#i also completely understand watching your family be murdered and thinking well at least

[cruelsister-moved2]

i honestly think one thing gentile non-palestinian leftists need to do urgently is eradicate the idea from your mind that zionism is somehow good for jewish people. we pay lip service to the fact that antizionism isn't antisemitism, that jewish people aren't inherently associated with the state of israel, even that israel doesn't keep jews safe; yet the subtle implication that jews ultimately benefit from zionism creeps into our arguments.

zionism has fostered fundamentalism and pushed jewish communities globally to the right, marginalised and outright erased disaporic cultures, and has contributed to the near-disappearance of entire judaic languages. the zionist project exacerbates antisemitism and then warps discussions of it, encouraging the same dual-loyalty myths and racialised categorisation that were popular in nazi germany. it courts antisemitic christian fundamentalists who fund it because of their apocalyptic beliefs which ultimately involve the annihilation or conversion of all jews, and provides a smokescreen for antisemites who want to push jews from their own countries. and it isolates, incriminates, silences, and arrests the many, many jews who speak out against it.

i don't say this to try and decentre palestinian suffering at this time, hence why this isn't directed at palestinians, but i think it's incredibly important for the integrity of our arguments to recognise unequivocally that zionism is not beneficial to jewish people either.

[harmonysanreads]

HARMONYYY i just finished the penacony quest and OH MY GOD. the emotional damage wtf... and the murderer 😕 i honestly don’t think anyone could’ve foreseen that

on another note, sunday really does have huge yandere potential !!! (i was swooning the entire time he was on screen im sorry.) he literally isn’t beating the allegations at all. even the other characters comment on how weird it is for him to casually keep a model of the golden hour, because what in the control freak 😭

he seems like he’d play dollhouse with darling. after all, in a place like that, every single aspect of it is under his thumb — literally. having that much control over your circumstances is a reassurance. oh, are the placeholder models crashing? don’t worry dear, he can fix the malfunctions. he can even make them speak more realistically for you. he can give anything to you, even change the layout of the place entirely if you’re bored of it. you want to get back to normal size? well, he can’t quite do that just yet, please understand..

or if he pulls that weird interrogation magic thing on them. darling who just lies through the entire thing, and he uses this to scare them about the death countdown while not mentioning the part that he has the power to really just cancel it in the end. though, the same trick won’t work on them twice. at least the process gets darling to become part of the family in the end.

not to mention the spies he has everywhere. stupid birds watching you in every corner…

idk i just want to hold him and shake him aggressively. out of love, of course.

- 🕯️

When I tell you I've lost sleep over the thought of just how much more Sunday is probably capable of doing, nonnie.

If he has access to technology and power like this, which are all unrestricted for his personal use moreover, imagine the things he's hiding. And imagine farther the things he had to do to get to where he is today, another dash of spice to the mix. I went back to his scenes and did some thinking. The me-slandering-Sunday is obviously a joke but I really, really hope people just don't focus on the morally-gray and questionable aspects of him and completely disregard his other characteristics now.

If you think about things from his perspective, he really is just trying his best to keep the image of The Family. But the loss of probably the only person he trusted with his heart and the disregard to bring justice to that case from The Family's side, compelled him to put his agenda first (as he himself mentions that he allowed Aventurine to pull that stunt so that it'd lure Gallagher out). What we get from this is, while Sunday is an extremely dedicated member of their faction, he had to learn to be selfish in certain situations to save his and Robin's backs.

The desire to control usually comes from a feeling of helplessness. We can make some speculations based on the current information of why Sunday has these tendencies, I've also seen some people say he has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) but, we can't be sure until his full lore drops. Another thing to note about Sunday is how lonely he probably is, especially at present. The Family is in chaos, the situation of Robin, external forces' traps, the Charmony festival's deadline and he doesn't even have one person he can sit down with and not question their motives. He really must want to rest just as much as the characters around him are suggesting.

So basically, Sunday is a multi-layered character, just like Aventurine. He's definitely a politician, is what I'll say. Even though he is a control freak whose motives are hard to guess, he's still that little boy fighting for his and Robin's shared dream inside.

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Gay wrongs tournament, semifinals of the losers bracket

Propaganda:

For Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu:

you've got the founder of the fantasy ancient Chinese CIA and the leader of what is essentially the mafia and then they're soulmates and in love. they're both willing to kill anyone who dares hurt the other while also just wanting a soft domestic life together

Zhou Zishu is an assassin and spymaster who put the current Emperor on the throne, and then quit his job by faking his death (kinda, hes still dying but not as fast as he was supposed to). Had done A Lot on his old job, including murdering children (more than one, and at least one of them in a way I can't even describe without several trigger warnings), exterminating whole families, war crimes (and i dont mean this in a buzzword way, i mean "organized a public execution of foreign diplomats during war time")… btw he doesn't feel particularly bad about any of this, because he believes it was necessary. Like he wouldn't do it for fun, but he thinks the ends (putting a good Emperor on the throne) justified the means (all of the atrocities). As a retiree, he definitely cut down on the amount of morally reprehensible murder, but not murder in general. He still routinely kills ppl, he just doesn't go out of his way to kill more. Wen Kexing, meanwhile, is the Ghost Valley Master - Ghost Valley being a place where the worst of criminals are exiled. Even in such a place, he has reputation as a complete lunatic, owed partially to the fact that he either skinned a man or fed him his own flesh or both at one point, and partially to him having a rule where he would kill anyone who came closer than 3 meters to him. But in truth, everything he'd done was to survive the Ghost Valley and eventually take revenge for his parents, who were brutally murdered when he was only nine. By the start of the novel's timeline, he put his plan in motion - the plan that would drown jianghu in blood, but also deliver poetic justice to all responsible for his parents' deaths, as well as all who'd commit the same crime given the chance. And these two men, these two murderers and schemers, meet - and unexpectedly, find in each other the person who /understands/. The person who is just as ruthless and whose hands are just as bloody, but also the person who knows standing at the top of the world is not worth it, who seeks the same freedom of leaving it all behind, and who is still, underneath it all, a human, with human heart seeking connection. So you have this couple who understand each other with barely a word, and who want the same things - who are so hungry for domesticity and for people they can just goof around with when all their lives they had to measure every step and word - but ALSO where one half a couple is like "i gotta go murder hundreds in revenge" and the other half is like "ok pick you up at 6". (This btw is why I'm submitting novel's iteration of the couple in particular. Show wenzhou with their ridiculous breakups over morality could Never.) Also they were both hiding who they are when they first met, and later flirted about having figured each other out. Finally, I'll leave you my favorite quote that just. perfectly sums up their relationship: "And just like that, they fell asleep in each other's arms, steeped in the smell of blood."

You’ve probably already had submissions for them but I’ll add on. One of them founded an assassin’s guild and killed a staggering number of people. His malewife is the leader of a sect of insane murderous outcasts, and he attained his position by proving to be the most crazy and murder happy of them all. Most of the plot involves him wandering around watching his schemes get more people killed. Together they adopt a kid that was only orphaned due to said scheming (oops). They’re terrible and I love them.

For Legolas and Gimli:

They literally have a running competition between the two over who has more kills. And non-canon my ass, Legolas took Gimli to valinor

They kill alot of orcs together. They make it into a competition. Better minds than i have spoken about the couple ness

[genericpuff]

Hi Puff! Idk if anyone has asked you this yet but what are your thoughts on the god of war game series? Are they actually more "accurate" about the greek mythology then LO? xD

oh lord, I'm def not a good person to ask about this question because I haven't played through all the original God of War games (though it makes me laugh to think about them because watching my oldest brother play the first game when I was like 7 years old was the first time I'd ever seen video game boobies LOL) but considering it's just a hack and slash game in which you brutally murder the gods... ima give it a big noooo on that one LOL it's about as accurate as LO in that it's more about spectacle and drama than it is about actually being accurate to the myths they're based on lmaoo

As for the Norse series of games, I actually HAVE played both God of War 2018 and Ragnarok and loved them both, though I'm not as well versed in Norse mythology so I also can't say if what they take from Norse myth is accurate. Obviously I know that Atreus/Loki has zero relation to fictional character Kratos from Greece and I have basic understanding of general concepts like Yggdrasil and the nine realms among other things like that, but the finer details regarding the stories of the characters themselves I'm not as brushed up on. Hella great storytelling though and I appreciate the lengths they went to to make it feel like a Norse-myth-inspired environment, even down to the vocabulary and terms used.

