#literally so fucking tragic they’re SOOOO good

[macroglossus]

man how many times do i have to learn the lesson that even if something doesn’t list wheat in the ingredients i still need to google if it’s gluten free before eating it

[latinokaeya-moving]

treated myself to the very short beginning section of three houses just now but i had to stop n turn off my switch when the game asked me to pick a house bc i started agonising over whether to go w edelgard first or just jump straight into the claude route

[thissacrificeisnecxesary]

Having a lot of thoughts about Roman right now I need you guys to hear okay.

First of all I hear most often as an explanation for his like. Odd sexual behavior that he got molested and I’ve said it so many times but that’s just not enough for me I don’t know. First of all I think the fact that it’s an external source makes it far too simple for what’s going on with Roman and I feel it’s just kind of dismissive. I read Roman. Okay obviously he’s much more repressed than either of his siblings which is actually insane given how repressed they are but. But anyway. I think part of that I guess is Roman is gay I mean. I think it’s clear they want you to know he’s gay they imply it everywhere literally like the fucking his personal trainer scene. That to me is clear communication this character is a repressed homosexual. And I think his weird behavior around sex with women is kind of due to . Okay. I mean we know his a misogynist like how could he not be and viewing women as objects I think he uses women as a conduit to have sex with men. Which is very obvious in the first Roman “sex” scene where he basically cucks himself and then uses the phone with the fucking guy calling to fuck his girlfriend by the way iPhones do not vibrate that hard when you get a call there’s no way she’s into it sorry. I’m sure they’re only dating cause she’s really good at faking it Jesus Christ sorry. Anyway. Every time he has sex with a woman there’s a man attached that I think is more his main target with Tabitha It’s Tom eugh. And Gerri I think in a convoluted way it’s logan. Or I guess you could argue that Gerri unlike all of the other women has no man attached. Maybe it’s just the mommy thing? But in order for my theory to work I’m gonna say he’s fucking Gerri as some weird tangled up horrible attempt at mind fucking his dad. I dunno I find the man fuckign woman conduit theory to be the most satisfying regarding his sexual behavior because it explains why he’s sooooo not into it but also why he has the most sex scenes out of any character. But obviously that’s not all like. I mean if he was just a repressed gay guy fucking women to pretend he was fucking men he wouldn’t. I don’t think that that fully explains his situation with Gerri or the weird scene where he asks Tabitha to pretend she’s dead 😭 like on top of all the gay stuff he definitely has some sexual deviancy going on which I guess you could attribute to him getting molested or whatever. I mean I would argue he’s just one of those people that’s born that way. The “dad thinks there’s something wrong with you” I think there’s just something a little more tragic about Roman having no idea why or how but just being. Like wrong. Especially in an environment that is not going to accept him Roman just being born wrong is soooo it. It hurts!!! But still that’s not a very satisfying explanation.

One thing I guess is the bathroom motif? I guess. For Roman significant moments happen in the bathroom allll the time!! The rocket on shivs wedding, the Gerri jerk off scene, mattson in the bathroom, menken in the bathroom. Like a LOT of Roman’s significant moments happen in the bathroom which is . Odd. I’m just not totally sure what’s trying to be communicated there, at first I thought okay he got molested in a bathroom right sure. I mean we constantly see them enter rooms that are crawling with very rich very protected very morally depraved old men and I’m sure logan might’ve brought his kids along like sure teach them the business but I doubt he was actually supervising them. It’s believable to me that that’s something that could happen but it. agh it just doesn’t work for me I don’t know. Something about it just feels off. It’s too simple. I guess it could be a gay thing I dunno. I mean for Roman it seems women are not allowed in the bathroom with him he’s only ever in there by himself or with other men. There’s even a Scene where his girlfriend joins him in the bathroom and he kicks her out so maybe? I guess. And I mean shiv says the rocket just looks like a big dick? I feel like I’m really reaching now. I just don’t. Get it. Immsoooooo lost on Roman’s character like what the fuck could this bathroom thing mean. What is actually being said there it’s sooo confusing. I don’t know. I think of the main characters Roman is one of the most underdeveloped or at least under explained. I feel his themes and motifs are not consistent enough to get a read on him the way you can with Kendall and logan and shiv. And I’m not sure if that’s a fault of the creators or an intentional thing I mean I know Roman is supposed to be the most repressed anytime he’s faced with a serious question he gives an answer that is disgusting and absurd enough to make you stop asking questions while still revealing nothing so maybe he’s supposed to be this confusing? I just can’t help but feel that he’s actually quite an irrelevant character more like Connor or something but he just kind of wormed his way into the spotlight and now I’m spending more time thinking about him than I’m supposed to. I don’t know. He’s just soooo strange. And unlike Kendall and shiv strange there’s no. It feels like there’s no way to solve the puzzle and actually get to the point with him. Like he just. Exists to jerk off on everything and say awful things. To what end?? What does it all mean!! I don’t know I mean maybe he’s just meant to be a clown? Like they don’t go in depth with his problems despite showing you that they exist because they’re so absurd all you can do is laugh. I mean that’s definitely the way Roman presents himself I just wish we could get further than how Roman presents himself. I wanna know what his deal is he just makes it sooo hard

[outer-edges]

hmmm i think you are single-handedly gonna get to me to watch the punisher which i 1) do not have time for and 2) do not have time for and 3) DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR!!! YOURE DRAGGING ME INTO THE ABYSS RN

IM TELLING YOU MAN YOU GOTTA WATCH THE PUNISHER!!!

frank is SOOOOO blorbo material. he’s just a tragic dad with a dead family who doesn’t know what to do without them. he is literally just such a goddamn FATHER. like bro is killing EVERY SINGLE person responsible for killing his family because that’s the only thing he knows how to do without them and he’s got all this love and grief and anger that he doesn’t know what to do with it. he considers himself to be dead already. he’s so tragic im literally 🤮😭🤮😭😭

also jon bernthal fucking SLAYYYYSSS he is so good at acting every single one of his monologues make me fucking sob no matter how many times I watch it. like idk if you’ve watched daredevil but the one batch two batch penny and dime scene about his dead daughter makes me fucking vomit.

AND S1 HEAVILY FEATURES KAREN PAGE!!

she is one of my favorite characters. she’s so strong and empathetic and tenacious and loyal and she is always there for the people who need her. when she first meets frank he’s bound to a hospital bed like an animal, and she is the ONLY person who cares what happens to him and she essentially forces him to keep going. she has SOOOO much faith in him it’s unreal. and he’s SO protective over her too because she’s one of the few people left who care about him, and she just has this different level of belief in him and they connect so well and they’re chemistry is beyond.

AND DUDE SEASON TWO??? GUESS WHAT SEASON TWO HAS!!! THATS RIGHT!! FOUND FATHER DAUGHTER!!!!!!

NEED I SAY MORE???

in summation: watch the punisher. join me in the abyss.

[rosssrandomblog]

Finally I catched with Zeroin! so here we go with my thoughts on the last 3 episodes 6, 7 and 8.

Ep. 6

was less tragic than I expected, but Hazel flachback was soooo good! It explain many thing about Hazel. I think that Ukoku had a BIG impact on him but I'll talk about Hazel and everything on a later date.

The flower scene shocked me, it was so cruel and effective. Basically summerizes Ukoku and his way of thinking, I was literally speachless and I am not even a little surprised he (among other things) fucked up Hazel so much.

Back to the main timeline, the last seen was totally unexpected. (Yes I still have to read Even a Worm.) I was like 'Wait! Stop the train!'

After this I still have a question... What the hell was doing Ukoku in the Western Continent? He has to have motives ‘cause I don’t believe even for a moment that he was there in vacation like come on! What were you in Europe for Ukoku? I want to know.😭😭

Ep 7.

I was trembling the whole time, this one was intense.

Seen Sanzo completely at lost was so painful, I don't know even what to say.

Hakkai's ability to keep calm during this situation is incredible, this men has all my respect (he already had it since day one but you know what I mean).

Seeing Seiten Taisei is always awesome. His impact on the enviroment, its incredible, I knew he was a product of Earth itself but I never thought about the consequences of his power on the earth.

It's a little bit of a shame that Hazel and Gato did relatively little.

To praise Hakkai even more, using lightning against Goku is elite thinking.

The reaction of Gojyo when Sanzo comes back is very understandable but at the same time my heart aches for Sanzo.

Ep. 8

sooo here we are to face the aftermath of ep.7, and I wasn’t ready.

When Goku’s lashes out, wanting to know what had happend was really heartbreaking, and seening him scared of himself and his actions as Seiten Taisei was even more painful.

I find interesting that in general the two more visceral reactions are Sanzo’s and Gojyo’s, but they’re on the opposite sides of the spectrum. Sanzo left because in his view was the only thing he could do, go off and settle things with Ukoku once and for all.

