#ideal ending imho

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

Sam & Dean can deserve an ending full of divine light and love and eternal bliss, where they have their loved ones around them and can heal and live and be together.

by which I mean, Sam & Dean should become pagan forest gods.*

picture it. a sun-filled house in the woods, on a lake, protected not out of fear but by the power of two beings that gave their whole lives to protecting the earth, its people and its wild places. Sam & Dean, immortal, untouchable by anything, but not changed at all from who they are. Hunters, monsters, humans, everyone is welcome there as long as they're not evil. Chuck can try to keep "writing" them all He wants, but they are literally the gods of their own story. Destiel is literally going to last for all of eternity.

....and Sam's got antlers for real now, that's also a plus I guess. he's never actually going to stop getting taller, is he....

*this can also count as a "normal human life" btw. plenty of gods and spirits and whatever-else live as normal humans just fine in spn canon.

[innocentartery]

misogyny really is a plague because katma tui has the most compelling premise out of all the non-human lanterns (and some of the human ones!!!). she was established as both sinestro's successor and a direct parallel to foil hal lantern upon her introduction. her character progression from irresolution to total devotion to the corps + the wedge it drives between duty and self-fulfillment/love IS the heart of the green lantern mythos. only to be canonized as a doomed love interest and given a half-hearted attempt at readdressing her origins in emerald dawn over a year after her death

[headspace-hotel]

Another note on climate change despair:

My politics are pretty leftist, especially by the standards of a red state, but I think there is a such thing as Too Far Left re: the systemic nature of problems

It happens when you start to believe that nothing will ever change unless the current system is completely destroyed and a new one built in its place. In particular, when you believe that taking steps to reform, or decrease the harm of, a corrupt system is pointless or even bad, you've gone off the deep end imho.

People from my own country—the United States—will say things like "Gradual, incremental change is pointless, we need Revolution!"

Look me in the eyes and tell me that women's rights, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, etc. are in the same state they were in 1950. Maybe just google these things first.

Revolution IS an incremental change!!! This country has tens of thousands of elected officials and officeholders!! Every life-supporting industry is run by a fucked up Rube Goldberg machine of bureaucracy that could stretch from here to the Moon 87 times!!! This country's laws, institutions, and supply chains are a Bethesda game programmed in the 1700's, released unfinished and currently running thousands of mods, at least half of which either remove crucial game mechanics and content at random or do things like "make your character take damage when he pees." Do you think it's really possible to raze this clusterfuck to the ground and rebuild it from scratch?

anyway, I say this because a concerning amount of people believe literally nothing meaningful can be done to save the planet until our current government and economic system no longer exist.

I get it. Capitalism is what got us into this mess and it's making it worse right now, but we do not have zero agency, capitalism does not have infinite power and wisdom, and humans and governments can and do make decisions that are contrary to the immediate interests of capitalism. I think it's not only possible but normal throughout history for people's actions and beliefs to flow against the prevailing power of the time.

Think of dandelions. They flourish not because they are wanted, but because they are numerous, and the power that controls the grass and sidewalks cannot reach everywhere at once. And so they are unstoppable, and will never be destroyed.

We must have the raw, opportunistic resisting power of weeds, taking hold in every crack in the terrible machine that controls our lives. We must hold on like little plants in an expanse of cracked concrete—the slab will not be dug up and the soil set free anytime soon, but if enough of us live our lives in spite of it, its power will be weakened and its impenetrable nature changed.

Also, just because technological solutions to climate change don't feel right—they don't satisfy the longer-term, idealized principle of healing the Earth and creating a more sustainable society—doesn't mean they wouldn't, in the short term, work.

Get in losers, we're burning incense to Caesar and tomorrow we will be alive.

[anxresi]

They're absolutely right...

...It's the writers that deserve the lion's share of the backlash, for poor, innocent, boring-as-hell Zoe is merely a tool of the oppressor, aka Mr Astruc. What's being oppressed, you may well ask? Well, interesting storylines, proper continuity, two-dimensional personalities... I could go on. Everything that makes a show compulsive and rewarding viewing that Miraculous Ladybug conspicuously and utterly lacks in every department due to his increasingly destructive machinations, basically.

This pink-streaked plot device masquerading as a serious character can (along with another equally pointless individual called 'Soquerline' who was so unmemorable I almost forgot she was ever a thing) exists for one reason and one reason only: to diminish Chloe's relevance and role in the show to the sum of precisely nothing. Well after S5, job done I guess guys. Well done. Well done indeed. (Although apparently not... they're bringing Miss Bourgeois back for more torture in the London 'special'. Guess Tommy Boy just can't keep away from his favorite punching bag, can he?)

The irony is though, having such a super-sweet but dull-as-ditchwater Mary Sue to replace a well-established and multi-layered person such as Chloe actually sends out a seriously awful message. Why? Because if I was a bad kid and saw S1-3 Chloe, I'd think 'what a fascinating redemption arc, I can inspired by that and do better.' But after seeing S4-5 Chloe and what an arguable downgrade as a replacement the incredibly tedious Zoe is, I'd be more like 'well, obviously there's no point in trying to be good, because you'll probably turn into a psychopath overnight with no explanation in the middle of your genuine efforts to improve. And if what the show is presenting to me as the ideal for a teenage girl to be is the waste-of-blank-space that Zoe clearly is... then a life of deliquency sounds more tempting with every passing minute! Now, where did I put my spray can?'

