#again I myself have had desire to do similar things because sometimes people are being wrong in my notes

[daisywords]

I think a part of being on tumblr is that when you make a rebloggable post you are not starting one conversation but in fact making a jumping off point for many other people to say tangential things on their own blogs. and it can be frustrating as the op to feel like people are getting off topic, but sometimes people on this website are cataloguing their own collection of esoterica in ways only comprehensible to them and the way they tagged the post was not addressed to you, the op, or your larger point, even though you can see all of it. (sometimes people are intending to enter your conversation space and are being wrong in there though. the problem is that mechanically this can look identical). I have been on both sides of this and yes it can be very frustrating as the op of something that gets spirited away to tangents beyond your original intention and context but you do have the option to turn off notifications if it bothers you that much. instead of getting angry at people using the website for various of its intended purposes

[drdemonprince]

i recently joined a discord server for a kink ive held my entire life and repressed out of shame, something i thought i would ever do in my life. initially it was really great, the reception was awesome and i had a lot of euphoria being in that space! but literally for the first time in my life, i stopped being aroused by that kink. i have had waves of sex repulsion come and go but this was not it, it was like nothing. which scared me a little bit, because i did not want to feel that way. i sort of had to retrain myself to be aroused by it but it doesn’t feel like to the same degree, and was wondering if there is possibly any explanation for this kind of occurrence bc it was very new to me

Is it possible you are getting "the ick" because the reality of your long-buried shame-filled fantasy is a lot more mundane and, frankly, unsexy than the forbidden and impossible seeming stuff that plays in between your ears when you're jerking off?

I think that sometimes our shame and the intense emotional charge of our inner erotic lives can lead us to romanticize what we are into (even if half of the romance is a dark sorrow over how our kinks are forbidden). And then, once we're in an actual kink community talking to guys in utility kilts with crumbs in their beards about manga and shit in between scenes, things suddenly don't seem so scary or alluring anymore, and our desire dries right up. You might even think to yourself something like: this is it? And wonder why you spend so much goddamned time agonizing over your kinks, if realizing them was just going to look like attending a grungy potluck and making out with someone who tastes like cigarettes and Mr Pibb.

At times, a similar revulsion has happened to me, Anon. I spent so many years cooking up a gauzy, illicit fantasy of hypnotically surrendering to an owner who would take hold of my entire body and mind (all while beating myself up for wanting such a dark thing) that then I was turned off when I finally got to venture into the real-life hypnokink community and mostly saw a bunch of novelty party-tricks being exchanged noncommittally between perfectly nice, tame, safe, unvillainous people. I wasn't going to get kidnapped, drugged, and brainwashed by Hannibal Lecter like I'd always hoped/feared; to realize my hypnotic fantasies I'd have to fucking network with a bunch of normal-ass people, and hopefully find some nurse's assistant from aurora illinois with three kids and an asthmatic dog who wanted to play around with me for like an hour before getting back to their regular life with all their regular problems. It sometimes felt like so much goddamned work to negotiate a scene that didn't remotely touch the edges of my intense fantasies, and it was all so coated in the material of everyday life that it no longer felt like an escape. The disappointing nature of mundane reality meant that sometimes I wanted to give up and stop trying to realize my fantasies at all.

I'm not sure if this is precisely what is happening for you, Anon, but I do think that after fighting back waves and waves of shame for years and finally succeeding and conquering it, there can be a kind of crash where you're not ashamed of what you wanted anymore, but you are a little ashamed of how much goddamned effort it all was and how much you made it into a Big Deal mentally when it really wasn't a big deal at all. It can feel like a let down, especially if the shame is part of what made the kinky fantasy seem so darkly compelling.

The only way to get over it is to give yourself some time to feel however it is you're going to feel, and maybe take a break from the kink community in question if that's what you'd truly like to do, and then return to it again with more tempered, mundane expectations when you're ready to let the kink just be a silly collaborative improv activity that some humans do together. Or you can go back to furtively writing smut about it, if it's the idea of the fantasy you like more than the reality.

[starlightbooklove]

Ok, I finally saw Journey to Bethlehem and I can't begin to express how much I loved it, I'm a very difficult person to like a full musical, which is why movies like west side story and in the heights I only liked a few songs, like as movies in general they are good, but not to my personal taste.

Furthermore, the Christian film market usually ranges from very similar, commercial and honestly boring films, to 'reinterpretations' that remove plots and things that do not go at all with the Original material So I wasn't too confident in how good the trailer looked but I was willing to give it a look, thank goodness I did.

As a Christian who was raised in the church with a Christian family, my view of religion was quite Biased by their way of looking at it Which wasn't bad, but I was focused on the religious point of view sometimes excessively, so over time as I grew up and got to know the world around me, I moved away from that, And then after I grew up I returned to wanting to learn for myself without biased opinions about the Bible and to be able to understand it and really feel what everyone said they felt.

And so I came to the conclusion that You can save your self a Lot of time, if you just read the bible as what it is: a book, full of human people with a lot of imperfections, murky, miraculous, heartbreaking, crazy, steamy and even funny (yes, I'm not lying) stories. Religion, so focused on an idea that sometimes not even the Bible itself shares, forgets the human part that fills the stories, which is not very described in it either, but that one can easily interpret.

And thanks to this, criticism of Christians is very well founded on several occasions, and many people have the mistaken idea that the Bible is a 'holy book of holy people'.

That there is nothing more false, the book is holy or is different, unique and/or sacred because of how it was written and because of the stories that happen in it And how accompanied by prayer and the real desire to want to know, you can learn a lot no matter how many times you read it, not because of the people who lived them.

Who were they, let me tell you the test of God's patience.

Do you know Moses? The dude who divided the sea (by God's guidance), did you knew that (this one's funny), thanks to the people he brought out of Egypt after the plagues and that he have to spend 40 years with them in the desert? 🙃 no, it's not a joke and no, it's not an interpretation, literally thanks to the almost constant disobedience of the Israelis after being liberated they were punished with that, and the worst thing is that God had reasons, and I'll give you an example of that, these people decided to worship a damn golden cow that they built Because Moses had taken a long time to return from talking to God (when he went to look for the commandments ironically) less than a year after being freed by God from slavery.

Moses broke the first tables of commandments out of anger, and had to go look for them again, I repeat, no, I'm not playing, this is how it happened in the Bible And it was not only for this reason that they had to stay, it was a list of things that these people did, having as a testimony and example just by being free, still had Incredible faith problems.

The generation that left Egypt never saw or lived in the promised land, the only one who saw it out of mercy was Moses, but it was the descendants who managed to enter the promised land.

Haaa, bet you didn't knew that..

So, as you can see, no, not holy and/or perfect people at all. You might wonder, what does this have to do with the movie? And I will answer you, sorry, i got inspired, but the thing is, this is basically the context of why I liked it so much.

