#YOU OPENED PANDORAS BOX SORRY

[cowgremlin11]

*grabs you by the throat (/j)* give me as many Wild West facts physically possible, and also if you know any good websites/videos on The Wild West possibly pretty please blinks eyes 🥺🥺👉👈

this is gonna be a doozy welcome to my autism.

my area of expertise relates to southeastern wyoming btw kisses. this is going to be very long. starts out rambly and then i busted out my actual notes that ive been compiling. if you have specific areas you wanna know about feel free to ask i love using my major for this stuff :D

before the cut im gonna include my fav websites i reference (i dont do much video research sorry, im the bitch with a bookshelf full of heavily annotated books and a fat google doc file)

for fashion: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?geolocation=North+and+Central+America&era=A.D.+1800-1900&material=Costume&showOnly=withImage

for navajo info (you can look at my comic if you wanna know why i focused on this tribe specifically): https://www.navajo-nsn.gov/

for dialogue/slang: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~poindexterfamily/genealogy/OldWestSlang.html

OK TIME TO RELEASE THE AUTISM

so there were reservations right. wanna know the events leading up to the battle of little bighorn? basically in the 1850s the sioux tribe, crow tribe, and northern arapaho tribe (roughly speaking, these are the tribes most mentioned from this time) were all forced to live in the same range of territory spanning northern wyoming, around the little bighorn river. there was the fort laramie treaty which ensured that the tribes in this area would be provided help for 30 years and that nonnative settlement wouldnt be allowed. well they found gold in the black hills about 20 years later and that went out the window. miners rushed the area for gold and forced the natives to move again. tensions rose, the treaty was ignored by all parties and only mentioned when convenient, and then the battle of little bighorn happened

TRAINS!!!!! TRAINSTRAINSTRAINS. fun fact train robberies were actually very common in the 1800s! jesse james (yes that one) committed the first one in iowa in 1873.

bank robberies were very rare! cus when you think about it, yeah ofc thats gonna be hard. its in the middle of town, its one entrance, and theres safes you gotta either crack in 10 seconds or blow with dynamite, risking the cash inside.

most other crimes include larceny, burglary, home robberies, horse robberies, stage coach robberies, cons, etc.

buffalo :( they were hunted for many reasons. 30 million to less than 100 in the span of about 30 years. they were hunted to piss off the native tribes, since buffalo were sacred to many and when the government had them killed theyd take the skin, the tongue, and leave the carcass to rot before retrieving the bones to ship back to the east for production of stuff like glue. but also, they would be hunted due to the way the buffalo impacted the railroad industry. theyd damage the rails, and in lines going through mountains theyd actually huddle up on the track because its instinctively the safest place to be. this would cause days long backups

last names had some cool stuff happening! after the civil war when slaves were freed, a great deal chose their own names. some chose names after national heros, some would take their parents name, and some would take the name of their old masters as a very intentional way to make sure they could never wipe their hands clean of the cruelty they committed to the enslaved. so yeah thats metal as hell. on a related note, “Historians estimate that 20–25% of cowboys in the American West were African American. They worked as ropers, trail cooks, wranglers, and bronco busters. African Americans learned the cowboy way of life from Mexican or Spanish cowboys, Native American cattle handlers, or their former slave masters. African Americans also contributed to the West as miners, homesteaders, town builders, and entrepreneurs.”

BRIEF ART HISTORY TIME. AKA MY FUCKING MAJOR.

In 1886, American art was influenced by French Impressionism, and American artists began to experiment with the style

Impressionism reflected a modern reality that could be troubling

Impressionist artists expertly depicted the alienation that this new Paris proffered. An unfortunate symptom of such modernity was the loss of an intimate, knowable community; now citizens were strangers in an anonymous crowd.

During the mid-1880s, as French Impressionism lost its radical edge, American collectors began to value the style, and more American artists began to experiment with it after absorbing academic fundamentals.

and now, for some stuff im pasting over from my fat google doc

Country Witchcraft, Wisdom, and Lore

“you can sleep with a skeleton key under your pillow to increase your chances of flight during sleep. you can wrap a horseshoe in white cloth and place it under your pillow to speak with the devil’s wife during your sleep. you can leave a glass of water out and ask your ancestors for visions during your sleep.” (Oberon, 15)

“folkloric witches don't use circles the way most wiccan folks do. circles do pop up in folklore but not too often. circles appear almost always when something is being conjured.” (oberon, 16)

“it was a brass screw in a gun that prevents a witch from placing a curse on the gun” (oberon, 18.)

“piss in a mason jar, throw in broken glass, mirrors, barbed wire, sulfer, and bullets. bury it somewhere on your property. if a spirit or spell comes looking for you they will mistake the urine for you and get caught in the bottle.” (oberon, 19)

fashion

the Victorian tradition of wearing mementos in honor of deceased loved ones. Many of these items included ashes placed into rings or necklaces made out of human hair. However, over time mourning jewelry evolved and became more of a fashion statement, even though most jewelry wearers lived on and continued to struggle with their grief.

the items weren’t just mementos to wear around one’s neck, but were something that you carried with you 24/7, no matter how much you may have hated it.

https://gemgeneve.com/the-necklace-from-antiquity-to-the-present/

Precursor of the Bulgari ones by far, one of the most typical examples is the serpent necklace paved with turquoise. In the 19th century, turquoise stands for “forget me not”, and the colour of the Forget Me Not flower is, precisely, turquoise. Therefore, the stone itself means “don’t forget me”. With the snake biting its tail being the symbol of eternity, this necklace is actually a love jewel. The message of these serpents is not at all about evil, but it is a love message: “Don’t forget me. Love me forever”. As the symbolism of forms and stones is deeper, wearers in the 19th century are much more aware of this particular message.

The necklace remains at the base of the neck, but what changes are the motifs and the materials. In the 1860s and 70s there comes to be a craze for archaeological revival jewellery and women go to wear ancient-looking jewellery. Archaeological revival necklaces were copies of genuine ancient pieces. Jewellers like Castellani try to reproduce not only the design but also the materials, and the techniques. Sometimes, these necklaces are close replicas. Some other times they are pastiches: they look like antique in style but are an invention of the late 19th century jewellers, as no such necklace would ever have been created in ancient times.

Materials become unusual: from little shells to tiger claws, for example: this was a consequence of improved travel, of tourism, and people going travelling and acquiring souvenir jewellery in exotic locations and bringing them back to Europe.

Dances/musicians

https://www.learn2dance4fun.com/dance-classes/country-dance-lessons/western-waltz-dance-lessons/

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/babel-a-o

“In the Houston city directory of 1881 he went by the name Alexander O. Babel and continued to be the musical attraction at the Solo Saloon. The Galveston Daily News later commented in 1885: “Whether he played by note or not, he tossed from the keys of the grand piano that stood on a stage at the side of the large hall every variety and shade of music from the most delicate to the most sonorous tones.” Babel also gave concerts in other towns and church festivals in Texas.”

From playing piano in texas to mining in new mexico. Played in chicago, then new york, 

Lots of papers making him into a myth. Writer from texas saw this and disproved it. 

“Despite the disparaging remarks from some Texas periodicals, Babel created a sensation across the United States to the delight of audiences in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Atchison, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, and Bangor. He was hailed as a piano master who played more than 1,200 songs and even performed at times with a cloth over the keys. The “Texas Wonder” played at dime museums, concert halls, theaters, and other venues and sometimes gave hourly recitals.”

“By 1887 advertisements included mention of his musical partner, Mattie Babel, dubbed the “cowgirl cornetist.” Most accounts called her Babel’s wife (though at least one newspaper referred to her as his sister). Given that no one named Mattie appeared among the Babel household in early censuses, Mattie Babel was probably A. O. Babel’s wife and possibly the same Emma Rumpel mentioned as the spouse of O. A. Babel in Houston.”