The most shameless aspect to this whole argument though, is by those trying to paint the hapless Zoe as some kind of lesbian icon. Pardon? She got a plot-mandated crush on Marinette in one episode and somehow that makes her insipid and needless presence an asset for the gay community? Somehow a few people have got it into their heads if you 'dare' to make someone non-straight in cartoons these days you deserve a big pat on the back for that 'risk' alone. WRONG. They should also be fleshed-out, complex, necessary characters whose sexuality isn't just define them or deflect from deserved criticism as to what the hell they are doing there if they turn up in the middle of proceedings with no prior explanation. See: The Owl House for how it's done.

And that's all Zoe being gay is... an irrelevant trait Mr Astruc can point to cynically and say ' you're a bigot for disliking her whatever your reasons are, so I'm not listening to you' instead of engaging with the actual argument which is SHE IS NOT AND WAS NEVER NEEDED IN THE SHOW. Everything you required to make Chloe the brilliant character she could've been was RIGHT THERE in the script but you CHOSE to rub it all out and scrawl some hastily scribbled doodle with no personality other than being 'very nice' in her place. A tragedy. The worst case of self-vandalism I've ever seen. No wonder Jeremy Zag wants to start from scratch with his rebooted movies. More power to him, IMHO.

Needless to say, nearly all the above in the quoted post about her father loving her (we haven't met him yet, it's DEFINITELY not Andre Bourgeois, his name ends in 'Lee' for a start) her supposed growth (the only 'growth' she's had is when she turned into that giant golden Chloe after being akumatized) her alleged pansexuality (all in the desperate mind of the OP) her 'abusive' family (I think you'll find Chloe had it FAR WORSE over the course of the show in that regard, so why not idolise her?) is complete bunkum. and to be frank I couldn't compose a much delusional post if I tried. Sometimes I wonder: what planet are some people on to reach such implausible conclusions? I don't understand it, I'll never understand it and quite frankly I feel quite sorry for the arbiters of such risibly deluded takes.

Last but not least though, we have...

Now this I ALSO agree with 1000%. And I know just the place to 'flush' her... ;)

[amiya-shirou]

Spoilers about Miquella and Marika's DLC Lore

Hate how there's so much black and white perspective in the Elden Ring community, especially regarding Miquella and Marika. Sorry if this sounds too much like an aggressive rant, it's not really my intention

"Miquella did fucked up shit which clearly clashes with his previous lore about being kind and compassionate, SOTE has bad writing" even in the base game he was already said to be the most fearsome of the demigods and it was kinda implied that he made kindness his weapon as he knew well how to make others love him, perfectly consistent with Ansbach's speech

"Miquella is manipulative so obviously he never really cared about Malenia" with all the things he did for her? is it so hard to believe he truly cared about his twin sister for the sake of which he went so far as to find ways to protect her from an Outer God's influence? with Malenia seemingly knowing about Miquella's plan and everything?

"Radahn loved his horse and protected people so he was obviously a perfectly good gigachad who could never ever agree with Miquella" he was among the forces attacking Leyndell. his ideal was Godrey - a conqueror, and the first Elden Lord. having an obsession with battle and war certainly doesn't sound like someone who could never do anything wrong, no matter how honorable he might be in battle.

"Marika did a lot of bad things and was a tyrant so obviously she never held any real love for poor Messmer or even Godwin and all she cared about was power." she made blessings to help Messmer specifically, something unique enough it's specified she never did such a thing again. 2 of these are dropped by Tree Sentinels protecting her home village which she bathed with Grace and clearly held deep love for. She went to great lengths to help him with his curse when she could have just killed him or imprisoned him where he coulnd't be of harm like she did with the Omen twins. she smashed the Elden Ring, literally sacrificing her position as queen as that action put her against the Greater Will and resulted in her shackling, which definitely doesn't sound like someone who cares about power and herself alone. And about that, if she's been imprisoned ever since before the start of the game with no one knowing about it, why are most people so easily assuming she voluntarily abandoned and ignored Messmer? she physically couldn't contact him if she wanted to. Like, it's debatable, maybe she did abandon him since before the Shattering, but it definitely doesn't feel that obvious to me, and Messmer misinterpreting her disappearance feels more in tune with the FromSoft style tragedy

all this sounds like those who insisted that since Ranni caused the Shattering then of course she can only be evil and manipulative all the time and clearly holds no real affection for the Tarnished and is only manipulating us as well. Which I feel completely clashes with her questline, narrative and characterization.

