#the biggest hates in whole franchise

[accio-victuuri]

my thoughts on xz’s spring festival debut and loch 📝

“Every role leaves something in me or takes something away from me. The character of Guo Jing is very powerful. His perseverance and persistence subtly gave me a lot of support and faith later on.” - xiao zhan

just a few disclaimers before i start:

1. i’m a cpf. this is a cpf blog but i also identify as xz and wyb’s career fan. meaning i care about the impact of their works to the general public. i’m tagging this post with xiao zhan on it cause it’s mainly about him, but if you already hate cpfs, then save yourself the trouble and scroll along. if you still read this and wanna say something, do it on your own blog.

2. this is not the place to compare xz and wyb’s spring festival bo debuts. nor is this a place for conspiracies.

3. i haven’t watched loch. i am not well versed in the whole lore behind it.

okay, now i can start 😅😅😅

As soon as XZ was announced to play the role of Guo Jing in Tsui Hark’s new movie — we all knew that it’s a great opportunity and at the same time, a huge responsibility. Legend of The Condor Heroes is a beloved story/franchise with multiple remakes so this movie had to bring something fresh to the audience. Tsui Hark is a celebrated director, but it’s not a guarantee of excellent results. I’m personally not familiar with his works ( yep, cause i’m uncultured lol ) so at the time i was okay, cool. However, i trusted the people both fans and the public who had mostly good things to say.

It was also pretty obvious that this movie will be screened during Spring Festival. It’s a no brainer. A big IP and movie like this should be released during the biggest box office day in China.

You also have Xiao Zhan. The god of wealth. A traffic star who brings in the money and is a talented Actor. He also has a solid and dedicated fanbase.

However, to those of us who are familiar with how the SF box-office works, fans alone cannot sustain it. The key is to capture the General public’s favor to grow the numbers and to get more cinemas to screen your Movie during the SF holiday. They call it “word of mouth” — when people give good reviews, more people will be encouraged to give it a try. If you are someone on SF holiday, you can probably watch 1-2 ( 3 at most possibly ) movies from the lineup. So it’s critical that LOCH will come up as something you would wanna watch based on what you read online ( or offline ) even if it’s not your 1st choice. I was hoping LOCH fans will come in, but i was also afraid cause they will be the most critical. They know the source material, they possibly watched all the iterations, so they will be the toughest to please.

The showing came later than we anticipated but it was fine. Editing and all the special effects always take up most of the time anyway. ✨

Weeks before the holiday, Nezha 2 announced it was gonna join the Spring Festival line up. This alone was a sure bet that this movie was gonna dominate the Box Office. no question. It’s a popular character and a family-friendly film. A first choice kind of movie if you will. There’s also Fengshen Part II with it’s own set of fans and considering how big the first movie earned, you would think they were gonna come back for Part II.

LOCH still prevailed tho, The pre-sale numbers dominated 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

in reality, these are mostly fans. which is not a bad thing at all. having LOCH at the top of the pre sales creates a good buzz around it. if you are someone thinking of what to watch, and don’t know much about the line up, it would be good to pick the most anticipated film 🫶🏼

(this photo does not represent the final numbers before opening)

I wanna add too that this year’s promotion for SF movies is next level. They have really done well in making sure that the public knows what movies are out there for them to watch.

The first day for a movie like LOCH with a big pre-sale will show a small rise because people who wanna see it on Day 1 mostly have bought it already. It was still steady tho, It broke 14 box office records which is mostly for the martial arts genre ✨

There are also mostly positive reviews about XZ’s performance like this one ( i will share more on my blog as they come ) and critics. Which is fine. we know it’s not gonna be all praises anyway. One review that went high up on HS was from Nanfeng daily, which is more of a discussion on the story’s flaws. I won’t share it here anymore, but the article was talking about the weak plot and how the two leads having basically no chemistry. I also looked into this other blogger ( who is pretty consistent with reviews and not just one who popped up lately ) one which I think fairly described the shortcomings —-

The film adapted the content of chapters 34-40 of the original novel. It is a story about the integration of the martial arts world into the post-war world, involving the love line of Guo Jing and Huang Rong + the national war line + the martial arts line. The main part of the martial arts line is the previous situation before the 34th chapter, which is the foreshadowing of love and war. It can't be less, nor more. The question that needs to be considered here is how to explain so many martial arts stories before, flashbacks? Arrange information in the lines? Connect events and insert back? Or is there a more clever method?

As a result, The Legend of the Condor Heroes didn't think so much, and just went straight to the "PPT". The first hour was a long, fragmented and incomplete account of the story, and the two leading actors took turns to read the narration to tell the previous story. This is not called The Legend of the Condor Heroes, but "Reading most of The Legend of the Condor Heroes in x minutes".

This is not enough. I don't know if Tsui Hark is taking revenge on someone. It's already a PPT, and the two protagonists are reading letters to each other in the air, with narration superimposed on narration. The audience is like a class in the first half.

AGAIN. I haven’t watched the movie but I think, i get where this going. It seems to me that the screenwriter should have done better. Xiao Zhan can only do so much hard work and bring in talent, but if the story is all over the place, it’s gonna be hard to market to a random viewer.

As of writing, LOCH is on HS and the topic is about the supposed deleted scenes. Getting rid of those didn’t help the flow of the story obviously. There is a post going around that talks about that I will partly share below:

In the original script, Guo Jing's expedition to the west and return to the south are closely integrated. The complete character arcs of all the main characters in the movie, the Western Expedition is also in the film.

The film has spent a lot of effort and resources to visualize Wu Mu's will, war, and animals. The essence of the play, this entire section was taken away for review, and a lot of the plot needs to be reviewed later. The dubbing of the previous part continues, and some memories and inserts of the previous part are added. The broadcast becomes even more fragmented, resulting in incoherent plots.

Guo Jing experienced the suffering of all living beings in the war, and Huang Rong's role of leading the Beggars' Gang is gone, and the early adaptations make it even more miserable.

Some of the character arcs are incomplete.

Then it goes to talk about the cuts ( censorship ) caused by sensitive subjects that may cause diplomacy issues.

We still have a few more days for things to take a turn and I will update this blog for that. LOCH can also run even beyond this season and get more Box Office numbers. I have to admit this post i’m making is premature cause we are only days in, but by experience, the early days will usually tell you what’s gonna happen moving forward.

( as of writing, nezha leads with 1.5 billion and loch at 500 million )

A few more points:

• The film was promoted heavily around Tsui Hark being the director. It didn’t live up to expectations and this is why some negative reviews are coming. This is such a big production with lots of moving parts and it seems like it didn’t all fit. Some antis are saying that XZ fans are “blaming” again but this time i guess it’s valid. i’m not saying XZ was perfect either, i’m sure there is room for improvement but he can’t fix the story.

• 🍤🍤🍤 were too confident. it’s not a secret that I have no love for these sea creatures but they were boasting a lot. AND NOW HERE WE ARE.

this has always been my frustration. the karma is getting them. but is also directly affecting XZ who worked hard on this film. who didn’t tell them to do these nasty things. i also see people who wouldn’t even consider LOCH cause at some point 🍤🍤🍤 were rude to their bias before.

it’s like, people wanna see the 🍤 fandom fail. not xz. just the nasty 🍤🍤🍤 who offended a lot of people online at some point.

my god. they really don’t deserve XZ 😭😭😭😭

• the issue of unfair screening times and slots are also being brought up by fans. all i have to say is, welcome to the spring festival clownery. welcome to the movie world, you all must be new here. it doesn’t mean people can’t complain and be frustrated. what i’m saying is LOCH isn’t the first movie to experience this. it happens every year. it happens every big film holiday. this is not the land of dramas where streaming and rating works. Movies are different. if there is anything I learned, it’s more vicious.

• some are also complaining about cinemas refunding their tickets saying there is technical issues. only to find out that they are replacing the showing for a different movie. this is so shady 💀 but again, it’s all about the money. T___T

• the theme of the movie is also not popular at the moment. TH was saying it’s time to bring back films & stories like this again. I found this article that explains my point:

Jin Yong is an idol of previous generations. In their eyes, he has gradually become a tall but distant statue. Tsui Hark's embrace of Jin Yong's IP again is an outlet for the film market to seek a breakthrough in the predicament. He tried to add mainstreaming, genre innovation, traffic stars and other means to revitalize Jin Yong's IP. There is a logical component, but there is also the possibility of success and risk.

The younger generation of audiences who are not Jin Yong fans have not actually broken off their understanding of the martial arts spirit, but they have chosen new works as carriers. For example, the audio novel "Snow Sword" labeled as "martial arts novel" has been played 2.92 billion times on a certain platform, which is far more than the number of audio books of Jin Yong's works. To some extent, the "traditional chivalry" written by Jin Yong is quite different from the "cool martial arts" that the new audience likes, which combines magic, games, and VR.

In fact, from the pre-sale results to the current box office results, it can be seen that the market and the audience still have high expectations and sufficient space for martial arts themes. The altruistic spirit and noble character naturally carried by the martial arts spirit will still make young people curious and have a strong desire to follow and imitate. For the filmmakers, the difficulty of the creative challenge is far greater than the market opportunity-the care and empathy for individual growth, the assumption of social responsibility, etc., still need the work to provide a new interpretation.

After Jin Yong passed away, someone said, "It's not the end of an era, it's the beginning of an era." What this sentence means is that the spirit of martial arts will never become obsolete, but it needs to be updated from time to time. In addition to constantly exploring new forms of expression of martial arts, we must also strive to find new soil for the spirit of martial arts to land. Only in this way can the spirit of martial arts remain high and vigorous in the hearts of generations.

