The Wrong Atlantis (53/?)

A compendium of references to Portugal in Japanese video games

The beginning of the historical relations between Portugal and Japan dates to the year 1541, when a Portuguese ship washed ashore at Jingujiura. Nearly sixty Japanese words are of Portuguese origin. A variety of Japanese traditions and culinary delights were introduced by Portuguese traders, sailors and missionaries. But in what way has this cultural exchange extended to the more recent phenomenon of Japanese digital games? As a portuguese devotee of Japanese culture, the topic seemed relevant enough to merit some additional exploration.

To my knowledge, the first significant reference to Portugal in Japanese video game is found in Koei's The Age of Discovery from 1990, a game published in the west under the title Uncharted Waters. The main character is a disgraced Portuguese nobleman named Leon Ferrero who resorts to maritime exploration, trade and naval warfare to restore his family's good name and prestige.

Its 1993 sequel, known in the west as New Horizons, diversifies the base game structure of the original by including multiple characters to select from, each with their own story and mission. Among them is the tale of João Franco, the son of the original episode's protagonist Leon, who sets out to discover the mysterious location of the fabled Atlantis, no less.

Another meaningful reference can be found a year later in ArtDink's 1991 strategy game The Atlas, in which the player takes on the role of a 15th century explorer with a five year contract with the King of Portugal to discover and chart lands around the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1998, ArtDink recreated the game for contemporary systems and published as Neo Atlas. The protagonist is a Portuguese trading company owner seeking business expansion opportunities in remote territories, as well as discover and chart hitherto unknown parts of the globe. A similar premise is found in a later sequel, Neo Atlas III.

Apart from nautical strategy games, a few other titles exist where mentions to the Portuguese territory, language and culture can be traced.

Atlus' futuristic vision of Earth in Maken X includes a most unexpected tour of Europe, with a mandatory stop in Lisbon. Inexplicably, the developers got its geographic location wrong and moved to all the way to the northern Spanish region of Léon. The level, itself, boasts a reasonably accurate depiction of one of the city's oldest quarters, Alfama, and the architectural styles found therein.

Although I could not discern any actual references in the game itself, the Grandia II soundtrack by the veteran composer Noriyuki Iwadare contains two themes whose lyrics are written in Portuguese: A Deus, a double-entendre that can be translated to both farewell and to God; and Canção do Povo, meaning People's Song. Also, the name of the official soundtrack is named Melodia, which translates to Melody as you'd expect. Both themes were performed by guest singer Kaori Kawasumi, who took on the composer's challenge to sing them despite her not knowing the language.

She was coached and assisted by José Álvarez and Motoi Sato from the Portuguese Arts and Culture Center in Japan, whom she thanks in the acknowledgement section. The Grandia II Special Package edition booklet contains a page with two photos of Portugal, one for the Jéronimos Monastery in Lisbon and the other, seemingly, for the Moorish Castle in the nearby town of Sintra.

The last Pomping World (a.ka. Buster Bros/Pang) that Mitchell Corporation ever produced before shutting down was the 2010 DS European exclusive Magical Michael. It includes two levels set in Portugal, one in Lisbon by the Belém tower, a nautical landmark, and the other in the Sintra National Palace. Their representation is at once pleasingly stylized and true to life.

This final reference is found in Spike Chunsoft's third installment of their successful visual novel series, Nyūdanganronpa V3 Minna No Koroshiai Shin Gakki. Among the dozens of MonoMono machine items that can be acquired, one is a weathercock styled after a traditional Portuguese folktale hero, the Galo de Barcelos, meaning the rooster of Barcelos, a town in Northern Portugal.

As per the description, this animal became famous through an age-old tale involving a man wrongly sentenced to death who seconds before his execution remarked he was as certain to be innocent as it was certain that a nearby rooster would sing. Because the bird did crow, much to everyone's amazement, he was exonerated. Thus, the black rooster became a symbol for truth.

I would like to thank @diogojira and @DanielOlimac for their assistance in making this article possible.

Last Monday of the Week 2022-12-05

Everything happens so much all the time

Listening: Bandcamp Friday last Friday, so I have some new albums. I needed a $1 purchase to fill out my budget and I landed on the David Byrne single "The Fat Man's Comin'" which is a shockingly dramatic Christmas song.

Reading: Fanfic week, the good: Static Contact, a ham radio themed JeanKim fic by noted disco elysium enjoyers @sybilius and @dansedan, I am always here for tech-themed sex, in this case ham radio phone sex about ham radio. I did not really talk to Jean during my first run at Disco Elysium but he's a good character, and a lot like Kim in many ways.

the bad: I made a post about trans Artemis Fowl and got approximately a dozen notes mentioning a fic called "The Great Gender Heist" so I checked that out. Not the worst Artemis Fowl fic by a long shot but it didn't do it for me. Unfortunately I was once able to recite basically entire chapters of Artemis Fowl from memory so I have Opinions.

This reminded me of two, better series I read in like 2013 but I have no idea if they're actually good, they're also like 160k and 650k words so maybe another week I'll get into those.

Watching: A few more episodes of Andor, which. It's good Star Wars! I'm so glad there's good Star Wars out there. I am also of course big into heist stories so I'm so here for this. I'm glad nothing will go wrong and everything will be fine.

Playing: My cousin is visiting and she wanted to try out some board games so I have run Atlantis Rising, Catan, and Clank! in rapid succession. Won at Clank! for the first time in ages, I usually just try and build a really risky but cool deck rather than actually winning.

Making: helping my brother build a desk for his house, varnish is currently drying up in the shed and it's storming like hell so you don't get a finished photo but here's the base material.

Tools and Equipment: The ol' making wood filler out of wood glue and sawdust trick is very useful, but you should throw out your first batch of sawdust if you are sanding down a particularly dirty piece of wood, otherwise your filler will come out darker than you expect.

Aside from looking and feeling drained, I've had a nice week.

Still enjoying chilling with Stargate Atlantis even listened to a couple of episode commentaries (the writers have early aughts typical broey vibes though so that's off-putting).

Found a pair of shoes to wear this late autumn as my "vintage" vans mannaz fell apart. After I'd talked about the difficulty of finding shoes that fit me and how many I'd tried that didn't work out, Mum dug up a pair of hiking boots she'd forgotten to send back to dad and said he'd always had the same problem: wide feet with height just behind the toe area as the arch starts. Apparently getting work shoes for his teacher job that didn't hurt was quite a quest. They fit great except for the length so I went online, found the same brand "Queshua" and looked at their hiking shoes of the updated but same series/range. Ordered a male and female model in my size. Only the "guy" shoes fit and they don't have any spring in them like sports shoes do but sports shoes often end up too narrow. I can't risk buying them without going to a physical shop or doing a dozen returns. Queshua from decathlon have a free return from your post box and refund policy. Fantastic.

So basically, I'm elated to have been able to toss out the vans and stick the pastel gradient laces into my new all terrain, waterproof trainers. I'm going to look at their winter models for colder weather. It's reassuring to know there is a brand that tends to fit. I'm hoping to try the thrift store on the outskirts of town one day when the carer isn't too busy but that could be a while (why thrift? Because I generally don't fully know a shoe's problems before I've 'road tested' them) .

I also tried crochet again (every few years I try to knit or crochet from tutorials and it hasn't gone great, you all know I can't think in 3D, so like for the keyboard, it has to be muscle memory and mnemonics) This time I had two different youtube tutorials on half speed and could sort of 'get it' but for the life of me could not properly hold the yarn in the left hand. Mum was around so I sheepishly asked what I was doing wrong. Her first answer was "well have you practiced?" 🙄 (she forgets I'm not the 7 year old who gives up as soon as the dopamine runs out or gets distracted by shiny - i mean i am but I've learned to go back to practicing even if I have to make myself angry or use bribes and limits.) I dutifully produced my series of messed up lines and sat down to show her and she went "oh OK! you're doing it wrong, Here's how auntie Grace taught me" and wrapped the yarn around my little finger, using the middle finger as the main yarn holder and index+thumb to pinch the crochet. Then I had to leave because she kept telling me to "relax my shoulders relax your hands RELAX", I love her but I do not control the muscles when trying to practice a new hard (for me) skill for an audience.

That hands on tip was what made it actually 'take' this time even though I might end up using the ring finger instead. I haven't had much time to practice and made quite a mess of my first attempts at rows with a 3 ply yarn.

Today I was able to proudly show off a 5*30 stitch parallelogram (still haven't got the tension down) of thin cord, it took three tries... but not bad. I'm really hoping I'll be able to grok some more stitches and have something to keep the hands busy that's less taxing on my shoulder. I also need to ask her about auntie Grace, she's probably part of the deaf adult community mum grew up in.

Slowly working towards listing more dolls. You get stuck on junk decisions about whether to bundle, whether to dress them or one of the photos is too blurry and the whole thing stops because there's a missing step or piece. Plan derailed.

I've got incoming which helps with motivation: Elle eedee!!! I didn't click with her the first time then really missed her but now I know how I want to do her eyes. Twilight teens grey for Nicole Steel head (aliexpress 11.11 sales $5) and white.

A Catrine and pink haired Howleen. Catrine is a design I just love and was always put off by the yellowing. Now that I know more about straight peroxide bleaching, I really want another try. I also want to see what happens to that lilac turned grey hair and if it fries or just turns lighter grey, she'll be bald. Their cleaning will be top priority in general but not top on the project list as I have Barbie Marnie who needs just a few more lines of hair to be perfect, a 1/6th BJD to string (need to practice rotary tool sanding and buffing on a damaged barbie before I touch her resin) and probably switching out Jewel Richie's eyes, they're beautiful with the green shimmer details but the visible bevel on the 'baddie' eyes makes them hard to photograph and distracts from looking like a cohesive face. Oooh I might try a line of black acrylic paint first to see if that fixes the issue.

Voilà, big blurb. Not many photos they're all on the desktop. The dogs are happy and well, Lily is a bouncy frolicking 15yo, Talia is learning to be less afraid of the big world and other dogs specifically Gargouille and Elliot.

Talia also threw up in almost every room in the house today, with for her grand finale some raw hide bone she swallowed whole to concentrate on hoarding the other two from Lily. Chihuahuas either have Tardis stomachs or they are mostly stomach because the dimensions of all that came up don't make sense.

Highlights were sharing popcorn with sis and mum on Sunday just chitchatting. Long hot bath to warm legs cold from the inside out. Stunning sights as the sun comes out from behind the mountains:

KENDALL Jenner has been ripped for "overlining her lips" and wearing "unflattering shoes" as the model flaunted her figure in a silk gown. The Hulu star donned the curve-hugging dress while attending the Atlantis The Royal hotel's "Grand Reveal Weekend." Kendall, 27, was photographed on the luxury Dubai hotel's blue carpet in the Schiaparelli "chain-link halter gown." Several snapshots were posted on a Kardashian-dedicated Reddit board where fans could weigh in on the reality TV star's chosen look. The TV personality's umber-colored dress with its gold accents garnered plenty of praise from fans. One person commented: "I love the dress. Interesting without being too extra." Another fan questioned: "Is this dress a Schiaparelli?" before adding, "She always looks good in that designer." Kendall's choice of makeup, on the other hand, received negative feedback from fans. One critic wrote: "She has got to stop overlining her lips." A second commenter mentioned: "It looks like she maybe got her lips done recently in addition to overlining." While a third person stated: "No one gets away with over-lining their lips. It looks like a muddy mess. Period." The Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum's shoes also didn't receive much favor from Redditors as one user commented: "I despise those shoes. Heeled flip-flops." "The shoes are so unflattering," added a second with a third writing, "came here to slander the shoes too." A fourth person wrote: "They look like beach flip flops and why doesn't she have a pedicure?" Another commented: "I HATE high heeled flip flops so I totally hate the shoes also lol" While a final commenter summed up the opinions of most of the critics, stating: "Love the dress. But unfortunately, I’ll have to deduct points for the makeup and shoes." Recently, Kardashian fans spotted an odd detail in Kendall's new photos after the former E! star uploaded a series of Instagram photos in which she stunned in a green dress. The Kardashians star completed the fancy look with her shoulder-length black gloves and knee-high boots. The Victoria's Secret model parted her dark hair in the middle and tied the rest into a bun.  In the comments, fashion critics were not thrilled with Kendall's glamorous look as they claimed she photoshopped "her tiny waist and arms." One critic said: "I strongly dislike that pose. She always looks so creepy when she takes a photo like that." Another critic added: "The photoshopped waist is killing me." A third critic mentioned: "She looks like a sad grasshopper with tiny arms." A fourth person wrote: "Why she gotta pose like that with her tiny arms? It reminds me of some sort of insect." A commentator chimed in: "That pose is all wrong. It's giving garden gecko vibes." Recently, the brunette beauty donned the same green dress when he partied in Dubai on January 20th.  On Friday, the supermodel attended the grand opening of the new hotel Atlantis The Royal. Kendall's very own 818 tequila brand was popular among guests at the hotel opening. The model later shared a video of a bartender pouring liquor into the tequila shots on the tray.  She also reshared a photo taken by her long-time family friend Simon Huck, who is also sister Kourtney Kardashian's business partner for her Lemme brand. In the snapshot, the LA native was lying down on a large sun lounger and clutching a big bottle of 818. Fans in stitches as Kim 'insults' Scott Disick with unexpected comment GMA's Amy Robach flees NY in new pics after claims about TJ's past ‘affairs’ Kim Kardashian's fans feel 'sad' for North after Kanye's 'horrible' decision Josie Duggar sparks concern as she's spotted with medical device © 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP source

Ducktales Final Four!: The Lost Cargo of Kit Cloudkicker!

