#why not make the weapon something super cool fun and op

[kiame-sama]

I’m sorry! But I had to do it! 😂

HAE!Crewel: Y/N, what do you have there?

HAE!Reader (Showing off her new big ass sword/dagger): A sword/dagger!! (Runs off)

HAE!Crowley: NO!! (Chases after his chick)

Divus is clutching his metaphorical pearls and fainting into Vargas' arms, Trein is telling you to not run with a weapon, especially inside, Sam is stressed and chasing you with Crowley who is sobbing, flapping his wings, and trying to take the weapon away from you. The army of dads is upset.

Papa Hades is laughing to himself as you prance around with your new wild-magic fueled blade that burns like a lightsaber and turns jelly-soft and harmless if you are not the one holding it.

[tumblingxelian]

RWBY V8 & Penny's Fall:

I wanted to weigh in on this matter again with a perhaps alternative take to some of what I see as the more usual FNDM stance on her fall.

Namely, it doesn't bother me.

Sacrilege, I know, but the thing is while Penny is not in my top four, she is a character I both like & find genuinely interesting.

Heck, I have a video heavily focused on Penny & Ruby's characters & relationship being much deeper & more interesting than the UWU beans I find in most FNDM.

She's a great character but that's also why it doesn't bother me as I feel it works for the story & made sense for the character. 

But first, some house cleaning.  

House Cleaning - They made her human?

As others noted, this is something some take issue with for a few different reasons. As I understand it the main issues people tend to have with V8's handling of Penny outside her death was that they made her 'human' in place of keeping her synthetic body. As others also noted, I am unsure if she even was human and not just another kind of synthetic entity, but that's rather besides the point. 

House Cleaning - Thematic Representation?

The other thing people take issue with this is that they regard it as a form of ableism to make her human. I always feel its integral to note that while many in FNDM understandably took Penny's robotic nature as meaning in a Real World AU, she might be using prosthetic limbs.

There is no evidence as far as I am aware that the writers intended her to be considered analogous to a disabled person or to thematically represent disabled people. 

Thus, while its a fine and fun headcanon, I am not sure one can argue it was some sort of deliberate offence or act of ableism on the creators part if they never even conceived of Penny as such.

This wouldn't be like becoming aware of queer subtext, ship teasing then killing one of them off and putting the other in a straight relationship. As far as I can tell their thematic framing of Penny never shifted and was never explicitly used to draw such comparisons. 

House Cleaning - A Reward?

Penny being rewarded with a none robotic body & then dying. We'll discuss the death later but just on the reward angle, I think that is rather iffy.

Yes, Penny appreciated not being dead and enjoyed the increased tactile sensations. But we also see how much more fragile and floundering she is with her new form. When Penny fought Cinder last time with Cinder having backup, Penny kicked her ass. 

Here, Penny has the support and is barely keeping up. She's in pain, she can't fly easily, she can't use her weapons easily, she has lost tons of functions that were once innate to her very being.

Maybe one could argue its like post surgeries fragility or that she'd have grown into it, but as it stands, I don't think the new body was presented as strictly speaking a good thing or a reward. It was a desperate gamble to save her life, nothing more. 

Adding onto that, I think people mis-ascribe the source of Penny's angst regarding her mechanical nature. She's shown cheerfully embracing and enjoying many aspects of it all the time. When it becomes an issue for her is when others use it to de-'humanize' her.

Given how quickly Ironwood, the Ace-Ops, Mantle and even just casual conversation could do that on purpose or by accident. I think its less "I hate being a robot" and more, "I hate that people treat me this way because of what I am and its giving me anxiety & or insecurities". 

I also think anyone would be a little uncomfy with their body being something someone else can take over and puppet, that's an issue with loss of agency & physical invasiveness & we have Semblances which might not have been able to effect Penny that can do similar things, IE memory erasure & mind control. 

House Cleaning - Conclusion

For comparisons sake, if Ruby's essence got moved over to a sort of life sized marionette and she was cool with it because she's still alive & have super flexible joints for wicked cool attacks, but then she he died fighting, I don't think people would regard it as a reward turned sour.

In essence, I think a lot of the stigma comes with people associating tropes & themes to the writers decisions that were not actually in the story & just assuming them present; as opposed to than having textual support & despite CRWBY's efforts to deconstruct tropes & themes in general. 

The Main Event:

Moving on to Penny's death, people take issue with quite a few aspects of it but I weirdly feel it all ties together well and think it works on a thematic level. My reason being, that Penny is the other side of the coin whose other half Ironwood and between the pair are the likes of Winter, the Ace-Ops and so on. 

What I mean here is that the Atlas arc dealt heavily with the themes of 'de-humanization' of seeing people made unto like objects, mere cogs in a machine that were not expected to think, feel, or heal & have their entire worth judged against an idea or a system & always come up wanting. You don't matter, I don't matter, they don't matter, only what we can accomplish for the worlds, the cause, Atlas, ETC, matters. 

Ironwood regards Mantle as a few city blocks, their suffering is at best a theoretical moral burden to him and a political nuisance, nothing more. Winter thinks expressing any emotions or making decisions for herself is a failure and act of disloyalty and is not allowed time to heal after severe injuries but just poured into a mobility mechanism, then thrown back onto the battlefield. Meanwhile the Ace-Ops are not allowed to even conceive of real, deep or genuine emotions or ideas, they have all convinced themselves they don't matter except in how they serve Atlas.

The Happy Huntresses are actually the exception to this because they escaped the coin/system & are dedicated to people, ideals & each other. 

Meanwhile, Ironwood is the opposite of Penny, while both still embody the opposite extreme ends of the same spectrum of beliefs. 

Both of them talk of or otherwise frame themselves as the one with the duty to save the world, both put themselves under immense and isolating pressure tanks to their respective Atlas's complexes and both default heavily to sacrificing whenever the opportunity or even potential need seems to arise. Both will do whatever it takes for their goals and beliefs. 

The difference?

Ironwood sacrifices everyone else for his goals and beliefs, for his idea of what Atlas is, what it means & what its worth. 

Penny tries from volume 8 if not earlier, to sacrifice herself because of her goals & beliefs, & what they're worth to her. 

She does this so much and so often, that she had to keep being talked out of throwing her life away in the hope that Ironwood, or Salem would calm down and leave them be. She defined her self worth and existence by being out there doing things, hence becoming so saddened when needing to be kept away from the battlefield despite the fact she was both a target and potentially a huge game changer for any of the villains. 

Penny has Atlas's ideology of de-humanization and sacrifice every bit as much as Ironwood, but in her mind she's the expendable one, while Ironwood cannot conceive of himself as being expendable, because he has tethered himself to Atlas, which he has tethered to the world. 

Here is the thing though.

While Penny's take on this idea is more noble, more charming, more useful it is still part of an incredibly self destructive ideology, one that is of itself rooted in Ozpin's well known Guardian theory. With isolated lone champions serving as paragons of virtue & himself as the main character heroically bearing all the burdens. An ideology we saw sent Pyrrha spiraling, left Ozpin a broken & paranoid wreck & nearly destroyed Ruby.

Penny & Ironwood both fell because both keep trying to sacrifice others (Ironwood) or themselves (Penny) in a bid to accomplish their goals & or otherwise fulfill their designates roles; roles that both only have because of the culture and ideals suffusing Atlas, as reflected by how they are seen in so many other characters and the overarching themes of the Atlas Arc. 

Thus, it makes sense character wise and I think it both makes sense thematically for the reasons outlined above & dramatically as this is the darkest moment. But also because if Penny just won, or somehow survived without changing that ideological thinking it'd be implicitly arguing that this was a good way to think and act rather than one that is ultimately self harming. 

For comparisons sake, if a show has a good victim who only gets help because their trauma responses are convenient or 'cute' and who never grows out of or overcomes said traumas and the show argues it is meant to represent how best to view escape & recover from abuse. Then that series is inadvertently arguing its better a person stay locked in a traumatized state than actually try to change or grow & that is a story problem.

So, in this regard, Penny surviving would also necessitate her making the decision to prioritize the mission over her self sacrificing tendencies or to otherwise prioritize her own safety (Which she has every right to do given the circumstance). However it would not involve Penny flinging herself into another self sacrificial bout but winning this time, or just being saved again after its happened so many times already. 

I hope that, that made sense. 

I am essentially saying to keep Penny alive but keep everything else mostly the same, one then throws away the thematic & narrative meaning of the Atlas Arc; or if they want to keep Penny alive, they need to alter the Atlas Arcs themes or the cast & overall story to keep it coherent.  

People are obviously free to not be fans of it, I am sad when characters I like die, but I don't view it inherently as a bad writing decision and I hope I have outlined here, exactly why I think that this worked for the Atlas Arc, the series of RWBY and made sense for its characters. 

Thanks for reading! 

Speculation:

Now, I don't do much speculating, but given so much of the shows current drama was created as a result of someone wanting a dead loved one back, them returning but it ultimately not being enough to stave off tragedy and self destruction. I feel one can also ague this is meant to serve and tie Ruby & Salem closer together as nominal dramatic foils.

This is speculative of course, especially given the nature of death, balance and resurrections in this series is not even close to the hard line some think it is thematically speaking, but I do think that is worth keeping in mind. 

[amywarrel]

Loser Ranger is my new obsession

I did not expect to be particularly into Loser Ranger when the first episode aired. Sure, the prospect of an edgy super sentai show by the same author as The Quintessential Quintuplets is very funny to me and every time someone says “this is the X story of X media”, in this case the “The Boys of Anime” I instinctively remember all the dozens of times someone in the internet called anything “the Game of Thrones of whatever” or “the Dark Souls of insert video game genre here” and I roll my eyes. So I watched the first episode and then the second one and I kept going. My take on it at the time was that it was just an okay show. I liked the idea of an anime that harkens back to my childhood days watching Power Rangers on brazilian television, though I was never particularly a fan of super sentai and I entirely left it behind during adolescence, I was still a kid that watched kid’s shows. I liked the corny action and the stupid arguing when it came to deciding who gets to be which ranger when playing with other kids.

Subverting a structure where conventionally the good guys are fighting the monsters to make the monster be the good guys could just as well be nothing more than a gimmick. I mean, it is something, but it is not groundbreaking by any means. The anime also doesn’t look particularly good, though the OP is pretty fun. Was I surprised to see that the studio who created Arknights, the only actually good gacha game, was animating it? Sure. Does that mean jack-shit about the quality? No. Why am I even talking about this? Hey shut up it's my script.

All of this to say that things changed once I reached episode five, in the process thinking that the blonde girl called Hisui looks kinda cool and I wanted to see how the ongoing fight concluded so I read the manga, only to be immediately hit by that pathological girlfure looking cooler by the chapter, then proceeded to find out that after an okay introduction it has a good first arc then there is a HUGE quality spike with the School Life Arc and it doesn’t drop the ball after that (except for one little thing but we don’t talk about that), PLUS, now Hisui lives rent-free in my head.

Let’s start from the beginning.

Thirteen years ago a giant fortress appeared over Milky Way City in Japan. The residents of that fortress started invading the surface and humanity fought back, forming the Rangers and retaliating. Every Sunday they come to the ground and are fought by the Keepers — the five main Rangers — in a stadium, with an audience in a televised event. If it sounds dumb and artificial that’s because it is. The Invaders are shapeshifters who were forced by the Rangers to take on this acting role after their overlords, the Executives, were all defeated in the very first year of the war, thus making them slaves to a bunch of sociopathic celebrities.

Enter Footsoldier D, an invader who is fed up with their situation and decides he is going to take matters into his own hands and get revenge on all the Keepers. Things start spiraling out of control almost immediately though D doesn’t know it yet, as he meets two rangers called Suzukiri and Hibiki. One who offers to help him take down the big five by stealing their weapons and another who wants to change the Ranger association from the inside out as he believes humans and Invaders can coexist. One of the reasons why this manga eventually becomes so entertaining has its beginning here, as this is one of those stories where there are plots within plots, lies within lies and everyone has something in particular they want to protect or achieve even if that means coming into conflict with both sides of the war. After some shenanigans Footsoldier D takes Hibiki’s place to infiltrate the Ranger Association with both of them vying to do their best to achieve their goals first, having just exchanged places.

This is where it starts going from decent to good as the mysteries begin piling on pretty thick. What are the so-called Divine Artifacts — the Keeper’s weapons — and why do they not look like something that was constructed but organic? Why does Suzukuri want to collect them? Why is there another invader living inside Hibiki’s closet? Why do the Rangers have such a lackadaisical approach to their leader being a murderer? How is D ever going to have any shot at killing these monsters when we see so clearly how much more powerful they are and his training is so basic? You might be thinking that I’m dumb and that the answer is powerscaling, but this is actually the action manga with the least amount of powerscaling I have seen yet. Character’s stay at roughly the same power level they are introduced in for several arcs and only manage to get things done by being smart about it and working together. Every conflict going forward is going to be multiple chapters long and feature a dozen different characters that all bounce off of each other. Essentially everyone in this story would be dead by the end of the second arc if they didn’t fight in groups 90% of the time.

What I have been calling the good first arc is basically the chunin exam of this manga. When you join the Rangers you do so as a filthy colorless and have to train until you are eligible for a test. Judging the results of said test you will be assigned a squadron based on each Keeper’s color or remain a lowly colorless fuck.

The circumstances under which this plays out are actually very engaging. D is posing as Hibiki taking the test, which means there is a lot about the Rangers he doesn’t know and he has to be careful about not getting hurt as it would immediately expose him as an Invader. He has to take care of XX despite that not actually being his responsibility, except that he also has a big sister now which is the Pink Keeper herself. Under these circumstances he has to compete against people who have totally genuine reasons for wanting to become Rangers, such as Shion who wants to get revenge on the Invaders for killing his brother who was himself a Ranger, but since both of them want to join the Red Squadron and they are in the same test only one of them can pass despite both having perfectly understandable reasons for wanting it. All of this further escalates as characters who are all easily distinguishable betray each other for their own gain, giving a hint as to why this organization is so fucked to begin with when they advocate for so much competition between their new members, who then get involved in a real battle with one of the Executives who was supposed to be dead and before you know it one of the big bad raidbosses is dead by the end of the first arc — which ends in CHAPTER FIFTY ONE — and even manages to be kind of a badass while doing it?

