#do not wish for that kind of content to be pandered to in the talk shows

[distant--shadow]

very much not a post about Cole, yes I brought up a question of theirs that got answered but that was in another post as an example of poor question selection and how it felt shitty in context of "hey I'm gonna give all of this attention to this last question" and getting that, which was lame (maybe I'm out of touch here, I'm not in any big servers or cliques, I'm not aware of the role the glasses play as a "lightning rod" still, as u say, or that it was still relevant. to me it has been made pretty clear (as Laura said) in campaign that she needs them but doesn't have them (I couldn't care less if people chose to make their own art with her wearing them, I'm aware of what making choices u enjoy for ur own fanart is), therefore my frustration on that getting asked. you have picked a post out of a few I made and q's I answered that would give this context (and how I'm more frustrated by the show as a whole as well as general fandom behaviour) . the most tasteless question by far was about gendering the future kids, that is what I'm annoyed at when I'm talking about needing your own headcanons confirmed, idk who made it and I didn't put much thought into paying attention to names behind them because at the end of the day I was just noting the overall quality of questions, I'm not gonna change my opinion on the question based on the person behind it. I also think it will always be valid to critique media you care about and also quesiton the behaviours of people that share space with you(as u are with me rn) (so yes I see u people saying "lol get over the term girlfailure, we got bigger issues going on in the world" then a moment later being like "omg cr fandom has so much casual misogyny" like yeah, you're partaking in casual misogny babe. yes I'm aware people disagree with this. this is my blog, I'm a person with opinions) I have since spoken to people who submitted questions, none of which got answered and people admit they sent both more in depth and lighthearted ones. yes from that I can conclude that the issue lies more with the curation, but it doesn't change the fact that I feel frustrated, and I had said that yes Laura is probably just picking out anything that looks like a quesiton in a quickly moving chat, u can see how she deflated when getting far enough through some of them.

once again, this whole post jumping into Cole defense is just showing that you're also agitated by something in the moment without the actual context you're "having to assume" and that's fair, but it's arguably just as reactionary as what you're saying I did. yes, I think the fandom behaviour needs to be different if it's going to have this much impact on the actual content of a show, that's the main thing here, I don't like the feeling of being catered or pandered to if this is what they think fans want to see, yes maybe a lot of this is me being reactive to that feeling. it's a blog. I'm sharing my opinions in the moment. I want others to see that despite the fact I make a fuck tonne of shipping art, I don't actually want that being lip-serviced like those are my needs during the sparse oppurtunities that we get for deeper character answers.

also, to end, to finish off this post with the tags "#the fires ya'll #kyle just lost his fucking house" like what???! OK????!!! do you feel righteous now? you don't think i 100% support them taking all the time off they need tor recover from this? that I'm not sympathetic? you really saying hey excuse you, don't be a bully, fires have happened? when the person I'm apparently targeting from your post is not cast or crew? (or in california, as far as I'm aware) like what? that's the "unkind" thing to say right there, I get that things are super rough and Laura is recovering from a lost voice because of everything going on. maybe they didn't need to rush it, maybe that doesn't change the fact they still recorded and chose the questions they did? I don't think many fans were thinking "oh i'll ask baby questions because there have been fires." I'm not gonna go into this any more but, super super lame behaviour.

I shouldn't be surprised by the fireside chat being the state it was, seeing as I don't follow any CR themed blogs myself or really go into the tags because I find it frustrating but still, the bleed over of fanon is depressing and a lot of you are showing your asses in terms of how you don't actually gaf about the characters or the story the players have chosen to tell.

I love my au's, I love my headcanons, I love my not quite canon ships, but they're for me and the people who chose to enjoy them if they want to. and what makes creating those things more fulfilling is trying to really be true to the character it's about, otherwise just go play with OCs

this will be my last salty post on the matter (guess we'll see) but man, the timing? all of this crazy shit is going on, it is well established that the audience is frustrated with how little downtime we've had with these characters and getting to see those long rest bonds we got to enjoy with previous campaigns, 4SD is over, and that's what you wanna ask about? it's selfish, honestly.

[tbgkaru-woh]

Hii! I come to say my thanks to you!

First, thank you for the gorgeous, stunning mdzs book covers. They are amazing and feel great and can't wait to display them when I get the eng. version of it. - and the print i orderd with it is just as lovely!

And second, thank you for what you have brought to the fandom. I'd be lying in saying that the prospect of seeing less to no more of your danmei art doesn't sadden me but i respect the time and passion you have shared with others in it. In the end, art isn't a commodity one has a right to, its like a love letter others should feel grateful to see at all.

With that, thank you again and I will eagerly await news about your parting piece, as you called it in the note, and will look with bated breath what will we see next from you. ♥

This is such a kind message, thank you ♥ So glad you like the book covers, it was my first time doing something like that and i re-measured everything like 5 times so I hope it all fits :') Thank you for the patience ♥ Making merch is something I absolutely love doing, but also something that often goes wrong and takes a lot of time and I'm so afraid of people's impatience cause they of course do not see the backend stuff of it :') I am never fully gone from my fandoms unless some part of it "betrays" me (bad devs/authors, bad community experience, etc) so don't treat it as a "goodbye", more like hiatus until something new that captures me comes up :) Currently there's lot of taste differences but the trends can shift in my favor, or my taste can shift, or i find the tasty exceptions. THEN my muse takes over and I become a vessel, opening the floodgates of art again :D But until then, I don't know how long this hiatus is gonna be and who's gonna leave in the meantime so I wanted to do my danmei allstars zine as a little sentimental keepsake I appreciate you holding fandom art to such high regard, but I don't like taking it as such, as if it's some "privilege" that artists share it with others for free. Doing stuff for free for the joy of it, one you get to share with others and form friendships, as gay as that sounds, that's the magic of fandoms and lot of it is getting lost through policing, with hunts, money gating content (even though that's often because of good reasons as everything is getting too expensive in real life so... you know), being afraid to talk to each other in case it gets misinterpreted, ship discourses, personal biases preventing from joining events and zines... idk man i miss diversity in ships and dynamics, open freaks with tabboo content falling out of their pockets and art that doesnt just pander to what's popular :') AND COLLABS. I MISS ART/FIC COLLABS. so for anyone who's the same, I loved providing for

THAT'S SO MUCH TEXT, WHAT AM I DOING, I'M A YAPPER IGNORE ALL THAT!! thank you so much once again for supporting my hobby and leaving such kind message ♥ wish i could do more

[astrxlfinale]

Been having me some Zenless thoughts. Wanna try curling them up into a post, just to map out my thoughts in terms of the current direction.

Will have a share of 2.0 talk but overall, just a general view.

Lemme lay it out that I believe the higher powers, the Proxies relation to them is doing so much more harm than good. I'm talking in the political sphere in particular. Earlier in the game, there's been an innate nature of Proxies/Agents vs HIA guidance that served as a interesting contention point. Given the nature of how much of a dark hand was in law enforcement, a lot of this grit in the 'underground' line of work has taken a heavy blow perspective of Phaethon.

To me at least, you've gained an idea that as the last city on earth, the hotpot of survival needs, madness and ambition would make a dangerous cocktail that made underground life essential, as a way make checks and balances. You'd have the cultist on one hand, the many corrupt branches of 'Law', with the realm of Hollow Raiders, proxies and agents being a nebulous ground that worked on an honor system of sorts.

I feel with the current direction the Proxies are being taken, a lot of that grit is being sacrificed as a result. Now I angle this in two perspectives. The 'Higher powers' bit, such as having high profile people like the Mayor, and officer Zhu Yuan (in kind deflecting a good deal of the law enforcement conflict) in one corner, and upon another is the inevitably nature of a gacha game.

That touch of wish fulfillment, y'know? Where relationships will have that degree of fondness/affection to help pander and attract those to these characters. From my view this was an easy shot in the foot that had to come eventually, and feels like it's battling so to speak with the events at hand. Like we're supposed to be more in the angle of vigilantes but it's too much in the camp of 'good guys' as in like, we may as well be heroes to the public eye.

Working on a respect/honor system to companionship with knowing the nature in how to other eyes, Proxies and Agents can't be trusted like that outside of some special choices in the military would be healthier for the direction. A lot like how the Section 6 are keeping a willing, illegal p much secret about Phaethon and their team up with them. How that showdown between the Cunning Hares and Miyabi's group, soon finding a basis of loyalty and wanting to take chances was good.

Drag this over to 2.0 and this is where it begins to feel alien to me to a degree. That proxy label is just ditched in all but actions, seeing how we can mask ourselves as a Yunkui summit member and just parade proud more into the heroism role. I'll wait to see how it pans out more, but it leaves me at odds.

Also I've been seeing digs in certain direction that's been making me iffy too. Primarily, how they're trying to give nuance of all things to the TOPS conglomerate, especially after that whole fiasco with Bringer. The Order/cultists are being used as a scapegoat in this end as well, to potential bring a bit more of a ~good light~ to a force that should've well been an ambitious enemy give a lot we've seen them involved with. While yes this is just one guy that's questionable, y'know how setting precedents can work.

I have a longing to draw back into being that force that has to shake the status quo, and I hope to see more of that in the future!

Beyond that? I'm curious to see how they're going to handle the 'growing pains' as I like to call it with the gameplay. Transitioning from TV mode to the more 'free roam slashing' style is going to need some work. Primarily, opportunities to promote more of that 'zing' this game gives in terms of presentation, from the comic book style bits to set ups like opening screens where your agents hop onto the scene with style.

Gonna be keeping my eye on things. And my god if I can be petty, I LITERALLY hope the Mayor falls off a damn cliff, since they're literally the Mcguffin/Exposition bot that's stealing Phaethon's thunder of making deeper discoveries. Having these handed upon a plate for them as a 'guide them to great power' deal is something I sorely want to avoid.

[ceijoh]

24th of September [20:38]

Relationship: Atsumu x Reader (reader being called ‘ma girl by Atsumu)

Content: a little of angst (barely there), fluff

Summary: You trusted each other, that’s why your relationship worked, that’s why at night when Atsumu’s away in a different country for a match you can sleep peacefully. You can disregard any rumours or ‘news’ that comes up on your feed, or from your friends with a wave of your hand. 

masterlist

-

You sat next to Atsumu at one of the team’s celebratory dinner, alongside their coach, manager, some sponsors and journalists that the team worked with. 

You introduced yourself to the people that you didn’t know very well, the person sitting next to Atsumu particularly. You knew of her, Atsumu’s told you that she was working with the team for an in-depth article. He’s also told you that he’s felt like that she’s been trying to hit on him, earning a look from you which he vehemently denied that he reciprocated. 

“You look wonderful compared to the photos that Atsumu constantly shows me,” Rino as she introduced herself complimented you. She glanced at your outfit, well the part that she was able to see as the rest was either blocked by Atsumu or the table. “I wish I was able to pull off that shirt, I saw it in the department store but it made my arms look funny.” 

Briefly stunned at the backhanded compliment, all you could do was nod as she continued talking about the work that her and her team were doing with the Black Jackals. 

“I’m like his work wife,” she gazed at Atsumu, unaware that everyone else around the table alongside Atsumu gave her a weird stare. 

You looked towards Atsumu who just scrunched up his face and shrugged his shoulders. He laughed awkwardly and moved his hand towards yours. “I wouldn’t say that.” 

Rino squinted her eyes a little, and waved him off with her hand,“But don’t worry, he says so much about you! Does he say anything about me?” You knew that by her words she was trying to reassure you but her tone and demeanor spoke something else. 

You kindly responded, and she seemed pleased with that. “Oh, Atsumu, you're such a great man. Your husband is so kind, and he’s very funny! And the way he plays volleyball?” She grinned briefly at you and then focused her attention on Atsumu. 

“I know, that’s why I married him,” you smiled tightly and you heard Sakusa briefly chuckle. 

“I hope you don’t get jealous with the amount of time we spend together,” Rino started. “I promise that there isn’t anything going on. It’s simply for work, I would never break up such a wonderful relationship like yours.” 

You grinned at her, and you subconsciously tightened your grip on Atsumu’s hand, “Well, I mean what do I really have to be jealous of?” You turned away from her, having enough of the conversation.

As you watched Rino continually subtly flirt with Atsumu you couldn’t help but be quiet, not out of insecurity or any doubt but watching how far she’ll go with you right there. So, you spent the night unusually quiet, unbeknownst to you Hinata and Bokuto picked up the weird tension in the air, and incorrectly came to the conclusion that you were hurt and felt out of place because of Rino. They struck up a conversation with you, purposely ignoring Rino’s contribution to the conversation, and instead focused their attention on you. 

Sakusa, beside them rolled his eyes, and decided to go along with whatever the two were doing. He didn’t particularly dislike Rino but he did dislike her constant pandering towards him, and constant sucking up towards the team.

 Watching her with Atsumu brought you back to the memories in high school, hell, even college, where people would often look you up and down when Atsumu or you told them that you were dating. You were used to the stares, the quizzical looks but Atsumu always either yelled at them, or full on made out with you if anyone ever dared to question your relationship. You knew that Atsumu was a hot-shot, and everyone expected the same from his partner, but while you knew you were great and completed each other, people were too often stuck on their shallow perspectives. 

“Kay, that’s it!” Atsumu exclaimed, garnering everyone’s attention. “Look, thank ya for doing yer work for the team, but ya need to stop referring yourself to as ma ‘work wife’, ‘ma girl may be too nice to say anythin’ but I am not,” Atsumu stared her down, and you’re brought back to the high school volleyball games were Atsumu’s temper tantrum was more rampant and horrible. 

“Yer being so disrespectful, not only to the team, to me, but especially to ‘ma girl! I’ve told ya that I was taken, very happily may I add,” and to emphasise his point he brought up his left hand and wiggled his ring finger. “See here, vowed to spend the rest of ‘ma life, with this beauty here,” he hauled you up earning a squeak from you, and kissed your cheek. “And no one, especially some snooty, pathetic, journalist can get in the way of that!” 

Rino looked around the table, looking for some sympathy but all she received was a glare from Hinata, Bokuto, Sakusa and disinterested looks from the rest of the team. You watched her as she blushed and bowed deeply, sputtering out apologies and telling everyone that she had to leave. 

Atsumu turned to you, “Baby, I’m so sorry that I didn’t say anything before. Ya never have to worry about a work wife or anythin’, love you and only you.” 

You laughed and kissed him, “‘Tsum, I know.” You knew that he wouldn’t strike up anything with anyone because this was the man who at 4 in the morning, when you were dating in your third year called you crying because he dreamt he cheated on you and to forgive him. 

You pulled him down, and thankfully everyone’s attention went back to their own conversations or their food. You pulled your chair closer to Atsumu and linked your hand with his, moving closer so only he could hear, “Thank you though, ‘Tsum.” 

[phantomchick]

I stan NaruHina hard even to this day (though I delete all the burrito content from my brain) and I always will.