Gojyo on the other hand, blames Sanzo for leaving when he was most needed. I think that is not only because Sanzo is the only one capable to keep Saiten Taisei under control kind of, but mostly is about Sanzo’s presence (or better his absence) in such a difficult time for Goku.

I loved also the thing about the two cities, one of humans and one of youkais that hate eachother with the same intensity. The humans are understandably terroriesed of youkai ‘cause of the minus wave, and at the same time youkais are livid with humans for shutting them out in the middle of the desert. Both wants to survive and the impossibility for them to live together anymore makes them enemies.

And Gojyo’s and Sanzo’s views are so different from one another that they (mostly Gojyo) can’t understand eachother reasoning.

This situation enlights not only the separation of the Sanzo Ikkou at this moment, but also enlights the middleground they were standing for all this time.

I am very curios about what will happen the next episode, I really don’t want to see the guys on the opposite sides of a humans vs youkais battle. I don’t think that Sanzo would let himself get involved into this mess ‘cause he has things to do, but at the same time he’s now with Hazel soooo I don’t really know.

About Goku and the others I am not just as sure if they will be able to stand on the side, I am very scared about that.😭

[bthump]

I wanted to touch on the whole gutsca thing with someone (I know zero people in this fandom so you're my lucky pick!). Am I alone in feeling like their first time together came out of no where? My meta with Guts is that he was not at all comfortable with sex at that time of his life (this instance being his first time [outside of the rape he experienced as a child]). His choice of words too, "here I go", translated to me like someone only doing what they felt was expected of them rather than something he was yearning for. He clearly wasn't even ready given how rough he was and how he regressed and attacked her. This moment seemed very forced and almost rang to me like Kentaro's declaration of "no homo though". I would be curious to know how Kentaro felt about homosexuality (bisexuality, etc) and if he ever addressed the ever blatant gay tension and romantic-non-platonic-love blossoming between Guts and Griffith pre-eclipse. I do get the sense that this may be a case of severe queer baiting or perhaps a PSA against gay love altogether ("falling for a man will literally destroy you and send you and everyone you love to hell" type of message); but I'm a very jaded person so I hope to be proven wrong. Sigh, my point being Gutsca seems pretty dang forced and empty of true development. I buy them more as besties than anything romantic. Especially since both he and Casca are actually in love with Griffith (what a fucking triangle!). Does anyone in fandom have any opinions on the sad possibility of this whole beautiful and ultimately tragic love between Griffith and Guts actually being a fucked up anti-gay PSA? Are there any interviews with Kentaro shooting this theory down so I can stop being sad and bitter about it? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for sending this, I'm definitely down to talk about it! I hope you connect with more people in the fandom but don’t worry about sending random asks even if you do lol.

Anyway you’re definitely not alone. I have a lot of thoughts on Guts and Casca's hook up, and they're all pretty much "it feels really forced and not particularly romantic but I think you can argue that that's deliberate" lol. For instance I discuss in a lot of detail here how various aspects of the scene indicate that Guts and Casca having sex is shown to be a case of both of them rebounding from Griffith and sort of giving to each other what they were unable or failed to give to him.

And I talk a lot about how Judeau essentially orchestrates it all and what that suggests about Guts and Casca's relationship here.

And lol sorry for all the links but also this post is about how their relationship feels one-sided to an extent and is used to illuminate a lot of Guts' flaws, using Judeau as a comparison point.

Oh shit and also one more lol, here's a comparison between the sex scene and Griffith's with Charlotte that suggests that both start as ways for the dudes to repress their feelings.

(Don't feel obligated to read all those posts if you don't want, you should get the gist of what I'm saying w/ those descriptions.)

But yeah basically I do think that Guts and Casca getting together felt forced and awkward. At best it might be intended to be seen that way, as two friends hooking up awkwardly in an emotionally intense moment but probably doomed to failure because neither of them are ready for a relationship with the other, or particularly interested in one deep down, once they finished "licking wounds." At worst it’s just bad writing lol. But again like I think there are good arguments for the former.

I also totally agree that their relationship has a strong vibe of doing what's expected. Like for real, at least to me both Guts and Casca read so easily as gay and repressed lol. Casca talks about her feelings for Griffith in terms of “he was a boy she was a girl can I make it any more obvious”

and I can’t help but see it as Casca like, wow I have strong feelings towards Griffith, he’s a man and I’m a woman, so clearly these feelings must be romantic, there’s no other option. Then when she has sex with Guts she keeps contextualizing it essentially as repayment for Guts saving her, like she owes him. “I too want a wound I can say you gave me.” “Not just being given to... maybe I can give something as well.” Which just doesn’t make her desire for him look all that genuine lol.

And then you have Guts. The way he tells Casca that from the start only her touch was okay with him after he has sex with her, referencing the scene when he wakes up with her on top of him and starts to panic before realizing she’s a woman, is soooo suggestive of repression to me. Like, first off because it’s incorrect, he was also okay with Griffith going in for a face-grab after winning a duel Guts had been projecting his rape trauma all over, which seems like a pretty conspicuous omission. And secondly because the reason he was okay with Casca’s touch specifically is solely because she’s a woman, not because she’s special or because they have a magic romantic connection - it’s because she’s not a man. To me that just screams that Guts was open to sex with Casca because she’s the only woman he knows, and he’s afraid of the idea of physical intimacy with men, regardless of what he might actually want deep down.

So yeah that’s basically how I feel about Guts and Casca’s relationship, strong agree with you.

When it comes to Miura’s intent, I can tell you that Miura was asked about the subtext in an interview once, back in 2000, and he responded with something along the lines of ‘two men can have passionate feelings for each other without it being romantic.’ The interview is here, but this is a paraphrase the translator mentioned in the comments.

Other than that I’ve never seen him address it directly, but on the flipside he has cited several textually gay stories as inspiration (off the top of my head: Kaze to Ki no Uta, Devilman, Guin Saga, mangaka Moto Hagio in general), and he has straightforwardly said that the (magical intersex) central character of his other work, Duranki, was intended to have romances with both male and female love interests. Also people tell me there are strong griffguts vibes with the main, presumably canon or intended-to-be-canon ship there. So there’s that lol.

As for the no homo aspect and the potential homophobia in the griffguts subtext... I can’t deny I’ve also considered the idea that it’s a deliberate anti-gay PSA (though I haven’t seen anyone else address the idea as far as I remember, and I’ve only briefly mentioned it offhandedly). Like, Guts and Griffith’s relationship turns bad because they’re both too invested in each other, maybe the barely-subtextual desire is meant to look like a sinister twisting of pure platonic feelings that ruins everything, if Griffith hadn’t loved him the Eclipse never would have happened, etc.

But honestly I don’t think that reading holds up compared to a much more positive reading of their feelings, in which it’s their failure to understand them and act on them, thanks largely to formative childhood trauma and self-hatred, that leads to tragedy.

I don’t know what Miura intended, and there certainly are aspects of the story that are homophobic regardless of his intent, even if my best-faith reading is entirely correct, like the only textual gay attraction being pedophiles and over the top heretic orgies lol, or yk, Guts and Griffith both assaulting the same woman while looking at/thinking about the other in a very sexually charged way.

But the reading of their relationship where it’s positive and good for both of them, even including sexual desire, and only gets fucked up because they both incorrectly think their feelings are unrequited is legitimately so weirdly strong, much stronger than a reading where the sexual nature of their feelings is what fucks everything up, so I’m pretty happy just rolling with that take.

And as much as Casca can be seen and may very well be intended as a no homo, it’s also very easy for me to read her relationships with both as less of a hopeful opportunity for positive heterosexual romance and more of a “here’s how repressing your feelings thru attempts at heterosexuality fucks you up” PSA lol. Griffith and Charlotte too, for that matter. It’s definitely a stretch to think that’s intended, but whether it’s intended or not it’s an easy sell for me and I’m fine with not really worrying too much about possible authorial intent there.

Finally, I also want to link this post that goes pretty thoroughly into why I interpret griffguts as very positive rather than as a cautionary tale or predatory gay lust etc

And also have this shorter post about Femto on the same subject too, why not

Oh and maybe this thing where I split hairs about Guts’ lust for Griffith and desire for revenge to make a point that the homoeroticism isn’t necessarily being equated with violence by the narrative lol

[elpercotreviews]

Kaze Hikaru Ending

OBVIOUSLY SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

I AM WARNING YALL, THIS ENDING GENUINELY MADE ME DECIDE TO STOP READING THE MANGA, WHICH IVE READ FOR YEARS.

Okay so basically Imma put y'all onto some historical context first. If y'all didn't know already, Kaze Hikaru is based on real life people and real life historical events. The Shinsengumi were real and pretty much also every named character in the Shinsengumi in Kaze Hikaru is based off a real person. If you read the author's message that Watanabe-sensei leaves at the end of every volume, you can see that she cares a LOT about the historical accuracy.

