#a lot of (these) going on and rambling. also being a hater clearly

[arolesbianism]

Sometimes I just look at Isabeau and just know that if isat came out and I got into it when I was like 16 he would be my favorite character and I would've gone absolutely buck wild over this man and feel like he was laser targeting me. But alas Odile has a grip of steel on me rn due to her virtue of being a middle aged woman

[greasydumbfuck]

such a hater

[lemotmo]

Love

Q. I have such whiplash from the last few days. Free them please.

A. It's been a lot, lol. I'm going to kind of PR nerd brain out for a minute because these last two days specifically have been super interesting. Oliver and Ryan have clearly both been told to stick to their canned answers for the most part, but have also clearly been instructed to drop a tease or so as well. Ryan obviously gave his standard brother reply, which honestly should not have surprised anyone. Oliver dropped his standard Eddie is straight reply. They're the exact same answer just said with different nouns (or noun phrase but you know what I mean). Oliver dropped most of his teases in the podcast. It's difficult to get more teasing than 'super gay'. But Ryan also dropped a teaser/clue in his interview. I will take a moment to say that neither Oliver or Ryan benefit from print interviews because their respective approaches/personalities don't translate well in print. Oliver is super British, which means he's very dry. Super quick witted, but very dry, and that does not translate well in print at all. So he often comes across as a dick. Ryan, when he's trying not to spoil something, kind of word vomits and hopes for the best, until it comes to Buddie questions or anything approaching sexuality questions, which is what he's trying not to spoil. In those areas he gives the same canned responses. So his print interviews end up sounding dismissive because those responses don't match his other rambles. But that's not how either man really is so when videos drop of those exact same interviews the tone of the entire interview completely changes. Because the videos show their faces. Which means people get to see their smiles, and their awkwardness, or in Ryan's case his face turning bright red. They're terrible liars. Abysmal liars. It's actually hilarious how bad they are. But they're also ridiculously charming and it works completely in video form. What was amazing about the Ryan interview video in particular was you could see in real time the moment he realized he messed up. Yes he said the word brother, but almost immediately one of two things happened. He either wasn't supposed to say the word brother anymore, but is so hardwired to that answer that he slipped back into factory setting mode, and then tried to correct it; or he missed the segway where he was supposed to drop his future relationship tease and had to course correct. Because he dropped that line about his next relationship (which was clearly ummm yeah) completely out of context and not at all at the right point in the interview. His ears even got red. It was amazing to watch. They're both very conscious of not being the one to spoil it ahead of time, and in video interviews that mostly comes across as awkward and charming, but in print interviews they just sound irritated. It's wild.

Another interesting thing was Oliver's very coached answer to the Tommy question. His reaction to the Tommy stuff during the podcast was clearly spur of the moment and off the cuff, (loved it. no notes) which works on a podcast. Today he was much more diplomatic in his answer. That was not a coincidence. I think he was instructed to make sure he reiterated that that particular storyline is over for Buck, but I also think they worked with him a bit on the best way to say that. Which doesn't surprise me at all. We all love Oliver's hater game but the upfronts is not the place for that. And truth be told Oliver probably didn't require much coaching on that answer but he had clearly practiced it a few times (Aisha not so much, lol). And honestly it was long overdue to be said. There was no reason to give the impression that it's open ended when episode 15 really brought that storyline to a natural conclusion. As for all the tommies in my inbox spiraling over Tommy being reintroduced as Buck's love interest again in episode 11 only for it to go nowhere, all I can say is that's not what he was brought back for. He was brought back to be the catalyst for the GA to question Eddie's sexuality. That was it. And the episode made that clear. You pretending that's not what was happening doesn't magically make it go away. He was always going to serve that purpose. Tim just should have never dragged it out this long. So ABC officially drawing a line through him and that plot point made sense. Moving on.

Probably means nothing, I want to stress that from go, but the fact that Tim doesn't appear to have been at the upfronts is interesting. He runs the number one show on the network, and was given a 2nd show as a result, dear god every new thing that comes out about the Nashville spinoff just sounds worse and worse, but I digress, so him not being at the event was noticeable. Shandoa Rimes was always there. ABC doesn't discourage show runners from attending. Again it most likely means nothing, but it is noticeable. I don't believe for one minute he willingly passed up the opportunity to talk about himself. Tim has been pretty concerning this season, especially the back half of the season. A couple of his interviews were giant red flags, in my opinion. For example the interview he gave after episode 15 was a disgrace from start to finish. Wanting to build an episode around a helicopter chase because you want to do your take on Apocalypse Now is astoundingly stupid (no he didn't want it for Tommy. The man flat out said he wanted to play Apocalypse Now). Deciding to kill your main character off, even though it will prove to be a fake out, apparently on a last minute whim, is a fireable offense. Having zero plan amongst the cast on how to proceed with the bit until the reveal is just unprofessional. Not being willing to stick to any kind of storyboarding or plan all season long is nonsensical, exhausting and highly disrespectful to your cast, crew and audience. I'm not going to touch the Ryan thing because it's very concerning on multiple levels and needs immediate reviewing on ABC's part. There are clearly issues with Tim and I don't know if this means ABC realizes that at minimum a conversation needs to take place, but they have to do something about him. They have to address some of these things. Again I want to stress that it's probably nothing but it was weird to me that he of all people doesn't appear to have been there. My boss never misses a chance to brag about his accomplishments. And Tim's never been shy about praising himself in the past. So yeah.

All in all a most enjoyable few days. I'm having a blast, as are most of us by the looks of things. Can't do anything about people who just refuse to read between the lines on things or follow obvious clues. I'm not responding to those asks either. Oliver and Ryan are not allowed to say anything definitive yet and I will never understand why some people don't get that. Anyway, carry on.

Thank you so much Nonny! My inbox desperately needed this post.

I won't touch upon everything mentioned in this post. The Tim Minear & Ryan Murphy topic speak for itself I think. But I do want to talk about the Oliver and Ryan part.

Okay, first of all...

For all the people dooming right now:

Step away from the interviews. Don't read them, don't listen to them and just ignore them. It's obvious that they stress you out to an unhealthy degree.

Ryan and Oliver CANNOT say ANYTHING about the upcoming finale and season 9. THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED! So yes, they spin around in circles, repeating the same thing, over and over again.

Oliver refers to Eddie as 'straight' in one interview and Ryan calls them 'brothers' in another. It isn't anything we haven't heard before. 🤷‍♀️

So just focus on the show for a minute. We have had soooo many clues and hints in the show that they are going forward with Buck being in love with Eddie and Eddie discovering his 'joy' (= Buck). We have also seen that Eddie is willing to do anything for Buck. That last episode was very telling. So yes... somewhere along the line Eddie will also realise that he feels more than friendship for Buck.

It is the obvious next step at this point. There is no way back and the show and network know it.

But of course, neither of these men can talk about this yet. Because yes, Eddie is still canonically straight right now. He is immensely queer-coded, but in the text he is still straight. So what else is Ryan supposed to say? He cannot yet truthfully answer the Buddie question.

