#it was just good!! the plot isn't confusing but it isn't predictable either

[casual--scare]

FNAF

[obsidianpen]

Okay, so a lot of people here have talked about the use of AI and large language models such as ChatGPT, and honestly, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I think that using them to help you proofread is fine. So spelling, grammar, and that sort of thing. And writers can also do this process themselves obviously, but I don't see the harm in using ChatGPT for this, as long as you are aware that you are giving your data and story over to OpenAI.

When it comes to ideas, bouncing ideas off of an AI can be fun, but only to the extent that they are completely your ideas (meaning the AI didn't come up with the idea for you and you aren't giving the AI information about someone else's ideas). So your idea your choice, but don't use the AI to get the idea for your work and don't give the AI other people's ideas or works. And this only really applies if you don't have anybody either in-person or online to do this with instead.

The last thing I'll say is that AI writing isn't the greatest. It can sound realistic and be cohesive to an extent, but it isn't the same as a real author. I actually tested this a few times because I was curious how it would turn out, and I promise that it is not a substitute or replacement for real authors. I think this is because ChatGPT and other AIs work by predicting what is the best/most likely word to come next in its response based off of the dataset it was trained on. It even has a function that allows some degree of randomness/variability in the next word, rather than only using the top/best next word each time. But this means it isn't coming up with new or inventive ideas. It doesn't come up with plot twists, it can't plan slowly developing arcs across multiple chapters, and it doesn't make the characters interesting to read, have a lot of depth, sound real, or so forth. There are more things too, but I'm just giving a non-exhaustive list of why ChatGPT's writing is not the same as a real author's writing.

Note: I apologize if this isn't clear or if I'm just rambling or if I made any typos. I'm writing this on my phone and have not had ChatGPT or other AI proofread it for me.

hm. I’d say there’s been a lot more discussion about whether or not Tom Riddle has a breeding kink (he does not; just a WAP kink) and about the height difference between Harry and Voldemort in NG (there are charts; they are, somehow, confusing). I don’t want this to be a recurring theme on this blog, so consider this my (very hopefully) last post on this topic.

My opinion on the matter: I don’t agree with your reasoning for using AI. You said you didn’t think it was an issue ‘as long as you are aware that you are giving your data and story over to OpenAI.’ I think you absolutely should care that you’re giving your data and story over to AI!!! You should care. Pretty much just sold yourself there as far as I’m concerned.

I don’t think anyone should be using AI for proofreading. I don’t know how great it is at this, but even if it’s amazing, I think you should be doing this yourself!!! Editing is a skill, and a great one to have. I catch a lot of things when I proofread my own shit; I realize I missed things or screwed things up - not just grammatically speaking but plot wise, which as you said, AI can’t help with anyway. Proofread your own stuff. Proofread your own stuff!!!! And if you want a second set of eyes on your work, ask a real human!!!!!!!!

re: bouncing your ideas off of AI… no!!!! Bounce your ideas off of PEOPLE I promise you will have much better conversations because they will be with someone who can think critically.

and the thing about chatGPT not writing super well… yeah, duh. But what some writers do is use shit like chatGPT as a starting point, then edit. It doesn’t come up with plot twists - unless you feed them to it. No one is arguing that it’s a good as a ‘real author’ but that doesn’t mean people who consider themselves ‘real authors’ aren’t using it. I think this sucks, because, in case we forgot, chatGPT uses theft as its foundation.

(and this isn’t even touching on the environmental shit concerning AI.)

In conclusion: I don’t think anyone should use it for anything creative. At all. Feel free to disagree (and you can post about that on your own blog), but if you lean on AI to edit or create your creative work, you’re only hindering yourself.

Note: I apologize if this isn't clear or if I'm just rambling or if I made any typos. I'm also writing this on my phone and have not had ChatGPT or other AI proofread it for me, nor would I ever.

[b0oker18]

Some thoughts on Claudia Grays ‘The X files: Perihelion’

**Spoilers ahead**

First off I need to say that I am a certified, card carrying disliker of The X Files Revival, so some of my thoughts on this book may have some negative bias. Canon for me either ends at season 8 or IWTB (depending on the day lol) so I'm just here for the ride and I'm not going to take anything in this novel or in future novels too seriously!

Secondly, I am not a writer. Some of my thoughts may be incoherent and I apologize for that up front, but I feel the need to write down my thoughts so they do not constantly overwhelm my brain….

Hope you enjoy!! 

Likes: 

Claudia Gray overall does a good job with writing Mulder and Scully, you can tell she loved these characters as much as we do. It was easy for me to hear their voices in my head while reading.

I thought the novel flowed quite nicely. Oftentimes it went from a chapter mostly about the casefile, then to MSR, then to a chapter about the new villain (Brighteyes or Robin Vane), etc. It kept me wanting more, mostly for the MSR but a little for the casefile as well.

I really liked some of the MSR in this novel. Gray did the absolute best job she could do given the shit show she inherited from CC. I tip my cap to her!

My favorite MSR scene in particular was at the end of the book in chapter 39. To keep it brief Mulder and scully talk about WIlliam as THEIR SON once again, and how even though he may not be theirs via natural conception, he is still THEIR SON…. See CC it really isn't that hard is it? The Convo is played as Scully apologizing to Mulder for not wanting to talk about William, but in reality it's an apology to Mulder AND herself for her treatment of William. I mean this is a convo that they should have had years ago, but better late than never I suppose…. I’ll say again Cladia Grey was giving a bag of shit but she made some decent stew out of it.

I actually liked Robin Vane as a “Baddie” although I don't think he is a bad guy. He's morally gray and I will get to take in some of my predictions.

I kinda liked how CSM came back. It's different and unexpected, but I’d rather we no longer hear from him ever again.

Dislikes:

X men plot line, I hate it…. I don't really have anything else to say on this.

Scully's electrical powers. Thats gonna be a no for me dawg

The inheritors, their evil plot for world domination makes no sense. I mean do they even want world domination? I found it all so confusing… So they know that this alien virus is making people into literal X Men yet their plan is, “Hey, they are just going to bend to our will and… make us money or something”... maybe I'm missing something, but this plot felt intentionally vague in order to set up future novels. We will see I guess. 

I really hated the “explanation” for Scully's pregnancy. Why does everything need to be Spooky Science ™ …. I guess I wanted this pregnancy to be Mulder and Scully's proof of a higher power, something that can not be explained by science. That to me is FAR more interesting than spooky science ™ ….

I don't want this to sound like a nitpick but I guess it kinda is. I don't like Mulder and Scully living in a townhouse. I like the unremarkable house, it suits them way better. Oh well…

Why for the love of God are they sleeping in separate beds, they do everything a couple is supposed to do yet they can't share a bed? I mean I guess this was done to create a little bit of tension to keep the reader turning the pages, and it worked on me but still, I think at this point we should drop the relationship drama and move on to something else.

Some predictions:

Mulder and Scully will form an uneasy alliance with Robin Vane and Cherish Craddock. This will drive a bit of a wedge between Mulder and Scully, but like everything they will see it through.

The X Men plot line will be resolved at the end of the next novel.