And I was dreading that cuz ... if you know the history of the Bakumatsu era like I do ... then you know that pretty much everyone in the Shinsengumi dies in some tragic way (except Saito apparently IRL he lived to old age and all that).

Soooo unfortunately of course this applies to our loveable and amazing male lead as well, Okita Souji. Historically, he gets sick and dies of tuberculosis, unable to fight alongside Hijikata and the last remnants of the Shinsengumi during the Boshin War. Like I said, this is all REAL LIFE HISTORY, so if you want "spoilers" about the actual overall events and plot of Kaze Hikaru just go onto Wikipedia and whatnot and research the Bakumatsu era and the Shinsengumi lolol. Because like I said, the mangaka put a LOT of research and effort to be historically accurate. Even about mundane things like the architecture of the buildings, the lamps they're using, the language, all of it.

LAST WARNING FOR THE ACTUAL MANGA ITSELF THOUGH

But since Kaze Hikaru is a SHOUJO and a historical ROMANCE, as I kept reading and translating the manga I was like, "No way they'd actually kill off Souji right? RIGHT?! Like maybe yeah he'll get tuberculosis but somehow he'll survive it right and just have a happy ending with Sei right? RIGHT?!" WELL FUCK ME AND FUCK ALL OF US ENGLISH READERS CUZ NO THATS DEAD WRONG. THATS RIGHT HE DOES DIE. And it's in such a sad and depressing way too like wtfff, I did not want to read a shoujo to just witness our beloved main lead die in such a slow and painful way and our female lead just so heartbroken.

And get this. This the real kicker in the balls. Lemme preface this by saying I didn't actually read the last chapter. I literally couldn't find it anywhere online, even in Japanese. I searched a long time but yeah no one has uploaded the last chapter, illegally or otherwise. But what I DID find were a LOT of amazon reviews about the ending because clearly people had a lot to say about it. That's why I know the GIST of what the ending is. So I can't give anymore details than what I know okay. Read my "Discontinuing Scanlations" post, and you'll see I already admitted to this. So yeah, the way the manga ends ends is basically yeah Souji dies and .... Sei has a kid with Hijikata???????????? And a lot of the reviews were saying something about it being sus and like dubious consent/maybe even rape????? Idk I'm not that fluent so I couldn't really tell if people were saying it "felt" like a rape or "was" a rape, BUT STILL WTF.

YOU HEARD ME YALL. IM LITERALLY NOT FUCKING WITH YALL, THATS WHAT HAPPENS. I AM DEAD SERIOUS.

I was so genuinely shook and distraught and lemme say THE JAPANESE READERS WERE SHOOKETH TOO. LIKE THE AMOUNT OF REVIEWS OF JAPANESE PEOPLE EQUALLY GOING "BUT WHY THO???" The amount of reviews that were like "I read this manga from start to finish for 20 years ... what a disappointment." LIKE AHHHHHHH. The Japanese reviews all seemed to agree that Sei having a kid with Hijikata was just so damn random and nonsensical, especially taking in the fact that Hijikata always had a neutral/tolerant attitude towards Sei, and no romantic feelings. People also pointed out that Sei having a kid and just going back to being a woman and all that COMPLETELY didn't align with the story's message about Sei being strong and bushi and rejecting her feminine side for something she saw as a higher purpose.

One review deadass said something like "Maybe it would've been better if Sei just died after Okita did." LIKE FR THOUGH ☠️☠️☠️

Back when I first wrote my "Discontinuing Scanlations" posts, reviews were more split 50/50 if the ending was good or not. But after rechecking today so I could write this post, it's like majority bad reviews now lolol. People were that disappointed and upset by the ending and yeah same.

SO THERE. YALL GOT ME TO CAVE AND REVEAL WHAT THE ENDING PRETTY MUCH IS. If your Japanese is a lot more fluent than me/you wait another decade, then you'll get a more detailed understanding of the ending, but like I said that's the basic gist of what happens and what all the Japanese readers were upset about. So yeah, LET KAZE HIKARU DIE IN MY MIND IM OVER IT 😭

[banchieplaysminecraft]

How Aaron could’ve been a good character and why he wasn’t

I’ve been annoyed at this for a good long while and i’ve finally gotten around to talk about it so here we gooo

please note that, though i watched all of mcd s2 while it was coming out, i haven’t rewatched it all the way through (i’m a little less than halfway through s2) so bear with me

now, we can all agree that we didn’t really have a lot of beef with aaron in s1. was it annoying that aph was keeping secrets?  yes. did we actively enjoy the fact that this random edgelord showed up with all of this convenient information? sure. but did we actively dislike him? i don’t think so

im sure that some people did, but it was a far cry from the universal grudge that we as a fandom hold. the only question is, what changed?

the answer is pretty simple: he got annoying

there is no greater sin that a content creator can commit than to make a character tedious--especially a character that the fans are meant to root for. i once heard someone say that there is no such thing as a good character and a bad character, there are only interesting characters or boring characters

now, before the s1 finale, aaron wasn’t annoying because he made sense. we didn’t know a lot about his backstory, but we knew just enough to not have a lot of questions while also understanding why he as a character worked. he spied on zane, he got information, and he got away with it because, according to every government in existence, he was dead. he was doing it to avenge his village, which seemed to be his reason for doing most things.

 that was basically it, because that was all that we needed. he didn’t answer personal questions because that could reveal his identity, and he didn’t hang around phoenix drop proper because he knew that there was a spy in the village who might figure him out. all in all, he was a very logical character

what changed? his motivation

after the gang sealed zane in the irene dimension, may i ask WHAt the fuck was his reason for staying??? nothing! what was his reason for keeping his identity a secret? pretty much nothing! it made no sense!!

according to all of his characterization as a *~lone wolf~*, it would make the most sense for him to strike out on his own and do whatever the fuck, maybe occasionally popping back in to warn the main characters of some impending doom, maybe hold a giant fuckass sword to someone’s throat again, maybe find some other tyrant to destroy.

but he didn’t, and it made no sense

this was made exponentially worse because he was an ~edgy dark angsty boy with a sad past and a dead wife~ and because he seemed to be able to do no wrong. he rarely, if ever, communicated with the rest of the group, and he often just went out on his own--and yet, most people seemed to trust him unconditionally?? he always seems to show up at the right place and the right time with little to no explanation as to how, and no one ever questions it. sure, laurance and dante had some doubts and even spoke up once or twice, but laurance’s grievances are mostly due to being in love with aph, and literally no one else ever asked anything, despite not even knowing his fucking name

and, of course, everyone thinks that he’s super hot and aphmau falls in love with him and then he dies a tragic death in a moment of self-sacrifice that really wasn’t all that heroic because he left his wife and child behind

i mean, come on

THAT BEING SAID he had soooo muuch potentiaalllllll

LET ME EXPLAIN

during s1, his role in the story was the spy--and he was very good at it, because everyone thought that he was dead!! how are you gonna blame a dead man for anything without sounding crazy! no one knew his name or his face or anything--and they should’ve kept it that way because, surprise!! theyre still at war in s2. sure, it’s a different war, but it’s still! a fucking! war! and like 70% of war is ESPIONAGE and INFORMATION and STRATEGY, havent you ever heard the phrase KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE??? they literally had possibly the best spy that they knew of and instead of actually putting his skills to work he just dramatically leans on trees and sits in the shadows??? WHAT

he clearly had ways to get into high places, since he had somehow gotten his hands on the amulet in s1, and he used to be a lord so he would’ve known things about POLITICS and KINGDOM STUFF--i mean, we all know that aphmau knows jack shit about this world and how it works.

what SHOULDVE HAPPENED IS:

after they all get back to the overworld, he leaves the party. idc if it’s immediately after or if he waits a few days, but he leaves regardless. every once in awhile, we hear of him popping up in various places, and we run into him a few times. he informs the gang of what he’s heard, maybe tags along on some missions. he still shows up in random places the way that he does in canon, but since he’s not based it phoenix drop i think that it makes a bit more sense, and he occasionally pops back into phoenix drop whenever he’s in the area or needs time to rest and recharge, and stays an informant for aphmau & her crew. as things pick up, he slowly becomes a more commonly-seen member of aphmau’s inner circle. 

throughout this whole period, he finally starts to come to terms with the death of his wife & their village, and he slowly starts to share more with the group--nothing big, just details here and there--and he actually starts to develop *gasp* a personality. i’d like to imagine that he gets closer with laurance, dante, and katelyn instead of only ever talking to aphmau. i don’t think that he’s ever super talkative, but he starts to be a little less quiet & closed off. 

at this point, he’s either told them his name or (preferred) they all have a list of nicknames that they cycle through to address him. sooner or later he starts to help with the building of phoenix drop and the alliance, taking on duties that are more akin to his old role as lord. he either phases the espionage out of his schedule or ghostwrites all of the legislation, and falls more easily into his new roles

i don’t really care if he ever ends up with aphmau or not, but if he does then that also happens at some point or another, but i, at least, would no longer be angry at that outcome

However, this whole plot would require everyone in the story to take literally all of their roles in this literal government that they’re building seriously, and we all know that that’s never going to happen, but i can dream /s

Tl;dr, if aaron actually used his strengths and skills to be a useful member of this alliance instead of randomly showin up and dramatically hitting things with his giant fuckoff sword, he’d be so much more tolerable

[godsofhumanity]

LORE OLYMPUS S1 (WEB COMIC) | REVIEW

okay folks so your gal just finished LO season 1, thought i might just give my two cents about the whole shebang. spoilers below cut.