So please stop blaming Ryan for not willing to do Buddie or whatever it is you are dooming over. The man is an actor who acts out what is in the script. He has often showed support for Buddie. He is fine with it. 🤷‍♀️

But he cannot possibly hint at anything to do with Eddie's sexuality, because then the cat would be out of the bag, and it's obvious that this is supposed to be a big surprise to the GA.

I will say this though...

That one line where Ryan talks about Eddie's next relationship being a life-changing one that will throw him for a loop??? Come on you guys. We got a quote like that and you're still dooming.🙄 Puh-lease.

As I said before, Buddie is a sure thing... the timeline however? I'm not sure about. I do expect something in the finale episode. But I truly don't know what that will be.

We'll have to wait and see. I for one cannot wait to watch that finale!🤗

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[hiraethminds]

This is a tangent, I'm here to entertain with needless rambling

The deep rooted hatred for taco I see in the II community genuinely concerns me. Especially since those people tend to be Mephone "apologists"(For lack of a better word, I love Mephone don't get me wrong) despite how taco is the "active" side of the coin to his "passive". The connections between them are there trust me Im connecting the dots. Ive connected them.

I understand that she's done bad things, but blaming her for her shortcomings when she doesn't and never had the same support group to change as Mephone did makes me a little ehh.. Getting upset because Microphone showed her support in the new episodes simply because you don't like the ship(I understand why people wouldnt but thats not an excuse to deny her anything), and because Taco doesn't know how to change yet and you refuse to see her as anything redeemable. I'm not big on shipping, thats not the point of this tangent, but Taco finally having someone to support her and help her change is a GOOD thing. Microphone was being the bigger person there, she was being mature and thoughtful because Taco clearly needs the help. The fact that people continue to deny Taco any kind of growth even if she goes about it in the wrong way makes me deeply uncomfortable. Because the moment any character does anything bad that isn't HER they don't say anything about it. She was shunned by her peers because she was playing the game and continued to 'play the game' so to speak.

Theres a deep rooted hint of misogyny in the way they treat her, but I wont yap about that you dont need to read allat.

I understand people have reasons for not liking characters! That's ok. But I've seen them actively go out of their way to harass people that DO like Taco and actively criticize enjoying her character.

They tend to take it as defending her actions. Which is not what's happening. I don't think oscommunity could handle vriska is all I'm saying.

Feel free to not answer this I just need whatever little imp is telling me to scream about it to get out. go draw a taco dis is driving me crazy

Thank you for dumping this in my inbox bigbarf200, I feel like a wise confidant.

okay so I don't interact/observe with the wider ii community (Mainly cuz i like playing with my touys without being bothered) So this information is so Interesting to me!!!

As you mentioned, the hate might stem from misogyny (and by the way, I’d love to read your essay—talk all you want, my friend!). This is a societal issue that affects every part of life.

That said, I also think some people might dislike her simply because she’s a hustler and stubborn. When she has a goal, she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it, even if it means crossing into morally gray areas.

holding Mepad hostage > hijacking the show

lying and deceiving objects with good intentions > winning s1

seriously hurting Fan > winning Mic immunity

as you said in the greater scheme of things, she's genuinely done horrible things. But if you just accept that at face value you are missing out on such an amazing character. You have to consider her perspective and the circumstances of her birth (especially in a story like ii!!) to fully understand and come to an option on her. But I digress this is baby level analysis so ill move on.

people who think Mic being friendly towards Taco post e14 is out of character are misunderstanding Microphone as both a character and thematic device I think

that's literally the only rational reason I could think of as to why people would be mad about taco and mic being on good terms???

so yeah, these haters just sound like crazy irrational people who have a lot of pent-up emotions. crazy

anyways ty!!! I feel like I didn't have alot to add since, as stated, these people are just incredibly irrational. but its nice getting an earful of whagh the fuck the community is like. here are soem taco drawings for the occasion

[rosorbus]

my thoughts on evangelion 3.0+1.0

(as someone who only recently finished it)

as much as i loved shin eva, something about it didn't sit right with me. i've been doing a lot of reflection lately, and i think i've sort of unpacked it?

theres a lot of incoherent rambling here i think but i don't care, i'm not editing shit

spoilers for the rebuilds, don't read if you haven't seen them.

to start, i think it was a- no, not excellent, uh ... it was a satisfactory conclusion to most? i liked it, cried my eyes out obviously.

shinji's character got a great conclusion. i don't think that's a hot take by any means. seeing him actually talking to his father, having a real conversation with gendou, and in turn making that character, who'd probably felt like a walking plot device beforehand, human? that's powerful shit.

↓ please excuse my pathetic whining below

but... oh, mari. she was definitely a fun character, if not a little shallow and fanservicey. her presence never really bothered me though, not until shinji ended up with ...her??

that final scene genuinely shocked me. i guess i sort of get the idea?? like, his only other romantic options were the following:

A: Rei Ayanami

a clone of his dead mother that barely understands the concept of being human, and whose care for him clearly, at least to me, stems from her practically being his family.

B: Asuka Langley Shikinami

an angry redheaded girl who, unlike her version in the original series, is also a clone. this one's backstory is much more shrouded in mystery, but regardless, she's violent asf with shinji, tried to force feed him, etc. as far as we know, she no longer has feelings for him after the 14-year timeskip and is implied to be in a relationship with kensuke.

C: Kaworu Nagisa

(we'll get to him in a minute)

A and B... not great options. A is a weird dynamic, and they give off a sibling vibe to me anyway. B is jusy plain fucked. i've never thought asuka and shinji's relationship was remotely healthy, not with soryuu OR shikinami.

but did the writing team just forget about C? i understand it was established towards the end that kaworu didn't truly understand shinji's happiness, but ...that doesn't fit with the relationship i saw, at least.

to me, yeah, he fucked up a couple times. his existence ended up causing more pain to shinji but this was through no fault of his own.

"all he wanted was for shinji to live and be happy."

kaworu realizing that maybe it was not just a selfless act, that maybe it was also for himself, and acknowledging that, is absolutely character development. in exchange for becoming human, he acknowledged his own flaws.

and that is beautiful to me.

so why am i weirded out by shinji ending up with mari, you ask?

it's because she does not have depth as a character.

she feels so utterly flat to me, and that is not a dig at her, i'm not a mari hater by any means, but OH MY GOD. how do you just end like that? with this one person who doesn't feel like a real person?

and it's not like i'm mad about it because she's new, hell no. it's because she has no flaws. she feels like this perfect shell of a character to me. and maybe that's the point? i have no idea. i have no idea what was going through anno's head when he was cooking up this film.

again, to clarify, i still LOVED the movie. but mari becoming important is weird. kaworu was right there and they just kinda ??? tossed him aside ???

to me at least, it should've been him, or shinji's love life should've been left up to interpretation. mari didn't earn that ending.

(this is the only real criticism i have about the movie btw it was fine)

[heartbeetz]

This is just me rambling and being a hater and it's kinda unjustified but I wanna say it anyway bc I'm thinking and analyzing.

