#would we Actually get in trouble if we did? probably not. but its the respectful thing to do. the JP fandom has this etiquette too

[ultramarine-spirit]

I'm sorry, Mari, I know you don't want to talk about it anymore, but why is it so problematic to repost other photos? I feel like one of the biggest reasons people do it is because they don't know why. I understand that you can't publish images of chapters that have to be paid for like webtoon or merch (although I don't know why either) but wmmap has already ended years ago so I don't understand what the problem would be.

Yeah, it's as you've said, firstly, because most of it is paid content. That's why you'll see that manhwa accounts on Twitter almost always post proof of them having purchased the chapters. Secondly, because this fandom has a huge reposting problem in general (art, fics, translations, edits, etc). For "regular" pictures I have less of an issue, but if it's "exclusive" content, I feel like I'm already edging the line of what is respectful to publish/leak. Yes, there are hundreds of illegal uploads of the manhwa, but that's not something I wanna promote. I wanna encourage people to support the author. Spoon has also spoken about this a bunch of times. But I guess some people might disagree with my stance.

Let me put it like this. When I stay up until 5am to watch a Chinese stream and get news about the donghua, and people immediately repost the pictures without keeping my @, it's tiring. When I spend my own money to attent Spoon's art class (at 3am), take notes, work with Japanese and Chinese fans/friends to provide English fans a translation and summary, and people immediately repost it without asking, it makes me wonder why I even bother. The last thing I want is to sound all "oh, woe is me" though, that's why I haven't spoken about this many times (I believe this is the second time in 4 years I bring it up).

For pictures that have translated content (such as what Lithi does), I think it's way worse, because you are basically "stealing" their labor without any credit. Fan translators already operate in a grey area, legally speaking. There has been a lot of drama in the fandom around this subject, and in general, translators hate to see their work reposted. Most of them have deleted their translations because of this (Ever wonder why you can't find fan TLs of the novel very easily anymore? Lithi has also deleted a bunch of her novel posts and I don't blame her). Sure, reposting a single picture/page might not be big deal, but this has happened a million times.

And then there are instances when people straight up copy posts word for word, pic for pic, which is just kinda annoying/comes across as clout-chasing. Not reposting other people's posts is kind of online etiquette.

[zukosdualdao]

i know some people take the moment of azula speaking up in the flashback to the war meeting in sozin's comet as azula trying to "protect zuko" after he starts (while carefully choosing his words) disagreeing with ozai, but i really can't see it that way.

even aside from the fact that i don't think we should ever argue that her advocating for genocide here was a good thing, based on everything else about their relationship, i can't see this moment as anything but her once again trying to establish dominance and superiority over zuko. it actually reminds me of a different scene, all the way back from the flashbacks in zuko alone.

in both situations, ozai is testing his children in a way, and when zuko can't or won't give the "right answer", azula interjects and is able to say exactly what he wants to hear.

in zuko alone, of course, ozai is asking them questions that seem to be related to whatever (heavily inundated with propaganda, clearly) schooling they get. something that i find really interesting is that zuko doesn't seem to only struggle with firebending, but with his schooling as well. which isn't exactly surprising: abused kids often have trouble in school, and that seems particularly likely when ozai is already treating zuko like he is weak, incompetent, and unworthy in other areas. it's a self-fulling prophecy, on ozai's part: he demeans zuko for not being good at firebending (and perhaps for not being good in school), and, because kids are very naturally going to clam up and not get better at something when they're treated as worthless for any perceived flaw, it affects his ability to build his skills or performance in school.

but i think there's also a way in which zuko probably struggles to keep up in school because he's receptive to the values ursa tries to instill in him from a young age. he probably doesn't realize the things they are learning are things that are morally wrong, but there's a way, at this point, in which he can't relate to them, can't understand the motives of why it would be considered a good thing to defeat an enemy in such a brutal way when it runs so counter to the values of kindness ursa is trying to instill in her children, be it by explaining that throwing bread at turtleducks is not nice or that we shouldn't wish death on other family members.

by contrast, the emphasis on azula here is that she's clearly fully bought into the propaganda, that she respects and admires the brutality of the tactics. (also, is it just me, or does she sound a little like she's reciting a textbook, albeit with a lot of glee?) and notably, at the end, when she gets the answer 'right', she side-eyes zuko with a smug smirk. just like she does in sozin's comet as she's told she's right.

just for comparison's sake:

the situation in the sozin's comet flashback is different, of course, because they're not being quizzed on their schoolwork so much as they are being asked to put what they've learned about war and tactics into practice. zuko has a lot more understanding now than he did as a much younger child of the realities of war because he's seen it up close. and because of that, not only can he not condone or suggest any of the brutal and egregious tactics that are clearly expected of him, but he actually says something in defense of the earth kingdom, albeit trying to choose his words carefully, and with ozai (quite possibly willfully?) misinterpretating them.

to suggest that azula is protecting zuko here is its own form of a willful misinterpretation. you have to ignore the entire context of their relationship, azula's established motivations, and the tone of the scene itself to come to that conclusion. she does not interrupt zuko to keep him from saying something that will get him hurt, but because she wants to prove once again that she's better, that she's right and he's wrong, that he’ll never catch up. but zuko is starting to realize that he doesn’t and shouldn’t want to.

[3liza]

the other thing about duvets is i dont like that theyre a big pillowcase. this is more trouble than its worth imo. i think duvet covers should actually be two separate pieces, or one long piece in a taco format, and you just spread it out on the bed or floor, spread out the duvet on top, and THEN fasten the top of the duvet cover closed with either buttons or a concealed zipper along the edge. zipper texture unpleasantness could easily be tucked inside a padded border so it doesnt scratch you at night.

duvet covers were introduced to the usa in the 1960s as a part of the "scandinavian" interior decor movement during midcentury modern (they were brought from Sweden, so not actually scnadinavian, but americans dont know the difference and we dont care [edit: i am being informed sweden is actually considered part of scandinavia, i had been previously misinformed]), apparently from the Habitat store in London. i thought Biba was involved for some reason but I may be confusing a bit of documentary i watched with something else. in the documentary, the older lady they were interviewing who used to work at the department store that she claimed popularized the duvwet (either Habitat or Biba) talked about how the sales girls were trained to "demonstrate" the "convenience" of the duvet vs the traditional British method of quilt+sheets, and she remarked she got so good at it she could put the duvet in the cover in about 30 seconds. however when she tried to demonstrate for the presenter she got completely flummoxed by the damned thing. it was at that point i knew duvets were a mistake

anyway im finding some interesting gadgets for securing duvets rn, the one that looks least ugly is a thing that looks like a fabric-covered button that snaps into another button using a tack that pierces the duvet and cover layers. the other solutions also seem fine but are all ugly plastic doohickeys that would bother me on an aesthetic basis. the tack would probably damage the fabric but if you're not using your nice linens i bet it doesn't matter much, especially if the duvet cover is a rustic textile of some kind

the wikipedia article about the duvet is very interesting. i especially liked the part about how previous attempts to introduce it to england were failures

one of the other home bedding issues in the usa is that home washers and dryers and apartment washers and dryers are generally not big enough to effectively wash a down duvet or a quilt thats larger than about a Full, depending on thickness. this bothers me. feather down is especially irritating in this respect because it will get mildewy instantly if it isnt bone dry immediately after laundering. mentioning Sweden yet again, a friend showed me her shared laundry facilities in her Swedish apartment once and they DID have large, industrial machines that could easily take a duvet. she said this was typical. america continues to be difficult to live in for no good reason. its like literalyl everything you do here is 160% harder and more expensive than any other "comparable" country

[aayakashii]

I always considered fiction my main way of escapism from my own troubles and the world's troubles. After yesterday, I feel like we all need a little bit of escapism and comfort, and I did the only thing I can offer, which is to write. I hope this can bring a little bit of comfort to anyone who's feeling depressed or scared. I hope my blog can be a little safe space if you need to escape. Please take care of yourselves and ily <3

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, actually a lot of comfort, Luca helps reader cope with their feelings

Frostheim always made you feel inadequate. Small. Wrong. Not enough. Your blood wasn't blue and your voice didn't have the sound of centuries of generational wealth, unlike all of its students. Thus, you had no place in speaking up, or expressing your discomfort. Much less saying no.

Which was why you found yourself stuffed inside itchy, uncomfortable clothes that had been bought with Kamurai money – another reason why you couldn't run away from that place – nursing a glass of champagne that you would, most probably, not drink.

Frostheim's balls were a whole different torture on its own.

