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spider-jaysart · 4 months

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I feel like a Dceased video game would honestly be terrifyingly awesome to play and if done well, can also deliver very good emotional angst at certain moments, ESPECIALLY the ending, because Damian sacrificing himself and then also having his last moments with Jon to say bye literally made me cry frrrr😭😭 and that's the first time a comic book has ever made me do that (I imagine it would probably be turned into a little series though maybe just to get to that point, like...possibly three games?? Because that apocalypse lasted a long time in the books and everyone who survived grew and got older with all of the time passing by, but idrk though, unless there's a clever way that's figured out on how to fit the whole story into one game without any of it feeling weirdly rushed)

And I can imagine it having gameplay style like The last of us (except some of the main characters have abilities and others have very useful hero gadgets now) and also so many great jumpscare moments too, and like literally because it's mostly superpowered zombies now everywhere besides the regular ones, which is even more terrifying

It'd just be a pretty fun experience all of it, along with a lot of good main characters (idrk all of them though loll) to switch to during different parts of the story (but whenever it's their turn, I would really LOVE playing the Supersons the most though during it hehehe, especially in this kind of setting)

The only thing I would hate though is if the Damian x Cassie romance gets kept, because it just feels weird tbh due to her always being an originally older character that's also always actually been apart of Young Justice (she should be with Tim, Kon and Bart instead who are her main group, not the Supersons!!). And besides the romance, she was only put with the boys just to be the girl in it and also recreate a trinity thing, like Bruce, Clark, Diana, but I don't feel like that fits Damian and Jon's type of thing at all imo

I would honestly just replace her with Maya and Kathy, because they're so much more fitting for a team up with Damian and Jon, especially because of the fact that they're the perfect girls right there too who already have such close relationships with the boys that isn't forced like hers is!! Maya is Damian's sister and Kathy is Jon's first close friend, which is good enough, and I would make sure the romance is still erased, cause they shouldn't have to date just because they're boys and girls hanging out (and obviously mostly because Maya is Damian's sister too, so that would be gross)

But okay, that is just getting a little too off topic from what I'm really trying to talk about I think😳, but my whole point is that it would be really great to have an actual game like this based on the series and I would totally buy it and play it if it was real!!!

#what do I even tag this as lol???#dceased #dc comics #games #video games #damian wayne #jon kent #supersons #tagging them cause they were main characters in it all too and also cause I just don't know what else to use lolll

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herrscherofmagic · 8 months

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finally caught up with the current HI3rd event, the Luna one! so time to share lots of random thoughts, hehe

It felt a bit surreal first seeing this conclusion to the Captainverse story, but now that I've gone through the whole thing I can say that I really liked the way Mihoyo handled it. Of course there are details that I'm still iffy on, like the whole Luna-aged-over-10,000-years thing is pretty clearly fan service-y; but even that doesn't bother me too much.

More than anything else, I appreciate how the Captainverse gave us a happy ending for the "holy trinity of depression" in HI3rd's main story: Kallen, Himeko, and Sirin. All three of them suffered so much in the main story, after all.

Even if these bubble-world versions of them aren't the originals, it's still heartwarming to see them looking forward to a brighter future, instead of being faced with certain doom in the face of powers beyond their understanding.

Himeko especially hits me in the feels, not just because of Final Lesson but all the way back in her late teens when she lost her father, as we saw in the Alien Space manga. It was a completely life-changing event for her, and if she hadn't lost her father there then Himeko could've followed her passions and lived a very different life.

The Captainverse Himeko isn't the same Himeko, but it feels like she's carrying on that same dream. It's almost like a different version of the Kiana-MemoryHimeko reunion in the Flamescion arc; but instead of a mature Himeko seeing off her student, it's the young Himeko starting a new adventure and following her dreams...

I also loved how well Mihoyo wrote the Captainverse cast. The way everyone interacts w/ each other felt so natural imo, it was really nice seeing all the different connections that started popping up. The rivalry between Luna and Kongming, the budding friendship between Bronie and Sirin, Himeko & Captain, and so on. There was very little technobabble or convoluted plot stuff (at least in my opinion) for most of the Captainverse events. All these fun character interactions were the center of attention, and it was an absolute blast! ^.^

There's two final thoughts I have about the Captainverse, and I know that Mihoyo probably isn't going to explore either of these possibilities, but I'll choose to dream that it'll happen someday >.<

First: The Main Story showed us that HoFi Kiana has the power to stabilize an entire bubble world. Even if she didn't, the Earth civilization is still pretty advanced thanks to the Divine Keys (1st Key and 2nd Key especially). So if the Captainverse Hyperion crew ever encountered Earth and met our Main Story cast... wouldn't that be the perfect solution to the bubble world dilemma? After all, much of the pain these characters have gone through was the result of the inevitable decay and collapse of unstable bubble worlds (which is nearly all of them).

I doubt it'd ever happen in the story, but I'd still love to see how the Hyperion crew would react to meeting their "real" selves, and to discovering that there's a way to save all these worlds. Of course there's probably countless bubble worlds so not ALL can be saved, but every world saved is still a massive achievement!

And I'm curious how they'd react to the existence of the Imaginary Tree. As far as I can tell, none of their bubble worlds seem to have any idea that the Imaginary Tree exists. They likely have no clue that there is a Cocoon of Finality, or that Earth is a thing and that it's part of a solar system, and so on. So learning about all these things would probably be a huge revelation for them. Kinda like a Plato's cave allegory. Which is quite fitting tbh, since bubble worlds are basically shadows of the "real worlds".

Second: I genuinely believe the Captainverse cast would fit perfectly in the setting of Honkai: Star Rail.

One obvious point is that the Hyperion crew is a clear candidate for a Path of Trailblaze faction. Instead of traveling across the Imaginary Tree with the Astral Express, they travel through the Sea of Quanta on their own Hyperion. They don't connect "real worlds" and I don't think it's accurate to say they connect bubble worlds, but they're still able to travel between them and transfer people and ideas. Surely with enough time they could come up with a way to truly bridge the gap between different bubble worlds, and then they'd be a near perfect thematic parallel of the Astral Express- just in the Sea of Quanta instead of on the Imaginary Tree.

Then there's also the fact that most of the Hyperion crew members have a strong ambition to travel, explore, adventure, and so on. Bronie and Himeko want to see what lies in the countless worlds of the Starry Sea, Captain wants to continue traveling between worlds and helping people, Sirin wants to grow stronger and learn how to better protect her own world, and so on. Almost any of these characters could feasibly join the Astral Express if given the opportunity (and if they weren't already part of Hyperion).

I also feel like their character dynamics would fit HSR's balance of sillyness and seriousness. The Captainverse crew can all get serious when they need to, but they're also capable of plenty of fun shenanigans. I could imagine them getting into trouble and engaging in a bit of tomfoolery just as easily as I could imagine them facing down the Antimatter Legion and fighting to save a world from its impending doom.

Again, there's basically 0% chance of this happening... but I'd still love to see it someday. The Captainverse crew might be a bunch of familiar faces but they all have their own unique origins, ambitions, skills, personality, and so on. They're not just mere copies of the "real" versions of themselves, but they've become their own characters through this story.

It does hurt a bit, knowing that this cast is ultimately going to be relegated to side stories and temporary events. I believe that if you changed some of the terminology and character designs a bit, then the story of the Captainverse could probably stand entirely on its own as an independent piece of media. The concept of traveling between unstable and decaying worlds in the Sea of Quanta, the use of consciousness mapping and how it affects both the world & the user, the Ether Anchors; all these ideas are well-developed and they're conveyed in a story with a lovable cast. There's so much potential here, and this story doesn't really need the rest of the HI3rd story to give context to these characters and the setting they're in.

If this is truly the end of the Captainverse, I'd still be satisfied. If we still get Captainverse content but it's just minor stuff, I'd still be satisfied. I think this event did a great job of answering questions, tying up loose ends, and leaving things open for the future.

But despite that, I still wish we could see more of this cast. I want to see Bronie reuniting with Ciora and Theresa, Sirin growing stronger with time as she explores the Sea, Himeko's excitement in traveling across worlds, Kallen & Luna bonding and growing past their troubled past.

at this point I probably care about the Captainverse as much if not more than the Main Story. I'm excited about Mars, don't get me wrong... but the Sea!!! the bubble worlds!! Himeko & Sirin & Kallen & everyone else!! >~<

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randomjreader · 9 months

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My GMMTV 2024 predictions

We're about 1.5 months away from the rumoured gmmtv 2024 press conference (I'm assuming it'll be in the later half of October), so I figured it was about time I threw in my two cents on the lineup

What I want (but don't think I'll get):

Joylada bl series

If you didn't already know, I'm a massive JDPP fan, and I absolutely love their friendship, so ofc this has to be the first thing I mention. Do I think I'll get it? No, they haven't been seen together filming anything that isn't promo yet so the chances aren't high. But am I still being delulu and hoping gmmtv gives them a crazy, super chaotic bl comedy series, with dunkphuwin as brothers and joongpond as best friends who fall for them? Yes. (Bonus, the CP's get mixed around for maximum chaos)

Power rangers gang bl series

Similar to above, I think the vibes of this would be absolutely hilarious. Unlikely gmmtv would do this tho, the last time they capitalised on these cp friend groups was that series with the holy trinity (singtokrist, offgun, taynew). But with some of their biggest OGs leaving (singto, bright, ect) they might be trying to form the new generation of cp friend groups, so maybe it's not entirely implausible?

