#yes he is incredibly sympathetic and enjoyable as a character

[sangrefae]

i feel like it must be said that i very much enjoy mithrun, he's one of my favorite characters, but the way the community at large handles him with safety gloves as if he'll break at the slightest criticism is very frustrating considering his role in the story is that of an antagonistic force

[flower-boi16]

How The Circus WASTES Potential

So recently I just finished watching all of Season 1 of Helluva Boss. Season 1 was...fine. Not great, but it was enjoyable even if half of the episodes were kinda forgettable (Except for Cherubs, that one just straight-up sucks), but there were some good aspects to Season 1. One of those good aspects was episode 7, Ozzie's AKA the best episode of the entire show. Ozzie's was a legitimately great episode that left a lot of great potential for the show to explore that could have made it great...

...and then The Circus happened. I already didn't like The Circus to begin with but after rewatching Season 1 I can safely say that this episode legitimately pisses me off now with HOW MUCH potential it wastes. In this post, I'm going to explain all the interesting potential Ozzie's left for the show, all the interesting ideas and character arcs that the episode leaves for the show to explore and how The Circus completely ruins all of that

1. Stolas

First let's talk about Stolas. Believe it or not, In Season 1 Stolas was...actually fine. This was because Season 1 didn't repeatedly coddle and woobify Stolas unlike Season 2 where we are supposed to sympathize with him for some reason. There was a lot of potential for Stolas to go through an arc of becoming a better person and realizing his mistakes, Ozzie's shows that.

Ozzie scolds Stolas for "giving it all up for lust", by cheating on Stella with an IMP to satisfy his sexual desires. And after that, Blitz cuts off Stolas due to being upset that their relationship was just about Stolas wanting to fuck Blitz, and after Blitz drives away Stolas just...sits down on the stairs to gaze at the sky.

Ye see, this could make for a very interesting character. A man who cheated on his wife so he could try to satisfy his sexual desires for someone else, but hurt others while doing so, including the person he's abusing. Because of Stolas's selfish need to be...really really really horny, he ended up hurting the people that cared about him, who HE also cared about. He hurt Stella through cheating on her by hurting her feelings, he hurt Octavia by starting this whole mess and paying more attention to Blitz than his own daughter, and he's hurt Blitz because well...he's the guy he's sexually harassing to satisfy his own hornieness.

This could have set up an arc for Stolas where he realizes his own mistakes and goes through a character arc of becoming a better and less toxic person; a redemption arc, if you will. This could have been incredibly interesting to explore...

...and what does The Circus do? Why, it throws away ALL of that. Season 1 Stolas was a man who made many mistakes and was heavily flawed...Season 2 Stolas meanwhile is my least favorite character of all fiction. Instead of beginning a possible character arc for Stolas where he grows as a person and makes amends with the people he hurt just to satisfy his own sexual desires, it decides to erase ALL of his flaws and turn him into an UwU soft boy.

The episode is the beginning of Stolas's woobification; instead of a man who hurt others to satisfy his sexual desires, we are supposed to see Stolas as an UwU soft boy who we are supposed to sympathize with because...he has a mean wife. I'm sorry, but that's not a sympathetic enough quality for us to like a character, especially when you can't even sympathize with Stolas in the first place because he isn't a good person, in fact, while writing this and realizing how much Stolas hurt others to satisfy his sexual desires, I actually loathe Season 2's characterization of him even more.

Instead of having Stolas begin to grow as a person, The Circus tries to make Stolas into an UwU soft boy and we are just supposed to forget all of his wrongdoings as a person AND as a father. It throws away all potential to make Stolas interesting and makes him an UwU soft boy instead.

There was potential to make Stolas an interesting character who grows from his mistakes and becomes a better person, but The Circus throws ALL of that away.

2. Stella

So, this is the most obvious one; Stella. I want to make a post about my own ideas about how Stella could have been a more interesting character, so I'll just say this; like with Stolas, there could have been potential to make Stella interesting. We didn't really see Stella that much in Season 1, the only times where we ever saw her were when she was yelling at Stolas for cheating on her in Loo Loo Land and when she was talking to Striker on the phone in The Harvest Moon.

Aside from that Stella was barely in Season 1. That being said however, there could have been potential to make Stella more interesting. They could have made Stella a good character...

...but they didn't. Instead of making Stella an interesting character, the show instead decided to make her into a one-dimensional abusive asshole. My issue with this isn't that they "ruined" Stella, my issue with this is that they threw away all potential of making her interesting. However, not only that, they not only removed everything that made Stolas a nuanced and interesting character, but they ALSO turned what could have been an interesting and nuanced conflict into a "UwU soft boy gets away from mean woman!!!".

They made Stella SO one-dimensional. Like, that "I like tormenting you" scene was so fucking LAME. They made Stella into a one-dimensional asshole rather than actually making her an interesting character. They could have made her flawed like Stolas and they could have BOTH grown as people here, making this an interesting and nuanced conflict, where they have both made mistakes and are heavily flawed people. But, no, who needs THAT when we could have Stella be a boring asshole and have Stolas be a boring UwU soft boy. It over simplifies BOTH characters and removes everything that could have made them interesting.

There was potential to make Stella a nuanced and interesting character like Stolas, and there was a potential to make Stella and Stolas's conflict more interesting and nuanced by portraying them both as heavily flawed people, but The Circus threw ALL of that away.

3. Stolitz

I already talked about how The Circus ruined Stolitz as a plotline and how the episode began all the issues the relationship has in my Stolitz post so I'll keep this brief; Stolitz in Season 1 was an intentionally toxic relationship where Blitz felt bound to Stolas and where Stolas just wanted to fuck Blitz. It was an interesting, intentionally toxic relationship showing what happens when a relationship is only based on one fucking the other.

The Circus meanwhile tries to forget ALL of that and tries to turn Stolitz into an UwU childhood friendship and ignores all the toxic aspects of the relationship. It removes all the things that made the relationship interesting in Season 1 and tries to make this a relationship for the audience to root for...even though Stolitz is an objectively toxic ship and NO AMOUNT of retconning is going to change that. The episode begins ALL of the problems with Stolitz and after that point, Stolitz turns into the show's worst-written plotline EVER, and it all begins with this episode.

4. Conclusion

The Circus is one of the worst episodes of the show. I dislike this episode even MORE after rewatching Season 1. Helluva Boss's ideas had the potential to be interesting, there were a lot of ways the show could have gone with those ideas in Season 2 and how it could explore them...but instead of that, the show wasted ALL of its potentially interesting ideas in just. one. episode. The Circus is one of the worst episodes of Helluva Boss, it destroys all of the potential the show could have had and is the beginning of its MANY issues.

[xxpeppermintxx109]

I desperately wish you hadn’t ruined Shaemond just because you didn’t like the backlash against Qoren — it seems you’re going in a completely different direction out of spite. I know people can be genuinely shitty but you punished your readers too.

You’re a good writer, that’s not the issue but it really feels like 2 separate stories since you had Shaera marry Qoren and it’s not even enjoyable to read anymore because the characters have changed so much, the story feels disjointed and you can tell it wasn’t a natural progression of change. I’m really gunna miss Shaemond and the ending that could’ve been.

man idk what to tell you then cause this has always been the plan for Shaera and aemond and Qoren if you look at my old edits and posts. It’s always been planned this way. If I was *really punishing* shaemond fans, which you claim, shaemond wouldn’t still be endgame and they wouldn’t have any more arcs. I also just wouldn’t be writing the fic.

This is so incredibly rude and idk what you thought was the point of this. Shaera and Aemond are my favorite and I think that’s pretty obvious with how I still make aemond sympathetic despite his developing monstrosity and still vehemently push them as endgame, WHICH ALSO WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN!! Like the foreshadowing was in the feast chapter (chapter 3 I think) or even in the very first one. It’s all been there with Helaena’s riddles too. Mind you, tragedy and betrayal and angst and love triangles have been tagged since the beginning.

God I shouldn’t even reply to this but yes people were shitty. If I was punishing them, I’d block them, which I did, so now they can’t read my work. Everyone else though? Y’all still have access to the work and I’m still updating when I can. Sorry that the story is going through plot progression? Idk why y’all expect perfect shaemond (there never has been btw, even in their best moments, there’s always been underlying tension). Luke is dead. Shaera is forced by duty and doing the best she can. Aemond is flipping out and spiraling into something terrible without Shaera there, and he’s gonna blame her! Qoren has always been very pro-Shaera, and he’s always been flirty and kind. Shaera has admitted to herself she would go with Qoren if not for aemond, but now aemond has killed her brother and all she knows is that he was celebrated and he seemingly went along with it. What do you expect her to do?

Grovel on her hands and knees for his forgiveness?

Listen, you can be upset about this arc and you can stop reading or think the story sucks now, and that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and all you need to do is drop the fic and go read other ones! There’s plenty where the fmc and aemond stay together throughout it all and there’s no problems, and that’s fine! There are a ton of talented fic writers out there for this fandom especially!

But don’t get in my mentions behind anon claiming I’m punishing my readers because of the story direction I’m going for the fic I’m writing, and have been writing for myself since season 1. I’m very grateful for all my readers, always have been, always will be, because even when I was on deadline for school or sick in treatments or just struggling in general, I still made and will make time for my readers and this fic because I love them and shaemond and shaera and Qoren, and I enjoy the act of writing.

[tumblingxelian]

I think we have very different opinions on this comic and situation, sorry, I actually liked the contrast. Not that being sympathetic is a bad thing.

But a big part of what I find enjoyable about Stephanie is the contrast in her usually cheery persona and the deep anger always welling inside her. I like the fact she works to embody hope and heroism while always having this behind the scenes undercurrent of cynicism.

Jason, Barbara & Bruce all had good parents (I ignore the Willis retcons) while Stephanie's father abused her and her mother but keeping being let back in. Trust is not something she gives easily and that's valid.

Jason, Barbara & Bruce see the man first, Stephanie is seeing the people he hurt & both those are valid standpoints to me.

I also like it because Bruce is usually framed, be it by authors or his more pushy fans, as this peak logical, no emotions badass. Which is blatantly untrue when he's actually incredibly emotional, he's just not expressive.

This is something Bruce himself often thinks while tearing down others, especially Stephanie, as too emotional or irrational to be trusted.

So, a comic that very bluntly makes it obvious Bruce is in denial about how much his personal feelings influence him and Stephanie whose usually dismissed being the one to highlight it works for me.

I also think we have a disagreement on how the comic frames Harvey's father. I took everything Harvey said as basically a layer of like, sardonic hinting. With the framing and his fathers general attitude making him come off not as noble but as cold and cruel.

Basically the public perception of the man and the man himself not matching. So it was still very much Harvey killing is abuser, its just the kind of abuser his dad was and his rationales were different.

Broadly speaking as a categorical Steph enjoyer, I think she'd not be super sympathetic beyond a general, "Yeah that sucks man." This isn't meant to be stanning ever aspect of her. Stephanie's often underlying dismissal for sympathetic motives is one of her more negative traits.

Though I doubt she'd use right wing talking points to frame it. She's more given to sarcasm along the lines of, "Oh daddy was mean to me & I'm poor so I needed to murder to teenagers with a chainsaw!" Again, not exactly an ideal attitude.

However, sad trait makes sense for her character given Arthur and the like, and its one of those situational things. Cos abusers do weaponize stuff like their own tragedies be they real or not, or exploit others empathy in order to maintain their position and control.

