#the less subtle the better imo

[thebramblewood]

An Ill-Fated Afterparty: Part I

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Caleb: This was a bad idea, Lilith. I can still take her ho-

Lilith: Leave us be, Caleb! Isn't it past your curfew anyway?

Helena: [muffled] Yeah! Go to bed, Grandpa!

Lilith: Let's get you upstairs before you giggle yourself to death, darling.

Helena: [breathlessly] Holy shit! Are those, like, your great-great-grandparents? They look just like you!

Lilith: Yes, we Vatores have remarkably strong genes.

Helena: Are you fucking with me? You guys must've gone to one of those old-timey photo studios in the mall!

Lilith: [whispers] I think you're trying to distract me.

Helena: Distract you from what?

Lilith: From this. You know, the biggest, softest bed in the world is waiting for us just beyond these doors.

Helena: Well, then why are we still out here?

Lilith: Good question.

Helena: Lead the way, Ms. Vatore.

Lilith: I'll just slip into something more comfortable

Helena: [crains neck] What have you got hiding back there anyway? A closet full of skeletons?

Lilith: [laughs] The girl's got jokes. What's not to love?

Helena: [sighs contentedly] You'd better love me. Because there's no way I'm leaving this bed until you're dragging my cold, lifeless corpse away.

[tsuchinokoroyale]

[scoobydoodean]

In today’s news: wildly oscillating between enjoying being on Tumblr and hating being on Tumblr

[satoruwiki]

Aah!! As the strange anon who requested Naoya. I gotta say I totally agree with these headcanons! You got him perfect lol basically a d**k..unless your super hot, don't speak and magically anticipate exactly what he wants when he wants it...in which case he's slightly less of a d**k. Ooh please do gojo headcanons now I'm addicted haha

lmfao strange anon 😭😭 but fr you’re right tho, naoya would usually be the type to say “you look prettier with your mouth shut, keep it that way”.

♡.°₊Satoru is the type of man to…ˎˊ˗

content: jjk headcanons; half sfw/half nsfw; afab!reader; i love my cutie patootie boo boo bear pookie blue eyed king gojo >.<!!

n/a: i love this man sm, I already kinda did hcs of him before, but they were mostly nsfw, so i really scratched my head to not repeat them as best as i could.

these are my hcs! feel free to agree or disagree :b any request/interaction supporting this post is very much appreciated <3

sfw ver! ୨ৎ

Satoru is the type of man to… have gifting as his love language. Aside from being extra clingy, he’s the type to gift you stuff at least twice a week. They’re mostly things that reminds him of you or that he thinks you’d like (even though he might fail sometimes when it comes to treats, since he has a sweet tooth it may or may not be too sweet for you).

Satoru is the type of man to… act sassy/petty when jealous. Satoru isn’t the type to make a scene (at least not directed to you) or generally be ill-tempered/insecure. However, whenever he sees someone who looks at you in a different way than the others or tries to engage in a conversation with you that seems too intimate to be friendly, Satoru is the type of man to walk up to you and hug you from behind, giving you neck kisses. While you may think him being overly cuddly with you is normal due to his clingy character, Satoru is doing all that on purpose to let whoever is ‘bothering’ you that you already have someone else, with a damn smug smile plastered on his face (and maintaining direct eye contact with the stranger).

giggled and kicked my feet while writing this.

Satoru is the type of man to… try new things for you. So it is more than obvious that Satoru is old money rich. Like this dude was RICH RICH and spoiled rotten since he was child, not to mention that he’s a special grade sorcerer (he basically gets bank as a salary), therefore he’s accustomed to getting the finest things, either for you or for himself. What may seem expensive to you is probably normal for him. That doesn’t mean he’s some type of snob or is condescending about middle and working class. Satoru would be the type of be slightly skeptical when you take him to a ‘not so high-end’ restaurant, but since it was a “spot you knew”, it must be good, right? Satoru would be surprised to know that the food in the less wealthy places is sometimes even better than his common luxurious michelin-starred restaurant.

sounds like a cute trope imo

Satoru is the type of man to… taking pictures of you without you realizing it. It’s a hidden hobby of his, he thinks you look prettier when you’re distracted. Satoru has certain photo albums in his phone gallery that require a password, that is because you’d probably be embarrassed if you ever found out, but he really likes them, in the least creepy way.

Satoru is the type of man to… pretend not to know certain things as long as he has something to approach you with. Despite being good at pretty much everything, Satoru will lie and pretend to be terrible at something you are specifically passionate about so that you can teach him because he loves to see you get excited about sharing your hobbies and likes with others. His subtle way of knowing about you and collecting information he needs for when he wants to ask you out.

nsfw ver! ୨ৎ

Satoru is the type of man to… have public sex. Whether it’s at home or at some expensive restaurant’s washroom, nothing will stop him from pounding his cock balls deep inside you, though the thought of getting caught being freaky in public always gets his adrenaline rushing and his cock throbbing.

Satoru is the type of man to… have you modeling the lingerie he buys for you. He loves to see how excited you are to show him the little lingerie you bought with his card. But he loves it more when you thank him bouncing on his dick.

Satoru is the type of man to… have phone sex with you when he’s away. Due to his work, he has to sometimes to fly across Japan and this can take a few days before he comes back home. Satoru will call you late at night to ask how your day was then ask you to play with yourself, maybe even do a video call so he can see your pretty ��o’ face.

Satoru is the type of man to… cover you in hickeys. He takes pride in letting everyone know he fucked you real good last night as well as to mark you as his. It also helps to keep other men from you, so he does this pretty often.

