#we finally have a black writer involved the least we can do is give it a chance

[freaky-flawless]

Wait, wait, wait, the new Monster High comics are being written by Jaque Aye??? As in the Jaque Aye who created Adorned by Chi and who's newsletter I've been subscribed to for a year??? The Jaque Aye that's all about Black Girl Magic and empowering black girls???

Forget everything else I've heard. I'm excited as hell now!

[jacquesthepigeon]

I just realized that another thing working against Marinette with her position as guardian is that regardless of the writer's intentions, Fu, for all intents and purposes, was possibly the worst mentor i have ever seen on the small screen.

Putting aside the whole "leaving the miraculous with no explanation" thing that makes him seem like a poor planner already, we the audience at least know he feels he can go out every now and then to watch over Marinette and Adrien without much worry. End of season 1 is origins, so we don't see much of him except for then but we can assume at least before season 2 that he's out and about observing. But despite that he offers nothing as a mentor to holders who he chose to help correct his mistake. No anonymous "let me hear your troubles", or "how has your school year been", or "any extra stresses lately". NOTHING.

And I get that the logic explained and assumed here is that he was worried about exposing himself too much. But damnit you indecisive man you CHOSE THEM TO WIELD THE MOST POWERFUL MIRACULI! If you weren't absolutely sure of your choice that's already bad. But then you see them struggle to balance their hero/civilian lives and offer no support in that regard either? Please.

Then we get to Adrien and Marinette's season 2 debacle. Where the issues they have has civilians and heroes are magnified and either played for laughs/cringe (until the writer's decide NOT) or ignored/downplayed/treated as valid by the narrative.

Chat becoming iffy and irresponsible with his duty as a hero.

Marinette and the girl's plans and encouraging her behavior while she struggles to make a coherent sentence.

Adrien literally has nothing to do in the plot still even though they have ample opportunity to do something with him.

Ladybug has occasional bout of arrogance but that's rarely touched on anyway so it was basically abandoned.

Other things too that we already know of.

And where is Fu during all of this? Nowhere that's where. Apparently once he decided that they were meant for each other he stopped watching for any signs that they might need help adjusting to their new roles as heroes. The inevitable assistance or indirect guidance you'd expect from any reasonable mentor who's supposedly observing his pupils never comes.

And when he is reintroduced as the guardian it gets even worse. Cause now we have to grapple with Ladynoir's already uneven dynamic becoming more uneven. Ladybug already had more responsibilities, or at least expectations than Chat with her cure not allowing for her to fall first and her charm demanding her to be in a tactical leadership position between the two. Now she knows who the guardian is and, as we find out later, is being trained as his successor with little to no involvement of Chat. And we find out that the reason is that Chat basically hasn't proven himself responsible enough. And the one time Fu should have absolutely intervened and act like the mentor he should be, during Syren and his tantrum, he rewards Chat for nothing cause he relied on Marinette to be his observer for him and say he at least deserves to know you exist.

Are you kidding me!? What have you been doing his whole time then if your not at least watching over them as heroes? Maybe the reason he's not acting as responsible as he should is cause he's been given no reason too. You gave him the most lackidazical and self interested kwami and you're surprised he's not ready to meet you yet? What did you expect to happen? The only mentorship he has now is a black cat who jokes sometimes about barely wanting to go to akumas. And when he finally gets frustrated enough to voice his concerns he does it in the worst way possible and the one time where he should have been scolded and told what would qualify to meet with him, you instead just give him what he wants.

I could go on for a while but I don't have that much space. So all this is to say, guardian Marinette was given the worst possible example to look to as a model she should follow. And the few times she could have worked her position with Chat he says he's fine and pouts behind her back. She has no idea he even has issues because Fu was just not paying attention and the narrative never let Chat's tantrums be discovered. As a guardian, Fu practiced the most conservative and cautious methods of mentoring and passed those on to her as if they would still work for a girl with a social life, a dream for a career that doesn't involve the miraculi, a want for a family and who still lives with her parents. He set both Marinette and Adrien up for an inevitable implosion that was ignored by the narrative for #overwhelmedbug and Chat pouting in a corner over his self inflicted issues ultimately brought on by a hack mentor.

I'm tired. I think my isekai will be a random adult. Break into Fu's parlor and beat him upside the head a few times. For fun.

Lmao Fu feels like a last minute addition that’s only there to provide minimal lore exposure. His role is not thought out well at all and the potential storylines with him were either unexplored or extremely underwhelming.

I actually don’t think Fu should’ve had anything to do with mentoring adrichat because I always believed in the two of them getting their own individual plots: Marinette the guardian stuff, Adrien the villainous family stuff. I thought it would even out that way but alas, adrichat never got the plot that was set up for him.

I also don’t get that wound up about Fu because the genre relies on irresponsible or inept adults in order to put kids in heroic roles so it’s like. Yeah sure go on old man do ur thing.

The only thing I will say in his defense is that Su-Han did the whole “adult figure” thing significantly worse. Laughably so.

[moltz23]

Three Houses (& Warriors: Three Hopes) Trivia: That One Time 3 Stories Ended Without Solving its Loose Ends.

Of all the things people have spoken about Three Houses’ writing, if there’s something I honestly don’t see discussed often as a whole (aka not just in an individual basis), is that KT’s writers were chronically unable to tie up all loose ends with the stories they worked on: Crimson Flower, Azure Moon, and Verdant Wind’s (quick reminder Silver Snow was written by IS instead). This sentiment is even shared by one of the scenario writers involved with both Three Houses, and in the Warriors: Three Hopes spinoff:

Regarding [Warriors: Three Hopes’] Scarlet Blaze, Azure Gleam, and Golden Wildfire chapters, what was the tale you wanted to tell? Iwata: In order to make it a different experience from Three Houses, one of the scenario writers explained about wanting to depict the things that had been left unfinished in the main game. In Scarlet Blaze, it’s the battle against ‘Those Who Slither in the Dark’, in Azure Gleam it’s reaching the truth about ‘The Tragedy of Duscur’, and for Golden Wildfire it’s the appearance of a huge obstacle to Claude realizing his dreams.

In turn, the purpose of this post will be recapping briefly what each unfinished plot thread was about, if we catch glimpses of them in other stories, and how Warriors: Three Hopes decided to give them a proper conclusion.

Crimson Flower: the battle against “Those Who Slither In The Dark”

Forever immortalized as very sneaky plague doctor-looking fellas.

Byleth’s informed starting Part 2 of Crimson Flower that the Empire/Edelgard has teamed up with “those who slither in the dark” for practical reasons in the fight against the Church (mainly, for their manpower and assets), and that the group’s expected to be next on the chopping block once they’re no longer needed.

As the main campaign goes on, the Agathans are treated as an “Elephant in the Room” sort of deal - being brought up only by a few select individuals when the situation calls for it - all while Edelgard and co. are monitoring their movements. Thales/Arundel tries subverting this in at least 2 different instances (Hubert’s paralogue and, most notably, in Chapter 16), but for one reason or another, the situation never escalates further.

The group’s seen one last time just before the final battle, as Edelgard and Thales have a small chat where both agree to keep their team-up going for a little longer once the war’s over. And after the main story’s done, the Empire’s fight vs TWSITD is mentioned in passing during the Epilogue cutscene, multiple paired and solo endings, and even one S-Support, all while confirming the group’s demise sometime later after a certain “Battle of Shambhala”.

Do we get glimpses of it in other routes?

Kinda? Even though the exact circumstances described in CF never take place anywhere else, we see Shambhala being invaded by Byleth and co. in two other routes: Silver Snow (the other other story branch of Black Eagles), and Verdant Wind (Claude’s story).

The main reason this happens in these storylines is thanks to a post-mortem request from Hubert, who was previously aware a certain Imperial fortress would get bombarded by them ahead of time, and determined (somehow) that the missiles’ origins can be traced back to a location believed to be the slitherers’ HQs.

In these 2 stories, the battle against TWSITD is solved in only one chapter, and the main narrative purpose it fulfills is to set up the real, actual final boss of the story (oh and also kill Rhea in Verdant Wind).

How did Warriors: Three Hopes tackle this loose end?

By axing Edelgard’s team up with the Agathans outright as early as possible, which shakes the entire foundation of the story given how much agency Edelgard’s actions hold over the plot. This is very important because the fact neither the Empire nor TWISTD are bound to work together for a common goal allows both sides to properly fight each other openly while the story unravels.

The way the story’s foundation is shaken is also quite important too, as its done by forcing Edelgard and Hubert to assume a very active role in the story against the slitherers which is never seen in 3H’s story besides CF’s Ch. 16, possible only through a one-in-a-million-chance that cannot happen in Three Houses: having Kostas die vs the House Leaders near Remire Village, everyone never meeting Byleth, and having Jeritza become Garreg Mach’s 3rd professor like Edelgard intended.

As you might have noticed by now however, the one big caveat Scarlet Blaze’s exploration of this story thread has is that the conflict shown in it, due to the involved circumstances, will never be the same as the one described in Crimson Flower’s. In hindsight however, given Edelgard’s battle vs the Agarthans in CF is heavily hinted to be anticlimactic and nowhere near as challenging compared to Three Hopes’ timeline (mainly thanks to her having already neutralized all other threats to the Empire by then), I dare say this change might’ve been for the best.

Azure Moon: Reaching the truth about the “Tragedy of Duscur”

This is a pretty cool CG tbh.

Blue Lions gives you many glimpses of the Tragedy of Duscur pre-timeskip. Most notably, Chapter 8 reveals Dimitri is in Garreg Mach mainly to find and get revenge on its culprits, and Chapter 10 shows how he finds out the slitherers’ were involved in the tragedy… right before Dimitri becomes convinced Edelgard was the mastermind of the event and the plot point is derailed completely for a while.

Some time later, it returns in full force during Ch. 17, where an exchange Rodrigue has with Gilbert reveals the body of Dimitri’s stepmother - Patricia/Anselma - was never found in spite of being one of the alleged victims. Then in Ch 18, Cornelia/Cleobulus as a last act of spite reveals to Dimitri that Patricia conspired to make the tragedy happen just to “see Edelgard again”. In Ch. 19, Dimitri tries to get answers from a dying Lord Arundel/Thales - whom he long since suspected to have been part of it - but fails to make him speak. In late Ch. 20/early Ch 21, it’s shown Margrave Gautier found out Viscount Kleiman’s involvement on the Tragedy, and the interrogation of one of his servants reveals not only the dude thinks he did what was best for the kingdom, but also that Patricia was allowed to escape unharmed.

And then the story ends, leaving the mystery hanging. If you bought the DLC, Dimitri & Hapi’s support chain reveals Cleobulus tricked Anselma into believing she couldn’t see Edelgard again due to Dimitri’s father, and essentially emotionally tortured the woman for +5 years until Anselma *cracked* and became a willing participant. Their paired ending also mentions they later worked on to expose TWSITD and the other culprits of the tragedy. Whatever was found in that investigation, it’s ultimately left unrevealed.

Do we get glimpses of it in other routes?

Mostly no. The tragedy is briefly discussed in Ch. 3 of Black Eagles and Golden Deer, but it never goes on beyond what happened and who died. And the circumstances in which Dimitri becomes so hell-bent on killing Edelgard are never ever shown to the player.

Crimson Flower meanwhile, not only confirms Arundel/Thales was 100% involved in it during Ch.17, if that chapter’s main story mission plays in a certain way, Dimitri in his dying speech of hate towards Edelgard will say the following:

Edelgard! You... I will kill you! You will know the regret of my father, who was killed for you! Of my stepmother, who was slain by her own daughter! You will bow your head before all of the lives you trampled for your ideals before you die in misery!

How did Warriors: Three Hopes tackle this loose end?

First, by focusing on the Kingdom politics during the first half of the story. It starts with Rufus (Dimitri’s uncle) launching a surprise coup in the Kingdom - for reasons irrelevant to the story - under the pretext of undermining House Fraldarius’s attempts to use Dimitri as a puppet, all while the revealing he was the mastermind behind the Kingdom side of instigators. And it all snowballs from there while the mystery develops, because unlike Three Houses, Rufus’ involvement isn’t kept under wraps due to a good chunk of evidence going to the grave with him (non-CF), or because he’s sidelined to put more focus to Edelgard's war (CF).

Second, by gradually making Edelgard irrelevant in the story until her character has been effectively written out, the narrative allows the tragedy’s culprits to be the main antagonistic force of the story.

And third, through making the story one of revenge and bringing justice to the Tragedy’s victims, Dimitri in turn is kept in a middle state between his normal and his revenge-obsessed self to justify it, and this permits the plot to have Thales as a fitting final boss, given his status as the brains behind the Agarthan side of the instigators.