Hello You Happy People. SPIN IT! OHOHOHOHOHOHO LETS’ BEGIN IT!

After 10,000 years we’re finally at the motherducking Talespin episode! And only 8000 of those years were the last 14 months as Ducktales 2017 has been working toward this for a while with Cape Suzette being prominently mentioned in both the first episode and the season 1 finale, and Don Karnage being a regular part of the rouges gallery, voiced by the wonderous Jamie Camil. So this episode was less a matter of “If”, since Don’s presence meant Disney wasn’t really against it happening, and more a matter of “When and How.” The how, to a point was settled at the big NYCC panel for Ducktales that revealed Daisy and Goofy... as it also revealed aged up versions of Kit and Molly, meaning a proper tailspin episode was on the way.  I could not have been more pumped. While I didn’t remember the cartoon well, i’d always loved Talespin since I was a kid and as an adult my curosity only grew. Still need to watch way more of it mind you, I really have slept on most of the Disney Plus Libarary and that’s dumb of me, but what i’ve seen is impressive. The story of an irresponsible bear forced to work with a buisnesswoman bear after she buys his seaplane, his loveable kid sidekick and said buisness bear’s daughter whose cute as a button but suprisingly tolerable for a little kid character. Opposing them were masterful buisnessman Shere Kahn, who sadly does not show up here and could be friend , foe or neutral depending on the episode, and Don Karnage, a kooky sky pirate who as mentioned is already in this series and was Balloo’s arch enemy. The series was colorful, creative, had a great premise and cast and in general was just awesome and out of the Disney Afternoon shows is honestly my faviorite, though Darkwing is getting close. I even recently finally got the Shere Kahn funko, which is starring into my soul as I type this review! Hurrah! 

So I waited impatiently like I did for Daisy and Goofy, both also things I’d wanted in the series since the start. Thing was.. Goofy showed up in the second episode of the season, that was part of the premiere, and while the wait for Daisy was agonizing, she still showed up pretty early into the season at episode five. Gosalyn showed up at episode 12. This is episode  20.  

I do get it: This season was built to be the last just in case.. and ended up being the last so good job there. There was a LOT to wrap up in one season and on top of that they had a double and TRIPLE length episode taking up 5 episodes of the season, AND two holiday episodes. So that gave them only 18 normal episodes they had to place very carefully. So likely, given that they had some episodes important to the finale that couldn’t wait for the last minute in “The First Adventure” and “The Battle for Castle McDuck!”, as I highly doubt pepper was given such  a build up to not be important in the finale, still think she’s webby’s mom, we’ll see soon enough. And New Gods on the Block, while not as important was probably not swapped with this one because they wanted a lighter episode after three plot important episodes in a row, two of which are fairly intense and had lasting consequences and one of which, while a bit of a breather, was still indulging in the new FOWL status quo. This one ended up crammed into the last block.. because they likely really wanted to do this one, wanted it to tie into FOWL... and had nowhere else to put it, with Life and Crimes likely serving as one last break from FOWL, if it doesn’t end up tying into it, before the finale movie. Doesn’t make waiting forever for it any less grating, but hey it’s finally here. So how was it? Was it worth the hype? And how do the Wuzzles factor into this? Join me under the cut and spin it with me to find out and count down to 3!

So we open with an adult Kid Cloudkicker at work, voiced by Adam Pally!

If you haven’t heard of him, and one of my Patreons had not, he was on Happy Endings and the Mindy Project, and has a very distinct voice and is very funny, so it was a pleasant surprise to have him pop up here as Kit and given aforementioned roles were messes in some way shape or form, especially Max from happy endings whose essentially Oscar the Grouch, just as gay only not living in a trash can. Though if he had to he would. 

Since he was a kid KIt’s picked up the old family business, and is now running hire for hire.. and has also picked up his Dad’s old enemies as Don Karnage chases after Kit, his second greatest nemesis, who freely mocks him. It’s a lovely sequence but shows Kit isn’t the best pilot, and his fancy flying, while beating Don, also opens both crates, freeing the livestock he’s carrying.. and the other cargo, a mysterious stone that was in a F.O.W.L. crate that merges the chicken with  a goat, and scares kit, and he ends up causing his cargo to drop out of the plane.  Cue titles. 

Back with our heroes for this series, Della is recroding Dewey as he flies solo the first time!

That is so precious. Huey is along for the ride and is taking having his reckless brother with the attention span of a coked up ferret at the helm exactly how you’d expect. 

Of course his helmet says safety boy and of course he has a helmet on over his hat. Awww. Dewey, while good at it, he’s a 12 year old flying a rather sizeable plane with no difficulty that’s  pretty impressive.. he’s also Dewey so just flying a plane normally isn’t enough and he wants to Dewey it instead and do all the fancy stuff. He wants to be special as is usual for him, not realizing this is how you get to being good as his mom or Launchpad. And he’s 12 so that makes sense just on the basic level.. but it also makes sense on a comparison level: Dewey’s done a LOT of impressive stuff over the course of the series: rattling it off because why not, and this is just things he acomplished himself: he found the Lost Jewel of Atlantis (Getting it home was still a team effort but he is the one who identified it), is a golf pro better than his uncle whose played the game for centuries at this point,   defeated Don Karnage in a sword fight with little to no sword training, was crucial in beating Magica during the Shadow War, travled through time, by accident or not, consulted on a major motion picture, defeated a Gandra, even if she was going easy on him, BLIND, and biggest of all defeated the World Serpent Jormunngandr, by himself, a GOD that’s fought Scrooge evenly for decades. AND FINISHED HIM WITH A PILEDRIVER. To reitirate this was ONLY the stuff he did himself. So I get why he’d think just flying a plane when his mom and best friend have done so much more with it is boring and that being a pilot when two people he looks up to are already one is just.. boring. I’ts not special or unique and given his family name is built on the two, I can see why he’d chafe under this. 

Della for her part isn’t doing things wrong entirely, she wants him to start with the basics, the fact he can DO those basics at such a young age with minimal training shows he has a true knack for it, and it takes experince to pull off death defying stunts. The First Adventure backs this up as while Della was so talented as a kid she could land a plane herself.. that was all she did. And it’s still incredibly impressive a ten year old landed a seaplane with no real world training or hours in a full on flight simulator. The issue that’s never really adressed is while she’s mostly doing it right she dosen’t get that despite his talent, Dewey just dosen’t find this INTRESTING or get how impressive he is, and that dressing it up a bit migh’tve helped. It’s an understandable mistake though, teaching someone something in any context is hard. It’s one of many, MANY reasons like currently horribly hazzarodus conditions, long hours, having to buy their own suplies at times, that teachers are badly underpayed. 

Before we get into why their headed to Cape Suzette at long last, there is one notiacble absence in this episode I can’t really ignore: Launchpad. While he has been absent in every episode since Let’s Get Dangerous, not counting “How Santa Stole Christmas!” as the two holiday episodes were made to fit in anywhere story wise and timeline and production wise take place before the rest of Season 3 , which takes place during Spring given both the March note on Boyd and Huey’s photos in Astro BOYD, and Forbidden Fountain taking place during spring break. At most it’s currently running into Summer. I put too much thought into this with someone i’ve lost contact with. 

My point, I had one trust me, is that Launchpad has just been gone for the second half of the season . And up till now it wasn’t necesarily a bad thing: He was a major part of Let’s Get Dangerous and wasn’t really needed for any of the episodes so far: The Manor side of things in ImpossiBin was purposfully intense and while he would’ve had some thoughts on Beakly’s actions, it just worked better with him gone and the only other adult in the house at the moment busy doing other stuff for their protection till the climax. Split Sword was kid focused, New Gods didn’t really involve him at all, though I am sad he and Storkules never met as far as I can tell, The First Adventure was a flashback, Fight for CastleMcDuck was about the family unit more, and Beaks in the Shell is the only one so far I think he could’ve been included in at all and again shoving him in would’ve just cluttered things up. Like a lot of character ballance issues of the series, there’s a good enough reason.. this is just the one exception in the last batch I think would’ve been improved by having him. He’s Dewey’s best friend, he’s been there for him, he would’ve been a good counterpoint as a teacher and it could’ve been intersting having both he and della have constrasting styles but valuable things to teach and I would’ve loved to see him interact with Kit. It also just feels really weird to be down a pilot in the episode about the franchise about a pilot. \

The fact Dewey ends up crashing while landing after Huey applauds him on his safe normal landing, which ticks him off because he dosen’t want to be normal, hammers in it in a bit as he missed his buddy’s first crash. I get leaving him out as Kit is just as irresponsible and the episodes just as much about Kit if not more so as it is about Dewey, so I understand it but it dosne’t make it feel like any less of a lost opportunity. 

As for why their in the cape at last, it’s unsuprsingly another missing mystery, the stone of what is which can combine two things, the stone seen in the intro. Kit loosing it turns out to be a good thing as it meant FOWL didn’t get it, and they can find it, and are in town to find him. They pass the hire for hire offices which have a ton of notices on the door, and Dewey is entranced by the idea of cloud kicking, aka sky surfing, aka that thing kit did in the original. We also get to see updated versions of Baloo, Kit and Molly. Sadly no Rebecca. Can’t win em all. 

Our trio find Kit whose asleep, clearly having no customers and trying to pass it off like he does. It turns out he knows Della, as they went to flight school together, though she only vaugely remembers him at best. She does remember Molly though, wouldn’t be suprised if that’s another ex of hers either, and wonders what happen to her.. and not just because htere’s always room in Della’s harem.  Kit dodges.. and it’s likely in large part because it’s clear to anyone looking despite his statments he’s kinda stalled as an adult. It’s very clear from his surroudings, him being a pilot for hire, and him eagerly taking Dewey on as a sidekick when Dewey shows intresting in Cloud Kicking, that he’s trying to be Baloo. This idea was, according to Frank, the brainchild of the episode’s director, and one of it’s writers and storyboarders, Tanner Johnson. Tanner pitched “What if Kit never outgrew his Baloo fanboying?”. 

It’s an intresting idea: while it is sad we don’t get to see the old boy at any point and I do wonder where he is now and what he’s up to in his retirment, probably just flying about free as a bird would be my guess given how he never liked working to begin with, I applaud them for doing something unique with the Tailspin cast that fits into the themes of the season rather than just have them show up. By making it Kit instead of Baloo cargoing them, it gives us more of an arc to work with character wise as Kit has become so obessed with becoming his dad, he never stopped to consider if he was even good at it or enjoyed it.

