#i am so incredibly unoriginal

[freezethebeez]

For the Storm that will Pass

Admittedly, Ushijima is not the best when it comes to providing words of comfort. Despite being the captain of his volleyball team in high school, giving encouraging speeches was never his forte; he preferred to deliver comfort and security with his performance on the court. However, in the few months in which he has become well-acquainted with Kageyama, he believes that the standards of which Kageyama will hold his attempts at verbal comfort to are likely to be low.

in which unforeseen events (and an unforeseen upset setter) cause Ushijima to make an adjustment to his pre-tournament routine.

info: emotional hurt/comfort, ambiguous relationships, relationship/character study, and an unfortunate Hoshiumi who gets the complete wrong idea

[lkaruss]

An extensive KFP 4 rant (spoiler heavy)

So, Kung Fu Panda 4 was… an experience. It took about 3 glasses of whiskey to get through it.

There is so much wrong with this movie, from the pacing to lore breaking issues. However, this is an attempt at trying to formulate my opinions regarding the film, and explain why certain story decisions were detrimental.

My live reaction to the film:

The movie makes it clear right from the start that it was made for very young children. It’s filled to the brim with jokes. If there is a chance to make a joke, then there is a joke. Regardless if it's appropriate or if it hurts the story/lore/characters. In normal circumstances, this would be offset by the fact that the jokes are creative and unpredictable, but they aren’t. I would say most of them can be seen either from a mile away, or they just fall flat. I think I only managed to laugh once or twice when Po’s dads were doing something, but outside of that, the film couldn’t get a chuckle out of me. On the contrary, I found many to be cringe, and some even made me uncomfortable.

But why am I talking so much about the jokes? In the previous Kung Fu Panda films, the jokes were used to break tension. The way the seriousness of the story and the jokes were in harmony is what made those films so memorable and impactful. The story (and films) took itself seriously, but it would sprinkle in jokes that fit the universe, the situation, and most importantly originated from the scene themselves. 

Compared to this, the jokes in KFP 4 are, unoriginal, forced, and usually can be traced back to pop-culture. The last one being important as the original Kung Fu Panda films stayed away from referencing pop-culture as it would break the immersion and authenticity of the setting.

This ties into the ERA that these films depict.

Setting

Based on my limited understanding, the original films have done an excellent job at depicting a world that is supposedly set in an authentic ancient China. From the way names are handled, to symbolisms, everything was well done.

The same cannot be said about Kung Fu Panda 4.

I’m not an expert on chinese culture, but from what chinese friends have told me, „Juniper” city doesn’t sound Chinese at all, or has a meaning in Chinese. It’s essentially a Latin word for a common plant that can be found all over the globe.

The architecture of the city is also questionable. It’s trying to give off a metropolitan feel, which doesn’t fit the ERA. Additionally, the architecture of the buildings is odd. It’s like a mesh of the architecture of several Asian cultures.

Then there are some of the names. „Steve” and „Scott” to be specific. These are the names of some masters and I don’t think I need to explain why these don’t fit the setting at all.

I was constantly questioning what movie I was watching as it was hard to believe this is Kung Fu Panda.

Identity crysis

What made me question the film’s identity the most however is the story.

This 4th film felt like a 1st installment rather than a sequel. It conveniently disregards everything from the previous movies that would contradict its plot and world.

The film immediately starts with Shifu coming out of nowhere and saying Po has to choose a new Dragon Warrior at that very moment. Not only did this feel incredibly random, but it’s also thematically incorrect.

First off, why is Shifu saying this? Why would he want Po to pass on his „title” if it's destiny? Why would he want him to do it now? Why did he not even consider ANYONE FROM THE FIVE and instead got 5 randos as candidates out of the blue?

The issue with the whole premise is incredibly flawed. Let me explain…

Po was chosen as the dragon warrior in the first film. There he proved his worth as such. The key to this is that he is the chosen one because it’s his destiny to deal with threats that no one else can. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean that he is the best. He is the guy who is and will be in the right place at the right time, with the right tools to deal with threats that no one else can deal with. But I digress, it's a different topic.

The point is that Po’s role as the Dragon Warrior is his destiny. The „title” merely represents that role in the world. So you can pass the title to anyone you want, but that does not change the fact that due to destiny, it’s still going to be Po’s role.

This is not just a coincidence though. Po has shown many times that he has a very open view of the world. This is then combined with his traits of being is warm, outgoing, energetic, friendly, goofy, and unorthodox. He represents the Dragon, Yang in the Yin Yang.

All of this is important to understanding why there is only 1 dragon warrior, and that is Po. End of the story.

The film however completely throws all of this out the window and goes with the new Dragon Warrior plot anyway.

That means the new Dragon Warrior is literally right there next to him. Master Tigress.

Now you might be asking why that would be the case.

This film, although throws out all the symbolisms of the previous films, still shouldn’t disregard the other characters that are around Po.

The 2 characters work like the 2 sides of the Yin-Yang, as complementary forces. They are opposite forces that need each other in order to create balance. 

Her influence is extremely necessary throughout the three films, particularly the second and third. It is her companionship, her support, and her constant push against Po’s natural instincts that lead to the best outcome.

Po has achieved a lot of spiritual enlightenment and character development. A lot of it through his own means, but without Tigress he wouldn't be where he is right now.

The Yang is the strongest when it contains the Yin, and the Yin is the strongest when it contains the Yang.

But this dynamic goes both ways. Although we mostly see the effects of this relationship on Po as the films focus on him, it has also changed Tigress. This leads to her opening up more and being more expressive as the films went on, giving us glimpses into the compassionate person she truly is.

While symbolically she is not the dragon, the 4th film establishes that it doesn’t care about the symbolisms or anything that the previous films have established. So naturally a character that compliments Po this well,  should be put into the spotlight and get the character development that she deserves. A character that went through serious changes, but is still left incomplete. You might as well make her the new Dragon Warrior then.

She - altough deserved the title the most even in the first film - lacked the ability to see the world from a perspective that's required to handle certain situations. The Dragon Warrior is way more than just being the perfect warrior. Po's presence was necessary for her to change her attitude. Leading to her slowly becoming her best self. Knowing all of this, it's not such a wild thought that if there has to be a new person who takes over that role, then Tigress would be a great choice for that.

But what is there for her to learn from Po? Spirituality.

Tigress has always been a grounded, by-the-book character. This can be mostly attributed to her upbringing. Her changing and becoming more open, seeing things differently would have been something interesting to explore, and this would also take care of the issue of the „new trilogy” copying the original trilogy’s main character development.

However, the film completely ignores her existence, and the new Dragon Warrior is instead a random Zootopia fox.

The (new) deuteragonist

There is so little to say about Zhen. The best thing I could compare her to is an untreated wooden board. 

It’s rough, full of splinter, and there are many like it. Probably one of the most cliché characters I have seen in a very long time.

She is generic, has an overused „misunderstood fox thief” trope, and a character arc that is so predictable that we all knew what was going to happen just from reading the film’s synopsis at the beginning of 2023.

Her backstory is a copy of Tigress’ except if Shifu was evil. An orphan who is taken in by a master who emotionally neglects her. Said orphan doing what her master wants in order to be loved/accepted by said master. Except that Zhen doesn’t seem to have any attachment or loyalty to the Chameleon. So the „Sad backstory” fails to garner any sympathy towards the character.

