#they’re everywhere i love the foreshadowing on this show

[twistandtom]

not sure if they show a million coupe glasses filled a little with red wine or blood as a nod to “un petite coup” but i love it

[voxofthevoid]

New Wednesday, new mefic! Nicknaming this one Demon/Hunter Horror Wednesday #1—you'll be shocked to hear it has demons and demon hunters and horror. It's sukuita+goyuu, but the first several chapters will be solely sukuita. Gojou won't show up till around halfway through.

On top of this being my first (modern) fantasy AU for JJK, I'm taking a stab at tropey horror. It'll shift into erotic horror and assorted fuckery quickly enough, but the first chapter is mostly scene-setting and foreshadowing. I'm trying to get better at creating a sense of place; it's something I enjoy a lot when reading but don't really focus on when writing.

Enjoy? Enjoy!

CWs for creepy churches and blasphemy.

He has the passing thought that Sasaki and Iguchi would have loved this shit, and then he’s pushing the door open, stepping into the church—and freezing, immediately.

“…Creepy.”

It’s not worse than the outside. Mostly because the outside makes this look like the kind of place where some of the weirder, bloodier stuff Yuuji’s seen in all those horror movie churches would actually happen. There’s no blood or bodies—at least not where he can see. But what’s there isn’t much better either.

There’s a long, narrow aisle leading to the altar, lined on both sides with lit candles.

Candle after candle after candle, with flickering flames that cast strange shadows on the walls. There are candles mounted there too, thicker ones with globs of wax both dried and dripping down the sides. They’re the only sources of light in the room, except for the moonlight pouring in through the large, uncovered glass windows behind the altar. And where the candles’ lighting is violently warm, the moonlight is cool and soothing. But their combined effect is just eerie, light and shadow twisting together strangely everywhere Yuuji looks—the walls, the floor, his own arms.

There are rows and rows of wooden pews on each side, all empty.

Yuuji squints at them, checking extra carefully to make sure they actually are empty. He can’t see anyone. And he sure can’t imagine why anyone would want to be here at this hour. This place is just—

“Brat.”

Yuuji yelps, jumping a foot in the air. He backs off the moment his feet touch the ground, except he just rams his back into the half-open front door, shutting it behind him with a resounding crack.

“Shit,” Yuuji gasps, pawing blindly at the wood till his hand finds and clutches metal. “Who the hell’s there?”

“You,” says the same voice as before, coming from a thick layer of darkness near the altar, where neither candlelight nor moonlight penetrates, “came into my church.”

“H-huh?”

A figure melts out of the shadows—a man, tall and broadly built, his face a sharp-angled thing with strange shapes on it.

It takes Yuuji a very long moment to realize that the shapes are tattoos, not just shadows.

The man comes closer—and closer and closer, till he’s filling out the aisle, the hem of his dark, flowing outfit dangerously close to the flickering flames of candles.

Yuuji’s tempted to hold up an arm, ward him off from coming any closer, but he’s just as tempted to throw the door behind him open and book it. He can’t help scanning the man either, assessing his build and the way he holds himself and the space between them, and his own body winds tighter in response, the tension in it changing shapes.  

As if sensing it, the man’s face twists into a sneer; there’s ink under his mouth too, dark lines that slope along his jaw to end in crescent curves under his eyes.

“Who are you?” Yuuji asks, more mystified than anything now.

“Are you stupid?” the man asks, giving Yuuji a look that makes it clear what he thinks the answer is. “You’re in a church, brat. What do you think I am?”

Yuuji blinks at him. Then he looks, really looks, taking in everything he tuned out in his shock earlier. The man’s clothes are dark all over—black, for sure. The upper half is practically molded to his torso, showing off shoulders and pecs that threaten to burst out of the restraining fabric. There’s a high collar too, covering his neck almost entirely. But the lower half is loose like a skirt, the hem almost touching the floor, and Yuuji doesn’t know what this thing is called, but he definitely recognizes it.

“I didn’t know priests could have tattoos,” he says dubiously. “Or swear. Is that allowed?”

The man’s mouth curls up at one corner, the expression anything but pleasant. “And if it’s not? Who the fuck are you gonna complain to?”

“God?” Yuuji ventures.

“You see any god here, brat?”

“It’s a church.”

“And?”

Yuuji opens his mouth and closes it. What the hell can he say to that? Plus, the guy’s right in the most literal sense too. He can’t actually see anything…godly around. There’s an altar, sure, but there are no paintings or carvings anywhere near it. The windows behind it are plain glass, without any colorful images of Jesus or whoever. And Yuuji’s familiarity with the insides of churches is also limited to stuff he’s seen in movies or manga, so this could be normal for all he knows.

But it’s still a house of god, isn’t it?  

“You’re the new boy,” the man says suddenly. “I was wondering when you’d have the balls to show up.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me.”

Yuuji scowls and takes a step toward the man, finding they’re already closer than they were when the man stopped moving. Yuuji doesn’t know when he unflattened himself from the door and moved forward, but there’s only a few feet of space between them now, and he can see the man’s features much more clearly.

And his hair is a dark peach in the dull golden light of the candles, but Yuuji’s seen himself in that kind of dim lighting enough times to know what it does to bright-pink hair.

It’s a stupid little detail to notice given…everything else, but somehow, it’s the most unsettling part of this whole thing. Yuuji’s never met anyone else with pink hair, except for very vague memories of his dad back when he was alive. Even the pictures of his grandfather from before his hair turned grey showed a head full of thick red hair, clearly related to Yuuji’s coloring but not really the same.

And it’s just coincidence, plus the priest might be sporting a different shade of pink—but Yuuji has pretty good eyes, even in the dark. He knows that color. And he doesn’t like it.

“I…should go,” he hears himself say.

The priest doesn’t move, but Yuuji can feel his attention sharpen. It’s there in the air, like little knives.

“Leaving so soon?” the priest says softly; his voice grates Yuuji’s spine. “That’s not right. Especially after you came inside without permission.”

The hairs on Yuuji’s nape prickle, and he trusts his gut too much not to understand it as the warning it is.

But while Yuuji might run from some horror movie bullshit, he’s not fleeing from a creepy priest.

“You’re not really doing much to keep me here,” Yuuji tells him. “This place looks like something out of a shitty horror movie. What kind of a church is this?”

“Mine,” comes the reply, predictable somehow. “You’re here anyway.”

Yuuji can’t really deny that, but he doesn’t know what compels him to say, “Not my fault I had creepy dreams about it.”

A slow tilt of the head, a narrowing of the eyes. “Did you now.”

It doesn’t really sound like a question, but Yuuji still says, “Since I saw this place. Like it was calling me or something. Figured it’d go away if I just came here.”

“Calling you,” the priest echoes, his voice dipping further into something that turns every syllable obscene. “Who, brat? God?”

Yuuji waves it off irritably. The words are easy to dismiss, but the man’s voice clings to the inside of his skin. “I know it’s stupid, but I just needed to see.”

The priest huffs; the amusement brightening his expression only makes him look more cruel. He moves closer to Yuuji, his robes flirting with the candle flames, and more than once, Yuuji’s convinced that the hem will catch fire, but it never does, and the man comes to a gliding stop barely a foot away from Yuuji, looming over him with that cruel smirk.

This close, his eyes are a dull, deep red.

It must be the light.

Yuuji hopes it’s the light.

“A bold dreamer,” the priest says, his voice low and strangely rough—raspy, like it’s scraping up his throat. “Have you seen what you came to see?”

Yuuji wouldn’t know where to even begin to answer that.

He says, “I’m leaving.”

The priest says nothing, and when Yuuji takes a stumbling step back, he does nothing to stop him, only watching with eyes that gleam red around the candles reflected in them. Yuuji finds himself backing away without turning around or taking his eyes off the man, but those unblinking eyes and crooked mouth might just be worse than any unseen blow would be.

He finds the doorknob with the small of his back, hissing in surprise.

Call it pride or stupidity, but Yuuji can’t bring himself to open the door while facing the priest. Somehow, he just knows it’d amuse the bastard, and Yuuji refuses—a little too late but still—to give him the satisfaction.

He whips around and yanks the door open, stepping back—into a solid body that yields neither flesh nor space.

Yuuji freezes.

“Go on,” murmurs the priest. “Leave.”

[dandelionjack]

watching agatha all along now because i wasn’t participating in the week by week release discussions (busy, you know, doing stuff) and what can i say… i’m up to e4 so far… haven’t read the comics so i’m judging purely from what i see on screen — it’s good. proper high quality, thoughtful tv writing.

character-based and mystery-driven, with plenty of foreshadowing. not so strong on the subtlety/subtext front; they do love spelling every bit of nuance out, but then again, it is the mcu. and as far as comic book movies (or shows) go, the absence of superheroes is always a net benefit, as was mostly the case with The Other Good MCU Show That I Watched In August And Totally Didn’t Have Any Knock-On Effects On Me, Nuh Uh.

i am in love with the almost game-like narrative structure that the central premise of ‘the road’ demands — a treacherous life-path of self-actualisation represented by a physical route through the underworld, in such a delicious classic-fairytale way, reminiscent of one famous road laid in yellow brick and thousands of other similar stories. it’s simple and effective and evocative of the atmosphere they’re going for; one of ancient pagan folktales and ritualised-ordeals-to-gain-magical-knowledge.

the song itself, and its reprise, is astonishingly accomplished work. the lyricism feels genuinely timeless and mystical, something that could have been written in the 70s by a hippie folk-rock band or passed down through the generations of a hidden initiatory tradition. instantly memorable earworm of a musicaltheatre-style melody, too.

what irritates me? oh, all the maiden mother crone talk, triple goddess blah blah blah, the bastardisation of the concept of a sigil (redaction spell to hide information? huh?) and other myriad inaccuracies in regards to modern witchcraft but hey, at least some of the stereotypes are gone. at least they’ve made an effort to research. and in a show that’s purely entertainment, a little respect goes a long way

rating it SO FAR a solid 6.5/10. will keep watching will keep updated. oh and, yeah, i’m catching the sexual tension and past unsavoury history between agatha and rio, obviously. the end has been plastered everywhere so it’s not a spoiler for me — i’m proud that marvel didn’t queerbait for once and actually delivered

[revserrayyu]

2.5 Xianzhou continuance thoughts [part 4]

**SPOILER warning** for the end of the mission, covering the conversations between the Yaoqing trio, the Generals and everything else. If you haven’t cleared the story yet then go do so. Or go farm some relics. Do a ten pull. Go frolic outside. Do whatever you wish except ruin your own story experience with spoilers by reading ahead.

The way my heart sank thinking that Jiaoqiu truly didn’t survive his injuries..

..only for us to see Trailblazer and Bailu messing around, weeping at a hastily put together grave for March because she disappeared out for their sight for two minutes. Hoyo must take great pride in successfully giving me a heart attack.

Pfftt, I’ll enjoy the lighthearted conversation while I can though I guess. We truly didn’t do much during this mission with all the POV switch ups that happened, though I still love that they’re allowing us to speak more. All the Trailblazer voice actors are great and I hope we continue to hear them more often in the future.

