#(which saves a lot of space tbh not that this was an issue in these rich bitches' home)

[knownoshamc]

Seriously the "high bookshelves" at the penthouse being added to Armand's crime list/he controls Louis, is hilarious to me cause there are so many places with high bookshelves. They can just be Armand's books. Louis can get a ladder. We've seen him having books by his bedside.

[bunnyboy-juice]

spent the first hour and change at work deleting some old files and am having a grand ol time laughing at myself for not realizing i was a lesbian sooner

[accio-victuuri]

Bojunyixiao’s Weibo night 2023/2024 🎉🎉

can you believe we’re here again. no matter how problematic sina weibo is as a platform, their awards night is a day cpfs look forward to because our boys will be attending. even if we know they won’t interact or anything, the fact that they get to attend the same event is enough for us.

i will just include the recap for the past years on here, the 2019/2020 being very short cause i feel like that has been widely speculated and talked about already. then 2021 and 2022. this post will discuss the event and stuff that happened + some commentary + cpn clownery. enjoy!!!!!

I. CPFs team building and showing strength

It would not be fair to exclude this feat that cpfs achieved with the free tickets for Weibo night. Even if we had no idea if both of them will attend, cpfs tried to grab tickets just in case it happens so we will be prepared. In the first round, we surprised all other fan groups with how we dominated and it set the rhythm for the next rounds. Trust cpfs to set the trend and make other fandoms “wake up”. lol. They can say what they want about cpfs but we all know that part of the hate is because they do not understand why we’re still here. They don’t get why we are this strong and a happy group.

My favorite thing that happened was when the top profile photos spelled out BJYXSZD + heart with a mole. It doesn’t stop there tho, the next week/round, we still dominated so Sina Weibo tried to save face by doing some tactics to suppress us. Nevertheless, every week, more of us got tickets because of the help of our little turtle fandom.

There were also efforts to get top comments on Weibo Night posts but I won’t get into that anymore cause we usually do that. But the thought of showing strength “online” as what the boys advertised is sweet.

Years later, we are still as strong as ever and shall remain that way. and that’s all thanks to each and every turtle out there who chooses positivity & makes sure our community remains a safe space.

II. The anticipation and announcements

It’s safe to say that this year, XZ is a sure attendee cause he always tops the voting at this event. However, some were still not sure cause he did not attend other public events last year like 10c starlight or NYE events cause he is busy with filming his projects. On 1/10 evening tho, a rather unsavory rumor made it on HS which was a signal that weibo night was getting desperate and wanted some noise for their event. lol. maybe there are other parties involved, but the intent is the same. I will also just mention the issue that happened on 1/9 with Chunzhen and them withdrawing lottery tickets supposedly won by certain fans. But the next day, Weibo lottery decided to honor the win and gave the tickets. I have no reaction to this tbh, and that’s why i didn’t talk about this separately and at length on my blog. It’s the brand / fandom that i have nothing to do with’s issue. As a turtle, we all know how CZ is with certain things so i’m not surprised that this happened. LOL.

I honestly feel for XZ, he is out there working hard and minding his own business but people and circumstances keep dragging him into irrelevant incidents.

As for WYB, everyone thought he wasn’t gonna attend. This is the same energy as last year. People are busier with grabbing tickets for his SDC6 finals and completely ignored weibo night ( as they should ). There was still some hope tho, cause if you think about it, he attended a lot of platform events. Tencent, IQIYI, GQ MOTY and 2 NYE shows. So why not Weibo Night? I have said it before, but one thing that I loved about WYB attending multiple events by the end of last year was it’s a show of his position and professionalism in the industry. He can go anywhere and be welcomed — he has good relations with almost everyone and that is important in their industry.

I know he is not fond of public events, but i’d like to think he says yes because of his professional relationship with these platforms/companies. I was never a fan of when people flex that their fave “will not go to xx because they did something to him etc.” LOL. That’s not how any industry works. You can’t burn bridges and I’m happy that WYB doesn’t do that. It’s also a testament of how much of a good boy he is 🤍

Anyway, back to the timeline. On 1/10, Weibo announced some winners and the boys are on there. I guess One & Only winning was a clue that WYB will go. Then a so/o account gave a tip that WYB will announce his attendance to an event on 1/11 @ 13:00. So by the evening of 1/10, it was mostly confirmed that WYB will be going.

The next day, 1/11, Weibo Night account started posting emoji clues for the remaining celebrities to be added in their guest lineup. A few hours later, both the boys announced their attendance. What’s different this time tho is aside from the usual copy-paste caption, there is a reminder for everyone to not do any fan activities at the venue. more details was also added in the comment. I guess they don’t want a repeat of what happened last year with the crowds. It caused a delay & cancellation of the red carpet. Both XZS and YBO reposted with more guidelines to follow like no gatherings and light signs etc.

i know weibo dictated the posting time but the 13 kadian is sending me! yizhan! 🫶🏼

The BJYX ST mods also sent out a message to not do any offline support.

There are more fandom drama after the announcement with other groups but i won’t add that here anymore cause it will only rot our brain. && it’s so much better to focus on the boys!

III. Pre show discussion

On the eve of Weibo Night, GG attended an awards show and it gave us some sweet candy. The most interesting to me is the choice of Alexander McQueen and the first two celebrities tagged by the brand on their weibo in 2024. This is giving me Dsquared vibes. Also how it almost mirrors the wedding-ish vibes they had last Weibo night. I know we as cpfs are somehow programmed to seeing connections but honestly, they don’t make it hard.

Late at night too, Weibo started showing opening screens of attendees and of course they didn’t put them in the same group/frame. This is understandable cause they wouldn’t put the top male celebrities together and knowing how both their fandoms hate each other. Also, how the grouping went, WYB’s was more of the “movie group”. That won’t stop me from being a bit better tho. lol. Cause if they can’t put them in the same frame like that, there is just no way they will be on the same stage or even sat remotely close to each other.

A photo from inside the venue also showed the projected commercial on stage is WYB & Chunzhen 😂😂😂😂😂

I can just imagine XZ smiling when he sees.

There were also talks of the both of them being on the second row. XZ was already seated way before the ceremony started, and their names are so close but cpfs were anticipating since WYB was not inside yet. We were all waiting to see if it will happen. WYB is supposedly next to YZ but then we see that Jackson sat there. We joked that he should stay there so WYB’s place will be taken and he will have no choice but to sit next to XZ 😂😂😂

IV. Red Carpet shenanigans

🟢 WYB’s red carpet walk

I honestly didn’t get the whole look tho when some people pointed out that it’s the glam version of what he wears when he plays golf — i kinda got it. For his past platform events like GQ, IQIYI & 10C, his red carpet were really casual. I guess that’s what he wants — to be comfortable walking the carpet. There were also some praising him for going against the norm. Well, I have to say tho that his face really stood out. Minimal to no make up look. He was so handsome! 🫶🏼

🔴 XZ’s red carpet walk

I love his outfit! It’s black but still got that something special to make him stand out. &&& I honestly love the hair! I thought I would cry because of how short it is now but it suits him. I mean, he looks gorgeous in anything but you know what I mean ☺️

CPN: XZ signed his name beside/very close to WYB. granted, there are so many signatures there but i’m wondering if he recognized his husband’s signature. lol. In this simple way, they can be next to each other!

V. Weibo night links

XIAO ZHAN

Photoshoot for red carpet look

Photoshoot for second outfit

Xiao Zhan winning Outstanding Actor of the Year

WANG YIBO

Photoshoot for red carpet look // Photoshoot BTS video

Yibo winning popular filmmaker of the year

Yibo-Official post for Weibo Night

* This is incomplete cause we still don’t have ( at the moment of posting ), the BTS for XZS photoshoot + their photos while receiving the awards.

