#I think Hodgins and I and the family will go 8).

[hyperionshipping]

Are you and your f/os celebrating the eclipse this Monday?

[polyamorouspunk]

1-100

1. Favorite TV show from the 80s?

N/A

2. Favorite TV show from the early 2000s?

Criminal Minds

3. Favorite TV show from the 2010s +?

Prodigal Son

4. Favorite female TV show character?

Angela Montenegro

5. Favorite male TV show character?

Malcolm Bright

6. Favorite TV show of all time?

Bones

7. If you could watch one TV show for the rest of your life what would it be?

Bones

8. Favorite TV show soundtrack?

Supernatural

9. Favorite guest-star appearance on a TV show?

RL Stein on Halloween Baking Championship OR Steven Amell on WWE

10. Least favorite character on favorite TV show?

Agent Perata

11. Favorite character on your favorite TV show?

Hodgins

12. Best cliff-hanger

Prodigal Son because it never gets resolved 😂

13. Saddest death scene?

They didn’t show it but in Bones they put down a dog she wanted to adopt

14. What TV show would you like to be a regular on?

Bones or Criminal Minds

15. What TV show would you like to guest star on?

Masked Singer

16. A show you hate to love?

Masked Singer

17. A show you love to hate?

Keeping up with the Kardashians

18. Name an episode from a show you will always remember

Hero in the Hold- Bones

19. Name an episode from a show you wish didn’t happen

The Lady of the Lake- Merlin

20. Spin-offs: yes or no?

Used to be VERY into spin-offs, mainly The Flash spin-off of Arrow, but now it just feels like a cash-grab.

21. A show you started watching but then stopped? What was the reason?

I started watching The Walking Dead right before season 10 came out but I stopped because I needed a break from all the dark vibes and switched to like a baking show or something. I meant to go back to it after that break but I didn’t, so at this point I would probably just rewatch the 8 seasons I did watch.

22. Name a show that means something to you and why

Queer Eye for obviously highlighting 4 wonderful gay men and one queen, and also because I’ve used their advice in my day-to-day life to help me feel better about myself and in my body and with my gender.

23. A show that you fine relatable to your life

Maybe Glow Up because I relate to wanting to create content and wanting to post it online and wanting to get attention for it like how a lot of them post their makeup on Instagram/TikTok

24. A show that makes you cringe

Any family show like John and Kate + 8

25. Favorite TV villain?

Martin Whitley

26. A show you will continue to rewatch over and over again?

Bones.

27. Name a show that had the worst series finale, in your opinion

Can’t think of one right now

28. Favorite 80s movie?

Lost Boys

29. Favorite 90s movie?

Silence of the Lambs

30. Favorite early 2000s movie?

Treasure Planet

31. Favorite 2010s + movie?

Venom

32. Favorite movie villain?

Magneto from the new X-men series

33. Favorite male movie character?

Eddie Brock

34. Favorite female movie character?

Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas

35. Favorite movie of all time?

Stand By Me

36. Favorite director?

Peter Jackson

37. Favorite series/saga/trilogy/etc.

X-men (both old and new)

38. Favorite universe?

Do slashers all count in the same universe?

39. Favorite comic-book movie?

Venom

40. Favorite Disney Movie?

Treasure Planet/Brother Bear

41. Favorite Pixar movie?

Brave

42. Favorite animated movie?

Anastasia/Robin Hood

43. Best voice-casting?

Casting YouTubers for things

44. A movie you can watch over and over again without getting tired?

Stand By Me

45. A movie that made you cry uncontrollably

I can’t think of any but Lord Of The Rings makes me cry usually. I’m sure there’s a war movie that’s made me cry a lot though.

46. A movie that had you laughing thoroughout

Deadpool

47. A movie or trailer that made you think “I HAVE to see that”?

Guardians of the Galaxy

48. Rom-coms or dramas?

Dramas

49. Thrillers or comedies?

Thrillers

50. Horror or psychological?

Both.

51. Favorite book-turned-movie

Back in the day I think I would have happily said Harry Potter.

52. Favorite Actor?

Tom Hardy

53. Favorite Actress?

Bex Taylor-Klaus

54. In your opinion, a well-deserved Oscar win?

Dunkirk

55. Favorite Oscar speech?

56. Most memorable movie ending?

Rouge One

57. A movie death that shocked you?

Also Rouge One

58. A movie you thought was going to be good, but wasn’t?

Don’t shoot me. But Spirited Away.

59. Biggest Oscar upset?

I literally don’t give a shit about the Oscars

60. A movie you hated but everyone else loved?

I guess Spirited Away

61. Do you cry during movies?

Not if I can help it

62. Do you prefer classic movies or newer movies?

I really think it’s a case by case basis.

63. Best character casting?

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

64. Think of a movie you really love, how many times have you seen it?

I’ve seen Stand By Me over 10 times for sure.

65. Do you like to rewatch movies?

Yes.

66. Have you ever been to a midnight screening?

Yes, Deadpool

67. Ever attended a movie premier?

No

68. An actor you love that nails it in both television and film?

Tom Hardy

69. Actress you love that nails it in both television and film?

I don’t know if I’ve seen any of Bex’s movies tbh but I know they are in at least one horror film on Netflix

70. Why is your favorite movie your favorite movie?

Honestly I couldn’t tell you other than it has Corey Feldman in it.

71. Movies based on real life/facts or made-up stories?

Going to say movies based on real life, specially war movies.

72. Favorite movie genera?

Viral outbreak movies

73. A movie that made you feel proud?

Venom?

74. A movie that scared you/made you paranoid

Monster’s Inc.

75. Indoor movie theater or outside drive in?

Indoor movie theater because I’m near-sighted and it’s a lot easier for me to see the screen

76. Are you a snacker/drinker during movies?

Yes, only because my mom offers to buy me candy for movies and I’m not going to turn down free candy. If I’m going by myself no.

77. Where in a theater do you prefer to sit?

Middle.

78. If you could have a role in any movie ever made, what role would it be?

I think playing Jean Grey in the new movies would be fun

79. An underrated movie

October Sky

80. Overrated movie

Avengers Endgame

81. Movie you felt attached to after watching it

Probably Venom again

82. A movie that was relatable to you and your life

I don’t really watch relatable movies?

83. Name a movie that made you go “wow” after it

Venom

84. Action-packed or lots of dialogue

Action-packed to a certain degree

85. Fantasy movies or normal life movies?

Possible in extreme scenarios movies

86. Have you ever walked out of a movie theater mid movie?

No

87. Worst movie experience?

So my library used to hold movie nights and every movies she picked for us was on par, it was mostly Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, things like that. But one night she put on some movie and it was SO BAD we came and got her and begged her to turn it off. It got sexual REAL quick and we were middle/high schoolers and HIGHLY uncomfortable.

88. Have you ever spoiled a movie for someone by accident?

I left a discord server because mods told me I had to spoiler talking about Avengers Infinity War 2 years after it came out. 2 years. Because some people hadn’t watched it and didn’t want spoilers. If you haven’t seen it 2 years later that’s on you. Deal.

89. Ever spoiled a movie for someone on purpose?

Probably but not one they were going to see

90. A movie that made you feel all the feels?

Maybe the original Avengers when it came out.

91. Pick a movie, any movie. Now tell your favorite scene.

X-Files movie Mulder/Scully kiss

92. Perfect movie length?

1 hour and 45 minutes

93. Do you get bored easily during movies?

Yes.

94. Worst acting you’ve ever seen in a movie?

Jupiter Ascending, but to be fair the whole movie was bad the acting was just part of poor writing partially I think

95. Can you think of a movie where one scene ruined the whole thing?

It doesn’t ruin the movie but because I’m somewhat sex-repulsed I’m not a huge fan of the sex scenes in American Psycho and I would watch it more if not for that.

96. Are you a “Tommy-texter” during movies or a “shhhing Susan”?

What the fuck does this even mean. If I’m at home with my mom sure I’ll text and so will she but if I’m at the movies I won’t but I’m also not going to shush people I have anxiety. If I’m watching movies with friends we’ll talk during it.

97. Think of a positive movie experience you will never forget

Watching movies with my friends at the library

98. A movie or performance you thought deserved an Oscar?

Tom Hardy in Venom.

99. Best movie soundtrack?

Stand By Me

100. A block-buster movie that deserved all the hype and more?

The original Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Venom, and Deadpool

[x0401x]

Violet Evergarden Movie Summary

The initial plan was to make this a short bullet-point thing, but I felt like there was too much to clarify and I had no choice but use novel references to explain certain parts, so I decided to just write a normal summary. Many thanks before-hand to my friend Yuuki, who gave me all this info.