Just like with LO, you shouldn't be taking any of what God of War does or says at face value. If you like the games (or LO), use it as an opening hook to get more into the actual myths if they interest you. But definitely don't use them as any sort of credible source LOL

Now that I'm typing out my thoughts on this though, I think the biggest difference between GoW and LO (one that makes GoW far superior to it) is that the creators of GoW never once led their audience to believe that they were more than what they were, a hack and slash video game inspired by specific myths. What you see is what you get with GoW, but LO - and Rachel - constantly feel like they're actually trying to be taken seriously and that's what makes it all the worse when their storytelling is godawful and the amount of actual "myth" they have in the comic amounts to as much as a Family Guy cutaway gag. Just completely directionless and uninspired to the point you wonder why it's even an Greek myth retelling to begin with. At least GoW fully immerses itself in the myths their games are based on and has a shitload of fun with it, with LO it'll just source some copy pasted Princeton document or lazily tell some mythological metaphor that has nothing to do with the overarching plot so that it can remind you "hey this is a Greek myth retelling!" before getting back to its bland Keeping Up with the Kardashians romance. The mythological "inspiration" in LO feels more like tired lip service at this point rather than actual inspiration, which is really bitterly ironic considering Rachel used to tote around calling herself a "folklorist" and claiming that everyone else's knowledge of Greek myth compared to hers was "basic af".

TL ; DR: The biggest difference between GoW and LO in their retellings is humility IMO.

[tetsunabouquet]

Hey! How are you? :) I have a very specific scenario lmao bear with me. I work as a Disney princess (Aurora, sleeping beauty) in my local themepark, I spend time with children, answer any questions if they have any, read them book, sing my songs. If there is a birthday party in correlation with Disney I get invited and stuff. I was wondering if you could write how gom's would react to an s/o with a job like this, their reaction with the s/o spending too much time with the assigned prince actors and stuff. This is so horribly cringe omg but I love your writing and wanna see how you demonstrate this! Thanks for reading :)

A/N: Again, than you so much for this request, I cannot express how much I loved writing this.

Akashi

-Considering he has two personalities, it obviously depends on the personality how he reacts to it. -Original Akashi actually is pleasantly surprised and quite interested. I think he really digs a s/o that is wonderful with children. -He is amazed at the way you can remain calm and cheerful even when the kids are acting like complete brats. -Honestly just seeing you on the job is enough to convince Akashi you are marriage material. Your ability to play a role, your warmth that never seems to waver despite how bad some of the kids can be sometimes, it convinces him you are the perfect wife for the Akashi household and as warm as a mother as his own was. -Which is why he actually likes watching you on the job. -He isn't envious of the actors who come and play your prince in a possessive kind of manner, but he always wonders what it would be like to play the part of Prince himself. He often likes to imagine himself playing the part, and sweeping you off your feet in front of the kids. -As for Akashi's emperor persona on the other hand, things are naturally different. -For one, this one can be quite clingy and possessive and he has threatened the life of the prince actors at least once per person. -He's not afraid to make a brat cry so honestly one should tell him to stay away. -But no one ever does, because they know Akashi won't listen. -However, this version of Akashi is the likeliest out of everyone to force your boss to pay you well, and your boss honestly worships you afterwards as your boss feels like the only reason their family is still alive is your grace.

Kise

-At first, he doesn't knows wether he should be happy you are the center of attention for once, or wether he should feel envious he's not everyone's sun at the moment. -Kise actually is wonderful with the kids and gets along great with them. You muse it must be his childish side and his ability to be friendly and charming. -Kise, as a model, does have a little understanding of what it is to be in the entertainment industry and the two of you often talk about your jobs and vision for the future together. -As a model, he isn't jealous of the prince actors either. He also has to do a shoot with female models sometimes, so he understands that its business. -Eventually, he actually gets curious and wants to try out as a prince actor himself, because he's good with kids and he honestly wants to see what its like sometimes. -He didn't last long though. His fangirls quickly got wind of it and booked him so many times for parties, that he had to quit.

Muraskibara

-Nobody was surprised about your job, after all, Murasakibara can be like a toddler himself so the fact you are trained to handle them honestly made his teammates think something along the lines of, 'So that's why she's so great with him'. -He honestly shouldn't be taken to visit you at your job because Murasakibara isn't afraid to go after the kids who steal his candy. His murderous look is enough to have any parent present fear for their kids. -Murasakibara doesn't really cares for the prince actors, but he's annoyed with how much time they and your job requires. He genuinely wants you to be around him 24/7. -However Murasakibara always tries to comfort you in his own ways when he notices you have had a rough day on the job. He can be a surprisingly good listener. -He has his own sweet but weird idea of being romantic. For one, whenever it is December he will buy Disney princess themed chocolate calendars because Aurora was on it.

Aomine

-Honestly his first reaction is some kind of flirtatious comment that should be categorized in the 'horrible pick-up line' section of flirting. You end up laughing at it and thinking he looks so cute when he gets redfaced. -Will not hold back his tongue when a brat is acting up, but if the kid bursts out in tears he gets so apologetic that you think he's only ever looked that sincere whenever he hurts you or Momoi. -He can actually be act like a friendly older brother to the good behaved kids, and you secretly think its the cutest thing ever. -Aomine gets quite jealous in regards to the prince actors. He will try to act nice enough when there are kids around, but if its just you hanging out with your co-workers, then he honestly wants to be there so he can keep an eye on the young men around you. -He's not afraid to throw punches at them if they ever dare to make a move on you. -But leave it to Momoi to have a plan to convince you Aomine is your one and only prince. You honestly could not believe him when he showed up on your doorstep in perfect cosplay, but you were enarmored with the gesture for sure.

Midorima

-Is totally flabbergasted when he learns about our job. Honestly, his reaction is the most comical. -Though he actually does expresses interest and always asks you how your day at work was. -Whilst Takao and Midorima occasionally visit you on the job, Midorima is too busy just appreciating how pretty you look to pay the prince actors some attention. As long as they are nice too you, Midorima is cool with it. -Midorima does worry they are underpaying you sometimes. -Because you have to be good with kids on the job, he actually dares to open up with you about his little sister and any fight or worries he has regarding her (he's too prideful to ask Takao for advice). -His sister adores your job more then he does, which is why he booked you and the other princesses at the park for her birthday. She was so happy seeing 'Nee-Chan' and everyone else dressed up like real princesses for her party and actually dressed up as a tiny Aurora herself to match you. Midorima honestly was melting at how cute the two of you were from a distance, where he took many and many photos.

[soullessjack]

Full disclosure I am not the previous anon but building off of their message: I'm saying this with all due respect. Not accusing you of abuse apologia for your opinions on a fictional character, but I honestly feel like you have a strange bar for what constitutes an abuser. I strongly disagree that abusers don't regret their actions. An abuser can 100% show regret or remorse for what they did, they can show genuine love and affection to the people they victimize and still be an abuser. Dean is obviously not a black and white villainous caricature, but very rarely in real cases are abusers black and white villainous caricatures. We tend to single out Dean when dissecting the family dynamics because his abuse was the most extreme but all of them, Sam, Dean, and Castiel, are a murder cult who groom Jack into their line of business. So I don't really see the point in the semantics game.

1. that’s a fair point! I just think there’s some distinction between being abusive and being a straight-up abuser, if not distinctive connotations for those terms. I’m also not trying to be apologetic about Dean’s behavior more so than I’m just trying to explain it and make it more understandable than a surface level viewing of him.

2. agree again! nobody is completely black and white and that’s always been a consistent theme (alongside free will and family) within the show, as well as the choice to be a better person, so it’s very confusing to me when fandom discourse is all semantical about who’s worse or who’s better. your favs are wanted by the FBI and violated the Geneva Conventions numerous times, but they still try to do the right thing where it counts.

