#which imo should've be executed better

[feldsparite]

i know persona 5 symbolism is like symbols for babies but maybe i am babies because that shit has me hooked. thinking about the juicy dichotomies of the cop/robber and hero/villain and how their meanings shift throughout the arc... the dog/wolf thing isn't as contrasting but i'm glad they chose dog instead of lamb or sheep or whatever because it ties into the element of devotion better. which the knight also represents...

[arainaizevran]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this re: the Wyll feedback post but I imagine the main issue with using his old EA dialogue assets is that the majority of them are from when they still had Wyll's old VA who couldn't come back for the rework. So it's not like they could just pull it out and plop it back in like they could with someone like...Karlach who was also completed late in EA, but was always Samantha Beart.

Yeah the existing script might work, but actually adding it back to the game it would still involve Theo having to come in and record the majority of them as the Wyll we now know. And assuming he's not going to perfectly mimic the original reading just in his voice, the devs would need to adjust the animations so they fit Theo's reading of it. And imo, at that point you might as well just make new dialogue/animations to best suit his current form rather than trying to build off of what's leftover from before.

I think it's a matter of - "this should've been done in the first place" - considering we have stuff like the Wyll/Lae'zel flirt banter that was also in Early Access. Theo Solomon re-recorded those lines for full release, only for Larian to remove it later. (Presumably because it doesn't fit his current romance route, but I digress.)

A lot of his EA dialogue still carried over to release, which means lines were deliberately picked to be re-recorded. However, this work seems inconsistent because we still have aspects of EA Wyll that are in release.

A glaring example of this is Wyll approving of Sazza getting executed. This was left over from when he still had a grudge on goblins in Early Access; now, he doesn't. Why would current Wyll approve of a defenseless prisoner getting killed?

My point with taking lines from EA Wyll for current Wyll is that there are lines that still fit him. Current Wyll has funny lines - but those lines are locked behind specific trigger conditions that aren't always easily encountered. Like his line: "It's like I always sometimes say..." - that line is only triggered if 1) the ogres in Act 1 are dead, 2) the player has Lump's War Horn, 3) Wyll specifically tries to blow the horn (which would be unlikely unless the player is doing a Wyll origin, or they had companion Wyll do it - more likely, it's a Tav/Durge doing this action.)

EA Wyll, on the other hand, had his funny lines in his regular dialogue ("spill the whole jug", "there's a saying I just made up"). In this case, are the funny lines that current Wyll have supposed to be there? If they are, why did they remove his other funny lines from Early Access, especially if it still fits his current character?

More to the point, are there still lines from current Wyll that aren't supposed to be there? How much effort was actually put into rewriting his character if there's still stuff from Early Access that don't fit him now (ie, the Sazza approval)?

In the end, I agree that we're probably better off to have brand new written stuff for Wyll, but I can't ignore the sloppy work that was done in rewriting him if he still has apparently leftover dialogue from EA that may be in danger of getting removed. And if they can't even do this properly, it doesn't bode well for any new content for Wyll.

As an aside: I think Karlach's VA wasn't always Samantha Beart, at least in the first few versions of it. She also did not look the same way she does now.

[demonsfate]

I always preferred the animalistic approach because imo, the devils felt like they were supposed to be animals. Not dumb ones, but they felt they were supposed to be that disconnected from humanity.

Like one of Devil Jin's bios literally describing him as being controlled by "instincts" (which is a more Animalistic trait) and also his interest in eating humans as food in TK6. For a violent, carnivorous creature, the beast look just matched that better. And clearly they must've thought so, too. Because not only are Devil Kaz & Devil Jin examples of this, but I also remembered Unknown & Ogre being examples of these, too.

Unknown is being manipulated by a wolf spirit and Ogre's true form also resembles a beast. Whilst these are unconfirmed to be devils, they're implicated to have something to do with the devil gene. (Albeit Unknown being noncanon to the series)

I don't know why they decided on the Organic Armor Skin change? I don't know if it was purely influenced by Blood Vengeance, or if they they had other reasons. (Maybe they wanted the devils to look "weirder" and not resemble any living creature on earth? And maybe they thought the "armor" aesthetic matched it being a fighting game better?) But yeah, it often does look ugly. And not only ugly and distracting, but also confusing. There are still so many people that believes it's just actual armor and not their skin / they're not nakey. Like I see many fanarts of Angel Jin "without his armor". Even though, I'm PRETTY SURE that is just his skin and not something he can remove. As devils (or angels in that case) seem to have a trend of being Nakey. (Unknown and Wolf spirit for example, Ogre not wearing much but then being nakey in his final form, Devil Kazuya originally being COMPLETELY nakey, etc etc) and well... you just LOOK at the devils & angel, there's just no way they can "remove" what they have. Hell, some ppl still think Devil Jin's arms are just gauntlets even though I'm p sure they're supposed to be his legit arms. (I've pointed out a few evidence to this, but another being in TK7 - how in the straight jacket, Devil's arms tear up the clothes, but when Jin takes back control, his arms are completely normal & human)

Anyway, the beast appearances were just less confusing and less loud than the armor appearances. And as I said, also just fits how the devils behaved.

