#and if you were good sometimes you got to be a character in the bible re-enactments

[problemswithbooks]

BNHA Ch. 429

So, I guess Toga is dead, and people are losing it.

I get why people liked her--she was actually queer, being pan/bisexual. She was representation for them and that's rare in shonen manga. But here's the thing--she was bad representation at best and insulting at worst. Nor do I think she was made queer because Hori really wanted to represent a queer girl. Himiko was always the author's poorly hidden fetish--she just was. She liked girls as much as boys because Hori wanted to draw a girl touching sexually on another girl. You can see this in how he draws her and Ochako in solo pics together.

I mean, people seem to understand this when it comes to Momo and her outfit being overly sexual or that both Himiko and Hagakure's Quirks either leave them naked or they have to be naked to use them. These are excuses to draw girls in a sexual manner. Himiko being into other girls is the same thing and that's the kindest interpretation.

Given how Himiko acts and her Quirk being heavily coded sexual desire, and therefore her use of it against someone unwilling being sexual assault, it could just being playing into harmful stereotypes of predatory gays.

As a queer person myself I just found Toga insulting. She was designed to be overly sexual and give the male author a female character that he could draw being suggestive with his other female characters. When he did flesh out her character, her backstory was eventually the trope/fear of straight people, that gay people will be so overcome with their lust that they end up sexually assaulting them.

In the end Ochako accepts this part of Toga and says she'll giver her blood forever, but as much as a lot of readers took that that as some deep lesbian confession, for me it really fell flat. Hori never really gave any of the main kids time to actually learn about their villain or show how that changed their minds toward them. Shoto only works because Touya is his brother (even though he admits he barely remembers him). But Ochako goes from not thinking of Toga at all pre-first war, to one thought about her during her speech, to suddenly caring about her so much she--given how Toga's quirk is coded, is willing to essentially fulfill Toga's kink for the rest of their lives.

It's weird and it comes out of nowhere. It's made even stranger because Toga doesn't actually change or show remorse for anything she did, which included personally hunting and murdering people before she joined the LOV. None of the death and destruction she is also partially responsible for is brought up either, something that Ochako was rightfully upset about during the first war when less people and property had been destroyed. Ochako just accepts everything about her suddenly and her past serious crimes are forgotten so they can cuddle and cry.

Am I shocked Toga died--a little. I didn't think Hori would have the guts to kill off a young girl character, especially one that he clearly got a lot of joy drawing in sexy poses. But at the same time, once he killed off Shigaraki and ended Touya's story with his slow death, I'm not surprised he went the same route with Toga.

This isn't Naruto--Hori isn't really kind to characters that do something wrong, especially if they don't try and change. Enji, Bakugo, Hawks, and Aoyama all sort of got punished for what they did. Enji is the worst off, being permanently crippled, missing an arm and burned everywhere. Bakugo's hand is damaged, his heart weaker, plus he feels bad that Izuku lost his Quirk so they can't compete the same way he wanted them to. Aoyama, despite doing way less wrong and even helping his class during the forest raid, still leaves school because he doesn't feel he earned being there yet. Hawks lost his Quirk and even though him running the HPSC could be seen as good for him, Hawks always wanted a break, but now he has one of the most time consuming and stressful jobs out there.

So, if this is what characters who actively did good things and even changed and fought to be better get, what would characters who never changed and never did anything positive for anyone but their friends/themselves get?

Before the last Arc started, when so many people said the LoV were 100% going to be redeemed I had doubts and always thought it wouldn't make sense with how the story presented redemption or treated other non-LoV villains in the past. That if the main LoV did get some happy ending where they were bffs with the main cast it would clash with how other characters had been treated.

That doesn't mean that I think how Shigaraki, Toga, and Touya ended up in the manga was well done. I think their endings fit far better then a last minute redemption would have, but at the same time you can feel how rushed everything has been since the end of the first war arc. Hori was done with this story months if not years ago, yet he was contractually obligated to finish it. Because of that I think he left out as much as possible. As much as I think he's written some pretty obsessive stuff, particularly towards women, I can't really fully blame him cutting corners or the story being shit at the end.

We know Manga authors, particularly those that work with Jump are treated like shit. That they suffer incredibly long hours at times not even getting to go home for days. We've gotten messages for Hori saying he's sick quite a few times. On top of that, weekly story telling is not a great way to tell a cohesive narrative. Ideas probably change week to week or at least month to month and you can't go back and change the last chapter no matter how much you need or want to. Then you remember he also gave a lot of ideas to the people who made the movies, which would also change his plans for how he wanted the main story to go.

The story is bad--it has been for a while, but I think a lot of people put their hopes on their favorite characters getting a happy ending, even when there were signs that probably wasn't going to be the case. I know how much it sucks when a character you love gets a shitty ending (Stain was my fav, but he got an absolute dogshit ending) but at least, knowing what I know about the industry I can't really blame Hori the way I see some other people doing. Criticize it, sure, but saying Hori hates his readers or is horrible writer isn't true. BNHA was popular for a reason--he's great with characters and the beginning of the story had some great pacing. We'll never know, but I wouldn't be surprised if BNHA could have been amazing if Hori had been treated better and the story hadn't needed a chapter every week.

If anything BNHA has taught me how much a story suffers when authors/artists are treated like crap and forced to work past burnout.

[jaspertjunk]

Not much to recommend about America but shout out to me being born American for the fact that I was disgusted when I found out that in British they're legally required to drill religion into little kids in schools and the majority of that "religious education" has to be Christian

[backwardsbread]

Your “Hazbin Hotel Characters Forgetting an Anniversary” has become a comfort post of mine. You did such a good job with it and did amazing in capturing their personalities as well!

I was wondering if I could request an Adam fic? Like one where he realizes that he actually cares about reader, but he goes about showing that in the strangest ways? He may be a massive obnoxious jerk in the show, but he somehow made his way to being a favorite of mine in the show.

My heart- opening my inbox and seeing this made my day-

I’ve also been obsessing over Adam fics lately so seeing something with Adam get requested made me SO happy! I am happy to oblige~!

Adam x Gn!Angel!Reader

~Feelings are Fucked~

Warnings‼️: Adam being Adam, mutual pining, swearing, maybe OOC?

~Not proofread~

Listen. I don’t gotta tell you that Adam is always up his own ass.

Dude is OBSESSED with himself.

He would be the type of guy to be like;

“Oh yeah, have you heard of the BIBLE?? I’m kinda in it, no big deal.”

He’s on his own mind 99.9% of the time. His needs, wants, desires.

He’s so Self centered it’s not even funny-

So IMAGINE how he feels when you start to pick your way into his thoughts. And he has no idea why.

(Obviously Adam was the superior being, why should you have all people be on his mind??)

It’s easy for him to brush away these random thoughts of you. He could easily distract himself with material things to get his mind off the topic.

Eventually when distractions stop working, he feels like he’s going crazy.

He’s got a lot of things to do in Heaven, yet you feel like the most important ones to him.

I can see Adam being a huge flirt in the beginning. If he can get you to fall for him as hard as he has for you, he’ll consider it a win.

But he doesn’t really realize how much of a dick he comes off as. He absolutely makes a fool of himself majority of the time.

Gives the vibe of him saying something lowkey offensive while laughing and you just staring at him blankly and asked ‘What’s so funny?’

It’s frustrating for him how he can’t seem to get to you.

He doesn’t ask for advice from anybody, but I can definitely see Lute giving her 2 cents while Adam is ranting about how ‘annoying’ you are.

Her biggest piece of advice being for him to just stfu sometimes and actually listen to you.

Adam will never admit how much that actually helped him, it seemed like such a simple solution that he just hadn’t been doing.

So instead of being this overbearing flirt, he’ll just listen to you talk, occasionally chiming in with his own banter. Through this he learns a lot more about you.

And he makes an effort to show you he’s been listening.

You mention your favorite candy? He grabs some for you whenever he’s out getting snacks.

You mention a favorite scent of yours? Suddenly his whole house smells like it whenever you come over.

Got a favorite flower? He just so happened to see some at the garden and brings you one.

Of course he makes sure to follow up his kind gestures with a flirty or snarky remark. Trying to be this big tough guy despite how sweet he’s being to you.

He doesn’t realize how much of a total sap he’s being and how obvious his feelings are for you.

I can totally see Adam’s love language being gift giving and physical touch.

He’s not good with words. Never has been, never will be.

So he often shows his care for you by poking your side or cheek, resting his head or chin on your shoulder, ruffling your hair, or keeping one of his wings behind your back to make sure your close to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adam was walking along the streets of heaven with you, ranting about how his superior Sera, was supposedly being a Karen.

In his words she ‘wouldn’t get off his dick’ about his behavior and language. You listened to Adam’s ranting, letting him express his frustrations despite how petty the situation might’ve been. You occasionally let out hums of acknowledgment and nod towards him to show you were listening.

While you’re paying attention to him, a few angels who seemed to be in a rush, nearly bump into you from behind. Adam catches a glimpse of the angels coming your guys’ way, and extends his wing out to shield you from the other angels.

He grabs your hand, bringing you closer to him while his wing wraps around your torso. He waits for the angels to pass by, giving them an extremely fake smile as they flew by. Once they were out of sight, Adam’s smile falls and he grumbles to himself, pulling his wing back to his side.

“Stupid, fucking… can’t watch where they’re going?”

He keeps your hand in his own, continuing to grumble how some angels needed to mind their business and watch where they were going. The two of you continue to walk, but Adam’s voice seems to drown out, and you can only really focus on your hand in his own.

