pacogabby

[ennn]

Things I Liked About the Agatha All Along Finale - Initial Thoughts

Wooooo boy. Hey look I'm a bleeding heart shipper but I'm old and have been in enough fandoms. Let's process shall we?

Alice! Alice echo-ing what so many fans are saying about her lost potential. Rio actually being kind in reminding Alice her death did have purpose. "You're a protection witch, you protected someone."

The development of Billy's extremely complicated relationship with Agatha. Kid's not loyal to Agatha, he's understanding her, or starting to at least. He sees her being a relationship with Death and he's curious about the story there. He cares enough to connect the dots and see Agatha as a full person. And we see that developed as the finale goes.

"That's it? That's all the time that I get?" The show reminds us that death sometimes just happens – "Sometimes boys die" – I wonder if one of these writers is a Sandman fan because I immediately clocked a parallel to Death of the Endless taking a baby's life in her first comic appearance.

Death of the Endless is of course much kinder than Rio is with her (iconic) reply to that eternal question. "You lived what anyone gets... A lifetime."

That whole convo we got in the preview clip. And then them just sitting down and talking more? Albeit with layers of manipulation but y'know that's them.

Agatha telling Rio that she'll hand over Billy if Rio leaves her alone: essentially making Rio once again choose between her duty and her feelings towards Agatha. The deepest cut Agatha could make – which we see echoed with "If you do this I'll hate you forever." They know each other and the best ways to hurt each other.

I laughed waaaay too much at Agatha ragging on Jen's last vegetable name.

Jen's unbinding ritual was powerful and a fantastic moment for the character. She recognised and embraced her power. Agatha's mask slipping a little at the end as well. Amazing. Sasheer killed it.

The whole scene with Agatha working with Billy to bring Tommy back was beautiful and emotional and well put together and showed the side to Agatha that cements her as a great mentor (when she's not being the biggest murderous asshole).

Agatha using what she learnt from her Alice and Jen – and what Lilia told her – to hold her ground with Rio... okay it lasted like 10 seconds but it was a nice callback! Agatha's such a shameless survivor.

Incredible kissing. We knew Hahn and Plaza would deliver and they did. When it comes to kissing women, these two absolutely go for it.

Rio looking absolutely gutted with having to take Nicky away. Plaza really delivered with Rio's pain in these eps. Agatha calling her "my love", cursing and then begging.

Rio being soft about Nicky despite her job. Nicky willingly going with her with no fear, no hesitation – suggesting that they did bond somehow? Nicky knew she was a friendly face and trusted her. It was really a good death, all things considered. He wasn't sick, he wasn't in pain, he wasn't scared he simply fell asleep and just went.

Rio reminding Nicky to kiss his mom goodbye. She cares so much, as much as a personification of death can. It's funny how some people thought Rio was going to be this manipulative big bad but no, Agatha's the more toxic one in this relationship.

Okay like imagine Agatha finally dying and just straight up BOOKING it before Rio pops up. Rio hates ghosts. The number of times Agatha deliberately pissed her off this finale was amazing.

"I'm sure he'll forgive you for... whatever you did." Aw Billy is a good kid. Just like Nicky was. Agatha needs that reminder, that anchor to not be the Worst.

Chemistry aside, Agatha and Billy being mentor-pupil makes a ton of sense because these Maximoffs do the most fucked up shit (unintentionally) with their magic and Agatha's got the knowledge, charisma, cynicism, and the morals of a spinning compass to support him.

Alright when are they announcing the sequel / spin-off? I know there's a rumour of it happening. Rio's got 2 abominations and one endlessly aggravating ghost of an ex to deal with now.

[vigilskeep]

avoiding most reviews like crazy for fear of spoilers, however I’m scared that some have said that rook can do no wrong even when picking the most aggressive impolite options, there’s never any social consequences for *choosing* to be rude, or even dismissing others worldviews and beliefs.

i will say a lot about inquisition, but at least it let the player have complicated relationships with the party by not having everyone agree to everything they say as the word of god

us getting to have complicated relationships with the party in dragon age inquisition is, frankly, news to me

personally i’ve seen more of people suggesting you can’t be as rude in the first place, than people saying the game doesn’t react when you are? to which i have to say, yes, interactions with the party are going to be different in veilguard than in previous dragon age games. they’re writing a protagonist who the plot requires to be more of a hero type who chose to join this venture, every party member is essential to the main plot, and they’re openly going for a “found family” dynamic, which (i would strongly argue) they’ve never done before. the group is intended to work as a whole, to be people who all care about each other, rather than simply being tied together by your player character. you’re not going to have a situation like in every other game where companions can get thrown out or betrayed or aggressively belittled by the protagonist, because this party simply would not work if you were doing that to certain members. the story they are telling this time would not make sense