Journey to Bethlehem, it is the story of the birth of Jesus if we remove the religion and the holy holy beautiful peacefull look that some churches like to sell, and start to unite our 4 neurons and think about what, humanly, those people thought and did under the context of that time With fire songs, good performances, very good acting, and Milo (I'm not going to elaborate, I'll just say that I gained a tremendous crush on this man lmao)

And I want to list my favorite points from this in the movie.

-The representation of Mary

Arguably my favorite part of the movie, like, this woman really made me feel what it must have been like for her to carry the son of God.

Because N1: Mary is painted as this woman rejoicing in the news that she will become pregnant overnight when she is engaged, not married, in a patriarchal society With around 1000 laws about what you can and cannot do and the things you cannot do are punishable by death, One of them being being pregnant or having a child out of marriage 🙃🤭 what a blessing right?

And N2: For years Mary has been said to be holy and worshiped when she probably wouldn't approve of that herself, since she grew up with scriptures that said they couldn't worship idols. And they made her an idol. Something to make clear is that the only holy human, biblically speaking, is Jesus. Mary was a virgin, not a saint, she had more children with her husband after having Jesus, she had a life beyond him.

And this movie brings that out, it makes the most of it and I love it.

It shows what a struggle it must have been for her to have such a burden on her, she was young (in those days people married young), perhaps a teenager, Yes, they were raised differently and at the end of the day he was about to get married, but still, as I said, the Bible leaves out a lot of the human factor.

It can say that it passes a beginning and an end but it does not give you the means to connect both parts In the Bible, Mary respectfully accepts the news that she is going to have a baby, and the film respects that, but Mary was human, you know the fear and absolute madness must cause that an angel to appear to you out of nowhere and tell you that you are going to have a son who is going to be savior and king and then disappear (appreciation for the angel Gabriel btw My man would be me if i was an angel lmao) How the hell do you explain that to your parents? To your fiancé, no matter how versed everyone was in the scriptures, no one, NO ONE thought Jesus was going to be born from a humble virgin, Literally part of the reason (spoiler alert lmao) Jesus was killed was because no one believed that the king they were waiting for was a simple carpenter who was born in a manger. This probably included Mary herself, certainly her parents, and much more, Joseph. And she knew it, of course she knew it, she knew it was true but she had to know how hard it was to believe it and how much trouble she could get into for being pregnant. It's kind of expected that Mary would have doubts, rightly so which is why I love love the song "mother to a savior and king" i just feel that it had to be exactly what she thought.

... Give me eyes to see

Just how I can be

Carrying your son when I need You

To carry me

...Should a miracle feel like an anchor

Bringing shame upon my family

This burden is too heavy

I need strength to be

A mother to a savior and king

... You said, "Do not fear"

So Lord, if you are here

Help me have the faith you have in me

Give me eyes to see just how I can be

Mother to a savior

When I need saving

Like aaaa Chills, literal chills And I love it because it doesn't occur to people how society must have seen Mary, we see it as a blessing because we know how it all ended, but they didn't know. And they lived in a very very different society, if everyone had found out, they would have stoned Mary, that is the reality that they don't talk much about at Christmas.

Another fact that I liked is that Mary had to travel, traveling in this time does not imply the same as traveling in that time, with her 9 months of pregnancy (Because she gave birth as soon as she arrived in Bethlehem) on a donkey 🙃🙃🙃🙃 I don't think I have to elaborate much, i love how they portrayed here. You can say people knew how things were, they were used to it, yes, but Maria had never been pregnant and no matter how adapted you are to something, You can't erase the physical challenge of traveling with a giant belly in those conditions.

And let's not even talk about the birth, where they were in the city that: it was full of soldiers seeking to kill her and her baby, they broadcast the news that they would be killing babies and pregnant mothers In search of finding her, which is why they did not find asylum and had to go to a stable.

I think with the idea of ​​☺️ ah, Jesus was born in a manger ☺️We forget that 💀 oh, Jesus was born in a manger 💀 I don't know about you, but I think that is not the ideal place to give birth And yet the representations of that are so sugar coated We literally have a song called "Silent Night" tell me, explain to me what part of giving birth where the animals and their excrement are because an entire army is chasing you trying to kill you, sounds like a peaceful night????

Another detail is that Joseph (who I am obviously going to talk about) logically had to act as midwife for Mary, because no one was with them, no one wanted to be with them, that sounds like a horror story honestly, and no, I'm not taking away from how beautiful the whole purpose of Jesus is and everything is.

I am only pointing out the facts, which are raw and very Real about a situation like this, this was the reality as it is written, the Bible leaves things out But the rawness in several acts is never lacking.

One last thing to add is that I was afraid at first that they would portray Mary as a feminist ahead (by centuries) of her time But in an annoying and very political way because of how the movie started, And that they were going to make her not want the pregnancy and make it as if they had violently forced her, thank God that didn't happen, i loved her, The actress did a tremendous job interpreting her with personality without losing the respect (that is noted in the Bible) Mary had for God and the giant task she was given, and I actually liked that twist That perhaps Mary and Joseph did not know each other before they got engaged, which would not be unusual at that time. And that Mary said at the beginning of the movie that she believed she was destined for bigger things 🙃.They give more personality to this icon that we all have of her and I love it.

-The representation of Joseph

Starting with the fact that I have a big fat crush now on Milo Mannheim thanks to him (not important at all actually)

I think everyone, whether Christian or not, knows that Joseph is a secondary character every time the story of Jesus' birth is mentioned, even invisible I dare say. And I was always curious because of how he leaves after he is born in the Bible, it is simply not mentioned again and this is why I think there is this kind of unconscious belief that Jesus only had one parental figure and that was Mary.

When this can easily be contradicted by the little information we have in the Bible; Joseph was known as Joseph the carpenter, and who ended up being a carpenter? (Flashbacks to Sabrina lmao) Jesus, No matter how holy and amazing he was, Jesus grew up having to learn things, he wasn't born knowing, and obviously Mary didn't teach him how to work with wood so it's pretty logical to think that his stepfather (idk How to call it) taught him. That even if we leave this out (which is after the birth of Jesus) Joseph was THE man ok And this is with biblical foundation, he believed Mary and decided to continue with the wedding despite how crazy it all sounded, he helped her during the trip to Bethlehem, ALONE, he had to practically attend the birth

And the film captures that so, so well, I have no words to describe how impressed and excited I was to see how they highlighted so many things that I knew because yk, they are in the Bible but I hadn't been aware of noticing before.

