#they're also the second-in-command for their world's most powerful villain

[saisaixchan]

Re: the One Piece poll

Guys OP has a s literal army of trans characters, it's actually a plot point, there's literally so fucking many trans and NB and genderfluid people in OP its kind of fucking insane

There's Bon Clay/Bentham from as early as Alabasta in March of 2000, 3 years after the initial publication of OP

Bon's powers let him transform into other people, and he's the only member of a bad guy group with male/female partners who doesn't have a female partner bc he's both the male AND female partner in his rank

He doesn't need one bc he's both

Bon is also consistently one of the best characters who helps Luffy, and who deeply respects the bonds of friendship, and he deeply admires Ivankov (next in the list)

Plus, Bon Clay is only one of two in the villain group to become good guys and befriends the main characters

There's fucking Ivankov, Queen of Kammabakka Kingdom an island full of drag queens and trans people, with his hormone powers that lets him trans all the genders for himself and everyone around him (aka the Newkama in Impel Down- a literal army of trans people who help Luffy break out of prison so he can save his brother)

AND he's the second in command of the Revolutionary Army, a group actively against the World Government that controls the entire globe, and is fighting against it's corrupt politics and ideals, such as allowing slavery for the higher classes, fighting the racism against Fishman it's held up for centuries, and all that stuff

Ivankov is one of the most important characters in the series in regards to the world politics and the fight for freedom against the oppression of the WG, and he works with what are unambiguously the Good Guys in the world, who are headed by Luffy's father

There's Okiku in Wano, who its 100% trans and even gets the horny Sanji treatment

(which is kinda important bc there was some Bad Trans/Queer rep earlier in the series involving Sanji running from drag queens who were harassing him and for a while Sanji was pretty transphobic and it was a whole thing, but Oda seems to have learned or educated himself by this point, so yay)

Plus Okiku is a super strong samurai, fucking powerful girl go off, and everyone treats her as one of the girls and she's the best tbh she deserves the world

She's so sweet and kind and strong af and is just as much a warrior as the rest of her group

Plus there's Yamato

Who, to be very clear, is not CONFIRMED as trans, but has a lot of gender fuckery going on that he belongs on this list imo, come to your own conclusions ig

Yamato is 100% confirmed as the biological daughter of Kaido, which is backed up in several other sources and even a colorspread with only biological women, but everyone in the story itself refers to him as he/him, Including Luffy who calls him by Yama-guy/Yamao

(something Luffy only does for men- he calls Ivankov and other more genderfluid or femme leaning queer folks by -chan)

and Yamato calls himself the Son of Kaido multiple times

Yamato saw someone be so awesome that he wanted to emulate that person and become them-

but as an apparently separate decision, he decided he also wanted to be a man, too! Not just because of Kozuki Oden, but because holy fuck look at that gender, I want that for myself!!!

His identity as Kozuki Oden and his identity as Son of Kaido seem to be separate things, bc Kaido, Kaido's forces, Luffy (our main character who helps us understand how to treat situations), and everyone else around him at least acknowledges that Yamato, is, in fact, the SON of Kaido, and everyone, regardless of which side they're on in the war, respects that and treats it as fact

Meanwhile, absolutely no one treats Yamato like he's actually Kozuki Oden

And there's no sign of Yamato being forced to become a man because Kaido wanted a son- 1), he was called Oni Princess fairly consistently as a child by Kaido's forces, and 2) he only became known as Son of Kaido after Yamato himself decided he wanted to become a man

Yamato has refused everything forced on him by his father, and has run away, hid, and fought back at every moment he could, and his gender and pronouns were the only real decision of his own that have been respected as all his other freedoms were taken from him

(Which doesn't say much about his horrible father- Kaido was guided by an incredibly strong female pirate at a young age, and he has plenty of strong women among his crew. Kaido doesn't care about what gender his kid is, or gender at all)

So yeah while Yamato is not confirmed in the text as trans like many other characters are in much more obvious ways, and several sources confirm that he's biologically female, he still goes by Son and he/him by the other characters and by his own choice, so make of that what you will

Please enjoy this spread of Yamato in the Men's bath (he refused to join the women's bc no mixed bathing), and Okiku in the women's

Anyway yeah op has tons of trans, genderqueer, and genderfluid representation in it, it might not look it but it's been there since basically March of 2000 when Bon Clay was first introduced and it hasn't stopped since

[expectopatronum18]

Unpopular opinion

Ron and/or Hermione should have died in the deathly hallows. And I say this as someone who loves these characters (probably Hermione more than Ron), but here me out

Now let's be fucking real, I really like ron, but he really wasn't skilled or prepared enough to fight in a war against voldemort, be it magically or mentally. And that's ok! He's still 17, he's not meant to be fighting a war. And to some degree he probably knew that the chances of him actually making it were pretty slim too. But he still stuck with Harry anyways coz there's no way he was going to let his best friend go through with this alone. Because that's who ron is, he'd rather die fighting beside his best friend, for his family, his muggleborn gf and for the cause than play it safe and hide.

Now coming to Hermione, things get a tad trickier here. Yes, she is very skilled and powerful and quick on her feet. But is she powerful enough to take on an army of adult DEs who've trained for years and have experience from the first wizarding war? To win against the darkest wizard who ever lived, who's said to be worse than Grindelwald, who's the most powerful wizard in the whole world after Dumbledore? No, I'd say she isn't. Because she's also fucking 17, she's not even done with school yet. But I think she'd live longer than Ron, or that there's a better chance of her making it out alive. But if she did die it would be extra heartbreaking coz a) Harry (and the readers) just lost 2 of the people who had been there from the very beginning, b) Hermione's parents would live on in Australia, not remembering that they had a daughter, not knowing that their daughter gave her life in hopes of saving her friend and creating a better world.

I majorly have 2 specific reasons for being this sadistic. The first one is the fact that the plot dumbs down it's main villain and his followers just to make the kids win. Voldemort (during Harry's time) is probably the dumbest villain ever written, he doesn't live up to his hype. People have already discussed how stupid his gof plan was. In ootp, during the DoM fight Lucius says that voldemort can't come get the prophecy himself coz the ministry is filled with ppl and he would risk revealing himself. But it's possible for 6 mostly dumb teenagers and an army of DEs, (who hv just escaped azkaban and are sought after by the ministry) to enter in undetected? Doesn't 👏 make 👏 any 👏 sense. The supposedly feared DEs who were trained by voldemort himself can't win against a group of teenagers. It's surprising how long it takes them to take the kids down in the DoM battle. The thing is though, this is out of character for ALL of them. It seems like they were dumbed down just so the MCs could make it out alive. Voldemort during the first WW started out as absolutely no one to having the highest class of the wizarding society obeying his every command. The whole wizarding world was so afraid of him that they wouldn't even say his name. The DEs picked out member after member of the original ootp, mostly coz they were outnumbered but also coz they're fucking death eaters. And ur telling me these guys can't fight kids? Pathetic. Also it doesn't make sense that most of the adults from the first war are dead but all the kids live. Like did the war become safer or sm shit? Instead i would have loved it if the trio got away with things in the first few books, but then realised what a war against voldemort actually means later on. But they won't back down, and they'll still stick with their friend and fight for each other and the cause anyways, and that vil have real, legitimate consequences

Now, the second reason is that it would have been an amazing but heartbreaking callback to book 1. Ron sacrifices himself in a game of chess and Hermione says that there are more important things than books and cleverness, like friendship and bravery. Ron's line of "It's you who has to go on Harry, I know it! Not me, not Hermione, you!" would have also come full circle. Back then they were still 11, so they could still get their happy ending. Now they're in a real war and the stakes are higher, but they'll stick to what they started anyways. Ron sacrifices himself so the other 2 can move forwards, Hermione's intelligence gets her further but she still needs to part with Harry. Harry needs to leave them behind and face voldemort alone because that's how it was always meant to be

And finally, it would have given us a more bittersweet ending to the series instead of that vanilla 'all is well' epilogue. Harry has lost almost every one he loved. But there's still life, there's still hope, and he lives by cherishing their memories and making their sacrifice have meaning. Kinda like the ending of the hunger games. Ik this is a kids book, but Harry Potter as a series is incredibly deep and deals with a lot of fucked up shit, so I think it could handle it if it was written well.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk

[kaibutsushidousha]

Who are the Twelve Golden Immortals that Taigong keeps mentioning? Are they his superiors?

The Investiture of the Gods has Taigong Wang as the Taoist currently studying under Yuanshi Tianzun and the Twelve Golden Immortals as the 12 disciples who already graduated under Yuanshi Tianzun before Taigong and are full-fledged Xians by the time of the Investiture (the 1100s BC). Not all of them are particularly relevant characters, be it in the actual Investiture or in Houshin Engi.

1) Taiyi Zhenren

About as minor of a character as any of the 12 in the myth, but easily the one with the most screentime in Houshin Engi. Taiyi's main contribution to Taigong's cause was creating the Soul Jewel, which he put inside Li Shi and Li Jing's stillborn baby, allowing Li Nezha to come to life as a living weapon you know from FGO. After Nezha's suicide, Taiyi also arranged Nezha's revival, so he's who FGO blames for Nezha's unfortunate genderbend. Once Nezha is back to life and learns what his father did to his grave, Nezha goes to beat the shit out of his dad, but Taiyi intervenes, capturing Nezha in the Nine-Dragons Divine Fire Basket so he can give him a proper Taoist education and giving Li Jing the means to fight back if Nezha attacks him again (remember that Li Jing is Bishamonten, so the weapon that Taiyi gave him here is actually the pair of towers Kagetora uses on her 3rd Ascension).