Her dynamic with Po is non-existent, which is why their „friendship” is forced. The creators tried so hard to make the two bond, that they forgot to give them time, shared experiences, or anything that would resemble an emotional connection between them. They just quickly went over everything that they have in common in a dialogue and that’s it. There was no prerequisite completed that would make Po care about Zhen or vice versa.

Furthermore, Zhen doesn’t fit the traits that the dragon has, she is not spiritual either or has an open view of the world. So why is she the new one then?

And I wanted to avoid talking about this, but the character is a textbook Mary Sue.

per wikipedia

Zhen is more than capable in a fight to keep up with Po, even though it was not shown why she is so good at fighting. One thing is for sure, she shouldn’t know Kung Fu as she certainly didn’t learn it from her „master” the Chameleon if the film’s plot has any consistency.

She is not only able to manipulate Chi, but also to use Po’s staff without knowing anything about either of those.

A previous character’s role being retconned so that she can take it for herself (See the rant about the Dragon Warrior title above)

She always gets along with characters that matter, getting what she wants. 

No real character drawbacks.

A throwaway character like this, should be a minor support character, not the new main protagonist for crying out loud.

Her inadequacies are so blatant as a character, that no wonder they didn’t even want to have at the very least Tigress in the film as Zhen would immediately become irrelevant to the audience. They put all the spotlight they could on her, at the expense of the story, and in the end achieved nothing in return.

Tell me with a straight face that a character that has an entire movie focusing on them - who still remains a generic, boring character by the end, without any story potential - should be the new main protagonist. The fact that most people don’t even refer to the character by her name, but by the actress’ name Awkwafina should tell you everything about how memorable she is.

Most new characters and animal designs don’t fit the KFP art style.

A good example of this is Zhen.

This is how a fox would look like in Nico Marlet’s KFP style:

And this is what we got:

Sorry, wrong picture. I meant this:

Now, I’m not a character designer, or a professional artist, I only draw a couple of his characters, but I can see that this is way too far off from his work. If not from personal experience, then from the interviews that Nico Marlet himself gave.

The same issue applies to the villain of the film, the chameleon, but atleast with her they tried (somewhat).

The Villain

They say a film is as good, as its villain. This seems to be true in the case of this film too.

The Chameleon sucks.

She has no connection to anyone from the cast. She has no emotional leverage or pressure on the cast. She is not scary or powerful enough to make the audience care about the cast. Her motivation is so terrible, it might be one of the reasons why the Five was kept out of the film because their mere existence single-handedly demolishes her reason for breaking bad.

Outside of this, the character is unoriginal and uninspired. She basically can “lick” people and steal their Kung Fu? I honestly don't know how to put this into words because it doesnt make any lick of sense (I did the funny). If anything it's a budget version of Kai.

They didn’t even bother to give her a name.

What I will say though is that Viola Davis did what she could with what she was given. I found it amusing that she managed to give the chameleon those serious villainous vibes, while at the same time, the character is a joke. If that’s not a testament to the voice actor’s abilities then I don’t know what is. She was definitely wasted on this role.

As for the “returning villains”. I knew they were only there for cash-grab from the moment they said that all of them would return. Shen, is dead. He is not a Kung Fu master, he doesn’t have any connection with Chi, and he hasn’t been banished to the spirit realm. Then there is Kai, whose soul/spirit doesn’t exist anymore.

The only one that could ever return was Tai Lung. However, due to the gravity of his character, if he does return it has to be done perfectly regardless of what direction his character takes.

Now, many of us knew from the start that whatever they were gonna do with him would be bad (I mean there is a massive beef between Tigress and him, and yet she is not even in the film), but I think I speak for all of us when I say that they managed to somehow lowball it even worse than expected.

Basically, the Chameleon brings him back from the spirit realm, licks the Kung Fu out of him, he says like 3-4 lines, and returns to the spirit realm…. what the actual f*ck.

I’m sure I don’t need to go into a 10-paragraph rant on how much storytelling potential was wasted with this, because everyone knows. From reconciling with his dad, to her little sister having a crazy beef with him, to having to accept all the wrongs he did, accepting that he is not the Dragon warrior etc. etc. etc…

There was always only 1 chance of bringing him back. If he came back in a new film or show (again) it wouldn’t have anywhere near the same impact as it should, and it would also feel weird to the audience.

DreamWorks, you had 1 chance to bring this guy back, and you wasted it all on this film.

The non-existent magic system.

Or rather, how this film didn’t care about it at all.

Kung Fu Panda has a relatively grounded world. It’s animals that do Kung Fu based on their natural abilities. The closest thing we got to supernatural was Chi, but it was well handled in the 3rd film in my opinion.

Chi is life force and not magic. This means if you use it, you are exhausting your own life force. This means you would only use it in certain situations, such as healing someone who is mortally wounded, or perhaps to enhance an attack in a desperate fight.

The film doesn’t care about this and handles it as just a regular, inexhaustible force of energy. This can mostly be seen with Po as he uses it whenever he feels like it.

The other type of magic is what the Chameleon is using. It’s not explained, or shown how it works. It’s just there to further progress the plot so that the character can take the Kung Fu from others. (Seriously, how does that work?)

The Kung Fu action

The fight scenes were also a downgrade compared to the previous films.

In KFP 4 they felt less energetic, less grounded, and overall too cartoonish. As an example, Po can jump ridiculously high because… I don’t know, I guess the film just ignores the fact that he is Panda who sometimes even struggles to pull himself up to a rooftop. 

The previous films incorporated the strengths and weaknesses of the animals that fought. Po is not very mobile, but he is very durable, and his fighting style compliments this. However, when he really needs to get somewhere, his lack of mobility is then offset by his friends, the Furious Five.

The Furious Five

Their absence can be severely felt throughout the movie. That is because in their place was a generic character that had forced interactions with Po.

They have great synergy with him, that cannot be replicated, however minor their role might be sometimes. They serve as a great way to fill in those empty spots in the story, and to elevate the villain. Additionally, their fight scenes are entertaining and help to spice up the choreography.

Although they are great companions, if the film really doesn’t have the time to spare for them, then it's understandable if they aren’t around. However the same cannot be said about Tigress.

A Kung Fu Panda film has to have Po and Tigress interact, due to the reasons already explained above regarding her, and also because of the following:

They are direct opposites, which is why their relationship is so entertaining, regardless if you look at them as platonic best friends, or as a potential couple. 

Po is warm, outgoing, brash, energetic, friendly, goofy, and unorthodox, however, he is also serious when needed. While Tigress is introverted, calm, calculated, passive, and intuitive, but deep down she is also a very compassionate and conflicted person that we rarely see. This is then in conjunction with the emotional bond that the previous films have built up between them. These are the reasons why just putting these two in a room is enough to create entertaining scenarios. They add a lot of fun, heartfelt, and emotional moments to every film.

Whenever Po is facing a problem, she is right there to help him through it, whether by talking it through or by beating some sense into him (literally).

She has always been quintessential in Po’s development and motivations.