Sure Adam had been affectionate to you many times, but never in public. It wasn’t something that bothered you either. You just felt anxious butterflies fly around your stomach, a sense of pride welling up in your chest that Adam was holding your hand. As the two of you are about to reach your destination, you finally speak up to Adam before you would have to depart from him.

“Hey, are you.. doing anything.. tomorrow evening?”

You ask, scratching the back of your neck a bit with your free hand. Warmth spreads across your face as Adam just kind of stares at you for a moment, pondering.

“Uhh, got a few boring ass meetings after noon, but otherwise, I’m chilling for the rest of the night.”

“Would you.. want to go out to dinner tomorrow? If you’re up for it.”

Your question seemed to go over Adam’s head of what your intentions were. Free food was free food, (and time spent with you was a plus)

He lets his ego take over for a bit, putting a proud hand over his chest. His grin shines across his mask, spreading from ear to ear.

“I suppose I can make some time for you. As long as I get to pick the place.”

You can’t help but chuckle, face flushing hues of pink when Adam agreed. You smile brightly, finally letting go of Adam’s hand.

“Sounds good! Let’s say around 5 or 6?”

“Don’t rush me babes, I’ll text ya when I’m headed over.”

Adam says nonchalantly, crossing his arms. Despite his attitude, you watch his eyes shift away from you, avoiding your gaze. He’s embarrassed and you can tell by how his guard started to come back up. You had learned these little telltale signs Adam had. You chuckle, simply waving to Adam, wishing him good luck on his meeting and telling him you’ll see him tomorrow.

Adam smiles genuinely, giving a small wave back, before turning towards the large angelic building to head inside. Lute was waiting by the door for him and she just so happened to hear your guys’ little exchange. Adam’s whistling to himself, his heart beating fast in his chest but he can’t put his finger on the exact reason as to why.

Lute looks towards him, raising a suspicious brow. She sighs seeing how Adam was oblivious to what he had just agreed to. While holding the door open for Adam to enter the building, she speaks.

“You know they just asked you on a date, right?”

Adam’s whistling comes to a complete stop, his body freezing where he stood. Lute glances up at him, pressing her lips together so she doesn’t laugh at Adam’s look of shock.

“They fuckin’ what??”

[sibmakesart]

hello! i really love your art & animations! i'm not sure if someone has asked this already but: what do you use to animate? & how long have you been animating for? do u know of any tutorials/classes? (i'm a beginner learning on my own atm!)

hi ! thanks a lot :D

Software wise it depends, procreate for the little sketchy animations, toon boom story board and harmony for bigger projects, sometimes blender even ^^ and unity for work, but its special for video games, i even animated a lot on photoshop when i started !!! never again !!!

i composite in after effect or premiere, depending on what needs to be done, sometimes both for big stuff, but if youre learning animation, focus on the basics before the aesthetics (you can fumble your way into compositing way more easily than anim)

ive been animating on and off for 5 years, 3 of wich were in animation school (during which we surprisingly did not animate much lmao) i got this film out of it tho lol

as for tutos....

i cannot recomend enough The Animator's survival guide, you ccan find the free pdf on the internet, and a bunch of people explaining and showcasing it on yt, its basically the bible for 2d animation

this vid is also very good to get a feel of animation, and the basics, the guy also has v good classes on his channel

but basically the best way to learn is to animate ! a lot ! and look at animations you like, download them and look at them frame by frame : how does the timing work, how doess that character moves, etc

ACT IT OUT ! FILM YOURSELF IN YOUR ROOM DOING STUPID SHIT ! ANIMATE IT ! (believe me, im as sad as you that this is the answer to good anim... but it is...)

and what kind of anim do you like to make ! fights ? chara acting ? sfx ? theres a LOT in which you can specialize (if making a living out of it is your goal) so play around in a cheap/free/cracked software and see what you like and what works for you !

animation is a very complete field : you gotta know perspective, anatomy, acting, composition, exercising any of these skills ultimately makes your animations better !

3d anim is a whole other can of worm, but (IMO) still requires 2d basics,

TO CONCLUDE :

just go ham on doing weird shit and consume, consume,consume animation : short gobelin/carlarts films, all of richard williams filmography, obscure russian animated movies from the 70's, youll ALWAYS learn something, thats how you learn best

Happy creating !! animation is AMAZING the way i felt the first time i made something that MOVES ? unparralleled

[tyrantisterror]

My Personal History with My Good Friend, Satan

My first encounter with The Devil - that I can remember, at least - came when I was about three or so. My mom liked to borrow VHS tapes from libraries to show me and my siblings a lot, and one of the libraries she used was the one at our church. It was a small and obviously very religion-centric collection, but it left a notable mark on me - like, that's where I saw this weird, kinda shitty cartoon version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe which might be responsible for irreconcilably fucking up my taste in women? I just have this distinct memory of watching the scene where Edmund is tempted by the White Witch and thinking, "Yeah, he's making the right call." If anything I was frustrated that he hesitated - three year old me was already simping for this woman. Just imagine a child channeling Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters and growling, "When a terrifying and beautiful woman offers you candy and a private sleigh ride, you say YES!" and that's basically me as a kid.

Where was I? Right, Satan. So, the other video from that library I remember was this cartoon retelling of Bible stories, and really I just remember the Adam and Eve part. The temptation scene had this huge, super gnarly-looking demonic red snake in it, and he was so cool and badass and I was already predisposed to like snakes anyway, so of course he was my instant favorite. But, like almost all media featuring reptiles that captured my little child heart, he turned out to be the bad guy - literally The Devil, in this case - and was punished at the end of the story. And that pissed me off.

Sometime shortly thereafter - or at least that's how I remember it, this was over thirty years ago so things might be smushed closer together than they really were by the fog of ages - some of the kids in my preschool chastised me for liking snakes. "Don't you know the devil is a snake? Snakes are evil!" I remembered the movie, and it made me angry.

Because snakes aren't evil, and as a kid I knew that because my parents taught me it. Snakes were just animals, they don't know right from wrong, and to call them evil it to judge them for what they are, not what they do. That experience taught me a very important lesson: The Devil is a tool to make people hate the innocent. And as I'd later learn, snakes were far from the only innocents people would vilify because of a demonic association.

The second time I met the devil came a few years later, when I was six or seven or so. My Grampa and Grams liked to take us up North to Mackinac City and the Upper Peninsula each summer, and I have a lot of fond memories of those trips, but there was one in particular that's relevant to this discussion. We saw a sign for a "laser light show" in the shopping district, and I got to stay up late to see it with my family. The show in question was basically a cartoon projected into the night sky adapting the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia. It was super primitive and hokey and cornball and terrible and I loved every second of it. I was enchanted, absolutely delighted with the spectacle and the silly song where the devil was less a force of evil and more a comically bumbling inept supervillain - one of my favorite archetypes, even back then. So that's the second lesson about the devil I learned: The Devil can be fun sometimes.

Now, Godzilla, one of the few reptile characters I encountered as a kid who didn't end up a villain (at least not in the first movie of his I saw, Godzilla vs. Megalon), had already set me on the path to loving monsters of all stripes and, by extension, horror fiction in general, so as I grew up I had many more encounters with the devil. But while I warmed up quickly to most monster archetypes, like vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc., I always felt dismissive of demons. It kind of coincided with me becoming disillusioned with Christianity as a whole, in fact. A story about fighting evil, Christian-style demons is ultimately an allegory for fighting evil as defined by Christianity, and Christianity's definition of what evil is, well, sucks. It's bad! They got some things right, but some things horribly wrong. The devil is the tool Christianity uses to make you hate the innocent, and I struggled to enjoy a lot of demon stories because of that. Still do with some, in fact.

There were exceptions, of course - I loved The Evil Dead series as soon as I saw it at too-early-of-an-age, but then, the demons in it aren't super Christian. They aren't repelled by holy water or crucifixes or prayer, and in fact God and Jesus barely get mentioned in the series and never come up as a potential solution. They're kind of secular as demons go, and maybe that made them easier to stomach. But overall, demons ranked pretty low in the hierarchy of monsters to me - they were too tainted by the religion that spawned them for me to enjoy.

Until college, anyway. I quietly renounced my faith during my Freshmen year, and then, as if seeking one last chance at redemption in my eyes, the devil came to me again the following year. That's when I had a class on Medieval literature, and was exposed to far older devil stories than I had ever seen before. And Medieval devils kick ass. They have so much more personality and variety than I had come to expect, and some are downright affable, even sympathetic to a degree. It was one of many moments in college when I realized there was much more to a topic I'd previously written off as boring and trite.

This is when I read Dante's The Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost and Marlowe's Faust and Ben Johnson's The Devil Is An Ass. It's when I read early Gothic Horror novels like Matthew Gregory Lewis's The Monk, and dived into The Twilight Zone, which has more than a few episodes that are updates of medieval-style devil folktales in a more modern (i.e. 1960's) setting. And so many of these works presented the Devil not as a stand-in for everything Christianity hates, but as a person - a deeply flawed person, yes, but a person with actual wants and feelings and thoughts of his own, a person who was interesting and compelling - and sometimes funny, and sometimes charming, and sometimes really sad. There was, dare I say... sympathy for the devil growing in my heart.

