#which honestly epic. but also why do i get do i get away with that where other ‘girls’ don’t

[lilgynt]

something something being the taller heavier woman of color of most groups socializing me as the boy of the group but flip side being a taller heavier Girl of color only really getting a chance with femininity through overt sexualization so now im a boy who fantasizes about carrying heavy stuff for older women in a skirt

[skruttet]

What are your thoughts on s4? Personally I was actually kind of disappointed, a lot of the characters felt... off?? Not like themselves. Snufkin really didn't appear much and the Comet Episode was confusing and wasn't really all that Book-Accurate... And Snufkin got the 90s Movie treatment :(

Like there were definitely scenes and a few episodes I liked, but overall I feel weird about the season. And I'm curious what your thoughts are.

I will say that overall, I was disappointed.

To be fair to the series though, it arguably largely stems from my personal expectations and hopes? The two biggest disappointments for me were Joxter and Snufkin not meeting, and snufmin's relationship.

The Joxter stuff on the whole I adored, and really could never have dreamed of happening. Just seeing him - or any of the Oshun Oxtra crew, really! - interacting with the characters in "modern day" is great. And then he reunited with Mymble and it was so exciting, and then Little My started wondering about him and Snufkin, and then-! ...They didn't meet. Honestly baffles me why they'd give us so much fanservice but not include probably the main thing most fans would want to see with Joxter. Also interesting that they're afraid to even touch Snufkin's issues with family but they KEEP bringing up Little My's.

The snufmin thing surprised me because my expectations were LOW; during the wait I kept telling people not to get their hopes up, that snufmin would never be explicitly "canon", etc. And I still say they would never do anything explicit with them, however, I was expecting at least for the relationship to be on the same level as it was in season 3, but it seemed to take a step down unfortunately. I wanted more romantic subtext, more hints that something was up between them, and for about the first 4 episodes I thought Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden were finally just interacting as friends and I was hopeful, but unfortunately it was soon clear that they were still supposed to be romantically linked. To their credit, Moomintroll and Snufkin's relationship does maintain some of the development it grew throughout the series, and it funnily ends up presenting it almost as one-sided on Snufkin's side; he's now so much more openly affectionate and patient with Moomintroll, and their communication is a whole lot better, but the latter continues to pursue Snorkmaiden instead. I think Snufkin himself feels so mellowed out in this season, like he's no longer fighting against his own feelings or pulling away from others as much, which is nice to see (though I can see others complaining he's too out-of-character compared to his original counterpart, which is understandable, but I'm personally fine with the characters being "different versions" of themselves in adaptations).

Another disappointment for me was, like you mentioned, the Comet finale... it just wasn't as epic as I thought it'd be, and the stakes weren't high from the start, and after the journey was over the rest of the episode taking place in the valley was a bit dull and directionless. And inaccuracies from the book I expect by this point, but I'm personally not a fan of the ending change with them all just waiting outside to die but the Groke sacrificing herself but actually this is a family show so she's actually alive yaay 😂 Just a bit strange and not the send-off I was quite hoping for.

On the positive side, I LOVED Mamma and Pappa this season. Moominpappa kinda stole the show, and whilst the creators clearly favoured him in past seasons, in this one he finally lost that meanness he sometimes had in s1-3, so he was just a delight to watch.

The guest stars and characters were fabulous, which is a bittersweet thing as it makes it all the more sad that this is the final season and it's all we'll see of them.

The animation and music and sound and acting were all as wonderful as they always are. The crew did such a great job and it's a shame the story decisions dampened the experience for me.

[writing-for-life]

Michael Zulli: Death, Dream and Hob

Now, I know fandom bends over backwards to make this about Dreamling and often slots its meaning in during/after The Wake (or at least hinting at it because of the meeting with Death), but I honestly can’t see it?

I personally believe we need to step back a bit here and consider that this was painted long before the TV show, and Dreamling wasn’t really a thing (at least not in these epic proportions, plus it was always fanon, not canon), hence we can’t really do art analysis through that lens.

If you just put the 1689 meeting (also drawn by Zulli) right next to it, it becomes, at least to me, so blatantly obvious that it is set in the same timeframe. Hob wears nearly identical clothes, so does Dream (also, some of the original comics have been recoloured).

The woman at the table next to them holding the mask? Hm, there’s a famous artwork by Colleen Doran in which Death holds a mask, and she definitely seems to be listening in here. Which she might, considering the conversation Dream and Hob had in 1689. Could obviously also just be a random person covering up smallpox scars 🤣

In the grand scheme of things, I don’t think it matters so much whether Hob already met Death or not and would recognise her, it’s the symbolism of talking to her at this point more than anything.

So would it be totally outlandish to think the missing glass is also for Eleanor? Hence the red roses as well, because Zulli hardly ever uses red roses for Dream apart from one exception (he does so for Daniel though)—they tend to be blue and always hold connotations to grief, I wrote about this before. Or better: Symbolic for all those who aren’t at the table with him? And that’s why Death is there? Both for those she has taken, but also because this is very obviously the point where Hob is at his lowest and might rethink. 

I think we really have to think about where Hob is in his life here and not erase Eleanor and his kids again. “To absent friends AND lost loves”, right?

And I can’t look at that angel holding the table and not get references to pregnancy/childbirth (Eleanor and the second baby died during childbirth).

As for the raven looking away/pointing away from the table: Foreboding? Because apart from being Dream’s ravens, ravens were also associated with Apollo, who was also the god of prophecy and an oracle himself. That’s why Apollo himself eventually released Orpheus from his existence as one—long story (plus, Aristeas, who was also Dream’s raven, was Apollo’s raven in Greek mythology. Plus Apollo was also Orpheus’ father in some retellings. It’s all interwoven, but I feel the foreboding is a significant thing here for exactly that reason).

And foreboding-foreboding, of course Death and Hob meet again, and by that time, Morpheus will be gone, and the missing glass is also for himself.

I wrote about Zulli and his symbolism a few times, it’s all linked in my pinned post, but the ruins are one of the less subtle references:

[galactic-rhea]

possibly the most obvious ship i could send for the ask meme but anidala/vaderdala!

ohohoh of course, them!!!!

when I started shipping it if I did:

Probably since I started watching TCW and saw some fanarts! Which I know it's a bit odd because most people apparently dislike them in TCW (and yeah, when I finally watched the movies I get why!), but that very first iteration of them in i think, the second episode of TCW with them kissing in an enemy ship, with Obi-Wan a few metres away, and all because she randomly ran into danger, was very, very fun to me, so I shipped them in a "they're dorks" way.

Then a saw all the epic tragedy romance stuff and, yeah, i'm sold.

my thoughts:

I think I have said it before, but there's something very "bigger than life" about their romance, which is what kept me hooked beyond "is just funny". They're extremelly passionate people, with the height of the world on their shoulders, and with sides of them that no one but the other knew about each other. Particularly with Padmé becuase she's very cold and compossed most of the time (it's her politician facade!). Anakin overall is just very painfully obvious and easy to read, but he still kept many things from the world, and Padmé knew most of that iceberg, so to speak, and they still loved each other madly despite the ugly side.