Viewjune gl series

If you follow my blog, you would know I'm Viewjune's #1 fan, so ofc I want them to get a GL series of their own. However, I honestly don't think they'll get it. One big thing about becoming an established, branded cp is fanservice, but despite being paired together for 2 shows already, there really hasn't been any interactions outside scheduled promos and a few pics here and there. Yes, this might just mean that they don't wanna feed into fanservice, but a part of me also thinks that it might mean they are trying to phase this ship out before people get too attached, possibly to explore mixing the cps up, which I will get more into later.

Prigkhing in a gl

The way I wanna see this so bad; Prigkhing would totally kill it in a GL, she already has chemistry with every girl she's put on screen with. But I'm not sure if GMMTV would actually do this, though this might be the most probable from this list.

Forcebook-pondphuwin bl series

Full disclosure, I want this solely because I love forcepond's friendship. They have similar humour, and it would be hilarious to see them play best friends (or lovers if gmmtv is ballsy enough to mix up their BL cps 👀). Even if the series flops I'd be invested solely for all the chaotic BTS. Also, the visuals would be serving. We all saw that one post of them in the gym right? Exactly.

Leading roles for the underutilised gmmtv artists

I'm talking about people like Drake, Mike, Aun, Bimbeam, Ploypach, ect. They are all so talented, but it feels like gmmtv hardly uses them (not so much on Ploypach, heavy on Bimbeam). GIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO YOUR OTHER ARTISTS PLEASE.

AJ and JJ leads series

These two needed a whole separate point for themselves. They have been with gmmtv for a while now, and they've literally been in like, 70% of gmmtv's series, yet not a single leading role for them. They have so much potential, not just because they are identical twins (how many of these companies have that), but also because they're really talented. GMMTV, stop overlooking them and give them their well deserved leading roles please.

Mark Pakin and Pond Naravit as twins series

Speaking of twins, forget GeminiPhuwin for a sec, I want to see THESE TWO play twins. They look so goddamn alike (imo more than geminiphuwin do), and they are both so funny without even trying, they would be great in a comedy together. Or hell, even a lakorn, they both have experience in those. Give me Mark as the outgoing, confident older twin and Pond as the shy, more introverted younger twin, and hell while we're at it throw in Milk Pansa as their older sister who's so done with their shit but loves them very much, because she raised them after their parents died.

What I'm expecting:

Geminifourth bl series

This one has already been confirmed, so really not much to say about it. Hell, I'm pretty sure gmmtv will give them 2 series instead of just one. I'm hoping to finally see red flag Gemini (but watch him be the one to fall first AGAIN)

Pondphuwin bl series

This one also has been subtly, sort of confirmed by Phuwin, and I'm holding on to all that hope. I never really understood why people were acting as if Pond is dropping out of the industry simply bcs he said he was going back to school, like he still needs to earn money to support himself and his family y'all, pondphuwin aren't going anywhere (not with their current popularity). It's literally giving the same energy as everyone freaking out when he tweeted about wanting to further his career in dance one day, and when he supported Santa when he went to join Fantasy Boys, because they thought that meant he was leaving the bl industry to focus on dance. Like pls everyone, relax. More likely than not it just means he'll get less work, probably only one 2024 series with phuwin and your usual artist appearances.

Dunkphuwin bg series

This one I've seen rumours of already, and hell yeah I'm so down for this. It's probably the closest we'll ever get to a joylada series, which makes sense since Dunk is graduating while Joong and Pond are probably going to be spending more time on school (we don't talk about Phuwin, Mr "I got into Uni at 16 while also working and am currently very close to graduating with honours" is crazy smart and can basically do anything). I'm hoping to see them play brothers (GMMTV don't you dare mess up that golden opportunity) and maybe have them paired up with Jaoying for Phuwin and a new gmmtv actress for Dunk.

Winnysatang bl series

Of all GMMTV's established cps, they are one of the only ones who have yet to get their own series, and given their immense popularity (they already have fanmeets of their own), it's highly likely to be getting their own series. I'd be surprised if they didn't. I'm hoping for some dark angsty drama for them, enemies to lovers or maybe even a forbidden love type of thing?

At least 2 new gl series

With their growing popularity, GMMTV would be dumb not to hop into this bandwagon. They've already started with 23.5, and that show has a lot of anticipation already. I'm thinking that 2024 is going to be the year of GL experimentation for them, where they mix and match a bunch of their actresses to find some new cps, hell they might even put together a GL ensemble series to compete with Love Senior that's coming from StarHunter.

But also, I think gmmtv might use this new gl experimentation to also experiment with not having established cps at all. It's something I've seen a number of fans talk about, not having established cps, and seeing what they've done in MLC and OF, two extremely popular series, it might be something they find worth exploring. However, no way in hell would gmmtv risk it on their bl guys, they earn too much money from them. So, if they're gonna do it, they'll more likely do it with their actresses, since there is really only one fully established gl cp so far (milklove), and a million other gl ghostships. Hence why I said I didn't think viewjune would get their own series, I think gmmtv might want to try pairing View up with a bunch of different girls, bcs let's be real she has chemistry with everyone.

Some pairings I'm hoping to see are NamtanFilm, PiployPrim, PiployEarn, CiizeEarn, JaneCiize, Viewtu, PrigkhingPrim, ect. Honestly I'll take anyone there's endless amounts of options if gmmtv would just open their eyes and utilise their women for once.

A pairing of 2 gmmtv rookies

Every year, there's usually an introduction of new CPs, and gmmtv has recently signed in a bunch of new people, so they'll definitely be used in 2024. Most likely they'll be put in as a side couple, but I would like to see gmmtv be ballsy and give leading roles to completely new actors (hey, it worked for gemfourth didn't it).

Dewjane bg series

I'm currently catching up on Homeschool, and Dewjane have crazy good chemistry. They also have quite a fanbase (go look at Jane's comments section of her Barbie post), so I don't see why gmmtv wouldn't take advantage of it and give them

Homeschool season 2

I've see rumours about this, and fuck I would love to see this. A whole new generation of students under new leadership, I think it would be interesting. Cast a bunch of the new artists, and some of the older ones like Prim, Phuwin and Gemini. Throw in Mike as a teacher while you're at it.

Firstkhaotung bl series

Listen, they are absolutely one of GMMTV's biggest cashcows rn, up there with geminifourth. They are literally the first cp to get an international fanmeet OUTSIDE ASIA, which is a huge huge achievement. They are also both incredibly incredibly talented, and super versatile too. Gmmtv has to give them a new series, preferably a comedy or something cute and lighthearted this time, because yes I know they do angst so well and are very pretty criers, but give them a break from crying let's all be happy for once HAHAHAHA

Markford bl series

Yes yes, I know we are in NeoMark era rn, but who says we can't have both huh? Markford were so godamn popular, in a way I don't think gmmtv expected, and I feel like with the Markford fandom still well and alive they might try again with them. Just to add to the chaos why not have a new NeoMark series too, have both fandoms happy (or competing) the entire year.

Even better, have all three of them in a love triangle, and have both fandoms warring, only for the show to end with all three of them getting together in a little polyamorous relationship. And let P'Jojo direct this one he'll know what to do.

Other works I want to see:

SIZZY CONCERT/ALBUM

I truly cannot stress this enough. GMMTV, THEY HAVE BEEN A GIRL GROUP FOR YEARS NOW, AND ALL YOU'VE LET THEM GIVE US IS 3 SOLO SONGS AND 2 COLLABS? NOT EVEN AN ALBUM OR A CONCERT? I'm literally begging on my knees, please please utilise them. I will literally buy a ticket to Thailand to watch their concert if you're so concerned about earning a profit, I swear I will just give them a shot. Even just an EP will do.

Joongdunk variety show

A lot of gmmtv's popular CP's have gotten their own already (EMS, LBW, FBS, ect), so I think it's about time Joongdunk got one too. It'll be hilarious, and I will be expecting pondphuwin to show up as guests thank you very much.

Milklove variety show

With how late in 2023 23.5 is going to be released, I don't think milklove will get a new series in 2024, but being the only real established GL pairing right now, I don't think gmmtv will just forget about them, so instead I want them to get their own little variety show, maybe something to do with crafting or travel.