You know that stuff like Sakura in Naruto: The Last saying she was too good for him must've happened all the time with their friends and Hinata’s family and that's not even touching the whole 'hyuga heiress vs urchin street rat demon boy' thing they had going for most of their childhoods. 

But she didn't give a single god damn, she was the only one in that village who appreciated Naruto without having to be prompted by him gutsy-ninjaing his way into her good graces via hard work and prolonged exposure. She thought the world of him from the get go, she thought he was great and she was so lucky.

 And I think, I am so tearfully glad that Naruto got that in a partner at the end, that he got someone who would make him feel loved and who would never hesitate to state their admiration for him. Someone who he got that kind of positivity about himself from.

I just, he's got such a thick skin but he spends the whole series being insulted by allies and enemies alike (with plenty of praise in between let’s be real he was mc for a reason) and then there's Hinata and she's just like seeing him as a person and wanting to do her best because he motivates her and shit. 

WILL I EVER BE OVER THE DYNAMIC? NAY

Remember in the chuunin exams when NOBODY but NOBODY thought he had a chance against Neji? Not even Naruto really? Like he’s walking to the stadium and you can see his nerves on his face. And then he runs into her, because despite being injured she’s shown up early to wish him luck and give him ointment to use on any bruises he has. 

She's the only one in the entire village to wish him luck and tell him he can do it and he's just, never had that kind of unconditional kindness before? Like bonds have always been something Naruto's had to earn, work for, but she's just there. And she gave him courage when no one else was bothered to. 

 And then she does it again!  In the middle of the fourth war when everything's on his shoulders and everyone's depending on Naruto and you can see a trace of unease on his face and then Hinata grabs his hand, and gives him courage. Unasked for, unconditional support. For an orphan who grew up unloved with none of that. FUCK.

I'm still pissed she had little to no development in shippuden and I largely blame it on the fact that Kishimoto was undecided on the final pairings because NaruSaku was popular, like that scene when Naruto tells edo tensei Minato that Sakura's his girlfriend and Minato tells her to please go easy on his son? Pandering or weighing his options I don't know but regardless the final ships suffered big time for the indecision. 

And Hinata's characterisation additionally suffered for her being so limited in screentime which made the relationship feel less equal. But these are quibbles, the ship is solid to me. 

I mean don't get me started on the whole Pein fight.

Like yes it would be cool if we got to see more of her personality in canon and more of what was going on with her and Neji after Sasuke left and the hyuga clan and everything, yes I crave that and wish we'd gotten bamf Hinata moments. 

But like the core of her character for me is unimpeachable because she's somewhere Naruto can rest also the parallels between the affection she offers and the affection Naruto’s blood family offers during the seal release scene with the chakra imprints finally talking to him and telling him they loved him are very real and I have feelings about all of it. 

Anyway no shade to people who hate the ship for whatever reason, but in this one specific case, the canon pairing is OTP for me.

Hinata’s love for Naruto and the idea of Naruto getting to carefully let himself be surrounded by feelings we all know he considers precious? Amazing.

[rsmrymnt-tea]

So are people forgetting about the old chat about Asmo asking the brothers how frequently they bath. Levi responded he takes an hour long baths because his snake-like skin will turn dry and he can't have that. So yeah those headcanons about Levi being dirty are dumb. And you have proof about him bathing in that picture.

This is a bit of a rant but I seriously hate how Levi is written in fanon. It's either he's stinky, a crybaby or just a hermit and that's not even the scent of his character. I at least do write him according to his character. Sure he 's much more sensitive than his brothers and easily cries but he doesn't like do it all the time. That is why I seriously dislike fanon things they usually ruin everything. So yep those are my points, I don't intend to be a jerk to the creators just pointing out how I feel with Levi in fanon. Or fanon in general.

Omg?? Do you remember which chat and what chat name? I tried looking but I don’t think I’ve played the game long enough to get it yet :((

And honestly yeah sadly every character’s kind of reduced to some over-simplified version or even straight up mischaracterized by fanon to some degree. It doesn’t help that a lot of content is locked away either by time (chat messages), effort (the fucking grind to get your cards strong enough to get through main story), and luck and/or money (the Devilgrams). And even then what sticks is usually the very obvious and the easy to portray—like how Lucifer ends up a boring boomer workaholic even though he definitely has a playful side that just wants to let loose, Satan gets reduced to being a cat-obsessed bookworm even though he’s much more than that and has interests outside of books and cats, Asmo turns into the queer trendy bestie that everyone forgets is also the most openly unhinged out of the brothers, and the most baffling of all, a super innocent and shy Simeon that seems to be based purely on the fact that he’s an angel.

Also Diavolo isn’t stupid. He’s sometimes clueless but the man’s just sheltered, not an idiot. Depending on how you understand some chapters, it becomes clear that there’s a very good chance that he intended for everything in Ch 12-16 to happen just to help out Lucifer and his family. Yet he also has some semblance of regret in him as seen in S2 in that conversation with MC in the Coliseum, though it’s up to you whether you think his regret involves what he did in S1 or of it’s just him wondering if it was a good choice to emotionally blackmail Lucifer into become his right hand man forever.

It gets frustrating when it becomes all you see. Sure, there’s content where it’s fun but when it becomes clear that it’s actually what most fans think of them, it gets old and makes you wonder if people are looking at the same material as you. And, well, it makes things repetitive and boring and sometimes it makes the devs bite and pander, thereby reducing your fave’s complexity over time instead of fucking adding to it. So I get your frustration because it frustrates me sometimes too :/

Like people can write what they want and do what they want, in the end it’s all just good fun and everyone’s desperate to get their share of serotonin to get by. But I also can’t help but wish that, y’know, we get to see more dimension written into the characters in fandom-made work more often. I deeply enjoy world-building and theorycrafting and character analyses for this reason, plus work that explores parts of the cast that are only mentioned in passing or by other characters. The Admiral Levi talk I’ve been seeing is really nice and I’ve seen someone trying to create and flesh out Beel’s fangol team, which I honestly wish the devs would get into too. Would also kill for more canon Asmo and Beel character development >.>;; They really need it.

[revasserium]

Can I request B.62 for Sakusa, if you write for him. Thank you 😄

hq!!reqs currently: closed 

(i adjusted numbering for the second prompt list; i hope i got the prompt right, if not, feel free to request the actual number 62 for him!)

123. seductive danger sakusa; 1,842 words 

you wouldn’t call him seductive, per se – though you supposed that the face mask could be a thing for some people. anything can be a thing for some people – rules of the internet and all. but he doesn’t go out of his way to pander to his loyal legions of fans (read: oikawa). and he really does have legions of them. 

going pro has only exacerbated the issue, much to his dismay. 

“no respect for personal space,” he mumbles one day as he’s carted into a dark van with tinted windows, having ducked out of the gym through one of the back exits. 

you glance up at him from over your phone. 

“hazards of being a famous volleyball player,” you chime. 

he only huffs. tugging his hood up over his head, and punching the recline button till he’s almost lying flat, his legs bent slightly against the seat in front of him. he really is a bit too tall sometimes. especially for japan, it’s not really well designed for people over the height of 6ft, and he’s well. more than that. 

you’d been friends for as long as you can remember, both a little on the quiet side as children, both with weird obsessions (him with his germs, you with your color coordination), both a little too odd for the normal kids to play with. neither of you had minded. because after all, you’d found each other, right? 

still, it was a bit strange, seeing your best friend grow into a household name, this title, this team. it’s strange, seeing his face on the side of busses or blown up on the big screens flashing over shibuya crossing, endorsing some random item or other (you’ve still no idea what sunscreen’s got to do with volleyball – they play the indoor kind). still stranger when he appeared on a list of the sexiest athletes in all of japan, narrowly missing out on the top four courtesy of kageyama, ushijima, and the miya twins. you remember wondering how on earth the second miya twin made it onto the list when he’s known mainly for selling onigiri, but you suppose that people do like their things in sets sometimes. that’s a thing for people too, right? twins. 

you’d never thought about sakusa that way before that article came out. and sure, you’d been pestered by some friends during highschool for his number, but it’d been funny then. it was less so now when hoards of screaming girls seemed to appear at every function he goes to (it’s not many, but he has to get sponsorships somehow), scrambling over each other for a glimpse of him. 

but sexy?

“how was practice?” you ask, eyes dropping back onto some article about how volleyball interest in japan has reached an all-time high. 

he makes a noncommittal sort of grunting noise before heaving a deep sigh. 

“it was grueling, as per usual. but i’m getting better at ball control on my spikes, which is good.” 

you quirk an eyebrow, “even more ball control than you already have you mean.” 

he turns towards you with an amused grin. 

(oh, well, there’s something you don’t see often.) 

“you can always have more control.” 

you suppose it’s because you’ve just been thinking about the article, but you can’t help lingering on his smile, the double entendre in his words. a prickle of heat crawls up your neck and you quickly look back down to your phone again, scrolling through for something else to read. something to divert your attention from how his knee is pressed against yours in the backseat of this van that had seemed much larger only moments ago. 

now, it seems to be shrinking in around you, the space between you getting smaller and smaller. 

you lick your lips. 

“what’re you thinkin’ about?” 

your eyes shoot up again. it’s not like him to ask many questions of this variety (about volleyball though, don’t even get his started), if any, but the way he’s looking at you makes your heart stutter in your chest. 

“nothing. why?” you retort, a little too quickly, and you watch as sakusa’s eyebrow travels up the expanse of his forehead till it’s in danger of disappearing completely into his hairline. 

“because you’re making a face.” 

“what face?” 

he leans in suddenly, squinting at you, your noses almost brushing. 

your breath catches in your chest, your thoughts derail like speeding trains, crashing into the unexplored wilds of your mind – you note that he smells like hand sanitizer and lavender soap. you remember that you’d gotten him a large bottle of it for christmas – he’s always running out of soap. 

“that face,” he says, his face still much too close to yours. 

from here, you can see the individual lashes framing his darkened eyes, and you watch as they dilate, like two pinprick black holes, ready to devour whatever comes into their path. the way he’s looking at you makes your skin go hot, hotter than it was before, hotter than when you’ve just stepped out of a shower, your skin steaming from the blistering water. you wonder briefly if steam might be coming off of your face right now, because it sure as hell feels hot enough to be. 

“i… i don’t know what you’re talking about.” there’s a breathiness to your voice that makes it sound unbelievable, even to yourself. 

he scoffs, falling back into his seat, his hood falling off his head, leaving his hair delightfully mussed. you resist the urge to run your hand through it, just to see how soft it might be. probably really soft, you think, from all the times you’ve brushed up against it, when he’d fallen asleep with his head on your shoulder in high school, even though he woke up complaining of neck pain because of how much shorter you were. 

“hm. whatever, i’ll figure it out eventually.” 

you sink into your own seat, wishing very briefly for the seat to open up and suck you into the plush cushioning. you nip that thought in the bud. it might lead to sakusa sitting on you one day, and you’d rather not follow that line of thought either. 

“don’t hold your breath,” you mutter beneath your own, but it only makes sakusa round on you again. 

“tell me what it is.” 

you laugh, a little helplessly as he presses into your personal space again. 

“i thought you didn’t like being so close to people.” 

he narrows his eyes. 

“you’re different. you know that. and stop trying to change the subject and tell me what you’re thinking.” 

“it’s nothing!” 

he huffs, “you know i can’t stand not knowing.” 

“it’s –” you flounder, looking for something, anything, to shoehorn into this, “really stupid,” you admit finally, but it does nothing to pacify his curiosity. 

“i don’t care.” 

you curl into yourself even harder than before, eyes flickering around to anything but him. it’s hard, when he’s so close to you he takes up almost your entire field of vision. 

“it’s… it’s just – i was trying to figure out if you’re sexy.” 

he blinks. 

once, twice, three times. 

you hold your breath, unsure of what he might say next. 

but then, he just settles back into his own seat with a contented grin, glancing over at you with a tilt of his head. 

“and?” 

you blink. 

“and what?” 

“am i?” 

“are you?” 

sakusa sighs. 

“sexy.” 

you bite your lips. 

“uh. i haven’t figured that out yet.” 

he regards you with an unreadable expression, his eyes sharp with the kind of concentration you’ve only ever seen on him during matches. to have all that attention focused on you feels like being beneath a concentrated heat of the sun filtered through a magnifying glass. and you’re sure you’re going to combust at any given moment. 

“hm. lemme know if you need further convincing.” 

“what?” 

he leans back in his seat and closes his eyes again. 

“you heard me.” 

“i think my brain glitched.” 

he peaks open one eye to look at you, and this time, you’re sure he’s smirking. 

(well shit. the magazine might be onto something here.) 

“that’s cute.” 

“what is?” 

he pauses for a brief moment, before – 

“your face.” 

you really do think your brain might have glitched then, and the expression on your face must’ve been more revealing than you realized because the next moment, he’s laughing. the kind of laughter that you hear once in a blue moon, when his team somehow manages to drag him out for enough drinks to get him to forget about all the other stuff. all the buzzing that goes on in his brain. 

he’s laughing, and you feel yourself blush to the roots of your hair. 

you reconsider your earlier wish to be swallowed by the seat. it seems perfectly valid again. 

“you’re –!” you try to find a word, something to encompass the torrent of emotions crashing through you, all of which are his fault. 

“yes?” he’s leaning in again, his eyes alight with mirth and something darker, heavier, much more tantalizing. 

“you’re…” 

he licks his lips, and think you can almost hear the sounds of your own wires fraying at the ends. 

“sexy?” he asks, though this time, there’s no laughter in his voice. it’s low, almost gravely as it grounds through his chest. you feel it vibrate through your own chest and it’s all you can do to keep from shivering. 

you swallow, your eyes flickering from his mouth up to his eyes, his pupils now blown wide enough to swallow his entire iris. 

you nod, slowly, despite yourself. and he grins. 

“good,” he says, his voice still low and soft and, dare you say it, seductive. 

“glad you got there first. i was gonna have to kiss you next.” 

he almost pulls away but you suck in a breath. 

“kiss me anyway.” 

he pauses; his eyes going an infinitesimal wider at your words. a second later, he’s leaning in close, close, even closer. his breath fans out over your lips and you let your eyes fall shut. 

he kisses you. 

and you thank the heavens that there’s a soundproof divider between the driver and the back of the van because that noise you make barely registers as human, tumbling from the back of your throat into his mouth. he grins against your lips. 

“should’ve done this sooner” he muses, pulling apart only to start another kiss. and then another. 

you smile, letting yourself be kissed and kissed and kissed. 

that article really has some merit, you think as sakusa manages to maneuver you out of your seat and into his lap. 

that, and maybe, just maybe, if it can keep his hoards of screaming fans from ever coming close to his lips, you just might be able to get into the whole facemask thing. 

