#but it's always my role to be the expendable one

[lili-elbe]

g-d i wish i had just one real friend

[bunkerjking]

The emotional breakdown later in the chapter will get most of the attention, but for my money, this is the most revealing moment in this week's chapter. A teenager so disconnected from his real emotions that he desperately rationalizes his hypersexuality not as a coping mechanism, but as 'this is what guys are like.'

It's easy to make fun of men for burying their emotions and then asking, 'why doesn't anyone know who I really am' - hell, Denji literally does that during the Bomb Girl arc - but Denji is a pretty direct criticism of both the way boys can get forced into unhealthy gender roles, and the way men self-regulate themselves and others into them.

The other boys Denji is with don't have the problem of being horny at inappropriate times. They have WAY bigger problems.

But Denji can't think properly when someone dangles the idea of sex in front of him. It's like a switch flips and he becomes a completely different person.

He shuts down and reverts to trying to embody masculine stereotypes he's been ingrained with, both through the social conditioning of growing up male in the 90s and the psychological conditioning Makima put him through to strengthen 'Chainsaw Man' - itself a hyper-masculine ideal that a human being physically cannot measure up to - and emotionally cripple Denji.

Denji is at his happiest when he's at rest with the people he loves. Power and Aki were not always easy to be around, but they loved him back and they wanted him to be happy. Nayuta is a child who doesn't understand her place in the world - how could she - but she earnestly wants to help her big brother as best as she can.

He isn't some cock-swinging alpha badass constantly on the prowl to crush puss, but for a lot of people - especially a teenager who was groomed to be an expendable child soldier - this unhealthy masculine 'ideal' isn't just something to live up to, it's the expected norm for men to be.

Being Chainsaw Man doesn't make Denji mentally stronger. As shown in the Falling Devil fight, he literally chops up his brain with his chainsaws to avoid confronting his trauma. Whenever he has to think about what he's lost and what's still left to lose, he runs toward something he isn't and away from a 'normal,' healthy response to the issues at hand.

"You stupid boy."

You'll notice that Katana Man, a perfect embodiment of an overly masculine dickhead, a misogynistic moron who refuses to grow in character or even basic combat skills, is totally on board for throwing Denji in a brothel and letting what happens happens. Katana Man perfectly represents the bad ending where 'traditional masculinity' wins the war for Denji's soul.

Denji needs help. Not some quick gratification. Not a meal and a nut and a nap. He needs genuine help, and a better male role model than the ones he's got. Even Kishibe, the only adult in his life other than Aki who actually did more good than harm, is an alcoholic recluse.

God help the boy.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express, Witness for the Prosecution, Morocco)—Bisexual icon, super hot when dressed both masculine and feminine, lived up her life in the queer Berlin scene of the 1920s, central to the 'sewing circle' of the secret sapphic actresses of Old Hollywood, refused lucrative offers by the Nazis and helped Jews and others under persecution to escape Nazi Germany, the love of my life

Mary Philbin (Phantom of the Opera, The Man Who Laughs)— I must simply say I love Mary Loretta Philbin. She was known for her, in the words of Wikipedia, ethereal screen presence. In fact, Pat O' Malley says it best, "If I were superstitious I would think that the spirit of some great tragedienne of a forgotten past slipped into Mary's soul when she heard the camera begin to click." I first saw her in the Phantom of the Opera adaptation of 1925, where she plays a very interesting rendition of Christine Daae (I would argue a foundational performance, since this was the first mainstream portrayal of the character outside of Gaston Leroux's 1910 book) opposite Lon Chaney as the title character, and I Loved her performance, and ofc developed a bit of a crush on her. After her years in Hollywood, she stopped acting in 1930 and lived the rest of her life in relative peace. One fact that always stuck with me was the fact that later in her life, she very rarely made public appearances, but did in fact do so in order to attend the Los Angeles opening of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. And if all that isn't enough to convince you, look at a photo of her. She is really, stunningly beautiful.

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Marlene Dietrich:

ms dietrich....ms dietrich pls.....sit on my face

its marlene dietrich!!!! queer legend, easily the hottest person to ever wear a tuxedo, that hot hot voice, those glamorous glamorous movies…. most famously she starred in a string of movies directed by josef von sternberg throughout the 1930s, beginning with the blue angel which catapulted her to stardom in the role of the cabaret singer lola lola. known for his exquisite eye for lighting, texture, imagery, von sternberg devoted himself over the course of their collaborations to acquiring exceptional skill at photographing dietrich herself in particular, a worthy direction in which to expend effort im sure we can all agree. she collaborated with many other great directors of the era as well, including rouben mamoulian (song of songs), frank borzage (desire), ernst lubitsch (angel), fritz lang (rancho notorious), and billy wilder (witness for the prosecution). the encyclopedia britannica entry im looking at while compiling this propaganda describes her as having an “aura of sophistication and languid sexuality” which✔️💯. born marie magdalene dietrich, she combined her first and middle names to coin the moniker “marlene”. she was a trendsetter in her incorporation of trousers, suits, and menswear into her wardrobe and her androgynous allure was often remarked upon. critic kenneth tynan wrote, “She has sex, but no particular gender. She has the bearing of a man; the characters she plays love power and wear trousers. Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men.” in the 1920s she enjoyed the vibrant queer nightlife of weimar berlin, visiting gay bars and drag balls, and in hollywood her love affairs with men and women were an open secret. she was an ardent opponent of nazi germany, refusing lucrative contacts offered her to make films there, raising money with billy wilder to help jews and dissidents escape, and undertaking extensive USO tours to entertain soldiers with an act that included her a playing musical saw and doing a mindreading routine she learned from orson welles. starting in the 50s and continuing into the mid-70s she worked largely as a cabaret artist touring the world to large audiences, employing burt bacharach as her musical arranger.

First of all, there are those publicity photos of her in a tux. Second of all, I have never been the same since knowing that she sent copies of those photos to her Berlin lovers signed "Daddy Marlene." Not only is she hot in all circumstances, but she can do everything from earthy to ice queen. Also, she kept getting sexy romantic lead parts in Hollywood after the age of 40, which would be rare even now. She hated Nazis, loved her friends, and had a sapphic social circle in Hollywood. She also had cheekbones that could cut glass and a voice that could melt you.

Her GENDER her looks her voice her everything

“In her films and record-breaking cabaret performances, Miss Dietrich artfully projected cool sophistication, self-mockery and infinite experience. Her sexuality was audacious, her wit was insolent and her manner was ageless. With a world-weary charm and a diaphanous gown showing off her celebrated legs, she was the quintessential cabaret entertainer of Weimar-era Germany.”

The bar scene in Morocco awoke something in me and ultimately changed my gender

"Her manner, the critic Kenneth Tynan wrote, was that of ‘a serpentine lasso whereby her voice casually winds itself around our most vulnerable fantasies.’ Her friend Maurice Chevalier said: ‘Dietrich is something that never existed before and may never exist again.’”

"Songstress, photographer, fashion icon, out bisexual phenom (notoriously stole Lupe Velez and Joan Crawford's men, and Errol Flynn's wife, had a torrid affair with Greta Garbo that ended in a 60-year feud, other notable conquests including Erich Maria Remarque -yes, the guy who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front- Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Claudette Colbert, Mercedes de Acosta, Edith Piaf), anti-Nazi activist. Marlene was a bitch - she had an open marriage for decades and one of her favorite things was making catty commentary about her current lover with her husband, and her relationship with her daughter was painful- but she was also immensely talented, a hard worker, an opponent of fascism and the hottest ice queen in Hollywood for a long time."

