#you gotta have a bit of comedy in the backstory

[thankchaosforspellcheck]

To be perfectly honest, I only have any real interest in 2 of the Splinter backstories: ROTTMNT & 2003.

ROTTMNT because the concept of "Hamato Yoshi the rebellious young adult fucks off to America and becomes the in-universe equivalent of Jackie Chan" fucks hard. (and also feels like it makes sense for the time period, unlike all the ninja blood feuds of every other iteration)

2003 might make less sense, but I'm gonna be real I still don't care about Hamato Yoshi's backstory. The fact that Splinter, however, back when he was 100% just a normal-ass rat, rode on his shoulder fuckin' EVERYWHERE is absolutely hilarious. Guy was trying to make rats & ninjas the new parrots & pirates. Absolute legend.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 407: Wait Why Are You Running Away

Previously on BnHA: Kacchan figured out how to control his quirk upgrade and was totally chill and normal about it. Definitely not terrifying at all. He actually spent the entire chapter smiling and laughing like the wholesome little boy he is. I don’t know why Kid For One is so freaked out about it. He even politely introduced himself using his childhood nickname. Clearly he just wants to be friends with you, KFO!

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “sorry to keep you waiting, here’s the AFO and Yoichi flashback you ordered at long last” and proceeds to serve a nightmarish stew of HUMAN MISERY and RATS and STABBING and CARNAGE and SO MUCH MURDER and THE SINGLE MOST FUCKED-UP CASE OF CODEPENDENCY ANYONE HAS EVER WRITTEN. I was not even remotely prepared for any of this, and if anyone else claims that they were, I will call you a liar to your face. If this chapter had a mouth it would scream. Or just sob, ceaselessly and uncontrollably. I’m really glad Horikoshi is on break next week because that man needs to take a fucking nap. My god.

okay WOW

anyone else read the first two words and just immediately say to themselves, “oh okay, so it’s gonna be one of those chapters”? I mean, I guess we were due for a darker chapter after last week’s Kacchan Comedy Tour. but idk, I just wasn’t expecting “homeless sick prostitute with a drinking problem” levels of dark

AND SHE’S PREGNANT?!

what exactly is this manga rated again? doesn’t this backstory seem just a little bit raw for the impressionable kiddos??

has anyone actually checked in on Horikoshi recently? you know, just to make sure he is okay??

what a fun and wholesome manga this is

the lil baby arm covered in blood with the AFO hole on the palm. lying next to the dead mom hand. what an image to sear into our minds. I guess it’s been a while since he killed any dogs. gotta keep us on our toes somehow

also wasn’t expecting AFO and Yoichi to be twins! that puts an interesting spin on their relationship, because it’s usually a closer bond than even regular siblings. especially with all of that delightful shared trauma from a young age!!

yes, exactly

ohhhh this chapter is gonna hurt me, isn’t it. okay. ooooooookay. let’s do this

OH I’M SORRY, THERE’S MORE?!

Horikoshi my dude. you do realize that their mom dying in childbirth and the two of them just barely surviving and growing up as street orphans would have already been MORE than tragic enough, backstory-wise. you did not have to turn this into a freaking horror show with RATS TRYING TO EAT THEIR NEWBORN SELVES jesus christ

and THAT’S where you chose to put a one year timeskip?!

what the fuck am I reading here, you guys. no please tell me, I am actually desperate to understand

so the narrator is saying that some of the quirks manifested later in life, in “pubescent and pre-pubescent stages”, which is interesting because it’s the first time I can recall hearing about someone actually manifesting a quirk that late. maybe Deku’s old OFA cover story was more plausible than I realized

anyway so eventually it occurred to everyone that they should maybe freaking study this shit, idk. and eventually the researchers concluded that the superpowers came from a new gene that apparently isn’t human. and upon hearing that, society apparently lost its freaking mind. which is fascinating to me because it implies that the turning point wasn’t actually the superpowers themselves, but the realization of what it meant

like, so they were apparently fine with it when they thought it was a “mysterious disease”, but somehow it hit different when they learned it wasn’t actually a sickness at all, but instead the Next Step in Evolution. and it became an “us vs them” thing, as opposed to a “we have to cure these poor people” thing. damn

anyway so now Japan is a dystopia and we’re cutting to a big crowd of merc-looking dudes who are getting ready to attack some “meta freaks”, how lovely

but who is this figure in the shadows

I ask politely, as if it wasn’t already beyond obvious that this is AFO about to wreck some people’s shit

ohhhhh my god lmao

hopefully Katsuki and Deku can take the present day AFO out before he winds up looking like this. because this little fella is clearly demonic and idk if anyone can stop him

you all don’t understand. you need to run the fuck away right now

oh shit it’s already too late for them

it’s too late for any of us. it’s over. it’s all fucking over

((((；゜Д゜)))

AFO I am putting the manga down. I am backing away slowly with my hands in the air. I mean you no harm. please for the love of god have mercy

holy

“you see, we told you he wasn’t human” okay Scientific Research Group, you know what?? you win this round I guess

“HE WAS LITERALLY EVIL FROM BIRTH” HORIKOSHI SERIOUSLY ARE YOU OKAY??

HE WAS BORN AN ARROGANT BABY is literally the most terrifying sentence I have ever read

what the entire fuck

it’s a gorgeous sunny mid-November afternoon outside my window. but no matter how hard it tries, the light cannot reach this place

what kind of moron would throw a can of soda at him. officially the stupidest person we have ever seen in this manga

OH MY GOD OF COURSE IT’S HIM LMAO

(ETA: how come baby Yoichi has clothes that fit him perfectly but baby AFO is just stomping around wearing a tablecloth.)

BABY YOICHI. OH MY GOD. HOW THE HELL DID YOU GROW UP TO BE SANE AND KIND AND GOOD. THAT’S MY QUESTION THAT I NEED ANSWERED RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE LITERALLY A MIRACLE. YOU ARE AN IMPOSSIBILITY, DO YOU KNOW THAT

small and weak, but also so, so cute. all of the cuteness genes went straight to him. no wonder AFO was jealous

(ETA: just want to press pause for a second to speculate about what type of twins AFO and Yoichi are, since it has some relevance to the story, and especially to the OFA/AFO quirk lore. so! at first glance the two of them would appear to be fraternal twins, just based on the fact that they have very different appearances, and also the fact that Yoichi doesn’t have the AFO quirk – no holes in his hands, etc. identical twins are born from the same fertilized egg, so in theory they would both have the same sequence of DNA, which means Yoichi would have had the same quirk as AFO. but that doesn’t appear to be the case. so all of that points to them being fraternal, not identical.

on the other hand, there is one piece of evidence in this chapter that does support them being identical twins, and that’s the fact that per the narration, AFO absorbed most of the nutrients from their mother. a few minutes of google fu informed me that this condition is relatively rare, and only happens in cases where two twins share a placenta, which typically is only the case for identical twins. HOWEVER, for what it’s worth, there have also been rare instances where two fraternal twin placentas fuse together and become a single placenta. AND this apparently also increases the chances of one of the twins gaining more of the nutrients and causing the other twin to have a lower birth weight.

so based on the evidence here, my conclusion is that the two of them are most likely fraternal twins with a case of placental fusion. besides, you can’t tell me that stealing his baby brother’s placenta while the two of them are literally still in the womb doesn’t sound like exactly the type of BS that fetus!AFO would pull, lol.)

HEY!?!

okay?!?!?! well to be fair he did throw that soda at him

oh my god this is so fucked up. in like the best and worst way possible

I genuinely couldn’t ask for a better AFO backstory. it’s so incredibly twisted, and you actually do feel sorry for him. or at least I do. but it’s also beyond clear that this kid was FUCKED UP BEYOND ALL REASON right from the get go. zero goodness in him. literally doesn’t see other people as people. sees them as possessions only. things to rule over. not other thinking, feeling human beings. and that includes his own little brother

but. even if it’s not actually what I would call love, there’s still... attachment, there. it’s the closest he can get to actually caring about someone. guh. just, somehow they have both managed to humanize him, and at the same time made him less human than ever. this manga, man. this fucking manga, though

lmao and here we go. Captain Hero

you know, all those times that I made fun of AFO for not knowing how to read, I never suspected that the twist in his backstory would be that he LITERALLY DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO READ dfksjdlfkjslkdf

but seriously though. because Yoichi appears to be self-taught, and I can’t see AFO having the patience for that, and CLEARLY no one else was around to teach him, sooooo...

oh my goodness it’s actually getting wholesome up in here

what a good fucking boy. poor AFO. fuck me, I can’t help it. it’s not your fault you’re the world’s greatest monster you poor bastard

now we’re cutting to THREE YEARS LATER. okay

is he going to declare war on the glowing baby

typical teenager concerned about nothing but likes and view counts. AFO you would be so much happier if you stopped worrying about all of that and just focused on your own growth

oh, lol. well that was quick

(ETA: r.i.p. Damien.)

“this guy had more instagram followers than me. so I killed him” honey. sweetie pie. you need therapy

omfg

all this time I was wondering who AFO’s middle school lit teacher was who had failed so spectacularly at teaching him reading comprehension. and it was YOICHI ALL ALONG. omg

“and, presumably, that’s how it always was and always will be.” dude. can you imagine listening to AFO’s oral book report on A Tale of Two Cities. “ahem. it was the Best of Times. the end” buddy noooooooo

it was at that moment when Yoichi knew, etc. etc.

oh my GOD I scrolled down to the next panel right after this one and I just IMMEDIATELY DIED LAUGHING

“WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID” ffffffffffffffff I fucking can’t omfg

NOW THIS HUSSY IS STEALING HIS BROTHER AWAY FROM HIM NOOOOOOO

HE’S HIS!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! THAT’S NOT ALLOWED!!!

oh my god the hands. so wait, is this just the standard symbolic BnHA handholding, or are there More Levels To This. when exactly did Yoichi pass OFA on to Kudou. like is that why the sudden close-up and all that? omg

WHAT!!!!

OH THAT’S THE END, HUH? THAT’S THE END RIGHT THERE, AND THAT’S JUST HOW IT IS. I SEE. OKAY THEN. EXCUSE ME WHILE I PUT MY LAPTOP DOWN AND GO INTO THE NEXT ROOM AND SCREAM INTO A PILLOW

oh my god. and break next week too. this is what you guys have been dealing with this entire time huh. I understand your feelings now. godfuckingdammit lmao

[autumnmobile12]

Helluva Boss S2 Trailer:  “You don’t love mother and you don’t love me!”

I have a problem with this line, and I’ve had a problem with Octavia’s character for awhile now, so I’m going to talk about it.

To cut her some slack, her house and family life is a mess.  Fighting parents, cheating dad, feeling neglected by both parents, and she’s a teenager on top of that.  I get it.  Moody, angsty teen with a really good reason for being moody and angsty.

