#jfc too like just say obsession instead

[colorfuldream]

neurotypicals being all "omgee this is so my hyperfixation" and then shaming someone who enjoys something like an actual hyperfixation

[laithraihan]

Some people genuinely need to go outside because jfc this is ridiculous. Like, I understand being wary of art of an adult and child together (especially in the MP100 fandom), but when the artist themself has stated on multiple occasions that it isn't ship art and they don't have a history of drawing minor/adult ship art, I think we should believe the artist? Not every interaction between a minor and adult has to have some "romantic" spin, you're just weird and ignore what the artist has said on multiple occassions.

Am I crazy for thinking such an outlandish thought? What happened to blocking and moving on, genuinely? Not everything has to be some big thing, just block and move on if it makes you uncomfortable.

Sorry that you have to deal with such weird degenerates Laith. I love your art and I appreciate your headcanons, I wish other's would too rather than try to start shit or ignore you entirely.

Honestly speaking Ive never encountered anyone being this petty about fanart and headcanons irl like I really think if people took a deep breath and looked at the beautiful sky outside for a second they'd realize it's never this serious. Something I noticed in fandoms is that I don't draw something that's 100% sanitized and people will act like I drew them fucking each other or whatever and instead of moving on they'll obsessively fantasize about my tastes as if they were in love with me. Idgaf if people block me because they think I'm weird, I'm autistic so my brain is fixated on things that make no sense to others even if it's innocent in nature. But wallahi people just need to accept what I say, block if they're unsatisfied with me, and move on. Why cant we all just hold hands and frolic in the snow

[queenlua]

Writer interview game

tagged by @ultrakatua , hello thank you i’m a slut for attention

(if you're reading this you should feel free to consider yourself tagged, even/especially if you feel like you don't know me that well!)

When did you start writing?

Since I was pretty little… my 1st/2nd grade teacher had this thing where everyone had to write something in their journal every morning and I was SUPER tryhard about it, and when she told us we didn’t have to write about our lives, we could write about ANYTHING, I definitely started making up wild stories n shit

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I read anything and everything. I guess I wouldn’t be a very good writer of big nonfiction history tomes, but that’s mostly because it requires, y’know, knowing a lot of history first; if I had that knowledge it seems like it’d be fun to try!

I used to say “I could never write a mystery” but then I read Tana French and was like ooooh maybe mysteries are cool actually so. huh. i guess i can imagine myself trying to write just about anything once. (in practice i mostly end up writing a combination of moody litfic and shlocky scifi/fantasy)

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I’ve occasionally tried to actively emulate a specific author’s style, but that kind of thing feels kind of hard to sustain for more than the length of a writing exercise. it's kind of like trying to talk with a different accent. like, sure, you CAN train yourself to talk a different way… but i like how i talk fine, i’m too lazy to change :P

i dunno if i’ve heard many ppl comparing my writing to Actual Authors! and i lack the objectivity to figure it out myself haha

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

i do the Truman Capote thing where i mostly write lying down (but on a couch instead of in bed b/c partner is an extremely light sleeper and i do most my writing between midnight and 4am lol)

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

god i wish i knew!!! then maybe i’d be able to muster it up on demand!!!

(in fanficland i seem to tend to glom onto a specific character and then just write ten fics Examining That Character From Every Angle. in origficland it’s that but usually with some sort of archetype or folktale or something that i’ve become briefly obsessed with)

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

…I did have a moment earlier this month where I typed a line of dialogue, thought to myself “that sounds faintly familiar hm,” did a ctrl+f on my computer, and discovered I’d used a very similar line of dialogue in an abandoned WIP from seven years ago, in a scenario VERY THEMATICALLY/SITUATIONALLY familiar to the WIP i was working on, and i was like. oh my god. i so have a Type why am i like this

(in this particular situation the Theme & Variation was along the lines of “doing a Horrible Thing under duress but also none of these other fucks are willing or able to do it so i guess i gotta, jfc.” skimming over my past few pieces, inasmuch as there’s any commonality between them, i think i can point at, like… “feeling trapped by a mostly-internal sense of obligation that is nonetheless *experienced* as though it were external,” “people talking past each other for very good yet nonetheless tragic reasons,” “clueless rich guys,” “angry women contemplating murder”)

((wait, also: awful dinner parties and awful sex. fuck, why didn’t i lead with that one. i want to write awful dinner parties and bad sex for the entire rest of my life))

What is your reason for writing?

passes time between now and the grave

(less glibly: i get pretty unhappy if i go a long time without Making something, and of all my creative-ish abilities, writing is the one i find most satisfying)

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Once I finished playing a game, thought to myself “that was good but I really want backstory for [character] and actually I’m pretty sure I have the only correct take on said backstory,” and then proceeded to write that fic. A commenter came in saying “hey I came here because I was really craving backstory for [character] and now I can stop reading because yours is clearly The One that I was looking for, thanks." That felt really good! how often have i had to write a fic, not because I wanted to, but because NO ONE ELSE had written the one I wanted to read??? Glad to spare you some trouble, random internet person.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

for origfic: the author is dead babey. do not perceive me. i am not here

for fanfic: i still don’t mind if the reader simply Does Not Perceive Me; the work itself is the thing i care most about. but, y’know. if someone reads my fic & is like “i’m insane about this character in the exact same way Lua is, i’m-a slide into her DMs,” i’m very down for that, lol. it’s like whale songs. i’m out here singing my goofy tune and maybe i never hear anything back but if i do that’d be a sweet bonus

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

hmmmm. i’m never quite sure how to think about this sort of question… people often answer with something like “dialogue” or “descriptive imagery” or whatever, but that started to feel kind of weird to me at some point? like pointing at a symphony piece and being like “the low winds were especially good at staying in tune,” like it may be a correct observation, but also the whole orchestra has to be in tune to *some* extent for the piece as a whole to work, and when it *is* working the thing you point out as a strength isn’t gonna be something ticky-tack like that

…but i’m not sure what i’d specifically point to as a higher-order thing haha. i guess, last time i reread some of my own stuff, i was pretty pleased with how much interpersonal *tension* there was in various “ppl talking in rooms” scenes (see: awful dinner parties), so maybe something along those lines

How do you feel about your own writing?

arguably the main reason to write fanfic is so I can go back and reread it 2+ years later and be like “damn this shit rules, bitch was really onto something there”

(i like it! it’s pretty fun good stuff! a pleasing mix of action/plottiness/gratuitousness and, like, actual character and narrative work)

[brain-rot-central]

Lol hot take: what if AA, instead of seeking another for comfort (he thinks it’d be “comfort” or a distraction, but let’s be real, we know he wouldn’t be comfortable) if Tav/Durge dies, he spends his grieving time trying to find ways to bring them back, regardless of if they wanted it or not. Especially since he’s so obsessively in love

Hmm. That is too tragic for me to even think about. I also have no idea how that would be done as I've never played DnD and barely know anything about the rules.

