#that or I would just do a new season of mystery incorporated with an other demographic in mind

[just-an-enby-lemon]

@unrestrainedbalderdash said they don't care if I put Jonathan Crane into my idea of how I would do an adult Scooby cartoon. And since they are someone who I really liked and I really just need one person saying "hey is okay" to me to overly babble over something here we are.

Disclaimer: I did not watch the Velma show. I saw the trailer and reviews but that is it. This is also not a recreation of it. It's merely how I would do an adult scooby doo story with a more representative cast.

▫️Alpha Kappa Scobby (I'm bad naming stuff)

Is time to grow up.

With the end of high school comes the anxiety inducing question of what to do next? To the Mystery Inc. the answer was always obivous: continuing solving mysteries together. Unfortunally fate appeared to have other plans. Between parental presure, a crashing economy, a shitty job market and an investigation that abelit sucefull ended up breaking the Mystery Machine, hurting a civilian and facing the local authorities ultimatum that they could not keep their unregulated detective agency it appears to be the end.

But the thing is mysteries never ever leave the gang. Where they are things happen and as they face the monsters of adult life other monsters may appear on the way. Are they ready?

▫️The Gang

- Velma is our main characther. She is a second generation imigrant kid from an indian-american family, possibly autistic (mostly represented by her sensory issues and examples of masking) and a genius who suffers from anxiety and the pressure that both comes with societal expectations related to prejudice, familial expectations (especially as a second generation imigrant) and being a gifted kid. She is also a lesbian.

- Shaggy is Shaggy. They are a possibly stoner black latino (he may be a stonner or it may be just harmfull steriotypes possibly both) and they are also ace and non-binary using they/then pronouns. Norville is their deadname and the fact their parents call them that is a dead give away of the time of people they are. Shaggy was adopted and their parents are upped middle class white guys who adopted three POC kids and act extremily white saviour over it. Their bio parents are implied to be scientistis at Star Labs that died in an freaky accident when they eere still little. They may have something to do with Scooby being a talking dog. Though they met by Shaggy adopting a stray puppy. Their personality is still the same. Except for the parents issues. Like they are still the same glutonous coward who cares a lot for their friends and likes bad horror movies.

- Scooby is Scooby. Like nothing changed at all about him. Except that outside the gang people do question the fact he is a talking dog. Since their world is really weird people go from allien to failed scientific experiment of either LexCorp or Starlabs. The more accepted theory is that he is the first non-human to manifest a meta gene. He isn't being studies because he flied over radar until the gaang started solving mysteries and at this point he was too popular plus the governent had other more important issues going on. So he is just a fact.

- Daphne is a girl who defy expectations. She is weird. She has two mons (a thing I know is cannon on the Velma cartoon and am using), one is a british martial artist and the other a american fashion designer and she got very deep into both of her mons careears. She has some relatives in jail and she learned a bunch with them. She loves to learn except not the school stuff, so her grades were meh and people usually saw her as just a pretty face, even though she has a bunch of great skils like fighting, fashion, faking signatures, lock picking, stealth, acting, a bunch of sports and more. She is bissexual and has a huge crush on both Elvira and Hex Girls. She also loves escape artists (being good at scaping herself) and is a fan of bad horror movies and campy actors. She also has a crush on Fred.

- Fred is a sweet bissexual himbo and he is very clearly neurodivergent and definitvaly autistic. He stims a lot, has dificulty getting social clues, misses most sarcasm and some abstract expressions, has a huge special interest in traps, sometimes goes non-verbal, just the whole book. He is a rich white boy but fails to meet his misoginistic racist parents expectations not only by hangin with the gaang but by having a disability. His parents never took him to a doctor to be diagnosed because they believed it would bring shame to the family to have a disabled kid and just hoped he would "grow out of it". He does have some internalized prejudice but it's working to be better. He also has a huge crush in Daphne, is a very supportive and loyal friend and infodumps people a lot.

▫️The Pilot

The pilot episode starts with the gaang reciving their ultimatum and having to undergo an state aproved course to became private investigators and be abble to keep the Mystery Inc. going. Shennanigans issue and they all end up failing.

Daphne is too good on the self defense courses and also may have caused a teacher who implied she would need to do sexual favors for him if she hoped to pass in his boring law class to never be able to walk again. Luckily he was too afraid to press charges.

Fred keept trying to insert trap making into the course to ridiculous extremes.

Shaggy broke the vending machine, ate all the food and also just keept running away from the clues in all the pratical texts. They answers also mostly involved running and getting uninvolved.

No one knew if Scooby should do dog training or humam courses and he ended in a confusing stream of buerocracy.

Velma should by all means had suceeded though and the only reason she failed was racial bias. She tries to brush it off, after all she was not going to be a detective on her own anyway and all her friends failed, but it clearly afects her and this will be a thing hanging over her head the whole season. The episode ends with Velma discovering she got approved to a full scholarship on a fictional ivvy league university outisde of Crystal Cove she had applied more for her parents sakes than her in criminology.

▫️They failed what now?

After a whole debate during the second episode and the gaang being supportive even if it means it is the definitive end for them, Velma decides to go to college. Of course trying to keep together the whole gaang somehow ends up involved with the campus.

- Shaggy and Scobby get a job at the college cafeteria that Shaggy uses to move into a trailer in the college parking lot (that they plans into turning in a food truck) so they can get away from their transphobic parents. Scobby of course moves with them.

- With help of white rich cis man priviledge Fred gets accepted to the same school but into architeture (he does uses this knoledge to plan traps but also realizes he likes projecting rooms on general). The thing is thanks to missanderstanding a sarcastic coment from Velma he ends up being part of a very "bro" fraternity. It's mostly played for laughs as he definitivally doesn't belong there but also accidentaly starts turning the guys into better people. But also features on Fred understanding his priviledge and the internalized prejudices his parents dumped on him and evolving past them and also dealing with ableism.

- Daphne decided to try to work in a close by cafe and became roomates with a goth girl called June that works with Shaggy and Scooby. Both are fired and decide to open an etsy store together. She is also doing an online course on fashion. Velma has a crush on June and June is implied to have a criminal past. The etsy store is mostly used for laughs though it also is used to show Daphne dealing with being different from soceity expectations and the hardships of having a small bussiness.

▫️The Plot

The story focuses on their adventures on campus as they deal with adult life but also as weird things keep happening and students end up either getting murdered or disapearing all the time. While focused on episodic shennanigans with characther growth as the linear aspect there are some key episodes that show that there's a major conspiracy involving the university's past and the looming presence of an white supremacist cult.

▫️Cool and all but where is Jonathan Crane?

The thing is if I was writing this series I would make the connection with DC be mostly references with some few special episodes starting on the second season (including the obligatory Batman team-up and a episode were Riddler, who is on his P.I arc, is hired to the same case the Mystery Inc is in and they have to work together). So we would have things like Scooby possibly having the metagene, Velma being a Batman fangirl and having some batfam merch in the middle of her detective merch, Fred being a Green Arrow fan and buying trap material for Ace Chemicals and LexCorp, Daphne mentioning her uncle Alfred or Shaggy's bio parents having been Star Lab scientistis. Some name drops like WayneTech or Lex Luthor.

The exception being Jonathan Crane. Jon is an actual relevant secundary characther. After mysterious circunstances involving a fight with the dean, a recomendation letter and an ultimatum, Jonathan leaved Gotham University and became a teacher at the Yet To Be Named University where the gang is.

His disciplines are an eletive about phobias, psychophatology and forensic psychology. He is famous over the campus for being a genius and a great teacher but also for being harsh, having extremely high standards and hard exams and just being creepy and really really weird. There is legit theories of him being some kind of cryptic or a ghost. He has the uncanny hability of walking without making any noise and being abble to be silent and quiet until he suddently scares someone with his presence. He speaks little outside the classroom and is always alone. And if someone tries to be friendly with him, he will just leave and let the person hanging. No one ever saw him eat only drink coffe (that may be spiked with whisky sometimes). He is mostly saw outside classes either writing/typing or reading (he only reads text books and horror stories). He has a crow in his office and while the bird is calm and sweet with him it sings creepy old childrem rhymes and it definitivaly attacked a student who got emotional over a bad grade and started screaming with Crane.

With all that being said Crane is Velma's fsvorite professor and she is his favorite student. He doesn't presure or mocks her and is fascinated by her theories and they can discuss psychology, chesmistry, literature and criminology for hours. They respect each other and have a deep understanding being fairly similar (and yes make Crane be also POC, prefencialy south asian), they are friends and with her family alway Velma sees Crane as a pseudo father-figure. Even Crane's bird Ichabod seems to also enjoy Velma a lot. The rest of the gang has more mixed views of Crane. He is always polite with them but he is also creepy as hell specially with Shaggy and Scooby as he asks them a lot of questions about their fears.

Every single time someone either dies or disappears everyone accuses Crane. He is ALWAYS a suspect. And Velma is his only defender (sometimes the gang as whole also). And he is always show to be innocent. But is also hinted that he is still planning and doing Scarecrow shit and while it's played for laughs the huge impact Crane and Velma's bond have to Velma overcoming her issues is a hint that when it finally happens of Crane being the guilty part and his Scarecrow persona coming to light it will break Velma's heart.

[random-remzy]

The Osemanverse but filmatized

I'll be covering the concepts I had for "Nick and Charlie" "Solitaire" "Radio Silence" and "I Was Born For This" (I won't do Loveless because I haven't read it yet-)

Nick and Charlie

So theres not much to talk about, because it's been confirmed that Nick and Charlie will be covered in Season 4 of Heartstopper.

Solitaire.

This is where we really begin. So canonically, Solitaire takes place between the HS episodes, "Winter" and "Body" so, yeah.

