#which is a longwinded way of saying thank you to everyone who gives it a shot <3

[mzannthropy]

I absolutely agree that Camilly>>>> Daisybilly. Also Edmila. I'm just gonna pretend none of the cheating happen. Also, what do you think about fics that make Billy a bad father? I hate them lol. Billy was there for Julia's plays,soccer games, and to see her grow into an adult. You can tell he loved her.

(This got long...)

Thanks, it's good to see someone still cares about Billy x Camila! Tbh I've been thinking that I probably misunderstood the story, which is not unlike me with the way my mind works, but the thing is, I was only in it bc of Sam Claflin. I would never have had picked the book up if he hadn't been cast in the series. I barely care about real 70s bands, never mind fictional, and I didn't know anything about Fleetwood Mac (in fact I only started listening to them bc of DJATS and, funnily enough, I saw that 1997 performance on TV which they just happened to show at the time when the filming of DJATS was going on--but I didn't think anything of it. Don't those two hate each other?). That's my kind of longwinded way of saying that I had no idea I was supposed to ship Daisy and Billy, especially as I rooted for Camila right from the beginning. I'm also much older than majority of the fandom and have one failed marriage under my belt already, so I see things differently.

I think that Camila liked the rockstar side of Billy, hence why she was able to overlook some things (after all, this was the 70s), bc she knew he would always come home to her. Relationships are laundry and taxes, not omG tHE wAY thEY LooK aT eAcH OthEr on stage, but I guess that's not cool enough for the show. I'm not a fanfic person, actually, I read maybe about three a year (and that's only short ones) and with the exception of Jane Eyre, I don't write any (I prefer writing original). Occasionally I check AO3 for some particular piece of media or a ship, just to see what's there (in fact I did so twice in the last week, once for a particular pairing in a L.M. Montgomery book and once for all The Count of Monte Cristo fics, Sam's next project). I've never looked at any DJATS fics ever and I'd rather not know. So I didn't know there were fics that made Billy a bad father. I suppose people can write what they want, if they need to make Billy worse for their preferred ship to exist, well, they're free to do so, if it makes them happy. I loathe cheap, lazy plot devices and villainisation for the sake of making the protagonist look better, or making the reader/viewer care about the author's favourite pairing. I tend to feel the exact opposite of what the writer(s) want me to feel. So merely hearing about the Billy as bad father fics makes me hate them, lol.

It's not true, anyway. The show didn't exactly do Billy any favours with erasing the twins, bc in the book, he was with Camila while she was giving birth to them, holding her hand etc, in contrast to Julia's birth. But even so, we have some evidence of him being a better dad, like when he rang Camila while on the Aurora tour and wanted to hear Julia just sleeping. They could have done more and I suspect they really did, that there were more scenes that they eventually cut. Idk, but this picture just makes me think there must have been more. Who knows...

So while he may not have been the world's best dad, he was not a bad one either. After all, as I started saying lately, (about real people but it goes for fictional too), people can be more than one thing.

Saying that, Eddie gives me mild incel vibes. If Camila wanted to be with Eddie, she'd be with him. "I'd choose you over everyone" means nothing, it's just words. It was a bit of a lazy shortcut for Camila to cheat with him, but that's just one of the show's sins. They gave Camila a creative profession and then did a fuck all with it, like why couldn't she have connected with a fellow photographer? Like that dude she talked to in the dark room or whoever it was.

I wonder if soon we'll start seeing articles on Screen Rant et al about how "wrong we were to ship Billy and Daisy and how emotional affairs ruin the lives of everyone around them" or something similar. More likely, though, the show will fade into obscurity which I will honestly be thankful for. I'm glad that Sam got what he needed out of it (he talked about it in interviews) and I'm glad Camila got some recognition, she just won a breakthrough award at Critics Choice and I'm glad Suki and the others got to be in it and the songs are good, and I wish them well, and I wish the writers a very hope your pens break and drafts get deleted and I hope Hello Sunshine burns down.

[qqueenofhades]

But of a meta question here, but do you think the reason dream has trouble getting along with and relating to humans is (aside from being emotionally constipated) because of his pride? His prickly pride is what ruined his relationship with Nada. And nearly his relationship with Hob. And humans are…fairly irreverent. Like I adore the shenanigans people post about dream and hob, I just think dream would really struggle in learning not to take offense

Well... yes and no. Dream is obviously a prickly emo edgelord who wears eyeliner and listens to My Chemical Romance somewhere in a suitably brooding corner of the Dreaming, and we (deservedly) love ragging on him for it. But also, he isn't human, he is a collective manifestation of the human unconsciousness/sleeping mind, he has to tend that and keep it stable, and he really does think that the only way he can achieve that is by never changing in any way himself. In comics canon, afaik, he's also had some fairly major mistakes in the past -- he failed to destroy the first dream vortex and had to remake the entire universe as a result, his spectacular blowup with Nada and the whole Calliope/Orpheus thing, etc. So yes, when he's flung himself off on a passionate love affair and forget everything else, it has had literally apocalyptic consequences. Hence he does come at it from a place of thinking "I can't let myself fuck it up again," and acting as if it is better not to get attached to individual humans at all.

Except, well... Morpheus then spends 100 years in the corner fishbowl thinking about what he did, and aside from learning a little humility and remembering the fact that (thanks to Death) he actually does like humans after all, he is finally able to show that a little more. He likes Rose and doesn't want to kill her, he's tickled when Jed calls himself the Sandman, he goes back to Hob at the New Inn and actually apologizes to him, and even when he's taking John Dee back to the asylum after Dee almost killed him, he's... oddly gentle with him? Puts him back in bed carefully and leaves him to sleep and doesn't try to do anything else. So like, Morpheus does care, and he does care for individual humans, but he's just stupendously bad at showing it for any number of reasons. At least how I'm writing him in AITWW, he doesn't actually WANT to be a dick (it just, uh, comes naturally), and in his mind, he has reasons for what he's doing. But because Morpheus is in some ways the epitome of a Lawful Good character -- only and solely acting for what he perceives to be the greater good for everyone, strictly according to the rules -- it makes him brusque and cold and impersonal on the individual level, because he's always looking at such a bigger picture that a tiny fleck of sand (so to speak) doesn't matter. Until, of course, it does.

Anyway, yes, that was a longwinded way of saying that his pride and prejudice (ba-dump-tssh) is obviously a huge part of who he is, but it's come from a place of genuinely attempting to do what is right for everyone at all times, and guilt over his past mistakes. But because that kind of huge macro-scale model does not work with single individual people, the challenge for Morpheus is how to rejigger basically his entire way of looking at and interacting with the world, in order to relate to the humans he cares about (and who care about him) in a way they actually understand. Which is why I adore Hob basically giving him the Human Relationships For Dummies step-by-step manual, complete with literal flashing giant red signs, but you know. In a loving way.

[thegeminisage]

hey quick writerly question (your fic writing masterpost has been an invaluable resource to me, btw, it's helped me soooo much): when you started broken road did you know how long it would be, ballpark guess?

WAAAH thank you <333 im so glad its been helpful.... to answer your question: sort of. it's actually a running bit between me and my friends (especially poor @callowyn with whomst i cowrite @cambionverse) that whatever my initial estimate is, that's way too low. so when i set out to do broken road i figured, "ok, somewhere between 50k and 75k. MAYBE 80k or 90k if it really gets out of control!" and then of course it wound up being nearly 110k, which is more than double my lowball estimate. it happens with every single longfic i write - i always underestimate my own verbosity. i don't like to cut things so there's basically no "deleted scene" stuff for me, almost everything that gets to prose format goes into a fic

broken road is an extreme case though, because the idea for that story, when i first conceived it in feb 2019, was to make it gen, because the dean/cas felt like it was slightly off-topic and too big to reasonably tackle while the john stuff was going on. when i picked it back up after nov 5 2020 i had OBVIOUSLY changed my tune because if i didn't write deancas i was going to die, but i also changed my mind about it being off-topic - john is inextricably tied to the feelings dean has about being queer and those feelings are also inextricably wound up in his relationship with cas. (i talked about it in this post and this post, but they're pretty heavy subjects so mind the content warnings.) you can't pull at one of those threads unless you plan on untangling the whole mess.

all that to say, i also frequently joke that a gen version of broken road would have been 30k-40k shorter, lol. so maybe my initial estimate wouldn't have been so off after all!! but yes, i know it would be pretty long but i didn't think i'd hit 100k. and then. i did 💀💀💀

[madame-mimsy]

Theory Behind the Reward Tier Levels in Janus’ Corridor.

Has someone done this, already? Probably. But nothing says mental exhaustion like procrastinating on schoolwork by over analyzing the levels of tiers in Janus’ Corridor of Stored Rewards.

So with the release of the amazing art by James von Hollen (@ignoreitforever on Instagram) of each of the tiers (and the honestly delightfully terrifying images of Janus ripping through a wall like the Shining), I’ve had some thoughts on what the levels mean in relation to them because I am a Fander and we cannot leave well enough alone gdi.

See, at first I liked the idea going around that Janus was just giving tiers based on people he liked, as he’s stated that he prefers Remus over the others in livestreams. But the thing is, he obviously does NOT like Virgil, so that doesn’t quite fit to me. And the idea that it’s just giving preferential treatment to the Dark Sides made sense to me, until the new images came out and we had padlocks galore.

Instead, my theory is that each tier is based on how deep into the secrets he’s promised in his Corridor you go. The further along the more he WANTS to keep them secret, and thus the more money it takes, meta-wise, to pry those secrets loose, and why there is no Janus level tier. There’s no way he’d want to reveal everything he knows, no matter the amount. He (Janus) even got downright angry when people tried bugging him for spoilers in streams.

So instead he has the tiers listed by how willing he is to make that Side “public” or not. (Longwinded theory under the cut)

So first we have the Logan tier: the Federal Education Budget 

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“Ohhh, so you decided to share with us? Then, I suppose I can share with you.”

Honestly, this startled me because of the fact that it looks so arcane and mystical, which doesn’t match how I imagine Logan at all. My friend @onnastik​ pointed out that the creature on the right, surrounded by sigils, is the demon Baur, who among other things is said to “teach natural and moral philosophy, (and) logic...” which fits the bill pretty perfectly. 

Speaking of a bill, the name for the tier fits Logan perfectly, too, to me. The Federal Education Budget is not only the budget used in the American system to make sure kids have free education until the highschool level, but is also part of the college loan system. It signifies public education, and that’s why I feel that Logan is the lowest, and thus most accessible, tier. Janus considers him bland, safe for public consumption, and maybe even wants to put up a front of logical intelligence first and foremost, to make even the broadest view of Thomas seem as intelligent as possible. 

And look at how much the basic tier gives! That’s a huge amount for just the lowest tier, and gives you plenty to enjoy. That fits the ideal of something like a broad education system, and gives a very open feel. Logan’s tier is literally an “Open Book” of all sorts of delights.

And with that horrible pun, we move to Patton’s tier:  The Monthly Allowance.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“That not enough for you? Fine. I'll give you everything from that last tier, PLUS...”

For all that it is creepy as heck, the fact that Patton’s tier is also a pun is perfect. The candles heat must surely make this... heartwarming. And the addition of blooper reels in the rewards, and the commentary, feel more personal than Logan’s open tier. Which is why I don’t think Patton was the first tier.

Patton wears his heart on his sleeve too much for Janus’ tastes, I bet. All of those emotions just out there where anyone could see? Those bloopers that showcase how imperfect Thomas and the crew are? Yikes. That is definitely something a certain snek wouldn’t want to be the most public option, though, at the same time, Patton’s gentle qualities and general love of the fandom also mean he’s a good symbol to push closer to the front of the Corridor, and doesn’t need to be as hidden as some of the others.

Also the fact that Patton’s tier has a sticker as a reward is absolutely perfect and you can’t tell me otherwise. Can’t you just imagine him going “Thank you so much, kiddo! Let’s watch some bloopers and play with sticker books! I’ll get the cocoa”? He’s the good goofy dad and stickers are fun. Bloopers and being silly are fun. It’s perfect for the sweet lad.

Then we have the illustrious Roman’s tier: A Prince’s Ransom.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“You want more? Really?? … You can only half tell, but I’m blushing over the fact that we’re worth this much to you. How about, everything in that last tier AND...”

Hooo boi there’s suddenly a lot more to unpack here. This is in no way an insult to the lovely Crew as a whole, but doesn’t it feel like this tier has more bribery going on than the last two? More self-centered reasons to join? It’s not just your name in the credits like Patton offered: it’s your name as a writer. That T-shirt (which I 100% leaped at when I saw this because holy heck it’s so pretty), and of course the mysterious Writer’s Room.

This tier feels very creative as well: look at all the stuff about influencing the show, the art of the shirt, etc. This is all about being showy and creative like our wonderful prince. But it’s not the first tier, even though Thomas is very much a creator. Why? Why is the tier for the showiest, flashiest Side just randomly tucked in the middle, not even the highest for show?

Because Janus doesn’t want Roman to be the first thing everyone sees. Our sweet boy is definitely eye-catching, but he can also be vain to the point of pompous, even annoying. And his fragile ego isn’t something that Janus likely wants to show off. Janus’ statement about “blushing” and “being worth that much to you” even feels like it matches that pride and ego. 