What makes me happy about them:

They're just,,,very romantic and silly! When they're actually together and in a situation where they're allowed to relax, they're just very dumb and in love 😆 I think what it makes me so happy about them is that you could tell how happy they were with each other, despite being so miserable most of the time, they just loved each other so much and that's nice.

What makes me sad about them:

This doesn't need answer, lmao 😭😂 But yeah, the,,,tragedy and damnation, Anakin turning on her despite doing all of that for her on the first place hurts so much

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I'll be honest, I haven't read that many fics that focus anidala? At least no yet, it's been less than a year since a got into this. But I guess it could be that,,,many times they're tagged and then in the fic it's barely mentioned, like sometimes it will be just Anakin randomly thinkin "ah yes, padmé" lol

Another thing could be that,,,ehhh Padmé rendered to just girlboss/dominatrix/ the one that just gives Anakin a glare to keep him on check as if he's a manchild. And the diametrically opposite of this which is just sad, crying, poor wife in a domestic abusive situation and Anakin being the epitiome of Evil Bad Boy Sexy Cool Kidnapper

things I look for in fanfic:

Honestly i just want them being fairly in-character, I feel like they're very easily misinterpreted. But again, everyone has a different opinon on them, I guess, so -shrugs- Probably more situations in which Anakin is the one kidnapped/wounded/in danger and Padmé has to do something about it, so hurt/comfort!

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Ah....-scratches head- They're so obssesed with each other that it's hard for me to think about that. Like, sometimes I fancy for the giggles and jokes some other ships for them in like a passing crush way, like Anakin and Rex, or Padmé and Breha, but, their narratives are so damn tangled into each other's that it's hard to, but that's just me.

My happily ever after for them:

Anakin leaves the order, Padmé steps away from politics and run away to Naboo to raise their twins, like they always wanted 🥺

Alternatively, I like to believe their ghosts are very happilly looking over Luke and Leia,,,,,,,and also haunting and scaring some random privileged senators passing awful bills in Coruscant. They love writing messages on mirrors with red lipstick

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

I think Padmé likes to be the big spoon just to more easily bite and headbutt him. But they switch, i suppose, because I'm sure Anakin sometimes just really really wants to hpld her.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Domestic: Just talking, the most boring and mundane stuff, but they just like talking.

Not so domestic: These two are wild souls, they probably enjoy randomly rushing to help some planet/cause/random battle, whatever. In an ideal scenario, this usually means rushing into the ship to go and bail their children out of jail, organize a heist, or a little slave liberation. While holding hands.

[turtle-bun]

“This iteration of the Turtles and this iteration of the Turtles wouldn’t get along cuz of this!” “These two iterations wouldn’t get along because of that!”

FUCK YOU THEY ARE ALL BEST FRIENDS THAT SUPPORT EACH OTHER CUZ I SAY SO!!

(Please note I wrote this BEFORE watching Mutant Mayhem which is why they aren’t in it. I just forgot to post it lol 😅)

Rise!Leo: You all are so stern and serious. I feel like I should start being more stern and serious. Should I?

BatmanVs!Leo: Please don’t, it’ll be hell on your already waning mental health. /hj

Bayverse!Leo: I feel we need at least one funny Leo to break up the collective seriousness of the rest of us.

87 Leo: I thought me and my brothers counted as the “funny” version of all of us?

12 Leo: You guys are more of a “silly” version of us…sillier? Like the concept of turtles being ninjas is already silly as it is. Which there is nothing wrong with that, just that your cartoon logic is just very hard to keep up with sometimes.

87 Leo: That’s understandable.

Mirage Leo: I’m just jealous that you all get to be in color. Black and white gets so boring once you learn there’s color!

07 Leo: But your universe does have this cool graphic design to it that I’M very jealous of.

03 Leo: Of course, you fucking would be you dramatic edgelord. /j

07 Leo: I know the fucking EMO of the group did not just call me an edgelord! /j

Rise!Leo: Omg we love an E-girl!

12 Leo: *wheeze of laughter*

---

87 Raph: I just don’t think it’s fair that you guys get to be tall, is all! It’s discrimination! /hj

12 Raph: Practically working against your own kind! /j

Rise!Raph: *snorts* I don’t think that’s a bodily function we can control you guys!

Bayverse!Raph: It was a conscious decision on my end.

Rise!Raph: *chokes with laughter*

87 Raph: You goddamn bastard! /j

Bayverse!Raph: Cope and seeth my dude.

07 Raph: Now look, 87 I know it’s very difficult, especially for you, but we gotta be the bigger person here.

87 Raph: I will kick your goddamn ass, kid!

03 Raph: Well, good for you in being the bigger person. I will continue to be small and petty my entire life!

*Collective snorting laughter from all Raphs*

87 Raph: No, no, wait! You are not allowed to be funnier than me!

03 Raph: Tough break, shorty, I have to have SOMETHING other than punching shit.

87 Raph: Take up knitting! I don’t care! Just keep away from my bit! That’s like my entire personality! /hj

03 Raph: See you joke about that but I am fucking GREAT at knitting!

Bayverse!Raph: Amen to that! I ain’t spend half my damn life in the Hashi and NOT be able to knit a fucking epic scarf!

---

07 Donnie: Are you saying I worked a 9 to 5 job FOR NOTHING!

BatmanVs!Donnie: I honestly did not think that embezzling funds from rich corporate assholes plus the Shredder and his Foot Clan was an actual option we had!

12 Donnie: I am actually so mad that I did not think of that!

Rise!Donnie: Honestly, I didn’t think of it until like a few years back because our dad is still, somehow, getting royalties from his Lou Jitsu movie days. But I also have expensive taste in equipment and needed a little pocket change.

03 Donnie: I could have actually bought a Play Station when it came out instead of having to fix up the broken one Mikey found in the dump!

87 Donnie: I’m just now realizing how much stuff we had to make from scratch just because we couldn’t afford it.

Rise!Donnie: That’s true. But like also you guys still made a bunch of cool stuff with JUST junk you found! That’s amazing!

Bayverse!Donnie: Thanks but we could have made even cooler stuff if we had your type of funding. I mean, look at this shit! *excitingly pointing at Rise!Donnie’s battle shell*

Rise!Donnie: Please understand that YOU have made holo-screen, intercom, wrist watches, that connect to your motherboard home computer. All of which you MADE WITH JUNK! How is that not amazing?!

07 Donnie: Amazing for you probably. But if I were to do that shit myself I wouldn’t sleep for a week!

BatmanVs!Donnie: I second that! One sugar daddy please!