Memberberries, Memberberries everywhere…

It was jarring to see the film disregarding the existence of the previous movies to justify its plot, but at the same time heavily relied on tropes, and scenes from said films. I’m not kidding when I say that there were moments that were ripped straight out of them.

One of those moments is the standoff between Po and Zhen before the final fight. Zhen wants to stop Po to avoid him getting hurt, but the fight ends with her hugging Po….

Yeah… it was a blatant copy of the prison scene from the 2nd film. However, I think the 2 scenes here perfectly encapsulate why the previous films worked, and why the 4th film doesn’t.

The prison scene in the 2nd film was essentially an emotionally unstable Po being held back by a caring Tigress. Po is so focused on getting to the truth that he forgets the reason they are there, and would put his and his friends’ lives in jeopardy to know what happened to him and his parents. So much so that Po was ready to get beaten to a pulp by Tigress instead of staying down there and waiting until the Five finished the task.

But instead of that happening, Tigress saw how lost Po was, and realized she needed to calm him down to help him understand their situation. And so the person who has always been portrayed as an unfeeling, hardcore, essentially perfect warrior gave Po an unexpected hug and told him he is too important for her to lose him.

This moment has gravity and weight, because of how she is perceived, because of how Po views her, and because Tigress was forced out of her comfort zone to emotionally connect with Po, to help him. It’s a moment of pure comradery and care towards each other that ascends the situation they are in. It’s a moment that in many ways defined their relationship going forward.

In comparison to this, the scene that copied this in the 4th film has none of the emotional underlinings that I discussed, and so it falls flat and feels cringe rather than heartfelt and warm. This is mainly due to Po and Zhen having no connection, bond, or reason to care about each other. But then there is the other element that I discussed when talking about the villain. Po is in no real danger, and it never felt like he was.

Production

From the early leaks, it was blatantly obvious that the production of this film was rushed. Between the artificially forced plot, the generic character designs, the non-existence of the Five, the lack of time, money, commitment, and care was apparent.

However, due to an interview that the Co-director did with some folks on the subreddit discord, light was shed on the nightmare that was the production. I won’t go into details, as everyone should read the Q&A for themselves, but I’ll touch upon a point that was brought up as an excuse for this film turning out the way it did.

(this is a real concept art from the production btw)

Some are saying the reason the film turned like this was due to the budget restriction. That they simply didn’t have the money to have characters like Tigress return due to Angelina Jolie costing a ridiculous amount of money.

But then I have to ask: They had the budget for characters like Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), Po’s dads (James Hong & Bryan Cranston), Tai Lung (Ian McShane), who in the end turned out to be completely irrelevant to the story, but not at the very least for Tigress (Angelina Jolie)?

I’m not saying that you cannot make a story with these characters, because you obviously could make a great one. What I’m trying to point out is if you have such a limited budget, are you really going to blow it all on actors who play characters that essentially add nothing to the story? This is why I call bullshit on them not getting at least Angelina Jolie back to play Tigress. 

Let’s not even mention how you could always recast these characters anyway (although it's clear that the execs are the ones forcing the use of A-list actors).

So for the sake of the argument, let’s come up with a story, that has a reason to exist, has characters that you can do something with, and fits the budget that you are given.

For me - considering that this film was essentially a buddy adventure film - it's an easy task. Just have Po help Tigress explore her origins. I know it's cheesy and basic, but at the very least you have what’s needed for a decent story that would be able to expand on a beloved character, and even help develop Po into a spiritual leader as he has to aid her best friend.

Another idea is what my friend and I had come up with. Have Po bring Lei Lei (now much older, and is a student under him and Tigress) on an adventure. You wouldn’t even need Tigress to appear in the film, because these characters would reference her many times. Lei Lei is a copy of Po in the sense that she wanted to do Kung Fu because she puts Tigress on a pedestal. Because of how influential she was in her life, Lei Lei’s personality is a copy of Tigress’.

I’m just shooting ideas here, but at least these wouldn’t ruin the continuity of the franchise and would be able to navigate the studio limitations that the creators had to face. (from the ones we know of).

"Limitation is the mother of creativity"

KFP 4 was a shallow, artificial story that didn't add anything to the franchise, only degraded it and stripped it of it's remaining value. It's missing the foundations of a KFP film, such as the heart, artistry, and warmth. It's not unexpected as none of the original brains worked on this film.

So what can be expected from this franchise going forward?

Well, not much honestly. It was a weak attempt by DreamWorks to continue the main storyline, not for the sake of the story, but to milk as much money out of it as they can. Even though with a little bit of effort they really could have at least made a good film in the end. However, between the incompetence of the decision makers, the rushed production, and the new people not knowing much about the franchise, that was never going to happen.

The only thing that we can hope for is a spinoff (which is about a decade late at this point), that focuses on Tigress. It’s the only way I see anything for this franchise going forward and hopefully, this film served as a wakeup call for the executives.

Thank you to those who had the patience to read through my inessential rant. Let me know what you guys think about the film.

[pearl-tarotist]

🌸 Messages from your future spouse 🌸

{I have not touched my tarot cards in weeks but lately I have had an urge to make this Pac}. Your future spouse wants to communicate with you about something.

PILE 1

Honey,

I have finally done it...I have surpassed the obstacles and I have reached my goals, but I find myself with palms full of time. The hours that I used to work on them have fallen over me like a weight. What must I do now?

I am content and happy due to my victory but also tired, so I need to rest and recover some energy...but between rests and naps, I can just think of you, my dear future spouse. I can just think about having someone that I can hold in my hands... instead of this void and meaningless empty hand. Something is awaking on me, the need to have someone that I could take care of, someone that I could spend my time with. I have suddenly been dreaming about you...not you as someone with bones and skin but fantasizing about your laugh and your warmness and the softness of your skin when sleeping in the same bed. At my side. I want that close intimacy that one can just get when falling in love.

I have changed because now I want you ...does it sound bad? The idea that I did not want you before? I'm sorry, I don't think I was even aware of this void inside of me while working. I don't know... I just want to hold you and not let you go. I want to kiss your hand and hold your face against my chest... can you listen to my heartbeat?

I am just so ready for this new adventure...not even and adventure if I am being honest. I am just ready for you...and eager too. From one day to other all my focus has changed to your needs. I am ready not just for a relationship but for a life companion...I am ready to bathe you in tenderness and love.

God, I want to fall in love with you so much. Please, come soon. I am waiting for you. Excuse my eagerness and my selfishness but, have you been feeling our connection lately or have you been thinking about me too? Do not say you have not or you will break my heart.

Eagerly waiting for you,

Comments: this man/woman woke up once with an extreme need on their chest. They are full of love and they are waiting for you. I guess this is what they wanted to tell you, that they are ready to commit and take care of you. Some of them want to call you baby, honey, darling, mi amor, amore mio...all type of petnames, but overall they want to pronounce your name so badly but they are unaware of it. They miss you already 😭. I could have keep writing about their feeling for the next 3 days because their feeling are intense but I cannot do that or...should I?

Temperance/ 9 of wands/ 7 of Cups / Wheel of fortune/ 4-3 of wands

PILE 2

I'm confident in us. I have enough trust in the world to know that I will find you, that they will put someone as perfect as you for me. I believe that the world will help us and will put us in the same path and even if they do not...I will search for you. For someone as graceful, nurturing and beautiful as you are.