Mulder and Scully's child will be named Rebecca. I don't remember where I read this but apparently Cludia Gray used to write XF fanfic and she wrote a piece in which Mulder and Scullys child was named Rebecca (Pretty name btw.. I like it.)

The child will NOT have supernatural powers (Im probably wrong on this one)

William AND Gibson will show up at some point and help save the day. William will become, at least in part, part of Mulder and Scullys lives. 

Skinner will play a pivotal role in the next novel, but he will die at some point… When the stakes are this high someones gotta die. Sorry Skin man… 

Final Thoughts:

I've read a few reviews on various websites about this novel and to be honest they are done much better than what I have written down, but I felt compelled to write down my unedited thoughts so I can move on with my life XD.

Overall, I came in expecting I would stop reading a few chapters in but I didn't! I read the whole thing in about 5 sittings. Claudia Gray did the best she could with what she had and I have to give her props! I think this novel is pretty fun! A solid 7/10…  Like I said in the beginning, I don't see this or any other future novel as “canon” so I'm just here for the ride, and I think it's going to be an interesting one!

[phantomoftheorpheum]

PLL: OS (Summer School) 2x03 thoughts

*Spoilers for 2x01-2x03 of Summer School

Okay y'all, so many thoughts. I'm still feeling pretty solid about my predictions from 2x01 & 2x02, but let me go through those and how 2x03 has shifted or solidified my POV.

Christian will be an early suspect because he made the "Bloody Rose" mask, but ultimately is likely innocent. - So I am at least partially correct with this one. He definitely did make a Bloody Rose mask. Whether or not he made the Bloody Rose mask remains to be seen. If he is entirely innocent (as in, he was either commissioned to make the mask, or someone asked to buy it from him after he posted it on social media or something), it seems weird he did not mention this to Tabby when they spoke about it. I also initially thought it was weird that Tabby (and Imogen) were not more freaked out by finding the Bloody Rose & A mask at Christian's, but I need to keep in mind that until the end of this episode, they didn't really believe any of the Bloody Rose stuff was legit. However, I am still sticking with my gut about all this and going with my original theory, which is that Christian will now come under serious suspicion from the girls, since they know Bloody Rose is a real threat at this point.

I'm definitely still sticking with my feeling that Henry/Faran is not a relationship that is long for this world, and Faran is going to be spending quite a bit of screen time with Greg. I still like my theory that Greg & Faran might team up to figure out what's going on with Kelly.

Speaking of, I am still very much on board with my instinct that the Our Mother of Holy Grace church is very much involved with the Bloody Rose scheme. First of all, while I have never been to a Redemption House, and I am not deeply familiar with them, Mouse's "test" felt like it could easily be a scene from one, a "trial by fire" so to speak. Also the imagery of her escaping a burning building feels very "burn in Hell" associated. Another interesting thing about this is that if the church is involved, that means that there could easily be multiple people dressing up as Rose, meaning no one really has an alibi. This is further confused by Imogen's dreams/visions, and Mouse's grandmother's mental state. What is real? What isn't?

No particular "secluded cabin in the woods" evidence either way, so I'm sticking to this one as well.

Okay, now for the new 2x03 thoughts/theories. While this episode had a lot of scenes that didn't directly move the plot forward, they definitely want us feeling suspicious of lots of people right now. We spend a lot of time with the new love interests, so we'll see where that goes.

Jen's financial situation interests me. Noa insists that Jen is "good people" and then we almost immediately have a scene where Jen steals money from work and isn't even very apologetic about it when Noa catches her. It could be easy to wave this off with a "but they met in juvie, so this doesn't seem OOC," but this clearly does take Noa by surprise. So that makes me wonder if Jen's need for cash is going to make a more main plot relevant return. Is Jen desperately in need of money and someone is paying her to get back in good with Noa and feed them info? Am I reaching?

I still really don't know how I feel about Johnny. He had quite a bit of screen time this episode, and he is very charming, but why does he matter? We don't have very many extraneous characters in the show, and while he could just be a love interest (like the role Ash played last season), it certainly wouldn't be a shock if he's got secrets. For some reason, I also wouldn't be super surprised if he got murdered? I don't know why I get that vibe. I think it might be because I still feel that Bloody Rose is punishing "sinners" and Johnny being so upfront about wanting to casually date multiple girls would almost certainly fit that pattern of judgement and warrant "punishment." But also... can't Imogen catch a break?

This is a small thing, but at Mouse's party, Greg clocks Noa & Jen's relationship. While he does so in an obnoxious way, it makes me want to go back and watch his scenes from 2x01 and 2x02 again, just to see if he's made any other obnoxious comments that might actually be insightful. Greg being so annoying could be a really interesting way to deliver serious/important information, without the audience taking it seriously. I'm definitely going to be paying attention to what he says in the future.

Notably absent from the skate party - all the adults, Shawn, Henry, and Ash. While I'm not convinced anyone has a solid alibi (as this whole plot seems too elaborate for one person to pull off), these are characters that we have no visual alibi for while Mouse is being chased by Rose. Though Ash does show up at Mouse's to pick her up shortly after, so he is at least partially covered. He is also perfectly primed to manipulate Mouse's grandmother, though. So maybe those things cancel each other out.

I struggle to believe that Ash is going to turn out to be evil enough to do something like this to Mouse (I mean, obviously I could be wrong. "It's always the boyfriend," is a huge trope for a reason), I don't want to completely rule him out just because I like him, and he's also been kind of "too perfect" in a lot of respects, which puts me a little on guard with him. But I like him and I don't have a solid reason to suspect him at the moment, so I'm going to keep trusting him for now.

My suspicions of Henry & Shawn have both gone up a little bit, particularly Shawn. They seem like the SOs that are "on the outs," so to speak. Either has potential motive (extreme reactions, but potential motive) to seek revenge on their girlfriends- Henry could have already known Faran was lying to him about being cleared to dance (though like holy hell what an overreaction if that has to do with anything), and Shawn could have already known about Noa & Jen's relationship in juvie. Shawn has been "too perfect" in a lot of ways as well, and I also don't really understand how the show will manage to validate Noa & Jen's relationship if Shawn is just 100% an innocent victim in all this. It makes me feel like he may pull a Billy Loomis and we'll discover that he's been plotting revenge on Noa for a long time. If he really has done nothing wrong, then I feel really bad for him.

Kelly seems evidently conflicted in this episode. This definitely tracks with my suspicions of her mother & church, but I do wonder if they're making it too obvious. Kelly was my first thought when Mouse's grandmother told her one of her friends gave her the info on where to take her, and she could feel quite bad about it. She is clearly seeking validation in a lot of ways, and she did seem genuinely touched that Imogen (and the other girls) want to include her in things, so it wouldn't be surprising if she's conflicted. But maybe she's just that good of an actor. I also haven't forgotten that Kelly was very diabolical in the episode that Karen died.

No sign of Wes this episode. Idk that that matters, just making note of it. He could definitely be on the chopping block if Rose is taking out "sinners."

We have now confirmed that all the new love interests are aware of the events of season 1 (to different degrees, but aware). Christian and Johnny were both pretty upfront about their awareness, but I'm not so sure about Jen (who claimed not to know much about it in an earlier episode). I have also noted that both Jen and Christian were possibly seeking out Noa and Tabby (Jen being in summer school, Christian getting a job at the movie theater), while Johnny doesn't appear to have intentionally placed himself in Imogen's path, as she came and applied to the creamery, not the other way around.