How difficult it must have been for him to make the decision to believe Mary (which, let's be honest, takes a lot of faith to believe something like that) To follow her, and his song, my God, his song is so good. It's perfect for showing a morally gray human decision and the way he delivered that presentation ugh I just feel from my heart that it was exactly what Joseph thought. Cause:

I'm completely torn in two

Half of me believes her,

while the other half needs proof

This was no inmaculate conception

Just the ultimate deception

Gilty to the bone we should have her stoned now

Wait don't you throw your stoned no don't yoy judge her i look into her eyes i think i love her

I just 🫠🫠🫠 Jesus Christ

You don't come out of that movie without half falling for Joseph and that's something I never imagined saying in my life lmao

It was a very human way, full of personality and commitment, to portray the character. beyond the attractiveness of both the actor and the goofy personality they gave him. They gave it this degree of seriousness and part of the story that shows very clearly what they themselves say in the film and that is that God did not choose only Mary, She couldn't do everything she had to do alone, and among those things was raising a child that was given to her overnight and that she had to carry for nine months, and that does not deviate from history even though there are those who say no, it is written but I think it needed the human interpretation for people to see it, as I feel that they need with many stories from the bible. They definitely took their liberty to create the love story and I'm not complaining, I never thought at all that there must have been a lot of love both between them and for God for them to be able to go through all of that, And I like to believe that if it was like that, the love they had for each other, because only someone who loves another person so much is willing to go through all that, cause very easily Joseph could receive confirmation from God that what Mary said was true and say well, that's not my problem, but he decided to take responsibility with her, Which shows why God chose them, so yes, it has its freedoms but I don't think it is essentially far from reality.

Herodes

O. M. GOOOOODDD.

Antonio Banderas ate with his performance because damn I could feel the arrogance, the complete pleasure that those kings had for being rich and powerful, with that man And he didn't have much screen time, despite how comical he gets at times he manages to show how dangerous Herod was.

That, they didn't show it but that man ordered babies and pregnant mothers to be killed in the end, just for fear that they would take away his throne and his power, out of complete caress. And Antonio showed a funny and iconic man but also dangerous and capable of that and, and also they gave him the best song.

And i'm not Even joking, 'good to be king' is what Disney tried (and failed) to do with "Wish", It has all the magic and that lyricism that shows rough and raw things with incredible music That sticks to you despite how bad the bad guy is, from the villain songs of Disney's 2D movies, It's at the level of "poor unfortunate souls" and the Interpretation, God It's one of the best parts of the movie, weeks go by and I still can't get it out of my head

Finally, the relationship of Mary and Joseph.

I feel that all our lives, after thousands of times telling us the story of the birth of Jesus, the relationship of Mary and Joseph never had any importance beyond their role in the birth. So I loved the representation of that here, the way they took this theme of a planned marriage, which could very easily have been a reality, Along with the human and emotional reaction that these people must have had at the time, they give life and depth to Mary and Joseph, with the pros and cons.

With how difficult it was but also how strong they must have been as a couple to carry out the huge task they had, it made me see it from a more human point of view and give more value to their relationship.

They took their liberties, there are things that are super funny and have that absurd touch, but it is a story full of a lot of respect for the source, and full of a wonderful and human interpretation of of this great story, You don't feel it is religious, because it isn't, the music isn't just there and they are all very good (something that doesn't happen with all musicals).

And it is simply beautiful, it is made with love and it shows, they took advantage of every penny of their budget and put out this piece of art that I feel everyone should see for Christmas And that I would like to tattoo permanently on my brain lmao.

Go watch it, it's absolutely worth it.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading my entire almost essay of the movie, I hope you find your Joseph in life🫶😂

[pomefioredove]

i love ur character analysis posts .. whag do you think of azul . he gets written really ooc sometimes but u nail every character soooo

ALRIGHT. preemptive apology. this gets kind of depressing because I relate to azul on a personal level. I don't think about him as much as I should... so.

azul is driven by fear.

going through something traumatic, like bullying, or abuse, or isolation, or anything, can make you more bitter and resentful towards yourself than that which traumatized you. I have a tendency to blame myself for what other people do to me. not my actions, mind you, not something specific I said or did, but for simply being... me. I think azul works in a similar way. I think he hated himself, hates himself, for just being. and he punishes himself pretty harshly for it.

he's terrified of being the azul who was traumatized. he has this innate desire to kill and bury the him who was hurt, not because he doesn't recognize them, but because he recognizes them too much. he hates them. he resents them. he blames them. he blames himself, and so he punishes himself.

it's misleading. it feels like moving on, but all it really is is repression. and you end up doing a lot of things to yourself that you regret. I went through a pretty extreme version of this after I got away from my abuser. I forced myself to adopt a new personality, I moved, I even had my name legally changed. I also destroyed every single picture of me that I could find. it's coping but it doesn't help, not really, it just feels like running away. it's never enough and you always have this sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach that you will always be that person. weak, helpless, afraid.

living through something that takes your autonomy and shatters your sense of self, such as abuse, or bullying, makes you feel powerless. azul does what he does because he wants control. he wants to feel powerful. he wants to feel safe. he can never, ever be weak again, because he blames own weakness for making him a victim. he does not want to be a victim.

but his need for control ends up isolating him just the same, anyway. he's... sort of friends with the tweels, but not really, and he has no one else at NRC. he was so obsessed with not being at the bottom of the social order that he made his own order, put himself at the top, and is still lonely. he wants to be respected. he wants to be needed. but he doesn't want to be needy, no, he's so mistrustful and refuses to let himself rely on others to the point where he's still... alone.

"azul" becomes more of a brand than a person. everything about him is so meticulously crafted that he can't even breathe without lying. it's just second nature to him at this point. there's still a very scared and very sad child somewhere in him, and he is doing everything in his power to hide them. and it's exhausting to live as if you're always being judged. I think he lacks a sense of self.

he cannot be a victim. that's his whole personality. he refuses to even believe he was a victim. he moves from one extreme to the other, becoming someone who victimizes others, perpetuating the cycle. I think that victims find comfort in being bad people because it makes our trauma feel justified. we can't seem to accept that abuse happens for no reason, so we find new ways to blame ourselves. "I deserved it because I'm a bad person", but you're not, so you start doing bad things to make it feel like you are. it's about control. and it's all a facade.

I like azul. I wish the narrative would go a little further with him and this idea. I think he's a sweetie he just has such a deep-rooted hatred of himself that he's repulsed by the mere idea of letting his guard down.

I don't usually read azul fics so this all might be how people characterize him anyway, idk, I'm going off memory lol

[luna-spring]

final thoughts about "the secret history" by donna tartt

Okay, y'all! It's finally here!

I have so much to say about this book now that I'm done with it. First of all, it was a long and demanding read, mostly because some of it was very slow. Sometimes it seemed pointless — now I understand that we need it to see Richard's mental decline, to realize what an unreliable narrator he is — and because, at times, I felt way too dumb to comprehend what was happening.