Satoru is the type of man to… fuck you in front of a mirror. Satoru likes to fuck you in doggy as well as to see your fucked out face, so he came up with the solution of placing a mirror in front of his bed so he can plunge his cock deep inside your walls just the way he likes and get to see you roll your eyes to the back of your head as he rearranges your guts. He also gets to look at himself and brag a little. (a little narcissistic from him if you ask me lmao)

[somewhereincairparavel]

If Percy can control a goddess's tears and saliva, poison, and water in a person's lungs, then why can't Jason and Thalia suck air out of someone's lungs to make them momentarily stop breathing atleast for a little while or smth? it's very much possible, i swear am i the only one who feels like the Grace siblings were severely underpowered considering that they're the children of the king of all gods? i get that uncle Rick probably didnt want them to overpower or overshadow Percy, but they could've had atleast a little more power.

Also, it's kinda obvious that Jason constantly getting knocked out is just a cheap and not very subtle way to make sure Jason doesn't "take" Percy's spotlight imo. Rick kind of overdid that to the point it became a joke, it's like he was afraid percy won't be seen as "cool" anymore, if jason had surpassed him, so he did everything he could to undermine jason's power to best of his ability, while simultaneously shoe-horning that jason is a Roman legend who had great achievements. Fine, don't give him new achievements, but couldn't we have gotten a flashback of his old achievements atleast? His fight with trojan, or him toppling the black throne, and fighting krios, atleast in Reyna's pov? Jason winning atleast one solid fight wont hurt anything or make us love percy any less.

It's clear that Rick CHOSE Jason to be Percy's equal or foil, but he never actually wrote them as equals with fair amount of power imo, it was a good idea to have them as parallels, but the execution was terrible. It made it seem like Jason simply exists for the sole purpose of making Percy look better (which isn't even necessary, mind you, bc Percy is always our OG king), by saying "ha! See! Percy is so much better than this useless upstart of a hero!" By giving him all the bad stuff percy doesn't have.

It's kind of like Cho from Harry Potter "existing" to make Ginny look like the superior partner for Harry and was discarded as soon as she served her purpose, scarily like Jason.

Jason's character deserved sm better. He had a great backstory, all he needed was a little more spice to his personality + a little more power

[doubleedgemode]

A.B.A's chains-A Guilty Gear analysis

I heard that in the spanish version A.B.A's title of "lovingly latched on homunculus" is translated as "homúnculo encadenado por el amor "(homunculus chained by love) which aside from being a fair translation serves to highlight A.B.A's recurring chain motif, either of real or metaphorical chains.

Out of the way, of course, we have Paracelsus's old chain though of course that's more a motif to him and his story! But in a lesser way you could argue its hers too as it is she who holds the chain.

And of course we have to mention her arcade mode quote of (from memory, sorry for innacuracies) "the shackles of affection are still shackles" which, yes! This is too related moreso to Paracelsus! but its her realization. And a pivotal scene for both.

Lastly, this is more my speculation but you know the gg Isuka xbox cover where her gloves say "Alice"? Part of me wants to believe it's an Alice in Chains reference because.. you know. Guilty Gear.

Whatever, this all plus the hypocrisy she has exhibited about Frasco and Paracelsus make for a really interesting leitmotif. Not as big as the key, frankenstein or even blood ones, but a subtle, present one, imo. A chain motif. Both as the chainer and the chained.

I say hypocrisy because well, she saw Frasco/Flask as her trap (fun fact, the name is prob a reference to Paracelsian lore of homunculi having to spend their early stages in a flask or else they'd die) and she desperatedly wanted freedom, she knows so well how is it to lack autonomy but when she obsessed over Paracelsus she was doing that to him. Hell, while the XX endings aren't canon afaik, we see her bad ending. Just like how other characters in the game make a heel turn or die (I'm oversimplyfying it but you get it) the ending where she keeps human Paracelsus chained (that one ending is... Something) even more crassly than before. She's not the victim here, it's him, but if we follow the metaphorical chaining thing then she has also chained herself very strongly.

As we see in Strive, either always or at some point she realized her doings were wrong... Yet kept on doing them. She's indeed chained to (her unhealthy idea of) love (and her other obsessive mindsets).

Of course, Paracelsus is not innocent, either. This is an A.B.A centric post but of course I have to mention him!! As we see in Strive and, regardless if it was due to his demon nature or simply willingly being a bad guy he was also metaphorically chained before knowing A.B.A... chained to his thirst of destruction and recklessness. And we know he tried to manipulate A.B.A even if he fails and starts to legitimately care about her.

Both of them are chained. Chained not as a good term but as a detrimental one. Chained to eachother, yes, but also to themselves, to their own chains, shackles of obsessions. With A.B.A especially, we know for sure she has managed to escape previous chainings but she keeps getting into them. And that's scary, almost.

But this is Guilty Gear and there's hope and freedom (ha.) so Strive has this beautiful conclusion (or rather new beginning!) to their story, and, while we have seen Paracelsus improve before, maybe A.B.A's won't be linear. But she legitimately, against all odds, WANTS the situation to be better, and both have gotten a better understanding of the other and like Paracelsus said, they can make it right, now. Now what they have with eachother is less chaining and more bonding and dissolving of a healthier kind as partners, be it as lovers, friends or whatever.

The chains are broken now, it's a new beginning.

[punksocks]

Astrology Observations Pt.6

Based on my experiences, take them with a grain of salt

People rag on Leo suns but some of the sweetest people I’ve known have been Leos. The most warm in a subtle way have been Leo suns with earth placements. If you need someone to root for you no one believes in you like a Leo, it’s a feeling like a warm glow in the dark.

Aquarius suns think unconventionally in a conventional way. Like they will come up with creative ideas that still are still under a conformist umbrella. If something is trending they want to be at the head of that trend. Aquarius moons have the real out there, out of the box ideas. Sometimes they won’t be grounded enough to make them work but Aquarius moons will really make you think differently.

Sagittarius and Geminis tend to set the trends first, can’t explain why but their energy and clever ideas tend to be infectious. Pisces are also really good at this with their dreamy energy, less intentionally though. Virgos will also find very clever ways to use the tools at their disposal.

