#none of the characters listed are oppressed *at all*

[mxtxfanatic]

... Warning, rant in coming. Sorry.

Hot take, the only morally gray character in mess, that fits the exact definition of it, is Nie Huaisang.

I've seen more and more people trying to tone down Jiang Cheng's terribleness by saying that he's morally gray. I'very also seen those same people say that Wei Wuxian is morally gray because he did terrible things for good (and, no, lmao, he didn't. Most of those come from people not understanding how his cultivation works.) and that that was why he is so interesting. (Again, lmao. Lol even. Just say you don't appreciate depths and confuse "kind" with "boring", so you gotta give every character that you don't find boring a label to justify why you like them.)

I think the term "morally gray" has become a buzz word thrown around for any kind of character that isn't one dimensionally good or evil.

Jiang Cheng isn't morally gray. He is a bad person. Again, a PERSON. Not a monster, not some sort of creatures that has no concept of humanity, just. A bad person.

Society's habit of separating people that do bad things from themselves, that "us vs them" mantality, that dehumanization of bad people, it just leave a bad taste in my mouth. Even fucking serial killers have qualities, can be smart or charismatic or empathetic. Even pedophiles have hobbies and people that love them. Even rapists have people that they love and respect.

Being a terrible person doesn't mean that they're not human. There is no one in the world that has absolutely no redeeming qualities to them. But because of that separation that so many people take for the truth, because of that "they did this because they're a monster, but I'm not so I would never do this", people just cannot accept when a bad person isn't bad all the time.

They'll look at Jiang Cheng that, ultimately, loves his family and is arguably hard working, and they'll think that that means he's "morally gray", because he possesses good qualities, completely ignoring the fact that he's just a trash human being in general.

Low key, it pisses me off. Especially the people that relate so hard to him, and ask me if I wouldn't do the same in his shoes. Because no. I fucking wouldn't cause genocide. I wouldn't torture and kill complete strangers because they dared to have a surname I don't like or because they make me think of someone I resent from my past.

Like, I took can see myself in him, totally. He IS well written, and between the cartoonishly bad Xue Yang and the paragons of moral virtue that is Wangxian, he's definitely the one that feels closest to an everyday man, in personality if you ignore all the murders. I am petty, I hold grudges, I can be entitled and selfish, I am overall a massive rude cunt, but I do not want to hurt people and everyday I strive to be better than the last, even in infinitesimal ways. As should anyone. But that is something that Jiang Cheng doesn't even acknowledge, stuck as he is in his victim mentality and inferiority complex.

But Jiang Cheng is morally bankrupt. He is not morally gray. Not even dark gray. As an adult, he is painstakingly human and in general, a bad person.

And that is OK.

To make him a better person, you don't have to change his entire character with half assed head canons, just make him acknowledge his flaws and let him (finally) grow as a person, past that stubborn mentality he has had for decades.

He IS a bad person, but even bad people have a capacity for growth and change, of the moment they allow themselves to. If he ever gets forgiven for his past actions, that's on the people he has hurt, not that it should even be considered in his journey towards growth.

(Frankly, I don't think he would be. I think he shouldn't be, but that's not for me to decide. However, I can definitely JC finally making some tiny progresses but for all the wrong reasons, and get insulted when, if he ever even get to that point, his apologies don't end up fixing everything. He is totally the kind of person that would see you being mad at them and feel like he's the one being victimized because you didn't accept his half assed apologies. The emotional maturity on this man is below -100.)

(Also, Wei Wuxian isn't morally gray in the total opposite, in that he is such a good person, be it morally or emotionally, just. God, I envy his mental fortitude and his capacity for forgiveness and love.)

Sorry again for the ask, just had to rant somewhere about this and I am kind of curious about how you consider the "morally gray" argument. I think it's total bullshit, if the entire post didn't tell you, but yeah, I'm curious.

I hope I was coherent enough, I did not plan this ask at all, it was all streams of consciousness.

So before I get to the actual material of your rant—of which I agree with—I want to go on a tangent. Bad people as a category are not “dehumanized.” Dehumanization is the act of stripping someone or a group of people of their humanity as a tool of oppression, and it must come with material consequences. Saying that a continent of people are only capable of non-human animal intelligence to justify centuries of enslavement is dehumanization. Saying that a country of people are born terrorists to justify flattening their homeland and claiming it by a different name is dehumanization. Claiming that the man who called you out on your desires to be the new oppressors is a literal demon wanting to destroy your heritage in order to justify leading an army to kill him and his charges while attempting to remove their ability to reincarnate is dehumanization. Calling a child abuser a monster is not dehumanization. It is just an insult.

In fact, the “human traits” of terrible human beings do not need to be defended, because more often than not the absolute worst human beings are materially protected from the consequences of their actions by people who want to defend their “humanity.” In mdzs, I don’t give two fucks about Jiang Cheng’s one “human” trait of loving his nephew, because his “inhumane” traits of abusing said nephew and everyone else in his life intentionally overshadow that by his own design. Jiang Yanli loved her son just as much and lost much more than Jiang Cheng ever did, but she didn’t become an unrepentant monster. Humans are not “monsters-in-waiting” whereby we must act as if every individual is always one step away from committing unspeakable acts of depravity. If that was the case, we would not have survived as a community-dependent social species. Therefore, I do not find Jiang Cheng as the most relatable character ever because I do not find the way that he gives into anti-human behaviors to be relatable to me on a personal level or to be representative of most people’s actions throughout the course of their lives. To feel pain is human, and to have outbursts about it is understandable. To abuse about it? To murder about it? To mass murder about it??? Absolutely anti-human, anti-community, and the type of behavior that can only survive and thrive in an environment that privileges people with those specific “inhumane” traits above everyone else. (One might even call it the environment of a corrupt hierarchy of power that mdzs critiques.) The exact opposite of dehumanization. So if I choose to call Jiang Cheng a monster, it is to intentionally point out the ways that his conscious actions as a character in this story are a negation of human life and community.

On that note, I’ve discussed how this fandom uses “morally gray” in this ask (excuse the fact that I switch between “grey” and “gray” lmao). To bring back a point from my rant from above, Jiang Cheng has his one (1) good trait leveraged by fandom to whitewash his crimes under the guise of “morally gray,” while Wei Wuxian is the one actually being dehumanized by that same label as people use it to justify his literal murder (and those of the Wen remnants) in the story, so that’s my feelings on that. Whether Jiang Cheng can be redeemed or not, I frankly do not care to speculate because the story concludes his character arc at him regressing back into Jiang “hunter of Wen” Cheng, still rich, still single, and still only loved by his nephew. At the end of the day, he is not a real person and I’m only here for wangxian.

[slayingfiction]

Character Flaws

When creating characters, it's all too easy to envision the most perfect people, especially when it comes to creating love interests. Even our loveable morally grey characters are mostly perfect, if only they would stop killing...

So, here are a list of some flaws (based on personality, not appearance) to help round out your characters. While it's nice to be good at everything, it's abnormal. No one is perfect, and your characters will be much more relatable if you knock them down a bit.

Please note, none of these are (specifically) mental disorders, as I don't consider those a character flaw.