• the goal for xz ( and wyb ) is to be popular and liked by the general public. having a solid solo fandom definitely has it perks but situations like this — they should have a good reputation. the movie/drama must also be exceptional for it to ���get out of the circle”. a movie they make should not be “a movie for fans” but for everyone to enjoy.

Let me wrap this up with some good news tho, because international fans can make a difference. To the countries that are going to have screenings, you can contribute by watching and sharing your reviews! 💕 it’s the essence of fandom, to enjoy the content and be happy with the experience. it’s too easy to get caught up with the competitive nature of the SF movie season cause it’s a favorite topic on weibo, but it’s better to celebrate Xiao Zhan’s Spring Festival Movie debut 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I have absolute faith in XZ’s strength as an actor and that time will tell us the truth. right now, the black propaganda is strong cause they have to manipulate public opinion really quick ( i’m not saying all negative reviews are antis but you know what i mean & viewers are expected to be extra critical of XZ cause of how famous he is! ). His talent will shine through. He will have more movies/dramas that are gonna be better than this and we are here to support him. Box-office numbers is not the measure of XZ’s success in playing Guo Jing. I haven’t seen it but knowing XZ’s care for the characters he plays, seeing the training he went through — he did him justice.

-END.

[kini-luv]

Hasbro needs to start making THEM appear more Other than using Arcee as their go-to Fembot which is starting to look like she's just a default/Npc and stuff, they are all great girls and deserve more attention because personally Arcee already has more than enough attention and fans to keep up with her Popularity, Im not saying Shit about her Im just Stating my Opinion and There are Some Arcee fans who already have come at me for not "supporting" Like Wtf they have their Own likes, So do I, and Arcee is a Good character but sometimes she's sorta of overated But I am not hating on her It's y'all's fault if you take it the wrong fucking way because of ur fav pink girl or some shit Ok. And In The Other OG Girls why The Fuck would you create some characters that you're not going to even Fucking use for a show or some shit I Mean Chromia ATLEAST Has some Fans Due to The comics and Cyberverse shits but The others are like as if they never existed. I barely see Firestar and Moonracer get SOME Love- And Also Lancer and greenlight? I mean what the fuck Hasbro that's their biggest problem of Making characters that have potential and then just throwing them off the boat acting as They were nothing, Atleast Elita is getting some recognition nowadays, But due to this fucked up ass shit with people calling her a bitch and stuff, They say they are TF fans and know everything and they act as if Elita was just a fucking mary sue selfish bitch and overlooked her role on the WHOLE ASS FRANCHISE, like what the fuck yall are mad anymore wtf is wrong with yall slvts

[yuikomorii]

This is from your young blood post i saw: I’ve heard people didn’t like the fact that rejet made ayato out to be the adam but i don’t really understand as to why?? Wouldn’t this add more depth to the franchise. For example, Subaru, he’s known for openly hating his father so I was thinking, doesn’t that add a lot more drama to his route or atleast subtle irony? Also Reiji, he admires his father but isn’t adam. I think the young blood chapter was amazing and adds onto the whole like semi forbidden love?? or dark romance bit.

// Honestly, I’ve only seen Western fans complain about it, because in Japan, everyone in the DL fandom seems to love and respect Ayato. He has the highest desire rate and the biggest fanbase in EA.

Aside from his marketing appeal, I genuinely believe Ayato is “the chosen one” because he possesses innate traits that others either never had or lost at a much younger age. Despite his life being a living hell, Ayato, as a child, was never deliberately rude to anyone, and remained selfless and compassionate. In YB, after discovering that Laito and Kanato are missing, he’s willing to risk his own life to go back for them, even knowing the danger he could face. Later, when he’s used as bait and his absence goes unnoticed by his brothers after meeting again, his first thought upon reaching the fig tree is “I don’t know what happened to Shu and Subaru… no way they got eaten, right?”. Even after he nearly got killed, Ayato’s instinct is to worry about his brothers’ safety.

What Karlheinz says to him here could also be a factor. Ayato's ability to continue cherishing life, despite how badly he was treated by people around him, and his mental resilience in the face of what he's endured, make him the perfect candidate.

I agree that other characters had a stronger connection to the Karlheinz plot and it would have been more interesting, but I kind of like how Ayato is positioned as this special and different being in canon, even though no one—not even the characters themselves—can really explain why. I guess what makes Ayato “Adam” to Karlheinz is simply the fact that he’s Ayato. 😂😂

Credit to dialovers-translations and tournesolia on tumblr

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

i showed my sister the equestria girls movies last week because i needed a win and these were her thoughts:

equestria girls:

"sunset, you've gotta wait till your goons are gone before code-switching"

"sunset knows she's a horse so being with flash is kinda weird"

"don't like snips and snails"

"pan rainbow dash?" (i asked if she had any thoughts on their human designs and that was it, idk what to tell ya)

"why are the people colored in this reality?"

"why is rarity british?" (overall thought about the whole franchise)

"when did we fucking ask him? nobody asked him to join" (about flash playing guitar during the cafeteria song)

^but yeah she didn't really vibe with flash but she found the "one no would've been fine" line funny

"laughter" "no, it's insanity"

"i didn't know there was another way" "i don't give a fuck"

rainbow rocks:

"why is the moon, cheese?"

"i like the names. in case you weren't sure this was about music" (said during the opening credits when it showed the dazzlings)

"to be fair, you did ruin everything" (towards sunset)

"somebody needs to slap rainbow"

she really wanted to protect fluttershy, i could tell

she also wasn't necessarily loving flash x twilight during the first movie but definitely wasn't after he made twilight cry so-

friendship games:

"great, a murder board"

"why are you keeping tabs [on chs]? maybe you should focus on your other students" (towards cinch)

"what do you think i should do?" "you should keel over and die"

"sugarcoat, just stab me in the heart, why don't you"

"she looks like she belongs in spongebob, derogatory" (about cinch)

"twilight is doing disney knees"

"cinch is a bitch, cinch is a bitch. cinch is a winch, cinch is a winch" (said in a sing-songy way)

"why's this bitch singin'?" (again about cinch)

"we want what we deserve" "who said you deserve it, you fucking bitch?"

can you tell she hates cinch??

also made a couple jokes about how cadence and luna seemed like girlfriends in all of their scenes together (which was actually really valid)

legend of everfree:

"what do y'all do?" (towards celestial and luna)

"[the opening credits sequence] is gonna be at the bottom because it's giving me home by phillip phillips"

"and this is my brother, timber spruce" "TERRY?" (as in terry from tdp, which is where i got the cargo shorts thing from, so let's all thank my sister)

seemed to not be the biggest fan of sci-twi x timber ("just timber!")

"do we have watches!? cause they've mentioned time twice" "the sun dial" "but it's gonna be dark, she said it doesn't work at night!" (funny conversation that doesn't work in hindsight because they apparently had their phones with them the whole time)

"i don't know why but i'm getting trans from rainbow, cause everyone else is drawn with boobs and she's not. in that shot at least"

"if i see a man coming out of the woods, i think he's just buried a body"

"that's a disgusting design i'm sorry" (about gloriosa's villain look)

"sorry i thought he was going to kill his sister, he saw the ax and i thought he was just gonna- this is a children's movie. just for a split second"

part 2 magical movie night thoughts

[kkrusteva]

MY TAKE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HP FANDOM AND WHY I STRONGLY DISLIKE IT

The Hary Potter franchise became a popculture phenomenon in the past two and a half decades. The most popular books of the century, whatever you want to call it. It has great value as a fiction and I can't help but to say that I'm extremely disappointed in the fandom that I've been apart of for approximately half my life. Every good fiction that is as widely available is turned to a massive perversion and I hate it with all my heart and soul. Can you just write and draw your disgusting porn using another names, it doesn'tmake any sense to use well-written characters that have nothing to do with your porn story for your pedophilia fantasies? Can't you just use (sigh but I have to say her name) Rowling's universe, credit her for that, and use another names? Why on Earth would you show an ACTOR (A REAL PERSON?) a fanfic about the character that he played many years ago being the MASTER OF A YOUNG GIRL WHO HAPPENS TO BE PLAYED BY A FRIEND OF HIS? Can we stop normalizing that because it's not and it shouldn't be normal?

I don't even want to start with the marauders fandom (at least in tiktok) and what it turned into. It started with snupin, jily, blackinnon. Why the fuck would Barty be with Rosier? Why on Earth would Sirius and Snape date ever? I know y'all want representation but you really think Regulus is trans? There's absolutely ZERO indication he ever felt uncomfortable in his body. You really think Sirius, borderline insane Sirius, bitter and bad ass as fuck, riding motorcycles, bullying and humiliating racists, biggest rebel in the series, has naked women on the wall Sirius would be the cutie patootie, dresses in a skirt overfeminine guy? Headcanons are cool when you don't have enough information and decide to fill the gaps on your own, not to absolutely dismiss everything. At this point you are not trying to develop their story but you are making up absolutely different people. You just use the names. You abounded the idea you started for - that you love the characters and would like to know more about them, that you see qualities you admire or find interesting in them. It ruins the whole concept. Years ago, it was fun to fill the gaps, to write what you think'd happen in their era but now it feels like it's out of control and not in a good way.

I'm with open hands for discussion.

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

I'm still fascinated by all the wierdly-specific similarities between the Metal Gear and Devil May Cry franchises. (Spoilers for both!)

People have commented on the similarities between Nero in Devil May Cry 4 and Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2, but the ridiculously-superficial similarities actually run much deeper than that (sort of)!