  Using Della is part of what makes this work as she too grew up with a larger than life mentor and adopted dad.. but unlike Kit, she grew up a bit and saw the flaws in her dad. His greed, his selfishness, his tendency to hog the glory, his ego.. she stopped putting him on a pedestal. She still loves him, still wants his respect and admiration to this day, but she gets he’s not perfect and not who she wants to be.  Kit clearly never got this message. He never grew out of putting Baloo on a pedsteal and wanting ot literally be him instead of his own man. So he ignored the many flaws in how Baloo lived: Baloo started Talespin having lost his plane because he was so obessed with freedom and doing what he wanted, he didn’t bother actually paying on it and chafed under actually doing work half the time. He’s talented, fun to be around and a hell of pilot bar none, he honestly outclasses Della, but he was entirely irresponsible. Kit’s found himself in the same position Baloo was in: living alone, having not a lot going on, and on the verge of loosing his plane. Not only that he’s worse off because Baloo at least, while lazy, had enough talent. Kit.. isn’t a good pilot as we’ve seen and will see again, and clearly not only dosen’t have a knack for it, but is only doing it because Baloo did. He’s so obsessed with being who he THINKS baloo would want him to be, he never stopped to think that the actual Baloo would just want him to be happy and has probably told him this, or was probably too proud of what Kit was doing to realize what he was doing to his life. 

But Della dosen’t have time to get him a therapist, they need to find that stone before FOWL, and Kit offers to take them.. if they hire him. Della scoffs at this and insults the Sea Duck

Yeah Della your fantastic.. but you do NOT insult the Sea Duck and your very, VERY lucky it’s not Baloo you were dealing with as he would’ve turned you down out of principal. The Sea Duck is fucking awesome, and a national treasure. Thankfully Kit instead points out the Sunchaser isn’t in a better place after Dewey Dewed what he dew, so they really don’t have a choice. 

Della does draw the line at letting Kit fly as she eventually realizes he’s not good at this, mostly letting Crowby his crowbar do all the work, and finds he has a map to where he dropped the stone, so he dosen’t even have that leg to stand on and throws him out of his own cockpit before he gets them all killed. Okay that time on her side. Kit takes this time to try and train Dewey on cloudkicking... but despite being encaustic at the idea of it the reality leaves Dewford scared shitless.. and doubles up on bad things as Don Karnage and his crew are closing in on the island. FOWL hired them to get it for them, though why FOWL didn’t do so themselves I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong i’m happy to have Jamie back and it really wouldn’t feel right ot have a Tailspin ep without Don Karnage, I just find it odd Bradford would hire outside contractors for this given he has a full staff and not at least send Heron or Steelbeak along to supervise.  Regardless, Don puts pleasure before buisness spotting Kit.. and fully commits after finding out Dewey is ALSO involved. I also find it hilarous DEWEY outranks Kit on Don Karnage’s enemy list. So naturally he goes after him, int he personal plane he used in the series which also showed up in the cold open, and with Dewey not having the skill to take Don on, Kit is forced ot step in. He also calls him “Little briches” which while another sign of how much he wants to be his own dad.. is still too awesome not to apricate. Don cuts the line but thanks to Kit’s fancy footwork, they make it out alive and wash up on an island. Della soon joins them, thanks kit for saving her kid then rightfully slaps him for putting him in danger in the first place. Dewey also has to stop her from punching him when he explains he had no idea the stone ended up on this island, which granted she is justified in but Dewey , of all people, rightly saw this means they don’t have to drag a  unconcious bear around who probably hasn’t showered in a while. I mean the smell will be there either way but there’s less chance of accidnetlly inhaling too much while he’s conconcious. They also find out what the Stone’s been doing: combining the wildlife leading to rhino monkey hybrid trying to murder them. So at the last minute Frank also squeezed in another disney aftenroon show but one tha’ts not streaming and most don’t care about: the wuzzles, a bunch of hybrids of various animals... Frank couldn’t do much with that as is and just decided to rightfully play it for horror. 

Our heroes find Don, whose found the stone.. and is simply throwing most of hi crew  at it rather than doing anything productive, with them turning into just.. utterly horrifying combinations. Hands for heads and everything, bug legs, a non-anthro parrot head. it’s pretty tough to watch and I question why the episode did this as Don’s crew did not deserve this and this episode is mostly lightearted before and after this. A tailspin tribute episode episode should not pair well with the song no spill blood.. seroiusly you paid for all I do is win, and rightfully but you couldn’t get this?

Regardless the kids and manchild are told to stay put while the slightly more functional womanchild takes care of Don. Dewey and Kit naturally don’t, which is fair: what did della expect, the sugared up rabbit in a small duck’s body and the incompitent but charming manchild she’s insulted repedadtly to listen? Naturally they both beef it as Dewey can’t board and while Kit does get Don’s plane, he ends up crashing it instead of doing anything productive. I mean even Launchpad would’ve at least got back to the seaduck.. he would’ve crashed into it but still. Look when you make Launchpad look compietnet you really need to rethink your life.  Della has bigger problems though as it turns out the thing they were on.. was a coocoon.. for a butterbear. Oh no. Thankfully this goes better than you’d expect as she’s able to ride the thing and it tangles up some rope, taking the stone of what was with it and Don takes off after it with what pirates he has left. 

Our remaining heros return to the Sea Duck. Dewey and Kit plan to do the same thing again and expect diffrent results but Huey.. has some words for them. 

He’s fed up with this and points out they need to swap jobs. Dewey CAN fly, and Kit really is good at cloudkicking, it’s in the name, and he needs to return to it. While Dewey balks again stating anyone can be a pilot.. Kit finally admits that’s not true and he’s just not good at it and Huey finally snaps them out o fthier neurosis, Kit a bit late but better late than never given the state of his life, and points out the episode’s aseop: YOU make something special just by doing what you like to do and are good at well. I’ts been hard making these reviews, but I feel i’m getting the hang at it and it’s what I was meant to do, I just had to find it. It’s not always easy to find your calling but when you got it, go for it instead of some version of you you think you should be.  So we get pured distilled awesome for the climax. Besides Della again riding a bear that’s also a butterfly, Kit, also a bear I did not miss that gag, proceeds to finally spin it and begin again it as he tears through them with Crowby and easily deispatches the planes finally earning Della’s respect and finally back in his element, using his newfound size and strength combined with his still inherent acrobatics to easily take them out and land on Carnage’s plane and beat him. 

So the day is saved: The stone lands on the plane and our heroes properly secure it. Della releases her bear fly but it’ll find it’s way home i’m sure... so majestic. Or it’ll eat all the world’s seagulls. Good news either way. 

Back at the bay Kit packs up the stone safetly and gives them the bill. Which Della grumbles at but whiel he didn’t fly he did save their asses.. after endagenring them but still and does have a buisness to run. Plus he has to save his plane. 

But it turns out someone’s already bought it. And you can probably guess who. 

No not you sweetie.. though he is an investor for the person who DID buy it: Molly, whose taken being danger woman from a 4 year old’s play time to her career running an air stunt show. This is the other thing that cemented the whole aged up versions of these guys working for me: HIstory Repeating itself. Once again an enterprising young woman with a lot of ideas has bought the seaduck from it’s incompitent owner and hires the former owner to work for her.  But things are warmer this time: Kit wasn’t happy doing what he was doing, and it’s clear unlike Rebecca, who just bought the first plane she could get and hired baloo because he was who she could afford, they became friends with time and patience if not more but that’s still vauge... Molly did this out of love. She knew Kit was struggling and probably has as many fond memories of the sea duck and baloo as he does and didn’t want someone else to get the old girl. Her air show seems to be going fine, she apparently has a full crew, fans and enough money to purchase another plane on a whim from the bank to expand the show.. she wanted her old plane back and her old brother back. And wheras again Rebecca offered Baloo the job because he wanted to keep his baby safe from some half assed pilot she could afford and she knew it and thus could manipulate him with that. Plus he worked cheap so there. Here Molly just admires her brothers skills and hires them on it and he’s frankly more comfortable being a sidekick than the main star anyway. 

He TRIES to brush it off but gladly accepts. God another possible spinoff.. please make this Disney.. and if not at least Reboot tailspin I miss it. Still it’s a very satisfying ending. But what of Don Karnage? Well he’s lost everything as a result of this, unable to get back to his carrier, his crew mostly gone, and FOWL sure to be gunning for him. This is seemingly the end for him.. until he finds a chunk of the stone. “Or the start of an encore”. Wether this was a setup for a possible part of season 4, a possible spinoff or is going to come back in the finale.. we’re just going to have to wait and see won’t we?

Final Thoughts: I really liked this one. It’s not the best of the season: Kit’s arc is kinda telegraphed and Dewey’s arc while intresting isn’t focused on enough to really be that engaging. But the ideas at the core are solid and fit into the series well, the idea to age up our kid heroes from Talespin was really clever and paid off and as usual Adam Pally is a delight and as I said at the top was pitch perfect casting. Couldn’t figure out who played molly and the credits cut out on me, so let mek now if you do but yeah I enjoyed this one> It wasn’t the series at it’s best but given the last two are liable to get pretty intense it was a nice breezy break. And it got me wanting to watch Talespin again and there’s nothing bad about that. 

NEXT WEEK: In our penultimate adventure, Ducktales reinacts that one episode of Batman the Animated Series where all of Batman’s foes put him on Trial, as Scrooge’s Rogues put him on trial with Doofus as prosecuter and Louie for the defense. Well at least it’s not Lionel Hutz. 

This Week: Lots of Ducks! The lena retrospective continues as we take a detour for some comix, and we begin the Della arc as we go back to the start. It’s finally time to talk about Woo-Ooo!. 

If any of this sounds appealing follow my blog for more. If you like these reviews head over to my patreon, patreon.com/popculturebuffet, and become a patreon. At the 5 dollar level you get a review a month and even a dollar helps get to my stretch goals. I’m up to 15 a month so 20 is next and that means a darkwing duck review every month! And if you really like Talespin like I do, 25 nets you a tailspin review a month and a review of the pilot. Ohohohohohohoo. See you at the next rainbow. 

More S5 AU: Liz gets to meet Torren

The door chimed. Surprised, Elizabeth set the box down and went to answer it, revealing two visitors: one familiar and one not-so-familiar. “Teyla! Come in!” The Athosian woman entered with a smile. “Forgive me for interrupting. I know you are busy unpacking. But if you have a moment to spare, there is someone–“ She grinned at the baby in her arms. “-who I would like you to meet.” Elizabeth sent her a questioning glance. Was she sure about this? Even though Elizabeth had been cleared by the joint verdicts of both Doctor Keller and Carson, even though she wasn’t considered an active threat, she wouldn’t have blamed Teyla for being wary with her son.   “Elizabeth, this is Torren.” Elizabeth laughed through a throat tight with emotion as the baby waved his arm in her direction, almost as if he knew he were being introduced. Reflexively, she reached out and took hold of the tiny fist. “Hello, Torren. It’s nice to finally get to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” 