Rise!Donnie: *wheeze of laughter*

---

03 Mikey: I still can't believe you met freaking BATMAN! Like holy shit dude!

12 Mikey: *sobbing* I’m so jealous! I’m forever jealous!

BatmanVs!Mikey: Yeah, it was pretty cool. But YOU (03 Mikey) met the entire Justice Force! And became a member! Your legacy was so awesome Silver Sentry’s grandson took up your name!

03 Mikey: Yeah but you road in the BATMOBILE and got to press all the buttons!

Bayverse!Mikey: *sulking on the floor* LIFE ISN’T FAIR AND I HATE IT HERE!

Rise!Mikey: *pouting* I never get to meet my heroes! And when I do they turn out to be insane!

12 Mikey: Bro same! Chris Brandford was just a giant jerk!

87 Mikey: Bugman was pretty cool, though maybe a little weird. Still, he was no Justice Force or Batman!

07 Mikey: *whining* I just want the life you have! Why does god ALWAYS have favorites?!

Ronin!Mikey: *dramatic sigh of jealousy* He truly does.

[sevensees7]

i need to yap about scylla and why it's the best song in all of epic the musical for a moment. i'm not knowledgable with music theory nor am i a lyricist, i know absolutely nothing about music other than 'it sounds good,' so sorry if i use the wrong music terms here!

not lyric related like the rest of this post, but can we just appreciate how the song tries to lull you into a sense of security with the light instrumental and vocals at the beginning, yet the synth adds a strange sense that something's not quite right? no? just me?

what's so awesome is that every. single. lyric. in this song is negative. not a single thing is positive.

SO STARTING FROM THE BEGINNING:

"the lair of scylla" we tend to associate lair with villain, aka a dangerous thing/place, so just from that word you know something is wrong.

"this is our only way home" implies that this path they must go through is dangerous, something bad is gonna happen

"you're quiet today" "not much to say" trying to be kind and bring up the mood -> immediately shot down. OR being passive aggressive -> mood is down from the start. depends on how you interpret it honestly.

"you hide a reason for shame" you're ashamed by your secret and the way eurylocus immediately says "i have a secret i can no longer keep" (which is also implied to be negative based on the increasingly desperate tone) proves that.

"you know that we are the same" you + implied monster = same, probably not great.

even if you hadn't listened to any other song, due to the 'drop' and "i am so sorry," you know that eurylocus opening the wind bag was a massive mistake in some way.

"leaving them feeling betrayed, breaking the bonds that you've made, there is no price we won't pay, we both know what it takes to survive" = you betrayed and deeply hurt those around you for your own survival, selfish motivations.

"forgive me" no response, again no positivity allowed, despite how much eury tries!

THEN, THEN THE FUCKING FULL SPEED AHEAD PART

in full speed ahead, it's hopeful and happy! "ithacas waiting, my kingdom is waiting, penelopes waiting for me so full speed ahead!" = i wanna see my people, and most importantly my loved ones, as soon as i can so row fast! everyone is desperate to get to ithaca and you can hear it in their voices, ody almost sounds like he's tearing up at the idea. the last big full speed ahead, it's all coordinated, all the crew members are harmonizing, they wanna get the island over and done with so they can get home and see their own loved ones too, just like ody!

but in scylla, at first they try to harmonize again like before, but they mess up, they've gone through so much that they're hearts just arent in it as much as they used to be. they're tired, they want to get home, it's just that now that wish seems so far away. they stumble and say "full speed ahead" over each other to show how uncoordinated they are, HOW DISTRUSTFUL THEY ARE OF NOT ONLY ODY BUT QUITE POSSIBLY THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS! cause who knows what they were thinking when eurylocus confessed he opened the bag! did they know he opened it and were upset the truth finally came to light by the man himself? were they unaware and thus surprised at the confession, adding even more chaos to their attempted harmony? both??

"deep down, we only care for ourselves" speaking to both ody and eury, we're all selfish inside. we care only for our survival at the end of the day. ody will do whatever it takes to get himself home, foreshadowing later events, while eurylocus was deeply selfish in wanting to know what was in the bag (and possibly hinting toward mutiny?)

"eurylocus, light up six torches" despite being said in a somewhat ominous tone, you can't really dechipher the intentions behind this order. it's mysterious with said with no emotion, like ody is already disassociating and running on autopilot. he's making himself as emotionless as possible as to not feel guilty of his actions. he needs to do this, he can't regret it for even a second, he can't second guess himself and wonder if this is the right option, he just needs to do it.

"deep down, we're lonely demons from hell" i don't think i really need to explain this. we're selfish, we're cruel, and we're lonely, especially the crew on the ship - they've been away from their families for a decade, trust in their captain is getting weaker, and they don't realize scylla is warning the crew of both her and odysseus' intentions. they haven't accepted themselves to be monsters, they're oblivious to her words, hence why they only sing "deep down." she is telling everyone that he's selfish and will betray them if it benefits him.

scylla and ody have accepted they're monsters, they're one in the same. he's gonna sacrifice six of his crew so he can get home, and she's gonna accept those sacrifices, both doing so for their own personal, selfish desire to survive.

"captain, something approaches" very...neutral, but based on everything so far, you know it can't be good. interesting note: something approaches, not someone approaches. you're never told what scylla looks like, all you know is that she doesn't appear human enough to warrant a someone. i adore the immediate contrast between her polite "hello" and the imposing instrumentals that follow, like something terrible, whatever just greeted us, is revealing itself. her voice isn't as human as it was previously, but she's still somewhat kind. perhaps she has some humanity still in her, but scylla, like odysseus, has let her monsterous side practically consume her. once more, they're the same - they don't want to do this, but will anyway. OR she's mocking them, saying "hello" as a way to show she's intelligent, a cunning monster just like ody is.

the fact that we're never given a hint as to what this monster looks like other than she's an intelligent and can growl is perfect horror, there's nothing more terrifying to a human than the unknown. "row for your lives!" two directions could be taken with this line: either ody is genuinely scared or simply pretending. either way, i think that in this moment, odysseus is trying to get the ship out of there so no more lives are taken then necessary. if it's the first option, he didn't know more about scylla other than a cost needed to be made so actually seeing her made him forget his goal and focus on the survival of him and his crew for a moment. if not, then this line may have also been him being selfish, you row for your lives so i can get home. fully up to interpretation! one more thing with this, i find it interesting how odysseus doesn't say full speed ahead? now this could absolutely be a stretch, but i think there's a reason he doesn't; he is so disconnected from his crew, so set on a selfish goal that him never saying "full speed ahead" (like that section tries to set up) is a betrayal in and of itself. his goals aren't aligned with the crews anymore - "i want to get home" vs "we want to get home." NOW WE GET TO SCYLLAS PART - credits to a comment i read in the song's comment section (written by thomasdeclerc18310) cause i would have never realized this if not for that. screenshot of that comment is below the cut! in her first verse, she's talking to the crew:

"drown in your sorrow and fears" they feel sorrow as their own captain willingly, unbeknownst to them, sacrifices them. they feel fear when being attacked by a nightmarish monster. "choke on your blood and your tears" exactly what it sounds like, they're crying from the betrayal as she kills them.