Every issue the characters have to face feel like a massive undertaking that, if you get into the story like how I did, will really surprise you because you were likely expecting something different when the first few chapters establish a conflict that is entirely artificial and unchanging with a main character that is literally immortal as long as he doesn’t go against a Keeper face to face specifically while they are wielding a Divine Tool. The actual mechanics of the fight might seem underwhelming, with most of the cast only having access to a basic-ass weapon for a good while, but the dynamics of each step along the way not only keeps it entertaining in a moment-to-moment basis, but also quickly builds so much of it there is enough foreshadowing, unresolved beefs and characters to cycle through for a story of near epic proportions. There is some sort of twist happening every other chapter, there are always characters making unexpected decisions, convincing one another to form truces or just committing mistakes, sometimes doing nothing more than being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

As the story goes forward it does a honestly very above average job of building on what came before. Though D is too dense to notice half of it and too prideful to admit the other half, he already gets everything he needs to start questioning his own goals and worldviews from this first arc, this is then brought to the forefront as the story pulls another twist, placing D not in the Red Battalion but in the Green one, bringing Kanon Hisui, the coolest motherfucker alive to the forefront. She is also my daughter. Look it up. It’s real.

I am infatuated by this character, everything she does for the story, her design and her personality. Through her, D is presented the harsh reality of a Battalion that is dedicated to dealing with the powerful Executives, which means that they are often being killed and replaced and the heroism necessary to walk through that to the other side, as well as the emotional damage and ruthlessness such an environment will instill. First we as the audience — but later D through his interactions with Hisui — get to understand that there is nothing inherently good or bad about any of these groups. That they are both made up of tyrants and their victims, people who were met with untimely tragedy, lost loved ones and parts of them along the way.

This arc takes place inside a school as an analogy to the lost youth and opportunities of everyone involved. Of the lives they were denied and will never get to live. Hisui is always wearing a middle-schooler uniform despite having no need for one as a way to maintain in the audience’s mind the fact that she doesn’t fit, that she is unwilling to let go of the concept of living the life she deserved despite that not being the material reality in front of her. D was quite literally bred for war and like the people who hate Invaders for the damage they caused them and their people, also hates the Rangers because of what the Keepers did to his peers which although fair, doesn’t take into account that he doesn’t know them. The Keepers aren’t the Rangers and the Rangers aren't humanity. They are both fighting in a makeshift war they were thrusted upon without their consent, are thematically brought closer by sharing in what was taken from them under the guise of a school life which is literally an in-universe dream; to then having to come to terms with the realization that they are one and the same; victims of a game played by rulers who are equally as vile, both of which should be dealt with. Geez, I wonder if the giant fucking chain casting its shadow over the city is meant to symbolize something.

Of course, they still hold slightly different allegiances, as D doesn’t let go of his plans to kill the Keepers but instead achieves a fuller understanding of his situation, and a lot of this is only going to get its payoff by the end of the next big arc, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Building upon the reaction of “Hey this guy wasn’t so bad after all” of the Blue Keeper’s conclusion, the manga now first gets you used to a character before revealing their identity as a Keeper, instilling in you the question of whether or not we should even be rooting for D to kill this guy. Sure, he still played a part in the oppressing of the Footsoldiers, but we don’t even know exactly what led to that to begin with. Also, we did actually kill Blue Keeper, but they just went ahead and substituted him. Gotta kill the fucker again.

Remember what I said about the constant escalating of circumstances? This is what I’m talking about. This structure makes it so that the next question the characters have to deal with both feel like the natural next thing to happen while also being just unpredictable enough to have all the twists it wants, and the answer to that question is laid upon so many conflicts with potential ramification that it manages to be, I kid you not, morally gray. Yes, the edgy manga from the author of the quintuplets harem is genuinely morally gray to an impressive extent—for what it is, not in the grand scheme of literature. Fucking bananas am I right? This is going to sound absurd, but I don’t think I have seen a more organically built-up shounen since Hunter x Hunter.

Something else that the School Life arc has over the previous one is that this time the actual mechanics of the conflict are a lot more interesting, likely as a result of having the benefit of working with previously established powers and characters. The premise of a job that constantly kills its workers and the existence of an alternate reality inside a building that breaks physical laws also feels very Chainsaw Man, which I appreciate as that is one of my favorites.

Just like the Footsoldiers back in the fortress, these characters now have a set of rules they have to obey, this time in order to keep the school world from constantly resetting. A premise that is particularly interesting once you consider that these are all people who didn’t get to lead a normal life and that their reaction isn’t to simply accept them but to find ways to work around those rules, their obedience being just a facade. In a literalization of the metaphor, fully giving in to the dream world signifies a character’s loss, which appeals to them precisely because it promises to right the wrongdoings of their past.

The story recognizes this with the students that criticize them after being released from the illusion because that was their way to cope with their own injustices. It is sensible enough to not treat these people as simply stupid, after all we spent a whole arc seeing the reasons that a dream like that could be appealing through Hisui’s perspective, but the arc concludes with the recognition that while the path they are choosing is the harder one, it is also the only one that gives them a chance of standing up for themselves, as the illusion was always a seductive lie. The antagonist is also an Executive with the body of a Ranger to approximate the two and remind you that they can be one and the same. As Hisui put’s it, “I’m sorry that your perfect world couldn’t exist”; as I’ve said before, there are tyrants on both sides; and as Steven Erikson once said, “The tyrant thrives when the first fucking fool salutes.”

Narrative arcs that deal with the lost youth and what-could-have-been scenarios tend to get me because I relate to that shit hard. I didn’t get a chance to live my adolescence the way I wanted because I hadn’t even come into my own identity as a woman, and that disconnect kept me from acting the way I wanted while also making me feel that the things I actually did were fake because I was simply going along with the preconceived notion that we are we and that they are they. Just like the students in this arc, I have had to accept that while there is solace to be found in basking in the idealized youth I could have had, I can’t refuse the material reality that that simply isn’t going to happen and any amount of time I spend longing for it is stopping me from actually getting shit done in the life I do have. The blending of themes and technicality of this arc is simply marvelous.

I am particularly fond of Hisui’s message that there are no requirements for heroism, you simply have to take that first step. Not because I believe in the idea of a hero we were taught about when we were kids, but because no matter what happens, nothing will ever change if you don’t take that first step to begin with.

I have briefly talked about how a lot of anime and manga focus their themes in an attitude the story is advocating for in my Sonny Boy analysis and it is actually kind of funny how many similar things I got from these two wildly different stories. If you don’t remember or haven’t watched it, the first episode of that show also takes place in a school that defies physics, has laws that can be enforced by the people living in it, ends with a character taking that first step and the rest of the story is, in a gross oversimplification of it, about everyone else trying to catch up to her.

Also, the fuck do you mean this arc is only 18 chapters long? Each of them is so dense I was under the impression it lasted for about 30.

Everything I just talked about proceeds to permeate the next big arc, that of the Invaders Rights Association, or IRA for short. A long arc that simultaneously feels like a bunch of shounen bullshit and a natural development going forward. We spent the whole series with a wronged Footsoldier, having met Hibiki all the way in the beginning who thinks they can coexist, so it stands to reason that that could eventually take a front seat in one of the story’s arcs. This arc is going to complete the change in worldview D has been going through all along, because as it expectedly turns out, the IRA is a villainous association born out of a genuine desire that was then bastardized.

D’s World Domination plot isn’t exactly a world domination, he’s thinking about it more in the lines of freedom. World domination is simply the ideal that was instilled into him from the moment he was born. Prideful though he may be, this man spent the first section of the story having to learn that he can’t get shit done alone, then using other people to achieve those things, and now he is going to learn that there are people willing to help him even if they find out who he really is. We know for a fact he didn’t fight just for his own sake back in the school.

There has always been a meta element to Loser Ranger as it deals with the existence of heroes from super sentai, has a super sentai show in-universe and the Keepers are just celebrities. In the IRA arc that then becomes part of the core conflict, building to some revelations that evidently will be properly explored in the next big arc as it has been doing so far. It isn’t as if the meta aspects are mindblowingly awesome, but they serve as an interesting way to frame this section of the story that keeps it fresh. I am particularly fond of the “This has been foreshadowed” gag.

I find that all of the big arcs so far are memorable because of this combination of framing and setting: starting with a classic exam arc in an underground base where the protagonist has to survive to reach the surface of the human world, to a more intimate character exploration in a school environment and now arriving at a meta narrative in a big castle, filled with cameras, TV broadcasts, YouTube livestreams and a VHS tape or two. Every arc has a distinct look and feel to it while still being brought together by the same narrative conflicts.

Shaking up the narrative structure by taking advantage of the fact D had to work from the shadows and rely on subterfuge all this time, the IRA arc introduces a group that actually has enough power to expose the Keepers as the liars they are and go face to face against them following that. It seems to me that this author is very smart about when to bring things into focus. Usukubo, for instance, was introduced all the way in the beginning, but did pretty much nothing in the second arc while Hisui became a main character. That is then balanced by having their positions switched in the IRA arc as Usukubo’s character is fully unveiled and Hisui spends half the arc bidding her time. Having someone we know serve as a stand-in for the audience inside the IRA eases the friction of suddenly introducing so many new characters. There are plenty of secondary and tertiary characters from past arcs who are weaved into the story again, these not requiring that much page time to have a role to play as we already know them and a flashback here and there is all that is necessary to give us more context into their backgrounds. Pink Ranger’s in particular is the stand-out as it gives us a reason to care, has that one panel in particular of her body falling back in a splash of blood that hits when you turn the page and sets Hibiki in an unexpected path.

Since you have read it this far I am assuming you care about what I have to say, so allow me to go on a brief tangent to give you some writing advice: if you come up with a structure, don’t overuse it, and if you have to, then come up with ways to keep it fresh. There are a lot of flashback sequences in Loser Ranger, but they come in different kinds. Some are interrupted by D saying he doesn’t care, some are kept very short, some are broken up in more than one part and the bigger ones are reserved for moments where they provide much needed specific information and only when they directly relate to what is going on. The immediate outcome isn’t always the same either, these flashbacks don’t always happen right in the last moment of a fight nor are they all preceded by the central character of those scenes dying. In essence, there are reasons why structures used in a bunch of different stories work, but don’t just throw a sad backstory in at the precise moment a character is going to be defeated every single time. It will get boring fast.

Thematically, I don’t have that much to say about the IRA arc, and frankly I don’t think the arc was shooting for that. The most emotionally interesting the series has been to me so far was with the School Life arc and I would argue that is very much by design. That does not mean that the IRA arc is lacking, as it is the most action-filled and violent arc so far and rescues a lot of scenes from previous chapters, making it feel as if we have really come a long way.

Just like it has been the case for the past arcs, a lot is established around this arc that we are yet to see the ramifications of. There is for sure more to be said about the Suzukiri Clan, the Neo-Rangers weren’t created just for the sake of it, the horrifying inventions of the Yellow Battalion haven’t been fully explained yet and the new position the Red Keeper is in is the “storm” the narration said D had unleashed — which unfortunately is something I don’t like, the first big narrative gripe I have with the story so far is this, as I don’t buy it at all that the Ranger Association wouldn’t have checked for his body, but hey, a single big issue in 139 chapters is a great relation.

So as to not end on a low note, let me conclude. Negi Haruba wrote a harem manga about quintuplets, made a ton of money (conjecture), then decided it was about time to cook up a killer action series. I am not nearly as much of a manga reader as I am an anime watcher, so I can’t say much on how it relates to the overall state of shounen manga, but I would bet that Loser Ranger is going to feel like a breath of fresh air to most people, whether or not you like it as much as I did notwithstanding. The very beginning is kinda mid, I know, but if anything of what I said sounds interesting to you, then hang in there, give it a couple more chapters. The artwork is sleek, it’s super bingeable, it’s slowly getting more violent with each arc (I hope it gets way more), the plot can be a case study with how organic it is and I need to get  a Hisui tattoo.

[soogaenthusiast]

Making a list of my faves to play as to the ones I can’t stand.

Zelda, she’s strong with the bow of light and she’s just amazing in general.

Sooga. He’s strong as hell, and has cool abilities. Like Zelda he’s also amazing in general

Link. How could he not be up here? He’s got a large range of weapons, and he’s just op with them all.

King Roham. Strong, and the guides are fun to use!

Impa. My girl’s got awesome attacks.

Urbosa. The lighting damage is really useful.

Monk Maz Koshia. His attacks are fun to use, and I like the spiny one.

Master Kohga. Each time I play as him I can’t help but laugh and that’s why he’s here 😂

Terrako. Awesome. Love him.

Purah and Robbie. The diving beast attacks are just op.

Daruk. He’s my weakest by far but he’s just strong in general.

Riju. Great potential but her controls are…. Annoying.

Revali. He’s infront if Teba just because he’s sarcastic.

Teba. I dislike playing as him, but I would choose him over the next few.

Sidon. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, but I’m not really a spear person.

Mipha. Eh. She’s…. Her.

Friggin Younobo. I don’t even care if I’ve spelt his name wrong-

Great bloody Faries. Never playing as them again.

Gannon. Don’t have him yet so-

What’s your list?

Ooh fun!! Thank you for this!

1. Sooga. Used to be Link, but Sooga took first with a QUICKNESS. He’s perfect, that’s it. His cutscenes for certain attacks, speed, damage, attitude, it’s all so good. Parrying three times and getting that attack boost feels illegal

2. Link. His range of weapons is so good, and all of them are all cracked in their own right. His spear is heavily underrated and can crowd control pretty well

3. Calamity. He almost feels illegal sometimes. He isn’t that fast while sprinting regularly, but his attacks are nuts. Plus, the little animated cutscenes are awesome

4. Impa. Having all five symbols clears the field with ease, plus her A charges up insanely fast

5. Rhoam and Zelda are interchangeable for me, but Rhoam will take four. The power in his guise change and attacks is crazy, and his speed as the old man is phenomenal. His sprint + X goes SO far and deals massive damage

6. Zelda. Bow of Light is nasty and can also crowd control really well. Having a 196 (currently) bow really sells her for me

7. Teba. I just love him he’s such a cute dad. But his attacks!! He has a really good range of fighting on the ground and in the air, and while the fighting mechanics in the for he and revali are a bit funky, teba felt easier to control

8. Sidon. His employ endless optimism ability is actually good, but I do wish his base strength was a bit better. I like him though and am a fan of fighting with the spear for her and mipha

9. Terrako. He’s fun! And I say that with very little recollection of his attacks 💀 but I remember him being good! He’s just tiny and doesn’t cover a ton of ground like some others

10. Mipha. Surprisingly decent. I don’t remember it now, but I do recall spamming one of her combos and getting some really good damage off in the levels I needed to use her in

11. Urbosa. Her lightning attacks are so good and can be really good for crowd control

12. Riju. Actually good. Takes getting used to, but she’s really good for big damage in tight spaces. Wouldn’t really use her for a lynel or a hinox or something though

13. Revali. My sarcastic king. Also decent, he’s just almost entirely in the air and I’m not super fond of it, despite his area of attack. He’s strong, but controlling him wasn’t exactly my favorite thing

14. Daruk. He’s OK, fairly slow to attack though. I’m sure if I had him stronger, he’d mow down everything. Used him a little bit outside of mandatory things and it was manageable

15. Guardian. Surprisingly decent and used him a little outside the mandatory things. Considering he’s not humanoid like the rest of them, it wasn’t too bad. Unlocking him sucked though

16. Purah and Robbie. Actually good and enjoyed them, I just never used them again 💀 but they pleasantly surprised me!

17. Hestu. He’s ok and some his attacks are fine, but not an ideal choice. Played as him more than Moz 💀

18. Kohga. He’s strong, but his recovery time was way too slow for my liking

19. Yunobo. I genuinely don’t know the last time I played him. What even are his attacks

20. Moz. I don’t think I’ve played as him since I needed to to complete his training, but I remember him being pretty decent! Just never went back to him so I don’t exactly remember or where he should be in the lineup💀

21. Great fairies. I literally hate them

[epaily]

MORE TOTK THOUGHTS CAUSE OMFG I LOVE THIS GAME SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT:::

first things first KOHHHHHGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

when he fell into the yiga pit in the first game he fell into the depths!!!

how tf did kohga survive the fall damage

im super interested to go to the gerudo tower now and see if somethings underneath that. ive only explored a tiny bit of the depths god theyre the coolest thing ever

oh my fucking god im fighting kohga with 6 hearts and no weapons how did i get here

when i fought him in botw i had 20+ hearts and full weapon slots full of royal claymores and broadswords and thunderweapons. and a fully upgraded mastersword. oh my fucking god.

help

yiga mask outfit/armor :DDD HATE that they took over king rhoams plateau house though

AND THE COLISIUM???????????

girl.

