#i have some big & conflicted feelings about it as i suppose one might imagine

[creekfiend]

someone asked me what constitutes northeast Georgia given the shape of the state is sort of smooshed in at the top right-hand corner, so here is an opportunity for me to get excited about northeast Georgia, which is more a geologic distinction than anything bc it's about which counties have got the blue ridge mountains in them, basically.

things I learned reading this wiki article: "The Adult Swim animated series Squidbillies takes place in Dougal County, a fictional county located in the North Georgia mountains" weird of them to invent a county given that we have an actual real county called LUMPKIN COUNTY but who am I to criticize

it's like a very specific area of the state mainly bc the isolation caused by the mountains meant that southern Appalachia was quite culturally isolated for a long time. :) so there's a lot of really hyper specific cultural AND hyper specific ecological stuff going on here! we got such a variety of plants and animals and fungi. up in Rabun county they get more rain than almost anywhere else in the country because the mountains form a storm trap and Rabun county has these areas that are tiny microclimates of temperate rainforests. it is pretty much the coolest thing. it's a very neat area of the country!

also: yes, we have a famously stupid quantity of counties in Georgia and it is truly unnecessary but also kind of funny.

[sugar-omi]

Ohhh the newest dad cove post the pregnant mc is so so good,,,,, rip though imagine just how clingy this makes him oh my god. (late riser mc) he’s constantly falling asleep on the couch next to you when it gets later, hand on your back or around your middle whether you’re showing yet or not because he can’t stand the idea of you needing something but not waking him up ‘cause he’s in bed(especially when you have bad “morning” sickness).

or something that absolutely makes my blood pressure absolutely skyrocket is strangers being touchy, (he’d obviously not be like? weird about it like if you want to let family or friends feel the baby kick; he’s honestly just nodding along with the biggest goofy-proud smile like “it’s the coolest thing ever right???”) but if random strangers are getting touchy or pushy because they seem to think pregnant people are free real estate? just this big ass man getting physically between the two of you and completely shutting them down without a word? 1000/10.

also rip mc but I myself am a Cove suprise twins truther and not gonna lie to anyone but unless you are well above average size? rip mc. late second trimester and on is just a mess because like the other post said? all fun and games having a giant husband until giant baby time. man is so conflicted(for a multitude of reasons tbh because if one baby almost being here wasn’t overwhelming enough? two?) because on the one hand there’s almost a twinge of guilt because you’re so sore and tired and sick of having to pee every five seconds, but also, not even a sexual(or maybe just a little) thing but some part of his brain is like you said just? that’s his baby- his babies, like it hits him so much that you are literally carrying his kids that you two made together and you trust him enough to be by your side and be your kids’ dad?? and sometimes he’s looking at you with big wet eyes and wobbly lips while you’re trying to hunt down the current craving and you panic that he’s crying, and when he explains… oh now you’re crying because of hormones being out of wack and he’s too sweet for this.

I LOVE YOU ANON. WE ARE THE SAME. literally sharing all my thoughts rn pls... i love the thought of my mc n cove having 1 kid (thru adoption) and their first pregnancy/baby being twins. just instantly throws them into the boiling pot of parenthood

n omg he's so fucking clingy after you get pregnant. if you're not a hugger, you are now. because he needs to be around you n touching you, he fucking loves you so much and just needs to touch n kiss n hold you

omfg, tries to feel the baby kick or anything like that before it's even possible. instantly starts talking to your baby before they're even supposed to be able to hear

if you're still sleeping, or napping, he'll cuddle up near your stomach and strokes the area, tracing hearts and stars and such, talking about how much he loves you. how great you are. tells funny stories from your shared childhood, tells your baby/babies about their future aunts n uncles n grandparents.

they're gonna be so loved.

n if you wake up in the middle of him doing this, try to stay still and listen because then he goes on about how much he loves the babe/s and how he's gonna take care of them, and you, and he'll protect n love them n he daydreams out loud about all the milestones, all the way up to their weddings which just makes him cry

you might even catch him rambling about how he'll make sure they never feel insecure, or like a burden, or anything like that, especially any feelings or thoughts he had from his childhood.

and yeahh, he'd be so overwhelmed and freaked out if your first pregnancy is TWINS!! he gets anxious. because now there's a double chance of failure. he's just so afraid for your future, and even if you're anxious and afraid too now with the news, he does calm down even if you don't comfort him.

bouncing your anxieties off each other, makes him realize you're both going towards a good path. if you're already worried about X, Y, and Z, then you know you're on the same page, and while parenthood is unpredictable.. your beliefs and wishes for your family are certain

takes a deep breath n just promises you it'll be okay. you'll figure it out. you can worry through parenthood together. and you'll figure it out together.

does call his dad and he talks to cove, helps him with his anxieties, etc.. it helps him relax when cliff says that, while cove was a very happy accident, at least he's prepared unlike he and kyra were. this was something you wanted, prepared for. that all the mental preparation, is the best it'll get and now you have to figure it out together, and that he, kyra, and your moms are here to help you figure it out.

n omg cove feeling bad about you being sore, tired, exhausted from the baby totally rearranging your guts and pressing against your bladder like a meat press.

always offers you massages, foot rubs. and helps you do any maintenance, like helping you shave or doing your names, put on lotion, etc. since your stomach is getting too big to work around

helps you put on your shoes if you need, too. he brings you all the snacks (ends up trying your cravings too. in fact, HE has cravings n now both of you are scrambling for the car and end up sitting in the parking lot eating whatever weird combo one of you thought of)

and you're so right about him finding you attractive when you're pregnant, not necessarily sexual like you said although it has undertones. in fact, since we're talking about it. it's kinda like they're satisfied they made their mark on you LOL

which in that case... cove probably doesn't even realize how.. happy. he is. that whenever you leave the house, people can easily see you have someone at home waiting for you. that you're taken.

literally read an article about men's thoughts on their pregnant wives, and they're so interesting (can't get over the guy saying ["my wife still doesn't believe i found her sexy during her pregnancy. i saw what a baby did to her and it just made me want to fill her with more."])

n their increased attraction all seems to come back to their wife carrying their baby, and their body getting bigger. not even just her boobs and butt, loves how her tummy gets bigger during the pregnancy, loves the stretches marks because it's a sign of the hard work she did carrying their baby

he just loves everything about you. loves your glow, your scent, your whole look.

also like i said before, pregnancy just kinda flipped a primal switch in cove's brain. happens to pretty much every man on the planet. loves when you ask him for help because you're too pregnant to do it. or if you call him "daddy", "papa" or something along those lines, just messing with him (same way guys will call you "mama"), he has to grip the counter n take a minute because omfg... he's a dad. he's your babies dad. even if you don't call him that, has to take a breather if you bring him up like that.

is so fucking ecstatic about you calling him your babies father that he will probably fall on the floor crying n throwing up like. he's insane.

ohhh and he'd just be at your beck and call the further along you get. imagine him with his arm wrapped around your waist or shoulder, just keeping you secure in his grip as you cross the road.

just becomes so much more protective. subtly of course, not overboard like growling n hissing but yknow he keeps you close, keeps an eye out.. etc.

oh and you're so right about him putting himself between you n touchy stranger number 8123901. even if you tell him it's okay, he still checks you out to see if you're uncomfortable.

but lets be real, i can't see many daring to get handsy and pushy with your over 6 foot, somewhere 'round 200lbs, husband next to you. that'd just be stupid.

so don't be afraid to just drag him to the store to be your shield LOL

still, even though he relaxes a bit as your pregnancy progresses and to strangers, he seems pretty relaxed and cool n all that. does go home with you and can't help but cry because you look so cute, and your family is increasing, n it's just all so much. he's a big baby still

[ladybender]

Jesus oh my god...

Futurama's second episode of this season "Quids Game" was a punch in the guts. In a good way! It goes right on par with episodes like "Cold Warriors" and "Game of Tones": an exploration of Fry's childhood, this time through the lens of mean aliens making him relieve his 8th birthday party games - this time to the death!

I have a lot to say about this episode so buckle up!

Let's start off with some minor complains I have for this one, which are pacing, stakes, and Leela's characterization (in a particular scene).

The episode really flew by so fast, almost at a break-necking pace, and the games felt too short and jam-packed because of that. The emotional weight of the end of each game hits hard because with every one a beloved character dies. There managed to find the time to get the reaction for the major ones (Kif, Leela's parents and grandmother), which is great, but the episode moves so quickly and there is little more time to absorbed it all.