"She can sing! She can act! She told the Nazis to fuck off and became a US citizen out of spite! She worked with other German exiles to create a fund to help Jews and German dissidents escape (she donated an entire movie salary, about $450k, to the cause). She looks REALLY GOOD in a suit. If you're not convinced, please listen to her sing "Lili Marlene". Absolutely gorgeous woman with a gorgeous voice."

Gifset link

"Bisexual icon and Nazi-hater. Looks absolutely stunning in the suits she liked to wear. 'I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men'."

"would you not let her walk on you?"

Mary Philbin:

She is hot?

Shes just so cute

Mary Philbin started acting after winning a beauty contest hosted by Universal Pictures and went on to star in a number of films, including one of the most iconic silent horror films of her era, "the Phantom of the Opera". She also gave a sweet, heart-wrenching performance in "The Man Who Laughs" alongside Conrad Veidt.

[silmarillisms]

A Casual Reminder: Sauron Was Powerful

I'm not really sure why, but I've seen a lot of "Sauron was so pathetic, forever in Morgoth's shadow, what a baby" posts lately. And I do get it, I love the wet meow meow too.

But for all intents and purposes, Sauron does not fit the wet meow meow role. We are actually blatantly told that Sauron was greater in the Second Age than Morgoth was at his fall.

Sauron was ‘greater’, effectively, in the Second Age than Morgoth at the end of the First. Why? Because, though he was far smaller by natural stature, he had not yet fallen so low. Eventually he also squandered his power (of being) in the endeavour to gain control of others. But he was not obliged to expend so much of himself. To gain domination over Arda, Morgoth had let most of his being pass into the physical constituents of the Earth – hence all things that were born on Earth and lived on and by it, beasts or plants or incarnate spirits, were liable to be ‘stained’. Morgoth at the time of the War of the Jewels had become permanently ‘incarnate’: for this reason he was afraid, and waged the war almost entirely by means of devices, or of subordinates and dominated creatures. - Morgoth's Ring: Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion

The argument could be made that Sauron being greater at his height than Morgoth was at his fall doesn't mean much, but I would actually posit that it does, and for multiple reasons. Morgoth was the greatest of the Valar. Even in his decline, it took the whole host of the Valar invading from Aman and sinking Beleriand to defeat the armies that Morgoth had assembled - as well as Morgoth himself. It is no small feat for a Maia to amass that sort of power.

Let's take a look at the next paragraphs from the same essay in Morgoth's Ring:

Sauron, however, inherited the corruption of Arda, and only spent his (much more limited) power on the Rings; for it was the creatures of earth, in their minds and wills, that he desired to dominate. In this way Sauron was also wiser than Melkor-Morgoth. Sauron was not a beginner of discord; and he probably knew more of the Music than did Melkor, whose mind had always been filled with his own plans and devices, and gave little attention to other things. The time of Melkor's greatest power, therefore, was in the physical beginnings of the World; a vast demiurgic lust for power and the achievement of his own will and designs, on a great scale. And later after things had become more stable, Melkor was more interested in and capable of dealing with a volcanic eruption, for example, than with (say) a tree. It is indeed probable that he was simply unaware of the minor or more delicate productions of Yavanna, such as small flowers. Thus, as Morgoth, when Melkor was confronted by the existence of other inhabitants of Arda, with other wills and intelligences, he was enraged by the mere fact of their existence, and his only notion of dealing with them was by physical force, or the fear of it. His sole ultimate object was their destruction. - Morgoth's Ring: Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion

This is easily my favorite comparison between them. Sauron became Morgoth's right hand because, although Morgoth had power and ambition in spades, he lacked the mind for strategy that Sauron possessed. Sauron's strength lies in his clever plans, his manipulations, his deceptions. Just as it would have been for anyone else who wore it, the One Ring became Sauron's downfall because it blinded him to the same little things that Morgoth tended to ignore. Sauron lost because he became like Morgoth, not because he was lesser than Morgoth in might.

I'll leave off with a last quote from NoMitS.

Sauron had never reached this stage of nihilistic madness. He did not object to the existence of the world, so long as he could do what he liked with it. He still had the relics of positive purposes, that descended from the good of the nature in which he began: it had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall, and of his relapse) that he loved order and coordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction. (It was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him.) - Morgoth's Ring: Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion

Sue me. I'm a filthy Angbanger at heart.

Also, here's all of NoMitS if anyone wants to read it.

[basuralindo]

So I was asked to expand on the whole Jamil having a trauma response to Leona comment on my last post, aaand here's that.

(This pertains to chapter 6 btw, so spoiler warning)

(also it's very much sleep deprived rambling so sorry if it's, well, rambly)

First off, I'm operating under the assumption that he has cPTSD. Jamil has clearly been programmed since birth to always obey the Asims and act in their best interests, even at the expense of his own life. This is a boy who has been forced to eat poison to protect them and their assets, who's family was forced to let that happen, and who has been so desperate his entire life to escape that situation that he was willing to resort to murder and doom not just himself but his whole family which he is implied to care about. Which means if simply quitting was an option, he would have done so. So, you kinda have to infer that he and his family don't have a choice in this role, and there are severe enough consequences for disobedience that fucking up or refusing is a worse option than risking a slow painful death every time Kalim wants to eat something. And this is all stuff that's been depicted blatantly in canon, not even touching on the assumptions that could be made from there.

So that's the position Jamil is in. That is a traumatic situation. This is a guy who has been groomed for servitude and obedience since he was old enough to talk. These kinds of circumstances absolutely can lead someone to be triggered into subservience or other trained behaviors. That's just, a thing with trauma.

Now, with the Asims being one of if not THE most powerful merchant families in their country, one of the expectations of Jamil as their servant and especially as the attendant to their heir is to ensure good relationships with other rich and powerful families, especially royalty. This was shown in the fireworks event, where he states that as a prince, if Malleus came to any harm under his watch while a guest of the Asims, it could start an international conflict. These are incredibly high stakes, a misstep on Jamil's part could ruin the Asim family and potentially even endanger his country, and it's pretty strongly implied that he and his family would take the blame and suffer the consequences. Now, much like how wearing a company logo while at work makes your actions representative of your employer, Jamil serving the Asims 24/7 (and especially as the chaperone of their heir) means that he is representing their family At All Times. This is why he is forced to defer to Kalim in all aspects of life even outside of their country, part of his job is to make his employers look good, and there are consequences for not doing so. This means that anyone of high enough status to be significant to the Asims is someone who Jamil is required to be subordinate to.

Then, enter Leona. As a wealthy prince, he would be someone who Jamil is expected maintain good relations with at any cost to himself. With his position Leona could literally destroy Jamil's (and probably his family's) entire life with a single complaint to the Asims about his conduct. Like, he could do that with no actual cause just for fun, because the Asims are 100% going to take the side of a prince over an expendable servant. This means that one misstep or any backtalk from Jamil puts him at massive risk, it is entirely up to Leona whether or not he suffers for any of these actions, and while the audience knows Leona's personal morals would prevent him from actually doing that, Jamil does not.