That being said, I do not believe I've ever truly understood what an "unreliable narrator" was until I read this book. I'm quite used to being a spectator when I'm reading — almost like I'm seeing a play and the characters are on a stage. Or even, I feel like I am the character and actively part of the tale.

With The Secret History, it was an odd in-between, mostly because we're reading an autobiography/memoir. We see things from Richard's perspective — his romanticized eyes. I truly believed Henry was this master-genius, "kind-hearted" person, when in reality, he just used and manipulated the people around him as he pleased, as he saw fit, and Richard only realized this when he served Henry's purpose and then was once again kept in the dark and treated coldly. It was honestly my biggest disappointment; I fell for his act like a little duck.

Another big example of how Richard is an unreliable narrator is every time he speaks of Camilla. It honestly made me dislike her very much, just because he saw her in such an angelical light that clearly wasn't accurate, so we never actually got to know Camilla for who she was. All we know about her is filtered through Richard and his borderline obsessive desire.

In a similar light, there's Julian, and I don't even have much to say here because Richard himself acknowledged he wanted to see Julian as this "saint-like" authoritative figure — and once again, I fell for it until the spell was broken and the masks fell. Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about Francis or Charlie for that matter because... well, they aren't very likable, and I don't have much to say regarding either of them. I would love to hear what other people have to say about them because, to me, they are just not at all compelling.

And then, there's Bunny. I don't even know where to start with this character. I think I can start by saying the very obvious: he was an arsehole, and I don't feel bad about his death. He was ungrateful, petty, and outright rude in every aspect of his personality. He wouldn't ever take a hint (or pretended he didn't), he took advantage of others without a second thought, and he liked to make others feel bad and embarrassed — not to mention he was blatantly dumb. However, we will never know for sure how much of that is true since Richard can be so biased toward certain people as he pleases. It took me one month and a half to get through it, and I'm not going to lie, at times I had to force myself to keep going because an awful lot of it felt uninteresting — mostly because I didn't really care about or feel attached to any particular character. They're complex, sure, but I needed a whole lot more to get myself to... for lack of a better word, vibe with them.

Everything happened way too fast, and it felt hollow at times. This is a personal preference — I enjoy a form of media way more once I can really dive into the details and read between the lines. I understand that this may have been the author's intention; it was life, and you don't clearly remember everything that happened years later, and you certainly don't know every detail. For example: what was Henry's accident? How did it happen? What did he whisper in Camilla's ear right before shooting himself? There are so many unanswered questions, and I get that's because it is reflecting life, but by God, I don't like the unfinished feeling it left behind (which I assume is also intentional since Richard didn't die).

Overall, it was a long and difficult read, but good nonetheless. I also feel like it is way too long — unnecessarily so. It gives me the impression that the whole thing could be wrapped up in about 300 pages because so much of it led to nowhere.

Anyway, it's not one of my favorites, but I'm glad I read it.

Favourite Quote:

But isn't it also pain that often makes us most aware of self? It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and no thing hurts along with one's burned tongues and skinned knees, that one's aches and pains are all one's own. Even more terrible, as we grow older, to learn that no person, no matter how beloved, can ever truly understand us.

[madamejadex]

miss jade,

hello! this is my first time asking something here (19, she/her)!

I was wondering if you'd had any experience with people who have trauma? 🤍 If you do, how do you/they work through that? (besides, of course, outside resources like therapy!! which are fabulous)

To give context (hopefully not dump it all on you!!)- I was raised catholic with heavy purity culture. It can make intimate stuff so tough, especially learning to accept myself all on my own (as a single virgin). I often feel so excited about exploring things, but about midway through, I tend to overthink everything and panic a bit :(

hope you are doing well 🤍 also, could I be 🍐?

Hello there, darling. Welcome and thank you for such a thoughtful and brave question. Now, to be transparent, I haven’t had a partner with this specific experience you're going through, but I have known people very close to me who’ve walked a similar path. I’ve also had partners who’ve carried different kinds of trauma, and what I’ve learned, time and time again, is that healing isn’t linear. There will be soft moments of discovery, and sometimes, there will be setbacks and both are okay.

Purity culture, especially when tied to religion, can plant such deep, tangled roots of shame. It teaches us that our desires are something to hide or be ashamed of… when in truth, they are natural, human, and beautiful. Let me say this clearly for you, my darling:

✨ There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting pleasure. ✨ There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a woman who desires. ✨ And you are allowed to explore those desires safely, sweetly, and on your own terms.

It’s not unusual for the mind to pull back or panic mid-exploration. That’s your body trying to protect you based on old wiring, not because you're broken or doing anything wrong. You’re simply unlearning a script that was never written with your joy in mind.

What you’re going through is a process. You will learn that you're not alone. And eventually, you’ll discover what it means to feel safe in your own skin, not as a sinner, but as someone worthy of pleasure, of softness, of release.

And through it all, remember this: You are the master of your own life. Not the culture you were raised in.

So take your time, darling. Let it be slow. Let it be gentle. You don’t need to rush toward healing or intimacy, you just need to keep reaching for it with kindness toward yourself. That is enough.

And yes, that sweet little 🍐 is yours now. Come back anytime, and I’ll be right here to hold your hand through the questions that follow.

xo Miss Jade 🤍

[cinderella-ish]

How Labeling Characters "Good" or "Bad" Misses the Point of Fruits Basket

A few years ago, I decided to remove the words "good" and "bad" from my vocabulary as much as possible.

Why? Because I have OCD, and I was struggling with something called "splitting," more commonly known as "black-and-white thinking."

Beyond the benefits it would have for my mental health, I wanted to challenge myself to be more precise with my commentary, whether appreciative or critical. "Fruits Basket is soooo good!" may be a true statement (in my completely objective, unbiased opinion lol), but it doesn't actually say anything meaningful about what makes the story so "good." I'd rather say how it affected me, why I think it's absolutely worth watching or reading, what it made me think about, etc...

Something I see in a lot of Furuba fan spaces is a desire to label characters or relationships as "good" or "bad," and letting that be the focus of the commentary. This even happens without necessarily using those exact words; people will talk about whether Akito "deserved" redemption/forgiveness, whether certain relationships or even crushes are "okay," whether a certain character was "abusive," etc... and sometimes even more subtle ways of labeling characters "good" or "bad," but I think this entirely misses the point of the story, and beyond that, it's just not a helpful way to go about discussing media in general.

The thing that prompted this post was one of those much more subtle cases: a comment I saw claiming that it was out-of-character for Tohru to support Arisa and Kureno's relationship. My first reaction was, "are we talking about the same Tohru here?" because the Tohru I saw in Fruits Basket would absolutely support Arisa and Kureno's relationship. But my next thought was to wonder why that commenter would feel that way, and here's where I've landed on that:

In that commenter's mind, Tohru is "good," and the relationship between Arisa and Kureno is "bad," so it doesn't make sense that a "good" person would support a "bad" relationship.

