#it was the natural progression of his character arc tbh

[fairly-local-fairy]

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times: one does not simply get that far into the movie and expect him to not fuck the dirt. Barry ate with that improv.

[dapperrokyuu]

Read ~60 chapters of Chainsaw Man today, WHEWWWWW-

[sumarak]

I really enjoyed the new episode! rambling first impressions below:

I like how when Max is opening up he does it very monotone, mater-of-fact and kind of struggles through it, I see that as a natural progression for someone very new to expressing their discomfort. I also like how they dealt with Max's aversion to change immediately as opposed to dragging it into a whole arc because the previous season already dealt a lot with that aspect of his character. like he still has a tendency to regress but he's better at managing it. speaking of, I like how all the lessons about growing into a better more open person last summer have a legitimate effect on him and he didn't just revert. I like that you still get to see how the camp is a safe space for him, and how he struggles outside of it. I like how they didn't show him doing the gymnastics because it is simply something the audience is not supposed to witness. (and David being proud of him but not crowding him for it)

I like how Nikkie didn't realise why no dinner for anyone is bad and has to take social cues from Max and Neil. I love how her friend's moods still very much affect hers, she and Max are essentially having parallel fears -> he fears he hasn't changed and is thus behind, she fears that being different will lead to her being left behind. I like how when she hugs him he reciprocates with one sturdy tap, it's such a small action but for Max that is an unprecedented amount of affection. Neil trying to have "a thing" was also really fucking funny to me. even funnier that no one reacted to it in the slightest. I like Nerf leaning more into pop-therapy speak direction, it was already there in previous seasons and it's a great way to expand. Nerris multiclassing is real and beautiful. (i didn't understand the joke CJ made about that when he said "is that THEIR word" if someone can fill me in on that) . I like that they're setting up a clear arc for Ered as well.

CJ is going to be a fucking menace I can tell. I'm glad Gwen is back too but her being gone? and then coming back at the end was confusing tbh idk what they were trying to accomplish with that.

and lastly, the animation was noticeably better and I liked it a lot. i think they overused the dutch angles with Max a little bit other then that it was beautiful. my favorite jokes were for sure the visual ones.

it for sure has a season 1 vibe again, where it feels like a new chapter and like they're figuring out the dynamics vibes and pacing all over again. it was a decent episode and made me excited to see what's going to happen in the rest of the season but it didn't blow me away or anything.

(also the whole season being behind a paywall sucks ass i feel like the majority of the fandom is going to pirate that shit)

[sapphic-agent]

I think the biggest thing I've learnt from the more critical side of MHA is: don't let your favoritism affect your story. I think it's natural that you're gonna like more characters than others. But if it's like noticeable to a point where the audience sees it, it's a big problem. Or if the character is a fan favorite, they'll praise it to sky heaven. The fact that Izuku VS Shigaraki has been oddly side lined so much in favor of Bakugo VS OFA or him rescuing All Might is... weird to me. Like, I get it. He was dead for a year in our time. But... this IS Izuku's story not Bakugo's. Even if Bakugo is a deuteragonist, he's still not the MAIN protagonist. Shouldn't we be shifting more or less to Izuku VS Shigaraki? MHA has been building up their final fight for 8-9 years, and we're oddly all focused on AFO and Bakugo? And for AFO's backstory, I care less for the potato man. Shigaraki is the villain of MHA, not potato man. Such as Izuku is the protagonist of the story, Bakugo isn't. And it's so baffling to me to see MHA twt praise this series to high heaven and just don't oddily notice that Izuku is just oddily fucking quiet through out this fight?? I know he's focused on stopping Shigaraki, but nothing???? Like the Toga and Uraraka and Todoroki Family arcs got all the attention they deserved, so why tf isn't Izuku and Shigaraki?? I understand they were gonna be last, it IS the final battle after all, but it just seems it's gonna go downhill from there.

Plus, how tf is Izuku gonna be able to save Shigaraki?? Izuku is at his witt's end, and Bakugo said he would take care of AFO. Because if it's ACTUALLY Bakugo & Izuku VS Shigaraki. I'll just- I'll be so done. I get the whole "Izuku doesn't have to do everything on his own" but like- Shigaraki literally KILLED Bakugo and got revived from his goddamn blood exploding. (That shit is still funny to me.) like good Lord, can Izuku just have HIS moment??? If all of the cool power ups and cool moments go to Bakugo instead of Izuku, and Bakugo somehow saves the day.

The fucking ending is gonna be ruined by favoritism. Again, this is just an IF. But I felt crazy reading twt's and no one noticing Izuku hasn't said anything of a) Bakugo being brought back to life b) or just reacting to anything. It just seems like Izuku is just there as a device to carry us towards the ending, at this point.

You're right and you should say it.

Mind-boggling how people will look at this shit and still say Horikoshi doesn't favor Bakugou. Like, what? He is 1-v-1-ing the big bad of the series. The villain who killed almost every past OFA user (would also like to add that these are the same users he insulted and looked down on, so if he is the one to finish AFO, that's a slap in the face to every single one of them). The man who incapacitated All Might. The Demon King who's ruled the underbelly of Japan for the past 200 years.

And you mean to tell me that Katsuki Bakugou of all people is his final boss? That's just embarrassing for AFO tbh.

But the fact of the matter is, yeah Izuku's fight with Shigaraki should have been the main event. Instead, it's being treated as a side quest. Hell, it's being treated as less than a side quest as both Uraraka & Toga and the Todorokis & Dabi were given more attention.

It's sad, not only for Izuku but for Shigaraki too. Horikoshi was so close to making him a complex villain, only for all of his character progression from Deika to go down the toilet. He can't be saved because he's been written to be so completely detached from his humanity.

In general, Izuku and Shigaraki should have had more moments together throughout the series. This interaction between them is meaningless because Izuku doesn't understand Shigaraki enough to save him. It's why he's getting frustrated because there's really no feasible way for him to save Tomura. He isn't Eri or Kota who were just kids in danger and who wanted to be rescued.

I hate to say it, but Izuku hasn't had enough development to be able to save Shigaraki. It's not his fault (it's Hori's), but it's true. For him to understand Tomura, he needed to broaden his worldview and Horikoshi hasn't allowed him to do that.

It's an utter disservice to both characters

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Not there yet

No, I don't think that anything that Carmy -or Syd- does/do has a romantic connotation for them at this point. They are not there yet. All the things and hints we see, like the look on his face when she came back in Braciole and his "original" way of saying he was sorry by offering a partnership, how he tried to make plans with her outside work when they still didn't have the permits and had to leave early, how he always tries to stir the conversation to a more personal tone, how he always tries to make sure she's OK even when he's not (except when Claire interfered for a brief period of time), how he cares about her opinion most of all, even though his own sister is right there and is his business partner too, all he said under the table and how he said it, he talking about "their" chaos menu and putting so much work into those drawings when he should have been with Claire, IDK, making out or catching up, etc. Finding comfort in thinking about her during a nasty panic attack, forgetting to solve the walk-in handle issue but not forgetting to order a custom-made designer jacket for her, never giving her her notebook back and holding on to it as if it was something precious he will forever cherish, all of that, happens at a subconscious, even unconscious level. We, the viewers get to see the big picture and interpret the deeper meaning of it all, and not even all the viewers do that, as some would just prefer -or only be capable of- seeing the superficial aspects of these symbolisms, not going any further or deeper than that. But Carmen certainly doesn't see all of that or even understand it at this point in time. He's not there yet. Whilst I do think that after the panic attack, he is starting to see the tip of the iceberg, he's definitely not ready yet to really grasp the entirety of what's going on, of where exactly he's standing -on the verge of what exactly he's standing- because he is still too focused on his own trauma and his mourning, etc. Syd doesn't help either, TBH. And neither did Claire with her insistence, to which Carmy eventually caved. So, no, we are not there yet. I won't even get started on Syd, because her case is even way more complex than Carmy's. There's no trauma or mourning or environmental causes in her case. It's all her, her very nature. Her arc is a lot more "sophisticated" and therefore will take a lot longer to progress I think, except that a deep crisis breaks her down completely, and I hope it doesn't come to that. I guess Carmy will need to step up eventually, but like I said, he's not there yet and neither is Syd. So basically I need S3 more than I need oxygen right now to figure these characters out, but so far they haven't figured themselves or each other out either yet. That's my point.