VI. THE SUGAR RUSH 🍭🍬

• WYB’s personal post of him and the caption. The freakin caption. Look, i know that WYB’s brand is all about being the “cool guy” so maybe that’s why he said in the caption that he likes the HS about him. But the thing is, it’s totally out of character. How many events did he attend with him going so high up the HS with much more interesting tags but he chose this? Also, he really needed to do so that he used his own account??? For a couple of years now, yibo-official is the one that posts for him when he is at an event. So the speculation is this one is personal and amused him so much, seeing that their HS for the same event they are both at matched! Also, when WYB posted that, CPFs flooded the top comments! Understandably so. 💛

• The signed photos which i’m not sure about. I actually saw someone post that earlier and people were clowning about how it can’t be real.

But then, an account posted a giveaway with all the other attendees and it included the couple photo. I’m putting this down as clownery, cause on their end there will always be deniability. The autographed photo was also deleted by the account a bit later, which is actually expected cause it will bring trouble. lol.

• XZS and YBO matching again! Look at how they arranged the photos. How a few of the snaps are not in theme with the rest. Nothing new here!

• The same song and dance of them missing to see each other. As soon as XZ was gone, WYB came in to sit down. Good thing he had Jackson to talk too a bit and he was gone again after 10 mins! Hopefully they could spend time together backstage away from the cameras. 📷

People are pointing out that XZ was checking his phone lol. probably checking if WYB is giving him a signal to leave so they can do their usual operation. These two! Honestly!

• Not really CPN, but a similarity. In the red carpet, both of them didn’t do the “activities” that others were supposed to. If you watched the red carpet, there is a point where they have to choose something from a wall with numbers. there is also a choice to take a photo from one of the “themes” by they both bypassed it. I was rolling my eyes cause a WYB anti was trying to make a big deal out of it, but then XZ did the exact same thing. Some people just don’t understand how celebrities like them operate. Not to say that they are above everyone else, it’s just that they do things differently.

• ZSWW fake rumor account posted at 19:21. At this time the red carpet was already finished. It doesn’t say who is saying which line. I’m interpreting this incident to be something that happened today backstage 🤡🤡🤡

"A kiss, a kiss...

"Oh, okay, let's talk about it later when we get back.”

"There will be a surprise when I go back 😏”

"What?"

“You'll know when you go back”

Then they posted again, at 21:05 with a much longer one but it doesn’t seem be pertaining to today’s events.

• There is a photo/video of XZ talking to Huang Bo! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! and now we’re thinking about how they haven’t cooperated with each other but seem familiar. Yes, we don’t know all their relationship and friends off camera but my mind immediately went to the SDC 3 clowning. That’s most likely when they became close. lol.

• Heaven’s choice cause WYB was sat at #23 ( Love Zhan )

• This time, both of them left the venue after they received their awards. XZ didn’t stay like he did the previous years. Good for them! It’s better to spend time together 🤍 I know that most of us expected what happened today, them not being in the same place at the same time. Tho some may see that in a negative way, I actually see this as an example of trying to keep their private life separate from the public. Tho a big part of their lives are on camera and that’s how they met. I think what they are doing is really to reserve the time they have & are seen together in private. Maybe some can’t see it that way and will be frustrated but at the end of the day, we have to respect their choice.

• XZ’s 2nd outfit is by Balmain! He tends to wear this at events that they both attend 🥹🥹🥹

• It’s now XZ’s turn to see the cpf headband light signs! Lol. I hope he saw it. We all know that he is near sighted sooooo….

====

If there are post event CPNs, i will do a separate discussion. See you in the next Weibo Night! ✌🏼

[stoplookingup]

Umbrella Academy S4 reaction (spoilers)

I'm a little surprised how negative the reaction to S4 has been. It's flawed and a bit too loose, sure, but I think there's a thematic arc, to do with the painful but redemptive potential of selfless love, that a lot of people didn't recognize, or didn't like, possibly because it's too sentimental, or too tragic, or both.

In particular, I have a really different take on That Relationship. You know the one I mean.

But before I get to that, I just want to address the issue of unexplained plot points, of which there are certainly many.

Short version: Just let it go.

Long version: Comic-book storytelling is all about the impossible premise, the unlikely twist, the overblown threat, the arbitrary race against the clock, the catastrophic non-ending. A big part of TUA's appeal is that it takes that formula to an absurd extreme, unwinding a plot so convoluted and horrifying as to be comedic, then offering a resolution that raises more questions than it answers, and that seems final -- but is it ever? There could always be more. Even now. Because reasons.

But scratch the surface, and it's really all about the over-the-top super(anti)heroes who are surprisingly endearing, nuanced and tragic, whom the audience roots for despite a million reasons not to. Would S4 have benefitted from a few more episodes? No doubt, mostly to give each character their due (Klaus, my Klaus, you deserve more!), and to let the story breathe a bit. The plot probably wouldn't have made any more sense anyway. But c'mon, did it ever, really? So, why a subway? Why a squid? Why a diner? Does it really matter?

On to That Relationship, the much-criticized story of Lila/Five (aka Live -- can I copyright this?). This comically trope-laden ship (forbidden love, montage love, love triangle, enemies-to-lovers, pocket universe, happily-ever-after, etc) fits right into TUA sensibility. Despite being a bit underbaked, it's moving. The actors play it well, and in dropping their characters' armor, you realize how much armor they're usually wearing, how hard they're always working to cover their feelings. Out of all the characters, seeing these two having real emotions is most devastating, especially with each other. It's because this pairing is wildly unlikely that it hits.

Lila and Five have similar histories as traumatized, sensitive souls turned cold, cruel killing machines. They're smarter, more cynical, and stronger-willed than everyone around them. And they are clearly starved of love and desperate for connection. (Everyone on this show pays a price, but I find Five's terrible loneliness the most heartbreaking of all.) So then fate throws them together in a way that makes it inevitable they'll form an attachment, only to then demand of them the ultimate sacrifice. Their surprisingly quiet, life-affirming, Guinevere-and-Lancelot love is redemptive, in contrast with the meddling, selfish, and/or destructive love of others: Reginald and Abigail, Ben and Jennifer, Gene and Jean. Live aren't an unnecessary digression, they're central to the thematic development of the story. Sacrifice saves the world, but without love, there is no sacrifice.

And yes, I absolutely think Lila loves Five to the end. And while I appreciate that some might find the age difference between the actors off-putting, I don't think there was anything inappropriate on a Doylist level, and it all makes perfect sense on a Watsonian level.

Also:

Aidan Gallagher and Ritu Arya are extraordinary;

the use of Baby Shark is genius;

Diego, Luther and Allison have been the least interesting characters from the start, and S4 does nothing to change that;

Viktor needs a sense of humor;

I love that alternate universes are all the rage these days (so many great tropes started with Trek), but tbh Loki does it better;

as visual representations of the space between realities, I love both the Loki automat and the UA subway, but at some point, using recent-past retro design to signal liminal space is going to get old, which, come to think of it, will be deliciously ironic.

[chaifootsteps]

Keith David recently complimented the hb cast saying when he’s with them he’s in the presence of something beautiful. I think that’s really sweet, because yes, the vast majority of the cast of HB seem like very kind and passionate people. I’m really glad Keith is having a good time, and tbqh I’ve never really had an issue with the cast.

But weirdly there are already people saying shit like “you just KNOW the Hazbin haters are mad lol” and that Keith said Hazbin was his favorite role—

FIRST—It’s really weird that they assume people who don’t like Hazbin think Keith needs to be “saved” or some shit? Keith David is a grown ass man who can make his own decisions. He’s a very very talented individual, who has been in TONS of movies and shows, and has done a lot of really amazing voice work. He’s the best performer on HH imo, and while I don’t like Hazbin Hotel personally, I find it downright bizarre that Stans would assume that we’re like…mad at him or don’t think he can make his own choices??

