#it's a true adaptation which is really what we deserve at this point

[greenconverses]

PJO 1x01 and 1x02 thoughts

The first chapter monologue in the perfect way to open the show and establish Percy's voice from the beginning. Walker immediately nailed both Percy's sarcasm, impertinence, and anger, which is so so so critical for anchoring the show.

how dare you waste megan mullally like this (she's coming back later according to previews BUT STILL)

direction in the first episode, especially with the action scenes, was a little lacking. percy killing mrs. dodds was weirdly anti-climatic. the car chase could've been a bit more exciting and the minotaur was okay

I LOVE YOU SALLY JACKSON, BEST MOM ON THE PLANET.

I have seen some posts about Gabe being defanged but he's clearly still an abusive waste of space. The dude is answering her phone, unemployed, gambling away her money, it's red flag city up in here. Curious how they're going to show him in later episodes and what they'll do with the Medusa plotline.

Grover is one of those characters that I have very little emotional attachment to. He's just sort of... there in the books for me. But Aryan's a little cutie and he does a great job of acting like he's just a little bit older/mature than Percy. Loved his little back and forth with Sally in the cabin. Deeply underutilized in the second episode, but obvs he'll get more time later on.

is the dryad his mom???

I adore the set design for camp, especially the Big House and all the stained glass motifs. But WTF is up with all the skeletons in Cabin 3? get a better interior designer poseidon you fucking weirdo

Jason Mantzoukas' energy for Mr. D was perfect, no notes. Did love his interactions with Percy and Grover.

Chiron is... there?

Clarisse is perfectly cast. Luke is underwhelming so far, but he really hasn't gotten to do anything real meaty yet.

I'm ready to see more of Annabeth in future episodes because she really didn't do much more than lurk and be cryptic since they gave her role as guide to camp to Luke. (I am not a fan of this decision, but whatever, gotta set Luke up for ~ultimate betrayal)

Her exasperated shove of Percy into the lake was A+ but why was the trident so damn big lmao

Loved loved loved Percy's burning anger at his dad and wanting to make him show up. Excellent characterization

"I am Sally Jackson's son!" dead dead dead tell 'em perce

curious as to why the episodes are limited to 45 minutes because i think another 5-10 minutes on the runtime would've helped with some of the pacing issues. but the show's clearly cut with commercial breaks in mind so i'm guessing this is eventually going to air on the Disney Channel or ABC.

[prouvaireafterdark]

Hi! As someone just coming into reading the books but who's been with the show since day 1, I'm curious about why people take Lestat's narrative in TVL with 100% sincerity when the premise of the show seems to be interrogating the dissonance that everybody's versions create. Obviously there's some big things that are definitely going to be true, but I'd personally be disappointed if we got a straight adaptation of unfiltered Lestat perspective on events, haha!

I think you're conflating sincerity with some idea of omniscient, objective accuracy, which, as you note, is a useless thing to search for in a show where memory is continually shown to be an unreliable monster.

Lestat's version of events in TVL is sincere, though. He's speaking from the heart and he's trying to give the story of his life, mostly by sharing his truth about what his life before meeting Louis was like, and in part by filling in the gaps Louis leaves us with about what happened at Rue Royale. His recollection may turn out to be as faulty and biased as Louis' or Armand's has been shown to be in the show, but that doesn't make it any less sincere.

And I'm not implying that Louis is lying or anything. I'm talking about him not mentioning or glossing over the happy memories that meant a lot to Lestat and made up, for him, a big part of what it was to share a home with Louis and Claudia for so long. Giving Lestat the space to talk about his love for Louis and Claudia doesn't erase the abuse he inflicted on them in those moments of instability and rage. I don't get why people are so resistant to seeing that. It's not like it makes everything better. If anything, it makes it worse that he loved them so much.

What's important to note, too, is that at no point does Lestat in his retelling excuse himself for anything he did to Louis and Claudia and I doubt very much we would see him do that in future seasons of the show. Lestat even says it himself that he deserved what Claudia did to him. The way things worked out between the three of them is his greatest, deepest regret and it will haunt him for the rest of his immortal life.

Also, not for nothing, what we've gotten this season and last season are the unfiltered perspectives of Louis, Claudia, and Armand. That's not to say they're lying or intentionally obfuscating (okay, well, Armand totally is), but that is what we got---a narrative that was really challenged only by Daniel and not by anyone who was actually there who remembers it differently. I don't see why we shouldn't also get Lestat's unfiltered version, especially considered he is the main protagonist of the Vampire Chronicles series going forward.

For me and many others, it's not about excusing anything. It's all about contextualizing his decisions. Like, Lestat didn't just wake up one day and decide it would be fun to destroy his family. I want him to tell me in his own words (which, as a reminder, he has yet to do at any point in this series so far) what drove him to do the horrible things he did and how he really feels about it. When we do hopefully get that, I expect the fandom to interrogate his accounts as vigorously as they did Louis' and Armand's and Claudia's.

And to answer your question regarding the books specifically, we have Anne herself to blame for that. She wrote IWTV when she was battling some of the most intense grief and despair a person can feel. She had just lost her child. Writing the book was an outlet for that and you can feel it as you read Louis' perspective. When she decided to continue the series, though, she changed her mind about a lot of things---mainly who Lestat was as a character and how she had come to hate the "weakness" in Louis (which was really because she came to hate the "weakness" she saw in herself as she came out on the other side of her grief and identified with him less and Lestat more). There is a very real dissonance between who Lestat is in IWTV and who he is in TVL and beyond. The way she accounted for that in her own writing was that Louis was misconstruing certain events by leaving things out or straight up making things up like their reunion in NOLA at the end of IWTV, which Lestat claims never happened. The reason people take Lestat's words at face value sometimes isn't usually because they hate Louis or think he lied about Lestat's abuse. It's because Anne, as the writer of the story, wanted the reader to doubt Louis' version in favor of Lestat's because she had changed her mind about the direction of the story and the characters she created.

It's also worth noting that, in the actual text of the show, that version of events taken from the book, the content of the original interview, is described by Louis himself as an admitted performance. I think it's a perfectly legitimate reading to consider IWTV (the book) in the context of Louis trying to get Lestat's attention with something he knew would upset him, like Armand suggests was Louis' fantasy, because he wanted or needed to see him again.

This got long and rambley so I'll just leave you with the wise, wise words of Samothy Reid when asked to give one truth and one lie in the show: Everybody lies. Everybody lies.

I don't think that will change if we finally get Lestat's POV so imo people should just relax and enjoy the ride.

[sd1d-enthusiast]

So Polin fam, I'm that user from the polin sub who tried to give spoilery context to the sensationalized sun article leaks about Colin, and no I did not do it to start drama or whatever, I've been waiting for a Romancing Mister Bridgerton adaption for more than a decade and Colin is one of my favorite regency male characters, so to see people just taking two out of context scenes from a gossip rag and using that to lambast his character is super frustrating. I expected people to calm down once they knew the context, not go on tirades that the season is ruined or Colin doesn't deserve Pen or they want NPC plot device Debling to snatch her instead, and it's so bizarre.

After thinking about it though, I think I understand why people reacted like they did. A good portion of this fandom does NOT give a crap about Colin as a character in his own right and only sees him as a prop for Penelope's happiness. That's why every polin video will be littered with "Oh, I want him to GROVEL if he ever wants to DESERVE penelope." As if he committed some horrific crime, as if he isn't the only one person who has EVER seen Penelope for who she was, who has sought her out when she was hiding in the corners and shadows, who noticed her and confided in her and tried to step in and protect her and her family. Sure, he's had his foot in the mouth moments, and sure he isn't perfect. But NEITHER IS PENELOPE. And that's the whole damn point!

They're both still so young and haven't even found out who THEY really are yet, in large part they are both sort of drifting and trying to do what society expects of them. It's no coincidence that their true thoughts have really only been spoken to each other! Because they're meant to take on that journey together, they're meant to be partners who grow and make each other better, and that takes TIME and it's never 100% perfect, because they are imperfect complex characters. Which makes them interesting!

I just wanted to clear it up and vent this out bc I'm even seeing people on tumblr screenshot my comments or make out what I said to be something it's not. Seriously, we are about to get an amazing season. I wish people would stop overreacting. I already know once the season comes out everyone whose been shitting on Colin nonstop because of 2 tiny as hell scenes will pretend like they loved him all along lmao.