Apologies for taking relatively long with this thing. Not even I expected that I would end up writing this much. Buckle up for the ride, ‘cause it won’t be fun.

Nope, not kidding. It really won’t.

First thing I need to make clear is: this movie is one and a half hour long and divided into three parts and two different timelines: the times when Violet existed and the times after she dies. Already in the beginning of the movie, Violet is dead.

Yes, you read this right. She’s dead.

Now, I don’t mean that she’s dead in the literal sense. This is 60 years in the future. She might be alive or not, but it’s never said. However, the timeline of 60 years later is considered an era without Violet, apparently because she has retired and her “legend” is over, so to say. It’s also a time where Auto-Memories Dolls don’t exist. That’s one good punch in the face. Let’s keep counting.

The movie is sort of like a tale being read by someone else, which at some point goes into Violet’s first-person POV. The whole thing is kind of a look back on Violet’s life tragectory and how it took a new turn when she decided to continue looking for Gil despite all the mess of the TV series.

The era where Violet exists is an era where telephones are being introduced to the people, so Auto-Memories Dolls are starting to become unnecessary. I would argue that the creation of the telephone isn’t enough for an entire occupation to start disappearing so quickly, since new inventions are normally extremely expensive and not everyone has access to them (or even knows about their existence) so immediately after their conception. Realistically speaking, ghostwriters would still be important as long as there were still so many people unable to buy phones. Not to mention that this is a steampunk world where compulsory education doesn’t seem to be a thing yet, so even in the off chance that everybody can buy a phone, there would still be a lot of people who can’t read or write on their own. But all of this clearly went over the animators’ heads, so not only ghostwriters but also the mail business in general are nearing their doom in the movie.

The one looking back on Violet’s life was Ann, who was telling it all to her granddaughter, Daisy (who, by the way, is voiced by Morohoshi Sumire, the same girl who voiced the seven-year-old Ann). Ann had kept all the letters that Violet ghostwrote for her mother, as well as the newspapers about the CH Postal Company. Looks like the article was printed after Violet left CH, since she isn’t in the picture with everyone else.

In this era, CH’s main office has been turned into a museum. Nerine is shown working in it. Of course, she’s a grandma by then. Speaking of the CH personnel, Erica also quit being an Auto-Memories Doll and became a playwright like Oscar. She appears in the newspaper, though, so she probably a while left after Violet did. Taylor also appears there.

Back to Daisy, she was writing a letter to her parents, in order to learn how to properly convey feelings with written word. The message of this scene seems to be that, no matter the tools, what’s important is that we convey our feelings to the people we love.

As we see in the trailer, Gil’s mom has passed and Violet runs into Dietfried when visiting her grave on the anniversary of her death. To anyone who is wondering: yeah, Gil never went to see his mother and she died thinking that he was dead.

Nobody knew that Gil was alive. Not his mother, not Dietfried, not the Evergardens and not even Hodgins. No one.

Here’s what happened to Gil in the anime: he survived the incident at Intense, of course, but got separated from Violet in that explosion. His tag miraculously stayed on the same spot, though, as we saw in the TV series. Now, since this isn’t explained in the anime at all, I have to make it clear: the tag is that necklace the soldiers wear. It contains their names and ranks, so that their bodies can be identified even when they’re irrecognizable. Without the tag, the people who rescued Gil had no idea who he was, so he was sent to a different place to get treated. He ended up at a monastery hospital instead of the one in Enchaîné. I would debate that his uniform alone is enough to identify him as someone from the Leidenschaftlich Army, or maybe they could’ve just asked him which troop he belonged to after he woke up and relocated him to where his fellow men were, but who even cares about all these plot holes anymore? Definitely not me.

Anyway. After Gil was discharged, he ran the fuck away. Like, literally.

If anyone out there was hoping that Gil would finally have his moment to shine as the self-sacrificing, thoughtful and ridiculously kindhearted character that he is in the novel, I have bad news for you. What we had here was even worse than it being Gil’s excuse movie. It’s like the whole thing was made to drag his character so deep through the mud that he’ll never be able to get up again. There’s pretty much nothing in this one and a half hour that actually justifies what he did to Violet. I’ll elaborate on this as we go on.

Anime!Gil became a nomad and went traveling. He offed his ass to the island where that lighthouse displayed in the most recent official art is located (that’s why Gil and Violet were at the beach on the movie poster). He doesn’t have a prosthetic in the anime because, apparently, he was more worried about disappearing as fast as possible to somewhere he would never be found, and never attempted to contact anybody. So nobody knew that he was alive, hence the grave, which, as we feared, was not a fake one. His family really did think he had died.

This is a point that I have already addressed before, but that also means Gil really did abandon Violet to luck. If anything dangerous ever happened to her (as it did, and it was always very obviously likely to happen, since she was the southern army’s most outstanding soldier and quite literally fled from the military), he wouldn’t even know. If word ever got to him, it would probably be too late. And even if it weren’t, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to help her. More than allowing her to live freely, it felt like he was running away from his responsibilities regarding Violet.

Punch on the face count is currently at six.

By sheer coincidence, Violet learns that Gil is living in that island. She goes to see him and Hodgins goes with her after trying to stop her at first. When Gil finds out that they came to see him, he outright refuses to meet them. It pretty much takes the near entirety of the goddamn movie for them to see each other face-to-face. I say face-to-face because all of the following shit happens:

Hodgins goes to talk to Gil. It lasts about 20 minutes.

Gil talks to Violet from behind a door. This one is about 10 minutes.

Dietfried also comes to the island to talk to him. Also about 10 minutes.

At long fucking last, Gil goes to see Violet. But that, too, is only for about 10 minutes.

Hodgins gives him a speech very similar to what happens in chapter 8. Now get ready to fall back from your seats: Dietfried basically goes there to tell Gil that he won’t run away from taking over the family anymore, so Gil can live freely. Yes, Dietfried is officially a better Gilbert than Gilbert himself. I crave death.

So, after much ado, they come to a conclusion: Gil will stay in the island. In order to completely free himself of the shackles of his bloodline, he stays behind, living the way he wants to. ‘Cause all anime!Gil wants is to rot away alone by the sea, apparently. Now prepare yourselves, for it gets worse. Ready?

Violet stays with him in the motherfucking island.

That’s right, ladies and gents. Another fear became true. She quits her job at the CH Postal Company and goes to live with him. Well, at least, not as a housewife. She starts working with mail services in the island, and Gil helps her with it. Her life goes on like this and she dies in the island as well.

This is where the timeline after Violet passes away comes into light, parallel to the era when Violet was alive. Daisy talks about what happened after Violet left CH, as if it were a tale from the distant past.

That’s it.

The movie paints this as a happy ending. I can hardly see it as one. I know it almost looks like everything was solved, but it just got swept under the rug.

The main point that makes me sad in this ending is that Violet’s character development did a 360 degree flip. In the end, she threw everything to the air and went to live in someone who she always put before everyone else, even herself, but who didn’t do the same for her (in the anime). She’s gone to a crammed little island, where she led an uneventful life away from everyone and everything that’s ever had a positive impact on her. All she has is Gil.

Of course, he’s all she needs, but he isn’t all she should have, and that was the entire point of pushing her to go live on her own. Which is exactly what she earns in the novel: two loving parents, a father figure, a brother figure, a best friend and several other friends and acquaintances whom she formed a bond with. She has all she needs, so she doesn’t have to cling to Gil for any reason. There’s no emotional dependance on him anymore. She doesn’t need him to be whole. She just wants him because he happens to be the best person she’s ever met.

Anime!Violet is most definitely not whole. She almost got there, but then she backtracked completely. And anime!Gil... in my friend’s words, is a weakling. There’s nothing in him actually worth all this undying blind love. Sure, he’s full of regret and shit, but it’s too easy to only act upon it now, by vanishing into thin air like a coward.

The deal with novel!Gil is that he looks around at everything he has, everything that had been burdening him and killing him on the inside all his life, and decides to make use of it for Violet’s sake. He continues being family head and working in the army, amassing money and connections in order to have every means possible to protect Violet should anything happen to her. And as it turns out, he does end up having to use those means, more than once, but he will keep this up for as long as he needs to, because he lives for her now. That’s what makes him worth all the blood, sweat, tears, mental sanity and even body parts that she gave away for his sake: he pays it back. Every cent.

Punch in the face count ends at twelve. Thirteen if I include the fact that the movie ends with a last shot of Violet after she and Gilbert do a pinky swear. Looks like they were really trying to buy everyone with tears.