THEREFORE (sorry this ended up so long), once Jamil was in a life threatening situation with Leona, it seems likely that all this programming and fear would manifest in desperately trying to protect him and follow orders the way he's always done for Kalim. To me, the way he snapped into bodyguard mode, and immediately complied with every one of Leona's bitchy commands (like giving him a hair ornament to throw away without question, and barely saying anything about it after), even while being humiliated and knowing he was less trained in magic, just comes off more like a trigger response than anything. Especially because I can't imagine that situation not being triggering, and I can't imagine him knowing any other way to respond.

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

even as someone who does not ship the brothers (or deancas), i feel that there is no denying the heavy handed undertones of romance between them, and the writers' very intentional and frequent exploration into incestual themes, if one is truly understanding the show. however, it's also my understanding that a lot of hellers/deancas people/whomever use a frustrating argument that "sam doesn't really know dean" when in reality, he will always know dean better than cas. thats the whole point of the show. when dean and sam 'betray' each other from the other's persepctive, the person doing the betraying genuinely believes they are acting in the other's best interest, whereas with dean and cas it's always for personal benefit.

to stop the rambling, i wanted to ask, purely in interest of seeing multiple sides: if so many hellers were not so anti-sam and did not project so much onto castiel, do you think the fandom at large (outside of that group) would have less of an issue with the ship? again, i am genuinely curious and you seem both well established in the fandom and well versed in the show itself. i feel as though where other shows do have beef between shippers and such, the supernatural fandom is watching two completely different shows and so many of them are bypassing crucial parts.

Hey Anon!

I don’t ship Wincest either (though most Wincesties I know are cool), and I REALLY don’t ship Destiel. But, I do joke about brother husbands a lot and love the brothers’ codependency. Still, I don’t think the writers are actually ever suggesting there are true romantic feelings to Sam and Dean’s relationship. Or maybe I should say, I don’t think canon (or subtext) Sam and Dean are actually (even secretly) hot for their brother. However, I think the romantic parallels and even outright nods to incest are very deliberate (and obvious). Partly, it’s on brand for the horror/gothic genre of the early seasons, but it also serves the purpose of highlighting how important Sam and Dean are to each other. They are each other’s soulmate, life-partner, and number one, which are usually roles reserved for couples. Also, I think the show just likes to make jokes as well. It’s clearly deliberate when the show goes from having characters assume they are couples, to villains making incesty remarks about them, to Dean asking if Sam wants a divorce.

I agree that Sam knows Dean better than Castiel, or anyone else. And Dean knows Sam best. That being said, they don’t understand each other perfectly, and they speak “different languages” in terms of showing care a lot of the time. Sometimes this is works in a complimentary way that has them in sync (Dean loves his family, especially Sam most, and Sam needs to be Dean’s number one), and sometimes it causes friction between the brothers (Dean letting Gadreel inside Sam or Sam trying to cure MOC). But, I agree that MOST of the time when they “betray” each other it’s when they are trying to help each other, or at least it’s a byproduct of something they feel they need to do. They never treat each other as expendable. And I also agree that betrayals between Dean and Castiel just hit different. I think this is because 1) they don’t have the same obsessive love underlying everything they do to/for each other (despite what hellers think), 2) they are more brothers-in-arms than true adopted famoly until later seasons 3) Castiel is not human, and I believe that Dean (however subconsciously) treats him differently because of that, and Cass not being human also changes his view of the fallout his actions will have with the people he cares about, and 4) I agree that they both betray each other out of personal interest in thst they value other things/people more highly than each other quite often (Dean will always value Sam above all, and Castiel often values whatever mission he is on above the brothers or is at least willing to risk them for it to an extent).

Feel free to ramble in my asks whenever you like. Clearly, I do it too, so no judgement here.

My short answer to your question is … yes. If hellers didn’t hate on Sam in a transparent attempt to make him seem less important both to Dean and to the show in general, I doubt Sam girls would care that people shipped Castiel and Dean. It’s the attempt at twisting canon and down-playing Sam that is frustrating. And yes, the projecting added significance onto Castiel is massively annoying because it shows a lack of understanding of the show, whether purposeful or due to ignorance. And that annoys everyone who cares about the “fscts” of the show. It’s also their insistence that Dean is bi … because reasons (often offensive, stupid and/or steryotical) that annoys the people who actually enjoy Dean’s true chracter, not the fan-fic woobifued version of him that hellers (and some AAs) fawn over. But, I think what pisses the fandom at large off the most about hellers is their insistence that they get their way and the tantrums they throw about being “robbed” when a ship that was clearly never going to sail in the show continued not to happen. More specifically, their need to hate on actual actors, writers, producers, networks and other so called “homophobic” fans who don’t agree with them is abhorrent to many.

I agree with your final sentiment completely. It is like Supernatural is at least two totally different shows, depending on which type of fan you are talking to. I mean, there are arguably more than two versions of the show in collective fans’ minds, if we consider which of the brothers a group sympathizes with most and how they interpret the chracters’ actions (Sam is a whiny brat … Dean is an abusive monster 🙄). But, out of all the fan groups, there is only one who seems to be "watching" a piece of media that does not even resemble the actual show … and it’s hellers.

And to be clear, I’m not talking about Destiel shippers in general here, but hellers in particular. No one I know, including me, cares if people ship Dean and Castiel for their own enjoyment, but it’s the insistence they are right and attempted rewriting of canon (and threatening real people) that makes people ragey.

Anyway, thank you for your ask. I’m sorry my reply was so long. (This is likely one of the reasons I don’t get a ton of asks, lol).

[bliss-wily]

More hcs from my silly little head - seems to be the direction this is going in and I’m going to run with it. Using this as my space to let me thoughts run wild as I deal with lovely headaches~

This time? Frieza and maybe his family! Read below to find out~

Note: In my mind Cooler and Kuriza are canon. I know they aren’t but this is my version so meh.

•Smooth yet scaly skin.

•Don’t talk to him until he’s had his grape juice.

•And yes, grape juice.

•No wine for the space lizard - his father wants all the wine for himself.

•King Cold is a wine mom. And maybe a soccer mom, Freezy Pop is his little boy.

•”MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS”

•”JUST WAIT UNTIL MY FATHER HEARS ABOUT THIS”

•Also, definitely still calls King Cold ‘daddy’.

•A daddy’s boy.

•Frieza had Kuriza simply to have an heir.

•Ends up loving the little brat but won’t admit it.

•Zarbon is designated babysitter.

•King Cold definitely had Zarb babysitting his two boys as well.

•And yes, every elite is older than Frieza~

•My proof? Broly! I took plenty of screenshots of one part of that movie because…Frieza Force! Can’t find the rest of my screenshots but just some cans several of the elites are present.

(Also for some reason Jeice’s arm is not covered in his spandex? Oh well, think it’s an error as he is covered in other parts of his cameo. Also Zarb has white shoes instead of brown. Ah excuse my rambling!)

•Anywayyy…Berryblue was basically the nanny for the two boys (Frieza and Cooler).

•Also, Freezy Pop is very insecure of his height - hence why his aides are shorter than him.

•Zarbon and Dodoria are his right hand men, they are allowed to be taller.

•Despite being expendable, I think Zarbon was Frieza’s closest confidant.

•And by god - no one insults his two right hand men. Sorbet got an earful for comparing Tagoma to them after all, only he gets to speak bad about them!

•If you’re good to him, he will be good to you. Unless you become a threat and stand in his way of course! Can’t have that!