All I'm gonna say is I hope they have kids so he can distract himself and not do this because fuck

There's another within the fandom that came up with the idea that evil AA will kill and keep people suspended just because, like frozen almost, but to imagine him doing this with Tav/Durge after they pass is sooo tragic, jfc.

[call-me-starshine]

HAPPY PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈🌈🎉🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙🩵💜🤎🖤🩶🤍

here are some of my favorite AceLu coded songs (with receipts)

Like A Prayer — Madonna (Ace to Luffy)

"I hear you call my name, and it feels like home" (like c'mon)

"I'm down on my knees" (marineford, just go with it)

"in the midnight hour, I can feel your power" (down bad for over-powdered twinks)

"like a child, you whisper softly to me, you're in control, just like a child" (it's Luffy c'mon)

Mary On A Cross — Ghost (both to both)

"all we got was blues / all we got was bruised" (though life, though love)

"but through all that sorrow, we were running high, and the truth of the matter is: I'll never let you go, let you go" (literally them pleeeeeaseee)

"your beauty never ever scared me" (like COME ON)

Clarity — Zedd, Foxes (both?? LUFFY TO ACE)

"high dive into frozen waves where the PAST COMES BACK TO LIFE , fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time" (COME ON)

"hold still right before we cRASH 'CAUSE WE BOTH KNOW HOW THIS ENDS, a clock ticks 'til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again" (COME ON)

"'cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need, CHASING RELENTLESSLY, still fight and I don't know why" ( C O M E O N )

"IF OUR LOVE IS TRAGEDY, WHY ARE YOU MY REMEDY? IF OUR LOVE'S INSANITY, WHY ARE YOU MY CLARITY?" (it's literally self-explanatory come onnnn)

The Edge of Glory — Lady Gaga (both, like a duet)

"it's hot to feel the rush, to brush the dangerous" (Ace-coded)

"I'm gonna run right to, to the edge with you" (Luffy-coded)

"put on your shades 'cause I'll be dancing in the flames tonight" (honestly, either one could say this to the other)

Message In A Bottle — Taylor Swift (Luffy to Ace)

"and I became hypnotized, by freckles and bright eyes" (literally Luffy when he looks @ Ace please)

"'cause now you're so far away and I'm down" (waited three years to find him)

"I'M REACHING FOR YOU, TERRIFIED" (PLEASE)

Curiosity — Carly Rae Jepsen (both???)

"break a bone, got me on my knees, you break my heart, just to watch it bleed" (idk AceLu-coded)

"so don't break me tonight, this is crazy love, and you know I'm gonna follow you home, through the rain, 'cause I need your love" (Luffy-coded, idk)

We Found Love — Rihanna, Calvin Harris (both)

"we found love in a hopeless place" (it's just vibes, honestly)

Wasted Summers — juju<3 (Luffy to Ace)

"I wasted like half of my summer tryna hold on your hand" (this one's just vibes)

Your Love Is My Drug — Kesha (both)

"I don't care what people say, the rush is worth the price I pay, I get so high when you're with me, but crash and crave you when you leave" (it's just giving AceLu)

Hot — Avril Lavigne (both🫣)

"you make me so hot, you make me wanna drop, it's so ridiculous, I can barely stop, I can hardly breath, you make me want to scream, you're so fabulous, you're so good to me, baby" (AceLu obsessed with each other 🤭)

Sex On Fire — Kings of Leon (both 🫣)

"all the commotion, the kiddie-like play" (👀)

"soft lips are open, them knuckles are pale" (👀👀)

"I could just taste it, chased it" (👀👀👀)

"CONSUMED WITH WHAT'S JUST TRANSPIRED" (🥵)

Can't Help Falling In Love — Elvis Presley (Ace to Luffy 😭)

"wise men say, only fools rush in" (PLEASE)

"shall I stay, would it be a sin?" (OHMYGOODNESS)

"like a river flows, surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be" (I CAN'T)

"take my hand, take my whole life too" (I'M DONE)

I'll Be — Edwin McCain (Ace to Luffy)

"I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips, instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above" (shoot meeeeee)

"I'll be your cryin' shoulder, I'll be love's suicide, and I'll be better when I'm order, I'll be the greatest fan of your life" (pleaseeeeeeee)

"you're my survival, you're my livin' proof, my love is alive and not dead" (jfc *pterodactyl screech*)

"and I dropped out, I BURNED UP, I FOUGHT MY WAY BACK FROM THE DEAD" (😭😭😭)

Sweater Weather — The Neighborhood (Ace to Luffy)

"all I am is a man, I want the world in my hands, I hate the beach, but I stand in California with my toes in the sand" (Ace would hate sand but STILL GO TO THE BEACH BC LUFFY LOVES IT)

"use the sleeves of my sweater, let's have an adventure" (☺️)

"touch my neck and I'll touch yours, you in those little high waisted shorts" (LUFFY IN HIGH WAISTED SHORTS)

thank you so much for your time😘😘😘

[the-attic-of-porcelain]

Today's Dr Who commentary --- spoilers so be warned

Ok first of all WHY does the Doctor have to be SO autistic coded this man is getting too relatable and THIS TIME THEY ALMOST KILLED HIM ABOUT IT!! (Episode where 10 is on the diamond planet in the tour truck and everyone goes crazy with paranoia) he spends the whole time just trying to keep everyone calm and figure out what's going on and they keep (figuratively) chanting 'KILL KILL KILL' like a bunch of underslept middleschoolers t-t

PLUS the moment when he goes "because I'm CLEVER" and they all immediately take offence about it assuming he's calling them dumb, and he goes "that's not what I meant" jfc that was too relatable I think I've had that conversation before

Then when he's frozen and they're trying to drag him out of the car and you can see him (almost) crying despite not being able to move, and at the end of the episode he just walks up to Donna with that look I remembered seeing so much in the first few episodes, where you can tell he's remembering so much shit he had to go through, and he's just visibly Not Ok and Donna just offers comfort instead of saying anything about it

And when Donna repeats what he said in the last scene and he says "don't do that" and then says it three more times, fjsodjdosjd my hyperempathetic ass was breaking with him

Anyways I love and am obsessed with this show

[thenugking]

Really bugs me when people (primarily Belos stans) are willing to redeem Belos but NOT Odalia, and even make her an antagonist for him to stand up to. Even though it’s pretty clear that while Odalia obviously made her own decisions, his coven system also contributed to her toxicity, as did Odalia’s obsession with joining the emperor’s coven (that she projects onto Amity) and how she is blatantly nervous around Hunter because he represents Belos’ authority. Odalia did way less than Belos, as horrible as she was… But sure, Woobified AU Belos! Go show that woman whose toxicity you contributed towards with your own system since her childhood who’s boss!