Oh, well.

I hope this has been a good enough summary. Sorry if I rained on anyone’s parade. I’m pretty sure we won’t get a remake ever, so I really wish we all can get over this soon.

[wickwrites]

Burning as a Motif for Humanity in Violet Evergarden

I think, when watching Violet Evergarden, most of us picked up on fire as a motif for Violet’s trauma – the violence and destruction she witnessed in the war, and the violence and destruction she engendered with her own hands. I’m not going to go into this too much because it’s all pretty self-explanatory, if not trite, but here are some quick examples of fire as a motif for her trauma just to lay the groundwork for the rest of the essay:

In frame 1 (episode 8), Violet draws first blood on the battlefield, and the once contained fire from the felled soldiers’ lanterns spread quickly through the forest, a symbol for how one small act of violence can cascade into large scale destruction. In frame 2, Gilbert stares at the carnage in front of him, horrified. In frame 3, the major is shot, and all we get to see is a screen of flames. In frame 4 (episode 12), Merkulov stares into a fire as he schemes about re-kindling the war.

I want to follow this (well trodden) opinion up with a more encompassing statement. That is, fire, in Violet Evergarden, is not limited to representing the destructive power of violence and trauma. Instead, it is a motif for humanity itself – an embodiment of the full range of experiences and emotions that make us human.  

To show this, I’m going to start off at the beginning of Violet’s journey, focusing on how her disconnect (from herself as well as others) is illustrated in episode one. For instance, her initial struggle to move her now mechanical arms as she sits in her hospital bed in the opening sequence is an excellent embodiment of her dissociation from her own body and lack of agency. I want to, however, focus on two scenes that are particularly relevant for our discussion:

First, the scene where Violet spills tea on her hand:

And second, the scene where Hodgins insists that Violet is burning:

These scenes are similar: in both, someone asserts that Violet must be in pain, specifically due to burning, and in both, Violet rejects that statement. In the first, however, that burning is physical. And in the second, that burning is emotional. Regardless, Violet is so removed from her own body that she is incapable of feeling either. Her mechanical hand is therefore an embodiment of her inhumanity (ie. her “dollness” or “weapon-ness”). Like her, it is cold, mechanical, insensitive, without life or agency. After all, up until now, all she’s been doing is killing on command, without the ability to think for herself, experience her own pain, or sympathize with her victims’ pain.

When the screen shows that Hodgins is indeed correct, that Violet is literally on fire (frame 1), that fire is depicted with restraint. Flames engulfs Violet’s body, but those flames are from a streetlamp enclosed in glass. It is controlled and distant. This encapsulates Violet’s current state; she is literally on fire, but that fire is so compartmentalized and suppressed, and she is so far removed from her own experience, that she is incapable of feeling it.

In frame 2, we are viewing Violet in a flashback, from Hodgin’s point of view. Although we’re offered a close up shot of her bloodied hands, we see, about two cuts later, that Hodgin is actually observing Violet from afar (frame 2.5). This distance demonstrates that he cannot bring himself to reach out to her, something that Hodgin confesses he feels guilty about literally 5 seconds later. They were, at that point in time, and perhaps even now, unable to connect.

In frames 3 and 4, Hodgin is speaking again. We get this super far shot of Violet’s body. The camera is straight on, objective, and unfeeling. This unsympathetic framing has two functions. First, it distances us from Violet. Our inability to see the details on her face and her relatively neutral body language gives us, the audience, no real way inidication her thoughts. Second, it distances Violet from herself. As someone who experiences dissociative symptoms from PTSD, this is a very poignant way of framing what it feels like to be removed from your own experience. Hodgin’s line, “You’ll understand what I’m saying one day. And, for the first time, you’ll notice all your burn scars,” further drives home the sense that Violet is completely estranged from herself. It almost feels like we are looking at her, from her own detached point of view.

We’re going to move on now, but we’ll get back to these frames later in the analysis, so hold onto them.

Throughout Violet’s journey, fire comes up again and again. Specifically, it shows up in moments of emotional intimacy, connection, and healing. Let’s see what I mean by this:

I have here a collection of moments that all occur at the same narrative point in their respective mini-stories: the moment where one character reaches out to another, sympathizes with them, and literally pulls them of their darkness. For example, frame 1 (episode 3) shows Violet bringing a letter from Luculia to her brother. It expresses Luculia’s gratitude and love for him, and ultimately mends their relationship. In frame 2 (episode 4), Violet and Iris share a moment of emotional intimacy and connection, which is the beginning of Iris’ story’s resolution. In frame 3 (episode 9), Violet’s suicidal despondency is interrupted by the mailman, bringing her a heartwarming letter from all her friends. In frame 4 (episode 11), Violet comforts a dying solder by a fireplace.

It’s not that other modes of lighting do not exist – modern looking lamps show up repeatedly in the show. Even Iris’ rural family has them, so I can reasonably assume that, no, the above moments do not all coincidentally use lamps because that’s all there is in this universe; the usage of fire during moments of catharsis is deliberate, and establishes that fire can also bring hope, kindness, and love.

Now that we’ve explored the dual nature of fire as both destructive/constructive, painful/cathartic, let’s go onto the thesis of my essay. Why do I say that being on fire is to be human? Let’s go back to the scene where Hodgin tells Violet she’s on fire (episode 1, on the left), and compare it to the scene where Violet finally realizes that Hodgin was right and that she is on fire (episode 7, on the right):

In these sequences, there is a notable shift in framing and perspective. In frame 1b, we finally get to see Violet’s blood-stained hands from her point of view, as opposed to from Hodgin’s point of view in 1a. Violet becomes aware of her past as an actual agent choosing to kill, shown through the first-person point of view. Similarly, the medium, straight on shot of Violet looking down at her hands (frame 2a) is replaced with an intimate first-person, close-up view (frame 2b). In shots 3a and 3b, the difference in framing is most pronounced. In 3a, we get this straight on, long shot. In frame 3b, the camera’s detachment is replaced by a claustrophobic closeness. While this framing does an excellent job at conveying the panicked feeling of “everything crashing down all at once”, it also demonstrates Violet’s new-found awareness of herself. While before, the camera was used to alienate, now it is used to create a sense of painful awareness and intimacy.

These series of shots are the first in the entire show, I believe, of Violet's body from her own point of view. Their co-incidence with her awakening self-awareness characterizes the state of “being in one’s body” as a precondition to self-connection, or more specifically, to Violet’s understanding of herself as neither a weapon nor a doll, but as a human. Correspondingly, this pivotal moment serves as a catalyst for her subsequent emotional development. From this episode on towards the finale, we’re launched into a heart wrenching sequence of events: Violet’s desperate grieving for Gilbert’s apparent death, her attempted suicide driven by newfound grief, and most importantly, Violet receiving her first written letter, an act that is strongly representative of genuine human connection. Following these events, Violet’s emotional connection to both herself and others only continues to grow; during her two final jobs of the story, she breaks down crying in response to the suffering of her clients, demonstrating a level of compassion—if not empathy—that she seems to have never been able to tap into before.

At the same time, Violet acquires a new sense of agency, making plot-driving decisions that no longer require other characters’ validations. Most poignantly, in episode 12, she chooses to stay on the train to fight Merkulov, explicitly going against Dietfried’s order for her to leave. Her reason?

She doesn’t want anyone to die anymore.

And it’s this moment, for me, that consolidated her as a character with true agency. Up until now, all her major decisions have been framed in relation to Gilbert: she killed in the war because Gilbert ordered her to, and she became an Auto Memories Doll because she wanted to understand Gilbert’s enigmatic “I love you”. Now, however, her motivation is purely her own—she fights, simply because she doesn’t want anyone else to die. It’s a line implies an intimate knowledge of loss. It’s a sentiment motivated by compassion. It’s a raw and extraordinarily human thing to say.

When Violet embarks on her journey to decipher Gilbert’s love, she is devoid of many traits we consider inherent and possibly even unique to being human—suffering, compassion, altruism, love, agency, and the interplay between them. As an Auto Memories Doll, she learns to live, experiencing all these emotions she had never had the luxury to experience before, and we quickly realize that she cannot know what love is without simultaneously wrestling with her trauma. She learns that yes, sometimes the fire destroys and sometimes it burns, but sometimes it thaws too, and you cannot have one without the other. You cannot choose what the fire does to you; you cannot choose what you want to feel. Thus, to be on fire is to know the anguish of its destruction, but it is also, and more importantly, to know the catharsis of human connection, to be the warm flame that pulls someone else out of the dark, to be pulled out of the dark yourself. To be on fire is to be human.