I think we have very divergent opinions on Harvey as well. Don't get me wrong, I like him, but I am not sure why he'd give Cluemaster the time of day on Stephine's behalf. Like maybe if enough circumstances aligned it could work, but it'd take a lot of labor or contrivance.

Though as to her feelings, hard to say. She's usually not thrilled when he is dead but has also tried to kill him. I think she'd maybe not appreciate the choice being taken out of her hands regardless.

I also think its worth noting one of the big things she highlighted was that Bruce is not normally this sympathetic to criminals.

Yes, I know in some comics or cartoons he is, but in those same comics and cartoons he'll also engage in terror, torture or slam a random muggers head against a wall so hard it makes a blood splatter the size of their chest cavity.

IE, Bruce isn't showing ideological purity here, he isn't reinforcing his beliefs anyone can change and do good. He isn't even being sympathetic to a troubled person because empathy.

Bruce is very specifically giving Harvey Dent special considerations he would not give others in Harvey's positions, that he wouldn't even give Stephanie, solely because he likes Dent personally.

People are never going to be their ideological purest self & that's fine, personal feelings happen. But Steph got called out all the time for that stuff but its so rare to see Bruce called on the same. But the truth is we all need that person whose like, "You are letting this get too personal & need to back up or you're going to make mistakes." That's just human.

A part of why I enjoy the comic is because Stephanie spent so much time, so many comics and years and arcs. Being treated as this stupid, overly emotional incompetent.

Someone who so often existed to be wrong and talked down at by rich guys & people with far more power, resources & influence than she did. Who faced elaborate 'tests' that were designed to make her fail & relied on taking advantage of her trust.

Who was just generally treated like garbage & eventually was tortured to death & died just so Bruce could angst more while the narrative went out of its way to assure us none of it was "his" fault. But instead it was hers and everyone else around him.

After all that, I very much take joy in seeing her come out the gate swinging.

"You are letting your personal feelings cloud your judgement. You are giving someone whose hurt you and so many others another chance while not taking any precautions & that's a problem."

Then has Bruce avoid any of her observations or points (As usual) and instead start jabbing at her trauma and treating her as hysterical,

"He's not your dad, I'm not your mum, the people he hurt aren't you, so stop being irrational."

IE, missing that she was drawing from experience but not projecting said trauma, which is not something Bruce can do. He's one of the worlds biggest projectors.

But for once she gets to be right for once, rather than Bruce once again being able to strut around like he's cock of the walk because only 'his' emotions are rational.

Like, there is a complicated conversation to be had regarding abuse, survivors, forgiveness, mental illness, trauma and more.

But I don't think that conversation is necessarily helped by an abuse victim expressing understandable skepticism, being framed as wrong, bad or unfair-

-Really she wasn't even being unreasonable, just telling Bruce not to let his personal feelings cloud his judgement & be aware people you love can hurt you even when they say they won't & even believe it-

Because she wanted to be cautious about just blindly trusting the guy who has a history of doing them harm. Cos unfortunately, speaking from personal experience here, that can and does happen.

Honestly Batman comics are kind of a hot mess to discuss the treatment of those struggling with mental health in general. Like I get wanting them to do it but by gods is there a lot of fucking baggage there.

I think a big thin in regards to how people respond to Harvey is that given how... Extreme his situation is,

IE, mass murdering criminal master mind, mob boss, but also heroic defender of the little people, who has tried again and again to pull himself out of hell & risked it all for others, & deeply troubled and traumatized man.

Is that responses to him are always going to come from different angles, be they focused on the tragedy he represents, the terror he spread or the tremulous line in between. But I don't think that's strictly a bad thing because the scale he operates on makes him far more complicated than someone just to be sympathized with.

I hope this made sense.

Bruce, Jason, and Babs feeling sorry for Harvey

[writers-in-moominvalley]

💡Lightbulb Moment💡

An Analysis of Sniff and the Fandom Around him; a long, casual essay.

I think the issue with Sniff and thus his fanon depictions is that while yes, he is riddled with various flaws unique to each adaptation of him and can all too often be depicted as annoying in 2 of the most popular shows, the fandom doesn't seem to treat him very fairly or even dare to propose rationalization of or forgiveness for his behavior unlike Snorkmaiden who was treated very poorly for being "an obstacle" and then turned around once the fandom became a little more self-aware of their blatantly misogynistic actions.

Sniff hasn't gotten much non-shallow positive representation/discussion or sympathetic analysis like Snorkmaiden; this has severely disrupted any fan's possibility of actually enjoying him. As much as one rewatches or enjoys the source material, they're not going to think deeply of certain elements if the fandom content they consume doesn't hype up details or characters, they're not going to look for enjoyment in Sniff if nobody points out what to enjoy in Sniff or try to take scenes and rationalize his behavior which would give greater meaning to the scenes with him.

A lack of a true (male) partner to ship him with also contributes to a lack of positive fan content, nobody really pointed this out but it seems a alot of likeable Snorkmaiden content often contains wlw ships with her, with Little My or otherwise. Being (queer) shipped also seems to give easy leeway for certain behaviors or actions for the character(s) in question, e.i: Moomintroll seems to be often depicted as soft, protective and full of admiration in the fandom because there's Snufkin for him to act like that with, when in canon his behavior (especially in the comics) can often be rude, incredibly sheepish/cowardly, spiteful and disloyal, or Snufkin is depicted as yearning, self-conscious, thoughtful and wisdomous (or if we completely ignore canon, feral, sarcastic and having a general aura of coolness) when in canon he can be very avoidant (straight up ditching situations he finds unappealing for him), self-righteous, judgemental and often disliking being around other people.

Negative depictions of them are quickly rejected or otherwise overlooked because of these idealizations of the characters, even when the canon depicts them with these flaws, OR they get twisted with sympathetic explanations for their behavior, like Snufkin being justified in committing terrorism against a park and physically harming its keeper(s) because of headcanonned childhood trauma when it could more easily be explained as him being self-righteous, petty and generally anti-authoritarian. (And to clarify, I'm not really slandering Snufmin as a ship [in fact I do enjoy it], it has its bases and they do seem to really find eachother special. I'm just using it as a popular example to illustrate my point of shipping creating what I call "likeable mischaracterisation")

There's also the severe roadblock of Snufkin and Sniff's natural idealistic rivalry, Sniff being a materialist and Snufkin being... The opposite of one? Non-materialist? And most of the fandom seems to often kin or otherwise project onto Snufkin because of his seemingly idealistic lifestyle backed up by the previous cottagecore phase of the internet which integrated the Moomin franchise into its ideology, even though Snufkin's ideology has its own flaws, Sniff "represents" the now terribly daunting capitalism that crushes us daily. But one thing has to be understood; Sniff is a traumatized child aswell, orphaned for who knows how long before being adopted by the Moomins and always unrelatable to his friends, much like how the fandom often views Snufkin.

Sniff isn't capitalism itself; he is a victim of it as much as anyone (or I guess moreso since the Moomins don't seem to be terribly bothered by it often), it's just that he's trying to fulfill his needs in a materialistic way instead of withdrawing into isolation from society, he's trying to game the system to fulfill some kind of non-obvious and unconscious need he has that he can't get an opportunity to express.

In the short story Cedric (in Tales From Moominvalley, a collection of short stories by Tove set in Moominland) Sniff gets extremely depressed after giving away his prized and beloved toy dog who had topaz eyes and a genuine moonstone on its collar, Cedric (after which the story is named after), to a brat referred to as Gaffsie's Daughter by the instruction of Moomintroll who assumably had the good intention of teaching Sniff how to share and the warm fuzzy feelings that come with it, but it obviously backfired entirely. Sniff is described to having become so depressed that he couldn't sleep, eat or even speak, Moominmamma asks why Sniff gave Cedric away to Gaffsie's Daughter and he explains, Moominmamma is left unable to respond and goes to bed to try and think it over. Sniff goes outside to have Snufkin tell a story about his own aunt and Sniff keeps responding to this story like he's had similar ones told to him before, trying to predict what happens and saying that Snufkin is just like Moomintroll.

In an author's note for the chapter, it's said Sniff finds Cedric in the rain with his jewelry missing and Sniff continues to love Cedric the way he did, unclear if a lesson was truly learned. What I find strange about this is that Tove describes Cedric as bald and love-worn but that Sniff seemed to possibly care about Cedric because of his jewelry despite Sniff having become legitimately depressed and regretting giving him away, and afterward she says she thinks Sniff is nobler for loving Cedric despite his lack of jewelry. This should be true in any context but this feels demeaning for Sniff, who hasn't even mentioned the gems in dialog or described thoughts.

This leads into Sniff's general mistreatment in canon, particularly in Moominvalley 2019, but I'm not going to get into that at the risk at making this the length of a book. I'm just gonna say; if you're going to rewatch the series, remember that Sniff is supposed to be 12-14 years old.

He also gets really unlikeable in the Tove comics then Lars tried to soften him in his own run, so that's something. But you have to give credit to that version of Sniff for actually being mildly more competent than many characters in the strip unlike his fandom/2019 depiction as being a failure and a far worse idiot than everybody else.

Anyway, what was I saying? Ah yeah.

What I'm saying is that there is a likeable version of Sniff to look into if you try. There is a tragic one where he is slowly but surely left behind by his friends who he cared about only to be left with Stinky, an actual, despicable criminal and attempted murderer, there is a Sniff that can be loved and cared for by his equally broken parents, there is a version of Sniff who freaks out when he finds out he has a brother named Fuddler and doesn't know what to do about it.

There is a Sniff that has a cool story to tell, to have what-ifs that he learns from, to be a child trying to navigate things in an unhealthy way he knows but can't help, to be an adult that has to kick Moomintroll into not being a doormat, to be desperate in filling a void with material, to hope but ultimately have to settle with something better for him in the long term.

Make a medieval AU where he's a clumsy but lucky street rat ffs, don't make him a pathetic one-off joke or a smalltime villain. There is something he can teach others that isn't just not what to do by example, make him realize that Moomintroll is kinda crap for never addressing his feelings when he pours his heart out over a stuffed animal he just got a few days ago that makes him feel more special than anyone ever has. LET HIM BE HUGGED BY HIS PARENTS. PLEASE. SNUFKIN GETS HUNDREDS OF REDRAWS OF HIM HUGGING JOXTER BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ONE OF SNIFF JUMPING INTO MUDDLER'S ARMS. LET SOMEBODY FILL HIS PATHETIC VOID WITH THE PLATONIC/PARENTAL AFFECTION HE HAS NEVER RECEIVED IN CANON AND DON'T MAKE IT COME FROM STINKY HE IS AN ENABLER AND WOULD BE A TOXIC FRIEND.

[omegas-spaghettios]

NO WAY HOME SPOILER DISCUSSION

I'm not lying to you: major spoilers!

I loved this film. I'm going again tomorrow but I just need to talk about it. I'll make future posts about themes and shit but for now I wanna talk about characters.

Happy/Flash/Betty/Old Supporting Cast: They were good, not really new on anything, but i really liked them before anyway! Just, these characters and the teachers and such, they aren't the main takeaways and I don't wanna spend much time with them tbh.

Mysterio: I'm glad he wasn't still alive or pulled from other universes, as people theorized. He is better dead, it works with the themes of the trilogy about murder and death to have him be dead. He was fantastic in FFH, I'm glad we didn't use him too much and left room for this movie's rather huge cast.