Annndd that the panic settles back in. Jiaoqiu’s injuries were no doubt the worst, while Feixiao probably faced some drawbacks from all the fighting and madness she endured, but Moze too? I guess he did get attacked by Hoolay and his followers once the warhead realized he was spying on them, but then Moze was seen later on the Skysplitter when Feixiao at the bloody heart and he did eventually find Jiaoqiu somewhere with the help of the Trailblazer, so surely he couldn’t have been that hurt if he was running around everywhere, yeah? Perhaps exhaustion caught up with him after all the chaos, or he knows how to deal with pain rather well. Possibly both.

Why am I not surprised to hear that Feixiao is the kind of person who can’t be confined to a hospital bed. Even if she left in plain sight, I’m sure she would’ve quick enough that no one could even catch her to bring her back.

Seems the whole Yaoqing trio shares this mindset too. Moze could easily sneak out in the shadows whereas Jiaoqiu probably just walked himself out with an excuse like “I’m a healer, trust me when I say I’m fine” or something.

Oohhh buddy.. I love it when characters have different roles in status or have to act a certain way around each other but one of them tells the other to forget the formalities and just be truthful because their relationship is worth so much more than that, like yes she’s his general and he’s her healer, but I have no doubt they’ve become such close friends over the years too. Also, the way the scene doesn’t show his entire face.. god, what nice foreshadowing.

Aww sweetie nooo! Please don’t blame yourself! If anything, blame the plot. It’s like the four stars had a rough time in Penacony and now it’s the five star’s turn on the Xianzhou. And I’m sure I mentioned it before but the trio’s voice actors are all so talented and completely nailed these two story patches. The emotions are perfect.

WHAT IF I CRIED HUH?? Is that what Hoyo wants? For me to become a sobbing mess after thinking Jiaoqiu healed perfectly fine?? AAAaahh.. I’m not entirely sure if the blindness is a result of Hoolay’s attack or a side effect of the poison Jiaoqiu drank, but either way I’m so incredibly sad. Our handsome foxian has already been through hell from being Hoolay’s hostage, did we really need to take away his eyesight too?? Man.. if anything, I will say it was clever of Hoyo to make the one character who always has his eyes closed end up blind because then they wouldn’t have to change up his model at all. It might seem off-putting whenever people use his ultimate and see his eyes now though. Aah, his pretty golden eyes.. I’ll admit that they did seem a bit dull during that one scene of him all slashed up and bloody on the floor, but I didn’t think it was anything serious. More like it was an art style choice and he was so worn out from the attack and knocking at death’s door.

Tell me why I don’t believe his smile and that’s he’s only saying such a thing so Feixiao doesn’t bury herself under all the guilt she feels. Looking back now though, I can appreciate the subtle hints about his condition before Feixiao revealed it. I remember Jiaoqiu mentioning how he recognized the sound of Feixiao’s footsteps when she approached him, so pair that with how the game framed his face before in the previous shots where his eyes weren’t visible and yeah.. smart moves. Sigh.. he once left his role as a military healer to prevent himself from watching more people rush towards their death and now he’s not gonna see much of anything.

Bruh.. he faced the foxian’s worst enemy, got taken hostage by them, watched people die in front of him, got seriously attacked and purposefully drank poison at some point, yet despite all that trauma, he solely cares about how Feixiao is feeling? GOD HELP ME he’s too precious and sweet! I adore him so much and his devotion to her has me so giddy and weak. In a shipping context or not I fucking I love the bond these two have y’all.

I mean.. I guess? In exchange for losing his sight, Hoolay was definitely defeated, which grants all the foxians a big sigh of relief to finally be rid of the monster that haunted them and treated them as slaves for centuries.

More importantly than that (to me at least) is knowing that Feixiao’s moon rage was actually taken care of. Part of his ‘About Feixiao’ voice line is “I cannot leave this world before she's cured” and our man really kept his promise. I wish he didn’t have to go through such extremes to achieve one of his biggest goals in life but hey, if Jiaoqiu says he’s fine, I’ll choose to believe him. Just a little bit.

The way Moze was here the entire time and he didn’t even know… aaahh. Considering Moze was here way before Feixiao first showed up, he probably moves too quietly for Jiaoqiu to even hear him. I wanna bet that Moze left the Alchemy Commission after Jiaoqiu did just to make sure the guy didn’t get himself lost or walk into any danger.

I fucking hope they can find someone to help him! Also, I absolutely LOVE that it’s her now making a promise to find a way to heal him! All those years of Jiaoqiu stressing about finding a cure for her moon rage and Feixiao gets the chance to pay back all his efforts. Kinda surprised that Bailu couldn’t do anything about Jiaoqiu’s sight, but perhaps she doesn’t know how to or isn’t strong enough for such a thing yet? Not even Lingsha could’ve helped I guess. Who knows.

Ma’am.. I love each and every little thing about you, but can you relax? Please?? You just snuck out of the Alchemy Commission, which means you probably aren’t even full healed yet, and we’re already chatting about rushing into more battles? How about we take a break for a little bit and go enjoy the real Wardance. Sound good?

Me and Jiaoqiu sharing exactly one brain cell.

Just hearing her say “wildfire” made me miss our favorite Underworlders even more. At least we’ll get to see a whole bunch of Luka during the Wardance event.

Ah, even more name drops to taunt my hopes with. I’m still bitter we were teased with Jingliu’s return. Speaking of a certain blonde man though, can we ask him to cure Jiaoqiu’s eyes? We don’t exactly how skilled Luocha is with healing since everything about him is a giant mystery, but I think it would be a nice reason to bring him back, if only for a moment. I know he’s still locked up but whomever does eventually heal Jiaoqiu will be put on my good side.

Well, at least we finally get an idea of what our “traveling merchant” has been carrying in that coffin of his.

Having the Swarm be mentioned right before Ruan Mei.. oh dear. What kind of chaos are we in for next time there’s a mission on these ships.

Now then, I know our mad scientist was mentioned at the very beginning of the quest by Himeko regarding some fossils, then again once more towards the middle by Feixiao when she was chatting with Yukong about how the Verdant Knights found the wreckage of Whistling Flames ship, so that of course got my hopes up that we might finally learn more about Tingyun.. but I wasn’t expecting to hear her speak!! Thank heavens she’s actually alive! Whether by chance or because Ruan Mei has already.. you know, used her as a test subject, who knows. I’m leaning towards the latter option personally but regardless! I’m so thrilled for her! I’m not even that big of a Tingyun fan but my mouth was literally hung open in a huge grin when I heard her voice again. I can’t imagine how her voice actors must’ve felt being called back after so long in to give just a single line for this character again after what happened during the main story.

Speaking of powerful one liners, Feixiao receives a second one about Jiaoqiu after you complete the entire mission. Ain’t that grand.

Behold! I’m finally done with all this rambling and I can finally start the Wardance event! I’ve already seen some characters and cutscenes that I’m excited to learn more about. I do enjoy Luka but hopefully I can just breeze through it and not take an abundant amount of screenshots this time.

[supernaturallyliterate]

Helluva Boss Episode 2

thoughts & SPOILERS

- In the flashback, we see Stolas wake up disgruntled, surrounded by grey tones. Stella is turned away from him, and grumbles at him to go get Via. This establishes that Stolas has always been the one to care for Via.

- The drawings in Via’s room show just her and Stolas. The family portrait doesn’t include her mom. Also I just love all the astronomy and stars everywhere in her room.

- kid Via: “I had a bad dream… I was looking all over the palace. And I couldn’t find you anywhere!” This demonstrates that Via’s deepest fear is that her dad will leave her all alone. She doesn’t feel the same connection with her mom, who isn’t even mentioned in the conversation and lullaby that Stolas sings to comfort her.

- Stolas: “You must remember, no matter what happens to me I will never be far away from my special little star fire.”

- Stolas: I used to think that this was home. I used to think love would be fun. Now all of my stories have been told except for one.”

- “As the stars start to align I hope you take it as a sign that you’ll be okay. Everything will be okay. And if the seven rings collapse although the day could be my last you will be okay. While I’m gonna you will be okay. When creation goes to die you can find me in the sky up on the last day. And you will be okay.” I feel like “You Will Be Okay” foreshadows what happens in season 2 and beyond: Stolas leaving Via, the threat of death he faces from Satan, him being banished.

- the scene jump from baby Via sleeping to teen Via

- “Do you want to fuck this one too?!”

- “my world is burning down around me. It’s by fuck you dad. It’s a band.”

- Stolas’s squeaky little slippers

- Stella yells at Stolas about him sleeping with an imp in front of Via. This is after Stolas and Blitz sleep together for the first time, after Blitz runs out the next morning and Stolas rips up the “Not Divorced!” Sign and announces that he wants a divorce.

-

- S: “now, I’m calling the only man who can fuck me!” V: “What?” S: “Who can protect me!”

- not sure how I feel about Blitz masturbating to Millie and Moxxie self-insert 😭

- Blitz to Stolas: I just had a chemical peel, so find somewhere else to plant that feathered ass.”

- Blitz has a poster of “The Incredible Blitzo!” on his office wall

- Blitz thinks that Stolas wants him to sleep with Via, and all he says is “make sure she washes it.” BLITZ ABSOLUTELY NOT. THAT IS YOUR FUTURE DAUGHTER.

- Blitz has to clarify with Stolas, “you’ll pay me what?” Stolas, all seductively, “Money.” Makes me think if Blitz got roped into something and it turned out to be something else

- More horse posters in Blitz’s office

- Looney’s “Shut the fuck up!” Is so goth teen. Love it.

- Blitz: “now remember, this is work and work only. Me and my crew are not here to satisfy any of your little perverted bird needs.”

- The first interaction we see between Via and Blitz is Via trying to get her dad’s attention and Blitz saying, “hold on right there, sweetie,” and then ignoring her while chastising Stolas about not trying to sleep with him. Oh boy. No wonder she fucking hates him.

- Millie used to come to Loo Loo Land as a kid. I want this flashback.

- Blitz tells Moxxie, “Listen to your hoe, Mox.” I think this speaks to Blitz���s perception of relationships at this time. He knows they’re married. But he can only see it as sexual. So he reduces them to sexual partners.

- All of the signs. “The lawsuit,” “funnel cakes and suffering,” “stop that soul.”

- Via: “You both need to get a room.” She’s making passive comments that she doesn’t approve of

- We get a small flashback of Via and Blitz being at the circus. We can infer from Stolas’s childhood experience at the circus that he takes Via there because HE loves the circus and he met Blitz there.

- I love that we see a small insight into Via and Blitz bonding: “I hate that fucking clown.” Even though Blitz will make us with Fizzarolli, I think this is important because it shows the audience (and maybe, upon reflection, both Blitz and Via) that they DO have things in common. They both hate this weird clown. And they both love Stolas.

- I love the casual assassination and kidnapping attempt.

- I love the whole interaction of Moxxie & Millie at the carnival game. He’s just trying to show off and get his wife the stuffed animal she wants.

- Stolas’s little chubby cheeks and clapping as the show finishes. But he’s so in his own world that he doesn’t see Via is upset until she says, “I can’t do this anymore!” And leaves.

- robot Fizzarolli: “real or not, though, people love me. Does anybody love you, Blitzo?” B: “No, but I’m really good with guns now!” BABY THATS NOT TRUE

- The torch falls on the circus tent. It’s an accident. Just like the one in Blitz’s past. Of course this time he IS trying to kill robot Fizz.

