#underdog story and so forth

[shadowmaat]

Not an accident

I've never been a waitress. My sisters were, and some of the stories they told me solidified the belief that I never, ever wanted to work in a restaurant.

I may not know much about how restaurants operate, but I know that large parties can be a hassle to deal with since an area needs to be cleared and tables put together and so forth. Also, y'know, making sure there's enough space at a given time. Frequently there's even a bit on the menu about calling ahead if you have a large party. For exactly those reasons.

And that's just for "normal" people. It's a whole different exploding ball game when you add in, say, political candidates. Not only is space an issue, but so is safety. You have to coordinate between your staff and the various security personnel to ensure everything and everyone will be safe. I seem to recall that when President Clinton was going to visit the bookstore I worked in at the time, we were warned in advance and I think a secret service peep swept through, checking on the other exits and making sure everything was good for the President's arrival. And again, that was just a bookshop in a small town.

Apparently "advanced warnings" are for sissies, because Vance and his entire entourage showed up UNANNOUNCED at a restaurant in Pittsburgh and expected to just be let in and seated without a problem. Vance. His PR team. His Secret Service agents. Local police. A camera crew. Reporters. Adoring fans and random gawkers.

The hostess rightfully panicked and said they couldn't accommodate them. It did work out eventually, but the damage was already done and ultraconservative news agencies, lickspittles, and Fascist attention-seekers were already railing against the restaurant and calling for a boycott.

I've heard some people suggesting that Vance's team hates him and is trying to set him up to fail, but I think that's far too optimistic an interpretation. I think it's far more likely that they deliberately set up the restaurant (and likely other places) to fail in order to keep pushing the "poor wittle us" narrative. Make Vance look like an underdog candidate. Make it seem like businesses are unfairly biased against him/his party. Outrage all the right-wing cultists who just need to be pointed at a target to hate.

What adds to this is that the Harris party apparently also visited a branch of the same restaurant and were allowed in without question. Of course the Harris party also warned the restaurant in advance and coordinated with them to make sure everything went smoothly, but when have details mattered to the Redcaps?

Either Vance's entire staff is so terminally entitled that it never occurred to them that showing up en masse unannounced might cause issues (entirely possible, despite this shit being part of their job description), or they were trying to destroy a restaurant's reputation because it had hosted their "competition."

I hope more people than ever flock to the restaurant. Particularly the one that got targeted. And I hope everyone leaves extravagant tips to make up for this political bullshittery and its fallout.

EDIT: I've been informed that Primanti's is a staple of the area and isn't likely to suffer much, but STILL. Absolute fucking right wingnut bastards.

[drchucktingle]

the parade is starting

you buckaroos are INCREDIBLE. my way is wild and unique and this release week has shown that so is the way of those who trot with me. we are the punk rockers and the underdogs and the dang freaks and we carry the FLAG OF LOVE. we carry the flag of hope and acceptance and joy.

i have always KNOWN our parade was powerful and that our march into mainstream light was inevitable too. with release of camp damascus i have seen this happening in a very visceral way before my eyes and i am SPELLBOUND by the passion for outside art and the acceptance on display

behind the scenes there are numbers flyin back and forth about books and markets and sales and like all stories of the underdog parade you are KICKIN DOWN THE DOORS OF EXPECTATIONS LEFT AND RIGHT blasting radiant love in every corner by supporting unique queer neurodivergent art.

so THANK YOU for this way. from bottom of my heart in most bleedingly sincere tone you can imagine rattling through my bones as I say this: thank you for creating this space for me to express myself and for stepping up and SUPPORTING this space. you have literally saved my life

and the parade is only starting bud CAMP DAMASCUS HAS ONLY BEEN OUT A FEW DAYS. so if you would like to continue this trot with me please keep working your magic. keep posting kind reviews and sharing posts and recommending that your buds come on in and join our unique trot too

because pretty soon this parade isnt gonna be just one line through the city, its gonna be the WHOLE city. its gonna be a dang buckaroo dance party of underdogs as far as the eye can see. and we will all shout at the top of our lungs in a thousand booming voices: LOVE IS REAL

thanks buds. i am so honored to trot with you 

bit.ly/CampDamascus

[wolven91]

Beginner's Luck

Did you know humans were lucky?

Ask any fik and they'll be able to tout any number of stories and anecdotes of how humans are not only lucky, but divinely so.

Brön, didn't put much stock into all that nonsense. As a male taurian, it was expected that he would know better. To not bother with superstition and focus on the real world. But he learnt that humans were lucky by sheer luck and a slip of the tongue by a human himself.

Luke was the first human Brön had come across in real life as an interaction. Not unusual given their rarity. At most the taurian had seen them on the news or waving from a secure area.

But as a taurian, and a registered guardian, when the human had appeared on his station, he had done his job as necessary. Brön wanted to make it clear that the taurians would be the best of the guardians. Ssypno weren't to be trusted and the ursidains were too stupid to know how to care for others.

So Brön escorted him round the station and ensured his safety whilst showing the sights, keeping to the finer areas. Humans were still critically endangered after all, one had to ensure they were safe, whilst giving them the enrichment they needed. Cute as humans were, Brön knew not to let his human out of his sight. Thankfully, Luke had made pleasant conversation that put Brön at ease. Luke didn't appear to be one of the mischievous humans.

Plenty of other guardians had gotten into trouble for allowing their human too much leeway and getting them sick or hurt. Mercifully, this Luke seemed to enjoy his wit and rather forward jokes. Brön had researched male humans after all and was told that they enjoyed the kind of humour their taurian women did. The taurian grinned listening to the human's belly laugh, it was so loud it echoed down the promenade, much to Brön's chagrin.