OVERVIEW: LO S1 pretty much just revolves around Persephone in a modern-day AU (kind of?? idk i’m still unclear about this) where she manages to convince Demeter to let her move to Olympus, where she lives with Artemis. Shit happens and she meets Hades, CEO of the Underworld (literally tbh) and they fall in love, but they both have lots of issues and obstacles that they must first get past before they can like, get together. 

RATING: idk.. 5/10 ?? it’s not a favourite, and i wouldn’t read it twice.. but yeah. i really think reading it for yourself is a lot better than just going by other people’s opinions (which is what i did previously). it’s honestly, quite a quick read.

AVAILABLE ON: webtoon

THINGS I LIKED:

> the author’s artistic choice to keep all the characters related to a single colour scheme. visually speaking, this is very appealing and helps the reader differentiate between characters considering they all the freaking same.

> exploration of other myths on the sidelines of the main story. i particularly liked the twist on the eros-psyche myth where aphrodite actually calms down and decides to test how much eros really loves psyche, because she doesn’t want her son’s heart broken again.

> aphrodite’s whole family in general. ares, eros, aphrodite and the little kids are so fucking cute... i’m not a fan of aphrodite in most interpretations but i actually like her in LO. she’s questionable at the start but she gets better i think.

> zeus, poseidon and hades having “compulsory” family brunch where it’s just “bonding time” with the bros. i thought that was pretty funny.

> HERA!!! during *that scene* (y’all know the one) when Hera could sense that someone was in pain, that they were in distress but she wasn’t sure who... aghhhhhh like a mother concerned for her child... 

> also hera teaching Hebe that it’s wrong to snoop around... Hebe.. so cute

> helios having a chain around his neck. don’t get me wrong, i HATE that he’s being used for labour, like a punishment, he deserves so much better!! BUT, i like that the consequences of war are actually shown,, and that the olympians aren’t as hot as they think themselves to be, like everyone pretty much hates them.

> pomegranate soda or whatever it was.. clever

> i like Minthe as a character. it seems to be that she genuinely wants to be better, and that she does in fact like Hades, but she is really struggling with her emotional state, and i hope she gets help. soon. i said before that i thought hades x minthe would be better than hades x persephone, but now i realise that actually no, that’d be very toxic.. but i am wondering about minthe x thanatos because it seems to me they are actually pretty good to each other (EXHIBIT A: thanatos bringing minthe food when she was an emotional wreck and wouldn’t leave her apartment after hades broke up with her).

> fave characters so far: hera, poseidon, ares, eros, aphrodite, hermes, thanatos, hades, helios, and controverisal but... zeus (idk.. i’m still deciding)

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

> alright let’s talk about hades-persephone’s relationship. first of all, i think that even in a “modern au”, if Persephone had been like 2000, and Hades had been like 4000, that at least would have made sense because like, they’re gods, so comparatively that would’ve been alright. BUT, Persephone is NINETEEN (19). not converting from goddess-to-human years.. i mean she has actually been alive for 19 fucking years. she is not just a child compared to Hades, she is a fucking BABY!!!!!! she’s a newborn!!!! and Persephone’s “youthfulness” is clearly demonstrated in her immaturity (which is natural because she’s a fucking teenager) AND her lack of awareness about the real world.. she has no experience (don’t get me wrong, this isn’t exactly her fault)

[EG] persephone trying to give the poor souls on the beach money so that they can get a ride with charon, and then a riot starting because that was a stupid decision and she doesn’t know any better...

> Hades, on the other hand, is like a grown-ass man who is running a company and managing the souls of the underworld, etc, etc. Hades thought it was OKAY to pull out the eye of a news reporter because he slandered Persephone (an eye for an eye is a pretty archaic principle, which makes since because, oh yeah, Hades IS archaic!).Hades has soooo many years of experience more than Persephone. he literally fought in the olympian-titan war!! Hades treats Persephone well, for sure... but honestly?? she is just too young... and the weirdest thing about it?? most of the characters in the story ALSO AGREE THAT SHE IS A CHILD!!!!!!

> related to the above^^, Hecate literally, when she first hears about hades-persephone from the newspaper, SCOLDS hades, and tells him that she is wayyy too young for him.. but then literally the next chapter comes, and she’s suddenly okay with it?? she’s like shipping it too???????? HELLO???? make up your mind hecate.

> Persephone The Naked Butterfly scene where she fucking falls on top of Hades, naked....... how necessary was that?

> let’s not even talk about ap*llo in this comic.. that was fucking disgusting, and that’s all i’m gonna say about that.

> zeus setting demeter’s crops on fire because she was sick of having to cover for zeus’ affairs and finally put her foot down. you go, girl! but zeus.. that definitely did make me dislike him a little..

> thetis... HATE HATE HATE HATE her!!!!!!! ughhhhhhhhhh

> why does daphne have like.. a crush on ap*llo??? shouldn’t she hate him?

> Persephone The Mass Murderer scene.......... i do NOT understand at all how some mortals digging up flowers = the death of a nymph. if this was the case, then there shouldn’t really be ANY nymphs left.. i mean so many people dig up flowers... also, idk about y’all but i’m certain that in a chapter Persephone was seen to be making flower crowns for Cerberus.. does that not require the flower to be yanked from the ground??? hello??? i feel like the author knew that she wanted Persephone to do something tragic and dangerous in order to win the name Persephone, but wasn’t sure exactly what so she just quickly put this together, because the logic is fairly lax in my opinion.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

A prequel to The Final Season that follows Louis and Violet… but it’s Before the Storm

HHHHNNNNNNGGGGGG--

do you know what you’re asking anon??

Okay, look... y’all know how I feel about Life is Strange: Before the Storm. I hate it. So much. The only good thing to come out of it for me is a few great Pisshead songs. It’s just... ugh. Like, I’m not the biggest fan of the first Life is Strange game, but I like it enough to recommend it to anyone who hasn’t played... but I would never recommend you waste your hard-earned money on the prequel. Just watch a let’s play on youtube for free.

Harsh? Totally, but it’s honestly how I feel. 

And this idea of a Before the Storm-like prequel to TFS is something I’ve discussed before when talking about my fears of ever getting another twdg from skybound or anyone else. Because in my eyes, a Before The Storm is the absolute worst-case scenario.

Why?

Well. Lemme describe to you what this would be like--

Okay, so let’s say I’m Skybound or maybe I’m another company that came to Skybound like “hey, we wanna do a prequel with the Ericson crew that follows Louis and Violet! :D” 

So here’s the thing-- Louis and Violet are gonna be the main focus and playable characters! Neat, huh? Y’all are frothing at the mouth at this! ...Except do you remember how Sterling and Gideon brought Louis and Violet to life with their incredible voices? yeah, they’re not coming back for the prequel. Instead, I hired two actors who are 20x worse, and all their dialogue reads like this--

“No one... talks... like this... but... we... have to... fill up... all the...run... time... so everyone... has to... talk as slow... and.... monotone... as... they possibly... can.”

Fantastic! So not only are the performances terrible but the dialogue worse. 

As for the characters of Louis and Violet themselves, we’re pretty much just gonna focus on the surface level elements and fanservicey stuff, soooo~

Louis = ha ha funny boy tell joke ha ha

Violet = sad lesbian eat chicken nugget 

Sometimes we’ll dig a little deeper and show some actual understanding of them, but you don’t care about that because you’ll be too busy with MINERVA! Yep, we’re gonna give you the backstory of vinerva! Aren’t you excited???

Hope so, because remember when Minnie was a compelling, tragic character in tfs? Well, we’ve replaced her with a literal trash can and gave her a personality to match, but again, you won’t notice how little chemistry she and Violet have or how poorly executed and quick their relationship is because you’ll be uwuing about the lesbian romance. 

Oh and Sophie’s there but like who cares, y’know?

As for Louis and what his whole thing is-- he’s got Daddy Issues™ where he has ridiculous nightmares that could be great for character study, but you can’t take them seriously because we’re constantly shoving SYMBOLISM in your face. 

Oh, we also get the origin story of his jacket-- he found it in a dumpster and said “gucci” and it’s great. And we can’t forget to shove some lousim in there because fanservice and “only REAL fans know that Aasim originally had a crush on Louis based on stuff in the files-- oh, don’t forget to put in lots of pyro jokes for the real fans, too!”