- Stolas can tell based on the shot that it wasn’t Blitz who killed his attacker. Just how many times has he hired Blitz to bodyguard?

- “some weird dickhead.” How Via describes Blitz

- “Home doesn’t even feel like home anymore. You’ve ruined it.” She blames him at this moment.

- Octavia: “Are you gonna run off with him? Leave me behind? Go somewhere where I can’t find you?”

- At this moment in time, all Octavia knows is that her dad slept with Blitz and wants to divorce Stella. We see Stolas try to explain that things with Stella were never really romantic or healthy. But, as Stolas says, “I can’t find the words.” He doesn’t want to shatter his daughter’s perception of her mom. He doesn’t want to lose her either.

- We see Stolas show a fraction of his powers by petrifying the imp attacker. Proving what everyone already knew: he doesn’t need Blitz to protect him, but he WANTS him to.

[medea10]

My Review of Peter Pan no Bouken

Nearing the end of watching Little Lord Fauntleroy, instead of airing the preview for the next episode there was a preview for an upcoming anime that was going to air in it’s current timeslot. When you watch these World Masterpiece Theater animes in their original video format, you come upon that. In the past, I saw previews for other series I have yet to watch like Heidi and The Bush Babies. What do we have here this time?

Peter Pan?!

Peter Pan is an anime?! For real?! Okay, we’re watching this.

All I can say is, who hasn’t heard of Peter Pan? How many movies and television shows have been made that was loosely based off this fairy tale? Too many to count! Hook, Finding Neverland, Pan, Walt Disney’s Peter Pan, Peter Pan starring Mary Martin, Tinkerbell, the live-action Peter Pan in 2003, Return to Neverland, Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Peter Pan and the Pirates on FOX Kids, Once Upon a Time…It’s just endless! Add to that a new Disney live-action reboot to the tale starring Jude Law. So, this story is never going to die. And it shouldn’t! I grew up with the story. I’ve watched several plays. I’ve seen many movie adaptations. Because I have a boomer parent, I watched the Mary Martin Broadway version. But as we all know, the one I know front-to-back would be Walt Disney’s 1953 animated feature film starring Bobby Driscoll, Hans Conried, and Katherine Beaumont.

I know this film is canceled eight ways from Sunday and I don’t care. Disney+ has advisory notices everywhere with this one. And if I’m not mistaking, if you’re under 7 on Disney+, you’re not even allowed to watch this without parental permission. I’ll save the bitching about that for a different day. I liked this film. Disney’s Peter Pan is one of my guilty pleasures despite outdated stereotypes and major sexism. At least I know the Japanese version won’t sing a song called, “What Makes the Red Man Red”. I’m curious to see Japan’s take on this tale as these World Masterpiece Theater classics seem to be very accurate in their telling of the stories. And they’ve got 41 episodes to do so.

I do have to wonder though. Aren’t the main characters of the World Masterpiece Theater animes supposed to deal with heavy subject matter? The Darling children have it easy compared to nearly every other character from the other animes. They’re not orphaned. They’re not put to work in slave conditions. They're not escaping Nazis. Their home was not burned to the ground by Confederate soldiers. That’s a foreshadow to what I watch after Peter Pan. These kids get to hang out in Neverland with a boy that never grew up. Then again, it is a literary classic and I suppose they wanted to change things up with a more light-hearted story.

The story was created by Scottish playwright/novelist J.M. Barrie. Peter Pan is the story about a free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows older. Peter Pan lives in Neverland with a fairy named Tinkerbell. He spends his days hanging with other kids who didn’t grow up named the lost boys, conversing with the mermaids, dodging danger from the Indians, and occasionally fighting against the notorious pirate, Captain Hook.

But as we all know the story truly begins with the Darling family. Wendy, John, and Michael Darling are spirited children who are well taken care of by their loving and strict parents and a watchful dog named Nana. The children have recently been having dreams about the titular character. It’s an uncommon phenomenon for children their age to dream about a boy that never ages named Peter Pan. It’s just that there’s no book to prove his existence. But Peter Pan has found a fascination with the Darling household and shows up several times. After losing his shadow, Peter ends up meeting Wendy, John, and Michael. Peter tells them all about the place he lives, Neverland. Next thing you know, they’re covered in pixie dust and they’re flying from the UK all the way to Neverland.

Here, Wendy and her brothers spend their time hanging out with the lost boys, conversing with the mermaids, dodging danger from the Indians, and…okay, you get the idea. The Darling children are getting the Neverland experience.

BETWEEN THE DUB AND THE SUB: You ain’t gonna believe this. This anime has a dub. Not just one, but two dubs. In 1993, Sky One in the UK aired this anime (under the name Peter Pan: The Animated Series) and gave it a dub. Not to be confused with the other shows that went as Peter Pan: The Animated Series. This, I’m okay with. Real British people voicing real British characters. Thank you! Yeah, I praise that here, but when the UK dubs for Crayon Shin Chan and Urusei Yatsura, I make cringe faces. The other dub was done by Saban. Wow, how dated can you get with that company? Due to the limited data, I can’t really talk about the dub here. As usual, we get a few veterans from the World Masterpiece Theater animes and a few well-known voice actors early in their career. One more addition, it’s quite clever that Chiako Otsuka not only played Captain Hook here, but he was also the Japanese dub voice for many Disney movies that feature Hook (as well as some of the Kingdom Hearts games) and continued to do so before passing away several years ago. The more we know!

*Peter Pan is played by Noriko Hidaka (known for Kikyo on InuYasha, Akane on Ranma ½, Near on Death Note, Soujirou on Rurouni Kenshin, Ursula on Little Witch Academia, and Bellemire on One Piece)

*Wendy is played by Naoko Matsui (known for Misora on Death Note, Noriko on Itazura na Kiss, Monet on One Piece, Shikamaru’s mother on Naruto, and Bridget on Little Lord Fauntleroy)

*John is played by Kyouko Hamura

*Michael is played by Yuriko Fuchizaki (known for Anthy on Revolutionary Girl Utena, Hiro on Fruits Basket, Cyprine on Sailor Moon S, and Megumi on Ah My Goddess)

*Tinkerbell is played by Sumi Shimamoto (known for Ishizu on YGO, Kanata on Lucky Star, Sara on Princess Sara, and Mitsuba on Gintama)

*Captain Hook is played by Chiako Otsuka (known for Gol D. Roger on One Piece, Arthur on Hellsing, and Tao Pai Pai on Dragon Ball) [R.I.P.]

SHIPPING: Wait…what?! There should be no talk of shipping here.

Oh, but in episode six John has a crush on Tiger Lily. And then John continues to be all blushy around her throughout the series.

John and Tiger Lily? What sick fan-fiction tripe is this?! I’ve never seen any poppycock related to what I just wrote anywhere. Tiger Lily is supposed to have a crush on Peter and hate Wendy. Not on a yandere level like Tinkerbell, but still. Japan, do better!

To be honest, there is one ship I support in the Peter Pan universe and no, it is not Peter Pan x Wendy. That was never something I supported, not even as a kid.

I actually support Captain Hook x the crocodile. Yes, I am pro this. Even three-year old me would support this.

ACCURATE OR NOT: Time to see if this adaptation stacks up well compared to the original source material.

*This adaptation has fewer Lost Boys. Many of the adaptations are pretty loose when it comes to the lost boys in terms of how many there are and their names. Originally, there were six. So, we seem to be missing Nibs and the twins. I guess that’s one thing Disney’s Peter Pan got right and they didn’t even say their names.

*Not sure if all of these places in Neverland truly existed in the original text. Because here, it feels like there are a lot of places that even Peter Pan has never heard of or been to. Pretty sure Peter Pan has been in Neverland since God farted out the solar system. So, why would he question any part of the land he’s lived in his whole life? And don’t get me started on Tinkerbell’s situation. That’s a fairy-hole I don’t feel like traveling down.

*There was potential of a really threatening antagonist for this series with Darkness and her ambitions of stealing dreams from children. And it’s up to her granddaughter Luna to save this woman and show her the right way. Too bad Darkness and Luna do not exist in the original material. Hey, if this series is gonna be 41 episodes, you’ve gotta stretch it out as much as possible.

*Yeah, little Rascal here doesn’t exist outside the anime. Just like every other cute animal featured in these animes. Okay, go join the rest of the animals like Chouchou, Milky Ann, Piccolo, and Caesar that never existed.

*Mama Hook. Surely, she existed. I mean, Hook was originally a fellow who studied at the best schools of England including Eton and Oxford. It’s just that I don’t think she was ever mentioned in the novel. Other adaptations, very rarely. Even Disney didn’t have a Mama Hook until 2011 where they got Sharon Osbourne of all people. In the anime, it is always implied that Hook’s mother passed away, but he loves her so dearly. Every so often, he will talk about her.

THIS GODDAMN ANIMATION: I swore I would never yell about the Nippon animation for the World Masterpiece Theater collection. And it’s great that many of the Nippon animators went on to do greater pieces including movies for Studio Ghibli. But I can’t hold it in with this one. This is just bad. The animation quality went down after Little Lord Fauntleroy and it really shows. I keep wanting to wipe away Peter Pan’s mouth because I think he has a chocolate milk stain. And this might be bias on my part, but most of the Captain Hooks I’ve watched were (for a lack of a better term) PILFs. This Captain Hook looks like he belongs in that Oingo Boingo ending theme from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Pt. 3.

ENDING: Depending on what Peter Pan adaptation you watch; chances are the ending will be different. Some will end with the Darling children back home with their parents, some end with the Darling children bringing the Lost Boys with them back home, and other endings show the future where Wendy is all grown up with her daughter Jane. And most of the non-Disney live-action ones will do something way out of left field, I turn off the TV in disgust and howl at the moon.

While I’m on a tangent, why did Pan have a scene where they’re singing Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit?

While most adaptations will showcase a Peter Pan vs. Captain Hook showdown, this series has Darkness and Luna. Darkness has plans for her granddaughter and Neverland. She plans to use this Black Mirror that will destroy Neverland. But of course, Darkness is too old to carry out anything and is missing a few things to make this come true. That’s where Luna comes in as she tries to groom her to become her successor. Luna has been hesitant and defiant against doing her grandmother’s bidding. Unfortunately, things do not go well when Captain Hook and the pirates get involved in this family squabble as well. Peter Pan and Wendy are friends with Luna and help her when she’s around, so yeah, they’re caught up in this mess too.

The pet raccoon Rascal was holding this special key that Darkness needs to make her dream into a nightmarish reality. Once everything was in place, Darkness was able to use her granddaughter’s body as a vessel in order to take over. The Luna that Peter and Wendy knew no longer exists. She’s out to destroy Neverland. Captain Hook is one for destruction, but even he knows to not fuck with the natural order of Neverland. Thankfully, Wendy was able to break through to Luna. The black mirror that Darkness has been harping about for several episodes is now the white mirror and peace can continue across the land. Okay, we’re at the final episode at this point. Is that all?

Wendy and her brothers feel like their time in Neverland is over after everything that has just happened. Yeah, just randomly bring up going home now. Absolutely no talks about leaving prior to this moment. Sure, they mention their lives in London every now and then while in Neverland but never talked about wanting to return. In this version, Wendy, John, and Michael leave without bringing back the lost boys.