Human/android kᎥtt AU designs are soooooo not my thing at all at all. And I know AUs in general are meant to explore things outside of canon and play toys and whatever so what I'm about to say is LITERALLY NOT TRUE and also soooo unnecessarily rude. But they always just make me think "ohhh okay so you fundamentally misunderstand him as a person (computer/car) and his role and also maybe the show as a whole." Which like I said isn't true I'm just being fucking mean. People should play toys forever. But idk. Personally I never wanna picture him as Not a car. Or at least Never with a humanoid body.

In canon he is always very very uncomfortable with his cpu being put into anything other than the trans am. And he takes a lotttt of pride in being what he is (appearances, abilities, etc). He doesn't "get" the appeal of being human (thinks the human body is kinda poorly designed, is glad he never had to experience being a kid and growing up, etc). And the whole crux of his role in the show is that it makes you go "how would an extremely human character who is extremely nonhuman interact with a world of humans" and it's really interesting. There's no "machines are lesser than people" thing going on (he is clearly seen and depicted as an equal if not sometimes even a superior), but he's still very much a car in a way that makes it so everyone including himself has to work around the fact that he's a car. There are many things he can't do that people can and many things he can that people can't. This is gonna sound weird to people without context but like... even in terms of accessibility. No your co-detective can't actually follow you into the crime scene, but you can still relay information back and forth as best you can. No your best friend can't be next to you when you're in the hospital, but he can wait outside in the parking lot and call to make sure you're okay. Idk.

Changing any of that changes like... everything. But okay.

[dreamwritesimagines]

I'm an eternal women defender and men hater, so I'm gonna guess this might be an unpopular opinion and we probably need a lot more context, but Hazel, you deserve better 🗣️🗣️🗣️ i mean, telling Bucky to fire Birdie would be wrong and childish I think, BUT I think they've given her plenty of reason to be jealous, she's not crazy! It's fair that she doesn't like Birdie, I think NONE of us would like our man to be doing the stuff he's doing and for another girl to be making eyes at him all the time. If anything, I think she should break up with him over it 🤷🏻‍♀️

And we don't know much about Hazel yet buttttt she apparently really likes him, and he clearly doesn't, so why is he even with her? that's wrong of him, not her. Like I love him to death, but this is classic man stuff 🗣️🗣️🗣️being with someone you have sex with but don't actually care about, while they do show interest in you, is asshole behavior 🗣️🗣️🗣️ And unless there's something we don't know, no one is holding him hostage. This is not some forbidden love stuff, if he wants Birdie, why be a bitch and string another girl along instead of just being with Birdie???? The right thing for him to do would be break up with Hazel now, so he's free to flirt wih Birdie all he wants now that they're both single. It would still be a little bit asshole behaviour ofc, but at least he'd be manning up and being honest. Did he just start dating Hazel because he was jealous that Birdie had a boyfriend and he was trying to fill that void???? Anyway i ranted but Justice for Hazel 🗣️🗣️🗣️ unless there's something we somehow don't know ofc, in that case RIP to my feminism 🕺🏻

My love, first of all, I definitely get what you mean😂

Second of all, this is hilarious 😂

You actually make a great point! 🥰 Multiple great points 😂🩷

We will have a scene between Birdie and Hazel about this btw, so it will totally come up 😏 Let's see if I can explain without spoilers😁

I'm gonna ramble and I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN WITH THIS🩷

So yes firstly, I think telling Bucky to fire Birdie is a lot, but jealousy is understandable because THAT HUG😈 Not to mention the very first time she and Birdie met, she was at Bucky's doorstep at midnight, on the verge of tears right after their pic was posted 🩷

At this point, I think there are multiple reasons why Bucky is with Hazel😏 First of all, yes, like you said, at first it was because he couldn't be with Birdie, and Birdie told him over and over again how in love with Max she was, so Hazel was his way of moving on. In my mind, she was the one who made the first move, but something clicked in Bucky's mind the minute she did. Like, she's very pretty, very successful, he was impressed with her but up until that point, he was too focused on Birdie so when she made the first move, he was like "Ah, okay" 😏

Secondly, I feel like he's trying to make himself love Hazel -even if he is so failing at that-. She ticks all the boxes, she's the person he's supposed to fall in love with and he does like her, like he genuinely does but he's not in love with her 😭 And in his mind, he's supposed to, which brings us to the next point which is; at this point, he can not go for Birdie and he is very much aware of it 😈

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Max had a point in that whole "politician and the young female aide" thing, so does Hazel when she brings it up, and both Birdie and Bucky are painfully aware of it, no matter how much they try to deny it. Bucky just got elected, Birdie has been working for him for a while now, and if it got out that they're together?

It would be a huge scandal because everyone is watching Bucky 😏

And I think it also has a loooot to do with 1940s state of mind that I talked about before, Bucky has adapted into modern times very very well, but we still see flashes of the time he was brought up in, and in that time, one couldn't just...like, yes they did sleep around -just not publicly announce it- but relationships were taken much more seriously than now. So he backed himself into a corner the moment they went out on that date and it became public, because people couldn't just "drop" people with the snap of a finger, it was pretty much frowned upon and I feel like he still has that idea in his mind😁

But yeah, it's...it's gonna be a mess for Bucky and Birdie AND Hazel😏

Thank you so so much for this darling! 🥰

[savagewilderness]

Lestat looks like he's about to faint in various parts of the trial and Sam Reid says Lestat wouldn't go to Magnus's lair on his own so he was clearly forced to be there. It's just clear Armand forced him to.

Sorry to Armandcels and Lestat haters. He was forced.

Oh dear... I did this poll as I am genuinely curious what people think on this topic, not to stir up fan-opposition.

This question popped into my inbox... and on the opposite side, I see there have also been a few comments on this poll implying anyone voting for option 2 has racial bias.

So, I just want to clarify while the poll is still running that I personally voted for (& think) option 3. I do not think we have seen any certain indication things will play out as they do in the books, but the books exist and they are what is being adapted & so the TV show could play out a similar way. Or, it might not! I am interested that a lot of people have voted the same as me, and I am interested that other people have stronger opinions and think 1 or 2 more strongly.

However, the poll is not about what definitely WILL be, but about what you *think* will be, so all answers are valid! I, personally do not think we have enough information to say either way.

To Anon's points, my personal opinions are:

Lestat looks like he's about to faint in various parts of the trial - this is totally true, but we now know Lestat is putting a great deal of energy into trying to save Louis and trying to get an entire, huge audience to do his bidding in order to achieve that. We saw what controlling the soldiers in New Orleans took out of Lestat (exhaustion, bleeding ears) and there were a lot less of them and Lestat was asking less of them too - only to walk out of a building. If anything, Lestat is likely at least a little weaker physically and in terms of his powers at the trial than he was then, following Louis and Claudia's attempted murder and the physical and psychological toll of recovering from that. *Could* this be effects of torture and/or mind control by Armand? Absolutely! It could be! Could Armand have had Lestat locked up and starved? He absolutely could have done! Do we have clear indication either way? As I see it - No we do not. We do not know. And talking of Sam Reid: he has said that he himself does not yet know Lestat's motivations surrounding the trial, thus a lot was played ambiguously or in a few ways so it could have whatever meaning was later required.