In the last year of my undergraduate studies, I attended my college's yearly Medieval Studies Congress, where people from all over the world came to Kalamazoo just to share their research papers on medieval history and literature. One girl's thesis paper was on the subject of "rueful devils," i.e. depictions of demons in literature where they wanted to repent their sins and redeem themselves, which uniformly ended with the devils' hopes being dashed as they could not fully repent. This idea... possessed me. The idea that the devil could repent, or at least try to - that there could be hope even in the most debauched sinner. It was such a good narrative trope in my eyes - why did it die out centuries ago?

Well, because the church didn't like it, you see. If the devil can repent - if the Absolute King of Evil can choose to become a good person - then he's not very useful as a tool to make people hate the innocent anymore. The devil MUST be "pure evil" to work as intended. A rueful devil, a repentant devil, a devil that can be redeemed, forces us to be more forgiving and kind. It forces us to be better. It prevents us from hating people because an old book says so. And some people just couldn't have that, and so the trope died.

...

After I got my bachelor's degree, I entered the job market and, after applying to fifty different places or so, was finally hired as a high school english teacher about two weeks before the school year started. Said school year was the worst year of my life. Like, I've had extreme self loathing issues and suicidal ideation since, like, sixth grade, but holy shit it was NEVER as bad as it was in that nine month stretch between 2012 and 2013. There was this bridge I had to cross on the way to work each morning, and about two months in the job was so stressful that part of my morning routine was thinking, "You know, if I just swerve to the right, this can all be over and I'll never have to worry again." About halfway in I began drastically losing weight despite not changing my diet or getting more exercise and it was so traumatic that to this day whenever my weight starts to drop my initial reaction is dread rather than excitement. I impulse bought the first two Kung-Fu Panda movies and, after watching each for the first time and crying hideously, proceeded to watch them on repeat for an entire weekend while sobbing myself hoarse for reasons I couldn't comprehend at the time.

I was in Hell. And the devil met me there.

I started writing a story during that year. I didn't get very far, just a couple chapters, but it was one of the few things that gave me a sense of accomplishment. Despite all the stress and sadness and misery, I made something. It was a story about demons, and Hell, and trying to make your life better even when the world around you seems deadset on making you suffer as much as possible.

When my bosses called me into their office at the end of that year and told me that I had to quit my job so the assistant principal could take my teaching position and survive the downsizing they'd get next year, and that if I didn't quit they'd give me the lowest teacher evaluation they could and make it supremely difficult for me to get hired elsewhere... I was relieved. I'd been let out of Hell. After a handful of months left to finish out the year, I was free.

And then I went home, with nothing. No job, no desire to pursue the career for which I'd spent five years and an ungodly amount of money getting a degree to pursue, no nest egg, nothing. Nothing except a few chapters of a book.

The years that followed were hard. I did a lot of temp work, it took me a very long time to find something that worked for me. I may have left the worst year of my life, but there was still a lot of misery waiting for me. And through it all, I felt the need to accomplish... something, ANYTHING. I had to make something to prove I had a reason to exist, even if it was something that only had value to me.

With three years of work, those chapters became my first novel, No Sympathies: A Tale of Those Who Trespass Against Us. It was about the devil, and Hell, and finding salvation even when things seem inescapably bleak. It was my first novel, and now, eight years later, it's the first of five.

The devil saved my life. He saw me at my lowest, lifted me up, whispered, "It'll be ok. You have to keep going. I'll be with you, but you have to keep going," and goddammit, he kept me from swerving right.

That's when I learned the greatest truth about the devil, at least to me. The devil is a tool to make people hate the innocent, yes, this is true, but because of that, the devil can be a savior for the broken, the beaten, and the damned. You can feel like you're worthless, wretched, and doomed. But if the devil can rise from Hell, if the devil can choose to change, if people are willing to pray for the one sinner who needs it most - then there's hope for you too, isn't there?

Demons are creatures of rebellion - against God, against nature, against the powers that be, against doom and damnation itself. They were made to be a tool to hurt the innocent, but that's not what they have to be. Devils can lift us up, because no matter how far you fall, no one can say whether it's the end for you except you.

...I would like to point out that I am being figurative here. The devil does not literally exist, at least not in my view of things. He's a fictional character, nothing more. But he's a prolific fictional character, and how we portray him can say so much about us. And, to me, he is a dear friend, despite being imaginary, because the devil was there for me when I was low, and it was on his wings that I rose from doom.

...again, figuratively, not literally.

[hms-no-fun]

Do your political views influence your writing? and if they do, how so?

this is sort of a tough question. i mean obviously my political views affect my writing, i believe that's true of every writer. the "how" is throwing me for a bit of a loop though. maybe partly because pretty much my only public-facing writing at this point is godfeels, which really isn't indicative of the kind of stuff i spent my entire pre-transition life writing. which actually makes it harder for me to introspect on the subject because transition brought with it political radicalization. i'm not just a woman now, i'm a communist, and i've spent a lot more time thinking about propaganda and hierarchies and economic power dynamics. so i'm definitely more intentional about this stuff now... what the hell, let's give it the ol college try

i'm typically drawn to characters in working/middle-class positions, because those are the people i've spent most of my life around. everything i write is at least partially autobiographical, as seen in the vast majority of my pre-transition protagonists being sad adolescent/twenty-something boys crumbling under the weight of social expectations they have no interest in meeting but can't imagine an alternative to. it is frankly extremely funny how much of my early fiction was about characters who desperately wanted to transition but utterly lacked the language & framework for doing so... because i also lacked that knowledge. i have multiple hundred+ page books that i never finished because i guess i couldn't even let myself imagine what the logical conclusion would be.

in my subjects, i've always had opinionated characters who got mad about social ills. a loooooot of my old short stories started with characters arguing about politics. i was raised secular and grew up in the bible belt during the bush years. i've always had a strong moral compass and a tendency to Say Shit, and that absolutely comes through in everything i write. it's an impulse i have to tamp down on a lot, because as tempting as it is to get all your hits in whenever you can, a lot of times they come across as infantile and pointless. you know, dude standing up and giving a Big Important Speech about whatever social ill you happened to read about on tumblr that day. sometimes you can get good stuff from that you've really gotta earn it.

my current work is definitely a lot more coherently political than my old stuff. obviously the witchkind legion is my attempt to imagine a post-scarcity communist utopia that is still deeply flawed in its own unique ways. come home, wolf was a gesture in a similar direction albeit on a smaller scale, imagining a communist nation funding a rewilding initiative in collaboration with a historically oppressed werewolf population. i guess i'm thinking a lot more about The Material Conditions these days. pure character drama just doesn't do it for me anymore, it feels disconnected from the real. i want to know where my characters live and how expensive the food is. and i want my stories to be saying interesting things as much as possible, instead of repeating tired tropes out of a lack of introspection.

when i went through a Social Justice arc in my mid-twenties, i really became aware of the fact that all my stories were about straight white dudes in suburban environments. i started noticing accidental racism & sexism & homophobia & etc etc all over the place, laundered in through various unquestioned assumptions and a fairly sheltered upbringing. in hindsight this is a big reason i stopped writing fiction altogether from 2013 to 2019, that i felt totally trapped by my inherited biases. funny how much changed when i came out as transgender! these days the trick is finding ways to utilize that experience constructively. for instance, as someone who once used the r-slur with gleeful thoughtless disregard, how might i go about incorporating that experience into my writing thoughtfully? there's an understandable tendency in young writers to course correct hard around The Problematic, that i think can very often result in sterile text that's too timid to grapple with real issues. there's a learning experience attached to realizing that the r-slur (for instance) isn't just a word but a historical object, a linguistic bludgeon with valances far beyond anything within my limited sphere of experience. just because i don't use that word anymore doesn't mean other people don't, and those other people are not necessarily any more Bad than *i* was as a teenager. combined & uneven development and all that.

so now with the Upsilon Kids i'm trying to deliberately explore Problematic & Troubled Teens from a place of empathy and personal experience. i'm not setting out to Make A Point mind you, but a point will be made regardless so i might as well put some thought into it. this is another place where it's REALLY IMPORTANT to have a check on your political impulses. it's extremely easy for the desire to Make A Point completely override character voice and dramatic consistency. this is why we practice and try new things and challenge ourselves as writers, so we never feel like we've got it all Figured Out for too long.

well i hope that was a useful and not totally embarrassing answer because i'm going cross-eyed now and i absolutely don't have the attention span to proofread all that lmao

[geminiagentgreen]

Hello!! It's me again!! I have another question!! I saw a post the other day, I think I saw it on twitter, but it brought up a Bible verse that I've always been confused on. The one that talks about honoring your parents. What exactly does it mean to honor your parents? Like what does one do to honor their parents?

I ask this because my relationship with my dad is not good. I don't want to get into to much detail here (as tempting as it is lol) so the most I'll say is that he isn't a great dad. He has a lot of anger issues, he's insensitive and at times judgmental. He knows the Bible like the back of his hand but he feels very dead in it. He hides behind it a lot instead of actually tackling his issues in any shape or form. Always says that God is working on him but nothing ever changes, he's still the same miserable man he's always been

Because of all of this, I do not love him. I try to, but I just can't. I don't want him around me, I try to avoid him as much as I can, his presence alone can greatly sour my mood. And yet, God talks about honoring one's parents. There's clearly importance to that, I just don't fully get it. I don't understand what it truly means to honor my parents. As much as my dad needs to change, does this include change in me as well? In how I view and interact with him? I hope this isn't to much of an ask from me (and I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries with everything I've said here lol)

Oh, beloved, how I related to your predicament...

