So I watched Baby Reindeer. I'm going to be honest, I wasn't interested at first, but it gained a lot of attention by Tiktokers. I don't have my own Netflix account, so when my mum travelled and I had access to her TV, I took a chance while I could. 7 episodes, 20-30 minutes each.
I feel like the suspense was ruined since I knew it was a stalker situation, but I guess I was patient enough to see what would happen. I heard people talking about how Martha was scary, or how they found Baby Reindeer to be a horror, and I must admit that it wasn't the same case for me. When I think of horror I think of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or Ichi the Killer. If we're going to argue about realistic situations when I'm going to throw in Audition 1999, a film about a man ignoring red flags and suffering the consequences of chasing after a woman he had no business chasing. Perhaps I have tainted my mind of so many disgusting images that I didn't register that I was watching a horror.
Speaking of ignoring red flags, I understood that Donnie was a victim, and I understand that trauma can affect how a person views the world and how they may navigate certain situations. I know Richard Gadd was sort of confronting himself when retelling that story, and how it's to investigate his psychology. But I also understood that he was an idiot.
A part of me genuinely thought his gender had something to do with it. How men will see a situation vs how women will see a situation. The Man vs Bear situation influenced that thought process of mine. But the episode that opens up about him being groomed and taken advantage of cancelled that out. Maybe he kept underestimating Martha because he sees a poor little woman who needs help.
Martha is a dangerous person, yet he entertained her, sort of. It was clear that he wanted to set boundaries, but didn't know how to, especially if her feelings were going to be hurt. Somehow Martha found her way around it, and when he did set a boundary for sure she started lashing out. She became worse, and yet somehow he was still able to hold sympathy for her. I think that sympathy is forgiveness, but not the kind that demands you to run with caution, the kind that convinces you to give one more chance.
One act of kindness was punished. Is punished. While I can relate, a vengeful part of me scolds him instead. Martha attacked Teri. I hated how Martha was made out to be someone to sympathise with. She threatened and hurt people, and is shown to be a bit of a racist and maybe a homophone, meaning she's an overall unpleasant person. I don't care if she has mental health problems, that doesn't make her innocent or someone I should sympathise with. Do you know what's also mental health? A 36 year old man stabbing a 14 year old boy to death in Hainault. That actually happened.
As soon as a mentally unwell individual starts harming people it's wraps. Donnie contacted the police, but didn't tell the police about Teri. He went along with his dead-end-job coworkers about not reporting what Martha did at the bar to the police because it would be bad for business. The same coworkers who looked through his email and sent that inappropriate message to Martha, making things worse for Donnie. He willingly associated himself with bad people, and willingly put himself through sticky situations. Also, faking who he is on a dating app? Scary. Yes, Donnie is a victim, but he's a massive idiot. Like people who continue to let others suck the life out of them even though they know they shouldn't. Dogs returning to vomit.
I didn't psychoanalyse him while watching the show, but now that I think about his actions, he's just as bad a person. Yes, he told off Martha after she attacked Teri, but it shouldn't have ever gotten that far in the first place. Richard Gadd was honest about not being a 'woe is me' character, and how his younger self made many dumb decisions. I also know that info on stalking was quite limited at the time, such as the fact that giving them attention makes things worse. Donnie saw her at the bus stop, spacing out, and instead of leaving her there to suffer he got her home. But even that act of kindness, Martha still contacted his family to send threats. She didn't stop being a horrible person. No good deed goes unpunished with people like this. No matter what way it is framed, Martha is not a poor little misunderstood creature, she's a monster.
Conclusion: Baby Reindeer, while an entertaining watch, just made me angry. It makes me think of people who are naive and are forced to learn the hard way. No matter how many times they learn, the lesson doesn't hit.
I'm honestly so peeved that they didn't let Robby win a tournament at least once. In season 4, Miguel was going to crack his hip anyways, so Robby should've won that fight with Hawk. And then have Sam win for Miyagi-do.
I'm mainly saying this because Hawk had been pissing me off. He's gotten away with being a bully, and was still a bully even when he was with Miyagi-do. He saw Kenny backing away from the 2 boys at the movie night (forgot their names), and still assumed Kenny was up to something. He still went out of way to try to intimidate Kenny. I was so satisfied when Kenny gave him the quicksilver method.
Sorry, I'm getting off track. Robby should've won at least once, and in his match with Hawk. Even though it's cliche, it would've been a fun little 'balance' thing. Robby and Sam, once lovers, are on opposite sides which. The tournament ends in a tie.