"bleed 'till you run out of years" they die, maybe even bleeding out on the ship or in her stomach as we aren't told what's happening. we can hear the screams of the crew, we know she's attacking, but the how is a complete mystery. "we must do what it takes to survive" scylla is selfish, she must do what it takes to survive. she's speaking for all monsters here, as well as her other heads (though if you know nothing about her, you wouldn't know this).

in the second verse? now she's talking to odysseus:

"give up your honor and faith" ody is officially letting go of his morals both as a king and a captain when he sacrifices them, he loses his personal honor and faith in himself, as does the crew. "live up your live as a wraith" ody will live the rest of his life crushed by guilt and regret. he will be a ghost of his former self when he returns to ithaca.

"die in the blood where you bathe" odysseus is portrayed to be bathing in the blood of all the dead men he's gotten killed. as well, she could be speaking to the dying crew and eurylocus, as the latter's actions got 557 men killed by poseidon. "we must do what it takes to survive" both odysseus and scylla.

then as the last man is murdered, the intrumentals relax. we think we're finally safe until we hear scylla one last time: "we are the same you and i." once more, she's repeating that she and odysseus are the same. and he agrees, he synchronizes with her, admitting he is a monster... but not completely, all he says is "i." despite his insistence that he is like her, he still can't quite say it. they're both monsters, but maybe ody hasn't accepted it as much as we're led to believe.

i am convinced that scylla is the PEAK of epic the musical, and nothing will ever come close. from the extremely thought out lyrics to the absolutely incredible instrumental, this song deserves it's own tier ngl. yes, other songs sound good and have clever lyrics and such, but scylla is just everything great about the musical shoved into one song. every lyric has a meaning, a double meaning in some cases. the intrumentals tell a story of their own, trying to lead you into a false sense of security. the vocal performances are some of the best in the musical. i adore this song, and hopefully this makes you appreciate it too :D

anyway, thanks for reading all my autistic yapping if you made it this far.

here's that original comment:

[dorkydegeneracy]

Random Buddie Thoughts

1. Tim, when am I gonna get my Buddie Beach moment? It would be poetic! We all know why.

2. Millions of fellow Buddie fans have already said this, and I have held my tongue because I know it does not need to be repeated. However, my restraint has expired, so I must unburden my heart: seven years of subtext and main text is a slow burn of epic proportions. Nobody wants them to get together in 15 minutes, but truly it's about damn time!

3. I am the most excited to see all of our incredibly introspective and entirely logical theories vaporize once the show starts to air. Exhibit 1: Eddie's left hand. While I would be on board with there being something awry with the hand, some of these theories seem just too good to be true.

There is no way Eddie punched Tommy. Mostly because Tommy isn't important enough to be in the AU timeline. If we are correct about the sliding doors theory (which if Tim is not doing this, then we are even more clownish than I thought, and that's extreme clown town 🤡) it has to revolve around Eddie. Tommy holds little significance in Eddie's life. And there are no signs of LFJ (although honestly with his history, I would have taken away all of his devices). Sorry.

I just also cannot imagine him punching Gerrard. That, like the Tommy theory is just wishful thinking.

The new AU tattoo idea is cool, but I just don't know what the new tattoo would be, which. . . I know we are not supposed to be able to discern that there is a secret tattoo, let alone determine what the tattoo is. . . but my brain hurts even trying to come up with something. That's what you lovely mutuals are for!

Last, but not least is the group of things that could easily be removed, like a wedding band, or a cast maybe. I actually find this the most plausible, but he could just take the ring off to film the vid, so. . . .

At best, he fucked up his arm because he was distracted in some capacity while at work. I don't think it's that serious.

I also think it's more likely that Ryan just awkwardly stands like that? If they were truly trying to hide something I think they would just do shots chest up, with his arm entirely out of frame.

I just know everyone in the cast and crew is cackling at us coming up with some of our bat shit ideas. Whether they are actually reading it, or just imagining us sink further into insanity.

That's it! For now. . . .

[streamdotpng]

PJO au

So I had a random thought about the pjo au. Annabeth is enid and athena's daughter right? So like where did Enid meet Athena and how did she impress her enough for athena to pop out their baby? Or was athena simply impressed at everything Enid had managed to accomplish for the gods during her quests (before and after exile)?

Oh and also what do you think the gods in general thought about Enid's exile from chb? Zeus specifically though cause thats his kid even if it's doubtful that he genuinely loves her. Do you think they would care at all or be disappointed that their perfect soldier was tossed away because of jealousy and something out of her control?

And in honor of Epic's Wisdom Saga, which is amazing, did Calypso try to seduce Enid during her stay on ogygia? Did she try to keep Enid there with her like she did to Odysseus?

honestly i dont think we ever even settled whether annabeth was a relationship kid or just randomly snatched up by enid first after settling down

but lowkey, if its a relationship baby then i can see athena simply getting close to enid when she becomes zeus' lapdog for a few years. Then with athena giving annabeth ending up being the reason for why enid stopped working for the gods

Zeus? he's insulted sure because how dare they reject his blood? but then he realizes that with camp not tying his daughter to mortals, its easier to get her on his side instead and that's all he needs to be satisfied. In the end, he got what he wanted. A dog.

as for calypso

my thought was Enid probably turning 16 when she stumbled onto calypso and gets stuck for a year and a half smth in ogygia time. When she comes back, its just been a few months, her birthday has passed and she's physically 17 smth

maybe it was Zeus' attempt to keep her away from the prophecy, who knows

So yes, i think calypso would definitely try to keep enid there. I don't see why she wouldn't. Maybe she thought enid could be different, being a girl but Enid has too much responsibilities to allow herself to fall and thus let everyone down. So she does whatever she could to leave

Calypso sees all this, sees that Enid looks like she could reciprocate but this duty to the gods makes her act otherwise (her pov) and its why she's a bit more bitter about everything in the later pjo books

ALSO YEAHH, SHOUTOUT TO EPIC THE MUSICAL

BANGER!

[shiro-s2e2-erukinzu]

Anime only watchers and people who aren't caught up with the Manga, BEWARE... Cuz I'm about to discuss Spy X Family Mission 83... You have been warned...! 👌

[SPOILERS AHEAD FROM THIS POINT ON]

OH MY GOD ENDO...!! HOW DO YOU KEEP DOING IT!?!? 😵 HOW DO YOU KEEP MAKING BANGER AFTER BANGER...!?!? 👏😆

So, to start things off...:

TWILIGHT DID GET SHOT!! 😱

So while he had the chance, Yuri kicked Twilight's gun out of his hands, and now they stand face to face...