[elbiotipo]

Was thinking about the whole owl fiasco in New York (which is funny because we find wild animals around here every day but if it's it in New York it's international news)

And well, that owl was (apparently) freed by animal rights activists who wanted it to be free and stuff. They argue something on the grounds of "well MAYBE that owl died crashing into a building and spent the last weeks in a stressful enviroment eating rats full of poison but at least he died FREE". Which is of course, dumb.

And then some other people argue that it's wrong to free random animals from zoos and anthropomorphizing their freeddom, which is correct, but then they go all the way to the other side. I read someone posting that "owls in nature live 15 years, this one was going to live 60" and "animals in captivity don't want freedom since they are pampered" and while that's not untrue, animals in captivity do get a life that would be considered good and they get so used to it that many don't want or most often cannot be released... it's a poor argument. We really don't know if animals, among being pampered, don't desire more. One argued "owls love to sit in the same place and be fed" and are you sure? That does not sound like bird-like behavior to me.

And what's more, it's anthropomorphizing in reverse. The animal rights activists say "we cannot jail animals they want to be FREE" and these people argument back "no, no, they're living the good life, it's good that they are in captivity actually". Fine, what about of all the owls who live in the wild. Don't they deserve to live 60 years of pampering too? Current zoo animals shouldn't be freed, that's true. What about taking more, why not give them all a good life?

My response about this is that it's never about a single owl. We don't protect individual animals because of their own individual lives but because of what they mean for an ecosystem. When great pains are taken to protect charismatic megafauna such as pandas or whales, for example, it's because they're in danger of being lost forever. But also, because protecting them means protecting everything that supports them, the entire landscape (umbrella species). So the quality of life of a single owl in a single city is missing the point. We should instead asking, what's the quality of the ecosystems that support that species, and many others? The Eurasian Owl is a widely ranging species that has adapted to many enviroments, so it's not in danger of extinction anytime soon, but it's still good to ask: wouldn't it better to try and save the enviroments where it lives instead of a single owl in New York City? No animal is an isolated being, and both the animal right activists and their counterparts miss this. If we have animals in zoos, it must be for them to be safe enough so they can be reintroduced to their natural enviroments, which are the ones that truly need to be protected, as a whole. There is no point in arguing about a single bird when there's a whole forest of them.

[spotlightlowlife]

The plot HAZBIN lost

The hazbin pilot allowed Charlie to have a socially opposing view point and do something about it with pride. She moved to a new locations and started up her own business, still at any time she could call her supportive parents, one may be more willing to listen, one may have an "I told you so" attitude but either way the impression of closeness is there. She was a hardworking person using her privilege for good.

Charlie's goals complemented the secondary plot of the angels dealing with an overpopulation problem, she was the whole solution to this problem, all she needed to do was start up her business that she had the resources to run, she did that, then, all she needed to do was be herself.

This series no matter was always likely to face the one issue major issue, who are the candidates for reform and upgrade likely to be? Probably nobody of the main cast. Now that we have elitism and animosity, chances are this will only prolong this question.

We had yet to meet any angels but like with the demons, she could have faced adversity, she could have faced support.

The angels were robotic copy pastes of eachother, their was plenty of direction to take them in.

Now they're the leading adversaries who don't just professionally deal with the problem that is a crowded hell, but they slaughter because they fear hell toppling heaven but seems to see slaughter as a form of sport, they fear being overpowered and their fears apparently just come true.

Question.

Why would anyone want to be amungst them?

Why would Charlie want to send those she rehabilitated to heaven, which we haven't been sold on at all.

Before, we saw the destruction left behind after an angel mass slaughter, it fit that Charlie believed residents of hell deserved better and better objectively existed, but a prehistoric conflict and war combined with 'chosen one' Charlie strips her of her goals, they are no longer hers but what is to be expected, which stripped of her quirkiness, she's no longer that bizarrely nice and caring person because there's no reason to believe her behaviour is exceptional, everyone is there because they are a loser. The winner in heaven and loser in hell concept tells us nothing about a person, it highlights corruption which goes well with this new conflict we are now sold on. The political elements take away from wanting to do good deeds for little other reason than wanting better for people, furthermore, since Lucifer is now a depressed and misunderstood figure who created this world and his charming wife as good as run it, throw in what we now know about the angels and what's so wrong with this place?

Her parents have a backstory and she doesn't, she didn't to begin with but after years of waiting for an adaptation, Charlie becomes a byproduct in her own show. Her parents get to be mysterious absent figures while Charlie is simply absent fo the most part.

Maybe she's busy ruining a whole hotel? An easy job that nobody is interested in seeing apparently.

It's like Charlie just wasn't edgy enough? She has lost her stable family, unique perspective and choice. Her status continues to account for nothing even thought technically, it has boosted since her parent now built hell and there hasn't been an involved god figure.

No longer is she someone going into the unknown with nothing really to lose but a lot to gain, now there's war and a whole host of adversaries, taking us away from the hotel, those that check in and those who would upgrade.

[jgnico]

How do you feel about Gojo saying Sukuna was holding back and the people saying that this is out of character? Because to me it doesn’t seem out of character in the slightest considering how Sukuna didn’t actually go all out??? He didn’t use any of his techniques and relied on ten shadows. Which is great btw!! I think Sukuna using ten shadows is a nod to how ingenious Sukuna can get during battle and in general him solely relying on ten shadows doesn’t discredit him or anything it just shows that he is still got a lot up his arsenal. Also Gojo saying he put his whole soul and body into the fight is true he gave it his all and that’s all that matters idk why people are saying that the writing of this specific part is off because it was very clear that Sukuna was holding back on using his original form and techniques? I could be missing something idk

Short answer? I think it's silly. I've seen people call Gojo's scene in the airport outright character assassination and all that that tells me is that either a) they weren't following the fight very well or b) they don't give Gojo as a character the credit that his writing deserves.

As often as I rag on Gojo for fun, I do genuinely think that he's one of the best written characters in the manga, and his conversation with Geto, Nanami, and Haibara only adds to that. There's nothing wrong with Gojo acknowledging that Sukuna's strong, because he is. Likewise, it's not ridiculous for him to say that Sukuna didn't give the fight his all or that he might have lost even if Sukuna didn't have Ten Shadows. All of that is true and Gojo, out of anyone, would know that.

Long answer?

I think that a lot of the confusion over Gojo calling Sukuna strong comes from Gojo's confidence in the fight and people's own emotions toward Sukuna. We've all seen the fraud memes and Gojo did an expectational job showing his own fighting prowess during the second half of the fight, but a lot of people seem to be forgetting that Sukuna almost killed Gojo as soon as the fight started. Up until the fight flipped in Gojo's favor (after Sukuna was hit by Unlimited Void) Gojo was struggling. If Sukuna hadn't been holding back his other techniques to a) keep them a secret from spectators and b) ensure that Mahoraga adapted to Unlimited Void out of sight, it's very possible Gojo would have died after their first Domain Clash ended in Sukuna's favor.

Quick Explanation: In chapter 226, after Gojo's Domain breaks and he loses his technique for a time, but before he uses Simple Domain to save himself from Malevolent Shrine, Sukuna could have used his fire arrow in the same way he did against Mahoraga in Shibuya. With the amount of damage Gojo was taking at the time, we don't know if he would have been able to survive it, especially when all of his CE was being focused on healing the slashes Sukuna was dealing and likely couldn't have been spared to reinforce his body. (But once again, Sukuna was holding himself back, so neither us nor Gojo will ever know if he could have eneded their fight there.)

This is why I personally don't see anything wrong with Gojo being unsure if he could have beat Sukuna even without Ten Shadows.

But moving on to the less combat focused section of what I want to talk about. What was up with Gojo's confidence up until the literal end, only for him to doubt himself after the fact? I have two points for this one:

Gojo has to be strong for his students.

I touched on it in my response to one of your previous posts, (read: here) but I can't stress enough how Gojo's strength and, by extension, his confidence in his strength is for his students' sake. He teaches through his actions, but more importantly, he never shows them his own doubt.

The first time he fights Sukuna, he points out that Megumi is watching and, in his own words, "shows off."

Then, going into their actual fight in chapter 222, he looks serious in a way that we never really see from him. At least, up until the point where Yuuji reminds him that he and all his other students are there, that they're confident in him, and we see his entire demeanor going into the fight change. He's smiling; he's not worried in the least. He says, "Yeah, I got this," with a grin on his face, and that, more than it'll ever be for himself, was for his students.

