#it's to be expected? which is another pet peeve of mine tbh -- how can you say bruce - an adult with 7 kids that he knows everything abt

[bruciemilf]

Like i can vividly picture a scene where Bruce is criticizing Oliver or Clark’s interaction with their kid. They reply with something along the lines of , well your a terrible father, only to have every single bat kid yell at them like how darrreee you

1) That's so funny. I'm convinced Bruce, even as Batman, would not have the balls for that, and 2)

The batkids mere seconds after they complained abt Bruce for the 10th time that day:

[bruiisedpetals-a]

      ...  𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱  𝔱𝔥𝔢  𝔪𝔲𝔫 ;  𝔱𝔞𝔤  𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔢

name:  skye

pronouns:  she/they , i fluctuate between the two so idm

preference  of  communication :  tumblr ims , mainly because i’m getting very forgetful on discord but for some thread partners i’ll def offer it

name  of  most  active muse(s) : right now i’m obviously on my aeron targaryen bs as he’s a trial muse and i’m enjoying feeling him out (he’s also completely new as a muse to me) , but generally speaking i’m feeling vik , aeron , lia and vida. i adore all my OCs though , so none are really ever inactive on unloved.

platforms  you’ve  used : don’t @ me okay , it was neopets like 14 centuries ago agfhraf. tbh thats where i learned custom html and page editing with graphics , etc. so i kind of cut my teeth aesthetic and world building-wise there. there was a brief month or so where i discovered that rp was a thing in the game ... but then someone on one of the forums mentioned that i should look into tumblr as a platform. that was probably 13/14 years ago

best  experience :  aside from the wholesomeness of meeting people in this community , honestly i gotta give a nod to the fact that i learned so much and was able to really evolve my creativity skills with likeminded people. i’ve also loved when wholesome collaboration leads to an amazing rp world / group , seeing people love and flourish within a rp group that i made / make and run is a really awesome feeling.

rp  pet  peeves  /  dealbreakers :  it’s always been , for me , muse collecting or fc collecting. like within a group with no muse cap , people who snap up the most Aesthetic fcs and have 8765 of them , barely use them or they’re all the same character seasoned slightly different .. and in the indie world it’s that and when people like ?? duplicate storylines that you worked hard to create with a different muse/mun without even checking? i’ve had so many ideas stolen that way. another one of mine that’s always been an issue is when you put in a lot of effort to establish details and content to give your partner ample things to react and interact with and then they give you back like ... two lines and maybe three syllables of dialogue. and also people fetishising my masc muses and leaving my fem muses to the wind , ick , get ready to catch an unfollow and the dropped threads if i feel that way.

fluff,  angst,  or  smut :  it’s angst , smut and then fluff for me — my muses dont lend themselves to over-softness and fluffiness , i usually have one ( lia flowers rn ) who is a softer character but just happy-life-no-drama-wholesomeness bores me ajkf gimme chaos and something i can delve into and explore the ic reactions , monologues , psychology , etc of it.

plots  or  memes :  i always live in fear of the mistake of over-plotting ... like when you flesh out so many ideas that the concept of writing through the known journey and storyline loses its appeal. i like a good skeleton plot and context and then to let the muses flow as they see fit , i have definitely grown to love the meme threads because i feel like it’s a perfect way to dry-run your muses against another - whether an au or not.

long  or  short  replies :  i am incapable of less that two thicc af paragraphs and i will not apologise ( yes , i will , endlessly, it’s my toxic trait ngl )

best  time  to  write :  late afternoon - evening time for me , which is a dangerous game because when i should be sleeping or getting ready to wind down all my fkn partners are coming online ajkfh.

are  you  like  your  muse(s):  there’s pieces of me in all of them ; vida knows how to live off the land and how to stand through poverty and not having a home , errick channels his anger into physical activities and upped his skills because of it , branden guards himself and his secrets without flinching to protect himself and those he loves , lia looks to achieve praise for her diligent work because she criticises herself endlessly , vik doesn’t want to be tied to family expectations but is too moral to abandon them , and tiathia’s moral compass is modeled after my own.    the intricate details such as personal habits , likes, affinities , etc ; they’re inspired by things that i like , and lbr here .... the Spicy Blog and my muses Spicy Details come from my own brain.

tagged by :  @uncrvwned

tagging :   @gevidana , @dragcnsdaughter , @pertinaxism​ , @blossomhcir​ + anyone who hasn’t been tagged by another

[arofili]

how’d u get into writing? like, writing fic and being part of the silm community, being Known, that stuff? i’m really new to being a silm cc and i’d love to know ur advice! also: how’d u build up the confidence to start posting meta/hcs? bc i have a Lot of hcs and meta ideas but also i’m really anxious abt posting them bc yknow anxiety is like that

these are some great questions, anon! I’m gonna go through them one by one :)

how’d u get into writing?

not to be like, super cliche, but I’ve...kind of always been a writer? as long as I can remember I’ve been telling stories, and when I was too young to read or write I would dictate them to my mom, who would type them up for me and help me choose clipart illustrations to accompany them. when I got old enough I would always be writing; I attempted my first novel at age 9, and while that never really went anywhere I did finish the darn thing and it had some pretty sophisticated plot twists for a 9-year-old!

like, writing fic

around the same time I got into fandom! I was deep into Warrior cats (like. really deep) and I believe I started writing my first fics when I was like? 10 or 11? my memory is kind of fuzzy on the order of things, but I know I got an account on the Warriors forums when I was 9, and that I was already posting my fic there when I made my FFN account. I believe I was 12 when that happened, but who knows. I haven’t the faintest idea of what happened with those forums, but uhhh pretty much all of my Warriors fic is still up on FFN lmao. you could probably find that if you want to but um...maybe don’t?

my first Big Fic was a self-insert of...my entire 5th/6th grade class into the then-current timeline of the Warriors books...well. I honestly think that might still be my most popular fic of all time l m a o though I try not to think about it because Hashtag Cringe. though as much as I look back on that time with a “yikes,” I am very grateful for the Warriors fandom in a way? that place was so accepting and encouraging of OCs, of AUs, of completely disregarding canon, of worldbuilding that is completely alien from canon - it was a fantastic sandbox to begin with, there were so many ways to write stories and practically all of them were accepted and had fellow fans invested in them!

and being part of the silm community, 

soooo I wrote Warriors fic until my freshman year of high school (wow sdjfhkdsjfh), which was when BOTFA came out, and I was absolutely wrecked by the ending and immediately started writing my own fixit fic. I was also super hooked on Kiliel! so that was my intro to the Tolkien fandom; and simultaneously, I joined tumblr, and, well, the rest is history tbh.

I honestly do not remember when I first read the Silm, but I kind of got into the more obscure parts of the Tolkien fandom through fandom osmosis, and I do have a vague memory of doodling the Finwean family tree in geometry class so it might have been later on in freshman year? that was also the same time I was having my Queer Awakening, and Russingon definitely contributed to me unlearning my internalized queerphobia, so probably around then.

anyway - queer awakening, tumblr, Tolkien, transitioning from FFN to AO3 - all of that was happening around the same time. I know I dipped my toes in the Silm fandom then, but I was still primarily a Hobbit fic writer focusing on Kiliel. toward the end of high school I kind of shifted to LOTR and (qp) Gigolas...but somehow the Silm fandom is the most active of the Big Three within the Tolkien fandom, and I was getting dragged further and further in.

it wasn’t until @backtomiddleearthmonth 2019, my freshman year of college, that I really dove into writing Silm fic! I picked some Silm-specific bingo cards and never looked back :D that was really not all that long ago but I am obsessed in a way I don’t really remember being even with TH/LOTR, I obviously cannot see the future but I anticipate hanging out here for a long time. the Silm fandom is great overall and there’s just so much material to work with!! <3

being Known, that stuff?

so I don’t really have a whole lot of context on how “well known” I am in the fandom?? definitely within the past year and a half or so I’ve noticed that I like, get asks like this, and get a significant amount of notes on my posts, and I’ve made a lot of fandom friends especially since I joined some Silm servers on Discord (hmu if you want invites; I’m on the SWG server and 2 general Silm servers and the Russingon server) this past year. and I have 3,000 followers as of this month - and while ever since I hit 1k I don’t particularly pay attention to my follower count I can definitely say that I have more engagement now than I used to! but it took me a long time to build this “audience,” I suppose; I’ve been around the Tolkien fandom since late 2014, so nearly 6 years of this, lol.

really the best way to build a following, in my experience, is to just post a lot of stuff. when I started making edits I got a lot more engagement, because for a long time I would post one every day! (I made them in batches and queued them; I didn’t actually make one every day lol...and now I’m too busy to do that, so I just make edits for events and whenever I feel like it) And I have [checks ao3] 145 works in the Silm fandom as of today - I’m fairly prolific! I’ve come to generally expect 3-10 comments on most of my oneshots, which is a lot more than I used to have back in the day. consistency and quantity are more likely to attract people to your work - and quality, of course.

also: how’d u build up the confidence to start posting meta/hcs?