The Good (aka little flaw):

Absent-minded, aimless, argumentative, audacious, awkward, blunt, bold, boring, capricious, childish, clumsy, competitive, complainer, cowardly, critical directionally-challenged, dubious, finicky, fixated, flake, flirty, foolish, gossipy, gruff, gullible, hedonistic, humourless, hypocritical, idealist, idiotic, ignorant, illiterate, immature, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, incompetent, inconsiderate, indecisive, indifferent, indomitable, irrational, lazy, lustful, materialistic, meddlesome, meek, mischievious, nagging, naive, nervous, nosey, obnoxious, overambitious, overconfident, overemotional, overprotective, overzealous, passive-aggressive, paranoid, peevish, perfectionist, pessimist, pest, predicatable, pretencious, prideful, rebellious, renege, rigorous, sarcastic, skeptic, seducer, selfish, self-righteous, shallow, slacker, solemn, spacey, spoild, squeamish, stubborn, supersticious, sycophant, tactless, tease, tempermental, tenacious, theatrical, thoughtless, timid, unpredictable, unsupportive, vain, workaholic

The Bad (aka big flaw):

Addiction, adulterous, aloof, anxious, apathetic, arrogant, belittling, belligerent, bigmouth, bitter, bully, callous, deceptive, dependant, deranged, dishonest, disloyal, disrespectful, egotistical, envious, erratic, exploitive, fanatical, fickle, fierce (at the extreme), gluttonous, greedy, harasser, hubris, impious, infamy, intolerant, judgemental, lewd, liar, meglomaniac, morally grey, narcissistic, negligent, obsequious, obsessive, offensive, prejudiced, quixotic, reckless, rigid, self-martyr, self-righteous, short-tempered, spiteful, squanderer, stingy, unethical, unforgiving, untrustworthy

The Ugly (aka cross the street when you see this person):

Abusive, bigot, controlling, cruel, explosive, immoral, inhumane, intolerant, machiavellian, manipulative, murderous, neglectful, oppressive, racist, remorseless, possessive, self-destructive, threatening, treacherous, vengeful, vindictive, violent

The seven chief features of ego: self-deprecation, self-destruction, martyrdom, stubbornness, greed, arrogance and impatience.

Some of these may not even be considered flaws, and some may jump from one category to the next. It's all about how you present these flaws in your characters.

Have any more to add? Did you find this useful? Let me know down in the comments :)

[jalluzas-ferney]

Cole wasnt “changed” to be gay. He never was STRAIGHT in the first place.

and hell- whi says he’s strictly gay now? Cole could like girls as well for all we know 🤷‍♀️ uk like, be a Bi king or smth.

The thing is, just like people are used to seeing characters from books as white as a default until stated otherwise, just because they’re so used to it, this happens with straightness as well.

People are will BEG and SWEAR that a character is straight just because they were never outright stated to be otherwise. And emphasis on “outright stated” because even when there is coding, hinting or just blatant portrayal of it, people will still deny that that certain character is queer because it’s not like they canonically turned to the camera and told the audience that “I AM NOT STRAIGHT.”

But to them, even if the character rarely showed any interest in the opposite gender or ever really talked ab their attraction, the character is just automatically straight. It’s just inherent. Of course they’re straight.

And you know what? Even if the character does, who said Bi people don’t exist? I have a lot of Bi friends and a family member that either are bi or are dating a bi person, and their attraction towards the opposite gender has never invalidated their attraction towards the same if gender non-conforming.

And even then, a lot of gay men or lesbians have struggled with comp-het in the past, reuniting them in having tried to date or even marry people from the opposite gender only to then realize they never truly were straight, and were just compulsively trying to conform or believe that they are straight because again, straightness has always been seen as the status quo. As the normal thing to be. The default.

And this isn’t me saying that “the writers were writing Cole as a dude with comp-het this whole time” or smth because I don’t know that. And while I could theorize that I don’t think the writers really were thinking about implementing compulsive heterosexuality into this silly Lego show.

But just like I can’t assure that Cole canonically has suffered from comp-het or that he is gay and not Bi or hell he could be asexual or smth while being gay WHO KNOWS-but just like we can’t exactly assure that he is exactly one of those labels, people cannot come here and act like Cole was ever REALLY canonically straight. Hell. You could even say None of the characters of the show are STRAIGHT because who said they were? You can def interpret them as straight! But why do people insist on acting as if portraying Cole as having a male character a romantic interest as them CHANGING him as if he really ever WAS straight?

No one acts that when a character is straight that it was a huge betrayal or smth because the character was “OBVIOUSLY” gay by default. No. People just see it as normal and move on because that has always been the status quo.

Because this is a heteronormative society as much as people try to act as if making a character gay is “appealing to the world and the general public” as if straight people are suddenly oppressed. Hetero friends of mine or my family will always automatically assume I’m straight because that’s the norm to them. People will always assume someone it het or cis unless outright stated otherwise.

And if you can’t tell what’s wrong with that…

…

And you know what? Get all pissed off about it. Complain. Make petition for “saving your boy Cole” (save him from what exactly? It’s not like Christianity exists in Ninjago so yall can scratch hell out of the list at least) the season was made. The character of Geo was made. The scenes where Geo fantasized about Cole being awesome and handsome were made. Scenes where Cole and geo talk about needing each other were made. Scenes where geo and Cole hold hands and look at each other all lovey dovey were made. None of that bigoted complaining is going to change that. Theyre not going back and deleting those scenes and they’re not suddenly gonna write Geo and Cole in completely different way from what they were written before. Womp. WOMP.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 4/30/2024

most annoying book i've read so far this year under the jump

listening

a lovely polyrhythmic instrumental piece with previously-featured tuesdaysong artist, terrifying master of the cello, abel selaocoe. this is very textured and kind of scrubs at the inside of my skull in a pleasing way. like the kind of back scrubber you can buy with a bamboo handle and the long soft bristles. popped up on my recent releases playlist from spotify.

-

reading

really fucking pissed about this book and i am not able to be reasonable about it. i was really thrown, much like the fantasy prince's mother from her carriage as she was being chased by regency gossip reporters, that this was a prince harry/meghan markle RPF AU. i am a bit uncomfy about the fact that our female lead, the fantasy AU meghan markle, is some flavor of fantasy Gaelic instead of fantasy mixed-race. now, i have no particular moral or physical beef with RPF but i don't typically seek it out. but/also/and, much like works about marilyn monroe, i think works with the specter of princess diana are in poor taste. can we leave these women alone maybe

i got about halfway through the book before this revelation and didn't really feel like it succeeded at much of anything it was trying to do. oddly informal and choppy, like it was originally intended as a contemporary romance with some urban magic and changed to regency in a late draft. this is combined with some fairly weak prose: more simple sentence structure than i would expect in a book for young adults, far too many proper nouns, and a lack of interest in showing not telling.

i straight up don't understand why the leads are attracted to each other if she keeps making very public mistakes and he's a rude cunt. i have read other books (most recently the t kingfisher books) where someone grows to love a very gruff or taciturn man, but it takes time and mutual trust and an effort on both sides, none of which happen here. the core conflict is duty to family in all its various forms vs the heart wants what the heart wants. the conflict is not much of a conflict, though, because characters come to realizations within three sentences of confronting them and then vocalize them with therapyspeak. someone literally pats someone else's hand and goes, "It's hard, I know." the author mercifully did not describe the sad little pursed sympathy mouth but i'm sure it was there.

i'm also deeply annoyed with how this author chose to go about characterization. while the character concepts are people i would love to meet in a ttrpg, it feels very concerned about Good Representation and it makes everyone feel very wooden. i think when you put together characters from a list of various oppressions and disabilities it starts feeling like a grownup version of a children’s ensemble show meant to sell little blind box figurines. here is the Chronically Ill one, and her color is pink! here is the Addicted one, and his color is green! here is the Goth and Depressed one, and her color is black with some bones! here is the Gay one who was once badly hurt by the Addicted one, and we don’t care enough about him to give him a color! here is the superficially fantasy-Jewish one, and we don’t care enough about her to give her a color or an action figure either!

while normally i would love to read a book with two! TWO! canonically bisexual leads of different genders! this book is written for the "folx" spectrum of gays instead of the "fags" part of the spectrum and it strays very close to a modern morality tale for me.

