#>glad that it was the point lmao but i didn't doubt it either

[skeletood]

PLEASE please please tell us all about your thoughts regarding davesprite. it does NOT HAVE TO BE COHERENT!!

FINALLY THE KIND OF ASKS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

I mean, it's nothing insane or hasn't already been said before. but god damn the knight making the ultimate sacrafice thing and then it never going appreciated fucks me up. plus it's fucking dave so the dude already spent his life under appreciated so this kid cant catch a fucking break. somebody i was talking to the other day said something about the guardian angel going thankless ? yeah dude imagine doing that when ur 13 and just want yourself and your only friends to live. fucks me right up dude dave is such a good fucking person to his core.

SO FUCKING MAD HE DIDN'T GET LIKE. Idk man i felt like he was actually getting set up for a lot more. like yknow, the dude that had to give up everything for the alpha timeline to keep going? he just gets shit on by his best friend for three years, explodes sometimes and then idk fuckin turned into a cat girl? THAT'S how you one let one of the most important daves to go out?? man... ok i guess..... i guess it is something of a reminder of like. the futility and how little the dead players mean to the alpha timeline. like, you were important but you're still just some stepping stone and i cant even imagine how hard that is for the dude who already doubted he could he anything great or heroic. FUCKING DAVES NOT THINKING THEYRE HEROIC AND THEN SACRAFICING THEMSELVES HEROICALLY. I want you dead dave strider im coming to your fucking house to get you man. i love this stupid kid. like most of davesprites reactions are so fucking normal for a kid that's lashing out or throwing a tantrum. and dude deserves to oh my god. not saying that hes infallible but like! he's a person still! and he has big emotions! why cant anybody but jade see the big emotions in this boy :( i mean i get it they technically both share the commonality of being a sprite at some point, in jades case. ok if i keep going down this thought path im its going to turn into a me shaking john around for being the kind of dude he is. which is like. i love him. but holy shit man.

actually. yknow what im one of the johndave guys. this extends itself to johndavesprite. i gotta put the insane ramblings i had in here too. fuck you im taking it as an excuse to talk about john psychology too and you CAN'T STOP ME.

so yeah theres that. apolocheese for the itty bittiest fuckin text ever.

in conclusion, davesprite rules, and john drools because hes dumb. i love him! but hes so special and especially stupid. BUT YEAH DAVESPRITE HES SO COOL. and fuckin fun to draw too actually i have some art to post i'll do that here in a sec

BUT YEAH THANKS FOR THE ASKING OF MY THOUGHTS. glad i dont have to be coherent either, shockingly enough its not really my style lmao. hope any of this made any sense o7

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

I feel like if the ending to She-Ra wasn't so rushed and had more air time, then Catra could've possibly been redeemed. There were so many chances to redeem her character that were just ignored to push her being even more of an asshole(lightly put, I could call her much worse).

I try and give the writing team the benefit of the doubt of not having enough run time with the show, then I go and look back and I'm like, "Oh yeah... They could've redeemed her at this point."

I'm actually glad to see someone with similar opinions though. (Keeping anonymous so I don't end up getting harassed by certain fans.)

oh, absolutely. they had five seasons, i don't know why they didn't utilize it smartly. but also, i think they could have redeemed catra decently even if it was pushed to s5. if ATLA redeemed a character with just three seasons and Infinity Train did the same in just 10 episodes, there's no reason why SPOP couldn't do the same. all they had to do was have catra face actual consequences of her actions and not get accepted so quickly. also, not pairing her with the person she abused for years.

but yeah, for a show with five seasons, they spent a lot of it either showing catra commit more and more atrocities, or showing useless filler stuff. it's just bad writing at this point, there's no other excuse.

i'm happy too that more people seem to be realizing and calling out the problematic elements of this show. i was inspired by a bunch of other blogs here who pointed out the same issue. (also, totally get you op, it's apparently illegal to have negative feedback about this show lmao)

[amusingmusie]

Hello! I'm a big fan of your work "Yours Truly" on Ao3 & your character Penelope, probably like the rest of us here!

So, as we all know, Alastor is someone who is on the asexual spectrum– a real shocker, I know! [/s] But there's a question that's been bugging me for a while, and that is 'what sexuality is Nel'? Because I SWEAR on my life I saw a post saying that she is bisexual, but I cannot seem to find it– so I don't know if that's a fragment of my imagination, and I have entirely made that up... Or that's an actual thing that has been stated and I simply forgot lmao!

I hope that isn't something weird to ask! And, if I really DID make that up, then I'm sorry for bothering you with all those questions!

BUT ALSO, just in case my mind isn't actually playing tricks on me- would you say that Nel is 'aware' of her attraction to women? That she recognizes it as the same attraction she feels towards men, as we see with Alastor– or does she pay it no mind? Not in a "actively ignoring it" way, just a "I've never really thought about it for various reasons"– because we do see Nel being quite open minded in your work, like when she confronts Alastor about the altar for his ancestors without any real judgement! She seems very tolerant and willing to learn about the 'unknown'! Did she have a very sudden realization that 'oh shit, (unspecified lady) is HOT what the hell-", or did her attraction manifest in more subtle ways throughout her life? Obviously, I doubt she would ever put a label on her feelings, simply because of the realities of the times in which "Yours Truly" takes place– similarly to how Alastor (even in Hell) isn't aware of the more 'modern' labels for his sexual attraction, or rather the lack of it!

All in all, Nel is an amazing character, no matter her sexuality– you really made her feel like a real person! She doesn't feel shallow or flat like some characters in fanfiction often do– she has both positive and negative aspects of her character, which make her interactions with the people around her all the more entertaining to read! Especially with Alastor– but I must say, I am also a big fan of her relationship with Grace! I am a sucker for siblings that genuinely care & love each other, but who also can be jokingly mean, and well... Act like real siblings would! I find that most fanfictions follow either the "siblings who absolutely despise each (especially if they are both women, for some reason)" trope, or the "siblings who are sickeningly sweet with one another".

I see that I have written quite a long wall of text– I hope I didn't completely bore you out of your mind! Have a nice day/night, and remember to prioritize your health & mental wellbeing! Toodles! <33

I rub my hands together like a grubby little fly.

You didn't make it up! Nel is technically bisexual (and on the aro/ace spectrum). It's not something I've explicitly written in my fic since she's not even aware of it- that lady grew up in the backwoods in the early 19th century USA. Not saying she couldn't figure it out, she just really doesn't think about it? Like you said, Al is like "huh" when his sexuality is labeled, so is she lol. Eventually she might kinda blink and go "oooooooh" but I don't think it's a big spoiler to say she found her person with Alastor, so while it's an important discovery that's part of her identity, she's happily unhappy with that fucker.

But that's not to say she's unaware of the LGBTQ community or that she's discriminatory towards them! Part of her defining personality is that she is very accepting and if Grace came home with a girl she would not bat an eye. Bonus points if the girl can't get her pregnant lmao. Nel thinks a win is a win.

All in all, I'm a lesbian, and the majority of my OCs have a little sugar in their tanks whether they realize it or not (even if they're unhappily/happily stuck with a stinky deer man) <3

Also, I'm glad you like Grace! I know sibling characters can be hit or miss, but she's integral to the story so I couldn't get rid of her.

Thanks for the cool ask :)

[colorlesschristmastree]

I hope I’m not being annoying but I just really need to rant about my hope that SJM puts feyre in a more prominent role in the next ACOTAR book. I thought her page time was a bit disappointing but not terrible in ACOSF (I mean, ideally I want her on every page. But seeing as that book was all Nesta Nesta Nesta and hardly any Cassian even…and with how bad a book it was, I’m fine with her staying away from whatever that was). But I was heartbroken over the fact she wasn’t in HOFAS at all!? After SJM teased her being there!? I mean, I get it wasn’t a big crossover and Nesta and Azriel were the highlights. But I can’t help but feel embarrassingly bitter that Nesta was highlighted so much in ACOWAR to the point it took away a bit from Feyre’s finale; Nesta was also the topic of conversation in ACOFAS and was at least a quarter of what Feyre-and other characters-were thinking about the whole book. Then the whole of ACOSF she had a terrible arc and her head is a nasty place to be, she was horrible to feyre the whole book and had that cheap ass lame ass “savior” moment at the end… I thought we could finally be free of her and see Elain shine, and get more Feyre. But then SJM put Nesta at the center of the crossover too?? And ended it by seemingly giving Nesta even more plot for her to do next ACOTAR book??? Ugh! I’m just so mad and I feel embarrassed complaining about my favs getting less page time and someone I hate getting too much spotlight but I’m just so mad. I really sincerely hope that while they were doing the crossover in HOFAS, Feyre, Elain, and maybe even Mor were doing other things that we will see in ACOTAR. And I hope feyre gets the respect she deserves. :/

You're not being annoying at all anon! Sorry for responding to this so late. I completely understand your frustrations. It was definitely annoying when I read bits of hofas and saw that despite SJM teasing a lot more acotar character content and acting like there would be more than there is there really wasn't much at all and everything we got was boring as shit. I feel like the way she presented this book and what we got were two very different things.

I definitely agree that the amount Nesta's character is being shoved down peoples throats is getting obnoxious at this point. She got her spin off book and her little story and I really don't think she needs more. Tbh though I wouldn't be too stressed about it since SJM in recent books can't follow through on a plot to save her own life. So many things brought up in CC1 and CC2 that either went absolutely nowhere or just were lightly touched on but didn't have the important it seemed like they would. So I honestly doubt the end of hofas is going to become as massive as we think it is, more likely than not the resolution to that is going to come from a pages long info dumping session where we find out the why but it doesn't actually get it's own plot and story... I mean that's basically how 90% of the mysteries established in the prior two CC books and a bit in ACOSF were handled in HOFAS. I honestly predict the same for the next acotar book lmao.