[bitofanupsidedowner]

people who want will to get a boyfriend who isn't mike make zero sense to me ngl... i get that mike is kind of a jerk but i just don't feel like it makes a lick of sense tbh, and i also just think anything bad thing mike’s done is best justified/made sympathetic and solved by the conclusion he’s been struggling with his feelings towards will. 

mike is in no way this unredeemable person and i think it’s pretty extreme to treat it like he is. he isn’t perfect, but he’s shown that he does care about will much more often than he’s hurt him. just the facts.

like. yeah sure byler has been built up since season one and mike has been written in a way that made it literally impossible for will TO get a separate love interest. despite mike having a literal girlfriend, his jealousy and protectiveness over will didn’t leave any empty space. we all saw his weird reaction to the painting at the airport and how when dustin and lucas wanted to help will on halloween he yelled at them and shoved them away. 

but like... yeah, let's throw him with some random guy we have no time to get invested in so mike and el can keep being a dysfunctional mess with no chemistry or shared interests even though it would make no sense, have no emotional payout and  is not in any way what mike or will need for a satisfying conclusion to their character arcs (or el! it negatively affects all three.)

separating the two would be the only opportunity possible to give will someone new. it would’ve been tricky to make it believable, but it was their only chance after mike’s emphasis in will’s storyline. that in itself is suspicious, but they essentially told us with mike’s little ‘oh shit’ closet moment that they would not be doing that. 

instead, they kept doubling down on mike and will. they even made the cali plotline sort of agonize over it, with mike and will pulling in the most heart-to-hearts of any duo in any one season afaik. the emphasis on their relationship has been too integral to the show. having had wills sexuality in mind from season one, making mike as big an element in that storyline to begin with is not without consequence. they wrote it in a way that made it almost impossible to reasonably go in another direction.  

they spent a lot of time especially in season 4 showing us how mike and will’s relationship comes naturally to them, has a good  foundation of mutual love and respect, and just generally functions better than mike and el and can repair itself without that much effort. even when mike and el are in their ‘good’ phases, they have less going for them than mike and will in their ‘bad’ phases.

will’s feelings for mike are directly contrasted with el’s. mike makes will feel better for being different. he makes EL feel like a monster. with el, she begged him to say it and he denied her, implying he didn’t ‘know what to say’ and agreeing when will said ‘what if they don’t like the truth?’ he denied her what she wanted until will told him to say it. the text is very directly comparing el and will’s dynamics with mike for a reason.

you never say it > i say it

oh, i didn’t say it. > you didn’t have to.

it doesn't make sense to set this up and then retreat back into a relationship that is mutually destructive, that hinders all three characters growth and self worth, and goes directly against their character arcs. it makes no sense to make will in love with mike at all if it was going to end up with a new guy shoehorned in last minute.

 there’s a reason it’s mike and not lucas or dustin that will fell for. there’s a reason that the majority of people are ecstatic about lumax, jopper, jancy and duzie but find milkvan tedious and forced. 

it's filling the same place in my brain rn as when people want will to have a villain arc. it just does not make any sense to me to actively desire  conclusions to arcs that would undo character progress or just completely misshape the character profile permanently. 

it isn’t JUST a romantic relationship will wants. he doesn’t just have a hankering for a boyfriend. it’s not just about having SOMEONE. it’s specifically mike’s love. it is specifically spending his life with mike that has been explicitly stated over and over again as what he truly wants. 

i feel like it’s fairly rare for characters to both know and state plainly what they want, but will does, which i think is honestly so admirable. he admits it when he is at his most vulnerable (rain fight) when it would be more beneficial for him to just pretend. but he doesn’t. he’s hurt, but he doesn’t hide from it. 

the fact he doesn’t even surprises mike, who was expecting for will to agree that changing drastically and obsessing about girlfriends was the natural progression they were supposed to take. after his wish is put into the open and seemingly rejected, he destroys castle byers. 

mike is insecure about wanting this, but we know he wants that too, we just dont have the explicit confirmation if it’s romantic yet. 

the point being that the emphasis has already been placed on not only who/what will wants, but how confident he is in that never changing. he wants it deeply and forever.

it isn’t just a boyfriend he wants, it’s mike. 

that’s the person he has the deepest connection to, that’s the guy who saved him, who pulled him out of the upside down, fought the hardest for him, stayed by his side when he needed him, befriended him when he was five years old because he thought, ‘he’s like me.’ mike gets a lot of criticism, but none of that is how will himself feels. to him, that’s the guy who makes him brave enough to accept his sexuality. it’s mike, it's always been mike, and it doesn’t make sense narratively for him to be with anyone else.

‘what if you want to join another party? > not possible.

[gaywithflowers]

I'm making a new post for this because I'm too anxious to add onto someone else's post, especially if I'm disagreeing with them-

(Also I'm mostly writing this because I wanted to make sense of my own thoughts, I'm not really in the mood to argue.)

But I saw someone say Zuko's ending as Fire Lord was confusing because he got what he wanted from the beginning, as in, he always wanted to become Fire Lord and then that is exactly what he became.

Sorry for stepping in like this, but-

Zuko didn't get what he wanted from the beginning.

At the start, "wanting his throne" was just a part of what he truly really wanted: the approval of Ozai, his love, to carry on the legacy of Ozai and Azulon and Sozin, to become better than Azula, to do and be what he was expected to.

He doesn't get any of that, at all.

He becomes Fire Lord but before that he has to let go of his desperate desire "to be great" (in the Fire Nation standard) and become a complete, irredeemable, utter failure in the eyes of the people he wanted to impress: he lets go of Ozai's approval, he understands Ozai will never love him, he renounces the legacy of the war, and he solidifies his position as Azula's inferior (in the eyes of the fire nation ideals ofc). He also upturns his old concept of what he was expected to be: an obedient prince following the status quo, carrying on the will of his rulers and ancestors VS a prince who loves his nation so much he decides to formally betray it.

He is shaken, at the end, when he is told by Iroh he will get the throne because it doesn't fit with his worldview anymore, and because he is ashamed. He becomes the Fire Lord but there is a complete resignification of what that entails and why that is important. Right now being the Fire Lord is not the natural progression of being Ozai's son, now he is signing up to shoulder the responsibility of changing the world.

His journey also shows us that he was right: the correct thing to do is speak out against injustice and cruelty. He was punished for it, they tried to suppress his drive to do better by his people, and he has to go a long way until he can shake off the severe attempt to make him shut up and conform. In his journey he also learns he can't do right by his people while still allowing them to oppress others, that he can't dehumanize anyone not just his fellow people.

...so yeah. I really don't think he got what he wanted in the end. If he had, he would have been shrouded in the glory of destroying the fire nation's enemies, he would have been a worthy son of his forefathers' cruelty-...and he did get that for a while, didn't he? And didn't he get the whole "be careful what you wish for" experience? If his arc had ended there and he hadn't gone away to train Aang, then we could say he was handed exactly what he always wanted to have and that there was no change.

But no. His father hates him. He let go of a 100 year old legacy. He disrupted the "glorious" expansion of a "glorious" nation. To many, he is a disappointment and embarrassment because he did the unthinkable: he retreated, he sent the armies home.

He surrendered against all Fire Nation beliefs of honor because he finally understood he can't gain honor by hurting others.

He let go of the definition of honor that was corrupting him.

That is change.

There is nothing wrong, anyway, in a character getting exactly what they wanted if along the way the motivations and significance of the goal change.

(Being truly honorable can be super humiliating tbh

He let go of his cultural view of status and that h u r t s

I'm Latin American born and raised, I have experience with this one- and it still has me on a chokehold. He is a fictional character and yet I look at him and I'm like wow that thing right there? Takes balls. I still can't let go of the expectations that are suffocating me even though I know they hurt me more than help me.)

[littleshadowinternetcorner]

Learning how to use Clip Studio and Tumblr all at once slay </3 Okay I have to ramble about their characters though like omggg forgive the block of text

Anyway more progress on the Macaque and SWK sketches, I love their designs in the show and I've been thinking a lot about the way they're styled. Especially since one of the biggest challenges I can think of when it comes to a show about literal legos is that the character models are very samey, of course.

Also, SWK and Macaque have a particularly interesting challenge, with both being demon monkey guys. Aside from the obvious color palette change (they share similar yellow, red, and black just inverted though which I delusionally associate with their soul mate-level connection to one another) some of my favorite character differences is their eyes??? Like, from Macaques down turned lashes to Sun Wukongs upturned lashes? There's also sharper shapes used in Macaques design versus the roundish lines used in SWK's design which is a popular way of distinguishing "bad" from "good" or in this case, to just make Macaque look edgy and disheveled compared to the more put together SWK.

