#much to unpack imho

[guileheroine]

i don't like it when the only valid, legitimate future fandoms can imagine for their favoured ships (especially het pairings but somehow even gay pairings) is like marriage at 25 and 3 biological kids

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

I liked Kieran, maybe only because he reminded me of myself as a kid. Constantly feeling left out and being both harassed for everything you do do and never being trusted with anything to even proof yourself capable, like the knowledge about the truth about ogerpon. I still am, working on that, but was way more jealous of other people hanging out with my friends simply because I had so precious few. Idk how much it would have fucked with me if my verbally abusive older sister (I do also have one of those) simply decided that one of my friends was now one of hers instead and kicking me out while my friend isn't saying or doing anything to be like "no, actually I want to spend time with [anon] too".

Obviously his obsession with ogerpon and the following Drive to get stronger is pretty hyperbolic but I did also have a bit of that. Just rejecting everything, throwing everything back at everyone since it was, or at least felt, like its always my family and the people around me just throwing shit at me too. Did I overreact a bunch of times? Oh yeah for sure. Teenage tantrums will get ya, but I really did need that. Without it I don't think I would have ever learned to call out my family's abuse and other people treating me poorly. Since as a kid that just radiates low self esteem you seem to get treated like shit from just about everyone.

Anyway all that is to say, throwing around things like "I think this kid would shoot up a school if only he had access to guns" isn't, imho, great. And I don't even really particularly care about your instance rn, like it's a fictional character in a Pokémon game who cares. So sorry for being the one who got my rant lol. It's just something I've been seeing more of lately, people throwing "they'd shoot up a school" not only at fictional characters but actual human beings. Which I think is fucked. Thankfully no one ever said that to me, but I cannot imagine how hurtful that must be, like if we ignore all the other negative effects it has for a second, when your actual school life was hell enough to make you consider ending your own life, like it was for me, to just get thrown another brick at your head that people think you would be monster enough to murder people.

...well there's a lot to unpack here.

So first up, you have my genuine condolences for your extraordinarily shitty school life. You clearly had the very rough end of the stick, and it's clearly still hurting, and that sucks.

However. I am not thrilled that you just trauma dumped in my inbox because you over-projected onto a fictional character, and I'll ask you not to do that again. Particularly when your "rant" is explicitly aimed at trying to make me feel bad for criticising a fictional character that you, once again, have over-projected onto.

Like listen, I too had an extraordinarily shitty school life, and I also had very few friends (and at three separate extended points, a combination of Literally No Friends At All, AND Being Actively Targeted For Bullying; the first time around, the bullying was led by the class teacher, even.) I have very much been there, done that and got an entire t-shirt shop. But I still didn't come away from that feeling that I was entitled to other people liking me or wanting to be friends with me, because no one is obliged to like or be friends with anyone else. I may have occasionally felt jealous, but I didn't throw tantrums and demand perfect loyalty from the few friends I did make, because that would have been abusive as all hell and would have justly made them want nothing to do with me. And, crucially and relevantly to the fictional character in the fictional world that we are discussing, I did not fixate on someone I wanted to be my friend, see that they were afraid of me and wanted to be friends with someone else, and then throw such a tantrum about it that I physically fought that someone else for the 'rights' to that friend regardless of their consent in that matter, apparently with the intention of abducting them if I won. And on losing that fight, I did not storm off and start amassing a collection of stronger and stronger weapons so I could take over my school and prove my dominance over them, emotionally abusing anyone who couldn't keep up with me because of family problems along the way. I presume you did not either!

And if I had, then the trauma and loneliness I received would be irrelevant - actions borne of trauma are still actions, with real world consequences, and you are still responsible for them regardless of how bad you felt.

(I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but school shooters are people who are also lonely and often bullied. It's very interesting therefore that you dismiss them as "monsters" while demanding that all behaviour from such people up to the shooting be excused. But the issue with such people is the entitlement they feel and the abuse they therefore dish out. Shootings are just the most extreme symptom of that - they're far from the only symptom.)

I cannot stress this enough - you are not the fictional character of Kieran in the game Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. You did not make his choices, or perform his actions (I assume). Criticism of him is not criticism of you. No one is accusing you of being about to shoot up a school. You state that you don't care that he's a fictional character, but I'm afraid you very much should, because that is the crucial difference. I am sorry that you're seeing a lot of people accusing real life people of being school shooters, but that is not what has happened here, is it?

You're welcome to write back. But I'll warn you very clearly - I am absolutely not at home to you trauma dumping further, or trying to make me feel guilty for talking about a fictional character because you have over-projected and therefore are taking it personally. That is a You Problem, and I will block you without reading if you do.

However, I am going to finish by reiterating my very genuine sympathies for your school experience. It truly was an appalling time for me, and it seems like it was for you, too. I hope you can process that trauma now, and find peace.

[elumish]

I've been thinking a lot recently about unpacking "not liking" something in stories.

And this isn't pointed at anyone or in response to any particular discourse as much as just something that's part of my own journey of thinking about the type of media (books, movies, TV shows, fanfiction, etc.) that I engage with and how, as well as what I write and how I write it.

So I think there's at least five types of "not liking" something in media:

I don't like it because it's poorly made/poorly written. Stuff that is just not well done (imho) from a technical or writing standpoint, even if it's something I would have otherwise enjoyed (e.g. fanfiction with no paragraph breaks).