I also super desperately miss Feyre.. she's the main character and the heart of the acotar series and honestly such a comfort! I wouldn't worry too much though babe, I mean the crossover was basically worthless and just info dumping, I'm glad Feyre wasn't involved in that mess. I still think Elain's book is going to be next and I'm excited for that, Nesta will have a role and that's whatever ig but I'm not going to let a boring character whose book was bad ruin my enjoyment of Elain's book.

The main acotar series where Feyre was still our narrator and protagonist will always be the best in my eyes and these are just spin off books that let us see her sisters stories and they aren't gonna dampen my love for the main series. I'm actually doing a reread of the main series right now with the discord server and we're just raving about how much we adore Feyre and her pov. I love how plot filled these books are, every scene and page actually feels important and contributes to the overarching plot of the book and there are no massive scenes of unnecessary info dumping like certain.. other books.

Love u nonnie and every SJM book that strays from Feyre's holy light is progressively worse written which just says something about our girls story.

[monards]

so i played symbiosis.

now tell me

1. what do you think happens after the game ends in the basement.

2. what are your headcannon ideas for more endings and/or a ‘true’ one?

3. why exactly is his nickname mint. how is he invasive!! and he isn’t used as a spice either!!! (or is he? a flavouring in magnolia’s sad lonely life)

ommg hihihi!!! I'm so glad you played!!!!! so sorry this is a bit of a late response,, i really had to think about these questions. also very sorry because i actually rambled an insurmountable amount for this,, LMAO. ok brace yourself, hereee we go (adding the keep reading thing because i dont need to be flooding innocent people's home page with this.)

// Honestly,, I dont have a like, huge idea of what happened after that ending (mostly because of the lack of context around a lot of the stuff, and boy do i need context to function!!!) but I think there's a lot of ways the ending in the basement could've technically gone after the cut off depending on how you interpret Mint at that point. We know Mint was always aware of what Magnolia did, as he mentions in his diary entry; but what happened next REALLY depends on how he copes with that as he grew up. Dove obviously got him into school, or some sort of formal education; where he'd then learn about 'right and wrong' which, as far as education systems go; tends to be VERY black and white. Meaning they'd likely respond with full conviction that Magnolia's actions were wrong and completely unjustifiable. So under the situation he had followed and grown into that line of thinking afterwards, there's no doubt he'd probably not have the most happy reaction to seeing Magnolia again,, butttt on the other hand, and what i believe to be the case a LOT more; he grew up being taught that people do what they do for a reason. Magnolia taught him to always do stuff for himself, because more often than not, what's 'right' isn't always the best for you; and it's okay to go against what's commonly known as the 'right thing to do' for that reason!! He'd likely grown aware at some point that most if not everything Magnolia had done while he lived with her, was for him to live. She murdered people because she needed blood to feed him; she hid them deep in the forest because she didn't want to be arrested and risk anything happening to mint, in the case he got into the wrong hands; and OBVIOUSLY it's a bit hard to completely disregard that line of thinking after so many years,, even if that line of thinking may of been a bit altered in him learning about what magnolia had really done to people, and her effect on others. So I could totally believe him just breaking down the moment he saw her again; knowing everything he'd know as of that point He's also, like, the biggest mama's boy i've ever seen in media; so I wouldn't put it past him if, upon seeing Magnolia again, he really did get emotional and just sorta started crying. Because old habits die hard.

// To be completely honest, I think knowing magnolia; both endings worked perfectly well in their own ways!! We know Magnolia really did love Mint, and her different responses to that love is really shown well in both endings :) Ending A obviously shows her wanting to give mint a better future. Just as it's acknowledged in the FAQ, she is a very horrible person; since she's. yknow. a fugitive and mass murderer. But she willingly puts herself at risk of being arrested, and presumably leaves dove who she clearly still loved on some level to likely die after stealing her gun, because she knows that as things were going, she'd never be able to provide Mint the life he deserves. And If anything, Magnolia clearly doesn't want to be as her parents were to her, to Mint. But Ending B is just as good in the regard that it shows the concept of Magnolia not being good for others, and that despite her best efforts; she almost always sours her relationships with those she loves (which is so, so, so great of an idea when you tie it in with 'symbiosis' as the title LMAO) No offense to Magnolia,, but she's like, almost pathetically horrible at conveying her feelings and emotions in any context. She was already blunt and mean in college without much provocation, and she never seemed to show her love for Dove *that* clearly (i mean,, we saw her smile once but that was in their wedding photo. cmon) so Ending B does great at reminding us,, 'hey,, she's still the same no matter what.' At least in this case we know she loves mint, but did mint even know that? By the time he's grown up, he looks just like magnolia did at that age; straight faced, apathetic looking in most cases, and generally not good at conveying anything but negative emotions. And we know for magnolia,, all of that emotion for her was a result of how she grew up (because i REALLY doubt she'd be this cynical and miserable if her parents weren't assholes, no hate) ; so it does so great to show that no matter Magnolia's best efforts, she was really never going to be as good as she wanted to be, because that's just the way she is, that's her effect on others.

// Honestly,, I always just interpreted his name as the sort of tie and relationship between him and Magnolia; and how their connection and effect on each other is far different from her previous one relationship and connect to Dove !!!! Doves, as a whole, are separate from Magnolias (as in the plant species,) because Doves are birds. And that same line of thought carries over to the characters too!!-- Dove had a freedom Magnolia didn't by being able to express herself and show her compassion and emotions without much complication; but though she changed Magnolia in her interactions with her- as we see magnolia was clearly more expressive, and emotionally available with her- she would have never have a permeant effect on her, because anything a bird can manage to do to a Magnolia tree has very temporary effects. (Hence the game's title "symbiosis" ; the interaction and relationship between two organisms !!! ) But Mint is also a 'plant' , (in this context, figuratively and literally ) So in some ways, he's just like Magnolia in that regard, since they're the same 'species' ; in this case being the way they're both 'irregular' and different from those around them. But just like you noted; mint is invasive. The plant itself can permanently alter the area and environment around it and it's generally very hard to get rid, leaving lasting impact. The moment Mint became a part of Magnolia's life, her life was permanently changed. We see she became far more empathetic than before, and her drive for what she did was no longer purely for knowledge, but compassion; and in both endings she so clearly does what she does under the context of her love for him!! And, in the basement ending (Ending B) despite all the time that had passed, she still seems to have those far more 'open' qualities coming about when it comes to him!!; cue her being so much more positively expressive and welcoming upon seeing him, compared to her reunion with dove. so for the most part, that's what i headcanon as the background for his nickname as'mint' !!!! :))

i had soso much fun answering these,, thank you so much kshkshks!!!!!! 💜💜

[12romy]

Thanks @sebchal for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Oof. 57, damn that's a lot, what am I doing with my life?? 53 of them in F1 (I know it says 52 but one of them is on anon lmao)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

GUYS I JUST COUNTED AND APPARENTLY I'VE PUBLISHED AROUND 477K FOR THE F1 FANDOM??!!??! SEND HELP (there's another 100k in my wips rn)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

F1rpf, although I have a fic for The Sandman and one for Our Flag Means Death (let's forget about my works for spn lol)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

So the first one is Odd ducks, the fic I wrote for The Sandman, which is pretty normal since the fandom is bigger. After that, only F1, with Let's try something else (sewis fake dating feat Seb and gay panic), A Change of Habits (my lonnnnnnng chewis fic following the 2022 season), Your Crush is Showing (Brocedes, the first long fic I completed. Lots of smut.) and finally, Remember to forget (me), brocedes lewis!amnesia fic. I am very proud of the last one, mostly because it's super angsty and I torture Nico so much in it lmao

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do, actually, but usually I procrastinate on it, and I took ages. It's just, like, I feel it important to thank everyone for the comments, but it can feel a little repetitive and so I just tend to... Push it back to the next day, again and again. When it's on a multi-chapter fic, I reply before publishing the new chapter usually, but if it's a one-shot or the last chapter... Well. You'll get an answer but god knows when ahah

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oof, that's between Losing it all, a really dark fic about Nico, and Too Late, a bad ending 3344 fic based on Monza 2021 :)

(be careful about the tags if you go and read them btw)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Damn, that's a difficult question, I love writting sappy endings... But actually I think it's the ending of Welcome in the family!