I'm pretty sure I have more thoughts about this episode, but there's so much bouncing around in my brain (I just love puzzles), so I'm gonna sleep on it and see where that takes me.

Oh, not a theory, but I just wanted to say again that I really love that this group of girls really feel like friends. They're really supportive of each other and involved in each other's lives and I love that. Anyway!

[hupla222]

Some Predictions: Episode 65

Before I get started I just want to mention something I forgot in my massive post about episode 64 yesterday (I guess check it out if you want). And that's that with Amethio saying Spinel's name, Chalce and Sidian are now the only admins the crew doesn't know the name of, which is kind of neat. It also makes it extra funny that Roy hesitated saying his name. Doesn't know his real name and can barely remember his fake one lol.

On to the actual point of this post, more of my silly little predictions. Which means to say I want to figure out if my main theory still stands with all this new information. I certainly think it can. But let me know what you think!

Now you may be thinking, Hupla, doesn't Spinel referring to Amethio as Gibeon's grandson as the reason he hates him and wants to kill him shoot a hole in the theory considering he did nothing to Sidian? To that I say, not really. In the theory as I see it, Sidian is Gibeon's disowned grandson, as such he is no longer seen as a member of the family. So it's reasonable to say that either Spinel doesn't know the relation because Gibeon never indicates it might exists or he simply doesn't care about it because Gibeon never gave Sidian any special treatment and thus he isn't as devoted loyal as Amethio. Now you may also being thinking, that's great Hupla, but then why would Sidian be complicate helping Spinel kill his little brother. Well I don't personally believe that Sidian and Coral know the reason why they're fighting Roy and Dot, only that Spinel wants them defeated.

Which leads nicely to my predictions at long last. This would be the perfect opportunity to reveal the two of them to be brothers. Like, when all is discovered and everyone finds out about the cave in having Sidian rush away into the mountains to go find him, dragging a begrudging and confused Dot and Roy with him. Fifty fifty on whether Coral would follow them. And then we get to see this odd trio kinda sorta working together to free the trapped duo, only to split off immediately to find their respective partner when the blockade is down. Would be very amusing to see Amethio getting and earful from his older brother for being reckless. If Coral was there she'd be yucking it up since its not her on the chopping block for once. It would also be a good tipping point for Sidian and by extension Coral no longer listening to Spinel's orders.

As for Liko and Amethio, I don't care as much for that plot so the most I can say is they will probably mildly talk about themselves to each other. Maybe Thio mentions having an annoying older brother. Or maybe he just talks about Spinel the whole time, who knows. If all I've said does happen to some extent, it would be interesting to see the children learning which Explorers are truly evil and which could possibly see the light.

[cannibal-nightmares]

is this post abysmal or hopeful? I'm not certain. it kinda goes in a circle too. Slight nonsensical ramble.

I saw a comment in r/schizophrenia that gave me some pause (I know, I know, a reddit user..)-- the post was from someone looking for advice from older schizophrenics, and a comment expressed their self-patience in a several-year-long psychosis, predicting, too, that they expected the episode to go on for even longer before they would see the light at the end of their tunnel (as per their previous personal experience). I was too young during my first episode to know, remember, or actualize how long it lasted--I don't know if I had any distinct episodes between then and 2018. In 2018, I don't know when it started or when (if) I got out of it; in 2020-2021, I don't know when that started or ended, either (possibly the middle or end of 2022?). What I can say is--at the very least, although I didn't realize it until much later in the timeline--that 2023 was beautiful. I don't know for how long--possibly just a few months, possibly the whole year--but I sincerely believe I had a moment of normalcy, and I find it interesting.

I know I'm in the midst of it now. I think it started in March or January or even December. I can't get it rewritten in my head that my co-workers are not apart of a big scheme against me (the details of which I am "not allowed" to express here), that my friends (especially new ones) aren't plotting against me, that my new apartment isn't actively hurting me somehow (despite all the genuine good it has granted me), etc, etc, etc, much more. So if you've seen me existing in patterns (or lack thereof) via posts and comments and interactions and DMs and texts, this is why. I'm not sure if you "come back changed" due to the fact that files corrupt in your brain, or if it's the sheer inherent fact that so much time can pass. I "find it interesting" that I had a moment of """normalcy""" in 2023 because.. What is "normal" for something so prolonged? Is it better? How much "better" is "different," especially as you can't even actualize what is ""worse"" rather than it just being *your reality*?

I'm saying all of this now because the post and comments I saw reassured me in.. a sort of confirmation that I'm living Otherwise. The fight against the "Otherwise" is a big portion of the tantalization. It reassured me with the realization that so many of my friends have met and known me while in active psychosis, I just have to wonder if and hope that their perspectives don't change in their awareness as I choose to openly clarify and grant it. It reassured me to think I have been here before and didn't give up. I have learned so much patience within it. Despite everything, I do not (or at least no longer as of a couple years ago) define myself as an anxious person, though I know many people do or have before. I've always defined myself as skeptical in a neutral sense. But the reddit comment(s) made me further understand my own mantra of "its only your perception versus my reality," that while psychosis *does* define my living experience, it doesn't define *me* in the direct sense; I choose to label myself as "psychotic," but my own definition and weight of the word differs from the dictionary and DSMV definition (which is just the epitome of unreality, isn't it? hahahaha)

This is so hard to explain. What im trying to say is I currently feel hopeful, even if that hope is based within the parameters of unreality. I feel hopeful in the thought that I am just experiencing the world with a kaleidoscope to my eye and that I'm just the guy with the rainbow looking glass. Idk. Idk how to conclude this. Idk if any of this makes any damn sense or is anything close to what i want to convey. At this very second, I am content; in all the horror and mishap and confusion, I am glad I have banked so hard in my skepticism to continue to patiently stick around and watch the story unfold. I am grateful that to some of my friends I am just "the guy with the kaleidoscope eye." This is not necessarily a direct apology for my shuffledness, but at the very least an attempt at explanation. I cannot change what the glass distorts, only wait for the colors to shift again. I cherish the lot of you and hope at least you find it as fascinating as I do.

[harrykim]

Books read this week

I've been reading a lot so I felt like doing a small breakdown for the books I've read in the past week:

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban: F/F victorian romance, sweet but nothing special. Chapters flip between the two girls, Beth and Gwen; Gwen is the far more interesting one but Beth is likeable enough (just not that interesting); Beth's mother and Gwen's father are also more interesting — they were previously interested in each other, back before they both married, though they're now both widowed. Beth and her mother are on a time limit to have Beth married as they're losing their home to Beth's uncle and don't have much wealth. Gwen on the other hand has pretty much no interest in marriage. Predictably the girls fall for each other. Doesn't get that deep on social commentary but it isn't devoid of it either. As said, it's sweet, and the epilogue even sets up the M/M romance sequel, which I probably won't read but who knows. 3/5.

Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis; loved it. Scifi about a fancy spaceship hotel called the Abeona, though by the time of the story it's seen better days. If you're here for fast paced, action focused plot you should skip this one, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to say. Takes place over a pretty short but unspecified period of time. The chapters are each focused on a character, either a staff member or guest of the hotel, as the storyline happens usually in the background. Each chapter typically goes through a small period of time on the ships journey and flashbacks to their lives. Each chapter is interspersed with 'Lamplighter Dispatches'; the Lamplighter is an anonymous figure sending out criticism and even secrets of the Empire, including the secret to the Emperors 500 year lifespan; both the anti imperial movement and the government have tracked the Lamplighter to the Abeona. The Abeona is a ship that typically the not truly wealthy, but those who wish to seem so patronise, a false luxury seen in the wear on the ship from it's heyday decades ago, and the staff are often people who have left their old lives behind; their flashbacks typically show issues within the Empire, justifying why they end up where they have. The time passage does jump around a little though I didn't find it remotely confusing frankly, it was easy to follow and very clear when things took place in a sequential order from a previous chapter; though this could've been strengthened as the chapters of part 3 do make it feel like the passage of time is something to keep an eye on, whereas previous do not. So again, personally loved it but obviously it won't be for everyone. Could do with a better title, also I don't think the goodreads summary is that good, but it's not a big deal to me. 5/5.

Accidentally in Love with my Best Friend's Brother by Abby Greyson: Romance. In name only because it's fucking terrible don't waste your time even if you like the tropes, those being; fake dating, best friends brother (duh), bullshit nothing rivalry, uh football?, rip off gossip girl with an 'everyone in the whole town ships it but they're oblivious'. I don't understand that last one at all, she's a fucking primary school teacher why would anyone give a fuck about her. None of the characters exist outside the romance in any way. Now this is typical of many romances but it was particularly bad here because it tried to pretend any of them had lives. Their character traits were Smart and Orphan for her and Football for him. Not even going to dignify them with their names. They also just develop whole complexes that never before and never truly will affect their character or personality in any way. Horrific and overly repeated jokes, like I'm talking 5 times a chapter, and the chapters are SHORT. The book literally ends with an 'and everyone clapped' part. Well, before the married with 2 kids epilogue. The writing is also just not good lol. Minus one million/5.

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau: Cute, sweet. Fake dating that doesn't feel drawn out and fanfictiony. Emily is great, and her relationship with Mark is nice; he could be more developed but honestly the best part of the book is Emily's relationship to her mother, who's been trying to set her up with Mark for years; this is why the fake dating happens. Emily feels guilt over not living up to her parents expectations, while also feeling disrespected as an adult, being a published author who also works as a barista and tutor to pay the bills, and lives with a roommate, all at 33. Meanwhile her 4 sisters are all married and have more 'respectable' and stable professions, and children too. The writing does feel a bit... it falls into making Emily a bit too 'relatable' with how often she gets mad at bait twitter articles about millennials being entitled or whatever, which is fine a few times but would feel more justified if it leaned into the authors needing a social media presence to sell their books, but Emily only really occasionally takes photos of her food to post and that's about it, which is fine on it's own but I do think it could've made the aforementioned social media reflections work better. 4/5.

[the-cat-chat]

August 20, 2023

The Gray Man (2022)

When the CIA's top asset -- his identity known to no one -- uncovers agency secrets, he triggers a global hunt by assassins set loose by his ex-colleague.

JayBell: After last weekend's emotionally intense ride, I was glad to switch to something a bit more mindless. And what's more mindless than watching Ryan Gosling and a mustachioed Chris Evans shoot each other and try to blow each other up in a fun action movie?

I had somewhat low expectations for this movie considering the reviews were kind of meh, but I had a great time. The action scenes are nice, it has some cool fight choreography, the acting is pretty good (even the young girl), the story isn't confusing or overly complicated, and surprisingly, it's a lot funnier than I expected it to be. The characters are very over-the-top (and all ridiculously attractive of course), but that just made it more of a fun time.

Sure, it's a predictable action movie with most of the usual tropes, but that's exactly what I was looking for when I turned it on. That's why I'm a bit confused by the slightly lower ratings for a solid action movie. I know this was based on a book, so maybe the book fans were disappointed by the adaptation? If so, I can understand that. But as someone who has never read the book, this movie either met or exceeded my expectations and honestly that's all I can ask for in an action movie.

P.S. Chris Evans' mustache in this movie looks incredibly douchey and also fit his character perfectly. But I also don't ever want to see it again.

Rating: 7/10 cats 🐈

Anzie: I really thought this was just going to be one of Netflix’s dumb spy/action/blahblahblah that they had be churning out at the time with super hot actors. And Ryan Gosling. Ummm nough said. We’re not gonna talk about the weird cop buzz cut and stache for Chris Evans, but I did enjoy it in a laughable sense.

But I was wrongggg. This movie was pleasantly entertaining and funny and filled with action. Suuuure some parts were questionable but the comedy really puts anything tooo dumb out of focus. And the story plot had good details that kept you guessing and trying to piece it all together. My only reaaaal complaint was the blackmail chip and all that seemed kinda weak for how aversive the boss guy was obsessing over it. Maybe if it was a touch more specific in how the blackmail was damaging it wouldn’t have kinda felt too dumb. The ending was really awesome too- so 2 points for that alone. I really do hope that Netflix makes the sequel bc I’m innnnn.

- Also loved the Ken joke aimed towards Ryan Gosling’s character- the timing was just beautiful.

Rating: 7/10 Catz 🐈

[bibliophiliac-bisexual-disaster]

I think @runabout-river makes some really excellent fucking points and I wholeheartedly agree. Particularly,It is 100% accurate that JJK is more plot driven than character driven. I want to talk about the characterization a little bit though.

Now I'd like to preface this by saying, I'm actually new to anime and manga on the whole. This is the first time I've gotten into either (I am enjoying myself thoroughly). So maybe this approach to characterization is fairly typical in the genre. Or maybe its a Shonen thing, idk.

From what I've seen, characterization is a really really interesting thing in this series and it's Fandom. If I were to go on canon material alone, I would say there's not much actually characterization so much as an employment of tropes. Characterization often involves creating complex layers for your characters that aren't just generic nobility/villainy or expected set of traits for a certain archetype. I would like to clarify here that archetypes are not a bad thing. Used right, they're awesome. But creating tropes is different from creating characters. Characterization needs to go beyond the trope.

Some might confuse giving a character a backstory with characterization. And that's not necessarily the case. You could give the longest backstory but still have your character be rather predictable and typical for their trope, often the backstory is in order to play right into a certain trope. Now, this isn't an absolute throughout the series, it is relative. Some characters definitely have slightly better characterization than others.

I am NOT saying that the series has bad characterization. Because firstly, it's largely plot driven. And secondly, bad characterization is a whole different ball game. Bad characterization is if you could make a certain character do pretty much anything and it works because there isn't an established sense of "that person would never do that" (example- Black widow from Marvel). Good characterization would be where when you see a characters course of action and in hindsight you have no doubt in your mind that that is exactly what that character would do, no other way of acting would have seemed as right. Exercising tropes instead of in-depth characterization falls somewhere in the middle of the two.

