#truly there are so few characters that i actively hate and love at the same time and ruin is absolutely one of them

[windor-truffle]

research for 2hcb1 is like 30 percent revisiting canon lore and 70 percent watching therapy videos because *gestures vaguely at Lambda and Asbel* you've got a lot to unpack there, huh 😅

[cosmic-kinglet]

*looks over at my Ruin papercraft* I hate this guy. *resumes designing a Ruin cosplay outfit* Stupid egotistical little sh*t.

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

I was angry. I'm still angry. But sadness and exhaustion have overtaken that anger, and I have A LOT to say about this.

Dead Boy Detectives is a very special show to me. It occupies a ridiculously large place in my heart, and it's brought me joy in a way that only a few pieces of media ever have. When I watched it for the first time, Edwin Payne had my heart within minutes. By the end of episode one, Charles Rowland did, too.

It meant a lot to me, seeing such wonderful and nuanced queer characters brought to life in the type of paranormal story I have always loved. In these past months, Edwin and Charles have felt like real friends to me, and to never see them again without a satisfying conclusion to their story is something I have not truly processed. Same for Niko and Crystal and The Cat King - they should be back. But I haven't fully processed it yet, that they're not coming back, and yet I am still aggreived.

@netflix is, at this point, so fucking gagged on capitalism's dick that they're not even pretending to care about art anymore. Dead Boy Detectives is genuinely masterfully made on just about every level. The actors did a phenomenal job and I will be following all their careers heavily. Steve, Beth, and the writing team crafted an incredible tale. The sets, the lighting, the props, the effects were all on point. This was a well-constructed program, and you could tell that everyone involved with the project gave it their all because they cared so deeply.

(Also my heart breaks for the whole cast, but it's hardcore hurting for George since this was not only his first screen role but one he clearly thought he would be keeping as of two weeks ago. He seemed so secure. I hate this for him.)

In addition to being a good show, DBDA had good reception. It's got a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, was on the Top 10 for several weeks, got 4.7 million views within week one, and was getting daily articles posted on various review sites with NOTHING but praise. The fandom is incredibly active. We trend on Tumblr like five times a week and on Twitter regularly as well.

THE. SCRIPT. FOR. SEASON. 2. WAS. WRITTEN.

What the fuck happened?

Idiot executives at @netflix, choking on the dick of capitalism, probably just thought that they wouldn't get new subscribers for a second season of an existing show that didn't rake in Bridgerton-level cash. That's how they work - people who are interested in it are already subscribers, so who the fuck cares about them? Better to make some other shit, hope new people subscribe, and maybe that'll be a Bridgerton-level hit.

But also, Netflix has fun little trends to look into. And, when you look at the lineup of shows Netflix has canceled, they are overwhelmingly queer. The homophobia of @netflix and their operatives is clearly boundless, and it hits here really badly because this show was clearly made with a queer audience in mind. It was one of the most authentic pieces of queer media I have ever experienced, if not THE most authentic pieces of queer media that I have ever experienced.

It's fucking ridiculous that Netflix canceled a show that they commissioned a completed script of months ago. It sucks that they decided that their existing subscribers, their queer subscribers, did not matter.

Edwin and Charles are ours now. Well, of course, they're George's and Jayden's respectively, but the characters are no longer Netflix's to use and throw out. They're ours now, our fandom's, and we all love them so much.

And we deserved to see more of them, and we deserved to see their love story play out onscreen, but I for one am not going anywhere. Let's give Edwin and Charles - and the rest of the gang - millions of versions of the stories and endings that Netflix deprived them of.

[rileyglas]

Hello! Can I request Alastor x Fem!Trust Issues!Reader? I've seen quite a few fanfictions and requests where Readers were wary of Alastor, but strangely quickly began to trust him. Therefore, it seemed to me that it would be funny to see a Reader who is so distrustful of people in principle that with Alastor’s reputation this distrust reaches the point of absurdity. And when Alastor really sincerely wants to gain the Reader's trust (romantically or platonically, it doesn't matter), then it becomes a really difficult task. For example, he offers help with some little thing and the Reader immediately “what do you want from me.” Or when Alastor brings the Reader tea/coffee, she waits for him to drink first (she would probably insist that he pour it from the same ?teapot?). The other residents of the Hotel find this hilarious.

This is such a fun prompt, especially under the assumption Alastor loves nothing more than a good chase during a hunt. 😉

Like Glass (Alastor x Fem!TrustIssues!Reader)

Four months. That’s how long it took for you to finally take Charlie up on her offer of the possibility of redemption. The chance to get to Heaven seemed like a pipe dream but after a few very long talks and persuasions, you now held a key to your own room in the hotel. 

You try to keep to yourself and most seem to respect that. You’re left alone unless something is needed for one of Charlie’s exercises. You even specifically requested that Nifty didn’t bother coming to your room to clean. The less people in your space the better. 

Charlie has such a big heart but that leads to her choosing to trust even the most despicable characters. She has even trusted and allowed the Radio Demon to live under the same roof. You’ve heard all the stories, all the theories of why he was really there under the ruse of “helping” her. You didn’t buy it one bit. 

Just the other day you were trying to hang some banners the crew had made during an activity. Your ladder was rickety but unfortunately it was the only way to reach the beams. Pained grunts filled the room from you trying to stand on your tiptoes while maintaining some sense of balance. “Allow me to help, dear. Would hate to see you fall.” A staticky voice called from below you. “No thank you - I….am almost…done - shit!” the ladder shifted and almost threw you off. Alastor stabilized it with ease. “See, it is a good thing I’m here!” he yelled smugly. At this point you would rather fall than allow him to hold your life in his hands. “You’re a busy man Alastor. Hey Husk? Mind helping -”

“Nope, looks like Al has it covered.” he teased from behind the bar, relishing in your uneasy tone. You shot daggers, both angry and begging for the cat to just help you instead of Alastor. You made the last tie in the banner and swiftly came down to more solid ground. “Thanks I guess. I had it though.” you said through gritted teeth, avoiding making eye contact and rushing out of the room. Had you looked back you would have seen Husk laughing at how irate Alastor suddenly became.

Now tonight, Nifty was kind enough to serve everyone one of her more popular dinners. It was a simple dish yet as usual, you waited for everyone to nearly clear their plates before digging into it yourself. You might have been starving but you could never be too careful. We are all in Hell for a reason. Could anyone be truly trusted?

“My dear, dig in! Before it gets cold!” Alastor’s voice chirped from across the table. You glare at the toothy grinned demon, “I just like to ensure everyone is enjoying before digging in myself. Appreciate the concern though.” You try to seem pleasant but your voice always seems to drip with disdain when speaking to him, “Why are you so worried? Did you help in preparing the meal?” 

He chuckles, “I try to keep out of the kitchen when Nifty cooks but she did require a few extra hands -” You involuntarily choke and spit out the bite you had just taken. Angel and Husk also choke though it’s to hold back laughter. You sneer at their amusement. Alastor’s face twists with confusion, “Is everything alright?” “Oh uhm I’m suddenly not that hungry. Must be coming down with something. Excuse me.” You excuse yourself from the table and make your way to the library. Reading was always something that could busy your mind and right now you needed a distraction from both your growling stomach and Alastor’s attempt to help once again. He’d been making an uncomfortable effort to help you in any way he could and in your mind, that could only mean he wanted something from you.

Not many residents used the hotel library which was great for you. But of course, there was always someone who enjoyed breaking your solitude. The sound of footsteps pulls your eyes off your current page, “What do I owe the visit?” you snap over your book. 

Alastor strides over with a serving tray carrying a tea set. “Well I saw just how horrible you looked at dinner and figured some peppermint tea might help whatever ailment you’re suffering from.” He sets the tray on the table in front of you but you don’t move a muscle. “Since when do you care if someone isn’t feeling well?” you cock an eyebrow at him. 