Every time a cancer has suddenly gone from distaste/indifference to being nice to me they’ve been trying to get something out of me 🤷🏾‍♀️ (Cancers that are always nice are a different story lol, very kind people)

Where a sign falls in your houses will definitely influence how you perceive them. Signs in your 8th house will come off as suspicious and secretive, 2nd house will be seen as grounded and with affection, you’ll identify closely with signs in your 1st house, etc.

Gemini placements really have their shit together when it’s together imo, they can really balance a lot of things well. This can be hard to perceive sometimes because Geminis can fake having a harmonious life better than any other sign. Libras get a lot of flack for being fake but Libras are a sign of balance. They like to have a sound image to project socially but they can be deeply off balance when anything is lacking in their life.

Trust a developed Virgo’s (sun, moon, rising) advice, even if you don’t want to hear it, they know what they’re talking about.

Heavy Capricorn or Scorpio placements? Welcome to the family karma club. Odds are you have a relationship that’s strained with at least one parent, uncle, aunt, grandparent, etc. The good news is that if you break out of cycles with your family (and don’t fall into cycles with people like them) you can have a much more rewarding life and a found family to match no other as an adult.

I’ll probably do a family post soon. I have a lot of ✨opinions ✨

Whole house astrology can teach you a lot about yourself and frankly I prefer it.

For example, my standard birth chart has Saturn/SN in Aries in my 5th and 6th house- but my whole house birth chart has Pisces in 5th and Aries and 6th and that makes more sense for me. I’m a creative and have had a sort of winding journey to make my art my full time job. I’ve also had to bring in a spiritual/healing focus to my creativity and my life in general but it’s vastly improved everything for me. Also I definitely have had very delicate physical health and a lot of sudden rivals in the workplace.

[writingwife-83]

Let’s kick this post off with a little definition-

Mousy- nervous, shy, or timid; lacking in presence or charisma

This term is often used in a negative way, and in this fandom we all know who gets called mousy. Literally just saw someone today equate Molly being mousy with character flaws. But read the definition again… what’s wrong with this? Nothing. These are just personality differences, not flaws. Why does a female character have to be loud, pushy, and full of confidence to be seen as strong and valuable? Yes sometimes men don’t write women well, but I’d actually argue that’s not the case with Molly Hooper. There’s literally nothing wrong with being quiet and mild. (Which, btw, you’d have to have stopped watching at s1 to think that’s how she is all the time lol) And there’s also nothing wrong with being in love with someone, even when they don’t love you the way you want in return. Those things don’t make you weak or mean that you’ve had no character development.

People should be careful not to miss the point of Molly. The other characters that are important to Sherlock are very in your face and obvious. With Molly it’s more subtle. That’s a huge plot line! Because Moriarty missed it too. But there’s also plenty of times where it’s spelled out nice and clear.

“You do count. You’ve always counted and I’ve always trusted you.”

Don’t ignore what those words of Sherlock’s mean. It means that even back when she seemed less important to the viewer, she actually wasn’t. She was always important to him. Do you think he’d feel that way if she truly was a doormat of a person? No. Again, just because you’re quiet, nervous, or shy doesn’t mean you’re weak or worthless. Sherlock always knew how strong and intelligent and loyal she was, so he didn’t care about how she came across socially. Why should the viewer? Maybe because it’s just more comfortable to see her as the badly written doormat. 👀

And how about the argument that she “deserved better” and got cheated out of “closure?” I’d really like to dig into that and compare Molly’s supposed lack of closure to the other characters. Does anyone claim Greg got no closure? Or John? Or Mycroft? Or Mrs Hudson? Huh, that’s funny. Because I don’t recall a scene with any of them hashing out all their feelings with Sherlock and coming to a mutual agreement of where things stood. They all got the same thing. They were all included in the montage at the end. They were all shown to be happy and clearly still close with Sherlock. The implication of that is so incredibly obvious, despite not having it spoon fed to us on screen. So again, explain to me how she’s the poor sad victim when all the other characters aren’t? 🤨 Adding to that, a lot of us believe that Sherlock (at least by the later seasons) did indeed love Molly in a way that wasn’t just platonic. There’s plenty of evidence to that as well, though that’s not something that needs defending. You either see it or you don’t.

But anyway, regardless of ship canon, there’s plenty of Molly Hooper canon that is so misread and/or ignored. That’s what I wanted to defend. Because IMO the justice Molly Hooper deserves is simply that her character and canon is seen for what it truly is.

[queentoriel]

my thoughts on the lovejoy merch

tldr: i'm disappointed in the lovejoy merch. it doesn't promote their band and should have at least included their logo somewhere. i think anvilcat needs to be pushed as a character of the band, and have mocked up some of my own designs that i think would work better.

lovejoy has gone about this merch drop like a cc would - trying to make subtle references and items that people wouldn't be 'embarrassed' about wearing in public. this is not how band merch works! not only a money maker, band merch is key for promotion and advertising.

think about nirvana, metallica, the rolling stones. their logos are SO iconic and recognisable because they were used fucking EVERYWHERE! it SCREAMS their name. the lovejoy merch doesn't say their name ANYWHERE, and instead only pushes the name of their record label, and i have absolutely no idea why they landed on this (i know it's are you alright themed but cmon, why are you pushing that motif more than your band name?)

before i get into what i think they should have done, let's talk about what they did:

fucking inconsistent long sleeve: anvil cat records logo is alright but the shape of the anvil isn't readable. i'm always a fan of sleeve details but the lyric choice feels a bit immature (?) overall pretty boring

anvil cat records short sleeve: this is a worse version of the previous logo. the cat has no detail and and makes the anvil even less readable. and again, why are they pushing the record label logo instead of the band's?

it's only available in black and white which is very basic and i think would have worked better with a red/maroon print to fit the are you alright theme.