68 koroks :')

this twink should not have a drivers liscense i cannot fucking drive

i accidently went to lurelin village and had an absolute blast clearing out all the enemies and now im starting to rebuild :D i love having good combat in this game that isnt just smashing things with a stick. i love you flurry rushes i love you stealth i love you critical hits i love you arrow head shots i love you elemental attacks i love you switching weapons midfight i love you bullet time i love you yeeting random fruits at enemies i love you smacky effects that look cool

very excited to eventually go fetch all the lurelin villagers who fled ala tarrey town residents

armor peices i have include the fierce deity boots, shock armor chest peice, royal guards tunic, DARK TUNIC :DDD hylian hood + pants + tunic, barbarian chest peice, ceces wig, yiga mask, and desert voe headpeice.

findign the dragon tears is so fun. i know i said this already but wandering the glyphs just genuinely makes me smile

i went to the forgotten temple. feels horribly incorrect. how did they get the guardians out????? this feels like the one place in the game they should still be. not alive or searchable, just acting as rocks for you to remember and ponder over

speaking of the forgotten temple. holy fuck those backrooms. absolutely stunning sad about the goddess statue but my god that map took my breath away. i know nothing wll be back there in botw but still i want to see people clip behind the goddess statue now

i spent like 2 hours running around what was left of hyrule castle on the ground trying to find my champions tunic. no dice

im not strong enough to fight lynels but they look soooooo cool i want those horns SOOOOO bad

im starting to experiment more with combining things now. both with fuse and seperate abilities. i got a wing glider to travel from no where by holding it in the air, dropping it, climbing on and using recall. i had a full inventory of mushroom spears for about 10 minutes. diy elemantal swords. giant stick boomerang. boulderang. two swords glued together boomerang. frozen boomerang which is op as fuck. i watched someone use ascend by stacking 4 shrine spheres on top of each other. why would i make a boring car when i can slap 4 fans and a rocket on a tree i knocked over. diy catapults i take 4 hearts of damage from. zonai trampolines that always set me backwards and make me take a billion hearts of damage. fire shield that should probably be giving link third degree burns. hes too powerful.

theres less people at the stables ive noticed. but not a ton out wandering the world? eyes emoji

SESAMI ON EVENTIDE LMAOOOO i also went there accidently and then ditched him after doing his quest. did he abandon his friends this time.

still no fuckign paraglider :(((((((

im hardly doing any main story yet, no zora no rito no gorons no gerudo, and i dont plan to for a while. i just want to run across the middle worlds and dick around and find koroks and find caves and do side quests exactly like i did botw. ive had a smile on my face every minute ive played the past week. im having so much fun doing nonsense.

everything is gorgeous and i am in love

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 313: Deku VS Lady Nagant

Previously on BnHA: Hawks’s super-hot badass murder senpai Lady Nagant showed up to fire a cupid’s arrow into my heart, and a bunch of literal bullets into my son. Deku was all “oh shit it’s Hawks’s super-hot badass murder senpai, what do I do, let me think back to Hawks’s advice for a sec.” Flashback!Hawks was all “anyway Deku so if my super-hot badass murder senpai ever shows up you’re basically screwed so you’d better abscond the fuck out of there.” Present!Deku was all “lol idek why I flashed back to that conversation since I’m just going to do the exact opposite of what Hawks said” and charged directly toward Nagant because WHY NOT. Overhaul was all “waah I need to get back to my boss who I put in a coma out of love” and Nagant was all “jesus christ why did I even bring you here” and had a flashback to AFO who was all “ILU NAGANT IMMA GIVE YOU AN EXTRA QUIRK SO PLEASE CAPTURE DEKU FOR ME PLEASE AND THANKS” and yeah. Shit is all over the place right now and I love it.

Today on BnHA: All Might gets attacked by a pair of discount assassins and is all “Call an ambulance! ...BUT NOT FOR ME” and it’s really badass but also I really wish he would stop tempting fate like this. Lady Nagant is all “[casually flies around town shooting shit]” and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t read an entire chapter of just that. Deku is all, “[gets shot (≥_<)]” and releases a giant Smokescreen which prompts En to show up. En is all, “( •᷄⌓•᷅ ) (⌣̀ Δ⌣́) ( •̀_•́ )σ (¬､¬) (눈_눈)” which I consider to be a high point of both the chapter and of my life. The chapter ends with Deku using the Third’s quirk to launch a bunch of random objects at Nagant so that he can jump up and grab her arm all sneaky-like, and I’m sure this is going to prompt another week’s worth of discourse that I don’t care about at all, but fuck it, I’m having a good time.

OH WE’RE CUTTING BACK TO ALL MIGHT WELL THAT’S NICE I GUESS. CONGRATS ON NOT BEING DEAD

you named your car??

you named it Hercules??

I love you so much??

please marry me you giant fucking dork???

lmao speaking of huge fucking dorks

who the fuck are you clowns. la dee da we’re gonna murder All Might with our synchronized spear attack!! I mean... they’re clearly trying their best... maybe I should just be nice and politely hype them up like All Might is so clearly trying to do

like okay, but we all agree that this is actually the least intimidating attack any of us has ever seen, right?? these guys zipped up their hoodies all serious-like and are trying to attack All Might and Hercules with their Walmart tiki torches, but just, no?? right?? like the only way this could possibly be effective is if they were trying to kill All Might with secondhand embarrassment

“those are assassins” this is a VERY generous assessment, All Might

OH MY GOD THE TIKI TORCHES ACTUALLY KILLED THE FUCK OUT OF HERCULES

[slaps roof of car] this baby can fit so many weaponized festive backyard lighting solutions in it

and yet, even after watching this with my own two eyes, I still can’t take these dudes seriously. idek what it is. anyways r.i.p. Hercules, I loved you a lot but I guess you weren’t actually a very good armored car were you

omg they didn’t know it was All Might??

okay 1) for a moment there I was like “oh hey maybe they’re not so bad after all” but then a moment later it was like “ah nope, they are.” like, that was an interesting .06 second emotional journey there. anyways 2) All Might you have my permission to kick their asses for this disrespect, and 3) anyone else all of a sudden getting “wouldn’t this be an interesting time for Stain to suddenly show up” vibes?? no?? just me???

(ETA: hmm tbh I’ve still got those vibes and they haven’t gone away lol. Stain?? you out there buddy?? do you want to be cool for just once in your life. ball’s in your court pal.)

OH SNAP ALL MIGHT ARE YOU REALLY GONNA DO IT ARE YOU GONNA KICK THEIR ASSES

PROTECTIVE DAD MODE ACTIVATED?? BECAUSE YOU KNOW I’M HERE FOR THAT SHIT, SO YEAH, FEEL FREE

omg he’s shouting at them about how much Deku has suffered lmao and they’re just like falling over from being scolded

so they have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about though, right? “SIR THIS IS A WENDY’S” well whatever, you killed his pet car so he’s in a bad mood now

OH MY GOD

LIKE, JUST SO WE’RE ALL CLEAR, THESE FOUR PAGES SO FAR HAVE MADE ALMOST ZERO SENSE. LIKE MAYBE 2% SENSE TOPS. BUT ASK ME IF I CARE. GO AHEAD AND ASK. I SAID GO AHEAD, IT’S OKAY. ...NO I DON’T CARE AT ALL THANK YOU FOR ASKING

(ETA: also, the more I look at this panel, the more I’m just like, why the hell would you phrase it like that though, sob. way to doubly tempt fate?? are you trying to give Horikoshi a challenge??)

and now back to Deku who is randomly bouncing around the city and narrating it to himself just in case he was confused about why he was doing this

who are you talking to Deku. but thanks we appreciate it

man you gotta love that overconfidence. the smartest guy in the world warned you away from this lady, so SURE, LET’S RUN RIGHT UP TO HER. “I APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT, FLASHBACK!HAWKS, BUT I’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE” well okay then!!

I think it would be funny if RHA.com put little Buzzfeed-style polls in between the chapter pages so they could survey people at random intervals as they read their way through the chapter. like, you finish this page and then there’s a little poll there asking “do you think Deku’s plan of catching up to Lady Nagant and finding out where Shigaraki is will work?”, and you click “no” just like everyone else and then nod as the results show that 97% of your fellow readers also picked “no”, and you chuckle to yourself wondering how many of the 3% accidentally clicked on the wrong option by mistake, and then you keep on reading

ANYWAY, SO

HOW’S THAT PLAN WORKING OUT FOR YOU SO FAR DEKU. nice kick, though!!

omggggggg

ouch

update: Deku’s plan not really working out. sources tell me my boy has been fucking shot. this is an ongoing story and we will keep you posted with the latest developments as they come in

wait what

feel free to explain to the rest of us what all of this “UNLESS...” and “THAT POSSIBILITY...” shit means anytime, Deku

oh lol did he realize she could fly??

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE, CNN’s John King reports that Deku is still fucked. eyewitness reports now coming in that Nagant is doing no-look shots and basically not even giving a fuck. sources described her mannerisms and expression as “sexy, but in like an effortless sort of way.” we will continue to bring you the latest

so now there’s basically an entire page of Deku being all “ah fuck so she’s basically closing in and she could already hit me with impossible accuracy even from Far Away, so if that’s the case then her being Up Close is probably going to be even worse!” making good use of that Big Hero Brain there, Deku

so now what, you’re doing some kind of spiraling kick thing?? how is that going to help

oh lol he’s using Smokescreen to create some cover. aww, good for you Deku you named one of your Smokescreen attacks

OH NO LADY DON’T TELL ME AFO DIDN’T EVEN FILL YOU IN ON THE BASICS

seriously, AFO?? you basically told her what Deku’s exact strategy was going to be but then couldn’t be assed to drop that little, small, barely notable piece of knowledge that Deku is rocking multiple quirks?? is it supposed to be a secret or something?? you dropped the ball here man

damn this is getting intense now

(ETA: the way En is poking Deku’s head in that first panel is fucking sending me, I love this guy so much omg.)

well then what are you planning, Deku?? I’m actually really curious!! I am genuinely starting to be invested in this fight scene not only in the “wanting to see who wins and how that impacts the plot” sense, but also in the “wanting to see how it happens because the choreography and strategy is actually pretty cool” sense, which honestly hasn’t happened for quite a while now! this is fun

anyway so what’s up Deku, are you going to use another quirk?? I’ve been speculating that he hasn’t actually unlocked the last two yet (since Two and Three didn’t exactly seem convinced when we last saw them), but maybe I’m about to be proven wrong

(ETA: well he clearly has Three’s obviously, but Two’s is still MIA, and that’s the one I am of course the most curious about. that’s the one we’re all curious about, let’s be real.)

OH SNAP???

AHHHH I’M HYPED LOL. ANOTHER SHINY NEW QUIRK LOL SHOULD I PUT UP THE USUAL DISCOURSE DISCLAIMER

(ETA: so yeah, after thinking on it, I’m not gonna say “please no Deku discourse on my blog” this week, but I probably will ignore any discourse that does come my way though, just because I don’t have much interest in getting involved in what would probably be a pretty repetitive discussion. like, I can just sum up my opinions (which is what they are) here instead. in fact here they are lol:

1) I like the SIXQUIRKS and I like seeing Deku be a badass.

2) I also don’t think Deku is too OP. more like he’s exactly as OP as he needs to be at the moment, given that we’re approaching the end of the series. I expect the other kids will also be pretty damn OP when we see them fight again. we’re just at that point now where they’re all badasses (as well they should be; they’ve grown a lot and they deserve it). it’s just that Deku’s the one we’re getting to see right now.

3) of course I miss Kacchan and the others, but for me this vibes much closer to the MVA arc where even though I missed them, I was still having a blast (as opposed to the dark days of the Basement arc where I was pretty much losing it lol). like, even though Kacchan’s my favorite, I still love Deku a lot and this arc has been amazing for him getting to shine on his own (for like the first time, really).

4) y’all know I love the OFA plot and I’ve never been shy about that lol. I like all of the Vestiges a lot. Banjou and his over the top personality; En and his “guy you thought would be serious and :| all the time but is actually hyper-animated and ALL OVER THE PLACE” energy; Shiro who actually is a :| sort of guy lol; Three who I still expect will be fleshed out in a more detailed flashback at some point; and of course Two, who, well. you know what I think about him lol. Bakuverse is still on the table and I’m still hyped. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we still have yet to see Two actually talk to Deku (as opposed to talking to the other Vestiges while Deku is distracted). did he lend him his power yet?? or is he still holding out?? either way it’s definitely going to be a Big Thing when it finally happens and I can’t wait to see it.

5) Lady Nagant is Everything and just because Deku grabbed her arm doesn’t mean the fight is over yet lol. Overhaul hasn’t come into play yet either. not to mention that even if the fight is over, the “where do we go from here” part still has me excited either way. her connection to Hawks and the HPSC is very intriguing and we’ve barely touched on that as of yet; she definitely has more of a role to play in this.