2) Yuding Zhenren

Yang Jian's mentor (doubles as Yang Jian's foster father in Houshin Engi). User of the Xian-Slaying Sword. One of the few that gets to be really cool in Houshin Engi but sort of a complete jobber in the original Investiture.

3) Qingxu Daode Zhenjun

Huang Tianhua's mentor. Contrary to Yuding, he's a jobber in the manga but in the myths, he's the one who gets to beat Wang Tianjun, the second-in-command of the Ten Heavenly Lords.

4) Puxian Zhenren

Boddhisattva Samantabhadra's Xian form before he attained Buddhahood. The guy who gets all the homoerotic ship tease with Taigong in Houshin Engi. By Type-Moon's syncretism laws, he's probably the Buddha form of Kouga Saburou.

5) Daoxing Tianzun

Wei Hu's mentor. Comic relief in Houshin Engi. Otherwise irrelevant. Wei Hu himself is pretty irrelevant in the Investiture, but he's known as Skanda in Hindu/Buddhism and is extremely popular in Japan. You might have heard of him before by his Japanese name Idaten.

6) Guang Chengzi

Before being featured in the Investiture of the Gods, this one already had made an appearance in Shenxian Zhuan, where he is portrayed as just a disguise used by Laozi to instruct the Yellow Emperor. But here he's one of Yuanshi Tianzun's apprentices. Does it make sense for Laozi to be Yuanshi Tianzun's pupil? Not much, they should be even-ranked, even if you don't subscribe to the idea that they're the same individual. Maybe it can work if you write him as the first disciple. That said, his combat record fits his possibly Laozi status, having defeated many named enemies including the leader of the Ten Heavenly Lords.

His main role in both the Investiture and its manga counterpart is saving Prince Yin Jiao from Daji by taking him as his Taoist pupil. After training the prince, he lets Jiao return to the world under the condition that he won't betray his mentor to join the war on his father's side. After some tempting words from the villains, Jiao betrays his mentor to join the war on his father's side, so Taigong kills him (what's the best fight in Houshin Engi) but makes him the god of Jupiter under the divine name Taisui Xingjun. Later FGO released Taisui as the cutest event welfare, causing the tragic prince to finally gain Japanese and English Wikipedia pages.

7) Chi Jingzi

The doting mentor of the other rescued prince, Yin Hong. Background character in Houshin Engi but in the Investiture, he gets a decent amount of screentime, which includes a few arcs of invading enemy territory with a lot of powerful Xian treasures, dropping an important one there, needing to invade again to recover the item he forgot there, and then dropping another, rinse repeat. Also when the prince brothers break the promise of not siding with their father in the war, he has a major emotional breakdown and, covered in tears, burns his dear pupil to ashes.

8) Lingbao Dafashi

Actual pack filler. Doesn't do anything notorious in any myth or adaptation. The best I can offer as trivia is that his weapon in Houshin Engi is the Bell of Fallen Souls, which Taisui uses in FGO.

9) Ju Liusun

Buddha Kakusandha's Xian form before he attained Buddhahood. Background jobber in Houshin Engi, but in the Investiture, he wins a major fight and has his own arc about fighting a traitor apprentice but ultimately forgiving and reaccepting his pupil after learning he betrayed because he married a woman on the enemy side. Said redeemed pupil and his wife eventually die anyway in a fight against the same guy who kills Huang Feihu.

10) Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun

Boddhisattva Manjusri's Xian form before he attained Buddhahood. Background jobber in Houshin Engi, and in the Investiture, while he wins a few major fights, he doesn't really get a personal arc. The closest he gets is a small role in Nezha's backstory. It's weird how little Manjusri gets in terms of stories despite being such a popular Boddhisattva.

11) Huanglong Zhenren

If you thought Lingbao Dafashi's situation was dire, you're not prepared for how pitiful Huanglong is. In the Investiture, he's pretty much only there to get his ass kicked by a guy who is not even relevant enough appear in Houshin Engi. In the Houshin Engi manga, he doesn't get a named Paope. In the Houshin Engi artbook, the author gets his name wrong. Dude can't catch a break.

12) Cihang Zhenren

Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara's Xian form before they attained Buddhahood. The same Guanyin that appears as a main character in Journey to the West. The same Kanzeon from the Iori Buddha statues post. They don't do much here outside of some major fights, but that's fine enough when they have so much presence in Journey to the West.

[princess-of-the-corner]

You. . .should probably not have informed me that you have seen Sky High and have ever had thoughts about it, because now I am going to QUESTION you (I have not seen BNHA, despite my absolute best efforts, so some of these may be stupid questions):

1) I get the sense in Sky High that the power ratio is swapped compared to BNHA. Like, having superpowers is the 20%, not having powers is the 80%, which is why it's still expected that you hide your powers. Is this a regional difference? Is the power ratio actually different or is it just that Sky High is only for kids who's parents are heroes? And so lots of people are powered, they just aren't heroes and aren't focused on?

3) Actually, back on the hiding your powers thing, why do they do that in Sky High but not BNHA (to my understanding at least)? Is it just that the Sky High cast is all superheroes or the children of superheroes trying to maintain a secret identity, or is it that America has some sort of stigma on superpowers (possibly due to it being a minority)?

3) What is Sky High's relationship to UA? How rare are these hero schools? Are they even aware of each other? Are they rivals? Friendly? Do they do exchange programs? Does one have significantly more clout than the other?

4) The Commander and Jetstream are very very patriotic and American heroes. Is this just like their aesthetic, or does it have something to do with them being diplomats/representatives/mascots for America?

5) Sky High is built off beloved cheesy stereotypes, which means the stated goal of most of the villains is World Domination TM. Has anyone ever actually gotten close, and what would that have looked like in both areas?

6) What would a regional super school in somewhere like europe or south america look like and how would it compare to UA and Sky High?

7) Any and all thoughts on particular plot and character beats that you liked or did not like from Sky High, and/or how you would do them differently?

Sorry this is so long, I just wasn't aware other people who watched this movie ever had Thoughts about it outside the initial watch, and I am EXCITED!

Honestly I think most of my thoughts would be that Sky High happens earlier in the Timeline.

When Quirks are less common and being a Superhero is only a new profession, and due to how few Heroes there are they still maintain Secret Identities to the public but are government-registered.

Over time it transferred to how it is in bnha where Heroes are publicly known and less secret identities (though many do keep their homelife on the downlow while hamming it up at 'work'), and Quirks being much more common in newer generations therefore allowing more schools.

Hero Schools nowadays are decently common. Like in Canon bnha there's half a dozen for Japan alone. So you can only imagine how many America would have. At LEAST one per state. I think UA and Sky High would be aware of each other in the sense that they're considered the best Hero School in their respective country, and some friendly rivalry and international programs together. Similar with Hero Schools in other countries.

The Commander and Jetstream are def just Like That™ for aesthetics lmao.

Also in terms of plot, I'm not sure there's anything I'd say I wanted to alter, exactly. But Sky High was a single movie with a 1hr 40min running time. There wasn't a lot of time to explore everything it set up! So I'd say just make a whole series and explore all of it.

I think the only plot point I felt :/ about was Layla's whole 'I'm only going to use my powers when the situation demands it!' thing which meant..... not using them ever unless it was literally life or death at the last second? Like girl you're going to a Hero School to learn how to utilize your abilities through safe (ish) training exercises so you'll know how to use them in real combat. I think in a darker-toned series she might be forced to confront this fact in a harsh way, like another student calling her out on it because of their own tragic backstory.

[ultraericthered]

So, Majin Buu....

Thinking back on the original Akira Toriyama Dragon Ball run, it's pretty clear to me more than ever that Majin Buu, the final major villain of the series, the Big Bad in the story arc the series ended on, was by far the weakest Big Bad out of all the powerful, action-based Big Bads, making him second weakest overall next to Commander Red. Yes, even Tienshinhan was an overall more satisfactory main antagonist compared to how Buu got by the end. And for the longest time I just sort of took that as a basic truth without really examining why it was. I'd thought the main reason for it was that the concept of him as this ages old evil that was only just now being pulled back into the present day limelight to be the new all-powerful threat to the universe to surpass the last all-powerful threat to the universe was really cheap, as it felt like Toriyama lazily re-doing the premise of King Piccolo only more ancient and a threat to even the gods of this world's cosmology and lore. But if I'm being totally fair and honest, that shouldn't necessarily be a definitive restraint on Buu from reaching villainous greatness. After all, Buu is also a great concept for a villain and an undeniably original, distinguished, uniquely Toriyama one at that. He so easily could've worked. Why didn't he?