[vmficrecs]

Bones crossovers?? Maybe ? Please :)

New Girl In TownAuthor: rambling-talesPairing: Veronica; Angela; Booth; Brennan Rating: GGenre: Friendship Setting: Post-Series AUSpoilers: N/AChapters: 1Word Count: 432Status: CompleteSummary: Special Agent Seely Booth is not happy about his new partner and Angela thinks she’s going to fit in just fine.Notes: I’m dreaming about Angela and Veronica teaming up to make Booth’s life hell and I gotta say, it’s a nice vision. 

Skies on Fire: My Medicine Author: LandianaPairing: Veronica; Sweets; Booth Rating: PG-13Genre: Veronica Mars Forcibly Attends TherapySetting: Post-Series AUSpoilers: All seriesChapters: 1Word Count: 2182Status: CompleteSummary: After a tragic death, Veronica is asked to see a shrink.Notes: CW: Character death. It’s not a character from Veronica Mars, but, uh, it is Veronica’s husband in the fic who has died and well, it was a little hard to read at times given.....you know. That aside, this fic seems to be a part of a much larger crossover between many fandoms (I haven’t read the other ones but I think Veronica’s dead husband in this fic is Dean Winchester??), but regardless Sweets dragging Veronica’s chosen FBI career softkey to shreds in this is great. And Booth has a hilarious cameo. 

Buy me a ponyAuthor: princessdanicaPairing: Logan/Veronica; Booth/Brennan; Keith; Hodgins/Angela; ZACK!! Rating: TGenre: FamilySetting: Season 3 AUSpoilers: All seriesChapters: 9Word Count: 12713Status: IncompleteSummary: When Veronica is woken by an argument outside Logan's hotel room she decides to sort it out. Things start to get interesting when she realises who's arguing...Notes: This is the most absurd crossover premise just so y’all know. Booth is Veronica’s uncle BUT Hodgins is also Logan’s uncle.  And now all of a sudden some show called Standoff is a part of this and one of the characters from that is Veronica’s aunt?? I don’t know y’all. Basically this entire fic is a highly OOC Veronica & Logan playing pranks on Booth and company. However, Booth and Logan bonding is definitely bringing a tear or 500 to my eye because I am a simple woman and I have no shame, so, there’s that. (ft. in chapter 2 & 3. and i think in chapter 7 is when logan declares that everyone loves him or smth and thats! my! boy!) 

Earth, Bones, and MarsAuthor: WittyheroinePairing: Veronica; Booth/BrennanRating: TGenre: Crime, idk!!! Setting: Post-Season 3 AUSpoilers: 3.19, “I Know What You’ll Do Next Summer” Chapters: 8Word Count: 23130Status: IncompleteSummary: Booth gets an intern…in the form of scrawny, annoying and blond nineteen year old Hearst college student Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars crossover.Notes: Veronica clocks that there’s something going on between Booth and Brennan immediately because the girl is no dummy. The Booth and Brennan banter is on point. Brennan and Veronica are friends!! Okay listen I’ve only read the first few chapters so far, but I really really enjoy this and I’m already so bummed it’s not completed. 

[arctic-comet]

TV show quiz

I was tagged by @storybookwolf, thank you :)

Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions. Don’t cheat. Tag 10 peeps. 

I put my shows into a randomizer and this is what it picked for me:

1.       The Handmaid’s Tale

2.       Big Little Lies

3.       Call the Midwife

4.       Bones

5.       Stranger Things

1.  Who is your favorite character in 2? In S1 it was probably Madeline, now I’d say Jane or Renata.

2. Who is your least favorite character in 1? Jesus. Who do I hate the most? Fred? Serena? Why not both?

3. What is your favorite episode of 4? That’s actually surprisingly easy to answer. 6x09, “The Doctor in the Photo”, which is angsty and depressing but comes with a great performance from Emily Deschanel.

4.  What is your favorite season of 5? Season 1 definitely.

5. Who is your favorite couple in 3? The Turners! I love them as individuals, I love how they got together and I love their (now pretty huge) family.

6. Who is your favorite couple in 2? Uhhh I don’t really ship anyone in BLL because all the romantic relationships are so fucked up.

7. What is your favorite episode of 1? Either one of the season finales, with an honorable mention going to the episode in S1 where June and Nick first have sex (1x06?)

8.What is your favorite episode of 5? The Monster from S1.

9. What is your favorite season of 2? Season 1.

10. How long have you watched 1? Since they first aired S1, so a couple of years.

11. How did you become interested in 3? I’d read about it online and then realized we have the first 5 seasons on Netflix, and I binged them all when I’d started my maternity leave and there was literally nothing else to do, LOL.

12.   Who is your favorite actor in 4? T.J. Thyne.

13. Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5? Stranger Things right now, because I’ve totally lost interest in this season of THT and BLL’s kind of hard to define at this point.

14. Which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3 ? Well, 3 has more episodes altogether and I’ve seen them all, so I’d have to go with that.

15. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be? I’d be Hodgins because he gets to do all the cool experiments,

16. Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work? Not really, one of them is a British show and the other one’s American, and the tones are completely different.

17. Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple. I’m gonna go with my fanon ship of Moira/Emily.

18. Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5? I think Call the Midwife is muuuuch better with the impactful, emotional stuff than Stranger Things (post S1), but it doesn’t really have like an overarching storyline? 

19. Which has the better theme music, 2 or 4? I like both, but if I had to pick now, I’d say 2.

[savingjoyfully]

WORDS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

One afternoon as I was leaving work I received a phone call from my sister. My father was not doing well and was being hospitalized after a sudden illness. He needed to have his gallbladder out but the doctors were also concerned there might be more going on. He had a bad infection and his blood work came back abnormal. My sister was very concerned about his declining health and wanted me to be aware. She mentioned that there was concern that my father’s cancer had returned and could be causing his abs to be off.

My father developed Non-Hodgins Lymphoma around the time I had turned 11. His diagnosis had always been difficult for my siblings and I to handle. Ever since we first learned he had cancer we had worried that it would ultimately take him from us. As the years went by his cancer had gone into remission and had been that way now for over 10 years. It appeared that his cancer may have returned but the doctors would not know for sure without additional testing.

The Call

Her call that day made me incredibly sad as I realized this could be the end. My father might be ill and even possibly dying and I might never speak with him before he passes. At that very moment, I envisioned years as a child where my father was still a part of my life. I had many thoughts that day about whether I would be welcomed if I did visit him. Deep down I believed my father would shut me out if I tried I felt that my choices in the past had destroyed our relationship indefinitely. That was a tough thing to imagine but I was certain that this was how it would end and I had known this for years.

My sister advised me that my father was not doing well and if I wanted to see him I probably should do it as soon as possible. I was convinced that no matter what she said I could never do that. He would never allow me to visit even if I had tried. Or would he? These were the types of thoughts that I would wrestle with that entire night.

My Story

My father and I had not been close for over 8 years. We had not spoken since a bad family situation took place around 2011. My family went through a tough time about 8 years prior requiring my husband and I had to step in and take custody of my two younger siblings. As you can imagine tensions and emotions ran high at that time and things had gotten messy amongst family.

Court dates, lawyers, and a very devastating situation as you can imagine had come between me and my parents. This entire experience had broken me beyond what I ever wanted to admit. My heart had become pretty hardened by everything and I was feeling very lost. Forgiveness was something I struggled with a lot as I tried hard to move past this painful experience and find joy.

The Three Signs

The next day before I started work I read an article that a friend of mine had written on her blog. Within this article, she spoke of healing and forgiveness. Her words were just what I needed at that very moment. God used her words to soften my heart and cause me to think in a way I might never have otherwise. A soft heart was something that I hadn’t had in a while, in fact the pain of the past had really begun to alter my attitude in a negative way. I started reflecting on the article and realized that God just might be trying to speak to me through her words.

Later that day I had a brief conversation with a coworker where I mentioned that my father was ill in the hospital. I don’t remember the words I spoke or even that He did I just recall his recommendation. This coworker was aware of the fact that my father and I had a strained relationship and that he was now ill. In a kind and insightful way he advised me that if I allowed this opportunity to visit my father to slip away that I may regret my choice..

He also mentioned that the night before he had been at a conference where a former baseball player spoke. This baseball player was Daryl Strawberry. Darryl had spent years filling his life with all of the wrong things. He allowed himself to be led down a very destructive path and he reached a point in life where he had to make a choice. This coworker told me I needed to hear Darryl’s testimony and about his relationship with his Dad. That day I listened to a YouTube video where Darryl spoke of seeing his abusive father and choosing to forgive him. Once again that feeling a nudge to reconsider visiting my father was weighing on my heart and mind. I felt like God had was telling me that I needed to go but I was still resisting. In my mind I knew I would never be welcomed and I feared his reaction and his words if I did show up.