Though, about this issue, I wanna say that I often feel like episodes are either going by too fast or too slow the first time I watch them and it usually doesn't feel the same from a second watch onward. so this is really a minor one that might not even be an problem for me later on, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

moving on to stakes, with this I mean that I originally thought, before the episode aired, that the end goal of the death dame was that the winner would get a prize. A birthday gift for example, and it would have incentivized everyone to go on and even play dirty (which, in retrospect, seems like a really smart thing to put in! compare everyone trying to get an advantage to Fry absolutely refusing to cheat, and pack an even bigger punch with that ending). I suppose playing to survive is motivation enough, but I think it undermines the "wants" of most other characters, and since this was a big coral episode (which is absolutely a strength! I can only imagine how hard it must have been to put together, wow!) I would have loved to see them striving to win, guess what their “birthday wish” would have been, maybe even learn a few of them along the way.

The third iffy thing I want to mention is Leela in the scene in the kitchen. There are seven characters left in the competition and only four baseballs to find to win the round. Leela is panicking trying to find one and she begs fry to cheat and find it for her since he already played when he was a kid and knows the house. Now this conflict was SO good and ALMOST perfect, but whyyyy oh why was Leela so ready to leave Fry behind??? doesn't make sense to me??? I know she was scared and upset bc she had just lost her family and that probably pushed her to act irrationally, but I just can't see her only wanting to keep herself alive and not Fry, especially when an easier and stronger solution is RIGHT THERE.

Have Leela go to Fry already with one of the baseball (that she might have found in some crawled and ridiculous place, to show how desperate she is to win and survive. if you have the wish giving stakes it's even better because you can imagine she'd use her gift to bring her parents back). in the meantime, the other characters find two other balls so there is only one left, and NOW Leela begs Fry to cheat to find the last one and win with her. It's even more emotional, Leela tells him she doesn't want to lose him too but Fry categorically doesn't want to cheat, and in the end tells Leela to win without him, sacrificing himself for her. Bender finds the last ball in the fridge and the episode continues just like we saw (with Bender tossing the ball to someone else right before being pulverized lol. like I said, Bender should be cheating like MAD in these games, really drive home the concept).

I wanna make it clear that these complains don't really turn me off from the whole episode, they are just my free flow of thoughts on stuff that i thought could have been stronger.

But now for the meat. This episode was phenomenal!!! so much good Fry's family characterization and SO much to unpack for Fry as a character. Cody Ziglar has such a spot on take on Fry, it was so validating seeing this episode and putting together all the little pieces of Fry's psyche I’ve picking out for years now, converging into one.

It seems superficial at first glance, but this really runs deeper than it looks. Fry has always been earnest but insecure, proven and proven again in countless episodes. You expect a person goofy and easygoing like Fry to go ham at his birthday and celebrate with all the people he loves, but we find out Fry doesn't like his birthday and feels bad about being put at the center of attention, and it all goes deeper and more upsetting from there.

Adding to all of this and speaking about Fry’s parents, especially his mom, I wanna add that it’s such a realistic conflict it was painful to watch – she wanted to give her son the chance to be a winner, she had no idea how the situation would turn against him. Sometimes a good day of parenting could be the kid’s most terrible experience of his life, and that’s brutal but the parent meant well even if they ruined things for their kid. It’s so sad Fry never got to see how much his mom and dad did for him, and she wanted him to feel like a winner, but this isn’t a story with an easy resolution. It’s bittersweet and it's insane and this last scene ruined me fr, like just look at this what the hell

This exploration of Fry goes hand in hand with everything we know of him. it seamlessly adds another layer of understanding that I’m honestly not even sure I can unpack in a single post, because there is so much to say and draw conclusions from, starting from the very first episode and ending with Meanwhile. From his relationship with his parents and his brother, to his love life and friendships, from his view of himself as a loser to the way he's always striving to better himself while always staying true to himself, trying to achieve his goals the hard way instead of finding an easy way out. Think the why of Fry, Parasite Lost, TKOS, the sting, godfella, my three suns, BBS, cold warriors, and on and on and on. It’s building together a picture of Fry’s character that’s so complex and worth exploring.

With this episode we have a new fundamental facet of him, and for this alone it’s an amazing episode.

I’ll mail my therapy bill to the writers, thank you

And thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts and opinion, I wanna know what y’all thought about this episode

[crazydaymycrazyway]

The high school kids in Unordinary have like, such a f**ked up life.

Like, we have Seraphina who was raised to be a perfectionist. She never got to make choices of her own and had to follow the norm imposed by the society while she never felt happy. Have an abusive and controlling mother who doesn't give a sh*t about her, might have beaten her up her entire life and was never given a break. She doesn't have any privacy and she was controlled like a doll by her parents. And her sister was pushed way past her limits and abused to the point that she had to run away. Which resulted in Seraphina having to endure everything alone. Everybody would judge her no matter what and she had to keep up an image of being the strongest and the top student. Everybody looks upto her, but at the same time us jealous of her and talks behind her back. She didn't even have a genuine friend, maybe because everyone was too scared or intimidated by her or she doesn't think she wants friends. The expectations placed on her was such a burden. There wasn't a moment she could relax. Let's not talk about the torture she went through when she lost her powers. Truly the fall if a goddess.

It's quite refreshing how Seraphina actually got to let go of all those nuisances in life. Like, she doesn't have to attend the classes, but she's smart enough to get enough marks. She minds her own business and couldn't care less of what others think of her. She started to live for herself and make her own decisions.

Then there's Arlo who had the rights, wrongs and hierarchy ingrained into his brain from his childhood. He was an ass during season 1. And most people hated him. But I kind of understood why he did what he did. In his eyes, John was like the one and that strayed out of it's path while all the others are walking in a perfect line. He was taught that the authorities are right, and the current system us the best for everyone. That peace will only exist like this, the low tiers being oppressed and looked down upon and the high tiers receiving all the benefits and titles. It's just like the time when someone found out the earth was round and declared to the world, but the people who had grown up learing the fact that the earth was flat since their childhood couldn't accept it. For them, the world is flat is a fact like the sun rises in the east. Most people just saw him as crazy while some others decided to burn him alive for saying such nonsense. They're wrong, just like Arlo is. I'm never going to defend him and say what he did was the right thing. But according to what he was taught, it was the right way. Later when he slowly starts to see the cracks in the society that the authorities either overlooked or created, he starts to doubt the system. Then he knows everything he had been taught and believed was wrong. He had a big character development, and there's still room for more. His aunt who he thought he knew and looked upto turned out to be different than what he thought. What he doesn't know is that she's a cold blooded murderer who doesn't hesitate to kill even the kids. And she's the one who killed Rei. Imagine the person whom you looked upto, your mentor and best friend, the one who has a special place in your heart (platonic ofc) was murdered by your own family, the person whom you trusted and idolized the most. We haven't even reached that part though. Because Arlo is now working with the authorities, thinking that he can somehow change it. He tries his best to help his friends. But turns out his aunt is a manipulative bitch and the entire bureau is rotten to the core. He nearly died and lost his powers in one of the missions to help his friends (I suppose all of those kids went through that). He gets blamed by his friends too, and he's trying. But the evidences are glaring at him and he has to make a choice and he's conflicted. I feel bad for him in a way. He was stubborn but he did change when he realized he was in the wrong. Him apologizing to John when he realized what the latter went through was a proof of that. Arlo was the just one of the successfully created product of the system.

But it's good that he was capable of understanding that he was wrong. He had to deal with a lot, but I like it that he's trying his best to keep a level head.

Then we have John, whose essence itself is trauma.

These God tiers did have a hell of a childhood. And they're still kids!

[swiftie-sherlockian]

Hi! I’m just a random tumblr user and I happened to see your post on how you are neutral on the I/P conflict, and ultimately want peace. I wanted to share my opinion, though I’m sure you’ve been getting a lot of that so feel free to ignore.

I am a Zionist, and what that means to the vast majority of Jews (myself included) is just that I believe Jews are indigenous to the land of Israel - which is a bit different that the modern day State of Israel - and that the land of Israel is significant to us for historical and continued religious practices. Like other indigenous people, I believe that this means we have a right to exist/live on that land. I don’t think that this right supersedes anyone else’s - I just think it means we should get to be there too. I have also read that Palestinians are indigenous to this same land and I believe they are entitled to the very same rights. Also, regardless of whether someone is indigenous to a place, I think it is wrong to forcibly remove them from their homes.

As you said, there has been wrongdoing by the governing bodies of both “sides” and innocent people are paying with their lives. As much as I believe Israel has the right to defend itself, I am not going to try to justify things like leveling a whole neighborhood to kill 1 terrorist. Full stop. That said, I think it is crucial that Israel continues to exist. I can’t imagine a world where Israel is peacefully dissolved; I don’t think that’s possible. Just about every surrounding country has killed, imprisoned, or run off the Jews that had at one time lived there. Beyond that, when people tell Jews to “go back to where they came from” and they’re thinking about Europe, they are conveniently forgetting that those Jews likely fled those countries, or were forcibly deported, to Israel in the first place.