I don't even understand WHY Reina only gets the Mishima hair via devil form. I understand that devils hair does change whenever they get in control for some reason. (Devil Jin's bangs growing longer, Devil Kazumi's hair turning white) but I still think she should've ALWAYS had the hair lmao. It feels kinda like... a coward move, I feel? Like lbr, Reina's design was definitely intended to appeal to gamers. She was meant to look like the cool tomboy chick, but still cute. Hence why she still had to be younger than Jin despite being Heihachi's daughter. Hence why she has the oversized hoodie, hence why she has a cute bob with trendy unnatural purple highlights. They couldn't give her spikey hair because they feared it wouldn't be as cute on her lmao. Even though... imo, ALL Mishimas should have spikey hair. Don't tell me it's a "male thing" only... like Reina still gets the lightning, so give her the hair too lmao.

I don't entirely mind Devil Reina being practically naked since as I pointed out - most devils are Nakey anyway, that's just a running trend. But there is an issue of their execution with Reina. If they're going with the armor look still - her ENTIRE body should resemble armor. Like notice how much softer her body is compared to Angel Jin and True Devil Kazuya's? Her entire body should be rough jagged, looking like she's in skin tight armor.

Finally, I do agree that sometimes over the top designs are indeed good! Sometimes they can work. But it all depends on execution and what kind of world they live in. I know Tekken has always been "wacky" but the thing is... the characters were all actually relatively normal. Like for the longest time, the only characters with weird hairstyles were the Mishimas, and Paul. But other than that, every character resembled a real person. (Meaning their hairstyles, eye colors, and clothes looked like something you'd see on a real person) It's only around TK6, but mostly TK7, that they started going crazy with the designs and it just comes off as them trying too hard, and it doesn't feel natural.

[fraudulent-cheese]

speaking of cheer up saddy, thoughts on dave?

Well i've talked about him a fair bit on my Pahkitew Posts, so i'll just repeat it here:

Dave's a really pathetic excuse of a teenage boy and i love him for it. He is soooo convinced he's completely normal and everyone else is 'so weird' when he's the guy who got a panic attack after getting grease on his hands. I also like how he's a huge hopeless romantic. The pinnacle of romance for this dude is hallmark movies and romantic comedies for sure. I also think him being a little bitch is fun to explore but not executed the best in the show? It's been a hot minute since i watched the first few episodes, bear with me. I like how badly he takes being rejected in Hurl and Go Seek, he acts like he just got divorced after ten years of mariage it's pathetic and sad and funny to watch... And should've been executed better imo. Would've been funnier if he tried really hard to sabotage Sky in any way but failed miserably imo. Make him pathetic-er.

I've also already discussed Skave and my opinion on it so i'll elaborate again: love that it's doomed and that you can tell exactly why it's doomed from the start; it's their inability to communicate what they want out of this to the other. It's not even just the fact Dave refuses to listen to Sky's but (and it is a huge problem) no. They're both running on romance expectations that they want to have or reach, but they never really tell the other about them or really seem to care for the other as a person - Sky just thinks Dave's generically nice and with how introverted Sky is you cannot tell me Dave fell for her because of her personality - which makes the moment when Sky rejects Dave in Hurl and go Seek that much better. But oh my god it goes downhill so far during Lies, Cries and One Big Prize. And well, i've already talked about my opinion of how it treats Dave before. TLDR: it's not good.

Now outside of that, he doesn't have many noteworthy relationships with the other cast members? Outside of his apparent respect for Jasmine and Leonard annoying him, the only other noteworthy one would be his friendship with Shawn, and i think it's pretty hecking sweet actually. Shawn's like, the opposite of Dave in so many different ways, but they're still friends and try to help eachother out in the romance department which backfires horribly because they are both teenage boys who fucking suck at it. I like their dynamic :D

Please never subject me to that image ever again.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

you're so right about whiplash honestly. the aespa girls are so talented and so capable of serving absolute slayage but god do sm's choices baffle me. whiplash is genuinely the most boring kpop song i've ever heard. mys are going to pretend to eat it up, but not only does it sound like a le sserafim song in the worst possible way (lazy spoken chorus, just kinda boring "runway" music some executive thought white gays would play in the club), if lsfm dropped something this bland, mys would never stop roasting them

I like Whiplash and think it's a good song, but it would've been fire as a single. It's underwhelming as a follow-up album. They didn't need a comeback so soon after Armaggedon and their solos (especially Karina's). They're already at the top so all they'll do is compete with themselves... Imo this will negatively impact the "legacy" of their previous comeback. People thought of Aespa and they thought of them dominating the charts with Supernova, and their bold imagery and sound. Now some people will think of this new album which isn't on par with the previous one. Aside from money from album sales, there were no benefits. They wasted resources and time on an album that should've been postponed to after the end of the year award season imo. It's doing well now because it's highly anticipated but it's nothing special.

I like LSRF and I don't get how Whiplash sounds like them. It's still very Aespa imo. I also don't think Aespa are better than LSRF, they only have better vocals. Both groups have the same posturing, just different shades of it. LSRF imo have better lyrics, dance, and arguably stage presence. It feels like you're shading LSRF and that's uncalled for.