Lately, things have been going well, I have found some sense of peace and harmony inside of me...I am ready for new adventures, for new people and a new love, that's you bb, ;). I am in an ambitious mode, it feels as if I had the energy to fight against dragons and monsters just to get to you, my princess and my queen. (your fs could call you a princess but see you as a queen).

I do not want to lie, you could think I am a bit of a playboy first as my jokes and flirting could be unoriginal or predictable but I just want you so much that I become of one of those stereotyped knights, just to get to you. What can I do to earn your interest? In those movies the knights were doing incredible conquests, saving kingdoms, being so flirty and sarcastic that the queen can just laugh about it... I want us to became those fantastic and romantic stories, wouldn't you like it?

I mean...you are just like a queen. You are nurturing, clever, beautiful, intuitive...It feels as if you could see everything about me at just one glance with those beautiful eyes of yours and I feel so...naked and seen. Sometimes, I think I'm just not enough so I just want to keep entertaining you with these quests even when it looks dumb from outside. Is it bad that I want you to just keep your attention on me?

I'm persistent, sarcastic and not scared to speak my mind...what a bad combination. I am just lucky and in love with you so much to hope that it is enough.

Always yours to serve you,

The Star/ Knight of Wands/ Queen of cups/pentacles /Knight of Cups/ Strength

PILE 3

From outside it seems that I have everything, as if my life was perfect...I am self-sufficient, I have people to dine with, people to dance with, friends that I can call and family that I spend time with but...I'm not that confident.

Inside of me, I have this recurrent doubt and insecurity....I am still young, I am still learning...I don't want to keep myself into the jail of the known. It seems foolish to some to change my lifestyle and comfortable routine when for some it is to everything they aspire to in life, but is it really that good?

I don't know if the people I involve myself with are the best. Are they trustworthy? Generous? Good people? I don't know.

That's why I think about you, my little ghost, you are present with me when I think about the future. I know we will be good to each other, we both will be young, we will learn about everything with time, patience and love. I have no doubts that we will grow wealthy, healthy and clever.

I think I am allowed to dream when I feel so much for us. Isn't it good that we will grow together and stablish our own bases? We won't copy others, we will be irreversibly us. And that's why I appreciate you so much.

I love you, take care.

10 of Wands/ 9 of Swords/The Moon/ page and knight of pentacles

This reading belongs to @pearl-tarotist.

[yannig]

This is entirely unimportant, but I have opinion about French names in tsc/aftg.

Jean being named Jean is- well. entirely unoriginal, but I can live with it. It's both the cliché name for a French character written by an American, and a name I haven't actually seen in France in years.

Like, men from my grand-parents generation are named Jean. I have never met even one (1) person named Jean that was under 60, and by now is more likely to be 80.

So it's giving grandpa. But it's also a name I still have heard a lot, from books and history classes, enough that it kinda feels timeless. Point is, it was weird at the beginning, but I can live with it.

Jean-Yves though. Jean-Yves. Listen. You don't need to pick foreign names from the top 10 most popular names in their age group. But Jean-Yves is. Such a very specific name. It's a bit younger, more my parents generation, so getting around 60 years old. And it's even weirder to imagine for a 19 years old. (even one who was 19 in 2007)

In fact, the only context in which someone in his 30's today would be named Jean-Yves is if he came from a very old money family. That's the only type of people naming their kids with composite names. Especially one like Jean-Yves.

And I'm not entirely sure how it works with his family background? Like, it can work, we're talking mafia, it's not stupid to imagine they might be old-money. But also I feel like they're a bit too small as mafia to be worth that much? (am I going to develop a Moreau family history based on that name alone? possible yes.)

Elodie, however, manages to be both an actual French name from the right age group (I've a cousin that age), and not an incredible common one! Yay for originality!

Moreau, if you're wondering, is an actual French family name. It's pretty common without being cliché, it works. Nothing much to say about it.

(listen, it's not a big deal, it's just French male characters in American media are either named Louis or Jean, so I can't help rolling my eyes at it every time it comes up. It doesn't take anything away from Nora's writing, I just needed to vent.)

[partuulla]

dude, your whole bubo series is actually AWESOME.

i’ve played both of your games, found all the endings, scanned all the QR codes, seen all of your videos (i believe) and more. i’m actually obsessed with how amazing your art and storyline is! you’re a very talented person and i am happily sending a thank you for making my week a whole lot better with your incredible project. i hope you have a superb day!

also, a cheese for gavril (i know, unoriginal but i think it’s funny)

🧀

Ahh that's so sweet <33 thank you

[initial-lime]

you’re like the first Buried blog I’ve found so I’m a wee bit excited, and I have a few questions that I need an opinion on

1, opinion on the Vast? It and the Buried are practically opposites but they share the ocean (Drowning & the Deep), so could a Vast avatar and a Buried avatar technically collab on making some poor fools live a miserable wet hell?

2, top 5 favorite episodes?

3, favorite avatar/avatars?

Hiiii welcome!! This is where I go insane about the dirt, glad to have you! (:

1. For the bit of it I like to be antagonistic towards the vast, those damn sky loving bastards. In actuality though I think they should be considered two sides of the same coin, they share a lot of attributes (the ocean, and also space if you think about it) and in many ways they’re both the fear of something large and inescapable (wether it be a literal colossal beast or the weight of all existence keeping you trapped)

Where they differ is the approach to getting out of the situation, the vast is an endless attempt to escape and the buried is a failure to escape at all. To stand still and be crushed.

Which is exactly why a vast/buried “collab” wouldn’t be possible,,, you can’t escape forever and also never escape at all, going far and going nowhere is just a bit too,,, spirally if you get me lol

2. My personal top 5 episodes are!

132 - entombed (the look inside the actual coffin was incredible, it stars my two favorite characters, I just really enjoy this one)

142 - scrutiny (mostly for the image of Jon being creepy but the victims statement was also outstanding)

172 - strung out (aside from the buried the web is also one of my favorites and I can appreciate the simple entrapment of social connections and substances)

152 - a gravediggers envy (because Hezekiah’s perspective is actually. Eerily relatable, I too want a nap in the dirt)

91 - the coming storm (I’ll be honest I didn’t much care for mikes statement but I’m a sucker for the Jon whump AND I get Daisy in action? Sign me up)

3. I am. Predictable and perhaps a little unoriginal but my top 3 avatars are Jon, Daisy and Hezekiah wakely (in that order) I like them all for different reasons but in general they’re just characters I either relate to or have an unhealthy fascination with

This is already a kinda long post so I wont go in detail on this one now, but I’m always open for (more) questions 👁‍🗨 if there’s one thing it’s that. I love questions, absolutely yap-maxxing, I am allergic to shutting up ever (:

[chloe-caulfield94]

I don't understand that section of the LiS fanbase, at all

I'll never understand folks who sacrifice Chloe and also gush over how cute she is with Max or how cool of a character she is. Okay, don't murder her then. Is there something I'm missing? Her life or death is up to you. If you decide to kill her, then she obviously is not that important to you. Certainly not your "number one priority".

Go bask in your glory of an everyday hero who'd be willing to kill their own friend for "the greater good" instead of crying crocodile tears over Chloe's coffin.

