#but its important to me that people understand that most things arent meant there for your benefit

[player-tag]

i hate the fact that, for some people, you have to make something beneficial for them to get them to actually believe it. "consent is sexy" & "be kind to people because you'll get good luck" & "[conventionally unattractive thing] is actually super hot" etc etc. like, no, most of that isn't true most of the time. consent can be a bit awkward if you're shy and its your first time. complimenting people most of the time wont get you something grand in life. stretch marks and burns and scars aren't always pretty or pleasing to look at. but thats okay, and it should still be done. you do these things not for your benefit, but for other people. because the only reason we as a species have survived is because we are a community, we work together, we live for each other. and thats the benefit for us all.

[voidinmexx]

SIX OF CROWS COLLEGE/MODERN AU???

(even tho technically they'd all be in highschool following cannon age)

shut up.

oh lord

i love imagining my traumatized little characters in happy worlds,

background knowledge:

grisha arent a thing in this au and there is no current wars

Dorm Arrangements:

Inej and Nina requested rooms together the same day they could, Kaz managed to get a room alone and so did Wylan. Matthias doesn't go to college nor does Jesper.

disclaimer:

i will write more lore about this collige au esp jesper and wylan because we need more gay men in healthy loving relationships

(its me im the gay men)😭

"Hey, Kaz!"

The boy, who was previously watching a particularly ugly bird, looked up to see Inej and Nina. Both of the girls wore matching sundresses.

The five were going swimming today. Although Ketterdam was known for it's dreary and bleak weather, it was summer which meant they got three whole days out of the month of August to enjoy a sunny day.

"Where's Jesper and Matthias?" Inej asked Kaz, as if he could telepathically communicate with the two idiots.

"I think Matthias is meeting us at the watering hole," Nina chimed in. She was typing away furiously on her phone and every so often a curl would fall in front of her eyes and she would angrily push it away, only for gravity to drag the curl right back where it fell before.

Suddenly, a loud chime startled the group, well, not really. Kaz did not only jump but also let out a little yelp as his phone went off. Inej and Nina laughed until they were both a wheezing mess.

"Oh. My. God." Kaz could barely make out the girl's out of breath words. Before she could elaborate, Nina began to have another laughing

fit.

"It startled me, that was all." Kaz grumbled, crossing his arms and pulling out his phone angrily. He had been gifted the device from Inej, it was a Christmas gift. Kaz, ever the old man in a young adult's body, had no clue on how to work the damn thing. Currently, it was the ringer that was giving him hell but last week iMessage was kicking his ass.

"Jesper texted me," he said, "He's asking if we mind if he brings an extra person."

"Jesper?" Nina asked, "With a date?"

Inej, the ever loving and gracious friend, smacked Nina's arm. The latter gasped dramatically and pretended to cradled her arm.

"Don't be rude. It's probably just some poor person Jesper wanted to drag along on an adventure," she shuddered and Kaz shook his head, "He does that too much."

"I agree, we should say no."

"What?" Inej interjected, even Nina raised an eyebrow at Kaz's suggestion, "Let them come it'll be fun. Maybe we can make a new friend!"

Kaz, however, did not see Inej's point.

Nevertheless, he texted Jesper and told him the stranger could come. The things he did for that girl.

Originally, Kaz met Nina junior year of highschool.

She had just moved from Ravka and they were paired together for a science project. The project was complex, it was meant to show an overall understanding of what they learned that year. The two extensively worked on it for two months and proudly presented it. Although they never became "friends" in highschool, both kept contact and Kaz even showed up at Nina's 18th birthday.

"Sorry I missed your sweet sixteen," he said as he handed Nina his gift, "I didn't realize those were an important thing to you." Kaz shrugged, Nina noticed, as he said the last part. I didn't realize those were an important thing to you. He cared, Nina realized that day, he acted like he didn't but he definitely did. Before she was sent to Ketterdam she was not the most popular kid on the playground. Friends were hard to make when you get singled out by someone many people look up to.

For Nina, Kaz was a breath of fresh air. Not that she would ever let him know that. He might get violent.

Behind them, the three could hear a car pulling up. Jesper's light blue Honda Civic parked poorly in a spot nearby. His face peeked over the roof of his car and he began wavely excitedly when he saw his friends. The passenger side door opened "Uhm, where are my keys?"

Kaz, who had been watching this for a second stepped up. In his fingers, the keys swung lazily.

"I'm driving."

Jesper groaned as Kaz forced him out of the truck. There was no arguing with a brick wall.

After Jesper almost ran into a dear, Kaz would not let Jesper drive in a car that he also was in. The group laughed and gossiped on the way to the watering hole, when they arrived Kaz was voted as designated Spot Finder. He was not swimming so he was tasked with finding a place for all their stuff and making sure it's not stolen.

ok im gonna edit this later and add im so sornee rn and CAN NOT breathe😭

[nonbinarygamzee]

What about Terezi thoughts?

the thing with terezi, for me, is that she is quite possibly the only character to rival the level of unease and distrust i have for interpretations as i do with gamzee, in all the opposite ways. she was really important to me in the early days, because for all of the gripe i have about how it was ultimately handled, her story was always about her own guilt and attempts to reconstruct her own worldview because of that guilt, struggling with her own inability to justify herself because in ways she understands her own behaviors are rooted not in reality but in a position and expectation and place of power which she was born into. its so hard to talk about her, and really i feel like i am even more willing to go into the vriska stuff than i am the terezi stuff because as much as vriska conversations are complicated by the fandoms past (on either side of that debate) there is just an even more intense air of refusal to engage with terezis character assassination than anybody else....... which i guess makes sense, shes one of if not arguably the most frontal character, shes beloved weirdgirl, (mostly) unapologetic in her convictions. all i guess admirable traits if you are not like..... from my specific sphere of homestuck fans who have been worn down for all of those reasons. and yknow, a lot of vriska fans will disregard my opinions as inherently unserious and bad faith upon realization i like the clown, which sucks, but its mostly the terezi circles that have treated me like im personally committing some kind of violence by trying to discuss gamzees agency and the problems i have surrounding. what the comic did to these two together.

i guess that isnt really all that much About terezi but really i do think i have said most of the sweeping things i have to say about her as an actual character before. we are given this character who clearly does not have much awareness for the systems which lead her to her worldview, has little to no interest in being actually Fair (i mean come on even for the mess homestuck is her introductory interests in justice and murderstuck investigations are Meant to be read as her being clueless and on board with alternias laughably unjust judicial system. thats textual!) until she and people she knows are hurt by the actions shes up to then encouraged and taken part in. and that itself isnt an issue it is a pretty fascinating position for a child whos then being placed(/placing herself) into a role of an arbiter amongst an increasingly unstable group of isolated children, all of whom including her are very much products of the social conditions which they have been raised. the problem is that any real attempts to reckon with this stuff got shoved aside in preference of a shoehorned narrative about abuse that, if you were around and in the right places at the time, you KNOW how bad faith that shit was from inception. all of the interest in her guilt and insecurity about her own ability to think beyond that instinct that has been instilled into her that hinged on her own decisions and regrets are instead reconstructed to be all about shitting all over the plot device character who already didnt get to Be somebody, and was the subject of so so so many harassment campaigns that we know damn well hussie and the people working with him at the time were well aware of. to me the only way you can see any of that as a genuine attempt to touch on toxic relationships or domestic abuse are if you had no idea what kind of shit he (and the fans turned friends turned contributors) was doing, actively, at the time and it doesnt help that in releasing psycholonials he kind of just got to rewrite the narrative about how the fandom vitriol was spreading (and his extremely direct hand in that) or what was actually being said a lot of the time at all.