There's another shift after the opening stage of their fight in chapter 224. What always stuck out to me from that chapter was Gojo noticing that their fight was being broadcasted. I won't go so far as to say he was less confident before that point or even that he wasn't trying as hard because that simply isn't true. But after he realizes that his students can see the fight as it's happening, Gojo's approach to fighting Sukuna changes almost entirely. Before, he was visibly having fun. Before, he was treating Sukuna as an equal to cut his teeth against. Was he getting on Sukuna's nerves intentionally, yes, but there was an aspect to it that felt more similar to how he spoke to Geto in their teenage years. Still antagonistic, that's just how his personality is, but not degrading in the way that he is later. (I'll expand on this thought in another post. For now, let's get back to my original point.)

After he spots Mei Mei's crows, Gojo never, not once, for the remainder of the fight expresses doubt in himself in any outward way.

We see frustration, we see anger, we see surprise, but never doubt. Never worry. And what does he say as soon as he get's the upper hand in the fight?

But why? Why is making sure that his students remain confident in him so important? Well, what's the answer to almost any question when it comes to Gojo's motivations?

Hidden Inventory and losing the person that mattered to him the most: Suguru Geto.

The same confidence that Gojo shows as an adult is what we see here, with one important distinction. He shares the place of being the strongest with Geto. "We're the strongest" isn't about them individually holding the title; it's about them together. They as a unit are the strongest. But here, Gojo tries to shoulder the burden of his fight against Toji alone while he sends Geto off with Riko and Kuroi. He seperates them and that duality of strength becomes weaker. Gojo loses, Riko dies, Geto loses, and they fail.

In the aftermath, Geto takes the guilt from that loss onto himself, and it only widens that separation into a chasm that Gojo is never able to cross. But we spend so much time talking about Geto's guilt over Hidden Inventory that I think we overlook Gojo's.

Even in a state where he'd feel nothing over killing a roomful of people, where he can't feel anger toward Toji over Riko, he feels like he messed up. He places blame on himself for their failure. Not just because he had lost but because Geto --someone that shared the position of being the Strongest with him-- expressed doubt in him shouldering so much of their mission at multiple points, only for Gojo to give him confidence in return and have that confidence ultimately be misplaced.

But isn't he making the same mistake with his students? Yes, and no.

Yes, in that he's giving them reassurance that is tragically (for lack of better word) misplaced, but no, in that they never expressed doubt in him. Not just because they aren't on his level when it comes to strength like Suguru was, but because he never gives them the chance to doubt him.

From the very beginning, when Yuuji first becomes his student, he makes sure that Yuuji doesn't have any doubt in him winning against Sukuna. And even when he's asked again at a time where none of his students are present, he thinks of this exchange with Yuuji. And his response to Kenjaku now was the same that it was to Yuuji.: "Nah, I'd win."

This isn't to say that Gojo didn't have faith in himself going into the fight or even through the majority of it. It would be at least disingenuous and at most outrageous for me to say that Gojo's confidence in himself was an act only for his students sake. What I'm saying with all of this is actually my second point in this post:

Gojo only expresses his true feelings to himself and....

I'm quickly running into the photo limit for this post so I'll be using quotes, but in chapter 233, we get, "Even though the opponent was the King of Curses, said to be the strongest in history, a thought nobody considered possible began to spread; Satoru Gojo could lose. Gojo himself was aware of that prospect. Yet, along with the signs of defeat came an undeniable feeling of satisfaction."

I've read through the entire fight multiple times now, and this is the only time that we see Gojo express doubt in himself. But instead of it feeling like a loss, as we'd expect, it's written as a positive. Gojo isn't upset at the idea that he might lose. He embraces it. As was stated both in chapter 233 and again in chapter 236, he's satisfied. Not just because he gave this fight everything that he had, but because him losing means that he'll return to the person that understood him --and the burden of being the strongest-- the best.

Much like Suguru couldn't smile from the bottom of his heart until his last moment with Gojo, Gojo couldn't be truly happy in a world where no one understood him. If Geto had been there with him, if Geto had been alive and by his side to share the burden and isolation of strength in the jujutsu world, he could have been truly happy with his life.

But that wasn't the reality that he lived in, nor was it something he could ever hope to accomplish.

Gojo's dream was to raise stronge allies, but that was never so that they could share the burden of strength with him. It was so that they could share it with each other. So that they never experienced the isolation of being strong alone the way that he did for the majority of his life. He wanted them to have their own Geto in each other.

It's not that he changed up his attitude regarding the fight and Sukuna after he died, but rather that his death brought him back to the person that he could finally (finally, after so long of being a pillar of strength rather than a person) express his true feelings to.

Or, to continue the quote from 233: "Being the strongest came with a sense of isolation. So the source of his present sense of fulfillment was..."

[winterspellsfrozenkit]

Oh God

Their are other ways is out

I was really hoping Jay wouldn’t go the route he did but he did :(

I love the music behind the part where Odysseus turns Searcy down but on the other hand… He completely completely erased the part where Odysseus was straight up SA’d

I… Jay I love you, BUT WHYYYY

So I listened to ""There Are Other Ways" and I have three theories to WHY Jay changed it to Odysseus breaking down and turning down Circe. 1. The year long timeskip was difficult to explain, 2. Sexual coercion/abuse is NEVER a comfy subject and he might've been worried about not handling it well, and 3. It helps ensure people understand Odysseus LOVES Penelope. Let's me explain:

Reason 1. The year long time skip is difficult to explain: In the Odyssey, we don't know what happened while Odysseus and his men stayed on Circe's island for a year, just that they were resting and recovering, but the men have to remind Odysseus about going home which makes me think something happened to make Odysseus either forget or become wary to leave, which is odd because Penelope and Telemachus are his big drive, so not wanting to leave immediately is out of character for him OR the men weren't going to move until they were ready and he was waiting for them.

Reason 2. Sexual coercion and abuse are really difficult to handle: When Hazbin Hotel snippets got leaked, everyone flipped out on Vivziepop for part of the Poison song that got leaked. Keep in mind that Vivziepop was a victim of abuse and parts of Angel's story with Valentino was pulled from her past with her toxic ex. Even so, people flipped out on her on social media for the leak, saying she was making light or not showing how awful sexual abuse is, but when Poison came out in full, people saw it really was showing the ugliness and horror of the situation. Circe's situation is more coercive and coercive situations are awful in their own right because they give the illusion of choice to the point people will blame the victim because "Well, why did they say yes? They could've said no." because people don't see or recognize the coercion. As a result, Jay might've been wary about handling the situation poorly or how fans would react. It does show the insidious nature of coercion, having Odysseus is agreeing there's no puppet, but he has to say that to get his men back and by having him breakdown and say "I can't!", it shows how much this is actually hurting him. Epic doesn't have accompanying visuals in the way Poison does, so showing how much being pushed to sleep with Circe had harmed Odysseus is really difficult with just dialogue alone.

Reason 3. It helps ensure people understand Odysseus LOVES Penelope. If you go around Tumblr, you'll see SO MANY PEOPLE BLAME ODYSSEUS FOR CIRCE AND CALYPSO. They claim Penelope deserves better than Odysseus, ignoring the sexual coercion and rape that happened to him. They shame him and say he claimed to love his wife, but slept with two other women the first chance he got. By choosing to have Odysseus breakdown at the idea of being pushed to sleep with Circe, it attacks that idea that Odysseus would choose to cheat on Penelope. It shows the true heart of Odysseus: the man who went to woo Helen of Troy, but decided her cousin, Penelope, was who he wanted to marry; the man who risked becoming an oath-breaker to stay with his wife and infant son when he was called to war; the man who didn't stay with Circe and refused immortality and staying with Calypso to go home to his mortal wife.

Adaptations are difficult. I wouldn't say it was a complete erasure, because it leads up to it, but just has Odysseus breakdown before anything happened. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it, because Odysseus was a victim and that shouldn't be forgotten, but I do think the song drove home that emotional impact this situation had on Odysseus in that this situation was harmful to Odysseus and that he wouldn't choose to cheat which is important. I'm a writer, not a song writer, but a writer and the idea of tackling the complex emotions of that situation and all the effects it has on a victim in one song is daunting. It's why a lot of people choose to avoid depicting situations of coercion and abuse. There's so many complex emotions tied up in situations like this and how do you accurately depict that in one song that has no visuals and is only dialogue? How do you explain the emotional pain and feelings of helplessness a victim is going through? What emotion is going to be the main one coming from the victim? Grief? Guilt? Rage? Fear? Which is more important: the event itself happening or the emotional impact?