It's a cute fic about Kimi/Tonio/Minttu, and the ending is definitely what I consider one of the happiest, mostly because of a little time-jump that allows to see the future ^^

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I did once, actually, on the 3344 fic I mentionned earlier. I think the person was just a max fan and didn't appreciate the way I make him suffer... I had put the write tags and all, so idk why they clicked on it. Anyway, it was scary and upsetting and I'm glad it only happened once ^^"

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Hell yeah. Go have a look, honestly, there's no way I can summarise it. I write way too much of it, I think (and most of it hasn't been published yet I think)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope, but I should, it could be fun! Actually, I'd like to write a Lewis/Lil Nas X one day, so who knows. That's not at the top of my list, though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I... Don't know, actually? How do you even check that? I hope not ahah ^^"

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Someone offered to translate one of my fic in Chinese!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I DID, The Prince and the Knight, with my wonderful @feuerspirit !!!!!! And I don't want to spoil, but me and @metheevilgenius miiiiight publish a little os at some point ;)

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Oh, such a hard question... I'll go with brocedes, but it's really mean to make me chose only one. They're just.... *siiiigh*

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Definitely this BDSM seb/charles/mick and lewis/pierre I have started. I didn't publish it and it's like 20k long but I'm completely stuck and haven't worked on it in a long time. Not totally happy with it either ^^"

16. What are your writing strengths?

Uh, good question? I don't know, I get compliments about the characterisation... But other than that, I like to think I have a pretty good sense of humour and I'm able to make people laugh (or like, I hope. I make myself laugh, which is a good begining)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

The fucking dialogues.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I like to use petnames in other languages cause petnames always feel more personnal when you use it in your own language. So with the F1 drivers, it's nice cause not all of them are english! I tend to put some German or some French sometimes in my fics for full sentences, but I try not to do it too much. If you don't understand the language, it can be very frustrating.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Time to dig up my old ff.net account lmao

Nah, actually, I remember very well of my first fic. I was 15, it was two pages long, I was feeling bad about writing a fic in the first place although it didn't involve any romance. I deleted it a few hours after posting it, ahah. It was for the fandom of a french youtube show called Aventures. It's like, people playing a dnd style game, it's pretty cool and I was really into it for a long time.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

The fic I love the most of is definitely Up or Down. It's one of my favourite fic I've wrote. It's one of my early work, so it's a little clumsy and far from perfect, but I have good memories of myself writing it. I was in vacation in Rome at the time, alone, and I spent my time wandering in the city and thinking about my fic, it was amazing. And well, the content of the fic is also nice I guess XDDD

-

noooo idea who did this thing, and who didn't, so ignore if you've already done it or don't want to! I tag @feuerspirit @n-ico-ando @sunshinesebby @sionisjaune

[catenchanter]

HEY SO! Today I recieved an... interesting package.

Anyone remember The Savior of Salem? I don't and neither should you! /j

BUT UM. I haven't seen much archiving of this compared to the original card game, so when I found a copy on ebay I was like "screw it why not?". Feels like I've managed to obtain some kind of rare forgetten artifact lmao.

Anyway, I mainly just wanted to at least. Archive this somehow! I really wanna see if I can get a proper photo of all the cards at some point. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do so. I'm tempted to scan them but obviously that comes w/ risks and uh. Yeah. Either that or getting a photo of everything. Just trying to get a HQ one I guess would be the issue...

Either way! I mainly just wanted to showcase some of the more interesting cards for the whole.... 2 Town of salem fans (ily /platonic)

So, uh. Lets go.

(WARNING - THIS IS A LONG POST)

First off your role selection is. Not very good :( considering that Spy was a stretch goal, having only three possible roles you initially can obtain during the game is a bit. Hm. Also interesting that Psychic also originated from SoS, alongside the specific Vigilante skin. Shame Veteran has yet to get similar treatment.

The fact that mob mentality is a mechanic tickles me. Also y he look like that.

Horsemen prior to Town of Salem 2? Kinda wild.

I AM POINTING THIS ONE OUT SPECFICALLY BECAUSE. HELLO!? THIS MAN KINDA GIVES ME TUMBLR SEXYMAN ENERGY /LH WHY IS FIT KINDA COOL AS.

MY BRAIN IS LIKE "IS THAT THE SK?" BUT I. DOUBT IT IS NGL.

This confirms that A) The vigilante needs glasses and B) The sheriff has killed. Probably killed a townie, hence why the Vigilante can't use them /nsrs

Spy does not want to be around dogs. Spy how could you. /nsrs

The closest we'll ever get to the mafia being relevant again :( also hello stray hair that might have been from me whoops.

Tag u and the squad (I'm Gold Value: 150)

I feel like you can make a joke out of this.

Just some neat creatures. Shout out to the inner demons specifically.

Glad to see the Amnesiac canonically has hair and is not bald.

All the other horsemen get cool weapons... famine gets the scales. Tbh who needs cool weapons anyway when you have :bread

(I mean tbh it does make sense but. Sick ass weapons either way)

SOME EXAMPLES OF UM. art. The full body chainmail looks traced from the town of salem game art holy shit flummery.

Just some townies being used and abused :)

And that's about it! At least, the ones I think are neat and wanted to share anyway. The deck came with a whole bunch of blank cards, as well as many. Many more cards. Like I didn't show you guys all the coven ones.

I definately want to get a photo of everything at some point but for now. Here you go eat up I guess.

[nono-bunny]

Thoghts from watching the ATLA live action!

Episode 4:

Holy shit Iroh and Aang are cellmates this is such a fun scenario!! Gives some strong Crossroads of Destiny vibes, ngl. Also, the crytals look cool!!!

Oh I'm genuinely so glad they didn't just... Move on from Sai working for the Fire Nation, I was genuinely doubtful they were gonna adress it tbh! Now I just need a Sokka and Jet confrontation and I'll be happy, though, that isn't likely to happen unfortunately.

I really do like what they did with Sai and Sokka though- this kinda feels like him starting a pattern of trying to look for replacement father figures tbh, which really fits with how much more visibly he's fixated on being like Hakoda here. It's sad and sweet at the same time, and I'm really interested to see how they'll write Hakoda!

Fuck yes, spy Zuko!!!

Smh kid Bumi isn't crazy enough, is it really THAT hard to find just. A completely unhinged looking kid?? Nah obviously I'm joking, he's cute haha it obviously wouldn't have been possible to have the visual similarities we see in the og so just having his unique laugh to identify him by works!

Idk what was up with Iroh's writing in the first episodes, he felt really foreign to me but over time he genuinely finally starts feeling like Iroh so I'm glad they got into the groove with his writing! He's still a bit too open which feels weird, but he uses more veiled language now while doing it so it works better. Also? I heard they used Leaves From The Vine, but damn it still got me!!

Haha YES, this was genuinely a change I always wanted: Sokka and Katara in the tunnels instead of Aang and Katara!! Not for shipping reasons, because that's gross, but because I always felt it would've been real funny haha

Wait are they fr sending Iroh to face punishment? I was sure he was next to Aang as part of a White Lotus thing or just until Bumi heard he was there!! I'm guessing he... Still doesn't know? I'm guessing this whole thing is a spin on when Iroh gets taken from the hot springs, but Bumi being directly in charge only works if it's all a ploy or if he hasn't been informed that they have the Dragon of the West in captivity- which would be wild!! Unless he's busy constructing puzzles for Aang lmao idk

So like. Given that the siblings are going to the tunnels, Aang is meeting Bumi, and Zuko is rescuing Iroh... I guess we just drop the Jet plot until next season??? Man, what a bummer. That was too short and didn't even hit all the high point of meeting him in the original. Like, they honestly could've had him try to appear and try to atone by trying to help and getting rejected and yelled at, but instead he just confirms his evil plans and is never seen again? Like, literally, what did he even do here? Despite being on screen for longer, his betrayal somehow doesn't seem as impactful because there's no time for Katara to process it last episode, like. Again, I hope to god this is a thing she has to kinda wrestle with a lot next season- I also kinda hope Sokka somehow independently meets him with Aang again and doesn't realize that the guy from the cart is the same guy Katara talked about, and that these two get to have their own Jet disappointment because again!! So far taking Sokka out of the Jet plot is genuinely the biggest issue I have with this show. Katara's arc seems to be headed to the same place albeit in a very different pace, but this is something that would be INCREDIBLY hard to fix. Like? I get it, I understand that what Sokka learns in that episode doesn't have to happen there, but. It's genuinely one of my favorite episodes because of how both of the water tribe siblings get to learn something from interacting with this charming duplicitous guy, and taking out Sokka's growth kinda just? Leaves us with Katara getting betrayed while bottling it up (likely until either they meet again or until Zuko's actions remind her of it- it'll probably also be important with Hama), it kinda just becomes "Katara gets a crush on a bad boy and gets hurt" which? Idk it feels weird, it was presented differently here and she feels much less silly and willfully blind because for the longest time no one tells her to be wary of Jet but. I still don't like how ultimately Jet was just there to disappoint Katara and interact with literally no one else. I mean!! I love Jet, of course I too had a crush on him, he's iconic and important and of course he had to be a part of this, but. Truly, they minimized the hurt he causes so much that I just kinda feel like he might as well not have appeared with how little he ultimately impacted things, at least for right now. I'm really hoping he gets an expanded role next season that helps to make up for how much his appearance was minimized, or that we see this have a tangible impact on Katara, because as it stands... It was just kind of a disappointing cameo appearance rather than something that felt like it needed to be there. Anyway this is all more about last episode but I still held out a bit of hope for it to be resolved better so. To see that Sai and Teo get to face a bit of emotional fallout set up last episode because they get to further the plot, while Jet just vanishes... It sucks, and it hurts, and I hate it. Anyway, onwards, I guess!

Teo has genuinely been changed so much he straight up isn't the same character anymore, and it's... Strange. I don't really like it too much, tbh. He's like, EXTREMELY cynical and eager to fight, and it's such a strange change from a character whose entire purpose originally was to kind of mirror Aang and help nudge him along on his journey. I genuinely can't tell if they just thought that living in a city under constant threat rather than literally amongst the clouds would mean he would kind of have to be different, or if it was an attempt to make him cooler or whatever. Regardless, I don't like it, tbh he kinda pisses me off a bit? He's SO serious and angry all the time and it just. Feels weird when he only resembles his original counterpart through his name and use of a wheelchair. Everything else about him is nowhere to be seen! If you compare his situation to Katara, it might seem similar on the surface- except, Katara is a main character who clearly still has a character arc ahead of her (and also all of her defining traits are still there), while Teo shows up like twice. It's kinda vital that he isn't too complex and keeps his original personality because he doesn't have the same leeway to grow that a main character does, otherwise he risks just becoming someone else entirely... And that's what happened. The thoughtful and cheerful boy with an interest in Air Nomad culture is all but gone, replaced with yet another angry warrior, and? While I get how it's probably more likely for him to become the latter, I also very much miss and lament the loss of the former. Sai is very much the stronger adaptational character of the two, and he's the only one of the two to get to have a real impact on one of the Gaang. It... Sucks.