Oh my godddddddd. I mean I totally understand disliking Odalia. Like, yeah, she abuses her family, tries to murder a kid, and is cool with genocide. But: *GESTURES AT BELOS*

I don't tend to read Belos redemption stuff so have never had the misfortune of encountering this myself but??? making Odalia into the bad guy for Belos to redeem himself with?? jfc. Not entirely surprising though, this fandom sure does have a Misogyny problem with the way it treats its villains.

Tbh, one of the main reason I started writing Family Jewels was that I was bored of seeing Aladarius content where Odalia single-handedly destroys their relationship and Alador is forced into marrying her. It's like.... oh so fandom is still doing "lets turn the woman who's in the way of our manslash ship into the Literal Devil and then have her Suffer Horribly Forever while the boys kiss uwu," just a bit more subtly. I'm not saying don't have Odalia be a villain here--she sure was abusing Alador and their kids! But like, she can also be a person with her own feelings and ambitions and problems, not just a one-dimensional caricature sitting on top of a pile of money and cackling maniacally. And Alador and Darius are a lot more interesting when they can make their own bad decisions and ruin their relationship themselves, instead of just being Sad Boys tragically torn apart!

(I know I had Odalia contribute to the breakdown of their relationship in my own fics, but it was very important to me writing Take Me Back To The Start that Alador makes the choice to stay with her and put his ambitions ahead of the relationship Darius wanted. It’s just boring to put all the problems onto The Woman, regardless of her overall morality!)

The fandom does this with Terra Snapdragon and Adrian Graye too. They’re both terrible people who hurt the main cast and are the main pro-Belos coven heads, and both very fun as villains… but Terra is one of the fandom’s most hated characters, while Adrian is The Funny Hot Guy. (Nevermind that Terra is funnier and hotter than Adrian could ever be.)

Anyway. Villains are great, but Belos has been given Too Many Rights. Give some to shitty evil women instead.

[biitchcakes]

The Exes of Jessica Drew: Jerry Hunt

After escaping Hydra, Jessica lives on her own in London, desiring to be in control of her own life, to have independence for the first time, while at the same time learning her true origins, and learning how to live amongst people. However, due to the lack of control she had over her pheromones, she has an extra barrier socially ⸺ those attracted to her risk becoming obsessed, while those who wouldn't be into her, instead find her revolting and unsettling.

This makes finding a job next to impossible. So, Jess relies on stealing to eat. When she refuses to do so one night, she's ironically discovered by the police for trespassing after hours. Or, who she assumes to be the police. Turns out the man named Jerry Hunt works at Scotland Yard for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Later on, after only two more chance encounters ⸺ the first where she nearly kills him, and the latter of which she saves his life, Jerry becomes obsessed with her. I personally always assume this is a mixture of her uncontrolled pheromones with each encounter ( so he's just doused with it while he's around her, doesn't get it, and thinks those are his personal feelings ) and then just the fact he's a general cretin. You'll see what I mean as we go on.

Look at his partner's face lmfao me too pal, me too.

To those perhaps unaware, Jessica's pheromones only work if she's around someone. They don't linger, even if she specifically uses them to manipulate someone, the thoughts stop the moment the pheromones in the air do. So, two whole weeks later ? That's aaaaall him.

Naturally, the creep followers her to America, much to the shock and confusion of Jessica. As, all that's happened between them was: he attempted to arrest her, she escaped, they encountered each other again and she nearly kills him with a light pole ( lol ) but saves him, runs, later they both stop a burglary where he gets shot with a laser, and she saves him by taking him to the hospital. That's it !!! Jfc !!! 🚩🚩🚩🚩

Below is when she sees him again over five thousand miles away in a different country during a battle with Morgan Le Fey. Even makes the comment to himself once he finds her that he "won't let her get away again." 😐

After she ( and Magnus ) defeat Morgan for the time being, Jess and Jerry share a kiss, Jessica thinking now this is what love actually is. I headcanon that once she escapes Hydra, she "researches" humanity by reading books, watching movies and TV shows, and so she ends up with some unhealthy views of what love is. How often can you think of a stalking being portrayed as romantic ? How common is a young woman in her early 20's or 30's the romantic lead to a man who is nearly two, sometimes maybe even three decades her senior ?

** ( note: just want to add that obviously not all these relationship age gaps are inherently unhealthy, like someone in their 30's with someone in their 50's. . . it's just that Jessica would see these massive age differences as more of the norm; she is only anywhere from 18 - 22 canonically here, whereas Jerry is obviously much older ⸺ I wouldn't say old, but probably late 30's to mid 40's if I had to hazard a guess. )

For the first couple of weeks, things between the pair are good. But it's not long until they're not. . .

Soon, Jerry becomes fed up with Jessica's independence. How she is constantly there to save him, instead of him being able to save her. He's annoyed with her love and protection, and just wants her to do as he says. He seems to loathe her Spider-Woman persona ( something Jess herself comments on ).

And gets mad at her as above and below all because she wants to take care of him. He's the one dating someone with super powers who is constantly attempting to do good. . . what did he think was going to happen ?

Your Casual Reminder: he was not protesting to her that he wanted her to wait for him to recover, he told her he didn't want her getting involved. He is lying to her to make her feel bad !!!

( Side note: how cute is she walking through the door though ??? He deserves a red flag just for remaining mad when she's so adorable in the doorway. )

So, after this rocky encounter, the two have a date on the beach. But, out of nowhere, Jessica sees a woman flying in the sky. A woman dressed like a moth, a bug like her. And so, she takes off after the other in hopes for answers. Jerry knows Jessica's whole reason for coming to America in the first place is to learn more about herself and her past. Sure, he can be annoyed she took off in the middle of a night together. But. . . this is how he reacts when she lands back on the ground:

Treats her like a fuckin' child !!! 🙄 BASICALLY CALLS HER A FREAK !!! 😤

And she notices this, starts second guessing things. . .

I have to include this because ⸺

"She NEEDS me ! >:((((" Proceeds to get lost and immediately abducted the panel after this.