Each basically helped to invent or at least codify their respective a gameplay-genres (stylish action in the case of Devil May Cry, with air combos in particular having been inspired by a physics bug in Onimusha/stealth in the case of Metal Gear, due to the limitations of the MSX system resulting in limits to how many enemies could be onscreen at once)

The protagonist is not a baseline human (Dante, who's half human and half-demon/Solid Snake, a genetically engineered clone), and is the son of the biggest badass in the world (Sparda, a demon who decided to fight against demons on humanity's side 2000 years ago/Big Boss, who's just a really awesome soldier) via a baseline-human woman called Eva (Eva/EVA).

The father haunts the narrative in nearly every game (excluding the Metal Gear games in which Big Boss directly appears or is the playable character; in Devil May Cry, however, Sparda never appears except as a non-canon unlockable costume for Dante. yeah this one's somewhat weak, comparatively speaking)

The protagonist has an equal-and-opposite-but-cooler evil twin brother who is the same type of not-baseline-human, and whom you fight a bunch of times (Vergil/Liquid Snake). He gets killed off in the game in which he is introduced (Devil May Cry 1/Metal Gear Solid 1), and the next time we see his face is in a prequel (Devil May Cry 3/Metal Gear Solid 5).

One or more major characters is a clone of one of the parents, and was created by the villains (Trish is a clone of Eva created by the Demon Emperor Mundus/Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Solidus Snake are clones of Big Boss created by the secret conspiracy known as the Patriots)

The game with "3" in the title is a prequel with a subtitle (Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening/Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater).

The fourth game in the franchise as a whole (Devil May Cry 4/Metal Gear Solid 2) has the main series protagonist be playable for less than half of the game; the rest of the time, the player takes control of a whiny prettyboy newcomer who was initially hated by the fanbase (Nero/Raiden); contributing to this hatred was the presence and behavior of an equally-hated girlfriend (Kyrie/Rosemary).

Also in the fourth game, the series protagonist is initially presented as an antagonist from the perspective of the prettyboy, who gets sent after him (Nero witnesses Dante shooting the head priest of Fortuna in front of his entire congregation and is ordered to capture him/Raiden is sent to take out a terrorist group whose leader claims to be Solid Snake). The series protagonist dogs the prettyboy's footsteps to drop hints (Dante openly does so in a way that doesn't make sense unless he, like, knows that Nero is the protagonist, and also you fight him twice/Solid Snake takes the alias of a Navy SEAL named Lt.J.G. Iroquois Pliskin to work alongside Raiden), and the true villains of the story turn out to be the ones who sent the prettyboy after him in the first place (the Order of the Sword, secretly performing demonic experiments, which is why Dante shot Sanctus/FOXHOUND, secretly puppeted by the Patriots).

Also also starting in the fourth game, a character has a magical right hand which came from the evil twin (Nero's demonic right arm, the Devil Bringer, manifested as a result of being Vergil's son/Revolver Ocelot got his hand cut off in MGS1 and Liquid's arm is grafted on in its place at some point between MGS1 and 2) and appears to be sort of possessed by him maybe (as a sort of Nelo Angelo-like ghost that Nero is able to manifest at will after getting his hands on Vergil's old sword/Liquid apparently keeps taking over Ocelot's mind).

In the next game where we see the prettyboy (Devil May Cry 5/Metal Gear Solid 4), he's a cyborg as a result of an encounter with the antagonist or antagonists (Nero's Devil Bringer gets cut off by the main villain and he gets it replaced with a series of mechanical arms called Devil Breakers/Raiden is turned into a full-conversion cyborg by the Patriots).

I admit that some of these are kind of a stretch, and like I should stress that these are wildly different games with the similarities being 1. very superficial and 2. happening in completely different ways; Metal Gear has a serious plot (well, mostly) which criticizes the military-industrial complex in a way that's undercut by Kojima's military fetishism, and Devil May Cry is about how wacky-awesome it is to be a cool dude with a sword the size of a surfboard who slices demons to bits and exclusively eats junk food. Also, all available evidence suggests that this is all a complete coincidence, which just adds to the weirdness of the similarity.

[tedwardremus]

This Town Is Fake But You're The Real Thing

Written for the August 2024 @jilychallenge

Theme: Celebrity Prompt: “We are in the same franchise but have never had screen time together until now, in season eight, and I think I’m in love with you?! Just like everyone said that I’d be?!” Partner: @chierafied

"Uh-oh," Marlene said, falling into step beside her. "That’s your ‘I’ve-read-the-script-and-hate-every-second-of-it’ face, isn’t it?"

Lily groaned. "You have no idea. They’ve gone and done it, Marls. They’ve put me with him ."

Marlene’s eyes widened. "Wait. With James ? Oh, Merlin. You’re kidding me."

"I wish I was joking. But it's happening—full-blown romantic storyline. The kisses, the longing stares, the whole cringe-worthy package." Lily threw her hands up, her voice thick with sarcasm. "It's the classic ‘opposites attract’ cliché to tie up the series with a neat little bow."

Marlene grimaced in sympathy. "Yikes. How are you feeling about it?"

"Like I want to hex someone into next week," Lily muttered, her tone dark and brooding. "I've managed to steer clear of him for years, and now suddenly we’re supposed to be star-crossed lovers? Why now? Why me?"

Her frustration continued to bubble over, and she couldn’t stop herself from ranting. "He's so spoiled. He's had everything handed to him—fame, adoration, you name it. And now, on top of it all, I’m supposed to fall for him in front of millions of listeners? It’s absurd."

Lily shook her head in disdain, "I hate this industry. It’s so shallow and self-absorbed. Everything is about image, about selling this vapid fantasy to people who eat it up. But once this contract is up, I’m done. I’m going to do something that actually matters, something meaningful. I can't keep wasting my time on this nonsense."

Marlene chuckled, though her sympathy was genuine. “It’s the final season. They want fireworks. And let’s face it—putting you two together is the biggest headline they could ask for."

[ndrv3expert1]

The ending of Danganronpa V3: Not the cliché twist people think it is.

Probably the most controversial part about V3 is the ending. I love it. I love it so much I have a shirt of it. I can see why others don’t somewhat but at the same time I’m like why?

Many people say the fact the game is fiction makes it meaningless, but I strongly disagree. I understand that an 'it was all fake' or 'and then they woke up' ending is annoying and overused and, depending on what happens in the piece of media, just bad writing, but DRV3 isn't one of those endings.

And if you do believe the game was meaningless, then congrats you fell for Tsumugi's lies, hook line and sinker.

In the sixth trial, Shuichi talks about how even though the game was fiction, it still hurt him to see the people he cared about die.

Even though they are being told that everything they went through is meaningless, it is real to them; if they feel sadness and anger and love, it’s just as real; it’s just as meaningful as in the real world.

Another thing is the theme of the whole game is truth vs. lies, so wouldn’t it make sense for the final twist to be that what they thought was the truth is a lie?

In the first two games, the final trial ends with a battle of hope vs despair where hope always triumphs and despair is crushed, but in V3 it’s different.

Tsumugi wants them to continue the game. The fans want them to continue the game.

Choosing hope—sacrificing someone to go on to the next killing game—will just cause the cycle to repeat, but choosing despair is also bad; it causes people to give up and lose everything.

Shuichi doesn’t want Maki (and Kiibo) to have to go into another killing game, but they also don’t want to fall into despair. So he refuses to vote, and as much as Tsumugi begs and pleads, he stands his ground.

The viewers also refuse to vote, proving that fiction does have the power to change reality, a powerful message that is one of the main reasons this ending is so great.

Even though Shuichi Maki, and Himiko were fictional characters, they changed the outside world and stopped a whole franchise, a whole movement, and in real life, fiction can spread ideologies, beliefs, and concepts, and these things can spread to people like wildfire and bring people together in ways that normal methods, (like by mouth,) cannot.

That's why artists try to put messages in their art, musicians in their music, and directors in their movies and TV shows. They know that's the type of media that will have the most reach and spread the fastest.

Or even social media spreading information; it might not be the best source, but it still spreads rapidly.

Media has influenced our way of life for years, influencing our speech, thoughts, and cultures because of what it says; this is what V3 is trying to show.

Shuichi also talks about using his friends deaths and the lie of the killing game to change the world.

This is why it matters; this is the power of fiction.

Shuichi using his friends' deaths, which may have been seemingly useless anyway, to take down the show that has trapped them in a cycle of deceit and forced them to play their game.

It’s also great when you remember that Shuichi was afraid of finding the truth, and Kaede and Kaito helped him gain more confidence.

He vowed to Kaede he would end the killing game, and this man not only found the biggest truth ever, he not only ended the game, but ended the whole franchise.

If that's not character development, I don’t know what it is.

Another reason people hate the ending is the portrayal of the fans, the fans are portrayed as Danganronpa obsessed, and they are shunned by watching the senseless killing of people for entertainment.

It’s a world where everyone has become so desensitized to kids getting killed on TV that they gather around screens all over the world eager to watch the next installment; that’s why there are 53 seasons.

The fans in the ending are an exaggerated view of what Kodaka feared would happen.

It's not trying to bash the fans of today but the fans of the future if this continues and we don’t care about the deaths anymore, and we just want more because you can have too much of a good thing.

It also has good messaging about fans (and corporations) tearing a TV show or game series apart in compensation for more, deriving it from the original message.

For example, Squid Game a show about the flaws of capitalism and exploitation for entertainment, was remade into a reality show by Netflix, Mr. Beast, and Amazon Prime to capitalize on the success of Squid Game when it first came out, actively hurting real people in the process, just for the sake of making money.

The ending of V3 reminds us that the connections we make and the experiences we have give our lives meaning. And even if we only affect one person with our actions, it will be all worth it, and that's the greatest truth of them all.

