#the movie is would you rather (2012) btw

[habits-white-rabbit]

Billy Loomis ass moment where I'm watching a horror movie at seven AM on Christmas morning

[yzafre]

thoughts on tmnt 2003

I finally finished watching 2003 for the first time! I've been compiling thoughts as I go along, so here they all are, for the "I like hearing what new people think of my favorite things" crowd (and also just to give myself a place to put them).

Spoiler alert: it's mostly positive, and forgiving of the less-than-positive. This gets long, so I put it below a read more:

Okay, so I saw everyone talking about how different Rise was from 2012, and how it jarred people, and some people couldn’t stomach it, but I never saw anyone mentioning 2003’s place in this discussion?  Because I didn’t realize just how much 2012 pulled from 2003, and I feel like the expectations that set about what it means to do a new iteration of the franchise definitely had a place in how people received something different

On that note, I kind of want to do a “who wore it better” post about all the arcs 2012 adapted... (although 2003 probably also pulled its ideas from somewhere else – I've heard the comics, maybe?  I barely know anything about those, so have no idea how closely they’re connected.).

The City at War arc (good series of episodes, btw) really clarified a point of difference for me in how I understand 2003 and 2012 Raphael.  And by that I mean I think 12!Raph would agree with 03!Leo?  Not on the honor/it’s our fault point, but on the “the gangs are out there hurting people, and we should do something about it”. I’d need to re-watch some episodes to check my work here (I think the episode where they meet Murakami sticks out most in my head?) but 12!Raph seemed to have – at least verbally – an investment in the idea of stopping bad guys simply because they were hurting people.

Okay so obviously Same As It Never Was is agonizing, BUT.  Leo in Usagi’s world was SOOOOO funny to me.  omg.  Everyone just being all “ninja deceit”!  “Dishonorable ninja”!!  With Leo’s whole... deal.  Like from the beginning of the show I was like “isn’t bushido a samurai thing?” when Leo brought it up, so to see it being highlighted here is.  Mwah.  Even Usagi being “bluh bluh you’re turning me into a ninja with all this sneaking around >:(".  SO funny.  I was dying.

I’ve talked several times on how 2012 invested in inter-connected, long-form plots rather than being purely episodic, so it’s interesting to see 2003 move that way as the seasons go on!  I don’t think it ever quite reaches the level of ‘12, but you can definitely see how the writers were inspired by the plot work going on here, and went “okay, can we do that but more?”  The differences between how the two shows do it is interesting, too, but that would be a whole other conversation.

Similarly, I can see how part of Rise’s inspirations might’ve been some of the weirder world-building stuff going on in ‘03.  Everything about the underground city/ the Y’Lyntians, the idea of the Utrom/Kraang being here since long ago, all the more mystic stuff that ‘12 only sometimes dabbled in.  ((I also think part of the way Rise was written was to be in dialogue with the themes of ‘03 and ‘12, but that’s also a different conversation.))

I was aware of Grudge Match before watching the show, but given what I knew about it I honestly expected Mikey to be much more obnoxious about it?  Like yes he wouldn’t shut up about it in the multi-part immediately after the Nexus arc, but after that it seemed like he only mentioned it, what, once every couple episodes? Grudge Match implies he was louder about it off screen – which would be in character – but given how good the show usually is at “show don’t tell” for setting up characterization it stood out to me.

Okay this is petty but.  I am getting very tired of the constant movie quotes.  Stop that.

Okay so on the topic of “show don’t tell” characterization – Leo's ptsd arc was good.  Like this was a thing I knew about before starting the show but everyone was right it was goooood. Like obviously within the limitations of a kids show, but a wonderful amount of nuance for that audience. It tracks so well start to finish, even from season 1 where Leo was shown to have this.  Really strong but devastatingly rigid sense of identity?  Like what it means to be a warrior, and who he has to be because of that.  Like the thing with his identity being tied to the swords, and then the reason why he was tempted by Shredder’s initial (lying) offer. It all tracks to like.  Okay when he fails.  When he can’t live up to it.  Of course it shattered his mental state and threatened his sense of identity.  Of course it did.  And then just several arcs of different plots but with this other character story woven through them.  Just in how he was approaching it.  This is the shit I was wanting from ‘12 the whole time.

And Usagiiii.  Usagi.  I love him so much, and this was such great use of him. Building up a solid, believable foundation for a very enjoyable relationship between him and Leo, then bringing it back at this critical juncture in Leo’s character.  FUCK their conversations in Samura Tourist were so good.  Amazing.  Fantastic.

Actually just all the work that’s done with the turtle’s allies is great.  The homeless/junkyard people.  The super-heroes.  Leatherhead.  Usagi.  The Daimyo.  Just... all of it?  I love it?  It makes the world feel more alive and the turtles grounded in it as like.  Real people.  Who make connections and upkeep them and.  Yeah I love it.

I reached Tale of Master Yoshi and noooooo it’s.  It’s the 2012.  It’s the 2012 backstory.  The inspiration for 2012’s whole thing… its right here… ((Although is it just me or,,, does Yoshi (our hero) look a lot more western compared to Mashimi (our villain)?  There’s something about that.... hm. Hmmmmm.))

Hello season 5! A!Ni!Me! Bullshit!!!  Very accelerated anime bullshit.  Obliviously this is a huge inspiration for Rise, though I appreciate that that show took more time for the powers to build up.  Also the ninja tribunal are assholes and very questionable teachers.  Would it kill you to actually explain anything ever.

Huhhh okay so I am picking up a LOT of Rise vibes not just from the mystic powers/glowy lines, but from Splinter’s deal with the ninja tribunal, and how they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice the boys, and how the brothers need to stick together.  VERY reminiscent of Rise!Splinter’s deal with the Hamato.

Noooo not Oroku Saki getting possessed by a demon.  Hello Rise backstory.  I see.  It really all comes back to 2003 doesn’t it?  Rise was definitely made by people who looked at S5 and went “okay, can we do that but more?”

Have I talked about how much I love that from the beginning the show was just like “oh yeah also actual superheroes exist in this world, it’s just an accepted thing”?  Because I do.  Love it a lot.  Having most of them be really old/kinda retired/people are forgetting about them was a good idea though because otherwise.  Their spotty presence at cataclysmic events would be much more noticeable.

Dragon fight is cool.  That is all.

The fact that at this point Stockman is just straight up like “Let me die.  Please let me die” is.  Well it sure is something!

I’d heard the last two seasons weren’t as good and… yeah.  Like it’s not bad, it’s just… less good.  I miss the world and characters of the previous season.  Though hey did the Rise gear designs steal some inspo from this season?

HOWEVER.  The episode introducing the dark turtles.  Where Leo’s like “if you’re really my clone, you should value honor and the code of bushido!” and his counterpart just... stares solemnly for an extended time before being like “lmao yeah nope” and sucker punching him was hilarious, and got a sharp laugh out of me.  Favorite moment in this season.  I actually liked this episode overall, too.

So.  Hm.  Mikey has always been very un-serious – a jokester, (verbally) a bit of a coward at times, easily distracted.  But as this season goes on it really feels like they’re amping it up/exaggerating those traits, to the point of stripping away anything else at times. Similarly, his brother’s willingness to indulgence/reactions to his silliness seems to fluctuate wildly, but on a downward trend - they always razzed him, but in this season... well they paired his increased goof-offs with increased put downs/jokes about it. This, while a bit annoying to me as a characterization choice, does track on a more meta-textual level.  By this point it’s 2006-2007.  2007 is the year Big Bang Theory aired, which I find to be, uh…. Tonally representative of the cultural attitude in the US between 2008 annnnd… 2013-ish?  There was this extra-concentrated feeling of, like… snideness and sarcasm that I remember around that time period.  It’s also very prominent in TMNT 2012 – especially in Season 1 (when binging that show I was hit by high school memories so viscerally that I said, out loud, “oh, GOD, we really were all Like That, weren’t we?” only a few episodes in).  Similarly to my post about the increasing frequency of the “Gibbs slap”, I find it interesting to see the way the changing attitudes are reflected in the same show as time passes.

LET STOCKMAN REST jeZUS

Overall, I see three kinds of episodes in season 6: mediocre, good, and what I call “good but out of order”.  What I mean by that last bit, is like… okay, the Graduation episode was good in theory, but felt very strange coming after Season 4/5, you get me?  Things where the concept is solid, but seems to be placed in the wrong position in their arcs, which I think is a knock-off effect from the lightened tone of the season.

