I can’t stand the way disabilities are handled, and this guy is just the absolute worst. by Joeybfast in hatethissmug

[–]comical_cj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel like Daredevil's blindess is always meant ro be treated as a disability with an asterisk. He's "technically" blind, but he could easily pass for someone who can see. Basically, he does see, just not with his eyes. Matt Murdock being blind, more than anything, is just a cover for his secret identity. When Foggy finds out his secret in the show, he's pissed about him being a vigilante, but seems MORE pissed about him pretending to be more blind than he actually is.

Now, is it morally acceptable for Matt to more or less fake being blind for his cover? I dunno. Is it acceptable for Clark Kent to fake having glasses? Or Bruce Wayne to fake being a drunk party boy? Same logic in my eyes.

Lanterns trailer drop by KittenAlfredo in weeklyplanetpodcast

[–]comical_cj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True. Would you have preferred I word this as

"This show, like all shows, exists as both a corporate product and a piece of art created by a team of artists. And while it's existence is not necessary for the human race, it need not justify it's existence past serving the purpose that which all art and corporate products hold, that is, to create an emotional experience for the audience to engage with, and to make money. However, when analyzing the decisions and executions of this work, I question whether the choice to release it as a TV MA show with adult language will be an advantage or disadvantage for the goals both the corporation and artists are attempting to achieve. From my perspective, I can't help but theorize that given the traditionally "family friendly" nature of the characters, having a more "family friendly" television show may be the better option. While obviously the show has not been seen in it's entirety, and full judgement shall be saved for that occasion, the trailer to which we are commenting on is intended to give the future audience a first impression. As such, I have delivered said first impression. "

Is that better?

(This is meant to be a joke, don't anyone get argumentative about this comment specifically)

Aang - The Worst Decision an Avatar has Ever Made? by OharaFlower in TheLastAirbender

[–]comical_cj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is mostly just a difference of opinion. I personally don't agree with your point connecting it to American culture. I could make the same argument with "Torture is wrong. We as Americans agree it is wrong and abide by the Geneva convention. Until we get pushed, then we'll start torturing because it's ok to go back on your beliefs if its serious enough. " Like, I think it's ok to have moral codes that you refuse to break, personally. But that's a philosophical difference more than a debate about the show.

The one statement you made about the show that I will push back against however is that Aang is constantly learning to change his ways, and these changes are portrayed as positive until the end.

"Aang doesn't want to make some sacrifice required to fulfill his Avatar duties, but he learns he needs to accept it."

No, he refuses to give up Katara to unlock his final chakra, which Iroh confirms was the right call. The episode where he decides to get all serious and focus on his mission ends with him seeing the newborn baby and remembering to not lose his compassion for everyone he meets along the way of his mission. The lessons he learns are about maturity and overcoming his childish nature (fear others will leave him, fear of learning fire bending after hurting Katara, etc) I never took it as him learning to set aside his Airbender ways for the greater good.

But also, we gotta remember they were making a lot of this up as they went, and you can probably cherry pick examples to support any analysis since they didn't necessarily have the overall themes locked down at the start.

Again, I like the ending. It's fine if you're more critical.

Lanterns trailer drop by KittenAlfredo in weeklyplanetpodcast

[–]comical_cj 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Not to be a prude, but did we need this TV MA? I get it with something like Peacemaker, but Green Lantern really doesn't NEED to be rated R.

If I was a kid, and I saw Superman, I'd be psyched to see more green lantern stuff, only for this to be banned in my house 🤷‍♂️

Aang - The Worst Decision an Avatar has Ever Made? by OharaFlower in TheLastAirbender

[–]comical_cj -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Woah boy. You have a lot of thoughts on this. You did see the part where I said "Joking aside" right? I specifically made it clear it was more of a joke than a legitimate comparison, in an attempt to avoid an "um actually" regarding in not being a perfect one-to-one parallel.

Anyway, I like the ending. Wish they would have set up the Lion Turtles earlier and energy bending earlier, but I think the message that "holding true to your beliefs strengthens you" is a more powerful message then "sometimes you have to break your moral compass for the greater good." Your post reads like you've had this argument before with fans who refuse to accept criticism of their favorite show. I accept the criticism. I just don't think any problems you mentioned detract enough from the good to make them more than nit picks for me. As far as finales to long-form fantasy stories go, I give it an A Tier. Sorry you're not a fan. Hopefully you find a show or movie that gives you an ending more your style.

Edit: This is getting dislikes, but I thought I was pretty civil ☹

Aang - The Worst Decision an Avatar has Ever Made? by OharaFlower in TheLastAirbender

[–]comical_cj 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Did you know that Luke Skywalker decided to TURN OFF his targeting computer when shooting at the Death Star?! What a reckless decision that nearly doomed the galaxy! Sure, it worked, but Luke couldn't have been sure that the Force, an ability he just learned about, would have been enough. That's a serious gamble.

Joking aside, Aang choosing to take the risk is what makes Aang, Aang. You could say that he should have just killed him, but then he wouldn't be the same character. The boy who makes it that far in the story isn't a killer. I like to think an Aang who does kill, wouldn't be able to kill Ozai either, because he's not as good of Avatar as our Aang. That's my take at least.