jimjam pocket: really not a fan of this. from a distance it's a yellow long sleeve that you're paying £35.00 for. up close it's a tiny print of a dog character that honestly i don't think works well enough to printed (fine as album artwork but like this just looks like a black smudge lmao). movin on bc i don't want to think about this one anymore

socks: i like them. unique item to sell. designs look alright - not much else to say

pebblebrain jumper: this is BY FAR the best product and you can tell that they have put the most effort into this. it looks high quality and is quite impressive that they've been able to make it. this is the only item i was considering buying (the price put me off) i'm not mad that this isn't explicitly promoting the band bc you can tell they were making it from a fashion pov more than a 'listen to our band' pov

so overall, it's a disappointing merch drop. i understand what they were trying to do since it was promoted as a 'one year celebration' merch drop, and so making an item for each ep (and the knee deep cover?) makes sense to mark what they've released since forming as a band, but i think 90% of their focus (and budget) went into the design and logistics behind the pebblebrain jumper, leaving the other products to fall short.

so what should they have done?

lovejoy already have an incredibly designed logo, and i am beyond confused as to why they haven't used it anywhere - especially when they're celebrating their first year as a band! it's literally your name!

slap that on a t-shirt and you can call it a day - it makes so much sense and i really want to know what the thought process was behind not using it. not only is it literally the brand you're trying to promote - it's a good looking logo!

they also have this amazing cat skull logo (which i'm a huge fan of) this is a WAY BETTER representation of anvil cat, and helps to convey the genre and tone of their music. it relates perfectly to are you alright and is instantly recognisable. it will stay in people's minds, but the only way to do that is to USE IT.

speaking of anvil cat, i made my own designs for him. imo, he should be the (face? mascot? character?) of lovejoy. the bird is a bird. the dog is annoying to look at and was created for a cover. the anvil cat has a story and the possibility to have a personality for fans to know and love and associate the band with. he directly links to the lovejoy's biggest song that started their whole career. he has a huge potential to become an icon for the band as well as a marketing tool.

my mockups are messy but they get the point across. look at him! the crossed out eyes, tongue hanging out, and the exposed ribs from the anvil! it makes sense! but get this - lovejoy have already experimented with his design, here he is, a small icon used in the centre of the poster promoting their halloween show.

i think that's all my ramblings for now. sound off in tags or replies what u think. am i completely wrong and should be burned at the stake for insulting precious band? maybe. but i mean it in good faith. i wouldn't care this much if i didn't want them to succeed

[wonijinjin]

SEVENTEEN MEMBERS AS… (PART 1)

author’s note: this has been sitting in my drafts for a month now, please recommend me categories because this is so fun

word count: 1.0k | genre: humour/crack | warnings: none

seventeen as fruits:

- cheol: a cherry, i don’t think this came as a surprise to anyone, cherries shine the brighest when not alone, and they are always in the best shape, so appealing to everyone

- jeonghan: grapefruit, not everyone likes it because it can be sour and trick the person who eats it, but the ones who appreciate it get the most amazing and complex experience

- joshua: strawberry, which is known for being honey sweet and gentle on the taste buds, but often not enough in small doses to show people it is better than the other fruits

- jun: lemon, another one which is either loved or really disliked, even though it is the foundation to so many things and an essential for daily life

- hoshi: raspberry, again a common favourite, often looked over by being basic, but it still is full of surprises and goes with everything

- wonwoo: banana, a true silent energiser without really making people stop to appreciate it because they are so used to it, even though it is a life saver at times

- woozi: peaches, this type of fruit has so many variations, but always brings the expected from it, tasty, sweet and soft if left to ripen for enough time

- dk: pineapple, although its surface doesn’t seem like so, it is so sweet which makes everyone happy as soon as they get a taste from it, another fan favourite for sure

- mingyu: watermelon, honestly it is probably the most liked one since it is very refreshing, but considered to be nothing more than that, even though it is precious from the inside aswell

- minghao: kiwi, it is such a unique one, which is often misunderstood and criticised, but just like a grapefruit it is so beneficial for its consumers

- seungkwan: tangerines of course, everybody loves them, they are pretty popular, but sometimes because they are so common people forget how nutritious they are

- vernon: pear, the less known sibling of apples, and just like peaches if left to ripen for enough time so so delicious, worth the wait to get into

- dino: grapes, adorable and fun to look at, so fresh with so many pieces to them, out of which every single one hides a bit different taste than the previous

seventeen as colors

- cheol: mocha brown, it radiates the vibe of order and an organised and disciplined soul with a strong will, and he is an incredibly powerful person

- jeonghan: pearl white, it is such a perfect match since it is the color of innocence, and well how can you say that this man isn’t an angel

- joshua: beige, not harsh but rather soft and calming, a very reassuring color imo, which goes so well with so many things and makes everything look majestic and royal like he does

-jun: magenta purple, it is a mix, the best of both worlds, the perfect balance of tints, and this man’s personality is literally that perfect balance

- hoshi: tiger orange, it is quite understandable imo, a bold color with a strong aura to it, knowing its power, place and rank, like how he knows he is the best

- wonwoo: a really deep eggplant purple, it is a very intellectual color just like him, hiding so many hidden things behind, reminding me of the self-awareness he has

- woozi: ruby red, not just because of his solo but because of the fact that he is solid and has his grounded personality and nature like a good wine red

- dk: golden yellow, he is just such a sunshine this was canon, and reminds me of the sun and his warm smile whenever he is happy

- mingyu: scarlet red, again kinda canon, he owns that color, it radiates confidence, and a bold, revealing elegance which he both has at the same time

- minghao: castleton green, it is just so natural for him, like a gentle touch saying everything will be alright, deep and hypnotising

- seungkwan: sapphire blue, it is bright but in a subtle way, and can outshine so many other colors with purely its beautiful tone just like his pure raw talent

- vernon: indigo, very strong and noticeable color, but it still isn’t black, it has a bit of a playfulness with that touch of purple just like him