The lousim goes absolutely NOWHERE but we already gave you a lesbian romance, what more do you want??

So Louis tells cringy, dumb jokes every five minutes, and Violet shit talks inanimate objects. 

AND SPEAKING OF BOTH OF THEM-- We’re gonna showcase what best friends they are and how strong their relationship is even though it looks like they fucking hate each other BUT NO trust me, they’re bros you just don’t get it--

But anyway, you’re probably wondering what the story is here? Well, truth be told, we don’t know either but trust us, it’ll be great because this is a story written for fans by fans. It’s a story of fanservice with sprinklings of trauma and character growth that goes nowhere. 

And lemme tell you about the choices that mean absolutely nothing because this is a prequel game that will not affect the original tfs in any shape or form.

I’m sure you’re also wondering about the other tfs ericson kiddos? They’re around, too, but half of them are cardboard cuts plopped in the background that you can’t interact with.   

Oh, and Louis and Vi set that one part of the school on fire by accident but it’s chill, they pointed the finger at Aasim. 

Because pyro jokes for the real twdg fans. 

Now the final choice of the game... literally doesn’t matter because, as I’ve stated before, this is a PREQUEL game that has zero effect on TFS and it’s events. 

So what do you think? Are you excited to play my prequel game?? Make sure you like and subscribe and hit that notification bell to be notified when it comes out--

....okay I’m done. 

But do you see? Do you see why I hate this idea so much? Yeah, this is an exaggerated [well, mostly] version of what Before the Storm is like and I’m fully aware that if they ever did a prequel with Ericson, it wouldn’t be like this... well, at least I hope it wouldn’t be. 

This is just what anon wanted, and I’m here to deliver such... despair. ugh. 

[galaxy-of-me]

super super random but do you have any anime/manga/(both???) recs??? you have absolutely immaculate amazing taste, soooo i want to have something to watch when i finally have vacations on a month :D

i’m so honored wow. and like if my taste is immaculate yours is fuckin superb dude 😭

okay so please forgive me if you’ve already watched any of these but here’s the list yes:

toilet-bound hanako-kun

anime/manga

genre: supernatural, romance ig

status: complete (anime), ongoing (manga)

if you haven’t heard of this anime by now somehow it’s basically just about this high-school girl who accidentally summons a ghost, accidentally befriends him, accidentally gets wrapped up in a bunch of supernatural drama, and accidentally falls in love ig. i mostly started watching it for the art style but wow does this series know how to tug at your heartstrings.

the case files of jeweler richard

anime/manga

genre: mystery, slice of life, psychological

status: complete (anime), ongoing (manga and light novels)

oops underrated anime time! jeweler richard is about this dude who saves a stranger from being mugged and then winds up working part-time at said stranger’s jewelery. it’s somewhat of a mystery, with groups of a few episodes being tied to the “cases” of their customers, but it is more psychological slice-of-life than anything. i know this show isn’t going to get a season two and that Upsets me. it wasn’t showstoppingly amazing by any means but it did not get the sort of attention it deserved. (also there’s lots of dashes of queer rep in this show. you love to see it.)

gin no saji

anime/manga

genre: slice of life, comedy, some romance ig

status: complete (anime), ongoing (manga)

gin no saji is about a kid who drops out of his high school and instead attends a farming school. it’s an excellent blend of comedy and contemplation about what you are doing with your life. think city boy meets countryside and cute farm animals. yeah that’s the show. i am not making it sound interesting but i did really enjoy watching it. i know it was one of my favorite shows when i watched it so i think it’s about time for a rewatch to see if that still holds up lmao.

kabukibu!!

anime/manga

genre: slice of life, comedy

status: complete

finally, an excuse for kabukibu propaganda. kabukibu’s plot is very simple. a boy who’s loved kabuki all his life wants to start a kabuki club so he convinces a bunch of other students to join by charming them one by one. honestly, i watched this show with 0 expectations but WOAH ITS WAY BETTER THAN I EXPECTED WOW. in the first few episodes, it just completely says “fuck gender stereotypes bc kabuki said so” and damn do i respect that. also, the characters were really the driving point of the series for me. they look very trope-y at first glance but the longer i watched the show the more they really felt like just people. and their dynamics with each other makes for a lot of fun scenes. yeah i just think this show’s neat. the plot is basic but i’m surprised it hasn’t gotten much recognition for the things it’s doing.

haruta to chika

anime/manga

genre: mystery, music, drama

haruchika is great. it’s about these two childhood friends who reunite in high school and end up joining the school band because they both end up simping for the teacher who leads it LMAOOO. the great thing about this concept is that there is obviously 0 interest on the teacher’s part so it’s mostly just wholesome crushes. also uh one of the main characters is a dude and yes he’s gay and yes he’s in love with the teacher please get better taste. also they solve mysteries about people’s tragic pasts which sways them into joining the band so. yeah.

kami-sama no ekohiiki

anime/manga

genre: fantasy, romance, gender-bender

status: complete

a gender-bender manga that isn’t homophobic or transphobic??? and explores the concept of how gender is tied to attraction and how love is not a predictable emotion and can change depending on the things that change around you?? plus gay pining?? sign me up. basically, this dude confessed his love to his best friend and then um. dies. and then literal god is like “i gotchu fam” and brings him back to life as a girl at his request. he basically tries to win his friend’s love as a girl anddd you’ll see how that turns out. also literally no one is straight i love it lmao. there are still some cringey moments but the topic of gender is handled miles better than other manga i’ve seen.

shimanami tasogare

anime/manga

genre: drama, psychological

status: complete

THIS IS THE BEST MANGA I HAVE EVER READ. god, i’ve read shimanami tasogare like 5 times at this point. it’s so good. it is the best representation of lgbt+ characters i have seen in japanese media and one of the best i have seen in any media, really. the art is gorgeous, the characters are lovely, and the plot progresses in such a satisfying way. shimanami tasogare is about a very, very closested gay high-schooler who

ao no flag

anime/manga

genre: drama, romance

status: complete

this manga is the definition of bi panic. the primary focus of the manga is on the love triangle between the main three characters,, but it’s not done with the usual jealousy and rivalry that comes with love triangles. all three of them are so supportive of each other, no matter how others tell them they should act in the situation they’re in. also it might be the first ever series on shonen jump to have an explicitly gay couple?? is this a thing??

[neon-nocte]

Arielle re-reads The Dream Thieves (via audiobook)

I literally don’t care if anyone reads this, it’s fun. Also to set the scene 90% of the time I have been listening to this audiobook I have been playing animal crossing

Declan’s Aglionby dorm door reads “effervescent.” Yes ma’am

Declan pointing a gun at the grey man!! God I am excited for more badass Declan in mister impossible

“Ronan, a sinner himself, wasn’t as struck by the transgression as he was by Gansey’s insistence that they continue to pretend Adam was a saint.” (Ch 3) — and earlier in the chapter, the narration reflected that Ronan’s leather bracelets smelled like gasoline, which Ronan found sexy. I love me some “Ronan Lynch is in love with Adam Parrish” foreshadowing!!!!

Also, just the way Ronan Knows Adam. Adam’s “unknowable” arc, and the above quote, and when Blue says she doesn’t know Adam during their breakup scene, and in TRK when Adam talks to Gansey about his first kiss with Ronan, Gansey says that Adam knows Ronan better but Gansey has known Ronan longer.

“Blue was a fanciful but sensible thing, like a platypus, or one of those sandwiches that had been cut into circles for a fancy tea party.” (Ch 10) — omfg I cannot believe this quote isn’t more famous in this fandom. I’m obsessed[[more]]

The way that Maura & The Grey Man have instant chemistry... could’ve been Blue & Gansey’s dynamic if she wasn’t so stubbornly “choosing” Adam

The way the Adam-mask-dream scene parallels & foreshadows the Adam-choking-Ronan scene from TRK....

The entirety of 1) Ronan writing on the rock in Cabeswater 2) Ronan dreaming of Adam in the mask and 3) the gang visiting the barns for the first time scenes are soooo good

Gansey in a t-shirt and jeans and both Ronan and Blue are a little ☺️😮 at seeing his collarbones

Ah yes the Classic “Ronan wasn’t a fan of lamps”

How Gansey holding the sleeping mouse reminded Ronan of being at the barns with Matthew as a kid.... Ronan Lynch has 3 brothers and that’s canon 😭

Adam finding the mask in the house at the barns and Ronan knocking it put of his hands, then hating everything about the house and his father and himself. 😭Cant really tell Adam “don’t mess with this particular dream object because it fucked you over in my dream and I can’t stand that because I’m in love with you, which is the whole reason why you were in my dream to begin with.”

Do you ever get that strange sense of deja vu when rereading a book and getting to a scene you don’t remember well until you read it again?