And Stolas isn’t blameless in all this.  With the cheating, he’s actively a problem, but we can see that he loves his ‘little owlet.’  But he is a terrible father.  In the Seeing Stars episode, I thought that it was going to be a lot more Stolas and Octavia-centric on their relationship, but no.  He and Blitzo spend most of the time looking for her just dicking around in some human comedy act when they really didn’t need to be there.  Seriously, it wouldn’t have been the first time Blitzo massacred a group of humans to get out of an awkward situation, but if Stolas is so concerned about his daughter, then why didn't he do something about their situation? If he loves his daughter so much, why is he okay with this distraction? He's not even the one who gets him out of it in the end.  That was the first time Helluva Boss actually disappointed me.  I don’t think the brief bit of backstory we got with Blitzo and Loona justified the rest of that whole bit, so it was really pointless.  That piece could have been handled better.

Throughout the Stolitz ship, Stolas is 100% ignoring Octavia.  But terrible dad aside, the line from the Season 2 trailer, “You don’t love Mother and you don’t love me!” should be emotional.

Except…. “You don’t love Mother….”

…why would he?

Does Octavia not see what a violent, toxic bitch her mom is?  She has seen her screaming, getting violent, and throwing things. I suppose Octavia could have the opinion that Stella's anger is justified with the cheating and all, but then that explanation implies she thinks reacting violently like that is acceptable behavior. And let’s not forget Stella straight up ordered a hit on Stolas, which nearly succeeded.  Does Octavia not know about this?  Again, Stolas being a terrible dad for not taking steps to get the daughter he supposedly loves away from the psycho who ordered an assassination, but did none of this get back to Octavia?

Not that any of it makes Stolas' infidelity okay. If you're unhappy in a relationship, leave it. But with the way Stella behaves, there's no rational way Octavia can expect her parents to love each other. It sucks to be the child in that position, especially a teen still figuring things out, but that is very much an 'it is what it is' situation and you gotta make the best of it in whatever way you can.

As it stands, it isn't fair for Octavia to entirely blame Stolas for their family falling apart.

"You don't love mother and you don't love me," makes it sound like Octavia is consciously choosing her violent, narcissistic witch of mother over her dad. This also doesn't make sense with the plot because there's no sign of Octavia having a close relationship with her mom. There are no portraits of them together in a loving embrace as we see with her and Stolas. Plus, Stella doesn't care about Octavia. The only two times in the show she vaguely mentions her is as the 'one egg that finally dropped out of her' and when she and Andrealphus are discussing the inheritance that will go to Octavia. She doesn't care about Stolas either. The only effect the cheating had on her was the idea of public embarrassment for their family.

Neither of Octavia's parents care for her the way they should, so for the, "You don't love mother and you don't love me," line to work to its fullest impact, it should have been phrased as, “You don’t love me!  Neither you or Mom love me!”

I do love Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel…but Octavia’s character is really poorly handled.  I remember it being said in an interview that Helluva Boss does have heavier focus on its male characters while Hazbin Hotel was supposed to be more female-centric, but when it comes to Octavia, that structure in the storytelling is crumbling under its own weight. There is a story here and it has some major gaps that need addressing.

To give them some benefit of doubt, maybe this’ll be addressed in an episode before that line hits, so maybe it’ll make more sense. Or they could make it clear she said it out of anger.  At least, I hope so because I really need some righteous retribution for how Stolas behaves with his daughter.

...

Edit for clarity: The point of this post is a criticism of the lack of story we get for Octavia that justifies her motives, not a criticism of why she herself behaves the way that she does. The dysfunctional family is heavy stuff and since it is a front and center issue with Stolas' background, it needs more attention than the series gives it.

[clownfishbites]

OK SO,

I’m guessing Batman/Joker: Switch (2003) is a bit niche since I hadn’t heard of it until really recently. But as the CEO of niche quasi character studies of the Joker from the early 2000s I’ve gotta give this one it’s flowers.

It starts out with an interesting premise that it doesn’t really use, but the opener is this:

So I was super hyped thinking this was gonna be one of those awful medical malpractice character studies that I love, where it examines what happens when you forcibly unravel the Joker personality with deeply unethical therapy.

(I love that concept and trust I’m writing a batjokes fic about something similar.)

But working on that theory, Batman comes to London to find Joker who has been let loose after what seems like a very unethical surgery where someone removed his smile and put it on the back of his neck. He’s not quite himself, getting a bit lost in the lines between himself and Batman, wandering around trying to solve what happened to him and forgetting to eat or take care of himself.

Which is where we get this great moment:

I love it. The second somebody genuinely cares and intervenes on his behalf he assumes it’s Batman.

I really like the way the panels are drawn here, leaning into the surrealism of Joker's wide eye, and the smile in the place it shouldn't be, it's all very Dali. This, in combination with the fairly rare show of vulnerability from Joker, and the totally disconnected nonsense way he speaks in this one, really heightens that feeling of 'oh there's something wrong here', it's weird seeing a broadly sympathetic take on Joker.

But they know each other too well, because upon showing up, forcibly giving him medication is actually one of the first things Batman does.

Batman reclassifies the lines between them, actually helping Joker get back to his baseline self. He doesn't capitalise on the confusion as a means of pacifying Joker or anything, he just rigidly reinforces the status quo- returning Joker to himself and putting them both back in Arkham.

But then we learn the real kicker: Joker asked for the surgery. It's really interesting to see the collage of his behaviour from far away, because this pretty extreme facial self-mutilation for the sake of a wider point, or just for comedy we won't see again for 10ish years, until he gets his face taken off by the Dollmaker before DOTF.

Just to quickly return to the initial vulnerability from Joker this issue teases the reader with. It does strike a fairly sympathetic tone, framing Joker as the victim of some cruel joke for once, removing his smile. But now we know he asked for it, literally. It isn't so much an ‘oh he got what he was coming to him’, but that the sheer amount of pain, psychological, physical pain the Joker experiences every day, due to this lifestyle he has chosen, is all still a direct result of his own choices. One bad day, or whatever backstory he may have had that led him here, we know that it is categorically not the only option. He is truly the architect of his own misery, he very much was the first victim of the Joker, and I find it interesting that this comic forces you to take that perspective. That even a vulnerable, half-starved and mentally confused Joker is this way because he "begged" for it, and is now facing the consequences of his own actions, with the faith that Batman will care enough to save him.

[hey-hey-j]

Madagascar 2 is the best Madagascar and that's not just my nostalgia talking, it is genuinely a much better movie than a Madagascar sequel had any right to be. The comedy isn't quite as non-stop hilarious as it was in the first movie but it's still tight ("Alakay! Are you hurt?!" / "Oh yeah, yeah I am"). Alex's backstory is so insane and for what?? It's the intro to Madagascar 2 you don't have to go this hard! The way they bring back Nana?? Moto Moto?? Makunga??

I gotta gush about Makunga a little bit, I know a lot of people hate him as a villain for being stupid and one-note but I LOVE him. I grew up with him, I bonded with him, I will defend him when no one else will! I love his intro scene so much I love how he just spells out from the beginning "and I want everyone to do what I say!" pfhfggh he's so stupid I love him so much

but the BIG highlight of Madagascar 2 for me will always be the will.i.am music. I don't know why will.i.am decided he needed to go THIS HARD for Madagascar 2 but I am so glad that he did. I think something fundamentally shifted in me the first time I watched the Alex On the Spot scene and I've been chasing that high ever since.

[callmearcturus]

Mission Impossible: a Crazed Ramble by tentacledwizard

Re my mission impossible ask: gonna share my thoughts bc I just finished watching the series (sans 2 and 3) and boy do I have Thoughts. I think I’ll cover the ones I’m most interested in (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, and Fallout) though I might ramble at u about 1 and 7 later lmao. So okay here we go

Ghost Protocol. I REALLY liked this one. This is 2nd on my ranking of MI movies.

This movie has the best team vibes. Might be my favorite iteration of The Team, even if Luther isn’t really there. I just got really emotionally attached to these guys and their interactions lmao..

I liked Brandt. Jeremy Renner didn’t have to do some heavy-duty acting for this role, and he didn’t. His role was to be small and cute and tormented, and it worked. So well that I mumbled “where is my wife” when I watched Fallout, and my brother looked at me strangely. 

Jane Carter holy moly. Dude you were NOT kidding about Jane Carter. I love her so much. I love how she’s not even slightly the love interest, how her and Ethan’s interactions have this respect and camaraderie, and even when they kiss it’s not romantic. It’s great. Loved how she got the dudely “gotta avenge my dead wife” backstory with her boyfriend getting killed, and how that propels her most ruthless actions. I guess I’m pretty much agreeing with everything you’ve said about Jane lmao. SHE’S GREAT. Also loved it when she fought Léa Seydoux, it was pretty cathartic. Let female characters be driven and reckless and (eyes Rose Lalonde pfp) yeah

Benji Dunn the man that you are. Okay I’d say that Benji is at his best in the next movie, but this is a damn good introduction. He’s newly promoted, a little bit out of his depth, and I’m a sucker for funny nerdy sidekicks okay. Gonna talk about him some more when I get to Rogue Nation probably.

Ethan Hunt has the best haircut in this film. Idk man that’s my Ethan Hunt commentary. Oh wait it was also funny when he wore the mustache

I GOT ALL FLUSTERED WHEN LÉA SEYDOUX WAS ON SCREEN. I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS. HOW PECULIAR

Didn’t watch 2 and 3, so the brief glimpse of Julia was very intriguing and bittersweet. Then of course in Fallout she Julias all over the place!

OKAY NOW I CAN TALK ABOUT THE BURJ KHALIFA

I’ve actually seen the Burj Khalifa irl and it is SO TALL (I know, very surprising) so I cannot wrap my head around the fact that this scene was shot on location (??) I need to look into that more.

I am a dork and I do not know much about how stunts and action scenes are calibrated, hence the sheer delight I derived from the way the camera moves in the Burj Khalifa scenes. Also my hands got really sweaty during the first half. (The “blue is glue, red is dead” part reminded me of “hasta lasagna don’t get any on ya” IDK MAN)

I spent the wall-climbing section gazing at the TV rapturously and occasionally mumbling “uh oh,” “Ethan Hunt: Human Gecko” or “the climberrrr” alternately. I literally was not hearing myself because I was watching so intently. My breath was BATED lmao.