There are a lot of things about Jewish history that a lot of people don’t know, and I’ve only just started learning myself. What really bothers me is seeing all of the virulent hatred and then seeing the people perpetuating it be so obviously uneducated. It feels like a lot of my peers (young, leftist Americans) are treating this like some weird sport or fandom when it’s real people and real lives and something that they have no actual understanding of or connection to.

I’m hearing about people protesting outside of synagogues and holocaust memorials. I’m hearing school boards complaining about Jewish members and looking to exclude them. I’m seeing BDS call to boycott Hillel, I’m seeing JVP telling Jews they shouldn’t pray in Hebrew. Swastikas at protests that are supposed to be about freeing Palestine. People saying vile things about the 6 hostages that were murdered just because they were about to be rescued.

None of these things are about helping Palestinians, and it’s so frustrating and hurtful to see a lot of these actions be either brushed off or even justified when these are clearly not people looking for peace.

I want to see big change, and I want to see peace. There are grassroots movements of Israelis and Palestinians working together for a future together, and these give me hope. I appreciate what you’re saying because you value these peoples lives. I hope you might consider the view I’ve shared about the existence of the state of Israel for this reason.

Most of all, I hope that one day Israel and Palestine can exist peacefully together, with Palestine as a fully sovereign and recognized state, and that people can respect Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world.

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I don’t think I’m just gonna delete this because these are my thoughts exactly and you are actually the only one who’s hopped into my inbox over the post, and I just think what you said needs to be shared, so I’m answering. Thank you! 🟦

[ilikekidsshows]

Hello, I have a couple Adrien-related questions I'd love to get your thoughts on, if you don't mind? I'll send the other separately, but for now: 1. In your opinion, how does one differentiate between Adrien's trauma response and him more generally being kind, forgiving, etc.? Not to create a false dichotomy, but I figured you might have some interesting insight.

2. At the end of season 5 Adrien is saying things like "Marinette and I are forever" and "I'm angry at myself for falling short of [her] love". I initially interpreted this as a sign that the boy needs therapy, for his own wellbeing (and I mean that in the best way possible). Things like Plagg responding with "forever!?" told me this was intentional, that the writing team is aware and will address it one day. But now I have my doubts, that it's just supposed to be "romantic." Thoughts?

And I'm sorry, but one more thing to add to my second question: they go out of their way to show things beyond his control preventing him from telling Marinette about London (Marinette interrupting him, Chloe interrupting him, etc.). It seems like the narrative isn't really blaming him, then? For struggling to tell her? Unless I misinterpreted. But regardless this was another thing that, at least initially, led me to believe the writers were intentional in writing his trauma response.

—

I’ll preface this by stating that I’m not the originator of the “Adrien’s fawning is a response to abuse” reading, so this might not cover all there is to it, but here’s my take: it's about how Adrien responds specifically to himself being wronged and how it differs from the way he acts in other conflict situations.

I'll use a comparison to illustrate. Adrien doesn't react to Chloé's behavior the same way he does to Gabriel's and Ladybug's. This is the key difference between thinking “Adrien is just nice/forgiving” and “this reaction has been conditioned through abuse”. Adrien can talk back to Chloé, disagree with her vehemently and will hold his ground even when she doesn't want to budge. Adrien also doesn't make excuses for her because he can admit she's in the wrong. Even when Chloé pushes his boundaries, like trying to kiss him, Adrien can enforce said boundaries by pulling away or pushing her back.

Meanwhile, with Gabriel and Ladybug, Adrien doesn't feel safe in arguing back. He used to do so with Ladybug, but the more unreasonable she's become, the more he backs down. Furthermore, even when he doesn't think the way he’s being treated is right, he makes excuses for Gabriel and Ladybug. “My father is busy”, “you were perfect, as you always are” are things Adrien has to tell himself so that he doesn't have to say: “they don't care about how I feel”. Attempting to enforce his own boundaries with these people almost every time leads to those boundaries being crossed anyway, and that's when Adrien bothers to even try.

As for the second part, I’ve been wondering similar things, and the wisemen of the groupchat have come to the consensus that someone in the writing team knows what they're doing, but they have to go with what Astruc wants in terms of the big picture so that the working environment doesn't become unbearable. Astruc ghosted and blocked a friend he liked so much he based a character on them when they agreed with some criticism of the show. Imagine being employed under this man, and trying to tell him his main romance is toxic and both parties need therapy. Yeah.

There are so many throwaway lines in Miraculous that acknowledge how unhealthy and blatantly wrong the things depicted in it are, that the story at large ignores. It honestly feels like someone on staff is sneaking that stuff in to give the audience at least a minor cue that what they're seeing isn't fine even as Astruc insists it is and carries on like it is. So, basically, someone on the writing team is aware of it, but it still won't ever get addressed because Astruc is ignoring the issues.

As for the “things beyond Adrien's control stopping him” part, that's the metaphorical tower. The writers have called Adrien the “princess in the tower”, and the show gets in on this association with the princess/knight Adrinette imagery. Adrien isn't being blamed for the tower he’s trapped in because Marinette will save him. Can't save him from something that's his own fault, so, for once, Adrien doesn't get victim blamed.

[elisysd]

Bad for Buisiness – Sabrina Carpenter

Masterlist - Previously - Next Chapter

Used to get to work on time But now you're taking up my nights Never been so glad to be so tired

“Can you put your phone away for five minutes? You’ve been checking it every 2 seconds. It’s getting annoying, I want to be with my best friend that I haven’t seen for the last three months and I don’t want a boy to come between us. Is that too much to ask?”

Lyanna and Emilie were sitting in a nice restaurant in the center of London. A week had passed since her goodbyes with Charles and from the moment she stepped on the British soil to meeting up with her friend, Lyanna had been glued to her phone.

“Charles is supposed to board his flight soon for Singapore, I’m just wishing him a safe flight and then I’m all yours.”

“I sure hope so. How is it going? With the distance and all?”

“It’s fine, for now. He's got Singapore and Japan coming up, so we'll have to see how we deal with the time difference.”

“And how do you feel?”

“I don’t know… I thought that now that we were together it would be easier to get my feelings in order, that everything would be simple. But it’s hard for both of us to find our pace. We’ve already had fights and misunderstandings… Is that normal?”

“Well… it’s not always easy to transition between friendship and relationship. As you said, you have to find your pace. Give it time, okay. And don’t pressure yourself.”

“I think that I had so many expectations for this relationship that the fact that it’s so different from what I envisioned, it threw me off a bit.”

“And it’s probably the same for him. Did you guys talk about that?”

“Every time we talk about important things it ends up in a fight so I’m just trying to avoid it. And I don’t want to always be the one who brings out tough subject on the table.”

“Understandable, but he’s a guy. Avoiding conflicts it’s in their blood.”

“Why is it always us, girls, that need to be upfront? That’s tiring.”

“Cheers to that, my friend.” Added Emilie while sipping on her Prosecco.

It was late at night when Lyanna walked through the door of her London apartment. She had spent the afternoon shopping with Emilie, who had insisted that the actress renew her wardrobe.

“Now that you are a Ferrari driver’s girlfriend it’s time for you to buy some red clothes.” She had said.

And that's how Lyanna ended up with several bright red dresses, trousers, blouses, and shoes of all kinds. She dropped her bags in the entrance hall, got rid of her shoes, which were hurting her feet badly, and headed for the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. Then she sat down at the central island counter and unlocked her phone. Still no message from Charles. He must not have landed yet. It was late and she knew that she would not have anything before at least tomorrow morning. She washed her glass before putting it away, collected her bags and before putting their contents in the washing machine, she proceeded to lay out the clothes on her bed. She took a photo of them before writing a quick message for Charles to read when he arrived.

I might have exaggerated with the red. What do you think?

Then, she put her phone to charge and slipped into a Ferrari shirt that she had borrowed to Charles before going into bed.  Lately, sleep had been eluding her. She always found her bed too big, too cold. Of course, the weather in London had suddenly turned colder, but she still felt that her bed was too big and too cold. She missed Charles. Much more than she had imagined. Even though, true to their promises, they had called each other regularly and sent each other messages whenever they could, Lyanna still felt a great emptiness in her life. To try and forget him, she concentrated on her work, studying scripts, filming a few self-tapes for auditions, and having several meetings with her agent, which kept her very busy, but as soon as she had a spare minute her mind turned back to Charles.