Safehouse season 5: girls edition

After the disaster that was the last safehouse season, a part of me never wants that show to be a thing again, but the possibility of seeing all the gmmtv girls under one roof is too tempting. Who knows, maybe this will be what saves the Safehouse series. I would wanna see all the Sizzy girls, Namtan, Film, Milk, Earn, Prigkhing, View, June and Jaoying.

Final thoughts

Like many others, I'm thinking that there will be 10 new QLs — 8 BLs and 2 GLs, but of the 8 BLs I would like 2 of them to have a GL side couple, so 4 GL couples in total. I'm also thinking of probably 5 or so BG series.

If you've made it this far, damn. Thank you for reading my very long post. And if you make your own, tag me or something I would love to read about everyone's theories.

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benbamboozled · 2 years

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Where are the best comic representations of Jason in your opinion? I’ve read some of the Red Hood and the Outlaws stuff and that’s okay (I really like Roy and Jason interacting) and the Nightwing 2021 annual was great, but I want to read more. I just don’t want to read the versions where writers distill Jason down to “angry, violent, no empathy, doesn’t care about anything or anyone” which I feel like happens a lot.

Whew…okay, this is going to be long. Just a head’s up.

SO…this is kind of a complicated question when it comes to comic characterization, at least for me. Honestly…I don’t really judge things based on “best” with comics but more “my favorite,” because comics characterization is so all over the place and inconsistent that (IMO) “best” just…doesn’t really mean much.

Because of that, this list is going to be some of my Jason Todd faves, with a focus on Red Hood, that I think all or most of your specifications!

(Also note that I am NOT the person to give pre-A Death in the Family Robin!Jay recs. Hopefully someone in the replies or reblogs can help out! I’ve only read the Garzonas arc and part of A Death in the Family.)

(ALSO ALSO NOTE: I have SIGNIFICANT GAPS IN MY CANON KNOWLEDGE because I dropped out of DC comics for like…many years because ALL OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS WERE DEAD. I am FAR from a Jason Todd Exploit Expert. Why was Jason “Wingman”? What was that whole thing with Donna Troy and Kyle Rayner? I DO NOT KNOW. I am WORKING ON FILLING THOSE GAPS but I am also FREQUENTLY TIRED.)

ANYWAY, on with the show!

Let’s start with the classics!

Under the Hood+Batman Annual #25!

Don’t call it a comeback…he’s been here for years!(Technically, via retcon.)

Okay so I’m putting this one first because this is the Jason Todd I fell in love with. FURTHERMORE, I mean, this pretty much sets the stage for all of Jason’s Red Hood appearances.

WHY do I like it?

—Jason is COMPETENT. He GETS SHIT DONE.

—Jason is FUNNY. Like, legitimately funny. Other characters are also funny! Black Mask and Slade are funny! The Joker is funny! It is frequently a funny story!

—Jason is SO SAD. With every part of this arc, I very much get the feeling that Jason is just…desperately trying to live for something and this is the only thing he has. And I, for one, eat that up with a spoon, it gives me LIFE.

Red Hood: Lost Days

A mini by our buddy Judd Winick, filling in the details of Jason’s backstory originally seen in Batman Annual #25.

WHY do I like it?

—We get to see Jason killing baddies! Unapologetically! Like…real bad baddies! Wooo killin baddies!

—More of Competent!Jason! He learns a lot of very useful killin skills and he learns them quick! And he uses them very well.

—Once again, Jason Todd is VERY SAD. Here, we get to see WHY he is so sad in Under the Hood. Have you ever wanted to see every element of a character’s stability in life get slowly but surely worn away by circumstances completely outside of their control? Well, here you go!

Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth+Red Hood: Outlaw

Ah, the Lobdell Years. (Original flavor RHatO not included)

WHY do I like it?

—So, RHATO:Rebirth!Jason Todd is not quite my Jason Todd. He’s more subdued, more of a Stoic Woobie than my preferred Jerkass Woobie version of Jason. HOWEVER, Lobdell’s version really exudes a sort of sense of…doom?…crushing sense of existential hopelessness?…quiet despair?…that hooks my heart. Good old Jason “not everyone wants to be alive” Todd!

Whereas Winick’s version of Jason plays with the fourth wall in a kind of pointed way, RHATO:Rebirth Jason (IMO) feels very…trapped in the narrative. He knows that everything is going to fall to pieces for him—because he can’t have nice things, because he’s Jason Todd, and Jason Todd will never be allowed to keep anything nice—but he’s still going to help his friends, goddamn it.

—It’s nice to see Jason have friends that are his own. I love the “Dark Trinity” of Jay, Artemis, and Bizarro. You really get why they cleave together, and they’re just…cute. I love them.

Okay, now…here are some recs with caveats!

Cheer from Batman Urban Legends #1-6

There’s a new drug called Cheer on the streets of Gotham! Flashbacks and problems abound!

SO.

Cheer.

My caveats are:

1. Jason is annoyingly incompetent.

2. Part of the setup of the story involves Jason acting in a way that I consider OOC (he kills a guy and it’s made out to be a very big personal deal for reasons that I have ranted about previously).

3. Jason gives up guns. Ugh. Boo.

—Okay now OUTSIDE OF THOSE THINGS…

WHY do I like it?

1. We get flashbacks to little kid Jay, Robin!Jay, and Bruce in UtH that I consider to be very meaningful to Jay and Bruce.

2. The plot hook involves a drug called Cheer that makes people hallucinate their happy place, and Jason and Bruce’s hallucinations kind of break my heart into pieces. (I’ve talked, uh, A LOT about them, I have no chill.)

3. I really love the art for the flashbacks, and bb!Jay is REALLY CUTE.

So, yeah, thems my feelings! Jason definitely isn’t portrayed as “angry, violent, no empathy, doesn’t care about anything or anyone” so I’m gonna go ahead and rec it.

Robins mini

The Robins get together on their own and decide whether recruiting child soldiers to fight a never ending war on crime might be…you know…a bad thing.

Okay my caveat is that…some people don’t like it for reasons that I haven’t really explored because I REALLY like it. In the beginning of the story there is some talk of Jason being a ne’er-do-well…buuut it comes from him, so I very easily take it with a grain of salt.

WHY do I like it?

—First of all, I just really love the Robins all getting to hang out together and then work a case together. They should get to do that more often/all the time.

—Jason gets MANY Big Damn Hero moments. And they’re not just Big Damn Hero moments but like…BIG BROTHER Hero Moments, and I love every one. Multiple times he’s watching out for the other Robins and I just…I love it.

—Stephanie Brown is also a Big Damn Hero.

—Bruce Wayne is kind of a woobie and I can’t help but get feelings when he gets feelings about his kids.

Battle for the Cowl

Batman is dead! (For now.) His cowl is like…right there. People may or may not battle for it.

WHEW…okay so…THIS ONE IS VERY CONTROVERSIAL. A lot of people hate it. FOR VERY GOOD REASONS.

It is NOT good. In fact, it is very BAD. It is bad on MULTIPLE LEVELS.

—Characterization for multiple characters is BAD!

—The story is DUMB! It’s not even a BATTLE! Only one person WANTS to be Batman!

Also, Jason is a villain in the story, just straight up.

So…

WHY do I like it? (And WHY would I rec it?)

WELLLLL…two main reasons.

The first is that, in his attempt to make Jason “irredeemable,” Tony S. Daniels (the writer) ended up making him AWESOME.

Do you like watching Jason run around Gotham beating up his whole family? Do you like seeing Jason get to be a proper villain? Do you like Jason being perhaps the only competent person in the whole fucking city? (Okay Tim Drake is also competent but he gets jobbed by my boy.) Do you like seeing Jason go off the rails with absolutely no hinges to be seen? Do you like seeing Jason play dress up with the Bat costume?

I DO! I do like all of those things! And if you, like me, answered YES to most or all of the above, Battle for the Cowl may be relevant to your interests!

Okay so reason number 2 is…

Jason is going through a mental fucking breakdown through the whole story brought on directly by Bruce fucking Wayne. And there’s nothing I love more than hating Bruce Wayne! And, gosh, he is just SO HATEABLE in this story! He’s not even in it, but I guarantee by the end you’ll be like, JFC, JASON is supposed to be the irredeemable one?!

ANYWAY! As a diehard Jason Todd fan, Battle for the Cowl is my filthy guilty pleasure. DO NOT pay money for it! Get the TPB from the library or get it through sneaky means. It is NOT worth paying for but it IS a rollicking good time if you are a person of specific tastes.

Okay, whew! That’s it! Well probably. That’s at least the ones that I can think of right now! Hopefully people will throw more recs your way!

