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[laceswan]

Has anyone said this yet

[laceswan]

the years after

i would’ve liked to color it/shade it properly but i literally don’t have any time for the foreseeable future (which is killing me because the new d20 season looks so good) so i wanted to get this out now

i like to think they all keep some sort of (tenuous) contact. that’s all. oh and the flowers in the final panel are carolina reaper and radish flowers 🌸

[laceswan]

[laceswan]

Okay, I have thoughts about The Ravening War finale and the Deus Pa'Zuul twist:

The blender is still a part of the creation-consumption cycle as represented by the Bulb and the Hungry One.

Raphaniel's dive into the Ramsian Doctrine and the Prophidian Heresy upon being rejected by the Sanctus Putris was still based in the idea that while the Sanctus Putris was trying to remove itself from the cycle, it was not rejecting the cycle outright. The idea that the blades were that of a blender fed into that because a smoothie would still be consumed by the Hungry One and thus would complete the cycle as he knew it. His question about a smoothie with radish and cheese was almost a child-like "do you think we'll still be friends in heaven?" question.

Even adding in the Saprophians and their place in the creation-consumption cycle, that wouldn't have to change Raphaniel's initial position on the blender and what it would represent. I'm not a smoothie person, but people put all kinds of health food in smoothies, and while Matt was leaning into more the function of fungi within the food web as opposed to how the Hungry One would choose to consume mushrooms, molds and fungi are sometimes incredibly important to making the food that the Hungry One would eat.

What the Saprophians change is the position of Deus Pa'Zuul within the cosmology.

So, I don't know about you all, but I'm not throwing an entire radish into the disposal, I don't care how old and mushy it is. That just goes in the trash. However, cosmologically, for Calorum, that food would still be "consumed" because the Saprophians would do their job as fungi and break down the body to reintegrate the nutrients back into the land. That's why they're the third part of the cycle. But at least in my house, what goes in the disposal is the remnants of what was consumed-- the bits of food stuck to the plate that you're not going to eat. That is what makes Deus Pa'Zuul a fate worse than death-- it's the cycle rejecting you through complete obliteration, such that even those that are meant to recycle cannot find enough literal matter to do so.

The Bulb cares for no one, indeed.

[laceswan]

Karna “ What can the harvest hope for, if not for the care of the Reaper Man?” the Carolina Reaper and the intimacy of her kills vs. Raphaniel “Why does no one think I’m ready? Why does no one want me?” bard of the Disposal, singing a lament of rejection.

The Hungry One is death that wants you. The Disposal doesn’t care.

[laceswan]

i keep wondering about some choices they made for the movie

they toned down sejanus quite a bit from the book and i wonder what was that supposed to show, like what kind of characteristics of snow was it supposed to highlight

bc we all know snow's an unreliable narrator. he describes sejanus as reckless and whatnot but baby boy was making PLANS. he BOUGHT those guns he wasn't surprised that the rebels got them he KNEW. he was very deliberate and honestly it shocked me when he was like "just gonna threaten the guards with the gun while we get out lil" i'm like damn sejanus. i would have thought you can't even stomach that from snow's narration

obviously, since it's all from snow's pov, the strength of his character is understated, undermined. let us not forget he was the only one who stood up to dr gaul. let us not forget he went into the arena where he could be killed easily. let us not forget he was tortured before his hanging and he did NOT give up the name of that traitor snow.

i just can't help thinking about how he was really like and how snow didn't want to see him: strong, kindhearted, intelligent, witty, possibly a little cunning but only for the right things.

nothing but death was gonna stop him and that kind of passion is just incredible. he was uncontrollable fire, that much we know, and snow hated that more than anything.

[laceswan]

He could have been a senile old uncle but noooo he had to be the biggest ass instead

[laceswan]

Please can we have this PLEASE DROPOUT

if zaphriel (the hangvan) was played by a dropout person, it would be jacob wysocki; thank you and good night.

[laceswan]

The children of the kingdom love Prince Gerard of Greenleigh. He might not be brave, or responsible, or taking care of any of the country's multiple urgent problems but he always, always looks out for the kids.

He is never too busy to play with them, to tell them jokes, and silly anecdotes, give them candy and gifts. And his advices are not always good, and his stories mostly revolve around the Princess, and perhaps he always scolds the children when they talk about exploring the forest. No, children shouldn't stay outside the walls of the castle, especially not alone, especially not in the woods.

When he sees a small child sitting alone, he always tries to comfort them, make them laugh, orders the cooks to bake tons of biscuits and bring mugs of the sweetest hot chocolate.

And when a child is curt, when they are rude, or angry and hurting, the Prince keeps a hand on his sword, even though he has never used it. He keeps the kid in his sights, and looks around for any fairies who seek to teach a cruel lesson. He is probably too much of a coward to go against a fairy, he knows that. And he would probably stab himself trying to use his sword. But he'll wait until the child calms, until they dry their tears, and mumble apologies munching on scones.

It's the only thing he can do.