I don't like it because I'm not into the writing/directing/editing/etc. style. Sometimes I just hate how stuff is made/written/created, even if by many standards it's good.

I'm not into it. There are some genres/tropes/etc. that I am just generally not into (e.g., horror, hard sci fi, raunchy humor).

It makes me uncomfortable. There is content that causes visceral discomfort when I engage with it (e.g., body horror).

I think it causes or perpetuates societal harm. There are some things that I think do actual harm to publish in whatever medium (e.g., ableist stereotypes, racist narratives, antisemitic tropes) and that i wish people would be more cognizant of when writing and publish less of.

One of the biggest issues that I've run into time and again is that the fourth and fifth ones are really hard to tell apart sometimes. Is my immediate reaction of "this shouldn't exist" because it disgusts me or because it's something I think perpetuates harmful ideas? Where in this framework do we fit under- or un-negotiated kink, or characters ending up with the person who sexually assaulted them, or positive representations of torture? How do we talk about all of these in a meaningful way?

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi! Regarding the car scene during the meeting of Lestat and Louis after the horrible fight. I don’t like What happened and i feel for Louis. But Lestat made me feel for him cuz he seemed so sad about his and Louis and the silence was rough on him. Sam is such a great actor. What did You think of that scene?

Well, there is a lot to that scene once more.

For one we get to see a clearly aiming-for-impact (dressed) Lestat who couldn't be bothered to put on a jacket (ahem) to try to get through to Louis, by, while being honest, also attempting to shift blame a bit.

Then there's Louis, who does not even quite look at him, except when he offers to leave... which is actually all the reassurance Lestat needs here.

And then there's Claudia, full on aggressive (as an angry and protective teenager is supposed to be), scratching the hood of that admittedly pretty car^^.

That is the story level of it.

Then of course there is the meaning behind it.

Lestat knows Louis likes cars - that is something they share(!). We have heard Louis brag to Jonah about the car, we have them both stand proudly in front of theirs in their good times.

As I said, that is something they share here, Lestat canonically loves fast cars. So he gets him one in a special color, with a twist to the coffin nose, a joke Lestat obviously expects Louis to appreciate. (But of course which falls flat here, duh). Nonetheless, the car is a very targeted gift. As is his own appearance, quite obviously to show himself off for Louis.

And that is the other side of it, it is clearly both an honest offer... and a manipulation, as so many things. He is trying to lure him back by appealing to the olden times. Which, I think, (maybe) only does not work because Claudia is there. Because as we know, Louis was looking to that phone ringing, and tempted to go to the door much, much sooner.

And then there is the vampiric side to it, and I haven't seen that touched often.

But.

Lestat catches them, with a car, while they are walking through town. And they did not notice him until he honks.

I want to take a moment on this.

Louis and Claudia are both not proficient enough in their vampiric skills to notice a powerful other vampire come at them, unless he honks.

While Lestat not only obviously knows where they are in a rather large radius, but also knows how to time it to catch them. And knows he has to honk.

There are some very interesting implications to this, imho.

a) Lestat could have caught either of them or both unawares at any moment, but he chose not to.

b) Louis and Claudia really are quite weak and very naïve (sorry, I love them dearly, but...), which of course fits with the events in season 2, but it is rather heartbreaking to realize. (They also felt so safe in NOLA despite Lestat being around that they did not look out for him! They are not afraid, just resigned and angry, respectively when they meet him... which is interesting.)

c) Because... Lestat is, at that point deferring to them (even though he challenges Louis), his family, his own coven.

And... that is not the same behavior he will emit when Louis finally takes him back! Because by then, Lestat had to (really) push through (for a few more years) and this... demure phase has passed. (The hate-sex aftermath is another story, but if you look at his behavior when he is back with them it is begrudging acquiescence at most. And then he takes back over...) I actually think it might have been much better if they'd have sat down and talked at this moment, while Lestat was not yet slipping back into stubborn defiance (and back to Antoinette), but was still mostly ashamed. I think that could have gone quite differently.

So yes, a lot to unpack in this scene. I think even though there are passive aggressive elements to it that it was an honest attempt to reach Louis, but they weren't there yet, maybe unfortunately.

[best-at-episode]

Round 2 - Side A: Poll 3 of 4

Holly Jolly Secrets:

Finn and Jake find the Ice King’s video diary and have a chance to unearth his secrets.

Crossover:

Prismo tasks Finn and Jake to crossover into Farmworld Finn’s dimension "take care" of the problem there.

propaganda under the cut

Holly Jolly Secrets:

Crossover:

one of the best episodes of s7 imho! the fact that this episode was built around an animation error way back two season ago and still managed to be extremely well written is, to this day, iconic. the fact that the ep packs up so much in 11 minutes, giving resolution to character who they could've simply chosen not to, while unpacking and setting up the kindness finn will try (and fail, in a way) to show for another version of himself a season later and the ending where ice finn reunites with his family, while our finn's unable to do so until much much later...... ough. incredible. finn you are so special to me. it also a very funny episode; the 'prismo. who is bullying you' is still so funny to me all these years later.

[fish-bowl-2]

what are 3 of your favorite quotes/lines from each of the eds?