•Heavily relies on Zarbon and Berryblue respectively. I think Zarbon is tasked with anything and everything, whether that’s changing the emperor’s bed or helping him with his sense of style.

•The two are friendly BUT IT IS VERY CONDITIONAL.

•Keeps Zarbon close as I feel the two would agree on certain things: skincare, presentation, aesthetics…plus both nepo babies in my opinion. They’d have plenty to talk about.

•Dodoria can be Karen, it’s like space Mean Girls.

•Future Warrior from Xenoverse can be Cady.

Now I’m getting off track…I’m sorry these are always rambly, I’m very unprofessional.

•Frieza still acts like a child and the universe to him is his toy box.

•His favourite toys are closest to him though.

•Blinded by his obsession to beat Goku.

•And due to this blindness I think Cooler has the potential to be stronger.

•Cooler I imagine is the more mature and less sadistic of the two.

•Cooler is more well rounded; better to his men, and despite the fact he would and could kill Frieza - anyone else touches his little brother? Oh there’s hell to pay! Only he’s allowed.

•Highly unbothered that Frieza is the favourite - if anything, to Cooler, that just means more freedom to an extent.

•Actually takes his role seriously.

•Salza is his Zarbon in this scenario - he doesn’t need a Berryblue though as Cooler is mature enough to lack a babysitter.

•I think Cooler would be a good uncle to Kuriza, I don’t think he would hold a grudge towards the little one.

•Speaking of Kuriza…this boy I imagine to be a ray of sunshine!

•Just to totally go against Frieza’s personality - Kuriza loves sports, art, games, playing with toys, etc.

•Just a sweet kid but has combat prowess.

•And his cuteness means the members of the Force let the little Lord get his way.

•Zarbon especially, he wouldn’t let anything happen to that boy.

•Nor would Ginyu, I think he would be the honorary sixth member.

•Although I think Zarbon, Frieza, and Bonyu would discourage the posing aspect.

•Kuriza will be the only ‘sane’ member of the family.

•Loves his daddy, uncle and gramps - and his other uncles and aunties in the form of the elite force members.

•Well mannered and behaved.

•I will assume much like the Namekians, Frieza’s race/Icejins/Frost Demons reproduce asexually. Sure Cold and his two sons are highly attractive but I doubt they have the time.

•Now for Cold! Wine mom as I said. Loves wine, loves retirement.

•Calls Cooler by his name, Frieza gets all the nicknames from ‘Princess’, ‘Freezy Pop’, ‘Prince’, ‘Free’, ‘Freezy Baby’, etc. super embarrassing dad vibes.

•At all royal/political/whatever events the PTO are involved in just know this man is coming with all the most embarrassing pictures of his two boys. Frieza especially.

•A very proud daddy, doubt he ever let Frieza out of his sight when the tyrant was young.

•Also, raising Kuriza most of the time. I don’t think he wants to see his grandson getting hurt.

•Rarely sober, always at least a little tipsy.

•Very refined, expensive taste, probably had Zarbie as his favourite minion as well.

•His private residence is family photos, definitely had to bribe Frieza into behaving.

•Also…loaded but in an old money sense.

•Could be stronger than his two boys, but who’s got time for that? Or need? Nah…wine, luxuries; and his boys. That’s what matters most.

•Wine snob - whole family are. Well apart from Frieza and Kuriza - expensive grape juice!

•Sees Cooler as an adult, sees Frieza as his precious little baby.

It’s like nearly 3am here; these are all over the place and I should probably sleep, but that’s my contribution for this early morning~

[fairycosmos]

i’m starting a new job soon too!! anything you’ve found that’s been helpful? hope you feel all settled in soon xx

congratulations v v happy for you!! ❤️ so exciting and amazing job at landing a new role. i think one thing ive learned to force myself to do is ask literally every and any question that comes to mind and try to supersede the fear of feeling dumb or looking stupid or whatever. obviously the anxiety might still be there but try to acknowledge it for what it is and go ahead and ask all the questions you have anyway. everyone knows ur new and they dont expect you to know much. ask for written or simpler instructions if you neeed to, ask for clarification etc. no point in sitting in turmoil on your own tbh. also try not to get involved w any team drama just like smile and nod and go back to ur business because it is notttt worth it lol no job pays enough for you to expend your energy like that imo. hmmmm what else. understand that you can be competent at your role and still make mistakes at the same time. it's not an either/or thing and it is OK to give yourself room to fuck up. also try to get everything important in writing so you can keep a record of what has been said and done and set strong boundaries from the jump about what you tolerate and what you dont. kindly but firmly. and allow yourself to freak out when you need to without catastrosphising about losing ur job or making some huge irreparable mistake - i allot myself time to this for basically every task i get that im new at or nervous about. it's ok to feel that way and it doesn't mean you are fucked forever. i lose my mind at my computer for 2 hrs take a bathroom break to breathe or a lunch break to eat and then come back and ask for help or break the task down into tiny chunks. ive also learned that coworkers aren't necessarily friends so it's best to just be respectful and friendly with them without getting overly involved. obviously there's exceptions to that but yeah. i pretty much just accept that the first few months are going to feel embarrassing and weird and disjointed and i try to take each day or even each morning/afternoon as it comes. always having a list of stuff that youve been working on and and making it sound fancy even if its a v simple task comes in handy too when talking to ur boss or whatever. it's all a lot easier said than done but at least trying to implement the above strategies kinda helps a bit. wishing you the absolute best of luck - i know you are going to kill it!! Xxx ❤️💌

[towards-toramunda]

New chapter because, against my better judgement, I continue to have Thoughts and Feelings:

There were a few truths Ashton had come to terms with over the past several years of living.

1) Nobody owes you shit

2) Vulnerability makes you a target

3) They are expendable

Ashton learned all of this the hard way. Life (and, frankly, people) had tossed and ground Ashton down into what he was today, a thing not to be fucked with. Raw and scraped and hard like an attack dog on a barely strung together leash, they wanted to present to the world that they couldn’t be pushed around any more, and, more importantly, he’d push right fucking back.

But recently, inexplicably, they’ve found himself with a group of people who asked for vulnerability, showed care, and stayed with them through their fuck ups. Suddenly the shield they’ve constructed around their softness was being chipped away and cracked; then, all at once, shattered, to reveal a scared child. A child who craved the comfort and safety of family, of love, but who deep down knew that they were a wretched thing meant to be tossed aside.

Knowing you are wretched and unworthy of love does not discount one from craving it regardless, and, despite their better judgement, Ashton craved. Ashton yearned. And wasn’t that just the fucking worst? To want something that you knew was forever out of your reach?

Fearne Calloway was ethereal and chaotic and perfect. She poked and prodded his mind and his pockets in a fantastic dance of push and pull. She operated on the same wavelength as Ashton, one of fun and mischief that skirted the edge of danger. Or at least he thought, until they finally collided and danger came hurtling towards them both and everything came crashing down. Now their small flirtations felt like things of the past. Now Fearne knew how dangerous it was to come close to loving a bomb. Now they shared the shards of titan lovers, and didn’t Ashton want to fight destiny? Didn’t Ashton want to rebel against what was expected of them? Fuck.