Babel and his wife Mattie continued to give performances well into the 1890s and toured Canada and Europe.

research i did for a specific character whos gonna show up in chapter 4:

Freed people established all-Black towns, such as Bookertee, Clearview, Lima, and Pleasant Valley. These towns provided a market for African-American farmers and a sense of community.

The discovery of gold in 1867 at South Pass drew many immigrants to western Wyoming.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_Oklahoma#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20slavery%20in,state%2C%20with%20prominent%20racial%20issues. 

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203496756/slavery-cherokee-nation-patrick-neal-minges 

the Indian Removal Act was the reason for the movement of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole to Oklahoma (not yet called that. With these nations moving to the west, they brought with them black people, including slaves. This was the beginning of slavery in the land of Oklahoma. 

When the Cherokees were relocating it was estimated that 10-15% of the nation were African Americans. This nation in particular brought not slaves, but freed blacks. This was one of the main reasons that they were forced out of their previous land. The nation had become a safe space for slaves to run away to and slave owners wanted to diminish that possibility for slaves in the south.

By 1866, the Cherokee Nation, once so proud, had been reduced to ruins

With the forced removal of the five nations into the land of Oklahoma throughout the course of time, slavery began and progressed in the Indian territory. Specifically, in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, slavery and the ownership of black people became common.

https://www.lib.utk.edu/cherokee/EvolutionCherokeePersonalNames.pdf

research i did for the chinese characters

1848: The California gold rush brought more Asians to the United States, especially Chinese people from the Guangdong region

The discovery of gold in 1867 at South Pass drew many immigrants to western Wyoming.

The Union Pacific Railroad's construction in the late 1860s brought settlers to Wyoming. The railroad created towns like Cheyenne, Laramie, and Rock Springs, and attracted cowboys and cattle drives.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Many Americans on the West Coast attributed declining wages and economic ills to the Chinese workers who were only 0.002% of the population, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act to placate worker demands and assuage concerns about maintaining white "racial purity." Repealed on December 17, 1943 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/565882.shtml 

During the 1850s, the first revolt of the Taiping Rebellion by the Hakka people took place in Guangdong. Because of direct contact with the West, Guangdong was the center of anti-Manchu and anti-imperialist activity. 

https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/asian-american-timeline 

https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/taiping-rebellion 

In 1856, a second Opium War broke out with the west, continuing until 1861.

https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/chinese-exclusion-act-1882

stuff for solveig

“The huge population growth between 1800 and 1900 led to overcrowding within the social structure of the day and was one contributing factor to the wave of emigrants leaving Norway for North-America.” 

“During the next centuries, much of the farmland was sold off to the previous leaseholders and became private property for the many. Owning your own land has been – and still is – an important part of the Norwegian identity.”

https://evergreenpost.eu/the-old-norwegian-farm-its-land-and-surroundings/ 

AND THATS ALL I CAN POSSIBLY THINK OF THAT I HAVE ACCESS TOO RIGHT NOW.... IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR WANNA KNOW ABT SPECIFIC STUFF TELL ME AND I CAN EASILY ANSWER THEM AND PROVIDE A GOOD DEAL OF INFO

[ofhouseusher]

I feel like I just want to bang on the door of everyone who ever talks about Rhaenys's death and say: YOU KNOW SHE DID THE FALL IN TWO TAKES? She has TWO takes for that shot!!

This is exactly the kind of information that should be issued as a public service announcement, cause it's genuinely astonishing.

Two takes. Two.

TWO.

That’s all Eve Best needed to deliver one of the most devastating, hauntingly beautiful death scenes in recent memory. No endless resets, no drawn-out process—just pure, instinctive mastery of her craft. The woman acted against a green dot, and still managed to convey a depth of grief that felt like it was clawing its way out of her soul—twice—and that was all she needed?

It’s one thing to act grief—it’s another to make the audience feel it in their bones. And she did that in. only. two. takes. while looking at a green speck. And it's become one of the most harrowing moments in the entire series... I'm wowed.

People can say whatever they want, but there is no denying the artistry of what Eve Best did. The way she internalised that loss, let it build and unravel across her face in real time, all while reacting to absolutely nothing. An actor so in tune with her character, so utterly assured in her performance, that she can distill something that raw and shattering into perfection almost instantly.

She is simply built different. No, but for real, because how dare she be that good? Eve could act against a brick wall and still outshine half the industry.

I will be banging on doors with you. We riot at dawn.

[pridoo]

I'm really sorry if this sounds rude, but I wanna ask what do you like about the ekurei ship? I kinda thought it was just a crack ship but your comic and calendar thing looked really passionate for them- I'm sorry again for such an intrusive question, but I really want to know

Oh, I don't mind at all! I know it seems pretty funny on the outside so I understand. Buckle up though, because I'm insane <3

they hot

The easiest answer is that I've seen tons of hot fanart (mostly from Asian mp100 fandom) of Reigen getting railed by Ekubo/Dimple possessing that security guard – but I also have seen tons of art of Ekubo being a green fart cloud and their dynamics still pull my heartstrings, so it's not that simple.

"Human" Ekubo and Reigen have never even met in canon, so I know it seems silly, but there's a lot of official art from studio Bones of them interacting. I have no idea what's up with that but I'm not complaining. Seems like they are having fun.

common goal

Mob is of course the common interest for both of them. At first they both aim to exploit Mob for their own goals but learn that their shit doesn't really matter, unlike this amazing 14-year-old. Maybe it's me getting old but co-parenting/looking after the next generation is really special to me. if you read/watch the series finale, this dynamic is at the heart of the story to the very end. They learn to be better people through Mob but also share the burden of it, being "the adults" in the situation.

Their skills are also incredibly silly yet compatible. Reigen can win any argument ever and punch people and Ekubo has an unique insight on the spiritual and ordinary world, plus psychic powers. He also does sick backflips. It's a good team.

cunt4cunt

Reigen is a conman and Ekubo an evil spirit. Both of them know this truth about the other from the start, so there's no reason to pretend otherwise. Somehow this makes them incredibly casual acquintances. I think there's something incredibly special about being able to be your worst self and the other still chooses to be around you. You're awful, I'm awful, let's be awful together. They call out each other's bs but also know that they can rely on each other. Reigen always treats Ekubo as an actual person, be it shitty or casual.

They are both witty and smart but also kinda losermen because they lack some necessary qualities to become truly popular or successful, but also because the circumstances in the series are very realistic to the real world. If you fuck up majorly once, it's pretty hard to climb back. Despite this, they pull together.

better people

During the series, both of them go through a huge character development. There's something stupidly good in both of them from the start though, and it starts to show at the end of 1st season and especially during 2nd season. The catalyst for this change is of course Mob, but they also choose to become better.

It's funny to me that they both wallow in some weird self-hatred that makes them seem really narcissistic, and without Mob they would probably stay that way. They are so convinced that they are the single worst person in the world so even their good sides, like loyalty, ability be quite genuine and caring seem like flaws to them. Joke's on them, they are both lonely and sad people and actually understand something very human because of it. Do they actually reach their goals? Well, mp100 has a kind of absurdist core to it. Because nobody is special, you can make your life what you want.

TL;DR I think they are funny, kinda stupid, pretty hot, surprisingly genuine and lonely people in a lonely world. Plus: no sense of personal space.

Thanks and sorry for the lengthy essay! 🫡

[welovetesvkaidan]

OPINIONS ON KAIDAN EE/IF???