SECOND—the clip that was circulating did not show him saying Hazbin is his favorite role, he said he’s in the presence of something beautiful with the other cast mates and crew while working on the show (which tbh, I agree with—I really love a lot of the actors/actresses on the show, and I think, all things considered, they did a good job with what they were given. I’m of the opinion that the voice director did a pretty bad job, as a lot of the seasoned VAs on the show sounded kinda off, but I digress)

And hey, if he DID say that on a separate post or clip like. That’s okay??? He’s allowed to like the role??? If it’s his favorite role that’s great!!! That doesn’t automatically mean that everyone who’s ever criticized or disliked Hazbin is wrong in their opinion.

There’s like. This weird insistence I’ve seen in Hazbin Stan spaces where they point to the professionals who have worked with Spindlehorse or started in Viv’s shows and are like “SEE??? THIS REALLY TALENTED PERSON WAS ON THE SHOW!!! SO IT MUST BE GOOD!!!!”

And I mean. That’s still all subjective. I’m so sorry, but it is!! Idk how to tell yall this but great actors and artists have been in some really really bad movies. It’s not really an indicator of if something is SURE to be well written or made. Again, all subjective, but like. Idk Keith David is very very much allowed to think Hazbin is the greatest story of all time and his favorite role ever, and I’m very much allowed to disagree with him on that, but still enjoy his body of work.

My favorite performance of his will always be Childs from John Carpenter’s “The Thing”, but that’s just, like, my opinion, man!!! Who cares!!! Maybe Keith hated that role! That would make me a little concerned, because I’d be worried that he was treated badly or was struggling during the filming, but if it turned out he just didn’t think it was a good movie? That’s okay!!!! Him not liking his part in it wouldn’t take away what I like about it.

Just had to vent that. I really really hate when fans or critics bombard actors from shows in any way, either by being overly familiar in a really parasocial way, or by acting like they’re “owed” something from them.

Either way, love Keith, not a fan of Hazbin personally, and that’s an incredibly normal cold take to have that for whatever reason some people apparently cannot fathom. It’s kind of sad to me that people will see an actor compliment a show they like and immediately go “PEOPLE WHO DONT LIKE THIS SHOW MUST BE SO MAD RIGHT NOW HA!!” Instead of being like “aww yay, I’m so glad the actor enjoys the character”

(In the same way, I really loved Adam Sandler in Hotel Transylvania and Fifty First Dates. Doesn’t mean I have to love every single “grown ups” film, or defend “Jack and Jill” as high art cinema. I don’t understand why people don’t get this Chai. Anyway! Have a great night!!)

Even if we discount the fact that Keith David was probably (rightly) treated like a king on that set just because he's an old guy and Keith David, what the hell do they think he's going to say? "I hope this show and everyone involved with it gets fucked with an iron stick?"

[magniloquent-raven]

What do you think of an AU where Billy lives post season 3 and gets adopted by Murray and Alexei?

They would probably have a dynamic very similar to the El and Hopper's one in season 2.

What do you think?

OOooo an anon blessing my inbox, hello 💜

I think it would be an absolute mess tbh. At least at first. Because Billy is difficult, and Murray is prickly at the best of times (and not above fighting with children lmao). Alexei might be the least confrontational of them, but he's more likely to get a kick out of all the arguing than try to stop it.

Mostly aimless rambling under the cut lol

I'm thinking no Hopper death fake-out in this AU? He never liked Billy much, despite how polite the kid always was when he got pulled over. Something about him always seemed off. But then he nearly died saving El. She pulls him aside while Billy's in the hospital, and with that serious crease between her eyebrows, tells him just enough to convince him Billy doesn't have a home to go back to. So he makes arrangements.

And like. Murray isn't exactly his first choice. But. He doesn't have a lot of options. He needs someone with the funds and the space to house an entire traumatized teenager, and it needs to be someone who knows what happened to him.

It's temporary, Hopper assures them. The kid's eighteen, he just needs somewhere to stay while he heals up and gets enough money together to get a place of his own. It won't be that much of an imposition. It's the right thing to do. Say yes, because he needs somewhere to go, I swear to god, Murray.

Billy treats Hopper doing him a favour like it's a punishment. He's sullen the whole way there. Silent in the passenger seat of the cruiser, a half-full duffel bag in his lap. He doesn't want to be back in Hawkins with Neil, but that doesn't mean he wants to stay with some creepy guy and his weird Russian roommate. He can take care of himself, and this charity bullshit is fucking insulting.

Thing is though, Billy doesn't outright say that. He doesn't talk that way to adults, as a rule. Neil's rule. He will say please and thank you, no matter how wooden it sounds. He takes his issues out on peers, not the people with power over him.

So he barely says two words to Murray and Alexei that first day. They're not exactly thrilled to have him around, so they're not getting in his business anyways. It's awkward. Billy holes up in the guest room Murray's been using for storage, and alternates between restless sleep and staring at the water-stained ceiling.

It takes three days for Murray to get annoyed at Billy's I'm On My Best Behaviour act. It's insincere as hell, and Murray's always hard pressed not to call people out for lying. So he prods. Under the guise of small talk, at first. He asks how Billy knows Hopper. Asks what he's planning to do once he's healed up more. Mentions that Max has called like four times and Billy has yet to even check the messages.

Which. Does not go over well. Billy knows what he's doing, Neil does it all the time. Asking pointed questions, hoping to get a rise out of him. If Billy reacts he has a reason to punish him. If Billy breaks, he's not strong enough, not good enough. He needs a firmer hand, more discipline. But just because Billy knows doesn't mean he can stop himself from snapping, lashing out, getting angry and defensive and sneering.

And then he braces himself for the fallout. A belt, a hand, an insult. Punishment for not keeping his mouth in check. It's instinct, getting keyed up, waiting, waiting...

For a hit that never comes. In fact, Murray seems relieved. Delighted. "Fucking finally," may have been his exact words.

So Billy's just wound up over nothing, without direction he's snapping at shadows, flinching and biting. But no one seems to mind the teeth.

They argue a lot after that. Billy and Murray. Over music being played too loud, and whether Billy's allowed to drink when he's still got hospital stink on him, and dumb, inconsequential shit like that. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's Murray saying too much and Billy tasting blood. Sometimes it's Billy getting pushy and entitled, using his scars as an excuse to take up more space than he was invited to.

Meanwhile Alexei just seems to be along for the ride. Billy teaches him some English swear words (mostly by accident and then definitely on purpose) and Alexei returns the favour. They are both absolute menaces when Murray declares he's going grocery shopping, and they've taken to teaming up about it. Murray is this 🤏 close to kicking Billy out after Billy introduces Alexei to Metallica and discovers that he likes it.

And then there's the gay thing. Like. Murray and Alexei aren't hiding their relationship, they decided it would be too much work and if the kid had a problem with it he could find somewhere else to live. But they're not super obvious either, just. Naturally. So it takes Billy a minute to realize. In his defence, he's got a lot going on.

It's not a huge grand reveal, he just sort of. Notices some things. And then puts the pieces together. And then panics. He spends the entire day after his revelation hiding in the guest room. Panicking.

He doesn't know why exactly it terrifies him so much. He doesn't have to hide from Neil anymore, and barely anyone even knows he's alive, it's not like there's going to be rumours going around about Billy shacking up with some old gay dudes. But he feels exposed anyways. Self-conscious. He starts to wonder if Hopper knew somehow, and that's why he's here. Maybe the girl who was in his head has been going around telling people about him.

The next day, he manages to come out of his room, but he isn't over it. They notice him acting weird, despite how hard he tries to keep it under wraps. Alexei figures it's a PTSD thing, they all know Billy has nightmares. He's entitled to some off days.

But Murray clocks him. Because of course he does. He flinches when Alexei touches Murray's shoulder, briefly, innocently, but Billy has to look away and that's when Murray realizes.