Then there was Orym. Orym who was always gentle and consistent. Who made dumb jokes and showed Ashton that their pain mattered to someone else and worked in perfect tandem with them on the battle field. Orym who told them that he cared for them when nobody else would. That what they were feeling was okay. Who promised to pick Ashton up and asked the same in turn. Who always touched them with sweet reverence and intent. Orym. Who was in love with a dead man, and, Ashton guessed, a faraway companion. Orym who deeply understood what it meant to be in love. The kind of love that Ashton didn’t believe could be offered to them.

Suddenly Ashton was vulnerable and bared for the Bell’s Hells to see. They were a small desperate thing hoping for love and affection and family, and while they were beginning to believe they’d found the family that finally wouldn’t leave them bleeding and alone, they still craved something closer. Something sweeter. Something more intimate and vastly beyond their reach.

The fact that they were unlovable was oh so slowly melting into fiction, and yet…

They’d pushed Fearne away through carelessness. Now the most they could ever hope from her is a casual threesome with Chetney, but love? Out of the question. And Orym could never offer more than the present platonic closeness, he has loved deeply and lost far greater than Ashton, and, honestly, what right did Ashton have to wish for more?

Link to ao3:

[kdrama-movies-more]

This is one of those rare finals that are actually going good. The final episode awaits but this one delivered and landed the themes from relations to gangster life safely. And somehow gave that feeling of humanity to even the worst of the worst...

What I'm happiest about however is that Jae-soo is unharmed(sorry Ji-hwan, you're the ML you'll be fine and if you're not they know we'll kill them. Also...its on UTG for always taking on the suffering roles...most of his characters still break my heart even thinking of) because the lovable middle-aged man is sooo expendable for stakes of late and they just don't seem to want to end these type of Kdramas without at least someone dying.

....

Go Yang-hee has one of the best characters and downfalls, and so many of the themes some not even related to him are foiled so neatly by his character..that, surprisingly...has some depth. For once it isn't just a psychopath. For first impressions, he turned into a damned fine antagonist befitting his enormous rap sheet. A very noir-esque, doomed by hubris scarface...a kite with its string cut and nothing to lose... He even dressed to kill and dropped his usual cat act. Even though he started out so silly and incompetent to ever be taken seriously enough, the development and... And like the uncultured thug he is- the kkangpae sans honor and humanity- he alone broke Ji-hwan and can still get a rise out of him. And in the end hes just sooo done with the boss...

Everyones probably going to get epiphanies if this ends in a hopeful way for them(I'll take Yang-hee being an exception since he did kick two dogs in one episode).

....

And maybe the weirdest take away ever but...theres three people writhing in unrequited love with a dose of envy and lashing out while those in love keep loving the one they do(even when its twisted) and they need to let go... Yena, a strong one who talked honestly, acts honestly albeit bitchily tsun and is on her way to moving on. The Prosecutor who flip-flops even though he is well-intentioned and grown to care for all. And when the twain spoke in interrogation it struck me- Yang-hee too. His is the most twisted and the most extreme case('hell hath no fury like a kitty scorned') (and the adult man dad treats like a child...learn a lesson? really? at 45 when hes been been going off the rails for 25 years and screwing up? a part of me gets the strategy of why he elevated Yang-hee to the top but thats...sooo dumb to not see Yang-hee for how Ogata he is and brush him off or not take action when he should have...) Its sibling rivalry plain and simple(even if imaginary) and that one line reminded me of Ogata that whole why didn't you look at me...

And both in the criminal and personal sense his downfall is the abyss...

[lets-try-some-writing]

I know you don't like vague prompts but if you have literally any headcanons for TFP Soundwave I would love to see them

Don't you worry dear anon! I always have some Soundwave thoughts kicking around in my brain, especially since earthspark's release. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Soundwave is a Dad

He is not like Optimus in that he spontaneously adopts everything small, unattended, and with a pulse. But he does care very deeply about his cassettes. No one, not even Megatron is allowed to harm his charges. He will gladly put an end to anyone foolish enough to try.

His cassettes have been with him since the days long before the war, they are family and the closest he has to children. He will go to any lengths to ensure their health and happiness.

Ravage

Ravage was the first cassette that Soundwave acquired.

The minicon was given to him shortly after his emergence from the well, and while it took a great deal of time for them to warm up to each other, they bonded over their shared circumstances.

They suffered greatly having to spy on the Quintessions while also appeasing the Cybertronian senate.

But they supported each other throughout it all, even when it was difficult.

Because of this and due to having spent so many millennia together, they do not need to speak to communicate.

Instead they often comfort and communicate through touches and actions.

Soundwave will hold Ravage as he goes about his business on the nemesis and Ravage will in turn keep Soundwave from falling too far into his dark thoughts with chuffs or a swat of his tail.

Sometimes they will simply sit together in silence watching the surveillance cameras littered around the nemesis.

Other times they will share energon and discuss old times.

It doesn't really matter what they do so long as they are together.

Their bond is unique, being less of a father-son bond and more of a brotherly one due to the trials they faced together.

Nonetheless, they are family, and Soundwave does what he can to keep his first cassette away from the less savory parts of life on the nemesis (Namely Megatron).

Lazerbeak

Lazerbeak was Soundwave's second cassette, and she is by far one of the most spoiled.

Soundwave saved her from being integrated into the army as an expendable by demanding the senate give her to him in order to improve his efficiency.

Safe to say she was not pleased with being passed around like a tool or interesting toy.

For a long time she fought Soundwave at every turn, purposefully defying orders, making mistakes, and generally being a nuisance.

But Soundwave was patient, and with the help of Ravage he eventually won her trust.

Since then she has been incredibly loyal and affectionate, often bring Soundwave little things and rubbing up against him for loves when there are no prying eyes.

Soundwave in turn spoils her rotten.

If Lazerbeak wants something, there is a 50/50 chance that is will find its way to her perch at some point.

Soundwave always has a stash of her favorite energon goodies hidden in his quarters and on his person at any given moment. And he will readily hand them out if she completes even the most minor of tasks.

Lazerbeak adores the attention and practically preens whenever Soundwave tells her she has done a good job.

They really are a father daughter duo.

Frenzy

Picked up from an illegal gladiatorial ring, Frenzy had more than a few bad habits.

He was overly aggressive, homicidal, and highly resistant to all of Soundwave's attempts to gain his trust.

But being the third cassette to be collected he was not alone, the other cassettes played a big role in helping Frenzy see the Soundwave was a good mech.

Eventually he eased up and began to rely heavily on Soundwave for his mental health.

Even millennia after collecting Frenzy, Soundwave still treats him the same as he always has.

When Frenzy gets too hyped and aggressive Soundwave will pull him aside and have him expend all of his anger through sparring.

Afterwards he will hold him and play a few soft songs while Frenzy finishes calming down.

Other times when Frenzy is having a mental breakdown or a bad day in general, Soundwave will let all his other cassettes out and they will spend time together until Frenzy is himself again.

Their activities are always quiet, but it is something Frenzy greatly appreciates.

Frenzy knows that he has problems and can be a lot to deal with at times, this can make him afraid that Soundwave will get rid of him after an outburst.

However these fears are always pushed aside by the comforting touches and soothing field of Soundwave who always knows when his adopted son is in need of love.

Rumble

Rumble was a bit of a package deal in that he was acquired shortly after Frenzy from the same illegal gladiatorial ring.

He and Frenzy bonded over the years and became practically joined at the hip. This in turn meant that he warmed up to Soundwave around the same time as his partner.