My honest reaction:

in all seriousness, if you wanna hear me yap about it, more under the cut

warning like, genuinely a ginormous yap, like a HUMUNGOUS, sleep-deprived yap,,, im cursed to be obsessed with skyrim + modded followers instead of touching grass

I think a lot of this is probably gonna be the same thing other people have said, so im sorry

if you feel i'm gonna be bringing up redundant points and get mad at me😓dont read

I haven't experienced and thus won't talk about the versions of EE and IF that are now separate mods from each other. I don't know anything about that.

if they're better now yayyy but this is about pre-separation

I should preface this with the fact that I've played through Skyrim 3 times with different stages of Kaidan EE/IF:

The initial Dawnguard + fixes/miscs mod

Kaidan EE/IF versions before extensive faction/NPC dialogue for Kaidan

EE/IF w/ NPC Dialogue (AKA Fratpack)

I was also part of the two different discords that were purged and created during these intervals. i don't even know if there is a discord currently?

anyway, that is to say that I have experienced the mod and it's behind-the-scenes progress, extensively so I have a pretty good idea of what I liked and didn't like

That being said, I will introduce probably my biggest problems with it: Tonal whiplash

Okay, well the most common complaint is ofc that a lot of the writing is out of character - and I agree. But it's not just ooc on paper, it's his voice too. I swear, it is very jarring hearing hushed, mild og Kaidan 2 voicelines, and then being deafened by EE Kaidan SCREAMING in my ear ALL.THE.TIME. (like... why are you yelling at me rn jeez)

Seriously. I'm not sure why they didn't just re-record everything from the original mod instead of adding more and more contradicting lines on top of the originals. It definitely could have been a standalone mod, and sometimes it almost feels like it is - because he is just so different.

My most infamous moment in my last playthrough with him happened after we defeated the dragon at Kynesgrove. His og Kaidan 2 dialogue played first, in it he shows interest and is cordial about Delphine ("I wouldn't mind prodding her mind" or whatver dialogue), THEN immediately after his Kaidan EE/IF dialogue will play, in which he walks up to Delphine and STARTS YELLING AT HER AND INSULTING HER - like they argue for quite a bit wtf. And it's like, listen, I have my thoughts about Delphine, but whether or not it was okay to yell at her isn't the problem. It would be fine - IF he hadn't just calmly told me he thought she was okay.

It is sooo confusing how he contradicts himself :(

I mean, yeah, fragments of who he is are still there, I can tell it's Kaidan, but he's warped to fit a different character. Like a con-artist Kaidan.

Anyway, besides the contradictions, it also feels out of character because of his established backstory.

Let's go over it: He's an orphan, lost his only connection to his family(his guardian) to drugs, fell into substances himself, joined a violent cult, had to escape said cult, came clean from his addictions, has been traveling Tamriel bounty-hunting, got brutally attacked by the Thalmor, rescued by mere chance. Do you honestly mean to tell me this man would be yelling, pissing, drinking, lewding, and joking his ass off?? After all that???? NO - or maybe not these levels of extreme. (maybe some other dude might, but Kaidan's characterization insists he is a brooding, keeps-to-himself man, even though he never acts like it anymore)

That man should be tired, and he did feel like he was tired in the original. He was more brooding then than he is now, usually silent, but could still have an edge of comedy/wittiness, he was smart, he had been through a lot!

In that regard, EE/IF Kaidan felt like... we are experiencing Kaidan 10 years in the past - like a Kaidan in his early 20s when he was still a drunkard low-key terrible person. He is just so energetic, always yapping - GOD he talks a lot now. ugh but most of the time it wasn't about anything, it was either inside-jokes, meta jokes, and only occasionally did we get things that added to the experience.

For example, I think most of us who have played Kaidan 2 remember at least one specific line he has said while exploring. What comes to mind for me is either "Can you smell the magicka in the air too? Smells like a rainless thunderstorm." or "Watch for the mammoth with the carvings on their tusks, that's how the giants mark their herd." Alright, both pretty nice small talk for characterization (he IS smart) and worldbuilding.

Tbh i can't really remember any iconic lines from the additions of EE/IF Kaidan... the only two lines that stood out for me were: the "elevenses" line from the clip above (started bumping into him every time he was about to say this so he would stfu... total tonal dissonance), and one he said while I looted Lucky Lorenz ("poor sod wasn't as lucky as his namesake would have you believe!") kai HOW do you know this man, and his nickname, who told you that??? (idc about it that much but its like the only other added line i remember)

I thought that maybe his ooc-iness might have been caused due to the collaborative approach of the mod, I think the mod authors created their own perfect Kaidan - and that's good for them! It takes a shit ton of work (Ik cuz i was there!!) But I think the original essence was lost with each addition. It might have been lack of direction for the voice acting too, a lot of the lines might have hit better if they weren't borderline screamed.

Okay, at some point while playing I got so tired of his constant himbo chit-chatter that I tried tuning him out and bringing other npcs from vanilla skyrim as followers. Problem: even without kaidan on your party, everything starts being about kaidan. Because the extension made it so that Kaidan either has history with/character interactions and development with different NPCs from the base game.

The main poor sods that traveled with me:

Erik the Slayer: Apparently was Kaidan's childhood friend, got inspired by Kaidan to become an adventurer. Least egregious in my opinion, they say sweet things to each other. I swear, Kaidan yells more at me than he ever did at Erik.

The Companions: dumb, dumber, and dumbest basically.. This part of EE/IF was also known as "The Fratpack" and y e a h they pretty much had Vilkas, Kaidan, and Farkas acting like immature frat boys all the time. Just,, absulutely taking away all the maturity out of these GROWN ASS MEN. im sorry, i guess i dont get the appeal. I liked it when they didn't behave like teens (Aela im so sorry, you deserved better than being part of this)

Lydia: All she does is simp for him, ALL.THE.TIME. You think she's about to have a meaningful thing to say? nope, she's checking out Kaidan's ass. Think she'll have a deep convo with another npc about one another? nope! she wants them to tell her all about Kaidan. Both the Companions and Erik will either talk down to her or have to deal with her thirst for Kaidan. i had to start leaving her home.

They also suffered from the same tonal whiplash as Kaidan, unfortunately

additionally, the mod added an "early flirt switch" - you could basically toggle Kaidan to start showing romantic affection for the Dragonborn before the amulet of mara., the interactions were good on paper, but everytime he stammered and stumbled over his words it was written in such an unnatural way... pls people don't talk like fanfics lol !!!

I did like that he gave me flowers, my inventory got full of them - but then he noticed how many flowers I had in my inventory and judged me for "picking everything i see" ugh dude you gave them to me, but also even if you hadnt... mind your business lol

Another addition was a feature that basically made it so NPCs could potentially throw flirtatious comments at Kaidan and the Dragonborn (Bishop flashbacks😨)

You can't do anything to defend Kaidan from those comments, but he WILL take it upon himself to defend your honor infront of any men, women, jarls, or criminals that even so much as find you attractive (THIS INCLUDES FARKAS AND VILKAS BTW :( ) by being rude, forthcoming, AND violent. so yea, you can guess the target audience

speaking of which, he definitely comes on too strong on you once you start the romance, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I specifically picked the "go slow" option for the romance, and the next day or two it was him constantly complaining about having to go slow under his breath, how he wanted to do anything but slow rn... and like just, wow. :/ yikeees lmao

Maybe this is the result of "i can fix him" romance ideals? im sorry but I liked him when he was down to earth

Bonus? He comes with a campsite now, which has to be magic because its ginormous and he somehow lugs it around despite it also coming with a whole ass furnace (fine fine i'll hold my disbelief)

anyway I do like it, its basically a player house you can take anywhere (so long as kai is with you ig) also you can have a cat in there

I like that there is an MCM, I like that the MCM lets you get through the quest stages in case you get stuck

I like that he can guide you places, usually he gets stuck in a tree or rock but its the thought that counts

I think if the mod had continued in the vein as its original iteration when it was just audio/bug fixes and included these qol features it would have been better than it is now.

But it seems maybe i'm just not the target audience, and as a young woman I'm really confused as who the target audience is 😓

okay im srry rant over

if anyone else wants me to yap about other kaidan skyrim things also ask or join in cuz i like yapping about skyrim and kaidan to people!!!

[4ugust4r]

do you ever think about the shou vs toichirou fight. bc every time i do i walk away with more mental illness

LITERALLY ONLY EVERY DAAAAAAAY

I want to know more about what was going through Shou's head so BAD. Like. Was he really that confident that he could take down his dad or was he lying to himself because it was "his responsibility" either way? Did he actually think Ritsu could beat Shimazaki or did he leave him behind knowing he was going to lose?