It’s about freedom, the problems of beating a piece of media to death just to have more, using deceased loved ones' wishes to help move forward, and finding meaning in the things that seem meaningless.

The V3 ending is a roller coaster of emotions and a masterful experience. It serves as a great ending to a great series that keeps you on the edge of your seat, makes you feel sympathy for some fictional characters, and still holds up even eight years later.

I don't think this rant/analysis will fix the wedge in the fandom this ending has caused (we've argued about much more ignorant things in the past.) But I hope it at least resonated with you and re-kindled elements you remember loving about the ending for people who did enjoy it; and for those who didn't I hope this gives you some insight into why I and many others appreciate the ending.

So before your start to conclude that V3's ending was meaningless think to yourself-is that the truth or just the lie you were meant to believe.

[theflashjaygarrick]

Absolutely wild to me that with all of DC's reboots/retcons no one has had the sense to completely erase the Arisia incident (and no, I do not count Johns' whole 'Hal thought it was creepy but then learnt that her planet rotates differently so she is actually 200' nonsense. It's probably the biggest stain on the green lantern franchise (followed by the Kalmaku nickname thing) and genuinely there is no benefit to it existing.

But importantly I don't mean erase Arisia. She is a character with a lot of potential as a little sister with self esteem issues, a child who has been conscripted into a literal galactic army and is honestly just trying her best. She's adorable and had a lot of potential before Englehart made it so disgusting I stopped reading his green lantern comics my I own sanity. And I do feel like while it definitely did tarnish Hal and his reputation (and lets be real, probably should have done so for almost every green lantern in that era except John) Arisia herself was honestly a lot harder hit with being hated and erased. Which is how a lot of comic controversies - and even real life abuse cases can - go. I feel like she honestly deserves a second chance to be explicitly and overtly removed from that uncomfortable and unnecessary arc rather than just being pushed aside so people can write Hal as a space maverick male fantasy (when will Spectre Hal come back from the war).

But like imagine an Arisia year one with me (wherein the writers and the corps aren't creeps):

Arisia is a young orphaned alien girl who is still grieving when she has the responsibility and powers of a lantern ring thrust upon her. While still trying to get a hang of her new powers she is called into OA where she meets the other Green Lanterns. She begins training and becomes the (actual) little sister/kid of the green lantern corps. Crucially no one is weird about her. I would probably make it so that her home planet values really strong familial ties so that as an orphan she is desperately seeking out a family in the green lantern corps, which clashes with some of the other members who initially see the other corpsmen as work buddies at most. In this when Hal and her hang out its because he's her mentor and he radiates cool uncle vibes.

And honestly you could keep the ageing up with the ring idea but instead of making it part of a creepy romance arc it could be used to further explore her own anxieties. Maybe she feels overlooked as a kid so decides to make herself look older to feel more powerful when on missions, but it eventually it makes her feel more self conscious about what she looks like normally. Then it ends with her learning to embrace and find confidence in who she really is. You know, classic coming of age stuff. And after that Hal and Jon decide to introduce her to the Teen Titans so she can be around other heroes (roughly) her own age.

So she ends up on Earth for while where you could have a fun fish out of water dynamic whilst she explores earth life in San Fransisco. Not only is she a member of teen titans as their GL (or Teen Lantern as they probably insist on calling her). She can have a whole side plot about making friends in her civilian identity and wanting to be a normal kid (milkshakes, diners, roller skating, baby gay crushes) while also knowing that at some point she has to go back to OA and to her home sector. Back there she has to embrace this massive responsibility (honestly too big for someone of her age) that she didn't choose, but that was rather an inherited burden from her late father and duty as a member of the corps.

Ultimately it would be about finding confidence in your own heroism, a found family, and having fun coming of age moments. And rescuing a promising female character from being an embarrassing footnote in DC (and Hal Jordan's) history.

DNI INTERACT IF YOU ENJOY HAL AND ARISIA AS A COUPLE. I DON'T KNOW IF THESE PEOPLE ARE REAL BUT IF THEY ARE, LEAVE MY POST/BLOG ALONE.

[lazilybeinglassie]

It's flawed, and I hate it (Beast Yeast Ep 7&8)

I think it's fair to say when it comes to the writing of Cookie Run Kingdom, it is not perfect. Nothing in life is. However, it's definitely been discussed in the circles I'm in that the best way to enjoy the story of the game is to just not think about it too hard and watch the fun and colorful commentary just sweep you off your feet.

Bless you localization people.

When the Third Anniversary introduced the beasts, there was quite a lot of hype around it. Especially around Shadow Milk. No surprise there though, considering this is the Discord/Bill Cipher of the cookie run franchise. Everyone loves those characters. And having him get his update on the Fourth Anniversary, before we met the rest of the beasts, was by all means really cool to have happen.

Yet this post I make here is not to discourage people from playing the game or saying they can't like this update. It's still a fun time. But the story in the latest episodes sadly left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I wanna at least touch on why it did. So be warned, this is probably gonna be the biggest hot take in recent days of the fandom.

Part 1: Manipulation 101

Mind games are difficult to write in general. Especially when you are writing a story that meant for a younger audience. Not only do you have to make sure the kids are following along with the tricks and lies, it also has to be entertaining enough that they can keep watching.

Cookie Run Kingdom definitely has had some decent moments of proper manipulation in it's previous stories before. Mozzarella in the Golden Cheese arc stands out the most right now. But it definitely did not shine for whoever wrote the Shadow Milk arc here. And it mainly has to do with how they made the characters stupid for no logical reason.

Like, White Lily literally follows the gang all the way to the front doors of the Spire, just to decide to turn back and not be in the rest of the episode because she felt like it. If you didn't want her in this adventure, you should have just had them give goodbyes back at the Faerie Kingdom at the start of the journey. It's nothing more than just pointless padding that could have been cut out. I'm honestly not sure why she was added here, it feels super pointless. And you can't call this Shdaow Milk tricking them into departing, cause there was barely an effort of manipulation that actually could be credited to him in that whole exchange with the old man.

I should be fair though, cause the rest of the main characters are just as stupid as she is when they start their journey. And yes, that is a proper complaint to make when it's established in story they know who they are facing. They verbalize many times that they know Shadow Milk is gonna be there, and they are well aware he is a manipulative bitch. They are aware. But they are all written to just . . . fall for the simplest of tricks. Inviting strangers to journey with them. Splitting up the party. SLEEPING IN ENEMY TERRITORY!

The issue remains that a lot of the manipulation doesn't feel rewarding because our heroes have been reduced unnaturally to fall for these tricks. Instead it gives off this artificial villain victory where it's never earned but handed on a silver platter. And it carries on into episode 8 as well, not just 7. And that episode is just a dragged on series of how many times can Shadow Milk use the same threat over and over again on Pure Vanilla Cookie.

Speaking of which-

Part 2: Dragging On Pointlessly

While episode 7 was a poor set up, episode 8 was like an unfinished draft they never completed. The pieces are there, and I adore what they did, but they each fell short in their respective areas.

I think I would specifically describe it all as anticlimactic.

The river being the prime example of this. Looking at how it was designed to be used to force Pure Vanilla to become Shadow Milk's servant/deciple, it really is shocking that it doesn't hold any importance to the story at all. Perhaps if PV's transformation into Truthless Recluse was tied into it, then it would have more weight, but that's just one idea I thought of.

They make it sound like it's this big event when it really doesn't change anything. PV doesn't even appear to be more loyal to Shadow Milk, he just still remains passively annoyed and resistant. Which is disappointing how they could have had more stakes to it to feel more intense.

Chess was a bit more satisfying with how it concludes itself with forcing Pure Vanilla to cheat the game and rely on tricks to beat Shadow Milk. It's a fine moment, golf clap.

That being said, it does start to wear thin that we have to watch Shadow Milk repeat his threats over and over again. By the time the final ultimatum is offered, the weight of it is no longer there. You can't expect different results from the same action like this. It's just not at all motivating or engaging as you keep doing it.

However, that wasn't really the lowest point for the whole update. I can forgive most of that. I can live with it. Cause out of everything I disliked in this update, there was one thing I hated more than all of that.

Part 3: . . . Friend? NEVER!

I had to sit with this one the most. Cause I understand it is there for a reason. Pure Vanilla Cookie's most famous character defining line is after all "any conflict can be resolved through conversation". For him to reach out to Shadow Milk is fully understandable and in character for him.

HOWEVER!

I do not like how the scene played out, even if it ended with Shadow Milk not redeemed.

Yes, I can agree on the idea he wanted to have someone suffer with him. I'm fine with that concept. Honestly, I like that angle. It's fun!

Yet as I look at the scene everytime, all I see is a moment of Devsis telling me "hey, he could be redeemed later on"

And I fucking hate it.

Redemption for a villain for me has two rules to it. First, it must make sense either in theme, character, or story. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it at least needs to feel fitting from what's been established so far. And of it contradicts any of those, then it will stick out like an uneven puzzle piece.

The second being that the chatacter being redeemed must express these traits-

1. Recognizing their wrong doings as bad.

2. Regret doing those wrong doings.

3. Desire a change within themselves.

Each of these are essential in that redemption arc. If they don't, then they are either still a villain, or just pacified (example Red Son from Lego Monkie Kid).

Shadow Milk Cookie fails these two rules. His character is a creature who finds enjoyment in the suffering of others. There's never been exceptions to his rules other than the other beasts. Even amongst his own minions, he is willing to harm them to ensure they won't fail again.