Where Frenzy was wild, Rumble was sly, where Frenzy was aggressive, Rumble was coy.

Rumble learned to hide his feelings behind a mask of pride and immovable ego.

And so Soundwave learned to approach Rumble in a way that did not scare him while still managing to slip past his mask.

Soundwave will play along with Rumble's tough guy persona but will offer him all the kindness and love in the world in a manner that does not go against Rumble's act.

PDA is a big nope when it comes to Rumble, so instead Soundwave will do things quietly.

Some energon goodies being left in Rumble's frequented spots, a light pat or compliment when no one else is around, and perhaps a cuddle or two during recharge if Rumble is having bad night are all common ways for them to interact.

Rumble's favored reading material is always left somewhere in Soundwave's personal spaces so that he can have and excuse to be near him without breaking character.

And on the odd occasion where Rumble does let his mask slip due to trauma or fear, Soundwave is always there to hold him close and whisper sweet nothings until he calms down again.

All of his children have issues, but Soundwave loves them anyway, and they love him in return.

[yanderes-galore]

Could you do platonic yandere viggo grimborn from httyd with a dragon rider darling?

Ah yes, time to write another scary man. This is aiming to be for Season 2-3 Viggo as that's where I am. I hope I keep things in character ^^ HTTYD has been really fun to write recently.

Yandere! Platonic! Viggo Grimborn with Dragon Rider! Darling

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Mature language by me, Kidnapping, Threats, Obsession, Bribery, Violence, Murder, Forced companionship.

Personally I think Viggo has a hard time being a platonic yandere.

He's an ass to his brother and tends to see his men as expendable.

Platonic behavior towards a darling would take time to develop.

It would also show blatant favoritism, which irritates his brother.

Viggo is intelligent, cunning, devious, manipulative, and ruthless.

He's a business man at heart.

He could see a platonic darling as a close friend or a sibling.

It takes time before he shows any sort of obsession.

It takes even longer if you're a dragon rider.

Viggo is a dragon hunter.

He catches dragons and either sells or kills them.

You two immediately become enemies.

Well... he's an enemy to you, he may see things differently.

You could have the potential to be a great ally in his eyes.

The issue is... he knows you won't comply willingly.

Viggo is aware of how loyal you are to fellow riders and your own dragon.

You have such a nice quality dragon too... you really know how to pick them.

Your first encounter with Viggo is most likely due to being captured.

Your "relationship" towards each other is very rocky.

More rocky than a Gronckle's diet....

Viggo assumed right about you.

He did find it amusing that you didn't care about being captured...

You kept asking about your dragon.

You wanted to know if they were okay.

Viggo spares your dragon... it's a good bargaining chip.

With your dragon captured you'll listen to him.

"No need to freak out, my dear. Your dragon is fine... as long as you cooperate."

As a dragon rider this feels like the only way you could get close to Viggo.

That is unless you worked for him as a dragon rider... though he doesn't have many of those recruited.

They tend to betray him.

Viggo is a man to sacrifice things to get what he wants.

If he happens to want your companionship, for whatever twisted reason, he won't mind using your dragon against you.

He likes keeping you compliant with him.

You're more useful this way.

You'd have to be with the dragon hunters one way or another to get him obsessed.

He wasn't expecting it but your company is quite pleasing.

One way or another a platonic yandere Viggo is manipulative.

He has no problems making threats or small deals with you.

Business is business, if you're a business man you've got to have charisma.

He prefers intimidation at times himself.

Viggo is not a good man.

He'd be even worse if you often tried to escape him.

If you ever did try anything funny, Viggo seems to always know a counter.

He's tactical... he's smart...

He always manages to outsmart you.

He will applaud your ambition... but he wishes you used it towards his cause.

Viggo could kill your dragon and at any time if you fight him.

He's making a deal with you.

He wants to keep you around, maybe you could even work with him, in return he'll allow you and your dragon to reunite.

If you fight... well...

He wants to deliver you its hide himself.

He doesn't care about your tears or tries to comfort you if he ever did make you upset.

He finds it amusing to see you so vulnerable.

He's very forceful.

With threats and emotional manipulation... Viggo plans to make you fit into the role he picked for you.

You're either his friend... or a sibling.

Ryker can't object to his brother's lunacy.

Viggo doesn't mind shutting up him if he has a problem with it.

"Ryker, they're family now. They won't cause us any trouble. I don't care if you accept them or not... they'll be beside me. Who knows... they may prove to be on my level more than you."

Viggo often talks to you in private.

It's strangely open, like he's trying to connect with you.

It's hard to tell if he's trying to get information out of you or wants to know about you more.

It could very well be both.

Viggo can be a man that's hard to read.

Viggo is someone who knows his dragons.

He knows your dragon's weaknesses and strengths.

There's times he offers to help you care for the dragon if you still have them.

After all... he's an expert.

Viggo's attempts to connect with you come off as eerie.

He's terrifying and able to outsmart you easily.

Yet he comes up to you like you're friends or something else?

You've seen how he treats his brother...

Why is he so harsh to him but not you?

Turns out it's because you have intelligence.

He likes how well-versed you are with dragons, clearly learning from Hiccup.

He even admits during a chat with you that he prefers you to his brother.

You ask why... and he compliments you.

"With some time... you and me could be so similar. My dear... you are useful. My brother's barbaric. Yet with you, conversations aren't irritating."

You fear passing glances from Ryker.

Viggo isn't dumb and notices your fear of his brother... he can fix that.

What about he just... replaces him?

It's easy to make his death look like an accident.

Or does he even need to?

He's not sad in the slightest when he does manage to get rid of Ryker.

Viggo didn't like his barbaric tendencies anyways.

Now... he'll need a replacement, won't he?

That's when he brings it up with you.

You know he killed his own brother... you know he's capable of killing those around you, too.

With Viggo... when he brings up this little promotion for you with a relaxed hand on your shoulder...

You aren't in the position to refuse this opportunity.

"Trust me, dear. You'll fit the role MUCH better."

[summerstrash]

having complex feelings about the x-factor 2024 announcement.

pros:

Pyro and Frenzy are there. Be Gay Do Crimes Twink + The Giant Woman I Always Want To See = Good Shit.

The guy who's writing this book is well-known for his one-shot rewriting the Hanna-Barbera character Snagglepuss as a mid-century homosexual playwright. Considering that Pyro is here, this is promising.

Alex is no longer wearing the classic costume, which reduces the chances of him being forced into the Goblin Gown significantly, forcing his arc to rely less on his sexual objectification.

The solicit seems to imply that social media will act as either a framing device or a plot point, which I like the sound of.

Alex and Frenzy serving on a team together rockets her to the #1 spot on the list of Potential Alex Summers Sex Mistakes, since she's a slightly bitter Scott ex with BDSM inclinations.

My longtime Twitter mutual Gail Simone called it a gem of the line, and I'm inclined to trust her judgment on many things.

The writer specifically namedrops Alex and Frenzy as characters he's excited to write, which implies they'll see at least some focus.

The artist is Bob Quinn, a guy I quite like and who sent me free art once for my birthday when Knights of X was delayed.

As someone who hasn't read much X-Factor from the 90s due to my ongoing feud with a particular writer from that era (iykyk), I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what X-Factor as a government team is like, as opposed to X-Factor as an investigating body.

cons:

Alex in a leadership role is never a good sign. Bad things happen to Alex when he leads.