however, i’m yet to see that that means we can’t have complicated relationships with the companions? in fact, we know it allows for main plot choices with lasting, drastic consequences on our relationships with certain companions. we know you can disagree with characters and still progress your relationships with them. there are new opportunities that we never had in previous games for all companions to be closely involved in what’s going on, and thus for all companions to have opinions that matter on all of rook’s decisions. i’ve already seen footage of companion commentary absolutely not holding back on challenging even relatively small choices

i think challenges from this style of companion can be very compelling in their own way. if all these companions are considered equally good-aligned by the narrative and care about each other, and they still sharply disagree, it suggests fewer conflicts with simple right answers. i think that could be a breath of fresh air from previous dragon age games which have often and regularly fallen into the trap of “obvious good answer” and “the answer your slightly evil companions will like”. there’s a reason so many worldstate decisions and quest endings are overwhelmingly popular, right? isn’t it possible it will be just as interesting to engage with a story where you are definitively written as good-aligned, but that means you get real choices between options just as justifiable as each other—or as bad as each other?

it’s a change so it’s by nature not going to be for everyone. you’re not going to be able to play certain kinds of character that you could in previous games and if that’s what you were looking for in another da game, that’s a disappointment. but i don’t think dragon age should necessarily be restricted by that forever? like i don’t think it’s necessarily conducive to good storytelling to always have to input evil/mean options and reactivity just for the sake of it. and i completely understand why it would be detrimental to the game they’ve chosen to make this time. their primary selling point and concept is the complex team dynamics. can you imagine the sheer bulk of writing it would take to have these companions as thoroughly invested in each other’s lives as they seem to be, and let you be horrible to particular ones? for how many players’ benefit? for what story coherency, when building these relationships is the plot of the game? i don’t really see the point

that’s how i feel about it idk. i’m optimistic. i also don’t rlly think jumping to conclusions at this point is worthwhile. the reviews are largely positive. it’s coming out in a day and a half. let’s just wait and see?

[dropthedemiurge]

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo is fascinating, fascinating story. Complicated one, with flawed characters and complex emotions and themes.

Just 2 episodes ago I was rooting for Juyoung and Dohoe and thought they were perfect for together, and now I think they won't work out this way at all - and isn't it the great portrayal of first teenage puppy love versus adult relationships?

It's fascinating. I don't think is BL is bad at all, despite me having more complicated feelings about Dohoe now, and there are many details that can be interesting to poke around and discuss with other tumblr folks. Also I think the time gap was really needed and made a lot of sense, in case some people still doubt, it was clearly shown.

And still, I sigh. I had one short thought that might be they really should just let go and move on, and this will be their happy ending, but I know Juyoung and Dohoe aren't easily torn apart.

But also the burden on their necks and above their heads are way, way too heavy, and can't be just put aside like a cross necklace.

Fascinating.

[solitaryandwandering]

A Ramble: Love in the Big City Eps 3-4

Okay, so I finished this episode like half an hour ago and I am still processing. I am so impressed with this show's ability to showcase different shades of grief. I feel like I'll probably cry at the end of every section but it will feel completely different every time. Please do not expect anything less than a LONG ramble.

Again, I just have to admire the direction - each part so far has felt completely distinct but not in big, showy ways. Part 1 of this show was a more traditional coming-of-age with warmer, brighter colors and more dynamic editing, camera movement/angles and blocking. I'll have to go back and study this more but it felt like there were more eye level and overhead shots, too. Part 2 is darker, slower, with more frequent use of stationary camera/static shots and wide angle shots. There were a couple of striking long takes as well. We linger in wide, empty spaces, forced to be still as we watch what unfolds.

Many of us talked about queer loneliness in the last episodes which is obviously going to be a present theme throughout the entirety of the show, but I was struck with how different the loneliness felt in these episodes. Especially in episode 4, as Young gets further entangled with Noh Young Soo, he becomes isolated in a way he wasn't in Part 1. Then, he was lonely but surrounded by people. In Part 2 he is removed from his community and so his loneliness is more starkly evident. The direction reinforces this by literally isolating him or keeping him at a visual distance. We don't get as many intimate close-ups as we do in episodes 1 and 2.