6) last but not least, I feel like every week the discussion is all about how much focus Deku’s getting, and how OP he is or isn’t, and OFA this and OFA that, but meanwhile I’m actually so invested in the character development here though?? the way Deku has distanced himself from everyone (except for the Vestiges, because of course they’re already dead so it’s not like they can die again lol)?? the way he’s pushing himself far too hard and we can see the shadows in and under his eyes, and the fact that he never smiles, and even All Might has remarked on how he isn’t taking care of himself at all?? the fact that he’s so single-mindedly obsessed with focused on stopping AFO?? the fact that he’s still the same sweet old Deku despite everything and was so kind to that fox lady with the umbrella, but there was also something so sad about that scene because it felt like a reminder of the type of hero that he wants to be, but that he’s not allowed to be right now?? because the stakes are too high and the world is falling apart?? and he feels like he’s the only one who can do something about it?? and that he has to be?? and that he is putting so much pressure on himself right now, and it’s absolutely too much pressure for any one person to bear, and I feel like no one is fucking talking about this lol goddammit.

anyway so yeah. I have feels about this, and every week that slow-burn angst is getting more and more intense behind the scenes, and I feel like it’s all going to hit a breaking point eventually. sooner rather than later. it really feels like a mirror of Katsuki’s post-Kamino arc. where all that angst was just churning below the surface for like twenty chapters and then it finally was like “okay it’s time” and it all came bursting out and we got the best five chapters of the fucking series (in my admittedly biased estimation lol).

basically, I know that most of fandom is billing this as either the “villain hunt” arc or the “solo Deku SIXQUIRKS fighting arc” or whatever. but for me, it’s always been and still is the Deku Angst arc lol. the cool fights are a sexy bonus (the worldbuilding less so because even though it’s interesting to see society at such a low point, it’s also very depressing and gets old pretty fast), but for me the thing that’s really keeping me engaged chapter after chapter is seeing Deku like we’ve never seen him before. seeing him all quiet and withdrawn and brooding and focused on AFO, AFO, AFO, and seeing that “he just doesn’t take himself into account” mentality taken to extremes. I am invested in that. I’m soaking up that angst each and every week, and I’m invested in seeing what comes of it. it’s a big picture thing. week to week this arc might just seem like a bunch of villain fight scenes, sure. but Deku’s emotional journey is the thread that’s going to carry this arc through from beginning to end, and for that I’m willing to be patient.

anyway that turned into a BIG OL’ RANT there but yeah! so those are my thoughts on the disk horse as it currently stands. and like I said, I’m open to discussion, but tbh I will probably just wind up repeating these same talking points endlessly so just a fair warning lol.)

anyway so Three says Deku has yet to use his quirk at ALL but now he’s trying to combine it with another quirk?? damn. also please check out En’s face here you guys

En launching a sneak attack up my favorite character list by the sheer power of his expressions alone. he really knows how to make the most of his screentime

OH DAMN DEKU

at this point the 3% from that hypothetical poll earlier are starting to feel prettttty damn smug, I’ll bet. well shit

what in the fuck

?? so like releasing his chi or whatnot?? isn’t that basically just like base OFA all over again?? also Deku did you seriously just apologize to Gran’s cape

update: Nagant has turned her eyeball into a gun

hm. hmmmmmmm. ...okay yep, still somehow sexy

anyway so she’s just floating up there building suspense, as one does. lord I sure hope she has good reflexes because something tells me she’s going to need them

OH SNAP HE THREW GRAN’S CAPE AS A DECOY WHAAAAT OKAY THAT’S SOME SMART SHIT DEKU

LOL SHE’S MAD NOW

JESUS CHRIST SHE JUST NEVER TAKES A GODDAMN BREAK FROM BEING AWESOME HUH

DEKU ARE YOU JUST THROWING EVERY DAMN THING IN YOUR INVENTORY

but without the cape and the hood how will you continue to look like an enigmatic badass. you really can’t. which means we might finally be moving on from the wandering nomad part of this arc, stay tuned

LOL YOU MANIAC

I hope he went full Kacchan with the dialogue there. his face sure looks like it lol. popped out of a building all mad fdskljlkj omg

well this was fun, shit. I still have basically no idea what Three’s quirk does though lol. like, can he use it to charge up objects with kinetic energy or something?? but then what was all of that talk about combining it with one of the other quirks?? or was that just because he was using Smokescreen at the same time??

(ETA: having seen and read an additional half-dozen explanations of Three’s quirk, I can say with confidence that I still have basically no idea what it is or does.)

anyway so!! Deku is a badasssssss but something tells me not to count Nagant out just yet even so. also I really enjoy seeing Deku flip out on people like he doesn’t have a fucking hole in his torso because it reminds me of A CERTAIN SOMEONE and I always love to see him channeling that feral energy; I feel like it’s been a while

anyways good luck to you both!! I truly wish that both of you could win. but if not, then maybe you can at least become friends instead. you have so much in common, you both can fly and have multiple quirks and you’re both badasses, and plus it would just be really funny to see the look on Hawks’s face lmao

[bitegore]

aggafshfdsgfhdfh wait. various magical girl transformations for my chaotic ass shitlord ocs

rex: he spins around and gets sparkly and then at the end of it just shoots you in the face because you were distracted by the lightshow. get fucked. hesitation is death loser

felyx: has a proper magical girl transformation and everything, shows up in a cute little purple dress with flowy sleeves, except at the end of the lightshow he just fucking disappears in a puff of smoke. so does your wallet

azkaileh/ayleh: magical-girl-transforms from big badass lady to bigger badasser lady. she gets a cool spear for her trouble but she doesn't use it because she can already shoot fire from her hands and punch you through walls without it and that's more fun

taz: magical girl transformation does nothing but fluff his hair up, unless he's in dragon form, at which point he immediately starts glowing. he gets more of a super saiyan transformation than anything else except he doesn't go blond. he used to transform cool armor out but he thought it was uncomfortable and petitioned the board of magical girl transformations until they'd let him stop

adder: are you prepared to be lit on fire and/or frozen to death? he hasn't done the magical girl thing since he was like 18, joined a pirate ship, moved to a different country, transed his gender and learned that there were more effective threats. now he will just put a hand on your shoulder if you're getting heated with him and smile and let you know you're fu-hucked if you want to keep on in this vein, but if you'll cut it out we can all be friends so why don't you sit the fuck down? but his magical girl transformation gives him a giant fucking sword and a cape that changes color every time you look at it

silas: she's already time-unlocked so frankly the magical girl thing is not that scary in comparison. she also doesn't use it often but it gives her a strength buff so it makes it easier for her to lug her plant experiments around. she also gets a giant sword and a cape that changes color every time you look at it but she doesn't wear those around while moving science from place to place, obviously, she just takes them off and leaves them somewhere safe. she's petitioned the board a couple times for it to be switched into a pen or something she can use for scientific purposes but they're not going to bend on the protector/fighter focus of the transformation so she just has to deal with that

velan: i cant say "fuckoff big clipboard" but i am sorely tempted to. if she were a mage she would use it to automate her fucking paperwork. she was the closerverse version of spec ops, she would be personally offended by the lightshow thing..... maybe she gets like shadowstep and shadow blades. i think that'd fit her personality. there's a big lightshow but she vanishes out of it literally the second it starts going and while you're watching she cuts your spine out of your torso. or something. but for the most part these days she doesn't use it and complains about how she can't use it to do import forms and taxes with

nadiya: FUCKOFF BIG SPEAR nadiya is already a spear person but her magical girl transformation is like "big spear. on fire. magic fire. stabs you and you burn green. get rekt" (additional post-story leveled-up diyel variant: still a giant spear but now it's a little more like a javelin. he can throw it off taz and hit people with it with uncanny video-game-tracker-style accuracy on account of how its a magic weapon. it explodes. no one wants to deal with him)

redshift: its just his takeoff/launch sequence. it is hot pink and full of sparkles. the sparkles are highly toxic and very hot ofc but they sure are pretty. but this has always been how i imagined him turning into a live sparkly triangle LMAO

[zaptap]

ive made a few of these bingo sheets and theyre fun so i decided to make one not just for e3 but also JUST for splatoon 3 (not just for e3 but for like the whole lifetime of the game). also heres my updated list of characters id like to see in smash, ordered generally by which id like more and/or think are the most realistic

since min min got in i took out helix, and since i couldnt decide whether to add in waluigi or madeline i added another row (realistically i dont think any indies are getting in but i threw some in anyway). also i was like “oh yeah maybe theyd put in a gen viii pokemon” so i threw in hatterene since thats one of my favorites.

also as for waluigi (and shovel knight for that matter) i think it would be nice to see an assist trophy get in just to break that rule. also i remember being super surprised he wasnt in brawl (back then i thought he and wario were equally important) and even though that was based on a wrong impression ive still felt like he should be in there ever since

notes about the bingos under the cut

really is about time for those n64 games, especially now that mario is dead so theyre free to release sm64 on it. game boy games would be nice sometime too

would also make sense to include banjo-kazooie in that, nintendos had a good relationship with microsoft lately and the total absence of anything banjo-kazooie on the switch is odd since it’s a dlc character (every other one has a game on switch they can use for cross-marketing, even if joker’s took a while) and i think the best explanation for that would be that theyre holding off for the nso n64 app (this is easiest from a technical standpoint because all they have to do is make a deal to use the roms)

when are they putting octolings in mk8d

xenoblade chronicles x is one of the only wii u games left that they could port (aside from ones that wouldnt make much sense like splatoon and ssb4) so i guess that might as well happen sometime. also monolith soft might be doing something else besides helping with splatoon 3

im not ready for metroid prime 4 (im over halfway through mp2 and therefore the trilogy as a whole) but it’s been a while, they might show it and it could even come out this year

hal apparently recently hinted at a new kirby game or something

the upgraded switch is obviously going to be called the Nintendo Switch ͥ  since they already did the ds lite so theyre clearly naming everything in the family after the ds family, theres absolutely no flaw in this logic. idk if theyre showing it, but unlike 2019 they didnt say they werent showing new hardware (just that they were showing software, which could be taken as denying rumors, but they sometimes specify when certain things arent being shown)

metroid prime trilogy also might come this year. would make sense to release it before mp4 since not everyone is going to buy a wii u to get it (and at this point that doesnt get nintendo any money since they stopped making them)

where is detective pikachu 2. i hope it has the blue pikachu from that first tease they gave us in like 2014 (2013? that was a loooong time ago idk)

they said this was MOSTLY 2021 so i am absolutely getting my hopes up for splatoon 2

the two sinnoh games could likely be there

would be super cool if oddity came to switch. and almost as ironic as megalovania getting into smash

we havent seen the botw sequel for a couple years so we’re kind of due for an update on that

it’s ace attorney’s 20th anniversary this year so maybe theyre doing something. theyre already porting those games though so idk. maybe he’s getting in smash

whats with that watermelon mario render

i held off on watching a playthrough for ndrv3 on the off chance it came to switch and i could play a dangan ronpa game for real for once but it’s now been 4 years and we just passed the 10th anniversary of the series (albeit during a pandemic when i wouldnt expect them to have done anything) so it would be cool to see the series come to switch. i think if it still doesnt after this though i’ll just watch the playthrough, 4 years is long enough. amazed ive avoided spoilers this long, i still know next to nothing about the game

im about done with acnh but im still waiting on those splatoon items. and i ran out of storage in february so i need more of that too

nintendo did stuff for zelda’s 30th anniversary so i doubt theyre forgetting the 35th. maybe wwhd/tphd ports, idk

been a couple years since fire emblem, intelligent systems is probably up to something besides planning yet another paper mario spinoff

miyamoto forgot pikmin 4 in the oven 6 years ago and it got burnt to a crisp and thats why it hasnt come out yet because he had to start over

and splatoon

the inklings scared daft punk into quitting so now that theres no competition in the robot musician scene they should have a daft punk style group

i waited and waited and neither of my top two splatoon stages (flounder and d’alfonsino) came back in splatoon 2 so i hope just because splatoon 3 isnt in inkopolis doesnt mean they still wont return

would be sick as hell if there was a real hide and seek mode instead of just sticking to your own rules in private battles. havent played that since 2015 but it was super fun

show us the effects of the chaos world

i wanted mc craig to have a song in octo expansion and they didnt deliver. heres another chance

splatnet 3 baby

cant wait for nogami to do a funny 3 pose

abxy came back for splatoon 2.... am i gonna be that lucky again...?

salmon run doesnt make sense if youre friends with a smallfry but they could either change the story context (you just fight “evil” salmonids?) or replace it with an equally fun co-op mode

amiibo!!! i think i said this before but they should label them by weapons if these cephalopods dont have genders, would make more sense (the gendered ones had different weapons anyway)

returning characters!!!! would like to see everyone have a role of some kind

maybe #GearForAll wasnt successful in getting the emperor/spy/mecha gear, but perhaps theyll at least consider not making that stuff exclusive this time around

squid girl gear should be back. and they should call it a dress instead of a tunic because its a dress. and theres no gender now anyway

as ive said before... TRIPLIES!! you hold one in each hand and another in your mouth. and you can spin around like the tasmanian devil

remove splatfest tee annoyances: you should have a prompt at the end of a splatfest to pay to scrub your tee (to make sure you get the chunks) also it should be on a neutral brand so you dont end up with an overabundance of ink resistance up (or whatever else)

better online and cloud saves would certainly justify having a second splatoon game on the same console, as much as im loving that it exists

hopefully theres a global testfire again

sooner or later the workers will rise up and kill mr grizz

remember in splatoon 1 where if you had squid beatz (via the amiibo) you could “play” it in the lobby and change the music? then you were stuck listening to only bubble bath in splatoon 2? why did they take that option away they should bring it back

looking at those apartment buildings in the trailer i think it would be cool if you had your own room and could decorate it

an octavio redemption arc would be fun to see. in the manga he stole the zapfish because the octarians had an energy crisis, and in the end they worked out a deal to share the electricity

[fayesdiary]

Going back to talking about bloodlines in FE, that whole topic sparked something in my mind and I'm starting to conjure up an idea for an OC to toy around with it (and by the way this would be my first OC ever and for some reason that makes me so excited ohmigosh)

So the basic premise is that of a character whose arc goes pretty much the opposite way compared to Alm, so:

She's the princess of her kingdom and the only child of her parents, but what she doesn't know is that she's adopted.

...not conciously, at least. She does have her suspicions but she's constantly denying them in increasingly desperate attempts, and when evidence of the fact begins to pop up (such as the reveal that her parents have been sterile for decades), she starts freaking out. A lot.