Personally, I think Solitaire would be best in movie form. It would give that feeling of solving a mystery as well as the feeling of suspense. If it were turned to a movie, I think it would be around 1:45 - 2:00 hours, since there is a lot of heavy things that are covered, despite the story only lasting about a month.

I think that the colors would definitely be different. In heartstopper there are more pastels and brighter colors, and symbolism (leaves, butterflies, jellyfish, etc). So i feel like they would tone it down massively, because of Solitaires inherently dark themes.

Radio Silence

Okay so. I feel like Radio Silence would make an epic show!

Aled did go to Truham, but because he's not relevant in HS, i wonder if he'll be introduced as a classmate of Charlies, or maybe it'll actually be Frances and Tori who interact. Or they do a complete 180 and make RS completely seperate from HS, so the only thing they have in common is the classses, and the schools.

BUT CONCEPTS! So I feel like it would be 10 episodes, 1 ep per term (summer term (a), summer term (b), summer holiday (a), etc). AND Every episode would start with and excerpt from Universe City. then, from ep 3- there would be a repetitive gif acompaniying the excerpt (representing Frances joining in on the work) then it'd be gone again after ep 5 (after Aled moved away). I think the main colors would be blue, purple, (maybe white?) And I think they'd utilize the small animation details like they did in HS, to represent a multitude of different things/relatioships.

But yeah, I thing seeing Radio Silence as a show would be really cool!!

I Was Born For This

okay okay. So, this one is a little obvious. 7 episode show, one for each day of the week.

I think this would be almost completely seperate from the HS/Solitaire/RS timeline, (because it canonically is) But it would still be awesome.

I think the most difficult part about IWBFT though, is the dual narrative. I'm still unsure about how they would be able to incorporate it in a way that makes it seem natural and fluid. For now, I think they would simply switch between the narratives of the characters in the usual way. (panning a camera, insert transition, and thought process/monologue of a different character) Okay, so, out of all the other Osemanverse adaptations, i feel like IWBFT would use the most animation incorporation (apart from HS). By that I mean, there would be sparks, and stars, and bubbles, and all sorts of other things. But also the black clouds and glitching and depictions of bad thoughts as well. (Not to mention that at some point, they would absolutely animate Jimmys wings). Color-wise, I think it would actually be a mix of Solitaire, HS and RS. Angel would be more RS/HS, while Jimmy would be more RS/Solitaire, and I think that would be a lovely choice to go with. Becaus it would showcase the similarities and differences between the two. Angel, with her very positive and bright outlook on something, and Jimmys negative and dark outlook on that same thing. All the while, both of them sharing the fact that neither has a complete sense of self.

EDIT: OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED IWBFT WOULD MAKE AN EPIC MUSICAL SERIES!!! like, maybe a song or two per episode, and it could incorporate songs from The Ark's wikepedia page (or completely new songs, featuring the cast) And it wouldn't even be that weird since IWBFT is canonically seperate from HS/Solitaire/RS. AND EACH OF THE CHARACTERS WOULD HAVE THEIR OWN STYLE OF MUSIC?!

Y'all i'm spiraling-

So. yes. I Was Born For This would make an epic show.

Thank you all for letting me rant about my concepts for the potential filmatization of the other Osemanverse stories.

Feel free to suggest anything or add something on.

But yeah. Thanks for coming to my TAO-Talk (he will be proud of you all)

:)

[steddieunderdogfics]

Idk what the rules are for nominating a work You were part of for the themed Mondays, but for the last two summers, I (SSLeif) have been working with Rambling_Company and Elle-dubs on a Steddie piece called Lake Kane, which has been completed.

Lake Kane is an AU of the summer of '85 where Steve, Robin, and Eddie all work as fire lookouts in a national forest, while strange (Russian) things start to happen.

I am only tempted to nominate it for the tech theme because it was made for Podtogether, so has a podfic, and radios are DEEPLY important to the piece- radio is the primary way the three communicate with each other all summer (plus it incorporates a bunch of the Actual Canon season 3 emphasis on radio as well with Dustin and his cerebro, and in geneneral we just had to think through tech availability at that time and in that environment super hard as we were working on it- from the ability for Eddie to record music he was working on, to whether his guitars were going to work, to how they were playing music when they were by themselves, to how the actual like tools and tech that a fire watch uses are different contemporarily than they were in the '80s, and of course the whole thing is based on a video game, sort of), to the point where the text of the fic is actually mostly in script format, with all the action and narration etc being things like ambient sound, sound effects, and conversation being had between the towers through their radios. It's kind of almost epistolary in that way.

No worries if it's not chill to rec a fic you were part of, but it seemed to super fit the theme and because of the format, it's unlikely to ever get a huge reception, which is fine. However, I'm very proud of the work we did, so here it is, if you would like it/this is acceptable.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/4303225

Lake Kane by Elle_dubs (avril_o), Rambling_Company, ssleif

@do-what-the-knight-tells-you @omg-elledubs-things

Rating: Teens and Up

25,160 words, 2/2 chapters

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Tags: Dustin also makes a cameo, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, alternate season 3, Podfic & Podficced Works, Screenplay/Script Format, Alternate Universe - Fusion, no graphic violence yet, not that we see, but there is implied violence and evidence of animal death in part 2, multivoice podfic, Embedded Images, Embedded Audio, Radio Play Format, Underage Drinking, Marijuana, Podfic Length: 2.5-3 Hours, references to animal death, Getting Together, Coming Out, The Party makes a cameo, Murray makes a cameo, Podfic, Natural Disasters, But just a little one, References to Canon-Typical Violence

Summary:

It’s the summer of 1985, and construction of the New Mall expected in Hawkins has been delayed. Steve Harrington, newly graduated, newly cut-off, needs a summer job. Hargrove is still in town, so Steve’s absolutely not going to lifeguard this year. Eddie Munson gets caught that one-too-many’th-a-time, and Hopper makes it clear he needs to find some gainful employment, ideally elsewhere, and Hop does not want to see Too Much of him this summer, Or Else. Robin Buckley needs a summer job, ideally something that lets her do college prep work at the same time… And the forest service is having trouble retaining fire lookouts in this one… mysterious… stretch of woods. . A Stranger Things/Firewatch AU

Thanks for the rec!

This rec is a part of Challenge Monday. The challenge this week was Fics that focus on technology.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[true-illusion]

So, I finally got round to watching the new Doctor Who season.

I had lost interest since Clara became the companion and after Peter Capaldi was the Doctor. I only watched two episodes of Jodi Whitaker - the first episode and the one with John Barrowman and Jo Martin. I thought both episodes were rubbish. Plus, it took effort to find and download the show, so I stopped watching. I haven’t gotten round to the Tennant specials cos I thought they were just nostalgia bait.

So, I was very sceptical, going in to Ncuti Gatwa’s era. I worried it would be another snooze fest that was more interested in being PC and box-ticking than telling a good story. But I had nothing else to do, and it was on Disney, so I turned it on.

IT WAS SO GOOD. I binge watched the whole thing in two days.

I could definitely see Russell T. Davis’ hand in it. It felt like the Eccleston and Tennant era episodes. It was exciting and fun and funny, but not too silly. They made a social point without being too preachy. Ncuti Gatwa is growing on me - I think the binge watching format made it harder to sink in that, "yes, he’s the Doctor". But I’m getting there.

But, I think it was Ruby that carried the season. There were quite a few Rose-type moments. But she was different enough to be her own person. I liked Ruby overall. She was sweet, she felt genuine, and she was not forced into that “sassy/arrogant” characterisation. I was invested in her story.

Her mum was not bad - Jackie Tyler was still better, imo, cos though she had a heart of gold, she still had her flaws. Ruby’s mum was just too perfect. Gran was hilarious though. I want more scenes with Gran just waiting for someone to finally give her a cuppa.

[ALERT: SPOILERS AHEAD]

Some episodes were better than others. Episode 2 “The Devil’s Chord” was AMAZING; it is the episode I want to go back and rewatch. They should have incorporated “American Pie” into it at some point. Haha! Jinkx Monsoon as the Maestro was brilliant. It was so larger-than-life and over-the-top, it was fantastic. Only thing I hated was the twist song at the end. Cringe.

Episode 5 “Dot and Bubble” was also amazing because of how disturbing it was. How people cannot function - cannot look at the world, can't even walk - without the devices, how Lindy sacrificed Ricky to save herself, how they refused to let the Doctor save them in the end. It felt like a reflection of our society and the trajectory we could be on.

Episode 1 “Space Babies” was pretty lame. If I had seen that first instead of the Christmas episode, I might have not continued. The babies were just cringe, and the snot monster… ugh. Plus, with the space station and giving Ruby universal roaming which she immediately called her mum with - it was a bit too much like Eccleston’s Doctor and Rose’s first outing.

The Christmas episode itself also wasn’t great, but it introduced the characters and the season's central mystery well, and got me interested in them. The episode reminded me of Labyrinth. “Magic Dance” kept running through my head. The bad-luck goblins were funny. Unfortunately, this Goblin King is no David Bowie. Also, no sinister robot Santas or killer Christmas trees that were a staple of past Christmas specials. It irked me a bit that the entire season’s central mystery might have been solved if the Doctor had just went up to Ruby’s mother then. He knew she was looking for her mother. He knew they couldn’t go back cos he couldn’t cross his own timeline. So why didn’t he go to her?? (Ok, then there wouldn’t be drama for the rest of the season. Lol!)

Episode 3 “Boom” was also weak. It tried to deal with strong themes - war, family, faith. It introduced interesting technology. But the story itself doesn’t hold up too well. The way the war started and continued was just too far fetched. I thought it was cool that majority of the thing took place just in that one crater though.