Verdant Wind: The obstacle to Claude’s dreams

Look at that dashing smile man.

Starting Part 2 of Verdant Wind, it’s revealed Claude’s dream is one of a world without discrimination and prejudice. And for that, he sees the idea of an unified land, of tearing down the world’s barriers, as a way to allow everyone to start anew, understand one another and realize we’re more different than we would like to admit. And while by the end of the story Claude’s goal for Fodlan is achieved, he never directly has to overcome some obstacle to accomplish it.

Even though Edelgard, the Empire and the Agarthans are clear-and-cut antagonists during VW’s story*, they’re overall quite divorced from Claude’s dream to directly oppose it*. Edelgard is only an enemy mainly due to the threat she poses to the Alliance, as her ideals are not really that different to Claude’s and even admits such. TWSITD meanwhile, are not that involved in the story besides the lategame of Part 1 & 2, and at their core they’re just a xenophobic hate group, meaning they threaten everyone equally.

So in the end, only one candidate remains which fits the ideological angle of obstacle, which Claude does bring up during the plot but never serves this role in spite of the build-up it gets during Part 1: the Church & Rhea. The main reason for it is simply due to Byleth becoming both the new Archbishop and Claude’s biggest supporter during Part 2 during Rhea’s absence, all while the plot forces Rhea to be not only be rescued so Claude can have someone who can answer all the questions he seeks about Fodlan’s mysteries (which is another plot point of the story), but also conveniently kills her offscreen in a sacrificial manner once all’s said and done.

Do we get glimpses of it in other routes?

Sort of, but nowhere near as openly as you would expect. In Crimson Flower, Claude says the following about what he would’ve done had he defeated Edelgard at Derdriu:

In all honesty, I was hoping to become a supreme ruler and lead Fódlan to peace myself. But... that won't be happening now.

Also, compared to how he acts with Edelgard in her route, Claude in Azure Moon is ominously adversarial towards Dimitri after being saved (even insisting he does not owe him any debt whatsoever), and even says the following:

I'm leaving Fódlan. There are things I have to do. Dreams I need to see to fruition. That's why I became the Alliance leader to begin with, actually. But it left me no time for what I was really after.

How did Warriors: Three Hopes tackle this loose end?

Simple; by having him actually clash with the Church (and also the Kingdom by proxy). The plot ensures such by introducing Shahid - Claude’s half-brother - for the purpose of: 1. preventing Claude from ever becoming invested in Fodlan’s past and mysteries, and; 2. from finishing his fight with the Empire.

Time to process what had just happened after Solon revealed himself in front of everyone? - WHOOPS Shahid is invading, so back to the Alliance Claude goes!

Time to invade the Empire proper after fighting them in Gronder Field? You bet- WHOOPS Shahid is at it again!

With both of these plot points aborted and, due to Claude & Edelgard shifting gears after some uneven success in their campaigns, both deciding to team-up finally allows Claude in the second half of this story to finally pick up a fight against someone whom can ideologically serve as an obstacle to the dream he yearns to see a reality. Because without any bonds nor close connections to someone with power in the Church - more so if they lack Rhea’s approval, her own biases be damned -, the reality is that the church is not gonna allow it.

Now that I’ve gone over all three plot points, I do think only one answer remains to be answered:

Why couldn’t all these 3 story threads be finished in Three Houses?

Anyone who’s been aware or has heard of Three Houses’ development cycle would probably answer this question with something like “Well, because the game was rushed, duh!”, but I believe there’s another possibility which explains the “why” from a narrative perspective.

Because these 3 plot threads are side plots.

I’m fully aware this is probably a very spicy take, but please bear with me for a second.

The ideas explored in them can be very intriguing, don’t get me wrong, but as Three Houses shows, it’s not easy to dwell on plot points which are not the driving force behind the main story:

In Crimson Flower, Edelgard needs to wage war on Fodlan to force the continent to change in the way she sees fit. Due to this, fighting TWSITD in the process when it’s made abundantly clear their assistance is needed, risks massively derailing the campaign in the process and also handicap her war efforts. In hindsight, Ch. 16 is more of a godsend than anything.

In Azure Moon, Dimitri must rise from the brink, reclaim Faerghus and oppose Edelgard to bring peace. However, solving the mystery of the Tragedy of Duscur, and thus force conflict with all of its instigators (which BL heavily hints many lie within Dimitri’s own Kingdom) isn’t a wise idea during times of war, more so given the main antagonist of the story played no actual role on the event.

In Verdant Wind, Claude must secure the Alliance’s future by opposing the Empire, and retrieve Rhea to have her spill all the lore-juice missing from his knowledge fountain. For this campaign he’s also openly allied with the Church in spite of his misgivings with its teachings and its old Archbishop, so the whole idea of opposing them during the story (when said church also wants to rescue that Archbishop) is just plain awkward.

Fascinatingly - and I noticed this just as I was writing all this text -, this situation is pretty much inverted in Warriors: Three Hopes. Unlike Three Houses, the 3 stories of the spinoff, in execution, use the war as a pretext to explore the plot threads left hanging in the routes KT worked on back in Three Houses. And because of this, the stories actually end once those plot points finally reach their resolution, in spite of the war being technically not over once that happens.

So…what do you all think? Do you think it was a wise choice to finally “finish” each plot point left hanging in a spinoff? Or should the devs have been given more time to figure things out back in 3H? I personally would like to see the 3H writers come back to some future entry, all but with the condition they’re given far more freedom with the stories as with Three Houses they were pretty clearly limited to a very specific set of structure and plot beats they had to follow (I even did a post about it like 2 weeks ago, for those interested).

[supergirlmayhem]

I’m excited about the Supergirl May-hem event, you guys are doing a great job but I can’t help but wish that supercorp wasn’t allowed at least this time. After seeing that 90% of the recs were supercorp I fear this event will barely have some more ‘rare’ ships and that’s a pity.

Hi Anon!

Thanks for reaching out with your concern. We have a few reasons why we decided not to exclude Supercorp and I'll list them below for you. Please excuse the ramble. I'll start with our main reason for making this an inclusive event for every WLW ship in the Supergirl fandom. We want to uplift every ship and give them a space to express themselves. We don't want to exclude anyone and leave them on the sidelines while we actively promote other people. That wouldn't be fair and the thought leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

Another reason is that the ship lines aren't as black and white as a lot of people believe. Many people have multiple ships in the fandom and care deeply about all of them even if they also ship Supercorp. Many Supercorp writers have expressed interest in writing for multiple ships and artists have shown they're open to creating for multiple ships. Many of the Supercorp creators would not join the event if Supercorp was excluded and that would mean that there would be a lot less content for the 'smaller' ships as they are interested in writing/creating additional pieces for other ships.

Whether Supercorp is in the event or not, there'll still be a very similar number of fics/art created for the smaller fics. To exclude them would simply deprive Supercorp of also having new fics/art created for them.

As a multi-ship event, there's always going to be a ship that is more popular than the others. Whether that's Supercorp, Supercat or Agentcorp. One will always have the majority. Yes, that majority increases with Supercorp but they're not getting any special treatment. We're putting an equitable amount of time and effort into promoting each ship. We understand that some ships are smaller and need more of a shove to get them seen, so we've done our best to make that happen.

As for the fic list, fics are added from the community. There are 3 of us, and we can't be in every ship fandom at once. We need help from those ship communities to add the fics. We've reached out to each community and asked for recs. If there are none on the list, that's because nobody recommended any. If there's only a few, that's because those are what we were sent. We're always adding to the list and will always keep updating it so people can send us links at any time to their favourite fics. Supercorp might have the majority, but even if they weren't on the list, there would be the same amount of other ship's fics on the list.

The sad truth is that while many of the fandoms are still alive, there are a few that are running on fumes and barely have any active members left. This event would not be what we envision it to be with a lack of people involved. We're trying to get as many members of those communities involved as possible but time has played a big part in the dwindling numbers for all ships, Supercorp included, although there are still a lot of active members for that particular ship.

We're doing everything we can to reach out to every ship we can think of, and want everyone to be included. If there's more you think we can do, other than excluding people, feel free to reach out and let us know. We're all ears and would love tips on how to reach them.

The final reason as to why we're including Supercorp is simple. As the event creators, we're fans of multiple ships and we've created this event to showcase our passion for those ships. We're not going to ban Supercorp from an event we created to make other people happy when this is a passion project. We don't get paid for creating the event and we're putting in hours upon hours of work into making it. We're not going to change it to appease other people because that would simply take away our passion and make the event worthless.

We understand where you're coming from with your worries. You don't want the smaller ships to be drowned out by Supercorp. There's only two places that may happen, and that's our socials when we start promoting each fic/art as it's posted on posting week. That's unavoidable. However, the clicks aren't all going to come from us. Each person is responsible for also promoting their work and while we'll do our best to help, we physically won't be able to put masses of effort into each and every one.

The second place is the collection. The collection will have all of the fics stored in one place. The good news is that AO3 has a great filtering system so people will find the ship they want out of the collection with ease. Other people will discover new ships through looking through the collection too, and may end up being inspired.

We've seen a lot of people expressing worry or anger about other ships being included, or not getting enough attention but there's not enough attention on how this is beneficial for every ship. Everyone gets to display their work in one place full of like-minded individuals, showing off their love for their ships of choice. You're showing off your work and showing everyone why you love them in a place where it's going to get attention. The attention you want on your ships will come from you proudly displaying your work in an event made to provide a safe space for everyone.

Of course, we're also taking measures to ensure there's a safe space for everyone individually too. Our Discord server (which will open after sign-ups) has individual channels for ships as well as general channels so you can choose to mingle or simply stay within your ships without being drowned out by chats from other ships.

Finally, we're taking the ship disputes very seriously. We understand that people have different preferences and we won't tolerate any hate being thrown at anyone else for who they ship. You can like or dislike any ship you want, but anyone who is making our safe space unsafe for anyone else will be removed from the event and banned from future events. We're very strict on that policy.

All in all, I apologize for the long answer and would like to say that this response is not just for the person who asked the question but to spread our views on the matter to everyone. Thank you, Anon, for giving us this opportunity to properly give an in-depth answer to everyone asking the same question as you.

[ncisfranchise-source]

The hunt is on when NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 4 makes its way to the broadcast spectrum. At least we finally have something to focus on other than Gibbs.

Not that the character hasn’t led an exciting series. However, it seems like everyone has Gibbs on the brain lately. The man needs time and space to strategize, but we’ll get to that.

Nothing gets adults moving faster than the thought of a small, innocent child snatched away from their parents. Maybe the team can finally function as a unit instead of one voice after another talking over each other.

Many viewers have commented that the team on NCIS: Origins lacks the same group effort that the sister series all have. I heard you, and I agree a little.

Do You Think The Team On NCIS: Origins Has Less Chemistry Than Its Sister Shows?

They aren't functioning as a team, yet.

What do you mean? They already solved two cases together.

The Team On NCIS: Origins Is Still Finding Their Footing, And That’s Fine

Here’s the thing about a prequel series like NCIS: Origins: it’s supposed to be where everything started. To sell that premise, things must be slightly more dysfunctional than in the future.

Think about it. If the station ran like a normal one does with rules and protocols, Gibbs would never have been hired. The show has made great strides to remind audiences that Gibbs failed his psych test.

And if they need some help with this case, call Morgan from High Potential. She just about turned over Heaven and Earth looking for two little girls in High Potential Season 1 Episode 4.

However, given Gibbs’ recent losses, I have a feeling he is about to go “Papa Bear” on this whole case. Heaven help the rest of the team.

As we can clearly see from the portrayal of the younger Gibbs, the man is not well. Who could blame him? He lost the two most important people in his life. He lost his family.

Considering where the season is likely headed, it’s no wonder the writers are doing everything they can to show how shattered the character is. He’s a good man about to do a bad thing.

Will working a case involving a missing little girl send Gibbs over the edge? We already know he has no problems breaking the rules for justice, as he did when he trapped Prado in the elevator in the previous episode.

I’ve seen a number of viewers comment that Gibbs was poorly cast. If you’re like me, you probably thought there was too great a height difference between the two actors.

Austin Stowell looks a lot taller than Mark Harmon. I hate to break it to you, but there is only an inch difference between their heights.

If the issue is with their faces, I can’t help you there. People look different as they age. I’ve shown people pictures of myself from ten years ago, and they don’t recognize me. Perspective, people.

An Overused Trope On NCIS: Origins Adds Much-Needed Levity To The Series

She doesn’t get much screen time, so while I’m happy that whatever is happening is giving us more Mary Jo, the writers better not harm a hair on that woman’s head.