Jay might've not gone fully into the event, but he did show the emotional impact and how much this situation hurt Odysseus with him breaking down and begging Circe to grant him and his men mercy. He showed Odysseus struggling with what he had to do to save his men. Comparing to most adaptations, this one actually does show some of the emotional pain Odysseus must've had in the situation, rather than painting it as Odysseus romancing Circe or cheating on Penelope. It's not perfect, but it gives Odysseus more understanding in the situation than most adaptations do, so I'm relieved and grateful for that.

[yourfandomfriend]

Gravitation || IwtV Meta

While doing my bookkeeping, I was pleasantly surprised to find I'd left some shippy meta lying around for these yaoi-ass mother fuckers and didn't post it. Yeah, you know I've got it bad for a series when the analysis spills over into other folders.

** SPOILERS** for Interview with the Vampire, Season 2 & The Vampire Chronicles **SPOILERS**

And Then What?

One of my favorite aspects of this series is the way it takes meta to the next level.

Anne Rice used the "interview" aspect of the novel to sew the tiniest seeds of doubt in her readers' minds, the idea being that the story could be true and Louis was out there somewhere. But then she retconned a lot from the book to justify making its villain, Lestat, the hero of the series. So any adaption of the book with a greater story in mind would basically be saying, "Yes, this story is all true! …Only it's not, this man is a liar. And his rebound is a psycho bitch!"

Meanwhile, with the benefit of decades of hindsight, the series doesn't just say, "The vampire story happened, it was an interview by some Boy." It treats the story with respect by interrogating it as if it can stand the sunlight.

"So if the first one was a pack of lies, as later books insist, then why didn't The Boy notice? And why did Louis lie? Why go to the trouble of telling his story to a reporter if he was just gonna lie about his boyfriend all night? And how come he didn't notice that Armand guy was an unhinged puppet master, hoaxing his ass for years?"

Well! Not only is the interview itself split apart -- between the year of its release and the time of the series -- but Daniel Molloy himself is split and now becomes the way in which the series reconciles the first book with the rest.

Daniel becomes a brave and skeptical interviewer, buying the premise of vampires, yet daring to ask -- if the story was true -- then why This and why That? Many fans of the books react to this as an insult. "Are you calling the first book stupid? The people who loved it stupid?" As if that was the only explanation for treating the material as though it could hold up to scrutiny.

Agency

I really love the idea of the series closing out Louis' story with his revelations. He has the truth now and is finally able to take control of his life. To accept himself completely in a way he never could before and stand on his own.

No longer forced to forget Paul, Claudia, and Lestat. No longer pretending he isn't a monster or a very human creature. No longer trapped in limbo, no longer an object at the mercy of the universe.

And can we all agree that Lestat got the best arc? One that wasn't possible in the books? Learning to respect Louis' autonomy and let him go with love instead of lying, cutting off his escapes, blackmailing, or breaking him? I'm way more impressed with the writing of the show here, for making Lestat learn his lesson instead of pretending, "Oh, no, he was perfect all along!"

Also, his behavior is juxtaposed with Armand's. We'd love to think he's the villain for the part he played in the Trial, but so many characters had done the wrong thing that led to that point --

Claudia for rushing (against all logic and advice) to join a cult created by the guy she "killed," thinking she could BS her way through it forever. Louis for ignoring Claudia when she reported her red flags, telling her to sit in the choice she'd made, choosing a guy he'd just met over her, refusing to join or even be kind to the coven, leaving bodies in the open to piss them off, and playing carelessly with the heart of an ancient demigod vampire he barely knew, who he just happened to have shared a suss ex-boyfriend with --

Lestat for keeping his fledglings weak and ignorant, abusing them and refusing to let them go, destroying the Paris coven and remaking it in his image then abandoning it, crossing the ocean for revenge he didn't deserve, and using his power to save Louis, but only Louis.

No, Armand's pertinent villainous act was The Lie. He didn't just allow Louis to believe the conclusion he'd jumped to, he created an alternate universe where he was Louis' savior and nanny and made him live in it for seventy-five years. And it's not even that he was dishonest, per se -- they all lied to each other -- but that his dishonesty was fueled by a desire to limit Louis' movement.

Like the rocks in that coffin. As if he'd never taken Louis out of it.

He would give his lover all the power in the world, submit to him in any and every way imaginable, and put his life in Louis' hands… but never give him the freedom to leave. That was the power and control Armand exerted behind a mask of innocence and deference.

It's the mask Lestat wore on more than one occasion, not realizing his guilt until the Trial's ludicrous, victim-blaming narrative inadvertently threw his cruelty, tyranny, and vanity in his face.

Which means that, as different as they were, Armand was used in the series as a Shadow Self of Lestat. Not the easy, shapeless alternative he was in Book One, nor the convenient scapegoat he was in Book Two, but a desperate, lonely, unaccountable Brat Prince playing with precious things that don't belong to him and breaking them.

Armand is more underhanded and tightly wound, but his greed and capacity for disaster are at least identical to Lestat's -- because they're godlike. No one can stop them, except themselves.

Gravity

But now, the love triangle has been thrown into daylight and all parties are finally free of one another. Louis can visit Lestat to reconcile and greave and embrace without either being sucked into each other's orbit... For now.

And what of the unmasked Armand? He didn't ask to be set free from either of their orbits or did he? and without the chase of Devil's Minion, he has no one to satellite now. Poor babby, all his friends are dead and everyone else thinks he's a hardcore bitch. Can he ever be happy alone, especially when there's no outside force to shake the shit out of him?

To the ancient texts!

In the books, Armand's relative wickedness was transparently both AR's alibi for Lestat and a way to keep him from undermining her OTP -- once he was no longer a threat to either, he was free to be as happy and lovable as a thing like him could be. So if Show follows Books, Armand is free now, too! Free of the toxic polycule! (And taking most of the toxins with him, but hey.)

The Bachelor Armand

A whole lot of fans who go from Armand in Book Two to Armand in Book Three have their minds blown by how… well? Cute and lovable and domestic he eventually becomes. You know… the further he gets from Louis.

Of course, Armand is never the healthiest, most stable character, but at least he's allowed to move on eventually. To finally grow and change. But must Show!Armand be lonely until that change happens? And if he's alone and won't introspect, what's the catalyst? Doesn't romance/love/the chase change him in the books? Why would anyone love him now that he's outed as horrible?

Well... all the other characters think he's a hardcore bitch... but one of them might think that's more a feature than a bug.

In the books, Daniel, the one remaining threat to loustat, is nerfed by AR throwing him to Armand like a wind-up cat toy. And as it turns out, he's a lot more into the evil nut-jobbery part of dating a vampire than the cute shit. Actually, he seems to find the cute shit annoying.

Before you know it, the spares are paired, Daniel is turned, and Armand is transformed from a severe, obsessive, sadomasochistic ascetic, to a soft, obsessive, sadomasochistic hedonist. He's still a hardcore bitch, but now he's the hardcore bitch Daniel's always dreamed of.

Suspicious? Yes. AR showing her hand? Undoubtably. But they seemed so happy, I don't have the heart to question it. And if that Chuck Tingle book cover come to life is Armand and Daniel's fate in the show, I'll cheer them on so loudly.

[hyperfixations-and-hecticness]

I hate when they change like vital plot points of a book to fit in a movie. I mean, first of all the iconic F outfits. The Circus of Talents. We lost Princess Uma, a bad bitch if there ever was one. Anyway thoughts below but I can’t add a read more on mobile so sorry. Spoilers obviously.

Thoughts on the School for Good and Evil movie

Good

- The design and aesthetic of all of it was beautiful. I mean like everything was elegant and stunning and just visually incredibly pleasing.

- Sofia Ann Caruso is a great Sophie, she’s cringey and mean and overdramatic. She is the love child of Megamind and Regina George.

- Also Theron and Washington made great professors.

- The Tedros had a cool sword, iconic dumbassery, was pretty and also had cool fits which is how I like my men personally.

- Sophie and Agatha’s friendship at the start was super natural and well written.

- Soman cameo.

- I loved the little addition of Professor Anemone previously being a history teacher. It was just such a nice little touch to the world building and her character.

- The inherent creepiness of the casting for Rafal. I mean I always imagined him looking like a teenager but him looking like he’s in his twenties and trying to claim Sophie as his child bride really adds that extra layer of ickiness.

- Literally everything with Gregor Charming. An icon, a legend, he is the moment.

Bad

- Sofie Wylie is a good Agatha but they wrote her so blandly. Also like where was the initial awkwardness? We deserved bitchy goth loner Agatha. And like it would’ve been cool if Agatha was more conventionally unattractive. Like no hate to Sofie Wylie she’s absolutely gorgeous but it would’ve been nice if she did have that whole thing of yeah people don’t think she’s pretty but then her personality begins to outweigh that.

