My Thoughts Exactly! I’m Always So Embarrassed When People Ask Me What My Favourite Anime / Manga Series

Aroace who's extremely confused by their tertiary attraction call that a disoriented aroace

My new favourite film of all time…

LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2024) dir. Zelda Williams

The League of Morons vs A Summer Camp

All right, so I love the hell out of this nonsense and I want to talk about the Vanguard's plan and how ridiculous it was.

First, most of the crew showed up a night early and…well, then what?  That first night, Dabi says they’re still waiting on a few more people to arrive.  Okay, so what are you all doing here already?

Did Kurogiri warp them back to the bar after they’d gotten a look at the place?  Scouted the area a bit?  You needed seven people for that? Were they that bored waiting for Twice, Compress, and the Nomu to show up?  What were they doing in the 24 hours between this part and the actual attack?  Standing on that cliff and muttering,  “Heroes…”?

Was Toga all, "Guys, I'm tired. Can we go back to the bar already?"

Spinner: "No, as villain protocol dictates, we must stand here menacingly for a minimum of twelve hours."

Dabi: Fuck you, I'm going to bed.

Except for being a scare tactic, having Dabi start a fire was mostly unnecessary. Their goal was to further weaken society's faith in heroes by targeting UA students, so you'd think he'd be a little more proactive in...well, actually harming someone. As it happened, the fire really only to served to announce there was an attack happening.

But I’ll throw the Vanguard a bone here and say this was Spinner’s doing.  Like their original plan was to start a massive fire that would consume both classes and all the heroes in a singular tragedy, but then Spinner said,  “Hey, pump the breaks, people.  We’re here to uphold Stain’s ideals about toppling the corrupt Hero culture.  Do we really want mass child murder as part of our brand?” Sure, he wanted to go after Iida, but he was a specific target since he was on Stain's hit list.

The two copies Twice made of Dabi were virtually useless in a fight since Vlad and Aizawa both took him out so quickly it was embarrassing.  And yet he’s apparently a big enough threat that No. 1 and No 2. can’t handle him.  Go fig.

Endeavor/Hawks:  Oh, no, he’s too strong…

Aizawa/Vlad:  Listen here, you little shit!

...

Muscular goes and reveals their plan even though he didn’t have to.  They all saw the Sports Festival, they knew what Bakugo looked like, and yet here he is asking Deku where he he can find Bakugo as if he was going to answer him.  Yes, he didn’t think there was any harm in telling him since his plan was to kill Deku anyway, but alerting UA to the fact they were looking to kidnap someone is still just hubris.

Going after Bakugo in the first place was a dumb idea.  We can probably credit that one to Shigaraki because only he would look at the violently temperamental teenager raging on national television and think,  “Yes, he seems like a reasonable person to negotiate with.”

...

Gonna drop in some actual light criticism here: Given the inequality issues that arise in the series later, targeting the heteromorph students for recruitment purposes would have been a smarter move for the LoV.  They’re all part of a demographic that has a justified reason for being dissatisfied with society, so there would have been a believable chance of the LoV thinking they could sway some people to their side.

But hey, the League of Villains was on a learning curve. Give 'em a break.

He totally saw Aoyama here.  Or at least he heard him because he clocked that there was something weird about that bush and he was going to go check it out…and then Twice distracted him and Dabi has an total ADHD moment and forgets what he was doing.

And it's not because Aoyama was the spy. Nobody in the Vanguard knew.

1.) Shigaraki says he tried and couldn't figure out where the camp was, but AFO figured it out relatively quickly. So if even his successor doesn't know who the spy was or called on that resource, then why would AFO tell anyone else in the group?

2.) Moonfish, Muscular, and Mustard were all apprehended, but none of them ratted out Aoyama, as someone with nothing left to lose would. Neither did Kurogiri when he was later apprehended, but that one may have been a loyalty matter. So I think this was a case of AFO saying, "I have a source of info and you don't need to know who it is." Because at the end of the day, AFO is an arrogant narcissist who's definitely not placing all his eggs in one basket. Aoyama wouldn't be an easy spy to replace, so of course AFO would want to limit any chances of him being exposed.

So this was Dabi's screw up.

Speaking of forgetting things, Dabi also straight up forgot they had a Nomu because he thanked Twice for reminding him they had a Nomu.

Sir....how the hell do you forget you have a Nomu?

Toga was supposed to get blood from at least three people.  She failed.