Meanwhile, other episodes left question marks. Episode 4 “73 Yards” was good (I loved the Welsh landscape), but a bit too much of building up to something and then it’s an anticlimax. Eg the people at the pub building up to some horror movie scenario, and then it was just some delivery person at the door. Roger just running away and giving up politics just like that? Maybe I just wasn’t paying full attention, but it was a bit too timey-wimey and weird. What was it that the woman said to all those people to make them run away screaming? Was she really Ruby all along? Where was the Doctor all that time?

And episode 6 “Rogue”… silly story with the cosplaying aliens, but it was a nice bit of fun after “Dot and Bubble”. It made me laugh the way they kept referencing Bridgerton, and how the characters were all about the Drama, with a capital D. The resolution of Ruby pretending to be the Chuldur was very disappointing bait-and-switch. But I love Rogue. I want to see more of him. Why couldn’t he stay? He could be the new Captain Jack Harkness (not that anyone could replace Capt Jack Harkness). Rogue and the Doctor together was something special (and not just in the sexual way). I want him as another companion. But the way it ended, I don’t think we’d see him again.

I don’t have much to say about the last two finale episodes, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” and “Empire of Death”. It was a rollercoaster. It was intense. It was a bit too “Bad Wolf”. There was a lot going on but I’m not really sure what was happening. I liked seeing Kate from UNIT and the old companion Mel. Kate’s “sign out” line made me emotional. Unfortunately, she didn’t stay dead in the end. I also never watched the old episodes with Sutekh, so I don’t think I got it. The scale of the destruction was just too big in this story. The Doctor just randomly going down to that planet to get the spoon… why? If Sutekh could track dead skin cells then why couldn’t he get to the Doctor instead of through Mel? And just conveniently, the DNA test law pops up. Did Ruby find her mother in the database or not? The end resolution with the magic rope and thingy felt, again, like more bait-and-switch. I was intrigued about the concept of how Ruby’s mother is not actually important except that they had placed importance on her, thereby imbuing her with more worth. But I don’t get why Sutekh couldn’t see her or why he cared. But again, maybe I wasn’t paying full attention. The end ending was sweet - how the Doctor didn’t think Ruby should go talk to her mother but Ruby did it anyway and it worked out well. And then more questions at the end. Who exactly is that neighbour woman?

I hope Ruby returns next season. Honestly, I watched this season more for her than for the Doctor. I'm glad I gave this season a chance. I’ll watch next season, for sure.

[phdinbarbievlogverse]

MY HONEST REVIEW ON BARBIE MYSTERIES: THE GREAT HORSE CHASE 💖💜💙

Let me start with the new VAs…

MALIBU (voiced by Abby Trott) - 8/10 🥰

Her voice kinda reminds of Ericka Linbeck’s who voiced Barbie in Starlight Adventure, Spy Squad, and Dolphin Magic. Mellow but steady, but bubbly and energetic when need be.

BROOKLYN (voiced by Diamond White) - 4/10 🙃

No hate to the VA, I’m just not used to hearing Brooklyn sounding so sweet and cute 🤣. I prefer Tatianna Varia’s performance because her voice is just dripping with sass and confidence which I thought fit Brooklyn’s overall image and personality better.

KEN (voiced by Griffin Burns) - 8.5/10

Adorable. Just adorable. The voice fits the animation. And he is still my precious darling boy who can do no wrong in my eyes. 💙

The 8 episode story was good. Not great imo but good nonetheless. It can better if they expand outside magic, horses, puppies, or mermaids, (i feel like they recycle those four quite often haha). I’m already invested in this “Barbie Mysteries” theme, I just really want them to incorporate new material and not recycle used stuff. Passport to Adventure being a podcast was a such nice touch. I liked how they made it like that so the series is open to other possibilities and themes.

Marcus was an okay addition for me. Another comic relief character. He gives off hungry/sleepy boy vibes. Didn’t do much to make an impact to me as viewer but I’m glad they’re able to give Ken a friend who is a dude this time. It’s nice to see him with a pal 😄

Renee being there for laughs was also fine. But I’m kinda meh about her and Cassidy, didn’t really sense any chemistry. And it’s not like Cassidy will be around if the show has more seasons so what was the point.

Now for the important part… 🥁

As you all know, I love #Karbie with my whole heart. And I take their scenes, no matter how long or short, very seriously. That being said, after watching this series, it tells me that this is just another series/universe where Barbie and Ken are friends. But I like how they are comfortable with each other that they don’t shy away after hugging tightly or even if they are in close proximity.

I’d like to think they’re building something with Malibu and Ken, as well as Brooklyn and Marcus because a few scenes had romantic undertones but that is still unclear to me as of now since there wasn’t that much focus. I think I see something for Brooklyn and Marcus, mainly because that one scene they got shy with each other and almost blushing, implying they might be crushing on each other. Even Morgan got jealous meaning she sensed something developed between the two.

What I would like to point out is that right from the beginning with the trailer and music videos, when we already saw snippets of the show… THE WAY Malibu and Brooklyn were constantly holding onto each other and closely working together was soooo sus 👀 it raised my eyebrows sky high!!!

LOL the only thing in my mind when I watched those scenes were: “Is this fanservice?” “Are the animators Brooklyn x Malibu shippers?” 😆

That scene where they almost fell off a cliff and then after Cassidy saved them, the hug they did got me like 😳 🤨 literally… like what kind of friends hug like that ??? 😝

Whatever they plan on doing, they better flesh it out first. I don’t want anything rushed. There has to be a build up towards it to become more satisfying if it does come true.

In summary, this was a pretty good series. Much better than I anticipated. I think it shows promise. I really missed watching a new Barbie show so I’m very happy this wasn’t disappointing. Overall, I’d give this show a 7/10.

[anotheruserwithnoname]

I don't think I've ever done a post on Castle before, but after having mostly ignored it during its 8 season run, I'm being reintroduced to it via reruns on CTV Sci-Fi. That was the first clue to me that this wasn't just a detective show; it's on CTV Sci-Fi because some episodes have some sort of sci-fi fandom type reference, while others cross into X-Files and Kolchak (google it) territory. Plus both Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic are Canadian so it probably satisfies some sort of Canadian content rule for CTV.

(For those not familiar, Fillion plays Richard Castle, a writer of mystery novels who, seeking inspiration for new books, is given the OK to do ride-alongs with Det. Kate Beckett, who quickly becomes the inspiration for a new series of books. Much to the chagrin of the cop establishment, he becomes not only a valued member of Kate's investigation squad, but her partner (in more ways than one).)

One thing I wasn't aware of was the intense ship between Richard Castle and Kate Beckett that built up over the first 4 seasons and finally became not only a full-out relationship but the two actually get married later in the series, which is a rarity. Now, it's obvious the two were destined to be a couple from the first episode so it's not really a case of shipper glasses being applied (this was also a given the moment they announced that the new Magnum PI would feature a female version of Higgins and that she and Thomas would have romantic tension. Big difference is while Magnum waited until technically its final episode to make "Miggy" a couple, Castle was only midway through its run when it officially launched the ship.)

I can see some similarities between Magnum (which was subsequently given an extra couple seasons by NBC, though it's now been officially cancelled) and Castle in how they incorporate the romance (and marriage in the case of Castle and Beckett) into the storylines without distracting from the crime of the week plotlines.

And yes, as a member of the crew of the S.S. Whouffaldi , I can't not also compare to the relationship with that of Twelve and Clara, since Castle is at times very Doctor-like (especially the "distracted by shiny objects" part attributed to Twelve early on).

Anyway, for people not familiar with Castle, I found a pretty good Ms Mojo list video looking at some of the best romantic and non-romantic moments of the series (spoilers, of course).

[blablaganov]

So apparently I set myself up for a disappointment by treating Dead Friend Forever as a mystery thriller and expecting to get at least some answers, but in my defense up to episode 11 it looked like one, swam like one and quacked like one.

DFF incorporated a lot of mystery elements, planted numerous clues and encouraged us to theorize, only to ultimately take all (or almost all) of it back in the finale; which is a choice considering it’s also what its ending relies on: fans theorizing and speculating about what really happened and what might follow.

That's the kind of ending I really would have enjoyed had we gotten a clear answer about what really happened to Non. The series decided to stick with a gory horror/thriller ending and expects us to simply believe that Non is dead, despite one of the first rules of horror being never to assume that someone is dead just because you saw the body? Especially with the mysterious ninth person lurking in the woods??

The entirety of Phee’s hallucination is just glorious, starting with him seeing himself as a director landing a project immediately after graduating and continuing with Jin, who explicitly stated not planning on coming back to Thailand ever after graduating, flying back after only two years just for the sole purpose of seeing Phee. And of course Phee being a petty bitch and giving Tee most hopeless ending ever.

Also, a character whose socioeconomic status partly granted him the privilege of staying “morally superior” to others till the end is now mentally stuck in an idealistic fantasy-turned-horror while his physical body is slowly dying of dehydration and blood loss? Chef's kiss, if done correctly.

It’s also why it’s even more baffling to me that the series, which has a commentary on society and power dynamics within it, ultimately decided to drop every plotline concerned with the police? politics? mafia? and carried out punishments on an individual level only, acknowledging the external forces behind the decisions made but never going anywhere with it. If we are ending the series as a revenge thriller, then I want to see everyone get punished. Uncle Joe's off-screen death doesn’t cut it, sorry.

But my biggest problem with the finale is the fact that it does look like a sequel hook, so not only did I not get my answers, but now a second season that never happened will haunt my dreams. Because it would be such a treat for DFF to go full on Blair Witch Project and do a true crime style second season. I mean, if you have "Uncovered version" in your title, I expect you to fully commit and let someone uncover it.