If you read the NCIS: Origins Premiere Review, you know I clocked Mary Jo’s character as a cliche and a trope. She’s the sassy older black woman who handles all the admin jobs.

It is such an unbelievably overused trope that is still happening on shows like Matlock. However, I hate to say it, but the trope works. It adds fun where it’s needed.

What Makes A Man Like Gibbs Throw Out His Beliefs And Take Justice Into His Own Hands?

The official synopses for NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 4 reads: “Still grieving the loss of his wife and daughter, Gibbs helps the team work a case involving a missing girl. The moment that irrevocably changed Gibbs’ life is revealed.”

There’s a good chance we’ll see what pushes Gibbs over the edge in the next episode. What could it be that makes a man like Gibbs take justice into his own hands?

One thing we need to watch is how Agent Dominguez fits into this whole plot. At the end of the first episode, it is abundantly clear that Lala is somehow caught up in Gibbs’ story.

We’ll have to wait and see what NCIS: Origins has in store. However, I want to give Kyle Schmid another shoutout. He is doing a fantastic job playing the younger Franks.

Apparently, a lot of you agree. I’ve seen so many comments about how well the series did with casting. I am right there with you. Schmid has fully embraced and embodies the character.

Wherever the road leads, you can count on me to absorb every second of this fantastic series with you. For now, check out the promo for CBS‘s NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 4 below!

[not-poignant]

I'm just finishing up FFS and i just wanted to say that I really like the way you bring the side characters to life, like Leo, Han Yuen and Professor Adeyemi. They feel very real considering they have very little time in the narrative, it's something i think a lot of writers struggle with

Hi anon,

Thank you so much!!

Honestly, I think a big part of it, especially with those characters, is that I actually just like to imagine them as being real people themselves with their own motivations and quirks etc. That's something I really love doing. :D

The rest is under a cut because it's basically suggestions to writers and idk if you're a writer anon dslakfjasd

Part of making side characters seem realistic is giving them motives that often have nothing to do with the main character, or only have a little to do with the main character. We can tell Leo's got stuff going on his life, especially around his parents, based on the content of his poetry. He has a shy and friendly disposition, and seems eager to please, so he might be someone who's got some boundary issues in his own life, and some stuff he's working through!

Han Yuen is clearly competitive and very involved in poetry, and has a theme that she strongly adheres to. We get the sense that she's very passionate while also enjoying the deep connections poetry gives her. She doesn't have much interest in Efnisien at all, but she's friends with Leo, and by the time she does come into Efnisien's life, we get the sense she's been living her own just fine.

Professor Adayemi is the same. She has her own motives, she'd absolutely fire Efnisien if he wasn't efficient and she sees him as nothing more than a fast typist/worker who keeps late hours for reasons she doesn't really care about. While she's a great boss that's convenient for Efnisien, she doesn't exist to be a great boss to him, they're just compatible in that sense. She's ferociously competitive in her area of academia (anyone who is publishing as much as she does, is).

When we finally get to see her office, and meet her, we realise that she's a lot more complex than even Efnisien's given her credit! She has a femme side, she can be girly, she likes simple pleasures, she can be messy. In a way, they were both kind of 'useful' to each other until they became people to each other. We also know from her surname and her area of study in anthropology, that she's likely an extremely strong feminist and voice for Black people in her arena, and potentially has some political motivations for the direction she chose in life, or at least informing the reason she's publishing as much as she is.

I really love writing side characters actually, because part of the fun is realising them as people and then picking some thing - something big, something small - that will make them interact with the main character. I enjoy seeing them even if I'm only writing a handful of lines for them in a chapter, because in my head, they're so much more richly realised, it's like meeting a friend you haven't caught up with in a while.

This doesn't have to involve days and days of research or work, either. All of these things are constructed around several key points, and at least one or two things the side character is passionate about.

It doesn't have to be a struggle, and it's something writers can do in their spare time when they have writer's block and are too tired to work on their story, but want to get 'some writing' done. Sitting down and banking some side characters and attaching some passions, motivations, culture etc. to them and putting them in a document somewhere, can give them side characters in a pinch when they need them.

Constructing side characters - both minor and major - is one of those things that can be done at any time, independently of a story. Adayemi could work in a sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, etc. setting. So could Han Yuen and Leo. What makes them them isn't the setting, and that stretches them into 'real beings' or solid characters that are transferable and can exist in many different places.

If you're stuck thinking of how to describe side characters, you can try practice runs with real characters. Pick a handful of main or side characters from your favourite TV shows or movies, and then give yourself only 3 sentences to describe them (or three paragraphs). Practice getting the hang of seeing the big details the fastest, and then adding on what I would call 'textural details' that add sensory anchors (it might be the foods they like to eat, the clothing they like to wear and its texture, the flowers they like to sniff, the scents they wear etc.)

It doesn't take long to build confidence doing this! And then you'll have to stop yourself from adding too many side characters to your stories like I do lmao

Because you only use three sentences or paragraphs to describe them, then - along with the dialogue - that's actually all you need to establish them in your story!

Establishing good/solid dialogue is another part of this, and I've written about that before but am too lazy to link it here. But constructing character can happen long before you get to dialogue. :D

[deluweil]

In response to that article (US weekly) that is circulating out there,

1. I love that they agree that Buck and Eddie should just get together.

2. KR and TM are either idiots or liars.

Why do you ask? 

Because as someone who spent her life chasing tv shows containing good best friends relationship (be it m/f m/m or f/f) and brotherly relationships, this, whatever the writers and the showrunners created here in 9-1-1 with Buck and Eddie is far beyond best friends by mid s3 and was way past brotherly bond somewhere between that grocery store love spat to the kitchen scene to the romantic coded shooting scene in 4x13 (and that’s when both guys were “dating”).

I can give examples going on for miles and make endless comparisons (we have NCIS LA Callen and Sam, Chicago Fire Casey and Severide, Station 19 had Gibson and Miller, and while unbelievably controversial Steve and Danny in H50 were indeed brotherly based relationship because it had all the markers of that relationship that outweighed the old married couple routine.)

They are all brotherly/best friend oriented relationships, where the word “brother” was used regularly, they each had their roommates era - that we got to watch on tv and not covid enforced quarantine era off screen.

We had hugs aplenty, a lot of teasing and beer talks, relationship talks, double dates (even chenford been to one before they finally got together.), marriage, uncle titles being bestowed, bff-ing with the best friend’s significant other and oh so many things that color a relationship in platonic colors. 

Now let’s take those and compare them to Buck and Eddie’s relationship. 

We got three hugs in 3 episodes, and that’s in S2 2x18, S3 3x01, and 3x06. 

We haven’t seen proper beer hangout that didn’t involve black eyes since S3 on Albert’s birthday.

No relationship talks, unless it was to make sure the other side was agreeing that the other should break up with their significant other. (Eddie in 5x03, Buck in 5x18)

Neither one of them even got close to marriage (after Shannon died, I mean. And even she knew it wasn’t working with Eddie anymore.)

Buck is Christopher’s and Eddie’ Buck (”His Buck”) - but he is uncle Buck to Jee-Yun.

Buck only interacted with Ana twice and that was when he saw her (but didn’t talk to her) when she brought Christopher to the firehouse in 5x02, and the other time was when she called him to tell him Eddie’s awake.

And we have the famous dinner where Taylor didn’t eat but tried to be friendly along with Eddie for Buck in the Diaz household. But other than that Eddie had no desire to interact with her unless he absolutely had to.

Last but not least, all the pairs I named up there uttered the words “I love you” at least once. It was said easily, and "thanks for saving me" was said out loud, too. 

- Buck and Eddie, going into S6 not once uttered the words. And Eddie thanked Bobby for saving his life, but not once has he thanked Buck - at least not that we saw. (Not in 4x14, not in 5x14 - Buck saved Eddie so many times, but we never see any deep conversation or even a light hearted one that expressed “thank you for saving my ass out there”)

I can go on, but I think my point is made.

Please for the love of god get these two together, they’d be wasted on anybody else at this point. - Manifest with me ✨✨✨

[e-the-village-cryptid]

Still thinking the way Bix’s character arc was cut short in a way that’s feeling less and less like a deliberate writing choice and more of a fall into misogynistic tropes and a willingness on the writers’ part to sacrifice her story to further Cassian’s. She was introduced to us as this strong mechanic figure who owns her own saleyard and has rebel connections, willing to take on a good bit of risk bribing officers and secretly contacting Luthen in order to sell the Rebellion stolen Imperial equipment. As the story develops, we learn she’s been selling parts to Luthen for two years, and the fact that Luthen was willing to meet with her after only one meeting with Paak probably indicates she already had some black market experience. We also learn more about who she is as a person— she cares deeply for her people and her community and would do anything to protect them. She is incapable of just standing by and doing nothing if she sees the slightest chance of attaining whatever her original goal was— she makes decisions that she knows are risky, to the point of almost being stupidly so, because she cannot make herself stand by and give up. And yet through all this, she’s still managing to hold together a fairly normal life, going about her days without the Rebellion taking over her life the way it’s taken over, say, Cinta’s or Vel’s or Luthen’s. Her connection to Cassian appears to be childhood friends and former young lovers before time and diverging paths tore them apart, but they still have a deep bond of trust and care despite all the distance between them. She’s his closest confidante; he trusts her with things he doesn’t even tell Maarva.

This all sets her up for a fascinating arc. And it was partially fulfilled! It makes sense that we would see the “part-time rebel” character gradually become unable to simply go about her normal life as the Empire tightens its hold— she is forced to make difficult choices, to either commit to the Rebellion more fully or take a step back, to take bigger risks. It makes sense that we would see her experience loss and grief and suffer in a more personal way as the Rebellion goes public and being casually involved is no longer possible. And it makes sense that her and Cassian’s history would become something that both creates tension between them and can draw them together. And we see all of this in the first 7-8 episodes.

But then we don’t see the rest. We don’t get to see a moment where she finally realizes it’s time to stop running and her only option is to fight back. We don’t get to watch her make a conscious decision to step into or back from the Rebellion. Even the plotline of getting captured by the Imperials could have been an amazing character-building arc if it had been allowed to be. How did she handle the interrogation? Did she resist? Did she lie? Did she try to carefully mislead them? Even if she ultimately cracked, what was her path to that point? We don’t even know, they never showed us. All we get is one off-handed line from Dedra, “the interrogation was thorough; we’ve no reason to believe anything was withheld,” but that’s a blatant lie as their later suspicion that Anto Kreegyr might be Axis shows that Bix never even gave them a basic description of Luthen’s appearance, one of the main things Dedra was after. Dedra has a strong motivation in that moment to lead the other Imperials to believe that Bix is cooperating fully, in order to paint herself as competent and give her a reason to continue holding Bix, but it’s clearly at least partially untrue. So what else did Bix withhold, how did she continue resisting them? We have no idea, we never see it.

And that’s it. They just leave her there. For the rest of the episode, all we see is a random 5-10 second cut to Bix looking defeated and miserable, and then we’re on to something else. She isn’t even in the next episode, and for the next episode and a half after that we mostly get little clips of her just shivering and suffering and looking completely helpless. And it honestly started to make me a bit angry. They had so little to say about this character that they have to show us basically the same sort of clip of her doing nothing over and over again just to remind us she still exists?? Her arc and her contribution to the overall story are that unimportant?? Bix, who previously made a run for it when completely surrounded by multiple armed solders twice, is now completely resigned to just waiting for Cassian to save her and is making no attempt whatsoever to escape or resist at all? Bix, who has previously seemed practically incapable of just letting go and giving up on anything she fought for, is now completely unable to find any hope or fighting spirit?

I understand the Watsonian, in-story explanation for why the torture she’s endured would have completely broken down her resilience, but the writers chose to do that, they chose to convert her into this helpless, damsel-in-distress character for the entire last third of the season. It just feels like this strong, complex, interesting character got reduced to just a tool to further Cassian’s story, a princess in a tower for him to come and rescue. And of course, as he dumps her on a ship and leaves again, all she expresses is undying faith in Cassian. What happened to the emotional depth of this character? What happened to her story? The writers have a massive debt to pay off to her character in season 2, and I really hope they do her justice. If in season 2, Bix gets a full, satisfying character arc that brings back that emotional complexity and handles her response to everything that happened to her with the depth her character deserves, and a recovery arc that doesn’t rely on a relationship with Cassian somehow ‘‘‘fixing’’’ her, I will eat my words, and I really really hope I do. But right now I feel disappointed and frustrated with the lack of payoff for her character.