And that fragility is in the crown’s design, too. At first glance it seems fine. Very fantastic, with Roman’s sun symbol in lovely display. But a longer look reveals cracks, broken sections and fissures. And a slight, odd green shine, too. Hmm.

No, Roman couldn’t be made the first tier because of his pride, but his is also the last tier to not have any outright locks on it...

The Strange Dark Son’s tier: OK, Now You’re Making Me Feel Guilty...

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“PLEASE, don’t give us any more money! I don’t know what we could possibly do with it! But alright… since I like you, you can have everything in the last tier, and I'LL THROW IN...”

“Now you’re making me feel guilty” is absolutely what I would expect Virgil to think about someone giving him money because they enjoyed Thomas’ content. He’d freak out, and want to make sure to do something equally nice in return, to say thank you. Hence the thank-you video. 

NGL I can also imagine him panicking and rushing around his room to pick up a random mug and just thrust it out at the gifter in return too, before hiding away in an anxious mess, but anyway. xD

The artwork for this seems to very much be in homage to the Annabelle Doll: a supposedly haunted ragdoll, kept locked in a case at an occult museum.

Something interesting about this doll’s story, though...

Wiki: “According to the Warrens, a student nurse was given the doll in 1970. They said that the doll behaved strangely, and that a psychic medium told the student that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased girl named "Annabelle". The student and her roommate tried to accept and nurture the spirit-possessed doll, but the doll reportedly exhibited malicious and frightening behavior.”

Huh. Who else do we know that when confronted with too much coddling responds by lashing out?

And this is the first tier with a lock. The glass is chipped (from inside or out?) but the lock is holding. The doll is inert and doesn’t seem likely to do anything unless disturbed, if it matches the original story. Which seems to fit Virgil relatively well. Sure, he’ll make you anxious (maybe those cracks are where the influence leeches free), but doesn’t seem intent on outright harm. Also the cracks and the creepy living doll cabinet as a whole made me think of spider webs and our boi’s Halloween decor, so I thought that was excellent, honestly.

This tier is hidden behind Roman’s shining pomp. It’s outright locked away, as if to keep it from seeing the light of day. The Dark Side tiers both seem this way: hidden from prying eyes by the splendor of the first few tiers.

And the most hidden one of all... Gross Profit.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“Oh you bougie rascal, you! Your generosity is seen and I truly thank you for it… but a few kind words from me aren't enough, I'm sure... so how about, you get everything from the last tier ALONG WITH...”

Firstly we have exclusive tier level gifts that Janus won’t even reveal. Meta-wise, this is likely more because the team has to decide what those gifts ARE, and how to safely ship them, but the way it sounds in the description not only feels super secretive, but also very much like Remus to me, as well. I’m pretty sure any and all gifts from him are a surprise in some way. Whether that is pleasant is debatable, but it’s still a surprise!

The highest tier also looks to have the highest security. Look at that sturdy, metal bound chest and huge padlock. Not only that but it also has chains wrapped around it to hold it shut, and even then, the contents are actively seeking to escape, like our delightful trashman would. Even the shuggoth-like appearance matches his presence as a shifting, terrifying and likely quite gloopy entity, capable of squeezing even where he’s not wanted.  Even the green fabric below looks stained with mud or blood or something equally as upsetting. The image does a great job of showing how hard it is to contain Intrusive Thoughts, as a whole, and is likely a main reason Janus drinks so much “juice” on his birthdays. 

Unlike the last image, this one is outright trying to break containment, and oddly, it almost seems like someone left a golden key in easy reach for just that purpose... A key which also looks rather oddly shaped, to me.

It’s hard to tell from the angle, but it doesn’t look like the eye is a simple circle, but that it has a point, like a heart almost. Or even the ornate letter D from the Corridor logo?

I can’t be sure of that, but what I can definitely be sure of is the sheer amount of lock, key, and chain symbolism our Snekky Fren has to his name.

While Janus has no tier, the entire SITE has his symbol, like a brand. 

Every post, the icon, the about page, it’s there. And the snake isn’t trapped by the lock, but guarding it. It looks to have a green highlight around where a chip is (hmm), but other than that, it looks quite solid, and well-guarded by watchful creatures that never blink.

The shape of the lock looks like it could be heart-shaped as well, like that golden key allowing the Remus tentacles to wriggle free.

They also do a heckin blep and honestly what could possibly be better? 

So yeah, that’s my way overly long ramble about the tier levels and what I think they mean. Maybe if I’m not too lazy I’ll do one on the pictures of Janus playing peekaboo with my nightmares on the about page. 

God but this art is amazing and y’all need to go preesh the artist holy heck. 

[magesup]

Hello! Hope u are having a good day! :D

Umm just want to ask of your opinion... As someone who does art, if someone use your picture for things like making a collage or something related without giving you credit- either they know the picture is yours or they don’t know it’s yours -will you, let them? Like, will it be consider an insult and make you feel unappreciated? Just had something in mind...

What if instead of putting your name, they simply say “credits to the owners”, due to not knowing exactly are the owner of the drawing?

Will you feel offended, in any way?

Sorry for taking your precious time! > . <

hello, i hope you are having a nice day as well! 

tldr: if youre doing it for your own personal use (meaning you are the only one who sees it, and wont post online) then please feel free to do so. if you are posting this collage online, you can do so but please give credit, cause i drew the original image in the first place. please dont confuse this with me allowing reposts. i only allow my work to be used in collages, amvs, etc. because its someone turning my work into something new. theres creativity behind it. and dont even say “credit to the original owners” to me, it lights a raging fire in me that can compare to no other

and here is the longwinded explanation :D

for me, it all depends on whether the collage is for personal use or if its going to be reshared online. personal use means only you or some select friends/family  will see it. i know some people like to do collages for fun as a personal hobby and i think thats really cool and i would definitely allow my art to be used for something like that ^^! something like this will fall under personal use. using art as phone wallpapers also falls under this category (which is why you dont have to ask for my permission to use my stuff as wallpapers ^v^) because youre the only one seeing/using it!

of course, there are some people who use art for edits/amvs/collages that they post online like you said and i think thats great. i know i have no reposting in my bio, but for people who make these edits using others art, they are using their own creativity to make something new, with a work that i drew!!! i think thats super cool so of course i allow it. with. credit. im very thankful to the people who asked me for my permission first though, because it shows they care about the original artist ;v;. online, multiple eyes are seeing it and artists should be given credit when credit is due. reposting tho? no creativity at all. the laziest thing you can do to a piece of work. download image, upload to another site, post.

and i absolutely hate whenever i see “credits to the owner” because to me its the laziest and most disrespectful thing you can do to an artist. just the phrasing...irks me. like the person recognizes that they dont own the piece, the artist is the owner, and yet they are still reposting without permission. even a repost with no caption fills me with less rage than a “credits to the owner” so yes, i will be offended. please dont do that

please join me under the cut if you would like to see my explanation that has turned into a rant about reposting

and in some cases there is a watermark on the piece itself!!! clearly written!!! in plain view!!!! and yet people still write “credits to the owner”. like no, the owners name is clearly written on the watermark. plus it takes not even 5 minutes to put an image into a reverse image searcher and find the original artist. i have done this multiple times because yes, reposting without credit is really that common unfortunately and troublesome for people (me) who want to follow and support the original artists :/// my art has gotten reposted COUNTLESS of times with and without credit, and at this point ive given up on keeping track of and reporting them all cause theres just so many. im convinced i am aware of only 5% of all my art thats gotten reposted. 

so to me, as a person who has gotten my art reposted countless of times, saying “credit to the owner”, even though i have written in both of my account descriptions NO REPOSTING in all capital letters, and have watermarked most of my work, is very disrespectful. i remember when my work started getting reposted A LOT for the first time, and i would get super angry every time it happened, and that rage has fizzled out now but it still remains. i still hate reposting with a burning passion.

i understand theres the innocent kind of reposting where the person is like “this art is so cool! i want to share this with everyone i know!!” (i know cause i did this in the past when i was a stupid kid) and then theres the kind of reposting that tries to gain likes and followers...off of someone elses work. off of something that they have not even made or own. how do you tell the difference between these kinds of reposting? the second one will probably have 100 something tags in the description :/...how lazy could that be? to use someone elses work for your own personal gain. my work is my work alone. if you want to get big on social media, do it with your own work. period.

i know im not alone on this because there is not a single artist i have seen who allows reposts with no credit. (and some reposters have the gall to say theyve done nothing wronggg oooooooo how inconsiderate can they possibly be ooooo im gonna kick them) theres some artists who dont allow reposts at all, no matter what condition, and i completely understand because someones art is their intellectual property, im done.

in conclusion please be considerate to artists, we already got it rough as it is ;-; (sorry for the super long answer ;;;;)

[diary-of-deadweight]

could I get a ZOMBIES Addison x reader please? ❤

Yes. Yes you may. I love how everyone thing Addison might be an alien but this is a gag theory but I think she might be an angel 😇

“Hello? Is anyone there?” A dainty, delicate, soft and soothing voice, a females voice, reverberated through the darkness of the room. “This isn’t exactly how I wanted my first day back at school to start off honestly.” You responded back to her in hopes of enlightening her spirits and easing her nerves whilst overlooking your own nervousness with a shaky laugh that was immediately reciprocated with one of her own as if she herself was trying to put you at ease also in attempt to repay your kindness.

“Me neither, all I’ve been meaning to accomplish today is to come out those double doors as a cheerleader, it’s been my dream to become one ever since I was a little girl.”

“A cheerleader huh? Wow I hope you have a better equilibrium then the time I tried to attempt a backflip only to pussy out halfway through in fear of injuring my neck due to landing at a weird angle.”

That made her laugh wholeheartedly and it sounded what you imagined an angel to sound like...innocent, elegant, soothing, genuine and overwhelmingly pure. “I hope your okay from such a fall like that, I wouldn’t exactly believe you if you’ve told me that you walked away unscathed.” The angels sympathetic too, if she’s dating someone they better treat her right as they must be the luckiest bastard alive to have such a significant other as her by their side or you were gonna throw some fucking hands at the ungrateful swine.

“I was bedbound for god knows how long and had made many failed attempts of escaping, what I presumably considered at the time, prison only to get caught in the act by my already greying mother, I swear I do more harm to her health then good.”

She laughed once more and this time you couldn’t hold back your own anymore, laughter is contagious after all but her laugh had to be the most contagious, most beautiful thing to ever grace your ears that you could’ve swore your cheeks began to heat up because of the mere sound alone; you could care less what she looked like or what her body type was because you bet she was just as physically beautiful as her pure untatined soul is.

“You’re hilarious you know that? By the way my name’s Addison.”

“Thanks, my name’s (Y/n) (l/n), I hope to put the name to the face once we get out of here or if the lights would Oh most generously turn on anytime soon that’ll be great also.” You sarcastically stated, getting quite sick of tripping over shit whilst the lack of light within the spacious room took away your sense of sight for just a minute longer the necessary thanks to the actions of one stupid student who pulled on the Z alarm because she saw a zombie not even two feet away from her and panicked like cornered pray. Almost as if your request was heard, the lights snapped on, illuminating the lifeless room making you flinch at the sudden action, taking some time to let your eyes adjust with some continuous blinking and eye rubs before the dainty, elegant, soft, melodic voice spoke out to you from behind.

“(Y/n)?”

You looked to where to voice was to be greeted by a pair of doe eyes of a golden locked goddess with a flawless complexion, dressed to the nines in the obnoxiously vibrant school colours of pink and green that asked seemed to have been bleached in glitter beforehand but it fitted her like a glove, like a second set of skin, it was almost as if it was tailor made for her specifically to her precise measurements.

“Addison?”

Time skip

“Awww you guys are so cute together and your meet cute is even cuter!!” Wynter squealed in her seat as Addison snuggled further into you, hiding a grin of her own whilst hiding her candy red cheeks, you smiled at your girlfriends reaction comparing it to that of a puppy hiding their face in their paws, absolutely adorable. You pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, rubbing her arm in comfort while Wynter coos over your wholesome relationship going so far as to ask where she could have one all in the spam of a minute until Willa presses a firm hand upon her shoulder, halting her ramblings to a stand still.

“How did you two officially get together?” Wyatt asked, bouncing in his seat with anticipation of another longwinded story as his boyfriend Zed only shook his head ait his excitement with a small love sick smile.

“You wanna fell them honey?” You asked Addison who let her face emerged from your side after giving a little nod, “go on then since it’s your favourite memories of me.” Addison sits up straight in her seat as she begun the story of how you walked up to her with a bag full of limes that had pick up lines tapped on them with the most cheesiest of things before saying that they were “pickup limes” the last of the limes had the words “will you go out with me?” Scrawled across the taped paper to which she obviously said yes to. It was an embarrassing moment for you but a memeorable one for Addison as she’s never seen you that adorkable before with your cherry red cheeks to your constant wringing of your oversized jacket sleeves as your eyes kept glancing up from the floor to the goddess sat before you.

As she was telling the story you couldn’t help but admire how natural she looked underneath the golden sun that beamed down on the white haired goddess beside you who had the widest smile you’ve ever seen. God she’s beautiful inside and out. Addison, truly a goddess in your eyes. She turned her head towards you mid laugh, only to that you were transfixed on her face with soft eyes and a even softer smile, the epitome of lovestuck.