The reason she doesn't want to find out she's adopted has mostly to do with bloodline shenanigans. As in usual FE fashions, her parents were born with a special blood that grants them inhuman power as well as the ability to wield the kingdom's sacred weapon (that I still have to decide to find out what it actually is). In fact, this is the norm in every noble court, and there's a heavy stigma towards those who either can't or won't make children or the nobles who don't have any special blood.

Which is why she has a lot of insecurities and impostor syndrome she tends to hide behind a boisterous facade. She tends towards the theatrical but she's not quite Odin-level, and if you know her relatively well you know she tries hard to play it cool. And if she's adopted and doesn't have the special blood, then that means that no matter how hard she tries, she will never be good enough, right?

You can technically wield the sacred weapons without the blood requirements, but then they'd hit like a wet noodle. Something that happened to the poor princess a couple of times. Mostly because while she does have the special blood, it has a strange tendency of... disappearing, especially when she's away from the castle for long periods of time.

The reason why that is is that her parents tried everything to make an heir that could inherit their blood, and when that failed, they went to try and find a way to give their blood to the princess instead, and they only succeeded partially. They did manage to find a way to give her their blood in a secret way so that no one would know it happened (not even her, at least conciously), but it's only temporary. After around a week or so, the blood goes away and they have to repeat the whole procedure. (Fun fact, this is something that is actually based in FE canon: in Jugdral lore the dragons gave the crusader the Holy blood by making them drink a drop of their blood and in Fates Anankos gives the Awakening trio temporary access to the Dragon Veins in the same manner)

Besides the weird alchemy experiments, she and her parents have a genuinely good relationship, which is even better considering I don't want to kill them or make them super evil for once.

In fact, it's not like they took her to have an heir or whatever- the princess is actually the daugher of their faithful retainer who tragically died, and asked the rulers to take care of their daughter as one last favor before they died;

In general I really love the idea of even her gameplay progression going the opposite way compared to other lords: She's stronger statwise at the beginning, but then loses the OP legendary weapons and blood boosts throughout the campaign and her promotion is her finding ways to make up for that that don't involve rough stats. I just think it's pretty neat!

She's aspec because why not

I have no idea for a name as usual, I'm open to suggestions lol

[emachinescat]

I've decided to watch MacGyver from the beginning (again), and I'm live tweeting the experience with every tweet tagged with #savemacgyver. I thought it would be fun to share my collected thoughts from the episodes on here as well.

My Thoughts on S1E2, "Metal Saw"

Seriously love the music in this show!

THE FREAKING BELT GRAB. You can tell they've done this kind of thing before.

I always love it when Jack and Mac have heart-to-hearts in the middle of super intense, dangerous situations. Like... it's sweet, but time and place, guys?

"Hi, I'm Jack." Nervous Jack is bebby.

Ew, sweat. Like, I know it's "realism" to have sweat stains on clothes in situations like these, but that's one bit of realism I can always do without. Gross.

Is that a bit of PTSD I'm seeing with Mac there on the couch? That's a kind of realism I can always get behind.

Riley finding Mac and Boze in that compromising position will never not be funny. "But he was on top." I love Riley more every episode.

Riley is a really good liar from day one.

I love the joke about ex-cons benefiting from being in relationships with stable people (i.e., fake boyfriend Bozer), then the immediate cut to Bozer with his whole arm inside the vending machine. Great stuff.

Love the Riley and Bozer bonding... right up until the cringe-tastic "Slide me your digits."

"Soon, I'm gonna woo you the same way Romeo would have wooed Juliet if they had Snapchat back in the Renaissance." Bozer and his surprisingly accurate pickup lines. The Renaissance did in fact start in Italy around the 14th century, when R&J is thought to take place.

I love all this psychoanalyzing of Mac. "Adapting is his survival mechanism." Also I'm living for Jack sticking up for Mac to Patti.

"This place has been searched by everybody and their dog." Is this a Texas thing or an old guy saying? Either way it's great.

Nothing beats the early days of Mac and Jack. Nothing. I wish we had gotten more interactions where Jack has to parent Mac: "Stop touching that. Look at me." ❤️❤️❤️

Jack so concerned about Mac and putting on the kid gloves = everything I could have ever asked for and more.

Jack has such a big heart. Poor guy, the look on his face when he sees that the reporter is actually Sarah...

Paperclip sculptures: When I first started watching the show, I thought they were lame. Now I miss them so much. Does that mean I've gotten lamer or that they were always cool and I was always lame?

"Closest time I ever came to coming home in a box." Oof. This line hits different now, and not in a good way.

I just love how Jack is this big tough ex-Delta who is so open about his emotions, particularly with Mac. And the way Mac reassures him... Their bromance is top-tier.

"Oh, like when they invented fire!" Another zinger.

Mac grabbing that giant cigar right out of that dude's mouth 😂😂😂

Love some good fight-scene Mac whump! 👏👏👏 And bar fights are always a blast!

Riley with the car door - such a boss. "What? You told me to stay in the car, and I did."

I've seen some people say they don't like S1 Mac's hair. I kind of dig it, to be honest. He looks like he's 5, but I love it.

Mac has made a lot of DIY cutting torches in his time, but they never get less impressive.

Jack trusting Mac to save Sarah while he keeps watch is just *chef's kiss*!

These early episodes have so many MacGyverisms. One right after the other. It's awesome.

I've never been a big fan of the dark either, Mac.

The first scene with Mac and Sarah is so beautifully tense and whumpy (he way he scrabbles for purchase, gasps for breath, that hitch in his voice as he tries to squeak out Jack's name) that I had to rewind and watch it again.

The hopeful disbelief in her voice: "Jack Dalton came for me?"

Sarah can kick some serious ass. I can see why Jack likes her. Too bad she's about to lead him on the rest of the episode, while actually having a fiance...

Sarah: *leans out of car, shooting her weapon with deadly, terrifying precision* Riley: I agree, this woman should not have kids. 😂 Everything that comes out of Riley's mouth is gold.

Riley asleep in the back of the car while Mac sits quietly and Jack and Sarah have a sweet moment is like mom and dad with the kids in the backseat. Except mom has a fiance and hasn't told dad yet, even though she's had ample opportunity.

Because seriously, Sarah. It's not that hard to tell him the truth. Giving him those big eyes and flirting with him, thinking he has a chance is just cruel. I have never liked her character, and this is why.

Mac and Jack giggling about Jack's crush on Sarah like middle-school girls is life.

"You're just gonna have to let that go." Man, I love their relationship.

Gosh, the scene where they find Luis always hurts so badly. These early episodes did not play around.

"There isn't always time to beg some suit back home for permission to do what's right." I'm not a fan of Sarah, but I love this line. Also, this is pretty much the synopsis of the whole show.

Riley's hair used to be so LONG! 😍

The loyalty of these three! And I love the OG trio so much.

This sleazy guy in the computer place makes my skin crawl.

Love how Patti's like, "Mac will be back by then." Not Jack, not Riley. Just Mac. Can we say teacher's pet? I actually lowkey love this though.

"Who is this guy?" Much like Doctor Who's "It's bigger on the inside," I never get tired of people being equally amazed and confused at the stuff Mac can do.

I've never been the biggest car chase junkie, but Barrios jumping over the car using that log in the road is pretty dope.

Sarah's rage is chilling. And Jack talking her down breaks me every time.

Again, I love the loyalty of our team. Everyone sticks up for each other, ending with Mac's totally unbelievable but still somehow 100% genuine "It was me. I forced them." TOO good.

First mention of Oversight this early. Just thinking about who it is that doesn't like unsanctioned ops just makes me 😤 I wonder if the writers knew who OS was at this point or if it was a later development.

I do wish we could have gotten more conspiratorial, approving Patti. She's so much better than expressionless, bland Patti.

The way Sarah never told Jack about her fiance Jeff (who is in fact a cinnamon roll but still a discount Jack) pisses me off. "I tried to tell you." Yeah, right. It's not that hard to say, "Yo, I'm in a relationship."

Jack NEVER should have found out about Jeff the way he did. There's no excuse.

It's not okay, Jack. She did you wrong. You didn't deserve that. Stand up for yourself, man. Gosh, he's so broken here, and I hate it.

"At least we have each other... Don't look at me. I know how weird it sounded." THESE TWO I SWEAR 🤣🤣🤣

Poor Mac. I do love how we get his obsessive tendencies so early in the show, and how they keep coming back, even as late as season 5. As someone with clinically diagnosed OCD, this makes me feel seen and I love being able to relate to my favorite character.

Love the found family antics at the end. Riley and Bozer making dinner while Mac and Jack play basketball? Perfection.

Lol, Bozer calling Riley a "caramel goddess" has such Schmidt/Cece vibes from New Girl, and I dig it!

Ew. More sweat. I know some people find sweaty men attractive, but that is NOT my vibe. I prefer my men clean and freshly laundered.

The way Riley glances back over her shoulder at them as she walks away, as if to make sure they're really there, that this is actually real!!!

"That's not even... that's true, actually. That's sad." Jack 🤣 Also, "I'm hungry." Big mood.

As a Grandpa Harry stan from the OG show, I eat up any mention of him in the new one. I just wish we'd gotten more of that wonderful man in the reboot. Still, I'll take what I can get!

I'd honestly forgotten how much I enjoy this episode! So solid, full of bromance, found family, and lots of good-natured bickering. Can't wait to watch the next one, hopefully tomorrow! In the meantime, please keep fighting for our show! Together we can #savemacgyver!

If anyone wants to join me in my re-watching and tweeting adventure, please do! It's my way to take about an hour a day in my busy, busy life to commit to the #savemacgyver movement. (And to enjoy my favorite show yet again!) If you do tweet as you watch, make sure to tag EVERY tweet with ONLY #savemacgyver so we can keep that hashtag trending! :)

Thanks for letting me share my (numerous) thoughts on this episode. This was really fun, and I hope it's something you all enjoy, too. I'd love to know what you all think of the episode in the comments! ❤️

[yan-twst]

How would the heartslabyul boys react to an s/o who, in a very alice-in-wonderland fashion, eats something and suddenly becomes pint-sized/a giant? You can choose which boy has to deal with which situation~

riddle rosehearts

of course riddle know about the fabled potion labeled “drink me” that turned the girl who fell into wonderland very tiny for a while- it’s basic knowledge! 

so when his darling and him run across a similar potion, he tries to warn them not to touch it, but it’s too late

... and now his darling is 10 inches tall

riddle will be a bit shocked; it’s... it’s just like the stories! but he can’t get too caught up on that: he has to take care of his darling, after all!

he’s gonna place them in his shoulder while he heads straight to mr s’ mystery shop. if anyone is going to have the mythical “eat me” cakes to fix this whole ordeal!

as miffed as he is his darling did something so rash, he’s marveled by seeing them go through a process like the queen of heart’s guest went through in the stories!

in the end, he’s glad it all gets fixed, even if he thought his tiny darling was absolutely adorable... for once, he got to feel like he was super tall- but in the end, he prefers his darling their original size!

ace trappola

ace has a tendency to take others’ food if they leave it in the dorm fridge. sure, he learnt his lesson after taking riddle’s tarts, but... surely that tiny little cake that says “eat me” is free to take right?

being a courteous boyfriend, he offers some of it to his darling first! ... not just so he can share the blame if he gets in trouble over it- but he soon realizes it was good that he didn’t eat the cake too

his darling is freaking out as they suddenly grow to be almost as tall as the dorm’s first floor. good thing they were outside- ace shudders to think the destruction which would’ve occurred if he’d offered the treat inside...

he swears he didn’t know this would happen! this isn’t a prank or anything! he’s gonna go look for something to fix this, he swears, so don’t get mad at him- seriously, a flick to the forehead by someone that size could probably knock him out!

it takes him a while of sneaking around, but he manages to buy a potion that sam claims will “fix everything”; he’s lucky it does! his darling may not be too amused by the situation, but at least he found a way to fix it

deuce spade

why did- why did his darling just drink some potion they found laying around!? deuce may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he wouldn’t do that- what if it was poison?

well, at leas it wasn’t poison- it was just... a shrinking potion, it seems? deuce can hold his darling in the palm of his hand while they explain. it’s... very odd?

deuce is already a bit protective, wanting to prove himself a good boyfriend, but seeing his darling become pocket sized will amp that up. there’s no telling what could happen to someone in that state; he’s sure some students would absolutely try to do something funny and he won’t allow that!

he’s a bit flustered at the whole ordeal- giving his darling affection suddenly has become patting their head gently or holding them close, like if he were dealing with a little animal... but it’s his partner?? help?

deuce is relieved when the headmaster finally hears him out and provides a little cake that he claims will return his darling to their usual size- not before giving a dramatic rant to the two of them about how irresponsible they are (even though deuce didn’t drink the potion... how unfair!)

trey clover

his darling thought the little “eat me” cakes on the counter were made by him, and so they took some outside to eat with tea on their little date- surprise, trey did not make those treats, and now his darling is gigantic

he’s... at a loss. he tries to keep his cool- his darling is freaking out, so he should try to be the calm one, even if the whole situation is incredibly bizarre

while he sends someone to get a teacher- because he’s sure his darling probably doesn’t want to parade around as a giant- he’s gonna comfort them; hey, they can totally pick him up now, huh?

trey is very good at de-escalating situations! his darling’s panic will fade quickly, and soon enough they’ll find the situation hilarious as well

when divus finally arrives with a potion to counter the cake’s effects and get trey’s darling back to their normal size, he’s gonna hug them quite tight. it may have been fun to see them so big, but he likes it better when he can hold them!

cater diamond

cater knows he should probably be more worried over the fact his darling apparently sees no problem with picking up random lone bottles that say “drink me” off the ground and doing so- but...

they’re so cute!! he’s too caught up in how adorable his pocket sized darling is that he decides to ask why they even drank that potion later!!

cater may be excitable, but he isn’t irresponsible- he dutifully notifies a teacher with his darling resting on his shoulder. but it’ll take a while for them to find something to fix this, so...

for the meanwhile, he’s gonna go crazy taking pics for magicam and doting on his darling!

he won’t stop gushing about how many cute photos he’s gonna take- his tiny darling with macarons, holding cutlery like weapons... he gets very creative and snaps lots of admittedly good pics!

once his darling is returned to their usual size thanks to the school staff’s efforts, though, he’s glad to have them back. having cool photo ops and carrying his darling in his hands is cool and all, but... being around them and not being able to kiss or hold them sucked!

[ichika27]

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun s2 ep16

Guys! Have you already seen the TV size music video for season 2′s OP? avex had just released a music video for “No! No! Satisfaction!” and it has the group DA PUMP in chibi form doing the full dance from the OP and Iruma is also with them! It’s super cute!!

Anyways, the latest episodes got a bunch of stuff happening, huh?