It's not surprising that the rich would pride themselves in following obscure little etiquette rules that made them feel like they were better than everyone else. It was fine, really. They could choke on their diamonds and coins and silver cutlery for all you'd care.

It's the fact that you had to endure them that truly abhorred you. Endure the waltzes, and the fancy canapes, and the constant flood of drinks, and the stares and the whispers and the stares and the whispers.

The stares and the whispers.

You knew how much people loved to gossip in that godforsaken dorm, but you hoped your professional (and almost friendly) relationship with both the Captain and Vice-Captain would keep them at bay, at least in front of you.

But you forgot that rich people have no respect for those they deem less important than them.

So you were standing on your own, in the corner of the giant ballroom, as you counted how many people would pass by, stare you down and snicker.

Your record for the previous ball was a little over 20 people. This time, you were already on 23.

What a lovely setting.

All you wanted to do was run, go to the campus’ store and beg Benkei to give you a little discount on a bulk of instant noodles and cheap wine. You refused to eat their expensive food as much as you refused to get drunk in front of them.

That was your plan, until the loudspeakers, carefully placed in every corner of the giant room, began playing a gentle tune that reverberated deep inside your bones, and caused you pain you weren't quite expecting.

At least not at that moment.

Much to your dismay, your eyes began to sting as the first words of the oh-so familiar song reached your ears and your grip on the glass tightened instinctively.

It was such an old piece. A cheesy, melancholic little tune released back in your early teens. Back when your biggest worry were your grades and being noticed by your cute classmate.

You downed the champagne in one go, trying to force the lump on your throat to disappear. Breathing became a little bit harder as you felt your chest squeeze with painful nostalgia and you stumbled towards one of the many balconies of the vast building.

You knew they would most always be empty due to the harsh winter weather right outside its glass doors, but you didn't mind. You needed space. Air. And if you were going to ruin your makeup, you wanted to do it on your own.

The singer's voice was slightly muffled, but you could still hear her. The lyrics lamented a wasted love, but all you could think of were the memories associated with the song.

You remembered carrying your childhood dog in your arms as you danced to it in your old bedroom, thinking about fairytale romance and the bright future ahead of you.

You remembered crying to the sound of it after your first heartbreak and the taste of salt on your tongue while your parents drove you to the beach, the song playing softly in the car's speakers.

You remembered sleeping soundly in a friend's room during a sleepover, the song playing time and time again after you all forgot to turn off the computer and the old music player.

You remembered your past life, seeming so far away from you despite you still being so young.

White, glittery flakes barely fell despite the biting cold that enveloped Frostheim like a snow globe. You shivered constantly, but were focused on how strongly you were biting your bottom lip, trying to keep the tears at bay. Your hands gripped the balcony's railing tightly, as you tried to ground yourself.

You missed the sound of the door opening in your intense focus, only snapping out of your daze once you felt a warm coat being draped over your shoulders.

“You shouldn't be outside without a coat. You could catch a cold, or worse.”

Warm breath tickled your cheek and you turned around, only to face two bright violet orbs that widened as soon as you showed your tear-stricken face.

“What happened?” Luca placed his hands on your shoulder, squeezing them lightly, voice frantic. “Are you okay? Did someone say something to you? Did you get hurt?”

You sniffled, quickly shaking your head in order to stop the barrage of questions. You enveloped yourself with his coat a bit tighter, finally realizing how cold you felt. The scent of bergamot on his clothes managed to ground you better than your own nails ever could.

“No, I'm fine. Nothing happened.” You murmured, looking down, a bit ashamed that your breakdown just had a witness.

“Something must have happened. You're crying. If you're distressed, you can tell me.”

You stared at Luca's worried expression for a second before sighing. He walked to your side, leaning onto the balcony's railing like you were just a few moments before.

“It's… nothing important, really. It's just a song that was played there.” you murmured.

“A song?”

“Yeah, I… it's a song I used to listen to when I was younger. It made me remember, you know? Stuff. My life out of here.”

Luca's worried expression morphed into one of sympathy. His lips pursed as he nodded, understanding what you meant without needing other words.

“You must be missing a lot of people.” He said quietly as you settled yourself beside him, looking at the winter wonderland that were Frostheim's gardens.

“Haha, yeah…” You sighed, tired. “A lot of people I didn't get to say goodbye to, nor explain anything. People that probably miss me too. My pets as well. Friends. I had a lot out there. It wasn't much, but it was mine.”

Your voice became strained as your eyes watered once more. You cleared your throat, trying once again to push down that lump. You might have ruined your makeup, but you didn't want to cry even more in front of the boy – you didn't want to feel like you were victimizing yourself, even if deep down you knew you were anything but guilty of your situation.

Luca placed his hand on your head, his touch heavy and warm despite the ambient. His violet eyes looked at you with a swirl of empathy and pain.

“I understand you.” He said, swallowing hard. “It's jarring. The sudden changes, the fear of the unknown and what the future holds. I miss my family too.”

“Right… you came from another country.” You felt dumb for a moment. For venting your anguish onto someone that was living something so similar to you. And in Luca's case, he was all alone in a foreign place.

You suddenly felt small.

“Yes. And it's hard sometimes. Most times, actually.” He chewed on his bottom lip before giving you a small smile. “But I try to keep my mind set on something so I won't get lost in my emotions. Nor in my grief.”

“Your brother…”

He nodded.

“I set my mind into finding a way to get him back. And I won't back down from this until I've done all I can, until I have him back with our family. But also…” His eyes flickered towards yours, scanning your face.

“What?”

“I do have another goal to keep me afloat. Something else I fight for, so I won't give up despite how hard it all is.”

You tilt your head in curiosity. Luca places his gloved hand onto yours, the warmth seeping into your skin as he squeezes you tightly and his eyes burn with determination.

“I also want to find a way to cure you of your curse. To send you back to those people you love and miss. I want to help you get your future back.”

You couldn't help the way your eyes welled up once again, this time out of gratitude for the boy that stood right beside you.

You knew how Luca had to consciously choose to fight against the odds time and time again, despite how others didn't understand his drive and even deemed him weird or inconvenient. You knew how he worked so hard to one day achieve his goals and to have him so openly offer his hand to help you achieve yours warmed your heart.

“Luca…” You muttered, feeling the tears freely run down your cheeks.

“You won't be lost if we're like this.” He raised the hand that was intertwined with yours. You nodded, drying your eyes with the flimsy sleeve of your clothes.

“I'll help you find your brother too.” You announced, as determined as him, through a stuffy nose and dry mouth.

“Thank you.” He beamed at you, his smile blindingly bright. “And when you feel like this again, when you're lost in your own grief… I hope you know you can count on me. As much as I will count on you when I need your help. Okay?”

“Okay.” You nodded. “Let's just ask Tohma to delete that song from his playlist, please.” You added and Luca laughed in agreement.

He pulled you towards the glass doors, leading you back into the warmth of the ballroom.

Before he opened the doors, he looked at you one more time.

“Let's help each other stay afloat?” He asked, smiling gently.

You smiled back.

“Let's. Thank you, Luca.”

“It's what I'm here for.”

He opened the doors and ushered you inside, shielding you from the cold outside.

[moonempire]

AOT The Office AU

So I've been rewatching the office for probably the 4th time (it's too good) and I just keep thinking of the AOT cast in a similar scenario. Of course since Jean is my obvious favourite he'd be the jim-esque character, Levi and Stanley have similar personalities (maybe Angela too). Hange and Meredith. Erwin is so Michael Scott coded and Floch maybe some Andy vibes. I mean it kind of wouldn't fit perfectly but I want to give my vison ago:

So here we go Sales associate Jean x receptionist reader + overall

Headcanons: .Okie so obviously he finds random reasons to come up to your desk .doesn't say a word when he gets there just stares at you until you give him attention .shares a desk clump with Marco and Floch .used to be with Connie and Sasha too but those two had to get separated. Floch used to work down at the warehouse but levelled up and now Sasha sit with Historia and Ymir who keep her in check good cop bad cop style. Respectively. And Connie sits all by himself like the bad kid in a classroom. .Levi personally set up a desk for him, but its only caused Connie to wonder about from time to time .another desk clump is Reiner, Berthold and Annie, most of the noise coming from there is Reiner. Unfortunately it's sometimes weeping because a deadline is coming up and he's still got loads to do .sometimes Berthold has panic attacks when documents go missing .Poor Annie is basically a caretaker for both of them, to the point Erwin official made her the middle manager of their little department and gave her a raise .Down at the warehouse is Zeke (who Eren denied relation too for a long time) Porco, Marcel, Yelena (who Erwin thought was a really lanky guy for the first two weeks of her employment)and Colt whose still fairly new. Miche is in charge and does not give a shit and cause him and Erwin go way back when, so, he gets away with it. . Miche and Zeke do not get along at all, onetime they were both sent home for having a fight on the parking lot. Bets were placed, popcorn was made and there were tears. .They constantly have to kick Hange out, whose always doing dodge stuff down there. Nobody really knows what but they always emerge from the nook they've made for themselves with mysterious stains Hange Levi and Erwin are all Heads of department. Accounting, HR, and Sales respectively. Erwin and Levi share an office for god knows what reason and Hange likes to switch up desks every now and then. .Levi and Erwin did NOT get along at the start, sometimes they still don't.

