#i swear i may have made a post about this before but the concept still haunts me

[anistarrose]

what if I wrote an Eighth Bird Kravitz AU but there wasn't a single scene from the Stolen Century that featured into it, and instead it mostly focused on music theory/bardic studies professor Kravitz and arcana/science professor Barry at the same college, accidentally becoming best friends again by bonding over both being academically burnt out nervous wrecks

[darkscorpiox]

Utena - Analysis on the opening

I don’t know if someone has already done it, but here’s my interpretation of the opening.

Warning: very, VERY long post and mention of scenes from the show, enough to be considered spoilers (sorry 😅)

Edit: I’ve made an analysis on the first ending as well

Let’s live heroically, let’s live with style. (Just a long, long time.)

The opening starts with our two main characters naked and in a fetal position, indicating their status of “newborn” in the story. Then, they are clad in the garbs of their respective roles. Interestingly, despite facing and leaning toward each other, their eyes remain close. In the case of Utena, it symbolizes her inability to see beyond her own narrative of the heroic prince saving the princess. As for Anthy, it’s her resignation to not see anything beyond her role of Rose Bride which she has played for decades/centuries, hence the long, long time.

Even if the two of us are torn apart… (Let go of me…) …take my revolution.

In the next sequence, not only are they not looking at each other, but they are also back-to-back, another indication that they are positioned to be at odds with each other, whether they want to or not. Still, despite the obstacles thrown at them, despite Anthy’s attempts to make Utena give up on her (“Let go of me…”), the latter doesn’t stop telling her to take her hand (revolution) and that’s what she did.

In the sunlit garden, we both joined out hands.

Miki’s sunlit garden is an idealized memory, so it makes sense to compare Utena’s goal of becoming a prince to the former. Also, the tower, where her journey is supposed to end with her heteronormative “happily ever after”, is where she and Anthy join hands and the latter’s revolution begins.

The sequence where Utena walks with the male students has a “one of the boys” kind of vibe and that might have been the intent. The tomboy character may appear progressive by refusing to conform to traditionally feminine gender norms, but that’s instead a sexist concept because it implies that Utena’s gender, her femininity (and by association, anything branded as “girly”), is the one thing that makes her less than her fellow male schoolmates. Also, she looks over her shoulder, something or someone (Anthy?) catching her attention which stops her from blindly following the other boys’ lead.

Drawing close for comfort, we both swore…

In Anthy’s case, due to her hair and skin color, the vibe she emanates as she walks with her fellow female schoolmates is “not like other girls”, another trope which hurts women by marginalizing the few “different/special ones” from the “normal/average ones” or vice versa. However, the reason she turned around (Utena? Her perspicacity?) is what helps her preserve the part of her identity which is still deep within her. So being different isn’t a bad thing as long as every person, especially girls, are given the same courtesy.

If you read the Japanese lyrics, you would know chikai (from chikau, meaning “to swear/vow”) is at the beginning of Anthy’s sequence, when we see the gates of Ohtori, where she swears to find Utena again.

(Also, did you notice that their respective sequences begin with a shot of where their story in Ohtori ends?)

…never again would we ever fall in love. (Every time.)

This line is sung as our two protagonists stand face to face in Anthy’s cage-like greenhouse, where the cycle of the quest for revolution always (re)starts. That vow of never falling in love again, along with that Every time, makes me wonder about how many games had taken place before Utena. How many times had Anthy been engaged to a “chosen one”? How many of those “chosen ones” did she grow to love, yet still choose to betray? How many times did she swore to never love another again only to do so despite said promise to herself? Utena, by ending the cycle, makes the vow mentioned before much sweeter: she and Anthy choose to never fall in love again because they have pledged their love for each other till death do them part (like a married couple 🥰🤵🏻‍♀️👰🏾‍♀️🥰).

I see that photo of us standing cheek to cheek… …and place a bit of my loneliness in our smiles. (Revolution!)

At this moment, the past represented by Utena and Anthy lying down, facing each other, and the future represented by the lyrics paralleled each other.

Past: a (naively) smiling Utena and a (falsely) smiling Anthy -> Anthy gives the white rose, the symbol of the Prince and by association, patriarchy, the source of her eternal pain, to Utena who is unaware of the dark history connected to it -> (failed) Revolution by dueling (transition to the dueling arena)

Future: the photo at the end of Episode 39 -> Anthy’s longing for Utena -> (successful) Revolution by leaving Akio

Even if I dream, even if I cry, even if I get hurt… …reality keeps on coming recklessly.

This sequence is about the Duelists.

Utena being the one who dreams is self-explanatory.

Saionji, if you pause at the right time, is seen with tears in his eyes. Behind his arrogant attitude is nothing but a mentally weak and insecure boy who throws violent tantrums when things don’t go his way.

Juri is no doubt the one most hurt in the series, not only because of her gender, but also because of her sexual orientation (I’ve made a post about it).

Miki and Nanami being the ones hit by reality makes sense due to the knowledge they idealize the relationship they shared with their respective siblings when they were children.

But what about Touga? Maybe it’s the confidence that he could get the power to revolutionize the (his) world if he emulates the system which had hurt him only to realize that such way of doing things won’t get him closer to his goal. Or, since he’s the first antagonist of the show, giving us a taste of what Akio, another male character whose inside is the opposite of his princely front, could do to girls, maybe he represents the reality/truth of the (imperfect) world.

All these Duelists, these teenagers, fight each other for a purpose and that later turns out to be futile after they find out that the rules they play by are a cover for a much more sinister plot.

I wanna find my own place, the value of being…

The first half, we focus on Utena who raises her sword with a determined look as the blue sky turned golden and the dueling arena crumbled. Utena rejects the narrative Akio wants for her and in the process, breaks the world he has created (and kept Anthy in).

While we zoom in on Utena, symbolizing her will to move forward, it’s the opposite with Anthy. Expression blank, she put some distance between her and Utena/the viewer(s), letting herself (her true self) disappear with Akio’s self-made world.

This sequence foreshadows what will happen in Episode 38.

…the person I’ve been until now…

But as it is shown in Episode 39, Anthy didn’t disappear in the fall of Akio’s world and stood up against her brother (riding a horse), mirroring Utena.

Also, we see Dios opens his eyes as the dueling arena crumbles to dust.

In Episode 13, Akio is conversing with a “sealed” Dios who “glare[s] at” him for wanting to bring the Prince back into the world. Dios had been “sealed away” because playing Prince had been killing him. Anthy had become the world’s sole target of their hatred so that he would no longer carry that great burden on his shoulders ever again. Dios is angry at Akio for not only trying to turn her sacrifice into a fruitless endeavor, but for also taking part in her eternal torment by making her an accomplice in his scheme.

Akio has internalized the teachings of patriarchy. He now idealizes the Prince, forgetting that his current self isn’t the result of Anthy sealing the latter’s power away. He had, of his own volition, casted away his “nobility” and enjoyed the privileges of his gender. He was free of the duties expected from the Prince yet chose to not use that freedom to search for a way to save his sister without taking on that mantle again. Protected by a patriarchal system, Akio is in fact afraid of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders again despite his desire to return to his “glory days”. He wants to be the Prince again (regression), but also doesn’t want to give up his life of privilege. There is no step toward self-improvement. And that’s why his quest for revolution is nothing but a pretext to play people like a fiddle, especially the vulnerable ones like children and women. I think he subconsciously knows he’s maintaining a perpetual cycle meant to end in failure, but he’s too lost in his self-centeredness to take a third option, to destroy the limits of his coffin. In other words, Akio must let patriarchy (manifested through the game and the dueling arena) disappear in order to regain the lost part of him that is Dios, because what the latter really wants is to live in a better world, one where Princes aren’t needed anymore.

Let’s find the strength to throw it all away. Strip down to nothing all.

Utena having the strength to throw everything away references her decision to give up on the heteronormative “happy ending” given to her at the cost of Anthy’s well-being.

Anthy being stripped of everything references her true (naked) self within her coffin.

Become like rose petals, blowing free!

Honestly, that part was a bit difficult to interpret. We do see petals blown in the wind when Utena beats boys at basketball, but the only time I saw them concerning Anthy (and by association, the duels) was when the Duelist gets “deflowered”, and I didn’t get a feeling of freedom from it. Or so I thought at first. Knowing that the duels are part of Akio’s plot which is nothing but a wild goose chase, it makes sense in the context that losing means some time away from Akio’s control and thus, a chance to reflect and for self-improvement. Also, if the dueling arena is like a groomed flower, then its rubble is the petals. This might be foreshadowed in Episode 9, when Anthy falls with rose petals scattered everywhere as Utena tries to catch her.

Even if the two of us are torn apart… …I swear that I will change the world.

We have a return of Even if the two of us are torn apart… (Let go of me…) / …take my revolution. This time, there’s no request to let go of the other party and Utena is taking the next step toward (self-)improvement. If you pause at the right time, you can see she is not in a fetal position like at the beginning of the opening. Now, it looks like she is opening herself to the real world.

Anthy is not present, but that’s because she hasn’t reunited with Utena yet. Until that day comes, the latter will keep fighting for the world both deserve to live in.

In conclusion, the opening is a summary of the entire series and foreshadows how it would end.

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Against The Kitchen Floor (Will Wood)

And I swear! I will die trying!/I'm still in the process, but I'm making progress; I promise I honestly wanna prove improvement's possible, I swear!/I'm so fucking sorry! I'm not a good person, I'm barely a person at all, But someday I'll be perfect, and I'll make up for it all!

Less rare than scarce, less diamond then rough/Unlikely to be more than just the coal you failed to crush

I'm catatonic in your arms, crying, "How did I cause so much harm?"/I'm down pounding my head against the kitchen floor/Apologizing for my life and ever entering yours

The vertex of my redemption arc/I’m searching on that virgin heart

"The raw emotion! And I strongly relate to desperately wanting to improve for someone you love. I belt out this song when I feel really hopeless"

"my one OC. also me. also it's just a really good song. one of will's best imo. screaminbg"

"Literally hits almost all of my self-esteem issues. Feeling like people only care about you for your body? Check. Not understanding why anyone would want you? Check. Thinking that all you do is hurt people? Check. I don't cry very often but this song DEFINITELY made me teary"

"one of those if u aren’t paying attention to the lyrics ur like this is nice but once u hear them its an OW holy OW and guilt and I’m sorry feelings"

"Just. Loving someone but not feeling like you’re good enough and trying to improve."

"Not only does this song have lyrics that are deeply relatable to me, but this song also feels very deeply personal to the artist and I feel that anyone who listens to it for the first time has that same feeling of getting punched in the gut. Just the lyrics and the melody and Will Wood’s incredible vocals make this song an absolute masterpiece and I cry every time I hear it."

"One reason I'm attached to this song is because my friend sent it to me and said "I'm kin assigning you this song" and ruined my life (/j) It messed me up because I've always had a hard time in my life figuring myself out and dealing with my emotions, and for what feels like the first time, this song has been able to near perfectly describe how I feel about myself and my impact on other people, and it always just meant so much to me that my friend who sent it to me knows me better than I know myself and shared the song with me and I love them dearly."

Curses (Crane Wives)

Ashes, ashes, dust to dust/Tell me I am good enough/Lay my curses out to rest/

All my aching bones are trembling/And I may yet fall apart/Won't you stay with me, my darling/When the war starts in my heart?

Every word I say is kindling/But the smoke clears when you're around/Won't you stay with me, my darling/When my walls start burning down, down, down?

"The singer is falling apart but they'll still jam about it. They're trying so hard to get better, they're failing, and they need support even when recovery feels hopeless. It's a concept I haven't seen explored in a song before. Lots of songs are about someone relying on their partner for emotional support but none explore the darker side of the difficulty of carrying someone else's burdens. Also the clarinet fucks."