[christinapotter09]

first and last reaction to episode 10 and daemyra because HBO simply loves to butcher characters

first of all, thanks for the leak and ruining the weekend

I refuse to accept that this was the final episode, if this indeed is the final cut of it.... the cutting of the scenes was funny, just so many things shoved up before our eyes and so many ooc interactions and things happening like... chill out you can make it 1hr+.... why stumble upon it?

to the characters, Daemon Targaryen is a piece of shit, we all know that, he’s been angry and cruel and plain awful in many cases, lets be honest BUT he had one redeeming quality, his love for Rhaenyra Targaryen, he has been through some serious shit like exiling himself to Pentos to try and get over her and when he came back he realised there was no way around his heart’s desire, he stood for his niece/wife and struck down anyone who dared insult her. Married her in the tradition of his house just like he had asked to do that decade ago. 

I do not accept that the same man would be calling Laena “My brave girl” during her torturous labour but when it comes to Rhaenyra starting being in pain he would remain without even a reflex towards her, when she’d be screaming his name, he’d continue to mumble around with lords and generals to a point where a knight would ask him if he should talk with the maester.... and while she’d been birthing on the floor he would finally go and check on her later on.... or that he would leave her alone to wrap their baby dragon on her own while still bleeding and he’d go to the beach (no matter the cut scene from there too which we got in the trailer but not in the episode)

he crowned her congratulations and then he decided to choke her while he wasn’t even understanding the magnitude of what Rhae was saying and how it worked? he’s short tempered, not stupid, he’s going singing valyrian lullabies to Vermithor, he would stay and listen to something important involving Aegon the Conqueror.... she’s shocked and whimpering and he still held on, even tightened his hand around her neck before shaking and freeing her....? and why? because he’s sad/stressed/angry/frustrated? No, the Daemon who was cupping her belly two episodes ago, leading the family to King’s Landing because “What choice do I have?” and he wanted to give her all the choices.... he would never lay a finger against Rhaenyra hours after her horrendous ordeal with Visenya (btw Visenya who? we didn’t even get the name of the poor babe) especially after having lost Laena the way he did. 

the biggest thing is that this is not Daemon’s fault but the showrunners/writers’ 

I AM DONE with inconsistent writing and portrayal, I’m certainly done with character assassination, they cut down his scenes with his daughters and now they cut at least 4 scenes showing him and Rhaenyra interacting after what happened to them. 

a massive blow to this shitshow was the change of Aemond’s crime. turning it into an accident is the biggest shit decision they could make. Aemond loses agency (just like Rhaenyra herself because yes I guess you don’t want her locco Dany 2.0 but that doesn’t mean she has to be a frozen person who simply takes the blows and values the song of Ice and Fire less than the fucking page from that book Alicent sent with the fucker she has for father) so it was Vhagar who didn’t listen to Aemond? BECAUSE ARAX GOT SCARED AND PROVOKED HER WITH FIRE? 

Blood and Cheese will taste completely different and I don’t care what is happening with AemondxHaelena about it, Luke deserved better, so did Aemond’s storyline, the battle at the Riverlands will be completely different, the battle above God’s eye too..... I wonder if Sunfire will also kill Rhaenyra by accident, not listening to poor little Aegon who tried to save his sweet sister? UUUUGH

for the love of the Gods, let the fucking characters have their agency, their crimes and black moments without loading only Daemon with all the evils of the world just because you can’t deal with a plotline from start to finish and above all even if you want to fuck the characters WRITE IT BETTER AND GIVE IT TIME

THIS IS GAME OF THRONES SEASON 8 ALL OVER, we accepted the time skips, we accepted the dark battle of the dawn like shit, we accepted stupid Alicent fully knowing what would happen to Harwin, Rhae and her kids if she got her way proving them bastards to Viserys and then she played shocked when Otto had been planning to kill Rhaenyra the moment Viserys was dead.... We accepted the way you want to tell the story but HBO, this is the same audience with GoT but not with the same patience

Daemyra was beautiful but I don’t know how it can survive after tonight, frankly, why would it?

fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me

thank you, HBO for fucking up with this so I can keep my spine straight before SNOW and the shit that is gonna hit that fan, I say this wholeheartedly, you better not involve my darling Sophie/Sansa into that because you clearly don’t deserve the people’s good graces and our love for the universe, GRRM has straight up abandoned the books and you can’t possibly deliver a fucking justified result from the source material

I am done with canon once again

[thevindicativevordan]

Why isn't Nightwing a bigger deal? He has all of Batman's skills and Superman's faith in humanity and is arguably the most beloved hero in the DCU, but most people seem to know him either as the leader of the N̶o̶t̶ ̶J̶L̶ Teen Ttians or just Robin.

Thank you for asking me about Nightwing, I've been wanting to write a piece about him for a while now. The short version is that everyone who claims Dick becoming Nightwing was him "moving out of Batman's shadow and becoming his own man" is completely wrong.

Dick Grayson is a fantastic character, someone who saved Bruce Wayne in-universe both by forcing Batman to grow up a bit, and the countless times he saved Batman's life as his partner whether as Robin or Nightwing. Dick saved Batman in the real world as well, hard to believe but Batman was actually in danger of being cancelled due to poor sales early on. Enter Robin, a young daredevil audience stand in the creators hoped would get kids interested in reading Batman. And it worked! Sales on Batman doubled once Robin showed up which is crazy to think about, but Dick Grayson has always been a popular character. Cartoons like Teen Titans, Batman: The Animated Series, and The Batman only helped grow his audience.

Character-wise, Dick Grayson really does fill a number of crucial roles in the DCU. For Batman, Dick is proof that Batman is a positive force. Meeting Batman helped change Dick for the better, helped him heal after his parents died. With Dick, Batman can take comfort in knowing that yes, he has made a difference in the world for at least one orphan boy, which is all he wanted when he lost his parents himself. To the wider DCU, Dick is a friendly face who convinces others that Batman is competent and not a complete asshole. He took this kid in, trained him to be one of the best heroes the DCU has seen, and did it all out of the kindness of his heart. That someone like Dick can confront the evils of Gotham and not break means there's still hope for that city. As Robin, Dick has led the Titans and is an icon in his own right as The Sidekick, the original, the one every other Robin is built around copying or contrasting. The one all other superhero sidekicks are drawing on as a basis. As Robin Dick Grayson is very much on Batman's level.

Just not as Nightwing. As Nightwing, Dick has been a second rate Daredevil which means he's a third rate Batman (fully prepared to get hate for this but I've read and enjoyed the Miller and Bendis DD runs so I feel entitled to my opinion). A typical Nightwing run tends to go like this: Moving to Bludhaven (which is Gotham... but WORSE!), Dick Grayson usually enrolls in a pointless job we don't care about in order to provide some meaningless soap opera drama that doesn't go anywhere. Patrolling the city as Nightwing, he fights a variety of bad guys who are usually rather lame and unthreatening, with his big bad being a Kingpin knockoff called Blockbuster. Villains are fought, long running plotlines are set up, then everything is abandoned because it's Batfamily event time, and Dick has to run back to Gotham in order to play sidekick again. Usually his involvement is completely superfluous and it would've been better if the writer had gotten to opt out. By the time we finally get back to Nightwing's solo plotlines, the audience has usually ceased to care and the run gets cut short.

That's how Nightwing has been since the New 52 at least. Anyone who thinks that's "becoming their own man" is out of their mind. Dick is so thoroughly in Batman's shadow that he got shot in the head and spent a longer time as "Ric" which everyone fucking hated and sold like shit, than he did as Agent Grayson which was extremely well-received. Reiterating: Ric went on longer than Grayson because of a fucking Batman plotpoint Tom King wanted where Bruce was sad and cut off from the Batfamily because of Dick getting shot. Not just calling out King either, how many times was Kyle Higgins Nightwing run derailed because of Scott Snyder's crossovers? Or how about that entire run getting dumped to the side because Johns wanted to out Dick during Forever Evil, a Justice League/Lex Luthor story? DC has repeatedly made their contempt for Nightwing clear, he's Batman's sidekick still in their eyes, and he serves whatever story role the Batman writer wants.

Hell his best stories tend to have been the ones where he's not Nightwing. He was Robin in a good chunk of the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans run. Morrison really showcased his depth as a character when they wrote him as Batman, their time with Dick under the cowl was actually one of the first Batman runs I ever read, and no Nightwing run has ever matched it in terms of quality in my humble opinion. Scott Snyder's work with DickBats also was a high point for the character, showing Dick as competent and examining his relationship with Gotham and the Gordons. King and Seeley gave him one of the best comic runs with Grayson, a series where he wasn't even a "superhero" technically! When it comes to actual pre-New 52 Nightwing runs that are highly recommended where he *is* Nightwing, there's Chuck Dixon and uhhhhhhh... Tomasi's brief run before Dick became Batman? It's not exactly an overwhelming list.

Look there has been good work done with Nightwing, I'm not claiming there hasn't been. Tim Seeley wrote a great run with Nightwing Rebirth. Seeley fleshed out Dick's Rogues Gallery with cool new ones like Raptor, he brought back old foes like Dr. Hurt (why oh why couldn't you have brought back Flamingo too?), he gave Dick's world some character it solely needed. Bludhaven under Seeley is pretty much the only time I've really felt like it lived up to being Dick's city.

The problem with fictional cities is you have to put in the work to give them the character of real cities. You have to make the cities feel like characters in their own right. Gotham is the best example of this, it's a character all it's own, one that tells you a lot about Batman and his cast. In contrast Bludhaven is usually one of the worst. Any place that wants to claim to be worse than the city that is built over the gate to hell and gets wrecked every other month by the Arkham freaks has to really put in the work to compete. Simply put, Bludhaven typically fails utterly. There's nothing about it that makes you really buy it's worse than Gotham, I mean does anyone really think Nightwing's Rogues wouldn't get their lunches eaten by Batman's? No, no one genuinely buys that. When Bludhaven claims to be worse, it just comes across as tryhard, an attribute that does end up telling you about Nightwing in unintentional ways.

So Seeley didn't do that. Instead he created a city built for a hero like Dick Grayson. Someone who is bright and flashy, but does have an element of darkness to him. Someone who loves the spotlight, but often uses it to obscure. Seeley turned Bludhaven into Las Vegas, and that was the fucking best concept for Bludhaven I have ever seen, it makes so much sense. Las Vegas is the "Entertainment Capital of the World" and isn't that the perfect city for a hero who got their start working in the circus? Isn't the aesthetics of the gleaming casinos, the glamorous sex appeal of the performers, and the spectacle of the shows, all being used to cover up the seediness of mob bosses meeting backstage perfect for Nightwing? It's so utterly unlike New York City, yet Las Vegas is still dangerous, it's got a crime culture all it's own. Seeley used it to great effect, as did Humphries during his brief run, and I will always be pissed that DC didn't continue to use it. That should have stuck around and been the definitive look for Bludhaven.

How Seeley's take on Bludhaven was treated feels like a small scale version of how Nightwing in general gets treated. Whenever creators pitched ideas for him, if editorial thought there was potential to break big, they asked for those ideas to be repurposed for Batman instead. Anything big or good gets repurposed for Batman or tossed to the side so Nightwing can go back to his default: having irrelevant adventures in a city that is supposedly worse than Gotham but can't live up to it. Just like how Nightwing is supposedly better than Batman but never gets to show it. Goddamn it's so frustrating seeing his potential get wasted like that.

The Nightwing book should be one of DC's most ambitious books in terms of storytelling. You can go from traditional superhero stories, to romantic soap opera, to spy stories, to crime noir, to horror, to cosmic adventures, and ALL of them would fit because Nightwing is someone who has a foot in both Gotham and Metropolis. He's got friends everywhere on every team, and has been a hero longer than most Leaguers have at this point. No reason DC should still be afraid to let him loose and insisting on hewing close to what Dixon established almost over 30 years ago is only holding him back. At the very least get him some better Rogues, why the hell didn't he get to keep Professor Pyg? That's Dick's villain not Bruce's! Bullshit that they didn't let Dick keep him. Hopefully Flamingo comes back, with a slight revamp I think he'd make a great reoccurring Nightwing Rogue.

Luckily it does look somewhat like Nightwing fans have reason to be optimistic. While Taylor isn't to my taste, DC clearly views him as a "big" writer, and that they put him on Nightwing says a lot. Taylor has been selling well so far, so hopefully he gets to tell his story, hilarious that even he lampshaded having to write Dick running over to Gotham for another tie-in after Taylor's big opening arc was all about Dick committing himself and his money to Bludhaven. Scott Snyder is apparently working on a Black Label Nightwing book which will explore how he's a different detective than Bruce. The Gotham Knights video game has him as one of the main stars, and while Titans is... controversial, it's one of the most popular streaming shows and Dick is the main character. There's a lot of content coming that features him in the starring role, and that will only help his star rise further.

