#i considered talking abt how all of this is the reason why dante is very transgender coded to me but thats a topic for another post i think

[tianhai03]

You've mentioned before that Dante is uncomfortable with his demonic heritage, do you want to talk about that?

should probably start off by showing where exactly we see his feelings abt being half demon, so here's where i got that from (this is from pg 249 of before the nightmare, the dmc5 prequel novel. you can find a pdf of it here):

there are other instances in the series where we get hints of him being uncomfortable abt his own demonic heritage, but afaik this is the most In Your Face one. it literally says right there. "he was sick of turning into something else."

it took dante a long, LONG time to get comfortable with his own powers. he probably didnt feel comfortable with it until he got his SDT in dmc5, because this was from his first encounter with urizen. he's been living with his demonic blood that gave him powers, the same power that saved his and many other people's lives, ever since he was born, and yet he was never comfortable with it. i think a lot of people forget abt that very often.

people only see dante when hes the wacky wahoo pizza man, because he rarely ever lets others see the real him; the dante who is probably so sick of the demonic blood running through his own veins he hated seeing himself, let alone his demonic form. i'm sure throughout his life he wished he was just some normal guy very often. it's exhausting having to constantly try to hide yourself from everyone else.

but hey! everything's fine and good now because he found his family again in 5, he finally learned how to accept both his human AND demonic blood as parts of himself (and got a cool new demon form out of it), and he's now on his way to kicking more demon ass with his brother while they fix their relationship. life's finally starting to look good for dante and i'm sure he's happier now :)

[eco15]

Some of y’all rly suck the fun out of reading ACOTAR.

Taking it toooo seriously it’s a YA fantasy romance 100% FICTIONAL book it’s not a biography.

You must be hella bored if you spend your time hating on a series that…doesn’t rly matter when you consider everything else in the word.

You don’t like a book series? Cute. Go find another and leave those who enjoy it ALONE. Make your critical posts ig, have fun but don’t go attacking ppl. It’s so unnecessary the way ppl be talking abt those who enjoy acotar. Not your cup of tea? Once again…

Cute. Go find another.

Acting like SJM should be writing like Dante Alighieri or else it’s jus not good enough like miss gurl cant help it if ppl like fae porn and drama🤷🏽‍♀️ it’s making her money too, a win for her. I believe she writes good fantasy even without the romance/smut and I’ve read a lot of fantasy but to each their own. Even if you don’t like it, there’s a reason the series has a big fandom.

I got my own things abt acotar that I don’t like but…ima peaceful kinda person it’s jus not within me to write 6 page long essay on how bad acotar is and why ppl shouldn’t read it cuz “ew so disgusting no morals every character is bad”

Now I don’t know if you guys can recall, but it is a FICTIONAL book and I also said in a recent post that ppl need to stop applying our morals in a fictional world. Characters are meant to be complex and have flaws, no one is perfect they aren’t god and obviously some characters are going to be viewed different when we’re reading through different perspectives (how nesta views rhysand in acosf, even cassian compared to how feyre views him). All characters aren’t meant to share the same views but it doesn’t necessarily mean one is right and the other is wrong. I believe that when we’re reading characters that are hundreds of years old it is bc of their age and individual experiences throughout time that they can become questionable in their morals and mindset simply bc they have endured so much and don’t see the world in black and white. Not every immortal is a wise old wizard in literature.

I didn’t rly like Rhys in ACOSF. I didn’t like Mor or Amren. Amren was not always fae, she is one of the oldest creatures In their faerie world and was not originally from their faerie world, I would be very surprised if she had the same beliefs/morals as the prythian fae from the get-go. Will never ever be on the same mental level as the rest of the characters. And I don’t mean childish I mean the exact opposite.

I’m not excusing the characters actions, they’re not written to be excused. But if the series and everything that happens in it seriously bothers you. Maybe it’s time for a break🙂

Now I know fs you guys wouldn’t be able to handle Game of Thrones with the way them characters be acting.

[sovonight]

i wanted to try compiling opinions on my gravity falls tea blends, if just for personal reference!

the blends i’ve made are dipper, mabel, stan, ford, the author, the mystery shack, and ford (alt). looking at it now i’m like, wow i made three separate ford blends isn’t that overkill, but y’know what it’s fine

people’s reviews:

there are customer reviews on the listings themselves, just click through to specific blends!