(Sequel list here with all of my faves I didn’t put on this list! :D)

#ask answered #Jason Todd #Red Hood #rec list…although my faves would also include Titans Tower and Brothers in Blood.#but those pretty squarely fall into ‘Angry Jason Who Is Bad.’#i love ‘em though.#gimme Jason jobbing characters any day of the week.#I never get sick of that!#probably add Task Force Z to the rec list.#i haven’t strictly speaking read it.#but I like a lot of what I’ve seen of it AND I appreciate that Rosenberg is committed to the anti-‘Jason was a bad seed’ agenda.#also A Great Day For Everyone gets a rec but only Jason’s side of the story.#i don’t like when Bruce gets victim-blamey.#it took me probably too long to make a very predictable list.

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doctorofmagic · 1 year

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Strange #9 Review

(Yes, I know the last issue is tomorrow and I’m super late. I blame my adhd. You know, the thing with deadlines? It’s a me)

Anyway, there are a few details I want to point out in this issue and some fundamental bits that I’d like to delve into. So let’s start with this panel.

I find it hilarious but I can understand why some people are not happy about Clea’s portrayal. It’s true she has never been this feral before but *IMO* I think it’s valid for her to have this side because 1) she was raised by Umar and Dormammu. Her father was a simp, her mother, a narcissistic queen, and her uncle is freaking Dormammu. Besides, let’s assume one cycle in the Dark Dimension equals 1000 years on Earth. We don’t know Clea’s age but we do know she was born during their reign so I assume she has a few centuries there at least; 2) she was the leader of a rebel army. My girl is not one sweet damsel in distress at all. She fought a war and saw many of her friends die; and 3) she has Faltinian blood. I’m glad she redirect their need to conquer towards love, though. So, in conclusion... I pretend I do not see it.

PS: Stephen’s pose like he were Batman sent me!!

Now let’s focus on this part because it’s always reassuring whenever a writer confirms what I’ve been talking about since forever ;-;

I usually tend to describe him as a healer, but doctor is also a good word once he knew that was his call since he was eleven.

And this is why I can’t accept whenever someone calls him self-centered (partially due to his MCU portrayal). Stephen is altruism incarnate. He’s very kind and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself in order to save people’s lives (which is also shown later in the preview). This is not my personal instance, it’s literally all over this volume and so many other books.

And this panel pretty much sums up what I was trying to say about both Clea and Stephen.

We never managed to see Clea’s past and what it felt like to be raised in such a place. But we do know that she finally learned love through him, which is super unusual because love is most often associated with female characters, not the other way around. And this happened in the 60′s!

And noooow let’s appreciate Stephen’s sappiness because omv how I missed this. He’s been looking for someone to be this sappy with for ages ever since Clea left! It didn’t work with any of his flings because truth be told, he’s a hopeless romantic 🤧 Clea is lucky 💜 (and she blushes!!)

Now my favorite part because they’d be talking about Marc and Victor, it was such a bingo for me (for those who don’t know, they’re part of my top 5 characters tee-hee)

I love that they're trying to justify their faves here. Friendly reminder that Marc once stole Stephen’s powers in (ew) Age of Khonshu, so it’s kinda shocking for Stephen to hear that there’s kindness in Marc (but there is!!!). Meanwhile, Clea doesn’t really know Victor’s soft spot (yet) and they don’t usually see eye to eye, but Stephen is far more familiar with Victor and has seen kindness in him a few times (although yes, Victor isn’t one to give things freely. Listen, he’s complicated! *my Stephen side vouching for Victor is showing, I know...)

Moving on, I’m glad there’s an explanation for how Clea managed to become Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme without a new tournament. People be discussing this and tbh I was kinda tired. I just wait for things to be explained and look! Turns out it was.

Also I cry.

Aaaand he’s making jokes about being dead 💀

Moving on... Here I am once more, praising Jed for showing impeccable knowledge on Stephen’s lore. Director None reveals that he was in contact with the Trinity of Ashes and also working for them.

Back in Sorcerer Supreme, the magic deities were forcing Stephen to fight for them in the War of the Seven Spheres. He refused and lost part of hs power until he finally agreed to serve them. Except that the war lasted five thousand years. In order to preserve Stephen’s sanity, the Vishanti suppressed his memory of it (Sorcerer Supreme #48; #80).

Director None is using the revenants to spread chaos and pain in order to please the Trinity, but he’s also preparing a vessel for them. And this vessel is... well, THE Sentry.

Which is not only super dangerous but also painful for Stephen due to their history. Stephen once assisted Bob with a spell to make the world forget that he existed in order to eliminate the Void - Sentry’s “dark side" manifest (Sentry #4-5). Stephen also helped Bob with his mental health by locking him in his own mindscape (it was not ideal but it was the only way for Bob to feel safe without the Void’s influence). Stephen lied to Bob about the Void (it was somehow locked in the Sanctum?) and for that Bob ended their friendship (Doctor Strange #381-385).

It’s true that Bob died several times (last one was Knull’s doing, a very graphic and violent death, to put it mildly). But hm, it’s the Sentry. He always comes back. He’s like Marvel’s Superman, and that includes his strength. He beat Hulk in WWH. He’s that strong. So yeah, Clea and Stephen are really screwed =D

I’ve already read the preview pages for #10. I’m saving it all for tomorrow, though. I’m very much excited and it’s been a long journey. Can’t wait to see how Stephen will come back to life and how they’ll rekindle their marriage I’m not expecting spicy tomorrow but I won’t be denied in v6!! Did you hear me, Jed? I want my spicy!!

As usual, delicious food! See y’all tomorrow <3

(PS: I have access to the Infinity Comics now and I need to write a post on Victor Strange because Ewing is indeed cooking something for him. And I can finally have a full view on that by reading the Strange Tales compilation. Soon!)

#doctor strange #stephen strange #clea strange #robert reynolds #the sentry #the void #director none #review #marvel comics

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bakurapika · 1 year

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Fellow ex-christian kid who's words were HEAVILY censored (I wasn't allowed to say something "sucks", "crap", or even call things stupid). By far one of the most validating things I ever learned is that "taking the christian god's name in vain" refers to stuff like claiming your own opinion or belief is actually biblical or claiming committing things like genocide in the name of the christian god. Basically doing evil and claiming it's divinely condoned. It does not, in any way, refer to teenagers saying coh my god". I felt very vindicated when I learned that after countless lectures.

yeah, at some point you realize that "taking _ in vain" isn't a phrase you hear anywhere else.

of course in the original, it doesn't refer to christianity but to judaism - but even that has some interesting roots behind it. (after spending most of my adulthood as an agnostic atheist, I converted to judaism ... and am still an agnostic atheist but with an asterisk and "it's complicated" lol) i like to read torah in as many ways as possible - commentaries, figuring out how people historically read it, and what the little we know from archaeology can tell us about how it was originally interpreted.

it is my VERY humble onion as a layperson (as always, i am not a rabbi, i don't speak for any other jewish people, etc etc) that most of the torah was written in the context of "other gods exist but aren't as cool as our god." idk, regional patron gods made a lot more sense once I started viewing them as analogous to mascots of their local sports team. like we don't believe those literally exist but we will still go fuckin crazy for em. i've never watched an entire football game but i do get a swell of pride and recognition whenever i see a packers logo

man im rambling. i think my point is that it's one thing for a modern religion to project its own meaning on the past (like how xtianity's trinity explains away the "we will make..." in genesis, which is indeed the plural - without the trinity, you wind up with a big theological question mark if you're married to the monotheism-has-always-been-true thing) is understandable and valid as far as that goes, but trying to figure out what the "original meaning" of the text is, that's a historical question more than a theological one imo. and it can be interesting and cool to try to figure it out, even if we'll never know the actual One True Answer. w/judaism i feel like there is so much more textual tradition of criticism that i can say more confidently that our modern interpretation is just as valid as ancient interpretation... i would feel less confident saying that about xtianity

#christianity tw #ex christian

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clanoffelidae · 2 years

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Trinity Blood is absolutely insane and I love it for that but imo the unquestionably funniest part is just Isaak as a whole and how everyone’s just kind of accepted it. 😂

Like vampires who are descendants of mars colonists who became vampires because they got infected with an alien parasite they found in a crashed spaceship and they return to earth after nuclear world war destroys most of the planet? Wacky but alright, there’s some semblance of logic there. The universe is still playing by sci-fi ‘realistic’.

But then according to @/trinitybloodtranslations (I think???) there was apparently an interview where Sunao Yoshida said that he IS all the people Isaak listed as names he’s gone by, the oldest of which is Xu Fu from like 200 BC or whatever.

So the whole thing is oh ‘humans in the FUTURE go to mars and sci-fi stuff happens’ and it’s like ‘yeah okay sure’ and then he just kinda casually slipped in ‘oh and btw Isaak is over 3,000 years old’ with NO further context or explanation and what I think is hysterical about that is that the response of EVERYONE I’ve even seen mention it has been:

-shrug- ‘yeah okay’

Like at this point we’ve all just given up on making any sort of sense out of this and I think that’s beautiful lol

Sunao Yoshida: space vampires, here’s a bunch of hand-wavey sci fi background lore

Us: cool!