Sam Reid says Lestat wouldn't go to Magnus's lair on his own so he was clearly forced to be there - I think Lestat being in Magnus' lair is the closest we have to an indication of something going on. I do not think Lestat would go back there of his own choice. He is also very out-of-it when Louis and Armand arrive, which absolutely does not seem like just Lestat revisiting the castle and remembering... it seems more... also... there was a weird vibe between Lestat and Armand. The vibe could mean that Armand and Lestat have spoken... or it could just be as Armand and Lestat both know that Lestat saved Louis. Or it could be that we haven't seen that scene the way it really played out (as rambling Lestat who *looks small*, whispering to the walls as though back in his moment of turning is very different to a lot more in-control Lestat as the scene goes on, which feels somehow off. But there's nothing as yet to clarify the why of that or the truth of it, if anything was really different. So again - it gives clues all may not be as we have seen, but it is not definitive proof of any specific thing. Is there a scenario where Lestat could just go back to Magnus' lair of his own volition? I mean, off the top of my head, he could choose to punish himself after the trial as Louis is still locked up in a coffin, so not truly saved and he just watched Claudia die horrifically while looking towards him, as her Father. Whatever else, Lestat went to Paris to save Louis, I hope we'll all agree and would he at that time be sure he'd achieved that? I don't think so! Especially if he doesn't have contact with Armand at that time... so either he does have contact with Armand (in which case, something *is* going on with Lestat and Armand) or he doesn't have contact with Armand (in which case Louis could be dead anyway?!) Is that enough to push Lestat to starving himself in a delirious state, torturing himself with the memory of his own turning. It's a possibility! What we can say about Magnus' lair, I think, is that it is torture - whether inflicted by Armand or by Lestat upon himself. In a way, I could argue it's more of a torture if Lestat went there himself. Do with that thought what you wish, people on both "sides"...?!

Would I prefer if things play out similarly to the books? Yes. Because if not, we are VERY far from the feeling of the books. I’m good with all adaptational changes until they take us away from the feeling of the story & the truth of any character. (Apart from when it’s an improvement in a character, such as TV Louis being way better than book-Louis, or necessary changes, for example due to Claudia’s TV age.) And so I'd prefer to get as close as I can to the feeling of the books, to the true Lestat, to the true Armand (although so far, TV Armand is also an improvement on book-Armand to me, which is an absolute MIRACLE to me as I ADORE book-Armand.)

Also, I honestly don't understand. Doesn't everyone adore Lestat AND Armand?!?!?????!?!?!!????

I think most people who voted option 2 will have done so because it’s book canon. The percentage of votes it has surprises me, as an option 3 voter… not least as if the show did go for book-canon here, I would have thought it might want to shock the audience with that revelation. However this poll suggests so far that the audience here would be more shocked if things are simply as we’ve seen...?

Regarding those who’ve replied hoping nothing will ever be definitive that any character says… well, Rolin has said that he wants to leave false memory behind now. I can certainly see people rolling eyes at some of Lestat’s tellings, but I don’t see there being outright obvious *nothing anyone says is ever definitively true* going forth. What an unstable ground to build an entire series upon, if nothing will ever be truth.

I was going to wait till results to comment, but then this question came in.

I desire as close as we can be gifted to book-Lestat too, but my perspective from watching the show is that we just don't know what the story will be yet. This is an adaptation of the books and some things are different. The more I want a certain plot point to be in the show, the more wary I am of expecting it, personally. I would rather acknowledge my truth: that I have no idea what will happen...

(a) because it's true! I absolutely think there is space for them to go in any direction on the spectrum here!

(b) so I won't be disappointed if things are not like any expectation I fix in my mind... which would be only that - my own expectation.

Finally: the poll is about what we *think*, so it is perfectly fine to *think* any of the 3 options! I hope the 40% vote that we cannot know yet indicates that?

I don't understand why there has to be drama? Why is it so wrong if some people, like the Anon here expect something in some way related to the books - given the books exist and also, as the anon says, there are some hints in the show that something is likely going on? Even if they are not definitely in any way clear about what we don't yet know, or to what extent. And why is there a problem that others expect Armand had no further involvement in the trial than Directing it and selling Louis and Claudia out? Given that that's what we've seen so far?

We already know that Lestat won't be in Paris for the reason he is in the books... unless we see the whole New Orleans murder night was different... which is still possible because after all Claudia did write Lestat's last words in her diary, but we never saw Lestat say them... and why didn't Daniel bring that discrepancy up in his S2E8 summation on that topic? He read those words aloud!

But anyway, given we've seen all of the trial, I don't see it as at all likely, them going all the way back to murder night and changing everything/anything significant!!?! If we were going to have seen any change there, why wouldn't it have come out in the trial - that's literally what the trial was about, after all! So Lestat is in Paris from a different motivation and thus already things are changed from the books.

And, as I said before - Rolin has said he wants to get away from memory being the monster now.

Anyway... back to the poll. I just want to know what everyone thinks. There is no morally right or wrong answer. Nobody is deluded or racist for voting a certain option as to what they think *might* happen in the future in a TV show which none of us know the plot for S3 of yet!

I'm just intrigued what percentage of people have a strong enough opinion one way or another to think we have seen enough indication to imply one or the other... and what percentage, like me, think we haven't seen enough to say either way.

That's all. I'll share your poll results tomorrow.

[vindieselsfacebook-blog]

okay after seeing your poll on the unpopular GG opinions I need to hear your thoughts on lane!!! please please elaborate because on first seeing your take I don't agree but I've also never thought about it so I would love to hear your opinion if you feel like it! :))

Ahhh first of all, omg thank you for caring to hear any of my rambling. :') Second of all, pheewwww boy do I have some unpopular Lane opinions lol.

My disclaimer at the top is that I like Lane! She gets so much interesting, flawed characterization that a lot of sidekicks in fiction don't. I can sound like a hater but I think there's this fascinating effect where fans either relate so closely with Lane, they project a lot onto her - to the point of pretending her flaws and mistakes just don't exist - or they flatly reduce her to her endearing strengths and root for her so much as an underdog, they don't engage with any deeper critique and honestly kind of infantilize her and don't hold her accountable for her choices.

Lane is so relatable because her experience speaks to folks growing up in similarly religious, oppressive, and/or culturally specific family units that maybe feel more authoritarian. This is where I must acknowledge that I'm an only child in a white (eastern European mostly) household where I never really clicked with my parents in most ways and was always kind of at peace with that fact. I've always struggled with fully understanding and empathizing with people (both irl and in fiction) who clearly feel so unhappy and/or oppressed by situations, but lack the courage to really do anything about it when it would be fully possible for them.

Lane's mom is cartoonishly restrictive of her and often downright cruel, but at the end of the day, Lane still cares too much what her mother thinks. She still wants to make her happy and internalizes those teachings instead of really pushing beyond them and rebelling like she acts like she wants to. She folds in on herself with a victim mentality constantly that frustrates me. As a kid, I totally get it, but once adulthood looms and she goes along with her mom's college choices for her, tries to make every friend and romantic interest delight in ridiculous charades to keep peace, and doesn't want to have sex before marriage, I get less sympathetic. Grow up, girl! Maybe it's because Lorelai's story is the 180 degree opposite of Lane's. I have so much love and admiration for Lorelai's bold choices, perhaps that's the root of my disconnect with Lane. Again - I totally get that this is shaped by my personal cultural upbringing.

