#but i think the important thing is that she wants the vampire in her comedy play to be

[moodmoodthecrabking]

"put her canine teeth in the side of my neck"

vampire!alice x human!deb moodboard requested by @nibblelinephym

[barren-heart]

We already know the ending of What We Do In The Shadows the show. The movie told us.

Spoilers from both the movie (2014) and the show (2024)

I think it’s obvious when Taika and Jemaine set out to make an American version of their vampire comedy, they weaved a lot of the same storylines into the show. We have vampire roommates, werewolves (not swearwolves) , familiars, an ancient vampire, vampire hypnosis, and a camera crew.

All the same ideas exist from movie to show, just presented differently.

Guillermo, the familiar turned vampire hunter turned bodyguard turned vampire turned back to human, is a combination of the movie’s familiar and vampire Hunter roles. I believe he’s also the love interest, Katherine.

I think the show, while becoming it’s own thing entirely, has a deep connection to the movie. I think they’ve been trying to follow viago’s love interest storyline since the show switched hands from Taika and Jemaine to Paul Simms.

While probably not known to most, Paul was instrumental in bringing the show over to the States, having helped to fund it.

He was already in the world of Shadows, and while I haven’t agreed on the way he’s said things and some direction the show had taken (season 4 had some growing pains), I do believe he’s understood the heart of the show.

Which is why I think they took such a dramatic shift in season 4 to tell and show the audience that Nandor doesn’t want to just date, but to really have a life or afterlife partner. That season had two “coming outs”. Guillermo obviously coming out as gay, and Nandor coming out as pansexual before he was turned.

I think this distinction was really important to build their romantic dynamic. They wanted to show Nandor’s interest in Guillermo wasn’t attributed to just horny vampireness, but actual true love and affection for him.

And having Guillermo formally come out as gay was more than just the Freddie gag (or the purpose of Guillermo having a boyfriend so that Nandor sleeps with him causing Guillermo to get upset about it which encourages Guillermo to take vampire turning into his own hands, leading to the events in season 5), but to show the audience that Guillermo’s not just a hero worshipper of his boss. He could very well have a crush that could become something more.

And while Simms’ execution of Nandermo so far has not been executed perfectly, (mostly because I think his version of Shadows uses jokes to cover or masque serious moments whereas Jemaine’s comedy often highlights and exposes the truth about life in funny situations), I think Paul’s vision is headed in the right direction.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Guillermo has a far larger familiar role than the one in the movie. Storytelling wise, it’s expected that Guillermo’s ending will solve the lingering vampire question that was halfway resolved in season 5. Because the show is telling the audience, “Wait. There’s more.” There’s more change to be had. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that a part of Nandor’s arc is finding love. And part of his ending will have to be resolving this, as well.

And funny enough, Viago’s ending resolves both of these issues. He finds love with Katherine again and turns her into a vampire, but she got to have a full life first. There’s comedy there (he’s still older than her even though they don’t look it) but also there’s heart. She got to have a full life and agency of her own instead of being robbed of it.

I think Paul wants to set up this ending because it’s funny but also, to highlight his appreciation to the original. We expected from the jump that Nandor would turn Guillermo eventually and we can’t just have that without growth and change and conflict in between. It’s nice to get everything we want, but that’s not what sitcoms do. Sitcoms subvert expectations, and Paul is highly versed in sitcom structure. (Something that I think even Jemaine and Taika had to learn. )

Paul Simms’ isn’t just a writer in the room, he is a writer familiar (haha insert lame reference joke here) with the source material in a sitcom format. The movie wasn’t a sitcom. They could resolve Viago’s relationship because movies resolve arcs at the end of the movie.

Sitcoms don’t resolve anything at the end of an episode or even the end of a season. They resolve them at the end of the show. He knows Nandermo would end the show, because when characters get what they want (whatever their aspirations are) it completes the narrative. In sitcoms, the characters wants drive the purpose of the show.

And all good sitcoms don’t immediately give you (the audience) what you want until the end. And yes it can be frustrating, but when done right, the payoff is worth it. When the arcs are finished, the story ends. Even in sitcoms and comedy shows. So, Guillermo and Nandor being together and Nandor even eventually turning Guillermo, would have to be arc finishers. That would end the show. Which is why I think s6 is ending here, because the lead (Nandor) finished his arc.

Now whether that means Nandor will turn Guillermo on screen or not is yet to be seen. Maybe at some point down the road when Guillermo’s family is much older or have moved on from this earth and maybe when there is a new way to be a vampire without blood, Guillermo will be ready.

[lily-alphonse]

for the rare pairs, did you ever get one with marlon and rasmodius? i haven’t been able to stop thinking about them together 👀

Old man yaoi is such a crowd favorite fr lmao

Ok you guys aren't ready for where I'm going to take this (except Human) because I had an idea for vampire!Abigail that involves Marlon and Rasmodius getting together. Cuz you know, like, 2 dads or whatever. (Technically 3 but Pierre? Ugh. He’s wimpy comic relief in this only)

For the purposes of this fic, Abigail is the wizard's daughter and only him and Caroline know.

Anyways I'm trying to do A LOT with this one so maybe I just do bullet points this time to give you the idea

There's no farmer, instead Marlon takes Abbie under his wing as a young adventurer

Rasmodius (because he watches everyone, like a creep) sees this and is like UGH not that THAT GUY, because Marlon is essentially his annoying coworker. Marlon tries to be buddy buddy with him and Ras is not about it. Like bro do your job protecting the valley and shut up pls.

Abbie stumbles on something she shouldn't in the mines, accidentally unleashing an ancient evil vampire and getting bit. It's very important to me that she turns into a bat. It happens automatically when the sun touches her skin, as a defense mechanism. She can survive in the sun as a bat.

So shit hits the fan obviously. Caroline goes to the wizard's tower screaming and freaking out because her daughter is missing and she is certain he has something to do with it (she hadn't known about Marlon) and Rasmodius pieces together it probably has something to do with the ANCIENT EVIL now on the loose. He assures her he is going to take care of it and has no choice but to team up with (ugh) Marlon.

Marlon doesn't know about Abbie. Ras is keeping all his secrets close and being careful about which info he gives to who. They go on an adventure of bonding. Important features of which are homoerotic wound dressing, and Marlon getting serious with Ras about his past and stuff. So he sees another side to him and starts to gain respect for the man.

A lot happens next that I don't have worked out yet sue me its just a concept rn. I have a few different ideas for how Abbie's side of things can go. She could potentially get out of the mines and turn into a bat which leads to her flying to the tower bc who else would believe her? Or she could be trapped in the mines with the original vampire and be like his spawn under his control or something.

Either way, we end up at a moment of truth where Marlon realizes Abbie has turned and feels like they need to kill her or otherwise trap her for eternity or something. And Ras is like tf no Im not condemning my daughter to that and Abbie and Marlon both are just [shocked pikachu face]

BATTLE OF THE DADS. DAD DUEL. FATHER FIGHT where they are physically fighting but also arguing about who knows best for her since the wizard has literally never spoken to her in her life but is also the one trying to save her, while Marlon actually did become a strong father figure for her but wants to kill her (only to end her suffering ofc)

Imagine they are fighting and Abbie just calls over them like "Not really suffering a whole lot, to be honest!" because this is a dark comedy as well as a romance.

Ras wounds Marlon badly enough (owie, it hurt his heart to do though, what is this, FEELINGS?) that he is subdued. Abbie and Ras take on the ancient vampire and nearly DIE but Marlon comes back and saves the DAAAY

He has the opportunity to also kill Abbie and doesn't, he's come around to compromise his morals for the sake of the ones he loves

Potentially even more homoerotic wound dressing and then they KISS with their old scruffy man beards and Abbie pretends to vom

The End

If you want this one to exist be sure to reblog and vote for it in the poll! This would be a hell of a fun one

Send me any Stardew Valley rarepair and I will tell you how I would make them work! (Even non-marriage npcs) If youre lucky you may get a mini fic out of it. Check the list below to see if Ive already answered yours

Rarepair Masterlist

@totallyhumanexe @chikoxiko come get ur old men

[rapha-reads]

I tried to resist the urge but at the end of the day ranting about Romeo and Juliet is my most favourite thing to do, and ranting about vampires is also in my top 10 regular hobbies, so...

Louis, Lestat, Armand and Balthasar, or, a R&J x IWTV unplanned rant.

Under the "read more" because it got long.

Balthasar is introduced in the play as "Romeo's man", often modernised in various adaptations as his valet or his page. The footnote in The Arden Shakespeare 2012 edition states that:

"Shakespeare introduced the name for the part in the play, though it is not, of course, his invention. The name, which is also found in Comedy Of Errors, Merchant of Venice and Much Ado, occurs only once in the text of R&J, even though the character speaks nearly 30 lines in the final act."

Three things from that only: it's a common enough name, at least in Shakespearian texts, that the character could be switched for another one; he's so inconsequential that he barely even managed to make his name known ; yet despite his apparent unimportance, his role at the end is extremely crucial in closing in the tragedy.

What lines does Balthasar speaks and whom does he speak to throughout the play?

Man waits until Act III scene 1 to make his entrance. Given his function as Romeo's man, you'd think he'd be a bit more present before that point, but no, Balthy waits until everything's gone bad to arrive like "Grandma, it's me".

Romeo asks him "How doth my Juliet? That I ask again, / For nothing can be ill if she is well." The beginning of his answer could lead you to think that he's about to lie so that Romeo can still be "all well", but, naaaah, sike, he's here to deliver news and he's going to do his job. And the way he does it doesn't leave any details to the imagination:

"Then she is well and nothing can be ill. Her body sleeps in Capel's monument, And her immortal soul part with angels lives. I saw her laid low in her kindred's vault, And presently took post to tell it to you. O, pardon me for bringing these ill news, Since you did leave it for my office, sir."