Maybe some college kids having heard about the Janta cult and the murder? mass suicide? cult sacrifice? that happened at the house decided to shoot a documentary about it, only to stumble upon one of the New’s cameras left behind. Let them investigate and finally give me all the answers.

How was uncle Joe caught? How did he die?

CONFIRMATION THAT TEACHER KENG IS SIX FEET UNDER

Who was the mole? Did they helped Non escape somehow?

WHO IS BEHIND THE MASK?

Who was man in power who shut down the investigation? Was it Por’s father? Is he involved in money laundering?

FOOTAGE OF NON DRINKING MARGARITAS ON THE BEACH

Why does Por’s father tolerate a cult temple on his doorstep? Is the Janta cult a Scooby-Doo Hoax designed to hide his involvement with mafia/organ trade?

[meteor752]

This is Halloween

We’re just a few days away from the new life series, and judging by the status of a server I’m on and Trafficblr as a whole, none of us are quite ready

But I do what I gotta do, and the spoopy season is upon us, so here we are

I said I would be making Halloween costumes for the kids a few days ago, and I’ve slaves away all night and day preparing this presentation

No but fr, I had fun. Hope you like em

Liana as Mumbo Jumbo

We’re starting out strong boys. Liana considers Mumbo her biggest financial rival, so their relationship is very, well, rivalesk. At least on her end. Mumbo’s still confused. She probably spent the entire Halloween night imitating him the best she could in a half mocking manner, and both her dads found it hilarious

Wes as a cat burglar

Because what is Halloween without someone in a tight latex cat suit? Wes was 100% forced into this, and as much as he’s a little uncomfortable, he also finds it kinda fun. Jassy def tried to make him wear heels as well, but his balance is shit. He also managed to talk his way out of the tail, since he already has one.

Gertrude as a mobster

Well, she is a king, might as well expand on the brand. Absolutely slaying too, I need to put her in more suits. She probably spent the entire Halloween night sitting mysteriously in some corner, “smoking” her fake cigar.

Johnny as an angel

Cute ironic costume. This was actually suggested by someone in my dm’s, so I thank thee for the idea. The little wings were probably hand crafted from chicken feathers that my lad spent months on, and he’s very proud of them. He’s using the wreath crown to hide his horns as well, they ruin the angelic look. The lyre was borrowed from Novo as well, and he absolutely does not know how to play.

Jassy as a ghost

Can you just put a sheet on your head and call it a day? Yes. But is that any fun? Fuck no. Chains will be rattling all night, and she’ll be throwing them around left and right. The white makeup is probably crappy af too and will start to come off after like, half an hour, but she still looks pretty fucking cool. Will try to scare as many people as she can.

Jekiv as the real monster

A lot of Cleo designs incorporate the classic stitches across the skin, and Jekiv does have that as well on some places where his skin has just come off. But dressing as “Frankenstein’s monster” would be too easy. No, let’s go for the true villain of that story, Viktor Frankenstein himself. It’s a bit fitting too tho, since Jek is a necromancer. He’s just a lot nicer to his creations, amongst other things

Novo as little red riding hood

His gf is a wolf, and the reasoning for his costume ends there. Very disappointed that Gert didn’t want to go in a couples costume, but oh well. The red hood is strangely comforting to him as well, what with his mom and all. He’s girlbossing

[cirrus-grey]

I have now finished watching Good Omens Season 2

If you haven't already, please block the tag "good omens spoilers" - I won't post anything else until Friday night at the earliest, but after that all bets are off.

@albertinesimonet, I did not manage a full liveblog but I did jot down my reactions after watching each episode, and those are compiled under the cut :)

(SPOILERS!)

Episode 1:

Holy flipping fuck are they actually making the ineffable husbands canon???

Okay.

Look.

I saw that it was trending alongside Supernatural and OFMD. I suspected it was going this way, and the season had ended with some sort of confession/immediate separation.

That did not prepare me for the season to open with Crowley saying "hello gorgeous" to a nebula and Aziraphale being disappointed that Crowley wasn't talking to him. Or for Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy to be playing while Crowley rushed to Aziraphale's aid, like-

This is a fanfic. This is a motherfucking fanfic, and I am pleased to say that my brain is processing it as such, a well-written but ultimately non-canon fanfic (*puts on my "I still have book!omens brainrot" shirt*) that just so happens to have been written by one of the original authors.

Anyway, outside of my snorting disbelief that the first ship that I ever shipped is apparently going canon in one 'verse, I do actually have some legitimate theories, which run as follows:

A. I know this season is the plot-bridge between the original novel and what would have been the sequel, and B. I know the sequel was going to involve the second coming of Christ, therefore C. I suspect this Resurrectionist group that kept getting hinted at in the promos is trying to bring Jesus back, Gabriel found out and tried to stop it, and that's why he lost his memories. I'm a tad bit surprised Heaven as a whole doesn't seem to be involved in the return of their special boy, but I guess we'll see how that plays out as the season goes along.

Episode 2:

Oh hey, I've read this one before! "It's ancient Biblical times and Crowley and Aziraphale are angsting about their orders and finding solace in each other's company" may have never gotten its own tag, but there are certainly enough fics about it that it could.

"Can I be a blue one?" Weird kids are the best.

So the Resurrectionist is a pub, not a group. Still think they have something to do with the second coming, but I'm open to being proven wrong.

Gotta say, I didn't expect Every Day to be plot-relevant. I knew they had it for the soundtrack, but I'm really liking this sort of spooky-mystery-music-mixup they've got going with it - love the way its incorporated into the end credits, too.

Totally down for master-thief Jane Austen, btw.

How many people are writing fics about Crowley and Aziraphale getting caught in a rainstorm and hiding under an awning even as I type...

Episode 3:

How to run a bookshop, a guide by A.J. Crowley: Carry large stacks of books around aimlessly and then toss them on the floor when you get bored.

I'm honestly surprised his awning plan nearly worked. Curses be upon weak awnings, I suppose.

I do like that the Bentley recognizes that it has to play nice with whichever one of its dads is in the driver's seat lol

Okay so they keep drawing attention to the fact that there's flies in the bookshop, and now Beelzebub is acting off. Are the flies like... telepathically communicating Gabriel's worldviews to them? Is that how they figured out he was there?

That bit he said when Crowley mentioned tempests is definitely from the Revelations. I unfortunately don't know enough about the Revelations to draw any new conclusions from this. I know they deal with the apocalypse and the antichrist, but that was S1 stuff so there must be something else...

(That bit definitely sounded like Rapture stuff though, just saying)

Lotta talk about people coming back from the dead, here. It's doing little to dissuade me from my idea that this is all related to the second coming. Their "little" miracle was strong enough to bring 25 people back? Okay. How did Gabriel add his own power to it... and who did he bring back? (Does 1 Jesus = 25 normal people?)

...Okay yeah I just googled it and the second coming (and the rapture) is definitely in Revelations. Apparently the appearance of the antichrist is its herald. *insert 'oh yeah it's all coming together' gif here*

...

Several-hours later addition: When they were talking about gravity Gabriel seemed upset that the book didn't stay where it was put, "it goes down." And that flies go up.

...did he "go down," turning into a human, and is Beelzebub "going up," and that's why they're so worried about finding Gabriel? Figure out what happened to him, so it doesn't happen to them as well? Hmm...

Episode 4:

"The rumors that you two are an item..." Yeah holy fuck they're actually doing this. I don't know why it keeps catching me by surprise??? I guess it's not like, the forefront of the plot, so every time it comes to the front it feels a bit like a new thing, but still.

Aziraphale's smug fucking little eyebrow raise at that "I didn't think you were his type." He's like yeah, and what do you know, hm?

Did not expect the entire episode to be backstory, but that was very cute, especially given how much people fixated on the church scene in S1. That little showcase of their trust, both of them worried it'll go wrong but still willing to try because they feel safe with each other. I like that they managed to keep the tension of the setting, that "I'm pointing a gun at my best friend and this could go horribly wrong" feeling, even when it's well-established that the worst that could happen is paperwork.

Also, Crowley trying really, really hard to give Aziraphale positive feedback on his magic tricks even when he knows they suck. That's true love, right there.

Another showcase of people coming back from the dead. We've had the kids getting "brought back" from shape-shifting, the "resurrectionists" digging up dead bodies, and now actual honest-to-god zombies. I am Sensing A Theme.

...are the zombies still around? What's-is-face the demon did say eternal undeath...

Aaaaaand there's going to be an army of demons dropping in on the local business association meeting. I hope Aziraphale has enough tea cakes for everyone.

Episode 5:

SEAMSTRESSES SHOUTOUT ITS A FUCKING DISCWORLD REFERENCE

I know most people are probably going wild over the Dr. Who references but. It's the seamstresses guild...

I'm sure Mrs. Sandwich and Rosie Palm would get along famously.

In other news wow they're just being blatant about the ineffableness of these husbands now, aren't they? The great thing about that is I'm watching it with my parents and I don't think either of them have clicked that it's going canon - like, they're just interpreting it as a running bit, 'haha isn't it funny that everyone keeps mistaking them as a couple' kind of thing. The same thing happened when I showed them OFMD, neither of them realized Ed and Stede were actually going to be a real canon thing until the kiss. I mean, maybe they've worked out that this is going somewhere by now? But I don't want to ask in case they haven't, because I'd love to see their reaction if it blindsides them.

I am Not Normal about the dancing. Aziraphale's giddy little grin when he drags Crowley to the floor? The fucking. Hand presses. I've probably read too much Jane Austen if I'm going this insane about them just pressing their palms together.