Then the war comes.

The Prince doesn't fight with the soldiers, with the parents, with the princess. He hides with the children in the cellar of the castle. He still tells stories but his voice is strained, and when he talks about the Princess and her adventures, he stops midsentence and stares at the castle walls. He hides in the shadows and doesn't allow anyone near him. He snaps and orders at the staff and some children whisper that he has a tongue as long and agile as a whip. He is never rude to the children though. Even when they cry, or scream or complain, he has endless patience, and tries to comfort them, even if his attempts at advice never work anymore.

One morning the children wake up and the Prince is gone. He took with him only the clothes on his back and a dusty book about fighting stances.

He leaves behind for the children books on fairy tales, tons of blankets and precious pillows from the royal bedchambers, and toys.

Between the pages of one of the fairy tale tomes, are some crinkled, yellowed, handwritten pages from a diary. A girl describing a meeting with a talking frog.

Those pages were left discarded. It didn't seem like a particularly interesting fairy tale after all.

[laceswan]

Friendly Reminder of Snow's inner monologue in the book:

He thought of people putting a price on her. With her long, pointed nose and skinny body, Tigris was no great beauty, but she had a sweetness, a vulnerability that invited abuse.

What was Sejanus up to? Was he trying to outdo him and steal the day’s thunder? To take his idea of coming to the zoo and then dress it up in a way Coriolanus could never compete with, because he could never afford to?

His filly in a race, his dog in a fight. The more he had treated her as something special, the more she’d become human.

Lucy Gray was one thing belonging to Coriolanus that he would never, ever get.

The thought of blackmailing old Strabo Plinth had definite appeal.

Someone suggested that he cared for her like a sister, and although he’d done nothing of the sort, he allowed it. No need to disrespect the dead.

Even his encouragement to sing for sponsors was an attempt to prolong the attention she brought him.

His girl. His. Here in the Capitol, it was a given that Lucy Gray belonged to him, as if she’d had no life before her name was called out at the reaping.

Even if Lucy Gray was confused on the issue, in the eyes of the Capitol, she belonged to him. What point would there be in crediting a district tribute?

If no one else seemed to be bothered by her questionable past, why should he be? (Questionable past being the fact that she had a love life before him)

A second-class citizen. Human, but bestial. Smart, perhaps, but not evolved. Part of a shapeless mass of unfortunate, barbaric creatures that hovered on the periphery of his consciousness. (Thinking about Lucy Gray)

“Sejanus Plinth,” said Coriolanus. Not that they were actually friends, but that wasn’t any of Dean Highbottom’s business.

Mrs. Plinth shook her head. “No. No. Your cousin’s his only friend.” How sad, thought Coriolanus. To have no friends.

Coriolanus couldn’t help feeling embarrassed for her. If you ever needed proof of the districts’ backwardness, there you had it. Primitive people with their primitive customs.

“Oh, yes?” said Coriolanus, only to be polite. Honestly, who cared? His entire future was on the line because of her wayward son.

But playing on that might be the way to manipulate him.

Coryo was a nickname for old friends. For family. For people Coriolanus loved. And this was the moment Sejanus decided to try it out? If he’d had the energy, Coriolanus would have reached over and strangled him.

“Superb,” he said. “Like everything you cook, Mrs. Plinth.” It wasn’t an exaggeration. Ma might be pathetic, but she was something of an artist in the kitchen.

The conversation wasn’t going the way Coriolanus had imagined. Where was the talk of reward money?

...but the point was, he got to keep her. And he wanted to keep her. Safe and close at hand.

Perhaps there was a way out of his predicament after all? Another path to influence and power?

He’d been broke most of his life, but the Snows had always worked hard to maintain decency. These people had given up, and some part of him blamed them for their plight. (Thinking about District 12 people)

“No escaping that.” He leaned over and kissed her, flushed with happiness, because although he did not believe in celestial writings, she did, and that would be enough to guarantee her loyalty.

In some ways, it had been better to have her locked up in the Capitol, where he always had a general idea of what she was doing.

Oh, a ghost story. Ugh. Boo. So ridiculous. Well, he’d try hard to love it when he saw the Covey tomorrow.

“Guns? Not that I know of. How would he get guns?” Coriolanus was beginning to enjoy himself a bit. (During the interrogation after Sejanus' execution)

She wouldn’t be thrilled, obviously, when he told her there’d been a change of plans. That he was returning to the Peacekeepers and heading to District 2 tomorrow at dawn, essentially leaving her to her fate. (As soon as he realised that he wouldn't get caught, he immediately thought of going back to District 2 with no concern for Lucy Gray)

As good as the movie was, I do think that it's at fault for so many people falling for the idea that Snow wasn't always bad. He was, but it wasn't so obvious at first. As you can see, he always thought of himself and how things would benefit him. He looked down on Sejanus and his ma even though they were nothing but kind to him. He saw Lucy Gray as his possession. He was greedy and selfish, always trying to come up with ways to manipulate whatever situation he was in to his advantage. I really wish the movie showed that more.