After returning from Neverland, Wendy and the boys would always remember their time in Neverland…at first. In time, they will gradually forget what transpired there until it felt like nothing more than a dream. Peter promised to come visit. But days turn to weeks. Weeks to months, months to years. But one night, many years later, Peter Pan returns to the nursery to find Wendy’s daughter Jane. Better late than never!

Ehhh…not my favorite Peter Pan adaptation and right now my least favorite of the World Masterpiece Theater collection. I think for me, when it comes to Peter Pan, I prefer it to be in movie form and not a 41-episode trilogy. Frankly, this series bored me more than you would think. The addition this anime made with the black mirror, Darkness, and Luna piqued my interest slightly. It’s new to the Peter Pan story and stepping into unfamiliar territory, but it caught my attention for a short while. But to be blunt, I would rather stick to the movies I’ve grown up to enjoy.

Does that mean you’ll watch Disney’s latest Peter Pan & Wendy now?

Fuck naw. Disney can suck on a huge tray of dicks with their live-action reboots. After what they did to The Lion King, I wash my hands of that.

But if you are curious about the Peter Pan anime…good luck finding it.

Now that Peter Pan is over, it’s time I pick up another World Masterpiece Theater classic where we go back to America.

Way back when in 1863, now part of the American lore.

(psst...It's Little Women)

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Henry V (1989 film version with Kenneth Branagh): Reactions, Part II

let us continue!

once again, we love us some OLDE MAPS!!!

“plsssss i don’t want my boyfriend to be executeeeeeeed :(“

this guy is taking no shit

tfw your former buddy is about to get executed right in front of you

“how could you let this happen to me??? :(“

“…did i fucking tell you to go rob a CHURCH???”

✨uncomfortable foreshadowing in the flashback✨

honestly, getting hanged for robbing a church is…not out of character for him!

well at least you want them all to treat the villages and villagers fairly but uh…didn’t you literally just talk about sticking babies on pikes a few scenes ago?

in keeping with the tennis stuff: the ball is now in france’s court

well, he’s nothing if not a good catholic boy i guess

chorus is just like “well! that happened!”

stop comparing horses and armor and go to SLEEP y’all have a BATTLE tomorrow

or don’t. knock yourselves out i guess.

once again: royals and nobles have nothing better to do than wander around in disguise! always a treat in media

calling your countryfolk “your bosom” i guess

kissing one’s dirty shoe? okay good for you i guess

yeah y’all shouldn’t be talking so loudly right before the battle you never know who’d be listening

the elizabethan version of “if all your friends jumped off a bridge would you do the same?”

and he likes speaking about himself in the third person

ooh damn this guy’s got a good point (that the king might have some reckoning to do if this war is not just)

no, what he’s saying is that what if they shouldn’t have died in the first place. keep up, henry

OHHHHHHHHHHH SHIT HE JUST CHALLENGED THE KING TO A DUEL

(he doesn’t know he’s the king but STILL! DRAMA!!!!!)

he’s considering…

“okay but surely i’m not responsible for EVERYTHING in my people’s lives??? right??? RIGHT???”

and the question surely on both of our minds: but where is the line, especially in this case???

ooooooooooooooooof.

okay but this brings up a good question: so if his dad murdered the guy before him, it may not be right to punish the son for the sins of the father but uh. is his claim to the ENGLISH throne even legit, let alone the FRENCH throne??? has he legitimized it through his penitence and devotion (in more than one sense)??? much to think about!

BATTLE DAY IS HERE!!!

whack whackity whack whack

FIVE TO ONE?!?!?! oh lord help you all

oh hey here’s the other thing i know: the st. crispin’s day speech!

come on y’all KNOW it’s iconic

“we few, we happy few, we band of brothers…”

i mean come on. it’s just so uplifting and strong and has GREAT vibes.

“dude. we do not need to have this discussion AGAIN.”

can’t help but respect henry right now even if you don’t like him!

here we go…

dude how did you just show up in the middle of the battlefield lmao

“ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck that is a lot of people coming at us at once ohhhhhhhh boy”

also i love how they’re just cutting to all these WILDLY different reactions on all these english leaders’ faces lol

HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh yeah i do remember learning about this. how the longbows were taking ALL the french out and how it was an example of important military tech development during this time or something like that

gotta respect a leader who fights alongside his soldiers

this is gory and graphic as FUCK omg

can’t even tell half these english dudes apart but oof that HURTS (are these people even english???)

sucks to be y’all

oh hey again baby christian bale!!!

WHERE IS THE HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING COMING FROM

oh my god. oh my god. THE FRENCH WENT AFTER THE FUCKING KIDS????????????????

i’m gonna need a sec. hold on. gonna need a sec.

he gets it!!!

oh BUDDY 😭

“I WAS NOT ANGRY SINCE I CAME TO FRANCE, UNTIL THIS INSTANT!!!” MOOD. FUCKING MOOD.

this, imo, is an appropriate reaction

reasonable request though

i mean with all the carnage everywhere it’s entirely understandable to not know what the FUCK is going on

well at least the english won i guess

but, and i could be wrong here, weren’t they retreating anyway? so either way technically they lost the war. this just means their army didn’t get hacked to bits or something i guess. idk. could be wrong.

oh buddy…

did you not look at your map before you came here. it would’ve told you this place was called agincourt

okay but why is this so adorable

MISTRESS QUICKLY DIED????????? nooooooooooooooo rip to the “reverenza” queen

the only french guy in here: wait TEN THOUSAND french people died??????? like, ONE SIXTH of the entire army???? 😳

ONLY TWENTY NINE (29)????????????

(i mean, presumably the boys are not being counted, and goodness knows how many of them, but maybe they are???)

his line reading is just *chef’s kiss*

HENRY IS CARRYING THE BOY STOOOOOOOOOOOP DO YOU WANT TO MAKE ME CRY AGAIN

also this is really beautiful music

like. there’s so much to unpack here. and it’s a beautiful moment, and some GREAT camera work. 10/10 the movie could end right here but apparently there’s another 20 minutes

annnnnnnnnnnnnnd i’m crying again

oof.

so it looks like war devastated our buddy henry, so maybe let’s go for peace instead?

flashback time!

what have we all lost?

also unrelated but what happened to the guy who challenged henry to a duel? i hope he’s having a good day

ah yes, making a woman your demand. *sigh* yeah i know this is how politics and arranged marriages work, and she seems to not hate him, but still.

okay but: gorgeous

this is awkwaaaaaaaaaard

“i already tried to be the enemy and that didn’t work so i guess…france’s friend???”

he’s trying!!! and it’s honestly kinda cute

and it seems like he’s giving her a choice, so good on that

annnnnnnnnnnnnd there it is!

ah, peace.

annnnnnnnd bringing the frame back

henry may have been brilliant, but…history has a way of complicating things.

anyway this was AWESOME, 10/10 definitely recommend

[darkmasterofcupcakes]

DHMIS Review: Short 3, Love

I’ve made it clear that I feel like this is the short that I feel gets the most undeserved flack - with people still liking it, but most people I’ve seen calling it the worst of the six original shorts - and now I can actually explain why I think “Love” is underrated. 

I can’t help but wonder if Red Guy’s comment about how it’s nice to finally be outside has a bit of a double meaning to it? Knowing that this is the first episode after the kickstarter was finished gives it the meaning of them being happy to be free (though based on the poster, apparently they never let anyone know they weren’t missing anymore) after what they went through. But I could also see it being a bit of a meta joke, since this episode is the first (and ultimately ends up being the only short) where the Students are outside the house for the whole time.

Actually, I think it’s the only episode of either series where they’re not in the house at all; even the TV show episodes where they spend most of the episode somewhere else open with them in the house before the main plot gets going. So, this really is a special episode in a lot of ways.

I don’t know what part of the opening bit amuses me most: the fact that they just have raw chicken to eat for the picnic; Yellow just showing the utmost childish glee over a butterfly only for Duck to smash it onto said chicken without a thought; Duck and Red watching Yellow run away crying and literally not doing anything; or Red blankly commenting that Yellow seems upset (after he ran away crying),

Only just now did I notice that there’s a slight echo to Shrignold’s voice when he says his first line. Is that supposed to be foreshadowing? Because at the end, it does seem to be slightly ambiguous as to whether the events of the episode actually happened - or at least, happened like we saw them - or if it was all some kind of a dream. So maybe the echo was a sign that Yellow was starting to fall asleep or was beginning to daydream or something? Especially when the whole thing starts with Shrignold addressing the issue that Yellow was having - something he may or may not have had any reason to know about.

I have watched this short so many times over the years, and only now did I notice that Shrignold not only has hearts on his wings, but stars and diamonds as well. Though, in my defense, the stars and diamonds are tiny compared to the hearts. 

Does anyone know which came first - the “Is this a pigeon” meme or this short? If the meme came first, I don’t know if it was an intentional reference or not, but the fact that Yellow mistakes Shrignold, a butterfly, for a pigeon of all birds....It feels like it’s at least a subconscious nod if nothing else. Either way, it’s hilarious. Even more so when you realize Shrignold literally doesn’t even seem to care and just goes on with his lesson.

Love how very contradictory Shrignold is at the very start of his lesson, first with how he offers to hold Yellow’s hand, only to fly away the second the puppet reaches for him; and then again when they’re flying through the sky. Because he follows up the line about how everyone hates Yellow and no one cares...with a claim that love is everywhere. Two statements that really seem to contradict each other, since hate is typically seen as the antithesis of love, and it’s kind of hard to love if you don’t care. Unless the message Shrignold is trying to push onto Yellow is that love in general is everywhere....except for where Yellow is, because everyone hates Yellow and nobody cares about him, specifically.

What is with Duck’s weird little eyebrow raise after he tells Red that he wants to eat the chicken instead of following Yellow? Seriously, I don’t know what it’s supposed to convey, or if it was just a mistake the puppeteer made and they kept it in because it’s not like it distracts too much from the scene.

Anyone else notice that Duck and Red Guy apparently just inhaled all of the chicken picnic? Maybe more time was supposed to have passed than we see, but as far as the short goes, they apparently went from deciding they wanted to eat the chicken...to it all being completely devoured in the span of like, five seconds. Also, peak comedic timing with the way Duck just stares at the camera until it suddenly cuts back to the stuff with the Love Cult.

This really does feel like the first time a lesson seems to contradict itself, doesn’t it? With how the members of the Love Cult all seem to express love for things like friends and pets, but as soon as Yellow tries to declare he loves things in presumably a platonic way, he’s shot down and told he has to “save” his love for his “special one”. Speaking of which, I love how the Special One is clearly modeled to be a distaff counterpart to Yellow (probably making fun of that trope in a lot of fiction), what with the similar facial structures and how she has pink hair to compliment Yellow’s blue hair....but she’s just given teeth to make her all the more unsettling. Because if you want puppets to be scary, give them teeth.

Gotta love the classic story of Michael, the Loneliest Boy in Town. Even if it really does seem like nobody actually knows how it connects to the lesson about love. And once again, the comedic timing in this episode is perfection.