And just... that whole fucking scene. The amount of queer people - either queercoded or just flat-out obviously queer - is making my heart feel full. When Aziraphale referred to the magic shop owner's partner using 'they' before we met them I thought it was just, you know, being polite, he'd never met them and didn't want to assume, but then they showed up in person and folks were still using they and they were so obviously giving a huge middle finger to gender norms I just-

Man I need to watch more queer shows I love this feeling.

And the army of demons is more of a large crowd but, well, still threatening. I like the use of masks to hide demonic traits, clever costuming detail there.

But. My dudes. Don't split up, what the fuck are you doing? You've been here for all of human history, you know how stories go, surely you know things always go wrong when you split the party??? I love protective!crowley, I do, but my dude taking off to bring this mess to heaven's attention is not the way to go about saving your angel. And Aziraphale, buddy, I don't know what you're planning to summon there but I really don't think it's going to go well.

...Maybe he's planning to teleport himself, Gabriel, and the humans up to heaven, too, to get them away from the demon crowd. It would be funny if Crowley and what's their name, Muriel, step out of the elevator and Aziraphale is just. There already.

(I don't think that's gonna happen though. I think everything is just gonna get Worse)

Anyway sidenote Lottie if you've read this far, when Gabriel started talking about feeling like a house I immediately thought of you, I know that's a theme you like ♡

Episode 6:

Jesus Christ!

(Called it!)

So I got a lot of the details wrong, but I was spot on with my two big predictions from the beginning. (Hey that ending reminded me of OFMD and Supernatural, I've got a great idea, why don't we all blog about the three of them and get them trending together-)

Gotta say, I'd only given a passing thought to Gabriel and Beelzebub being a Thing, their shippers must be going wild.

I knew there was a reason they kept drawing attention to that fly.

*Spots fire extinguishers* "Hey is that a Magnus Archives ref-" *Is brutally murdered with a lead pipe before I can finish*

I actually kind of love that Nina and Maggie didn't get together at the end of it all? I had felt like it was all going a bit too fast for them and I'm so glad they acknowledged that. They've got time, now, to work things out, and I love that they left it with the certainty that they'd be there for each other in the future... but not quite yet.

Oh! Oh! Oh! And they fit in the halos-used-as-lethal-frisbees-sequence! That was fabulous, I want to see more exploding headgear.

...anyway I think that's all the little bits I wanted to mention before getting to the Main Event.

I'm actually... not all that devastated about that ending? Like, okay, my heart was breaking watching it, the miscommunication and assumptions leading to a dramatic separation, it's tragic and angsty and oh my god my ship kissed my first ever ship kissed they did it they did the thing-

But. Two seconds after the credits started rolling my mind was already flying to, "oh thank goodness, they've got a Source On The Inside now and they might actually have a shot at stopping the end of the world instead of, you know, being blindsided by it because no one in heaven or hell is talking to them"

Like, sure, major breakup here, Crowley's gonna be pissed and Aziraphale might have to do their silly little "I'm sorry" dance three or four times before they can actually get down to business, but I don't think there's a question that both of them still trust each other immensely and know they can rely on each other to help out in a pinch. They'll be walking on eggshells for a bit, but it's pretty obvious that Aziraphale wouldn't have taken the promotion if he'd known Crowley wasn't going to come with him and as soon as he manages to properly communicate that fact they'll be fine.

(Sidenote, this, right here, exemplifies the difference between Book!Aziraphale and TV!Aziraphale. Book!Aziraphale is way more cynical about the whole heaven-and-hell system, he'd never say "heaven's still the good guys," and he'd be very, very suspicious of a sudden promotion landing in his lap after such a tumultuous sequence of events. TV!Aziraphale might not be the sweet little innocent bean fandom makes him out to be, but damn is he naive compared to his book counterpart. Makes me wonder how much of the hypothetical sequel has to change to work with this plotline - I'd bet my ass he wasn’t an archangel in that one.)

Can Crowley... hear the soundtrack? "No nightingales" like how does he know that's significant? Sir you are breaking the fourth wall-

(And how powerful is he? He's a nobody in hell but he keeps stopping time and could access classified documents up in heaven, something made his and Aziraphale's miracle blow up and apparently it wasn't Gabriel, and he also just brought a whole ass dude back from the dead??? Maybe those "Crowley is Raphael" theorists from S1 had a point)

Anyway, to cap it all off: my current predictions for S3 are the aforementioned ineffable husbands makeup and subsequent spy shenanigans as they scramble to try to stop Apocalypse 2: Jesus Boogaloo; they fail and Jesus comes back, but instead of following the Great Plan he instead chooses to side with "all of humanity against all of heaven and hell" (maybe Adam shows up too to help out?); and Crowley, despite his repeated protests, actually does end up running a bookshop because he doesn't trust Muriel to do it properly.

I summation, yes I am still alive, and very excited for the next season, whenever it happens. Also I need gifsets of the dance scene and that kiss ASAP please and thank you.

[scooby-review]

The New Scooby Doo Movies S1 E13-16

13. The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall

Undoubtedly this is my favourite episode of this iteration. 

The episode follows the gang having to help Davy Jones of the Monkees solve a mystery of a Scottish castle. It’s fairly simple, but it shines through its characterisation and its use of the guest star. 

I love the way Davy interacts with the gang, he’s not necessarily the focus throughout, rather, the mystery takes precedence, and wow does this feel like an actual mystery! It harkens back to Where are You in a way I personally love. Davy is found by having the gang follow a trail of his singing, and later, he sings a song that scores a chase sequence. It’s so perfect, the bubblegum pop sound allows this episode to feel like it came from season two of Where are You, and I feel like it elevates this great chase scene a lot. 

The location is another classic feeling one, it’s a castle, haunted by a ghost and a moat monster. Again, it takes the best of what both this era and Where are You had to offer and blends them, this is an episode that makes use of the special guest while feeling like an interesting mystery and having an interesting villain. 

To linger on these for a moment, the Haunted Horseman is a fun design, the archetype of a knight and horse matches the location perfectly, and of course, this also ties back into the ghostly aspect of this villain. The monster truly haunts the halls of this episode - he will appear, then fade, crafting this unpredictability and impermanence to him which adds to the creepiness of the character. 

Meanwhile, the Moat Monster also is a very fun creature for the series. Sometimes feeling like just a toad, other times truly leaning into the more anthropomorphic elements, the monster is just fun to watch bounce around, he’s a large toad, feeling reminiscent of 50s creature features to me, such a creature certainly would be alarming, especially if he got up and ran. There’s a simplicity here that reminds me of the Shark Men, sure he’s kind of just a shark, but he’s also enough man to keep the design interesting and not as bare bones as one might initially think. 

Also, I found this to be a pretty funny episode! For example, come the end of the story they simply don’t arrest the villains? Hell the gang don’t even report them, instead, they are forced to work, unpaid, at the castle to make amends. 

They break off into a fun set of trios too, and all in all, I had a great time. I won’t lie, I still felt the length of the episode, but ultimately, I was having fun for the majority of it, and this is truly the most perfect episode this iteration of the franchise has to offer, at least in my eyes. 

14. The Phantom of the Country Music Hall

To me, this is maybe one of the most forgettable episodes from this season. It’s not awful, hell, I loved the opening half of this episode! However, nothing about it leaves much of an impression on me. 

Jerry Reed is a fine guest star to me, he adds more than he takes away, but he also left very little of a mark on me. He was a country singer and an actor, and I do appreciate when they use musicians and include music within the episode; Jerry sings "Pretty Mary Sunlight" which first appeared in “Don’t Fool with a Phantom”, sung there by George Robertson Jr. It’s simply a good device to incorporate the guest deeper into the episode's membrane, rather than simply having them appear and go along with the mystery. 

Actually, one of the best aspects of this episode is that the mystery revolves around the guest star's disappearance, a close friend of the gang. It's a breath of fresh air amidst the rest of the series, I appreciate them doing something different with the formula! By doing this they also skate the line of having meaningful commentary on the music industry, which feels more incidental than anything, but I found it funny regardless. Especially in the context of the series' previous love for bubblegum pop, music churned out, sometimes without the bands being aware of such. For example, The Monkees second album released without their knowing, they found out while on tour, it was forced to release early to capitalise on the band's popularity, fearing it would soon decline. 

I have very little to discuss in the way of the villains. The pair take on the mantle of a set of mannequins - a Viking and Davy Crockett. They work alongside the setting well, although, there’s something simply lifeless feeling about the pair. Both are simply what they say they are, a Viking and Davy Crockett, an American soldier and politician whose stories had been adapted by Disney in the early 50s. He is, or at least was, hailed as a hero, a figure to be praised, although in my brief research I imagine this is contested now given his history with slavery. It’s always so weird whenever Scooby-Doo uses villains like these in their episodes, historical figures steeped in controversy and horrific actions. Their specifics on it being Davy are curious too, especially when contrasted with the viking. I appreciate how they differ, yet, having a specific character and caricature feels somewhat off. Regardless, they’re fairly dull, their designs radiate with an air of being fine, meanwhile also lacking any personality. 

As I mentioned in the opening, this episode feels so forgettable. Despite enjoying the first half, then finding the second half completely dull, I feel like there are two main reasons I forgot I even watched this one! The villain’s are boring and the guest hardly appears. The latter works well in the context of the episode, but there’s nothing left to elevate this forty minutes, the gang walk around, and that’s kind of it. 