Torren wiggled his arm away and shook it at her, his large dark eyes intent yet absent with that baby look of perpetual confusion. “He’s beautiful, Teyla.” Teyla smoothed back a few wispy strands of dark hair from her son’s forehead. “I certainly think so,” she said, her voice warm with affection that bordered on adoration. Elizabeth watched her friend and her child with something like awe. Elizabeth had never seen her like this. Teyla had always been kind and considerate, always vocal about her affection for her people and, in a more subtle way, her teammates. But now sheer love radiated from Teyla’s eyes, rang through her voice, lending her face a sort of glow. It had always been there, Elizabeth realized, but now her friend’s innate tendency to nurture and protect was magnified and unleashed for the whole world to see. “Would you like to hold him?” The offer startled Elizabeth out of her reverie with a jolt of panic. “What?” She liked babies as a general rule, in a distant sort of way, but for the most part had had very little to do with them and thus no idea how to handle them. What if he started to cry? “Oh, no, that’s alright, I wouldn’t want to…” “I have let Rodney hold him without mishap, Elizabeth. I think you will be fine.” Another weak, stuttering protest and then there was no more time to argue because the baby was in her arms and every muscle grew tense in terror of dropping him. The weight was unexpected – he was a solid little thing – and it took her a moment – and a gentle guiding from Teyla – to figure out how to distribute his bulk while holding him upright. At least he was old enough to hold up his head, so she didn’t have to worry about that. She braced herself for the tears, waiting for him to protest being handed off to this strange woman, certain that she was doing something wrong. But a moment passed and the only noises that issued from the baby were a grunt and a little squeal, both oddly charming. “Hey, Torren,” she said, her voice rising automatically into a sort of coo. He craned his downy head up and down, as if taking her in. Suddenly, he rocked, pitching himself backwards, and Elizabeth clung to him frantically. Yet Teyla didn’t seem concerned by this near-disaster, instead smiling as she watched her son wiggle like a hooked fish. The baby gave another little grunt, his tiny hand tapping her on the shoulder, and stilled, settling into Elizabeth’s arms. “You’re quite the active one, I see,” she said with a flustered laugh. “Your mom will have a pair of bantos rods in your hands before you know it.” Teyla’s smile of pride was all the confirmation she needed that this would indeed be the case. Elizabeth studied the round little face, the big brown eyes the image of his mother’s, the stout little body in its patchwork Athosian gown, already so strong. She had no trouble imagining the future warrior he could become, a leader like his parents before him. But there were so many other things too. So much potential, in such a small package. Gradually, the excess tension left her muscles, and the weight and warmth of the little body pressed against hers became less and less frightening. Her nose grazed the top of his head, breathing in that baby smell and feeling the feathery softness of his hair. In fact, the experience was almost soothing. Something elusive, yet warm and calm seemed to grow in the center of her chest, like she’d just downed a shot of whiskey. She began to walk around the room with him, muttering sing-song nonsense phrases. “How are you getting settled?” asked Teyla. “I’m almost done,” said Elizabeth, with a nod towards the small stack of boxes. She gave a feathery laugh, hefting the baby up when he started to slip from her grasp. “There wasn’t exactly a lot to unpack.” The bulk of her belongings had been sent back to Earth months ago, unable to be retrieved without a lot of awkward questions with classified answers. Only those possessions which had been deemed too classified – too alien – for civilian eyes had been left in Atlantis. As she had emptied the few boxes, she had tried not to think of all that was missing – her father’s watch, family photos, mementos from her youth, the majority of her clothes – and forced herself to focus on what was still there: most of her pottery – including the bronze pot that John had given her for her first birthday in Atlantis – the Athosian throw pillows, pictures taken in Atlantis, her journals… Maybe the other items could be retrieved one day, whenever the IOA and the Air Force deemed it safe to declare her “alive” again. But until then, at least she had something, some small pieces of her old life. She had to be grateful for that. The ache in her arms drew Elizabeth’s attention back to the child and she shook the potentially melancholy thoughts away. “I wish I had something to give him,” she said, surveying her belongings with a newly critical eye. Nothing that would make a remotely appropriate gift for a baby. She gave a rueful smile. “Maybe I can take up knitting while I’m under house arrest.” All of the city’s common areas was hardly a limited area to be confined to, but Teyla seemed to know what she meant. “The thought is very kind,” said Teyla, reaching out her arms to take back her son. “But no gift is necessary. Athosians do not have-“ She thought for a moment, as if searching for the right phrase. “-baby… showers.” At the look on Teyla’s face, Elizabeth laughed. Yes, Earth customs – and their accompanying phrases – were weird. “In any case, Torren has already received an ample number of gifts from members of the expedition. Doctor Keller, Amelia Banks and several others were most generous.” Torren yelped and Teyla cooed at him. “Yes, they were, were they not?” A thought crossed Elizabeth’s mind. She folded her arms, mouth lifting in a smile. “John gave him a football, didn’t he?” Teyla rolled her eyes and the two women shared a fond, exasperated look. “Yes. Yes, he did.” She shifted the baby to her other hip. “Still, he meant to share something of importance to him with my son and that intention has great value. Rodney did the same.” That was unexpected, and oddly sweet. “Rodney? What did he give?” “He most kindly recorded a series of scientific lectures for me to play for Torren while I was pregnant." Elizabeth smiled, touched and amused at the same time. That had to be the most Rodney McKay gift to ever exist. But then again, she thought, she shouldn’t have been surprised at the scientist’s generosity. After all, when high on Ancient DNA therapy, he had written her a 400 page book about… herself. “That is… very thoughtful,” said Elizabeth. “Indeed it was.” They exchanged another look of shared mutual affection for the men they worked with, with all their eccentricities and flaws and good, generous hearts. Teyla and Torren left after another few minutes, Elizabeth returning the boy’s mother-assisted wave farewell. She turned back to her boxes, feeling better for the company. Raising the lid on the penultimate box, she lifted out an embroidered blanket and paused at what she saw underneath. There, tucked safely between a paperweight and a notebook, was a flashdrive. She smiled. A flashdrive containing a 400-page book by Rodney McKay.

For the week of 7 October 2019

Quick Bits:

Batman & The Outsiders #6 concludes “Lesser Gods” from Bryan Hill, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini, and Clayton Cowles. We get another “Batman’s doing something naughty” hint as Ishmael and co attempt to turn Cass and Duke to Ra’s al Ghul’s cause. This is less a hard end than a twist to lead into what might be coming next.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Hammer / Justice League: Hammer of Justice #4 gives us an explanation for what the Stranger did to zap the heroes across their respective realities, even as the more hot-headed Justice League members continue to cause problems on DC’s Earth. I’m still loving the eerie darkness that Michael Walsh is bringing to the art. It keeps it more consistent with the feel established by Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart, making it feel more like a Black Hammer story.

| Published by Dark Horse & DC Comics

Blade Runner 2019 #4 concludes the first arc. Michael Green, Mike Johnson, Andres Guinaldo, Marco Lesko, and Jim Campbell have done a great job capturing the overall feel of the Blade Runner franchise and it pays off here with one hell of a harrowing end, with a nice twist for what’s to come.

| Published by Titan

Buffy + Angel: Hellmouth #1 begins the event in earnest, even though you really do need to read the prelude issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to get the real first part of this story, from Jordie Bellaire, Jeremy Lambert, Eleonora Carlini, Cris Peter, and Ed Dukeshire. It’s good. As Spike and Dru’s first step in opening the Hellmouth causes havoc through Sunnydale, Buffy and Angel team up to try to stop what’s coming next.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Catwoman #16 has some truly stunning, beautiful artwork from Joëlle Jones and Laura Allred. It might also have a huge change on Selina’s status. Though, how exactly it fits in with “City of Bane” or anything else is anyone’s guess. Still, very nice artwork.

| Published by DC Comics

Coffin Bound #3 is even darker and more disturbing than what we’ve seen in the first two issues, going deep into some of Izzy and Cassandra’s past, while Cassandra’s sister learns how to be a peeler. Dan Watters, Dani, Brad Simpson, and Aditya Bidikar are doing something very different with this series.

| Published by Image

Collapser #4 feels like both a test and a turning point for Liam, one that almost seems like he failed. Liam’s new manager turns out to be a “Star Person”, and it feels like she’s leading him into temptation, as we seemingly can’t trust what we see. Mikey Way, Shaun Simon, Ilias Kyriazis, Cris Peter, and Simon Bowland are continuing to delivering one of the best, strangest trips out there.

| Published by DC Comics / Young Animal

Contagion #2 keeps this largely street-level, only reaching out to the Avengers as more or less support for the moment, as Iron Fist tries to deal with further eruptions of the contagion. Ed Brisson, Stephen Segovia, Veronica Gandini, and Cory Petit certainly make this feel grim as everything continues to go wrong.

| Published by Marvel

Detective Comics #1013 reveals more of what Mister Freeze has been up to, pushing some rather disturbing experiments as he continues to try to find a cure for his wife. Including a rather troubling cliffhanger that looks like it might upend a lot of what we think we know about Freeze’s situation. Very entertaining story here from Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Keith Champagne, Christian Alamy, David Baron, and Rob Leigh.

| Published by DC Comics

Doctor Doom #1 is an offbeat debut from Christopher Cantwell, Salvador Larroca, Guru e-FX, and Cory Petit. While it shows us some of the day to day runnings Doom does for Latveria, it sets up a mystery as his countries missiles and more launch an attack on a moon project designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Nice bits of humour in this one.

| Published by Marvel

Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror - Season Two #1 is a welcome return of this series, with a fun lead story playing through many of Poe’s luminary tales in “The Tell-Tale Black Cask of Usher” from Dean Motter, Alex Ogle, and Julie Barclay. Really great seeing new work from Motter. This issue is rounded out by the usual poetry, prose pieces, and the return of Hunt Emerson’s Black Cat.

| Published by Ahoy

Event Leviathan #5 works further at the identity of Leviathan, throwing a few more suspects on the fire, along with the possible death of an important character. Also, you’re probably never going to guess who this issue points at being Leviathan. Gorgeous artwork from Alex Maleev as always.

| Published by DC Comics

The Flash #80 continues to dismantle the new forces and characters built up recently as Zoom and the Black Flash separately try to eliminate the force users. Great art here from Scott Kolins and Luis Guerrero. Kolins is the perfect choice to usher in this next stage in Zolomon’s story.

| Published by DC Comics

Gotham City Monsters #2 is even better than the first issue, working through Melmoth’s resurrection and gathering the team with invested purpose to bring about his end. There’s also added depth in that Melmoth may very well be right about part of his plan, just not necessarily in his execution. It could add some modicum of moral quandary depending on which way this goes. Steve Orlando, Amancay Nahuelpan, Trish Mulvihill, and Tom Napolitano are doing some very nice work here.

| Published by DC Comics

Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #2 continues the confrontation with Woodrue, building on elements from Justice League Dark, even as something is very, very wrong with Poison Ivy. There’s a more refined, controlled humour here than what we see in the Harley Quinn series itself and it seems to fit the more serious tone of the subject matter. I’m really liking the art from Adriano Melo, Mark Morales, and Hi-Fi.

| Published by DC Comics

Hawkman #17 brings Carter’s battle with the Shadow Thief to a close, but he takes a turn for the worse as the title runs deeper into the “Year of the Villain” event and the fallout from The Batman Who Laugh’s infected. It’s interesting how Robert Venditti, Pat Olliffe, Tom Palmer, Jeremiah Skipper, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft deal with these multiple spinning plates. Especially that very nice cliffhanger.

| Published by DC Comics

Ice Cream Man #15 is one of the stranger issues, which is really saying a bit considering that the series itself is regularly very strange. It’s dark, with a protagonist who seems to be suffering a psychotic break. W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran, and Good Old Neon continue to work magic with this horror series.

| Published by Image

Invaders #10 continues “Dead in the Water” from Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, and Travis Lanham. Some interesting complications here as Roxxon is further added to the mix and Roman starts making more problems for Atlantis. A really nice set up for something new from Steve and Namor too.

| Published by Marvel

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #1, like Harleen #1 before it, surprised me. There’s a current saturation of Joker and Harley Quinn stories at the moment, spurred on by the movies, and it kind of tempers expectations. Thankfully, though, the start to this story from Kami Garcia, Mico Suayan, Mike Mayhew, and Richard Starkings is really rather good. It sets Harley as a criminal profiler, trying to figure out Joker’s murders, really getting inside this new take on her character and developing a more grounded crime thriller. The art from Mico Suayan is gorgeous, presented in greyscale, in contrast to the full-colour, photo reference of Mike Mayhew for flashbacks. I thought it was an interesting choice to present it that way, bucking convention for the flashbacks taking on a faded appearance. It gives the overall story a grittier feel for the present.