Blue going back & forth on whether Gansey was “oblivious” or “enlightened” during the argument about tarot & religion. I forgot how fun it is to watch Blue’s opinion of Gansey evolve in real time. She wants to hate him, to find him annoying, but he just keeps surprising her

Ronan cracking up at the obvious show of “men being attracted to women” when Adam & Gansey are all awed over Orla during the lake scene always sends me

Some things want to be found. !!!!!!!

I had forgotten that Ronan had dreamed about Adam tracing his tattoo on his bare back with his fingers! Foreshadowing to TRK!!!!

Seeing Adam incredibly nervous for the event with Gansey’s family one moment and then cracking the fuck up at the conversation about the pigeon show with Malory the next moment made me happy!

Mmm Blue admitting to herself that she is crushing on Gansey and NOT on Adam, finally we can get this show on the road. And by show I mean both Bluesey and Pynch

It’s the Blue picturing the dreaming tree vision of kissing Gansey to get in the mood for her kissing practice with Noah for me

The Adam/Blue breakup scene is so fucking iconic... for some reason “it’s not gonna be you” has always been hilarious to me

Adam, honey.... we should all be raging feminists. regardless of whether we are dating blue sargent.

I loveeeeeeeeee the Adam & Persephone dynamic and I’m so excited to see more of it in BLLB even tho :/ happens

I cannot stop myself from grinning like a fool during chapter 50 as Fully Psychic Adam refuses the narrative that his 3-card spread tells and pulls a 4th card. The magician!!! Yes boo!

When Adam asks Persephone if he’s different and she tells him that he already was but not the others won’t be able to stop noticing. Makes me think about Ronan, and how this is really when his & Ronan’s friendship changes, so it’s interesting that this occurs literally the very next scene after Adam’s breakup with blue

Scholar Gansey is my favorite Gansey too Blue

Blue & Gansey’s “let’s just pretend” scene 😭😭😭😭

Blue just trying to remain sensible the one time it actually fucking matters, he’s gonna be dead within the year! But she can’t resist! Because Gansey is canonically her soulmate 😭😭😭

Sometimes I get so into pynch that I forget how fucking tragically beautiful the Bluesey story is. They’re so good I love them so much

If I’m ever in a situation where I’m like “I’m not sure if I’m meant to be with This person or That person” I just need to reread all of the Bluesey scenes in this book for clarity

disregard all of the above my favorite ship in the series is blue Sargent/pink switchblade

“Gansey, who had looked aghast at the idea of the Grey Man having to abandon his books...” (ch 54) — god I love Gansey

Thinking about the TDT Ronan who is just learning how to control what he takes from his dreams vs CDTH Ronan who is like Hennessy’s Dreaming Professor

In other words, Ronan is to Hennessey in CDTH what Persephone is to Adam in TDT/BLLB. Or what Kavinsky is to Ronan minus literally everything about him besides his knowledge of how to dream

I remember when I first read this series I was lowkey shook at the “Ronan’s second secret was Adam” part even though it was obvious by then that Ronan was 1) gay and 2) gay for Adam. But as a lesbian who has been burned by queerbaiting so many times I was like yay! The bar is so low I stg

BLLB is the Book of Pining within the series so that will be extremely fun to listen to

[iamnotawomanimagod]

Thd Haunting anthology for the ask game! :)

Thank you, my friend!! Sorry I took so long, lol.

Top 5 favourite characters:

This is hard.

1. Theo Crain

2. Dani  Clayton

3. Hannah Grose

4. Luke Crain

5. Viola Willoughby

Other characters you like:

It would be a lot easier to just name the characters I don’t like. These characters are so well-written and have so much depth. So if I don’t mention them in the next question, assume I like them.

Least favourite characters:

Peter fuckin’ Quint, Joey (Luke’s “friend” from rehab,) and Henry Wingrave.

Otps:

This show has more of my OTPs than any other. Hannah x Owen, Jamie x Dani, and Nell x Arthur. 

Notps:

Luke x Joey, Perdita x  Arthur (Viola’s husband,) Becca x Peter

Favourite friendships:

Theo and Shirley, Luke and Steve, and Hannah and Jamie. 

Favourite family:

The Crains own my heart, obviously, but what I loved best about BM over HH is that found family dynamic the main group develops. 

Favourite episodes:

Touch, The Bent-Neck Lady, Two Storms (!!!!!!!!!! this episode oh my god,) Screaming Meemies, Silence Lay Steadily, The Way It Came, The Altar of the Dead, The Romance of Certain Old Clothes, and The Beast in the Jungle.

Favourite season/book/movie:

I always say this: THOHH is a masterpiece, and THOBM is a really, really exceptionally good show. I do prefer HH, but only by a tiny bit. 

Favourite quotes:

“You have loved me, so I will always be here [in your heart.]” - Owen to Hannah. I’ve heard a thousand variations on this theme, but for some reason, the delivery and context of this line broke me. I always cry.

“You loved me completely. And I loved you the same. The rest is confetti.” - Nellie to her siblings. Rip me wide open!!

Best musical moment:

I really like the score of this show, but no one song or moment sticks out. 

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest:

When it really disappointed you:

It never did. I think these two shows are some of the best television ever created. 

Saddest moment:

Picking a top five (in no particular order,) since these are inherently sad and tragic shows...

1. Rebecca’s forced suicide at Peter’s hand.

2. Nellie’s death and realization that she is the Bent-Neck Lady.

3. Luke’s reaction to Nellie’s death - how he could literally feel it.

4. Jamie going to the lake and seeing Dani’s body and begging her to take her, too.

5. Dani having sleep paralysis and being unable to help Arthur when he has an aneurism.

Most well done character death:

I mean, they’re all really good and well-done. Appropriately heart-wrenching, shocking, and they all work in context of the plot. If I had to choose just one, it would probably be Nellie’s, since it’s the basis of the entire first season. The hints about the Bent-Neck Lady and the way we slowly get to know Nellie, and then come to love her the most right as she’s finally about to die - ugh, so good, so sad.

Favourite guest star:

Kate Siegel as Viola Willoughby. 

Favourite cast member:

Victoria Pedretti is a goddamn delight. She’s an incredible actress - so raw and real and compelling. She’s a stoner IRL and seems super chill during interviews. I would love to share a joint with her someday. (If I ever share a joint with anyone ever again, thanks coronavirus.) 

Character you wish was still alive:

Rebecca Jessel really deserved better, man. :( Fuck Peter Quint. 

One thing you hope really happens:

Well, the series is officially on a semi-permanent hiatus. Mike Flannagan said he has no plans for future seasons in this universe. He is currently finishing up work on another horror show, Midnight Mass, so I’m looking forward to that. I would love to see more from this universe and this cast, though.

Most shocking twist:

The Bent-Neck Lady, for sure. So well foreshadowed, and still so shocking when the realization hits. My stomach dropped through the soles of my feet. 

When did you start watching/reading?:

I caught this bandwagon pretty early - only a week or two after the first season premiered. I remember watching and realizing they had synced up the show’s timeline with real life - if you watched in 2018, Nellie dies that same year, and her date of death was just a week or two after the premiere. An extra little detail that made me very sad.

Best animal/creature:

There are no good animals in this show, lol. Fuck those kittens. 

Favourite location:

Bly Manor is soooo pretty. 

Trope you wish they would stop using:

I really hate anything with animals suffering in horror, so I just hope that never comes up again. 

One thing this show/book/film does better than others:

Everything.

...

Okay, okay. The plotlines are very clever and super well-done. 

Funniest moments:

Dani sleeping in the back of Owen’s car with her mouth wide open; Theo’s “I’m gonna get my fucking PHD;” like, most of what Theo said in general.

Couple you would like to see:

All I can say is that Hannah and Owen deserved Paris. 

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast:

Meh. No opinion. 

Favourite outfit:

I really loved the 80s and 90s looks in Bly. Dani’s jean jacket. Jamie’s looks when she and Dani are together later in life. All A+.

Favourite item:

Moonflowers.

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?:

Nah. 

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?:

I gotta go with the found family at Bly. Jamie, Dani, Hannah, Owen, the kids. They clearly had a lot of fun together, and I’m a sucker for found family. 

Most boring plotline:

I gotta go with Henry Wingrave’s doppelganger. It didn’t really do much for me, and I think the episode that centers on him, while showing important exposition, was one of the weakest in the anthology.

Most laughably bad moment:

I can’t think of one. 

Best flashback/flashfoward if any:

The entirety of “The Romance of Certain Old Clothes” 

Most layered character:

I would argue Olivia Crain. She starts out as a creative, kind, loving mother, and is slowly unraveled by the house - but that core of goodness is still inside her, and still motivates everything she does. 

Most one dimensional character:

I think this show does a great job of making all of its characters complex and interesting. I wish we had learned more about Joey, but I think she’s meant to be unsympathetic on some level. But at the end of the day, she’s kind of just Luke’s addict almost-girlfriend, and a pretty weak character among much better ones.