[nileqt87]

Thoughts on WandaVision by a non-Marvel fan

As someone who had only seen a single Marvel movie (The Avengers) and only watched Jessica Jones season 1 for David Tennant (while hating nearly every other character in it), which had none of these characters, I only watched WandaVision precisely because it dared to break the mold and be even remotely ambitious instead of doing the same old CGI cartoon fest over and over. And somewhat because of what Marvel has done to the film industry, television has completely and utterly overtaken film as where emotional, dramatic storytelling now happens.

And okay, I happen to have had a major TVLand addiction growing up and binged a ton of the shows referenced in WandaVision long ago (yep, those very same '50s-'80s sitcoms). I couldn't pass up the retro. Love at first sight. Combine that with what promised to be a tragic, human/non-human romance. Sold. I knew little else about the characters.

For a long time, I've seen female fans (in particular) comment on how part of the reason they write fanfiction for Marvel is that they have to read between the lines just to add the implied dramatic content of the relationship focus variety that never quite gets developed in canon (certainly not up to the standard of what a fic reader expects). I saw a few comments that pretty much described WandaVision as exactly that: a fix-it fanfic before tragic reality invaded Pleasantville. Wanda's whole Hex was essentially a glorified fix-it fanfic.

For this reason alone, I can only hope the success of WandaVision gets them to create a season 2 that is dedicated solely to Wanda trying to put her family (Vision) back together that does the tragic romance justice in a way that giving them side parts in other people's movies just isn't going to cut it.

I feel like Vision's ultimate resurrection or even Wanda's struggle with her grief is better left to her own headline story, whether be it film or television. Television is the only medium that is going to allow the actors to really sink their teeth into this sort of star-crossed, tragic drama and not have it relegated to a minor side-character plot. Either give Wanda and Vision their own movie (hopefully, with heightened focus on character development as a lesson learned from television) or wait to integrate the mind and body of Vision in another season that gives both of them center stage with room to develop it.

Them having their twins for real might also be worth a season 2 in a way that probably wouldn't even work on film, as showing such a feminine pregnancy storyline would be a helluva departure for a Marvel movie that goes from action set piece to action set piece.

I wouldn't even hate it if Wanda's sitcom comfort zone made a few more appearances, even if it is merely the occasional domestic fantasy or dream/nightmare, so there is a way to not completely divorce a potential season 2 from season 1's "gimmick". It could be merely as simple as her pointedly doing something Sam/Jeannie-esque with her magic. Cooking with floating kitchen items would be an easy nod.

Probably not what Marvel is thinking of doing, but as a non-Marvel fan, WandaVision has a real opportunity to pull in new viewers with very different tastes that have so far managed to give the films a wide berth. It would do so much better as a show.

Go the route of giving these characters their own headlined projects and Marvel could have a real juggernaut of a 'ship, as well. My impression was that WandaVision got a lot of fans talking about the characters and their relationship in a way that the previous films and comics had not; some even making comments they had barely paid attention to the characters before the show.

IMO, the mere character descriptions sound like some of the most interesting and fleshed-out characters Marvel has got right now with real opportunity for real dramatic depth. And that's putting aside that Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful characters on the entire Marvel roster. Making a whole television season about a character going through the stages of grief and about a woman who just wants the family she lost back (a woman who desperately wants a husband and children, no less) was very different territory for Marvel. Human/non-human, in addition to having the level of doom that makes tragedies very, very memorable.

There's tropey drama potential there that hasn't been mined with the non-human who becomes more and more "human" (it's the stuff of fairy tales and sci-fi both). Hayward or someone like him could easily be used as a character who doesn't see Vision as equal to humans, for example. Delve into the sort of existential questions about artificial life achieving consciousness no less feeling than a human's that stories like Data on Star Trek, Blade Runner and Bicentennial Man pose. That species difference without the magic of sitcoms could be mined for a gorgeously dramatic plotline. What it means to be human explored through the non-human--one of my favorite tropes.

And of course, it's the stuff of fairy tales--most notably Pinocchio (the once-inanimate learning to and desiring to become real by proving himself worthy and because it fulfills the greatest wish of the person who loves them most), combined with the interspecies romance elements of The Little Mermaid (tragic ending or not--see also the desperate acts taken to achieve this cosmically-denied togetherness, only for such a tragic ending to come of it in the original work).

Given that the MCU movies just lost a bunch of their A-listers, they need something big like this. Marvel needs philosophical and character-driven meat on its meager dramatic bones. Here are two actors who could carry something more ambitious and pick up an entirely different audience. Marvel could get an even bigger female audience with these two, IMO. And it wouldn't be cheap girl power pandering either (I say this as a girl). These characters are legit with incredibly warm, likable, endearing performances behind them. This chemistry works 100%.

I think White Vision having an existential crisis where he's questioning what he is if he has all the memories of a being who clearly can feel every human emotion (the idea that we are our memories), but at the same time knowing that he's only artificial life, would be an interesting lead-up to Vision being fully restored with his full consciousness in addition to the added memories of what he experienced inside the Hex.

A restored Vision would have to reconcile what Wanda did in her grief over him and her family. It's also a glimpse at the life Wanda wants with him, which included something that isn't biologically possible, though it likely is through her own abilities of creation. There's also the idea of balance that he's the one who might hold her back from the brink of going down any further dark paths as a figure of ordered stability for her, while she is key in the chaos of his becoming more "human". The to-be parenthood story is obviously hanging over them.

The situation with Hayward intending for White Vision to remain a mere machine that can be manipulated and used as a weapon in a way that an independently-thinking Vision can't be is also a path to go down. As I said, there's a potential storyline about prejudice regarding artificial intelligence, even if it has all the emotional capability of humans.

And on top of that, Vision is in a relationship with a human, even if it's one who could potentially be the key to restoring his consciousness through her own link with the original Mind Stone. It also furthers Wanda's role as a mother and creator if she can give him back his life in this way. While the heroic Avengers might not question them being "an unusual couple", who says everyone else would be so kind?

I really think he needs to be brought back. Wanda desperately needs him for her story to continue.

[charlemange1]

Holding Out for a Hero (Frankenstein one-shot)

*Victor just returned from Ingolstadt. Now what does his family do with him? Sometimes caring too much is worse than not being there at all…*

A full moon enveloped the ballroom in shining silver, giving those sitting across from me the appearance of ghosts. From the way their shoulders slumped beneath the weight of life, they seemed more dead than alive.

“We appreciate you seeing our son back home, Monsieur Clerval.” Alphonse repositioned himself on the couch. “I only wish it were under happier circumstances.”

“I could not allow my friend to return alone after such tragic revelations, Monsieur Frankenstein.”

“Please, call me Alphonse.”

“Alphonse.” I echoed, my tongue fumbling with the word. I still wasn’t used to the informalities that came with adulthood. I wasn’t used to the little portrait of William hanging below the painting of Caroline, either. The surrounding candles made their painted eyes look alive, as though they too were part of this most miserable occasion. The ghosts of the dead eager to pass judgment on the living.

Elizabeth slipped into the room like a shadow, settling on the couch beside Alphonse and stroking his hunched shoulder. Ernest sat to their left, his eyes on the floor.

“I’ve put him to bed,” Elizabeth said. “Victor is exhausted, we shouldn’t worry about him wandering in on us.” The kind smile she held for Alphonse soured for me. “Henry, what has happened to Victor? He didn’t write for years, and when you visited him in Ingolstadt you wrote back that he was fine. Fine! The man—if you can call him that—who walked through our doors this morning is anything but!”

“What happened to William has unnerved him, that is all.” My voice faltered. I couldn’t say murdered.

“The news of William alone couldn’t wither a man like that,” Elizabeth paused as Ernest stood and walked to the window. With his back to us, he dragged a finger across the dusty sill. “Caroline’s death shadowed Victor when he left for university, but now it has consumed him. Grief must have been eating at him for years. You promised you would bring him back to us, Henry. How could you have let him fall to such a state? You were his friend!”

My fingers dug into my palms. My feelings for Victor extended far beyond simple acquaintances. She couldn’t understand how wretched his state had been on my arrival. Of the contents I had found in that horrid dorm. Who could explain those racks of rotting flesh seasoned with strange salts rising to the rafters? Sanity does not linger on a floor where bits of animal and man have liquified into mush carelessly tracked across alchemic symbols written in flaking blood!

To think that the son of the renowned Alphonse Frankenstein, fiancé to the fair Elizabeth, brother to sweet William—would be an accursed resurrection man! Our Victor—a graverobber!

I knew he wasn’t writing home, yet where was I while he grieved? I’d remained in Geneva, lost in my world of poets and prose while obeying father’s every order like a dog. I wasn’t fit to wear the crown of heroes in the plays I had forced Victor and Elizabeth to partake in as children—I was a coward. No amount of memorizing the escapades of Odysseus and scripting grand adventures would change that. It was all I could do to throw Victor’s instruments into the Danube before the authorities of Ingolstadt sniffed them out.

My silence to Elizabeth’s question was not to protect the grieving family from Victor’s sins, but to cover my own shame. Father, Victor, the noble Frankensteins, when would I stop disappointing the people I loved?

At least Victor had returned to the light. He had renounced his dark practices—whimpering in his sleep of imaginary monsters that haunted him. That history was buried, and I saw no need to dig it up again. So I held my silence as Elizabeth held my gaze with teary eyes.

“Accusations will not fix the past. What’s done is done,” Alphonse laid his hand over Elizabeths. “What matters now is protecting the son that still remains to me. Henry, you were with Victor at Ingolstadt. Would you consider him a harm to himself?”

“A harm?”

“Yes. He nearly collapsed when greeting us, and when he raved about knowing William’s killer his eyes were…wild. I have never seen such misguided certainty in any sane man.” Alphonse rocked in the chair. His knotted fingers pressed together to ease their shaking. “Henry, we, I—"

“Must I be the one to say it?” Ernest faced us from his place by the window. His eyes were cold chips of the moon behind him. “Henry, is Victor mad? Is it best to send him to the asylum before these fits of his are noticed by higher society?”

“Ernest,” Elizabeth croaked. “Do not say such things!”

“My apologies. I forgot Victor can do no wrong!” Ernest spat. Out of all of us, he had known Victor the least and William the closest. “My brother has been murdered and an innocent woman imprisoned for the crime! All this talk of Victor, Victor, Victor! He never wrote, he wasn’t here! He was never here—but Justine, little William, they were! Now they’re gone, and it’s still all about him!”

Silver tears spilled down Ernest’s cheeks. Elizabeth approached him as though the boy were a wounded animal. “Breathe Ernest, calm down.”

Ernest wrung his hands, turning away. Elizabeth stood still. I was mute.

“He wanted to play hide and seek,” Ernest said. “I let him run off and hide. I abandoned him.”

“You did all you could.”

“You didn’t find him sprawled on the grass,” Ernest’s voice was barely a whisper. “Those horrible bruises around his neck were inflicted by a force of evil. Pure evil! Justine could not have done such a thing. Not her. Not her!”

Ernest’s fingers clawed at his messy hair. Elizabeth yanked them down to his chest.

“Acting this way will not help Justine,” she said firmly. “We must present ourselves in court as sensible people if she is to stand a chance!”

Ernest raised his head, really seeing her for the first time.

"You owe that to your brother.”

“Yes, yes I supposed I do.” Ernest nodded. “I won’t let her be taken from me too.”

“Of course,” Elizabeth smiled, holding back tears. Her eyes flickered to the paintings of the dead. “We owe them that, William.”

“William?” Ernest ripped his hands from Elizabeth’s grasp. “ERNEST! MY NAME IS ERNEST!”

Elizabeth scrambled to correct herself. “No, Ernest, I didn’t mean—”

Ernest slammed the door behind him, cutting her off. The portraits of the dead swayed from the force. Had his yelling woken Victor? Would the noise send his weak mind into another fit?

“Ernest,” Alphonse called after his son, though his voice had lost the authority of a magistrate long ago.

“I will see to him,” I stood, tracing the route to Victor’s room in my mind. Backing toward the door, I added, “Victor is not mad. But his mind is…” my hand circled in the air. “Fragile. Like a budding flower. The Victor we love is there, he’s just not ready to emerge in full yet. We can cox him back out with time. Just, give, me, some, time!”

A handful of candles lit the hallway, and I jumped at the figure slumped against the outside wall. Victor flinched like a startled cat, his watery eyes lowering in shame like a dog. “Victor, you are supposed to be resting,” I whispered, glancing back to the open door where his family waited.

“Resting is all William can do now,” Victor’s voice rose and fell unsteadily. “As long as I live, I intend to act! The monster’s out there, plotting who he’ll take from me next. I know it, Henry!”

“Yes, Victor,” I smiled, stepping closer.

“You don’t believe that I did it,” Victor shook his head, his tangled locks falling over his eyes. “That I conquered death.”

“Indoor voices, Victor!”

“Out of everyone, you alone dared to imagine the impossible. You filled your head with tales of knights and grand adventures! I had thought you’d believe me. You saw my lab. My notes!”

“Those alchemical scribbles have never made sense to me, Victor. You know I’m but a humble poet.”

Pandering to his genius often evoked an eye-roll or a good-natured punch, but now Victor’s arms only trembled in his oversized nightshirt. When Alphonse had the garment purchased, he expected a confident intellectual well accustomed to German cuisine to wear it. The loose fabric made Victor look small, an underwhelming shell wrapped in expectations that didn’t fit. My arm wrapped around his boney shoulders, leading him down the hall toward his bed.

“Let me tell you a story, Victor. One we’d read as kids.”

“I do not need to be fed children’s stories,” Victor chided, stumbling despite my support. “William is the child! Was, he was a child…”

Victor pulled away. I feared where this was going.

“His blood is on that daemon's hands. I must tell the court the truth. They can raise an army. We’ll scour the mountains until that monster is destroyed!”

“Victor, you’re much too weak!” My mind raced. I’d have to appeal to him and play along. “Save your strength! If we are to destroy your ‘monster,’ it must be done the right way. With caution.”

“We?” A bit of life returned to Victor’s eyes.

“Yes!” I nodded, leading him forward. “But you mustn’t speak these things to another soul. They’ll claim insanity and lock you away!”

Victor didn’t look convinced. That stubbornness was what I loved and hated about him.

“If you are institutionalized, how can William be brought to justice. You need to be here, Victor.” Victor lowered his head, considering. “Promise me you won’t speak at Justine’s trial,” I pressed. “Elizabeth has memorized a speech to woo the judge if he leans toward a guilty verdict. You needn’t trouble yourself.”

“Yes,” Victor sighed. His head slumped on my shoulder in exhaustion. The air around us was filled with his shaky breathing. It felt like we were the only two in the house. In the world. “He shall not claim another soul. I won’t let him hurt you, Henry.”

I pulled his shivering body close to mine, away from life, from the pain that had reduced him to this state. “Of course, and I’ll protect you.”

For a moment, just a moment, a massive shadow fell on the moonlit tile. My head snapped to the window, but nothing was there. The shadow vanished. A passing cloud, no doubt. No mortal man could boast such massive size.