“You alright seeetheart?” She said in that dainty voice you’ve came to love over the years, you shook your head slowly before replying to the love of your life, “I’m absolutely fine darling just starting at the love of my life, the most beautiful person in exsistance, the most-“ your love stuck ranting got cut off when a pair of plump strawberry glossed lips came in contact with your own, lingering there for a second or two before pulling back, “Shut up you dork.” She said teasingly before getting, somehow, pulled in closer to you by your arms as you shot back, “I don’t think I will” before smothering her faces in a million tiny pecks you knew would make her laugh wholeheartedly like she did back in the Z room.

[aqvarius]

Isn't it sometime frustrating when they don't let MC from hlitf shine. I mean she is most of the time is help by instructors and when she works on her own she screw up like in ishigami seq. Its MY personal opinion that she should be portrayed more intectual and strong since she is psd officer. I like MC character more in jin route she is shown more mature and smart than In other route. What do u think?? But I like her anyway

yeah i know what you mean! honestly sometimes she does stuff and i’m like OMG STOPPPPPPPP like kaga’s sequel had me S C R E A M I N G esp when i read his pov and realised that she interrupted the interrogation at a prime moment just as they were about to crack the guy. actually she frustrates me in almost every ms1 since in every route she has to make the mistake of losing sight of the main objective and getting distracted by minor crimes in order to start learning what it is that public safety actually does (including in jin’s route you know when she was supposed to be tailing someone). the only time she’s not a terrible public safety detective in season 1 is in soma’s routes haha which is why i love reading his routes for relief whenever i’m frustrated about her being a noob. although the reason that she doesn’t get criticised as much or make as many mistakes in soma’s routes is usually bc soma is usually: (1) being sarcastic; (2) being gentle; (3) basically preventing her from failure by orchestrating things on his own; (4) telling her to mind her own business about how he manages his informants; (5) there to back her up when she does make errors like running into a warehouse all on her own against a whole bunch of thugs (and then in fact becomes attracted to her bc of it lmaoooo). but she’s great throughout all his routes and gets praised by the other instructors and rarely makes those big stupid decisions like she does in kaga’s early routes for example lol. 

HOWEVER with that being said, i actually kinda like that she makes all these mistakes bc it really shows her growth, like seeing the difference in her actions between the season 1 prologue and season 3 prologue just FILLS me with pride. they place her in the same situation to show the ways in which she has grown as a detective to learn to see beyond one-off crimes and i LOVE the parallel! i love that she gets to have her ideas about justice challenged and learns how to see the bigger picture of public safety’s goals and why they need to learn how to focus on the primary objective of preventing crime (rather than taking action after the crime has happened). hlitf is one of those games where the development of the mc in both work and love is so clear and well written, and i like that we get to see her fail (a LOT) but also succeed in her training at the academy. and then when she finally graduates and we see her as a full fledged detective in season 3, we really get to see the results of her training and we get to see her shine. that’s one of the reasons why i love s3 so much bc we get to see her put her training to use and we really get to see how much she’s grown, even from the s2 adversaries days. actually, even in soma’s graduation epilogue, she’s already kicking ass and taking names, and her skills make soma basically horny for her (when is he not, though). 

BASICALLY this is just my v longwinded way of saying that i agree that sometimes her errors are sooo frustrating but i also think that (1) there’s something adorable about her strong sense of justice and (2) her early failures only serve to make her shine MORE in season 2 and beyond~ 

EDIT: i also don’t mind that in the first season and a half she gets helped out by the instructors ‘cause that’s what they’re there to do and also it helps to showcase their individual style :D 

in s3, there’s one moment in goto’s battlefield where she’s investigating with tsugaru and momose and some thugs attack them, and even tho tsugaru doesn’t give specific instructions, momo and detective mc take out a whole bunch of thugs and she works with momo’s cue to knock someone out even tho he just yells her name (to indicate that there’s a guy about to attack from her blind spot). momo is even impressed, saying that he didn’t expect that from her. she even gets praised by ishigami for the way that she’s managed to fit into the tsugaru-momo dynamic, since they’re notorious for being able to communicate without words. 

 season 3 plot spoilers ahead:

something i also love about it is that we also get to see her lie? like the fact that she goes undercover and has to lie to a new friend she’s made who is also the little sister of goto’s dead ex is something that season 1 hlitf mc could never do without messing up (bc of her mOrAlS), but now she’s really got that public safety mindset. and we really get to see her independent investigation skills SHINE in soma’s battlefield. she basically plans out and orchestrates the entire investigation to take down iroi by herself and gets praised by EVERYONE for it. i think it’s so significant that (1) momo even defies tsugaru (?!?!) to defend her when she insists on continuing to work on the investigation independently, (2) tsugaru allows and trusts her to do it, (3) momose acts as backup for her and follows all her plans even though he’s her senpai. it’s the same with ishigami’s battlefield where even when she’s absolutely brokenhearted, she channels that into being a great detective and interrogator. i think that was the first time i ever saw hlitf mc do an interrogation and while i didn’t quite buy that mitch would crack that easily, it was really satisfying to see her succeed so easily in an activity that she undoubtedly failed at so many times during training. 

even in ayumu’s battlefield, the issue isn’t that she’s incapable but rather than she’s not utilised to her full capacity (which is something that frustrates ayumu to no end bc he knows exactly how smart and capable she is, esp with data collection and hacking - thanks to him - but her skills are just not being allowed to shine... thanks tsugaru...). i was a little frustrated at the mistake she makes in the hospital but then tsugaru never told her his plan. not that that excuses her mistake though, since i think she should know by now to trust her captain’s plan, but i’ve previously explained in my ayumu battlefield review that she acts like this bc ayumu’s plans have always catered to her way of doing things where obviously tsugaru doesn’t do this. 

anyway yeah longwinded way of saying that i do find it frustrating too when she’s being shortsighted and noob, BUT in the long run, i find that this only serves to make her shine even brighter as the seasons go by! 

[amplesalty]

Christmas 2020: Day 5 - Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

FIVE EVIL KINGS!

“Christmas...in July?!” I hear you scoff “What a preposterous idea.” Well, maybe not. After such an unprecedented year as 2020 has been, governments around the world find themselves in the delicate position of trying to further the public health whilst trying to stimulate their economies that are circling the drain. Plus, do you want to be seen as the Grinch figure who cancelled Christmas? That’s going to look real good come next election season, isn’t it? Well, what if we didn’t cancel Christmas..just postpone it instead. Did you know that the retail industry does 50% of its business between December 1st and December 25? That’s half a year’s business in just one month’s time. But with the inherent risk of everyone piling into stores and the already lost time from all these lockdowns, why not delay things slightly to allow us all time to get this new vaccination. Seems to me that Boris Johnson would be wise to legislate a second such gift giving holiday. Create, say, a Christmas 2 next Summer to stimulate growth.

Thank you, Danny Trejo. I’m just surprised it took me this long to mention COVID-19. It took me like the very first sentence of the October marathon. I suppose the Christmas season doesn’t really lend itself to it as much, though Kevin McCallister was doing pioneering work in that whole social distancing thing back in the day.

But yes, Rudolph and Frosty. After seeing both their specials over the past couple of years, why not watch them together in some sort of superstar tag team in their own feature length motion picture epic? I’m jumping ahead slightly in the Rankin/Bass cinematic universe which apparently was a little unwise as I missed a couple of important plot points.

Like, apparently Frosty had kids at some point? How does that work? Do snowmen fuck? I mean, Frosty was always a little dim so it kinda feels a bit weird like Buddy the Elf having kids by the end of Elf. Did kids build him a wife, bring her to life and then their combined magic allows them to have sentient children? Or do they have to be built and brought to life too? How many magic hats to these kids have access to? Is there just a factory somewhere pumping these things out? I can’t believe I have so many questions about an anthropomorphic snowman.

Nevermind that shit though, there’s a whole backstory going on that we need to dive into full of evil wizards and deities appearing on Earth in human form. Many years ago the wicked King Winterbolt ruled over the land with an iron first and a frosty sceptre capable of great magic. But against him stood Lady Boreal.

Queen of the Northern Lights! Oh for God’s sake, first It’s a Wonderful Life comes back to haunt me and now this. Why do so many Christmas movies have so many instances of the goddamn aurora borealis?! Anyway, she rocks up and is like “Stop all this evil tyranny business.” and he’s like “lol, no” and tries to shoot her with his magic missile, to which she’s like “Bitch, please.” and puts him into a deep slumber. But nothing lasts forever and eventually Winterbolt awakens and finds like the North land has a much more jolly leader in the form of Santa and vows to overthrow him with a rather longwinded scheme involving him winning the love of all the children of the world by making Santa get lost in a great snow storm. Then, Winterbolt can emerge with his own supply of toys and become the new Santa!

But with her last ounce of strength, Lady Boreal transfers her remaining magic into baby Rudolph’s shiny nose. Or maybe this is some Biblical level shit and she put Rudolph upon the Earth to be the saviour of Christmas, that he might grow up to lead Santa’s sleigh through the dark and stormy night. Where was this angle in the original Rudolph?! Kinda re-writes that whole part about him being shunned by Santa and his own Father too. Does kinda take that whole ‘embrace who you are’ thing to a new level when you were pretty much created by a God to have this one seemingly life altering feature about you that actually means you’re destined for greatness. Bit of a test of these other reindeer too, this is how you treat he I have delivered unto you?!

So, now that we have some meddlesome reindeer getting in the way, Winterbolt sets off on some longwinded and convoluted plan that involves Rudolph and Frosty going to a 4th of July circus in order to trick Rudolph into committing an evil act that will void Lady Boreal’s magic. Plus, he gives Frosty and family some amulets that will prevent them from melting but only up until the last firework fades. And to do all this he uses some sort of magic snow which can implant ideas in peoples heads? So he gets this ice cream guy to encourage Rudolph and Frosty to be in the show to boost ticket sales and help his girlfriend. This guy by the way rides around in a hot air balloon and keeps a supply of ice cream at the North Pole. Dude, it’s called a freezer.

I love how they make this big thing about what an attraction Rudolph will be but his act is literally him standing in the middle of the tent, they use a fog machine on him and he uses his nose to shine through the fog. Then he just flies away. I mean, I suppose just having a flying reindeer is pretty spectacular in and of itself but give them a little more for their money, tell a joke or something.

This whole middle portion of the movie is a bit of a drag though. Just really boring and full of filler songs about the circus. I don’t know why this movie is as long as it is at like 98 mins. If you trimmed it down you’d have something a lot more solid. I’d say the one highlight in this portion is when Winterbolt goes to what seems to be this movies equivalent of a doss house and finds this really shady reindeer he can use to trick Rudolph. Just seeing this evil genius in Winterbolt interacting with this scuzzy landlord and finding this bum reindeer is just really weird.

There’s a neat version of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree too. Has this slight country, Dolly Parton feel to it and is a bit more uptempo than the original.

I was pretty disappointed during this whole section and was worried that it would end up like Frosty but it won me back again in the end by tapping into some of that uncharacteristic dark Christmas feel that Rudolph had. Where that was more cynical, this gets oddly morbid.

Like, the plan is for Santa to swing by and pick up Frosty and family in order to take them back to the North Pole before the fireworks finish so they don’t melt. Frosty is still really antsy though and is keen to duck out, even if that means missing the fireworks. Bizarrely, his kids question him on this and ask him what kind of patriot he is. I guess I never really thought of Frosty being American like that but I guess they did refer to him as having just being born when they put that hat on him. Plus he’s always saying ‘Happy birthday!’ when he wakes up so you could say he was born in America. Only trouble is, Winterbolt has whipped up a ferocious storm that means Santa is heavily delayed.

So you get these scenes of Frosty, his wife and kids all coming to terms with their own fragile mortality as they watch these 100 fireworks going off one by one, with each rocket flying into the sky acting like another grain of sand in the egg timer of their life, another second ticking away toward their impending doom. Just these kids looking up to their mother and telling her that they promise they’ll be brave...oh my God.

Or Rudolph having to give a false confession to stealing the takings from the circus in exchange for Winterbolt keeping the amulets powers going so that Frosty wont melt. Only Frosty knows the real truth, so everyone just shuns Rudolph. His friends turn their back on him, the crowd boo him and his nose wont light up anymore. Cue a mournful Rudolph solo which culminates in him crying as he sticks his nose in some glitter trying to replicate the beaming light it once gave off. Poor little guy.

But apparently not everyone has given up on Rudolph becomes he comes... a whale with a clock on it?! Apparently this guy was in one of the Rudolph films that came before this, just what in the hell did I miss?

Even after a showdown between Rudolph and Winterbolt where Rudolph gets Frosty’s hat back, Winterbolt is still out for vengeance and comes to the circus for a final showdown. To which the lady that runs the circus has the most appropriate response possible...

Reach for the skies, pilgrim! Only, her guns are just props that fire blanks so she just hurls the guns at Winterbolt and they promptly shatter his magic staff and he turns into a tree. Ooooooookay then.

I feel like Lady Boreal could have saved us a lot of hassle if she’d put Winterbolt to sleep and then took his staff away rather than just leaving it laying around for him to use again when he finally awoke.