3. actually I think dumbing down TFW’s dynamic with jack as a “murder cult who groomed him into their line of business” is playing right into the semantics game and the villainous caricature.

for one, hunting just is not a cult. please can we not turn cult into the next internet buzzword. it’s a lifestyle that almost nobody involved actively enjoys living (Gordon and the other dude from Black Rock are outliers) because it’s nothing but trauma and loss and violence constantly, but for one reason or another it’s incredibly difficult to leave, or even compromise with a somewhat normal life. even Dean views it as a death sentence, and the violence he regularly commits within it only ever added to his low self worth as he considers himself a designated “grunt.” even in the later seasons when it’s framed more casually or comedically, the violence and murder of hunting is still ultimately a bleak and begrudging necessity; grunt work for the grunts. to say it’s a “murder cult” is just wrong and, well, a little cartoonish if I’m being fr.

second, jack wasn’t ‘groomed’ into being a hunter/murderer. I swear takes like these make me question what show everyone else is watching ,I’m sorry. he’s literally a born-adult supernatural creature with a heritage and birth circumstance that’s been intertwined with the lives of all three of his chosen fathers since before they all existed and cosmically dangerous powers. there is no way he could ever be normal or have a life outside of hunting (or one that lasts, at least). and considering what we know from his first death now, he probably would’ve just died as a normal baby if Cas had removed his grace. Yes, TFW has some major dysfunctions in their parenting with Jack and it’s absolutely worth talking about, but they still make an effort to be good father figures for him, even with fathers that frankly set them up for failure in that regard. to say they’re all groomers is, to put it mildly, insane and ridiculous

[bysaber]

Singing in a choral ft. Suguru Geto

Day 08 of 31 Days of Ficmas!

summary — In a world filled with curses and tragedies, Suguru Geto hears the most beautiful voice of his damned life when he least expected to.

word count — 629

content — angst, guilt, no comfort, i’m sorry

notes — ok, i think geto’s guilt pos-hidden inventory arc was never explored and it’s NOT POSSIBLE he didn’t feel guilt, man. he killed his PARENTS and it’s NOT ADDRESSED FURTHER OMG. anyway so that’s my own character’s psychology interpretation!

Suguru Geto didn’t like to walk among humans.

Not only because they disgusted him, but because it would remind him of the times they didn’t.

And that… that was the worst part.

Blending in, seeing all the people he would eventually murder – even though they weren’t monsters.

But he’d rather know, he’d rather know whose life he was taking.

Humans, humans.

Monkeys.

He had a purpose, he’d do everything to achieve it.

He killed his own parents, he gave up on everything to try to save the life of his fellow Jujutsu Sorcerers. His friends, his family.

Even though it was an impossible dream, he tried. He was trying. Day after day after day.

He shouldn’t let guilt take place in his heart.

And yet…

He walked in those streets, hearing conversations and laughter coming from humans that weren’t so bad, after all. He walked and saw that not only hate existed, but happiness and love.

He was a hypocrite. But what could he do? He had to make a choice, and he did.

But nobody seemed to understand how hard of a choice it was.

Suguru Geto was about to leave, sorrow having filled him completely when he heard something that made him suddenly stop.

“May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be bright…”

A voice.

So beautiful and melodic that he felt the need to turn his head to catch a glimpse of its owner.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know…”

You’re dressed in white, so different from his all-black outfit, and the words you sang were like a punch in his gut.

He suddenly remembered it was December 23rd, and that he would never have Christmases like the ones he used to know from when he was a teenager.

In the middle of the crowd, he succumbed to his guilt.

He felt the tears falling and all the things he would never be able to say stuck in his throat, and still, he still hated all those monkeys for making him go through that.

While hating himself for thinking that while admiring you – it was so paradoxical.

The rest of the coral disappeared behind you, the main voice, and he watched as you sang – and wished for a white Christmas.

His would be red.

When the choral ended and the crowd dissipated, Suguru stood there. He was aware he looked like a lunatic, but still…

“Hey, are you ok?”

It almost scared him.

He looked up to see you, looking at him with a concerned expression, “Sorry… I noticed you seemed upset about something while we were singing. I just wanted to check,” you opened a soft smile and it pained him more.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. The song just made me emotional,” Geto smiled back – the smile he had mastered.

“Oh, ok. Good to know,” still didn’t seem like you believed him. “In any case, I just want to wish you a good night. And a good life. You seem like you deserve it.”

Suguru just looked at you. He couldn’t say anything – even if he tried.

What could he say? Thank you?

“Well… good night, then. Maybe we will also see each other tomorrow!”, you said at last, waving goodbye while distancing yourself.

“Hey!”

He yelled before he could even think about it. You looked back at him, confused.

“Don’t come here tomorrow. Stay out of Shinjuku and Kyoto,” Suguru Geto asked you. “Please.”

You couldn’t muster the reason why, but you just nodded to him before parting ways.

He watched as you left knowing that was the last good thing he would ever do.

Because the next day, December 24th, 2017, was the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

Oh, fuck all the way off.

If there is a bloodbath before she is put down, I will rage.

***

LMFAO.

***

If you are not careful, he will have your head removed from your body 🙄

I need to watch this man in a role that is not completely infuriating. He's stupid beautiful and so talented to boot. I can't bring myself to brave Guardian but there must be something I can sink my teeth into.

***

LOL, how did they think this was going to end?

I love how it was only Sheng Hong and Changbai who remained standing in the end with maybe one or two others. They are not getting themselves involved in this circle wank. I do wonder, though, how that will work out for them in the long run, because people are generally not fond of those who did nothing to support them in hard times even if they did not directly oppose them.

***

LMAO, Minglan is done with poetry and calligraphy and has started teaching them practical things 🤣🤣

Future concubines and stepmothers-in-law, beware!

***

Smh. It must be done so she does not become an idiot like you who's easily led by the nose by people with bad intentions.

Seriously, Minlgan is doing this kid a massive favour. With a ridiculous mother like this, things could only go badly for her in the future.

***

Good girl.

I don't know who she inherited her healthy brain cells from, but it certainly wasn't from her parents.

***

LMAO, there is nobody I love on this drama more than Shitou 🤣

He's so smart yet so dumb at the same time 🤣🤣

And to think Qi Heng had a Shitou of his own and got him beaten to death for his loyalty. I'm still so fucking pissed about that and nobody even mentions it anymore. Duchess Qi is going on happily with her privileged and illustrious life as if she didn't horribly murder at least two gorgeous young people for the funsies. There is no justice.

***

Fucking finally!

I was wondering how long it would take him to appoint the single most competent person he has on staff for this important task. Qi Heng can continue to rot, stewing on the issue of how the Emperor addresses his dead parents.

***

LMAO, of course they did and of course Prince Shen is the idiot who let them.

Also, who is the nephew? Prince Shen's son? With which wife?

***

I still don't understand who borrowed money from whom here.

How old is this son? I was imagining a child but it seems like we are talking about an adult here?

***

He's a goddamn self-serving idiot.

Honestly, fuck Prince Shen and his idiotic sister making excuses for him. And fuck anyone running a high-interest loan operations. Yes, debts must be repaid, but usury is a crime for a reason.

I am so not on their side here. I hate this whole family with the exception of Madam Zhang who had the misfortune to marry into this hell.

***

Oh, shut up, you are fooling no one 🙄

I am also getting tired of him looking for trouble where there is none.

***

I feel so sorry for these courtesans who have to deal with idiotic men and their marital problems every day.

She is smarter than every man in this hall combined.

Also, Gu Tingye is not subtle. I hope he compensates her well for listening to this drivel.

***

Of course he did 🙄

Also, why do I care? Let's go back to Minglan and Madam Zhang! 😭 The men can all rot for all I care.

***

Oh my god.

Who the hell are these people and why the fuck do I care?

Why can't we just go investigate the salt trade with Changbai and maybe bring down all of Gu Tingye's evil maternal relatives along the way? I have zero fucks to give about Xiao Duan.

[legendarybelmont]

heard you weren't feeling too good so how about telling me all about your boys D and Rocambole from VHD for the character opinion bingo? (sorry if i got the names wrong i'm still new to this dsfskksd)

<3 you got the names right hehe

d!!! i LOVE love love d. as one of only three slash four commonly recurring characters in the entire series due to vhds status as incredibly episodic, he is quite literally everyones blorbo, and for good reason because hes amazing. however also due to vhd being written very carefully so as to not ever show what d is actually thinking, ever, at all, 90% of him is left up to interpretation, which breeds a completely insane amount of variety when it comes to opinions om him, and i think thats really lovely. my personal take is that hes largely apathetic to life in general -- much like rocambole (ill get to that), he doesnt particularly enjoy life but also has no intentions of losing his, unlike the sacred ancestor (his vampire god king manwhore mad scientist eugenicist openly suicidal incredibly obsessed really shitty father), and such... however i think one thing that is plainly obvious about d is that he is trying very hard to get all the money ever and win at capitalism. d kind of functions more as a vehicle for other characters to develop than develops himself, at least obviously so, which means you really have to read between the lines, but the fratricide arc (best 'arc' and only 'arc') is really good for implicit possibly unintentional d character development :) my favourite d characterisation moments are probably the "what have i imparted to you, my only success?" speech in armageddon, and "if youre going to regret something, dont do it in the first place" from on the night road. however! one thing i get very salty about regarding d is, due to the movies lacking the context for d's family issues and therefore almost the entire core of the books story, and also softening d a lot from his book horrible self, common interpretations from people who only watched the movies (which are good i swear) or dont respect the books (i understand not liking them, but respecting them is different) usually end up treating him like alucard 2, which is just... wrong. its wrong.