All you need to know about the sequence below is that Jerry has been gassed and is currently passed out, he is fantasising:

😐 could have fantasised literally any other fairy tale. . . . . he "sometimes wishes" she's more like Little Red Riding Hood. . . . . I hate it here 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 ( I guess if I give him the benefit of the doubt, the villains they are currently with are the Brothers Grimm but. . . Could have done like, Cinderella or smth idk. . . )

( also not the writers lowkey roasting him a couple times LOLJDKGS "He finally did it. He's a hero. He's saved Jessica. ... For once." kills me any time I think about it pls. )

Also above is him after waking up like ASFKS "ooooh noooo it's THEM ! The people Jess SAVED ME FROM ! 😩"

Below is their first good bye, Jessica declaring after that since both the men in her life have now left ( Magnus becomes a Vegas magician and she assumes Jerry is off back to London ), she "finally has that independence" she's "always desired".

"I thought the connection was more ethereal" 🙄🙄🙄 eat sand.

And idk read this as you will. . . . . but him offering Jess his apartment, saying she has to let him stay "whenever he's in the area", and then specifically choosing to stay in town just to be near Jessica ??? Seems suspicious u ask me. . . . .

That "dizzy blonde" is his new, perfectly competent S.H.I.E.L.D partner. Later at HER beach house, Jerry makes her dinner ( he never made Jessica dinner 🙄 ). This is where they are abducted by a cult, only to be rescued while unconscious by Spider-Woman and The Shroud ( though Jerry highly suspects that Jess is the one who saves him ).

He ends up going over to visit Jessica sometime after ( the bruise is from an unrelated fight ). Below is their final goodbye.

Just dismisses her feelings after like they mean nothing, like he never cared in the first place !!! Further confirms that by saying "that was easier than I thought it would be. Somehow, when I saw her again, all the feelings I felt for her seemed like distant memories. . ." !!! 😡😤

For the record, that "dizzy blonde" is the other woman waiting for him in the car.

Years later, in an act of desperation to find Mattie Franklin, Jessica contacts Jerry for the first time since. Bendis may have tried to erase Jerry in his origin rewrite ( even calling him Jeff here in the next panel, and this is a few years before the rewrite ), but this little nugget still exists.

This is the last time they've been in contact.

[firstkanaphans]

You're very evil (affectionate), I was already watching 10 dramas when you started reposting Twins content so I ended up binging and watching every week (jfc my head still fucking explodes whenever I remember the last ep, at this point I don't want Sprite and First to be endgame 🥴) and now you've got me into You're my sky too haha it's all good so far!!!

P.S will you ever write more RaySand? 🥺

Love you 🫶

You’re doing better than me! I’m absolutely drowning in content and I’m only watching 5 shows—but they’re all on the weekends. I am begging the BL gods to start giving us mid-week content again.

I feel like I should maybe apologize for getting people interested in Twins, but I’m still having a good time so I guess I won’t. But yes, I agree with you. I think it was a mistake for them to introduce Tonkla in the last episode because now there’s this super nice boy who loves First and doesn’t have an evil twin and, like, I wouldn’t be mad if First just dumped Sprite and ran off with his cute little twink instead. He’d probably be happier for it—or at least less stressed.

As for You’re My Sky, I will not apologize because I am obsessed and I think everyone should watch it. (She says knowing she still has 4 episodes left to watch and everything could very well fall apart at the last minute.) But it’s just the perfect little show. All three couples are equally entertaining—especially DomeVee who are giving me a forbidden romance plotline with some actual nuance (Dome is Vee’s sister’s boyfriend). It’s amazing and I’m sad it took me so long to watch it.

As for whether I will ever write more SandRay…Yes, of course! I actually have a sick!fic already outlined for them that was requested by one of you guys. It’s just been difficult to find time to work on fanfiction while I’m also in the process of translating The Eclipse novel. So it may be a hot second before I get anything posted, but there will be more SandRay, I promise! 🫶🏻

[feeshies]

y'know, i've always had a beef with those classic lit study guides that try too hard to relate to high school students (often because sometimes they do so at the cost of undercutting the value of the work), and i thought i would have fun with this 20k leagues one

but it really seems to have it in for aronnax? it accuses him of being too obsessed with national pride. it cites his reaction to one of nemo's crewmen calling out for help in french as an example, but imo being able to hear someone speak your native dialect after being away from home for half a year...only for them to be killed violently...idk i think his horrified reaction makes sense. and then it says that aronnax was disappointed that ned was french-canadian instead of "real french", and maybe i need to do a closer reread but i thought aronnax was excited that ned was french-canadian because he could speak his native language with someone since his english is shaky.

i get that he is rather naive and ignorant when it comes to certain matters of the world (especially compared to nemo), but goddamn this study guide is written like an attack campaign. this post was just supposed to be me sharing my favorite excerpts from the character analysis, but now i feel the need to defend this man.

he has adhd leave him alone!!

god forbid that a marine biologist spends his days examining the sea life now that he has the opportunity to see it in a way previously thought impossible. and god forbid that he would want academic credit for his work jfc. yeah, i get ned's frustration with him being reluctant to leave, but this study website needs to calm down! he has adhd and anxiety and he's a nerd!

btw it isn't contained to aronnax's profile either. this from conseil's.

does aronnax "whining like a little baby" mean "telling conseil to leave him behind in the middle of the ocean because he doesn't want to slow him down"?

then there's this

nemo's nationa....he speaks french, english, german, latin, greek, his own conlang, and those are just the languages that are confirmed! the ocean is the world's biggest "melting pot" and that's where nemo claims as his home! also he's literally not from a nation??? (in how he presents himself in this book)

anyway, i thought i was going to have fun reading an analysis of a fun book i like, but then i was struck with this anti-aronnax propaganda. this isn't even the only study guide i've seen that has it out for him.

maybe just watch some pretty fishies and calm down

[tiffanylamps]

Tag game to better know you

Thank you @katierosefun and @ettelwenailinon for tagging me! You're both so sweet to think of me for this :) what book are you currently reading? i suck at sticking to books, but at the moment, I'm making my way through Vermeer by Norbert Schneider. Vermeer is one of my favourite artists, so I enjoy reading about his work. (The Milkmaid is my favourite painting of his).

what’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year? i don't thiiiiiiink I've been to the cinema this year. But my favourite film I've seen this year is The Merciless (2017).

what do you usually wear? during the hotter months, it'll be shorts and tank top, but only if I'm at home. Outdoors, I tend to wear high neck tops, trousers, skirts, dresses, and a jacket (if it's not too hot). I much prefer cooler months because I like to hide behind an oversized jacket/coat lol. Basically, smart casual, nothing short or too low cut.

how tall are you? 5'10", baby!!! Sometimes a bit shorter, sometimes taller. It depends on... idk... stuff. things.