- Where the actual everloving fuck where Anadil’s rats? I was promised little rats. I was robbed.

- Why were all the Ever girls such bitches? I mean like passive aggressive? Yeah sure. But they were outright bullies.

- The plot change of Rafal purposefully letting Good grow complacent and vain. I think it’s more interesting when you have Good who genuinely have grown complacent without the manipulation of true evil or whatever. It adds more weight to it.

- The Circus of Talents was iconic and we deserved to have the wolves and fairies reveal.

- The blood magic? I mean like what? You have regular magic, no deus ex machina necessary.

- More development between our girls and Teddy. Like I love him being a pathetic little scrunkly but it felt like everything happened in two days. This may have been better adapted as a show considering it’s meant to be covering a whole year of school.

- We deserved hot pink finger glows.

- Lack of iconic book characters: Princess Uma, Castor and Pollux, the Golden Goose, the little pets they had, Anadil’s rats (yes I’m bitter), the librarian dude whose name I’m forgetting, he has Giles vibes, the seer, you know the dude.

- I wanted to see Hort’s frog pajamas.

- The actual explanation for the nemesis stuff like in the books.

- Where was the witches/Agatha friendship? Sophie betraying Aggie to avoid going home? Dovey caring about Good?

- More mean Sophie. Give the people what they want

- It felt so queer-baity. I know the book three twist but like it was just annoying.

Edit - Also the iconic line ‘I’m worse than my father. Because I still love you.’

All in all it was a fun movie but having loved the books as a kid I felt like they didn’t really get done justice. Two and a half hours wasn’t enough to cover the whole story adequately in my opinion.

[asocial-inkblot]

Things I Hope/d to See in the New ATLA Live Action Show

A source material-accurate Azula (duh) and Aang (the show's namesake!) with something extra added to both. See #7 and #8 for more on that.

Tweaked war-related plans that come across like they could reasonably be implemented in real life and which may be based on/allude to actual battle proposals from throughout history. I know little about these sorts of things but others have pointed out before that one of Sokka's plans, for example, may not have actually made much sense. And Ozai's plan near the end? Yeeaaahhhhh... I mean, I kinda get it in hindsight. But still. Let's have him come up with something better than that.

Appearances and clothing that call back to the ethnic groups and cultures that the show takes inspiration from (things are looking great on this front so far), but also

Eye colors like the ones from the original cartoon. This may seem petty but I find that it's actually important to use the right hues for each character and not just make everyone's eyes brown or black or gray (looks to me like that's exactly what they did). The reason being that, although I personally tend to dislike when non-white characters are given what I now call "white qualifiers" (meaning traits often used to make them still appeal to whiteness, such as light hair, light eyes, bone-straight hair, round eyes, etc.), in the context of the show, the eye colors are actually by and large ethnic characteristics and differentiators themselves. As I've noted before in a previous post from a while back: Ocean blue eyes = Water Tribes, brown and gray = usually Air Nomad or Earth Kingdom, amber or light tan = Fire Nation, with few exceptions for all of them.

Enough similarities for it to feel like ATLA but with enough differences that it's actually its own story. Again, duh, but we all know how often adaptations tend to get this part wrong.

An age rating that won't be used as just another excuse to shoehorn in as much violence, gore and sexual content as possible but instead to allow for the full illustration of the impact that war can have on a people and their society/traditions. We saw, imo, only little hints of this throughout the cartoon (when Aang found Monk Gyatso's remains is one extremely devastating example), but not near enough. I know the reason why, of course. However, things like that only helped sell the show short by not allowing it to fully flesh out into a world with true, viewable consequences.

An Azula who, from day one, is unquestionably made out to be exactly what she is: A child soldier who is also a victim of the war in a similar way to how the Gaang is. I want to see her allowed to show worry, even fear, either during or after a situation. Not because I don't love how kickass she is, but because at her age, level of trauma and amount of risk to her life everyday, she has all the reason to be more stressed from the get-go. Not to mention her family issues. I want Azula to clearly have anxiety or depression, something many of us can relate to. I also want that scene of her mental breakdown to STAY in some capacity, but be seen in-universe and hopefully—eventually—irl, too, as what it really was: A teenage girl pushed to her limits until she had no where left to step. Real, living people have had anxiety/panic attacks and meltdowns before and that didn't make them evil or any less worthy of sympathy. It only makes it that much more obvious how real Azula herself is, and how much she needed and deserved understanding.

I want an Aang who's allowed to cry, not once, not twice but over and over again as the weight of the burden of what it means to be a child avatar during a world war—and one who was out-of-commission for a century—start to take their toll on his mind, body and eventually spirit. After he reaches his breaking point, I want him to learn to forgive himself and even forgive others, and come back from it, stronger than ever.

A Toph who's tough but maybe a little less...umm... She should be/feel affected by the war too, okay? And have some level of guilt, fear or self-awareness at all times. So she should be like her original self, but deeper.

More Ursa pleeeaaaaaaassse. We know next to nothing about this woman and what we do know, still involves a lot of inferring. I need to know just what her beliefs were about the war and her family/relatives. I need to know if she...if she often feared for her or her children's lives!

A little less romance and a little more danger, planning and large platonic relationship growth as well as character growth.

Zuko actually learning something from his travels; early on, every time he meets someone/some new people, and on a regular basis. I also kinda want to see him have consequences for his actions. Not just that one time, where he was only a clueless 13 year old boy anyway. Doesn't have to be huge or bloody, but he needs to lose something every time he gains at the expense of another. The ATLA world (if not within the cartoon then definitely within the live action show) should have a real, tangible concept of Karma present, if it doesn't already. That would make so. much. sense.

If possible, a little more fleshing out of characters like Jet and the Freedom Fighters, Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors, Hama, Mai, Ty Lee, etc. And can we not demonize or shrug off victims anymore?

A still sexy Hakoda, Ozai and June. (I'm so sorry, don't hate me...)

An ending that won't make me break out in hives plez.

(That's it for now. I may come back here to add more.)

[penny-hartzs]

Let's talk more fashion: who are your top ten fictional characters with the best style 🥰

Right off the bat I have to go with Carrie Bradshaw. She annoyed me to no end for most of the series (apart from that one episode where she went to a house party and someone stole her shoes and she insisted that the guests pay her back for them) but I'd be lying if I said that her outfits don't continue to be iconic and they are always going to be a huge chapter of costume design and fashion. Patricia Field really is THAT woman.

2. Rachel Green my forever girl has to be number 2. I love so many things about her style and how it evolves throughout the seasons. In the early days it was jeans, T-Shirts and overalls but in such a chic and 90's way and then as she starts working in fashion and growing more into a more grownup version of herself she has an amazing office wardrobe that I still take inspo from. I also love all her slip dresses.

3. Meave Maisel. I started watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel mainly because of the clothes and the fact that it was written by Amy Sherman Palladino and I stayed for as long as I did for the clothes as well. I believe the plot got a bit tired and the creators got distracted by the fact that the budget kept getting bigger so therefore they thought the show should be getting flashier instead of more human and funny but you'll never catch me complaining about the costumes because, well look at them!

4. Lisa Fremont. LISTEN. The costumes in this movie (which is Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock) are my Roman Empire. Especially the black and white dress combined with Grace Kelly's incredible beauty makes it one of the most iconic fashion moments in cinema history and we should give Edith Head (the costume designer) her flowers.

5. Fran Fine. It took me a while to realize what an absolute fashion icon this woman is because I didn't watch The Nanny as a kid or teenager (I still haven't watched all of it and I plan on making it right eventually) but omg the absolute serve after serve after serve AFTER SERVE. Plus, that body is bodying. And a special mention to this particular outfit which is all of my dreams coming true:

6. Issa from Insecure

This show's entire costume department deserved all the Emmys, Oscars, Tonys, just everything but Issa's style was always my absolute favorite because it was so versatile and reflected on her character journey as well. Plus I loved the fact that even when she had a casual look on, there were still so many smart details about it. Argh I miss Insecure so much I need Issa Rae back on my screen immediately.