and like, yes i have an inherent distrust of people who arent going to examine all of the biases that go into presenting the character who is an amalgamation of all of hussies terrible biases wrt blackness and mental illness and addiction as the only of the kids who is somehow not just as much a victim of the antagonism of the narrative they exist within (while literally working under the child abuse demon!!!! i will say it again i will say it forever), duh, we know this, but i dont think you have to like or sympathize with gamzee to admit that shit was contrived and BAD. it isnt that strong, smart characters, especially girls, can never get abused or manipulated, or whateverrrr, but the second the story decides to reveal this detail is the start of a refusal to engage terezi as the intelligent and hyper-competent character we were initially presented with. her dialogue for literally the rest of the comic from that point on is a hollow, horrifying ghost of what she was before, any attempts to write her as unaware due to her emotional state more often just come across as a caricature of an emotional woman and the fact that it literally gets so bad that people were analyzing that shit at the time wondering if she wasnt also literally being psychically manipulated or barred from information in the same ways is, to me, proof enough of that. homestucks got this very very potent kind of misogyny going on with certain characters where they are allowed to be smart, often smarter than any of the men in the room, but not smart enough that theyre actually allowed to be right, and if they are right its usually as a result of the universe kind of.... dropping the info into their lap, moreso than deducing shit. and part of that is for sure i think that hussie is just better at telling than showing, but if you have READ any of their past works you also know that the idea of women being just generally stupider and flatter and lesser agents in their own stories is something he has always kind of had an issue with. im tired of stepping around it, im tired of stepping around the cop character having an investment in lynching imagery and then getting to be victimized by the manifesations of hussies discomfort and perception of black men! and being told im crazy by people who didnt have insight into how insidious so much of this all was at the time it was happening!!!! tired of not letting her BE flawed because people would rather avoid all of the discomfortttt. aaaand ok this is where im cutting it

[mihai-florescu]

Regarding the five star four star and 2 three stars for each unit thing they tend to do my biggest wish is for himeru/kohaku and tatsumi/mayoi centre. Idk how to explain it but hiiro and rinne were the focus of the main story and aira and niki felt like they got a bit of character from that too (more than their other 2 members at least) so this just kinda feels. Right? I've seen people theorise that they'll address kaname or that he'll wake up and I don't doubt that logic, I just hope if so kohaku and mayoi can be of some significance. I think kohaku and mayoi are decent to bring attention to because despite himeru trying to be distant at first I think he definitely is most fond of kohaku, and don't ask me about tatsumi and mayoi you're talking to a ttmy shipper I'll be here all day. Basically I just think if himeru and tatsumi were to go through the horrors their unit mates would be there for them but those two in particular somewhat understand them a bit better. Before anyone tells me these 4 were in the romantic date scout I know. I've simply decided to remove it from my memory because I could never hate a story more than that one.

I've just ranted about alkakurei to you now. It's good to be back I guess

Im hoping for niki to have a really big moment in the tour personally, as well as aira, in a different light than what we've seen so far. I just...wish i cared more for them than i really do. And I wish i could make myself care, but alas, i can live with it just fine actually. The card distribution, well, im trying to keep track of when they've had cards last already/who's still due. Tatsumi still needs a ts2 so im counting him out of the possible tour 5stars (could be a 4star), but everyone else i think is eligible from that perspective. Oh......ohhhh.....it just came to mind, but you know how they did the altered and graduation tours? Tatsumi's ts2 could totally be running during the alkakurei tour, and be related to the story in that manner. Im willing to bet on this actually, nevermind, he's definitely getting a tour 5star in the gacha. And kohaku getting his fs2 then as well would be so cruel...higgles. rip alkakureiPs. Himemayo tour 5stars sounds plausible. But so does amagi bros to parallel their main story 5stars, or any other combination... idkidk im going to stop speculating until we have more information. Um. Checkmate anime is coming out first and i will be focusing my attention and obsession there, sorry. My knightspilled checkmateholic eichip swag.

Im not sure if you meant you actually hate romantic date /srs or if it was said in a "omg i hate x thing its gonna be the only thing i think about for days" way. I feel like you meant it /srs but im personally a fan of the story poking fun at fandom behavior, giving into and critiquing at the same time, as well as the insights into himeru's psyche. The game with affinity points from the other characters is just in himeru's head and a manifestation of his subconscious, where he thinks no one's love for him can grow as he doesnt let them actually know Him, the person beyond the himeru persona. Only tatsumi who loves everyone could still love him. And thats also pissing him off.

They both approach and view things, relationships, motivation etc so differently, a lot of himeru's internal monologues are filled with "negative" feelings (jealousy, pride, paranoia etc. Even the earliest we know of him is that he ran away from home because his dad remarried and he couldnt accept it, he's been like this forever. And yet, these feelings arent fitting with the perfect ido persona, so he bottles them up, with the occasional slip ups. Himeru's presence and slow opening up in crazy:b of all units, the group driven by their feelings and desires, is so so important to me.) whereas tatsumi just...has so much love and acceptance (although as much as they're an important part of his character, it's just as important that he also has his own wishes and desires and he does act on them, moreso than himeru at least. Like his hobby of driving recklessly, which he doesnt do because he cant drive well, but because he wants to do it like that and to experience the fun even if it's unconventional or incomprehensible to others). And this gap in their mentalities and approaches to life is scary for himeru. It's a hundred times harder to love and save another than to hate or break someone down (paraphrasing from another enstars quote lmao), i can empathize with himeru having complicated feelings about tatsumi's character that he doesnt understand himself, so he defaults to calling him unpleasant rather than having to unpack it. Let aside that beyond the difference in approaches they also have a complicated past, it's easier to just blame tatsumi who can take it seemingly unscathed. I think romantic date is fun to read both before and after having experienced obbligato...especially moreso after, when youre aware of the foreshadowing and further developments (this has been my experience with most of akira's gacha stories he's written in es2 era)

Im not a tthm shipper in the traditional sense of "i want to see them date" cuz i think what they have going on is much more fascinating and nuanced than that and it'd do the relationship a disservice imo. I was gonna say it's also fun to put these characters who struggle with understanding each other and actual romance and love in general actually in every sense of the word together but thats kind of the entire cast. A lot of my favorite dynamics at least, that have had varying degrees of success and development. However, it is something i enjoy, obviously, so i will always remain fond of romantic date...wah i rambled about this for a very long time, i'll stop now!

[ebisul]

TCW Rewatch: Season 2 Episode 16-18

I feel like its become increasingly obvious that my priority in politics has and will always be the lives of people and i feel like that shows in a lot of what these notes have become because they did start as a way of understanding the political climate.

ALSO no i dont think Anakin should have stayed a slave lets make that real clear right now

Episode 16: Cat and Mouse

* I already know i dont have much to say about this episode, ive watched it 3x trying to find literally anything to comment on

* Separatist forces are blockading christophsis

* Ani is trying to deliver supplies to Bail, not going well

* New secret weapon for the Republic, its a stealth ship

* I said i didn’t have much to comment on however i do find it interesting that when the Separatists have a secret weapon its a weapon of mass destruction, ion canon, but when its the Republic, or rather the Jedi, its a stealth ship to deliver supplies beyond a blockade and hostile airspace

* Anakins immediate assumption is that he is going to be taking out the command ship rather than delivering the supplies they are meant to get to bail. Anakin is always gunning for a fight despite what his mission actually is. Hes impulsive and aggressive.

* I could make an argument that maybe he was never meant to be a Jedi, however I also think nearly all of his characteristics are what they are BECAUSE he’s a Jedi, BECAUSE he was raised in that lifestyle but only after he was raised a slave and lived with that trauma as well and after all of that he was thrown into a War and getting manipulated by the Sith. In an ideal Galaxy maybe he wouldve been a podracer or a pilot.

* Another note is that, we do see Obi Wan try to get anakin to open up and talk about complicated topics, Anakin is the one who rejects it and you can’t be helped if you don’t want to be.

* “Its more important to save lives than destroy ships” i feel like a lot of star wars fans conflate the Jedi with the Republic, because, while the Republic does have a level of control over the Jedi Order, the Jedi for the most part often try to lean toward the option with less offensive force, whereas the Senate or the Other Republic officers tend to push for offensive measures. There are exceptions to this as there always are (krell…) but the point stands and its not to say that they always make these choices but the Jedi arent meant for War

* Separatist Leader back from the dead

* Why does Ani pronounce Organa like that?

* gotta love the shinies

* Is that a warcrime? I assume they bombed civilians as well as the soldiers

* “When you serve under General Skywalker, you’re always on the offensive” i feel like the supplies should take priority here. Bail was just BOMBED. They need the supplies, and whatever Anakins plan is likely could be executed on the way back from the surface. idk thats just me im not a tactician

* I understand his plan dont get me wrong, but i feel like there is a way to do this without diverting from the mission like obviously Trench needs taken care of but shouldn’t the injured be the priority?