And like I’d seen the gif sets, I knew he was gonna jump but I didn’t know when. So when Ethan does jump, it’s so sudden that you can’t help but go :O !! And it works. Anddd that’s my favorite stunt in the film (i am an easily impressed nerd with no technical knowledge but i AM dying on this hill. The Burj jump would impress ANYONE and for good reason)

I am replaying this scene in my head over and over. It’s just. It’s so good. My reaction to it reminded me of when I watched [S] Descend and it just Worked and I was amazed. To say nothing of Cascade lmao. Actually yeah this kind of is Cascade in a sense

I'm sure none of this commentary  is really original, but I really love it when Tom Cruise does a big jump heh. I am a simple man

So yeah this film is easily my 2nd favorite. It’s character-driven, there’s comedy elements, the way the team interacts and collides and argues with each other is wonderful. And I believe in Jane Carter supremacy.  

Oh yeah, Bogdan was funny too. So many good + funny moments here :D

Wait how could I forget the best character (the Russian man who has an enemies-to-friends arc with Ethan)? Love that guy.

OKAY this is too long so Im gonna separate this into 2 parts.

they sent three asks and then I responded, we're gonna use a cut here, LONG POST!!!!!

@tentacledwizard PART 2.

Rogue Nation. This one’s my favorite! I like how it begins not with Ethan but with the Team, because their interactions are good. And of course Ethan’s trying to jump on a plane. Just another Saturday.

I am not very good at talking about plot so let’s talk about Benji Dunn

ok wait first I gotta say that I like how they played with the usual IMF message. The “we ARE the syndicate” got me. Really good moment, and I bet if I rewatched it I’d catch all the little details that made me suspicious of whoever was talking. 

Anyway Benji Dunn.. the man that you are…

Like I said, Benji is at his best in this movie. There’s so many little moments that cement his greatness. He’s gaming on company time! He lies about not being Ethan’s friend on a daily basis :( also the sincere dorky smile he does on his way to the opera is so wonderful. 

I really like how sincere Benji is. He’s genuinely looking forward to the opera, and he’s eager to wear a mask someday, and he cares about Ethan so much. Yeah he’s a funny little British man but he’s also v sweet and you can see why Ethan goes crazy and kidnaps the prime minister to get him back. 

speaking of, I really think that Benji and Ethan’s relationship is… if not the core of the movie, it’s definitely a major part of that core. Does that make sense? Like, I tried to take a picture of the screen every time Ethan and Benji glanced at each other knowingly, and I ended up with a lot of pictures. Even with the 6-month separation (Ethan with a beard is something I never thought I’d see), they know each other. Ethan knows Benji wants to see the opera, and Benji will yell at Ethan when Ethan needs to be yelled at. Ethan compliments Benji’s tuxedo (as he should).

Also ffffuck whenever these guys worry about each other… like when Benji tells Ethan he’s probably going to take it too far one of these days.. Man. The scene where Ethan washes out of the giant torus with Ilsa and Benji goes to talk to him is so good.

oh and yeah Ethan did kidnap the prime minister. For benji. HE DID THAT!!!

Also the scene where Benji is forced to speak for Solomon was honestly incredible, it was like Ethan and Benji were having their own separate conversation with eye contact. When Ethan briefly put his hand on Benji’s shoulder, maybe to reassure him without having to talk, and Benji glances up at him… that’s good stuff right there. When Benji was finally able to talk it was cathartic. God I love these two

Plus the opera fight scene is so fun oh my god.

ok let’s talk about my queen Ilsa Faust

Ilsa Faust is great, and I really like how this series does female characters. Because she has her own shit going on, there’s a bit of romance between her and Ethan but they’re both agents with missions, and she’s never sexualized. I love that. Her signature move is filmed the way a male character would be filmed if he were fighting. That’s awesome.

I really loved Rebecca Ferguson’s performance here, the conflict between saving others and saving herself was neat. It’s also interesting how she has way less reservations about killing people, which plays off Ethan’s… everything. And she never makes it easy for Ethan, which I’d honestly do too if I was involved in the shit she has to deal with. 

But of course there are moments that show she does care about him (asking him to run away, the scene where she saves him in the underwater whirly spinner). The hug was pretty sweet.

Also, Ilsa is when I started really paying attention to the outfits in MI, because all of her looks were great. The yellow dress is iconic, and I REALLY liked the pleated coat she wears when talking to Solomon Lane. Plus the suit she wears in Fallout is Good.

Solomon Lane is a good villain. Jim is the MI villain I think of when I think of MI villains, but Solomon is very distinctive. I mean that voice, man. The VOICE. Lmao. He kind of reminded me of a parasitic worm made human, which is a 100% good thing.

So who has the more distinctive and weird voice? Solomon or Claire? That is the question. (I think it’s Claire tbh. Four am, four in the morning, four o clock)

So this is my favorite MI film. It’s fun, it has a good villain. We see Ethan’s personality start to shine through, too- he’s emotionally driven, as evidenced by when he fucking DOES ALL THAT TO SAVE BENJI GOD I LOVE THESE TWO. So yeah, this is the Ethan and Benji movie to me. It’s also a stellar debut for Ilsa Faust… wait what do you mean she gets fridged in the 7th movie. What do you mean

OH Jeremy Renner is still here! And more Luther! Hell yeah.

really want to rewatch this one so I can take more notes on the stunts and stuff, too

Ok time to make a part 3 because this is ridiculously long

PART 3

Fallout. Oh man. This one messed me up. 

So from the start, Fallout is a darker, queasier watch than the previous two. The more I watched, the more I realized that this movie Is Ethan Hunt’s Nightmare.

Like there’s the straightforward nightmare at the beginning, and then the film just Doesn’t Stop. It keeps messing with our minds again and again. 

This is the Ethan Hunt movie. This is our deep dive into Ethan Hunt’s mind, and at some points it kind of feels like a test of how well we know him- because he wouldn’t kill all those people, so this must be another nightmare, right? 

I am used to vivid nightmares, and this film perfectly captures the sheer horror of having one. And I was constantly doubting my own perception, bouncing between bad dream and reality along with Ethan. Man.

Like Mission Impossible has always kind of had that element, what with the masks and everything, but this film dials it up to eleven. I recognized the horror of Ethan’s situation here, and it was a feeling that stayed with me the entire time.

I mean at some points, it gets surreal. The line about Ethan literally being his own worst enemy (it’s true!), his wife showing up in little glimpses until she finally appears, Lane pinpointing Ethan’s fears, etc. When Ethan looks around at the church and says he’s terribly sorry, it’s such a small moment but it’s still kind of a gut punch. Ethan Hunt is trapped in his brain and so are we.

Even the title sequence shows everything burning around Ethan. The full theme song sounds like it’s going to end, but then it keeps going. This movie feels way more apocalyptic than any of the others.

Even Max is dead. I mean come on.

And we see how this screws up Ethan’s judgment, how his priorities are a little fucked in the grand scheme of things. He puts a few people over millions, for better or for worse.

Ethan Hunt running is an iconic part of the franchise, but what happens when all the messed-up stuff he went through catches up with him? What about the fallout?

So when the ending rolls around, it feels like Ethan is waking up, and that lends it a certain catharsis. But the uneasiness of most of the movie still stuck with me for a long time afterward.

Okay let’s talk about the new characters.

Alanna was neat, and I liked her outfits too. Though every time she flirted with Ethan, I had this vivid mental image of Ethan driving up and yelling “I fucked your mom, shit lips!” Probably something he’d say to Zola instead though.

Walker was such an asshole and that was kind of great actually. Not a single redeeming quality to be found. Have fun falling off that cliff, johnny boy.

Oh yeah and he got to say the only “fuck” in the entire series I believe. (It should have been Ethan. Well I can always hope.)

That conversation Ethan and Benji have about how Ethan won’t let anything happen to him, but then later Ethan does something that seems to put Benji in danger (making him be Solomon Lane)? Chef’s kiss. Also Benji FINALLY got to wear the mask, and he’s damn good at it.

More of Ilsa and Ethan’s relationship and man is it complicated haha. I like the scene where they’re walking through a symmetrical landscape, just paralleling each other, until finally they’re face to face. That’s good stuff right there. Also the scene where he’s in the hospital bed was sweet.

My wife [Brandt] is not here but luckily we get a lot of Luther. Luther is the constant in this series- he’s stuck with Ethan from the beginning, for better or for worse. (Better, because he’s a good character). So Luther really cares about Ethan, evidenced by his conversation with Ilsa. He probably knows Ethan better than anyone, except maybe Julia but then again she and Ethan have been apart for a while. 

Julia was great. The scenes with her and Ethan were v bittersweet. They still care about each other (just look at Ethan’s constant guilt over not protecting her), but she’s living her own life now. The conversation they had near the end was the culmination of all this, the moment we were waiting for. Plus I enjoyed her friendship with Luther, like I enjoyed Ilsa and Benji’s friendship. The scene where they’re cutting the wires/talking about Ethan was cute.

as for the stunts, hmm… I didn't really get the level of physicality I got from, say, MI1 or Ghost Protocol. Idk man maybe I’m just biased against helicopters?

ALSO I really like Face/Off and Hit Man so the John Lark thing was p cool to me. Ofc John was the asshole CIA agent though.

Anyway good movie, might take some time before I can rewatch it but it’s a masterful delve into Ethan Hunt’s mind. Not my favorite but also really really good and I wrote the most about it.

Conclusion. Wow that’s a lot of thoughts. Probably too many to put in one ask. Uh I kind of also want to talk about MI1 and Dead Reckoning as an echo of MI1 but this was a lot so idk if you’d want me to do that lmao. Anyway I have to thank you for convincing me to watch Mission Impossible all those months ago, because it is one of my obsessions now. (If you read all this I am sorry lmao, hope it wasn’t boring tho) 

And now I can finally read your Benthan fic! 8D hell yeah.

okay now it is my turn to reply

I frankly adore Brandt. I've joked to Brandt that I don't really ship Benthan, I just use it as a vehicle to write William Brandt and have him tell jokes. I adore his angry little bureaucratic ass. I am actually a fan of Renner when the material gives him actual shit he can do. Like, he was fucking WASTED in the MCU and the "Hawkeye" miniseries proves he could have been having fun this entire fucking time but they never GAVE him anything. And even if his role in MI is simple, McQuarrie is so damn good at writing characters that Brandt feels vibrant. In GP he goes from sad sweater boy to lowkey the weakest link of the team but everyone is there to help him. And in RN there's a THOUSAND lil moments I love with him. I always point to Benji's interrogation scene, there's a VERY VERY PRECISE bit of editing where Benji is going off on a tirade about how the CIA sucks, and the camera lingers on Brandt LITERALLY JUST LONG ENOUGH for Renner's mouth to make this tiny microexpression, like TWO FRAMES of Brandt indulging in admiring Benji's lie-craft.