For a second there in the middle I thought that this would be more of a Frosty than a Rudolph but it redeemed itself a bit by the end. Probably not quite to the levels of Rudolph but I enjoyed the bookends of it. If they’d cut some of the middle out and kept it under an hour, I’d be a lot happier with it. Apparently there’s another Rudolph movie that came out in the early 2000’s that revists a lot of those characters from the first one so I’m really tempted to watch that as well but I feel like I already rode my luck here and I’d really tarnish my positive memories of the original by watching a cheap cash in. I probably will just watch it anyway though so I guess we’ll find out next year.

[mybodyfails]

hi hi hiii. finally back home from berlin, caught a few zzz’s, still sleep deprived, but i’d do it again in a heartbeat!

i‘m gonna ~try to do bullet points here, but you know me... probably not gonna happen. sorry, you have to deal with my longwinded ramblings now, i‘m posting this mostly to remember it all for myself.

let me preface this with a quick disclaimer, these kind of events are usually not really for me, too awkward, too cringy, i’m shy as fuck and socially incompetent in general... but druck has had such an impact on my life, it was a no-brainer for me to go.

biggest shoutout to @lapalooz (with no access to her real tumblr, get on that!) for making the waiting time not only bearable but enjoyable with her engaging presence! aaand i’m pretty sure i wouldn‘t have made it to the meet&greet (aka hi&cry) if i didn‘t have the amazing @matteounterdruck by my side. thank you tina, so much!!! you really kept my spirits high and taught me how to release nervous energy through dancing! lmao ❤️❤️❤️

okay. let’s start at the beginning. the exhibition of and appreciation for all the fanart was one of my favourite things when we walked into that location. druck really said this show is as much about YOU as it is about US and just how lovely is that???

the q&a wasn‘t as bad as it could‘ve been... i just wish it would have been a bit longer though! they seemingly were prepared for the ‚why did amira‘s season end after 7 eps‘ question, but tua being honest and saying fuck yes, i wanted 10 eps for her too... iconic.

surprise surprise, the two people i truly didn‘t expect to be there were milena and michi. and then they were! and they were whispering to each other a lot <3 and michi was the most adorable awkward person to ever exist. you can tell he really is such a shy and private person, and i think seeing that spelled out right in front of us like this made it all the more special that he showed up at all! the things he ~did say were really witty and charming though, so there‘s that. 💕

the bloopers were so good, it was moving to see how much fun they had on set and that their friendships aren’t contrived in the slightest! all i kept thinking was “i can‘t wait to reblog the gifs of that to my tumblr“ haha. SO WHERE‘S THE VIDEO @DRUCK?!

for someone who went in there expecting to have a complete breakdown i was actually okay...ish when we watched the ep (i was so relieved to finally see amira again!) and david‘s film... until the cast went up on stage during anselm‘s second song and mile was stood there, tears streaming down her face, leaning on lukas for comfort. oi, that broke me. :(

quick shoutout to the person behind me who was crying in the club as they say, no, actually it was full on SOBBING. in my mind i just kept going ~SAME~. and, you know, anselm‘s songs didn‘t help the cause either... what a mess.

now on to the meet&greet. if you’re not interested in the people behind druck, or you think meeting them in person is weird or whatever - then this part is not for you and you’ll want to x out of here right now, please spare me the comments, i‘ve already had enough negativity in this fandom for years to come, whew.

i‘ll put this under a cut, just to be extra sure.

you know, i‘ve grown so attached to these characters over the last 1.5 years and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to say thanks to the actresses/actors who made them come to life. for real though, i think really looking them in the eyes and saying THANK YOU was the best thing about the whole experience for me.

this‘ll be chaotic, i’m just gonna list everything i remember off the top of my head, please bear with me.

first of all: best. cast. ever! every single one of them was lovely in their own way... some of them are really high energy people (keep in mind we went in reallllly late, they had been doing this for hours at that point!)... think anselm, tua and mile. they just carried everyone else with their energy!

anselm was as warm and welcoming as i expected, yet it still surprised me how confidently he handled the whole situation (unlike me rip)... i literally blurted out “you‘re such a good host!“ to him and he sounded really flattered when thanking me. he just has the best vibes <3

naomi... oh my god. i was really shocked to even see her at all which was only right before it was our turn with her group. she made a little sarcastic remark about how she “can‘t wait to be tagged in alllll the pictures“ lmao. just leave it up to her to make me fall in love in real life too. :(

i don‘t know if they did it in all of their pictures, but her and hassan were hugging it out in the background of ours like the laura/mohammed crackship that they are. loved that! lmao

speaking of hassan though, i only had the BRIEFEST interaction with him bc how does one cope with all that beauty up close?! one doesn‘t, that‘s how. damn.

i lovelovelove that they kept the five girls together for the photo op, now the pictures ended up looking like we‘re part of their squad!

tua was the life of the party, she made the whole room dance and sing along when ‘geiles leben’ came on (that was when most people had left already bc we went in so late)... it was such a special moment!!! she was also really confused whether to speak german or english to us, bilingual queen!

lea gives the BEST hugs that was so unexpected for such a tiny person, she REALLY goes in wow.

jobel... all i remember is that my face was literally buried in her hair while we were hugging and she smelled amazing!

and lilly omg... lilly! my favourite bean, so easy to talk to, the best aura! she was kinda stretching her legs out when we got to her (l m a o) and kept thanking us for waiting so long (which... a few of them said that... and i always replied with a hä?! thank YOU for doing this for so long!) and rolled her eyes just at the thought of the aftershow party they had planned and told us she‘ll only drink water though! lmao

mile as i mentioned earlier was being so motivational, yelling “we‘re gonna do it! we‘re gonna get through all of you!“ in between again and again, probably more for herself than any of us haha. we did end up talking about food with her, which... you know. foodies amongst each other. ;)

found a whole new appreciation for louis... who poured so much of himself into carlos oh my god. chill. quick witted. hilarious!

so now i left lukas for last. as i briefly mentioned before, i didn’t go up to him after romeo&juliet, but this time i did (there really was no other option when you were there, that would‘ve been rude lol) and i wasn’t let down. at all. he was one of the few people who actually properly introduced himself and that is SO nice, one of the things i’ve always loved about people who are in that kinda position, you know? he is just the sweetest sweetheart, we all know it, he’s proven it over and over. he ran across the room bc some fans forgot their photos at their table, that’s how considerate he is. while we were waiting for our pics to be printed, he came over and hugged us AGAIN and made it a point to say goodbye. MY HEART. 💕

oh, also... we noticed that the mile/flo/louis/lukas group was the most organised with the whole picture situation... they had a ~system going y‘all. lmao

okay. i think this might be it for now. OOF. if anyone actually read all that... you deserve a cookie. i know i promised coherent thoughts, but this is. what you’re gonna get. oops?

if i remember other bits and pieces i‘ll put them in my tags or whatever.

i‘m gonna see myself out now.

[i-prefer-the-term-antihero]

Your favourite Pandora Hearts character and why? Mine is Jack, because he’s interesting.

(AHHHHH I took forever to respond to you, I’m so so very sorry!! ...Actually it was partially because I really loved your question or took me so long to answer…Also I uh, wanted to take the time to edit my message and explain this concisely…and I failed) 

Thank you so very much for you question anon!! I don’t get a lot of asks so it made me overjoyed to get one.

My favorite ph character is Break!! Actually he’s become my all-time-favorite character!! 

As for why, well…I don’t think you were looking for a long response, but I’m a very longwinded person so I couldn’t help it…sorry in advance for all the detail XD

There are far too many reasons I could go into for why I like him, but I think probably the main one is that he is a very specific type of redemptive villain that is difficult to find in most stories. 

If you’ve read my blog description you know I like villainous characters with redemptive qualities. I find them much more relatable and interesting than main characters who find being selfless and good easy. Plus I’m here for the angst. I especially like when I myself find these characters creepy or unlikable at first and learn to love them later—(which, because I’m prone to look for the good in villains, is tough to do)—because it means my enjoyment and love for the character in the end feels more real (ie it wasn’t just because I found them attractive, or read into something what wasn’t really there). 

One of the many reasons I love Pandora Hearts is that it is littered with these types of characters. These types of characters are difficult to write, so most authors only have one or two in their stories, and often even those who do try to write these characters are unable to do so well. But Mochizuki has written more than I’ve ever seen one author write. Not only that, they are all unique and not just carbon copies of each other, and they are all well written, interesting, unique, and relatable. (I mean, even the main characters in her stories struggle with good and evil, and it makes them interesting and likable too). 

Break is a specific brand of this character category that I’ve never seen before or since. He’s almost like the reverse: a redeemed person with villainous qualities. He’s...the next step.

See Kevin is your usual character in this category: he’s killed a bunch of people (villain) but he did it to save his family (redemptive quality). He was very easy for me to like.

But Break is different. I haaated Break when I first started watching the anime (before I read the manga). He was creepy, he was manipulative, he was condescending, and he didn’t seem to care about anyone but himself. Learning about Kevin began to change my heart, but it was what he says in the carriage ride home from the opera house that made me fall in love with him. How all the jokes, the teasing, the condescension was stripped away in that moment, and he was completely honest and vulnerable with them, revealing his true character. 

He basically explained then...what’s the next step? What happens if and when a redemptive villain like Kevin gets what they want? Will it be the redemption they hope for? 

Seeing a villain get what they want, what they think will redeem them...but finding that it isn’t what they want at all, nor a redemption for them…seeing how that completely dismantles everything they knew…everything they are, seeing them change, seeing them learn to live with the villainous things they did, to try to make up for those things, and find redemption in other ways, thereafter...that’s powerful. And that’s real. 

The ways in which Break is villainous are realistic. I haven’t met any murderers (to my knowledge...), nor have I killed anyone, but I have met people who are condescending and manipulative, and I have been condescending and manipulative myself. Kevin is easier to like because his brand of villainy is removed from what feels real to me. And Break is easier to hate when you don’t know him because his villainy is the kind we all face on a daily basis. 

But that also means that his redemptive qualities are the ones we face on a daily basis too. I haven’t killed anyone to save my family, nor have I met anyone that’s done so, but I have done things I regret, and that I want some sort of penance for. I have thought certain things would “save” me, in a way, and found it wasn’t what I thought it would be for me at all. I have had suicidal thoughts (“so...you want to die?”) and I have tried to do things myself without asking for help when I really should have relied on my friends…and the list goes on. 

Everyone is both a hero and a villain inside, but our villainy and heroism is much subtler. It’s hard to get this right within a story. It’s easy to just paint a fictional world in black and white, and have good win, and not really work at the characters and story until you can see why the villains think they’re right, and how the heroes can be wrong. But I am so happy Mochizuki painted her world in grey; that no one is fully a villain or fully a hero, there’re all very human.

As a fantasy lover and writer I’m always trying to thread the line of how far fantasy should go, and where reality should seep in. There are fantasy stories in which you lose touch with reality so much it feels almost soulless. But I still want to travel to fantastical worlds and fight demons and dragons with heroes. To me Mochizuki hits the nail on the head. She definitely takes me to worlds that are delightfully fantastical, and builds her world so well, with its own quirks, and rules, demons and gods, but her characters, and the messages they provide us with are so real.

Break is a prime example of this. He can be the worst of villains and the best of heroes. And the messages that surround him (”You’re much much stronger than you think you are” ”no, you simply want to save yourself” “we can never know what would have happened” etc.) are so real I often think about in everyday life.

Despite being young I am often more drawn to adult characters than kids/teens. Which means I am often very fond of mentor characters. But one of the ways in which these characters fall short is that most of the time their character arc is kind of over; they don’t really grow, learn, or need advice throughout the story. They simply give it. They probably did some bad things in their past but they’ve learned from it and they’re done now. And that’s great!! But is isn’t as interesting or relatable as someone who is still struggling themselves. 

Break is a very rare type of mentor character. So much so that I don’t think a lot of people would even call him a mentor character. But he does mentor Oz. And he does give advice. But unlike most of these types of characters he isn’t just done, just a good person now. He’s a hero in his own way, but he’s still very much messed up, and he needs to take others advice as much as he can give it—just like us in real life. In fact, one of the most wonderful pieces of advice he gets is from the very person he mentors, which is absolutely amazing, and rare within this type of relationship. 

Like I said, there’s a lot more I could say, expanding on these ideas, I could go on about other things like how fun and funny he is…but I’ve said too much as it is XD In the end he’s just this very unique type of character you don’t get to see very often. 

And, I won’t go as in-depth on this, but since you mentioned him, my second favorite character is Jack!! I also find him very interesting. 

He’s another unique villain-with-redemptive qualities. There aren’t many characters who almost every word out of their mouth for half the series is a lie, or twisted truth, who aren’t completely hateable. 

The moment you learn he lied you also get to learn his backstory, and why he lied, and why he thought what he was doing was right, how broken he is too. 

I just love that twist. I’m usually good at predicting things, and earlier in the series I even thought “wouldn’t it be crazy if Jack was the villain?” and then I was like “Nahh he’s too sweet.” But then he was!! It was so unexpected and cool that he was the antagonist after all.

Again, that goes back into what I was saying earlier. In a lot of series the way Jack and Glen are painted in the first half would be all there was to it; there’s a wonderful hero and a terrible villain, nothing more. Or, if there was the twist, it would then be the opposite, that who you thought was the terrible villain is the wonderful hero and vice versa, and again, that’s all. But then when the truth comes out you find that they are neither, that they are both people. And they’ve done heroic things and they’ve done villainous things, and they will continue to do both as the series goes on, but that does make either of them completely good or completely bad. 