Like from his brows, his makeup, his frayed cloak, he just has such trademark bad-boy qualities. It's really simple but it's really effective in distinguishing their designs aside from just a color swap.

I think it's also a cool way to establish their personalities. Ironically Macaque, despite coming across as deceptive, is often a lot more honest to Mk and his friends than Sun Wukong is. Which subverts the initial impression of his design. Speaking of which, Sun Wukong's design is just so cute? The rounded lines that make up his design feed the impression that he's trustworthy. A confident, good-natured mentor who's gotten past all his wild youthful exploits (he's literally committed several war crimes) and is just trying to pave a good path for MK. And while he definitely cares for MK and really does want him to succeed, gah damn, he is a hot mess. My favorite part is that Macaque at least acknowledges he's got issues, but Sun Wukong is just in complete denial but that's a whole different post.

Anyways I love the details that their character designs are subversive to their real personalities. Like even MK states it outright to Macaque that he's really not the bad boy loner he makes himself out to be, its all a facade and most likely a response to the several times he's been just screwed over by Sun Wukong

Interestingly enough, Sun Wukong has a whole arc about how he's a really bad mentor, an untrustworthy dude, and kind of downright manipulative when it comes to using his persona to put himself in positions of leadership. Though I don't think he does it out of malice, more just recklessness. The chill mentor vibe (giving Gojo energy tbh) even gets challenged in season one by Macaque after he mentions that the Real Sun Wukong would have destroyed a whole mountain range just to win a fight. And like, if you know anything about what Sun Wukong is like in JTTW, bro has zero chill.

Also, they're like perfect foils and it's my favorite thing. Macaque showcasing himself as violet and SWK as golden in his shadow play was a great use of complimentary colors. Anyway, rant over, I love it when character designs are made to be cohesive with each other </333

brb gonna watch the entire series again

[sarah-yyy]

Hi jie jie! What were your favorite cdramas for 2023?

MDL tells me that it's:

meet yourself - modern cdrama - high ranking hotelier quits her job to find herself after a tragedy in her life. stars liu yifei & li xian. (also killer ost tbh, i still listen to 去有风的地方 A LOT)

some people found the show slow, but imo the vibes for this show were so good and so chill! the progression of the romantic arc in the show was v natural, and i liked how the romance was not the central theme of the show and that each of the supporting characters were v well fleshed out! i rewatched the confession scene a lot through the year when i needed serotonin.

and

love me love my voice - modern cdrama - mutual pining to lovers, but the pair are also both huge fans of each other's online works (music and voice dubbing respectively). stars tan jianci & zhou ye.

most of y'all were here while i was watching this as it aired so you probably all know how i feel about this show. i'll summarise it for y'all anyway: 😍💕😭💖🤩👏🏼🥰💋

if you are after a feel good modern cdrama, i honestly cannot recommend these two shows enough. huge serotonin boosters and guaranteed emotional payoff.

honourable mentions, which should also surprise nobody:

till the end of the moon (this was my highest ranked period cdrama - retrospectively, this is more because of how insane it made me feel while watching it, and less of a testament to how good the show was, BUT!! i really did enjoy this a lot)

destined

mysterious lotus casebook

romance on the farm

(where i've done rec posts, i've linked to my rec post, otherwise i've linked to the show's mdl page, but if y'all want to hear me yell about the shows separately, just lmk)

[infriga]

AAAAAHHHHHHHH THE LIVE ACTION WAS SO GOOD AAAAAAAHHH

Luffy was so perfect, they all were, but as my favourite character he had a lot to live up to and he was AMAZING

My favourite aspects/moments:

- Luffy was so tactile and physically affectionate. I'm glad they weren't afraid of having him be touchy feely with his crew and friends. Plopping his head down on top of Nami's head when she's cracking the safe, literally draping himself overtop of Zoro and hugging him when he wakes up after the Mihawk fight, clinging to Usopp when their ship gets attacked by Garp as they leave Syrup village, hugging Coby when they say goodbye the second time, even just the small moments like when he puts his hands on Kaya's shoulders while giving her his speech about his dream and the Merry during the dinner, he is so affectionate with everyone and loves his friends so much I'm gonna cry.

- him walking on the table in Kaya's house during the dinner while giving his speech then handing his glass to Kuro gkdgkdhj that scene was so funny and was such a Luffy thing to do, and everyone's reactions plus Kuro's apoplectic rage in response had me dying

- Luffy's anxiety when he's worried about Zoro after the fight with Mihawk, like all his fidgeting and not wanting to eat and talking erratically, it really reminded me of his anxiety when Nami gets sick after Little Garden, as well as when he refuses to eat for a while after Marineford. It's just a nice touch because the one thing that can get him to lose his appetite is the thought of losing someone close to him, and one of the few things that can make him openly anxious is when he's not sure if one of his friends will be okay and there's nothing he can do to help. His anxiety in that scene is portrayed so well.

- Sanji trying to get him to eat and suggesting a bunch of different foods he can make because he's trying to help Luffy feel better was also so cute and such a Sanji thing to do 🥺🥺🥺

- Sanji and Zeff's dynamic was done soooooo well, the actors had so much chemistry and the dialogue was so good between them. Also I love how much of a spitfire baby Sanji was, and his and Zeff's first meeting was actually amazing with Sanji being like "I'D RATHER DIE THAN LET YOU SEASON MY FOOD" fhkxgjzgkxgj

- so much swearing, I loved it lol. In Japanese they swear a lot but a lot of subtitles don't really translate the extent of it, and the official manga translation definitely tones it down, as does the dub, at least compared to the original Japanese. Sanji even said "shitty restaurant"! He said the line!!

- idk if this an unpopular opinion or not, but I actually like the changes they made to the Syrup Village arc. That arc in the manga/anime is probably the narmiest, and as fond as I am of earlier arcs, that one would probably not translate well to the style and pacing the live action had going for it. They adjusted quite a few of the fights to fit a live action series as opposed to a serialized shounen. But One Piece has never really been about the fights, so as long as the essence is there I'm fine with it. And tbh, turning Kuro into a slasher villain stalking Kaya through the house actually worked surprisingly well. It made for a fun deviation from what fans would be used to, and played around with the genre without sacrificing the essential plot elements or character dynamics. Also using Kaya's house instead of a random beach actually made for a nice setting and environment that I think felt more fitting to the One Piece vibe, ngl.

- I like what they did with Koby's story. Having his character development lead up to him standing up to Garp rather than Alvida actually worked pretty well, and felt really natural as his story progressed in Parallel with Luffy's. And having his story involve him confronting his ideal of what a marine should be vs the reality of what marines are fit the story really well. I love the scene where he and Luffy tell each other to become a good marine and a good pirate.

- I was shocked that they revealed Garp's relationship with Luffy so soon, but honestly, it works better than I expected. I think they actually did a really good job integrating him into the earlier arcs, and it provided a good glimpse into some of the world building that will come into play later, like the relationship between the warlords and the marines/government, while also providing a more significant marine threat early on. I am a bit sad we don't get Luffy's canon reaction where as soon as he even hears his grandpa being mentioned he gets like ptsd flashbacks lmao. But I'll admit, the "talk" Nami gets Zoro to have with him after everyone finds out is hilarious. Zoro not giving a shit about who Luffy's grandpa is and being like "ughhhhhhh fine I'll talk to him" when Nami pressures him into it, then giving the barest minimum effort and Luffy is just like being Luffy and fiddling with his hat and answering the questions so non-chalantly, then Zoro is like "good talk" and bails, they were really on that shared idiot wavelength lmfaoooooo.

- Zoro's bickering with Sanji was great. I particularly like how prickly he gets about Sanji acting so familiar towards Nami and Luffy despite only just joining, because Zoro would totally be peeved by that, like excuse u simp waiter those were my friends first and I called dibs lmao

- Zoro's goofy moments like trying to sit down with the swords and when Luffy was manhandling him after his injury lmfao, I'm glad they didn't have him be serious all the time and let him be an idiot occasionally. He was so hardheaded and proud and cocky and sassy in all the right ways. Also loved when Nami was trying on clothes and Zoro is like "I'm gonna wear black so you can't wear black" like a diva LMAO

- uh, they did NOT have to go so fucking hard with Buggy, but they did and I am grateful for it. His actor is so fucking funny, and his lines are so good, they fit Buggy so well. And Luffy constantly getting his name wrong made me laugh every single time lmfao. Also when he gets mad at Luffy thinking he said "nose" and squishes his face, and Luffy's like "well now that you mention it wtf IS up with your nose?" LMAO did I mention yet how much I loved Luffy?