* Also with this plan they show trench all of their cards. He knows whats up now

* The plan was to have him NOT think of you, Anakin. You have the supplies for the Mercy mission

* Im not an Anakin anti, however im not a fan of his this episode

* Obviously this episode is intended to showcase his piloting prowess, but idk i dont vibe with the recklessness of the situation at hand

*I know I prefaced this episode saying i didn’t have much to say, however, Im a liar

Episode 17: Bounty Hunters

* Crash landing on Felucia

* More Obi-Ani bickering is always good

* Farmer needs help getting rid of pirates

* Ok they need to report that the Medical station is destroyed (war crime) and that is priority over helping the farmer

* They will help the farmer anyway bc thats how these things go

* Oh its Hondo

* Obi immediately stepping in as Negotiator or trying to at least

* Damn she got a point “a peacekeeper who fails to keep the peace”

* Obi also kinda has a point

* This is honestly a very sweet episode, its all about fighting for others who’ve been wronged even if you don’t know them, its teaching them to defend themselves for their future

Episode 18: The Zillo Beast

* DOOMSDAY DEVICE??? Starting this episode off strong what the fuck???

* Ok its a droid bomb, doesnt affect clones or the dugs

* The Jedi want to find another solution that isnt a bomb which im assuming works like an emp and Palps insists this is the only solution

* This backs up my point from an earlier episode about how the Jedi approach conflict in comparison to the Republic despite working under them

* Goji!!

* OH MY GOD THEY NUKED THEM???

* Is that a war crime? Bc i feel like i should count it

* There are people injured and stuck in a fucking hole and all palps cares about is the fucking treaty this dusty ass bitch

* Oh its a fuel thing… that sounds familiar…

* The bomb totally fucked the delicate ecosystem of your planet, im so sorry, my guy

* Thats not a crater, thats a sink hole, but whatever semantics

* Is this the delicate ecosystem he was talking about?

* Anakin, dont fight it!?! Hes just a little guy

* Poor zillo beasts

* I vibe with Windu, i too would defend the zillo, hes just a innocent guy he didnt do anything

* Also the jedi didnt even WANT to drop the bomb

* Rewatching this series has quickly made Windu a favorite of mine

* IS THAT ACID??? Oh the fuel, presumably also acid

* Idk if innocent is the word id use, mr. I wanna kill an endangered species

* That is probably the worst fucking idea ive ever heard putting the dangerous creature on probably THE most populated planet in the Galaxy

War Crime Counter:

Separatists: 11

Republic: 6

[marcfrenchie]

DO YOU WANT TO READ MOON KNIGHT?

are you a show fan who's learned about how terrible the MCU did moon knight and you want to check out the comics? did you see him in a teamup book and want to know more about him? are you just looking for more comic recs? are you just interested in the character? then you're in the right place!

okay, to begin, i want to say that this is a character that has had a... varying history. there are no moon knight comics you can enjoy without extensive criticism. critisizing the things that you enjoy is good and gives you a better understanding of the work. please do not idolize any of these comics and please work to be kind to the many minorities (jewish people and systems, primarily, but classism, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia are all explored throughout MK's publishing history) that these comics represent. anyway.

MOON KNIGHT 1980 -

tws - doylist racism (racist villainous charactictures, mostly. a lot of this), ableism (outdated terminology for systemhood, occasional slurs), and sexism. extensive discussion of anti-semitism, specifically neo-nazism, in issues 37 and 38.

what happens - moon knight 1980 is a 38 issue comic book centering on the ex-mercenary and now hero moon knight. almost entirely episodic but there are occasionally multi-issue stories.

moon knight, in the day, is the millionare socialite steven grant, and, at night, the hero moon knight- moon knight also "uses" jake lockley as an informant. marc spector was the mercenary moon knight ran away from. doug moench was NOT intending to write a system at this point- steven and marcs relationship is meant to represent one mans struggle with guilt- but its really really easy to gel this with their current situation of being alters in a system and also some of the specifics of their whole thing make me fucking insane. jake is also there and i love him even if he isnt really a major part of the moral conflict

please dont read all 38 issues- attatched is a list of my personal ratings. everything later calls back to this so its best practice to read it first but its very much a slog if you arent already attatched to this character so make your own choice

nothing from 1980 to 2014 is particularly good (you can read it if you want but i havent) but knowing what happened is pretty important to understanding the later modern runs so a runthrough. throughout the 90s mk continued in the 80s status quo but in 2006 he 1. cut off bushmans (remember that guy from 1980?) face 2. was given a tendency for violence and and 3. became significantly more tense with marlene and frenchie. by 2014 they had completely fallen out. thats all we can continue with the recs now

[Image ID: A list of Moon Knight 1980 issues colored based on their quality. Issues 4, 7-11, 15, 17-20, and 28 are marked as "not good." Issue 27 is marked as "not good makes me insane though." Issues 3, 5, 6, 13, 16, 21, 34, and 35 are marked as "fun." Issues 2, 12, 14, 22 to 26, and 29 to 33, are marked as "good writing." 37 and 38 are marked as "genuinely essential." 1 and 36 are not marked. 29 is denoted as "slightly weird about his DID" and issues 6, 21, and 22, are denoted as "racist." End ID.]

WHAT HAPPENS IN BETWEEN -

MOON KNIGHT 2014 -

tws - graphic violence. do not buy the book new, warren ellis is an awful person. brief (doylist) ableism.

what happens in it - the first six issues are the warren ellis/declan shalvey run, which is what im reccomending. read the rest if you want, its mediocre but i like it

moon knight 2014 is 6 episodic issues centering on a now alone marc spector. steven and jake only show up twice, both lineless appearances in the back of panels. most of the issues are significantly more violent, dark, callbacks to old 1980 issues. most of the run is silent violence from marc but all of the stories are really good and the art is breathtaking.

MOON KNIGHT 2016 -

tws - unreality. mental hospitals. both doylist and watsonian ableism.

what happens - i am reccomending the lemire/smallwood + co run, the 15 issues before the numbers shoot up. i have not read the bemis run.

moon knight 2016 is 15 issues situated in a hallucinatory version of NYC, following moon knight as he struggles against khonshu's attempts to possess him. the thing is a lot of things in 2016 piss me off so i cant exactly sing its praises but its super important to modern moon knight so just. slog through it. highly reccomend reading after 1980 because it refrences A Lot.

MOON KNIGHT 2021 -

tws - violence, discussion of anti-semitism in issue 5.

what happens - i am reccomending the first 16 issues. the annual sort of triggered a falling off for the series and so i have not read after #16. read the later issues at your own risk

moon knight 2021 follows moon knight as he opens the midnight mission, gains multiple new side characters, and reckons with the consequences of the age of khonshu (an event in jason aarons avengers which is explained fine in 2021 so you dont have to read it). most of the series is typical action juxtaposed with MK's SHEILD-ordered therapy sessions. issues 14 and 15 are possibly the first time jake and steven have been written well since 1980. unfortunately, the annual is deeply xenophobic (villianizing the only romanian hero in marvel) and i have stopped reading the series due to this. the first 16 issues are really good though

MOON KNIGHT BLACK WHITE AND BLOOD -

tws - violence.

what happens - mkbwb is 4 issues consisting of 12 noncanon moon knight stories, as is typical for bwb series. most of them are pretty good and fun and also really pretty.

OTHER MOON KNIGHT STUFF -

- ms. marvel and moon knight

- devils reign: moon knight - tw violence, prisons

- west coast avengers 1985, issues 25-41

- hulk 1978 issues 11-20 (not #16), b stories.

- moon knight 2006 issue 3 - for frenchies coming out scene, which is good. not anything else

- heroes for hire 2011 - hes only in a few issues but im not saying which ones because i want you to read the whole thing. because its good

- defenders 1972 issues 47-51 - its Very 70s but its cute and i like it :)

- werewolf by night 32 and 33 - his first appearance!