This year of Toriyama's passing, it finally dawned on me - Majin Buu suffered from the same syndrome that would years later plague Xehanort from Kingdom Hearts. The syndrome of being a single character yet having so many different variations of him that feel like completely separate characters that makes it hard to reconcile them all as a single entity or to understand who that single entity is at the most fundamental level and what they're all about personally and in terms of narrative function. And indeed, it is only Buu who suffered this problem. Piccolo Jr. felt like the spawn/second lifeline of King Piccolo, Vegeta as a Great Ape still felt like Vegeta, Freeza in all of his transformations still feels like Freeza, Cell is still Cell in all three of his forms (even with his brainpower being more easily expended in the Semi-Perfect form), the Zamasus all feel like different variants of Zamasu, Moro, Mechikabura, and Demigra always feel the same, etc. Yet Majin Buu feels like he becomes four or five different people over the course of his saga, which gets either unnecessarily lengthy or incredibly rushed depending on the medium you're looking at it in!

So here's basically how I feel about the Majin Buus:

Fat Buu, AKA Mr. Buu - Toriyama first created this character to be the Majin Buu, a complete subversion of expectations for how this all-powerful evil demon was built up versus how nonthreatening he appears to be once we meet him. The simple-minded, infantile, playful, whimsical and sweets-craving nature of this Buu is both the source of much comedy and becomes a source of tension that enhances the dread you feel whenever the deep malice he harbors within him comes out on display, as the tonal whiplash of this silly, chubby pink blob getting mad and doing horrible things is unnerving. But in addition, we're made to feel some sympathy for Buu since Babidi treats him in an abusive, exploitative way and it becomes clearer that for all the malice he has and all the wrongs he commits, Buu has the mind of a small child who does whatever he wants to do for fun in total innocence and naivete, not knowing or understanding what the morally right things to do and the right way to live are, and why things like killing other living creatures is morally wrong. The stuff with him and Mr. Satan is some of the best content in the entire saga, and it feels right that he joins the family and becomes one of the good guys in the end, even if not much really comes of that in future installments. I give him an 8/10, to me he's the Best Buu.

Evil Buu, AKA Slim Buu - I mentioned the deep malice within Buu that he was born with, and this guy is the physical personification of it that Fat Buu conjures out from him during a breakdown where his desires are clashing with what he now knows about right and wrong. Visually, he's the exact 180 of Fat Buu - lean face and skeleton-thin body, open eyes that are black with white pupils, dark blue cape rather than a purple one, and he's the only Buu who's not pink but is instead gray. But he's the Mr. Hyde to Fat Buu's Dr. Jekyll, another side of the same person. Were Fat Buu to defeat him, he'd conquer his inner darkness, but instead this thing defeats and swallows Fat Buu, signifying that the inner darkness has won out and will change Buu's shape into something stronger and more evil. Ultimately this Buu has no personality to speak of besides "evil" and is only there as a plot device to up the tension and stakes again by becoming the new eviler version of Majin Buu who has no qualms disregarding the lessons he'd learned from Mr. Satan. However, he does get some extra points for killing Van Zant. 4/10, Basic Buu is Basic.

Super Buu - I really like this Buu yet am really mad at him and have a bone to pick with him. 'Cause he feels so easily like the Buu I'd love the best after Fat Buu, owing a lot to a truly stellar introductory period, solid voicework in the anime, and much like Cell, some cool and catchy theme music from Bruce Faulconer in the US dub. He starts off so cool: popping his neck, yawning, sagging, screaming, and cackling maniacally in the course of seconds after he's formed, showing devastating power and killing Smitty in the most graphic and disturbing way, flying all the way to Kami's Lookout just to fight and kill his enemy, distinguishing himself from the well-spoken likes of Freeza and Perfect Cell by speaking very simply, responding to Piccolo's demand of him by simply and efficiently killing off the Earth's human population, nonchalantly turning a furious Chi Chi into an egg and not even bothering to eat her (he kills her by stepping on the egg), and retaining all of his hilariously childish dumbass qualities and sweet tooth yet possesing a raw, dangerously savvy cunning beneath his brutish exterior. And yet through all this, he it doesn't really feel like he's properly motivated in evildoing other than "he's evil", and more problems start to pile up once he and Gotenks are going at it in the Time Chamber dimention. For every golden moment he gets, he gets some ill-concieved moments (though in fairness, he shares them with Gotenks and Piccolo): it's he who instigates the "wall-breaking/plot-breaking scream". But not even that could ruin him. No, when he really does the unforgivable is when he turns into the next Buu. So he's a 7/10, should've been Buuetter but wasn't.

Mystic Fusion Super Buu - Is just Fusion Super Buu when he absorbs SS3 Gotenks and Piccolo, the "Mystic" is added when he absorbs Gohan. Yeah, the problem is immediately apparent in that premise. Since when could Majin Buu absorb anyone and add their Ki power to himself? That was Cell's shtick, Majin Buu was all about transforming his prey into sweet treats and eating them up. He got the ability to take other fighters and their powers into himself from right out of Toriyama's ass! On top of that, he now looks hideous, with a long head antenna like SS3 Gotenks' long hair, a nose and facial features like Piccolo, and he trades out between Piccolo's, Gotenks', and Gohans' clothes, and neither look good on him! On top of that, his characterization changes as with Piccolo's intellect, he starts speaking in complete sentences and elloquently articulating everything which is just....no. Don't. This is killing Buu's unique vibe! On top of that, him defeating and absorbing Gohan is an utterly cruel slap in the face of any fan who might've actually wanted to see Gohan's ordeals and new power paid off by him being the hero to defeat Buu in the end like such a set-up would normally entail. And on top of all that, he's just a bore now. The whole section of the story where he's around has always failed to interest or excite me, he's just not fun to look at, watch, or listen to, and his existence is what derails Gohan's arc, brings Goku and Vegeta as co-heroes in the spotlight, and stretches things on the barren Earth out longer than necessary, including a gross, unwelcome trip inside of Buu's body! Near the end he loses his shirt and shows his character again, and we get the welcome return of classic Super Buu for one last stand-off, but that only bumps his score to 2/10. Buuuuuuuu, you suck!

Kid Buu - Buu's final and also primal form. He's not only the most powerful, destructive, and maniacal Buu, but this is Majin Buu as originally concieved in-universe. When Bibidi first conjured him into this realm, he was like this - a living, breathing force of pure chaos who lives only for the slaughter and devastation that he finds fun. And he does work as being just that, retaining Buu's mixture of being comical yet also terrifying and dangerous. Almost everything that concerns him and the section in which he's the opponent/obstacle to destroy is perfectly fine, aside from Goku being the hero rather than Gohan and how drained you feel from all the earlier Super Buu antics, it all works and makes for a properly tense, thrilling and epic final battle against a worthy final boss for this saga. The issue with Kid Buu can found within his character set-up and in the way he gets implemented into the saga. We'd been given nothing foreshadowing his existence as the OG Majin Buu until after Super Buu has reverted to him. We had no reason to think that Fat Buu wasn't the default for Buu, nor any reason to think that this new Buu would be that much more powerful than the Buus that preceded him, making Kid Buu feel really, really cheap. For that matter, how does removing Fat Buu from inside of Buu revert him to Kid Buu yet Fat Buu expunging the Evil Buu from out of him didn't have that effect on either Buu? And as is said in this post, "Kid Buu’s defeat doesn’t feel as satisfying as it should because we barely spent time with him compared to Super Buu", and that when Kid Buu comes along to take Super Buu's place, in the manga it's in the last graphic novel volume of the series, the very same that began with Vegito VS Mystic Fusion Super Buu, while in the anime it's the point when "you’re about ready to scream “Oh my Kami, END already!” given how fatigued you are of watching Super Saiyans fighting this pink monstrosity by then. Ultimately, Kid Buu's a 7/10 - Buu Bye and guud riddance, Janemba did it better.

Uub - The reincarnation of Kid Buu, who before getting killed had been Mystic Fusion Super Buu, and Super Buu was previously Evil Buu before eating Fat Buu, who Evil Buu came from making Evil Buu and Fat Buu two different variants of the same being, so that guy gets reincarnated due to a wish to Shenron by Goku even though Mr. Buu is still alive as a separate being....yeah, the dissociative identity of Majin Buu and the flimsy idea of all forms of Buu being the same character really collapses here, and fittingly on a character whose very existence and the reasons for it, in-universe and out of it, are completely nonsensical. If Goku really wanted to keep Majin Buu as a sparring partner but only if he was a better person, why not start training Mr. Buu so that his power could grow to match Kid Buu's? And are we really expected to believe and be okay with the idea that the successor to Son Goku ends up being not Gohan, not Goten, not even Pan, but the hastily introduced in the final two chapters reincarnation of the last villain who we were also only just introduced to in that very volume of manga? I can't pretend to know exactly what Toriyama was going for when he wrote the epilogue in those last two chapters and came up with Uub, but if that was his way of leaving the door open for Toei Animation to continue the franchise on their own terms, it's pretty telling that GT had no interest in picking up on this thread and rendered Uub completely worthless, and we've seen no more from Uub in the DB continuations we've had since. Uub and the ending associated with him were just a total Uuber failure. 1/10.

[cata-strophes]

I just found you and im like in love with all your art!!!! Do you think you could like catch me up on your ocs? Like a little introduction to them? Cause I am invested! I hope that's not too much to ask!

(Funny story, i was writing this and wrote a lot and then my power went off and i lost what i had written L)

Thank you!! :D And of course!! Im sorry this took so long, when i saw your message i realised i dont have a lot of actually-colored drawings of my ocs (that arent dante), so i ran to do some quick sketches (and got busy in the middle of it)

In the world of my OCs, some people are born with powers, but they have consequences and drawbacks if they're overused.