JJJ: Only character I have more negative than positives about. I know he isn't the same as Raimi's, but he had so little presence and it was sad to me? In the ending when they showed him talking about Spider-Man's identity, I kinda got shocked cause wow, he really was in the movie and I forgot. Simmons' JJJ has been the best comedic character out of ANY Spider-Man film and it made me kinda sad to realize his return left so little impact.

MJ: Not a whole lot to say, she was really cool and really supportive, it was heartbreaking to see her forget Peter. She is very solid and enjoyable, just not any intricate thoughts, what can I tell you, she was awesome and that's all I need to say.

May: I called her death with my friends, just wanted to add that. But she really got her dues here, the previous movies pretty much reduced her to hot aunt and I'm so happy she took a much more central role. She pushed Peter to be better than he was, to really own up to his power by taking responsibility, and I'm so happy for it. Her death was heartbreaking, but my goodness, she was better here than in any of her other MCU appearances.

I also love how, even right before she died, she demanded that Peter saved her killer. THAT'S the Parker way, just, UGH.

Ned: I liked that he showed a knack for wizardry and, while not the biggest loss by the end of the movie, it makes me sad that the climax ensured he wouldn't be able to pursue his talents, you know? A layer of tragedy to an already tragic ending, but it made him very happy. I'm glad that in his final days with Spider-Man (for now), he finally got to stop living the superhero life through Peter and got a bit for himself.

Eddie/Matt: Very faithful proper introductions into the MCU. I know this Matt technically isn't the Netflix one but I still was FLOORED when he appeared. Catching the brick, the glasses, it was him. Eddie was a mess, confused, looked like shit, they truly knew what we loved about him. Very faithful cameos that enhanced the overall multiverse feel without being overpowering. Also, the Symbiote tease is incredible. Peter has a huge darkness in him now, the Symbiote can really prey on that. I'm excited yet fearful for their futures together.

Wong: Wong got his due and it made me so happy. He deserves to be Sorcerer Supreme and I'm very happy that he is, at least for now. I also like that the trailer was misleading and that Wong in the movie was more sympathetic. He knew how dangerous it was to make the spell work, but he didn't condemn it like in the trailer, and it added a great deal of empathy for him as he acknowledged that yes, it's dangerous, but this kid is suffering and he has done so much, they can try and give some back.

Strange: This is not a Sinister Six film by any means, but Strange does make six antagonists, and he certainly is an antagonist. He is in character, this is him. He's a bit meaner than the Avengers appearances yeah (but look at how different Steve is from TFA to The Avengers, crossovers stretch characters), but he is not ooc. With full knowledge, he let Tony die for a greater good, I totally buy that he would not care for these 5 villains lives. And I think his arrogance and bite does come from being demoted, that probably wounded his pride. He was harsh, but in the end he said "those who love and care for you, we won't remember you". He said "we". He cares for Peter, despite his, uh, more extreme reactions.

Lizard: Got a design upgrade, a slight one, but he did. He looked more reptilian and less live action Goomba, his voice wasn't as deep, and overall I was satisfied with the few moments he got. I have a real soft spot for Curt Conners in TASM 1, and while I knew he wouldn't get as much attention, what they did do felt faithful and loving all the same, and I was happy.

Sandman: His redesign was interesting, it helped him stand out. His constant sandy form did help keep the scenes from being "a bunch of guys in weird clothes standing next to a guy with octopus arms", it kept the scenes of them all together feeling more otherworldly. I also love that he worked with Peter on the spot, very faithful to his redemption. Idk why he went villain again and I'll look for it tomorrow, but yeah. Also sidenote, I'm glad that the lines about "them all dying to Spider-Man" was cut, it was inaccurate for 2 of the 5 villains and I'm glad it got a bit more nuance than they all died.

Electro: He was certainly much better than he was in TASM 2. I'm really glad that they brought Jaimi back and let him play a version of the character he liked more, it shows respect for the old movies BY changing them. They honor what the actor wanted and I think that shows so much more love for Spider-Man and the team behind the Amazing films, they allow them to improve on things they didn't like rather than stick strictly to the past. I loved his presence, he felt like a cougar ready to pounce at any moment.

Doc Ock: He was reduced to laughing stock a lot but I think it fits. Otto is an incredibly prideful man, so him being so thoroughly disarmed by a 17 year old boy (and laughed at by him and his friends) would certainly make him indignant. Either way, he has many stand out scenes. His introduction was incredibly tense, particularly when he started pulling the helicopter into Peter, trying to shred him. Alfred Molina was so damn good when Otto was cured. You could see the disbelief, the shock, then suddenly the relief and joy, it was incredibly beautiful. I also am very glad he got to build a relationship with Norman, something they didn't get to in their own trilogy. His rescue of Peter 2 and 3 as well as his discussion with Peter 2 was incredible as well. Overall a very faithful adaptation.

Norman/Goblin: Tied for my favorite character, he was just raw. Willem Dafoe is the most stand out performance, he was incredible in this film. Also fun fact, Willem only came back on the condition that he did all of his own stunts. This 66 year old man was doing the stunts of the main villain of one of the biggest superhero films of all time, just, wow. Norman was so kindly and I felt for him, his fear, his confusion. The way he nearly cried when he mentioned that his son no longer existed, I just, it hurt. I know he showed more kindness and love in this than in Spider-Man 1, but you really appreciate what you have once it's gone, and that makes you appreciate what you do have. His relationship with May was also adorable.

Well, until it wasn't.

Goblin is mortifying, easily a top 3 MCU villain and a STRONG contender for the best, idk I haven't thought too hard about it. He brought something out of Peter that we haven't seen. Even before he killed May, Goblin made Peter fight so much more brutally, their fight in the apartment complex is chilling. Goblin cackling as Peter beat him down was so damn terrifying. I also loved how Willem portrayed Norman/Goblin leading up to Goblin taking control. Every mention of Goblin made Norman seem a bit more off, especially on my second watch it created such Dread, seeing Goblin come slowly, piece by piece.

I'll save most of the discussion of his fight with Peter on the Shield in Peter's section, but Goblin did that. Goblin brought our Peter, the MCU hero most against killing, to absolute blood lust, and that alone makes him a monster.

Peter 3/Andrew: The second character tied for my favorite (one of three). Andrew legitametly was so good in this. I am astounded that he was honestly more cool to see show up than Tobey, his introduction was so much better.

Let's take a sidenote real quick: I don't like TASM 2. I loved Andrew in the first one. He didn't quite know how to explain his genius, he lacked some tact with time, he had anger issues, but he did everything he could in the end to do right by his uncle and the world. His Spider-Man was initially so mean and aggressive but you can see it mellow out as he comes to better terms with Ben's death. He was incredible and definetly not too cool. Yeah, he was hot and skateboards, but he was so bad at interacting with his classmates that I can see why he was bullied, but he was so smart and kind that I can see why he grabbed Gwen's eye. TASM 2 ruined that. There are multiple instances in fights where he fucks around needlessly and people die. In the opening fight with Rhino, he gets on the truck and messes around for half a minute before jumping off to help people. If he had just stopped Rhino instead of goofing off less people would have died, as right after he jumped off Rhino plowed through an intersection, undoubtedly killing the occupants of the cars he hits. I also hate how he refused to help Harry because of potential consequence, Peter saves everyone he can, even his villains. Speaking of, he straight up murdered Electro and no one cared. He also just stalks Gwen? Gwen's death was very well done, but I can't stand Peter in that movie otherwise. I don't mind Peter being in the wrong, but the movie never makes any attempt to paint these things as wrong or mistakes, and that is what really irks me.

In NWH they refine both interpretations very well. He is clunky and weird and anxious, even more so than the other two, but he's so endearing and you can tell that he has more confidence despite not quite nailing interaction with other people yet. He has the failings of TASM 2, but this time they are shown as wrong. He mentions not pulling his punches anymore. Now, that doesn't exclusively mean killing, but if a guy who can throw cars is going all out on a regular crook, well, 1 + 1 = 2. But it works for this movie! His guilt, his regret, he hates what he has become. He wants to stop Tom's Peter from becoming what he did, and he is reminded of what Spider-Man is himself.

I also love him catching MJ. I don't view it as a redemption, really, it isn't. Gwen is still dead, the people he killed are still dead. But it shows that he's back on the horse. He learned and he is genuinely trying to save someone he views to be his younger brother and his loved ones. It was a catch of love for his younger brother, not of redemption for himself. And the way he cries, it's painful to remember, but he's guarding his brother's loved ones. I just, I love Andrew in this film so much. He also saves Electro in this film and shows a genuine want to be his friend, his true friend, which again, shows his growth from the dark path he went down.

Peter 2/Tobey: He was really cool to see! He had mad Youth Pastor vibes and I loved his interactions with his villains, especially how he saves Norman. I'm going to keep his section brief because God this is long, but I adored him.

Peter 1/Tom, who I will call Peter: the third favorite in the three way tie. His arc is incredible. I love how sinister his final confrontation is with Goblin, how brutal it is. It's chilling that when Tobey stopped him he didn't immediately stop pushing, he kept going for a bit, he was trying to go through Tobey, he was willing to kill him to get to Goblin, if even for a moment. But he doesn't. I have a post here if you want to hear my extended thoughts on Peter and his arc in the MCU about murder.

His final decision is strangely optimistic. He is hurt deeply that no one remembers him, but he isn't crushed. He seems almost optimistic about the future. MJ and Ned are in MIT and he is happy for them. He is in no rush to get back to where he was with them, he seems content to give it time. He also seems happy to be in his own apartment finally. He is a young man ready to keep going with life, despite all of his losses, and that is also core to Peter Parker, how he keeps going despite the hell he goes through.

I also love two of his new suits. The inside out look was just to sell toys, but the other two? Amazing. I love that the upgraded suit was really just a gold piece of armor over his FFH suit. I love that it is a symbol of what he stands for, Ock gave it to him as a gift for curing him. I also love his final swing suit. It's homemade so it looks cheaper which I love, but I also love how he designed it to look more like the other two Peters' suits.

[jillianallen14]

Spirk fanfic rec

Some amazing Spirk fanfic to bless your dash because I’m falling in love with this shit all over again (this is like the 10th time this has happened lol):

Entering Orbit:  Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch; rated m; 30,957 words

Papers in the Roadside:  Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control; rated e; 49,637 words

Take Refuge in What You Know:  AU - Kirk has moved into a apartment/house and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's beautiful enigma; rated e; 120,334 words

Listen, this is not only my favorite Star Trek fic of all time, it’s also one of my favorite fanfics in general. It’s right up there with Text Talk and The Shoebox Project from the HP fandom, which if you’ve read, you know are incredible and frankly life-changing. And this fanfic changed my life. The description the author gives doesn’t do the beauty of this fic justice. I suffer from agoraphobia and Spock’s depiction as an agoraphobic man was probably the most well-researched, sympathetic, empathetic, caring, realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be agoraphobic that I’ve ever witnessed in fiction. It made me cry like a child because I had never felt so seen and understood. This writer is incredible, and this fic is incredible. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an AU, which I’m usually pretty wary about, but it barely even feels like an AU. It just feels like Jim and Spock. The author’s understanding of both of their characters’ is perfect, like just a spot-on portrayal of who they are. This fic genuinely helped me accept who I am and helped me understand that I am capable of & deserving of love. If you don’t read any other Star Trek fics (and you def should read more Star Trek fics because they’re amazing), then let this one be the one you read. I dare you not to read it three times in a row like I did.

Observations:  First Officer Spock comments on life aboard the Enterprise and his service under Captain James T. Kirk; rated m; 500,000+ words.