Sunao Yoshida: Isaak is over 3,000 years old, I will explain nothing

Us: sure why not

#trinity blood #itd be even funnier if he wasnt ever planning on explaining before he passed either #bc maybe he wouldve explained and maybe he wouldnt have lol #and i think its even funnier to think that he wouldnt have

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rainbowcarousels · 1 year

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No need to apologize, a sudden essay was truly all I ever wanted 🥹 it does align quite perfectly doesn’t it? I mean sometimes it’s all about “reading between the lines” as Lestat once said, specially when it comes to characters who are not Lestat himself/the people closest to him at any given time or POV characters, and this is one of those instances where we’re given just enough to do that imo, it’s all there in the timelines like you said. “It just won't change the fact that he had a second chance to do it right this time with Daniel where he had failed before, to not be a blunt object seeking practical solutions and prove he can in fact take care of people without destroying them”, god this is so true, and I think it also ties back to him being a “failed experiment” in his maker’s eyes, and how he’d been conditioned in his mind (by fate, by circumstance) to repeat that pattern. Armand’s sense of identity in regards to who he is to Daniel is a huge thing too and I’ve always HC that at some point during their difficult years and then in their years apart, he probably rationalized it as him only being fit to be his lover but not his teacher in the blood (which of course represented yet another unforgivable failure).

“He's trying so hard in the modern age to make caregiver be a huge part of him and to be seen as someone who keeps his children safe and even if Daniel was safe at the time, I can't help but think it would bother him that his own firstborn had to be cared for by someone else and that maybe Lestat would be the only person he would really admit this to because he would be the one to understand it.” Yes! Reminds me of that great post by @monstersinthecosmos I think(!) that had me nodding along from start to finish where they mentioned (and I’m only paraphrasing lmao) how Trinity Gate, despite having being conceived as a safe place where people could all heal and come together as a family, also ends up being a place where Armand has to live up to a lot of expectations (the caretaker, the teacher, the protector), like he had to in the cult, and then the theater. And not only that but it would also serve as a constant reminder of how when it had mattered the most, with his own fledging, he was not able to do it. Lestat would totally understand Armand and never judge him for it, he’s “failed” in similar ways before and plays a similar role to Armand’s in the present (the only difference I think is the scale, Lestat has made more fledglings than one can count and Armand only has Daniel to dump all of his trauma on, bless) xoxo DA still sad asf but your meta is like chicken soup for the soul ❤️‍🩹

Absolutely all of this!! Lestat is not omnicient, even if sometimes it feels like he is and you have to remember you're a person removed from his stories.

Oooh yeah actually that is an excellent point, it makes it a little bit worse that it's Marius that takes care of Daniel and the whole idea of maybe Daniel would be considered a failed fledgling from Armand adds to the idea of him being a failed experiment himself. It's a generational trauma thing too, I think this is something Daniel is terrified of being seen as something Armand regrets and sees as a failure, but Armand trying to figure out who he is to people is such a big pattern in all of his identites and part of it definitely feels like it stems from feeling like he can't measure up to his previous self in the eyes of his own maker. Like he couldn't even get something that any back alley vampire made on a whim can do properly, that is a spiral waiting to happen even if it's not true.

Absolutely 100% agree that Armand could rationalise it that way, he does tend to seperate his identities and roles as a coping mechanism but I also think it's just another nail in the coffin of feeling like this is his failure. It would have been compounded by living with the day to day of Daniel when he was at his worst and probably wound have caused a knock on spiral which wouldn't have been fair to either of them, but it doesn't make it easier.

Trinity Gate, despite having being conceived as a safe place where people could all heal and come together as a family, also ends up being a place where Armand has to live up to a lot of expectations (the caretaker, the teacher, the protector), like he had to in the cult, and then the theater. And not only that but it would also serve as a constant reminder of how when it had mattered the most, with his own fledging, he was not able to do it.

This just punches me in the gut every time. I hadn't really thought about it in this context but you're right, the scale of it with Lestat and Armand being seen as community leaders in their own right really does echo each other and puts so much pressure on both of them to be more than themselves. They are roles and figureheads but that doesn't leave them with much space to explore their own traumas and identities in detail. Even in their own homes, it's not really about them.

Someone really needs to make a therapist for these folks, they really need to learn some ways to process what they're going through that isn't running away (Lestat) or trying to wear his reputation like armour to protect not only himself but his children (Armand). I think if you sat down and really interrogated why Armand feels the need to protect his own people so intensely, he's been losing them since he was a child and losing himself over and over at the same time and it's why I think it would bother him to have someone else do that for his child. It's become a part of how he sees himself so it shakes his very sense of identity and it wouldbe a fascinating thing to explore one day.

Thank you for soming in and letting me think about this stuff, I appreciate getting the chance to really look at it in detail!

#da anon #and now i'm sad again #i think it's part of the reason that once they're all at court i like to think of lestat running back to tg for weeks on end #it's a chance to just be him for a while and Prince Lestat and Armand's house is now quieter than it was #and Armand is slowly learning to let his guard down and be himself and access his emotions #I think it's why you see more of his outbursts in later books he's starting to really feel his feelings #and there's a lot of them #dealing with that and dealing with a child struggling to exist on their own would have been too much #at least at first #and i think armand knows that but can't help but get stuck in a cycle of failure spiral #he's still so young #but he feels so old and tired #bedpile to the rescue they're going to take a goddamn vacation and the world can fuck off for a bit #vc #answered

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hekateinhell · 2 years

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Why did Armand write his book for Syebelle and what eventually happens to her character? Were they supposed to be in love? She seems like a nonentity.

Non-answer: Because Anne said so.

Making-an-effort answer: I get what I think Anne was trying to do with Sybelle (and to a lesser extent, Benji). She wanted Armand's character to experience unconditional love and acceptance for the first time in his life and that's all too easily done by creating two brand new characters to serve as foils.

Marius's expression of love is extremely conditional, and Armand himself (imo) put too many conditions on his relationship with Daniel after he turned him. Nothing in Armand's life up to that point had prepared him to engage in any sort of healthy dynamic with anyone—familial, romantic, or otherwise.

So I did enjoy Sybelle and Benji in TVA for offering that aspect, at least. Would I have preferred it were Daniel and/or Marius that saved Armand instead? YEAH LMAO and it's on my list of VC Things I'm Gonna Die Mad About. Thinking about the missed opportunities for all three of their character arcs makes me wanna fucking sob tbh.

Armand does love Sybelle very much and claims to understand her, as she does him. Which I think was a new experience for him as well, and what motivated him to want to share with her the story of his life. I love this quote in particular:

“We're alike, you and I,” she whispered, looking down at me. Her hand lay close to my cheek, and she very lightly pressed the soft upper part of her forefinger against me. “Alike?” I asked. “What in the world can you be thinking of?” “Monsters,” she said. “Children.” I smiled. But she didn't smile. She looked dreamy.

There's nothing in the text indicating that Armand saw Sybelle in any romantic or sensual light the way he did with Daniel. And when Armand is into someone there is unfortunately no question about it.

But I would go as far as to say that what he saw her as was an equal, insofar as a human ever could be. He allows her to see him hunt and it doesn't faze her, which he never did with Daniel. And rightfully so—given how fast Daniel crumbled when Armand brought him to his first victim.

Sybelle isn't right in the head and neither is Armand (as a mortal and as a vampire).

Not much happens to Sybelle after TVA! She lives with Armand, Benji, and Louis in their Manhattan townhouse called Trinity Gate and takes an interest in Lestat's fledging, Antoine. Like most blink-and-you'll-miss-them OCs, Anne doesn't flesh her out once her initial purpose has been served.

Tl; dr: you’re right. Ultimately, Sybelle is a nonentity.

#vc #the vampire chronicles #sybelle #the vampire armand #you ask and hekate answers

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wonderbatbvs · 10 months

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The Trinity vs. Lex Luthor basically happened in BVS just in their civilian identities.

His main target is, of course, Superman.

But his plan kill Superman has to be the most compelling & fucked up scheme I've seen in any superhero movie. To think it all got unraveled & foiled by Lois Lane. Nightmare Timeline!Barry said she was the key to saving the multiverse & all of existence from Darkseid. She's proving that statement true in BVS by being the best badass reporter in DC Comics.

Lex's plan is sooo layered, yet at the same time, very easy to understand for people actually taking a second to pay attention to the devil in the details.

He's manipulating Batman using his rage at Superman & failure to save his employees during the destruction of Metropolis. He forced Wonder Woman out of hiding by getting an old photo of her during WW1.