Besides finding it hard to respect this desire to still be mommy's little girl when I don't think her mother has earned that OR that it's a personally satisfying pursuit for Lane, I find her boy-crazy obsessions dull and shallow. In she and Rory's brief S1 conflict where Lane feels ignored by Rory, I kind of can't help but take Rory's side because girl, I'm sorry, I'd be bored as shit hearing you ramble on and on about some dumb dude you don't even know because his hair is cute.

Although I resent the term so much these days, Lane fits the stereotype of "I'm not like other girls" MUCH more than either Rory or Lorelai in my opinion. She's always talking about dumb girls she doesn't like, girls in bands being her competition, etc. I get that's an easy coping mechanism for a girl like her who only has her taste as something she can feel superior to others about because her life is otherwise small, but still. The main characters get that critique but she's always exempt.

So many fans paint with a broad brush claiming Lane's a better friend to Rory than Rory is to her when I feel it's the reverse - Lane requires A LOT of emotional labor. I've heard folks claim she's just as smart - why couldn't she get into an Ivy, too? Well, to start, Lane wouldn't even go if she had the chance because she's too scared to be truly ambitious, she's not the main character of the show, and honestly, why do people think she's so smart? She's no dummy, but she's never portrayed as being especially good at school or interested in academics. That's where I see the projection creep in. People who relate to Lane are angry on behalf of her perceived wasted potential because they feel it about themselves or others they love.

Then of course, we all get mad about her quick marriage and pregnancy, but those are both fully Lane's choices. She's allegedly disagreed with her mom her entire life, but again chooses victimhood in refusing to have sex until marriage and still valuing the oppressive heteronormative life she's always been obsessed with. She was already making progress choosing her independent starving artist life at that point so she can't blame that choice on mommy. You're an adult - learn about contraception if you don't want to get pregnant! Or get an abortion! But no - Lane is a career self-saboteur. Like pushing Henry Cho away, Lane is addicted to struggling and hiding and keeps creating these circumstances for herself long after her childhood under her mom's thumb. She even needed her mom to plan a tour for her and her band.

AND ANOTHER THING (lol sorry, full drunk-uncle-ing now) but I don't think Dave Rygalski's willingness to lie, hide, and change himself for a girl's attention is healthy and gets waayyy too romanticized. Lane would be a nightmare girlfriend.

When fans share dreams of Lane moving to a bigger city, starting an all-girl band, or being successful in the music industry, I can't help but think those aspirations are far more out-of-character than people seem to think. She's just not that girl - and that's ok! Not everyone is. She ends up seemingly happy with her community and family and walks that line having a good relationship with her mom. We maybe hoped for more, but unfortunately she didn't. And just as with so many other things in Gilmore Girls, that rings so bittersweetly true to real life.

[veilkeeper]

I swear this is in good faith but the DSM thing doesn't come off to me as literal? I played through the scene they mention twice and it's a completely natural conversation that solidified behaviors Taash showed prior. They just finally had a chance to talk about it openly.

From the wording of the tweet, it sounds more like they're saying, "it couldn't be any more obvious that Taash is autistic, especially in this scene, but some fans will ignore it anyways" which is, well, true.

I don't know I just think it's ironic that in conversation about an autistic character so many people took a sentence at face value when I don't think it was meant this way.

Again, this is in good faith.

yeah, this point was also brought up to me by a friend, and i agree that my original response may give people the wrong impression on my take on this situation, so thanks for the opportunity to clarify why The Tweet™ bothers me

i think it's pretty obvious to anyone who has played the game and talked to taash that trick consulted more than just the dsm-v in writing them. it's clear that there was an attempt to write that aspect of their character respectfully and true to the lived experiences of real autistic people. whether they were 100% successful on that, i leave for people to judge on their own, i've seen mixed opinions. but for me, i think taash clearly reads as autistic and i never felt like the dialogue with them was forced or unnatural in that way.

my issue isn't really taash's actual writing, but the tweet itself (bsky post? idk what theyre called, this is my only social media). regardless of what other sources trick may have used when writing taash, they decided in that post in particular to use the dsm-v and the diagnostic criteria therein as a "gotcha". imo, the tone of the tweet is basically "i double checked the dsm-v to make sure taash clearly displayed all of the symptoms necessary for an autism diagnosis, but the haters still say they're not autistic", and THAT sentiment icks me VERY MUCH.

autistic people and many many variously neurodivergent/mentally ill people have an extremely complicated relationship with clinical psych, diagnosis, and tools like the dsm-v. there are people who want to be diagnosed but aren't for a lot of reasons (including ableism within the field of psych itself), and people who fight against being diagnosed for fear of their autonomy being taken from them. diagnosis has long been used as barrier to support, and a lack of diagnosis can make people not take you or your symptoms seriously, while being diagnosed can lead to people infantilizing you or treating you as sub-human or as a bomb waiting to go off. it's extremely extremely complicated.

and then trick essentially used "diagnosable" as the be-all-end-all proof that taash is autistic. all to try to "win" an argument with people who, ultimately, will never have their minds changed because they are approaching the conversation in bad faith, anyway (nobody denying that taash is autistic is doing it because they genuinely can't see the signs, let's be so honest with ourselves here). when trick could have just said "i intentionally wrote taash as autistic" and put the issue to bed. or frankly, not said anything at all. i personally think video game writers talk too much about their work on social media in general. as i said before, it was a completely unforced error.

i dont know. it came across as extremely insensitive and reductive to me. i agree trick didn't mean it that way, and it's obvious that they tried to be sensitive when they wrote taash, but this particular post is a major blunder and i don't blame autistic fans for being upset about it. i ALSO think there are people who are blowing it way out of proportion and taking poor phrasing literally, which is also a problem (but this is the dragon age fandom, so can we be surprised? taking things literally and in the worst faith is par for the course).

tl;dr because this got a bit rambly: it icked me, i consider it a blunder, but ultimately it is far from trick weekes' worst crime. i am happy to note it and then move on.

[rotating-hyperfixations]

Yellowjackets Rewatch Thoughts - 01x04

Back from my vacation and am returning to my rewatch grind, join me through the ramblings of my brain;

Nat centric episode!

I forgot they threw you right into the deep end with Nat’s dad

LottieNat crumbs!

Misty immediately fumbling her attempt to comfort Nat after Travis’ death is so on brand, I love adult Misty.

Watching the opening sequence after knowing what happens, it’s an insane how many scenes are highlighted

Also do we think they gave the young cast a camera and told them to just go around Canada being little delinquents and used that footage?

I fear Ben’s season 1 crash out is so valid, Misty was doing too much lol

Jackie and Van being Travis’ biggest ops, I know that’s right

Also, nice to Coach Ben being useful again

Baby Nat didn’t deserve that shit, all she wanted to do was hang out with Kevyn!