- having Buggy trap Luffy in a glass box filling with water worked so well for the circus aesthetic because it's really similar to those acts where people escape from a box filling with water. It also made sense for Buggy to use that against Luffy with the sea water. Also the effects for his fruit powers looked so good and creepy.

- they didn't shy away from gore! The manga is actually super violent, even relatively early on, but I got so used to the reduced version in the anime I actually was surprised at how graphic some parts were. They straight up had Zoro slice a guy in half and did not shy away from showing his sliced meaty bits. Also Zoro casually bringing Mr. 7's torso to the marines with the hair sticking out was badass ngl.

- the main cast were all sooooo good, I can't even pick one out as being better than any of the others, they were just all perfect. They really felt like the characters. Obviously Luffy stands out to me as my favourite character, but I loved them all so much. Sanji, Nami, Zoro, Usopp, they all were portrayed so well too. Absolutely perfect casting. Whoever was in charge of casting is the absolute GOAT

- Zoro and Nami bickering like siblings the whole time was great, especially how they were only unified in their exasperation over Luffy's antics lmfao.

- "Think he has brain damage?" "I think that every day" EGHSKSCHLACHSK

- the villains were all the perfect amount of hammy, hats off to their actors they all looked like they were having so much fun and they did so well as each character. And Arlong's actor managed to include Arlong's SHA HA HA HA laugh and actually make it sound pretty natural so fucking kudos dude that's awesome.

- when Sanji fishes Luffy out of the water at Baratie and they tell him Nami is gone, he looks so sad and pathetic just laying there wet on the dock I wanted to hug him so bad 🥺 he was already anxious about Zoro and then they lost Nami too and he was so worried about his friends.

- Sanji's simping was so funny. The scene were he's like "NAMI!" with his arms open as she comes out of the collapsing building in Arlong's Park and she runs right past him to hug Zoro and Usopp instead WGHOVSHOD it was so in character. dude is mega down bad fr and they portrayed it in such a funny way.

- I was kinda shocked at how well the outfits and costumes translated to live action. Like the show was extremely faithful when it came to character designs and outfits but it managed to make them feel very natural to the setting. It was honestly so cool. Like when Gin stumbled into the kitchen and you can instantly recognize him from his outfit, but it looks so natural like they made the outfits feel like something real people would wear. And the Strawhats had some absolute fucking DRIP yo, implementing a bunch of their colour spread outfits in the different episodes was fucking inspired, and they looked so goddamn good. Oda is a fucking fashion savant I swear like the clothes he designed look so damn good in real life.

- Luffy still had his asexual vibes in full force which I'm so happy about. Like when Nami is getting dressed for their dinner with Kaya, and asks how it looks while posing, and Luffy is like "... you look like Nami", that was SUCH a Luffy line lmao.

- when Usopp and Zoro were teasing Nami about Sanji's flirting (Zoro's rapid fire "madam"s lmfao) and everybody was joking around together while Luffy watches them with the most fond look on his face it was so cute ugh my heart

- Having Zeff help to treat Zoro using fish skin grafting was a really cool addition and a great way to show his expertise as a former pirate.

- omg when Luffy gets all defensive of Sanji after only knowing him for like a day (because he's Luffy), and he tells Zeff about Sanji feeding Gin thinking he'll be all mad but instead Zeff looks proud and says "what a good kid" OMG MY HEART that was so cute 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 Zeff's dad vibes we're off the fucking charts. And they kept the "li'l eggplant" nickname, Zeff was so good goddamn like he was honestly one of my favourite parts. How the fuck they managed to make his mustache work so well and look so natural I will never know but god damn I was so impressed.

- holy fucking shit, the Baratie looked so fucking good. It was like seeing the manga/anime come to life. I wanted to fucking go there so bad. The little mouth balcony thing, the floors, the roof mural which didn't get any attention but was just casually made to be incredibly detailed and beautiful?!?! The colours and the bg characters, holy shit the set was just fucking amazing.

- The ships looked so good. Luffy choosing Merry 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I also liked how Usopp was introduced, it fit his character and the adjusted pacing pretty well imo

-I didn't know how to feel about Shanks in the preview images, but in motion he actually works really well. And Yasopp and Lucky Roo were so good. I love how they had Shanks mime cocking a gun and shooting it to signal to his crew to start going ham on the bandits so it looks for a moment like he shoots someone with his finger gun. Also Yasopp's trick shots were awesome, as well as Lucky Roo literally beating people with a chunk of meat lmfao.

- Mihawk was serving absolutely cunt. He was there to slay and slay he did. No notes, A+ performance.

- Zoro and Nami's actors really nailed their big emotional scenes. They captured the expressions and delivery perfectly, especially Nami screaming Arlong's name and stabbing her tattoo, she managed to match the intensity that the original voice actor had in the anime surprisingly well.

- Helmeppo's actor was so funny. His dickish goofy way of laughing worked so well for his character lmao, and having Zoro give him his signature haircut was 🤌🤌🤌 idk WHY they had him naked when he was playing with Wado Ichimonji but it was so funny.

- the scene where he convinces Koby to slack off and have a drink with him, Koby takes several shots, then blurts out that Garp is Luffy's grandfather was great lmfao.

-Zeff's interactions with Garp were great too. I love their talk about there being a new generation coming into its own now and it's getting to be the time where they should step back and let the new kids have their turn. It was a scene I could absolutely see happening in the manga.

- I like how at first Garp seems more reserved and serious than he is in canon, but as more time passes the more it's revealed how unhinged he is and how he absolutely is related to Luffy. Like when he screams after Luffy takes out their main sail, only to start laughing and act proud. Or when he gets pissed off at Mihawk refusing to capture Luffy and just has a tantrum in his office throwing shit around. Or when Zeff convinces him to stay for a meal by mentioning meat and he's like 👀👀👀. Koby saying he should have realised Garp and Luffy were related because of how much they both like meat had me laughing out loud.

- I like how Bogard got a slightly bigger role. He always had a really cool aesthetic, like an old time gangster with a samurai sword is actually really cool, so it was nice to see him a bit more than we get to in the manga/anime.

- They did a great job showing off how terrifyingly strong Garp is. When he's going after Luffy and just demolishing him as well as the environment. His hits felt like they hit hard. Also when he grabbed a canon ball and threw it at the Merry I was like YES!!! I was really hoping they'd show that if they were going to involve him in the live action series earlier than in canon.

- the show really managed to capture that fun swashbuckling vibe that comes with pirates. Also the ships and sets looked so good. And I like how they made reasonable changes to ship designs without going too far or making them too "realistic", they kept the fun aspects of the ship designs. Like Garp's ship looked damn good! Alvida's ship was still pink and covered in hearts!

I could gush for hours about everything I liked. There were like a few tiny nitpicks, some of the child actors weren't the greatest (Usopp and Kuina's being the worst ones), Usopp didn't get as many important scenes in Syrup village (though he did get a nice scene where he refuses to leave Kaya even after she slaps him and accuses him of lying about Klahador/Kuro, and they also kind of made up for not having more big scenes for him by giving Nami some extra development with Kaya in a way that fit with both their characters and storys. It was cute!), they left Hachi out of Arlong's Park which could impact his story later on (if they ever get that far 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞), which kinda sucks because I've always loved his redemption story. But aside from that honestly, I have very few criticisms. This felt like it was made by people who love One Piece and wanted to share it with both fans who have always wanted to see the world and characters they love in real life, as well a new audience that might otherwise have never gotten to see it. What few changes they made were ones that made sense for condensing the story, adjusting for the change in genre and medium, and they all still fit the world and didn't actually sacrifice the important aspects of canon. And they captured the heart and essence of the story, world, and characters so well it almost feels like a dream.

Like, we all got so used to live action adaptations falling short of that, of missing what makes the originals work. But the One Piece live action feels like it gets it, like above everything else the strawhats are a family, and Luffy is the embodyment of joy, and freedom, and the pursuit of dreams, and letting yourself just believe for once in something bigger than yourself even when you're a very small fish in a very big pond. The attention to detail, all the little references and foreshadowing and stuff in the backgrounds. The casting was mind bogglingly good, even minor characters like Sham and Buchi were so good and had so much character and life to them. Even with the characters they mostly had to leave out due to pacing and time constraints, just their designs alone were given so much attention. Like the Mayor of Orange town, or Patty, or Gin, who were only briefly shown in reduced roles, but were still so instantly recognisable. And the wacky designs of the manga were adapted to live action so well I was flabbergasted at how well they worked and how good they looked even though they barely toned down any of their weirdness or goofiness.