Walter Park is still in chaos due to the monster rampage. Iruma decides he's not gonna sit back and do nothing like everyone else and went to try and save the crying child from earlier. To the amazement of everyone watching, Iruma dodged every large piece of debris that was falling his way all the while carrying a child.

He’s shown this ability way back in season 1 but he’s using it here in this very dire situation all with a child in his arms and both of them are okay. It’s really cool.

When they finally got to a safe space close by, Iruma tells the child to evacuate with everyone else. He then tells his friends that he really had fun the entire day and is very upset at what's happening now. He declares that he would fight back and do something about it. He says goodbye and would do it on his own.

I like the looks of determination on his face. When he was about to leave you can tell he’s nervous but he never voiced it out and still walked on.

Upon hearing his words, the rest of Team Baram decides they would help, too! Azz of course isn’t gonna just leave his Iruma-sama and he’s also upset that he didn’t realize that Iruma is upset. Sabnock on the other hand isn’t just gonna stand there and do nothing when his rival has a plan and he also thinks it’s a good idea. Agares wants to help stop whatever is causing the problem so he could nap peacefully. Sensei of course isn’t gonna leave the kids on their own.

On the other hand, Ronove is dragged with them unwillingly.

Meanwhile, Team Opera is also facing the beast in their area. Opera tells the others to evacuate and says it's his job to protect those dear to Iruma which impressed the kids in their care cause Opera is “a reliable adult”. Opera then battles the monster alone after everyone agreed to leave.

Ameri makes a return in the middle of the fight and tells Opera that she also has a duty to fight as she's the student council president. Opera happily agrees to tag team with her. The two pose back-to-back and were gonna kick ass and be awesome!

Just when they think they have a shot, they see Clara hanging on one of the beast's tail.

Team Kalego is still trying to fight on their end. Camui is commanding a flock of demonic birds nearby to attack the beast as distraction. The others ride a different bird and swoops in close with Lied stealing the beast's hearing.

It is revealed that their current actions are part of Jazz's latest plan. While the beast is freaking out, the boys attack with Goemon defending them. Jazz then uses the opportunity to get to the beast himself.

He uses the Ear-Wrecking Whistle he has which has the power to unleash a powerful soundwave that was given to him by his brother. Lied returns the beast's sense of hearing and Jazz blows on the whistle making the beast pass out.

Side note that it is explained that Jazz’s brother gave him that whistle and said Jazz could use it if he ever gets caught while pickpocketing so he could distract pursuers as he runs away. It’s might be helpful but the brother also mentioned that if Jazz uses it, it means he wasn’t good enough and it’s why he needed it in the first place. Added in the Interval that they made a little bet with Jazz claiming he’d never use the whistle. He is upset when he remembers but I think his reasoning to use it as an offensive weapon instead of a defensive one is pretty cool.

The boys rejoice in their victory with them praising Jazz on his successful plan. Jazz tells them that it wasn't just him but all of them who did really well.

While initially, they only picked Jazz as their leader due to his rank and also cause they don’t want to be on the frontlines, in the end they did respect him. Lied mentioned earlier that they didn’t really think they’d have a chance but hearing Jazz’s plan gave him hope cause it’s just really convincing. They also quickly congratulate and praise him for his plans and it took Jazz himself telling them that they contributed a lot to their victory for them to start praising themselves.

Jazz is pretty humble that he didn’t take all the credit himself even if it was being given to him. Plus it’s very big bro of him when he encouraged and praised them and looked very happy to see them happy about themselves.

Sadly, the win was another temporary one as the beast regain consciousness while they were off-guard. Kalego-sensei quickly went to their defense. As he uses his power to stop the attack aiming for the students, Kalego-sensei tells them they suck at defending and grades them all on their performance. He also mentions that even if they're kind of low, those are passing grades. Sensei then uses Cerberion to defeat the beast.

Kalego-sensei might not be the bestest of all the teachers but he’s not that bad. He let the kids handle things on their own to teach them but he would defend them if the situation is really bad. He actually graded them on their performance and told them what they did wrong and he even gave them passing scores. They all have varying grades depending on what they did which meant he was watching them closely, too.

The group is impressed by Kalego-sensei who then proceeds to place a chair to sit on on the unconscious beast itself. He then tells them that he found that particular event fun and had them take this group photo.

I found this hilarious in a way. He wasn’t having fun at all earlier but did when they had to fight which wasn’t surprising but what he does afterwards is. Who knew sensei likes showing off like this?

At the emergency shelter, Elizabetta and Kerori finds some kids crying which Elizabetta helps to calm down. Upon Kerori sensing everyone else's distress, she decides to change into her demi-dol persona, Kuromu, to try and calm them as well as she says it's her job as an idol to make people happy. She then performs for a cheering crowd.

Kerori is both proud of her work and herself while she also really cares about other people. I like that they showed this side of her character here.

Back at the battle, Ameri uses her bloodline ability: Romanticist. It's the ability to bring out her maximum power once she convinces herself that she's strong. She brings down the beast with it. Opera notes that it is a self-hypnotism magic that relies on the strong will of the user. Kuromu's song plays as very fitting background music while Ameri continues to fight. In the middle of battle, Ameri herself starts singing the song as well as a self-motivator!

It’s awesome how Kuromu’s song suits Ameri. I also found it cool how Ameri starts singing and later on, the two are having a “duet” while in different places. It was fun to watch!

Ameri successfully renders the creature unconscious. Opera is very impressed at this and praises Ameri. Opera then asks if she wants to work for Sullivan after she graduates. Ameri declines as she has already decided that she'd work with her father... at least until realization hit her that if she works for Sullivan, she'd be living under the same roof as Iruma. She then tells Opera that she'll think about the offer cause she might change her mind.

Opera isn’t a teacher but I like what they told Ameri. Ameri says she isn’t that strong yet but Opera tells her that she’s young and not being perfect meant she still has room to grow.

Also, Ameri’s imagination runs wild when she realized that she’d be living with Iruma if she works for them. She’d have to cook for Iruma and it’d be like marriage! So cute!

They also talk to Clara asking why she even came back and the girl answers she wanted to give a weapon if need be. Opera then asks her for a "secret weapon". I wonder what it is and what for? Hmm...

Back to Team Baram, Iruma and Agares have successfully located the trapped kids and are about to help them get out of the rubble. On the other hand, Azz and Sabnock are preparing for battle.

--

A lot of stuff happened in one episode and by that I meant that even certain scenes have little things in them that is worth mentioning. It’s nice how even with all of these content the episode doesn’t feel rushed or cramped.

Iruma and the gang has to deal with the beast on their end next week since the other two groups have already won their battle. After that, it’d be the threat of the Six Fingers. I’m excited for that and also the main trio seeing Kiriwo-senpai again!

Again, I like how the second season showcases all of the other characters. They have a big cast to work with and it’s nice to see bits and pieces of their abilities and personalities being given the limelight.

Thanks for reading this far!

[j-mysticalien]

That Alex O'Connell story you mentioned in a post, yes I would love to know more sounds so goooood

Okay okay okay I wasn’t expecting ANYONE to respond to this (except romeomahbromeo I had a feeling you’d encourage this lmao) so I have to admit that its not exactly written yet- I am the OP of this - BUT here’s some  more details rattling around in my head: 

(this took longer than anticipated bc I kept accidentally deleting parts of it)

- No one has names yet, I need to work on that (feel free to offer suggestions)

- Character 1: folklorist friend. American who went to Oxford or Cambridge or whatever super duper British school Alex definitely went to. They became friends in a freshman writing class on museum ethics. They got into a heated debate in front of the class over illegally acquired artifacts in the British Museum (in short, She’s very much a “give that shit back” and Alex is neutral leaning towards “keep some of that shit���) Academic rivalry quickly turned to mutual respect and they’ve been best friends ever since. 

-Character 2: bio anthro love interest. Another American (Alex rolls his eyes constantly bc of this. Once character 2 learns Rick is an American he torments Alex about it)This is a stem guy. Alex and 1 are their for the *culture*, the *lore*. he’s there for the biological evolutionary blah blah I don't like this particular branch of anthro but its his thing. He balances out the other’s adventure fantasy humanities bs.  Down to earth, straight to the point, casually cocky. He’s got this lopsided smirk and--K maybe I’m in love with this character but you know what goof for Alex. They don’t get each other at first but with time they understand each other and are quietly yearning until their epic. romantic confessions, more on that later

General plot stuff: 1 pops up and visits Alex at the museum “catch up” though she quickly reveals that there's some spooky newly discovered site and she wants to have an adventure and drag him with her “get you away from all these artifacts before you become one. yourself”. Alex feels he’s fairly content with his life (and low-key high-key was traumatized by The Mummy Returns but more on that later) but reluctantly decided to go along for old times sake, curiosity, and to make sure 1 doesn’t get herself killed. 2 is 1′s friend from the states, they has some internship together, and’s he’s along for the ride. One site turns into the trio traveling the world getting into one complicated, dangerous, and often mystical situation after  another. 

Dynamics and such: When it comes to magic and stuff 1 is loosely a believer and 2 is very much not. Alex is understandably open to anything but 1 and 2 assume the opposite. 1 knows who his parents are as the famous egyptologists but the whole started-the-apocalypse-and -saved- the-world-twice thing isn’t common knowlege. This combo leads to fun early convos like

1: hey Alex, what are your thoughts on reincarnation?

A: Well...my mother os the reincarnation of Egyptian princess Nefertiti and I was kidnapped by the reincarnation of Anck Su Namun...so I'd say it’s quite possible.

1:...

2:..You could just say no lmao

Like for a WHILE they think he’s being sarcastic about ALL of it. And when the group inevitably gets in dangerous situations it gets more confusing for 1+2. 1 isn’t physically the strongest but she can fend for herself if necessary. 2 acts all tough and carries a weapon or two around on their journey. Alex was raised by Evie and Rick- the guy is a badass but a secret badass. First time 2can’t pull out a gun in time and it looks like it’s the end early on? BAM Alex suddenly reveals he’s had years of training and knows his shit

2:...did you know he had....that he could-

1: No....Alex you’ve been secretly ripped this WHOLE TIME-

Anyways on to the romance. 2 and Alex. Alex is kind of obnoxious at times, fairly consistent as his characterization in the movies but now he’s grown up. o he’s a little stuck up and 2 is a little cocky and they do not get along at first. Lots of banter but other ever serious. They go through a lot together though and develop a friendship-still full of banter and quips. Alex falls for him by watching 2 when he’s in the zone, full on geek mode. Alex’s “oh shit I might like him” moment is when it just the two of them one night, 1 is off somewhere, and 2 is explaining something they’ve found in full detail. He’s completely absorbed and fascinated by it, he’s got that sparkle in his eyes and excited smile and his hands are moving wildly as he describes why its so cool. And instead of talking about his own stuff or rolling his eyes and one-upping him intellectually as he had before, Alex asks him questions and 2 excitedly continues while Alex watches, a small smile inevitably tugging at his face. 

For 2 it’s when Alex has a total Rick moment when their in danger. There’s a badass one-liner, intense glare at their adversary, shirt totally showing off his arms- 2 realizes later he had made mental notes of the details while he really should've been paying attention to the guns pointed at their heads. Alex knocks them out like the badass he is and they make their escape. Not a second after safety is secured Alex is all over 2, scolding him for getting them into the situation and bloody hell getting hurt in the process how stupid are you let me see that hand no I'm not asking a second time give it here, how the hell did you manage that where are the bandages-and 2 laughs. 

OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH FOR NOW BUT I DO HAVE MORE AND MAYBE I’LL ACTUALLY WRITE IT SOME TIME SOON

[parachutingkitten]

Season 5 Analysis

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I am going to be applying the concept of criticism to a TV show you presumably love and adore as much as I do. If you do not want your idea that the show is immaculate to be challenged, I would not advise reading past this point.

Additional Disclaimer: This includes criticism of Nya’s arc, so if you’re the type of person to get catty about this subject, turn back now.

Mood for this season: It’s spoopy time.

You don’t need to, but if you are interested, and haven’t seen my analysis of past seasons, you can find those here:

Pilot - Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4

You can also find all of these, and future installments, on my blog using the tag #analysis 

Hey everyone! I’m still doing these things! Let’s see, when was my last one? Over two years ago...? Yikes, I owe y’all an apology. I really didn’t mean to put these off that long. Anyway, get ready to hate me, cuz although (for the most part) this seems to be the fandom favorite season… I think it’s overhyped. I know, don’t kill me. I’ll explain myself. I don’t think it’s bad or anything, it’s very well structured, but I definitely wouldn’t rank it among my favorites. First, for a little context, I am making a one second of every ninjago episode video right now, so I’ve been binging the series and all it’s shorts back to back, so I think I’ll have a bit more to say about connective tissue between seasons, and hopefully you guys can look forward to more of these analyses between now and the new year when I’m releasing that video. I’m also officially a film major now so… sorry if I come of as extra pretentious or get too deep. Anyway, let’s jump into the thick of it, shall we? 

Plot

This is probably the area I have the fewest number of complaints about. This season has a breakneck pace and it keeps everyone busy. I think that’s why people like it. Everyone’s favorite has something to do. Which brings me to the question… which ninja’s season is this? Lloyd is on a lot of the promotional stuff, but he’s possessed and out of the picture for over half the season, so that can’t be right. Cole turns into a ghost, and the season is a ghost season, but that can’t be right cuz I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anyone claim it was his. Nya reaches her true potential, maybe it’s hers? Well, she does have a large b-plot, but she is consistently not a part of the a-plot. Kai has a whole thing with being protective of Lloyd, he has his fear of water, maybe it’s just another Kai season? Thing is, it’s no one’s. It is an ensemble season, and I think that’s a healthy thing for ninjago to keep doing. The more we label certain seasons for certain ninja, the more complaining we’ll get about who’s turn it is for screen time that we’ll miss out on telling a good story. Also, If the season is focused on a ninja you don’t like, you are less likely to like the season (see my next analysis for that can of worms). Again, this season tells it’s story really well. Morro directly ties into the ending of last season, and Nya’s getting water powers was foreshadowed the season before. That’s some cool connective tissue to start. The opening episode establishes the three different things the ninja will be looking for, and for once they’re actual tools instead of a series of weapons, blades, masks, whatever. I like that. Jay has some really good humor, Zane has his speech changes, Kai has his irrational fears and protective instincts, Cole has his ghost angst, Lloyd has to deal with his father’s passing, Nya is a new water ninja, Wu has a shop to run and a student to reconnect with, even Ronin has an arc about developing morals and gaining friends. There’s the mystery about how to deal with the ghosts, what the rules are, there’s the leader subplot, the ninja’s money situation, and lore of the different realms, they even worked in Skylor and Borg, there’s a lot of cool stuff going on. This is a tightly woven script that manages to include a lot of new concepts that you get pretty quick. I don’t feel like there’s even that much fat to cut. The opening is a little slow and strange, and the cloud kingdom episode feels a little unnecessary, but I do like the idea of visiting a different realm early in the season so the audience isn’t caught off guard in the climax. Again, the plot all works for me, it’s the other stuff I find myself pretty meh on.