[eliza-makepeace]

murtagh book thoughts

okay, it's been a while since i finished the murtagh book, and i've managed to figure out in coherent thoughts what it made me feel. it's coherent thoughts but it's not a coherent exposition, so you're warned.

in terms of the story, how its divided and all of that -- i liked the first half of the book very much. very enjoyable, murtagh's dealing with his past and his issues, trying to find where the stone comes from, we see his and thorn's bond... fun stuff. some parts are heartwrenching, but in general, it's interesting and enjoyable. still, it feels a bit like a videogame, where you have to get to point a, to point b, to point c in order to get your objective. and as much as i appreciate the new depths of worldbuilding paolini takes us into in "murtagh", i still feel like it's not "proper" worldbuilding.

by that i mean it feels like one of those old western movies where you know the characters can't walk too far away because what you think is a long field is actually a painted wall. the concepts are there: lyreth, the girl who fancied him at court... but you try to look a bit further into them and they're hollow.

the second half of the book, when they meet bachel and chaos ensues... not really my cup of tea. and it's not because i don't like storylines like that, where there's an interesting and fucked-up female character, cults and so forth. that's actually a pretty interesting idea, if only it had been properly executed. personally, my biggest issue with it is that murtagh already had gone through this. he'd already gone through having his agency taken from him, having to do horrible deeds because he can't help it, feeling hopeless and used... and i'm not complaining about this decision because murtagh is my poor little meow meow (although he is). i'm complaining because i feel like it reduces his experiences with galbatorix to nothing. back in inheritance, him being galby's name slave was the worst thing that could and had happened to him. now? bachel's worse. but it's the same principle. and i still think galby had more reason to be worse mentally and in terms of identity, for murtagh, than bachel was.

it also erases all of the healing and character development he'd gone through in the first half of the book. you could argue "oh, now that he's experienced freedom he can deal with bachel better than he could with galby" but i don't really agree and i don't really care. what's the point in destroying him in the ic, putting him relatively back together in the first half, and then obliterating him again (and worse, apparently) in the latter half. and then he's sad, and tired and devastated, but less so than in inheritance (which doesn't make sense if bachel was worse for him than galby), when he sees nasuada again.

the irony that murtagh's bond with alín feels more organic and natural than his with nasuada.... not in terms of characters being alike, just in the way it's written. paolini could've bothered with showing scenes of m and n at farthen dur, bonding, "courting" as he put it, so that the rest of their relationship actually has a strong base for the rest of the ic (giving a proper explanation which originally isn't there because the ic is in eragon's pov and not murtagh's), and so that their reunion is far more meaningful because it shows nasuada and him knew each other, actually bonded with each other before murtagh was kidnapped in eldest, to the point of developing romantic feelings for each other. if paolini hadn't put murtagh in random side quests throughout the book, he could've shown this and it would've worked better imo.

personally i think we didn't get enough tornac, or selena. i think murtagh should've pondered more about what it meant that eragon was brom's kid. what it meant about selena, how that changed murtagh's perception of her as a person. i'm a bit tired she gets reduced to just being his and eragon's mom, and it seems like that's the only way paolini wants them to see her too. murtagh seeing his mom like an individual, a person with her lights and shadows, with her depth, might have been an interesting thing and a new way to see himself as her son. every time paolini is about to reach something interesting with his characters, he changes course and i think that's a shame.

[they-them-that]

Reviewing and Ranking the Hatsune Miku x Pokemon Designs because I'm a procrastinator lol

(pictures from @hapuriainen)

Review:

Grass: It seems like they were going for the Sword and Shield look with the jersey motif and I think it's smart to blend that with cheerleading. That being said, I wish it was... grassier? It feels a bit like wasted potential as the look is too focused on the region over the type. I like the elements of the design though.

Fire: I love the idea with the stockings but that's about it tbh. Her hair is supposed to look like fire but it doesn't come off that way and her bangs are disjointed from her pigtails. The colours are too muted and I feel like not enough effort was made to make her blue hair blend in with the rest of her colour pallet. The idea is there but it ended up being pretty underwhelming imo.

Water: definitely the best of the starter types! I love every part of the design and it all blends together perfectly! I especially love the design of the swimsuit! Simultaneously sporty and dainty!

Flying: absolutely gorgeous and I can definitely see Articuno in her design! I love the light and silvery colour pallet so I'm a bit thrown off by that strong blue tone in the tie and glove. I think those should've been the same grey as her hair or maybe the hair ties (which I find a bit too dark but is alright).

Electric: a really cool and new idea that doesn't follow the expectation of a Hatsune Miku design! I really like the cartoony elements of her design but it does come across as a bit simplistic. The hat also feels too big and doesn't really look like she's wearing it? It also looks too feminine for the rest of her appearance imo.

Trainer: she blends right into the world of pokemon while still being Hatsune Miku! I especially love the signature trainer hat with headphones and the colours of her skirt being her actual colour palette. It's not too plain or overdone, it's just perfect!

Poison: Obsessed! It diverges from Miku's typical design expectations and creates a character that I'd actually love to see in pokemon! Her design is just so cool and exotic and the colours are so bright and fun. Those shoes are sickening!!

Ground: the concept of this design is a bit weak imo and the whole thing feels pretty flat. The clothes feel very basic that it comes across as a half-assed, generalized idea of a nomad. The shoes especially ruin the look for me..