what’s your star sign? do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event? i'm an Aries (with a Leo sun and Gemini rising 🙃🙃). I share my birthday with Bette Davis and Hayley Atwell, so not too bad. Ah! I also share my birthday with my granddad. As for historical events, it mainly involves historical figures returning home, the Mayflower returning to England, Europeans discovering Easter Island- things of that nature. But an actual cool one is that the first performance of Beethoven's 2nd Symphony in D took place in 1803 on me birthday

do you go by your name or a nickname? my nickname. I HATED my name when I was a child and I wouldn't let anyone refer me to do it. The only person who has consistently called me by my actual name is my sister. I'm now over the reasons why I didn't like it back then. My only gripe with it now is that it sounds very similar to a more popular name, so people mishear my name all the time.

did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child? nahhh. When I was about 3 or 4, my sights were on becoming a dog in my future... I am yet to figure that one out without putting on a fursuit or committing crimes against god, man, science, and one's own good taste.

are you in a relationship? if not, who is your crush if you have one? i am. it's mine and my boyfriend's 9-year anniversary at the end of the month. i do have many crushes, which are mainly for every pretty woman i see lol

what’s something you’re good at vs something you’re bad at? i think i'm pretty good at analysing and dissecting things that interest me, it can be a piece of media or a topic of debate/conversation. i am bad at maaaaaany things, one of them is being a friend to myself

dogs or cats? both, duh!! i have a cat at the moment, but i do wish to have a dog in future (and maybe 3 cats in total lol)

if  you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite  picture/favorite line/favorite etc. from something you created this  year? probably the entire second chapter to my vampire fic. yeah, sorry, i can't pick out a particular line, i like the whole chapter ngl

what is something that you’d like to create content for? i'd like to finish my beyond evil projects 😭 and maybe write something for the merciless. (i do have gifs for the merciless that are just sitting in my drafts, waiting for me to feel confident enough to post them lol)

what’s something you’re currently obsessed with? playing the sims 4 and listening to the rotten mango podcast as i play. that's how i spend most of my evenings lol

what’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year? jfc i was about to say something so emo. i'll go with more light-hearted examples instead. uhm, the f1 drivers' and constructor's championship standings (it's not over yet, but it's pretty obvious who is going to win 😒). the new taylor swift + hayley williams song. the final season of ted lasso (i love that show, but the ending was a bit naff).

what’s a hidden talent of yours? hm, it's too rude for tumblr

are you religious? nope! i grew up as a jehovah witness in a pretty strict household. although now that i'm older and i look into other people's experiences within that cult, i can see that i got lucky with my parents. they let us kids do things that were against the rules, but that still didn't stop me from sustaining a bit of religious trauma and internalised homophobia 😤 i'm still salty about my religious upbringing.

what’s something you wish to have at this moment? money, direction, a different place to live (preferably nicer/bigger), and for my cat's x-rays and blood work not to come back with anything too serious

anyway, i hope my answers weren't too boring haha. much love! no pressure tags: @l-tyrell @loisroo @hanjuwonsupporter @sensazioneultra

[ladylolalilly]

Ask and you shall receive!

I saw the reblog on thelemoncoffee's post about the wheel of fate and I thought I'd pitch in to soothe your curiosity. You're welcome.

I don't know if you want the wheel of fates for THH and SDR2, so for now, voila! DRV3.

Chapter 1 Victim: Ryoma Hoshi, Ultimate Tennis Pro Chapter 1 Blackened: Kirumi Tojo, Ultimate Maid

Very in-character... because this already happened in canon. With the First Blood Perk too, that's a bonus. Makes me wonder if Kirumi's gonna be a more important character now that "she made it back to the outside world." (spoilers: she died). Maybe this case'll pop up again in Trial 6 or something to clue em in?

Chapter 2 Victim: Korekiyo Shinguji, Ultimate Anthropologist Chapter 2 Blackened: Gonta Gokuhara, Ultimate Entomologist

Now this... I'm assuming Gonta got his hands on Shinguji's motive video. What could possibly be part of his video, I have no clue. But I'm assuming it reveals the fact that he's a serial killer of women. Gonta goes Chapter 4 upon learning that. We all know how that ends.

Chapter 3 First Victim: Miu Iruma, Ultimate Inventor Chapter 3 Second Victim: Kaede Akamatsu, Ultimate Pianist Chapter 3 Blackened: Maki Harukawa, Ultimate "Child Caregiver" (Assassin)

OhoHO. With the motive being the Necronomicon, this is actually pretty fitting, given Maki was trained to be an assassin as a part of a cult that hid behind religion. This'll require some twisting of character, but perhaps Maki, instead of ignoring it, came to listen to the cult. She genuinely believes in the god the cult came up with, and thus things like the Necronomicon, making her a bit. Crazier than canon. Don't know who she wanted to raise from the dead and why or why she chose a double murder or why it was these two specifically though.

Chapter 4 Victim: Tenko Chabashira, Ultimate Aikido Master Chapter 4 Blackened: Kaito Momota, Ultimate Astronaut

Nekomaru vs Gundham vibes tbh. Since Angie's still alive, I can see her and Ouma being at odds with each other a lot. I say this because it's definitely connected, this is literally two of their biggest haters.

Chapter 5 Victim: Angie Yonaga, Ultimate Artist Chapter 5 Blackened: Himiko Yumeno, Ultimate Magician

Also because of this. The traffic lights trio get a hell of a lot more screen time here huh. I see people be disappointed that Angie never got character development, but it seems here she just went on a downward spiral. Himiko might've been dragged down with her unfortunately, acting as obsessive towards Angie the same way Tenko acts towards her, if not more, depending on how messed up you wanna take this. As a Yonameno shipper, ouch. But also Himiko as the Chapter 5 blackened imo is just chefs kiss and wow Angie really did take over Ouma's role as antag huh. Or maybe they're both main antags and we just have two.

Chapter 6 Mastermind: Shuichi Saihara, Ultimate Detective Chapter 6 Sacrifice: Tsumugi Shirogane, Ultimate Cosplayer

Ah yes. The classic mastermind that 95% of the DRV3 fandom wished for and never got. This is where shit gets real funky considering the amount of sheer AUs out there, but for the sake of simplicity let's just stick to the idea that this is a TV show and they all signed up for it among other stuff. Tsumugi as the sacrifice... well, if she and Rantaro had a good relationship throughout and she acted as his support, oh boy that's kinda depressing. But if she was like. The third rival (jfc so many ANTAGS in this game) cuz this is Tsumugi we're talking about, she definitely played traitor and just wants to get to the 54th killing game already.