An especially egregious example of such mentality is fetishizing Chloe as a "tragic" character, a member of the 27 Club with an 8 year head start. Dude, you're the one turning her life story into a tragedy. You're the one killing her. You're the one depriving her of a happy ending, of a fresh start. I don't understand the morbid interest in Chloe's story viewed through that lens.

The story of a troubled kid who everyone gave up on, including her family, her friends and even herself, who died a stupid death that could've been prevented had she had at least one person standing in her corner (but as it turned out, there was nobody willing to stick by her) is not interesting or captivating. It's simply revolting. And to tell you the truth, quite unoriginal in its inhumanity and banal in its cruelty. Look out the window and you'll see hundreds of stories like that. Is this the sort of tale you wish to write with your choices?

At least I can understand Chloe Price haters. They sacrifice Chloe, because they are lusting to murder the person they are seething with hatred towards. They sacrifice Chloe, because they are deriving sick pleasure from handing down the death penalty for the unforgivable crime of being a troubled teen. That mindset is condemnable, but I can at least understand it, even though I would never think or feel that way, not about Chloe, not about anyone else.

But I cannot comprehend the mindset of celebrating the character that you judged unworthy of survival, less important than others, whose life you chose to spend as a resource. We get it, you performed the incredibly complex analysis of "one is less than multiple", you proved you possess "the strongest of wills to make the hardest of choices".

You decided that there were others "who should live way more" than Chloe and you swung the headman's axe. I salute both your strength to usurp for yourself the right to judge who is more worthy of life and your courage to immediately kill to enforce your swift and wise judgement. I personally, being a coward, faced with a choice to sacrifice a human life to stop a tornado would refuse to do so and let the events unfold, as I feel I am in no position to ever judge who should live and who should die. I guess that's just my weakness and liberal, tree-hugging concern for human dignity speaking.

But could you please stop smiling over the coffin of your victim? Could you please stop recollecting all the moments of joy and friendship that you selfishly decided to take back, that you erased, that you prevented from ever hapening? Could you please stop celebrating the friend that you used for five days to make yourself feel better about your past mistakes and to go through a coming-of-age adventure, who you then discarded like a toy you got bored with, making sure that she never experienced any of the things you did?

Go have fun with all the people you saved instead of performatively mourning the person whose life you deemed so insignificant you chose to willingly cause her death.

In her darkest moment she said she didn't deserve Max's love and friendship, that she didn't even deserve to live. And instead of proving her wrong, uplifiting her, giving a chance to begin again somewhere the past would hold no dominion over her, you chose to prove her right. Denying her a chance at life, you pushed her back into the quagmire of the past, to drown.

Sadistic fate set her up as the Price to be paid. And in your blind obedience to evil destiny, you chose to pay with her life. Whether that made you feel bad or sad was irrelevant to her as she died alone, abandoned and afraid, in a pool of her own blood.

On a related note, don't you think Bay Max keeping Chloe's belongings is deeply disturbing? The belongings of a girl who saw Max for the last time five years ago? I'm fairly certain that if you asked the Monday, pre-parking lot Chloe (so the one who is murdered) if she wished for her personal belongings to pass to Max in case of her death, she would respond with an emphatic "no". I wonder, would Bay Max lie to Joyce, telling her that she got to reconnect with Chloe before her murder (she didn't, since she erased all the time she had spent with Chloe). This only goes to show that Bay Max is totally out of character - basically a creepy body snatcher.

[skyloftsword]

Ranking Zelda stories because I am bored

Happy Easter and Trans Visibility Day! I'm bored and wanted to rank the stories of the 3D Zelda games. Spoilers of course. Ranked from favorite (top) to weakest (bottom). I also won't be including WInd Waker because I never beat it (not the game's fault, I bought HD during the Switch's lifecycle and got tired of the Wii U gamepad). A lot of my problems are just personal gripes and not really criticisms.

Tears of the Kingdom: Controversial placement, I know (I have been literally harassed SEVERAL times over this take, I am disappointed in humanity). It has its issues, but like, what thing DOESN'T have flaws? Everything is flawed, it came free with your entertainment. The plot beats for Tears of the Kingdom are absolutely insane. The Imprisoning War and the events leading up to it all felt connected and relevant to each other and the events in the present. Not to mention watching stuff like the Molduga memory and the Imprisoning War itself was extremely hype. Seeing the interactions between Sonia, Rauru, Zelda and Mineru got me really attached to these characters. The events in the present also feel meaningful and urgent. Your friends from the previous game are ACTUALLY in trouble in this game and not just being stalked by a giant robot that's doing nothing. The Sages also felt more connected than the Champions ever did. The camera not being locked behind a backtracking quest this time was cool too. Overall, this game's story hit the hardest, especially with the Dragon Tears quest.

Skyward Sword: Great story with a great cast. Backtracking is a bit of a pain and could have been handled better, but I love the events of the game. Groose's character development is truly excellent. Link and Zelda having a connection also assisted in making the adventure hitting harder.

Twilight Princess: As a former Twilight Princess hater, I would like to apologize to this game. I had a biased hatred against the game because I thought it was just TP fans that were toxic when in reality its just the Zelda fanbase as a whole that has a massive toxicity problem (not all Zelda fans are toxic). The whole beginning segment with Ordon Village and the Twili Realm sets up Link's quest perfectly. The story as a whole is really great until Ganondorf. Ganondorf in this game is genuinely really weak as a character, same with Zelda. They at least have the manga to help them but still...

Majora's Mask: I love the concept for this game's story and for the most part its really well done. Its just short and a lot of the interesting stuff is in the side quests. This is totally fine because it helps get me invested in the world, but most side quests are just... meh. Anju/Kafei, the grandma stories and the Romani Ranch quest lines (including the Ranch Race with the Gorman Brothers) are really great though.

Breath of the Wild: Man... This game's backstory is SO, SO, SO GOOD. Like wow is it good. I just HATE how its told. Stuff that would be cool to see is NEVER shown. Like why not show us Zelda and Link vs Calamity Ganon? Not to mention the Camera backtracking quest... I will say, at least it made the Champion's Tunic plot relevant. TotK should've made the Leathers important. Also the Divine Beast quests just don't sit right with me (outside of the Gerudo one, that one was really great). The Divine Beast fights are incredible though, they make up for the atrocious dungeon bosses.

Ocarina of Time: Too boring and unoriginal for me. Yes, TotK takes a lot from BotW's style of story, but it at least builds upon it and has unique aspects like Crisis at Hyrule Castle and Mineru's entire questline. I do like how Ganondorf mocks Link, especially in the Forest Temple, as it makes him more relevant. Ganondorf waiting until Zelda gave Link the Light Arrows just was incompetent though.

Alright, that's my ranking of each 3D Zelda story I have an opinion on. I very much expect disagreement (especially with TotK) and that's fine, just please do not attack me over this stuff. Its just opinions. I've been harassed way too much over my takes on TotK, its tiring.

[wacky-internet-rollercoaster]

Ok I want to go through something in The Crow trailer

First of all, I don't like it, I think it looks terrible and Hollywood is butchering what goth actually is, etc

One thing first, is that so far, Eric Draven here does not sound like he's lost his mind with grief. This is very bad, and very inauthentic. One of my biggest gripes so far. In the novel and the 1994 film, Eric Draven is out of his mind insane with grief, and that's a very, very important part of his character.