Ice: really cool design (pun not intended)! I like the geometric shapes and the androgynous business attire. I'm not too sure how I feel about the green accents though (although the red on the bag makes it better but it's also weird that it's the only place with red so idk if that actually fixes it) and I wish the long pigtail bits weren't there and it was just the short hair. The pants could have more details too but overall, a really interesting design!

Normal: super cute, I especially love the glasses! It's a "normal" outfit which I assume was the intention so even though the saturated colours and simple outfit may keep it from being a favourite, I do think it's a strong design!

Ghost: it is a really cool design but to me, it doesn't give me "Pokemon". It feels like it's just a Hatsune Miku design that is ghosty and not enough innovation was put into actually merging the Pokemon aesthetics into this. Even as a stand alone Hatsune Miku design, there isn't actually a lot to it.

Bug: So precious! I love the simplicity and creativity put into this design. It's just perfect, head to toe!

Steel: love it! Every part of its execution is well done and I love the soft colours! It's simultaneously a cool and sweet design that I can just keep staring at!

Fairy: it's definitely cute and I like the idea of making her this gyaru school girl. It would've been cool to see something more extravagant for a fairy type look but it's still nice.

Rock: I love the princess design, she looks like she can be a gym leader or elite four member! It's so beautiful and the look is still great even without the dress and frills. I wouldn't understand how Miku can move with those things on her knees though lol. I also think the blue legging should've been black or have that blue present elsewhere in her outfit.

Dragon: I love a lot about the look but there are parts that also make it a bit disappointing. The shirt and pants in particular really wash out this look for me, they're so plain and bright (I hate that she's wearing a collared shirt). I feel like this should've gone all the way with its extravagance and medieval vibes, especially since it was the final revealed design and it's with a legendary Pokemon.

Dark: a stunning design that I didn't expect to be paired with Obstagoon! I love the slick shapes and the big fluffy hat and umbrella to contrast it (also the umbrella being a microphone is so clever)! The choker and shoulder straps make the look too modern but it's still overall really pleasant.

Fighting: Love the design and I'm obsessed with the colour palette! She looks so cool and I love the way sirfetch'd's leek was taken advantage of. My only nitpick is the shoes being a bit out of place from what's overall a slick design.

Ranking (lowest to highest):

18. Ground

17. Ghost

16. Dragon

15. Fire

14. Grass

13. Electric

12. Fairy

11. Flying

10. Ice

9. Rock

8. Fighting

7. Normal

6. Dark

5. Steel

4. Water

3. Bug

2. Poison

1. Trainer

[thekaijudude]

What's your stance on the whole secret identity thing for all the previous series so far, especially in the context of the host/human form being in an official government military group ? How would you recommend it to be executed?

Oh this question is so nostalgic, I rmb people always asking me this during the early years of my blog (bruh it's been 7 years holy)

But I maintain my stance that its been a staple frustration every series because imo, it wouldve been far more logical if the hosts were to make their Ultra identity known within their organisation. Not counting those that are purposely undercover for various reasons, but especially those that were totally inexperienced in whatever they were doing.

Let's talk about more recent examples with Trigger and Decker. With Trigger being the worst case example ive ever seen. I believe I've ranted aplenty that it literally dosent make sense for Kengo to hide his Ultra alter-ego when literally the Chairman and scientist himself alr knew about his identity. So wouldn't it be beneficial for everyone else within GUTS-Select to know about it as well so they could better coordinate and support Kengo? And since this knowledge was also accessible to high ranking members, wouldnt Kengo also receive the proper security and guidance as well?

Decker would be the average example of this, with few to none knowing, thus having less of a reason to reveal his identity, but still the same reason why he should reveal, so that he can receive the proper security and guidance, as well as better coordination and support from GUTS-Select

But tbh, this obviously blatant aspect of most series is implemented on purpose. Because of the same reasons why they should've revealed their identity earlier.

Literally because it'll make things ALOT more easier. Think of the different times that a host's henshin item gets stolen, with the extra protection and enhanced security, literally most of these staple plotpoints wouldn't even be possible. And the lack of communication between the host/Ultra and defense team is basically a detriment to joint operations as it basically falls back to how the defense team can interpret what the Ultra is planning to do on the fly.

That's actually why you see that the reveals usually happen during the final arc, because the proper coordination and planning would literally make things far more easier.

But it'll also make episodes far shorter and more boring

And it's more suited to delve into ideas such as the mistrust of the Ultras from the humans/government, politics as well as intricate alien invasions that involve downplaying, misrepresenting or create discord between the Ultra and humans, which we do occasionally see with main series content like Mephilas etc

But since the main series' intended audiences are for children, such ideas are probably way too complex for them to appreciate, so this is literally just there to make things easier to understand for them

Tho, a good example would be what we literally saw with Shin Ultraman with Shin Zarab and Shin Mephilas

For Shin Zarab, he literally sowed discord between humanity and Lipia via Fake Ultraman of course. But also simultaneously, he demonstrated very clear understanding of politics and manipulation of Japan's position in the international stage and we saw the ramifications and political impact with the deal he made with the PM.