Little Jean Scenario: so like I said Jean has a fat crush on you (the still fairly new receptionist). So it's one of those days where he comes up to your desk and just stares at you but you're actually busy proof reading a bunch of documents for Levi cause he didn't have time to do them himself. You look up at Jean with an exasperated look and sigh "What do you want now?" in a rather unamused tone, which he's not used to at all and mutters "Nothing" with a little pout and goes back to his desk. Unfortunately for him, Eren was going to make some copies at the exact moment and Connie was having one of his wonders about so both of his "biggest fans" had seen the awkward encounter. The pair circle behind him to his desk with massive grins on their faces, which Floch can't help but miss so pulls his face out of his screen

"Trouble in paradise?" Connie teases first, to which Jean grimaces at putting his glasses on and looking at his screen at nothing in particular. He would have been able to handle your tone no problem; the three Cheshire cats stood and sat around him are making it it impossible. "Oh look at him he's sulking." Eren adds "Did you get kicked out the bedroom Jean" Floch snorts which earns him three glares that scream "no one invited you". "Aww Jean come on now don't ignore us" Connie says poking the back of Jeans head. All this teasing is unbeknownst to you since you're having a hard time on the documents and Levi keeps poking his head out of his office to see if your done yet. In fact you hadn't even clocked the slight harshness in your tone when addressing Jean. Around half an hour later you knock on Levi and Erwin's office to return the proof read paper. Levi takes them from your hands then looks up at you.

"Can you check on Kirschtein for me" he asked in a stoic tone then mutters "Before he has another tantrum" before rolling his eyes and returning to his office. Levi had noticed Jean's sulky mood for the last half hour but didn't have time to tell him to "pull his socks up" like he normally does. So he unknowingly sent you to go resolve the little spat (as Jean's mind has now blown it up to be) with the now very moody salesman. So you do as you your told and go check on him "I'm fine" he replies not hiding the huff that escaped his throat then adjusting his glasses. "I never noticed you wore glasses." you say to him with an intrigued smile bring your face to align with his for a better look. His narrowed eyes catch your curious wide ones and he can't help but match. "I ran out of contacts, need to reorder." he says in the same tone but this time minus the huff. "They suit you, you should wear them more often" you tell him with sincerity or so he hears. The truth is most of the time when you speak to him it's how co workers (that perhaps like each other) talk to each other. But Jean's ears can't help but pick up every letter, every work, sentence and amplify the slight emotion behind it. "Good to know." he answers with a very small smile God, how could he have been so upset, he thinks to himself. You probably had no idea that you'd used that tone with him, you clearly didn't mean it he realises with the gentle conversation occurring. All his moodiness washes away and he sits up straight. "I don't think I've worn glasses since high school." he tells you feeling alot better. "Oh my god really, I have to see a picture." you giggle at the stroy he begins to tell. You lean on his desk for once while he's the one sitting looking up at you. You stay there until Levi pops out his offcie with more documents to proof read.

Ahh i love the office sm!!!! Also i don't think this is exactlyh what i wrote last time but hopefully its better :))

[pinazee]

Daredevils!

Overall, not one of my favorite episodes but by far my favorite ending because oh boy what a gut punch of feelings!

First, look at how he set this up. There is no way shawn thought this would work so he 100% knows these kids are only there to see him crash into this kid. Also, im guessing the actor for gus was unavailable, but i like to think hes not there because he knew Shawn always intended to crash into him.

Lol what are you talking about henry? He’s got like 9 years of life here and a third of it was in diapers. Stfu

This is random, but is this the only time we’ve seen the pinball machine? I dont recall it being in later eps. I’ll have to keep an eye out now.

So far my favorite pineapple reveal. Should i start playing find the pineapple?

Shawn can read lips ✅

Probably the dumbest thing Shawns ever done. also, I’m guessing Vancouver roof tops were out of the question, cause that green screen be working real hard haha

The first time i watched this show i was in middle school, so all of the references, went completely ignored by me. Now im picking up on references ive never heard before. Like who Aldo nova is.

Gemcitabine and capecitabine are actually pancreatic cancer treatments and they even showed it correctly (the one being an IV the other a tablet) so major kudos to psych for the attention to detail.

As for the lassie sideplot. Eh. I can see what Vick was trying to say, but at the same time, if Lassie is getting complaints because he’s throwing little tantrums then Vick should have handled it instead of telling Juliet to. Plus, Lassie is the type to respect authority, so it would’ve meant more if it had come from her anyways. Though, i do find it funny that Vick told her to handle it, and Jules’ interpretation of that was “i gotta find him a date,” when she probably meant like, beat the sense into him haha i will say though, i liked the resolution of Lassie going from i don’t need your help, to please, i need your help. I think thats good growth for him, but i think it was a little sloppy in the execution. I think it could’ve been better if lassie actually did get in trouble with Vick and Lassie had to work on not letting his personal life affect work as much and make that the focus. OR, if you wanted to keep the relationship stuff, you could forgo Vick getting involved at all and keep it simple. Jules feels bad for lassie getting rejected again and tries to set him up the whole episode, then when they have that bit with the prostitute, thats when he accepts her help (because again he has terrible instincts. Like, how did he make it this far as a cop. Truly astounding.)

Wait i have the answer to this! Let me check my notes:

By this point in the series- 6

NOW ABOUT THAT ENDING! Ohmygod! First of all, one of the rare Psych ep’s that doesnt have an actual murderer or even victim. They just got swept up into a poor dying mans attempt at suicide. I love that Shawn doesn’t tell anyone and is honoring his right to die. I think thats a very bold message to make on a cable show. But i also love that hes actually really nervous because he does want to convince him not to go through with it. and then after he left, Its one of the few occasions where we can actually see him questioning if he made the right decision. You can see how much he hopes his words resonated with him enough that it saves his life. Plus it was so smart to keep the camera on Shawn to watch his reaction. It kept you in that tense moment with him so you can feel the relief shawn has when he landed the trick. Such a great scene and possibly one of my favorites in the series.

P.S this is my favorite bit lol Gus is so much funnier to me this watch. I think the first time i watched Psych i pitied him a lot, so that anytime he looked kind of foolish i just felt bad for him haha but damn, Dulé is so freaking funny

[thevioletscout]

Got to see Sonic 3 early at a fan event! If you saw a brunette white girl in a black and white striped jacket who had keychains on her cat backpack of a dark chao and knockoff Shadow, that was probably me.

Gonna share my thoughts because I need to. Spoilers under the cut.

- I personally still like 2 the most. That doesn't mean 3's bad, it was great, but 2 just felt like a stronger film.

- I was honestly pretty wary about Keanu Reeves as Shadow, but I think he did excellent, and for a very peculiar reason that surprised myself; At certain points, he sounds like a teenager. Obviously its the kind of gruff Shadow voice we’re all used to, but there were times he would sound strangely youthful, and its a nice reminder that despite the 50 year stasis, despite the ultimate lifeform thing- Shadow's still a kid, just like Team Sonic.

- My brother even pointed out that Commander Walter objected to shooting the Robotniks and Shadow when they were escaping because "they're kids!" He said kids, plural.

- I think Jim Carrey did great as both Eggman and Gerald Robotnik. There was even a scene near the end where he was downright scary as the latter. That said, I wasn't a big fan of many of the scenes where they interacted. It kinda felt like the plot of the movie would get pulled to a grinding halt so we could just watch extended Jim Carrey comedy. I could probably be in the minority about this, and I can accept that, I just personally think cutting out some of the bits would have helped the movie flow a bit better.

- Fight scenes were so cool. It's not usually something I’d care that much about, but I think with Sonic in general getting the action right is a huge draw, and damn did this get it right.