The conversation between Pure Vanilla and Shadow Milk, while sweet, is the most jarring moment ever. Not once does it at all feel built up to it, and most of it is designed for you to feel bad about this jester. In which I feel like the steps they took to get to this point were the wrong steps to take.

Granted, he does reject his proposal, but now that seed has been planted into the audience, and if they choose to nurture it, they will not have time to make it work. Because once they get to the last beast member, we will be seeing their arc ending in 2026. We won't get another year to flesh them out, there will be no more beast focused story telling.

I will not pretend to know what the end goal is. No one can. But I am all the more concerned if I will enjoy it. And it may be that I won't. Still, I know I will still give it a shot. Even as I sit in my corner and make my fanfics of what if scenarios. Cause I do still enjoy the spectacle of it all. And it's still always fun to see how the characters get even more quirky than before.

And with that, I end this hot take on a mid outro. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[artist-issues]

Who is your favorite character from each Star Wars trilogy and why? One character from the prequel trilogy, one from the original trilogy, and one from the sequel trilogy. ✨

Okay so:

PREQUELS: Anakin Skywalker

I know it’s basic but he’s the best character.

The whole thing he’s prophesied to do is “bring balance to the Force.” And I think everybody like, tries to interpret what that means, as if it’s some big mystery, but if you just look at his character, it’s perfectly spelled out.

In Anakin’s time, the Jedi rejected attachment. The Sith rejected faith. Both are because of a fear of a lack of control (from two different directions.)

The Force is out of balance because Light wants to have abandonment of passion and call it peace, and the Dark wants to have all passion without selflessness. Both are faithless, in their own way.

And Anakin comes in and he’s like a mini-object lesson for that same problem. Except, before he falls to the Dark Side, Anakin is the only one with the potential to have both. He has attachments and passion, but he also wants peace. He (correctly) wants his attachments to be the “why” behind his power.

(I know everybody calls this concept “grey Jedi,” but I think that’s unnecessary and categorizing it sort of ruins the nuance in an otherwise really-nuanceless-straightforward franchise. Ironically.)

Anyway. Anakin is a great character because he has all these seemingly-contradictory traits warring inside of him. He’s the most powerful Jedi who ever lived, but he’s the most vulnerable emotionally. He’s a gifted strategist but he’s personally impulsive. He came from slavery and hates being told what to do, but he thinks that people who won’t submit to a peaceful regime should be forced to. He’s cocky enough to try any hare-brained scheme with zero experience, but he’s insecure enough to always have to prove something to the Jedi Council and even the woman he loves. He likes everything to be simple, black-and-white, and extreme, with nobody handing down complicated caveats or restrictive orders—but he falls in love with a ruler who’s also a politician. Fate has assured everyone that he is the Chosen One, but his allies still generally never really know what to expect from him. He’s fiercely loyal and won’t leave Obi Wan or Padme to die because of his attachments during the war, but those same attachments are what ultimately cause him to betray and attempt to murder those same two people.

All these contradictory traits create an intensely interesting character—and the perfect character for a story like Star Wars, the perfect character where “BALANCE BETWEEN TWO THINGS” is the main symbolism.

Also all of Star Wars is about the Main Point: Faith Triumphs Over Fear.

Anakin’s biggest, hardest problem was that he only ever had faith in himself, his own ability to make everything turn out all right. And the fear that he wasn’t enough, and if he wasn’t enough then therefore nothing would be all right, caused him to fall. He just had to have more power because more power = more control and more control should, in a faithless worldview, = less fear. But of course it doesn’t. It actually just piles more weight on.

And then of course it’s faith that allows him to give up power and control. Which is turning back to the Light. But it’s Light untainted by detachment-rules, because when he turns back, he does it for love of Luke, his son. It’s awesome. He’s the best character in Star Wars.

ORIGINAL TRILOGY: (it’s cheating to say Darth Vader after all that, isn’t it) Luke Skywalker

I don’t mean for it to be all the main characters, I just think they did the best job on the main characters.

Luke is my favorite because he’s got the same problem as Anakin, but from a new, less angry angle. Instead of being told he’s the Chosen One, he thinks he comes from nothing and is nobody. And he wants to be somebody. He wants to do something big and epic and noble, he feels like the world is going by without him, when we first meet him.

Then the moment he learns that his father was a powerful Jedi, a living legend, that dream takes shape. And that shape is “Jedi.” Just in time for him to also lose his loved ones. And the whole movie, A New Hope, everyone is telling Luke, “wait! Come back! Slow down! Don’t just rush off!”

But Luke is never appreciating what he has while he has it. Luke is never slowing down and learning (philosophically.)

He’s always looking ahead, trying to see the next challenge he will face, trying to rush out ahead and save the people and things he cares about from whatever danger is coming, trying to see beyond the horizon. He’s focused on the future, and what he can do to affect it.

But then he has to learn to let go of his own ability, his own skill, and “Trust the Force.” Something outside of himself. Which is something not even his father Anakin could ever do. So he switches off his targeting system and blows up the Death Star.

Luke is brave and takes action, leaping into danger and working hard to believe in everybody—which is awesome, for a Star Wars hero. Because taking action is, in its way, faithful and not fearful. And, believing in the good in others is a faith-based decision, too. And it’s where he starts to be different from his grudge-holding, control-freak father. But both those traits—action-taking and belief in others—can become fear-based, also.

So he turns out to grow up in front of the audience’s very eyes with what, ladies and gentlemen? Another inner conflict that needs balancing. Conflict between faith and fear.

And the fact that Luke is a farm boy who feels like his potential is unfulfilled when we first meet him, and then our final beat with Luke is him throwing away his potential to cut the villains’ heads off, is such a good character arc.

(And I’ll never shut up about how Mark Hammill got his own character wrong, because The Last Jedi was an excellent way to wrap up Luke Skywalker as a character.)

SEQUELS: KYLO REN

I want to be very clear here.

I think Rey is an incredible character. And Finn. And Poe. I think all three of them are. Especially Rey and Finn. I think so much heart and no-brainer Star-Wars-iness is infused into those three characters, that I could easily answer this question what I love about any one of them and what makes them my favorite. Easily. It’s like, a five-way tie.

But Kylo Ren pulls ahead because he, as a character, was an often re-tread concept, but he makes it feel new and real. Actually, I should probably have said Kylo Ren AND Rey are my favorites from this trilogy. Because they really are two sides of the same character.

But! Kylo Ren is the pick.

He’s excellent in too many ways to count. But the best way is that he refuses to learn from failure. Which is poignant, because it ties back into Faith Triumphs Over Fear from a new angle that his predecessor-characters hadn’t explored yet.

He’s so desperate to escape the legacy he grew up under that he can’t learn from it. And that’s tragic, because the things he might learn would actually help him to feel the legacy as a helping hand, not a burden.

I mean, think about it. It’s the Sequel Trilogy. That means, by definition, audiences were going to come into this trilogy expecting to be shown something UNDER THE LEGACY-UMBRELLA of the Trilogy that Came Before. In that film-legacy’s shadow.

So then you have a villain, a main character, who is a literal representation of that? He’s not just the son of Leia Organa, hopeful inspiring-voice of the free world—he’s not just the son of Han Solo, hero who saved the world and won the heart of a princess despite scumbag origins—he’s not just the nephew of Luke Skywalker, heir to the Jedi Legends and Most Powerful Warrior in the Known World—

—he’s the grandson of Darth Vader, the monster the world needed saving from. The man who used to be Anakin Skywalker, powerful Chosen One corrupted against all odds.

That’s too much famous legacy for one young character with incredible powers. He literally couldn’t have done anything OTHER THAN make “I’m Never Going to Live Up to What They Hope, So I Might As Well Lean Into What They Fear” his new identity.

It’s like if Kylo Ren represented the Sequel Trilogy, and the Sequel Trilogy said, “I can’t live up to the legendary movies that came before me, so I might as well not be them,” but then the whole time you, the audience, are desperate to see traces of the legendary movies that came before buried inside. The same way Leia, Han, Luke, and Rey are desperate to see traces of Ben Solo in Kylo Ren. Ben. Named after the guy who meant “HOPE” to Leia, his mother.

HOPE he’s going to turn out okay! Like I HOPE these movies can make me feel the way their predecessors did!

That’s their villain. A guy who lets pressure from legacy twist him up. Genius. Success.

But away from the meta, back to that Main Point:

His whole tragic origin brings sharp focus back onto the original Main Point of Star Wars: “Faith Triumphs over Fear.”

Because Leia lost her son by sending him away. Why’d she send him away? Because she was afraid of the evil he might fall to, so to control the outcome of that scary scenario, she gave into fear and sent him away. From Ben’s perspective, she had no faith in him.

Neither did his father. Until the end. When he let go of his fear, listened to Leia’s plea to “bring him home,” and let faith that Ben Solo was in there get himself stabbed. But his final act was to caress Ben’s face? Not fear? Faith that this monster who is actively stabbing him is still his son?

Just like Luke didn’t have faith in Ben Solo—he saw visions of Everyone He Loved killed by Ben, just like his old visions of Han and Leia dying by Vader’s torture, and he showed that moment of fear and lack of faith to Ben, and THAT is what led to Ben’s fall.

Everyone is afraid of Ben Solo’s commitment to and potential for darkness.

Except Rey.

She never actually knew Ben Solo, but she still has faith he’s in there, because a glimpse is all she needs—he thinks that’s weakness, the same kind of dream that keeps her waiting for her parents.

But if the third movie hadn’t ruined it, he would have learned that it was never weakness, it was strength—strength that outpaces fear. The fear of failure that’s been defining his whole character since the beginning.

Those are my faves! Thanks for asking! Sorry if it was boring that I picked the Three Main Male Lightsaber Characters.