- dino: lavender grey, just soft and light as a feather, full of so many possibilities to deepen with different tints if needed, like how varied he is

seventeen as seasons

- spring: joshua, seungkwan, jun

these cuties are so so fresh like a breath of new air during spring when the flowers and trees are blooming and the birds are chirping even when the sun is barely above the horizon, and like a sip of fresh cool water during the afternoon in spring

- summer: hoshi, dk, mingyu, dino

these cuties shine so bright like the sun when midday hits, their pure caring kind personality is like the warm rays of sunshine and like the sand which is heated up comfortably when you put your leg into it

- autumn: minghao, vernon, wonwoo

these cuties are warm like a hug and calm and perfect like the rain and clear skies in october, comforting like a tea inside with the soft sounds of raindrops falling from the dark sky to create the circle of balnce

- winter: cheol, jeonghan, woozi

these cuties are pure and innocent like the snow that just dropped to the ground creating a thin layer of white fluffy blanket over everything to embrace it in a breathtaking coat, everything about them is unique like a snowflake

[doyoucomeonthen]

Willing to catch hell for this but…

I’m seeing a lot of people FAIRLY upset at Lilianas heel turn, especially at the cost of Corazon but I think accidentally Johnny made a huge point. The last time people were saying “forgive and forget” in regards to his father Corazon said “no, sorry isn’t just a magical word that makes it all go away,” and a few weeks of rethinking would have been a disservice to Liliana as a a character anyway imo. She had spent centuries being the biggest bastard she could be and that was her safe place, and arguments about soaking pans a good person does not make.

Me personally? I would have been so mad if a few good choices negated the thousands of awful things she had done. What she did to Egbert? And the atrocities she committed? I know it wasn’t spoken on because that just isn’t Mikes style but knowing a part of you is out there in the world, wearing the face that was stolen from you to hurt people? NOT OK. Liliana is a bad guy, and she always was. It’s factored away because we only got to see what she did around them but she didn’t get where she was by asking politely.

And the key thing? In the end, she was weak. She was never better than them. She only ever wanted to hurt them and while that thought might have faded it never went away because every inch she was given ended up being used to her advantage. If Merilwen hadn’t been pure enough to believe it, if Corazon hadn’t been good enough to need it, she might have won. She lost, and yes it cost the oxventurers dearly but that’s the point.

Goodness doesn’t just happen because you want it to, and Liliana is dead now because she couldn’t be good, but at a price.

Remember what Egbert said? About good and evil being two very real things and it’s up to you where you hitch your wagon? Well Liliana made her choice, with every chance not to, and it cost our brave band so much to make the mistake that everyone can be changed.

It’s a heavy lesson from a comedic DnD show, but so much and so subtle. Evil is so evil, and Liliana always was, and the strength of her as a character is so narratively important in that while our guild chums were willing to let her have a second chance, Johnny, the glorious DM who built this character from the ground up and knew exactly what she was, never forgot that.

Johnny, you made the perfect BBEG. You let us all forget for a moment what she really leans towards, and for me personally, made me feel gratefully naive for thinking even for a second that someone who has been self serving for centuries could find the route to give it up in a couple of weeks. Fairy tale endings be damned. Some people just suck.

Liliana bring Liliana was her downfall. She could have been better, was given every chance to be better by people who had no reason to give her a second thought, and her ending is a lesson for everyone.

Thank you johnny, for playing the character so well, so honestly, and so, so brutally. I wanted so much more, but should have been smart enough to expect nothing less.

And Corazon? I can’t speak for Geth, but I know I’ll be thinking about what you did until the end of my time.

[seek--rest]

Okay, so I ended up having to tag you in a post instead of putting the thing in your asks because It was crazy long. I am so sorry. I really don't expect you to read it all. lol I just ended up typing a lot and idk

I said before I like to tussle and I meant it! I think this is the first time I’ve ever had someone put forth a very articulate, detailed argument for what they believe and are coming from AND give the disclaimer that art (pun intended) is subjective and we come away with it with different things.

I still categorically disagree on every front lmao, but for the record— I really respect it and respect even more you actually came back to dialogue. Discourse is bad except when it’s good!!

There would be too much to cover point by point but to the credit of your explanation and in wanting to step up, I do some have big things that I diametrically see things differently:

I think the queer subtext is about as subtle as a brick lmao; it’s intentional and rightfully so, though it’s fascinating to me how we came to separate conclusions

Most notably, I did not read Art as uninterested in girls at all from almost any interaction he had. I have my own Theories of Art and his relationship with Patrick (of which is categorically queer, though admittedly complicated.)

To me, Patrick is unequivocally in love Art and has been since they were kids. Art, as evidenced by Tashi asking what happened between the two of them in the hotel, Patrick looking to Art to hear his answer and Art immediately dismissing it. It’s not to say that he doesn’t have (untangled, unformed, unrealized) feelings for Patrick (at least growing up) but from the moment he was aware of Tashi— which I took the tennis attention in the exact opposite way, in that was his drawing point to her as a form of sexual attraction— he only had eyes for her. He wanted her. He wanted her number. He wanted Patrick to throw the game like he promised so he could go out with her. But in my Theories (which feels subtextual, if not actual Text), Patrick was clearly the more outgoing, more sexually expressive, better tennis player, better.

It’s why, when Art asks about what happened between Patrick and Tashi and there’s that look afterwards, I absolutely read it as jealousy— but of Patrick being with Tashi, rather than Patrick himself. Romantic, sexual, it’s evident to me from the moment he saw her what he felt for her.

Tangentially, and this is really pedantic, it’s actually not very clear from the movie how long Patrick and Tashi dated, much less that they were together for a year. If anything from real world subtext, we know they met at the 2006 juniors US Open, which is typically held in June. Stanford’s fall quarter in 2006 started in August. Considering it’s 3 years later (2009), when Tashi and Art see each other again, this has to mean her accident happened in the fall of 2006– making it that Patrick and Tashi dated (long distance) at best, six months if we assume her accident happened at the very latest in November.