There is an Evil Bad Guy(tm), who, of course, wants power, and so when a kid is born with a strong enough power, it's more than likely they will be taken to join the ever-growing brainwashed army of Evil Dude(tm). Evil Villain Guy(tm) also carries forward... tests and experiments, to see if it's possible to evolve these powers and overcome their drawbacks.

This guy is my poor special little guy, Dante, and by that, I mean he's the one that I make suffer for my own amusement, i'm sorry, Dante.

He doesn't know his age, but he guesses he's in his mid-20s.

He was one of the child soldiers the Evil Villain Man(tm), and has been with him since he has memory. Now all he wants is revenge against him, and doesn't care about much else.

He was a favourite, because he was the first one to survive the tests and evolve the powers he has. (drawbacks are still a work in progress)

His power allows him to create limbs made from shadows, he specialized in wings. Altho he started only creating two wings, with the tests, he started calling more and more wings to his control, and they eventually stopped looking soft and feathery, and started looking more and more leathery, and he stopped using them to fly, more like spider legs to help support him and that he can turn into extremely dangerous and sharp weapons.

This guy over here is Nicholas. He is *drum roll* Evil Villain Guy(tm)'s older son!

Nicholas is in his mid-20s. He also has a younger brother, Theo, who is in his early 20s.

He was raised in blissful ignorance until he was a teenager, where he started figuring out his family's dark history. He started questioning his father's authority more and more, until, when he was around 16 years old, his own father commanded his assassins to get rid of him.

He was left for dead, but little did they know he had been hiding self-healing powers, and managed to survive and ended up joining a rebellion against his father, meeting Dante again ten years later, when he escaped. His brother is still with his father.

I'm very bad with names and can't choose, I have at least twenty options for each, but these are also some very important guys for them. All of their designs might change!! I'm still playing around.

The woman to the left is the leader of the rebellion, she took Nicholas in and knocked some sense into his head when he was pushing his body and powers farther than he should. She has electricity on contact powers, she uses it for the most shocking punches, or for charging whatever metalllic weapon shes holding to make it Hurt. Her drawback tho, is a loss of fine motor skills, her hands shake a lot because of this.

The guy in the right is Dante's uncle. Dante's uncle was a renowned knight, when he learnt that his brother, sister-in-law and nephew, his only family, were all wiped out in an attack, he lost his control and threw himself to battle with no second thoughts. His power is something of future visio; it doesn't go too far, just a few seconds or minutes (although he might get a few days or weeks worth of it in dreams), which made him unstouchable in battle. The drawback is the lost of his own eyesight. He is blind because of the overuse of his powers, and can really only notice light and very blurry shapes if he focuses (he usually doesn't). When he got tired of fighting he up and left, trying to forget and be forgotten, finding a village in the middle of nowhere and staying there to pass his days.

UNTIL his war-buddy, mister-in-the-center-drawing, came looking for him. They used to be the closest friends and he spent years looking for him after he vanished from the face of the Earth. He doesn't have any powers, but he is very much to Dante's uncle's levels of swordmanship and whatever-knights-do-ship (with the exception of. you know. literal future vision powers). They are boyfriends now.

Also Dante and his uncle meet later on, and this meeting is the reason Dante doesn't go off the deep end as it was very much looking like before. Dante's uncle knows Dante's real age and birthday, he never forgot.

[alicelufenia]

musings on FFXVI story based on the demo (tl;dr not feeling so hype anymore)

So yeah obviously it's going to be a well written and competently made story that will make you feel many things. What I'm unhype about is, much like 14's story, it's looking to be very uncritical with the way it portrays women.

The first inkling of it was that interview where YoshiP answered a question about in-universe diversity by falling back on an appeal to "reality" as many Western fantasy authors do when they want to excuse why their fantasy worlds seem to always be populated by white people. So "mature fantasy" for this team already means borrowing some of the uglier sides of Western fantasy uncritically.

So it's no surprise that apparently the "narrative boundaries" demand a story where the very first female character we see uses sex appeal in a military negotiation, then has what I can only describe as "bad guy sex" in the hallway immediately after. Very empowering, much girlboss.

But okay, she's a villain and villain sexy. What about the other women so far?

Well, one's completely helpless and is MIA at the end of the demo (though apparently survives) and the other is the main villain of the first chapter, who tries to seduce the Extremely Based dad but is rebuked because her feminity exists in the story as a weapon, and at the end has both her (set dressing, non-character) hand maidens executed for shock value and to show how irredeemable she is, but in a Evil Noble Woman way.

I swear it is like the game is looking at you the player and giving you permission to shout "YOU BITCH" at the screen. Literally every stream I've watched you can predict when the chat will be full of that down to the second.

Also, no women in the Shields. Gee I wonder why. Will we see the in-universe sexism confronted at any point? Or is it just part of the western fantasy aesthetic? Who can say, time will tell.

But what it's telling me so far is that the writers see feminity in two shades. Weak and Helpless, or Manipulating [insert gendered slur here]. And I mean it when I say it's horribly gendered. Men are badass in a variety of ways--strength of arms, noble blood, royal authority, dying from Cool Explosions or dying on their feet weapons drawn. Women's options for power are so far, being nobles and wielding political power, or having to flee or get cut down unawares by random soldiers (can you tell I hate that scene?)

Even Beneditka is only a badass because she's a Dominant--y'know one of the singularly most powerful individuals in the setting--and throws the most embarrassing tantrum I've ever seen on screen after being defeated, and she is supposed to be a person in a position of command. Like you look me in the eye and tell me you could see ANY of the male characters acting that way, even if they're characterized as horribly unhinged?

So yeah, after an initial spike of excitement I think I'm gonna pass on XVI until much later, and hearing how the story and characters shake out. But I don't have faith in these writers when THIS was their tone setter.

tl;dr - more fantasy sexism, but a mature rating means they can be so much worse with it now. At least it plays well.

[briefobservationdreamer]

Characters: NiGHTS (NiGHTS series)

What I Think Of The Character: NiGHTS is a really fun character with a surface that's pretty easy to understand. They're very friendly, outgoing, daring and adventurous, trying to befriend every visitor they meet but can be childlike, rash and reckless. Very reminiscent of Peter Pan. What makes the character stand out to me is that they're not a typical goody two-shoes hero. They were a Nightmaren created by the series' main villain to be one of his most powerful servants, but who decided to turn against their creator and leave everything they've ever known in Nightmare for their own personal reasons, and that single decision already says a lot about the character and what they value. While definitely benevolent now and genuinely caring for visitors, there is a selfish, deceptive streak and habit of playing a trickster that comes from their villain days. This instantly gives the character much more intrigue and depth than if they were simply a guardian protecting Nightopia.

Headcannons:

NiGHTS sometimes struggles with the concept of gender identity and biological sex, and had trouble distinguishing these at times. They don't think of themselves like this, and don't care what visitors think or what pronouns they use as long as there is no offence.

NiGHTS had a lot of trouble reading human body language and took a lot of practice to get good at it

During visits to Nightopia, NiGHTS would often pilfer whatever objects they find in Visitor dreamscapes that captured their interest, creating a large hoard. They've continued this habit since defecting from Nightmare, though they give more consideration to the Visitor's consent.

Really enjoys using their shape-shifting powers to maximum effect for traversing through dreamscapes.

They enjoy playing that invisible vanishing flute, but has a love of music and art in general. In fact that flute is also a curious topic. A couple of possibilities I have is that it's an ability Wizeman gave NiGHTS towards the purpose of Visitor hunting somehow and NiGHTS just chooses to use it to harmlessly play music, or NiGHTS took that flute from a Nightopia at some point and enchanted it themselves for some reason (possibly to hide it if music wasn't permitted in Nightmare).

I have more but they apply to Reala as well so I won't include them here.

Relationships:

Visitors: One of the central parts of the series. Its quite touching seeing NiGHTS guide the visitors through the dream realm, form a special bond with each visitor, getting to know each of them better and helping them find the courage to face their fears about the waking world that is causing them nightmares.

Reala: This is also an interesting point about NiGHTS’ history. Reala could have simply been a second in command ordered to hunt NiGHTS down. But the fact that these siblings used to be close, but having a rift form between them due to NiGHTS leaving Reala behind and both probably feeling a bit betrayed by the other creates a really interesting dynamic and a layer of tragedy to their story (I imagine deep down they somewhat understand the other’s perspective though). Their rivalry is fun too, they’re very different personalities that balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses well.  

Owl: I'm not as invested as I am with NiGHTS' other relationships, but I do enjoy the "frustrated dad trying to discipline rambunctious teen" dynamic they have. Owl was probably NiGHTS' only source of some much needed companionship for a while after defecting from Nightmare, until NiGHTS started befriending more visitors.

[homicidal-intent1111111]

* . ⋆ MASTERLIST ⋆ . *

will be updated as i post more :]

HEROES AND VILLAINS

a collaborative project between me and @throneofhavoc-blog! mostly set in carabi city, a town full of supernatural creatures, corrupt politicians, and a few people who are both. rumors and enemies hide around every corner.

there's also dispar, a city in the same world which is slightly less plagued by corruption. slightly. i haven't developed it much yet, though.