I was initially worried about the main characters saying or doing things that felt out of character, especially my boy Luffy, but there was never a moment where I felt like they weren't their characters. Sure, they weren't exact 1 to 1 copies since a lot of the Japanese dialogue would sound stilted in English without an adjustment, even the typical translated versions are more attuned to the sensibilities of people who are used to reading or hearing translated dialogue, so there were obvious adjustments that had to be made to the way some characters talked and the lines they said, but they made it work and feel right for this version of the story, and the characters still felt like themselves in all the ways that mattered.

Iñaki as Luffy was amazing, I am so happy with his performance. He really embodied the charm and cheer and charisma of Luffy perfectly. I got to fall in love with Luffy's character all over again with him and that is such a gift to get to experience that more than once 😭😭😭😭

God. I'm so emotional. I wanted this to be good so badly. I wanted this, of all series to escape the live action anime curse, because I knew if any could, it would be One Piece. And it was even better than I'd hoped. Was it perfect? Probably not, but I don't care. There wasn't a single moment where I wasn't enjoying myself and having fun, and that was all I wanted was to have fun while watching. It captured that feeling of the east blue arc, the nostalgia, so well.

If I gush any more this post will be way too fucking long. There are obviously more things I could talk about and comment on but I have to stop at some point or else I'll be writing this post forever lmao.

I will be reblogging stuff about the live action obviously, so reminder that my spoiler tag is gonna be "OPLA spoilers"

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

[wormsin]

i hope this isnt very out of the blue—it’s just that these two have been rotating in my head for days (though tbh when have they stopped but anw), in your opinions, how do you think bruce and dick’s relationship can be healthy(ier)? like, ignoring the whole “the nature of comic demands them to always be unhealthy for conflicts/dramas’ sake”, (how) do you think they can move forward from all the bad things that have happened between them (especially if one counts spyral into it)?

i am also constantly rotating them and throwing them into rat mazes! endlessly entertaining.

my answer to this question is actually my ongoing series earth-w1 or: It's all part of the fairy tale. (see what I did there?) it's my fix-it AU set a year(?) after Spyral where Bruce and Dick get together. their relationship is very much a work in progress and messy but they are trying their best! hopefully I'll get the time to write the whole character arcs I have in mind for them.

so if we're talking comics Bruce and Dick? and we're not cherry picking the worst moments and dysfunction out? whether platonic, familial, or romantic, their relationship is deeply codependent. they need to grow as individuals before their relationship can be healthy.

they're great at ignoring their past conflicts and forgiving each other (without communicating that), because they always come back to nearly unconditional trust and love for each other. they don't need to open up old wounds between them, but they should. this is how comics deal with their issues—sweeping them under the rug, *maybe* with a few panels of communication where Bruce indirectly apologizes and Dick dismisses his need to apologize.

that's not actually good in the long run, and gives us situations like Dick coming back from Spyral with a cheery "family is everything!" smile, a character dissonance that *I* explain by Dick's desperate "Im okay" maladaptive coping mechanism.

anyway.

this is how to improve their relationship on the surface:

1. they realize that they both want each other around, and then actually spend lots of time together.

2. Dick helps call Bruce out on bullshit and helps improve his relationships. Dick soothes Bruce's emotional dysfunction by being a constant of unconditional love.

3. Bruce reassures Dick of his place in his life and the family, soothing Dick's anxiety about belonging.

4. the foundations of dysfunction in their relationship remain, so as soon as there's a crisis they fall into the same patterns as before, causing strain in their other relationships. Bruce can't be out of control or have Dick nearly-die without losing it. Dick drops everything to emotionally rescue him. Dick doesn't allow others to care for him.

this is how to improve their relationship deeply:

1. Bruce becomes brave enough to let Dick in past his armor, and shares and processes his childhood trauma. he recontextualizes what Batman is.

2. Dick accepts that he is worthy of love himself, and allows himself to be imperfect.

3. they actually spend time together.

4. Bruce makes a genuine effort to make amends for his past actions, regardless of the outcome. most importantly, Jason, whose death fundamentally changed Bruce. I dont think Jason needs to forgive Bruce or even give him the time of day, but Bruce must try and *not punish anyone if it doesnt go how he wants*.

probably the way to do this is to give both Bruce and Dick serious mental breakdowns. and maybe semi-retire them. I imagine them mellowing out a lot more when they're older and retired from vigilantism.

you can make their relationship and characters more, or less, fucked up but I believe the recipe still stands because Bruce's protective control and Dick's perfectionist caregiving are core dysfunctions for their characters.

[ckret2]

saw your recent reblog about feedback and, though I’ve been occasionally gushing in tags, you deserve to hear what I tell my friends! In general, your writing style is perfect at capturing the timing and delivery of the show itself. I’ve never read a fic i’ve been able to visualize more clearly than this one. You write each character so well that between chapters it feels like i’m right back where i used to be, waiting for new episodes again. I do think you haven’t *quite* solved your side-character-ification (applejackification?) of Dipper problem yet, but other than that you’re doing an astounding job at balancing all the characters and their interactions with each other and with bill in a way that feels natural (plus with these more recent chapters i’m seeing lots of good dipper stuff so you’re definitely getting there with him too! besides, it is nice to see Mabel get the spotlight after all these years anyway. healing, even.) You know exactly how to control an audience’s emotions, you know when to drag something out and when to shut it down, you know when to cut off a conversation and when bring up the fact it was cut off later. Little foreshadowings like the loose tooth are well-planted and plot beats like lucid dreaming are dropped and picked back up delicately and with precision, like pressing piano keys. i don’t doubt for a second it’s all a part of some grand instrument, though i wouldn’t be surprised if you told me most of it was improvised - another way you’re just like the show was. you’ve done the episodic-and-serialized thing better than at least half of all silver-age cartoons that have attempted to do so! I adore the way you show kindness to all characters in your scenes, from gideon’s characterless mother to the little freak himself. It truly feels as though you pick no favorites, and that’s something you do better than the show did tbh. Not that TBOB needed to hook me in with a marketing campaign, but hypothetically, in a universe where I didn’t own a hand-sewn bill cipher throw-pillow and yet somehow still found this fic, I would definitely be excited for it after reading! you’re gifted, and i hope this does numbers on AO3. I truly cannot stand hazbin hotel, but I may go back and read your other works once this one’s over, just to hear your narrative voice. it’s a voice worth hearing, and may it be forever amplified.

oh WOW thank you so much??? 😭 this is SUCH a sweet comment and it means so much to me that you took the time to write all this!!

APPLEJACKIFICATION... that made me laugh. Dipper will get some serious development before the end of the eclipse plot and he's key in the next plot, so I think that'll help him make some progress. But yeah—he's not gonna be as important as Mabel, but I do want to make sure he has a plot that stands on its own, smaller though it may be.

It's 2/3 planned, 1/3 improvised. 😁 I've got a lead time of about 15 chapters between what I've posted and what I've written, so I can do stuff like write the poppet chapter, write the tooth fairy arc, edit the poppet chapter, realize that as long as I'm giving him a bloody lip maybe I can loosen his tooth, edit the tooth fairy arc, have him mention that that tooth was loose. And many chapters I haven't written or outlined yet I have loosely planned in my head so I know how to aim toward them.

Wanting to show kindness to all the characters and wanting to give as many of them an internal life as possible is so important to me, and I'm so glad that's showing through so far!

And honestly I think "I hate [xyz] but I'll read it if you're writing it" is the highest compliment. 😂 All my hazbin fics were written pre-season 1 when all we had was the pilot, a couple comics, creator comments, and some Helluva to go by; but idk maybe you'd consider that a plus lol. (If you're interested, on ao3 I've also written Transformers, Godzilla, some Pokémon, and a smattering of other things.)

Thanks again for sending such a nice message!