So the author of this fic actually did a thing where they made this fic into two books (similar to what The Shoebox Project authors did many years ago in the HP fandom). They don’t get any money from people buying the books; the cost is just to go towards producing the books. This fic is the equivalent of two LARGE novels. We’re talking 600 pages & up. It’s a huge fic. Now, that being said, I read it in one day. ONE DAY. It’s that good. This is another one of my all-time favorite fics, though not quite as dear to my heart as the one I listed above. It’s focused on AOS, and tbh, I forget that what happens in this book isn’t actually canon. Like it’s so well-told, it just feels like it’s now part of the timeless story of Kirk & Spock. The “professional” Star Trek writers would never be brave enough to do what this author does with Kirk and Spock, though. This fic will make you angry, will make you laugh, will make you cry. It has such a good grasp on every single character. It also shows the love between the crew of the Enterprise, which is always a treat, and it’s beautifully done in this fic. It has a sorta-enemies-to-lovers arc between Spirk and an enemies-to-close-friends arc between Spock and McCoy that is beautifully done and fleshed out. This fic is definitely a journey to go through, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s extremely slow burn, and you will want to slap both Kirk and Spock (and McCoy) upside the head at certain points lol. 

Of Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves:  The progression of a relationship, through Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves. Basically, it’s an AU where Kirk works at a coffee shop to pay his way through school, and Spock visits often. rated t; 16,429 words

Love, love, love, this fic. It’s cute, it’s in character. They have kind of a rocky start together, so it’s got a little bit of that Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy i-hated-you-but-now-i-love-you-marry-me vibes to it. I’m a sucker for that, if you haven’t figured that out by now lol. It’s really good, and a really enjoyable read. And it’s not too long, if you’re in the mood for something on the shorter end of things.

 Please Don’t Touch the Vulcans:  The "yes" is out of Jim's mouth before he can think about it. Jim is chipper about having time off for the holidays. He asks everyone if they want to spend time together but sadly, everyone ditches Jim over the holidays because they have plans. McCoy visits his daughter, Nyota visits her family, and everyone splits. Not knowing Spock has feelings for him, Jim doesn't even bother asking if he wants to spend time together figuring he has something to do. Something cute, romantic with the boys spending time with one another and confessions; rated m; 17,690 words

Super cute and has lots of Sarek, which idk about y’all, but I’m always a fan of. Sarek and Jim kind of get to know each other a bit, and it’s cute. Sarek knows about they’re in love before Spock & Kirk know lol. If I remember correctly, there’s also some appearances from everyone’s favorite: Old!Spock! You also get a little bit of jealous and protective Young!Spock. So you’re in for a real treat with this one. 

The Ren shat’var Trilogy:  A split-second decision changes Jim's life forever, as he enters into a bond with Spock in the face of certain torture. Enemies to the Federation emerge from unlikely places, and the command team must contend with unexpected threats, as well as challenges within their own intense relationship. In this three-part series, the Enterprise races across the galaxy to confront the unknown, and Jim and Spock discover the true significance of their unprecedented connection; rated e; 184,411 words

Textual Attraction:  Valentine’s Day does not bring up pleasant memories for Cadet Kirk. But the serendipitous switch-up of his cell phone with a particular Vulcan professor’s will make his day far more interesting –and romantic. Perhaps some new memories can be made! 15,900 words

SO GOOD. Just SO good

Spaceman:  Academy AU. Five times Spock realizes he's attracted to a barista at the academy spaceport, and one time he decides to do something about it. rated t; 3728 words

Short, sweet, funny. You’ll love it.

Subtext: Texting your Vulcan first officer in the middle of the night is never a good idea. Especially when you have an obsessive crush on said Vulcan.The holidays are approaching and Jim is left entirely Spockless aboard the Enterprise when his First takes shore leave on New Vulcan. After some midnight pining, Jim sends a text he instantly regrets. That is, until Spock responds and willingly continues their textual communications to an inevitable conclusion; rated t; 13,032 words

Cute, sweet, funny. It’s a texting fic. I think you’ve probably figured out I love those. This one makes me laugh so fucking hard. Like actually laugh-out-loud-omg-did-i-just-snort kind of funny. Spock is great in this one

All Spock Wants For Christmas:  While Jim is away on a delegation mission, he panics about what to give Spock for Christmas. With help from Bones and Uhura, and in between some spam texting with Spock, Jim realizes he already has the perfect gift. And all it needs is wrapping paper and a bow; rated t; 11,966 words

And here we have another cute, sweet, funny texting fic. Sue me lol

The Morning After:  Jim convinces Spock to take shore leave with him on Risa, hoping the time together will help re-solidify their bond of friendship after some recent tension. Meanwhile, Spock convinces himself he's on Risa for one reason and one reason only, to prevent his wayward captain from getting into trouble. After a passionately illogical night of Romulan Ale and chocolate infused liquor, everything changes when Jim wakes with something other than a hangover filling his head. Something he's sure neither he nor Spock can handle. Because if Jim knows anything for sure, it's that his messed up thoughts belong nowhere near Spock's clean, ordered mind; rated m; 50,381 words

HAHA. This fic fucking cracks me up. You’ve got drunk boys pining over each other & not realizing it. You’ve got accidental marriage. You’ve got bed sharing. It’s great, it’s cute, it’s funny. 

Take This Sinking Boat (And Point It Home):  In which Spock pines, Jim isn’t stupid (except he kind of is), and Christopher Pike has had enough of this bullshit; 6698 words

Pike is great in this one, and it’s super, super funny.

Extracurricular Activities:   Spock returns to the Academy from a tour of duty to find an intriguing cadet captures his attention; rated e; 15,433 words

Veritas: Basically, Kirk and Spock are on trial because the Federation thinks they are emotionally compromised by each other, which is putting the lives of their crew in danger. They have to convince a court they’re not actually in love with each other. They think the claims are bullshit. They think it will be easy to prove that they aren’t in love or emotionally compromised, damn it. It isn’t; rated m; 186,80 words

This one is so, so good. A real gem off of Fanfic.net. I remember it was actually one of the first Spirk fanfics I ever read, and it blew me away. The progression of their relationship is really well-done and interesting. It has star-crossed lovers vibes and has some really emotionally intense moments in it, especially for Spock. 

A Habitual Affection:  Living in 1930s New York with the Vulcan you're secretly in love with is no simple thing. But Jim never liked anything simple. And then, the big snowstorm hit...; rated t; 7998 words

A beautiful TOS fic about one of the gayest episodes of Star Trek. Love this one. 

Atlas:  Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning; rated t; 135,529 words

A beaut. Really great characterization, and the progression of Jim and Spock’s relationship is really well-done.

[thinkingaboutyoungroyals]

I’ve re-watched “Young Royals” so many times and each rewatch just never fails to astound me. This is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever seen in a teen drama. Yes, it’s trope-y, there’s no avoiding that. And it’s not a perfect show. But, it managed one thing that many teen dramas often struggle with: authenticity.

All the characters, yes, including August, are all so well thought out and no one is one-dimensional. They’re all flawed. They have their own morals and beliefs that they either embrace or reject. They have their own background stories and motivations for their actions. Not to mention, the teens? They act like teens! They go to school, hang out with friends, complain about their families, have crushes, and take part in hobbies. 

And none of them look like they’re about to walk a runway! They have acne and scars and messy hair.

The costumes, man! The kids wear regular, comfortable clothes that are still fashionable and appropriate for school. Yes, the rich kids are wearing designer names that scream “money!” (I noticed the Calvin Klein logo in one of Wilhelm’s sweatshirts) but that’s the thing — they’re subtle without being in your face. Even the girls’ makeup looks like the actresses themselves did their own makeup!

And don’t get me started on the relationships! All the relationships! Familial! Platonic! Romantic!

Wilhelm clearly loves his parents but he’s the second born. The spare. Most of the attention growing up was most likely on Erik. And Wilhelm most likely felt invisible, which was just fine with him, he doesn’t like the attention… until Erik died and Wilhelm became crown prince. Suddenly, all the attention that their parents gave Erik was given to him and it wasn’t the good kind. They have expectations for him now. Big ones. I don’t think Wilhelm’s parents are homophobic, not at all. His mother seemed sympathetic towards him after the video came out. But, at the end of the day, she was still the Queen and she had to make choices for the good of the Crown. And, unfortunately, that clearly took precedence over her role as a mother.

Simon and Sara’s dad made some wrong choices and lost his family in the process. And although Simon seemed more forgiving, Sara is clearly not. Micke tries to get back in Simon’s good graces by getting him the booze for the party but freaks out when he thought Simon was using drugs. And even Linda, best mom ever, clashes with Sara, who believes that their mother isn’t doing enough for them. We, the audience, sees that she is and Simon does, too, but Sara feels that it’s not enough and Linda doesn’t even try to fight her on it.

And Felice clearly loves her mom and struggles to meet her expectations but is getting choked in the process (’quite literally). It makes me wonder if her initially going after Wilhelm is because her mother is pressuring her to get with the prince. During parents’ day, her mother asked after Wilhelm, not Felice. And Felice realizes pretty quickly how toxic her mother is but, in the beginning, there wasn’t much she could do but go along with it. But, slowly and surely, she starts breaking away, starting with refusing to wear her mother’s dress and refusing to be Lucia and giving it to Sara, who actually wanted it.

And there’s August’s obvious distaste of his mother’s boyfriend and his rocky relationship with her after his father’s suicide. August is still clearly grieving while his mother seemed to have already moved on. And although this doesn’t excuse August’s actions, it shows his motivation and how strongly he’s holding on to whatever sort of control he can get his hands on: the rowing team, his status in school as prefect, and Wilhelm.

(More under the cut cause this was longer than I anticipated.)

I can’t talk about “Young Royals” without talking about Wilhelm and Simon’s relationship. The way it started because Simon spoke up in class about the unfairness of the law when it comes to welfare scams and tax evasions. Wilhelm’s whole life was probably filled with fake friends, people who only wanted him for his connections or to elevate their own status. In a sea of fake people, Simon was authentic. He never pretended to be anything he was not. And I can see why that must be intriguing to Wilhelm and he pursues him without even realizing it. He’s drawn to Simon and not just ‘cause he’s cute and has the voice of an angel.

And they got the actual way teenagers act when confronted by feelings for a crush. They watch and long from a distance. They shyly try to get close but get overwhelmed at any hint of reciprocation. The careful hesitation at that first kiss. The heartbreak of the possibility that you read the signs wrong. The giddiness of that first relationship. Yes, they do have sex from the get-go but the relationship itself was not sexual — it was innocent, sweet, and full of adoration.

They even have a fairly healthy relationship! They communicate and talk about their feelings. They don’t let things fester. When Wilhelm realizes he’s hurt Simon, he apologizes. And Simon, even if he may not understand Wilhelm’s motivations, tries to do so, anyway. They have so much respect for each other. They had a relationship that stemmed from friendship and trust.  

That’s what makes the eventual reality setting in hit hard. Because we suddenly remember that Wilhelm is no ordinary boy — he’s a prince. He’s in love with a commoner who also happens to be another boy. I don’t know what it’s like to live under a monarchy but I can imagine that even if the actual people they rule don’t care if their crown prince likes boys, the monarchy is still set in their traditional ways.

And these boys, who are experiencing love and a relationship for the first time had theirs marred by the violation of their first time and the expectations of the crown. Not to mention, they’re teenagers! That’s traumatizing for both of them! 