Characters

Ronin

I’m pretty sure Ronin is the only new (non villain) character introduced. I like him a lot. Ninjago needed a true wildcard to shake things up and be unpredictable. I also think he’s pretty nicely woven into the action of the plot. I think his introduction is a bit strange. Like, the ninja already know him, but we’ve never seen him before? Just the way they talk about him sounds like they’re quickly recapping who this guy is for those who missed previous episodes. It’s fine if the ninja already know him but either 1) Introduce or foreshadow him a season earlier or 2) Introduce their dynamic to the audience before it becomes plot relevant. Maybe the ninja are grumbling about him being a nuisance while tea shenanigans are going on or something. Or maybe you have a scene of him stealing the scroll and making snarky remarks about the ninja while he does it. Idk. just something so his sudden plot relevance isn’t out of nowhere. Also, I don’t hate his and Nya’s dynamic, but I know a lot of people love it, and I’m just not totally here for it. Is he supposed to be a father figure for her? Mentor? Frienemy? Just plain friend? (love interest???) it’s not super clear and I could have used some clarification. I also like his use and tie to the next season, so overall, well integrated character.

Nya

I’m adding in Nya here cuz she goes through a major character change, and how she’s handled is one of the things that rubs me the wrong way about the season. A lot of people will probably disagree and/or hate me for this section of the analysis so… here we go! The thing she has to get past to reach her true potential is fear of failure (supposedly) and the solution to that is to just… not care as much? First of all, I know this isn’t supper important, but the fun thing about the ninjago elements is that every elemental master matched up personality wise with their element. Jay is the energetic master of lightning, Kai is the hothead master of fire, Zane is the calm and calculating master of ice, Cole is the strong and dependable master of earth, Lloyd is the literal child master of energy. This especially goes for all the new season 4 masters. So what qualities are often associated with water personalities? Well, serenity, control, flexibility, elegance, patience… calm. You know, like a Zane type character (the element directly adjacent to hers). These are things that Nya isn’t - or at the very least don’t define her. (there’s also something to be said about water and its ties to more feminine qualities, which Nya has been actively shown to reject, but I won’t go into that rant here.) She was designed as the fire master’s sister, and when you try to fit a fire personality into a water shaped character mold… it doesn’t exactly mesh well. It doesn’t make sense. But, like I said, whatever. Maybe that’s the point? Like she has to change her personality to be more in tune with water? Sure. But let’s talk about this fear of failure thing. Because that’s the stated thing that dialogue tells us she needs to overcome. But when has Nya ever been afraid of failure? Fear of failure means avoiding doing something because of fear. Nya is ridiculously persistent, always has been (you know, fire personality). She tries training when no one tells her to, she makes her own alter ego to try and be a hero and save the people who would constantly tell her she wasn’t ready. Wu says she only wants things that come easy, but that’s never been her character before now, she has carried the team with her tech, research, and covert ops that no one forced her to do, all things which are not easy. Fear of failure is usually characterized by what if questions. If Nya is so afraid of failure, why don’t we hear her saying stuff like “but what if I’m not strong enough, what if I can’t save them in time, or worse, what if I lose control of my power and end up hurting people?” Cole shows much more of a fear of failure this season surrounding his insecurity about being a ghost. He wants to sit out from missions because he’s not sure he’ll be able to do it - he’s afraid of failure. But whatever, the writing isn’t clear at expressing her true setbacks, but she does display a real problem that a lot of people have and I think could have been well done if set up correctly. She shows an undying persistence that gets her too close, and makes her increasingly incapable. She lets her frustration hinder her progress (again, fire personality trait), and I think that’s interesting because I don’t think ninjago has done this character arc yet. The supposed solution to this problem is that she just needs to… care less? And yes, I kind of see where they were going with this, we sometimes cloud our natural potential by thinking about it too much, but saying “you need to stop caring” is the absolute wrong way to word it. Caring is not her problem, the problem is her control over the emotions that come from her caring. Caring is a good thing, and teaching kids that if you’re ambivalent about your problems, they’ll go away is not a good message. What she needs to do is take a step back. She needs to take a break, stop to think, and look at the big picture instead of hyper focusing on the roadblock directly in front of her. The usual and much better wording of the moral I think they were going for is “stop overthinking things”. Teaching kids to look at a problem from a different angle and give themselves time to cool down is a great thing. And just think of it, in the climax she could have this ah-ha moment where she steps back and looks at the bigger picture - the whole town, surrounded by the ocean - and gets the idea to sink the preeminent into the water, you could even easily tie that back into the bucket exercise, and that’s what triggers her true potential rather than the current… I’m honestly not sure what. Random flashbacks and the end of the season approaching quickly. Alternatively, you could tie it more directly into samurai x, and make her struggle with letting go of the past and allowing yourself to give up something good in your life to progress to something better. Anyway, I don’t think this was a bad decision long term, she needed to be solidified on the team as a full fledged ninja, I just think this season doesn’t handle the transition that well. Anyway, whatever, I’ll be waiting for your hate comments in the notes.

Romance

Um… there’s none this season? Like there’s a few Wusako moments that are still as weird as they were in season 2, but they’re really not prevalent. There’s also the Jay seeing the future thing which has some weird implications next season (again, some interesting connective tissue between seasons), but that’s about it. Maybe that’s part of why I don’t love this season? Like where’s the pixane? Lol, I’m kidding. But maybe that’s why a lot of people do like it. If you don’t like the canon ships… this is a nice little safe haven for you. Rare for a majority of the series.

Villains

So Morro is a good idea… in theory. I know he’s the fandom’s favorite edgy boy, but idk I think the brand of angsty teen they ended up with was more of an angsty 13 year old than 17 year old. His voice is really grating and I always want to yell at him to just… go get some cough drops. Stop throat screaming, use your diaphragm man! Also, everyone goes on about his last minute redemption, but as far as season 5 goes, he has like half a second of a change of heart. Literally, when Wu comes over and he’s drowning, he’s still being a persistent little idiot like “you never cared about me nooooo!” and it’s only at the last possible second that gives him the crystal, and even that he does it kind of saltily. The preeminent is pretty cool, I like her concept, her design, all that. All the other ghosts are fine I guess. Nothing super memorable out of them, although their aesthetic, especially when there’s a bunch of them swarming around is pretty cool. One last thing was I never understood how Morro “becoming the green ninja” worked and what exactly it was that… did for him? Like he didn’t actually get the power of energy, right? I don’t remember him using it. Did just him defeating Lloyd make him the green ninja? How does that transfer work? And why did he need it to take over the world or realms or whatever? Like I get that it’s supposed to give him more power and what not but idk, it wasn’t super clear. That’s a minor thing though.

Climax

Pretty cool. I like the ATMOSPHERE. Green light is a hard thing to use and justify correctly, but it works really well here, especially with the dark kinda gray blue sky complimenting it. When the preeminent starts walking into the ocean, it’s genuinely terrifying, but you understand exactly how it works and why she’s strong enough to do it. Nya’s true potential is again a little out of left field and could have had some better motivation put behind it. Like what is it Nya learned in that instant? To not be afraid to protect people? She’s… been doing that. Idk. I’ve hit on that enough for now. Overall, there was good variety. I like the green ninja fake out, I like the realm hopping, I even like the little Garmadon visit and Lloyd getting the robe. I feel like we didn’t need a part one and two, you could have had different titles. I mean come on. But hey, now we know, if Pix had only been there, the whole climax would have been wrapped up in like 10 minutes apparently. Pix for the win.

Humor

Really good. Like I’m surprised how much I laughed. Jay wasn’t annoying humor, it was good stuff, there were some good running gags, there’s a solid fourth wall joke about who the lead ninja is at the beginning of the season. Overall, I am pretty impressed. My favorite joke was perhaps the bit where Jay is sarcastically positive, the voice acting is just really solid. Then again, there’s also the whole Borg scene where he roasts half the ninja, that’s solid stuff right there. There’s just some really solid character interaction this season and the humor feels a lot more natural and less forced.

Drama

Okay, we’ve got a lot this season. Y’all know how I feel about Nya’s arc by now. It does not work for me. Ronin’s relationship with her is alright, but kind of comes out of nowhere. Ronin’s solo plot about kinda working for the ghosts works. Cole’s ghost angst works for the most part, although I wish he would have actually skipped a mission and then gone in to help save his friends once they can’t do it without him. That was probably the most solid drama of the season. The other main thing we have this season is Kai’s whole… fear/protective streak. This also doesn’t really work for me. Like, I get that Lloyd and Kai are friends and stuff, like his whole true potential was centered around Lloyd. But like, why does it have to be framed so weirdly? Sometimes in trying to make it seem like Kai is protective of him, it seems like the other ninja just like… don’t care about him? Not all the time, but there are some weird vibes. Also, it doesn’t really go anywhere. No one learns anything about themselves from this subplot, nothing comes of it, there isn’t really a payoff. Also, Kai has yet another irrational fear, this time of water, which really comes right the hell out of nowhere. They try to explain it away like “Oh, Kai feels powerless and so water can get to him” but like… what? That’s the exact situation he was in at the end of season 2 and he seemed perfectly content to literally swim across the ocean (which um… what do you mean the sworn protector of ninjago can’t swim?). Where is this coming from?! Again, it doesn’t really go anywhere, there’s not a point where he has to learn to confront it or he grows because of it. It’s just pointless stuff added cuz the writers like giving Kai vague trails to try and develop him. The cloud kingdom is kinda cool. That last minute twist about them working with Morro is… stupid and unnecessary though. 

Spotlight Episode

I really like the Spinjitzu master tomb episode. Some cool riddles, I like the first two rooms a lot. I do think the third room is a bit strange. Like, the clue was “don’t look ahead” and the solution was to look beneath them, which is the exact same solution as the previous room. Like, you already have magic ice that shows the future, why not play into that? Don’t look ahead could maybe mean don’t look to the future, the opposite of that being the past. Maybe they have to draw on their past adventures to solve it somehow? Learning from the past is a good lesson, right? But overall, I really like it. Some real solid humor this episode. This episode has the sarcastic Jay optimism, Kai totally stalling for time, Zane dealing a pretty sick burn on Cole, just a lot of fun stuff. I like it. It just has great energy and nothing feels like it’s drawn out for too long.

Misc

The aesthetic this season… can be inconsistent, but the main ghost vibe displayed in the opening theme is really solid and I really like it

Speaking of the opening, Ghost wip is great and the opening in on par with last season’s (which is my fav) for sure

Ice age references… okay.

Chima references…. OKAY...

Okay, but like Deepstone can… kill ghosts? Or not? Is it just something ghosts can touch? It’s supposed to be like water in weapon form, right? Like that’s how I understood it when they first introduced it. Wouldn’t the deepstone bars kill Ghoultar then? And then like, Cole’s bike is made of deepstone. He uses it as a weapon. Wouldn’t it kill him? It kills other ghosts when they touch it. How… how does it work?! I need answers!!!

The captain of the steam boat says they’re going as fast as possible, but later Ronin comes in and cranks it up like twice as fast… that always bothered me like, why would he lie about that? Who is this captain and why is he so chill about everyone’s lives?! And then later Wu cranks it up yet again, like the ship had slowed down to it’s previous speed. What the hell is happening with the controls of this ship???

So pissed that the nasty CGI nightmare cloud monster that chases the ninja is named Nimbus. Totally forgot about that. I have an OC with a cat named Nimbus… I promise, there is not going to be a stupid twist bout the cat being the monster thing in Mists of Fate. That would be very stupid.

I was all excited that season 13 gave us minecart chases, but I totally forgot season 5 gave us one first. I really like the return to the caves of despair btw, good reuse of a known location.

How many times this season did we do the: 

Kai: Oh, I don’t like water, I can’t do it uwu  Cole: ...You serious?

Thanks for reading! And if you got this far… I don’t know. I would love to hear your thoughts if you have any! These are just my opinions, so don’t think too much of it if you disagree.

-Kitten

[fizzingwizard]

Digimon Adventure: Ep 19!

Wow! That certainly was an Episode!! It was pretty fun from start to finish, though nothing mind-blowing, but it was definitely the ending that made me gasp. Not wholly unexpected to an old turnip like me, but promising lots of fun (and angst!).

Picture of the week: MIKO, THE TRUE STAR OF THE SERIES!!

no for serious are the writers reading my reviews? they keep giving me what I want. within reason I guess. They seem to have an extremely limited budget as usual x’D

but Miko is still adorbs

ok I’m really looking forward to recapping this one so let’s get to it!

So last week I thought the kids sans Taichi and Yamato were abducted by Devimon, but apparently that either isn’t the case, or it was, but then Devimon decided it’s best just to dump the kids back on Earth and hold on to their partners. Because that’s the current situation. While concerning that the kids are separated from their partners, it’s probably best this way, since Devimon appears to be sending Gesomon(?) and Parrotmon(?)

to the human world, if I remember right. It’s hard to remember what happened in the first fifteen seconds kay So when the kids find their partners it will probably be in the human world and they can fight back.

Meanwhile Taichi and Yamato are alone and very Confuse

Taichi tries frantically to contact Koushirou. The others too... but especially Koushirou.

Finally he gets him!! He’s so happy!! My Taishiro heart flutters!

But I was fully expecting it to be a trap. When I saw this still here, my first thought was “Devimon’s forcing him to tell Taichi a lie by threatening him with a gun!!”

of course thats not whats happening. Koushirou is relatively fine and there are no guns (yet). What’s happened is the other kids have been sent back to the human world for reals this time!

This show is not even bothering to hide its Taiyama angle.

They spend the entire episode giving each other Significant Looks like this. The entire episode.

Now where’s Jou through all of this, you ask?

He went to talk to the police. He’s shocked they don’t believe his story about monster attacks and the world ending (well, at least Tokyo ending). I freaking love how taaaaall Jou is. Though it makes Koushirou look like a bean x’D

Jou = beansprout / Koushirou = bean

Koushirou has a much easier time dealing with the news that the police don’t believe them. He’s a denizen of the Internet. He knows how people’s minds work. And he has tons of chat logs to prove it.