He hums as he pours two cups of tea, taking one for himself and offering you the other, “What? Can I not offer a fellow resident a nice cup of tea?” “Nope. What do you want?” you continue to stare at the cup in his hand. His eye twitches, trying to hold back his annoyance, “Why do you insist on rejecting any of my pleasantries?”

You slam your book closed, “You’re wondering why I do not want help of any sort from one of Hell’s most vile Overlords?” He sets down your cup and sits across from you. You didn’t want company but it's too late now. “Ms. Morningstar trusts me with ensuring the safety of this hotel yet you cannot even take a cup of tea you’ve watched me both pour and drink myself. Other than what stories you’ve heard, what have I done to you to make you so cold towards me?” His eyes burn into you, eager for an answer. Although with his tone, you could only assume he knew exactly why you didn’t trust him. 

You sigh as you pick up the cup he offered. You swirl it in an attempt to examine if it looks or smells odd before hesitantly taking a small sip for yourself. “Have you ever been betrayed Alastor? By a friend? By someone you loved? Because I have. It’s how I died and how I ended up here.” 

His smile falters slightly, corners curving down before returning to their usual wide grin, “Trust is like glass, once broken it isn’t easy to fix nor will ever be the same. I admire how guarded you try to be.”

You scoff, “If it is so admirable then why bother trying so hard to earn my trust? Unless it just kills your ego that someone can see you for who you truly are -” The cup he holds suddenly shatters under his tightening grip, “Watch your tone, dear. I’ve been nothing but amicable with you. I expect the same in return.” his voice drops with static filling the air. You can’t help but smirk at how quickly you’ve managed to get under his skin. “Ooooh so it is an ego thing? Duly noted.” you bite and finish off your cup. As you stand you see Alastor’s eyes shift to black dials, his mind clearly spiraling. On your way to the door you brush a teasing hand across his shoulder, “Tea was wonderful by the way. I’m feeling better already!” Your coy laughter echoes through the library as you leave but the sounds of Alastor’s demon form drown it out. He snarls over his shoulder to you, “Don’t act so smug darling. I’ll get you to trust me one day.”

“Good luck!” You chirp walking out the door, unaware of the challenge you just put into place for the Radio Demon.  He was going to have you one way or another. It was only a matter of time and patience, two things he had plenty of when it came to getting what he wanted. You.

[mintedwitcher]

I spent the last two days catching up on all the episodes of 911 that I've missed, and I need to say a few things. actually, a lot of things. this got long so I'm putting it under a cut.

8b is significantly better overall than 8a. the storylines, the pacing, the character interactions. it is significantly better in this half of the season. that being said:

I have mixed feelings about Eddie's SL. on the one hand, I'm proud of him for finally making a good parenting decision (putting his son first). on the other, I hate how it felt like he was essentially rewarded for the bare minimum. I also hate how he treated Buck, but that's a sidenote.

I didn't like Maddie's kidnapping arc. I hate that they made the villain a cheap, bad example of DID, when it would've been far more interesting for her to be entirely neurotypical. people with mental illness are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators of it, and this plot felt like a slap in the face to anyone with mental health concerns, especially with the addition of Maddie talking a man into suicide (even though it didn't really happen), and then slapping the suicide hotline on the end credits like that was going to do anything. I'm not even actively suicidal and Maddie's speech to the "kidnapper" was triggering as all hell for me. I can't imagine how much worse it was for people who are still fighting that battle. I do like that they didn't just let Maddie brush it all off like nothing happened, however I do think she still should've faced actual consequences for what she said on the phone. In season 2, Gloria got fired just for hanging up on people. Maddie talked a caller into killing himself. That should've had consequences.

Athena, for once, I have no complaints about. her storylines felt more grounded in reality in 8b, and there was significantly less of the 'vigilante cop' angle, which I'm definitely happy about. (I don't know or care what happened in the Dr Odyssey crossover, so I can't speak on that.) I liked her having a rookie, AND I like that the rookie faced consequences in-universe for what he did. I wish that was more common, but I'm still glad it happened, and I'm looking forward to s9 bringing in a new (hopefully better) rookie for Athena to train.

Ravi, no notes, he was amazing in every episode.

now for the Big One: Bobby.

I loved this arc. it felt real and serious in a way that 911 frankly hasn't been lately. Bobby dedicating himself to saving his team is so entirely in character. it's what he's always done, ever since we were first introduced to Bobby Nash. he has always and will always put his team and his family before himself, every single time, because the one time he didn't, he lost everything. this is a man who knows the agony of loss, the pain of guilt, and who will do whatever it takes to protect others from feeling the same thing. the fact that his death is an act of personal sacrifice - letting Chim take the antiviral, keeping silent about his own infection - is the only way he could possibly go out.

(I've seen a lot of theories about him still being alive, but I have to disagree, vehemently. this is not a sci-fi show, this is not Supernatural. characters who die in 911 stay dead, even if the memory of them doesn't.)

showcasing Athena and Chim's grief in the funeral episode was an amazing choice. mirroring Athena's grief with Leah, mirroring both women's denial, it was a fantastic narrative decision, and it works so well. Leah couldn't let go of Micah, Athena couldn't let go of Bobby. they were both prolonging and delaying their grief, and they were only finally able to put down that weight when they accepted that their loved ones were truly gone. when they accepted the permanence of it.

and Chimney - the guy who stays level-headed, the guy who doesn't get angry, not really, not often - being the one full of rage at Bobby's death was so important. grief is painful, and the unfairness of it is infuriating. and for Chim to be the one to express that, I think, was the best choice they could've made. it would've been too easy to give anger to Eddie, or Buck, but giving it to Chim felt more real. because yeah, out of all of them, Chim has arguably the most reason to be angry. Bobby lied to him, to all of them, and while it did save Chim's life, it still hurts, because what if... you know? what if there was another way, what if there was a way to buy time, what if there was something he could do. Chim is a paramedic, his entire life revolves around healing people, keeping them alive. watching Bobby go out like that would've felt like a failing on Chim's part, like he didn't do enough, like he wasn't good enough. so yeah, Chim being angry was the perfect choice.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the grief is handled for Ravi, Hen, Eddie, and Buck in the next two episodes. if they keep the same tempo as this one, I'm guessing we'll get to focus on two mains per ep, with some scenes to show how the others are coping in the meantime.

I saw someone on here theorise that the show is essentially using the characters to personify the stages of grief, so it's definitely going to be interesting to see who takes which role in the next two episodes. I feel like Ravi and Eddie are both going to be 'bargaining' - they both feel a measure of personal responsibility, as if they could've 'done more', we saw glimpses of it already in e16. I think Hen will be 'acceptance'. she went back to work a week early to be there for her team.

and so that leaves 'depression' for Buck, which I think is very accurate. he's holding on for now, for everyone else, but I think the more he pushes it down, the worse it's going to be, and the more numb he's going to become. out of everyone in the 118, Buck takes their losses the hardest. he cares so much, and with so much of himself, that he just can't help it. he feels every single loss like a personal one, and this might be the most personal loss he's ever endured. Bobby was like a father to him, and he was the one who had to watch, who had to relay the news, who had to walk away and let Bobby die. that is going to break him, I think.

I can't wait to see how it goes down for the next two episodes. I've been saying for months that 911 needs to shake things up if they want to stay afloat, and the only options for Bobby going forward were always going to be death or retirement. I'm sad that he's gone, and I'll miss Bobby all the time going forward, but I am so excited to see what new storylines can come from this change.

I know not everyone is going to agree with me, so I'm asking now, if you want to add your opinions here, go ahead, but be civil about it. I'm not looking for discourse. any hate will be deleted and blocked on sight. my asks are currently open if anyone wants to discuss the show there.