Shou seems to have a pretty solid snap judgement. (knowing that he could beat Ritsu, how to lure Mob in, how to deal with Ishiguro, that Ritsu would help him. Even his call that Mob would need to be tricked in order to fight was correct- if Mob hadn't changed since then.) There's no way he didn't have some inkling of how strong his dad is, how many Claw members existed, and how strong some of them were. So why did he act like he was going to win? Was he just deluding himself?

He only spent three months saving up energy for his charge bomb, which is both a long amount of time but...not very long at all? And despite being his "trump card" it wasn't all that impressive compared to some of the powers we've seen displayed. It was blocked *so* easily by Serizawa.

And then there's Serizawa. He's clearly kind-hearted if not a bit mislead. Was he kind to Shou when he was younger? Did he play with him? How did it feel to have Serizawa stop him only to run away when things got really bad for Shou? What if I explode.

[destiel-wings]

watching Angel (the series), I feel like is really interesting, specifically in s3 cause I think in some ways it was good but they did Cordelia SO dirty. I feel like there were some aspects where I was like yeah that was totally written by a man e.g. when Angel gives her a necklace after being away cause of Buffy’s death and she’s like it brings out my boobs 🙄.

I feel like there are some scenes that are kinda ironic considering how Joss treated Charisma like when Cordelia was doing that commercial? Like was that a dig at Joss? But also that’s 90s early 2000s writing as well.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

I don't know if you're watching the show for the first time or not, so I won't give you direct spoilers, but what they did to Cordelia gets so much worse in season 4.

There is one storyline specifically that happens that season that we as a fandom collectively pretend never happened.

And I actually like season 4 (i love the way that it's built, the plot twists, the epic tones of the main villain coming, the way that some characters develop and the main theme/metaphor that relates to the big bad of the season), but what they did to Cordelia will always be one of the greatest faults of the show. And now that all the rumors about Joss are out, we know why that happened too. 😔 That's when Charisma was pregnant and Joss threatened to fire her. And he did.

I mean, I can see the casual misogyny you're mentioning in the first three seasons as partly being due to the 90s/early 2000s writing (definitely a factor), and partly as a sad realistic depiction of what real actresses in the business like Cordelia (or generally women everywhere) had to endure at the time, when they couldn't even speak up. And i think there's a distinction to be made here, because there's two types of misogyny (or any other problematic behavior) that can be shown in media.

The scene where Cordelia is posing in a bikini and the photographer is a complete jerk for example is a harsh depiction of what society used to be (and still is), and so, in my opinion deserves to be in the show, because stuff like that is a slap in the face that should outrage us. Shows nowadays are excessively tiptoeing around real life issues. And i don't think it's helping anyone. I think we should be able to see stuff like that in fiction so we can say "this is horrible. It shouldn't happen in real life," and hopefully we can learn from it and get better as a society. In this sense, it's useful misogyny, because it exists to outrage the viewer and sensitize them to the issue. And there's tons of other examples of this in the show (I'm thinking about Lilah's storyline for example).

And then there's the pointless misogyny. Lines like "it brings out my boobs!" or other examples that i can't think of right now that won't really teach you anything if not make you cringe thinking "a woman would never say something like that", or "this is a disservice to the character for no valid reason" (like what they did to Cordy in season 4). That type of misogyny outrages us, but for different reasons, because it's gratuitous and completely unnecessary, and should be rightfully cut out.

Unfortunately the show does both. It is the product of its time, and that needs to be taken into consideration. In the end, I think the good it did outweighs the bad, and it managed to tell stories that are still strong and powerful today because it never shied away from speaking about human weakness and visceral struggles in a way that's raw. And people can relate to that (generally speaking).

And you're right, it is ironic, Joss became a feminist icon for creating Buffy, a show where strong (and yet human, flawed, imperfect) characters always stole the scene (with a few male characters exceptions)-- and then he created Angel. A different show, more adult, darker, with some noir touches, and a male lead. And I think, the vibe being so different and more focused on a male lead like Angel (who represents an anti-hero version of the knight in shining armor, which is, per se, an anti-feminist trope) the slope was slippery and so some misogyny slipped through. I'm not saying that misogyny was inherent to the basis of this show but... it kinda was. One could even say that Angel is the anti-Buffy (literally, one show being about a frisky young female lead who is a hero pledged to rid the world from evil vampires, and the other one being about a brooding 200+ year old male lead that is a former(?) evil vampire always ready to save a damsel in distress). The cool thing though, is the show itself is aware of that, and brings it out at text level (for example with Spike mocking Angel for it, in one of the very first episodes of season 1). So what I'm saying is... it's complicated. It's a show that uses its female characters to cater to its male characters' arcs sometimes. But it's also a show that gives us great female characters. Strong, powerful, intelligent, human, unapologetic. There's the good and the bad.

Back to Joss Whedon, personally, I can see him putting a lot of his own personal struggles into the show. Like, the theme of Angel season 5 is literally about the heroes trying not to get corrupted by the power, and that's kind of what Joss did. Guess he wasn't as good and righteous as most of his characters in the end.

[he1ian]

tell more about ocs they all seem so cool

anon I hope you don't mind me yapping

im gonna talk about my main 3

(cw talk of religion)

sephiroth (21) is my first dnd guy ever, they're a tiefling cleric and they're so extremely religious,

they grew up in a village full of humans that's a closed off society of people devoted to their deity called mwezi and was the only tiefling in it (their actual home village got burnt down when they were super little so they don't remember it)(I don't want to say they grew up in a cult but it like Borders on Being One)(you need permission to leave the village for example)

their religion has like, 4 different levels of initiation, sephiroth's currently on 2nd and to gain the 3rd they must embark on a journey up north (reason for their current location in the campaign)

the religion is centered around moon, water and reflections (twilight domain) and is considered a heresy in our world

sephiroth is very cheerful, Extremely annoying (love them) and outgoing, lawful neutral alignment

their life before the events of the campaign was a good and happy one, they thrived in the village (despite not being seen very fondly by all of its residents but they aren't the brightest when it comes to social interactions so they didn't mind) and have a best friend called m'pya who's a complete opposite of them

m'pya is bored of her life in the village and would much rather leave, is still stuck on "level 1" (most people rank up to 2nd around the age of 18, m'pya's 21, sephiroth did when they were 14 😭)

before sephiroth left the village to embark on their journey they had an argument with m'pya and left without saying goodbye :-( last session we leveled up to lvl 5 and i got to send her a sending spell message and i was so :-((((( my shaylas...

tbh writing about their relationship with other party members would take ages but there's a bit on a wiki me and my friends are working on (it's an Extreme Work In Progress)

in last session they also met mwezian devotees from up north who are water genasi twins (austa and aunen) and BRO IT'S SO GOOD... the dm is so freaking evil... austa is very similar in her personality to sephiroth, in the way she's a know-it-all when it comes to mwezi and tries to show off, and her and her brother are like The perfect examples of what [a water goddess focused on reflections] would want and it's the complete opposite of sephiroth and man it's sooo 💨💨💨

honestly it's the most difficult to talk about them because we're 6 sessions in so there's actually the most info I have about them but I'd have to summarize the ENTIRE campaign for it to make sense 😭

anyways enough about this freak I still have two more

---

kieł (fang in english), (19)(in goblin years) celestial warlock,

(cw mentions of abuse)

the continent he and other pcs are on is currently taken over by war of two sides, each representing one deity (one of life and one of death)

kieł isn't on any of the sides, he dgaf 🔥 but he's a mail carrier in the areas of higher danger, only caring about making enough money to survive

he grew up in an abusive household and has 11 siblings, after his last sibling - a sister - was born, his mother took her and escaped her husband, kieł hates his father more than anyone in the world and has Many conflicting feelings about his mother

his original name isn't kieł as it is just a nickname given by his two older siblings that he now uses as he wishes to not associate with anything related to his name nor surname

as soon as he reached adulthood (which was not long after his mother left) he also left, trying to just live on his own

no job was really sticking to him, he'd make the most money in taverns drunkenly playing the piano (which wasn't really much) until after the war broke out, someone tasked him with delivering a little thing to somewhere and it worked

he'd been delivering for a few months now which was a record for him, when he fell into a trap when taking a shortcut (dumbass)(it is mentioned that due to the fact that the deities got involved in the war there's been weird creatures of magic sources appearing) and he got his leg stuck in a trap meant for those

he was found and saved by his now patron (I wrote like 3k words for their first meeting I could talkkk) she's called Lady Dove and she's a lovely but stern lady :-) a bit like a mother :-) heh :-) but yeah she's not inherently evil, I like when patrons aren't evil...