"One, is starts out with a jazzy clarinet. The instrumentals of the song is very dance-y. I love the destructive tone of the lyrics, the singer thinking they ruin everything and they're not worthy of love, but still begging You to stay"

"It’s asking for help when you’re at your lowest. It’s the emotion behind the words— it’s one of those songs where the singer puts weight and emphasis on certain lines. Makes the heart go ouughghhghghh. It’s the “duo who’s known each other for a long time and are driving out post-big time conflict” or “emotional climax where there’s no words, only action” scene type of song imo. Also there’s a mad clarinet solo and it’s really good"

Against the Kitchen Floor submitted by @pixopolis + others

Curses submitted by @dreadful-windandrain + others

[ftm-radio]

My gender is 4 years old

...and four days, as of April 15th. This post is a bit late. 😅

Four years ago, all the confusing little puzzle pieces I'd been collecting came together in a genuine eureka! moment and I realized I was transgender. It was exhilarating and terrifying and it undeniably changed my life for the better.

The last few years have felt pretty damn slow and I've had to scramble over a few frustrating obstacles (never changing my name AGAIN, lmao, that was annoying as fuck) but it's all been worth it and now it feels like I'm really making headway.

I started testosterone this past year! I did that! I'm almost 7 months on T now! Currently on a dose of two pumps of gel, which I have only missed applying once in all that time because I was literally sick. The changes are gradual but they are real and they have already brought me so much joy and made me so much happier in my humble flesh prison. 💗

The most anticipated change for me (and for a lot of transmasc folks, I imagine) is my voice, and BOY (heh) am I happy to share this data comparison with you:

[ LEFT: A screenshot from the Voice Pitch Analyzer app, dated November 3rd, 2021. It shows that OP's voice registers fully within the female voice range. RIGHT: Another screenshot from the app, dated April 12th, 2024. This one shows that OP's voice registers mostly between the Androgynous and Male voice ranges. ]

My voice is so different now. It sounds different, it feels different, and in just the last week or so I swear it has gotten a little rougher and raspier and I am LIVING. I could not be happier!!!

...okay, fine, I could be happier lmao.

I'm adjusting to my deeper voice and still learning how to use it in a way I like & that feels best to me, so I'm starting to do some casual at-home voice training again after basically forgetting about the concept completely since 2021. (Whoops.) But I am already so much happier and more content with my voice than I have ever been in my life, so it's only getting better from here, lads. <3

I've also had to go to a lot of appointments and answer a ton of phone calls about said appts recently because I kinda fucked up my eyeball (it's better now, don't worry! and be gentle to your eyes, they are delicate and eye drops are so fucking annoying when you're doing them seven times a day, jfc) and my voice has reached a point where I was a lot more comfortable interacting with strangers and I also didn't notice any surprise or confusion when I introduced myself with a male name! It was kind of amazing.

Also singing is even more fun now. I love love LOVE singing along with a male vocalist and feeling the way my voice kinda rumbles through my chest. 10/10 sensory experience.

Other changes aren't nearly as exciting or obvious as my voice, but here's a quick (?) rundown, for those who are curious:

Mood — Gotta be honest, I don't think I've really noticed any significant change in my day-to-day mood, though I may not be the best judge for this because I have trouble figuring out what/how I'm feeling in general, tbh. But I think I have certainly gotten more comfortable and content with myself and I'd even go so far as to say I feel a little more confident these days. It's nice, I appreciate it.

Acne — I definitely noticed a change in how my acne presents itself on my face. I wouldn't say it's worse than before (I've had very bad acne since I was a young teenager and only got medication for it like, last year which has helped immensely) but I think it's different. More little red spots and roughness than the unpleasant and painful pimples I'm used to. I don't even mind it, really. Oddly affirming.

Facial Hair — I've got facial hair. I really do!!! Not clickbait!!! It's not much, not enough for me to be brave and take my dad up on his offer of shaving lessons quite yet, but it has grown in enough that I don't feel silly including it in self portraits! 🤭🧔🏻 Got a little bit of a mustache happening, a little bit at the sides of my face, some fuzz on my chin (with one LONG hair that I can only assume has been greedy and stealing his brothers' growth), and a frankly surprising lil patch of hair under my jaw. On a semi-related note, not sure if my brows have gotten much darker/thicker. They might have? idk.

my new discord icon, hehe... 👁💜🪓

Body Hair — I have gotten a little more hair on my forearms, and it may have gotten a little darker too! I have a tattoo on my arm just below my left wrist and it's been surprisingly helpful for measuring arm hair growth because for years my tattoo was not covered by hair at all but the left side of it's a little fuzzy now... 😏 I've gotten more noticeable hair growth on my upper arms, which were basically hairless before (free gender euphoria every time I put on my T) and on my thighs. Don't think my lower legs have gotten much hairier, and I'm a little impatient about it lmao. I want to get hairy enough to rival my brother.

Energy/Appetite — Can't say I've really noticed any differences here? I am not a very active person and I already struggled with appetite and getting myself to eat before I started T (thank you adhd & poor eating habits 🥲💀), so I can't quite tell if I'm ignoring more hunger signals than usual. 😅 I am hoping to get more active and start doing more physical activity now that it's starting to get warmer outside again, so hopefully that will help me see these sorts of changes and also get me into some better eating habits as I expend more energy and work up a proper appetite! (Also, since we're on the topic... a reminder for all of us that taking care of yourself and feeding the body you live in is a million times more important than aesthetics and numbers on a scale. ❤)

Menstruation — I am still getting my period right on schedule, but I am happy to say it is considerably lighter than it was before I started testosterone! My period has begun getting shorter, too. It lasted for roughly 7–9 days before, but I was bleeding for exactly 7 days last month, and only 6 days this month. I'm not sure if this trend will continue at such a dramatic rate, but if my next round is only 5 days I will be very excited about it, lol. My uterus can retire any day now, please...

Bottom Growth — if any of my friends read this part, don't speak to me about it lmao — Yeah... there's a little bit of something happening down there. Not a lot, and I haven't really noticed any pain or sensitivity, but there's a Difference. Aaaaand I like it. 😌 I am looking forward to any and all future developments. 😏👉🏻👉🏻

Okay! I think that's it, really.

I know I haven't been super active on this blog for quite a while now (I have really gotten into fandom blogging on my main lmao, and also discord is my favorite thing right now, it's where 90% of my friends live) so I hope this nice, long, ramble-y post makes up for that a little bit. <3

Not gonna make any promises that I'll post here more often, but y'know. I might. It could happen. Definitely not leaving this blog to sit and gather dust, that's for sure. I'll still be reblogging stuff semi-frequently, even if I'm not writing up my own posts.

So goodbye for now, and thanks for tuning in! 👋🏻📻💖💙✨️

[obscureother]

🌑 ˚x'˙ intro. . ??

Hello. . !! im new to tumblr, so sorry if wonky things happen while im setting this up. im still trying to figure things out guys-

i lurk on other accounts for general content but im closeted n shy so i made this one to yell about things instead so i don’t expose myself to people i know lolol

if you know or find other profiles i own, i request you not expose it for those reasons before im comfortable to.

so this is just an f/o blog/journaling. . thing. I'm not entirely sure what content will be here, but it will be centered around f/os, self-shipping, and its just to give me a place to yell about the people that live in my/your brain rent-free and know they don’t exist but we pretend they do anyway for comfort reasons and serotonin, dopamine, uhh what other things feel good and ok??

some of it will be for you if I happen to think of something, other times it is for me to explode over my fixation f/os!!

youre also welcome to come yell about your f/os if you just need someone to talk to them about!! dont think i know em?? COME OVER and INTRODUCE THEM. you can come in DMs, asks, or however you want to!! id be happy to know your f/o or listen to you talk about them if no one else will :00

This is a comfort blog to me, so there wont be any room for meanness or intended offenses here. Dont come to me with troublesome things or somehow twist/morph my content into something its not, we're just here to have a cool time with our fictional people, bro. . :((

ok who r you tho:

To be honest, I don’t have a name or something to go by as of posting this, I might get one later or just make a new comment all fancy for the pin. . For now you can just call me whatever you deem good or just go off my blog/username!! Don’t be mean tho. i may take one you guys think of or figure it out on my own.

they/them

im 21 yo. (if youre a minor, i dont mind you coming to say hello, but do look below the other stuff content for what you need to look out for. you should also know some of you goofy kiddos have energies i dont know how to respond to sometimes, so dont worry if i get awkward or something, its not your fault lolol.)

im in college, so forgive me if im slow, im also just not on tumblr very often :v i dont ghost people on purpose i swEaR-

i might post my f/os on a whole list, idk yet, but theyll prolly be mentioned sometimes to the very least. you can def ask of them tho!! (edited: i made an f/o list if you want to see them.)

i dont know if ill post content of my own f/os or me/my sona for them, but it could be there.

i dont mind sharing f/os!! id love to yell about them together. if you dont like that, then its ok!! i either wont talk about them with you so you can be their person when we talk of them, or you can just block/not interact. ill be sad i dont get to meet you, but its ok.

other stuff:

Nothing explicit/detailed will normally be posted. but: The worst there will be is just being hormonally silly from kind of "rrr ovaries go brr, chew on theM-" energy of my f/os. i will try to create a tag to mark it with so you can exclude honky content if you want or need to later, tho. from what i know, you can "block" tags. . so i think that will work if you like the other goofy stuff on the blog??

(edited: I DID IT, I DID THEM, LOOK: 🌑obscure tags list for the obscure blog )

NSFW talk can be in DMs, tho.

DO NOT come to me with those concepts if youre a minor tho, oh dear GOD. honky grown-up talk is not for you goofy child-folk.

LGBTQ+ friendly!! im nonbinary and love everybody. youre ok too. 💙

i do roleplay sometimes, but only in dms n please dont go exposing our roleplays to others. . i would be very not comfy :"0

if you want to roleplay, you can dm me to ask but i dont have to say yes or i might not be able to. im slow too dfsdf=

i may or may not make a side blog once i figure out how to do stuff, but know that until then, im going to just post whatever on this one til i know how to do things on tumblr lolol.

forgive me if some of my content gets deleted, edited, whatever as we go. like i said, this whole thing is very new to me and its not very organized for now. its just there. its gonna get wonky over here on my side for a bit.

• tiny bat gif •

[mirkodoesstuff]

Well, it's time to say one of my most controversy opinion ever, related to OSC. However, this time it is related to TPOT.

So, I want to say, that this whole season was a mistake. Yes, I think the season, despite having interesting storylines, characters (One-), and also one of the best hosts ever, was a mistake. Before any of you say anything, listen to me!

So, you all know why TPOT exist, right? JNJ Crew, after BFB 15, had no clue what they should do with the show. Remember, BFB was supposed to be, pretty much, low quality season, that would be released at much quicker date (heck, the whole name for the season was supposed to be Sloppy BFDI!), but due to them deciding to add more quality, both in writing and animation, episodes started to take too long, not to mention the cast being, oddly, big (like, 64 people?!). There various concepts about what to do, there was even an idea to kill 40 people off, so the cast could become smaller. Then, an idea was brought to life - splitting the show, in half.

The split happened next episode and... Let's say a lot of people hated the split - not only because a lot of arcs were dropped, a lot of decisions were questionable (cough allowing Loser and Spongy to join cough), not to mention Two being, let's be honest here, an asshole. Because of the way the split was handled, a lot of people hated Two and, I'm being serious, wrote hate fics about Two and the contestants, that joined them. Yes, this was THAT controversial.

Even when JNJ dropped a video, about why the split happened, it still wasn't helping the case of TPOT. While BFB Post-Split quality was... Okay (I mean as in general, because no joke, that season isn't good), TPOT quality was supposed to be like the latest episode of Pre-Split BFB - it was supposed to have deep arcs, to have better animation, to have EVERYTHING better.

And, it did have deeper themes, better animation (TPOT), but some decisions were being meet with criticism, from BFDI fans - the episodes were taking too long (1 year), the characters were acting out of character (it was mostly seen in TPOT 2, where some considered the episode to be mean-spirited), that some arcs made no sense (Pin arc, though it makes more sense now, that we have BFDIA, but remember - BFDIA was seen as cancelled season back then, when two first episodes of TPOT were released). There were decisions, that annoyed a lot of people, such as letting Teardrop join.

There were also conflicts within the crew, which lead to Satomi being laid off (not fired, laid off), alongside Pokey. The whole season feel into limbo and a lot of people thought it would be meet with the same fate as BFDIA, but surprisingly it did come back, with Sam writing, and... First episodes under his production were meet with criticism from BFDI fans, that were kinda disappointed, especially Satomi and Pokey fans, that enjoyed their writing style (I mean, I enjoyed their writing too), some going too far into saying lots of harmful things about Sam, which was always the problem with those fanatics, I swear those people need to grow up.