Also the argument in the bigass car with Luther was Renner improvising according to McQ. Love it. Brandt's my angry little pencil-pushing angel. Any time he shows up in the PT AU, I'm 😍😍😍

GP lives and dies on the team dynamic tbh, which I find hilarious bc imo MI3 was pronounced dead on arrival bc the team dynamic is non-existent and like, why am I even here???? the chemistry is truly batshit.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE ALL THE TRULY MIND-BOGGLING FACTS BEHIND THE BURJ CLIMB AND HOW TERRIFYINGLY PRACTICAL IT WAS check out this post

Also Ethan's gorgeous LEAP at the end of the sequence is my second-fave Physicality Moment in that movie. The first is of course Ethan's silent vault over the railing after he leaves his prison cell. I'm a slut.

and I bet if I rewatched it I’d catch all the little details that made me suspicious of whoever was talking.

oh you want a fun one? in the record shop, there are two listening booths. ethan goes into the one on the left.

Solomon Lane is sitting in the one on the right.

re: Benji in Rogue Nation, I mean McQuarrie himself has said Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn is the beating heart and soul of the Mission franchise. so don't worry, we ALL stan.

ILSA FUCKING FAUST. /fans face. Yeah, the way MI handles women is like… I don't know how to go back to, like, James Bond films. I keep remembering Skyfall (which I remember as a good movie) and how one of the ~bond girls~ is casually executed and the whole point is how unfazed everyone is, how DISPOSABLE she is, how James Bond as a franchise wants backpats for pointing out "man it sure sucks how disposable women are in these spy flicks huh"

smash cut to Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, Fallout, and ESPECIALLY Dead Reckoning.

I keep saying this but MI manages to pull off the Metal Gear thing in that the Male Gaze of the camera is thoroughly bisexual. Long before we see Ilsa's amazing leg shot at the opera, we get a long lingering shot of Ethan's tiddies, and the way he's held captive is very female-coded, the position, the way he tries to wile his way out of it, the barefoot thing, all of it. There's such intense intentionality with how MI frames bodies.

Hell, I've been flicking between MI and the X-Men AU movies and comparing Ilsa to Mystique is super interesting because both of them fight with their legs-first. But the choreography of Mystique always has this "heh heh heh naked legg" feeling, while with Ilsa, her fighting style is so consistent, it feels like a natural result of her build and how she utilizes momentum. I remember there's a fast moment in Fallout where she very casually assists Ethan by taking out a guard as he extracts Alanna, and she does her leg flip thing. It feels Correct for her, rather than the MCU "make sure you fight pretty" bullshit.

Anyway I love Ilsa but Benji is actually the Love Interest in RN and we all know it.

"wait what do you mean she gets fridged in the 7th movie" SHE DOES NOT GET FRIDGED i am gonna die on this fucking hill, that Ilsa's death was good and actually meant something

Anyway I cosign all your thoughts on Fallout. I think it's the best movie and frankly I think it's a cinematic masterpiece. The claustrophobia of it, the nightmare of being Ethan Hunt, the repeated use of dreamlike imagery to convey that we're falling further into that nightmare with him, AND THE ENDING. I find the ending so bittersweet because yes, Ethan and the team pull it off, they push at the edges of possibility and reason until the universe yields and gives them the win

but then Julia says "I know you'll always be there" and its like watching a door slam in Ethan's face. He's always going to be in this dream/nightmare, a world that exists one layer removed from reality, and he can't get out. It's amazing. I want to kiss McQ on the mouth.

That Ilsa-Ethan scene was not in the original script and TC suggested it day-of and they just did it and its one of the most beautiful shots of the movie, with the green trees melding with the slight green tones of Ilsa's outfit and with Ethan's eyes. The fact they have an entire conversation between Ethan and Ilsa's eyebrows. I love them.

[russetfoxfur]

so i dont usually do liveblogs because i never show up to streams and also im not very good at reacting to stuff. However. i will make an exception because HGCZ IS OUT!! and i have seen so much hype about it that id be a fool to not at least read it. livereact will be under the cut for spoilers and. stuff.

- ok we arent even on the actual ZINE and the opening dedication?? "Of the arts, storytelling is one of the oldest: humanity weaves an endless tapestry of heart, hope, and home that continues to shape us all to this day. To tell a story is to bridge the gap between yesterday and tomorrow; to tell a story is to inextricably connect us all." THAT OPENING PARAGRAPH DUDE

- interesting premise. im intrigued. though i am a little concerned about the "classist violence" and "body modification" warnings. I suspect this is not all Fun and Games

- "I gotta say, "Hot"Guy, this is pretty disappointing. You can be AverageGuy. MediocreGuy." "Oh! "Guy"!" the best part is this is so in-character for them to do

- the ENTIRE EXPLANATION bit omg. joel trying to interject and comic-style getting talked over, lizzie robbing cats instead of cash... and her backstory...

- i. that sudden style shift is not in fact comical and i am now eyeing the unreality warning at the beginning of the zine with sudden alarm. should i be alarmed by this? maybe this is fine. lets say its fine

- JELLIE! hcing her supername is HotCat. she DEFINITELY needs a matching HotGuy costume. and i am somewhat more reassured!

- wait hold on. went back to that first hotguy comic to see the warnings (hidden in the title, missed them) and. WAIT WAS THAT REWRITING FUCKIN MIND CONTROL

- UNREALITY MINDCONTROL SCOPOPHOBIA AND INJURY??? WAIT HOLD ON IM REREADING THIS

- wait. WAIT THAT PANEL. THAT ONE WHERE JOEL SEES HOTGUY REWROTE THE ANIMAL CONTROL VAN TO BE A MONEY VAN. WAIT A FUCKING SECOND WE ARENT EVEN TEN PAGES INTO THE ZINE AND HOLY SHIT

- joels the only one who can SEE HES DOING THIS SO HOTGUY WRITES HIM OUT. JESUS FUCKIN CHRIST. HOTGUY??? UFHODQPHFWJPFAP AND THEN HE "GOES BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD" AND FUCKIN REWRITES REALITY TO MAKE HIMSELF SEEM COOLER. BUT REWRITTEN HOTGUY HAS THE SAME PLASTIC EXPRESSION. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS IS ONLY ONE COMIC I THINK YOURE LYING ABOUT HIS SUPERPOWER MUTATION WHATEVER

- ALRIGHT SWIFTLY ON. WE WILL EYE HOTGUY WITH CONCERN BUT MOVE ON NONETHELESS

- :0 cuteguy appears! doody did rlly good work on this one!

- CUTEGUY IS AWESOME!!! those WINGS... agh i love comic bubbles they just have so much personality and those icy words... and cuteguy pointing HOTGUYS OWN ARROW back at him..... you could not have made a better introduction holy shit

- and then he just flies off. awesome. we should all aspire to be the same level of cool as cuteguy.

- ren would be able to just say hotguy like that. also sidenote i am hearing all these lines in my head as im reading so writers youve all done fantastically!

- UNIONIZE! UNIONIZE! UNIONIZE!

- is pearl... a journalist? or is this the wrong gal? if she is a journalist then good for her!

- oh :( everyone hates unionizing the vigelantes. sad but realistic :(

- MUMBLR?? DID MUMBO K JUMBO BECOME THE OWNER OF TUMBLR IN THIS AU? DID HE KILL MATT PHOTOSPACE WHOEVER THE CEO OF TUMBLR IS? DID THEY FISTFIGHT TO THE DEATH? THAT HAPPENED RIGHT. THATS THE ONLY THING ILL ACCEPT AS CANON. IN THIS AU MUMBLR IS TRANS-FRIENDLY! 🎉

- sweetferaline (bahm bahm bahhh)

- ok this is incredibly funny. teeth dog ftw

- CHATTER AND M JESUS CHRIST THIS IS NOW THE BEST SEGMENT IN THE ENTIRE ZINE. AMAZING COMEBACK THIS IS SO REALISTIC

- and the reply sections are always a cesspool! glad they got that right

- PIXLRIFFS RUNNING A BLOG ON TUMBLR TO EXPLAIN HERMITOPIA. THIS IS SO IN CHARACTER

- THE MAPLE PRINCE. THE MAPLE PRINCE

- THIS ENTIRE MUMBLR DASH WAS PURE COMEDY GOLD. FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS & HATS OFF TO THE WRITER

- ARIANA GRIANDE!!!! WOOOOO <3 <3 WE LOVE YOU GRIANDE!!!!!

- and now permit office grian! we are going through so many different iterations of grian... imagine we get poultry man next

- is that GEM??? IS GEM A VILLAIN? also i dont really know who the hippies are... idk its just hard for me to recognize this artstyle ig

- WAIT. HAS GEM BEEN SPYING ON GRIAN'S DETECTIVITY? or am i just reading this all wrong? i might be reading this all wrong

- alright i might have to reread that one-- WAIT MORE MIND CONTROL. AND BODY MODIFICATION??? THE MISSING CUB... guys if this is sculk!cub im gonna maul someone

- AAAA BEHIND YOU HOTGUY (i called it)

- also love how i instantly went "oh a tibbycaps comic!"

- ok i LOVE this panel where they figure out Arson. the way both conclusions are reached in tandem! and also YAY WOOO ARSON THIS BITCH UP 🔥

- OH MY GOD THIS IS HILARIOUS I LOVE HOW THE abrupt cut to disaster WAS DONE IN COMIC FORM

- THAT MERCH DESIGN IN THE NOTES APP ABSOLUTELY FUCKING SENT ME DUDE

- "i use sculk to season my pizza" ah. I see. typical cubfan behavior. carry on

- "None of us are perfect, despite what you say might feel when you look at me" this Bdubs email is SO IN-CHARACTER

- " i replied to some of these but then i kinda got bored and started sending links to cool space facts instead" honestly this is what i would do too. and i would be happy to get cool space facts in return for my hotguy email. i dont see what the issue is here

- oh is cuteguy taking issues with the supernovae. skill issue tbh

- this whole cuteguy-cub email chain is HILARIOUS. scratch that this whole email segment is hilarious jesus christ. grian is being SO BITCHY and im HERE FOR IT

- PEARLIPOP IS A REPORTER! YES! and zedaphs in this au! he isnt even going under wormman??? shocking (< says a zedaph fangirl who is completely fixated on one passing mention of him)

- oh my god this is the best storytelling format ever. the panicked exchanges between cuteguy n cub, pearl reporting as she is wont to do... genuinely i love this so much i am giggling so much im actually gonna stop liveblogging because i just want to read this. ill be with yall in a moment

- actually never mind "if he waits too long to answer it starts to play the whole Lilo and Stitch movie audio" cub i love you so much. hgcz i love you so much i almost forgive you for that very jarring first comic

- it looks like we have seven or so more years before hotguy becomes a reality... new reasons to live. also the chatter discourse is insane from what ive seen doc does just act Like That on twit/chatter

- "sumagram" well i guess we know who owns that now

- :000 HOTCAT APPEARS!!!!! WE LOVE YOU HOTCAT <3333333 EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR OUR BELOVED HOTCAT!!!