because of her influence, kieł is constantly followed by pigeons (I use them as a visual gag for his spells and levels) (he has 5 pigeons following him rn because he's on 5th)(healing light is just a pigeon flying up and sitting on someone)(I love pigeons)

kieł is a very "using spells how I feel" rather than "learning how to use them" type of guy, he just kinda casts whatever and hopes it'll work (also a bird whistle is his arcane focus and he's so annoying with it)

a random fun fact is that he has a masquerade tattoo that he once got when him and a sorcerer he has been seeing at a bar for a while got drunk and the sorcerer decided to give him a tattoo (the way this guy's magic works is that he's covered in tattoos and each tattoo represents and allows him to cast different spells that he knows) the tattoo was originally supposed to allow him to cast alter self but because they were drunk he can only cast disguise self 😭

---

ilyana silverbough (36) a harengon druid of the arctic circle of land

the world her story is set in is getting gradually covered in permafrost although she's not as aware of its consequence as she's lived in the snowy areas her whole life

(cw brief mentions of grooming [not going into details] and getting severely injured)

I based her appearance off of an arctic hare!! :D

ilyana comes from a family of circus performers, belonging to a group who traveled with their performances around the northern side of the world, in the more frozen areas, her speciality was juggling

she has two older sisters

when ilyana was 18, she found out that the owner of the circus, a much older man who had already been an adult when they were born, had proposed to her oldest sister who he had been swaying for years

upon finding this out, ilyana just straight up kills him but gets shunned out by the people of the circus, her sister shoots her in the leg, ilyana starts running

powered by sheer adrenaline she just runs straight ahead without really any plan until her body gives up and she collapses to the ground

after she hits the ground, she kinda has an out of body experience where she sees a unicorn, it feels like a vivid dream

after she regains consciousness, not really sure how much time has passed, she lays down in snow and is found by a young firbolg, hrok'tar :-), around her age

he's been picking up wood with his father, they pick her up and bring her to the local satyr doctor, who chops off her leg because it's beyond saving :-(

ilyana finds out that the village she's in operates on laws of "service for exchange of service", money holds no real value to residents of this place, so to repay she joins the satyr doctor (who's a lovely older lady) and helps her around, discovering that she has magic within her now

the way her circle of druids works is that there's one druid representing each section of the land circle and they all get chosen by the unicorn and she's the current active representative of the arctic land, so the circle is quite small

as her years go by she closely befriends 3 other people (morgana, elara and eldric) and of course hrok'tar who she became best friends very fast as soon as she appeared in the village

they form a guild (it's more of a group of vigilantes but guild sounds cool) called the almiraj guild (see what I did there), each person grabs the inspiration for their magic and/or style of fighting from different creatures (hrok'tar - hippogriff, elara - owlbear, eldric - displacer beast, morgana - faerie dragon) and they're best buddies i love themm :-(

her helmet is made out of unmelting ice, shout-out vio for this idea :-)

---

anyways that's all I think they're all freaks (ilyana's pretty normal actually tbh) and yeah :-)

there's also mateusz, dolly and cassius for other rpgs apart from dnd but these guys are a story for another day....

also here's my toyhouse if you're interested in the guys :]

[gwandas]

Okay but what are the top 5 bullet points for hating MCU Spiderman? His arc? The actor? Accuracy?

You probably forgot you sent me this but I DIDN'T. This is a very serious question to be asking me and thus this is probably much longer than you initially bargained for <3

His friend group is ass. MCU MJ and Ned exist to be his yes men, they always help him, they always get along, it sucks and it's boring. People always dog on the Raimi movies because the Peter-MJ-Harry triangle is toxic but honestly that's nothing compared to the drama the original Peter-Gwen-MJ-Harry-Flash had going on. That shit would kill an MCU stan they were SO messy... and that was what made it fun and juicy. Peter's complex interpersonal relationships are so so crucial to Spider-Man. One of the reasons he became so popular is because the Peter Parker part of his story was just as interesting as the Spider-Man part, people loved his personal problems! That's why his supporting cast are just as well known by even casual fans.

Stole too many plot points and personality traits from Miles Morales. For example, see point no. 1, MCU Ned Leeds is literally just Ganke (Miles' best friend) that they slapped a Ned Leeds nametag onto.

Tony Stark and MCU Peter's desperation to be an Avenger. I actually cannot stand the desperation it's pathetic and unbecoming. Comic Peter Parker would tell MCU Tony Stark to go fuck himself on the regular if he pulled the stuff he does in the movies. Spider-Man is also not even close to as fun when he has access to all the toys and funds he could want. Also the first time he meets the Avengers in the comics they literally stalk him trying to get him to join and he keeps going "LEAVE ME ALONE" so I think it's funny MCU Peter is so desperate to be one

The personality could not be worse. One of my favorite things about Peter is that he's a reluctant hero. He wants to do the right thing, use his powers for good, but it always comes at a cost to his personal life. The constant push and pull and deliberate decision to be a good person when he doesn't want to... I love that about him. There are always hard choices in a good Spider-Man story. I once saw a movie critic that said "MCU finally gets Spider-Man right. He's a happy go lucky guy that loves being a superhero." Literally every word of that sentence is incorrect. People think that because comics are so vast, with different authors and different ways they're written that you can do whatever you want in the movie and it's fine... NO. There can be some variance, sure, but Peter has always had a distinct personality. Sure sure sure you can tweak things here and there, I'm not saying Peter always has to be portrayed as a selfish asshole who's always broke and never happy (because obviously there are times in the comics when he isn't those things) but you can't change EVERYTHING at once. Making him a guy that loves being a superhero and has zero personal life problems (aside from ??? wanting to vacation in europe and get with the girl he likes)... literally destroys everything interesting about the character.

Less about him and more about the conversation around him, my biggest pet peeve used to be people that would go "well this is the third reboot, of COURSE he's different." well NO because the MCU chose to adapt Peter Parker and Peter Parker has a specific personality and storyline. "Of course they changed the storyline" first of all they had a million options and could've just inserted an adult Peter into the MCU if they didn't want to do his origin story, but his origin story is important... I honestly think the decision to skip over it is what caused the terrible writing because without that origin you've removed all his motivations and drive. You can't just say hey we'll use Peter Parker but in order to differentiate ourselves we'll make him unrecognizable... just use a different character at that point... LIKE MILES which is what SO many people said before Homecoming came out.

Bonus: My favorite hate posts I found on my blog from like 2019 or whatever

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/187539416484/beerecordings-portrayal-of-aunt-may-really-tells

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/188036695984

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/187480534389

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/187177201644

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/187158420054

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/187154929204

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/187153389594/mcu-had-the-audacity-to-have-a-grown-women-force

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/187152145584/peter-parker-is-leaving-the-mcu-i-didnt-know-he

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/186857669531/wlwintersoldier-here-is-my-argument-on-why-tony

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/186839380098

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/186835788169/wow-i-sure-do-love-peter-parker-who-made-his-mark

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/186758593029

https://gwandas.tumblr.com/post/186450361464/spidermanwlw-me-and-the-girls-when-a-new-mcu

[s0lairee]

USUALLY i keep the incoherent rambling to @xanyiaz's dms, but y’all know how i feel about vincent. so, here: roughly 2000 words of me talking abt him and the house of solaire.