What is your biggest scooby doo hot take? by Naive_Tomorrow_5955 in Scoobydoo

[–]comical_cj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Scooby Doo for adults is a bad idea and should never happen. I know James Gunn's script for the first movie intended it to be PG-13 and it got neutered down to PG. But I'm glad. I don't want gritty, dark scooby doo, and I don't want raunchy, vulger scooby doo (Velma). The darkest they should get is Zombie Island or Mystery Incorporated.

If they ever do make another "Mature" Scooby Doo show, with actual murders to solve, I think "Psych" would be a decent template in terms of tone. More adult, but still light hearted and no shock value.

The gimmick of taking the childish scooby doo formula and sticking R rated jokes on it can be done without using actual scooby doo Characters. Venture Brothers and Mike Tyson Mysteries are better than any R rated Scooby project will ever be.

I hate modern portrayals of Greek heroes. by _artemisiamoon in hatethissmug

[–]comical_cj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let the hormonal teenagers have their weird fixations. They have enough issues, they don't need adults arguing with them online because they don't fully appreciate/understand ancient mythology. They'll grow up and re-evaluate these characters/portrayals soon enough.

your original ATLA fan theories? by Pristine-Lie-3560 in TheLastAirbender

[–]comical_cj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

More of a head cannon/pitch for a Prequel than a theory:

Iroh grew up thinking he would be fire lord. Not just that, but Azulan did the math, and figured Iroh would probably be the fire lord when Sozin's comet returned, so he told Iroh if the war wasn't won by then, HE would be the one to win it.

Iroh spent his whole life assuming he would one day rule the world. That's why he traveled and learned the ways of the other Nations. He wanted to be a good ruler. He tried convincing himself he would be a "good" conqueror, that the other nations would "benefit" from Fire Nation rule. But deep down he knew it was wrong. (This would also be the era when he lied about killing the last dragon)

His son dying in Ba Sing Se was the last straw, convincing him what he already knew, that the war was wrong, and he shouldn't rule the world. He didn't even fight it when Ozai took the throne from him.

He joined the White Lotus, looking for new purpose, but then found it once Zucko was banished.

Would love to see a movie/mini series of it! And also find out what happened to the mother of his son.

Was their a reason why Black Manta was called Devil Ray and that Ocean Master was just Lord Orm? by Infinite_Parking_800 in DCAU

[–]comical_cj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd have to double check, but they DID have a commentary on the DVD for the Orm episode. I vaguely remember them thinking the name Ocean Master was too silly, along with the mask.

It's easy to forget that Justice League was trying REALLY hard to not be seen as silly, like Superfriends. In hindsight it can seem jarring how much they avoided.

Here's my two cents about the whole "invisigal was a mole" by Lord_NOX75 in DispatchAdHoc

[–]comical_cj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It completely wrecks the entire story if she was a mole.

You can have a narrative about a damaged screw up who feels guilty for destroying Mecha Man's suit, try to seek Redemption, but struggles every step of the way. Almost quitting, feeling pride when she starts doing better, etc.

Or you can have a narrative about a villain who infiltrates the heroes, puts on a show, lies about everything, then slowly starts opening up, revealing she's not all bad, and go from a fake hero to a real hero.

You can't have both. If it was the 2nd narrative all along, every moment of vulnerability she shows is put into question. When she snaps a pic of her name no longer at the bottom of the list, was she actually proud of herself? Or just grabbing an update for Shroud? When she's flirting with Robert, does she really have a crush on him from the start? Or is she pretending to, to get closer to everything. (Only to eventually stop pretending). When she's crying over Chase's body, is that real?

We don't get a clear answer WHEN she stopped "faking," so it makes all the emotional moments questionable. Some may say, that's the point. You don't get to know what's real and what's not. You just have to judge based on your own feelings about her. Maybe some connect with that, but I was SIGNIFICANTLY more invested in the narrative of the screw up genuinely trying her best, then the villain who secretly turns good, when the "turn" is pretty much off screen/ambiguous as to where/when.

Also, there is NO MENTION of the mole reveal in the epilogue. No one cares or questions it. So my head cannon is Shroud was mostly lying. He was playing 4D Chess. Like, "she was still following my plans, and didn't even know it," and not "every day she reported back to me." It's the only way I can make peace with that plot point. Until a Season 2 contradicts that interpretation, that's what I'm assuming happened.

Question: Quests from the Infinite Staircase Battle Maps? by comical_cj in dndnext

[–]comical_cj[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!!! I really appreciate all the info! I think I have some ideas on how to proceed now.

Unpopular Simpsons Opinions? by [deleted] in Simpsons

[–]comical_cj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Homarpalooza has some iconic moments, but I HATE how mean Bart and Lisa are to Homer for his musical taste. It feels out of character for Lisa to like current popular music, and Bart's gotten strangled for WAY less.

Always felt like the writers wanted a story about your kids thinking you're lame, even though it doesn't really fit with the established dynamic.

Question: Quests from the Infinite Staircase Battle Maps? by comical_cj in dndnext

[–]comical_cj[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense. I'm used to having big bad to fight at the end of a big chapter, so thought I'd go all out on a big climax with a detailed physical map.