7. Daisy Jones. This character has had a tight grip on my heart ever since I read the book and I knew I'd love her when I watched the tv adaptation but I didn't expect to love her to the point I spent all of last spring trying to find pieces to recreate her entire cool girl hippy wardrobe. And also I just have to mention this "gold dust woman" moment because it was arguably the most iconic outfit of them all

8. Holly Golightly

I don't think I need to say too much about her to be honest do I? Audrey Hepburn is literally a work of art, in this movie and in general. My maybe somewhat unpopular opinion is that the pink outfit is my favorite one :')

Honourable mentions:

Monica Geller/ Blair Waldorf/ Cher Horowitz/ Zoe from Grownish (I hate the show though)/ Devi from Never Have I Ever/ Hilary Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

[coralinnii]

Hi! I found your post about Jamil Viper……. I was wondering if you could write one where it’s base of the song a whole new world from Alldain. Like Reader first time in a magic carpet and they remember this song and humm as jamil shows them little hang out areas away from others. Overall just fluff and feel good feelings …… my sister went off to bootcamp and I feel really alone rn.

Feel free to take this and run wild !!!!! I love reading works where the author adds they own flavor to their writing!!!!

Much love Frog 🐸

Showing a whole new world

feat. Jamil

genre: fluff

note: no pronouns were mentioned, pre-established relationships, interpreted as Yuu!reader

This for you, lovely 🐸

I can understand the feeling of being away from family and I want nothing more than to give all the love you deserve. Before you know it, you and your sister will be reunited! Hope you enjoy this!

Being a student is busy enough but for Jamil, it feels like a secondary priority when you consider his responsibility as Scarabia’s vice housewarden and more importantly, Kalim’s retainer.

You decided to help him with some of his responsibilities, purely from the good of your heart of course. Definitely not because you had a crush on the vice housewarden, don’t be ridiculous.

Either way, you and Jamil started being around each other a lot more frequently. You would help out in the kitchen or you would accompany him as he goes through his errands for Kalim and Scarabia.

The long-haired man was apprehensive at first but he trusts your goodwill in the end and soon he starts to appreciate your help and even finds himself looking forward to your company, not that anyone could tell as he keeps that part to himself.

He wanted to show you his gratitude in a way and while he thought about it, Kalim, the lovable busybody, offered his flying carpet to his old friend.

“It’ll be great! Go for it, buddy!” Kalim gave him the thumbs up which worries Jamil as he hopes that the snow-haired heir didn’t misunderstand the purpose of the outing. This is purely an act of gratitude for your hard work, that’s all.

There is no ulterior motive in spending more time with you outside of his typical chores, absolutely not. How absurd.

Still, Jamil ended up taking a flight across the sky with you. Together, you two flew across the campus where Jamil would occasionally point out hidden parts of the campus and scenic views from your view.

At first, Jamil worried that you may get bored by this but you were in awe with the places Jamil pointed to and the tidbits of information he knew. What was common sights to him was a splendor to you as you took in the world around you. So, encouraged by your joyous gasps, he continued to show off the highlights of the land he discovered when he first surveyed the campus before Kalim enrolled.

Unlike Kalim, Jamil was cautious enough to ease the speed of flight, letting you fully take in the view from your height. As your mind drifts serenely at the sight, you recall an old song from your childhood that reminds you of this magical ride. You started to hum the nostalgic tune as you let yourself be mesmerized by the ocean view as you and Jamil hover above the waters, not noticing your companion watching you keenly.

As a final stop, the two of you landed at an old tower some distance away from the school where you were able to watch the bright stars littering the clear skies. You wonder if the stars were the same as the ones from your world.

“It’s surprising how easily amazed you are by the simplest things” Jamil smirked, amused by your child-like wonder.

“Hey, Give me a break! This is so different from my world that I just can’t help it” you laughed. “We don’t have magic, let alone a magical flying carpet!”

That was true. With how well you managed to adapt to Twisted Wonderland, many of your friends, including himself, forget that you were actually far from the land you hailed from. Jamil must admit on how impressed he is with you.

“By the way, you were humming a song earlier that I couldn’t recognise.” Jamil brought up something that was on his mind. “Was it something from your world?”

“Ah, you heard me” you smiled bashfully. “It came from this movie that was super popular when I was growing up”

You turned to gently brush the flying carpet that was resting beside you, which bristled in appreciation.

“It was a story about a princess and a commoner who rode on a flying carpet much like this actually. The commoner was showing the princess a whole world outside her castle”

“Hmm, how strangely similar to a legend of our own” Jamil pondered the odds of two worlds sharing a common tale.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment taking in the serenity of it all before Jamil spoke up once more, his curiosity got the better of him.

“Are you sad…that you’re not home right now?”

You froze in your spot as you stared straight into Jamil’s eyes. That was not what you expected from Jamil, a man who tends to stay out of people’s business and not get straightforwardly into the personal details of others.

Jamil cursed himself due to your reaction. Despite coming from the dorm of mindfulness, that was tactless of him to suddenly ask that from you.

Before he could take back his words, you answered.

“I miss them”

“Huh?”

“I miss my family…and my friends” you confessed, curling your body slightly as you lay your feelings out. “Sometimes I forget I’m not in my old world and expect to be at home with my family sitting in the living room”

The air around you got slightly tense as you shared something personal for the first time in a long time. Jamil wanted to hit himself for bringing this up and he planned to apologise when you managed to speak before him once more.

“But I’m honestly ok” you smiled, leaving Jamil momentarily stunned. “I’m never as lonely as I think. Not when I have people like you with me”

Feeling bold, you took the chance to reach for the male’s hand and lock your eyes with Jamil’s ash-coloured eyes. Just as you were previously enchanted by the brightness of the stars, Jamil saw that brightness reflected in your eyes as you watched him, him and only him.

“I want to thank you, Jamil. For being with me and showing me this new world”

Perhaps it was his practiced way of matching the flow of your conversation or the boldness exuding from you that he felt compelled enough to say his next words, clasping his hand over yours that held his other hand.

“When you do find a way to your own world, perhaps I could visit you and you can show me this world of yours”

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

hello!

If you don't mind, could you elaborate on how sasaki deserved better writing? And what you would've done if you could give her that?

I think she's really interesting and I want to think abt her more :)

Hey!

Honestly, it's mostly to do with her seriously botched portrayal in the anime adaptation - I'm sure anyone who's read the original light novel can attest to the weakening of her character, and the story line as a whole. For this reason, a lot of anime-only fans kind of forget about her or don't find her that interesting, and from that portrayal, I kind of can't blame them.

Even in the original book though, I think you can tell a little that it was the first of the light novels - Sasaki and Rokuzou aren't nearly as fleshed out or given as much focus as later light novel characters, imo. Most of Sasaki's true character is revealed right at the end, in two scenes - the graveyard visit, and her death. In a way, this is effective, because the point of her character is that she is a) very clever, b) completely unassuming, and c) intentionally left morally ambiguous, even after her death. However, I do think there are other ways in which her character could've been elaborated further or given more focus. Also, there's the fact that female characters in the light novels tend to be uh... not as well-developed or given pov chapters like their male counterparts. For as much as I love Wells and think she's really cool, we really don't get much of her perspective or backstory - again, much like Sasaki and even some of the other female cast, she's a "mystery" until a big reveal happens.

I don't really know what else I would want from her character tbh, but I think it might've been more interesting to have her end up more wrapped up in the progression of the mystery somehow. Her methods are a direct parallel to Dazai's, after all, and a few scenes that truly showcase this before her final scene I think could've been really interesting, both for Sasaki herself, and to further Kunikida's internal puzzling of both his new mysterious coworker and this intelligent woman who is also not as she appears.

[guns-blazing]

Undertale Yellow and the Player

(secret fun value flowey dialogue)

uty is way less meta than undertale itself. it's really easy to brush over the player because of this. however, the player undeniably plays a large role in this game... and i find that role larger than most people consider.

the player obviously controls clover, but it's a bit different than in undertale. clover can make their own choices. they shoot in the overworld without prompting in vengeance. they never reject martlet's final offer in neutral. they always give up their soul in true mercy. the player can't control them there. chara and frisk make their own major choices in the murder route, too, but that's not until the final boss, while clover starts going on their own way earlier and way more overtly.

take martlet in vengeance, letting her go of their own accord. or take the conversation with red, which aligns with what i said in an absolutely hilarious way to me. clover Will commit this social blunder you have No Control

in times when the player does choose what they say or do, it's never out of character. this is different than in undertale. unlike frisk and chara, clover's personality will visibly adapt to what you choose- sparing everyone will make them believe monsterkind deserves happiness, killing everyone makes them believe monsterkind is evil.