I’ve been writing since I was very young, and I’ve been writing fic for like...11 years? I think? in that time I’ve produced a lot of garbage, but imo most of that was in my Warrior cats phase, so I came into the Tolkien fandom with confidence in myself and my writing. I’m also working on original fiction on the side (I hope to eventually become a published fantasy author, but right now school takes up most of my time that I don’t devote to fandom, which gives me more immediate gratification and also is just Very Fun) and I know I’m a good writer.

basically, I’ve been doing this for like...half my life, and I’m still fairly young, so I’ve had time to build up my skill and confidence and I know I’m only going to get better with time. you will get better with practice. like I said, I’ve written a lot of terrible stuff, and it’s only through sucking for a long time that I’ve gotten to the point I am now. and I am far from perfect; I know I still have lots of room to grow!

for meta and headcanons specifically, I started with writing fic, and then when I didn’t think I could stretch something into an entire fic I would just make a hc post. I have a vivid memory of writing my first meta in a notebook during driver’s ed because it was so goddamn boring and I had Thoughts about Tauriel and Thranduil!

in my experience, meta comes from having Opinions and wanting to share them and most importantly to back them up - you need to have sources! you need to have reasons! you need to have justification! otherwise it’s not meta, it’s a headcanon or an AU. which is fine!! I love hc/AU!!! but they are not the same as meta, and I’m a stickler for being accurate when it comes to meta. if you have sources and shit to back you up, that will help you build the confidence to share your meta.

sharing disinformation and passing it off as meta instead of just coming out and saying this is a headcanon/baseless theory/AU or whatever is such a fandom pet peeve of mine; it’s not bad for something to not be Accurate! you just have to have that disclaimer - and even when you’re writing meta, you’re offering an interpretation of the text, and you need to acknowledge that other interpretations also exist and are valid.

um. I hope this answers your questions? and sorry for basically word-vomiting my entire life story, lol. this post got long; the main reason I’ve written so much fic is because I really just cannot shut up for the life of me. sooo if you can tear of that filter of being shy and just. say shit. you can go so far~!

OH and one more thing - I can’t believe I almost forgot this - but part of being a writer is participating in the community. this is code for LEAVE A DAMN COMMENT IF YOU LIKE A FIC. that’s how I made most of my fandom friends before Discord! I follow @ao3feed-silmarillion and stalk that blog for new Silm fics; I read the ones that interest me and comment on them.

I know this is not really the most common way for folks to find fic but it’s so rewarding to interact with new fic, new writers, new commentors, new stories - you can find gems that don’t rise to the top of the kudos/bookmark lists; you become friends with your fellow writers; you can watch people grow and change; you support smaller content creators. yeah, you might not be getting Just The Best Stuff, but it’s so so so worth it!!

and if you make friends in the comment section of other people’s fic - I guarantee you some of them will go to your AO3 profile and check out your fic, too! and they’ll leave comments! this is a fic community, and that’s what I cherish about fandom most of all, tbh.

anyway - again - sorry for rambling so much, but I hoped this helped! feel free to send in another ask, or to come talk to me off anon if you’d like! and definitely send me your stuff if/when you decide to share it; I would love to support you!!! <3

[bigskydreaming]

You said the other day that you don't really like Talon stories. Do you mind saying why?

LOL they’re just not really what I’m here for? Idk, I think people tend to make a bigger deal out of this than it actually is even in my head, maybe because Talon stories have so quickly become such a staple of fics that it just seems weird not to like them? And its not like I’ve never liked one or been intrigued by a premise, I have, though specific recs elude me at the moment, there’s one I was reading on ff.net I really enjoyed, it was YJ verse.....

But honestly its really just that a recurring theme of Dick’s stories in canon - and one of the things I turn to fanfic for in the first place, to get away from, to read something ELSE about him - is dehumanization. Reducing his sense of self, brainwashing or controlling him, making him other than he usually is, even just in temporary ways....it gets old. I come to fanfic hoping to read and write stuff beyond that, and Talon fics are so often even heavier on the dehumanizing him aspect of things, like making him even more mindless than most Talons in canon are ever portrayed, and don’t get me started on how often they just flat out refer to Talon Dick as ‘it’.....its just a no thanks from me. Just not what I’m looking for.

Add to that other incidentals, like, its completely understandable in context of these narratives that the Batfam feel they have to restrain Dick while he’s a Talon and in the Batcave, but again, its just not something I’m looking to read? Because for example, another big theme of mine is how uncomfortable and unwelcome I think Dick’s come to feel in Wayne Manor over the years, given the many times Bruce has essentially kicked him out and how little effort he’s made to make it into a home for him again (like I think there are more reasons than just grief that Dick lived in the penthouse rather than the Manor when Bruce was believed dead and Dick was in charge of his estate)....so when you look at things from that angle, which I’m just kinda predisposed towards doing, the imprisonment angle of Talon fics (and the attitudes of a lot of the Batcharacters as they go about it, like they’re just being pragmatic, Dick will understand - yeah he might understand but that doesn’t mean there won’t be mental and emotional undercurrents of resentment and hurt to that understanding)....like, its just one more way/reason for Dick’s childhood home to be turned against him and made a place where he feels or will remember feeling explicitly unwelcome. I’m not saying its WRONG to take that angle in fics, lol, I’m just saying....its not for me. Its just not what I’m looking for.

Also its a bit of a pet peeve to see Talon abilities viewed as an upgrade rather than something inflicted on him by his tormentors and at BEST somethting Dick would have very conflicting views on - and tbh this isn’t limited to just him, I have similar thoughts about how Cass might feel about her own abilities and how even now that she can communicate well with others, she still feels somewhat different or removed from most people because of this ‘superpower’ that had to be ABUSED into her and that she would have traded for her father’s actual love any day - but I mean, there’s a thing in a lot of Talon fics where alongside the dehumanization angle, which Dick isn’t even just expected to just ‘get over’ once he’s back to his regular mental awareness, because its usually never even delved into, how he feels about the fact that for awhile there, he was nothing more than an ‘it’ even in his family’s eyes, and IMO he’s like, funny, I’m pretty sure I’m still the only person in this body all along, so if it was just an it to you, where exactly did you think I was? But aside from the angst I feel he SHOULD have from thinking about how easily he was viewed as just a mindless tool and pawn and thing by people, there’s a tendency to hop, skip and jump to him being okay with his Talon ‘upgrades’ because they make him so much more effective....and there’s just a WAY this is usually gone about that like, for me, glosses over how effective he was without them, and the fact that none of his family members seem to need or think they need them themselves to be effective....and somewhere in all that, it seems to get lost that the whole reason the Court even WANTS Dick so badly is because of how effective he is even already.

Plus - there’s my personal annoyance with how characters with super-fast healing are treated in narratives across the board. In comics, books, movies, shows, fics, everywhere - I ranted about this a TON in Teen Wolf fandom, its a complaint I have with Wolverine and his family in Marvel comics, etc....I vastly dislike how often its just treated as assumed that just because a character heals rapidly, like....the actual trauma and pain of injuries inflicted might as well not even matter. Like, that’s not how it works IMO? When I think about a time I broke an arm, I’m not thinking about ‘oh it barely matters because it only took a couple months to heal and when I view that in the context of my whole lifespan that’s barely anything, it was so fast’....like no, I’m thinking about what it felt like when I actually BROKE it. There’s a tendency, I feel, when characters get an ability to make an injury disappear out of sight out of mind rapidly, to just view the emotional and mental consequences of injury being inflicted as negligible, and not really mattering anymore, and I heavily disagree with that logic. IMO, these characters throwing themselves headfirst in front of everyone else as a human shield, while practical in one sense of the word, is also like, begging to be examined as oh I see, so basically you’re saying that now that you no longer need to be treated with care because you’re invulnerable, you’re worthless and the pain that goes along with all those injuries you get 100x more of now, that’s like...meaningless and fake news.

I mean, even if you make an argument for Dick no longer having pain receptors (which I’d also be heavily against because uh, if you go that route you’re also inadvertently suggesting things about his sensory input and ability to feel varying degrees of touch across the board and again its more the lack of examination of that as much as anything else that’s things that make me go mmmm no thanks)....the injuries are still being inflicted and there’s still gonna be psychological damage inflicted from processing that no one seems significantly bothered by him being ‘family niche - human pincushion for the prevention of others saying oww’ without so much as commentary.

And lastly, did I mention, I just really really reeeeeeally dislike the dehumanization angle that tends to go hand in hand with these fics.

But for the record, like, I honestly do like the Court of Owls and what they bring to Dick’s stories because all of this, ironically is precisely why they DO play so well into his core themes of autonomy and independence and self-determinism. Its just, I’m here for fics where Dick triumphs over them and their attempts to hijack him and his life for their own agendas, and I feel like a lot of the time we see a Pyrrhic victory at best, when going the Talon route, and a lot of THAT time its not even regarded or treated as such, but rather a full victory with no real examination of how Dick’s life is different now, how he’s changed not just by what was done to him but by how he was treated by BOTH sides WHILE it was done to him? 