And again, I may be totally wrong, but I think we can actually see a kind of transition in style in the way episode 3 opens up. Episode 2 ends with the lighting on Young's face becoming gradually darker, then I believe the episode begins with a dolly shot moving backwards as we face Young running. It's a more active camera with movement within the frame. Yet, the colors are relatively muted and Young is looking down the barrel of the lens with an exhausted expression. It's distancing instead of inviting. After that unhurried shot we then cut to a grounded static shot where Young runs from one side of the frame to the other. From then on, I don't think we get very many, if any, moments of similar movement. Other dolly shots I can think of are when he's pushing his mom in a wheelchair - not exactly a high speed chase and still within the framework of a long take. There's certainly none of the quick editing from Part 1. The score is also way more melancholy.

Moving on, what these episodes really had me ruminating on was the concept of ownership. As queer people I think one of the reasons why Pride has become such a big part of our culture is because it gives us a space to own ourselves publicly in a way we often aren't able. We can't always show up as our full selves, with all our history, community connections, complex relationships with our identities, etc. Young is a cool character to watch because it seems at the beginning of the show that he is self-actualized, totally in charge of his queerness and integrated with his community (as Yeong Soo also believes). But of course, it is a lot more complicated for him (and for most of us). In these episodes we could see more of what he has (and continues to) sacrifice in an effort to own himself. It is in spite of people determined to steal his spirit. It is an active fight, one he feels helpless in the face of when he attempts to take his own life in episode 4. And that attempt is also, in a way, a claim he lays on his life. Only he owns it, only he gets to end it. I don't think that was his thought process obviously but it did strike me. It was also interesting to me how he attempted in the apartment he used to share with his best friend, a relationship he no longer has.

More broadly there was a lot going on in this section about how we approach taking ownership of our own experiences. How we shape them to fit in with a narrative we want to believe about ourselves and our lives or a narrative others would want for us. At the end of episode 4 Yeong Soo sends Young his observations on homosexuality (his way to distance himself and claim a different more "objective" or "correct" perspective of his own life). He literally tells Young he hopes his reshaping of their experiences would inform Young's future work. He is both refusing ownership and attempting to control Young's self-expression. In the entirety of their relationship he did much of the same, refusing to claim Young as his boyfriend in the way he wanted or recognize him as a full person while presuming he knew everything he needed to know about him and life in general. Young is restricted to the same experiences over and over, going out to eat the same foods, playing the same song, hiding himself away. Quite literally, his ability to experience everything he loves about life is stunted.

These episodes also had me reflecting on how we give up ownership or have it taken away. Young Soo treats Young as his dog, stifling his (and his own) identity and sense of freedom. He isolates Young from friends and community. What's devastating about their relationship is that Young wants some kind of ownership; he wants to belong to Young Soo and for him to belong to Young. At the very least, he wants recognition. But this becomes twisted up in Young Soo's self-hatred. Young Soo has elected to give up ownership of his identity in favor of a particular mold. He favors comfort and has chosen very specific things he can own and love as a part of his identity to replace genuine connection. Rather than own his feelings he observes others'; he tries to own Young and his experience, to live vicariously but also to shape him. He envies Young's ability to own himself and his sexuality but is afraid of it. He has dedicated himself so much to a particular picture of reality that he can't conceive of Young ever facing legitimate danger or opposition because of his sexuality. If he hates himself, it is only natural, an extension of the life he lives and who he is (a "macho" intellectual). He owns and then marinates in his negative experiences to validate his refusal to engage with a wider reality, one in which joy can exist in a homophobic society. Even in his attempts to own Young he fails because it is impossible for him to draw any closer to himself. Yeong Soo can't own someone who refuses to give himself up. He doesn't bother to get to know Young beyond his assumptions (he can "see right through him," after all). He strips self-ownership from Young in the same way he keeps it from himself.

And then there's Young's mom, who has fabricated and owned her own set of experiences in a similar way to Yeong Soo. She devotes herself to heterosexual and Christian ideals, believing that God and marriage are true north even as her own marriage fails. She claims ownership over her narrative and attempts to justify her approach in asking her son to believe in and own the same kind of life. When he threatens her sense of ownership over her own life (already threatened by her husband's infidelity) she scrambles to 'correct' him by sending him to (I'm assuming) conversion camp or some kind of psychiatric institution. In doing this she has cut Young off from owning his own life and experiences. She essentially makes it clear to him that his life is not his own. He is stealing from hers. And so, steals from his to prove a point. He gives up so much of his time to care for her but she doesn't acknowledge this at all, more focused on the ways in which he fails to give up parts of himself she's dissatisfied with. His mom writes Bible verses by hand, to ask her life to conform to what she has chosen for it. To her, ownership is absolute: one God, one true way. Even as she is aware she doesn't own her son's life.