Lmao Flopsy my beloved what have they done to you?? Guess they ran out of CG budget haha

Oh, this Bumi has a very strange and uncomfortable vibe, so like... Perfect! He was always gonna be hard to translate to live action, and I saw a lot of people dislike how they portray him here, and I kind of get it? He's not very likeable, he feels like kind of a bad ruler and a bit cruel... And that actually tracks? I read the showrunner said he wanted to focus a bit more on how upset Bumi is about Aang disappearing and reappearing in his life, and that underlying anger absolutely comes through. Bumi is... Kind of scary, and as someone that has a rep for being The Crazy King or whatever, I feel like that perfectly fits!

Jet!!!! He's here!! Kinda feels like it might be a dream ngl, it just has that vibe? Or maybe that's just how happy I am to see they didn't abandon him haha. He's... Still only gonna interact with Katara though, isn't he? :(

Uh? So, I'm gonna have to be filled in on when Katara learned physical self defense. It was very cool, but it felt like nothing I've ever seen her to do before. Anyway real cool moment for Katara there overall, it was great! It in particular really stands out against the cartoon in the way she manifests her anger. She's like. Definitely angry here, and it's very clear she's also just once again tempering it and moving on- no time for this, no time for Jet, no time for fighting... And at some point all of those repressed feelings are gonna have to overflow. It was a very cool scene, but it was, once again, sorely lacking Sokka's presence. More than anything, I just. Wish for these two to meet independent of Katara and get to have their own clash. Honestly? I feel like they could potentially catch two birds with one stone by having the Gaang split up earlier next season, specifically, have Suki help them get to Ba Sing Se earlier so get to meet Jet or something. Idk, the idea isn't fully formed, but it definitely feels like the most likely point for them to get to meet and it would make me really happy for everyone to have a bit more interaction with Suki before she formally joins them in the last season. Like? Maybe Jet and Sokka meeting could be Sokka's story in a Tales of Ba Sing Se sort of episode? As much as I love the haiku club... It's almost certainly getting the chop- also, I heard that the biggest and most important plotpoint of that episode already gets revealed in this first season so? It's likely just not gonna happen, or if it does it might just be like, a bonus one for fun idk. Regardless that season has a lot of "filler" that can easily be dropped, and Jet and Sokka meeting feels to important to just. Never happen, and!! I want it so badly, fuck!!

Yo ngl Zuko's helmet do be making him look like Melonlord

Lol prompting a conflicted Zuko with "well? Are you just gonna stand there? What are you gonna do?" Is fucking hysterical

Bumi is fr so pathetic, fucking no one likes his jokes but his the king and having people have to laugh this time is genuinely hilarious. It also makes everything so much more menacing!! I get why people didn't like what they did with him, but I think it's an interesting direction to go with his character and I think they handle it really well. If anything? Having to stick to some of the original characteristics and reusing the jokes really hurt his momentum imo

The Omashu story looks beautiful!! Ngl I don't really understand why they changed it to a lesbian couple? It literally changes nothing, their genders doesn't matter to the story, so I genuinely don't care one way or the other, it's just... A strange choice to make haha

The singing nomads are always fun, though in my ideal Secret Tunnel scenario they go in with Sokka and Katara and annoy the shit out of Sokka. Miss them already. Also, I do miss Dee Bradley Baker- just. In general, but also, can't help but think of him when I see these guys- it's his song after all!

Forgot to comment on Iroh taking the Lotus tile last episode, so I'm happy to see it back in action here! Do kinda wonder how June will track him in the last season without his smelly sandal though haha

Really cool scene with the rock candy!! Obviously the original way it's presented is off the table, and they instead made it into a really beautiful little action scene!

Ngl something about seeing Zuko pick up a White Lotus got me choked up a bit. The hesitation with Zuko between Aang and Iroh didn't really feel like that big a deal here given the different circumstances behind Iroh's capture, I mean? Obviously Zuko was never gonna abandon Iroh after he sacrificed himself, so not going after Aang here wasn't really that much of a sacrifice on his part in comparison, just... Basic decency to return the favor, which kinda lessened the impact and you might as well miss there was even a conflict with how little of the episode he spends thinking of Aang, but. I like it, it's sweet to see their connection here anyway. Definitely does feel like Zuko is a bit too close to redemption at all times during this season though, Iroh is being WAY too obvious about his true allegiances imo, but tbf... I doubt anyone could go into ATLA blind nowadays, and maybe making Iroh more transparent and Zuko more sympathetic is a way to later drop the shoe ever harder during Crossroads of Destiny- like, THAT'S how much of a wrong choice he makes there, it goes against his entire characterization thus far... But the bait Azula used was too alluring. Or something like that, idk, maybe it's just. Tough to write such a beloved character back into his worst version? Idk, I kinda get why people wish he was less obviously on a path to redemption but frankly? I think it's just an Iroh issue again, they really seem to struggle with writing him to appear silly or without depth as the first season kinda necessitates, and his unwavering support and pushing for sure make Zuko a lot less lost here. I wish he got to be a bit more, but again: this show was the first time in a long time, maybe ever, that ATLA managed to make me be afraid of Zuko, so. Idk. Mixed feelings- he's not all sugar here AT ALL, but he definitely still is a bit too much for this point. I genuinely do think that Iroh's ability to reach him and be straight to the point needed to be heavily nerfed tbh, I think that's the main issue with Zuko's appearing too sympathetic here

Okay, so. Genuinely not exaggerating here when I say: Sokka saying he has a hunch stole my breath away, made me choke up, and tears welled up in my eyes. Like! THAT'S how taken off guard I was with them bringing back my favorite underrated Sokka trait: his instincts. The time it took me to write this was enough for me to genuinely just start crying while thinking about it, like. Genuinely I'm so happy and relieved this managed to find its way into the show, I'm. A bit overwhelmed rn and I don't know that I can put my feelings about it into words rn so I'll be back when I have something else to say, for now: I am RIDICULOUSLY happy with this development, it means a lot to me personally.

Wait I'm immediately back: this is strange, right? The initial utter joy blinded me but this is like... The exact opposite of what Sokka initially does in this episode, this is kinda funny lmao

I think I can pretty confidently say by now that Sokka and Katara's relationship is my favorite part of this adaptation. They always bring out both the best and the worst in each other, their scenes are always bot fun and also just... Cathartic to me in a personal way because they always manage to hit everything that feels missing until they go at each other. It's genuinely perfect, I love them so much. Like? Yeah Ian Ousley is possibly a stinky liar, but he and Kiawentiio have a great rapport and work really well as the unique twists of their characters that this LA is going for. I really, really enjoy them.

Istg Sokka in the cave is just spitting out one pop culture reference after another and it's genuinely bizarre

So, Iroh was provoking that guy to let him take out his anger, right? That's genuinely the only way I can read that scene for it to make sense. Sympathizing with the guy wouldn't have helped, he wouldn't care that Iroh knows he was wrong and that he only realized it when he lost someone too, so he just let him vent by playing the bad guy ig? Idk what I think of that scene tbh- Iroh being a hated general is something that needed a bit more fleshing out for Zuko taking the throne to make sense, so I don't hate it, but. It was weird to see Iroh be so obstinate in the face of someone who was clearly hurting because of his actions. The expected Iroh move would have been some wise words any sympathy that leads to bonding and healing, and it felt SO weird that it just. Didn't happen, and yet... At the same time, I kinda got it, and I do really appreciate this scene, even if the characterization feels off in a way- which, tbh, most Iroh scenes do. It wasn't a bad one, it just felt really strange to keep expecting him to do something and for him to just... Not. Iroh is definitely both the same and yet feels really different and I just. I can't get used to him tbh.

The flashback mourning scene immediately after was also nice, although it was a bit funny how Dallas just looked exactly the same age when it should've been more than three years in the past. Once again Zuko is slightly too sympathetic too early, but at this point I kinda think that's just what they're going for- they're doubling down on showing him as misguided and wilfully blind rather than cruel, which is a realization you do come to during the first season of the original to be fair... It's just a lot less subtle about it here, with much less time where you just view Zuko as The Enemy. It's very clearly from very early on that this is also his journey, and as that gives me more Zuko... I don't even necessarily hate it lmao, it's just different. I think that so long as they keep being consistent about why Zuko is still refusing to "turn good" it can work really well, and ig with Azula coming early... They increased the pressure on him from both sides, which is actually kinda interesting and something i didn't realize until literally just now. Honestly I think half of the point of me writing these is just... To help me get my thoughts in order, to help me see the show for itself rather than just as a cut down version of the story, and honestly? So far it's actually working really well in terms of helping me come to terms and appreciating some of the weirder/bigger changes they make. Still the one unforgivable change is no Jet and Sokka confrontation- I'm glad they didn't entirely drop what Sokka learns there, but. I just love that episode so much that it being changed so severely really hurts in a way I can't reasonably reconcile. Everything they did and all the reasons for it makes sense, and it all works really well in the end but. It's still just a terrible personal loss haha

I do think that ultimately Katara was right and said something Sokka needed to hear (he's not his dad) and I don't like how it was brushed under the rug a bit but I guess he's not really ready to confront that quite yet- that'll probably come when he reunites with Hakoda, huh?