(also, all non-art, original posts that i make, whether they’re just me keysmashing or me actually dissecting a video will now be tagged as #jo speaks <3)

(possibly incomprehensible) spoilers for “questioning the king” underneath (and a bit from sam’s latest vid). this isn’t really theorising, it’s more “jo analyzes fictional characters and cries”

first of all. CAN we get a round of applause for the voicing and the thumbnail. erik did such a good job - i wasn’t actually expecting a william vid since hedral has been mia for two years, but this was INSANE. erik’s voice is much softer than hedral’s (i think it’s because erik is used to voicing younger characters?) and it really adds to the tone of the video. also, the thumbnail is so perfectly in style with the summit thumbnails. everything is wonderful i just needed a moment for that.

anyways. i did not expect the video to go like this? i mean, everyone expected vincent to call william out for everything at some point, but dude, this caught me so off-guard. and in hindsight, it shouldn’t have. obviously the fandom paints (or painted, before the summit) william as the vamp dad, but he’s a king. he’s going to be political, pragmatic, and sometimes callous. callousness is why he survived. if he was as feeling as vincent is, he wouldn’t have survived his maker.

but like. i completely expected william to stand his ground against vincent’s criticism and mention how it was the right thing to do, but i thought eventually he’d give in and (at the very least) apologise. what i DIDN’T expect was for william:

to not do that.

to pretty much only apologise for keeping vincent out of the loop

to emphasise that this was what being a vampire prince entailed - this was what politics meant

and to GIVE HIM AN ULTIMATUM. it didn’t seem like one, but “if you’re one of us, that’s part of the deal” very much implies “be a solaire and do what is expected of you, or leave.”

i’m glad that vin and william, in some way, found a middle ground. but (as much as i was on will’s side this whole time bc vin always seemed too naive for the rough politics), vincent is right. william shouldn’t have given that burden only to porter. that’s one vampire against dozens that are at least centuries old. also, not to mention, vincent would NOT have trusted porter. can you imagine the mental strength it took vincent to not only hear porter out, but hear stuff that his maker was supposed to tell him from the one person he couldn’t stand? can you imagine how porter felt to be the messenger caught between these two??? and somehow, it’s worse when william doesn’t back down and just accept that vincent was right. he can excuse everything else as politics, but he can’t excuse this. and it’s so weird that he tried so hard to brush past that. 

also. william’s favouritism is incredibly obvious. it’s insane. like, this entire audio, he’s prioritising vincent (and lovely, to some extent). his literal first lines are him choosing to speak to vincent and lovely alone, when sam is RIGHT THERE. he refers to sam as samuel, being one of the only people who does that. he also took the time to explain himself to vincent, but to sam he just says “say what you will.” it gives the vibe of the older sibling that the parent knows will understand, and i know sam doesn’t care about the house like vincent does, but GOD it really rubs it in. i know there’s that convoluted father-son dynamic between vin and william, but william put the pack, their mates, sam and darlin’ into the firing line. porter only gave vincent and lovely an alibi. none of the others. this was the pack's first summit too. if sweetheart was caught eavesdropping, they would have been in SO much trouble. it’s pure dumb luck they escaped. 

also. my brain ran away here. but porter, who isn't will's progeny but acts like his dutiful son, doing whatever is asked of his king because he saved his life - porter, who can't help but feel slighted when after everything, william still fights to justify his actions to vincent (while porter understands). porter who watches (in his mind, at least) vincent throw all of that away for what's "morally right". porter who is faultlessly loyal but so goddamn alone. are you picking up what im putting down <3

^ going off on that, the different reactions (or possible reactions) to will’s ultimatum have me frothing at the mouth.

i want to say porter is fiercely loyal to william and the house but i do think a lot of it is desperation and his own version of “morally right”? like to porter, the right thing is listening to whatever his king - the man that took him in and saved his life - says. or it could be cowardice. if he doesn’t do what will wants him to do, he would have to leave the house… and where would he go? to treasure? imagine explaining this shit to them. he literally has no choice.

to sam, it's the practical, good thing, and it's almost political. and this way of thinking is easy for sam, since he's not really as loyal to the house as vincent is. in fact, he's almost completely detached. so sam's idea of what's right is that william should've considered vincent’s opinion too, or have some kind of counsel, because they were the people who were most directly in the firing line. so when william so self-assuredly says he isn't wrong, and won't ever be wrong... he lost sam. (sam also never outright got the choice to leave like vincent did. he still made the decision. he's, like, 100% gone.)

and to vincent, it's almost completely emotional. he had this responsibility for the summit thrust onto him suddenly after william shielded him from a lot during his growing up as a vampire. he had so much information kept from him by his maker, his family, and he had to put up with the one person william knew he couldn't put up with. he also almost lost his partner, his brother and his friends in the whole mess.

+ need to add that vincent is very, very emotional. throughout the whole summit, there wasn’t one time when he was able to go with the (albeit fucked up) flow. partly, this is who he is; someone who feels everything in extremes, and partly because william had shielded him from the worst of the vampire world for so, so long. this isn’t a positive or negative character trait: it’s just a trait, and something will should have considered. then again, if not vincent, who would host the summit? not sam. certainly not alexis. and porter couldn’t. 

(also, it’s precisely how emotional he is and how much importance he places on family that makes “a prince is supposed to answer to his king, not the other way around” STING.)

now the part that GUTTED me: the ultimatum, and why sam is most certainly leaving (and vincent might consider it, but GOD i fucking hope he doesn’t.)

erik has established both sam and darlin' as being completely self sufficient. like they've both expressed that they're better with each other, and that they've grown as people, but also they're not tied down by any obligations to anyone. darlin' may be fiercely protective of their pack and their identity as a wolf, but sam is heavily disconnected from the house. he might only be sticking around because of vincent, and those two are BROTHERS your honour. but like, he doesn't really feel anything emotional to them nor does he have an obligation to them, even as a vampire.

(especially as a vampire, a status he did not want and is going to give up some time in the future.)

but vincent has both emotional (and i wanna say political?) ties to the house. one, being turned saved his life. he didn't have the choice that lovely had, but he also doesn’t completely hate it like sam did (maybe bc he was unempowered before and the loss of power didn't hit as hard.) two, he's kinda reconciled with his status as a vampire prince. he really does love william. whatever relationship they have (had.) was good - there was some amount of trust there (that will broke now). 

and also, being a vampire allowed him to save lovely. vin and lovely are COMPLETELY devoted to each other. they've had one of the most dramatic changes together.

more than that, the solaire house is family to vin. like, at least in the context of lore and the channel, it has been such a massive part of his life. he introduced his partner to his maker. he took them to the summit. he has confided in them abt princely duties. the house is, for better or for worse, his family.

(also, william bringing out all of vincent’s worst memories right in front of lovely (who was also there for those memories) is so fucking insane. wh. every argument he made in this video is so so insane.) 

somehow, for all the analysing i'm doing, i can't predict lovely's emotions. i know they're gonna be angry in their own way: very soon after mastering their powers, they had it taken away from them; and very soon after being crowned in the house of solaire, they're watching it crumble.

will giving them an ultimatum felt very final. i know erik mentioned wanting to wrap up a few plotlines, and i’m totally ok with that (not . i need vincent. but i can make my peace w things) but if this is how it ends i will cry

in conclusion, will was fighting between politics and progeny. he tried, desperately, to have both. unfortunately, you can’t have both. fortunately, you can try to rebuild the relationship the choice broke. unfortunately, will didn’t do that. he wasn’t fair to a single person here. he still sees tasks and details as a privilege given to solaires, not something that is expected of him as vincent’s family.

most of erik’s plotlines have a theme, and this one seems to surround trust and choice and how the right thing isn’t always in black and white. so yeah it would fucking suck and i would bawl my ass off if vincent and lovely decide to leave the house …… i know it would be the right thing to do but also i wish porter could knock some sense into william or something. 

i would love to see that, actually. feels shakespearean.