(yes there's a few hints and a lot of speculation about frisk+chara's character, but all of that stuff is vague compared to clover's overt motives. especially that bit about clover being more evil in murder route b/c of player: i fully believe chara is the same way but it is way less clear if they agree with the mercy route when the player does it than clover, who dies for it.)

but your choices don't always match up with theirs.

clover doesn't know this. clover would have no reason to know this. but the player knows this, and they answer pretty easily. this is a pretty obvious red flag that Hey! There's something else controlling clover!

the game LITERALLY POINTS OUT that clover can't see martlet's puzzle!!!!!!!!!!!! like the writing is DRAWING ATTENTION TO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but we're so subtle, flowey barely registers us (see flowey fun value). in fact- the player hasn't been here the whole time. we don't show up until a later run where flowey's already been manipulating clover for some time. choosing to live with toriel, dying in waterfall and hotland, that's clover. and somehow, when this otherworldly entity takes over the body of someone flowey's been manipulating and controlling for untold resets... he doesn't notice. he doesn't know.

...does clover know?

if anyone would know, it'd be clover. (i mean besides ice bullets guy in one of the mo credits cutscenes cause they definitely know. just look at that face.)

they never seem to call attention to the fact they're possessed. but they never call attention to the flower that's bending time for them, either, so does that even mean anything?

i don't know if clover knows. and i don't think i have enough to speculate.

except ive been doing nonsense speculation the whole time! basing the existence of a player on flowey's secret lines? fine. basing it on the trivia monster in the mines? yeah that is kind of a stretch!! what, do i think alphys can edit the code of undertale because of that line about her crush in the code? no!! because i have a brain!!!

so here's a better question.

how are we able to reset after vengeance?

it has been commonly assumed that the being with the most DT in the underground can reset, but only to the point where they gained the ability to reset. it's why frisk can't reset to before they fell, it's why flowey can't reset to before he woke up in the garden.

clover gains the ability to save on the rooftop. they have to, because that's when flowey loses his ability to save. but when they reset, they reset to the bed of golden flowers. so ermmm what

well, three possibilities:

the i-guess-nothing-contradicts-it: the being with control over saves actually resets to when they first enter the underground. for frisk it's falling down, for flowey it's when he was born and being asriel didn't count, and for clover it's the start of the game.

the it's-less-meta-than-undertale: getting to the end and then not being able to replay the game would suck. so the devs didnt wanna do that. so they Just Didnt.

3: you know who DOES gain the ability to save and load when clover first enters the underground??!?????! YOU

when you reset after vengeance youre going back to when you first could save and load!! "erm that isnt til meeting flowey-" if you quit the game when fighting froggit and open it again you have travelled back in time to the start. you load your save. it's you. hell that's actually even good proof because why would flowey place a save point at clover falling down and why would he load to there without clover prompting him! that's YOU loading!!!!!!!!!!

you control the save throughout the game, you reset after vengeance, and you can make flowey reset after pacifist. the two times you can't control the save are when flowey loses it in the neutral ending and when clover kills flowey in veng. yes, these are without player input, but listen! we already know clover makes their own choices in spite of the player, and flowey makes his own choice here too.

in conclusion. this non meta game can meta **bows & exits**

[beevean]

https://gizmodo.com/castlevania-nocturne-interview-spoilers-alucard-annette-1850892875

This is an interview that for once is not only with Deats but with Clive Bradely as well, Nocturne's writer and Ellis' replacement.

Before I start, I love how they talk about *that* ending like it's the hypest thing to ever hype. They know. They know what the fans only care about.

It ends with a clear and ready indicator that team is ready to tackle arguably the most iconic Castlevania narrative of all time, Symphony of the Night, as Richter and his allies find themselves bolstered in the darkest hour by the arrival of a familiar face… well, to us, at least, even if our young heroes aren’t as up on their Castlevania lore as gamers are.

Fucking peak. I love it. The gang is ready to tackle the SoTN story because even though they were about to die badly, after losing Tera, Alucard is there to save the day. Goddamnit if you suck his dick any harder you'll vacuum it off his body.

Also lol and lmao they cannot adapt SoTN at all. Where is Richter grappling with the fear that after killing Dracula his life is now done, making him easy prey for Shaft's manipulations? None of this can happen. Dracula isn't even around!

The character of Annette, trapped in a castle, made me think of Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame—this extraordinary woman who sweeps into France. It seemed an obvious step to make Annette a revolutionary from St. Domingue/Haiti on that sort of model.

This... sure is a train of thought. I'll just say N!Annette fucking wishes she had Esmeralda's charisma.

Later we had a Haitian adviser on board, Cècile Accilien, who helped us with aspects of the history and culture. We wanted it to be as authentic and grounded in reality as possible.

oh god no spinning i'm wheezing

If i was Mrs. Accilien I'd be offended by how the character named after me can't even be a proper wise guide without degenerating into "your entire self is rooted into being a slave" and "those stupid frenchies will never understand our pain, so don't bother expecting empathy from your boo", but what do I know

also yeah sure it's realistic how Annette uses the power of her gods to run away from slavery

I just loved the idea of Richter’s grandfather as this bitter old guy who’s been through hell, lost his magic (which at the point they meet is also true of Richter)—kind of the opposite of Richter, or an image of how Richter could end up if he doesn’t evolve into the hero he needs to be.

Fuck off. I've already ranted about this. My poor man Juste deserves better than being "that one stupid asshole that exists as a warning".

I just wanted to add that Juste is a really special inclusion in the series for me, and Clive brought him into the show in a really great way that resonates really well with the Castlevania fan in me.

"wah i'm so glad juste was included in my story as a cynical fuck to be bullied, for meeeee 🥺 i'm such a big fan guys 🥺🥺🥺"

I don't like Deats. I know it's mean of me, but the more I read him talk, the less I like him as a person, he's just so conceited. I don't know who is the bigger hack between him and Flynn now.

So there’s almost a bit of a debate about Alucard’s design and whether he has intended to have pale blonde hair or white hair in Symphony of the Night based on the artwork of him and even his character’s sprite in the game. At the time of designing him in the original series, though, I decided to lean towards the pale blonde hair in order to invoke his mother, which was appropriate to the story. His hair got more saturated during lighting/compositing than I had ever intended, though, which was a constant frustration of mine. But even back then I tinkered with the idea that if we were to jump forward in time, to show how time has passed by leaning more towards the white haired direction (this also had the added benefit of not being something we would have to worry about getting over-saturated during lighting!).

Well, there you have it. N!Alucard's hair got lighter in-universe. I wonder if he changed color naturally or he decided to change his appearance.

for Nocturne, we wanted to invoke his SOTN look while also reflecting that this is a version of him that’s been awake and fighting for 300 years

Mhh. So I was right. He did live on for 300 years and witness his friends' death, abandoning his castle and village and Trevor's descendants to fight by himself. I'll make sure to judge this decision once S2 comes out.

[hopeymchope]

Having finally finished reading the DR Kirigiri light novels, here are my closing thoughts and questions.

(For background, I read these translations. Which - as I previously discussed in the first bullet of this post here - may have some small issues throughout.)

I've previously given y'all my report on how I felt / what I was thinking about this series just after passing the halfway point of the light novels, so now it's time for me to bring this whole thing home and offer some closing thoughts.

My first, dominating thought is that this would be so good to see adapted as an anime. I can easily imagine how many episodes it'd take to do each light novel and where you'd logically cut off the story... even more easy, though, would be a manga. It's definitely crying out for that kind of treatment.

Regardless of the (relatively minor) gripes I raise below? This is definitely a great series to read. You get a number of twisty, gripping mysteries, an easy-to-like lead duo, an imposingly powerful enemy force, new background on our favorite lavender-hued detective, and you even get some great new characters added to the mythos — what more do you want?

Okay, but now I'll get into the griping stuff :P For starters: Isn't it... kind of LAME to have Kirigiri repeatedly experience something so similar to the basic setup of DR1 (or any mainline Danganronpa game, really) on MULTIPLE OCCASIONS prior to DR1 ever happening??? But then she just never remotely reference any fo that experience? And YESs, of course I realize she never even obliquely references these events because these prequels weren't actually written by the time of DR1, nor even completed by DR3. But that's the kind of thing you typically want to avoid with prequels, right? ...... Even so, I guess this does take us farther into these stories deserving to be called "Danganronpa" than any other spinoff. And it's not hard to come up with excuses for why she never remotely hinted at these things; she's intentionally acting withdrawn and keeping info to herself throughout DR1 and DR3, after all. So it's not the WORST crime. It's just, like I said: kind of lame.