ENDING THOUGHTS - please god listen to and make a point to be kind to systems and jewish people when you talk about MK.

[prettyboykatsuki]

excuse my disturbance and my bad english but i must say that im completely in love with your mind. at this point it feels like a puzzle and every other post you make gives me another piece and i have to figure out where to place it, it gives me an idea of the way you think of certain things? hope it doesn't sound weird. im just trying to express my fascination of your writings and the indepth of your overall characterisations especially. this started with your perception of the itoshi brothers because for me they have been frustrating to understand. its like they are pretty much an open book so it's not hard to understand them and their bond and read into their personality at all but sometimes it feels so blurry you know? and i just can't connect it and it makes me insane. but the way you put them into words feels so easy and simple that makes me even more insane. maybe im just crazy and obsessed about it i honestly dont know. the way you also generally use sexuality as a tool to explain characters feelings/mind is so interesting to me as an inexperienced person. so yeah i just wanted to let you know that i really really appreciate your writings! and what i originally wanted to ask is what books do you think the itoshis would read? or which authors they'd prefer? the books a person reads gives me an idea of their mind, and i love you characterisation of rin and sae so i would love to know your thoughts if you don't mind! sending lots of love :)

WAH!! first of all hello! ur english is perfectly find and understandable do not worry at all!!! but also the opening sentence for this ask is so sweet as is the rest of it?? im flopping around like a wet noodle and whatnot.

i feel like i never make any sense like in the slightest so this ask really surprised me a lot JFSDKJSFS. im always talking out of my ass and while being articulate is important to me i only succeed like half of the time in my own head. so it means a lot that you think the way !! and im really honored that u are so fascinated by my smooth wrinkle free brain

i think the itoshi bros are indeed frustrating if you're not like really consciously examining their characters which most people arent since bllk is primarily about isagi!!! while the rin sae arc is really good its still a side plot and its mostly meant for rin. it took me another good long read and some brainstorming to figure out what sae was like because on the surface he's a really shitty jerk

i like to think of myself as a character first writer!! my stories are not as driven by the environment as other peoples (though im working on being better at that) and most of my writing is pretty character driven. in general i am obsessed with human behavior in a kind of neurotic way sdkjfsk and sometimes that comes out as i write. sexuality is an aspect of that obsession which is why it plays an important part in everything i write.

as for authors for the itoshi bros... i dont think either of them read that much. for sae - i imagine he reads a lot of nonfiction about soccer and sports psychology. unlike rin who has other interests, sae thinks his main flaw is that he's only interest is soccer and i think that extends to his reading.

rin loves horror canonically so probably horror books more than anything? someone like yukito ayatsuji who writes a lot of well received japanese horror

[kath-artic]

im all mixed up right now and i feel so selfish

like outside of the whole 'still wanting this guy even though hes seeing someone now' thing, i feel so torn up and selfish because one of my closest friends is closer than id like her to be. i know the way i hurt people when they get close because i know myself and im not the kind of person that can devote myself to everyone around me 24/7. at least im not that person anymore. i had a really close friend in high school who i loved dearly and we talked about everything, but after a while he started saying we were exactly the same and treating me like a father figure and it shrunk me down in a way that made me uncomfortable, but i didnt know how to express that at the time because i didnt know how to be a person at that time. when i broke up with my last partner i cut ties with most people because i was so distraught and felt id lost my whole center of self, and this friend took that silence personally. to him it was abandonment, and i suppose it was selfish. i owed him an explanation. i know friendships arent meant to be easy and i was a coward for not confronting the situation after finding out that he felt that way. he cut me off because of it and im sorry i never apologized. i told myself i didnt want to have to justify the fact that i was suicidal, but that wasnt why i didnt give him an explanation. i didnt explain because i frankly was tired of being faced with a past version of myself who kept insisting we were the same. i was tired of being so close to something that held no mystery anymore. i didnt really want to go back when i was starting to find myself. it was a fucked up and cowardly thing to do and i shouldve been honest with him instead of continuing my silence. anyway, the point is i habe friends now who remind me of past versions of me. they dont say we're the same, but they seem to think they understand me completely even though i know they dont (and thats okay. i dont expect them to, i just wish they would be more open to the idea that there are parts of me they might not get instead of trying to squeeze me into a box of things they DO get). they also rely on me the same way. every decision is run past me, activities are only carried out if they involve me. one of my friends just started calling me their best friend and i wouldnt think much of it if they didnt make such a big deal out of being anxious about it and now its got ME anxious because clearly it means a lot to them and i knowwww the kind of space i need and the way ive disappointed those whove put me on this pedestal before. same friend just invited themselves to something im doing with another friend and now they keep texting me for details and i dont know what to do. i frankly dont really want them to come and its for no reason other than i see them too often and the plans i made were kind of special for me and the friend i made them with.

ugghhhh i just never know when im being an asshole. when establishing boundaries is me overstepping someone else's. how uncomfortable i should be willing to get for another person. i guess thats just the way it goes though. i dont know that theres such a thing as a right answer to this. i think sometimes people have boundaries and needs that are incompatible and sometimes we have to be willing to bend and other times we have to be willing not to push. thats why its important to know more than one person, you know? whats 'too far' for one person might not be for another

this is all besides the point. the problem is that for as brutally honest as i can be about certain things, im terrible at being honest about my own boundaries/needs. i didnt get with that guy because i didnt know how to be honest about the fact that i really liked him. i shouldve just said that i enjoyed our conversation instead of trying to play it cool or whatever dumb shit i did. and i lost one of my closest friends because i didnt tell him i needed more space. i owe it to this friend to be honest about that.

[bnasheee]

the post is now gone now, i cant seem to find it now. i read "to a married man" as in that is the person who is offended as if flaunting sexuality he can't partake in is rude. the post never specified breaking people's comfort zones by BEING sexualized. that is understandable. anyone who dosnt want to be seen and exploited like that deserves to not get hurt. sorry if i upset you, i just get nervous with the way social media companies try to push puritanicalism. im a queer asexual so i curate my feed enough to vet out things i don't want to see but think its important for the basic existence of queer people to be sex positive ESPECIALLY kink positive in that regard. so yeah, sorry for the misunderstanding

no yeah i deleted it because i truly honestly hate my words being misunderstood and then being accosted about it because someone assumed they knew what i meant. That is genuinely something that frustrates me more than most other things. I am actually very sex positive or at the very least sex neutral. I do not give a shit what other people do with their lives. It does, however, bother me a lot when people actively disrespect someone else's boundaries like that. The post was 100% about how its weird and disrespectful to make horny posts about someone who is married and has said he doesn't like it. Its disrespectful to him and his wife and also just deeply unhealthy for the person posting it to obsess that much about a stranger to the point of disrespecting his boundaries.

I don't beleive in the puritanicalism of social media or the policing of what other people do. I am literally an openly queer fetish/kink artist myself. What i do beleive in is the fact that the weird sexualization of content creators and people who act like they arent people who should be respected is wrong. There's a rampant attitude among people who are fans of someone disregarding that person's feelings about content like that and treating them like they're fictional characters or dolls and basically acting like they can say or do whatever they want to the creators theyre fans of just because they are fans of them. People actively disregard the autonomy and comfort of content creators because they do not see them as real people. That is what i have a problem with, not people being openly horny/kinky.