The past few episodes of TPOT were AMAZING for me - it introduced better handled plot, they introduced fucking ONE to the show! However, there are still people, that are going too far with criticism, which is no longer a criticism, literally wanting Sam to be fired, which would be literally the worst scenario for many, many BFDI fans!

I enjoy Sam's writing too, but it does sometimes have lots of flaws, but I can't say it's awful. What I'm saying is TPOT is a result of mistakes, that JNJ Crew made, regarding BFB. So, you may ask "How could we avoid the split?", I have few suggestions:

Double eliminations! If they decided to introduce them in TPOT, why they couldn't introduce them there?

Drop the quality of animation a bit,

Make Two a co-host of Four and X (if Two would still be introduced)

Handle rejoiners better - don't make Loser and Spongy rejoin, either make anyone else rejoin (Liy-), or make no one rejoin! Or, heck, even better - have a rejoiner and a debuter, decided by people!

If they wanted to keep arcs there, at least they could make them be enjoyable, because the majority of BFDI fans kinda disliked the way Tacobook was handled (and also early Winnerclock arc... And Pin cheating arc... Yeah...)

The quality should be somewhat in the middle - of course, there should be still serious moments, but not arcs, that do make people dislike characters (Pin cheating arc and Tacobook!)

If Algebralians were still supposed to show up, they should be a part of EXITors attempting to escape plot,

Change the voting system to Vote to Save and change the ways you're voting to Google Forms (because Jesus Christ, Voting Wars were stressing for lots of people)

Handle Two's character better than how it was handled in BFB 16, so they would be still sympathetic character

Of course there might be still lots of possibilities, that could avoid the show to split, but I just said mine ideas.

Despite the split still happening and lots of people enjoying TPOT, I can't deny that there are lots of problems going on currently with this season, while BFDIA revival is going steady. Of course I won't rush any crew members or beg JNJ to tell us about what's going to happen next. Hopefully things will get better for everyone out there.

Oh, and btw - if you think harassment of any kind is ok, then I respectfully tell you to stay away from me and grow up. BFDI isn't THAT serious and was never supposed to be taken seriously!

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls 2/16, There's The Rub, The Part Where Dean Shows Up And Ruins Everything, Part 5

Read parts 1-4 and all other episodes in my pinned post. This one may not come across as terribly funny; I felt the urge to continue with this episode but I also felt a bit off my humor game, probably because it's 8,000 fucking degrees outside. Maybe that's what's draining my funny juices. But it does contain a bonus surprise (something I've never done before), so read on. Where we last left off, we were moments away from armageddon as Dean was heading over to the Gilmore house, with his fucking pint of ice cream in a bag, ignoring Rory's wishes to be left alone because consent has never been his forte, hell bent on destroying this evening of blissful harmony being shared between Jess, Rory, and Paris. Rory has just checked the Butthead News and Weather report and learned that a Level 5 DeanStorm is bearing down on the Gilly Girls house. She immediately shifts into panic mode as she tries to evacuate everyone from the house.

I swear he is too smart for his own good. #AdmireTheBaby #ISAIDADMIREHIM

Please don't go, my love.

God, I'm ashamed to admit how long it took me to notice this was actualy a clever ploy to get Rory alone in her room. Clever baby.

I thought Jess was saying he wants to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with Rory, then I realized he actually meant Dean and that is way funnier. I love the absurd image of those two idiots working together to achieve mature conflict resolution. Totally bonkers concept. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Dean and Jess would just fucking make out with each other there would be peace in Stars Hollow. Rory would be spared, Lindsey would be spared, Lorelai would watch her dreams of marrying Dean Forrester wither on the vine, Shane would still be alive and not murdered by Jess after the dance marathon...

Milos "tiny little ice cream package" line delivery in the following scene is so fucking adorable that I went ahead and made it into a video clip. I should start doing this more often tbh.

I don't know how Jess is always so fearless around Dean, if I were Jess I'd be pissing my fucking pants. Dean fucking terrifies me.

Shit. Is the cold fear that this fictional character instills in me on a regular basis a testament to Jared Padalecki's acting or what? I mean, I hope it's just acting. It's a little too convincing.

He is one scary motherfucker.

Poor Paris. Dean is so horrible to Rory in the next scene, like he is just getting more and more abusive towards Rory as time goes on. So you know what, I'm not even going to write about it. Fuck Dean Forrester. Paris jumps to Rory's defense and makes up an excuse to calm Dean down from his jealous rage and it works. I wish I just could give the both of them (Paris and Rory) a great big hug. Paris is a hero and her love for Rory knows no bounds.

You are not. Fuck you!

Rory, honey. No...just no. 😭

[ohmyenjolrass]

my ranking of every production i have seen (or listened) of jesus christ superstar

we are getting closer to holy week so IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR. this is a remake of this post.

as always, sorry for any grammar mistakes, english is not my first language. also, this is my personal opinion, any other opinion is also accepted :)

without further ado, let's get into it!

1. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 movie)

YOU CAN'T OUTDO THE DOER.

everything in this movie changed my life. literally.

it was the first time i actually saw jesus christ superstar represented visually (i had only heard the 2007 madrid version before). the overture scene is one of my favourites of all time, the concept is amazing.

the cast is SUPREME. carl anderson is one of my favourite judas of all time; he is an excellent singer and his interpretation is E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. also, yvonne elliman and ted neely are amazing. both their interpretations are absolutely gorgeous.

i love the costume design also (mary magdalene's dress AND JUDAS' OUTFIT FOR SUPERSTAR), i feel like it really fits the 70s vibe and i love that jesus is still dressed as, well, jesus.

overall, it is an amazing production AND the original so 10/10 without a doubt.

2. Jesucristo Superstar (2007 Madrid)

i may be a little biased by this one but HEAR ME OUT. it is an impressive production. i grew up listening to this soundtrack in my parents' car and i feel like it is one of the best cast recordings of all time. the lyrics of this version are different from the 1975 spanish one, but they are equally amazing.

costume design for me in this one is also a bonus, because i love how everyone is dressed as people dressed in spain in the 2000s. also, i like that jesus doesn't wear a tunic, i don't know why lol. one of my favourite costumes is the priests' outfits.

now, the cast. WOW. ignasi vidal is my favourite judas. it is not even up for debate. he is AMAZING in everything he does, BUT JUDAS. his role. his 'heaven on their minds' ('el cielo los cegó' in this production) is on repeat in my brain 24/7. also, miquel fernández, who plays jesus, IS STUNNING. he was my first celebrity crush. his voice and acting is something else (you should really check out his 'gethsemane'!). lorena calero plays mary magdalene, and apart from being THE MOST GORGEOUS WOMAN ON EARTH, i want her voice to sing for me every day of my life.

this production is truly something else, and i feel like it is great heritage from the 1975 version. again, i encourage you to see it! (10/10!)

3. Jesus Christ Superstar (2012 O2 Arena)

LISTEN. i know in my last post i said it wasn't one of my favourites. BUT AFTER A REWATCH, i have a lot to say.

first, setting. how the scene is organised is the coolest. i love the tents, i love the stairs, i love the screens. everything. i feel like it is the best setting (without counting the movie because they are literally IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT).

now, cast. TIM MINCHIN, LOVE OF MY LIFE. i'm not gonna say anything new, his judas is amazing. he plays the part so effortless it makes me think i can do it to. ALSO, BEN FORSTER. i know i talked shit about him before, but i really didn't know how to appreciate him. i love you, bensus, sorry for anything i've said before. mel c still doesn't sit right for me as mary magdalene, but her voice is truly beautiful.

costumes, right. i love how jesus is both dressed in black and white, not only in white. also, JUDAS. serving looks the entire play. one thing i have to say, mary's outfit was not made for me. i love the vibe, but not really my thing.

in general, good production, amazing singers. 9/10.

4. Jesus Christ Superstar (2012 Broadway Revival)

I DISCOVERED AMERICA WITH THIS ONE. OH MY GOD.

josh young ABSOLUTELY blows my mind. his voice, his outfit, his angst, EVERYTHING. he is stunning and i would give my life for him. also, chilina kennedy????? WHATEVER YOU SAY, SWEETHEART. i swear she is a dream, her voice, her acting, HER FACE.

one thing i really liked in this version was the scene, and also the little screen that was saying like '3 days until passover'. i think that was very original and guiding tbh lol.

if i have to say something that i didn't like is paul nolan as jesus. i liked his acting and his voice is pretty, but i feel like his gethsemane was lacking something and it wasn't really my favourite.

also, the dynamic between jesus, judas, and mary in this version was one of the sweetest ever. i loved loved LOVED it.

all in all, 7.5/10!

5. Jesucristo Superstar (Spain, 1975)

i haven't seen this version but i heard it when i was little as well. i still prefer the 2007 spanish recording, but this one is amazing.

camilo sesto's gethsemane never ceases to amaze me. his voice and the pain in it are truly heartbreaking. also, ángela carrasco's voice???? life-saving. i swear everyone who plays mary is GORGEOUS and an amazing singer.

the lyrics are well-translated and the 70s vibe throughout the whole album is absolutely stunning.

now, negative points. teddy bautista as judas is not my favourite. his voice is amazing but i think it is not made for me. however, his passion and interpretation are truly something.

i have to give it a few more listenings to this so i can get a better opinion, but in general, 7/10!

6. Jesus Christ Superstar (2000 movie)

well, after a year, this has gone down a few positions.

what to say, let's see. the scene was cool. i feel like they did a lot with very little decorations. it was original and well-used.

now, the cast. renée castle is a dream. she is absolutely stunning, as a person and as a singer. her voice is just so soothing and relaxing. and tony vincent as simon is SO HOT. the rest, well...

glenn carter is a pretty good singer, but i feel like lots of his songs lacked a bit of something. he is a good actor (never seen a sadder jesus), but i think that there are other jesus that i like better.

now, jerôme pradon. interpretation, 10/10. singing, well. could be better. i love his acting throughout the whole musical, and also his evil twink vibe. however, his voice kinda makes me nervous??? i don't know how to explain it but maybe it wasn't the role for him, i don't know.

costume design was questionable to say the least. i gotta say that judas' outfit is so cool but WHO HAD THE THOUGHT OF PUTTING JESUS ON CARGOS. costume department found arrested.

after giving it a few rewatches, 6/10. enjoyable but not the best.

7. Jesus Christ Superstar: Live In Concert (2018)

this was a bit of a mess, to be honest. let's go first with the positive points.

SARA BAREILLES, MY LORD AND SAVIOR. she could sing me her grocery list and i would listen to her. she has such a captivating and calming voice and she's an amazing performer.

also, norm lewis. that man is just *chef's kiss*. brandon victor dixon is also amazing as judas and i feel like he deserves more recognition. his damned for all time is one of my favourites.

moreover, the set. i think it was very modern and the vibe was so cool with the orchestra in the scaffolds. also, i feel like the public played a very important role in this performance and they really knew how to use it.

costume design wasn't my favourite but we have seen worse.

now, negative things. JOHN LEGEND. my guy could not play jesus and i think he knew it too. his gethsemane sounds like i sound when i sing it in the shower. his acting was also pretty questionable. don't get me wrong, he is an amazing singer, but i feel like he shouldn't play a role that requires reaching high notes.

also, i feel like alice cooper could have done a much better job as herod. he is lacking that dorky, humoristic element that i think is essential in that song.

i gotta say this gets bonus points for glitter. i love glitter. overall, 5.5/10. would rewatch only for sara bareilles.

and that was everything! another year, another ranking. i hope you enjoyed it and tell me your opinions too! see you next year x

[mogspawner]

Your Last Days. (Mcrp)

As apposed to the last Smp I covered. (See here) This Minecraft series is extremely story oriented and a really eventful watch!

Content/Trigger warnings: Possible swearing, A lot of people in crowded places and talking, The mod itself includes violence (Guns & Blood) and should generally be watched in perspectives that are comfortable for the viewer.

Other general warnings, This will be a long blog but I will try to keep it as informative and spoiler free as possible!

I was introduced to this SMP by my FYP some time back, thank you Youtube. As of current, there is a Prequel titled Your First Days and it's a very interesting thing if you were attached to anyone's perspectives! (Not entirely certain if it's still ongoing, but I've been trying to keep up with it!)