Survivors: •K1-B0, Ultimate Robot •Kokichi Ouma, Ultimate Supreme Leader •Rantaro Amami, Ultimate ??? (Adventurer/Survivor)

This trio... ok so Ouma actually gets to face what he's done instead of dying. That's pretty nice. Kiibo survives like he was supposed to in canon goddammit. Amami'll finally reach his full potential, bless. As the Ultimate Survivor, I really do wonder whether he'll ever remember his past games or not... Who knows, maybe he was a graduate blackened in a past game and antag Tsumugi/Saihara spilled those beans to stir shit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And that's a wrap! I know I came out of nowhere, but I was ready to rant about this as much as you were begging to know more. I gladly took the chance. Try for the opportunity.

Oh wow, this is neat! For Maki’s chapter, maybe she targeted Miu due to personal dislike, but Kaede walked in on her with the body, so she had to kill her to keep her quiet?

(And I would actually like the THH and SDR2 wheels of fate, I was curious about those too.)

[shidoukanae]

Things about Paris the manhwa just does not fucking talk about:

-The thing he’s shown smoking in the beginning of the story is kava which apparently he’s using to treat insomnia. Which therefore makes his comments about how Helene's visage keeps him up at night in the manhwa very interesting in hindsight (and might also make sense why he feels maddened by her existence)

-One thing the light novel talks about that the manhwa doesn't do a very good job of is that Paris awakening as a dragon basically isolated him from the rest of the world to the point it's part of the reason why he was driven so mad. He's instinctually repulsed from humans as they're not part of the same species as him (which is!! very interesting worldbuilding!!! especially considering he takes on a human form!!) and has been left feeling alone for so long that it's basically made him unable to view humans around him as real people to care about

-Fian's existence in Paris's life is a REALLY FUCKING GOOD THING FOR HIM. You can just feel how much happier he is now that there's another of his species in his life and the overprotective big brother vibes he gives off towards Fian is actually stupidly cute.

Also really found it interesting too that he wants to keep away humans from Fian and shows possessiveness towards Fian because Fian is a dragon like him (and the fact he sends Lyla to where Fian is after figuring out that Lyla is Fian's "fairy" really speaks volumes of how much he cares about Fian)

-it's interesting to note too that Paris makes some interesting commentary where he laments why the dragons of Kylon want to get along whereas the siblings of Belliana want to kill each other. Him wondering if the instinctual bond dragons share can be broken is also interesting...

-Paris: I do not care for humans i only care for other dragons and will protect Fian if I have to from everyone but the fairy he adores

also Paris: so hey there's this really pretty elf descendant gal and i kind of maybe keep finding my thoughts straying back to her...pretty sure this won't be a problem though owO

-Paris’s first meeting with Helene (aka, the moment where he fell for her in the original novel ig) is when he goes to steal the Silver Dragon’s Heart Fragment. Considering him doing that is how he meets Helene in the manhwa, I can’t help but wonder if he’s the only character who gets to remain consistent with his OG!self in going insane in both the manhwa/LN plots

-Paris just,,, randomly helps Lyla out when Tyrone is trying to get back at her for insulting him,,, and i still think it's a crime that this scene got omitted from the manhwa (as well as scene of him following Lyla out of curiosity and then connecting the dots of who she is and leading her to Fian the moment he realizes how special she is to Fian). He's a fucked-up character but dear god do I find it impossible to hate him when he continuously shows the level of complexity that i crave seeing in characters

-”...his feelings for Helene were more of an obsession born of genuine possessiveness than love” 

*looks at manhwa!Paris*

Yep that’s certainly him to a T. Sure hope he gets character development in the novel so i have hope he’ll get it in the manhwa and actually fall in love with Helene instead of,,, that

-really love that Lyla is still canonically spooked by him (she should be!!!). All these additional details about Paris also makes me D: bc jfc she is not kidding when she says he’s a psychopath and i hope her timeline’s version of him is a lot better of a person (esp to Helene if he indeed is still on track to being love interests with her like in the manhwa!!)

-”male protagonist from a broken family” DO TELL MORE LYLA DO TELL MORE. I know his father’s treatment of him is kind of fucked-up from the manhwa but i wanna know more about his home life im begging!!

-also Lyla calling him the male protagonist is really fucking funny to me. Lyla dear I think you meant to call him the antagonist holy fuck

-not sure if Paris is on track to being lovers with Helene in the LN's timeline but the connotation is there that he will. really interested to see how their relationship will progress in this timeline because genuinely the chemistry between them in the LN is different from in the manhwa

[vergess]

Gosh that shipping post has been bouncing around my head all day. I understand where people are coming from wrt white audiences typically only engaging with POC stories in the context of what they can personally relate to instead of being more thoughtful and trying to understand the lived experience of POC. I’m white so I’m speaking from experience in that I also didn’t used to see the full value in narratives that I didn’t find relatable. That said, the argument seems to boil down to “don’t ship POC, especially not in a queer way, unless they’re a canon couple” and “don’t headcanon (presumed cishet) POC characters as queer”? Basically just feels like they’re saying “white people, especially the queer ones, do not touch” which is fair, I guess, but it feels contradictory to what they’re purportedly trying to accomplish.

They sure seem to think they're saying 'white people do not touch,' as if segregation has worked out sooooo well in the past.

But what they inevitably, always, are actually saying is 'queer people don't touch,' and then when QTIPOC are rightfully fucking disgusted, pretending that by 'queer' they meant 'white.'

Because, y'know. Can't be both!

It's disgusting in the fucking extreme. Using a parody of anti-racism to just reinforce both racism and queerphobia, specifically in a way that is inextricable from misogyny.

I hate them.

If they dislike fandom so goddamn much, then they both can and should just get a different fucking hobby.

But they don't dislike fandom. In fact, many of them love it.

Just not 'that kind' of fandom.

And rather than accept that the VAST MAJORITY OF ALL FANDOMS ARE NON-SHIPPING AND ENGAGING WITH THOSE ASPECTS they're obsessed with eradicating a minority of fandom to make themselves feel more powerful.

It is tedious, it is bigoted, and I am tired of it.

I mean jfc even your ask says it outright. You didn't USED TO see value in narratives you couldn't directly relate to. But lo, by engaging with media you didn't know you could enjoy, and finding things that appealed anyway, you grew as a person and learned to see that value.

THAT GROWTH is one of the things these stupid assholes would deny us. And then claim they're reinforcing white ignorance and apathy "for the sake of POC," as if that shit doesn't harm us too.

It's entire layers of insult and injury.

POC who ship aren't really POC. White people should simply give up and never try to engage meaningfully with nonwhite characters and stories. Queerness is fundamentally incompatible with being racialized.

On and on, a litany of heinous trash being presented as an inarguable moral truth.

It's spiteful. It's dangerous. And it's fucking bigoted.