When they came across the gambling merchant, Luke had mentioned that he wouldn't mind putting on a wager. When Brön had asked why, the human merely turned to him and had said it was 'a vice'.

Brön watched as the human produced his stylus for interacting with the many touch screens of the modern day. Claws on ninety percent of the population meant that touching a screen directly usually earned the user a fine. The taurian watched the human curiously as he rubbed the stylus against his chest, before using it to select his choice of bet.

The human noticed Brön's quizzical eye ridge and grinned.

"For luck."

Brön thought nothing of this at first. Rubbing one's equipment did not make the object lucky or any action beyond what one can manipulate and better or worse. But as the pair watched the screens, a series of squidgits, each the size of a canid, race around a large track. The bet had been an odd choice, the human had picked an underdog for an upcoming race. The taurian noticed the human retrieve another item from his pocket, its morbid appearance held the prim and proper taurian's attention.

A set of keys connected by a single metal circle. Attached on the same loop, with a small, fluffy, taxidermized paw that he held tightly with his thumb. Again the human must have felt Brön's eyes boring into him as he leant to the side to whisper;

"For luck."

Damn Brön's horns, the human won.

Now. Brön was a male taurian so held himself to a high standard. But on learning the human enjoyed games of chance and luck, the taurian made enquiries into private card games where the human could play with others who enjoyed the same thing.

Brön grinned into his delicate drink at the bar whilst he watched his human be handled quiet easily by the ladies.

He was currently being held aloft in the middle of the barracks of the station far above Brön's head. A friend of his was currently celebrating her forth win at cards, whilst hold the human.

The group around the table groaned and threw their cards back onto the table, none beating the large lass's cards.

"This isn't fair! Let me hold him for the next hand!" demanded another tall, black furred taurian, one giant hand outstretched expectantly.

Luke was crushed into the current holder's chest as she held him tightly and protectively.

"Oh no no! He's my good luck charm! I have to keep him near me at aaall times..." she exclaimed in a sing-song tone. Luke didn't seem to be distressed or thrashing too much. The cad seemed to be enjoying the attention from Brön's position. Although the male did need to speak up a handful of times.

"You're suffocating my charge again."

Looking down, Brön was right and the taurian was, indeed, suffocating Luke against herself.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

Despite being slightly red in the face, Luke seemed in good spirits, laughing and extending his thumb skywards before demanding another hand and another drink.

They sat for another hand, Luke having his head rubbed by each of the taurian gamblers present for good luck.

[vivika-ka]

I often think what would’ve happened if Best Jeanist couldn’t intervene in time and Dabi successfully killed Endeavour with prominence burn. Could he have killed Endeavour? How’d the Todoroki family story change? The society?

These are questions I ask myself as well XD I will try my best to answer them, but I do think many other profiles have covered them better than I ever could!

I, as other fans, am of the opinion that much of the storyline would’ve benefited from not maintaining such an extreme separation between hero and villains after the My Villain Academia Arc (MLA would be more so rebels, resistance, rather than villains—shown to have more support). The story from then on should’ve “converged” Shigaraki and Deku’s motivation—making Deku, and the rest of UA students for that matter, truly question hero society and work with Shigaraki, who’d share the spot as protagonist with Deku, to shape a more inclusive and balanced future. It would bring forth Deku’s most captivating character trait, that has had hints of being prominent in the beginning of the story: being the underdog.

The difference in the characters and plot’s approach mentioned above would’ve also solved the issue with AFO, if the War was to happen, as Shigaraki was as much of a victim in that scenario (both, plus UA students and MLA, would fight against AFO). But before I begin to ramble too much about that (and you may be wondering why I bring it up in the first place), the point is that I think Dabi vs Endeavor would be an awkward stage in the story to shift the perspective (in my opinion!) because the issues that have led to the war wouldn’t have interrupted the family’s confrontation and subsequent solution to their issues. I hope I explained that well T-T

I also want to preface my answer with how much of what I say is inspired by @linkspooky deeply informative and well written metas such as “…And They Were Brothers” and “Jason Todd vs Todoroki Touya: Why Not Me?,” many analyses posted by @itsnothingofinterest also come to my mind as I write the answers, as well as amazing insight from conversations I’ve had with my mutual @haine-kleine who has many incredible analyses and alternative routes the manga could’ve taken in terms of Touya and the Todoroki fam. All of this to point to why certain things I answer here may sound similar to their posts (it's because they compelled me and my reading of MHA).

Could he have killed Endeavor?

I honestly believe the story was either going in that direction or that he would at least be out of commission after Dabi’s reveal, either by retiring out of his own volition (as he did too late in the manga, imo) or too much backlash from the public to the point of him being a hero would’ve done more harm than good for anyone involved.

I do think Touya could have killed Endeavor. Endeavor being killed is a compelling route given the whole attention to Touya’s flame burning brighter and stronger than Endeavor’s—so much so that the first time I was reading MHA, I thought the attention to Touya’s fire was foreshadowing Touya killing Enji. I very much enjoy the notion of, "I am the monster you created, and you will die by my hand through no one else's fault but your own."

How’d the Todoroki family story change?

Going off of what I said above, Enji was also set to be a tragic character, in the sense that he was set to fail before he was retconned. The whole point of his atonement would be that it came too late, and as it stands now it feels too much like redemption because the audience doesn’t get a scoop on what “hell” he’s supposedly living (he is also surrounded by most of his family, has a found family, and it is still living in a position of privilege).