“Henry, do you still believe in your adventure stories?” Victor whispered suddenly. “Of Robin Hood and King Arthur? That good can vanquish evil? That we can win?”

Pulling away, I led Victor to his room and settled him into bed.

“We’re men now, Victor. It’s time we gave up such childish inclinations and lived in reality.”

I couldn’t waste time fantasizing about the impossible. To be the hero he needed—to rescue my friend from himself—I had to exist in the real world.

[thesharondefenseleague]

mlm imo werent sexualized to the degree that wlw were in most canon media mostly because of the male gaze. Gay and Lesbian relationships or moments got very limited representation. One was probably more sympathetic but also heart breaking like say brokeback mountain. One was explicit but depicted as grotesque or twisted or perverted or immoral in some way. And the last version was the titillating version. In western media because of the assumed straight male gaze lesbians making out to titlate guys was a common thing like say in Jennifer's body. The equivalent of that with guys wasnt really that common not in western media. Not that wlw couldn't like that content but it was made to be fanservice for men .

So thats what I kind of mean by wlw were sexualized at least in western media. This equivalent with mlm in fandom never really existed they never made out for girls to find hot in the same way. It was never marketed like oh look hot guys making out. Fandom did that but not canon.

As for comic book men being sexualized kind of. There is definitely the unrealistic beauty standards but theres that debate of was it for the purpose of titillating women? Or a result of toxic masculinity putting this unattainable unsustainable goal for men. Maybe both? But both in comics and the movies they are based on the posing and clothing and moments with women get made to clearly sexualize them . It especially ovbious with comics with them twisting their bodies so their boobs and butts are jutting out. Or like movie moments like Bruce landing in Natasha's clevage. Or angles where you are staring down a female character's shirt or she has a boob window for some contrived reason. Or just reasons to give full page spreads of them in skimpy clothing.

Its rare men get depicted like this or posed like this. And when they do it often stands out because its not the norm. It's something unique. Not true with men. Even in form fitting spandex they are often posed and framed to make to make them look powerful or intelligent or to reveal things about their character.

Again not that men never get sexualized or that fanservice is always bad. Or that its not a concern that men are having these terrible body image issues. But just that for women for the sexualization its so pervasive and constant was my point.

Its just as bad in wlw in canon as it is for women in relationships with men in canon when it comes to that sexualization but i hear so much more about the problems about the wlw ship than the mlw ship. Like to use DC as a example i hear so much about how people sexualized or mishandle harleyivy but compared to that i hear very little about batcat in comparison even though Catwoman is often just as sexualized in that ship.

As for misogyny in shipping wars yes it definetly exists and is a problem as is racism and homophobia. But my issue is mostly that the problem isnt because the main popular ships are mlm. But so often I see the argument framed that way.

Like shipping wars existed between m/w ships and still do today. And they are still often pretty misogynistic towards the woman in the other ship. I don't even have to look at other fandoms I remember Steggy vs Starton getting real ugly.

Mysogny in fandom doesn't uniquely pop up when mlm are the more popular ship. Its often just as bad in fandoms where m/w is the popular ship. But people just bring it up alot more they make it bout valuing the men over the women .

Well i mean that goes both ways you could say its homophobic for valuing the straight ship as better than the gay one or liking it more. But either way its stupid they dont care bout sexism or homophobia only that their ship is more popular.

Thats the sentiment of all ship wars the gender dynamics and racial make up change nothing. Nothing except the bullshit you use for the ship war.

The problem is that people are being homophobic and mysogynistic and racist not just in regards to fictional characters but towards real people just to win a ship war. It comes out so easily. Thats the problem imo.

Mysogny for example i think isnt discussed as much when its a m/w vs m/w ship war or drama because as both ships have women it can't be used to slander the other ship. But when its drama between fans of a m/m and m/w it comes out alot again not because anyone really cares but because now because one ship lacks a woman it can be used as fodder for what people actually care about. Tearing down the other ship.

Again not that mlm fandom doesnt have mysogny. They definetly do. But they aren't mysogynistic because they ship two guys together. Thats not proof they hate women. Having a ship with women isnt proof that you aren't sexist towards women. There might be homophobia in fandoms of mlm ships and mysogny in fandoms of m/w ships.

But in the drama between a m/w and m/m ships that doesn't get brought up because no one cares if that problem can't be used to show that someone only doesn't ship your ship if they are bigoted against it. Who cares about misogyny if your ship is two guys? Who cares about homophobia if your ship is straight?

No one because they cared about the popularity of their ship not the actual issues.

Gonna under under the cut for length again.

This is a lot to read so I'm gonna respond paragraph by paragraph and hope for the best in terms of comprehension.

When it comes to media made about the LGBTQ+ community, you have to keep in mind when it was made, who made it, and who was it made for. And that it's been shown that straight women have had the same reactions to mlm content as straight men to wlw content. QaF was dumbfounded to find that the majority of their audience was straight women when the show's sex scenes were 95% between two or more men and yet that's what they ran with because hey, it got the views. The views of mlm and wlw content in the mainstream media before then was minimized, despite how fucked a lot of the other content could be. If by "most canon media" being directed at the male gaze being summer blockbusters, and more specifically comic book movies, then sure. If we step out of that box, then not really. The film examples you chose are interesting because BB is portrayed exactly how the author of the original short story wrote it which was meant to be heartbreaking since it was a tragic dramatic piece while JB has a woman who wrote and another woman who directed it while purposefully trying to allow to actress to have a level of sexuality without exploiting her as past directors have (also neither of the main characters are lesbians - one is bi, the other I think is straight but maybe questioning?).

The sexualization of wlw in modern western media is definitely a thing. I mean, the first Iron Man film has stewardesses on the private jet pole dancing if I remember correctly. It took until 2016 to stop sexualizing Scarlett in every movie: the changing scene in IM2, the lowered zipper in A1, the ass shot in Cap 2, the boob faceplant in AoU (in your third paragraph, but mentioning it here anyway). It's a joke that you know when a man directs a wlw indie film during the sex scenes. But the mlm equivalent did exist alongside it, and it's what kicked off the century.

Comics and their movies were always for men. The male bodies are male wish fulfilment for their physical appearance. The women are male wish fulfilment for their dream girls. Funnily enough, one of the least sexualized women in comics I've ever read is Sharon. She's rarely, if ever, drawn to be sexualized for the audience. I'm not even sure she's even been in those swimsuit issues Marvel did years ago. And it shows heavily that Marvel struggles to know how to appeal to women without being aggressively in your face about it. The best example of them appealing without pandering is WV, and the worst is the group shots the Russos did in IW and Endgame, especially the latter.

But the men get those poses in the movies too. Thor bathed shirtless for no reason in TDW. There's a scene in Endgame dedicated to talking about Steve's ass. Pratt in GotG. Rudd in Ant-Man. Most actors are expected to look good shirtless and put themselves through intense shit to look that way. So do the women, but they aren't doing it to have the glamor shots of their muscles. And the MCU is not the only film franchise like this. Most, if not all, franchises with majority or entirely male leads expects them all to look like bodybuilders. And I'm gonna take back that it's just for the male audience, because these bodies are meant to appeal to women who are intended to thirst for these actors too. They think these bodies is what will bring women to the theaters.

None of this will change, as you say, that women's sexualization is "constant and pervasive". The film industry is just a part of the larger whole of media. Television and advertising have a treatment of women that's beyond whatever you or I say because there are decades worth of shit to go through that would take dozens of essays worth of writing to fully divulge beyond "please stop it's gross".

Now DC is a whole other ballgame. They're pretty infamous for their artists' sexualization of heroines and villainesses. Harley, Ivy, and Selina are definitely pretty bad, but when I remember what I've seen drawn of Kara, Kori, or sometimes Barbara... But outside of one artist, I think Harley and Ivy as a couple have been drawn tamely. Can't say the same for Selina, because they just can't not draw every part of her body even when she's fully clothed.

I think it's hard not to talk about fandom misogyny outside of m/m ships because of how often popular m/m shippers have rooted their shipping into misogyny. And even with m/f ship wars, a lot of the time the "faulted" character is always the woman when majority of the time it's the man who sucks. I don't get why everyone is fighting for who should kiss Steve because Steve sucks and they'd be better off without him. But because Steve is the object of affection for our fave, we have to fight off everyone else.

Don't look at other fandoms for m/f ship wars. We don't appreciate how tame we were, even at our worst. I'm serious, I've seen so much worse.

I think why the topic of misogyny comes up more with m/m ships is because they follow a similar principle of the male characters being more developed in canon and fanon so it's who people gravitate towards.

There is definitely layers of homophobia in fandom, but there's many versions of how we see it. Homophobes who won't ship anything that's not m/f. Homophobes who ship m/m but won't support IRL rights. People who love m/m but abhor f/f, and vice-versa. The shippers who use them for personal fodder. But the sexism is more prevalent than the homophobia. And the racism way more than both combined.

And it does cause a lot of ammo, and much of it severely unjustified, in ship wars. Literally the bullshit I've seen pulled out of thin air to accuse Sharon of not being worthy because someone said she's a racist for [they literally had no reason just called her one because we said Sam and Sharon are friends because they are] and other nonsense.

The real world repercussions of the homophobia, the sexism, and the racism in fandom... there's just so much. Like we are all still people, and yet we decide because we hide behind screens to be antagonistic, and use homophobic, sexist, and racist shit to attack each other over ships just because we want to paint the other person as crazy, I guess? If you can't see that there are no enemies in ship wars and that the other side is still people, maybe you need to sit out and log off. It's baffling how often it still happens to people. Then it's no longer about ships, it's about who is an asshole.

I will say that Steve and Peggy vs Steve and Sharon is probably the only m/f ship war I've seen where misogyny is talked about. Is, not was, because it still is. Both sides call the others misogynistic. I don't think either side is, but you can see in individuals. Those who tweeted at a certain actress that she was a slut for kissing her costar certainly are though.

You are right that shipping m/m isn't inherently sexist. But tearing down women in those ships to prop up m/m has made me stop shipping certain characters altogether. People, seriously, we don't have to justify why we like them! We can just like them! And other characters can still exist! It's never been that deep.

And you're right, the popularity of the ship helps people ignore any deeper issues within them and this is a power used to silence valid criticism if it pops up.

(I hope I answered everything well for you.)

~Mod R

[akaluan]

Erich/Kisuke/Alexis: Soulmate AU + Character in Peril Part 13

Having someone — two someones — constantly at his side is… disorienting. Even his aide hadn’t been quite so glued to his side, the two of them knowing the other’s routine and content to work with — and around — the other to get their jobs done.

(He… misses Beltz, for all that Degurechaff has proven herself more than competent.)

(Someday he might even have a chance to mourn…)

(No.)

(Focus.)

Alexis shoots him a concerned look, and Erich gives a minute shake of his head.

(He’s fine.)

(He’s fine, he’s fine, he’s fine.)

(Just one more body, one more name, to add to the ever-growing list of those he’s lost in this foolish, endless conflict.)

(And now his soulmates are here, are next to him, are in danger—)

Urahara presses into his side just the tiniest bit, head tilted away and gaze fixed on the map and papers spread across the table in front of them. He’s focused, a tiny furrow between his brows and his pale eyes flat as he takes it all in, and Erich can almost believe that the touch is accidental.

Almost.

Urahara is hesitance-uncertainty-awkwardness against him, body tense and feet planted, belying the mask of ease that he’s trying to project. It’s… strange to realize that a Reaper is nervous about him but… Erich can’t figure out what else it could be.

(Or maybe not so strange?)

(Urahara has been both everything and nothing like he expected a Reaper to be.)

Erich drags his mind back to the present and shuffles the papers in front of him while he tries to catch up with the report Weiss is giving. Not that there’s much unexpected out of the man’s mouth; they’re isolated, unable to call for backup, and being driven further back into the Empire with every week that passes.

There are markers on the map, little wooden tokens tracing the noose slowly closing around their necks.

Little hand-carved wooden tokens denoting their slow, lingering death.

(He… almost wishes he hadn’t dragged his soulmates here to his side.)

(He knew their position, knew their danger, but seeing it like this is…)

(He’s so tired…)

Alexis’ fingers drum against the table, a seemingly absent pattern that he recognizes as their childhood code for ‘talk’. It’s easy enough to remember how to tap ‘later’ back at her, and even easier to flatten his hands on the table edge in a silent appeal to let him think.

He doesn’t know what she wants to talk about, but he doubts it will be good news.

‘Good news’ is a rare commodity these days, and even when it arrives… well. There’s always a caveat.

Weiss’ report comes a close and Erich frowns down at the table in front of them, trying desperately to come up with some plan, some miracle, that will let them survive another week, another day.

(He’s given up all pretense of winning.)

(Now he just wants to survive.)

Erich stares down at the map. Tries to summon even a fragment of General Zettour’s skill. Tries to dig into his memory for something that will help, will save them, and…

He can’t.

He can’t.

His mind is blank and his hands are trembling against the table and he can’t save them.

Degurechaff glances at him across the table, and there’s a blankness in her gaze that’s perversely steadying. If even she, genius and strategist and reincarnate that she is, can see no clean way out for them—

He takes a breath. Clenches his hands. Leans forward with an arched eyebrow and a challenging stare and—

Gets to work.

(He can’t afford to be paralyzed by despair.)

(They’ll come up with something.)

(They have to.)

***

In the end, despite all their back and forth and all their attempts to strategize, more of the same is what he and Degurechaff settle on. More small raids, more careful retreating, more giving ground when such a thing would once have set both their teeth on edge.

(Frankly, it still does.)

(They just can’t afford to pander to pride over reality.)

They have too many wounded, too many exhausted and demoralized soldiers, to try for anything else. Their men can fight — will fight — because those who remain are mostly his or Degurechaff’s and thus loyal to the bone, but… it’s wearing on them. On all of them.

(The trick to guerrilla warfare, Degurechaff insists, is fervent belief and stubborn will, neither of which they have in abundance.)

(So the best they can do is keep moving, keep one step ahead, and hope that they survive.)

“General, if I may make a suggestion?” Alexis speaks into a lull, drawing everyone’s attention to her. She quirks a smile at Erich’s arched eyebrow, but her tone is level and serious when she says, “Rerugen lands are three days hard march from here. We have supplies and healers of our own, though they’re mostly herb-women and family doctors, and we have plenty of room for everyone to have a solid roof over their head.”

Erich purses his lips and glances aside; Alexis is right on all accounts and has the legal right to make the offer, since she’s the Rerugen head while he’s away at war, but it’s still… awkward.

(They don’t often allow outsiders onto their lands.)

(To accept two entire battalions of men, even as small as they are…)

“Rerugen-san…?” Urahara murmurs, fingers brushing against Erich’s elbow as concern-curiosity-loyalty slips through their connection.

(Correction, two entire battalions and one Reaper.)

