale. I have to appreciate some of the smaller things that manage to make it's way into the film, such as the Demeter, Dracula's wolf form, and the cutting off of the heads thing. But it fundamentally misunderstands the point of it all. This film focuses extremely heavily on the religious aspects of the original novel, which could have been interesting but again, falls flat. So much of what this film is trying to do as an actually accurate adaptation goes nowhere, or goes somewhere new and insane yet entirely uninteresting.

Now, did I enjoy this movie? I think you may have already gathered the answer, but let's keep going.

I was expecting a lot better from this movie. At least, in theory. Wes Craven is a big name horror director for a reason (though I have not actually seen any of his other films), and I was hoping the bad reviews were either a result of this being a cult-classic level actually good movie or a so-bad-it's-good film. It was neither of these things.

The movie definitely had it's moments- the fight between Marcus and Simon in the town hall was one I really enjoyed, for one. But it was greatly overshadowed by Everything Else. Firstly, there was the adaptation factor- I wanted this to be at least a decent adaptation, so the longer the movie went on, the more frustrated I became in that regard and the less I could enjoy it. But there was also the overwhelming misogyny of it all.

This movie does not treat any of it's female characters well. All of the brides (Solina, Valerie, and Lucy) fall into the "slut who has to die" trope, and have very little character outside of that. Lucy is definitely the worst example of this. She shows up briefly in a few scenes with Mary, but her greatest amount of screen time comes when Dracula goes into the record shop (CALLED VIRGIN SUPERSTORE BY THE WAY. FRUSTRATINGLY ON THE NOSE.) that Mary works at in search of her. He instead finds Lucy, who is instantly attracted to him and invites him to their house, despite not even knowing his name. She and Dracula then have a weird as fuck sex scene- part of which is ON THE CEILING. BECAUSE HE FLOATS SO THEY'RE ON THE CEILING FOR SOME REASON.- and he kills her. It's unclear how much of this is Lucy actually acting of her own volition and how much was Dracula manipulating her mind, but after this scene she (and the other brides) all only exist to be catty and bitchy towards Mary about the fact that she's Dracula's favorite girlfriend and to be sexy and tempting to Simon. You see why this makes the movie unenjoyable, right?

There's also a scene involving Solina after she becomes a vampire that... I'm not gonna describe too in depth, because it's literally just her being insufferably horny towards a police officer and a doctor. But I bring it up at all because it serves no point for the plot. Most of the horny scenes in this film you can argue, at least a little, that they're relevant to the plot. This scene has no relevance to the plot, outside of establishing that Solina is hanging out with Dracula after the town hall scene, which, y'know, definitely could have been done in any other fashion!

Mary also has basically no agency up until the end of the film. She spends most of this movie running around scared, up until the final 15 minutes where she's actually allowed to do stuff. And look, I know that the original novel is wildly sexist. I know! But that is actually something I'm fine with being left out of an adaptation! That's allowed!

I know I gave Van Helsing a lot of praise, despite it's poor treatment of the female characters, but the key difference here is that Van Helsing actually let the female characters do things sometime. Their motivations were pretty wonky, but at least they had some.

Dracula 2000 also has a lot of humor that fell flat for me. Some of the jokes did actually land, ("Sorry I'm an atheist"/"God loves you anyway" and "I don't drink [prolonged pause] coffee" for example) but most of it felt like it was trying way too hard. Specifically, the script felt like it was trying really hard to do the same thing this movie's marketing was trying to do- pretend this is an actual Wes Craven movie. It didn't work for me.

Frankly, I found myself too frustrated with Dracula 2000 to actually enjoy myself most of the time. There was promise in this movie. The character concepts could've, maybe, been executed well, and at the very least some of the fight scenes were actually really enjoyable, and it made me so mad that they were sandwiched into this otherwise really disappointing film. 3/10 on the enjoyment scale. Part of me is tempted to put it lower, but I have a feeling if I do another film on this list will be so frustrating that I'll regret it. Ultimately, this film wasn't bad, just not very good and deeply frustrating, so we'll keep 0-2 for films that are actually, verifiably, bad.

Overall, Dracula 2000 gets a 3.5/10. I could give you a TL;DR about all that, but frankly, I think you've heard enough from me. Hopefully tomorrow's movie is better.

[pumpkinpie59]

ranking the tmnt shows based on plot writing, character writing, and what my preferences are:

first off, plot writing

6, tnm

idk what to put here.

5, 2012

it really sucks because its first season’s writing is unironically my favorite writing in the franchise. but then the show steadily gets messier and more inconsistent writing as it goes forward. especially in season 4. i wish i could defend it more but it is at the bottom for me. besides tnm ig

4, 87

i actually like the arcs in 87, but the thing with 87 is that … the plot isn’t the point! but i don’t consider that a flaw. the show is a comedy first, and it’s great at what it does. so yes, even if the plot episodes are pretty forgettable compared to the goofier episodes, it’s not the worst thing in the world. but it’s still number 4.

3, rise

rise is kinda weird because even tho most of the series is comedy filler like 87, it’s most known for its plot. but i think it earns that because sometimes the show will throw in episodes that foreshadow the big plot at the end of the season, and it handles it pretty well for the most part.