Now here's where things get interesting. There is actually really cool characterization for jjk, but it's not what happens in the series, it's what happens in the fandom. The fandom consumes this content and then read and interpret these characters and often create content and/or discussions surrounding these representations. I think the best example of this is often when people in the fandom read into and create content about Gojo and his grief and trauma and how he chooses to process by suppression. The series does not do this at all because they need to keep Gojo within his trope- the cool, suave, overpowered mentor/man-child. And so we in the fandom often rely on these characterization and think of the series as one that has really good characterization when in reality, it's we the fandom who brought out that aspect.

One thing that bothers me about jujutsu is that the author doesn't know how to develop some characters. 1 Shoko Ieri is an interesting character but I find her apathetic without a cold and superficial personality. 2 itadori yuji doesn't seem to be a protagonist he seems more like a tool than the protagonist of the work. 3 nobara had no development dry and emotionless death. and many other characters. There were only 2 characters that really had development, which was gojo and geto, for me, they were the only ones that had it. Why do you think the author did this, is it because he didn't want to develop the characters that's why he killed many important characters? I would appreciate it if you respond.

This is a lot to answer so sorry if it gets confusing a little.

1.) and you really have to keep this in mind, is that the manga isn't finished yet. It's also not about to finish. We have just reached the beginning of the end and we have at least another 6 months to go if not more. Without the last panel drawn, we can't really talk about the stuff Gege hasn't put into the story yet.

Still, many of your points can be addressed.

Shoko: In both the present and the past storylines, she is a side character without her side of the story being shown too much. Her being cold and apathetic can be a fitting description of her in the present but in the past she was more open and easy-going.

When you say she has a superficial personality that's where your interpretation is a little off. For one, her personality changes and for two, her current personality reflects the cost that living as a sorcerer has on people. We are also shown her inner thoughts on occasion but interestingly, one of those thoughts kind of comments her role in the story.

(This thought also establishes that she has trouble understanding Gojo's point of view on his godlike status)

The thing with Shoko is that we're never shown what she does: heal and save people. That's an aspect of her character that has been completely, and deliberately I say, missing until this point. But she has saved the lives of: Geto, Ino and Angel (plus some others) and she has therefore shaped the entire plot of the manga extremely.

But this I think will change in the most impactful way possible: with her saving Gojo's life by showing us for the first time what her CT is and how she heals people.

On Nobara, you're right. She had little character development and no reflection on her thoughts and beliefs. To this I say, read my post about her coming back because I believe that she will get that character develepoment and reflection when she re-enters the manga.

The same thing goes for Tsumiki. I was really disappointed when Yorozu died and Tsumiki basically disappeared from the story with her role never being more than that of a prop. But it was pointed out to me, that Tsumiki actually had been shown in an active role in the manga 70 chapters ago and that role will definitely be revisited when Megumi gets the spotlight again.

Now to Yuji. Did you realize that you contradicted yourself? You said that Yuji doesn't feel like a protagonist but you also said that Geto and Gojo had the best character developement. You're definitely talking about Hidden Inventory here but HI is and arc where Yuji is removed as the protagonist.

So the main protagonist being removed from the story temporarily has a purpose. You could say that that was a flashback and doesn't really count and that you mostly mean the 4 mini-arcs in Culling Games where Yuji wasn't present + the Sukuna/Yorozu fight + the Gojo/Sukuna fight.

Gojo/Suku we don't even count in this, that's a given, Sukuna/Yorozu is character showing plus setup for the future and Yuki/Choso/Tengen vs Kenjaku we don't count either, because that's a plot progression plus villain fight.

In my experience when people talk about Yuji not being a good protagonist because he isn't present often enough, they mean the arcs where Yuta, Maki and Hakari take centre stage. (The three other mini-arcs add to this)

Why would a mangaka do their story like this?

For world building. To be more precise: for plot building. Yuta, Maki and Hakari have important roles for the endfights and for that they needed character development (Maki), a show of their powers (all) and setups for the future (eg alliances with Kashimo and Uro).

Right from the beginning, JJK always moved the plot forward first. That's why the pace is so fast. The story is plot driven and not character driven, but that doesn't mean that the characters aren't given their time, just that that time isn't an entire chapter.

You can critizese this of course, I too would've liked small character scenes to have been expended on. That Yuji is taken off the picture for world building isn't sth I would critizise though. That's what happened in parts of Attack on Titan, and it also happens constantly in One Piece with Luffy albeit in Flashbacks.

It simply adds to the story when we can see other characters act on their own and while Yuji is back in the centre now, he will most likely take small steps back again to let other characters shine like Megumi eg. It also adds to his personality, but for the end of the manga he will be the centre of attention.

[airandangels]

In my mind where a lot of things are more to my liking, Stranger Things is a TV show in the "old" style, that is with seasons of 20+ episodes coming out once a week so that a) the audience doesn't feel pressure to "binge" which just isn't conducive to real enjoyment, and b) the plot has room to breathe, events can develop more gradually, more relationships and conflicts and combinations of characters can be explored, and in between the episodes where Big Plot happens and Shit Gets Real there is more space for lighter material and lower-stakes problems to solve. (You can call this filler if you like but I think it's important.) (And if someone gets injured they can be shown recovering over subsequent episodes and experiencing, you know, pain or discomfort and difficulty doing their normal activities rather than carrying on as if they're still in good condition, or they healed almost instantly like Wolverine or something, because the accelerating plot demands it. I have a thing about that.)

ANYWAY!

Stuff that would be in Better Stranger Things:

There is a local public access TV facility that almost no one is using. Dustin finds out about it. Dustin's eyes light up with the fire of a boy who is going to get all his friends in on this. You can base most of a season on this honestly, featuring:

That's Just My Opinion, a talk show hosted by Robin Buckley and featuring either Max Mayfield or Erica Sinclair as guest in which they discuss and comprehensively criticise a topic suggested by the "live studio audience" (whoever else is hanging around). The levels of smart and disgruntled adolescent girl scorn could punch another hole through into a different dimension.

Attempted music videos from Corroded Coffin with friends roped in as actors (Steve gets targeted for a lot of this).

Investigative news reports from Nancy which range from warning about a door-to-door scammer targeting the elderly to the time she interviewed actual Mothman.

Just basically livestreaming their Dungeons & Dragons sessions. The whole Party is in on this, they take turns to DM, and Will in particular goes all out.

Max does a little skateboard trick.

Steve does movie reviews. Almost exclusively of movies he found confusing and/or annoying.

Dustin's science show with special guest Mr Clarke.

We Lent the Video Camera to Eddie Munson and This Is What Happened, a weekly show whose content can never really be predicted, but damned if Eddie isn't creative and inventive. Usually features at least one very bumpy shot of his legs running followed by a breathless explanation with the camera too close to his face.

Look What I Can Do, a spin-off from Max's little skateboard trick bit where basically anyone demonstrates a trick they can do. Features Steve twirling things, Dustin doing weird bendy things with his arms, Lucas's musical farts, Mike's attempted bike jumps, Eddie turning his eyelids inside out because you know he was that kid, El levitating Steve's car, and Mike again burping the alphabet. The disparity in the trickiness level of these tricks is not commented upon.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Do the brothers know/realize how much TSL parallels their life or are they oblivious to it? Just curious bc sometimes i think they do but then wouldnt they be so confused how Simeon knows this? Idk. What do you think?