“She offers our family home as refuge,” Erich informs the man, already puzzling over how best to handle bringing a Reaper home without everyone and their sibling crying for his dismissal. If the world was fair, he’d have had time on his side; time to grow used to Urahara, time to learn if Urahara was being truthful, time to introduce the man slowly to the rest of his family, but—

There isn’t time.

There isn’t time and that means bringing a potentially hostile Reaper deep into Quincy lands and—

“Ah. I’ll leave when we get close—”

“You will not,” Erich interrupts, narrowing his eyes at the man. “You will stay near me instead of going away. I will… need your weapon for…” he pauses, fumbling for the words, and sends Degurechaff a pleading look when he can’t find what he needs in his memory.

Degurechaff sighs and speaks for him, not even waiting for him to explain what he’d been trying to say. “You’ll stay with General Rerugen at all times, especially in public. Don’t stray far from him, don’t go anywhere without him, and don’t do that weird appearing and disappearing thing of yours. You’ll need to hand any weapons over to General Rerugen while we’re on Rerugen lands, including your sword, which… where is your sword?”

Urahara laughs awkwardly and leans back from the table, rubbing at the back of his head as he says, “Maa, I hid it so I wasn’t… well…” He grimaces and glances down at Erich, something like apology in his gaze as he says, “After that first confrontation, I… figured it was best if I didn’t come armed.”

“Thank you,” Erich murmurs, fighting back a shiver at the very idea of Urahara showing up with that distinctive sword at his hip. “Thank you, Colonel,” he says with a nod in Degurechaff’s direction, then purses his lips and stares down at the map in front of them. “Your opinions on the offer?”

Silence answers him, and when he looks up, Degurechaff is staring at the map and chewing on her lower lip. He can almost see the wheels turning in her mind, can sense the weighted consideration in her spiritual presence, and when she looks up there’s a measure of resignation about her that tells him her answer even before she speaks.

“I think it’s a viable option, sir,” she says evenly before her gaze cuts over to Alexis. “Are you certain of this, ma’am? We appreciate it, but giving us shelter is going to paint a target on all of your backs.”

“A target that’s already there,” Alexis answers without hesitation. “Many of our men are soldiers or officers, and all of us know how to fight, even our women and children. I’ll send our most vulnerable to our hidden shelters, and the rest of us will use the land to our advantage. You were talking earlier about guerrilla warfare being an unviable option for you, but it isn’t for us.”

Erich doesn’t react to the looks that Alexis’ words earn him from both Weiss and Schwarz, already knowing why they’re concerned. He knows what their training looks like to outsiders, knows how strange it is that they’re one and all capable of a minimum of self-defense, but…

(Their history is not a kind one, and they have grown harder to compensate.)

Degurechaff huffs and says, “If things become dangerous—”

“We know when to retreat, Colonel Degurechaff,” Alexis cuts her off. “And we have plenty of places to hide. More than enough even for you men, though I dare say they might find some of them… strange.”

Erich swallows his amusement and glances away before he can begin to laugh; ‘strange’ is an understatement, considering many of the spaces are carefully reinforced Quincy zones, anchored to hidden caves or underground bunkers. Good for training in or hiding from unpowered humans, but… distinctly unnatural in appearance.

(He’ll have to try and avoid sending any of his men into those spaces.)

(There are a few caves hidden by subtle wards instead, those will suit his soldiers much better.)

“If you’re certain,” Degurechaff says with a hint of skepticism, then leans over the table and scans the map. “Where exactly…?”

Erich reaches out and outlines the approximate location of his lands. “Here.”

She takes it all in, eyes narrowing as her mind gets to work, and then gives him a firm nod. “It’s as good a plan as any, sir, especially if your people have places we can hide out that aren’t likely to be found.”

“Not by any army our enemies can muster,” Erich answers her without hesitation, knowing it for the truth it is. Empowered humans are rare outside of lineages like his own, and he really doubts the enemy soldiers count any amongst their number.

Weiss and Schwarz exchange skeptical looks, clearly thinking about all the ways they know to hunt down and locate entrenched soldiers, but say nothing out loud.

(At this point, they’re all grasping at straws, no matter how absurd they seem.)

(Even a ghost of a chance to survive is better than nothing.)

“Is there anything else that needs to be addressed?” Erich asks when the silence begins to stretch, looking between his officers. When all three of them shake their head, he straightens up and tucks his hands behind his back. “Then you’re all dismissed. Get the camp ready, we’ll leave tomorrow at 0500 hours. Schwarz, I leave the gathering of squads for hit and run raids in your hands, coordinate with Weiss on personnel.”

“Yes sir,” Schwarz says, snapping a sloppy salute out as he does.

The two Majors file out of the tent at last, and Erich sighs, closing his eyes and rubbing at the corner of one in an attempt to chase away the stress he can feel building.

(Everything’s a mess.)

(They’re losing ground, losing hope, driven from their position by nearly fifty kilometers and cut off from the rest of the army.)

(And now they’re retreating further, aiming to hide away like cowards, like beaten curs, and there’s nothing he can do about.)

(Because they’ve been beaten like Degurechaff warned him they would be, squashed beneath the might of the entire world, and…)

(He fears what is to come.)

“Just a little longer, sir,” Degurechaff murmurs, startling him from his thoughts. Her pale blue eyes are worn-resigned-sharp but her bearing is still firm, still strong, and it… helps. Not much, but it helps. “We’ll make it through.”

He forces a smile for her, knowing it looks as haggard as he suddenly feels, and says, “I will hold you to that, Colonel.”

She nods once, glances at Urahara in question, then reluctantly stalks from the tent when Erich shakes his head.

(He’ll be fine.)

(He doesn’t need her hovering when there are things she needs to take care of.)

(Frankly, there are things he needs to take care of as well.)

(Damnit.)

Urahara’s warm hand settles on the small of his back as the man nudges him away from the table and towards the stack of crates to the side, which are about the only place to sit down in the tent.

“I’m fine,” Erich grumbles, dredging up enough exasperation to shoot Urahara a look.

“Of course you are,” Urahara says, voice bone dry. He moves his hand from Erich’s back to brush it against his right arm, bringing their shared mark into sharper focus in his mind.

Erich grimaces at the reminder and reluctantly sits down; it’s not often someone can call his bluffs so easily, and he’s a little unsettled by the idea. Alexis at least pretends she can’t, most of the time, even though they both know that’s a lie. She just… handles it differently.

(He’s not entirely certain how he feels about a Reaper fussing over him…)

“I didn’t realize how bad it was even here,” Alexis murmurs as she takes a seat next to him, her feet swinging a bit and her gaze distant.

“It’s… not been good, no.” Erich sighs and rubs at his temple, carefully breathing through the brief spike of panic as Urahara looms over him for one sharp, endless moment and… sits down on his other side.

(The worried-regretful-sheepish look Urahara sends him is almost worse.)

(Damnit, he doesn’t want to care!)

“It’s… not much better elsewhere,” Alexis says idly, flatly, gaze still distant and presence muted at his side. “We Quincy are surviving because we’ve long grown and supplied our own needs, but elsewhere… even civilians are feeling the pinch, my love, and many of them are beginning to rebel.�� She heaves a sigh and casts a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. “Many of our enlisted family have… returned to the Quincy lands in the past month. Those that yet live.”

(Deserters, she means.)

(Erich can’t blame them.)

(Isn’t that what they’re about to do, too?)

“I have a bad feeling about what’s yet to come,” Erich can’t help but murmur, even as he fumbles for his pocket watch, patting at his pockets with a growing frown. He needs to check the time, needs to know how many hours he has left in the day—

Urahara catches his hand and turns it palm up, gently setting Erich’s pocket watch in his open palm and folding his fingers over it. “I didn’t have a chance to return this earlier,” he says sheepishly, a little smile curling the corners of his lips as his hands withdraw.

Erich blinks down at his pocket watch, mind finally catching up with reality. “Thank you,” he murmurs as he flicks the lid open and checks the time.

(Mid-afternoon.)

(Good, he has some time to check his troops before dinner.)

“It’s very pretty,” Urahara offers almost awkwardly, swaying closer to him and leaning in to peer at the watch-face before Erich flips it closed again. “Though it seems very old.”

“It was my grandfather’s,” Erich says as he clips it in place and tucks the watch away in its usual pocket. “He had it much of his life.”

Surprise-wonder-loyalty slips through their connection, and Erich has to wonder what he did this time to surprise the man; it’s certainly not unusual for soulmates to pass heirlooms between each other, especially something practical like a watch. But… maybe it is unusual from a Reaper’s point of view?

(Do Reapers even have family?)

(How does their society even work?)

Alexis’ fingers intertwine with his own and she lifts his hand to press a kiss to the back of it. “What now?” she asks once she has his attention.

“Walking,” Erich tells her dryly, amused by the flat look she gives him in return. “I need to check on the men again, let everyone see both of you at my side. Maybe see if we can teach Urahara some Imperial in the process.”

“That’s sure to be entertaining,” Alexis says, leaning into his side to brush a kiss along his jawline.

Wistfulness creeps into his mind, and he shares a brief look with Alexis, both of them knowing the cause; they can’t extend their closeness to Urahara, not yet, not with so many unknowns and so much fear-anger-hatred between them, but… they can be kinder to him. Limit their blatant affections so as to not inadvertently tease the man.

(They’re not trying to be cruel, but… that doesn’t mean they aren’t being cruel.)

“Come on,” Erich says to Urahara as he stands up and straightens his uniform. “I have men to look at. I can teach a bit of my language too, as we go.”

Urahara perks up at his words, smile bright-cheerful-masking but… Erich suspects there’s some truth to it this time, that his paltry offer has made Urahara genuinely happy, and… it warms something in him to see it. To know that, at least for now, he’s helped.

He wants to help, wants to have, wants both his soulmates at his side the way all the best legends end and… and maybe that’s not for him, maybe he’ll never manage to reconcile Reaper and soulmate, mortal enemy and life partner, but… he wants it.

(Wants safety-concern-care, wants loyalty, wants love…)

(Now if only he could trust…)

Erich sighs and runs a hand through his hair, fingers tangling a bit in the start of curls, and forcefully shoves those thoughts aside.

“Rerugen-san?” Urahara asks, voice concerned and one hand awkwardly half-extended as if he was about to offer aid and second-guessed himself.

“The war,” Erich offers, a lie but also a truth, and steps around Urahara, ignoring the quicksilver darts emotions that he can sense from the man. If Urahara wants to cal him on his words, let him. They have other things they need to be doing and limited time to do them in.

“Maa, alright then,” Urahara says as he follows Erich from the tent. “I promise I’m a fast learner!”

Erich smiles faintly at the man’s clear enthusiasm, mind drifting to the promise of genius-fidelity-perseverance traced across his skin in the shape of a blooming plum tree. He doesn’t yet know how much is current truth and how much is future promise, but… it’s a hopeful sign.

(At this point, he’ll cling to any scrap of hope no matter how fragile.)

(It’s about all he can do, after all.)

(Just a little longer…)

(They can make it.)

[writingonjorvik]

Soul Riders: Jorvik Calling - A Book Review

Ok, so I want to do a quick review of this book. I am going to talk about some spoilers to cite some things in it, so if you want to go in completely blind, I give it a score at the very bottom. Other than that, let’s dive in.

I don’t know how to feel about this book. Don’t get that statement wrong, it is a good book, but I also have a lot of thoughts on it as a writer. And I don’t want to sit here and be like “I could have done this better” but I think I feel the problems I feel with it because of mostly because those are the things I have been praised on as a writer and so I notice it more I guess when someone does it poorly. This is a great intro. Let’s get into it.

Premise - ★★★★★

This is the first in the retellings of the Starshine Legacy games. So far there has been a lot less retconning than I anticipated and I appreciate that. The premise is interesting. It’s a novelization of the SSL games and that’s interesting to me. This book seems to focus on the founding of the characters and their gifts and that’s a cool premise I like to see redone in the current SSO direction.

Plot - ★★★☆☆

I’m separating these because the concept around a story and the story itself can be different things. Like, I can like the premise of something overall, but the bits of getting there can be different. And that’s kinda how I felt about the actual plot of this book. 

I think my biggest complaint is that it felt rushed. And I get that this book is short, but I also write novellas about the same length and I know you can write a short book without it feeling like that. This book liked to jump back and forth between really rapidly going through the plot and these slice of life chapters and it felt a little stop and start until Starshine gets kidnapped, or most of the way through the book, and then it was all just fast paced. And it felt kinda like tonally whiplash at times.

That said, the story is still interesting. There wasn’t a point where I wanted to put the book down, but the back and forths between SOMETHING IS HAPPENING and we’re just chilling in the barn I feel like could have been paced better. It also kinda struggles at the end with setting up FOUR different follow up plots, but because I know there are already two more books coming, I’m willing to forgive this.

Characters - ★★☆☆☆

This is the topic that’s the most painful for me, so let’s get it out of the way.

I feel like I only really liked the characters because I knew them from SSO. In the dialogue, I feel like the “Tell” aspects of storytelling were used WAY too heavily. Actions were very repetitive, and constantly being used. Giggling was one of those. The girls always giggled, which I think is a very gendered term to use, but it was also used a lot.

It was particularly in dialogue where it felt like how the characters were feeling were glossed over the most. Like, in the scene where Linda, Alex, and Lisa are watching Sabine. The book just says “Lisa was scared,” which is such a boring line to read. There’s no tingling on Lisa’s neck, no knot in her stomach, goosebumps forming on her arms. We’re just told “Lisa is scared.”

The most offensive of this I feel is Anne. I feel like Anne’s retcon is, while interesting, painfully forced in the narrative. Like, here’s her first real scene, page 45 in the hardback: “‘I’m so sorry!’ the girl exclaimed. Lisa could tell her apology was genuine. She nodded and smiled warmly at the other girl, who rushed through the cafeteria.

‘That was Anne von Blyssen,’ Alex said after they sat down at one of the tables. She made a bit of a face.

‘She’s kind of full of herself sometimes,’ Linda explained.”

I hate this paragraph. It does Anne so dirty. At least in the SSL games we got that Anne was a prep and that she was stuck up with the way she talks. But the first line to Lisa here is Anne being genuinely apologetic and then Linda and Alex turn around and bad mouth her, with no context. We’ve seen nothing to suggest that Anne is full of herself at all (which is worse when the rest of the story continues to NOT support this), but we are directly told how we should feel about her. It’s not supported by the book when everything we see of Anne is a polite if reserved rich kid. She screams student council more than queen bee, but the book wants us to believe it’s both.

It hurts because I love these characters, but I know that half of my read was me projecting what I already knew back on them.

Setting - ★★★★★

Credit where credit is due, Dahlgren nails the setting, both in the location and in the magic. She is incredibly descriptive of the location and actively makes me wish Jorvik was a real place. The way she goes through how all of the ways the girls get their powers and what it feels like to use them, visceral. I loved it. I loved getting to see how colorful Jorvik was and how real the magic was.