And then have him discover it was rigged. Afterwards, Robby remains in Cobra Kai so that he can watch over Kenny, but Silver can smell that Robby is becoming disillusioned. This not only puts Robby on thinner ice, but sets up some interesting dialogue between him and Silver. Maybe also Daniel. Robby was Miyagi-do first, so it's easier for him to break out of control.
Robby tries to juggle his home life with his Cobra Kai life. Accepting Miguel as his stepbrother, but must deal with the constant questioning of his fellow Cobras. "You two are cool now?"
Tory can still do her John Kreese side quest depending on whether Robby tells her about Terry. Knowing how loyal she is to Cobra Kai, and how far she's willing to go, there's no telling if she'll be on his side.
Asgardians are jealous of Loki. The reason Loki is so belittled and gaslighted is because people like to use him, but also in order to keep gaining favours from him, they need to keep him needy of their praise and blah blah blah. I think a lot of us know how it works, so I won't explain that. On the other hand, Loki has something they don't, which is what makes him 'untrustworthy'. Loki is adaptable, curious and dedicated, as well as other amazing traits.
Loki is "burdened with a glorious purpose". He has a bright star, and people who do not have a bright star as well tend to see that star, and want to dim it. (Yes, I believe there's a spiritual side to it.)
Loki can easily acknowledge (and has) that he's jealous of Thor, but when others call him jealous they are projecting. They especially do this when Loki outwits them. They don't even have to be jealous of Loki, they must've had their ego bruised by him in one way or another.
Sif is close to Thor, but she would never be able to surpass Loki's level of closeness, which sucks, because Loki and Thor barely have any similarities. Why is Thor so insistent on attaching Loki to his side? Thor doesn't need Loki. Thor shouldn't want Loki. Sif and Loki mirror each other. Sif is a warrior lady, most likely with a mission to bring greatness back in the name of female warriors, considering the fiasco of Hela and the Valkyries. Loki is a practisioner of magic, which is seen as feminine, and can battle without magic efficiently, as is expected of a prince. Loki can go both ways, but Sif would never be able to do such a thing.
Hogun is that non-white friend in an all white friend group who's willing to forget and disregard his own ethnic background for those white friends. Excluding the whole Jotun Loki thing, Loki and Thor are both mix-raised, seeing as Frigga is from Vanaheim (according to fandom anyways). Loki clearly inherited a lot of Vanaheimian(?) traits, including the black hair, despite having an Asgardian king for a father. If Loki behaves like a Vanaheimian despite having an Asgardian upbringing, how would Asgardians perceive Hogun? Hogun is threatened by Loki and is determined to drive him out of the friend group. On the other hand of this halfblood envy, Loki makes Hogun feel ashamed. A half Asgardian managed to out-Vanaheim the full blooded Vanaheimian.
Fandral and Volstagg? I don't know, I don't care about them. Maybe Volstagg isn't a very smart person and is jealous of Loki's wit, whereas Fandral is an enabler who's there to be a soft blow. He's a reassurance to Loki's insecurity. He's nice so Loki would think "hey, at least there's one person that's okay with me" and still hangs out with them so that they can benefit from him.
I can imagine Loki has quite the reputation. And when you have a reputation, people talk. Loki is intelligent, diplomatic and pretty much has the significant traits of both Odin and Frigga. Loki is hard working, and tries different things. He's a problem solver, and adapts well to cold weather. I could see Thor views this as Loki outshining him, which is why he could never understand how Loki believed he was in Thor's shadow. Thor thought that Loki was better than him, and suspected that maybe Loki knew it too, and made sure to remind Loki which son was in charge. Which son truly had favour. Which son really mattered. Thor cares for and loves Loki, but is also jealous of how much skill and significance Loki has, even though that skill is a result of Loki's determination, trial and errors. Loki was able to butter people up with his silver tongue, but Thor put people on edge with his loudness and forwardness.
Edit: There are more reasons I can come up with for Thor to be jealous of Loki. First off, Thor felt the only significance he had as the son of Odin was that he was the first born. That's the only relevancy he has. Personality wise, he's the typical Asgardian warrior, with the brashness, light hair and being ready for battle. Loki, on the other hand, has many amazing feats, and stands out. Thor would most likely (or is expected to) become a copy paste of Odin, whereas Loki has an identity of his own. Loki can become whatever he wants, and be whoever he wants outside royalty. Thor's destiny is to be the king and remain stagnant.