His failure would highlight how he doesn’t fully reach a point in which he acknowledges the extent his abuse went. It’s often him feeling sorry for himself and remembering the moments he thinks he was being a responsible father, whilst the memories his family have are destructive both physically and mentally. He often admits his faults but immediately undermines it by adding, “I didn’t think it hurt you/I thought I was doing right by you.” His dream entailing his family achieving happiness without him also acted as an indication he himself acknowledges he should be out of the picture if they are to find actual peace of mind and healing.

Enji dying would be great for Touya to realize that while achieving revenge against his father provides momentary relief and the illusion of “mission accomplished,” the accomplishment wouldn’t suddenly make all of his internal conflict disappear. It would open the opportunity for the story to nudge Touya towards understanding that while confronting your abuser is many times necessary, eventually you need to move on if you want to live without the pain clouding every action and thought you possess—essentially, he would finally begin a path towards healing, and “rehabilitation” (I put quotes because rehabilitation goes hand in hand with their society being unequipped with helping people like the LoV precisely because it urges them to conform to a society that has ignored them when they needed help. I would only accept rehabilitation if society and hero culture were to change exponentially based on the opening segment I wrote).

Endeavor being gone would also allow the Todoroki family to be in proper focus, and be able to delve deeper into Rei, Fuyumi, and Natsuo’s perspectives. As well as giving Touya the opportunity to reconnect, and connect for the first time, with his own family. Have a moment of him realizing the ways Enji hurt the entire family, and that burning all of them together would only result in suffering for every party involved, himself included, without any substantial outcome. It would give Touya a way to connect with Shouto, and the others, without Enji breathing down their necks (the focus wouldn’t be solely Enji’s point of view).

I think Rei could flourish into who she is outside of her family (Himura, her parents, the supposed role she had to play that brought her immense suffering) and be able to truly grieve what happened to her; Fuyumi could explore the pain of being a parentified daughter and how she doesn’t have to always be her father’s advocate; Natsuo is interesting because he, like Touya, would be able to reassess his rage and work towards moving on as well. Shouto, as much as I enjoy his character (to a certain point), had the narrative conveniently focus on his ties with Enji despite his so-called rebellion, resulting in his pain being constantly undermined for the sake of validating his father’s pain and regret. I think him being allowed to express the anger, the sadness, the hurt, and have someone (Touya) who understands, would be stellar. The way he’d save Touya could go beyond not killing him but demonstrating that his flames are not Endeavor’s. As linkspooky says in their meta, Shouto needed outside interference for him to regain some level of autonomy, and him relaying this autonomy to Touya would be great.

One may assume that these things could have happened with Enji still alive, but given the direction the story takes in maintaining the focus more so on Endeavor’s suffering and how the family all of a sudden has the responsibility to lift him up (yes, I hate this), it shows that it is either Enji or the rest of the family.

The society?

Something I’ve come to realize after exchanging ideas with haine-kleine is that Enji dying would be a good opportunity in showing society that while you can live in total ignorance, it doesn’t erase their role in maintain a status quo in which an influential man gets to abuse his family because he is obsessed with achieving a pedestal society too willingly and unquestionably venerates. How he would most definitely become a martyr to some, but also how he would be the stain in hero society and society in general. A hero killed by a monster of his own making—a monster fueled by his father’s obsession born from society’s failures. [I hope I explained this correctly, forgive me if I didn’t]

I think Enji would then become a warning to both society and hero society. Showing the dangers of complacency and blind support (society); and how being hero entails more than status and power, that being a hero doesn’t give you authority to do awful things to others, and that one day the “monster” you created may very well be your demise (hero society).

I hope I answered the questions properly. I highly recommend reading the metas by the profiles I've provided here, seeing as they are well articulated!

[dogstar9069]

RAD DOGS - Hachiouji-P

Translation credit Hiraethie

Taking my headphones off, I look around, unknown, alone—where did I end up?

A city of vivid colors

Did I tread down the wrong turn? I don’t know

My passion’s shrouded; sealed by this sympathy

Reminding me of what could and has yet to be

A tragic story? A hopeful story?

It’s all nonsense—write your own story! Y’know it’s yours!

Hand me the mic and hold out—the signal for us

The wind clears our path ahead

We’ve got a chance now!

Throw those words back at the haters!

It’s my choice to restart and take the path ahead

Under the spotlight I dream; it’s all I’ll ever need

Reeling from the sunlight, reasons from the moonlight

Those rules won’t stay as I break from fate!

It’s my choice to restart and prove I’m good enough

Under the spotlight I dream; it’s all I’ll ever need

Those sounds are groovy, hearing that heart beat

Hey, there’s no time to waste! Don’t hesitate!

Hey Yo!

Ah! Ah! Mic check! One, two!

All night you’ve been collected, unaffected, acting cool, y’know? Lol

ALT: All night you’ve been collected, unaffected

A rich boy standin’ now? A shockin’ statement!

ALT: From the top but standin’ with a peasant ain’t that so?

Rad and Bad, the underdogs yo!

Surprised ya, huh? Vivid colors mark us two!

Don’t look behind, look ahead! To the top!

There’s a scared dog biding its time to fight!

Hand me the mic and hold out—the signal for us

The wind clears our path ahead

We’ve got a chance now!

Throw those words back at the haters!

It’s our choice to restart and take the path ahead

Under the spotlight I dream; it’s all I’ll ever need

Reeling from the sunlight, reasons from the moonlight

You can’t erase our mark on history

It’s my choice to restart and prove I’m good enough

Under the spotlight I dream; it’s all I’ll ever need

Those sounds are groovy, hearing that heart beat

Hey, there’s no time to waste! Don’t hesitate!