How do we reclaim ourselves as others tell us to throw it all away? What do we do, as queer people, with what is forced on us? Do we choose to own our lives, our identities, or do we give up parts of ourselves to survive? At the end of episode 4, Young takes the manuscript Yeong Soo sent him and instead of recycling throws it in the trash. He tells his mom, "It's not my trash." I saw this as him choosing himself again. He does not have to carry self-hate as Yeong Soo does. He does not have to take the sum of his experiences and let them pile up in a corner of his mind. Yeong Soo treats Young as a possession and so does his mother - someone who exists for their benefit. But he doesn't - Young lives for himself. And isn't that so, so lonely?

Last thing, but this was the moment in the episode that first got me crying. When his friends show up at the hospital after his suicide attempt. Young's friends own themselves and their community and don't ask of anything else from him. They show up for him as who he is and allow him to repossess his community even as they are kept from him, on the other side of glass. Even as his mother looks on, disapproving. Their friendship may be more superficial but that doesn't make it any less meaningful.

If you actually read this whole thing, congratulations. I wasn't kidding when I said it was a ramble! I'm actually okay with waiting until next week for the new episodes this time, I don't know if I can handle much more waaahhh

[blackspies12]

Christmas Event Prediction???

So, with the ending of TWST's Nightmare Before Christmas event, it kind of implied that there will be a Christmas event; whether this event will happen next year or in two months is unknown. If it is in two months, that might explain why the Halloween event ended/started sooner than usual. I assumed it was for Book 7 Chapter 11 that might happen in November, but we'll see when the JP schedule drops in a couple of days.

Anyway, I'm assuming the Christmas event will have the remaining cast that didn't appear in the recent Halloween event, which is:

Deuce, Ace, Rook, Jack, Ortho, Floyd, Lilia, Silver, Kalim, Cater, Ruggie

And not gonna lie; it makes sense that these are the characters that would be in the Christmas event.

Christmas, other than the religious connotations, is also associated with family, gift giving, giving thanks, feasts, celebration and joy.

Silver and Lilia are the obvious ones. They are family so I wouldn't be surprised if Lilia is the SSR. This could be the chance for the father-son duo to express how much they mean to each other. I think these two would be very excited to embrace Christmas traditions. They fit the theming of family perfectly.

Kalim embodies the Christmas spirit the best. He is kind and isn't shy to express thanks or give gifts. He calls all the NRC students his friends and he is the definition of a good person. Kalim also has a very large family so I am sure he is quite acquainted with giant family reunions that Christmas is associated with.

Rook is in a similar boat. Admittedly, I am no Rook expert, but like Kalim, he gives compliments freely, and giving gifts would be no problem either. He would definitely embrace the Christmas spirit proudly.

The others are a bit more complicated or can be a bit of a stretch so bear with me.

From what little we know of Cater's family, we know that he has a strenuous relationship with his sisters and has never really been able to bond with schoolmates due to constantly moving. This event could be a chance to experience a holiday where people gather together and give gifts to express how much they mean to each other. He seriously needs to know that other people care for him and wonderfully all of the Light Music Club is here! A group of people he has wonderfully built a bond with.

Ortho and Floyd are kind of the odd ones out. I feel like they would both enjoy Christmas and the idea of it, but their family isn't in the event (Idia, Azul, and Jade). Still, I think they fit in with the mood and ambience perfectly. Floyd may be a bit chaotic but they both exude the childishness and playful aspect of Christmas.

Ruggie is here for the feast of course! But he's also connected to the theme of family. Ruggie has expressed multiple times how much he cares for his grandmother and all the children in his neighborhood. He gave thanks to his grandmother for raising and gives gifts to the children such as food. Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the SSR too.

Savanaclaw is also very close; you can call them a pack, so Jack and Ruggie can be included as a family to one another. Jack also has younger siblings so if any children are involved in the event I am sure he will handle them well. Jack is also very loyal but is also very headstrong in his beliefs as shown by Book 2. If you read his vignettes and stories you would know how much he values what Leona and Ruggie think. (Family theming again).

Finally, we have Adeuce. This is the first event that will have them be in the same event banner. I would also bet money that Yuu and Grim like always will be involved in the event. Basically, I think this event will show how close the four are. It's no secret that NRC students struggle to express gratitude or "kindness," and Ace especially falls victim to this. Instead, he shows it by actions. I can see Adeuyuu and Grim giving each other gifts. Maybe they won't say that they are family but I'm sure the event will show how much they care for each other and also how happy it is they are finally all in an event together XD. How these four has built a sense of belonging since the beginning and how much they appreciate that bond. Grim will be especially happy about the Christmas feasts! Deuce isn't as reserved with showing his emotions and he will most likely be very onboard with the idea of Christmas.

