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best part about cosplay? face id not recognizing you anymore

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listen i adore buddie as much as the next person but im mid season 5 right now and taylor and buck are so fucking cute?? i ship it hard. ik its prolly not gonna end well but damn i love their dynamic

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just started watching 9-1-1 (which i never thought would happened btw, but everyone and the grandmother was raving about it so i tried it)

WHO WAS GOING TO TELL ME ITS FUCKING SAD AS HELL

im literally 20 min into ep1 and already crying.

i thought it was gonna be fun adventures and maybe a little found family...

YOU ALL LIED TO ME

now im sad 😔

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the visceral intimacy of "i feel everything but you make it all quiet" and "i feel nothing but you give me life" nothing can compare

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Someone on twitter pointing out that Rio was game for physically punishing Agatha because she can easily heal physical wounds but wasn't okay with emotional punishment because she couldn't heal those and now I will go curl up in the fetal position and cry

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omg i totally forgot about that! you're so right, honestly i need him to be apart of the coven fr

agatha all along ep 6 theory

is billy the black heart in the coven?

i know mainly everyone has accepted it was rio, because of her black heart comment in ep 1 BUT this new epsiode revealed that same term being used for billy.

when his boyfriend texts him "you're my 🖤"

and as ive been thinking about it it makes a lot of sense.

1. billy was under the sigil so lilia wouldnt have been able to write his name. hence the black heart.

2. when rio says her heart is black, it is just reffering to her heart. billy's boyfriend uses the black heart to refer to billy himself.

3. in the second trial with alice, both rio and billy werent touched by the curse. (and if i remember correctly they were the only two) i have heard some people argue its because they defeated it becore it could get to rio but she didnt seem affected at all. billy however was thrown into the window. which is odd, maybe it could be because the curse only affected the women in the family so he was thrown as a loophole of sorts?

4. also i saw someone mentioned how the door to the road didnt open UNTIL billy got down there. hinting at the road acknowledging him as part of the coven.

at this point ive pretty much been covinced that it means he is apart of the coven. because theres so many thing to point at it. besides the one line from rio ofc.

the only thing im iffy on is the first trial. he wasnt affected but that could just be beacsue he didnt drink the wine. and it was just the number of glasses that needed to be drank? not sure, if anyone has any thoughts on that let me know!

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the fact that i had to watch gay guys kiss before any women did on my LESBIAN program is insanity

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“Gosh, you really are a Maximoff. Otherwise, none of this would be nearly as dramatic.”

- Agatha Harkness

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agatha all along ep 6 theory

is billy the black heart in the coven?

i know mainly everyone has accepted it was rio, because of her black heart comment in ep 1 BUT this new epsiode revealed that same term being used for billy.

when his boyfriend texts him "you're my 🖤"

and as ive been thinking about it it makes a lot of sense.

1. billy was under the sigil so lilia wouldnt have been able to write his name. hence the black heart.

2. when rio says her heart is black, it is just reffering to her heart. billy's boyfriend uses the black heart to refer to billy himself.

3. in the second trial with alice, both rio and billy werent touched by the curse. (and if i remember correctly they were the only two) i have heard some people argue its because they defeated it becore it could get to rio but she didnt seem affected at all. billy however was thrown into the window. which is odd, maybe it could be because the curse only affected the women in the family so he was thrown as a loophole of sorts?

4. also i saw someone mentioned how the door to the road didnt open UNTIL billy got down there. hinting at the road acknowledging him as part of the coven.

at this point ive pretty much been covinced that it means he is apart of the coven. because theres so many thing to point at it. besides the one line from rio ofc.

the only thing im iffy on is the first trial. he wasnt affected but that could just be beacsue he didnt drink the wine. and it was just the number of glasses that needed to be drank? not sure, if anyone has any thoughts on that let me know!

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SHIN SOUKOKU – BUNGOU STRAY DOGS SEASON 4 ENDING CREDITS

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The Half Of It - Movie Review

The Half of It is a coming of age drama by Alice Wu which was released 16 years after her first hit movie Saving Face. The opening narration starts with how Greeks find their soulmates. This alludes to the belief that people are born two-faced in the world and are separated by god. Then they spend their life trying to find their soulmate.