In a weird way I think Jack is the best of all these different worlds. At the beginning of the series I was like “he’s like a sweet little puppy I love him so much” and at the middle I was like “ahh he’s so evil I love him so much” and by the end I was like “aww he’s so broken I love him so much” XD He has all those qualities within him, that sweetness is still a part of himself and his personality, he did do some genuinely villainous things, and he is very broken. 

Again, I’ll stop there for now XD

Thanks again!! And again, feel free to direct message me!! 

Can I also turn this into a tag game? @song-of-amethyst, @maddyisenough, @sanhatipal, @nozominohana, @emily-cheshire, @the-twisted-otaku, @tabinotochuu...and @ anyone else who sees this post and would like to engage, Who are your favorite ph characters and can I get your longwinded explanations for why you love them?

[honeybee-babe]

How can you excuse all of the abusive things Luther has done to his siblings (especially Klaus) throughout the series? And don't pull the "he was drunk" card. And without implying that Luther locking up Vanya isn't intentionally cruel or intended to hurt her? He has the ability to think logically, unlike Vanya he isn't experiencing a literal psychotic break down.... Please, explain this to me logically. Thanks.

~ wowowowowowow i clenched my jaw all night thinking about this ask~~

Yikes. You’re not asking me why I “excuse his actions” (I don’t), you’re asking why I see him as a human being with flaws and trauma which need to be addressed rather than the literal devil. And why I don’t think he is irredeemable based on a few terrible choices (when he has also made some great ones and showed affection for his siblings in the past). I honestly think people hate Luther because it’s easier to have clearly good characters and clearly bad characters, even in a show that actively and artfully avoids that dichotomy.

Why do you care that I like Luther? I’m not bashing your faves or causing any harm to you? I am not trying to tell you to like him or convince you he is a great character. I know he has flaws. 

But if you really want to know how I “excuse all his actions” (which…. I don’t?), I’ll humor you, but I’m answering the question you’re really asking:

Why Do You Not Despise Luther?:

This response is really longwinded but THIS QUESTION IS REALLY OVER-SIMPLIFYING(!!!) so I feel it’s warranted.

First, I’m gonna address the “abusive things Luther has done to his siblings throughout the series:”

I am not excusing any of the things Luther “does to his siblings,” I’m just saying we should extend the same amount of courtesy to him in sympathizing with him and understanding the motive behind his actions (just like we all do with Vanya). And also consider the fact that he is deeply traumatized and has literally been gaslit his entire life into thinking he has to follow a specific model that was set out for him as “leader.” Literally he has been taught that he is nothing without the UA and being a leader, and I don’t think people release how damaging that is to a person?

But also hot take: I don’t think Luther is abusive towards his siblings at all? Not until the last two episodes for sure. I think he is insensitive towards others’ emotions at times, but he is never cruel just for the sake of being cruel. I honestly think Luther is incapable of picking up on emotional cues to some extent.

I’m re-watching right now, I just finished episode 7 and I have yet to see any signs of him being abusive towards the others, and not Klaus specifically? The choking scene was vile and physically violent but I don’t think it’s abusive because it was a one time thing and abuse is a cycle. Luther isn’t particularly awful to Klaus, he is just dismissive? The only person he ever is really verbally mean to is Diego when they get into fights and Diego is just as bad if not worse, and also intentionally tries to get an emotional rise out of Luther (which is…. just as awful and cruel?).

But yeah I finished episode 7 and no abuse so far… maybe my dumb ass who was abused for my whole life just doesn’t understand what abuse looks like? Okay that’s kind of a joke but I’m actually being serious, my abuse is pretty similar to Luther’s and my body dysmorphia/eating issues are similar to his too which is a lot of why I resonate with him, so I could be missing signs because I’ve probably acted the same way. So please point out to me where specifically he committed an act of abuse, and not a one time act of violence or simply being dismissive of/not picking up on someone’s emotional needs.

Also I honestly think Luther is just in denial of others’ emotional needs because he is in denial of his own emotional needs. He has been taught to push everything down, including the needs of others, with the only goal being completing the mission, and protecting everyone/leading everyone to safety. Also I mean, he hasn’t been around human beings for 4 years (so of course he struggles to relate to them/communicate healthily), and he was always taught not to engage with his siblings but just to lead them because that was his role.

Also Klaus and Diego (especially Diego) are just as dismissive of Luther’s trauma? And like yeah Luther covers it up but it’s pretty freaking obvious…pointing out how big he is specifically.

Diego literally sees Luther shirtless after the chandelier falls on him, sees how self-conscious he clearly is, and then never asks about it or checks on him (yet continues to joke about it – also Klaus makes fun of his muscles when he first sees him which is just insensitive). And in the first episode the way Klaus jokes around during the family meeting about cucumber sandwiches when Luther is trying to plan a memorial service; it’s obvious that Luther is grieving and paranoid (and also that he has been manipulated enough to love Reginald!!!) and Klaus is just making jokes and not addressing this? And then they both just ignore his obvious paranoia over Reginald’s death and just call him crazy and walk away? And don’t use the “he was high” excuse for Klaus being a prick (just like I can’t use the ‘he was drunk’ excuse for Luther, which I never did once btw, y’all just want more justification 2 hate on him).

Also: Yes, Luther tells Diego to stop talking shit about Reginald at the memorial service but like, from his perspective, that is someone bashing the person he was closest to AT HIS FUNERAL!!! He starts the fight with Diego but only after Diego provoked him, clearly intentionally, and Diego continues to fight him and throws a fucking knife at his arm (but physical violence is only not okay when Luther uses it right?).

Also HUGE THING Y'ALL ARE IGNORING: Klaus finds out Luther had nonconsensual sex while drugged out of his mind and congratulates him………. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh idk about you but I think Klaus has been around the block when it comes to drugs and sex (and consent) and should realize that someone on drugs for the first time losing their virginity is nonconsensual, or even if considered consensual still pretty icky? Like Luther is clearly ashamed and upset and doesn’t want to talk about it and Klaus just laughs abt it. That is so not cool.

And another thing:

Luther is very, very protective of Five which is so so sweet, yet people just completely overlook it because they only want to see the bad things he’s done. When he and Allison run into him in the hallway at the end of Run Boy Run and see him looking distressed Luther asks him in a soft voice, “Are you okay? Can we help?” and reaches out to touch Five’s face. Five grabs his hand to stop him but this was very sweet? Like it’s clear Luther has a soft spot for him because he’s small.

But Diego? After he finds out about Patch he bursts into his apartment and goes to attack Five; Luther has to pick him up to restrain him from beating up their brother who has the body of a 13 year old. All because he blames him for the death of the love of his life (just like Luther is afraid of Vanya after she killed Allison). But in Diego’s case, Patch is already dead; Diego only wants to hurt Five out of vengeance, not because he’s trying to protect Patch. And he doesn’t apologize or anything after????? It’s just never brought up again!

SO IN TERMS OF LUTHER BEING AWFUL TO KLAUS THE WHOLE SEASON: is he? is he really? is he really abusive? and is he really that much worse than his other siblings?

And now I’ll address this nonsense:

“And without implying that Luther locking up Vanya isn’t intentionally cruel or intended to hurt her? He has the ability to think logically, unlike Vanya he isn’t experiencing a literal psychotic break down…. Please, explain this to me logically. Thanks.“

…….sigh.

Luther is absolutely not being intentionally cruel or doing this to “punish” Vanya, he’s doing this because he’s freaking the fuck out and doesn’t have any idea what she might do. Yes it’s a bad idea but we need to keep in mind that he’s not thinking logically, he is emotionally distressed. Yes he could talk to her but Allison had just tried to do that…. and look where the fuck that got her?

Do you seriously believe Luther was mentally stable and thinking logically in this moment? Do you not realize he was literally going through a breakdown and identity crisis of his own?

He just found out maybe two days ago that his entire life was a lie and the person whose approval he sought the most didn’t give a shit about him, found out he was isolated from humanity for no reason (which….. as if being isolated in itself wasn’t traumatic enough), after he was mutilated against his will, and now he has just witnessed the person he loves most almost die and he couldn’t do anything about it. Luther is experiencing a breakdown and I think a big part of it is control: he realizes he’s had no agency his whole life/has never had control, he just lost control/agency over his body on drugs even more and had nonconsensual sex while intoxicated, and then after this he sees Allison dying and he can’t do anything to help her (he can’t even give his blood)!!!! His superstrength and locking up Vanya is the only thing he has control over, he feels it’s all he can do to prevent the apocalypse/protect everyone. 

Not only that but the idea of control as contol over powers: Luther has super strength, he has to be super careful and controlled all the time so he doesn’t accidentally hurt the people he loves… the thought of someone’s powers being out of control is probably the scariest thing in the world to him. And yes, he gets in fights with Diego but he doesnt use his full strength (just like Diego doesn’t either) because if they did then they would actually hurt each other, they have a lot of control over their powers. But Diego can control his powers by just… not throwing things and having temper tantrums. Luther doesn’t need to be angry to fuck up with his powers, we see that in the very first episode when he punches the model airplane. Luther can never escape his powers and has to constantly control them, and the idea of uncontrolled powers is his worst fucking nightmare.

So Vanya tells him, “we got in an argument and things got out of control” … like just imagine what must be racing through Luther’s mind when he hears that!

Yes what he does in this scene is awful but you can’t convince me he is doing it with the intention of hurting her. Literally you can see in his eyes as he is choking her how pained he is by this. And he apologizes to her: why would he apologize to her if he was trying to hurt her? And if that was intention… why wouldn’t he just fucking kill her?

I absolutely don’t agree with his decision here but like…. he absolutely is going through a mental breakdown and it doesn’t just stop during The Day that Was/Wasn’t and to act like he is completely stable and in his right mind when he locks Vanya up is just grossly oversimplifying everything! 

Y’all demonizes him over this but completely overlook some of the awful things his siblings have done (Diego going to beat up Five because he blames him for Patch’s death, Vanya killing a ton of random people because she was locked up)…. Like yes: Luther is insensitive, dismissive, and cruel in this scene but it is not his intention to be cruel, it’s obviously his intention to control Vanya’s out-of-control powers, protect his siblings (esp. Allison), and prevent her from causing the apocalypse. It is awful and yes it is cruel but to act like he just doesn’t give a shit about Vanya and/or is doing it just to hurt her is just….. so beyond what the show is portraying.

And I get that you guys really despise him for this, and if you’re going to hate him, fine: but you completely overlook the terrible things all the other siblings do throughout the whole series and write Luther off as evil, which is not cool. Seriously, y’all portray Luther as the literal devil just so that your faves seem like infallible angels and your headcanons and fanfictions seem nicer and more simple………. and honestly I just can’t reason with you. I think some people just hate on Luther and love everyone else because his abuse situation is more complex and they’re just… literally too lazy to do the mental math, so they stick with stanning everyone else whose trauma is more obvious? Even though Luther covering up his trauma (literally) and refusing to talk about/deal with it is a huge plot point in the show, y’all perceive this as him just not having any trauma, or just overook how his trauma affects his actions.

This show isn’t supposed to be “everyone in the family are wonderful, perfect victims and deals with their trauma like angels EXCEPT LUTHER HE IS STOOPID AND EVIL AND ALSO HIS TRAUMA ISN’T DEEP ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!”…… and if you think this then I think you need to do some soul searching? Or actually do some research into abuse and learn that it comes in many different forms and has many different effects?

Again: I don’t dislike any of the siblings. I used them as examples but I love Diego, Klaus and Vanya!!! I respect and understand them all and view them all as troubled souls who are trying.

This show is complex and it’s designed to be uncomfy, and if you simply write it off as having clear victims and villains (except Reginald, he a dick) then you are not respecting the writing or giving the show justice. 

Gerard Way says he wrote Luther based on his own experience of body dysmorphia, isolation….. the show designers say he has self-harmed before, and Tom Hopper has said Luther has been suicidal in the past…. but you know what, go on portraying his trauma as “having it easy” and using violence/cruelty just for fun, even though the show clearly portrays him as a broken man.

~

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 29

Chapter Summary -  Danielle and Tom meet up for something to eat, doing everything they can to avoid the one topic both are terrified to broach, and when they finally do, what happens?

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog  @jessibelle-nerdy-mum@nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

“Your usual?” Tom asked as he parked outside the restaurant he had told Danielle about.

“This place does takeaway?” she asked, looking at the upmarket establishment.

“Welcome to North London, once you’re willing to pay, you can get effectively anything.” He shrugged.

“Seriously, there’s no need for something this fancy.”

“It’s not really, I mean takeaway is takeaway. So I’ll ask again, your usual?”

“Please.” She decided not to argue.

“I’ll order and come back out.” He got out of the car and went inside, leaving Danielle to wait anxiously as she awaited his return. She jumped considerably when he hopped back into the car. “Are you alright?” he asked, looking at her somewhat startled at her reaction.

“Yeah, sorry, I was so busy thinking about other things.” she dismissed.

“Filming hours can be insane, can’t they?” He nodded understandingly.

“Yeah.” She gave a half-hearted smile.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I…I’m just worried.”

“About what?”

“What if we’re spotted?” she asked, looking around the car.