Also I'm pretty sure that all of the combinations of Adeuyuu are all pretty popular ships so if you see their relationship in a romantic light, imagine a mistletoe showing up

This is a chance for them to show gratitude to each other when they rarely do. I can already imagine the shenanigans too.

TLDR; Found Family go brrr and Christmas is the perfect event to express that.

[cassiebones]

Character Analysis: Billy/Teen

He is...complicated.

Full disclosure: I am writing this AFTER watching the finale episodes, so some of what I say here is definitely based on that. I was always going to do that, though.

Okay, so Billy is an interesting character because he's technically a poltergeist animating a corpse, but not really? idk how to describe him, but he pisses Rio off, which I honestly think is hilarious.

Anyway, he's a nice kid. We see in WandaVision that he has an innate sense of empathy, like Wanda, but his powers don't really vibe with his empathy. They vibe with his desires. And that causes a lot of shame and guilt to surface when he realizes what his powers - not him - have done to people. What they've led to.

Still, he just wants to find his twin brother, his other half. He will do anything to get to Tommy. Now at least Tommy has a body he can find.

In this quest, he accidentally retraumatizes a whole town for the second time...almost. You can tell those people in Westview are so fucking tired. They just want these witches to leave.

And Billy doesn't mean to hurt them in any way. He just wants his brother. He's a young, untrained witch with incredible power and now the ghost of his only mentor is trailing around after him instead of reuniting with her own wife and son.

His life is about to get even more complicated.

He's got a pretty great set of parents in the Kaplans, at least. And his boyfriend. He's not evil or malicious at all. He fucking apologized to a trash can when he accidentally knocked it over. He cares about Agatha and that's why they could read each other's minds. Agatha cares about him in return.

Yeah, she may be using him to find another vessel to inhabit so she can continue living, but she does care about him. And Billy, despite trying to send her to the afterlife, cares about her, too.

This kid is complicated and his relationship to this ghost/mentor is complicated and his life is about to be real complicated.

Also, he's probably gonna have to deal more with Rio and her yearning bullshit with Agatha.

[thatdogmagic]

I will be addressing the broader issues this sprang from in more detail in the coming weeks, alongside the reason why I waited for some time to talk about it/why I'm talking about it at all. I had thought to wait a while longer for a number of reasons, but the upcoming election makes me much more inclined to make this clear:

I am not a TERF. I am not a transphobe.

And leading up to this election, where transphobia is so centered, I do want to make it clear to my trans followers that these accusations aren't being made in good faith. I'm still with you. And I'm still among you, in my own indefinable way.

To be clear: this is not an attempt to 'start shit again.' This is not an attempt to re-engage. This post, and the one that will follow, will officially be the last time I'll be talking about this in any public setting.

So. The accusation:

It came from blackbackedjackal, who premised the argument on me apparently altering their character's (concealed) genitals in an image, when the fact of the matter is: I had no idea she was trans when I did that image (the previous conversation w/ this person that I posted was the first time I'd been told or heard about it; I didn't follow her lore that closely). And in spite of showing off many multiple WIPs in private DMs, it never got mentioned. I was never informed I'd made a mistake. I'd done commissions of trans characters before, that had been posted; there was no reason to think I'd be hostile to corrections.

Meanwhile, another participant in that particular piece, Angela, was outright asked how she wanted her character, Lex, depicted. With her permission, I'm sharing a screenshot of our conversation:

In the final, neither character's genitals were immediately visible to the audience. That was for later images, that I never got around to doing. There was always time to say 'my girl is trans and has a penis,' and if I'd known to ask about it, I would have.

I'm sorry if people ever felt unsafe with me in that respect. But like many other things in the fanfiction that's been written about me (and the frankly disgusting bullshit that's been written about Ependa), the truth is more (and less) complicated than all those posts might lead you to believe.

I hope everyone's been okay out there. Regardless of what anyone thinks of me, I'm grateful for everyone who kept believing in me.

[shinjiikar1]

Once again I have so many thoughts about these episodes... i was sort of dreading watching them because i wasn't totally recovered from last week, but I ended up watching it in one sitting (with a lot of breaks to pace around and calm down lol), I really want to give this show the space and thought it deserves, it's just too good for me to watch any other way...

I'm going to make another post with my Extensive thoughts about Go Young and Young Soo, but I wanted to answer some of the questions this week first.

The first part of the story paired the relationships with Choi Mi Ae and Kim Nam Gyu. Why do you believe this section paired Yeong’s relationships with Yeom Eun Suk (Umma) and No Yeong Su (Hyung)?