Kind people can still do evil, especially if they don't fully realize how bad what they're doing is, or if they think they're making a necessary sacrifice. Cruel, fucked up people can still love, and love might be the very reason why they ended up being so cruel. This is something the whole game is built on, and even before Elden Ring, a constant of the Souls series has been about fighting tragic individuals who ended up in antagonistic positions despite their originally good intentions.

imho Marika and Miquella are both better, more complex character than they would have been otherwise, and leave more to discuss about the game's themes and narratives, specifically because they have multiple facets to them. The hated Queen of the Golden Order was originally a victim. Her kind son who tried to fix his family's wrongdoings discarded so much of himself and did so many things to achieve his dream of compassion that he ended up being just as wrong as his mother. Isn't this much more interesting than putting out an entire game-sized DLC just to say "manipulative evil queen girlboss truly didn't care about anything and just wanted power!!" and "Kindly Miquella is so perfect!!! this surely fits our 'nothing is perfect or eternal and everything is ambiguous' narrative"?

[inquisimer]

dragon age oneshot fic recs

@dreadfutures said that we should do more fic recs and she's absolutely right, so I'm starting what will hopefully be a series of fic rec lists, leading off with some oneshot recs! These are just standalone stories that don't require a big time commitment and definitely stuck with me after I read them.

Check them out! and leave a comment or kudos to let the author know you did 💜

Feel free to reblog this post and add your own oneshot fic recs! Or make your own fic rec post and tag me in it so I can read and promote your awesome recs :3

-

My Lover's Phylactery by FrodaB

Cullen Rutherford/Female Inquisitor | G | 1472 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: She doesn't destory it Mer's Rec: this is an excellent piece that fills the gap DAI left (imho) about Trevelyan's phylactery! There's some excellent introspection from the Inquisitor and a bittersweet but somft and heartfelt ending between Cullen and his love.

Bent, Not Broken by spirrum (@spirrum)

Fenris/Female Hawke | G | 1595 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: In which Hawke doesn't run off to Weisshaupt, and an angry elf turns up at the Inquisition's door. Mer's Rec: this is a little slice of interpersonal relationships that beautifully captures Hawke's spirit! It starts with some platonic Hawke & Varric, perfectly encapsulating the exhaustion both of them feel after HLTA, and transitions smoothly into the heart-tugging reunion between Hawke and a frustrated Fenris who's very much in love.

last man standing (perhaps) by havvke (Wintertree)

Charade Amell & Carver Hawke & Female Hawke | T | 6749 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: Hawke’s teeth glinted when she grinned, except for the gap of her missing left dogtooth. Funny how they did that, even in such poor lighting. Glinting. Hawke barely seemed real. They’ve gone on a mission or two together since that initial, embarrassingly disastrous meeting, and it was still shocking that the woman lived up—if not surpassed—her nearly legendary status. Compared to the other missions Charade led with the Jennies, this was somewhat easier than her normal fare. But while Hawke was a known figure, and by technicality kin, Charade still didn’t know her. Mer's Rec: Okay, I'm admittedly biased toward this piece, because it was a gift for me as part of the 2023 Platonic Ideal Exchange. That being said, it is an INCREDIBLE work of sibling dynamics and I think of it whenever I think about Charade Amell. Havvke explores the relationship between Charade as a Red Jenny, Carver as a Grey Warden, and Hawke as...Hawke, in a beautiful web of complicated choices and found family. Over a year later, it still holds up as one of the best exchange gifts I've ever received.

Doggone by leggywillow (@leggywillow)

Alistair/Female Warden, Alistair & Anora Mac Tir, Alistair & Warden's Mabari | T | 3042 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: Alistair and the Warden are no longer together, but they still exchange letters - through Dog. Alistair struggles to find happiness in his life as king, but he isn't entirely alone. Mer's Rec: I read this one just recently and oh my GOODNESS it both made me laugh and also pulled at my heartstrings. Leggy alters the canon breakup between a King Alistair & the Warden to be somehow even more heartbreaking and the way that he talks to Dog is just so essentially Alistair, I could hear every line in his voice. Add to that several well done bits between Alistair & Anora and this piece absolutely delivers on the "sad" and "heartache" in the additional tags.

That Word You Call Me by thewitchofthewilds (gossamerstarsxx) (@saiyanshewolf)

Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford | T | 1768 words | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Author's Summary: The first time she tells him she loves him is the time he needs to hear it the most Mer's Rec: I love this piece for the intermingling of angst and fluff between Lavellan and Cullen. It leads in with one of the better descriptions of nightmare panic that I've seen and the way that Lavellan grounds Cullen from it is smooth and heartfelt, as is his reaction to her comfort. It caps off with some sweet fluff and a taste of human/elf relationships dynamics, for which I am a sucker, and which end the fic on soft, heartfelt note.

[ddarker-dreams]

Hi!!!! (Sorry if you already answered this) how do you think your faves would react to your major being criminal psychology, especially the actual criminal ones, like Chrollo and Giorno?