While Twilight questions why he hesitated, Yuri (after calling Twilight "creepy" 😖) thinks THIS to himself...:

And with that, the two of them square off in AN AMAZING FIGHT!! 😆

After a few hits, Twilight grabs his belt and knocks Yuri with it (and somehow looking FINE AS HELL dress as Yuri...!! 😳):

But, just like near the end of the "Epic Monster Battle" song from Phineas and Ferb:

"THE OTHER GUY...

...GETS UP AGAIN...!!"

So Twilight and Yuri keep having this back and forth, where Twilight knocks Yuri down, but he keeps getting back up...!! (Just like in the song... 😖) And then, we get one of my favorite parts of this chapter...:

LIKE SISTER, LIKE BROTHER...!! THE BRIAR SIBLINGS ARE JUST A DIFFERENT BREED YO!! 😆

(Also, I loved Twilight's comment about being raised by Yor...!! 🤣)

After a few more hits (and Twilight freaking out about Yuri getting back up so much one last time), Yuri is finally down for the count... And it's time for Twilight to finish the job:

But...:

He couldn't bring himself to do it, and just leaves Yuri in the sewer...

This scene isn't only about Twilight having conflicting feelings, but it also shows one of the ways that Twilight still sees Yor as... An innocent civilian... Which means killing Yuri would take away the only "real" family Yor has left... Especially when Operation Strix is over with... And I believe that Twilight just couldn't bring himself to do that to her...

...

Moving on, we catch back up with Agent Mustache and Nightfall, who decide to change the plan after Wheeler doesn't show at their location...!

Agent Mustache disguises himself as the SSS agent that Twilight (disguised as Wheeler) met up with at the park and as he starts heading out, we finally see where Wheeler's been at this whole time:

Wheeler went to where him and the other SSS agents were gonna meet up (which tells me that Twilight was definitely the Wheeler that talked to Yuri back in Mission 81...! 😁), but no one showed up. Then, Wheeler spots Gascoigne (the guy that Agent Mustache is disguised as) and heads out...!

After that, Agent Mustache tries to lure Wheeler out, but the plan doesn't seem to be working until Nightfall looks over the area and spots someone suspicious in the crowd... It was in fact Wheeler, and now Nightfall is on the hunt...!!

Gosh, I just love seeing Nightfall in action...!! She's just SO BADASS...!! 😆 (When Twilight isn't around of course... 😌) The only thing that takes away from this badass image of Nightfall would be her earrings...

WHY DOES WISE HAVE TO PUT THEIR LOGO ON EVERYTHING, AND WHY DO THESE AGENTS WEAR THEM... EVEN. 👏 IN. 👏DISGUISE...!?!? 👏

That fact will never not be funny to me...!! 🤭

Anyway, Nightfall and the other agents chase after Wheeler and now have him cornered...:

And then, the chapter ends... And what an incredible chapter it was!! 😆 Mission 83 is shaping up to be a new favorite of mine, as well as this arc thus far...!! 👏😆👏😆👏😆

Honestly, I could probably gush about this chapter for longer, but I think I'll stop for now and just patiently wait for Mission 84...! ⏰⌛⌚ So until the next Mission... Take care and be safe out there y'all!! BYE!! 👋😄

[lesbianmaxevans]

meant to make a post months ago LOL but some heartbreak high jumbled thoughts (after watching thru a second time to refresh my memory LOL)

quinni is probably the best autistic rep I've ever seen. when she decided to stop masking her autism >>>>>> her speech during the debate >>>>>>>>>

ca$h is probably the best ace rep I've ever seen. ca$h and darren's relationship is literally everything I've ever wanted, I feel like ace characters are never allowed to date someone unless that person is also ace/celibate, so it means soooooooooooo much to me to see a relationship btwn someone who is very into sex and someone who is very uninterested in sex. and to see darren be so committed to their relationship even tho it's difficult just warms my heart so much

I think the way harper's trauma is depicted in s1 is really raw and beautiful. this show gives everyone the space to be messy and her spiraling after her bodily autonomy was taken away is very realistic and imo good to see. that being said I need girlie to get some therapy and form a healthier relationship with sex asap.

I am once again uncomfortable with a show about minors having so much explicit sexual content. whyyyyyyyy is this allowed

darren, quinni, malakai, and missy have never done anything wrong ever in their lives :) also missy and malakai are bisexual icons, I love them both so much

writers go to jail for the missy/spider plot. he spent all of s1 being such a vindictive asshole to amerie bc she rejected him and then he was publicly shaming missy (albeit thankfully w/o naming her) for the same reason. he's incessantly misogynistic and racist. he also had the idea of the fraudulent accusation of mrs obah sleeping with a student bc he wanted the slt classes cancelled!!! and fueled the reactionary bullshit that voss was trying to start. like whyyyyyyyy are the writers trying so hard to redeem him I'm sick of this (if he actually sticks to his speech in 2.08, I'll be thankful tho. I still won't like him lol but at least he won't be making everyone else miserable anymore)

ppl hate dusty too much. like yeah he undeniably was in the wrong for his part in starting the rumor about mrs obah and amerie. but imo he's put in more effort to altering his behavior (as seen by him being a safe person for darren to go to) than ant or spider and both of them were involved too and I don't see ppl at their throats like they are for dusty.

I live for chaos and drama so the malakai-amerie-rowan triangle was soooooo fun (altho I wish there hadn't been the extra drama with the rowan being "bird psycho". just stick to the love triangle messiness. also do not get me started on rowan threatening malakai WHAT WAS THAT why did the writers do that 😑 anyway I want rowan back in s3 and making amends w the ppl who were collateral damage in his revenge quest against amerie)

also re the love triangle mess, it seems like the writers are intending for amerie/malakai endgame and I do like them but I feel like the show did gloss over amerie's repeated boundary violations (which honestly was also a problem with her dynamic w harper in s1 too, like girl you have to let people come to you instead of badgering them into talking to you and trying to force them to confess things). like everyone repeatedly told her to give malakai space as he was processing that he was bi and she just kept hovering and trying to force him to open up. like.... girlie please he just needed some time to figure out his feelings.

sometimes the show wants to treat the women as #girlbosses when they actually do things that are really fucked. like I don't hate harper, but the speech she gave to embarrass dusty at the basketball game was really gross and the narrative treats it as epic and her standing up for herself when she and dusty took advantage of malakai not being sober and the fact that he was in a bad headspace after just being attacked by that cop. also the writers act like dusty deserved this just bc harper thought he was acting weird after the threesome like...... is he not allowed some time to process his feelings about a new experience??? like..... how did the narrative treat this as a #girlpower moment what the hell

the demonization of mental illness is pretty uncomfortable. we only really see the symptoms of harper's dad (and presumably rowan) when they are actively being a danger to people. like mental health issues that cause ppl to see delusions doesn't equal that person being violent but the show kind of ties their anger/violence to their mental illnesses... which is another reason as to why I hope rowan sticks around for s3. let's see more of him being soft while still acknowledging these symptoms.