- I'm not a big fan of Maria's illness not being referenced at all. I can kinda understand it because they're on Earth the whole time now, not in space, but it removes a lot of the important factors of Maria's character. It especially feels bad in the wake of Sonic x Shadow Generations, where the effects of her condition were actually shown, and when compared to the Wicked movie adaptation where they actually went out of their way to do a more respectful depiction of a wheelchair user.

- I like her using rollerskates though. That feels like a cute parallel between her and Shadow, and that could have been an interesting detail Robotnik worked into Shadow's design if he was actually made by him in this version.

- Sidenote, I swore that the whole Shadow was found in a meteor thing was a coverup for the real story, but no thats just his origin in the movies. That definitely carries some interesting implications for Shadow in the SCU.

- They kinda cutely referenced Sonic and Shadow looking alike, but otherwise it didn’t affect anything. G.U.N. didn't even try to use that to frame Sonic for what Shadow was doing. I kinda don't mind that though, I think there's enough retroactive implications to draw from.

- I wasn't sure they would actually use Live & Learn, but they did and holy shit it was so worth it! And Sonic and Shadow did the Adventure 2 pose!!! Theater went nuts, and I was going nuts with them.

- I'm once again probably going to be in the minority about this, but I kinda wish we got more Tom and Maddie. Like it or not, they were major characters in the previous movies, but in this one they just feel like they're there. I would say that it probably would have made Tom's near death experience more impactful, but to be fair my entire theater was in shock and scared out of their minds that they actually killed him so I think it was plenty impactful.

- They just straight up yeeted Gerald into incineration. I get it, there was no other neat way to take him out but damn. Tails and Knuckles killed a man.

- And finally the mid-credits scene holy shit.

- Okay so- I want you guys to know that I was a "Amy's secretly in the movie" truther. Every time Team Sonic was in trouble I was waiting for Amy to suddenly make her debut. I had this vision of her hammer being the first thing we see before Amy herself is slowly revealed. And yet, nothing. Every time they would find a different way out and around the G.U.N. infiltration I finally accepted that Amy wasn't going to appear.

- But then that scene during the credits. Sonic is confronted by Metal Sonic- who looks FANTASTIC btw. That's when I knew we were probably getting Amy next, but I wasn't sure when and how. Then Sonic gets surrounded by several of the metal copies, and like I predicted; first we see her hammer, flying through the air as it takes out several of the bots. Then we see her, dressed in a cloak to hide her features just a bit longer. Finally, she puts the hood down and- GOD SHE'S SO CUTE, I LOVE HER.

- I cannot impress upon you how crazy everyone in the theater went. We love this pink hedgehog.

- Wade only had one scene thank fuck.

There were probably a few other misc things I can talk about but I need more time to process it all. As I said to someone sitting in front of me; "How am I supposed to wait another two years???"

EDIT: ONE MORE THOUGHT

- One thing I find interesting is that after Shadow escapes, he just wants to be left alone. Most of what he's doing when Team Sonic finds him is just self defense from G.U.N. If I remember correctly he even tries to tell Sonic and the others to just walk away, and he dips on the motorcycle as soon as he's able to, once again warning them not to follow. He even spares Sonic and simply handcuffs him to something when the fight's over. It seems like it isn't until Gerald finds him that the revenge plan even gets started for him. He didn't want to go out of his way to hurt anyone, he just wanted to grieve in peace. Unironically, such a good understanding of Shadow's character.

[egg-emperor]

Is it just me or is eggman kinda chill woth amy? I was playing frontiers as amy, when i noticed that all the dialogue between her and eggman is kinda chill, especially when compared to the other characters.

Plus, then there's his egglog about her, where he's kinda, sort of proud of her? I dont think pride is the right term for it, but its the best i can use to describe it.

I mean sure, he did hold a gun to her head at one point, but it feels less out of malice, and more useing her as a bargening chip. Which ultimetly, he would do to any character regardless if it benefited him. Even sage if pushed to it.

Im not too framilar with sonic games though, so i could be wrong about this, but thats the general vibe ive got from them. Deffinetly not freinds, but not as at eachothers throats as i thought they'd be.

Im curiouse to hear your take on this though, since you seem very knowledgable on eggman lol.

Eggman does have an interesting attitude towards Amy in Frontiers. There's definitely been development in the way he feels about her over time, the most significant aspect being he's literally even thinking about her as her own person at all- with his own admission that he used to just see her merely as a pawn to ensnare Sonic in the memo

However now he's seeing her as her own person and calling her clever and tenacious, so clearly something changed. It seems she's proven herself to be more than that in his eyes, likely as he's seen/heard more of her doing things on her own and showing her strengths, independence and determination to work towards her goals

But also not without him saying that he feles she had trouble finding herself, so it seems he thought nothing more of her than just being a pawn to use as bait for Sonic to come along and thought of her as an obsessed fan who's life completely revolved around Sonic. So now she seems more than that to him, he feels it's something to commend her for

He's glad her life doesn't seem to completely revolve around his loathsome arch nemesis lol. It's funny how he says Sonic has an ego too, he's the exact type of guy to groan about someone having an ego or accusing them of such even when they don't because nobody should have an ego or even anywhere near as much as regular confidence like him XD

He's never really seemed that antagonistic towards Amy herself beyond the times he's kidnapped her and that was only with luring Sonic in in mind. He hasn't insulted her in the same ways/as often as with most of the other characters beyond calling her "that kid" condescendingly in Adventure and I think that says a lot about how he used to feel too

He probably saw her as just a little fan girl that wasn't any serious threat for a while and was just a pawn to lure in the ones he was actually interested in fighting so he didn't put that energy into it. However like all the rest, if she causes him trouble and gets in the way he will absolutely become immediately hostile and violent towards them, of course

But it's like he never really considered her an adversary and really just another common enemy just for being on Sonic's side. He couldn't see an identity in her besides chasing after Sonic, just like how he looks down on Tails living in Sonic's shadow. In his eyes nobody should center their lives around Sonic regardless of how true that is lol

Because be probably thought lowly of her in that sense but otherwise just didn't really think of her at all besides that, it probably made it easier to respect any accomplishment she made. When she proves herself to be a worthy opponent he will praise that, we know he's even willing to give credit where it's due with Sonic and Tails too

He seems to like to recognize and commend his enemies on their skills and I feel it's because praising them for their skill and strengths proves his own for being able to hold up against them in battle. Because if they have respectable skills and strengths, what does that say about him for being their absolute biggest recurring threat?

He praises both Sonic and Amy for their tenacity, which is something he of course has a limitless amount of himself, which supports that. Also for the cleverness he praises in Amy. It's like he can see himself in them in a sense and with that it makes even more sense, praising them praises himself, it makes him even more tenacious to be so in the face of their own tenacity

With that it makes sense he projects having an ego onto Sonic too lol. He has confidence but not in the immense egotistical way Eggman does- but because he doesn't believe Sonic's confidence is anywhere near as deserved as his own with the most inflated ego in the world, he thinks anyone else being confident in themselves is egotistical :P He's glad Amy isn't fuelling it

But yeah he's come a long way from thinking a bunch of Sonic's friends were just insignificant common enemies. He'll always become directly hostile the second they directly cause him problems/significantly aid Sonic in doing so but besides that he didn't think much of them, either lowly or not much at all. In Amy's case especially he seemed to hardly see her as enemy but now she's proven herself to be a worthy opponent now that he can see that she's her own person

He's not one to downplay their skills- well except for when he's trying to knock down their confidence in battle lol- when he recognizes them for how they can prove his own. They give him a challenge and he can prove himself and his own strengths even in his failures for still being able to hold up against them and the way that he still manages to keep coming back to try again, also proving his tenacity

In the Egg Memos, it seems he's thought deeper about all of Team Sonic as individuals, who they are, and what they can do rather than just being Sonic's insignificant friends over time. He shares little thoughts on Amy, Knuckles, and Tails in the memos like Sonic in the actual cutscenes. But it's interesting how it seems he has the least bad to say about Amy while he's at it

Their convos in Final Horizon with Amy do seem to be some of the most chill. Eggman acts passively annoyed at being approaching like "what do you want, if you're looking for Sonic he's not here" still acting like her life does revolve around Sonic to her face despite the contrary of what he says about her finding herself in the memos lol, and Amy saying things he doesn't like and sassing him and him getting defensive and correcting her which is funny

But there's not the same immediate hostility between them than say, Sonic and Knuckles. And he seems willing to discuss his knowledge with her, I mean he loves showing it off to all of them but something feels a bit different in his way of going about it, seems a little less condescending than with some of the other characters. They're more casual despite still bickering a bit but they can tolerate each other to get the job done

Eggman isn't the type to hold back on anyone if they get in his way though, so he immediately becomes extremely hostile and violent if she gets in his way, like when she interferes in SA2 and he tries to deal with her and Tails jumps in to save her. He was also willing to kill her the times he kidnapped her, with the way he says if she values her life she'll do as he says when he held her hostage with the gun to her head and threatened that "she WILL die" in Crazy Gadget in SA2

So there's definitely malice towards her in certain situations but yeah when he kidnaps her it's mostly just him seeing her as a pawn to get what he's really after with Sonic, rather than specifically as an enemy to take down, aside from when she specifically gets in his way. But he also seems to think more highly of her as a worthy opponent now, which could potentially lead to that actually changing and he sees her as more of a formidable adversary to fight! I'm interested to see where it goes

[starsfic]

a joyous memory

Summary: Stella survives longer than the rest. And by longer, at least five minutes.