But what a wildly simplistic take! It's one that misses so much nuance of Tohru's character; her personal history, her ways of relating to her friends, etc... To me, there's absolutely no way Tohru as she's written would ever not support that relationship, and here's why:

First, Tohru is rarely assertive, and when she is, it's in situations where one person is clearly being hurt and it must be addressed immediately. She almost seems to run on instinct in those situations. I'm thinking of when she pushed Akito away from Yuki, or when she told Akito to stop hurting Momiji, or when she told Kyo she would go against her mother, or when she chased after Saki and expressed a desire to remain friends.

On that note, with regard to Arisa and Kureno, the thing that stood out to Tohru was Arisa's heartache. She wanted to do whatever she could to soothe her friend's heartache, and that meant reuniting her with the man she'd fallen for.

It's also unclear whether Tohru knows Kureno's age, but even if she did, her own parents had a massive age gap, and she doesn't seem to be aware of the problematic power dynamic between them whatsoever. If anything, she seems to romanticize her parents' relationship.

Additionally, Tohru is basically the least judgmental person alive. I don't think she would have strong convictions about whether age gaps are "okay" even if her parents hadn't had a similar gap. Again, her primary concern would be whether her friend was happy, and if not, what she could do to make her friend happy.

In short, Tohru is not one to label things as "good" or "bad" and use those labels as a guide for her actions, but is more likely to try and understand people's motivations and work toward their happiness. This is central to her personality as an Enneagram SX 9w1/INFP.

And that last point is honestly the approach I think is most useful when it comes to critique and discussion of fiction. Rather than trying to delineate what's "good" or "bad," I find it much more meaningful to try and understand the creator's reason for depicting something a certain way, and how those creative choices support their overall creative vision (or don't).

So, with that in mind, I guess I'm going to start a series looking at the "why" behind the characters and relationships who are most often called "problematic," "bad," "abusive," or "not okay." Feel free to request topics!

[abbenai]

more thoughts. sorryyyyy stuff isnt tagged limited edition post

for a long time i didn’t identify as having experienced sexual abuse because i was the one to seek it out and egg them on and allow it to persist for years. i thought ignoring it would just make it fade away but i was so wronggggg. especially now as an adult coming into my sexuality. and like now i understand that the responsibility didnt fall on me then for any of that and ignoring it constantly just strengthened its grip on me.

wanting it and feeling a pull despite the fact that i knew they wanted me vulnerable and wanted to fuck up my night for their amusement felt really demeaning (but i felt like i only deserved demeaning attention) and made me feel awfullll but the connection and validation that i was good for something was so intoxicating in the moment. and like i struggle now with wanting that feeling again even though i have genuine connections that arent transactional and dont make me feel like death. maybe i still think i deserve it on some level but idk what i have to let go or comprehend to make the feeling fade. i fear sometimes that my sense of desire and that feeling will always be intertwined because i trained myself to feel like that so young. and like its weird because the desire i feel for my partner and the desire i feel for these horrible things are like two separate entities to me. theres this pure and healthy love i feel for someone who cares for me and theres this desire for ??? and they exist on separate planes but sometimes it synergies and then i have a really weird time where i fawn or start being bad at intimacy with my partner or lash out in weird ways to illicit punishment or something. idk. do you see why ive been projecting onto ellen hutter of nosferatu 2024

anyways. ive been talking to people both online and irl about this generally and its nice not to feel alone in this. my best friend and i had a good talk about it and found that even though our circumstances were different we still struggle with similar things now so we’re working on building a support system with another person who understands what its like. i really want to end up on the other side of this not feeling as fucked up about it with some semblance of control (?) acceptance (?)

[sidebaxolotl]

Would you say that it is harder for you to come out to Christians as gay, or non-Christians (or even side A Christians) as side B?

(Using non-Christians to specifically mean secular/atheist/agnostic, but if any other religions have a particularly strong reaction I'd be curious! I have a Muslim friend with similar views and we bond about it sometimes)

I feel like both groups want to debate all the time and i'm like it's not that deep...I'm happy to explain and answer respectful questions but it feels like a lot of churchfolk immediately assume that I'm sinning or that I should change. Or I get the whole well-meaning but sorta...woowoo response of "wow you're so brave!" Which I know has good intent but it has the same energy as when someone just randomly calls me brave/strong/etc for talking about being mentally ill or disabled like yes i am but what if i wasn't brave? would that be ok with you, too? and anyway, i don't really have a choice. i either have to be "brave" or just. Not Exist i guess lol? Also like...SSA is one of MANY things I struggle with and people react way more Oddly to that one than the others, because the others are not a current Sociopolitical Hawt Tawpic i guess, but i digress...

But also when I tell more side-A/secular people they immediately think that I hate myself and they tell me it's okay for me to act on my desires. That doesn't hold up well for me either, of course, though again, I know they're trying to be supportive and reaffirming. I think it comes from not understanding - I think most Side A types immediately think all non-Side As are pro conversion therapy and stuff like that, which I assume usually comes from places of trauma themselves :( So again, i appreciate it, but respectfully...no)

Ugh. My kingdom for a Side B monastery!

I think I've personally had the most luck with non christians. My secular friendgroup before i moved knew i was celibate and lesbian AND religious and they p much never questioned it. I think emotional support dyke was a little concerned but she never really brought it up.

I kinda feel ya tho i do feel like im walking on eggshells with Christians the most which is really annoying 😑

My hope and prayer is that side b will become more normalized in the church so this wont be as difficult for the people who come after us.

[kumkaniudaku]

I like following Black feminists who are married on twitter. Not only do they not stand for the bullshit, but they were able to find partners who respect the hell out of them. That’s what I want lol. I’m admittedly a tough cookie when it comes to my standards for dating men, but I really don’t see the point in “adjusting” my standards for men who defend the likes of Tory, CB, etc. Like, remind me again of why I should fuck you? Lmao. I do think there are men who actively try to unlearn misogyny (because as quiet as it’s kept, women are misogynistic too which is partially why I don’t think men feel they need to change at all) but it’s unfortunately rare to come across. Sometimes I think women think they can “teach” men they’re dating to be different and I don’t think that’s possible in the way they want it to be. People are going to have their own mindsets on life and it’s up to you whether or not you want to deal with how they view the world. I think people can be inspired to change, but you can’t remold them like a ball of clay. I, too, am making peace with the fact that I may never be married, have kids, etc because of how strictly men adhere to patriarchy, but I believe self-determination is always better than settling.

Come to think of it, I think I was really drawn to Aaron because he doesn’t appear to be the “I’m a super macho alpha MAN man that believes women should know their place! 😤” It’s funny watching people get thrown off by how gentle he seems because the exterior is giving “I’ll beat everyone’s ass in here and you know I can.” Of course we don’t know his actual life and opinions on everything, but I do take him as a man who respects women’s intellect/opinions. I hope I am never proven wrong about that LOL

Who you be following 👀. My TL is almost 70% NBA, WNBA, and MLB chatter with a sprinkle of random pop culture that’s often really stupid. Super interested in mixing things up.