She was jolted awake in the middle of the night by a bad dream. She always had the same nightmares at this time of year, reliving what had happened a few years ago. She saw James again, his snide remarks, his revenge, all the media harassment she had suffered and the depression that had followed. Her psychologist had diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder. Her memory tried to repress certain events to protect her but sometimes, when she least expected it, they would come back, in the form of dreams and always at the same time. To this day, she still didn't know whether they were really memories or nightmares. Either way, it wasn't pleasant.

She grabbed her phone to check the time and saw a notification from Charles. It was a picture of Ferrari merch.

To complete the collection 😉 I’ve just landed. Some turbulence during the flight but I'm at the hotel. I miss you. ❤️

She had received is text 30 minutes ago. Maybe she could try to facetime him?She pressed the call button and waited. It wasn't long before Charles's face appeared on her screen.

“Lya? Are you okay?”

“Hey… not really. Just a bad dream that’s all.” She reassured him.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She nodded before explaining to him what they were about.

“I don’t want you to worry for me. I’m okay. I’m used to them, it’s just that it’s never nice to have to relive things that I want to forget.”

“So you are calling me to distract you?”

“I just needed to hear your voice. But I can leave you if you want to sleep a little bit. It’s going to be a tough week.”

“I prefer to stay with you. I can sleep later. I just want to make sure you are okay.”

She smiled softly.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that it has only been a week and I already miss you so much?”

Charles laid down on his bed and tucked two pillows under his head for comfort.

“No I don’t think it’s weird. If it is, then we are both weird because I miss you too. So much. Tell me about you day. I want to know everything.”

They spend an hour talking about everything and nothing. Laughing together and sharing a complicity that Lyanna had missed. Seeing her yawn, Charles decided it was time for them to say goodbye. Lyanna protested a little, arguing that she would rather talk to him than sleep. She was afraid she would fall back asleep and the nightmares would start again. Seeing that the young woman would not hang up herself, Charles decided to end the call.

“Lya, love, you need to sleep. You are going to fall asleep on the call…”

“I don’t care. I want to stay with you.”

“I’ll text you later, okay? Take care of you.”

“Charles, wait…” she mumbled.

“Yeah?”

“Are you happy with me?”

The question took Charles by surprise.

“Where does this come from?”

“It’s just that, sometimes, when we are talking about important things, we always end up arguing and that got me thinking… Do you regret?”

“I think it’s a discussion we should have when you are completely awake, love.”

“You are not answering.”

He sighed.

“I’m happy Lyanna. It’s not because that we argue that it means I’m unhappy with you. You said it yourself, it’s healthy for couple to fight. We just try to learn how to be a couple. There will be a lot of missteps and we will both do wrong at some point but I know that I’m serious about you and I know that you are serious about me too. It’s enough for me.”

“Okay…” she whispered and Charles could see her eyes fighting to stay open. “Because I’m really, really happy with you too.”

“Everything is fine then. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Five weeks before I’m seeing you again.” She added.

“It will go fast, I promise you. Sleep now.”

For the next few days, despite Charles promise to call and text her as much as possible, their exchanges became rare. The time difference and their busy schedules left them little time for each other. But the weekend had finally arrived and it was time for the race. Lyanna hadn't been able to watch the qualifying, busy as she was having lunch with her agent. She'd been busy sorting out a few details for her trip to the United States in a few weeks' time. So the first thing she did when she got home was look at the results before calling Charles. He had qualified in P2, right between the two redbulls, but despite that, he had little hope for the following day. Lyanna could see that the season was mentally draining him and she didn't really know what to do to help.

The next day, she was surprised to receive a quick call from Charles just before leaving the hotel room.

“Hey!” she greeted him. “I was not expecting your call.”

“You brought me luck last time, so I thought why not give that a chance?”

“But this time, I’m not here.”

“Not physically but look at what I’m wearing” he said to her showing his left wrist, from which dangled the bracelet offered by Lyanna.

“You brought it!” she exclaimed.

“I always have it with me. Not necessarily on me but it’s always near.”

They chatted a little before Charles had to leave.

“I’ll call you when I’ll be back at the hotel.”

“Fine by me. Good luck champ. Be fast and come back to me in one piece, okay?”

“I’ll try my best. See you.”

As usual, Charles did his best, but only managed fourth place behind Fernando Alonso. The nightmare continued, and Lyanna knew the moment her phone rang that she was going to have to do her best to find the words that would restore Charles' confidence. She spent most of the call in silence, just listening to Charles describe his race in painstaking detail, analyzing every move, every strategy, every things he could and should have done better.

“Well, no matter what happened, I’m very proud of you, Charles. I know it’s not the result you expect but to me, P4 with the car that you have, it’s a great position.”

“I’m not racing to be P4 or even P3 or P2 Lyanna, I race to win.”

“And sometimes I think you are too harsh with yourself…”

“It’s my way to progress. If I settle for the bare minimum, I won't make any.”

Japan ended in a DNF due to engine trouble for Charles, and the ensuing call was heartbreaking for Lyanna. She knew that Suzuka was a complicated, dangerous circuit with many bad memories for Charles. Rarely had she seen Charles in such bad shape.

“Sometimes, I’m wondering why I’m still racing. What’s the point?”

“It’s your passion, Charles.” Lyanna tried to comfort him.

“A passion is not supposed to hurt like that.”

“I know that we both have different jobs and that I can’t totally get what you are going through, but, whenever things don’t go my way and it happened more than often, I tried to remind myself that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Things will get better. They have to. You didn’t sacrifice so much for nothing Charles. I believe in you, things will end up to go your way I’m sure of that.”

He shrugged.

“I have to confess something to you.”

Lyanna felt like a rock dropped in her stomach when she heard Charles’s serious tone.

“What’s wrong?”

“I might have bought plane tickets for London and cleared my schedule. It was a spur of the moment. I should have had a few meetings with sponsors but… I just need to see you. I want to forget wat a shitshow my life is. I know that I should have talked to you about it before. Maybe you have things to do and it’s fine, I can stay on my own. But I just need to be near you. I can’t wait for my birthday and Vegas. I need to see you sooner than that.”

“My God Charles, I thought it was worse than that! Don’t be dramatic please, you almost gave me a heart attack. Of course you can come, I have an event with a charity I work with this week but you could come with me? If that’s fine?”

“Public event?”

“Not really, it’s pretty lowkey. I’ll explain it to you.”

Charles nodded.

“Lya?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

It was two simple words. But they were holding a lot of meaning in them.

=====

author's note: Last update of the week! Next chapter will be Charles and Lyanna's reunion and I can't wait. It's gonna be sweet! I'll try to post again next week but I'm going back to work and therefore, I'll have less time to write. Your support meant a lot this week so thank you. As usual let me know your thoughts in the comment / ask box / DM, wherever you want. It's always a pleasure to chat with you guys! Take care.

taglist: @zendayabelova @purplephantomwolf @ru-kru @dakotali @blueflorals @aundercover @ruleroftheuniverse @fangirlika

[rajanilefreak]

villainess writing prompt

So I found myself thinking on all of those villainess stories going around the other day. And while the existing concepts are amusing as fuk I was wondering what would be an idea that hasn't been used yet and got an idea to start off with.

at the most, the people who get isekai-ed to a villainess Au go up to two but never three or more and usually the villainess one has the knowledge of the otome game it's based on. So I was thinking... three people get brought in:

one of them is a mega fan of the otome game and immediately recognizes it... but unluckily they get cast as a background character that they only recognizes because they are that big of a fan. let's call them BGC for now.

one of them knows the game somewhat, enough to have some characters they like. they get cast as the main character and are incredibly thankful for it because now they know some of the options they have in front of them so they are less likely to misstep in a way that gets them killed/exiled/expelled (depending on what sort of otome it is). let's call them MC.

one of them knows nothing of the game, probably had a rather dull or miserable life and thinks they just got isekai-ed to some sort of fantasy world (if it has magic and other races and all of that) and is unaware they're the villainess. let's call them V.

Imagine all the shenanigans that this could lead to!!