mabel, dipper, stan, ford, the author, the mystery shack, and ford (alt)

stan

ford (alt)

i might be missing some in posts/replies/tags on tumblr, but can’t find em rn

and here are my own reviews/opinions. i don’t do much with steeping times (3-7 minutes or whenever i finally remember i’ve been steeping tea) and sometimes i leave the tea leaves in the cup ‘till the end of time, so it’s whatever. i always add sugar though, and occasionally add milk if the tea’s strong enough for it

mabel

my original review post

my review on the listing says, “it reminds me so much of bubblegum that i almost want to rename it that [...] while i already tend to let loose leaf teas steep in the cup forever i'd actually go out of my way to recommend it for this one; it lets the fruit come through a little better. and ofc, bubblegum is nothing without sugar, so please add sugar.”

my impression since then: adding sugar is correct. also this blend originally had sprinkles, and while i still support that decision, i removed it because sprinkles leave a bit of oil (?) in the tea when they melt-- not the best look for a light tea like this

dipper

my tiny review answer

i remember this one being a nice light fruit tea, but i’m reordering it for an updated opinion! if you don’t like slightly-sour fruit teas, though, you won’t like this one. also, steep it forever, the flavor is pretty light otherwise, and personally both dipper and mabel’s blends taste better iced

update, turns out it’s even better with sugar and milk! i just never had milk on hand when i last tried it so i couldn’t confirm until now. with milk it turns into a nice, warm, vaguely fruity tea that i’m a big fan of

the mystery shack

my tiny review answer

i remember this one as a “whenever” tea that wasn’t too light or too heavy, but i’m reordering it for an updated opinion. no milk, just sugar

stan

my original review post (my impressions of dipper and ford there are obsolete, i redid those blends since that post)

my impression since then: he’s still perfect

make sure to add sugar. and optionally milk. and blow a kiss at that mug, why not

ford

i’m ordering it again to give an updated opinion! from what i remember, the lapsang souchong was a Little much for me, even after editing it down. which is like... very fitting. secretly i call this the portal ford blend, especially with an extra-smoky spoonful of tea leaves, but i cannot let myself get into eras.

i wonder what high school/college ford’s blend would be like though

ford (alt)

my review on the listing says, “Now this is the sweet Ford tea I've been looking for. I steeped it for 4-5 minutes, drank it hot with cream and sugar, then drank it iced with cream and sugar, and it's about as delicious as Ford looks.”

i’m gonna level with you, i just wanted to say the phrase “as delicious as ford looks”. like it’s true i like the tea but i also wanted specifically to say it

i drank it again today (with milk and sugar, of course) and yep, i still like it. i would’ve done the whole plain tea -> tea with sugar -> tea with sugar and milk progression taste-test, but i did that thing where i microwave a bit of milk in a mug, pour the tea leaves in, and fill the rest of the mug with hot water and let it all steep. so. pretty creamy though.

the author

my original review post (my impressions of dipper and ford there are obsolete, i redid those blends since that post) 

my impression since then: while i wasn’t impressed with it initially, the more i drank of it the more i came to like it?? almost similar to how i felt abt researcher ford himself

when i brewed this in college i liked to dump the loose leaves into a mug, pour in hot water, wait ~5 min, and add in sugar and milk. i’d drink some while waiting for the shuttle, then put the rest in the fridge (i know it was still hot when i put it in the fridge and that i’m Not supposed to do that, but my fridge was basically empty in college so it’s Fine) and dash out to go to class

i’d come back from class and bam, i’ve got iced tea that’s been steeping for 4-5 hours! the flavors really settle in with the milk, the tea leaves really settle in to the bottom... perfect. drink that chilled delight up in a sweltering hot room and stay awake for the next 12 hours because i put the most coffee-ish tea into the author blend that i could find

it’s pretty much a caffeine boost, making it more like a tea that ford would drink (if for whatever reason he ran out of coffee), and less a tea that represents him

i don’t consider it an everyday tea for me because it feels a tad more dry than other teas (i attribute that to the blood orange) and that’s why i always made sure to add milk, but, drinking tea often already tends to dry me out. how do regular tea-drinking people do it

and here’s my reasoning for the teas in case you’re like “i don’t get you sovo how could these possibly fit these characters”:

dipper

passionfruit: the boy’s dedicated to solvin’ those mysteries

sour apple: dipper is sometimes a sour apple and that’s Okay

lemon grass: i can’t really explain this one except that you know how there’s that like, lemony plant stalk you’d sometimes see kids chewing in elementary school, and it’s kind of a childhood thing for me?? also it goes with the other sour tastes in this blend

blueberry: it’s in his color palette

fruit tea aspect: to match with his twin!

mabel

watermelon cooler: watermelon’s just such a fresh, pink, summery fruit! also, that mabel sweater that one time

wild strawberry: the description on the site gave off a sugary sweet dessert vibe and those are Definitely mabel vibes

spearmint: i wanted something with a brightness and glow about it-- also once in taiwan i had tea with a minty cooling effect to it and i loved that, it was perfect for hot summer weather. i’ve been searching for it forever because i remember nothing about what it looked like, just the flavor

rose petals: summer romance aesthetic

strawberry pieces: i wanted more pink, more color, and i think that’s something mabel would appreciate. also i love eating those little re-hydrated fruit pieces in tea

fruit tea aspect: to match with her twin! 