Back to what you were saying, I agree. That’s something I want too (even though that shit be seeming impossible ngl lol). A lot of women do carry around some internalized misogyny. We’ve all, men and women, be brought up under the same system and get the same or similar lessons. Add a layer of race oppression and shit gets even stickier. As a woman who prefers to date Black men, sometimes it feels like my options for a partner dwindle if I keep my standards where they are. But, I agree with your approach and don’t really plan to change the basic foundation of what I require. You gotta be committed to unlearning this stuff with me! Because I’m not gonna delude myself into thinking even I’m all the way out of the woods. I’m not close. But I’m trying.

As I learn more, my desire for marriage hasn’t really gone away, but the how had drastically shifted. A true partnership based around equity and basic shit like a commitment to individual and joint growth is important. I’m not interested in being a wife in the traditional sense. I’m not interested in compromising core pieces of who I am and what I stand for to have a title. I know some adaptability is required, but a devaluing of myself to be claimed just doesn’t sit right with me. So I think it’s really cool when incredibly smart women working to re-wire this programming find partners who are doing the same thing. It’s like a little sliver of hope in an otherwise bleak situation 😂.

I agree on Aaron, too. Obviously we don’t know him personally, but what he’s shown has been a refreshing deviation from the norm. His very gentle, maybe even a little shy demeanor goes against a lot of what we’re told to expect from a fairly attractive man by physical/desirability standards. Anybody is capable of anything so I’m not gone act like it can’t happen, but I do think he is who he says he is for the most part. There may be some things in there, but he comes off as respectful and kind which is dope! Good on him! And Kelvin for that matter! Two incredible men who seem to have some sense 😂

[panlight]

If every vampire were to have a special gift, which would be unique for them, which would Rosalie, Emmett, Esme and Carlisle have?

I've answered a version of this before but it's fun to revisit!

I think I usually say that Rosalie would have something similar to Heidi of the Volturi's gift, that her enhanced beauty would get some psychic element and spill over to superpower. And I still think that is the most logical thing, but it's not super exciting. It's predictable. Rosalie is also big into family, and into justice (sometimes revenge), and she's very determined. Any of that stuff could have been enhanced, too. Maybe she has an always correct gut instinct about people in dangerous domestic situations. She doesn't 'hear' things like Edward or 'see' them like Alice, she just knows. And can intervene.

Likewise the obvious answer for Emmett is that his super strength somehow spills over into a superpower. Maybe even MORE strength or he himself is so strong he's basically invulnerable to attack (can't bite through his skin, can't rip him apart). The other option is that the strength is not the focus, like how Edward for some reason is also super fast even though he already has mind-reading. Emmett can be super strong and have something else entirely. Maybe a cheerful aura like Didyme had, or maybe being near Emmett puts you in a party mood, or a work-out mood, or just makes you feel chill and supported. Literally gives off Bro Vibes, but in a good way.

Honestly have always kind of felt like the shield thing would have worked for Esme almost better than Bella. Bella loves fiercely, sure, and she has her protected mind, but Esme loves EVERYONE with the intensity that Bella loves Edward (not romantic in all cases obviously, just talking about the strength of Esme's love) and with that love would come with a desire to protect. A shield could do that. But maybe it's more like Renata's shield, it doesn't protect against psychic attacks, but physical ones. Or maybe Esme's love just radiates out of her so strongly that she could stand in front of those she loves and enemies just . . . can't bring themselves to hurt her to get to the others. Makes everyone instantly remember their mother or a beloved parental/familial figure and the line of Volturi guards just turn into blubbering messes as Esme comforts them.

Again the obvious one with Carlisle, I think, is some kind of healing ability. I know I've said this myself before. But he wasn't a doctor in his human life, that's a choice he made after becoming a vampire. The literally meaning of compassion is "to suffer with," so maybe his gift would be more of a thing where he can take the suffering from someone else by feeling it himself. Whether he actually takes the illness and cures them, or just takes the pain so they aren't suffering anymore, idk. I mean he's a vampire so he can't die, and I don't think any illness could survive the stone-and-venom environment of SM's vampire physiology anyway. And there's a theory floating around fandom that he does have a power in the sense that he unconsciously draws people to him; thus building a family and building allies and being able to blend in with the human world when humans usually subconsciously find vampires off-putting.

But at the end of the day I like that they don't have any supernatural powers. I feel like sometimes the superpower just overwhelms the character and they get reduced to that rather than a more nuanced personality. I think Carlisle's more interesting and impressive because he has accomplished what he has accomplished without one. I think Esme keeping a family united by love rather than a 'real' power is lovely. That Emmett bringing the fun because that's just WHO he is and not what he can do is cool. That Rosalie is just determined and focused and smart and THAT's why she is what she is and does what she does rather than some power is awesome.

[shes-an-odd-bird]

I'm sorry I went ghost these past few weeks, it was never my intention, I just had a lot to deal with.

I just want you to know that I'm not leaving the fandom, Billy is my comfort character and hopefully always will be. It's just that college is being an absolute nightmare right now, I have literally 0 spare time. But I'm not leaving the fandom, Billy is a character I hold dear. I'm not leaving.

However, not gonna lie, sometimes it's extremely hard for me to feel the same amount of sparks now when reading Billy fics as I used to, maybe 1 year and a half ago. It just doesn't feel the same anymore due to : 1) the lack of Billy content on here and 2) (this one is more personal), my depression making me believe I'm unworthy of care or love which results in me having an extremely hard time to believe whatever message a Billy comfort fic conveys lol.

"He truly cares about you". Um... No lol he wouldn't, no one would lol.

I just can't bring myself to even pretend I believe it anymore. To anyone struggling with similar mental health issues and / or feelings : you're not alone, trust me you're not. I know that me telling you that won't make your heavy feelings suddenly feel lighter, but at least some of you will know that there are other people out there who feel you ; so never be afraid to iniate the subjet or talk about it : your experience isn't weird trust me, there is a 50% chance the other person feels the same way. Don't keep it all to yourself for fear of sounding "weird" or "cringe".

It's so sad because Billy is actually a character I feel close to and relate to in a lot of ways, but the combination of depression + lack of stimulation (fanfics) have made it hard for me to feel anything when reading about Billy now. It feels so dull, numb, lifeless. Back then just seeing his name written on a fanfic would make me feel so giddy. I don't want the flamme to die out because he's one of the only characters I truly relate to and actually care about. I've had many hyperfixations, but Billy is literally the comfort character that's seen me go through depression, addictions, burnout outs, but also healing, learning more about myself and understanding where my hatred for my own vulnerability comes from.