Twice had a simple job. Create clones. He succeeded, but the only two he made were Dabi and I refer you to the previous point on how useless they were.

Spinner and Magne’s roles were a diversion. Distract the Wild, Wild Pussycats and give everyone else the opening to find and kidnap Bakugo.

They did pretty well. Up until the point they were almost caught and Kurogiri had to bail them out. Also Spinner lugged the giant, over-the-top blade contraption all the way there only for Deku to destroy it.

However, they do deserve some credit for making probably the best strategic decision of the group that night, and that was taking out Pixie Bob. We saw on the first day of the camp that she was able to hold back a class of twenty students with an army of earth creatures she was simultaneously controlling. That would have been a huge problem, so for the purposes of their team, good on them for removing that obstacle.

Underrated squad members right here.

Mustard was a legitimate threat for same reasons Dabi and his fire was a threat, plus he brought a firearm into the fight. (I want to know what the other villains thought when they saw that.)

But instead of putting him in the center of the fight where he could do some significant harm, they placed him on the outliers and all he did was knock some students unconscious and everybody made a full physical recovery, showcasing the gas he emitted wasn’t all that lethal and didn't cause any long-term complications. (Again, maybe this was Spinner's idea of Stain's ideology on not indiscriminately massacring children. "Guys, I'm telling you! That's fucked up!")

The Nomu (effectively brain dead without orders) did more damage than any of them, which makes the previous point that Dabi forgot they had it even funnier.

And finally, Mr. Compress was missing for half the night and then almost came in clutch by fulfilling their main objective plus extra credit, only to nearly blow it with his showboating. Seriously, they could have gotten away with both Bakugo and Tokoyami had they just booked it while the going was good.

But no, Compress had to make a dramatic production of it. When he first snatched the kids, he could have just left and Deku and company would have had no idea what happened. Had he just kept his mouth shut and left, they wouldn't have known he even existed. Then as the Vanguard members were leaving through the warp gates, he goes and does it again, giving Aoyama enough time to fire at them with his navel laser, something that also could have bee avoided had Dabi just checked the fucking bush!

The Vanguard Action Squad won by sheer dumb luck and their collective incompetence actually succeeding is the most hilarious thing about this arc. In the end, three members of their crew were arrested.  (Although I think everyone was secretly relieved they lost Moonfish.  Even if he was on my side, I’d be actively worried that guy would kill and eat me in my sleep.)

Yet this self-important twerp is smiling like they actually did something to be proud of here.  All Dabi really accomplished personally was grab a marble (coincidentally the correct marble) before Shouto could, which is borderline more standard older sibling behavior than actual villainy. He literally lost two separate fights in one night and called it a win.

This arc was a five episode Scooby-Doo trap going wrong and succeeding.

Seriously, I hope that after the warp gates closed, they all just looked at each other and immediately started calling each other out on everything. Like Dabi slapped Compress upside the head and asked him what he'd been thinking having 'one last bow' before they got away. Spinner yelling at Dabi about how the clones did nothing. And there's Bakugo all, "I can't believe I've been kidnapped by a gaggle of morons."

Fake it till you make it at its finest.

I love this decrepit old man. Bro's dustier than an abandoned library run by fairies.

It must be said that the Nurse Ratched of the ‘75 film had some villainous tendencies. She was condescending, unfair and used her patients as an excuse to keep things the way she liked them. She was on a power high, and most certainly had a sense of superiority. While her treatment of her patients was not quite abuse, medical abuse - especially that committed by nurses - is not acceptable and should not be ignored.

That said, her treatment of McMurphy was entirely justified, at least in my mind. McMurphy - who was known to not be mentally ill - was a misogynist and an arse, who never once respected any of the nurses (even before she gave him any reason to dislike her). I believe him to be entirely unsympathetic. This warped my watching experience, and caused me to actually enjoy when Mildred belittled him. A story that should have been the uplifting tale of disabled men rising up against their domineering nurse is watered down by how unlikable it’s protagonist is.

Just finished Ratched 2020, and I’m conflicted. I loved it for the most part, but Mildred was clearly a completely different character to that of the film.

So yes, Mildred Ratched is, most certainly, a villain. She just isn’t as bad as Michael Myers or Count Dracula or Hannibal Lecter, but she is a villain. The manner in which she is viewed by the original audience presents her actions as worse than they are, focusing on the more trivial - such as her emasculating of McMurphy - over her heinous manipulations of her actually disabled patients.