Okay, the way the song develops from just being about the general concept of “love” to specifically being about romantic love and marriage between a man and woman is already amusing to me....then you have the complete and total switch into the cult stuff. Made even better by how Yellow seems just as confused as any first time viewers probably are when you get the abrupt tonal shift.

Genuinely want to know how Becky and Joe came up with the whole idea of these animals worshipping a giant stone head named Malcolm that eats gravel. I am trying to figure out the connection between any of that and love and coming up with nothing. But, I will say the fact that when Yellow is told he’d have to change his name, and his changed name is Shrigis, is basically where the idea of his real name being “Dennis” came from - since using Shrignold’s name as reference, it’d seem like the first part of your name gets changed to “Shrig” and “Dennis” is the name that felt like it fit the best with Yellow’s “new” name.

So, the ending still doesn’t make it completely clear whether everything happened or not....though the caterpillar that hatches from the egg does raise some disturbing questions that I don’t want answered. Though I will say that the whole thing of “Red and Duck love Yellow and they show it be apologizing for upsetting him and bringing him something to cheer him up”....might not work quite as well when you realize that they apparently still finished their picnic before going off to look for him, so apparently they did think food was more important than his feelings. 

[reachingforthevoid]

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders

I rewatched this serial on 26 February 2023. It’s another one that I’ve watched quite a few times during my life, thanks to the ABC’s repeats during the 1970s in Australia.

Anyways, the tale opens with interspersing scenes of Mike Yates in civvies wandering around a mansion and stumbling across a group of Buddhist chanters and the Doctor and the Brigadier, also in civvies, at some kind of stage show. Turns out, the Doctor is intrigued by a real-life clairvoyant, who dies from fright at the images conjured by the return of the Metebelis Three blue crystal. Jo has sent the crystal back because the people they’re with in South America don’t like it. Meanwhile, Mike has enticed Sarah to the meditation clinic for a story about something sinister. We get quite a lot about Tibetan Buddhism, which delightfully doubles as an explanation for regeneration. 

The spiders appear, chasing after the crystal. We leap to Metebelis Three, which is a little different from when we last saw it. Time, eh. There’s lots of factions and factions within factions. The spiders are despotic rulers, unsurprisingly; yet in that lies the seed of their own destruction, as well as the Doctor’s death.

And so we say farewell to Jon Pertwee as Dr/Doctor Who (both are used in the end credits throughout his time on the show). Colour, and the related TV production changes, marked quite a difference in approach to the show that’s now finishing its first eleventh season. The Pertwee serials also really laid on the newly invented mythology of the show, with loads of Time Lords popping up everywhere and the Doctor’s physiology being demonstrably alien. It’s fun that this serial includes a wonderful James Bond style chase as send off to Pertwee’s love of vehicles and gadgets. 

Fun facts: we first hear the name Doris in connection to the Brigadier, and learn of a UNIT Medical Officer named Sullivan. The regeneration of K’anpo Rimpoche neatly foreshadows the Doctor’s next regeneration.

[dragonflight203]

Latest DC comic is Batman: Hush. It’s another comic I frequently see referenced and feels like vital reading for the Batman mythos.

It’s also by Jeph Loeb, so it made sense to knock it out as another of his works.

Comic

Title: Batman: Hush

Author: Jeph Loeb

Artist: Jim Lee

Year: 2002-2003

Overall Opinion

-A fun read that once again stumbles over itself at the end.

It’s not as complex as The Long Halloween or Dark Victory, but it’s a good romp.

Art

-This is the first comic with art that I liked. Jim Lee is a fantastic artist.

General

-After Huntress rescues Batman, he says he should speak to the others about accepting her. He never does this on page.

-There is no way Bruce should be back on his feet so quickly after brain surgery. That’s just ridiculous.

There really is something in Gotham’s water.

-Bruce suspects Perry White knows Superman’s identity, and that Jim Gordon knows Batman’s.

-These iconic lines I see frequently quoted are from this comic when Batman and Superman fight:

“Deep down, Clark’s essentially a good person… and deep down, I’m not.”

-Great lines when Gordon prevents Batman from killing Joker:

Batman: How many more lives are we going to let him ruin?

Gordon: I don’t care. I won’t let him ruin yours.

-This comic justifies “Jason’s” return as from a Lazarus pit. Is that where the idea to actually revive Jason came from?

Jason’s grave is empty. It’s possible Edward found it that way.

-This line will haunt Bruce later: “Even in the end… Jason knew how much I loved him.”

-Two-Face is supposedly gone, but Harvey Dent doesn’t hesitate to kill Thomas Elliot.

Yeah, I doubt that Two-Face will never be seen again.

-This is also the comic where Superman uses his heat vision to perform brain surgery on Batman.

-Why is Edward wearing his Riddler outfit when he meets with Batman in Arkham Asylum? Shouldn’t he be in inmate clothing?

-This comic has so many moments that would make any one comic memorable:

Batman vs Superman

Batman nearly killing Joker

Two-Face’s scars being repaired

“Jason” returning from the dead

Bruce revealing his identity to Catwoman

It feels like Loeb went all out to make it as spectacular as possible, but at the same time this rapid pace means some points don’t have much time spent on them. Barely anything is done with with Two-Face’s scars being repaired, for example.

Story

-Loeb’s trend of complex build up that can’t quite pull itself together for a finale continues.

Elliot’s the driving force of this plot, and I’m left scratching my head over his motivations. All this because Bruce Wayne’s father saved Elliot’s mother?

Logical enough for a madman, I suppose, but that feels like yet another excuse for the story Loeb wanted to write rather than a true reason.

-It’s obvious that Elliot’s death isn’t real. Too much time is spent introducing him and building him up in the first half of the comic to kill him off like that.

-The audience finding the Harley Quinn fight part of the show is ridiculous. This is a Gotham audience; they’re accustomed to the Rogue’s bullshit and showing up everywhere.

-Bruce nearly killing Joker because of Elliot’s death feels forced. He’s held back after Barbara and Jason, but Elliot is the snapping point?

I suppose it could be considered one last straw, but it doesn’t work for me.

-Riddler’s introduced about half way through the comic, but he still needed to be introduced earlier to be the main villain.

Besides the Lazarus pit dirt, I also don’t recall any foreshadowing that it’s him.

-Harold needed to be introduced earlier for his betrayal to work. He just comes out of nowhere. That’s sloppy writing.

Characters

-Bruce can be so bitchy. He notes that he’ll drop by the Daily Planet because it’s always good to see Lois. No mention of Clark.

-Bruce gets pissy when Wallers takes Killer Croc, and promptly drags Poison Ivy back to Gotham. He does not like the Rogues leaving his city.

-At the funeral, Bruce notes how there are many people in his life and how he’s better for it. Tim, Dick, Alfred, etc.

Selina also repeatedly notes how Bruce has many “strings”, i.e. people he cares for (that can be used against him).

-Bruce is horrible about Jason in this comic:

“Jason never had the skills that Dick had. I should never have let him put on the costume. No matter what differences we’ve had through the years, I’ve always know that Dick had a gift. Jason only had… rage. And I thought… hoped… that if I could channel that rage into something more productive…”

“Dick saw being Robin as a thrill. It’s probably why he outgrew it. Jason saw being Robin as a game. It’s probably what got him killed. But.. Tim… I have to hand it to the boy… He wants to be the world’s greatest detective. And from what I’ve seen so far… he will be someday.”

“My opponent is counting on Jason’s appearance to affect my abilities. Play on whatever guilt I harbor for Jason’s death. His coordination. His speed. The acrobatics. It’s all… too familiar. Bottom line… Jason was never that good.”

-Why is Poison Ivy obsessed with money?

That feels out of character for her. Isn’t her deal an obsession with plants?

-Loeb writes Thomas Wayne as a bit of a dick.

In Dark Victory, he refused to comfort Bruce because he had to learn to stand on his own.

In Hush, he disapproves of Martha getting Bruce into literature and cinema because they’re not real.

Opera’s fine, though.

-I have mixed feelings about Riddler’s involvement in this. He’s certainly clever enough, but I question his people skills to get everyone onboard.

Also, one of Riddler’s key motivations is attention. That’s why he leaves riddles at crime scenes. This plan does very little to put the focus on him.

One can blame it as a side effect of the Lazarus pit, but that again feels like a cop out.

Edit: Added Comic section

[xchronicles]

I'll just put this here (it's timestamped) so peeps can make their own conclusions.

I don't like the way romantic love is being talked about as a 'lesser relationship' and something to be avoided because it would do Admiral Janeway a disservice. Personally, that is such a weird statement, one that I just can't understand. How exactly would it be a disservice? From a writer's perspective, what's the worst message that could be conveyed with a romantic relationship between them? As someone interested in stories, I am genuinely curious to hear the reasoning behind why it would be a disservice to have a 'doting off into the sunset holding hands' scene, which ofc doesn't have to be so literal and can be interpreted as giving a clear answer.

The statements made, along with the portrayal of their relationship in S2, are giving me narrative whiplash. Their relationship in S2 seemed inconsistent to me - there are both extremely emotional scenes that, in any other show, would be interpreted as foreshadowing future events and arcs, and scenes that feel as if nothing of any emotional importance has happened.

Now I understand why: it's trying to sit on two chairs at once and this is being confirmed in these interviews, which is why I've always felt something was off when watching JC in S2 despite my best efforts to see them as canon. I even wrote a couple of deep-dive scene analysis texts from S2 in the favour of a canon confirmation, but ended up getting frustrated because everything I've learned about film analysis in the past decade seems to apply everywhere else except when trying to read JC... and that is happening precisely because it's trying to be two different things at once. It's trying to both be and not be at the same time.

I would love to be proven wrong, but so far everything aligns with my feelings about where they’re at, or more accurately, where they’re not at. Now my question isn’t whether they are canon in S2, but whether there were ever plans to develop them into a romantic relationship in any potential future seasons if doing that would be seen as a disservice to the character.

I'm sorry to be bursting anyone's bubble, but that clip of KM talking about J/C and the guy saying they are obviously a couple was all in reference to Mirror J/C. Here's a comment from the person who made the clip:

Call me what you want, but listening to RB's interview with the 7th Rule and this clip just confirms to me that they are not together by the end of S2, but were (possibly/probably) working towards it. It's something that could have been explored in the upcoming seasons had they not been canceled. Even RB frames it like that and I'm sure he knows what he's talking about considering they did consult with KM and him and he was always in support of a deeper exploration of their relationship (even said a hypothetical S7 of Prodigy could end in them getting married, so he's probably saying that for a reason).

S2 was almost finished by the time Paramount (screw Paramount) dropped the bombshell and if nothing was changed since that news broke out (and I assume it wasn't because of how animation works), then I can understand why S2 handled J/C the way it did, but I do believe the whole J/C thing was pumped more than it would have been as a direct result of the cancelation and saving efforts. A passionate fanbase like the J/Cers would do anything in their power to save a show if they had something to look forward to, not to mention S1 was absolutely brilliant and gave us incredibly fun and lovable original characters. Safe to say this is why you don't see as much effort to save LD despite it also being a much beloved show. LD doesn't have a fanbase like the J/Cers who have been starved for any J/C canon content and are now of age where they can financially support the show.

[thebladeblaster]

Just caught up with season 2 of Knights of the Zodiac

I love how vague this vision of the future is😅. It’s just blue fire.