"Her immortal soul"... We'll come back to that point when we'll get to the vampires. Interesting to note that he says he saw with his own eyes Jules' laid down in the Capulet's tomb, but there's no indication in the text prior to that line that he really did. Some stage adaptations have Balthasar lurking around as Capulet and Cie put her in it, most movies totally ignore Balthasar's entire role - which I will come back to in the second part too. In a way, one could think that Balthy didn't see anything, he just heard the news like any other Veronese people, and didn't wait for more information or even actual confirmation and hurried on ("took post") to tell his master. Which, he does say it himself, that's his job, to keep Romeo informed of the going-ons of Verona in general and Juliet in particular. But, man, what are your sources, actually? Whose your informant? What authenticity does your information have, except from "source: myself"?

And then homeboy has the audacity to tell a desperate and ready to commit all kinds of violence Romeo to "have patience. / Your looks are pale and wild, and do import / Some misadventure." You think?? After this we lose track of Balthy while Romeo goes soliloquising looking for his cuppa poison. ... I don't want to tell you how to do your job, Balthy, but aren't you supposed to always follow your master closely...? How are you losing him so easily? Well, to be fair to him, Romeo does send him to "hire those horses", but that's a really thin excuse.

Balthasar reappears then in the Comedy of Situations that is "everybody and their mothers come visit Juliet's body" (you know, Warm Bodies did have a point; the zombies and necrophilia jokes do write themselves). First he enters with Romeo, and then for once shows some working brain cells when Romeo tells him to peace out and he tells himself "For all the same, I'll hide me hereabout. / His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt." Yes, thank you Balthy, maybe stay inside the crypt itself... Nope, okay, I don't know where he hid but Paris "14yo is perfectly acceptable to marry when I'm 30" Escalus makes his own appearance unbothered and unstopped. Great scouting skills there. Granted, he was the first on the scene actually, but if Balthy really hid close by, he should have witnessed the altercation and maaaaybe stop it. But no. I think he's having a drink with Paris' page. Current body count: 3 (yeah, Juliet's not dead yet, for those following).

Then Friar Laurence arrives on the scene. Oh, hello, Friar My-Ideas-Will-Definitely-Work-Trust-Me-Bro. Balthy emerges from the shadows (from where? Who knows, not me and certainly not Willie the Bard himself; homeboy was lurking, planning the best moment to reappear to create maximum chaos I guess). Their discussion goes something like this:

Laurie: who're you? Balthy: come on bro, you know me. Laurie: oh, hey Balth, so nice to see you? But what the heck are you doing here? Balthy: yeah I'm here with Romeo that fail emo lord lol. Laurie: Romeo? Whaaaat? How long has he been here? Balthy: eeh, 30 minutes? Maybe 45? Dunno but it's been a while. Laurie: Jesus fucking H Christ, okay, let's get into the fucking crypt. Balthy: no thanks, without me. I told Romeo I was leaving and if he sees me still here he's going to break my neck. Laurie: ugh, fine, you coward. I'll go alone and I'm not even afraid. Actually I lied I'm scared out of my mind but I'm better than you so nah! I'm going in. Balthy, walking away: oh yeah, another thing, I was napping, ahem, keeping watch, and I think I dreamed, I mean, hallucinated Romeo killing another dude. But I don't think that's real. Anyway, hasta la vista, losers! [Exit] (sadly not pursued by a bear)

I paraphrased, naturally. And... That's Balthasar's last lines. So to recap: he's supposedly Romeo's man, hence, by his job's function, supposed to always be with him and protect him; he only appears at the end of the story to make sure that no one else can get to Romeo first and maybe tell him about Laurence's plot. He always says he's going to keep an eye on Romeo, or tries to get him to stop, but actually never does anything. Literally, by his own admission, while he's supposed to make sure Romeo doesn't do anything drastic visiting Juliet's tomb, he took a nap: "As I did sleep under this yew tree here"! And the only two people he speaks to are Romeo, whose sole purpose at this point is to die, and Friar Laurence, whose role is to fake-kill Juliet, which leads to both of them dying.

Given all of those elements, one could then consider Balthasar's role in the play as an agent of Death. Death being a character in Her own right in the play, according to some readings (I admit, the idea of Death being the one pulling the strings as Fate would do is something I very much like but is very much inspired by the French musical).

So. Balthasar, agent of Death, purposefully or accidentally, but undeniably, leading the main character to his own death and carefully not stopping nor even interacting with characters who could stop the final act.

And that's who Louis-as-Lestat compares HIMSELF to. Yeah, Louis calls himself Balthasar, let that sink in. So, spoiler alert for those like me who haven't read the books, but Armand later on is going to lie and tell Louis that Lestat died in the fire that burned down the theatre, lie that Louis will totally believe and that will certainly influence the decades of his relationship with Armand. We know Louis is absolutely not over Lestat, we know Lestat is weak at this point, and wants to scare Louis but also get him back, and we know Armand is a lying liar who lies and twist the truth to better serves him. And we know Armand was jilted by Lestat and while he (genuinely?) loves Louis, he's also bitter that Louis got what he himself couldn't get. We also know that Louis is extremely conflicted by his vampiric nature, that he's a stone cold killer but he's also constantly trying to get away from it, that he hates himself and all vampires but also hates humans and all of humanity. We know Louis feels immense guilt at what he thinks is Lestat's murder, and that this guilt is weighing on him enought hat he conjures up a mental Lestat to follow him around and sass, bitch, moan, comment and critique for him.

So, why is it interesting that Dreamstat calls Louis a Balthasar?

Let's go back to two points already evoked earlier. Balthasar makes a point of mentioning Juliet's immortal soul - in the text, it's evident enough, they're Catholics, Heaven, Hell, bla bla bla. Transposed to the idea of vampires, it does lead one to question first if vampires have souls, secondly, what are the limits of immortality. It links to Louis' questioning of his faith, the morals that he fiercely defends but abandons rather quickly when they don't suit him anymore, and his survivor's guilt vis-à-vis his brother first and Lestat secondly.

The second thing is the way Balthasar is generally erased from the known Romeo and Juliet narrative. From an intradiegetic POV, Louis could mean it as "I'm Balthasar because this story is not my story, I barely even appear, only at the very end, and even then, I'm not important, and I certainly do not want to be the focus of attention" (which could also be linked to the coven complaining that Louis hunts sloppily and will expose them all, and that's actually a point in the Death's emissary column, huh). From an extradiegetic POV, the writers might have chosen to compare Louis to Balthasar because in most screen adaptations, the first part of his role is given to Benvolio (announcing Juliet's death) and the second part (talking with Laurie) is totally erased. Which means that people who haven't read the play (or have but aren't totally obsessed with it *cough cough*) and only know the story through the movies or the musical, would have NO idea who Balthasar is. And that's what Louis tries to be: a nobody, a Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde, unimportant, invisible, unknown. The way Balthasar is for everybody. Quasi inexisting.

And the final part of the parallel, and that one is definitely extradiegetic, is that Louis brings Death wherever he goes (although maybe in a way, after Lestat and the woman vampire in Romania, Louis thinks that of himself too, but let's not go there just yet). His arrival in Paris is what disturbs the equilibrium of the coven, makes Armand questions what he's doing here and how long he can keep going like this, drives Claudia even more away from him, and intensifies the resentment and inner conflicts of the coven. Which will all lead to the theatre burning dow, the coven dying, Claudia dying, Lestat presumed dead and 70 years of toxic married Loumand. Unintentionally, the way Balthasar seemingly unintentionally too, doesn't protect Romeo, which leads to not only his and Juliet's but also Tybalt and Mercutio's deaths (and Paris too). Unintenionally, but who's pulling Balthasar's strings, Death, Fate itself? Who's pulling Louis' strings? Armand? Lestat? Or is he such an unreliable narrator that he's passing himself as a victim of circumstances while the reality is that he's fully aware of what he's doing...? To be determined.

If you've made it to here, thank you so much and don't hesitate to tell me what you think! You can find my Tybalt/Mercutio fic here, and my essay on adaptations of Tybalt and Mercutio on screen here.

[total-drama-brainrot]

Au idea where everything is the same except Owen is a vampire. (I need Owen AU'S.)

Love this. Owen's so archetypically not vampiric that making him a vampire is just so funny. If anything, you'd think he'd be a werewolf or something, but no. Vampire.

I mean, who's gonna suspect that the guy with tan lines is a vampire?

I would like to know how he circumvents the whole "vampires can only digest blood" thing - since food is a fairly important aspect of his character. Who would act as his blood donor, if anyone? Would he feed on the local wildlife instead?

If that's the case, you could lean into the whole "hunter" deal he has going on in season one; the bear hunting stories paired with his actions in the paintball episode imply that Owen's got a lot of hunting experience, which would be pretty thematic with him being a vampire. Of course he knows how to track and capture prey, it comes with the territory of needing fresh blood to survive.

Plus, it's a nice ironic contrast to how vampire hunters are typically portrayed. What's a vampire hunter gonna do when the giy they've been tracking whips out his own gun?

But if he does feed from the other contestants, I can totally see Izzy being his main source of sustenance. She's kind of a freak like that, and would absolutely volunteer herself to be used as a human caprisun. Just look at how she reacted to the "mummy" in Egypt. And, if you're having Owen hide his vamliric qualities, seeing Izzy walk around with a bunch of bite marks really wouldn't be too out of character for her anyway. Worst case scenario, the two of them play it off as really intense make-out sessions.

The other qualities of being a vampire do kind of fit with some of the stunts Owen pulls throughout the seasons.

His last ditch effort in the first season's finale? That's his vampiric super speed kicking in. His miraculous recovery from all of his injuries? Supernatural healing abilities. So on and so forth.