15. The Caped Crusader Caper

Watching this episode transported me back to being a child, I used to have a small boxy TV in my bedroom, it sat atop my Chester drawers. Growing up I had an old VHS player in my room - we had a DVD player downstairs by this point - and so all my brother's old VHS tapes, and my own too, became a frequent nightly rotation. One such I would watch a lot was the Scooby-Doo Meets Batman VHS tape, containing the pair of episodes from this series. Despite watching this so often, if someone had asked me before I sat back down to watch this the plot of it, I would have struggled to tell you. Rewatching it unveils why, given that it suffers from the same problems as the episodes that have come prior, the long and dreary pacing, uninteresting mysteries that make these forty minute episodes into a drag. 

Despite this, I did enjoy the rush of nostalgia, patchy old memories flooded back to me, specifically the rotating house and the troll. Regardless of my thoughts on the rest of the episode, there is something special waiting for me within this animation, the sound, the story, it’s like candy floss, a short burst of joy that quickly fades, leaving an odd taste in your mouth, but nothing real. 

Something I came to like about this episode is the way it almost entirely parts ways with the mystery formula, it breaks away from the confines of the Scooby structure and it is able to tell a more interesting story as a result. It’s far from perfect, likely some of the weaker writing both franchises have seen, however, it’s something, it’s experimenting and I appreciate that a whole lot more than half hearted attempts at shoe horning lifeless mysteries alongside a guest star that’s the real focal point. The issue usually is that the gang are somewhat frail characters, characters I adore, but at this point in the shows run, Fred and Daphne especially find themselves feeling rough around the edges, they have their roles, their purposes, but they’re constantly overshadowed by the far more interestingly characterised rest of the gang. As such, it’s difficult for these characters to exist outside of the mysteries they’re built for, it then makes it more difficult to bounce them off a celebrity guest. 

For so long I have deemed Daphne and Fred as being bland characters, which I think is somewhat unfair. Fred is the driver and leader, meanwhile Daphne is a clutz, but also always a detective. I think it’s something that is often ignored - hell I ignored it - but even when Daphne is captured or falls into a trap, she never gives up, she constantly attempts to continue with the mystery. She’s a stark juxtaposition to Shaggy and Scooby in this sense. Yet, over time, she will become more of this one note “danger prone” character. 

Regardless, I would argue that through all the flanderization, changes in characterisation and reinvention this set of characters go through during this franchise, across every single iteration of the series, this is the most bland they feel, the least alive the characters have ever and will ever feel. There’s worse versions of them, but I would take that over this iteration where often it feels like the characters are never given enough room to do anything interesting, or sometimes, too much time to do nothing interesting. 

However, one of my favourite dynamics is when the gang is placed opposite Batman and Robin, they’re definitely some of the most interesting guests in the series. There's a reason that to this day we see crossovers with this set of characters, and it’s because they have very fun chemistry, there’s so much joy in watching them interact! 

Joker and Penguin are once again the villains of this episode, likely a cost cutting measure, however, they’re fun to see again! Although Batman does reintroduce them to the gang despite their previous meeting, of course, this is done so the episodes can air in any order without viewers being left confused as to how Shaggy and the Joker are enemies, but it returns to the series constant selective continuity which is funny. Personally, I like to read this as Batman just constantly overexplains things. 

The duo do dress up in disguises here! There’s the Dryad and Troll. Dryad’s are nature spirits in Greek Mythology, a topic that I am always excited to discuss. This depiction of the spirits is a very literal image of a forest spirit, a tree that is alive, the concept of the Dryad already is very flexible which allows for very creative ways to spin these creatures, often depicted as feminine spirits. Drawing from the swampy and bushy face of the Dryad, the creature feels evocative of other monsters we’ve seen such as the Yeti, their face shape is almost identical and they command a similar animalistic presence, although the small arms of this Dryad gives a far less menacing presence to the villain. 

The Troll meanwhile is another fairly derivative design, this is a troll, short with ginger hair and green tinted skin. Everything about this pair’s designs work perfectly, from the proportions to the way they compliment each other with a fairy tale theme. 

Also, this episode is featured in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases! 

There’s a reason I haven’t discussed much about the actual content of the episode - there’s not loads. Again, this episode is above the others to me because of nostalgia, but also because it’s at the very least trying something different, and after watching every episode prior, I am very glad about this. 

16. The Lochness Mess

I adore Uncle Nathaniel. I have so little else to discuss about this episode, it’s very similar to the previous Globetrotters episode in that there’s a lot of basketball playing that I find boring, but if there’s one thing I don’t find boring, it’s Uncle Nathaniel. Shaggy’s uncle’s design takes Shaggy’s face, and makes him grey haired. Perfect. It’s not a lazy design either, his hair is different, as is his beard and costume, it’s instead a very funny design, it’s so great to see them be able to craft such a funny character both in design and characterisation after how bland so many other side characters have felt this season. Nathaniel is the stand out of this episode, every second he spends on screen is a delight! I believed wholeheartedly that he and Shaggy were from the same family beyond simple design motifs. 

Everything else is kind of whatever. 

If Nathaniel isn’t in the scene, it’s likely not doing much for me - we get a little drop of lore here, we see young Scooby and Shaggy! Weirdly, a lot of the lore for the series stays pretty consistent for a while. For the first few series, there’s a few lines that allude to the passing of time, that these series follow on from one another, which I really enjoy. 

The sea serpent is the most interesting of the villains, she’s a riff on the Loch Ness Monster, given a very dragon like appearance although her hands are webbed which instantly turns her into a more interesting design. I also adore the deep shade of forest green paired with the lilac they use for her design, again, this works perfectly for the swampy waters that she would be in, and all in all, this creates such a great and cohesive design. 

There’s also three confederate ghosts, because of course there is! I don’t know what to say, they’ll use this archetype again in Zombie Island and it’s always very gross, don’t get me wrong I love that movie so much, but it’s just not a great type of villain. It returns back to my prior point about Davy Crocket, it just makes bad characters for a Scooby Doo episode. 

In my notes I only actually wrote about Nathaniel and also that I like watching Scooby swim. This episode leaves very little impact beyond these factors which are amazing, perfect even. It’s just a shame that everything else does nothing. 

This rounds out season one! To discuss my thoughts very briefly, I really disliked this season, and this iteration of the show as a whole. I will say that I like it better than season two, which is something I guess! There’s a few stand out episodes in here, but as a whole, I am glad to be done with this season! 

Episode Ranking:

The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall

The Caped Crusader Caper

The Loch Ness Mess

The Phantom of the Country Hall

Villain Ranking:

Haunted Horseman

Moat Monster

Dryad

Troll

Loch Ness Monster

Possessed Viking Mannequin

Possessed Davy Crockett Mannequin

Next Review: The New Scooby Doo Movies S2 E1-4 (Coming Soon!)

Previous Review: The New Scooby Doo Movies S1 E9-12

[snowbellewells]

Happy Happy Birthday Jennifer!! @whimsicallyenchantedrose

So, while I wasn’t able to write you a brand new birthday story this year, I thought it might be fun to highlight my all-time favorites of your stories. You were the first fandom friend I met and interacted with, we talked the show and plot points and character development together, and you helped me begin to navigate Tumblr back when I first joined. It’s been a gift to know you all that time, and your writing is a gift to us all! You’ve written so many GREAT stories that it was hard to narrow down, but I have settled on my top half dozen at last to highlight for your special day -- with some cover art for a few of them!!! 💖 Hope this gift serves to remind you of all you’ve written and created and how much all of it - and you!! - are loved. 🥰

The Strongest Magic - This short MC is one of your very early works - a Neverland season 3a divergent tale, but where it diverges gives us powerful adventure and emotion, sacrifice, and much earlier admission and acceptance of the love between our Pirate and Princess. I simply adore it - it squeezes your heart for sure, but it also wraps you up in a wonderful happy ending by the time you are finished.

A Wish Your Heart Makes , Getting to I Do & Mysterious Fathoms Below - This series of longer, connected multi-chapters (The "By Land or By Sea" trilogy) is simply EPIC!!! I don't know how to sing the praises of this story half as much as it deserves. There's adventure in the Enchanted Forest, Camelot, and even under the sea! There's so much beautiful love story for CS (and even some lovely, redemptive Outlaw Queen as well), and @whimsicallyenchantedrose even incorporates some unexpected and perfectly cast characters of myth and legend and her own creation alongside our faves. I don't want to give too much away, but these stories MUST BE read! Once you do, you'll want to read them over and over again.

Happily Ever After - This short MC was originally part of your Fluffy Fridays compilation, and I have often revisited the few chapters of this on their own and definitely think of them as their own little stand-alone story. I love the family recipes, the competition, the rivalry that becomes something much sweeter.... it's a truly delicious addition to your collection of writing!

Caribbean Shores - This lovely little MC reads more like a modern day AU, though they are in Storybrooke and many of our favorite characters still appear. I love the cute sweetness of this one, and the adorable addition of a few scheming cuties from MM's class when she takes them for a field trip tour of the Jolly Roger from Killian. ;) All the sizzle and attraction is there for Emma and Killian right from the start, and though she tries to resist (Why is she always so stubborn?!?) She can't do it for long...

Under the Apple Tree - It's hard to even express how much I adore this fic originally written between season six and season seven of canon. The way @whimsicallyenchantedrose wove in what we knew might be coming in season seven and then supposed what still could happen (a lot of which I would have loved to really see!) is simply brilliant. I love the relationships explored and the way the plot unfolds. It's a special and unique version of our beloved characters, and of course the unstoppable power of Captain Swan to always find each other again is fully on display too! ;p

Until the Stars are all Alight - Wow, this story must have been such a daunting task to undertake - one I would have been afraid to tackle, but the skill with which the OuaT world and the LotR world are woven together, how the plotlines come together and reach fruition, and how the characters coincide for best use so seamlessly is truly admirable and just adds to the depth and power of this full multi-chapter adventure. It has heart and hope and True Love conquering all - all the best things we love so much from the world of fairy tales and the brain of J.R. R. Tolkien!