(all of my favs when they hear my major with the sole exception of the upstanding citizen Gojo Satoru)

unsurprisingly, chrollo would be amused by the irony. i'm not really interested in apprehending criminals, where my heart lies is prevention and rehabilitation. he'd probably gauge how far my empathy is willing to stretch. an ideal of mine is that no one is beyond redemption, but if i'm being honest, it isn't always an easy belief to maintain. he'd be like a shark smelling blood in the water when he figures that out 😭 my only hope is that he finds me cute enough that he spares my bleeding heart at least a little. however! his upbringing would prove where i'm coming from. i've volunteered with so many people who would've avoided high risk behavior if they had access to the right resources. i'll fight him idc. if i can make one person's life better than i consider every ounce of effort worth it.

giorno has the charisma and acumen to bend me a little if he really wanted to. he's got the brando blood. i wouldn't ever agree with his methods, but i'd begrudgingly admit that it's better he's in the position than someone worse. still, organized crime does irreparable harm. he'll be the exception to the rule; most of his underlings won't share his integrity. we'd both end up in a deadlock. i would reconsider my morals if he made me a bunch of baby rabbits though...

scara wouldn't get why i bother caring and stress that for every 'good' act of mine, someone out there has already committed two or more reprehensible acts. net negatives or whatever. mr mommy issues would give me an existential crisis. i recover from those pretty fast though. all it takes is a yummy snack, good night of rest, and a fun outing with friends. then i'm :D once more. he'd probably reduce me to a pile of ash because i'll call him lame to his face. doomers are cringe imho. i find that worldview to be very pitiful. choosing optimism in the midst of hardship speaks to the strength of someone's character. there is goodness in this world and i'll throw hands (and promptly lose) with him over this.

as for blade.................................... he's just going to ask silver wolf to get his wanted posters removed from my area so i remain none the wiser jkghsdjfklgs

[chaggie4ever]

Hello. Me again. I was wondering if you could make a post of how Charlie steamrolls Vaggie. I know it's a recurring flaw but I wanted to hear from you.

Of course. I’ve been wanting to make a Chaggie flaws post for a bit so this can be at least part 1 XD preface with I ADORE them (sometimes with a side of Lute/Vaggie) and flaws are part of any good relationship. My very gay wife and I have many but remain very happily married for over three years now :)

Also having just rewatched AGAIN this is fresh 😎 (#idontknowhowmanytimesiverewatchednowpleasesendhelp). So we immediately open into a Disney-esque song that Vaggie begs Charlie not to sing (in the original AND new pilots!) Charlie literally sings over her and runs down the street, annoying everyone in the pride ring. She ignores Vaggie’s commentary and (insider) advice. When she gets back, we see one of the rare cases that Vaggie IS NOT fully in tune with Charlie’s emotions and pushes her to watch the commercial before she can vent about the meeting. This may be intentional to cheer her up though 🧐

Ep2 Chaggie is cute and supportive and more involves Charlie steamrolling Angel and his emotions in favor of Sir Pentious.

Ep3 Charlie flings the whole trust exercise on Vaggie, who is very obviously uncomfortable with this. Ideally she would have given Vaggie a heads up before in front of everyone… or at least recognized that discomfort. But nope. Completely steamrolled. To her credit, Charlie is the first to volunteer and later DOES apologize for putting too much pressure on Vaggie.

But the rooftop. The fucking rooftop. Charlie interrupts the one consensual throwing into a turf war (Nifty REALLY wanted to be thrown XD). Then when Vaggie literally says that she is NOTHING if she isn’t useful, Charlie DOESNT CORRECT HER. Like dude. You don’t try saying “you do so much” in that situation. You tell your girl to fucking love herself dammit and that her self worth should not revolve around you! But it’s like Charlie doesn’t even hear this… she wants to put a bandaid on but she needs to stop the actual bleeding here. And doesn’t. She leaves. Yes Vaggie asked her to but sometimes you should persist a bit more imho. Instead we see an awesome power ballad (also her Assassin’s Creed climbs bro), where Vaggie sings about “it felt so good to be understood” after THIS convo XD I’m sorry I can’t. Gurl you are more than armor, please love yourself. Notably, Charlie IS NOT HAPPY even when the residents are bonding (her one goal right?), until Vaggie is ok. And this scene is very cute and sweet.

Ep4 is more Huskerdust focused, but we do get some cute supportive girlfriend talk and Charlie actually listening. The one time it backfires XD I AM glad Vaggie doesn’t put this all on herself when Charlie returns home devastated.

Ep5 is more Charlie+Lucifer but we get a cute intro to future father-in-law (guys. Why are they not engaged yet?? I was in like three months XD) good tour, minimal steamrolling that I can find. Charlie does completely miss Vaggie’s reaction to Lucifer talking about heaven sucking, but she was facing the other way and kinda focused on him. And she does not notice Vaggie’s very obvious fake enthusiasm over going to heaven at the end.

Ep6 - the BIG ONE. Charlie seemingly does not care about Vaggie’s discomfort going to heaven. Like dude, at least ask why? Maybe? Or do you even notice the VERY obvious hesitancy on every convo about heaven? Idk if she was assuming she knew or just was too excited and missed it. But this happens so many times this episode. Yes, Vaggie REALLY should have given Charlie at least a heads up about what she was walking into. But it helps when someone asks “what’s wrong?”… especially for those of us who are emotionally constipated and trauma-fueled…

Ep7 is frustrating - how long has Vaggie been on the couch now? A week? Their confrontation is so painful. Like can you think of a reason Vaggie may have lied or just not corrected you about this major aspect of her life? Girl has had your back for three years essentially without question. You need to talk. Not cry for a week. But again, Charlie comes first and Vaggie hates herself too much to combat this. Especially right now. Charlie can focus on nothing else all day until she finally learns actions mean more than words. Meanwhile Vaggie gets the shit beaten out of her and reminded to live for others. As much as I love this scene, I do NOT love having a person as a “reason to live.” I hope she develops beyond this but if this is what Vaggie needs to survive life right now so be it (I actually meant to type Lute instead of life but both work XD)

Their apology is super cute and I think there will be some great wing fun in bed tonight XD Vaggie IS steamrolled here again but this time it’s more legitimate imho. Charlie should not let her apologize after how she treated her today. They BOTH need to apologize dammit.