“You really don’t want to be in the spotlight, do you?” he asked, somewhat crestfallen.

“Some people aren’t made to be in front of the camera.” She replied.

“I’m really sorry for being the reason you were thrown in front of them the night we…” he cleared his throat. “I actually spoke to Luke today, after you were talking to him I mean.”

“Yeah?” she asked, concerned.

“He said you were under the impression I only kissed you because I was drunk.”

“Well, you weren’t sober.” She argued.

“But I didn’t kiss you because of that. I mean, it helped, because I was too cowardly to do it without some assistance, but I…”

“We should talk about this later.” She cut in, “After we eat.”

Feeling somewhat downtrodden, Tom simply nodded in return. “I better go see if the food is ready.” It had only been a few minutes since he had ordered, so there was no chance the food was ready, but it allowed him to escape the atmosphere in the car.

When he returned, the tension was lessened, though still somewhat there. “Smells good.” Danielle smiled taking the food.

“It’s better than good.” Tom grinned, grateful for her to take the focus off the conversation that had caused them to become somewhat awkward. The car remained in silence until they got to Tom’s home and he closed the front door. “I’ll get the plates and everything if you want to get a bottle of wine from the fridge.”

“I’m okay for alcohol thanks.” He looked at her for a moment. “I have work again at seven; the last thing I need is to be somewhat groggy, we are doing the fight scene tomorrow.”

“Right, so, shit, I don’t have anything nice.”

“It’s fine Tom, water is fine.” She smiled.

“Shit, I should go to…”

“No, Tom. Seriously, water is fine, please stop, I just want the food.” She half-laughed, well used to Tom and his need to over-perfection.

“Sorry, I just wanted this to be nice.”

“It is, or it will be when you cease torturing me by having me smell it but not taste it.” She smiled. “I’m starved.”

“Right, fuck. You get the drinks, I’ll get plates.”

“Do you want wine?”

“No, I will drive you back to wherever you’re staying, so I need to be sober.”

“Right, so what will you have?”

“Water too.”

“Should I go into a longwinded rant about you wanting water?” she grinned.

“I am just trying to be a good host.” He grumbled.

“You are Tom, and how much do I owe you for…” The indignant look he gave her caused her to stop talking. “I’ll get the next one so.”

“Deal.” He agreed with a nod. “Seriously Elle, you need to let people treat you.” He stated, handing her a plate and cutlery. “Speaking of your name, why does everyone call you ‘Danni’ now?”

Danielle groaned as she placed the naan bread on her plate. “I fucking hate it, but no one will just call me by my name.”

“So not your doing?” Tom asked, getting his chicken out of its container.

“No, I hate that name.”

“More than Elle?”

“No, Elle I like, not because of the name or anything, but because it actually comes from those who care about me, and not because some people are too lazy to say my name.”

Tom chuckled. “Fair enough.”

“Why did you call me Elle, to begin with? I mean, I know it was you that started calling me that.”

Tom shrugged. “Can’t remember, just thought of it one day and thought you looked like an Elle.”

“Well, I beg to disagree.” She smiled, sticking a fork into some of Tom’s food and eating it. “Wow, that is good.”

“Told you.” He beamed in return.

They ate the meal in relative silence, both not wanting to broach the issue that was on both of their minds. By the end of it, when Tom was bringing their plates to the sink and neither of them had actually said anything regards it. Tom stared at the plates for a moment, knowing that soon he would have to return Danielle to her hotel, otherwise, she would be exhausted at work the next day, but he had yet to speak to her regarding the kiss that they’d shared. Looking at himself in the reflection of his window, which acted almost like a mirror with the darkness outside, he tried to build up the courage needed.  A sound from his phone caught his attention, looking at it, he groaned.

Benedict – So, what happened?

Tom – Nothing.

Benedict – What?

Tom – Nothing has happened because we haven’t discussed it.

Benedict – It’s ten at night.

Tom – Yes, I am aware, I can read time Ben.

Benedict – So grab the situation by the balls Tom and talk to the woman before she dies of old age waiting for you to do something about it. Where is the cocky shit that was all bite when the world was trying to tell him about his terrible girlfriend, now you have a chance with a good woman and you are dallying around like you have forever?

Tom – What if she rejects me?

Benedict – Then at least you fucking tried, get on with it man.

“Tom?” Danielle came into the kitchen, a little startled to see Tom on the phone. “I…well I better be off so.”

“What, no, you can’t yet.” He threw the phone on the counter.

“It’s getting late, and well, you’ve been hiding in here for twelve minutes.” She stated, looking at the clock.

“I…Look Elle, can we talk about…”

“I rather not thanks.”

“But we need to.”

“No, we don’t. It was a mistake Tom; I shouldn’t have allowed you to…” Tom took large steps until he was standing right in front of her, silencing her. “I…”

“I haven’t had anything to drink.” He stated quietly.

“I know.” She nodded.

“So this time, that isn’t an excuse.” He reached down and cupped her cheek with his hand. “Elle.”

She swallowed, knowing what was to come, but she didn’t want to stop it, as much as she thought she should. When his lips descended on hers again, she sighed lustfully, in truth, she had missed them ever since she had last had them against hers. “Tom, Tom please.”

“Please Danielle, I can tell by how you’re reacting that you want this.”

“Yes, but…”

“But what?”

“Your belt is stabbing me.” She half laughed.

Frowning for a moment, Tom looked down and sure enough, the buckle of his belt was slightly open, the pointed bit jabbing into her stomach. “Sorry.” He moved slightly to not hurt her any further. Danielle’s response was to pull him down to kiss her again.

“Why do I have to be so short?” She groaned after a few minutes, her neck aching from the angle it required to be in when kissing him.

“We could go into the living room.” Tom offered, not moving too far from her lips.

“I think that best.” Danielle smiled. “TOM!” She erupted in laughter when rather than waiting for her to make her way herself, Tom hoisted her into his arms and carried her in. “I can walk.”

Tom grinned at her. “I think this is more fun.” He manoeuvred them so that he sat under her on the couch with her straddling his legs. “Better?” Biting her bottom lip, she nodded her reply. “I’m sorry.”

Danielle frowned. “What for?”

“Taking so long, I should have done this ages ago.” He toyed with her hair. “I just thought you weren’t interested, and with my work, I didn’t want to have anyone waiting for me, but as soon as I heard of you and Paul, I couldn’t bear it. Then today, when I saw him with another woman, and I thought you were still with him, I…Why didn’t you tell me when I mentioned him that you were over?”

“I don’t know.” She admitted as she bit her lip. “I just didn’t want to admit I screwed up. I only accepted Paul because I thought I could never have you. And when you kissed me, I thought it was a mistake, that you could never want me.”

Tom scoffed, “Well, that’s wrong. I very much want you.” He subconsciously grabbed her ass and pulled it down to his lap.

“You think one, albeit delicious Indian takeaway will get me to bed?” she asked. “Paul tried for months and didn’t get anywhere.”

“Wait, what? You never…?” Tom looked at her in shock.

Danielle regretted ever mentioning it. “Not that, no.” she was unsure as to how Tom would react, thinking he would not believe her or scoff, instead, he crashed his lips to hers and pulled her down as close to him as was physically possible.

“So, what does takeaway get me, what are you willing to give?” He grinned cheekily.

“Well, tonight, nothing, I have to go, I have work at seven, remember.” She groaned, genuinely gutted at the idea of leaving.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t want to go either.” She laughed at his childish response. “But I am a boring grown-up, with boring grown-up responsibilities.”

Tom groaned, hating the fact that she was right. “Mean.”

“And perhaps it’s for the best.” Tom frowned at her. “In case you don’t want…”

“If you think you can pull the ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ BS again, stop now. I am a grown man and I know damn well what I am doing.” He growled, placing his arms around her, he rolled them so he was over her. “And I’ll prove it.” He grinned wickedly before kissing her passionately again. Danielle’s reaction was to put her hands on his ass, an area that had caused her far too many lust-filled fantasies than could be deemed appropriate.

[wispy-selfship-eden]

[There’s a lovely envelope sitting by your bedside, with your name written on it in lovely cursive. Beside it lay a small bouquet of assorted flowers, most notably the bright blue roses. There’s only one man who could have sent you this, that much is clear. The letter inside reads:]

To my dearest Mai,

I’m sure you’re just as aware of the occasion as I am. This is a day dedicated to love, and I see no better way to show my affection than on this day. You have been with us for what feels like so long, and even in a short period of time in the academy I’ve managed to get to know you thoroughly. Hearing you speak was always something I loved. You had a broader mind than I, and a much kinder heart. That much is obvious from what I had become once the war was upon us.

But you still loved me. That is something that, to this day, I consider a miracle. It is no exaggeration when I say that I very well may have stayed the monster I was if not for having you by my side. The main reason I changed was, as embarrassing as it is, that I was afraid to lose your love. What if one day you would realize what a beast of a man I was, and seek out someone who would treat you as you truly deserved? It is no less than a miracle from the goddess herself that your kindness persisted. That you still saw the human being inside of me, and fought for that man. The man who now writes this to you, proclaiming his gratefulness and his love.

I’m sure you will make a wonderful queen of Faerghus when we are to be wed. To be honest, I plan to make it official the moment you return to your true body. I want to see the face that has held beauty such as yours. Eyes that match the gleaming hope that is always radiating from them. You claim.....that you are not beautiful, that I would be disappointed by the true you. But I have already seen the true you. Your kind and gorgeous soul, one that has loved me for years. No force on this world, not even the goddess herself, could ever sway my love for you. You deserve to know that

Faithfully Yours,

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

-------------

My true self, huh...

“Mai... Darling, my eyes feel like they’re stinging,” Sayeko’s voice murmurs.

The red haired woman resists the urge to sniffle as she rubs at her eyes. “I’m sorry–I don’t mean to but—”

“There’s no need to try and hold back when it’s just the two of us. We’ve been through thick and thin. I thought this is what your heart wanted.”

“Sayeko... You know what I’m attempting to get at, yeah?...” Leaning against the wall, she huffs. her fingers fiddle with the edges of the letter and envelope.

“The war is over. We managed to stop Fódlan from getting obliterated... But everyone knows ghosts are supposed to remain dead.” “You’re not a ghost, Mai.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m human either, Sayeko,” The red haired woman says to herself.

Despite the bitter-sweetness of it all, she smiles. “We’re about to become separated soon. No matter what happens, I’m happy I got to know you. Got to know everyone. And now, I just want you to be happy with him.”

“But it’s not Dimitri who’s to be my partner! Things won’t ever be the same! I want you to be there with me, with us!”

“I know... But we both know I’m the one who focuses more on all the bad things. Which is why I’m mentally preparing myself as we speak.”

Moments of silence pass.

“...I’ll be hopeful, Sayeko. But they know how much entropy I added to this universe. It’s a miracle I didn’t alter the space-time continuum or some shit.”

She looks over to the bouqet she nestled in a vase of fresh water.

“The flowers are pretty though...”

A soft laugh echoes in her ears. “They sure are...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Later that night, Dimitri came back to his old quarters to find a plain envelope as a return gift to him, along with a small wrapped box on top of it. Upon opening the letter, the message that lays is both longwinded yet also precise. Eloquent, and still beautiful that Dimitri could hear her voice in his head as he reads it:]

To my Dear Dimitri,

I was certainly aware of the occasion, but I was still surprised you wanted to deliver a gift to me. Thank you so very much. I still stand by my self-examinations when I say I’m not as kind as you make me out to be. But, for you to think that of me warms my heart, more than anything anyone has ever said to me. 

Dimitri... I never got to tell you this during the war. Of course at the time you wouldn’t think twice on my words so, I chose not to say anything. I understand to extents on what it’s like being a monster. Let me tell you something I came to a conclusion on my own.

Remember when Felix always called you by animalistic names? Remember how I always refuted him and Sylvain always laughed and got smacked by Felix in the end? I just want to remind you of what I said: Humans are biologically animals. That means we’re the same as the cats and dogs that roam around the monastery. We’re the same as the demonic beasts that we faced head on the battlefield. As cynical and jaded as this may be, that mean all of us are bound to be ugly at some points of our life. We will make mistakes that we could drown in because that will be a part of what makes us who we are. But what’s most important is how we eventually pick ourselves back up and try again.

You did that, Dimitri. You made that choice. You chose to want to be happy again. For that, I am so so happy for you. And because of that, please remember that your journey from this point and onward makes you so beautifully human. But if you insist then should you ever feel like you’re straying, I will gladly be there to tug you back or give you a needed scolding hehe.

I’m glad someone like you exists. I also have one other thing to confess. You say you were afraid of losing my love but... At the beginning when you all entered the Officer’s Academy. I was afraid of being loved by people. I didn’t want to be loved by other people; to be noticed. I was... considered by old peers that I’m emotionally abnormal in some ways. The thing about people who don’t know what love is like... they don’t know what it looks like. They may see things that are not there. Or they feel continuously unfulfilled and contrive a certain greed that will always be hungry for something that will never come to fruition to their own standards. I used to never treat people well enough. However, something about you, about everyone else, compelled me to try again. I’m glad I made that decision. So now, I’m happy just being able to see your face.

With all that being said, I love you too Dimitri.