Then there's the question of what path you want to take this AU down; are we keeping things as silly and lighthearted as the source show, in a sort of sitcom-style comedy of errors type deal? Are we leaning into the inherent horror aspects of vampirism to make a horror AU where Owen is either hunted down for the crime if being undead or slowly picks off everyone on the island? Is it a vampire romance AU?

(You mentioned that everything is the same, so I'm assuming it'd be the first option, but it's always good to consider the options.)

[snowangeldotmp3]

have any more werewolf nancy thoughts? <3

EM <3 hi hi !! i think i have some werewolf nancy thoughts just for you!

nancy is normally so very tiny (she's like 5'4) but her werewolf form is HUGE. i think it's the whole protector thing. like she thinks she has to protect everyone and such. AND SHE DOES!! or she at least tries to.

i also love the idea of nancy like, fighting to keep the wolf locked away. tries to remain Normal, tries to keep the facade up because all nancy wants is one normal night. please. no supernatural. no upside down. NOTHING. but she is like, trying to hold onto something that she doesn't exist anymore. of course, the wolf does bring a certain freedom that nancy isn't used to, so she has to adjust to that, too.

sorry but i actually love the comedy of robin being like "nance you aren't alone, there are more in hawkins than you think." and of course robin means queer people in hawkins. but nancy thinks she means werewolves and thinks robin is onto her. after she's been so careful, too!

NANCY IS A BITER!!! (this goes for vampire nancy too lmao) she leaves lil bite marks on robin literally bc she's just nibbling on her. and i have to tag @lionydoorin for this bc 1.) they were the one who said robin is covered in lil bite marks. 2.) they raised an important question: would rob gift nancy a squeaky toy as a joke? the answer is yes and robin and max thinks it's hilarious.

as much as i love cute fluffy werewolf stuff, i DO love the angst of like. nancy being scared and alone and she doesn't know what's happening to her and she's so, so scared of hurting those that she's worked so hard to protect and keep safe. robin sticks by her though, because robin doesn't want her to be alone but nancy doesn't want to hurt her. she already feels responsible for the death of one friend (maybe two) she can't risk robin's life. but robin 100% believes that nancy won't hurt her. (and she won't)

back to the fluffier stuff: robin absolutely teases nancy about her little wolfisms that carry over sometimes. she'll be like "you're so cuteeee aw :)" and nancy (joking, of course) will be like "i will kill you. trust."

werewolf nancy love love loves when robin reads to her. nancy has a list of books to choose from, including Little Women and some of Nancy's other favorite classics, as well as some of Robin's books (that are Nancy Approved, of course.) robin is a very dramatic reader and nancy loves it <3

usually after nancy's shifted back into human form, robin has a set of her own clothes out for nancy because robin's clothes are more comfortable for nancy after those nights. it's bc robin's shirts are like. two sizes too big on nancy. but they also smell like robin and she would steal every one of them if robin would let her (she's tried.)

sadly this is all i have for now </3 but i hope you enjoyed!

[jazzyjazzin]

I am cackling at that francesca pov. I know she's a classically trained pianist but that girl needs a good old 90s r&b playlist to teach her the wicked ways 'cause jesus must have been weeping in heaven above at what she was unknowingly putting michaela through. truly what a soldier michaela is, even if she's holding on to that control with the ever weakening grip of a sinner trying not to sin. also, michaela considering going full celibate just so francesca can't ask her again about wicked things is pure comedy.

all jokes aside though, I love your characterization of francesca. her inner thoughts and feelings mostly consisting of only music and melodies and how she might express them on the pianoforte fits her character so well and I love how michaela reacted to her playing, as if she really heard her and understood her in her chosen language.

truly can't wait to see what fresh hell you'll put michaela through in the next chapter! I'm laughing now but I know this smile will be wiped off my face when I read michaela's pov, that woman is going through pure torture (and so will francesca when she finally figures out what she's feeling I fear 😭).

p.s. I listened to the billie album and I see why you rec'd those songs (it was a great three-track run!). I also liked chihiro (the bassline and the way her falsetto was floating on top of it in the chorus was delicious) as well as blue. I also listened to the daisy jones and the six album and it was also good, though I might have to give it another run through to see what my faves were (I feel like I'm missing the impact of the lyrics by not knowing the story though). 😊

-🧛🏻‍♀️

Michaela is having a really hard time right now you can trust that 😂. I’ve been getting a lot of comments about her being “the strongest soldier” and “having morals” but boyyyy is that not,,, like her head is certainly a place to be is what i’m going to say lol

!!! I think my favorite thing about writing is posting it and not only having people read it and form their own interpretation but also having people UNDERSTAND what I have written down. That scene is important to me for this exact reason. it’s not just Francesca being a mess and it’s not just important to hear the way she thinks but it how they connect because of those things.

Michaela’s chapter is going to be fun for me i’m not going to lie though I will be delaying it to work on chapter 2 of No Rest for the Damned. Vampire!Cressida misses me and i miss her. But also yes, Francesca may be down bad but she has no idea what that even means or that it’s even possible for her, so she’s in for a bit of a harsh reality check when she does figure it out and I already know the scene that’s going to untangle that line. 😈

Idk what kind of shows you’re into but if you want to give Daisy Jones and The Six a watch I would. I had fun with it and there’s music everywhere, I also had a month of being obsessed with Riley Keough because of it 😂. I’m super happy you liked the Billie album, and I LOVE chihiro for those reasons too!

I hope you’re having a lovely day vamp anon 🥺❤️

[fuckyeah-jessicabiel]

Jessica Biel for Empire Magazine - August 2007

AS ANY HOLLYWOOD-FLAVOURED LIFE COACH WOULD TELL YOU IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A PERSONAL GOAL THUS, RARELY DO FIND A HOT YOUNG ACTRESS WHO ISN'T ON THE PATH TO ATTAIN HER AMBITIOUS BUT PERFECTLY ATTAINABLE GOAL. THE THING ABOUT JESSICA BIEL, SO HEALTHY-LOOKING YOU WONDER she can cure all known ailments with a touch of her silky hand, is that she has already reached her goal. Or rather, scored it. "The usual thing was, put me in front of goal and I'm hopeless," says the right-s midfielder-turned-actress who's having one of those real moments at the moment. ' team-mates were like, •No don't give her the ball!' And my then boyfriend was -I mean, he never came - and I came running up the right side and hit it, I mean perfectly.

The ball left her foot on a perfect parabola and everything went slo-mo. She did just bend it like Beckham; this had the graceful arc of Pele in '70, Maradona in '06, Lineker in '90 (although she wasn't goal-hanging), and it nestled on a postage seam in the top left-hand corner of the net. "It was an awesome, awesome goal," she grins. You do know it won't get any better than that? I know, I know, but what can you do?" she shrugs. "And that boyfriend ended up being a total idiot anyway. Ugh, I wasted my big goal on you..." Quite what that now-very-much-ex-boyfriend was thinking is impassible to gran a former girlfriend who is not only lighting up Hollywood like a very sexy-shaped G light, but also boasts the polished skills born of years of playing soccer for her local team. Anyway, Biel has moved on and moved up. She's become the current "it” girl, across magazine covers, but is determined to be seen as more than a pretty face. "I don't feel afraid of putting myself out there," she asserts. "I think at this point in my career it's necessary. I don't want to just keep doing things I've done before, to take any risks. I'm always craving something a little dirtier."

The Biel spiel is already well-honed- the 25 year-old from Boulder, Colorado, the bit between her pearly teeth, ready, willing and highly likely to take it to the next How she has sprinted up the touchline of fame: modelling to television drama (7th to Freddie Prinze Jr. romantic comedy (Summer Catch) to scream queen (The Texa Saw Massacre remake) to vampire-hunting (Blade Trinity) to the period drama eve loved (The Illusionist) and girlfriend of... Oh, don't go there. We (the press) have been informed (by the publicist) politely (but firmly) that an questions will not be tolerated - the response will be immediate termination. It is whether this means the interview or your life. Still, it remains the elephant in the te-so to speak; Biel's personal life has become the talk of the town. So let's get this out.

[data-is-my-favorite-android]

You know, having finally watched Dollhouse, I can’t help but notice some similarities between BtVS’s Spike and Dollhouse’s Alpha:

They’re both pretty unrepentant murderers (Spike because he’s a vampire, Alpha because he’s like 50 people and all of them have been fucked up by what they’ve been through)

They’re both hopeless romantics albeit in a totally twisted way and would do anything--and I mean ANYTHING--for the one they love including truly heinous acts

They both love super-strong women and literally worship the ground they walk on

though they also both oscillate wildly between proclaiming their love (usually in wildly inappropriate ways) and wanting the object of their obsession dead (but not really, because god fucking damn it they love them and they’re both suckers for love it’s like literally their reason for existing)

Since everyone’s superhuman here, they have no problem throwing down with their prospective honey if that’s how it’s gonna be

They both know instantly that something is genuinely special about The Girl

They both develop an obsession with the main character (Buffy/Echo) as soon as they clap eyes on them. Is it creepy? Kinda. But they get better, so... *shrug?* look, this is fiction, it’s not real, we can have this here okay

They both begin as Big Bads but canonically end up as Good Guys (even though we sadly didn’t really get to see the evolution from A to B in Alpha’s case)

They’re both really insightful and actually have some pretty valid points, however difficult or uncomfortable those points may be. But they’ve also got some pretty skewed logic mucking up the works, too

They both get an idea in their head and won’t stop until they’ve achieved their goal

They both show the ability to evolve. Like, they both realize at some point that they’re missing something critically important for them to be with the object of their affection and try various ways to fill that gap. Unfortunately, they both get it wrong a few times before getting it right (again, Alpha was on this road, but the show got cancelled before we got to see the whole transformation. We really only got to see the beginning and end :( which sucks, but we know it happens somewhere in the vaguery between S2 and the Epitaphs timeline)

There are so many opportunities for the main characters of both shows to just kill the Big Bad Evil son of a bitch and end things then and there, but they just... don’t? and then Spike/Alpha just get up and walk away lol

Some of the developing themes around their characters revolve around similar questions of identity and nature vs. nurture: how much does your original self remain when you become a demon/Doll? Which is stronger, your original self or what you were made to be? Are you shackled to your “nature” or can you change to become someone better? Someone you want to be? How can you do that when you’ve done so much wrong (and you’re low-key kinda not sorry about a lot of it)?