And finally ep8 - very minimal steamrolling I could find! They are just adorable and perfect in every way. Wow that ended up long XD sorry and you’re welcome? XD

[emilysidhe]

Sense and Sensibility is high up on my list of favorite Jane Austen novels (Persuasion is at the top), but as Austen’s first published book, it does retain a few problems that later books don’t, chiefly (imho) that there are very few on page interactions between the end game couples.

We know that Elinor and Edward exhibit closeness with each other because we see other characters who’ve seen them together react to it, but in terms of conversations that make it into the book, there are far more scenes of Edward gently teasing Marianne about the fact that they have opposite tastes in art and nature (as in, scenic views.)

Meanwhile, Marianne spends most of the book actively avoiding Colonel Brandon while he has important and surprisingly emotionally intimate conversations with Elinor.

There might be something in how the relationship between the sisters is so much more important in this book than any of the others that it’s almost more important to demonstrate how Elinor’ and Marianne’s future partners will fit into this relationship as brothers-in-law than as husbands.

But about a third of the way through the book, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the idea of an alternate ending where the sisters end up with the opposite partner. I do think the actual couples are ultimately well matched. Elinor and Edward are both “still waters run deep” kind of people who understand each other well, and the annotated edition I’ve read most recently (David M Shapard) points out that Colonel Brandon’s tragic backstory is ripped right from the common tropes for heroes of Romantic novels of the time, signaling to contemporary readers that he actually fits Marianne’s romantic ideals as well or better than Willoughby even while she dismisses him.

But wouldn’t it also be fun if, in commiserating with Elinor about his unrequited feelings for Marianne, Colonel Brandon were to realize to his surprise that his initial infatuation with her was more about nostalgia for the first love he lost than real, current interest in passionate and idealistic teenage girls, and that as an adult what he really wants is a grown woman with enough sense to match him as an equal partner. And Elinor, disappointed that Edward’s sense did not prevent him from acting very foolishly in a way that hurt her, finds herself falling for an older, wiser version of a man who could have stepped right out of the pages of one of Marianne’s favorite novels.

Meanwhile, Edward having fallen for the first time for the sharp and pretty Lucy Steele only to be disenchanted by her ignorance, then found himself in love with her polar opposite in the sensible and noble Elinor Dashwood (who initially returns his feelings but moves on from him before he can disentangle himself from Lucy Steele), loses his heart for a third time to the romantic and sensitive Marianne Dashwood, whom he had once hoped to call sister. And Marianne looks up one day from her “I’ll never love again after Willoighby” philosophizing to find that without noticing it happening, she’s already fallen for a shy, subdued man who feels emotions with the same quiet intensity she learned to recognize and love in her sister but who commits what she once considered the unforgivable crime of preferring to look at straight, healthy trees over the picturesque ideal of twisted, blasted ones.

It would be really cute is what I’m saying.

[sodium-sillycate]

Some thoughts about ch2ep12. It's pretty long. Also spoilers ahead.

A bit surprised the episode was "only" 23 min long but I imho it's good we are warming up first before we get that one hour ep lol.

I love that they brought up Arei's body still swinging when the trio found her. Details really do matter in this fangan :)

About Ace not knowing how water evaporation works... Afaik starvation does negatively impact cognitive functions, just throwing that out there.

Nico really are one of the only usefull people in the room.

Arturo's little rant... First I'm really he glad continues to get more characterization and glimpses of his backstory. Not because I care about him but because he is finally an actual character (only took him until ch2 trial huh). Second I'm glad the series adresses it's weird to have a medical professional that young, especially a fking surgeon. And that he's highly specialized and doesn't know literally everything about medicine. I just think many other fangans would not bother with this. Third I think it's highly unsual for a 12 y/o to not just think about becoming plastic surgeon specifically but also to completelly dedicate himself to that goal. Idk I think there was something weird going on in Giles household.

For a second I was confused how Whit faceplanting into a wall would cause a dent like that but then I remembered that a lot of american buildings seem to be made of like... cardboard instead of bricks. Anyway RIP any theories surrounding that dent ig.

Whit: "I don't have an alibi in the morning. Neither does Charles." Okay but how do you know that lol. It's kind of weird for him speak for for Charles in this instance. (Ig this was because it flows better than to cut back to Charles.)

I bet Xanvid shippers were happy about this episode.

David: You didn't even know him well enough to tell when he was trying to stab you. Bruh that's so cold.

Anyway lot of the animosity between David and Teruko seems to stem from Xander? Not sure what implications this has for Teruvid lol.