╰┈➤ 777 ELECTRIC

carabi's power is almost entirely provided by 777. it hasn't gone public quite yet; in fact, it's still a family company, with the previous owner being the new one's mother. their operations are more limited outside of carabi. however, they are still quite rich and powerful.

they have a substantial criminal presence. one which is connected to the criminal underbelly of the city, especially the supernatural end of it. i haven't, uh... quite figured out the details yet.

╰┈┈┈➤ SALVATORE/REX

sal is said owner of 777. incredibly charismatic, with a handsome appearance to match. he runs the business aspect of the company, although he also handles the more personal aspects of the criminal side. like throwing parties, making friends (and deals), that sort of thing. he's so busy, he often can't find time to sleep.

╰┈┈┈➤ HEATHER/LUCIFER

rex's enigmatic second-in-command. she does much more work in the criminal side; she has a reputation for being sal's brutal, unforgiving enforcer. rumor has it that she's survived wounds that would have killed anyone else, even coming back stronger for it.

╰┈➤ MONIKRON HEROES

a group of superheroes known for the nicknames they take along with their hero names. they're quite popular among the citizens, and they're as close to officially sanctioned as superheroes can get.

╰┈┈┈➤ AMATERASU, THE SUN HERO

despite her name, amaterasu's abilities have little to do with the sun. she's from another dimension, one with blood-red skies and poisonous air. she can create "mirrors" to it, or cracks in reality that act as portals. they can be opened anywhere within a certain radius of her—even within another person.

she is the leader of the monikron heroes. most of them have a sort of reverence for her, although she's been more disconnected from her team lately. busier, she says.

╰┈┈┈➤ DREAMWRAITH, THE SHADOW HERO

a little goblin who is Constantly sleep-deprived due to the frequent nightmares that their ability causes. they are amaterasu's protégé; they're one of the youngest heroes while also being one of the most powerful. no one really knows where they came from, including them.

their abilities are versatile. their main attack is the massive, demonic hands that they can summon and use to attack. however, they have many different skills. they can float, cast illusions, teleport...

╰┈┈┈➤ FERAL, THE WEREWOLF HERO

as a natural werewolf—one whose parents were both werewolves—feral has a great deal of control over his ability. he draws strengrh from the dark and the full moon. he can transform almost whenever he wants, and he can decide how much he shifts. the more "wolf" he becomes, the less control he has over himself, so he only uses it fully as a last resort.

╰┈┈┈➤ SCOPOPHOBIA, THE WATCHFUL HERO

scopes is a highly experienced hero, able to keep calm in many different situations. as a cyclops (may change the name but she only has one eye), most of her abilities are focused on perception. her hearing is made incredibly sharp by her pointed ears, her vision is better than a human's ever could be, that kind of thing.

she's also physically strong and well-trained in combat; however, lately she's mostly been relegated to recon missions. she resents this and has been growing suspicious of amaterasu because of it.

╰┈┈┈➤ STEELHEART, THE INDUSTRIAL HERO

a behemoth made of scrap metal and broken glass. at 7'8", she towers over nearly everyone she meets.

╰┈➤ ANGEL

a mysterious solo hero who seemed to pop up out of nowhere. her name was coined in the very first article that was written about her, less than a day after her first appearance. she wears a full suit of armor, and she rarely ever speaks, even though her helmet has a voice changer that makes her almost unrecognizable.

she has light magic. she can fire beams of scorching-hot light from her palms, or use it to light up a room, or somewhere in between. her favorite technique is summoning shining wings and a broadsword. she also seems to have some kind of healing ability.

╰┈➤ MULCH

a chaotic solo hero who seems to delight in his own mystery. he's DEFINITELY not human, but nobody can quite pin down what he is. his costume is similar to bob from slime rancher, almost entirely covered with little bits of his body peeking through.

he often casually drops bits of information about himself, then moves on like it's nothing. he mentions tentacles, eyestalks, mouths in odd places, scales, that kind of thing. it's unknown how much of it is actually real. however, he definitely has water magic, specifically hydrokinesis.

LEGACIES (UNORDINARY AU)

this one has... a lot cooking behind the scenes! basically, it follows the intertwining futures and pasts of a few of my characters and the canon ones. i won't reveal it all right now, but here are some of the characters:

╰┈➤ QUINTUPLE TROUBLE

a friend group that goes to Wellston High together. they're the main focus of the story, especially aria, who is our main character.

╰┈┈┈➤ ARIA

she's basically a himbo. strong, loving, and extremely passionate. she's self-assured and can be impulsive, hence why i called her a himbo.

she's open and honest, with herself and others. she's also very friendly and courteous to everyone! people tend to find her trustworthy and feel safe around her.

╰┈┈┈➤ RALEIGH

ral is a fashionista and costume designer (cosplayer). they're playful, a bit of a class clown. they tend to deflect with humor, and they're terrified of opening up.

they value creativity and individual identity. if one of their friends is trying something new, they'll cheer them on, regardless of whether they personally like that thing.

they're a bit clumsy as well, despite their skill with woodworking. they tend to almost trip... a lot. there's a running joke within the friend group that they're secretly some kind of master thief, and their clumsiness is just a cover-up.

╰┈┈┈➤ SINCLAIR

the straight man of the friend group. (ironically, he's definitely not straight.) he's very calm, and he seems reserved at first glance. however, he's the most outwardly affectionate of all of them; he just shows it through actions rather than words.

he values efficiency, especially in his own work. he's also incredibly people-smart and empathetic. he knows how to work with a variety of personality types, and he's quite charismatic as a result.

his parents are old-school goths who run a mortuary together. they're eccentric and Incredibly doting and supportive towards sinclair. they were overjoyed when they discovered that he wants to help them run the mortuary.

╰┈┈┈➤ VI

vi is a nerd who hates the authorities and loves hacking. she's broken into a government building at least once, possibly more, with her older brother. she's also incredibly book-smart; she tends to get very frustrated with scientific inaccuracies.

one of her biggest values is freedom of information. she doesn't believe in banning books, and she hates when info is put behind a paywall. that being said, she also wants people to have individual privacy.

some fun facts: her older brother is a famous hacker who's leaked a few government secrets in his time. she's friends with a journalist who's part of the school paper; they've used her as a source a few times. her sleep schedule is garbage, leaving her perma-tired.

╰┈┈┈➤ ZAVIER

bro?

A KING AND A CROWN

basically a couple of fun character ideas that quickly spiraled out of control. k&c is a post-apoc zombie story where the zombies are victim to an extra-dimensional force. how exactly that force got here, and what that means for our protagonists, is still up in the air. (i know it, but i won't share it just yet. :D)

╰┈➤ THEO

yaaay! murderous man with no morals!

╰┈➤ RAINIER

yaaaaaaaay!!! murderous woman with morals!

ALL THE BEST (TDOS AU)

working title. around 700 years before the events of the show, super-objects were MUCH more common. they essentially acted as warlords competing for territory. larger empires and kingdoms did form, but they never stayed for long before being forcefully broken apart.

eventually this resulted in a massive conflict which involved most of the world. this wiped out most super-objects, making them significantly rarer and limiting the range of powers that they had. it was only after this that aqua, tree, fireball, and storm came about.

╰┈➤ SHADE/PROMISE RING

an ancient super-object with the ability to shapeshift, among... many other things. they were once known for their brutality and their disregard for life; they retired to the woods with their best friend, ring. however, their retirement was rudely interrupted by an army burning down their forest and slaughtering ring. they refused to involve themself in the events of the world, watching apathetically as the wars got worse and worse until the catastrophic event i mentioned above.

there's more to their story. a LOT more, actually. but those are the basics.

HANGING BY A THREAD

a theoretical animated series; the first season would be a pretty standard object show, while the second season would be cosmic horror.

╰┈➤ CONTESTANTS

note: i haven't decided how their names work. the first name is more typical for an object show, while the second one is a more human name.

╰┈┈┈➤ PIP/ALICE

Nervous

Easily frightened/startled

Talks a lot

Cautious and perceptive

Sometimes mistaken for paranoid, but she's almost always correct

Can be inconsiderate; somewhat self-centered

╰┈┈┈➤ LANTERN/ETHAN

Quiet

Calculating

Prefers to stay back and watch rather than participate

Passive; stays out of conflict

Won't take sides (out loud, anyways) unless he's forced to

Judgemental

╰┈┈┈➤ CHERRY/KAI

Fang's best friend

Passionate

Very easily excited

LOUD

Impulsive, tends to act without thinking

Keeps their word no matter what

╰┈┈┈➤ FANG/PAIGE

Cherry's best friend

Tries to keep them out of trouble

Cartoon enjoyer

Very serious and earnest

Some people think she's scary, which she doesn't understand

╰┈┈┈➤ SCREWDRIVER/DENNIS

Smug bastard

Actually very insecure

Worried about what others think of him

Easily peer-pressured

╰┈➤ THE POWERS THAT BE

an extradimensional group with mysterious goals and far-reaching influence. secretive and defensive towards outsiders, with a strict hierarchy and esoteric rules for their members.

i've been referring to them as "the powers that be" for convenience's sake. i don't think this is the name they'd give themselves--maybe something like "management," given their sort of corporate themes?