Oh.  I just got to the second episode of S7 and.  I don’t…. hm.  So, I could deal with the simplified designs in Fast Forward, because they got some cool new gear stuff added in as well, but this is.  Uh.  Worse. But even beyond that – the dynamics also feel sort of off.  If Casey has been going to this gym for a while, why is April only now doing something about it….?  I don’t feel like she would have let this go just because the guys weren’t there. Also I'm putting it down here now that I think the whole digital world thing is kinda dumb

I do think 2012 looked at a lot of the ideas for S7 and went “interesting idea, we can do it way better”, which I commend them for.  Admittedly, these can also be stock tropes: April getting possessed also reminds me of Ghost Busters/Zuul, and mind control is a pretty standard trope, but… well, you know.  2012 took so much else from 2003, you can’t help but wonder if they pulled inspiration here, too.

Oh they are wayyyy over-using the Shredder/Foot Clan sting/motif this season and it is getting,,, annoying,,,

I kept waiting to see what they were doing with it, but they did not handle Donnie’s guilt arc with anywhere near the finesse they did Leo’s.  It wasn’t… horrible, I guess.  It’s just notably lacking in comparison. They didn't even have Leo really sit down with him to talk about his own experience like???

I did appreciate them bringing back all those side characters in the finale.  I’ve already mentioned I love the plethora of allies and friends they gave the turtles in this iteration, so obviously that was going to please me, though they could have gotten a little bit better showing in the final fight.

Lmao the guy I thought was gonna be rat king!!!!  He’s there lurking and watching in the distance???

Good show!  But yeah I’d agree with people who say that the heart of the show is really in the first 5 seasons.  After that the characters and stories feel a bit… flattened? The more I pushed through the last two seasons, the more I was missing the first 5, which I really, really enjoyed. Ranking on my personal tastes of the series I’ve watched so far, meeting each show where it's at, it goes Rise > 2003 > 2012.  Rise and 2003 are really close, with Rise just beating it on account of “it was my first show” and also “I REALLY like anime bullshit”, although there’s potential for that to shift or fluctuate as it marinates in my brain. That being said, 2012 is the one that makes the creative part of my brain go crunch-crunch, so take that as you will. Continuing to go backwards puts me at the 1987 series, so I suppose that’s next.  I have plans to watch the new TotTMNT with family during the holiday season, so unfortunately I’m up for an (agonizing) wait on that one.

[throne-for-queens]

The whole plot was indeed inspired by The Place Beyond The Pines. Him going back to crime to feed his child, the outfits, the place. His red jacket, her blue dress she is wearing. The mechanical shop, the bank robbing, the motorbike riding, the bike itself. The outfits

And do you know who he associated the movie with? A clue, def doesn't start with "Meg" and end with "An" . Somebody else. Everytime he mentions Eva Mendes (this is the movie she met Ryan Gosling btw... look how private THEY are) he has somebody else in minds she reminds him of, since 2011. He started relating heavy with the movie after his 2014 break up. It came in 2012.

I didn't mind the music video, I'd rather he had somebody else for a model. Somebody who looks closer to the woman The Place Beyond The Pines reminds him of. Or even somebody who actually looks like Evan Mendes. But he's a sweetheart for giving her the chance to feel the belly she lost with him. I totally see the point of anons when they talk about the guilt he feels. As long as she manages to make him feel guilty (especially if he felt like he done that stuff to other partners too), he will keep eating out of her hands.

Not everybody accussing eachother to do revisionism and now he's doing it himself! LMAO. Well he already did that plenty times when he said on GQ MF was his first love. First you say it's Her Song girl then you break up and you hint on interview at the fact Hedie Gore was your true first love, when you were still dating. Which one is It? He also lied about his first his celebrity crush and that was... Eva Mendes (because of who she reminds him of, plus he said she looks like she would have a "Pink butthole" 😂🤣... that boy was wild back in the days in his interviews).

Anyways you know this is a fantasy and not an alternate universe, if homeboy was actually a mechanical, as much of an attractive man and bright soul he is, she would have been long time gone. Chasing another richer man. I don't want to overstep the line but poor thing he's always been surrounded with women that leave for the love of money. Since forver.

Please if you want, I suggest you to really go watch The Place Beyond The Pines. You'll probably understand his interview with Nessa. It's on YT, it's free. 🌲🍎🏍️⛪🤱🏦

It's telling me I have to rent or buy, but already from the cover I can see certain similarities.

[alwida10]

I heard the show isn’t doing well as much as season 1, I mean so many people who don’t like it,aren’t watching .

All theses writers should have made it about Loki rather than time travel stuff. I mean so much of the character is not yet explained like what happened between 2011-2012

How hard was it for them to watch atleast 6-7 movies he starred in. You know manga writers put these hack writers to shame, they build a beautiful consistent world without info dumping. Best eg: one piece, Oda was able to create a consistent for the past 26 years and it’s the best selling manga in the world right now.

The audacity to call whatever the series is ‘art’ is really embarrassing. Don’t make a mockery out of it. I have seen better shows explain free will.

(Date of ask: 5.11.2023)

Omg, yes! So much yes! And thank you for letting me know I was not the only one seeing this already during airing. I’m so incredibly sorry I never answered your ask until now, but I looked at it so often.

And yes. It’s such a pain and a shame how little interest the writers had in him. Kate’s comment on her little lotr fanfic (something like “I wanted to draw readers in so I added a slash pairing”) made me wonder if she saw Loki at any time as something more than means to an end. And don’t get me started on Waldron. I’m surprised he managed to find&replace all the original names in his horrible original script with Loki et al.

And yes. The manga writers I know have work ethics. I can’t even say “better” work ethics, because that would imply Waldron & co would be familiar with the concept, which I doubt.

Btw, I finally got around to say something about the success of season 2.

[angelmichelangelo]

Hey you know would be fun? You could rank your favorite to least favorite iteration of each of the four boys. Btw sorry for all these asks lol

OH THAT WOULD BE FUN!! don’t be sorry i haven’t had asks in months so it’s all good friend! okay here we go:

starting with leo.

least favourite leo would for SURE be the bayverse version. now.. i am the Few that actually enjoys those movies (sue me, they came out when i was first getting into tmnt so they hold some nostalgia value) but ive mentioned before my gripe with bayverse!leo just because he’s so narrow minded and so set aside from mike, raph and don. it feels like he’s their awkward older cousin that lives with them rather than a brother. bayverse!leo get in the bin. michael bay, you can join him whilst he’s there, actually. why did you do my boy dirty like this, huh?

my favourite leo would be 2003! i just really enjoy his storylines! i like that he’s far from perfect! i think he’s well written and he is a good balance of all the ingredients that make leo Leo!! plus leosagi <33333

now raphael.

least favourite version of raph would be.. rise? this is hard because like i said in my last ask, i genuinely enjoy all versions of raph! i’m just gonna say raph just because i like it when he has his typical anger issues. UGH but it’s so hard because he’s so Eldest Daughter in rise. it’s official: i do not have a least favourite raph. it is simply impossible. even bayverse!raph is good lol

favourite raph is easily 2012. sean austin the man that you are, that is MY raphael. as an anger issues girlie i just relate to this raph. he loves his brothers and i will die on the hill that is defending him with every breath i have. we love 2012 in this house and we love 2012 raph even more.

donnie’s turn!!

gonna be super duper controversial with this one so im putting on bubble wrap to protect myself but least favourite donnie is… rise. oops. HEAR ME OUT!! i am totally fine with others liking rise don. i get the appeal. but my heart will forever love gentle, soft, sweet donnie, and whilst the change up in rise is COOL as hell, i just can’t with the sarccy, cold, snarky version of him. (plus i have a LOOOOT to say about ahem. certain stereotypes when it comes to writers creating canonically autistic characters but that’s another rant for another time) ONCE AGAIN!! i still enjoy his character!! but i just don’t find him to be my favourite.. okay swiftly moving on lol

favourite donnie is EAAAASSILY 2007 don. he’s basically a side character in that movie alongside mike but BOY OH BOY he’s just so fantastic. he’s so fun. i could write essays about how he held that stupid family together. give him a medal. give him the moon idc he deserves it. 2007 is a winner

and now for my golden boy, michelangelo

least favourite mikey? im probably gonna go with mutant mayhem???? again, i enjoyed his character and i think his va was like perfect! but he was pretty underutilised in that movie and im really desperately hoping that he’s bumped up from background comic relief to something more in the show and sequel. he’s only on the bottom of the list because he didn’t really do much in the movie except nearly die lol rip

favourite mikey? idw. bodies all the rest of the turtles in every iteration. idw mikey is funny, clever, smart, has great storylines plus we get my meat and potatoes woodyangelo. that’s all i really ever need lol. plus idw mikey checks splinter and that’s like. the best. put that rat DOWN mike !!!