- THE AWKWARD EXIT. i love it

- I SEE THAT BIG SALMON DONT THINK I DONT

- SHIRTLESS SCAR.... im aroace but like. i can still admire a shirtless man cant i. artist did a good job

- NO YOU DID NOT PUT A LILACS AND POPPIES REFERENCE IN THIS COMIC I AM GNAWING THE ARTIST OF THIS COMIC WITH MY TEETH YOU ARE MAKING ME INSANE DEAR GOD THEY TEAMED UP BUT HOW IS THIS GOING TO END AAAAAA HOTGUY DONT DIE IN THE CACTUS RING PLEASE BUDDY

- CREEPER AW MAN

- horsegirl hotguy... wild stallion cuteguy... someone needs to write this au. i should write this au. actually hold on *scribbles furiously in my "crackfic ideas" notes* carry on

- update: now listening to scheming weasel for atmosphere.

- “Who’s the more foolish: the fool, or the fools who follow him?” stellar line. only a certified HotGuy can produce lines like these

- "after a tick or two" if hermitopians measure time in ticks like minecrafters do then thats such a cool worldbuilding detail

- FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO BURN DOC AND HIS LACKEYS ALIVE. THANK GODS THEY DIDNT

- testing of new weapons montage! i know hotguy is the star of the show here but god i love cub so much more. can cub be the "protagonist" here instead actually

- i. i have suspicions that cub is not sculk-free. or is this a flutterbat situation where it is all dealt with but its not but actually it is but it also kinda isnt? yknow. im gonna write this off as a flutterbat thing but i will still be keeping a very close eye on cub

- *snort* deep enough to hold twelve pieces of bamboo (i am such a sucker for in-jokes)

- grian is warming up to scar... also hotguy bandaids

- AND I GET THAT REFERENCE TOO!! very clever! grian shut up its two in the morning! "Scar doesn’t seem to know how to react, his mouth falling open and then promptly shutting again." same grian why would you bring up the nose hair incident and to an unsuspecting hotguy no less smh learn sone manners

- you know what if grian can learn first aid from the nose hair incident in alaska then scar can get injured in a volleyball incident (i have never watched scar which yes is a skill issue but also if this is also a reference i would not get it). beloved desertduo who cannot lie to save their fuckin lives

- THAT ENDING COMIC IS HILARIOUS. SUCH A SCAR THING TO DO

- alright im gonna take a break from liveblogging rn! i will be back in (my) morning with scheming weasel and a renewed spirit. goodnight yall! <3

[koifly]

About James' backstory

So as you can tell, I haven't posted the backstory my OC James yet.

But that will change in a few weeks. I'm currently working on it but school and private problems often get in the way of it. I'm not quite sure when it will be finished but I wanted to say that the story will have illustrated parts. I mean I gotta use my 'skills' in a way.

General information about the story:

The story on its own will not have any type of direct connection to the Slenderman. So no Slenderman showing up outside a window or something like that. Although, it will partly play in my AU of the forest in which the Slenderman resides in. The proxies do exist in that universe, as well as some of the other creeps. While working on James' story I'm also working on my own AU of creepypasta so there will definitely be connections.

This may be a surprise but James does NOT have a canon romantic interest, a bit different than the art I post of him with my version of Toby. I personally think that the romance is a bit unnecessary for his story and non of the proxies will be directly involved in his story for now. Maybe a small, subtle appearance or traces of one of them being near James, but no actual conversation.

I will mention this again when I actually post the story but here is the trigger warning list (for now):

-SA, abusive behaviour of authority

-Mention of SH

-Mention of delusions and hallucinations (I'm not sure if this TW is necessary but just in case)

What even is/does James do post-incident?

James is a sort of vengeful spirit. He is going to murder the man that has assaulted him, but not actively. Using psychological torture is his thing, so he will inflict no direct physical harm to the man. James is NOT a serial killer. He does not lure in people, he does not kill innocent people, he does not hurt wandering humans. His first and last murder will be the one that assaulted him. After that he will wander around the forest, like some sort of ghost. People are able to see him, but only how he WANTS to be perceived. I mentioned this in a post earlier, James has two official appearances.

1. Realistic post death corpse. I think the name sums it up pretty well, he just looks pretty disfigured, rotten and torn in that form.

2. Post death spirit. In this second form, he really just looks like how he did when he was alive. He still has blood running down his body, he still has bruises and wounds but in a way, he still looks alive. He doesn't look disfigured nor rotten. The closest non creepypasta character I can compare him too in that form is the final form of Chandramukhi in the first movie 'Chandramukhi' from the year 2005. (Great, nostalgic horror/comedy Tamil movie btw)

Just to make things clear, in no way whatsoever is James mentally well. He has schizophrenia, social anxiety and body dysmorphia. He is extremely sensitive to his surroundings and empathetic towards others. And no, I don't mean empathic in a healthy way but in a way that other's moods and problems directly affect him. He is a soul that will feel the same amount of fear, stress, anger, sadness, whatever feeling you want as the person he is currently spending time with. This causes him to be stressed and/or overwhelmed most of the time. So yes, he is a really nervous person, yet I don't want him to be perceived as some sort of 'soft boy'. James is a 25 years old male who was in university for a psychology major before he was murdered. I'm currently giving him a slight redesign so that his body and physique actually look appropriate to his lifestyle. He is a bharatanatyam dancer, he helps out in his sister's garage and regularly hits the gym. That guy is athletic af and not some damsel in distress just because his bharatanatyam clothes are pretty.

If you have any questions about James and/or my creepypasta AU, my ask box is open:)

(pls excuse any grammar mistakes, English isn't my first language)

So uhhh, yeah. I hope I'll finish the story and the illustrations soon. I still have some other art WiP's that I need to finish too but it'll come together.

Have a wonderful day/night:D

[crookedfandomquill]

TOTNT 1938 is halfway done (grrr no whyyyyy), and I have many thoughts. I will share some of those thoughts with you this evening:

- I love that this season is so distinct from the first, without totally abandoning its roots; it leans a lot more into the action/comedy, but it’s still got a lot of dark folklore and is very character-centric.

- The intro sequence is amazeballs. It’s like the first season intro and the intro from Bad and Crazy had a beautiful, unhinged baby. I never skip it!

- I love that they got back almost the entire OG cast. I’ve missed them!

- I haven’t seen anyone comment on it so I gaslit myself into thinking I imagined it, but is Yeon’s hair a good bit darker? It’s leaning more auburn than the old bright orange, although it’s more orangey in direct light. I like it, I was just doubting myself.

- Everyone is clearly having so much fun with their roles, and that’s what I look for in performances. LDW especially, but that’s kind of a hallmark of his acting for me.

- It’s hysterical to me that the writers explained the end of season 1 FIRST THING. They were like “okay we gotta fix this immediately so people stick around.” Honestly in the absence of other information I had a different theory for why season 1 ended like it did, but this works too!

- The end of episode 1 was genius. Getting them all together on the train, everyone with different information and agendas… chef’s kiss, no notes.

- I’m glad they’re giving Rang so much to do! He’s getting his romance subplot, he has his bandit gang…

- Ghost!Rang was so fun, and a great opportunity for hijinx. I love that it allowed him to hear what Yeon was really thinking, and the sneezing thing was hilarious.

- One thing I was hoping for from this season was a more in-depth exploration of what it means to be a mountain god, and it looks like we’re getting it! The information we have so far on our three mountain gods casts a really interesting light on the first season and Lee Yeon’s whole character. The fact that they were chosen for the job as children by Taluipa… I’ve gone into that in a separate post.

- Hong Joo is my new problematic fave. I say problematic because the scene where she comes on to Yeon while he’s blind really gave me the ick, but in spite of her inability to take no as an answer she’s a really interesting and fun character. Flawed, strong, hot… just my cup of tea! My love for her feels similar to my love for Taluipa; part of me kind of hates her, but I respect her at the same time.

- I’m still waiting to be compelled by Moo Young, but I’ve never tended to attach strongly to stoic characters (at least until we get a full tragic backstory). I’m excited to see more from him.

- I’m interested to see how the broader plotline plays out, considering we’ve been told that nothing Yeon does in the past will make a difference.

- Will Yeon and Rang’s dad be making an appearance?? I don’t think we’ve been told that he died, and we’ve seen Yeon talking about how abusive he was during his childhood. I’d love to see them tie up that end.

- Everything with Mi Ho was absolute gold (pun intended). Yeon is 100% going to return home and start pestering Ji Ah for a baby.

- Yeon and Shin Joo are really doing the Lord’s work getting Rang’s mermaid romance off the ground. Very accurate portrayal of an older sibling’s reaction to the younger one being in a relationship; I’ve said and done all of those things with my brothers.

- I don’t know what I expected from 1938!Yeon; part of me thought modern!Yeon would transmigrate into his body from the time period, but the alternative is so much better. Coked-up, petty, grief-addled Lee Yeon is a treat to see, and I wonder how he’ll factor into the rest of the story, if he does at all. The fight between the two Lee Yeons was epic and hysterical.

- On the topic of 1938!Yeon: I notice that his hair is in the Goryeo mullet, which I guess just means he hasn’t cut it lately. But also: his black-gray ends are gone. So he’s not cutting his hair… but he’s dyeing his ends! I like to think it’s his sad emo look.

- Yeon choked up so much blood at the beginning of episode 6 that for a second I thought I was watching a Chinese xianxia lol

- I appreciate how Yeon and Shin Ju are both spending significant mental energy pining for their wives. But also: WHEN WILL SHIN JU GET HIS WEDDING RING BACK

I’m sure I’ve forgotten many thoughts. Perhaps I will reblog later with additions.