The story revolves around 3 main characters in Squahamish, Ellie Chu, a smart teen who earns money for her college fund by writing students’ essay. Paul Munsky, a sweet jock who wants Ellie’s help to write a love letter and Aster Flores, the girl he has a crush on. Ellie Chu, a smart and isolated teen is the only Asian in town, Paul Munsky, is not pushed to fit inside the jock cliché, and wants to add his own twist to his family’s sausage recipe and Aster Flores, a preacher’s daughter, whose parents want her to marry her wealthy boyfriend.

This movie has an amazing and unexpected twist to the Cyrano de Bergerac formula. So basically, we have a love triangle but not quite. Honestly, it’s quite refreshing to see a movie that follows the same pattern but has a pretty twist to it which makes the story more heart-warming. After a lot of persuasion, she agrees to write one letter, but she finds herself falling in love with Aster. The supposedly one letter agreement develops into a series of letters and messages between Ellie and Aster, who thinks that Paul is the one writing these.

One of the best parts of the film is the friendship between Ellie and Paul. But its kind of forced under the circumstances but it comes out to be great. This film is fortunately not ridden with clichés. The soft camera lighting definitely plays a significant part in describing the town and the characteristics of the townsfolk. This movie stands out by portraying teen angst in a different way and simply celebrates queer relationships without over or under portraying them. The fact that this movie has Asian and Latina leads and doesn’t stereotype people is a great thing in itself. This movie tackles race, religion, class, sexuality, identity, friendship and love in a diligent manner.

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i totally 100% agree with this!!!

As a non-binary fan of SoC, I like to think about the implications of this scene a lot:

“Is Inej Ghafa your real name?”

A strange sound escaped Inej’s throat, part sob, part laugh. A weak, embarrassing sound. But it had been months since she’d heard her own name, her family name.

“Yes,” she managed.

“Is that what you prefer to be called?”

“Of course,” she said, then added, “Is Kaz Brekker your real name?”

“Real enough.”

Because it shows that Kaz understands the weight and importance of being called a name you want and being regarded/addressed in the way you need to be. (Inej is heavily connected to her birth name and so hearing and going by it means so much after having been called a false, objectifying one. And Kaz’s original last name is one he has a complicated relationship with and so goes by another.)

And I think about this scene a lot because it really strongly supports the fact that were Kaz ever to hire or work with a trans or gender-variant person, he wouldn’t bat a fucking eye. 

I mean, if you think about how trans people have historically been pushed to the margins of society and work/live in poor areas and have a high rate of sex work, you can bet your ass it’s SUPER likely the Barrel has its fair share of trans residents. And as Kaz has declared himself on multiple occasions, he knows everything that goes on in Ketterdam. He’d be in the know about all of it.

When he was hiring Inej on he literally asked her if she preferred to be called her birth name or not! Like, talk about a trans-inclusive question.

I mean, Kaz is in a gang with someone people routinely call Teapot for god’s sake, you really think he’s gonna get hung up by a name that’s traditionally gendered one way or another? The knowledge of someone’s trans identity would be something Kaz would just file away like any other fact about someone, same as their favorite coffee house, the things they spend their income on, what languages they speak, etc. It all goes in a little folder in his devious head to pull if he needs it.

Like, obv I wouldn’t put it past Kaz to be shitty about gender occasionally because we’ve seen that, if anything, Kaz Brekker is not sensitive about personal shit. He pokes at and makes comments about Inej’s and Matthias’ closely held religious beliefs, Nina’s devotion to her problematic country, Jesper’s gambling problems. But not in the way of reducing them to it. He makes jibes at Inej’s Suli proverbs and beliefs but he’s never fucking racist about it. His insults and remarks always have a personal slant to them. They’re always about the person and their relationship to the identity, never the group of people at large. That’s the thing, it’d be just like any other factor about someone. He’s insensitive about aspects of identity but he’s never mercher-level shitty and cruel. Take how Kaz treats Wylan’s learning disability and illiteracy, for instance. He’s like “so what? that’s just how you are. You can still make explosives, why should I care?” Which is how he pretty much treats anyone and regards anything. 