For the first time in, well, ever it feels like DC may be serious about elevating him. Time will tell if it pays off, but I for one choose to be optimistic that the 2020s will be a turning point for Dick Grayson where Nightwing becomes hugely popular in his own right. Not just as Batman's sidekick.

[drabbles-mc]

Date Night

Angel Reyes x F!Reader

Warnings: language, mentions of alcohol

Word Count: 2.6k

A/N: I wrote this fic when my boyfriend and I were on a big Warzone kick so be warned that a majority of this story uses that as the base of it haha. This one-shot got away from me pretty quickly, and I’ve been super hesitant to post it (it’s literally been sitting in my ‘finished’ folder for months without me posting it because ~anxiety~) But I figured it’s not doing any good sitting unpublished. I know I haven’t really been creating a whole lot of Mayans content lately, but hoping to get back into the swing of it soon! xo

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You were sat on the couch in your apartment, headset on as you started another round of Warzone with Angel, EZ, and Coco. The four of you tried to band together at least twice a week when their lives would allow for it, all playing from your respective apartments. Coco heard you mention something off-hand about Call of Duty one night and he didn’t let it go, and somehow that evolved into the four of you running quads together in your free time. Coco and Angel were always getting intermittently suspended from the game for the things that they said when they were winning, and you and EZ found it endlessly entertaining.

“Thought you weren’t going to be on tonight, Y/N,” Angel commented as the two of you waited for EZ and Coco to get back to their headsets, each of them having gotten up to grab drinks.

You tried not to sigh, “Didn’t think I was. Plans got cancelled so I got some unexpected free time.”

“Glad we’re your second choice,” EZ’s voice founds its way over the stream with a chuckle.

“Second place ain’t that bad, EZ,” you laughed, “Don’t bitch about it.”

“Homeboy bailed again, didn’t he?” Angel asked, already fairly certain of the answer.

“Yuup,” you stretched the word out, letting your annoyance shine through, “Fuck it. Doesn’t matter,” you paused, “How long does it take for Coco to grab a fuckin’ beer?”

“Ay, I’m here,” he spoke up, finally, “Let’s run it.”

Considering the fact that the four of you were constantly talking amongst yourselves about things that had nothing to do with the game, you did pretty well as a team. You’d get a few wins together every week, and of course one of them was always trying to take all the credit. It didn’t matter enough for you to get involved, so you let them argue it out amongst themselves.

“Fuck!” Coco groaned, “Team on me. I’m down.”

You laughed, “Damn, hope you’re a better sniper in real life or Angel and EZ are screwed.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he shot back at you with a laugh.

“EZ how do you always end up in a completely different part of the map?” you chuckled, “We can’t revive you if we don’t know where the fuck you are.”

“When have I ever needed you guys to revive me?”

“This motherfucker,” Angel mumbled under his breath, trying not to sound as amused as he was.

“It doesn’t bother your man that you’re spending your night with three dudes who are, objectively, way better than he is?” Angel asked with a laugh as he trailed you in the game.

You shook your head, glad that he couldn’t see the smile on your face, “Your humility never ceases to amaze me, Angel.”

“Didn’t answer the question, Y/N,” EZ piped up.

“You guys trying to hold an intervention right now or something? Fuck,” you laughed.

“You think you need one, querida?” Angel’s tone was baiting, and you were trying not to feed into it.

Luckily, before he could keep pressing you about it, the two of you started getting lit up by another team in the game. Normally it would’ve been frustrating but you were glad to have the distraction. It was bad enough that Angel was always looking for any excuse to give you grief about your boyfriend, but you had to admit that your boyfriend gave Angel decent amounts of metaphorical ammo to use against him. You hated conceding to that, though, so the onslaught of players coming after you was a welcome distraction.

You managed to get out of it unscathed, but Angel wasn’t so lucky. You chuckled, “Have fun in the gulag, sucker.”

“We’re on the same team, you know,” he laughed.

“Not when you’re talking all that shit, we aren’t.”

“You’d still buy me back though, right?”

You scoffed, “Nah if I’m gonna drop four grand it’ll be on Coco.”

“Damn straight,” Coco’s laugh rang through the chat.

“Seriously where the fuck is EZ?” you shook your head as you sprinted across the map.

“Safe and sound unlike you fools,” he chuckled.

“Can you stop camping and come drop me some ammo?” you couldn’t hold your laughter in, completely undoing any work you had been putting in to sound annoyed.

Despite all the shit the four of you talked, you managed to clutch a win at the end of it with EZ and Coco. Angel was pouting over not being bought back, but you were a woman of your word and when you were able to Coco was the first player you brought back into the game. The four of you stayed on for a little bit in the lobby, just talking amongst yourselves before EZ and Coco got ready to sign off.

“Tell your man we said wassup,” Coco snickered.

You sighed and rolled your eyes, “Goodbye, Coco.”

“You two gonna play nice if I leave?” the smugness in EZ’s voice was palpable.

“No promises,” you laugh.

“Beat it, Boy Scout,” you could hear the smile in Angel’s voice, “Go clean your one set of silverware or something.”

“I have at least three sets now, but fine,” with one last laugh he left the lobby, leaving just you and Angel behind.

“Wanna run another one?” you chuckled, “Promise I’ll buy you back this time.”

“Fuckin’ liar,” he laughed, “But fine.”

It was silent between the two of you for a few minutes and it was almost eerie, solely because Angel was notorious for never keeping his mouth shut. A couple times you wanted to point it out, but something in the game would always distract you and you never quite got around to it.

“Boy Wonder still not home?” Angel asked.

“Something tells me that I’m flying solo tonight,” you paused, letting a half-hearted laugh fall from your lips, “Besides you, of course.”

“Of course,” he chuckled but you could tell that there was something more behind it.

“Whatchu thinking, Angelito? Hm?” you tried to coax it out of him.

“What kind of fuckin’ idiot,” he paused as he reloaded his gun, the brief pause making your stomach knot slightly, “doesn’t use dead silence? I hear your heavy feet from miles away, querida.”

You huff, knowing that he was deflecting, “That’s what’s weighing on you, Angel? Really?” your fingers nervously drummed against the back of your controller.

“Speaking of idiots,” he continued, and you wished that you could see his face, “what the fuck is your man doing ditching you again?”

There it is.

You let out a sigh that shifts into a hollow laugh, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Never thought to ask?”

You scoff, “You know, it actually never crossed my mind. Blowing my whole world wide open tonight.”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled, “Clearly a touchy topic.”

“I don’t even know if I want the fucking answer, at this point,” you shake your head as the two of you slowly but surely make your way towards the safe zone of the map, “I don’t want another bullshit excuse.”

“Why do you even bother sticking around, then?”

“I dunno,” you chuckle quietly, “Why do you still pick up the AK when you could grab the M13? Sometimes people just do dumb shit.”

“I’m nasty with the AK and you know it,” he laughed. There were a few beats of silence as the two of you battled it out in the game, covering each other before Angel continued, “I’m just sayin’, you should not be spending your date night playing fuckin’ Warzone with me.”

“My company that bad, Angel?”

“You know that ain’t what this is about.”

You sighed, “I know. It’s just—fuck!” you laughed and let your controller drop into your lap, “I’m down. Fuck.”

“C’mon, gotta keep your head in the game,” he laughed.

“You don’t get to grill me on my relationship and then give me shit for being distracted.”

“Wanna back out?”

You nodded before you remembered that he couldn’t see you, “Uh, yea sure. I’m tapped out for the night, I think.”

Both of you backed out of the match but you stayed on the line with each other. The silence that filled the space between you almost felt heavy. Part of you felt like you should be saying something but you didn’t quite know what.

“Wanna come over?” you didn’t know what possessed you to say that, especially given how late it was, but it was out there now and you couldn’t take it back.

“Now?” he couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t surprised.

“I mean…yea?”

There was a pause before he laughed, “Fuck it, why not? I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Real fifteen, or Angel fifteen?”

You could easily picture him shaking his head at you, “Real fifteen.”

True to his word, fifteen minutes later you heard a knock at your door. You let him in and for some reason, things felt just a little bit different. It wasn’t anything that either of you said or did, but there was definitely a shift. You grabbed a couple beers for each of you before plopping down on the couch next to him.

The two of you got wrapped up in conversation, bantering back and forth about one thing then another. It was the hardest that you’d laughed in a long time and you had to admit that you needed it. Not that you didn’t love shooting back and forth with him and the guys, but there was definitely something different about sitting on the couch together and joking around as opposed to doing it over a headset from your separate living rooms.

At one point he bet you that you couldn’t win a round without your headset on. You were fairly certain that he was right, but once he made a bet out of it you needed to prove him wrong. Loading the game and taking a long drink from your next beer bottle, you got ready to hopefully make yourself twenty bucks richer.

It was about as futile as you’d assumed it would be, but the commentary from Angel made the repeated defeats worth it. The two of you were shoulder to shoulder on the couch, Angel doing everything except reaching over and snatching the controller from you in an attempt to throw you off. You playfully nudged him to try and put some distance between you as you played. Both of you were erupting with laughter when you heard a key turn in the lock of your door.

Both of you paused and looked over as your boyfriend walked in. Despite the fact that neither you nor Angel were doing anything wrong, you still felt like you were supposed to be explaining yourself. He only looked at you for a moment before his eyes locked onto Angel’s. The two of them had only met briefly on a few occasions—he never really hung out with the guys from the MC.

“Sorry. Didn’t know you had company,” he was still looking at Angel rather than you.

“Uh, yea,” you closed out of the game and leaned back on the couch, “Kind of a last-minute thing.”

“If you’re busy, I can leave,” his eyes darted back and forth between you and Angel.

“She shoulda been busy a few fuckin’ hours ago, bro,” Angel spoke up before he could stop himself.

“What?” his tone had more bite to it than you were used to.

“Angel, don’t,” you kept your voice quiet.

“No, let him say what he’s gotta say,” you could tell by the way your boyfriend shifted his weight that he was going to turn this into more than it needed to be.

“I’m just saying,” Angel shook his head slightly, “Me and my boys have spent more time with your girl on your date nights than you have lately,” he sucked his teeth, “No reason that she should be stuck playing fuckin’ Warzone with us jokers when you’re supposed to be taking her to dinner and a movie or some shit.”

“Fuck,” you whispered as you ran your hands down your face.

He stepped forward towards the couch, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Angel stood up off the sofa, effectively dwarfing your boyfriend without even having to try, “Who the fuck are you?”

Your boyfriend looked over to you, “Y/N, why do you le—”

“Nah, nah,” Angel shook his head, “This is between us now,” he motioned back and forth between them, “Say what you gotta say.”

“What gives you the right to come in here and tell me what to do with my relationship? Don’t you got biker shit you should be doing?”

“What do you think I’m doin’ right now?” there was a cocky smirk on Angel’s face as he spoke and you knew that you shouldn’t have found it as amusing as you did.

You must’ve been worse at hiding your amusement than you thought, because when your boyfriend looked over at you, anger instantly took over his features, “This shit funny to you, Y/N?”

All of the care in you disappeared, “I mean,” you sighed and shrugged, “honestly? A little bit.”

He scoffed, “You know what? I don’t fucking need this,” he shook his head, “I’m not gonna stay here and just be disrespected. I’m fucking, I’m done. I’m out.”

You knew that you should’ve felt something, but you just didn’t. You didn’t even bother to get up off the couch, “Leave your key on the way out, then.”

Both he and Angel looked at you with surprised expressions on their faces. Your boyfriend shook his head slightly in disbelief, “Wh-what?”

“If you’re done,” you leaned forward, elbows resting on your knees, “then leave your key to my place. I don’t want my ex to be able to get into my place whenever he wants.”

He sputtered a few fractions of words before tossing the key onto the table and turning to head out. He slammed the door behind him and Angel looked back to you, shock written all over his face. A smile crept across his lips and he shook his head at you.

“That was fuckin’ cold.”

You chuckled, shrugging, “Was a long time coming though, right?”

“I mean, yea, but still,” he paused, really looking at you, “You good?”

You nodded, “Right now? Yea. Maybe it’ll hit me tomorrow or something. Or maybe it won’t,” you had to laugh.

“Sorry I kinda brought this on,” you could tell by the look in his eyes that the apology was genuine.

You shrugged, “You and your big fuckin’ mouth certainly didn’t help,” you chuckled, “But none of that was on you.”