Keep in mind that Diana is disillusioned with man's world at this point, so his potential blackmail material just further pushes Diana to get involved in a world she's lost faith in. She's clinging to her mission like a safety blanket.

Lex's party really had all The Trinity in their secret identities & I LOVED IT

Lex orchestrating the murders of all the branded prisoners to fuel the conflict between Clark & The Batman was a stroke of evil genius. This also highlights a very important point. The citizens of Gotham still believe in Batman despite everything that's happened over his 20 years in fighting criminals.

Jesse Eisenberg is definitely my favorite version of Lex. His backstory of abuse at the hands of his father, Lex Luthor Sr. He's such a phenomenally done version of Lex. He is one of the best love to hate villains we've had in a long time. It's too bad people just wanted him to be the typical businessman version of Lex when this version of Lex is so much more fascinating imo. Also the fact that he definitely starts becoming more like the Lex we know from the comics at the end of BVS & ZSJL is chef's kiss.

#bvs is the goat #batman v supeman: dawn of justice #lex luthor jr.#jesse eisenberg

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randomnameless · 1 year

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I think we all have some preexisting bias when tackling a video game, so in a way, we are always projecting. What is hard, imo, is to recognise and accept it.

Uh...

I never said the contrary?

Of course you wouldn't tackle a game the same way as someone who has a different culture/gaming experience/interests etc etc. Discussing a game with someone who has the same opinions, BG and thoughts as you will grow stale, it'll create an echo chamber which is apparently good for certains sub redshits, but not what I'm interested in.

Some discourse is fueled by projections coming from a certain part of the world, and that is not to say said projection isn't valid because it is ultimately all about feelings, but at one point, as you said, is to recognise how biased we are and clean our lenses.

What is ultimately grating, imo, is when projection becomes an inamovible lens through which canon is discussed.

We have all the "hot church takes" conflating the Catholic Church* with, uh, a fictional church - and so, their "feelings” about the Roman Catholic Church fuels their canon analysis of the fictional Church of Seiros. That's why we had so many nonsense about "church is homophobic", "church proselytes everywhere", "church burns books", "church condemns science" etc etc.

Then there is the extremely US centric "conservative" label, and Status Quo and whatnot... I understand some of us want to escape in a fictional video game world, I do not understand why, in that particular fantasy world, some insist on bringing their political stances as a final arbitrer of who is valid and who you should follow or not.

I also confess having my own national bias at play, when it was revealed someone lied to hid all atrocities some people did to preserve stability and prevent further chaos.

But ultimately, I try to clean my glasses and even remove them when I'm writing (or try to) a serious post, to keep most of my bias away, but it is complicated and I think, one of the better way to overcome this influence, is actually to leave the echo chamber and confront people who have a different opinion - sometimes you might realise those other people's readings are valid too, but different than yours because of your biases.

And... it's alright!

It starts not to be when you insist your reading is “more valid” than someone’s else because of X, Y or Z, especially based on your own existing biases. And when you hunt people to make “your point”, it’s not alright anymore, it’s being an asshat.

*Someone rightfully pointed out how the comparison falls flat, if you want to study both topics a bit closer, since there is no Trinity in the church of Seiros's dogma, Sothis and Seiros are not sharing the Goddess's essence, Seiros is always depicted as her prophet, not a part of "the Goddess" that's why some dude editing the wiki to put the crest of seiros as Divine is just a dude and not someone who should be taken seriously

#anon #replies #Fandom discourse #I mean workings of fandom discourse #i have my own biases I'm fully aware of it #but confronting ideas and POV is supposed to be fun #not a dreaded exercise because you'll suddenly be harassed or bombed by anons coming from one place

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tuiyla · 2 years

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hey quick question. ive seen some fans arguing that the UHT didn’t actually bully rachel and they were just rude to her, so I though I’d ask you since you seem to know the UHT more than anyone: do you think they actually bullied rachel at one point or they were just rude to her then it became a rivalry. thx 💕💕💕

Hey Anon, first of all flattered you'd turn to me. Given how many love the UHT, 'more than anyone' is a high bar haha. That said, I think anyone who says the UHT weren't bullies doesn't really know anything about them.

It's canon that they bullied Rachel. Rewatching the first season I was actually taken aback by the things Quinn says about - and to - Rachel. Despite what they try to retcon with Santana in s5, Quinn absolutely was leading the charge pre-Pilot and for the first few episodes when it came to bullying Rachel. It's implied she's part of the reason the rest of the school looks down on Rachel, too. And lots of other things are implied like it's often the case with Glee, but we also do see Quinn, and in s1 by extension Brittana mercilessly bully Rachel. Quinn also has several very weird transphobic comments about her, yikes, which are later transferred to Santana's repertoire of insults.

Santana and Brittany also participate - yes, even Brittany, idk why people would try to pretend Brittany was any less mean but I digress. Even before Santana became the Alpha Bitch in Quinn's place she also targeted Rachel and famously continued well into the show. And unlike Quinntana, who later develop a layered relationship with Rachel, Brittany never stops being at least lowkey mean to her. And maybe those later seasons shades and Santana's "casual" insults are more examples of being rude but make no mistake, the Unholy Trinity most definitely did bully Rachel. Even if we call later interactions something else, the first season was bullying.

And in terms of calling it a rivalry, to me that implies equal footing. Quinn and Rachel being in a love triangle with Finn, sure call that a rivalry. Pezberry being their dumb chaotic selves later on, rivalry. What Rachel had with Kurt and Mercedes were on and off rivalries. But the case of Rachel and the Unholy Trinity at the start of the series is not just a case of "oh, some girls were rude to me, now we're rivals". There was a clear power imbalance within the high school social hierarchy and they ruthlessly exploited that. IIRC there's a mention of Quinn ordering slushie attacks on Rachel. The Cheerios as a whole revel in humiliating her in the Pilot. They really weren't just rude, it was bullying clear as day and it was far from being a fair fight. They moved on, including Rachel who's generally very forgiving, but it was bullying.

Trying to say otherwise, idk, to me it's a woeful misinterpretation. We don't have to pretend the Unholy Trinity weren't bullies (at some point, anyway) in order to justify liking them, which is imo what some fans do. But their treatment of Rachel is part of the story and I see absolutely no reason to pretend it isn't. Actually I do see that line of thinking fitting into some of what I've seen of fan behaviour these days but I do not vibe with that. Pretty insidious if you ask me and doesn't lead anywhere good.

#this seems like a thread that would happen on reddit #with uht and rachel stans jumping at each other's throats #glee asks #anon #uht #uht asks #unholy trinity #rachel berry #rachel asks #santana lopez #quinn fabray #brittany s pierce

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caulo · 2 years

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@watchingforcomets

not to advertize the hyperfixation that consumed my life, but they've been adapting the game a lot over the past few years! they're slowly making all of the dungeons soloable (they have the main A Realm Reborn story done, and some of the later dungeons), and they've been adjusting quests in the early story to make it tighter paced and less of a slog. i've heard good things about it! if it's the gameplay you aren't into though, can't help with that sgjfkhsglsh. but maybe watching a movie would work! tho honestly... especially in the early story, ESPECIALLY with the english dub, cutscenes Aren't All That Great, and imo most of the impact of the game comes from like. getting invested in your little character - tho that's my personal take and i have friends who are just happy not caring about their toon.

but yeah, early english dub is.... rough. like, made me really really dislike a good few characters, because the acting was just... bad? i heard japanese is better tho! and there's a lot of fetch quests. but they've been tightened up. but yeah, the later story (from the first expansion on)... well, i have way too many hours on this game over the past three years. obviously i'm INTO it lmao. but if it isn't for you... that's fine too!!

my last attempt to get into ffxiv was summer of last year, so i think i was already playing when a lot of those changes were going through!

i believe i made it to post-heavensward, so i was definitely past the slog of ARR that a lot of people warned me about. unfortunately, given how far into the content i’ve gotten, i’m inclined to believe this it is simply a ‘not for me’ situation.

cut for rambling, if you’d like to read my long thoughts on it. but the tldr; the game has never hooked me for a number of reasons, but it’s hard to say if ‘stress from subscription fees’ isn’t the only one that really matters.

when i said that i can believe there’s a compelling story to invest into if you’re not distracted by everything else, the main ‘distracting’ things for me are:

1. the paid sub is unavoidably the largest issue for me, because i’d play the game just to craft and hang out with friends otherwise lol ( i love fishing in the game dkjalfj ). it’s a constant stressor and source of anxiety, where i feel like i need to be playing and getting the most out of the game, all the time, or i am wasting not only that month’s sub fee, but the money i’ve already paid before. this makes me feel like i’m wasting time if i’m not getting a fulfilling experience, which leads to me rushing through in an effort to find something worth investing in, which is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts when the main selling point of the game is its story. i can’t really enjoy the pay off of long-term storytelling when i feel compelled to rush through the slower parts. so i’m basically constantly being pulled out of the world by this real-life factor.