This has been sitting in my inbox for a hot while. At first because I was busy and going to answer it later, and then because I forgot about it (so sorry).

Anyway, this is hard! There are so many good lines in the show, and that is just from the main three cast. I'm going to highlight some lines that I have been replaying in my head most frequently.

Ed: - "Awww. Kitty cat go meow?" - I think about this SO much. It is so funny. Not only is it a good example of the wordplay in Ed's dialogue, but I love how self-aware it is too. Love seeing him rightfully cocky. He's not wrong that Edd spends most of his time, as my dad would say, "bitchin' and moanin'". - " Hey! Slow down, partner!" - Idk I think it is a very cute reaction to Edd attempting physical violence. It is a very older sibling response lmao - "Shhhh! My yeast is rising." - Lots to like here. Classic line, comes out of nowhere, makes absolutely no sense with or without context. Can't get better than this.

Edd: - "Eddy PLEASSSE. I'm counting the sugar!" - It is so silly. The delivery and Edd's expression kills me. I'm a big fan of the kind of raspy whisper Sam Vincent applied to season 1 Edd. It is very cute imho - "IS THAT THE SUPPORT BEAM TO THE HOUSE?!?!?" - Classic. I also like it when Edd is hysterically screaming. - "...but...how could it be? My computations were precise, rigorous, and painstaking, um. This goes beyond science, Eddy. An unfathomable force sends us a clear message!" - I also like Edd's tendency to go on long-winded speeches. It doesn't have its full effect without visuals, since the character acting adds so much. Edd is such a horrendous liar (same).

Eddy: - "Did you see the sparkle in Johnny's eye? Stop me boys, I'm getting frilly!" - Yeah yeah this is low-hanging fruit, whatever. Does not take away from my reaction upon seeing that episode for the first time. I practically died. - "OH, IS THAT SO? AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT? MISTER I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT KEVIN KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT MY MAGAZINES?" - It is hard to take dialogue from Eddy and NOT think "wow much to unpack". What is his deal here? I mean, I have my own ideas, but I'm not going to make this list longer than it already is. - "Running out of ideas, Double Dee. Think of something that would make me look good." - He sounds so downtrodden : ( reading the dialogue alone doesn't give that impression, but, in the actual scene, Tony makes the delivery sound super genuine, which is a rare expression for Eddy. I appreciate that decision a lot.

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

If I may ask: how would you have written/rewritten Sumire's confident story? 😊 Unless it's too close to what you did in code violet, sorry 😂 Personnally, I thought the first half wasn't THAT boring, she was endearing but I felt like she was either in denial or hiding her grief about her sister's death - and then I got the truth 😂 I've become a shusumi fan quickly but I still think there's *something* lacking for it to click. And the last scene we see Sumire was underwhelming imho 🥲

yeah! there are a lot of similarities to what i do in code violet, but it's not identical, since I have a lot more freedom in my fic than there is in the game.

i wouldn't change much if anything about the first half. i agree it isn't that boring, what really makes it seem that way are (1) high expectations for the New Special Girl to be exceptional since she wasn't in the original game and (2) comparing her to the other team members who you're already invested in, her conflict just isn't as interesting (at least to me). basically, you start out every other thief confidant already knowing the core of their conflict because of their palace, so you're already invested in their arcs, while with sumire that is reversed, where you don't learn what's actually going on with her later. so, the "boringness" of the confidant is really exaggerated by that. if you didn't like the way they inserted her into the opening sequence (i never had an issue with it, but royal was my first experience, though i did know the stuff with her was added in the rerelease) so she made a bad impression on you, then it's understandable why people wouldn't like her (at first, anyway)

but let's get to the point. my issues with her confidant. they can basically be summed up in 2 points, and the two of them intersect quite a bit (1) the way she idolizes both kasumi and joker and rely on them for her self worth is not properly unpacked and (2) her role as the waifu REALLY impedes her arc.

basically, sumire idolizes joker. her outfit mirrors his exactly, and her arc in third sem is all about...learning that since joker loves her, she wants to both rise to his expectations and can learn to value herself. and that's not bad, but certain lines about how she wants joker to see her really rub me the wrong way. specifically in her rank when they go to the mall and she picks an outfit for herself. i like the part about her wanting to be seen as herself, and the part about joker's reaction ultimately being irrelevant to whether she likes the outfit, and i would emphasize those points more strongly. but the parts about her wanting joker to see her feel a little like she's trying to be a person he will like? rather than being the person that she is. some of the dialogue is pretty meh, and it feels like she's getting her self worth from joker.

the bones of the confidant are good. great, even. but there's just subtleties in the execution that make it not quite land for me. choosing the romance route ends up feeling unhealthy for both of them, where sumire is putting too much of her worth in someone else and joker is entering an unequal relationship where sumire doesn't give him as much as he gives her because he just isn't in a place to. and i think that's a shame.

for me to get behind shusumi, sumire needs to be on equal ground with akira, and she just isn't. and the game is even aware of this--sumire says on white day that she isn't, but that she wants to be someday. and like, it could be her being self deprecating, but either way it's not what either of them deserve. i wish we could get a moment where she's there for akira like he's there for her, but atlus is allergic to joker's friends being there for him so we never get that.