lord rocambole!!! my beloved glup shitto!! my favouritest little bastard that nobody else remembers or cares about!!! the most forgettable brother from the fratricide arc!!! the most half-baked brother!!! the most missed opportunity ever!!! the most obvious prototype character for what would later be valcua ever!!! this wont be as long as d's commentary because ive already rambled a lot about rocambole in other posts, but i adore him, i really do, hes my terrible wife. despite being known, apparently, as a "god of atrocity" and a born mass murderer, bastard son of the sacred ancestor (the only one of the 5 actually specified to be a bastard son which is crazy), hes... well, he's certainly nowhere near as bad as lawrence "death toll of 5 million+, chucked a planetoid at the earth, tortures people for fun" valcua, in personality and what we see actually described of him, but valcua certainly doesnt get such nasty titles. rocambole is woefully underdescribed, unlike valcua we're never told exactly what he did to earn his fate and moniker, and his personality and actions onscreen can actually read as respectable! hes polite, has no personal issues with d, and is scarily well-adjusted for a vhd character in his area, all things considered, accepting his inevitable death by the sacred ancestors degree in a way valcua simply couldnt, and etc. my favourite thing about him is how he acts as a kindred spirit of a kind to d: both not particularly wanting their life but also hating the idea of just giving it away for no reason, both knowing that they cant fight openly against the sacred ancestors will but still rebelling in every way they can just to make their own will known -- ive gone into more detail about that part specifically in another post. needless to say, i love rocambole :)

actually, ive seen a sudden boost in awareness of him recently, which is really really great -- ive seen people actually drawing him!! and since you follow me, youve seen my spam reblogs of said art, oops :p but it makes me really happy to see :)

[azhdakha]

No moral judgement implied, I'd like to neutrally ask a question about a sort of inconsistency I've noticed in the way you talk about the aggressor in Ukraine-Russia and Palestine-Israel conflicts. When speaking of Russia (which I do not support, and I will denote a clear reason in a few sentences), you use the lower case r, I've seen tags such as "Russia is a terorrist state" and the like and are invested in sharing posts about Ukrainian culture. When talking about Israel, I've noticed no such thing, despite the fact the fact that Israel, as far as war crimes go, is the objectively more terroristic regime than Russia is. In general, I've noticed that people are able to separate Jewish culture from Israel, which I personally am very happy about, but any Russian opposition / resistance seems to be met with mockery or be completely ignored, and any references, at least back in 2022, to Russian culture were considered in poor taste and tone deaf in the "current circumstances." I definitely am no fan of Russia or the sentiments of its people, and while I'm Australian, I can trace roots from either side of my family to indigenous Siberians. However, this to me seems like a slight level of hypocrisy. I've visited Russia before and I have friends living there, and the disparity of the way our Western society seems to treat people who would sit in lawn chairs and watch children be bombed for entertainment, Israelites, and you can even find a video of them doing it, versus a massive amount of people living under an authoritarian regime for arguably 500 or so years, who, correct me if I'm wrong, don't have a lot of sway on the political direction of their country, -- the disparity of that is absurd to me. I'd like to ask your opinion on this, because from what I've gathered you live in Russia, are pro-Ukraine, I think? pro-Palestine, but have a really strange investment in Israel, so it'd be curious to hear if you've ever thought about this. Sorry if this was a bit long-winded aswell, I tried to explain the way I view this as thoroughly as possible.

Okay, ask No. 2

It's alright, I understand.

I'll try to explain. First of all as you noticed, I used to be a zionist for a while. Mostly because I got my info from some of my friends who were also zionists. They had their own reasons mainly because of antisemitism they and their family went through and also - a common phenomenon among russian opposition - they needed a place to go when leaving Russia and Israel is one of the easiest one, because they welcome you there, you don't come as a rightness immigrant and you don't need to survive as a refugee. Does this excuse their zionism? No, obviously not. But that's the reasoning I can provide you. That's also something I was baffled and dissapointed very much about: the overwhelming support of Israel among ru opposition and among Ukrainians. But that's whole another issue.

Later, as I saw everything that happened in Gaza, spent some time communicating to Israelis and Jewish people from the human rights organizations, listened to what Palestinians said, read some history, I was just disappointed overall. I didn't let go of the idea that Jewish people have a right for self determination, I'm still convinced that they do and I hate when people say things like "Why do you even want a country? You are completely fine in the countries you lived in and after WW2 there wasn't really any antisemitism" to Jewish people. That's not true? But at the same time I cannot be okay with the treatment of Palestinians, I cannot be okay with murder, displacement, constant deliberate human rights violations. Like, this is not how you get your self determination? Just because you were oppressed, doesn't mean you are allowed to oppress someone else? And I often feel like I screaming into void when I try to talk to zionists who totally convinced that they are the victims in this situation and all the deaths of Palestinians are "well, it's sad, but what can we do" as long as it's required to eradicate hamas. While at the same time their own leaders and even regular citizens say they aren't after hamas, they want to erase Palestinians from this earth, they still believe in the fairytale that this is about hamas and they're the main victim here, as if they live in a parallel reality. I guess, I saw too many dead and disfigured bodies of kids, you know, when you see a parent holding torn parts of body that used to be theis child, it's hard to stay unbothered. Can you imagine that youre holding a piece of you parent, sibling's or child's body? How can someone's determination be at this cost? What kind of safe refuge it is if you need a mamad, an iron dome and live in constant war with your neighbors. Something defintely went wrong here. Thats what made me change my mind.

Now, coming back to your question. I am not insisting on the separation of Israeli citizens from Israeli government in the way that they're good fine people who are against the actions of their government. I am insisting on separating Israel from Jewish people and Judaism. I don't think I need to explain that, do I? Where I do insist on separating civillians from military and government is when it comes to violence and murder. Comparing to Russia there haven't been any case of mass attacks and murder of russian civillians by Ukrainian army or insurgents. Wether you like it or not, hamas did kill civillians. Just because idf did that too, doesn't mean that hamas didn't kill anyone or that it was majorly idf, unlike what too many prefer to think. Recently there was an info piece about a number of idf soldiers in Gaza killed by their own. I cannot remember exactly if that was 20 people out of 150, or 20%, but I assume the ratio of civllians that died at the hands of idf on October 7th and at the hands of hamas is about the same. So, if Ukrainians or anyone else start mass murdering random russian civillians, I'm not going to support that either. I don't know for how long have you been following me if you did, or how deep did you scroll through my blog, but I write several times that I don't understand and cannot support those who claim that all russians are guilty equally(guilty, not responsible), or that every russian citizen met abroad should be ostracized, bullied have less rights just because they're from russia, regardless of their position. I remember how I saw a post about a russian primary school kid being bullied in school for their nationality and the comments where "We should bully them until they hang themselves". Like what the fuck is that? Ofcourse I'm not okay with that and I don't support that. People are not guilty for being born in this shithole.

At the same time yes, I'm being more harsh towards russian people than towards anyone simply because that's my responsibility as a russian to criticise my country and my people. As a citizen I'm directly responsible on my part for what my country is doing. I am living here, I face alm the consequences and I deal with all the pro-putinists. I also deal with russian colonialism and other oppressive policies not only as a russian, but as an Indigenous person. You don't imagine how exhausted I am from this country and it's people. You mentioned Israelis brining couches to watch shelling of Gaza and cheer for the death of Palestinians. Have you seen how was that used? "They deserve to be killed, they're all monsters, even civillians". Is that okay for you? Also, do you think russians are different? Go on any pro-russian war reporter and you'll see thousands of russians cheering on "kh*khols" dying. Not soldiers. Civillians, kids. What do you think I feel when at a family union I have to listen to how Ukrainians have always been inhumane and abnormally cruel or savage? There are much more similarities between Israel and Russia than you think. That's why I'm so frustrated that so many Ukrainians support Israel. You think russians are unable to protest? Ohsalome here on tumbkr once made a post about what the reality of russian protesters actually is. Yes, the repressive government is a problem. But indifferent citizens are a much bigger problem. If you want to know how Israel treats its protesters, look up Frey Israel, who dared to speak against the attack on Gaza and the next day an angry mob gathered at his house. Or how police detains people for a wrong opinion online. Ofcourse, in Israel it depends a lot on wetuer you're Jewish or Palestinian. But please, stop buying the Israeli propaganda that they're a democratic state.