Well, for starters, a good and basic way to honor your parents is through obedience to them. Under their roof as a child to being an adult and visiting them, doing as you are asked or told by your parents is honoring them. There is also how you speak of them to others and truly in your heart; are they respected? Do you obey your mother at home but when you're with friends is she spoken of bitterly? I feel like I could go on, but overall the principle of honoring your parents has its roots in the supreme commandment of honoring God - for what are earthly parents if not a picture of God's character?

But as is often the case, parents are not perfect, and some of us are born to difficult fathers. I want to say right off the bat that despite of how sour, even miserable our relationship with our fathers may be, we are still called to honor them as well (though not above the authority and commandments of God, and not to where we don't reach out for help when we can as his sins are not justified by any obedience towards him).

Myself and all of my siblings can attest to the less than stellar relationships we had with our father; he too had anger issues - he'd walk into the room and everything would go silent, every now and then he'd explode about something or make a mountain out of an anthill - and right to the T with your father is how I'd continue to describe mine.

With this, we can look at your lack of love for him. The beautiful thing about love is that it's not a feeling, but it's actions. Love is deciding to repay anger with gentleness, bitterness with kindness, a rude comment with an "I love you", and praying for him - the more often, the better - for God commands us to love even our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44), and unfortunately sometimes our fathers are our enemies.

My father was also a man who was very close with bible verses, and I personally look back upon his life and see an honest effort from a man with more pain than I think I ever got to know. My pop felt like a better father when he tried being my friend, if I'm being honest, but I know he cared in his own way (he made sure everyone was at church if you were under his roof, and I'm glad he did) and I'd very much like to give your father the benefit of the doubt; many of us don't like who or where we are, even as Christians, so it could be that is something he's dealing with, or he very well could be dealing with the sin of pride. Regardless, and in fact because of how unlovable he is to you, he needs you all the more, and that right there is one great way to honor you father: love him even when he is unlovable.

And, to be blunt, I would get to loving him ASAP, because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

------------------------------------------------------

I am once again blessed that you would consider me for advice, and I thank you for I am coming from some personal evaluation of whether or not there are any works within or from me to justify my faith. By the good grace of God, here you are to demand my reliance upon Him with what couldn't have been a more tailor-suited question.

I'll be praying for you both, I sincerely hope you two will be reunited and get to reconcile and grow.

[imeanitplsmorenamifics]

hellloooo, could you do cowboy like me with nami pleaseee? the song is in my nami playlist 😭😭

Hey, hey! I definitely can write it for you! This has to be the most Nami request you could have chosen tbh 😂. I made sure to make it as accurate to her character as possible because of that. I hope you enjoy it! You can find my Flower Asks here, Hozier asks are here, and my Taylor Swift Asks here. You can find my masterlist here and my rules here. And you can request here! Also, don’t know if anyone will notice, but the reader’s story is definitely based on Inbar Lavi’s character in Imposters. cowboy like me: You never expected to fall in love and yet here you are. In love with them of all people. Characters: Nami, GN!Reader Pairing: Nami x GN!Reader TW: None that I can think of, but tell me if there are!

cowboy like me

.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.

There was no way that you were ever going to fall in love. That was something that had solidified in your mind for years now. With your job, there was no room or time for it. The job of having people fall in love with you. It was pretty simple, for you, at least. You worked with two older people named Colt and Lola, who had one other person over them, who they called the Boss. The Boss was a powerful man. Some people would consider him a god because of how untouchable he was. He had many connections. He could make anything possible. Because of this, he wasn’t one to get his hands dirty. He had other people do it for him.

One group that worked for him was Colt, Lola, and you. You weren’t always part of their group. You joined later when Colt and Lola decided to take you under their wing. You had no family. The only thing you had was a knack for acting and deceiving people. This resulted in one of the best scams that the Boss utilized to get the things he most wanted done and over with. The Boss had you pose as a new person who the target would fall in love with while Colt and Lola would find other ways to get close to the target.

The scams were simple. You received a folder of the target, and you, along with the other two, studied it like it was the new edition of the Bible. Colt and Lola would find certain things that the target might need (a maid or treasurer, for example) and would become what they needed. Your job was the most important.

When you looked at the file, you focused on what the person was missing in their life. Whatever it was, you would become that for them. You would be their adventure. You would be their sweet, doting love. You would be their main motivator. You would keep this up until things were locked in (whether that be you dating for a while or even marriage), and the Boss gave the order. Most of the time, the scam would just be to get the person’s money. Usually, the targets were people who owed the Boss money. Sometimes, the scheme was used for informational purposes.

The most recent scheme was information-based. A file was placed on the table of the small boat you, Colt, and Lola shared. You looked up at the older man’s piercing stare. He only gestured for you to look through the file. You sighed, reaching forward and grabbing the file. When you opened it up, you were met with the picture of a woman with orange hair and blue eyes. The picture was obviously taken without her knowing.

“The Boss wants us to target her next,” Colt stated.

A scoff escaped you, “Yeah, I thought that was kind of obvious.” You tilted your head as your finger caressed the picture of the woman. You had to admit, she was definitely very good-looking. Her name was Nami, huh? Interesting name. You didn’t hear much like it in all the places you’d been to so far.

Your comment was not appreciated by Colt. He had a look of anger on his face as he bent down to look you in the eye. Feeling this breath on you, you looked up at him with a bored expression. This ticked him off a little more, “Are you going to take this seriously?” He gritted out. “You messed up with the last target.”

“We got the money in the end!” You exclaimed. That was all you’d been hearing since your last scam was up. “You messed up this time.” “Don’t get so distracted.” “Keep your head clear.” “Do you want the Boss to find out about this?” It was always the same thing with him. You were getting sick of it.

He was getting sick of your attitude, “We almost didn’t!”

This is when Lola stepped in. If you had a favorite out of the two, it would definitely be her. She was kind of like a mother figure to you. She took care of you, looked out for you, and even stood up for you when Colt was being a bitch. You didn’t think you would have survived in this game as long as you have without her by your side. As those two went off to argue away from you, you continued to look over the file with that same bored expression on your face.

At first, you thought this would be some kind of big break. You wouldn’t have to go through any more unnecessary suffering. You could finally do something that could help your future. You didn’t want to be one of those people who scraped together everything they had to get by. You wanted to be someone who was well off and didn’t have to worry about material things. If you asked the younger you, the you that was just getting into these scams, you would’ve told future you that you were having the best time of your life. Now? Well, it’s different now.

Asking you now would get you a much different answer. You were tired. Tired of pretending all the time. Tired of forcing yourself to fall in love with small things about the people you’re scamming so you don’t lose your mind. You just wanted to breathe for once instead of huffing for breath because you’ve been running for so long. But it wasn’t that simple. People don’t leave the Boss. You’re in it for life, or you die. It was that simple.

You wondered what this poor girl did to have the Boss target her. Colt and Lola walked into the room at that moment. Might as well ask, “Why does the Boss want us to go after her?”

Of course, the first thing Colt said was, “Are you questioning the Boss’ decision?” From how much Colt talked about the Boss, you would think he was obsessed with him. That he might look up to him in some way. That was far from the truth. He was terrified of the man. Terrified of losing his life if he doesn’t comply with whatever demand the so-called deity might throw out.

All the answer you gave him was a, “Really?” look. Thankfully, Lola, being the angel she was, answered your question, “Nami works with Arlong and his fishmen. They’ve been doing business with the Boss for a while, but lately, they’ve been working with one of the Boss’ enemies. He wants you to get close to her,” You gave a look of interest to Lola. Why did she only include you in that statement? “Colt and I have been ordered to get close with other members of Arlong’s crew.”

“So this one you do on your own,” Colt spoke up. His expression was stern, and his voice was commanding, “Don’t screw things up this time.”

“I won’t,” You sighed annoyedly.

That’s what you said. That’s what you said.

It didn’t take much planning to meet Nami. You bumped into her “on accident” on the island she’d been on for a little bit of time. She was originally from Coco Village, according to her file. But the island she was on was not Coco Village. It was close to it but still pretty far. There was one thing that surprised you. It was how forthcoming she was toward you.

She acted like she didn’t mind having you around. It was like she enjoyed your presence. This puzzled you a bit. From what you’d read about her, she was closed off. Nami wasn’t one to just accept anyone the moment they said hi to her. But she did exactly that with you. It was then that it hit you. She was using you like you were using her.

Now, this was something you were supposed to have reported to Colt and/or Lola as soon as you figured it out. They would need to tell the Boss about it so they could all figure out how to tread with the scheme. You didn’t tell them anything about it. It was interesting to you. How she knew you were using her and decided to use it to benefit her in the end. You think the moment you figured that out was the moment it started it all for you.

Over time, it began to get harder and harder to pretend. You could tell it was getting harder for Nami as well. It wasn’t because you couldn’t tolerate each other. It was far from it, actually. You were beginning to get way too close, too invested, too… You were falling so deep, and so was she. It was a dangerous game. Two players got too swept up in the game, and now the game was playing them. You should’ve stopped.

But you didn’t.

This should’ve stopped you, but it only pushed you to go further. The two of you became a couple. A couple with honest-to-god, real feelings for each other. You never told her about the Boss, or Colt, or Lola. She never told you about Arlong and the fishmen. None of that mattered to you. All that mattered was who you were with each other.

So once the two of you got dragged along with a boy in a straw hat. Things started to come to light. Specifically, when you ended up at the restaurant called Baratie and Arlong showed up. Nami revealed to them all that she was working with him. She looked at you for your reaction. She was only met with an understanding look. She knew that you knew.