[itsmeimclown]

The last like 6 episodes have so many good Luffy moments. Like Wano has had some great moments, but Luffy's character growth has been incredible. It's progressed so naturally that you don't realize how far he's come as a captain and a leader until you see him breaking the mirror in whole cake, until you see him walk casually past two emperors, until you see him make his speech in the prison to the prisoners about saving their country. Like Luffy is an idiot, don't get me wrong. He's silly and goofy and carefree. But beneath that he has immense emotional intelligence, and I think these past few arcs really showcase that. I just love it when Luffy is quiet and contemplative and serious and steadfast. I love seeing him as the captain we know and love and as the king we know he will be. But these last 6 episodes? They show the parts of Luffy that I love the most. His fun carefree spirit and his emotional levity. Seeing him watch as Momo and the gang fight against Greenbull, but not intervening. Seeing him visit the ruins of Oden castle to pay his respects. Seeing him waiting for Momo as he knew that the send off he gave Momo was what Momo needed to feel secure in his place in Wano. The way he treats Momo as his little brother (that moment made me cry tbh) and similarly Tama just melts my heart. It feels realistic to call him an emperor now because we've seen his growth throughout the series. But he's still the same Luffy. Still the same boy who set out to sea in a small little dinghy from the weakest sea. And we love him for it

[acourtofthought]

First off, love your blog. Always well thought out backed with canon evidence.

You look at things from the big picture, and take context into consideration, something I noticed many El/riels do not.

Aside from trying to force the Koschei plot line on Az (a plot that ties to Lucien) you ever notice that the only theories they provide are centered around ways Az and Elain will end up together? They legit dismiss multiple plots and arcs in favor of Elriel. I never see them provide actual storylines that moves the series forward. Plots that account for the rest of the characters in ways that it does not diminish them (Making Lucien, Mor and Gwyn villains ) yet dismissing the actual villains, uniting the courts, and progressing the story in a positive way that keeps the IC in tact and drama free.

What I'm taking from their theories is an elriel book is going to revolve around conflict among the IC when the purpose of the series, especially given the crossover is to UNITE and push characters to be the best versions of themselves with the person they are meant to be with. Elain and Az would break bonds, political alliances and it would get messy. It already is messy and they have not even kissed. Sorry, but that is not how SJM writes. Her plot twists and conflicts are centered around actual villians, which we know are neither Lucien or Gwyn. Sure, in other books by other authors it would work, but that is not the case here. If as a reader you enjoy that type of drama and a book centered around how a couple overcome their family and friends rejection and takes up most of the conflict in the book, there are plenty of books with that trope.

With all that is going on, Beron, Koschei the queens, uniting the continent, the crossover, I can't imagine SJM would have time to write one book that doesn't make Elriel look selfish when there is an actual real problems to deal with (The meme of Kourtney Kardashian telling Kim " people are dying" comes to mind here lol)

Imagine Rhys and the IC having to deal with Az and Elain sneaking around and breaking alliances, please lol. That is not the direction SJM takes in her series. This trope for characters like Az and Elain does not move the overall arc forward, it sets the story back and makes them look like assholes TBH. IMO Elriel sunk in that bonus and for good reason.

Lucien and Elain arc are intertwined to move the series forward.

And then you have Az and Gwyn, their union would be welcomed and if Gwyn is Az's mate, his found family would be nothing but happy for him, we'd see Azriel heal in a positive way, the way we did with Chaol. AN Az and gwyn union cements the bonds with the IC and Valkyrie, and allies, it does not break any bonds unlike Elriel.

Sorry, but the way I see it they can’t fit elriel into the entire arc, and their theories never tie into the actual storyline and that is why Elriel was never meant as endgame when you look at the series and crossover holistically, it's pretty obvious.

Thank you!!

To start with Gwynriel, it is set up to be such a natural pairing when you consider their friends.

Cassian and Az are best friends / brothers because of found family.

Nesta and Gwyn are best friends / sisters because of found family.

While Elain is Nesta's blood sister, they aren't sisters in the way that sisters can sometimes be best friends. They care for one another, they protect one another, but I wouldn't say they have the healthiest dynamic. Nesta has always struggled to allow Elain to be independent especially when it involves things Nesta considers too dangerous and I don't think Elain feels truly comfortable letting her hair down around Nesta. I think their relationship will improve by the end of the series but I still don't think they'll be close in the way Nesta / Gwyn / Emerie are close.

So this natural relationship between Nesta and Gwyn, where Nesta is able to be the new version of her makes perfect sense if Gwyn were to end up with Az. Mates spending time together while also spending time with their found family / best friends. Actually, I have friends like this. The two girls have been best friends since they were younger and they married two guys that have also been best friends since when they were younger and to this day they take vacations together, sleep over at one another's house after parties, etc.

I don't think it hits the same when it's sisters marrying best friends when the sisters have a bit of a complicated relationship. I don't think Feyre / Nesta / Rhys / Cassian hanging out would feel quite as fun as Gwyn / Nesta / Az / Cassian hanging out.

As for future plots, I know that shipping E/riel means someone is going to create scenarios for them. E/riel defeating Koschei, E/riel making diplomatic visits together (which doesn't even make sense when we're specifically told Az likes to work from the shadows and he's not social). But until SJM writes the book we can't guarantee that won't happen. What confuses me though is how they create the exact plots that SJM seems to be hinting at for Elucien. How can someone ignore that SJM tells us it's LUCIEN who had been to Koschei's lake? That LUCIEN was setting his sights on his target. That Nesta wonders if ELAIN would not only visit the continent with tulips but the one to the South of that? That LUCIEN is permanently stationed in Spring and is their emissary to the Human Lands, that LUCIEN is the heir to Day, and that Nesta tells us Spring had been Made for someone like ELAIN, that she'd tell ELAIN to go if she could, that ELAIN needs Sunshine, that ELAIN is struggling with her lost humanity. Every single thing associated with Lucien SJM has also tied Elain to. But E/riels ignore every mention of Lucien in these places and insert Az instead. How can you just erase the set up for Lucien's story like that?

And I did say this in a recent post but to your point of forbidden love, first off, how does that even work logistically? Az doesn't have his own place. Elain doesn't have her own place. Are they really meeting in dark alleyways and seedy taverns? There is no where they can go in Velaris where someone isn't going to see something and report it back to the High Lord and High Lady.

Second, does anyone honestly believe the union of Az and Elain is so special that it needs to be forbidden love?

This isn't a mafia romance where they're worried about their families trying to take the other one out.

There are no real stakes to their relationship.

Seriously, no one really cares if Az and Elain want to be together.

If Elain opened her mouth and said a few words to Lucien, "Lucien, I want to be with Az" he would say, "OK". He left her because he knew she was still in love with Graysen, he obviously doesn't feel entitled to her just because he's her mate. Just like Rhys allowed his mate to nearly marry another man, just like Cassian allowed his mate to sleep with many other males, Lucien is not going to stand in the way of Elain's decision to be with someone else.

Rhys laid down his threat but say Az disobeys, what does anyone honestly think Rhys would do? Kick him out of the IC? Torture him?

The ONLY reason Rhys pulled rank is because he knew Az was being an idiot and he didn't have real feelings for Elain. Rhys ONLY pulled rank because he knew Az wasn't over Mor and Az really was planning on hooking up with Elain for "just one taste" and Az did nothing to convince him otherwise. That's Rhys's little sister, it's admirable that he was looking out for her when he knew his brother was being a hothead. And while I'm sure Rhys did consider what consequences could come from Az's idiocy (he's a smart character, of course he looks at all sides), we all know Lucien would have never done anything to jeopardize the peace they were all trying to attain. He was the one warning them to treat Tamlin better because he knew they'd need Tamlin's forces before all was said and done.

So yeah, the whole idea of Az and Elain sneaking around creates this shady love that they can't share with the family and friends who love them and just want them to be happy. It turns them into selfish characters who don't care about doing things the right way, who don't care about having actual conversations like grown ups do.

Forbidden love is a thing because even if the two characters sat down and had a rational and reasonable conversation with their parents / bosses / brother, etc their love would still be forbidden.

If Az and Elain sat down and said to Lucien and Rhys, "we're in love and we're sorry we hurt you", NO ONE would stand in their way and that means their love is not forbidden.

[murfpersonalblog]

[book!Lestat is the carbon copy of Marius, but on meth. The ultimate narcissist misogynist racist imperialist colonial neoliberalist hell demon]

I'm unfamiliar with anything VC past Merrick so I wanted to ask since you mentioned that Lestat gets something of a redemption arc in it - what is the tone of the Prince Lestat trilogy, specifically in how it frames the establishment of a vampire monarchy? Because some of the most hair-ripping parts of TVL are when he pontificates on his secular, rational, progressive quintessentially 18th century mind that rejects superstition & tradition. Plus Marius giving that white supremacist monologue on the value of human life in the west doing away with monarchy ofc. 