For Mephilas, it was a bigger scheme with a deal with the entire humanity itself, essentially intending to have the entirety of humanity as a potential army

And we see how Lipia manoeuvred around all this by selectively revealing his identity to small groups of people as they were necessary to get him out of a pinch. Now this is realistic cause unlike in the main series where defense teams are equipped with Specium ray guns, metallic dragons powered by Absolutian energy or literally kaiju bioweapons, it takes into account the technological level of the real world and on another hand, its Lipia's own decision to go undercover to learn what it means to be human, which is also what we see him trying to slowly figure out throughout the movie

Gosh it was such an AMAZING movie just because of how dense it was with international politics, psychology, Lipia learning how to be human, clash of ideologies between Zoffy and Lipia as well as humanity grasping their own fate and having both the confidence in themselves and Ultraman to overcome adversity

But it's also the same reason why people that didn't like ShinU or found it boring based on people that I talked to, cause they simply weren't used to just how sophisticated and thought-provoking the movie is, as well as Anno's characteristic cinematography skills as they were expecting more of the main content standard, which were literally targeted towards kids

Honestly, so long as the target audience of the main content series aren't targeted towards young adults or above, I literally don't see this changing at all. Which is why even tho it's a really frustrating aspect of the main content, I'm kinda used to it at this point

Thanks for the question!

[we-pay-for-everything]

Hello! I was going through your anti-spike tag (lol) and I just wanted to add to the SA discussion (et it's kinda old). The SA was definitely IC for Spike because it was just more of the same. It was about him forcing his feelings on Buffy and forcing her to admit that she does love him (at least in his delusions), just like when he chained her up in his basement. Just like him telling her "she belongs in the dark with him" was more of the Buffy-bot, him trying to mould her into his liking.

I understand what you mean, and I don't disagree, but I think the AR was more done for shock value than to portray that facet of Spike's character. The fact that they used the AR as an excuse to get Spike a soul, and make Spuffy a thing, tells you everything you need to know. They also unnecessarily victimized and abused Buffy.

Imo, at that point in the story, Spike had "evolved" somewhat, in the sense that he was trying to befriend Buffy. And this is where it gets tricky. Spike was soulless so the logical interpretation is that he was trying to get in Buffy's good graces and when that didn't work, he lost his patience and tried to force himself on her. This is all good and makes perfect sense, except Spike was not being portrayed as a normal soulless vampire, but rather as someone with the ability to empathize and tell right from wrong, to a certain degree. The writers wanted Spike to be a real character and a real love interest to Buffy, so they continuously blurred the lines between soulless and ensouled resulting in a debate that continues to this day (re: Spike being better than Angel because even without a soul he loved Buffy, and because he chose to get a soul while Angel had to be cursed with one). This is identical to the Willow debate: gay or bi? The writers wanted her to be lesbian, but she was canonically in love with at least one man.

Imo, at that point in season 6, Spike trying to rape Buffy came out of left field and his confusion and apparent remorse after being rejected by Buffy furthers my point. If Spike simply wanted to own Buffy, he should've become frustrated or angry after getting rejected. Looking confused and lost was too human. I can interpret his confusion as him being lost over what to do, because nothing he tried worked the way he wanted it to, but the way James played it and the intimate way it was shot, felt like the writers were trying to frame the AR as a turning point for Spike's character - as a moment of growth - which made it all the more disgusting. Hence, to me, it was OOC because at that point Spike was essentially half-ensouled already and it seemed like an unofficial line had been drawn in the sand regarding what he could and couldn't do - because he was meant to be a legitimate love interest to Buffy, which is why he never crossed the line with Dawn or Joyce, for example. Yet in the AR scene, Buffy was easily physically overpowered by Spike, which wasn't realistic but the writers clearly wanted her to be like any other woman, and Spike was just a man driven crazy by a woman who didn't love him back but he realized he was the problem and went to get a soul. Your interpretation of what happened is logical, but the way the scene was executed and the way Spuffy had been written since late season 6 makes the whole thing OOC to me. They wrote it for shock value and because they got a kick out of seeing Buffy broken and like any other woman at the mercy of a man. Mostly, they wrote it to make Spike into a real boy. Thus they regressed his character to further his development.

I don't know if this made sense? I can understand why you think the AR wasn't OOC, and I can't disagree, but considering the progression of Spike and Spuffy it just didn't feel in character to me.

Thanks for the ask!

[lookslikethatsallthetimewehave]

(I apologize for how long this is)

I know it’s not for me (being an old Poptropica player) and they mainly exist for being an excuse plot but I feel like the Adventurer’s League, as a concept and execution, is… weird?

The fact they can buy deeds to own islands, and have “discovered” and named islands who already had inhabitants, history and culture (I’m overthinking the Xavier shoutout on Goofball here) seems… not right (to say the least).

It feels like the quests are only completed for gains and glory instead of the good will of the player (also overthinking this). And yea the last point is basically what Poptropica’s concept is, but not calling onto the fact made the world immersive (in my interpretation of the game).

That leads to my other whinge about them trying to “connect” the islands together. Which is a cool concept (I do like it in theory), but the shout outs DON’T make sense unless you’ve been playing the game before Flash got pulled (how is a new player going to know about the Astro-Knights unless you’re acquainted with the niche fandom?)

And from a narrative standpoint, it makes the world of the game already feel “discovered”. Like what’s the point of seeking out your own “heroic adventure” if some other person (or generations of them) did it before. The point of the league was to give a sense of cohesion to the game, but I think it simultaneously robs the islands of their individualistic wonder.