“You wanna talk abou—"

“No,” you cut him off with a shake of your head, “C’mon,” you motioned for him to sit down next to you again, “Time for you to lose without a headset on.”

He laughed as he sat next to you, “I ain’t gonna lose.”

You smiled, shaking your head as he took the controller in his hands. Without thinking much of it, you found yourself settling against his side. He froze up for a moment before reaching around you, lightly wrapping you up as he held the controller in his hands. Neither of you said anything about it for a few minutes while he got himself set up.

You chuckled as you watched him loot for weapons, “Still gonna use the goddamn AK?”

“The gun isn’t what’s gonna make me lose, querida,” he chuckled as he chanced a glance down at you cozied up against his side.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you smiled up at him knowingly.

He chuckled, shaking his head, “Nothin’, nothin’.”

[givemethatgold]

Fix’er Upper - Part 13

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Fem! Reader Warnings: Talk of parent death Length: 2.1k words Notes: Okay bitches here we go. I’ve got 3 kids doing online schooling, a desk chair that just broke while I was halfway through typing this out, a raging headache, and couldn’t be fucked to edit. I love you al, thank you for sticking with me and this little brain baby of mine. My guidance counselor from high school can suck my dick, “You’re not a creative writer, Cher, you should considering taking Home Ec as an elective instead” I digress....

Series Masterlist

"No." You glared at him and squeezed his hand harder, "You're doing that thing again.

Frankie's head whipped over to stare at you, shocked by your assertive tone.

"You're pulling away. You're stressed, out of your depth, don't know how to deal with it and so you're pulling away again-"

"You don't understand," Frankie interrupted you, shaking his head and trying to pull his hands out of your grasp. This only served to strengthen your resolve, and your grip on him.

"No." You declare again, trying to stay calm and have a mature conversation despite the tension and running emotions. "You told me to give you time to get your thoughts straight and vocalized. I can't do that if I'm not here to hear them. I can't understand your predicament if I leave. So," You moved so you're sitting cross-legged in front of him, making eye contact in an effort to show him he had your full attention. "Why don't you tell me what that phone call was about so we can start figuring it out, together."

The situation was more complex than you ever could have imagined. Frankie's ex-wife, Karla, had died. Her car had been hit by a drunk driver. Annie, thank the gods, hadn't been in the car at the time. Before she'd died at the hospital, Karla had managed to say a few words to the paramedics. At the time they didn't make sense, however, the paramedic had taken the time to write the words down and included the scrap of paper with the patient's chart. This evidence, as it turned out, had been monumental during the resulting legal battle for Annie, all of which took place without Frankie even being notified.

Child services, lawyers, extended family, and even doctors had been involved in the court proceedings. All arguing over the future of the six-year-old girl. All believing that they knew what was best for her, most believing that she should live with them, some having the gall to pretend that they weren't aware of the sizable life insurance payout she was about to receive.

Eight words. Eight simple, beautiful words whispered through the broken, bloody lips of a woman who knew she was about to die. A young girl's future was being held in suspense, and as fate would have it, a wise and sentimental judge was overseeing her case. Eight words were all it took to convince him that Annie's mother knew what was best for her own child.

"Francisco Morales. Trust with her, he's ready now."

From the time Frankie had received the phone call from Karla's family lawyer, the two of you had two days to prepare for Annie's arrival. Frankie worked his magic and erected a wall across the bedroom portion of his loft, allowing for the little girl to have some privacy but not feel like she was being closed in. 

He had fretted for a least twenty five minutes over colour swatches at Hank’s Hardware before coming to the conclusion that he should leave it white and have Annie chose her room colours once she had settled in. He bought himself a new couch, as well, that would convert into a bed and serve as his bedroom for the time being.

The conversation you never had a chance to have with him was still in the back of your mind, but you understood that moving in together as a couple was hard enough. Moving in together with a kid neither of you knew, whose life had just been turned upside down against her will, would be catastrophic. Instead, you focused on being as much of a rock for Frankie as you could.

You made a trip to the city and bought girls bedding, some stuffed animals, and a few little decorations to help Annie feel like the new space was special for her. You also thought to pick up comfort food that a kid might crave, knowing that when you were six the best way to your heart was chocolate. Just before you left the city, a sign caught your attention and had you swerving to change lanes, normally you'd feel slightly bad about your obnoxious driving but today you just waved your middle finger at the rear window in a mock salute.

The flower shop had so many bouquets and you had no idea what kind of flowers the little girl might like. You also had the morbid realization that bouquets might remind her of all the flowers she surely saw at Karla's funeral. Just as you began to second guess yourself, a stand near the back caught your eye and made you smile.

The day of her arrival came quicker than you felt prepared for, never mind how Frankie must be feeling. He hadn't had too much time to worry about how having his daughter would change his life, but once the two of you were standing in his driveway doing nothing but waiting, the nerves had finally settled in. You could see deep, calming breaths he was taking as they condensed into little clouds in the freezing air.

Grabbing his clenched fist, you felt his fingers relax enough to allow your gloved ones to slide through them.

"It's going to be weird for everyone, she's probably nervous too." You weren't sure if the words were reassuring or not but nervous talking seemed to be your forte so you ran with it. "I mean, she's probably sad that she's leaving everything and everyone she's always known, excited about moving to a new place, then feeling bad that she's feeling another emotion besides grief. It can be hard to juggle loss and hope. Just show her how much you love her and be honest about why you couldn't be with her before. Kids are smart and are aware of way more than adults give them credit for."

A few moments later a black sedan slowly crept up the driveway. You wanted to stay, to meet the little girl but had the feeling that Annie and Frankie were going to need time to figure out their relationship without another person in the mix. Suddenly having a new parent was going to be hard enough on the little girl, you were afraid that she might see you as trying to replace her mom and push you away.

Rubbing Frankie's back for one last show of reassurance, you kissed his shoulder then took a few steps back. You figured this was the best way to be there to support him but also staying in the background for the time being. Before the car could fully come to a stop, the rear door was flying open and, in a blur of movement, a little body was flying out of it towards Frankie. You know how people will say that there are times in their lives where important moments fly by so fast they barely have time to enjoy them? Well, this wasn't one of them.

As Annie barreled her way towards Frankie, you saw in slow motion how his handsome face went from being creased with worry, to eyebrow raised shock, to breaking out in a teary smile. He had just begun to crouch down and open his arms in anticipation of holding his little girl when instead she ran right past him and locked herself in one of the sheds.

Time continued to move in slow motion, making it all the more heartbreaking watching your boyfriend's face crumple, the tears of joy turn to tears of pain as he recovered from his initial excitement and realized that his child didn't want to see him.

Tiny, muffled sobs broke the moment and brought time, and the horrible situation, back into focus. The Child Protective Services worker who had accompanied Annie from California was calling apologies to Frankie while running after the little girl, trying not to slip in the snow in her hurry.

You wanted to go to him, to lend him some form of comfort, but you were also aware that some types of grief don't appreciate witnesses. Deciding to stick around and be helpful in the background, you made your way into the loft and started making coffee and sandwiches, foreseeing a longer stay for the caseworker than initially thought.

Nearly forty minutes had passed before you emerged again with food and drinks on a tray and the two adults were still talking to Annie through the cracks in the door. She had stubbornly refused to come out, demanding that she be returned to her home at once and that she hated snow.

Once you had set down the tray and cleared the snow off a picnic table, Frankie thanked you with a kiss to your temple and introduced you to Sharon after he convinced her to take a break from the negotiations. Sharon, who had been with Annie since the day of the accident, began filling Frankie in on what had happened to his daughter in the past month between sips of coffee. He was given a folder with notes from child psychologists, doctors, a letter from her maternal grandparents, and a journal Sharon had kept that described the ways Annie had been processing her grief.

While they talked, you decided to walk over and sit next to the door of the shed, laying a wool blanket down to protect your butt from the cold. You had no idea what to say to the girl but you figured she might like to be reassured she wasn't alone. Settling down, you dug into your own sandwich and hummed quietly to yourself.

You nearly choked on your next bite when you heard a soft voice singing along with the tune you'd chosen.

"Lavender blue, dilly dilly. Rosemary Green, if you are king dilly dilly, I'll be your queen."

After you'd repeated the song twice more, you stopped the tune and said softly,

"I've never heard those lyrics before, they're different from how I learned them."

A long pause followed, making you worry that you'd offended the child back into silence.

"How do you sing it?" Came the sweetest little voice, made all the more adorable with the barest hint of a lisp.

"We always sang, 'Lavender green', for one. Which never made any sense to me so I really like how you did it-"

"Yeah, cause lavender is another name for purple," she interrupted you with a matter-of-fact tone, "saying it's green is just weird!"

"Hmmm, it might be different," you conceded, seeing the opportunity for a lesson. "But either way you sing it, it's still a really pretty song, isn't it? Things can be different but it doesn't mean one is only good and one is only bad. Each version just had different good things."

Annie went silent again but this time you didn't worry about it, you knew she was thinking about what you said and needed time to apply it to what was happening right now. You eventually heard the shifting of metal and the creak of wood and had to will yourself to sit still and calm. The way you had let her approach you had worked so far, jumping up out of excitement could possibly erase all the progress you'd made so far.

Your patience was rewarded when Annie stepped out of the shed and lowered herself so that she was sitting on the blanket right next to you. Turning your head just enough to see her in your peripheral, you noticed how dull her eyes looked. Her hair was a mess and her skin looked pale for a kid who had been living under California's sun.

"My mommy is dead."

The way it was stated as a fact, with very little emotion, broke your heart. She was so little, so young, and so unable to fully grasp what kind of future had been ripped away from her.

"I know, I'm sorry that that happened to your mom."

"That man is my daddy." She was pointing at Frankie now, who was still engrossed in his conversation with Sharon.

"He's a pretty lucky guy to have you."

"That's the lady who has been taking care of me, she's been nice."

You were a bit out of your comfort zone with the conversation but there was no way in hell you were going drop it so you cautiously trudged on. Maybe verbalizing relationships and titles was helping her process?

"I'm very happy to hear that you've been staying with someone nice. Your dad is a really nice person, too, ya know? You should see the nice bedroom he's set up for you! I even helped him bake you an apple pie. Do you like apples? Or pie?" Her eyes went wide and a spark of happiness suddenly lit her face, making her appear more childlike than before.

"Is this an apple farm?" She practically squealed. “Like in My Little Pony?!”

Her outburst had finally drawn the attention of the other two adults, who were now only realizing that Annie had exited the shed. Frankie's heart skipped a beat at the sight of his two girls, beaming at each other. The twinge of jealousy from knowing that it had been you to draw her out was quickly squashed by how proud of you he was. He had been a little worried, although he hadn't voiced it, that his kid wouldn't take kindly to having a woman around but those fears were obviously for naught.

Part Fourteen 

[joeygoeshollywood]

My 25 Favorite Films of 2020

Well, this was quite the crazy year, especially for movies. While many films that were slated to be released this year were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year still provided some laughs, tears, and thrills both in theaters and in the living room. 

(NOTE: Due to the delayed awards season calendar and postponed Oscar bait films that are unavailable to be seen before the end of 2020, this list will eventually be updated after having seen the following films: The Father, Minari, News of the World, Nomadland, One Night in Miami, Pieces of a Woman, Promising Young Woman)

Here are my 25 favorite films of the year:

25. Kajillionaire 

Quirky filmmaker Miranda July is back with her first feature in nearly a decade. Kajillionaire is a bizarre but captivating tale about a family of criminal grifters and how the daughter reevaluates her strained relationship with her parents after an outsider is welcomed into the fold. Evan Rachel Wood takes what could have easily been dismissed as a goofy caricature in Old Dolio (yes, that’s her name) and turns into a heartfelt portrayal of a woman whose lifestyle of freeloading dictated by her parents (played by Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins) becomes her own crisis. In many ways, Kajillionaire feels like a fantasy that keeps people asking, “What on earth is going on?” And this time, it’s for the best. 

24. Freaky

Revamping decades-old plots like the body-swapping antics from Freaky Friday can either result in a predictable failure or a surprising success. Thankfully, Freaky falls into the latter category. In this horror comedy, a deranged serial killer (played by Vince Vaughn) swaps bodies with his victim, a timid teen girl (played by Kathryn Newton). What makes the film work though are the dedicated lead performances, particularly by Vaughn, who is pretty convincing as young girl trapped in a grown man’s body. With a few good laughs and decent thrills, Freaky is worth the watch. 

23. The Outpost

The Outpost is an intense film about the real-life story of small group of US troops isolated by surrounding mountains in Afghanistan, under the constant threat of the Taliban, which ultimately comes to a head in the Battle of Kamdesh. The film captures the harrowing experiences of these soldiers with heart-pounding action sequences, which are fueled by a solid cast including Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, and Orlando Bloom. 