so honestly, i really wouldn't change much. i'd leave the first half how it is, tweak some dialogue in the second half so it seems less like sumire is getting her self worth from joker, and add a moment where sumire explicitly says she's there for joker and wants to be there for him as much as he's been there for her, so they're on emotionally equal ground with each other.

finally, i do wish we got to see more of her journey, since she really is just at the very beginning of her arc of recovery at the end of the game. but i think it's okay that we don't. there is only so much time allotted to watch her grow, and we see her grow a lot in that time. there's questions she could ask herself that she doesn't have the time to get to, like if she really wants to be a gymnast for herself, or if she's just doing it for her sister. that sort of thing. but again, i think it's okay we don't get to that. i might add a line or two where she says she wants to be a gymnast for herself because she enjoys it, though.

and i guess that's it? i'm sorry for how disorganized this answer is. i haven't really thought in depth about what i'd change if restricted by the confines of the game, and so it's kind of difficult to do a rewrite when that's different than just having problems with what exists. a lot of what i would change can be found in code violet, like how i emphasize that it's "joker makes me want to be seen for who i am, and see him in return" rather than the one-way dynamic of "joker makes me want to be seen and so i will try to be a person he likes" which some of her lines really come across as sometimes. honestly, i think the entire confidant could have been improved by leaning more into the rivalry dynamic. sumire and akechi already have plenty of similarities/parallels, and joker kind of inherits kasumi's role as sumire's rival. so i think it'd have been really powerful if they leaned into that and made it clear that this time, sumire and her rival are equals.

but yeah! sorry this is so rambly. i'm going to end the post now

[rulers-of-hungary-tournament]

ROUND 3, MATCH 4

Admin's commentary: ...okay this one is just. Not fair. For once I wish the Czechs were there to balance the score, although it still would be an incredibly lopsided battle. Zmikund, my poor baby.

***

Zsigmond (Žigmund Luxemburský) 1387-1437

also king of Bohemia and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, elsewhere best known from what he did to Jan Hus, but we don't have enough time to unpack that, needless to say he's responsible for the bratríks (branch of hussites that went on supply raids into Hungary), so fuck him just for that

his rule in Hungary was long and eventful, after he secured the throne, his first order of business was a war with Ottomans, which ended in the catastrophic battle of Nicopolis, later another war, during which he regained Beograd, but lost Golubac, which was an important fortress

after the Hungarian nobles were found to conspire against him, he instituted harsh repressions, destroying many important noble houses, which he then tried to replace with a nobility faithful to him - but that just caused yet another conspiracy, which Zsigmond had to appease by marrying Barbara of Celle

founded the Order Of The Dragon, which is how Vlad II. Dracul and after him his son Vlad III. Dracula got their monikers

supported the rights of cities, especially in his Minor Decree, but lest our fellow medieval city kinnies start liking him too much, he was also the guy who lended several cities in Spiš to the Poles (cities formally stayed part of Hungary, but the profits from them went to the king od Poland; which is basically how it stayed untill the divisions of Poland)

he also instituted another two law codes concerning courts and army, gave himself placetum regium (right to veto reading of papal bulls on his territories, which meant he could witheld the orders of the pope itself from his people; @best-habsburg-monarch might recognize this one)... basically for better or for worse, he was a Big Damn Deal here, truly one of the most important monarchs of Hungary, just look at how long his entry is

@biksarddedrak said about him: "I want to see Zsigmund to win because well: a) catastrophic results of battle of Nicopolis weren't his fault. Those damm Frenchmen once again doomed Europe by their arrogance. Funny enough they were so scared after this battle, that it ended their support for any war with Ottomans in the future. (Forget that whole beef with Habsburgs, that comes much later.); b) ugh, well, he may king of the Romans and king f the Bohemia and temporary the most inportant ruler of Christendom, but it was the kingdom of Hungary he could trully call his own and had here full authority. And that is truly impressive because, well... Hungary was always kinda difficult to manage.; c) the dragon. The Dragon. THE DRAGON!!!; d) and also time to spice up relationship between Slovaks and Czechs right after anniversary of our divorce.

I.Mátyás (Matej I.); also known as Hunyadi Mátyás (Matej Korvín) 1458-1490

I mean, do I even have to say anything??? you know who this guy is right.

fought the Ottomans. supported arts and sciences. instituted important reforms. founded Academia Istropolitana. made Buda the capital and built the Buda Castle. gained the crown of Bohemia and stole territory from Austria. the man. the myth. the legend.

@deetherusalka said about him: "Lmao Bohemian crown snatcher, it's still so funny to me how in Czechia he's always presented as the evil himself and then everywhere else he's celebrated (which is not wrong imho! it's just funny how the narrative changes depending on perspective you learn about it)"

@durzarya said about him: #listen i love Mátyás király and i have voted for him#but my guy had some interesting policies#hilarious information about him: at 19 he captured Vlad Țepeș

@biksarddedrak said about him: #It's not even fight#It's just bloody beating#Matyás is remembered even in many historical legends as a good and just ruler#he reformed military and made the world fear Hungary#first profesional army#he managed to pay not only for the one for a THREE armies at a time#also his love with his wife Beatrice is a thing of a legends#The GOOD sort of legends#also I am completely obsessed with a way how his name is pronouced#seriously check that out it's hilarious#black army

[cipheramnesia]

Cipher, I desperately need to know if you've seen the movie 5ive Girls and if so, thoughts?