Oh my god it's happening again!!! Istg it feels like some characters just. Straight up accidentally exist in the wrong universe- Bumi and Kyoshi both chide Aang for traits he doesn't have here, and he never gets called out for the in the original. Genuinely it feels so bizarre, like these characters come from another world where what they're saying is true. More than ever this show feels like it was made by fans who loved the show so much they wanted to see it be better, and when given the opportunity they just kinda... Went ham on both fixing the flaws while also directly acknowledging and trying to fix them, except it doesn't make sense because they don't exist here. It's so disorienting and, frankly, super funny and personally validating to realize the writers also probably had screaming meltdowns over Aang being a bad main character, and feeling so strong about it that they just had to include it still. It feels like the biggest callout post possible, it's genuinely so funny, and as nonsensical as it is... I love it, and for me it makes the show feel like it was written by like mined people- I get it, y'all, I too would both fix and yell at Aang if given the opportunity! It's genuinely such a mood and so relatable of them, so even if it's kind of a mess... I love it, because I get it.

I think it's a really cute and fun twist to have the crystals not be the way, but rather, the badgermoles. It gives both aspects of the cave a chance to show up, and even though I do kinda wish we got to see a disgruntled Sokka strumming his way out of the cave... This was a really sweet resolution. Also, spending most of the time they're in the cave be in the dark and thus under the light of the crystal made for a much more visually interesting episode than it would be otherwise, while also being a nod to them originally being trapped in crystal in Aang's Bumi Adventure. Tbh THESE are two episodes that work great when separating the cast- Sokka and Katara literally did nothing in Bumi's episode, while Aang being there in Cave of Two Lovers did more harm than good in my humble opinion. As I thought I would, I like Sokka and Katara going through the cave together MUCH more- it allowed for a more organic conflict, had more potential for funny moments (that wasn't really utilized because for the most part this adaptation doesn't really do or seem to get comedy- I mean, the funny Bumi moments absolutely bombed here!), and just... Wasn't Kataang focused, which is always a plus!!

Ngl it's kinda embarrassing how much I cared about Sokka's instincts to the point that it made me THAT emotional- btw I don't like that it wasn't followed up on like originally, here it was just brought up and he turned out to be wrong which sucked a bit- unless the crystals were meant to lead them to the badgermole? Idk, wish this was a stronger through line because now he just looks like a fool- which the original episode made sure he wasn't, that was like, the whole point there!!

Genuinely WHERE was this Bumi in the original show,,,,, Anyway this Bumi fight kinda feels like the first cool earthbending we see, which. Ngl, checks out with the original lmao.

My god do I wish Katara and Sokka were able to actually do anything in the original episode with Bumi after seeing this, this was fantastic!!! I'm tearing up, genuinely, this was fantastic!! It really feels like what Aang could've become originally if he was challenged more. I really do appreciate and feel for Bumi here, and for once in a very long time.... I'm also rooting for Aang. That's genuinely not a small thing to accomplish for me! As much as I think what Bumi is saying here has merit, I also believe that this is an Aang that can learn to mediate and make the hard choices when he must- so long as he considers other perspectives, allows his friends to help him, and does the same for them in return. And for how distant Aang feels from Sokka and Katara right now? I believe they genuinely can and will grow closer to a degree they can be this for each other. This was an awesome moment and. Idk. Having genuine faith in Aang feels so foreign to me at this point, almost novel, and I hope to god they don't squander this later on. Watching this episode was actually so healing? Idk if it was just that it took me like, literal hours because I kept pausing to write a lot here so it felt like a long journey to get here, but. I'm really happy with where things ended up, generally!

Uhhh so. Zuko's lot in life is being on water, is it, Iroh? Lmao I know that's absolutely not what he meant but of course my brain IMMEDIATELY started barking "Zutara! Zutara? ZUTARA!" like a rabid dog- that is MY lot in life. Anyway I do think the two Iroh and Zuko scenes at the end here were probably the best ones of the two of them so far! And closing with Zuko having another "Aang vs Iroh" moment just to cement the message here was probably a wise choice especially given how brief the first one was. This one worked a lot better, and it was also really pretty visually!! Actually, for whatever reason I think this show generally looks the best when it's working with blue tones for whatever reason, and as this episode had a lot of them it was one I was constantly really impressed by visually! The green here was a bit hit or miss, but the blue scenes kinda always look really good!! Actually, Wolf Cove looked cool too, and it was pretty blue as well! Hmm. Something to try and pay attention to from now on and if I do a rewatch ig?

This episode honestly did a much better job at adapting two storylines simultaneously, and it was just... Overall better for the most part than the previous one. Bumi was a bit questionable in that he initally leaned too heavily on his original personality and gags rather than embrace this new version (ironically, the opposite of what they should've done with Teo), but for the most part I like the changes they made here! Iroh remains the shakiest and most immersion breaking part of this show- due to no fault of the actor, by the way, he does a good job, the writing is just really inconsistent with him- but if I ignore how uncanny and ooc at times he feels to me, I did generally like his scenes here and what they were meant to do. Genuinely don't know if Iroh is an issue for other people or if for some reason I'm just fixated on him feeling off tbh? Anyway Katara and Sokka were in top form this episode, as I came to expect from scenes that focus on their bond! It was definitely brought down a bit by having to resolve the weaker previous episode and its weird adapations of Jet, Sai and Teo right at the start but it managed to pick itself back up really well- and the Sokka and Katara fight put a nice little bow on it for now, so I'm relatively satisfied with how they wrapped it up. Still hope for a big Sokka and Jet fight though, and still don't really appreciate what they did with Teo. But the bulk of this episode was great- if not in execution, at least in the ideas it portrayed, so I'm happy enough with it tbh.

This post was, once again, a mess as it's just me writing down my thoughts as they occur to me with very minimal editing, if I bother with it at all, but. Yeah it's pretty funny that I'm constantly just lamenting how they remove something and then they still include it later haha, it's becoming kind of a pattern!

[phyrestartr]

Hello! I'm that burnt out anon that sent in that too-long message about Divine Favour part 1 (I'm glad you like comments because I have thoughts :D) and instead of revising for my exams I just finished reading part 2. Which is much more interesting and fun than revision. I love you so much for this nugget of hope. Anyway, I hope you don't mind my very tired but excited surface level thoughts part 2 electric boogaloo. Oh, and are you okay with emoji anons? Because if the rest of this series is as good as these two parts (which I have no doubt about and I'm hooked either way) I'm definitely doing to appear more often. I don't even read a series that often because I have the attention span of a walnut with ADHD but I'm so invested.

First off, the obligatory URAUME I LOVE YOU SO MUCHHHH!!! I'm genuinely so happy we're friends with Uraume because I love them so much omg. I'm so happy they like their overcoat :D.

I also feel so bad for poor Yuji. Poor bby is being thrown for a loop :( but I want to know what other memories he's seeing! Is Sukuna consciously sharing his memories with Yuji, or is it unconscious? Maybe I'm reading into that one line too much and he can actually just feel the weight of Sukuna's emotions - which, if that's the case, means that Sukuna does care about the reader a lot, even more than he's letting on.

Anyway, speaking of reading into one line too much, that "You are." ???? ARE YOU TRYING TO RIP MY HEART OUT? Actually take it because I'd probably be less stressed but AAAAAAAAA . I came here for a break from revision and now I'm halfway crying at poor bby Sukuna just being so confused about these foreign emotions he feels so strongly but doesn't understand.

but then, even when Sukuna doesn't seem capable of recognising his emotions he's still so soft with the reader? Letting him curl up against him as a fox?? Letting him wear his kimono??? Having him turn around to cuddle???? Rubbing his body to try and revive him???????? I'm so aaaaaa I just love him so much and poor baby he's trying his best even if he doesn't understand completely what's going on.

I also want to know what Kenjaku is cooking up. Why did the reader end up in some nasty curse soup in a coffin somewhere instead of Uraume keeping watch over him? I think the plan is obviously to use the reader somehow to resurrect Sukuna. I'm not sure hoe exactly that would work. The reader's taken Sukuna as his mate, though, so maybe there's some funky yokai magic going on. Probably not. The other thing that's intriguing me is the:

“If I didn't know any better, I'd think you actually cared about that kitsune.” 

“Then you don't know what this is,”

I want to know what it is. Tell me. Tell me, Sukuna. Please :> I think it must be more than just a plan to resurrect him. Didn't Sukuna tell Yuji at one point that even if Yujo were to die, there were still fingers left over to be consumed? That suggests he isn't in much of a hurry to be resurrected even a thousand years. If the reader's burial was just to one day resurrect Sukuna, he wouldn't care so much.

I am obsessed with this series. Thank you so much for writing it. I'm gonna go back to my revision now, but thank you for taking the time to read this nonsensical rant :D

HEY HEY MY BURNT OUT BUDDY!! Hope you're doing well my dude :'D I'm totally 5000% ok with emoji anons, so ofc just lmk in another ask or whatnot what you'd like to take! I think I have a 💀 anon already but p much everything else is free for the taking I believe uwu

AND I AM ALWAYS SO FREAKING DOWN AND EXCITED TO GET YOUR ANALYSIS ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! my brain is also BRRRR ADHD (which is why I always have 400 stories going at once lmao) so I totally understand and HEY I'm glad I can provide a bit of a getaway from doing revisions and uni work you feel me u7u we all need sweet, sweet breaks to read about monster fucking!!!