this popped up on a list of books with bi leads i think, but if it was here or on libby i cannot remember.

anyway! fucking hated this one.

pleasantly surprised these came in back to back off my holds lists, bc they are about the perfumer Grace and Grace's former landlord, the spy Marguerite. my favorite of these Saint of Steel series is still the one with the werebear nun. i have nothing to complain about these books and not much to say about them either. they were such a delightful and competent change of pace after the annoyance of the previously discussed book.

oh i loved these. oh i LOOOOOOVED these. how the fuck does novik do it. she is so good at capturing the very specific feel of a grandpa military historical novel. except with dragons. i love these in the same way i know i will love the patrick o'brien books if i ever get around to reading them. i was a navy brat and unfortunately this is fucking catnip to me. truly i have inherited all my father's tastes

-

watching

largely fallow week. i don't have anything particularly great to say about The Bad Batch, but when have i ever. have not caught up with dunmeishi bc my siblings have once again inadvertently locked me out of the netflix account i pay for. considering a vpn for many reasons but watching netflix and watching porn (the state of texas does not want me or anyone else to watch porn within her borders) are the two big reasons for. idk. cashing out the paltry cash-back credit card rewards and coughing them up for a vpn. vpn opinions welcomed, i know most of them are straight garbage

-

playing

i straight up ran out of money in genshin, which is pretty hard to do since they're pretty generous with it? i have spent several million in-game currency on leveling up neuvilette (i am so so so happy to not have to collect any fucking starfish mats for him anymore [mats are different materials you have to collect or buy in-game in order to level up a character. very grindy most of the time]). anyway i am now scrabbling around for the last couple chests and puzzles i marked on my map in fontaine. i haven't bothered with grinding for his specific boosting artifacts or leveling up his talents all the way yet but this is really not shabby. i have the bad habit of completely levelling up all my 5-stars and then ignoring them until i need them for a specific fight or a specific level of the monthly..battle royale puzzle? i don't really know how to describe the abyss. anyway when i do eventually need his pretty intense water AOE attacks i will frantically grind for his talent mats. right now we're grinding for other things thanks

this latest update contains both the best and worst new areas so far. the underwater lost city of Remuria is a fuckin banger. gorgeous. incredible puzzles. very fun music-based quest line with new abilities and giant whale. however, im kind of disappointed by the new coastline area in the map: there is pretty much nothing there. almost no interactable plants to harvest, very few enemies, almost no chests. i get that they are focusing their time and attention on the new underwater area everyone will be focusing on (killer, btw, super dense and great use of vertical space). very lore-heavy expansion, sort of what if atlantis was a bit roman-inspired and also. hold on. wait a second.

sorry this has just occurred to me at 10:21 PM on Monday night as im drafting this but oh my god are the fucking fontanians the Sea Peoples of the bronze age collapse. this is hysterically funny lore if true. im going to have to go back and reread a lot of the environmental storytelling notes but oh my GOD that's extremely funny if true. genshin has some of the most batshit lore of any game ive ever played and im so sad that so few game journos are focusing on it.

where was i. leveling up characters in legally-not-france who may or may not be descendants of the sea peoples. i often find myself leveling up characters in genshin not based on how useful they are to the party but by how fun the bosses i need to fight for their mats are? for example: neuvilette is a water-based AOE character with not a lot of on-field time. however this big electric seahorse, whose antlers i need to level him up, is really fun to fight and i can knock it out in about thirty seconds.

-

making

my sister's birthday is tomorrow! my birthday package to her was kind of heavy on stupid little trinkets and art books and not very much like. homemade? so i cranked out a little sampler. it's framed i promise i simply forgot to take a picture of it framed. about 3"x3", slightly adapted from a piece in Julie Jackson's Subversive Cross Stitch. i do think the F and C turned out way better (or at least the backstitching stands out way more) but hey. sometimes you need to hastily stitch a gift with the limited colors you have on hand

[gatoraid]

Anime recs for The Radiant Emperor enjoyers

I was watching the new Ooku anime on Netflix some weeks ago and I thought it hit that ”court drama dealing with gender roles and making me cry” spot that He Who Drowned the World has been occupying in my heart lately (even if it engages with some of these themes very differently).

Somehow that got me thinking about other anime that might align with the vibes and themes in The Radiant Emperor book series and eventually came up with this list.

Some of those themes include gender roles, queerness, disability, politics, oppression, rebellion, revenge, impossible and messy relationships and tragedy. Darker themes like war, violence, sexual assault etc are also often present. Please lmk if you agree or disagree with these choices and feel free to add more!

Dororo (2019)

Historical fantasy based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga classic from the 1960s.

An orphan who hides her gender in order to survive meets a young man who fights demons to claim back his body parts that his father traded away in a demonic pact. There’s tons of pain and tough moral questions and complicated family relationships, and the way Hyakkimaru deals with having lost and then slowly regaining parts of himself is super interesting.

24 episodes. Stream on Prime Video, Hidive

The Heike Story (2022)

Retelling of the historical epic Heike monogatari through the eyes of an orphan girl who gains the ability to see supernatural things after her father’s passing. Inevitability of fate, the impermanence of all existence, praying for your loved ones’ happiness in the next life, all of these things are beautifully woven in this visually stunning story. The story also hits different when you know that Heike monogatari was traditionally performed by blind musicians and singers.

11 episodes. Stream on Cruncyroll, Apple TV

Inu-oh (2022)

Historical fantasy. Two outcasts find each other and change the history with their music in this story that also pays respect to the Heike monogatari’s origin as a singing tradition. Focus on things like identity, disability, nonconformity, ghosts. Yes, the ghosts part is important. Also, the gender expressions and the bond between the two main characters is something I’ve seen a lot of queer/trans ppl relate to and Inu-oh is voiced by none other than the trans icon Avu-chan.

Movie. Stream on Hulu

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023)

Alternate history where most men in Japan have been wiped out by a mysterious disease. Very much a court drama centered in the Tokugawa shogun’s residence where men serve the woman shogun as concubines (and sometimes have relationships with each other). Also, one of the main characters is a monk who ends up giving up his vows! Based on Fumi Yoshinaga’s acclaimed manga that has also been adapted to various live action movies and drama series.

10 episodes. Stream on Netflix

Toward the Terra (2007)

Scifi classic with two main characters who are at the opposing sides but feel inexplicably connected. There’s just so many insane relationships and emotions here, I still have not recovered from the ”I want to kill you but I will also protect you with my own life” thing…… Based on the 1970s manga by Keiko Takemiya. Not to be confused with the movie from 1980.

24 episodes. Available on DVD

Devilman Crybaby (2018)

Apocalyptic fantasy with demons and stuff. Based on the classic 1970s manga by Go Nagai.

I don’t even know how to describe the story, it’s just the tragedy, the queer yearning, the ”I killed the one I loved and then it was too late”, the ”things will get bad and then they will get worse” vibe that I think is very fitting. This one has the most extreme violent and sexual content out of the series on this list.

10 episodes. Stream on Netflix

Banana Fish (2018)

Gang wars, mystery drugs and complicated emotions set in New York. Based on the iconic 1980s manga by Akemi Yoshida. Deals heavily with trauma and CSA.

You guessed right, this one is also a tragedy. If you love Ouyang and/or Baoxiang, you’re probably going to love Lee Yut-Lung. That’s all I’m going to say.

24 episodes. Stream on Amazon Prime

[firawren]

The Rose Brides: a Beauty and the Beast retelling fanfic

Chapters 1 and 2 now posted on AO3!