Now, what Is the plot you may be asking? In a post apocalyptic setting the only thing that is clear to our players is Survival or destruction. Depending on which perspective you watch. TLDR: Your Last Days is a story driven hardcore server set in a post-apocalyptic world.

There are many established factions of people who are all fighting to stay alive and protect their lands. When it is announced a group of Hunters have been sent to wipe out the entire population who have been suffering from this infection for ten years.

Unlike most formatted things, this is something to look into yourself. There are the occasional edited videos for you to look through such as Kaboodles:

Its a very hyper active, enthusiastic story of a character making a bond against the obscene odds they were thrown into and really quite an exciting story!

Most of this SMP was livestreamed, I say most its all live streamed. Looking up Your Last Days MCRP seems to show several perspectives for you to look up but these were a couple of my favorites:

Ali, Yoshi, Miyaki, Beans, Ray, and Korps.

Before getting into this it was a lot because I wasnt actively partaking in streams as it was happening, 2023 was a busy year for a lot of people. Me included. A couple months back as I was going through perspectives I found these were the ones I enjoyed the most, the story-telling and perspective was incredibly fun to focus on. (That isnt to say everyone involved aren't entertaining to watch!) The concept as a whole is very interesting to me because zombie media has always failed to make me actually scared, but in a world full of people you start to care about the stakes are raised and makes for a pretty compelling setting.

Going on to say! They also have a series I mentioned before; this is a perspective I very much am in love with and honestly it made my entire month!

Thank you to BLKCAT for hosting this and to IvAutumn & BumpyJake for sharing so many amazing content creators! Please consider giving them a follow for more news regarding events and content they put out!

Twitter, Your First Days

Thank you Swompers! I do hope any of this content is of interest to you and you have a good time watching it! Its never too late to seek an interest in something like this!

[epicfranb]

WHO'S READY TO HEAR A NEW AU?? FROM ME????? WOOHOOOOO

Anyway remember a post i made about assigning hermits superpowers. No worries if you didn't see it btw. Basically, i talked about how i looove coming up with superpowers, but usually have no idea how to tie the plot together... The last concept i had was pretty boring (hermits get isekai'd into the real world. Blegh), but i think i got something here. Take my hand and let's go.... Into the read more

Bdubs comes home from work to find his girlfriend, who he lives with, Cleo, murdered. And the murderer, still at the scene! The murderer disappears right before Bdubs's eyes, and leaves shards of glass behind. The investigation obviously takes place, and, after long questioning and everything, Bdubs is forced to spend the night at a hotel, exhausted. Strange things continue to happen, as everything becomes strangely quiet, as though the entire world had stopped. There is knocking on the door, but no answer; until a tall woman, mysterious but strangely normal looking, enters the room. She introduces herself as Pearl and gives Bdubs a clock, saying he lost it. Bdubs doesn't recognize it, until Pearl shows that his name is engraved on the backside. That's when Bdubs remembers that it was his former friend, Etho, who made this clock for him. They haven't talked in such a long time, but Bdubs was still devastated that he lost such as precious item. Pearl doesn't even hint at where she found it or how she has it, but she says that it's been away, quietly collecting magical power. Turns out, the clock can stop time - Pearl shows him how, and after Bdubs puts the palm of his hand on the face of the clock, the time resumes, the ambient noises are back and Pearl just... Disappears, with no answers.

As if Bdubs wasn't stressed enough already, Cleo's body also goes missing. One of those days, Bdubs walks by his house and sees a familiar silhouette... It speaks with a familiar voice, though horribly distorted. The person is Cleo, a walking corpse. She calms Bdubs down to the best of her ability and they try to catch up on what's going on. Turns out, Cleo woke up with a strange woman looking at her; it was the same woman that Bdubs met, Pearl! Cleo thinks she probably was given a little time to finish her business, and decides that the last thing she has to do in this world... Is to take revenge on her killer. Bdubs thinks it's uncharacteristic of them; he thought they'd say something like, "to spend my last days doing what i love, with someone i love". But Cleo says they have a specific reason why they want to take revenge. It's because they know the killer! They don't tell Bdubs who it is though.

Now, i haven't figured out what happens next yet. Here's some miscellaneous stuff ig

Some people may have guessed that "person disappears before your eyes and leaves glass shards behind" sounds like a specific power i have for a specific someone... It's Etho, actually. But also, writing this, i thought how cool would that be... If they meet Etho and find out about his power, and think oh it's so obviously him. But he swears it's not. And plot twist it's actually someone else who framed him ghhhhgghh do i wanna say who i have in mind. Do i wanna say. Um. I was thinking Lizzie. Idk. Idk. I think it's cool tho

There's gonna be other peepos in this AU too!! I'm thinking it's gonna be groups of people who start off seeming unconnected, but gradually your realize they're all part of one story (i love this sort of thing!!). The other group will be the Magic Mountains bros (or whatever they're called). So far I have thought of powers for Scar and Joel, and i have ideas but am undecided on Gem, Grian and Skizz, and haven't even began thinking about Impulse.. And mumbo (i keep forgetting he exists)

I thought it'd be funny if Grian had to throw a dice for everything he does and let luck decide if he succeeds or fails. No particular reason for it, other than sort of? adapting a curse i had for him in another AU but for a different setting. In that other AU, he had a curse where, when he would involve himself in someone else's business, the result of his involvement would be the opposite of what he intended. Here, i adapted the basic idea of this, which is: Grian's actions are not under his control, and are independent from his intentions. The only thing is... The rest of them have actual powers, but Grian is stuck with a curse again LMAO i will keep thinking about this.

For Scar, it's a power that i talked about and, in fact, also headcanon for his Hermitcraft character. It's that he has (pretty limited) shapeshifting abilities. Essentially, he can change a few basic things about himself, but he can't, like, turn into a tiger or into a rock. So he has to remain human basically. I think.

For Joel i wanted something crazy. I remembered an AU i had for another fandom, so i gave him a power based on that. Whenever Joel has a bleeding open wound, he goes berserk.. he has increased strength, but can hardly control himself. He ends up being covered in scars, poor boy.

For Gem, i initially had nature powers in mind. Her talent and love for building organics could translate very well into something like controlling plants. But then i remembered, if I'm (sort of) basing this group on season 10, should i give her water powers instead? Hm.

For Skizz, uh, I'm like. I REALLY want something that's kind of like... It SCREAMS that it's Skizz's power, or maybe it enhances his already present character traits. But so far the only thing i came up with is... Super duper eyesight. He can see ridiculously far, with all the detail, but also ridiculously close. What do you think. I think it's a cool power but I'm not sure it fits.

As for Pearl, i think she's kind of like... Not the "mastermind", but something like an outside force who has more powers and information than everybody else. Perhaps she isn't even human. I thought it'd be neat if she only appeared during a full moon.

Oh, and on Etho, of course. His power is to go fully non-existent for short times, but he leaves glass shards behind. In addition to that, he needs to keep a strong grip on his consciousness in this state, or it will disappear as well and he will forever remain this weird type of ghost.

That is all i have for now (i think)! I just like thinking, guys. I guess i should really get into a habit of finishing stuff though... It definitely won't be this time lmao sorry. Please do talk to me about this though UwU

[lilblog-asatreat]

okay you asked for someone to explain the 2 threesome conception in the locked tomb series, and i am categorically incapable of shutting up about tlt, so!! (if you don't actually want spoilers, read no further and destroy this message!! it's not a BIG spoiler in the grand scheme of things, but still.)

so the two threesome groups are A: god and two of his saints (we'll call them saints 1 and 2) and B: another saint (saint 3); the leader of the rebellion against god; and saint 3's dead best friend who has been sharing saint 3's body without saint 3's knowledge. (so group B includes 3 people but only 2 bodies, and only one of the people knows they're sharing a body.)

saints 1 and 2 (the ones in the threesome with god) want to kill god. for various plot reasons i'm going to leave out in the name of brevity, they need a blood relative of god for that. so although they can't stand to be in the same room and therefore haven't seen each other in 10 years, they team up to seduce god and uh...obtain a sample of his genetic material, if you catch my drift. saints 1 and 2 then pass this along to the rebellion leader in threesome B, and she artificially inseminates herself.

2 years before all this, the dead best friend in saint 3's body began an affair with the rebellion leader. shortly thereafter, saint 3 did the same. then later, around rebellion leader's due date, god ordered saint 3 to track rebellion leader down and kill her. (for being a rebellion leader. god doesn't find out about the whole threesome plan for nearly 2 decades.) saint 3 is under the impression that the baby is his, because he doesn't know about the other threesome. he still does track her down and kill her though! rebellion leader dies but the baby survives -- i'm not totally clear if saint 3 meant to kill the baby or not tbh.

if you've made it this far, you may have noticed that the baby's biological parents are NOT EVEN IN THE SAME THREESOME. i don't know if they even met before rebellion leader died. this series is insane and i had to leave so much out in the name of brevity and spoilers. (i swear this is as short as i could make it while still making any kind of sense!)

okay that's all thank you for letting me scream about these books in your inbox!!

Everything I learn about The Locked Tomb absolutely delights me, but this has definitely topped the limited knowledge I have. The fact that saints 1 and 2 hate each other but powered through anyway to get laid with god so that they can use that to get someone else pregnant so that the child can one day grow up to kill god. The fact that god doesn't know this was the plan for a full 20 years. Saint 3 and his best friend sharing a body but Saint 3 doesn't know that. I love all of this!!! Fhfkshfkshfkshdkshfk

How did both Saint 3 and the best friend have an affair with the rebellion leader without Saint 3 knowing about the best friend? Do they like, switch control over their body, but somehow Saint 3 completely misses that that happens? And did the rebellion leader know that they were two separate people?

I should also probably mention that while I find the series wild and interesting to read about in tumblr posts and am interested in the story and find it fascinating, I'm probably not going to sit down and read it myself, so you can absolutely tell me anything you want lol

[thedarkmistress16]

Hetalia x Fem!Pronouns!Reader- (Literally) Dropped Into Anime

Found the last APH thing I wrote about (years ago) and since I threw myself full-force back into the fandom again, I expanded this overdone concept for fun. And I was so happy with the writing style that I made myself write up to (at least) 5k words before posting this chap as a neat lil' personal challenge. Otherwise, I would've had this up a few days ago because holy shit I originally completed this part in two days??!?!!!?

Anyway, fem!pros here because that's how I roll with male characters x reader things, so substitute away~! Reader's life is kept vague on purpose but that may change in the future, and nothing about personal appearance is mentioned here. And reader swears because reader is an adult and is tired.

Chapter 1- Okay, So, I’m Here Now…

You were at home, content that you had a few days off to your name and a stomach filled with a delicious breakfast. Today, you would put yourself up to the task of completing work you had put off for quite a while. No social calls allowed! You had that luxury last week. This time, it was going to be all about what you will accomplish for the next few days. You happily rolled up your sleeves- figuratively, of course, it was summer after all- and got to work.

You got around to completing half of the first job’s workload until you suddenly felt an extreme bout of tiredness hit you.

You tried to fight it off, desiring to get back to what you were initially doing, determined to actually follow through on your own promise to yourself this time. You were an adult after all, with loads of different responsibilities that were all waiting to be finished when you clocked out each day. It was just depressing how many things you had to take care of now, compared to when you were a carefree adolescent who, ironically, only had to worry about growing up.

The supplies you were just using with ease completely fell out of your hands as your shoulders slumped. You started to walk out of the room to find an energy supplement.

Sometimes you wondered how you even had a lick of time for yourself anymore.

A weak groan escaped your lips, and your hand rose to your forehead to massage the irritating thumping that began blossoming there. Okay, maybe you needed to pop some aspirin, too.

Life really sucked sometimes.

Did you overwork yourself again?

Your pace slowed to a sluggish shuffle.

Did you remember to stock your groceries this week?

Fuck the drink, you were way too tired now for it to even take effect. Your feet pivoted in another direction, feeling yourself start to surrender to your own body’s wills.

Still, who were you to complain?

How were you so careless to do this to yourself again?

You struggled to keep your balance as you reached the doorway of your bedroom. You don’t remember being so tired you could barely walk.