I find it nice they are trying to explain more why the gold saints are loyal to the pope

I see they’re using Daidalos’ manga design

Hah! Shaun throws away the envelope to the tournament as she should. I love how Shaun still doesn’t give a shit about the tournament.

Nice detail when the bronzes are knocked down look who’s the first to get up. Foreshadowing.

Damn Shaun just yeeted those dogs into the next dimension. Also sanctuary just kidnaps kids and forces them to be child soldiers in this reboot I guess. Also Shaun’s master being like ‘a cosmo that powerful can be super dangerous’. I’m like you don’t say😂? Foreshadowing! Foreshadowing everywhere!

I know this is a part of the original series, but this frame makes me think of a certain part of G Assassin

I see the reboot is taking another page out of Legend of Sanctuary’s book

The demon pendant…well guys here’s confirmation Shaun is still Hades. I wonder where she’s been keeping it though. The thing I can’t believe the most is the fact…JUNE GETS TO ACTUALLY DO STUFF?!?!? My mind is officially blown. I really hope in future arcs the side characters get to do stuff like in this arc. The others have gotten some more screen time but it’s still mostly the Seiya show.

[porgthespacepenguin]

Q’s Fate and S3 (a Qcard mini-meta)

So this started as an answer to @ellewood117​‘s ask, which then took on a life of its own and became this mini-meta.

You can find the original ask here.

(Spoilers and speculation under the cut.)

Is Q going to die?

Something terrible is going to happen to Q, it's been pretty clear for a few weeks now. But there are three main options in front of us at this point:

Q dies, permanently

Q is saved at the last second

Q dies, but is saved later

Q dies permanently

Let's get the this one out of the way immediately. Q is a huge fan favourite, consistently popular, and probably one of the best loved TNG characters. Him coming to Star Trek Picard was a hugely hyped deal.

Letting him die and then rot forever would be exceedingly bleak, especially by Star Trek standards. Picard is ultimately a show about healing, and we just saw how traumatized Jean-Luc was by his mom’s death. They’re not going to add Q’s permanent death to the pile. That’d just be cruel.

Plus, I doubt JDL would have been happy with the season(s) if they had done Q so dirty. Or Sir Patrick, who is executive producer on the show, for that matter.

So letting him die forever is a remote possibility we don't truly need to entertain. Thank god for that.

Q is saved at the last second

Much more likely than the above, but I doubt it. If this were the direction the show wants to take, they would likely have broadcasted his impending death early on, perhaps circa 2.3 or 2.4. Instead we got hints until 2.7, foreshadowing in 2.7, and a clear announcement in 2.8.

Although Q was everywhere in 2.9, the episode didn't directly deal with him. So as far as the general audience is concerned, they learned he's dying at the end of episode 2.8, and they may see him again in 2.10. Way too short for a last minute save. They’d have wanted to milk it more, for the drama.

That they didn’t, tells me the drama is most likely coming in 2.10.

So: possible, but not likely.

Q dies, but is saved

Hence why @celestialwarzone and I are convinced that although Q will die in the finale (there's a book's worth of foreshadowing at this point), he's likely to be saved later on, for all the reasons I gave above.

If he is, then they're not going to do this off-screen. Fan favourite, etc.

So, on-screen, which means season 3. And nobody other than Picard makes sense.

Besides, season 2 has been taking its cues from Star Trek 4, and potentially Star Trek 2 if Q does dies to save Picard. We also know from interviews that season 3 is another nod to a TOS movie... which leaves 1, 3 or 5. 1 and 5 are out, for obvious reasons, so 3 makes the most sense when we consider that Q is likely going to die.

This is the option that makes the most sense by far, although we don’t have a shred of proof!

How does Q die?

Before we can even talk about how to save Q, our poor entity is going to have to, well. Die. Or disappear. Melt. Whatever.

Here, I'm forced to remain vague as the show has given us mostly foreshadowing in the form of a fairy tale:

“His magic was gone, stolen back in the very manner he had arrived by it in the first place. Beaten at his own game, he melted, and all was right again. In time, they’d forget he was ever there (...)”

Terribly ominous, but not very precise. Of course, it could be a simple metaphor, and Q’s death could be simply that: death.

But death is hard to come back from, even in Star Trek, and the word “melted” does stand out in her tale. So @celestialwarzone​ has a theory that he may fade into the timeline, disappear into the tapestry of time.

A theory that’s backed by Q’s own words:

“I, on the other hand, seem to be simply disappearing... into nothing.”

I’ll be honest: personally, I don’t quite know. I suggested in my time meta that the reason he dies has to do with the new timeline, but that’s the why.

The how will remain a mystery until next week.

How is Q saved?

Take me back to the start

Not knowing how he dies certainly makes it harder to guess how Picard could save him, doesn’t it?

However, I wonder if 2.9 didn’t give us a hint:

"Tragic endings might rewind into joyful beginnings. Moments of loss into those of gains."

Rewinding a tragic ending (Q’s death) into a joyful beginning (Qcard)? Sounds like Search for Q to me.

But what does “rewind” mean in this context? The entire scene shows us Maman’s tragic ending, then Baby!Picard moving in reverse until the fateful moment he opened the door, wishing he could undo it but unable to,

“This moment I am so powerless to reverse.”

And the show has been taking pains to paint both Maman and Q as dying suns, mirroring them extensively, so it would make sense to use her fate as foreshadowing’s of Q’s -- with a twist.

The entire scene, while heartbreakingly poetic, makes little sense if they’re not foreshadowing another tragic ending Picard will be able to undo this time.

Otherwise, we’re just adding on to the trauma pile, and that’s not what the show is about.

Incidentally, this scene reminded me of a song from Coldplay, “The Scientist”, whose music video is famous for going in reverse back to a tragic moment:

Below the lyrics, abridged for brevity. They’re... interesting, to say the least:

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry

You don't know how lovely you are

I had to find you, tell you I need you

Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions

Oh, let's go back to the start

Nobody said it was easy

It's such a shame for us to part

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh, take me back to the start

Hmm.

I was just guessing at numbers and figures

Pulling the puzzles apart

Questions of science, science and progress

Do not speak as loud as my heart

Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me

Oh, and I rush to the start

Running in circles, chasing our tails

Coming back as we are

Two Qs?

Agnes gives us another potential hint:

“To succeed, there must be two Renees. One who lives, and another who dies.”

If there are two Renees, there are two timelines. Perhaps even two versions of Q? Could it be that Picard manages to rewind time to the original “wound” and save Q that way?

But then, we’ve already done time travel this season.

(I HAVE QUESTIONS.)

All pure speculation at this point obviously... But if anyone can find a way to bring back a dead immortal back to life, it’s Picard.

And I’ve long thought that Picard saving Q, instead of being saved by him, was the next step in his character development once he’s overcome his trauma. It would make them equals in the narrative sense (they are equals, don’t mistake me, but in terms of the narrative he’s not there yet) and pave the way for his future ascension. 

A S3 trailer detour

What little the early season 3 trailer gives away raises more questions than it answers, but there are some hidden gems.

Picard is writing letters. Goodbye letters? There seems to be more than one. But who is he sending them to? And why? Is he planning a one-way trip?

“I’m not a man who needs a legacy.”

Legacy? I thought the word was interesting at first, but it’s starting to take on a whole different flavor now that Soong has also been dropping the word left and right in the past 3 episodes...

“Evolution is not an act of preservation, it’s addition.”

Data, my beloved. Ascension, also my beloved. ❤️

Anyway, the part that stood out the most to me is this:

“Those were the days.”

Why would Picard unpack his old TNG uniform? These are 35 years or so out-of-date by now. Even if Starfleet were sending him on a mission, they’d give him a new uniform (like Raffi or Rios), not asking him to dig through his coffers for antiques. So, why?

Are we going back to TNG time? Are they going to pull a Kirk and steal the old Enterprise (assuming it still exists)? Is that why we see them aiming their phasers at something out of frame?

(SO MANY QUESTIONS.)

And the entire senior crew is coming along, we know that. They’re not playing cameos, they’re part of the main cast. So wherever Picard is going, so are they.

I have to ask again, why assemble a geriatric crew of old friends, if the mission isn’t strictly personal?

Just look at Deanna and Will’s lines:

“Aren’t we a bit overdue for a good old-fashioned road trip?”

“I promise, you won’t be alone.”

A good old-fashioned road trip? Certainly doesn’t sound like an official mission to me. And Deanna reassuring Picard that they’ll stand by him only adds to this feeling of a personal mission.

Yet Worf says,

“It is clear sacrifice is required again.”

So it seems they’re going to put themselves in danger. That kind of road trip, then, eh?

(Before we go back to the main ask, this line from Beverly certainly cracks me up:

“When the galaxy comes calling, you love it!”

You know who else occasionally comes calling, to Picard’s annoyance and secret delight, and could be reasonably be compared to a celestial object?

Oh, hi, Q.)

What or who will be the “villain”?

Showrunners described season 3 as a “fascinating and heartbreaking psychological exploration of Picard”, so I’m guessing, no villain?

Note how there are no main villains either in season 2, only consequences of their actions coming back to haunt the protagonists. Soong is perhaps the only exception, but we don’t know what role he’ll play in the finale.

So it wouldn’t shock me at all if season 3 just took the same route, with obstacles and antagonists but no actual villains, if that makes sense.

Will we see Q in S3?

If we do get a Search for Q scenario, I’d assume we won’t see Q until the late part of the season.

That doesn’t mean Q won’t be present as subtext. Look at episodes 2.7 and 2.9: although Q is nowhere, he’s absolutely everywhere.

And if season 3 truly is a psychological exploration of Picard, we’re likely to get a lot of Qcard from Picard’s perspective, which we’ve sorely been lacking. Personally, I’d love it.

Conversely, remember this line from episode 2.7?

“What if the lesson I take is... know him?”

Yes, Picard initially meant that he wants to know Q so he can go “on offense” (PICARD YOU MUPPET), but that ship has clearly sailed. Q is not a threat to them, Soong is. 

So why that line?

Well, if season 2 was “know thyself” for Picard, season 3 could very well be “know Q”. I for one would love to learn more about Q, his background, his feelings...

Imagine if we get both Picard’s perspective and learn more about Q? Bliss.

Anyway, my point is: we could be getting a lot of Q and Q-card, without seeing Q directly on our screen until the end.

But since we’re getting a Q/Riker scene, it’s very likely we’ll see him at some point. So take heart.

[curiosity-killed]

Lang Qianqiu deserves more love goddammit: a post, unfortunately

This brought to you by the wonderful @veliseraptor & @/yuer on Twitter but also mostly out of spite and the fact that it’s preventing me from writing a very dumb poke-the-bear post abt the entire weird social media culture around The Minors

As always ✨SPOILERS!! SPOILERS EVERYWHERE✨

So first off: when I hit the scene where lqq confronts xl and screams “I will never be like you” I sat up in bed, did a little shimmy of delight, and hissed “fuck yes” at like 2 AM so. Now you have a preview of wtf this train wreck will be

1 ) lqq is a good character

We don’t get a ton of time with lqq because tgcf is 87 side characters running across stage with The Most Interesting Concept constantly one-upping each other before vanishing. But what we do get is, I think, enough to make a pretty compelling story: Lang Qianqiu is a kind and generous prince who is also the sole survivor of the bloody massacre of his entire family, committed by the people dearest to him (both in his belief that Gusohi Fangxin did it and in the reality of An Le’s involvement), who goes on to peacefully lead his fractious nation into a peaceful reign before he ascends as a powerful enough (aka beloved and worshipped enough) god to be ranked among the top heavenly generals. That’s like. Pretty fucking classic protagonist vibes right there.