[embossross]

2023 in anime

i give ratings out of 10 stars based on a rubric that considers the following:

2 points / ambition of what the anime is trying to achieve 3 points / effectiveness of the anime in achieving its aims 4 points / my personal, subjective enjoyment 1 point / pacing +1/-1 miscellaneous

so with that said… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)

revolutionary girl utena – heavy breathing panting crying what a fucking roller coaster nanami the child you are anty the child you were utena the child you choose to be – just one of the true masterpieces of all anime. took a few episodes to realize that this show understood tone and comedy perfectly and wasn’t just a wonky children’s show and by golly! the nanami in season 3 gutted me unlike anything else

attack on titan: final season (for real this time) – decent conclusion to maybe my favorite anime of all time

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (10 anime)

school rumble – so goddamn funny and i cared about every goddamn character. it’s witchcraft!

trigun – good ole saturday morning cartoons

golden kamuy s3 – how does it keep getting better???!?!

fruits basket – i was a certified hater after s1, but slowly but surely i gave into the melodrama. akito and shigure were EVERYTHING

nana – the most disappointing ending of all time! for one of the greatest anime of all time. manga pls save me!!!

rascal does not dream of bunny girl senpai – i’m embarrassed. i cried.

princess tutu – expressionistic, dedicated to storytelling, tremendously kind-hearted. you have to let it move you

blue lock – i’m officially a sports anime girlie

cyberpunk: edgerunners – this was just so slick!

chainsaw man – nothing needs to be said here

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8 anime)

yamada-kun to lv999 no koi wo suru – adult romance that hasn’t been stripped of all conflict and maintains momentum nearly to the end

oshi no ko – my expectations were non-existent after ep 1 but then it crept up on me. i can’t even fully put my finger on what works so well? but it does! it knows when to take itself seriously and when to be nonsense.

demon slayer s3 – best season of demon slayer to date, i actually cared

durarara!!x2 shou – this is a confession. my inner edgy teen loves durarara. i appreciate huge casts of characters acting in opposition in atmospheric tokyo.

gintama – i finally finished gintama one of my favorites of all time. the end pulls all the threads together but it does so at the expense of the laughs so loses some points

chihayafuru – amazing background anime. just consistently fun and engaging.

perfect blue – i feel stupid and uncultured to not give this a 10

vinland saga – askeladd is so hot wow

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (7 anime)

buddy daddies – funny and sincere in degrees but a truly annoying little girl character

serial experiments lain – god you’ve gotta appreciate the wild swings creatives were taking in the 90s

durarara!!x2 ten

great teacher onizuka – ugh he’s a creep but also heh he’s funny

trigun stampede – they yassified them!

mob psycho 100 s3 - meandered a bit but the characters are forever favorites

to your eternity – the first 3 arcs are extraordinary. march is one of the great child characters of all time. the end drags.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8 anime)

zom 100 – crazy good first episode that earns its premise and then a slow descent into mediocrity; cool colors though!

terror in resonance – utterly forgettable

dororo – way too long with way too many hit or miss episode arcs

bungou stray dogs s4 – the cracks are showing but the rampo backstory is dope

lycoris recoil – those cute girls shoulda been lesbians

classroom of the elite – is it edgy? yes. are the quotes frustratingly misused? oh yes. is it fun? ugh yeah actually

romantic killer – pretty cute and the edge of danger at the end really sells it

free – solid watch but it left my brain like sand in a sieve

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 anime)

wolf’s rain – what passes as deep when children are your primary audience

hell’s paradise – boring and i liked the manga so.

durarara!!x2 ketsu – the conclusion falls short

land of the lustrous – bold but was too slow for me

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3 anime)

tomo-chan is a girl! – sometimes funny but the conceit does not justify 13 episodes and it loses steam fast

mushishi – some of the vignettes were beautiful but felt repetitive

bleach: thousand-year blood war – sleek, hype, plagued by all the old bleach problems

no game no life season 1 - confused that this was such a phenomenon when it came out. it’s fine i guess.

⭐⭐⭐ (5 anime)

kamisama kiss – trite imo

given – god save us from anime about perfect people being perfect with each other – but this time set to music!

tokyo revengers s2 – 🤷

natsume’s book of friends – i don’t need vibes this cozy

sasaki to miyano – and i really don’t need vibes this cozy

⭐⭐ (0 anime)

⭐ (0 anime)

& then ongoing shows that i’m not going to rank until i finish them (but actually all are pretty good so far) – skip to loafer, heavenly delusion, spy x family s2, apothecary diaries, jujutsu kaisen s2, frieren: beyond journey’s end, vinland saga s2

[aboardthescheherazade]

Hey! Just found your blog, (yippee!) and saw in your about page you said you like to write about the villains - so if you're still doing the ask game, gotta know about 1 (and if it's cool, 5 & 38 too?) Cheers!

Absolutely! I'd love to answer all three, even:

1. Fave villain?

Definitely Rastapopoulos. He has a lot going on, and I've had a lot of fun unravelling his backstory from archival material. He's the typical mustache-twirling cartoon bad guy who just wants to "take over the world", and he was actually successful at this...but his sole undoing is always just some fucking kid with a little dog. Tintin doesn't want to keep running into Rastapopoulos, but over time the latter keeps getting sloppier and more manic with his planning, so it's just inevitable that he'll eventually get busted. It's a really funny dynamic to me. Like, imagine if some college freshman just set out to do an English assignment, and he accidentally took down El Chapo.

(I secretly wish I was better at drawing Rastapopoulos, though. If I soften his design too much, he looks like a Moomin, or if I make him too realistic in my style, he looks like Mr. Weatherbee. I have to keep training ^^;)

5. Fave thing about the Tintin series?

I love how much lore and hidden continuity there is throughout the series. A lot of characters who went on to become series mainstays actually started as bit characters (i.e. Castafiore's first canon appearance was just a joke about listening to live opera in a closed vehicle), but the Herge Studio crew obviously thought to bring them back for later roles. Over the course of Red Rackham's Treasure, you can almost feel Herge get more attached to Professor Tournesol, turning him from a one-off wacky scientist character (i.e. the various scientists of Shooting Star) to a valued member of the team. Not every detail we see leads to something later on in canon, but it makes for some really fun speculation with other fans.

38. Which is your favourite adventure from Tintin comics and why?

The Calculus Affair feels to me like it has the best blend of drama and comedy. It makes a very tense (faux) historical thriller, and it also has that great scene where Castafiore tricks Colonel Sponsz into giving up a government document...it adds so much to Castafiore's overall character, and it also gives the reader time to breathe in the middle of such a tight story. Sponsz himself also makes for a very ominous, striking main villain in this album.

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 12 - Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

So, like everyone on tumblr, I was at least peripherally aware of The Untamed, if only as ‘the C-drama with the impossibly pretty men everyone loves shipping about necromancy or something.’ (Also the one crossover porn fanfic with so many tags that it broke AO3.) So I wasn’t quite coming into this blind, but I think I came pretty close. It sure as hell wasn’t anywhere close to my vague expectations.

Anyway, this was fun! Also absolutely let me cross off reading something from an entirely unfamiliar literary subculture off my metaphorical bingo card for the year. Just reams of assumed context I absolutely did not possess. Kind of loved it (but the occasional clarifying footnotes were very much necessary and appreciated.)

Which is to say – there was so much more slapstick and physical comedy than I expected from the vague intimations of feudal politics and magical warfare I got? Not usually my sort of humour but it got a laugh out of me once or twice. My favourite character is Wei Wuxian’s donkey.

The conceit of the first story – reviled and abused failson destroys his own soul and offers up his body as a host to the spirit of a legendary evil wizard to wreak bloody vengeance for him, but fucks up the bit of the ritual that tells the spirit who to take revenge on. Also the whole ‘legendary evil wizard’ reputation was at least partially and vaguely due to a propaganda campaign by his enemies and he’s not particular enthusiastic about the ‘murder a whole family’ thing – is also just incredible. I kind of wish it had been more drawn out, before the whole ‘gotta collect them [chunks of a specific super cursed corpse] all!’ plot became the main justifying connective tissue.

Not that the overarching plot is really the story’s strong point – it’s basically just the excuse to keep Wei Wuxian and Wang Lanji together and having adventures. The actual selling points are the backstories and character interactions and to a lesser extent the monster of the week stuff. All of which are pretty well done!

Though as far as monster of the week stuff goes – I’m vaguely aware that cultivation fantasy is a whole, like, genre, with about as many weirdly specific shared assumptions as ‘generic’ western fantasy written by people swimming in a sea of Tolkien/Conan-as-interpreted-by-Warcraft-and-D&D, but I’ve really got zero clue whatsoever to what degree the worldbuilding of this is typical of the genre? Not that it particularly matters, beyond some of the reveals making much more sense if they’re building off an assumed awareness of how the world’s expected to work, all more or less new (though more or less intuitive) to me either way. Fun to see so much magic based around music.

Anyways – obviously I’m going in with a biased perspective but my god can you see how this ended up with a massive shipping fandom. The entire story is nothing but impossibly beautiful men flirting/pranking/sexually harassing each other while being utterly and entirely capable to even understand let along communicate their feelings. The two lead’s entire relationship in this volume is like a dated mid-2000s comedy sketch about two ostensibly straight guys playing gay chicken and both being so competitive that they just end up fucking. Author really knew what they were doing with the fanfic bait.

(Though honestly I’m legitimately unsure if it’s just a matter of narrative choice to not dwell on motivations or Wei Wuxian really is the single most unselfaware asshole in the entire universe. He legitimately seems incapable of understanding his own motivations most of the time.)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the art, which really is very lovely. Though I will be entirely honest that there’s only so many handsome black-haired men in flowing robes I can keep apart in my head.

But yeah, fun read overall. Don’t exactly feel compelled to go seek out the next volume, but don’t regret having read this one, damn sight better than some other things I’ve read this year.

[arduadastra]

An unhinged recap of TLOU EP3

Honestly read at your own peril, I cried a lot in this one

*spoilers ahead*

So right off the bat I played TLOU with my partner very soon after it came out, and then again.....and again......(and again) a few more times so I thought I was ready for this. I was ready for grissly asshole bill needing to go find Frank because he's only gone and got himself in some shit and yeah joel and ellie come along I know where a battery is but oh no Frank got bit?! and have a cry but did we get that? No. Do i wish we did? Absolutely not.

But i am kinda bummed we didnt get pedro pascal caught upside down shooting at zombies because of Frank's trap....thats one of my all time favourite scenes

ANYWAY

The whole set up to Bill and who he is, is done so well and with comedy too. It's meant to be ridiculous in a way that someone like bill, a prepper and lets be real we all know one, who 9/10 is called crazy is now the smart one and we see him living his best solo life in his mini town

5. Years pass im thinking huh, that isnt too long, we arent up to present day yet and then i see my boy frank in a hole and im thinking OH YEAHHHH we get some BACKSTORY

6. "there is no girl" "i know" - why did this make me laugh yet cry in the same breath? its so bloody unfair people can grow up without knowing what it is to love and be loved simply because some assholes out there made it 'not the norm' and considering how bill grew up, im sure that didnt help either.

7. "have you done this before?" "no"

8. Young joel in that sunshine? eating with that fork on a fancy plate with pedro's non grey hair and looking clean as frick? this was for the pedro simps and i APPROVE

8.5 MY BOYS JUST WANNA GROW STRAWBERRIES OK

9. the raiders hit, im thinking SHIT here we go, this is when theyre gonna kill frank and joel and ellie will show up and bill will be an asshole and joel will think nothing of it and ill be screaming at my tv and all will be right in the wor- wait what BILL GOT HIT?!

10. oh he's fine

11. Frank isn't though

12. This is where im prepping myself right? I KNEW since i started this episode that he would die, he died in the game and he's gotta die here but im not liking this.