I also understand that the situation for israelis and russians isn't completely the same. Russians in Ukraine don't need that land. They have a whole country to live in. They didn't go through Holocaust and antisemitism, they didn't come as refugees. Jewish people in Israel did. Does that give them a pass for oppressing and displacing Palestinians? No. But this is an inevitable fact that you have to consider when you tell them to "Go back to where they came from". More than a half of Jewish israelis were born there, they don't hold a dual citizenship. There are also Jewish prople from Islamic countries. How do you imagine them going back? Again, not an apology. This is definitely not "Well, they will suffer, so let's leave the status quo, Palestinians may continue to suffer tho". No, that's not how it works. That's simply an argument why you can't just tell all israelis to go back where they came from and the issue will be solved. This is the same conversation I had with our native peoples on the subject of decolonization. I have posted on here that I came across very radical religious and conservative groups among my own people for whom decolonization means returning to the traditional society with religious law system where native people will have a privilege over everyone else. For them human rights are a colonial western value. So all those right we, leftists right for, to them are a colonial western value. Does this sound like a decolonization you'd want to happen? This is why I don't like when westerners are so delulu about decolonization. At the same time, there is the opposite end of the problem that zionists see any armed resistance from Palestine as inherently terrorism and enemy. We had a secular PLO, it sort of died out, now hamas and alike groups are basically the only ones that fight for Palestinians against the occupation regime. Do they have much choice of wether to support them or not? They don't. That'd be great if Palestine had another Yasser Arafat. But how can one emerge when these people are more busy surviving than thinking about politics. This is what several zionists fail to understand. For them, if hamas surrenders, it'll be peace and safety. For Palestinians that doesn't guarantee any safety and any peace at all.

Inevitably we come to the fact that there will be a resistance, there will be a fight, the will be violence. At this point as you might have noticed I support Palestinian resistance that is armed and that is ready to fight its oppressor. I do not support murdering the unarmed, I do not support war crimes. And I do understand that in order for a justful, democratic state where everyone will be equal to emerge, Israelis should also stand up against the regime and side with Palestinians. This is why I support so many Israeli human rights organizations. This is why I try to speak out against antisemitism in the pro-palestinian movement whenever it occurs.

Okay, it got really long and probably boring. I hope I made it clear about my "hypocrisy".

[tiredmamaissy]

oh noooo, i hope next week is better! my weeks been all over the place as well, so i completely understand where you’re coming from 😞

i just sat up here and rewatched Avatar 2 and i am balling my eyes out. neteyams death still has me in a chokehold.

top 3 movie betrayals of all time…

do you think spider saving his dad was justified? i’m curious as to what your thoughts are. if it weren’t for lo’ak and neteyam saving spider, i truly believe the butterfly effect would have taken place and neteyam would still be alive becuz saving spider is what ultimately ended him up in the depths of the sea with eywa 😭

- 🧜‍♀️

aww thank you, i hope your week is better too and yes i've never felt so betrayed watching a movie in my life lol, i'm still very much so in denial

oh boy this is quite a discussion lool, of course my feelings are all mixed about this because neteyams death really affected me and a lot of time when something affects us to this extent it's only natural for us to find blame elsewhere. but if i were to be as objective as i possibly can no one is to blame for neteyams death other than the men that murdered him. spider helped his father because well, he's his father. growing up without one and being treated like a pet by the people he considered family must have really made things difficult for him when he was captured by his real father. things must have gotten even more difficult when quartich started displaying fatherly behaviour towards him (at least father behaviour that spider has grown up witnessing between jake and his children - calling them sir, being punished for acting out etc). quaritch definitely treated spider specially, simply because he was his son. if spider weren't his son and just another person he captured to help him kill toruk makto then i'm certain they wouldve found out all the information from the get go when he was being mentally tortured. so at that point when he stepped in and stopped the machine is the moment quaritch himself also faced some sort of dilemma within himself and his own identity. (sorry im getting so deep into this). spider too experienced some conflicting feelings when he found his father drowning, and was faced with the dilemma of returning the favour of saving him. but with the added stressor of lack of time (that man was pretty much dead), he still decided to swim away, only to come back and curse (if i remember correctly), cursing at the fact that he didn't want to be in such a situation. and even after saving him, he made the choice to go back to the family that we could also argue wasn't very concerned about him being captured (outside of kiri) seeing everyone kind of continued as normal with their lives. as for the butterfly effect, perhaps. if we're gonna get into the discussion of this we could also say that the lack of trust the sully family had in the metkayina caused quaritch to find them when jake pinged norm to come and help them after she had a seizure (when ronal was really the one to help her). i'm ofc in no way saying that this is what caused it all - again no fault but the perpetrators, i'm only discussing this from the butterfly effect's perspective. idk im just rambling at this point because my thoughts are still everywhere about this topic lol seeing im still very much so in denial and processing it all loool

anyways have a good day babe <3

[robbyrobinson]

Speak No Evil: 2022 v. 2024 (Spoilers)

So, watched Blumhouse's remake of Speak No Evil, and honestly really enjoyed it. James McAvoy kills it as Paddy. I had also seen the original Danish film and did actually re-watch the original just recently. With the original, it was honestly something that I only watched once because I honestly just hated the movie. Though not for the reasons I'll get into. The first film was well-directed and truly suspenseful, but the characters, my goodness... they were not likable at all. Well, maybe besides Agnes and Abel but that's because they're kids so I'll give them a pass.

Bjorn and Louise were just bad with Bjorn being the bigger offender. He was a spineless, pathetic man who seemed to be the one that was weighing his wife down to where any time she voices concerns with their Dutch hosts, he would gloss over that. Like... it's just really irritating with how much he tries to befriend Patrick that he is completely underprepared when he learns the truth about him. And when that happens... he does not even use common sense. Sure he tries to get his wife and daughter and escape, but he stops at a gas station where he does not bother telling the authorities that there were some dangerous serial killers out there.

Really, it gets to the point that the main deuteragonists are just so unlikable, you feel nothing for them when they are stoned to death. Like... they kind of had it coming for being so passive. As for the other thing, it isn't really so much that the movie has a bleak ending that made me dislike it. There are several good movies that have bleak endings; The Mist. Smile 2022. Drag Me to Hell. What I felt differentiated them from the ending of SNE 2022 is that the characters at the least exhausted their options or they were in situations where it was only logical that it would end on a depressing note.

Even if you could try to argue that the original SNE is "realistic," and it is the modus operandi of Patrick and Karin to go after weak families, there is often a point to where anyone in that situation would just go "screw it" and try to fight back or retaliate. Honestly, just felt like dragging. We get it: there is something amiss about the Dutch couple.

As for the film being "realistic," I... disagree. For starters, there is no reason I can see for why the Danish couple go to the Netherlands after they met Patrick and Karin once. Just because they seemed nice does not make that the case. The fact they think nothing about the fact that there were no neighbors around when they come to their cabin. Even the twist ending of Patrick and Karin being serial killers makes no sense because if they killed around 50 or hundreds of families... why are there no continent-wide manhunts or missing people reports? But we are expected to push all of that to the side because "ending."

I understand the point that the original director was trying to say that being how being nice and nonconfrontational to a fault is bad because there are monsters out there who would take advantage of your naivety. I just think the way that we got to the ending was what made it bad in my eyes.

Now as for SNE 2024, it fixed several of the problems I had with the original such as having it be that Ben and Louise get more moments and days with Paddy and Ciara to where the idea of them accepting an invitation made slightly more sense and they were obviously cautious even then deciding to only go because they thought it would help their daughter. It also gives the main couple more of a spine to where they actively retaliate once things start going south.

Didn't really care much for them giving the killers an actual motivation here, but nothing too bad. Patrick and Karin in the original film have no motive for why they psychologically torture and murder the parents and cut the tongues out of the kids besides "evil." That in itself isn't a bad reason, but as for the remake, Paddy had a stillborn daughter and Ciara was a victim rather than a willing accomplice who Paddy kidnapped and groomed. It also did fix the issue I alluded to earlier with the OG couple killing fifty families where here, they were active for about 17 years so it made it more believable.

The remake was very suspenseful and explored themes of child abuse and other dark subject matter which makes the ending not as memorable as the original's, but I think it's because of them pursuing a different means of conveying the story to where it is cathartic, but it also makes the characters develop. SNE 2022 has implications of character development with Bjorn and Louise, but it ultimately goes nowhere because the film relies too much on contrivances to make its ending bleak. As much as people like to harp on saying that SNE 2024 has a happy ending... really, there is none. The characters may have escaped, but they were scarred metaphorically and physically. There is no real way that they could ever adjust to the way things used to be.