Notes: So I mentioned that I was tempted to write a fic based off my hc that DogDay killed Stella during the Hour of Joy and people, such as @thatonefandomweirdo and @theforgowolf, were interested!

So, here it is! Warnings for violence.

-_-

The alarm blared at a volume that practically rattled Stella’s teeth.

She gripped her knees tight and tried to not cry. Never had the emergency system given such an alert. Whenever one of the toys got loose, Ritterman and Pierre kept things quiet in order to avoid unneeded panic. Never had things been so bad that the entire factory had to go into lockdown.

Based on the screaming she heard outside, it was for good reason.

Stella had once been a devout Christian. After she learned about the Bigger Bodies Initiative and its truth, she found herself praying less and less. After all, God probably looked down on such experiments, no matter the good they did. Right now, however, she found a prayer leaking through her teeth, hidden by the orchestra of screams and wet noises and absolute joy.

After what felt like an eternity, the noises came to a stop.

Stella waited for another minute. Two. Three.

After counting what felt like thirty minutes, she began to scoot out from under her desk. She needed to get to a phone, see if anyone knew what had happened…or if anyone was even still alive.

The creak of the door made her freeze.

Soft footprints padded across the wood floor. Stella held her breath.

Whoever it was, they stopped in front of her desk. There was the sound of shuffling on her desk, like someone was tidying up her papers. Stella felt confusion rise up before she heard the shuffle move up. The toy or person or whatever spent a few minutes reading what she had left on her desk. What had she left on her desk? Maybe a report about the newest child sent for testing for…what experiment was it now?

Whatever it was, they finally threw the paper back on her desk with a “Shit.”

Wait. She recognized that voice.

“DogDay!” 

Stella nearly hit her head on the desk as she scrambled up, relief filling her body. DogDay, made of a sweet little boy who’s name she couldn’t remember, was one of the gentlest toys, on the same level as CraftyCorn and Bobby and sometimes Kissy. He wouldn’t hurt her.

The orange dog jolted, eyes going wide. “Ms. Greyber?” he asked. He sounded surprised. “You’re…alive?”

“Yes, yes, I was lucky. Nobody came in here,” Stella’s mind began to churn. This was great! DogDay’s gentle and warm personality meant that many of the toys respected him. Surely, if he escorted her upstairs, there would be no trouble. “We need to get out of here, before the others come looking.”

DogDay leaned back, allowing her room to get to her phone. “The children have been evacuated to the emergency bunker,” he said as she began to type in Ritterman’s cell phone number. “Do you intend to leave them there? What about Stacy?”

Normally, Stella would try and gush about the children being safe- they were her duty, after all- but right now, she was frazzled. Instead, she let out a “Who?” as the call connected.

The scream that came from the other end was drowned out by the scream that came out as white-hot pain ripped through her shoulder. Stella barely felt the phone drop from her hands as DogDay yanked her back, digging his teeth in deeper and deeper. She tried to fight, but that only made the tearing of her flesh worse.

Him releasing her gave no relief, not when it was paired by a backhand that made her stumble and hit the floor. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, almost blocking out the sight of her shoulder. She swore she could see the bone.

She looked away in time to see DogDay spit something out- holy shit that was her flesh- before glaring her down. For the first time since meeting him, Stella felt terror rush through her. No longer was he a sweet, good boy. Instead, she realized how much taller he actually was.

He was a predator.

“You were supposed to be better than them,” he growled out, menace dripping off each word. “Then Sawyer. Then Pierre. Then all of them. I-” For a moment, the predator guise dropped. His eyes shined like he was about to cry. “I trusted you. I believed in you. I thought you really cared.”

The fear died in her for a moment. “I do, I really-” Pain seared through her, but she pushed it back to reach out, trying for a smile. “I love you kids-”

“Then you WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING!” His yell echoed off the walls of her office. In the distance, she heard footsteps, or maybe that was the fast pace of her own heart. “YOU WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING, ANYTHING, TO SAVE US!”

When Stella had been informed of the truth, she had wrestled with it for a long time. The procedure came with pain and sweat and tears, buckets of the latter, and she hated the idea of bringing already pained children more suffering. But then she thought of how the new forms guaranteed a type of immortality. These new forms were stronger than weak human bodies.

She had thought of her own existential dread, of just growing older and older and then poof.

The realization that she had been wrong, that she should have done something despite Pierre and Ritterman and Sawyer’s pressure, came too late.

DogDay lunged forward.

This time, his teeth closed around her throat.

-_-

DogDay walked out of the Counselor’s Office with unsteady feet and the disgusting feeling of blood smeared over his chest. He gripped the papers he had found, the one detailing the transfer of Stacy Wells, a sweet little five-year-old, from Playcare to the labs. He wasn’t sure of how to feel, especially when he looked around and saw all of the bodies.

A purple figure stalking from Home Sweet Home, trailed by green and yellow, made him look up.

“DogDay!” A red figure burst forward past the other three. He barely managed to push his hands up before he could get blood over Bobby. It didn’t stop her visibly fretting, settling a hand on the cleanest part of his shoulder, keeping her eyes locked on him and not anywhere else. “What happened?!”

“Ste…Stella…she knew. She was just like them.” Hoppy hissed as she and Kickin’ caught up, both being careful to step over bodies. “I…lost control of myself. I was just so angry.”

“Nobody’s gonna blame you for that, dude,” Kickin’ said. “We did what we had to do.” His eyes darted around before he looked down at the papers he clenched. “What do you have there?”

“They sent Stacy down to the labs before it started,” DogDay was glad his voice no longer trembled. Later, he was pretty sure he would have a breakdown, but right now, the guilt was overshadowed by relief. “Someone needs to check on her.”

Hoppy took the papers from his hands. “I gotcha, bud,” she said, scanning over them before nodding. “We need to check the prison anyway to make sure everyone’s fine down there.”

“And I need to check with Picky and the others to see if the kids are alright,” Bobby said, pulling her hand away. 

Kickin’ didn’t say anything, but he let the other two pull him away, shooting him a grin that looked a little unhinged. Honestly, he couldn’t blame him. Everyone was a little unhinged at the moment, especially after such an event.

And then it was just him and CatNap.

CatNap had always been a bit bigger than the other Smiling Critters. DogDay had chalked it up as a fun quirk of his best friend. Right now, however, he just felt small as the purple cat seemed to study him.

“...hey…”

CatNap leaned forward at that, pressing his head into DogDay’s chest, nuzzling until he got the hint and wrapped his arms around him. “He was right,” the cat rasped, a soft purr making his raspy voice rumble when DogDay started to pet him. There was the faint scent of poppies coming from his words, but he was wide awake. “You did what you had to.”

“It doesn’t mean I don’t feel sick at it,” DogDay admitted, focusing on the sensation of CatNap’s fur, instead of the guilt that burned in his gut. He was rubbing blood onto his friend, but it would be fine. It had to be. “I wish that our freedom didn’t cost so much.”

“We did what we had to,” CatNap said, his voice having no doubt. He believed in the Prototype with all his heart. DogDay couldn’t bring himself to pry into that belief. Not now. “Soon, this will be nothing but a joyous memory for us.” Finally, he pulled away. “Go and clean up and check on the minis. I shall…deal with the bodies.” He looked over his shoulder at the office. “Hers first.”

DogDay nodded.

At least he wouldn’t have to see Stella again.