I honestly wish SSO would commission Dahlgren to just right slice of life fiction set in Jorvik. I feel like when she got to write those sections, they were the absolute strongest of the whole book, and I would love to see her just mess with the canon in casual stories in Jorvik.

Conclusion

As a fan: ★★★★★

As a general book to pick up: ★★★☆☆

If you’re an SSO fan, this is an SSO book. It’s good, it’s interesting, it’s more of the setting we love. There’s a lot of interesting development and context to magic, as well as worldbuilding and lore and if you next got to play SSL, get this book. You’ll enjoy it.

If you’re not, or if you’re a bit picker about books, maybe pick up the audiobook or borrow it from a library. I can’t say that I don’t recommend it, because I do highly praise Dahlgren’s ability to make scenes come to life as well as the way she handles magic. It is beautiful and I think her ability to write slice of life fiction clearly shows.

However, I think the best way I can summarize my complaints about this book is that it feels written for kids. You know how you see a movie made for kids and know it’s made for kids. Like, it’s the difference between say The Emoji Movie vs. Coco, or The Foxcraft books vs. Harry Potter. You can tell that one is made for kids, while one is made for kids but it’s not pandering. I feel like this book was written for a grade level, and not at a grade level, if that makes sense. That’s at least the impression from the telling aspects of the character development, like it doesn’t trust the reader to come up with the right impression, so it explains it for you.

There is still a lot of strong content in here, and as an SSO fan, I gladly have the hardback and will be getting the hardbacks of the rest of the trilogy, but it’s not the strongest retelling I’ve seen. But I have confidence that the rest of the trilogy could prove me wrong.

[nedflames]

Danny and Criticism: An Essay/Rant?

Since I’m on desktop I can finally put this under a read more thank god and also jesus

it’s very long…and I didn’t edit it so some of it might not make any sense because I type too fast for my thoughts sometimes

I’ve been thinking about Danny, big surprise, and the way he executes criticism. Since I started watching Eddy, I’ve noticed that Danny rarely has an overt/expose criticism when he is talking about other creators, unlike Eddy and Drew.

Eddy and Drew usually criticize creators that are actively doing something ethically wrong. Their content is more essay-like and research-based than Danny’s; So, Eddy and Drew’s commentary is more satirical while Danny’s is more purely comedic. 

The thing is, Danny has been overtly critical in past videos and, for a while, it bothered me that he has backed away from it. It still does kind of bother me, to be honest, because he’s an intelligent dude who has some hot takes on important topics. I think now more than ever he could execute harsher criticism and keep it entertaining; “Bag Tho” is an excellent example of that and so was his criticism on the pedophile theory for Yummy on his second channel.

But it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to because I realized something the last time I was focusing on this issue; I’ve learned more from Danny about criticism and comedy than I have from Eddy and Drew. He has influenced the way I approach a text in more ways than any other comedian has (except maybe Bo Burnham…they’re tied). This doesn’t mean that Eddy and Drew don’t have influence over my critical thinking skills, but, for me, their content is the result of practiced critique; I don’t learn how to approach a text, but I learn about the text; it’s like discussing a subject with my peers instead of learning it from a professor; in college, both of those practices helped me learn and exercise my critical thinking so, in no way do I think this makes any of them superior to the others.

Danny’s main goal is to make people laugh; he’s said it in his main videos; he’s said it on podcasts; and he’s said it on his second channel, too. In his interview with Anthony Padilla he said that he treats his videos like stand-up. (I’d fucking love to see his live stand up. I’d give every cent in my savings account to see that.) Danny is a comedian, first and foremost, and YouTube is his platform. You could tell from his vine career just how hard he was trying to pursue comedy as a career, to be noticed as a comedian. He comes by it honestly and has said some of his vines weren’t funny and were just attempts at going viral. The dude is worried about his brand to a fault, imo, but he’s got talent and confidence to back it up. So, of course his content is going to reflect that more than Eddy’s or Drew’s. 

Eddy and Drew are also comedians who want to make people laugh but Eddy has said recently on the Gus & Eddy podcast that he wants his commentary to be about people who are actually doing something wrong instead of clowning on cringe content like Danny does. (Yes, he specifically listed Danny as an example. At first I was on the defense and felt like Eddy was kinda shaming Danny for not pursuing a more “noble” style of commentary. But, after calming down and listening to the episode again, I realized he was just saying that their content does different things which I totally agree with…still don’t agree that Danny “just clowns” on people but more on that later.) Eddy still wants his content to be funny, and still has commentary videos that don’t have an overt critical agenda, but you can tell that satirical comedy is a main motivator for him.

I feel like Drew is right in between Danny and Eddy on the criticism scale. He has his more comedic videos and he has his more serious ones. But, in my opinion, his serious videos are just a little bit better. It’s honestly hard to tell what the driving motivation behind his commentary is because he hasn’t fully spoken up about it, as far as I know, but I would say he leans more toward satirical comedy. 

Since I started studying comedy in college I’ve had a sort of thesis building in my head: humor is a comfortable way to approach uncomfortable things; it’s a way to battle cognitive dissonance. Laughing at something wrong is an effective way to sneakily change someone’s mind; ridicule and shame are powerful tools; that’s why I love satire. (I will also add since humor is amoral it can also be used negatively, but that does not mean we should jump to the conclusion that all ridicule/satire is naturally wrong.)

So what does that have to do with Danny’s style of commentary? Sure, he’s a comedian trying to make people laugh and sure he avoids addressing more serious topics, but he does provide important criticism even if it’s not in the same area as Drew or Eddy. In that interview with Anthony Padilla, Danny said he wants to prove that content on YouTube can be as good as traditional media. His goal isn’t to expose people for doing bad things, though he is still doing that but not as critically as the other two, but to show his audience how to be critical of popular media; a main criticism in his videos overall is about low-effort and formulaic content because that’s something he very clearly cares about. His goal isn’t to call out people for being toxic; it’s to call out their content for not being as good or well-though-out as it could be. The problem with low-effort content, especially from bigger creators, is that it’s there to make money and nothing else; it’s content that has no substance; it’s manipulative. Even content that has a high-production value needs to have substance, creativity, and originality. 

Danny pointed out in his “how i make a video” video that he doesn’t want to make fun people who are just inexperienced; he wants to make fun of people who know exactly what they’re doing and still don’t put in the effort to make their content good. 

Another one of his critiques, usually with Badads, is about dishonesty; his badads videos are mostly goofy but they all have the same criticism about their manipulative nature. In fact, his whole experiment with badads was about pointing out the manipulative tactics and valuing honesty (even if his honest ad didn’t get a higher CTR.)

I think his critiques are capable of teaching people to be more critical of the media they consume without making them feel like they’re wrong for enjoying it. 

Another thing I think Danny approaches well is misogyny. (Again, his badads videos are prime examples because so many ads sexualize women.) But the way he does it IS IMPORTANT and, in my opinion, a better method than other commentary channels. Returning to my theory about ridicule being an effective tool to sneakily change someone’s perspective, Danny isn’t overt about his criticisms toward misogyny. He doesn’t say shit like “sexism is bad and women are great and I worship women and blah blah blah” but he does ridicule misogyny often. His methods aren’t preachy or forceful but he does normalize the ridicule and shaming of misogynistic behavior. By laughing at the behavior and treating it like it’s outlandish and ridiculous he normalizes respect for women. This is why you will never see me saying some shit like “Danny drinks his respect women juice ohmygod he’s my heeerrrooo” because it’s not heroic behavior and he doesn’t fucking treat it that way. If we over-worship this stuff we set the bar hella low. It should not be seen as the highest possible standard for men; it should be seen as the normal standard for men. I definitely praise him for this approach, but not for just…acting like a dude should act. 

All that being said

Do I think his general audience walks away from his content with these criticisms in mind? From my experience in the fandom, and from just scrolling through the comments in his videos, I don’t think it effects everyone like it effects me. This is mostly fine because I don’t think his full intent is to get people to learn how to think critically about the content they consume; I firmly believe him when he says he mostly wants to make people laugh. But I’m hopeful that they are more critical of things even if they aren’t conscious of it.

The biggest I problem I have with Danny is that he avoids confrontation with his fans. As I said before, he’s a little too worried about his brand. I don’t think he’s as bad about it as some of his contemporaries, who have co-dependent relationships with their fans (which I distrust because I find that manipulative and dishonest); I hate when he feels like he has to do damage control with his stans on twitter (the Reddit AMA thing) but I don’t think he panders either. 

BUT what bothers me The Most is that he doesn’t make the point to call out fans who harass the creators he covers. He’s done it once or twice but I feel like all commentary YouTubers should make an effort to specify the difference between comedy/commentary/criticism and bullying/harassment. Most people swarm to commentary content because they want the drama, because they love to hate and, sadly, they think that harassment is justified even if a creator isn’t doing something horribly wrong. Hell, even if they’re doing something horribly wrong, they’re still getting undeserved attention and harassment. doesn’t. communicate. criticism. 

This is a reason why I’d wish he’d be more overt with this criticism because it doesn’t always translate…especially for his younger fans. 

What’s the point of all this? I guess I just wanted to get my inner-monologue about this out in the fresh air but I also wanted to point out that Danny’s content is still critical and it’s been effectively critical for me. He makes me appreciate comedy and criticism more but I still wish he’d be more overt about some things.

[adz]

hi here is my albums of the year list for 2019. i will also put it below under the break. happy nu year friends

ALBUMS I LOVED

Big Thief - U.F.O.F. & Two Hands This band has something so special. It's almost as enjoyable to hear Lenker, the primary songwriter, talk about her philosophy and her connection to her bandmates as it is to listen to their consistently wonderful and gently boundary-pushing music. I've combined these two albums into one list item because they're flip sides of the same coin: spirit and earth, ethereal and corporeal, unknown and known. If you've heard their earlier two albums, you might be put off a little: there aren't any smash hits like Masterpiece on here, nor any doomed ballads like Shark Smile. These albums are a little blurrier, shadows and gleaming bits of light floating past. At times the songs sound less like early Big Thief than they do Adrianne's solo releases: lyric focused, strange sprawling structures, a bit rougher around the edges. At these records' cores, though, the soul is the same true soul. On U.F.O.F., there are sadness-tinged love songs like Orange and an ode to a dead relationship or dead loved one, Terminal Paradise, recut from Adrienne's solo discography. On Two Hands, rollicking rockers like Forgotten Eyes and the titular track nestle up against the tender and painful Wolf and a live staple for the band, Not, a song that builds momentum and tumbles towards its conclusion like a meteor. Whether you're a devoted fan (and I don't know anyone who listens to Big Thief but doesn't consider themselves one) or a newcomer, it's worthwhile to spend some time close to these records. Let them, and they'll grow on you.

Kim Petras - TURN OFF THE LIGHT Easily the best collection of club pop songs this year began as a Halloween-themed mixtape, which I think gives it a willingness to experiment that I sometimes miss in Petras's more standard stuff. The hooks on tracks like There Will Be Blood, Close Your Eyes, and Tell Me It's a Nightmare are as good as anything in her discography, and the most adventurous moments, like the interlude o m e n and the German verse in In the Next Life, not only pay off but fuck harder than basically anything I've ever heard. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Dr. Luke was one of this record's producers. The fact that he gets a cut of every stream and sale is a terrible blemish on what would otherwise be a huge favorite of mine.

Sufjan Stevens & Timo Andres - The Decalogue A forceful, sometimes opaque album. Delicate and opinionated piano music for ballet. One moment of particular transcendent beauty: the track V.

Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising A 10/10, perfect, totally wonderful album. A ton of variety and not a single bad song. By turns upbeat, dreamy, contemplative, creepy, explosive. One of the most beautiful and evocative album covers of the year to boot.

Andrew Bird - My Finest Work Yet I appreciate Andrew Bird's esoteric trips and darkly introspective weirdness, so it surprised me how much I enjoyed this: a bouncy, ascerbic, and delightful return to form packed with ironic turns of phrase and endlessly engrossing little musical details. Bloodless is a legit political statement, a State of the Union address that is somehow equal parts ominous and encouraging. Sisyphus is freewheeling and also political, a common thread here. My favorite is Manifest, a disco-inflected ode to fossil fuels. You could blast it and joyfully sing along without ever realizing how apocalyptic it is.

Nivhek - After its own death / Walking in a spiral towards the house Moody, spacious, and minimalist. Lovely and meditative.

M83 - DSVII A world all of its own. Cinematic, strange, and cheesy. I really appreciate M83's willingness to do absolutely whatever they want when they could easily have made a career pandering to fans of Midnight City and selling songs to car companies. DSVII is spacious and upbeat, steeped in the memory of 70s space western epics. Flutes, pianos, and shimmering picked guitars float over crashing post-rock drums and synths ranging from contemplative sweeps (Mirage) and buzzing pads (Colonies) to swelling vox (Taifun Glory) and precise, retro little bleeps (Oh Yes You're There, Everyday). It's wonderful background music, and the choice tracks (Temple of Sorrow, Mirage, Hell Riders) are great fun and even occasionally thrilling. This album is easy to love.

Thom Yorke - Anima Detuned synths lying motionless in a cold desert fading in and out of life

Foxes in Fiction - Trillium Killer A swirling dream-pop masterpiece. I had the privilege of seeing Warren perform some of these songs earlier this year, and I felt totally transported, like I was physically present in the green holographic world of his back-stage projections. These songs are complex and really special, crafted with care and an ear highly attuned to odd harmonies and little additive details. I love the way stories and thoughts weave together across the album. The catchy, gently swelling music is a brilliant compliment for the lyrics, which are often dark and intense, blurring the political and personal on songs like Say Yes to Violence and Antibody. Aesthetically, this album is a delight, but there's so much depth beneath its glimmering surface. What a wonderful addition to Foxes in Fiction's powerful and lovely discography.

Xiu Xiu - Girl with Basket of Fruit Xiu Xiu always makes me smile. This album is dense and abrasive and very lyrics-forward. Jamie Stewart sounds fucking pissed and I love it. The beats are quick and unrelenting: samples of Haitian drummers led by musician Daniel Brevil. I also can't get over the fact that Angela Seo published her favorite and least favorite lyrics from each song. Jamie wrote this about the record's title, which references Caravaggio's painting Boy with a Basket of Fruit: "When this title is a boy it is fey and lovely. When it is a girl is worrisome and rife with danger. Male martyrs are almost always surrounded by nurses, their mothers, adoring angels and other loving disciples wrapping their crushed and holy bodies in strips of herb soaked cloth and weeping rapturously. Female martyrs are almost always depicted having their skin flayed, breasts branded or ripped off with tongs or being stabbed and they are always, always alone save for her murderers. There is never anyone by their sides celebrating their spiritual life, only fiendishly reveling in their torture of her. It is perilous to be a 'girl.'"