So, yeah. Both at the end of the day can be watched on their own merits, which is a good thing. To me, I think both endings can be enjoyed with the acknowledgement they are two different visions. It is also completely valid to feel one film works better thematically over the other.

[sunny44]

Chapter 1 (Love is in Mallorca series)

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x Fem!reader

Warnings: none I guess

Summary: Y/n goes to Mallorca intending to leave her life behind, at least for a while. Then she meets a mysterious guy who makes this trip, to say the least, unforgettable.

Mallorca was stunning, but a certain discomfort grew within me as the days passed. I found myself lost on an island whose beauty was undeniable, but whose language formed an insurmountable barrier.

Since I had arrived, it seemed that the fact that I only spoke English made me invisible. People looked at me in a hurry, or simply ignored my attempts at communication. Sometimes, I wondered if it was just my imagination or if it was really happening.

Tonight, after a long day of walking along the beaches, I decided I deserved a drink. The bar was crowded, full of laughter and conversations in Spanish. The smell of fresh seafood filled the air, and I approached the counter, trying not to seem out of place. I waited patiently for a while, watching as the bartenders moved from one customer to the next, ignoring me with an efficiency that almost seemed rehearsed.

I took a deep breath and approached the counter again.

“A gin and tonic, please?” I asked in English, my voice swallowed by the atmosphere.

The bartenders barely paid attention to me, glanced at me, and simply decided to ignore me.

I waited, hoping that somehow my order would be heard. I looked around, trying to decide whether it would be better to just give up, but before I could step away, I heard a deep, firm voice next to me, speaking in Spanish. I didn’t understand the words, but the tone was clear and authoritative, like someone used to being heard.

The bartender stopped what he was doing and quickly handed over what I had asked for. I turned, surprised, to face the owner of that voice.

He was tall, dark-haired, with slightly tousled hair, but in a purposefully relaxed way. His smile was easygoing, as if saving frustrated tourists was something he did every day.

“Here you go,” he said, with a soft accent, handing me the drink.

“Thank you,” I replied, accepting the glass. “I was beginning to think I was invisible.”

He laughed, a light and sincere sound, as if he understood exactly how I felt.

“It’s not that, but sometimes people here... can be a bit stubborn with those who don’t speak the language.”

I nodded, taking a sip of the drink that was finally in my hands. The refreshing taste of gin with lemon slid down my throat, bringing an immediate sense of relief.

“So, are you from here?” I asked, curious. “Your Spanish is perfect.”

“Thanks, and kind of. I live in Madrid, but my family has a house here in Mallorca. I always come here during summer holidays. And you, what brought you to the island?”

I looked at him, hesitating. He seemed so casual, so at ease, it was hard not to feel at ease as well.

“I actually just needed a break from my life. Something different.”

“You chose well. Mallorca is a perfect place to disconnect.”

He was right. The island was beautiful, and there was much more to explore than I could do on my own, especially with my limited Spanish. Maybe that’s what led me to accept when he suggested he’d show me a few places that, according to him, "no tourist guide would include."

“Shall we take a walk?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with a kind of enthusiasm that was impossible to ignore.

I agreed. After all, I had nothing to lose, and somehow, I felt like I could trust him. But I could also be completely wrong, and he could be a serial killer who would murder me and toss me into the sea.

But I was willing to take the risk.

We left the bar, walking through narrow streets lit by small lights hanging between old buildings. The night was warm and full of life. People laughed at outdoor restaurant tables, and the distant sound of flamenco music filled the air.

“You know, you're the first person who hasn’t tried to correct me or judge me for not speaking Spanish. I know it's annoying when tourists show up and don't even try to speak the language, but I didn't think I’d be completely ignored,” I commented as we walked.

“Sometimes it’s good to just listen and not judge, right?” He smiled, glancing around at the streets around us. “Speaking the language is important, but so is feeling welcomed, even without understanding everything.”

There was something different about walking with him, something that made the city seem more accessible, more inviting. He showed me a small square where there was a fountain with a soft, calming sound, and a local bakery that, according to him, made the best "ensaimada" on the island. Everything felt simpler by his side, no rush, no judgments.

“And you? What do you do for a living?” I asked, genuinely curious.

He smiled but didn’t answer directly, just shrugged.

“Ah, nothing too interesting. I have a pretty hectic life, but here I like to slow down and forget all about work.”

I respected his silence without pressing, and we continued to explore the city at night. He took me to a higher point, where the view of the city and the sea stretched out before us. The city lights reflected on the water, creating an almost surreal sight. I was speechless.

“Wow...” was all I could say.

He looked at me, smiling sideways.

“And they say Madrid has the best views in Spain.”

We stood there in silence for a few minutes, just absorbing the moment. I felt strangely comfortable next to him, as if he wasn’t a stranger I had just met, but someone I could share moments with without the need for explanations.

Finally, he looked at me again.

“If you want, I can show you more places tomorrow. But I promise I won’t take you where the tourists go.” I smiled, feeling a wave of gratitude. “I guarantee I’ll be the best tour guide you’ll ever meet.”

“I’d love that.” He nodded, satisfied.

“Perfect. See you tomorrow, then.”

“Deal.” I smiled.

“Give me your phone number.” He handed me his phone, and I typed it in, saving it as “bar girl.”

We said goodbye, and as I walked back to the hotel, I couldn’t stop thinking about how the night had taken such an unexpected turn. I still didn’t know his name. He hadn’t asked for mine, and somehow, that felt right. We weren’t strangers, but we weren’t acquaintances either. Just two people meeting on a warm night in Mallorca.

And maybe, just maybe, I was ready to find out more about him.

Bonus scene!

Yourusername Instagram stories

“Summer break”

Masterlist: @lieslostinsilence @iloveallmyboys

@r4zberrygirl @hoya122 @sid-is-gr8

@runs-with-sciss0rs @marvel-ous-miss-maisie

@barcelonaloverf1life @harrysbigrighttoe

Next Chapter

The names with a line on top is because I couldn’t tag

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Gay wrongs tournament, third place poll of the losers bracket

Propaganda:

For Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu:

you've got the founder of the fantasy ancient Chinese CIA and the leader of what is essentially the mafia and then they're soulmates and in love. they're both willing to kill anyone who dares hurt the other while also just wanting a soft domestic life together

Zhou Zishu is an assassin and spymaster who put the current Emperor on the throne, and then quit his job by faking his death (kinda, hes still dying but not as fast as he was supposed to). Had done A Lot on his old job, including murdering children (more than one, and at least one of them in a way I can't even describe without several trigger warnings), exterminating whole families, war crimes (and i dont mean this in a buzzword way, i mean "organized a public execution of foreign diplomats during war time")… btw he doesn't feel particularly bad about any of this, because he believes it was necessary. Like he wouldn't do it for fun, but he thinks the ends (putting a good Emperor on the throne) justified the means (all of the atrocities). As a retiree, he definitely cut down on the amount of morally reprehensible murder, but not murder in general. He still routinely kills ppl, he just doesn't go out of his way to kill more. Wen Kexing, meanwhile, is the Ghost Valley Master - Ghost Valley being a place where the worst of criminals are exiled. Even in such a place, he has reputation as a complete lunatic, owed partially to the fact that he either skinned a man or fed him his own flesh or both at one point, and partially to him having a rule where he would kill anyone who came closer than 3 meters to him. But in truth, everything he'd done was to survive the Ghost Valley and eventually take revenge for his parents, who were brutally murdered when he was only nine. By the start of the novel's timeline, he put his plan in motion - the plan that would drown jianghu in blood, but also deliver poetic justice to all responsible for his parents' deaths, as well as all who'd commit the same crime given the chance. And these two men, these two murderers and schemers, meet - and unexpectedly, find in each other the person who /understands/. The person who is just as ruthless and whose hands are just as bloody, but also the person who knows standing at the top of the world is not worth it, who seeks the same freedom of leaving it all behind, and who is still, underneath it all, a human, with human heart seeking connection. So you have this couple who understand each other with barely a word, and who want the same things - who are so hungry for domesticity and for people they can just goof around with when all their lives they had to measure every step and word - but ALSO where one half a couple is like "i gotta go murder hundreds in revenge" and the other half is like "ok pick you up at 6". (This btw is why I'm submitting novel's iteration of the couple in particular. Show wenzhou with their ridiculous breakups over morality could Never.) Also they were both hiding who they are when they first met, and later flirted about having figured each other out. Finally, I'll leave you my favorite quote that just. perfectly sums up their relationship: "And just like that, they fell asleep in each other's arms, steeped in the smell of blood."