Suffice to say, I’m glad we have this piece of media that, despite it about being about royalty and nobility and rich kids, it’s enjoyable to watch because it’s incredibly relatable and real.

When you see these characters, you see your peers and people you’ve grown up with. You can even see yourself. 

And that, my friends, is why we need a season 2.

[supeskenobi]

You know I’m gonna say it…The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t a bad movie. In fact it’s a fairly good movie. Sure it has its flaws such as too many villains (*cough* fuck you Avi Arad *cough*) and the villains being kinda poorly written, but IMO it’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have the best chemistry out of any of the actors to play Spider-Man/Peter Parker and his love interest. Obviously it helps that they were dating at the time, but they have something that the others lack.

The cinematography is on top fucking form in this film. Like look at this shit.

I mean…

Shit slaps.

Not to mention it has some of the best web swinging outside of the PS4 game.

In fact the entire opening sequence is hands down one of the best Spider-Man sequences put to film.

The emotional beats to the film play off incredibly well, especially Gwen Stacey’s death; which will never not oof me.

Yes there are plot contrivances abound, such as Peter’s dad being behind the radioactive spiders; but fuck it. I don’t give a rats arse. It doesn’t devalue the film or Peter’s character as a whole in my opinion.

And yes the villains are kinda whack. Jaime Foxx’s Electro is piss poor caricature of a 1980’s teen movie nerd, but he’s a sympathetic villain and is better than some MCU villains. His design is also not all that great.

Dane Dehaan as Harry Osborn is a casting I can’t get behind and the design of the Iron Goblin is also pretty wack. Despite a hammy performance in Spider-Man 3, Franco is still the better of the two Osborn’s

Paul Giamatti was wasted as Rhino, but fuck me do I love the scenery chewing performance he gives in the ten minutes he’s on screen. You do you Paul. You do you.

Overall the film is still enjoyable and in my opinion is actually better than Homecoming and Spider-Man 3. It isn’t as bad as people say nor is it the worst Spider-Man movie. I do wish Marc Webb had got his trilogy of movies and would rather see The Amazing Spider-Man 3 more than Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4.

P.S. #ReleaseTheWebbCut

[dastardlydandelion]

my thoughts on fear street 1666 now that i finished scrubbing all the toilets, got to go home and watch it

holy shit. that movie. wow. 

it wasn’t as fun as the other two. didn’t employ the same campy tropes. didn’t present itself in a flourish of period typical style. while i enjoyed the first two films paying homage to classic horror tropes and making the most of the stylish side of their respective environments, i am v grateful and relieved that 1666 *wasn’t* as fun as the other two and actually presented the horror of puritan fanaticism and witch accusations more srsly. imo it portrayed that grave, twisting dread that the subject matter calls for. i appreciate that bc i think i would’ve been uncomfortable if they attempted to do smth more campy with the time period given what we already knew abt the circumstances of sarah’s death even before the film. 

more of me blathering on and on abt fear street 1666 under the cut: 

the twist actually worked on me this time. they actually got me on this one, u guys. i rly watched this franchise believing sarah fier was possessing ppl and wreaking her vengeance on the town, but this whole time it was the fuckin’ goodes. nick, i never liked u, i think ur more interesting than i did before before when u were a generic as generic gets asshole, so now ur somewhat more interesting but even bigger of an asshole than i gave u credit for. ur literally the worst asshole of assholes, ur a walking infected hemorrhoidal rectum of a human being. 

don’t get me wrong, i always thought sarah was going to be portrayed sympathetically. i never doubted that. my theory was that sarah was going to be a sympathetic villain. i thought 1666 would’ve revealed why she cursed shadyside. i figured she would’ve cursed her townsfolk for turning their backs on her, maybe, or hurting/killing hannah, or using her for her witchcraft and then getting angry if it backfired on them, or smth like that. i thought we were going to watch a story abt sarah’s descent into darkness and while she’d defo be a tragic villain, she rly would be the person behind the possessions...but it wasn’t even her. she and hannah were just vulnerable to the town’s suspicion and persecution bc they were queer women who didn’t behave the way society wanted them to behave. and they were blamed for evil actually wrought by heterosexual men in power, and when sarah realized there was no way out of it, she took the blame upon herself so hannah was spared and she cursed only the goode family?? 

THAT IS SO MUCH BETTER. FUCK. THAT IS SUCH A BETTER STORY. kudos to this trilogy for being more intelligent than it ever had to be, when it could’ve just skated on the notoriety of the fear street series, the style, and billing notable cast members. 

so yeh, i defo 100% appreciated the goode men from wealthy sunnyvale being revealed as the true villains. i actually got my wish of nick getting killed in the face. i love that sarah possessed deena to do it herself!!! and deena!! oh man, i love deena so much. she was wearing a homebrew vest to protect herself made of fear street novels + duct tape, u gotta love it. ig she wanted to prepare herself since sam stabbed her at the end of 1994. on that note, she’s v active in this film for someone who has a fresh abdominal stab wound and i mean, the situation defo calls for it, but i hope she remembered to properly dress it and take a couple ibuprofen or smth. shit, i’m gettin distracted again. okay!! 

i loved errything that went down in the mall. i adore that josh and adult ziggy got more time to shine. i was so! so! happy at martin’s inclusion on the action. he deserved that after the way nick treated him in 1994. our occupations are also p similar so i defo relate to martin on that front. i loved it all the neon and blacklight stuff at the mall. that part was v stylish, that was p cool. spraying the killers with the blood so they kill each other!! yes! that was perfect!! it was incredibly practical and enjoyable for me, as a gore fan, to watch. 

i liked the sticky note on the wall at the end from deena and josh’s dad, that he had a job interview. i wonder if this is bc the curse of shadyside has been lifted with the end of the goodes?? 

yk, i feel like now knowing what we know abt the actual evil, i gotta wonder how much re-watch value there is to be gleaned from this trilogy. for example, in 1978, nick liked ziggy and didn’t want her to die. he performed cpr on her even tho she’d been stabbed a fuck ton of times and tbvh, the chances of success of resuscitation depending on what exactly it is was ziggy succumbed to seem v slim. at first i attributed this to a suspension of disbelief bc this is fiction (and to be fair crazy do happen sometimes irl, ykw, sometimes reality can surprise u) BUT now i’m sittin here like...was the cpr successful bc nick’s deal with the devil gave him the power to do that?? did his bargaining of others’ souls and offering them up for possession grant him the ability to have some control in that situation somehow? at least more than a normal human being should?? idk. it’s a thought. 

what else, what else? 

i feel like outta the three, 1666 had the most tension overall. i was p gosh darn emo abt the relationships. deena and sam’s relationship i’ve cared abt since the beginning but the contrast of them getting the opportunity to have it and be together, in parallel to the way sarah and hannah’s ended just moves u. or, it moved me at least. sarah tells hannah they’ll go somewhere and kiss in broad daylight before kissing her in almost total darkness, and then the film ends on deena and sam kissing in the sun. i was also glad deena and josh’s sibling relationship got touched on a lil bit more. thought it was cute that she tried to cook for him and produced smth that just dead ass looks inedible. i also thought it was sweet that ziggy reunited with nurse lane. she can do that now, she can leave her house without fearing the return of the curse, and she deserves it. <3

i’m impressed with the trilogy overall. each movie easily could’ve been an r-rated goosebumps episode and imo all were certainly better than that. i feel like each film was better than the previous, but personally enjoyed each one. some things were p predictable but i think much of that is intentional. 1994 and 1978 were clearly paying homage to classic slashers and familiar horror tropes. i personally didn’t find the predictability off-putting bc i recognized what they were trying to do, and felt the quality in the other elements made up for it. i was genuinely shocked by the actual villain reveal, i personally didn’t predict that. again, i always thought sarah was going to be sympathetic and i never liked nick at all, but i didn’t suspect sarah was just. dead ass *not* going to be a villain or that he was going to be the big bad. 

really dug the style of these films. loved that we got an interracial lesbian couple who made it thru the trilogy without either the predatory lesbian trope or the byg trope happening. i liked most of the characters we got to know and the only character who *rly* grated on my nerves was the villain who got stabbed in the eye. 

gosh, i want more fear street movies!! if i had to pick one outta any of the slashers featured, i’d want to see ruby lane’s story. i would like to see this production team milking the most outta the environment in the 50s, the style of the 50s, music, and whatnot. i enjoyed nurse lane even tho she was super bad at murder, so it’d be cool to see her again and who she was before her daughter got possessed and killed 7 ppl. also, ruby sings when she kills?? 

that’s weird and creepy and neat. totally down for it. 

[ruby-whistler]

You've probably talked about this kinda thing before (I'm willing to hunt down the post if so), but I'm pretty new to your blog and I'm curious; what makes you like c!Dream so much? Other than, like, his potential - or the skill that went into writing him - I mean specifically as a character, what causes you to sympathize with him as opposed to others like Wilbur or Quackity?

If it's personal you obviously don't have to answer! I've just read tons of posts like that from c!Tommy apologists and I realized I'd never read one from the other side of things (so to speak) and I think you present your ideas and stuff rly well :p

Alright, I’ve made a couple of replies like this, but this one is going in the masterpost to later link it to people - thank you for your interest, and I hope you don’t mind this one being a bit detailed.

Initially, on more of an emotional level, the answer to that question would be Dr3. It was how I got into Dream apologism, it justified my compassion for the character, and made me feel more comfortable where the rest of the fandom was overwhelmingly negative.

The c!Dream that people portray seems unsympathetic, and pretty fitting on the surface - a relentless manipulative villain with an insatiate thirst for power who threw away his friends in order to gain control over others for the sake of being on top.

Until you actually look into canon, and do some analysis, and realize that's,,, rather far from the truth.

See, the thing about c!Dream is, that he's a person much like anyone else in the story. He's not a "villain" or some morally black character only because of his actions. It's all about context, which doesn't excuse actions, but it might explain them and make an impact on the way we view the character himself.

In this fandom, people usually look at him, and then throw both accurate characterization and any of that context out the window.

Because power, and hurting people, and chaos isn't his goal or his motive. It's a means to an end. Everything is a means to the end to this character, including himself, which I find fascinating.

Is it wrong to do? Yes. Will it get him closer to his goals? Yes? Then he's going to do it, no matter who gets hurt in the process. No matter if he gets hurt in the process.

And this ruthlessness is not inspired by cruelty, this efficiency isn't out of enjoyment. It's out of genuine attachment and perhaps even desperation, but that's difficult to get into.

He's had such a downward spiral into doing continuously worse things - and for what? For control? For power? No, he never cared about that in the first place, why would he start now?

Do you know what he did care about?

His friends. The server. The people he feels responsible for.

c!Dream's goals have never been selfish at all, no matter how much people try to paint it that way. His ends were always for others - considering how likely the theory that he got himself locked up on purpose is, that enforces the sentiment even more.

If he didn't care about the server, why would he fight against L'Manberg and then list his reasons for it always as reasons "we" had? He pretty much never used "I" when talking about it, I know because I counted it.

If he didn't care about the people, why would he stand against Schlatt - despite understandably still despising L'Manberg - and actively support them in getting their country back when he could've just left them alone? Schlatt wasn't hurting him. Wilbur taking a tiny piece of land wasn't threatening him.

Manberg was threatening the server's peace, which is why he fought against it. L'Manberg threatened (and ruined) the server's relative peace and unity, which is why he fought against it.