Kaz would be more likely to have the attitude of: “Does being genderfluid throw off your shot? No. So I’m not gonna fucking worry about it.” and “You wanna be referred to by they/them pronouns? No problem. That’s good, actually. More ambiguous. Gives away less info when people overhear things about you.”

I mean he wouldn’t be a super great ally or anything, let’s be real here. Take for example how he addressed Inej’s situation when she first joined the Dregs and moved to the Slat, being a young girl and a person of color. He told her that he wouldn’t be around to defend her against the disrespect she’d face and she’d have to watch her own back. Yet he still in words and actions shows that disrespect toward her because of her gender or ethnicity is never validated or welcomed around him. He’d probably be that way about gender identity and pronouns too. Like, he wouldn’t go out of his way to correct people if they misgendered someone but he’d make super witty burns on the person being shitty, he’d used correct words, he’d generally gain the intellectual upper hand in that way he has. He’d make it known that shitty comments and attitudes aren’t welcome or appreciated.

And Kaz would almost NEVER misgender anyone. Think about it. Kaz prides himself on knowing everything about everyone, about seeming like he’s mastered everything, and having a mind like a steel trap. He’d see calling someone by the wrong name, gendered word, or pronoun as a sign that he was somehow not as on top of things, forgetting information and details. He’d see it as a sign of a personal failing and as broadcasting something slipping through the cracks of his iron hold on information and so he’d be the last person to slip and call people the wrong things. Kaz’s pride is a fucking force to be reckoned with and to have that on the side of him getting somebody’s pronouns right is a hell of a thing.

Like ??,? The fact that my favorite thief crew would be inclusive gives me so much life. I mean @lbardugo has already woven such a beautifully complex world that is so truly detailed when it comes to diversity and the way personal identity is held by the characters when it comes to race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and class. And so for me to fill in that final gap myself as a reader with so much canon evidence to support that my fictional faves would be super chill with someone like me is my everything. Honestly.

tl;dr: Canon supports the notion that Kaz Brekker–scariest, cruelest, most hardened criminal in Ketterdam–wouldn’t be a transphobic shitbag, what excuse do you have?

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The Fowl Parents Are (Still) Bad Parents

(Be aware that this will have minor spoilers for the Fowl Twins series, with major spoilers being hidden under a cut.)

  This isn’t an uncommon opinion, it seems, and a lot of people within the Fowldom agree that Fowl Senior and Angeline are both poor parents, ranging from woefully incompetent to actually neglectful. While part of their absence from Artemis’s life was out of their control (Fowl Senior’s kidnapping and Angeline’s illness), they nevertheless continued to remain mostly absent from his life throughout the series, only occasionally dropping in to give ‘wise” advice, pressure Artemis into changing his behavior, or be rescued from some evil force. The series ends without much closure in terms of their relationship with him: he leaves for Mars in the gap between TLG and TFT, with the only thing being resolved between them being the parents’ knowledge of the fairies. 

During the first Fowl Twins book, this doesn’t change much- they are primarily absent for most of the book, having left their children in the Villa under the watch of a security AI by the name of NANNI. Their involvement is mostly limited to both Myles and Beckett reflecting on advice the two have given them, and that is that. 

However, this changes in The Fowl Twins: Deny All Charges- after the family jet (stolen by Myles and Beckett) is destroyed by a missile, both Fowl Senior and Angeline decide that something has to change, with Fowl Senior deciding to implement some rules into the family’s life in an attempt to minimize Myles and Beckett’s brushes with death. At last! An actual attempt at parenting their children! And what does the brief discussion between Fowl Senior and his children reveal?

They are still horribly incompetent parents with no idea what they are doing, and no idea what they’ve done wrong. Fowl Senior in particular does not know how to talk to his children appropriately, or how to discipline them, and as such the discussion quickly goes south.

(Beyond this point, there will be major spoilers for The Fowl Twins: Deny All Charges, chapter 4, including quotes/passages from the text itself.)