You’ve probably already had submissions for them but I’ll add on. One of them founded an assassin’s guild and killed a staggering number of people. His malewife is the leader of a sect of insane murderous outcasts, and he attained his position by proving to be the most crazy and murder happy of them all. Most of the plot involves him wandering around watching his schemes get more people killed. Together they adopt a kid that was only orphaned due to said scheming (oops). They’re terrible and I love them.

For the Doctor and the Master:

Immortal genderfluid war criminals <333

So we all know the Master has killed plenty of people, but, despite their reputation, the Doctor has killed a more than average number too. Sure they undid the whole destroying their own planet thing, but that's still something the Doctor did. Also there's apparently a novelization out there where, when they were children, the Doctor killed one of their childhood bullies but then made a deal with Death so that the Master had the memory of it and became Death's champion, which is pretty messed up and murder husbandish. There are plenty more war crimes on the Doctor's hands, and the Master has killed countless people in a variety of creative ways. Also, I'm having trouble finding the quote, but I swear the Master once said something to the lines of "trying to kill the Doctor is just my flirting" or something similar. But I do know Missy (also the Master but female at the time) described their relationship as "older than your civilization and infinitely more complex". They love each other, they're constantly trying to destroy each other, they are the only friends they each have who can even begin to understand everything they've been through; they've known each other since childhood and they've watched (and helped) civilizations rise and fall together. They may not be who you first think of for murder spouses but they really are a beautiful example.

[tommyspeakycap]

I love your work! I was wondering if you’d be willing to write something about (toddler) baby Shelby having Alfie help her bake a cake for Tommy

omggggg that’s so so cute!!

A Bakers Help

The burly Camden Town ‘baker’ was nothing short of completely shocked when he heard a soft banging on his office door in the mid afternoon. His eyebrows had furrowed and he had kept his hand readily on his weapon so he was prepared in the event of an enemy being on the other side of the door. He was surprised to say the least when he tugged open the door and had to look down multiple inches to spot she who knocked on the door.

There stood a little girl. One he knew fairly well but who’s appearance outside his office was still a shock. That little girl was notorious around most of England, especially in heavily gang populated territories where the “Shelby” was a household name and everybody who knew that name knew the littlest member of the family was something akin to a jewel in Tommy Shelby’s crown. Alfie had been curious as to whether or not she was actually attached to Thomas Shelby’s hip in consideration to how much time she spent right by his side, teetering along on little legs so he knew she was safe right by his side. It wasn’t often that Tommy entrusted others to watch over his youngest sister, so it would be safe to say that Alfie was incredibly confused.

“Good morning.” The little girl greets, her lips plastered with a bright smile as she lifts a hand to wave at him. Alfie braces himself on either side of his doorway with strong hands so as to lean out of his office to look out into the ‘bakery’ to both the left and right before stepping back in. “Mhm yes it was actually. Where’s your brothers?” He asks, turning his eyes back to the girl in the doorway who fights to pull her wool coat back up from falling off her arms due to the fact it hadn’t been buttoned up. The girl shrugs, “Dunno...Can I come in?” She asks politely, “It’s very cold.”

Alfie Solomons squints his eyes and forms a crease between his brows, but even he can’t deny the chill in the winter breeze through the unheated factory and the shivering of the child, and so he steps to the side and gestures her in the door. Alfie hums, or maybe something more akin to a grumble, in thought as the five year old wanders around his office to take in the whole surroundings. “And where are your pikey brothers then yeah?” His voice rumbles deep and gravelly the same way it always does, not missing the chance or thinking twice about dropping an insult to the Shelby men as he speaks. The youngest of the clan shrugs her little shoulders. “Dunno,” she says again, “I’m with Ada. Told her i was going out to play.”

The words most definitely do worry Alfie Solomons after the girl with Tommy Shelby’s striking blue eyes and his heart in the palm of her tiny hand finishes speaking flippantly. It occurs to him that she’s simply too young to understand both risk and consequence. She knows that Tommy Shelby dotes on her like the little princess he believes her to be. She knows he loves her, he tells her every day. However, Alfie knows the far darker side to that love. He’s heard of people brutally murdered with remains unidentifiable after coming close to her, and although Alfie has no desire to harm a child who probably doesn’t even understand what it is the rest of her family do when she’s not around, that doesn’t reassure him even in the slightest that Tommy, Arthur, Ada and John Shelby along with Polly Gray wouldn’t rip him to shreds if they knew their little princess was stood in his office for whatever reason.

“Right,” Alfie states, “Better get you home then,” He strides easily towards the door to hold it open, but the little girl simply quirks one eyebrow and remains where she stands. “It’s Tommy’s birthday soon.” She declares, looking up at the hardened London gangster as if he poses no threat nor fear to her in the slightest bit. She smiles at him, big and bright. She didn’t know him. She didn’t know if he was violent, didn’t know if he was supposed to be scary. She just knew she had met him before, he was relatively funny as the 5 year old obviously did not pick up on the thinly veiled threats hiding beneath the verbal back and forth between her favourite brother and the man she stood with now, and more importantly than anything; she knew he was a ‘baker’. “You need a cake on your birthday, you know.” She adds very matter of factly, and Alfie Solomons doesn’t fight the little grin he gives. “And you’re a baker, so you can make good cakes. I need you to help me make Tommy’s cake for birthday cake time on Saturday.”

There’s virtually no way this little girl had just come up with this by herself. The way she acts, her generosity, her sweetness and her absolute insistence of cake for her brothers birthday was not something she had adapted by herself. Children don’t just come up with these things. That thought, for Alfie, means that those who have raised her have drilled a certain kindness into her. Thomas Shelby has raised his little sister to be the kind of kid who will find a man she thinks is a baker just because her brother told her he was, so that he can help her make a cake. That makes Alfie want to laugh. Tommy Shelby acts the part, but Solomons now knows he’s the type who taught a little girl about the importance of cake and birthday fun.

“Fine.” Alfie responds, out stretching his arm to gesture the little girl out into the factory. He did actually have a designated area for the ‘bakery’ just in the event that someone came looking or investigating and he needed to show there was actually a bakery there. He was thankful for that now, because he got the feeling that there was little to no chance he would have gotten away from the very very persistent little Shelby trailing behind him. It becomes apparent very quickly that little (y/n) will have no luck when it comes to seeing what was going on up on the counter, considering she wasn’t even nearly the same height as it, never mind tall enough see over it. Alfie has to get creative in that respect, eyes flicking around until they lands on a a stack of crates that he grabs a couple of to pile them next to the counter so that the youngest Shelby can contribute as she pleased to the cake making.

All things considered, Alfie was actually a fairly good baker. He didn’t come up with the idea of a bakery to cover his illegal business work for no reason. He knew he could bake if it was necessary (which it sometimes was to smuggle alcohol), so this ask from the little girl who had a list of ingredients and an exact image of how she wanted this cake to look, wasn’t a huge task for him.

In the process of the bake, Alfie learned a lot. He learned that little Shelby couldn’t quite pronounce her L’s (which Tommy was apparently working on with her), so she called him Afie. He learned that Tommy’s favourite cake was vanilla sponge, which was why it was a four tier vanilla sponge with extra strawberry jam that his sweet little sister had chosen. He learned that the little girl got here by very discretely tripping up her cousin, Karl, so that Ada was preoccupied giving him a plaster for his knee and stopping his tears and (y/n) snuck off from Ada’s London home in the direction she felt like she remembered Tommy going when he had taken her to Alfie’s bakery once, albeit leaving her in the car with Arthur and John. She had to ask for directions from confused strangers a few times, but ultimately she found the place on her own. Alfie learned that little Shelby talks a lot. She’s very clever, can follow instructions a lot better than most children of a similar age. It had become increasingly clear she didn’t see any problem with talking about the fun things she did with her brothers. The way Arthur and John like to throw her about to hear her giggles, how Tommy tucks her in every single night that he can. How he tickles her, how he still carries her around even though her aunt Polly protests it. How good her aunt Polly’s cooking is. How much she loves her family. She sees no problem with divulging these soft family moments, although Tommy would probably be absolutely appalled that people knew these things about him and his brothers. It made the head of the Peaky Blinders seem so incredibly mundane.