Not the why of it, not at first, but he realizes that Billy's being weird about their relationship. And he doesn't handle it the best. He's started to like the kid, is the thing. Billy's a pain, and he's an awful little brat, but he's grown on him. Like a hissy little cat that never lets you pet it. It's not nice, but sometimes it does cute little cat things and you're endeared anyways. Billy can be funny, sometimes. He helps out around the house but pretends not to. And he's unexpectedly smart.

And now he's being. Like this. And maybe it sort of hurts. So maybe Murray says some things he shouldn't. Pointed comments, from what Murray knows about Neil he's sure that's where this came from, and he doesn't hesitate to let Billy know that. Billy might've moved states to get away from his father but it looks like he might've brought him along for the ride anyways.

Which obviously does not go over well. And it's the way Billy responds, his fear and the cadence of his anger. That has Murray saying "Oh, this is a self-hatred thing." Without thinking.

It's the first time Billy cries in front of them.

It's not for long. A moment of shock, and tears slipping down his cheeks, he's there just long enough for them to see his face before he bolts, and locks himself in the guest room.

They don't ever really talk about that whole conversation. Not outright. It takes weeks for things to go back to normal. Billy's back to not saying much of anything, and Murray feels guilty enough not to push about it. Alexei's trying to mediate, for once, but it doesn't help. Everyone involved is too stubborn to take advice.

Months later, when Billy's a little bit drunk and a little bit sleep deprived, he finally admits out loud that Murray was right. Entirely out of the blue.

They still don't discuss the fight, not directly. They just. Talk. About growing up queer. About parents. It's a little stilted. A little awkward. But it's a turning point. And it's good.

misc. thoughts:

Alexei helped open the new gate and is therefore a little bit responsible for what happened to Billy? When Alexei realizes this he starts coddling Billy to make up for it. It's little things at first, buying him sweets and letting him choose what they watch on TV, but Billy starts to notice him walking on eggshells and gets irritated, pushing to see where this sudden grace will end. He kind of just assumes he's being treated this way because of his injuries, but when he eventually finds out who Alexei actually is and what he did shit kind of blows up. Billy straight up leaves the house for the first time since he moved in. Just walks out. Alexei tells Murray what happened and Murray gets angry at Billy, only realizing later (after Billy comes back, at like 3am) that he was so pissed because he was worried

Hopper has no idea that Murray and Alexei are together, and part of the reason Murray was so annoyed about taking in another stray is because babysitting would cut into the time he can spend with his boyfriend

Everyone in Hawkins (except the main characters) thinks Billy is dead, and this has been really hard for Max. Neil left, and she's glad he's gone, she's glad Billy's away from him and that her mother doesn't have to deal with him anymore. But it's also extremely difficult to watch her mother grieve both Billy and her marriage.

Briefly considered making that thought Billy had about Hopper putting him up with Murray and Alexei because of the gay thing actually true

[chronicsymptomsyndrome]

This image changed my life so I need more people to see it

I knew people with did before coming across this, and still I never in a million billion years would have guessed or imagined I might have it too.

I had figured out I’m autistic which explained a lot, but I was still constantly feeling broken and out of place in autistic spaces. I was still constantly feeling like I was having a way harder time than other late-diagnosed autistics.

Until I found this image and felt so attacked by almost every single symptom listed. I stared at it for hours. I stayed up for two days straight, just researching. I had to look up a lot of the included words and terms. But every time I did it was “oh my god that’s not normal? there’s a word for that??”

As a result I’ve been able to get help and accommodate things I didn’t even know were issues. Now that I understand that I’m plural, autistic accommodations work better. Adhd accommodations work better. Systems and routines in my life are easier to optimize. I’ve started learning who tf I am and for the first time. I started learning how to have values and goals and how to want things. I know that sounds weird but, well, did is in fact pretty weird.

Anyway this image isn’t mine and I’ve had it saved on my laptop for years so I’m not sure where it came from, but its one of the most empowering things thats ever happened to me tbh. thank you to whoever made it.

[stem-sister-scuffle]

STEM SISTER SCUFFLE: ROUND 2 MASHUP 1

Jadzia Dax (Star Trek Deep Space 9) vs Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Jadzia Dax is an Astrophysicist and Xenobiologist!

Futaba Sakura is a Computer Scientist and Hacker/Programmer!

Why you should vote for each contestant:

Jadzia Dax:

"She does a lot of science in space — like xenobiology and physics — but is also the ranking science officer, so she covers a lot of fields. she is an expert in many scientific fields, leads a lot of other scientists, and is a badass starfleet officer who can f you UP in a fight. her alien species is a symbiotic set of species, so Jadzia’s got a worm named Dax in her and has access to all of Dax’s past hosts’ memories & knowledge, part of why she’s an expert in so many fields! but Jadzia, the host, also got multiple degrees in different fields before she was “joined” with her symbiote."

"She is a star trek science officer, so mostly space anomalies and stuff 😄 She is self assured and takes up space and just a joy to watch. All the bi girls love her 💜"

"First F/F kiss on TV"

"IMMORTAL WORM ALIEN WOMAN who has lived EIGHT LIVES and is GENDERFLUID but is CURRENTLY A WOMAN! She's great"

"She is the lead science officer on her space station! Got four degrees in astrophysics, exoarchaeology, exobiology and zoology. She is an amazing researcher! Jadzia is a Joined Trill, host to the Dax symbiont which has lived 300 years. Jadzia became a Starfleet officer and pursued her science studies before then becoming Joined, which means she also has the wealth of knowledge from Dax's multiple lives. She is an amazing scientist and also loves to have fun, and she's a genderfluid pansexual ICON."

Futaba Sakura:

"shes a 15yo autist who can take down the in-universe equivalent of anonymous in an afternoon. she has mommy issues"

"she is a silly goofy girl who can also pull insane feats of programming. she can hack into anything. she set up her own giant computer rig. she can remotely tap into people's phones."

"She is so blorbo! She’s very smart and funny, could use her powers for evil (and occasionally causes mischief) but uses them for good, cool character arc, just a silly little guy :)"

"she's silly i like her tetris shirt and she speaks in dorky references"

"technology (shes a hacker??) with a side of science (she has an interest in her mothers work in the field of cognitive "psience" as its referred to in-game!!) uhhh cant really explain stuff well but shes really epic and truly the hackergirl ever. shes cool enough that i partially based a character i recently made off of her tbh"

"Futaba is a traumatized shut-in that hates getting out of her room and interacting with people. She first contacts the heroes by hacking their group chat, asking for them to consider changing the heart of ""Futaba Sakura"".

Once they do, Futaba manages to confront her feelings and trauma and heal. She makes peace with the survivor's guilt she feels after the unfair death of her mother, who was a researcher/programmer before her.

Futaba does a lot of hacking for the sake of her friends, the Phantom Thieves. This also reflects in her Persona Necronomicon. She's the navigator/mission control of the group, not having combat abilities but being able to scan enemies to show their weaknesses.

Futaba's hacking also helps save the protagonist's life at one point. Like that's literally a huge plot point in the True Ending of Persona 5 and 5R. She's amazing."

"She is very good with computers and she helped the Phantom thieves with her hacking abilities"

[imperfectnothing]

Thought of Fai and Yume for no reason a moment ago, and now it won't leave my head the connection I have made of them (+ ciaran & murrelet) with other characters in Danganronpa: Another Despair/DRA.............

!!!!!!!!! Incoming nerd ramblings but keeping them way shorter because I don't want to . Spoil the game. It's so good. So not nearly as ramblings but just me talking about aus tbh w/ the 4 Musketeers (this is just as long as my other asks on your main. Dear God I should mute myself)

First I had them as "Yuki" and Akane, but it would only work in chap6 when the masterminds are revealed (the boredness that MM1 has while Taira is just ecstatic and all about "hes so great, he saved me and I'll forever follow him"). But then I thought of it more and Fai is very Kinjo Tsurugi. Kinjo is so cold, a straight forward guy and such, (tho if in SDRA2, he would most definitely be Syobai. No doubts, only in DRA I see him being Kinjo, for the small things..). — but he's so open to 'Yuki'. He's only ever vulnerable around him (Ciaran can be "Yuki" in this context, but along with Murrelet)- the free time events you can have with him show that.