They do know! Mammon straight up tells Simeon in one of the S3 hard lessons that he knows TSL is based off them. I think the only one who doesn't know is Levi, who didn't even know that Simeon was the writer until he was told in S2 (while everyone else knew)

Simeon's known the brothers (minus Satan) for as long as Lucifer has, though probably not as closely, and Lucifer seems like the kind of parent big brother who de-stresses by telling his colleague/best friend about the antics of his troublemaking charges

So a lot of TSL was written because Simeon knows the brothers and knew how they would react to different situations.

And a lot of it was purely fictional (them having different kingdoms & the Lord of Fools sending supplies to the Lord of Flies during a famine - something that never happened but Simeon knew how Beel & Mammon would react in that situation)

As far as I know, Simeon accurately predicted:

1. The Lord of Corruption locking the Lord of Emptiness away for defying him.

And I think it was pure coincidence that Simeon got that right.

But it also wasn't that much of a shot in the dark either.

It's canon that the brothers' personalities didn't significantly change between being angels & demons so;

The loss of Lilith & Belphie's closeness to her

Lucifer's tendency to bottle things up and try to do things on his own

Lucifer's growing relationship with Diavolo even before they Fell

Diavolo's publicised desire for peace between all 3 worlds

were all things Simeon would have known so,

Belphie associating Lilith's death with the humans and defying Lucifer because of Diavolo wanting to make peace with the humans, leading to Lucifer trying to do everything on his own and wanting to keep Belphie away from Diavolo without hurting Belphie further leading to locking Belphie away isn't that much of a leap

2. Henry

Henry was an OC

You know when you're watching a show or movie and you think wow all these problems could be easily solved if there was someone emotionally competent around (someone's who's really just a plot device to facilitate the character growth of the existing characters)

Yeah well, Simeon took that and ran with it and Henry was created

Simeon wrote TSL because he missed the brothers and he created Henry because he wanted someone to help the brothers and make them happy in a way he never could

MC turning up was just pure coincidence and luck

OKAY! LET'S TALK ABOUT THE REAL PLOT HOLE HERE:

THE LORD OF MASKS

No one knew about Satan's existence until after they Fell. Simeon wouldn't have known him or wouldn't have had an emotional connection with him to miss him and he wouldn't have been able to effectively predict Satan's behaviour for TSL

You know who he did know? Who he did have an emotional connection with? Who he would have missed? Whose behaviour he would have been able to effectively predict?

You know how in real life there are various interpretations of Lilith, both good and bad. How one of the most common is that she was the first woman and first wife of Adam who (from what I understand, but feel free to correct me) later became a demon and the mother of a certain class of demons. Y'know someone with various different sides to her.......different masks even....

Anyway, conspiracy theory that the original Lord of Masks in TSL was actually based off Lilith and you can pry that outta my cold dead hands :D

[justwritedreams]

She glanced up at her bare legs and was surprised at the outfit she wore, not only because it was extremely short, it didn’t cover half her thighs. But because the dress, which looked more like a nightgown, light pink was transparent on both sides from the hem to the height of her rib and the top was lace, the sleeve was so thin that it didn’t even seem to exist and maybe that explained why she wore a robe of the same color and length.

maaaarrrriiiii do you have a pic inspo for this, or the inspo for any outfit in this chapter? i imagined them to be so beautiful ㅠㅠㅠㅠ your descriptions are A+++++ ����😭💗💗💗💗💗 —— i like the fantasy theme going on!!! 😋😋😋 i seldom read fantasy (bc my mind isn't imaginative enough 😭) but yours got me hooked ㅠㅠ the header that you chose for this chapter definitely helped a lot ♡♡♡ btw which part of the chapter was your dream? the princess's fantasy dream? 😍 ——

Y/N felt Jeno take his hand from her back and turned at the same moment he took a step inside, so that the bodies wouldn’t collide, the princess widened her eyes and took a step back, looking at Jeno confused. “What are you doing?” “I’ll show you the room.”🤣🤣

jeno was so touchy touchy that day!!!!!! 🥰🥰😍😍🙈💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗 also, the way he kept calling her "princess" while she kept maintaining her distance by calling him "Lee" 😭😭 aigoo girllllllll 💓💓💓💓💓 —— AND THE MAID RETURNSSSSSS AHHHHHHHHHH HER PRESENCE IS LIKE THAT JINX FROM WELCOME TO THE KINGDOMMMMMMM ALSO, WHY DID JENO BITE HIS LIPSSS WHEN THE MAID WAS TALKING TO HIM ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ was he being seduced by her? or was he nervous and he wanted to get out of that situation asap? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ but im team princess all the way!!!!! if he wants infidelity, i will retaliate!!!! 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤 ——

Y/N kept her eyes locked on Mark’s and her body reacted before her mind, on an impulse, she brought her hands up to either side of his face and held before sealing their lips.

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 jeno must feel so sad 😭😭 she never initiated any kisses with him 😭😭😭😭 SHE EVEN FRENCH-KISSED MARK 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 —— this has gotta be the most dramatic chapter so far 😭😭😭 reading it was like a rollercoaster ride 😭😭 just when you thought things were looking up, all the good things can be shattered in mere seconds 😭😭😭 ive always thought that i could predict writers' plot but no, im always proven wrong 😭 i DIDN'T SEE THIRDWHEELER WHO IS MARK COMINGGGGGGG THE PRINCESS HAPPENED TO BE THE ONE WHO KISSED HIM TOO 😭😭😭😭😭 you completely blew my mind 😭😭😭 was it just heat of the moment kinda thing? the princess only wanted to find out for her younger self as to what kissing mark felt like, and nothing more, right? ㅠㅠ (+pay back to jeno lee for being a playboy before!!😔)

——

yoooo maari if mark didn't have to enlist, he'd had been the first choice of man for this arranged marriage, right…? 😞 he's just older than jeno by a few months 😔 gosh..that fact changes the lives of these three omg…. and i respect mark for not taking advantage of the princess' sudden action initially, like he didn't move his lips omg ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ will this love triangle continue…? mark, and also the princess don't have crushes-kind of feelings for each other anymore, right? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

poor jeno….ㅠ

I do!!!

Oh thank yooou 🥺 I don't know if I managed to do justice to this nightgown in the chapter, I thought it was so beautiful! I'm so glad to read that! The kiss scene was my dream 🤭 It's been a while since I dreamed and I tried to write down the main points but it went like that, except for the part of the discussion with Jeno.

i love it when he calls her princess all the time i want to scream. He was trying to get away! 🤣🤣🤣 but he noticed someone was looking at him so he was trying to contain his smile 😏 Tbh I didn't intend to put a love triangle in this series, I wanted to do it different from Kings, but I love drama and after I dreamed about the kiss scenario it was a little difficult. My fingers practically wrote themselves lol

Yes, exactly. To calm the hearts of readers, it was just that 🤣🤣🤣 after all the conversations with her cousin and the fact of seeing Mark again after so long, the crush she had for him "came back" so for her to understand her own feelings it was necessary to do what she always imagined when she was younger. So yep, it is a payback! Right, if the whole story of the princess kingdom uprising didn't involve the military, even the fact that Mark enlisted wouldn't be a weight for the marriage. Their lives could be very different, but there's no way you can fight with fate. Mark it's a gentleman in all my imagines because I can't picture him different!!! he was with his childhood crush and yet he didn't reciprocate the way he could because he knew it was wrong 😭 I think the spoiler I can give is that things will be less fervent after their wedding and Mark's absence will be the crucial point for the princess to understand more of her own feelings while living with Jeno.