The wind clears our path ahead

Alright, we can’t turn back

Keep movin’ forth

[chrismcleaneatspants]

So, how could Island 2023 Season 2 have been a better season?

To describe literally every single thing I'd do would take ages, however, I am willing to give some significant cliff notes -MKulia actually being enemies to friends (or lovers) where MK has actual agency in their dynamic (she's basically the only reason Julia makes it past episode 2 since Bowie would have tried to get rid of her immediately)

-Have Axel and Nichelle like do anything. If they weren't gonna do an underdog story with Nichelle, she would have made a fine antagonist. Episode 5 also shows off how good Axel could be without being reduced to Ripper's girlfriend -Honestly Priya lasted way too long considering what her plot ended up being, I would probably ditch the Praleb story entirely in favor of her actually discovering that her parents don't have her best interest at heart. -Honestly just in general, have plots that happen in this season be somewhat informed by season 1. if this is supposed to be a rematch, how come very little of season 1 informed the plot?

-Also just in general I'd tweak to romance to be more natural and entertaining. Ripaxel was rushed and Praleb got annoying once it became a back and forth

-Oh yeah, and a more competent Damien would have been really cool, too

-Also, perhaps my most controversial choice: Emma would have made a great protagonist. There's a very clear story arc you could do with her and they just don't do it? It was incredibly frustrating seeing her go so early when she could have very easily stuck around and bounced off of Caleb or the Hockey Dudes or reconciled with Bowie or something, anything to give her autonomy.

There's a lot more that aren't popping up in my mind rn, but I will save the best for last:

-Drag race finale. Just a drag race finale. That would have been the most cool challenge ever.

[fluentmoviequoter]

Question because I'm bored:

In which order would you rank 20-squad (your most to least (I hate saying least favorite because I love them all) favorites) and why?

-🦊

Oh my gosh, I love this! I could write a dissertation on this, I care way too much. I'm only going to include the original 6 because I quit watching the show very soon after Powell joined.🫢

If you don't want to read all my yapping, it's: Deacon, Street, Luca, Hondo, Tan, Chris. (Hicks is my honorable mention after Luca.) Honestly, Deacon and Street are kind of tied for me; it depends on the day as to who I like more. Same with Victor and Hondo, but theirs depends more on the season!

Deacon Kay

Deacon is the reason I started watching SWAT! Deacon has faith, he cares about his team like family, and he is a protector by nature. He's everything I love to see in characters. I also find it really interesting that he will sacrifice his time and safety for people, but he's not self-sacrificial. He loves his team enough to do anything for them, but he also loves his family so much that he's going to do whatever it takes to get home to them. Deacon is also romantic, which never hurts.

Jim Street

Underdog. Need I say more? I'm going to. I didn't like Street at first, but by season 3, I was eagerly awaiting his scenes. He is, in my opinion, the most dynamic character in the show. Even though he 100% made mistakes and overstepped, he learned from what he did. I think what I like most about Street is that he got to know himself through all the triumphs and letdowns he endured. Street could have easily been a tragedy, doomed by the narrative and his own actions, but he never gave up. That's incredibly admirable. Plus, his driving scenes never fail to impress.

Dominique Luca

Luca's a dreamer, he's dedicated, and he'd do anything for his friends and the family he's made for himself. I love Luca because he faces adversity with a smile, finds the silver lining, but doesn't use that optimism as an excuse to stop where he is. He keeps pushing and fighting and brightening days. Plus, he encourages everyone else. He's a sweetheart who could take anyone in arm wrestling.

Hondo Harrelson

Full transparency, I'm not a Hondo fan. I think my biggest problem with Hondo is how static his character is. He's been in the same mindset, talking about the same issues, since the beginning. He hasn't had any noticeable change; I think he was supposed to become more dynamic when he got with Nichelle, but I couldn't see it. So, he's not my favorite because of the writing and his lack of development, which seems to be a heartbreaking trend with this show. But then there's moments where he says something really funny or acts a bit like Derek Morgan and I'm like, "STAY!" Season 3 is Hondo's best season in my opinion!

Victor Tan

Tan honestly didn't add much to the show for me. He's the one I most likely to forget about unfortunately. Even though he was technically a main character, he felt like more of a secondary character to me at first. Then when he got with Bonnie and had more of a story arc and chance for development, the writers fumbled it (fandom motto). I do, however, love when he and Street go back and forth. He also has some really funny lines, his character was just underserved (fandom motto 2).

Chris Alonso

Chris is my least favorite purely because I feel like her character was used more than it was developed; like she was a messenger for the topics the show tried to deal with in my mind rather than a true character who got to grow or even be established.

[gautierprotectionsquad]

My main problem with SOJ is that it fundamentally misunderstands what Ace Attorney is about. It's like they looked at the previous games and saw that Phoenix was an underdog so they created a ridiculous, impossible situation that would make him an underdog ie throwing him into a country where everyone hates defense attorneys.

Except that's not what Ace Attorney is about. It's also commentary on real life court proceedings. It has something to say about the justice system and police and how prosecutors and defense attorneys should be.

But SOJ isn't based on any real court system. No court runs itself the way Khura'inese courts do. It even kinda frames the Japalifornia court system as ideal compared to the Khura'inese justice system which ignores that we spent 6 games (aa trilogy, apollo justice, investigations 1+2) critiquing the Japalifornia court and justice system. Many people have brought up the colonialist narrative in this game and that just adds to it.