OMG I've been wanting to talk more about the Chateau Era! 😭

"some of the most hair-ripping parts of TVL are when he pontificates on his secular, rational, progressive quintessentially 18th century mind that rejects superstition & tradition"

You'll be seeing a LOT more of this, my friend! XD The Prince Lestat trilogy & its tone encapsulates precisely how AR felt about Lestat (who was inspired by her husband Stan Rice): Lestat's her golden child, her favorite character, the main protagonist & hero & Aryan white savior of the entire vampiric/human/alien-replimoid/Taltos/angelic/demonic race. The Chateau is the Savage Garden going back to Eden/paradise--it's AR's final chapter, the New Heaven and the New Earth after the apocalypse--21st century vampires twirling around in LITERAL 18th century ballgowns as they celebrate the New World Order under Lestat. The last book, Blood Communion, was actually illustrated, and this is the final page, showing the Chateau & the Vampire Court as they were in 2017:

The Chateau is the perfect happily ever after fairytale ending, cuz that's how AR imagined her vampires: romantic, opulent relics/encapsulations of the Old World, and all that implies. (Which is why I NEED to see AMC!Louis become the Prince Consort in France; I'm gonna crack up and die; the Meghan Markle parallels are too good to pass up! 😅)

AR's vampire covens of the Old World Europe are microcosmic monarchies--each coven leader is effectively the king, the Master/Maker of his Fledglings and hangers-on. What's wild is that AR THOUGHT she'd totally removed vampires from religious irrational backwards thinking and moved them into the scientific "Modern" age. But look at the TOP HATS & BALLGOWNS they're wearing in 2017. 🤦 TBF, Lestat said people could wear whatever they wanted, but VELVET was the fabric of the Court--a la Marius & Lestat, as Marius had painted on the Chateau's ballroom ceiling.

Lestat had adopted Benji's philosophy about vampires being one Tribe/family (which is Judeo-Christian at its core, esp. since Benji's an Israeli and the "tribes" are Biblically inspired); a family that should live under one roof (his) & follow one way of life (his) & answer to one God/Voice (his/Marius). AR's books had been leading up to PL & BC the whole time.

The establishment of a vampire monarchy started with Akasha herself, queen of Egypt who wanted to make a matriarchal empire of undead. Naturally, being a mouthpiece of the white patriarchy, AR made the black woman the villain of the VC and had her killed (same w/ Rhoshamandes TBH)--ultimately for Lestat's benefit.

There's 3 main vamps who defined what a vampire monarchy looks like: Marius, Armand, & Lestat. Marius isolated himself from his vampiric peers to keep TWMBK safe. His painting workshop/studio full of little human boys is no equivalent of a vamp court, but it's an intentionally stark parallel w/ legit covens like Santino's Children of Darkness/Satan. Marius lived in his art-nerd "court," in the "light." The image of the vampire Marius in his opulent red velvet cloaks was such anathema to Santino that he burned down Marius' villa. The image of "Master" Marius had Armand reeling when he saw Lestat prancing all over town in his red velvet--The Once and Future King reborn--Marius 2.0.

After being brainwashed by Santino, book!Armand became the coven leader par excellence, a "real, monstrous" vampire--controlling his coven with an iron fist; killing young vamps on sight & "purging" the territories he claimed. From Night Island to Trinity Gate, Armand was always making mini-empires for himself, a modernized neocapitalist take on the Old World regimes he had been born under (AMC moving Armand to Dubai is genius). Armand's dark where Lestat is light; not afraid to get his hands dirty (as seen in PLatRoA when the Replimoids start becoming a "threat" to the vampires).

Vampires are inherently a product of the Old World's fears & flaws. It's no coincidence that Castlevania Nocturne depicted the French aristocracy as a bunch of hedonistic bloodsucking vamps, draining the lifeforce of society to fuel their voracious appetites & unsustainably lavish lifestyles--the Savage Garden indeed.

The Chateau Era is AR's literal Versailles, and Lestat is AR's literal Sun King--(I'm surprised there aren't more Loustat/Monchevy AU fanfics). But the twist I've pointed out several times is that Lestat is actually nouveau riche. Son of a Marquis, he was born to the Old World nobility, but the Marquis was a bum and DIRT POOR. Lestat never grew up like the French aristocracy did--he didn't know what it was like to let them eat cake. The crumbling Chateau was a relic of a bygone era, back when the de Lioncourts actually had a COURT status & could afford their castle.

And just like it was Amel who told Lestat to go home and make the Chateau his court in PL, it was also Amel who told Lestat to win back Louis and ask him to be his Prince Consort in PLatRoA--Lestat had been being guided by Amel for decades without even realizing it, cuz Amel had already chosen him (and Louis) to lead the vampires.

The topic of Inheritance and White Privilege is a big one, cuz in death he got EVERYTHING with The Dark Gift--vampirism from his Maker Magnus (Latin for "The Great"--Alexander the Great, Ptolemy the Great, Pompey the Great, and the horror of all of those white imperialists who "inherited" the ancient AF empires of Egypt & Persia; who ransacked Africa & Asia for treasure & bled the land dry till they crumbled the second they died (a la Alexander's rabid Diadochi, the busted inbred Ptolemaic dynasty, etc); the dragon (Devil/Dracula) Smaug sitting on a mountain of gold not doing a effing thing good with all that money; the deadbeat Marquis who let the glorious Chateau fall to ruin).

And TWICE they had this French White sitting in a room FULL of black folk talking about how privileged he was while trauma-dumping at the same time; ugh it's hysterical; AMC ifs feral! XD

In TVL we got BOTH Lestat & Marius backstory, and just as Armand noticed, Lestat & Marius are polar opposites, but eerily similar when you think about where they started vs where they went. 👀

In life, Marius had been a LITERAL Brat Prince, who pranced around without a care in the world except for his books; traveling the world, charmed by the unwashed peasants.

"Plus Marius giving that white supremacist monologue on the value of human life in the west doing away with monarchy ofc."

LOL, Marius is full of SH!TE. 😂 First of all, the sheer irony of Marius "de Romanus" being born of a CELTIC woman in GAUL (FRANCE), a colony the Greek AND Roman imperialist machine CONQUERED. Marius is no moralist agonizing about the value of human LIFE--Marius is a hedonist & an aesthete who cares about human ART--he was GLAD that imperialism preserved Roman values.

Marius is an ARTISTE. He doesn't GAF about the plight of conquered enslaved persecuted oppressed peoples--not even his own MOTHER. He talks about the destruction of civilized society & the Roman Empire ad nauseum, while not batting an eyelash to how those empires were built on the back of destruction & death: THE Savage Garden; BEAUTIFUL ROME. Monarchy & imperialism was the vehicle pushing human "progress/civilization:" and for him it peaked in Rome & the Renaissance.

Rome only claimed it didn't want a monarchy cuz the SENATE (that had KILLED the last Roman King) was monarchy enough. Julius Caesar knew democracy is hypocrisy, and was like eff all y'all, make me EMPEROR. 👑 Lestat's no Pompey or Alexander--he's CAESAR, the one who "inherited" ALL of Magnus' empire and became Dictator for Life (until he was backstabbed ofc, LOL).

Marius had nothing on Lestat--the ARCHITECT obsessed with building homes for his whole family; the patriarchal overlord. Louis XIV built Versailles to keep a close eye on all the nobles, moving the entire court to literal Nowheresville France to orbit around him as the Sun King, the absolute monarch.

Every single VC book was a smaller scale rendition of Lestat as the savior, Lestat as the Brat Prince, pater familias, king, and GOD. Even moreso than Louis (i.e.: AR herself), Lestat's the Prime Mover whose antics pushed the narrative forward every time.

In PL Lestat renovating the Chateau happened at the same time that he took his son Viktor & his ward Rose in. (Rose's entire arc is like night & day compared to what happened with Claudia--Loustat looking after her was like a do-over for Claudia.)

This is where the Redemption Arc starts, cuz what Lestat had always wanted was to make a change & have a family & REBUILD. His life was TRASH, and he'd HATED that Chateau and all it represented--it was the tomb he was scared he'd die in. But Lestat HAD to die in order to finally GROW UP.