(This is coming from someone who completed Super Villain Island before the four villains’ own as a newcomer)

And yea there are sweet adventurers like Amelia, but imo the League as a whole comes off as more selfish than the Protectors, despite intending to represent the heroes. Basically I wouldn’t be surprised, at one point down the line, they become responsible for something… morally questionable lol

Oh my God, you just blew my mind O-O Cause you're right.

Also like you mentioned before, it doesn't connect to what we know about Poptropica in the past.

Before I had a theory that the Protectors and the League are related to each other, but now I DON'T THINK so! Because the way the League operates kinda is the opposite of the Protectors.

This is all a lot to take in... if they really wanted to connect the islands in a cool way, they should've just done in the main game What they were gonna do in Poptropica Worlds... If I said it before, I'll say it again!

Also, who the FUCK is Xavier and why is he so important?! They better tell us that he's related to Spencer Albright or else I won't give a shit.

And new players have no idea what Astro-Knights and the older islands are, you're right XD I do highly appreciate them thinking about the older players, but the least they can do is actually listen to us and what we want. Gameplay and story-wise.

Well, the overall point is that the existence of the League, and all this other bullshit, is kinda stupid, and you're right.

[adotrevsleft]

Album ranking post #1:

Initial thoughts (May 1st 2023): this album and all of its songs have something to offer to any different type of audiences. However, these were clearly made for the fearnots and the fearnots only.

Final thoughts (June 23rd 2023): I still stand with the opinion that there is a variety in the album tracks and each song is different which leads to appeal to different types of people, so maybe it's not just for the fans. It mainly is, but not completely. However, there is a huge inconsistency within the album tha could have been better executed, also there was no reason to add the other songs wich were literally the same just adding a (2023 version). There was no reason. I know it was done so there wouldn't be a recording of garam but, girl was proven innocent like nearly a year ago, so what was the reason? But, it surely does make me excited for their next comeback, because this was the end of their trilogy, I believe, so I'm excited to see what they will be able to offer us next time.

Now onto the ranking - with a few words:

1) FEARNOT (between you, me and the lampost) - a beautiful song that is so highly underappreciated in the lsfm fandom, it's insane. I have been playing this song on repeat since release. Because who doesn't love depressing songs yk? Atm, I have to say that this is my favourite track from lsfm's discography so far. The emotion is felt through their vocals and that's probably why I instantly fell in love with this song. 10/10

2) Eve, Psyche and the Bluebeard's wife - so fucking catchy. Also on repeat. Tbh, when I first listened to it I was slightly unsure but it's amazing. But, I just know that "I'm a mess in distress, but we're still the best dressed, fearless say yes, we don't dress to impress" is going to stay iconic. 9.5/10

3) Unforgiven (feat. Nile Rodgers) - tbf, I was surprised no one was making a big fuss that Nile Rodgers was a feat in this song because when I told my dad he genuinely freaked out. People are comparing this to unforgiven constantly to the point in which the song seems to be unenjoyable, but really this song is something to be enjoyed by itself. 8.5/10

4) No-return (into the unknown) - just a fun little song. After listening it from their concert, I was super excited for this song. It was quite catchy for the first week but afterwards I got bored of listening to it. But, it is a really sweet song and I did genuinely enjoy it at one point. 8/10

5) Burn The Bridge - genuinely makes me want to fight my inner demons (I don't have inner demons dw, it's just a metaphor). This is an intro I can vibe to instantly. The other ones that were previously released were not as interesting, this intro sounds like the intro to a long story (in this case the album), it sounds like a proper intro and I have played it a few times because it does feel quite empowering listening to it. 8/10

6) Flash Forward - it is such a cute song. I haven't gone back to it a lot, but certainly is a great song. It really depends on the mood of that day for me to listen to this. Clearly, this was trying to be similar to good parts, but good parts was way catchier imo. Also, this is a song I would recommend to anyone who likes a chill pop song. 7/10

7) Fire In The Belly - just because this track is at the bottom of this ranking doesn't necessarily mean it is a bad track. I can see the reason people enjoy it, but for some reason I don't see it. People say it's like antifragile or that this should've been the title track, but imo this doesn't have the same power and statement that Unforgiven does, and is definitely not as powerful in execution as Antifragile either, that's why I heavily disagree with that opinion. But, it's not a bad song either. 5.5/10

Overall score for this album: 8.1/10

[agentem]

More details about Victoria Alonso's firing from Marvel Studios.

While the cause of Alonso’s termination is unclear, the sources said, the decision was made by a consortium including human resources, Disney’s legal department and multiple executives including Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman (to whom all of Marvel Studios reports). Alonso’s longtime boss and Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige felt mired in an impossible situation and, ultimately, did not intervene, one source added. Alonso was blindsided, another insider added.

It rubs me the wrong way that Feige did nothing, for some reason. He should've at least been the one to tell her. She's been with the company since before Iron Man.

The article goes on to say she is openly "LGBTQ", which I didn't know, (I assume L?) along with being a woman and a person of color.

Basically the VFX problems are why she was fired. Apparently Marvel would ask VFX houses to do something but not give specific instructions as to what to do, so the house would do something and then Marvel would come back and say "we don't like it, do it again." (IMO, they should pay again then.) Another site I read said this specifically referred to Ms Marvel where they DIDN'T KNOW what her powers were going to look like. (!!!)