amerie going back to save rowan is one of my fave moments. like she has come such a long way from the girl who aired out everyone's personal business :')

[ganondoodle]

just to note this, as much as i love botw, i am not uncritical of it, like while i personally like the weapon breaking and rain mechanics everyone else seemed to hate i do agree that the bosses and dungeons were kinda repetetive and there could have been more bigger sidequests, some more diverse epic music tracks also wouldnt have hurt tho i fully disagree with anyone trying to claim it didnt HAVE music, im convinced those people played it with sound off bc wth (edit. plus the unfortunately still orientalist design of the gerudo plus that belly dancer outfit for link ... that thankfully got removed in totk as far as i know but the rest still stands)

personal criticism id have that i would have prefered zelda never gaining her sacred powers but instead finding a different way to fight back, bc her gaining them like that kinda made rhoams abuse .. right, like turns out to activate her powers you need to literall kill everyone she cares about (at least thats why i feel a bit meh about that), her maybe not being as sidelined like that (tho youd have to change alot for that .. which totk had the perfect chance to and then kinda did it again but worse lol) and the yiga clan being less of one little side mission

(also way too many people kept hating on botw for the same few reasons, often without giving it a chance, i think we all heard all the endless complaints about usually little things so i dont need to retread all of that)

alot of those little criticism things got adressed in totk, which i LIKED, but overall its so much less in harmony, this should have been a game about rebuilding and recovering about working together and then zelda gets immediately booted off and we get introduced to characters we never learn enough of to really care and yet they still take away the mystery botw had left us for the world to feel more alive, they ripped out parts that were so internally organically connected to the world and pretended they never mattered nor existed, characters act off and i cant help but feel like the main 'plot' is, as much as i hate to use that comparison, a badly written fanfiction ... it builds on nothing and just leaves you .. or me at least feeling empty, like i am playing through a mockery of the game i loved ... like all the fun i had thinking about the things in botw, the theories you could come up with was all wasted time

i honestly cant describe it better than totk, despite the little QoL changes, and the changes i DID like, it just feels ... empty? not in a literal way but more ... mentally? it feels so shallow? like at multiple points i felt like the game was actively mocking me, when i reached the shrine of life and was faced with barren walls and a puddle of water i felt betrayed for caring so much about what botw had done .. i felt like i could hear the game laughing while i stood there not knowing what to think of it, and while this was the time when i felt the most actually physically compeltely betrayed, that feeling of being mocked kept happening, i kept feeling like i was treated like a dumb player character that just eats up anything they say without thinking or remembering the title this was supposedly a sequel of, like i should play with the little toys of glueing things together and forget the world around me like a 5 year old

that may sound harsh but that is how i, personally, feel about it

[dicenote]

ask game:

8 [matsuda], 22, and 23

Ooh yay! Thanks for the ask :D

8. what do you think [matsuda] would have done if they had gotten the death note?

(is it just me, or is the text kinda off center? eh, whatever)

Aaaanyway, there's two ways I could go with this. One is the meme-y answer: "Matsuda would think the Death Note is a diary, write his own name while writing a diary entry, and die". But that's no fun.

I'd have to give it more thought, but I feel like Matsuda wouldn't actually write in the notebook until Ryuk showed up. Not because he thinks it's wrong or whatever- after all, he says repeatedly in canon that he thinks some people deserve to die. But I don't think he'd want to believe that it's real. Once Ryuk proves to him that it is, though, I think he would kill criminals that he knows are on the loose.

He might try to justify it to himself in one way or another, or try to pretend that he didn't kill anyone. But he can't deny it forever. He definitely wouldn't go the Light route and play god to justify murder, but he's not completely innocent either. Honestly? He might get away with being Kira. A few random heart attacks in Japan might not be enough to set off any alarm bells, and Matsuda's not killing at the same scale Light is.

There is one thing that would definitely get him caught, though. If any of his coworkers (or, for extra angst points, Soichiro) were in danger, and the Death Note was the only way out, Matsuda would probably risk getting caught to save them.

22. which moment was the most painful to watch?

Soichiro's death. It's such a good scene, in both the manga and the anime. Dad Yagami dies without ever knowing the truth, and that fucking hurts. Not to mention Light's reaction (which I don't believe was faked, at least not entirely) and the Task Force all solemnly gathered around. OH and Matsuda holding Light back in the manga is a nice touch.

23. what was your favorite moment and why?

Oof, that's hard. Probably the whole plan to capture Higuchi. Even though I knew it wasn't gonna end well for team L, it was fun to watch. Also, Matsuda's interview is very funny:

Matsuda: Oh gee here I go telling the whole world about Kira's identity. I hope this privacy screen doesn't fall over!

Privacy screen: falls over

Oh yeah, and the return of Ide and Aizawa is such an epic moment! On rewatches, at least. I didn't remember who Ide was when I first read the manga, so the moment didn't hit as hard the first time.

[ideasarestuckinmyhead]

(For my final request depending on when you see this lol) I'd like to requset Hc's of showing/introducing Seth, Faust, Jack and Lucien to epic the musical! as a follow up on my previous epic ask (which i know I said this in my reblog of it but It amazing! :D )

The beauty of musicals

PT2 of Saga's after Saga's Alphonse, Auron, Charlie, and Finn

Seth

Def had a Greek mythology phase. Loves all the different stories of Greek mythology and Epic is amazing!

Him personally would fight the crew bc WHY DID YOU NOT LISTEN??? Hates how Aeolus was right about who you can trust.

Speaking of that he really likes that sing bc it's catchy but also has a double meaning to it.

Loves Athena and is sobbing as Odysseus calls out for her. ALSO FUCK THOSE SUITORS (from a mama's boy) the rage he had, he had to pause before eocntinuing to listen.

Faust

The part of Aphroditie's in God's Game is stuck in his head. Send help, (not really he loves saying it)

Knows NOTHING about the Odyssey, so he's learning as he goes with the musical. Probably going to listen to a yt video to explain it so he knows who tf is talking

Was there when the stream crashed and was like chat. Chat what do we do with our broken stream?!

Once he learns of the whole story he's like. So basically no one listen and ended up hating Odysseus bc he crashed out. Honestly valid.

Lucien

Asks if the musical is like the ones during William Shakespeare's time. Nods as you say I guess?

His eyes are opened and he loves all the musicals you've shown him so far. Makes a joke that he was there and knows a siren. (Is he lying? Who knows)

Can't pick a favorite song but loves how the cyclops sounds like. That song is so interesting, bc the cyclops is speaking slow as Odysseus is panicking trying to keep his men in order.

Calls you captain when something goes wrong bc the meme is so fucking funny. He burnt something? Captian! Can't remember where the remote is? Captain!