[mythalism]

I was wondering (because I love your Solas and solavellan analyses) what do you think of s*lrook? It doesn’t work for me, not because I like solavellan, but because I just don’t like Rook and some other reasons that I’m having trouble articulating. Something along the lines of “Solas mirrors” and, as Rook, we can only ever really approach him as though he is a villain with little nuance and can never ask (the man that started out as spirit of wisdom) any questions. I think maybe it would have been more interesting to me if BioWare gave Rook more meaningful regrets and let us have more rpg elements. Anyway, feel free to disagree with me or not answer this if you think it may gain negative attention. I just like the way your brain works and was curious about your thoughts because you might have an interesting perspective!

i honestly dont think of s*lrook like ever. truly it does not occupy any space in my mind. i think its probably similar to what you are feeling, which is that rook is so nothing its like putting solas with a cardboard cut out. and maybe that is why the issue of solas mirroring rook comes in; there is nothing for him to reflect. rook is also so meaningless to solas that he has no incentive to meaningfully engage with them. with the inquisitor, solas was literally tied to them by the anchor and had no choice but to spend time with them to get his orb back. but that is a process that develops over an entire year. he gets sucked into the inquisition and cannot help himself but become part of it. even solas who hates the inquisitor is deeply involved in everything they do, every decision they make he becomes complacent in as part of their inner circle. even with an inquisitor he hates, he cannot help but develop attachments to the other members of the inquisition. he is actively carrying out the inquisition's purpose. if they do something he doesnt like, such as recruit the templars or keep the wardens or kill the sentinels, it makes sense for him to speak up, to challenge the inquisitior, to make his distaste known because he is directly involved. he is also directly responsible for corypheus gaining such power. all of this personal entanglement in the events of inquisition give him and even a low-approval inquisitor a dynamic that is interesting and complex. their erasure into a figurehead for the purpose of a cause is familiar to him at the very least. the way he reflects the inquisitor is entrenched in the plot and who they both are as characters. he reflects the inquisitor because the inquisitor is walking the same path he was forced to.

in veilguard, i think that him being trapped for so long was a mistake writing-wise. despite solas being literally integral to EVERYTHING HAPPENING, he feels completely separate. he only has a few things to say about each major plot point, we can barely ask him more than a few questions about anything throughout the entire game, we dont get to confront him on his memories, we dont get to see him react with anyone. he literally exists in a vacuum. there is nothing for him to reflect, nothing for him to engage with. he is literally in an empty room, talking to an empty character. what is there to work with in that? where is there a relationship to be had? they kept telling us that rook reminded solas of himself which is honestly hilarious in retrospect because what??? where??? how??????? because they did something rebellious one time??? but solas and rook never actually talk about that. they never actually talk about anything about rook's life. solas doesn't even pass judgement on their decisions. their conversations all have the same set end point. his goal from the beginning is always to shape them into taking his place in the prison (however the fuck that works) and all of their interactions are defined by that, and happen in the shadow of rook ruining his ritual and releasing the evanuris. compared to solas and the inquisitor, who at their core, is a manifestation of his mistakes as a victim of his underestimation of corypheus and the bearer of his anchor which will eventually destroy their body. there is an immediate thread of guilt and connection through those circumstances. for solas and rook, the opposite should actually be true; rook should feel guilt for getting solas trapped through their carelessness, but they clearly dont lol. its just so nothing. rook is so nothing. solas reflecting rook thus is also nothing. there is a reason the game picks up so much when we see him outside of the prison, talking to the companions, having a moment with emmrich, being eviscerated by harding, killing ogres in one hit, tearing into an archdemon... its pretty mutually agreed upon as the best part of the game? why would you make a character that, as a spirit, reflects his environment, and then put him in an empty room in the game named after him? and then why would you set him up with an empty protagonist who was clearly designed only to further the plot and not have a real story or arc of their own? flop.

[platonicyanderereverie]

I dunno if you do doubles but if you do then awesome, if you don't then don't worry about it or you can just pick one character!

But what about Yandere platonic Dottore and Pantalone as a tweenager(11-13) reader and they're like readers dads even though reader wants nothing to do them I was thinking letter A, B, C, E, G, H, J, M, O, P, R, S, T, U V, W, AND Z! I know this is alot but please choose which ones you want to do if these are too much, all I ask is that maybe you especially Z, S, W, T, O, J, H, F, D, OR C! Again pick at which ever one you want!! Thank you!!

( I luv your platonic yandere writing!!!)

Thank you for your request‼️ I tried my best to do the main ones you wanted <3 I really hope you like em

Platonic yandere Dottore and Pantalone with a tween reader using the yandere alphabet!!

[Warnings!: usual possessive behaviour, implied kidnapping, isolation and so on]

Zenith

(Would they ever break their darling?)

Chances are, no. Dottore is very calculated with his advances and actions, and Pantalone tries to avoid actively placing you in situations that could make you crumble. However, it's not entirely impossible for their child to snap under the pressure, and both of them would be highly displeased if that happened. They would immediately swoop in, attempting to piece you back together.

Stigma

(What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?)

For Pantalone, his childhood was filled with troubles. Born poor, he always felt beneath everyone else, constantly forced to look at things he wished he had from afar. He never wants that for you; he wants to give you the childhood he wished he had, even if he becomes overbearing in the process.

Dottore, on the other hand, experienced significant mental isolation. Driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, he strives to understand everything there is to know. You seem like a book with endless pages to study, each one holding possibilities that he craves to uncover. His obsession drives him to push you onto the same page as him, fueling his desire for intellectual satisfaction.

Wit's End

(Would they ever hurt their darling?)

The short answer is yes, but it would be in calculated, mentally focused strides. If you've been particularly disobedient, expect isolation, loss of privileges, and an intense struggle to regain the love they once showered on you freely. You might even find yourself wrapped up in a few of the doctor's "tests." Nothing serious, but certainly enough to leave a lasting impression.

Tears

(How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?)

Pantalone would be the first to lean forward and wipe your tears. He hates seeing you upset, he truly does, but if it’s due to a punishment, he'll softly coo, reassuring you that it’s all necessary. Meanwhile, the doctor might run a hand through your hair in a slightly chastising manner.

Screaming or throwing a tantrum would earn you disappointed looks from both of them. They’d regard you as a child throwing a fit over not getting what you want. Dottore would shake his head, speaking in a cool, calm tone to remind you that such behavior is unfavorable. Pantalone might attempt to soothe you with promises or small gifts if nothing else seems to work.

Isolating yourself would prove difficult, as they’d quickly sense your withdrawal. Once they do, they’d reel you back in for a lecture and enforce some "mandatory family time."

Oppression

(How many rights would they take away from their darling?)

Most likely, they'd control nearly every aspect of your schedule. Pantalone would ensure it’s filled with classes and tutors, while Dottore would require time in his lab. You wouldn’t be making any significant decisions on your own either, as they consider you too naïve and impulsive. Despite this, they still expect a certain level of engagement and respect from you, even if you’re resistant.

Jealousy

(Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?)

Jealousy is an interesting concept when it comes to your fathers. Pantalone is confident and self assured in his status, knowing no one else could give you everything he can. No one else would sacrifice as much as he would for you, even if you don’t recognize it. If someone tries to interfere, he has the power to make sure they can’t.

Dottore, however, would be fascinated by jealousy itself, viewing it as a curious feeling. Understanding its implications, he deals with it by turning it into a personal experiment. He identifies the cause of the itch in the back of his mind and manipulates situations so that you seek him out, he won't fetch you himself, oh no, you will be the one cementing your dependence on him. He won't stop until he’s fully satisfied with the results.

Hell

(What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?)

Once, you managed to slip away from the manor, somehow finding yourself wandering the streets, finally tasting freedom and reveling in spite.