[courtney-deserved-better]

my opinion on td finalists

spoiler alert, im not a fan of most

TDI: Owen & Gwen

uh I personally don’t like either of these guys for finalists. gwen did do a lot but there were so many times where she just acted so apathetic I was like why?? are you still here?? and as for owen... I didnt like him as a character for a Long Time and he's growing on me but he just doesnt seem like finale material

I think a duncan versus leshawna finale would've been super fun to watch. especially if they teamed up to take down heather in the semifinal. those two had such a fun dynamic, especially in the triathlon episode, that I think taking it to the finale would've been fantastic. also leshawna deserved to win that season and you cannot change my mind

TDA: Duncan & Beth

duncan, while not my first choice, I can see making it through to the finale this season. but beth?? no. im sorry but shes just too much of a side character and is canonically fake nice and annoys everyone else so it doesn’t really make sense

an interesting finale would’ve been duncan versus courtney considering how volatile their relationship was this season. however, bc courtney was kinda awful to duncan, I dont think she deserves to win this season. it would be cool if there was one ending where their votes tied and they made up and decided to split the money but that just feels too tame, both for a finale and for their dynamic

harold versus duncan could be interesting, but because duncan tends to bully harold, I dont think his win would be fair in this situation. I think lindsay versus harold would be the best, as this season is about lindsay learning to take charge and come up with strategies, and while he can be off-putting and occasionally condescending, I think harold has a lot of useful skills that could really flourish in the finale

TDWT: Heather & Alejandro

while I dont ship them at all, I truly dont think there could've been a more satisfying final two. we’ve had their rivalry build up from day one, they have a ton of good songs together, it really completes heather’s arc of antagonist to antihero to protagonist. heather winning is the best ending in my mind, but I like  alejandro winning too. the only problem I have with his ending is that it only happened because heather threw in the wrong dummy-- I think it would’ve been more clever for him to have switched them or something like that

ive been thinking about some other final twos that I think would be interesting, though unable to top the canon one imo. gwen versus courtney would be really cool because of the friends turned enemies thing-- I think it would be interesting for courtney to be put in danger and gwen has a choice of saving her or going for the money and she save courtney before apologizing again (maybe dumping duncan) and the two make up and split the money. 

though I don’t really enjoy either as characters mostly due to their writing, cody and sierra would be an interesting final two. maybe cody finally stands up to sierra, or sierra struggles with wanting to be the winner of total drama or helping the boy she likes win. it definitely wouldn't be as good as the canon two but there would be a lot of clashing dynamics at play that'd be fun to explore

TDROTI: Lightning & Cameron

admittedly, I don’t remember too much from this season, but it really felt like these two kind of coasted by. I never found lightning to be a particularly compelling character and thought it weird how he suddenly went from dumb jock to evil jock in the last episode or two. cameron really felt like he was just carried through the season, similarly to beth, though I dont have as much as an issue with him winning. I dont think it was a bad finale, per se, I just think if those were the final two they should've been written better from the start

seeing as how jo really played the game and went all in, I think she would’ve been a great finalist. it would’ve been interesting to see her versus (commando?) zoey though im not the biggest zoey fan. I think a jo versus lightning finale could actually work (or brick) though if there was a jo versus cameron finale, I couldn't see him logically winning bc jo would just destroy him

TDAS: Mike & Zoey

*BIG FUCKING INHALE* no. just no. im probably not gonna say anything that’s not already been said so ill keep it short. bland, mal writing bad, have someone who's been in the game for 3 previous seasons instead of  1 make it to the ALL STARS FINALE. jfc.

you know what would’ve been an interesting finale? gwen versus courtney. they both said they wanted to reach the final two with the other one, so maybe they do! maybe they start to struggle with their friendship because of courtney’s competitive streak! maybe one of their helpers is duncan and that causes strife between them! maybe they become enemies again and don’t make up until the finale! maybe they decide to split the money! idk! it would've had a hell of a  lot more flavor than what we got

TDPI: Shawn & Sky

I don’t really have an issue with either of these characters making it to the finale. they’re compelling, worked hard, and have distinct goals. I would’ve liked to see jasmine in the finale but I'd be cool replacing either one with her: jasmine and shawn having to compete against one another would be an interesting relationship hurdle and sky versus jasmine would've been cool because they’re both very athletic and it would’ve been the first f vs f total drama finale (we've had m vs f and m vs m but no all-girl finales...)

TDRR: Surfer Dudes & Police Cadets

Again, I don’t really have an issue with this finale. I really like how Sanders and MacArthur both work hard in their own ways and have to learn how to work together (MacArthur breaking Sanders’ arm and realizing that she can negatively affect her partner and also that Sanders is super tough was a GREAT arc). I know there’s been some contention about the Surfer Dudes being eliminated and then coming back so late in the game, but it made sense to me. They chose to lose because they felt that they owed it to Devin and Carrie, and that choice paid off when Devin and Carrie called in a replacement team. I doubt the surfers expected that to happen, they were just trying to be fair, but that kindness was rewarded in a big way which I think was sweet, especially  considering how much of a hot mess this show can be. 

I gotta say, this does kinda remind me of the TDI finale, with the villain (heather/ice dancers) getting eliminated third, and their rival (gwen/police cadets) making it to the finale with the fun guy (owen/surfer dudes). The reason I like the Surfer Dudes as finalists more than Owen is that I felt they put in more effort during challenges and had more of an arc (with Josee’s mind games ending up bonding them as a team after strife, choosing to be eliminated for the sake of fairness, etc). 

Speaking of Owen, it’s kind of ironic that if I had to replace a team in the finale, I would replace the surfer dudes with the reality tv pros. they’re my favorite team and I think it wouldve been great for them to really live up to their name. I think it also would've been funny for the ice dancers to be so focused on their rivalry with the cadets that the pros just completely go under their radar until its the final three and the ice dancers are like “oh crap they’re PROS why haven't we been trying to destroy them??”

I also wouldn't mind replacing the surfer dudes with the sisters. I know emma gets a lot of hate (mostly because of nemma which I only like platonically) but I actually like her as a character (when she wasn’t being obsessive) and I think she and kitty were a great team that had a good arc of learning to work together. I also think it would be really interesting because for the final three they would all have rivalries with one another: the police cadets and the ice dancers (obvious) the ice dancers and the sisters (josee messed with them in at least 2 challenges) and the sister and the police cadets (kitty and macarthur’s game/road rage was hilarious)

[waldensblog]

I find myself enjoying eclipse less than I did like 10 years ago. And I think it's for multiple reasons.

1. Edward turns up the dial on being terrible. 

Like by the end of Twilight, I wasn't his number 1 fan, but I could at least see how Bella fell for him - even with the red flags. I still wanted her to not but I could get it you know (I was a teen once after all)?