And the other element here is like....the Court and their presence in his fics doesn’t HAVE to equal making him a full on Talon along the way, just like it never has in canon. I don’t view the fulfillment of what’s inherently a THREAT to his character as an improvement UPON his character. *shrugs* But also there’s just so many avenues for angst or emotional tangles when it comes to the Court even without making Dick a Talon himself.....just have him picturing or having nightmares of imagining his parents turned into Talons and how horrifying he’d find that, or worry in the wake of revelations about the Court that his family is now looking at him differently, imagining the threat HE could be when he hasn’t even done anything. Or there’s the angle of Bruce knowing but not telling him to try and protect him but that causing conflict OR you could go a route I’ve never seen done before, and like, have Dick and Bruce come into conflict with the Court before any of the others come along and like, save Dick from ever being made a full Talon but the point is years later the Court resurfaces and they and their plans for Dick are a complete revelation to his siblings and there’s perfectly understandable conflict because of that even if the reason is as simple and equally as understandable as Bruce didn’t feel it was his to share if Dick didn’t want to, as long as they honestly thought the Court had been neutralized, and he respected that its a painful topic to Dick that he wasn’t trying to hide, he just flat out didn’t want to talk about so it never came up.

There’s a lot that can be done with the Court, but usually they’re just utilized as a prelude to Talon Dick Grayson and bottom line is that’s just not somewhere I’m usually looking to go, personally.

BUT in the spirit of me being completely contradictory as always, again its like I said, there are some here and there that I really get into, there’s a YJ one that really delves deep into Dick’s emotions on all of this and has a prequel set during Jason’s Robin days, when they first encounter the Court, I forget the title but someone feel free to drop it in the notes if you know what I’m talking about, and @dustorange always does interesting things with the Court and Talons that’s different each time and I’m sure I’m forgetting more, so its not like.....a blanket across the board nope thing. Its just I have particular reservations about HOW a lot of Talon and Court fics play out that I’m just....not the right audience for simply because its not what I’m looking for in fics, personally.

[subduedsirens]

i kinda wanna know your answers to all of them.. u mind? xx

No I don’t mind at all! They’re so much fun!

1. Favorite Tarantino movie? Inglorious Basters (2009), but tbh Tarantino is not a fav of mine. I don’t like his films that much and he’s an asshole so.. 

2. River or Joaquin Phoenix? Neither, really. I loved River in My Own Private Idaho and Joaquin is great in Her but I don’t have a preference or a particular fondness for either one. 

3. What’s your favorite language to watch movies in? French is beautiful and poetic, but I guess I just like to watch movies in their original language. 

4. Do you prefer watching movies in the theater or in your own home? Theater, duhh. The Europe Cinemas tune is my jam. 

5. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen? Probably La La Land haha, there are obviously worse movies out there, but I really disliked it because I don’t understand the concept of musicals and was so disappointed since I really liked Damien Chazelle’s other film, Whiplash. 

6. Favorite female director? Ava DuVernay

7. Is there a movie you think was too long? Most of Martin Scorsese’s work, except Taxi Driver, sorryyyy...

8. Is there a movie you think was too short? Blue Velvet, I recently watched the extended version with lost footage and longer scenes that were cut from the original and it was a wild experience, highly recommend. It’s on YouTube, watch it here

9. What’s a movie you’ve always wanted to see a sequel for? None, sequels almost never work. 

10. Favorite director from the 50s? Alfred Hitchcock 

11. Which decade has your favorite cinematography style? I’m a sucker for the 90s, the grunge look of it all

12. Are there any pet peeves you have in cinematography, writing, or directing choices? Voice overs are a no-go for me and I also really dislike unstable camerawork, I get dizzy asf

13. What movie has your favorite soundtrack? Lost in translation!

14. Which film have you had the biggest emotional response to? Already answered, CMBYN.

15. What movies have disappointed you the most or not met your expectations? All of Woody Allen’s work except Midnight In Paris

16. Do you prefer movies that are upfront with their meaning or movies where you’re left to make your own inferences? I appreciate subtlety, but it depends on the subject. For instance, Spike Lee’s films are everything but subtle, but when you address racism, I think you shouldn’t tiptoe and let people interpret things, you should have a clear statement. 

17. How do you feel about movies that don’t follow a chronological timeline? I prefer things to occur chronologically, but if it’s well executed I don’t mind if they don’t

18. Who’s the most relatable character you’ve ever encountered in a film? Already answered x

19. What movie character do you most wish you could be like? Fashion-wise, Winona Ryder in Night on Earth. Personality wise, see question 18 in another post. 

20. What’s the most beautiful setting you’ve seen in a movie? 70′s NY by night in Taxi Driver

21. What’s the most eye-catching title you’ve come across? I like ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’. What can I say, I’m a sucker for alliterations 

22. What’s your favorite cinema movement (ex: French New Wave, Cinema Novo)? I like No Wave (Jim Jarmusch) and Iranian New Wave

23. Which place produces the foreign films you like most? Iran and Japan

24. What’s your favorite commercial flop? Blade Runner 2049

25. Who are your favorite actors/actresses from both modern times and the past? Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Xavier Dolan, Lucas Hedges

Thank you for asking!!! Loved answering these

[purplesurveys]

642

If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? My obvious choices would be Beyoncé and Hayley Williams. But to change it up a bit, I would love to meet Meghan Markle. What's the first line of the nearest book you can reach? It’s the preface, and it says, “The MSA Simulated College Admission Test Modules are written for the potential college freshmen who need to prepare for college entrance tests given by the country’s finest universities and colleges.” Hah, it’s a college entrance test reviewer. Gabie’s sister is part of the next batch who will be taking the exams, so I’m passing on my old reviewers and modules to her which explains why this is the book nearest to me right now. What does the last text message on your phone say? “Let’s talk on fbc” If you could be any colour of crayon, what would you be? Burgundy or maroon. I like bold colors. If you could be anywhere in the universe right now, where would you be? I woulddddd like to be at the farthest tip of the universe, just so we can finally learn just how big it all is.