| Published by DC Comics - Black Label

Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Allegiance #1 is kind of a slow start to this intermediary step between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker from Ethan Sacks, Luke Ross, Lee Loughridge, and Clayton Cowles. There’s an interesting bit of showing just how evil the First Order really is, but a lot of what we get here is a regathering of the team. Gorgeous artwork from Ross and Loughridge.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Odyssey #14 sees Dan Abnett, Chriscross, Cliff Richards, Le Beau Underwood, Danny Miki, Scott Hanna, Rain Beredo, Pete Pantazis, and AndWorld Design keep building this new team to confront Darkseid and his “new gods”. I really quite like the inversion of what we saw at the beginning, as Jessica Cruz is now working with villains attempting to do something heroic. We also get a reveal of Okkult, who is probably who everyone thought he was in the first place.

| Published by DC Comics

Livewire #11 gets at a point that was seemingly dropped in the wake of Harbinger Wars 2 in what the US government and their arms-length black ops group did in the Massacre, of how problematic rounding up and murdering a group of people are via American laws. I love that Vita Ayala, Tana Ford, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Saida Temofonte pick it up here and incorporate it into another angle for this political warfare.

| Published by Valiant

Loki #4 concludes “The God Who Fell to Earth” and Loki’s conflict with Nightmare in fairly inventive fashion. Daniel Kibblesmith has been delivering some fairly interesting ideas here while planting more seeds for different permutations.

| Published by Marvel

Oliver #4 was well worth the wait. Gary Whitta, Darick Robertson, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland pack this confrontation full of action, with some absolutely beautiful artwork from Robertson and Rodriguez. Some very harrowing character moments as the story takes its next turn.

| Published by Image

Outer Darkness #11 is insanely good as John Layman, Afu Chan, and Pat Brosseau give us the first part of the two-part “season finale” to the series. The crew take shore leave as Rigg goes about interviewing what we think are replacement crew and a meeting with his superior, and then...well, you’re really going to have to read this issue. Great stuff.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pretty Deadly: The Rat #2 is magnificent, delving into more of the existing mythology from the previous volumes, while still continuing on the new narrative for this era that started last issue. The repeated incorporation of visual motifs inspired by the film industry is a very nice touch. Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles are giving us a very compelling mystery here.

| Published by Image

Ronin Island #7 pushes the bandits and the Shogun into confrontation and...none of it goes exactly to Kenichi’s plan. Greg Pak, Giannis Milonogiannis, Irma Kniivila, and Simon Bowland continue to unfold this story in interesting ways, while Hana and Kenichi’s childhood lessons come back to both haunt and empower them.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated #1 is an interesting debut from Patrick Kindlon, Stefano Simeone, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Set within a rather expansive big box store, it presents an extreme look at consumer culture and the lengths that this store’s loss prevention staff goes to in order to get their man. It’s rather cutthroat, literally.

| Published by AfterShock

Sonata #5 unveils a bit more about the planet and the Lumani, revealing an interesting depth to their technology that’s seemingly been abandoned and their method of reproduction. Mixing that in with the action of trying to save members of the two colonizers in conflict keeps the pace moving along. Gorgeous artwork from Brian Haberlin and Geirrod Van Dyke.

| Published by Image / Shadowline

Spawn #301 continues the story and structure of #300, with Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, Jason Shawn Alexander, Clayton Crain, Jerome Opeña, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, Peter Steigerwald, Matt Hollingsworth, John Rauch, Greg Menzie, Jay Fotos, and Tom Orzechowski breaking it down into numerous chapters, dealing with the various different elements. Some interesting new characters revealed again, even though we only get a bit about them.

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - Dark Temple #3 reveals a few more secrets in the past, even as the Inquisitor searches for them in the present. Gorgeous artwork from Paolo Villanelli and Arif Prianto. It definitely feels like something weird is going on here.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle #2 is another great entry into this series, with a central story illustrated this time by Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen. It’s a wonderful monster story with one of Tarkin’s experiments, showing us what really makes up a monster.

| Published by IDW

Supergirl #35 sees Marc Andreyko, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, FCO Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano juggling about as many plates as they are over in Hawkman. There’s “Year of the Villain” stuff and a rather deep tie-in to Event Leviathan as Leviathan makes a pitch for Kara to join him.

| Published by DC Comics

Superman #16 reunites Jon and Damian one last time before Jon heads off to join the Legion in the future, from Brian Michael Bendis, David Lafuente, Paul Mounts, and Dave Sharpe. It’s a fun, heartfelt send-off with some very funny moments, including a renaming of Leviathan that will hopefully stick.

| Published by DC Comics

These Savage Shores #5 brings an end to one of the most beautifully told stories in comics in the past few years. Ram V, Sumit Kumar, Vittorio Astone, and Aditya Bidikar have done an incredible thing with this story, giving new depth and nuance to tragic romance and the vampire story. This conclusion is heartrending as we see how far Bishan will go for love, in an epic confrontation between vampire and raakshas. Everyone owes it to themselves to read this series. Simply phenomenal.

| Published by Vault

Thumbs #5 is the conclusion to what has been a wonderful series from Sean Lewis and Hayden Sherman. There are some really interesting ideas, subverting the ideologies of both factions, showing realizations that maybe there might just be a better way.

| Published by Image

Triage #2 delves deeper into the three multiversal versions of Evie, contemplating how they came about while trying to figure out a way to stop whoever it is that’s hunting them. There’s some sweet and funny character moments with the main “normal” universe’s Evie and Tab. Phillip Sevy is doing a great job of juggling both the ordinary and extraordinary in this story.

| Published by Dark Horse

Vampirella/Red Sonja #2 is more fun from Jordie Bellaire, Drew Moss, Rebecca Nalty, and Becca Carey. The issues between Vampirella and Sonja become greater, even as they get a spell to understand one another. There’s a really nice mix of humour and action here.

| Published by Dynamite

Web of Black Widow #2 is another great issue. What Jody Houser, Stephen Mooney, Tríona Farrell, and Cory Petit are doing here feels perfect for Black Widow, giving us an action-packed story full of intrigue, even as it keeps us off-balance as to what exactly is going on.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Twins #8 throws in a prison break and a high school reunion into the reasons why you should be reading this series. Mark Russell, Mike Norton, Cris Peter, and Dave Sharpe deliver another humorous chapter to this series, with some rather interesting heartbreak.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales #3, Age of Conan: Valeria #3, Amazing Spider-Man #31, Animosity #24, Batman Universe #4, The Batman’s Grave #1, Battlepug #2, East of West #43, Future Fight Firsts: White Fox #1, Ghosted in LA #4, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #267, Go Go Power Rangers #24, Gwenpool Strikes Back #3, House of Whispers #14, Immortal Hulk: Director’s Cut #5, Joker: Year of the Villain #1, Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica #5, Magnificent Ms. Marvel #8, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #9, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #11, Oblivion Song #20, Postal: Deliverance #4, Power Rangers: The Psycho Path, Powers of X #6, Reaver #4, Redneck #24, RWBY (print) #1, RWBY (digital) #4, Secrets of Sinister House #1, Star Wars: Target Vader #4, Thought Bubble Anthology 2019, TMNT: Urban Legends #17, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #49, Unearth #4, Usagi Yojimbo #5, Wonder Woman #80

Recommended Collections: A Walk Through Hell - Volume 2, Baltimore Omnibus - Volume 1, Battlestar Galactica Classic: Counterstrike, Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command, Black Hammer ‘45 - Volume 1, Blossoms 666, Hack/Slash vs. Chaos, The Silencer - Volume 3: Up in Smoke, War of the Realms: Punisher, Wizard Beach

d. emerson eddy is ready for some shashlik.

Random questions: have you seen/are you going to see the new Aladdin? What do you think awaked whump in your childhood? When did you realize what whump was? Do you have any pets? If you do please tell them that they are very good and give them pets for me. What are your top 5 favorite whump tropes? Do you prefer hurt/comfort or hurt/no comfort? Have you ever told anyone that you liked whumpy and they discovered they liked whump? (Sorry if any are too personal) you are the best!!💖💖💖💖

NO, NONNY - YOU’RE THE BEST!!!

Okay, time to answer all of these! :D

Have you seen/are you going to see the new Aladdin?Oh, of course! I won’t be seeing it in the theater though, so it’ll take me awhile to see it. But once it’s available for rent/streaming - I’m definitely gonna see it. I have to see how they handle that super whumpy drowning scene, after all ;) I’ve already seen some GIFs of the genie and him AFTER the drowning... but I gotta see the bondage/gag and the actual drowning. I hope they don’t let me (and, like, a million other whumpers and also all the gay men who love bondage) down! No pressure or anything, Disney, just don’t fuck it up.

What do you think awakened whump in your childhood?Oh, gosh. I honestly don’t know WHAT awakens the love of whump in people, despite all of my wondering about it. It does seem like most of us start loving it in our childhoods, and I’m certainly no different. But it seems like we just... see something and like it. It feels less like it inspired us to like it than that it was inevitable that we’ll like it and it just depends on whatever it is we see first. For me, it was either old daytime reruns of the 1960s Batman series, or a particularly long General Hospital storyline, where one of the characters was held captive in a dog kennel for weeks while her two lovers (one her ex-husband, one her current one, both still in love with her) searched for her. The kidnapper taunted them continually, and even sent photos of her suffering to upset them. It was great. That storyline and the Batman shows are my fondest memories of whump as a kid. It wasn’t until a while later that I saw some of the classic Disney whump a lot of whumpers found in their childhood - for some reason, I never saw Sleeping Beauty until high school, and Aladdin came out around the same time.

When did you realize what whump was?Oh, gosh. Well, whump wasn’t even a thing until I was in high school, I think, in the 90s when Stargate: Atlantis was on. And I wasn’t into that show at the time, and the term kind of fell out of favor and lost popularity after that show. It didn’t really “catch on” in any other fandoms or in fandom in general until the more recent resurgence of the term here on Tumblr :) Before that, we all mostly made do with the “hurt/comfort” tag or with the gay community’s “get” content and various other things that would pop up. The X-Files community was where I first got involved with other people loving what we now call whump. There was a website that collected all the hurt/comfort (and just plain hurt ;)) stories in the fandom, and it was called Mulder Torture Anonymous. It was HEAVEN. And, sadly, I never found anything else remotely like it until all of these wonderful whump blogs started showing up on Tumblr. HEAVEN REBORN :D 

Incidentally, Mulder Torture Anonymous is one of the main inspirations for my blog - both the content (obviously) and the organization.

Do you have any pets?Not anymore. I’ve almost always had pets before now, but our last one was this absolutely adorable little dog (a chihuahua/spaniel mix, like a miniature spaniel) who was ridiculously intelligent and affectionate and... I have never seen a smarter animal with anywhere near as big of a personality. She passed on about 2 years ago, and my entire family has agreed that, quite honestly, any other dog/pet we could possibly get just simply wouldn’t live up to her memory. And none of us want to adopt another dog that we’ll constantly feel isn’t as special as that one was. She basically ruined us all for other pets, haha, but we feel like having her in our lives was the greatest blessing we could ever ask for.

What are your top 5 favorite whump tropes?Captivity!!! I love long term captivity, when the whumpee is kidnapped and held somewhere, long enough for them to start breaking down and losing hope and all that wonderful stuff. Kidnappings in general are great. Bondage, as well. I love mental institution tropes, where the whumpee is being held against their will in an asylum run by nefarious people. And RESCUES! I love rescues. I hate it when whumpees free themselves or get set free by the bad guys. There HAS to be a big rescue at the end of the scenario, or I feel unsatisfied.

Do you prefer hurt/comfort or hurt/no comfort?Oh, I have to have the comfort!!! I mean, don’t get me wrong - if there’s no comfort, I’ll still enjoy the hurt. But if there’s no comfort in the content as its presented, I’ll feel unsatisfied and usually have to imagine the comfort for myself. Unfortunately, that happens a lot with TV shows and movies, where they chintz out on the comfort. That’s usually when I end up stealing their hurt scene and re-writing it with my favorite whumpee du jour and adding some damn comfort on the end. Gotta have the comfort. It’s like the whump version of a money shot.