They both can switch between being comedy gold and genuinely menacing on a dime

And **MORE SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS AHEAD**

honestly? I think they both ultimately end up in love with the reality of The Girl than the idealized version of her. At first Spike is attracted to Buffy as The Slayer. As he evolves and they grow closer, he tries to convince Buffy to become a creature of darkness like him because he thinks that’s the only way they can be together. But he does love the human parts of her, and in the end accepts the complexity of who she is and loves all of her without reservation or expectation. Angel, on the other hand, loved the idea of Buffy more than the reality of her and never really moved past that. He insisted he knew who she was and what was best for her. By the same token, Alpha believes Echo will love him the moment he frees her by recreating his Composite Event. He tries to convince her that they are the same kind of new being, that they are gods/ubermensch, but she rejects his worldview and him. That doesn’t stop Alpha from trying to understand why she did that and attempt to bridge the gap between himself and her. He initially rejects Caroline and "loves" Echo (the Doll and all her many personalities). He’s frustrated by her rejection, but seeks to understand it. After he imprints himself with Paul Ballard’s personality, I think he would have gone on to a) actually understand love beyond obsession, and b) love Caroline AND Echo. Additionally, like Spike when he got his soul, I think he would also have better understood his own deficits and felt more remorse for his past sins. He would have vacillated between doubling down and seeking atonement, at turns hindering and aiding the main characters before eventually committing to a heel-face turn. He was on the same road to reformation and redemption as Spike was and likely would have loved Echo completely without asking for anything in return (as seems to be implied by their interactions in Epitaphs II). Paul, on the other hand, is attracted to Echo but in love with the idea of Caroline (without having ever actually met her until much later, and that didn't really work out too hot for him because, like he did with Echo, she holds him at arms length emotionally). Despite realizing that Echo is becoming a person in her own right with her own desires and feelings, he shuts Echo down every time she tries to get closer to him, presumably because he feels like any relationship beyond a professional or platonic one would be a violation of Caroline’s being. Basically, he sees Echo as only and forever a vessel, an empty shell to someday be filled back up by Caroline--and when that day comes he is hoping that she will love him back when he “rescues” her (and, unlike Alpha, seems more stubborn about sticking to his guns and waiting for the “real” girl to come back instead of realizing shit’s a lot more complicated than that now). 

Idk, I'm just saying from what I see there's a lot of common ground here. Don't get me wrong, there are some significant differences between Spike and Alpha, too (as well as Buffy and Echo's respective situations), but I found some of the parallels intriguing. A lot of this is conjecture for Dollhouse/Alpha because the show got canceled before they could really explore Alpha's character arc. And look, I know this is personal taste, but just like with Spike vs. Angel, Alpha was way more intriguing than Paul imo.

(also, like, there are THREE gifs of Alpha that I can find. THREE. How? Is? This? POSSIBLE??? How am I supposed to work in these conditions?!?)

Anybody else see any other parallels between Spike and Alpha? Or maybe between Buffy and Echo/Caroline? and are any of my fellow spuffy shippers also on this ship? if anyone out there loves spike but hasn't seen dollhouse, I'd recommend it, also please talk to me, I need people to talk to about my new hyperfixation/problematic blorbo...

[wifegideonnav]

I posted 2,574 times in 2022

That's 2,574 more posts than 2021!

282 posts created (11%)

2,292 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@emcapi

@mayasaura

@gideonisms

@saltwaterconfessions

@theriverbeyond

I tagged 2,463 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#art - 799 posts

#memes - 487 posts

#ntn - 393 posts

#harrow - 324 posts

#griddlehark - 317 posts

#gideon - 291 posts

#vibes - 229 posts

#op - 219 posts

#htn - 162 posts

#meta - 162 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i’d say something like ‘sorry guys i’ll try to be more active in the future!!1’ but que será será im not actually in control of when or how

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

there’s a post going around like “catholicism is only good for sexy vampire aesthetics” WRONG its primary purpose has always been to instigate a series of events that culminated in tamsyn muir writing gideon the ninth

2,073 notes - Posted November 8, 2022

#4

god I’m just never gonna fucking recover from “harrowhark, I gave you my whole life and you didn’t even want it.” the use of her full name. the agony. the shakespeare-level comedy of errors with the angst turned up to 11 and the comedy turned down to 0. the fucking. tragedy of it all. I’m unwell no fucking talk me rn

2,243 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

#3

every time I think about harrows connection to gideon being so strong that gideons name is the last thing she says before dying despite having literally erased her capacity to comprehend it, I have to go lie down. like tamsyn really said love is so strong that it remains even if you carve out the part of your brain that feels it.

2,301 notes - Posted September 9, 2022

#2

the importance of pov and kiriona gaia as gideon nav’s imperialist aspect

others have already made some really smart posts about how kiriona is gideon when she’s lost everything and everyone that made her who she was, and how even in the first two books, gideon was this terrifically sad creature who was disguised by the fact that she was her own narrator.

but I want to expand on that last bit, because yes. kiriona is a gideon who has lost everything, who has had to make tough decisions to survive, who has had to adapt to being primarily around her father (a manipulative asshole) and ianthe (ianthe). but this is also the first time we’re getting to see gideon from a perspective other than her own.

we’ve always known that gideon is a beautifully unreliable narrator - see her complete understatement of the fight before harrow opened the tomb, where she neglects to tell us that she almost killed harrow with her bare hands - but I think that for a lot of us, the introduction of kiriona was when we first felt that.

now, nona is not an objective narrator either (lmao). and she does actively dislike gideon (which is fascinating, and which I could go on about for several posts). but she does offer an outside perspective on gideon that we have, up to this point, been lacking.

because… yeah. sometimes, like anyone, gideon’s kind of mean. we know she’s a good person - her goodness is in many ways one of the central drivers of the plot - but that doesn’t mean she’s nice all of the time. it’s just that when she’s being mean to crux, or ianthe, or even harrow we can say, well that person deserved that. but the truth is, gideon has lived through the kind of hell that very few people could survive with any kind of goodness and softness left intact. she didn’t live through it, in fact. she’s just kind of… existed through it.

I saw another post point this out, and I want to reiterate: gideon’s goal, her whole life, has been to join the cohort. when we first meet her, we’re like, ok, makes sense, that’s the only ‘out’ available to her. and we kind of forget, even as we learn more about the empire, that what gideon wants to join is this actively and horrifically violent imperialist force. when we get to nona, and we meet hot sauce and her gang and joli and the angel and even the edenites, we expect gideon to have kept up with us somehow, to reject the empire. we want her to be one of the “good guys” (goodness in the tlt universe is another longass post I want to write…).

but gideon doesn’t reject the empire. because, crucially, she IS the empire - she is its heir, never mind the fact that that doesn’t really mean anything when the current emperor is immortal.

what I am trying to say is this: kiriona is gideon when you take everything from her, and then replace it with her father and everything he represents, and then take a step back.

that step back is crucial. it is what allows us to remember how imperialism - and by extension, or by metaphor, cruelty - works. gideon becomes cruel because she is in proximity to cruel people, AND because she is not in proximity to us.

THAT is what Muir is saying with kiriona. even the most kind, good, earnest protagonist can become a tool of evil in the right circumstances: and those circumstances include perspective. gideon, like it or not, is currently actively choosing to be a tool of empire. and if we were in her head, we might be able to - or we might be tricked into - accept her justifications for why she’s doing it.

the perspective shift is what allows us to see gideon as she - currently - truly is. it is no accident that this is when we get the outside pov. Muir allows us nowhere to hide; we have to confront what gideon has become and by extension what she always has been.

gideon nav is a good person, and I fully believe that in alecto we will watch her reject her father; I fully believe she will get to be a hero. but in order for that to happen, she - and we - must first undergo radical change and growth in terms of her worldview and attitudes. kiriona is not gideon’s final form. but in the same way that john is described by harrow as having aspects, kiriona is the aspect or facet of gideon that embraces cruelty, that perpetuates empire.

Muir tells us: even the most beautiful-hearted, trod-on girl in the world can become a tool of empire. but I have no doubt that in alecto she will tell us: this is how that girl can destroy it.

2,922 notes - Posted September 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

happy pride to girls who didn’t know that women could be nice to you, inscrutable polycules, straight people in forbidden marriages, body snatchers who kiss their own reflections, poets obsessed with long-dead warriors, predatory cougars, lesbians who are in fact the problem, and girls who are in love with a corpse

7,115 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[frannyfm]

katie   doulgas.     she/her.     ciswoman.      ›          spotted   at   the   met   steps   ,   francesca   spencer   ,   most   likely   listening   to   paper   rings   by   taylor   swift   with   their   airpods   pro   .   the   twenty-one   gained   quite   a   reputation   ,   known   to   be   -naive   yet   +trustworthy   to   anyone   who   knows   them   .   you'll   easily   spot   them   when   you   hear   about   basing   all   her   relationships   on   romantic   comedies   ,   chewing   the   end   of   your   pencil   to   help   with   your   thinking   process   ,   stress   eating   rather   than   confronting   the   individual   &   strawberry   flavoured   lipgloss   ,   followed   by   their   sweet   like   candy   by   ariana   grande   .   latest   nepoupdates   article   talks   about   latest   gossip   about   how   she   is   sending   money   she   earns   to   her   neglectful   father   because   he   reached   out   asking   for   help   ,   but   i   guess   any   reputation   is   good   reputation   .