And you were one of the main people leading the crusade against Arlong to help her. For someone that the Boss had it out for, he wasn’t that intimidating. Sure, he was big and had a nose with sharp spikes, but he wasn’t the worst that you’d ever seen. When he saw you standing with Nami and Luffy, ready to fight against him, you could tell that he wanted to see it all fall apart for her.

That’s probably why he stared pointedly at you and said, “You do know what she was doing with you, right?” You remained straight-faced. “She was using you. She was telling me everything that you told her so I could finally get out of the damned deal with the Boss.” A smirk was on his face. He was ready to see the betrayed expression on your face.

A smirk of your own grew onto your face, “I know… And frankly, I don’t care.” You and the girl smiled at each other. You weren’t supposed to actually fall in love with your target, but you did. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be.

[jewwyfeesh]

Diffuse Reflection - 2

Writer: Mitsuki

Character(s): Nagumo Tetora, Sazanami Jun, Amagi Hiiro, Shiratori Aira, Kazehaya Tatsumi

Translated by: jewwyfeesh

Hiiro: Huuu, I’m free! I can speak again!!

[ ♪ ]

Season: Summer

Location: Seishou Hall Common Room

Jun: Place no. 7 on top of no. 10, and use no. 3 to attach them together like this? But I think we’re outta no. 3 components…

Goddamn! This is too hard. Even though mangas would sometimes contain panels that mess up the story’s timeline, or scenes that are so shockin’ even without containin’ a single line of dialogue—

But this is a frickin’ instruction manual. Isn’t it a little too unrealistic for it to only contain pictures and zero words?!

Aah~, whatever. I’ll just set up all of these components first and have a look-see…

Tatsumi: It is rather difficult to comprehend.

Jun: ……

UWAHH!HH!H!!! T-Tatsumi-senpai!? Y-you— When did you even get’ere?!?

Tatsumi: Apologies, I accidentally spoke out loud. I scared you, didn’t I?

I’ve walked past this area a couple of times by now. Seeing as you’re still hunched over, pouring diligently over some study materials, I couldn’t help but feel curious. So, what are you working on, Jun-san? This is an instruction manual, right?

Jun: Erm… actually…

[A while later]

Jun: Hehe, it’s finally complete! It looks exactly like the sample picture, too.

Without Tatsumi-senpai’s help, who knows what it’ll end up lookin’ like. I’ll let Mary have her fun with this spray bottle toy while the weather’s still kinda hot.

All in all, I’m real thankful for ya, Tatsumi-senpai~!

Tatsumi: None of that now. I’m glad to be of assistance to you, Jun-san. I’ve already tried summarizing the parts where instructions were unclear. Afterwards, I’ll have to trouble you to forward my feedback to the toy’s manufacturer in hopes that we’ll be able to assist those facing similar difficulties.

Even with that said, we managed to overcome some rather difficult portions through pure intuition alone. To err on the side of caution, shall we test out the toy before handing it over to Mary-san to play with?

Jun: Mm, that’s fair, Tatsumi-senpai. Lemme see… You’re supposed to pour water in here, select the power of the spray, and press this button—

Location: Seishou Hall Hallway

Hiiro: Sorry, Buchou! We’ll need to reschedule the practice match…

Tetora: Ahaha, we can practice anytime, so don’t sweat it! Hiiro-kun, you’ve made plans to meet up with your unit mates later on, right?

Hiiro: Erm… Mayoi-senpai and Aira both replied the second they received the message, but Tatsumi-senpai hasn’t. Is he busy or something?

Ah. I suddenly sensed Mayoi-senpai’s breathing — are they in the common room?

Tetora: Hiiro-kun…?

Hiiro: I’mma head off first, Buchou! Let’s find a time for that practice match, yeah?

Tetora: Sure thing, Hiiro-kun— Annnd he’s gone in the blink of an eye…

Location: Seishou Hall Common Room

Aira: (Softly) Erm… I don’t really know why, but Tattsun-senpai’s looking kinda scary right now… He’s been going in circles while muttering under his breath or something for quite a while now… I don’t really wanna go any closer while he’s like that…

(Softly) Speaking of which… Mayo-senpai’s inching closer through the ceiling… Maybe he’ll know what Tattsun-senpai’s up to?

Mayoi: (Whispering) Eeeeek, if Tatsumi-san is chanting Bible scriptures or exorcizing evil spirits, I’ll definitely go up in smoke the second I get close, right?!

Hiiro: If you want to know what Tatsumi-senpai is up to, you can just ask him directly.

Tatsumi-sen—Mhhgh?!? Mgh~mghhghM!!? (Aira, why did you suddenly cover my mouth?)

Tatsumi: Huff, I think I’ve pretty much cleaned up all the water stains in the room.

Thank goodness that Jun-san’s reaction speed is fast, having removed his jacket to wrap around the defective toy… it was because of that that we were able to minimise damage to our surroundings.

Even though I myself also got splashed with water, it’s not to the extent where I must immediately go change into a dry set, unlike Jun-san. I’ll dry off eventually.

I should contact Jun-san first – notify him that the room has been cleaned and that there’s no need for him to rush back. Hm… where did I put my phone— Ah, found it ♪

Ah, turns out there’s some water on my face as well? When I saw my reflection on the phone’s screen, I realised I looked rather… soggy at the moment, haha.

Aira: (Whispering) Eh, hold on. Ehhh~? Hiro-kun, are you seeing what I’m seeing?!

Hiiro: Mghhgh~ Mmgmhhghmmm~? (Mhm— Only my mouth is covered right now?)

Mayoi: (Murmuring) Aaah, even someone like me is permitted to see such a holy image~… Maybe I should close my eyes…!

Hiiro: Mmmghhhh~? Mmgmhhhh~ Mmmmghghhghh~ (Holy? In Mayoi-senpai’s eyes, Tatsumi-senpai wiping his face with his hands does make for a rather holy scene.)

Aira: (Muttering) Stupid Hiro-kun! What’re you saying?! Tattsun-senpai’s very clearly wiping away his tears!

Mayoi: (Softly) Eeek, Aira-san somehow managed to understand whatever Hiiro-san’s saying…!?

(But… Back to the topic at hand… Hiiro-kun is surprisingly very calm about having his mouth covered, and isn’t even putting up a struggle…?)

Tatsumi: Eh? Hiiro-san sent a message to ‘Hall Hands’. Everyone has already replied – I should hurry and do so as well. Let me see – a gathering over here later?

“Apologies, I just saw your message. I’m currently in the common room, and will wait here for everyone.” —and send.

Aira: (Whispering) Ah! Shoot, I forgot to mute my phone—

Aira: ……!?

Mayoi: …….!?

Hiiro: Huuu, I’m free! I can speak again!!

Tatsumi: Oya? Turns out everyone’s already here.

So, Hiiro-san, why have we gathered here today?

Hiiro: Umu—! I have something I’d like to experience together with everyone in ALKALOID! Earlier this morning I met up with Anzu-san, and she gave me this—

Tatsumi: Ooh, it’s a photobook from the event we participated alongside Ryuseitai – Motor Show. It is a rather meaningful memento.

Oh, right. A few days ago Hiyori-san gave me some tea leaves. How about I prepare some tea and snacks for us to enjoy alongside… ♪ Are there any special requests?

Aira: (If I were to request something from Tattsun-senpai, it’ll definitely be unreasonable… But I should eat food that’s cooling[1] for the body… This afternoon was a bit—)

Hiiro: Oh! I think the agency sent us some goodies – they’re in the fridge. There should be things we can use as tea time snacks.

Aira: (Hiro-kun…!!!)

Tatsumi: That’s great. But I personally have not seen those gifts. Hiiro-san, would you mind accompanying me to go fetch them?

Hiiro: Umu! Of course—

Aira: (Whispering) No. Don’t you dare. Hiro-kun, you stay! I have things to talk to you about!

Mayoi: T-those… I-I’ve seen them before, I’ll go help Tatsumi-san…!

Aira: My goodness, Hiro-kun, how could you talk to Tattsun-senpai so nonchalantly?! He’s more sensitive and fragile than usual now, so you need to treat him gently and with care.

Hiiro: What’s wrong with what I said? “Sensitive and fragile”… what does this mean?

Aira: For someone like Tattsun-senpai to be so sad that he used both hands to wipe the tears off his face… Surely something absolutely terrible must’ve happened…!

Hiiro: Ah, I’ve been ignored.

But, if you want to know what went down, Aira, you should just ask Tatsumi-senpai directly.

Aira: Absolutely not~! Hiro-kun, did everything I say just go in one ear and out the other?

Hiiro: I was listening, though? You said to treat him gently and with ca—

Aira: Then again, what use is knowing what exactly happened? If Tattsun-senpai himself is unable to bear it, how delulu do I need to be to believe I can help in any way, shape or form…

Hiiro: I’ve been ignored again…?

See, we don’t have the full picture, so we’re unable to puzzle out how we’re able to help. If Aira’s unwilling to go ask, then I’ll go.

Location: Seishou Hall Kitchens

Tatsumi: Ah, Mayoi-san has already cut the cake? You’ve done a huge favour by dividing them up into such neat portions, thank you. Because they’re lava cakes, I was originally unsure what to do with them.

Mayoi: Nnnno, Tatsumi-san, you don’t have to go out of your way to praise me for such a small matter…!