And, as usual with mxtx’s characters, we get a lot more than this lovely little backstory. In his interactions in canon, lqq is capable of great grief and anger; he is willing to sacrifice himself if it means avenging his murdered family; and he simultaneously holds both great hatred and great respect for his old teacher. And, of course, he winds up raising and taking care of his enemy’s son which shows a remarkable depth of compassion and emotional messiness that I find terribly compelling. He struggles with a simplistic view of justice that is supported by lies told to “protect” him and that is uprooted by the truth and forces him to try to make sense of the world without the guardrails that others installed around him (looking at you mister fangxin sir).

Also I’m stealing my own tweets bc I’m Right but:

*pulls up single barstool to lqq is a good character table* I think it’s interesting & Says Things abt the continued relationship btwn lqq & xl that lqq *didn’t* recognize xl, implying that he left fangxin’s mask in place even when he went to kill him

Like here is the man who killed his family & best friend, who left him abandoned in bloodshed on his 17th bday—& here is also the man who saved his life, who taught him, who lqq looked up to & wanted to be like

Even when lqq *does* recognize xl, he still has so much respect for him paired with that hatred that it’s honestly rlly tragic? Like man. There’s so much grief in lqq’s repeated demands for a duel & insisting it’s fine if xl kills him as long as he doesn’t hold back

*pats lqq pompom* this bb is so sad. And so much more like his teacher than either of them seem to realize or necessarily want

Despite being a pretty minor character, lqq gets a lot of complexity and nuance! Look at this child trying to be grown up while desperately turning to his old master for guidance and “the truth”! Look at him! Be sad!!

2 ) lqq is an excellent parallel to xl

Okay stealing my own tweet again don’t look at me I yell the same shit everywhere

Xl didn’t want lqq to become like him (self-sacrificing, vengeful, alone) but lqq not only became alone, chasing vengeance, & willing to sacrifice himself for revenge—he also became kind, open-minded, & remorseful!! & he still clearly respects xl @ novel end 🙃🙃

We all know hc’s “they’re not very alike at all” and yeah sure baby go support your man but narratively, there’s a lot of importance given to cycles, parallels, and foils in mxtx’s writing and most explicitly (compared to mdzs, haven’t read svss) in tgcf. For example, *gestures at beefleaf, gestures at Xianle Trio vs Wuyogn Crew, gestures at Xie Lian & Jun Wu’s whole uh. Deal.* And while I’d argue xl and lqq are part of a triumvirate rather than a pair, we’re not including mister three-face in this conversation so just looking at xl and lqq:

Both adored and sheltered crown princes

Both taught by a guoshi who was seeking to prevent the repetition of their own tragedies and in their efforts, lied/omitted information and failed to protect their charge from tragedy

Both were betrayed* by their closest friends

Both are the last living members of their respective royal families

Both caught the interest of supernatural beings from a young age

Etc etc I’m getting v bored and distracted writing this so moving on

Most importantly to me, we have their betrayal by a very close and adored mentor and how they react. The confrontation I mention at the start of this shitshow is really imo one of the most important scenes in the novel because it a) illustrates the differences in xl and Jun Wu and b) sort of gives you a preview of how xl ultimately wins

So a) Jun Wu and Xie Lian both take a talented, marked-for ascension young prince under their wing. Jun Wu sees himself in the boy and obsesses over shaping him into Jun Wu’s own image in the belief that this will make him the perfect heir. Jun Wu pushes his chosen heir into situations where Xie Lian is repeatedly harmed in an effort to show that the common people are fickle and cruel and don’t deserve his compassion and care.

Meanwhile, Xie Lian is reluctantly roped into mentoring his prince due to his inability to stand aside when he feels he could do something to prevent hurt or injustice befalling another (simultaneously his great strength and great weakness! God I love him). Xie Lian tries to teach his student to believe in and care for the common people and not to sacrifice himself (see: flashback convo re:taking the force of the sword strike into his own body).

When Xie Lian refuses to bend in the shape Jun Wu demands, Jun Wu bashes his head into the wall. When Lang Qianqiu cries “I will never be like you!”, Xie Lian laughs and says “Good!”.

B) this of course feeds directly into foreshadowing! Like Lang Qianqiu’s bold words, xl ultimately refuses to become like his mentor and remains defiant even when it would stop him from being hurt. Xl beats lqq and says so what if I tricked you, so what if I lied, I still won. Naturally, xl beats Jun Wu not through standard swordplay but by using a trick he learned while forced to busk and wander the earth alone and unlucky for centuries.

…okay so I have fully forgotten what I was actually saying here! Anyway!

Like Xie Lian, Lang Qianqiu spends a time consumed with the need for vengeance, hunting his enemy and rejecting the heavens. And like Xie Lian, he winds up caring for his enemy’s “son” and trying to both comfort him and maintain what’s left of Qi Rong’s life force despite having previously been hellbent on destroying him—bc he sees the impact it has on another person. In the end, he even gives a gift to Xie Lian—his mentor, his role model, and the one who killed his father—that was once given to him as a symbol of unexpected kindness. Sound familiar?

But, importantly, and contradictory to what I have been yelling abt but whatever it’s 12:30 am, Lang Qianqiu is not a direct mirror of Xie Lian but a closing of a vital loop in the story. Lqq is very similar to xl (I will die on this hill!! Only I won’t bc I’m stronger than y’all and will keep swinging these pots and pans) but bc xl tries to do better and keep lqq from suffering the way xl has, lqq is able to have a gentler and more optimistic path forward. He’s proof that even a small act of kindness or even kindness to only one person still matters and has a ripple effect that can’t be seen when you’re in the middle of it—a thread started with xl giving the coral pearl to Lang Ying and closed with Lang Qianqiu returning the pearl to Xie Lian.

So I have no idea if any of this is coherent or compelling but I meant to be asleep two hours ago and the points are:

A) Lang Qianqiu is good actually

B) parallels!!!

C) look ive already started another wip about Lang Qianqiu and Xie Lian and I didn’t want this but no one else wrote it so now I have to so pls just accept this as a warning

*sort of air quotes around this for Xie Lian bc frankly Mu Qing was right & Xie Lian kicked feng xin out BUT on the other hand, it was experienced as a betrayal and we also again have all of Jun Wu’s shit so it evens out

[ray-ray-writings]

i don't really know how this thought came to me but consider a reader who's a pillager hybrid of their whole family are pillagers but the reader doesn't really... agree with their lifestyle so they run away and move to the Dream SMP and no one knows they're pillager origins until their family comes looking for them?? also i've been binging ur stuff, i love ur blog, this is my first time asking :)

I really really love this idea, I’m such a sucker for things like this hahahaha.

But yeah. So you’re born and raised in a Pillager tower, your mother was a human that your father fell in love with once he saw her being cruel to villagers. Growing up you were always taken on the raids when your parents would go on and you would watch as Villagers were slaughtered left and right with no mercy. It always made you feel sick to your stomach while many others were having the time of their lives. When the raid was over and won, you would go back to the tower and people would marvel in their victories, and you would pretend you were also excited, but those nights were always plagued with nightmares of the villagers’ screams and fire that destroyed the towns. As you grew up, you were able to make your own decisions. So you went on less raids, still going on some to please your parents, but the guilt grew more and more with each town destroyed. So when you finally turned 18, you decided to leave for good. You packed up everything that you could carry in your inventory and wrote a small note to your parents explaining that you had to leave, you couldn’t raid and pillage any longer. You left the note on your mother’s nightstand, pressing a small kiss to both of their foreheads before leaving the only place you’ve ever called home. 

You wander for the whole night, the mobs leaving you alone (after all, like kind recognizes like) and then for half the day once the sun comes up before you stumble into the SMP. From far off in the distance you can see multiple beacons of light coming from inside a really really big stone building. So like a moth, you’re drawn to the light and wander inside this castle. You stumble onto a wooden plank path that seems to go everywhere are the new town you have found. As you’re walking through the castle just looking around, you aren’t paying attention and you stumble, literally stumble, into someone. You catch yourself before you fall and you look to who you just ran into. You see a man with a green hoodie, a white smiley face mask with blonde tufts of hair poking out of the top. “Woah there… Who are you, I’ve never seen you before” he questions, his tone kind of harsh. You don’t blame him though, a complete stranger wandering into this new place uninvited, you’re honestly surprised you didn’t get an axe to the head. “Hi. Sorry, I’m Y/N. I’ve just… I’ve just left home and I saw this place. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll leave now!” You rush out, attempting to turn around and run out of the castle, but a hand catches your wrist. “Hey wait a minute,” he commands softly, turning you back around. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I was just surprised… You said you just left home?” You give the man a shy nod, “Yeah, my people were… doing some things I didn’t approve of and so I left as soon as I was able to… I can leave now if you want” The man doesn’t let go of your wrist, “You said you just left home?” You nod in confirmation, “Well, if you want, you could live here. Well not here in the castle, but here in the SMP. I’m Dream and this is my SMP. There are a lot of people here that are actually very nice. You can build your house in the SMP and live here. But if you want to keep wandering, that’s okay too” the man called Dream offers. You think about it for a moment, “Do you think you could show me around before I make my decision?” Dream gives you a quick nod before letting go of your wrist, “Of course. Do you want to go now?” “Sure!” So Dream shows you around the SMP and introduces you to a few new people who all give you waves and friendly smiles and welcome you to the new land. All throughout the tour, Dream subtly asks you about where you're from, but you brush off his questions and for once in his life he doesn’t push it. “So what do you think? You want to stay here?” You give a quick look around and think about everyone you met, “Yeah, I would thank you!” 