Chapters: 2/19 now posted Fandom: Beauty and the Beast (Disney Animated Movies) Rating: Explicit

Relationship: Belle/Beast Other characters: Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Maurice, minor original characters

Key additional tags: Alternate Universe, Love, Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Eventual Smut, Shame, Self-Sacrifice, Magic, see full list of tags on AO3

Summary:

Lord Adam, born a beast from an ancestral and unbreakable curse, is determined to live in solitude so that his bloodline and curse will finally end with him. Yet magic intervenes and puts a young woman named Belle in his life, bound to his palace from an enchanted rose she plucked. Adam wants nothing to do with this woman who ruined his plans. He certainly is not going to fall in love with her, no matter how sweet and fun and clever he discovers her to be. Belle is not happy to be trapped at the eerie palace either. She had plans to become a famous author and travel the world. But she’s determined to make the best of her situation by making a friend, or maybe something more, if she can ever get this cranky yet strangely kind beast to open up to her.

Excerpt from Prologue:

The villagers quickly learned never to ignore the enchanted rose bush when it was in bloom. If no woman plucked the rose, he would descend from his palace and attack the villagers in a ferocious rage, tearing them apart with his inhuman strength, and no one was ever able to stop him. They tried to destroy the rose bush as well, but its enchantment protected it from their axes and their fire. And so they lived in fear of their beastly lord and prayed their daughters and sisters would not one day be compelled to become one of his doomed rose brides.

The first rose bride bore the lord a beastly son, and he too took rose brides, as did his son, and the next. None of these poor women ever lasted long, wasting away in the misery of their palace prison. With each life it claimed, the once beautiful palace sunk deeper into darkness and decrepitude, laden with a palpable gloom that oppressed all those within its dreadful walls.

Such was the woeful home into which Adam was born, a strange and fearsome beast like his father and all the lords before him. Bitter and despairing at his lot in life, Adam became disgusted by his family’s lineage and legacy. When his father died, he burnt the bag of rose seeds, determined to never demand a rose bride and to live his life in miserable solitude. He dismissed all but two of the palace servants and locked himself away, never appearing to anyone outside his palace. As the years passed, the young people of the village grew to nearly forget there was ever a curse on their hidden lord, as the rose bush had never bloomed within their lifetimes.

Until the day when it bloomed again.

Continue reading on AO3

[11queensupreme11]

Your favorite and least favorite things about ror and pjo?

PJO

favorite things:

pretty much the entirety of the first series!

i love how rick was able to perfectly (imo) entertwine the ancient greek world with the modern world

i especially love how most of percy's journey was similar to the ancient greek heroes' journeys in the myths

THE FACT THAT PERCY REJECTED GODHOOD TO TRY AND GIVE DEMIGODS AND MINOR GODS A BETTER LIFE HE'S SO SWEET I LOVE HIM OMG

no seriously, i LOVE how instead of being selfish and becoming a god, he tried to actually fix the root of the problem so no other child would ever go through the same things his generation of demigods went through THATS HOW YOU END AN OPPRESSIVE REGIME, I'M PROUD OF YOU PERCY

everything about the last olympian. he writes war and battle SO well, my heart was literally pounding throughout the whole book!!!

the character deaths.... they gutted me, but they were executed so well

least favorite things:

the gods weren't very similar to the mythical counterpart.... like how pjo!poseidon was a chill, mostly nice guy whereas in the myths he was a rapist psycho.... and how pjo!ares was implied to be abusive towards clarisse whereas in the myths ares respects women and killed his daughter's rapist (tho i get why he couldn't do that since this is a kid's book)

the entirety of heroes of olympus 💀

no seriously, i didn't like any of it

the lost hero and the son of neptune were okay, but after that things started getting messy. probably because of how many main characters he had to write about

the plot was very very.... weird??? especially around the part where they were looking for the physician's cure. a side quest took up a major chunk of the book

BLOOD OF OLYMPUS WAS SHITTY OMG

the final battle against gaea was so lame!!!! the seven weren't even fighting here, only a few of them were!!! the fact that piper was able to put her to sleep too even though rick literally wrote a list of ways charmspeak would fail AND GAEA CHECKED EVERY ONE OF THEM???? yet piper succeeded anyway???

no seriously, i was expecting the last olympian kinda shit in blood of olympus, but i got NOTHING

rick's shitty view of 'feminism' wasn't feminism at all, it was more misandry (the hunt) and piper ESPECIALLY had some glaring internalized misogyny

i get he was trying to make her a feminist icon, but he really failed with piper. piper clearly hated femininity and looked down feminine girls AND SHE WAS PROVEN RIGHT because 99% of her enemies (major or minor) were girls that were comfortable with their femininity and rick had her triumph over them every time

rick's favoritism over piper. her charmspeak worked on opponents that it shouldn't have worked on (gaea and khione), every other female character suddenly gets downgraded whenever she's around (drew, aphrodite, annabeth, the entire fucking aphrodite cabin, etc), none of her actual flaws were called out (this is mostly because rick never intended for her internalized misogyny and obsessiveness to be her flaws, they were created by accident and noticed by the readers).... and you get the point

ROR

favorite things:

the character designs are sooooo 🤤

99% of the characters have 8 pack abs OR MORE

THE GORE!!!! WOOHOO I LOVE THE VIOLENCE (in the manga at least.... the anime censored it smh 🤦‍♀️)

there isn't really much worldbuilding yet but i love what we've been given so far!!!!

the fact that the mangaka was able to create a universe where ALL the gods of ALL the pantheons are in it and it doesn't look like a hot mess??? much respect!

THE FACT THAT FAMOUS HUMANS ARE FIGHTING TOO!!!

THE MATCHUPS ARE AMAZING LIKE IMAGINE BEING TOLD NIKOLA TESLA WAS FIGHTING THE DEVIL

the death scenes!!! yes they're tragic, but they're so well done!!!! the way lu bu's men rallied up to join him in niflhel, the way every human grieved when adam, their father, died, how tesla's last words were to give hope to humanity, I LOVED IT ALL 😭😭😭

least favorite things:

i really need them to explain wtf a demigod is cuz i get how humans are considered demigods (they're humans with the strength of a god) BUT I REALLY NEED AN EXPLANATION ON HOW THE VALKYRIES ARE CONSIDERED DEMIGODS 💀

the gods were.... kinda underwhelming. they seemed more like superhumans than actual gods. poseidon didn't use his water powers? hades didn't summon the dead? no lightning from zeus? most of the gods were fighting physically and not using their actual powers which was kinda...... meh

the list of fighters for both humans and gods.... the gods literally have 5 greeks and 3 norse gods whereas the humans have 4 japanese fighters 🫤 i'd like a lil more diversity

the way the fight scenes are animated in the anime..... they are so bad..... like SO bad 😭😭 my jaw dropped when i watched them

the censoring of the violence and gore in the anime 😔

[horizon-verizon]

With the recent season of Bridgerton I rewatched Queen Charlotte and I was mentally comparing those women to Alicent because NONE of the three women who appear are good mothers.

George's mother allows dangerous procedures to be performed and keeps her son and the new queen at least partially isolated to preserve her power as the king's mother.

Agatha is an AS survivor and a true child bride literally groomed from the age of 3, unable to connect with her children and doing everything she can to maintain her new position.

Charlotte herself is forced into marriage, abandoned, kept in the dark, and her children seem to be a way of proving her love for her husband rather than individuals she is actually interested in.

Seeing how the three were received, I would say that there are actually people interested in women who do everything possible to obtain power and perpetuating patriarchy.There is no need to turn them into perpetual victims. HotD, which was actually the ideal space to explore that, decided to go back and eliminate all agency from its female characters.