David having memories of Xander... what does it mean...

David's little speach about the nature of the killing game as an entertainment meaning that "we are supposed to catch the killer, again and again, and participate in the trial after trial" makes me fell like Despair Time is going to deviate drastically from the typical danganronpa 6 trails formula at some point...

I was so ready for David to say that his goal was to kill Teruko. Although "stopping the killing game" and "killing Teruko" do seem to be related atm. Especially if the secret David recieved really does actually belong to her. I find it a bit funny that no one brought up "huh wait you are saying that you want to carry on Xander's ideals by ending the killing game but this secret says the killing is literally his fault?".

Hm probably controversial but I'm more interested in David and Hu arguing than David and Teruko arguing. Also I'm really hoping Hu has the hopeless child secret because it would make everything she says go even harder. I think this trial is so good for Hu's character.

Also Hu really said

David snapping at Whit made me laugh ngl.

One thing I certainly didn't miss was Ace accusing Nico and J accusing Arthuro. I mean it's not like they don't have reasons for it, but it does get repetitive and annoying. It happened only once this episode so that's fine, but I hope it won't happen every episode you feel me.

Hu yelling "Actually Nico has an alibi, we were together!!!" immediately after Ace accuses them is not credible to me sorry lol. I think that 2 person alibis should always be taken with a grain of salt, but especially considering their relationship it's worthless as an evidence lol.

Nico getting interrupted is a running theme and the fact that is has been pointed out again... Will Nico have a "standing up to Hu" moment later in the trial?

I'm a bit frustrated with the ending. Not because it is a cliffhanger, but because there could have been a pretty good segue into discussing HOW the murder happened instead of WHO did it since they currently don't have a good way to slim down the suspects list. Instead we are next time going to open with Levi's backstory (, maybe get Levi & Arei flashback), the other characters are gonna freak out about it (*cough* Ace *cough*) and Teruko/Charles will have to convince them to not immediately assume he murdered Arei too. Yea I think that's how we will spent most of the next episode. And don't get me wrong, I want Levi lore, it's just that we are almost 2 hours into the trial and we still know so little about the actual murder.

[autistichalsin]

I stand by what I said- the ending with Karlach DOES need reworking. You can adore someone's work and also go "that part was not ideal."

My criticism towards the IGN interview could not POSSIBLY MORE CLEARLY have been directed at the higher-ups and how they felt Halsin should have nothing more to do after breaking the Shadow Curse, as opposed to John who very clearly loves Halsin and very likely wanted to do more with him than that, if his updates to Halsin (like the platonic confession scene) are any indication. (The higher-ups also ignored what John DID write for Halsin besides Halsin hating the city, which was insulting to his hard work, IMHO)

ALSO, the "something went terribly wrong in the writer's room" quote (which let me say, I don't know whether to be creeped out or flattered that you can quote my posts verbatim) was SPECIFICALLY about writing Orin to target the lowest approval companion (something John had NO part in), which resulted in many players feeling no rush to get the kidnapped companion back- I specifically said it was a failure of writing for the kidnapping story. Again, John's only part of the kidnapping arc was writing Orin-as-Halsin's behavior, and THAT is something I've had nothing but praise for.

You do realize, right, that more than one thing can be possible at once? Like, you really and truly realize that you don't have to like EVERY writing decision made when you love someone's writing, and conversely, that disliking a few decisions DOESN'T mean you don't like/respect the writer at all? Isaac Asimov is my favorite writer of all time, but a few of his short stories were, in my opinion, real stinkers. That doesn't mean I don't love Isaac Asimov!!! It means that writers are human and make human mistakes when writing.

This ask was not just creepy and rude, it was downright wrong and operated on a child's understanding of criticism. I adore Halsin's writer and the work he did on Halsin. On this site, where he presumably can't see anything I write so it can't be "sycophancy", I still have spoken about how well-written Halsin's traumas and anxieties are, how compassionate and sweet he is, how there's so many brilliant character beats. It sounds to me like this ask is motivated by two things: you are jealous that I've corresponded with him on Twitter and you haven't, and you are angry that I criticized a few aspects of Halsin's arc/character which you feel makes me a "fake fan". (Either that, OR you're someone who hates Halsin's character/John's writing for hin, and is angry I don't hate those things.)

In any case, enjoy your block, get well soon, and stop being weird with random Tumblr users. (Also, "a piece of bread to a hungry homeless person" is a really bad metaphor. Who the fuck gives a homeless person a single piece of bread? Like are you just carrying around a baguette in your car in case you encounter a homeless person on the street corner?!)

[princesssarisa]

C. E. and A. are Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, obviously.

Obviously, Anne is the Brontë who most clearly deconstructs the "bad boy" Romantic hero with her negative portrayal of Arthur Huntingdon in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. But what about her sisters with Rochester in Jane Eyre and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights?

I was just reading @burningvelvet's in-depth analysis of the Byronic hero archetype in literature, which @bethanydelleman reblogged. When discussing the Brontës, they concluded that Emily plays the archetype fully straight in Heathcliff, since Heathcliff never changes or redeems himself, while Charlotte partly deconstructs it by playing it straight in Rochester at first but then punishing and redeeming Rochester so that he's no longer Byronic in the end. That's definitely a valid interpretation.