Do you have a strange talent? If so, what is it? I can recite the entire screenplays of Titanic, The Proposal, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which makes me an awful companion for these movies. If you discovered a new species of animal, what would you call it? I’d leave it up to the scientists to name it tbh because I might probably give it an awful name without meaning to. What's the weirdest name for a phobia? Most of them already sound pretty weird to me lmao. For instance I’d never expect acrophobia to refer to a fear of heights, because it just sounds like a fear of acrobats :(( And triskaidekophobia sounds nothing like a fear of the number 13. If you ever had the chance, would you eat a frog? Yes. I’ve already eaten frog legs as it is. They taste just like chicken. Do you prefer being indoors or outdoors? Depends on where I am when it comes to either. I can enjoy both. When you're indoors, what will you most likely be doing? Indoors can mean a lot of things dude. I can be strolling around, eating, going through my phone, playing bowling, watching a movie, etc. Are you good at lying? I can lie if I have to, but I hate doing it. What was the last lie you told? I didn’t technically lie but like I had to act fake last Friday around a guy I don’t particularly like, but had to hang out with because he’s Angela and Hans’s friend. I kinda had to lie through my personality and show him that everything was okay, which I think counts? Hahaha. I can’t remember the last verbal lie I had to tell. The next song that comes up is a new emotion: I don’t have anything playing on my Spotify. What's your favourite food? Burgers, for sure. What is your greatest weakness? Chewy chocolate chip cookies. What's the weirdest thing you've said whilst drunk? I don’t remember half the shit I say when I’m drunk, but I bet those bits that I forget are the weird ones. Do you collect anything obscene or unusual? If yes, what do you collect? Nope, no weird collections in my room. Finish the sentence: What if... Everybody hates what ifs, there’s no need to trigger right now. What's your favourite smell? I like food smells, basically. I like the smell of chicken being fried, curry being cooked, cookies being baked, the smell of bakeries and coffee shops, my order getting placed in front of me... I just love food aahhhh. If you were ever granted one single wish, what would you wish for? To have all the money that I would ever need and want. You're given the chance to name a newly found city. What do you call it? I’d probably have to borrow an ethnic word for this, because the Filipino language is pretty badass. What do you like about your favourite band? Their songs are always intensely personal and relatable, they aren’t afraid to switch music styles, they keep going back to the Philippines heheheh, and they ALWAYS insist that they’re a band – it’s seen in how Hayley always wants to be credited as ‘Hayley Williams from Paramore’ in all her gigs, and never just as Hayley Williams. Are you creative? I wouldn’t say that. But now you got me all spooked because this was the theme of the first episode of the Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared videos D: What is the meaning of life to you? I never go on Tumblr for deep questions like this, so pass. What do you consider yourself a number one fan of? That’s a bold statement, but I’d like to think that’s me with Audrey Hepburnnnn. What's the luckiest thing that's ever happened to you? One time I was driving a little fast when the car in front of me suddenly stopped to take a turn. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to hit the brakes and if my car could slow down enough not to hit them; and at the time I was already thinking about either crashing to my death or dealing with an angry driver (even though they were the dumbass for suddenly stopping). I didn’t hit the car, but there was a literal centimeter of space left between my car and theirs; my car also got shaken up from its brakes getting floored that the engine made a weird sound for a few seonds. I was left overwhelmed and with so much adrenaline so I ended up crying for like a full hour after. Imagine you've just started a band. What would the band be called? I’m terrible with names so I hope this is the last question asking me to come up with a name for something. The name of your first album: BOY AM I WRONG. The name of your first single: You write your autobiography, the title is: What's your biggest pet peeve? Gotta be a tie between freeloaders and arriving late. What do you wish the weather could be like right now? I’m always wishing it were raining and that it could always be a little colder. What's the weirdest pet name you've ever heard? Recently I saw someone I know have the pet name ‘bubbap’ for their bf, which was new to me. What were you doing this time last year? Ooh, luckily I had a 2019-themed Instagram where I tried to take one photo every day for the year 2019 and it covers January 14! My photo for that day was my wrist covered in lipstick swatches, which I now remember as the day Kate, Jo, Aya, Laurice, and I went to UPTC, snacked at a milk tea place and browsed through makeup. I don’t remember the rest of the stuff that we did, though. What will you be doing this time NEXT year? I’m guessing I will be asleep because I have to wake up early for my job, whatever it is. If you were a superhero, what would your magic power be? Time travel. What's your biggest secret? This Tumblr. What makes a great relationship? It’s such a cliche answer but communication really makes everything better. Also, knowing one another’s love languages. What goes through your mind when you see 'that awkward moment when' posts? Nothing, I just internally hope that the rest of the sentence pertains to an actual awkward moment and not just a completely normal situation, which seems to be the case for most of those posts. How do you win over people's hearts? I’m a listener, so I just whip that weapon out and let them talk while I nod along and ask questions every now and then to let them know I’m paying attention. What's your biggest obsession? Food. What's the worst decision you've ever made in life? I don’t know. I don’t dwell on bad decisions so I’ve most likely forgotten the ones I did make in the past. What do you want written on your gravestone? I’m not yet sure. Something witty, for sure. Your favourite quote is? It’s 12:17 AM and I’m all outta energy to think of quotes that I like. What is a weird habit you have? Playing with, and sometimes pulling at, my eyebrows and eyelashes. It mostly happens when I have bouts of anxiety. If you were on a plane beside your favorite celebrity, what would you do? Say hi, tell them I’m a fan, and get on with my business so that I look all cool :((( I don’t know if I can pull that off with Kristen but that’s definitely my plan. Describe yourself with a song title? That I’m So Tired song by Lauv and Troye Sivan. Why would someone use an umbrella? Because rain? Or sunlight? If you could see into the future, what would you do? I’d look into it, because I hate uncertainty. Why is shampoo clear and conditioner not? Idk about yours, but mine both aren’t. You've created your own recipe. What do you name it? U g h. Do you have lots of floor space in your bedroom? No, not really. This room was meant for my youngest sibling so it’s been small from the get-go. For some reason I called dibs on it when I was 10 because my parents meant to have me share a room with my sister and I was NOT a fan of that – simply put, I called dibs on my current bedroom because it was a solo bedroom (my brother was 4 at the time and didn’t want to stay in a room all by himself, so it was technically up for grabs). I have the smallest room now, but honestly it’s ok. I don’t need a lot of space and besides, I’m moving out very soon hahaha. What time do you like to stay awake until? It’s different every night. Are you a dedicated person? To causes or responsibilities I’m passionate about, yes. What happened in the last dream you had? Not sure. I forget most of them. What's your favourite day of the week and why? Friday, because weekeeeeeeeeeeeeeeend. If you're at the beach, what are you most likely doing? I’m always doing either of these: sunbathing, or swimming in the sea, just relaxing. The name of your favourite movie: Two for the Road and Good Will Hunting. It’s always been a tie. What's your favourite thing about Christmas? All the food.

Are you stubborn? Yes. If you could forget about one memory that you have, what would it be? Embarrassing ones. I won’t delve into them because the whole point is to forget them, lmao. If you were made out of paper, what would you do? Google what just happened lol. Do you act differently to certain people? Yeah. You have to sometimes. How I am with my college friends isn’t 100% the same as how I am with my high school friends (I switch to a different sense of humor, but otherwise it’s still all me), and both these personalities are so not how I act around family. What's your favourite sport? Pro wrestling. Your favourite tweet ever made by your favourite celebrity? The first time Punk and AJ ever tweeted each other. They were talking about human doodles and human poodles. It was WILLLLLLDDDD experiencing that as it happened haha. Did you enjoy this quiz? Sure! It was random enough for me. The name generator questions just scared me a bit. If you were on the titanic, would you be a survivor? I guess, because I’m a woman and they had that women and children rule. Where would be the weirdest place to randomly start dancing at? A bank? I dunno. What do you do when you can't sleep at night? I turn to Reddit or YouTube. 101% effective, every single night. Do you trust people easily? Yes. I can also take away that trust easily. If you could tell the whole world anything right now, what would you say? Please donate whatever you can to help out the animals in the areas affected by the Taal eruption. I wish it were this easy to yell it out to the world. Your opinion on the royals: I’m proud of Meghan and Harry, y’alls. GO DITCH ‘EM. Don’t get me wrong, I love the royal family, but what Meghan and Harry did was pretty fucking awesome, too. Why is your favourite TV show your favourite TV show? It’s not deep, it’s funny and I can rewatch every episode as many times as I want and still laugh at the same punchlines, it’s relatable, and it’s helped me through some dark times. Would you rather be the leader or the follower? Leader for tasks I know I’ll succeed in, follower for responsibilities that I know are way too big and pressing for my capabilities. What's your favourite pastime? Netflix, and my newest hobby, painting :)

[thorinkingoferebor]

okay, so here's the long ass rant that was promised. It's very much centered around Jaime and Brienne/Jaime because apart from Tyrion they're like the only reason I'm still invested (and this blog will stan book!Jaime to the bitter end) though don't expect any sort of Cersei bashing. Jaime/Cersei is complicated and boils down to more than "OMG SHE'S A TOXIC BITCH!!!" but more on that later. Obviously, there will be spoilers behind the cut and speculations regarding the rest of the show + a reference to a potential leak for ep 5 that's basically been going around since even before the show started so I don't know how big of a surprise that is to anyone.

Starting off with a couple of plot points:

The Funeral Scene Dany and Jorah were heartbreaking :( I loved those two together so much :( Jon's speech was fantastic but you know it would have been more moving if literally ANYONE apart from the people in the North + Cersei's gang had been aware of the danger heading their way. Like I bet you could talk to any peasant in King's Landing and they wouldn't even have a clue what White Walker means.

Gendry Baratheon of Storm's End & The Feast A++ scene, would watch again. Loved that Dany gave a shoutout to Arya and drunken Tyrion leaning on drunken Jaime warms my heart. Love my dysfunctional Lannisters. Also as much as I dislike certain aspects of the drinking game (see below) I appreciate Tyrion's match-making. He's a good bro. And seeing Brienne so relaxed with her friends is just... good stuff. Tormund is a cutie as always and Tyrion pouring him a drink after he realizes he has no chance with Brienne was the best. So was the Hound acting as Tormunds relationship counsellor. Poetic cinema. The token and conveniently available Northern women throwing themselves all over any male single character wasn't on the other hand. Loved that Sansa and Sandor finally got a scene together. Didn't love the 'glad I was raped so I could become the woman I am now' bullshit. Gendry is the fucking cutest! Smitten to the core. I am tentatively confident that he and Arya will work it out if they survive.

Tormund's & Sam's Goodbye Glad they got a goodbye with Jon, glad Tormund got Ghost cause Jon sure as hell doesn't deserve him. Like not even a pat. How the direwolves were treated pisses me off so much. At this point, I hope we'll never see them again just so they can be alive and happy wandering around with the best boi.

Missandei & Rhaegal No comment tbh. What's even the point anymore.

Onwards to relationships & characters:

The Starks & Dany I AM SO SICK OF THIS. SO SICK OF IT. Arya did not cut Littlefinger's scheming throat last season so that they can now scheme and bicker amongst themselves. Yes, Sansa has a right to worry about the North. Yes, Dany fucked up more than once since she came to Westeros. But those characters faced a tsunami of undead together and them still being too stubborn to even entertain working together without a hidden agenda to bring down Cersei is stupid and PLAIN BAD WRITING!     Now Tyrion is being dragged into this shitshow as well and I just... ugh Varys why

Dany Listen, I'm not the biggest Dany fan, far from it. But they're treating her like shit! She lost so much during that battle and there she is at the table watching others bond while she's alone. Like jfc Jon I'm not saying I approve of this whole thing but go hug her or something, she's given her all in the battle. Again I don't approve of most of the things she's done since coming to Westeros but can you imagine how isolating this experience must be. Apart from a select few survivors, everyone close to her for the past years is now back in the company of people they've known for far longer. They belong, they have bonds, friendships, loves, family and she's not part of it, has no place in this. She must feel so lonely right now. And instead of highlighting that (or btw dealing with the PTSD that everyone surely suffers from after that battle) they make her go all MAD QUEEN! Because that's how you write female characters isn't it. As soon as they show strong emotions due to trauma you can label them as crazy! jfc Then she loses another dragon, large parts of her fleet and Missandei. I honestly can only feel bad for her. And all that by the hand of fucking Euron the most annoying and flat villain out there. Honestly, at this point, I support "MadQueen!Dany". Just burn everything to the ground, preferably the entire show with the exception of Brienne being knighted.