I don't mean to defend Marvel's awful way of treating VFX artists. But it seems to me if they didn't know what they wanted the effects to look like, that's not an executive problem (she's there to make sure everything gets done as cheaply as possible and on time) it's a creative issue.

Someone needs to know what they want. Ideally it's chief creative officer--Feige. Or the "Marvel Parliament." Or at least the directors. But then I think about how "Black Widow" was pitched to directors as "go get to do your thing and then in the end we'll have a CGI fight that is already storyboarded, you don't have to do that." (Which I also thing was clearly the case for Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the pre-ordained CGI fight was the worst part. I'd rather have let Cretton do the whole thing!)

I certainly hope this helps things get better for VFX studios. But it seems to me Marve needs someone who knows visual arts as well as what is possible with CGI and how it's evolving, who can be involved in the process from the beginning.

Like, for She-Hulk the writers wrote some fun gags. And the animators just had to animate it. But what if there was more of a dialogue about what they could do, and then they could pick which gag is funniest--not just in the writing but in the visual execution, you know? It's a part of the storytelling, not an afterthought.

[eldestdaughterdeans]

1x08 bugs is not good for a variety of reasons--i mean racist "native american curse" trope ending in a white real estate developer Doing the Right Thing and taking a loss on a property investment? please

and i know they're trying to complicate sam's relationships with dean and john ahead of 1x10 asylum and the back-half of the season. but the execution is pretty ham-fisted and half-baked.

the paralleling of sam and the bug kid is, imo, particularly lackluster. bug kid feels alienated and unheard by his father because of his interest in bugs. sam's like wow he's just like me for real. dean's abandonment issues flare up and so forth.

and then instead of getting his dad to listen to him and accept his interest in bugs, bug kid just abandons his hobby at the end. which makes sense b/c sam's arc is about accepting that he is not "the blonde chick from the munsters" but just as much of a hunter/freak as the rest of his family.

however... outcast kid gives up his special interest to be a normie is just. not narratively compelling. (and, arguably, kinda fascist.)

not to mention the ending fails to do much with the entire father-son relationship thread, which is the more salient plotline this episode is teeing up.

the better version of 1x08 bugs would hint at some kind of pressure to perform normie/bug kid, an underlying desire to drop the act and stop worrying about what other people think. but then you'd still have the racism so. should've just gone back to the drawing board on this one.

[casgod]

My take on the destiel confession scene, it's gonna be long, you've been warned.

So, everyone praises misha for his performance and also cas' declaration. I do agree misha did the best he could and did a good job on his part, however I have to admit, I don't like that scene at all.

First of all, the cinematography is orrible, I'm sorry, all those cuts and shit (I'm not an expert by any means so this is just my personal opinion). We've been fed iconic destiel eye-effing and too long stares for 12 years and during a freaking love confession we get zero of that and an awkward back and forth between dean and cas..... why??? Also I'm having a problem with the part where cas pushes dean out of the way, maybe I'm the stupid one but it seems very off, like cas pushes him to the right but he falls to the left?? Idk this might be me being dumb.

Also, I hated the bangs on the door interrupting the moment, we know Billie is after them, you don't need to remind us.

Let's now talk about the actual content.

So, I don't like at all the way cas explains the empty deal to dean, it seems unprompted and an awkward "previously on". Imo it is also a bit out of character, since we know cas acts without really caring to explain to others what his plans are, as long as he believes he's doing the right thing. So why confess the empty deal? I believe they just put it there for the audience, knowing many might be watching the last episodes of the show without having watched it consistently. And I get it, but I personally believe it was badly executed.

Moreover, I believe it would have been more in character and even more heartbreaking if cas just confessed without mentioning the deal. At that point, dean would have believed cas was just saying his last words since both of them would be dead soon. That way we could have had the same wordless reaction by dean, but for different reasons, focusing on cas' love confession rather than the deal.

Also, they could have cut the "happiness is just in being it .. just in saying it" bcs honestly thats bullshit and everyone knows that. They needed to find a way to justify making the confession the least gay possible. Like I don't get why they tried to explain what's going on, just let him confess and once he's taken we can figure out ourselves what happened!!

I personally believe it should've gone a bit like this: confession part all the same (no mentioning of the deal), still "why does this sound like a goodbye" "because it is" bcs dean understands something's going on BUT doesn't know what it is (also still teary dean because I liked that part)! Then cas says "i love you" and reaches for dean's face/hand and in that moment billie enters and he instead pushes dean away (we keep the beloved handprint) and he's taken by the empty, with Billie. That would have been a real plot twist! Bcs we didn't know it was coming from the start (which we did in the actual scene).

They didn't even have to make them touch romantically but at least the intention from cas should have been there imo. Idk I'm not a writer so there are probably so many better ways to rewrite the scene, but you get my point I hope.

Lastly, without mentioning the deal during the confession, dean would've been forced to talk about it later with the others to figure out what happened. Then Jack could've explained the deal, and Dean would have been hit with the realisation that the "I love you" was cas' true moment of happiness (imagine the doubled shock value!). That way, we would've had an actual conversation about cas after his death (which we deserved) without it being dean having to open up about the "love" part, but making it as trying to figure out why the empty took cas.