[ben-the-hyena]

Also you may be wondering what dreams I had involving Lord MacIntosh I mentionned in tags 3 posts ago. I reassure you, surprisingly no porn

The first felt very realistic and was just me finding a whole blog about him that was trying to keep itself alive like @blazingdragonsrevolution is and I contacted the blog which I had apparently way back in 2012 and we met again asking how we felt, how I felt more invested in the fandom and asking if it was too late, them amused etc felt really realistic. There were more Brave fanart in general on Tumblr in that dream, I was sad it was fake

The second, from last night, was super cute ?! So cute I want to make it my headcanon (or rather of the bits I remember) ! It was playing like a short, same CGI quality as the movie and all. Lord MacIntosh and Young MacIntosh hunting down a boar on their home land which was covered in forest. Sneaky and silent through bushes, son and father cooperating... until for some reason Young MacIntosh tugs on his bow string a very weird way which has his dad lose his focus and ask him why the fuck he does that. Son goes proudly how he's trying a new style, and what matters is hitting the target anyway. Dad gets mad, you don't decide to shoot arrows a new youngster way out of nowhere especially on a hunt, you stick with tradition. So son gets cocky and has him remember Merida had them stop to go only after tradition. And dad retorts smugly that even she holds her bow the traditional way

They argue more loudly which alerts the boar who runs away, dad and son go ":0" and comically hunt after it all while giving each other counter indications and still arguing "NOW IF YOU HAD LET MET SHOOT" "YOU HAD TO NOT SHOOT NORMALLY" hitting themselves against branches and tripping, until they finally get back to their senses and cooperate again to kill the boar once and for all. Dad and son are reconciled and conniving again, they no longer talk about that bow thing (I felt like he would shoot normally again, and just not admit he ended up agreeing it was weird) and dad is proud of his progresses as a hunter and recalls how he was at his age

You think this is cute ? Just you wait. In the dream I did not see or remember Lady MacIntosh, she is just mentionned and alive, BUT I remember that they had 7 children in total, one son (Young MacIntosh) and 6 daughters. One is nearly as old as her brother, either one year younger or older (she looked like a black haired Merida out of dream logic), and kind of unphased and snarky especially towards her brother, and the others are 5 little girls of various ages going from 4 to 10

The cute thing is the dream had a running gag. WHENEVER Lord MacIntosh comes home, such as here when returning with the dead boar and chatting and chuckling with his son, the 5 little girls fucking JUMP on him happy to see their dad and somehow he keeps forgetting. He opens the door, "DADDY" and he gets smashed against the floor in a loud "OOF" as a lot of fuzzy black and brown hairs pin him fown and hug, Young MacIntosh just stepped back in time and elder sister goes "sup" through the doorstep (the MacIntosh home looked like a single medieval tower lost in the forest, dream logic btw). Lord MacIntosh sits back up dizzily patting some heads agreeing he should see that coming by now, and it opens up with a montage of ALL the times it happened

Him coming home after hunting, him coming home after a stroll, them seeing him after he had come home after having slept outside (he was having breakfast at the time. He gets POUNCED AWAY FROM THE TABLE his spoon stays midair). Him and his wife coming home after a date ("MUM IS RIGHT THERE" "leave me out of this") Him coming home after the movie's events (this time he sees them come, excitedly opens his arms, but they still violently crush him with their love so hard they all fall back some meters behind)

They are daddy's girls who get heavier as they age but still pounce on him like puppies and the poor man will lose some bones if it goes on but he says nothing

This is so fucking adorable I should draw it

[beetlegoose01]

The Problem with Rise Apriltello

An analysis by Pepperimp01, aka Char, aka me 

Well, it’s been a total of about a week since I last pissed off the Rise of the TMNT fandom, so I suppose I better do it again. 

I’d like to clarify before I begin that I will not be comparing Rise Apriltello to any past Apriltello versions (mainly 2012), because it seems irrelevant to talk about it. Whatever your opinion on that ship, does not apply here. Good? Good! 

Uh, spoilers for Rise btw. 

I’d also like to start by saying I adore Rise April. She is probably my favorite character overall in Rise. I love her personality, her design, her growth, and her character development that ends with her becoming a Hamato. It actually makes me tear up every time she has the final moment with Karai.

My issue with Apriltello has little to do with her, actually. To be honest, the idea of her being childhood friends with the turtles is adorable and makes my heart melt to think about. My problem is actually with Donnie. 

(If you're a Rise Donnie stan, I beg you to read the entire thing before you harass me,,,, again)

Donnie is not a good friend. 

When I was first in the fandom, I really loved Rise Donnie and April’s friendship. I thought it was such a nice change of pace from the past TMNT verse to have them just be cool buds instead of awkward love interests. And at first, I was right. Early on, in the episodes War and Pizza and the Purple Jacket respectively, Donnie goes out of his way to help April, even putting himself in danger to do so. 

Unfortunately in the latter episode, Donnie also proceeds to blame April for his own mistakes. She did warn him in the beginning about the Purple Dragons, and he ignored her for his own selfish reasons. Donnie, we all know can’t admit when he’s wrong and has an ego larger than his forehead as his only personality trait, so I guess that should be expected. 

“April: I warned you about those guys.

Donnie: You said they were full of themselves not that they were criminal masterminds. So in a small sense, this is entirely your fault.” 

-The Purple Game

This example is relatively minor and was a joke so I’m not going to harp too much about it. However, there is one episode that still bugs me and that is Donnie Vs. Witch Town. 

My god. Donnie is at his worst in this episode (and that’s saying something considering he's selfish and insufferable for most of the series). All April wanted to do was visit Witch Town and get help on her project. Instead of supporting his supposed best friend, Donnie proceeded to act like a jealous boyfriend and sulk the entire time, even sabotaging everything for her. He mansplained and disrespected the witches, and even got April arrested for something HE did. He was the one who got her banned, it was entirely his fault and you know what? I’d maybe forgive it if he, I dunno, apologized? He apologized to the witches, sure, but he never apologized to April for ruining everything for her. 

No, apologizing is too much work for the “precious purple bean”, and he decided it would be a great idea to make it all about him.

“April: Why are you so obsessed with proving me wrong on this?

Donnie: Because, I’m the Science Guy! If mystic powers can do everything I can do but better, then why would you guys even need me?”

- Donnie vs Witch Town.

This is actually a really common manipulative tactic used to make the other person apologize, or alternatively, comfort the abuser. April should not have been the one to comfort him and he should not have gone on his “poor me” tangent. It’s really sad that Donnie actually showed more compassion towards a robot, rather than his best friend. At least with S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N, he apologized. Too bad he can't do the same for April.

In conclusion? Raph should be April's best friend over Donnie.

I guess all we can hope is that Donnie will be better in the movie. Although if you saw my Andy and Russ callout post, that might not be likely.

[autisticandroids]

not to become a disciple or something. but do you have any media recommendations, like books/films/shows. because i like the way you think. sorry for mass rbing btw

Smiley also knew, or thought he knew - the idea came to him now as a mild enlightenment - that Bill in turn was also very little by himself: that while his admirers - Bland, Prideaux, Alleline, Esterhase, and all the rest of the supporters' club - might find in him completeness, Bill's real trick was to use them, to live through them to complete himself; here a piece, there a piece, from their passive identities: thus disguising the fact that he was less, far less, than the sum of his apparent qualities… and finally submerging this dependence beneath an artist's arrogance, calling them the creatures of his mind…

this passage from tinker, tailor, soldier, spy is what i think of every time anyone tries to put me on a pedestal as Tumblr User Autisticandroids. like genuinely my main skill is making connections with other people and essentially propping myself up through them, though of course i don't really do it on purpose.

anyway unfortunately my taste in media isn't going to contain what you want i don't think. i'm going to give you an extremely random list of things i like. not favorites, but just stuff i enjoy.

my favorite episode of star trek: the next generation is season six episode fourteen "face of the enemy," but if you're going to actually get involved with star trek i would recommend deep space nine instead. when i want to alienate people i put on an episode of the prisoner (1967) because i love that show but it's deeply unenjoyable. i unironically think kill la kill is a great anime. the private life of plants is probably the tv series i've seen the most times.

talking to you, talking to me by the watson twins is underappreciated and contains some of my favorite pieces of music. however, the only thing i've listened to lately is the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars by david bowie because it's a castiel thesis to me.

passing by nella larsen is one of my favorite books ever, and when i first read it i had this free online version where you could actually turn the pages, i think it was this version. i think speaker for the dead is wildly underrated but feel vaguely guilty about recommending orson scott card. a bad book that has brought me a lot of joy lately is absolute friends by john le carre. as a kid i really like the underland chronicles by suzanne collins. a while ago i read the three body trilogy by liu cixin and while the second one dragged and was rather poorly translated, i enjoyed the first for its creativity, classic scifi feel, and understated spookiness, and i enjoyed the third for its dark camp and comparatively strongly drawn characters. even the second had acceptable elements, but mostly because i was tickled by the fact that it reminded me a little of the futurological congress by stanislaw lem.