After work, I received a call from my sister she said “Andrea, your Uncle came to visit Dad today and when they said guess who is here Dad guessed it was you and had a smile on his face!”

I did not believe what she was saying at that moment I was shocked. I started crying as I realized that he possibly did want to see me. My father who I had avoided for over 8 years was hoping that I would come to see him in the hospital. I went home that day and told my husband we have to go visit my Dad. He was shocked, to say the least, I can only imagine the concern for me knowing how hard this would be for me.

The Visit

We drove to the hospital that night and the whole drive there I was still hesitant. I knew for a fact I was supposed to go but internally I was battling the urge to turn around and run to safety. To avoid the situation that I was willingly placing myself in that could lead to further hurt and rejection.

We entered the hospital and made our way to his room and the whole time God was calmly leading me right where he had been guiding me that whole time. I entered the room and my Dad smiled and said my name. The next words out of his mouth were I was praying that you would come. That day I realized that God had used 3 people to guide me to my Dad’s bedside. He used the words written by my friend to speak to me, the kind words of my coworker Dale and the story of Darryl Strawberry’s life to assure me that I needed to visit my father. Then finally he used my sister to speak the words I needed to hear to assure me that my father wanted to see me even though that was so difficult for me to even believe.

My Life Was Changed

If you ever think a life cannot be changed by just a few words my life is proof that it can be. If that article had not been written, my coworker had not taken the time to share Darryl’s story with me, or if my sister had never spoken those few words my life would be dramatically different today.

Because of those three encounters I had that day, I made a decision that would change both mine and my father’s lives. I chose to visit him but in doing so something much more important happened. I received healing and closure through that entire experience that I never would have experienced otherwise. My father passed away within six months following my visit and I would never have had the opportunity to see Him and make amends. Sometimes the words you say are more powerful than you can even imagine. Words are powerful and have the ability to both hurt or heal and in this moment the words spoken by three people were life altering in a very positive way. I will never forget this experience and I will always be grateful for the brave people who helped me to make a very difficult choice.

[laurajean92]

Booth and Brennan - Through The Years chapter 73...

Time jump in this chapter, guys. 7 months, so Brennan’s about 8 months pregnant and a lot has happened…

TEMPERANCE’S POV:

“Hi, Booth.” I greeted him as I walked through to the kitchen “Hey,” he mirrored “what are all these, Bones?” “They’re job offers.” I informed him as I leaned over the counter “All these came while I was out of the house?” he asked

I shook my head… “I’ve been receiving job offers for years, as have you.” “But you’ve never been this serious about them,” he replied “you’ve organised them and put post-it’s on them. Are you seriously considering one of these?”

I pursed my lips together as I turned from the fridge to face him… “Yeah, I think I am.” “Why?” he questioned “We’ve been through so much lately,” I replied “don’t you think it might be time for a change?” “Is this because of my gambling?” he inquired “You know how hard I’m working on that, Bones. Or is it because of Hodgins and Angela moving to Paris?”

“It’s everything.” I informed him “It’s you been shot, it’s you been in prison. I just think we could do with a change. Don’t you think we need a change?”

“Solving murders is what we do, Bones. It’s what we’re best at.” he informed me “I don’t think I want to do it anymore, Booth.” I admitted “We have Christine now, and this little guy too. I don’t want our children to worry they’re going to grow up without parents. Every day we put ourselves in danger when we go out in the field. I want our children to have the security of knowing that we’re going to be coming home every night, and I know that can’t be guaranteed because anything could happen, but I want to lessen the risk by lessening the risk of our jobs.”

“Okay.” he replied “Okay?” I inquired “Okay, I’ll quit the FBI and you quit the Jeffersonian.” he informed me “Really?” I asked

He nodded his head… “I’ll hand my notice in this morning when I get to the office.” “Okay.” I replied, smiling at him warmly “Thank you, Booth.”

SEELEY’S POV:

“Seeley Booth!” Caroline proclaimed as she made her way into my office “Come on in, Caroline.” I replied, exhaling a breath as I lifted my head from my paperwork “You and that lovely wife of yours are quitting?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

I nodded my head… “It’s what Bones wants.” “Cherie…” she sighed “I’m not going to try and change your mind because I know what you’re like once you have your mind set on something, but leaving the FBI? You’re the best agent they’ve had in years.”

“What are you trying to say, Caroline?” I asked “Maybe consider staying with the FBI, but not being an agent anymore.” she replied “God knows we could do with more agents like you.”

“You’re suggesting I train agents?” I inquired

She nodded her head… “The FBI could use more agents like you, Cherie. And Quantico are always looking. How many times have they tried to poach you in the past?”

TEMPERANCE’S POV:

“You and Booth are leaving too?” Angela asked as she made her way into my office

I nodded my head… “I’m about to give the board my resignation letter. How did you find out?” “Caroline called me.” she informed me “She’s trying to get Booth to stay with the FBI to train agents.”

“He’d be good at that…” I replied “Yeah he would. But what are you going to do, sweetie?” she inquired “You’ve always told me that being here is your life?”

“It is,” I informed her “or at least it was. But I have children to think about now…” “So go back to just being a forensic anthropologist.” she replied “You don’t have to go out in the field and work with the FBI anymore if you don’t want to.”

“I would if I didn’t have children, but they’re my priority now.” I admitted “My mind is made up. I’ve made my decision, just like you and Hodgins have to move to Paris.”

She smiled at me weakly… “Is that what this is all about?” “Your news did make me think about some things, yeah.” I replied “How do you think the board are going to take it?” she asked “I don’t know.” I admitted “But they’re not making me change my mind.” “Not making you change your mind about what?” Cam’s voice inquired “My resignation.” I informed her “I’m handing in my resignation. Both Booth and I are.” “Wow…” she proclaimed “Are you sure?”

I nodded my head… “Our kids deserve the security of knowing that we’re going to come home to them every night, and that risk can be lowered if we quit our high-risk jobs.”

“I don’t think the board are going to be happy about this…” she admitted “Probably not,” I replied “which is why I’ve put forward the best possible candidate I can think of for the job.”

“But Dr. Hodgins is leaving. He’s the best possible candidate, correct?” she asked

I shook my head… “He’s brilliant and extremely intelligent, but I think the best possible person to run this lab would be you.”

“Me?” she questioned

I nodded my head… “I very much hope they consider you.” “Thank you!” she replied

I nodded my head… “You’re welcome. I must go, I’m meeting with them in an hour.”

SEELEY’S POV:

“How did the board take the news you’re leaving?” I asked Bones as we cleaned up after putting Christine to bed later that evening

“Better than I expected, actually.” she replied “They were very understanding of my reasoning.” I smiled at her warmly… “Caroline thinks I should stay on at the FBI training agents.” “Angela said.” she informed me “She told me Caroline had called her.” “What do you think?” I questioned “It’s your choice, Booth.” she admitted “I know you’re not completely okay with leaving, so if training agents will make you happy then it’s what you have to do.”

I smiled at her warmly… “I can take some time off first though. We could have our baby and be happy, be a family for a while.”

“That sounds really good.” she replied, reciprocating my warm smile as she spoke “And then?” “And then I start my new job,” I informed her “and you do what you want to do. Work on your books, whatever?”

“Don’t you need to apply and be interviewed?” she asked “Apparently not.” I replied “When the news got to Cullen’s boss, Cullen came to tell me there’s an opening as and when I want it.”

She smiled at me warmly… “That’s great, Booth. It just goes to show that hard work really does pay off.”

I nodded my head in agreement… “So we’re agreed? We both take some time off, and then I start my new job and you work on your books?”

She nodded her head… “I guess so. I can’t believe we’re really doing this, Booth. This morning it was all just a dream.”

“No dream anymore, baby.” I replied “It’s happening.” “Yeah. I’m happy.” she informed me “I am too.” I admitted, wrapping my arms around her as I moved closer to her “I am too.”

The end! Some of you may think it’s too soon, but who knows? I could have a sequel in the works…

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: Violet Evergarden

Ugh, I hate writing about good shows. It’s always so difficult to find something to talk about. With bad or average material, it’s so much easier to point at weak points and say ‘Yes, that wasn’t good. Here’s what I would do.’ Which is my favorite exercise when watching things.