Sammy is such a cryptic ass child, I love that kid. Also Simone, while I love TaiVan, I miss you.

Jackie’s fit is immediately showing why she should not be trusted to handle firearms

Van immediately jumping to Nat’s defense, feeding my VanNat childhood besties headcanon

Shauna, you are about to do so much worse without the use of a firearm

Shauna is so sweet with Javi, I’m gonna kill myself. Her stupid, emotional caring ass died with Jackie

Adult Shauna bad decision counter: 3 (I feel like I forgot one)

Travis was such a hater this episode, I have no choice but to respect it (until he points a loaded gun at Nat, then it’s on sight)

Also does Mari being included in the shooting contest mean that she was 3rd best with the gun?!?!

Misty bringing a patient to spy on Nat is peak

Ben sending Nat and Travis into the woods together apparently hours after he pointed a loaded gun at her was certainly a choice, I get that circumstances were dire but I feel like there had to be better options

So far we know that Shauna still eats meat and Tai is a vegetarian, I’m curious where the other survivors stand

Ohh Shauna, trying to relive your teenage years is not going to make the pain go away; but it is sweet to see you try. Also, Shauna does a lot of dumb things this episode, so we’ll leave the counter at 5

Throughout Tai’s politician arc, I’m always surprised she went this route. Partially because of the whole plane crash thing that would clearly come up and be the center of any campaign of hers. But also, she seems like she hates nearly all aspects of politics and sucks in most of the situations she’s in where she’s supposed to be diplomatic.

Jessica Robert’s confused the shit out of me the first time around

Melanie Lynskey is just so charming with Adam it’s almost impossible to believe that she’s the same person who committed atrocities and likely war crimes both as a teenager and adult

Background TaiVan my beloved!

Not Jackie trying to atone for leaving Van on the plane

God, they just had Lottie being cryptic as fuck in all her scenes

I actually think Tai should’ve done a lot worse to that fake ass politician whose name is escaping me

Nat taking the ring off coach Martinez’s finger for Travis, she’s a far better person then me

The beginning of TravNat bonding over their shitty dads is kind of sweet, even if I don’t really ship them

First appearance of slutty lesbian ghost Jackie!

The Adam plot line is kind of intriguing, but I also do not care about this man one bit. Like stop putting straight men in my lesbian media!

Sophie Thatcher acted her ass off this episode, the scene before she kills the dear, her facial expressions are so good

Not Misty raising her hand when Ben asks if anyone wants to try and be the butcher

Whatever’s left of Shauna’s innocence remains, goes out the window when she bleeds out the deer. I know blood lust when I see it

Misty sociopath arc commencing

Also, I see Christina Ricci’s mannerisms have bled into Misty a little bit

[pleucas]

this is said with no malice towards you i love your art!! i like you!!

also not capitalizing chuuya's name even tho i have better humor than this

this is going to be loooong but i never read a more stupid ask….

i don’t hate skk bcs i use my brain and see that they’re actually good and a fun ship when someone isn’t ruining it. what i hate is most skkers being unfunny towards Dazai and the continuous mischaracterization of him just to make chuuya look better (mostly chuuya stans but also dumb Dazai stans are guilty of it)

and no Dazai isn’t the worst and chuuya doesn’t deserve better in fact i think yall can’t handle a person with mental illness and a fake persona he clearly put on people always demonize him so i think saying he’s the worst and chuuya isn’t proves my point. they both EQUALLY did the same bad things Dazai isn’t more toxic than chuuya it’s more like Dazai is the one who’s going back to a toxic ex (mind u chuuya was ready to hurt or maybe even kill some of the ada members people Dazai obviously cares for)

the skk hater? who loves chuuya and hate Dazai because they know chuuya’s character will never be as important or as impactful on bsd universe as Dazai’s noted.

if you love chuuya and hate Dazai your opinion about Dazai is immediately invalid like i think they just know no bsd character can be better written and more interesting than Dazai he's what keeping bsd good (and Fyodor i liked him in the last chapters even more)

imo if chuuya keeps appearing he'll just get boring🤷‍♀️ because most of his storyline is over

Dazai on the other hand always entertaining and deep and there’s a reason he’s involved in everything and never forget everything he did for chuuya stormbringer would be nothing without Dazai helping chuuya from the shadows and chuuya knows it but i guess people will still makes him the bad person in skk when he’s the one trying to change and be better person

also Dazai is someone who’s storyline is still on going as well as we know almost nothing about his past or what actually goes on in his brain i can say three things about his backstory and that’s it.

sorry for rumbling i can’t take that level of stupidity

pls don’t block me im not evil…..

holy shit we got cross-ask beef. this is insane

i'm gonna lowercase Both their names because i think this is the reasonable next step. LOL. & i'll also ramble a bit to match ur freak!

i will strive to clarify that me agreeing that dz=worst chuuya deserves better was, as i specified, "on a generalized scale" — on a very, very, VERY surface level this is a jokey way i've seen a lot of skkers talk about their relationship. more of an inside joke atp ig? idk. srry if that wasnt clear

but i do think it's valid to dislike a ship because you don't like one half of it. i totally get how dz's character can piss ppl off, esp if ure missing lns and mangas (which rimu wasn't, but they watched the anime first so the precedent was set). i found the first part of their thesis to be pretty funny actually, just (again) taking it at face-value.

it's also understandable that they try and dissect dz then miss the mark by a mile LOL. but again, can't be blamed if you hate the guy and thus don't read into him too much, which i think is a reasonable way to consume media... probably more reasonable than me. hence why i didn't respond with my own thesis paper. overall idk man it's not that deep, i've been having fun with rimu and i'd advise y'all to also be silly w/ ur Budgeted RPF Dead Author Yaoi, it'll make things a lot better

abt what you've said, i think dz and chuuya can't exist as true characters w/o each other, unless you fundamentally change their truth. a lot of their good & bad (& inbetween) sides are exposed through their relationship, which i believe is asgr's very interesting way of employing "show-don't-tell." i don't think chuuya's storyline is over, because dazai's isn't, and vice versa. this doesn't mean i don't think they have their own arcs, just that these arcs Must involve the other — if dz's main conflict is good/bad + the mafia, chuuya is his biggest amiable tie to it, and if chuuya's conflict is his self + power, dz must be there for corruption. there's more to say there, but again i don't want to feed rimu's claims of us all being dormant essayists LOL

we got dz glazer and rimu, D1 dz hater. and cheese anon.

[some-internet-stranger]

revalink!!

https://www.tumblr.com/dizzying-faust/614856861677699072?source=share

(Answering that Other ask gave me the motivation to answer this one as well)

Thank you for the ask, it was a TON of fun, even If it took me forever to answer. Also, a little warning, this Post is LONG as HECK and Kind of rambly

Revalink- Ship It!!!!!!!

What made you ship it?

I played Breath of the Wild in 2021 during the lockdown because I was finally bored enough I guess? (Funfact, I actually hated Botw before it came Out, because I was a little hater and didn't Like that the Zelda formula was changing lolol). The important takeaway Here is, that I already knew the Story and all memory cutscenes before I played it. The Other cutscenes Not included were new to me, however.