People have also already brought up how Ace Attorney games suffer from abandoning the connective narrative the previous AA games have by trying to make aa5 and 6 more welcoming to new players who didn't play the previous games.

If Ace Attorney wanted to create a game that didn't connect to the overarching story of Ace Attorney and introduce new players to these games, instead of ignoring what was set up in previous games while still using the same cast if characters, they could have had a game take place at Themis Academy. You can have a brand new cast of characters and/or let the player make their own. They could choose the prosecutor or defense attorney route and even play multiplayer.

AA6 also does too much by having the narrative go back and forth between 2 countries in order to have 3 main characters. AA5 and 6 simply did not want a main character, trying to make Athena, Apollo, and Phoenix ALL the main character instead of having a game focused and centered around just 1 of them. That's part of why calling it the Apollo Justice Trilogy is so insulting. Not only do aa5 and 6 not connect to aa4 but Apollo Justice had to share the main character role with 2 other people.

AA5 couldn't focus on Apollo and his friends at the space station and the loss of his best friend because it also shoved in the introduction of a new character. We had to quickly get to know her backstory, her connection to all the main characters, and all about her mother and best friend and connection with the prosecutor and then it also added in Phoenix getting back into the courtroom for the first time and facing Edgeworth again.

Then AA6 has the audacity to have a Gramarye focused case without acknowledging that Apollo is also a Gramarye. And we can't just focus on Apollo's over complicated connection to this new country, the country has to relate back to Kurain so it has something to do with Phoenix! Remember Kurain and the Feys! Let's remind you of a complicated family legacy we handled really well to emphasize how little attention we're giving to Trucy. And don't forget, we also have Athena and Simon so let's add in a case that focuses on them, too. It's too much. It wants to do so much and does little of it well.

[aquarian-queen]

Unraveling the Twisted Dance: Writing Troy and Cristine's (OC) Dynamic

Okay, so since I mentioned in my last post that I used Troy's dynamic with the Fear OGs (Madison and Nick mostly) together with Daniel's insights on how he interacts with others I want to share my thought process when writing that with Troy and my Oc: Cristine. At its core their relationship is messed- it's starts as manipulation and survival!

I tried to be deliberate where it's really the tiny interactions that already means so much. (i mean it took these two dorks 4 books to finally kiss lmaoo the slow burn of this series is insane when i can be an impatient person). Troy and Cristine are both kinda messed up, and once they become friends it's still built on deep psychological and survival-esqe manipulations that they started with as enemies. It's like they can't help but mess with each other's heads! And eapecially Troy loves that so much, this back and forth and game because he never had it. While Cristine is more emotionally mature, and it is tiring for her, she is competitive and fights back by making sure she is never the underdog (because of her past). So it is a constant who can up the other dynamic, which was oddly what brought them together in the end.

At this point in my story, Troy is going through a crazy change. He used to be all about surviving, and even using the game of manipulation to protect this growing bond with Cristine from friends to something word. From my POV its his weird way of showing affection and loyalty by trying to be her person while he tries to grasp what all these new emotions are, and it's gotten dark multiple times in my book so trigger warning for who does want to read.

Cristine and Troy's whole dynamic is like a rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes you can't tell if they're loyal to each other or just using each other to survive. Troy's always pulling strings to keep Cristine on his side, especially when others get in the way and want to ruin it. It's like his first understanding and step of 'love' until he actually finds out what that actually means. Which is what I am exploring with him and my OC right now.

[book--brackets]

Round 1 Day 1 Update

First of all, thank you so much for this crazy amount of support! I never thought this poll would get so big in a single day. Here are some major updates through this first 24 hours:

I am compiling a list of potential books to be included in future polls. Those polls will not start until this one is over. Anyone can submit, but please check the guidelines and what is currently on the list, which you can find in my pinned post.

I am getting a lot of asks with people submitting books. If you don't want to see those on your dash, block the tag 'submission', but also let me know if that isn't specific enough. I know it's a lot, and I'm sorry for spamming! I'm also going to be working on tagging more in-depth since things should be winding down.

Now, about the poll itself, I've got some fun number-related updates under the break!

Poll 1

In a crazy upset, Pegasus is leading against Harry Potter 75% to 25%! This is absolutely insane, considering their numbers when I decided these placements.

Poll 2

To no one's surprise, Narnia is beating Pixie Hollow by a whopping 50%. However, there's been a lot of support for the underdog, so we'll see where the next week takes us.

Poll 3

Matilda is demolishing The Unwanteds 80% to 20%. I thought Matilda would be leading, but not so extremely!

Poll 4

Artemis Fowl and Wings of Fire are in a very close race with a less than 2% difference. There's been fierce campaigning on both sides, and I can't wait to see the result.

Poll 5

Oz is beating Keys to the Kingdom, which I could've guessed, but there are more votes for Keys than I thought! It's great to see since it's a personal favorite of mine. This one also has some of the least votes overall, so go give it some love!

Poll 6

The Mysterious Benedict Society is going strong against Charlie Bone, but there's been some real effort on the CB side to try and pull things back.

Poll 7

Another one with fewer votes overall, but there's a lot of campaigning going on. Both Land of Stories and 39 Clues have some devoted fans!

Poll 8

In perhaps the most contentious poll, Redwall and Warriors are duking it out. Warriors is currently leading 55% to 45%, but it's been back and forth.

Poll 9

In a very pleasant surprise (for me) EFC is currently beating Gregor. It isn't neck-and-neck, but there's still plenty of time for either side to take it.

Poll 10

Perhaps the most intense poll so far is between KotLC and Ranger's Apprentice. There's been lots of support from both sides, though Ranger is leading by 20% right now.