(I've described it as a film I probably wouldn't recommend to most people, but also wouldn't turn down any opportunity to watch it.)

I hadn't seen it so I checked it out and the concept looked pretty solid and I gave it a spin. Tactfully, I can say it did not land for me. I can dig in deep if you really want me to unpack what didn't work for me, but I also have my faves with glaring imperfections or which are problematic. And it's not something like Event Horizon or Cabin In The Woods, where I hate it so bad that talking shit about it is practically a hobby.

What I can do is fire off a list of my own flawed, problematic faves that do some or all of what 5ive Girls got going on but, for me, do it better - punch harder, hit lower, hurt worse, splatter further, and rise up to a great final catharsis.

Seance (2021) and The Woods (2006): bad girls go to a private school with supernatural shenanigans in school uniforms, with lots of violent revenge taking place. Also queer.

All Cheerleaders Die: technically not a private school but the cheer squad looks feel that way. The story about a witch who loves her girlfriend so much she raises her from the dead. Also queer.

Detention, Bad Kids Go To Hell, Bad Kids of Crestview Academy: I feel these three movies have the kind of weirdness edge 5ive Girls was angling for. Very much full of big stupid weird goings on. Not queer as far as I remember.

Cherry Tree: Private school girls, supernatural stuff, but imho takes a very intriguing body horror twist. Not queer, but there are centipedes if that's a hard nope. Criminally underrated tbh.

Dance of the Dead, Unhuman: Further afield but has the overall vibes of high school outcasts throw down against against a supernatural threat of sorts.

Tragedy Girls: do I need to even explain?

There's some others I know I'm forgetting.

[septembersghost]

I was a person who thought Maroon was about Harry on first listen and now feels dumb because the Jake of it all could not be more obvious lol

you're not dumb! first of all, the whole album was a lot to take in at first blush, and secondly she relies on some repeated themes in very different senses, so it requires some time and depth to unpack.

let's take dancing. our girl loves dancing as a theme ("and you know i wanna ask you to dance right there, in the middle of the parking lot!" "with you i'd dance, in a storm, in my best dress, fearless." "i'm wonderstruck, dancin' 'round all alone."), and in each context, it's different.

for example, we get dancing with joe j: "i'm not much for dancing, but for you i did." "tonight i'm gonna dance for all that we've been through, but i don't wanna dance if i'm not dancing with you." with him it's part of his charisma and even swagger ("the life of the party, you're showin' off again"), to where we also get, "sashay your way to your seat, it's the best seat in the best room."

we get dancing with jake, "we're dancing 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light," and there it's a little about that love being hidden away, the nostalgia she's remembering before the crash and the heartbreak.

we get dancing with harry, "you moved the furniture so we could dance, baby like we had a chance," and it's the desperation for their love to not be splashed everywhere, the anxiety of everything swirling around them.

we get dancing WITHOUT calvin, both the entire theme of bejeweled and, "i was dancing around, dancing around it."

we get dancing with joe in dwoht and cowboy like me and glitch, dancing like it was the first time, dancing through an avalanche, swaying as the room burned down, dancing is a dangerous game, "i thought we had no chance, and that's romance, let's dance," and it's all her fear and worry of losing him, of being too much, of ruining things, of romance not lasting, and what happens is (in my interpretation), when the music stops and they're no longer dancing, he's still there. in the silences, in the stillness, painting maps on the ceiling, reaching out for her hand, asking for sweet nothing. the friction and the movement of the dancing can go quiet, and he's the constant. he doesn't drop her.

SO, this brings me to maroon.

"dancing with no shoes" is connected to dancing around in the refrigerator light to me, where they'd be barefoot in the kitchen (a place where, with joe, she found sacred new beginnings), and also, i think, it's a little bit of, "he didn't like it when i wore high heels."

then we get the reference to new york, which also recurs repeatedly with different people (holy ground/joe j: "first glance feeling on new york time;" atw10/jake: "your brooklyn broke my skin and bones;" cbbh/harry: "new york, be here, but you're in london...;" false god/joe: "i'm new york city" "you're the west village;" daylight/joe: "back and forth from new york, sneakin' in your bed;" hoax/imho regarding various heartbreaks and losses: "you know i left a part of me back in new york").

in maroon, it's connected to the dancing: "and i chose you, the one i was dancing with in new york, no shoes, looked up at the sky...and it was maroon," very much conjures the skyline at sunset, and the autumnal feel, and "getting lost upstate."

then there's the wine lyric: "the burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me," and its closest sister being, "you're still all over me like a wine-stained dress i can't wear anymore." the key here is context about clean - a lot of people think clean references harry, but i personally think it's about jake and her recovery from that situation (plus, she was nowhere CLOSE to clean from harry yet at that point aklsdkljfdg she wrote style after clean).

taylor's scarlet lips are very "red lip classic," but she was already wearing her signature red lips when she was with jake (the stain on his own lips that she called home is from her lipstick imo, although i've seen people say it could also be from the wine).