I'M SO GLAD YOU LOVE URAUME. THEY ARE BABY (RESPECTFULLY). Idk I just enjoy the way they are towards Sukuna, and therefore towards people they like/respect. They need to have some EQUALS in their life frfr and reader is just the sort to be like "I have accepted you and so you must accept that I accept you" and Uraume just rolls with it, silently very happy LOL. Ig they see reader as an extension of Sukuna, too

Omg yeah we love torturing Yuuji in this house (respectfully)!!! Idk he's just a fun, emotional little nugget so he's srsly a great character to use for emotional gut punches. And the way Yuuji is perceiving Sukuna's emotions and memories is elaborated on a little further in the next part, so stay tuned 👀

"YOU ARE" IS LIKE SO CORNY AND CHEESY BUT I JUST LIKE CATCHING SUKUNA OFF GUARD LIKE THAT. BRO IS TRYING TO BE LIKE "DAMN BITCH U DIFFICULT" and reader is just like "u da best tho." Incredible. Impeccable. Sukuna doesn't know how to bother reader sometimes and just has to take a fat L and get mad bc he's having EMOTION loool

YEAH I don't think Sukuna is one for saying loving things in an appropriate way (Ex: no "you're beautiful and i care for you," more like "nice ass") but in the manga, he's explained to be someone that operates on the premise of 'pleasure and displeasure,' so imo heian sukuna categorizes every living thing as 'like that/don't like that' and then the nuance of that is a bit more annoying to him in regards to 'how much do i like that' 'how much do i hate that' etc etc. He's an interesting character to try and understand when writing, and I do have to think hard about how he'd react to gentle/soft/emotional situations since he's a stupid asshole but clearly can give praise/recognition when it's due

KENJAKU RAAAAAH it's clarified a tiny bit more in the next part!

BEHEHEHEEHH Idk if Sukuna will ever fully say it or reveal what THIS is, but reader and context clues should!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIFTING ME SUCH A FIRE ANALYSIS AND UR THOUGHTS ONCE AGAIN!! Bro I get so stoked when you hit me with an ask like this like asdjkf;l coming at me with expositional essay analysis like SHEE!!

Seriously though, it's so so so cool and exciting when folks pick up on the little bits and pieces of foreshadowing/weird wording/etc and then start speculating on it. Makes the effort of writing in that stuff so worth it!!

THANK U AGAIN AS ALWAYS MY ADHD HOMIE, I HOPE THE REST OF YOUR REVISING WENT ALRIGHT!! YOU DA BEST, I APPRECIATE YOU!! 💖

[saetoru]

TEE!!!! i am coming directly into your askbox to scream about the latest rb! gojo fic! aND LIKE!!! the knowledge that you had posted it literally got me outta bed this morning and i read it on my phone with one hand as i was getting ready and the fic!! it beat me up!!! cut me bit by bit until i was only a pile on the ground!! dadjo is terrible for forcing them (or at least trying) to break up!! preying on the class difference and reader's insecurity over it!! honestly, if anything he should be impressed because reader is a very smart cookie and a hard worker. iirc they were working two jobs at one point??? VERY IMPRESSIVE. dadjo can't even do one job right smh.

he was soaked to the bone. yes. good. nothing like a sopping wet man on your doorstep. LMAOOO but. augh. when reader mentioned how his dad was involved gojo got so mad that i thought he was actually going to storm off (and then come back again) but luckily he didn't.

when he was yelling and demanding to know why reader broke up with him, i kind of thought of that piece where he convinces them to stay until morning and they finally make it official— when he's demanding to know why reader won't consider a relationship and he's almost yelling and reader tells him not to yell at them… and then here, the narration mentions how he never yells and like, i don't know if that was intentional or not, but if it was… well, he's commited so much about the reader to memory that it would make sense he'd remember something like that.

and then there's this line: they’re bright and kind and deeper than the ocean. but unlike the ocean, they’re not scary to fall into, to lose yourself in no matter how far you are from shore. that one made me think of the sunglasses piece because the same comparison is made in the narration— how gojo's eyes are like the depths of the ocean, but in that fic/drabble, they're something scary. and like. it's a very cool writing thing and it makes me wanna scream LMAOOO.

ANYWAY I'M SO GLAD THEY DIDN'T STAY BROKEN UP FOR LONG AND THAT DADJO GETS HIS. reader definitely should have talked to gojo, but they can make it up to him by remaining by his side for the rest of their life hehe. dadjo should just accept reader because like, at this rate, some disowning is going to happen and the gojo family will have no heir (either satoru disowns the family or they disown him) but he'll be okay because he has his brains and reader (or the grandparents will get involved and give dadjo what he deserves!!!)

this is probably way longer than the 30 tags that stupid tumblr ate, but honestly speaking, i absolutely love the rich boy! gojo au so much. so so so so much and i'm so glad that you've been kind enough to share it with us all! (low key i want to know more about the pre-relationship times… but i want to know it ALLLLLL)

NIKU CRIES SOOOO HARD 🥹 i have to be so honest with you—i don’t even rmr the “don’t yell” part in the old fic ndkajdjd BUT the metaphors ab his eyes was revisited yes !! i think ur making me look like a more purposeful and skilled writer than i actually am fjsjfjf i wish i was that good at tying old things in. that would be the dream.

BUT HIS DAD WAS SO RUDE. it’s the way i wrote him and he still hurt my feelings 😭 he should respect reader bc they FOR REAL are hustling out here in this rough economy LMAO. but honestly reader is like. my new crush LMAO idk if i wanna be them or be w them

but gojo being a wet little soggy mess made me envision him as like. a soaked catjo hehe i love catjo he’s my fav ever i wanna buy a plushie of him but they’re like 40 dollars 😭😭😭 and i’m too cheap to spend 40 on a plushie LMAO

omg but also. i feel like writing an angry gojo was new for once u know ?? bc he’s always been soooo patient w reader and always let them doubt him and their relationship and was so precious and sweet ab reassuring them that sometimes i rly sit there and think like. damn this boy rly been thru it 😭 he was head over heels from the start and he rly had to fight his way into their life SOBS so i was like for once we’re gonna get a not perfectly sweet and patient gojo. tonight he’s gonna be an angry and emotional wreck SOBS. it was fun tho writing him that was. it was cathartic in a way.

but reader should have sooo talked to him sobsob. i think honestly that gojo wouldn’t have really been kicked from the company / inheritance bc then who would get it you know ?? i think dadjo was more trying to prey on readers innocence / insecurities and make them feel like they were powerless and had no choice but to do what he says and hope he’d get away w it EXCEPT SATORU IS ONE DETERMINED BOY LMAOOOO so he definitely underestimated his own sons stubbornness fjsmfjsj

i’m glad they got back together tho. i say that like i didn’t plan for them to from the start 💀 but to be so honest with u at one point i was kinda stuck on how i’d make them meet and talk and how the whole resolution would even happen. i think it was a bit rushed but i was tired and i was like eh. ppl will get the idea. BUT IM GLAD THEYRE TOGETHER BC I WOULD DIE IF THEY WERENT

and poor suguru 😔 my man ain’t do nothing justice for him he got that insta remove 😔 i forgot to make reader follow him back LOLLLL

BUT I ADORE U SM NIKU UR COMMENTS AND TAGS ON RB! GOJO ARE HALF OF WHY WRITING IT IS SO FUN IN THE FIRST PLACE i am so beyond grateful for u reading it and supporting it especially bc that one gojo fic u write is genuinely one of my fav gojo works ever. i admire ur writing sm it means sooooo much that someone so talented reads and interacts w my works like this 🥹 hugs u sooo tightly 🥹

[ink-stained-clouds]

Hi, it's thesis anon! First off, congratulations on your graduation!!! I'm so excited for you, do you have any plans yet on what you want to do next (no pressure to answer at all!!!)?

I decided to take a leave for the rest of the semester, so I'll have time to do my thesis. Do you have any tips for the whole thesis process -- from researching the whole thing, to doing the framework, etc.? I'm starting from the beginning, with just the topic that I have so I have a very long way to go. I'm very anxious about it because I won't have any advisor supervising me (for now, because I'm doing this before the start of the semester) and I won't really know if I'm going the right way plus I am not very confident I'll figure it out. Any tips for this self-doubting thesis anon? All tips are appreciated.

Thanks!

first of all, lmao, sorry about ^ it is definitely not June 1st

Anyways, thank you!! I'll be starting my PhD in the fall, I'm very excited

I'm so glad your thesis stuff is working out!! I absolutely have tips, I'm gonna write down everything I can think of right now but I'll reblog and add to this if I think of anything else!