The memorable thing in my head of Kinjo and Akane is a similar slap scene to Togami and Aoi, and then the mastermind reveal (a bit too early in the chapters but DRA is FUN like that). And honestly the funny thing about Akane is that she is also, honestly a generic girl. So like- that ties well with Yume, and the switch up also ties up with him. The obsession, the devotion. Again, the whole he's so great, he saved me and I'll forever follow him.

With having Fai, Cia and Yume already figured out, I then I had to fill up the space of Murrelet, and I went with Haruhiko (might change if plip decides to do anything with murr). But for now, it's just because I see Murr as just some silly guy caught up in this square with three unhinged guys (again might change, and so he might also be... Shuts up before I say the name and spoil it all)

The thing that's super interesting to me about Fai and Yume's relationship is how utterly incomprehensible it is. Like obviously, from an outside glance, it doesn't really seem that way, it seems pretty straightforward, Fai is the person who is kind of gruff and mean towards Yume and seems not to like him and Yume actually kind of acts like himself around Fai but only because there isn't any expectation of Fai judging him for that. Maybe I'm misremembering, if I am, I'm so sorry but the thing about Fai, when it comes to Yume, is Fai actually cares about him a lot more than he lets on. When Yume dies, that is a catalyst in a downward spiral for Fai which ends up with him lashing out at the other two musketeers and isolating himself (commitment issues) because he views himself as someone who only makes other people's lives worse.

As much as Faisal is unsettled by Yume's obsession and his uncanny "generic" personality, Fai sees parts of himself in Yume (which is why he initially despises Yume so much) but what he sees that's different, he loves. He loves Yume in his own fucked up way and when Yume dies and is brought back as some echo of himself, Faisal is extremely not okay about it.

So yeah thank you for sending me a Faiyume ask this was very fun to mull over and while I'll admit, I've not played Danganronpa, the way you articulate it and connect our characters to it is very very fun

(I'm gonna tag Starry and Plip just in case they want to be tagged, since Ciaran and Murr are mentioned- @starry-skiez and @pwippy)

[buffyfan145]

so i read quite a few of your posts and spammed you with likes, i hope you don't mind too much but you are perhaps the most informed person on trop tea i have came across and your speculations make me more excited for s2 😅

so from what i understand, there has been a very little info on galadriel's storyline compared to other characters? all we know is that she is with adar and elrond is trying to save her, then she fights sauron. and as for sauron, he spends most of the season with celebrimbor (can i ask what's that horrible fate of his? i havent read the books).

tbh, my delulu ass hopes that the fact that gal's storyline is so under-the-wraps means that it's going to be smtng special and spicy (instead of her having a reduced screen-time), and the actors being more open about haladriel stuff is bc that "surprise" storyline has to do with them. has it been conformed that they will use their mental bond in the season?

ahhh, anyways, your theory about galadriel going with sauron after being alienated by other elfs is *chief's kiss*. i will personally go and kiss the ring of the writers if that's true! i have also been seeing speculations about sauron chasing galadriel but not sure what's that based on (saw it on twt but then decided to avoid the twt space bc im afraid of possible ship wars ruining my experience for s2 since i saw a couple of sauron and celebrimbor shippers say they will have sexual tension or smtng. totally fine with shippers being shippers but i have had such a bad experience with ship wars that i want to just altogether avoid even witnessing them).

sorry for a long ask/rant! thanks for all your posts, they are really interesting! ❤

That's no problem and thanks so much!!! 😀 Yeah, I keep up with all the spoilers and news now as this show has become one of my major fandoms now and I get like this and those who followed for over the years know when I get into a show or movie series. LOL I'm going to post most of this behind a cut since it's got major spoilers for the season but will say Morfydd has talked a lot about Galadriel's storylines and her getting Nenya is huge part of this too, and her, Charlie, and the writers did talk about her and Sauron's mental bond and that it will be a huge part too. Morfydd did film "Starve Arce", a horror movie which is out now, while s2 was filming but I don't think it impacted production that much since the cast is so large and s2 was filmed over 9 months. Also this season has been confirmed to be Sauron centric so it's more centered around him as the lead, but she's still listed by Amazon as the female lead and has second billing under Charlie. So now to the spoilery parts.

So again Galadriel's main storylines from interviews and the trailers are receiving Nenya and learning how to use it, the mental bond she has with Sauron (which they also confirmed will be a huge part of the show till it ends with season 5) and some sort of creepy vision early on in the season, being outcasted by the other elves and even causing issues with Elrond, she has scenes with Cridan and Gil Galad too as her fellow elven ringbearers, the fight with the barrow wights with a team of other elves, getting captured by Adar, learning from Adar more about Sauron, forming an alliance with Adar including what seems like to use her as bait to lure Sauron out, and then as we saw in the final trailer the big confrontation she has with Sauron and showing him Nenya. Plus, they could still be hiding things from us too as these trailers are only mins and we have 8 episodes total and if like in season 1 they likely are all over an hour long.

Celebrimbor's story is so tragic too. He actually gets killed by the orcs and dies in a horrible manner, which is also likely why the show's rating increased as it's even more violent than season 2. I don't want to spoil it too much, but he will die in the season finale and Sauron does horrible things before that to him both physically and verbally. It's very much like an abusive relationship which is why I don't ship them. I understand that others do but their scenes are going to be so hard to watch. Both Charlies and the writers have called it a friendship or bromance, but those terms seem to suggest they aren't going for it to be romantic either but a friendship that turns violent and more into Sauron/Annatar being master. But this does show Sauron treats Galadriel differently to everyone else.

But yeah I'm hoping there won't be a ship war but I doubt it'll be in this case. Celebrimbor also in the books wanted to marry Galadriel himself in the 1st Age but she fell in love with Celeborn and married him instead. I posted before how that could bond Celebrimbor and Sauron as they'll both end up losing her to Celeborn. If any ship war happens it'll actually be whenever Celeborn comes back as we all know from the books and movies Galadriel ends up with him and they still have to have their daughter as they can't change too much and still have to make sure the LOTR books/movies play out the way they do when this show ends.

I'm still thinking, like others now too, that it is possible she does go with Sauron at the end of season 2. Especially if she fully is cast out after working with Adar, using Nenya, and then all those that die in the battle including Celebrimbor. Sauron still hasn't given out the 9 rings to the men or created the One Ring by the end of s2 so he has to get to that in season 3, and her s3 storyline is a mystery too. It seems like a possibility like others and I have pointed out that they could leave together, whether she's in charge for now thanks to Nenya and her new powers, or not. She will find her own kingdom of Lothlorien and be queen there so we might see that play out but eventually if Sauron's with her it will still end in tragedy as he keeps falling deeper into his dark ways and will go back to Numenor, and her husband Celeborn will be back. We'll get more info as the episodes air but I can see something like that happening.

[robbyykeene]

Hey, quick non-CK question - what do you mean you got in trouble for hoarding URLs?? I didn't even know that was a THING?

Yeah haha. Not sure how long you’ve been on tumblr, but back in the day (like 10-12+ years ago) hoarding URLs was a big thing, especially in fandom spaces. Basically the idea was that you create a bunch of inactive sideblogs to save a URL that you might want to use in the future. At this point in time, switching back and forth between URLs was also a lot more common. I think some people even used to sell their URLs, or trade other URLs for them which is crazy. There was an entire URL hoarding real estate. It was actually a huge problem lol, I remember wanting to enter certain fandom spaces but being unable to get a URL related to it. And back then I feel like fandoms were a little harder to breach into, especially if you didn’t have a blog that looked like it should belong there—or maybe I was just younger and didn’t know how to interact with people lol, but either way it was still frustrating.