Nice comparisons. I'd argue that not many women are perfectly "good" mothers even today because we still, as a capitalist, consumerist neoliberal society, put particular pressures on different groups of women, consider them public property first them private property of men in ways that we are very used to and thus don't always see. There's teen moms (esp poor ones with little to no sex education or locked in child marriages) and those with with not a lot of knowledge of how to address certain needs their kids have (spcial or not). Moms kicked out of their homes and having to raise their kids while having been abused themselves. Some of these moms (teen or otherwise) take out their hurt on their kids (the latter the more extreme manifestation), physically or emotionally. And so psychologically messed up but also, in some level, caring for their children from a genuine mother's love.

It's just as, like these women you listed, they experienced and were affected by their circumstances while making their own choices to meet the necessities or oppressions of their conditions. A paradox of life.

HotD refused to really address that. To humanize their women properly or let them express their rage, show how they try to obtain and maintain either a sense of or gain some real power. authority, and agency. Be more scheming on Alicent's part especially.

[blankd]

negative post about the nimona movie, if you like this movie as a fun little romp or are a user secretly younger than tumblr's signup age, move along, this isn't about you

clicking read more means you consent to entering an irradiated opinion zone

*note: I did not bother with the proper spelling of anyone's names because I don't give a fuck

anyway, despite tempering my expectations against the hype, it was still a 4-5 of a movie and that's all thanks to the visuals and morphs, none of the writing.

while I understand the pain the studio went through, I NEED adults to stop kissing this movie's ass out of what I can only generously assume as out of progressive obligation, there are writing 101 issues that buckle under the slightest breeze of critical thought

I will spare myself the pain of explaining what the writing issues are since it's basically the entire construction of the movie, but it boils down to: sloppy pacing, lack of consistency and reliance on multiple contrivances in service to a very well-worn message

I don't need a movie to reinvent the wheel, the problem is that it's written SO clumsily despite how many stories of this kind have preceded it.

"BUT IT'S GAY!! GAY ONSCREEN KISS!! NORMALIZED GAY ROMANCE!!!"

indulging my salty cynical behavior for 5 seconds, to any curious masochists that clicked the read more AND happen to rly rly love ballsack and loin's relationship. I have this little quiz for you: What were their personalities as established in the movie? Could you list out these traits and *consistently* ID who is who?

the point is that I know if either one was a woman, people would be screeching about how lazy of a relationship it is. "Let there be bad queer writing" stop eating gravel and calling it a meal lmao

anyway this post was born from seeing ANOTHER thinkpiece about how DEEP this baby movie for babies is. there's media lit and then there's what I can only describe as desperation for sophistication

"but the shape of the eye glints is--" you mean the movie about not judging people who look different has codified morality into a VISIBLE, PHYSICAL trait that viewers can observe? is that what your essay is about? ARE YOU SURE?

there were other essays with riveting premises such as convincing readers that a child is capable of manipulating another child in any meaningful capacity

anyway, rant over, this is only "public" so that other people can know they aren't the only ones underwhelmed by an overhyped piece of media

I long for the day that stories with LGBT+ characters can be celebrated without caveat

PS: I could do an effortpost of script doctoring Nimona, but I'd just be writing a different story b/c the base premise is Flawed; an immortal shapeshifting kaiju cannot be systemically oppressed nor is systemic oppression going to be solved by killing the One Evil White Woman In Charge. Feel free to watch The Iron Giant though.

[princesssarisa]

Gretchen Grundler for the character ask

Favorite thing about them: Her scientific and academic genius is always fun to watch, both because its sheer scope is funny (no real nine-year-old could ever be that much of a prodigy) and because it always comes in handy. T.J. would probably be lost without her, since her analytical skills ensure that his lavish plans work in the real world. Yet she's never snobby about her intelligence, but is one of the warmest, kindest characters in the series.

Least favorite thing about them: Probably her role in "Pharaoh Bob," when she gets too absorbed in her role as master builder of Bob's pyramid and takes part in oppressing the other kids. But she's far from the only kid in this show to be temporarily corrupted by power, and she snaps out of it just in time at the episode's climax.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I got good grades in school.

*I'm not athletic – and unlike her, I'm not even good with yo-yos.

*I'm normally mild mannered, but when I'm provoked enough (as she was in "The Girl Was Trouble," for example), I can go berserk.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm not nearly as smart as she is.

*I've never had more than a moderate interest in science.

*I'm not tall or skinny.

Favorite line:

Her advice to the Library Kid:

"Perhaps you can learn to enjoy recess without going nuts, and likewise learn how to utilize the library without moving in. You know, like the ancient Greeks said: "all things in moderation"... Look, I love books too. But there's more to life than just reading, just like there's more to life than just recess. The secret is not too much or too little of either."

brOTP: T.J., Spinelli, Vince, Mikey, and Gus.

OTP: None until she's older; when the time is right, maybe Vince, maybe one of the Pale Kids, or maybe someone she hasn't met yet.

nOTP: Jeffrey from "The Pest."

Random headcanon: When she grows up she will become a famous scientist who helps the world in many ways, but she'll never succeed in cloning herself.

Unpopular opinion: I don't see all the alleged "Ship Tease" between her and Vince that both the Recess and Disney Wikis and TV Tropes claim is in the show. They're good friends and I'm all in favor of shipping them, but I don't see any particular evidence that they have crushes on each other. Could someone please provide a list of all the supposed hints, like the list on Recess Wiki of the show's many T.J./Spinelli moments? What am I overlooking?

Song I associate with them:

The theme song, for want to anything unique to her.

Favorite picture of them:

[anaisbebe]

What is your book based on? How many characters are in it?

Thank you for the ask!

"Red Veil of Order" isn't necessarily based on anything. I did steal names from primordial Greek mythology, though. For example, "Chaos" is the personification of the void. I turned these places into characters. (None of them are related, though).

How many... there are a *lot.*

I can create a masterlist here:

There are four (technically five) separate 'teams' in RVO. All of them have a separate goal. Some of their goals align, but they are in different 'teams.'

Beatrice's Team:

Beatrice is the main character with only herself standing with her. She is double-agent and is trying to stop Chaos's oppressive, authoritarian regime from reaching the rest of the world. She works alongside Chaos, pretending to be on his side for the majority of the novel.

Chaos's Team:

His team consists of himself, Tartarus, and the citizens of the Underworld. They are fighting to conquer Earth and Heaven.

Erebos's Team:

Erebos is a lone soldier. His true intentions are unknown to the readers, leaving him on his own team. He is known to hate the other gods and secretly hangs around Chaos without them knowing.

Gaia's Team:

Gaia is the elected Queen of Heaven and the goddess of the Earth. She has the biggest army, ranging from all of Earth to all of Heaven. The rest of the gods (aside from Erebos and Chaos) side with her, as well as their demigod children (aside from Beatrice). Gaia is the opposite of Chaos in almost every way. She rules similar to how the United States of America operates.

Tartarus's 'Team':

Although Tartarus technically sides with Chaos, he branches off to his own goals later in the book. No spoilers!

-

The whole book is based off a prophecy that states one god would betray the rest. Gaia and Chaos were always at odds, so Gaia was able to convince the rest of the deities that this prophecy was regarding him. The original god of the Underworld (Tartarus), was lost to time. That caused Chaos to confined to ruling the Underworld.

(Note: The name Tartarus is now popular in the Underworld. One of the main characters who is named Tartarus is not the god.)

Many of the gods conceived children with humans for their own reasons, making demigods. These children are important to the plot.

Beatrice Lunar- Demigod of the Void, Princess of the Underworld

Theodore Axel- Demigod of the Earth, Prince of Heaven

Lela Thompson- Demigod of Light

Andy Richards- Demigod of the Seas

Aimee Carlisle- Demigod of Love

Delphine Mary- Demigod of the Day

(Note: Not all gods had children. There are many more gods than there are demigods.)