This isn’t to say Patrick and Tashi didn’t have something. They did! But there’s nothing to tell us that Patrick and Tashi were serious, as Patrick admitted himself. They liked each other! They liked the sex! But while Tashi isn’t the love of Art’s life at this point, she’s not Patrick’s either imo.

Moving away from a framing of Tashi as an object of affection and more as she is as a person, I really think we’d just have to agree to disagree when it comes to how she approaches relationships— particularly her relationship with Art. Tashi already had someone who could’ve kept her close to tennis, and was good at it— it’s Art who convinced her to coach him. Tashi doesn’t strike me as the kind of person to settle or accept anyone— much less a man— into her life, to marry and then choose to have a child with, solely for the sake of a potential grand slam. She’s Tashi Duncan, she could’ve had that with anyone and arguably— was on her way to. Art even says that the girl she was coaching likely had a better a chance than he did.

Whatever she feels for Art— of which I do believe it’s love, in her own way— I cannot reconcile the woman I saw on screen with someone who would shackle herself to any kind of heteronormative conventions or because it’s the right thing to do. (And while I don’t read this as your interpretation, I personally immediately get itchy when a Black woman in fiction is believe to be ace/aromantic— particularly in a piece of media with two mlm because that’s what fandom always does as a means of “getting her out of the way”)

Tashi wanted him, and we know because she’s with him— long before he was good at tennis by the end of the movie— and her agency in choosing him feels important to acknowledge— not as a proxy for tennis, or because she can’t have Patrick— but for the qualities that she at least at 23ish desires and wants from him. And then even as an adult, she’s categorically a good, loving mother and even says to Patrick— in their argument in the car when he asks if she came to fuck him to make sure he throws the game— “if that’s what it takes” which! Is so compelling to me that she spends the whole movie not telling Art she loves him and yet when she’s standing in front of Patrick, everything about her body language, her words, her tone, speaks to affection and love she has for him as a person.

I don’t think that has nothing to do with tennis, but I also cannot reconcile that it has nothing to do with her love for Art as a person and her life partner.

Tashi is also a cheater, twice over. Duality! Which if you knew me you’d know how ironic that is since I’ve spent YEARS expressing my disdain for cheating. Even in her cheating with Patrick, I personally don’t read that as long standing love or affection, or even sexual dissatisfaction (which is absolutely in the script but notably NOT in the movie at all, even in subtext), but low moments. She sees Patrick just seconds after seeing that racist bitch Mueller at Wimbledon. To our knowledge, she only ever sees Patrick again years later— and fucks him again, this time in another low moment when her husband thinks he’s going to retire.

I definitely agree that even these framings are nuanced and contextual, and that none of these characters are so simplistic to just be boiled down to villains or angels. They’re far more complex than that and that we can have this kind of discussion is proof of that.

I’m gonna be thinking about this movie for ages.

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

tig rant (that might not make sense bc its 1am for me rn)

bro grayson in chapter 28 of tig is really pissing me off. he's acting so biased towards avery bc she grew up poor like stfu you stuck up piece of shit (i still love you). like why the fuck are you saying 'a girl like you' (in a condescending voice) like that. and like him insinuating she's a gold digger is just so ew like ok good job grayson, you're putting every single person who grew up poor into one tiny little box. do you want a cookie? avery easily solos grayson bc of the way she grew up. grayson is over here pretending he had a hard time growing up, and, while he did struggle, he didn't struggle the way avery did. she grew up with nothing, struggling to get by. his struggles are nothing compared to that so he should stfu and think about what he's saying and how privileged he is.

i'm honestly surprised that i didn't properly remember how awful everyone was to avery when she first arrived. accusing her of elder abuse? gold digging? telling her she's worthless? invalidating her struggles? among so many other things.

none of this is talked about enough. avery went through sm shit and everyone just turns a blind eye to it. they chalk her up to be grayson/jameson's love interest when she's this amazing complex underrated (main) character. meanwhile everyone fusses over jamie and gray (especially gray, jamie isn't talked about enough and is so mischaracterized) and their struggles. i can't help but feel like this is a result of unintentional misogyny (i'm tired, i may be looking way too much into it/not putting it into the right words, its 1am). i see this happen in so many fandoms. the female main character is always overlooked whilst the light is always shined on the male love interest. cassie and dean from the naturals? aaron and juliette from shatter me? scarlett and julian from caraval? eva and jacks from ouabh? and even jude and cardan from the folk of the air (although jude does get a lot of attention, cardan gets more imo)? there are so many more fandoms too. meanwhile, percy is the main character and gets more attention than annabeth. there seems to be a pattern here?

i'm considering making a more in depth post about the subtle discrimination (or povertyism according to google?) avery went through. people were so biased and why? bc she grew up with less money than your privileged, ungrateful, petty, asses with a victim complex. in my opinion this just makes her better and stronger than all of the hawthornes and co.

there's my little rant. it honestly really pisses me off. avery>>>

[daz4i]

oh wait i did promise a full dazai and nikolai comparison post didn’t i. time to deliver. no keep reading button, we��re clogging everyone’s dashboards like men. enjoy

clowning

so. i doubt i need to elaborate much on nikolai’s clowning - it’s very plainly put in the text, he along with other characters constantly call him a clown, and he obviously takes on a clown persona.

nikolai’s method of clowning is to take it to the extreme - everything he says sounds like a joke or pure nonsense, making you doubt everything that comes out of his mouth immediately, even when he’s saying the truth.

dazai’s is only slightly more subtle. i’m basing this on no longer human, given that so much of his character is based on yozo. dazai puts on a mask of a carefree, funny, lazy guy, especially to the agency, just like yozo does

his method of clowning is to seem genuine. pepper in just enough truth to make others believe him. seem reliable enough to make others trust him. but never showing his full self, so you should doubt everything he says

ultimately, the same outcome, done with different methods

so, we all agree they both do it. now, let’s analyze why. dazai’s is more obvious imo, so let’s start with him. 