Tatsumi: Haha. Speaking of which, Mayoi-san, your hands are very deft. I remember that you’re very skilled in making models and the like.

Actually, there’s something particularly troublesome that I require assistance with, and I’m afraid you’re the only one who can help me.

Mayoi: I-I’m t-the only o-one who can help…?

Tatsumi: I’m really sorry for requesting this all of a sudden. However, this is a personal matter of mine, so if you find it too bothersome and wish to decline, that’s fin—

Mayoi: ……N-no, it’s not that! Tatsumi-san came to me personally for help, I’m just worried that I myself am unable to deliver…!

Tatsumi: Haha, it’s great that you’re willing to help me out. Thank you, Mayoi-san.

Mayoi: (Uuuu. Surely Tatsumi-san looking for me isn’t related to ‘That Incident’, right…? How did such an insignificant person like myself get chosen by Tatsumi-san to be the one he pours his heart out toooooo?! If I happen to let him down, I’ll go to Hell…!)

Tatsumi: (The toy should still be with Jun-san. I’ll wait for him to return to the dormitory before requesting Mayoi-san have a look at it… ♪)

[ ☆ ]

← Chapter 1 | Story Masterlist | Chapter 3 →

sometimes i wonder who has the shared braincell in ALKALOID

[fea-therlight221]

Something I noticed during my rewatch of Nerdy Prudes Must Die is that Grace and Max are more similar than it appeared at first and the conclusion of their storylines is also really nicely foreshadowed.

Both Graxe and Max have a very strong need to have things under control. Both are power hungry (in Grace's case, not only we can see that during the NPMD ending but also in Abstinance Camp, where she also obtains the villain's power and appears pleased to possess it). Both behave in extreme ways due to the ways they were raised. (It's more obvious in Max's case since he's clearly scared of his father, but it's also worth noting how Grace's parents seem strict about their rules, she sounds genuinely afraid of being caught indulging in her fantasies and what she says about how sometimes you have to listen to things people tell you and believe even when it goes against your common sense makes it sound to me like there is more to her fanatic religiousness than just pure faith).

Of course, the main thing that connects them in the story is their desire for each other, and it's interesting how it affects them in opposite ways. Max acts softer around Grace. It's the only time we see him being nice. Even after he gets what he wanted, he's just smiling and actually kicking his feet in the air. He loses because he let his guard down, because Grace is his weak point. Grace's desire for Max brings out the worst in her. She can't accept those feelings as something that comes from her so she blames him, he must be punished, and so she plots her revenge. And then she expresses not only relief but almost happiness that he died. She lusts over him but couldn't care less about him as a person and has no problem using his want for her to kill his ghost version as well.

Speaking of opposites, this also applies to where their characters start out and how they finish. The Grace we first meet is a devout servant of God, and Max is someone who acts like he's god and treats himself this way. At the end, Grace obtains powers of godlike beings and uses it to pass judgments on those she considers to be sinners, even taking over Max's song and making it her own. Meanwhile Max ends up as a plaything for those same beings and his soul belongs to them at the end.

As for the foreshadowing when it comes to these two, I also wanna point out how good the "so you DO know the Bible" scene is when you realize Max has been talking in biblical references the whole show. "Forbidden fruit", "break bread", etc... And speaking of him calling Grace "forbidden fruit", you know how Adam and Eve got exiled from Eden after eating it and became mortal? Well, getting his "forbidden fruit" is literally what ends up killing Max again and afterwards he gets dragged down to Drowsy Town.

Another thing: I think some lyrics of Dirty Girl could be considered foreshadowing as well! I mean, "I'm expecting you to betray me", "one way ticket power trip", "won't you love me like you don't care"? So, I think the whole Max and Grace thing was very well done and I wanted to share all those things I found cool. Very intelligent storytelling.

(Originally posted this on Twitter, in case this sounds familiar to some of you, and just remembered and thought I'd share here as well)

[velvetvexations]

(i am not very accurate all the time so take this with a grain of salt this is half remembered and i wasn't in the drama while it happened) (also im getting like 90% my info from moonkitti) OKAY so it all starts with this character Dovewing(whom i will call dove). Thing that is important to note, the erin hunters are ghost writers and they do not have a warrior cat bible, so they use the wiki when they need info. which is really really bad cause the wiki at the time was dogshit. like really really shit. you wanted a characters personality? friends? anything? have fun scrolling through the mini essay they wrote which is bascially just a summary of the book. not fun. Also ppl didn't really like Dove for some other reasons which i can talk about if wanted.

So Dove's eyes were debated cause like every book they'd change color. One book it'd be green, another blue, sometimes it'd switch up in the book, others the cover would be one color, and the words another. Another thing to note, the fandom is mainly artists, AKA, people who need a solid character design. So naturally, they argued, and some of the time, in animations they'd switch the colors, in joke ones it would be rainbow.

Kate Cary(a ghostwriter) at one point said her eyes were blue so the wiki(which at the time listened to the word of the authors rather then what was in the books more) put it like that on the wiki. After a while, Dove got a solid eye color, green. Naturally people saw this and were like, "Hey, its green now." The admin of the wiki disagreed and eventually started blocking people who said it was green. This started a 9~ hour twitter mess were people were getting blocked left and right. The people getting blocked were having a good time.

Eventually, the fight stopped and the person(who also had some other stuff apparently) stepped down and moonkitti made a video on the whole thing. During that video, she talked about how shit the wiki was and how they really should fix it. Surprisingly they actually did fix it, its way better, they added official art, the pixel art doesnt look hideous, its better now. The end! (theres a reddit post that probably explains it better on the sub hobbydrama(?))

I had no idea the author of Warrior Cats is actually a team of ghostwriters. No wonder it feels so Homestuckian and stuff like this drama happens. Way too many cooks, I'd imagine.

[rocketyship]

That poll is so hard to vote for cause on one hand, it feels like Tiff would fit the best because of her incredibly unreliable narration matching Ted's while it would still be a subversion of the original because of the reason why she's unreliable(rose tinted glasses and extreme devotion to BE as opposed to the stuff Ted's got going on) and her pov on and relationship with BE would just be so fun to see explored and the horror of the situation being a subtle thing thats swept under the rug could be so cool.

But on the other, Evan would also kinda match with the original due to his open emotional distance and disconnect from the girls, AND it would bring a lot of fun, fresh stuff! Seems like Evan is the one who pays most attention to AM, and seeing what's happening there from his pov would be so interesting! He, just like Ellen if she would've narrated could bring up how things like being the only one of the opposite sex and gender in the group and (from what we know from the short story at least) only dark skinned person would like.. idk change perspectives on things?? I'd also love to find out more about him!

Oh, not to mention Naomi!! Having narration that is pretty damn reliable would make worldbuilding and exploration much easier and she's also got that disconnect due to her age and crystal clear memory, being able to see things as they are and were could be really refreshing in a ihnmaims universe and i really want to know what her whole deal is! Being born toward the end of the war must've made quite a difference to how a person would process everything, Ted's whole "I'm youngest so my experience is different because i barely had time to live as an adult before the nukes" wouldn't have shit on someone who wasn't even like... done w puberty.

Ooooh they'd all make for such fun narrators 😭 It's really too bad that writing takes so much time and effort or it would've been amazing to see all three's povs! I still don't know what to vote for or how the results are looking so far but im really looking forward to seeing what the results will lead to!

Maybe you have a character you have the most ideas for or would like to write most? Cause if so, that'd def help me choose what to vote.

Sorry for the wall of text(would you believe me if i said i wanted to write more? This is me trying to show restraint, didn't even write about the potential AM could have as a narrator), and i hope you have a good day!

Okay so first off, I love-love-love this response. You have such fun perspectives on these silly little au characters of mine and it makes me a little sad that you didn’t write anymore cause I definitely would have read it, especially what you were thinking about what an interesting narrator AM could be.

As to which character I have the most ideas for, is such a difficult thing to answer cause well I have so-so many. But I do want to put them out there for you so here they are:

Tiffany: narration wise, I imagine the stuff she says can and does come across as nonsensical and border line trigger happy, however sometimes she occasionally lets something slip that clues into her true feelings and that a part of her may indeed be aware of the gravity of the groups situation, however she shuts it down as she has severe attachment issues and cannot fathom how she could possibly survive without BE. Another thing I pictured is that she very often quotes the bible and other religious texts, as BE doesn’t present herself as machine and genuinely as a divine entity. I also have been toying with a scene similar to the one in the radio drama, where AM is talking to Ted about bumblebees and getting high r something. Where it is set up as the reverse. BE showing Tiff the horrors of what the radiation and world has come to (in a way that is seriously deceptive) and claiming that all she has to do is snap her fingers for it to return. It would definitely read as a story where there is total tonal whiplash from one scene to the next, so that is something to consider.

Evan: I have come up with so many pasts for all these survivors before they were “rescued” by BE, however one thing to note is that I don’t really think of these characters as just “genderbent versions of the originals”. Evan is one of the key examples of this, as in this au he is technically the original Ellen’s older brother, however he left home when she was around 12-13ish, as he didn’t like the life, college and job his family set out and tried to push him into. Unlike Ellen who was a successful engineer, who may have been a hopeless romantic based on the original text. Evan was and very much still is kind of a massive party animal. I picture him very punk but like the old kind of punk. Like he was the kind of guy to go motorcycling around the country (even into war-devastated bits, cause it was a thrill), he went to underground clubs and concerts, and sure as heck slept around and had no shame in it (both women and men if you are curious). He doesn’t want to get sentimental, he wants to live his life on the edge and BE doesn’t allow that. He constantly tries to upset her, get some kind of intense reaction from her. He tries to escape, he kicks and tries to tear open parts of her internal network. This man has tried to kill Gloria (Gloria kind of deserves it thou) and the only reactions he gets from BE is her finding him cute, amusing, or as if he just needs to be put in a corner to calm down for a bit. Truthfully he is someone who just wants to go back and experience life again, recognising that BE’s utopia isn’t living and refusing to buy into it.