Jaime & Tyrion Not much to say here except: I love them. I just want to watch them sit around in front of a fire and drink and tease each other for the rest of my life. I just love their sibling dynamic.

Jaime & Tyrion & Bronn I don't know really... usually I love those together but that scene was just... off? I don't know. So Bronn just rode North for a 3-minute talk and then he just... fucks off? (I mean I assume he doesn't, he will be around in some form but it just irks me. Inconsistent writing and people teleporting in and out of the plot.)

Euron & Cersei Yeah, I love watching Euron creep on Cersei. Totally cool. Not like this is what she wanted to escape since the very start. Yeah, it's cool.

Jaime & Brienne Oh boy.... ok, let's start with the stuff I liked

the two of them just enjoying each other's company during the feast and just smiling at each other so free of their usual burdens. seriously Brienne has smiled so many times over the past episodes (and she melts my heart every time she does. Gwen is stunning!). In case it wasn't obvious until now: I really hate so much about season 8 but the absolute avalanche of good Brienne/Jaime content in ep 2 and 3 will be cherished forever.

Jaime's character arc is putting up a good fight at the beginning coming to Brienne's defence when Tyrion asks about her virginity

Jaime was so freaking nervous when he showed up at Brienne's door and I'm so here for that. I'm also here for Brienne doing most of the undressing. Get it, Brienne, you deserve this. No seriously though it matters to me that she pushed his hand away and then started to undress herself. It was her choice. She wasn't passively just taking what he was offering. I appreciate that in a show that has a less than stellar record with consent.

and listen I'm so bitter about so many things but I can't help but love it. I just love those two so much and I will cling to that one moment of happiness.

now the stuff I didn’t like...

right, so this is just a pet peeve of mine but I HATE the whole 'sex jumpstarted by a never-have-i-ever drinking game'-trope. I just hate it. I don't know what it is about that but I just don't like it and whenever I come across it in a fanfic it just throws me off. Now this scene itself was cute, not denying that but I just hate that THAT's the thing that sets it all off. especially since there was no need? and I should know I've read like every Brienne/Jaime fanfic published in the last two weeks. making two people hook up after a battle should be the easiest thing but no they go for this mediocre modern college AU plot? (and I'm not joking, I've read a fic like that a year or so ago...)

I really dislike the fact that they focused on Brienne's virginity because it's not in character for her to be worried about that. Apart from the fact that she is unmarried and highborn and therefore unlikely to have slept with anyone in the first place Brienne has never been ashamed of that. She is ashamed of her looks and her mannerisms and she thinks no one will ever love her or desire her. That's her insecurity. Not the fact that she's a virgin. If that were the case she could have fixed that with Tormund ages ago. Brienne yearns for acceptance (she got that now thanks to the knighting) and love (which can come with sex but is not exclusively tied to it) not some hookup. Now Tyrion doesn't know that so I can kind of understand his line of thought and her reaction I just don't like that this again is what triggers the development of Brienne's and Jaime's relationship. She's not flawed because she's a virgin and he doesn't need to "fix that". What they do need to do instead is face their feelings, share them and if that then leads to sex, all the better but it's not the point! Brienne being loved is the point and I'd have rather had an "I love you" than 10 sex scenes.

Speaking of circumstances... I would have prefered them not to be drunk but I guess I can kind of accept it. Both of them are damaged and insecure and would probably doubt the other's intentions in their sober state. Still... would have been nicer (and at least they weren't like REALLY drunk... to the point where consent would have been debatable)

I am still a bit upset that we didn't get a scene between them talking through what's going on in their heads (e.g. a discussion of what Jaime will do now and what he meant when he didn't finish "I came to Winterfell because....") but then again both Brienne and Jaime have always been more about actions than words so I'll accept it.

Did not get a scene with Brienne taking his hand off and showing him acceptance  :/

Jaime

My first response to the episode was as you can guess very negative. Jaime's been my fave for a decade or so now and it's been beyond painful seeing his character development grind to a standstill for years on end. I was willing to forgive it though. I realize they needed someone to humanise Cersei and a screen partner for Lena that isn't a zombie or a creepy necromancer and when Jaime rode North at the end of S7 I thought: Ok here we go, we're finally back on track. Should have happened years ago during the siege of Riverun but at least it's happening at all. Then we get two episodes of Jaime distancing himself from Cersei and following Brienne around like a puppy. Quality material. Now though there are two options Either D&D decided to fuck him over and just obliterate 9 years of character growth for the sake of shock OR this is a very clumsy attempt at increasing the suspense and making people question whether Jaime is bad after all. Personally, I believe (and will always believe) option 2 BECAUSE THAT'S THE FUCKING BOOK CANON. Realistically though, I'm expecting option one.

Anyway, most of Jaime's scene can be interpreted one way or another and that's the only thing giving me hope here. For example

The sex scene with Brienne could just be him letting off steam, feeling alive after a battle etc and he doesn't truly desire and love her as much as he loves Cersei. BUT Jaime has never been about sex, Jaime has always been about love. Misguided and utterly toxic love from time to time but it's always been about love. He's had women throwing themselves at him left and right and yet he's always been faithful. Always true to Cersei. Why on Earth would he stop being faithful now? I believe sex and love are 100% intertwined for Jaime and he will not have sex with anyone he does not fully love. I always believed Jaime would have to put his relationship with Cersei behind him for anything to happen between him and Brienne (which is why I was so happy they didn't immediately kiss in ep 2). Whether that's the way the show sees it is another question...

When Jaime watched Brienne sleep afterwards that again can be read as regret or him thinking of Cersei and feeling guilty, wondering what he's done.  I'd like to think instead that he's really wrestling with his own demons here (and that btw is why I would have rather had a scene with them having a heart to heart and fucking sorting this shit out once and for all). First of all: Jaime hates himself and I'm 100% sure he doesn't think he deserves Brienne. I think he feels guilty for not being able to keep his distance. I think he's aware that he's still on thin ice both with the Starks and Dany but also with Cersei. A lot of people would rather see him dead. What would that mean for Brienne's reputation? And what would happen if Cersei found out about this? So I'd like to think he's realized that he's involving her in something very dangerous that could leave her dead or emotionally damaged. (And btw why would he be planning and discussing their future with Tyrion later when he's already considering Cersei straight after sex? He would have put a stop to it because again love > sex for Jaime).

I don't know how Jaime staying in Winterfell would make any sense if he was still madly in love with Cersei. And I'm not saying this through my Brienne/Jaime googles. This is completely independent of Brienne. He knows they will go to war against Cersei. He's not part of the war council because obviously they don't trust him and maybe he also doesn't want to be directly involved in the killing of his own blood. No matter what she will do, no matter how much he will fall out of love with her she is still family, still his blood and there will always be a part of Jaime that loves his family and his blood no matter what they do (see Tywin, see Tyrion). Him jumping at the chance to kill Cersei would be out of character regardless of whether he now loves Brienne or not. In any case, Jaime knows what's coming, has no illusions there so if he's truly still bound to Cersei why not leave then. It's been days? I really can't explain this one if the writers go with option 1.

now about the scene with Sansa and Brienne. Could be that he is worried about Cersei and it's only now sinking in that she will die. Could be that Sansa's snide comment triggered something in him. Buuuuuut he does not look happy when he learns about Cersei's success. He looks worried, he looks like he didn't expect that. I'm not saying he's not shook by Sansa's comment. As I said I believe he will never truly not care about Cersei, she has made him who he was, she has been the focus of his life for so many years, you can't just forget that. But there is a difference between him losing it and doing a 180 because he still wants Cersei and him feeling conflicted because he knows what Cersei is and what needs to be done but that doesn't erase their history.

and then finally the goodbye scene. Again this could be in line with option 1, in fact it seems very much in line with it. I'm not saying it's not. But there are signs that it might not be. Like "Have you ever run away from a fight?" for example. Cause that's what he's been doing! He stayed behind in Winterfell because leaving would have meant fighting on one side or the other. He was trying to avoid that I think. And I also think he's now realised he can't. I think he didn't expect Cersei to kill a dragon or capture someone close to Dany. I think he thought it would be easier to take her down but apparently, it's not and I think he's worried now. Worried that Cersei will win and what that will mean for everyone he loves (Tyrion, Brienne). He probably decided that he's got the best chance of finishing this or at least contributing to the end. He might have realized that they do not have the luxury of keeping him out of it. Then Brienne brings her hands to his face and starts to beg and you know what he does? HE NODS TO HIMSELF. You know when Jaime usually nods to himself??? When he realizes how good, and pure, and honourable and true Brienne is. When he realizes he will have to stop her from giving too much because of that (e.g. when she tries to give Oathkeeper back. He does this little nod that says "of course she would do this" and then he has to tell her to keep it!). I honestly think this is him going "right, of course, she would do this. Of course, it's not going to be that easy. Time to bring out the big guns." He then goes on to confess all of his bad deeds and yeah again this could be option 1. Him driving home how much he loves her and not Brienne. But honestly, does it seem like that? He's not gloating, he's not admitting to this easily (the way he used to when Cat had him). To me, it looks like he has to force himself to do this because he hopes that will convince her to a) let him go and b) not follow him. I think he's trying to cut ties because he doesn't want her with him for what he's about to do. I think he's trying to make her hate him because he doesn't expect to come back and he thinks this way will be easier on her. This is Jaime's version of throwing stones at Nymeria. And as much as I try and read this any other way I just can't.  Nevertheless, he made my girl cry and boy that's testing the limits of my love for him^^

What I think should (and could) now happen: I think it would make perfect sense for Jaime to go South on his own, infiltrate the capital, get to Cersei and play some part in her demise. I can even see them dying together as suggested by (unconfirmed) leaks but I doubt it will be in the spirit of  “We came into this world together, we'll leave it together”. If they die together, I think it's more likely that he will stay with her because of the love he still feels for her even though that love is nothing compared to what it used to be. Looking at the episode I feel like this would make so much sense and most importantly it would not butcher his arc.