13. Bill stop naming Frank's pills fun names im literally crying

14. Frank: "This is my last day" Me:

15. I dont need to write the speech he made because honestly if i did i'll just cry again and im writing this on my laptop and i really cant afford a new one but you all know that made you cry too

16. THEY. GOT. MARRIED. ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?! ARE YOU?! BECAUSE THIS SUCCEEDED MAN YOU DID IT - WELL DONE

17. Now here i am, tears streaming down my face when you lose something you cannot replace Frank has drunk the wine, im a puddle and then Bill.....this mother fricker....downs his glass and im thinking wait a miniute here....this isnt what happened in the game

18. "objectively.....that is very romantic"

19. ........ *frank castle voice* wait wait wait wait wait WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT

20. my ass is in denial right, im like nah ok bill is gonna wake up and that'll be horrifying and heartbreaking because now hes forced to live on without the love of his life and joel and ellie arrive and his door is locked and i knew this aint the way it's gonna be

21. the letter. I need say nothing more.

22. So after ALL THAT, all the sobbing and crying and pact and 'we left a window open' they're just gonna throw at me some joel and ellie bonding in the car? theyre gonna give me the game quotes of 'what you say goes' ????????????????

TLDR: EP3 was beautiful and heartwarming and then soul sucking all at once. While i didnt get my refirdgerator scene i got something so much more and I loved them for that. Now im just hoping ellie found those magasines because best BELIEVE thats another of my all time favourite scenes from the game

[ginevrafangirl]

Love Between Fairy and Devil Commentary Part 2

More highlights from my reactions to this drama, episodes 13-24.

Part 1 | Part 3

SPOILERS ahead!

oh no emo boy is staging a coup // also the actor for emo boy really has peak younger sibling face

his expression is EXTREMELYY badass rn // though you still need to redeem yourself after that unneeded kissing of girlie

omg i think batman actually cares about his friend, he just laid his head down ectremely gently

does batman love his bestie enough to transfer his cultivation? // omg he DOES

i LOVE me some depth to my villains

oh jin guangshan is the god of thunder and lightning! its always the king of the gods that has that power!! the parallels to greek and indian mythology!

oh dragon boy, you were so close yet so far // i love these loyal sweet slightly naive yet super powerful and badass right hand men of the male lead // dragon boy, welcome to the club that consists of wen ning, zhong li, chuanyu, and someone from eternal love i am most certainly forgetting (mdzs/cql, who rules the world, eternal love references)

OMG HE MADE THE FLOWER PETALS FALL

lol people wrote smut about them // i meannnn its basically celebrity real person fic

sauron: i wanted to see you // girlie: see ME?? // sauron: i wanted to see you FIX THE BOOK

boy the moment you feel ANYTHING sweet for her you double down on being a dick

lesbian shopkeeper is a hustler and has STREET SMARTS

okay i suppose i gotta cut dragon boy some slack, he is indeed a literal dragon and doesnt understand human customs

jieli is the human 'are we dating' buzzfeed quiz

sauron: its EMOTION time baby

this is the game of thrones lesbian 'teaching you how to make love to our chief' scene

girlie is actually twirling her hair ornaments around her fingers

tragic misunderstanding brothers, my jammm

sauron: i have no emotions. thus i dont love you // girlie: i am so happy that means you dont hate me // like GIRL

i love when this show does comedy man, its so funny

i mean she is literally TAKING EDIBLES

is her hair jewellery getting more and more elaborate??

honestly batman could be honest about his true plan and i think iceman would understand

batman is growing on me as well. his motivations are kinda dark lwj, actual dean winchester vibes // and he actually cares about iceman. fucking yu wuyuan WISHES he had this kinda dimensions (mdzs/cql, supernatural, who rules the world references)

jin guangshan is the true villain of this show, just like hes the only true villain in mdzs

the love triangle i do not love, but its funny that in any other show iceman and girlie would 100% be the main leads, i mean their backstory set that up PERFECTLY

god is speaking to ice god // oh its jin guangshan speaking from the sky

damn man must not even be able to jerk off without big brother watching

dragon boy: you're also an orphan? // sir there are a lot of orphans in this world

dragon boy you want to be trustworthy and honest and you're working for THE LITERAL DEVIL

catwoman has a WHIP!? of CHAINS? thats BADASS

she fixed it??? since when did she magically gain THAT ability

its really interesting how physical objects enter illusions and dreams // by that i mean the fucking golden leaf

'how dare you come for my people' cue ROCK GUITAR SOLO

sir you already broke the couldron once, aint batman just gonna glue it back together again?

they sure sacrifice the plot effects of the one heart curse in favor of romance quite a bit

evil god??? there is a god named evil god??

i think girlie has grown proper fond of sauron // she is acting so 'oppaaaa' aegyo-y to him rn

who tf sleeps with their arms crossed, sauron, you can be such a pouty child sometimes

i am glad they showed the effect on all the soldiers and families that die in meaningless battles

soooo since she looks like an old woman, i guess in this universe immortals do age, just really really slowly

cue the 'why are you running meme' except its sauron being chased by an emotion

oh his emotions are growing! its cause she is the goddess of xiyun that can cure anything (oop)

i think daddy was losing the war and got desperate and traumatized his kids

she is wearing more jewellery! symbolism of her falling more in love and growing more comfortable by his side?

sauron: oh NO i am feeling an EMOTION

the founder of the moon tribe is lady yan, aka princess yue heheeh (atla reference)

jieli, honey, why did you have to make things so hard for yourself and try to steal

jieli stealing makes no sense, she is a smart woman, she wouldnt take that kinda risk

so sauron here is incredibly op and the big struggle he has to overcome is dealing with his own emotions

this is a very thinly veiled metaphor for men being fucked up and emotionally repressed and the women in their lives having the responsibility (even if taken willingly) to fix the emotions

langhua is THE 'i can fix him' girlie now that she cares about him

girlie always finds her backbone whenever it comes to a man smh

i think girlie and lesbian shopkeeper should date, dragon boy and sauron should date, girlie and sauron should date, and just be a fun polyamourous quartet

daddy is a qi deviated nie mingjue (mdzs/cql reference)

if the book is burnt to ashes, how are you gonna find a random pile of ashes? how do you know its the book? // someone very conveniently collected the ashes and put them back in the original box and put the box in the throne

if the final step to the ritual is patricide, how will he successfully complete the ritual this time?

bro just became ghost rider

also why was there a throne in the bedroom of daddy?

difference between daddy and sauron and the nie bros is that nhs always knew his brother loved him very much (mdzs/cql reference)

she is INSANE to willingly jump into a whirlpool to go to the afterlife to ask a very scary demon lord if he loved his son // girlie is one dedicated pr agent

she is just supermanning through this water // and he is ironmanning through it

if the guqin was repaired by magic, why can you see the cracks?

its a tragedy innit

oh why do i get the feeling he is gonna have to kill her to win some kinda battle and control hellfire again

this dad is the exact opposite of elio's dad in cmbyn

they are practically shoving the cinematic parallels in my face

also there was absolutely NO need to get shirtless lmao he just wanted to show off

give him a hug, girlie // YES // wow // that must be his first hug since his nanny // fuck the patriarchy for not letting men hug each other

sauron with his hair down is a LOOK

emo boy wanted to spend time with his gegeee

she has huge asian mom energy by bribing him with food

i'm not sure if he still wants to take over the fairy tribe or not, this could be a potential conflict in the future

is girlie STILL in denial about her liking him? boy you like the IDEA of ice man but the actual sauron. stop lying to yourself

LMAO he's like i will kill everyone for you so you can go back homee

ice god is suffering from a sad case of second lead syndrome

wow security at the tower is BAD if she was able to sneak him out so easily

dont you dare follow him danyin // NO // do NOT // oh fuck me // ofcourse she did

i wanted some fun mortal shenanigans, not this angst

girlie there are only a few people in shuiyuntian that are worth leaving a powerful man who you've got in the palm of your hands

i think its so funny the mortal realm is called yunmeng lake

dragon boy and lesbian shopkeeper are slick wit it

so the show is shipping my bisexual icons the shopkeeper and dragon boy?? i can fuck with that

oh wow the girlies are gaslighting and manipulating love that for them

you mean to tell me a mansion of this size was simply up for sale???

being a brothel entertainer is probably what being an idol was like

DID BISEXUAL SHOPKEEPER JUST EAT A RAW BHINDI (a bhindi is a ladysfinger vegetable)

the voice actor is giving the ice mans dad so much more oomph than the actor

oh god mortal ice man is gonna fall for fake mortal girlie

sauron: what is this strange illness that has befallen me // dragon boy: idk man but i have it too // me: WUV

daddy again? i thought we were done with this arc // but i guess you cant heal from trauma that easily

that moon is huge, at this size it would most definitely flood the earth

i wonder whether lady si ming will make an appearance in this story

motral jack frost was BORN with the jade??? did it also come out of his mortal moms fanny??

NAURRR I DONT WANT HER BELOVED TO BE SAURONNN

sauron: jealousy jealousyy

jack frost, being the true artist that he is, getting creative in the middle of the night

the way you can tell that girlie is well and truly over jack frost is that she seems excited about his match with lady war

and that kids, is what you call a self fulfilling prophecy

this is a whole grown ass man, and theyre making him go back to school??

JACK FROST CALLED SAURON HIS ZHIJI??? // proof that polyamory is always the answer

finally!! the batman and lady war backstory i have been waiting for

honestly i am all for destroying shuiyuntian, i have no reason to side with the so called heroes of this show

what is it with disciples that are unhealthily attached to their masters and are willing to go to literally any lengths to revive them after dying // the sam and dean style of unhealthy attachement (eternal love, supernatural references)

human jack frost is such a simp

how is it ep 23 and there still hasnt been a love confession

so sauron is a makeup artist too?? // the james charles of ugly makeup??

i love when incredibly powerful men are vain bitches

they are beneficial conqueror vs peace loving hippie couple

jack frost is a playboy but he will never steal another mans love. it doesnt matter if the woman says no, the only barrier in his road is another man laying claim

siblings or dating: cdrama edition

pissy and bitchy dongfang qingcang IS SO FUNNY I AM DYINGG

dont just tell me that catwoman killed everyone, SHOW ME // i wanna SEE her go on a murderous rampage

honestly the bisexual power couple's dynamic, jieli and shangque, is suited to my taste. her just bullying him and him liking it

girlie has incest on her mind

"asking for a friend"

omg DANYIN TRANS ICON CONFIRMED

not jieli actually saying 'i am not like other girls'

jieli is a BUSINESSWOMAN she has no time for ROMANCE

girlie is having deja vu

This was it for episodes 13-24! There will definitely be a part 3 for the last 12 episodes.

PS: I alternate between calling changheng ice god and jack frost, and variations, but they are the same person!

[kulaiyin]

(content: windblume 3.5)

i am completely normal about this event 💥😌💥

long post with reactions/thoughts about the windblume quests! as a certified collei fan, this was a great treat!