I think this section really emphasized various relationships to homosexuality, particularly how it intersects with Christianity.

Both characters are homophobic (internalized or otherwise), and enact this homophobia on Go Young, but represent different aspects of how it can manifest. Umma (in the present) is willfully blind, she pressures Go Young about marriage, she sees the picture but doesn't comment, she keeps his books at her bedside and takes newspaper clippings but won't read them and she's relieved when she doesn't have to meet Young Soo. She's avoiding reality as much as she can, it seems by the end she's realized there's nothing she can do to change her son, but she wants to keep pretending that it isn't really real (an attitude I find a lot of staunchly Christian households have).

Young Soo on the other hand is reactionary and anxious. He panics and lashes out whenever Go Young does or suggests something he considers "too gay". When his senior infers he might be, he freezes and then later blows up at Go Young. He's at war with himself, and he cruelly redirects that internal conflict back onto other queer people.

Crucially, both approaches harm Go Young. He lacks acceptance and understanding from his mother as she denies a vital part from him, and he is insulted and berated by his partner because of his comfort and pride in his identity.

With the drama feeling like more of a continuous story rather than four distinct vignettes, how does the connectivity to previous characters adjust the experience with the story?

I have to say I really love the way the T-aras have been included in the show. I can't really speak on how it's adjusted the experience, but to see their continual presence in Go Young's life makes him feel just slightly less isolated and gives the audience familiar ground to stand on. When they appear at the hospital, it feels incredibly meaningful because we've seen them from the start.

While their connection with Go Young isn't as deep as some of the other characters, I think they represent a very important type of relationship. They aren't complicated, they don't insert themselves overly into each other's lives, they share some problems, but never push. I think that's why Go Young doesn't push them away, they don't have as much capacity to cause him deep and lasting harm, but they provide a source of comfort and camaraderie in a life that is otherwise isolated. Not every friendship needs to be incredibly deep and overwhelming, it's important to have friends who can provide a distraction from your problems, and a different perspective on your life. And they clearly do love and care for him, their concern at the bar and presence at the hospital show that. Just because they're not sitting down for deep philosophical chats or sharing all their trauma doesn't mean they're not good friends.

In the last section, Yeong’s experiences with Mi Ae and Nam Gyu reflected the difficult ways heteronormativity impacts queer life. How did this section highlight sources and expressions of internalized homophobia?

It's really no wonder Young Soo is homophobic given the type of people in his life and his lack of connection (intentional or otherwise) to the queer community. He views gay people in a very stereotypical and simple fashion, and on some level probably thinks he's above them because he doesn't engage in some of their more "barbarous" activities. It almost seems like he's constantly doing penance for being gay, he has to live this austere life to offset it.

After seeing Yeong's journey with these first four meaningful relationships, where are you emotionally as we head into the section with Gyu-ho?

STRESSED. I love this show Dearly, and I'm looking forward to watching more, but also I know it's going to make me cry. Especially because I know some vague spoilers (oops).

This week was such a roller coaster, but I'm enjoying the ride. I also really want to point out how well LITBC uses music, picking a specific piece to underscore each section and tie each pairing of characters together is so smart and really speaks to the level of care put into every aspect.

[starrynightarchive]

no seeeeeee. see the thing is right. it was never about genderbends. it was always about the way they're done.

there are so many problems around it. for one there is a baffling need to make them cis women. why can't they just be trans. but fine, let's not go there. if you want to see them as cis females, it's cool! i admit it's an interesting subject to explore- seeing how much/how little being brought up as a woman would change one's character. but sometimes people just want to see two girls kiss and so they make men into women and make them kiss which is pretty. er. complicated but it's fine! you can have fun however you want.

but the main problem lies here: why are people so hellbent on changing characters fully just because they become female? you're telling me fem!dazai would enjoy regularly wearing clothes that show off her skin which, for some reason, is almost devoid of bandages now? you're saying fem chuuya will be submissive and shy and sweet just because she's a woman? you're telling me just because they are woman they lose ALL their key characteristics- their trauma, their anger, all their ugly parts, all their snark and hell, even their dressing sense? not only are you creating an OC here, you are also endorsing the dangerous belief that is 'women are dainty flowers' or 'girl versions of male characters are more likable/tolerable'. if he's a cunt in canon, she'll be a cunt when she's a girl, too.

all this to say im not saying all genderbends are bad. I've seen some truly wonderful and fun ones and i love them. but there's nothing wrong in pointing out the fault of the vast majority, is there? freedom of speech and whatnot. all that being said, if you want to write/read/draw ooc or fetishized versions of your genderbends, go ahead. who am i to come to your house and tell you how to arrange your furniture, no matter how questionable your choices are?