Poll 11

The most surprising to me, Sisters Grimm has a hefty lead of 40% on SGE, completely unexpected considering SGE's recent movie and publicity.

Poll 12

WtMMtM is struggling against City of Ember right now, but I've seen some support for it spreading.

Poll 13

In an insane turn of events, the author of Young Wizards, Diane Duane, reblogged the poll, turning Ella Enchanted's hefty lead into one of a mere 4%.

Poll 14

As this is the We-Love-Howl-Pendragon website, Howl's Moving Castle is beating TotFP in the second-largest lead overall.

Poll 15

Dragon Slippers is losing sorely against A Wrinkle in Time, but the gap isn't as huge as before. They've made it to around a 25-75 split.

Poll 16

To no one's surprise but many people's chagrin, Percy Jackson is solidly in the lead against Guardians of Ga'Hoole. However, both sides are seeing significant support.

That's all for now! The next update will be on Day 4!

[meherya]

Let's talk about The Brothers Sun :)

I think, my number one gripe with this show was that, I could see the potential... there were scenes where you could see the insane shit this show could have pulled off if it was written by literally ANYONE else

The first thing that really made me go 🤨 watching this show was the incessant references to #diasporaasiankidtingz.. I'd understand if it was here or there as some sort of comedy relief... But no it was literally every other scene if not every scene....

From a cop adjacent character eating buldak noodles at an active crime scene, to teaching a Taiwanese gangster the hidden asian mom language... it was just so... stupid? Is the only way I could describe it, it's like someone compiled a number of posts from Facebook's Subtle Asian Traits page and structured the story and dialogue around that? Thought it was kind of funny that they remembered "Asian" doesn't just mean East Asian when they threw in random brown girl from the morgue...

Actingwise, Justin Chien is by no means a bad actor, every scene where he speaks in mandarin his acting is a lot less wooden than when his dialogue is english and I genuinely believe it's because of the rigid way they wrote his lines in english... as for everyone else.... Sam Song Li was rlly putting his whole bussy into his americanized first gen immigrant kid schtick and like whatever...

I found the concept of this top Triad guy coming to LA to look after his mom and brother after an assassination attempt on their father to be intriguing... his mom was as cool as I expected (her own fight scene... ofc she should've been head bitch in charge!!!) but ofc his brother would be a whitewashed loser!! But you know, it could've worked!!! It could've been interesting if they didn't have Bruce emulating Marvel movie comedy all the fucking time... But if you think about it too hard you might go, why would the son/best fighter of this Triad leave the whole business behind to look after his mom/brother and not take back up with him?? Some math was simply not mathing... but we move on

There's just a lot of points that don't make sense plotwise? Like oh so now this random cop girl is actually childhood besties with Charles?... And the way they try to force some semblance of chemistry between the two with them hamfisting by them just going back and forth like "remember when-"... and their flirting was gag worthy bc they had her speaking huskily for no reason?? It was really lifeless sort of interactions and they were really trying for the star crossed lovers bit but it simply did not work sorry.... It was kind of fucked because the tension between Drowsy and Charles in like 1/4 of an episode was 10 times whatever the cop girl and Charles had going on.... Though I do appreciate it how the show does go "once a rat, always a rat" bc she really fucked that man just to get a bust on him like woah!!! Of all my grievances with that lacklustre romance I do appreciate them not being together and her being loner loser at the end.

But anyways... I think the show did decent job at showing how trying to live up to a parent's expectations can break you as a person and force you into a role you dgaf about, and how it's important to also put your needs first before you become a shell of a person... But also they could have done it without being corny as fuck...

I think the plot with this underdog group of anti-Triads would have been soo good, if it was integrated better? Also Grace randomly approaching Bruce like we all knew she was gonna be a traitor... And like!! She wasn't wrong!! Their group was wasn't wrong!!! Why should the Triads exist when all they do is profit off others misery??? Like we are supposed to cheer on the Triads why? Because that's who we follow largely, and because of Bruce's bitchass.... He pissed me off soo bad by the end it's not even funny...

Think the show could have had merit if Bruce decided to join Grace after seeing old bald dude get killed, and realizing how fucked his family is... Him snitching to a group of people who want to murder your family, claiming that was him trying to save his family from themselves.... And believing them when they say okay well we'll try not to kill them but no promises... How are you a pre-med when you're that stupid lol

I was gonna write paragraph of how I wanted to see this go and how they could have factored in Charles being ordered to kill Bruce (which was fucking insane by the way, my fave episode of the series) to be even more wild but like it's marketed as a comedy so whatever but man it was fucking corny as shit with random gaping plot holes that we really dont want to think too long and hard about .... I will say tho, kudos for not having white people in this as love interests or sidekicks so!!!! So 2/5

also curious what Taiwanese ppl think about that scene where Bruce just calls Charles Chinese... Ik Taiwan and China got some beef, idk the specifics of it but 👀

[underratedmhapoll]

Post-Bracket Survey Part 6 of 6

Okay this one needs a bit of a preamble.

Obviously, given the theming of this poll blog, major important characters with primary focus and importance in the story are barred from participating. But that distinction between whether a character is "too important" to count as an underrated character is...pretty arbitrary.

So, while looking through other characters to add to future polls, I found a few that I was constantly flipping back and forth on so I'm turning the question to you guys if they have too much story focus or fan admiration to count as an underdog.