[psychrodraws]

📝 (Look as the biggest paldea trio fan i gotta ask)

🚬oh boy here we go (link to ask game)

Arven:

Oh he’s just like me fr. I relate very heavily to Arven, being a jaded senior citizen who hated the world before I was 18 myself. He’s probably one of the most “real” feeling characters we’ve gotten in the entire franchise. Even compared to Penny and Nemona, who I firmly believe are still of equal quality to Arven character-wise, he’s not a kid who accidentally started a gang and bribes people to help fix it with laundered funds or a battling prodigy, he’s just a guy who loves his dog and would do anything for him. An animal lover will always go up a million points in my eyes for that alone. 

His story is tragic and gut wrenching at times, but while they could’ve gone the Silver route of making his tragic story an excuse to be a kinda one-note asshole, he’s… just such a sweetheart. Seeing such a warm and loving heart under that sheet of ice is such a uniquely heartbreaking thing for Pokemon. He’s just so… he’s just so!!!! He’s a lover, a softie, a big dork who makes homemade badges for his friend, a friend he pretends to not even LIKE at first but he still makes you a badge???? “Guard-dog-boyfriend” ass character he’s so goddamn funny. I’ve made an entire post abt his gender expression awhile ago so I won’t go into it here but, I also love that he’s just casually so pretty. Long hair, eyeliner, flowery phone case, “feminine” hobby in cooking, and he’s never mocked or emasculated for it. It’s not even brought to attention! That’s just the way he is and everyone loves him for it! Arven deserves to be a little girly as a treat.🍭

Nemona:

Oh she’s just like me fr. Lacks understanding of social queues? Intense abt her passions to the point of driving others away? Has the burden of expectations placed on her by every adult she knows? Jane Freak where are my royalties I expect my check in the mail by the end of the month. But no seriously, Nemona is everything every rival in this series DREAMS of being. Passionate, well-written, actual character depth and has a REASON to be your RIVAL, instead of the neighborhood asshole or your best buddy old pal :)))) 

If Arven is the most “real” Pokemon character, Nemona is probably the most “realized” Pokemon character. She’s everything this franchise stands for and everything this franchise needed. It really does feel like Nemona wasn’t just made as a response to the complaints of shallow “friendly” “rivals” but as a response to the love, passion and dedication of the pokemon fandom as a whole. I mean for the love of god we’re on tumblr, everyone reading this knows exactly what I’m talking about and can see more than a little bit of themselves in Nemona, I’m certain of it. Nemona has raised the standard of rivals in this franchise to the MOON compared to what came before, (Psychrozen control yourself do not flame Sword and Shield right now we’re being positive) and once the dust has truly settled on SV, I’m certain we’ll look back on her as the highlight of the past 24 years.

Penny:

Oh she’s just like me fr. Penny haters taste my blade. It took me a while to really warm up to Team Star, I’ll admit, but Starfall Street as a storyline is Pokemon storytelling at its peak. Again, like with Nemona, it’s a very relatable story. As bad as it sounds, I mean… we’re all tumblr users here, we know what it’s like to be bullied and we’re all gay. And Team Star is just so… so gay dude.

It’s inspiring and genuinely surprising to see such queer-coded characters in Pokemon. I mean, everyone in SV is queer-coded ranging from “yeah tilt your head and squint and I can see it” to “Brassius and Hassel,” but Team Star isn’t just queer characters, but a queer story. It’s bullied kids banding together to express themselves for who they are, and being punished for it. And Penny at the center of it all, this quiet as a mouse COUGHCOUGHTRANSGENDER girl at the center of it all, who only wanted what was best for everyone, who put herself on the cross when things got out of hand and still couldn’t fix everything alone, who hides behind an identity, a name and pronouns that she doesn’t use anywhere else other than when she’d hiding behind that identity due to her fear and insecurities, being loved and accepted for who she is and what she’s done… it’s peak. It’s literally so transgender. Her ace is a Sylveon for Christ's sake. Her entire story is a metaphor for coming out I will not be taking arguments at this time talk to the wall.

And when you put them all together, you find three almost entirely different people, united by one theme- being loved for who you are. The real treasure was the friends we fucking made along the way. Ladies, gentlemen and non-applicables, you’ve been a wonderful audience this has been Last Week Tonight we’ll be back next week, thank you.

[merrilark]

Okay. So, thoughts/critique about Sonic 3:

First of all, this isn't me saying I didn't love it. I enjoyed it a lot and think it's a huge improvement on the last two in many ways. The game references, the music, even some of the comedic bits were great, and it was all-around just a really fun time. I would watch it again and really hope to get it on DVD at some point.

My primary issue--as an annoying Shadow fan since I first played SA2:B when I was 10--is how Maria, Shadow, Gerald, and GUN were handled.

Spoilers below the cut.

I think, really genuinely, they should have shot that 12 year old girl.

We're supposed to dislike and be wary of, if not hate, GUN. They're a parody of the military (particularly the US military), and their whole purpose in SA2 was to be a fumbling but frightening antagonistic force that put saving face over the safety of the people they're meant to protect. They try to frame Sonic for Shadow's crimes because the government wanted a scapegoat and didn't want to risk it coming out about the debacle on ARK. Shadow was created to cure Maria, yes, but he's also a weapon, which GUN funded. GUN created their own problems and decided to take out that problem by massacring everyone on ARK, including an ill child, because they preferred covering their hands in blood than taking a fall and admitting they might have screwed up with Project: Shadow. Never mind that Maria also had NIDS, which is kind of the Sonic universe's version of AIDS, and all the commentary that holds, intentional or not.

But the film waters it down by not only not really acknowledging that Maria is sick (?? unless I missed that, but. there just feels no reason for Maria to be in this base, which isn't even in space), and having her death be an accident rather than GUN's orders. Yes, it's still a GUN soldier's fault, and yes, there is a line that essentially says he's cool with shooting a kid because he's "following orders", but he's still stopped by another GUN soldier, and the explosion that kills Maria is still an accident. GUN is "softened".

Contrast this to SA2, or even Sonic X where we get to see the soldier who killed Maria again in his old age, broken down with guilt over what he'd done and regret because he'd "just followed orders", and it just feels... I dunno. Like some of the tragedy and anti-military stance that the Sonic franchise has regularly pushed lost its teeth. This is my biggest gripe.

But something else that bothers me is Gerald. His characterization goes beyond the flanderization of Dr. Robotnik, he's just completely mischaracterized into being Dr. Robotnik but old. The OG Gerald was a kind-hearted scientist who loved his granddaughter and the people of earth. He was a little nutty and a little grey in some of his ethics, but overall, he wanted to help people. But when GUN killed his colleagues and Maria, then locked him up, he went insane with grief, altered Shadow's memories to turn him into a weapon of revenge, and was executed.

Obviously, I didn't really expect the film to both shoot Maria and Gerald, but I think that turning Gerald into a silly evil scientist with no real distinction from Dr. Robotnik, and completely getting rid of the canon that he altered Shadow's memories was... not the best move. It, again, waters down the tragedy of ARK and GUN's horrific actions. It's just kind of weird, you know? I can't get behind Shadow wanting to destroy the earth that Maria loved if he didn't think that was what she wanted. Revenge for Shadow was never about himself. It was about Maria. His desire to carry out her dying wish has always been his primary motivator.

The resolution is kinda bland, too. In the film, Shadow's change of heart comes not because he remembers that Maria wanted him to help humanity and keep it safe in spite of its cruelty, but because he remembers she's always with him and... I dunno, I guess that's enough to forgive GUN or something, like they weren't totally gonna kill that little girl.

"But, Merri! The Sonic movies are for children! They wouldn't understand a complex story like that! It'd be too graphic!"

SA2 was made for children as well. It's rated E10+, and it isn't graphic. I didn't grasp everything about the story at 10, but I gathered enough and it wasn't jarring or scary for me in the slightest. Kids can handle a lot more than I think people give them credit for, and if something is uncomfy or scary, I think sometimes that's good in a controlled environment, too, because it gives parents the ability to step in and talk to them about it.

I didn't expect Sonic 3 to be a 1:1 of SA2. I liked that it looked at the characters from a different angle. We got to see their stories from Sonic's POV as an insecure kid, rather than a selfsure teenager/adult, and we got to see Dr. Robotnik's descent into madness because of him. It's different, but it's fun, and I think those differences work well because they are completely different. With Shadow's story, I feel like... it just doesn't work as well, because it tried to take the skeleton of his story and build something new, but in doing so, it lost its original message and flattened Shadow's character into something that I just really struggle to find believable. It feels like fanservice without understanding what made SA2 a fan favorite in the first place.

(I also feel some kinda way about glossing over Shadow's sacrifice when it was SUCH a huge thing in the OG story. It's not the Worst Thing compared to my other points. But. Y'know. It's just disappointing that soooo much children's media now refuses to let you sit with any negative emotion for too long before cracking a silly joke. Like. My man Shadow just willingly blew himself up to save the earth... Oh well! Silly camping trip time!!! Heehahoo)

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

Bridgerton cast the roles they auditioned for Vs the role they actually got in the end! Y’all see NICOLA oh!