22. Uncle Frank

Paul Bettany may be best known for playing The Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he should be celebrated as his title character in Uncle Frank, a touching dramedy set in 1973 about an NYU professor who returns home to his estranged family for his father’s funeral while his niece, played by rising star Sophia Lillis, idolizes him for teaching her to be her authentic self while he keeps his sexuality a secret. Bettany brilliantly balances the coolness of his stature with the internal agony that ultimately hits a boiling point, which is counterbalanced by Peter Macdissi’s fun performance as Frank’s happy-go-lucky lover who accompanies him back home despite his wishes. 

21. Hillbilly Elegy

Hillbilly Elegy was panned by critics over politics that had absolutely no role the film. Based on the best-selling memoir by J.D. Vance, the newest feature from Ron Howard shows the journey of a boy who despite all odds growing up in a poor family that constantly struggled with abuse and addition managed to get into Yale Law School and achieve the American dream. While both Gabriel Basso and Owen Asztalos hold the film together as the younger and older Vance in the present and flashback scenes, Amy Adams as the impulsive, irresponsible mother and an unrecognizable Glenn Close as the no-nonsense inspiring grandmother that turn Hillbilly Elegy into an acting tour de force. 

20. The Trial of the Chicago 7

Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin sits in the director’s chair once again in this courtroom drama about the real-life protesters who showed up in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. With themes that resonate today, The Trial of the Chicago 7 benefits from its sharp screenplay, well-paced editing, and an outstanding ensemble cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Yahoo Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Frank Langella, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Michael Keaton. 

19. Yellow Rose

Broadway actress Eva Noblezada makes her film debut as an aspiring country singer on the run after her mother, an illegal immigrant, is obtained for deportation. Yellow Rose presents a nuanced depiction of US immigration, but at the heart of it is a heartbreaking story of a young woman who struggles between putting her family or her dreams first. Between Noblezada’s powerful performance and solid original music, Yellow Rose hits all the right chords. 

18. Palm Springs

Move over, Groundhog Day. While the Bill Murray classic has largely monopolized the time loop film genre, Palm Springs gives it a run for its money. Andy Sandberg and Cristin Milioti star as the unlikely duo who are stranded reliving the same dreaded wedding day involving mutual acquaintances and their desperate efforts to escape the seemingly inescapable. The Hulu comedy stands on its own two feet for the good laughs, the chemistry between the two leads, and the film’s emotionally-grounded plot.  

17. Let Him Go

Kevin Costner and Diane Lane reunite on the big screen after playing farmer parents in Man of Steel to rancher grandparents in Let Him Go, although this time they are able to display their full acting chops. In this period dramatic thriller, they set out to find their only grandchild following the death of their son only to discover that the widowed daughter-in-law remarried into an infamous crime family. While both Costner and Lane tug at the heartstrings, it’s Lesley Manville, who plays the ruthless matriarch of the family, that really takes command of the screen. Ultimately, Let Him Go is all about family and the lengths one is willing to go to protect it. 

16. Unhinged

In a year plagued by the pandemic, Unhinged led the way to the revival of movie theaters back in August and perhaps in some ways it was meant to be the film to do so as the themes of a rage-fueled society and the lack of human connection carry weight. Russell Crowe stars, as the title suggests, as an unhinged psychopath whose road rage torments a woman and her adolescent son. Unhinged is the epitome of pure entertainment and is why we go to the movies. While it’s not quite the most sophisticated thriller of the year, it’s still one helluva ride. 

15. Emma

Anya Taylor-Joy has had quite the year with both highs (The Queen’s Gambit) and lows (The New Mutants). But it began before the pandemic with the release of Emma, which she stars as the iconic Jane Austen title character, a socialite who meddles in the love life of others while refusing to acknowledge her own shortcomings in that department. Supported with a strong ensemble cast, beautiful production design, and comedic charm, Emma is not to be missed. 

14. The Invisible Man

ln the era of remakes and reboots, very few are as good as Universal’s latest monster flick revival of The Invisible Man. Elisabeth Moss stars as a woman who believes she’s being haunted by her abusive ex-husband, someone she becomes convinced faked his own death and is stalking her without being able to be seen. Filmmaker Leigh Whannell, the writer behind the Saw and Insidious horror franchises, generates good thrills and high-wire tension with the help of high production value and a terrifyingly-good performance from Moss. 

13. Dick Johnson is Dead

Documentarian Kirsten Johnson filmed a beautiful, intimate tribute to her father Dick Johnson, who has been suffering from Alzheimer's in the final years of his life. However, instead of dreading his death, both daughter and father embrace it by having him acting out several scenes of his over-the-top demises. Dick Johnson is Dead may focus on the subject manner of death, but this documentary actually celebrates life and the laughs that happen along the way. 

12. The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Perhaps one of the littlest-known films of the year, The Wolf of Snow Hollow is not your conventional indie comedy horror flick. Writer/director Jim Cummings stars as an overly-heated police officer who attempts to get to the bottom of a string of murders in his small, snowy Utah town by what appears to be some sort of werewolf, though he remains unconvinced. Featuring one of the final performances from veteran actor Robert Forster, The Wolf of Snow Hollow uses its quirky sense of humor to stand out from the rest of the pack. 

11. The Gentlemen 

The Gentlemen is a fun, action-packed, crime caper from Guy Ritchie about the London turf war of drug kingpins. Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Goulding, Michelle Dockery, and Colin Ferrell all round out the strong cast, but its Hugh Grant that really steals the show as the comedically manipulative Fletcher, whose only allegiance is to himself. If you like a stylish film with well-choreographed violence and a fast-paced plot, The Gentlemen should be your cup of tea.  

10. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Some of the best play-to-film adaptations are the films that feel like you’re watching a play, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one of them. Produced by Denzel Washington, Viola Davis gives a transformative performance as Ma Rainey, known as the “mother of the blues” and the clash she had with a pair of White music producers, but she also butts heads with her trumpet player (played by the late Chadwick Boseman), who also has his own music ambitions. While Davis obviously gives other Oscar-worthy performance, it was Boseman who was able to show how incredibly gifted he was as an actor. And while the world lost him far too soon, at least his last role ended up being his greatest. 

9. The Kid Detective

One of the biggest surprises of the year was how good a movie starring and produced by Adam Brody was. Brody plays a washed up former kid detective who attempts to revive his once-celebrated career of solving mysteries by getting to the bottom of a murder in his hometown. The Kid Detective is a brilliant dark comedy from newcomer writer/director Evan Morgan with good laughs, plenty of plot twists, and a career-best performance from Brody, who proves he’s more than just the pretty face from The O.C. we all know him as. 

8. Mank

Citizen Kane is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and Mank is a worthy tribute. Gary Oldman stars as the title character Herman “Mank” Mankiewicz, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind the iconic film. David Fincher (The Social Network, Gone Girl) managed to capture the epic scale of the 1941 classic that would make Orson Welles proud. 

7. Soul

Soul is one of those rare existential Pixar films that goes beyond being children’s entertainment. Following in the footsteps of 2015′s Inside Out, Soul depicts what happens to the soul of a jazz musician who’s convinced his time on Earth isn’t over. While the universe created to explain how souls work and the plot that went along with it falls short of its emotions predecessor, Soul is still high-caliber among Pixar films and a great movie for both kids and adults alike. 

6. Another Round

Perhaps the greatest work from Swedish director Thomas Vinterberg to date, Another Round follows four unsatisfied middle aged men who decide to take a theory of task from a Norwegian psychiatrist, who concluded that maintaining a blood alcohol level of 0.050 will enhance their mental and psychological state. Mads Mikkelsen, who’s best known to American audiences as Hannibal Lecter in the short-lived NBC series Hannibal and the Bond villain in Casino Royale, offers a strong, nuanced performance as one of the four educators who embraces this drinking challenge in a film that provides an equal balance of chuckles, cringes, and emotional gut punches. 

5. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

From the crazy mastermind of Charlie Kaufman, the writer behind Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Anomalisa, his latest on Netflix is too a mind-bender. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a surreal, zany, and at times disturbing examination of the human condition as the nameless female protagonist played by an incredible Jessie Buckley mulls over breaking up with her boyfriend (played by Jesse Plemons) while visiting his parents’ house. Accompanied with a stellar production design and a crazy-good performance from Toni Collette as “Mother,” Kaufman newest cerebral feature lives up to his iconic reputation of filmmaking. 

4. Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee is one of the few genius filmmakers who is able to blend multiple genres together and his latest film is no different. Da 5 Bloods is an action adventure, buddy comedy, dramatic character study, and war movie all wrapped up into one about a group of Vietnam War veterans who return to the former battlegrounds to find the remains of one of their fallen soldiers as well as some treasure that they kept hidden years ago. With a strong ensemble cast that includes the late Chadwick Boseman, its longtime character actor Delroy Lindo who steals the show with his powerful performance. Da 5 Bloods is easily one of Netflix’s strongest films to date. 

3. The Assistant

One of the first #MeToo-era films, The Assistant offers the day in the life of a low-level female staffer of a production company who is haunted by the presence of her Harvey Weinstein-like boss (who never actually appears in the film). However, rather than depicting the dramatics of sexual misconduct, The Assistant uses the common subtleties and nuances of the workplace yet maintains the same tension and heartbreak. Anchored by the remarkable, devastating performance by up-and-comer Julia Garner (Ozark), The Assistant is as important as it is well-done. 

2. Sound of Metal

Riz Ahmed gives the performance of his career as a heavy metal drummer and former addict whose sudden battle with going deaf upends his life. Sound of Metal is an incredible experience that gives a rare glimpse in the American deaf community which is enhanced by the remarkable sound design that helps the audience actually hear what the musician is going through. It’s truly one of the most rewarding films of the year. 

1. The Climb

The Climb takes the generic “man sleeps with his best friend’s fiancé” storyline and turns it on its head. In his feature debut as writer and director, Michael Angelo Covino leads as the not-so-apologetic adulterer Mike and Kyle Marvin, who co-wrote the film, is the good-hearted Kyle who struggles to whether or not to forgive his best friend’s ultimately betrayal. Not only is The Climb is quirky and hilariously written, it’s a remarkably well-made comedy with some of the year’s best cinematography. Between a strong cast, a superb screenplay, and the extremely-high production value, The Climb is at the top of the mountain of 2020′s best films. 

[thegreyreylo]

Why I did NOT like Stranger Things 4  - SPOILERS AHEAD

Queer baiting - Do I need to explain? 

Lack of answers - With every single season of a show they need to start the show with questions and end the show with answers. This is what makes a season satisfying. It has resolution, a full and complete answer. Note: New questions for the next season can be brought up but the questions the season started with need to be answered. 

Examples of questions that were answered: Will Eleven get her powers back? Yes, she does. Does the death of Billy affect Max? Yes, it does she’s depressed. 

Examples of questions that were left unanswered: Nancy and Jonathon’s relationship destiny? Does Steve finally get a new romantic partner? Does Robin finally get a new romantic partner? Does anyone’s parents beside Hopper and Joy care where their kids are? How do gates open? 

Everyone is stupid - You are telling me an ENTIRE TOWN just totally accepts that there was an earthquake and some how this earthquake glows red and grows black vines? What? Are you serious? I get it - the writers want everyone to think you have to play DND to figure out if something supernatural is going on but come on. There is no way that town would be that calm. The constant assumption that everyone outside of the inner circle are dumb idiots is exhausting. 

Pace Issues - A movie lengthened finale that had virtually no real tension breaks. It was high intensity non-stop in the end with a 30 minute montage essentially of everyone being sad. It’s fatiguing as a viewer. 

Commitment Issues - COMMIT TO YOUR DECISIONS. My god, listen, we were given foreshadowing for an entire season that Max was going to die. I was completely ok with it until Eleven “revived” her. Writers, have the spine to kill the character. This is just one instance of them lacking the spine to follow through with the plot they set up. They preached and preached about a darker season - ok, give me dark. Don’t give me “loop holes.” I can barely talk about Eddie without wanting to throw things but what a waste they did bringing in such a great character only to dispose of him to traumatize Dustin.

Plot Holes Galore - Circling back to why Max had to die. She really didn’t. I get it, the writer’s dream is to have Hawkins get completely submerged with the upside down. We all got that. But One just needed to kill one more person. He had Nancy, and he could’ve killed her. In fact, that would’ve been a spectacular, jaw dropping plot twist that would’ve sent all the heroes reeling. But instead, we get coma Max and a twenty minute dying scene that was nothing short of traumatic for everyone involved. 

