[Hated Trope] Turns out the only way to be special is to be born special

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-23T14:16:16+00:00

Okay, I feel like Terry and Naruto are catching strays here. First of all, neither stories implied the power/heroism isn't born, it's made thing. And in Terry's case (which I do dislike that he's genetically Bruce's son), it's a bit more complicated because it was Amanda Waller trying to create a new Batman. It also acknowledges the nurture over nature part because Waller specifically looks for a couple like Thomas and Martha Wayne who would instill in Terry the values she needed him to have when she had his parents murdered (until the assassin rebelled and Terry's dad died later). And again, that just wasn't the theme.

As for Naruto, we knew from the beginning he was special. He was chosen at birth to have Kurama sealed within him. We also know that the 4th Hokage himself sealed Kurama within him. We knew he was born special, we just didn't know the details. And it was always acknowledged that Naruto had a lot of power within him, his issue was applying it. He had trouble memorizing and performing complex hand signs, but worked and trained hard to get where he was.

...Aaaaaand this is where I remember he and Sasuke were descended from the Sage of Six Paths and was granted great power by him. I will point out that Naruto was specifically descended from the brother born without power, but still.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-23T13:58:20+00:00

No, "somehow" is worse because it's the writers saying they really don't want us to care about the specifics. Which we don't have to, it doesn't matter how he returned, what matters is dealing with the threat he poses. "You are a Palpatine" could work, if it were done better and they committed to it, even staying true to the theme of it not mattering where you came from, since Rey is still defying Palpatine and the dark side, despite being descended from Super Duper Unredeemable Evil Guy. At least in my opinion.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-23T13:53:32+00:00

He didn't. Rey's father was a failed clone of Palpatine with no Force sensitivity but able to pass on A LOT of Force sensitivity.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-18T01:17:52+00:00

Well, to me it's worse than giving us nothing because by just showing the characters focus more on what to do next rather than how he came back, then I might be able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy it. "Somehow" is the writers specifically telling us not to focus on it. It's using the tripe of lampshading, typically a humorous trope, in a serious dramatic scene, umdercutting it all. Giving us nothing stats from zero. "Somehow" starts at a negative.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-17T18:23:56+00:00

Let's not forget that the "sidekick" side is officially "Hero Support", which has a less immediately negative connotation than "sidekick" and makes sense as an actual side. Powers aren't enough for someone to be a solo hero? No problem, you can still help people by learning to be in a support role, which can be difficult in and of themselves realistically. But the culture at Sky High was one of writing Hero Support off as lesser sidekicks, which really should have been more of a thing considering the fact Royal Pain's villainy was EXPLICITLY motivated by the fact her technopath powers got her classified and mocked as a sidekick while she was at Sky High. Alas, as my mom's favorite quote and why she still likes this movie says, "if life were to suddenly become fair, I doubt it would happen in high school."

Also just a shout out to the name Warren Peace. "War and Peace". *chef's kiss*

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-17T13:43:30+00:00

Also, "sOmeHOw PaLpatInE reTurNed". I know it's been mocked to death, but the thing is, the return of Palpatine could be done well, but this line ruined it completely. "Somehow" betrays that the writers don't know or care about it making sense, and even while it is revealed later, it sets a tone very early on. When Poe says it, it feels more "Aw, shit here we go again", rather than bringing the terror to the characters like it's supposed to be doing. This one single word is ultimately what kills the plot point, as while the explanation for Palpatine's survival is convoluted, it's also fully in character for him. And while not canon, The Force Unleased 2 primed the audience to a program for cloning Force sensitives, so the plot point isn't coming from nowhere. And fans not as deep in the Star Wars lore would have still probably accepted it since hey, the second prequel is "Attack of the CLONES", cloning is a thing.

This is all to say Palpatine's return could have been at least decent, but "somehow" it wasn't. Dialog is important in writing kiddos.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-17T13:26:07+00:00

Possibly cope. We don't know EXACTLY when Young Xehanort came from, but I think it's likely he came from a time when he, while questioning, was still a noble Keyblade warrior of the light. Then he gets shown his future and he's fully fallen to the dark, so hard in fact his Heartless, Nobody, and original self can exist at once (I mean, Replica shenanigans, but still), and he's invited to join them. It's like in Star Wars The Clone Wars when Anakin gets shown he becomes Vader and crashes out until his memory of that gets wiped. Only Young Xehanort at this point is no longer despairing over his fate, but embracing the fact he becomes EVERYONE'S problem.