However, I hope your short loved feedom was worth it. Upon your inevitable return (having been dragged back by the agents), you faced endless berating from Pantalone and a slew of unpleasant new tasks from Dottore, not to mention an extended session in his lab. Anything that entertained you was confiscated, and any servant you liked was dismissed. And god forbid If one of them had assisted your escape, the punishment would be even harsher. You were met with cold discipline, leaving you powerless to change the outcome. Days seemed to blur, each one more isolating than the last. Should you resist further, you might find yourself bedridden, unwell due to "mysterious circumstances."

Darling

(Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?)

Short answer, yes. For one, they expect you to stay with them, fulfilling their aspirations for you. To them, it’s simply that you can't see what’s best for you yet. Resistance is futile; listening to them would make things so much easier. Furthermore, you don’t have a say in spending time with them...it’s simply not optional.

Cruelty

(How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?)

Pantalone would present the situation as a luxurious arrangement, framing it not as a victory for himself but rather as the natural, ideal state of things. He’d act as though everything is perfectly fine, assuring you that all you need to do is stick with family.

Dottore, however, would be slightly more biting. He wouldn’t mock you outright, but his words would carry a tone of condescension. He’d calmly lay out the terms of your new reality, driving home just how powerless you are, making sure you fully understand the situation.

□●■□●■□●■

(Original request forum)

[mclzandaya]

kinda #sad but i've completely given up on my candy love new gen,, i've played up to episode 3 and then i just... gave up lol. i'm legit coming back only for the events but feel so uninvested that most of the times i'm not even able to get everything which is super frustrating.

i really wanted to like this game bc beemoov's games have been such a huge part of my life!! and despite my frustrations i always loved those games!!

but having the MC being black only in appearance when i thought i'd be able to relate to her a little more; interactions with the LIs still as ridiculous as in CL and LL (pls someone tell me i was lied to and ysaline didn't actually throw up on jason EDIT: thanks for correcting me!! she did /not/ throw up on him, thanks god); having to pay to get full scenes even as VIPs already paying every month (just the fact that you have to pay point blank); personality system which doesn't amount to anything and none of the LIs personalities being truly interesting for /me/,,, was such a disappointment.

i truly didn't expect jason to be so cringe,, it feels like the only use they have for roy is having him half naked most of the time; amanda i would've never gone for bc i just — don't care for a rich white girl; devon's pretty petty and childish at times (same as jason imo to be fair) and thomas i guess is the only one i'm okay with. and it's only bc i feel like they did a 180 on his personality since HSL and the fact that they portray him as seeming autistic (in /my/ opinion!! not derogatory!!!) just make him straightforward enough for me not to be annoyed with him.

idk i guess we could say that it's bc it's supposed to be a game whose targets are ~teens, but considering that it's clear (imo) that their true targets are paying players (consumers) rather than F2P players,, then obv you'd think their targets are at least adults? but it doesn't feel like it considering how ridiculous the plot feels at times and how little depth they put into the characters. to be fair i felt that the same could be said for eldarya a new era, campus life and love life. i know they changed scenarists? (idk the word in english but the ppl that draft the stories/plot + the actual ppl who write the dialogues and branchings) but i just truly realised it while playing the few episodes i've played + the events.

i saw a lot of french ppl thought new gen was better than CL or LL tho so i will give it a shot at some point (+ i've actually spent money on the game lol, so might as well see it through), but i never thought i'd feel so sad and unmotivated to play one of their games after playing since 2011.

anyway this was just a lil rant of my personal feelings and why i haven't been active on here lately, pls don't attack me it only engages me!! and /my/ point of view!! not even talking abt chinomiko here bc as far as i know it's not like she can do much abt all of this besides providing a v basic draft of what should happen in the story (but do tell me if i'm wrong! nicely pls). truly no hate towards her!! i'm legit sad that she didn't continue her game beneath our scars bc it was so interesting and i was super excited to get a game of hers outside of potential directives again :( even if it probably will never be finished if i remember correctly there were two eps out so if you have a lil bit of time on your hands you should check it out!!

edit: just realised beneath our scars isn't available on the app store anymore :( but she seems to be working on a potential future new game with a sort of dungeons and dragons theme? so i'm super excited for that!! hope we'll be able to play it!! + only one ep was out actually (oops) but i was told you can play it on the website still!!

[warblogs17282]

Another argument I don't understand from the helluva boss 'critical' crowd is the 'they're uwufying/coddling Stolas' argument.

I've most likely covered this in the 'both sides fucked up' post I've made before but I want to challenge the claim more head on this time.

Like Stolas is a character with multiple flaws that he needs to work on and has been brought to the forefront quite a bit, a few examples of these are the alcoholism (rehab has been stated to exist in hell twice now, so that's most likely gonna become a plot point at some point in the show), the subconscious racism/classism (the harvest moon festival is a major example of that), we know Blitz is in the right when he calls Stolas out for it in apology tour in the first few minutes of the episode because that's literally the point, how is Stolas supposed to just magically undo 25 years of the learned racism/classism starting from as early as we know, 10 years old, that shit takes time, Stolas is not at that point where he's self aware enough to realise how much he hurt Blitz with those behaviours, with the self aware part being stated in the description of the apology tour video. They explicitly brought attention to Stolas' flaws regarding the racism/classism thing so it'd be shit writing for Vivzie to not bring it attention again in the near future, they've established it as a flaw Stolas has so he's gonna have to learn to undo that during the show.

Also, in the trailer there's a line that very much tells us that Stolas is gonna have to face and learn from his problems face on. 'You never loved mother, and you don't love me, you love him.' The wording on it makes it very clear it's being spoken to Stolas, and as much as Stolas tries to give Octavia a normal life as Stolas loves Octavia so much, it just gave Octavia all the reason to believe that Stolas never loved Stella and her, because all Octavia knows up at this point is that Stolas cheated on Stella with a to her, random imp, which in her viewpoint, would confirm that the love was never there for Stella and her, leading to her villainising Stolas because of it. Octavia knows none of the abuse Stella inflicted upon Stolas. Plus, as much as Stolas tries to be an active part of Octavia's life as a father, he still fails at it. The main proof of this being in seeing stars, the phone call where Stolas was getting really intense arguing with Stella, pushing Octavia to the sideline as a result. 'Why does he hate her more than he loves me.' This scene just shows truly how Octavia feels about Stolas right now, and it plays in perfectly to the line in the trailer, so while that scene does show Octavia that Stolas does care about him, she still doesn't really sense much of the love Stolas has for Octavia, with most of it in Octavia's prespective getting replaced by Stolas being forgetful about her needs and such, instead getting caught up in his own problems too much to tend to Octavia's needs, which deeply hurts Octavia inside. Just like Loona said, Stolas just messes up, Octavia can't really see that a whole lot yet however. 'You know I haven't taught you spells like this yet.' This line just really shows that Stolas keeps getting caught up in his own things that again, Octavia's needs get put on the sideline or just forgotten about until it's too late, which hurts her deeply. It shows that the things that Octavia should've been taught at that point hasn't been taught to her yet for that reason, the arrangement with Blitz and the messy divorce to be specific.

These two reasons are proof that the argument that they're gonna keep coddling Stolas and that he's not gonna learn from his character flaws and just stay the same way he is currently, is entirely bullshit.

I wrote much more about that than I expected, man I take helluva boss much more seriously than I thought, guess it just resonates with me.

For anyone seeing this now, Vivzie just basically confirmed that Stolas' flaws will be addressed

'Everything we are noticing about the plot that hasn’t been addressed, will be. Just BE PATIENT'

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

The Many Failures of Lila's Writing

There are three main issues with Lila Rossi (or whatever her name is): she was introduced too early, she doesn't fill a unique role in the story, and her lies are too over the top for her to feel like a good villain. Let's go through that list in order because the issues build to create the show's most annoying character even though her setup could have led to a legitimately great character who we would have all loved to hate.