It's also very modern with the action, and doesn't depict Eric brutally murdering anyone, but has a lot of modern-looking violence that you can see in any other new action movie. This is unoriginal and has no connection to the original novel and film, where the violence was especially brutal due to Draven's mindset. The violence in the original was committed out of grief and was clearly meant to disturb people, rather than be commonplace.

Also, the soundtrack is shaping up to be godawful based on the song in the trailer.

The big thing I want to look at is the bathtub scene.

This is clearly a reference to the scene An August Noel in the novel- this was not in the 1994 film; the scene was cut out of the original novel, which the movie was based on, but it was included in the special edition release of the novel years later:

(Statement from James O'Barr, from the novel itself- my copy)

I can't decide if it's incredibly insensitive for the director to include this in the film, or if it's touching. Either way, it does make it authentic to the novel, which I do appreciate. I am curious what O'Barr might say on it.

[katyspersonal]

Not me detecting tropes again lol

Speaking of, I know I joked that they've learned what worked with Shabriri from Mico (themes of eyes and insanity + "ascending" by mass sacrifice), but actually Navlaan too, if not even more so?

Navlaan says that the sorcerer was looking for new forms of magic but instead "created" him, which does have the vibe of accidentally ending with split personality during experiments (Jekyll and Hyde vibe), however, description of Scraps of Life says this:

An esoteric spell created by Navlaan, the infamous exiled sorcerer. Awakens the souls of the long-buried dead. The heretic Navlaan was executed along with his entire village, and the mere utterance of his name became a crime. Some say it was because he sought to restore the banned art of resurrection.

Basically bro used to be his own person, existing probably long before this sorcerer or at least independently, and was another victim of cancel culture dshfdshjfsd So, the line "But instead, he created me" would mean sort of rebirth by possessing this sorcerer. It is not direct possession as in, controlling the body as a puppet, but neither a personality born from within the 'original' person (typically from dark and repressed emotions). But it is a secret third thing; say, he barely had recollection and semblance of his original self after death, so completing the otherwise almost-blank state and filling the gaps from what was lost with the memories and feelings of the host is as good as being born as a new person.

And it IS kind of like Shabriri, too! Except, Yura is certainly no longer present in the body, whereas the original sorcerer still appears when the player is in the human state to beg them to stay away for their own sake. But Shabriri also 'adapted' to what Yura used to be, like suddenly being able to fight the same way as him (with the only addition of Frenzy incantations), and Ronin Set is described as "armour of man that calls himself Shabriri".

As for Navlaan, some of his grudges seem like they came from the sorcerer rather than his existence within this vessel, and he unknowingly carries them out. He also describes the sorcerer as "naive" when he is pretty much naive himself now; he simply trusts that we killed people just because we bring their things! Also description of Chaos Set says "Robe worn by a chaos sorcerer. He calls himself Navlaan, now", so whereas original sorcerer's name is never learned, it is probably now abandoned and not relevant as Navlaan 'overrode' the original. Again, really interesting concept of two people that become an amalgamation upon merging (that I tooooootaly didn't use for what happened with Logarius and the King, and that is toooootaly not what likely happened with Aldrich after he ate Gwyndolin.......)

+ Also cool thing that Shabriri and Navlaan both messed with something forbidden and forbidden for a good reason, and both were incredibly hated! Shabriri is "the most reviled man in history" and Navlaan was so hated that you could not even mention him! I am sorry for bringing this topic often but I just really like to analyse how Fromsoft invents 'a type of a guy' and reuses blueprints later without being unoriginal about it, it is just fascinating

[honeybeebabs]

tehehehehehe i gave in...

introducing the brand new ask blog! themed around the AMAZING fnaf fangame playtime with percy! i have no idea what to call this au, so feel free to make suggestions.

"Say hello to your new best friend, the Pal Percy, created by Paltronics Co! With a click of a button and a purchase on our official website, you can have YOUR OWN new best pal! They'll love you no matter what, and will always be by your side. With our incredibly advanced ai, they're capable of holding incredibly accurate conversations, and even feeling and understanding emotions! The screen in their chest has many uses, including the ability to play games and display text! Sizes, genders, and personalities may vary depending on the model. Paltronics is NOT liable for any damages caused. Order now, and get your NEW BEST FRIEND sent right to your door! Only $299.99."

It was a good while after Percy's Playhouse was destroyed. The animatronics had all been abandoned by the people who had bought them, and now resided in a run-down storage facility not that far away. A perfect surprise to await any unsuspecting adventures who liked to explore ruined areas.

Around the same time, a small handful of people reported getting strange, massive packages delivered to their door apparently sent by 'Paltronics Co' themselves. How odd... Whatever could be inside? Follow our new protagonist (yes, still named Bee because I am incredibly unoriginal with character names) and her new friends on whatever insane adventures may await!

ASK BLOG OFFICIALLY OPEN!!

and here are the characters who will be our stars! and a bit of au info.

Percy Poodle! The fluffball himself. A big goofball who loves to play and have fun, but has become quiet and somewhat reserved after being abandoned.

The Playful Poodles! Tim, Tat, and Tot. Headcanonned to be like Percy's annoying younger siblings. After the events of the game, they've become less of pains in the asses and now kind of stick around Percy a lot.

Charlie the Clown Cat! The playful goober himself! Still tells jokes and goofs off, but does so to cheer up his friends. He craves the spotlight even more than before, craving the attention he was rejected in the storage facility.

Mother Moose! Adapted to be more caring of EVERYONE she comes across. She's the reason the animatronics didn't get ruined at all in that storage facility. She can bake very well, and does everything in her power to make everyone happy and keep them safe.

Farmer Felix the Ferret! Still as hard-working as ever, but he lost his "Simon Says" abilities. Now his eyes are permanently the four colors they were able to change into before. Strong, like the silent "protector" of the group, like Mother Moose is the motherly caretaker.

Rowen the Rat. Still as sassy and irritable as he was before, but hangs more around the group now. Still dislikes Felix, for obvious reasons, but is more drawn to the group than before due to how caring they all are no matter what. Bitter, but seems to just want to be close to someone.

Pal! The contents of one of the large, mysterious packages sent by Paltronics Co. After Bee stupidly powered him on, he hadn't left her side, claiming to be her best friend. She doesn't really mind it much, though is noticing that he behaves strangely at times.

Bee! The "protagonist". A sassy, headstrong seventeen year old who lives on her own- at least until Pal came along. He also persuaded her to explore the abandoned storage facility- so now her house is full of animatronics.

[byleranalysis]

As a film student and someone working in the industry, what makes you believe the most in Byler endgame?

oh... hmm. this is an interesting question.

In my own opinion --most simply--, the writing would not make any sense if byler were to not be endgame. The writers have consistently shown they are able to provide understandable and well thought-out storylines. As a show based in the 80's film aesthetic, the plotlines mostly follow a similar predictable structure (apart from S4). I personally believe Will's lie about the painting is made to set up S5 byler. Why? Because as soon as Mike asks about the painting, it can become the inciting incident that sets everything in motion --Just like how Chrissy's death started the entire plotline of S4 (although, i believe the painting will be the inciting incident of Plot B, not the main supernatural Plot A). It feels incredibly suspicious but also intentional they leave season four so up in the air. I just couldn't think of any reason to leave the will/mike/el triangle up in the air, if S5 will focus back on milkdud.