I will always do my best to give you all the good things you deserve, because to me life has not given you enough. Uhm... as for becoming your queen, well—I am not particularly well suited for nobility. However, I’m willing to try. So be on the look out for my new body. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Yours Truly,

Maia (The ‘a’ seems to be an afterthought after it was hurriedly written in.)

@noellojello

[insertselfinserthere]

Three Rules ~ Leon Kuwata (1/?)

AN: I’m finally making a whole fanfic! I have no idea how many parts this’ll be. But this is set in the canon universe, maybe sometime later I’ll make a happier fic set in a non!despair AU

I never had any ultimate talent, and I'd never attended Hope's Peak either, but I still felt I could have somehow prevented the inevitable. I'd made friends with lots of students who went there, like a nice girl named Chihiro who attended my creative writing class, and another boy named Gundam who I'd met while volunteering at the animal shelter. I'd met both of their friends, even managing to sneak conversation with people as they left school grounds while waiting outside for one or the other.

Meeting them was both the worst and best things that have ever happened to me. Chihiro was a kind girl I grew attached to very quickly, my introduction to her friends resulting in me meeting my boyfriend, Leon Kuwata. We didn't get along at first, until I'd gotten comfortable in the group and Leon got to know the louder and much more humorous side of me hidden behind my timid first impression. He'd eventually asked to get ice cream after school one day.

Gundam I'd met nearly a year and a half later. We'd also not gotten along at first. I was quick to shut out his longwinded words, smiling and nodding absentmindedly when he started conversations. Seeing how he treated the animals was what opened my mind. His eyes melted like butter, smile soft and friendly. It was then Gundam and I exchanged numbers, and I'd began hanging out with him outside of volunteering with a mixture of our own friends.

I really did hit it off with Junko the couple of times we'd met. I admired her photoshoots majorly, being awestruck when I saw her in person. Junko claimed to like my makeup, and from that, I'd decided we'd bonded.

Knowing Gundam and all his classmates, knowing Junko as well, is what hurts the most. I'm trying to reassure myself, looking down at my phone as it rings and goes to voicemail, that he’s okay. The disaster outside will be tended to and Leon is safe and hiding out somewhere, waiting for me to find him.

I know this isn't true. It doesn't stop me from reassuring myself, though. I can't remember what street I'm on, they all look the same. People are running, things have already been destroyed, and robots are roaming about.

Receiving a call makes a grin come to my face, breathing ragged as I press the phone to my ear. "Leon!" I wheeze, tears running down my cheeks. "I-Oh my Gods, are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm okay," There's rustling in the background, but it's nothing compared to the shrieking and honking of cars on my end. "You remember that park, right? The one where someone stole one of the swings, with that really shitty basketball court."

"Yeah," I breath out, "On my way. Stay with me,"

Leon breaths in and out steadily, and I can't tell who he's trying to calm down more, me or himself. "Is there anyone with you?" He pauses, continuing when I don't respond. "Do you know how your family is?"

"My parents aren't answering their phones," I tell him briefly, turning a corner. I see a familiar restaurant, knowing the next turn to the park is just up ahead. "I tried going home-" I gasp for air, "-Road's blocked."

There's more rustling, and I consider maybe he's pacing. "My parents weren't fucking picking up either," Leon's voice is obviously frustrated, steadily rising in volume. "My cousin, Kanon, picked up, though. She said she needs to go fucking check on her dad, can you believe her? She's fucking crazy,”

I shriek as a robot barrels towards me. I drop to my knees, crawling rapidly away. Rising to my feet as fast as I can, I sprint to where I see the park. I even see Leon, his red hair sticking out against the greenery. He's standing against the foliage of the trees surrounding the park, pacing back and forth as he twirls a baseball bat in his hand idly. This is a change of scenery, rather peaceful, and I deduct the robots must have not managed to reach here as of yet.

"Here!" I scream into my phone, waving one of my hands in the air.

He looks up, dropping his phone from his hand in the process as he matches my pace towards me. I know he isn't running towards me, rather at the machine that follows behind me. Leon raises his bat above his head, leaping at the robot. Straddling it, Leon bashes it until I can see sparks.

The robot is still being smashed to smithereens long after it's stopped moving and it's only laying on the ground. I watch as I catch my breath. Just seeing Leon in person, despite him being covered in grunge with a blooming bruise on his cheek and blood running somewhere in his scalp. Even looking this worn down, chest heaving and eyes wide with rage, I'm able to admire him. My family is gone, I know that already. I have no one left besides Leon, and I'm grateful he's alive and by my side.

When Leon rises, his breathing is rapid and his shirt is sticking to his abdomen. He turns to me in a daze, pulling me into a delicate hug. Leon touches me like I'm glass, but my grip is like iron when I throw my arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. We stand like this for a long time, both of us crying in absolute relief.

"I thought I lost you," Leon speaks quietly, voice deep as he tries to ensure it won't break. "You screamed-You..."

"I'm okay," I say rapidly, "We're okay. We're doing great."

Leon nods silently, pulling me closer if that were somehow possible. "The school," He croaks out, "There's a gate. We can go there, maybe it'll help. Naegi, you know him, the small one. It was his idea to go back to the school, board it up and hide out until things settle."

"Oh Gods," Comes out my raspy response, shaking my head lightly. "Poor Chihiro, she must be losing their mind right about now." Leon is silent, only stroking my back slowly in reassurance.

"Let's get going," He tells me firmly, pulling us apart and holding my biceps firmly, looking into my eyes with a gaze that matches his rough tone. "The longer we stay out here, the longer we're in danger. Once we get in the school, we can lounge around and do whatever we want, okay?"

My nod is delayed, but it does come. With it, relief floods into Leon's pale eyes. We're both unable to speak as we turn, overlooking the wreckage before us with dread. I follow behind my boyfriend obediently, albeit much slower than he would have liked, but we're still moving forwards whether I want to or not.

It's a shame that I see many recognizable faces as I move along. The woman whose input I asked for when I was buying a dress not too long ago, which was now probably burned and covered under the debris of my house. My shoulder is brushed as a waitress comes barreling past me, sobs wracking her body. I remember she served me pizza three days ago, she let me leave even though I was a whole four dollars short, paying for the shortage herself with a blinding grin.

While Leon and I make short and steady progress, he avoids fights with relative ease. The robots are focused on uncovering the debris, attempting to find survivors which are hanging onto their last frayed threads of life, ready to be snuffed out in an instant. Survivors rush past the robots easily while they're distracted.

Once the academy is in view, it feels like a weight is lifted off my shoulders. We near the closed gate, and when we finally reach it, I half expect it to swing open invitingly. Instead, it stays in place, and I stare at it rather dumbly. "Here, up on my shoulders," Leon tells me, though I only blink back at him. "We're climbing it."

It takes a while for me to process that, but eventually I nod silently. I suddenly feel stupid. People are out there, fires surrounding them, on the brink of death, yet here I am. Intimidated at the idea of climbing a damn fence.

There's a bit of a struggle, and I can practically hear Leon's legs quaking as I stand up, but we press on. I make it to the top, and throw myself to the other side. I land unceremoniously on the ground, though make it to my feet swiftly, face glowing crimson. After checking if I was okay, Leon scales the fence with ease.

Within only a couple seconds, he's by my side, landing on his feet and grinning back at me. After he slings an arm over my shoulder, I hear his heavy breathing and deduct he most certainly rushed in order to show off. My blush deepens.

Inside the school, the familiar faces make my spirits lift abruptly and welcomingly. "Mondo, I haven't seen you in forever!" I boast, running over to the biker. His spirits aren't as high as mine, but he sends me a forced smile, giving a nod in Leon's direction. Greetings to everyone else ensues afterwards, and Chihiro and I decide to stay glued at the hip. Leon is hesitant, but him, Mondo, and Sakura head off to tend to harder labour.

“Maybe we should get you some clothes,” Chihiro suggests. Upon my confused look, she adds on. “We have a lot of supplies. We portioned them out right before Leon left to get you. Everyone else brought a bit of their own things, so I guess you can have a uniform or some gym clothes.”

I smile, relieved and tired. “Thank you so much,” I wish I could express how much I meant those words. That I could transfer my feelings to Chihiro, that they didn’t feel so empty. “What else is there to do?”

We begin walking, Chihiro leading the way. “We’re just making sure everything’s boarded up. We’ve got most of the windows, now we’re doing the doors.” I nod along. Chihiro’s large eyes are void of tears, I wonder if they’ve cried too much to have any left. “Here it is.”

Shelves are stacked neatly with supplies in this room. I spot gym uniforms immediately, as well as several other spare articles of clothing. Besides what we came here for, there’s many other useful things, like snacks, tools, and much more.

Chihiro turns her back as I change into track pants and a white tank top. They hand me a towel and wet it with a nearby water bottle, and they help me wipe soot and dirt off my skin.

Celeste enters as we do this. “You look terrible,” She states bluntly.

Her and I have gotten along rather well, and I do like her, but that doesn’t stop me from snapping. “Thanks, I didn’t notice,” I put as much venom into the short words as possible. “You’re a real help.”

Celeste pauses, holding a small hammer. She puts it down, walking over slowly. Celeste takes a towel of her own, wets it, and begins cleaning my face.

“Have you talked to the principle yet?” She asks, “He made us record videos before we started doing all these... renovations.”

I take in a breath, knowing I’m on the verge of using Celeste as a verbal punching bag. Instead I smile, toothy and forced. “No,” Her raised eyebrows tells me she knows how irritated I am. “I just got here. I really just want to change and get everything done as soon as possible.” Internally I don’t want to do anything, but I know I have to do my part. My feet hurt and the side of my stomach is cramped.

Chihiro reads me well, and I’m reminded of how I wear my feelings so obviously on my sleeve. “Let’s go see the principle,” She tells me, smiling wide. She takes a pair of leggings and a white t-shirt off the shelf handing it to me. “Right after you change. Everything should be done after that.”

Relief floods through me. I take the clothes wordlessly, the two of them turning as I change. Once I’m done, Celeste says her farewells and is off to wherever that hammer of hers is needed.

I can’t say I’ve been in the halls of Hope’s Peak very often. I’ve been to a talent show in support of Leon. I remember telling him I wasn’t going, then seeing the ecstasy flare into his pale eyes as he caught my gaze. I wish such happy memories couldn’t be overrided, but they are, by much more profound feelings of sadness, fear, and despair.

Chihiro and I eventually come up to the door of what must be the principle’s office. I never really thought anything of the video I recorded that day. It was a no brainer for me. Hope’s Peak was safe, with most of the people I cared about close by. I thought we’d escaped tragedy, but it’s very obvious that I was very wrong.

[kiss-my-asymptote]

Hello! Mind If I Yell About Misogyny In Martial Arts Tournaments?

 It might not be apparent the second you enter the hall of the tourney, but spend enough time, and the blatant misogyny of martial arts will become incredibly obvious. I would like to start this by saying, that these are all my own personal experiences at tournaments run by the group of schools I trained with, and as such, some of these details may be specific to the closed-entrance tournaments I competed in, but that doesn’t make my points any less valid.

There are three main types of Misogyny that I’ve noticed that are prevalent throughout all the events I’ve competed in or attended: Dismissing, Underestimating, and my least favorite Well-Meaning (or as I have taken to call it, ‘The Girl Power Effect’). Now in the tourneys that my Martial Arts school competed in there were four main events, that were separated by age and then by rank. The events include Forms, Original Routines, Weapon Forms, and Sparring. For the purpose of dramatic tension, I have listed and will be talking about these events in the order of how much I love them, and also how angry they make me. (I have a very complex relationship with tourneys, can you tell?)

Forms, at least in the tournaments I ran in were pretty much uniform. These were regulated routines that everyone is already familiar with before they’re performed. Forms are reenacted fights in which Martial Artists strike the air, battling imaginary opponents in hypothetical fights (yeah, that sounds kinda dorky, but it’s actually really entrancing to watch the competitors move). Based on the fighting style of the form, the movements are either rigid and robust or flowing and graceful, almost as if they’re dancing. Well-Meaning Misogyny isn’t usually found here, aside from the occasional ‘you go, girl’, but Dismissal and Underestimation go hand in hand during this event. If a woman chooses a form that’s flowing, people will assume it’s because she’s a girl and just wanted to flutter about the stage. If they choose a more brute form, they’re compensating or downplaying their femininity. and because everyone is familiar with these forms, they already know which type the competitor chose before she even starts, and they’ve already written her off as fluttery or compensating. There was one time, I remember watching a girl announce that she’d be performing a routine called ‘Statue of the Crane’, a form that uses leverage moves, and requires a lot of balance. From beside me I hear a guy scoff and go “Oh, so not even a Kata, huh? Why bother watching?”  First off, what an asshole, second off, The form is more complex than a Kata, you fucking idiot.