2, tales

i honestly really enjoyed the way the plots were set up in tales. since it’s pretty new, i won’t spoil it, but i think my only actual complaint was the framing devices they used. but otherwise it was pretty good.

1, 03

every once in a while, the show would have a hiccup writing-wise, but overall i liked the flow of the arcs and stories it was trying to tell. out of all the tmnt shows, 03 was the best at juggling several arcs at once and committing to giving them closure (cough. unlike 2012-).

okay character writing rankings.

6, tnm

tbf this one has venus. and a pretty good donnie.

5, rise

this is so controversial i know. but i just get so frustrated with how the show handles leo and donnie’s writing specifically. they feel ooc half the time and there’s little consistency. and then raph and mikey (my favorites of the team) were sidelined a lot.

4, 2012

mikey has no character growth whatsoever and is an adhd stereotype. donnie’s development gets thrown to the background so you only notice it if you’re paying attention to him the entire time. leonardo gradually gets worse over the course of the series and we never see him get better. they couldn’t decide what to do with karai half the time. april’s arc got switched for a different one halfway through (i still love her tho). the only one with a decent arc is raph, and i still think it could’ve been better ://

3, 03

this is not a knock at 03. i just think that character growth wasn’t its priority. telling stories was. however we do occasionally see them go through arcs. most obvious is leo, but i also enjoy seeing raph get less hostile and trusting leo more over the course of the first season.

2, 87

you’d have to watch the whole show to see it, but there’s almost … an accidental ?? arc for each turtle??? raphael gets angrier up until it reaches typical raphael levels in red sky, donatello goes through ups and downs of wishing he was never mutated while still pursuing human-level knowledge, michelangelo early on in the show wished he was more human (he changes his mind after becoming human once, but the feeling lingers a bit sometimes), and leonardo goes through anxieties related to his team (he acts differently about being without them depending on the season). but even without considering development, their personalities are written fantastically and i love seeing how they interact with the world around them.

1, tales

this is suspect to change since we’ve only had a movie and a 12-episode show. but what i’ve seen so far, i’ve really liked. my only complaint is that donnie feels different in the show vs the movie ://

and ,,, my biases

6, rise

sorry.

5, tnm

guilty pleasure idk what to say. uh. venus de milo. and turtlelamb <33

4, tales

i liked it a lot! i just want more characters and world building. we’ll see where it goes in the future.

3, 03

i love many aspects of the show. it’s not quite as entertaining to me as the next to tho. idk why but my attention span just can’t handle too much of it.

2, 2012

i grew up with this one. does it suck? oh yeah for sure lmao. but it’s nostalgic and i like a lot of the characters. and season 1 particularly is amazing. sucks for the rest of the show tho lol. i will unashamedly bully it.

1, 87

wow. who would’ve— i mean. man. who could have possibly guessed— this one has lotus blossom so i’d say this one can’t be beat.

[generic-sonic-fan]

Opinions on Metal/Android Shadow?

Ah, unfortunately, you've touched upon one of the many reasons why I hate Sonic Heroes despite the fact that it's Omega's introductory game.

TL;DR: I don't like Android Shadow.

Putting my rant beneath the cut because I don't want to dissuade anyone from liking Android Shadow as a concept. I certainly am not the spokesperson for the fandom, and to be fair, I have seen a lot of fan works that play with the idea of Android Shadow in a way that I like quite a lot!

@wonderinc-sonic's works, specifically The Label-Maker Incident come to mind. Go check them out instead of reading my hater post, lol.

It's personal preference, but I always thought the question of whether Shadow was the "real one" or not was really lame. There's so much more interesting character drama you can do with Shadow and the whole "Shadow Android" storyline really distracts from that. (Where do I start? His trauma, his relationship with his creators, his difficulty adjusting to life on Earth already without the introduction of robot shenanigans, etc etc etc)

I hold the same belief about Shadow's amnesia, which is also from this game, which I also find really dumb. Sure, go ahead and take the fan favorite character and then erase literally everything he is as a character! Super compelling. Yayyy. (Sarcasm)

Plus, if Eggman can just build infinite Shadow Androids, it really upsets the power-scaling of the universe and makes you wonder why he doesn't apparently create perfect chaos-energy wielding, fast-as-sonic robots to just destroy everything that opposes him. You could say that the counter-argument is already presented in Heroes itself- Metal Sonic and E-123 Omega's rebellions -but in that case, why include Shadow Androids as a story element at all, then? To include them and then immediately throw them away because Eggman will never commit to it is just really lame.

Look, the Sonic franchise is a videogame series made for children with the reputation of some of the worst writing in all of videogames. We as Sonic fans like to embrace a lot of the weird, the dark, and the cheesy writing. There's a lot of earnest heart to it when you dig and transform it with your own hands! But that doesn't mean that SEGA writers are any good most of the time. Especially not in Heroes era.

Canon is fake and I am a writer committing word crimes. That's the reason I'll never really write about Shadow Android or Shadow's period of amnesia. I tend to omit them in any story, even if it's supposed to take place right around or right after Sonic Heroes chronologically. My biggest offenders are probably Residual Orders and Complex Inquiries in this regard. My only fic that's really even that compliant with Heroes is OPERATION: SELF DETERMINATION, but that's because Shadow is hardly even in that one.