I seriously hope Billy will be in season 5 of ST, that way the fandom will for sure resuscitate. Again, I'm not leaving the fandom, so if you see me go ghost for a few days, blame college work for that lol.

Hope you're all safe 🤍

Sending consensual hugs to everyone 🤍✨

- 🌊🌓🏔️

So happy to hear from you! I miss you when you’re not around but I absolutely understand. We all have outside lives, school, work, family, etc and I understand that Billy isn’t everything 😂 Life can totally get hectic and exhausting

I remember you saying before that you were maybe not feeling it as much as you used to with Billy stuff. You’re not alone. I’ve had a few conversations with people who’ve left the fandom and people sad because the fandom is “dying”Compared to Steve or Eddie we have such a small group. I understand that after a while of not seeing anything new with Billy you can kinda get bored with the same old stuff. I know he’s your comfort character and I know a lot of people still love him, but the fandom does seem like it’s a lot smaller than it was maybe two years ago when I first came out here.

I’m sorry that you’re struggling so much with some mental health issues. I’m glad you said something, because I know that the people who come to my page will have a lot of wonderful things to say to you. Everyone here is such a good person and we lift each other up. That’s one of the best parts of the fandom to me, is just this group of people who seem to genuinely care for each other. And thank you for letting other people know that it’s totally OK to feel the way they do and that they’re not alone. I think that actually makes a huge difference for people.

No pressure of course we’re here for you whenever you feel the desire to come out and say hello or read a story or just talk. I always think of the wonderful things you’ve said to me over the time I’ve talked with you, and you’ve really touched me and encouraged me to keep writing. Thank you for that.

I too desperately hope we see something from Billy in Season Five, I miss him and think it would really be terrible for Max if she doesn’t get the chance to have some closure with her brother

Don’t say no one would care about you, we all really do. We’ve enjoyed talking to you very much. You’re part of our little group ❤️

[misc-obeyme]

Hello, it's me again!

I want to apologize for proclaiming my urge to punch Solomon. (Assuming my last ask got sent in.) I do not actually wish to be violent towards him and I am very much being hyperbolic because I have a headache today. I have also been catching up with the story and he is irritating me in the lesson I am on. I will probably be a lot more endeared to him once I'm fully caught up to NB's Lessons because he just hasn't had enough screentime for me to understand his nuances.

I actually used to dislike Asmo alot too before getting through the first game's story. He's one of my favorites now though, I want to gossip with him while we paint eachother's nails and I think the writers do him dirty sometimes.

That is all to say that I hope I didn't offend you or any potential Solomon enjoyers who may see my last ask, I am but a fool. (Who may be a little overly self conscious.)

-🦇🪐

It's okay, you don't have to apologize for wanting to punch Solomon. I love him and I want to punch him sometimes too lol. He's absolutely a menace, this is just the way it is. And of course I'm taking all of this with the understanding that he is fictional and would not be harmed by your desire to punch him. It's fine, truly.

A lot of people really fell in love with Solomon during the events of Nightbringer. I will never ever forget the way my Solomon fics suddenly started getting crazy notes after Nightbringer's first ten lessons were released. The first thing I wrote that really gained some traction was Solomon's Warmth, which was about him comforting a sad MC during the Nightbringer timeline. I was like what is happening to my notifs?!

Anyway, I don't know where you are in the lessons, but Solomon has a pretty prominent role in Nightbringer in general, especially in the first two seasons. But it's also really clear that he's hiding some stuff, so you know. It depends on how you feel about such things, I suppose.

As for myself, I fell in love with him back in season three of OG, so Nightbringer was just adding fuel to an already burning flame lol.

I think a lot of people had a similar experience with Asmo that you did. It's because in the beginning of OG, they really just make him super annoying. Very vain and not all that into MC, so it's like why is he so obsessed with himself?? But then you get to know him and it turns out he's actually obsessed with MC and also the most emotionally intelligent brother while also being the most carefree and joyful brother, I'm just saying he has a lot of nuance they didn't bother to illustrate at first. The writers often do him dirty. I think they will frequently regulate him to silly one liners when he has a lot of potential for much more. Buuuut I also feel this way about Beel and some of the others. It can't really be helped, though, considering the format of the game and the amount of characters.

Anywayyy, you really don't need to be self conscious! At least for myself, I'm just about impossible to offend and I will never be upset about people expressing their opinion on a character, even if it differs from mine. Punch that old wizard if you want to! ER I mean no I don't condone violence...

[petruchio]

Unsolicited advice (heinous crime — feel free to delete) but bestie I feel like your heart might be speaking? Is it that you don’t think she’d be the bigger person for you, if the roles were reversed?

Typically, I think it’s wise to critique feelings of superiority. To remember that you’ve probably done stuff like this, maybe even unintentionally, in the past. Which makes being the bigger person WAY easier.

But it gets harder when the other person is never doing it though. If it’s always you doing the hashing out and the communication.

When my best friend has done me wrong I want to reach out and say how I feel, I have the desire to patch things up regardless of who’s at fault. Because the blame isn’t important, or it’s less important than the friendship. It’s easier to feel that way, because I know we’ll both own up to how we’ve made each other feel and that there will be two sides to the story.

I wonder if maybe you don’t feel like you can trust her to do that. You don’t think she’d do the same for you if the situation was reversed?

If so, maybe it’s time to let the friendship be not so deep? If not, then why isn’t it worth it to hash things out regardless of fault?

honestly thank you! this is such GOOD advice and honestly really balanced!!

i think one of the troubling things in this situation for me is that i just would never do this to someone. so it’s hard to imagine what would happen if the roles were reversed because i wouldn’t have done it; i would’ve known it was a mean girl move and i wouldn’t do it! that was literally my first thought when the whole thing sort of went down, i thought to myself “i would never do this to someone.”

but to your point, it’s good to question that. bc im sure i’ve made people feel left out — im sure i have!! but in this specific case it upsets me bc something similar happened a couple months ago and i actually did communicate that it hurt my feelings. i took a couple weeks to do it and i had to work up to it, but i eventually did bring it up and say that it hurt my feelings. and for me, one thing that really bothers me in a friendship is when i communicate something that bothers me and the other person does it again. bc i can forgive the first time, maybe you didn’t know it hurts someone to do xyz. but after someone tells you that they don’t like something, what possible reason could you have to do it again if not to hurt them?