Original Routines are very similar to forms, except they’re set to music, and as the titles imply, these are brand new routines, not just standard sets that everyone knows. There’s a chance to be creative, but thanks to all the biases, the wonderful routines that these girls come up with are often overlooked. Dismissal comes in the form of what type of music women choose to use. If women chose a more ‘femenine’ song choice (Pop music) you can hear people groan and already decide that the form is not to be taken seriously, however if a woman chooses a more masculine song (Rock or Heavy Metal) she is '’trying too hard’ or again ‘downplaying her femininity’. Guys... It’s not that deep. They just chose a song that fit the energy of their form. Or they just like the song. The style of the form also plays into this, with rigid moves playing into the ‘tryhard’ category, and the flowing moves playing into the ‘femme’ category. often times, when women’s moves are more flowing and dance like Judges, will tell them they need to put more power behind their moves. This is bullshit. flowing strikes common in fighting styles like Shaolin actually strike with more power than rigid attacks because you’re striking with your whole body, using your core, and your momentum to drive more power into your deliveries. The Judges are Black Belts. They know this, and yet they still give the women shit for their dance-like fighting styles. Now, we must talk about ‘The Girl Power Effect’ this is the first, but not the last time I’ll bring this up. Oftentimes, when a girl makes it past all the bias landmines up to the point where Judges give feedback, someone will push them onto this one. They’ll get the comment “Did you come up with this routine by yourself?” As if the Judges and onlookers can’t possibly comprehend that a woman could choreograph such an impressive performance. The only men I’ve ever witnessed receiving this comment on their forms have been, at most, ten years old. They ask women “Did you come up with this routine yourself?” With the same frequency and tone as they do ten-year-old boys. And they mean it as a compliment in both contexts. 

Weapon Forms are also similar to regular forms. The only difference being the weapon, obviously. The big issue here is that of typically feminine weapons. If a girl shows up to a competition with Fan Blades or a Parasol, she might as well not even perform, because there’s no way she’s placing higher than third. Judges will see women show up with these weapons and actually roll their eyes. How rude is that? You see, these weapons are perceived as impractical and ornate, not meant for actual combat, and still, women looking to learn weapon forms are often pushed towards and encouraged to learn forms involving these weapons, leading to Fans and Parasols often being used by women in competition. It’s a whole vicious cycle. I still refuse to pick up either weapon because the guy who wants me to learn them won’t give me a better reason than ‘i’ll probably like them’. Picking up on all that Dismissal, yet? It’s also a shame because every single form I’ve seen that uses Fans is just inherently cool as fuck. Another Prevalent issue, this one involving that pesky ‘Girl Power’ again, is something I call ‘The Pink Piece’. Women in martial arts are often encouraged to pick up and study more traditionally masculine weapons by making them pink in color. Now I’m sure you’ll agree that sounds like an incredibly ridiculous tactic, but the issue is, it works! especially with young girls. this is an issue for a few reasons. First, it sends the message “This Katana, as opposed to all the others, is for girls. You can tell because it’s pink.” But also, if a girl walks up to a judge’s stand with a hot pink weapon, she’s immediately perceived as unprofessional and childish. Anyways, this is all a longwinded way to say women are specifically steered towards feminine looking weapons and then criticized for using them.

Now, for Sparring. My favorite event, but also, one of the most problematic. This is where ‘Girl Power’ really shines. I’m not sure if this is true of all tourneys, but certainly, in the ones I competed in, this event was not only separated by age and rank, but also by gender. They don’t explain why this event, in particular, is separated by gender, but it can be assumed that it’s because they believe pitting a man against a woman would result in an unbalanced match. I can personally attest; this is false. Dismissal isn’t really a big issue here, (although I suppose you could count the fact they’re separated from men as dismissal) but it’s still there, especially when a girl wears sparring gear that’s, for instance, again, pink. This is, however, where Well Meaning Misogyny really shines. during matches, women are often encouraged to ‘have fun out there, ladies’ which seems harmless enough until you remember that these girls aren’t about to go on a date, they’re gearing up to fight each other. Not once have I heard a judge say ‘alright gentlemen, have fun out there and don’t worry about winning’ except when said gentlemen are, you know, ten or younger. 

There was one sparring judge that I had that I actually, actually hated. The worst part was, she was a woman, too. I didn’t notice her doing that at first because i was too busy watching the opponents in the ring for tells and go-to moves that I could exploit and counter, because, you know, I was there to win, not to ‘have fun’ but once I got into the ring with the girl I had deemed the toughest to beat, I finally noticed what this lady was doing. every time we were called to break up by this woman, she’d say something like ‘great job, girls!’ or ‘good energy!’ something along those lines. I was getting more and more frustrated by this because I just wanted to get on with the match. It was only after match-point and she paused everything to encourage the audience and the other competitors to clap for ‘the girls’ did I realize how demeaning and patronizing the whole thing felt. I’m sure this woman had had purely good intentions, but locking eyes with the other girl across the ring, I could tell she felt the same way I did. There we were, two high-ranking athletes being praised for something we already knew we were good at. Drawing attention to the fact that we were female martial artists who were good at fighting only made it seem like we were the exception to the rule and not the status quo. I felt like a dog being praised for pissing in the yard, and guys, it didn’t feel good.

Martial Arts has the power to give confidence and security to women who practice it, but it’s also latent with heavy and prevalent misogyny. This isn’t something inherent of the sport itself, but from those who practice it. Yes, partly because the East Asian countries that most of these fighting styles originate from come from cultures where women are seen as even more inferior to men as they are in the united states, but also because those men who choose to practice this sport often times- not to perpetuate stereotypes in a rant about blatant stereotyping, but- are those who don’t truly consider women as their equals. So, what can we do about women being treated like ten-year-olds and dogs? sadly not very much. The problem with vicious cycles is that there isn’t really a clear beginning or end. At the end of the day, all we can really do is attempt to acknowledge women’s presence in the martial arts without making it seem like something rare or novel, while also encouraging men to embrace the more feminine side to martial arts. Boys! Learn a fuckin’ neat Fan Blade form! Pick up a Hot Pink Katana! Help prove that these weapons are rad as hell, while also giving a big ol’ middle finger to toxic masculinity! In the end, the only thing keeping the Martial  Arts from being a completely gender-neutral sport is our own social biases.

[habitatforhufflepuffs]

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Opinions

If it isn’t obvious already, spoilers for Crimes of Grindelwald ahead. Also I apologize for how longwinded this is. I just started typing and before I knew it, I had a novel. Bare with me. 

First off, I would just like to say that I absolutely loved the movie, like LOVED. I don’t think it’s possible for me to watch a movie that takes place in the wizarding world and not love it. 

That being said, I had a few issues, minor ones though. I’ve been seeing a lot of reviews floating around where people are complaining about the fact that the entire movie felt like a set up for another sequel, whereas the first one felt like an actual standalone movie, but like, of course it did??? The first one set up the universe this franchise is going to take place in so obviously it’s a full story. The second one is now setting up the overarching plot that’s going to take place over the next four movies so like obviously a lot of it is going to be exposition of characters and isn’t going to conclude the storyline seeing as each movie isn’t taking place one a year like the HP movies did. 

If I had one actual complaint, it would be that there was A LOT going on at once. Which like, I get it because there’s so many characters to introduce that are going to be important moving forward. It was just a lot of new characters introduced in a short period of time that needed backstories and explaining all at once. As well as, what, like four separate plots happening all at once that all merged together by the end of the movie? Which like yeah I get it, it was just a lot to follow. I did go on to read the screenplay of the movie that just came out, and it was a bit easier to follow than the actual movie, so I 10/10 would recommend reading that. Especially the scene where they’re in the Lestrange family mausoleum, and maybe it was just me but I found the screenplay a little easier to follow what was going on than the actual movie which is weird?? Maybe the movie will be easier second watch through. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of the whole Credence is Leta Lestrange’s long lost brother?? Just kidding no he’s not?? But wait who is he then?? scene because like it was a lot to follow all at once trying to understand who the shit was related and how. Especially considering you’ve got 3 siblings from 3 different sets of parents & then you find out there’s a fourth child that was switched with one of them??? Which again, read the screenplay, it’s easier to follow when you can read full names and go at a slower pace and everything. 

As for the plot twist/cliffhanger at the end, I’m very interested to see where that goes moving forward. I’ve seen many people that think Grindelwald was lying to Credence to gain his trust seeing as he was obviously lying in saying Dumbledore wanted him dead. But I don’t really think that’s the case. Solely because I can’t see them doing the whole “Credence is Leta Lestrange’s brother, psych,” thing only to then turn around and then go, “Credence is Albus Dumbledore’s brother, psych,” immediately following. It would just be kind of ridiculous to have Credence’s parentage revealed only for it to be a red herring twice. 

I’ve also seen a lot of people trying to explain how it wasn’t possible for Credence to be Dumbledore’s brother. I will also say now that after a minimal amount of googling, it 100% is possible, if he’s his half brother only. In this movie (as confirmed by the screenplay), Credence was born in 1901 and was being transported to America in this year. We know Dumbledore’s mother died in 1899, and was killed by Ariana, therefore he can’t be her son. But it’s unknown what year his father died in, just that it was after 1890 in Azkaban. Now, obviously it’s kind of a weird thought but it’s 100% possible that somehow Dumbledore’s father Percival sired another child after he was imprisoned in Azkaban via another woman and that that child is Credence. How Grindelwald knows about this, I have no idea. Especially considering that not much time passes between FB1 and FB2, and he was in custody at MACUSA between the two movies. As well as how Credence ended up in America and Leta ended up back in Britain I’m not exactly sure. But it is completely possible. 

That being said, a bunch of people have pointed out that how is it possible that Dumbledore had another brother that has somehow never been mentioned before now, even though HP takes place after FB obviously. If I had to guess, and it breaks my heart to say this, I’m assuming Credence doesn’t survive the FB franchise because if he died, and Aberforth didn’t know of his existence, then it would make sense why he’s never been mentioned. Dumbledore wasn’t exactly open about Ariana, so it would (plausibly) make sense that Credence was never mentioned. Kinda weird, but still plausible. 

One thing I’ve seen EXCESSIVE amounts of complaining about is the McGonagall cameo. Which like, yeah I get it, it breaks canon. But there’s TONS of people that aren’t aware of McGonagall’s backstory seeing as it wasn’t in the HP books, and even if it were, there was a HELL of a lot of information from the books that never made it to the movies (I’m looking at you, Peeves). So like, just let it go and leave it be??? If you’re gonna be nitpicky about canon you could also argue that they made James & Lily way older than they should’ve been in the movies & technically McGonagall would’ve been 46 the night that they died, but in the movies when she’s at the Dursley’s with Dumbledore she looks WAY older than that. So like, just think of the Pottermore information as part of the book universe and the FB movies as part of the movie universe??? 

Also there was a lot of people I saw that were pissed off that they didn’t make it clear enough that Dumbledore was gay, and that were mad that the story didn’t put enough focus on his feelings toward Grindelwald, which I’m sorry I have to call complete bullshit on. This is only the second instalment of a five movie series and Dumbledore & Grindelwald didn’t even share any scenes together. What did you want?? Dumbledore to cover himself in glitter and strip of his shirt to reveal a tattoo that says I love Gellert???? The Mirror of Erised scene alone couldn’t have made it any clearer that Dumbledore is gay and was in love with Grindelwald. The look of pain on his face alone every time he said he couldn’t make a move against Grindelwald made it VERY CLEAR that there were feelings involved. Also, “we were more than brothers.” What the fuck else could that have meant???? They took a goddamn blood oath that they wouldn’t fight each other. There’s still three movies to go in delving further into their relationship, obviously we’re not going to get the whole story in the second movie. So to all of the people saying it wasn’t clear enough, fuck off. 

As far as the movie as a whole, I LOVED IT. Even if it did have too many plot lines happening at once, I still absolutely loved it. The new characters they introduced were fantastic (I’m kind of in love with Theseus). The new creatures they introduced were FANTASTIC. (somebody buy me a kelpie, and also, BABY NIFFLERS!!!!!). Jude Law was an absolutely perfect Dumbledore. Even Johnny Depp as Grindelwald was super unsettling and did a great job. The opening sequence of Grindelwald breaking out of captivity with the Thestral carriage and the final sequence with Grindelwald’s blue magic against everyone else’s fire were phenomenal. And as much as some people didn’t like the ending, I personally love that Credence and Queenie ended up on Grindelwald’s side (and it makes complete sense why to me too) and I’m super excited to see where that goes from here on out. I loved that everyone lost someone in one way or another too. (Newt & Theseus lost Leta, and Jacob & Tina lost Queenie and Nagini lost Credence to Grindelwald) Everyone’s split on different sides and it definitely sets emotional stakes for everybody moving forward. 

I loved how merciless Grindelwald was too & how powerful they made him. Like he’s chained up in prison and being transported by like twelve aurors and still manages to escape??? finds a baby in the house he took over??? who gives a shit, kill the baby??? he’s goddamn fighting off like ten fully trained wizards at once in the final sequence of the movie BY HIMSELF and is winning until the IMMORTAL BEING that’s 500+ years old shows up, and we’re only in the second movie of five. The final battle sequence in HP was a conclusion of 8 movies & Voldemort’s struggling to fight against one seventeen year old wizard that never even finished school??? Grindelwald is badass as hell. (also, a villain that vapes projections of the future, what more could u want??)

Also, the nostalgia that hit me like a fucking truck when they first panned over Hogwarts and Hedwig’s theme kicked in???? Also young Newt??? Also Leta Lestrange is sick as hell, and I’m not convinced she’s dead yet. 

Basically I’m super into Theseus and Dumbledamn, and I need 2020 to come faster, right now. If anyone wants to scream with me, please shoot me an ask, I need someone to rant to. None of my friends share my excessive HP obsession. Also, I kind of want an entire movie of just Newt taking care of his creatures tbh. 

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.