Jack

Is so giddy listening to the songs. He was def kind of a theater kid and loves singing the songs. All the songs are amazing and can't choose a favorite at all.

A new part of the songs get stuck in his head. Listens to it with you while studying but sadly has to stop listening at one point bc he's lip singing all the lyrics to the songs.

The actual story is actually so devastating g to him. Bc Odysseus is kept away from his wife by EVERYONE then changes bc of it and everyone hates that.

Also loves Polites that guy was really trying to keep Odysseus chilled out. Was so devastated when Polites died bc why did you take him friend?!

[joltai-showa]

ah shit here we go again, let's reread Naruto again

reading it in official English translation for the first time and really have no idea if it's good or not lol (I've been translating MHA for 5 years straight and official English translation from the same company fucking sucks)

chapter 1 is huge as hell, which is normal for Shonen Jump, mangaka needs to introduce the concept and characters and all yada yada

what I find really funny about Naruto is a lot of the stuff is written backwards (meaning, we have some stuff introduced early on, but then more shit is slapped on top) to the point that pre-Shippuden things directly contradict what is going to be stated later. Kishimoto most of the time gave approximately zero shit about things outright not making sense and, y'know, you gotta respect him for that, cause I don't have balls like that

(unfortunately when writing anything canon-compliant in Naruto you have be mindful of things being rewritten and outright not making sense💀)

Anyway enough yapping, very first page is already ripe with shit that is going to be retconneced later

Firstly, description of Kurama's abilities. Naruto's orange puppy certainly can not start tsunamis and landslides with just his tails, lmao, this is something closer to Ten-Tails. If the terrain allows it, sure, I can see him starting a landslide, but orange puppy isn't starting anything in the seas, he's got siblings with lesser number of tails for that haha.

Secondly, the entire second paragraph feels like a fever dream honestly. "Suffering people gathered the shinobi clans to fight this menace" = Konoha was founded as a way to stop the endless tiny conflicts between the shinobi clans living in the Land of Fire (why have small-scale conflicts between each other when you can have literal world wars with the guys from beyond the border lol, jk, I know Hashirama wanted a peaceful future for the kids, but ultimately hidden villages system solves none of the issues of the previous system besides "7 year olds die on the battlefields" because now we have "15 year olds die on the battlefields"), Kurama literally wanted nothing to do with humans (as far as we know) during the warring states period, he was literally frolicking in some meadows and eating weird twins from to-be Kumogakure, got captured by Uchiha "read some mossy stone that my clan carried for years for some reason and went totally delulu" Madara, was used to attack Konoha, got bitch slapped by Hashirama a few times before Mito stuffed him into her stomach. And people are surprised why is the orange puppy so evil most of the manga lmao. But anyway, the entire sentence also implies that Fourth Hokage had some sort of mega-epic showdown with the evil puppy... while in reality it was something closer to Konoha's nuke being stolen by a delusional angry fourteen year old and Minato had to simply recapture the nuke again.

anyway, that was a long-ass rant lol

love the early style, it's so goofy, Kakashi is especially wonky in it

first question: why are we tying up school kids after they are caught for their terrible pranks? what is the educational idea behind this thing? like, i get doing that on the training field, imitating combat and all, but why do the same thing in the classroom? is it supposed to encourage the kids to learn how to run away after being tied down by some ropes?

(if that's the case i guess i know at least one academy student who always failed this task, yeah, looking at you, rin, i'm sorry, i can't hold myself back from bashing that thing, lmao)

anyway, back to the manga, i really love how it mentions that Naruto flunked this exam two times already (and it's not stated how often this exam is, so I guess yearly?), and only graduates at like 13, which is supposed to be a super late age and Naruto is such a lazy bum for that... but then you realize the funny fact that Naruto's classmates aka "genius" Sasuke, "book-smart" Sakura, team Asuma and team Kurenai are all the same age as him. Lmao. This isn't the first time Kishi will forget about this silly thing called "timeline".

let's... not adress this gag.

AHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH.

Naruto, allow me to introduce you to this wonderful concept called "nepotism". It's quite common in your village. Second Hokage was First's younger brother, Third Hokage was the student of the Second, Fourth Hokage is the student of a guy who studied under Third, Fifth is literally both the granddaughter of First and a student of Third, Sixth is the student of Fourth and you, Naruto, is the son of Fourth and the student of Sixth.

I absolutely love how early Naruto is trying to be this story about this poor underdog when in reality our MC is the nepobaby to ever napobaby lol. I think only Iwa beats Konoha at having the most absurdly nepotistic system for Kage, because 3 out of 4 Tsuchikage are directly related to each other through blood and the one guy that isn't happens to be the teacher to Third.

(I do remember there was so bullshit about Kazekage clan or something but I think it's pretty much only a title and only Rasa and Gaara are actually related to each other through blood)

>badge of adulthood

>given to literal 9-13 year olds who can't throw a kunai in a straight line

yeah, you know what, this actually checks out.

you immediately know that mizuki is fucking evil when he says "nah let him pass iruka, he managed to produce a single shitty clone, he's totally not gonna be killed after 30 seconds on the battlefield" like WHAT IS THIS SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

also another good question to the world building: does Konoha have other schools besides Academy? Like, what do kids do if they don't want to pursue military career? Their parents hopefully teach them how to read and count and that's it? I mean, Konoha is a military settlement at the end of the day, but they can't be teaching only guys who will be throwing knives at each other?

absolutely nothing, naruto, lmao. you were born a nepobaby, prepare to have an endless supply of chakra for any tricks of yours and the best senseis Konoha has to offer.

is the Hokage building supposed to be their residence as well? huh.

also let's not talk about this gag.

comically large kurama jpeg

[danwhobrowses]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Quickfire Review

So I am out of the cinema, and I have thoughts

We've finally reached the sequel to the epic Spider-verse movie, which in itself rewrote the rules on animation while being able to juggle a large cast outside of the Marvel machine.

So let me tell you my experience with the movie

Spoilers for the movie, you've been warned

Okay, this was a lot

It was really good, but it was a lot

I really don't want to speak badly about this movie because it is not at all bad, it's a visual spectacle with many twists and great characters. But I think the plot lost me. The main reason I think it lost me was the crux of 'Canon Events', which I will get more into, but given that last movie was about anyone being a Spider it was irksome that the story is also 'yes but you also have to have the exact same experiences which strips your story of agency'. I also think that the retcon that Peter A would've survived is wrong, and if all Spiders are meant to have the same chain of happening then why is Miles, the anomaly, subject to that rule in a universe where that chain has already happened? Also if he's an anomaly why didn't the universe disappear after a year of him and the Spider from Earth-42 being in this world? In a way it does threaten to lose the heart of what made the first movie so good too.