Revali was the first Champion I ended up saving (revali's gale is the best ability and I needed it for the towers). I was faintly aware of the existence of Revalink but never seriously considered it. Now while I was freeing the Terminals and got Bits and pieces of dialogue I thought that it was funny to interpret Revali having a crush on Link and that being the reason he's so mean to him. And it is funny tbh, but at that Point it was Just a joke to me.

And then came the fight against Wind blight, and oh. The dialogue right before?? The dialogue after?????? I should mention at this point that I played the Game in German, so many translations were different. In english, right before the fight, Revali said something along the lines of "Good luck (...) I only lost because I was winging it" and german He tells Link to be careful ("be careful, you hear me?")(also the delivery of that line, bro, voice actor was Not messing around) This in on itself didn't make me ship it, but it Set the tone.

The scene after the fight when Revali is saved and gives Link His gale... I almost dont know how to Put it into words, but the tension in this Scene? When He Looks at Link as If waiting for him to say something? When He Turns around "nevermind Just Go"??? It feels Like there are so many Things left unsaid, Like There's so much more to be said, even though their relationship is technically wrapped up at this point? It honestly caught me so off guard. Not one Scene with any of the Other Champions has this Kind of tension, Not even mipha (who is a Love interest for Link).

Well, then I went on Tumblr and my fate was basically sealed, lol.

TL:DR: because I played the game

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I Love the Potential of this ship! Theres so many ways how this can be insanely funny (this is one sided rivals to lovers, does it get any better than that?), it can be so incredible sad (death!! Amnesia!! Letting Go!!! One sided!!! Unspoken!!! Not meant to be!!! Lots of Other Things Im forgetting!!)

Its INSANE how Well they Work together, especially since I doubt it was done on purpose.

I have so many more thoughts, but I can't Put them together properly, so I'll leave it at that. The next point is Sort of a continuation of what I Love about this ship anyway

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

The fact that this ship isnt Canon and will/can never be canon is actually one of the best things about it, in my opinion (dont know If its an unpopular opinion)

It fits right in, in a way.

I Love it when two characters are written in a way, were they Sort of complete each other. Where they Share parallels, goals, have opposing personalities that still Match somehow, where they are each Others Drive and Motivation. Where their Stories Just fit so Well together that you know that they were clearly written for each other.

Link and Revali were Not meant to work Well together, Not Like this at least. Of course Revali was written as a foil to Link (correct me If I'm wrong please, I think this was the Case), so them being opposing is intentional.

If you think about these characters for a certain amount of time, Just slightly more in depth, you will find yourself with the revelation that they are so very similar, they would likely be able to be friends If they Just worked through their differences. But they never do! They never have the time/ are too caught Up in pushing others away in their own ways. They could have been something, but never ended Up being.

This ties so nicely into the theme of destiny and fate (kinda.... I feel Like despite setting this Up as a theme, botw doesnt really Go anywhere with it, so it mostly works nicely in fanfiction and such... Although, If you think I missed something about botw, pls let me know. I'm Not an expert on themes)

Theyre doomed by the narrative and the narrative Said they could never be, so they never were (Its kinda fun how that element is true in the real world as Well as in game)(is what I'm getting at)(theyre Not written as Love interests but MAN do they Work as a romantic couple)(cruel, poetic, amazing, ughhh?!???)(them working Well together as a couple was a coincidence, which again, opposes the destiny thing)(this ship has me in a chokehold, can you Tell)

I'm Just saying a bunch of words, I Hope they make sense... I might have also went off the rails a bit... Eh

If you're still here, thank you so much for reading!!

I do actually really Love answering my Inbox and playing ask games, pls dont let my imcompetence to answer them in a timely manner discourage you from sending one😅😅

[mindshelter]

HI doing my kyle readthrough (up to oyl) rn and i must know what are some of your fav issues/arcs 🙏 and if there's anything u think i should just skip. if ur feeling hateful enough

HI i appreciate this ask a lot i don't know if i count as any paragon of kyle expertise but... well. that's never stopped me.

if you're up to oyl you're pretty far along, and i assume you'd seen a handful of reading guides that nudge you towards all of gl (1990) #48-181 and its surrounding crossovers, including zero hour (1994) and final night/parallax: emerald night (1996). i derive most of my takes on his character from this era.

green lantern rebirth and gl publications thereon are often (in)famously authored by mr. geoff johns, so i cannot in good conscience integrate most of that body of work into my belief system. that being said! it does include the buildup to ion (2006) #1-12, which, while not perfect, has phenomenal art and is also pretty key to kyle's whole ethos. the buildup to ion is the following:

green lantern: rebirth (2004)

green lantern corps: recharge (2005)

rann/thanagar war: infinite crisis special (2006)

ion (2006)

if you're not allergic to ensemble comics, he is also a frequent cast member in jla (1997) for the first 70 or so issues; it's a good place to look to see him foster relationships with other members of the dc universe (like wally, whose friendship with kyle is basically nonexistent nowadays but i have not forgotten) and gradually gain confidence as gl. some highlights include:

jla (1997) #1-7 — he's such a rookie here. he's clearly very new to the game and nervous about it, so it's a good look into how he started off and what he grew from.

jla/titans (1998) #1-3

jla (1997) #16-17

jla (1997) #32-46 — tie-ins to no-man's land, hal's return as the spectre in #35, and the world war iii/tower of babel storylines.

green lantern: circle of fire (2000) — starts about here, in terms of publication timeline, but portrays a version of kyle that is still relatively new to the jla. the kylealex worms are here.

jla (1997) 47-68, #70, #72-75

jla (1997) #76 — kyle's final issue in the JLA's main rotation, as a tie-in for the later events in gl (1990). john steps in for him.

as for standalones, personal recommendations, or just random appearances i happen to remember:

green lantern/flash: faster friends (1996) #1-2 — (to an empty auditorium) WALLY AND KYLE WOO! WOO!

total justice (1996) #1-3 — more budding hero kyle. wally is a hater. tim is also there.

dc universe holiday bash (1996) #1 — kyle goes to synagogue and beats white supremacists :)

dc universe holiday bash I (1997) #1 — connor and kyle go holiday shopping. very cute also.

adventures in the dc universe (1997) #11 — kyle and wonder woman hang out! he also gets bullied by children and falls into a sewer.

superman (1986) #159, #165, #170

batman chronicles (1995) #15 — be fucking nice bruce

green lantern 3D (1998) — standalone. jen and kyle being cute.

green lantern secret files and origins (1998) #1-3

green lantern 80-page giant (1998)

flash 80-page giant (1998) — kyle appears for two pages but it's of wally asking him about alex because he's worried about his own relationship. kyle gets very sad and visibly withdrawn to the point that wally apologizes. VERY FUNNY.

(final note: THANKS! i am so flattered. was it because of the kyle slayner shooba wooba cherry pie brownie cake post. i rambled on for way longer than i thought i would. i hope this is helpful, and happy reading!)