with the agency specifically, it makes sense, gotta appear nonthreatening n all, seem like a normal guy with absolutely no past in the mafia (at least at first). i’d also say it can be used to make his enemies underestimate him - no one expects the goofy silly guy to pull a knife on them, after all, and you definitely don’t expect him to be a mastermind.

on a deeper level, if we go back to the yozo train of thought, it’s also to protect himself. no one can leave you, hurt the deeper parts of your soul, attack you personally if they can’t figure out who you are. no one can get close enough to matter to you then get taken away, the way oda was.

nikolai’s reasoning is less grounded in canon or external works (that i know of), so feel free to disagree with that part (with any part of this post tbh.) but in my interpretation, he does it for multiple reasons:

same as dazai, not letting anyone close enough to get him to care. nikolai sees bonds as something chaining him down - he cares about fyodor and sees him as a friend, and that’s why he wants to kill him. if you see him, he will care about you, and he can’t have that. better to have the self inflicted cage of a mask than have the key in someone else’s hands, if you wanna be poetic about it.

chaos! a lot of what nikolai does is to subvert expectations, be illogical, to prove the existence of his free will. nothing more chaotic than a clown

to contrast dazai, rather than make his enemies underestimate him, nikolai’s intention is to make his teammates underestimate him. he’s trying to throw their suspicions off him - oh, he defied the plan fyodor set up? well, can’t blame him, he always does silly shit like that. look how crazy that guy is, obviously he can’t follow orders - so he can freely do what he wants and only have them catch up way later.

already, we see a lot of similarities, as well as opposites-within-the-same-action. let’s continue

death

tldr: both are supposedly willing to die, yet still avoid death.

dazai sure managed to survive a lot of suicide attempts, huh! weird how all of his on screen attempts - especially since oda’s death - have been using methods that are easily to survive, like drowning. that’s so strange guys i wonder why’s that (psst i wrote a whole post just about that already)

and nikolai sure did give a dramatic speech about how dying will set him free, very convincing! weird that he faked his death, then. hmmm.

granted, nikolai’s speech might’ve been The Page’s work, but tbf it does align with his views on this topic so i’d like to believe there was some truth there, just like there’s some truth in dazai’s suicide attempts - yes, they want to die, but... there’s more to be done first.

both of them seem to hold a high value in the act of dying, and both see it as being set free. both feel trapped in their own life - nikolai outright says so, that he feels caged inside his own head, and if you dig into dazai’s character song you see him describe life as a “never-ending today”. both see death as salvation from their situation, but won’t get down to achieving it.

this is actually a good place to transition to our next topic,

meaning

since i mentioned dazai’s character song, one thing he seems to focus on there is looking for meaning, or rather being frustrated that he hasn’t found one yet (he also brings up this internal conflict in the dark era, but the song solidifies it as relevant even in his current state). dazai tries so hard to find meaning, but can’t.

nikolai’s fixation on free will, i’d argue, is not quite a search for meaning, but rather a struggle to prove there is no greater meaning in life, in order to ease his own guilt. none of his murders matter at the end of the day... right? then why does he still feel this way?

ironically, both can find meaning in their bonds - dazai has many at this point, with oda being the main one he might’ve found meaning in before, and nikolai has fyodor - but this is scary. they’re not used to having meaning, to caring. and so we circle back to the clowning, to pushing people away, to wanting to kill fyodor, to the comfort and familiarity of no meaning. 

guilt

like onions and ogres, clowns have layers. bear with me here.

on the surface, you’d expect them both to feel guilt for their horrendous acts. peel a layer, and it seems neither of them particularly does, otherwise they would stop doing it, you’d assume. peel back another layer, and... honestly, i think they do, but are just repressing it.

this is smth i get less from the text and more from their real life counterparts, tbh. going back to the yozo comparisons, he does outright say “i’ve lived a life filled with guilt” which. is very fair to expect to hear from our dazai. meanwhile the real life gogol straight up died because of his guilt. i don’t think asagiri would overlook stuff like that when turning them into characters.

nikolai also does outright tell atsushi he feels guilty for the atrocities he committed - though, pretends he didn’t mean it immediately after, putting back one of those layers we tried to peel.

going back to dazai’s song, it’s the “the tainted past, too, begone!” line that i feel is nodding to it. dazai obviously knows the things he’s done while in the mafia are wrong, seems like he knew while being in the mafia as well given his conversations with oda during the dark era. but this really does make it seem like he regrets it, imo.

they’re both repressing their guilt for the same reason they won’t die. there’s more important shit going on. dazai outright tells atsushi that wallowing in guilt is pointless, and we see him move forward and execute plans even if he’s still feeling guilty throughout, and even when he needs to do some dirty work to make them happen. nikolai is the same in that regard - he’s just hyperfocused on this goal of proving his free will, and guilt is another thing that’s keeping him caged, so he must break free from it. wallowing in it will simply be counterproductive.

sorry i gotta talk abt fyodor now

but it’s gonna be short i promise

so we’ve got this all knowing, unbeatable, super smart guy, right? anyway what if the only people we see outsmart him were 2 suicidal clowns. wouldn’t that be funny

so, it’s a bit tricky to call it “outsmarting” with dazai considering how their whole Thing is give and take that’s not going to end any time soon, but fyodor obviously views him as someone on his level so i’m counting that. he wouldn’t put this much effort into someone he didn’t think was less smart than him. and, he calls him a worthy chess opponent for a reason

nikolai did outsmart him, though. nikolai was supposed to die. nikolai wasn’t meant to survive the plan, let alone come to meursault and put fyodor in a death game when he could’ve escaped using the vampiric guard he planted in the prison instead. nikolai is throwing an unpredictable wrench in the plan of the guy who knows how everything is gonna turn out because humans are so predictable.