i just finished relistening to the white vault, a horror podcast which i like a lot but am more ambivalent about now that i know the ending (it wasn't finished the first time i listened). if you hate horror, my favorite non-fiction podcast is you're wrong about.

my favorite source for horror short stories is the scp foundation, and here are some faves.

my favorite movie is alice (1988) dir. jan svankmajer, which is an adaptation of alice in wonderland. it's very much a childhood nostalgia watch for me, unbelievable as that might seem. here's a link, but this version is in czech with english subtitles, so you might have to scout around if you want the english version. not that this movie has much dialogue. a rather eclectic selection of other movies i've liked that i just thought of in the last ten minutes is bride of re-animator (1989), x-men (2000), d.e.b.s. (2004), mirrormask (2005), isolation (2005), the host (2006), hard revenge millie (2009), black swan (2010), excision (2012), the handmaiden (2016), and swallow (2019). my movie taste is probably the closest you'll get in terms of media recs that you might enjoy based on my blog, since i hate movies and can only be tempted to watch them if they cater to me. but also big trigger warnings for some of those lmao.

[starcharmfunzies]

Could you please explain to us, in incredibly insane,DEEP detail, why you hate Mickey? From point A to point Z. I’ll get my popcorn ready.

under the cut cause this got long and I'm very passionate about the topic

---

okay so the year is 2010

BbS came out and the fanbase is heartbroken (including myself) over what happened to Terra, Aqua and Ven. At this point in the franchise Mickey although shady seems like a decent dude, so I didn't have any strong opinions towards him, only that he was this mysterious and seemingly OP king. Let's recap though.

In KH1 he wasn't very communicative with Donald and Goofy, but when he finally showed up at the very end it was to close Kingdom Hearts and ngl it was a pretty hype moment. So far so good.

In Re:Chain of Memories he again does not approach Donald and Goofy -and Sora- even though they were still looking for him, but it was for a very good cause as he stayed with Riku to help him fight Ansem Seeker of Darkness. Here I actually thought well of him.

In KH2 he's still being beyond secretive but he finally joins the gang to explain some things and fight alongside everyone to defeat Xemnas. Honestly he's got no bad record so far; he may be a douche sometimes since he barely explains himself but I could understand because of the circumstances.

So BbS happens. We get insight on how he was involved with TAV and I actually felt kinda bad for Mickey since he hadn't been able to do much to help them, and for all he knew in the worst case scenario they all died.

But then in 2011 Re:Coded came out, and with it its secret movie.

In the secret movie Mickey and Yen Sid have the following exchange:

M: Yen Sid, I think we're finally close to figuring out where Ven's heart is.

Y: Is that so? Then that leaves only Terra.

Hold the fuck up. Only Terra? As in, they already knew where Aqua was?

Why hadn't they gone after her then?????

This secret movie left a bitter taste in my mouth. I started questioning everything. For how long had they known? Why hadn't they done anything? What the fuck were they waiting for?

Sadly in 2012 with DDD's release I didn't get answers to any of these questions, and when Mickey told Xehanort that he hoped TAV sacrificing themselves hadn't been in vain it just got me more angry.

How dare you talk about them as if they were dead. How dare you utter Aqua's name when you know damn well where she is and you know damn well that it's almost fucking impossible to get out of that place without help. YOU could help her Michael. But no, you're just talking about her like she was just a bad memory you wanted to forget.

I was pissed.

And I stayed pissed for the next 5 years, with no main games coming out and only my memories of the past games to look back on Mickey's behavior. Since when had he known that Aqua was in the Realm of Darkness? Since KH1 when he helped Sora close the door to Kingdom Hearts? Since Re:Chain of Memories when he was helping Riku overcome his own darkness? Since KH2 when he was infiltrating the Organization? Since way before KH1? Just how long had he been walking around knowing of this and deciding to do nothing about it?

But not only was I angry at Mickey. I was desperate. How long would I be waiting until Aqua was saved? Would she even be saved at all? Information about her was scarce, and BbS volume 2 seemed nothing but a distant dream, but with DDD being the prelude to the final battle against Xehanort I was hopeful the next main game would finally have her involved again.

So you can imagine how excited I was when we got the first trailer for KH 2.8 that included A Fragmentary Passage.

That image of the back of her head gave me hope. Hope that she was still okay, still fighting, and that she would be saved soon.

And on January 2017 we finally found what had happened to her before she made it to that fateful beach.

And boy I wasn't happy.

The reason Mickey knew Aqua was in the Realm of Darkness was because he met her there, right before he helped close Kingdom Hearts. And of course I don't blame him for getting separated from Aqua, it was the demon tower's fault and I understand he couldn't do much being in a hurry and all to get to the door.

But shouldn't he have tried to find her right after???

I get that there's only so much Nomura can tie back to plot-wise as he writes along, but the matter of fact at this point is that:

Mickey stayed with Riku after closing Kingdom Hearts and didn't say a word to him about Aqua.

We don't know whether Mickey tried to search for her or not, but it sure as hell didn't stop him from leaving the Realm of Darkness when he had the chance.

So after escaping the Realm of Darkness Mickey eventually went to Yen Sid and told him he found Aqua, and Yen Sid told him to not try anything yet as they were unprepared to rescue her.

And OF COURSE, this is the one time Mickey decides to listen to him. Not unlike ALL the other times he went around and did whatever the fuck he wanted. Like when he ran away with the star shard in BbS despite Yen Sid telling him not to get involved, or when he went to confront fucking Xehanort and only got saved because of Ven, or when he abandoned Disney Castle without warning to do things by himself and just left a shitty note with a half-assed explanation, or when he jumped after Xemnas into the dark corridor and left behind everyone in Radiant Garden.

Nah, it's this ONE time in particular that Mickey decides to be a goody-two-shoes and not do anything reckless for a change.

Wasn't Aqua his friend? Didn't he form a D-link with her because they got close? Hadn't he done all the dangerous things he did in the past because he wanted to look after those he cared for and loved?

And not only did he decide to do nothing, but he didn't say a THING about her to anyone. So what if Sora and/or Riku planned a reckless rescue? Mickey had already done worse than that! And BESIDES, Sora and Riku did manage to get out of the Realm of Darkness once so they could have very well done it again a second time.

BUT HEY at least 0.2 ended with Mickey and Riku deciding to finally go get Aqua, so there's hope. That is until 2019, another 2 years later, that KH3 comes out. Mickey and Riku finally go to the Realm of Darkness to look for her, but when they get to the beach and find she's not there what does Mickey decide to do?

HE DECIDES TO LEAVE AGAIN.

It's been 10+ years already what's a little more time am I right fellas???

Reminder that Mickey supposedly considers Aqua a friend btw.

Michael you were there in the Realm of Darkness, you know how dangerous it is, you saw how at the verge of giving up Aqua was, and you decide to keep her waiting even more? What the hell is wrong with you?!

It's like he doesn't even care about her at all. It's so unsettling how carefree he is about it.

And you know what? Had Mickey decided to go save Aqua sooner they might have actually gotten to her before her confrontation with Ansem Seeker of Darkness, and they would have spared her plenty of suffering.

But what do I know.

Anyway, Aqua gets saved (by Sora btw, not Mickey), and in the process she calls Mickey out on his bullshit and he agrees he messed up. He even apologized. That did make me feel better, it was cathartic, and although I was still sore about everything he did now that TAV was back together safe and sound I was considering cutting Mickey some slack. I'll give him credit, I did get a little impressed with what he did in Re:Mind. Credit where credit is due.

But then Melody of Memory happened.

sigh

The moment this asshole found out that Riku went by himself to search for Sora to this strange world of unreality what is the first thing he does?

He bolts to the fucking door ready to go after Riku. And had it not been for Donald and Goofy tackling him to the ground he could have very well ran off.

Why wasn't he this worried over Aqua? When he found her she had already spent 10 years in the Realm of Darkness, a very VERY dangerous place. And yet when he made it out he wasn't worried at all and let her stay 2-3 years more in there?? Riku had left like a fucking hour ago and it was enough to have Mickey panicking COME ON. Biased much?

So there you have it. No matter what Mickey does in the future of the franchise I don't think I'll ever have the heart to forgive him. I was willing to do so, but of course he made me change my mind rather quickly.

I'm glad newcomers to the series share these feelings of not being fond of Mickey, but I don't think they'll go through the same experience that the people that followed the games did. Most of us liked Mickey at the beginning, but through the years we realized with horror that we had been deceived, and we were left to wallow in our rage while we hopelessly waited for someone, anyone, to save Aqua.