Issue 1: Lila Shows Up Three Seasons Too Early

Lila is introduced in the final episode of season one and then essentially disappears from the show for a full season. The only time we see her in season two is her brief appearance in season two's finale where she takes on the role of Volpina again in order to help Gabriel fake Ladybug's death. That's also the episode where we learn that Lila has been "in Achu" for some unknown amount of time.

[image: a list of Lila's season two appearances (source)]

Season three sees Lila show up with reasonable regularity (8 episodes, none of which are two-parters) and we get a real conflict with her, truly establishing her as a villain who lies like crazy and who wants to destroy Marinette.

Then season four comes and Lila is once again forgotten about. She shows up more than she did in season two, but only as a background character and most episodes don't see her at all. She doesn't have a single line until the final three episodes of the season and her role in these episodes is exceedingly minor. She does a few petty things to remind you that she's awful, but she's not the focus of the plot. She's just there to remind you that she exists and to establish her and Chloe as coconspirators of some sort.

[image: a list of Lila's season four appearances (source)]

Then season five comes and Lila is back to being an active antagonist. She shows up in almost every episode and we even get her very lackluster defeat.

This is some of the worst pacing that I have ever seen. It's honestly impressively bad. I hope the issue speaks for itself, but in case it doesn't, you don't chop a story up like this without a good reason and, frankly, there isn't one. Lila's introduction, villain setup, and defeat should have all take place over the course of a season or two, forming a mini arc.

Just in case you don't know what that is, most stories have a main conflict that drives the whole narrative (ex: getting the butterfly miraculous back) but within that story you have lots of mini stories. Things that get resolved so that it feels like things are moving forward and so that the audience stays engaged. If you don't get any satisfying resolutions until five seasons in (or more), then the audience will start to get annoyed or just stop watching. It's also a good way to keep expectations from getting built up too high. If every season or every other season has a satisfying conclusion to some big conflict, then you don't leave everything riding on the big finale.

By chopping Lila's story up, you made the audience spend four seasons dreaming of her defeat. Expectations were sky high. She's more hated than Gabe! If she's been introduced mid season 4 and had the exact same story arc, then her lackluster take down would be a mild disappointment and not a major issue for most of the fandom.

Issue 2: Lila and Chloe Should Never have Coexisted

When it comes to story telling, characters fill roles. Ladybug is the lead. Alya is the plucky best friend. Gabriel is the big bad. Etc. Etc.

Generally speaking, you only want one character in a given role. Having two or more characters in the same role leads to character bloat where characters are fighting for screen time because they don't have a clear place in the story. This is especially true for key antagonistic roles. It's a lot easier to balance two best friends than it is to balance two big bads.

Enter Chloe and Lila.

I've mentioned before that I thought that Chloe was going to be redeemed. The reason I thought this was not because of anything to do with Chloe. It was because the show introduced Lila and, narratively speaking, Lila and Chloe are the same character. They're both petty school bullies whose main job is to cause trouble for Marinette while she's at school and to give setups for akumas.

However, in terms of perceived threat, Lila is the bigger badder Chloe. No one but Sabrina likes Chloe. Everyone but Marinette likes Lila. Chloe doesn't make plans. Lila lives to manipulate and plot. If you're going to get rid of Chloe, Lila is who you'd replace her with. That's just how this works.

One of the most well known examples of this type of setup is Zuko and Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko is the main antagonist of season one, but season two sees him step out of that role as he starts his journey of self-discovery and redemption. And who is introduced at the end of seasons one? Azula, Zuko's evil, more powerful sister. In season two, Azula fills Zuko's former role, but also makes things feel more serious because she's a bigger badder Zuko.

This brings us back to a big part of issue one. Namely, Lila's ongoing disappearing act. She only does that because of Chloe.

Chloe is a much easier villain to write. She doesn't have to hide anything. She is openly petty and evil. So if you're going to pick a character for a petty conflict, you're going to pick Chloe. The only time Lila gets pulled in is when the drama revolves around lies because Chloe is actually a strikingly honest character. She rarely lied prior to her "friendship" with Lila because, for the most part, Chloe doesn't care if everyone hates her. She only cares about the opinions of a chosen few. (Or, at least, she acts like she does.)

For Lila to work, Chloe needed to be redeemed or written off the show. The best proof of this is season five, where Chloe straight up becomes Lila's minion because the writers had to force that relationship if they wanted to have both characters involved in the plot. It's also why season four saw Chloe suddenly obsessed with Marinette when, prior to that, Chloe bullied everyone. The only way to team Chloe and Lila up was to give them a common goal and that didn't exist in the first three seasons.

So, building off of point one, Lila should have been introduced much later and she should have stepped into Chloe's shoes after Chloe either switched roles or completely left the show.

Issue 3: The Lies

I think that we can all agree that Lila is a terrible liar. Even a toddler could see through the BS that spews from her mouth. There are multiple satisfying Lila takedown fics that don't involve clever plots to beat her. They involve Alya or someone else doing a google search because - even with the declining quality of that tool - that's still all that it would take to prove what Lila is.

This is a really bad way to write a character who is supposed to be a master manipulator. Especially when she's going to be the next big bad. They desperately needed to tone her down.

For example, DON'T have her claim to be Ladybug's best friend. Have her claim that Ladybug saved her. That would still go up on the Ladyblog and, more importantly, it would be a lot harder to disprove. I doubt that Ladybug remembers everyone she saves so no one would fault Alya for just taking that at face-value, but Marinette could still instantly peg Lila as a liar.

Tinnitus from saving Jagged Stone's cat? How about tinnitus from being too close to the speakers at Jagged Stone's latest concert? The concert where Lila even got to meet him because she had back stage passes. Once again, hard to disprove. Jagged meets a lot of fans. I doubt he'd be able to tell you that she was lying.

And definitely don't have her openly state that she's a liar. The fact that she did that and was STILL able to manipulate the adult characters is abysmal writing. Especially because it comes right before Lila disappears for a season, giving the impression that her confession essentially defeated her, only for the show to go PSYCH! No one cares about her confession, it meant nothing for the Lila conflict.

I've had someone tell me that they think that Lila's lies were suppose to be a joke and, to be fair, that's plausible. The show relies on a lot of ridiculous humor. If Lila had shown up later, then this might have worked. But because Lila has been around for so long, we've all had time to think about her lies and build up the expectation of how they'd be handled.

I don't just mean Lila being exposed. I mean the fallout of all of her "fans" having to deal with the truth of who Lila really is, an issue that I won't go into here because this is already super long and I think that the issue of how her lies effect characters like Nino and Alya is pretty well understood.

There's also the Chloe thing. Chloe is very over the top, so replacing her with a character who is over the top in a different, more terrifying way would have made some sense. But Chloe's still here and she's more ridiculous than ever, so Lila matching that ridiculous just makes them an annoying duo that we all have to suffer through. Their team up was one of the most forced elements of seasons five. I just do not buy that Chloe would ever subject herself to being someone's minion. When it comes to that team up, the hand of the author is glaring.

Conclusion/Final Thoughts

Manipulative characters are fun. They make for fantastic villains and Lila could have been one of these fantastic villain, especially if Gabriel was played as more sympathetic. If there were lines that Gabriel wouldn't cross, then Lila getting the butterfly would be terrifying. As-is, I don't see how she's any worse than the dude who created Chat Blanc. Plus I'm not even sure why she needs the butterfly. She could already get anything she wanted with minimal effort because her lying powers are so OP. Like, why should I care about that twist? What has changed with the passing of the butterfly? The stakes have not been raised. If anything, they've been lowered.

Lila is just your generic evil villain who is evil for evil's sake. The heroes already hate her. Finding out that she's the big bad is not emotionally devastating. If anything, Marinette should be thrilled that she finally has an excuse to punch Lila.