clearly they both affect him a lot, more than we see others have. both of them are the only ones so far we’ve seen get on the same level as fyodor

and, both of them are seen by fyodor. nikolai explicitly says fyodor is the only person who sees him, and dazai is seen because they are the same, on a certain level. fyodor understands them, which is why it’s even more impressive that they can outsmart him, imo

in conclusion

asagiri i am on my knees begging. make them interact properly please please please

fr tho, i’m curious if this means something. because this is a huge amount of similarities, especially when they’re not really related in any way and barely ever talked. does it mean anything?? how about nikolai being able to use his ability on dazai, does that mean anything????? asagiri please give me some answers i am asking so nicely

anyway. thank you for reading! lmk if i missed anything, or reblog with your own additions and analysis. if you disagree with anything i said, feel free to express that as well, just be respectful. hope i managed to infect you with my brainrot as well. have a great day :3!

[melonisopod]

I still really like the way DunMesh introduces Kabru's party. Where they're clearly set up to be foils to our main party but not in a way that the narrative is pointing at them and saying "These guys suck and you should hate them!" They could just as easily have been the main characters and have the Touden party introduced second and it would have worked just as well IMO.

Cause I think a 'lesser' show would have set up characters like them as unpleasant jerkwads that you immediately can't stand. Maybe Mickbell is like that but even then he comes off more like a "funny asshole" than a genuinely detestable person. But the show goes out of its way to show that Kabru is incredibly smart and perceptive and knows and trusts his crewmates. The fact that he stopped Rin with a kiss tells me the two must be pretty close (it was pragmatic but I don't think she'd have reacted that way if they weren't at least on good terms, her main gripe was the illusion magic making Kabru look like a fish).

Plus, even though his reasons for going after the Touden party are /wrong/, he doesn't know that, and has no reason not to believe they've acted maliciously against his crew. So even while his party innately has it in for our heroes they're not bad people.

There's less that we know about Shuro and his current party and so it's harder for me to glean exactly what's up with him, but I also don't think he's set up as a 'bad person we're supposed to hate' either. I think the fandom is a little hard on him for his one-sided crush on Falin too - for all the "she's just like her brother" jokes she really isn't, not "exactly" at least. Falin seems a bit better at masking than Laois and has a better gauge for handling people, which makes her more "tolerable" in their eyes, hence why more people are willing to "tolerate" her monster obsession.

I know that Shuro has/had feelings for her and that it didn't go anywhere but that's...fine? There's no indication he acts entitled or pushy or doesn't respect her feelings or boundaries, and just having a crush on someone isn't a morally bad thing. I haven't seen the "outburst" when he and Laois fight either so I dont' have a lot to say here, just that I relate heavily to Laois, but I dont' think Shuro is bad for not speaking up on his dislike of him either.

As much as I desperately wish more people would tell me when they have a problem with me, how awkward is it to have to tell someone that to their face? How do you even say that? "By the way, I find you really annoying and can't stand you, I just want to clarify that so you stop assuming we're friends," I would love for someone to let me know but also imagine having to be the other person. I wish there was a nice way of saying it (and Shuro DID have a "nice way" of "saying it" but Laios is too autistic to pick up on subtle cues)

I still kind of hold the opinion that every character in DunMesh is some degree of autistic, but it's possible Laios is like the one guy who never really learned how to mask beyond "never talking about his special interest in public".

[cupcakeatsea]

911 7x05 thoughts. If you haven’t figured it out SPOILERS.

- alien hand syndrome scene made the whole episode worth it with pure slapstick

- Buck, baby, no. Say less. Brutal learning curve, but you’re reaction made me cringe so hard I thought I’d never be able to look at you again

- Tommy, I get it, but ouch. Ordering a car just for you? “I think you’re adorable”, redeemed it though

- Hen and Karen deserve better than to be heartbreakingly messed around by social services (or whatever the US one is called)

- Eddie… What the fuck, dude? There’s so much more going on with you than Catholic guilt. Bobby defo has your number, and that man will continue to subtly call you out until you stop doing dumb shit you obviously hate

- Buck not using pronouns until he slipped up - oh! Love it. Big sis Maddie addressing it then being all “tell me about hot pilot”. Sweet and reassuring- we never doubted you

- I knew in my heart of hearts that Hen and Karen wouldn’t give up on that girl. I wondered for a second but with bestie Athena backup, I knew they’d make the effort.

- Big brother Denny! You’re such a sweetheart! You’re a tween, kicking off about getting hurt would be so easy but you’re so understanding. Proof of how amazing Hen and Karen are as parents

- Hen and Karen just getting all my love. I adore them, let them help Mara and all be a happy family!

- Also, Hen’s glasses variety this season? So fucking cool

- Buck coming out to Eddie. Subtle, understated, but good. Immediately Eddie was supportive and Buck was honest about stuff that was obviously worrying him and he need a friend for. Who better than someone who also knows Tommy? Even if “Tommy’s gay?!” realisation seemed to short circuit Eddie for a moment

- Parallels with the BuckTommy kiss! No sign of Buddie IMO but a set up for it, I do think

- Buck and Tommy having coffee. It was healing for ME after how bad that date was. Buck being SO honest again - he’s not hiding, he’s all in and proving it

- Tommy, I didn’t want to like you but you’ve wriggled your way into my heart. You’re perfect and sweet and damn flirty at exactly the right moments. Make that man blush

- Buck. Sweetie. Inviting him to your sister’s wedding? Intense and I can’t help but feel like a potential disaster. But end of episode looks like you’ll be screwing up in so many other ways, you probably won’t have time to mess things up with Tommy, silver linings I guess

All in all, a more laid back episode than I thought it would be and definitely more cringy and silly than I expected, but on reflection so much character development. There was a lot of discovery and it was all met with love. “You don’t know me” as a title made me worry, but it made me happy everyone was met with love ❤️