You had a job, buddies, a family, your own place… you were doing good for yourself! 

You should’ve just gone out with your friends or treated yourself today. Why did you have to go and spoil it with work? Now you can’t even function properly and the whole day will be skewed now.

Your eyes caught the proximity of your bed and they immediately drooped, almost closing completely on you and your head bobbed dangerously.

Others had it worse than you… probably…

You really suck at taking care of yourself, huh?

And despite your best efforts to fight off the looming cloud of exhaustion that was trying to overtake you, flopping onto your bed and crashing into a dreamless state of mind became entirely inevitable. You vaguely feel yourself free-falling through your mattress before losing consciousness completely.

When you were on the verge of waking up, you heard muffled voices buzzing over your head, all a jumbled mess and becoming way too damn noisy as the seconds ticked by. You cringed at the uptick in loudness and made a sound between a moan and groan in a displeased protest. Your body reflexively turned away from the disturbance to your sleep, rolling over to turn your back to that side. Only you felt hardness on your body where you suddenly remembered that’s where your soft bed was supposed to be. You sat up with your eyes still closed, mumbling to yourself at how you probably fell off the bed again, silly, and thought it none the wiser. And you yawned yourself awake- stretching your arms upward as the sound moved past your throat and dropping them when you felt content.

It took a second for you to open your eyes and really see what you were actually looking at, but when you did, you froze in place. You cautiously moved your head around in different directions to find that all of the characters of a certain anime you once watched were staring right at you in utter silence- and you realized that you were in the conference room of the United Nations, sitting smack-dab on their table in the middle of their meeting.

While everyone was shocked into silence as you finally woke, a sole clearing of a throat could be heard down on your right. You all turned to see the character known as Germany straightening himself, shifting his posture in the chair he sat in. In doing so he gave away how uncomfortable he clearly felt, and turned to you. His eyes, while ice cold in color, held no hatred or disdain- but rather a strong curiosity, from what you could detect.

“I’m sure everyone’s wondering this, but, who are you?”

You never liked this question exactly; not whoever said it, particularly, but you never really knew how to answer it. How much information are you supposed to give? What were they looking to hear?

Never mind that this was the English dub of Hetalia you were currently in, apparently- how were you going to describe yourself to these people when you were still trying to figure it all out for yourself? Not to mention getting around to explaining how you even got here?

You didn’t notice that throughout your thinking session, you had been staring blankly at the German and letting out a very unattractive “uhhhhhhhhhh…” for god knows how long.

Someone’s fingers snapped in front of your face while a voice shouted at you irritably. “Hey- you! Ragazza! Speak, dammnit!”

“Uh?!” The sudden outburst from the brunette shattered your thoughts so badly that you yelped and fell back onto the table. You blinked wildly as your heart pumped harder from the adrenaline, feeling more shocked and startled than before. Your eyes struggled to refocus from the blind-sighting motion.

If you weren’t awake before, you definitely were now.

“Were you even paying attention?!” the same voice chided.

Really?!

Oh, like he wouldn’t be just as dumbstruck as you if he was in your shoes.

You had half a mind to-

Before you could muster a response that your brain was itching to let you unleash, another similar, accented male voice piped up. “Ah, fratello! Be nice to her! The poor bella doesn’t know where she is!”

You were still breathing heavily as you were slowly pulled up from laying down on the table, now with your legs loosely tucked beneath you as you shuffled with the movement. You now found yourself leaning toward one side as your shoulders were embraced by a certain Italian who smelled like an assortment of spices, but mainly oregano. You were too ashamed at your earlier display to even entertain a look- even if you had only watched one episode of the series in your life, you knew who he was.

 “Wow, you’re really pretty! I’ll call you bella!” He squished you even tighter and you flailed on instinct as your balance had faltered when he pulled you closer. You weren’t sure if you wanted to melt into a puddle due to your own embarrassment or from his expressive adorableness. And while you weren’t stellar at the implications of him considering you as a pet, you really couldn’t find it inside yourself to be mad at him for it.

Despite all this, and being treated kindly by one of the anime’s protagonists out of all the nations in the room, you still felt uncomfortable being hugged by a Hetalia character that shouldn’t even exist. It was unnatural to even feel him, let alone have him talking to you directly.

You almost felt as if you were breaking a law of some sort.

Speaking of, you were hyperaware of the stares you were still getting around the whole table, and they weren’t helping matters, either.

“Uh, that’s not my name…” you start awkwardly, suddenly not sure how to talk to him. You chanced a peek at his face then, catching a glimpse of that iconic strand of hair curling away from his head.

“Oh?” Italy slackened his grip to tilt his head and look at you. “What's your name?”

Whether he actually had his eyes opened or not as he addressed you, you felt flustered for a reason you couldn’t explain and looked down again. “_. My name is _.”

“Ve~! That’s such a pretty name, _!”

Classic Italy.

You softly laughed with a blush at his behavior feeling a little lighter at his genuine fondness. You began trying to wiggle out of his tight grip a bit, partly from being watched so intently by the others and partly because you needed some space to breathe and not think about Northern Italy’s touch.

You failed, but hey, it was the thought that counts.

“_? Where did you come from?”

Your soft smile from Italy’s attitude died with the question that was spoken somewhere behind you, which you correlated to China. You didn’t care enough to look, as more of the reality of your current predicament carelessly unraveled itself in your head.

What the hell were you supposed to say? That you were from a world where everything that was currently happening wasn’t real?

Or what if it was fact and you’ve never known that these characters were walking on the very streets you walk on for your entire life? Did you cross paths with them without yourself knowing?

Was this a vital secret that could endanger your very existence if you told?

Were you even in your world anymore? How many things that you’ve lived your entire life by have altered or ceased to exist here?

“I wish I knew,” you absentmindedly whispered, eyes roving over the individual grains which made up the table you were kneeling upon. If you squinted, you could barely pinpoint your blurry reflection contrasted with the muddy blue form of Italy’s uniform on the glossy finish.

Your mind had blanked then; afraid of the future and all its possibilities.

What was the use of marveling at fiction coming to life and being a part of that experience when you had no idea what would become of you here?

And how would these personifications actually treat you? Would they be as the canon depicted? They seemed to act like it so far, but how could you really tell if it was a facade unless you knew them more? On top of that, would you even be accepted?

Did you even exist at all as another version of yourself? Did you end up switching with that person?

How did you end up here in the first place? What triggered this?

…

Could you even go back?

England, who was seated a little ways from you on the opposite side of the table, inspected your slouched form intently. Italy had rephrased the earlier question China posed, in a softer tone laced with worry and apprehension. He nudged you lightly as he still held you, treating you as if you were now made of something fragile. You had heard him but did not visibly react. You were still too lost in your own head to focus on your surroundings.

The British nation spoke up in an expressionless fashion, his chin resting in his hand as his fingers tapped rhythmically upon the table. “No. She doesn’t have any magical properties, but I know for sure that she isn’t from this world…” He sensed his magical friends hovering next to him with curious looks, turning their heads back and forth between the two of you as if willing the answer to suddenly appear before them.

The other nations moved their focus to England, spouting their own opinions that quickly overlapped into a loud discussion and lessened the attention on you. You perked up at Englishman’s words, about to say something, but the vowels fizzled out on your tongue with an ashy aftertaste that had you grimacing.

It was true, of course. But you had no idea if he meant it as a good or bad thing, and whether that knowledge would cause the nations would take pity on you or keep you under constant scrutiny was uncertain. And that apprehension won over any potential excitement felt from the opportunity of interacting with the countries.

At least, more than necessary, that is.

“If that’s true, England, then we should decide where _ is going to stay for the time being,” Germany declares, cutting through the murmuring. He met your eyes briefly before surveying the rest of the room. “Any suggestions?”

“She will become one with me, da?”

Everyone shivered in unison and you actually felt the temperature in the room change drastically. You willed yourself to look in the direction of the nation, even as your instincts screamed at you to do anything else but that.

“Um, I think we should hear what other countries have to say first, Russia.” A meek, European voice toward the Russian’s left replied, vibrating so badly that you wondered if he would explode on the spot if he was touched ever so slightly.

Russia was expressionless for a moment, seemingly glaring at the opposer, before facing the others again with a pleased smile and responding ominously.

“Very well. I’m patient.”

You couldn’t suppress the shiver if you tried.

The awkwardness in the air heavily permeated the room until another nation broke it.

“Well, what about me?”

And then a chorus of every opinion under the sun reached your ears like an uproar at a concert. A lot of the same phrases, colorful insults, and familiar names looped occasionally past your ears, not unlike a skipping record with some deep scratches that were beyond fixing yet still in a state playable enough to justify keeping it.

It felt… odd, to refer to them as their names, you realize. Even in the safety of your own thoughts, it was too personal. You cringe at yourself, feeling very out of place, as you kept picking up tidbits of the bickering around you.

“Italy! Let her breathe and get down from the table!” Germany chastised, contributing to the other voices and making Italy plead like a petulant child. Upon Germany’s intense insistence, which consisted of raising his voice to an aggravated shout, Italy quickly relented in fear, quaking in his boots.

Though you weren't sure if he caught it, you sent the Italian an apologetic smile as he dejectedly detangled his arms from you and clambered off the shiny wood surface. You almost thank Germany for pulling you out of the spiraling thoughts you started to have again, before stopping yourself. You let out a breath and closed your eyes, taking a moment to calm yourself as overlapping accents from all kinds of lands buzzed around you.

Feeling more refreshed, you brace yourself for any future animated shenanigans before focusing back on the world around you. When you opened your eyes, a palm shoots forward right in front of you, stopping inches away from your body. As your eyes trailed forward and up the protruding arm, you quickly pieced together that it belonged to the Italian who was shouting at you earlier. He was now looking red in the face, refusing to meet your gaze yet flickering his eyes to you every so often as he addressed you.

“Well, ragazza? What are you waiting for?” His tone was still harsh-sounding, but softer now with how he was grumbling his words.

Right. He was offering his assistance in getting you down from the table.

You took his hand gently, moving to sit in an empty chair right next to him. After settling yourself, you turned to Romano to find him peering at you from his peripherals. You smiled at him gratefully, the appreciative words flowing easily past your tongue. “Thank you, sir.”

He somehow turned redder, sputtering like a faucet, as if indecisive on what to say before finally settling on, “prego, dolcezza.”

You had no idea what that meant exactly but felt happy all the same at his attitude toward you now. If this was his way of apologizing for scaring you earlier, he was doing a great job of it so far.

Well, for him, that is.

Among the uproar of conversation around you, the Italian spoke up again.

“Call me Romano, ragazza. Si?” He seemed to add this as an afterthought and didn’t look at you as he did so.

You were surprised he chose to introduce himself to you at all, blinking at him before expressing your happiness at his permission to use his name. Though it wasn’t his real one, it was still progress. “Grazie, Romano, please call me _, then,” you softly respond with the minimal amount of Italian you knew from fans' contributions, hoping the slight accent you put on it wasn’t choppy and unpracticed as it actually was.

Thank you Hetalia fandom!

He mimics your expression as he whips his head around, his long curl bobbing and swaying with the motion. He likely didn’t expect you to respond in his language, you conclude as you stare at his persistent curl. He sharply turns away and grumbles incoherently. You softly giggle to yourself so as to not offend him in case he heard you. You didn’t remember his tsundere side to be so adorable.

“... _ will not be staying with them. Who else?” Germany announced, and you were quickly tuned back into the current conversation.

You had no idea why your appearance became a discussion of which country you would be staying with at a world meeting so fast, especially without trying to get to know you first, but you were grateful enough to not complain about it. Figuring out a place to stay now eliminated most of the stress from your situation. It would also give you some mental and physical space to breathe from the other nations, and allow you time to decide on your next course of action.

“Well obviously,” England declared, shifting in his seat and crossing his arms haughtily, “she will be staying with me. I clearly know more about her situation than you lot.”

Okay... that was, presumptuous of him…

And while that smug look he sported was attractive in his own way, you were hesitant on sharing a home with someone who thought so highly of himself. You weren’t looking to be demeaned just for something out of your control, like being unknowledgeable in magic or something.

There was a collective beat of silence, and then one soul announced his thoughts. “She’s not eating your food,” the person deadpanned. The others silently nodded in a strange sense of unity.