Have you ever told anyone that you liked whumpy and they discovered they liked whump?Honestly, I feel like making this blog was that for me XD When I started it, there was only a handful of active whump blogs, and only a couple of Hook fans being outwardly obvious about loving to “torture” the pirate - and even then, it was usually with angst and emotional suffering ;) When I started, I wasn’t worried about being accepted in the whump community, though I was worried a lot of people wouldn’t be interested in such a narrowly specific whump blog. It was the Once community I was worried about - I expected to either be chased out of town entirely or more or less ignored by most folks XD I honestly never expected so many Hook fans to embrace me and my blog, and not only accept that I like whump, but to admit they like it too! It’s part of the reason why I will die on the hill of Colin/Hook having the best fandom around - because the warmth and acceptance I’ve gotten here, even amongst those who don’t like whump at all, has been nothing short of legendary.

Between the Whump Community and Colin’s Fandom, I really could not ask for a better bunch of folks to blog with and be friends with

What’s up, my dudes? It’s Lay! 

Long story short, I don’t have an easy way to navigate my blog for both my followers (and others) and myself. So, I decided to make a master post! This will have everything from things about me to my wips. 

(I’ll make sure to update this regularly. Hopefully...)

While this blog is mainly for me to gush about my wips and all of my crazy ideas, I also want to allow my followers to get to know me. (Tell me about you guys too!) My personal stuff is all tagged with #silverslife

Just to get things started, my name is Lay Silver. (Though, it’s not my real name, just a pen name. You can call me Lay!) My pronouns are she/her (I’m cis). I’m an ‘01 liner (born on Dec. 4th, the same day as Mr. Worldwide Handsome Kim Seokjin of BTS.) I have just finished my junior year of high school (11th grade) and I’ll be a senior stressing over college apps in the fall oof. When I graduate from high school, I plan on going to university and majoring in creative writing. (I may also double major in Asian studies or something like that because my grandmother is Japanese and I find Asian cultures (more specifically East Asian) fascinating. 

I started my writing journey in 6th grade when I had just finished reading The House of Hades by Rick Riordan. So, I started to write fanfictions. (I’m going to make a post about my writing journey, then I’ll link it here once it’s posted.)

Rick Riordan’s books will always be my favorite series’. Since the I have become a part of many fandoms. From books to anime to bands. (I would say I’m a pretty hardcore kpop fan at the moment. I’ve also been getting back into anime and reading books after my like two year slump. I blame school.)

My kpop fandoms are ARMY, Blink, Stay, I’m also in TXT’s fandom. BTS is my ult group. My biases are Jungkook (BTS), Jennie (BP), Hyunjin (SKZ), and Yeonjun (TXT).

My sexual orientation is on the asexual spectrum (I’m pretty sure I’m demisexual, but gray-asexual works too, I think. So, I’ll just say I’m ace-spec.) I’m still trying to figure out my romantic orientation. I know I definitely like guys, however, I’m not sure if my attraction to girls is purely aesthetic or if I would actually date them. So, I guess for my romantic attraction I would say I’m questioning? IDK, I’ll figure it out some time. 

Besides Tumblr, I also have other social media. (I don’t post much on the others quite yet, but one day!) I have other social media for my writing as well as a personal/photography account. My Instagrams are also linked on my blog (desktop version).

Instagram

Writing (I don’t post much here. I just recently deleted all my previous posts, but I hope to do more soon.)

Photography/personal (I post here quite often. All of the photos are my own.)

Email

If any of you want to email me for something (idk what for): 

The Seventh Study is technically my main WIP. It’s the project that I have the most written on, at least. Though, I’m planning on putting it to the side for a bit for another wip since publishing a series as your debut novels isn’t the best idea financially. 

Anyway, TSS will be a trilogy. It’s a new adult dystopian novel following my main character Avalon. As well as having POV chapters from my characters Carla, Mare, and Jaemin!

I do have a tag for this wip, so if you’re interested in TSS follow the tag #wip: the seventh study

WIP Introduction

Okay, so, I don’t talk about TLF very often. I’m still working on the wip intro too since I have absolutely no idea where the plot will go. All I have down is that it’s based off of the Lost City of Atlantis and the story takes place mostly in Florida, but also the Bermuda Triangle. There’s the Greek gods, demigods, Atlanteans, some eclectic witches, etc... The main character is going to be bisexual and I think the story might be an LGBTQ+ novel, but I haven’t worked out all the details quite yet. 

This wip’s tag is #wip: the legend’s frail

A Crown of Aces follows an aro-ace (aromantic-asexual) main character. She is a princess and her father, the king, has been assassinated. Now she must become the queen of the kingdom. Only one problem: her father’s advisors are pushing her to have a husband because they don’t think that this insolent girl is capable of ruling the kingdom at eighteen years of age alone. She plans to prove them wrong all while hiring the help of the infamous band of assassins that lurks in the alleyways of the kingdom to find her father’s killer. The assassin she hires is named Altaeus whom soon falls in love with the new queen. He soon realizes that she isn’t looking for romantic love nor a partner. But the two do stay friends. MC wants to make her kingdom a better place for the people living there and with Altaeus’s help as well as friends she makes a long the way, she just may be able to improve the lives of the people in her kingdom.

That’s all I got so far. Since I identify on the asexual spectrum, I thought it would be cool to have an ace oc. I’m not aromantic, though. 

The tag is #wip: a crown of aces

So, LoF is somewhat based off of the anime Sword Art Online. Basically, the main characters. Jennie and Luke, get trapped in their favorite game and the only way to get out is to complete all the quests and beat the game. If they die in the game they don’t die in the real world, though. LoF in the story is an massively multiplayer online role playing game (mmorpg). I’m thinking that the reason they’re in the game is because of a really intense dream one of them has.

I’m still doing a log of world building for this wip since there’s a lot of stuff that has to go into it like mobs, bosses, quest arcs, cast, what roles there are in the game, etc...

Tag #wip: light of faeran

Finally for my new wip! Final Legacy is similar to LoF in a way. Final Legacy is a full-dive VRMMORPG in the story. It is a dystopian, sci-fi novel (and I suppose fantasy is some aspects). There’s also a lot of world building I still have to do for this wip as well. I need to come up with mobs, bosses, quest arcs, game races like fairy, elf, human, etc..., I also have to come up with the different worlds featured in Final Legacy. This is probably going to be a very in depth novel.

Final Legacy WIP Intro 

There is a lot more info about Final Legacy on the WIP Intro. Please check it out if your interested!

Characters

Septimus Hale drawing (right)

Valerie Cruz drawing (left)

The tag for this wip is #wip: final legacy

https://ift.tt/3tg7jHi #

In Action Comics #1034, Supergirl just called out Superman for being reckless. It’s been well documented that Supergirl, in the future, wants nothing to do with Superman and the House of El. This has all come from Supergirl being “twice as good, but second best” due to Superman being the original Kryptonian on Earth. Supergirl, on Earth, will never be seen as a hero in own right without comparison to Superman. His shadow is far too big to escape on Earth, so that’s why she moves off-planet in Future State.

Not only is Superman dealing with one of the deadliest cosmic threats in DC history with Mongul, but he’s also trying to prevent the U.S. and Atlantis from going to war. The Man of Steel’s hands are incredibly full. When people are stressed or stretched too thin, brash decisions are often made. In this issue, Superman’s actions come across as very brash as he juggles with his priorities.

Related: Superman’s New Family Member Just Broke His Most Sacred Rule

In Action Comics #1034 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Christian Duce, and Adriano Lucas, Superman steals the Genesis fragment from Atlantis. This decision will have big ramifications due to him breaking the trust of both Atlantis and the U.S. Not to forget, Superman also just ruined his friendship with Aquaman, who sides with Atlantis. After stealing Genesis, Superman and his family fly towards the Fortress of Solitude to store the deadly power source away. However, it’s here when Supergirl calls out Superman’s brash decision to forcibly take Genesis from the Atlanteans.

In Future State, Supergirl feels that Superman was wrong to pass on his mantle to his son. Kara strongly believes that Jonathon Kent is not a good hero and that someone more worthy could’ve been chosen. As aforementioned, Supergirl makes the decision to leave Earth and retire as Supergirl in a moon colony. Unlike her being denied on Earth, Supergirl, who goes by Superwoman, is applauded for her heroism on the moon. However, it’s here where readers can get a glimpse at the beginning of the schism. Supergirl strongly believes that Superman has gone too far as he just interfered in a political battle without thinking of the consequences. Naturally, Supergirl’s comments come across as true and as to how someone like Superman should act.

The Man of Steel is clearly in a stressful state due to his reignited fear of Mongul and Warworld. Superman’s unusually brash nature is born when the Justice League shows little interest in assisting him to take down Warworld. He clearly believes the U.S. and Atlantis conflict is petty and has nothing on what’s happening on Warworld. But Supergirl’s words draw attention to the importance of keeping a level head. This is Supergirl’s first proper instance of going against Superman, and it’s only the beginning. It’s clear that Superman will suffer for his actions here, but in what way? That remains a mystery! Action Comics #1034 is available in comic book stores and on digital platforms now.

Next: Superman Writer Wants A Green Arrow & Black Canary Series

#marvel #avengers #marvelcomics #spiderman #mcu #ironman #comics #captainamerica #thor #avengersendgame #marvelstudios #xmen #dc #marveluniverse #art #cosplay #tomholland #hulk #disney #comicbooks #dccomics #peterparker #tonystark #blackwidow #marvellegends #endgame #deadpool #marvelcinematicuniverse #loki #bhfyp

The post Supergirl is Calling Superman Out for His Reckless New Mission appeared first on undertheinfluencerd.net.

#entertainment, screenrant #tumblr #aesthetic #like #love #tumblrgirl #follow #instagram #photography #instagood #likeforlikes #s #likes #art #cute #o #girl #followforfollowback #a #tumblrboy #grunge #fashion #photooftheday #tiktok #l #photo #sad #k #frases #f #bhfyp

The Wrong Atlantis (54/?)

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, August 7

WILLOW: You can't stop this. XANDER: Yeah, I get that. It's just, where else am I gonna go? You've been my best friend my whole life. World gonna end ... where else would I want to be?

~~Grave~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Larbor (crossover with Batman, Buffy, Suitable for people over 13) by Beriaearwen

Plans, Records, and Secrets (crossover with Stargate SG-1, Riley, Sam Finn, Scoobies, FR13 and up) by Indra Leigh

I Know My Watcher Loves Me (crossover with A Different World, Rona, PG/FR-13) by Vashti (tvashti)

Movies and Plans (crossover with Stargate SG-1, Xander, Riley, FR13 and up) by Indra Leigh

Here Be Chaos (crossover with Wandavision, Scoobies, PG) by Glitterangelem

Getting to Know You (crossover with The Witcher, Dawn, Gen) by starshinedown

A Normal Girl In A Special World (Faith & Dawn, G) by yvochrali

Into The Woods rewrite (Riley, T) by RogueVader1996

Talking with the Dead (Spike & Joyce, G) and nine other ficlets (mostly gen, various characters, rated G) archived by RonneeM

Grave (Willow/Buffy, G) by yelenasbangs

The Hanged Man (Drusilla/Spike, T) by Coldest_Fire

you're too intact (Giles/Ethan, E) by Via Maynard Crowley Whitmore

heaven, make me an offer (Spike/Buffy, Scoobies, E) by SummerFrost

I Fought the World for Your Hand (Give My New Body a Chance) (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by resignedlybeneaththesky

Thankful (Spike/Buffy, R) by Blackmysteria

It Started with a Catering Job ... (Spike/Buffy, R) by rkm

[Chaptered Fiction]

Buffy's Evolution, Stage 4 and Stage 5 (crossover with the MCU, Buffy, FR-13) by mmooch

Burning Bright, Chapter 2 (crossover with The Walking Dead, Buffy, Gen / Teen) by 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions)

Faith Sheppard, Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 (crossover with Stargate: Atlantis, Faith, PG/FR13/K+) by hermione2be

Theo and Scavenger Hunt (crossover with Doctor Who and other fandoms, Joyce, FR-18) by acswatwst (acs)