[vitospaghetta]

How do you imagine Leon's place to look like and where do you think he lives? Some flat?

Also alaooo what do you think he does in his free time?

You have no idea how much thought I've put into this over the years.

Let me preface this with the fact that I'm specifically talking about original continuity Leon post-RE6 here, where he's a seasoned adult and has been in his career field for a while.

Leon more-than-likely lives in D.C. (he could also live in VA or MD but he strikes me as the kinda guy who would rather eat glass than commute, especially with D.C. traffic being absolute bullshit) in an apartment somewhere in the city.

As a federal agent, he makes a salary, which is something that is determined by things like the amount responsibility you have within the agency, your credentials/experience, your skillset, etc. Given his role and responsibilities within the D.S.O., he's easily a top earner. The top earners within the FBI make $153,000 annually, but it looks like top earners within the CIA can make more — like with all things, every agency is different. The D.S.O. obviously isn't a real agency, but as one that is held above all others (as far as authority within the criminal justice system is concerned), Leon probably receives a pretty cushy salary. Around $200,000 annually, easy. Income tax would fuck him over, but he'd still walk away with a reasonable amount per month to afford a $4,000+ per month apartment or to buy one and pay off a mortgage.

He can easily afford a one or two bedroom apartment in the city is what I'm saying. And I mean a nice apartment. We're talking granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, washer and dryer in-unit, floor-to-ceiling windows, in a modern building in a nice area of the city. An area that consists entirely of nice apartment buildings like the one he lives in. There's actually an area just outside of NYC that reminds me of the kinda area I can see him living in. I was there to take the ferry over into the city for a memorial/organ donation event I was attending last year.

The pics don't exactly encapsulate the full vibe, and these apartments probably go for millions due to the proximity to the city and being right off the Hudson, but it's quiet, safe, and filled with sporty people. Lots of folks walking dogs, jogging after work hours, and a sense of community amongst people that seemingly have their shit together.

He strikes me as the type to have a two bedroom apartment just for an office that he's hardly ever in. He'd want to live in a building that has a gym as an amenity because it's easier than hoofing it to a gym elsewhere, and a garage for him to put his car and the crotch rocket he's currently mourning courtesy of Maria.

As for the apartment's interior, I feel like it would completely lack personality or cluttered charm. There's a level of almost sterility to it, in that it's devoid of knick-knacks, personal photos, and encompasses a strong aesthetic of maturity. Everything in it is nice. There's tasteful artwork on the walls, and it's furnished with well-made and sometimes expensive furniture and appliances, because, as a childless adult, if Leon's going to spend money on only himself, he's going to spend it well. You get what you pay for, after all. There are obviously some traces of Leon's personality strewn about — skin care products in the bathroom, boots and leather jackets by the door, some books, laundry crumpled at the foot of his bed and piled by the washer/dryer, maybe a single sarcastic coffee mug somewhere in the cabinet — but there's no novelty.

Due to his constant bouncing around, he isn't home enough to put too much effort into it, and he hasn't had the luxury of certainty or normalcy in so long that all he wants out of his home is for it to look nice and be a comfortable place to sleep. He appreciates coming home to a place that is his, but it doesn't need to be a display of everything he's ever enjoyed. Even when he is home, he strikes me as the type to start going stir crazy when he sits for too long. The most amount of time he probably ever spent at home was when he was self-isolating and hitting the bottle really hard. There's also the generational element of Gen-X'ers being extremely lowkey about shit.

As far as what Leon does in his free time, I feel like he enjoys doing things that are out of the house due to the aforementioned inability to stay alone with his thoughts for too long. The man is constantly trying to distract himself to place distance between himself and his trauma, so where he might have been able to sit and watch a movie alone before, he struggles to now.

Leon's very extroverted, likable, and adaptable, so he probably enjoys being around other people, even if he's not actively talking to them. Though he appreciates silence as well, when he's kicking things around in his head and is trying to find some semblance of peace and a means to calm the noise. He might get a coffee at a shop right by his apartment where he's a regular and everyone knows him by name, or go for a run, or go shopping. Maybe he tries to make plans with those he cares about to go out for dinner, like he did with Claire in Infinite Darkness. Maybe he tries to catch a good sunset over the Potomac River. He goes to the gym, he rides his motorcycle around the city or takes a scenic route on the outskirts just for the hell of it, he meets up with a fellow agent and they do shots at his favorite bar.

I don't think he has hobbies, as in crafting or gaming or being too involved in any specific interests, but everything he does is fueled by his love of people, his appreciation for what good he has in his life, and his need for escape.

[finchers-ipad]

as a fight club and will graham enjoyer, what are your thoughts on ednort’s will graham?

omg i love this ask. listen, i love ed norton when he has good directon, drive and a complex character i think he can give a really great performance. so i don’t know what the fuck he was doing playing will graham. it is one of the most lifeless and straight up boring performances i’ve seen him give WHEN THE CHARACTER IS SO RITCH I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED. his interpretation (as well as the writers and directors, because this can’t be just his fault) is that will is this typical run of the mill straight and driven cop who is stressed out with the tooth fairy case but kind of just because it’s a stressful job that keeps him from his wife and kid.

from what i understand, because i haven’t watched ‘manhunter’, is that the red dragon film introduced the fact that will and hannibal knew each other prior to hannibal being caught. this, to me, is really fun and interesting and they could have made this an integral part of both of their characters and strengthened and complicated their relationship (which we see done absolutely BEAUTIFULLY in season 3b of NBC’s hannibal). but no. it feels like anthony hopkins and ed norton are two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together whenever they are on screen together. for example in the opening scene where they are supposed to be collages and somewhat friendly as will is in hannibal’s house THEY FEEL LIKE FUCKING STRANGERS. ed norton is soooo reserved as will which frustrates me because we have seen him do more. he should have given the same character performance as the narrator in fight club as he did with will graham in red dragon. it didn’t even need to be to that standard but idk he needed to do more, especially with his empathy because it’s just so brushed off. again i know this is at fault of the writing and directing too but oh fuck it annoys me.

i know ed nortons and hugh dancys will graham’s are very different also because of their different story’s and that has to be said HOWEVER the shows interpretation of hannibal and will’s relationship is so much richer (not even factoring in their queerness). to me, hugh dancy’s view of will’s relationship with hannibal is “after everything you have repeatedly put me through, after discovering all that you are, you continue to be the only person who has and the only person who could understand me even though i can’t always admit that and don’t always want that”. BUT edward norton’s view of will’s relationship with hannibal is “you betrayed me when i put my trust in you and i resent the fact that i need you now” which really doesn’t hit the fucking same.

there’s this really cool video essay ( https://youtu.be/PA1zrO3YQmk?si=dTsKzwTFiGSMAApN ) that says something like “will isn’t supposed to be a straight man, he’s not supposed to be as smooth as ice, he’s supposed to be a fucked up little freak” which i whole heartedly agree with. this is mainly to do with the writing again but you can see ed norton his holding himself back, he looks like he doesn’t believe the words coming out of his own mouth. especially in the scene where the red dragon has a knife at his sons throat and he’s shouting at him. literally the most diluted performance i’ve ever seen him give i think.

especially when i watched the show before any of the movies so i was so excited that my interests overlapped, then was disappointed that he played will so strangely. anyway one of my only pros of his will graham is that it was during his early 2000’s phase of being blonde which i enjoyed. and also ‘red dragon’ keeps the line about hannibal wanting to eat wills heart. the rest…burn it. i feel like i could talk about will and hannibal’s relationship in ‘NBC’s hannibal’ till my face turns blue and a die from lack of oxygen. where as i can barely scrounge a few thoughts together about their relationship in ‘red dragon’ that aren’t just how dry it is. this is a testament to the writing of the show but also to mads mikkelsen and hugh dancy’s chemistry. it feels (to me) like anthony hopkins was given the impossible task of living up to his performance in ‘the silence of the lambs’ especially when his screen time was doubled and then edward norton was given the impossible task of filling in the position of clarice starling that audiences were craving, which just left me wanting more from his performance.