My biggest tip is to give yourself the benefit of the doubt. You're going to become the expert in this, your supervisor, unless by some very strange coincidence, will not have even close to the depth and breadth of knowledge on your topic as you will. You're so much more capable than you think you are

As for researching, keep your notetaking and organization consistent. I'd highly recommend something like Zotero which I did not use for my thesis and regret immensely. But whatever you choose, consistency will really help when you're writing and need to find information you know you have but don't know exactly where. Having to search eight different word docs with 75% the same info as the last word doc you looked at is exhausting, ask me how I know 😅

Start broad with your literature review and narrow in on your topic as you outline/write. The best advice my advisor gave me was that the literature review should literally lead you to the research question. I think of it as like an upside down triangle, at the top you have the foundational theoretical literature/methods, then you get more and more specific until you come to your research question at the point of the triangle. Not sure if that makes sense, I can give you pictures of outlining I've done if it'll help

When I started reading for my literature review I kept a doc which I read all the abstracts and noted articles I wanted to read in full, personally that worked pretty well for me

Going off of that, when you read full papers, do your citations at the same time. At the top of the page or however you keep notes, write out the full citation for that paper so that you have it when you do your bibliography, also keep page numbers for any quotes you find, even if it feels tedious. If you think to yourself "I can always find it later" that is the devil talking, do not listen

Take! Breaks! This applies to every stage of any project but especially theses. You need days where you do something else, you need to read things that aren't for your thesis, you need to give yourself time to decompress. Forgive me but I can't remember your exact topic, mine was personally very heavy (I was reading a lot of hate speech online) so if yours is emotionally exhausting, find a way to come down from all of that, give your brain a break

If you find yourself getting stuck consider you need to switch up your environment. I found that when I got to the last week of edits I literally could not work in my apartment, ended up going to a cafe almost every day. Bad for the wallet good for the thesis. I really should've thanked them in my acknowledgments

I found I was most productive working in blocks of like 3 or 4 hours so I would set aside roughly that amount of time with nothing on either side (so I didn't feel pressure to finish working so I could go to a meeting or hang out with friends). Personally, dedicating a few hours of good quality focus and work has always been more effective for me than trying to spend all day on something. The work will expand to fill the time you allot yourself

If you're doing qualitative research, just a heads up, you will feel like an imposter. I remember telling a grad student I'm friends with, when I was analyzing my data, that I completely believe in the strength and validity of qualitative research but that everyone else was doing it right and I was doing it wrong. That's just not true, I promise. No advice, really, just a warning lol

I remember you saying you don't have to defend but I found it very helpful to kinda just,,,, talk to myself about my work. It helped me fill in gaps and put analyses into words when they were only existing vaguely in my head. You don't have to talk to yourself, either, you can always rope a friend into listening. Pets also work too but they ask terrible questions. Mine just wanted treats which was beyond the scope of my project

Oh also, if any scary smart people (e.g., professors) are asking you questions like "are you doing xyz?" or "did you look at [something you definitely did not look at]" just say it's beyond the scope of your project, another pro tip from my advisor

I know I already said it but remind yourself that you are the expert on this. Do it periodically, even when you aren't doubting yourself

Also remind yourself why you chose your topic, why you enjoy it, why it interests you. I was afraid I would lose sight of this, and sometimes I did, but I always found a reminder that this was the thing for me and it really made a difference

Oh, and if you're doing qualitative research which I think you said you were, bear in mind that it tends to change. This was something my advisor warned me about several times and from very early on but it really is true. Let it change, don't feel bound to something that isn't working or doesn't make sense with what you have data-wise

Find what helps you work. For me, personally, periodic snack breaks, a fun little beverage, filming time lapses of me working when I can't focus, Lizzo's music (not kidding, I know every word to every song now), also lo-fi, getting out of my apartment to work (god bless public libraries 🫡), pomodoros (25-5 and also 45-15)

As your think of things, write them down. Little bits and pieces of analysis can often become useful later on. If inspiration strikes, go ahead and ride it

That said, be ready to part with things you right. You don't have to delete them, copy and paste them into another document but learn to let them go

Ask some friends ahead of time if they'll be able to get their eyes on drafts. I could not have written my thesis if it weren't for my friends who read countless drafts, I literally owe them my degree

When I was coding my data, I had trouble staying focused on what I was looking for. I wrote the key patterns on a sticky note and stuck it to my laptop, it was weirdly useful

Keep your to do lists achievable and specific. Sometimes that looks like "edit analysis section paragraphs 1-7" sometimes it looks like "20 minutes of work on methodology section" but don't let it look like "do some editing" or "finish literature review"

Remind yourself that you can do this (again because eventually it sticks). Remind yourself that you have done things that have scared you before and things that you thought wouldn't work out and they did. Remind yourself that that's how life usually works

Learn to deal with imperfection. If you try to make any one section or paragraph 'right' before you move onto the next you won't get far

You should also prepare to get comfy with people seeing your bad writing. In the past, even when professors asked us for our free writes or rough drafts, I would edit mine to near grammatical perfection before sending them in. This is not possible with a thesis and you have to face that fear (if you somehow do not have this fear, congrats but you scare me). I somehow got very comfortable with my advisor reading some very bad and weird shit, I got to the point where I wasn't even deleting the word little notes I left myself before I sent them off to her and she never minded once

Use your resources!! If you're having trouble starting your research and finding literature, book an appointment with a librarian at your school. You almost definitely have a subject librarian for your area, they can help you navigate research databases and find keywords to use in searches, they are literal gods and are a criminally under utilized resource in research

Everything looks rough in the beginning. There are going to be times where you look at everything you have and the idea of it being one, cohesive paper is literally laughable. I don't think there's any way around this, I think it's just part of trusting the process. Eventually you will have a thesis, it will fall short of your expectations, you will be able to list all the things you wish you did differently or had the time to include. But a good thesis is a done thesis and you will finish

I hope at least some of these help, thesis anon! I am very excited to hear about your thesis journey, please keep me updated. I was literally just wondering how you were doing when you sent this ask in lol

I also look forward to hearing your tips when you finish your thesis because I will be doing another one in the next two years and I'm already nervous

Good luck!!! - Inky

[witching-by-the-willow]

To me it's obvious Pride's book will be next, but I will be honest, I don't know how anyone can root for him, much less Vittoria? He torpedoed his entire marriage and let his own wife think he was sleeping around on her because of what people might say about him like this is high school. He's angry at Wrath for the curse when his marriage to Lucia is the main drive for it because he can't take accountability for his actions. I also still can't fathom how Kerri thought we'd accept or like Vittoria's quick turn around either, esp after she did things like degrade Emilia naked and IN CHAINS. I'd much rather have a Wrath prequel instead of all this, but even then, I worry how Kerri would execute it at this point. It just feels like she wants to write Netflix!Bridgerton and the circles of HELL are not the best setting for that imho. Sorry for venting, I guess I just wanted that other anon to know they're not alone on their lukewarm Pride feelings. 🤣

Okay, hello bestie, hopefully this is the time this finally gets posted. 😂♥️

You know what, you're absolutely right.

I get why Pride would do that, because he's...well, too proud to not show off his sin. But buddy, maybe you should not?? Have made your wife think?? You were cheating on her?? Their story is just so filled with miscommunication, and a bit of enabling of the same by Lucia's mother/the First Witch. But tbh, she only wanted the best for her daughter, and maybe if Pride had actually showed his love for Lucia, she would have budged. Because we do know he loves her, because he has never moved on from trying to find her. And with more miscommunication, she didn't bring up her doubts and questions to him either, which is annoying to me too.

Anyway, I think a part of why I want to see Pride and Lucia is because I want to see him put his namesake sin aside and dedicate himself to groveling and falling on his knees for her forgiveness. And well, communication. Please, for the love of god. 🤡

Also YES I know, right? Wrath has done nothing to get the curse, sir. Leave him alone. He has suffered because of it, despite not having had any hand in causing it. 😭

This is not to say I don't like Pride, I do. And I actually think he's quite interesting, so I'm waiting for his book desperately so he can get the development he needs so I can love him (as I love Sloth).

And oh bestie, I am so glad you agree with me on the Vittoria plotline. Her character has a lot of potential, but that last-minute redemption arc was a complete mess. And Emilia and Wrath are way better people than me, because no matter how ancient I was, I would NOT forgive her so soon for making my life hell (no pun intended) for months.

Like, ma'am. You could have made your points and had a conversation with your sister WITHOUT chaining her or poisoning her husband.

Not the mention the sexual frustration from pulling poor Emilia to whatever reason at the worst possible moments lmao 💀💀💀

Oh buddy, the thimgs I would do for a Wrath Prequel.....please, it would solve so many of my problems. I don't even need it to be a literary masterpiece, I just want to see what goes on in his head at any given moment. 😂🛐

Bestie, not the bridgerton comparison I'm akfjajgbajgnang I can't unthink it now 💀

But ngl, I'm looking forward to the stories on various princes. I like the world Kerri Maniscalco has built and I like the characters too. Even if the books turn out to be a mess, I'll probably keep reading anyway, because I just have a lot of fun with this setting.

Also like. I need the book on Sloth. Tell me more about this prince of hell who is a medicine scholar and an introvert and has a massive library in his house that he spends his time reading in instead of getting involved in hell-drama. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me he does not deserve his own book.

Well, this turned into quite the ramble lol. Thank you for this ask, I love talking about these books, and any and all books! ❤️

[mindofmim]

hi mindofmim, it is I, your secret santa once again (it's weird not having a name to call you by, what's your preferred name?). How's your day going? I hope it's going well or that it improves if it's sort of meh.

I read the fic you recommended and let me tell you, I might've made non-human sounds as I read because it was so good. I just- I was delighted by how intimate the fic felt when the premise of it all was pretty simple. Thank you for that rec, it's definitely going into my bookmarks. Do you have any more where that came from? I was checking Isthatbloodonhisshirt but you were not lying when you said those fics were long, damn.

anyway, my original purpose today was asking if you have any special requests for Santa this year (it me, I'm talking about any requests for this santa lmao). I saw what you liked but there's so much that can fit in 'Holiday' or 'Low Stakes' or 'Pining' that I'd love to know where you stand on those. As a fan of pining myself, I already have an inkling of an idea, but prompts wouldn't hurt either.

anyway, I got distracted and this got long, have a good day/night, sweet sterek dreams

-au revoir your (not actually french) Secret Santa

Good Day Secret Santa!

You're asks never fail to make me smile! You can call me Mim ^_^ I had the most boring day but got lots of writing done so at least it was good for something today.