Marius dubbed Lestat "the damnedest creature" and the "Brat Prince" for a reason--he's impossible to control, or reason with. He's very much a giant walking manchild--there are 12 year olds way more mature than he is; just look at Benji in TVA onwards. AR is NEVER subtle about her hard-on for Lestat, but she also doesn't shy away from how incredibly immature he had been for so long.

To his credit, in PL Lestat right away chose a Vampiric Council of Elders for himself, knowing full well he was in over his head. Lestat called Marius his Prime Minister--NOT in the sense of today's PMs that lead the gov't for monarchic figureheads the way the parliament/senate/congress does. Instead Lestat namedropped Richelieu, Mazarin, & Colbert--the famous supporters of Louis XIV.

But in PLatRoA it started dawning on Lestat what it meant to take REAL accountability for his actions; that the careless things he did actually had serious consequences for everyone around him (sunbathing to get a tan, etc). He'd finally earned Louis' forgiveness, and they were basically engaged. Things seemed peachy...until ish got REAL in BC. Lestat had royally effed up by underestimating Rhoshamandes back in PL, acting like everything was a laughable game--little Lord Fauntleroy PRETENDING at being king.

SPOILER: Lestat only became Prince cuz in PL Rhosh killed Maharet & Mekere was too sad to go on, so she gave the Sacred Core to Lestat. Lestat forgave Rhosh even when everyone said he was being too lenient, caught up in everyone being a loving Tribe, Rhosh included, when they're KILLERS. Then everything went down with Rhosh vs the Replimoids in PLatRoA. Then in BC Rhosh kidnapped Gabrielle & Louis. When he came for Marius & Marius fought back, there was a HUGE battle that nearly burned down the Chateau & its village.

What Rhosh's goons said about Lestat's Court was just like the Children of Darkness. Like what Marius said to Santino, & Lestat said to Armand, the Court told Rhosh's coven that the Court (a microcosm of the world) was there for the benefit of vampires. Lestat's DUTY was to protect vamps from ANYONE who threatened them--including other vamps, whom they'd literally CANNIBALIZE.

Just like the Theatre of Vampires, the Court was a horror with a beautiful veneer; Blood and Gold. When the court ate Rhosh & ate Baudwin, it was like ANIMALS/demons. It did nothing to help find Gabrielle, Louis & Marius, and served no real purpose but for the mob to act in Lestat's name, shoving a signet ring on his finger in the shape of a MONSTER (Medusa) while the vamps danced & Lestat was busy grieving.

He hated what the Court was turning into in Marius' absence, in the wake of Rhosh's war, renovations happening beyond anything he'd planned before as they needed to repair all the structural damage to the Chateau. Like Armand told him afterwards: the Court/Coven gave them all the illusion of purpose on what Louis called "The Devil's Road." (What was REALLY cool is that Armand was begging Lestat to kill the Replimoids, but everything he said ALSO fit when applied to vampires themselves--they're ALL monsters, but as Lestat insisted with the human dungeons:

"There is killing and there is killing. There is murder; there is massacre; there is slaughter. And what I willed for this Court was something that was now in great peril.... We are not barbarians."

"some of the most hair-ripping parts of TVL are when he pontificates on his secular, rational, progressive quintessentially 18th century mind that rejects superstition & tradition"

So yeah, AR pretty much tries to have her cake and eat it too? The Prince Lestat trilogy stresses that vamps will rise above the religious/superstitious castigation of both humans AND vampires who see them as nothing more than uncivilized monsters, living with Lestat & feasting on the Evil Doers locked up in the Chateau's dungeons, dancing all night and never in-fighting again. But ironically, this is NOT the secular Enlightened Age of Science AR though it would be in PLatRoA. The Chateau was fully restored by the Winter Solstice--the start of the New Year; the Chateau decorated to look like Christmas. Marius gives a big speech explaining that Lestat had fought Rhosh fully expecting to have died, and that because Lestat was willing to lay down his life for all of them, he deserved to be their Prince forever--the messianic Christ figure. They celebrate having become one Tribe. Leading the Court, Marius is the Prime Minister, Gabrielle calls herself the Queen Mother, Lestat is the Prince/King, and Louis is his Prince Consort. (Even Lestat's favorite architect is turned into a vampire, LOL.) NGL Anyone who doesn't like Lestat should probably never read the PL Trilogy, cuz AR basically creams herself every other page over Lestat--he's her GOD.

It's not a plea of sympathy for monsters, but rather a celebratory paean to the Vampiric Court; "We take what we must have to live and we do it without regret." 💀 God & the Devil don't exist, cuz AR retconned Memnoch by making all angels AND vampires aliens from Atlantis. Everyone cheers & dances as Lestat declares "May we never drink the poison of self-loathing!," the way Nicki did, and Rhosh, Santino, even Armand & Louis. Loustat dance in the ballroom before taking their places, Lestat sitting on his golden red velvet throne, Louis standing beside him, and everyone cheering on their Blood Communion.

Sorry this was so long, @undecimber-of-joy XD

[ruthlesslistener]

you eever think how pk and wl being together and their fondness for ogrim is like an agriculture (i think thats the right word) reference

No but that's really fucking cool and big brained of you anon, holy fucking shit. I figured that the union of Mind and Life was a sort of metaphor for eking out a balance between expansion and respecting the land, or some sort of metaphor for civilization booms (since innovation coexisting with nature is how you get big civilization booms historically), but that being a reference to agriculture?? Genius. Especially if we take the timeline of Hallownest to be a sort of mirror to the progression of time over a desolate area, with nothingness -> the Void Sea rising and forming caverns through erosion -> recession of the Abyss leaving behind blank rock and fossils -> Unn's mosses and other primary successors like lichen and fungi colonizing the bare rock and turning it into livable soil -> the coming of the White Lady and her rooted plants representing secondary succession. Radi and PK are kind of outliers to that unless we view them specifically as the evolution of the minds of bugs, in which the Radiance's era = blind religious devotion, and the Pale King succeeding her = the intellectual renaissance of the bug kingdoms, where religion still hasn't entirely phased out of having an extremely prominant role in life, but intellectal pursuits that would once be called blasphemy are now accepted and encouraged, and an age of learning and innovation has sprung forth (not unlike the European Dark Ages tbh). And Ghost's ascention to the Lord of Shades comes as a neat little tieoff to both these issues as well, with the Void being a very literal cleansing force, and the success of their character arc being based upon self-determination and personal innovation insted of being bogged down by the chains of the past and other's expectations.

(Which, all of this sounds presumptuous as hell when I actually sit back and look at it, but come on. You cannot tell me that the Radiance doesn't give off major 'pray to me and I will heal all wounds' vibes, while the Pale King is very much 'I gave you mind for a reason, learn to heal it yourself'. Granted, Radi probably DID actually tend directly to her people's wounds, and the Moth Tribe are certainly advanced in terms of essence-weaving and other aspects, but the beetle tribe was def. left in the dirt here, and I have to assume that the moths ditched Radi for a reason other than just 'pretty new light'. Increased independance without realizing that PK would leave them to fend for themselves was probably that reason.)

As for Ogrim, I legit just thought it was a joke about how plants and worms (wyrm and root) both love poop. WL is a rooted being whose success entirely depended on the nutrients in the soil around her before she became a god, while PK, gross as it is, probably was drawn to the smell of fresh dung because it either indicated that prey was close by, or because soil rich with nutrients provided by it often had a lot of food growing in or nearby it compared to the otherwise-barren sands of the Wastelands. So both would have their brains wired to find the pungent smell of mulch, rotting debris, and dung to = survival and good things, bc its important to both of their ecological niches. Which means that Ogrim probably smells great to them both and is why Ghost is fine tramping all over the Fungal Wastes and the Waterways without a care, as they have both those genes going for them. It's kinda like how dogs are wired to think rotting squirrels and cow poop smells super awesome and great to roll in, but thinks lilac perfumes are gross. They're just built different

(Granted, I made this assumption because PK straight-up gave Ogrim a charm to make him stinkier, and WL didn't seem to be at all bothered by his scent, but then again I usually think about the characters from a biological pov first and a societal pov second. For example, its very likely that most of the bugs in Hallownest hate the 'heroic odor' of Defender's Crest because they are creatures that normally feed on fresh meat and vegetation, and that the ones who like it are bugs who prefer rotting foods, or make their homes in decaying enviromments. So the concept of there being an agriculture metaphor somewhere in there with WL's plants, PK's innovation, and Ogrim's poop completely flew over my head there, shdheh.)