And so you stay. You build your house, something with light wood that doesn’t resemble a tower at all. You also make friends with everyone else on the SMP. Somehow you reveal that you’re really good at combat with an axe and a crossbow, probably while sparring with someone, maybe Tommy because we all know he would definitely challenge a new person to duel him and then call you a coward so you would duel him and win and claim you cheated, but it makes everyone stare at you in wonder for a little bit and become just a little more afraid of you. You never tell anyone where you’re from or that you’re part pillager and that your family is made up of pillagers. You don’t think it’s important. That’s in your past and the SMP is your family now so now your family is made up of even more hybrids and more diverse people. Your past remains in your past… Until it comes knocking at your front door… 

You wake one morning to a pounding on your front door. You of course are very confused because you weren’t expecting anyone. But you get out of bed and answer the door and you find  a panicked Tommy and Tubbo standing there. “Boys, what can I-” “There are a bunch of pillagers here. They’re asking about you. They’re threatening to burn everything down if we don’t bring you.” Tubbo rambles. “We won’t let them take you and we were told to keep you here, but we just thought we should let you know.” Tommy chimes in. Your blood runs cold. Why? Why is this happening? You don’t answer the boys and you ignore their ‘keep you here bs’ before you reach over and grab your axe and crossbow and run out of the house. Tubbo and Tommy yell after you, share a look before, and run after you. You run up and find a few people, Dream, Techno, Wilbur, Philza, Sapnap, Punz, (Ya know, the best fighters… foreshadowing lol) and standing opposite of them your parents with a few other pillagers behind them. The sound of your footsteps caused all heads to snap to you. Everyone from the SMP seemed shocked to see you and stared past you and glared at the two boys. “You were supposed to keep them home” Dream hisses to the children. “They took off before we could stop them” Tubbo pants, trying to catch his breath. “Y/N go home” Techno demands, but you don’t listen. All of your attention is focused on those you used to call your family. “What are you doing?” You ask exasperated. Your father smirks at you, “Oh my dear child we’re here to bring you home of course.” And you can feel all eyes snap to you. A wave of disappointment flooded you, they all knew now. “They know” you’d think to yourself, “They know what a horrible person you are and what terrible past you come from.” You take a deep breath before speaking again, “I’m not coming home. This is my home now. Go away, leave us alone.” Laughter bubbles from the group in front of you, “Oh silly silly child. You are not home, home is back at the tower. Come now.” Your mother says, beckoning you forward. “No. I’m not going.” The smirks and smiles turn into angry stares, “No? Oh, I see how it is” your mother speaks up. “Too bad you are coming with us.” Your father barks before lunging forward for you and attempts to grab you. Before you can even react, you’re being pulled back and you’re now being protected. The two most powerful people on the server, Dream and Techno, have formed a wall in front of you with their weapons pointed at the pillagars. “Now,” Techno begins, his monotone voice two octaves deeper and threatening, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Your father lunges forward once more, throwing his fist out, trying to punch Techno in the face. Techno simply caught your father’s wrist and smirked, “Alright, hard way it is” 

A full on brawl begins. 

Techno quickly takes your father while Dream takes your mother. Everyone else charges and begins fighting the rest of them. Fists are flying before arrows join the ranks in that as well. You begin fighting someone you barely recognize. Your whole energy and focus is on winning because you know if you lose it’s back to raiding and pillaging villages and you really don’t want to. You manage to down the person you’re fighting and you turn and see that all the other pillagers are either also downed or being fought by one of your friends. Your eyes catch Techno and Dream who were still fighting your father and mother respectively. You’re just about to approach when Techno gets your father in a chokehold and manages to completely debilitate him. “Call them off” Techno demands. Your father doesn’t say anything at first, his fingers desperately clawing at the arm around his throat. Techno squeezes tighter, “Did I hesitate? I said call them off” Finally your father comes to his senses, “Retreat!” He gasps out. Immediately all of the pillagers stop their fight and run back to where they were first gathered up. Techno lets go of your father and gives him a hard shove in the direction. Your father moves to stand next to your mother and all eyes fall on you again. “Leave. And never come back, or I won’t hesitate to let them kill you” your speak, your voice stone cold. You can tell your mother wants to protest, but your father catches her wrist and shakes his head no. Without another word, your father turns around and walks through the crowd and toward the direction of their tower. Confused and a little irritated all other pillagers turn too and follow your father back to where they came from. 

You and the rest stand there and watch them retreat until they are out of sight. And once again all eyes fall on you. You can’t help but look to the ground as tears form in your eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know they would come for me… I understand if you want me to leave forever… Now that you know what I truly am… A monster” you spit out the words as if their poison. It is quiet for a moment and you figure that they’re all silently agreeing. You’re about to speak again when a pair of arms wrap tightly around you, and then another, and another, and another, until you’re pretty sure everyone there, even Techno, is in the group hug. The tears that had welled up in your eyes were now freely falling down your cheeks. “Y/N,” Dream begins, “We never want you to leave. Why would you think that?” A pathetic sob escapes your lips, “Because I’m part pillager because I raided and destroyed villages. I’m a monster, Dream. I don’t deserve you guys.” Everyone seems about to jump in, but through blurry eyes you see Philza give them all a look. All of the arms let you go, except for one pair that holds you even tighter, “Y/N, you’re not a monster. What you did today and what you have done in the past proves it. Today you refused to go with them, you ran away from them, you didn’t want to be a part of their lifestyle. You’re not a monster hun, you never were and you never will be” Philza comforts. His words hit your heart. You’re not a monster, no one thinks you’re a monster. More sobs escape your lips, this time they’re sobs of relief. They don’t want you to leave. You’re safe here. Philza lets you cry in his arms, he holds you for as long as you need. After a few moments you compose yourself and slowly pull out of the blonde man’s arms. “Sorry about that” you apologize, clearing your throat. “Didn’t mean to lose my cool there” Everyone around you laughs. “It’s okay Y/N. You’ve just had a big emotional thing happen, and you were pulled right of bed to experience it. It’s okay that you’re a little emotional.” Wilbur comforts, taking a step forward and resting a warm hand on your back. You completely pull away from Phil and give the tall boy a quick hug. “Hey are we doing individual hugs, because I want a hug too!” Sapnap chimes, marching forward and flinging his arms open. You can’t help but giggle and pull away from Wilbur, “We can do individual hugs if you want too” You claim, falling into his open arms. He lets out a triumphant lap and swings you around in joy. “Alright hog, let them go we want hugs too” Sapnap, still holding on to you, looks over his shoulder before picking you up and running away with you. “Hey selfish! Get back here!” And soon everyone is chasing you and Sapnap around demanding hugs. This wasn’t how you planned to tell everyone about your past, you’re not sure if you ever were going to, but you wouldn’t change it for the world.

[strangerthings4theories]

S3 Is Billy’s Superhero Origin Story - Not The END Of His Story

If you’ve been following my meta, you’ll know I’m in the middle of a discussion of Billy as the mythological “god-king” who dies and lives again. Well, in my next post, I was going to compare him to the three brother-gods of Greek mythology (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades). However, I need to bring up an important point first.

Stranger Things has already raised Billy to “god” status. 

The show is about superheroes - El, Kali, and others like them - facing off against the forces of evil. And superheroes are often modern-day gods with god-like powers. A few are lifted directly from ancient mythology (Thor, Loki, etc). Sometimes, if they aren’t full-fledged gods, they have gods for parents, making them demigods (such as Wonder Woman, who’s the daughter of Zeus in the recent movies).

In S3, Billy becomes a superhero. By becoming a superhero, he becomes a demigod. And, as I’ll explain, the Duffers have already tied that to his resurrection.

>>Explore the definition of “demigod,” and we run headlong into Billy.

When we look up “demigod,” Google comes back with this:

a being with partial or lesser divine status, such as a minor deity, the offspring of a god and a mortal, or a mortal raised to divine rank.

If we look up lists of demigods in mythology, we get some interesting results, like the Greco-Roman Hercules. Hercules was known for his incredible strength (!!), as well for performing The Twelve Labors of Hercules. Among these are slaying the Nine-Headed Hydra and the Nemean Lion.

Oh look it’s Hercules vs. the Hydra/Lion. I’d say Lion because killing it was the first labor of Hercules. Also the Mind Flayer doesn’t have nine symbolic heads yet, that’s probably coming in a future season

Because of his association with the Nemean Lion, Hercules is often depicted in ancient art as wearing a lion skin:

In Roman works of art and in Renaissance and post-Renaissance art, Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the lion skin and the gnarled club (his favorite weapon); in mosaic he is shown tanned bronze...

Gosh. Where have I seen that before?

Damn. A quick Google search about demigods, and we’re already knocking on Billy’s door. I haven’t even talked about him as a superhero yet ;_;

>>Superheroes could be considered modern demigods.

Like I said in the intro, superheroes often embody the “demigod” archetype. They’re gifted with powers that put them a cut above the average human. Some even have explicitly divine origins. This gives them a striking similarity to the demigods of old myths, such as Perseus, Achilles, and our favorite lion-killer, Hercules.

Isn’t it weird how Billy looks like Perseus and Achilles and Hercules though

>>Billy’s S3 storyline mimics a superhero origin story.

Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes Spiderman. Eddie Brock is possessed by an alien symbiote and becomes Venom. Billy Hargrove is possessed by an interdimensional monster and becomes... well, Billy Hargrove, but with the added bonuses of superstrength and super-healing.

One article I read has a line about Eddie Brock in The Amazing Spider-Man (1988) that I find especially eerie:

The symbiote enhances Brock's strength and endurance, and since the guy was already addicted to working out, the result is almost equal to Spider-Man in raw power.

Hi there, Billy. How ya’ doin today.

The same article points out that, over his 40-year history, Venom has slowly morphed from a villain to an anti-hero. Look up the definition of anti-hero and you get this:

The term anti-hero has been provided to those who act as superheroes for some time and villains for another. It is not a surprise that fans usually like anti-heroes more due to their rebellious nature...

Oh look. It’s Billy’s trajectory from S2 (villain) to S3 (a villain who becomes an anti-hero). But I’m sure that’s a total accident. Wanna bet he’ll go from “anti-hero” to straight up “hero” in future seasons

But it gets better...

>>The Duffers have already told us S3 is Billy’s superhero origin (!) story.

In the first scene of S3 Ep 4, Max and El are hanging out in Max’s room. Max shows El two comic books and asks, “Which one?” 

I don’t know about you, but that bit always gave me a weird vibe. It’s just one of those things that seems... purposeful... like it has a hidden meaning. So, following my instincts, I took a closer look at the scene.

Y’all.

Y’all.

Look at the comic books.

On one side, we have Wonder Woman. On the other side, we have the Green Lantern. Framed this way, they’re presented to us as dueling opposites. or a superhero dream team, but that’s for future seasons

Wonder Woman is El. The scene tells us this by having El ask about her. She’s drawn to her, sees herself in her.

The Green Lantern is Billy. In S3, he’s the opposing force to El’s Wonder Woman. Also, Green Lanterns draw their power from the aid of magic rings.

Huh. Interesting.

If you need more evidence, just juxtapose the comic book shot with this shot from Heather’s house:

Would you look at that. Max is in the middle, with Wonder Woman El on the left and the Green Lantern Billy on the right.

Furthermore, the Heather’s house shot happens at the end of Ep 3. In the very first scene of the next episode, we get the comic book shot. The juxtaposition in time suggests they’re linked.

Now look again at the Green Lantern comic book.

Origin issue.

Origin issue.

ORIGIN. ISSUE.

Are y’all seeing this.

Not only is Billy a superhero on par with El, he’s also coming back to kick ass. S3 was his origin story, not the end of it. The Duffers are telling us so.

The death and resurrection plotline shouldn’t surprise us. Superheroes die and come back all the time. Just check out this list of superheroes who have done exactly that. Batman, Captain America, Spiderman, Superman... seriously, it’s old hat by now. (The list notably includes Jean Grey, who I consider El’s X-Men alter ego. Kinda makes me think she’s gonna die and rise again too)

It makes sense that superheroes can cheat death. Like I explained, superheroes are basically demigods - humans who are more than human. 

What better way to show you’re more than human... than to beat the one enemy common to all humans everywhere?

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P.S. Billy’s superhero status probably explains why he gets an El-and-Kali-style nosebleed in S2 ;) FORESHADOWING, BABY

Oh and I love the idea of Superhero Billy SO MUCH that I made a music video about it...

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The “Billy Is Alive” Meta Series