[laceswan]

Let’s talk about TBOSAS

It’s no secret that I adore Finnick Odair, I wrote a whole fuckn lot about it. It’s possible I have an affinity for skinny white boys with blonde hair and light eyes. I admit that in the cinema I turned to my friend as Coriolanus was walking with his pompadour hair and scarlet coat and said:

“Say what you will, but that’s a dapper man.”

I will admit that.

But I also need to say:

Snow is a vile man. He’s pretty, he is sympathetic at times, he is most certainly alluring with his decisive actions and watchful gaze, but those eyes are cold. I fall for a character when they smile, when there is that lovely warm affection behind their eyes. I saw that in Finnick and then I wrote a six part series about it.

I see very little of that warmth in Coriolanus Snow. I see him with love in his heart, with empathy and care, and each time I see him turn the other way. I see blue, icy eyes that hold only cunning and machinations that consider optics and personal gain before everything else. I see him choose anything else before he chooses to care.

I cannot find it in myself to care much for such a man.

[laceswan]

you are supposed to find coriolanus attractive, they want you to sympathise with him, they want you to root for him and then remember who he is, they want you to be confused and shocked when he does something you did not expect him to do because "is he really that bad?", you are supposed to have twisted feelings about him, the whole point is that you struggle with how you easily you are affected with his charisma and his looks and that you question yourself about WHY you feel so twisted about him. suzanne collins is smart as hell for not making it obvious that he is bad. for not giving you the usual villian origin story where the kind guy gets evil because something happened to him, without physically changing him to look a certain evil way, you are supposed to follow his story and remind yourself who he is. they want you to not really understand why he "turned evil". because there are coriolanus snows in our world. at our work place, in politics, everywhere. They might not (all) kill kids in a brutal battle, but they do things you can consider evil. they all had normal lifes and chances to be a good person but chose to be bad. coriolanus hunger games are his hunger for power.

[laceswan]

Bouc. Mon ami, mon amour Bouc.

Good heavens do I love this man. Just look at him. Look at this sweetheart of a man. Look at that smile. And to be clear, I am not lusting after this fictional man the way I do for other fictional men. In this case, I just desperately want to be his friend. I want to experience his kindness and his wit firsthand, the open arms with which he greets all of his companions.

And luckily, I have a friend that reminds me of Bouc a lot. An honestly scary amount. He is such a sweet man, and an incredible friend. All of my love to the Boucs of the world.

[laceswan]

Ok but. The scene in s2e09 "The Shot" fucking breaks me and here's why. BoJack sees Kelsey as a merge between his parents and Herb, what with her being older than him and jaded but also she's a boss figure. And for this reason, BoJack spends a lot of time (shown most in "Chickens" but also a lot of the season tbh) trying to win her approval because she's not giving it to him willingly. He keeps going about it in the wrong way, as we see in Chickens when he is trying to turn her actual literal daughter being in danger into a fun day out, but I think the biggest issue with this is actually that he doesn't really have anything to prove. Kelsey purposefully sought him out for the job because she genuinely believed him to be the best actor there, and although she shows frustration at him not being able to do his job properly, she does still keep this image of him in mind. Which is why the thing that actually does lead him to win her approval is him delivering a genuinely good performance, and said approval just comes in a simple recognition of his skill. BoJack has been in desperate of simple appreciation from his parents (reflected in stuff like the "I see you" theme from Free Churro) and he has been missing the attention and extremely intimate love of his performance that Herb gave him while he was directing him, and Kelsey's "no, I knew" quote manages, in three words, to deliver both to him perfectly. And THAT'S what breaks him. Between the sheer emotional connection he feels towards this woman, and the lack of this connection that he received from the people he wanted it from the most, it just becomes too much for him, and THAT'S what leads him to start crying. It is one of the most layered, emotionally intimate moments of the entire show, and it breaks me every time I watch it.

[laceswan]

[laceswan]

i love that binx and andhera’s declarations of love are never a clear cut “i love you”. it was andhera being the actual winner in the hedge maze, but giving the crystal heart to binx, it was andhera pledging themself to binx’s cause, it was binx offering to remove the shard from his neck, it was the two of them turning to each other and confiding in each other when things got rough, it was “you make an excellent frog”, it was andhera asking binx to show off their craftsmanship and make him a suit, it was binx finding solace in andhera’s presence at the masquerade, it was them sharing the apple imbued with the memories of the court of craft, it was andhera admitting that binx has made him happier than he’s ever been, it was the both of them extending the homes and hearts to each other, it was “no one will ever hurt you” and its echo, it was “he’s not yours to control anymore”, it was binx pointing a crossbow at suntar’s back and vowing that she would use it should andhera give her the go ahead, it was “you are welcome in my home, always.” it was “for the rest of our existence, any time you are scared I will reassure you”, it was “we have so much to experience together.”

and i think that’s really beautiful.

[laceswan]