Bats - Alter Nature I was shocked to find out these guys have been around for 10 years. This sounds like an album by a young band, which I mean as a compliment: it's energetic and rough and a little uneven in parts in ways that I enjoy. The sound is either especially intense but poppy post-punk or kind of gentle hardcore. I think there's a lot of crossover potential between those two fan bases here. Their attitude is what I love more than anything else. I don't know how to describe it exactly. It feels like the band are willing to go to weird, sarcastic places and then quickly snap back to sincerity and brutality, often multiple times in one song. I'm not much of a hardcore fan, but I almost wish they'd spent a little more time with that sound: my favorite parts on this record are the heavier bits like the end of Current Affairs.

Olivia Neutron-John - Olivia Neutron-John This album sounds like if you trapped a musique concrete artist in a timeless hell with a couple drum machines and synths for a millenium and then poked a hole in the wall and recorded what came out. Really fun and uncomfortable. I do still think the best format to experience ONJ is in her like 20-minute rambling dance tracks, like 2017's Injury Train.

Liturgy - H.A.Q.Q. A lot of people really despise Liturgy, and if that's the case for you, this album probably won't change your mind, but for what it's worth, it's a little more accessible than their synth-horn-heavy black metal midi extravaganza of a previous album The Ark Work. H.A.Q.Q. does contain weird, tonally distinct interludes (the EXACO trio of tracks) between its transcendental metal pillars, but they're the rare interludes that go beyond merely cleansing the palette and setting the mood for whatever follows. EXACT III especially is a bright and emotionally complete unit. What we're really here for is the metal, though, and this album delivers like nothing Liturgy has released before. Composer/singer/guitarist Hendrix's melodies are unique and beautiful, the riffs and blastbeats are tight, and the stuttering glitches that break up dense passages are welcome even when they're really surprising. HAJJ, PASAQALIA, GOD OF LOVE, and HAQQ are all monster tracks, but the whole album is well worth your time. The lead single, GOD OF LOVE, is a great place to start. This is definitely, easily my favorite black metal album of all time, and probably my favorite metal album full stop.

Blood Orange - Angel's Pulse Dev Hynes' mixtape is by turns propulsive and relaxing, softspoken and hardheaded. It's brilliant and beautiful and although it's not too long, each song is given ample room to breathe. I wish other artists were as effective at utilizing guest artists (some tracks here have three guests, and Hynes is able to manage their time well enough that there's no feeling of bloatedness or a lack of cohesion). I love this album. It might be my favorite thing Hynes has ever done. Listen to: Take It Back, Berlin, Dark & Handsome

Toro y Moi - Outer Peace Chaz's album Boo Boo was one of my favorite albums of 2017, but because it wasn't chillwave enough or whatever, people didn't seem to give it a fair shake. That seems to be the case with Outer Peace, too: it's less of a single unit than Boo Boo and contains more danceable content, but it's a little too moody and eccentric to win over fans of Anything In Return, Chaz's basically perfect 2013 opus. (As a side note, his mixtape Soul Trash, which also came out this year, is good fun too.) Anyway, Outer Peace feels kind of like a more accessible extension of Boo Boo. Parts of it still feel like a deranged early-morning exercise program on college radio, which I like. Try some of the lighter stuff first: Fading, Ordinary Pleasure, and Freelance.

Opium Lord - Vore No genre has better subgenre descriptors than metal. This is a black sludge album, and that's pretty much all you need to know.

Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling Okay so this album technically came out in 2018, but it had a wide release this year on Topshelf Records with like four different wax colors, and also I only found out about it early this year, and I need to spread the word about one of the most delightful, fun, and beautiful albums I've ever heard. On Crumbling, organic strums and synthetic trills form a deeply engaging tapestry. I love every second of it. Combining sounds in this way totally qualifies as left-field experimental shit just because It Seems Like Nobody Else Is Doing It For Some Reason (except I guess Floating Points, see SOTY), but the music itself is actually really accessible. This is what pop music should sound like! We have the technology!! Please listen to this album. Dirt and Gameun Deut are my favorites at the moment, but you honestly can't go wrong.

Angel Olsen - All Mirrors Olsen's gotten grander. Her ballads are longer and involve strings and synthesizers and beat machines. The soul feels the same to me, though. Songs like the title track are powerful and emotive and showcase not just her vocal range but a new range of sonic experimentation that I think complements her songwriting really well. For those who aren't on board with the 7-minute ballads, there are also more lighthearted tracks like Too Easy and Spring. I knew that Chance reminded me of a specific song, but I couldn’t think of the name until I read something by a person named Grimelords about how it’s like her version of Sinatra's My Way. That’s exactly what it’s like.

Girl Band - The Talkies Shoulderblades is an ugly, mammoth, multi-part story. Brilliant genreless repetition like in album opener Prolix and at the end of Couch Combover. Amygdela sounds like if early Preoccupations was fronted by someone undergoing torture whilst also muttering at their withdrawal hallucinations. The vibe here is complex. It's a very consistent album, but the collection of sounds and attitudes is really unusual. Caveat is a great example: a simple beat and twitching synth line turns into a lumbering mess of distortion-and back again, whenever it decides to-at will.

0 Stars - Blowing on a Marshmallow in Perpetuity Timid singing, odd titles, and every-instrument-in-the-room textures on this album belie depth and a very warm heart. "even though my dog barked at a baby, i won't tell her 'no' cause that's just the way she deals with being scared and sometimes i get scared too, and it's bad enough without the shame when i mess things up and you don't come over, i go to the kitchen and eat leftovers just because i'm sad doesn't mean it is fair to depend on you when you're sad too"

(Sandy) Alex G - House of Sugar With Gretel—the best song of the year—as its lead single, House of Sugar set an impossibly high expectation. Although Gretel is certainly a high point on the album, there are many more: Hope is inconspicuous but beautiful, honest, and cathartic, SugarHouse is a devastating jam, and Southern Sky whirls comfortingly from a rose-tinted verse into a chorus supposedly inspired by a dream and tinged with sadness. All but one of these songs are under 4 minutes long, but they're packed with conflict between abstract and concrete lyrics, beauty and strangeness. It's Alex G, so don't be surprised by the unexpected and often outright weird electronic flourishes and transitions throughout the record, but if you can handle its irregularities, this is easily one of the most fresh-sounding and enjoyable albums of the year.

Emily Reo - Only You Can See It A bright, fun, and beautiful album full of bouyant vocals and strange twists and turns. Although I deeply love the poppy stuff here (like the anthemic single Strawberry), my faves are the slower, darker, vaguely occultish songs: Ghosting, Counterspell (a shimmering sequel to 2016's Spell, one of the best songs of the year), and In Theaters, which is one of those songs that builds and builds and then has the most satisfying payoff. It might be my favorite ending of any album this year. I hope you check this one out. Emily is the coolest and this album rocks.

Chromatics - Closer To Grey Of course this came out in October. Chromatics is the only band that is allowed to use canned vinyl hiss. The first song on this record is a Sound of Silence cover and it is amazing.

Mizmor - Cairn I try to approach new music without giving too much thought to the circumstances of its creation, but something about the idea of a mythical lone individual painstakingly crafting beautiful layered music appeals to me, whether it's Phil Elverum of Mt. Eerie, Sufjan Stevens, or this: Mizmor, some dude from Portland, OR making sick, dense black metal. Cairn is a slow, doomy, cinematic album, and maybe these qualities make it easier to notice the incredible attention to detail on individual riffs or little instrumental passages. My favorites were Cairn to God and The Narrowing Way

Laura Agnusdei - Laurisilva Lounge music from hell. Twin Peaks-y saxophone glides over squishy synthetic beats. Lungs Dance sounds like a block of jello having a nightmare. In all seriousness, this is an ingenious and very unique album and I enjoy it a lot. A lot of music I listened to this year attempted to merge organic and synthetic sound in a way that emphasises their similarities. Here, synthetic sounds and recognizable voices/samples/sax & flute riffs are juxtaposed, and the rift is never bridged. And it's weirdly comfortable. This is the most acidic of acid jazz. And honestly, I just really like how wet the synths sound.

~~~~~

SONGS I LOVED (singles for albums that i think outshone the album OR songs that were released not as part of an album OR just songs i heard and enjoyed. this will hopefully prevent me from including an album i don't actually love just because i really dug one song on it)

Arthur Russell - You Did It Yourself Iowa Dream is a great collection of Russell's more accessible unreleased work. You Did It Yourself in particular is such a perfectly weird, groovy almost-pop song, a reminder that Russell was as talented a writer of hooks as he was a mastermind of electroacoustic experimentation. To explore his other side, check out another of his posthumous releases from this year, Not Checking Up.

MGMT - In The Afternoon A gothic post-punk masterpiece that sort of follows from their excellent 2018 album Little Dark Age. This is MGMT's best era ever. My most-anticipated-2020 list is basically MGMT and Owen Pallett's Island. And probably one or two more Big Thief records.

Floating Points - Falaise Floating Points' 2019 album Crush consists mostly of Aphex-Twin-y glitch-beat tracks that occasionally push towards something really interesting and unique. It's a great album, but the organic instruments on opener Falaise set you up brilliantly for an organosynthetic payoff that never arrives.

Honey by Drugdealer/Weyes Blood okay, Lonely on the same album is fun, if a little silly. Lost In My Dream is also totally decent, and Fools is kind of a bop... actually, this whole album, while not totally my cup of tea, is great. If you like 70's-disco-inflected (like, Bee Gees) retro rock, sweet vocal harmonies and guitar licks, and a few indulgences (like saxophone), you'll totally dig this record. I'm gonna spend some more time with it. Honey fucks especially though imo

Everything All at Once - G Jones Something about this song just scratches an itch in my brain. The rest of this album is basically dubstep, and it all sandwiches this one beautiful little song. Better not to question life's gifts.

Perfume Genius - Eye in the Wall Sandunes & Landslands - Eleven Eleven James Blake - Barefoot In The Dark new grimes unfortunately Deafheaven - Black Brick

~~~~~

Honorable Mentions/stuff i like but other people would probably love

Kim Gordon - No Home Record An experimental (but comfortably modern) record by the 66-yr-old Gordon, best known as a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist in Sonic Youth, a band I occasionally appreciate but can't say I love. Parts of No Home Record are noise rock-y, like Murdered Out, and others totally defy comprehension: Paprika Pony seems to have the most buzz surrounding it, which makes sense since it features both a kalimba and a trap beat. Really not a resting-on-laurels type of album. I wish more iconic older musicians made shit like this.

Pharmakon - Devour The rare album that makes me forget about my tinnitus. A dense cloud of distortion and sharply biting microscopic needle creatures that settle around your shoulders and block out all light. Fucking awesome. Listen if you enjoy oppressive painfully pulsing sound textures of industrial noise blanketing completely incoherent screaming.

clipping. - There Existed an Addiction to Blood This is a tough one for me because there are things about this album I can't stand, but many more things I absolutely love. The inventiveness of the production on Run for Your Life, Daveed's absurdly skilled delivery on Blood of the Fang, the harsh noise and musique concrete combining delightfully with rap on songs like La Mala Ordina; all of this is extremely exciting. I really love the last track Piano Burning, an 18-minute recording of, yes, a piano burning. The thing is, clipping.'s lyrical content is more or less the same here as on 2013's Midcity mixtape. It's ultra-violent, filled with graphic descriptions of gang violence and torture, which is fine, but just not something I'm that interested in listening to more than once or twice. They've branched out elsewhere (on their previous album, Splendor & Misery, and on the recent EP The Deep), but to me, it's unfortunate that this super cool and thoughtful album is lyrically (at least, on the surface) just a collection of descriptions of people being murdered. I don't really have any interest in reading more into it than that, because I regret pretty much every time I try to pay close attention, either because it's gross and boring or because it's embarrassing (The Show, for example). I want to emphasize that as horrorcore goes, the writing here is mostly very good. The rhyme patterns like at the beginning of Story 7 are genius. It's just not for me, I guess. I'm gonna keep listening to a few songs, though: Nothing is Safe, La Mala Ordina, Run for Your Life, and Blood of the Fang are excellent.

Field Whispers - Fire-Toolz The Warm-Body is a great song. Hyphen- (and parenthesis-) heavy vapor/pc music/new age/ambient jazzy synth stuff. really nice.

Caroline Polachek - Pang every r/indieheads dude: i like slide guitar now probably the best vocal performance of any album I heard this year, Polachek is just ludicrously good. listen to Insomnia

Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿ When most artists release an album of outsized acclaim, you can with some certainty expect them to mimic its acclaimed qualities later on in an attempt to reach the same level of success. Danny Brown is not most artists, though, and no one who knows him would count on a retreading of the ground covered in Atrocity Exhibition, Danny's nearly perfect 2016 album. uknowhatimsayin¿ is more lighthearted and, I think, a little less ambitious (it's 13 minutes shorter, with more consistent track lengths; there's no "Really Doe"), but not to its detriment. The features are less head-turning than AE (up-and-comers JPEGMAFIA and Obongjayer, the understated genius Blood Orange, and Run the Jewels, the most overrated act in hip hop), but they all fit in neatly. Tracks like Belly of The Beast and Negro Spiritual prove Danny could still rap over a washing machine or musique concrete or fucking whatever. The lyrics are less dense, the beats less experimental and strange, but the lighter energy is kind of nice. Atrocity Exhibition could've lost three or four tracks, but this album feels juuuust right.

HTRK - Over the Rainbow Soft, ambient, moody. Reminds me of William Basinski's Watermusic II, but this album is less repetitive and a little less weird. It's background music for people who hate background music. It's delightful and ignorable. Very nice.

Blarf - Cease & Desist Shockingly decent plunderphonics/noise album from Eric Andre, who it must be pointed out attended one of the most prestigious music colleges in the world.

Ryan Lott - Pentaptych Beautiful, prickly modernist string compositions.

Cereal Killer - The Beginning & End of Cereal Killer Empath - Active Listening: Night on Earth Ithaca - The Language of Injury Mannequin Pussy - Patience Swan's Chamber - Swan's Chamber Avey Tare - Cows on Hourglass Pond Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz Charli XCX - Charli Black Midi - Schlagenheim Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka Methyl Ethyl - Triage Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion Community Center Twin Peaks - Lookout Low Holly Herndon - Proto Laurel Halo - DJ-Kicks Earl Sweatshirt - Feet of Clay Nihiloxica - Biiri Wet Fruit - Wet Fruit

Best mix: Night Bus 4: Memory of Night Bus by CFCF When Hyperballad hits, you will understand. http://www.gorillavsbear.net/cfcf-drops-night-bus-4-memory-of-night-bus

Best album name:

Gross Net - Gross Net Means Gross Net.

Answers my foremost question immediately.~~~~~

A halfhearted AOTD list, in order this time

1-The Age of Adz

2-Heartland

3-Entrañas

4-The Money Store

5-Channel Orange

6-Planetarium

7-Ontario Gothic

8-Konoyo+Anoyo (this is cheating but whatever)

9-Carrie & Lowell + Greatest Gift (also cheating idc)

10-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

thanks for reading. the world is abundant.