BGC is now determined to befriend the MC at all costs just to lead them away from their favorite love interest. they'll, of course, help MC with any of the other available love interests, so long as that specific one stays free. Then BGC will try very hard at winning them over for themself. (don't care if BGC succeeds in getting their man or not, maybe they do or maybe they end up falling for another along the way instead of their 'one true love'. but this is mostly meant to be a softer AU so they get their happy ending all the same)

MC doesn't care much about the getting together and marriage part. they mostly see it as the price to pay if they are to survive since it's the easiest way to go about it but their heart isn't really on it. they do find BGC's attempts at befriending them a bit weird since they don't remember that character at all but chalk it up to them just not knowing enough about the game. Honestly, they would be satisfied if they got a normal job that got them enough money to live happily and not have to deal with heavy handed politics and all that jazz. (once again I don't have a defined path for them to take. maybe they do eventually fall in love with one of the romantic interests and get married, or maybe they do away with all of them and instead get a very successful business, we stan a aro queen in the house. again, so long as they are happy with their life by the end I'm good with it) V thinks they got isekai-ed into mayeby a fantasy adventure world and is just having a blast exploring the different culture. At most they're annoyed at any societal constrictions they might have due to their character's background since villainesses are more often than not ladies of high standing, usually engaged to one of the love interests, usually the prince. Honestly they barely pay attention to any of that beyond said annoyance when they get barred from doing something they want or expressing gratefulness that their stature allows them to do some things they otherwise wouldn't be able to. They also completely befuddle MC and BGC since they act nothing like what the character was supposed to. BGC is conflicted, thinking that somewhere along the line they must have altered the story in their rush to befriend MC that meant that V now lost all her bitterness and that might make things more complicated because BGC would feel bad if MC decided to go for V's fiancé. MC is just thinking that they didn't know the game very well and now considered it to be a shit game if it meant turning this person into an enemy when they didn't deserve the bad things that would happen to them and is resolved to avoid that happening. V is just happy that they now have two dedicated friends they can talk lore with. (again, don't care if they get with the prince or have they engagement broken off and get together with someone else or even neither option, but they are going to enjoy every second of exploring this new world as some sort of adventurer). So this is my idea. I tried refering to the characters by gender neutral terms (despite my tendency to refer to them in the female because most stories have them as being female) because I don't care what genders them have (heck take the chance to make one of them transfem and be thrilled that them waking up in this world means they get to have their real gender and no dysphoria. I'm always up for that).

I'm also up for this to be used as an AU of an existing fandom (even if I don't know the fandom, I think I would read the fuk out of it if it got written all the same.)

So, if anyone takes this on, just send me links so that I read it later.

[quibbs126]

So I was thinking of another swap au thing where the villains are good and vice versa for Cookie Run, like I did before with Dark Cacao and Dark Choco and the Licorice Sea, since while I like that one, I admit the scope of “swapping” is very limited, since for all intents and purposes, the two were the same as their originals, just something happened to Dark Cacao. And I suppose that Dark Enchantress and her group were more benevolent. (Although now that I think back, I think I may have intended it to be this was one difference in this world and not the only one, but whatever)

But anyways yeah, I had another idea this morning and I wanted to share

Okay, so basically here, I’m focusing on the Ancients and their Soul Jams, as the big difference here is that the Soul Jams Are corrupting the Ancients. But also like, they don’t know it’s corrupting them. Like, when they first started out on their journeys together, they were still largely the same as the originals, but after finding the Soul Jams, they became corrupted over time by them, each vying for the other Soul Jams and for more power, while also becoming crueler and their negative traits being increasingly amplified. They eventually started waging all out war on each other’s kingdoms, not resting until they had the other Soul Jams, leading Earthbread into chaos

White Lily didn’t have a kingdom and she largely stayed out of the conflict as an opposing force (rather planning on taking them from the others when the dust settles and they’re all weakened), but still continued her experiments with Cookies and learning the purpose of their creation. She still goes to the Witch’s Banquet and gets rebaked, but here, her rebaking disconnects her from her Soul Jam, freeing her mind from its influence. Afterwards, she realizes that she and her old friends were basically being manipulated by the gems, and her quest to obtain their Soul Jams is now about destroying them and ridding the other Ancients of their influence, in hopes of possibly saving them. The Dark Flour War is more her intervening in the conflict to stop them all.

Unfortunately, her efforts are only partially successful. She was able to shatter the Soul Jams and keep them out of the Ancients’ hands, and her efforts led to relative peace in Earthbread, as the others were also weakened without them and couldn’t continue their wars, but they were still under the influence of the Soul Jams (though perhaps lessened somewhat), and it’d only be a matter of time until they’re reassembled once more, and now she was imprisoned and unable to do anything outside of trying to guide her followers, both in their attempts to better Earthbread and to free her

Dark Enchantress probably isn’t called “Dark Enchantress”, given her new heroic role, but I haven’t figured out what other than “Light Enchantress”, but I feel like that sounds kind of silly

I feel like this swap has the potential to massively change other characters, considering the fact that the main characters in question have long lasting impacts on the rest of Earthbread, but I haven’t exactly figured out how other characters are changed in this au, only White Lily/Dark Enchantress

I’m also not sure how the kids of the Ancients would be different, since while their parents are horrible versions of themselves, I’m not sure if they’d be like, cruel parents now or something, or how their different influences might change them growing up. Like, maybe some follow in their parent’s footsteps, but others see it as wrong and rebel, I’m just not really sure

The only thing I really have is that I imagine Pure Vanilla to be a straight up “holier than thou” sort of character, where he still acts like a benevolent, saintly ruler, but he’s incredibly hypocritical and looks down on pretty much everyone, most of all his former friends, seeing himself as above all their petty conflicts, despite also waging war on them

Edit: oh wait, another idea, this time for Pomegranate Cookie. So basically she was the priestess for the Pomegranate Village, but instead of turning to darkness and destroying her village, since Dark Enchantress is more a benevolent force here, she simply left the village to join her side so that they might be able to save Earthbread. The high priestess we meet in game is just the person put as her replacement for the time being since she’s out helping the Enchantress. And also they don’t hate her because of this, since there’s not much to really hate

But yeah, hope you think this sounds interesting to you, I thought it was a neat idea

[ladyluscinia]

Idk if it's just a coincidence, but all of the sudden I keep seeing those "Izzy stans are so obsessed with this random white guy that they ignore or flatten every other character (especially poc)" takes all over and it's annoying me so much. So:

First, I'm going to link bromelads most recent attempt to get some actually constructive dialogue going about fandom racism because it has a whole section on this point. Technically two sections if you count the linked drive file as separate.

And then I'm going to ask all my fellow Izzy Hands lovers to add on to this post their favorite deep thoughts / burning questions / fun headcanons / etc. about your favorite non-Izzy characters. I know you all have a bunch of them. Bonus points for other side characters instead of Edward or Stede.

I'll start.

---

So I'm fascinated by the glimpses we get of pirate culture / the Queen Anne / the general environment that Edward is coming from and still half enmeshed in because I personally find the narrative push and pull there a lot more interesting than the whole running from one world to another that Stede (and to a lesser extent his crew) has going on. Which naturally leads to me finding Fang and Ivan so fucking interesting.

(Mandatory moment of sadness that Ivan won't be in season 2, because I was really hoping to see where his story was going 😭)

Not sure if I can really hypothesize many "hidden" depths to Fang because the show openly hit a pretty wide range. He cries over his dog and nude models for Lucius, but also skins a man with a snail fork and seems shockingly chill about Edward making an abrupt 180 to "maroon all your new friends to die". He's an obedient henchman in 1x02 and 1x04, but he also takes basically no prompting to go for the jugular on humiliating gossip the moment Edward seems disinclined to enforce Izzy's authority. The man contains multitudes already, minimal sleuthing required.

I am really looking forward to how S2 addresses his loyalty to Edward over the crew. Like at the end of 1x10 Fang and Ivan don't even really look that conflicted??? They were buddy buddy with these guys yesterday - moreso Fang than Ivan - but also seemed fully aware that Blackbeard could decide he was done playing around at any moment and then he did. Whoo boy. I mean, one genre of fic I'm usually not interested in is "Lucius in the walls" fic (I know he's alive, I just don't really care for that approach), but I will make an exception if it really explores Fang specifically hiding him because that's a big thing given he is openly afraid of defying Edward.

Like... Fang is a pretty friendly dude, and I can't imagine someone to fool around with was that impossible to find on Blackbeard's leatherman express. So it's really cool that despite very much not being, like, his true love or whatever, Lucius is apparently offering Fang something novel on the acceptance and connection front but maybe not something that wildly diverges from what he's had before. And I do think it's interesting to rotate how that tension could be playing out in his mind. He's got to be used to the whole flow of making and losing connections - that's just pirate life, nbd - except this time it's supposed to just be whatever, only... it's not? He actually misses Lucius and those other fun guys??? Maybe even enough to stand up to Edward over it?!

And Ivan! Man, Ivan has all kinds of potential stuff going on that I feel like people could talk about. I would probably talk about it more, only with the news he won't be in S2 it always makes me wonder how they are going to get rid of him and what that's going to imply about him (which might be contradictory to what they were intending). Which makes me sad.