Reminder: Don't just vote for which characters you like, vote for which ones you think do not receive enough attention and fit with our previous competitors

[zedxspacess]

Went to see Dynamite (and subsequently the taping of Rampage) on 12/27 and it was such a fuckin blast!! Some thoughts and ramblings under the cut

I did NOT expect to see a 4v4 match between the Acclaimed+Scott Taylor vs Daddy Magic+the Gunns/Bang Bang Gang, and it was just the preshow! And I’m here scratching my head bc pol would’ve eaten that up if it were live! What the hell. But I’m glad I had the opportunity to chant “Scissor me Daddy Ass” and “Ass Boys” with the crowd.

Swerve v Mox v Jay White was so much fucking fun. My love for Swerve and Mox specifically went up because of their back and forth. Jay kinda felt like the odd one out, and I do feel he’s been underutilized/misused recently, but that only opens up the opportunity for a comeback for him. The crowd absolutely loved Swerve, and so did I, bc we all could not stop chanting Swerve’s house lol. Kinda sad he didn’t win but Mox v Eddie is so appropriate for their history and stories, I cannot wait

And speaking of, Danielson v Eddie was soooo tense. Like, the chants for Eddie won at the end but being in the crowd, I feel like support was split between them. I really didn’t know who’d win or who to root for bc I felt like they both had a decent shot. But at the end of the day I sided with Eddie bc 1) he lives in Orlando now and 2) he’s 100% the underdog in this situation and he’s long overdue to win a title like this in AEW. I’ve also grown to really love Eddie after looking back into his past work and interviews, he’s so real. I really hope he wins this tournament, he needs this.

I don’t have much to say about the Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara stuff, because I don’t really care about them? They don’t really compel me tbh but it was fun as fuck to shit on Don Callis and chant “Shut the Fuck Up”, even tho I saw families with young children in the crowd looking uncomfortable (along with the other times there were chants with curse words) but come on…what did y’all expect in a pro wrestling show

And finally. Guys…I love MJF but this devil storyline is not hitting. I can’t blame them bc I’m sure plans got really screwed up when Adam got injured, but they could only do so much to try and salvage/adjust the plotline. But even then, I wasn’t a huge fan of the masked devil angle to begin with. The whole plot with Adam and MJF started bc of their match and then a tournament, and telling a story through that is much more compelling and entertaining than “oh no who are these mysterious people trying to get to MJF behind the scenes”. I also believe a HUGE part of MJF’s face run is because of Adam and their chemistry, and without him, it’s not as effective, you can just feel Adam’s absence throughout this whole thing. Which just goes to show MJF still needs to improve more on standing up by himself as a face, but I believe he’s got it in him. There’s still glimpses of face MJF being good by himself but it’s not where it could be right now bc…the writing isn’t very good currently lol. Still glad I managed to record his entrance into the ring and chant his name with the crowd, but I’ll have to wait for another opportunity to see a good, real match from him live

[fractualized]

Well, whatever the fuck is going on in Zdarsky's Batman right now doesn't make me feel great about the eventual reveal for the Jokers in The Man Who Stopped Laughing, but I enjoyed TMWSL #8 today and I'm going to focus on that and not how very fucking over the multiverse I am.

As always, spoilers for TMWSL ahead!

As much as I enjoyed last issue, I'm happy to catch up with who I still think of as Protagonist Joker. He's got that sad, half-dead underdog appeal! And he has a half-dead friend!

Grundyjokes lives!

They don’t have to be this cute. Why are they so cute in their weird little subterranean friendship.

You may remember, however, that the Joker in Los Angeles is, uh, not making friends.

Real original commentary, lady!

How much people across the country (or the world or the galaxy) are familiar with DC's heroes and villains changes depending on the needs of the story, but I think I prefer a world where their notoriety is more localized just for opportunities like this. lol

And so does Joker, who takes the opportunity to stab Manhunter and escape, before we’re back in the Gotham sewers with another Gotham creature, Killer Croc.

>:[ Joker, you're not gonna make more friends like this.

As Protagonist Joker antagonizes Waylon, LA Joker is desperately trying to not be in LA.

I thought the door lock was a funny beat, and then this happens.

Hee, classic.

Just when I think Mr. Waffles will finally come to the rescue...

Oh, perhaps Killer Moth is a friend? But this issue is cutting back and forth pretty often, and we’re back with a different Killer on the hunt.

Oh. Oh, that poor utility worker.

Just burning up to nothing behind Joker, who is still wearing the same damn underwear. But at least a lot of his hair is back!

Well, I certainly hope both of you aren't the result of another comic's multiversal nonsense that sure seems to be undermining your villain origin story in favor of making you more of a plot device than the character I enjoy BUT I SAID WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT

Anyway, Protagonist Joker passes out, leaving his fate for the next issue, and it's back to the west coast.

Though just when you think Killer Moth flew across the country to help Joker for some reason...

Oh, of course he's here for revenge. That makes more sense.

Moth, you have to know you're gonna regret this.

Hey, speaking of Jason!

That boy sure loves his Austen and Shakespeare and treatises on how violence is a tool exploited by the state.

A strange figure appears!

I'm not sure if more is happening here than a visual signal or what, but Tiffany is actually Barbara.

I'm going to assume it's Steph on the other end of the line just because of her previous appearance, and going by Barbara's last remark, I'm also wondering if this help for Jason is without Bruce's knowledge, but time will tell!

And then it's back to Los Angeles, and... ugh... the answer to why Mr. Waffles didn't come to Joker's rescue..

But Joker said "almost!" Waffles can recover!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO goddammit, I shouldn't have gotten attached. Buuuut maybe there’ll be a gag next time about how he’s barely hanging on??

... Also I wouldn’t hate it if Joker dragged poor Waffles around Weekend-at-Bernie's style.