Then in Eclipse when he should be trying to prove himself after New Moon, he is... Breaking her truck, conspiring with his family to kidnap her and keep her away from her best friend? Being SEETHINGLY angry when she does shit without his permission, yelling and scaring his own family - and it's just like... Dear Lord. 

Then he's just doing a 180 and I'm like... Uh Bella? Don't trust that. Holy crap he showed a side of himself that all the love bombing in the WORLD won't make me unsee (and being older now, I cannot/will not overlook it as a reader). I don’t know if SMeyer wants us to overlook it and be like “oh look, Edward grows and changes!” but I sure as hell ain’t. 

If Bella left his ass by mid-book that’d be cool, but nah, she’s forgiving him because he’s “changed” (I don’t trust like that) and she refuses to listen to everyone telling her it’s not healthy.

2. Jacob starts great, and then has his own 180 ?!?! 

Like while Edward is being an asshat and kidnapping her, Jacob stages a jailbreak. He tells her things she needs to know (re Victoria. Even though it shouldn't be news...), and even tries to point out that Edward is controlling/abusive. It's easy to say "ah he just wants her to choose him" and yes obviously he does, but he isn't wrong when he points out needing your bf's permission to do anything is fucked. The first half of the book, I feel like it's leaning to her ultimately choosing Jacob because jfc the difference is staggering.

So we spend the first like 300 pages making Edward increasingly more villainous and Jacob seem like the better choice, and I’m cheering for her to dump Edward and go for Jacob, then, chapter 14 rolls around and Jacob undergoes a 180 where he becomes impatient in the truck and honking the horn, then forcefully kisses Bella and starts acting like a complete ass, even threatening suicide. What the fuck happened? Did Smeyer realize halfway through the book that maybe if she wanted to end the series with E/B that she shouldn't write Edward so awful and chose to compensate like this instead of reworking the first half of the book?!?! Like I’m reading this and wondering wtf happened? This doesn’t really feel like the Jacob from New Moon or the first half of eclipse to me.

3. Bella flipflopping on vampirism. 

On the one hand she wants to be a vampire, like now, and spend eternity with Edward (but not marry him because she doesn't want to get married at 18 - just vamped forever, apparently). 

On the other she has doubts and panics when she realizes how little time in her human life she has. She doesn’t know how to say goodbye, and she knows she’s going to miss so many people, especially her dad (though her mom, her former best friend, appears to have just dropped out of concern largely). 

Then when people see her fear and say she can wait she insists that it's totally what she wants, which screams to me that she really is rushing into it so she can't change her mind and that's... A TERRIBLE reason, Bella.

And all that "it's my choice" rubs me the wrong way now that I'm older because she's too damn young to make such a permanent choice (a fact she partially recognizes, but the obsession about not being older than Edward seems to cloud her judgement) AND when your choice negatively affects everyone around you (her family, friends, potential victims) it just doesn't fly with me. Like no, I don't respect your choice to commit self-harm/suicide and become a potential murdery-monster in a cult just to stay with your first love wtf?!?! I’m with Rosalie on this one - she’s so far my fave of the Cullens even if she’s on thin fucking ice with me for going along with shit like kidnapping. 

Reminds me of the Little mermaid and our collective reactions to Ariel’s “I’m 16 years old, I’m not a child”

Now... despite all of this, I can still rationalize it, I can still find a way to make it make sense in the context of the story - even if I personally don’t love them behaving this way.

I can understand Bella forgiving Edward and trying to make it work, she’s completely blinded by love (and in my mind, absolutely fucking under thrall or “dazzled” as she puts it), and she finds excuses for it. When Edward hears other people’s thoughts relating to how batshit insane he’s being, he probably starts lovebombing so she won’t run like the fucking wind. She, being young, naive and under thrall, doesn’t. I can rationalize it, even if I’d rather she start realizing the thrall/abuse and ditch his ass.

I can understand Jacob becoming a bit... desperate, and acting out. His best friend fucked off to Italy on a suicide mission to save her ex-bf who abandoned her in a very brutal way. That ex-bf and his family is directly responsible for him and all his friends shifting into wolves and needing to take all these night shifts looking out for Victoria and co., leaving them all sleep-deprived as they carry this burden they shouldn’t have to. That best friend then takes said ex-bf back, and has to sneak around to see him - but then gets kidnapped by said ex-bf and his family, calls him to tell him, and then he does a jail-break. Every time she comes to see him, she’s scared to go home and incur his wrath. She’s very clearly in an abusive relationship, but she won’t see it - no matter how many times you point it out, and there’s a matter of weeks before she literally kills herself and joins the cult that is responsible for all this shit. So I get it... I can understand how a 16 year old werewolf might go balls to the walls insane when he sees like 2 weeks left to stop this nuke - but that doesn’t excuse it. It doesn’t excuse it at all, and it’s just disappointing af to me, and leaves me wanting a redemption arc for this character who was such a cinnamon roll in New moon and who I was rooting for this whole time. 

I can understand Bella being unsure what she wants, and fear making her hammer down on a decision. She’s still in love/under thrall, and when the doubts start popping up, she just wants to quiet them, because the idea of not being with Edward is painful to her. I get it - I’ve been a teenager in love, I’ve excused shitty behaviour, I’ve thought to myself “yes I will totes spend forever with him”. Of course, the worst thing that I could have done is marry the dude, whereas in Bella’s case... the worst thing she can do is... much worse than that, and she doesn’t want to think about it, because it’s either Vampire with Edward, or no Edward, basically - at some point, they’d break up, and she can’t fathom it. If only she’d just wait until Thanksgiving after graduation... ah the famous Turkey Dump. 

Basically, the characters are all shitty to each other, and I don’t like seeing it, but I can still understand it. This time around, the fun of the newborn army and Victoria making a final stand isn’t as fun to me, because the books are really emotion/relationship driven more than plot-driven, so there’s so much characters being shitty to one another that it’s def making me enjoy it less than I used to. I think this was my fave of the series cuz of the plot - but now? Ehhh, I prefer New Moon. It still ultimately is “landing” for me in the sense that it makes sense, but... I’m not quite as excited to read this last half as I was the first half, or as excited as I was reading New Moon.

I’m also trying to figure out if it can reasonably end with Eclipse, because though I plan to re-read BD to give it an adult POV review, I remember hating BD, and I still hate the details of BD so I imagine it’s gonna be torture for me lol. If Eclipse ends on a note where I could reasonably headcanon/fanfic the ending I’d prefer*, then I’ll be happy enough with it.

So far, Twilight got 4/5 for me, New Moon 4.5/5, and Eclipse I’ll prob give... uhhh... 4? Maybe 3.5? I guess we’ll see how the rest goes. BD I can’t see me giving a passing grade but who knows. 

*The ending I prefer will be the subject of another post after I finish Eclipse.