Once again, the patriarchy would present Mildred Ratched as a bitch, and a liar, rather than the cunning, selfish, horrible person that she is, and the depth that comes with it.

Hot Take: Mildred Ratched is not a villain. She’s just a woman in a predominantly male field prescribing to the accepted medical practices at the time. It was the treatments and McMurphy’s (Jack Nicholson) reckless endangerment of other patients that were the problem, not her.

Yes! Yes! I totally agree with this hot take 100% Especially in Milos’ version he mentioned how it would be more “evil” or “disturbing” if Ratched didn’t think that she was in the wrong, that she truly and wholly believed that what she was doing was intentional to help them. She was most certainly is a woman (a woman with immense status) working in a male dominated feild, running a male dominated ward. She certainly had to leave her own opinions, ideas, and parts of herself at the door on the Outside. She wants to make sure that her authority and station will not be questioned hence why she is seen as mechanical, stoic, and “evil”

She’s most certainly not that, perhaps, even with my own interpretation, Mildred Ratched might be inclined to keep some people under her control out of a sense of superiority but ultimately that superiority is acceptable as she is a successful woman (and when during the book and movie being published or premiered) there was the second wave feminist movement. Something I’m positive that Mildred would pay close attention too.

Same as last time. Gorgeous pictures.

(That seems to be my word of the week lately, I wonder how that happened? Maybe I’m just appreciating art more?)

Malice Mizer Vicious Feb. 2001

Made an animatic summarising the entire book as a tribute to Dracula Daily and @re-dracula ! English subtitles provided, with translation by me and @ignitingthesky.

if you like this, do check out my kofi! there's a free pack of every single frame

Exactly. Regina just didn’t give him a first name. Gold has no friends, and is only a landlord, so she didn’t think he’d need one.

Sorry I didn't get this posted on the 12th, I was having a lot of computer issues and wasn't able to be around as much as I wanted to be. Have it now (as well as a bonus Neal one) as a Valentine's Day treat!

The pure chaos and Bridgerton dumbassery of Anthony walking in on Eloise making out with Cressida is just comedic gold waiting to happen like,

Anthony: You will marry her!

Cressida: Yes, well unfortunately I cannot do so.

Anthony: Have you no shame, Miss Cowper? You have defiled my sister! She is ruined!

Cressida: And I would be happy to make right by her. However—

Anthony: No excuses! You will marry her or we will deul at dawn!

Benedict: Is it not ungentlemanly to deul a young lady?

Anthony: …yes well… you will marry her or… or Kate will deul you at dawn!

Kate: I’m not doing that.

Anthony: Babe, please.

Kate: You’re an imbecile.

Anthony: Fine. Colin will duel Miss Cowper.

Colin: Why must I be the ungentlemanly one?

Anthony: Because someone must!

Daphne: Someone must what?

Benedict: Deul Miss Cowper.

Daphne: Whyever would one of you need to deul Miss Cowper?

Anthony: Because I caught her in the act of defiling our sister!

Daphne: Right… well passion can sometimes get the best of us when we are in love. As long as Miss Cowper does the honourable thing and marries Eloise—

Anthony: She is refusing!

Francesca: Why would you refuse? You both seem so in love.

Cressida: I am not refusing! I am merely confused regarding how exactly I am supposed to—

Daphne: Worry not, brother. I will handle this. *cracking her knuckles* You will marry her or come the dawn our pistols meet and you will take your final breath in the presence of my gleeful victory.

Everyone: …

Benedict: Is anyone else suddenly very afraid of Daphne?

Hyacinth: Cressida and Eloise will make the most beautiful children.

Gregory: Do you think if I ask they’ll name one after me?

Meanwhile

John: Should we maybe… intervene?

Simon: Of course not. When it comes to the Bridgertons it is every man or woman for themselves.

Kate: She must learn to stand on her own. She’ll never survive this family otherwise.

Penelope: Survive this family? Do you actually believe they’ll make it to the wedding before realising two women are unable to wed?

Kate: No. But when love is involved the Bridgertons will find a way and love most certainly is. I called this six months ago.

Simon: Agreed. Though if they are to marry someone must first hunt down Eloise.

John: What are you talking about she's right… where the hell did she go?

Penelope: Oh she’s long gone. She snuck out as soon as Anthony brought up marriage.

Cover and pages 1-9 of ‘Târgoviște: a Castlevania fan-comic’

What if Trevor was passing through Târgoviște and saved Lisa from being burned at the stake?

A 22 page fan comic.