However, Tumblr has since (not sure when exactly) banned URL hoarding. Idk what exactly they quantify as hoarding, but I did have at least a few dozen URLs saved from over a decade ago that I honestly didn’t even remember I had. Most of them were related to emo bands lmao. I think what happened in my case is that this sideblog got caught in the tumblr spam filter somehow, which is why for months I wasn’t able to reply to people and was bot having posts appear in the tags. A lot of people have been having problems with being incorrectly flagged as spam in the last couple years, due to the algorithms they use to detect potential spam accounts. The real problem is that once your account has been flagged tumblr doesn’t notify you or communicate the problem to you, so if you don’t know what to look for (which I didn’t) you don’t know how to properly report the problem. I contacted support a few times but because I reported it as a bug, I suspect it didn’t go to the right place. Eventually this led to my account being terminated without warning or notification. I reached out to tumblr support on multiple platforms, and I think when they looked into the issue they saw that I had a bunch of URLs hoarded and suspended my main account (but restored access to this one). I deleted all the saved URLs, emailed support back, and they released my main account back. All in all I’m just happy with how quickly they resolved the issue tbh, I know a lot of people have spent months trying to get a terminated/suspended account back so I feel pretty grateful. And honestly I think it’s good that tumblr enforces the ban on URL hoarding, bc I remember how upsetting it was being like 12 years old and unable to get a URL related to the thing I really cared about.

[bunnidid-reviews]

is it frowned upon to wish that one could dissociate or have an alter take over in moments that are awful and stressful? genuine question

Hmmm, this blog is really more intended on reviewing and sharing media about complex dissociative disorders, or could easily be related to CDDs. Certainly not an advice blog for this or anything else > < I think any more general questions about DID can be forwarded to @sundropglass (main blog) if at all, just to stay on topic here.

But since you asked, I may as well share my perspective a little bit. I urge you to read it all.

Of course it's something anyone would want. Shut off and let the stress be taken care of for someone else? go off to fairyland a bit? It's actually an extremely sophisticated way of functioning in the midst of trauma; tuck it away, get through the thing that you might otherwise feel like you're dying from.

But where does that stress go?

Say that you had a very stressful day. Maybe one thing after another kept going wrong. And all day, there was absolutely nothing you could do because you had to carry on with a smile on your face and act like everything's fine, while more dismays pile on top of you. Maybe on top of that, you end up having an argument with a loved one and now you have social anxiety and no sense of safety or relief.

This is not out of the norm. People live very stressful lives all the time. It builds up though, all that stress is piled into your immune system if you don't have any release.(Expressing emotions in a healthy manner) It comes out in the ways that maybe you get ill, or spend all day in the bathroom, or get a migraine. This is what we call the body keeping the score (a book I should read tbh). What the mind doesnt handle(dissociates from), the body will.

This is what people with CDDs regularly go through. Trauma = stress that's beyond your range of coping. Chronic trauma means chronic stress, just stored away in pockets upon pockets where its never dealt with until much later in life. This is why I don't think I know a single system who doesn't have some sort of chronic health issues. The initial trauma may not have killed them, but maybe the health issues that come from all this chronic stress might just finish the job.

This isn't even addressing what the disorder implies mentally.

Look up the symptoms of PTSD, look into personality disorders, attachment disorders, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation. Any trauma-based symptoms could come with a CDD, because there's nearly nothing special at all about DID or OSDD. They're not sectioned off 'incredible' disorders as much as media or people on the internet will imply. We are normal people who have been hurt. A lot.

We have this disorder because no one came to save us, so we had to turn to ourselves, sometimes at an extremely young age. There's no measuring the amount of hurt it takes for a young child to feel this alone.

Going off this ask alone, but because you wish you could dissociate to such the intensity as you're suggesting, tells me that you haven't actually. Daydreaming or spacing out is a very minor case of dissociation, but the level at which you're having alters would imply that you're hoping to dissociate much further than you actually think you want. Do you not want to recognize your own spouse, or be completely unable to be present in the best moments of your life? This doesn't shut off when you're happy again.

Say fine fine fine, yes yes yes to all of this, you could deal, because at least you'd be another person who would bear the responsibility for you.

I hate to tell you this, but that's not how alters work. They are, at the end of the day, still part of you. They don't magically whisk away all this stress they face, they'd still hold onto it, be strongly effected by it, and you're a lot more likely to have the same stress come back over and over again and go unprocessed because of the fragmentation involved.

If it's to ease off some of the responsibility of being yourself, then.. Well that's not what happens with DID either. Those of us with a CDD tend to feel overly responsible for everything around us, actually. It's not the escape you're hoping for.

In a short answer: Yes it is very believable to want this disorder, to want alters. That's understandable even!

But I'm also going to say this is frowned upon. There is a LOT more to these disorders than some spacing out and some cool characters. I hope you can understand a little more why this mentality is frowned upon; no one who has it actually wants it when it comes down to it

BUT i HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU ANON!! Please listen

It's okay to want to be someone else to get through the stress. It's even okay to turn off your brain and space out. These are natural human things. Just.. They don't have to be a disorder. There are some recommendations for coping that aren't hoping to have a CDD, but might suit you if you struggle with this:

Try to analyze your life and see what it is that's causing you so much stress that it makes you want to not exist in such a way. If you're in a bad environment that you can't change, there are still little things you can do to make it better for yourself

Are there things you CAN change? Maybe you can look into getting professional help or finding a new job, or even so much as regularly tidying up the space you're in

Look up coping mechinisms and grounding techniques

Take breaks and let yourself really unwind. Read a book or go outside and look at clouds or something until you feel calm. I promise this feels way better than dissociation

Fun Coping Tools That Feel Like What You Want Out Of Dee Eye Dee:

create a story in your head. If you come up with a world all your own to explore, it feels like having an inner world

Create original characters you can "be". By this I mean be imaginative like when we were all kids. >>Here's a really cool version of what adults can do if 'playing pretend' seems too childish for you<<

Have some staring out a window time. Just let your mind go for a bit

None of this has to be disordered to be helpful, and have nearly the same effect that you're hoping for.

If you are at a point where you want to not exist for suicidal reasons, I really urge you to get some help. There's always someone who wants you to be around, even if thats some time in the future.

[professorspork]

hiiii. so i loved the honey thing for new couples that you incorporated and i was wondering if there was anything you wanted to share related to faunus marriage/wedding traditions ? also….do some of the newsies (nora) demand to be a part of the wedding in some way lmao

[I just thought an awful lot about Faunus traditions generally, as a bit of background!]

okay so this ask absolutely lit up my brain as I considered the possibilities, so thanks for that.

there's just so many wonderful, idiosyncratic wedding traditions out there! there's glass stomping, of course, but there's also handfasting, various kinds of candle-lighting, jumping the broom... I know of one couple who came from two different seaside towns literally across the world from each other, and they combined sand from those two beaches as well as the beach of the destination wedding island where they were getting married. the options are infinite!

that last example, though, about the sand? that sparked the thought that is The Right Thought:

so the Faunus creation myth of the Shallow Sea is all about choice and transformation-- the Faunus become Faunus by being brave enough to leap into the water and reveal their true, changed selves; after that, there is no going back. I think this would be an absolutely lovely and meaningful sentimenet to be incorporated into Faunus marriages-- having to jump (or gently step with just your bare feet to not ruin your outfit lmao) into a shallow pool of water together, to show that your union will forever change you, that it's a choice you're making from which you cannot turn back. and, of course, that you're proud of your Faunus heritage. the water would need to be salted to represent the Shallow Sea, but probably a tradition over time evolved where couples maybe put other things meaningful to them/their relationship into the water. off the top of my head, maybe a little bit of printing ink or rose petals to represent Summer come to mind for the bees.