It was never him fighting to control the server, it was him fighting for the server and the people in it, even if he ended up hurting them in the process, and that's pretty clear from analysing his motives before the second season.

And yeah, his thinking is flawed, I noticed - but cc!Dream has confirmed his goal in the end is for everyone to get along and, well, stop hurting each other, as well as him having an "ends justify the means" mentality.

And I guess that silent realization of - hell, he cares - was what drew me to have such a strong attachment towards the character.

So thinking about him forcing himself to do all this terrible stuff - about him being stuck powerless inside a cell, hurt over and over again - about just how desperate he must've been, alternatively, how ready to sacrifice himself he must've been back at the Finale.

If you recontextualize the story from c!Dream's perspective, it all falls into this picture of someone who wanted to protect people more than anything, and who cared more than anyone, and ended up losing everything, not entirely by his own fault, but because of the cycle of violence he was actively trying to stop.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Dream is incredibly selfless both in his overarching goals, and in his smaller more immediate ones. He will, more often than not, put himself in a disadvantageous situation if it means his friends or allies aren’t caught in the crossfire or harmed.

His relationship with his friends - Punz, George and Sapnap specifically - is incredibly tragic. He wanted to protect Punz, he showed genuine concern about him, he was willing to have one less person on his side just so that people wouldn't target him.

He wanted to protect George, but he hurt him in the process, because he was too caught up in being in the right, and Sapnap was distraught thanks to Tommy telling him that Dream doesn't care about him, and Quackity who despised Dream was there to fan the flames, so they fell apart rather easily.

He wanted to protect the cat, and he failed.

He wanted to protect Techno, stand up to Quackity, and he failed.

If you think about it, he failed to protect everyone miserably.

Alright before I break down sobbing incoherently - as you can probably see, my sympathy towards c!Dream doesn't come from him being a good person to any degree, more from just incredible amounts of sadness.

You see, c!Dream is a very reserved character, and he puts up the "cruel scary villain" front on purpose, and he doesn't talk about his emotions on purpose. However what we see of him is pretty much enough to classify him as a rather tragic character.

Most of his actions, with enough context, shift the way I think about the character in a more positive direction only because if I like the way a character is written, it's going to bleed into my feelings for the character himself. Ruthless villains are my jam. A character being fun to analyse and too complex to complicate further is pretty much the only thing I need to become attached.

Did I mention the prison arc yet? I cannot see a character suffering and not be sympathetic, I don't think that's a thing with me. Healing arc potential, isn't it?

A lot of people also relate to the character on a deeply personal level! Trauma responses such as cutting people off and emotionally isolating yourself, trying to regain control of your environment or to get back the past, some people even relate to,, what's being done to him during the prison arc. There's definitely some amount of projection going on, but I'd say I only do it to a degree where when I'm depressed I'll start relentlessly posting about a healing arc.

It's just hard to see a villain with good intentions hurt and alone, even if he's done terrible things, and not feel some amount of empathy. Most people don't care to see him that way, but my blog's mostly a place for those who do.

Anyways, here are some essays to check out perhaps if you've read this far that elaborate on some of the points further-

[ x ] [ x ] [ x ] [ x ] [ x ] [ x ]

- and here's an explanation like this from a fellow Dream apologist. Might be useful to get multiple perspectives on the subject. Feel free to also send asks if you have any questions! That's what I'm here for.

[goldensunset]

i love Joshua from TWEWY cuz they don’t even try to make him a sympathetic guy like every other twist villain in the history of all media everywhere. he’s just a prick. he’s incredibly suspicious from the very beginning. he makes no effort to hide it but insists you go along with whatever secret scheme he’s planning.

it’s not even a surprise when he turns out to be a bad dude. his personality doesn’t suddenly do a 180. he acts exactly the same for the duration of the whole story. he’s not even ashamed of what he does. he’s like ‘and so what if i did kill you? get over it cuz we’ve still got work to do. we’re partners in this : D’ it’s so irritating it’s funny and actually makes him more likeable. 

soooo many of these characters are drenched in tragic backstory and fake charm but they just commit atrocities while claiming they’re justified because they’re sad or something. sometimes the morally gray characters are actually the worst and they’re such abusive sadboys they’re insufferable (yes this is an indirect at Akechi from P5 don’t @ me)

Joshua on the other hand is just totally the worst but he’s actually enjoyable to interact with cuz they don’t try to make him something he’s not. even as a total antagonist he’s actually rather polite and can be legitimately reasoned with. 

he didn’t kill Neku for the heck of it because he craves death and destruction because he has issues or something. it was legit just part of a game for him because he was bored. a bad guy so aloof he doesn’t think twice about shooting a child dead and dragging him into a twisted survival game in the underworld, for his own entertainment, is fascinating. 

even more interesting is when you remember that he, in a way, was trying to help Neku, who hated the world and hated other people at first. Joshua doesn’t realize he had a change of heart and keeps trying to convince him how much the real world as it is sucks, and how it could be improved or destroyed. he’s just echoing Neku’s own words at him. and he has a change of heart too at the end, letting the kids go back home alive. which makes you really question his motives and morals.

hopefully we’ll see more of this guy in neo twewy cuz i’d like to know what he’s really up to.

[meichenxi]

Heyho <3

How about 12 and 17 for your book ask? I'd like to hear about those :D

Heyyyy Karo, thanks :D

12 - Any books that disappointed you?

So in the run up to the Booker prize, me and my girlfriend sat down over two weeks and read all 6 of them. I don't generally read literary stuff (not out of principal, just because I firmly believe any exploration of parenthood or interpersonal relationship can be improved with flying castles and tentacled monsters) and she is incredibly well-read and teaches English literature, so we were both interested in the other's perspective. But nothing disappointed me this year more than the book which won in the end, Dalmon Galgut’s The Promise. It's meant to be an almost or entierly satirical examination of whiteness in South Africa through the story of four funerals in one family, but for many many many reasons (the writing quality yes but primarily problems about race) I was flabbergasted it won. There are many, many things it mentions off-hand about apartheid and the role of the white patriarch, for example - and then doesn't interrogate them and acts as if, by mentioning it, that is the act of interrogation itself. I have been told that Coetzee is far better at specifically writing about whiteness in South Africa and what that means, so I want to read some of his books next year. I couldn't believe it. I would have to spend a good 10,000 words outlining why exactly I was so astounded it won, but it's not the place for it here - read it and see what you think for yourself. My favourite to win was Bewilderment, a story of a single father parenting his child during the climate crisis (I also didn't like the ending, but. Overall very moving).

17 - Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Yes! Very much so. I read The Shining by Stephen King, which - look, I know he's a very famous novelist but I don't read horror and it was the first of his I've read. Wow. Incredibly atmospheric, and psychologically thrilling. Adored it.

I also read the YA book Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which was the most enjoyable and charming YA I've read in a very long time and reignited my hope for future books. It's set in Mexico and tells the story of a young girl who accidentally awakens a god of death - the problem is, there isn't only one. It's a world of cenotes and Maya mythology and I adored it. The kind of book that is simply written, reads like a fairytale, and diligently carries out all tropes - but in a way that reminds you that tropes are the backbones of stories and have been used that way for hundreds of years across the globe for a very good reason. I am normally deeply suspicious of any 'poor 18 year old falls in love with A Vampire / An Eldritch Monstrosity / The Literal God of Death' book, but this has stayed with me for weeks. It's touching and realistic (??) and bittersweet. Also, her religious and conservative background isn't just relevant once and then never again - it forms the backbone of a lot of her decisions and builds a sympathetic three-dimensional character. I will also remember the descriptions of the underworld Xibalba for a very, very long time. Heartily recommend.

[cruelfeline]

I’ve been thinking about various aspects of SPoP, as I am wont to do, and as often happens, I’ve settled on trying to figure out why I feel a certain way. Namely regarding why I, personally, am able to feel so much more compassion towards Hordak rather than towards the Princesses. After all, the Princesses are the ones being wronged throughout this show, aren’t they? Their lands are being invaded. They’re the ones having to fight to maintain their way of life. They’re losing ground because of Hordak’s war.

So... why do I find it hard to care about them? Why are their experiences in this conflict just sort of... well, meaningless to me?

And why, instead, do my tender emotional responses strongly favor Hordak, despite his serious role in starting a terrible war?

Well! As per usual, I’m going to try to talk my way through it. 

(and, as per usual, your mileage may vary!)

Let’s start with the Princesses. They range from children to young adults. Seem like reasonably nice girls, despite various flaws. They clearly did not ask for a war, had no hand in starting it, and are clearly on the side of good, seeking to protect innocents and simply return to a peaceful way of life.

They appear perfectly designed to garner sympathy and connection... yet I feel so little for them. I feel little because, despite the show telling me that they’re fighting for their lives, and for their home, despite them being the apparent underdogs in their battle against the Horde, I feel like their lives remain relatively stable. Pleasant. Even enjoyable. 

Essentially, I feel like despite everything, they do not truly suffer. Not in a way that is consistent or touching. 

The arcs the Princesses go through either deal largely with matters unrelated to the war and subsequently involve less arduous difficulties, or are handled in such a way that any real pain is quickly resolved and loses its impact.

Frosta and Perfuma represent the former. Both are parentless rulers of their kingdoms, but there is no real confirmation that their parents were killed by the Horde, and they themselves seem largely unperturbed by parental loss. They maintain control of their kingdoms throughout the series. Frosta never loses the Kingdom of Snows, while Perfuma, though in brief danger of losing Plumeria due to damage to the Heart Blossom, ends up... well, defeating the Horde with a band of untrained hippies. So while they fight in the war against Hordak, they never really suffer any significant, confirmed personal losses because of it.

In fact, the Plumerian conflict is... kind of played for laughs.

The other aspects of their arcs have largely to do with friendship matters, or self-belief, and are also dealt with quickly and with little fanfare. Frosta learns how to make friends. Perfuma learns how to play with cacti. Afterwards, Frosta spends the remainder of the story essentially being a violence-happy little kid; amusing, yes, but not particularly tugging at my heartstrings. Perfuma likewise settles into “sympathetic friend” and, though she’s involved in Scorpia’s story at the end, also does little to invoke any sort of significant emotion. 

we’re just going to skirt around the whole “leashing Entrapta” thing, as it’s not relevant to this discussion

(Spinnerella and Netossa barely even register to me, given their very bare-bones roles in the first four seasons and standard “chipped loved one” narrative (that everyone experiences) in the fifth.) 

So, let’s move on to Glimmer and Mermista.

Glimmer and Mermista are arguably the two Princesses who actually lose unique things in the war and suffer because of those losses. And yet, because of the way the show is written, even their pain is dulled in such a way that it just does not facilitate me forming any sort of consistent, compassionate bond with them.

Mermista is the only Princess to actually lose a kingdom. In Hordak’s most visible evil act, Salineas is burned and beflagged, leading to Mermista deeply mourning the loss of her home, her culture, her peop- oh. Hm.

She takes it oddly well, doesn’t she? Apparently, ice cream in a bathtub is how deposed rulers deal with the loss of their entire country nowadays. 

And once she’s done with her moment of moping, she’s back in the fight, fueled by Sea Hawk’s shenanigans and her own power ballad (and Bright Moon’s lack of ice cream). There is no extended mourning for her people, no real depth to the loss she has supposedly suffered. There’s not even a real sense of it: we never see the people of Salineas, never know them, never get to feel anything for them. And with them being all but theoretical, the show appears to have no issue quickly forgetting them: Mermista never negotiates on their behalf, or visits refugees, or... anything. She might use Salineas in her future battle cries and as an excuse for increased recklessness, but that homage is the extent of emotion that we see.