[localparalysisdemon]

Ok I found a homestuck picrew on Pinterest and I know fuck all about the lore so I made one and now I wanna see what this trollsona guy thing would actually be in regards to the actual lore

If I found out that I made myself like. An omegaverse bottom or some shit in the homestuck lore by accident im gonna be so sad

Anyways ancient tumblr fandom members pspspspspspsps (with fear)

[re-discover-communication]

Hey!!! Any tips for those who just started writing? Maybe something you wished to know when you began?

Sure! But this is what works for me so ofc it's not universal. The experience of writing is a very little universal, so take this with a grain of salt.

-Don't start what you're not sure you can finish, don't know how to make it finish, don't know how it finishes (yes it's two different things), don't know if you'll finish. NEVER*. Let it go or work your mind on it until you have at least 70% of it "ready", (with the 30% left being exclusively linker scenes between core scenes, stuff you can make up on the spot) and then you can start.

-Writing is 4 parts thinking-daydreaming and 1 part typing. It's best not to make them overlap too much.

-No "I'll think about it when I get there". Building scenes while writing them is exhausting, stressing and very time consuming. Not to mention the type-delete-type-delete cycle.

-Not every scene can have a place in the story. Yes it can be the cutest you have come up with or your favorite filler moment or whatever, but if its only purpose is to be cute, or worse it risks to derail the story in a cul-de-sac because of its implications... leave it out.

-This is mostly for before starting to write. Read a lot. You found some authors whose style you've fallen in love with? Study their style. Understand what you like of them and why, what expedients do they use to convey specific emotion/set up moods/introduce a sudden event, stuff like that. But don't imitate them, learn from them.

-Dialogues: imagine them like a movie scene in your head. Daydream them. Voice tones, gestures, and all. Would they really talk like that? Is it realistic? Does it make sense? Or does it feel like a theatrical piece? Because it's easy to make conversations fall into the theatrical piece.

-It's okay and natural for your first work(s) to suck ass. You only get better by writing more and more and more, but you also have to be self-critical; both in the "this sucks. Delete." and the "this can be done better. Redo." at the same time, and both in the constructive sense. Getting better takes time, and lots of reading (again), so be patient.

-It's okay to delete that 300 brick of words you sweated on weeks ago, if it doesn't fit. And the one you wrote yesterday, and the one you just finished writing and just realized it doesn't fit. It's okay. It's not wasted time, it's a possibility you explored and made sure it wasn't good.

-And always reread the story you're writing while you're writing it! Or you risk falling into inconsistencies, which I often do because I myself often forget to reread and I always curse myself when it happens.

-Don't be lazy and don't be sloppy. Be accurate but not pedantic. Some things can be left vague.

-Don't specify things the reader can "perceive" on their own through the context.

-PERSONAL ADVICE. If you want, let's say, to describe a situation inside of the story, better not doing it in a short paragraph. If possible, make the story itself show it. Again, make the reader "perceive" and guess it through details scattered around. Unless it's something so big or specific that it does need a paragraph for itself. But be careful where you place it, or you risk breaking the flow of the narration.

-Please for the love of every god avoid stuff like "the brunette" "the taller man" "the blue haired woman" UNLESS you're talking about characters the main chars don't know. Especially not for established relationships. In order to be honest I also have to specify this is a pet peeve of mine so if instead you do like this kind of things, ignore what I said and go for them. De gustibus.

-If you see shit, even if you've already posted the story, fix it.

-This is a personal thing of mine, but I find it waaaay better to write chronologically, instead of the scenes I like the most first and later what's in between. Be patient, you'll get to them sooner or later.

-Do NOT put a story aside to start another you just came up with. Either you accept to work on both at the same time, or you finish the first and only then start the second. BE. PATIENT. AO3 is stuffed of unfinished "chaptered" fics because their authors kept starting a new wip abandoning the precedent, and so on and so on and so on... like one of my fav author has done too many times... When you start a wip, you make a promise to it: of taking care of it and bringing it to its realization. DO NOT START WHAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FINISH*. Please.

-Then of course if working on it gets too stressful or is hurting you for some reasons, that's a whole different thing and you should abandon it.

I repeat. this is what works for ME. Different people will tell you different things and they're all correct at the same time. These are only suggestions, despite my imperative tone (sorry😅).

Hope this helps!

*if you're past the first quarter of the story. I too did abandoned two wips after 1k each because I realized too late that they weren't going anywhere. But 1k and never posted, not a "15k, 4/?"

[corvidlvr51]

please share your wisdom of the pandora hearts title meaning!!

First, thank you for the ask! I'm not very good at articulating my thoughts on this sort of stuff so sorry if it I sound incoherent. Also my take isn't anything new, it's been said before and it's fairly obvious in hind sight tbh (at least to me). I had just dismissed the title early on and hadn't noticed the connections while reading the manga for the first time lol.

I don't think the title is meant to represent a specific aspect of the manga, but rather thread together the main motifs of hope, despair, light & darkness, people's hearts and of course, love. I don't have any exact references on hand, but you can open almost any volume and find a panel with one of these themes pretty easily. What/who exactly is "pandora" or "pandora's box" doesn't really matter as it can apply to any of the characters or even the abyss itself, and hell even life in general.

It's like the main quote of the series, "Someone said that this place is engulfed in darkness. But, that doesn't mean there was never any light there". While it's very obviously about the Abyss, it can also be applied to the series as whole or individual characters. Oz even compares light and hope in one scene.

Jack talks about how Lacie brought him hope, but it was because of that hope he was engulfed in the shadows of despair and lost himself in them. Oz, on the other hand, starts the series an abused child who's lost his will to truly live, but he is able to find hope and love and ends the series happy and fulfilled. The manga is filled with awful and dark moments/events, but it's ultimately a story of hope & love & connection.

I'm going to stop myself there, so hopefully you get the point. There's a lot of ways to apply the title Pandora Hearts to the manga, as it's kinda just an encapsulation of the themes of the whole thing.

[charaznablescanontoyota]

7 and 22 for the ao3 asks!

7 is here!

22. Share a deleted scene, if you have one.

i........okay this is kind of tricky because i DO have one but i can't share it yet because it has a huge interstitial infinity spoiler baked into it LOL. i don't even delete scenes that often but it's a thing where i wrote the end of a fic and then was like "they would not fucking do that" and then rewrote it and was way happier with it anyway if someone remembers this ask in like june when i am no longer under self-imposed podcast nda and can publish all my fic feel free to ping me and i'll share it

[journcys]

@soardived said: ❝ okay fine, let's talk about boys. ❞ holds out her hand. he's getting his nails painted too.

“Can y’make it black? Black kinda goes with the threads, yeah?”

His grin is wide and toothy; his behaviour absolutely relaxed and chill. For a dark type user, Sidney was always a pretty down to earth person. Outgoing and not a sore loser, the Elite had no problem letting Willow paint his nails and talk about boys.

Kurayami sniffs at Willow; the Mightyena’s wet nose pressing against her cheek—curious as she moves to smell the nail polish which makes her reel back and make a surprised noise. She sits as Sidney laughs, “Didn’t think it’d smell that strong, eh, Yami?”

“Boys, huh? What, you got someone whose caught your eye?” He snorts. “Y’know, if we’re gonna talk boys—I like strong guys, yeah? Been datin’ Noland for a while and the meathead is totally my type. Known him forever; he’s been a meathead his whole life, y’know!”

“Great guy though, teasing aside! The best! You gotta have a guy who’ll take care’a ya ‘n vice versa, y’know? I think I’d probably be dead somewhere if he wasn’t lookin’ after me. Anyway. Anyway! C’mon, Willow—tell me who ya got your eyes on! My lips’re sealed!”