What I suspect will happen instead: I'm bitter and sad and based on the crap D&D have done to Jaime and others in past seasons, based on this constant need for cruelty and shocking twists I fully expect them to go with option 1. They've had this hard-on for Cersei/Jaime since forever and even though that relationship is way past its expiration date they keep shoving it into our faces. I hate this for many reasons, especially for nullifying Jaime's arc, for turning Brienne into I don't even know what, his rebound I guess. I'm willing to forgive them much but not this. I'm okay with my faves being killed off but not if everything they have become through trauma and hardship is erased within 5 minutes. And the thought that this could very well be the last scene between Brienne and Jaime and that Brienne is either right to believe that Jaime has left her or might never know his true intentions if he does switch but dies beside Cersei is too much. I want to believe guys but I'm so bitter and I don't trust them with Jaime and I do not want to get my hopes up just to be utterly disappointed. So yeah, this is what I'm preparing myself for.

So to summarize: It was not as bad as it could have been and I do think the hate is a bit much but that always happens when you get incomplete spoilers and have HOURS to freak out and hate it even before it starts but jfc they still fucked up. Character assassinations left and right, bad writing and plot holes (Euron anyone???), unnecessary drama and the usual mix of racism and misogyny. In any case, I want to end on a positive note here, so let me just point out the ONLY things I will take away from this episode:

Brienne being beyond precious!

Jaime is GONE, my friends. GONE! (seriously though through the entire thing they kept stealing glances and it's so obvious Jaime talked to her about his family. We missed so much of their relationship in season 4  :( )

Probably not what I'm supposed to be focusing on but that entire scene just screams domestic old married couple. I'm a big fan of Jaime showing weakness in front of her and Brienne accepting and helping without a second thought.

I can't get over how much THEY TOUCH each other. It's been years with nothing but his hand on hers when she was going for the knife and now they're all over each other. And the best thing about it: It's so natural. It's so new but they act as if they've been doing this for years! No hesitation, no doubt and Brienne accepting that she’s allowed to do this now, that he wants it :) (also look at thiiiiiis)

[jocelynships]

Gush about kurt! But additionally: any xmen of your choosing!!

HHHHHHH IF YOU SAY SO???????

Anyways, I love my fuzzy blue boyfriend so much?? I went on a little gush fest over on my twitter over how much I love Kurt so I’ll just kinda repeat what I said there here:

(Also putting this under a readmore bc it might get long whOOPS)

Okay so Kurt in my opinion is the most gorgeous dude in Marvel. I absolutely adore his design. He’s a pretty shade of blue, he’s got these gorgeous golden eyes, I also love the fact he has fangs!!! Like fangs are such a good addition to a character design.

I also love it when Kurt is drawn with curly hair. Like most artists don’t draw him with it nowadays (tbh a few of the X-Men used to have curly hair but they don’t anymore??? Unacceptable) but it was such a great choice for Kurt? I know he was designed in the 70s but c’mon, give my boyfriend his pretty curly hair again. But I will admit the curtain bangs look from Wolverine and the X-Men was a pretty nice look for him. 

Also his cheekbones and his jawline???? Especially when Alan Davis drew him????????????? LIKE MR. DAVIS SIR HOW COULD YOU MAKE HIM SO PRETTY????????????????????

I know I mentioned his fangs but honestly, let me talk about them again. Sharp teeth on a character is something I really like and also Kurt has such a dashing smile??? Like if Kurt were to grin at me I would be dead.

And I love the fact that in the comics his tail sometimes wraps around people when he hugs them!! That’s just so frickin’ adorable and I imagine that whenever he hugs me his tail wraps loosely around my waist or leg and it’s just a super cute thing 

Do I even need to mention his voice? If you’ve seen the movies or cartoons, he has a deeper voice, but it’s pretty soft and gentle at the same time?? My go-to voice for Kurt is either Alan Cumming (X2) or Liam O’Brien (Wolverine and the X-Men). It’s just so soothing to listen to.

I’m really glad in the movies they didn’t get rid of the fact he’s German and has an accent, bc they kinda... messed that up with a few characters (Colossus, Banshee, and Pyro for example... Also with Storm she sometimes had the accent and sometimes didn’t????????) IDK why that’s a pet peeve of mine from the movies, but like... a lot of the X-Men AREN’T American and are said to have accents so don’t erase that???????? While I do enjoy the movies I do have some issues with that and that’s one thing that annoys me. But I will applaud the Deadpool movies for making Piotr Russian like he’s supposed to be. I felt like in the movies they just threw him in to have him bc in the first three films he only said like... 3 things. (Which was a shame tho bc the guy they got to play him had the look)

OKAY ENOUGH ABOUT MY RANTING ON THE X-MEN MOVIES I HAVE A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM and if you guys wanna hear me go into detail about it... we’ll save that for another time ahjsdfjfjfjkfjkfjk

But anyways, that brings me to another thing I love about the X-Men, not just Kurt: I LOVE how all of them are from different walks of life? They’re from all over the place and have different beliefs (ex. Kurt is Catholic and Kitty is Jewish) and they’re all VERY different people, but they come together and form a family DESPITE these differences! I’m very bad at putting it into words over how much I love this aspect of the X-Men, but honestly it’s such an amazing thing. They found each other and while they have had some disagreements here and there, they stick together for the most part. They have to. Most people are scared of or hate them because they’re mutants and are different. The X-Men is just one big huge family and that’s what drew me to them.

I don’t talk to a good majority of my family because a lot of them are really awful people, and everyone except my sister on my mother’s side just about dropped me because I wouldn’t move in with my mother and allow her to abuse me more. I really only talk to my dad, my grandparents, and my siblings nowadays. I sometimes talk to my uncles but they live in different states so my contact with them is limited. 

But basically what I’m trying to say is this: the fact the X-Men all found each other and formed a family despite how radically different they all are means something to me. When my parents were getting a divorce my life was falling to pieces. I didn’t even want to be around anyone in my family, and I was very torn over the fact my family was so fucked up at the time and even being at my friends houses with their families distressed me to a point because they had something I didn’t. And when I got into the X-Men, I saw how they all came together and honestly, I wanted to be apart of that family, so I started writing and drawing myself hanging out with them as kind of a means of escape. And Kurt was someone I could heavily relate to because he also has a horrible mother and while I’m not blue, I was an outcast and many people did not like me when I was younger. However, we both try to see good in others and try to help people out however we can. I kinda saw it as him and I could help each other get over our pasts and lift the other up. And honestly, Kurt has been such a HUGE comfort character to me over the past two years (technically three since I got really into X-Men when I was 17). Him and the other X-Men were there for me when I needed someone and while they aren’t real, they’re very real in my heart. I mean besides classic rock, the main thing that kept me from killing myself was imaging the X-Men telling me NOT to hurt myself. Other Marvel characters too, but the X-Men were the most effective. Also I imagine from time to time them protecting me from my mother, and honestly it helps me feel so much better and safer too.

Okay that went from just gushing over how pretty Kurt was to really deep and emotional and I apologize SO MUCH for that, I wasn’t expecting to get so deep with this but the X-Men just mean so much to me and at times it’s really hard for me to get the words out and explain it, but I try my best to convey my feelings about them.

So uh, I kinda gushed about the X-Men as a whole here? If anyone wants me to gush about a specific character feel free to do so lmao

[dreamytfw]

Let’s Review: 14x02

This felt more like a season opener than the season opener did. Much to my surprise, I didn’t hate it. Kind of hated the ending, but that’s about it. This was a good middle of the line, turn your brain off and enjoy episode.

I’m going with directing and acting saved this episode since the writing was okay at best. Bucklemming still doesn’t know how to show an audience something instead of telling us about it. The opening Bunker scene was a good example of this. We don’t need you to tell us that Cas’s angelic presence would alert Michael. We can infer it because we’ve been watching this show for 14 years now. Even when Bucklemming does show us something, they still have to tell us about it for some strange reason. The opening scene where Michael was experimenting with vampires was a really good way of showing the audience what Michael was doing. But then the vampire (Lydia, I think?) went and exposited everything we already saw. I understand that Sam, Mary, and Bobby have to learn the information somehow, but we as the audience don’t need to hear it again. Same thing goes with Nick’s backstory. I understand refreshing the audience’s memories since this is season 14 and the last time we saw Nick was season 5, but you can show us Nick’s flashbacks without having Castiel turning into an exposition machine. Speaking of which, how does Cas know Nick’s backstory??