[worldsetfree]

Do you think Aizen would be terrified of Yog-Sothoth? Or Nyarlathotep? How would you insert Lovecraft into bleach? I like bleach because to me it’s close to evangelion in terms of story and imagery. It works better as a sienen tbh.

Thank you for reaching out!

So, while I have soooome exposure to Lovecraft's works like The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Colour Out Of Space, I must admit that I am still swimming near the surface of the Cthulhu Mythos. I'll try my best to answer these, but sadly I'm a bit ill-equipped.

This will also get into some analysis of Aizen and fear in particular. Broke the answers up for readability (minor spoiler for the end of Bleach ahead):

I don't know enough yet to speak on Yog-Sothoth, but I will add The Dunwich Horror to my reading list and come back and update this someday. Apologies.

1. Aizen Sōsuke vs Cthulhu and Friends

(Sōsuke why)

Nyarlathotep, as I understand, is a bit of an oddball. It's something to be feared, sure, but its gambit involves working with lesser beings more, so it doesn't present with the same oomph of other monsters. While it's clearly something Aizen would see as a threat (and treat accordingly), it's very difficult to gauge how much fear he would have of this thing. Nyarlathotep reminds me a little bit of Gin and Aizen himself (though much less so), if I'm honest...

In general, terror is an essential element of the Cthulhu Mythos. Facing incomprehensible aberrations, body horror, and "gibberish but make it scary" languages inherently induce fear, right? But I think the extent of Aizen's reaction depends on where he is in his "1000 Steps to Become a God and Flex on Them Haters" Plan. But his relationship with fear is something I can ramble more about!

1.1. Aizen and Fear

I did want to touch on this topic further because I really enjoy how Kubo plays with fear and uses Aizen to subvert convention a little.

I love that Kubo deploys this character arc within both Ichigo and Aizen, I think it creates intrigue and adds a lot of depth to an already fantastic villain. Things like this are why I fixate on this character! His jawline and smouldering gaze do not help-

Like archetypal villains, Aizen is presented as something to be afraid of. Recall that his heel turn begins with him stabbing the image of innocence in the chest, and that horrific act is only the tip of the iceberg! He's The Big Bad- he has to be scary, and he's very effective in that role. But diving in a little deeper, we see that Aizen's relationship with fear is not entirely what you'd expect of a villain, and I think that's so interesting!

Contrary to his ego and unlike most villains, Aizen doesn't act like he's above being afraid. During the Deicide chapters (and again at the end of the series), he talks about fear and how it's necessary for evolution, and we see him undergo metamorphoses in the face of adversity; against Urahara, then when Gin kills him, then again against Ichigo himself... That kind of behaviour, that "rising above the challenge" and his recognition and use of the Indomitable Human Spirit is typical of a protagonist's journey, not the antagonist! It's a really unexpected and optimistic take from him, and it further blurs the line between good and evil as Aizen loves to do!

2. Cosmic Horror and Bleach

I 100% agree that Bleach (especially early Bleach) has the most horror elements of the Big Three. Its story elements of death and gods lend themselves quite well to something spooky~~

I'm still intrigued by the idea of adding some eldritch elements to Bleach, so I don't want to expand too much, but there are some easy targets for incorporating these kinds of things; like Gin (as I mentioned earlier), the Soul King, the Hollows... Though I should note that when I think of adding cosmic horror to Bleach, Junji Ito's works are what comes to my mind moreso than Lovecraft.

But, diverging from the canon and playing with it is the beauty of fandom, so I don't want to be perscriptive! Go, imagine, invent! There's all kinds of room to play!

[quietbluejay]

I thought of something funny I could do which is weekly dose of (hopefully funny) haterdom and weekly dose of positivity

Positivity: I am doing a lot better health wise! Hurrah! Also I'm going to start doing a Fate readthrough/commentary on Fate Day and maybe post it here if I don't have 10 million things on the ball. Also every* person who interacts with my posts gives me strength, i'm not gonna give a whole list of names but I appreciate all of you

*except the jerks though they are thankfully rare. for you, jerks, i will post more embarrassing content as the stygian depths of despair whirl in our collective ocular orbs. Yes, the ridges of Ahriman's undulant pectorals are approaching... (I'm thinking of doing redo of A Thousand Sons which was my first commentary attempt because clearly I enjoy suffering)

haterdom rambling under the cut because Laura, in revenge for everything I've done to her, decided to take over

(people still call it "the cut", right? I've been calling it that my entire internet existence, I don't know what else people call it except maybe "readmore")

Haterdom: wait. give me a minute. I don't actually have anything I'm feeling particularly hatery about in my life that isn't related to RL and being a hater about it here just makes me look like an ass. Or whiny. Which I am, let's be fair, but I do try to avoid yelling about RL into the internet void where the public can see. Also I was a hater last night about a fic that had random bashing in it (it's for a fandom I don't talk about here so no this isn't about Prowl) but again I don't really like talking about fics i hate on the public internet so, no, you don't get specifics.

I was also kind of a hater yesterday in my head about "man why is it when i find a fic (or novel sometimes) with a really cool premise but I hate the main pairing or it just seems tacked on, I give the fic a shot and then eventually the pairing becomes more and more front and centre and I drop the fic and I'm like man this is so unnecessary why did it need to have romance the plot was perfectly good on its own without this added element" (again this is specifically about a fic for a fandom I don't talk about on here (NOT the one with the bashing, this one didn't really have bashing and the one bit that could maybe be considered this is arguably a valid character interpretation), but it's a repeated pattern for me because most plotty fics in the fandoms I'm in have romance), and I have learned just not to pick up these fics but also when I'm really unwell I tend to read stuff I don't normally just for the sake of having something to focus on like when I was reading some of Mercedes Lackeys' worst novels on the super crowded train in Poland to stave off having an hour long anxiety attack. Anyways. Why do people feel the need to stick romance into long plotty stories. I mean I know the answer is "they want to write romance, bluejay, you jerk". But whyyyyyyy. Especially when it's the "time travel to when we were kids" type. Why do these authors write things that are compelling TO ME but also add in elements that are anti-bluejay.

Okay, first off, I have no objection to romance if it's well done. I like a good romance! But emphasis on "good". A lot of these just like, take the pairing as a given and do not do the work to sell you on the pairing and build it up and maybe that's fine if you just want to read idk slow burn for the sake of slow burn or werewolf forbidden romance for the sake of forbidden werewolf romance (...this one is me vagueing a published novel, Holly Lisle I have NOT forgiven you for The Secret Texts) or you like the pairing already. For me though even if I am neutral it will make me start anti-shipping them.

maybe this is just me reading the wrong genre

anyways

i guess i should just stick with warhammer novels.

they do not betray me in this way.

they betray me in other ways, let's be real, but this specific type of romance betrayal? nah

for crying out loud Tyrion/Alarielle was managed better than most of these in the third of the Tyrion&Teclis omnibus

hm. that was a lot of salt. maybe I should not do these. maybe i should not publish this. I don't think I was very funny here.

...nahhhhh I'm doing it. Be free, salt! Go into the world!

apropos of nothing but I love umeboshi.