[violetmuses]

Scarlet - T. Richmond ❤️‍🩹

Title: Scarlet - T. Richmond ❤️‍🩹

Fandom: “Rebel Ridge” Film Universe

Character: Terry Richmond

Pairing: Terry Richmond + Female Reader

Main Storyline: Someone new joins your neighborhood.

@peaxhygirl @superstar-t20 @adoresmiles @klssngss @deja-r @hyper-trash-panda @amethyst-loves-bucky @planetblaque @sweettea-and-honeybutter @lovedlover @xjjawsomex @readingisahobby @kindofaintrovert @nelo0wesker @gg-trini @cloveroctobers @maliagurl @nobodygetsza @twinklestarslight @yassbishimvintage @episodes-ff @sweetiepie4190 @kirayuki22 @katbakhoe @persethegawd @babybratzmaraj 🏷

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2024

No matter what took place next, it was a miracle to escape the rural yet dangerous town of Shelby Springs.

Moonlight guided all paths when veteran Terry Richmond drove without even confirming the objective. There's definitely no other choice.

An incoming neighborhood lined up the streets, but Terry started just frowning with darkness. As of this moment, people just couldn't help out.

Yet, one of the last homes caught his own intrigue.

Soon enough, Terry parked, gathering his weathered backpack from that nondescript vehicle and heading to this porch first.

Terry rang this doorbell and simply waited, no longer caring when surrounding dogs barked to pierce the air.

Woken up minutes ago, you open the front door and noticed this stranger carrying his backpack.

“Can I help you?” You asked, puzzled while this man stood.

“I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I need some help.” Terry pointed backwards.

“No gas?” You acknowledged his car that stood between shadows.

“I can't keep driving to hotels.” Terry shook his head. “It's complicated…”

“Come in.” You stepped back and welcomed this man into the house before anyone else noticed.

_______

This complete stranger introduced himself as Terry Richmond and you organized the guest bedroom, handing out space until further notice.

In the morning, you offered breakfast and discovered that Terry wanted a new home but explained that someone else moved at this time.

Before long, Terry negotiated with others and moved across the street, safe at last.

“Feel better?” You asked while inviting Terry for dinner.

“Yes, Ma'am. Thank you.” His deep voice echoed toward you as this rare smile brightened.

“You're welcome.” You toasted regarding the future, happy to bring peace.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Challenge: Aegon had to be King for his own survival. Rhaenyra would have killed him. And Alicent. Maybe not Helaena. DEFINITELY Aemond. He was protecting himself. AND he offered her the chance to p much keep living her life in peace.

Rebuttal: We have absolutely no evidence of this short of Otto's claims. And Otto is lying.

He saw firsthand what happened when a member of Rhaenyra's family tried to steal her inheritance. When Daemon occupied Dragonstone and declared himself Viserys' heir, did Rhaenyra resort to bloodshed? Did she use this as an excuse to try and kill Daemon? No. She called his bluff. She invited him to strike first. So when Otto tells Alicent that Rhaenyra will have "no choice" but to put her brothers to the sword, either he is suffering from memory loss, or he's lying through his teeth. He should know better than anyone that Rhaenyra is no kinslayer.

Here's the real truth. Otto realized that he couldn't control Rhaenyra. That she would not accept her position being taken away without a fight. He saw how easily she won over Daemon, how alike the two of them were. Just look at Otto's expression when Rhaenyra is flying away. He's realized that if it came to a fight with Rhaenyra, she'd have Daemon backing her. And that terrified him.

The story that Rhaenyra would preemptively murder her brothers to prevent any challenges to her claim is just that, a story. Otto uses it as justification for his plot to reject the succession. During the Green Council, he tries to have Rhaenyra and Daemon murdered so they won't challenge Aegon - exactly what he claimed Rhaenyra would do. Realistically, why would she ever do this in the first place? If she murdered her own brothers without any provocation, she would look like a tyrant. All the lords actually on her side would abandon her. Rhaenyra doesn't have a reason to harm Aegon unless he gives her one, and it's clear as day that he wouldn't do so on his own. She'd likewise have zero reason to hurt Helaena or Alicent. They have no real power. I suppose Aemond might be a problem, but again, only if he initiates. Rhaenyra isn't going to pick a fight with him.