Speaking of Nick, it looks like they’re trying to set up some sort of “archangels leave imprints of themselves on their vessels’ psyches” type deal and I don’t know how I feel about that. Maybe it could work, but you’d think we would have seen something with either Sam or Cas after their respective Lucifer possessions. Fortunately, the psyche imprint thing means no Nick redemption arc, so thank god for that. Well, that and the whole murder thing. And this is just a nitpick, but it’s a major pet peeve of mine with all media regardless of how well it’s written. They used to do this ALL THE TIME on Hannibal and it drove me nuts. How did Nick get to Delaware so fast?? Delaware is my state. I live maybe 10 minutes from Pike Creek (btw the houses aren’t as nice as the show implies I’m just saying). It’s a 20 hour drive from The Bunker to here. What the hell?

As much as I don’t like Mark Pellegrino as a person, he’s a damn good actor. Lucifer was written so badly these past few seasons that I honestly forgot how good MP is as an actor.

I thought Jack was really well written in this episode as I was watching it. The scene with his grandparents was touching and emotional and it was written like how humans would actually interact with one another instead of just dumping exposition all over the place. Although I do wonder how he got there since he supposedly doesn’t have his powers and I’m pretty sure he can’t drive. His scenes with Cas were so good. I love how father-son Alex and Misha’s chemistry is even though they haven’t spent a ton of time on screen together. Part of me kind of wishes we had a scene between Jack and Nick just to see how they react to one another, but I’m okay with leaving that to more competent writers. And then he said the thing. “Dean doesn’t matter.” Logically, he’s right. If it comes down to Dean or the entire planet, Dean would need to be sacrificed (can’t wait to see the anon hate I get for that). HOWEVER, it feels very inconsistent with his character and upbringing up until this point. To the point where I briefly wondered if I had missed an episode that was crucial to this development. Last season, he was willing to do anything to save Mary and get back home. That grew to saving the other people he was camped with from the apocalypse world. But we never saw him have to suss out, essentially, a trolley problem. We never saw him have to deal with a “one versus the many” situation, and since Team Free Will were the ones who raised him and instilled certain values in him, I think it’s safe to assume as an audience member that Jack would share those values. What I’m getting at is Jack willing to sacrifice Dean to save the world is coming out of left field for me.

I’m surprised Bucklemming only broke one hard and fast lore rule this episode. Dean telling Michael to gtfo really should have expelled him then and there and it bothers me so much that they didn’t following that hard and fast rule.

I did like Michael much better in this episode, though. He was charismatic, he knew what he wanted, and he was going after it with both hands. So much better than last episode where asking other people what they wanted made him seem like he didn’t know what he wanted. I liked having him around, and then poof! Gone! I’ve seen people speculate that Michael isn’t really gone and he’s somehow going to be able to hide himself from Cas, but I think that might be a bit of a stretch tbh. Just based off of how long the writers tend to keep the boys not themselves.

I’m really disappointed with how Michael’s arc ended. Anticlimactic doesn’t even begin to describe it. It feels like the writers knew we were expecting one thing and they went out of their way to avoid writing it just for the sake of avoiding it. To me, it feels like how Star Wars: The Last Jedi went out of its way to subvert expectations just for the sake of subverting expectations. That can work with certain things, but when you spend all summer hyping up a certain character, you need to deliver on that hype. Otherwise it’s just sloppy and disappointing. If anyone is looking for a better, more well-flushed out Michael!Dean arc, I highly recommend checking out bisexualmichaeldean.

The highlight of this episode was definitely Misha’s acting. This is where my brain devolves into fan girl babbling, so I’m just gonna go ahead and… CAS HEART TO HEARTING WITH JACK!! CAS HAVING SO MUCH REGRET OVER WHAT HAPPENED TO JIMMY AND CLAIRE AND AMELIA!! CAS TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE AND BEING NURTURING!! CAS SCOLDING JACK FOR SNEAKING OUT OF THE HOUSE LIKE A FATHER DOES TO THEIR CHILD!! CAS WORRYING ABOUT DEAN AND WILLING TO SACRIFICE THE FATE OF THE WORLD FOR HIM!! I HAVE ALL THESE CASTIEL FEELS HELP!! Also, high-key, that angry snarl that slipped out when he was scolding Jack was massively sexy and I need a new pair of panties now.

So yeah. Disappointing ending, clunky beginning, but not a bad episode. Good directing (Rich Speight always delivers and I love him so much for it), good acting (as per usual), and average writing (better than expected tbh). The best way to enjoy this episode is to turn your brain off and not think too hard about the established canon or what’s to come. I just hope what’s to come is much more satisfying than that disappointing ending.

[ilovereadingandilovebreathing]

all of them :P

There’s LITERALLY 50 omg >_> Ah well, if I’m procrastinating, might as well go big or go home. Warning: LONG.

Finally, an ask-meme for writers!

01: When did you first start writing?

My first ever time writing stories was in 2nd grade; we wrote stories weekly in my class. The first time I began to consciously write and consider myself a writer was probably 8th grade.

02: What was your favorite book growing up?

Ahhhh so many. Series more than individual books. Starting from when I was really young, my iconic series were: Clifford the Big Red Dog, Henry and Mudge, Horrible Harry, A to Z Mysteries, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Nancy Drew, and The Chronicles of Narnia, to name a few.

03: Are you an avid reader?

Actual books? Not as much anymore. I’m too tired or busy. I read fanfics, though :p

04: Have you ever thrown a book across the room?

Where the Red Fern Grows lol one of the only books to date to make me cry. 

05: Did you take writing courses in school/college?

Writing-specific? No. 

06: Have you read any writing-advice books?

I mean, I had to read like MLA manuals and other “writing tips” books for school, so yeah, I guess.

07: Have you ever been part of a critique group?

Not like a real one, just in class in college

08: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?

I think the best feedback I get is on here, really! You guys are super sweet, and some of you offer some great concrete feedback! I can’t think of anything specific, but I also get really tickled when someone comments on my writing style. 

09: What’s the worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?

Worst as in quality wise was “this was good.” or something like that lol

Worst as far as soul-crushing...ooo. Story Time!

Freshman year of college. I had to take this like early-level English class, and the focus was on nonfiction writing and stuff like that. My professor often picked apart my papers because he didn’t like my writing style, especially not my prose, because he said it was way too florid (flowery or wordy). That made me really sad, but then I had another professor who taught a senior level class who LOVED my prose, so. It’s all relative. 

10: What’s your biggest writer pet-peeve?

Mmmmmmm when people use the same word over and over and over again (which, I am so guilty of, so that’s probs why it bugs me haha) Also too many short sentences. I literally can’t read something if the syntax isn’t varied enough to flow.

11: What’s your favorite book cover?

OOOOoooo I like this one! But sadly I don’t pay attention enough to have an answer to this...Citizen by Claudia Rankine has a pretty thought-provoking cover. I also like the Penguin Classics cover of The Crucible. 

12: Who is your favorite author?

C.S. Lewis is a p cool dude

13: What’s your favorite writing quote?

Quote about writing? This was an important one for me as a growing writer and person, tbh:

“I deal with writer’s block by lowering my expectations. I think the trouble starts when you sit down to write and imagine that you will achieve something magical and magnificent—and when you don’t, panic sets in. The solution is never to sit down and imagine that you will achieve something magical and magnificent. I write a little bit, almost every day, and if it results in two or three or (on a good day) four good paragraphs, I consider myself a lucky man. Never try to be the hare. All hail the tortoise.” ~ Malcolm Gladwell  

This is literally me and the roots of my procrastination and anxiety with writing anything, be it fanfiction or school work. I worry too much about making it perfect the first time, but another great quote is: “The first draft is always perfect because all it has to do is exist” or something like that. It’s something I’m still working on, but have gotten better at.

14: What’s your favorite writing blog? c;

You mean besides mine :p haha JKJKJK I don’t follow any purely writing blogs, but I’ve read many GREAT pieces from (I missed SO many people in this, so I’m really sorry if I didn’t tag you. I’m too tired to go hunting too far.)

(Sanders Sides) ssides, random-snippets, tinysidestrashcaptain, stillebesat, pirate-patton, among others

(Soul Eater) smokeandjollyranchers, professor-maka, tsarodat, makapedia, kittenintheden, raining-down-hearts, earth-shines, sandmancircus, poisonedscarlett, among others

For non-fandom stuff, hawaiianmint and garnet-portrait have some great poetry that really makes my heart hurt.

15: What would you say has inspired you the most?

As far as writing, I assume....honestly, being involved in fandoms and writing fanfiction! I’m only where I am now because I read so many great writers and  adapted their good habits to my own. 

16: How do you feel about movies based on books?