Naomi: I won’t lie, Nimdok is so boring in the og story, and they definitely tried to do “something” with him in the game. I don’t like it, again different ramble. So like Evan, she is a different person. Like you said she has barely started puberty and because of BE neither her body or even her mind has really aged in anyway and she is horribly aware of this. Due to the war she has had her childhood taken from her, but now because of BE she shall never experience adulthood or growing up. Her memory hardly anything particularly helpful. She remembers exactly what BE did to the others when they first got brought to the compound, she has seen what goes down in the labs, she knows what pills are and aren’t sleeping pills, developing a habit where she will pretend to take one and spit it out if she is able to. As stated in the survivors master post, she knows BE’s blind spots and will often go there on her own. Not really to do anything, just kind of sit around. Further more, she and Evan have a way of communicating, number of blinks, which fingers moved when you spoke to them, that kind of stuff. Still she doesn’t want to escape, she knows she’ll die if she does, generally she acts more like a mediator in the group. As a narrator, I did have this idea for a few odd habits she has learned over the years. Example is that she constantly counting, time and routine is import to her, as she notices when something is wrong and that freaks her out. She also has this habit of just staring at the others for very long periods of time, especially Gloria. She clearly remembers seeing her on tv during her old life, and also remembers how she attacked her when Naomi attempted to mention it to Gloria.

Writing does take so much effort, especially for me, cause truthfully I’m always jumping back and forth on what I’m working on. On top of this au and the fic, I’m also in the process of finishing the final script and sketches for a different web comic I’ve been planning for a while, as well as a completely unrelated world building project that I’ve been at for two years now. Anyhow!! Tell me more please

[owmylasagna-blog]

You know, despite Nazz being the most bland and forgettable of the kids, I also think she's (ironically) the most versatile at the same time. She might be both a tomboy and a girly girl, she fits in two trios (sometimes she's hanging out with Kevin and Rolf, sometimes she's hanging out with Sarah and Jimmy- something that hardly applies to the other characters), she has a fair share of interests (sports, studying law, fashion, music, math according to her report card) and actually a good jokes and gags (she eats A LOT, she's poor in music, and according to ''Mission-Ed Possible'' she's also bad in cooking). There so much directions they could took with her... and she's the only nice girl on the show.

I guess since most of the writers were men, they preferred or were more comfortable writing for male characters most of time (or they just assumed most of the target public/audience were boys, like usually happened in that time).

Yeah I actually like Nazz as a character and of all the kids on the show she is absolutely the most pleasant one to be around! Unfortunately given the high octane slapstick, exaggerated personalities, and overall humor of the show she sort of gets lost. Nazz functions to fit some role in service of the plot rather than plots being driven by some key aspect of her personality or interests. Which as a side character makes some sense but I feel like each of the side characters get their moments to shine! When we get a Nazz focused episode it’s really more about how all the boys feel about her. Nazz’s desires, motives, history, and perspective aren’t super fleshed out which is my main critique.

For a show about the awkwardness of puberty she is astoundingly well adjusted. I always assumed she was slightly older than the Eds so maybe 13-14? She’s inexplicably very mature. I kind of wish we got a sense of why that was the case! Like, we know Edd is the responsible one in his respective trio because he has to an extremely independent kid at home (and has mad anxiety). I don’t know what drives Nazz to be thoughtful, kind, and relatively more mature. Does anyone else? In the series bible she is described as “most mature of the kids, or so she thinks” and man do I want to know more what that means! Like maybe she should have been shown being more self conscious about wanting to seem older/ more mature than her age. It doesn’t get explored really!

And then there is just the reality of being a middle schooler! Scott Underwood posted a drawing of Nazz where she has leg hair and I’m kind of mad nothing like that got incorporated in the show!! That sort of character design choice gets relegated to the Kanker sisters (obsessed with that photo of Lee shaving her legs in the fucking kitchen sink, what an icon).

It’s why I find the interface of the Kankers and Nazz so interesting - I risk sounding like a broken record but I’ve been saying the same shit for like 10 years now. And while the Kankers aren’t necessarily the most well rounded either they ARE much more interesting to me because the crew wasn’t afraid to make them unlikable or gross or tackle their pubescent growing pains or their messed up love/hate relationship to men.

Idk this is just my take! I could be missing some things, so I’m curious how other folks feel about Nazz!

[mrcompass]

The Antichrists of Beyblade (Part 2): Rago the Blasphemer.

Rago is the main antagonist of Beyblade Metal Fury, making him the final adversary in the Metal Saga trilogy. His character is tied to the concept of the antichrist as he is the one destined to wield Nemesis, the God of Destruction. Rago only appeared in 8 episodes before being defeated for good, and even though he seems flat as a character, the lore surrounding him makes up for the lack of characterization.

Rago first appears when Doji finds him in an ancient temple behind a cascade and soon leads him to Pluto and Nemesis. He is presented as King Hades' descendant who "inherited the same spirit and power" and immediately takes control of Proto Nemesis. Rago realizes that the bey is not powerful enough, highlighting a special connection with this ancient and dark artifact.

Rago's design and personality are meant to emulate his true nature: the wielder of Nemesis, he is nothing more, nothing less. As such, he is a ruthless, brutal, and sometimes sadistic person. His biggest personality trait is his habit of insulting his opponents as worms. His design is particularly ominous; he is tall and bigger than most characters, his dark hair is long with spikes, looking more similar to tendrils than horns. He wears a cap like Ryuga, Damian, and Aguma, and his clothing is reminiscent of ancient Greece. It's like Rago comes from ancient times, showing that he is completely disconnected from the world. Rago, with his haircut, red eyes, and clothing, looks closer to King Hades than Pluto, even though the latter claimed and took pride in his affiliation. This is meant to show us that Rago, and not Pluto, embodies King Hades' will, that he is the one destined to wield Nemesis.

As for his similarities with the antichrist, the beast of the apocalypse is said to come from the sea; Rago's temple is located behind water, and Hades's kingdom emerges from the water. The antichrist brings the apocalypse/armageddon; Nemesis's special move is Armageddon, and the bey was bringing the end of the world. The beast says insults against the righteous and servants of God and denies the Son; Rago constantly insults other characters. His opponents are hardworking bladers (for the most part) and are passionate, unlike him. By calling them worms, he denies their achievement and their humanity at the same time.

He himself lacks humanity; his behavior is far from human. In the manga, he is nothing more than Nemesis's incarnation. His design is a human version of the God of Destruction, who will later use Rago as a simple way to communicate and throw insults.

Furthermore, Rago received Nemesis from Pluto and King Hades, like the antichrist received authority and power from the devil itself. Hades is the Greek equivalent of Pluto, and as the king of hell in mythology, he is often seen as an evil god in works of fiction (like the Hercules Disney movie or Saint Seiya) when he is not. In the Bible, the Devil miraculously heals the beast, and in Metal Fury, a fragment of Fusion Hades (Pluto's bey) allows Nemesis to escape the seal and miraculously come back. Finally, he, alongside Pluto and Nemesis, shares a similar end; they are thrown into a bottomless pit while the antichrist and the devil were thrown into a lake of fire for all eternity.

I would argue that Rago is more complex than he seems as he shares some parallels with Damian. Both were the top bladers of their evil organization, they both defeated an emperor, they possessed powerful beys that had unique mode changes involving the fusion wheel. Both believed to be special and got their strength through unconventional methods (the arrangement and stealing the power of the legendary blader). They both accomplish the will of someone else. And they both served that will to bring a so-called new world, as Rago even said:

"Be grateful that I will put an end to this mistaken history that you are living in right now. I, the child of the Black Sun, Rago, with my own hands, will do this."

He is a genocidal maniac whose only purpose is to wield Nemesis and to bring its power to its full potential in order to destroy the world. His worldview rests on that alone and is completely flawed, like Damian's. However, he didn't choose that; he was born to be like that. He received the spirit of Hades, and there was no way he could have avoided his destiny. Damian is who he is because of Ziggurat, but Ziggurat is a mortal man who played god, and his actions aren't comparable to Rago's. In Metal Fury, it is said that the legendary blader can't avoid their destiny, and Rago is no different. So in the end, who should we blame: Rago embodying a purpose that was created for him, or Hades who created that purpose in the first place?

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

The problem with Disney right now...

I know I usually state my opinion on movies I see recently and give reviews but sometimes I give my opinion on movies that are going to come out soon. So, I heard about the unnecessary sequels for Moana and Inside Out, which are great movies but they don't need sequels. In all honesty, after seeing what they did with Wish, I think Disney should take a break on making animated movies for a while! Not forever, just for a short time.