╰┈┈┈➤ HUD/HOST

A showman to the core

Doesn't care about his contestants, but values the stories they can tell

Acts unflappable, a bit of a coward

Deathly afraid of the powers that be

Only takes fights that he knows he can win

Not actually a member of the extradimensional group, but lives in their facilities

╰┈┈┈➤ NULL

Extremely loyal to whoever it chooses to follow

If given the chance, it will protect those it holds dear

Somewhat naive about normal/mortal life, but very knowledgable in its own right

Currently under restrictions that require it to follow Host's orders

Not bothered by it, but doesn't care about Host at all

Considered more disposable than other Enforcers, so it's sent to do the dirty, dangerous work

╰┈┈┈➤ SYSTEM

Null's best (only) friend

A rebel who's constantly deviating from the rules

The crack in her screen is one of the many punishments she's received for this

Very friendly and charismatic

Secretive, hiding a lot of things

Leads people to believe what she wants them to believe about her

╰┈┈┈➤ FLUTTER

Very stuck-up and self-important

Condescending

Allowed to bend the rules a bit as an Overseer, but can't stand when other people do it

Hates System

Despite his unpleasant personality, though, he's very good at his job

A massive suckup to authority

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

FETCH A FALLING STAR

Opening in theaters this weekend:

PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie--"They're cute little pups that drive around in cars. I know it sounds weird, but just go with it." So says a character near the beginning of this second PAW Patrol feature, by way of describing the premise.

More specifically: The little pups live in palatial digs in "Adventure City," where each of them specializes in some form or other, vaguely breed-appropriate, of public safety. Chase the German Shepherd is a police dog; Marshall the Dalmatian is a firefighter; Skye the Cockapoo pilots a rescue helicopter; Bulldog Rubble does construction and demo; Zuma the Lab does water rescues, mutt Rocky handles recycling, and Liberty the Dachshund, introduced in 2021's PAW Patrol: The Movie, has a gift for training the members of the Junior Patrollers, a trio of Pomeranians. Ryder is the human boy who leads the gang.

I'll confess that moment-to-moment, I have some trouble keeping them all straight in my mind; the characters don't, for me, have terribly distinct personalities. But to their intended audience, the pups have been beloved figures since the Canadian TV cartoon, developed by Keith Chapman of Bob the Builder fame, was launched on Nickelodeon in 2013.

If you thought it was weird before, wait until you get a load of Mighty Movie. The story takes a sci-fi/fantasy twist this time that puts it more in the realm of a Marvel or Power Rangers flick than a Boy-and-his-Anthropomorphic-Dogs story. Drawn in from space by a mad scientist villain with a magnet, a meteor crash lands in Adventure City, and fragments from it give the pups superpowers. Some of these seemed counterintuitive to me. Marshall, for instance, gains the power to conjure fire from his paws; shouldn't he command water or flame-retardant foam or something?

Anyway, as with the first feature, The Mighty Movie is not an experience to seek out if you don't have a five-year-old who requires it, but it's not disagreeable to sit through if you do get stuck at it. The dialogue has funny, self-aware touches, including another fourth wall gag about the film's transparent merchandising strategy. The voice cast includes some name players, including Serena Williams, Kristen Bell, James Marsden, Chris Rock and most notably Taraji P. Henson as the rather chic, green-haired mad scientist.

Ron Pardo is also back, as Humdinger, Adventure City's narcissistic former mayor. I thought perhaps the first film was using the character to reference a certain real world public figure; my suspicion was strengthened in Mighty Movie when Humdinger, sensing public hostility toward him, remarks "This is why I hate free and fair elections."

Humdinger's entourage of cats seems intended as further evidence of his villainy. A suggestion: In the spirit of inter-species equity and amity, perhaps in the next PAW Patrol movie a heroic kitty should be introduced to the team. Cats have paws too, after all.

[gamecrag]

In the Warhammer 40k universe, you can be killed by anything. It doesn't matter if it's a knife or a sword or an axe or even just your own bare hands. Anything can kill you in this universe, so it's best not to take chances when dealing with any character on this list. The characters featured here are among the most deadly in all of Warhammer 40k lore and history--and they're not just limited to one faction either! Some are heroes from other races who have fought against humanity before; others are villains who may have crossed paths with them before (or vice versa). Either way, these guys are going down as some of the most dangerous beings ever created for this franchise.* 10) Abaddon the Despoiler Abaddon the Despoiler is the Warmaster of Chaos, leader of the Black Legion and wielder of the Talon of Horus. He has been described as one of the greatest military leaders in human history by his peers and enemies alike. Abaddon's personality can be summed up as "a mix between Arnie Schwarzenegger, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte and Attila The Hun." Abaddon was once known simply as Ezekyle Abaddon before he was taken by Chaos during an attack on his homeworld. After being corrupted by Nurgle (the god who rules over disease), Abaddon became even more powerful than before; he now wields a daemonically-enhanced power sword called Widowmaker which gives him control over any kind of plague or pestilence imaginable! 9) Roboute Guilliman Roboute Guilliman is the Primarch of the Ultramarines and Lord Commander of the Imperium. He is also known as The Avenging Son because he helped bring about a new golden age for humanity after it was nearly destroyed by Horus during his war against his father. Guilliman was born on Macragge, where he lived with his father until he was sent away to Terra at age 10 to train as an officer in one of their armies. He eventually became one of their greatest generals and led many successful campaigns against xenos races like Orks and Tyranids before being reunited with his brothers during their attack on Horus' forces at Isstvan V (which we'll get into later). After this battle was over, Guilliman helped write up new rules for how Space Marines should be organized into Chapters so they could better fight against threats like Chaos or other aliens without breaking down under pressure from inside their own ranks; these guidelines became what we now know today as "The Codex Astartes." 8) Yarrick Imperial Commissar Yarrick is a hero of the Imperium, having served in its armed forces for over 200 years. He is most notable for his actions during the Second War for Armageddon in which he led an army of Imperial Guard soldiers against Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka's Orks on Armageddon Prime and eventually defeated them. Afterwards, Yarrick was given command of all Imperial forces on Armageddon by Lord Commander Militant Angevin who gave him full authority over all military matters within his jurisdiction. This included being able to give orders directly to any officer regardless of rank or position within their chain of command -- including Space Marines! 7) Vulkan The fourth Primarch to be found was Vulkan, the master of the forge and creator of the Promethean Creed. He was found on Nocturne, a planet which had been devastated by war with its neighboring world of Armageddon. Vulkan was raised by his adoptive father and became a great warrior in his own right before leaving his home to join his brothers in battle against Horus' rebellion. Vulkan led his Salamanders Legion through many campaigns against Chaos forces during The Great Crusade until they were sent back to Terra when Horus attacked it with an army comprised mostly of Traitor Legions (those who had turned away from the Emperor). During this time on Terra, Vulkan created many weapons that would later become staples among Space Marines such as bolters and flamers.

He also helped create other items such as power fists which were used by Terminators instead of regular Power Weapons because they were stronger than those used by normal Space Marines but still did not require too much maintenance or training for use outside their intended purpose within combat situations where only one hand could be used effectively at any given time due to heavy armor requirements etcetera... 6) Khârn the Betrayer Khârn the Betrayer is a champion of Khorne, the Chaos God of Blood and War. He is known for his ferocity in battle and his uncontrollable rage, which often leads him to attack friend and foe alike. Khârn is also infamous for being the only person to have ever killed his own Primarch, Angron, in a fit of berserk fury. Khârn is armed with Gorechild, a chainaxe that has been imbued with dark magic by Khorne himself. When Khârn kills an enemy with Gorechild, the axe becomes stronger and more deadly, making him even more dangerous in combat. 5) Typhus Typhus is a Chaos Space Marine and the current Herald of Nurgle. He is known for carrying the Destroyer Hive, a weapon that unleashes swarms of flies that can infect and kill those they swarm upon. Typhus is also an accomplished sorcerer, and can call upon the powers of Nurgle to heal himself or spread disease among his enemies. Typhus was originally a member of the Death Guard Legion before being corrupted by Nurgle. He now leads the Plague Marines, and is a feared opponent in battle. 4) Eldrad Ulthran Eldrad Ulthran is a powerful Farseer of the Eldar race. He is known for his mastery of the psychic arts, and has used his powers to predict the future and manipulate events to his advantage. Eldrad is also a skilled warrior, and has fought in many battles against the enemies of the Eldar. Eldrad is the leader of the Ulthwé Craftworld, and is revered by the Eldar as a wise and powerful leader. He is also feared by his enemies, who know that he is capable of manipulating events to his advantage. 3) Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka is a powerful Warboss of the Ork race. He is known for his cunning and strategic mind, and has led many successful WAAAGHs against the enemies of the Orks. Ghazghkull is also a formidable warrior, and has defeated many opponents in single combat. Ghazghkull was originally a member of the Goffs Clan before striking out on his own. He now leads the mighty Goff WAAAGH, and is a feared opponent in battle. 2) An'ggrath the Unbound An'ggrath the Unbound is a Greater Daemon of Khorne. He is known for his immense size and strength, and is one of the most powerful daemons in the service of Khorne. An'ggrath is also a skilled warrior, and has fought in many battles against the enemies of Khorne. An'ggrath is called "the Unbound" because he was able to break free of the chains that were used to bind him to the realm of Chaos. He now roams the galaxy, seeking out worthy opponents to battle. 1) Horus Lupercal Horus Lupercal was one of the Primarchs of the Space Marine Legions, and was once a loyal servant of the Emperor. However, he was corrupted by Chaos during the Horus Heresy, and led a rebellion against the Imperium that nearly destroyed it. Horus was a master of strategy and tactics, and was able to turn many of the other Primarchs to his side during the Heresy. He was eventually defeated by the loyalist forces at the Battle of Terra, but his legacy lives on as one of the most dangerous figures in the history of the Imperium.