What makes it worse is that being a male mage is frowned upon for sexist reasons, but Loki ultimately gets away with it. Being the 2nd prince may play a huge factor, but you'd think that Odin would try to put a stop to that. If he did, he wasn't successful, because Loki's a known seidr practitioner to all of Asgard. I don't think Thor would've been allowed, perhaps heavily discouraged from it.
Frigga is a warbride (according to fandom again), and possibly has stockholm syndrome. I guess she's jealous of Loki's freedom. Loki is technically Odin's servant, and one who can easily gain freedom by leaving the family. Thing is, he's a great employee, and they don't want to lose him. He needs to be convinced that he has no one, and has no other opportunities. She loves Loki, but is willing to have him suffer like she does. She needs someone to be trapped with her. She needs that company. She is unknowingly working as Odin's puppet as she does this, because she herself cannot leave.
Heimdall's all seeing eyes can't spot Loki, and that gets on his nerves. This guy doesn't understand that some people find it creepy to be watched, so he can only assume that Loki is up to something. He must be! Why is he hiding himself before stepping into the shower? Why is he hiding himself as he sleeps?
Odin??? I'm not sure. Every abusive, narcissistic parent is envious of their child about something. Sometimes that envy is over nothing. Odin makes declarations of peace, but Loki is the true embodiment of that (ignoring Thor Ragnarok). Odin looked for trouble, but Loki does anything in his power to make it a last resort.
Odin obviously saw Loki as lesser. To have that lesser become the person Odin claimed to be must be a giant bruise to his ego.
The Trix vs The Wizards of the Black Circle
I really wish MK1 expanded on the what if scenarios and timelines. We know of their existence, but we don't know them intimately like we've seen with Liu Kang's timeline, or even momentarily with Shang Tsung back in mk11.
I really wanna see more Good Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Kano-Sonya and Janet Cage. Hell, even Ninja Meme Johnny. We never hear most of the other versions speak, we only see glimpses of them or just have them on screen for like a minute.
The fact that there's a version of Johnny that showed up in the final battle dressed as Ninja Mime means that he is literally a ninja mime, and I kinda wanna see a story behind that. Maybe being talkative annoyed everyone so much that it made him feel bad and study the art of silent kung fu or something.
I want to see some Janet Cage in a story mode, I get a vibe from her that she feels more inclined to prove herself. Is she the only genderbent version in her universe or is everyone genderbent? Is she trans? She's an action star, but she didn't want to be the sexualised female heroin or sidekick, so acts cocky and obnoxious to prove that she's more than a sex symbol, her ego as some kind of defence mechanism against the sexism in Hollyweird. But that kind of takes away the point of Janet's character (because she's Johnny).
I would really like to see Shang Tsung interact with good Shang Tsung, see how many versions of himself he can hate. Is good Shang Tsung's Liu Kang evil too?
Why does Shang Tsung have clones of Kitana if he has an evil Kitana working for him? Why would evil titan versions of the heroes help Shang Tsung? Wouldn't it be a hassle to try over throweach other because of greed and stuff?
Why are evil versions to begin with? What is their backstory? Cross-over characters... I have so many questions (genderbent ninjas, character with another's aesthetic for example: Lizard Queen).
We have evil versions of the characters, but no evil Johnny (except John Khaner). Missed opportunity to have an evil Johnny, could've made it a Jill Roberts situation where there's a timeline of evil Johnny that only cares about the fame because of some deep rooted issue. In fact, I've already mentioned John Kahner, I want to know how he became Kahn.
Back to the Mileena clones of Titan Shang Tsung, re-watching the fight I saw that they were all colour coded (red, blue, yellow, pink), so they have a rank or Shang Tsung cares about differenciating them so that they're not so much mindless killers that just do his bidding. Do they have other names? Do they all secretly want Shang Tsung's approval? Do they conspire against one another? Is he their father figure now that Shao Kahn isn't in the picture? Do they have a sister bond with each other? Is Kitana their mean older sister?
Now that our timeline has Mileena and Kitana as actual sisters, is there a timeline where Mileena and Skarlet are sisters? A timeline where Shao Kahn is a good, loving father and husband? I have so many questions.
Another test run, and these are just bullet points not full blown stories. I've already written another bimbo reader post so I suggest checking that out. Please do requests if this isn't enough.
This one is just Bi Han, Kuai Liang, Hanzo, Shang Tsung and Johnny.