List of the gods: Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, Erebos, Nyx, Pontus, Eros, Uranus, Aether, Hemera, and Ourea.

The original god Tartarus is nowhere to be found. The others (excluding Chaos) live in Heaven. Chaos is the strongest of the gods, and is immortal. Gaia and Tartarus are immortal, but they are considerably weaker.

-

This book should come out in 2025 :-D

[allgremlinart]

Genuine question, since you seem to be a prolific Superbat enthusiastic. Why do so many Superbat fans disrespect Clark so much? 🤷‍♀️

Whenever I see Superbat posts in the Clark/Superman tag most of them ignore his history, his trauma, personality, his family/friends/allies [Lois, his parents, other Justice League members, Jimmy, Kara, Perry, John Henry, Pete, Steve, Cat and etc] his city, his children, [Conner, Chris, Mia, and Jon] and mythos.

It seems people are only interested in Bruce's character and his family. Also, most Superbat fans strike me as being an odd combination of being homophobic, heteronormative, and misogynistic and sometimes even abusive! Very crazy combo, but that's how it seems to me from looking at the majority of works.

For example, people typically make Bruce the bottom or feminine one. When realistically they would be switches. Yet, overwhelmingly all the work is dedicated to "Brucie Wanye." Even though most of the time his true personality is a cold, macho, caring man. Heck, I see Clark being more the bottom type, since he's a very loving partner, and he enjoys being taken care of. You know he's definitely getting pegged by Lois.

Which brings me to the lack of care towards Lois, where she is either villainized or not made to be an important person in Clark's live. Regardless of ships and platonic/romantic feelings, Lois is Clark's closest friend. Yet, none of that is rarely displaced in fanart, headcanons, and fics. Yet, Bruce's people are always made sure to be included.

Also, what's with the influx of evil Superman and poor innocent babyboy Batman. Look I like some dark tropes too, and I wouldn't mind so much if we at least kept the same treatment with both parties. Instead of only favoring one person.

It's deeply upsetting and disturbing to see the kindest original hero immigrant aka the champion of the oppressed. To be used for such weird, oc, fetishistic works. Again, it's odd to due Batman having so much privilege and is known for being very controlling, yet it's never displayed in these darker takes. Batman is a good man, but can have troubling qualities, as all good characters have. Clark has his darker attributes too, but that’s okay as long as it presented fairly.

Lastly, Clark and Bruce have a close friendship. Yet, again I see no one making art/fics about Clark's other close relationships. But, everyone seems to be a huge fan of being a multishipper for Bruce. Example being Selina, Talia, Joker, Harvey, Ghostmaker, Hal, Barry, Arthur, Diana, and etc. Seems to be to be a bit biased no, for fans that claim to love Clark and ship Superbat have no problem doing this for Bruce.

Where's the love for other Clark ships like Lois, Lana, Lex, John Corben, Brainiac 5, Hal, Arthur, Diana, Barry, Maxima, Volcana, Blanque, and etc.

Also, it's not really special that Clark recognizes Bruce's heartbeat as the go to Superbat trope. He does that with everyone like again to list Lois, his parents, his children, his villains, his friends both in the Justice League, at the Daily Planet, and in Smallville. Heck, he's even given Jimmy his own personal watch to call him!

Sorry, this is a lot. I didn't mean to type so much, but I didn't want to use multiple asks. I also want you to know I'm not attacking you personally. Some of the text posts and art I looked up on your blog are awesome! ❤️ Keep up the good work! I just sincerely want to know why there's such a strong bias in Superbat. I personally, do like the pairing as long as they are both treated like equals.  

Thank you, for reading this and have a great day! 🌟 

Ok uhhh wow this one is a lot. I’ll break it down under the cut.

But first lemme say that thanks for complimenting my blog! Glad you are enjoying it. But for future reference, if you want to complain about something you don't really like about a ship or fandom maybe consider making your own post about it. Cus I know your intentions were good but going to a superbat blog and saying “this is everything I dislike about superbat!!” comes off pretty rude. I could stop there but I’ll address your questions/points because why not and I’m a glutton for punishment,,

So first off, and this is what I’m gonna end up repeating throughout this post, I understand your frustration at parts of Clark's mythos not being explored more in superbat fic/art but a lot of what it comes down is just that uh. Some people know more about batman mythos! And some people know more about superman mythos! It doesn’t really mean that they like/respect one character more than the other.. people are just interested in different comics lol. For example I rely a lot on my wonderful superman mutuals (hello @/blorb-el :] ) for info about Clark and his lore because I just haven’t read as many superman comics.. doesn’t mean I like Clark less. Just means I like sci-fi less…

As for this I have no idea what most of it means lol but like I said, telling a blog that you know likes superbat that superbat fans are “homophobic and abusive” is pretty rude for obvious reasons…

Now uh there’s a lot to unpack with this lol. Long story short, top/bottom preferences dont really have anything to do with personality. And as for “realistically they’d switch” yeah I personally see them as switches too! But there’s no “correct” way of imagining how a fictional character has gay sex lol. People are just gonna have their preferences for what they like to see and most of the times they dont have/need a specific reason for them. Also: this is gonna be a big theme when it comes to my response to you because my advice? Utilize tags. Cus uh if you check the tags for “bottom Clark” and “bottom Bruce” in the superbat tag on ao3 -

There isn’t exactly a dearth of bottom Clark works. There’s plenty great ones out there 

As for this, some of it is going to be because ppl maybe dont know as much about Lois as they do other characters, and some of it is yeah misogyny lol I won’t lie to you. But to be honest I haven’t seen any Lois bashing in fics or fanwork since like the mid 2010s. So I cant tell if this complaint is in good faith or not. Either way I still dont know why you’re telling it to me..

Lmao this one. First rule of fandom is that people are going to write weird, ooc fetishistic fics purely for the sake of writing weird, ooc fetishistic fics. Its fanfiction, its not like they’re official DC stories - they dont have to be accurate. I understand your frustration if you’re seeing a dynamic you dont like a lot but, again, I would advise you to utilize tagging + filtering to your advantage. The reality of fandom is you’re going to see interpretations of a character that you don’t like. And what you do is simply don’t read what you don’t like. Its not always that deep. 

Again! You just! Have! To look! For creators! That are more into! Superman comics! (@/sully-s has a lot of cute Jimmy + Lois/Clois art if you’re interested) Like I’m not a Batman multishipper because I want to personally spite Clark Kent, I’m a Batman multishipper because I’ve read a LOT of Batman comics lol. Like I’m gonna level with you I have no idea who John Corben or Blanque or Volcana even are. But I know there are probably plenty of people who ship superbat who have no idea who Minhkhoa Khan or Silver St. Cloud or Andrea Beaumont are!! And that doesn’t mean they hate Bruce it just means they don’t feel like reading 80 years of Batman comics which!! Is fair!!

As for this part I dont have any advice or suggestions this is just rude. “Hey that popular trope you like is stupid!” Ok! You’re allowed to think that, I get it honestly. But, again, I don’t know why you felt the need to send that opinion to a blog that you know likes superbat. Like its not exactly a question, its just something you dont like lol

In conclusion my advice is: use filtering! use tagging! If you’re good at searching for stuff you can pretty consistently avoid ships/dynamics you dont like! I do this all the time. And for next time, maybe remember that fandom isn’t curated to your personal tastes automatically - you have to curate it yourself, and thats no one else’s job but your own. 

[docholligay]

Lone Women

Non-spoilery: I wanted to like this, and the blurb made me think I really would, but boy is this book equal parts mind-boggling, boring, and pandering. It makes PERFECT sense to me that most people who have read this got a free copy or a Book of the Month copy.