Alfie could see now why that sweet girl was so loved and held so dear by the family. He also had to wonder if she truly was one of them. She was funny and bright, she giggled with him and babbled on about sorts of rubbish. Alas, she was bossy as Thomas himself. She was loud like Arthur, sarcastic as John, self assured as Polly, as independent as Finn and opinionated as Ada. She made sure to tell Alfie exactly how to stack the first layer while she mixed ingredients for the next layer and he was kept on a very short leash, reminded every so often that he was not to dip his fingers in any of the mixtures and leaning over as he worked to tell him Tommy liked more jam than what Alfie had put on.

“Wait!” She yelps out, leaping off the makeshift kitchen stool made from those bottle crates to chase after Alfie until she reaches the man who was carrying the cake towards a box. “Finishing touches,” she insists, ever so slightly dusting the cake with powdered icing sugar to give a final decorational appearance. Alfie smiles subconsciously as the small girl stands back with a proud grin, turning her eyes to man holding the cake, “Thank you Afie,” she beams, her cute little way of saying his name never lost on him as his heart flutters. “Welcome, baby Shelby.” He responds as he slips it into the cake box he’d ordered one of his men to go and get without question.

Alfie was certain he would step outside his bakery and London would be burning. He expected to have Shelby’s killing people on the streets searching for their baby, their sweet little princess. He assumed (and rightly so) that Ada hadn’t told Tommy that she had absolutely no idea where his most precious little love was for genuine fear of his reaction and so she had mobilised some friends and acquaintances she had made while in London to try finding her little sister. Albeit they were evidently unsuccessful and absolutely no one expected little (y/n) to be baking with Alfie Solomons for her gangster brothers birthday because she just loves him so.

Ada literally burst out the front door frantically when she saw the car headlights pull up outside her house, wrapping herself tightly in her coat as Alfie Solomons lifts her little sister down out of the car. The 5 year old stands innocent as ever next to the man who Tommy never truly knows if he can trust or not as he reaches back into the car to lift out a white cake box with two strong hands. “Better keep a closer eye on this one yeah?” He gestured his head to (y/n) who runs towards Ada and jumps into her open arms to be squeezed incredibly, almost painfully tightly. “Never run off like that again!” She hisses, her concern and anxiety clear behind her words as she speaks into her sisters soft hair, stroking it with her hand for some form of reassurance.

“Sorry Ada,” she hums cutely in response, “We made Tommy a cake though, for his birthday!” Ada let’s go of (y/n) and turns to the little girl. “Go inside and find Aunt Pol, i’ll be in shortly.” She says as she eyes Alfie Solomons with the stoney faced glare he assumes she learned from Polly Gray and her often stoney resolve. “Bye bye Afie!” The 5 year old chimes, scuttling up to him to wrap her arms around his legs for a moment before turning and running off with a wave at the doorstep with Alfie a little bit to stunned by how kind she was to him despite the bad man he was to do much else than wave after her. “You,” Ada snipped, cutting him out of his thoughts and crossing her arms firmly over her chest, “Baked a cake with my little sister?” Her words leak with confusion, eyebrows furrowed with her head tilted in question as she continues to be unable to think of any reason why Alfie Solomons hadn’t turned the little girl away or even used her as a bargaining chip with threats of harm to the child if Tommy didn’t do as Alfie wanted. Instead he baked with her a cake for Thomas and she was returned without a bump, not even a hair on her head harmed. He had returned the little Shelby who was uncharacteristically clumsy for a Shelby without her falling off of anything, burning herself on any ovens or accidentally eating something she was supposed to.

“Yeah.” Alfie responds, shrugging his shoulders at the same time. Ada steps closer to him to try in some way to read what he’s not saying, her heels clicking with each step. “And you want nothing for it?” She presses, her eyes narrowed as he shrugs. “Birthday gift innit yeah?” He grumbles, handing the cake to Ada. “She’s the best of you lot,” he states firmly as he turns his back to climb back into his car, “Keep her that way yeah?”

Ada’s frown turns to a soft smile as she nods, watching as Alfie Solomons pulls his door shut firmly and turns on his ignition.

“Mr Solomons, Oi!” She calls after him, forcing him to roll down his window to hear what she has to say. “Thank you.” She breathes, “For looking after her and bringing her home. And for the cake.” Alfie nods his head in acknowledgment. Ada isn’t sure what else to say. She still feels fairly nauseous at the fact her little sister was missing for virtually the whole day and littered with further nerves at the fact Tommy would be around to pick her up in a half hour and it wasn’t like little Shelby to keep quiet about anything, especially not when it came to Tommy and especially when it came to her adventures that her favourite brother hadn’t been part of, so assuredly she would let him know all about her baking day with Alfie after the cake was revealed tomorrow afternoon for his birthday. Alfie knew this too and he imagined he’d get a visit from the head of the Peaky Blinders relatively soon after he found out.

Tommy would probably be as confused as Ada as to why Alfie looked after little (y/n) the way he did. Alfie couldn’t even really explain it himself, she just warmed up his heart and the sweet little girl showed Alfie truly why Tommy loves that little girl so much. She brings laughter and happiness and fun. She brings light into a very, very dark life and Alfie appreciates that dedication Tommy had to keeping her safe a lot more now. He himself now had a soft spot for the kid and there was a part of him that knew for a fact he too would be making sure no one in his circle was breathing words of harming that little girl who had promised she would bake with him again, and had his birthday written on her hand so she could bake for his birthday.

Maybe the Shelby’s weren’t so bad after all.

[mauesartetc]

So the new Helluva Boss Episode just came out for S2 episode 1 and I kinda wanted to know your thoughts! my god, it's so damn predictable and I had a feeling they we're gonna make Stella look worse and like the bad guy, to make the audience root for Stolas more, I had a feeling that's what was gonna happen and it's overall just so predictable, that it's not even funny! 🤦‍♀️😒 I said it before and said it again, I don't care about Stolas or what he's going through..because he did this to himself, and the only reason Stella is being paint as the bad guy, is because the story calls for it, they want Stella to be painted as worse to make Stolas look like this perfect angel. Even though, HE ISN'T!! He Sucks, and I'm just so tired of this show doing this..you can make an asshole character interesting and enjoyable to watch, but Stolas is a character I just never cared about or understand the appeal to, he's just not a good character.

I honestly have no plans for watching this season, I just don't see any improvements happening and also I just don't feel comfortable watching this series or being in the fandom, for how toxic it is and how the fandom acts, and attacks certain people for having opinions different from theirs and not liking the show. I just wanna move on and forget about helluva, if I'm being honest with you..I'm glad I was able to move away from a toxic fandom and see the show's issues, because there was some stuff I didn't see before with the series.

Also another thing I've gotta point out real quick, it'd just feeling like HB is becoming, "The Stolitz Show" I mean, why did both Stolas and Blitzo have to meet as children, why couldn't we get something different?? Heck, why didn't this first episode be about both Moxxie and Millie? We could've had this first episode be a flashback to both Moxxie and Millie, how they met and got into IMP. At least, THAT Would've been interesting and could've gave Millie some development and have more to her.

But nope, what we got was a Stolitz flashback episode as our first episode to the second season..because that's all the fans wanna see, and that's all I've been seeing on Twitter. Is fans talking about how amazing and great the episode is, and how it's a Stolitz episode. Along with trashing Stella, and saying how much they hate her...it's just UGH, I did have some hope for improvement for this upcoming season, but I just don't know what to feel anymore. I don't even have the energy to really get angry, because I expected all of this..I expected the show to do this, and try painting Characters like Stella, Stolas's dad as the bad guys.

Honestly in my opinion, I know it's the first episode..but I just don't really see this show getting better or improving at all.

Oh yeah, just saw it earlier, and I agree with all these criticisms. I'll go into more detail in a subsequent post, but... yeah, it's bad. Not the worst Helluva episode (I still think that "honor" goes to Murder Family, followed immediately by CHERUB), but it still has some pretty terrible writing moments. It's painfully obvious they torpedoed any chance Stella had at being a well-rounded character just to make us sympathize with Stolas. And, uh... no. All it's done for me is make me pissed at the writers.

I mentioned in another post that my relationship with Vivziepop projects feels like being a fan of a sports team that keeps losing. I want this shit to succeed because there are so many talented people involved, and in Hazbin Hotel's case, it could lead to more independent animated pilots getting greenlit. But my GOD, does Helluva's writing ever drag it down. I keep holding on to hope that the show will get better, but I'm also driven by a compulsion to fix things, and this show has a fucking lot to fix. Or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment. I don't know anymore.

Regardless, I'll stick with it (for now), though I completely understand why you're giving up. Godspeed, and think fondly of the fools left behind.