I'm so glad you liked my rec! I wish I had more like Can I...?, after all the heavy consent and touch adverse/touch starved thing is extremely dear to my heart (I might be a bit like Derek in that fic). But I do have a few other short fics I have enjoyed so I'll give you those instead;

Error 404: Brain cell not found by fairytalesandfolklore (a bit of a crack fic but made me smile so big)

Today by Evansdust (meet as kids this fic is just fluff and fun and has pumpkins and a deaf Derek, it was just so sweet)

(Isthatbloodonhisshirt is totally worth the hours spent reading their fics tho, if you ever want to make the commitment)

Special requests, hmm... I put low stakes because I wanted more soft fics to read. Ones that didn't have anything complicated like fighting witches or people being kidnapped or someone having to save the world.

Holiday stories have such a warm fluffy edge, yet so much potential for misunderstanding and pinning.

(There is a sorta lengthy fic called Cornerstone by Vendelin where at one point they spend the holidays apart; texting and calling and realizing how much they just want to be together and it's so sweet).

I might spend to much time in December reading harlequin style romance books and watching the hallmark channel. (The December Bride is my favourite hallmark Christmas movie.)

I doubt any of that was specific enough, but truthfully I'm not sure how to be. There isn't anything concrete or specific that I really want.

If you have an inkling of an idea I fully encourage you to flush it out. I'm not that hard to please, in fact I have full faith I will love anything you create. I appreciate you so much and I can't wait to see what you produce.

Till next time!

[m1ckeyb3rry]

i finally got to catch up with the new sith chapters, i've been busy vacationing after school🥱 it's a great feeling to come home to several new chapters waiting lol

this is for chapter 21 btw:

i LOVE, love cordelia. she's such a girl's girl and i love how she didn't hold on a grudge against the o/c, she's soooo sweet. her thinking friedrich probably doesn't know her name😭 that's such a friedrich thing tbh

"... someone who isn’t so inextricably linked with another girl already." omg. everyone knows. like now i'm also curious of how they broke up??? like was cordelia like "ooohhh... so you're in love with your best friend and you're leaving me" or did she play the fool or something???

"... knowing full well you could never withstand torture. Not you, you were at heart a self-interested person who’d sell out Marley if it meant saving your own skin." this is an interesting take on o/c's character, and these bits are my favorite parts of this story. the o/c not being a traditional "hero" and acting against it (even getting annoyed when called one) is new and much much more realistic than idealist mcs who are willing to die for a noble cause so selflessly.

i truly enjoyed o/c and marek's conversation. she definitely needed to see the other side of the war and the consequences of her sacrifice. her idea might've led to something horrible, but it was either the enemy or themselves. i'm so glad that she was reminded that whatever she had done, it wasn't in vain and it had some positive outcomes for them. and not just for the military, but for people as well.

i love filler chapters like this! it's intriguing to dive into the o/c's life and character without getting lost in the action.

I hope you had a great vacation!! LMAO yes I’ve been trying to at least update SitH even though I’ve been slacking with updating literally everything else 😭

— yess I really wanted to subvert tropes w this fic and cordelia is a character I tried to do that with!! She’s definitely such a girls’ girl and I honestly just felt like writing her and Y/N to hate each other over a man would do a disservice to both of their characters and make them sm flatter and less 3D. Also friedrich definitely does know cordelia’s name but I’ll leave it open to interpretation whether that’s because his BFF dated her or because he just like. Remembers her name from when general magath introduced her to the trio

— SDJLSJS yes it’s like public knowledge at this point literally everyone knows but they all just kind of ignore it. I feel like it wasn’t a super intense break up or anything they just were like “okay this actually is not working for…reasons…” and moved on. I doubt either of them explicitly said why but it was definitely heavily implied

— Y/N as a character is like my favorite thing abt SitH I feel like I peaked with writing her tbh. I think the most interesting thing is that for the first few chapters it seems like she’s going to be the classic hero who chooses good and is super righteous and rises above her circumstances but then she just…doesn’t take that path. Whether she’s a hero or a villain really just depends on which pov you look at it from!! But I agree that she could never really be considered the stereotypical noble Hero and she herself recognizes that and hates when people think that’s who she is because it’s not

— marek’s physical state (specifically his face) is meant to directly reflect Y/N’s emotional state, and in accepting him despite how he was affected by the war, she began to finally accept herself despite how SHE was affected by the war. In real life, conflicts aren’t black and white, so while Y/N’s idea was definitely reprehensible, the other side wasn’t completely innocent either (although, of course, the people directly impacted by her idea — the Eldians — arguably were). For as many people that she hurt and as many lives that she destroyed, she also managed to save at least one, and that’s enough to at least allow her to start moving on

I feel like the filler chapters have been dragging on sm 😭 but at least if all goes to plan there’s only one more chapter left of “the gang hangs out in liberio” and then there will be…not necessarily ACTION but new situations and whatnot

[rev3rb]

Hey!! I don’t have much to say since this mainly seemed like a chill transition chapter before the exposition chapter that we are more than owed lol. But, I will say that I am very happy to check in on some of my fav characters that are always entertaining to see. My main reaction was “Aww my babies” whenever the scenes switched and overwhelming impatience for the exposition that better be coming next. Plus, I appreciate Mika and Yuu getting to have a lil sunrise date before shit really goes down.

I also like that both the boys and the First are revisiting the past. I wonder whether the next chp. will show switching povs or if the memories will be presented as one unified vision. Either way I’m definitely curious to know what will be revealed. I don’t really have any predictions for the new info, so I just hope whatever it is will be shocking bc I am always a sucker for an innovative plot twist lmao

Hey hey! Let me start off by saying I'm glad that you asked today rather than yesterday because. Hoboy. I was wrecked by JJBA Stone Ocean ending and did not touch this chapter at all until today. I even saw Shinya panels and while I was interested, couldn't bring myself to read it yet.

My thoughts are pretty much yours. It was nice to FINALLY get to see Kureto and Shinya again, even if it is brief, and getting to see what the vampires are up to is good too. Sure not a ton happened, but it's a clever way to set up getting to see the whole explanation. While I'm sure Mika/Yuu's memories will reveal a lot, I wouldn't doubt that there'd be some gaps in the information there. Including the First in this dive into the past ensures (hopefully) that we'll get a full explanation. I'd be so mad if we'd gotten a ton of exposition but were still missing key points. I too am curious as to what comes next. I don't have any real predictions either. I want to know if we're going to learn more about Seraphs though. Seraphs are something that hasn't been brought up for a while and I've been wondering a few things about them. Either way, I look forward to the next few chapters.

I know I'm jumping around a bit but you mentioned the sunrise and. Yeah. This was such a nice panel.

I wish it'd been a full color spread honestly.

I dunno what has been said about this chapter but overall? I enjoyed it. I'm glad to see you did too. Only real complaint is that while we're in Shibuya, we didn't get to see the rest of Guren Squad OR NARUMI!! They should be there, and given how everyone is beaten down, would it be too much to ask for just a panel of them in jail cells or something? They don't need any dialogue. I just wanna see them acknowledged, especially Narumi. He mind as well not exist at this point.

While OnS has been maybe a little less than we'd all hoped recently, I'm hopeful that these next few chapters bring some excitement back overall. I know I'm tentatively excited!

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff: The Bob's Burgers Movie

Dedicated to Dale Baer, Dave Creek, Denise Fuller, & Tuck Tucker

Laughing at the fact that Bob's Burgers got a movie before Family Guy, lmao. Anyways, it's astounding crazy that we got a theatrical release for a cartoon sitcom, like since Teen Titans GO(?) This prepares that unfortunate lingering doubt of "should it have deserved this"? I say fuck that doubt, if the risk is there then what's life without a little adventure? However, is this good as a movie? Real question is why would Bob's Burgers get a movie anyways?

Now personally, I love Bob's Burgers no matter how long it's gone on. It's as much a comfort show as it is a more upbeat successor to Home Movies. I say what makes it work is, somewhat unlike Home Movies, you get everyone's perspective and the chaos comes well with the Belcher family jumping into the thick of it by force or accident. That's what we get with this movie where we got both a murder mystery and a time limit for something miraculous to happen. All this before summer truly starts. It's a simple adventure that works because it doesn't force things to be bombastic or larger in scale, at least anything that the show hasn't worked with before. I won't lie that people have a point that this film is a greatest hits story; copping plots from previous episodes. Then again, I won't say that's a bad thing. Honestly, I say it still does something better than The Simpsons Movie.

The family got to remain strong and genuine

Now I love The Simpsons Movie, but I don't believe it holds up as well because the status quo of this ever continuing series negated the meaningful growth that stemmed from the series calling the family's relationship with Homer into question. It's like you get it in the moment but it's not like Beavis and Butt-head Do America where it could get away with it being a one-off adventure. Bob's Burgers doesn't feel the need to dissect and re-analyze the family dynamic because the journey they all go on is enough. We get development, for Louise especially, but I'm glad the movie doesn't forcibly wedge in drama between the Belchers on top of everything else before it all returns to normal. They're supportive and grounded from the start and it's just as enjoyable when they finally get together in the final act when it matters. As a fan, them just getting to be there for each no matter what worked well here just as much here as it has in the show. Add on it being a spontaneous musical and it's seriously just a charming good time.

I didn't go into this film expecting them to rock the boat crazy; I didn't believe this to be some insultingly safe film either. Is it for the fans? Mostly yes, but even if I wasn't one I had more than a nice time. I want to cherish this for being an unapologetically laid back experience unmatched by cartoon based films like it that seek to, or have to, be bigger and louder. Aside it looking more cinematic, it didn't need a ton of bells and whistles be a great movie. It was honestly more refreshing than I believe people will give it credit for. Box office be damned, this movie was worth it.

9/10. Juicy and fulfilling like a homemade hamburger