People are chatting and spreading gossip and disbelief and complaints, but my favorite is the comment that just says “It’s a flood of fake news” xP

The home team runs into Mama Yagami! Who Sora literally calls Mama Yagami! x’D I mean I know that’s how kids generally refer to their friends’ parents but I still lol’d.

So un... Jou is almost as tall as Mama Yagami. LMAO. I’m gonna assume she’s short. Jou might indeed be quite tall for his age but Sora and Mimi are pretty close to Mama Yagami’s height too. I guess we haven’t seen Taichi standing next to his mom yet! With his hair he’s probably taller than her.

So Mama Yagami is HILARIOUS and I’m so glad that’s a continuing thing in the reboot! She was already that way in 99 Adventure, but we’re just seeing a lot of it now - like every time she’s around. (And we didn’t see it in Tri so I missed that.) Basically she seems like a basketcase. Not a totally irresponsible one, more like just... generally the carefree go with the flow type. Which is not bad. She just also seems a bit, uh, ditzy?? I think Taichi probably grew to be so serious by necessity. Dad’s busy with work and someone’s gotta make sure mom doesn’t leave the house without her keys!

The way Sora just stares at Hikari like “explain??” after Mama Yagami thrusts Miko at her and runs off to get her car with a big smile as if they hadn’t all nearly died recently... bahahaha.

also I love how she doesn’t even bother asking her son’s good friend if she knows where he is after not seeing or hearing from him for three full days

^The face of a boy shouldering the weight of nuclear family life and all its batshitness

Taichi and Yamato determine their priority is find the Holy Digimon. I wish they were a little more concerned with what happened to their friends’ partners, but I guess this is the only goal with solid clues. Anyway before they can do anything they are attacked by Bulbmon Looks like subtitlers went with Valvemon which also works, who looks like a Lego monster creation by an eight year old (and probably is).

He has the Domo face. Grrraaah

Domo is NHK mascot by the way. bahahaha

Next these guys come swarming out of Valvemon. (And if we didn’t already get it, apparently Digimon can construct other Digimon as we’ve seen before.) Nothing is quite as freaky as gas masks. They are commanded by Minotaurmon/Mintaromon whatever.

They too have the aim of Stormtroopers though so our heroes will be fine...

... probably...

... then Leomon finally shows up!! Yay! He looks good! All beefy and scarred and sounding exactly like Zaraki Kenpachi. Uhh. Is it the same VA?? Nothing comes up in the Google search so maybe not but it sure sounds like him. (Minotaurmon and Ogremon also sound like Leomon... while it’s normal for VAs in kids shows to voice multiple characters esp minor ones, it literally sounds like Zaraki Kenpachi is the voice of all the characters in this episode besides the main ones. And Mama Yagami of course because that would be weird.)

Leomon may look cool, but his ride... and his friends... uh, less cool x’D I want to strangle that ostrich thing with its own scarf somehow it inspires violent emotion in me

In the smallest, most shocked voice, Yamato says, “Leomon...?” It’s honestly kind of adorable. He’s clearly remembering what Neemon said about Leomon leading the resistance way back when.

Leomon helps them escape. Taichi very considerately and cutely helps Agumon aboard the fashion disaster ostrich emu thing.

Yamato also considerately helps his partner but rather less cutely xD

Leomon takes them to his hideout and gives them your standard fare of weird-looking Digi fruit. He then proceeds to tell them about Devimon and that he is trying to infiltrate Valvemon yadda yadda.

Taichi is freaking ADORABLE, immediately concerned that by saving their asses, Leomon’s battle plans have been ruined. Leomon waves that aside though. Yamato is equally adorabibble when he asks after Neemon and gets told that they made it to Leomon safely.

Leomon plans to try to get into Valvemon again because he knows Devimon’s put something related to the holy Digimon in there. Taichi is determined to join in. He doesn’t have much of an argument as it why they should be allowed when they just got their butts kicked so easily, but he has a trick up his sleeve: the Burning Eyes of Fiery Passion.

Not to be outdone, Yamato shoots off his Icy Eyes of Cold Determination.

Faced with this twin assault, Leomon has to give in. Ahh, I remember last week when we saw the trailer for this ep and I naively thought Leomon would train them like Piximon did in 99 Adventure. Nope. They’ve just met and they’re already spy buddies.

Okay, okay, yeah Leomon does seem to have some knowledge of the “Chosen Children” and that’s his real motivation. Still.

They break into Valvemon and we get the excellent invention of Agumon riding on Garurumon. I assume because of Garurumon’s advantageous speed. That seems to be recurring thing in this show.

Idk I just capped this because he’s so darn cute

I don’t know why I capped this one though.

They enter some sort of central space where Leomon tells them something relevant to the holy Digimon is being kept. (Lol I already forgot the details of what he said.) There are two protectors, Minotaurmon and Bullmon. Leomon tells the kids to take Bullmon while he faces down Minotaurmon. These guys might have been somewhat intimidating if we hadn’t already got Perfect level evolutions mastered, not to mention the occasional Jogress :P Sooo I didn’t feel too worried.

... uh, never mind x’D Taichi what are you doing

Yamato saves his idiot butt and almost gets in a bind himself. Once again I’m just wondering why they are sticking at Adult level. Whatever. They win of course

Leomon uses his Fist of the Beast King to maim Minotaurmon. His brilliant one-liner? “I have more than one first.”

Bully: *punches you*

You: ow

Bully: *smirk* I have more than one fist.

You: That’s funny, I only have one, but it’s made of titanium *You punch the bully straight through the stratosphere* Quality over quantity!!!!

*cough*

Our heroes approach the secret compartment supposedly holding something to do with the holy Digimon... Yamato gets a look inside and gets the black shadow of true terror over his eyes

becaue floating inside like some kind of Weapon X experiment is... Takeru!!!

Hold on while I put in my ear plugs. Okay, ready, screech all you want now.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

So... okay. First of all, baby Takeru is sooooooo cute <3 I had two predictions about what happened to Takeru last week. Either he ended up in the digital world and was now on his own, or he got abducted by Devimon. I thought the former was more likely, but in hindsight, it should have been obvious that it was the second. This show misses a lot of points where I feel like they could have developed some relationships or thrown in some drama, but it never passes up a chance for Yamato angst.

So yeah, this is pretty much gonna destroy Yamato xD Not only is the baby brother he wanted to protect no longer at home where he can easily protect him, he’s now in the digital world and in the enemy’s clutches.

I BETTER SEE REALLY TRAUMATIZED YAMATO NEXT WEEK. Of course, I expect him to be cool-headed enough to try to save Takeru, but I will be very disappoint if this goes off with no break downs at all. Takeru is always Yamato’s number one priority!

Super exciteddddd

So I give this ep 7.5/10. The .5 is pretty much for ending with a killer cliffhanger. My one real complaint about this ep is how highly plot-based everything is - we finally got the team all together only to split them up, and on top of that, once split up, we don’t even get all that many character moments between Taichi and Yamato. As I said, they give each other lots of Signifcant Looks, but man cannot live on bread alone. However this is par for the course for this show and I know I should stop mentioning it every week because I doubt it’s changing. We will get the big shockers when we get them and not a moment before.

I just want Yamato to cry in front of Taichi and make him all uncomfortable x’D That’s what made 99 Adventure so great bahahaha

Some cool bits from next week’s trailer:

Surprise surprise, Angemon is the holy Digimon! Or one of, anyway. And he is indeed trapped. This makes the “Angemon is Devimon” theory less likely. Let’s not forget that our heroes’ Digimon partners were evidently a band of powerful warriors in the past, but they’ve forgotten much of it. I won’t be surprised if the result of that war played a part in Angemon’s abduction.

Next week they’ll have to fight to save Takeru from being drained, I guess.

And then!! Digi egg! Excite. Also I only just noticed that his hate says TK!!!

Takeruuu <3 My first fav when I was 10. Though my heart has belonged to Taichi for many long years, I still have a special spot in it for Takeru only <3 Even if he does dress like a celery stick

[synvamp]

Bet’s a Bet

Fair Game Week 2020: Day 3 - Weapons

Sparring leads to a little challenge. Clover thought his flirting game was pretty strong but he didn’t count on Qrow Branwen being such a deliciously wicked tease.

Fluff, crack, fighting and flirting ‘,:)

Rating: T 

Nerdy Clover and Teasing Qrow are back from Day 1 for a little more flirting goodness before we buckle in for the more serious side of the week...  

---xxx---

 Qrow ran effortlessly up the sheer wall; feeling Clover gaining, he kicked off. An elegant flip in the air took him to the top of the next block which immediately started to tilt. He scrambled for footing then launched again, just as Clover’s hook cut through the air behind him.

 “Do your feet even touch the ground?” Clover huffed, swinging Kingfisher to loop around a tall column. He swung around in an arc, feet first, aiming to knock Qrow out of the sky.

 Qrow twisted in the air and grabbed a handful of Clover’s vest. He used the change in momentum to kick off the Ace Op and leap clear, with the added bonus of knocking Clover down onto the shiny training room floor.

 “Nope,” Qrow grinned from the top of the column.

 “At least use your weapon! I’m starting to feel a little outclassed here,” Clover complained, grinning.

 “That’s why I’m not using it,” Qrow’s brows twitched, “Wouldn’t want you to get a complex.”

 Clover just shook his head, “Come down here and let me get my breath back.”

 “Only if you concede.”

 “Really?” Clover huffed.

“A bet’s a bet.”

 “Ok then… I am not Atlas’s finest while you’re here. Happy?”

 “Ecstatic,” Qrow leapt down and landed with a thump at Clover’s feet. He straightened up and enjoyed his little victory. It was childish and he knew it… but it felt good to have some light-hearted fun for once.

 Clover collapsed Kingfisher, carefully stashing the weapon, “I would like to have a closer look at Harbinger though… I hear you made it yourself. You could have had anything, so why a giant scythe?”

 “You heard of The Reaper?”

 “I was hoping you’d say that!” Clover’s eyes lit up as he went full-nerd, “Yes! Those stories are amazing, aren’t they? I used to power through all the books at the library every chance I got. Bored all my bunkmates senseless cause I never talked about anything else for months. I even did my Hunters’ History paper on her… wish I could have met her, you know?”

 “You might still get the chance, Lucky Charm… I happen to have had the pleasure.”

 “You met her? That’s incredible!” Clover gaped.

 “She’s still around,” Qrow smiled, thinking of a certain defenceless old lady.

 “That’s great! I would just love to ask her about some of those moves! Imagine seeing her in action in her day – just incredible,” the green eyes positively glowed.

 “She’s certainly something,” Qrow smiled, “So, if you know the stories then you know why I wanted a scythe. And it also looks ridiculously cool,” Qrow flicked a switch and extended Harbinger to full scythe mode and struck a pose.

 Clover nodded. There was nothing about that picture that was not to like, “True. But wait… are you suggesting that Kingfisher isn’t cool?!” he gasped in mock horror.

 “Nooooo I would never question the sacred relationship between a hunter and their weapon. I have to say though that it must have taken a lot of confidence at the Academy to strut around with a fishing rod.”

 “You…” Clover narrowed his eyes and saw the twinkle in those deep red orbs which greeted him, “you bitch!”

 Qrow laughed, “I just don’t think that anyone else could pull it off.”

 “Wait… was that… a compliment?” Clover whipped his scroll from his hip pocket and pretended to hit record, “Say that again!”

 Qrow gave him a joking shove, “You dork.”

 “That’s me. Geez, being super sassy… calling me a dork… anyone would think you were flirting with me! Are you going to pull my hair next?”

 Qrow pointed to his face, “Me? Flirting? You wink so much I thought you had a medical condition! Anyway… as if you’d let anyone touch your hair.”

 Clover ran a hand through his brown locks, “It is perfect, isn’t it?”

 “Cocky. I’ll add that to the list,” Qrow tucked harbinger in the crook of his elbow and pretended to scribble in his palm.

 It was a little running joke with them, a list of all the things that supposedly annoyed Qrow about his new partner.

 Clover stepped a little closer just letting his body enter Qrow’s personal space, “You can pull my hair if you like…”

 “Suggestive…” Qrow noted on his imaginary list. He turned and smiled, moving in just a little to let Clover know that he was more than happy to have the man so close.

 “Wow, it is pretty imposing from this angle,” Clover looked up at Harbinger, still arcing above their heads.

 “It’s all kinds of power,” Qrow flipped a switch and flicked his arm out, taking maximum advantage of the way she folded to roll his wrist and pop her at his back in one fluid gesture.

 “Like you,” Clover’s eyes glowed as they both revelled in the closeness of their bodies. The unspoken promise that they would find the time for each other once this was all over.

 But for now… the flirting was so good.

 “Just like me,” Qrow looked up and met Clover’s gaze, putting one finger on the solid chest and leaning just an inch closer, “and don’t you forget it.”

 “You won the bet. How could I forget it?” Clover said softly, pushing back against Qrow’s touch.

 “How about another bet?” Qrow let his hand splay out, placing his palm on Clover’s chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath.

 “What did you have in mind?” Clover asked, his glance flicking to Qrow’s hand and then back.

 “I bet that you’ll give in before I do.”

 “Give in… to what…?” Clover leaned just a little further in.

 “To this,” Qrow said, bringing his lips so close that they were nearly kissing, “to me…”

 “That’s not fair…”

 “Life isn’t fair… not with me around,” Qrow put his weight into the palm on Clover’s chest and sent him stumbling back.

 Clover regained his footing at looked at Qrow, a wicked grin slowly spreading across his face, “So what do we count as giving in?”

“The first person to kiss the other loses. Simple.”

 “I don’t know if I like this bet. What if we have too much will power?”

 “You? I wouldn’t worry about that,” Qrow scoffed, “You’ve been undressing me with your eyes since the day we met.”

 “True. How about my hands? Is only kissing out?”

 Qrow laughed; the sound rolling out into the now-empty room, “See? You’re already trying to find loop holes. You’re doomed.”

 “I have to know the rules!” Clover insisted, “Rules are important!”

 Qrow rolled his eyes, “Alright then: no kissing and no touching except for what’s necessary in the field.”

 Clover looked at him as if his hands were already hurting from the effort, “Alright. And what are the stakes?”

 “Winner takes all,” Qrow winked.

 Clover groaned, “Urgh, can I just concede now?”

 “Where’s your pride, Atlas?”

 “It suddenly doesn’t seem important.”

 “Let’s just see if you can make it to dinner, ok?” Qrow turned and strode off, finally letting the grin completely take over his face.

 “But it’s only morning! Qrow…” Clover whinged behind him, “Dinner is ages away!”

 “See you then, Lover Boy,” Qrow waved over his shoulder.

Whatever helps to take the edge off, huh? Sounds good to me.

 ---xxx---