The terms offered to Rhaenyra in 1X10 are, frankly, a complete joke. They offer her Dragonstone...which she already has. She's been living there, and now that she's queen, the castle belongs to Jace. They offer to re-confirm Luke as heir to Driftmark...even though he was already re-confirmed, just two days ago. Not to mention that Corlys survived, so the Crown really doesn't have jurisdiction over that anymore. Corlys will always choose Luke. Oh, and they offer to take her two youngest children as hostages. Sure, they don't call it that, but Rhaenyra's no fool, and it's plain as day that they would be hostages. Perhaps treated as guests, but taken for no other reason than to keep Rhaenyra in line. She's the rightful Queen, why should she entertain such nonsense? Oh, and they offer to spare any Lords who "conspired" against Aegon's ascent. Even though the story of Viserys "changing his mind" isn't well known, and these Lords would have simply been following the succession as they knew it to be. Get real.

Finally, Aegon acting in self-defense based on what he was told might have been his motive in the book. But in the show, it's very clearly a case of enjoying the attention. He feels validated and seen by the crowd. It's the first time he is actually shown to enjoy being King and maybe even start to want it.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

License to Kitty.

[astralleywright]

spent like an hour trying to find a post abt the disparity of origin companion's content in bg3 and couldn't so, hey, this fucking sucks

[serpentface]

Faiza performing the Kagnoma Odo (pretty literally 'lion dance'), a weapons dance and one of the more important ritual duties of Odonii priestesses. A relatively new addition to this traditional dance involves the musket as the primary weapon, which is fired mid-twirl into the ground at the climax of the dance. Faiza is experiencing an 'oh fuck' moment because her shot is more than ideally diagonal, but she’s being so cool with it.

This is a wholly ceremonial performance at the onset of the pilgrimage, performed in full regalia and lion skin (of the small, semi-domesticated strain) but no armor. It’s also distinctly a display of political allegiance between the powerful and beloved Odonii priesthood (and its loyal military) with the increasingly reviled and destabilized imperial family, with Faiza prominently wearing a bracelet of the royal serpent, which was gifted (along with the musket) by the usoma Stavis Amanti himself (Usoma is the Wardi word for king, which has been retained in the context of emperors).

The Kagnoma Odo is the ultimate demonstration of the Odonii as an embodiment of the Lion Face of God and living vessel of military might and sovereignty, demonstrating her fitness and proficiency with weapons and as a spiritual unifier for soldiers. It is accompanied by drumming and occurs in stages, running through the three keymost weapons used in war- the spear, the sword, and the musket. The musket is of the most significance, given the weapon has developed a particular esteem as the ultimate embodiment of might and superiority. Assistants (almost always other priestesses, occasionally high ranking soldiers) load and prime the musket to be fired at the climax of the dance, where it is shot into the ground as the priestess leaps out of range of the shot. The firing signals the end of the dance and the rite itself.

While not the utmost exemplar of trigger discipline, only fully inducted and senior (and therefore very thoroughly trained) Odonii are permitted to perform the dance, and injuries during actual performances are quite rare (though are known to occur during training, more than a few Odonii have burns and wounds on their feet).

The most important renditions of this dance are performed upon declarations of war and before battles (in this case, generally done in full armor along with the lion pelt). It is also done during some trainings (while a dance, it is carefully choreographed to include naturalistic maneuvers of the weapons involved and helps soldiers limber up and learn to move their weapons). It is regarded as an impressive and motivating sight and a morale booster, and, seen at a distance, potentially intimidating to enemies.

A special variant of this dance is performed as means of fully incarnating the Odomache, which is done in full nudity with the body covered in the blood of the freshly sacrificed lion and cloaked in its raw pelt (the lion has become the corpse of Odomache in the moment of death, as part of its recreation of God's sacrifice). Her public, full nude appearance once (and only once) in this act is what allows the Lion Face of God to incarnate within her. Those in attendance see the spiritually vulnerable, naked human body obscured with the sanctified and deified blood and cloaked in the sanctified and deified skin. It is a merger of the contradictions of mortality and divinity, the boundaries between the two indistinct in flickering firelight and the flash of musketfire. She is witnessed by her people, dangling in between humanity and divinity and leading them in dance, and and is thus transformed.

[heybiji]

dandelion casually dropping traumatic information while insisting that instead of killing the problem wizard they simply burn his tongue

[lomlompurim]

Saying that shen jiu's abuse of luo binghe is "not necessarily evil" because abusing others can be a "cry for help" is surely a take....a very awful take. Yes he needed therapy, A LOT of therapy. But HE didn't want help, by that point he was committed to keep being miserable and make others suffer too, he wanted lbh to die, how the heck is that a cry for help?

He was a very traumatized adult in a position of power continuing the cycle of abuse, very aware of what he was doing, and who should have never been in charge of children