[thehandwixard]

ok fine one episode from every AT season/part i think is a good intro to the vibes of the show if you’re on the fence about the time investment even though i think if you do think youre gonna be into the show you should watch the whole thing through. with this list im trying to find episodes that arent talked about as much for being good/dramatic/emotional etc or are boarded by people less well known for working on AT like sugar

0: Pilot. Its a good pitch what can I say 1: Dungeon. Most of season 1 is pretty powerful in terms of bringing you into the series, but the vibes are a little different at the beginning. dungeon is a pretty solid episode that sets up both the driving relationship of finn and jake and hints at a lot of the humor that will carry through the rest of the show esp as it pertains to dogging on rpgs

2: Belly of the Beast. A lot of the same reasons as Dungeon, fun episode that gets across adventure time’s strange tone while being charming

3: tough choices here, but I’ll argue for The Creeps because of how it sets up more psychological elements in how the series progresses

4: Princess Monster Wife. im gonna be real pick any given season 4 episode that isnt flame princess related or a season finale and youre going to understand but princess monster wife is a huge personal favorite

5: Mystery Dungeon and Shh! You get two because season 5 is so fucking long. Mystery dungeon spotlights some of a’s funniest recurring characters like tree trunks and shelby the worm, and Shh! is just a very well paced episode (by a boarder (graham falk!) rarely seen on the show. I like that aspect of it a lot because of how much it influences the style of how characters are drawn

6: Astral Plane. Im trying not to pick episodes that are Meant to be impactful or deep but season 6 is a little rough for finding good episodes to watch out of context and astral plane is the origin of quotes i want to tattoo on me. however special mention to astral plane directed by masaaki yuasa because its so absolutely gorgeous i have to mention it

7: President Porpoise is Missing! Im gonna be honest i dont even like this episode all that much as an adventure time episode but i think its important with the range of vibes that youre going to get in adventure time. this is one of the weird al episodes weird al is a recurring character in this show hes a banana man. if you want another episode thats weird like astral plane go with the hall of egress though because that gets more into at’s Really Really conceptual side

8: guh. i dont know. listen season 8 is mostly two miniseries back to back i dont know what to say. abstract i guess? good look at at’s talks on identity and change

9: ring of fire and blenanas. they have basically no reason to be in the final season of the show but they are episodes I enjoy. if for some reason you wanna start at the end to gauge vibes

Distant lands: BMO. the best one

[flagellant]

Okay so. Sorry for the length here.

i used to think that atheist just meant that i dont believe in anything right?? But ive been following you and bones for long enough to know that thats not all it is cos that the ppl that claim that title are mostly annoying and also assholes.

i just dont believe in anything. And i was raised by a witch that was raised by a witch and so on. Like, i dont believe in anything but i also dont believe that theres any more proof that theres nothing than there is that theres something, yk?? And for me personally, i just dont care. Like a god or whatever could introduce themselves to me tomorrow and if they arent gonna or cannot improve my situation immediately i simply do not care about their existence.

i didnt realise that the majority of ppl that call themselves atheist were generally exactly as narrow and close minded as any religious extremist group. Thats genuinely fkn frightening wow.

i enjoy your blog so much cos even tho i dont believe in anything i truly think that having beliefs is overall a good and helpful thing and i learn a lot about what different ppl believe and how to be more like. idk ig accommodating?? To those things. i like learning about what ppl believe in cos i cant prove its not true, right?? All information is good and useful information. And whatever somebody believes in is a part of them so knowing and respecting it is just basic if you care even just a bit about them.

But im not just here to tell you about what youve taught me and shit i also wanna ask a question....if not atheist, what should i call myself?? Like in situations where i need to or care about explaining my position on these things?? Like i dont believe in anything but i also dont believe that theres any more or less proof that im 'right' than any religious person. Also, i was raised the way i was so ive seen magic and when i was small at least 30% of my friends were probably ghosts of some kind and ik that probably means something to a lot of ppl but it doesnt to me and even if its actually important i just dont care. Like ik that theres a lot going on its just not got anything to do with me. So what do i call that?? Is that agnostic?? Cos the way i understand that (which ig is probably wrong) is that the person believes in something they just dont have enough info to decide on what. Thats not me. So if i must give it a name what would you say i should call it?? Please and thank you.

First of all thank you for your thoughtful response!! It's always good to hear that sometimes I get listened to lmao. That said, I think a lot of the issue here might be miscommunication--atheist isn't like, a dirty word or poisoned concept. From what I can tell that you described, it fits you well. Apathetic atheism is pretty prevalent and to be clear these weirdos getting mad at me are best defined as antitheistic atheists--people who don't believe in the existence of higher powers and are against the idea of such in others.

It's admittedly a little tricky in your case specifically. Depending on exactly how the apathy is, agnostic might be a better fit for you, but at that point I'd just suggest you use the word you feel most comfortable with identifying yourself. Don't forget that you don't need to justify yourself to others when it comes to something as personal as this. So long as you aren't hurting people just do what you want.

[cappymightwrite]

What draws you to incest ?

*sighs* Ok, here we go. I'm a real card carrying Jonsa now aren't I?

Anon, listen. I know this is an anti question that gets bandied about a lot, aimed at provoking, etc, when we all know no Jonsa is out here being all you know what, it really is the incest, and the incest alone, that draws me in. I mean, come on now. Grow up.

If I was "drawn" to incest I'd be a fan of Cersei x Jaime, Lucrezia x Cesare, hell Oedipus x Jocasta etc... but I haven't displayed any interest in them now, have I? So, huh, it can't be that.

Frankly, it's a derivitive question that is really missing the mark. I'm not "drawn" to it, though yeah, it is an unavoidable element of Jonsa. The real question you should be asking though, is what draws GRRM to it? Because he obviously is drawn to it, specifically what is termed the "incest motif" in academic and literary scholarship. That is a far more worthwhile avenue of thinking and questioning, compared with asking me. Luckily for you though anon, I sort of anticipated getting this kind of question so had something in my drafts on standby...

You really don't have to look far, or that deeply, to be hit over the head by the connection between GRRM's literary influences and the incest motif. I mean, let's start with the big cheese himself, Tolkein:

Tolkein + Quenta Silmarillion

We know for definite that GRRM has been influenced by Tolkein, and in The Silmarillion you notably have a case of unintentional incest in Quenta Silmarillion, where Túrin Turambar, under the power of a curse, unwittingly murders his friend, as well as marries and impregnates his sister, Nienor Níniel, who herself had lost her memory due to an enchantment.

Mr Tolkein, "what draws you to incest?"

Old Norse + Völsunga saga

Tolkein, as a professor of Anglo-Saxon, was hugely influenced by Old English and Old Norse literature. The story of the ring Andvaranaut, told in Völsunga saga, is strongly thought to have been a key influence behind The Lord of the Rings. Also featured within this legendary saga is the relationship between the twins Signy and Sigmund — at one point in the saga, Signy tricks her brother into sleeping with her, which produces a son, Sinfjotli, of pure Völsung blood, raised with the singular purpose of enacting vengence.

Anonymous Norse saga writer, "what draws you to incest?"

Medieval Literature as a whole

A lot is made of how "true" to the storied past ASOIAF is, how reflective it is of medieval society (and earlier), its power structures, its ideals and martial values etc. ASOIAF, however, is not attempting historical accuracy, and should not be read as such. Yet it is clearly drawing from a version of the past, as depicted in medieval romances and pre-Christian mythology for instance, as well as dusty tomes on warfare strategy. As noted by Elizabeth Archibald in her article Incest in Medieval Literature and Society (1989):

Of course the Middle Ages inherited and retold a number of incest stories from the classical world. Through Statius they knew Oedipus, through Ovid they knew the stories of Canace, Byblis, Myrrha and Phaedra. All these stories end more or less tragically: the main characters either die or suffer metamorphosis. Medieval readers also knew the classical tradition of incest as a polemical accusation,* for instance the charges against Caligula and Nero. – p. 2

The word "polemic" is connected to controversy, to debate and dispute, therefore these classical texts were exploring the incest motif in order to create discussion on a controversial topic. In a way, your question of "what draws you to incest?" has a whiff of polemical accusation to it, but as I stated, you're missing the bigger question.

Moving back to the Middle Ages, however, it is interesting that we do see a trend of more incest stories appearing within new narratives between the 11th and 13th centuries, according to Archibald:

The texts I am thinking of include the legend of Judas, which makes him commit patricide and then incest before betraying Christ; the legend of Gregorius, product of sibling incest who marries his own mother, but after years of rigorous penance finally becomes a much respected pope; the legend of St Albanus, product of father-daughter incest, who marries his mother, does penance with both his parents but kills them when they relapse into sin, and after further penance dies a holy man; the exemplary stories about women who sleep with their sons, and bear children (whom they sometimes kill), but refuse to confess until the Virgin intervenes to save them; the legends of the incestuous begetting of Roland by Charlemagne and of Mordred by Arthur; and finally the Incestuous Father romances about calumniated wives, which resemble Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale except that the heroine's adventures begin when she runs away from home to escape her father's unwelcome advances. – p. 2

I mean... that last bit sounds eerily quite close to what we have going on with Petyr Baelish and Sansa Stark. But I digress. What I'm trying to say is that from a medieval and classical standpoint... GRRM is not unique in his exploration of the incest motif, far from it.