WANTED  CONNECTIONS  !

ESTABLISHED  CONNECTIONS  !

𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐬   ;

lexie  grey  (  grey’s  anatomy  )  ,  izzie  stevens  (  grey’s  anatomy  )  ,  mariana  adams  foster  (  the  fosters  /  good  trouble  )  ,  alice  cullen  (  twilight  )  ,  caroline  forbes  (  the  vampire  diaries  )  ,  eleanor  crain  (  haunting  of  hill  house  )  &  dustin  henderson  (  stranger  things  )

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬   ;

given  name  :  francesca  spencer  . nicknames  :  franny  ,  fran  . birthday  &  age  :  may  2nd  ,  2001  /  twenty  one  . zodiac  sign  :  taurus  . current  residence  :  new  york  ,  new  york  . gender  &  pronouns  :  ciswoman  /  she  &  her sexuality  :  biromanic  &  demisexual occupation  :  influencer  &  english  major  at  harvard  .

𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲   ;

following  triggers  will  be  found  in  this  intro  :  childhood  neglect  ,  alcoholism  ,  alcohol  dependency.

[    ❀    ]    born  in  brooklyn  ,  new  york  ,  francesca  grew  up  in  a  household  that  has  the  feeling  of  claustrophobia.  not  only  was  she  surrounded  by  her  mother  and  her  parents  ,  but  there  were  consistently  butlers  ,  maids  ,  au  pairs  and  even  their  own  personal  chefs  and  nurses  coming  through  the  apartment.  at  a  young  age  ,  she  was  shown  that  she  came  from  money  and  that  money  would  get  her  anything  she  wanted.  the  more  and  more  her  mother  would  shove  money  in  her  face  ,  only  forced  the  ideology  that  as  long  as  she  had  money  handed  to  her  ,  she  was  loved.  

[    ❀    ]    questions  regarding  her  father  were  always  waved  off  ,  people  stating  that  they  had  more  important  things  to  do  than  to  focus  on  the  disgusting  man  that  gave  francesca  her  last  name.  it  caused  her  to  stay  up  late  night  ,  hiding  under  her  covers  and  writing  in  her  journal  of  made  -  up  scenarios  where  her  father  was  a  brilliant  actor  ;  a  professional  chef  that  was  just  much  too  busy  to  stay  home  full  time  ;  a  man  that  was  working  hard  so  that  he  could  come  home  to  make  sure  that  she  was  taken  good  care  of  ,  along  with  her  mother.

[    ❀    ]    she's  seven  when  she's  told  that  she  must  pack  her  bags  quickly  ,  that  there  would  be  no  time  for  questions.  knowing  better  than  to  question  her  mothers  intentions  ,  francesca  packed  up  as  much  as  she  could  fit  in  her  luggage  before  she's  standing  in  front  of  a  house  ,  her  mother  quickly  pressing  a  kiss  to  her  forehead  and  heading  to  the  car  behind  them.  it  was  in  that  moment  that  francesca  realized  all  her  dreams  of  her  father  ,  of  her  family  ,  were  simply  that.  dreams.  she  was  in  a  foreign  home  ,  with  people  she  didn't  know  and  new  staff  ;  staff  that  didn't  understand  the  creative  nature  of  francesca's  mind.

[    ❀    ]    the  only  bonus  that  came  from  the  neglectful  upbringing  was  her  older  brother  ,  nate.  despite  francesca  taking  her  time  warming  up  to  her  brother  ,  there  was  a  warmth  that  would  radiate  off  the  other  that  caused  franny  to  consistently  find  herself  knocking  on  his  door  late  at  night  ,  begging  to  sleep  on  his  floor  after  their  father  downed  another  bottle  of  alcohol  and  was  going  on  a  drunken  rant  below  them.  despite  never  fearing  for  her  life  ,  there  was  a  pit  in  the  middle  of  her  stomach  ,  terrified  that  their  lives  were  going  to  be  just  this  ,  consistently  hiding  in  their  rooms  to  avoid  the  drunk  nature  of  their  father.

[    ❀    ]    despite  her  home  life  ,  there  wasn't  a  moment  in  franny's  life  where  she  wasn't  a  ball  of  sunshine  when  she  was  out  in  the  public.  full  of  energy  ,  always  wanting  to  hear  peoples  thoughts  and  being  the  mediator  in  arguments  between  peers.  a  curious  being  ,  she  was  always  getting  into  things  she  probably  should  not  have  ,  gathering  up  little  ideas  in  the  back  of  her  head  for  her  stories  that  she  would  write  when  she  was  at  home.

[    ❀    ]    voted  the  best  smile  ,  most  likely  to  kill  someone  with  kindness  ,  and  using  her  quote  in  her  senior  year  book  to  tell  others  that  they  could  do  anything  they  wanted  ,  franny  graduated  with  a  bright  smile  on  her  face  with  her  brother  in  the  audience.  since  the  pair  of  them  leaving  their  father  ,  she  was  able  to  encase  herself  in  the  love  that  she  deserved  ,  the  love  that  her  brother  provided  for  her.  it  didn't  take  long  for  her  influencer  status  to  skyrocket  ,  her  instagram  following  jumping  each  night  by  the  thousands  and  agencies  reaching  out  for  their  products  to  be  involved  in  her  youtube  videos.  

[beautyofattolia]

Tag Game: Eight Shows to Get to Know Me

I was tagged by both @tastethesetears and @the--lysine-contingency 

The Vampire Diaries 

What can I say? I’m a vampire girl. I didn’t get into this show until my freshman year of college, but holy crap I absolutely binged it once I did and I still regularly rewatch it. It’s also probably the show that makes me cry the most. I literally bawl throughout the entire final episode.

Favorite character: honestly I love so many of them but if I had to pick one...Damon Salvatore. 

Stranger Things

I did not expect to like this show when it first came out but a friend of mine who I trusted told me to give it a try, so I did. And I IMMEDIATELY fell in love with it. It’s horror without being straight horror, it’s sci-fi, it’s a comedy, it’s a period piece...I love it. The sound track is also incredible.

Favorite character: ugh, another one where I love most of the main characters, but probably Steve Harrington. He’s my baby boy.

Parks and Rec

I feel like most people are either Parks and Rec fans or the Office fans depending on which they watched first. I watched Parks and Rec first, so I prefer it. I also just think the characters are all so much more likeable (sorry, not sorry). It’s a show that makes me laugh out loud and that I CONSTNATLY quote.

Favorite character: again, I really love everyone, but Ben Wyatt is my absolute fave. 

Psych

Another show that makes me cackle every time I watch it. This is a show that somehow I never get tired of because it is my type of humor exactly. It’s also one where I don’t feel like the later seasons are a drag, but are actually important to the show. Love everything about this one.

Favorite character: I’m a broken record at this point but I love them all and for this one I actually refuse to pick one. They are all too good.

Friends

This is my comfort show in the sense that I will put on episodes in the background whenever I’m doing ANYTHING and it calms me down. I don’t need to know what episode it is, I can watch or not watch as I want, and I never get tired of it. It hasn’t aged super well, but I still really enjoy it.

Favorite character: Chandler Bing, hands down.

Downton Abbey

My favorite period show! I watched this show live, from right after the first season came out to when the last season aired. A friend recommended it to me and I was fascinated by the first episode. It’s a show that I think does family dynamics especially well and considering I too am one of three sisters, I related to the characters a lot.

Favorite character: Matthew Crawley, I LOVE HIM!  

Wednesday 

This is a relatively new one but one that instantly found a place in my heart. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking “this looks so much fun” and when it came out my sister was actually the first to watch it and she texted me like “YOU WILL LOVE THIS!” And you know what? She was right. Everything about it is *chef’s kiss*

Favorite character: Wednesday herself is my icon, but Tyler Galpin takes this from her by just a bit. He’s hot and complicated, so I mean, what’s not to love?

The Last Of Us

Another new one on this list. I LOVE the video game so I was ecstatic when I heard they were making a TV show and even more ecstatic when they cast Pedro Pascal. I don’t think the show is quite as good as the game (the pacing is a bit off in my opinion) but I still love it. The dynamic between Joel and Ellie is perfection.

Favorite character: Joel Miller

Tagging (no pressure!): @anotherbluesunday @broken-everlark @cosmic-lullaby @leavesdriftinginthewind @lauryn-writes @ourloveisdahliaoh 

[ladycatofwinterfell]

Thoughts on the episode, as is tradition

This episode could have been the most insane yet if it hadn’t been for last week’s entry for the competition. I’m still recovering from episode 5 because what the hell. But now i can bury myself in new fun insanity so thanks for that episode 6

The opening scene was so unbelievably funny. Pure comedy. I love Real Rashid. I love Daniel and Real Rashid. The blank stare while Daniel is just desperately trying to come up with a way to get out of there alive. And Real Rashid being like well if you didn’t want to die why did you enter the vampire’s lair? Which is fair and what I was also thinking, thanks Real Rashid. Best character in the show and there’s competition. But also Raglan James talking about body switching… I know what you’re doing Mr. James, I’ve read the tale of the body thief (even tho i kinda wish i hadn’t), you’re not fooling me.