"I need to die looking good."
Bi Han Noob Saibot
He doesn't understand your constant need to dress up and put makeup on, but he won't say anything about it. A lot of women are just like that, so Bi Han just figured it's a female thing. Misogynistic of him, but he doesn't care.
While seeing him training you gladly set up a chair and watched him from afar whilst drinking a cocktail, and you've attached yourself to him ever since. He couldn't take you seriously at first, but he could only admit to himself that your dense personality was a little adorable.
When the blood got too much you would hide your face in his chest, which he didn't mind even though some makeup stains would go on his clothes.
When he returned as Noob Saibot he swore to make you drop dead gorgeous, even if you already were. But you would join him in death as his revenant lover. Quan Chi was sure to give you the best manicures so long as you were loyal to him.
Kuai Liang
As a man that puts Lin Kuei traditions in high regard he could understand your need for the newest fashion and dressing well. He showed you his wardrobe and you decided to copy his style, which he found adorable.
He likes having tea with you, but you're certain he must try a frappe or at least a smoothie.
Kuai isn't one for public affection, Lin Kuei and all, but he lets you climb over him. If he's not disciplining Frost or the other Lin Kuei then he's snogging you in the snow. After you drag him into it at least. He only initiates things first if you guys are alone.
Although you didn't understand a lot of things he could appreciate you being there for him to give comfort on sensitive topics.
Hanzo 'Scorpion' Hasashi
It was like talking to a different Johnny Cage in his opinion. It was a bit jarring to have you flirting with him and not get the slightest hint that he's not interested since revenge was on his mind. It was after he was brought back as Hanzo Hasashi that he appreciated your presence more.
The Shirai Ryu are ninjas, so that meant blending into society when on mission and you had a lot of things to say about clothing choices.
The Shirai Ryu shrine looked better than he remembered, you had given him ideas on the layout and studied a thing or two on Japanese culture to make it legit.
When he caught you teaching the new members cheerleading moves he knew he had to be more welcoming with you, because those were complicated moves. And it showed him you were no stranger to teamwork. Hanzo could see the beauty in that.
Shang Tsung
This villainous man came across you giving Mileena style tips and fixing her hair. He had no clue how you snuck into the private parts of the palace, but he suspected you were partially from the Chaosrealm.
Mileena didn't react well to your absence, and after Kitana's rejection she seemed to have formed an attachment to you so Shang expected you around the palace. Shao Kahn was glad that Mileena had a nice person to look up to, so he was fine with you in the palace.
Shang had you participate in the tournament for a reason, but he underestimated your powers as well as your fighting abilities. Such beauty in combat is rare.
Johnny Cage
Barbie and Ken in the eyes of many Earthrealmers, but you two are the 'it' couple when it comes to vanity, expensive taste, and being drama queens.
He is your husband, your best friend, and your mirror. Your super power was convenience and getting yourself out of serious situations, but how it acted up was at random times. Johnny could relate to that.
In the meantime, you could both bathe in the spotlight, and the cameras. And your friends from home can be jealous and gush about you marrying an actor.
It was a match made in pink and green.
I wonder WHAT happened at SpilGames for them to do THAT to all of their websites... They changed everything that made them recognizable. The girls from GGG? BOOM! 💥💣💣🧨🤯💥
Boring.
The designs of all of their websites? BOOM!!!!!!!1!11!!!!!!!!!!!1
Bland, too minimalistic and BORING.
I hate how the internet looks nowadays. Yes, minimalism is good. I love minimalism! It can always save the look of anything and make it easier to navigate. But not where the whole purpose of the website is for it to spark joy and look like a ton of fun waiting for you! I genuinely do not know what made them decide to get rid of all the personality their sites had.
The new GGG mascots are from shopaholic, I'm pretty sure about that, but how do you look at them and think: "Yeah! Those are way better than the mascots we have now! Let's change them! Representation will go woooooo!!!!"? They used to represent the different styles of girls so they feel accepted and know that there's a safe space with a variety of games where you can be whatever you want to be. SpilGames removed all the originality their websites had.
I'm not even going to talk about the games kids play now. If a long time ago there were makeup, kissing, pets, cooking, dress up, decorating house games - now it all is an amalgam of those grossly and poorly made creatures (I wish Frozen never came out).