After that realisation, we could've had dean shut down and never mention it again (and the crying scene again bcs why not), but at least it wouldve been somewhat justified! Bcs let's be real, the reason we got little to no mention of cas after 15x18 is because they didn't want to confront dean's feelings for cas (didn't want to deny or confirm reciprocity, also the reason I believed they killed dean off in the end).

Anyways, if you actually read my whole rant, thank you! I would love to hear other opinions about it/ how the confession should have gone according to you.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

I was waiting for your review 😅 i def prefer the alternate version. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I hybe would realize not every song needs a rap verse. The was the song ended in the jack harlow ver just felt incomplete compared to the alternate vers.

As for the mv, I'm a little disappointed. I honestly loved the seven mv so much, so I had huge expectations for 3d, but I was let down. I prefer a story rather than them just singing lol but that's probably just me

Both Seven and 3D have plain instrumentals and don't even have a bridge, so I imagine that the rap sections was their way to make the song trendier and less monotonous, as well as "edgier" and more explicit without having Jungkook straight up talk about hitting pussy lmao. Also, apparently "champagne, confetti" does not actually mean champagne and confetti... Does Jungkook even know that? Not unless someone told him? Imagine that conversation.

Yeah, why let Jack Harlow end the song and not Jungkook? I at least expected Jungkook to repeat "in 3D" at the end. The alternate version is so much better. Honestly, I did like the guy's rap but the lyrics are too awful. Had he rapped anything else... Also, the alternate version has Jungkook's run and adlibs which are the most Jungkook-like parts of the song, and when he actually shows off his vocals.

The L&R MV is so much cuter and it includes actual product placement lmao! This sexy bad boy image is so limiting. Jungkook is boxing himself in instead of branching out like he thought. He wants to change his image, but going from sexualized yet babied baby boy, to even more sexualized yet still babied bad boy who apparently can only do sexy concepts, is not really the freedom he desires imo.

I don't care for story in MVs, and I hated the story Seven told - though the idea behind it was far sweeter than the execution, but that's 2/2 of me accusing solo era Jungkook of sexism, yikes - but I thought 3D would be worse than it was. All the truly bad bits belonged to Jack Harlow - god... don't even want to think about it. I should've expected Jungkook dancing in the rain lmao. It was definitely cliché. Seven was more natural in that regard (with the storm scenes).

Seven really is a whole ass masterpiece compared to 3D, I can't believe it. I'm really starting to appreciate Seven now haha. Even the 3D choreo seems like a Seven rip off. And now 3D will block the queen from becoming the fastest song to reach 1B streams on Spotify lmao.

I've come to the conclusion that David Stewart should stay away from BTS. He wrote 3D and Dynamite and the lyrics to both are too try hard. I noticed how Jungkook's accent in Seven is much more subtle and his pronunciation is cleaner and more natural, because the lyrics flow better and are easier for him. Whoever wrote 3D (David Stewart, presumably) didn't consider that words like "girl" are actually hard to pronounce and that the lyrics don't flow very well making it harder for Jungkook to sound natural. It's already so lame when men call grown ass women girls in that whiny tone, but Jungkook's accent makes it sound worse. It's not his fault, I don't mind that his English is flawed but the lyrics should've been adjusted so a non-native speaker could sing them more easily. His accent actually takes away from the song at times, which doesn't happen in Seven, or even in the English trilogy. And, yeah, just, overall, the lyrics are bad and try to be clever but aren't. Dynamite was accused of the same thing.

Thank you for awaiting my review! I just gave you a second one lmao. Thank you for sharing your thoughts too! I look forward to hearing them more if you want to share :)

[blinkaftermidnight]

Rachel loosing her hand and dealing with it would‘ve been such an intriguing storyline. They should‘ve covered phantom pain and her struggling with basically everything… they get rescued 26 days after the shark attack and you tell me Rachel adjusted this well? We got robbed of plots like this just for unnecessary flashbacks of the boys… like I don‘t need to feel sorry for Seth. His past is not an excuse for SA.

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: the writers wasted time all over s2. Just a personal opinion, obviously, and I did enjoy the season as a whole while I was watching it (which was exactly what I wanted to do - enjoy it first, critique it later). Seth's flashback was a giant waste of time; I've bitched about how they used the flashbacks before, but for Seth in particular, his flashback either should've been Henry's flashback, or it could've literally been cut down to the scene where he thinks Julia's cheating, decides to kidnap the cat, then confronts Julia - to show us that he was lying about Julia to begin with, which Henry didn't even know. So if they'd cleaned up certain pieces of the story, they could've made the time for Rachel to learn to live without her hand while also coping with her grief. They could've made the time for the group to deal with Leah's suicide attempt. They could've given a more cohesive story.

I mean, I'm a fic writer with a tendency to focus on Leah/Fatin/Leatin's POV, so through my work, we only normally get flashes into the other girls' struggles due to the POV restriction, but the show's writers do not have this excuse? They took on 8 POVs initially (9, really, since 7 includes Linh's flashback) then threw 8 more into the mix, and they needed to choose where to focus for all of these characters...and the results are mixed, to say the least. Look, I love the show. I love the characters. I had a good time watching s2. The writers could be better in the execution of their ideas imo