[fairytaleslive]

I continue my message. I love Swans and fairy tales about swans. So I love tales as Six Swans, Seven Ravens, Wild Swans? do you love them? I know Czech movie Seven Ravens from Raza, it's very good. You know it? I think it's a popular tale so probably there are also others adaptation. Do you know more? I know all days I ask you something and I hope I don't bother you. I really appreciate too much this website and your knowledge about old stories and European cinema and it's good to discuss with u

Oh, anon, I LOVE the Wild Swans/Six Swans/Seven Ravens type of tale! It has a strong, active heroine, positive relationship between siblings and an engaging romantic subplot (when done right)! (btw: if you enjoy reading fairytale retellings, you might want to check out Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier; it's not an easy read /tw: sexual violence/, but overall very emotionally satisfying)

As for the film adaptations!

THE WILD SWANS (H. Ch. Andersen)/THE SIX SWANS (Brothers Grimm)

To start with H. Ch. Andersen's Wild Swans: there is a made-for-TV Czech adaptation of the same name – The Wild Swans ("Divoké labutě", Czechoslovakia, 1988). It's a part of Fairytale Tree ("Strom pohádek") series, so parts of it are retold by a narrator and parts are acted out. You can watch it on YouTube here. But honestly: it's not very good, you can safely skip this adaptation altogether. And it's so low budget that they never even show the princes as swans, LOL.

Not-Czech alternatives: Märchenperlen series has a pretty great adaptation of Brothers Grimm's Six Swans from 2012 that is very much worth watching if you haven’t already! It's available for streaming on ZDF website and you can watch it with ENG subtitles, I described how to do so here. Although, the automatic subtitles might be a little funny sometimes :).

(I also still remember the Russian animated adaptation from the 60's based on Andersen’s version, I've seen it as a kid on TV and it left a deep impression in me, but I guess you know it already :)).

THE SEVEN RAVENS (Božena Němcová)

Note: Brothers Grimm have a fairytale of the same name but it’s very different from the Czech version collected by Němcová.

There are 3 Czech live-action adaptations of The Seven Ravens:

1) The Seven Ravens (”Sedmero krkavců”, 1967)

You can watch it on YouTube here.

Directed by Ludvík Ráža, this is a made-for-TV film from 60′s, when Czech fairytale TV films were just starting and directors were trying out different ways to make the TV fairytales engaging and atmospheric even with a limited budget. This adaptation definitely does not lack dire atmosphere, but it’s also extremely theatrical/over dramatic, it looks more like a filmed stage play than a fairytale for children. It’s interesting for archival reasons and for its stellar cast, but probably not attractive for foreign fans.

2) The Seven Ravens (”Sedmero krkavců”, 1993)

You can watch it on YouTube here. (The YouTube upload is very low quality, if anyone really wants to watch this movie – without subtitles! – I can send you a download link via private message)

Directed again by Ludvík Ráža, who probably wanted to make a larger budget version of his take from 1967, The Seven Ravens from 1993 is legendary for its dramatic script and creepy villains – seriously, the heroine Bohdanka and her Prince play a second fiddle to the villainous duo of the Prince’s evil sister and her henchman called Hound. Btw - the evil sister is played by Ivana Chýlková who later starred as a titular evil character in The Queen of the Lake I talked about in the previous ask. This film version of the Seven Ravens is not my cup of tea, but it definitely scores points for creepiness!

3) The Seven Ravens (”Sedmero krkavců”, 2015)

Available on Magdalena’s google drive with ENG subtitles here. (please support this amazing blogger, she makes many Czech and Slovak films and fairytales available for foreign fans!)

I still remember that when this film was announced and even when the shooting was taking place, the Czech public in general was rather sceptical about it. After all, director Alice Nellis has never made a fairytale film before. Also, the casting was kind of controversial: Martha Issová, who was 33 yrs old at that time, was considered too old and too “plain” to play a fairytale heroine. Lukáš Příkazký as the Prince was also a surprising choice, as he was also deemed too old and not “manly” enough to star in a fairytale. And while the cast consisted of established actors, there were no big names, no huge stars that would draw the crowds into movie theaters. Many people also expressed the sentiment that it’s “unnecessary” to shoot The Seven Ravens again, when the 1993 version aged so well....

I am saying this to give you some idea how the film was initially not in a favorable position to become a hit and then...it was released to generally positive reviews and became one the best rated Czech fairytale films of the past 20 years. (it has 75% on Czech movie database - that’s a big success for a fairytale film)

Personally, I consider it one of the best Czech fairytale movies of all time and very much worth the watch. Also, I am a fan of Martha Issová and I think she did AMAZING in the main role (she expresses herself non-verbally for like 90% of the film and it’s such a joy to watch)

pictured: Martha Issová as Bohdanka in promotional picture for The Seven Ravens (2015)

[we-rate-tmnt]

I request: Leonardo. Please and thank you 🙏.

Idk if everyone loves Leo or if my header and avatar just remind everyone about this amazing blue boy. (This one’s super silly btw. I’m just sillier as time goes on. Character development I guess?) 

The iconic leador Leonardo (1987)

Bro idk why but I loved this Leo. I have a tiny memory, especially with this version but I clearly remember that I thought he was the funniest and the coolest. I mean, he had swords, what was I supposed to do as a 7-year-old. NOT like him??? Anyway, while Raph was the best at insult comedy, I think Leo had the best puns and punchlines. I really like how nonchalant this Leo is compared to his iterations, going along with really silly ideas and having fun along the way. But because of this, his leadership is a little forced at times, he seems like such a chill and fun dude that when he gets serious, I have to squint and ask ‘are you Leo? Or were you just putting on act a moment ago?’ Or my perception is entirely warped over time. Either way, good turtle boy, could have used some work tho. 5.7/10

Here comes grumpy lad wooo this is all read very monotone btw Fearless Leader (2003)

What. What the fuck happened. I was actually so confused when Leo turned really angry and serious and almost manic. I thought that episode when he popped into Casey’s window and was like ‘Hey bitch lets go beat the shit out of some lowlifes’ I was WOAH THERE BUDDY BACK UP BACK UP BACK TF UP. It was so sudden to me and when it was finally explained, it made some sense??? Like yeah, character development is great an’ all but this ain’t it chief. I can’t imagine what it was like having to wait for these episodes to release one at a time. Bc I watched every episode back to back on Youtube and I was genuinely bamboozled. But when you have an experience like that where guilt is weighing down on you from a situation you couldn’t control, it would’ve been HELLA HELPFUL to have at least a flashback, like a line saying ‘I was so useless!’ at BARE MINIMUM. Like right after Shredder is booted off to Planet Zula, Donnie would notice that Leo didn’t seem all that happy and would ask why and Leo would get upset and yell at Donnie saying that ‘You wouldn’t understand’, ‘You don’t know how I felt, how I feel because of that’, etc. Like you don’t even have to say he felt guilty or helpless, just give us something to grab onto. We’re merely six-year-olds who thought they could climb the YMCA rock wall in easy mode but instead the script riders harnessed us up on the hard one and wouldn’t let us come down until we rang the little bell at the top. I think that is the only problem I had with his Leo. The sudden change of calm and decisive to angry and irrational was so jarring that it felt unnatural without that crucial context. If you want a surprise reveal, at least hint at the reveal (like just about every Disney movie with their ‘twist’ villains) not wait until the very last moment. I think this might be my least favorite Leo and I think the season where he stood out the most and seemed the strongest was Fast Forward (Which was GOOD FIGHT ME), especially in scenes with Dark Leo, his clone. He sees so much of himself in Dark Leo but he also sees something he had once grasped (AKA the poorly written character arc, I CANNOT stress how bad I thought it was). Although, I honestly think he’s a really good character and he’s a pretty neat guy. However, this score is entirely held up by Fast Forward and his connection with Usagi, sword bros to the end of time. 3/10 (2 for FF and 1 for Usagi)

And now a Leo that makes me genuinely feel UWU Leo (2012)