Probably the biggest thing is like... I don't think Ivan actually likes Stede or the Revenge crew much? I mean on a personal level. Like, his only real friendship bond appears to be Fang, he's not noticeably trying to make new ones, and he's kinda fed up with Stede's people a few times? I'm thinking of rooting to kill them after 1x02, and scoffing at them during the raid in 1x05. And to me this is a really cool trait. I love it when "good" side characters have independent personalities enough to find the protagonist mildly annoying or something, instead of every single one of them perfectly correlating "good person" and "protagonist's friend". It prevents protagonist POV from becoming tunnel vision and accidentally making them seem like the center of the universe. (This is part of why the spn fandom loves Kevin.)

Not liking Stede isn't a character flaw, you know? And if you analyze Ivan's POV with just kinda not being impressed with these guys as an option, that leads to some really interesting places. Because in 1x06 he's actively encouraging Edward to just kill Stede like he said he would, not just following Izzy's lead, and then in 1x07 and 1x08 Ivan and Fang disappear. They don't show up again until Izzy does, but they also aren't seen leaving with Izzy or showing up in scenes like Jackie's bar like you would expect if they were just his loyal henchmen or whatever. So what are they doing in that gap???

I've said before that the adventures of Fang and Ivan is a completely wild story squeezed into the background and gaps of this show with two fascinatingly insane guys at the center of it, and I still think that's true. Fang goes right into becoming besties with the crew while still definitely thinking Edward is going to have him murder all of them in a few weeks. Ivan watches Izzy get banished, sleeps on it, and then fucking bounces with his buddy to go meet up with him... And then they praise Edward's punch and mutiny Izzy later! It's fun to think about!

...but I suppose my interest in Fang and Ivan does connect back up with my Izzyposting fairly often (since I like analyzing how characters interact and relate, and these two interact with Izzy), so how about another character?

Oluwande.

Now obviously the well trodden path here is TealOranges thoughts and feels. Plenty of drama, development, struggles, etc. But actually what I most want to know about Oluwande is how he and Spanish Jackie know each other???

Like what was up with that??? 👀👀👀

Their interaction gives off sorta inner circle vibes to me. Jackie clearly suspects / knows he betrayed her, but she calls him over to chat like old friends and Oluwande is expected to play along to act normal. So like... Was that normal? Did he regularly sit at Jackie's table and chat about life with her? Jackie does not have the time of day for her own husbands' problems most of the time - she seems to reprimand Geraldo for expecting more attention than the others - but immediately asking after Oluwande's life doesn't ping "oh she's definitely onto us" for him???

I don't think he's a husband (feels like it would have been addressed) and them being related seems unlikely. He's got a good head on his shoulders but he's clearly not some notorious pirate or outlaw of great skill. Like Oluwande is just some guy! But also some guy that Jackie was personally invested in!

And then bringing Jim into this... So Oluwande is just some guy in Jackie's inner circle, finds out the new barmaid is out to kill Jackie's favorite husband, and just helps them out??? My dude??? He doesn't even get whirlwind romance privileges. He did all that for a mysterious yet compelling stranger and no shit is this man crazy enough for the Revenge.

My headcanon re: the murder is that Alfeo was universally loathed and literally only Jackie and his gang liked him. So when people (and let's be honest Jim is not the most subtle of assassins so probably more than just Oluwande) realized someone was legit after him, they pretty much shrugged and sent them good thoughts. Also I think Oluwande and Jim had a solid plan to get away with killing Alfeo that went completely sideways, which is how they ended up hiding on a pirate ship pretending they knew how to sail. Oluwande didn't actually intend to completely ruin his status with Jackie and he does lowkey regret it in some ways, so he's gonna be thrilled when Jim tells him all about how they are cool with Jackie now and he can go back to the bar to hang next time they are in Nassau.

Anyway that's another big thing I want from S2 Jackie is Oluwande backstory, because that would be such a treat.

[wearepaladin]

I know it’s not totally your forté, but you always have thoughtful insight on divine-focused characters so thought I’d drop a line.

I’m trying to play an Inquisitor of Cayden Cailean for Pathfinder’s Hell’s Rebels and feeling sort of stumped on what a zealous worshipper of basically the “Bro” god would look like.. The story starts in a place where freedom and good religions (including his) are actively being oppressed, which gives him a reason to care, but it seems tough to roleplay his perspective and still keep it sort of.. lighthearted I suppose? Any thoughts?

Have you ever been to a party? Like a really big one? Lots of people, lots of drinks being passed around, lots of noise, lots of potential for things to go unseen.

Party’s are meant for people to have fun, to relax, be with people we care about or meet or just unwind, but there’s the potential for things to go wrong. Someone might not know anyone, and feel trapped, overwhelmed. Someone might drink too much, get sick or worse. Someone might take offense at a slight real or imagined and act with less restraint than most. Someone might put something in someone’s drink, and take advantage in the worst way.

There are people who take it upon themselves to make sure everyone has the ability to enjoy themselves without fear. They’re the ones who introduce themselves to strangers, help them find where they belong. They keep an eye on others, make sure they know to drink some water with their shots. Others take an active hand to prevent conflict, or put an end when they find it so people can have fun. And when they find genuine malice, they kick ass.

I think an inquisitor of Cayden would be like this, where the goal isn’t to uncover and shut things down, but to make sure everyone has the means of finding happiness and levity without fear. There’s a lot of fun being a good friend.

[spidergirl-fibula]

Oh god I'm experiencing thoughts

I haven't played either of these RPGs and I haven't even read Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast btw this is all just interpretation. Also I might be misremembering the Yazeba's BnB ability but I'm too afraid to check because now I wrote this whole thing

Ever since the ttrpg ability bracket I've been obsessed with the Rag-and-Bones ability that ends the fucking world. It's a fake mechanic, something that has no real effect in the game's world but creates and condenses an entire character dynamic.

[BXLLET>, another game in the bracket, has a playbook with a pretty similar mechanic, and I thought the difference between them was interesting enough to suddenly express something here for once. A BXLLET expansion, ShXll CasXngs has the Smile playbook (who might be my favorite but I haven't read all of them), whose final ability requires 30 bullets, and ends the fucking world. Like Rag-and-Bones Journey in Yazeba's BnB, this is extremely unlikely to occur, and even has a similar token cost. Obviously the abilities have entirely different emotional impact due to the wider context of the games their placed in, but I think the small differences between them really help the vibe of each ability fit in their world.

Rag-and-Bones token tracker, in all his Doofenshmirtzian genius, can be entirely erased by anybody at any point, and he can't do anything about it. The Smile's final ability has a tracker that can only be ticked slowly away, and only at the Smile's will. The context of how tokens are removed is also different. I personally imagine Rag-and-Bones' plot to unravel as a character leans against an off-switch and accidentally saves the world, or Yazeba just treats him as a minor nuisance to sweep away every so often. Smile loses bullets when they use them for what they're built for. Using bullets in BXLLET is already a kinda big decision, and unlike other players, Smile can only use them to kill. It makes gaining a bullet just as dramatic a moment as losing one; I can imagine them finding a bullet on what used to be a target and asking, what if they keep this one? Rag-and-Bones, meanwhile, fails at yet another scheme because Parish mistakes the potion of the apocalypse for the soup he made for breakfast, and now everyone has food poisoning and the bloodfire meant to scorch the earth is actually just a garnish of fresh bell peppers. You almost feel relieved when Smile shoots a sobbing man dead, cold blood soaking into the dust that used to be home. This was supposed to be a mechanical analysis but now I'm having fun with it let me get back on track. The Rag-and-Bones Journey being stopped by other players is such a good little spark for roleplaying, which makes sense for how the rest of the game is written. BXLLET is also a roleplay-heavy game, only defining some basic conflict resolution mechanics and leaving the rest up to the players, but playbooks are largely disconnected from each other, and it's usually a personal decision to spend a bullet. Maybe you can steal them, but Smile isn't the type you wanna piss off. Similar mechanics that probably weren't inspired by one or the other and with enough distinction in the details to make both of them shine. Why did you read this far. Did I get a good grade in media analysis. This was barely anything I thought I had more ideas to write about but that's it I guess.

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Trigun Stampede

Serious question: do I dislike Trigun Stampede on its own merits, or do I just dislike it for not being Trigun?

It’s a question I’ve been struggling with all throughout the past few months, watching studio Orange’s modern revamp of this 90s classic. I only watched Trigun a few years ago, so I’m far from a nostalgia-blinded fanboy griping about a show not living up to his childhood memories. On the other hand, I am a huge fan of Trigun. Its unique blend of Sat AM cartoon goofiness and hard-hitting sci-fi morality play resulted in a wonderful space western extravaganza that still holds a special place in my heart. I’d argue it’s even better then Cowboy Bebop, but that’s a discussion for another day. So its possible my lukewarm feelings on Trigun Stampede are because it’s so deliberately different from the version of the show I fell in love with. And that wouldn’t be fair to it; stories get re-imagined all the time, and Stampede doesn’t deserve to be unfairly criticized just because it’s not my preferred take on the material. But still... man, this show just did not click with me. Maybe I wouldn’t be as grumpy about Stampede if I wasn’t comparing it to OG Trigun every second, but even if I went into it blind, part of me feels I’d still come away thinking it was mediocre. So let’s untangle that big ball of conflicting feelings and see if we can figure out what's going on, and whether or not this show is actually as Not Good as I think it is.