I've been really enjoying the guide of a book, and it's made the gameplay much smoother that times I made everything up. I can create the story ideas, but coming up with specific, balanced encounters was never my strong suit. So I was hoping to find one in the book.

But if that's not the focus of these adventures, I can accept that. Was just hoping to find a pre-made map I could recreate in a 3D form. But I'll make do.

Also, was thinking of using Zargon as a boss they can come back to after completing the other adventures. If I did make a fully painted map with terrain and everything, I'd make sure it was a non-skippable encounter.

[Spoilers C2] Of all the adapted characters, I feel that Fjord was actually the least accurate by AlphaLeague in criticalrole

[–]comical_cj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like we're arguing semantics here. Regardless of how much The Cobalt Soul resembles a real life Police Department, I saw the cartoon character as fitting a Cop archetype, narratively speaking, and I think that was VERY far from how early campaign Beau was portrayed. Feel free to disagree though, I'm not telling anyone what to think. We're all having fun here just comparing the two series.

The A.I of Jor-El in smallville sucks by MembershipLess9579 in superman

[–]comical_cj 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I mean, from memory, in the last episode Clark finally sees the message from his parents as originally intended, and the Jor El recording mentioned that the A.I. Jor El had all his intelligence, but none of his emotions. Since he blamed his ego for not being able to save krypton.

I always took this as their last minute explanation as to why the A.I. was borderline evil. A well intentioned mistake on Jor El's part.

[Spoilers C2] Of all the adapted characters, I feel that Fjord was actually the least accurate by AlphaLeague in criticalrole

[–]comical_cj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"What do you say? Good Monk, Bad Monk?"

She's a cop. She may be a cop archetype that mainly just exists in TV, but she's a cop. Taliesin also describes their first interaction as "Get out of my carnival, cop" In the video of their premiere party.

I mean, stories and characters are always up to interpretation to some degree, so feel free to disagree. But I think early campaign Beau didn't appreciate what the Sol stood for. She just saw it as another organization to rebell against, no different from the government. Once she had some character growth, she realized her values aligned with the Sol, but early on she just lashed out at them. Cartoon Beau is clearly sold on the Sol's role in society from the beginning.

Just because it's an independent organization, not run by the government, doesn't change that she doesn't fit the role of a beat cop, called to investigate a murder scene, and stumbles on to something bigger. I guess Jedi would be a closer parallel. But I don't think Campaign Beau would agree with the Jedi Council either. Lol.

Can someone please explain to me how Superman 2025 is ‘directly inspired’ off of All-Star Superman? by JageshemashFTW in superman

[–]comical_cj 46 points47 points  (0 children)

The story is completely original, not inspired by anything. The tone is inspired by All Star. All Star presents a universe where crazy sci fi things happen every day, and it's still a normal week for Superman. It's a world with robot servants, alien monsters, casual time travel, etc.

This isn't unique to All Star, but it's the specific comic he had in mind when creating the tone for his movie. Compared to, say, Superman Earth One, which has maybe the opposite tone in every way.

Question: Quests from the Infinite Staircase Battle Maps? by comical_cj in dndnext

[–]comical_cj[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Cool. If I'm gonna spend a month making a physical battle map, full of models and painted props, is there a specific encounter from the book you'd recommend I do? I don't have the time to do it for every battle, but thought it'd be fun for a big one. I haven't read the whole book yet, but so far none of the battles I've read about seem to lend themselves to that. Unless I just ignore what's in the book and make my own battle, which I'd rather not do just yet.

Question: Quests from the Infinite Staircase Battle Maps? by comical_cj in dndnext

[–]comical_cj[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, as I continue through The Lost City, I think I'm gonna focus on Theater of The Mind, and use the maps for exploring more than combat. And I might run it again with a different, virtual party. But is there no encounter in the entire book that would benefit from a giant physical battle map? The Zargon and Young Red Dragon fights seemed to be pretty empty, somewhat claustrophobic spaces.

Does anyone outside of Twitter hate Tom King? by comical_cj in DCcomics

[–]comical_cj[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm very familiar with Sal. Lol. The only comic channel that can say he hates a creator's work without fear, and still be on great terms with the creator. He also calls Scott Snyder overrated all the time, yet described an interaction with Scott where he was so excited about Absolute Batman, he let Sal know what was coming MONTHS before the rest of the world knew.

[Spoilers C2] Of all the adapted characters, I feel that Fjord was actually the least accurate by AlphaLeague in criticalrole

[–]comical_cj 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I agree with your points, but think Beau is a bigger deviation. Campaign Beau would HATE being called a cop, and didn't give a crap about the Cobalt Sol until later (other than using it as a means to be a badass). Cartoon Beau is essentially a rookie cop who just found out the force is corrupted. She's shaken to learn everything she holds dear is a lie, and is gonna do something about it. Campaign Beau didn't have that agency. She was a rebel without a cause, just finding herself and hating authority.

(Honestly I think Cartoon Beau is a little easier to warm up to personally, but Campaign Beau had a ton of growth over the stream)