[westofessos]

Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! is not only the best Scooby movie in the past (at least) ten years, it’s probably the best piece of Scooby anything in the past (at least) ten years.

Yes, Mystery Incorporated was good. I appreciated the darker tone, and the season-long storylines rather than each episode having different, disconnected stories was very cool. However, in doing that, I felt that they lost a bit of the Scooby magic. Not to mention the Velma/Shaggy relationship, and the god awful characterization of Velma as an individual character. And while I always love a traps-obsessed Fred (and they did that so well), I hated Daphne pining after him episode after episode while he seemed to not care about her at all.

Be Cool, Scooby-Doo was also very good. It was definitely one of the funniest pieces of Scooby media we’ve ever gotten. The first episode alone made me laugh harder than almost any of the other movies or shows. But the animation was absolutely atrocious, and that sort of thing, to me, is unforgivable for Scooby.

Trick or Treat Scooby Doo!, however, is perfect, and I do not say that lightly. The entire thing is the perfect homage to the original show, and the perfect way to stay true to what Scooby should be, while also modernizing it a little.

The animation. Don’t even get me started. It’s literally just an updated version of the original animation for Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, and I am completely in love with it. This is the animation that should be used for the new stuff!

And queer Velma! Thank god for whoever at WB finally made Velma queer. I salute you. It was perfect. Coco Diablo was also incredibly hot, continuing the decades long Scooby movie tradition of having insanely gorgeous side characters that will 100% be some kid’s gay awakening. Or, at the very least, they’ll be like me and look back at this movie once they know they’re queer and realize that there was a very specific reason they were so obsessed with her. For anyone wondering, these characters for me were Lena and Simone from Zombie Island, the Hex Girls, Crystal from Abracadabra-Doo, Crystal from Alien Invaders, Miss Mirimoto from Samurai Sword, and that blue-haired witch from Goblin King.

And the humour! This movie is so genuinely hilarious. I killed myself laughing quite a few times. So unhinged, a lot like Be Cool. It delighted me to no end.

Not to mention all of the little Easter eggs that they threw in for the complete fanatics like me. They all made me so, so happy. The old villains and their costumes, the gang sitting at the table in the library and looking up, the brief reference to Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (my personal favourite Scooby movie), and as I mentioned, the animation.

This movie is just. . . it’s the perfect Scooby movie, okay? The world needs more Scooby, and if it’s done like this (even if they only do a few more, so we have a perfect couple in a row reminiscent of the Zombie Island, Witch’s Ghost, Alien Invaders, Cyber Chase run, I would be thrilled), it’ll be perfect.

Anyway. That’s just the ranting of an absolute lunatic that’s also a lifelong Scooby lover and also just watched that movie yesterday and is obsessed with it.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

PLL Reboot & Twins

Okay, first of all, I know this is an opinion that a lot of people aren't going to be on board with, but I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I want to share it, even if most people disagree. I am open to thoughts/feelings, because if I wasn't, I would just keep this to myself.

I know PLL as a franchise has a long history of twin twists, so I understand why people keep anticipating it, and I even understand why including that (beyond the Karen/Kelly storyline in season 1) is something people want to see. I get it. I really do. I think they overused it in the OG, but it is pretty iconic to the show.

I also think twin twists are done terribly more often than they're done well, and the lack of patience and runtime with this show really concerns me in this regard. The thing that makes a twin twist really good or not is all the groundwork building up to it. It's all the clues woven into the story that make it inevitable, that if you didn't realize what was happening before the reveal, it makes you think, "I should have known," and not just because the franchise has a history of pulling twin twists. If it wouldn't work without the audience being familiar with the OG, then it doesn't really work at all, imo.

Considering the structure of this reboot so far (with the main mystery of the show being solved each season), and the limited runtime, I just really struggle to see them being able to pull off all the set up needed for this storyline, unless it's not part of the main mystery (and therefore allowed multiple seasons to develop). The times I've seen this pulled off with extremely limited time also had much smaller casts, and the need to spread the story out between so many characters in this show makes me very wary of them attempting this trope.

When I think about the instances that I've seen a twin twist really work (I won't name any here because that would be inherently a massive spoiler to anyone who hasn't seen any of the works I'm referring to, but I assume you are familiar with the OG and its successes and failures in this regard), it's done in a way where it immediately makes all of the pieces finally fall into place, and when you rewatch, you have a completely new perspective on the material that you didn't the first time around. It doesn't matter if you guessed it partway through or not, because the establishing character and narrative work is so solid that you feel satisfied with that last puzzle piece slotting into place and proving you correct.

It also inherently concerns me that this franchise actually does have a history of using the "secret twin" trope, because I know that they know the audience is on the lookout for it. Based on how they've handled some of the other twists, I worry this would lead to them trying so hard to hide this twist that they know people are looking for, it would come out of absolutely nowhere, with no establishing information. And that's when the twin twist is terrible.

Honestly, I think incorporating this trope into the show in a genuinely satisfying way is a tall task, and while I have seen people have some cool/original ideas about who could have a secret twin and why & what their motive might be for being an antagonist, I haven't seen anyone really get into the details of how they would actually incorporate that twist into the story in a way that provides necessary foreshadowing, without being completely obvious to all viewers. (I understand this is difficult to do without knowing the general direction of where the plot is going, but it seems to me there are a lot of twin twist ideas that are great in theory, but a lot harder to pull off in reality).

I would certainly be intimidated to try to pull that off for a fandom expecting it. Personally, I do think they could accomplish their desired shock factor without it just coming out of left field if this was a fraternal twin twist (particularly if those twins aren't the same gender), where the characters aren't identical and they both get a lot of screen time, we just don't realize they are twins working together until the big reveal (and obviously, as previously stated, in order for any of these versions of the trope to work, you still need really good build up, foreshadowing, recontextualizing of scenes, etc.) where we realize their various backstories/statements/relationships with the family etc. are all about the same family. I actually think that could be really fun (I even think the show has characters inadvertently set up for this version of the twist right now, even though I don't think it's even a little bit on purpose). But it does utilize the twist in a way that is pretty different from how PLL has in the past (where the identical nature of twins is very important). Like I said, personally this is a direction I think could be cool and subversive to what the audience expects from a twin twist, but in many ways it's a different twist in its function entirely, so I don't know if it would satisfy the general audience desire for this trope.

Anyway, under different circumstances, I might be really down for this storyline, but... considering the runtime, format, and size of the cast, I'm just not convinced this trope is right for this version of this show. I'd love to be wrong, though.

[lynsstrange]

six of crows winter guard headcannons!

okay so this is sort of obscure and a lot of people might not understand it (unless you're both a grishaverse fan and happen to do color/winter guard, in which case, can we be friends?) but this is a personal fun thing for me as a guard member so yeah <3

Kaz: He only does rifle line, and a bit of sabre. his sleight of hand/arm strength is very useful for it. he doesn't do flagline. hates it. can you imagine kaz brekker spinning a flag? yeah, neither can i. he's the type of person who learns dropspins on rifle, watches someone do a five, goes "like this?" and tosses it perfectly. (believe me, there's a girl on my team like this.)

Inej: Team captain. does flag and sabre, as well as some rifle, but doesn't like it as much. sabre and flag are just more graceful and fluid, like she is. needless to say, she's awesome at everything. Being a literal acrobat, too, she excels at dance more than anyone else on the team. Big stunts and dance solos are often incorporated just for her, because she's so captivating and elegant in the way she moves.

Jesper: being hyper-adhd and unable to sit still, he's constantly trying new things and wanting to learn every piece of equipment he can. he even does a bit of baton on the side. he's kind of a wild card, and there's not one particular thing he excels at. i think rifle would secretly be his favorite, though, because gun. he is really great at super high tosses, and likes to show off to wylan. "did you know i can toss a fourteen on rifle?" "that's not physically possible, jesper." "uh, yeah, i know it is, because i can do it."

Wylan: he plays flute in marching band during marching season, and he only really joined winter guard because Jesper was doing it and asked him to do it with him. so he sticks to flagline, but is working on weapons on the side. he works a lot on the production of the show, too. He writes some of his own original music for it and mixes all the audio/sound effects.

Matthias: i have a little headcannon that he plays snare drum in marching band, and, like Wylan, only joined after copious begging from Nina. he won't admit it, but he actually kind of likes it. rifle, that is. he isn't a big fan of flag, but being big and strong, he's able to do really impressive tosses on both pieces of equipment. doesn't do sabre. it's too tiny and light for him, he hates it.

Nina: steals the show performance-wise, she gets really into roles, especially dramatic ones. often gets the team more points just because of her standout performance abilities. big dance and flag girl. she does some weapon line, but much prefers flag, and always gets assigned impressive solos on it. she also helps with costume and set design, and always brings flare to shows. is a big team motivator, comes up with all the traditions and team parties.

other mix-matched in-universe headcannons:

Per Haskell is their very uninvested, uninvolved band director

Pekka Rollins is their rival school's guard coach that Kaz hates with a burning passion

Kuwei is a Shu exchange student that tried winter guard for a season. After some mysterious incident with jesper and wylan, however, he decided it wasn't for him.

Alina, Zoya, Tamar, Tolya, Genya, and Nikolai are all alumni that did winter guard. The Darkling was their toxic team captain that got kicked off. Zoya and Genya came back to help coach for a season, but Zoya couldn't stand Kaz.