Nicola Coughlan Pen got Pen

Claudia Jessie Pen got Eloise

Jonathan Bailey Simon got Anthony

Luke Newton Simon got Colin

Phoebe Dyvenor 2 roles Pen and ? got Daphne

Calam Lynch Colin got Theo

Hannah Dodd Daphne got Francesca

Luke Thompson Duke got Benedict

and people cry about why she’s the favourite and why she’s the main character face of the whole show like I’m need y’all to be fr no one is on her level no ever reaching her range and versatility all of them combined couldn’t even reach miss face of the 😂 sit down now

I just know on my mothers life Shonda was sob crying thanking her gods on her car on her way home when she got Nicola in that room and said that’s my main character face of my franchise and she was so right! It’s fcgo Shonda always I don’t like her but she really ATE but not really since its really Nicola that devoured that audition effortlessly too she didn’t even try hard because she knew it’s shondaland and there was like 500 other people auditioning for pen so she just said I’m do my best and not force it and Shonda really said you shall be my whole everything an she was right still fcvk Shonda always tho genuinely hate that eh woman

Ofc Nicola fav song on Beyoncé new album is bow down 😂 it’s literally what everyone should be doing every time they see her or go near her! bow down bitc*hes when you are in the presence of your betters!

not Nicola literally talking about having a day or two to prep for pen (in her new video that dropped now 😂 they saw me talking about and said let’s give you the proof for the antis before they jump you best girl) and being the face of one of Netflix biggest show oh she’s so silly love of my life what a legend what a queen! TV

[random-imagines-blog]

Ambulances {Robert Downey Jr x Teen!Reader Oneshot} 

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 3483 Summary: Being the youngest actor on the MCU is a dream come true - but why doesn't you feel as good as you should? Notes: Talks about depression.

This was meant to be everything that you ever wanted. The chance to work on one of the biggest franchises the world had ever seen. Appearing in a huge movie, and then getting the chance to star in a television show afterwards, all about your character. Possibly more movie appearances. Getting paid so handsomely that if you were careful, you wouldn’t ever go into debt. Rubbing elbows with some of the biggest and brightest stars in the world. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch. And you weren’t even out of high school yet. You were supposed to be living the dream.  

Then why did it feel like it was spiraling down into one of those nights where you don’t remember your dreams? It wasn’t a nightmare. There were negatives but nothing that you didn’t expect going into the acting profession. You didn’t hate your job. You didn’t hate your character. You just - started to feel nonchalant about the whole thing. Nothing at all. It started off with not feeling as excited as you used to when you woke up in your trailer to go to set. You were tired and had to drag yourself out of bed to go to hair and make-up.  

Robert was getting his done, his iconic Tony Stark facial hair being trimmed and shaved perfectly. You muttered a good morning before taking your seat, and one of the makeup artists came to work on you. 

“Rough night, kid?” Robert asked, raising an eyebrow at you.  

“I don’t think I slept that well,” you said. “Just - couldn’t get out of bed today.” 

“That’s called being a teenager,” He chuckled.  

“Yeah, probably,” you said, forcing out a chuckle back. You would just chalk this one up to a bad day. Everyone had those. You were able to pep yourself up for your scenes, and work through them without any issues. It was good to focus on something other than yourself for once. Get into the character. Become someone else for a little while. Someone who was mighty, and strong, who got out of bed each morning without trouble - unless they were beat up, which because this was a superhero movie, happened quite often. But you declined going out for dinner with everyone else, just saying that you were tired and headed back to your trailer while they went out to enjoy themselves.  

You looked around your trailer once you were inside. It was quiet in there, save for the very faint buzzing of electricity that was powering the lights. You collapsed down on the small couch where you usually went over your lines but - you couldn’t think of what to do. You didn’t feel like doing ... anything. There was your gaming console set up by the tv, a stack of games - but you didn’t feel like playing them. There was Netflix and Amazon Prime and Disney Plus and Hulu - but you didn’t feel like watching anything. There was your laptop, but you didn’t feel like website surfing. So, you just - sat there. Doing nothing. Feeling nothing.  

Your phone went off. You could see the name on top. One of your best friends from back home. Someone that you usually loved to talk to. But you just ... didn’t feel much like talking to them. A stab of guilt made its home in your stomach once the screen went dark again, knowing that you should have answered it. There was no reason to ignore them. But you still didn’t move. Just letting this feeling of ‘you should you should you should’ take you over.  

-- 

You didn’t even remember falling asleep - and you couldn’t remember if you dreamt or not. One minute, you were sitting on your couch, staring blankly ahead of you, not even thinking of anything, and the next, you were still sitting there but there was light coming in through the curtains and your alarm was going off on your cellphone.  

You were astounded at yourself. You’d never done this before, never felt this way before. You forced yourself up and into the shower but there too, you didn’t feel like doing much of anything. It all felt so ... tedious and worthless. How many times in your life were you going to waste time, standing here in the shower, washing your hair? How many times were you going to cover your loofa in bodywash and lather yourself up? Doing it all today just to do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. It felt so dull. 

And when you got out, all squeaky clean and put on a random hoodie and jeans to head out to hair and makeup, yet again, you didn’t feel as good as you usually did. Usually, a shower was just the thing that helped you start the day. You felt good when you were clean. “God, what’s wrong with me?” You muttered to yourself as you went into trailer and took your seat. 

This time it was Chris Evans that got there the same time you did, sitting in the opposite chair. “You missed a fun night,” he said, grinning at his phone. 

“Oh,” you said, looking straight ahead of you into the mirror. You forced out a laugh that didn’t feel real. “Next time, next time.” 

“I’ll hold you to it. They had some of the best tacos that I’ve ever had-” Chris said, turning into an excited puppy as he often did when he found something that he liked. Usually, it was enough to make you cheerful. But you just tuned him out, not having the attention span for this conversation. Or maybe it just wasn’t the energy. 

The makeup artists started on you, having to use a bit more concealer than they usually did. “Make sure you get all eight hours,” The artist reminded you.  

“Yeah, sorry about that,” You forced a chuckle. She covered your dark circles expertly, patting on powder to try to make it look more natural, and then you were out there to get ready for the shot of the day. You had a bit of time until you actually had to be on the set, since you were just coming in at the end of the scene, so you sat down and just ... watched. You didn’t really say anything to anyone. You weren’t in the most sociable mood. You let your mind wander, your body being present, but your mind was far away.  

“Hey kid,” A voice snapped you out of it. You blinked a couple of times and looked to see that Robert was sitting right next to you. You hadn’t noticed because you had been so busy thinking about ... you couldn’t even remember. That was more startling than Robert’s voice coming out of nowhere. You had no idea what you had been thinking about.  

“Hey,” You nodded, and then looked back out to the set, watching Chris Evans and Scarlett working together on a scene. “I didn’t know you were supposed to be on set today.” 

“‘m not, but I got bored so though I’d check it out,” he said, crossing his arms in front of him. Robert Downey Jr was intimidating, not because he was tough or scary, but because of his long career, and how he managed to recover from some pretty drastic dips. “You seem a little glum, chum.” 

“No, I’m just ... tired,” you said. It felt like a flimsy excuse, but you didn’t have one that felt better. It must have sounded weak as well, because Robert took off his sunglasses in a very Tony fashion and slipped them into his front pocket.  

“Just tired?” He asked. “You coming down with the flu or something?” 

“That could be it,” You nodded, clutching onto that idea. Maybe you had just gotten sick. Maybe there was a bug going around. There was always some kind of bug going around. It would explain your increase in listless behavior. You weren’t always the most active person, but you had been able to keep up with Marvel’s standards for their actors, but now that you were finding it harder, the flu made perfect sense. “Yeah, I think it’s just the flu. Better not get too close, huh?” 

“I’m not worried, I get my shot every year,” Robert said, casually. “You know - you could come to one of us if something is wrong, right?” 

It almost felt like an accusation of sorts. Like he could see right through you. See something that you were having trouble seeing in yourself.  

“Yeah, of course, you’re like - the best mentor ever,” You nodded, forcing on another smile. Just the flu, nothing was seriously wrong, it’s not like you could be ... depressed or anything. You didn’t have time to be depressed. You weren’t in the right business to be depressed.  

Your name was being called by the director, so you stood up quickly. “Gotta go. Good talk.” 

“Yeah, good talk,” Robert said, watching your back as you walked away. He saw something in you that he saw in himself, saw the beginning of something that he had struggled through for a lot of his adult life. And he didn’t want to see you struggle through it, at least not alone. He was going to be keeping an eye on you - two if he could spare them. 

-- 

It felt like the longest month of your life. It just dragged on, and on. There were at least four times that you had almost quit the movie. Where you brought up your manager’s number on your phone and almost pressed dial because you wanted out of your contract. It didn’t matter how much money you would owe the studio, or that you would be blackballed in Hollywood. Nothing felt like it mattered anymore. Your gaming system and laptop were collecting dust, literally, you had drawn a sad face on the system in the dust. You didn’t go out with the rest of the cast anymore, claiming other plans or that you weren’t feeling well, and spent the time in your trailer alone, with the lights off. Not because you were hiding but because you didn’t care to turn them on. You’d just be turning them off when you went to sleep so what was the point? You woke up, you dragged yourself out of bed, you went to set, and then you went back to your trailer and back into bed. You’d doom scroll through social media but not interact with anything.  

You went through the horrors of the world like you were trying to prove something. Or use it as a reason to be the way that you were being. The world was a crazy, unhappy place, so of course you were unhappy. Of course, you were falling into a depression - which was something that you could no longer deny. This wasn’t a few bad days, or the flu, or just feeling uneasy. This was full on, falling through the cracks, feeling worthless, depression.  

You didn’t deserve to be here. You weren’t putting in the work that you should be, which made you anxious about your performance, which made you feel even worse. You felt like you were just an imposter among all of these stars, you didn’t earn your place among them. It should be someone else here. A star like - Jenna Ortega, or Noah Schnapp, would fit in here better than you could. You were messing up your lines, having to have someone feed them to you through a small earpiece that couldn’t be seen on camera. You were given warnings by the director to shape up. You didn’t even cry when you were given that criticism. You didn’t get mad, you didn’t feel proud that he cared enough about you to want you to do better, you just felt numb to it, and returned to your bed like you did time and time again.  