Spoilery:

OY and also GEVALT. Jesus herschel Christ, okay so, first of all this book is a textbook example of what I’m talking about when i say sometimes representative fiction and media risks becoming a Pokemon ‘gotta catch em all’ situation. The story centers around a Black woman, Adelaide, which is fantastic and absolutely relevant to the story given that Montana was very “sure fine whatever” about giving Black homesteaders land. But then, it just...keeps adding up. Another Black woman and a Chinese woman who are also lesbians, obviously, and lesbianing together join up with Adelaide and her new friend, a single mother with a young trans son that she is 100% accepting of. This is in a 250ish page book, and at a certain point you just start sighing because it’s this author is just ticking stuff off a list at this point. This would be very doable in a longer book or maybe a better written one, but this is a piece of genre fiction par excellence, and none of that is on offer here, so you end up just trying to figure out how he’s gonna shoehorn in another minority. Because none of these minorities have problems with each other, by the way. Obviously. There is no such thing as inter-minority oppression and hatred, there is “majority” and “minority” and the white straight people who are the villains are truly mustache twirling in a way that is damn near hilarious. I think that actually identifies a big problem: None of these characters feel like people. I was sitting here thinking about having read and interacted with MANY other properties that play the ‘gotta catch em all’ game, and as a person who can often be included in ‘em all’ I am often not bothered, but the issue here is none of them FEEL like more than the Minority Experience he has highlighted for each of them. The villains have no internal life. Everyone is the flattest possible version of what a person can be.

That’s all very truly annoying, but I think I could forgive it if the horror was good. I have forgiven MUCH MUCH bigger sins in other books because the horror was enjoyable. Please don’t let the above make you think I am discerning in my horror tastes.

But oh my god. what the fuck.

The whole story centers around Adelaide having this secret she keeps locked up in a trunk with her. It’s heavy and burdensome, but she MUST carry it with her. It contains a murderous thing, a thing that killed her parents, and she dreams of being free of it. It nearly kills a man she falls in love with, and he goes away. Sounds great, right? Me sitting here wondering what I think this whole thing could be a metaphor for, for generational trauma or what have you. When it killed some mean white people I thought maybe it was a metaphor for Black anger. It’s a faceless monster described only in terms of its sharpness and its lust for men and horses (which did throw my theory about black anger out the window.)

But, at the end, it turns out the thing she’s been carrying around was born at the same time as she was and is, I shit you not, a literal dragon. Lavalle has intentionally avoided ever calling it a dragon throughout the book, I suppose because he thinks this twist is exceptionally clever. The dragon is Adelaide’s sister, and the secret is for her to learn to love her sister and also after they beat the bad guys--where, it must be said, they attempt to hang the lone women on the stage of a grand opera house-- everyone goes and lives in a secret town for “lone women” where everyone gets to be happy.

I read that, reread it, and quietly uttered “What the fuck”

I would be much angrier about it if I were a slow reader, but I’m not, so I don’t care. Read this if you’d like to read a book that feels like a bold attempt to cash in on people’s desire for representation in stories that also understands very very little about racial and social politics in the American West, which unfortunately I know a lot of, and also the big twist is SHE IS CARRYING AROUND A LITERAL DRAGON WHO IS ONLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT DOESN’T GET LOVE.

[good-wine-and-cheese]

Writing Patterns (Tag Game)

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Tagged by @lethotep <3

I am also going to write more than just the first line since I too am a "very short snappy intro line" writer and want to include some more to the context. So you get the first paragraph instead. (I will bold the first lines though)

Generally speaking I try to include "commentary" in my first lines; usually from the character we will be following, but sometimes about the character we will be following. I either want to introduce a little bit of their attitude toward whatever is happening/has happened, or more broadly define what other people think of them.

However if I'm writing a story that either is an AU which requires some world explanation or involves specific historical (fiction or otherwise) events I will often try to identify those to set the scene and center the audience in the time/place.

But yeah usually my very first sentence is pretty short.

1. the indomitable human soul (Astro Boy): Tenma was not one who kept track of the days. Dates, yes; he remembered dates. Important dates like birthdays. Anniversaries. Deaths. But not the days themselves; they were all the same, a singular ebb and flow of time that occasionally involved sleeping, occasionally involved eating, but most often involved working.

2. His Many Multitudes (Astro Boy/PLUTO): So much death. So many tragedies. Every life belonged to someone that was loved, and it was those loved ones who bore the consequence of death. In Gesicht, there had fostered hatred so intense that he had taken human life. In Abullah, his hatred sought to swallow the entire world. And the one to stir that hatred…the one who had stirred it within Atom, too…

3. what world we wrought (PLUTO): ”In recent months, the President of Thracia has leveled heavy criticism toward the Kingdom of Persia for its barbaric treatment of its robotic population. President Alexander has sparked controversy for his approach to foreign policy, taking on a more aggressive approach than his predecessor during an already tumultuous time. Yet, on the issues of robot oppression, the President is said to be…”

4. Cogs and Machines (PLUTO): It was not in the nature of the meekly-mannered inventor of Zeronium to make a fuss. Many - most - knew him to be amicable, sometimes fast-talking, a little bit softspoken in the presence of more imposing faces. Yet even the meek and the quiet had limits, and those who caught sight of Dr. Hoffman hurrying down the hall to the director’s office would claim to recall three things: the stormy glare that made a monstrous thing of his face; the white-knuckle grip he had on a particular folder under his arm; and the heavy force of each stride taken that belonged to someone usually so light-footed.

5. Don't Turn Around (Monster): There weren’t words for this feeling. None that Tenma could even approach to represent it as an emotion. If anything, it was characterized by lack.. It was almost surreal; as he watched Grimmer’s life come to a close, he was the one who was losing touch with what he felt. If Grimmer had just now received a letter that was filled with all of his lost feelings, then Tenma’s had been sealed inside an envelope and lost someplace out of sight. He could do little more than stare, watching as everyone but him broke into mournful weeping and ragged wailing. He found himself questioning why his heart was the only one that felt empty. Why it continued to feel empty, why that emptiness stayed with him even after Johan’s surgery. Had those feelings of his been stolen? Had Grimmer reached out and taken them, in his final moments alive?

6. Ghost on the Shore (Monster): The waves were pretty rough sometimes. Worse when the rain came with them. But it was still beautiful in a way. Just the sound of water crashing and breaking on the rocks, wearing them down slowly, so slowly with time. From the lighthouse it was safe just to watch and listen. Not as though there was much else for a man to do. So, Wolfgang Grimmer kept his own quiet company watching the waves, humming to himself as he waited for the storm to pass. The rocks would be slippery after all that downpour. He’d have to be careful, venturing out and…

7. it takes a lot to understand (Monster): They called an ambulance. It didn't take very long for the sound of sirens to register, but by then it was time to leave. Doctor Tenma wasn't keen to take his chances to be spotted by authorities, but it was understandable given the run-in with those folks at the border that had nearly cost him his passage out of Germany.

8. hello, my old heart (Monster): “Welcome, sir. If there’s anything you need help with, please let me know.”

9. Monster's Abyss (Monster): The case of Peter Jurgens was, by all accounts but one, textbook in its nature from start to finish. Numerous interviews had allowed Gillen to delve into the mind of the killer, shaping anecdotes of memory into the human that existed as he was known today. Indeed, it was easy enough to write Jurgens off as a “monster”, sick and depraved with a hunger for power and sexual thrill. But that was simply a shallow label that held no meaning outside of distancing oneself from the natures of such a man. After all, if Jurgens was simply a “monster”, then he was no longer human. Categorizing violence as monstrous inherently removed it from humanness, and so the average man and woman could sleep comfortably without self-reflection because they, of course, were not monsters.