Sophocles, Ovid, Hartmann von Aue, Thomas Malory, etc., "what draws you to incest?"

Faulkner + The Sound and the Fury, and more!

Moving on to more modern influences though, when talking about the writing ethos at the heart of his work, GRRM has famously quoted William Faulker:

His mantra has always been William Faulkner’s comment in his Nobel prize acceptance speech, that only the “human heart in conflict with itself… is worth writing about”. [source]

I’ve never read any Faulker, so I did just a quick search on “Faulkner and incest” and I pulled up this article on JSTOR, called Faulkner and the Politics of Incest (1998). Apparently, Faulkner explores the incest motif in at least five novels, therefore it was enough of a distinctive theme in his work to warrant academic analysis. In this journal article, Karl F. Zender notes that:

[...] incest for Faulkner always remains tragic [...] – p. 746

Ah, we can see a bit of running theme here, can't we? But obviously, GRRM (one would hope) doesn’t just appreciate Faulkner’s writing for his extensive exploration of incest. This quote possibly sums up the potential artistic crossover between the two:

Beyond each level of achieved empathy in Faulkner's fiction stands a further level of exclusion and marginalization. – pp. 759–60

To me, the above parallels somewhat GRRM’s own interest in outcasts, in personal struggle (which incest also fits into):

I am attracted to bastards, cripples and broken things as is reflected in the book. Outcasts, second-class citizens for whatever reason. There’s more drama in characters like that, more to struggle with. [source]

Interestingly, however, this essay on Faulkner also connects his interest in the incest motif with the romantic poets, such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron:

As Peter Thorslev says in an important study of romantic representations of incest, " [p]arent-child incest is universally condemned in Romantic literature...; sibling incest, on the other hand, is invariably made sympathetic, is sometimes exonerated, and, in Byron's and Shelley's works, is definitely idealized.” – p. 741

Faulkner, "what draws you to incest?" ... I mean, that article gives some good explanations, actually.

Lord Byron, Manfred + The Bride of Abydos

Which brings us onto GRRM interest in the Romantics:

I was always intensely Romantic, even when I was too young to understand what that meant. But Romanticism has its dark side, as any Romantic soon discovers... which is where the melancholy comes in, I suppose. I don't know if this is a matter of artistic influences so much as it is of temperament. But there's always been something in a twilight that moves me, and a sunset speaks to me in a way that no sunrise ever has. [source]

I'm already in the process of writing a long meta about the influence of Lord Byron in ASOIAF, specifically examining this quote by GRRM:

The character I’m probably most like in real life is Samwell Tarly. Good old Sam. And the character I’d want to be? Well who wouldn’t want to be Jon Snow — the brooding, Byronic, romantic hero whom all the girls love. Theon [Greyjoy] is the one I’d fear becoming. Theon wants to be Jon Snow, but he can’t do it. He keeps making the wrong decisions. He keeps giving into his own selfish, worst impulses. [source]

Lord Byron, "what draws you to—", oh, um, right. Nevermind.

I'm not going to repeat myself here, but it's worth noting that there is a clear through line between GRRM and the Romantic writers, besides perhaps melancholic "temperament"... and it's incest.

But look, is choosing to explore the incest motif...well, a choice? Yeah, and an uncomfortable one at that, but it’s obvious that that is what GRRM is doing. I think it’s frankly a bit naive of some people to argue that GRRM would never do Jonsa because it’s pseudo-incest and therefore morally repugnant, no ifs, no buts. I’m sorry, as icky as it may be to our modern eyes, GRRM has set the president for it in his writing with the Targaryens and the Lannister twins.

The difference with them is that they knowingly commit incest, basing it in their own sense of exceptionalism, and there are/will be bad consequences — this arguably parallels the medieval narratives in which incest always ends badly, unless some kind of real penance is involved. For Jon and Sansa, however, the Jonsa argument is that they will choose not to commit incest, despite a confused attraction, and then will be rewarded in the narrative through the parentage reveal, a la Byron’s The Bride of Abydos. The Targaryens and Lannisters, in several ways excluding the incest (geez the amount of times I’ve written incest in this post), are foils for the Starks, and in particular, Jon and Sansa. Exploring the incest motif has been on the cards since the very beginning — just look at that infamous "original" outline — regardless of whether we personally consider that an interesting writing choice, or a morally inexcusable one.

Word of advice, or rather, warning... don't think you can catch me out with these kinds of questions. I have access to a university database, so if I feel like procrastinating my real academic work, I can and will pull out highly researched articles to school you, lmao.

But you know, thanks for the ask anyway, I guess.

[markets]

ok well c!shittypenis analysis essay under the cut

c!shittypenis is so fucking sad. let me explain.

during season 1, c!shittypenis was inseparable. they had the most beautiful relationship on the whole penissmp imo (you dont have to agree, that opinion does not affect the points made in this essay as i tried to keep it as unbiased as possible). c!penis kept c!shitty grounded when necessary and showed him the importance of sacrificing things for those you care about, while c!shitty helped c!penis be ambitious and stand his ground when necessary, showed him that he didn’t have to settle for anything less than what he deserved. if they hadn’t had each other, they wouldn’t have been able to survive the cockberg war and dethrone c!admiral_anal. and that was what made their love (whether you interpret it as platonic or otherwise) so special. it was about survival and growth, whereas so many others on the smp (eg c!hairballs and c!gargle) were about power, about one of them wanting something from the other. it was refreshing, the only reason cockberg won the war (c!pisskink69′s betrayal would have decimated them otherwise, since they had little to no resources or morale left afterwards), and the driving force between season 1.

but during season 2, we saw c!shitty slowly distance himself from c!penis. props to cc!shitty for this, because it was really fucking subtle. he showed up to the bridge where they would hang out less and less, didn’t help c!penis during the confrontation with c!milfboss that ended up taking one of his canon lives (which directly paralleled the fight with c!pisskink69 at balltown from season 1, but thats for another essay), among other things. 

but it all culminated when he destroyed the bridge. the one they had built together at the start of season 1, the one they started a war for. and it was such a heartbreaking scene. cc!penis’s voice acting really does not get enough recognition. but im getting off topic. the point is, c!shitty did all this for one thing and one thing only: power.

 after freeing cockberg and becoming vice chairman of the cabinet, he was in a vulnerable position: the war, especially c!admiral_anal’s threats towards c!penis, put him in a really bad mental state, one that made him doubt every decision he made and made him desperate for some kind of security. that combined with the amount power that being vice chairman held, just enough for him to see what it was like to have power but also leaving him hungry for more (if you still don’t believe this, rewatch the scene where he imposed taxes on c!glorp’s neighborhood, shitbitch, from the beginning of the season, it foreshadows the conflict super well), made him unable to resist c!bigfuckingboobs’s offer. 

c!bigfuckingboobs is arguably one of the most, if not the most, powerful people on the server: she’s the richest member with the best pvp skills. if they teamed up, there was no amount of power he couldn’t have, no height he couldn’t reach. even if it meant cutting of his friends, it could guarantee them safety in the long run. it could be worth it. it was extremely risky, but then again, c!shitty was never one to shy away from risk. so he took it. c!bigfuckingboobs used this to manipulated him into craving more and more power, until she could use his position in the government and the distance he had placed between him and his friends to take over cockberg and either make it hers or destroy it. 

that’s why c!penis killed c!clitoris on the ruins of the bridge. he saw what power was doing to his friend, and that was his ultimatum, his way of letting him know that he had gone too far. that was the reason c!shitty felt the need to distance himself from c!penis in the first place: the second c!shitty started craving more power, c!penis was wary, if not outright critical of it (dont forget that after the shitbitch dispute, c!penis went to c!hairball behind c!shitty’s back to try and take him out of office). however, he now had what season 1 c!shitty probably would’ve viewed as a valid concern, since the way he was acting directly paralleled c!admiral_anus. hence c!clitoris’s murder, which i personally don’t agree with, but i will say that many c!penis antis ignore the fact that, since its minecraft, pets arent regarded in the same way as they are irl, so while still bad, its not as harsh as many of them are making it out to be imo.