(and sure sure, there’s a thousand reasons they wanted to make those plans that have nothing to do with me, im not saying it was a personal thing. but she still KNEW it would be hurtful, and she KNEW i would be upset. and she did it anyway. and imo it’s even more incriminating that she’s avoided me for 2 days afterwards. bc i haven’t said that im upset, so to me she’s just making it obvious that she knows she did a mean thing and doesn’t want to face it!)

but yeah your question is good and honestly something worth thinking about. bc i do think it would be worth hashing it out, and the friendship does mean a lot to me. i guess maybe what’s stopping me is that i feel like we’ve already had this discussion. like she knows it upsets me — so why do i need to reopen that wound and dredge up all the hurt and bad emotions again when she already knows? so that’s where your point about trust resonates. i don’t know if i DO trust her in this instance. i don’t know if she’d own up to it or apologize, maybe she would maybe she wouldn’t. but maybe the trust im feeling that’s broken is that i don’t trust her not to do it again. which makes having the conversation at all feel kind of pointless.

i guess i struggle with knowing when im leaning into my avoidant “people will always let you down so just give up on them first” side and when i’m putting some healthy distance in a friendship after someone hurts me. it’s hard — sometimes i really can’t tell the difference between a defense mechanism and a boundary!

ah well im probably just complaining. im sure it will blow over soon. but it does make me think about the friendship as a whole. it just makes me want to take some space, i guess.

[fairytail-whathesays]

Oh, I couldn't agree more with the PTSD. And the hyoer vigilance. I've been re-watching episodes 63 and 64, and there's something specific about the way he goes from having his "full" attention on Jellal to turning around to face Erza in a slip second when she moves twice.

And the concepts of love? I'm pretty sure he thought it was *normal*, the way Brain treated him. To be expected, love is conditional, your self worth tied to being able to earn it and vice versa. The kind of acceptance that, indeed, would take a long time to undo. As you said with the knives, the learnt sadism and giving back what was done to him... I don't even know if I'm repeating myself, I'm just amazed by the fact that not only do I agree with you, but your points make so much sense. At no point do I feel like saying "I respect that, but I have a fundamentally different view of this character". It makes me rethink his fight with Richard, too. Did he create a mirage of himself being defeated to lower Richard's guard and deliver a single hit instead of having to hurt him at length (which he's eager to do to Eve, Ren although he gets bored there, Jellal and Erza) or is it torture? Showing him that he's hurting his adoptive younger brother, in parallel to Richard's desire to find Wally? Although Richard was willing to fight, so...? Is it just trying to win the fight no matter what? He gets panicked in the middle of it, or shows an illusion of it, so is it really worth it, when it affects him like that? Should that part of the thrash can and call it a day, despite feeling like it's an important moment?

I had never thought about him wanting to hurt whoever he fancies. It's... Fitting. I had always approached it from the view that he half wants and half expects to be hurt, because that's likely the only love he's known, the only "love" he had for, give or take, eight years. Sure, it wasn't from a lover, but somehow that makes it worse. Considering we have no clue of his life prior to the tower and he never brings it further than to to say his name (which... Might not even be his birth name), I don't think he even remembers that.

THE PREDICTABILITY POINT. *insert the DiCaprio meme here*

*HOLY SHIT* "The subconscious message received from this is the one Midnight needs, which is that what he's been through is terrible (true and valid), but that he can get back up from it (also true and valid)." THIS. I had NEVER thought about that but WOAH.

Oh. That AU. That AU won't be just living rent free. It will be given its own mansion. Every coherent comment or feedback left me with that. You've given me so many thoughts, so many new things I want to explore.

... I got carried away again. Just one extra note on the way you deliver the core of just how resilient Laxus is, how capable of pushing against adversity and coming on top he, of embracing his scars he is. How he ends up actively choosing to pick the good things amidst the shitty ones.

Sorry for the long asks, I just want you to know that I love and appreciate the time and effort you put into this.

Nah, it's cool! Feedback like this is what fanfic authors dream of getting, lol.

I had watched the original anime while trying to get a better grip on Midnight's character. Sometimes an anime is really good at bringing out the spark in a manga that was missing in still black and white, and the Fairy Tail anime's first half was one of them. It's a shame they switched studios, because the 2014 anime just didn't hit the same. I can't think of a similar moment in the second anime like Midnight's appearance.

Like, he's genuinely chilling. His bored drawl, the unconcerned way he holds himself, the completely calm way he talks about how he wants to torment and hurt people. He's small and skinny and even looks pretty emo, so he shouldn't be that threatening, but the camera angles they use, the sound cues they use, it all works. They expand on his fight with Jellal, which in the manga is entirely offscreen. Watching him wordlessly and disaffectly fail to react to anything Jellal throws at him before smiling and putting him down with Spiral Pain? Cold as fuck. I tried to capture that.

Again, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! 💛🖤

[electricprincess96]

I relate to your tomb raider reboot posts because i have a game where i have similar feelings to it’s reboot

I love bioshock 1 and adore bioshock 2 but infinite is a joke in terms of writing and it’s not even a funny one

The story has more holes than a block of cheese

And to say nothing of how much burial at sea retcons the other two games

Valid.

Like as I tried to explain to those people who were arguing with me on Reddit. I like the Tomb Raider reboots as games. They're fun, skip the cutscenes and just go full Rambo and gun down hoards of enemies. I'm replaying the second game right now and I'm once again enjoying myself, these games and fun games. They are not good story heavy games.

The issue is the writing is just bad, the plots want me to feel sorry for Lara when she's crying in pain one minute and single handedly taking on a battalion of men the next. The character is unlikeable and I don't really think she develops as much as some people claim she does, I mean it's plain to see she can't be developing that much since it looks like the Netflix anime is just rehashing the plot of Shadow of the Tomb Raider for her "character conflict" like 3 full game and an anime of the same thing is hardly good development.

Reboots rarely work with established franchises. Sometimes they do, but you will always risk alienating established fans and you won't always succeed in bringing in enough new ones to replace them. Tomb Raider is in a unique position that they are now claiming it's not a reboot but a prequel and that ALL versions of Lara are going to be canon in a unified timeline.... good luck with that since these games contradict things from the older games all over the place so trying to fit them into the same continuity is a logistical nightmare. Also considering the developers of the Reboot Trilogy have talked at length about their distaste for OG Lara and they are the ones who own the IP, I hardly expect to see too much variation from the Reboot Lara persona going forward. Maybe they'll give her an outfit change but they have no real desire to switch up the formula they've had for the last 3 games by the looks of things.

But hey we have the Remastered Trilogy which means I can play the first 3 games on modern consoles and that alone makes me happy.... TR4, Chronicles and Angel of Darkness when please?

And yes I kinda like Angel of Darkness, it has its issues absolutely, the games an unfinished mess but the chafacter of Lara is still foundational there and the side characters, despite being on screen a fraction of the time most of the side characters are in the Reboot Trilogy, are significantly more memorable and likeable. You talk to a Janice the French Prostitute ONCE if you talk to her at all, and yet she's left much more of an impression on me than any of Lara's friends from the Reboots except Jonah since he's in more than one game thus I remember his name unlike the rest.