Kingdom gone, bathtub ice cream finished, she goes on living life as if little has happened. And, because of her royal connections, she doesn’t even experience a decrease in quality of life: she continues to live in luxurious comfort despite an apparently raging war.

Because of how the writing handles Salineas, and her character in general, I never feel connected to how Mermista feels. Whatever pain she experiences is there and gone in a few scenes, quickly dealt with so the story can continue. There is no exploration, no nuance, nothing to really make me appreciate any sort of depth to her experience. And so I feel little, if anything, for her plight.

Glimmer, then, is the last chance the show has to make me feel something for the Alliance Princesses’ suffering during this war, and while season four nearly does it, the series again ends up falling short. 

Glimmer loses her mother. The actual sacrifice is emotional... though that emotion, admittedly, comes mainly from Adora. Glimmer’s pain comes through at the beginning of season four, when she is clearly in mourning all while needing to take Angella’s place as queen. Afterwards, season four does a fairly good job of making the loss meaningful: Glimmer becomes more and more willing to commit dark acts due to a mixture of grief and desperation. It works well, and out of all of the Princesses, I feel for her the most... until season five comes along and pretty much erases Angella from character consciousness.

Angella’s death essentially plays no role in season five. Glimmer does not appear to think back to it. While it drives her actions during season four, it appears to have been all but forgotten now, a particularly glaring shift when Catra, the one who is practically responsible, joins the group without it coming up at all. Glimmer’s other parental loss, Micah, likewise becomes meaningless not because of questionable writing choices, but because he simply never died.

Glimmer’s other problem, her rift with Bow and Adora, is repaired within an episode and never spoken of again. That... falls quite flat for me. 

And so, by the end of the series, Glimmer fails to maintain a believable level of distress and thus doesn’t invoke any real emotion in me. The one thing that really mattered, that really hurt her? Suddenly irrelevant in the name of Catra’s redemption. Hm.

And while these are the specific character examples that come to mind, the general situation the Princesses find themselves also fails to carry much weight in my mind. They are in the middle of a war, yet they continue to live in luxury. Skirmishes carry a sense of light-heartedness and sometimes seem almost fun. Battle plans are developed via a game of DnD. There is just no consistent sense of urgency or severity, no believable sense of emotional depth to convey to me that these characters are in truly dire straits. Yes, there are moments... but these moments are so brief, and carry such questionable lasting impact, that they don’t connect with me the way that they should. And as a result, the plight of the Princesses just feels hollow to me. 

I just... I just find myself unable to care about them because, when all is said and done, I don’t feel like they are truly in danger of real harm, or that they are realistically affected by their losses. It all just feels so shallow to me.

Now, let’s pivot and look at Hordak. Hordak, whom I still cry over on the daily. Hordak, who has owned my heart for over a year now. Hordak, who invokes in me all of the emotions. 

What is the difference between Hordak and the Princesses, other than the glaring fact that he is the instigator of the Etherian war and thus a bad, bad man? What makes him snap my heartstrings in half, while the Princesses barely manage a gentle tug?

The answer is that Hordak legitimately suffers. Terribly. Consistently. Throughout the entire series. While the Princesses experience brief moments of distress that the show quickly sweeps under the rug in favor of witty banter and friendship problems, Hordak is the direct opposite: he experiences only the occasional breath of happiness while otherwise drowning in a constant sea of bitterness, fear, pain, and deep unhappiness.  

From the moment we meet him, Hordak is stern and humorless and angry, and while this initially appears to be a side effect of him being a Standard Ultimate Villain Who Never Smiles, we quickly learn that it is due to his struggle. Hordak is constantly struggling against his physical defect, battling an illness that causes him not only significant health problems, but incredible shame. He is likewise constantly struggling to earn the respect and validation and nonexistent love of his god-brother. His sour demeanor, with all of its anger and dourness, originates in the fact that, throughout the overwhelming majority of the series, he is gravely unhappy. He is in ever-present distress, both physical and emotional. 

And as the series goes on, does that distress lessen? No. No, instead, he is rejected by his brother, thoroughly humiliated, and brutally “reset” back into his life as an actual cult slave. Rather than having his difficulties minimized like so many Princesses do, he finds himself in ever-worsening circumstances, graduating from (supposed) “disgraced, disabled military veteran” to “enslaved cultist desperate to be loved by his loveless master.”

Any moments of happiness are not only relatively brief, they are taken away as quickly as the Princesses’ moments of difficulty are. Hordak experiences love and friendship for the first time with Entrapta, only to swiftly lose her to Catra’s lies and spiraling madness. He finally begins to win the Etherian War (which is bad, yes, I know), only to realize that his victories stem from Catra’s betrayal before the whole affair culminates in Prime’s nauseating violation of his personhood.

It does not stop. Physically, mentally, or emotionally: not until his triumph over Prime in the season five finale does Hordak stop hurting, and even that is marred by Prime taking control of his body in a final act of nightmarish control before, bless him, Hordak is freed and able to begin his recovery.

In addition to being a series constant, Hordak’s pain is conveyed. It is dramatically shown through facial expressions, through body language, through phenomenal voice work, through scenes that clearly depict real anguish. 

The purification ritual is one of them; what other character do we hear scream like that, over and over, due to such terrible agony? His reunion with Prime is another; I will never forget how deeply I could sense his fear, how watching him tremble and beg instilled within me a sort of breathless panic because the scene actually made me want to instinctively protect him... but I could not because, y’know: cartoon. 

Hordak’s suffering is not only ever-present, it is varied and developed and communicated to the viewer in ways that result in it making a lasting impression. It is never minimized. It is never ignored. It is painful and horrifying with little reprieve, and it has a deep, life-altering effect on him.

That, friends and neighbors, is why I think I find myself feeling so much more compassion towards Hordak than I do towards the Princesses, despite his less-enticing place on the moral spectrum. Hordak is in pain. Consistently, meaningfully. He suffers, and the story takes it with every ounce of seriousness it can muster.

The Princesses, on the other hand, either experience little hurt or, when they do suffer, do so briefly before the narrative shoves it aside in favor of Catradora other things. As a result, they fail to make the same impression. They fail to garner my compassion because, in the end, they just don’t seem to really need it.

Whereas Hordak does.

[dappercritter]

Godzilla vs Kong: Brutally Honest Thoughts

(Took me long enough, eh? Depending on home video releases be like that.)

So first things first, I have a confession to make: I spoiled the movie before I watched it. I was impatient and they had only announced an HBO Max premiere in the states and a theatrical run in Canada at the time. Afterward, I got heads-up from a friend and immersed myself in the opinions of those lucky enough to see it early. I’m just saying that I have some preconceived opinions that I’m sticking to.

That said, Godzilla vs Kong turned out to be more fun than I expected! But you already knew that. Everyone did. The two kings of movie monsters had their rematch and this time it was with glorious Hollywood SFX powering it this time.

The human story was fun but it’s clear they stopped trying at this point. Team Kong stole my heart, especially Jia. Team Godzilla (although the Conspiracy Crew would be a more fitting term since they spend more time chasing down mysteries than trying to back or understand Godzilla) was more fun than I expected and their dynamic was surprisingly enjoyable. Bernie is actually kind of funny, it's nice to see Madison acting more assertive, and Josh was fine--he was the only sane man of the bunch but he was also the butt of the jokes. Still, all the hardcore conspiracy jokes got old fast and it feels off seeing the daughter of two scientists turn into an edgy conspiracy crackpot. Why not an edgy science major?

Team Apex are fun villains, especially Walter Simmons who's a great megalomaniacal CEO type, but Ren Serizawa is a joke. I like his actor's performance but he's just another footnote. Nobody bats an eye at his last name, although the only heroes he interacts with are Nathan Lind and he just misses Team Godzilla. He really could have just been any other villain, but instead, they had to sully Serizawa’s legacy further while robbing a good actor of some interesting material. (As is, it turns out he was just an egotistical jerk with daddy issues--an easy puzzle to solve on day one--after all...)

However, I still cannot and will not approve of the fact that somebody thought it would be a good idea to make the heroes of a sci-fi story into hardcore conspiracy theorists in this day and age. Likewise, I’m not a huge fan of how they essentially made the Hollow Earth into its own universe complete with a crazy portal and an environment with its own laws of physics, nor am I totally crazy about the huge leap in technology that was made between this and KOTM, or G’14 for that matter.

The monsters as awesome as they are, are the biggest mixed bag in the show.

Kong is at his best in ages, and while I am all for the new heroic warrior character that Legendary have crafted and I acknowledge that making him a worthy opponent for their god-tier Godzilla was going to be a hurdle, I think they did a splendid job. Seeing Kong using agility and acrobatics was a glorious sight to behold, and something about Kong becoming a tool-user and weapon wielder just feels right. It’s a far better demonstration of Kong as a “thinking animal” (*wink, wink*).

I’m much less thrilled about their treatment of his greatest opponent ever. After everything they’ve done to build up Godzilla as the incredible force of neutral good fighting to maintain balance and all the build up to ancient rivalry debating back to a great Titan war--even going as far as putting his name in front Kong’s this time!-- they’ve reduced Godzilla back to glorified bully for Kong. He only gets the minimum amount of sympathy from the cast of his movie before they go off to deal with the conspiracy plot or focus on Kong and the Hollow Earth. Worse still, he is somehow more powerful and more aggressive than ever for a good chunk of the movie which leads to an outcome I’m sorry to say we all saw coming. Somehow, I suspect that the reason behind this was how Wingard cited Godzilla vs. Mothra, vs. Destoryah, and Shin-Godzilla as influences for the monsters scale and story, which while cool and all, are all movies where he was played up as a mostly stoic antagonist rather than a three-dimensional character like Kong. (Though ironically vs. Destoroyah and Shin did a better job of making Godzilla feel more sympathetic and in both of them he was a walking nuclear reactor meltdown.)

Due to the unfortunate time constraints of the three-way deal between Toho, WB, and Universal at the time this was in production, Kong was unable to secure a proper sequel that could develop his skillset like Godzilla’s did. Nevermind the fact the filmmakers completely surrendered to the “nothing matters but the monsters” mentality that a chunk of the fanbase has been spouting since this universe unofficially kicked off almost 10 years ago. (Sidenote: Oh god, I’m turning in an old fart already.) As a result, the movie trips over itself trying to set up Godzilla and Kong’s rivalry as well as building up Kong as a worthy opponent to Godzilla while expanding on their shared lore, and as a result countless plot points set up in in the previous movie and tie-in movie are thrown out the window. I’m sorry to say but in spite of all hopes and illusions of grandeur, it’s safe to this damn thing is a Kong movie with Godzilla as the bad guy.

...at least until HE shows up. Yup, Mechagodzilla. The biggest spoiled twist of the centuries steals the show so the movie can pull a Dawn of Justice. But! It does it much better than the fractured DCEU’s most controversial entry ever could. Mechagodzilla’s inclusion gets a decent amount of build up thanks to Team Godzilla/the Conspiracy Crew, and when he shows up, does he make an impression! At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about his inclusion or his design, but I’ve come to like this one. He’s basically a kaiju terminator built in Godzilla’s image made purely out of heavy machinery piloted by the best Ghidorah head. It’s a jarring change of pace compared to previous MechaG’s but it grows on you after a while. With the abundance of weaponry stuffed into him, he feels like a fitting update of the original killing machine, and even if his inclusion feels like an easy way out of the big showdown, it’s fun to see him played as a literal colossal heel for the kings to team up against. Not to mention he looks shockingly good with those red highlights. However, one still can’t help but wonder how and why he was made in this universe, or how he feels like pure heavy machinery one minute and then an extra-large Ultron unit the next.