you didn't ask me about Mantali traditions, but they probably have something sort of superstitious in the vein of "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue"-- certain genres of things from some old saying you're supposed to incorporate into your outfit or ceremony for good luck. maybe something Dust-related? I'll have to think on it

as far as who's ultimately involved with the wedding... the biggest issue is navigating everyone's egos because both Ghira and Kali and Weiss want to pay for the whole damn thing, but have different expectations of what A Proper Wedding is supposed to look like, and tbh Blake and Yang would be fine if they just, like, did it at Calavera's with the tables pushed to the sides! they're not fancy!!! also like Weiss's bank accounts aren't exactly infinite anymore, she has access to the trust fund Nicholas set up for her independently that Jacques can't touch, and her savings she transferred from her regular "allowance" back when Jacques was still giving her money, but she doesn't have bottomless Schnee pockets anymore. meanwhile Ghira and Kali are 100% trying to buy Yang's love because they already adore her and poor Yang is like IS THIS A TEST ARE THEY TRYING TO SEE IF MY LOVE CAN BE BOUGHT CLEARLY ON MY HONOR I MUST TURN ALL OF THIS DOWN

the bickering only stops when Blake and Yang threaten to elope and have Robyn marry them at The Spot (Robyn: "obligated to point out that I'm technically only ordained in Mantle and weird I just went suddenly and temporarily deaf at this mention of a wildly illegal use of an unpermitted Atlesian landing space LOVE THE ENERGY THO I'll keep my schedule clear")

ultimately they have a perfectly reasonably sized wedding at a perfectly reasonably priced reception hall. I don't know that Remnant would have bridesmaids/attendants like most modern American weddings, and even if they did I feel like Yang and Blake would BOTH feel a lot of pressure about it in different ways (Yang being like "oh no I have too many best friends where do I cut it off" and Blake being like "do I even have friends my mind has gone blank I don't think I've ever made a friend in my life"). probably instead of doing that, they make it a big sort of potluck community thing where everyone has a job. some of them are very intuitive and somewhat-traditional (Ren makes the cake, Velvet takes pictures, Weiss helps pay for it) ("My job is coordinating all the vendors so everything goes smoothly; paying for it is a gift!!") and some of them are... a little less that (Nora is 'Party Captain' and makes sure there are always people on the dance floor, Ruby is 'Hydration and Sustenance Captain' and makes sure the bees are drinking water and don't fall into the common trap of oops the couple only ever has champagne and barely touches their food, Zwei is the ring bearer).

they honeymoon in Menagerie, which is the first time Yang's ever been because until then they couldn't afford for both of them to be absent from the Bee at the same time. (every other time before that when she'd met the Belladonnas, it's because they came to Mantle, prompting many jokes about how an entire country could do without its Chieftain easier than the small newspaper could do without its editor-in-chief)

GOD THAT WAS SO FUN TO THINK ABOUT THANK YOU

[crows-of-buckets]

Dav spoilers below the cut!! (Up to just before leaving for the anderfels)

Okay I've gotten off for today so I wanna ramble a little bit about my playthrough so far!!

I am geniuenly adoring it so far! Alot of the problems I have with inquisition are non-existent, the combat is fun, the characters are likeable. Sadly the purple rook options aren't as much of an asshole as I would like (purple Hawke you will be missed) but they are nice! The writing so far has been solid imo.

I really like that the cameo characters aren't taking up too much space. While I do get excited to see them, I don't want them overshadowing the new characters, like they kinda did in previous games. The cameos are also way sooner than I was expecting!!

So far I've only had one instance of "that is NOT what I meant to say" with the dialogue wheel which I count as a win (when I recruited lucanis I said 'ill keep an eye on you' thinking it was out of concern 😭 that may have just been a skill issue on my end tho. I reloaded that save so fast). I also really like the romance dialogue options so far. They aren't so overwhelming cringe that it makes me wanna curl up and die inside (I am staring directly at you Hawke who SAYS THAT to a man who's BOYFRIEND JUST DIED). They all feel very nice and flirty in a way that isn't in your face. I am also really REALLY liking the companion writing so far. All of the characters are charming and I'm already more invested in them than I was in the inquisiton cast sorry 😭

While Rook does talk a lot on their own, so far it all feels very in line with what Revari would say. While I do miss being able to control everything the PC says, ik logically we'll never get a dragon age game like that again so it's not something I was expecting. Very happy nothing feels glaringly "they would not fucking say that"

I I thought the lack of worldstate choice was going to be more glareingly obvious but tbh i kinda forget about it for most the playthrough. It still sucks that there isn't more worldstate options, but yk I can't change that

Lucanis is already really growing on me!!! He's just a silly little guy and I am a SUCKER for them. Born to be a chef forced to be an assassin frfr...

Neve gallus obviously has my whole heart if you didn't know. The longer she's on screen the more I love her. She hasn't left my party since Bellaras recruitment quest.

Very interested in Bellara. For a hot second I thought her brother was going to be Felassan so I was mildly disappointed that it wasn't 😭 although ultimately making it a new character is a better narrative choice.

I LOVE that you can encourage Lace's abilities!!! I have a feeling that how you tell her to channel her abilities (whether through joy or through fear) is going to affect the outcome of her story... Also love that if you show optimism about her abilities she also shows excitement about them

Varric and Rooks relationship is so sweet to me!!! I mean he calls them kid you guys should know I was gonna be a sucker for it. While I know that's probably annoying for older Rooks, it works for Revari. I'm also very glad he has a distinct different relationship with Rook than he did with Hawke and The Inquisitor. He's clearly very fond of them and it makes me happy idk. Also the sheer fucking difference between the way he acts towards the Inquisitor (even one he's friendly with!!) and rook is so funny. Inky really is just his ex boss huh 😭

I've only talked to Solas twice so far but I'm already more invested in his and Rooks dynamic than I was with him in the Inquisitor sorry 😭 I didn't romance him so he didn't really do it for me in Inquistion, but I'm low-key looking forward to seeing him again. His little jabs in the second talk after you "exchange verbal spars" is so fun, and I think it really hammers in the "Solas reflects back the people he interacted with". He did it with the Inquisitor, and is doing it again with Rook, but it's SO much more interesting to me in this game so far idk. Maybe it's because he's responding to specific comments? Idk Revari is a bit of a shithead so. I don't think Revari hates Solas, but they are a bit wary of him.

The voice acting has been very solid so far as well!! Nothing that's glarely bad to me at least. I also really like some of the facial animations; while some of them can feel a bit flat in general conversation, some of them are REALLY good. There was a bit where Dorian started snarking and he curled his lip. And another where Rook opened their mouth like they were going to talk but didn't. Idk the facial animations are REALLY standing out to me. This is so much better than the previous games I am not even over exaggerating. Dragon age "Every character wears an ugly sneer all the time" Inquisiton you will not be missed... Obviously it's because the technology is better but it is really really obvious how much attention went into the faces I am here for it

The combat is so fucking fun. Ik it won't be everyones cup of tea but I am having a BLAST. It didn't take me very long to get the hang of and it's very satisfying to play with.

I am also fucking LOVING how relevant your backstory is!!! Like yes!!! I am a shadow dragon!!!! There's so many additional dialogue about it even just in casual conversations! I never felt like the game forgot about it. Rooks connection to their faction is great and I love the fact that they know people and people know them. Shadow dragon rook ily 🫶

I really like how much it feels like this game remembers what you've done. From Lucanis remembering your preferred drinks (Revari likes their coffee STRONG) to Varric feeling like he let you down after you encouraged him, so far it really feels like what I'm doing is sticking and that makes me SO fucking happy.