[thewiglesswonder]

Hey Wig, I'm vaguely familiar with The Dark Crystal, and since you're so knowledgeable of it, would you mind telling me all about it? I just feel like you might enjoy going on a long rant about it and I'm curious

[cracks knuckles] I hope you're ready for the can of worms you've just opened. Under a cut because you have activated my trap card and I will talk about this at ungodly lengths. Just know that this is not all of the Lore, omitted for your future discovery in case you decide to watch this for yourself.

It all starts in the 1980s, when Jim Henson (you might know him as the creator of some famous puppets, like The Muppets or the cast of Sesame Street) sees an illustration for a Lewis Carrol poem of crocodiles living in a fancy castle. This starts the wheels in his mind spinning with the concept of grotesque, reptilian creatures living in luxury.

Later, he meets illustrator Brian Froud, a really cool fantasy artist and all around cool guy. Froud's artwork looks like this

and Jim loves it. They start talking and eventually end up with a 25 page manuscript entitled The Crystal, which draws on influences from the darker Grimm's Fairytales, with the principle in mind that it's healthy for children to be scared sometimes. Changes get made, things get refined, it's in development for years before the final product, The Dark Crystal starts being filmed.

The catch? It's marketed as "The First Live-Action Movie With No Humans". Every single character in this film (and subsequent prequel Netflix series) is a puppet.

The Premise

Now we get into the actual worldbuilding stuff. First thing's first, this world is called Thra.

Thra is a wondrous planet that circles three suns, and at its center is the Crystal of Truth. The Crystal connects all life on Thra, and is the spiritual/magical heart of everything. Thra has many native inhabitants, all brought to life by wondrous practical effects, but the most plot-important, are the Gelfling.

Reminiscent of the elves and sprites in Froud's drawings (they should be, he was the lead concept artist), the Gelfling are said to be closest to Thra. At the time of the prequel series, seven clans of Gelfling inhabit the various corners of Thra. They are also the favorites of the strange mystical guardian of Thra, Mother Aughra.

Cranky, cantankerous, and with a heart (several hearts??) that beat for the living creatures of Thra, Aughra is kind of a subversion of the sublime mother goddess trope. She's a fantastic character with some even more fantastic insults.

So everything is hunky-dory on Thra for a couple hundred years, before some new beings arrive: The Skeksis.

The Skeksis are probably one of the most iconic aspect of The Dark Crystal, and for good reason. In the movie and the prequel, they're the vultureish, reptilian rulers of Thra. They seize control of the Crystal and begin abusing it, harvesting power from the three suns, sending Aughra off with a splendid orrery to astral project among the stars, and, over thousans of years, make the Gelfling into willing servants who gladly obey the Lords of The Crystal.

They are very obviously the villains, which is one thing that I absolutely adore about them. To the audience, they are almost cartoonishly evil, yet to the characters in the narrative, this villainy is only gradually revealed. There are eighteen total skeksis, but I'm just going to show a few of my favorites.

skekSil the Chamberlain

For future reference, every skeksis' name starts with the "skek-" prefix and ends with a unique name suffix, followed invariably by the title they hold in court. skekSil is essentially second-in-command to their Emperor, and yes, has been compared to Starscream many, many times before. I will say, he's a lot more successful than Starscream most of the time. He's manipulative, cunning, ruthless, and backstabbing, all with his iconic, high-pitched voice and unforgettable "HHHMMMMMmmmm". He's easily the franchise's most iconic character.

skekTek the Scientist

Voiced by none other than Mark Hamil himself, skekTek is the long suffering mechanic/inventor/doctor/surgeon/taxidermist/ so many other things to the skeksis. He's responsible for many of the technological advances they've brought to Thra, like harnessing living creatures to use as wheels for carriages! He's absolutely insane and I love him.

skekSo the Emperor

The supreme bitch himself. The leader of the skeksis, he's the only thing that is giving this disorganized group of horrible turkeys any semblance of order. His favor is paramount, his decisions are final, and he (along with the rest of the skeksis) is horribly afraid of death. All skeksis share this trait, which is what drives them to seek out the Crystal and other methods to try to retain their youth. skekSo is honestly one of the best antagonists I've ever seen in a piece of media. His true motivations and character are slowly revealed throughout the season, without once denying his villainy. It's great. This man sucks but he will be your favorite and there's nothing you can do about it, I'm sorry.

I am of the firm belief that a series is only as good as its villains, and boy does The Dark Crystal deliver. The skeksis can be humorously disgusting and cartoonishly evil at times, but when the moment arises, they are incredibly menacing threats that seem to pose an impossible challenge for our heroes. And I've only mentioned three! The rest of the court and even the ones we don't see are interesting in their own right.

Speaking of our heroes, their basic premise involves attempting to unite the separate Gelfling clans into rebellion against the Skeksis (hence the subtitle of the prequel series, Age of Resistance), after they discover one of the Skeksis' terrible crimes. Anything more than that is a spoiler.

So there's Wig's Dark Crystal Rant. Thank you for your time.

[its5amandimbored]

Part three of my fowl twins memes/review/reaction Ok so I reread all the artemis fowl books and made memes on them which you can find down here (I'll be keeping the fowl twins stuff in there too, just to keep everything together)

Artemis fowl memes

I basically decided to blindly read the fowl twins and react to it and talk about while also sprinkling in some memes

Also you probably shouldn't see this until you've read the book or be prepared for spoilers. Fair warning.

Previous

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Ok I love artemis. I know he became a good guy by the end. I know he sacrificed himself but saying him and fairies are friends is a giant stretch. Like even by the end of the series, the lep didn't like, majority of general fairy population didn't like him or trust him, the lep commanders didn't like him or trust him, he just became friends with holly, mulch and foaly specifically that is three fairies. Like you kidnapped a fairy, a lep captain no less, stole their technology and let some evil criminal take it and almost got all fairies killed, literally everytime the end of the world was happening you were involved somehow, someway. They were living a very peaceful life until you specifically got involved. There are literal parts in the series where something horrible is going down, the world will end if they don't do something and like 5 characters all go "probably has something to do with artemis fowl" and they were right, every single time. Like most fairies don't trust or like you artemis.

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This fucker titled his stories. Like in canon artemis not only told the story of what he did, like the entire 8 booked long story which is needlessly long for a child's bed time story but also titles them. He didn't just say "oh this is the second one" he went "I'm going to name my adventures. This one shall be dramatically called the artic incident" like imagine if you're telling someone something that personally happened to you and you titled it.

Also since it's canon that he told them every story did he also include the whole, him kidnapping someone, stealing and basically sacrificing a lemur, butler holly and him dying, like did he inlcude everything or...

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The fact that myles just blurts this out when he's shocked implies that he's very use to saying it and it just comes out naturally so I like to think artemis became accustomed to using it after spending so many years hearing all his friends saying it he just kind of started saying it and myles heard him saying it and started copying him. Meaning there's just two humans in the world, one being a child, cursing in fairy which I find hilarious

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Ok. Guys please no spoilers, please don't tell me if I'm right or wrong but so far we haven't gotten lazuli's mentor's name, we just know she has a mentor who's a girl and that she has told lazuli to always trust artemis fowl and follow his instructions without question, and that she had a friend who was rarely wrong, who told her gold is power. It's holly. Like calling it right now. If they just had the line with always trust artemis fowl, I'd let it slide as, lep are often told this since they're training on his island and probably will encounter him, possibly during a life of death situation so they should probably know to trust him and listen to him. But artemis fowl had very few people and even less fairies who would consider him a friend, and they're definitely referring to artemis here. Like "gold is power" is literally his family motto and something he often said in the first few books, plus the "he was wrong for once" implying it was a friend who was rarely wrong. Like it's holly talking about artemis. Calling it right now.

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Teddy:

This guy legit wants to shoot two 11 year olds like damn. The villains in this world have no problem murdering children

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Ok that was really cute

Next

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

To Do List:

What's up, my Herd of Nerds?

Anyway, as you can tell, tomorrow is AU Sunday. But, because it's one after a 'my input' one, it's a follower input AU day! Yay!

So, send me your AUs and I'll put all of em in a hat to pick one randomly. The winner is picked and posted and we'll all try and make headcanons about your AU.

Done:

Zombie Apocalypse AU :: (https://hermitcraftheadcanons.tumblr.com/post/618314308275863552/zombie-apocalypse-au-masterpost)

Pirate AU ::

Currently In The Raffle:

-Toy Story AU.

-Ever After High/Descendants/Vaguely 'nex gen priness' AU.

-Eldritch Horror AU :: Or if that's a bit too out there, a more normal Monster AU. I don't care, but in my heart, I know Cleo is some kind of eldritch horror. Zombie is far too easy.

-Eldritch Monster AU! Hermits are all Lovecraftian horrors who all individually decided that they wanted to pretend to be normal and are all trying to hide their otherworldliness. I also feel like Mumbo or X or someone as the one actually "normal" player on the server would work well. Most hermits don't know that everyone else isn't normal either, but some find out about friends maybe.