So, in conclusion, I HATE THE NEW WEB DESIGNS AND THE BLANDNESS OF IT ALL
The first time I was ever introduced to Christie was when I was 10 years old. My brother had Tekken Revolution on his Playsation 3, and I used to play the hell out of it after school. Revolution was like a demo version of ttt2, so there weren't a lot of available characters. I was surprised to find out she was my opponent, but only because I hadn't seen her before. It was like she was some kind of hidden character.
I noticed 3 things about her:
She's black or biracial.
She's dressed colourfully.
Her fighting style.
I had never heard of capoeira before playing Tekken, so learning about a fighting style that had African roots that resembled dancing entranced me. I was super into dancing (though not professional), and I grew up on martial arts films. I did some research here and there, and eventually, I grew an attachment to capoeira. I had never actually learned it professionally, but I do occasionally like to practice whatever I learned on the internet.
She's a black character, which means a lot to me (even though it's not about me). I had been using Xiaoyu as a self insert, and I still do. I was never able to do the same with Christie, and I think that's what makes her interesting. She was her own person, and someone I couldn't find pieces of myself in. Christie is bright, determined and mature. I think that was the difference. Her maturity. (I'm currently 20 years old, but I still have a long way.)
Her outfits were always colourful and sultry. It wasn't like Anna Williams, where it's dangerous, but more of a "product of environment" kind of way. Christie's outfits resemble what a lot of people wear in Brazil (according to the little research I've made), and have a party goer look to them. Some of her old concept art even gave me 'Rihanna' vibes. Brazil is an overall artisitc, warm and colourful country, so the developers did a very great job pouring all of that into Christie.
I had gotten super obsessed with Tekken, and did some deep dives, which led me to the 2009 film. I was pretty surprised that Christie was nothing like anything in the games, especially since she had a romantic relationship with Jin. On the other hand, her outfit was no longer colourful. Capoeira trousers are typically white, so movie Christie seemed to have a traditional approach when it came to her costuming. It's still, however, stylised to suit her playful and spunky personality (even though the film made her a completely different person. She was also played by a white actress. *Shaking my head*.). It could hint to her inexperience, and how she's not looking for revenge or greedier things, like everyone else, but is there for something as simple as finding Eddy. Or maybe even wanting to raise money for her grandpa's illness.
Back to her out of the blue and out of character romance with Jin. It hadn't occurred to me until currently on other potential relationships she could have outside Eddy. I understand that Christie doesn't have to have those things, especially since Eddy has an actual story. Thing is, why add her to the game if you're going to ultimately do nothing with her in the end?
Movie Christie is nothing like the game Christie, but at least the film was doing something with her.
You know what, let Christie have friends and romantic interests outside of Eddy. Tekken x Street Fighter doesn't count because that was heavily Capcom based.
I got some scenarios. Christie takes over the orphanage that Eddy runs, and enters the tournament to get some cash. She could cross paths with King, who visits his own share orphanages. Common ground. They both have good hearts.
Maybe even a friendship with Miguel. Christie kind of resembles Miguel's sister. They could be in a match, but he can't bring himself to lay a hand on her because of their resemblance.
EDIT: How could I forget, Bruce Irvin. She had one interaction with him in Tekken 5, and that's it? Romantic interest?
But yeah, that's all the info dumping I have for you guys.
I really love the Static Shock cartoon, and I love Virgil's character so much. There's just one thing about the show that I hate, because it makes me extremely uncomfortable. It's Virgil's relationship with his sister. I understand that siblings bicker, but they do it too often, and there's also the way he talks to her.
To be fair, when I was in my teens I didn't have a stable relationship with my siblings. There were a lot of things going on at home, and our personalities would clash. Now that I'm older, and nothing terrible is happening at home, we're at a much better spot. I don't know if it's maturing, but he's said a lot of things that rubbed me the wrong way, and ruin his character regarding Sharon, his sister.
He said that he should buy a muzzle for her birthday, pretty much comparing her to an animal. He told Adam (para-thrasing), "I like your playstation, and you like my sister. I'm sure we can work something out." Making her out to be property. After he saved Sharon from being kidnapped he seemed more upset about her vehicle being destroyed (because it was going to be his next) than her safety.
These two can never get along for anything, and are always seen arguing. I understand that Sharon can come off as a hard ass, but I think Virgil plays a hand in making it worse.
I gotta question who was in the writing room.
I'm gonna miss this sexy black boy and the guy next to him
I'm gonna miss this sunshine
I'm really gonna miss mustard and ketchup
They definitely gossip to each other, and I know they were talking sh't about everyone at the tournament.