But Violet Evergarden is good. Real good. The only complaint I could imagine lobbying is that Netflix didn’t simuldub it stateside. The villains.

I mean, it’s a show with a blonde protagonist who, out of love, lost limbs and had them replaced by mechanical prosthetics, with the actual story happening in a quasi-european setting approximately after a WWI analogue. Somehow, it’s not Fullmetal Alchemist, nor does it try to be. Freaking Magnus Bride had less superficial similarities, and it still fell into that trap.

It’s laudable.

What Violet Evergarden does do is done amazingly.

Spoilers, by the way. Go watch the show now, it’s that good.

I don’t cry for fiction. This isn’t a macho claim, I honestly view it as a minor failing of mine. I can identify sad and tragic parts of a piece, and I have emotions,[1] but when it comes to fiction, there’s just too big of a separation for me. I can see the strings.

This remains true for Violet Evergarden, but there are some real strong attempts to coax tears. Strong and original.

I like the ‘Girl learning to be Human’ trope.[2] Well, Person learning to be human, but, well, cute girls make everything better.

Point is, there’s a charm to watching someone who, through their personal circumstances, has zero idea how to operate in society, and approaches everything with naivety and a hunger to learn.[4] It’s a good character premise that gives ample comedic potential (Faux Pas, satire, general oddity), dramatic potential (lost time, awkwardness, satire again), and fanservice if you feel the need to provide it. It’s a great tool for side stepping ‘As You Know’ exchanges and still actually teach your audience about your fantastical world![5]

Violent is given this status by, initially, being raised as a tool for war. She doesn’t know her family, her age, nor have a name when she’s gifted to The Major by his brother, and from there begins her journey to learn to be a human.

It’s not until she’s finally removed from the context of war and loses the man she devoted herself to that she can truly begin learning the hardest part: empathy.

And you thought my ‘don’t cry at media’ tangent was unrelated! Ah-ha!

Up until Violet begins her job as an Auto Memory Doll[6] people existed in one of three categories: Enemy (people to kill), Allies (people not to kill), and The Major (Person to take orders from). Sure, The Major gave her a name, and taught her to read and write, but on the battlefield, where most people have to be broken down into a state of “Kill or be Killed”, it’s hard to teach a young girl to be a person.

We begin the story right at the point of transition: Violet has lost both her arms, hasn’t heard from The Major since their last operation, and the war’s pretty much over. And her broach is missing. A lot’s happening suddenly, and she’s being taken off by a retired officer turned postal company president, Claudia Hodgins. It’s a confusing time for those involved.

Here’s a fun trivia fact I had to have explained to me: you may ask yourself ‘Why does Violet bite things? It sure helps make her seem alien, but why did she develop the habit?’ Well, Violet doesn’t have hands anymore, so that leaves her sensitive lips to feel things with![7]

Anyways, per The Major’s wishes, at first Hodgins attempts to leave her with some of The Major’s relatives (The Evergardens), the matriarch of which expresses hope that she and Violent can help comfort the other after losing family to the war.

Violent, of course, misreads the intent and explains she won’t be able to replace to Ms. Evergarden’s son. Violet is also generally uncomfortable with this prospective life of not doing anything or receiving orders, so runs after Hodgins, rejecting the Evergarden home.

She does, apparently, have no qualms taking the surname, which seems like a weak justification for it. She’s closer to The Major, shouldn’t she have adopted that complex noble name instead?

Speaking of which, an anime trope grosser than Student/Teacher relationships: The Usagi Drop![8] It’s a romantic relationship where one of the participants (literally or essentially) raised the other! Ah-ha, what a disgusting abuse of a power structure.

Now, to the anime’s credit, there’s at least ambiguity to Violet and The Major’s exact feelings towards each other. The Major isn’t around to clarify if he views Violet Paternally or Romantically, and Violet’s still working through being emotional stunted. However, it’s ambiguous enough to make both options equally likely.

During the first couple of episodes, the meaning of The Major’s ‘I love you’ being a romantic confession could’ve been kosher, and even expected. But as Violet’s backstory is revealed, and we learn that The Major pretty much raised Violet, romance ceases to be charming and instead shifts into worrying.

This isn’t helped when a parallel is drawn with a diplomatic engagement between a 14-year old princess and a prince at least 10 years her senior.

Surprisingly, when it comes to royal pairings, I find myself a bit more forgiving about more squickier elements. Yes, the massive difference in ages isn’t an ideal depiction, and the princess being underaged by modern standards doesn’t help, and the fact it always seems to be an older man courting the younger woman is troublesome.

However, what the situation does have is extenuating circumstances. It’s not just a precocious crush being exploited; it’s years of bad tradition, diplomatic planning, and the fact that it’s two individuals obviously trying to make the best of a bad situation.

The princess is going to get married off to someone for diplomatic gain, might as well be to someone who’s shown empathy for the princess and the situation.

But for Violet and The Major, I would hope the final call comes down on The Major viewing Violet as an adopted daughter

There’s a second major point of ambiguity surrounding The Major to drive the plot: is he dead? Most of the cast accept that his Missing in Action status after a major bombing of the building Violet was found in means the man’s likely dead, but Violet holds out hope.

In most stories, if The Major was still alive, there’d be more hints than provided by the anime, or they’d just accept he was dead and continue forward.

The Major being dead provides a stronger break and arc for Violet. Not only has the war she’d been existing for ended, but the man she’d been devoted to entirely is also gone. At the start of the series, Violet has nothing and must rebuild herself. To deny closure of that chapter by letting The Major be in hiding would just undermine the entire opening premise.

So, of course, the last shot of the series is an ambiguous shot of Violet arriving at the house of an unseen client and stumbling with her well rehearsed introduction, giving the audience a winking ‘Is he?’.[9]

If he is alive, it’d be a massive jerk move because it’s not just Violet’s life he’s derailing and introducing tragedy to. Major Gilbert Bougainvillea has a family, after all, including a mother who mourns him and a brother with undirected rage over the loss of his younger brother. Also friends probably. We’re not given any real reasons for The Major to crawl out of that final battle, put his fists on his hips and say ‘Sweet. I’m gonna abandon my old life!’ Admittedly the backstory of The Major is very light in the anime adaption, but that lightness also paints a lack of past tragedy.

The rules of ‘show don’t tell’ and ‘write the story about the most interest point in the character’s life’ also implies that which is not depicted is not interesting.

Thus, The Major should be dead and should stay dead.

Which concludes my… review of a single character…

Let’s talk about the show proper.

Much like Isle of Dogs, it ticks off a few items on my favorite things list, but more of the narrative devices.

It’s a series of vignettes with a reoccuring protagonist acting as bridge, set in a light fantasy world that is much closer to modern day than is traditional, and has major emphasis on writing as a narrative device. And alsi fantasy prosthetics, a fondness that will go unexamined today!

Also, one of the other Auto-memory Dolls wears glasses.

It’s produced by Kyoto Animation, which I think is tying with Studio BONES for my favorite studio (based solely on the works they produce), which is a major plus.

The individual episodes are very character-driven, including one about a playwright that made me really want to get back into writing plays myself.[10]

Most episodes explore Violet from the perspective of the episode’s client, while offering some world building. Episodes one and two, as a pair, exist to introduce Violet and the world, and thus don’t have much for Hodgins (who gets his development through the rest of the series) and Erica (who doesn’t actually get much besides explaining the origins of typewriters and the term ‘Auto Memory Doll’).

Episode three is when the series rolls up its sleeves and says “Ah, we’re learning what it means to feel emotions? Get ready to choke!” and sends Violet to school, where everyone’s soul goes to die!

While trying to earn a coveted accreditation, Violet meets Luculia, who lost both her parents in the war while her brother returned home with an injured leg and a chip on his shoulder. During the course, Violet shows she can get the practical skills down easily enough, but when it comes to putting any actual soul into her letters, she turns in only tense reports.

Luculia graduates top of the class while Violet does not. Still, Luculia has decided she’s friends with Silver Arms, and sets to help Violet do better. Luculia’s attempts fail, and instead the two have a short heart to heart. Luculia’s brother has fallen to drink and hasn’t come to terms with coming home from war to find his parents gone, and Luculia doesn’t know how to tell him that it’s nice that they still have one another.

Violet takes that in, writes a letter for the brother, and repairs the relationship! Yay!

But that’s the formula. Everyone knows those beats! Got to earn the heart-wrench.

Episode four, Violet escorts her co-worker Iris back to Iris’s hometown for a surprise birthday party. Iris isn’t happy about this turn around, due to a rejection of her feelings and her parents not really supporting her life path.