Scariest moment:

Ooooh, that’s tough. I think for me, it’s when Steve sees Nellie’s ghost. It’s not a super spooky episode, up to that moment. But that close-up shot of Nellie’s graying, dead face, her eyes all fucked up, her mouth gaping open unnaturally wide - and the sound she makes. Woof. Ugh. Aaaaah. It’s a lot.

Grossest moment:

The kittens. Enough said. 

Best looking male:

Best looking female:

Who you’re crushing on (if any):

I’ll always be a little in love with Kate Siegel.

Favourite cast moment:

I’ve never really looked for cast content.

Favourite transportation:

Theo’s Jeep. 

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise):

I just think Bly is so pretty. Most of the overhead or scenery shots of it are really nice.

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you:

There aren’t any. Anyone who tells you otherwise misunderstood something. 

Best promo:

I intentionally avoided promo to avoid spoilers. 

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book:

The end of the very first episode of Hill House!

I’m not doing anymore of these ‘cause I’m bad at answering them!!

[tarajenkins]

And then there's the matter of the crap people have brought to my yard in the tags they put on my art and errant vagueposts, and my need to no longer smile and nod silently like the WoL. GANGWAY, IT’S THE DISK HORSE

When I was posting a lot of art with the Chais and Vauthry, it didn’t take me long to notice there was a distinct double standard at work in the tags of the reblogs. People who lovingly cooed over rat grandpa would tag my art--why they reblogged it in the first place, I wish I knew, I started blocking ones who did this--they would tag my art about how ew Vauthry is, how they were triggered by Vauthry, how they DEFINITELY WEREN'T REBLOGGING FOR VAUTHRY, etc. 

Even though there is a very good case Vauthry had no choice in his behavior at all, as perhaps the Ascians didn’t. Even though what he did do is a fraction of the atrocities the Ascians have done, the breaking point for these people was literally the lesser of two evils. Rat grandpa is afforded an amazing level of sympathetic theorycrafting, Vauthry is just dismissed as a “bloated parasite” (interesting choice of adjective to the person who made that comment). Despite all in-game evidence the Lightwarden corruption rat grandpa forced on him before he was born likely twisted both his body and mind. Despite all in-game evidence Ascians took full advantage of their newborn pawn.

When @kasunshine​ pointed out that vaguepost in the Vauthry tags aimed at me, I saw a second one by the same person--it seems to be gone now?--calling me a "Vauthry Stan" who had gall to talk shit about rat grandpa for what he did to an unborn child.

Why does it take a “stan” to find what was done to him monstrous? Oh--right. Because rat grandpa. I probably would’ve made it under the radar if Lahabrea had done it.

No matter how much people may say it’s because Vauthry did bad things (that was sort of the point of rat grandpa corrupting him), or that he had no character development (hi Zenos), the fact remains that somehow, fat jokes are the preferred method of mockery. 

Creating, liking, reblogging, not speaking out against (unless confronted), fat jokes. Fat jokes, imagine that. 

Fat jokes even got defended in this recent round of discussion, under the guise of "concern", of course--even though it’s been thoroughly documented that shit is bullying and helps no one but the bully to feel better about themselves. Imagine upskirting Dulia-Chai’s model and laughing at her body, because haha, fat people are fat, gross! Imagine laughing at Dulia-Chai for eating because haha, fat people eat, gross! I’ve even read so many comments elsewhere about how Vauthry is absolutely a sexual predator, although nothing in-game backs that up. Yet when rat grandpa practically brags about all the kids he's had with unwitting partners, there is only silence from the same people. Silence, or excuses.

But haha, fat people would totally be predators, amirite? They’re gross!

I've dealt with this attitude before when drawing big guys in other fandoms.  I’ve seen this phenomenon happen with them too. It’s always the same. Tumblr will gleefully reblog a fat woman for progressive brownie points (like my Dulia-Chai art), then will point and laugh and otherwise dehumanize fat men like kids on a playground (see disclaimers for EW VAUTHRY in the tags of the aforementioned Dulia-Chai art). If Vauthry had been a woman, or if rat grandpa had Vauthry's model, I am pretty sure most of this argument would not happen. In fact, if Vauthry’s model were reversed with rat grandpa, I would bet money people would all share my pain over the injustice of the Eulmore arc and all its poorly thought out shlock.

Square played the fat hate themselves, to the hilt.They used nothing but fat bodies in the trailer to represent the evils of Eulmore. Vauthry's introduction made sure to begin with a long, slooooooow pan from the stomach up. In German, Alphinaud straight-up called him a "fatass", apparently. Implications of cannibalism because we’re back in the Austin Powers days, I guess, even though meol made absolutely no sense if you bothered to do the math. But why bother to do the math? “Get in mah belly” haha fat people would totally eat people, amirite?

And finally, in the end, Square elevated the man who did this to Vauthry to a hero, because it seems they guessed correctly--not a lot of people would give a shit what was done to the fat guy, they’re too busy blaming the victim (and everyone else rat grandpa killed) because rat grandpa is just soooo tragic and

ah

"aesthetically pleasing". (Modding rat grandpa into bed for screenshots is just a coincidence, it’s all about his character.)

I've read long discourse on how rat grandpa is innocent of all things he's done because Tempering, though rat grandpa's dialogue sounded like the Ascians expected to be Tempered ("of course" Zodiark Tempered them, "it was only natural".) It would be tragic if it pans out the Ascians were puppets, but before they were, there was a choice made -- of free will and immortal wisdom -- to commit to this bloody course. I don’t really buy the bullshit rat grandpa was selling about looking for other ways to achieve their goal. If there was really a less tragic path and they could choose it, why didn’t they choose it in the first place? They’re immortal. They have all the time in the worlds to achieve their goal. Yet they went headlong into the murder of billions of sentient creatures. Made a game of it. Oh, the WoL was being tested? Why does the WoL need to pass a test, when if they disagreed with the Ascians’ methods, it was stated plainly that the Ascians would then kill them anyway? Why does anyone on the Shards need to pass a test for the right to exist? Yeah, yeah, “moral relativism”, I know. Cool motive, still murder, and by rat grandpa’s own admission they freely chose to become the thralls of a primal, apparently fully aware of the monstrous things they may do in Zodiark’s name. Of course, rat grandpa said he’d do it all even if he weren’t Tempered. Hm.  And I thought Raha was a shitty actor, lmao. BUT ASCIAN HUBRIS AND GENERAL JACKASSERY ASIDE

For all the mental gymnastics to excuse the Ascians of the deaths of entire worlds, the people I've countered about Vauthry go through comical, armchair-psychologist lengths to claim Vauthry was ABSOLUTELY aware and responsible for everything he'd done since rat grandpa corrupted him before he was born (corrupted him with Light, which the latest patch implied was very much like Tempering). 

There are no examples in-game of Light corruption leaving a person unscathed, mentally or physically. Not Pixie Kings, not even the Hydaelyn-blessed WoL. But these people will look at rat grandpa, sigh lovingly, and absolve him of all these atrocities because Tempering--then look at his creation, his Light-Tempered corrupted from birth creation, the twenty-foot-tall Hume with the bendy straw neck and a Lightwarden forced into his chest, the guy quite clearly mad, the guy who was never asked if he wanted this and who wasn’t even born when it was forced on him, and condemn him for acting as he was made and conditioned to act by rat grandpa and rat grandpa’s pal, Vauthry’s father, because obviously Vauthry is not affected by the corruption forced on him at all, no sir. Against every bit of evidence to the contrary, Vauthry was in total control of himself, and so is to blame for everything. Because reasons. He was fully aware of reality despite being brainwashed into a bubble of lies. That uncontrollable urge to violence that was going to make your WoL kill their own friends? Nah, wouldn’t affect that kid without Hydaelyn’s Blessing, what a leap of logic that would be! Certainly wasn't rat grandpa’s fault, nope! Vauthry would’ve become a Lightwarden without anyone’s help! The Ascians just accidentally corrupted an unborn child and then saw him groomed to a “desired end”. Happens all the time.  (Yoshi-P saying he would like us to consider if Vauthry was “really just a friend of the Sin Eaters, or was he being controlled by someone” was just a really oddly specific red herring. ) The folks I’ve countered definitely don’t give a thought to how frightened his mother looked while The Men (tm) discussed what to do with her body, either. Consent is only valid if convenient when it’s rat grandpa. (”Respects women” my fat ass.) And whatever happened to grooming children being fucking gross, Tumblr dot com? Because Vauthry was a child. Just because he didn’t grow up into your dating sim wet dream doesn’t mean what was done to him was remotely okay.

These people couldn't just relent neither one may have had control. There isn't a fraction of the Deeper Understanding spared to Vauthry that they seek to give rat grandpa for genocide.