stan

rooibos caramel: stan’s heart is like a block of caramel... kinda tough when you start out, but as it warms up it gets sticky sweet and tends to wanna stick to you. i heard from the reviews on the caramel teas that the rooibos version is slightly sweeter than the black tea version, and i wanted the sweetest caramel so i went with rooibos

mambo: i heard smoky, savory, succulent, and rich and slammed that “add to blend” button

lapsang souchong: oh “smoky aroma”? oh “sweet pine flavor”? oh “sometimes gets a bad rep for being brashly smoky”? come on into this blend please

ginger: it’s kinda sharp, a little dividing, and a little too much for some people

lapsang souchong & ginger: to match with his twin!

ford

assam melody: “deep, burgundy-red”? “solid, ‘friendly’”? come be a base in this blend please

pu erh hazelberry: i knew i wanted pu erh for the earthiness, i just wasn’t sure which; i went with this one because it’s the most appealing dessert-like one of the ones i looked at, and You Know ford’s got a sweet tooth

lapsang souchong: partly to match with stan on the whole smoky pine aspect, and partly because ford shaves with fire and in fact, regularly plays with fire

cocoa nibs: it kinda complements the hazelberry & he needs a touch more than stan

ginger: similar to my reason for stan’s

lapsang souchong & ginger: to match with his twin!

the author

assam melody: provides the same character base as ford’s blend

toasted mate: i hear this is the closest you can get to coffee-levels of caffeine in a tea, and i needed that bc this is researcher ford we’re talking about

blood orange: blood splatter in the journal, anyone? splish splash

cinnamon: a dash of cinnamon goes into the cure for zombies, and also into this tea

ford (alt)

earl grey bravo: it’s a black tea base so i don’t stray too far from the original blend, a dash of grey, and a classic that always gave me a “refined” kinda vibe. i never used to think much of earl grey and took some time to come around, which is in line w my experience w ford. the citrus is almost a tie to the author blend,, blood orange becoming just orange

rooibos caramel: i needed to feed my sweet tooth and i'm pretty sure ford would support this decision

gunpowder: because gunpowder, but also because it adds a hint of smokiness that provides a similar-but-different alternative to the previous lapsang souchong. toned down and a little mellowed out, if you will.

cocoa nibs: a tie to the original blend that now complements the caramel

ginger: the ginger-and-caramel is what he shares with stan now, and i love that

the mystery shack

green rooibos key west: just west of weird, amiright??? also it’s got a bunch of summer-y fruit flavors, and the shack probably gets the majority of its business in the summer

earl grey moonlight: i was thinking about stargazing on the roof of the mystery shack and the moon turning into bill's eye, and stan working on the portal in the cover of night

pu erh dante: oh “soft earthy flavor”? “woodsy tones”?? “clean, damp forest aroma, dried mushrooms, leather and earth”??? yes thank you

orange peels: one thing i super associate w the mystery shack is all that arrow-shaped signage and all those yellow-orange question marks. so... yellow-orange bits of orange peel, acting as pops of color to guide your money outta your wallet

[bipedalseal]

re: playing dante's route: went for the bad end today! its so funny that nearly all the problems in the 2nd half of dante and nicola's routes would have not happened at all if nicola and dante had a dialogue first. like, "bro, hey, when we were kids u said u didnt want to be mafia anymore do u still believe that", and dante went, "lol ive been groomed into this role, i cant imagine doing anything else also ive found that this id my way of protecting the town and i want to continue that", and idk maybe nicola would say "ok then *cancels plans wirh gilbert*" and tell him togive more shits abt actually managing the family.

anyway that's my imagination, i dont want to actually write a fanfiction on this so ill stop

but this bad end was??? so???

1st of all. the anti church sentiments during dante's meeting with the lao-shu was. hm mr yang are you sure you're not just doing this for entertainment lmao. after having to do some cl homework it was a very satisfying read

2nd. the voice acting. the way the casino guy said "grazie, signore!" rlly made my day then reminded me he had the same va as shirotani from ten count. also reminded me that i wanted to do voice acting and singing back then but i never worked on that. nobuhiko okamoto's roles are always the same archetype?? back then it was karma akabane, then rin okumura, bakugou from bnha, and idv merc theyre all very delinquent type people. tho id say yang isnt like rhe general delinquent, more like some evolved version of karma akabane. im not complaining tho i love his stuff. and dante's voice actor. idk who he is but his delivery during ch9 bad end was pretty great. cherry on the icing. or ice cream??