[jessconsumesmedia]

Did you think having Hetty forgive Elias was a good move? It feels like this show forgets that Elias straight up abused her for years and it just doesn't sit right that all her friends pressured her into forgiving the man who made her life a waking nightmare

First off thank you I have so many thoughts on this specific instance lol. (Also I am so sorry this was meant to be short but then it turned into a large character analysis thing)

First there is a Network Television side that I can believe - While ghosts can and has hit really depressing beats and manages to tug at your heartstrings, it is at its core a comedy show. There are things that it is hard to make comedy around (abuse being one) I am sure there are ways to do it that are not only respectful but also actually funny, they could have just decided suggesting past pain over blatantly stating it would work better for the episode. It could also be something that might come up later we kinda don’t really know. I am hoping they go more into Hetty and Elias’ relationship in the next episode that he shows up in. I believe they have the ability to hit it on the money but I am not even a writer so again what do I know about writing a comedy? All of this is just assumption based off plausible network television dynamic lol so grain of salt.

Character reasons - I also believe that there are multiple incredibly nuanced reasons that the other ghosts could have wanted to push Hetty towards forgiveness. They all have very interesting motives in that episode and I am always going to go way overboard on analyzing.

Pete - Of course his immediate reason would be the fact that he doesn't want to go to hell. Which is fair but it also leads to him pushing for Hetty to forgive Elias which is generally bleh. I could see, coming from the fact that as one of the younger ghosts he didn't observe that abuse from Elias, he just didn't think about it. That fear clouded the part of his brain that cares about his friends and it turned into a do or die situation. He is only thinking about himself in that moment and yea it isn't the sweet little Pete we like to think of but it definitely makes his character rounder and more layered.

Alberta - She is also coming from a place where she didn't actually See how terrible Elias was in life. She is also used to backstabbing personalities from back when she was alive so her bringing up that the men who suck just don't care. She is on Hetty's side by helping her forgive, because genuinely she believes it would be good for Hetty. And the act of not letting it simmer because it effects her more than him is undeniably true. She is the one who cares and either way Elias gets something out of the deal so in the long run it probably was the better option just for Pete's sake(funny haha) I don't believe it is meant to completely diminish what Hetty went through with Elias, it was just meant to be a way for her to lose some of that weight off of her shoulders.

It also leaves open the fact that Hetty is essentially forgiving Elias for things that she probably hasn't even unpacked. Up until fairly recently she didn't even know women could orgasm! She has and is still learning a lot about equality and how that goes along with her past. Which leaves opportunity for the next Elias episode honestly. If they go down the route of digging into their past a little more it would be really interesting to see more of the actual dynamic.

I don't know a possible motive for people like Thor and Issac to be honest. But they also aren't actively pushing like Alberta and Pete, so they might just not want to be apart of the kerfuffle or maybe even it's an instance of them knowing things that they have decided to keep a secret. Issac does make sure that the whole contract is looked over just incase which shows he cares enough to make sure (and knows Elias is a piece of shit and probably is ready to cause trouble)

There are so many possible explanations and I am speaking from a hyper analytical perspective lol! But I hope that explains my thoughts on that sitch. I really hope that they revisit some of Hetty's past and her traumas.

-Jess o_O

[not-so-allegiant-general]

I did a math. IT would be possible for Hux and Kallus to meet. Let's assume that Kallus is still alive and capeable.

JUST IMAGINE THAT.

Kallus and Zeb living their best live with other Lasats as they accepted Kallus as one of them. They didn't want to intervene with the Resistance bc "They will be fine" Zeb always said. But now they got the signal, calling for help from the Resistance to entire Galaxy. And Kallus just can't sleep, eat or function bc existing of First Order is already like a slap for him. He can't stand that after all of it another empire will win. And Zeb can't stand looking at distress Kallus, so he said. "Okey. Get on this damn ship Alexandr. We are going."

They found Resistance. And caused a lot of exitment bc there are actual legends about ghost crew and almost everyone knows them. Poe even knew one song. But when he offered to sing it Kallus offered to shot him and Zeb had to intervened. After everyone calm down a little Poe blured out that they have a spy on board one of First Order ship and Kallus went absolutely feral about it.

" You tell me that you receive information from someone out there. And didn't even bother trying to pull him out!?"

" I… I proposed that but general Organa…

"Well. I am not under any general."

" With all respect Alexandr we appreciate your help but if you want to stay you should.."

"Excuse me, princess. I went in too much trouble in life by just following orders. Not any more. If there is a man or a woman out there. A person. Alone. Who risked their life just to send you information. Valuable i suppose. And now they stoped responding i am going there. Because if i learned something in my life from these rebels scums that i grown to like its not leaving anyone behind. No matter what."

"Damn. He is good in this " Finn shook his head.

"am coming with ya!"

" Poe no!" Leia said.

"Poe Yes!" Finn responded.

**

Plan was simple and stupid. But Kallus had an honest belief that when it comes to rebels only this kind of plan work. They suppose to get caught, wait until spy undercover himself. If it not happened in spawn of five days they had backup escape plan. He didn’t have to wait. First time he saw Hux he knew. He didn’t tell them. It was hard enough to pull out low ranking officer. When it comes to general it will be way harder. When it comes to Starkiller, Kriff… it's probably imposible. He knew now that if they want to leave the ship they had to do it on Hux's terms.

And this damn kid was clever.

And as he expected Hux wasn’t also easy to kill.

They were running to the ship trying to avoid blaster bolts. He remembered the first time he had to shoot to imperial officers, he missed every shoot back then. But Hux was different. Every his shot reached the target. Except one. Hux froze holding a blaster in an extended arm. Mitaka was standing before him, blaster in hand, aimed to the ground. Mitaka dropped the weapon, eyes wide open, face pale like paper. Hux took a deep breath taking off finger from the trigger. Kallus wanted to push him away, but he was to slow. Blaster bolt reached Hux’s arm. He screamed in pain falling to the ground and before anyone else reacted Mitaka grabbed his blaster. The shot was clean and successful, stormtrooper dropped dead. They got Hux to the ship.

“Was it always like that?” Kallus looked at Zeb.

“Like what?”

“ We rescued the spy. But he is General who exterminated Hosnian Prime. We also rescued someone else, entirely unplanned, and he is in shock now. “he glanced at absolutely traumatized Mitaka sited on the ground “We created more problems than we solved. “ Zeb laughed.

“Yeah. Yeah Kal, it was always like that.” Kallus narrowed his eyes throwing a suspicious look.

‘Alright. You!” he looked at Finn and Poe “Which one of you two reckless idiots unintentionally recruited the Starkiller??”

Finn looked at him in surprise.

“What? What are you talking about….?”

Poe cleared his throat, scratching his head. “Poe?…”

“Yeah, well it’s a funny story buddy. Em… “ Zeb was amused, Kallus was visibly done with all of this, Finn was horrified, Mitaka still in shock and Hux was looking at the pilot, he was smiling.

“It’s not funny at all, Dameron. I told you, you have to stop laughing when it's time to cry” He wrapped himself tight in his coat. Poe turned around to look at him.

"Hey… Good to see you alive, Hugs." Kallus sighed already knowing the look on his face. Zeb grinned.

"Alright lovers, enough of that. Get us home Dameron" They both screamed in protest and Kallus just smiled. Memories humming in his head.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

You’ve mentioned how boring the Avatar movies are despite how visually stunning they can be (I can’t help but agree.) How would you rewrite it to be a more interesting?

Can't be done and not for the reasons you're probably thinking.

The Thing about James Cameron

To get into this, we have to talk about James Cameron as a director.

Now, I say this being a large fan of The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, as well as generally liking Aliens and Abyss.

But generally, the focus of James Cameron's films is not the story or the writing: it's a new cutting-edge technology he wants to develop and try out and or a particular setting. The story is presented as an excuse to do these things and is paper thin at best.

The focus of Titanic was the ship itself, the exact timing of its sinking, seeing all of the ship (both upstairs and downstairs) both before and after the sinking, and to aid that along we get this story of Jack and Rose where they run around the ship like lunatics so we can see everything.

Abyss, similarly, is exploring the concept of a setting at depth and the technology needed to produce such a film.

Now, what also ties into this, is that Cameron has a few tropes he really really really likes in films that aren't that... deep I guess I'd call them. Generally, in any Cameron film, you can count at least one (usually more) of the following:

US Marines (Good or Bad or Both)

Evil Corporations/Evil Rich People

A Surprisingly (!) Good Scientist/Science/Robot People

An Uncomplicated Action Hero/Heroine

An Uncomplicated Love Story

In the case of the Avatar series, Cameron had thought up this fictitious world Pandora, the native people there the Nav'i, and wanted to push both CGI as well as 3D to the limit (notable is that Cameron did 3D for these films in a way films generally don't, in that he did actual 3D where most '3D' films just have two cameras for stereo. This is why Cameron's 3D looks so fucking good and is actually worth seeing in theaters versus other 3D films which are eeeeeeh watch it at home). And, as usual, what we see is a story written in such a way to show off the setting, the made-up culture of the Nav'i, and the technology used to produce the film rather than the story in and of itself.