Even though you didn’t say anything, you definitely agreed with that sentiment. You didn’t mean to judge him from the creator’s blatant stereotyping, but that was the bread and butter of the series, which meant England’s food would pose a real risk to your health if you dared to try it here.

And you felt a twinge of guilt toward the Brit at the thought, knowing it was a sore subject for him from the constant ridicule he got on it. That was until you heard his rebuttal.

“I’ll have you know that British cuisine is eons ahead of what you gits call ‘food.’ You lot are just unappreciative, uncultured-”

Okay, just because he’s objectively outnumbered doesn’t mean he needs to insult-

“So England’s out and he doesn’t get a vote. Who else has recommendations?” Germany resolutely cut through England’s sentence and your thoughts with a tired sigh, and you got the sense he wanted all this to be over already.

Wait. Did your appearance extend the time of their meeting?

…

Whoops.

Out of the corner of your eye, you amusedly watched England’s expression morph from cockiness into flabbergasted offense, before switching to mock indifference. He huffed and turned his head away. You thought he was also muttering something, likely a few choice words a gentleman probably shouldn’t say, before you stopped analyzing him in case you were caught staring.

Though their options were more limited now, it seemed the nations were at a loss of who to elect next, as there was a long stretch of silence that stretched throughout the room after quickly denominating England.

You almost forgot how savage they could all be when they tried…

“Since our guest won’t be staying in the hideous country of Britain, she is more than welcome to stay with me in the beautiful city of Paris!” A male clad in purple and red spoke up with a dramatic swish of his head, flaunting his long, blond hair as he winked at you.

The response was immediate.

“There’s no bloody way she’s staying with you, frog! Knowing you, you’ll try to pull something disgraceful on her, and I won’t allow it!”

You stiffened a bit and blinked at the loudness in England’s tone, surprised at how quick he was to be angry at France’s suggestion.

England hating France was a given, but…

Was he trying to defend your honor or was he that hurt at being shot down by the others?

No one else had volunteered to speak up despite them collectively deciding England had no say anymore, and let the argument between the two nations play out like two actors on stage.

 France pouted at England’s outburst. “Seriously Angleterre,” England bristled at the nickname, “you really think so lowly of me? I thought we were friends, non?”

The Brit thinned his lips in disapproval before responding lowly. “Being allies doesn’t make us friends, you bugger. I’m only saying that there are far more superior lands for her to occupy than your poor excuse for a ‘classy’ city.”

France, while clearly agitated by the underhanded insult, then smoothed his expression elegantly before he specifically turned to you with a smile, his eyes roving over what he could see of your form. It was then you realized he has been the first to do so since this conversation about your living situation started- not counting Germany, as he didn’t throw his territory into the mix.

“Well, since my beautiful homeland is being unjustly slandered by a classless fiend who thinks drab colors are fashionable,” he paused to sharply glare at England, who exhaled indignantly, before turning back to you with a warm expression. “Would you like to stay with my dear Canada, mon amie?”

Wow.

That… was perfect, actually.

Holy shit why didn’t you think of that?

The murmurs around you died down a bit, anticipating your answer, but you couldn’t pick up any of it, having all of your attention on France’s gracious offer. While you knew he did so because he wouldn’t have been nominated otherwise even if he was there, you had a good intuition that Canada would be kind to you- even if he was opposed to the idea of your intrusion in his space. It would give you time to think about this whole mess, and staying out of the other nation’s ways with a country they barely remembered at the same time was a bonus.

And the fact that France put your consent into consideration?

Was it possible to love someone within five minutes of meeting them?

You looked at France like he held the moon and stars, feeling your heart soar with relief. “If he doesn’t mind and you really think it’s okay, then I’d love to stay with him.”

He visibly brightened, “bon! C'est merveilleux! I’ll tell him rapidement and see you off! Tres bien!” France jumped from his seat, utterly giddy with delight and falling more into his natural tongue as he pulled out a phone and fiddled with it.

For some reason, your ears picked up some select, dejected groans at France’s words and you wondered if they were upset they didn’t get a say-

Wait. See you off?

…

Looks like you’re going to Canada, then.

~

France continuously gushed about you and his younger brother the moment you stepped outside of the meeting’s doors and after fully updating Canada on the situation. He was done so quickly that the other nations didn’t have a chance to properly interrogate you before France moved into your personal space and whisked you out of the room. He was now gliding through the halls with unbridled excitement and you almost thought he would break out into a dance, once again imagining him as a performer in his element.

You would’ve been annoyed by the constant chatter if he didn’t also include you in the conversation just as often, actively inquiring about your preferences in various topics. You appeased him and you both shared anecdotes of your life when appropriate, sharing laughs at your misfortunes and his recounts of fighting with England paired with their creatively petulant jabs toward each other.

His overuse of cologne was more tolerant the longer you stayed in his presence; your nose attributing the distinct smell of fresh rose bushes and lavender crops decorated in a morning’s dew became- to you- a mental signifier of France’s outlook on life. As he explained to you how he saw and embraced the beauty of the world around him, you felt as if you were learning about him for the first time with a pair of new eyes. It was admirable how he could express himself as such without any effort on his part, and you concluded that his soul was gentle- and his heart was bursting with such a strong amount of genuine love that it could not be contained and overflowed into all aspects of his daily life.

Then you remembered his pitiful attempts to stand up to Germany and you laughed to yourself.

You realized you were having such a nice time in the Frenchman’s presence that you had no idea how much time had actually passed as you two traveled. You also figured out where you were this whole time, which was right before the Canadian border. And the trip itself wasn’t long at all, because you were just a couple of cities over from where France’s little brother lived in.

France actually didn’t stop talking your ear off until you were both standing in front of Canada’s plot of residence; and as you followed his lead in approaching the quaint building, you grew curious as to why France had suddenly grown quiet now of all times.

“What’s wrong, Francis?” He had elected to give you his name almost immediately after leaving the conference room, insisting that you use it. He clarified that there was no need to be formal when you would be close to him and his family from now on, and that admission had you smiling stupidly and feeling a lot more at ease.

France seemed to realize he was thinking pensively and cleared it away by shaking his head with a sad smile. It was an expression that had you sobering from your relaxed state due to the bought of nostalgia his face brought to your memories.

“You just… look sad, cherie.” The seriousness in his words threw you off. When he turned to look at you, you also caught some sympathy glistening in his eyes.

Oh. The closest he could’ve seen you smile was when Italy was comforting you earlier, or perhaps as you swapped stories.

Was he able to figure that much out about you with just one look? Or were you accidentally playing your emotions for everyone? How many of them actually knew what you were thinking in that room?

You tried to manage a half-smile at France, but it was entirely too weak and wobbly on your muscles to hold properly. So you dropped the expression and settled on a casual shrug, avoiding his gaze to watch your foot carelessly scuff itself across the sparse grass that decorated the dirt. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

Even if you could sort through it and unpack it all right now, it was the completely wrong time to do so.

Ha. Where would you even begin?

France hummed, as if taking your words into consideration before trekking toward the front porch. He reached out to rap on the front door in a one-two pattern. Silence hung heavy in the air before a creak from inside the house broke the atmosphere.

As the door was opened, you were faced with a male who looked very similar to France. The strong smell of maple wafted from him, followed by a spicy or smokey undertone that felt refreshing. Apart from his more violet eyes, round glasses, his comfy style of dress consisting of a red flannel and plain, gray sweats, and the single curl drooping from the parting of his hair, he resembled more of France’s features, not unlike the Italian brothers.

Canada looked tired but perked up the moment France’s exuberant greeting caught his attention. When he looked over and realized you were standing there as well, he became more alert and bashful for some reason.

“Matthieu! Bonjour mon frere, this is the lovely _ I told you all about.”

You waved on cue from France’s welcoming flourish, smiling pleasantly at your new roommate. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Canada. France told me a lot of good things about you.”

You knew a lot more about Canada than France ever told you on the trip here, of course, but he didn’t need to know that. The last thing you needed was to make things more awkward than it already was, especially with someone like Canada, who would likely combust on the spot out of nervousness if you did.

“Nice to meet you, _.” Canada spoke, in a much softer tone and higher pitch than France. It was clearly hard for him to hold eye contact with you and not warble with his words at the same time, but you thought it was endearing.

You attempted to match Canada’s aura as you responded, trying to sound as accommodating as you could. “I hope my staying here won’t be too much of a bother, Canada. I know this is short notice. I’ll do what I can to try not to annoy you or get in your way. I don’t plan on intruding in your own space during my stay, and I hope we get along.”

Canada flinched and shuffled in place, and the shift in his expression told you he was more surprised than offended at your words. He seemed to actively attempt to maintain eye contact with you now, even smiling slightly. “Oh, you can call me Matthew if you like. And I think we’ll get along too, _. I actually hope I won't be a bother for you. I know some people don’t like my company and would rather hang out with others instead…” He raised his arm to rub the back of his neck bashfully.

He was probably the most normal nation you could ever hope to room with in this predicament and you couldn’t be happier at the thought.

“Not at all! I think you’re very easy to talk to, Matthew.”

And as you gaze at the Canadian, you see past scenes of him from the anime he belongs to flashing through your mind like an edited short film. You realize then that while those words had completely slipped out of your mouth on accident, you truly meant it now just as you did then as a first-time viewer.

You both share a laugh at the ease of tension any first, awkward meeting brings as France observes the scene contently. He beamed at the praise you gave him and was delighted to witness your politeness towards Canada, further cementing that letting you stay with his beloved younger brother was a great decision on his part.

You will definitely be visiting his home next.

That black sheep of Europe can suck it.

France bid you adieu, quite literally, and skipped away like a giddy schoolgirl. You could almost see the flowers and sparkles surrounding his body from the pure elation he emanated. You giggled at France’s departure as Matthew invited you inside.

Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

~

[duplicitywrites]

would love to hear about your non-tomarry faves!

THANK YOU FOR ASKING 💖 here is a collection of some i've read recently/throughout 2022, and then one at the end that i think everyone should read because it's so much fun

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i'll show you every version of yourself by latteloves | Cedric Diggory/Tom Riddle | Voldemort | WIP

i don't think dia made a post for this yet, so i'll take a moment to share some love 😌 a great take on the similarities between cedric tom during his time at hogwarts 💕

Harry Potter is dead, Dumbledore is dead, and Voldemort decides he deserves a holiday. Instead he gets captivated by the beautiful and tortured Head Boy, Cedric Diggory. - Or, Harry dies in the graveyard instead of Cedric.

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Turmoil by Metalomagnetic | Sirius Black/Severus Snape | WIP

a great look at the marauders era; the relationships between characters are vivid and thoughtful, and i enjoy how it slots in with canon

Two lost boys taking all the wrong turns.

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Blood by papermonkey | Delphi & Draco Malfoy, Delphi & Voldemort, Draco Malfoy & Voldemort | Complete

a really lovely take on draco's character and the impact of grief on his life in a vee-wins AU. can be read as pre-slash/relationship for draco/vee!

Outside, the world burns. But Draco isn’t watching.

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The Best by say_no_more | Harry Potter / Cedric Diggory | Complete

i think people who enjoy tomarrymort long fics with a 'softer' tom would like this fic. i enjoyed a lot of the concepts around 'dark' cedric!

Cedric demands only the best of himself, and for himself. The best marks in school, the best position on the quidditch team, and the best reputation. When it's time for him to begin dating, he won't settle for less than the best partner, as well.

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Proximity by Phantomato | Aberforth Dumbledore/Tom Riddle | Voldemort | Complete

a sweet look at an unconventional pairing! rarely do we receive a glimpse into his youth that is treated with tenderness. tom deserves some soft love too 💕

Tom gets a weekend job washing dishes at the Hog’s Head, falls in lust with its proprietor, and learns the value of patience.

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Gaunt by Name, Gaunt by Nature by Blood_Stained_Fingers | mostly Tom-centric, also (one-sided) Merope Gaunt/Tom Riddle | Complete

a compelling story about who tom might have been if merope had lived to raise him. the world needs more AUs where tom's character is explored in new ways that aren't tethered to romance plots

It ends the way it was originally supposed to. Merope Gaunt dies due to her son. But this time he is seventeen years old, closer to eighteen than a mere twenty minutes old and still covered in afterbirth. -- If Merope lived would she be in love with her son?