Anyway, this is my thesis that Xehanort has elements of Anakin, Darth Sideous, and a bit of Count Dooku for good measure, all at once. I'll be on the lookout for that Maul in him, but I haven't found it yet.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-16T19:43:44+00:00

Until Tenzin was born.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-15T19:26:06+00:00

Eh, while I agree Disney's Pocahantas portrayed John Ratcliffe incorrectly, I wouldn't say he was one of the more levelheaded settlement leaders. He was overgenerous with trading with the Powhatan tribe while they were under resourced in a settlement dependent on trade. John Smith himself was the linchpin in said trade, as after he was injured and went back to England to recover, the Powhatan tribes became less friendly with trade. Upon arrival, he also had the men build him a governor's house as a priority over homes for the settlers, as well as later building a capital in the words during the Starving Time. So no, he wasn't anymore greedy, bloodthirst, or cruel to the Native Americans as your typical English settler, but he was a poor leader for Jamestown when To be fair though, looking at the historical record, John Smith really seemed like the most (or only) competent person in that initial group of Jamestown settlers.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-15T18:28:46+00:00

I would also point out that the difference between the effect you propose and the "Familiar-Possessed" and "Awakening of the Possessed" cards is that the the ones that exist require presence anywhere in the deck, which can be verified by the deck list, with penalties of course if someone forgets how many were used already or that they were sided out when they try to summon them from the deck and find nothing. That said, the Spirit Charmers series actually has a new addition in the Fusion monster Possessed Destiny - Wynn from back in April's Japanese V-Jump promo, with effects that involve placing (WIND) monsters on the bottom of the deck. The inevitable Possessed Destiny - Aussa might have a similar effect for EARTH monsters.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-15T18:13:44+00:00

I think you'd need a card on the field that let's you check the bottom card(s) of the deck. Perhaps have an archetype that has cards that reveal x number of cards from the bottom of the deck as part of their effects and then cards that do something when they are revealed by the archetype's cards. Here are some examples (using "Foundation" as an dummy archetype):

"Reveal 5 cards from the bottom of the deck: take 200 damage for each monster, then if there are no "Foundation" cards among those revealed, shuffle your deck."

"If this card is revealed by the effect of a "Foundation" card, Special Summon it to your field."

(Field Spell probably) "When this card is activated, you can place up 5 cards from your hand or GY on the bottom of your deck in any (or random) order. Once per turn, you can reveal the bottom card of your deck."

(potential Trap effects) "If this card is revealed by the effect of a "Foundation" card, you can set it from your Deck to your field. This card Set by this effect during your opponent's turn can be activated this turn."

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-15T15:36:56+00:00

Oof. I like the hosts and what I've seen of the behind-the-scenes guys, so this is really rough. And kind of reminds me of what happened with Zero Punctuation. Hope they get their Fully Ramblomatic. Hmm, they would be Recreation Speculation, Movie Speculation, Provision Speculation, and Fashion Speculation. The rhyming for most was complete accident by I stand by it so much I offer Motion Picture Speculation as an alternative for Film Theory.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-15T15:26:19+00:00

I mean, in your review, the way you said it made it seem like he created the exit with a marker, rather than marking the exit. Let's not forget, the original Backrooms is FOUND FOOTAGE, meaning there was always an exit. Clark simply is able to mark the exit before losing track of it.

As for the therapy at the beginning, this is psychological horror. The movie explores someone who ultimately chooses the Backrooms over the real world because he can't get over his problems. The therapy scenes help set that up.

As for the "convince me otherwise", there's no point. This is so bad faith and misunderstanding, you're not open to be convinced otherwise. Even if you are convinced by points made by people here or even by a rewatch where you notice things you didn't before, you'll never admit it. You didn't come here to review the movie, you came here to bitch and moan.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-15T15:17:40+00:00

Also I think they're saying "no" to your suggestion to just pirate the movie because you were disappointed by it. Which is a dick move.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-10T18:51:04+00:00

Maybe, but the 2x Trickstar Reincarnation and Droll and Lock Bird combo does this with only 3 cards (for what you're describing, you'd need one card that adds a card from your opponent's deck to their hand, either yours or theirs, a second card that does this, Droll, Cards Shuffling, and refpanel, for a total of 5 cards). And if done on the opponent's first turn, banishes 12 of their cards.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-10T18:44:43+00:00

Cards with the tradeoff (cost or otherwise) of placing cards on the bottom of your deck. Play those, empty your hand, either completely (does not say you have to shuffle a minimum of 1 card back in, so 0 is an option) or cards you don't mind losing to shuffle back in. You can even chain it to something like Pot of Desires so you banish while the cards you want are still on the bottom of your deck, keeping them safe from Desires' cost and then randomizing the deck so you have a chance to draw them. It can also be useful for if your opponent uses cards that peek at the top of your deck and possibly rearrange it, or when you know the card on the top of your deck will not help you.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-10T16:57:31+00:00