Again, Violet writes a letter, makes everyone feel better. As you do.

But we also learn the origins of names: Iris got hers from the flowers blooming when she was born, and Violet… got hers at the training center when The Major awkwardly realized Violet didn’t have a name. Thus strengthening the parent/child relationship of The Major and Violet and they better not make this gross, I swear!

Then we reach the royal engagement. I mostly discussed that in the relationship dissertation, but episode five is a strong examination of making a relationship work, despite distance, age, obligations, and other fragile matters. The episode also gently nods to the fragile state the continent’s in after the war, with dissidents to the results of the war still out there, waiting to take center stage.

Episode six is fine. It is. Massive library, Violet meets a reclusive nerd scared to follow the path of his parents. Reclusive nerd crushes on Violet. Violet is ignorant of his feelings because of course, and she accidentally inspires him to change jobs from researcher to Action Archivist! Roaming the world searching for lost texts! Good world building, not heavy on the emotions.

And so we come to Episode Seven: probably the closest I’ve arrived at crying in years.[11]

Violet is hired to transcribe a famous playwright’s newest play. He’d been out of the public eye for a while, but he’s much lauded. However, his house is a mess, he’s slow to get the work started with Violet, using her as a maid for a bit and inspiring her to try cooking.[12]

Anyways, Oscar Webster is writing a children’s play. His first, I believe.  Which is a dead give away for his emotional problems.  Still, the snippets we get really showcase the creative writing process and hit me with nostalgia for the Theater for Young Audience class I took once, and the child’s theater summer camp I worked for.

Then we get flashbacks to Oscar and his daughter moving into a new place after his wife’s passing,[13] then watching his daughter progress through what is one hundred percent cancer as we get the snippets of what inspires the play.

And Violet meets him living alone in his ill kept house.

Which is where I’m ending my summary.

Violet Evergarden is a good anime. Beautiful visuals, distinct characters, strong world building, and amazing writing.

Go watch it now.

Though, on your way over, consider supporting my Patreon. Then, after you watch all of Violet Evergarden, come talk to me about it. And maybe check out the other things I’ve written and drawn and otherwise created. Especially since I’ve decided I’ve procrastinated long enough on a certain project.[14]

After all, August 1st is coming. Sounds like a good day to go camping and/or catch a wave.

Kataal kataal.

[1] Often strong ones! [2] A specific variant of the Fish out of Water trope that, unfortunately, TV Tropes doesn’t seem to have an entry for, as it hasn’t been applied to Violet.[3] [3] Wait, found a video essay. “Born Sexy Yesterday”. Which, admittedly, examines the trope’s problemsome aspects, but,eh, I stand by its strengths. [4] This is why Starfire is the best character on Teen Titans. fight me. [5] I keep meaning to use it myself, but the concept I have would spoil a major setting secret for my current project. [6] A scribe with a typewriter. Anime has an ability to give fanciful names to things at a level I hope someday to emulate. [7] Why she did it during the flashback when The Major got her the broach is anyone’s guess. Maybe it relates to that anecdote about a kid eating a letter from Maurice Sendak. [8] Named for a manga that was apparently pretty cute until it suddenly really wasn’t. At all. I haven’t read it, but reputations do flourish. [9] The light novel isn’t as ambiguous, but I won’t spoil it. Also, totally looking forward to picking it up once it gets translated. [10] I guess I do have that play about tabletop rpgs that needs another draft with a better plot… [11] Since I came downstairs after bedtime at exactly the wrong time of a medical drama show. Was like, four or five. Saw a man coughing up blood. Good times. Before my soul froze up and withered to the merry husk I have now. [12] I really like seeing cooking used as a narrative device. [13] Moving after a spouse dies is a very sad and subtle trope. [14] Though a Three Leaves, Three Colors review may pop up first. It’s the current bedtime anime.

[evil--isnt--born]

I was tagged by @nowforruin to post a shelfie, which I think is a genius idea and encourage you all to give it a try if you want to! I get a little rambly below the cut, so I’ll tag y’all here: @nightships, @tnlph, @lenfaz, @potentialheartofdarkness, @killians-dimples. As always, only if you’re interested.

I’ve got three bookshelves in my house, all the same Ikea model that I got 17 years ago. And they’re still going strong! I get the idea that the traditional shelfie is just the shelf, but along with a picture of the most accessible and well-stocked of the three shelves, here are some notable items, starting in the top left and working our way across:

1) Fall of an Arrow by Murray Peden. The Avro Arrow is one of my very favourite pieces of Canadian history (seriously, if you want to hear me go on and on about something, just bring this up), and while this book doesn’t cover every single piece of the story (political climate, economic conditions, blah blah) it’s still very good and very informative. It also nicely balances a model of the Arrow I have on another bookshelf, because I’m a huge nerd. 

2) Left Behind in Squabble Bay by Jack Hodgins. I couldn’t tell you what this book is about, but it’s one of the first I have an actual memory of reading. As you can tell by the chewed corner, it was obviously a favourite of our dog at the time. 

3) I tend to enjoy a good flea market/antiques shop, and sometimes I collect interesting books. On the pictured shelf I have two old elementary school grammar books from the 1910s (I think) and this book, which is a Birthday Book and literally exactly what it sounds like: the names of people whose birthdays fall on a certain date. I think it’s cool, the end.

4) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. One of my very favourite book series by my current favourite author. I don’t know how you can beat magic and teen shenanigans and beautiful language, but I haven’t found a series yet that does it quite the same way. My favourite Maggie Stiefvater book, The Scorpio Races, is currently on loan and is not pictured here, but is definitely worth a read too. 

5) The shelf itself, double-stacked in many areas. On the dresser to the right you’ll also notice The Light Between Oceans which was a wild, lovely ride the whole way through, an excellent recommendation, and made an international voyage to get to me.

6) Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. An enduring favourite series, of which Specials is and has long been my favourite book of the four. Fun fact: I own two copies of Pretties because before I could buy it, they changed the cover art, so I bought a copy of the new version but then ordered a copy with the old cover from an out-of-country book store because I’m that person, apparently.

7) Overkill and Pandemic by James Barrington. As you can tell by the state of these, they are very well-loved. Overkill, in fact, is missing the back cover, and has been for many years. These are like Mission Impossible in book form, but entertaining, and they have planes for goodness’ sake, so how could I not? @tnlph, these may sound familiar.

8) White Cat by Holly Black. Another great series that I don’t recommend enough but should. Families of con artists? Magic-ish abilities? Sarcastic protagonist? Sign me the heck up. Though they lose points because every new book seemed to come out with new cover art so none of them match (see, that person). For the record, the cover art for Red Glove is my favourite and I wish I had a full set that looked like it.

9) A bunch of one-offs but worth noting: Poetry of the First World War which includes Dead Man’s Dump by Isaac Rosenberg that I sometimes just think about even though I read it years ago; The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein which, if there was ever a book to make you cry, this is it; Breaking Sky by Cori McCarthy which, badass heroine, fighter jets, dystopian but terrifyingly realistic sounding future...sign me the hell up; and Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma which I bought for the cover alone but have read several times since because it’s slightly mysterious and slightly haunting but you so often forget the weird maybe-supernatural thing going on and then it’s a very honest feeling story about sisters? 

10) Honourary #10 but not pictured because they’re on another shelf is the entire Throne of Glass series that I read pretty much back to back, which I hadn’t done in a very long time with a series, and I now love them all, and it’s all @nowforruin​‘s fault.

So there you have it. A very long, rambly shelfie. Thank you Heather for tagging me -- I had a serious blast, and could have gone on forever. 

[anenthrallingflower]

20 questions tag

I was tagged by @m00sethemurderer, thanks :) let’s talk sometime!