It's possible that the writers will give Lila an interesting back story, but because she's been around for five seasons, I don't have any faith that they will. I mean, what was the point of introducing her all the way back in season one if you weren't going to use that to set her up in a satisfying way? I've seen people say to just wait and see and wait for what? They couldn't manage to pull off Gabriel's defeat or Chloe's defeat/redemption or Lila's first takedown in a way that was narratively satisfying. Why should I give them a chance to disappoint me with Lila's next take down? Three strikes and you're out!

@tallwriter as requested, there are my thoughts on Lila. As with every character in this show, I think she deserved better. She could have been great. She's one of the worst examples of squandered potential because everything about her was done wrong.

[sillyandquest]

WOOOOOOOO!!!!

It's Megaman's birthday today and y'know what I decided to do?

Make a post about my au about Roll. XD

Well, sort of.

Fr though, I really do love the Megaman franchise. It's one of the main reasons I draw today and want to get better at story telling. I honestly would've made a full drawing instead of a handful of doodles, but life gets busy and I need my sleep.

Anyways, last time I posted I showed you guys this design I came up with for Roll's armor.

This time though, I wanna talk a bit more about Rock's part in the au because despite what I say, he is still a main character in the au.

Doodles under the cut.

First I had to get a good grasp on who Rock is as a character before figuring out what he'd be like in the au. Canonically, he's a kind, courageous boy, with a strong sense for justice and is very polite towards others but is a little naive.

With that in mind I think he'd largely be the same in the au, only difference being he's more protective of Roll and does his best to be the responsible one. However being responsible does mean he's a rule follower, it makes Rock feel guilty.

Despite the new protective streak though, Rock definitely knows Roll's willingness to wreck Wily's newest machines like there's no tomorrow, which does worry him a bit, but he's very glad she's on his side.

This actually brings up a theme I want to incorporate: opposites complimenting each other.

Rock truly believes in Dr. Light's dream and wants it to become reality, on the flipside, Roll's more concerned with things happening in the moment. Rock absolutely hates fighting, Roll finds it fun. Rock is more quick to accept obstacles as they are, meanwhile Roll always looks for another way.

That last thing actually leads me to bringing up an old concept from an entirely different au. Because Roll always looks for another solution, what if she managed to befriend some of the bosses from some of the games?

Rock wants to stop fighting and actively tries to dissuade the robots he fights, but accepts it as inevitable because he doesn't see another option. Roll however is more empathic to other robots issues and unlike Rock is too stubborn to give up on finding a different way. Through her empathy, Roll may be able to dissuade robots from fighting by reaching out a helping hand.

Obviously, this doesn't work for every robot master, but it will work for some, and it's this that gives Rock hope throughout the many battles he and Roll find themselves in.

It's the main reason he keeps putting the armor back on when Wily comes back with another plot. As long as Rock has Roll to fight alongside, there will always be another way. Maybe one of those ways will lead to the peace they both want.

That's just Rock for now, there's still even more to think of. Like Protoman.

Much like Rock, Protoman is largely unchanged with the only difference being that he is more willing to show up and spend time with Rock and Roll in a mentor sort of role.

This is because with both of them in active fighting roles, they're gonna need some training. This happens after the twins beat Wily as a team for the first time, so before or after MM3. Blues helps Rock with aim and difficult jumps, while he helps Roll come up with new ways to use her broom. They all also do team exercises so they can fight more effectively, but they don't always accomplish their goals. Blues is a tough teacher and the twins ended up running back to Light Labs after one of them collapsed during training.

They were so freaked out after the first few times it happened. One time they both passed out during training, dw Blues carried them home as a good big brother should.

There's still more to think of with this au. I have a lot in mind, including merging this au with that Megaman X au I've been thinking about. Y'all will probably know which one it is, I have very few au's here.

Overall, Rock and Roll both want peace between humans and robots, they just have different mindsets that influence how they go about it individually. That's why I think it's so important that they fight together.

With that said enjoy this final doodle of Megaman and Sunstar. I like to think that Rock, with Roll and Rush's support, managed to find a way to save Sunstar in this au and the two became buddies.

Sunstar really likes his little friend, but not nearly as much as Mercury likes Roll

She's his favorite.

[pockethep]

Okay…now that I’ve calmed down…

This chapter was undeniably one of my favorites in the manga. It also feels like one of those moments where part 1 and 2 really run in parallel.

Just a few of my rambles on this chapter...

Happiness and Makima

As much as I hate him Barem is easily one of the most interesting characters in part 2.

Barem has an intense loyalty, and honestly somewhat of an obsession, with Makima and by extension her legacy. Even after Makima's death and being freed from her control, Barem continues with her goal of using Chainsawman to defeat the Death Devil. When Nayuta tried to use her control devil abilities on him, he resisted and admitted that his heart still belongs to Makima.

It's because of this that he's "honoring" her will and following the same guidelines Makima did. (She wrote the rulebook on torturing Denji) He's destroying Denji's happiness. He is taking EVERYTHING from Denji.

(Heck if you wanna go a step forward, he's taking that peace sign)

Of course we know that Makima's true goal was to create a better world so that she could stand equal with others and form relationships. Making an ideal world was her attempt to realize her own dream.

Barem doesn't understand Makima and his devotion is a misunderstanding about her beliefs, which is a great foil to Denji.

Throughout part 1, Denji was devoted to Makima despite not knowing her true goals until the end. Barem is devoted to Makima because he's deluded himself into believing that he understood her and did so enough to be able to follow through with what he thinks she wants.

Nayuta and Makima

Although I'm praying this is a fakeout or a body double or just some kind of ruse to get Denji to snap there are a lot of interesting differences between the Makima and Nayuta eating scenes.

When Denji eats Makima there is an entire dedicated set up. He chops ingredients and makes a home cooked meal, taking care to set up his dishes and table.

He actively takes time to savor the meal. He doesn't scarf down the food, the waits...lets the flavor sink into him...and continues eating relatively peacefully despite what's really going on. It was something deeply personal and he ate in an empty house.

But with Nayuta...

It's rushed, messy, and ugly. There's none of the previous tranquility. It tracks, Denji was in the safety of his home. But in Chapter 170 he's at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. A buffet style restaurant thats filled with people while being antagonized by Barem (He even goes as far to say "Good Boy" to Denji) and having just come off of what happened in 168 and 169.

And this is all without him even knowing what he's eating.

Everyone in chainsaw man is hungry. They are starving for way more than they could ever stomach, and not always in the literal sense. They are hungry for revenge, money, comfort, love, whatever the opposite of being alone is to them, or whatever else. It is because of this yearning and hunger that so many of the characters end up exploited or worse.

If that head truly is Nayuta...now Denji is way past the point of no return.

There are very few stories currently running that can even begin to make me feel what Fujimoto can. He is a wonderful writer even if I wanna burn his pen sometimes.

[burningdreambanana]

In defense of my girls Halime and Dilruba

I recently wrote posts about Turhan and Safiye, and thought why not make a series about Kosem's villains?

Today we're talking about my girls Halime and Dilruba, two characters that are both heavily villainized by the fandom and framed as in the wrong in the show, despite their motivations being really understandable, and their actions not much different from the ones of beloved character.

Halime

Halime is often accused of being responsible for Mustafa's suffering, because she kept trying to enthrone him. For me, this lowkey comes from the same place as people who say Hurrem could have just ended the fratricide law if she just let Mustafa (from MC) ascend because Mustafa is kind and would never kill his siblings. Let's be objective here, the Ottoman dynasty had been practicing fratricide for generations, what mother of a prince would believe it is completely finished and her son is safe just because the new sultan just said so? Her son would essentially be living with a damocles sword over his head for his entire life, that's not acceptable for a mother. And indeed, we see that it took two other generations of sultans for fratricide to truly end (Osman II killed Mehmet, Murad IV killed all his living brothers except one).