but anyway, c!shitty knew that c!penis was warning him. he knew. but the way c!bigfuckingboobs had twisted his worldview, he saw it not as c!penis trying to keep him safe, but as him dragging him down, trying to keep him from achieving what he wanted, which had originally been safety for c!penis and the others, but was now power for him and c!bigfuckingboobs. the meaning behind c!clitoris’s death, not the death itself, was what prompted the electric chair execution, which so many people seem to not understand. 

and that was what was so sad about it: c!bigfuckingboobs was using the very things they had learned from and taught one another to turn them against each other. c!shitty’s ambition and what c!penis had taught him about sacrifice had caused him to take her deal and distance himself from c!penis in exchange for what he thought would guarantee them safety in the first place, while c!penis’s careful nature and the things he had learned from c!shitty about standing up for himself caused him to directly oppose him. this all led up to c!penis’s execution, directly paralleling c!hairball’s in the cockberg war arc.

c!bigfuckingboobs let them drive one another into ruins, because with that, the very foundation cockburg had been built upon would crumble, and she could take power without ever having to lift a finger. the war left c!shittypenis with different desires, and c!shitty’s desire for power and c!penis’s outright aversion to it due to his trauma with c!admiral_anal clashed and ruined everything they had once had. that is why c!shittypenis is the most heartbreaking dynamic on the penissmp, and why they are some of the best written narrative foils i have ever seen. 

TL;DR: c!shittypenis contrast each other perfectly, and these differences ended up pulling them apart after the war for cockberg

[emblemxeno]

Hot take but despite some of horrendous female designs and typical anime fanservice antics, the female characters in xbc2 are more varied and well written then 1. in one, a lot of fiora and sharla’s roles revolve around being caring and motherly and their romantic relationships. Abd you can even give it the benefit of no fanservice. Sharla has some pretty revealing outfit options and fiora, despite how we’re told how her body has been replaced and is failing, miraculously her chest in intact to have an outfit with a chest window.

and fiora doesnt really get to do anything cool in story with her cyborg form, it just serves to have her be feeble and add another layer of tragedy. and trust me as someone with chronic pain your body itself turning against you fucking sucks but a lot of those feelings of frustration that accompany it arent really there. she mostly just accepts the hardships. melias character is mostly focused on her family and duty so she does escape some of it but she is still stuck in a love triangle. admittedly its less of a love triangle and more couple plus a side unrequited love and it does avoid a lot of tedious tropes but with everything melia goes through giving her an unrequited love on top of it does seem a bit much?

But yeah i just find the xbc2 ladies have more variety and more…spice ig?

Yeah... yeah. It certainly feel similarly.

Cuz Sharla for instance, has her connection to Colony 6 and her shining moment during that point of the game is meant to show the tragedy that Homs face from the Mechon every day. And Fiora, like you said, has her dealing with conflicting feelings over having a Mechon body and wondering if she's truly "alive". But beyond those things, they don't get much beyond their connection with their love interests.

Sharla gets the worst of it, cuz after the Ether Mine, she drops off in the plot when not talking to Reyn or Melia, and doesn't completely pick back up until you get to Mechonis proper. And it's only to tie up the loose end with Gadolt which, as said before, it hinges only on the relationship angle of her character. In a grand story perspective it's good because it's another deliberate foil to Fiora's situation (like with Mumkhar) but for Sharla herself it doesn't do much for her beyond making her suffer and opening up the way for Reyn.

Fiora gets it slightly better because of her connection to Meyneth and drive to honor her will and memories, something that persists from Mechonis all the way to the end. But that's around... half the time? And the other half is her worrying about her time left with Shulk. Which, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of their relationship and I honestly think that Fiora's character being a more simple Girl-Next-Door with a Twist makes her work (especially her contrast to Melia) and it's why she remains one of my favorites from XC1. But I very much understand how her relationship with Shulk can take a bit too much prominence in the story. (Speaking of, that one cutscene near the end where everyone has a grand line for the fight ahead and she just says "Shulk!", that never fails to make me laugh, though I am aware of why she says it)

In comparison, like you, I do like the female characters in XC2 more as a whole than in XC1, even with the "fanservice" moments. Mostly because most of them are connected to the grand overarching themes of the story that 2 is trying to tell, and therefore are unable to really "lose relevance/importance" or feel "one note" like Sharla or Fiora would to some people. I would go into it more, but I am Le Tired lol.

[antiloreolympus]

13 Anti LO Asks

1. ok but thats seriously what bugs me so much about LO, it never actually lets serious moments be serious, it's always lampooned by rachel's insistent need to force in her juvenile "humor" and never actually depicting how pressing things are. even the following moments from persephone's r//pe was undercut by hades making stupid puns! i understand if rachel cant write something more serious than "[x] is bad" but if thats so, then dont try it? because thats how you end up with this pretentious mess.

2. since when did lo hades have earrings??? i legit do not remember this ever being a thing??? is he trying to be hip with the kids 😭my man you still look like a crusty old man the earrings arent helping 😭

3. lo hermes looks and acts like flaky from happy tree friends and no thats not a compliment (TW for gore, blood, and violence if any of you google it)

4. Even though the earlier art style was better there are still some cursed panels from the earlier pages that still haunt me. Especially the way Persephone was drawn differently in so many of the panels.

5. lo hades has such "how do you do fellow kids" energy and im not sure why

6. im also confused on the fertility goddess stuff because how stupid is persephone if she didnt notice? she can create life and nature without even thinking and shes implied to be a genius in biology, so how would she not even notice this? if RS really wants to go with this plot, then why have her professor bring it up in class? why not show persephone going to her uni's library to research the topic and pouring over it? that's an easy way to show persephone's intelligence, yet LO doesnt even try.

7. What I wanna know in LO was how Demeter and Hestia were compensated after the war. The three brothers got to be kings and Hera is queen, but what we know of Demeter is that she had a millionaire dollar business that’s probably made it on its own (unless she was helped out) and then Hestia all we really know about her is that she runs that TOGEM and idk if there’s only 4 of them, Hestia really had a group by herself for a bit since Athena is Zeus’ (assumed) daughter, Artemis (Zeus’ assumed daughter) and persphone (newest member) which seems shitty since they won a war together

8. I think what happened with LO’s art style was RS got “lazy” (I’m lacking the right word). I feel like without the colors all of the men in LO have the same body type, and Hermès and Apollo may even have the same face if they smile the same. So to compensate for that lack of body diversity, RS doubled down on Hades’ features to make him stand out more to really show he’s the male lead. However, even in her own words he looks like Persphones’ “dusty ass dad”

The women use to be a little different but they’re all starting to blend with body types. Her was small, but now she’s short and busty like Persphone. RS makes Persphone look short and busty all the time but almost childlike. Minthe was skinny but her last moments she was busy. Aphrodite I feel was just busty but then tried to make her look small also with Ares and Hades beside her. Hestia stayed the same but is still small and busty. Athena was tall and thin (?) but now she’s tall but busty (and her relationship with Hestia looks like it mirrors HXP). Idk I just feel like the longer screen time the female characters get the more they start mirroring Persphone’s look. Like even Artemis was getting empathized on being small next to her brother Apollo. Like all the girls gotta look small but curvy as the story goes on. 

9. Demeter: watched her friend get ripped in half. Watched her friend get continually cheated on, paying the price for not hiding a mistress , watched metis get eaten, her back clawed, fought in a war. Later made a daughter who’s a fertility goddess (probably an accident) and now has to raise her. That same daughter then went on a rampage and isn’t really remorseful

Fans: Demeter is such an overbearing mother who gets in the way of our ship.

10. on regards to ace characters, asexuality is a spectrum like everything else, so a lot of asexuals actually do enjoy and have sex, so the maidens doing so isnt inherently a problem, its the fact rachel is clearly viewing it through a strict binary where she assumes asexuality is something that can be "fixed" over time/when the right person comes along. its also a bad modern reading of it, as "virginity" in an ancient sense meant via marriage, not via sex, but I doubt rachel cares to factcheck it.