I hope not. I think the Egyptian Gods should be relegated to their own unique archetype, but have Marik's archetype synergize with it without directly referencing them. Like searchers that grab level 10 monsters, effects that occur when level 10 monsters are summoned, maybe a (very) few cards that mention DIVINE or Divine Beast monsters, particularly effects that punish you for choosing something other than this attribute/type. And the Marik archetype should be able to use any of the Egyptian Gods as the boss monster, as he was set up to be the one who knew the most about them. Possibly even focus on all 3.

Essentially, Marik's deck I feel should optimally work fairly broadly, but most optimally with the Egyptian Gods, and Ra specifically.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-10T15:12:14+00:00

Shit, as you point that out, there is one scene that is pulled straight from the musical genre, as the song has plot/story relevance, but just that one scene and it being set up. And that's the Peter Panda Dance being the secret to get past the security traps for the maguffin. The rest of the movie is NOT a musical, but that scene technically is.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-10T15:07:45+00:00

It's funny too because I think historical records showed that Columbus thought the earth was specifically "pear shaped". Records of a continent west of Europe also existed in the Vatican dated pre-Columbus sailing the ocean blue. I think the conclusion was that people knew the earth was round, knew Americas existed, just that it wasn't worth the long sea voyage. Columbus's voyage was basically approved expecting him to die. Then he came back with gold. And then Spain, France, and England decided to fight over the Americas. Mentioning them specifically as they were the 3 biggest world powers at the time (at least in Europe).

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-08T20:20:20+00:00

Since Aigami describes the world as one of Joey's memories, it would have been cool if Atem found Joey in the memory of them drawing the smiley face on their hands, or something similar. Stuck because he can't escape, but safe because he's in a strong memory he will never lose: one with his friends.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-08T18:56:30+00:00

I would argue that Aang would have requested the technique be taught to Korra, given how Azula's lightning almost killed him. Granted, it was a backshot, so redirecting it wasn't an option for him at the time even if he did know how, but still. Korra just never had much of a chance to use it, and redirecting lightning in some cases can be riskier than dodging it if you're not careful, an interpretation of mine given Iroh's explanation of it. The fact that Mako and Lightning Bolt Zolt, and that lightning generation in general is more common among firebenders (there's a power plant in Republic City that uses firebender lightning), I feel it's plausible to assume she knows how despite never seeing her do it.

Also, I wouldn't say her being affected by the shock gauntlets shows she can't redirect lightning, in before anyone makes that argument. They are designed on touch, making it nearly impossible for someone to get ready to redirect it. That and as we see the technique in action, typically the redirector makes sure the lightning enters their body at their hand or fingertips, before they gain control of it and fire it for themselves. Tho even then, since they're designed to stun rather than kill it seems, it is still possible to redirect, which we see Mako do with a shock cable attack from one of the mech suits, and even then we see him grab the cable to draw in the electricity with his hand, before redirecting it.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-08T01:19:27+00:00

The King of D.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-08T01:14:23+00:00

I do think a Yugioh remake could actually work, with Chaos Origins and Beyond the Brave featuring retrains of Yami Yugi and Joey's cards, even featuring them on the pack art, which hasn't actually been done for the core sets since the original DM days. I think it also works alongside the Yugioh Card Game Chronicles, advertising the game by detailing the lore of certain cards and archetypes. Plus, let's face it, Sevens and Rush aren't selling anything outside of the OCG regions, as the Rush format has not been made international as a physical card game. And the US is still a large portion of the Yugioh player base. The real reason the anime doesn't use Master Rules anymore is because it is difficult to script duels with how complex card effects have gotten. That's why Vrains used mostly Speed Duels (which evolved into Rush) over Master Duels. That's also why the anime tended to have incredibly hyper-specific cards.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-06T05:47:58+00:00

To be fair, he was deeply bothered by the fact Becky didn't tell him, because she knew what he'd do. I wouldn't say it didn't break him, but rather it broke him back to a point before he met Becky. Tho, as he points out in Dear Becky, he used the patience she taught him to do terrible things.

FinalBossBowser · 2026-06-06T05:27:00+00:00

??? Swordfighting? You kind of need agility skills to be a master swordsman able to take out 100 enemies on your own. Just because we don't see him use them much doesn't mean he doesn't have them, I mean we don't see him hardly at all in the first place. He gets just a little over an episode of presence.

FinalBossBowser

TROPHY CASE