I cannot stress how much I like this guy! Like his design is so appealing, his dedication, his obsession with Space Heroes, like I FUCKING LOVE IT. And everyone knows, that shit with Karai, at first when they didn’t realize they were related, I can let slide but kajsdflksadf what even like why did the writers feel the need to add in more ‘love interest’ implications like yuck yuck yuck. The only two interactions with Leo and Karai that I really like are when Leo defeats her using the healing hands technique and when Leo has a goth/emo/punk/idk I’m new here phase and they team up and EXPLOSIONS. He was introduced to us as being incredibly naive and his idea of leadership is from some old cartoon that’s basically star trek but ethically questionable. After his fights in season 1, to the finale with the technodrome, you can see his growth. He’s able to formulate plans and make life or death decisions. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. When Leo got hurt, I felt like the oof sound effect mixed with some tears I normally shed at some Shojo manga bs. While the episodes following were super weird, it was a nice way to help Leo recover, not only physically but spiritually (Although I don’t remember the spirit arc at all except the epic Raph vs Fishface fight, so we’re skipping that). When Master Splinter really died, you could tell there was a huge impact on Leo, but he had to remain stoic and lead the family now. A lot of heartbreaking moments in this series came from Leo and I’m glad they took at least some thought into developing him. Tiny head Leo will haunt my nightmares, but the giggly fanboy will warm my heart constantly. 6/10

I only have one word for this Leo (Heroes in a Half Shell: Blast to the Past)

This is a super crazy bad idea accent on the super crazy bad part have I mentioned it’s also a really terrible idea/10

Okay, spoiler alert, didn’t really think this Leo was that grand Leo (2014/2016)

Painfully average. He didn’t stand out that much, Raph was part of the focus and had that touching scene at the end, Donnie was ICONIC and Mikey (with his weird-ass eyes) was super lively and funny! Leo? Uh, I don’t remember a single line he said. Because he never really grabbed my attention, I don’t have too much to say on this version. The Raph and Leo fight felt forced and the whole ‘keep this stuff that could turn us human a secret’ was pretty pointless and was added just to cause drama, I don’t even remember what that Splinter and Leo conversation was about. Design-wise, really neat! You can see some more traditional Japanese clothing/style mixed with modern (I’d feel a lot better about this assumption if some could tell exactly what the heck he’s wearing, but I get traditional Japan warrior vibes from it) in his look which was super neat! Other than that, if you like him, please tell me why because I don’t get. He was just kinda eh. 5/10

AHHH MY BOY YASSS WHOOO!! Neon Leon (2018)

Okay, I loved Ben Schwarts already from Parks and Rec but like him being Sonic AND Leo, like DUDE. He’s super funny by himself but teamed up with this shows writing and animation, it makes it hilarious. I literally love this Leo so much, maybe because we’re alike but honestly, he’s amazing. I love his design with the red and yellow crescents accenting his skin and livening up his color pallet. He has a very healthy and natural dynamic with his brothers, he’s the first to know what’s wrong and tries his best to make up for his actions. This is really prominent in the most recent episodes, along with the episode portal jacked. In both, Leo is separated from his brothers. Portal Jacked is in a more literal sense, while Air Turtle handles in more of an emotional sense. While both are brief, Leo sees his error and tries his best to make it up to them. I love his dynamic so much and it’s so nice to see something like this compared to the unnecessary drama and tension between the brothers in the previous series. It’s refreshing and this is something a younger audience needs to see; instead of fighting, it’s better to work together and improve yourself along the way. Improvement is a big theme for Leo here. He’s a goofball, makes jokes at every opportunity and isn’t quite skilled at fighting or using his weapon. But he grows over time, he learns to manage his power and he’s working on mastering it. He’s trying to put aside his narcissism more and focuses on his family. I think the approach they took with him rising to leader rather than slapping it on his forehead was the goddamn best decision they could make. He’s making plans, finding loopholes, helping out and getting out of his comfort zone. I cannot stress how well this show has handled Leo, along with the other characters. I can’t wait to see more episodes about his growth and I am awarding him with one of the greatest honors I could give... 10/10

Storytime: I drew a super cute 2012 Leo, you should look at him. Shameless self-promo, but you should follow me on my main blog bc I’m nice and I draw pretty pictures. Also. I have a little 2012 Leo Happy Meal toy??? I think??? guarding my window and he’s been there for YEARS. I need to bring him in and refresh his paint job.

Wow! I didn’t expect this many requests for Leo, so the blog will be momentarily spammed with the requests, but it shouldn’t be too much! Up next should be the last turtle (Mikey) and then we can get to some REALLY great requests I’m eager to answer. As usual, please comment and reblog! I’d love to hear your opinion!

[chrisflemingslegs]

High School Musical: A Cultural Analysis

So in 2006 the Disney Channel debuted their original, made-for-tv musical movie: High School Musical. Clearly playing with the concept of Romeo and Juliet and set against a modern high school backdrop, HSM was an instant hit; it aired to 7.7 million initial viewers and sold 1.2 million copies within the first week of its DVD release. 

First of all, the DIVERSITY in this bitch. In the main speaking cast we have Gabriella Montez (latina), Chad Danforth, Zeke Baylor, and Taylor McKessie (black), Ryan Evans (who, according to Kenny Ortega and Lucas Grabeel, is some level of queer), and Martha Cox (overweight). This diversity felt completely natural. At no point did I question why these various groups of people were hanging out together; the way the characters talked and acted felt similar to the way my own friends talked and acted. The diverse actors weren’t included to make a statement, they were just there. 

To drive home my point about how inclusive HSM was for its time, here are side by side pictures of the main casts of HSM and the 2012 DCOM Teen Beach Movie. Can you spot the difference (I had to get rid of a whole ass white girl to show the guy on the far left of Teen Beach btw)?

Gabriella is shy, intelligent, and feels out of place in HSM; but in HSM2 she develops into a strong, caring young woman who would do anything to protect or defend her friends. Martha is overweight, but rather than use that as an opportunity for put-downs or self hate, they made her a hip-hop enthusiast who loves the way her body moves when she does hip-hop dancing. Troy learns that he doesn’t have to subscribe to the masculine ideals set forth by his friends/dad/society (HSM said FUCK toxic masculinity). Coach Bolton learns a valuable lesson about appreciating the arts and it isn’t rubbed in his face as some sort of “shame on you” moment. Mrs. Darbus learns to look for talent across the school rather than insulating herself in the theatre department. Sharpay is mean and catty but not once does Gabriella ever talk about/to her maliciously (the angry lecture she gives to Sharpay in HSM2 is in defense of herself and her friends and therefore I do not consider it malicious) and they eventually become friends on some level. The “villains” get redemption the “heroes” get romance and recognition in the end...nobody loses. 

The film is trope-y, funny, and taught us about acceptance and kindness. Kids from all different interest groups and backgrounds knew the songs by heart within a week. A group of really shy girls did a dance to “Bop to the Top” for my elementary school talent show. At least 3 different boys in my third grade class felt comfortable enough to ask for HSM on DVD for their birthdays (Disney Channel’s original musicals were generally geared towards a female-only audience up until HSM). A guy I talked to in high school said Ryan’s character arc in HSM2 helped him come out of the closet.

I’m not saying that High School Musical is necessarily better than any of the DCOMs that have come out since, but I am saying that it made a significant cultural impact on our generation. I remember going to my state’s Thespian Festival for the first time, surrounded by hundreds of other high school theatre kids, and hearing someone yell “What team?” from the balcony. The VOLUME of the “Wildcats!” we all shouted in response made my teacher jump and cover her ears. 500 or 600 kids all at once recalling a phrase that made us feel connected and understood. 

As we go into 2020, I hope we can bring back the idea that we’re all in this together.

[knoepfchen]

tagged by @meet-the-girl-who-can on the share 30, tag 20 thing - thank you Alex! <3

1. Name/Nicknames: i go by laurel on here :)

2. Gender: female

3. Star Sign: scorpio

4. Height: i think it’s actually dead on the national average

5. Time: quarter to six!

6. Birthday: 10 November

7. Favourite Band: Bastille

8. Favourite Solo Artist: this changes every month, but MIKA, probably

9. Song Stuck in My Head: “I’m Not Angry Anymore” by Paramore

10. Last Movie: La Dolce Vita, I think? Unless I count that film of the 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour, but I don’t want to give Andrew Lloyd Webber the credit tbh

11. Last Show: currently watching Leverage, but have also started Billions after two people independently of each other told me I remind them of one of the characters. (you may guess whom if you know it, but please don’t think any worse of me^^)

12. When I Created This Blog: everyone was very specific about this so I assume there is a way of looking this up? but all i’ve got for you is *probably* 2012

13. What I Post: i tend to reblog fanart nigh compulsively when i see it on my dash (atm that’s mostly TOG and some Good Omens).

14. Last Thing I Googled: ‘baby socks knit pattern’ (if you’ve got some good ones hmu please, everyone i know is pregnant and i’m turning into molly weasley apparently)

15. Other Blogs: i had a romantic academia (?) sideblog but then i couldn’t be bothered to treat my online presence like some social media manager anymore, and now here we are

16. Do I get asks?: i had an anon who’d come to my inbox every sunday about half a year ago with messages vaguely sexualising marwan kenzari and/or luca marinelli, but i think i’ve driven them away bc i am... not all that keen on doing that to people who are non-fictional on here. other than that, eh. ;)

17. Why I Chose My URL: there’s a character in the raven cycle who can take objects from his dreams, who is referred to as a ‘greywaren’. he’s not a particularly morally grey character tbh, but i like morally grey characters and can never resist word play, so.