COLLEI JUMPSCARE

i love how green everything is in this picture

S... SCREAMS

alright so... i thought this was going to be collei and amber’s first reunion, but it actually makes sense that collei’s already visited mondstadt multiple times before! i’m glad because it really feels like a moment that they should have for themselves, without any nosy watchers

CYNO’S A REAL RIOT?! he’s so funny...

also i’m really glad albedo liked his jokes. tighnari is too much of a wet blanket sometimes 😂 (a comedy dynamic just needs some flabbergasted pushback to feel complete to me...)

THIS MAN SAID THIS UNPROMPTED!!!! ∑( 口 ||

by the way, in the CN voice he said something like “collei arrives” which sounds like “ke lai lai”... he actually made this joke again later in part 2 

i cannot stop screenshotting... gyaaa i love these two being the leads of the event, they’re so sweet and shy!!!! (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)💞

this is just a pokemon double battle

WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK CYNO!!!!!!

this is the start of what i consider my highlight of the event. 

i never realized it, but this is such a natural way for collei’s personality to progress after such a life changing event in mondstadt. of course she won’t feel 100% at ease even beside her savior and role model amber. she’s trying to be like the light that took her out of the darkness, but in the end, it’s still really difficult to crawl out of the dark. 

as a fan of manga collei for over two years, i really appreciate that collei’s past isn’t handwaved. the fact that a game like this is taking care with this mature topic instead of reducing her character for comfort and marketability... i’m really stunned and grateful with the care that the writing team has given collei’s personal struggles. 

we’re presented with the middle of a really beautiful character arc here. collei’s still growing, and that’s ok ♪(´▽｀)

sucrose’s speech here is incredible too, i’m really emotional about it... 

i’m really glad collei has made a friend in sucrose. these two characters are surrounded by people who are “out of reach”, like geniuses or role models. being surrounded by people that you put on a pedestal like that all the time must be tiring... 

i feel like these two can really benefit from each other’s company as equals who struggle in making conversation but in different ways. it’s just so good... 🤧 sucrose, you’re seriously the best.

(sucrose... 🦊, collei... 🐱? CUTE-- 💥)

besides the discussion being relatable, i also feel vulnerable having some of my inner thoughts and anxieties with human interaction relayed on the screen through these two so effectively _(:з)∠)_ i still can’t believe they did this and with such a nice message/learning moment, both for people who struggle and people who want to offer comfort.

... anyway, socially anxious people unite...! someone check on the writers responsible for this scene! it’s too real...

sucrose mailbox... it has her neck bow and the metal bit that’s on her sleeve!

this lore in part 2 really got my eyes opened wide?! so cyno’s adopted dad is professor cyrus... cyno also is possessed by “hermanubis” in a situation almost like collei’s, but he has it under control. that’s quite nuts!

SO COOL...

the hexenzirkel-- (googles) wow, i cannot believe i spelled that right --cutscene was also very interesting. the lore revelations about the new characters... hmm! too much to go over, but personally i’d love to learn more about B. “let me scry!”

also very happy to see albedo as a beby...

sigh... i am not a big fan of alice because of her crimes against hilichurls and i gotta admit, despite it being a lore bomb, i’m kind of sad this event ended on such a random note. i wanted sucrose and collei’s efforts to have a world shattering revelation on their psyche, darn it! (exaggerated)

also maybe i wanted a cutscene dedicated to collei backstory... (/▽＼) but i get it, it would’ve been totally out of place and collei shouldn’t be dominating a mondstadt event haha...

in the end i respect the writing decision, i’m glad everyone there got to witness an old secret that happened many windblumes ago. there’s still something special and thematic about that!

I-I-I-I-I-IS THIS.........!!!? A REFERENCE TO THE SCHOLAR’S BOOKMARK SHE WON IN LUDI HARPASTUM IN THE MANGA (COLLAPSES) 

THIS IS SO WARM! THANK YOU FOR A GREAT WINDBLUME!!!!! the cloud test tube scene was such a cute callback T___T may everyone find happiness!

by the way it’s so funny that you can actually challenge cyno...

IT WAS SO CLOSE, HE’S HARD...

also i full combo’d collei’s beatmap on first try! it was really hard too, i was basically relying on my memory of the song to not fail on the note spam parts `(*>﹏<*)′  i wonder why they got rid of the canorus rank?!

THAT’S RIGHT COLLEI IS A BEAST 💪💪💪💪

here’s to another great flagship event *(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭*

[tharizdun-03]

The Case of Vanitas Watchrough & Readthrough

The Vanitas Opening is cute, very rom-com like. Basically just the two of them going on dates lol. I hope they're actually gay for each other. I need that. I really need that.

Vanitas episode was pretty good. Definitely more of an emphasis on world-building than character so far tho, and still has that Pandora Hearts comedy, but it's way less obnoxious, and presentation wise it's slick and stylish. It's got a solid hook, so I'll stick around for more.

I appreciate the Vanitas anime keeping the OST running even during gags. I feel like most anime stops the music during quick jokes, but keeping it going makes it flow better.

Rewatching Vanitas from the start as I'm gonna catch up now, and this is a very strong overarching hook.

Yeah, he's not. Like, at all. That is a very weird insult.

Hmmm...

Ooh. It's interesting that Noe seems to respect his teacher a lot and is very loyal to him in the present, but with this reveal, that could be tinted to being something of a coping mechanism or something, cause he's gotta have mixed feelings about him after this.

I am reading the Vanitas manga as well, just to see how it did things, and the art is pretty excellent, as expected. Altho the quality of scans varies.

Some non-colored pages too, cause the actual art in the manga is very good as well.

I like the kind of preview they did for the next volume at the end of volume 2, hope they keep doing that.

Noé is precious.

Vanitas is intriguing. I like him a bit more in the manga (I'm not crazy about Hanae voicing him) but it's interesting to ponder whether his preferring that his love doesn't love him back is cause he doesn't want to be tied down or if it's some self-inflicted punishment.

On the one hand, his love for Jeanne feels genuine, but on the other hand, his actions towards her feel very calculated to get the most out of her. Of course, they're not mutually exclusive, I suppose. Either way, lots of potential here. Shame he's a bit annoying lol.

Noè is probably still my favourite character, just cause, he's a sweet, precious little cinnamonbun.

baby

Could be how Noé kills Vanitas in the future then.

Vanitas no Carte Part 1 was pretty fun. Looks great. Stylish and sexy, with plenty of intrigue and strong world-building. Some annoying comedic faces and chibi intercuts tho. Noé is precious and wanna know more about Vanitas. Most a really faithful adaptation too.

The Vanitas anime definitely cuts stuff from the manga, but so far it's not really super significant stuff and they manage to communicate the info in other ways instead. Altho that Mikhail has yet to appear in the anime.

Mmmm...

Backstory episodes in Vanitas hit different. They happen a lot in Jun's stories, she seems fond of them. It's one of the things she's the best at too, I'd say. Sadly, this was the first episode with real significant cuts from the manga imo.

Before it's always been skipping some details you can infer anyway from the context, but entire scenes were also missing here. Mind you, the episode on its own was very good, but, you get more in the manga, and it's more essential to the experience here than it's been previously.

The visual direction has been less Shaft-like overall, compared to Part 1, and a bit more standard Bones, which I think works in its favour at the moment. They pulled some trademark Shaft in this episode tho, but it fit a lot better here.

Jun is still a bit of a mixed writer for me even here in some regards, but she's definitely improved from Pandora Hearts. Her set-up is a lot better constructed here. Bodes good, gives me hope the climaxes she's very good at could actually properly hit for me here.

I was hoping for Chloé to have a little bit more self-agency, so very much like this twist. Not yet quite sure why she's going against Naenia tho, but guessing because she manipulated her to keep living and Jean to become the beast, and she eventually realized that.

I'm just spitballing, obviously, we'll get more info on this next episode, I'm just thinking out loud at the moment.

Ah, alright, yeah.

Again, anime cutting stuff but nothing that crucial, just further small moments, further details, or more action that isn't VITAL to the overall narrative. I understand manga purists disliking it but as an adaptation, think the anime is doing the best it can good enough.

OH SHIT.

INSANE VISUAL

So, the theme of loneliness seems to be the central one in Vanitas.

Oh damn.

Another great spread. It pays to see how the manga depicted these moments as well. 

Art was a bit off for the kiss in the anime, but they adapted the smile pretty nicely. This is very cute.

Usually, the comedy in Vanitas doesn't do much for me, but this was one of the most effective comedy-driven stretches.

Alright, I dunno how effective this twist is. Okay, I guess they're twins then, and not one year apart. And the reason for all this is because of some weird superstition that twins are bad luck for vampires or something? Maybe the manga elaborates on this but...

And then there's this, and I guess it's natural for her to assume that in her current state of mind, but with the twist not being that clever, this is just annoying, when it's obvious he might mistake her for him, as they look almost identical, and he has like PTSD so?

Mikhail is an interesting addition to the story.

Ignoring the execution of things, the ideas for her backstory feels very Mochizuki, and in a good way, so hopefully the manga does this in a way that is more effective for me. 

Yeah, no, the whole that Louis was said to be ill but not actually was vague from the start, as was him supposedly being one year old but actually wasn't, and it all being based on this weird superstition is a bit weak.

Some nice stuff for Domi, her cutting her hair to look like Louis would've been really disturbing in the right way if the context was strong enough to back it up, and it reveals why she doesn't think Noe loves her, as she thinks Noe agrees that Louis should've survived. 

But yeah, the twist and logic behind it are not strong enough to make it as effective as it could've been. I mean, I'm not here thinking it's so stupid, but it's just not super strong for me, but oh well.

This is also weird, why give Noé stakes AFTER he's dead? We'll probably get more on this tho, I think. Or I'm missing something. 

Mikhail is at least twisted in all the right ways, in typical Mochizuki fashion. Beginning of his backstory was a bit tonally off in the anime, but handled much better here in the manga. Excited to finish the anime and catch up to the manga tomorrow and find out more.

Dude, this confrontation between Noé and Vanitas is crazy good.

Oh...

We'll see where this goes, cause having him be behind a lot of the stuff in the story yet having been basically completely invisible throughout the narrative doesn't seem fair to the viewer, but we'll see.

He's got the same eyes as Noè's cats, and also calls them kittens. He might be the cat lol.

Vanitas No Carte Part 2 is a mostly faithful adaptation that when it has to cut things, chooses the least crucial parts, and story-wise it really ramped things up and delved into the more interesting and darker ideas, shedding light on its mysteries. Really good overall.

Jeez, his entrance is way scarier in the manga.

Caught up to the Vanitas no Carte manga, which was consistently very good, and occasionally great! Jun's writing skills have improved, and I'm more invested than ever right now, so I very much hope that she has a lot of story left to tell cause I think there's plenty of promise.