The broad strokes, at least, remain the same. It’s space, it’s a western. and Vash the Humanoid Typoon is the most wanted man in the galaxy. But when the intrepid Meryl Strife finally tracks the legendary criminal down, it turns out he’s just a lovable goofball, and the crimes attached to his name are the result of bad dudes leaving carnage in the wake of their attempts to catch him. And said bad dudes are being led by Vash’s sinister, mysterious brother Knives, who is determined to prove Vash’s pacifistic, cohabitational philosophy wrong whatever it takes. But inside those broad strokes, Trigun Stampede is steadfastly carving its own course through the series’ mythos. Characters are changed around, plot points are retooled, most of the designs are tweaked in some way, even certain character movitations and foundational lore details are altered. And, of course, instead of the nostalgic crunchiness of pre-digital cel animation, this show is brought to life with the most bombastic, slickly produced CG animation money can buy. The Stampede team wanted to create something entirely new out of this franchise, and whatever else might be said about this show, they clearly succeeded in that goal.

But of course, it’s a bad idea to change things around just to change things around. There’s gotta be a point. And unfortunately, my ultimate feeling on Stampede is that basically every change it makes is a change for the worse.

To start with the most obvious: yes, Milly Thompson’s absence is sorely felt. The goofy banter between her and Meryl was one of the most endearing parts of Trigun, and losing that chemistry is a serious detriment to the show’s charm. It doesn’t help that the guy they replaced her with, the amusingly named Roberto de Niro, is about as generic a grizzled older authority figure archetype as I’ve ever seen, and while his banter with Meryl isn’t awful, it’s definitely a huge step down. On the bright side, this season does end with confirmation that Milly’s gonna show up in season 2, so better late than never, I suppose. In a strange way, you could almost consider Stampede a re-imagined prequel that shifts around the timeline to have Meryl and Vash meet and have their first adventure before settling into their eventual status quo from the original story. And I may end up feeling kinder toward the show if season 2 is better able to capture that Trigun charm. But for now, we’ll have to wait and see on that front.

Circling back to old Roberto, though, his inclusion is actually part of a much more serious issue than simply replacing a beloved character. Part of what made Milly and Meryl’s dynamic so entertaining is how fresh it felt. They were two put-upon insurance agents grinding through low-level grunt work, facing the mundane stupidity of the world as equals. Even as they get embroiled in Vash’s increasingly cosmic affairs, they never lose that sense of down-to-earth naturalism. You don’t see that kind of energy too often, especially with a pair of female characters. Meryl and Milly were women in charge of their own destiny with their own parts to play. But with the addition of Roberto and Meryl’s job changed from insurance agent to Roberto’s junior reporter colleague, that refreshingly forward-thinking dynamic becomes just another example of the tired “experienced, world-weary dude and his naive female subordinate who still has her moral compass intact.” I have seen this dynamic everywhere; it’s in at least two other shows this season! Why mess with one of Trigun’s most entertaining dynamics if you’re just gonna replace it with what everyone else is doing?

And sadly, that’s a bit of a theme all throughout Stampede. Almost every change or addition it makes to the story and mythos results in something far less interesting and original than what it took away. Vash’s backstory, the motivation for his pacifism, Knives’ plan... so many of the specific details that make Trigun, Trigun have been watered down and made more generic than they were ever supposed to be. And because of how cramped the pacing is, the delicate tonal balance is lost as well. The original Trigun was so good at balancing the goofy, Bebopian space western antics of Vash and his pals with the heavy, dramatic space opera stuff that eventually took over the story. It gave you enough time to soak in the grit and tactility of the slummy desert planets so it felt significant when Knives and his machinations dragged Vash into darker territory. But in Stampede, Knives shows up in episode three. We only get two episodes to appreciate Trigun at its cartoony best before it’s washed away in a tidal wave of bombastic melodrama. As such, Vash, Meryl, Wolfwood and Roberto never get a chance to develop the camaraderie the old versions of them did. They’re pushed into Serious Dramatic mode before you even get a chance to appreciate them at their most human. There’s a moment in the first episode where Vash is cackling like an idiot while hanging upside-down from a scavenger’s trap, and it has more of the original’s heart and soul than anything past episode 2. That’s the Trigun I wanted to see. Not this overly dramatic slog through overblown action setpieces and overthought lore that rushes through plot points too fast for them to sink in.

On the bright side, I can at least appreciate how fantastic those setpieces look. Studio Orange has always been pushing the boundaries on what CG anime is capable of, but their work on Stampede really is incredible. The scale and complexity of this action would not be possible without the tools CG makes available, and they take full advantage of that fact. Dizzying camera tricks, dynamic use of environment, countless spectacular spins and flourishes as things grow increasingly superhuman... on a pure spectacle level, I doubt few shows will even come close throughout the year. And even outside the action, the character animation and cinematic visual language ensure that Stampede is never anything less than impressive to look at. It’s also, pretty significantly, the first time that Orange has proven they can animate human characters well. Sentient rocks and furries are one thing, but the way Vash and Meryl and all the rest move and emote never once feels like a cheap approximation of hand-drawn animation. They feel human, even when the writing helping them out. And i love how it isn’t afraid to still experiment with stuff like Wolfwood’s backstory being done entirely in painterly 2D. It’s almost a cliche to say now, but Orange really is proving once again that CG anime can be as artistically brilliant as its 2D counterpart.

Honestly, it’s kind of funny. Going into this show, the thing I was most worried about was how well Trigun would work outside the specific visual language of tactile 90s hand-drawn animation. But the translation to slick, high-budget CG is far and away the most successful change Stampede makes. It’s nothing like the original, but it’s doing its own thing superbly and charting its own path inside the franchise. That’s what I wanted from Stampede; not the same thing, but something just as good on its own merits, remixing the familiar into something new and spectacular. And had the rest of the show been as good as the animation at justifying its new take on the material, I would have very little to complain about. Sadly, it feels like every other change was a change for the worst, not for the better. Instead of creating something unique from the tools the original left behind, it stripped away what made the original unique in the first place and left something far less special in its place. I hope the second season manages to course correct and deliver on that promise. But for now, I can only lament that Stampede is a much less interesting take on a story that deserved so much better, and I give it a score of:

4/10

That’s it for the full reviews for Winter 2023. Next up? The seasonal reflection. See you then!

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Swiftli? Grant/Marco? Mercedes/Carol? Autumn Oak/Linda Stampler? (spreading my own propaganda <3)

For the ship ask thing :)

Also sorry that it’s kinda a lot lmao

Hiya!!! Hehe very interesting choices, love this, let's get to it!

Swiftli: COMFORT SHIP ALERT!!!

So, okay, the thing about this ship is that it's not my default ship for Linc or even necessarily Taylor? But that's not to say I'm conflicted, no, I really like these two together!

*Romantically* I think it kinda took me a while to feel the appeal of this ship? But then like... One night on a whim I found myself making a really silly playlist for them and... That made me understand it? At least what it is for me. This and, @raemeh (iirc) made a post about their first kiss being a surprisingly good one and- gee idk that made me go 😳 as well hahaha.

And yeah! Like I said this is absolutely a comfort ship for me, they're very silly and cute together, love to rotate them around in my head, might even write them at some point who knows!

Marco/Grant: OUGH THE CUTIE PATOOTIES OH MY GOSH I'M PUTTING THEM TOGETHER IN A LITTLE JAR AND SHAKING THEM AROUND AND THEN UH GIVING THEM SOME PRIVACY EHEHEH

At the start of S2 I think it's fair to say that of all the kiddads I was probably most curious to see what kind of person Grant ultimately got with, I suppose probably because relationship troubles are such a big thing for him in S1! And I just want the best for him honestly ahaaa

😫 And I wasn't disappointed! Marco is so sweet and they're so cute together and eghhsibgosesg-

Er, despite this I'd actually like to see some angst/conflict between them? Grant has a lot of explaining to do tbh, and I sorta don't want everything he's hid and lied about to go without consequences from Marco... But of course I'd want them to work everything out in the end! I think that would make me love them even more tbh.

In general I really just want more of these two in canon! They need to kiss... Otherwise, y'know in general I have a good chunk of ships for Grant but... Ultimately so long as Marco exists in the same universe, I tend to imagine them getting together in the long run.