They just have to make sure the fat guy they don’t want to, uh, take screenshots with gets what he "deserves".

[blurglesmurfklaine]

Cornelia Street (6/9)

A/N: oh my god they were quarantined

yes. It’s one of those fics.

AU, obvs

I’m posting as I go and idk how many parts this is going to be, likely won’t be very long but I literally don’t know what I’m doing and should i be starting yet another WIP? definitely not but fuck it lets fucking go

Title is from T-swizzles Lover album, I’m OBSESSED

Summary: Three years ago, Kurt and Blaine went on a disaster of a date and never quite got off on the right foot. Now, just before they graduate from NYADA, there’s a national outbreak and they’re both self-quarantined in a mutual friend’s apartment.

Read On AO3

On Tumblr: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Part 6

It’s Blaine who so casually suggests that they share the bed.

“Neither of us should have to deal with that couch ever again,” he’d said, and Kurt was powerless to say no.

So now, Kurt’s hidden under the covers and can’t really see, but he’s pretty certain Blaine is asleep. He quietly reaches out for his phone with one hand and snags it close to him.

New Message: To: Mercedes 💞 I’m gonna lose it

Oh no, are y’all back to hating each other again?

No This is soooo much worse

???

We’re sharing the bed He’s so god damned nice that he offered to share the bed with me and that’s a problem because all I wanna do is roll over and kiss him

!!! Then do it!

He’s asleep, cedes I’m not trying to be a total creep … Oh Oh god oh fuck

WHAT!?

He’s a sleep cuddler His arm is around my waist Oh my god he’s nuzzling his face into my hair

Wait, so that means *you’re* the little spoon?

REALLY? *THAT’S* WHAT YOU TOOK AWAY FROM THIS? Oh my goooooooooood what do I do???

Normally I’d say pray, but I know how you feel about god

If hell is real, I’m there He’s so adorable I’m gonna melt But also I wish he was awake so I couLD JUST MAKE OUT WITH HIM

Then wake him up Problem solved

Ugh but he looks so peaceful 

Damn You’ve got it bad

Fuck... I think I do

*

Sunlight comes streaming in through the blinds, slowly dragging Blaine back to consciousness in the morning. He can hear the shower running and Kurt’s phone playing Miss Simone, Kurt trying to sing along even though he barely knows the words.

God, what a perfect way to wake up. He sits in this bubble of bliss for a minute before rolling over to check his phone. The message from Sam doesn’t even catch him by surprise.

New Message: From: Sam I Am Heard you had a fun night ;)

New Message: To: Sam I Am Um, what?

Okay, fine Don’t tell me all about your new bed buddy See if I care I’m kidding you know this is ALL I care about rn!!!

What? How did you know?

I have my sources Now spill

I mean, nothing happened In real life I did have this awesome dream tho

Oh shit did you change the sheets before Kurt noticed??

What? OH MY GOD NO NOT THAT TYPE OF DREAM I just dreamt that we were…

You dreamt that you were what!?!?

You can’t laugh

I can’t make any promises But if I do laugh I just won’t tell you

Fine Spooning I had a dream that we were cuddling and I had my face pressed up against his head and I could smell his coconut shampoo and lingering organic hairspray … You’re laughing, aren’t you

No That’s actually super sweet I think I’m gonna get cavities Where is he now?

In the shower

Oooooh, scandalous! You should go join him

Why are you like this So, I’m not gonna do that I’m probably going to go clean or something to keep my mind off Kurt But I’ll keep you updated on my tragic infatuation!

You better!

Bye, love you, you moron Make good choices

No promises

Part 7

[coldinthestudio]

How did you become such a good writer? I hear a lot about writing workshops, but I was wondering if you had any experience that might have encouraged your writing to be so good?

Awww! That’s so sweet of you! Hahah thanks for the compliment :)  Ummm, to be perfectly honest?? This isn’t very helpful for people just starting out with writing, but I’ve been writing since I was legit like 3 years old. I’ve been writing almost as long as I’ve been talking - I even have a bone in my middle finger that formed wrong in it’s developmental stages because that’s where I hold a pen or pencil, and I wrote so much as a kid that the bone became deformed. This is gross, but here’s a picture haha: 

Ok that literally just looks like I’m flipping off the camera, but that knob at the tip is where my bone got all fucked up because of how long I’ve been writing haha. Ignore my nasty nail beds.  So I guess to answer your question, I’ve never really done anything like classes or practice to improve my writing - it’s something that just kind of flows with me. I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember.  I can list out some advice that might be helpful to people just starting out? These are some rules I live by:   1) READ READ READ - I never realized how much reading helps my writing until I binge read like 800 fanfics in one year and my writing improved exponentially. So seriously, READ.  2) When you’re writing, never go for the obvious. Don’t just say someone is angry, say something like...”their eyes are flashing with carefully concealed torrents of fury”...or something. That sounds sooo cheesy when I write it out like that, but literally, SHOW, don’t tell. It’s not just raining outside - “the skies have finally cracked and dirty rivulets of rainwater are carrying discarded cigarette butts along the city gutters like ships run aground”. Metaphors and similes are your BEST FRIEND in writing. You can play with them soooo much - just be careful not to go overboard. It’s okay to just say someone is angry or that it’s just raining, but if you want to hold a reader’s attention, mix it up and don’t write something bland like, “Tom woke up. It was raining outside. He was angry, because his alarm didn’t go off. He got out of bed and stomped to the shower...” etc. Know what I mean? You’re an artist painting a picture with words. You’re not giving a lecture, you’re creating art. Make it pretty! #metaphors  <- Trend that shit.  3) When you’re writing a scene, don’t just write it, SEE it. See it in your head. People don’t just sit stiffly and talk like robots when they’re having a conversation. People DO things - people fidget. “Sally ponders what Phil said, chewing on the inside of her cheek mindlessly and brushing a stray hair back from her face. She feels a swell of uncertainty grow in her chest like a flower that only blooms at night, under the mask of the moon.”  Oh my GOD everything I write here sounds so cheesy - but does that make sense? You really have to SEE it in your head when you’re writing. Like you’re watching a movie in your own brain. And then translate everything you’re seeing to paper. Not just the surface things like dialogue - when people are talking, there’s a fly on the wall. A clock is ticking, there’s a train horn in the distance, the wind picks up outside, someone crosses their arms to hide what they’re thinking, the oven dings in the next room, someone shakes their head and bites their thumbnail, someone notices the wallpaper is peeling in the corner and goes to pick at it, etc etc etc. You have a whole setting to play with, you just have to close your eyes and see it.  4)  And when you’re actually writing a story, you have the advantage of planting little seeds of internal emotions going on in your characters. In movies, it’s hard to really get a good internal monologue from the characters. But in writing, you can dig as deep as you want into your character’s brains. And that’s REALLY fun, so play with it. Characterization is soooo important. Plot is important too, but who gives a fuck about a plot if a reader doesn’t really care what happens to the characters living the plot? I spend a lot of time on characterization - I’m especially fond of giving characters tragic backstories :P It makes them so interesting to write, I feel like a puppeteer. And you can reveal their backstories any way you wish, whether it be flashbacks, PTSD, looking through old photos, etc. Even through a conversation with another character. They’re literally Playdoh, mold them however you want, that’s the best part.  5)   Foreshadowing is your friend too. I make sure I have stories outlined before I start writing them. That doesn’t mean you have to outline it to a T - it just means you have a basic idea of beginning, middle, and end. You know how the story is going to end and all the little secrets you plan to reveal in between. That’s not to say that some of the magic doesn’t happen WHILE you’re writing (for example, in Hautley’s Bend, the squash lady was completely unplanned - she just happened unexpectedly while I was writing). But it’s fun to drop little cliffhangers, and foreshadowing in stories. It keeps people engaged. And if you have a basic idea of how your story is going to go (I call it the “skeleton” of the story, and while you’re writing, you add on all the meat) it prevents continuity errors too, which is important.  I think that’s all I can manage to pull out of my ass right now - hopefully some of that is helpful! Sorry I kind of rambled haha.  But I guess most importantly, write for YOU. Yes, it’s good to have a basic audience type in mind (ie: who you think will read your story), but ultimately, the story is coming from you, and you’re allowed to make it go in any direction you want, regardless of who you piss off or offend or whatever. Don’t look at writing your story as a chore - I spend a lot of time daydreaming about stories in my head, to the point where characters and scenes feel REAL to me (call me crazy, idk haha). When I’m driving to work, I listen to music and find songs that fit certain scenes in my stories, or songs that would go well with a certain character. You just have to find inspiration everywhere, and really immerse yourself in what you’re writing. I spend more time just daydreaming about my stories than I do actually writing them (which I wouldn’t advise because, ya know, I never get any writing done lol). But you get the point.  Okay I’ll shut up now. If you want any more advice or anything, feel free to message me :) I don’t know if any of the above is helpful, but I tried haha.