Wellll that's it for now. If you've read through all of this somehow, thank you so much <33333

[lesbianrobin]

Do you have any TV show recommendations

my #1 tv show recommendation is to watch the challenge. i literally never cared about competition reality shows besides antm and now i am Obsessed because the challenge is perhaps the greatest show of our generation. i beg of you to watch this compilation video it captures the overall spirit of the show So well and it's also hilarious.

if you want recommendations on which season to start with PLEASE send me another ask, or ask sarah @steveharrington she's the expert.

ok now other shows ❤️ i'm not gonna mention shows like succession that are super big on tumblr or well-known prestige television like breaking bad or the sopranos because i'm sure you've already seen plenty of people recommending those yknow? so yeah.

cowboy bebop (anime). the live action does not exist to me. anyway. cowboy bebop is sci-fi. it's western. it's jazz. it's comedy. it's tragedy. it's about love and identity and bounty hunting and a little corgi. there's a reason why it's often called one of the greatest anime of all time. this kinda violates my no reccing super popular shows rule but i think people who don't watch much anime may not be familiar with cowboy bebop so i figured i have a duty to the people.

the get down. i wholeheartedly believe that the get down is the greatest thing netflix has ever produced and it's a goddamn tragedy that it was canceled, but what does exist is just. incredible. it's about the rise of rap and hip-hop, the death of disco, and struggling to figure out identity and the meaning of success in the bronx in the 1970s. created & produced by baz lurhmann, the show incorporates archival footage of new york and real people with fictional narratives in a truly masterful way. it's absolutely gorgeous. the music is fucking fantastic. it's So worth watching and i wish that it had gotten the same hype as other netflix shows like st, oitnb, etc.

speaking of netflix. american vandal. if the get down is the best thing netflix has ever produced, american vandal is a very close second, and i could honestly be persuaded to swap their places, but ANYWAY. it's a mockumentary wherein a kid named peter and his best friend sam attempt to solve the mystery of who spray-painted twenty-seven dicks on twenty-seven cars in the staff parking lot at their high school. it's one of the funniest shows i've ever seen, and also the only show i've ever found to be accurate to the contemporary teenage experience. it's also like... insanely accurate as a parody and critique of real true crime documentaries. also if you're following me you're probably an st fan, and eduardo franco (argyle!!) is in american vandal as well, if that motivates you any more.

xena: warrior princess. it's the best show of all time and also the worst show of all time. everything that people say about shows like supernatural and glee and riverdale? xena did that shit back in the 90s, they did it better, and they did it with lesbians. they did it with swords. they did it with aphrodite. they did it with leather and whips and clones and reincarnation and true love's kiss. please watch xena.

community. if you haven't watched community idk what you're doing with your life to be quite honest. just watch it already.

GLOW. attention all tumblrinas who like messy complicated stupid mean scheming sexy women. you will fucking love glow. sorry i'm recommending so many netflix shows but i can't Not mention glow on here it would be a betrayal of my lesbianism. it is about sexy women wrestling. it's got blood. it's got tits. it's got storytelling. it's got 80s music. it's got fucking your best friend's husband as a means of feeling closer to her. yellowjackets fans i'm looking at you. watch glow.

ghosts (bbc). not cbs. dear god not cbs. bbc. but yeah ghosts is a sitcom about a young couple who suddenly inherit an old home (manor? thing? man i don't fuckin know english aristocracy stuff) full of ghosts. it's a fun, simple premise, and some parts of the show can be corny, but the actors sell it so well that it's just a pleasure to watch. if you're into sitcoms, i think it's worth giving ghosts a shot!

that's it for now i don't want this to get super long ❤️ thank u for asking!! also sorry if this wasn't what you expected from me lmao. OH ALSO watch the muppet show. like the OG 1970s muppet show. shit slaps.

[mdhwrites]

Reccomendations for cartoons to watch include: Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, Regular Show, the later seasons of MLP Friendship is Magic (for the sake of completing it and being able to properly evaluate the show), Steven Universe, DuckTales 2017, OK KO, Big City Greens, Star vs the Forces of Evil, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Kim Possible, Hilda, Helluva Boss, Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, She Ra 2018, and the Ben 10 franchise.

I actually still have another ask that is mostly this same list but I think Hilda and Helluva Boss are new. Mostly responding because something I find interesting about myself given how ruthless I can be with TOH is that, well...

I probably will never truly be able to be some big reviewer because when I start disliking something, I drop it. That's actually the big reason I'm responding is because there is NO WAY I am watching the like 4+ seasons of MLP:FiM that I didn't watch because I just can't engage with stuff I dislike. I find no joy in it and while I can rant for a couple episodes, it just loses my interest.

I never seek things out because I think I'll dislike them. I just don't think life is enjoyable that way. It's why I have no plans to return to Helluva Boss. I absolutely believe people would potentially send me asks about it with how polarizing it is but I got to the episode when Moxie and Blitzo are interrogated, went "Ah, I see, the two characters I hate the most and don't even find funny (Stolas and Blitzo) are the actual main characters and the pilot was potentially kind of a lie for what the real focus of the show is. I'm out." And I haven't watched an episode since. My brain struggles to click with media after all so why would I bother with media I actively know I dislike already?

I'll comment on a couple others that I have at least had experience with on the list in a minute but since Amphibia, I've watched the first season of Craig of the Creek and think that show is just AMAZING. There's at least one episode I keep wanting to do a blog on just because it exemplifies how much the show understands the wonder of fantasy and childhood without actually being fantastical. I've also seen S1 of SpyxFamily and some of S2 but right now the only streaming service I have consistent access to is Hulu (the Disney+ I was borrowing cancelled theirs to swap to Hulu) and they only have S1 dubbed of SpyxFamily.

I'm hoping to sometime soon actually watch Over the Garden Wall finally and just have been kind of a mess as of late as for why I haven't yet. I've heard only good things, and shockingly few spoilers, and it's about time I gave it a proper shot.

ANYWAYS:

Steven Universe: Watched the first episode and only really liked Greg so just didn't bother watching more. Steven was fine but I actively hated all three of the gems because of how brain dead they were in both segments of the episode. As far as pilots go, I think SU might genuinely have one of the worst I've ever seen for convincing you to like a main cast.

Gravity Falls: I rewatched the first episode recently and went "This is oooookay." Something about Dipper's VA just bothers me. Not like they're doing a bad job but that it falls into an uncanny valley my brain doesn't love. I really wish I could better explain why that show refuses to properly click for me.

Regular Show: I forget why but I've seen a few episodes. It's not bad but I don't think it's really for me. I find Rigby and Mordecai annoying more than anything else. Not awful but I think without it feeling like they're actually meant to be learning something, they fall into the trap Randy and Howard from Randy Cunningham fell into eventually for me where I was like "Okay, assholes can be fun for a while but if that's all you're ever going to be, I don't care."

Adventure Time: I have seen as many episodes where Fiona and Cake show up in that show than I have Finn and Jake. XD I have genuinely liked what I've seen and just for some reason never sought it out. Maybe someday.

Star Vs: I need to give S2 a chance but MAN when I got told they break up Marco and Jackie for NO REASON I lost a lot of interest in the show. I like Marco more than Star, and I've only seen S1, and thought Marco and Jackie's relationship was genuinely really nice and kind of unique. Also knowing it's most people's cartoon punching bag doesn't exactly fill me with enthusiasm for it.

Kim Possible: I remember rewatching the pilot a couple years ago and being shocked by how much I didn't care for Kim. I think the fact that Bonnie is the only one who gives her shit but she's actually just genuinely amazing at everything and liked by most make her just not compelling to me which is a shame because I have REALLY fond memories of the show. I'd probably commit to a rewatch of Danny Phantom first though since it has been just as long since I watched that.

(Weird fact: I was looking at Hulu's unfortunately limited amount of cartoons and saw they had Kick Buttowski of all things which is WILD to me.)

She-Ra: I've seen literally one episode, thought it was good, and definitely is one of the ones I keep telling myself to watch because everything about it seems like it'd be up my alley. These are also my thoughts on Voltron though with how much... less divisive that last season of Voltron is, it's definitely below watching Princesses of Power.

Ben 10: Loved the original series as a kid, tried the first two spin offs that came out and didn't really jive with either but I thought Julie, the tennis girl Ben gets with, was super cute. I know a friend who would LOVE to see me get into Ben 10 and do some reviews of it.

And just as an anime shout out, a part of me is still tempted to give Little Witch Academia another try. Not only is it just an obvious next show for me to watch but it's one I REALLY want to like because I like a lot about it... I just absolutely despise Akko from the like four episodes I watched a good number of years ago now. I thought almost all of the supporting characters were great though.

Just... Consider this my weird, rambly blog late at night about cartoons and the fact that I do wish I engaged with media better. One of the worst elements of it is that I don't engage well with scripted content well if my brain isn't already in an alright place. Like I don't go to television for distraction and cheering me up. I vastly prefer streams for that as I can actually turn my brain off during those normally. It's something I've talked about before and something I'd like to change. Heck, I even at one point had a therapy goal to watch something at least once a week since that'd still be easier than streaming or writing. Whoops. *sigh*

I do also appreciate the recommendations! The reminders are good sometimes since I don't feel like I actually stay in the loop all that well. And since I kind of assume this is the same person who sent a list before, I decided I felt like actually responding, especially because the MLP pitch is an interesting one but man... That's a LOT of Starlight Glimmer I'd have to put up with when just like six episodes of her as a good guy made me want to light both her and Twilight on fire to put them out of their, and mine, misery. That's without me getting into the fact that I just think the characters in general got worse by then, almost like series shouldn't last for that long because finding new angles on characters becomes REALLY HARD (says the dumbass with a series of his own that honestly is longer than he should reasonably plan a story for.)

Again, late night rambling while my brain deals with suddenly snapping out of a hyper focus on a game for three days and doesn't deal with that well. *sigh* Have a good night everyone, take care of yourself and see you next tale.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.