2. that said.... i feel like the storytelling is regularly in conflict with its medium, as the flow of gameplay, cutscenes, and ‘cutscenes’ ( as in, events where you are clicking through people’s dialogue ) is very messy. i don’t mind the voice acting .....usually. but pacing and tension gets cut a lot by the way the game is constantly stopping for long periods of time to give you information. and while i have plenty of ideas of how that could maybe be improved on, i actually think this it is something that i could embrace easily enough if not for point #4, because i have enjoyed plenty of games that.... we’ll say struggle with the concept of being an ‘interactive storytelling medium’ lol.

3. i just don’t like the game balance. i don’t mind the gameplay itself - actionbar games aren’t my favorite, but i can enjoy them - and i don’t have a problem with the MMO holy trinity. but i am a support player in games like these, and ffxiv’s healing classes are..... not interesting or satisfying to play to me in that specific vein, because it feels like they kind of didn’t bother making them interesting in a supportive style, by just opting to make healers hybrid damage dealers instead. when i learned that, even playing a white mage, i’m responsible for a considerable amount of DPS in dungeons/raids, my interest in that entire aspect of the game died pretty much on the spot because that’s not...... what i play a healer for lsdkjflk

which isn’t to say i’m against min/maxing or anything. if there’s no supporting to be done in a moment, it makes sense to do damage, but the gameplay loop of even the most supportiest-of-support classes + the fights themselves in ffxiv are designed with too much expectation of focusing on DPS for my liking. and obviously the single player PVE is nothing special. SO, being unable to invest in the story, i find myself also unable to look forward to the gameplay content that unlocks from progressing.

4. is just that the all of the above are in one game. i’m inclined to believe i could enjoy ffxiv if i only felt two of the three points. because i enjoyed WoW ( which also has #1 and #2 ), and i enjoyed Guild Wars 2 ( which has #3 sortakinda in the sense that ‘everybody can do everything’ to such an extent that, at least last time i played, your choice of play style felt very impact-less in dungeons ).

as is, i entered the game excited for some of the late game content i’ve seen videos of, but lost that excitement when i realized there wasn’t a job with a playstyle i’d enjoy while doing that content. and i had a roleplay blog for ysayle, because i was invested in her character/writing with some friends . . . and then i accidentally skipped her death cutscene because i had so little patience for the game’s actual methods of storytelling at that point LOL

i could, maybe, try approaching the game with more investment in my player character, but i don’t think that would work for me very well. i’ve never found much to enjoy about how MMOs approach your player character’s ‘special-ness’. even when i was playing with the most patience for trying to embrace the game and taking everything at face value, seeing my ‘warrior of light’ as anything more than a filler character for things to happen to/experience the story through wasn’t something i experienced.

but it seems like #1 is the point that’s most likely to maybe change for me one day. it’s basically the opposite situation of how i’ve learned to unstuck myself from predatory mobile games LOL. every now and then when i’m playing a game with in-app purchases, i ask myself ‘if i had infinite money to put towards it, would i still enjoy anything about this game?’ and if not, then chances are i’m not playing out of enjoyment of the game itself. but with ffxiv, if i had infinite money to put towards it, i’d just enjoy trying all the features of the game without stressing about the subscription service skjfldf

if i’m ever in a financial situation where i feel like i can throw $10 a month at something and not feel like garbage for not wringing out every cent of that, maybe then i can give the game a more laid-back, patient approach that would allow me to get drawn into the story. and happily grind away at crafting alongside it LOL

#watchingforcomets #annoying high pitch ringing in your ears #the only thing i have a subscription for ( unless you count like ...... bills LOL ) is discord nitro #which i value for the practical purpose of sending files and all the 'fun' stuff is just a side bonus #i can very easily fall victim to individual micro-transactions but subscription fees send my anxiety into overdrive #so if i could trick myself into seeing ffxiv's monthly sub as just $10 to get a thing #rather than paying $10 to start a timer then maybe. . ... ....#OH wait i forgot i do have one other sub - i pay for the switch family plan thing for myself and my friend group once a year haha

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pithyorangecurd · 2 years

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Aromatics

Aromatics are vegetables that deliver deep, rounded flavor and aroma when heated or crushed. Which is cook talk for they're flavors. Something that helped me figure out what the point of an aromatic is is the fact that garlic is an aromatic. Aromatics give certain flavors and accents to your food you couldn't get without them. But they are hearty vegetables that pair together and help accent and enhance meals.

A common example of when youll see the word aromatic is when you're making soups, stocks, sauces, or any other measure of additive to something else there's usually a base triad we call the trinity. The trinity is typically celery, onion, and carrot. I know it can vary from place to place [like the texas trinity is onion celery and jalapeno, in louisiana the trinity was celery onion bellpepper, etc.] but the base version of any trinity is generally just three aromatics that match the flavor profile of any certain dish.

Flavor profile is basically what the food is bringing to the table. So say for instance carrots. Carrots are very sweet. So if you're making something like chicken noodle soup you'd add carrot, because carrot is pleasantly sweet and enhances the saltiness of the dish without making it an actual salty flavor. And you'd add celery, because celery has a very rich and full flavor that accents chicken well and brings out the natural heartiness of the meat.

So what is an aromatic

So like I said, an aromatic is a hearty vegetable that you add during cooking to compliment the meal. Which is a lot of words that mean nothing to you probably, because they're fully contextless. And how would you know which vegetables would compliment what.

Well, when you cook a lot of things, you'll find it recommending you saute onion, garlic, or peppers into it. Those ARE aromatics, and it's the most grounding image for what aromatics are imo.

The list of aromatics go as such:

Onion

Shallots

Leeks

Scallions

Celery

Carrot

Turnips

Parsnips

Peppers

Chili peppers

Jalapenos

Bell peppers

Garlic

Ginger

You can use aromatics through your day to day and never notice it, because it's the foundation of cooking. You don't second guess an onion in a recipe because it's an onion. It makes sense.

But it makes sense precisely because it IS an aromatic. That's the point.

#food cw #food advice #grumbling and rolling over I dont know if this is clear #i tried to be concise and not ramble on #while still giving room for your eyes skimming over #so you can still grasp what is being said without being forced to read every word #anyways

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johnvenus · 2 years

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How To Fix The Justice League

It’s been almost 17 years and no JLA roster has managed to reach the critical and financial success of the 1997 JLA run kicked off by Grant Morrison and followed up by Waid and Kelly (unless you’re a fan of Meltzer’s run). No JLA title has managed to run as long as ‘Justice League of America’ Vol 1 (1960-1987 with 261 issues) and no JL adaptation, be it animation or live action has managed to match the long lasting success of the 2001 Justice League cartoon that later morphed into Justice League Unlimited.

In fact, the League has been in a flux long enough for someone to have been born and gotten their drivers license. You could argue the last 10 years hasn’t been good for any of DC’s team books but JL has had it especially bad.

The problems are self evident, the JL is a team compromised of the world’s greatest heroes, most of whom have their own titles so nothing major can happen to them in the JL book and whoever is writing JL is usually beholden to the whims of whoever is writing the character’s solo title. Attempts to fill the roster with lesser known characters has rarely proven successful. There is also the matter of the scale of the threat the League faces. Once you go from planetary threats to galactic threats to universal to multiversal to omniversal threats, where do you go afterwards? After all, too many back to back existential crisis can diminish the potency of such stories.

So how do you fix the League and make it sustainable for long term? Well, here are a few suggestions as I try to build my own JL roster.

Step One: Ditch the Trinity

I’m serious, the Trinity may have been a cool concept once upon a time but the concept is now past the point of diminishing returns.

The Big 3, or really just Superman and Batman get the most books, the most media attention *and* is often the main focus of JL as well?

It doesn’t do these characters much favor either as the Trinity themselves had to be changed in order to accommodate them on the League. Batman is at his best when he is a noir/gothic inspired hero doing street level stuff but to fit on the Justice League, he had to be turned into an ubermesnch who can beat anyone and every other character has to be scaled down so he can look good. Superman who is a paragon and a boyscout in his own title often ends up either taking a back seat to everyone else so they can be useful or his story arcs revolve around the possibility of him going evil and misusing his powers. Poor Wonder Woman who is a more proactive character in her own title ends up being a more passive one on the League. She is often ‘just there’ or worse saddled with a romantic arc with either Superman or Batman. Of the three, she’s the only one I would still keep around on the League since she rarely gets her due. Despite the promise of being part of the ‘Big Three’ she rarely gets the same level of attention and love as Superman and Batman does.

For the Trinity, I suggest that they’re better off leading their own teams. .Superman can run the Authority, LoSH, Superman Squad or maybe a present day version of the Science Squad. Batman has either the Outsiders or Batman Inc that he can be in charge of. Wonder Woman can be in charge of a modern day version of the Holiday Girls or Justice League Dark.