So, in the first film, we get a story that hits all the usual marks for Cameron. Through Jake's adventure, we get to explore Pandora and see all the things Cameron really wants to show off to us, we also get all the tropes Cameron usually loves: an uncomplicated love story, evil corporations, US Marines, surprisingly good scientists who seem bad at first but then are misguided, and a dumb uncomplicated hero.

In this case, it's just the plot of Dances with Wolves (almost to a tee) but uh... more blue.

(The second film is even worse in this respect, as well as just as a film, as Cameron now wants to show a new part of Pandora, the ocean but uh... has no reason for the characters to be there so has to make something up that doesn't make much sense or give the characters much to do.)

The trouble is where this works for Cameron in other films (Terminator and Terminator 2 were great in that they didn't need to be complicated, the setting and special effects provided what we needed for great films), in Avatar we're hampered by a plotline that has both aged and that we've seen before, and by a script that's... just not good.

But the point I was trying to make is that Avatar would not exist without Cameron. This isn't a case where you hire a new director, new screenwriter, new anything, this is Cameron's vision and there's really not much wiggle room in that without dumping out everything Cameron wanted.

The best someone could do is rewrite the script to make the lines more catchy/memorable/quotable without changing the plot.

(Caveat, again, I think Cameron is great when he's great. What he does well he does very well, and he has made some fantastic as well as very entertaining movies. However, sometimes, it just doesn't work out.)

Back to the Question

So, to 'fix' Avatar you have to have a script Cameron would like, one that shows of Pandora in the way he wants, and with the uncomplicated characters he generally likes.

Trouble is, that is Avatar. I can think of no way to produce what Cameron would have wanted beyond what Cameron himself did. He was involved in every step of that movie and it shows.

And again, to make it better or different is to make something that never would have happened as, well, it's not Cameron.

Long story short, you can't have Avatar without Blue Pocahontas in Space.

[ao3gobi17]

What do you think your custody au quaritch thinks about Jeanniebug's weaving the web spider and quaritch respectively?

How would he feel about cyren myadd's quaritch or spider? Like his thoughts and opinions on them if they were to ever meet?

I see Cyren has replied to this - so I'm looking forward to reading the answer - esp if you've sent it to all 3 of us!

So I hadn't read Weaving the web until recently - I am actually still reading it as we speak! There's a chance I may not know something super relevant, but at the point I'm at, there's three different Spider personalities. My plan is to finish it soon.

I do actually really like the idea of some kind of Spider multiverse collab, though I don't know if its actually practical or possible.

I think Custody-Quaritch is going to gravitate towards collecting Spiders at the first sign of trouble from any of the Quaritches. My impression so far on WTW-Quaritch is that he's trying to do his best by Spider (minus letting the interrogator thing happen twice - as far as he knew - before stopping it), so I don't think Custody-Q would have a huge issue with him if he met mid-fic. He might later on if he found out about the interrogations. In contrast he'd have an issue a mile wide with BITTW-Quaritch from the get-go. The Spiders he would intellectually understand aren't his Spider, but he'd probably view them as an extension of his Spider and therefore under his remit and he'd struggle to leave them be if he couldn't build a good relationship with his counterpart.

In terms of the Spider personalities.. in some ways it doesn't matter to Custody-Q, his kid is his kid and he can try to fix things once he has him safe.

But he would be alarmed for sure by the multiple personalities on WTW-Spider and would want him in therapy asap, getting the best medical care. He'd be very precaution-heavy with 'Miles' but he'd try to foster a bond with him and adapt his approach regardless. 'Spider' and 'MJ' I think would be much easier for Custody-Q to manage and depending on context I think he'd really struggle with wanting 'Spider' to front and ultimately win out as the main personality because he's the original, and getting a bit of a catch up feel with MJ on the childhood moments he missed with his own Spider. But ultimately he'd know the MJ part wasn't healthy, so I do think he'd try to get 'Spider' back wholly.

BITTW Spider is more impulsive than Custody Spider and he probably yearns even more for love than Custody Spider does, so I think Custody-Quaritch would take to him very easily, especially if there's no 'did you kill my mom' thing hanging between them! <3

[badlydrawnbeastwars]

I feel like scorponok and inferno would be fighting over who’s more loyal to megatron

i was trying to brainstorm some ideas and i was having trouble thinking of the perfect scenario 

Scorponok is an interesting character to me, he has less screen time than the other predacons so a lot of his characterization has to be made on the small scraps they gave us jenjcsdvbkjs.. there are so many possibilitiessssss

In my brain he’s most likely insecure / unconfident and kinda a scaredy cat. But also like super confrontational, ready to fight people who are disloyal (tunnel vision go crazzyy) but also…..easily outsmarted. This guy can never win…

Inferno is not really doing anything sus so there's no real reason for them to fight in my brain. 🤷🏿

We can factor in Plain Jealousy. But jealous of what? 

Inferno is the only predacon who thinks he is a real insect pftt like guy is walking around with ant delusion 🐜. They do Not respect him, he's a pawn with a flamethrower that follows orders to a T to them (I don't really think inferno did anything in the first season that would make anyone be jealous or envy him)

If anything Inferno could challenge Scorps authority as SIC (though i'm not really sure, once inferno came around did scorponok stop being SIC? Or when he died did inferno become sub commander?) 

But ahhhhh also i feel like inferno WOULD listen to him, since he respects the hierarchy cuz ant brain. Inferno would respect that scorponok is his commander and would  actually respect what scorp has to say and follow the attack plans he would make. Do you think that would make scorponok kinda uncomfortable cuz it never happened before 😭 lmaoooo

Inferno is too unpredictable 🐜🔥

This is just me thinking about these two by themselves, what if we add another factor into the mix. 😈 There are some people on the team who like to make drama. 

it'll def be like terrorsaur or tarantulas to make them fight (or least attempt to) 

Like whether it's to distract them or just to mess with them. I think this could go something like this-

scene is probably the team was assigned a task, or is doing some boring work. Someone is tryna stir the pot

T:  “Out of the two of you 🫣, who do you think megatron likes more 🤔 ? who do you think is his fav 🤪?.......who's more loyal~” 

I: “that is irrelevant rn 😡 we must focus on the mission😡😡!!”

T: “Oh? 🫨 So defensive. 😏 Well i think its scorponok🤭 …i mean megatron himself made em SIC🤔~”

Scorponok could say something like “uhhhhhhhh huh i mean i guess thats true why are you putting me on the spot? 😰” Or he could say something like “hell yeah I'm more loyal finally someone recognizing my commitment 😤” <- if he chooses to speak up

I: “We’re meant to serve the queen 😡! Not question his decision!! What are you👀? Where are YOU placed on this… loyalty scale 😒” 

And that's how the conversation would flip, in my opinion. But then I remember how cocky predacons are so it's completely possible scorponok would be like “hey! Let him talk he spitting faxs 🤬!!!!" *shoots missile* and then a fight breaks out between them

That or inferno just gets irritated and sets everyone on fire <3

Or maybe megatron makes them fight eachother for funnies for his entertainment

Idkkkk i also think inferno and scorponok could maybe be friends

"you're the only bitch in this house that i ever respected" energy going on

not a “ooo i can trust this person” but like “you might not be the best person to be around but at least you have no history of ulterior motives”  but idk if they smart enough to care about that 

[rwby-confess]

60-something confessions, weve paid our tribute, what are YOUR confessions

Okay, here goes 10 confessions from me:

1.

I wish we had seen Pyrrahs friendships, I think she and Ren would've been good friends since both of them are so level headed.

I headcanon that they would take care of the school garden together, Pyrrah would struggle a bit with delicate plants but same time be happy to be able to learn from his peers new things for once.

One day she learns that Nora and Ren are orphans. Her respect for them grows, seeing them as so much stronger for not having the same support she had growing up, yet here they are thriving. She makes sure to invite them over during holidays and for other things they possibly missed out on as kids.

She doesn't care for cooking but often goes to shop for ingredients with Nora.

2.

I think Freezerburn is incredibly soft.

Weiss is able to cool down hot-headed Yang and Yang is able to melt away the Ice Queens tsundere tendencies. :'-) <3

3.