Also, how can you keep the audience caring about Mike + El's relationship in S5 if they are the perfect power couple and Mike's speech saved the day? He had the ultimate proclamation of love. In any other show, his speech would've saved the day and everybody would have lived. Except, it didn't + El isn't even talking to him much. In fact, we as an audience are meant to empathize more about El + Max's friendship going into S5 as foreshadowed by the constant flashbacks + El spinning the bottle. What is Mike supposed to do now? Give another speech? Watch El die again but this time-- the speech works? (which would be really unoriginal for a supernatural show that constantly subverts expectations). The audience has already seen a major proclamation of Mike's love, why would they need or want another? Especially when Stranger Things made their audience empathize with Will throughout S4 + see his pain and suffering for being in love with Mike.

I just don't see it going that direction.

However, writing aside. Everything from the props, the lighting, the framing, dialogue, etc, in which Mike + Will are involved, pushes and highlights something between them. Even the music backs this up. I am not saying every scene they are in is made to push byler. But in their heart-to-hearts, it is incredibly clear what the production team wanted to convey.

[no-gays-in-russia]

I just think it’s genuinely mindblowing that every single year everyone always finds a way to make such a fuss about the winner. In 2017 Salvador Sobral only won because people pitied him for his heart problem. In 2018 Cyprus deserved to win instead of Israel. In 2021 Maneskin were drug addicts. In 2022 Ukraine only won because of the war. And now Loreen didn’t deserve to win because her song is unoriginal. And people can’t even be consistent with their complaints- this year originality is the issue while last year no one cared about how original the winner was, last year the televote was political and the jury winner was the real winner while this year the televote is the one who’s right...

I’m not saying you HAVE to like the winner or agree with it. I’m not saying you aren’t allowed to be upset your favourite didn’t win. I’m not saying you can’t have a different opinion and you just have to smile and nod and take it in- everyone is different, and freedom of speech is fundamental. But I don’t understand why people cannot express their opinion peacefully, while also accepting that hey, this song won, I don’t agree with it but eh I’ll live. 

While Loreen was my winner and I am, I won’t hide it, overjoyed she won, I actually agree with all the critiques she’s getting, I have since the beginning. The song is unoriginal, that’s true. Other people deserve to win, that’s true. It’s getting boring with the same countries winning over and over again (even though it’s always happened, just think of Ireland in the 90s, it’s nothing new) and it would be great for a country who’s never won or hasn’t in a while to win, that’s true. It’s fair to bring these points up because they are true (and even if I didn’t consider them to be, it would still be fair- because all opinions are valid). But everything can be done respectfully and calmly without having to turn it into a war. This is not a war. This is not Kaarija stans vs. Loreen stans. We are all Eurovision fans who just want a great and fair contest, and we all have the same passion and the same wish. 

Learn to be happy for the winner while also mantaining and supporting your opinion. And most importantly- the winner is not the most important thing. Every year that’s everything everyone talks about. There is other stuff to talk about. Talk about the show. Talk about Greece only giving 4 points to Cyprus (THAT was the real shock of this year lol). The winner is not the most important thing. I think we will be so much happier as a fanbase if we just learn to go “Eh, I’m not happy, whatever” and go on lol. 

That said, I want to say something nice about every single top 5 country: Sweden: stunning performance and vocals. Finland: extremely original, something we’d never seen before. Israel: incredibly solid performance with great coreography, camera angles, just flawless. Italy: beautiful vocals, pretty instrumental and nice structure.  Norway: really fierce performance, great vocals, good structure, vivid lyrics.

[doeg-box2006]

Guess what? Today is my birthday, which means I am officially turning 18. It marks the beginning of my journey into adulthood, I suppose...

I know this post is going to be a little long and some few vents here and there but, i want to express my gratitude for your support when I posted my (Not so best) first Eosd arrangement of Alice's stage. Initially, when I didn't have my laptop, and for my very dedicated early viewers who have been with me since the beginning of my channel. A fun fact for my newer viewers - I used to upload Gacha content (Yes, I used to be a silly cringy Gacha YouTuber! :3). Most of it consisted of cringy and unoriginal stories that I created, featuring a silly and bubbly half-dog boi named 'Doggy Sky,' who is still the mascot of this channel (now known as Skyon because he's like my child!). Many of my earlier works lacked originality as storytelling wasn't my strong suit teheh... It's unfortunate that these old videos are lost now. I wish I had archived them so I could revisit them and chuckle at my own cringy creations before deleting them. It's sad that a part of my channel history has disappeared...

[Also another fun fact about my channel's name, 'Derpy_UwU2006'. The name 'Derpy' is inspired by one of my favorite Mlp characters named Derpy, 'UwU' is a nod to my furry phase :P, and '2006' represents of course my birth year.]

One year comes by, I came across a specific Touhou arrangement called "A World Nightmares Never Seen Before" from Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom in the style of the 6th installment.

I really like how they arranged the theme! Afterwards, I wanted to listen to more arrangements done in that style. Soon enough, I discovered  @_boga0817 ​​​​'s channel from this video.

I was mesmerized by their amazing work in imitating this style! The more of their works I watched, the stronger my desire became to arrange like them. They heavily influence me to start my own Touhou arrangements. I have been following them since around 2020. Initially, I used to upload their unreleased or work-in-progress arrangements from their Google Drive. However, I realized it was wrong to take their work without consent and eventually deleted the uploads. Thanks again to  @_boga0817 ​​​​​ for inspiring me to arrange!✨

I just really adore the sound of the SD-90 in that classic Windows installment from this incredible franchise that has captured my interest for the past 6 years.

Anyways I would like to apologize for not uploading more arrangements as promised. Balancing personal life and dealing with burnout has made it challenging to keep up with my commitments. The whole idea of turning 18 is particularly overwhelming as it marks the end of my childhood, leading me to reflect on everything and feeling a bit depressed. I'm feeling very anxious about what the next chapter in my life will bring, filled with uncertainties about the future. I fear that I may end up feeling very lonely due to struggling with social interactions and lack of friends. Being alone most of the time has left me lacking in social skills and makes talking to people difficult for me... I simply want to express my gratitude to everyone for sticking with me through this journey. In 2024, despite the challenges I've faced, I am choosing to remain optimistic and envision a bright future ahead..!✨

To wrap up this post, here is a silly old drawing I made of Skyon.. In 2019! :3

[pink-lighter]

chicken feet: what is your emotional "flaw"?

red cheeks: what makes you nervous?

sunflower: what do you love and cherish?

bells: what sounds are your favorite or calm you the most? turnip: what is a food you could eat everyday?

spit: do you get jealous easily?

hiiii i love you sm!!!!

chicken feet: for me, it always boils down to fear. i have a desire to maintain a distance between myself and my emotions, especially as it pertains to communication. it’s so hard for me to express my emotions verbally, and it’s so hard to articulate them in a way that captures their breadth; the only way i can ever do my emotions justice is through writing and written language. writing creates the perfect amount of distance between myself and what i am saying — traces of my soul linger, but only if you look, like the writing stands in for my presence. i guess all of that is the say that honesty scares me, and to express my emotions verbally puts me at the centre of that sincerity.