It was after you spent an entire weekend in your bed, not showering, only eating what you could grab quickly and bring back to the bed, which was all the unhealthy stuff, not even changing your pajamas once, that you admitted that you had a problem. That you were forced to deal with the cold reality that - you weren’t coming down with the flu, but that this could seriously be depression. You couldn’t live in the denial of it anymore. 

You knew you should call your parents. Maybe your manager. Maybe even your family doctor to get a referral to a therapist or something along those lines. But there was only one person that you could think of talking to. 

You forced yourself into a shower, found some clothes that smelled relatively clean and didn’t have any stains on them, and put your shoes on for the first time in days. The sun was shining, and you had to admit that it felt kind of nice on your skin after so long. The crew were running around, getting things prepared for today’s shoot, which you didn’t have any part of. A free day, at least for now.  

You walked past a couple of the trailers, looking for the right one. A sign in the door had his name in big block letters, and you saw that he had drawn a little Iron Man underneath it. It wasn’t very well done but it was recognizable. You knocked on the door and then put your hands in your pockets, looking around to see if anyone was noticing you lingering outside. 

The door opened and Robert poked his head out. His cool expression warmed up when he saw you standing there. “What’s up kid?” 

You looked at him and you tried to think of exactly how you were going to say this. He already knew the meaning behind you coming to his door. But - he was still going to make you say it. You just had to say it. 

“I think - I have a problem, Robert,” You admitted. It was the first time that you said it out loud. Your first outside admission that something was wrong. You were putting it out into the universe because that’s the only way that you could get any sort of help.  

“I thought so,” Robert said, stepping out of his trailer. “Come with me.” 

-- 

He didn’t take you straight to a therapist or to the hospital or anything else that you had fared he was going to do. Instead, he took you to a small ice cream parlor near the studio. He bought you a sundae, loaded with all of your favorite toppings, even if you didn’t necessarily feel like eating something sweet right now. You didn’t feel like you deserved the treat. 

“Go on,” Robert urged, digging into his own with a plastic spoon. “You admitted you have a problem. That’s step number one, you deserve it.” 

It was like he could read your mind. He knew exactly what you were thinking and why you weren’t eating. So, you picked up the spoon and you dug it into the mess of ice cream and toppings and sauces and took out a large scoop and put it into your mouth. The sweetness ... actually tasted sweet. It didn’t taste like ashes on your tongue like a lot of food does these days. Eagerly, you went for a second scoop, and Robert was looking at you like you were a child of his that he was proud of.  

“I - I don’t know if it’s depression exactly. I’ve never really been depressed before,” You admitted, stirring your ice cream to make it a little softer, a little easier to eat. “As far as I know, it doesn’t run in my family. And ... it’s not like ... I feel sad or anything. I don’t cry...” 

“Depression isn’t just about feeling sad. Everyone feels sad,” Robert said, taking a bite of his own. “It sucks the life right out of you. It makes you lose your spark. Your passion. Any pleasure that you have in life, it just ... takes it away.” 

“That ... is how I’ve been feeling,” you said with a small nod. “I know it’s ridiculous, like, I’ve got my dream role and -” 

“It doesn't matter, kid,” Robert said, kindly. “You could be the happiest, richest person on the planet, and you can still get depressed. It’s not about deserving it. It’s just something that unfortunately happens.” 

You kept stirring your ice cream rather than eating it, watching the toppings drown under the melting cream. It was hard to take in that this was something that was actually happening to you. It was like a car crash in a way. It happened to other people. It was never supposed to happen to you. 

“So, what do I do?” You asked, slumping back. “Because I can’t ... I can’t be this way. It’s exhausting. I’m forgetting my lines, I can’t concentrate, I keep fucking up scenes and I feel like everyone is mad at me -” 

“No one is mad at you,” Robert said, pointing his spoon in your direction. “Everyone is worried about you. I think we all had it figured out before you did. Did you know that Evans has social anxiety? He works on it every day. He’d be another good person to talk to about all of this stuff. It’s different from depression but ... it has some of the same struggles.” 

“I’ll try to remember that” You mumbled. “So really, what do I do? How can I... get over this?” You plead. You put all of your trust in Robert here. He’d become a leading figure in your life since you joined the MCU.  

“It’s a disease,” Robert said, sadly. “It’s not something where you just take two pills and you’re done. There are medications that’ll help you out, but they take a little while work, and sometimes, you have to go through a couple of different ones to find out what works for you. Though what I’d recommend is therapy.” 

“Therapy?” You ask, eyebrows furrowed together. “I don’t even know what I’d say. I don’t have some ... deep childhood trauma that I can just point my fingers to. I don’t even ... know how to explain how I feel.” 

“You did a good enough job with me,” Robert pointed out.  

“That’s because I know you. I’m comfortable with you. And you knew what it was before I did...” 

“Why don’t I give you the name and number of the therapist I’ve been seeing for years. They’re really good,” Robert said, taking off his sunglasses and making straight up eye contact with you. “Or - they can help you find someone who fits you best. That’s important. You have to feel comfortable talking to them. There’s no shame in trying to find the one for you.” 

You groaned and put your head down on the table, the metal feeling cold against your forehead. You were hoping it was going to be easier than that. That it could just be like antibiotics, take two a day and scare the depression away. But of course, nothing was ever going to come that easy in this life. You were going to have to work for it. Just like how you worked hard for everything else that you achieved.  

“It’s going to be a trek,” Robert said, clicking his tongue, spooning up more of his ice cream. “But I think you can handle it. You took that first step, now you just have to make a phone call.” 

He took a card out of his wallet, and he slid it across the table to you. A professional business card, the name and number of a therapist. You just looked at it from your position on the table, your head turned onto its side now. “Do I have to do it right now?”  

“You don’t have to do anything,” Robert shrugged. “It’s up to you when you’re ready.” 

You sighed again. You missed the days when your parents used to make the phone calls. Used to schedule your appointments for you. Made sure that you got there on time. That was one of the annoying parts of being an adult. You had to do it yourself now. 

You raised your head and read the card again. The name of the doctor in a neat, no-nonsense font. You took another spoonful of your ice cream, took your phone out of your pocket, and started to dial the number, looking at Robert the whole time who gave you a thumbs up. It was going to be a rough road but - at least you could honestly say that you were not alone. That helped more than anyone could ever understand. 

[kaorucup]

On woy ships, the reason skeleton dance works (as in, it doesn't come off gross if people ship them) because Hater trying to kill him never comes off as anything to take serious. There's nothing really at stake because their villain & good guy relationship is such a silly, cartoony one. Wander doesn't fear him and, deep down, Hater doesn't really hate him (or at the very least, he hates him significantly less and less as time goes on, and it's always been an extremely petty hate.) It's literally confirmed that they're going down a path that's going to end in a mutual friendship between them. Meanwhile, with Dominator, even if we set aside the fact that she literally isn't into men, she exists as a serious threat, a serious villain, an actual terror. Wander operates as being in denial of it, but he's literally very scared of her himself. It's not very subtle that she upsets him. A lot. She's played straight as a cruel, sadistic, twisted monster of a villain who has zero qualms with offing him as soon as she's done torturing him via destroying everyone he loves right in front of him. If given the chance to have any space in his life, she would just be his abuser. That's why him trying to reach out and make friends with her (and not because he wants to but because he feels a moral obligation to) is repeatedly framed as harmful and bad. The fact that people look at them and go, "ouhhhgh but she's Hot so he hasss to ogle and fawn over her!! 🤤" is just. Eugh.

I want to give an example from my 1st all-time favorite show before the 2nd became WOY.

This is Darknest/Ophiuchus Star Princess from Star Twinkle Pretty Cure. She's just like Dominator in many ways, and I'd really like to dedicate like a whole ass post about her, but back to her 2nd biggest similarity with her that isn't a massive spoiler for both of their characters: they're both conquerors who have caused galactic destruction + genocide.

The point I'm gonna make here is a massive spoiler for the ending of this series, but I'm gonna try to not say it outright. They don't do what they did with Dominator. That's all I can say. It's such a massive fumble that it's seen as one of the series' biggest issues. It's a great installment in the franchise: I actually HIGHLY recommend it if you love WOY. When I watched all of the latter back in May, I got a lot of Star Twinkle vibes when they were just going around meeting people on new planets. They don't visit as much planets as WOY because it only has 50 episodes (and it even takes a while for them to actually go into space, but trust me, the first few episodes will keep you entertained). All in all, I love Star Twinkle just as much as Wander.

(unfortunately the only way to watch it is through yo ho ho sites, but wcostream doesn't have those NASTY ads)

Back to Dominator though- Domi not being redeemed was great because, like you said, Wander trying to be friends with her was "repeatedly framed as harmful and bad." And if we use that Darknest example, it shows that "Hey, maybe you shouldn't really be friends with EVERYONE." A lesson even Wander himself learns at the end of the episode.

Idk if I'm making myself clear, but what I'm trying to say that in general SYMPATHIZING with villains like them is just stupid. Like obviously you can have favorite villains, but shipping them with characters they've hurt a LOT isn't right. deathglare is toxic yaoi, but do you see hater going out of his way to hurt peepers for the fun of it? no. (I don't know if I'm making myself sound clear man I hope I'm saying this right)

basically: shipping wander x dominator is bad because it goes against the lesson learned during the end of the galaxy.

once again, I yapped what I needed to yap. I think. I can't tell if I promoted star twinkle too much here