Not a huge fan of the fact that the current known roster includes three white guys and two WOC, with one of the WOC also being a visible mutant who has fur instead of human skin, and the other being a medium-to-dark-skinned black woman famous for being buff and angry, and the three white guys are all blondes, ranging from "dumpster twink" to "hunk"

Alex working for the U.S. government feels like a microagression against me personally, as I've been very vocal about thinking that Alex needs to finally come to terms with the fact that clinging to mainstream institutions and dominant social groups will only ever hurt him, and I was hoping the Hellions or Limbo could be that for him in the Krakoan Era

The marketing seems to imply a different tone and genre from the domestic/workplace horror-comedies Alex has been part of for the last five years, and I don't know how I feel about that yet.

Greg Land is doing the covers, and I hate that for me.

"Who will die?" Of the characters we have announced so far, Alex is the most expendable. He's one of three blond white guys, and while Warren seems to be taking center stage as the Face Of The Team, and St.John's movie counterpart is returning to theaters this summer in Deadpool & Wolverine, so I doubt they'd kill him off in comics at the moment, Alex feels kind of superfluous as a co-leader, and he also is just...less loved, I think.

"Who will fall in love?" Again, worried for Alex because one of his, like, three recurring stories is "gets picked up by the scruff of his neck by a girl way out of his league so she can use him to self-actualize while playing at transgressive forms of heterosexuality." We don't really have similar core recurring storylines for other announced characters.

"Who will be the first to sell out?" Honestly I feel like St.John might be the answer to this question. He's a novelist. Novelists have egos. He's worked for the U.S. government before, under Mystique. And I guess this kind of makes me sad.

The fact that the whole cast hasn't been announced yet fills me with fear that Lorna will be in this, mostly because a fair chunk of FTA seems to be focused on catering to nostalgia on some level, and Alex/Lorna is very 90s. And frankly Dr. Dane should be doing better for herself than the man that left her at the altar for a gay man's girlfriend.

So yeah, I have complex emotions about all of this and will be watching with a fair amount of suspicion as we draw closer to the release date.

[bird-inacage]

Love in the Air: Is Prapai an Asshole?

So I have seen some less than complimentary comments on Prapai’s character, namely because of poor Sky (which is understandable and completely valid). I thought I would offer my two cents.

Now, the series has been very clear in defining Prapai as a rich playboy and brat essentially; spoilt, somewhat careless, cocky, smug, has had everything in life handed to him pretty easily. All the common symptoms that come with being wealthy and privileged. A walking red flag you may even say. His little brother is actually a great example of how that upbringing reflects in others within their circle.

And I’ll admit, there were definitely moments in episode 8 where I was like ‘ohh you are being so slimy right now, with your smug, smarmy and quite punchable face’.

But I think that’s the point. Prapai is meant to be the antithesis to Sky. He’s everything Sky is not. But I also don’t believe he’s a genuinely awful person. If we consider Stop as a comparison, Prapai doesn’t go about his life intending to hurt or aggrieve people. I think the key differentiation is intention. He’s just incredibly self-centred.

Prapai’s life revolves around what he wants and does, which means he doesn’t possess any perception outside of that. So if he does rub people up the wrong way, or inconveniences someone, causes damage - he’s likely doing this without having even noticed he has. It’s not even on his radar, which is textbook ignorance and a maddening lack of self-awareness. What would change this is if his actions had consequences. If someone was able to call out his bullshit, and he was actually able to see why and how his actions can be problematic. Even Payu doesn’t stop him from pursuing Sky, knowing full well what his friend can be like. Clearly no one in Prapai’s life has acted as his moral compass, and this is again where Sky is going to play a massive role.

My take is that Prapai is not truly an asshole, he just exhibits a lot of asshole behaviour. Some of which is just straight-up bravado and big talk (and should not be taken with an inch of seriousness). His ‘asshole’ tendencies is what I believe the series will attempt to unravel.

Prapai’s first encounter with Sky

Prapai has grown up in a world where most people are just like him, and that has inevitably enabled a lot of those bad traits.

I don’t think he should be excused for how his behaviour with Sky at the beginning probably caused a lot of internalised damage. We do have to remember that he doesn’t know Sky at all. Doesn’t know Sky’s history, his personality, not even his name. And during that initial encounter, he doesn’t really care. Why would he? He probably thought he’d never see Sky again.

When you’re young, handsome, privileged, wealthy and powerful, life is mostly fun and games. Prapai’s probably never had to take anything that seriously. So his perspective in most situations is probably ‘This is just some fun, you’re on board with that right? Everyone else is’. He doesn’t fathom what the other side looks like. Note that throughout this episode, Prapai is amused by his pursuit of Sky. He sees it like a game that Sky is playing hard to get.

Sex is also a casual transaction in Prapai’s world. We see that he goes on booty calls. It doesn’t have the gravitas to him as it may do for other people. Payu even comments that at the races, people bet anything - as if these things are easily expendable in their world. They are a very out of touch group of people.

And Prapai probably assumes - why wouldn’t Sky enjoy a night with him? He’s a catch, and everyone in his life has either inflated his ego or given him positive reinforcement. So again, it doesn’t even occur to him that Sky is deeply troubled by this. Even if he did have the foresight, Sky quickly jumps in and gives him what he wants.

And he’s always gotten what he wants.

Prapai’s Lack of Maturity

I think people who come from privilege can have quite an immature and sheltered outlook on life, because they haven’t had to do much for themselves, ever. When Prapai starts to clock that he’s thinking about Sky a lot, he doesn’t get why. His thought process is very much like a 15 year old boy. He’s genuinely baffled.

He convinces himself that this is just a simple blip, nothing more. But when he continues having dalliances with other men, it doesn’t seem to do it for him anymore. Instead of doing some self-reflection, he thinks that by pursuing Sky, it’ll ‘cure’ him of whatever temporary spell he seems to be under.

A Few Redeeming Moments

In the scene where he’s invited another guy to spend the night with him, he very politely turns his guest down when he’s clearly not into it. He apologises and says he needs to figure things out, and that he’ll make it up to him. I’m assuming this is also a random fling but Prapai was quite sweet with him. A true asshole would probably be like ‘Yeah, I’ll let you see yourself out’.

I also really liked the interaction between Prapai and his brother. He really did come across as more mature in that scene, where he was the older sibling ushering his little bro to get to their family dinner on time.

Prapai’s Character Development

Now I do trust that over the weeks, Prapai will come to be humbled and will make attempts to redeem himself in Sky’s eyes and ours as the audience. I think Prapai will go through a lot of growth in this story. Sky is his turning point. His relationship and gradual love for Sky will make him a better person.

We already start to see at the end of the episode that Prapai takes 2 hours out of his day especially to go and buy Sky flowers and deliver them personally. His PA is visibly surprised. He’s evidently never made this effort for anyone before.

We’ll eventually see the sweeter, affectionate, caring and sincere sides of him. Sky does fall in love with him after all, so there must be good reason.

For all his faults and flaws, I can’t bring myself to dislike him. I actually find him very endearing in a sort of boy-who-needs-to-grow-up kind of way. And perhaps that’s a testament to Fort’s performance. I think his outlook on life right now is just very simplistic but Sky’s about to change all that.