 And I’ll be tagging some cool people

  @marvel-at-smile  @fatihahmk  @maryroseoliver  @shevinumation18  @e123-ellie  @lacey-the-seawitch   @jaredandjensenareinlove  

 Nicknames: cris, cristi, gordita(this one just my family)

Gender: female

Sign: gemini

Height: 5′3″ (1,64m)

Time right now: 01:17 am

Last thing I googled: chef john broening

Favourite bands: Kongos, Maroon 5, Thousand Foot Krutch, Gorillaz, SOAD, Paramore, Silversun Pickups, Florence + The Machine, Run River North

Favourite solo artists: Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles, Joni Mitchell, Marina and the Diamonds, Brooke Fraser, Ed Sheeran, Hozier, Agnes Obel, Jon McLaughlin, A Fine Frenzy

Song stucked in my head: Lady by Regina Spektor

Last movie watched: Collateral Beauty (good concept, poor execution)

Last TV show watched: The Voice

When was my blog created: 1 year and so months ago? Or maybe its already 2 years, I’m not sure

What kind of stuff I post: mostly shevine and I reblog all kinds of things since my interests are pretty varied. I also occasionally post links to my fanfic, and my own art and writings 

When my blog reached its peak: it hasn’t for the moment

Do I have other blogs: no

Do I get asks regularly: I wish (maybe I should be more proactive and ask first)

Why choose your URL: its a variation of one of my usernames since the one I wanted was already taken, which happened to be the name of one of my first original stories and I’m still terribly fond of it

Following: around 100

Posts: between 3000 and 3500 I think

Hogwarts house: I’ve never taken the test, but pretty sure I’d be a hufflepuff or ravenclaw

Pokemon team: don’t play. I know, what a sacrilege =p. But, if I had to choose, mystic, I guess?

Favourite colour(s): red, blue, violet

Average hours of sleep: 6-8 but somehow I seldom feel well rested ?-?

Lucky numbers: 17 and 42

Favourite characters: Allen Walker, Kusuriuri(Mononoke), Sakura Kinomoto, Yue(Sakura Cardcaptor), Newt Scamander, Remus Lupin, Luna Lovegood. Queenie Goldstein, Kyoko Mogami, Ren Tsuruga, Rukia Kuchiki, Jack Frost, Rapunzel, Temperance Brennan, Jack Hodgins, and I’ll stop here or the list could go on forever

How many blankets I sleep with: depends, right now one ‘cause it’s still hot, in the winter two or three

Dream job: musician, writer, dancer

Dream trip: the first place I wanna visit is Venice, then England, Japan, the US, and after the rest of the world

[faithinbonesffn]

Ten Reasons Why I love Bones. (Well I have more, but I’m trying to be reasonable.)

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

1.      The very first episode I watched was ‘Yanks in the UK’ on TNT during Christmas 2009. I was fascinated with the thought of a genius scientist and an average FBI Agent working together to solve crimes. Little did I know that Booth isn’t average. I was captured with the humor, the gross body, the idea that an American thought it would be fun to corner an English aristocrat in his mansion. I loved that the narrative was turned on its head and that you had two attractive people who clearly liked each other as partners and friends.

2.      After watching the ‘Yanks in the UK’ episode I ran to Best Buy and bought the first four seasons of Bones and watched it in a marathon. This marathon made me love the show for several reasons, but mostly because each main character has a history that is slowly revealed to the viewer. Our main characters pasts are slowly pealed back like an onion and we discover that the surface of the characters do not match their real selves. This show chose to present our characters as multi-faceted people who are far from perfect. Each character is flawed (Almost fatally flawed) and yet they live their lives as best they can presenting a tough or resistant façade to the world.

3.      Each season slowly unfolded a long story arc between not just the two primary characters but the various characters surrounding them. Bones doesn’t just concentrate on Booth and Brennan. It gives important arcs to the other characters too. This show makes you care about not just Booth and Brennan but the team at the Jeffersonian and the family members of the characters we are introduced to.

4.      I actually started watching Bones in the middle of season 5 (The Bones on the Blue Line). I had to finish my marathon first so once that was done I started watching Bones live while I also back pedaled to watch the first part of season 5 to catch up. What I realized with my marathon watching was the fact that Hodgins and Angela were mirroring Booth and Brennan’s story line, but with a different twist in the story. As the seasons unfolded, I was proven right. For everything we saw happen to Hodgins and Angela it eventually happened to Booth and Brennan, but in a different twisted way. A much longer and more agonizing way. It was utterly fascinating.

5.      I love the fact that Booth and Brennan didn’t just immediately come together in a physical relationship. Their friendship was important to them and they didn’t just fall in to bed with each other from the beginning. They wanted a meaningful relationship that would last. A one night stand would never do and I think that was the biggest draw of all. They waited until they were both ready. There were a lot of tears and missteps made by both Booth and Brennan, but eventually they were on the same page.

6.      I loved the angst built in to the show. No one has a perfect life. We’ve seen the ups and downs of relationships. The bickering, the fights, the obstinacy of both Booth and Brennan and yet in no way does that destroy or damage their relationship. If anything it seems to be the glue they need sometimes to keep together.

7.      The loyalty of the main characters. When push comes to shove these people are there when their friends need it. They’ve all risked breaking the law to help each other. They’ve battled hidden conspiracies, maniacal sociopaths and serial killers and they’ve done it when it was dangerous to do so.

8.      I love the mix of humor and angst. One show might make you cry or squirm with worry and the next show might make you laugh so very hard. Sometimes they have made me do both in the same episode.

9.      The special effects are really awesome. They have the grossest bodies I’ve ever seen and yet they are based on science and fact. The worst are the soup bodies. Yuck.

10.  The cast. David Boreanaz and Emily have made me cry more than once and they’ve made me giddy with happiness. They are immensely talented and so are TJ Thyne, Michaela Conlin, Tamara Taylor, Eugene Byrd, Patricia Belcher, John Boyd and Michael Grant Terry. Without this fine cast we would have not had the show we have now. David and Emily have a special chemistry that is actually quite rare. I’m really going to miss that.

 ۛ

[multiplefandomsofmaggie]

Bones: “The Brain in the Bot” (Season 12, Episode 2) --> 1-11-17

1. So typical Brennan that she’s planning her own surprise party.. And I loved when Booth asked her if she wanted an experience like a concert... and of course, she responded with her quirky responses like seeing those throat singers. I love that she hasn’t changed that much throughout the show.

2. Hodgins and his one eyebrow and everyone laughing at him.... poor Hodgins :o 

LMAO of course Hodgins would reconstruct a “replacement eyebrow” using his beard hair... Gotta love him.

3. Angela and her McArthur Fellowship (”the genius grant”) ! <3 So wonderful. She deserves it. 

Brennan is so jealous, oh boy.

4.  Booth to Brennan: You’re awfully quiet, Bones... are you okay? You’re not upset about Angela winning the McDonald award, are you?”

5. DR. WICK <3 Daisy’s all grown up! So proud she’s finally got her PhD (Lance is probably looking down on her and the baby and smiling!)... She’s applying the the NFL (National Forensics Lab) and will hopefully become like her mentor, Dr. Brennan 

(Lmao, Angela and her “the national football league needs forensic anthropologists?” comment)

6. HOT BLOODED <3 <3 <3 Their Song <3 Oh my gosh. I live for those Brennan and Booth moments <333 They’re adorable.. I’m going to miss them so much when the show ends...

7. “In reality, the guy was a dink...” --computer coder guy

ahah.. 

8. “Oh, and Daisy.. if the NFL doesn’t hire you, you always have a job here...” -- Cam to Daisy <3 Awww.. Such a family.

9. “I wish you would’ve told me you were in to model trains....I would’ve brought Lance Jr. with me....” --- Daisy to Hodgins

*PLEASEEEE bring Lance Jr. to the next episode!!!!! (Or better yet, have all the children in a family get together or something! Christine, Hank, Michael Vincent, & Lance Jr.)

“I’m not playing with trains, Daisy; I’m making a map!” -- Hodgins

10. Daisy: I’m really glad you’re back to yourself, Dr. Hodgins, and I don’t mean your eyebrow or your legs...

Dr. Hodgins: It took me a while to realize that my legs are merely a way to carry what’s up in here. *points to head/heart*

*I’ve always loved Daisy & Hodgins’ relationship! It warms my heart to see Hodgins helping Daisy and encouraging her as a scientist.

11. Happiness comes from accepting what you have. --Dr. Hodgins

12. Aww.. Max & Temperance <3 How far they’ve come... I love them.

“You have to live life to the fullest... none of us live forever, you know?” -- Max to Bones

(NOOO please don’t kill off Max :o Seems like foreshadowing........... I hope not though...)

13. Think, Daisy. Think ! 

14. Dr. Hodgins? Or should I say Peter Pan? --Cam

15. “Grandpa, they’re here!” -- Christine to Max (she’s adorable!!!! ahhh!)

16. Ahhhh. Brennan is soooooo sweet <3 Making cakes from Daisy and Angela <33333 Ah.. I don’t care what anyone says. Brennan is not cold. 

Brennan did a great acting job hiding the fact that she recommended Daisy for the NFL job and nominated Angela for the fellowship.... Ahhhh <3 My heart is melting.. 

17. Shit... That longing look that Max gave at the end... He’s definitely sick..... 

:[[[[[[ Nooo......What did Max drop that Christine handed him back?