and then, of course, there's the biggest clue, because she is unhinged (affectionate), and it's that she was clearly and prominently wearing the red ring when she announced maroon's title, and the entire song is just varying shades and contours and depths of "red." loving him wasn't only burning red, it was splashes of burgundy wine, it was rosé, it was the bruising purplish red (in fact, the red of loving him mixed with the blue of losing him), the blood rushing to her cheeks, the rust between telephones (phone calls were a significant aspect of their relationship and are mentioned across red as an album), the carnations mistaken for roses (which is SUCH a metaphor, and i say this as someone who actually loves carnations haha, but it's like - i thought this was rare and valuable, when it was cheap to you). it was so red it was maroon. (red is track 2, maroon is track 2).

moreover, the legacy he left isn't only his memory hanging over her, it's also a literal legacy. it's red being the masterpiece it is and finally being recognized as such. it's all too well being considered the gem of her catalog, being so celebrated and beloved that it was TRANSFORMED for her. it's almost marveling that this is what all that pain became - a real fucking legacy.

all that said, mr. styles intentionally borrowed imagery from taylor when he wrote about her. "she's lying in bed with my t-shirt on, just thinking how i went about it wrong. this isn't the stain of a red wine, i'm bleeding love." "same lips red, same eyes blue." "the fridge light washes this room white." "that nice dress in my wildest dreams, lipstick stains you left still on my sheets." i could go on lol. so making the connection wasn't missing what she was saying, it only requires sorting out the varying details.

there's a difference in the sonic approach too - the longing and sad uneasiness in maroon versus the anxiety and even aggravation in question...? i think she wore the red ring for maroon and used the very obvious OOTW sample in question...? to make it certain we knew which stories she was approaching.

question...? is very much a conversation, whereas maroon is a recollection, and i think that's important too. she's not talking directly to jake, she's remembering. (there's also the fact that the cadence of question...? is not dissimilar from keep driving.) harry said, of both of their songs, "it's the most amazing unspoken dialogue ever." i honestly think question...? is taylor continuing it.

[peckerwoodz]

i'm so glad the recent b&bh eps finally prove butt-head has some empathy. he isn't no empathy, just low empathy. imho there's soooo much to unpack when it comes to his inner world and why he's the way he is and i think about it all the time

[casmick-consequences]

just finished season 4 of hsmtmts and i have THOUGHTS

also it's high time i change this profile pic lol whoops

ok so..... i'm (mostly) just gonna talk about the ashlyn&big red storylines throughout the season because that was just..... a lot to unpack.

was i hopeful that they were gonna make it? the tiniest bit. but was i more convinced that they would probably break up? ....yeah. And I'm actually completely fine with their breakup bc of them growing apart or whatever but I do not agree with the way that they had to go about it.

having big red AND seb cheat on their respective partners is THE most OOC writing this show's had so far, like.... did we watch the same show??? What the hell? Not just on Big Red's side but also on Seb's! Wasn't Seb the one that got pissed at Carlos for "flirting" with random guys during his vacation? And then you make him do this?!

Imho it just feels incredibly forced. I get it, Madlyn was gonna be endgame, but you didn't have to force a "i cheated bc i was figuring out my sexuality" storyline for it to happen. The last conversation these two had, Red LITERALLY said "i know more than ever that you are the one for me" and the next scene they have it's like "we've been growing apart for a while now"?????? ugh it just irks me but whatever

i DO however like how Madlyn was handled. I think between them everything just went very naturally and very cute, like they were dancing around eachother with googly eyes and it was adorable. And i did clap when they kissed, they both deserve it <3 and i'm always team gay in hindsight, i just REALLY wanted to believe in redlyn bc (esp in the first 2 seasons) they remind me a lot of me and my partner, which I'm just gonna have a natural bias towards.

Also..... Andy?????? Ok sure. Yay for Big Red getting his big gay enemies to lovers arc at the literal last minute, even though it came out of nowhere and, again, kind of felt forced. But all that aside, it's nice seeing Larry and Andrew's characters get together, knowing that they're very good friends in real life. It must've been a lot of fun for them to film, too.

Idk, I just feel like they completely mistreated Big Red's character this season, which irks me seeing as he's my (quite obvious lol) favorite character in the show. But oh well, what can you do?

All that aside, let's get a bit more positive seeing as it WAS a very entertaining season to watch, and I LOVE the songs this season as well (the Halloween song is instantly going in my playlist)

The ending made me bawl my eyes out as well, with Gina's speech to everyone as well as Ricky crying which never fails to make ME cry, JENN AND BEN FINALLY GOT TOGETHER THANKGODDD, and they went to DENNY'S :'''''')

+++ it was very gay so it gets a lot of stars in my book

i'll miss east high so so so much :')

[crowtrobotx]