Don’t even get me started with how Will is “feeling” him again. I swear we didn’t watch them torture a dummy for nothing. 

Grief P*rn - I swear, if they had cut out 90% of the grief p*rn this season, it would’ve gotten rid of at least 3 hours worth of staring at the camera in grief. 

Weak Plot Lines - Mike, Will, Argyle and Jonathon got about 5 minutes of interesting plot line and 8 hours of sitting in a van. Their dialogue was by far the weakest outside of Jonathon being a great person to his little brother. They had no real job other than “find Eleven” and “drive Eleven”. Come on. 

I’ll get off my soapbox now, but this is the 24 hour reaction period and i’m just disappointed. NONE of this is the cast’s fault. 

[captain-sodapop]

Your essay on why Sam is the protagonist is awesome. Thank you so much for writing it! Do you read lol-jackles here? He said the same thing for years but no where near as detailed as your post. I think lol-jackles saved my sanity because he's an objective fan that cut through the endless crap by AAs and minions insisting Sam is not important and SPN is all about Destiel now.

Thank you! Looks like my English major just might pay off.

I have read lol-jackles before, and while I don't claim any knowledge on showbusiness and may not come at everything he says from the same angle (he has a few stances I disagree with), at least when it comes to the actual show itself, I often agree with him. He's a lot more objective about what the show itself is actually trying to do and has a more general audience view of it, and I really appreciate that. While I definitely participate in spn fandom, I feel like I've always tried to be as objective as I can be with any piece of media I consume, and it's always been clear to me that Sam was supposed to be the protagonist, and trying to change that makes the show weaker. And I'm never going to come for anybody for having a favorite character besides the protagonist, that's totally okay, but that doesn't mean the story is going to suddenly revolve around your fave. It can't. Sam establishes a desire in the pilot, not Dean. Certainly not Cas or Jack. Doesn't mean they don't have them, but they don't have the same goal as Sam, who was vocal about his wants from the beginning and pushed the story forward. That's why he gets mytharcs and bigger stories, and why those bigger stories are more successful when he's the one carrying them. Sam is ultimately the hero of SPN. The tragedies that occur and the losses he experience are to not only push him and his story forward or create obstacles, but the hurt we as an audience experience in watching those losses proves to us that they were important, that we cared, and that not only Sam but the audience can survive and persevere through tragedy.

Honestly, a big part of why I don't like Destiel (besides the things I listed in that one post) is that it doesn't feel like a storyline Cas and Dean can carry. Unreciprocated romance is an interesting storyline for sure, or however you view that confession scene, but it ultimately serves no purpose and was sort of just...poorly executed fanservice, on all sides of it. When Sam has a romance, it's attention-grabbing. Only one episode with Madison and a few episodes with Eileen - far less episodes than Castiel or Dean are involved in - but it's hard to ignore because it's Sam. Everything he does carries a little extra weight because it's his story. We wonder if this is the person who will get him out of this situation that he hates. Destiel has a lot of issues, but one of the big ones is that it doesn't support the story or protagonist in any way. It's just sort of this weird standalone thing between two deuteragonists. Now, that's not to say that characters besides the protagonist shouldn't have romantic entanglements or drama of their own - they should, absolutely - but it doesn't affect Sam or the story in any way. And like I said, Castiel's whole arc was about finding purpose and belonging, and in 15x15, he finally says aloud that he found that in being Jack's father and creating this family. There. Done. Doesn't mean he has to be dead, but once he finds that, he needs to be serving the story and getting it and Sam to the finish line. That's another reason the confession scene is so clunky and out of place: it feels like it's trying to retcon Cas's storyline. Plus, it gave Bob Berens another excuse to villainize and kill off a black woman's character, so there's an real-world ick factor to it, too.

And when they tried to make Dean take on the protagonist role in seasons 9 and 10? Hooboy. That is just not something Dean's character is built to do. He's a hero, sure, but he's not the hero of the show. His season-and-a-half mytharc slows the show down to a crawl because not only is it just incessant misery porn, it distracts the audience and characters from the show's main goal, which is to try and get Sam what he wants. Dean's biggest desire in those seasons is simply to rid himself of the Mark. That can't drive the show. The storyline does affect Sam and hinders his ability to get what he wants, but he and his desires are so out of the spotlight that it doesn't feel like he's even really involved. Dean is a very fun, interesting character, very blustery and full of stupid one-liners, but he generally sticks to the script. Sam is the one who usually rips up the storyline: he's the one who broke free of Lucifer to jump in the Cage, who was often shown in leadership roles, who figured Chuck out and was the one in the final season who kept dodging his traps. He breaks the mold again and again as he pushes to get to his final goal, and with the help of the other main characters, he finally does that.

Also, from what I've gathered, the SPN writer's room was incredibly disjointed. Buckleming apparently didn't even write their episodes together, and they're a writing team. So I think part of the reason people squabble over this and AAs/minions/hellers think they can claim Dean and/or Cas are protagonists is because the writers themselves - especially in later seasons - lost a lot of focus. The stories aren't quite as tight as they were earlier in the show's run. I also find it funny that if this John and Mary spinoff ever gets off the ground, it seems that Jensen/Dean still won't be the protagonist - just the narrator. Again, like Aaron Burr: he may be the one giving his perspective, he may be a main character, but the things he wants and his character still won't be driving the story. And that's because that's just not what Dean Winchester was made to do.

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

In the end of it all, Monaca Towa was still a child.

To start this off, this isn't my usual Black Butler posts but ive been meaning to talk about Danganronpa for a hot minute, so please bear with me! Second, this is solely my opinion and before anyone wants to attack me please read thoroughly first. Thank you:)

(Spoiler warning for Danganronpa: Ultra Despair Girls and Danganronpa 3)

Also, before we dive in I'm going to list some trigger warnings:

Physcological abuse

Physical abuse

Manipulation

P*dophillia

Suicide attempt

Violence (?)

Childhood trauma

Please take care and read at your own risk<3

Hello there Danganronpa fandom! Today I will be talking about Monaca Towa (as stated in the title) and how people often minimize her trauma and sometimes forget the fact that shes still a child who got heavily manipulated by Junko too.

Monaca is seemingly very amiable and caring, because of her charming personality, all of the Warriors of Hope love her and try their best to keep her happy and go along with what she wants. However, it's slowly revealed that she is actually manipulative and cunning behind her friendly facade.

Monoca is a character that is cruel, manipulative, and extremly unhinged. Many of her actions cannot be excused or justified, but you can understand where she's coming from.

Monaca's Backstory:

She was born an unwanted child by both her father and her mother. Monaca's mother was supposed to take care of her but instead abandoned the child soon after her birth. Because of all her actions, Monaca saw her mother as a completely selfish and pathetic person. Monaca's father thought of giving her to an orphanage but instead took her into his family.

However, Monaca was always unwanted and everyone else felt uncomfortable around her. Every time Monaca smiled or joked, the others looked at her coldly, as if she didn't deserve to laugh. Every time she spoke, the others turned silent. His older-half brother thought of her as an alien, not part of the family.

She was also physically abused to the point that she pretended to be seriously wounded for them to stop as a result.

Monaca also attended Hope's Peak Elementary School and was part of the "trouble-makers class" along with Nagisa, Masaru, Jataro, and Kotoko.

Along with her fellow abused classmates, she planned a group suicide; however, Monaca never had any plans to commit suicide in the first place and was planning to let the others die as a prank.

The group suicide was stopped by Junko, who took the kids in and manipulated them by treating them with kindness and love.

Monaca then helped Junko mass produce Monokumas for the Tragedy by using her position as a representative of the Towa Group.

She lied to her father and the other adults in order to produce the Monokumas, telling them that she wanted to create futuristic robots that could be domestic helpers and emergency aid workers.

Due to her separation from the family and her genius, her family decided to give her leg room to do what she wanted as long as she brought in profits to the company, and didn't delve too deeply into her plans.

Things to keep in mind about Monoca's backstory:

She was emotionally and physically abused from a very young age.

She started to pretend to be paraplegic because she was finally treated with some kindness and she could have more control over people.

She convinced Nagisa, Jataro, Kotoko and Masaru to commit suicide.

Out of all the Warriros of Hope, Junko took the most intrest in Monoca due to her position, meaning that she was the one who got used and manipulated the most.

How Monoca's mindset works:

The moment she got physically abused to the point that she had to fake her injuries to make her family feel bad was the moment she learned that through sympathy from others comes power. Due to her families neglection and abuse, she started to quickly pick up on things in which benefited her yet hurt others.

She started to use manipulative tactics on her family to gain control over them. She then started implicating these tactics with the Warriors of Hope.

When Junko got into the picture, everything changed for the worst. Junko was the only person in Monaca's life who showed her affection. Even though deep down Monaca knew Junko only cared for her as a means to use her robotics genius for the Tragedy, Monaca didn't care, and happily helped out Junko with her plans if it meant being loved and appreciated in return. At the heart of it, despite all her horrific acts, that's a very child-like thing to do, right? So when Junko dies, Monaca's entire reason for living basically disappears.

AI Junko via Kurokuma may have planted the idea of a successor in her head, but in Monaca's mind it's a way to get her big sis back, and very specifically chooses to mold Komaru into becoming Junko's successor. That's for a big reason, Monaca doesn't want to become Junko, I'd say she actually just wanted her big sister back who would love and appreciate her again, and hence tried to make someone else take on that role initially. Once again, that's the mindset of a child.

Monaca's relationship with the Warriors of Hope:

The Warriors of Hope are a group of children who are extremely resentful and hateful of adults, regardless of whether or not they were involved in their rough paths. 

We all know that the Warriros of Hope are extememly tramutized kids. Masaru had alcoholic parents who physically abused him, Jataro was physcologically abused to the point he bealived he was so ugly that if anyone saw his "repulsive" face they would die, Kotoko was r*ped multiple times by disgusting p*dophilic men (not to mention, Monaca's brother was attracted to her), and last but not least we have Nagisa who had pressuring parents who wanted to raise him as the child prodigy and expirimented on him constantly.

Monaca used the Warriros of Hope's trauma against them, manipulating them to the point were they had to do her bidding completly.

As much as I hate to say it, Monaca truly saw them as pawns. Although there are some instances where she openly declares her care for the Warriors of Hope, it's likely she does that as a form of emotional manipulation.

If anything, she probably did see them as equal in the beginning but then when she started to gain control over her own family, she started to do the same with the Warriors of Hope as a way to protect herself from getting hurt, then again this is my baseless assumption.

Her dynamic with Nagito:

Monaca was amused by Nagito's strange behavior and contradicting beliefs and appeared to be somewhat annoyed with him at the times. However, the two appeared to at least seemingly respect each other in some way, as they treated each other somewhat formally as allies.

Her dynamic with Nagito is one of the most intresting ones. Obviously I think that her being rasied by Nagito was potentially a dangerous thing, considering Nagito's goal was for Monaca to become Enoshima's successor. Monaca seemed to agree with this goal, but Nagito's constant rambling about hope and despair made Monaca bored and feel embarrassed about the whole thing.

She claims he made her an adult in a way, as she grew up in the mental sense and became more cynical and apathetic, not really caring about anything.

In the end, Monaca found Nagito creepy and annoying, but she also appeared to get closer to him during their time together, while originally calling him just "Mister Servant" in UDG, she later refers to him as "Big Bro" in Danganronpa 3. I do think their dynamic was sort of soft and I would've loved to have seen more of it. Honestly the concept of Nagito being a soft brother to Monaca warms my heart, and the wasted potential will forever anger me.

(If any Danganronpa fanfic writer or any writer in general is reading this post: if u could be so kind and do a PLATONIC Nagito and Monaca prompt and tag me in it, I would love you forever!!)

My opinion on Monaca:

I think that Monaca was a very well-written character who deserved more than what she got in the end of Danganronpa 3. She was abused, mistreated and belittled by her family. If anything, I see her as a completely misguided little girl. If she actually had a positive authoritative influence in her life, she wouldn't have turned astray.

A lot of people disregard Monaca's trauma and forget that at the end of the day, Monaca was a child who the moment she was born, the people who were supposed to love her were unwelcoming.

Don't get me wrong though, there is no way in hell I will ever justify or condone the things Monaca has done. If anything, I just think that she alongside the rest of the Warriors of Hope should've been properly taken care of.

Also, if you dislike/hate Monaca thats 100% valid! She did a lot of inexcusable things and its alright to hate on her. I personally love her character but I know she is not everyones cup of tea.

If you read all the way, I'm actually surprised! Thank you and I hope you enjoyed<333