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Seventh Horcrux by EmeraldAshes | canon ships but weirder | Complete

i have rec'd this fic before but i swear it is so good and so FUNNY. my sense of humour vibes with this story. i need to reread it soon

The presence of a foreign soul may have unexpected side effects on a growing child. I am Lord Volde…Harry Potter. I'm Harry Potter. In which Harry is insane, Hermione is a Dark Lady-in-training, Ginny is a minion, and Ron is confused.

[calliethetrekkie]

Star Trek TOS S01E06: The Naked Time

Original Thoughts

"[The episode], while it kinda made me uncomfortable cause it gave me pandemic vibes, DID get my attention with the concept of essentially losing your self-control was interesting. Spock’s private breakdown especially hit me since despite not watching it, I knew about his general personality and his half-human, half-Vulcan nature. It was performed very well by Leonard Nimoy and seeing him try to keep up the logical Vulcan demeanor and failing was really well done. "

(Original Post)

Rewatch Thoughts

I completely forgot that I'd written that post... wish I'd remembered when I wrote the last review... ah well!

Speaking of that last review, as I said, it's kind of funny how it worked out regarding the past three episodes. In The Enemy Within, we focus on Kirk as a bad thing happens to him, and we see if we can care about him. In The Man Trap, we focus on McCoy as bad things happen, and we see if we can care about him. I don't believe it was in any way intentional, but that's how it comes across to me. So that's two down, let's see if this will apply to Spock!

Despite my words above about being uncomfortable the first go round (I watched it in January 2021, so COVID was VERY much still happening), this was the episode that honestly convinced me that TOS was worth investing in. At that point I'd seen The Man Trap, Charlie X, and Where No Man Had Gone Before. None of which impressed me. This one finally did the job. I was actually kind of mad cause had I forced myself to get to this episode as a teen, I probably wouldn't have quit just 2-3 episodes in. This was the kind of crazy, exciting, and surprisingly insightful story that I had been waiting on, and it came just in the nick of time.

The concept of the episode is one that I think about a lot. Contracting a disease that completely removes your inhibitions. It can cause you to be taken over by your fears, your pride, your lust, just about anything. There are a lot of darker routes that the episode thankfully didn't go down, but it's still terrifying to think about. Sure, some of it is silly. Shirtless Sulu running around with a fencing sword and acting like a swashbuckler? By far the most fun scene in the entire episode. You could tell that George Takei was having fun XD The science officer at the start being overcome by fear and nearly killing himself, then dying on the operating table when he should be alive? That is utterly horrifying.

Things get chaotic quick. We actually get some excellent moments from both our three leads (okay two leads, but I can count McCoy at this point if I want to!) and the supporting cast. I believe that this is Chapel's first major appearance, as a matter of fact. We have Sulu with the fencing, of course. We have Uhura's response to being called a fair maiden. We have Scotty in full miracle worker mode, seriously that man doesn't get paid enough I swear. McCoy doesn't have as much that I can touch on as I will for Kirk and Spock, but the man managed to make a cure in a matter of hours while his staff were losing it, which essentially means he was doing everything himself for a good chunk of it. It's a good thing that he avoided getting infected, cause otherwise the Enterprise would have been royally screwed. Even the minor characters like Reilly, who will actually pop up again later, are pretty fun with his hijacking of the engines. It may have driven the bridge crew crazy, but it was fun for me~!

But speaking of Kirk and Spock...

You know one plus side to an episode focused on characters losing their inhibitions? It means that we, as the viewer, get to see the very rare vulnerable sides to characters that normally remain in check. We saw a bit from Kirk already in The Enemy Within, but we see here how frustrated and pressuring he can be. He's forcing Scotty to essentially pull off the impossible. There's a point where he snaps at Uhura, though he does apologize. He outright slaps Spock around to snap him out of his diseased state. Then when he gets himself infected, he mutters on about his devotion to the ship and how he can never have love because of it. He keeps it together long enough to let McCoy cure him, but it still says a lot. He's a man who is so devoted to his captaincy and the Enterprise that he feels that he can never love anyone else. He has a thing for Rand, but it can never be more than that. He has several relationships that we'll see that failed because in the end, his first love is the Enterprise. It's pretty sad when you think about it and how aside from McCoy and to an extent Spock, he can never allow it to show.

Then we come to Spock. Oh Dear Lord Spock. You know how he said in The Enemy Within that he's able to deal with his conflicting Vulcan and Human sides because he has the intelligence to do so? Yeah... he's not as capable as he'd like to think.

We've gotten to know Spock now. He's intelligent, logical, and very much efficient at his job as both Science Officer and First Officer. He's also incredibly blunt, rude, and as he especially made clear in Mudd's Women, finds humans and their emotions a pain to deal with. He has his reasons for being like this, and as this episode demonstrates, he has a LOT that he keeps suppressed.

When he gets infected due to Chapel's love confession (which apparently SNW explores more of this, but I haven't seen it yet so I can't comment), Spock slowly starts to break down. He gets into a conference room, repeating to himself that he is in control of his emotions, what his duty is, and even try to do math problems before he can't stop sobbing anymore. I think I read that Leonard Nimoy had to do this in one take, and if that's true... holy crap, now THAT is excellent acting! This is a scene of a man losing his control and breaking, something that I don't think that Spock has been able to do in a very long time and in this instance, he was forced into doing it.

This is a turning point for Spock's character, I think. We remember scenes like Mudd saying that Vulcans can't feel anything in Mudd's Women, a sentiment that Spock has repeated. We have him in The Enemy Within advising Kirk to keep the split secret from the ship to not cause unrest and, as I said, insisting that he can maintain his own two sides via his intellect. Now we see here that despite his cold, stoic demeanor, Spock does have emotions. Ones that he has bottled up due to his upbringing and the racist treatment that he'd received. He tries to act fully Vulcan, and that means expelling any human emotion. But he's still half human, and humans just can't bury their emotions away forever. Trust me, I've tried.

In that one instance, he can't contain it. He has guilt about never telling his mom that he loved her and likely also never being able to be Human enough for her, at least in his mind. He feels shame for the comradery he feels towards Kirk, by far the closest thing to a friend he has at this point. We saw just last episode how when it looked like Jim was going to be killed, he acted very emotionally and recklessly to try and save him. Which considering how Uhura pointed out to him earlier about his friendship with Jim and his coldness, it says a lot. He only calms down after getting it out of his system and hitting Jim hard enough to bust his lip. We never see him get hypo'd with the cure, so I assume that either McCoy or some other medical officer gave it to him off-screen. But if he hadn't been by the time he and Scotty are in the Engine Room, that means that he only pulled himself together long enough when Jim began to spiral for a plan that he thought was outright impossible.

I guess the short version of this is that this is the first time when we see that Spock has deeper layers than what he portrays. We'll learn more about why he's like this, but for now this is when Spock became a more three-dimensional character. This is where we truly see him struggle with his emotions and the shame that he's buried so deep down. Such shame that when he can't maintain control, all that he can do is cry. As someone who has also felt the need to suppress their feelings and feeling that kind of shame, I have a LOT of empathy for Spock. If this episode was indeed meant to get me to feel for him, it succeeded.

Anything else I need to touch on? There's the whole plot about a planet breaking up or something that causes weird time shenanigans at the very end. I... I'm just gonna leave it at that. We see the virus re-emerge in TNG... and imo to FAR less success, but I'll go into that whenever I reach TNG on this blog. Heaven knows that's not happening anytime soon. We have Chapel's first major role and her crush on Spock will pop up again later, which... meh, I don't have strong feelings about. Maybe because I'm too invested in shipping Spock with McCoy, but I guess when I hit SNW I'll see how things went prior to how they are here.

I think that's about it. Coming out of this rewatch, I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time! It's fun, it's wild, it's got some great character insight moments, it's a really solid episode. Like I said, had I made it to this one years ago I very well may have stuck with TOS and been invested much sooner. But hey, I guess better late than never. It's nice when I go through episodes I didn't care for and grow a new love for them (The Corbomite Maneuver, The Man Trap), but it's also good to just watch an episode I already liked and get to enjoy it all over again. That's all you need sometimes~

Original Rating: 4/5

Rewatch Rating: 8/10

[My TOS Reviews]

[TOS S1 Reviews]

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[silvcrignis]

@manufactoredxbyxdesign ♛

@manufactoredxbyxdesign Punky’s out here throwing you to the WOLVES, they just made a lucky choice because I’m a favourite player lmfao.

{Meme}: [ ♛ ] send me your url and i'll tell you the following; {x}

My opinion on;

Character in general: It’s so sad that I have nar actually played a single Resident Evil Game (I used to watch my dad play them back when I was a smol) or touched a single DBD match but somehow still ended up hyper fixated on this character bc not only was he EVE R Y WHERE back when I was a kid he was my like favourite type of shitbag smarmy over confident character hdhghg I would probably write Albert Wesker if I had the confidence or the complete lore knowledge to hfhgh the perfect live action FC already exists for him thanks to Buffy 😭

How they play them: Hgdhgnh I’ve told them this personally but they’re soooo good, like I hear Albert’s voice when they post something??? Like I love him, a lot of people love uwuing softening villains & I’m like bro they’re fucking evil they may have tender moments or people they are softer with but that’s an EVIL hoe, stop pretending they didn’t do nothin’ wrong. He’s written so MEAN & I fucking adore that, it’s the same way I portray my Severus Snape bc that man has called his own spouse a fucking FOOL before & that’s. My. T y p e, Like I need them to understand I’m not just saying this bc they gave my shit stain gremlin girl a chance (okay maybe a little bc this place has burnt me many times b u t) I’m saying this because I genuinely don’t think they realise just how GOOD they portray this nasty snarky PHD wielding grifter man 😭

The mun: Hurt them & feel the sting of my blade, I swear to God, I will break into your home at 3:37 AM & slather cream cheese & onions on the inside of your pillowcases if I find out you ever legitimately hurt their feelings. Like I was so scared to follow them bc their writing was really on point & canon character blogs be acting stank as hell here especially to me bc Keira isn’t an easy™️ OC girl. & like idc if someone roasts me but I will r I d e for my squad, especially the ones who put up with my ridiculous spammy bullshit like they do hhhhh they deserve better than some of the absolutely manic posts I send them fr fr but I usually make up for my transgressions by sliding them the gud Albertcore.

Do I;

Follow them: I do, I followed their second blog @lxdyvenxm so fucking fast when I saw their post it gave me whiplash ghhgbhjn

RP with them: Of course I do, I have to stick all the pale haired tsunderes together in one spot though Al is a low-key yandere wearing the tsundere skin tbch but he’s deffo part of the club.

Want to RP with them: I… I need Keira to leave this man alone bc every time I get a new idea for Keira the DBD verse her first thought is “What would Albert think about it~🖤🖤🖤?” Yeah she’s a lil obsessio over him but I’M normal hfhgh I don’t want them to think I’m a weird stalker like I don’t want into Albert Wesker’s pants this CREATURE is the one who does!!!!

Ship their character with mine: The concept of them together is terrifying & I mean BOTH Keira & Albert & uhhh the other two shinies (YOU KNOW WHO grhfghf) like they would put the “Power” in the would power couple before some crazy shit starts going down in that Fog… So yeah I do, I want them holding hands while those hands are covered in blood… Because they’re making out while stabbing a person. While holding the same knife. Little known fact about me I fucking LOVE murder couples, especially where one’s a little more fucked up than the other but the other isn’t bothered by that instead they use their slightly calmer head to plan out some REALLY fucked up ideas for them to do together.

What is my;

Overall opinion: Send a long text get a long text ba- Oh wait wait that’s like summin different. Follow them. Love them. Ask about their headcanons bc their headcanons are really good & so fascinating??? Let Albert dismember & bully your muse, Keira wants to film him throwing around their body parts everywhere with the tentacles pls she said it’ll be super funny~~~~

**Note: Mun’s answer are all to be completely honest. Don’t send url if you don’t want brutal honesty.

[ren-c-leyn]

Happy STS, Ren!^^ Great start for the special celebration posts, looking forward to the other ones✨

How have you been? Any project/writing/thinking updates? :D

About Gods from Forgotten Gods - what kind of shape do they have? Where do they "live"? They can't really interact with the world other than through the champions, right? So do they have their own realm? Can they interact there? Can they see themselves and each other there? How does it work with them and where does their interest in mortals and champions come from?