Howdy! 🫰🏼

7. Least favorite headcanon?

21. Favorite fic trope?

7. Least favorite headcanon? I am not entirely sure if this one is meant to be an "in general" fandom question or specific to whatever one(s) you're active in now (not your fault, the question itself is just vague haha) so I will answer both! Specific to RE8, I cannot for the life of me fathom the "Heisenberg made the tank for Ethan" head canon. I think it irritates me so much because it's constantly stated as fact and yet I have yet to see someone point to exactly where they found this supposedly watertight evidence? If someone has some I am happy to eat crow and admit my mistake but like? Mutated Heis even has a taunting line where he accuses Ethan of using his hand me down, which I have to assume means the tank... The whole situation is so stupid because the tank itself is such a crappy, lazy bandage Capcom slapped on to explain why their overpowered Lord couldn't just crush you immediately like a bug so I guess I can't get too mad at folks but it's also one of those things that seems like it's constantly brought up in service of shipping and people will get so fucking mad at you for being like "okay but that literally didn't happen" lol. It's just left a bad taste in my mouth over the years because it comes out as one of those "the whole fandom agrees!" things and I'm sitting here just ":) I do not but fuck me I guess." Overall, I think a headcanon I see across fandoms that irks me is whenever people get a little too gleeful with their "x character HATES WOMEN!!!" thoughts, even if it's joking. Idk if this is a new meme with the youth (I've seen it in the context of 'x character is gay because they like men, y character is gay because he hates women) but it's very gross the way it's presented imho. Like there are definitely times and ways to unpack a character's canon misogyny but laughing about it and getting all weirdly excited in this context is just.... euughhh. I don't understand the appeal at all of slapping hideously awful systems of belief onto characters who often don't even present them in the text. It's yucky. 21. Favorite fic trope?

Okay, so I have to admit I am a huge sucker for "there was only one bed." I know, I know lol. I can't help it. It plays into my favorite relationship trope as well of "idiots in love" aka people who refuse to admit their feelings for one another either because they think they're unrequited or they're too emotionally constipated to do it. The one bed situation can be amazing as a boiling point - whether you want that to be raunchy as hell or a good old fashioned cuddle sesh.

I am also hugely fond of huge scary guy and his tiny, immensely scarier murder daughter (adopted or biological.) I think if you follow me, you don't need me to elaborate at all lmfao.

[nalyra-dreaming]

soooo, how about that meta post re: soldiers scene..? 👀

Alright :) here goes - long post! My take, obviously.... - I'm adding here this ask as well:

So, this is the evening after Jonah, right.

Louis goes to Grace and the twins, Lestat goes to the Azalea.

There he encounters Miss Bricktop, who not only gives him the letter of the Azalea being closed down for Louis, but obviously made a remark (or a thought) in regards to their relationship.

Now, I love her. Hope we get to see her again in Paris. But she is also the one with the "shitbox" comment in the first episode... without wanting to infer too much (because that was a very special situation, too!!), but something about the remark or thought at the Azalea must have been sharp enough for Lestat to go "I think she's onto us" (and in that rather biting tone) later.

There's a whole bunch of soldiers in front of or at the Azalea, protesting it closing, and Lestat invites them back to Rue Royale.

@ the nonny here: Battalions are made up by officers. In those times it is not surprising that only one skin color would be in a group. Jonah even says it when he visits Louis, he and his squad are apart from others. So there's no preference or bias of Lestat in that, imho.

EDIT: @cbrownjc noted that US Armed Forces were segregated until the mid 40s. TY for the info!

Lestat likely brought the soldiers back for a couple of reasons:

a) He's pissed and likely hungry, and his favorite entertainment place was shut down and now he needs other entertainment

and

b) I'm very sure he didn't want those soldiers to go across the street to Finn O'Shea's establishment. He didn't care for that man's way of doing things from the beginning, and just because he doesn't actively endorse Louis meddling in human affairs doesn't mean he likes the man or would help that guy in any way.

and

c) Jonah, of course. He wants to see if what he perceived, and heard, and... felt holds true. If it is a kink - or if it was Jonah. If Louis needs a variation - or if it was Jonah.

And those soldiers are perfect for all of that.

So, roughly 24 soldiers at Rue Royale.

You do have to wonder what he did to make them follow him, since the actual influencing later on takes a lot out of him, but that just as a note :)

They raid the wine cellar.

The fact that they have one is definitely interesting in and by itself, and later on we see bottles laying around while they lay low, so they drink it, too. Do they have some mixed with blood? We don't know, but it seems drinkable enough. The soldiers go through the alcohol, both the wine cellar and the bar, and Lestat just lets them.

And he lets them do what they want to their home. He lets them upstairs. AND into the bedroom.

With the single bed.

He entertains them, even. And he doesn't touch them, because he is waiting for Louis. Is waiting to see what Louis will do.

And Louis comes home - which in and by itself is interesting, because shouldn't he have gone to the Azalea? But he comes home (which tells me that he trusted Lestat enough with the Azalea to leave it to him for this night, with the aftermath of Grace etc) and finds the house full.

(Lestat sings "Where do we go from here", a truly rather fitting song...)

And - he gets up from the piano while Louis is still approaching, because he anticipates what Louis is about to do. And when Louis is there he is already up and ready to be "picked up".

twirl, twirl, hop, twirl. Others have said it, but they've done this before :))

Louis' questions when entering this scene are "What is this?" and "What are you thinking?" to which Lestat answers the infamous "Well, I thought we could have an orgy, you can fuck them and I can eat them." And then... "What about the coffin room?"

...

Let's unpack this.

"What is this?" Expected, pretty normal reaction. What the fuck is Lestat doing there. And then... Picking Lestat up, collecting him, twirl, twirl, hop, twirl while obviously annoyed. Check.

"What are you thinking?" Here it starts to become interesting, imho, because... what is Louis referring to? The upstairs, their bedroom? The soldiers themselves? The piano singing, wine, etc? Probably all of it, but... Still. Always a good line of question for Lestat, because, well, Lestat. Check.

Andn then ... Lestat's remark in regards to fucking, eating and an orgy are met with a "What about the coffin room?"