Yet I've also read the argument that Charlotte plays the "romantic bad boy" archetype the straightest, because she makes (or tries to make) Rochester a sympathetic character whom Jane never stops loving and who can redeem himself and become her ideal husband. From this viewpoint, Emily was the one who partly deconstructed the archetype by portraying Heathcliff as an explicitly bad man and an abuser, whose only possible romance is with is the similarly sublime and monstrous Cathy, and whom no ordinary girl like Isabella could ever hope to change. Although her deconstruction doesn't go as far as Anne's (so this argument goes), because she still creates sympathy for him and portrays his passion for Cathy as romantic.

Then of course there's the pop culture idea that both Rochester and Heathcliff are completely straight examples of romanticized Byronic bad boys, while only Anne was "the sensible one" who deconstructed the archetype. As seen in that popular yet (IMHO) slightly unfair Kate Beaton comic that shows both Charlotte and Emily swooning over dark, brooding men to Anne's disconcertion.

Of course the last option is that all three sisters deconstructed the Byronic hero archetype in different ways: Anne by dismissing him altogether, Emily by making him a compelling and tragic villain but still a villain, and Charlotte by punishing and redeeming him.

Which way of reading their work rings the truest to all of you?

[leosulfurous]

Deleted scenes like this are always the best IMHO because you can enjoy them and like them and maybe even believe that it's some of the best content relating to the movie that you've seen but also you're fully aware and (probably) in agreement of the fact that not including it was definitely the right idea and the correct decision to make because that way you can enjoy it while not feeling disappointed that this never ended up on the big screen

also the animatic style is brilliant and definitely the right style for the ideal viewing experience of this scene

[yamatenzo]

karin is my meow meow princess who was born in a cardboard box all alone and most people write her off as her character just being "sasuke obsessed" which i actually do understand because its not like kishimoto put much effort in there now did he. but i actually love her because (and this is personal to me) once you start seeing her whole situation with her body being used by everyone and her believing it's what gives her worth as an allegory for abuse it reframes So much of her behavior because imho? the way she acts towards sasuke is So painfully real LOL

like here's the thing about karin and i'm fully gonna subscribe to her tsukuyomi dream episode here because i think it's visceral, rough as hell and good: what she craves the most is Love she doesn't care if she's used up as long as it's by someone she believes is worthy of her love- again, subscribing to her tsukuyomi dream, girl it fucking ends with her asking for love as she's DYING isn't it so fucked up (but extremely interesting character wise) that THAT'S her ideal world? she doesn't even receive the words of love she is asking for, she just makes the request openly and to her that's enough like. THAT'S HEARTBREAKIIIIING

and back to this idea of craving love, i think she's conditioned herself to believing what she wants is that idealized romantic love where someone Needs her (even if she might end up being thrown away or become obsolete- a very insanely sad way to think of yourself) but if you Fully observe karin back from the time she had her mother still to when she meets naruto and says, if memory serves, she feels a Warmth to him that makes her happy, that what she really wants is a place to belong that is like family... i wish they'd given any payoff on the naruto thing but oh well lol. something i'll actually give boruto props for is karin (orochimaru aside) seems very happy and fulfilled to have found a spot with taka as her family as she says 🥺...

anyway tl;dr karin's character, if you ask me, is (or rather Should Have Explicitly Been) about longing for the love of a family that won't need to use you or throw you away no matter what

[daevstroders]

i was smoking some top tier jake english crack ln and had some thoughts and much to ponder when i woke up so have some alloaro jake musings under the cut.

there is always the underlying element of not right not enough yet perfectly aligned and too much with these two. and i think what makes the alloaro jake narrative (which to ignore would be like ignoring his feminine coding imho (that is: impossible) really interesting is Love (capitalised to emphasise romantic from here on out, love sans capitalisation is not to be taken as romantic) is only what he believes it is, what he thinks it should be. what he's seen in his movies, of which he doesn't care for - he watches ACTION FILMS and SUPERHERO FLICKS, john and karkat are the ones who engage most with romcoms - and the kind of love he experiences is not the Love he equates to being 'real'.

everyone's experiences with aromanticism are different, and i think from jake's perspective its more so about his ideals of Love not matching his experiences. he's not shown to have anything more than passing interest and sexual encounters with others in the narrative, save dirk, and that is a whole shitstorm he can hardly bear to think about. its easier to renounce Love itself because to delve into these things would be to self reflect and jake english does Not. self reflect.

his love is destructive and selfish and reactive and obsessive and consuming. the kind where its you are Mine (and i guess that has to make me yours). i'll follow you to the ends of the earth because you're the only one who understands me and doesn't ask more from me than i'm capable of, but i won't force myself to appreciate the parts of you i detest and i don't expect you to do that either. the kind where i enjoy having you around but the domestic ideal i've seen sounds fucking boring and not something i'm capable of or want to be. i love you but i don't Love you. its more than i feel for anyone else and its too much, yet it is still not enough.