Final thing!!! This game looks absolutely fucking gorgeous I keep getting blown away by the views. I do wish I could zoom my camera out a bit more just to take everything in bc it's SO big I love it!!! So far it is geniuenly meeting my expectations and I am SO FUCKING RELIEVED. I have been so worried it was gonna be dogshit for WEEKS

[solomons-poison]

i would like you to study satan under a microscope. what are your feelings on him and his character and ect.

I love the way this is worded lol

Oh boy I have a lot of feelings about Satan. He is one of my favorite characters tbh, for many reasons, and I am so so happy for how the writing has expanded on him in Obey Me Nightbringer. My thoughts are just a ramble so it's going under the cut ✂️

(Also at the time I'm posting this, I have made it to lesson 12 so there are spoilers about that marked in red)

So Satan's already one of my favorite types, a somewhat serious-seeming scholar who is quite a goofball when you least expect it. He earns points with me for being a cat lover, and he's such a romantic on top of that. I've had so many thoughts about him writing poetry for the one he loves, maybe even as a confession.

Comparing him from present-Satan versus past-Satan is really cool to me, I really love seeing the contrast of what he was like in the beginning to how we know him now, in the original Obey Me. Like changes in personality, speech, his views on the world and the people around him, everything.

Although it is partly comedic, Satan being practically a feral child is so important to me at this point in time in Obey Me Nightbringer. Even though he has been watching everything through Lucifer's eyes since in the Celestial Realm (which I love that detail, because then we know from that that Lucifer had issues with the Celestial Realm and Father long enough to bring Satan to life), he has had no chance to socialize and be brought up normally like the others.

All he knows is the rage that was delivered unto him by Lucifer, rage against humans (or more specifically anyone harming his family) and them dealing with the Fall. Not to mention, after leaving the Celestial Realm, now they all had to deal with the racism?? Prejudice???? Idk what to call it, but the people of the Devildom refusing to accept them and disrespecting them.

On top of that, he's now tethered to these almost unknown people, people that are seemingly already a family unit and he's just. Existing somewhere alongside it?? So he's doubly misplaced, not quite having a set place or category to exist in and feeling alienated. (I can't help but laugh at Lucifer putting a curse/spell on Satan so that he couldn't just run off, but eventually ended it because Satan would just growl at him the whole time 💀)

As I'm typing this, I've made it to lesson 12. I honestly wasn't sure how Satan would feel towards finding out MC is a human, as we didn't get a clear answer compared to some of the others. But I'm glad he acknowledges that, had MC confronted him directly about it and confessed, he would have gone into a rage, and the only thing that maybe saved them was the fact that he heard it secondhand.

But after considering the facts, that MC still tried to help and protect the brothers during their time as attendant, and (of course depending on your dialogue choices) mostly treated him pretty equally to the others, he needed to rethink how he felt. Satan realizes that MC being a human isn't automatically a bad thing, and that there's more to consider than that.

It's especially very sweet to me how he says that he will dedicate his time reading to researching the curse on MC and how to lift it, when previously, he was mostly focused on things for himself, simply learning and gathering knowledge, along with the occasional mischief in how to defeat Lucifer. It's such a difference seeing everyone so serious and how their separation from the Celestial Realm really seriously affected them.

I am very glad to see Satan start to be accepted by the brothers. Honestly the whole situation is just a lot to think about, and it's understandable why both parties were so discombobulated, suddenly having this new brother to learn about while Satan is dealing with his inherited rage. It's heartwarming to see the brothers acknowledge that Satan does have a space with them. He even gets along with Luke in lesson 12, albeit briefly, but it's interesting to see him learn to interact with someone more rationally and calmly lol.

I'm OK with everyone being a little more silly in the original Obey Me, as this is thousands(?) of years after the Fall and they've had the chance to grow into their sins and powers. But it's just nice to see how this sudden change affected them, and especially Satan who was born from such a traumatic and major event.

This feels like a lot of word vomit and probably doesn't make much sense, but tl;dr, I love Satan's character and I have a lot of feelings for him. I'm very interested to see his continued development from here

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Thoughts on Joker as an optional boss in P3R

.........................................snrk.

Wow....just....wooooow wowowowowowowooooow. Wow. Woof. Omg. Wow.

"Silly salt incoming?" Yes but in a "At this point I'm not even fucking surprised. Just wow!" type of salt

"Are you mad cause it's Joker/P5 related?" I mean like...yes and no?

"No?" I'm not inherently against him being an optional boss. I'm all for past characters coming back. Is it a biiiiit annoying it seems to be ONLY P5 related? Yeah. But like, that's because it seems to ONLY be P5. If it was P5 IN ADDITION to something else, I really wouldn't bat an eye. Like how I didn't for P3/4MCs in P5R (Sad they drew the line at those two only, but....hey. At least we got SOMETHING)

"Then what's the yes?" Besides weird timeline bullshit, which I'm sure they'll have an explanation (or at this rate I hope so). It's just....

I find it funny.......how the devs want to hide behind.... "keeping the original spirit alive" or some bullshit like that. As a means to tell certain fans why we can't have certain things in this game.

I mean, should I be surprised? They removed key features of the original game despite saying that. Yet still tried to hide behind that narrative. "Oh no it's more like Vanilla P3!....except for the FES stuff WE want still.....oh, and using a lot of P3P's stuff too-" I mean.....still funny they wanna hide behind that narrative. All that considered.

Sorry, that was a side tangent. Joker fight only now. Ok.

I find it funny they wanna hide behind that narrative....and then put Joker, a P5 character, THAT WASN'T IN THE ORIGINAL GAME, into the DLC. Just....huh. Interesting.

Just....didn't think to, you know, put a different character in the game? A legacy one. Maybe P1MC? With the whole Tartarus shared scenario and Nyx scenario? No?

Or maybe Tatsuya/Maya? I mean, P2 and P3 have a lot of overlapping parallels. Greek theme, dual MCs, sun and moon themes to name a few. Orpheus in some mythos being Apollo's child.... A real passing of the torch vibe when it comes to P2 going to P3 tbh.

Oh! Or you know, having them face Labby or Sho! They had them as DLC in P3D, plus it would've been PERFECT! We could've had all 3 P3 themed robo girls in ONE GAME! :D Plus they already have working models for them! They'd just need to update them.

Or......you know. They could've gone with the obvious one? Esp if timeline/space bullshit isn't an issue. One that would've been both a narrative AND mythos driven gut punch. They could've gone with FeMC! :D

"Oh but we can't have her in the game, it'll take up too much time and mone-" It's one model for a boss fight. (ʘ‿ʘ) One. Model. We don't even need to account for her Personas because they already have models. Just one model, for a boss fight, with certain animations tied to that. "But money" oh noooooo a company has to make one model with certain animations for a fight and not a whole story mode? Whatever shall they do? Where will they get the time and money to do one model with fight animations? :( :( :( :( :( (/sarcasm)

"But would fans really like-" Yes. We are asking for crumbs. Literally the bare minimum they could've done.

I'm starting to think that they are allergic to her. Cause why else are they dodging her like Neo dodges bullets? TT0TT

"You ok Silly?" Yeah I'm fine. I'm annoyed. Not even pissed. Just....."yeah this is what I expected" and moved on. But I had a feeling I should make a post about it so I came back. >_> Literally took me a few hours to realize the bs after seeing it drop kjaskfdl My first reaction was "yeah sounds about right" THEN after a few hours I was like "wait a minute....." jklsadjfkal

If anything, the need for Atlus to hire a new PR manager for BOTH Jpn and West is just becoming more apparent. I mean they've needed it for years now but ooof please someone save them. save me TT0TT

Tldr; I don't care Joker is in the game because it's P5/Joker. I'm not against him being in the game. I'm just FOR other things ALSO being in the game. And I find it weird they draw the line at other things but then choose Joker???? So weird. :/