MORE SPECIFICALLY, let me clarify: Although the cases in DRK don't include a "mutual killing" element, you still get at least three cases where she's [1] trapped in a specific building alongside a group of people who include a killer/"mastermind," the cast subsequently being picked off one by one, and [2] said experiences are also broadcast to a viewing audience. In fact, you even get two cases where [3] the trapped participants are expected to take specific bedrooms to lock themselves in during the nighttime! And even [4] one case where there's a weird, automated "host character" overseeing the whole thing, which is being operated around a specific set of rules. That's a helluva thing, isn't it?

I've previously expressed GREAT TREPIDATION about one specific element of this series: I was told that supposedly, these light novels included evidence that Fuhito was manipulating Kyoko into hating her father, her dad was always a victim, and Kyoko never realized that she was basically molded from birth by someone who was manipulating her feelings and actions. It all made Kyoko considering Fuhito her "most imporant person" (per DR1 and UDG's captives) come off as this tragic tale where our supposed "master detective" never realized she's been a victim of gaslighting and manipulation for many years, which would change SO MUCH CONTEXT behind her life's work and her relationships with both Jin and Fuhito. HOWEVER, GUESS WHAT? None of that shit was even true! HUZZAH!!!! NOTHING in these light novels goes against what we already knew about Kyoko, Jin, Fuhito, or their relationship(s) with one another... though there is some minor new insight provided into a couple of details. We get a new look at how Jin actually cared about Kyoko from afar (via the "Jin Ex Machina" business I mentioned in the previous post), which is in line with the hints of his lingering love for her we tasted in both DR1 and DR3 without either exonerating him for his choices OR making him 100% correct. We repeatedly watch Kyoko questioning/doubting her grandfather's/family's longstanding "detective work must come above and before personal concerns" rules. And we also get a taste of Fuhito being protective of Kyoko when he learns of the kind of danger she's in — yet simultaneously having complete trust in her talent and ability to overcome said danger. Fuhito seems to even gently help Kyoko understand Samidare's actions near of the end of the final volume... although we only get a taste of his help via Kyoko's internal thoughts, so we don't know exactly what he said to her. TL/DR? My point is simply this: The DRK light novels keep the overall morality / goodness of Kyoko's family dynamics in the same place we already understood them from the games: Kyoko and Fuhito are very close and care about each other without being overtly emotional about it, there is a rift between Jin and the rest of his family over Fuhito priortizing case work above visiting his dying daughter on her deathbed, Jin clearly still concerns/cares that linger for his daughter, etc.

What's with so many scenes of "Black Challenges" or "Duel Noirs" having signs defaced to include the word "DESPAIR"? Is that just some extra branding for the main franchise's themes? Feels out of place.

I feel bad for all those orphans who adored this dude.

General thoughts on numerous new-to-DR characters: As I said in my last post about this series, Samidare is likeable but spends most of the series very thinly defined — plus she's pretty slow on the uptake. Thankfully, by Volume 4 she starts finally pulling her weight, and she gets some much-needed expansion of her background in Volume 7 (just in time for her to make some dumb decisions). Licorne is probably the second-most important new character, and he's an asshole. An interesting one, though! And he does some heroic things! .... even if he isn't really all that morally invested in helping people. He's a self-centered asshole for most of the series, frankly, and I don't care much whether he's around or not. Salvadore Yadorigi Fukuro is awesome; a straight-up superb character with a very "DR" kind of skill/talent. Yaki Hajiki is a character who's also hard to dislike, and I wish he got more "screen time," because he's very intriguing. Johnny Arp is a fascinating one, though he definitely shares some dickish behavior with Lico. Still, I'm always engaged when he's on the page. And... look, I'm fond of Meruko "Pumpkinhead" Mifune. She's fun, sure, but I also see real potential for depth that isn't explored herin.

My remaining observations/thoughts contain some spoilers for the Danganronpa Kirigiri series, so I'm putting the rest UNDER THE BELOW CUT... although I still avoid mentioning the identities of any culprits or masterminds so as to keep the primary case mysteries intact.

Yadorigi = Intelligent, quiet dude in sunglasses who looks like the answer to "What if Munakata found his chill?"

What, exactly, is the state of Yadorigi's eyesight by the end of the series? Initially, we learn that his unique eyesight is very important to his work in uncovering fraud. Later, after a blow to the head, we're told that his eyesight will never be the same as it previously was. In the final volume, he visits Kyoko while wielding a white cane. So uh... does that cane imply that SYF is now blind or very close to it? Or am I reading too much into a walking stick here?

Nothing infuriates me quite as much as when major problems in a story could be easily resolved via basic fucking communication, and a failure to communicate on a base level is absolutely CORE to why things go south in the seventh and final volume. By the time Kyoko and Yui are heading out to the case, the situation is this: Without Kyoko's knowledge, our redacted overarching mastermind (henceforth referred to as "ROM") tried to get Samidare to agree to be the culprit in this final Black Challenge. She refused. ROM then said their organization (the Crime Victim's Relief Committee) will eliminate Kyoko if Samidare doesn't play along. And then, right after saying this? ROM pretty clearly DIED right in front of Samidare, before she can ever express any intention of changing her mind or not. She is then confronted by the enigmatic Tokichiro Endo, who is basically the go-between for culprits and the organization, who demands her final answer. Based on what happens in the case immediately after this, it appears that this conversation somehow ended with Samidare refusing to be the true culprit in this case but ALSO accepting that she would be framed for the murders and take the fall. So now Samidare has a choice to make: Does she (A) trust the Crime Victims' Relief Committee to keep their promise and leave Kyoko alone so long as she keeps her mouth shut...... even though Samidare refused to meet their demands and become the case's culprit? OOOORRR does Yui (B) realize that the Committee has already broken their supposed "rules" by forcibly coercing her into being the culpri — not to mention the fact that they're routinely aiding and abetting murders — which adds up to mean that she can't trust their word and must warn Kyoko of the danger she's in now that the committee has threatened her life directly? Any thinking person should choose (B), but Samidare of course chooses (A) so the plot will happen. *FACEPALM*

The worst part of this is that EVEN when our two heroines have just barely escaped from a burning building and fled out into freezing conditions, leaving them on the razor's edge between two possible methods of death with everyone else from the case seemingly already being dead? Samidare STILL won't outright deny being the case's culprit when accused. With literally NO REASON LEFT not to come clean, she never says jack shit. And then she dies!

During the denouement, the conclusion Kyoko reaches after leaving the hospital and revisiting the scene is... murky, and I think this might be something caused by the translation methods used. It currently reads as though Kyoko reaches the correct conclusion about the case, accurately determining Samidare's innocent AND identifying the true culprit(s). However... she doesn't seem to be 100% confident in her decision? It sounds like Kiri still harbors some lingering doubts about Samidare possibly being guilty?..... Even though she sounds really confident in her (correct) conclusions immediately before that. So it's left ambiguous. Which, I suppose, is one way to maintain Kiri being the Best Detective while simultaneously leaving room for her line in DR1 about how her burns happened because she "trusted the wrong person." She almost entirely knows that she didn't actually trust the wrong person, but they have to leave some doubt so that line can exist? ...... IF this translation is even accurate on this part.

Say... why did Samidare believe she'd die on this mission? It wasn't actually any more inherently dangerous than any other mission her and Kyoko had gone on... LESS dangerous than some, I'd argue! But she prepares this whole letter for her eventual death, so she clearly thought it was a strong possibility. My only guess is that she believed Kyoko was going to be targeted for death, and she planned to fulfill her oft-promised role as Kyoko's human shield. But if that was REALLY something Samidare thought was going to happen, then she had NO REASON to not tell Kyoko the truth about everything. If they're already out to kill Kiri, then OF COURSE it's smartest to warn her about it! So: Why the "last letter"? What made you think you were fucked, Yui?

In the end, ROM's overarching mission is both a success and a failure. Do they take away Kyoko's main emotional attachment, making her withdraw even further into pure logic so she'll avoid getting hurt? Yes. Do they make her deny the value of such attachments in the first place, resulting in her staying isolated forever after? No. She 95% knows she's right about Samidare's innocence in spite of ROM's attempts to frame her; it's just the pain of the loss that makes Kyoko withdraw, not some grander conclusion about distrusting everyone. In fact? I'd argue that Kyoko's speech in DR1's Chapter 4 about accounting for emotions is a strong rebuke of ROM's entire view of the world.

....by the way, does ROM have their own copy of Junko's talent??! It sure seems like they're another "Ultimate Analyst," essentially; able to see patterns of behavior so clearly that they can essentially predict most future events.