I miss seeing the street fashion influence when it comes to designs, ofcourse I understand why it isn't there as much anymore but I can still moan about it.

Yangs' tsuyome-esque looks was my fave, it was fire and I wanted to cosplay it so badly.

Ruby's look reminds me of something I wore when I was 12yo actually

4.

Only on my second watch I realised that Ironwood looks really hot with this look and it's a shame that it got SO little screen time. And same with Winters first look.

5.

Also on my second watch I realised that the straps on Oscars' gloves are green not black ???

6.

Remember bootleg Neptune from volume 4? Yeah he sure exists. But what if he did more?

Weiss is trapped in Atlas, she's lonelier than ever, she can only go to places and events dad approves of. And this guy keeps coming around, maybe they meet at the Schnee Manors garden, why not go for a bad boy?

They have fling going on, for Weiss it's mostly out of boredom and finding him good looking. If she's trapped might as well have fun. Maybe they'll get in trouble or have some other sort of side plot going on together but eventually when Weiss gets a window to escape out of Atlas, she's faced with a decision.

Stay with the guy who obviously finds it insane to trade living high life in Atlas to go chase some pals she met at school in other kingdom. Weiss snaps out of the rose coloured glasses after hearing this, ultimately choosing her friends.

Idk I just wish they let them do the usual young people fuck ups and learning experiences if there's going to be whole volume of them sitting around

7.

Yang's probably closest thing Oscar got for mother figure...

8.

The bird thing. Make Raven tell Weiss and Yang how the experience was as she remembers, give them reason to be shocked. So here's my suggestion:

Maybe the process was violent since current humans aren't used to magic in any shape, they're stripped from their autonomy in that moment and it's humiliating.

Like Amber was in the chamber beneath Beacon, Oz did it to Branwens there in similar way? Underground to not attract grimm, no one to hear their screams, its cold and dark, they're stripped like Amber to act as guinea pigs for this man.

Qrow has (more or less) made peace with all that trauma and what happened since he thinks its suffering for the greater good. After all, the man doesn't really have home to go back to. He doesn't want to bring misfortune to people he loves and the tribe doesn't really want him back.

However Raven learns that Salem can't be beaten, meaning she and Qrow suffered for only to be ideal candidates for a suicide mission...

9.

I want Qrowin angst, please crwby, I want to suffer lmao

Give Qrow absolutely losing it, calling Winter after Atlas falls asking her if she knows where the kids are? Where did she last saw them?

And when Winter tries to answer Qrows questions she can't bring herself to say it; they're gone. She was there and she couldn't save them, not even her own sister. The words just won't come out... and after the silence she tells him to meet her in Vacuo, after all he deserves to know.

Whatever differences they had in the past feel so miniscule now.

(Aaand I headcanon that both of them craved for a "normal" family, making this little story even more horrible!)

10.

Yang "shooting" kids' leg on live TV should've had more consequences me thinks. Give me atleast someone commenting or being vary of her.

Her arm is brand new Atlas tech according to Tai, maybe someone would see it as an issue after finding out that she got it for free from Ironwood himself.

Maybe anti Yang propaganda being showed around town could've pushed her to work with Robyn (lol)

"Quite frankly miss I'm about to piss myself right about now, so this one is on the house"

[piffany666]

Ok just one more punk progeny won't hurt ~

Chapter 3: consent (part 1)

(Ftm trans Bright eyes - he/him pronouns)

Let it never be said that Samuel was proud of the way he had treated Bright when he was first turned.

He was harsh, however at the time it seemed appropriate considering Bright had essentially led Sam's progeny to his death.

Because of that, Sam had placed all the blame onto Bright since the beginning of his turning.

That combined with Bright eye's already existing young-adult-angst, newborn vampire emotions and a newfound hunger.....let's just say they didn't exactly mix well.

However it wouldn't be fair to leave out the struggling situation Sam had found himself in at the time.

He had a thousand excuses but none of them got him any sympathy from Bright. But its not as if Sam was looking for it.

He only began to regret his treatment towards Bright after meeting his darlin, Tanker.

Meeting Tank gave Sam a chance to better understand Bright.

Maybe it was wrong to say, but they had so much in common. And the way Tank talked about how they acted in their adolescents, it made sense that they got along with Bright so well.

Admittedly, introducing the two was a way to get Bright off his hands but funly enough, Bright having somone he could talk to that he knew wouldn't judge him was actually decreasing the amount of arguing Sam and Bright did.

So, when Sam got a call from William requesting a meeting, he wasn't anticipating it being about Bright eyes.

He assumed it would be something to do with Porter coming back or the upcoming summit, maybe Sam would be lucky enough to find out why he wouldn't be attending.

So you can imagine his surprise when William revealed that the meeting was about his troubled grand progeny.

His instant reaction was getting very quiet and eventually saying in a cold and serious tone

"What did he do?"

But William was quick to jump to his defence

"He didn't do anything Samuel, you have nothing to fear"

He said this but after a moment, William looked...unsure

Maybe it was a good idea not to mention the whole, broke one of my walls and burst into my office situation, thought William.

"With all do respect your highness, I don't believe you"

"I assure you, nore him or yourself are in any form of trouble"

Sam paused for a moment

"Then what is this meeting about?"

William sighed, Sam prepared himself for what was to come but no matter what, he would have never anticipated this.

"It is no secret that you two don't get along very well and with all due respect, it's gotten out of hand. I'm aware that your arguing has died down and you know that I am very sympathetic towards you, but tell me, how is Bright doing in terms of his vampire training in comparison to Fred?"

Sam felt embarrassed. He didn't want to seem immature for his treatment of Bright or that he was being petty in any way but he had to answer honestly.

"He's far behind Fred....but that's probably just cos he was turned by someone who was turned 2 seconds before him"

Despite his excuses, William looked like he had heard enough.

"Between your arguing and Brights inability to use and understand his powers, I'm sorry but I don't see you being his mentor going anywhere

It's unfair that your realationship has, though I'm sure unintentionally, stifled his learning"

Sam was defeated. William had made up his mind. And he had nothing to say about it.

Because he was right.

........

"So what do you propose we do?"

"Well~, I've been pondering this idea for a while now and I've ran it by Vincent and asked for the opinion of Bright eyes himself on the matter and~"

William reminded himself not to look so happy and to restrain his excitement.

"I would like to ask for your consent to take Bright eyes on as MY progeny".

Sam was dumbfounded to say the least. There was a part of him that was expecting that but it was such a small part that he didn't expect it to be correct.

After a long pause, Sam began.

"What did Bright say to that?"

William explained that after telling Vincent, he then went to tell Lovely and Bright overheard them.

Sam assumed the worst, Bright bursting in and screaming at William and just genuinely being a brat.

He was prepared to start apologising for whatever Bright did on his behalf but then William went on to say that after he had explained that it was up to him, he calmed down and they had a quote 'delightful' conversion.

Sam couldn't possibly fathom the consept of Bright being 'delightful' but he listened on.

"So he said he'd 'think about it'?"

"Yes"

It was better this way, he knew that, but somehow, for some reason, it still hurt.

He had failed one of his progenys.

"You can have him"

He was about to leave but then somthing came to his attention.

"But before that I have one question...

Why? Why go through all this trouble? Why NOW?"

Sam mentioned to Tank before this meeting that William wasn't one to do things just to be nice but he couldn't think of any other reason why William would want to take in a punk like Bright eyes.

The real reason was simply because......he couldn't help himself.

Every time he has had a new progeny it's been the same.

He couldn't help himself with Alexis and she was a.....disappointment to put it harshly.

So he said "no more. Never again"

Then he saw Vincent and he COULD. NOT. HELP. HIMSELF.

So he said "one last one"

Porter was a different story all together.

And now there was Bright eyes.

He had accepted by now that when he sees a troubled vampire youth he simply cannot help himself.

But he wasn't about to tell Sam that.

"Well....you know the summit is coming up-"

"Ah right of course-"

"Let me finish"

William knew what Sam thought about the summit. That it was just a huge pissing contest and an excuse for vampires to show off to each other.

While he did have a point, it meant more than that to him.

"I simply meant that it would be most convenient to make this kind of decision at this time because if he says yes then its just easier to make arrangements for his coronation. As you know I won't be attending this year so I'll have yo make arrangements for what to do regarding that"

That did technically answer the question of "why NOW" but Sam wasn't convinced.

I guess we won't know until he decides, thought Sam as he got up from his chair and left.

Bright wasn't his problem anymore....so why did he feel so...

Disappointed in himself?

Tagg - @darlin-collins