Sigh. Alright. Onto the backer. Francavilla is back for the art! Hooray!

Joker's an especially sad clown in this one! And he's sick of all the fighting, so he comes up with an invention.

Of course Joker’s not gonna try out being good. Can’t you make out his badge?

The fact that the victim's head merely goes POP. I can't.

And the device works in the air! It works in the sea!

They had to put the "Superman created by" credit at the start of this story just so we could see Clark's head get obliterated.

I really try not to post too many full pages but lol these chyrons

Naturally, after Randolph Joker decides to go all-out with his device...

Holy unintended consequences, headless Batman!

Speaking of losing your head, don’t get too many bright ideas, Gaggy...

Joker decides to go with a different career opportunity.

Gotta love a good bookend! And look, it's Two-Face! Also is that a new Gaggy or a continuity error or what am I even saying it doesn’t matter

I'm not sure if the Joker duplicate in this story is his new life as a for-real clown or collectively all the shitty people he enabled... but this stupid @!#$?* mime is as unfulfilled as always, and isn't that what really matters? ✨

[resistanceisfeudal]

Episode 7

TUVOK??!?!?!?!

Genuinely surprised and also delighted. Hope he's ok

Lore is making me laugh

Once again I am not interested in Jack

I had assumed that the changelings were not the actual big bad, but I have no input as to the floating face thing tbh, or what Jack's deal is. Tom-hardy-in-Nemesis related stuff, species 8472 and the pah wraiths have all been suggested. Idk what I think. Maybe it's something more floaty and conceptual than the first two.

Quite possibly it's a reference to something from a random episode of tng that I haven't seen/don't remember, or nothing interesting at all because it wouldn't be the first time that Picard had felt like it was building to a twist and then that just doesn't happen

Again, I just don't care for him. And this dialogue is weak, but his performance is so irritating.

Hmm there's also a lot of ADR at the end of scenes. E.g. "I think I know how we can get to vadic", feels like they're unsure whether the audience will be following

Keep chewing that scenery Amanda, it's the main reason I'm still here

"I thought you'd be taller" - lol at who that came from

I actually think it's cool that they're revisiting this virus thing from ds9. And how the changelings invision themselves as the eternal underdogs and that's not coming from nowhere

Hmm actually I don't know if I need another "Star Fleet does something secretly evil" story, especially as its all they ever seem to do in this show

I do appreciate "whoops maybe we shouldn't have invited the evil chaos android onto the ship" subplot tho. Feels very classic

"They're not taking the bridge" - that went well

I guess we know why Raffi and Worf weren't on board, can't stage a rescue otherwise lol

Overall, a massive improvement on last week in my book. We still had nostalgic pandering, but in scenes that carried more emotional weight imo. E.g. I get more out of Seven interacting with "Tuvok" and the back and forth there, than with her just looking at a picture of Voyager and smiling. And the Geordi and data angst was good.

[deardiaryofmotiyani]

Blog Post 10: The Narrative Structures And Steph, Both Are Underrated

Stephen Curry : Underrated (2023) is a documentary directed by Rick Reilly, gives us an insiders perspective to Steph's life. Steph is a NBA champion, Mvp etc but like typical documentaries of players like him this documentary does not focus on this. It talks more about his journey from an underrated high school prospect to one of the biggest figures in sports. So what is the narrative structure of the documentary and how does evolve the way documentaries are made by focusing on the emotional, psychological and societal challenges that were on his path.

The narrative structure of this doc does not follow a single timeline, it keeps switching between the life of a young Steph to current day Steph. It does not follow the traditional timeline of rise to fame, instead it keeps switching back and forth and also adds in personal stories from Steph himself, interviews from family, coaches and teammates. It makes us see Steph not only as an athlete but also as a normal human going through complexities of life and emotional arc. This nonlinear way might feel like it is all over the place but gives us more personal insights to the character and in a more holistic manner (Bordwell, 2005).

One of the documentary's main focus is on Steph's foundation years, referring to his College basketball days in Davidson. It is used to draw a parallel between the similar kind of adversities he is facing now vs back in college. These adversities combining with the underdog theme add layers of emotional depth to piece. It also sheds light on a very important social problem; how a person's ability can be underestimated because of views of the society, race or background. It is not about what Steph has achieved but more about how and what he has been through to achieve it. Putting his personal struggles on display and making him feel more like a relatable human allows us as viewers to connect with him on a deeper emotional level (Choi, 2019).

When showing the adversities, the documentary provides narration from Steph himself which brings in elements like reflection and introspection. The audience at times dehumanise these figures due to their success and status but hearing the self-doubt, insecurity and frustration that Steph went through makes it authentic for the viewer. Letting the subject pave the way for the message and emotional tone through his own voice plays, making the voice an important factor (Denzin, 1997).

Conclusion :

Underrated is one of a kind sports documentary, not only because of the status of Steph and his achievements but because of the unique narrative structure. By blending in the 2 timelines and switching between them, this unique way of storytelling that highlights his lowlights like personal problems and brings in introspection, adds layers of depth to the content. This challenges every other documentary to not only focus on the surface level but also take deep dive into the athlete's life.

Sources :

Bordwell, D. (2005). The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies. University of California Press. Choi, J. (2019). "Documenting the Athlete: The Power of Introspective Narratives." Journal of Sports Documentary Studies, 8(2), 85-98. Denzin, N. K. (1997). Interpretive Ethnography: Ethnographic Practices for the Twenty-First Century. Sage Publications.

Underrated, 2023. [Documentary] Directed by Peter Nicks. USA: Apple TV+ and A24.