Also in the beginning of the show Halime was reeling from terrible trauma. Her eldest son Mahmud had been executed a few months ago for very flimsy reasons. He was only 16 and made one fatal mistake, asking his father to let him lead the army against the jelali bandit. On top of that, it was found out that Halime was consulting fortune tellers to see if Mahmud would ascend and that played a part in the decision to execute him, which means she would be crushed by guilt.

Also it's worth pointing out that when Ahmet made the decision to spare his brother, he was only 13 and had no heir, Halime had every reason to believe that once he had a son, Mustafa would be killed (and Safiye indeed says as much), which explains why she tried to prevent Mahfiruze from giving birth. And on top of that, Handan was working behind the scenes to get rid of Mustafa so even if Ahmet truly wanted to spare Mustafa, his closed one did not want too (just like Mustafa/Mahidevran in MC)

On top of that Ahmet often went back in forth in his decision to spare Mustafa. Even on episode 1, after escaping from a trap once, he was already deciding the best thing was to get rid of the toddler, how can Halime trust him?

As for her attempts to kill Ahmet's children, it's bad but it's no different than what other mother of princes had done and honestly if Halime had been smarter and gotten rid of all Ahmet's children (except maybe Bayezid since he does not have an influential mother to guarantee succession), she would have prevailed.

Dilruba

A lot of the arguments are the same as for her mother. She was a little girl who went to extreme trauma as her own father killed her brother, and then her little brother's life was constantly under threat.

Some people hate on her for revealing Handan's secret love for Dervish but honestly, I like Handan but why would Dilruba care about the woman who tried to kill her brother? Also Kosem calling her this little girl evil when she's the one who forced Handan to denounce Dervish, leading to his death and Handan's depression, is just next level hypocrisy.

Her decision to bring back Mustafa when the coup was happening also makes perfect sense. Safiye is terrible but at least with her, her brother would be sultan and "safe", whereas if she stays with Kosem, she's taking the party of Ahmet, whose an active threat on her brother's life, and even more now that the coup has been set in motion.

Also she was cruel as an adult but she was right in her reasoning and had good motives, again if they had gotten rid of these children, they would be rid of Kosem and there would be no threats to Mustafa's reign. And some might say but the army might depose him anyway but I find that truly unrealistic, the end of the Osman dynasty pretty much means the end of the Empire (there's a reason why its the same dynasty from start to finish) so even a weak, crazy sultan will be preferred. Case in point : Ibrahim was enthroned despite being mentally weak and everyone was anxiously waiting for him to reproduce, they were not looking to take advantage of his weakness to establish a new dynast

Her killing Osman's baby was terrible but also no different than Suleiman ordering Mustafa's son death or Selim ordering the death of Bayezid's children. This baby for being a male was a threat to her brother and it's also a fact that Osman had already killed his brother and announced his decision to make his son his heir, so how long before he went after the other male members of the dynasty ?

In short, these two women are no saints but they are way too villainized even though their motivations are the same as beloved character like Hurrem, and they both had traumatic experiences that shaped who they became.

[joeloverture]

I really appreciate your analysis about colonialism in tlou and considering you are one of the very few people who are willing to discuss Abby's white saviour nuances I would like to share with you my views on Lev's construction and why I think his writing is very racist and also transphobic.

Abby's whole arc is rooted in white saviour complex. She gets her redemption by saving a queer kid from his religious cult.

Why making Lev, from all characters, the ONLY trans one? Because again Abby's plot depends on white saviour complex to work. Lev could have been her child, or maybe a little brother (I think a brother would work even better), he could still be trans. But they needed to sell the idea that Abby is saving a poor queer kid from their own culture and religion (most colonialist and Zionist trope ever). People think Abby's relationship with Lev makes her character better when I think it actually just shows how selfish and white savior she is. Nothing but that. It makes her worse. And specially because Zionists don't go with "we as a society are failing trans kids" but rather "this culture/religion I hate is failing trans kids" only to sell the idea that they are morally superior.

Abby deserves a chance to be with Lev but Ellie doesn't deserve another chance with her family by the end? Is it because she took her revenge too far? So the Seraphites murdered by Abby don't matter? Why is Ellie's revenge plot worse than everything that Abby has done as a soldier?

The ideia that Abby only kinda understands Joel just after finding Lev also sucks and gives such a weird message about being a parent. Considering Ellie had Joel and they developed a beautiful relationship as a family, why would they make her the one to abandon her family? Meanwhile, Abby, a fascist soldier can get her redemption because she saved a trans poc kid from their culture? What kind of message is that?

ok hihi! i love this ask and i love getting to talk about this because everything about her frustrates me so so so so so much. and people who defend her never seem to understand these nuances in her writing, which i think is necessary whenever you approach enjoying a character with roots in colonialism/fascism/militarization/etc.

i truly do not think ellie is an 'equal' to abby in any sense. abby got revenge by being a systemic oppressor and exploiting a system that never should've been in place to begin with. ellie got revenge by ellieing. we've all seen that. ellie didn't rely on anyone else or their suffering for her journey, she didn't use innocents as 'target practice' or training fodder.

i was immediately nauseous in abby's shoes. i was maybe willing to give her a chance and thought i may come out of the game with a different take on her. but i couldn't get past how the game reminded me of how sickening her actions have been and continue to be every other second. one of the first optional conversations as abby is with mel about how killing seraphite children is justifiable. and yet she switches sides and teams up with lev and yara on that same fucking day just because they saved her life. (you wanna guess who else saved her life? who else she has been pitted against for years and has hated for years? starts with j and ends with ole. we've already proven she cannot unwrite her internalized programming, so why is it an exception for these two children who are part of the group she has been actively oppressing and terrorizing for years?!)

and obviously she's described as isaac's top scar killer. that's a choice. she didn't need to do any of that to exact her revenge upon joel. she willingly went and killed every person (i refuse to call them scars, thats bs. like yeah there was freaky cult shit but i think that's less about the seraphites and more about neils fucked up ideology bleeding into what the seraphites became) that isaac told her to. she lived in a complex that had naked prisoners of war tied to pipes while they were waiting to either be tortured or executed. she slept under that roof and did so peacefully out of harms way.

so abby is absolved of her crimes. meanwhile ellie, who we actually see substantial regret from, is held accountable for three days worth of killing. i assure you abby killed more seraphites in 4 years than ellie did people in general in 3 days.

and i totally agree with levs writing being transphobic. like its nice to see a trans character in a aaa game, but why him of all people? everything about him is about abby, none of his characteristics are his. everything is either abby or his family who we honestly don't see enough to determine much about. white girl goes to save the asian trans kid from a cult because he's been disowned by said cult.

and don't get me started on YARA. ableism to the max. disability being shown as punishment and abby going to every single end to attempt to save yaras life is fucking ridiculous. and all we get for her shoddy justification is she FeLT LikE shE haD To. Girl what.

abby goes on to get her happy ending regardless. after killing countless innocent seraphites. killing joel (hbo is even weirder for this like lord... joel knowing they were military beforehand made me SICK). killing jesse. inadvertently getting all of her friends killed. she never redeems herself. not with lev. not with any of it. she is a selfish character who the writers act is the paradigm of morally gray goodness in this post apocalyptic dollhouse of theirs. as fucking if.