10. maybe it's the way that i'm supposed to grieve (Monster): I’m worried about him. After everything...do you really think he should be left alone? … I...I know. But I just...I want to be there for him, if I can.

I'll tag @strawberryclementine @duckoffury and anyone else that wants to do it!! I do not know a lot of folks that have 10+ fics I think but please feel free to take this from me if u want <3

[isaksbestpillow]

I am so glad you're feeling better and blogging again. I was honestly feeling so lost without seeing you on my dash. I felt like i didn't know what to watch if i haven't seen you comment on it. I basically haven't watched any BL while you were away because i didn't know what was good without your expertise. So i guess this is me asking you what would you recommend to me/what is it that you've enjoyed in the last couple of months. It could be a show/film/book really anything

I am wishing and hoping your health will continue to improve and you will stop being in pain and that you will find a new balance in your life 🫶

Thank you!💜💜💜 It's good to be semi-back! Endo is still a pain in the uterus and I'm on constantly on my toes waiting for things to get worse again but compared to how hopeless I was mere months ago there has been a lot of improvement. 💜 Once I'm better, I'm definitely gonna take this experience and get into advocacy for gyn diseases!!!!!

I'm also quite behind on what's going on in bl, but I'll list a couple of shows I've liked!

Be My Favourite (Gmmtv) This really exceeded my expectations of which there were none. The time travel plot seemed a bit wacky at first, but it turned out to be a really lovely story about acceptance and regrets. The main couple is cute once you warm up to their mismatched energy and the love triangle for once is done with no misogyny. There's also some really nice stuff about queer self-discovery! It was a kind little show.

Bokura no micro na shuumatsu/The end of the world with you (I watched this on good ol' kissasian because I'm against Viki by principle, but it's on there if you use it)

This is potentially a show that divides opinions but I loooooved it (I also feel like there are some cultural elements that may have been lost on some viewers). Despite the bleak premise (the world is about to end because of a meteor), it's actually a very kind and poignant story about loss and regret (see a pattern here lol it's my favourite trope) and hope most of all. It really hit home for me since I've had such a terrible year. There are quite many explicit scenes so I wouldn't watch this on the bus.

Shows I expect to like but haven't watched yet:

Laws of Attraction (one31 on Youtube) I really liked these guys on the lakorn/soap Khun chai so I'm excited to watch this one. In Khun chai they fought homophobia in the 1940s, now they're fighting injustice in the Thai law system. It's a soap so I expect there to be some dramatic tomfoolery, but that's part of the fun since it's interesting to see queer stories in this generally very heterosexual genre. Also, the hot mom from Never let me go is there.

Dangerous Romance (Gmmtv) The actors are good and the story seems complex enough so I expect to like this even though I have nothing to base my claims on.

Bonus:

Crash landing on you (Netflix) I watched this while I was alone and housebound. At first I felt like there were too many episodes but I was really sad when it ended. Could've done without the comas and sure the portrayal of the north korean military wasn't entirely realistic, but the characters and the story were super engaging and it was interesting to see ordinary north koreans portrayed in such a positive light as people trying to make it in their oppressive system. One of my favourite things I've watched this year for sure!!

[noamuth]

Which companions does Dal get along with? Or not get along with?

Not a single got damn one.

Well, okay, that's not true. It's less about him not getting along and more about him choosing not to interact, on purpose.

Right now, he is keeping his distance. He assumes none of them can be trusted. That is how he has survived this long, and that is how he will continue to survive, he thinks, until he is given reason to believe otherwise.

I will list the 6 Origin characters because I have only just gotten far enough in-game to have some idea of what they are like (under a cut for length):

Astarion: A wildcard. Initially, Dalamus understandably does not trust him at all. Astarion literally attacks upon first meeting. Dalamus stays up at night just to keep an eye on him, which frustrates Astarion for sneaky vampire reasons.

As the group spends more time together and learns more about each other, Dalamus and Astarion find that they actually have a lot in common--200 years under oppression with strict rules under threat of torture or death, sexual trauma, a twisted sense of humor and enjoyment of cruelty that others don't seem to appreciate. They eventually begin to care for one another rather deeply, but you wouldn't know it from all the bickering. Oh my god the bickering.

Gale: Initially, as a mage, Gale is not to be trusted. Full stop. He is too powerful to regard casually, and he even "brags" about his magic abilities. Dalamus gives him a wide berth and Gale tries to respect that boundary.

Eventually, Dalamus comes to begrudgingly accept that being a mage does not make Gale any more or less trustworthy than others, and Gale's kindness is not a trick. Gale's eagerness to teach and his sometimes long-winded and flowery way of speaking initially annoys Dalamus, but eventually he finds some endearing humor in it.

Karlach: Karlach is an interesting combination of strength and softness that Dalamus initially does not know what to do with. She has an eagerness for battle that rivals Orgoll's, but everything else about her is the complete opposite. Strength and kindness do not mix, Dalamus thinks, as someone who came from a might-makes-right society.

Her loud love of life initially rings annoying at best or entirely false at worst to Dalamus, who is used to keeping himself restrained, but eventually he begins to also start enjoying the little things in life that have been denied to him, encouraged to show his excitement by her and others. Although he initially sees his exile from the Underdark as something terrible, Karlach sees it differently--he is free, like she is free. He just has not realized it, yet. Despite their moral differences, this somewhat endears him to Karlach, and they eventually grow close.

Lae'zel: Although Dalamus sees her as brutish and unrefined, they have some things in common, especially initially--xenophobia, arrogance, pride in their people, being quick to anger, despising weakness, and being new to Faerûn (or at least the surface of it, in Dalamus' case), to name a few. And despite them not getting along, Lae'zel is the person Dalamus least expects to stab him in the back, knowing she would do it from the front in broad daylight if she stood to gain something from it.

As Lae'zel and Dalamus both soften, they can sometimes be seen talking about Faerûn--things they still find ridiculous, things they find pleasant, checking facts with each other so as not to embarrass themselves in front of the others. Keenly observant, sometimes Lae'zel is able to discern Dalamus' feelings and relay them aloud to him in a simplified direct manner, which helps him straighten out his twisting thoughts.

Shadowheart: Dalamus initially sees her as untrustworthy, with her mysteriousness and reserved attitude, despite it not entirely being within her control thanks to amnesia. As a Trickery Domain cleric, she has access to Illusion spells, which greatly sets Dalamus on edge and furthers his distrust. They can agree on the matter of discretion, and she does not shy away from dark humor. Dalamus' penchant for violence may or may not sit well with her, depending on whether she views the reason as justifiable.

As the group gets to know each other, Dalamus' interactions with Shadowheart are similar to her interactions with Astarion. A bit sarcastic and playful. While they never get incredibly close, Dalamus gains respect for her, although still steers clear of her magic.

Wyll: Initially, Dalamus finds him incredibly annoying, his damned heroism. How does protecting the weak keep the collective society strong? And Wyll likely would not get along with Dalamus due to his might-makes-right thinking. Wyll is eager to help others and Dalamus could not care less, it is not his problem. Depending on how soon Mizora is revealed to the party, Dalamus may or may not have any sympathy for him. He made a choice, and now he has consequences. His genuinely good nature gets on Dalamus' nerves. Not to mention using magic.

Despite all that, Wyll's combat experience is invaluable, and Dalamus has to respect that. Over time, as Dalamus learns that kindness is, in fact, a good thing, he starts seeing Wyll in a different light. Someone who was trapped in a contract steering him towards evil, and he still managed to do good even though it would have been so much easier to give in. Maybe, then, Dalamus has a chance, too.