18. Following: close to 1k, but that’s because i follow blogs for many different interests and only unfollow people once they start actively annoying me - if you just go quiet or post in timezones i can’t see you in, you’re stuck with me!

19. Followers: ~1.5k, but i think 2/3 of that are abandoned blogs

20. Average Hours of Sleep: ... 6? (although i’ve been known to get close to 8 when there’s someone to take the phone out of my hand and tell me to ‘stop reading under the covers like a grounded child’. long-distance is clearly working out well^^)

21. Lucky Number: 5

22. Instruments: played classical guitar as a child, dabbled on the piano as a teen

23. What I Am Wearing: indubitably one of the three jumper - mini skirt - fuzzy sock combos that are my lockdown rotation

24. Dream Job: tbh just any kind of consulting gig that let’s me work with people but still be my own boss (this is a key clue to the Billions character if you’re guessing btw)

25. Dream Trip: really want to go to Istanbul, or take a long train journey from St Petersburg to China, and I kind of want to visit Bhutan before it gets drawn into some war situation. also, jordan.

26. Favourite Food: any cultural variation of the dumpling. you know the post. 

27. Nationality: German

28. Favourite Song: Vienna, but the Ben Platt version because I am insufferable musical theatre person, sorry

29. Last Book I Read: currently reading Blood Orange which is, okay, I guess, last book I finished was Woyzeck, which was as upsetting as I remembered it from school

30. Top 3 fictional universes I would love to live in: so i may be a romantic at heart, but i am also a pretty rational person most of the time, and the truth of the matter is, most fictional universes have so much shit going down that I’d much rather just stay in this one. (i’m aware that there is a lot of shit going down in this one as well, don’t worry, i just rather the shit i know than suddenly having to deal with an overpowered space hitler trying to take over.)

I’m supposed to tag 20 people now, but I don’t know if I even know that many people on here and I’m not sure if there’s one of the people I do know who hasn’t been tagged in this yet, so.. anyone who wants to, feel free?

[tfwlawyers]

Why do u ship valvert? Just out of curiosity (btw i love ur art)

this has been sitting in my drafts for months because it’s so hard to explain them without going into ridiculously long detail - especially when I tend to assume everyone’s base level of knowledge of them/les mis is the musical/2012 movie with hugh jackman when there’s so much more to them in the book - but GOD okay. tldr; I’m soft for redemption and forgiveness/healing dynamics, and also very much into enemies to friends to lovers and saving each other tropes

if your only knowledge of les mis is the musical/2012 movie I totally get being like… claire what….. but I promise they’re extremely good and it’s their lost potential that makes me so invested. javert and edgeworth are so so similar except edgeworth survived and got the character arc he deserved while javert………… didn’t, I shipped valvert before I shipped narumitsu and when I started playing aa I distinctly remember thinking to myself ‘wow it’s like valvert only happy’ 

okay so yes we have javert&edgeworth, both two extremely black and white-law abiding characters, completely or nearly commit suicide when their worldviews are shattered (‘prosecutor miles edgeworth chooses death’ was still intended to be taken literally at first I don’t CARE), and all that good good ‘person from my past came and fucked everything up for me’. tumblr sucks today and won’t let me post photos in here for some reason so I just have to type out the dialogue :/ 

good ol 1-3

edgeworth: Thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary… feelings. […] Yes. Unease… and uncertainty. phoenix: Aren’t those kind of necessary?edgeworth: They only serve to get in my way. 

and 1-5

edgeworth: I’m tired, Mr. Wright. I feel as if… something inside me has died. […] I know the path I’ve walked. You don’t need to tell me. And the path I’ve walked… hasn’t been a just one. I can’t forgive myself for what I’ve done…

to 

javert derailed (his final chapter): 

“However things might stand,—and it was to this point that he reverted constantly,—one fact dominated everything else for him, and that was, that he had just committed a terrible infraction of the law. He had just shut his eyes on an escaped convict who had broken his ban. He had just seta galley-slave at large. He had just robbed the laws of a manwho belonged to them. That was what he had done. He nolonger understood himself. The very reasons for his actionescaped him; only their vertigo was left with him. Up to thatmoment he had lived with that blind faith which gloomyprobity engenders. This faith had quitted him, this probityhad deserted him. All that he had believed in melted away.Truths which he did not wish to recognize were besieginghim, inexorably. Henceforth, he must be a different man.He was suffering from the strange pains of a conscienceabruptly operated on for the cataract. He saw that which itwas repugnant to him to behold. He felt himself emptied,useless, put out of joint with his past life, turned out, dissolved. Authority was dead within him. He had no longerany reason for existing.”

and then because a binch is emo

A terrible situation! to be touched.To be granite and to doubt! to be the statue of Chastisement cast in one piece in the mould of the law, and suddenlyto become aware of the fact that one cherishes beneath one’sbreast of bronze something absurd and disobedient whichalmost resembles a heart!”

but something I can’t tell if people who are only familiar with the musical/2012 movie are aware of because I can’t separate the original novel’s context from the production is that…… valjean’s death is entirely avoidable too. he literally starves himself to death and it’s so FRUSTRATING because if he just had someone to help him! he would have lived! he should have lived!! fuck!!! 

jean valjean is my original father and I love him so much, he breaks my heart everywhere and especially in the novel - he tries to do so much good but genuinely hates himself and believes he doesn’t deserve anything kind, I’m JUST. valjean you drag javert out of the river and help him learn what to do with that heart he just realized he has, javert you shove soup and bread on valjean and help him learn to respect himself a little bit 

they have a bunch of little nuances that I’m weak for like book!javert being described as having a heart of wood (rather than a heart of stone like in the musical) and valjean being a gardener, the fact that they keep running into each other entirely by coincidence (a lot of adaptations make it seem like javert was really out there devoting his life to tracking down valjean when no. 90% of the time it’s entirely by chance), valjean faking his death one time by pretending to drown like he’s canon an amazing swimmer, them being basically the only two people alive who know the steps the other has taken/valjean not having to wear a mask.. they are……. the definition of ‘poetic cinema’ for me except their ending SUCKS 

they very much would have tapped into valjean’s entire character of arc of redemptive love and how one act of mercy to someone who maybe doesn’t ‘deserve’ it can change their life for the better, and it just makes me melt. idk how to describe this either but I also love that they’re older characters too, there’s no time limit on becoming a better person or falling in love and they just…. hit that and it makes me soft, it kills me to know that instead they both die horrible lonely miserable (ha) pointless deaths, like YES I know what the book is called and no I don’t care!! 

I’m extremely particular about how I ship them where it’s only after the river and for me personally it’s very easy to ship them....... ‘wrong’ I guess? but their potential and parallels gut me and I just want them alive to see more of what life can offer. their personalities fit together so weirdly well and I just love contrasting relationships like them

TLDR again; valjean saves javert from the seine > javert saves valjean from his own martydom > awkward weird old man friends helping each other grow into bro we are holding hands. their potential is so good and I just want them alive to explore it!!!

[eldritchsurveys]

798.

Are you too shy to kiss the person you like? >> I’m not too shy to kiss either of the people I am on kissing terms with.

Your best friend has unprotected sex, what happens? >> ---

Hate the last person you kissed? >> Of course not.

Is there someone you just can’t imagine your life without? >> I cannot imagine my life without Inworld in general, but particularly without Can Calah. I’d regress so fucking badly.

Are you someone who hates to read? >> I’m not at all someone who hates to read.

If you could change your eye color what would you change it to? >> Gold.

Do you think age matters in relationships? >> It matters when it matters. *shrug*

Do you own a pair of pants? No, I walk around naked from the waist down, like Donald Duck. <-- LMAO

Would you rather be at the beach or lake? >> Well, the nearby Great Lake is big enough (as suggested by the name) to have beaches, and those are the only beaches I have access to while I live here, so...

What would you do if you found out the person you liked had a girlfriend/boyfriend? >> ---

Do you feel like you have life figured out? >> Of course not. It’s not a fucking math equation.

Do you honestly think the world is going to end it 2012? >> If it did, I must not have gotten the email about it.

Is Facebook killing Myspace? >> That’s a pretty fair assessment of what happened.

Why did you get Myspace? >> I don’t remember. Probably because other people had it and I was curious.

What is your favorite Disney movie? >> Lilo & Stitch.

Ever dropped a cell phone? >> Many times.

Would you rather fly, drive or travel by train? >> It obviously depends on where I’m going.