[ecargmura]

The Apothecary Diaries Episode 24 Review + Final Thoughts

Did Lakan just speed run and earn a platinum trophy from the fastest change from a villainous to a good character? Like the man instantly realized Fengxian was still alive and in the brothel and chased after her. Fengxian’s face is marked with rashes, yet her face to Lakan is the same one that he fell in love with all those years ago. It was a nice way to close the story on Maomao’s parents’ story and what not. Poor Meimei, though. She obviously had a crush on Lakan, but she wants Fengxian’s happiness above all else. I’m sure there will be someone for her someday…

It was nice to hear Maomao’s feelings on the entire matter. She doesn’t hate Lakan, but only dislikes him. It makes sense that she has some disdain for him as he was never an active part of her life. Though, she still has some positive feelings about him as her whole ploy for getting him to play Chinese chess was so she could get him to lose and buy out a courtesan for the brothel’s sake and for Fengxian’s sake. Even if she denies that it’s for her parents’ happiness, Maomao still has some kindness underneath her aloofness.

I really liked the dance sequence towards the end. While the dance was originally meant for Meimei if she were to be bought out, but Maomao decided to celebrate Fengxian’s happiness (being bought out by Lakan) by dancing for her. It was really well animated. Maomao is truly a woman of many talents and being a dancer is added into her resume. Though, why does it feel like the song used in the sequence is a sad one? Why is it so sad? Shouldn’t it be happy? There’s a melancholic vibe to it.

Before the episode ends, we get one last Jinshi and Maomao moment. It was funny how he just popped up out of nowhere and wondering what she was doing and dressed like that. I think the funniest part was the bait. She looked as if she was going to say something romantic to Jinshi as he was holding her bridal style, but the twist was that she was asking for the ox bezoar. While the headbutt was hilarious as a response, will Maomao ever get that bezoar?

Overall, this was a nice way to conclude the first season. Maomao’s family issues get resolved in their own way and that she gets a nice moment with Jinshi. It’s definitely nice closure. Most of all, the finale didn’t have to rely on flashback sequences. In some anime, the dance sequence would’ve been the perfect opportunity to sprinkle in flashbacks of all of Maomao/the MC’s biggest and memorable moments, but I’m glad that OLM didn’t do that and kept the dance sequence as it is. I honestly can’t wait for the second season!

Final Thoughts

I finally finished watching the Apothecary Diaries. I was super late in watching this and it took a while for me to finish it completely. I sort of regret not watching it episodically like everyone else did during Fall 2023 and Winter 2024. I would’ve been super happy to have engaged in discussions with others.

However, I feel like due to Frieren and The Apothecary Diaries, there will be a big shift in mainstream anime in a few years? I feel like genuine fantasy stories like Frieren and The Apothecary Diaries are going to be the norm in later years to come. I would definitely love to see more fantasy shows that aren’t isekai and is just pure fantasy. Yes, The Apothecary Diaries is fantasy, but eastern/oriental.

It also shows to viewers and consumers that a show that have a female MC isn’t always romance or cutesy but they can have solid storylines and action! I’d love to see more fantasy stories with female protagonists!

What makes The Apothecary Diaries stand out a lot is the fact that while it isn’t as action-oriented like Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon, it keeps the audience engaged with a more mystery-oriented storyline in a fantasy setting. Because it takes place in ancient fantasy China, there are lots of deep topics that are explored like trafficking, misogyny, class imbalance, etc.

I’m also glad I watched the show because it introduced me to one of the best protagonists I’ve seen in such a long time. Maomao is seriously an S-tier protagonist. She’s intelligent, cunning, but also chaotic and gets herself into a lot of trouble at times. She looks perfect but has many flaws like not being taken seriously by her peers at times and being small so she isn’t as strong and gets tired out easily. However, her flaws are made up for it with her intelligence. Seriously, she’s one of the smartest protagonists out there.

The other characters are great too! So many likable characters. If I had to list a Top 5, it’d be Maomao, Gaoshun, Jinshi, Gyokuyou and Ah Duo. I like that everyone contributes to the story in some way.

The voice acting is top notch. The cast is filled with top stars and rising stars. Aoi Yuki is superb as Maomao. The way she voices Maomao makes her so entertaining that Maomao could legit just be the only character in the story and I’d still be entertained. Takeo Otsuka takes another big role after Aqua from Oshi no Ko as Jinshi. Because the way he voices Aqua and the way he voices Jinshi are so different, people are actually surprised when they learn they’re voiced by the same person. I think this helps Otsuka reach out to anime fans that he has range. The other supporting cast are filled with big names too like Katsuyuki Konishi as Gaoshun, Atsumi Tanezaki as Gyokuyou and Yui Ishikawa as Lihua to name a few. I think it’s an interesting choice to sprinkle in big names and rising stars instead of using rookies as a whole. I’m glad that they kept big names because they’re too good not not use.

The animation is nice! I’ve only associated OLM with Pokemon and they’ve been doing a super nice job with their current Pokemon anime, so the quality for The Apothecary Diaries has been stellar. There has been no bad animation nor did the anime regress when it came to quality. Everything has been consistent from beginning to end. I honestly love how they color the sky in sunset and how they color flowers. I think it stands out to me.

The music is good. I’m surprised that the OST makes it so that it matches the eastern fantasy setting. Never have I seen odd music choices for this anime. The opening and ending songs were good too. I think the first opening was way too iconic.

Anyways, watching all 24 anime makes me want to collect the manga and light novels. I’ve become a fan. I want to know what happens next. Right now, I’m in the process of moving so I’m refraining from buying more books until I’m completely settled down at the new place. All in all, I’m glad that I finally done with one anime in my backlog. Now, off to resume the others ones. Also, let me know your thoughts on The Apothecary Diaries!

[honeyandthmoon]

ranting about wonder woman's daughter (spoilers ahead)

I gave tom king the benefit of the doubt so many times and i liked some of his most controversial stories... i have lots of his books in my shelf, but that's just insane to me, wonder woman is my favorite one, this is just garbage.

retconning the contest/trial just to have diana punch her mother? to have lizzie punch diana?

it still sucks for me that his idea was to create the sovereign, a "joker/lex luthor" type of menace as if she doesn't already had villains powerfull enough to give her a hard time. it still sucks that he decided to give diana a daughter even if fury still exists (somewhere in the multiverse). and it's not her first child in recent years too! who remembers that one justice league story from a few years ago when they gave her a son that she supposedly abandoned because he was a boy? oh in the same storyline where hyppolita became a mindless monster (also called the sovereign!). that's just recycling of bad ideas. but he probably didn't even knew about that. probably just a bad coincidence. and that's me again giving him the benefit of the doubt.

it still sucks that lizzie is not her biological daughter. it still sucks that she's called wonder woman's daughter when diana herself doesn't see herself as a mother. it still sucks that she's called wonder woman's daughter when diana didn't even raise her? what is up with those weird stories of jon and damian raising her? wonder robin? a mural of batman and superman in themyscira? with batman front and center? IN THEMYSCIRA???

if she's not her biological daughter and was saved by diana and trained as an amazon, what differs her from donna? and why aren't donna and cassie part of her upbringing? why are the supersons responsible for this child?

what's the point of giving diana a daughter if you strip her of every aspect of motherhood?

I defended g willow wilson against people online who hated her run, i thought she was so great, even if she didnt knew much about her at the beginning but she at least was able to reconcile diana and veronica (sort of) and bring her back to themyscira, continue previous plots from the rucka's run and bring ares back (bonus point for putting steve always shirtless and in need of saving)

i was even one of the few that actually enjoyed becky cloonan and michael's run. the stories sure could've been better planned but they got the spirit, build a strong wonderfam in activity and set the ground for a more modern structure of amazons in this new context. they gave me etta and diana acting truly as friends, they gave me three founding mothers for themyscira, they gave me doctor psycho stories (he is really fun to read).

I defended james robinson (!), he at least knew diana was strong enough and had her defeat darkseid and free the gods by herself

i've been reading wonder woman for years. i still have some runs i hadn't had the chance to read fully but basically everything in the past 20 years + perez era formed my love for this character. i hate how out of character she is right now. they should bring back that one rule if you wouldn't do this to batman or superman you shouldn't do it to wonder woman, that's truly disappointing.