But now to the important things. Claudia bi????? Claudia wlw?????? Claudia sapphic???? I was well aware what the promotional material implied with her and Madeleine but I didn’t want to get my hopes up just in case. but let's gooooo. Claudia’s sweater vest outfit was real fucking gay and I say this as a lesbian who loves wearing sweater vests. I felt very seen. “Is it romantic?” “Not yet” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m obsessed. Going into this two months ago I didn’t see myself a Claudia/Madeleine shipper but sign me the fuck up. And dare I say they’re even better when you know what’s gonna happen to them. Armand asking how Madeleine’s gonna face immortality and I’m sitting there like a sicko wringing my hands together and going oh don’t worry there’s no need to plan for eternity. But also can we talk about how “the fantasy of happiness” played when Madeleine was walking into the shop and saw that Claudia had killed her attackers? Had to take a moment there. The same theme as when after she killed Charlie and when she finally gets a companion. Love that for her. My horrible little gremlin that commits atrocities and also has done nothing wrong ever actually <33 too bad Armand and everyone else believes she’s done something very wrong. And that there will be consequences to that. But for a second there she finally had someone who didn’t disappoint her and that loved her for her, not for what she symbolised to them.

So what was Louis and Armand up to this episode? Well in Dubai they’re going through a divorce, that’s fun for them. Them sitting with their legs crossed away from one another with Daniel opposite of them like they’re in couple’s therapy is also unfortunately very funny. They’re so dramatic, I love them. So the thing about Armand saying that Louis asked to have his memories removed is that 1. it could very well be true as Louis is known to avoid difficult things if possible and 2. it could very well be a lie as Armand is a known liar who lies, even if it’s sometimes lies by omission. I kinda have a hard time seeing why Louis would want to erase what he in San Fransisco claimed Daniel meant to them. He wanted Daniel alive as a testament to their companionship and then he wanted to forget it? Hmmmmmmm I don’t know. And we only have Armand’s word on it and Armand has something to gain with portraying it this way. And is also a liar. Telling Daniel drugs did more damage to his mind than the nights in San Fransisco as if he didn’t physically and psychologically torture him for almost a week. And then being like fine i’m sorry, stop being mad at me i was just doing what was best for everyone :( hahahahaha I love him. Also obsessed with him saying they can’t play games at this point in the story because it’s too important, as if he didn’t invent the game and played it all through the part of Louis’ story he wasn’t part of. So now, when we reach something that heavily concerns you and could make you look very very bad, we can’t play the game? Is that it, Armand? Truly?

So what was Louis and Armand up to in Paris this episode? A very very good question. Well Louis is domming the hell out of Armand while Armand just looks at him with the largest, saddest, most pathetic eyes ever. I’m going to take this opportunity and once again say that Assad Zaman is so incredibly beautiful and that I’m entranced by him. Can’t believe they teased us with a loumand sex scene and then we didn’t get it. I saw Lestat’s entire ass in episode 1. But then we did get Louis telling Armand to lie face down in the coffin so he could fuck him while he read a script. So that’s not nothing. Armand refusing to turn Madeleine, forcing Louis to do it instead was also not nothing. And knowing how it went down in the books I also feel like there are edits to how it actually was here too. It’s been clear the whole time we can’t trust everything in this story and after episode 5 it’s even more clear. Armand wanted Claudia gone and through the turning of Madeleine she would leave Paris. Through the entire episode Armand portrays himself as timid and without power but like… he does have power. Just because he puts himself in a submissive role doesn’t mean he’s not also the one in charge. He knew what the coven planned, he didn’t try to put a stop to it himself and he didn’t warn Louis about it. And we already know he doesn’t like Claudia so this all lines up a little too perfectly for him for it not to be at least a little intentional. And if they go with Lestat’s book version of events in some version of the trial (I believe I read somewhere that there will be more than one version) Armand kept Lestat in a dungeon until he was on the brink of losing his mind and told him what to say at the trial and orchestrated it so that Claudia would be declared guilty and executed.

I can’t not talk about the ending, as well. Because that certainly was an ending and knowing I have to wait another week for the next episode is actual fucking torture. But then I love episodes releasing weekly so I can think on them real hard and contemplate before the next. Anyway LESTAT!!!!!! He’s there!!!! Sitting in front of a mirror, preparing to enter the stage once more. Listen. Listen I know he’s going to be the villain again, as is his role in the story (as of now, at least. maybe it will change in the fiuture as it changed in the books idk), but it’s so good to see him. Let’s turn the tragedy for our main characters up to 11 babey. Let there be drama and betrayal and pain and let it be theatrical. Claudia and Lestat are both actors, after all. Like father, like daughter and they were in the same theatre company. Claudia de Lioncourt etc etc.

For a short second here I’m just going to operate on the assumption that Armand was the one who kept Lestat in the dungeon shown in some promotional material before the trial, like in the books. Did the coven figure out what they believed became of Lestat (that he died by Louis’ and Claudia’s hands) and then went to Armand with their demands, and Armand was just like yeah about that he survived the attempted murder and I actually have him in the basement. Or did they know the whole time? Or is it the coven that’s keeping him in the dungeon? Or since the timeline is changed in the show maybe he hasn’t been in the dungeon for very long. Because in the books he comes to Paris before Louis and Claudia and Armand keeps him locked up their entire stay there, which doesn’t end up being very long. So in the show he would have been down there for years. Which is enough to make anyone a little crazy. But considering the changes made in the show it might be that Lestat has more intention and then afterwards realises what he’s done.

The conclusion is that I don’t know exactly what will happen in the last two episodes despite having read the books and I’m very much looking forward to watching them no matter what they end up doing with this plot because it’s a genius show and I have faith in that it will be just as good as what I’ve seen so far

[rainbowgothdisaster]

im rambling about webcomics i read below the cut to get it out bcuz i never talk about them but i do have feelings i wanna get out

these are just the ones i am currently reading, anything currently on hiatus or that i stopped reading during the many period of my phones being broke is not included. and we are going by the normal and correct 5 = mid bcuz that is how math works. also dont take this too seriously.

i want to be a cute anime girl- 8/10, serialized, trans coming of age story including discovery coming out and transitioning

i was concerned with the language at first but there was no need, its been genuinely delightful. her sisters and parents are lovely, she has two friends from before and a new friend/love interest and they're good. i prefer focus on the main character but the current mall trip has been fun. updates are small and for a long time were just four panels before the artist started experimenting

down to earth- 7/10, serialized, slow burn romance

the only slow burn romance where the romance is the most important aspect to me that i read, i dont usually read slow burn so im not burnt out on it. the creator is a big dickkori shipper which is very obvious in how zaida and kade interact. i want more suzy, i love her. updates are pretty big but every single one ends on a cliffhanger which makes them feel short.

lesbiampires- 8/10, episodic, lesbian vampires. obviously.

ruthless vampires so when hunting there's lots of blood which i appreciate <3, the different species of vampires are neat but i dont really pay much attention to the specifics? daph cant go into light but can turn into a giant bat monster, nika can go into light but is limited to a normal bat, the side characters have their things going on. wish yoon was more prevalent but i think im just so focused on daph and nika, and then nisha and anya have their thing i just dont end up noticing her much? updates are normal length

lore olympus- 6/10, serialized, slow burn romance and trauma recovery story

i........ have criticsms....... but the way this series deals with persephones trauma is really important to me. i dont find demeter a compelling character at all and wish wed drop the helicopter mother stuff. i think obsessing over the differences between the story and the mythos is pointless. i like when apollo gets shut down but i think we should drop him and focus on persephones recovery. idk. it makes me happy but if it suddenly stopped i dont think much would be lost. oh yeah the romance is fine, its very formulaic which is fine when you have so many other aspects to a story. updates are fairly long.

emmy the robot- 6/10, serialized, i dont fucking know how to classify this one. political?

i def preferred the before stuff but im enjoying emmy seeing what the poverty stricken areas are like and learning how privileged the delairs are. i wish the updates were longer bcuz i feel like when your updates are short its hard to have a point? i know there's a point about the difference between Madeline and the new girl and how they're growing up. but i just cant get super into it before the episode ends.

my dragon girlfriend- 5/10, mostly episodic, sapphic romances

it used to be so much better. i loved when it focused on chisty (human) and dani's (dragon) relationship. i loved it when it focused on every webtoons staple quirky girl and shy girl side character romance slow burn, especially bcuz its catgirl x vampire, that's literally made in a lab for me. callie and olive are great. love them. casey is fun. i like her being flustered around louis and discovering shes not straight (seems late considering her roommate but good for her). but the updates being 4 panels is really holding it back. like completely. character who didnt grow up in society being socially inept is fun comedy. but only for a little while. nonhuman characters being territorial is fun comedy. but only for a little while. i am so tired of it. its been going on for so many months bcuz the updates are four panels so it takes forever to get somewhere. i mean the recent thing with louis saying her fav tea is venison wouldve been funny 3 months ago but it is so bland and boring now. dani being jealous and callous is so bland and boring now. weve been on the same like 2-3 days since august. PLEASE move on.

death becomes you- 7/10, serialized, adventure fantasy with some romance slipped in their

the artist draws porn of the two main characters which is what drew me to this comic. im just not a big fan of adventure fantasy but the characters are so charming (and hot) that its fine. im really wanting the brother in law to show back up boy is fiiiine.

batman: wayne family adventures- 8/10, episodic, you know this one. just funny comedy.

this is what got me into batfam. obviously. some episodes are just not interesting to me but its saur good. i do dislike one of the artists bcuz the difference between some episodes is jarring for me (like how stiff characters can be, how...... trim? bruces face can look?), but the arts still good just not for me. i know its batfam focused but my fav episodes are when other characters show up. obviously. im a birdflash and core four shipper why WOULDNT i like their episodes?

a city called nowhere- 6/10, generally episodic but rn were on a specific storyline, its a simple horror comic.

a city with creepy stuff where the best way to stay safe is look the other way and prepare properly. nothing really stands out, it truly is a simple horror comic. a general criticsm of merryweather comics is that everyone is a big tittied anime girl, but i read for merry's writing not the artists he employs. i mean as the leader of the company he should be getting some more diversity in there (no it doesnt matter if the artists are women), but seeing as theyre silly comics im not suuuper concerned. i havent kept up with any longer series so idk if they do better in this regard.