[autisticandroids]

#season 6#this is good discussion imo#like why not tell dean sam's back?#would soulless!sam swear cas and bobby into secrecy about it? why? because he doesn't want his big brother stepping on his toes?#when cas in tmwwbk goes w crowley when dean is raking leaves i read that as 'i don't want to drag him back into the Life again'#but soulless!sam would give 0 fucks about dean's wellbeing and wishes#so why make cas and bobby not tell him?

@minetowalkonglass

so i don't tend to read to read soulless sam as having sworn bobby and cas to secrecy. they each did not tell dean for their own reasons.

cas makes the most sense. he simply was not in contact with either brother, and he had no reason to think that sam would not simply immediately go to dean.

(it is confusing why he would lie about having brought sam back in the first place - he pretty clearly didn't know sam was soulless initially, so why not take credit for what he thinks is 100% a good thing? i tend to chalk this up to the writers not really having a plan at all. the godstiel plotline was afaik literally just a last minute addition because crowley-as-big-bad fell through, so it makes sense to me to assume that cas-brought-sam-back-soulless-on-accident was just sort of a last minute addition, trying to squash cas into crowley's intended role where crowley was going to have brought sam back soulless on purpose. so like to me i tend to see this plot point as just total disorganization in the writers room and just ignore it because there's no real way to make sense of it in universe and it also doesn't really impact things that much. like. cas makes an understandable mistake, he also (without knowing about the mistake yet) lies for no clear reason, the winchesters don't get that mad at him about it, and then no one ever brings it up again. kind of doa, imo.)

sam was soulless, and the show isn't super clear on what that means. i think the clearest it ever gets is in clap your hands if you believe, where the thesis is basically that sam knows intellectually what he should feel, and kind of tries to follow it, he just doesn't actually feel it. so it makes sense to me that what happened there is that sam thought, intellectually, that dean had want he wanted - a normal life. and he was unable to use empathy to predict that dean might be unhappy because he was dead. this makes sense as a failure related to soullessness.

(an alternate reading could be that soulless sam is like demon dean: without the positive emotions of his affection for dean, all the resentment that comes from the suffering he has experienced in his relationship with dean comes to the surface, and he doesn't like dean anymore. however, personally, i don't think this works for soulless sam, because i think he no longer feels or fears that suffering. why would he still feel hurt from the panic room if he doesn't feel anything else? vs. demon dean who isn't free from emotions, he's free from his sense of obligation, which is a somewhat different issue. so i am still inclined to take the first reading.)

however, bobby... should know better. bobby explicitly says that he kept dean in the dark because dean was out. look at this:

Dean: So... Sam: Hey, Bobby. Bobby: Sam. Dean: You knew? You knew Sam was alive. Bobby: Yeah. Dean: How long? Bobby: Look -- Dean: How long?! Bobby: All year. Dean: Oh, you got to be kidding me. Bobby: And I'd do it again. Dean: Why?! Bobby: Because you got out, Dean! You walked away from the life. And I was so damn grateful, you got no idea. Dean: Do you have any clue what walking away meant for me? Bobby: Yeah -- a woman and a kid and not getting your guts ripped out at age 30. That's what it meant. Dean: That woman and that kid -- I went to them because you asked me to. Bobby: Good. Dean: Good for who? I showed up on their doorstep half out of my head with grief. God knows why they even let me in. I drank too much. I had nightmares. I looked everywhere. I collected hundreds of books, trying to find anything to bust you out. Sam: You promised you'd leave it alone. Dean: Of course I didn't leave it alone! Sue me! A damn year? You couldn't put me out of my misery? Bobby: Look, I get it wasn't easy. But that's life! And it's as close to happiness as I've ever seen a hunter get. It ain't like I wanted to lie to you, son. But you were out, Dean. Dean: Do I look out to you?

like bobby explicitly admits here that he chose of his own volition to keep sam's resurrection from dean. and he gives his reasons. and like they're understandable! part of it is him buying into the crazy hunter/normie dichotomy that they all seem to believe in, but part of it is like a genuine desire to keep dean, someone he loves, safe. it makes sense that he would do this. but what's crazy is that it causes like zero conflict between him and dean. bobby's position is understandable, but dean should definitely resent him like crazy for it.

reading a season six fic. man the thing is that this fic is like completely cas sympathetic and it still falls apart because in canon dean's behavior in tmwwbk makes no fucking sense.....

[pompompurin1028]

How we feeling on the newest chapter? Do you have any thoughts or predictions?

Bsd 101 spoilers!

I have a lot of feelings and thoughts to be honest, confusion and dread haha

I have some thought about it but I please kindly ask everyone who would be reading not to reblog, as much as I like analyzing I do not feel certain enough about my thoughts to be used as a theory

Firstly regarding Fyodor and Chuuya, I don't think they will die.

To begin, killing Chuuya along with Fyodor doesn't seem necessary (if you look at it from a perspective of moving the plot forward). As of now it is for shock value perhaps, but killing a character just for shock value isn't good writing. Killing of characters should be for the purpose of advancing the plot, some may use it as a method of motivating other characters, or emphasizing the theme. Of which none of seems to fit. Besides as some people noted, the change in his eyes, I wonder about that too, and the fact that it ended with no definite answer of death suggests that it's probably not true.

As for Fyodor I don't think he'll die either. For one, killing of his character now (though does seem necessary for the plot), we're still lacking in a lot of information regarding him. His past, his ability, and perhaps even room for character development? It feels like a waste of a good character to me. I also like the view that this may be a plan to potentially reveal his ability? It seems like the chapter was suggestive of that.

There is also the idea that maybe Nikolai would intervene? There's also Sigma who has yet to do anything as well...

But on top of all that I'm interested in what Dazai is thinking or doing. (This part of my prediction is where I am most unsure of so please don't take my words for it). I am kind of suprised that we were able to see a flashback about his past experiences with Chuuya. And after a while of thinking, what I'm surprised about is also the fact that he killed the guards (not saying he is incapable of it, we know all the crimes he did). Yes we can argue that, well that's just Dazai, or it is necessary to achieve these results. But thinking about the last time he (indirectly) killed someone (at least that we have known) was during Dazai's Entrance Exam. And even so it was done in an indirect way and that was 2 years ago (not saying it makes it better). We have also known for Dazai to increasingly used methods of his past, manipulation, getting people hurt to aid in the ADA in the past arcs.