Dromomania – n. Compulsive Traveling (crossover with The Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir, Buffy, Suitable for people over 13) by Beriaearwen

One Foot In Front Of The Other: Buffy vs Wraith, Part 5 (crossover with Stargate Atlantis, Buffy, Gen / Teen) by 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions)

Shadowed Suspicion, Chapter 209 (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure AU, Xander, Teen) by madimpossibledreamer

Guardian Doyle, Chapter 1 (Cordelia/Doyle, Angel & Doyle, not rated) by GM3

Blood and Bone Didn’t Make Our Home, Chapter 1 (Tara & Spike, Spike/Buffy, teen & up) by resignedlybeneaththesky

Crossroads, Chapter 2 (Spike/Buffy, PG-13) by spikelus

The Sphere, Chapter 17 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by Coraline

Young at Heart, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

Beautiful Dangerous Chaos, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Hot in the City, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by MissLuci

Meet Me at Midnight, Chapter 26 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by Dusty

The Hidden Truth, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, Ethan Rayne, R) by Roboticghost

Field of Hopes and Fears, Chapter 3 (Spike/Buffy, R) by untouchable

How it started, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, PG) by relurker

Eternal Mark, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, R) by sandy_s

Blood and Black Lace, Chapter 23 (Spike/Buffy, R) by SlayrGrl

Loose Ends, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, R) by EllieRose101

A Little Night Chaos, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, PG-13) by the_big_bad

If I Loved You Less, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, NC-17) by MillenialCryBaby

Mavericks, Chapter 5 (Spike/Buffy, PG-13) by Vogon Poet

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Icons from behind-the-scenes photos of the cast (worksafe) by seriesluticons

Artwork: Buffy (worksafe) by tothetoonandback

Artwork: My self-drafted cross stitch pattern of the Buffy series (ensemble, worksafe) by Wankeritis

Artwork: The Wish (vampire Willow, worksafe) by tmcarlee

[Reviews & Recaps]

Fighting over s6 is so dumb [the question is what resonates with you] by emmathompsonegot

if season 5 isn’t ur favourite buffy season ur just wrong it literally has everything [and commentary on all other seasons] by jaangf

Discussion of AtS 4.02 "Ground State" (cont'd) by Stake fodder, thrasherpix

Discussion of AtS 4.01 "Deep Down" by Stake fodder

BOOM! Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28 (cont'd) by multiple authors

Season 1 highlights (cont'd) by American Aurora

Dead Things by indigenous_bean

[Recs / In Search Of]

Rec request: Strong Buffy + Empty Places requested by artemisprim

[Fandom Discussions]

Analysis of Buffy and Spike's relationship in seasons 6-7 by Nothing13

[BtVS collectibles] (cont'd) by multiple authors

Making Dawn better by Mika95

Dawn is Perfect by Consistent_Insect515

Do younger siblings relate to Dawn more? by buffy0808

Can anyone help me to cope with Angel cancellation? by valerio5

Lie to me. [a thread of commenters lying to the post author] by sukidovi

J. August Richards aka Charles Gunn appreciation thread by jdpm1991

Clare Kramer by benditlikebemb

Buffy & Faith [the potential mutual attraction of] by moshmoshhh

When do you think Angel got that tattoo? by VanityInk

Best Buffy figures? by alflx

[Imagine if Angel had kept the Gem of Amara – Bangel headcanons] by buffywatching

I hated the way Riley and Buffy broke up by Kristos Nikos

Re: What do you think about... the [upcoming] novel that's meant to be a sequel to Buffy? by honeysuckle-venom

Fuck Xander and Anya for their post coital talk about ‘maybe Buffy’s the reason why her boyfriends leave’ by kristos-nikos

I needed more Tara stepping up for Dawn scenes by hello-gaynow

one of willow’s characteristics is her tendency to see herself as the smartest by lqvewillow

The funniest scene in Teacher’s Pet by snakeliciousbaby

[Xander was the right and only one to bring Dark Willow back to the Light, and the episode "Passion" shows you why] by girl4music

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets a YA sequel trilogy from Disney Books by Petrana Radulovic, polygon.com

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

Shitlist Reviews - SDCC Movie and TV Trailers

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m Amateur Fan 2.27 and welcome back to the Shitlist, were bad movies burn. Well San Diego Comic Con has just finished with a few additional movies coming out for the remainder of this year and for 2019 which should be interesting, so I thought I’d do a review on the ones I found the most interesting which would Glass, Shazam, Aquaman, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and the Titans TV show.

Before I begin I would like to apologise for my long hiatus especially that I left before Infinity War came out )which I still haven’t seen due to character conflict towards the Phase 2 story but I’ll get to that eventually including the review I was planning which would be the second Thor movie; I’ve been pretty busy in both my personal life as well as my work life which leads to leaving this one out in the meantime but fortunately I’m back with full confidence from someone (who I admire greatly).

To start I’m going to begin with the worst of the latter, Titans based on the Teen Titan comics, now I’ve seen the photos before the trailer and I’ve to admit, the casting is completely horrendous especially that it revolves around a set of teenagers or in this case, adults playing teenagers in an universe which is built on teen angst as well as overused references towards multiple franchises (here’s look at you Flash).

I like the idea of it but in a way DC kind of shot themselves in the foot with that one, especially that majority of the fans are praising the idea of the titans being set in the same universe but with the casting it’s entirely different, especially when it comes down to 2 characters in particular, Raven and Starfire, I prefer them to be played by people who look the part, not just have make-up as well as prosthetics.

And insult to injury, Robin even stated ‘Fuck Batman’ by posing that he’s better than the Dark Knight detective... yeah you can see that is not going to be the same when nearly every Batman in the franchise is better than the Boy Wonder, the addition of Beast Boy was exceptional seeing that he was part of the Titans but what puzzles me is that Hawk and Dove are in the series (for most you who don’t know Hawk and Dove are personifications of War and Peace).

Titans is one of those series like Gotham, I will never watch it as the series does have some interesting aspects and ideas but due to creation control, bad concepts and characters, will be ignored from the fan-base entirely.

Glass now which is third instalment towards the Unbreakable franchise, I’ve seen both Unbreakable as well as Split and both of them are gems of this generation especially when it comes towards cinema due to their twists and story, the movie looks like it’s set just after Split following the arrest of Kevin (Split) and set like a superhero movie.

The idea has been done to death but it looks pretty interesting as the characters from the franchise are pretty original, the characters themselves do resemble themselves as Superheroes as they have additional powers which look interesting upon belief such as the first is based on Willis’s character as well as Jackson’s character and the second was on McEvoy’s character.

Though I’ve not been much of Shyamalan due to his twists in his movies as well as the over-use on foreshadowing in movies, but I am looking forward to seeing old characters from the first movie that started it all; count me in for this one

The next one to talk about is Shazam which I will provide information for first before diving into the trailer, Shazam or better known as Captain Marvel (there was a lawsuit between DC and Marvel to lead the change) was known as the world’s Mightiest Mortal or the next Man of Steel due to having similar abilities as the Man of Steel (flight, strength, speed) but also the ability to construct magic which makes him a worthy opponent towards Superman.

The character is part of DC property under the name of Shazam from the 40s with a strange story starting of as 10 year old Billy Batson being lured towards a powerful wizard (trust me I’m not making this up) only to learn that Billy is the one that the Wizard, Shazam has been looking for to transfer his power due to age, only to learn that his opponents will be personifications of the 7 deadly sins; Billy only summons the power of Shazam but literally saying the name of the wizard.

The trailer follows the same story which is interesting as well as pretty comical tense as Billy looks to be concerned that he is in fact turned into a hero, and to be fair if I had the ability to turn into that form, I’d be freaking out as well which is more concerning, both Shazam actors are played by Asher Angel and Chuck’s Zachary Levi, it does look interesting by aging the character a bit and setting it in modern times which does improve the idea of it.

The problem though is the costume that Shazam wears,  it looks too dimensional and fake like it’s set as away from the comic-book series as well as the magic that he possesses, and that bullet-proof part in the trailer is something that he doesn’t have in the comics or the ones I’ve read at-least meaning that it’s only set for film only, after viewing this trailer a couple of times, twice for this review, I’m looking interesting in watching this but the humour is diverting itself away from DC’s similar to Suicide Squad and turning it into some Marvel would accomplish, let’s hope and see if this one stays to the formula.

Now for one that I’ve been waiting for in a good while, Aquaman, the sixth instalment towards the DC Extended Universe following Justice League, which follows a story towards the Aquaman Series in the New 52 known as Throne of Atlantis which looks like the basis of the movie, I’m not entirely sure why people hate this character so much, he started his comics in the 40’s alongside Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman and was powerful enough to join the Justice League.

In the New 52 series his story is more developed even towards his love for both the surface world as well as Atlantis. In some of the comics he was even given darker roles as a king as sacrificing his own hand to save his son which was revealed later in the Justice League cartoon in the earlier 2000s which I will be reviewing one day.

The movie looks quite similar though some of the CGI is offputting in some sequences mainly towards the animation of the fish, but the character seems to be similar towards the comics which matters the most. From looking at Atlantis in a fan’s point of view, it looks insanely beautiful which is new towards a comic-book series which predicts it like royalty, they weren’t wrong.

The architecture in the trailer makes Atlantis look amazing especially with the design of Greek texture which connects the mythos greatly. I’m enjoying the evolution of Mera (played by the gorgeous Amber Heard) who looks more of a motivation towards Arthur rather than just a wife and Queen to Atlantis I’ve to admit, the suit is similar towards the New 52 as well with the strong colour on the Green suit.

Black Manta looks more futuristic rather than modern as in the comics; though the laser eyes from the helmet is exactly from the comics which makes it more believable towards fans which is something I admire the most about the character, Orm however is something I’m not looking forward to as the actor doesn’t resemble the character at all whom possessed more jealousy towards Arthur as well as hatred for humanity due to Arthur being both Human and Atlantian.

I’m actually excited to see this movie come through, especially that it’s following the New 52 series rather than the old stories which vandalised the character with the sketches comedians placed on the character (here’s looking at you Conan..) This movie is one that I will be watching as soon as it comes out, maybe it’s because of the characters and the atmosphere of the movie but I will be looking forward to it.

Now for the one that I’ve been looking forward to for after 4 long years of waiting, with leaks of the movie, images and broken CGI, I present to you, the return of the King of the Monsters.... Godzilla.

Now for those who don’t know, I’m a huge Kaiju fan especially when it comes towards the King of the Monsters, Godzilla or to pronounce him in his native tongue, Gojira, he started in 1954 by Ishiro Honda when Nuclear tests were performed around the world as tests but in the story one of those tests woke something up, a hibernating dinosaur which radiation granted him the abilities to fast heal any wounds, project radiation waves and to launch his infamous atomic breath.

The first movie was a signature message as an homage to how dangerous nuclear weaponry can be towards humanity and the devastation that it can cause; the first movie was popular that it caused a lot of sequels, 30 of them to be exact, 2 of them were previously reviewed on this show, one being a total disaster (fuck you Emmerich for killing a Japanese icon) and one that gave the character its justice (Thank you Edwards for reviving the franchise).

Godzilla 2 is a sequel set after the events of the incident of 2014, which reveals that there are more Kaiju... sorry in the universe they are revealed as Titans, creatures resembling Gods at this point, I’m going to be stating on what I’ve heard so far before I review the trailer.

The movie is set years after the events of the 2014 incident between Godzilla and the M.U.T.O.s leading towards Monarch to find monsters believing that the Earth is hiding them (Kong: Skull Island) also leading them to find 3 creatures which resemble titans, Mothra, Rodan and Monster Zero aka King Ghidorah, but a terrorist group are interested in finding these creatures believing that humanity is a plague and the monsters are the cure.

Just to clarify, I’ve not seen the monsters until I saw the trailer a couple of days ago which looks absolutely amazing by live action standards; as well as CGI standards some leaks have been released but judging from the looks of the images, they seem to be for another movie rather than the Monsterverse...