And, I, personally... find that the most interesting part of the whole scene.

What do you mean, Louis?!

Is fucking, eating (killing) and an orgy okay while downstairs? Or in a hotel? How often did they use the Azalea like that? (We see Lestat escort someone in who will obviously be a victim in their good times, so this more than likely happened, the only question is the extent and if or how often Louis joined in imho.)

The whole fucking, eating, orgy AND their single bed do not blip in that moment - the coffin room does. I always find that hugely interesting, to be honest?

They are standing in their bedroom, in front of their single bed, with soldiers milling about.

And Louis does not care about that.

And... Louis "only" wants them out (now) when he has heard/read the news about the Azalea. Granted, this happens right after, but still... I remember anticipating a very different reaction to the soldiers. And their bed, given his reaction to Antoinette. Which to me seems like Louis does not see those soldiers as any kind of threat to them - or indeed, as food.

And then Louis demands that Lestat gets them out of there, now.

And Lestat complies.

To an extent that has him bleeding out his ears, and visibly weakened, and that has Louis staring in weirded out astonishment.

And the soldiers... leave. Obviously dazzled. Obviously still in that daze outside.

Lestat must've wiped their short-time memories at least. Or he needed to go after them to kill them, later. Single bed and all that.

And then... of course, that infamous scene.

I heard your hearts dancing.

What a statement.

And what a makeup.

They actually managed to make him look like shit there. That's a feat.

So yeah, the soldiers.

A lot of small things that are implied here once more. Hinted at. Their shared history, what they might have gotten up to in their good times. Louis isn't scandalized by the offer of an orgy, and to me it seems as if they might have (possibly) had other men in their bedroom before, if his response/focus is anything to go by.

And he knew that after they left they would not pose a threat.

And Louis trusted Lestat with the Azalea is somewhere in there, too. And in the fact that Miss Bricktop gave that letter to Lestat and did not wait for Louis.

I know that can be taken as a sign for their couple status, but... Louis takes Lestat along to his business meeting (right) after that fight. And that is very interesting, too.

[best-at-episode]

Round 1 - Side A: Poll 6 of 8

Is That You?:

Following Prismo’s memorial service, Jake begins acting strangely.

Crossover:

Finn and Jake crossover into Farmworld Finn’s dimension.

propaganda below the cut

Crossover:

one of the best episodes of s7 imho! the fact that this episode was built around an animation error way back two season ago and still managed to be extremely well written is, to this day, iconic. the fact that the ep packs up so much in 11 minutes, giving resolution to character who they could've simply chosen not to, while unpacking and setting up the kindness finn will try (and fail, in a way) to show for another version of himself a season later and the ending where ice finn reunites with his family, while our finn's unable to do so until much much later...... ough. incredible. finn you are so special to me. it also a very funny episode; the 'prismo. who is bullying you' is still so funny to me all these years later.

[starplusfourletters]

That feeling when you take a break from Enterprise for a bit and pick back up on s2e22 “Cogenitor”

Could have been improved by not making one thorny, complicated issue a metaphor for another thorny, complicated issue. Like don’t use ideas about nonbinary gender as a framing device for personhood you think you’re being deep but you’re just making this episode impossible to parse and my monkeybrain can’t take it

Could have been improved by cutting the Last Scene Suicide that we don’t have time to unpack

Could have been improved by having the “don’t impose your moral standards on other cultures” lesson be applied to ANYTHING OTHER than sex slavery. Like yes, this is my Human Bias talking, but I’m gonna say that sex slavery is Unequivocally Bad

Could have been improved by a missing scene between Archer and Phlox where Phlox gets his Uncomfortable Morality on and is like “hey idk slavery seems to be working for this society” and Archer is forced to re-examine the position he’s taken

Could have been improved by leaning into a NextGen comparison. Like, in TNG-DS9-VGR, the Federation can set the moral standard because they have the technology to back it up. Picard can afford to say “we don’t want help if it’s coming from this problematic society” because the stakes are different. In ENT S1-2, the stakes are a very nebulous “if we mess this up we may never get another chance off our planet.” It’s not the direct threat to your ship, or even the threat of annihilation, it’s the threat of stagnation. That’s very cool and I think ENT doesn’t have nearly enough fun with it. All this to say that in the episode, there’s no real downside to leaving and never speaking to these people again. Sure, their tech is nice, but it’s not mission critical.

I get that the lesson is “don’t start something you can’t finish with the slave society,” but Trip is Trip and can’t help but start something, and Archer had too much fun on his three-day weekend with the alien captain and is having “but how can their society be evil if they’re individually nice” issues, and T’Pol is clutching at pragmatism and resisting her What Would the Humans Do arc. I get all that. But no one comes away from that ep looking good, and in a boring way instead of a fun way.

Weirdly this reminded me of VGR s4e17 “Retrospect” - absolutely unhinged takes, not muddied waters as much as straight dirt, ends in a suicide we don’t have time to unpack, ultimately makes the Moral Lesson not about the victim but about the person advocating for the victim and the Lesson is “you were wrong” - honestly I have a lot of words to say about “Retrospect” - but then I’d have to rewatch “Retrospect” - anyway, imho while “Retrospect” is like a train wreck I can’t look away from, “Cogenitor” is just dull and hard to watch. *Drops mic*