So, what do you want for your birthday? >> I didn’t want anything. I’d already bought myself the things I wanted, with my stimulus check. Besides, I don’t really like that kind of gift-giving -- I’d prefer people to get me a gift they think I would like because they want to, not get me something because I asked for it and this date on the calendar means I should get it. I don’t know. Every time I talk about this I feel like such a fucking oddball and like no one would get it. Can’t wait to go through this all again for Christmas... Anyway, what I did get was $200 a six-pack of craft sours from Horrock’s, from Sparrow’s parents. (My birthday was yesterday, btw, if that was unclear.)

Who last hugged you? >> Can Calah.

Ever had a pet fish? >> Nope.

Do you want your tongue pierced? >> Nope.

What are you stressed out about? >> Nothing at the moment.

Who are you texting right now? >> Nobody.

What was the last movie you watched and with who? >> The last movie I watched was The Lovebirds, and I was alone. It was ridiculous as hell and I liked it a lot. Kumail Nanjiani is so fucking funny for some reason, idk what it is about him.

Anything happen to you within the past month that made you really happy? >> Yeah, I got a $1200 check from the government. And I got to use Sparrow’s impeccable credit to get a new gaming computer -- my first desktop model. It should be arriving Monday and I’m very excited to meet it.

What are you looking forward to? >> ^ Monday. Also going to the farmer’s market tomorrow. I love the farmer’s market.

Last time you spoke to the person you have feelings for? >> ---

Have you ever kissed 2 people at once? >> I don’t think I’ve ever tried that. Seems... logistically unsound.

Do you want to see the movie Paranormal Activity? >> Not really.

Out of all your school years, which was best? >> ---

What are you listening to at the moment? >> Nothing.

Do you plan on sleeping in tomorrow? >> I don’t really sleep in.

[iamanartichoke]

Someone on Reddit linked to a copy of Endgame streaming online, so I went ahead and watched it while I had the chance, so I could judge for myself. My thoughts, entirely about Thor and Loki, under the cut. 

ENDGAME SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT. 

My honest, unbiased opinion is that this is a fantastic movie ... for the general audience. This is a movie for the masses, for the average movie-goers who will pay their money to be entertained for three hours by visual effects, heroic music, some comic relief, and callbacks to earlier movies. 

If you’re not invested, or if your fave character was treated right, then it’s easy to enjoy this movie without thinking too critically about it. I have no doubt that this movie will make a ton of money and people will enjoy it, which kind of takes some of the wind out of my schadenfreude sails, in regards to people finally seeing the Russos for the hacks they are, but whatever. 

However. 

First, Loki. It is very true that Loki has next to no screen time in the film, but there were a few little gems that I wasn’t expecting. 

So here’s all the Loki we get: Current Tony Stark drops in right as Loki is delivering his “I’ll have that drink now” line. Then SHIELD swarms into Stark Tower to confiscate the scepter and take Loki into custody. Loki snarks at everyone and shapeshifts into Cap, and then back to himself, at which point Thor puts the muzzle over his mouth. I think he says “shut up” but I’m not sure (the audio wasn’t that great, I missed a lot of dialogue tbh). 

They go down to the main floor and Thor, Loki, and Tony get stopped by Alexander Pierce, who insists that SHIELD take custody of Loki. Tony and Thor argue that Thor is taking him back to Asgard. Loki rolls his eyes rather dramatically at all the fuss. 

Then, Tony’s ARC reactor starts acting up and he collapses. At the same time, Hulk bursts onto the scene. There’s a bit of chaos - Thor, Pierce, and some agents are trying to help Tony while a bunch of other people are running from Hulk. I think Current Tony, who was trying to get the Tesseract, is knocked aside or something - I can’t remember. Anyway, Loki sees his opportunity, grabs the Tesseract, and vanishes. Current Tony watches him do it. Thor starts yelling for Loki when he realizes Loki is gone, and then it cuts to Current Tony and that’s the last we see of the 2012 Brodinsons. 

So, is the 2012 Loki alive somewhere? I’m not sure. The movie really left it ambiguous. It’s just as possible that Steve returned the stones and prevented any alternate timelines from occurring, meaning that Loki never steals the Tesseract, and Avengers - and TDW - play out as normal. I guess YMMV. 

The only other Loki we see is the scene in TDW where Loki is laying in bed, tossing the little cup up in the air, and we see Thor sneak past his cell. It’s true, Thor doesn’t even look at Loki, or mention Loki at all in the present. 

(New thought, but the fact that TDW still existed for Thor to go back to can imply that that movie’s events never changed and Loki did make it back to Asgard eventually. As the Avengers are going to their different time periods, the dates display on screen, and it’s clear that Tony goes back to 2012 and Thor goes back to 2013. So I think the timeline is intact? My brain hurts.) 

Anyway, Loki isn’t shown or mentioned again. 

So, Thor. The first 20 minutes of the film are great for Thor. He doesn’t really say much of anything, but it’s clear that he’s upset and guilty. When the Avengers track down Thanos and Thor kills him, someone says, “What did you do?” Thor replies, sounding absolutely wrecked, “I went for the head.” He turns and walks away. 

if they had followed this portrayal of Thor’s guilt and depression throughout the film, it would have been much, much better. 

They don’t, though. After that, I cringed every time Thor was on-screen. The secondhand embarrassment was so real. Thor was stumbling around drunk most of the time. It’s very obvious to everyone else that there’s something very wrong with him, but it’s hard for us to take this seriously because the narrative doesn’t take it seriously. It really is played up for comic relief.

When they ask Thor about the Aether, for example, he rambled on nonsensically about Jane and the Dark Elves, while everyone else gave each other these “what the actual fuck” looks. (Cue giggling from the audience.) 

His weight gain and overall unkempt appearance was definitely played for laughs, which I thought was gross, especially at how his costumes and camera shots were done in such a way that it really focused on how much weight he’d gained. Several times the camera specifically focused on his stomach. It’s very much “haha Thor is fat now.” It’s very embarrassing and cringe-worthy and disappointing.  

I will say, there were a few moments where Thor did well - when the narrative dropped the comic relief aspect and showed Thor’s PTSD. In his first scene after the time jump, Hulk mentions Thanos, and Thor gets very quiet and very angry and says, “Do not mention that name.” His entire demeanor changes. He withdraws, he looks like he’s on the verge of tears, and he says he isn’t going anywhere and he wants nothing to do with their plan. 

Unfortunately, that part of the scene is undermined when Rocket says, “There’s beer on the ship,” and that makes Thor go with them. 

His conversation with Frigga was okay. It didn’t have the emotional impact I thought it would, but to be fair, I missed a lot of what was said between them, because the audio wasn’t good. 

She kind of talks some sense into him, though, and they get to hug and say they love each other. But he calls her “Mom,” which, o-kay, and the entire interaction was tinged with bitterness on my part because Loki is the one who should have gotten to have a talk and a hug and an “I love you” from Frigga. 

Neither of them even mentioned Loki, from what I could hear anyway, which was just an extra slap in the face. 

Once the final battle rolls around, Thor fights well. He seems more like his Ragnarok self and less like a drunken idiot by the time he gives Asgard to Valkyrie, and he was also Ragnarok-y when he and Peter Quill quibble over who’s in charge. Ragnarok Thor is still OOC, but is an improvement from Endgame Thor (or maybe it just seemed that way because he was sober). 

So ... there we are. I won’t be paying money to see this in the theatre, but at least I did see it so that I could make a fair first-hand judgement. (Btw, if anyone else wants to watch it, I’m afraid to post the link bc copyright and whatnot, but it’s on a site called “Fmovies,” just Google it and it’ll pop up.) 

This movie treated Loki terribly, in absentia. His 2012 self was fine, I suppose, but as far as our Loki goes, there was literally no payoff whatsoever when it comes to things like Loki disappearing for five minutes, saying “the sun will shine on us again,” or even being remembered by his brother (or Val, for that matter). That first scene in IW really was just full of plot holes and there was nothing more going on. This is such a bitter disappointment on so many levels, and I really, really hate it. 

This movie treated Thor terribly, too, for all the aforementioned reasons. 

I’m pretty much going to ignore this film’s canon, the same way I mostly ignore IW’s canon. I really do suspect that 2012 Loki’s escape will be addressed or followed in the TV show, but who really knows. I’m tired, I’m disappointed, and I just want Thor and Loki’s relationship to go back and reboot from TDW, where Loki doesn’t die and he and Thor reconcile and sort out their differences and understand one another. I guess that’s what fanfic is for. 

Sorry for such a long, rambling post. To end this on a positive note, I will say that Valkyrie’s hair looked AMAZING and pretty much how I picture it in Sea. So there was that.