I haven’t been a fan of a ton of books turned to screen productions, so that doesn’t help. I liked the Narnia movies until the Dawn Treader. I liked the ASOUE movie, and I’m still deciding how I feel about the Nextflix series. Other than those, I can’t think of any significant ones, to me lol

17: Would you like your books to be turned into TV shows, movies, video games, or none?

Books that I like or books that I write? Etiher way it depends on who’s directing.

18: How do you feel about love triangles?

Eeehhhhhhhhhhh overused trope that ruins otherwise perfectly good plots.

19: Do you prefer writing on a computer or longhand?

Computer. It’s so much easier. I won’t even pretend.

20: What’s your favorite writing program?

I just use Word, my dude.

21: Do you outline?

Not as often as I should, but it helps me a lot.

22: Do you start with characters or plot?

It’s give and take between both, usually characters, though.

23: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of making characters?

Favorite is customization and how no one can tell you that your own OC is OOC.

Least favorite is how involved and difficult it can be.

24: What’s your favorite & least favorite part of plotting?

Favorite is how much fun it can be to throw in twists and make it all interesting!

Least favorite is how I tend to overthink things or not be brave enough to really GO for something. Also research can suck.

25: What advice would you give to young writers?

You’re young. Don’t worry about being amazing at first. You’ll learn and you’ll grow. Online, ins a supportive community, is a good place to start. 

26: Which do you enjoy reading the most: physical, ebook, or both?

Physical 100% (I’d print out and read fanfiction that way if I could okay)

27: Which is your favorite genre to write?

Uuuuuuuuuuummmmmm fiction? lol

28: Which do you find hardest: the beginning, the middle, or the end?

Depends on the story, but usually the end.

29: Which do you find easiest: writing or editing?

Editing

30: Have you ever written fan-fiction?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah yes. help me. 

31: Have you ever been published?

Naaahh

32: How do you feel about friends and close relatives reading your work?

Anything other than my fanfics: Shy, but ok.

My fanfics: NONONONONONONONONONONONONO TOO MUCH. EMBARRASSING. -Virgil Sanders 2k4ever

33: Are you interested in having your work published?

I mean maybe, but I’m not good enough, tbh lol

34: Describe your writing space.

My bedroom.

35: What’s your favorite time of day for writing?

I don’t have a favorite, but it often strikes when I should be doing something else.

36: Do you listen to music when you write?

Sometimes! Depends on what I’m writing and how tired I am.

37: What’s your oldest WIP?

I have a lot of things I never finished, but in this case, WIP means, to me, that I might actually finish it, so that would probably be one of a handfuls of old Soul Eater fics I never finished or posted lol

38: What’s your current WIP?

Just one????? LOL

“Patton’s Intuition” (Sanders Sides Fic)

“Virgil the (Semi-)Friendly Ghost” (Sanders Sides Human!GhostAU)

“Eggs and Black Coffee” (A Soul-Eater College!AU)

“A Rose by Any Other Name” (Another Soul-Eater AU)

“Bedside Manner” (Soul-Eater Hospital!AU)

39: What’s the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had?

Mmmmmmm I don’t think I’ve really had any weird ideas. I once thought of doing a Soul-Eater Avatar:TheLastAirbender!AU. 

40: Which is your favorite original character, and why?

I have a few original characters. I guess my favorites would be the twins, David and Preston, from a story I wrote in high school called “Buried Alive.”

41: What do you do when characters don’t follow the outline?

Go with it. 

42: Do you enjoy making your characters suffer?

No, but sometimes that’s just how the story goes.

43: Have you ever killed a main character?

Not actively in the story.

44: What’s the weirdest character concept you’ve ever come up with?

I don’t have one lol

45: What’s your favorite character name?

Cassidy

46: Describe your perfect writing space.

In the mountains, a sunny day, on my back deck

47: If you could steal one character from another author and make then yours, who would it be and why?

Oooooooooooooooo in the fanfiction world, I really love Marin’s (ssides) University!AU versions of the Sides. 

I really like the characters in The Book Thief, To Kill a Mockingbird, and East of Eden. I just really like the personalities and characterizations of those characters. 

48: If you could write the next book of any series, which one would it be, and what would you make the book about?

I’d start a new A Series of Unfortunate Events series about little Beatrice. 

49: If you could write a collaboration with another author, who would it be and what would you write about?

I’d love to collab with so many writers I’ve read on here.

Mmmmmm IRL though it’d be too embarrassing to try to write with a published author because I’d get too nervous and doubt everything I did.

50: If you could live in any fictional world, which would it be?

NARNIA

[captainofthetidesbreath]

psst wanna talk about some of the bad bad really bad media criticism on this site? (bc I don't know a lot about film crit tbh)

In a lot of ways, film criticism is the same as literary criticism is the same as art criticism is so on. They all have their medium specific things, relating to the forms and history of the medium, but basic tenants are the same. (To the point that when I took media criticism, for film, and literary criticism back to back, the syllabus was essentially the same.) It's actually easier for me to point it out when I see it, and while I understand not everyone is an expert in framing techniques, here are some of the biggest pet peeves of mine.One of the biggest misunderstandings I see on this site is that media criticism is about searching for the One True Meaning™ of a text—be that text a film, a novel, a television series, a painting, a ballet, whatever. Media criticism is a lens of looking at a text and finding a meaning. A text can be interpreted in a vast, sometimes even contradictory, ways. Bridget Jones dressing up as a Playboy Bunny could be seen as objectifying in one lens, as an expressing of sexual liberation in another, as a commodifying of post-feminist sexual liberation for male consumption in a third, and on and on ad infinitum. There is no singular meaning in a text, and media criticism does not search for it. Rather it employs a critical, historical, political, rhetorical, whatever tradition to a work and interprets the work through that. Almost like running the same sentence through lexicons of different languages. All are valid. "But you fight so hard for how you interpret things!" So, let's move on to the next point...On that note of there being a multitude of interpretions of a single text, all interpretations are valid so long as they are supported by the text. The first half of that sentence is so extremely quoted on this site, and few know about the absolutely critical second half. Like, headcanons and personal character interpretations, fine, do whatever you want, I certainly do and I defend my own interpretations. But, if you are presenting me with a textual analysis, you cannot hope to ride by on "all interpretations are valid" unless you point to specific evidence in the text (or can make a case for it in absence of contradicting textual evidence and with an arguably supported rhetorical framework, but that's a different matter that still depends on presence of textual evidence). That's how it works. It genuinely drives me nuts when I see people defend analyses that are contradicted by or not at all supported by textual evidence with "all interpretations are valid".By the way, this doesn't mean that all interpretations are necessarily on equal footing. Some interpretations have much more textual evidence behind them than others.About specifically film criticism, which covers both film and television (henceforth referred to simply as film), the medium exists in more than two dimensions. The medium also exists in a temporal aspect. In a film, things happen in a specific order for a specific amount of time. One cannot approach a film as if it were a static piece of art. By definition, it is not. Time is very important in a film. And one must always consider the temporal place a moment has within the text.On that note, one cannot provide film criticism on stills alone. While one can certainly comment on a still, that is not what a film is. One must also talk about shots, scenes, sequences. This is true of all criticism, one cannot perform literary criticism on a single quote after all, but I see this happen often with film.A lot of this is basically me screaming CONSIDER CONTEXT.Also, film is a visual medium. You don't analyze film purely on dialogue. Framing, shot choice, color grading, lighting, other elements of mise en scene I'm sadly forgetting, editing. Those all must not be forgotten. Dialogue one of the LEAST important elements of a film. I know we all can't be expected to do shot analyses, but I've seen so many people calling framing and editing and lightning analysis as a way to arrive at textual conclusions bullshit. And, like, I laugh bitterly.Again, all interpretations are valid so long as they are supported by textual evidence. While it is utterly reasonable to limit what texts one is looking at, such as just one book of a series, one episode of a show, only the current canon of Star Wars, you can't draw conclusions without textual evidence and claim validity on basis of all interpretations.... Again, this isn't about one's own personal canon and headcanon, I'm talking about when doing textual analysis. Again, there is no One True Meaning™ of a work, and criticism simply searches for one of many meanings by looking at the work through different lenses, creating varied and often contradictory interpretations. For some reason, it's either someone argues everything goes or only mine goes. IdkGenre conventions exist and they have a LOT to say and, often, are unconscious. An argument can be reasonably presented that Sharknado calls for a reformation of the patriarchal nuclear family, discourages divorce and marrying divorcees, and upholds traditional Western ideals of rugged masculinity—and much of this comes out of its faithfulness to the genre conventions of disaster films. Never underestimate how genre can shape a textual interpretation, and never dismiss elements of a text as simply due to convention. Convention exists for a reason.Also, going back to context, media does not exist in a vacuum. At the same time, media criticism and media analyses ALSO do not exist in a vacuum. Throwback to media criticism is a lens. All of them reflect particular ways of thinking and inherently are dyed with the biases, mores, fears, dreams, zeitgeist of the society these texts and analyses were created in.And, honestly, if I ever again see "all interpretations are valid..." in a way that flagrantly flies in the face of the "...so long as they are supported by evidence in the text", I will scream.