However, while building a team, having three core characters and building the rest of the team around them is a good writing trick and imo, it’s fundamental to the League. But in this case, I will choose characters who have some commonalities with each other, so for my League, I would go with: Martian Manhunter, Aquaman and Wonder Woman as the new trinity.

Arthur and Diana are both royalty with two different approaches to situations. Arthur is usually more stern and hard headed while Diana is more diplomatic and J’onn would be the mediator. With just Diana and J’onn at the top, neither of them would have to take a backseat to either Superman or Batman and Arthur can have a more active role on the team without feeling like a glorified guest star. IMO, the relationship between these three characters is often overlooked even in the comics.

You also have the theme of earth (Diana), air (Martian Manhunter) and water (Aquaman) plus they have enemies that they can share with each other. Old school Wonder Woman comics was a kitchen sink fantasy title where it was possible for any character based on any genre could show up. It was never just limited to Greek Mythology, you had other mythologies in play as well along with aliens and Atlanteans. A character like Queen Clea could just as easily be a villain for both Diana and Arthur while the Saturnians, Queen Desira of Venus and Badra could be enemies for both Diana and Arthur as well as flesh out the different alien civilizations within the solar system.

Step 2: League Members: New, Old & Unexpected

Now that we’ve figure out the Trinity, lets fill in the rest of the ranks.

If you look at the older JL comic books, even though the Trinity were the figures heads Green Lantern and Flash often like the real heart of the book. Even though the popular characters are what draws us in, what really drove the book was the drama between Hal, Oliver, Barry, Katar and Dinah. The team needs to be a mix of old and new characters that builds on existing relationships while also having them meet new characters.

For the modern day, I would go with Wally West as the Flash. For Green Lantern I choose Sojourner ‘Jo’ Mullein. Wally’s been in several incarnations of the League already and has earned his spot. Jo has been in Far Sector and in the main GL title so now it’s time to make the leap into the main JL title. Jo would be the field leader while Wally would be second in command. Wally would be the impulsive, hot headed one who is best at improvising on the fly while Jo would be the thoughtful strategic long term planner.

To round out the cast, I would have Cyborg/Victor Stone as the teams resident engineer and tech specialist. I always thought it was a missed opportunity not to build on Vic’s Titans history and have Vic and Wally on the JL together. Especially since they have both teamed up in Wally’s own title.

Then I would add in Atom/Ryan Choi as the team’s biologist plus medic, Dr Fate/Khalid Nassour as their magical specialist and Big Barda as the team’s heavy weight. Initially I thought of including either Zatanna or Raven as the magical specialist but I think it’s time that Khalid branched out and interacted with new characters. To round out the team, I would add in Armando Ramone who was the brother of the original Vibe and Beast Boy since he has never been on the JL before.

I would set the League’s HQ in Guy Gardner’s Warriors Bar in New York. Guy and Bobo/Detective Chimp would be serving drinks at this bar. Linda Park would be there as well with Jai and Iris. Guy wouldn’t be an active member, he would be on reserve alongside Mr Miracle/Scott Free whose a stay-at-home-dad with his and Barda’s kid, who would hang out with Wally’s kids. Guy’s presence also means we can fold in Ice/Tora as his partner and co-owner of the business plus reserve member.

But I wouldn’t limit the League’s new HQ to Guy’s Warriors Bar, I would also have this be the place where Justice League Dark The Keepers of Magic would congregate as well.

For this team I would go with Zatanna as the leader (and have do some actual leading), Ray Palmer/Atom back in his Sword of Atom look as the team scientist/explorer, Detective Chimp/Bobo would still follow her on missions, then I would add in Vixen/Marie Jiwe McCabe (her powers are magic derived so it’s weirder that she has never been in JLD), then I would add in Raven, Zachary Zatara, Billy Batson/Shazam (as the understudy/proteges), Donna Troy (for the Wonder representation) and Blue Devil/David Cassidy as the team’s muscle, Aztek/Nayeli Constant who would serve as the team Brick and also opens up Aztek mythology just as Vixen’s opens up West African mythology. This would serve as the core team. Each member representing either a different aspect of the magical world or Ray’s case, a different perspective. The team will cross over and meet various characters throughout their journey like Eve Eden/Nightshade and her quest to rescue her brother or Enchantress or Ralph and Sue Dibney as ghost detectives or Dr Mist.

Then I would have Deadman/Boston Brand act as back up/support while Madame Xanadu serves as mission control like she did in Volume 1. I don’t want the book to just be about horror or rehash Books of Magic again. I want something akin to Greg Pak’s ‘Incredible Hercules’ where you had this hodgepodge of different mythologies mixing and interacting with each other.

I actually like the idea of JL and JLD having the same book with JLD as back up but I didn’t like the latter having too few pages. Still I would keep the two teams more intertwined with the Wonder Woman and Aquaman often going back and forth between JL and KoM with Zatanna often asking WW for guidance when it comes to leadership.

But for this scenario lets imagine that they are separate books with their own separate plot lines but characters can move freely from one book to the other. I would give them the JL one a back up title called JLA Reserves. The back up will spotlight characters who don’t appear in the main feature which will address the problem of readers not seeing their fave get any focus in the main feature. I’ll give a similar back up to JLD which will spotlight individual characters (setting them up before they join the team without interrupting the main story line) or stories set in the past that will flesh out members of the team or spotlight a cool magical character who is not a member of the team.

As for plots, well, for the JL I want mix of work place comedy and superhero action. The A-plot could Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter investigating something on Mars while the B-plot could be something like the League at homebase having to contain an runaway alien microbe from Choi’s lab that’s wrecking havoc.

Or Wally and Linda go on a date to explore NY while leaving Jai and Iris in the care of Khalid and Vic but babysitting two kids with superspeed (or super punch in Jai’s case turns out to be more difficult than expected).

Or Zatanna agrees to do Guy and Ice a favor by holding one of her shows at Warriors Bar but because neither Guy nor Zatanna can stand each other or agree on how the show should go leading to disaster.

Or on JLD side where Donna attempts to put together a portfolio or enough photos to get a book deal in between regular superhero stuff. Maybe even has Zatanna and Vixen model for her. Even Blue Devil could be her muse.

Or Zachary, Raven and Billy go on their own side trip but ends up landing in more trouble than they initially realized.

But a superhero team can’t just be about sitcom hijinks, you also need:

Step 3: Villains

The problem with modern iterations of JL is the lack of an iconic rogues gallery for them. Historically the League has fought White Martians, Starro the Conqueror, the Royal Flush Gang, Felix Faust, Vandal Savage, Lex Luthor and the Injustice League.

But the Leagues needs villains that are unique to them. Villains like Luthor & The Injusitce League often makes the League feel more like an extension of the Superman mythos whilst aliens like the White Martians and Starro end up being the faceless horde most of the time.

For this iteration of the League, I think it’s important to utilize villains who are connected to the heroes. Especially villains whom the heroes have in common and could lead to more world building and mythology.

Like Queen Clea for instance is a WW villain, she was the ruler of Atlantis in the original Martson run. However she could be a shared enemy of both WW and Aquaman and her kingdom could just be one of the many Atlantean colonies.

There is also Queen Desira who is the queen of Venus and the slave culture of Saturn lead by Eviless (who would need a name change) from old WW comics. Exploring these cultures and how they might connect to the Martians from J’onn’s comics. Ryan Choi also dated Giganta (another WW villains) so there is opportunity for hilarity here.

For the ‘Keepers of Magic’ Madame Xanadu has Morgan Le Fay, Donna has the Dark Angel, Raven has Trigon, Vixen has Mustapha Maksai and the Orisha’s, Raven has Trigon and Zatanna has a few enemies that should be dusted off especially Allura. I think that’s enough villainous fire power to challenge the League.

I left out Dick Grayson/Nightwing because Dick has joined an lead the League before and I didn’t want to include too many Titans characters or create the false impression the Titans are JL Jr who are meant to ‘graduate’ to the League. If you look at their enemies, the Titans ones are just as dangerous as any JL enemy. Dick should be with the Titans (I like the Titans Academy as a concept if not the execution) along with Roy Harper or he has to lead a team he’s never lead before like the Suicide Squad or Gen 13.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

TL;Dr: Make Wonder Woman, Martian Manhutner and Aquaman the new Trinity. Wally West, Jo Mullein, Cyborg, Ryan Choi, Beast Boy, Dr Fate, Vibe and Big Barda fill out the roster. They’re all set up in Guy Gardner’s Warriors bar where Guy, Detective Chimp, Ice, Scott Free and Linda Park also hang. The JLD operate from there as well, but now they are rebranded as ‘Keepers of Magic’, with Zatanna, Vixen, Donna Troy, Blue Devil, Aztek being in charge along with Zachary Zatara, Raven and Billy Batson.

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