[booasaur]

What do you think the chances are of Aaliyah surviving this season? I’m going to be absolutely gutted if she dies, this ship has so much potential

And another anon:

I wish Lioness wasn't just 8 eps, I want to see Cruz and Aaliyah's relationship grow more naturally. Their chemistry is insane, imagine what we could do with like a 13 ep season or heck 20+ eps like back in the day but I guess that's too much to ask in these times. We can get to know Aaliyah more as a person, and see Cruz get to know her more too and have the attraction and respect grow deeper and in turn watch how that conflict of interest affects more subtle choices in her mission. And Aaliyah, I wanna know her, what life is like without Cruz to shield her from her loneliness and how the violent misogyny in her culture affects her daily life and the way her fiancé and father behave. Less of that military propaganda bs and more getting to know the other characters. Anyway, I can't wait for the finale, but I don't have a good feeling about those two.... Wish I'm wrong though.

I am also anxiously waiting for the finale tonight but I'm so sure it'll end in her death.

Some of it's my own natural pessimism but it's also how much they've foreshadowed it and there not being any other character to kill in a big set piece finale that would show the high stakes but ultimately be expendable to the plot. Because really, what else will Aaliyah's role be after this? Well, lol, I mean, I can see a lot, especially if this season ends with her dad not killed but it doesn't feel like those are the directions in which this show cares about or wants to go.

And that's the thing, right, that as much as we can see that this ship has so much potential, that there's so much more we could have seen, I just don't think that's what the focus has ever been. Like we had the time even in these 8 eps, but we got SO much of Joe's daughter and the mission on the border. It's not about getting to know Aaliyah as a person, it's always been what she serves to show the issues with her culture.

Maybe I'm wrong and I'll absolutely acknowledge it if I am and she survives, but for right now, the person who wrote that torture story in ep 2, who's thrown in little mentions of how fun it is to kill Iraqis, I'm not expecting anything different from him. And it'll retroactively destroy a lot of what I've been loving about Cruz and Aaliyah because it was all in service of this death. They'll have written this charming, complex Arab lesbian who has been so scared to die essentially for BEING one as this sacrificial lamb. If she does die, what does that say?? "See what she could have had with American freedom, but sadly, she's an Arab." Is her story continuing not worth the lesson it'll teach of how destructive that culture is?

Other people don't have to see it that way, I know I'm particularly sensitive to deaths (and obviously the treatment of Muslim lesbians) in a way not everyone is, so I'm not dictating how others should feel, I will just feel this way.

[a34trgv2]

The Problem With Animated Shows Today

I shouldn't have to make a post like this because I know there's so much more animated content now than there was when I was a kid. Yet for the better part of a year, I've sat through one abysmal failure of a cartoon after the other, and I just can't stand it anymore. I'm aware the title might come off as pretentious, but rest assured I'm not a pretentious person nor to I view this post as objective fact. I'm just here expressing the common problems I have with cartoons recently and what I feel are the best steps to avoid them.

A common problem I have with cartoons recently is the awful writing on display. Shows like Samurai Rabbit, Hamster & Gretel, Ollie's Pack, and Mech Cadets all have writing that at best very underwhelming and at worst inexcusably amateurish. Scenes would go on for minutes at a time delivering boring exposition, unfunny gags, and very unnatural dialogue. It very much feels like the creators don't understand the value of basic writing principles such as "show, don't tell" "less is more" or "do much, speak little." Rather, they often go through the motions of a typical show so they can meet the given runtine and stay underbudget. For example, an episode of Centaurworld is around 26 minutes, which should be more than enough time to develop the characters, explore the world, have a good amount of funny moments and intense action scenes. What they choose to spend that runtime on instead is one note characters standing around arguing with one another, exposition dump upon exposition dump, unfunny gags, and underwhelming at best action scenes. This in turn makes the premise of the show feel wasted, like the creators only gave a successful pitch just to make something digestible to put bread on the table.

It really does feel like characters in cartoons these days are one of 2 archetypes: the annoying chatterbox and the moronic dirtbag. Let's compare 2 characters that have the same idea but vastly different executions: Eddy from Ed, Edd, n Eddy, and Ollie from Ollie's Pack. Both are outcasts who aren't good role models, but we're supposed to find them entertaining and funny. Despite those similarities, Eddy is clearly the superior character in this scenario because he often gets his comeuppance for almost immediately, and he actually does care for his friends. Ollie, in contrast, is just a selfish brat who sees his friends as expendable and doesn't get his comeuppance as quickly. Not only are the main characters detestable and annoying, but the supporting cast isn't much better as often they're either underdeveloped and unfunny or they're just parrots that always share the same thoughts as the main character. And don't even get me started on how incompetent, pathetic, and annoying the show's villains can get. Seriously, I defy anyone to make a good case for characters like Lloyd Garmadon, Jamack, the Yokai from Samurai Rabbit, or any of the villains from Hamster & Gretel.

An important aspect of animation that not many people bring up in conversation is voice acting. Voice actors are essential in giving life to characters in animation as they're able to make them sound believable and authentic. Or at least, that's what good voice acting should be. So many of the animated shows I've watched have such underwhelming or otherwise terrible voice acting that make the characters sound fake and kill my suspension of disbelief. Some of the worst vocal performances I've heard in recent memory come from Chris Houghton as Cricket Green, Meli Povenmire as Gretel Gomez, Allyn Rachel as Bee, and Danny Pudi as Tiny. They all have very terrible range, no sense of urgency in their tones, and don't sound the least bit believable as their characters. It's also frustrating to hear veteran actors give lackluster performances such as Aulil'i Carvalho as Hailey Banks, Chris Diantamopoulos as Thunder, and Karen Fukahara as Kipo. It's not entirely the fault of the actors for giving lackluster performances, as often they're at the mercy of bad voice direction who doesn't do a good job bringing out the best in their actors.

It's a given that animation on television has more limitations than big budget animated films. The best animated TV shows ever made, though, are able to work around those limitations and provide some excellent visuals that make the world feel alive. Recently though, I've notice a common problem when it comes to the animation in shows like Mech Cadets, Super Giant Robot Brothers, Daniel Spellbound, Hailey's On It, Bee and PuppyCat and My Dad The Bounty Hunter. All of them look good from a design standpoint, but in actual animation, they look choppy and stiff. This is because these shows have bad animation direction. Most people don't think about animation direction when watching a cartoon, but we can definitely tell when animation looks good versus when it looks bad. Bad animation is not just what's being shown on screen but also how it's being presented. In Mech Cadets, a character is giving a backstory to another character in a dark control room, and the camera moves around the room, showing the walls while the character talks. This is beyond inexcusable as it showcases the lack of appreciation for visual storytelling and is a complete waste of resources. Other aspects of bad animation include choppy character movements, a lack of mass on the character models, disorienting cinematography, and poor use of lighting and shading.

What can be done to avoid these shortcomings? Well, it starts by having good scripts that value showing over telling. I can't recommend Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling enough for aspiring writers who want to make the best scrips they can. I also think having your characters be likable and well-rounded will help a ton, especially if they're in a show about good triumphing evil. Having good actors is one thing, but it's equally important to have a very good voice director with years of experience bringing out the best in voice actors. Finally, collaborating with a skilled animation director or a very well established animation studio would do wonders. And don't be afraid to speak up and communicate with the producers on how to make the show bettee while staying within the budget. Animation is a collaborative medium and animated series today should do a better job reflecting that.