As for the the big throwdowns we’ve all been waiting for... well, we’re still in the mixed bag deparment. While the fights are all exciting and excellently choreographed, and benefit from some more eclectic lighting and cinematograph, I’m sorry to say that as far as the rematch of the century goes they dropped the ball on this one.

Don’t get me wrong, the fights are all great in their own ways, but there’s a drastic change in the feeling of weight and power with the monsters. Godzilla, Kong, and even Mechagodzilla all feel strangely floaty in most of their fights. One moments they feel like true behemoths shaking the very earth with every movement and then it’s like they’re in Godzilla Unleashed, running, jumping, and throwing each other around with speed that feels that almost makes you wonder if the Hollow Earth’s gravity inversion stuff is leaking out into the world. While it’s all perfectly cool, you can’t help but wonder how Kong is able to leap between aircraft carriers and buildings, when Godzilla got the ability to blow a hole through the Earth itself, or how a colossal machine is able to move so nimbly or why it has to be flashing blue all the time.

It’s fascinating and fun but you just can’t help but wonder how we got from almost posthuman disaster and war movies exploring how we’re at the mercy of the ancient almost mythical forces beyond our comprehension, we’ve found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Bayformers meets Jurassic World levels of Hollywood absurdity where anything and everything can and will happen in the name of getting to the monster fights. Although I can’t say I’m surprised given the director’s take on Death Note made some questionable choices with it’s take on the infamous cast while still coming up with some genuinely inspired choices. Still, all things considered we could have gotten worse compared to ther cinematic universes made by WB and Universal.

As for some misc. thoughts to close up this rambling mess:

-The soundtrack is fantastic. A great continuation of the feel of Skull Island’s mixtape with some truly wonderful picks. Special mention goes to the opening and ending songs, and they GOT AN ELVIS PRESLEY SONG IN HERE! YES!!! The three kings of pop culture together at last!

-While this movie didn’t need to be any more overstuffed, it would have been nice if the rest of the Titans didn’t disappear entirely from this movie. I get that Godzilla: Dominion already explained what happened to them all more or less, but it really is a missed oppurtunity that we never got to see another Titan war. Or Rodan attacking Kong to avenge his pterosaur bretheren from days long past. Speaking of which...

-“Save Mothra” jokes be damned, Mothra would have been a welcome gues star, not just to help break up the big fight, but to show off Godzilla’s softer, more protective side. And yes, I want more Mothzilla. Shut up, we deserve it.

-Boy, Monarch sure does a whole lot of nothing up-top, huh?

-The cinematography is a great update but there’s a little too much neon lighting, especially in the Apex HQ and the Hollow Earth throne room. It feels like they’re trying just a little too hard to sell the more futuristic, Hollywood sci-fi feel.

-The score is... great but not that great. Of course, I’ve always had mixed feelings about Tom Holkenburg (AKA Junkie XL)’s music. I liked Kong’s themes, but they REALLY dropped the ball with Godzilla’s theme. Mechagodzilla’s works really well as long you ignore that it’s just Godzilla’s theme in this movie with an ominious choir added in.

-The new Hollow Earth creatures are all perfectly fine. Actually, I thought they were another highlight! Especially the Warbats, Hellhawks, and Doug the Titanus Foetodon Man.

-I want to do a release the extended cut campaign but I don’t think any of us have the energy for that s**t anymore.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis is a series that looks at villains across various media in the hopes of coming to something of a consensus on the overall quality of the character. Are they performed well? Do they enrich the narrative? Are their motives fleshed out? Are they voiced by Tim Curry and thus a sex icon? 

There are a lot of important questions that I look into, but ultimately, Psycho Analysis boils down to asking one simple little question: How bad can a character be?

Thankfully, there’s one villain who decided to answer that question for me... in song form.

Psycho Analysis: The Once-ler

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Yeah, I’m finally talking about everyone’s favorite greedy bastard who, back in some of the darkest days of Tumblr history, ended up being the premier sexyman on the website. People were thirsting over this twiggy weirdo, acting as if he were God’s gift to women and shipping him with alternate versions of himself. Much like the movie he’s from, he is now incredibly hard to take seriously.

But hey, speaking of alternate versions of himself, I’m going to be covering him from the original book and the animated short film as well. Might as well just knock it all out of the park at once, right? Now let’s see how ba-a-a-ad this guy can be.

Motivation/Goals: The Once-ler is all about biggering. He’s making thneeds (things that everyone needs) and he is gonna stop at nothing to craft these things. Not even the power of the Lorax, Danny DeVito or otherwise, is going to stay his hand from getting that sweet, soft Truffula fluff to make his wares. This is ultimately a little unrealistic, at least for the Illumination version; if Danny DeVito asked me not to do something, I’d listen, no questions asked.

Performance: In the animated special, Bob Holt does double duty, as he is portraying both Once-ler and the title character. It works really well for what they’re going for, and the double casting is interesting because it highlights the ultimate role of the Lorax as the Once-ler’s conscience given form.

In the film, Ed Helms portrays the Once-ler, and he’s fine. He’s certainly better casting than Audrey, but that’s not particularly saying much considering that’s a non-singing Taylor Swift (when Cats is able to utilize Taylor Swift better than your musical, you know there’s trouble). I don’t know, Ed Helms is fun and all, but I’m just not sure his take on the Once-ler is all too compelling overall.

Final Fate: In the original book and the special, the Once-ler wins… but even he realizes it’s a terrible, pointless victory, and all he has achieved is ruin, his family leaving him, his business ultimately collapsing, and the environment permanently damaged. He’s left as a miserable, jaded hermit, broken by the bleak consequences his greedy actions have sown upon the world and only able to tell his story and pass on the last Truffula seed in the hopes that maybe, maybe someday the trees can regrow and the Lorax will return. The Illumination version follows this but then tacks on a happy ending  where the Lorax and Once-ler reunite because as we know ambiguity and bittersweet endings cannot exist in children’s films.

Best Scene: Obviously it’s the scene where he shakes his ass to seduce Jack Frost, in one of the greatest gay romances ever put to film.

Joking aside, it is undoubtedly his villain song. It has become such a meme, but real talk? “How Bad Can I Be” slaps. This is a really good song, probably too good for the movie but you know what, I’ll take it.

Best Quote: HOW BA-A-A-AD CAN I BE? Yes, I’m using a line from his villain song. Sue me.

Final Thoughts & Score: What can one really say about the movie version of the Once-ler that hasn’t already been run into the ground? Well, how about… He’s not too bad, honestly? Like, yes, he has next to nothing to do with his book counterpart and they really go way too far into trying to make a capitalist pig sympathetic… but the animated special from the 70s did that too. I think the Once-ler honestly works better when there is a dash of complexity to him and he isn’t just a simple-minded Captain Planet villain.

Of course, the issue here is that the 70s version took a simpler approach, kind of less is more. The 70s Once-ler brings up some valid points to the Lorax about his work, and the Lorax can’t help but agree that there’s no easy answer while also stressing that the environmental devastation is still really, really bad. It works, it feels complex, and it arguably helps the ultimate point that we need to protect the environment better than even the book did (and I love the book, don’t get me wrong, but its take on the Once-ler is a bit too simple for its own good; it almost runs into the Femme Fatale problem by being a bit too much of a strawman). The movie version has a bit too much going on, especially with his family. His family are much more blatantly evil, greedy, and manipulative, but they’re relegated to the background for much of the film and don’t effect things all that much. The whole narrative would have been infinitely stronger if they were the greater scope villains behind Once-ler and were who needed to be defeated and maybe taught a lesson, but instead they are ignored in favor of someone I’ll address very shortly.

All of this leaves movie Once-ler feeling extremely disjointed, but not irredeemably so. As I said before, his villain song is unironically awesome, and as lame as it is compared to the more haunting, contemplative ending of the book and the special, I’m not so much of a curmudgeon that I didn’t at least smile when he finally reconciled with the Lorax. Ultimately though, him being memed to death really didn’t help his case, but it means I’m not giving the movie version anything less than a 3/10. He might in fact be the best “so bad it’s good” villain ever, or at least up there. He’s just so undeniably enjoyable even if the narrative isn’t making him as complex as it thinks it is. The animated special version gets a 9/10, the book version is a 7/10, and the Once-ler’s family gets a 5/10 for being an interesting concept they sadly do little with, which will now be elaborated on as I follow up on the foreshadowing from the last paragraph...

Psycho Analysis: Aloysius O’Hare

Remember how I said the Once-ler’s family gets ignored in favor of someone else? Here he is, Aloysius O’Hare, one of the absolute lamest villains ever put to screen.

Motivation/Goals: He’s greedy. That’s it. I’m not kidding. He’s just a cartoonish caricature of a rich person, which still makes him a realistic portayal but also makes him boring as sin compared to the wacky dude with a big musical number about how bad he can be.

Performance: Rob Riggle does a decent job, but there’s really not much for him to work with here. This character is a cardboard cutout who exists to be as cartoonishly greedy and evil as possible with no nuance so the kids know who to root against and so that Once-ler doesn’t look bad in comparison.

Final Fate: Look, he’s a blatantly evil corporate villain in a kid’s movie about the environment. Of course he gets defeated and everyone turns on him. What’s especially funny though is that, on the brink of learning his lesson, he rejects any form of redemption and just goes whole hog on being a villain.

Best Scene: I will absolutely give him this: in the face of his ultimate defeat, after having the virtues of trees sung to him and the entire town turning on him, he for a moment contemplates turning over a new leaf… and then absolutely rejects the thought and instead decides being evil is just too much fun, at which point he tries to get everyone back on his side by seeing a funny little song about death while wavedashing. If more shitty villains did this, I don’t think there would be shitty villains.

Best Quote: LET IT DIE, LET IT DIE, LET IT SHRIVEL UP AND DIE! Yes I’m quoting a song again.

Final Thoughts & Score: Look, I’m not gonna mine words here: O’Hare sucks. Big time. He is a prime example of why The Lorax failed as an adaptation. In a story that is dealing with a moral grayness with no easy answers, O’Hare is just a big, blatant target, a dark shade of black in terms of black-and-white morality. He’s like a reject Captain Planet villain with Edna Mode’s haircut.

The movie would have been infinitely better if, instead of him, the Once-ler’s family were in control of the town, and they needed to learn the lesson about saving the trees instead of simply vanishing from the story. They were shown to be overbearing, manipulative, and greedy, and they had a much more personal connection with Once-ler being, you know, his actual family. The fact they abandon him and never really get any sort of comeuppance despite being perhaps the most evil people in the move, egging on Once-ler and taking full advantage of him, makes O’Hare all the more egregious, because there could have been some strong thematic elements that would have tied the film together and made it come off as much less preachy and more nuanced.

But we don’t live in a world where that happened, we live in a world where we got O’Hare. Aside from some genuine hilarity from him at the end, O’Hare really adds very little to the film. I gotta give him a 2/10, but I will say he’s a lot closer to a 3 than he is to a 1; there’s no denying his absolute rejection of learning a moral is absolutely hilarious. I love when villains do that. It’s just a shame those funny moments are wrapped up in something monumentally unimpressive.