@writingonesdreams

Happy STS to you too, Dreams ^^ I come bearing the promised ramble!I checked the word count for the lore part of the ramble, and it’s over 1,800 words XD I knew it was going to be a long one, but this entire post is as long as a chapter of The Shackles of Time.

 I'll start with the update ^^ It's going under the readmore with the ramblings though because it turned into a ramble in of itself XD (I think it's almost as long as the lore ramble....) But! I think it's a ramble you'll enjoy since I've been having thoughts about your favorite projects now that I've got a little bit of breathing room from the Anniversary specials.

I'm wrapping up the last of the celebration posts. It's taking me a little longer than I wanted, but I just have one left to go and then I can get back to my other projects. I just noticed that I only have enough The Shackles of Time chapters scheduled to get through October's bonus chapters, so I will be buckling down and hitting it hard until I have enough to get through January.

I'll have to do quite a bit of writing on it, though, since December is also going to have 2 extra posts and I'm going to be releasing an extra chapter on January 1st to celebrate new years as well. So, that's 8 chapters I need to write, or at least rewrite, and then schedule before I'll feel comfortable enough to get back to work on Forgotten Gods' second draft.

That being said, Firewalker has been chewing on my brainstem for attention recently, so I may begin prepping the rewrite notes for it's second draft. I just really miss Thistle and Valerian and the birds and the utter chaos that is their lives and disaster of a friendship XD

I'm also still thinking of drawing the casts of all of my WIPs and doing proper character introductions for everyone. But that's going to be a very ambitious project that I'm not going to touch until I recover from the 1- year Shackles of Time Anniversary celebration. I've loved every second of setting up for it, but it has also been a bit draining on the creative batteries.

I've also been playing with ideas for what I want to do with The Forgotten Gods' world once I'm done with the current story. It's left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I could try to build up a plot for a sequel and keep playing with our favorite trio of social disasters and their Gods. I even have an idea of where to start building the plot points because of the motives of said Gods. There's also some new developments that happened towards the end of the story that I'd love to explore more, and plenty that I think can be done around the old, misty forest.

But, a certain enabler's questions (*coughs* you *coughs*) has got me thinking about my original concept for that world again. All of the weirdness of the Gods clashing and messing with mortals that isn't as show-cased as I wanted.... But I got to thinking on it. There's hundreds of Gods in that fictional world, and thousands upon thousands of unlucky mortals who are forced to deal with said gods. And I may have thought of an MC and God combo that is a match made by chaos, is 100% problematic for both parties but it's too late now, and while it's only a vague concept it already promises to be fun to play with. If it works out the way it is in my head, it will be a lighter, more chaotic, more swearing involved story than the original, but it would still be very much in The Forgotten Gods' world.

So I'm not sure which option I'm going to go with. Eventually I'll probably end up pursuing both, it's just a matter of picking which route sounds like more interesting. Though, even if I did know which one I liked the sounds of, which one interests me more might change by the time I get there. So I'm not pushing myself to make the choice now. I'm just letting my mind play with possibilities.

And before I get to that, I have The Dark Princess of Aconitum to consider. I think I have everything in place for book one of the trilogy, except the names of course, though it's going to be a beast of a project to actually sit down and write. The details are going to be the key with making it work and the foreshadowing is going to have to be on point but subtle. Luckily, I'll have several drafts to get it all ironed out ^^ I'm not sure if it's going to be the kind of project I can set down and work on other things between books or if it's going to be one of those that I can't stop until the series is done, though. As complex as it is, pausing it could muddy it in my mind and this isn't the kind of story I can afford to let get messy. And that's part of why I want to clear my plate a bit before I get started on it to give me the room to work primarily on it and Shackles of Time side by side.

The dragon/warrior woman idea has not entirely faded, it's just quieted down, so I think it just needs more time to simmer and decide what kind of story it wants to be before it decides when it wants to be worked on, and that's okay. As you've probably noticed from the rest of this ramble, I've got a lot going on ^^;

Okay, I thought the update section was going to be shorter than it turned out to be, but apparently I’ve been thinking more than I thought I have. ^^; So onto your real question -

Each God of Forgotten Gods has a different form. Some of them are more humanoid than others. Some look absolutely monstrous. And some are just plain weird. Their appearances are as varied as the Gods themselves.

Here's three examples from the gods I built for the story -

Corona looks a lot like a human woman with very dark skin, long black hair, and wings. She is constantly surrounded by an aura of light so bright, however, that it would be very hard to actually see her without going blind. She is a power sun goddess, after all, and you can not look at the sun.

Eternity is kinda humanoid. He's blue skinned, abnormally tall and slender, with sharp claws and horns and glowing purple eyes.

Cordial is... less humanoid. He has a deer head, fur, antlers and is a towering height compared to even Eternity.

 These appearances are subject to change, however. I haven’t worked out all of the details of this aspect as it never really comes into play, but I imagine that as a God gains more followers their appearance evolves, like how Corona has an aura of light, though her temples depict how she’d appear without it. The depiction likely came from priests/priestesses she gave visions to before she gained her aura. I also imagine that as Eternity regains his foothold in mortality, aspects of his appearance will change as well. Though I’m not sure if that will come into play in later books or not, but it definitely didn’t in Forgotten Gods.

 Which makes sense since Silver is basically his one and only follower, which kinda makes her the default high priestess and head of his religion, but she’s extremely anti-social and rarely speaks of either of her Gods. And since she’s the only one, he doesn’t really have the strength to do anything on his own. Soooo, he’s not getting many new followers anytime soon XD

 And I suppose that dove-tails nicely into ‘ They can't really interact with the world other than through the champions, right? ‘

 They can! They’re Gods, they can do whatever they like, for better or worse, often worse. They can send random people visions, talk in certain people’s minds, mess up your dreams, summon monsters, pull new animals out of thin air and release them into the ecosystem, reshape the landscape on a whim, paint the trees different colors, change the weather, among lots of other weird stuff. I’m sure some poor farmer woke up one morning to find an entire mountain range where their crops had been last night thanks to a God’s whims. That’s part of why what God is in control of a region is so important to the people there.

 However, Gods are beings of pure divine energy, so they can’t come into the mortal realm themselves. If they try, terrible things happen to the world as mortals cannot touch the divine without great harm. It tears their bodies apart, and it also messes with the environment and world in general. One evil god tried it once, but all of of the other Gods dog-piled him and then set about cutting him off from the mortal realm to protect themselves and their own followers. So all Gods have an unspoken agreement since then - no one enters the mortal realm. Anyone who does gets Forgotten.

 So the champions are an important part of how they conduct their business in the mortal realm, they can act where a God cannot necessarily due to their restrictions, but normal people are too. Sometimes a God will give you a vision, knowing you tell your one friend all of your weird dreams so that friend will get the message. Sometimes a priestess will be cued in on someone the God wishes to help. Sometimes a random dude will accidentally bumble his way into letting an evil God’s pet monster loose on the world. Mortals make useful aids when it comes to setting up the Gods’ games, whether they like it or not.

 The Gods can handle some things on their own, though, like you can absolutely get lightening bolted by a cruel god of storms for saying he’s cruel out loud and a goddess of protection can absolutely shield you from a blow that would have killed you and so on. But they aren’t omnipresent, so sometimes things happen when you’re God isn’t looking for better and worse, and Gods also have a hard time acting outside of their territory in mortal domains. If you say worship a relatively unknown sun god and walked into one of the large swaths of territory Corona controls, your God cannot really be counted on to you because Corona can just a laugh at anything he tries to day and say ‘no’ and block his ability to do anything.

 Now then, as for where do they live and how they interact with each other, each God has their own realm. Their own little reality bubble. They can see themselves in them as they experience these reality bubbles much like we experience our lives.

 The realms are set by the Gods themselves and can be redecorated to fit their interests and liking. Some God’s realms never stop changing, some God’s realms haven’t changed since they came into existence.

 There isn’t a large common realm, but if a God’s influence comes into contact with another God’s influence, like two champions meeting, they become aware of each other and can link their realms together so that they can talk face to face. When realms are linked, the Gods can walk over to each other’s domains like walking to a next door neighbor’s home. These links can be severed either by the will of one of the gods or by one of the gods no longer having the strength to maintain the connection. Fun fact - In Forgotten Gods’ a pantheon references to a group of Gods who’ve all linked their realms together and decided to stay linked. They’re like friend groups or alliances. Another fun fact - Eternity and his husband, another God whose name he can’t seem to recall, were apart of a pantheon before that pantheon lost a territory war and were all Forgotten.

Here’s three examples of what the realms can look like using the Gods from before -

Eternity’s realm is a ship on a starry sea with fog rolling over the waves and multiple moons overhead. Any light not from the stars or moons glows purple regardless of the source and it’s always night.

Corona’s realm is a city in the sky. It’s perpetual daytime with clouds floating beneath it. Her divine messengers, made in her image so they are also dark-skinned humans with wings and golden eyes, all live there along with her faithful companions, four golden dragons. There is almost constant singing and color everywhere in the city.

Cordial’s domain is actually a massive, rustic log cabin complete with a large living room with rocking chairs and a hearth, a large kitchen with nice tea sets, a basement stockpiled with thousands of different ingredients and wines and the like, among other things.

 And now for your last question - where does their interest in mortals come from. This links into the phrase ‘being Forgotten’ you might have noticed me use a few times, so this is a good wrap up question ^^

 Divine energy feeds on mortals’ attention. Gods need to be acknowledged by the mortals as a part of survival. It doesn’t matter if it’s positive interactions or negative interactions, but they need someone to say they are real or they get Forgotten. When a God is Forgotten they lose their connection to the mortal realm and their own divine realm starts starving. Over time, the God grows weaker as it feeds on their own divine energy, then the God starts to lose their memory, and then the realm starts to eat itself with little elements going missing day by day, and then, if no one remembers them or finds proof that they were once there, they disappear.

 Every god is terrified of disappearing. Even the evil ones.

 So when Gods get into wars, is never comes to blows between them directly. No, they direct the mortals to go after that other Gods’ following. Priests, priestesses, and champions are usually the first targets. Then they go after the every day people who followed their enemy. Temples are desecrated, holy texts burned, and tragedy thick. It’s a literally fight for their lives for both the Gods and the mortals. If a priest/priestess realizes their side is going to lose, they usually have something connect to their god smuggled out by someone who doesn’t know them so that one day their God may break out of being Forgotten. This has saved many gods, and gotten many innocent traveling merchants killed for being in the wrong place during a God war. The goal is to destroy any evidence that a God ever existed so that they will not get any divine energy replenished.

 It quite savage and brutal when wars between gods happen in this world.

 All of this said, worshipers and loyal followers are usually preferred by Gods. Having someone doing what you say/ask feeds the divine energy more, and in the case of a God war, a willing follower is more likely to try and save you than the guy you’ve annoyed with random holes in the ground for the last three years. Plus, the more divine energy you’re generating in an area, the more secure your territory is and loyal worshipers attract more mortals to you and will probably at least talk about you or say prayers which feeds the divine realm and increases their influence.

There are some Gods who don’t care about any of that, though, and continue annoying mortals for the fun of it. XD

 Champions are mortals who have been infused with divine energy, giving them magic and such. I remember giving you a ramble about them specifically before, and I think I remember talking about how divine energy will eat at a Champion’s body if they use too much along with the varied types of powers champions can get. But as for why the gods are interested in making them, the increased power of a champion is a draw for a lot of people. It’s proof of the God’s power, gives the god a mortal agent to deal with rival God’s followers, threats to their own followers, and just go out and win fame and influence for them in general. However, maintaining a champion is difficult since the god has to maintain a constant connection to the mortal plane and keep it open. If they open it too far, the divine energy will kill their champion. If the connect gets too weak the champion can’t draw on their power, this is much more difficult if the champion is outside of their realm. Which is why most Gods only have one or two champions since they have other things to do and don’t want to just spend their time maintaining a dozen different connections to their realm all day.

 And that’s my ramble. If you have follow up questions just let me know ^^ Thanks for stopping in, Dreams. I hope you have a lovely day/evening.