[beansprean]

Guillermo tells us how to feel.

Like, consistently. He is the closest thing we have to an audience surrogate and HE tells us what our baseline expectations should be based on his reaction to the world. Luring virgins to a house of vampires to be murdered? All in a day's work! Chopping them up into bits and burying them in the backyard? Gross, but necessary! Re-deading your ex-wives in a Bachelor parody? Morally questionable but I'm not gonna stop you. Hypnotizing a man so many times his brain explodes and he dies? Sounds sad but can't talk, I'm embezzling and committing fraud atm. WWDITS is close to being an anti-comedy like IASIP or Seinfeld because the main characters are all awful people who commit terrible atrocities, but we DO care about them and their happiness because we are given that baseline to work from and know what to take seriously and what to laugh at.

The reason s4e9 felt so cruel was because Guillermo responded to it that way. Because HE was hurt and HE was upset and the last shot of the episode was his heart breaking on screen!! We are SUPPOSED to feel how he feels!! All season things have been getting better for him; he has been more appreciated and respected and has taken more control of his life and now the rug is pulled out from under him again. He/we are left wondering: Guillermo, what now? Is all this still worth it? Is it time for you to leave?

The vampires, as a rule, NO NOT CARE ABOUT HUMANS. They're livestock and free labor and occasional entertainment, and that's the way it's always been. (We haven't even talked about the fact that Nadja killed Sofia Coppola 😂😂😂) Vamps are too long-lived and jaded and used to killing to live for it to be any other way. Humans are playthings!! Unfortunately, that includes Nandor's wives. It includes Marwa, it includes Guillermo's family, and it includes Freddie. But it's starting to NOT include Guillermo.

Like Nandor, we are supposed to FEEL THE GAME ENDING. He was having fun, making a new human to play with because he was bored of his old one and getting to spend time with his best…man and literally could not compute that any of this would be upsetting to Guillermo. Because why would it? They're only toys, they can always get more. (Here, Guillermo is already held separate and above other humans)

But Guillermo was upset! He was angry! He didn't think it was fun, he didn't think it was a game, and this human was IMPORTANT to him and we see Nandor falter, stumble over his words, get quiet and soft and ashamed. The comedy is over and he stops having fun. And he does his best (best is debatable but he is very stupid) to fix it!!

Idk if these events will be specifically addressed next ep because we have important Colin things to do and there had to have been a decent time skip between Freddie leaving and Memo going to London, but I want to point out that THIS IS THE DARKEST HOUR MOMENT. Nadja is losing her club, Laszlo is losing his boy, Colin is losing his youth, Nandor lost his wife/boytoy and Guillermo's trust, and Guillermo lost his boyfriend and got his heart broken for the upteenth time. Things SUCK FOR EVERYONE right now - and that's the point!! Ep 9 of season 3 ended with Colin Robinson DYING. Next ep, things will start to look up. Right before something insane happens that makes everything SIGNIFICANTLY worse and leaves us on a year-long cliffhanger! 😃 And I for one am excited to see it lmao

(Also Marwa sidenote bc look how they massacred my girl:

I will miss Marwa and I'm sad about her (I know not everyone was fond of her like I was lol but idk if the writers expected anyone to feel a way about her regardless), and I'm left thinking "is this even Marwa?" If she has none of her own memories or body or personality left, can we even consider it her? Does Marwa no longer exist? May be the best outcome for her mental state if she now exists only in 1300s Al Qolindar again lol. But if the wishes get reversed or something else happens to return her to Marwadom I'm hopeful she will pull a Derek and return one day!! Wwdits is well known for bringing back one-off characters, and Marwa was a season regular in like 7/10 episodes so I'm not giving up on her yet... My fanart will continue.)

[retroyousei]

Female characters in retro shojo [70s edition, part 1]

Ah, the 1970s (and early 80s), where a majority of the shojo manga stories took place in a distant European country or in America, surrounding either orphan girls from the 19th or early 20th century, who remain cheerful and have adventures, trying to find out who they are, making friends and falling in love, or epic historical stories filled with war, scandals and larger than life characters. If the manga was taking place in Japan, the plot was somehow more down to earth -though most of the time it restrained the same amount of unrealism- and it was either about following the journey of a girl who pursues the career of her dreams and evolves into a notable person, or a high school story filled either with melodrama and angst or a more heartwarming romantic comedy. But in this two-part article I won’t talk about plot tropes of the shojo manga of that era -as this topic deserves an exclusive article-, but about the female characters (I will dedicate an article on male characters some other time). Those characters are very important, as they set the standards of today’s manga and anime. But it should be noted that back then the formula of their design and characteristics are different from today’s. Those are the categories that I’ve noticed, regarding the appearance and personality.

The “average” protagonists

They are the most common category. Usually, they come from middle class and they are presented either as cheerful and a little dense schoolgirls, or plain looking and unrefined, as oppose to their antagonists or rivals who are well educated, beautiful and more talented, but this may serve as a determination for them to improve. Other times they are presented as headstrong heroines, ahead of their time, who refuse to compromise and for this they are a pain to their old-fashion society. Either way, they are kind, good, well-intentioned and want to help the others, that’s why they make friends easily. The thing that really works with these characters and makes them much more interesting than they may seem, is that they are independent and built their future on their own and they never give up, no matter what happens and what someone might say about them. Even when they are not sure of themselves, they always keep trying, until they reach to their dream. They use their obstacles as strength and determination to go on, proving that they are not average at all.

Maya, the protagonist of “Glass Mask” is a great example of this. She starts as a good-for-nothing daughter of a poor family, who isn’t particularly accomplished, but has a hidden passion for acting which she hadn’t realise it herself at that point. But when she is discovered by Tsukigake, a former legendary actress, she realises how much she wants to be an actress to a point that she lied saying that her mother allowed her to study to sensei’s acting school and ran away from home. Not even when her mother told her that she doesn’t consider her as her daughter anymore, she didn’t gave up, in spite of being very hurt by this. Her path towards acting wasn’t easy. Many times she has to face many who say that she doesn’t belong to that industry, or who are jealous of her talent and means her harm, but with her faith in herself, she always overcomes those obstacles. An admirable thing about her is that she dislikes fame, being shy, as she just wants to act and that she does not gives up, no matter what and even when she does, she quickly stands up. The most interesting dynamic of the story is her worthy rivalry with Ayumi, that is clearly a case of the trope “technician vs performer”, with Maya as the performer, as her standard method to learn how to play a character is to become that character. As the story progresses, Maya evolves from a girl with a hidden talent, to a young actress who portraits an original take to classic characters, but who still had much to learn, to one of the greatest actresses of her generation.

In “Yokohama Monogatari”, Uno starts as a plain, poor, orphan girl, who is ignorant about the world, as she hasn’t even seen the sea before and she believed that westerners were vampires who could drink people’s blood, that’s why they had blonde hair and blue eyes. She starts to work as a companion in a rich family to their daughter Mariko, who is the same age as her. Besides their differences, they become quickly best friends. While Mariko is a little spoiled, Uno, despite of her ignorance of world, can be more considerate and responsible in some matters. She also has a lust for learning and soon her and Mariko pursuade her family to go to school. There, she meets many people, among them there are a few foreigners too, she makes a lot of friends, and she excels at all of her studies, being hardworking. As the years passed by, Japan changes and allows exchange of ideas from many cultures -it’s Meiji era we are taking about, that means the last quarter of the 19th century- and Uno evolves from a poor, -many would say- hopeless for her situation, clueless of the world girl, to an open minded, educated and refined woman, surrounded by many people she loves.

In “Tokimeki Tonight”, Ranze -well except of being the daughter of Dracula and warewolf and having her own vampire powers as well- is an average girl who is friendly, sweet and little quirky girl who goes to school and falls in love with Shuun. Some may say that she is pretty basic, but in fact, she knows her self worth well, so even when her parents were disappointed with her not having any power yet, at the beginning of the story, she wasn’t particularly bothered by it. Also she is very headstrong that she falls in love with a human boy, while she knows well that a creature from the demon world and a human cannot be together. But in spite of all of that, she decides to stay true to her own feelings and even though she’s not so sure about Shuun’s feelings for her either, she doesn’t give up and waits for him, because she hopes and deep down knows that he likes her too and she is right. And even when her parents want her to marry prince Aaron of the demon world and even the king- learn that she likes a human, in spite of that being against the rules, she isn’t afraid to stand up for her beliefs. Later though, we learn that Shuun is the lost prince of the demon world, so he is not a human after all, but that’s another story.

In “Aim For The Ace”, Hiromi is a typical schoolgirl who struggles to get better in tennis, when she gets selected as one of the club’s main players in school by the new coach, as he saw potential in her. Some of her seniors are jealous of her because of that and at first she thinks that she is not worth such a discrimination, but soon she improves and realises how much she loves tennis. There’s also a very similar rivalry dynamic with “glass mask” between Hiromi and Reika who grow to be worthy opponents.