Mercedes/Carol: Oooh interesting! Not a ship I've thought too much about tbh, but I could get behind it! I think my main hang-up if anything is that usually when I imagine ships with either Henry or Mercedes, either one of them doesn't exist in that universe or they never met, or it's a poly thing! In this case, I'd probably like this best if Hen and Mercedes have an open-relationship sorta deal (I mean they sorta canonically do?) and these two get involved with each other within that context. 🤔 Could also get behind a 4-way poly scenario with Darryl as well, but that's not a necessity by any means!

:0 I like the idea of Carol getting to experiment and maybe learning more about her sexuality and the like the way Darryl sort of got to in S1, and Mercedes would be a lovely person to see that happen with! Yeah, they'd be cute together I think!

Autumn/Linda (Ron's mom!): I'm so fascinated by this ship??? Also love that we've just established Linda's name haha good for her good for her.

You'll have to tell me more about how you see this ship before I come to any concrete feelings about it tbh! Still, I like the premise I mean, I guess they'd actually have a bunch going for them? On its own I love the idea of the omega daddies being divorced af and their exes getting together haha it's what they deserve. But yeah they could genuinely be quite good for each other! I imagine Linda must be pretty good at dealing with people with anger issues, she'd probably have the patience to be there for Autumn in a way that matters and help her work through some things. And Autumn is an underrated catch tbh haha- :o also a very powerful druid who could possibly help Linda with her chronic illness??? The fact that she had a bit of a thing for Ron also makes her getting with his mom pretty funny to me.

Yeah idk, like I said I'm fascinated, feel free to ramble about them!!!

OKAY hehe, thanks for the ask!!!! 💜

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

So, i know that logic has never applied here, but I've been seeing some rumors where people are afraid that Carlos will be hospitalized and Iris will keep TK from his medical stuff and I'm just kind of confused about that? Like, technically Owen should have been the only one who was allowed to know about TK's condition during the comas 2.0 since I'm sure he was his medical contact at the time but the doctor had literally no problem telling Carlos, Tommy, and Nancy TK's condition and everything going on with him. So, I just don't see how that can kind of be a thing. But also logic doesn't apply sometimes LOL

But I also think that Iris isn't really going to be a part of episode 4 since she's prob rescued in 3 and I like the idea of the divorce papers being signed and we get the false happy ending bc carlos gets shoveled lol.

I've seen that theorized as well. I hope that isn't where this is going. I think I prefer the sequence of events you suggest. A false happy ending before shoveling Carlos seems like a good way to go.

As you mention, this show has never been that concerned with medical privacy. However, there is a difference between finding out medical information and making medical decisions. We don't know what kind of prior permission was given or who exactly TK's emergency medical contact was at the beginning of season 3, but realistically, the hospital probably shouldn't have been giving out medical information to people TK works with and his ex-boyfriend (unless Carlos was his medical contact, but we don't have any confirmation of that). Regardless, we never see the hospital allowing random people to actually make a medical decision for TK. Then we have the fact that the show made a big deal about TK being Owen's medical proxy. I think the main point of that was that TK would be able to make decisions on Owen's behalf. The way I've seen people discussing this theory about Iris is that the conflict would come from Iris being the one able to make medical decisions for Carlos. Since the medical proxy issue has already come up with Owen, there is some precedent for this kind of thing on the show. I don't think we've ever actually seen someone make a medical decision for someone else without proper authority to do so.

I guess the scenario would be Iris wanting to withhold medical treatment that TK thinks Carlos should get? I can't imagine why that would happen or what the possible treatment would be. Or would it just be that TK would feel helpless and left out because he wasn't allowed to make the decisions, even if Iris was making the right ones? I don't know. Personally, I don't like it. It feels too close to villainizing Iris, which I really hope the show doesn't do. I think she and TK might be at odds at least a little bit in this next episode, but I'm hoping that won't continue beyond episode 2. I don't like the idea of them essentially fighting over Carlos. Really, they both love and care about Carlos, so if Iris is involved during episode 4, I would like to hope there wouldn't be conflict between her and TK. I just don't see the point. I suppose it could possibly be used to make TK want to get married as soon as possible because he would never want to be in that situation again, but I don't think we need that since he clearly already wants to get married as soon as possible.

We'll probably have a much better idea on how likely this is after the second episode. We'll find out what Iris' position on signing the divorce papers is, and it also looks like we'll at least start to find out about the mystery/problem/danger involving Iris. I'm betting these facts will give us a lot more to go on when it comes to theorizing about episode 4. I don't feel like we know enough yet to say whether this theory is likely or not. I don't think I want Iris to be a part of episode 4 or involved in Carlos' near death experience, particularly if that requires a conflict between her and TK, but ultimately, I'm reserving judgment until we see how it plays out.

[kismesisheadcanons]

hii idk if you do hiveswap but um. kuprum & fozzer

yeah i do that now. just finished the game.

Though, there's a little more information in hiveswap friendsim, which I've also previously played.

bear with me here, I'm fresh off the research presses, lacking of sleep, and with the motor control skills of someone who somehow survived the electric chair. this one might be formatted a little different

KUPRUM AND FOZZER AKA KUPZER/FOZRUM/ I COULDN'T EVEN BEGIN TO THINK OF A FUNNY NAME ASIDE FROM RA RA RASPUTIN WHICH SUCKS BUT WHATEVER

lets cover the basics

kuprum maxlol. hope aspect, prospit sway. redditor, essentially. extremely powerful psionic, trizza simp.

fozzer velyes. heart aspect, derse sway. gravedigger, cemetery tender. former revolutionaire, now royalist, tragic victim of doc scratch being a fucking kidney stone of a man. fozzers route made me a little bit sad tbh.

into the dynamic.

while having some things in common, they've also got a few key differences i believe may be conducive to a rivalry, and a few that aren't.

-royalism. both know where their loyalties lie. with fozzer thinking there couldn't be a better system out there, and kuprum generally just being the number 1 trizza fan on Alternia. he seems to believe that he's going to be the gold to power her ship, and honestly if all goes as is designed, i dont doubt it, considering the purpose of the moiraillegence he has with folykl. he knows what happens to the greatest psychics, and is "sincerely thrilled" (>mfw car battery and loving it) to have that happen to him.

fozzer... hm. his opinion on this, i suppose, could go one of two ways, or possibly could cause some conflicting opinions if you wanna take bits of both.

He could be like "ah_yes_fellow_loyalist_I_too_am_thrilled_about_it_or_some_shit" yknow, in agreeance, or, he could hear some of kuprums weird bullshit about getting brainfucked tentacle ways and be like "woah_that_is_an_EXTREME_PERVERSION" but honestly, I'm going to go with the latter. in which case, we have our

respect

from fozzer, at least, the part of the relationship that keeps a rivalry from being just straight up platonic hatred (other than the concupiscent feelings of course, among one or two other things). on kuprums end though? I don't exactly see that being enough for kuprum. I think he'd need a little more.

now, I imagine fozzer, as someone who digs in the fucking hard ass dirt all goddamn day, may possibly be jacked as shit. and I imagine the exact opposite for fucking omegalul headass. then again, he does have that big ass backpack and also carries his moirail around everywhere, but there's also the fact that the muscles used to carry a backpack and the muscles used to do active work with a shovel and maintain a graveyard are very different, as one set is for lifting with your back and shoulders and the other is for warfare against the Dirt And Rocks so that the very ground beneath you yields to your attempts to surgically implant a forever box in it.

I'm not sure if kuprum subscribes to alpha male strength brainrot though. in fact I'm pretty sure he doesn't, considering the little prank he and folykl pulled on those blues. but if you think otherwise, be my guest to incorporate "why is this burgundy physically stronger than me" i guess, which would be conflicting feelings of both respect and

rivalry.

this is getting a little bit long, so sorry about that.

i can see their rivalry being mostly stoked by the fact kuprum is a shit-stirrer, maker of problems.

list of shit that could possibly stoke some annoyance

-pranks. his pranks tend to be uhhh. in the spirit of alternia. can range from mildly infuriating, extremely inconveniencing, or downright dangerous.

-general reddit behavior. speaks for itself

-motherfucker likes to delve out roasts like he works at arbys, he HAS the meats, (not the oblong meat product kind like diemen) and could possibly cause one to develop some beef about it.

i can, actually, believe it or not, also see fozzer retaliating with a subtle jab when provoked, maybe.

summary.

in summary, despite the counterpoints ive brought up, i think these two could possibly form a rivalry that would make sense. if not, i can at least see some sort of unrequited pitch-pining. possibly from kuprums side, believe it or not. vriska at aradia style.

if you have anything you'd like me to add, and that goes for any of you not just the asker, put it in the notes and I'll add and re-evaluate.