[musings-from-mars]

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of “So This is Basically RWBY”

(Just personal opinion. I reserve the right to snide sarcasm and shade-throwing to the same degree as the video/channel itself.)

Good

Legit thought they got Lindsey Jones and V/ic on there at first. Spot-on impressions. Proof that replacing V/ic isn’t difficult.

“Tuba that is also a gun.”

Makes a good point about all the side characters, buuuut....*

“Pyrrha....so many death flags...semaphore.”

“Adam, whose Semblance is Being The Worst.”

Yeah, what happened to all of Torchwick’s Dust?

Rick Branwen and Morty Rose vibes.

“Mommy Salami.”

Appropriate jabs at v4 and v5

Why was being turned into birds a bad thing? This was overplayed in the series while the real reasons they should be pissed at Oz are underplayed. I’ll give ‘em that.

The impressions, again.

Bad

Rested on the “pronouncing RWBY wrong” joke a bit too heavily.

*....also segways into how “the show isn’t about the characters,” which is false. Also, they say their favorite character is Neo, and I agree with them big time there, but Neo is also kinda one of those side characters that we don’t know much about—the kind which were derided earlier. Odd to choose a fav even though they aren’t explored like the video claimed they need to be.

Ignores the incredible improvement of the animation and art. But sure, seven shaky dollars mistake-y

Ignores how “magic” differs from Dust and Semblance. “Magic” came from the God of Darkness himself (“my gift to them”). Dust seems to come from the remains of the Shattered Moon (remember when Horned Thanos was super extra launching himself into space?), and Man (“born from Dust,” ergo, the Moon Remnants) has a Semblance powered by that Dust. TL;DR, Magic=God of Darkness, Dust and Semblance=Moon.

Ozpin is morally gray, in the small sense. His goal is to prevent Salem from summoning the gods and destroying Remnant by trying to protect the Relics. Of course, to access the Relics, you need Maidens, and....well, Pyrrha died for his mission. She choose to serve him, but his actions has resulted in the deaths of Pyrrha and who knows who else. He is trying his best, but what he is trying to accomplish is not a mission one can pursue by being completely good. He did nothing “evil,” but morally gray doesn’t mean “doing good and evil things,” it means pursuing a good cause through questionable/morally ambiguous means, such as hiding the Relics inside the Academies so you can use these teenagers as an army to protect them if things Fall.

Ugly

Trashing Blake (Bland?) without actually critiquing her character, and ignores Yang completely (strange, I wonder why....................)

............................

I figure the insinuation that “Bumbleby came out of nowhere/is forced/is pandering” (wouldn’t want the queers to be too happy) is simply something added to this video because they wanted the video to be agreeable to a vocal batch of fans(?). Trashing a popular aspect of a show is bound to grab clicks, after all; positivity doesn’t quite draw. This, of course, ignores the character arcs of Blake and Yang completely (as evidenced by nothing being addressed about Blake except “no likey” and Yang being ignored completely). Blake and Yang, of course, have talked to one another plenty in the series, as well as hugged, danced, pined after, and hugged again. If they hadn’t, Bumbleby would not have been as popular. I love Ladybug, but if it became canon, that would be out of nowhere considering how little Ruby and Blake have spoken to one another. It’s nothing new that a (likely) male content creator has a problem with Bumbleby, but I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they didn’t form these opinions themself, but browsed Reddit and Animo for bad takes to pander to instead. As for the rest of us, we’ll keep appreciating the wlw rep RWBY has given us. ((I say all of this as not the most avid Bumbleby fan. I just recognize Bumbleby’s importance and series-long build.))

Trashed the soundtrack. If you dislike the RWBY soundtrack, you are provably wrong.

Overall, a funny video that had me laughing at parts, and cringing hard at others. So many great points were made, but they were unfortunately bogged down by dismissive non-criticisms. It is meant to be comedy, of course, so supporting arguments weren’t expected. It’s not informational, and I’m responding herein with more information than this video featured, while sacrificing humor. It’s been a while since I watched a video on this channel (kinda forgot it existed). Kinda wish to not to do so in the future, judging by this weird oozy jacuzzi feeling in my stomach after watching it 4 1/2 times. They can take criticism, I’m sure.

I know this video is just a joke and I shouldn’t get so offended by something I love being dragged. But hey, I love RWBY and I’ll defend it, even if I might come off as being more offended than a geriatric white man when told Happy Holidays. Satire be satire, as this post is, as the video is.

@rihwooby

[chuffyfan87]

Hiding. Part 82b (NSFW)

“How did you guess?”

"Just a hunch." She grinned. "You go sit at your desk and we'll see what we can do. It'd be nice if you could leave on time today."

He grinned and kissed her forehead before moving back to his desk. “Remember the first time you chucked all that paperwork on the floor so I could fuck you on the desk?”

"And we spent the rest of the shift tidying up..!" She giggled, slipping off her shoes and hopping up to perch on the edge of the desk, her feet resting in his lap.

His hand ran up the inside of her thigh, “It was fun though.”

"It was." She shifted slightly to pick up the file on top of the stack.

His hand continued to rub her thigh, he was getting distracted.

Sensing his distraction Duffy gently bopped Charlie on the head with the file she was holding.

He pouted. “That hurt!”

"Aww, you poor baby!" She teased. "As soon as this pile is finished I'll give you a treat for being a good boy." She promised seductively.

“What kind of treat?” He grew slightly erect at the idea.

"Depends on how much of a good boy you are..." She placed a finger in her mouth before flicking open the file in her hands.

He held her gaze before he picked up a file. Between them, they managed to complete all the paperwork.

"Well now that took us hardly any time at all once you were concentrating properly."

“You make it so hard to concentrate, especially when I’ve got this.” He pointed to his crotch.

"Oh so that's why you found it so hard to concentrate was it." She smirked with deliberate emphasis.

“Uh huh, definitely is.”

Duffy hopped down from her perch and pushed his chair back from the desk, moving to stand in the gap she'd created.

He gazed up at her and smiled softly, “You ok?”

She eased herself down so she was knelt in front of him. "I'm ok, how about you?" She asked, running her hands along his thighs.

“Hard.” He replied, his breathing becoming heavier. He ran his hand through her hair, “You sure about this?”

"Perfectly sure now stop asking silly questions!" She retorted, giving him a mock glare.

Receiving the mock glare, his cock twitched and he sighed contently.

Working her hands up to his belt buckle she quickly freed him from the suffocating material of his trousers and boxers. "Well hello there big boy!" She purred.

“I so wish you could sit on my cock right now.” He admitted.

"Patience is a virtue." She whispered before slowing running the tip of her tongue along his length.

“I’ve forgotten how your pussy feels when it clenches around my cock...” He groaned, slightly louder than he’d intended to when the tip of her tongue ran along his length.

Taking just the tip into her mouth she sucked hard.

He groaned, running his hand through her hair. “Fuck babe.”

Encouraged by his grip on her hair she increased her speed taking him deeper into her mouth with each stroke.

His moans increased in volume as did his grip on her hair. It didn’t take Charlie long before he shot his load down her throat.

Duffy sat back, a satisfied smirk on her face as she wiped her finger on her chin and sucked it clean. She was about to speak when suddenly the door began to open. She dove under the desk in a panic as she heard the CEO's voice.

Charlie just managed to shove his soft cock back in his boxers and zip himself up. “Have you never heard of knocking?” Charlie asked.

Duffy smothered the urge to giggle from her hiding place under the desk - both at the ridiculousness of their predicament and at the grumpy tone in her husband's voice.

"I need to speak to you about these waiting time statistics." The CEO remarked, ignoring Charlie's complaint.

“And it was that urgent it constituted you barging your way in here like a bull in a China shop?” Charlie paused for a moment or so, “Let me guess, you’re not happy about them?”

"You'd be correct in that presumption. The waiting times would be fine if your nurses didn't spend quite so much time idly gossiping."

“My nurses spend too much time gossiping? Waiting times wouldn’t be half as long as they are if people were educated enough on what is classed as an emergency and what can really be discussed with a general practitioner. Don’t blame my nurses for the waiting times when they work bloody damn hard!”

"I personally feel the issue would be rectified by a more substantial presence of senior nurses on the floor during the shifts."

Charlie laughed, “And when do you expect the paperwork to get done? In my own time because I won’t be doing that. The more I’m out on the floor, the less time I have to do things like this..” He gestured to the pile of files.

"That's where your band seven nurses come in Charlie. You need to utilise their expertise better."

“So what exactly are you suggesting?”

"You need to alter the shift patterns of your current band sevens and replace any that are unavailable or inflexible."

“You do realise I won’t be altering anyone’s shift patterns nor replacing those that aren’t flexible!”

"You can't run an efficient department by pandering to your workshy and idle senior nurses."

“And who exactly are we referring to when we talk about those that are workshy and idle? Because I have two of the most hardworking senior nurses in this department!”

"Really? Coz as far as I can see at least one of them spends more time with her feet up at home than here working."

“And which nurse would we be referring to?” The anger was evident in his voice.

"Well you know your department better than I do. It wouldn't really be my place to name names but we can't be seen to play favourites..."

“Why don’t you just come out with it, hm? Do you think I’m favouring my wife over other senior members of staff? You’d be talking rubbish of course. You’re welcome to look at the staffing rotas. My wife does exactly the same number of nights as every other senior staff member as per required in her contract as a staff nurse working in the emergency department. My wife also happens to work opposite shifts to me because it ensures that there’s always someone at home with the children but on occasions we will work the same shift and rely on either our family network or nannies and childminders to look after the children whilst we’re here. My wife also works bloody hard when she is here and often works through her break to ensure the other staff members can take their breaks. Now would you like to continue with the assumption that my wife is workshy or..?”

Duffy couldn't help the snorted giggle that escaped her before she slammed her hand over her face.

Noticing the CEO’s silence, Charlie smirked; “I didn't think so. Anything else you’d like to discuss whilst you’re here only...” He glanced at the clock, “My shift finished two minutes ago.”

"Only that next time your wife comes into the department outside of shift hours I suggest she remembers to take her shoes home when she leaves!" He remarked, looking pointedly at the abandoned pair that lay on the office floor before turning to leave.

Charlie laughed, “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll tell her to stop leaving her stuff around when I get home.”

"Her apparent magnificent nursing skills that you think so highly of would be much more useful to the department than her abandoned belongings." He retorted before leaving the office.

“You cheeky bastard!” Charlie called. He was a right bastard!

Hearing the door close Duffy broke out into peels of laughter.

Charlie moved and pulled her out from underneath the desk. “You are so, so naughty!”

"I'm not the one who got into a fight with the CEO." She shrugged, still giggling.

“That’s true. Shall we go home, babe?”

"Should I log the time I just spent working on reports? Wouldn't want the CEO thinking I'm completely workshy, would we?" She snorted.

He laughed, “Depends which bit you log? You giving me an incredible blowjob probably won’t impress him.”

"Surely reducing the stress levels of the nursing manager comes under my remit as department sister?" She grinned.

“That’s very true.” He squeezed her bum. “I love you.”

"Shall we go home before someone else casts aspersions on my character?"

“Yes lets!” He squeezed her bum again, kissed her tenderly and together, they left the office and the department.

Once they reached the car Duffy turned to Charlie. "I'm not sure there could have been a worse person to walk through that door. I'm just glad he wasn't two minutes quicker."

He smirked, “He would’ve got an eyeful.”

"Luckily I've learnt to lean forwards rather than backwards to avoid that particular problem." She licked her lips as she settled back into the passenger seat.

“Bet you’re full after all that, aren’t you?” As he got into the driver's side and closed the door, he couldn’t help but rub her inner thigh again. “Full and wet...”

"I'm not going to need seconds at dinnertime that's for sure."

“You didn’t answer my other question.”

She uncrossed and recrossed her legs slowly and deliberately. "Well being interrupted did rather take the edge off things a little..." She pouted.

“Would you like me to release some tension for you? I could use my hand..” His hand travelled further up her thigh, “And I’ll be gentle.”

She slid back further into her chair as his hand went higher, her legs uncrossing themselves once more.

“Fancy finding a secluded spot before heading home?”

"You don't fancy taking your chances in the carpark then?" She asked, her eyes half closed.

He shook his head, “Not particularly.” He began to drive in the direction of home, stopping in a quiet spot near some fields.

"Much more romantic!" She giggled as she unbuckled her seat belt and groped blindly for the lever that reclined her seat further.

Taking off his seatbelt, Charlie lent over and slowly began to remove her leggings and knickers.

She let out a muffled giggle as she finally found the lever sending them both toppling backwards.

He kissed her neck, “What were you thinking on the way here?”

"How I wish it wasn't just your hands..."

“I can use my tongue?”

"I'd like that but... Are you sure?" She was trying not to be anxious but couldn't help herself.

“Of course I’m sure.” He stroked her inner thighs, “What’s making you anxious?”

"Its only been a month since I had a baby, everything isn't quite back to how it was yet."

“And you think that’s going to put me off?”

She nodded.

“No darling, it doesn’t.” He ran his index finger over her, “You weren’t kidding when you said you were wet, were you?”

She shivered at his touch, her eyes closing again.

He did it again.

She let out a soft moan.

He moved himself so his tongue was able to meet her clit.

"Shit!" She gasped.

“You ok?” He asked.

"Yeh, it's just been a while."

He kissed her clit again and ran his tongue over her.

She reached down and ran her fingers through his hair.

His tongue began to probe her insides, he was gentle with her.

Once she was comfortable she tightened her grip encouraging him to increase his speed slightly.

Feeling her tighten her grip in his hair, Charlie increased his speed slightly. He was allowing her to be in control.

It didn't take much for her to start to peak - it had been a long time and he knew exactly what she liked afterall.

Feeling her begin to climax, he increased his pace once again.

"Fuck! Charlie!" She moaned.

Satisfied once she’d climaxed, Charlie gently kissed her pussy before moving, licking his lips. “You okay baby?”

"Yeh." She replied, slightly breathless.

“You taste just as sweet as always.”

"Oh fuck I needed that." She mumbled.

“We both needed that.” He replied with a grin. He kissed her softly.

She slid her tongue along his lip.

He held her gaze, “Do you feel better?”

"Much." She smiled before pulling him closer again.

“Good. I’m glad I could be of assistance.”

"Charlie?"

“Yes babe?”

"Shut up and kiss me!"

He grinned and kissed her passionately.

She pulled him so he lay half over her as their hands began to reacquaint themselves with each other.

His hands roamed every inch of her body, his fingertips brushing against the scar on her abdomen.

"I want you so bad..!" She whispered hotly in his ear.

“So do I,” He whispered. “But you said you’re still tender. I don’t want to hurt you.”

"Two more weeks?" She grumbled, groaning with frustration.

“We can try now if you want? Like tonight? But if it’s hurting you or is uncomfortable, we should wait.”

"Flouting the doctor's express instructions again..? We're such naughty nurses..!" She giggled.