I have always thought of Dazai, though he joines the "light side" hadn't truly faced his past. It's ironic because it feels so human to do so, besides seeing a linear change in Dazai's ways doesn't seem realistic either. Maybe he doesn't want to face his past either (as we've seen from his reactions), but it is inevitable, as seen with increasing encounters with people from his past throughout the series. I think what I am dreading the most (due to my biases towards him) with my current thoughts of where this is going, is that this arc will be heading with revealing Dazai in a more villainous light. As in, he is showing to be more similar in some ways to Fyodor (rather than the opposite way which my past analysis had thought), and this blurs the line between good and bad. It would actually be fitting in this whole arc, in which we see morality being blurred, the ADA becoming villains, the Hunting Dogs chasing after them and becoming seen as almost bad in the eyes of the readers when they are doing their job (though we also have to account for the use of violence which blurs with morality further), and the DoA seems to go unscathed.

Furthermore, as I have mentioned in several of my ramblings is that the line between good and bad in Atsushi's eyes seem to be blurring too. With his encounter with Nikolai (who kills even though he feels guilt), with Akutagawa (who though was on the "bad" side saved him) and now with Dazai. It is also important to note that Dazai seems, once again playing with trust, his plans always seems to involve mutual trust. But trust is a fickle thing... And I am wondering if this whole arc would mean Dazai has to rebuild this trust and also how he is viewed once again from scratch. Though I do dread, feels appropriate, but we can only see. I had originally predicted on seeing clashes between Atsushi and Dazai after this arc... But I'm scared it may be worse...

This thought also comes from some aspects of Dazai-sensei's story Goodbye, which I have read. But I am still unsure of whether we are truly going in this direction, since the story just seemed to be namedropped at the moment (there are instances where bsd does that without referencing the work at all), so I will keep my mouth shut.

But this is my mind's "worst case scenario" ...

Also we didn't really get to see Dazai's eyes in the last panel ughh

[crying-over-gay-dramas]

Gumpa is a traitor

Alright guys buckle in, it's theory time.

Spoilers for Not Me, including the next episode preview!!!

I’ve had this theory for a while now, but the preview has really set it in stone for me.

So the preview is clearly trying to make us think Dan betrays them but that literally would be such a dumb plot. It's too predictable, it wouldn't be shocking. But Gumpa like- he has been there all along, just casually knowing everything, helping them, giving advice. But where is his background huh? Does he ever appear without the main characters? He's supposed to be the last person anyone thinks of. He's supposed to be inconspicuous. Viewers are fairly neutral on him, and it’s intentional. Sometimes he’ll have a nice moment, or say something funny and it will give us a nice feeling about him, we’ll think ‘aw he’s a nice character’ and we’ll go on our way. It’s supposed to be natural, to be subtle. To lure us into a false sense of comfort with him as a steady character type. I'm telling you, Gumpa betrays them. I am so sure (now watch me be totally wrong lol)

I think Sean creates a plan where Dan pretends to betray them in order to confuse the bad guys from the real plan as his 'redemption' and Dan will agree despite the risk of danger bc of his guilt. But the plan will be exposed anyways bc of someone who always knows everything but is never directly involved.

G u m p a.

When I was discussing this theory with one of my friends they brought up a good question which was: “Why hadn’t Gumpa betrayed them earlier?”

This is my response

Maybe they needed the perfect opportunity. Think about it. If they got taken down right away they could just be turned into martyrs, a symbol for people to fight for. But if you take them down at just the right moment you send a message. "This is what happens when you try and go against us" Take away their hope. Fear isn't enough to hold back a rebellion. But taking away hope can put out any flame.

Not to mention what Gumpa betraying them will do to their mentality. Think what it would do to their will to fight if the one they all trusted the most was a traitor all along? Every effort they ever made, every battle they had fought, every move they made everything they'd been taught was futile all along. They were just pawns in one big and cruel game of chess they didn't even know they were playing.

I also think it's equally likely that Gumpa only recently betrayed them. They'll probably go the route of him being a good guy at first and then switching sides (kind of like Todd did) which personally I find way less exciting then the above theory but this is likely the one GMMTV would go with.

Either way it would crush their spirits and make it harder for them to fight. Harder for them to trust and rely on each other.

[thessaliah]

so about enkidu's second interlude, now that we've got the official translation there's 2 thing i'm questioning;

1. why did moriarty plan to stay and hide in the similator/virtual space to avoid being dismissed? do you think he wanted to stay because he had a hunch of what was going to happen with the lostbelts and is suspicious of sherlock (just like how he asked us to trust him over sherlock when the time comes)?

and 2. do you have any idea/hunch about who moriarty was talking to at the end of enkidu's second interlude?

Sherlock-related. Depending on who truly is Chaldea's "Sherlock Holmes" (because is confirmed by Surtr he's not a "pure "Heroic Spirit" but a hybrid one), it either has to do with the Lostbelt* or a subplot that will be resolved in a "dot" chapter with Moriarty. It's very obviously pretender-related when they are classified as a threat to humanity (which was never Foreigner exclusive, Gorgon boss had the same) and the thing Moriarty helped Enkidu unlock is his special boost against the threat to humanity for a reason. Enkidu might be involved as Moriarty's weapon against "Sherlock Holmes." I lean about a filler chapter, buuuuuuut.

*I do have a crack theory he's the culprit, "Sherlock LAPLACE" as an option to have LAPLACE who I'm sure is a candidate for 'mastermind' manifestation other than an Animusphere, Marisbury and Olga AIs are certainly candidates. Why? Because it is a mystery; in a mystery, one of the rules is "the detective isn't the culprit." So LAPLACE corrupting their manifestation with the records of Sherlock Holmes would appear on stage as a detective to avoid suspicion since is the premise, "Sherlock Holmes could not be the culprit” (unrelated to this aspect which I still think is the source of the “God” and becoming more emphathized with the possible connection with Cernunnos’ curses). Only Helena, Moriarty, and Jekyll, people who knew Sherlock when he was alive, could tell something is "off" with this Sherlock Holmes yet they also recognized him as real (unlike what happens with Man of Chaldea, that's why he's not a Pretender IMO), and the pending question about this Sherlock being fictional or real is still up to the air and made deliberately confusing. Moriarty’s status is never made blurry why Sherlock was? Or alternatively, Sherlock Trismegistus (or related to something that is of the same nature such as "Oberon and Merlin" being the same kind of dream inhabitants but incompatible with each others). Anything related to Chaldea equipment. That would explain why he slipped into Atlas Tri-Hermes and how he concealed himself from Sion's predictions, specifically avoiding this "eye" like Oberon did with Merlin.

It'll really please me the Pretender development either way because I have been morally against what Holmes spats in every Lostbelt, specifically thinking what he said in India and later the Atlantic one. There was something very uncomfortable about it if he was endorsing Nasu’s preaching. Now if he was acting like a misleading poisonous mentor (always contrasting with the “good” one aka Romani Archaman)? Looking at the structure of narrative, it makes sense because unlike part 1 (the good mentor and guide who gave us a solution from the prologue/first chapter), part 2 has one who has misled and potentially slowed down on purpose (salvaging Holmes’ competence when I’m stillllllll waiting for the Animusphere investigation he promised like months ago?) which explains why Chaldea logically has been wrong about everything by starting on the false premise “lostbelts are the caused of the blank Earth” which was pushed by Holmes. Whether he is related to a subplot/dot, or the main plot, it means absolute validation to me when I was uneasy to agree with him when he answered to Pepe or Kirschtaria.