I also feel like it was two or three movies stitched together, Gwen's story was great, albeit with so much angst, Miles' story in his universe barely got going and Miles vs Spider Society was the main part of the narrative, and while it was woven together well I think the magnitude of it all took me out of it a bit, a lot of the times I felt like it was gonna end and then it went on for another 10-30 minutes, and it is a bad sign when you can feel the length of a movie. Honestly we could've easily gotten away with a Spider-Gwen movie of her own, let it cliffhanger with the cold open we got then have the final interaction with her dad and the infinite amount of colour palettes in this movie with just the Miles stuff going on.

My main character critique is probably the sourness that they did EXACTLY what I feared they would do to Miguel O'Hara. Spider-Man 2099 is my favourite Spider-Man but they really did decuple down on the edginess over the basis of his suit and powers. I mean sure, he has trauma that has killed off the last of his lighthearted value we saw in last-movie's post-credits scene, but most Spiders have trauma, and he did essentially steal another man's life for his own. I think the fact that he puts a ton of pressure on himself to uphold other timelines didn't quite come across so well, because they needed him to take over as the primary antagonist and 'the guy who tells Miles the stuff his mother warns him people may say to him'. Also, Miguel is different from most spiders because he doesn't have his Uncle Ben moment, he was a dick who caught conscience and Alchemax tried to silence him and accidentally gave him spider powers, so that also hinders the 'Canon Events' plot of Uncle Ben and Captain Stacy moments happening. Jessica Drew I struggled to get around to, loved her at the start but then she just started being cold, same can be said for Miles' parents towards Gwen, they picked one thing she couldn't have known they'd dislike and that was their tone towards her for most of their interactions after.

B U T !

Do I intend to watch Beyond the Spider-Verse? Yes! Absolutely.

Because even with the narrative flaws and the irksome nature that some characters are just being cold for little reason and that one of your favourite comics Spider-Man is not represented the same way, there is an extremely good movie in here. The art was amazing, in between all universes, the music was AMAZING, like Gwen vs Vulture just had an amazing soundtrack on its own. And gods all the Easter eggs; game and live action continuity weaved in, Ben Reilly, Unlimited Spidey, Julia Carpenter, adult MayDay Spider, Venom movie shop, even Prowler Donald Glover! There is so much to enjoy and the more you know about the several iterations and media of Spider-Man the more you find to enjoy.

But Hobie (Spider-Punk) stole the fucking show, everything he did was gold, Pavitr was fun but we needed more of him same with Spiderbyte and really Peter B and Miguel, Spot was hilarious too and then terrifying-looking when he reached his full potential, also Penny has an EVA now. The Spiders chase was well done with its clever quips and dynamic use of other spiders, the cold open was also inventive with Renaissance-verse Vulture. And then of course we got a very gripping cliffhanger, I like the squad we have for Gwen to rescue Miles and I can only beg that Lord and Miller manage to tone down and bring Miguel around in a satisfying manner without having to compromise the integrity and heart of the plot as Miles seeks a way to save his father without erasing his universe.

If anything this movie will keep you on your toes, it is stylistic beyond anything you might have seen before, but it can easily get overwhelming. I personally enjoyed as much as Guardians 3, maybe more by a slight margin (the highs are higher but the qualms are greater so hard to tell), but I also feel like it's not better than the first plot-wise just because of that feeling of being overwhelmed. It is worth a watch though for sure.

[lovecanbesostrange]

A quick list about what I loved about the Agatha All Along finale.

Agatha still isn't a good person. She's not completely evil either though. She looks out for number 1, herself. To protect herself she killed witches before and she's still willing to do it again. Which doesn't mean she is completely uncaring either. She has buttons that can be pushed, mostly the big one that says "Nicky" on it. And I love the way she is torn between "Billy reminds me of my son, but he also very much isn't my own".

Billy also has done shitty things. Much like his mother out of not having proper guidance. When he realizes that he created the road and thus caused suffering for others, his devastation is genuine. And he does lash out by trying to banish ghost!Agatha (honestly understandable reaction). But then he doesn't.

And these two form a most interesting pair for a mentorship!! I need more of that. I am not devastated about Agatha's death, since she is a ghost. Hilarious. Being dead doesn't stop her from being a character that can be easily used. And oh, what a death scene that was. Fantastic! Plus how she insists that it was not a sacrifice. Because she is not nice. Nobody ever dare say anything nice about Agatha Harkness!!

The true devastation are those scenes with Nicolas. Her son. The one who started singing a silly little tune and oops, they created the whole ballad together. FANTASTIC! I love everything about that and how Agatha uses it as a con, when the ballad spreads. A lie she can use. Wow. Epic. Agatha All Along!! She said the road was fake and she meant it. But also can we talk how the ballad did become a protection spell for a child by her mother? Best use ever and it hits harder now.

I do wish there had been a scene prior to Agatha being pregnant. To show her with Rio before. Agatha killer her own mother and her first coven and I'm sure that's when Death took note of her. A witch who kills her own coven, who sucks them dry and leaves bodies for her to collect. I think just a short scene from their first encounters would have helped. Also to explain why Rio feels such sympathy for Agatha that she doesn't take Nicolas right away at birth. ONLY FOR AGATHA TO SUFFER MORE BECAUSE KNOWING HIM WAS EVEN HARDER... more wow. It hurt so much. Rio was so gentle, and how she sends him back to kiss Agatha goodbye. Only for Agatha to find her dead son in her arms, unable to do or say anything. And all of that is WORSE. She said she would never forgive Rio and she kept that promise.

I do think it's a bit weird how easy it is that it comes down to "I will take one of you", even though Billy upset the natural order by taking over William's body. And then he did it for Tommy. Holy shit. The deal and natural balance felt a bit... well, not focused on enough. But just the way Billy comes to help Agatha and does give her some of his power, and she actually does stop herself -- these two! (Honestly I wish Agatha could learn about what went down in MoM. If there is one person who could appreciate massacring a bunch of wizard monks just to follow an insane plot to get some children back - it should be Agatha.)

JEN IS ALIVE! And she has her powers back. From Agatha. Fuck it, Agatha All Along, who knew.

Agatha still isn't good. She was an opportunistic witch and now she can be a cunty ghost mentor. The way she says that she is not ready to face her son, breaks my heart. Maybe it's also because she used their song to kill more witches and he didn't like that part all too much.

What a great trip. The big reveal hidden in plain sight. A very character focused emotional journey, yet some dangling threads to connect it to ge greater known Marvelverse, pushing the door open for Tommy (I'm glad they told us right away and nobody has to now make up theories how his soul was around and why didn't Wanda sense him at least). I think it would be fun if this has the greater effect of making the road real and that others can now walk this path (with all the dangers attached), but that doesn't matter and it's probably this isolated event. Jen survived the road and she found sisterhood along the way.

Oh, in that fight between Rio and Agatha, I like how Agatha tried to use the things she learned about protection and healing, also of course listening to Lilia's last warning. Oh Agatha, you would be better off with a coven, you know.