11. Imagine an elf is given a job to do at a human institution. The humans think elves don’t need bathroom breaks, since they know they can hold it for days, but this elf has been traveling to reach their job, and has already been holding it to the point they are in pain. They ask for a break, but their job is important and time sensitive, so they admit they can still hold it when asked. After a full day of work, the elf tries to reach the bathroom in time, but they were never told where it is.

From OP: I think this might be a nymph allegory? Anon never specified so I'll put this here anyway.

12. ya know if hades has to lie to make apollo seem worse (who does not need much in this comic) its like??? why is he persephone's lawyer then?? lawyers are literally told not to lie, this is basic law 101. thats why they dont want their clients to mention to them if they actually did the crimes because then the lawyers have to say it in court. if hades lies so casually just to keep persephone away from justified punishment, then thats bad actually!  both in being a decent person and as a lawyer!

From OP: Hades didn’t lie but he was definitely out of line. RS liked a tweet saying that the wife thing was “subconscious” so it probably was. (Still doesn’t make it right but I doubt he’d say those things on the stand.)

13. I know Minthe was written in a way she was suppose to be unlikesable, she’s rude, she yells and she doesn’t hesistate. HOWEVER RS wrote her character badly. Minthe is so unliked? How was she able to be a bad gf to hades and Thanatos? Like yes it’s an affair but how was she able to pull 2 gods?! We don’t hear Hades or Thanatos say what they like about her BUT they both still had a fling with her. (Honestly I feel it’s cause RS can’t bare writing one nice thing about the female anatangoist without trying to make Persphone look good)

The other thing bothering me was everyone knew about her relationship with Hades after she put it on fatesbook, but everyone talked about the kiss in such a positive light IN FRONT OF HER. Aren’t they suppose to be scared of her? Why did the girls in the yoga class/dress shop had so much to say about that kiss? Because they knew persphone? Did they know every other detail too? What was their actual beef with Minthe?

I feel like realistically some more characters would have sympathy for Minthe if they didn’t know her that well because of Hera. Everyone knows Hera is a pill to deal with and she’s the goddess of marriage who hasn’t really tried bringing Minthe and Hades to the alter. That right there should let everyone know that Hera probably doesn’t help the situation.

Idk, I feel like RS could have gone deeper and made the character not such HXP shippers cause most people wouldn’t cheer for cheating nor an old ass guy getting with a 19 year old. (Idk how fast the news of the slap spread, but I doubt it made it to every place in their fictional world)

[seravph]

Hi, I didn't really know who to reach out for this question, but do you have any tips on how to find your own unique fashion style? I'm not really looking to hop on popular clothing trends on social media e.g. eboy/girl or cottagecore, so I'm not exactly sure where to start! I come to consult you because I've seen some of your posts and you look very well versed in fashion and you seem to know your own personal style. My wardrobe is very outdated and I would like to update it to reflect the truest expression of myself. Thank you 😊 You don't have to answer this if you don't feel like doing so btw 😅

EEEE more fashion asks i love these thank you!!!! warning this got a lil (very) long so its under the cut :^)

so first and foremost the most important part about curating your own style is to learn more about your body and what flatters/doesnt flatter it. it's learning some basic fashion 'rules' pertaining to proportions, cuts, etc. there are plenty of resources on this if you dont know where to start (kibbe body test, video, video) but keep in mind this step has nothing to do with your weight!!!! i could talk wayyy more about this but at the end of the day, some clothing is just more flattering for specific body shapes - that doesnt mean you cant wear something that isnt perfectly flattering, but knowing your body and knowing what flatters it will make you understand your own style and help guide the pieces you buy. fashion 'rules' arent necessarily meant to be followed, but just understood so that 'breaking' them is a conscious choice. (it also really helped with my insecurities???? like this step is basically recognizing that its not your body thats unflattering, its the clothing, if that makes sense???)

also remember that every 'style' works for every body type. i.e if you want to be a 60s vibe but youre too curvy for shift dresses, there are plenty of clothes in a similar style that would look great on you <3 basically, if you dont like the way a piece looks on you, you can still achieve the same vibe with a different article of clothing thats more flattering. but also umm.... you can just wear the unflattering thing if you want LOL if it makes you happy... then it becomes your own controlled decision <3 live love laugh follow your heart

okay. now that you have that out of the way. there are a million ways to develop a sense of style, and no particular order in which i recommend them. what i love doing is creating pinterest boards for the spring/summer or fall/winter seasons and just filling them with pieces i would wear in a perfect world. i dont mean like cottagecore aesthetic boards, just boards full of runway looks and clothing pngs that i like. i also love making little outfits for characters which can influence my own style. everyone thinks of their style differently; i think of my own outfits as little vignettes with narratives behind them, but other people are more concerned with just wearing things they think are pretty, other people view it as an expression of art or their identity, and other people just want to feel comfortable!!! its all up to you and what youre drawn to!!

one thing that tan france mentioned once was to go online window shopping by going onto the website for a brand you like (regardless of whether its affordable or realistic!) and just adding things to your cart that youre interested in. dont worry about how expensive they are or anything, and when youre done, remove all the items you like the least. and then keep reviewing and removing until you have just a handful of really nice items you really like, and keep doing this with other brands until you can identify common threads between the pieces you like. you dont have to buy them!! in fact maybe its better if you dont!!! and the websites dont have to be like zara or h&m ... go on balmain or chanel if you want, play pretend and have fun!!

re: the last bullet point, i think a big turn off for people in terms of fashion is the idea that you need to wear something palatable and 'appropriate.' its like looking at a runway and thinking "its nice, but i would never wear that in real life." but honestly????? in a perfect world i would be wearing full gowns to the supermarket!!!! if your ideal style is imaginative but unattainable, your style in practice will be a microcosm of it. basically... dream big... dont be afraid to 'overdress' if its what you like!! one of the best pieces of advice i ever got was from my aunt, who offered to by me a plastic tiara. i asked her when i was ever going to wear it irl, and she just looked at me and said "??? you can wear it whenever you want to!!" so true!!! wear a tutu to mcdonalds. wear a bedazzled tux to prom. who cares

accessories, nail polish, hair, jewelry, perfume and makeup goes a long way in developing style. i dont wear a ton of makeup, but just putting some color on my cheeks achieves a kind of sunkissed lovestruck vibe that i strive for. i paint my nails red because i think its chic or bright colors so they contrast with a toned down outfit. even wearing no accessories is an accessory in itself. accessorizing (or specifically not accessorizing) is like adding texture to an outfit imo

anything that advises you about 'absolutely necessary essentials everyone needs' is entirely wrong. there is no one size fits all; i.e everyone says you need one good pair of denim jeans, but i havent worn jeans in two years!!! an essential for ME is a pair of neutral wool shorts, but an essential for another person could be a thick knit sweater or for another person, a flannel. the idea that everyone needs a 'little black dress' or a 'basic white t shirt' is preposterous. YOUR essentials depend entirely on YOUR style. a pair of denim jeans is useless if you hate wearing jeans!!!!

as for my personal style, im mostly influenced by movies, books, songs, characters, feelings, colors, high fashion, and costumes. ultimately, you should worry less about what you want to be and worry more about what you already like. every piece i have kind of plays into some narrative ive constructed, or otherwise theyre all special to me :) if you want to update your wardrobe, dont feel the need to over consume fast fashion (or any fashion for that matter) to do so. if you take it slow and buy pieces you really love, every item will have a story and you'll begin to develop a more stable internal style and they'll last longer :)

let me know if you have questions or want me to talk more about any of this because i really love answering these kinds of questions!!!!!! especially the body type thing because thats such an important but long winded thing i couldnt really fit it all LOL

some more videos + resources about style and fashion i think are interesting:

deep dive into kibbe body types

pinterest aesthetics, fatphobia, and white washing

lies about clothes to unlearn in your twenties

studio ghibli: how clothing shapes identity

breakfast at tiffanys style analysis: the reinvention of onself with fashion

will the millennial aesthetic ever end?

go viral, post #spon, get canceled: how social media transformed fashion in the 2010s

analyzing the "is it a cute outfit or is she just skinny?" meme