3rd. i could mostly predict what was going to happen in the bad end but admittedly i was surprised by dante or mc not getting sacrificed. u shouldve heard me muttering to myself when they were abt to go to church. "gilbert is pious he wouldnt kill anyone at church" yeah he wouldnt but NICOLA WOULD. he didnt and that also surprised me. i thought dante wouldnt kill gil, bc he killed nicola out of surprise right? then he pulls the trigger. ok fam, st peter can talk to you himself.

4th. seeing lan alive and not going mad out of grief reminded me. im pretty sure lee drugged her but why? i mean im also pretty sure yang instructed him to. was she not an instrumental subordinate? or was she too distracted from fei's dying that she became unproductive.

5th, disappointed at how "being mad" is used for reasoning of anyone slightly villainous. its v dehumanzing when its actually being caused by humane reasons. for example the casino guy. he didnt do it bc he was mad he did it for the bottom line; lan didn't go berserk at falce just because of the drugs she was already thinking abt it beforehand; bad end nicola was an extreme response to death and grief and roberto is well, typical serial killer stuff, some feeling of oppression and the only way out is by violent justice. it loses all nuance when "going mad" is the reason.

6th, good end dante and mc consider themselves equals within the mafia and their relationship, with each their set of duties (dante protects victor, victor makes sure he doesnt forget his goal). in contrast, the bad end duo has a clear distinction between them despite deliberate public attachment. dante very clearly sees himself as a protector while mc worries about him, a more passive sort of role, also theyre both not so honest with each other.

7th, pretty sure dante is a *ghosts one-night stand* guy.

all in all it was a very, very different flavor to nicola's bad end. i like the relationship presented here, pretty good mix of side characters, lore was a lot but not so infodumped (bad end was a great palette cleanser), pretty sure therell be some good closure in the best end regarding dante and nicola's relationship, and nice set up for the future routes. its a nice contrast against nicola's route lmao. did i mention i got that guy's best end yesterday? contrast indeed. still havent written my post abt that. i will say tho, i think nicola's route spoiled me i keep expecting dubcon scenes now lmfaoo

going for orlok's route next, then back to dante's best end or maybe nicola's good end, we'll see. i like yang a lot more honestly, but save the best for last ig? also where tf is orlok lol. i still cant believe he has a route while roberto doesnt.

[tianhai03]

What's the worst take you've seen somebody make about Dante and Leon?

oh boy. i saw this ask at work but i waited until i got home to answer it let's see how long this answer is (will be putting it under a cut because its going to be Very Long)

for dante. the worst take ive seen of him is definitely "he's not depressed because he doesnt look depressed". thats just. a really fucking bad take. because youre implying that people have to be openly gloomy and sad and suicidal or whatever to be considered depressed. if you just cared about dante and looked closer at the things he does you'll very quickly realize that dante is not well. and that's fine! hes been through a lot of things! everyone has flaws! hes trying his best to be better and i appreciate him!! you should too instead of expecting him to be upbeat and energetic all the time!!! i dont even know how people have this take.

another one for him that i really dont like is. people thinking he's always broke bc he wastes his money on buying alcohol, pizza and strawberry sundaes. that is just factually wrong. in the dmc1 novel, he works with a guy named grue who had 3 daughters. a bunch of stuff happens, and grue and his oldest daughter ends up getting killed, and dante feels responsible for it. because of that, every time he gets paid from any job, he takes the bare minimum amount of money he needs to keep things running for himself(like paying rent and stuff) and he donates the rest to grue's two surviving daughters. THAT'S the reason why he never has any money, because despite grue and his daughter's deaths happening like over 20 years ago now, he STILL feels guilty abt it even though it wasnt really his fault. so ppl joking abt him being broke is kinda.. yknow.

anyways onto leon! im tired of people either treating him like a uwu submissive bottom twink who's very dumb and innocent or a dom daddy who spits in your mouth and calls you a slut. we've had so many games and external media like the movies STARRING LEON AS THE MAIN CHARACTER WHERE WE GET TO SEE HIM SO MUCH AND YET. PEOPLE KEEP MISCHARACTERIZING HIM. leon cant even be fucking considered a twink i dont know why people keep calling him that. i know this is like a very different kind of take compared to the prev two i talked abt for dante but this is the number 1 thing that always annoys me when i see ppl talk abt leon. PLEASE stop watching the tiktoks ppl are making of him and assume you know how he is just from that im on my knees begging

i think people just need to actually put the time and effort into learning about a character before they say shit and act like theyre 100% right abt a character. most of the bad takes abt them couldve just. never been a thing if ppl actually Looked at their personality and actions closer. idk