Keep reading

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Also while I’m here- Artemis’s own view on violence changes dramatically throughout the series and it’s jarring when you first realize it. He goes from supposedly poisoning a random sprite in the first book to being reluctant to fire a flare gun (something that is no doubt painful, but certainly nonlethal) at Opal’s face in The Time Paradox. When she dies, he feels no victory- only sadness at the waste of life.

Considering what’s implied about Artemis’s upbringing, it’s really fascinating and wonderful to see how he grows in even the most subtle ways throughout the series. And considering Holly’s own ‘tactics first, fight later’ approach, it’s unsurprising that he picked up on that.

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I’m so glad Butler survived being shot in The Eternity Code, because if he had actually died for good, I don’t think there would be a single force above or belowground that could have kept Artemis from becoming a villain.

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I very much enjoy the ending of TLG. I like the cyclical nature of the whole story, I like the dramatics of it- it’s an emotional gut-punch, and it served as a pretty good close to the original series.

But I’ll admit, I wish Artemis’s sacrifice hadn’t been framed the way it was? Which sounds odd, and I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but I’m going to give it a go anyways because it’s something that geniunely bothers me.

Artemis, in the last three books (TTP, TAC, TLG), has some of the worst self-esteem I’ve ever seen in a protagonist (and that’s saying something)- he’s completely wracked with a paralyzing guilt that, admittedly, has followed him since TAI. While I would argue it lightens slightly post-TAC (as he had been going to therapy at that time, even if I am unsure exactly what that entailed), these three books arguably follow a steady decline in his mental health. Artemis, through the series, struggles with seeing himself as a good person, even as he continues to become one, because he’s unable to let go of his past misdeeds and is never really given a reason to. As a consequence, I would argue he is significantly more reckless, which may have factored into his decision in TLG.

Artemis has a habit throughout the series of chasing dangerous situations and schemes that he is often unqualified and in some cases unable to handle- many times he only evades death through luck or the incompetence of the enemy, rather than his own capability. That’s not a slight against Artemis- he is a genius, yes, and very quick-witted, but he is still ultimately a child. A child with no proper combat training (that we know of, anyways) and an unstable support system, who is often pitted against powerful adults or magical creatures that were it not for luck could very easily destroy him. That’s pretty normal for a series of this nature, but that doesn’t negate how sad that is, especially when Artemis sometimes chooses to be the one who faces the enemy face-to-face, even when his friends would be much more capable of taking care of the problem.

And then when you get to TLG, Artemis starts getting this idea in his head that he needs to be the one to close the gate. Because he’s a human, because he is the only one with a ‘plan’- and because he feels the extreme need to redeem himself for his actions, and if he risks his life in such a way, maybe it will count for something. Note: these are actions that he has tried to redeem himself for time and time again. He’s saved the People countless times, he’s saved his parents countless times, and while that doesn’t erase the pain he caused, it should at least be acknowleged.

Artemis’s sacrifice may have been necessary, but all these things make me wish it hadn’t been framed in such a way as to have been seen as just ‘heroic’ and that’s all. Yes, it was a courageous decision, and I acknowledge that, but I truly feel Artemis made that decision from a place of guilt, which is tragic in and of itself. He’s a kid who was repeatedly let down by his family, and occasionally his friends, and yet he spends the entire series desperately trying to fix things - himself, his family, the People’s problems- anyways, in the desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, he can be good. That he can be a hero, like his father wants.

In summary, I suppose I just wish that the last few books hadn’t harped quite so heavily on Artemis’s ‘redemption’ and eventual sacrifice, because it likely stems from a place of extreme guilt and a pattern of unhealthy behavior where he endangers himself so that his friends (who he views as ‘good’, an honor he doesn’t give himself) are not at risk. This guilt and his issues with self-image are things that remain ultimately unresolved (on paper, anyways) by the end of the original series. It’s just assumed he got better in between TLG and TFT? It’s never really shown, because by the second series, he’s in space and therefore largely removed from the plot entirely. I would have liked to see him eventually become a little bit more at ease with himself, and view himself as something other than ‘a genius’ or someone who needs to redeem himself at every opportunity.

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“My child is completely fine,”

Sir, your child thinks that he has to commit crime to gain your approval