Okay, so I think we all can tell that they used A.I on Wish. It's not the animation and stuff, it's just the story! I even think the songs were written by real people, it's purely the story that feels A.I generated. Watch them use A.I on Moana 2, Inside Out 2, and Frozen 3... oh gosh that would break my heart to se them ruin the sequels with A.I. I don't consider myself a Disney fan, in fact, even as a kid I wasn't a Disney-movie kid, but I did have a Frozen phase back in the day. Every kid had a Frozen phase. Inside Out is okay but it was kind of emotional, but the first Moana was really good. The thing is, Frozen is based off the Snow Queen while Moana and Inside Out aren't based off any fairytales and are Disney's own original ideas for once. Plus, I think they're only making these sequels because their original ideas like StrangeWorld and Wish are failing so they're proffiting off live action remakes and making sequels of already existing characters because they're desperate. They're just so greedy and can't stand to see the competitors, who are smaller animation companies, beat them!

I'm mostly boycotting Disney (and have been ever since I saw Zootopia) but I'll watch Disney movies pirated on free websites like Actvid and Moviesjoy. The only thing I like from 2024 Disney is Kiff! LITERALLY KIFF! KIFF! Of all things, I never thought KIFF would be the only thing that's stopping me from abandoning Disney all together. I don't use Disney plus but the website I watch Kiff on doesn't have the recent episodes and I refuse to get Disney plus. Disney should focus on stuff like Kiff and Phineas & Ferb anyway. The only good show they got on Disney channel now is Bluey and Bluey is NOT EVEN DISNEY! Bluey is an Australian show and should be seen as that, instead of having the greediest corporation in the world act like they own an Aussie show that they didn't have anything to do with. Bluey should be on PBS kids or something, not greedy Disney! Who agrees? I'm American, but If I was in Australia I'd be so mad at Disney. Disney literally censored episodes, removed episodes, and stopped the writers from throwing in a Bible reference... when they weren't even making the show! If I was in charge, Disney Channel/Disney Junior would have shows like Jungle Junction, Phineas & Ferb, Bear in the Big Blue House, Good Luck Charlie, Suite life of Zack & Cody on Deck,... ect. Basically I'd bring back everything except JESSIE because it was racist (R.I.P to Cameron Boyce tho, he wasn't a bad guy he was just on a bad show).

Anyway, Disney is on my last nerve rn, and if it wasn't for Kiff I'd hate it all together. I still do hate Disney but the only thing that keeps me from wanting it to go away is Kiff. If you haven't heard of Kiff, it's a recent show by Disney, about an orange squirrel who's really energetic (and no, she's NOTHING like Scaredy Squirrel). As far as movies go, I know for sure that I will never see another Disney movie in theaters and I encourage you too, as well. They'll end up on Actvid or Moviesjoy before they even end up on Disney plus anyway, because Disey is popular and people care enough to record it off some hidden camera in theaters. I'm not saying you have to follow in my footsteps and boycott Disney, I'm just telling you on how I do it. Like, the day they come out in theaters is the same day they end up on free websites. Plus, you don't have to waste your money if the movie is going to be bad, like how Wish ended up being bad.

So yeah, please share your thoughts! If you're a Disney fan, I'm sorry. You have to know that they've been really shady recently (they always have been shady but particularly now).

[total-feminism-takes]

Lesbian Courtney anon here!

Courntey and Duncan are so much more than toxic exes... they are human to me.

They are both sides of the same coin that am aware of is my own soul.

Basically, this ship not all that to you but to me, Courtney is just like me in the need of PERFECT!

I crashed and failed for many years to finally get I was drowning and dying to be loved and comfort by the wrong person and my family doesn't see me as human but legacy to continue.

I love them a lot.

Courtney needs help with therapy like Duncan.

Basically they made me realize my childhood up bringing and more is not my fault but it is my fault for hitting. sprialing, and losing my sense of my reality because of no one offered to help me or realizing I was getting abused at home by own flesh and blood.

The abuse can become abusers sadly.

We don't need you to deem us as crazy abusive exes, sometimes we need to be left alone to grow and health, more help understanding what we were taught was wrong.

I was a bad person I blew up things like Duncan with fire and hit others in the name of justice I said to myself like Courtney but end of the day.

I will not be seen as not a martyr. But death and the villain of itself in most people's stories!

But I will still be branded off as abusive and awful even if I was trying to defend myself or walk away from the fight.

It's hard out here especially when we love and adopt TD characters to represent ourselves out here.

I am growing slowly but surely, I used to hate the world and everything due to the unfairness of the world and hatred brought on by others to my feet.

I couldn't just turn the other cheek when someone hits you first or threatens you at time you fight back then regret.

I want many to know sometimes we are seen as monsters and have no redemption, yet you are you are own writer and person!

Sometimes we got look in mirror and go I know I am bad, toxic, and piece shite but guess what sunshine! We are still alive and live for ourselves! We can thrive for ourselves and do better from now on!

I used to be hateful bible thumping Christian because I was raised that way, every hit was because I love you, your fault is being a women, but guess what?!

I like girls and love boys!

I love girls so much my friends think I wanted to date them since high school, but I was just trying to be affectionate and their own personal cheerleaders when needed!

It is not sin to love, or be women. It is not wrong to like to like characters like Courtney or Duncan!

I am tired of it!

Let people enjoy things! That's personal opinion! Why am going tell you what's wrong with you and what's right if I am no saint myself!

Courtney my beloved and Duncan my dove, I love you even if you just a silly parody/satire teenagers of reality tv series!

I hate that made you so awful in the end of time they could punch up with the jokes and the satire but no they doom us all with brain rot of blah blah Courtney is abusive only.

You saw how they treated Leshawna as well yet many of you racially profile her still. You bestialize and fetishize my girl and carry her with shame of no growth and tie her to white man- sorry Harold, who is basically a parody of napoleon dynamite kip and lafawnduh!!!

You cowards, shame on you only smut and fetishize for my girl Leshawna yet put Courtney to the slaughter brand her a demon and abuser without remorse.

Yet you do not humanize the women in TD fandom but brand them as awful people or make them inhuman sex dolls for you pleasure without remorse but hey hehe TD fandom so silly and accepting to all.

I want smut readers and writers to understand that you can have your own piece of cake too but goddamn! LET THEM BE MORE HUMAN AND REALSTIC IN SOME WAYS!

BODY HAIR

PERIODS

BODY ISSUES

FORBBIEN ROMANCE DUE TO NOT RACE THINGS BUT SOMETHING ELSE!

I am not good person I know but I have my own brain to tell me that. I love Courtney, she did a lot for me because she wasn't perfect. I don't love because oh she must hate Gwen. No. I like Gwen but I hate that you guys think she's saint (I feel like you- most think pale skin tone people or cartoons do no wrong ever) Gwen is complex like everyone in TD. You guys just sleep on Gwen to make her your weird plaything to have someone to ship with but no growth or her own standing in some cases.

Oh to the point when I say Courtney can do nothing wrong and is saint I snort (I say that a lot my readers might think I don't see her as a bad guy ever which tbh not true) I snort because that's wrong! She's so bad and needs be better for herself not to be "FIX"

Love you guys...

XoXo

From someone who is Duncan Stan of heart and Courtney Stan in her DNA and loves Dunceny ship.

Mostly I relate to Duncan more in chaos and Courtney in cry and tantrums because I get too overwhelmed to speak with my brain goes time to scream and rage now! As a teenager I was more of mini-Duncan with a mess of Courtney Action you saw!

Yes, I am getting help now, I am being diagnosed with stuff (OH ACT SHOCK!!) and I will take therapy and pills as needed.

The point is we can spare a bit humanity along the way, F U you to your abusive partners, and I am not telling you stay with them or humanize them!

RUN AWAY AND STAY AWAY FROM THEM TOO!

From someone who barely escaped they're on and off again abusive relationship. I was the "Courtney" in the relationship but behind closed doors he was awful, I cried so much, and he told me to die often but the world only saw a teenager girl and young adult me acting like "COURTNEY" and didn't help me but blamed me for it.

Anyway, if you love Courtney or Duncan, it's not your fault others don't!

You don't need them? You don't need valid your love for anything or likes in this world!

Abuse is harsh and comes in many forms than one.

I am bad person I know- I used to be my first mantra since I was 16 years old now.

I go I was not a healed person back then just a child who didn't know better, my actions have consequences, I regret, I let go, and I relearn to grow, and I heal slowly but surely. I am not my father, I am not my abuser, I am not my abuse, it's okay to like this, it's okay they don't like this or me!

I am allowed to live and I am allowed to like this if makes me happy. Then I can block them or mute them if it really hurts me!

That's all.

I did my first session of therapy in long time and I saw post the Courtney pushed to only to the role of "crazy abusive ex" of Duncan's which is harsh especially I have to live through it still.

It's embarrassing at 24 years old people act like I chained up my ex-boyfriend to be with me and that I was the controlling abuser when they don't know the whole story or how much he threatened to off himself or me if I left him. Then he cheats on me through the whole relationship, and I have to stay in it because I loved him and feared him.

Duncan wasn't like my ex.

And Courtney wasn't like me.

But I love them because they are just silly characters and ship that I enjoy and work through my own bullshit. And say I did love a lot but no more to that, but I can love again in forms in these silly dumb cartoons and make them kiss sometimes as fanfic writer!

Anyway, love you all and sorry for ranting my nonsense again peace out girl scouts but mother nature needs to be saved with love and money these days-sadly no money, but I can clean up the beaches and feed the stray cats now!

Treat yourself with not needed valid your existence or but I love them to random haters or people that just don't give a F about anything but their own mind...

You can like things too without needing explanation, honey! You got this!

BLOCK THEM IF THEY DON'T LEAVE YOU ALONE!

- 🧡