In “Haikara San Ga Toru”, Benio is a headstrong young woman who studies Kendo, drinks sake and prefers reading literature and feminist ideas, rather than being interested in housework. She also likes to dress in western clothes, rather than the traditional kimono and strongly believes that women should have the right to decide for their future on their own and they should marry for love. But her world turns upside down when her father announces that he has arranged a marriage for her. The one that he indends for her is someone she knew before, very briefly and accidentally, a lieutenant named Shinobu. Of course, she refuses, being loyal to her ideals and she goes out of her way to avoid him, just to satisfy her pride, in spite of actually starting developing feelings for him. When she moves to his grandparents’ house to get prepared as his wife, she purposely fails in all of her duties as a housewife and constantly argues with his grandparents, but all of that only makes Shinobu fall for her even more. It’s only when he leaves to go to the war, when she realises her feelings for him and during at that time when everyone thought that he was dead, she matured and became even stronger, remaining loyal to him and determined to work as a journalist to support his family, but also tracking him down, hoping that he’s still alive. Of course, at the very end, they live happily ever after together. Benio’s character development is admirable; starting as a clever, but headstrong girl, to an independent and wise woman, proving that you don’t have to disagree with everyone in order to prove that you are the one who chooses how to live your own life.

The villains

Their extreme pride and vain is their common nature. Most of the times they come from a wealthy family, so they are either oujo-sans who are always dressed elegantly, are seemingly refined and they tend to have curly, blonde hair -as blonde hair seem to be associated with wealth and sophistication in Japan-, or they are just spoiled brats that demand that everyone will do as they say. They are the main antagonist of the story for different reasons. The most common one is that they are jealous of the heroine, either because they are their love rivals and they are jealous of the heroine’s relationship with the love interest of the story, or because they are just pathologically jealous of the heroine because of her looks, her happiness, her luck and her loving nature. Another reason they act the way they do is because they want power and success, or they just want to secure all of that. The worse and least complex reason of all is that they are just mean for no particular reason.

Eliza, from “Candy Candy” is the typical alpha b*tch who is pathologically jealous of Candy. At first, she along with her brother, makes her life miserable, by blaming her for the bad things they do, such as hurting the horses in the stables, provoking her and then telling to their mother that she’s wild and leaving her alone in a town she doesn’t know and locking her in dark rooms. After that, during their time in London, Eliza says to everyone that Candy is an orphan who made her life miserable, even blaming her for Antony’s death. Later, having the habit of falling in love with the one that Candy likes too, school, she falls for Terry and constantly tries to turn him against her, failing miserably. She also writes a fake letter to her that it was supposedly from Terry and to Terry too, to meet each other in the stables at night and with this, she blabs them to the teachers and Candy, having no choice, leaves school. Later, when Candy was pursuing a career as a nurse, she continues her cruel ways and her mother also threats the director of the hospital where she was working, that if they won’t fire her, the Leagan family will withdraw their funds for the hospital and she also made sure that no hospital from Chicago will hire her, leaving Candy in a difficult situation. Those are only of few of the things that Leagan family did to Candy. The worst part is that they don’t pay for what they did at the end.

Fukiko from “Oniisama e” fits well this image; She is a refined lady from a rich family, the president of the sorority and very educated, that’s why she is admired by everyone. However, in reality she is manipulative, proud and very possessive. She wants to control everyone and she’s even willing to go out of her way to achieve what she wants. For instanse, she’s jealous of Nanako because she is close to Henmi Takehito, the one that she (Fukiko) is in love with, so to control her, she chooses her to be a member of the sorority and demands that she will stay away from him, even by pulling her into the lake and attempt to drown her . She also makes Rei’s life miserable, by stepping into her weakness, refuse to accept her as a member of their family and constantly manipulating her with the cruelest of ways. Also, it’s revealed that her friends from the sorority are feeling pressured because of her. Later, with the death of Rei, along with her realisation that Henmi and Kaoru No Kimi are truly in love, surprisingly, she regrets, gives up on her cruel ways and matures, growing even more beautiful for all of that.

Yoko from “Tokimeki Tonight” is a different case. She is the love rival of the story and the have loved Shuun ever since they were little. Being the only daughter of a rich businessman, she is spoiled and when something doesn’t go as she wants, she is is angry and demands that everything will go the way she wants. She envies Ranze for her close relationship with Makabe and ever since she accidentally saw her transforming, she tried desperately to prove others that she (Ranze) is a vampire. Her character is less dramatic and more comedic, as she is often grumpy and clumsy. But she isn’t really a bad person and she doesn’t really cause an awful lot of trouble.

In “The Rose of Versailles”, Madam Du Barry, the king’s mistress, wants to sustain her place in the court and demands that Marie Antoinette, who was at that time the dauphine, will speak to her. She also have tried to poison one of the court ladies. Countess De polignag becomes the queen’s best friend, for her own benefits and manipulates her without her (Marie Antoinette) knowing, like telling her to lie about being pregnant and also persuade her to start gambling in the court, which was illegal. She’s also Rosalie’s biological mother and accidentally kills the woman which raised her daughter and she’s the reason that her other daughter suicides, because she cannot handle the marriage the she arranged for her. Besides of her daughter’s death, she doesn’t seem to regret for any of her actions as she tries to make Rosalie merry the same man. Luckily Rosalie escapes. Also, she tried to sabotage Oscar many times and all this was just for the sake of power and money.

In “Glass Mask”, Norie Otobe, befriends Maya and she is supposedly her assistant, but in reality she just waits for the right moment to strike and steal Maya’s role and career. Unfortunately, she succeeds and it costs a lot for Maya, for a while. Luckily Ayumi discovers this and punishes her with the best way ever.

The tomboys

They are either mysterious, or lively, but one thing is for sure; they are dressed in clothes that are considered to be “manly”, they are handsome and they are constantly mistaken for a boy. They are also very elegant and educated and their image is that of a prince. That’s why they are admired by both women and men. Some may say that even though they are trying to be like a man, they are still weak, but they point out that just because they dress more “tomboyish”, doesn’t mean that it makes them less of a woman. After all, when they want to, they can transform into the most feminine girl of all. They also prove that their sexuality is not associated with their looks, as a “masculine” girl has the same possibilities of being heterosexual or homosexual, with a more “feminine” one. So, they break all the stereotypes regarding women. Many times, they are portrayed as headstrong heroines who stand up for their beliefs and their friends.

The most famous character that supports this image is Oscar from “the Rose of Versailles”. Oscar is one of the daughters of the Jerjeyes household. Not having any son, her father decided to raise her as a boy so that one day she will succeed him. Oscar dresses in boys’ clothes and learns activities like fencing and archery. When she was fourteen, she was tasked to serve as Marie Antoinette’s bodyguard. The manga often pointed out how different those two were regarding appearance and character, even if they were in the same age. Oscar has a strong sense of justice and she always protects the weak and is not afraid to challenge someone that she believes that isn’t right. Of course, she is admired by men and women alike and she is also a great and loyal friend. At one point she falls in love with Fersen, who loves Marie Antoinette. But because of her respect for the queen and her love of Fersen, she helps them, despite being heartbroken. At the end, she realises that she loves her childhood friend, Andre. She loves medieval combat, drinking heavy drinks, talking about politics and playing violin. Many pointed out that being a woman she was weaker but she always proved them wrong, pointing out that women can do anything and that it doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, only how skilful you are. She was hiding her femininity not because she wanted to be a man, but because that if she acted like a woman, the society might think that she was weak and she wouldn’t be able to have the access and the freedom to do what women normally wouldn’t do back then, because women were alowed to limited things. In the early 1970s, by the time this manga was ongoing, the second wave of feminism had already started and women started fighting for equal legal and social rights, so Oscar’s character was influenced by all this.

Rei from “Oniisama e”, is admired by her fellow classmates and is also called “saint Juste”, named after one of the leaders from French Revolution, due to her physical resemblance to him. She is very charismatic, excelling to sports, piano, guitar and theatre, she is very elegant and dresses often in a black suit. Unfortunately she is drug-addict, she smokes and can be suicidal, carrying always pills and a sharp object with her. She is also obsessed with Fukiko, the sorority’s president, for many reasons, causing her to be controlled and abused by her. She also lives alone in a depressing house filled with mirrors and this also causes to be depressed. Her best friend is Kaoru no Kimi, who’s also a tomboy, but they are entirely different and she befriends Nanako and her friends. In the end she suicides, taking too many sleeping pills, having everyone, especially Nanako, left devastated.

Also from “Oniisama e”, Kaoru, is a tomboy who is strong and energetic. She is athletic and excels at basketball, but she is also very cool and doesn’t seem to care that she is the best at something that she’s doing, that’s why she is admired by her fellow classmates who gave her the nickname “Kaoru no Kimi”, from a Japanese classical novel; “the tale of Genji”. She also has a great sense of justice, as when she sees classmates being bullied, she defends them and put the bullies on their place. She is also very loyal and supportive and cares deeply about her friends, helping them when they are in need, especially her best friend, Rei, for whom she is very concerned. But in spite of her energetic appearance, she suffers from breast cancer and tries to keep it a secret, pretending that she is healthy and that everything is under control. But in fact, she pushes away her beloved, Henmi Takehito, concealing her true feelings, in order for him to be happy without her and not suffer anymore, showing how selfless she is and how much she loves him to a point of sacrificing her own feelings. At the end, it pays off and they end up together, living happily.

Another honourable mention is Rei, from “Glass Mask”. Rei is the older student of Tsukikage sensei’s company and one of Maya’s best friends. She is a tomboy who wears those characteristic 70s jeans and for some reason is mistaken by a boy -much to her dislike-, despite of being obvious that she is a girl. Being an actress, she can transform into a beautiful princess in no time, but she also portraits very well a prince. In the first volumes, she portrayed Jo, from “little women” which was a role very suited for her. As a sister figure for Maya, she is loyal, friendly and the responsible one who helps the theatre company stay organised and is a very strict teacher to Maya, helping her because she knows her potential. Also from “Glass Mask”, Keiko from the “Ikkakuju group” is also mistaken as boy, but she can transform into a pretty princess in no time.

Note: At the first half of the 20th century “Little Women” were very popular in Japan, particularly Jo, who was tomboyish and outspoken and her character had inspired the first female mangakas of the 60s for their stories and characters.