Now for the trailer, I was kinda right when it came to the terrorist angle, especially when it comes to controlling the monsters as well as the main terrorists using humanity as an excuse, to be honest, I think this more of an alien back story rather than a terrorist back story seeing that Monarch is a international cooperation in research of Monsters.

Now for the monsters, does Michael Dougherty do them justice? That answer is Yes, Godzilla looks insanely awesome with the addition of the retro spikes on his back with the atomic breath being at full flame, the problem is that he would be more scarred rather than clean after the fight he had years ago, as you remember in the first review is that he’s been beaten before by military but is still going strong due to radiation.

Mothra is like what they described on the website, a queen of the Monsters and boy they do not disappoint, she looks incredible when it comes to her infant stage or as it’s called her larva stage which is impressive by far but when it comes to her full form, you can see that she is going to be igniting some powers most likely some kind of blinding power.

Rodan is by far the most impressive as you see him emerging from the volcano which looks like it’s been rigged to blow to be honest but the way he moves is more impressive than his looks, apparently from what I’ve been told is that he will have Magma for blood which would grant him the ability of a dragon, him flying is more important as you see more damage that he’s let on, this form has been used previous in one of the old Japanese movies during the Showa period or most likely the Heisei era.

King Ghidorah is well known to be Godzilla’s arch rival and is been the main enemy towards the monsters relating to the Kaiju, I love the fact that we hardly see him as well as the previous monsters but with him it’s special as he does resemble a more deadly threat towards humanity rather than the other creatures, though we don’t see him as much, we know that his presence there through the movie.

The Human story arc does look interesting especially that Monarch are fighting more than 4 threats,  maybe it will follow the devastation that happened 4 years ago and possibly some answers that Monarch are so keen to hide away from the public; since the 2014 adaptation of the legendary monster, I’ve been interested in how they are going to take this creature on, whether they would let the King of the Monsters live his legacy towards the titans and defeating his arch rival or fall and fail in the process, all I can say is Long live the King.

So this is my run down of the 5 things I thought were interesting in this year’s SDCC which will be expanded when the time comes by, but in the meantime I am finishing off Thor: The Dark World and will continue the Marvel Cinematic Universe but requests are acceptable on both on here as well as my Facebook Page (screw you Zuckerberg). So with that said I’ll see next time.

October Occurrences 2019

Forgive the lateness of this post! It was an insanely busy month and I’ll try not to let this kind of delay happen again. SO MUCH HAPPENED! Details below.

I went on two trips this month! The first was to the Bahamas and it was so great. I stayed at Atlantis (because well, that’s where my parents were staying and they kindly let me stay with them, IF YOU MUST KNOW) and while Atlantis was super nice, it really felt like what I imagine a big cruise ship to feel like. I’m not meaning that as an insult at all - it just felt sort of stiff, well maintained, with a very controlled environment. I tried lionfish for the first time (very good), drank Bahama Mamas and slid down the shark-surrounded Leap of Faith (horrifying). We ate at Jose Andres’ restaurant Fish and it was absolutely unreal. The seafood was phenomenal.

Above Photo: Parents in the Bahamas

My second trip was to New Orleans for the week of Halloween! I’ll do a full post on this one because there’s too much to say. (Full post here!)

In some upsetting news, I accidentally “recovered” my phone and lost most of my Bahamas photos. I was so upset because it was completely my own fault. I hadn’t backed up my photos to my computer yet either, so it truly sucked. I do have iCloud but I never opted to pay for the extra space so it’s been full for about a year already. Enter my saviour Marla who told me about Google Photos (which is free) and I’ve already started using and backing up almost daily. I’ve moved on from losing the photos by rationalizing it in thinking that I wasn’t meant to have those photos, they were meant to be memories.

Remember when I told you to watch Tuca & Bertie because it’s so lovely? Well, if you did, this is a really great piece about Bertie’s boyfriend, Speckle.

Can’t get enough of the Pink Lady Apple flavour of Health-Ade. So goddam tasty.

Years ago, I watched and hated the second Sex & The City movie (too xenophobic, cliched and generally terrible) but I rewatched it on a plane recently and while it’s still a bad movie, I had completely forgotten about the storyline about Carrie and Big “defining the parameters of their own relationship.” Best part of the movie! I won’t give away too much, but you may want to rewatch this stinker if nothing better is on.

We rewatched all of the Sleepaway Camp movies and they really hold up well. Such a solid series.

I did two of Nathan’s podcasts this month: one where we talked about vaping and one where we talked about what annoys Nathan and my Joker thoughts! I had a lot of Joker thoughts. Quick summary? IT BLEW. I feel like the world grieves for broken men and I do not wish to.

I tried pumpkin-flavoured Kit Kats and although a little gross at first, they really do taste like pumpkin. And after two or three bites, become delicious.

In keeping with autumn flavours, I tried the pumpkin cream cold brew from Starbucks (I know, despite this one instance, I am still trying to stay away from the corporations that are slowly eating away at society as we know it). Anyway, the drink was only MEH. It’s wild how we’ve made milkshakes acceptable for adults to drink at 8am.

I’m not sure if I’ve already shared this tip, but I have THE greatest advice for someone who’s trying to avoid a cold from starting. You know that point right before you get a cold, when your throat feels a little tingly and sensitive? And you know that a cold is coming right around the corner? All you need to do to avoid this from happening is buy the blue Listerine and gargle with it once in the morning and once before bed and gargle for about 30 seconds each time. I SWEAR TO GOD THIS WORKS. But only with the blue Listerine. I’ve tested this theory twice now and it absolutely works, someone give me a medal for curing the common cold. (And if you really don’t believe me, buy the travel size before you commit to the larger bottle, geek.)

Riverdale is BACK! The season premiere episode dealing with Luke Perry’s death was so good and so sad and that’s all I have to say about that. As for the more recent episodes of Riverdale? The latest Halloween episode was pure and complete madness and I love how nuts it’s becoming.

I started watching the new season of This Is Us and I think I figured out what’s wrong with this show: every character on it is almost TOO in love with their partner. It’s enough already, we get it, love exists. The show is so wildly saccharine now. Maybe it was always that way and I never noticed before? Either way, I might be passing on it this season.

I read and reviewed Abbi Jacobson’s newest book and you can see that full post over here.

I really hate cleaning shower curtains and the mold-free one that I got from The Container Store (only $10) has lasted me a full six months before getting gross. Highly recommend!

Cannot stop playing this song or this song.

J. Crew was having a pretty sweet sale and I bought this gorgeous-fitting underwire 90s swimsuit that I can’t stop praising. No one told me about underwire swimwear! So fucking flattering.

My absolute favourite place to get Halloween costume accessories is by far the Village Party Store in Manhattan. They somehow have every single thing you’d need for a costume, they’re super inexpensive and the staff is so helpful (eons better than any Spirit). I was talking about costume stuff with one of the guys who works there and he mentioned how a group of women had just come in to get stuff for their group  costume: they all were going to be different Keanu Reeves characters. Is it just me or is that the greatest group costume you’ve ever heard of? He said they were definitely going to do Neo from The Matrix, Ted from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Jack from Speed, Duke Kaboom from Toy Story 4 and Sad Keanu. PURE GENIUS.

My favourite SNL sketch of the season so far, for sure.

LOVED the new season of Big Mouth. But can we pleeeeease stop with the musical episodes? NOBODY LIKES THEM.

Speaking of Big Mouth, I watched the movie Disclosure and wowza. Great movie. Can’t believe I’d never even heard of it before. Just rewatched it again with Nathan this past week. So good.

Another great NYC Halloween store is Abracadabra on 21st street. It’s a more expensive place to shop, but if you just want to browse then definitely visit this place. There are tons of interactive displays and the whole basement has incredible costumes for rent.

You can see this year’s Halloween costume over here, if you so please. In other costume news, Baby Dog was a lion. Roar.

I finally tried Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion and whoa. I get the hype. It fucking obliterates pimples. It’s hard to sleep in since it goes on like calamine lotion and smudges everywhere if you lay face down (do people sleep like this? I sleep like I’m in a coffin & Nathan hates it because I look like a mental patient but it’s so fucking relaxing, I can’t stop), but it works really well if you can figure out a way to sleep without it rubbing off.

SO, SO excited to hear that season two of Shrill has a release date: January 24th!

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: celebrating American Thanksgiving since I missed the true (Canadian) one last month while I was in the Bahamas, introducing Nathan to the Momofuku Thanksgiving croissant, taking Baby Dog for autumn walks in Central Park, getting my copy of Lindy West’s new book that arrives in my mailbox tomorrow, still working on doing things off of my autumn list, reading Jenny Slate’s new book, if you find yourself always losing your poppy I find it helpful to attach mine to a safety pin rather than just the regular pin that comes with it, and I’ll probably definitely see A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood even though I do think it’s unnecessary.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in September over here!

Best of Marvel: Week of January 16th, 2019

Best of this Week: Invaders #1 - Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice and Alex Guimarães

I hated Namor.

I've always thought him a pompous, arrogant, shitlord as a hero - but as a bad guy he's amazing.

During Time Runs Out, when he was rolling with Thanos and The Cabal, seeing his emotional conflict as he and the others murdered various worlds was pretty awesome from a character that normally only cares for himself and the people of Atlantis. He’s only gotten better recently, having found a new kind of strength, able to take on the combined force of the Avengers after declaring War on the surface world after the Celestials fell to Earth. This new Invaders series dives deeper into his mindset and possible reasons as to why Namor is so angry with the surface world after decades upon decades of conflict.

World War II, no doubt, is one of the most prolific wars in history as well as one of the most brutal. As far as the Marvel Universe is concerned, if not for The Invaders, who knows what would have happened? The war took its toll on every soldier, especially Namor, as he lost one of the few human friends he had, a young man named Tommy. Masking his pain with booze and women, he gets a kick in the pants from his best friend, Steve Rogers, telling him to come and honor his dead friend.

Cutting to the present we see that it’s still affecting him. He has nightmares, maybe PTSD from the war and that’s likely a driving factor in his plans, now seeming like he wants to end all war everywhere. At the same time, Jim Hammond uncovers a photo from when Namor lost his memories with a surprising twist and Cap calls Bucky up, telling him that they need to talk to Namor before things go really wrong. Chip Zdarsky does an amazing job of weaving all of these story elements together, the coming madness of Namor, the mystery of his amnesiac time and the friendship and conflict that Captain America has with Namor over his recent actions.

Not only is the story great, but both Magno and Guice compliment each other’s art styles, with Magno drawing very colorful scenes for the present and Guice using more desaturated colors in his style that resembles other pulp comics from the 40s.

Invaders #1 is a great read with awesome art, despite me forgetting that it was coming out amidst the other great books that came out this week, it won out over the rest. High recommend.

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Runner Up: Conan the Barbarian #2 - Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, and Matthew Wilson

The Picts are notoriously known as the most savage and animalistic of the many races within Hyboria. Conan is also known as one of the most violent men in the lands as well, so one might expect that these two would respect each other… but that is not the case. Conan also falls in line with the beliefs that he Picts are savages and gleefully (as gleefully as Conan can be) murders them.

This issue, however, flips the notion on its head as, in between killing some Picts, Conan and the Picts are attacked by giant white snakes known as Ghost Snakes and Conan prepares for death as he's overwhelmed. He wakes, having been saved by a Pict Shaman, and agrees to help the tribe fight off the Ghost Snakes and kill their leader.

Initially, the Picts look at Conan with only contempts, the same can be said for Conan. As time went on and Conan worked with them and fought with them, slowly he came to be treated as one of the Picts, before leading the final charge.

For one of the few times that I’m aware of, aside from his later rise to King of Aquilonia, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen or read of Conan being seriously happy. Eschewing civilization from his life and putting him with a people as wild as he, showed us this other side to the normally brooding, silent bad ass. He had drink, brotherhood and women all willing to bed him, but he chose to leave it all, having kept his end of the bargain to the Picts. However, upon returning home, he felt an emptiness with how hollow society felt compared to his time among the Picts...