i’m also afraid that the way i think and feel and think about how i feel is inherently pretentious. sometimes, i feel like i’m so far disconnected from reality that nobody else could possibly relate to my thoughts or feelings. the things i have to say are preposterous, or worse yet, they are clichéd and unoriginal, as if the depths of my emotional undercurrents are that of a stock character. this might also be a driving force in my fear of vulnerability. i’m considerably less scared of this now than i have been in the past, especially after a conversation i had which a friend: he said that making music felt essential for his life, and immediately made a joke that it sounded douchey. i quoted the idiot by elif batuman, and said that saying things you know to be true always sounds a little pretentious.

as mentioned before, i have a very deep-rooted fear of vulnerability. i’m afraid that if i am not constantly performing, or brightening other people’s worlds, they will leave me. i’m learning to accept that in order to meaningfully let someone in, i have to allow them to see the worst parts of me, shine a light on parts that i am scared and ashamed of, and choose to stay. moreover, arguably the worst part of myself — my fear of vulnerability and sincerity — will never go away unless i continually confront it by letting the people i love confront it too.

red cheeks: a lot! i get really flustered in the people i perceive to be very intelligent, or look up to in some way, because i want them to like me and think i’m smart. i get nervous around crushes. i get nervous when i’m ordering food at a place i don’t normally go to, and i’m afraid of asking for something in a stupid way. i’m afraid of asking for my medication at a pharmacy because i never know what to say. “i’m here to pick up my medication.” no shit. it’s a pharmacy.

sunflower: i am filled with so much love, so it’s hard to keep this answer concise! i really love all my friends, and i’d do anything for them. i just feel so incredibly known when i talk to them. my friend was helping me with my homework today, and while she was on call with her mum, her mum said “tell [name redacted] that i love her!” human interaction and connection is just so beautiful. i love when i’m walking and the sun is shining. i love the curve of my lips. i love listening to music and feeling it make a permanent home in my heart. i love existing in the world and seeing all my love and care for other people reflected back at me. i’m listening to elliott smith’s cover of thirteen, and thinking about someone i love and care about dearly. i love writing and reading. i love studying, and i’m so grateful that i’m getting an education. i love architecture, especially architecture that makes you feel like inhabiting it is a perpetual act of discovery. a building on my campus has very decorative vents. i love tea, all the different and enticing flavours i can choose from. i love smiling, and being smiled at. i love fresh fruits and vegetables, and cooking them. i love the sound of laughter. i love learning, and i never wish to stop. i love my eyes. i love curling up underneath my blanket. i love love.

bells: oooh, i love the sound of rain! the sound of a really thunderous rain in the morning or early afternoon on a day when you have nothing to do and nowhere to go is particularly delightful.

turnip: right now, it’s this tomato and aubergine spaghetti i made last night. i think this might just be because i had it so recently. in general, i don’t really want to only have one food for the rest of my life. anyways, here’s how i made the pasta: i cubed the aubergine, salted it to extract the bitterness, and roasted it with olive oil. i semi-caramelised some onions, then added garlic and cubed tomatoes. i salted the tomatoes to extract some water from them, and then i added some pasta water and let them boil in that until the tomatoes softened and i crushed them a bit with the back of the wooden spoon. i added chilli flakes, chilli powder, black pepper, and dried basil. then, i added the boiled spaghetti and roasted aubergine. below is a phot of said tomato-aubergine pasta

spit: i hate feeling jealous, but, yeah, i think i do get jealous easily. i think the thing i get most jealous of is when my friends have parents that treat them like adults. my friend and his girlfriend took a trip a few years back, and i could help but feel so jealous that he could just…go? i know it’s unfair, but i just wished i could also go places without asking for permission.

[hazbincalifornia]

Hazbin Liveblog Episode 6

And here we go! Since Cherri wasn't in the last one she must be in this one. (There was a promo on twitter earlier.)

I forgot Cherri's Australian. Was that a thing in the pilot that I'm just forgetting or is it new? Whoof, poor Angel though.

You know, Charlie, I think your idea of 'fun and relaxation' is a bit different from Cherri's.

"Their rivalry is very important for Pent but he's just Some Guy" to her is funny. Also, he's blushingggg

Ooooo Sera was originally a bird! And Emily looks like she's just sort of a shape...thing?

"You are gifted to be here" and we are starting with this right out the gate, along with how Peter was acting.

Emily and Sera's freckles are adorable.

MOLLY????? LIKE ANGEL'S TWIN SISTER MOLLY????? IN THE BACKGROUND

So the average 'Winner' doesn't know about the exterminations... makes sense, I can't imagine anyone (like, say, Molly) would be happy to know that their loved ones who didn't make it up are at risk of being brutally slaughtered with their afterlives snuffed out instead of just... Living In A Shittier City. If Exterminations are 'entertainment' though, who is that entertainment for? Literally just Adam?

So that's what exterminators look like outside of the actual extermination, huh....... interesting.........

So Adam is outranked by the Seraphim. Makes sense, but good to know he's not the top dog.

HA. FUCKING CALLED ITTTTT.

Deciding to make her named by Adam, the sexist and misogynistic twat is... I can't decide if it's a stupid way to roll with it or fucking hysterical. Get back to me in 3-5 business days. (Does this mean that they're created like machines, if Adam gets to name them? They're not Winners, considering the secret would probably get out if that was the case..)

I wonder how much Heaven will like it if it turned out Adam and Lute are taking judgement of their own into their own hands.

I like the angel designs. They're neat.

Okay, as someone who's had to write Many An Essay and has always disliked the 'dictionary definition' thing, Adam is correct in this one instance. Lame and unoriginal indeed.

Oh god it's gonna show where he is right now and he's gonna be doing something wild with Cherri, isn't he.

Huh. The fact that he's genuinely about to turn it down... even if it doesn't end up that way, it's progress.

Also, Pent giving everybody drinks because Cherri isn't taking it is great.

Charlie growling............. I am, mayhaps, Gay

Charlie, I don't know if this is... the best angle. Honestly, maybe she should have focused on Pent?

Awww, Angel really does care. That's sweet.

TOP FIVE USES OF THE COMEDY RULE OF THREES: I'M HAVING SEX WITH EVERYONE HERE

Oh. Oh no.

I saw somebody saw that Niffty would go after Val as a 'bad boy' and yepppp.

FUCK YEAH, good for Angel! Interesting that the deal specifies that Val owns Angel specifically while he's in the studio, while Alastor's deal seems to tie Husk to him whenever he likes.

Considering Stellaluna likes collecting interesting bits and pieces of targets and other people if she can, she'd absolutely love chatting with Niffty about their respective collections.

Emily seems to be the younger and more empathetic of the two? I wonder what it is that Sera knows that she doesn't though.

OOPS, ADAM.

FUCK YEAH, EMILY.

I wonder if when they cut to Charlie's eyes it showed Vaggie during the extermination itself?

Oh, Emily is absolutely going to try and find a way down there to talk to Charlie- and maybe even talk to Lucifer.

Adam doodled the S on the sheet. Incredible.