vs dirk who believes that his obsession and devotion is what Love is. he is the god of his own reality and the only word he can place on this emotion IS Love because he doesn't know anything else. he's just so much more intense than the rest, it doesnt matter if they don't understand it, because its Raw and Visceral and Real, more than their washed out depictions of Love. he's the same in the sense that the domestic Love for him is fucking boring and unsuited to his tastes but that doesn't make his Love lesser, it makes theirs. he again wants jake to be His but has a hard time accepting that to do so would make him jake's. they both want to possess and consume the other without allowing themselves to be possessed and consumed in return.

i just think both of them have incredibly thwarted ways of experiencing affection and the way they think about Love influences their perspective on the emotion. this is why jake so readily accepts his love isn't Love, assumes roxy's feelings for dirk are more real than his because the feelings there are selfless, unconditional, and passive. which aligns with what we are taught about Love, that it is hard work and unselfish and placing trust in another etc. his feelings are selfish, conditional, and active. he wouldn't want to put the hard work in to make something work with dirk because that would require self reflection, to accept difficult things about himself and accept unpalatable things about dirk. he wouldn't feel the same about dirk if he didn't keep him on his toes, fuck him around mentally and physically, he'd be as blase about the man as he is every other proposed Love interest. he can't sit still and let dirk move on without having his say, he needs to keep what's Mine while still trying to shy away from being His. everything he feels is a contradiction to what he assumes Love to be, therefore he can't Love. whereas as stated with dirk he assumes his Love to be real because it is so much more than what the ideal is portrayed to be like.

and i'm not going to go into it entirely because this is already so long but theres a link here to the cherubs i think. besides the dirk splinters and the english influence, the foundation of a cherub is two dichotomous beings sharing a body which i think is so so representative of dirkjake. they both live on inside one and another, they aren't soul mates or two halves of a whole, they are simply one. and the nature of cherub reproduction and 'romance' is so far removed from what humans would consider 'romance' which is the kind of romance that can be found in dirkjake but in a minor key instead of a major if that makes sense. same tune different sounds.

hussie consistently tries to challenge mainstream ideals of Love through quadrants cherub reproduction leprechauns etc so having a cosmically fated couple actually not fall anywhere on the scale of stereotypical Love is so incredibly on brand.

tldr maybe they are in Love. or maybe what they have is something different. and that is so cool.

[robinsnest2111]

Appreciation post for my KISS concert outfit ❤️‍🔥

The make up was super rushed and messy due to uncool train shenanigans (cancellations and massive delays) and very limited getting ready time at the hostel the day of, but otherwise I'm so so so happy with how everything turned out!

I didn't have a solid vision, it all somehow came together in the end though! 🦊💕

In the words of one of the many people who complimented my look (and asked to take photos with me): ERIC CARR IS ALIVE! ✨

Outfit rundown:

- Hair is my own, kept in Rachel Maksy style foam curlers for the duration of my train odyssey before the event

- Ears are ages old clip-ons I got at an anime convention, removed the bows and bells and added the pink lining (quickly handsewn on the train a couple hours before the concert)

- Choker is completely handmade with an ankh pendant I got at an antique market a few years ago, most of the gems are glued down due to time constraints, some are sewn because they fell off on the journey to the concert and I had to make the collar look symmetrical/make the gap above the attached pendant look intentional lol

- Fake fur collar and legwarmers are completely handmade with fabric I found at a store a couple cities away, acquiring said fabric was an entire day's journey in itself but my best option with what little time I had lol, just the right amount left on the bolt, super worth the $$$ I spent on it, so soft and fluffy, kept me cozy in the chilly stadium, definitely destiny, both of these were the stars of the whole ensemble imho

- Armbands and wrist cuffs are completely handmade, not as bedazzled and shiny due to time constraints once again, but they definitely help pull the look together <3

- Shaping bodysuit I'm wearing underneath to keep my saggy chest flaps in place is thrifted, literally purchased a day before the concert, destiny once again, this might actually become a staple piece for other low-cut neckline looks in the future <3 doesn't compress as much as a binder would, but definitely flatter and more secure than a sports bra!

- Black long-sleeved bodysuit is a fleamarket find, had to cut open and extend the crotch closure flaps to fit my long torso and added some sew-on gems along the hips and around the lace up detail neckline (which you can't see here because the fur collar covered it all up lol)

- Black leather waist belt with studs was another incredibly lucky fleamarket find and such a steal for only 3 bucks!!! perfect KISS vibes <333

- Basic black leggings were a thrift find for only 30 cents(!!!), added all the sequins one by one by hand (front and back)

- Shoes are buffalo platforms I treated myself to back in 2021, they were on sale and I've always wanted a pair of platforms and they're the only ones I own so with the outfit they went lol

- Fingerless gloves are an old fraying at the edges pair I got many moons ago at the german equivalent of a dollar store as a teen, there was no time to go looking for black leather fingerless driving gloves

Even though this was for the occasion of the very final last world tour, I kinda want to keep working on and improving this costume and take it to conventions, maybe even to KISS tribute band concerts/events if there ever are any near me!

I've really fallen in love with this outfit over the weeks and days I've collected and crafted all the pieces and I feel so confident and handsome wearing it, getting closer to my ideal of looking feminine in a masculine way 💕💕💕