-Rabid Debate Club AU :: Random weird au idea where it's basic hs/uni au but like two of them try to start a debate club, then invite some friends just so there's enough people; cut to like two months later, it's all the hermits just fighting over whether or not pineapple should go on pizza or not lol it isn't very good i'm sorry but ya know rabid debate club AU.

-Animal/shapeshifting AU :: (Suggested Twice.) Every hermit can shapeshift into one token animal. (If it's something like "dog," they can only turn into one breed and color of dog, EXAMPLE: doc can shift into a black sable belgian malinois, but not anything else.)

-Wedding Planners AU :: Hermits work in various unrelated businesses such as a bakery, flower shop, etc., but see each other semi-often bc they're semi-often called upon to work together by another hermit's wedding planning business (obvs if you couldn't tell i know absolutely nothing abt wedding planning & businesses n shit lol but it's the /concept/ of it yannknow)

-Avatar: The Last Air Bender AU. (Suggested Thrice.)

-Fusion AU :: (Also suggested by Anon.) (Suggested Twice.) What if Hermits could fuse with each other? (Viva and Jumbo fused into MumboJumbo.)

-SCP AU :: The hermits have spooky powers and are kept locked up bc of it (or they have to keep the world safe from monsters and cursed objects!)

-RPG AU :: I feel like someone already thought of that but I am just wondering about it lately :p -🍋

-Adventure Time AU :: The hermits live in a post-apocalyptic world and the Lich (bad guy) is making everything decay. They need to gather all the gems (belt colours) to unlock the Enchiridion (a book) and have one wish each granted from Prismo (multiverse wish granting dude) before the Lich does. Only 4 elements can enter the multiverse: Slime (The Lich & Jevin), Redstone (Tango or Mumbo?), Ice (Stress), and Dirt (Grian, much to his dismay). Only the elementals can see the book. Grian's the protagonist with his sidekick Scar. He originally started collecting the belts because they were shiny but eventually decided to read the book and find out what they were for when Scar said he didn't see it. Doc, False, and Iskall are major obstacles because they don't believe the book exists.</p>

-Total Drama Island AU.

-Magical Girl AU :: Zedaph's the lead magical girl and rounds up a bunch of other magical girl hermits.

-Pokeman AU :: What are the Hermit's roles in this world? Who's the Champion, Elite Four. Are they scientists? Trainers? Do they compete in competitions, do they specialize in types? Who's everyone's starter? Has anyone encountered any legendaries?

-College AU

-High School AU

-Wizard101 AU :: I (🦊) recently got this AU idea and recently started going off somewhere with it in terms of writing, but, like, Hermitcraft meets Wizard101. Tons and tons of magical shenanigans, monster hunting, and idk what else.

-Magic AU

-My Hero Academia AU :: Headcanons can be about which hermits would have what quirks and occupations based on them.

-So I'm writing an AU where there's a second game of Demise but 5 years later. So far the first 2 hermits (Joe and Xisuma) have died, and their dead forms are cracked with an arrow in his chest (Xisuma) and cyborg (Joe). So since it's Saturday, I'm looking for what some skins would look for.

-City AU :: I mean this is really just a normal everyday AU.

-School AU.

-Terraria-Minecraft Fusion AU :: Who chooses what class? what events do each hermit prefer? how to they deal with the world infections? preferred biomes? Favourite NPCS? It has potentiallllll.

-70s/80s Teen Horror AU :: (like Stranger Things, Carreie, The Lost Boys, Halloween, etc.) -🦇

-Demi-God AU :: Sort of like percy jackson (everyone being the children of different gods from all different cultures.)

-Supernatural AU

-Marching Band AU :: Xisuma is the band major and all the show music is the remixes. I need to come up with some ideas for uniforms. Outfits and flags for the colorguard too.

-Different Eras AU :: (Suggested Twice.) All the hermits are from different time periods or eras. Like Wels is from the mediveal/dark era, Mumbo is from 1890-1920's, Iskall is from 2030, TFC is from 2020(?), Cleo is from 2130, etc!!! Like the mobs/animals became feused with humans, is when the mob players came from.

-Star Trek AU :: Like maybe they could be on one ship and each have different roles like engineers or doctors? I don’t know if this has been suggested but hope you enjoy! - 🐦

-House Mates AU :: ApartmentAU but scaled down?

-Atlantis AU :: (Could be merged with Mermaid AU???)

-Fighting Game AU :: Some influences would be Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Ultra Instinct, that kind of stuff.

-Time loop AU :: The hermits each have to deal with their own time loop.

(All those above in red are from our community's lovely Anons!)

-Superhero/superpower AU :: They each have a unique power/powerset that is in some way connected to their personality. (ie Mumbo *could* control electricity because of his love of redstone) Some Hermits may even choose to be "villains" and prank their other servermates. If you need power ideas, I've got a couple. (12u3ie)

-Daycare AU :: The recap peeps are the caretakers :P (-@tikauniverse.)

-Incredibly Long Cross Country Train Ride AU :: they all are in the same train car, telling stories of where they’re going, backstories.)

-Stuck In An Airport AU :: pretty similar to train au but they can be going diff places.

-Doctors AU :: they’re all doctors working at the same hospital.)

-Circus AU (Also suggested by an Anon.) (Suggested Twice.)

-Spy AU (Also suggested by @shadeswiftdraws.) (Suggested Twice.)

-Runaways AU :: The hermits are all teenagers who have run away from home, they all live on the streets until TFC takes them in. Head canons can be about backstories, living on the streets, or when they’re with TFC.

-Criminals and Police Officers AU

(-@lookitsspacekween)

-Dancer AU :: I mean, I already got a list kind of planned out, but headcanons for why specific styles are chosen would be appreciated! :) (usedtobelucythefallenangel)

-Broadway/Musicals Hermits AU :: The hermits are all casts of various musicals and when this newly-built theater opens up they all fight for which musical gets to play in it first (they have a riff-off maybe?) musicals mainly included are Hamilton, BMC, DEH, SiX, Beetlejuice, etc (feel free to add more!) (-@heyitsroby.)

-DnD AU (Also suggested by Anon.) (Suggested twice.)

-Mermaid AU :: In honor of the end of Mermay

-Space exploration AU :: There could be different ships, command centers, aliens.... Maybe someone could even get stranded/crash on a new planet? Who knows, could be fun.

-Paranormal/ghost hunter AU :: A couple Hermits could be the ghost hunters going to haunted locations to prove/disprove their hauntedness, others could be camera crew, owners of haunted buildings, or even the ghosts themselves.

-Camping/Vacation AU.

-Summer Cottage AU :: They all spend summers/weekends along the same shoreline and do different summer activities together. Outdoor fun and shenanigans!

-Space AU :: like star trek or similar.

-I would say evil clone au but I think that's pretty much the entire Hermitcraft tumblr right now lol. (Suggested twice.)

(-@shadeswiftdraws.)

-Magic AU :: Magic exists and all the hermits have powers. They can also summon a weapon but what that weapon is depends on the hermit. I'm thinking it'll take place in a sort-of Demise 2 in S7 with a big war. So far I've got: Grian - Cloning himself to his different personas (each has a different power). Xisuma - Making barriers, teleporting, and transforming into different mobs. Scar - Making mutant plants & boosting other hermits' attack & health. (-@datsaltyperson.)

-Demon AU :: Something enters the overworld and turns into a supernatural style-demon through Dimentional Distortion. Who gets posessed first, who goes crazy, and who actually kills it? Honestly I think that, if anything, Tango would know how to gank it, for obvious reasons. (-@fireflower-dusk.)

-High Street AU :: Everyone owns a different shop on the same street or some run a shop together (-@violets-arepurple.)

-Cat AU :: Either they're were always cats, or Hels turned everyone, including himself, into a cat, and they have to survive and overcome challenges in the Season 7 world. An example of a challenge would be Cub's a Sand Cat(the cats that always look like kittens no matter how old they are and live in deserts), and everyone's not sure if he can actually swim, so they have to find a way for him to get around without involving water. (-@scp10000.)

-How about a secret AU.. Every hermit has their big secrets and when Grian joined. He doesn't really know anything about those secrets even till season 7. Not many hermits talked to him in S6 anyway.. Mumbo was the closest to him so they would have regular chats For Iskall is mostly business related things Grian wants to know why so he set out on a quest to force the others to at least talk to him so he wouldn't be lonely. (-@babylightstudentbiscuit.)

-Hermit Family AU :: Xisuma is very busy dad but when he isnt busy the kids and younger hermits annoying the hell out of him. Grian once asked to use Xisuma's computer and crashed the whole thing trying to download illegal gamesites and get money off the internet. Mumbo and his trains run through the entire house and Xisuma trips on them daily. (-@gamerutx.)

-College AU!! But they are not students. THEY ARE THE TEACHERS (-@ivi-prism.)

Ones I planned to do anyway but Hermitblr Hivemind and all that:

Battle of The Bands AU: i believe u once mentioned a bands/ battle of the bands au... thats my jam... (Anon.)

[zell]

more birdman! their power is of space manipulation/matter nullification which the glove dampens down to teleportation. basically without the glove anything they touch simply ceases to exist. we still don't know what the deal is with the scarf/wing/arm thing.