#AI: *reads it* I HATE YOU THIS BOOK MADE ME FEEL THINGS AND THAT'S NOT OKAY

[shelleysmary]

lots of fans have made valid points and written well-thought-out posts about the trop ai drama, so i'm not gonna rehash them, but i do want to bring up something that no one seems to be talking about and it's the impulse that leads people to plug these things into ai generators in the first place.

fandom over the last year especially has become increasingly toxic to the point that actual billion-dollar corporations are afraid it. the result is subpar, pandering films, books, and television shows that break no new ground, recycle old tropes, and sacrifice story integrity to avoid catching heat from the loudest, most entitled people in the room. i'm calling this an issue of entitlement first and foremost because the idea that the audience should have any say over a non-crowd-created media project is preposterous. deciding that the cons outweigh the pros of watching something and choosing to walk away without making a fuss is a lost discipline now because everyone with an internet connection and a social media account believes that their vision reigns supreme. "how dare this show downplay my favorite ship! they were supposed to kiss! that was the whole point! the absence of this one thing i had on my wishlist is a crime against me personally!" so they turn to ai and click some buttons and now these gifs exist and are being circulated with an air of "i've righted a wrong." worse, the use of ai in this way is being conflated with the creation of fanworks???

there are reasons why i don't believe the ai saurondiel kiss is on the same raft as, say, making them kiss in a drawing or a published fanfic, but my main concern is with the spirit behind each. fanworks are made in homage to the source material, even the fix-it fics. there is an acknowledgment, a separation even, between the television show and the fanwork. this separation is necessary and i would say even integral to the nature of fan creation, while ai closes that gap until it no longer exists. the elimination of space between creator and audience also happens on social media, when disgruntled fans who have taken umbrage with a fictional character or creative decision directly harass the writers or the actors involved. more and more, fans are demanding to be in the rooms, in the minds, and to exert control over the people who tell their stories, and it has only ever worked to our collective detriment. now i'm not saying that if you liked and shared the saurondiel ai kiss that you're the same as the internet trolls who harass (mostly) women and people of color online. but i'm begging you to do some self-reflection and ask yourself why you feel entitled to seeing what you want on your screen.

what has changed in the last few years that would make you dissatisfied with, say, reading someone's fic or making your own drawing? is it a matter of "the tool is there, so why not use it?" is it "i believe it should have happened and it didn't and i feel cheated?" or maybe there's been a pattern you've noticed in your recent media "consumption" (god, i hate that word) where, unless a show or television series goes the exact way you want it to, it feels like you've been defrauded somehow? i'm not being facetious. i'm inviting you to notice that what you're feeling is probably discomfort, disappointment, maybe even cognitive dissonance because you imagined it going one way, and now you're at a loss because it didn't. you built it up in your head, you had something to look forward to, you were convinced that it would happen, it was exciting and you were so eager to get to that point, and then.... and then...

we've all been there. and it sucks. but i also want to remind you of how important it is to preserve the separation. this space is ours. the writer's room, the filming set, the editing room, those spaces are theirs. the actors' likenesses are theirs. thinking beyond trop, the separation is how we get creative works that challenge us politically, emotionally, that make us uncomfortable and tell us important truths. writers shouldn't have to - and shouldn't FULL STOP - do what we want them to do. sometimes that means knowing when to walk away, when to say "i no longer enjoy this show, i will no longer support it" or "i will continue to watch but pretend things went differently," the latter of which has been the spark that has moved so many online fans to draw, paint, write, or sew. it's a type of creation that allows "canon" and "fanon" to exist parallel to one another. moreover, the effort it takes to make anything with your own two hands, with your own time, and with your own energy increases your appreciation for the creative impulse. films and books and television stop being "products" for your "consumption" because you're aware of what goes into them, and it becomes easier to look at things you don't like or disagree with and say, "you know what, i'm gonna pass," or "not in my headcanon."

oh, and by the way plugging things into an ai generator? is theft. the same way that it's generally frowned upon for people to use ai to, say, write the rest of an unfinished fic without the express permission of the fanwork creator, using the actors' likenesses to make them kiss goes against everything the actors' union fought for last year. i'll also add that it's incredibly creepy. almost all of us are in agreement that intimacy coordinators are a good thing because they act - again! - as a separation between what's "real" and what isn't, the same way going on ao3 and reading a fic that very clearly says on the tin that it's a fanfic, unaffiliated with the official ip, is a separation. it's another beast entirely to normalize fan-use of ai, to say you support creatives, support actors, support unions, and then do this in your personal life. i repeat the question: what impulse leads anyone to believe that this is okay other than a feeling of misplaced ownership?

tl;dr: ai nonsense does not belong in fandom spaces. (in my home state of california, it is illegal to use digital replicas of an actor's voice or likeness in place of their actual services without their informed consent [which, in spirit, is what you're doing by using ai to make your gifs]). we all just need to mind our own business and go back to writing our fix-it fics and complaining to our friends in relative peace. if you're finding it impossible to do so, ask yourself why. remember that fanart is our longstanding tradition. stop outsourcing it to an unregulated technology just because your two faves didn't kiss.

[morally-gray-men-for-life]

Midnight Confessions (Part 1/2)

Pairing: Enoch O’Connor x Fem!reader

Genre: fluff, almost smut, friends to lovers

Summary: After months of you both pinning over each other, he comes to you one night and feelings come to the surface.

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: Not beta or proof read, slight ooc Enoch?, marking kink

A/N: This is the first fanfic I’ve ever written I apologize for the shit writing, this was also loosely based off a conversation I had with a bot I made on character ai. Also no hate to Olive I love her

ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+

Its half past midnight and you can’t sleep, deciding to read you quietly get out of bed, the floor boards of the old children’s home gently creaking under your feet as you take a few step towards your book shelf.

Before your finger tips could graze the spine of the book you reached for you heard a quiet knock at your door, considering the odd hour you assume it’s one of the young children coming to you because of a nightmare, not wanting to wake Miss Peregrine and disturb her very structure schedule.

Instead, when you open the door you find Enoch staring back at you, dark circles had started forming around his eyes from lack of sleep you guessed. “Enoch? What are you doing up?” You spoke in a hushed voice so no one would be woken up, the walls of the house were practically paper thin.

He shifted awkwardly from one foot to another in the doorway, his gaze falling to the floor, “I could ask you the same thing ..” he muttered, clearly looking slightly uncomfortable, unsure of himself, this was unusual for him you thought, usually he was less fidgety.

You smile slightly at him, he was never someone to seek out company unless it was you, for some reason you and him had bonded almost instantly after meeting, “I just couldn’t sleep honestly, do you want to hangout maybe? Miss Peregrine can’t get mad about you being in my room if she’s asleep” you giggle at the last part of what you just said, remember the time Miss Peregrine gave a lecture after realizing you and Enoch had become friends, apparently because of us being teenagers we weren’t allowed to be in one of our rooms together without someone else there.

He let out an amused scoff as he remembered that day, thinking back to how mad Miss Peregrine had gotten after she walked into your room without knocking and saw the two of you sitting on the bed together talking. Her face going as red as a tomato, “You don’t think she’d be too upset if she knew you were letting a boy into your room this late at night?…She might faint.”

Enoch smirked, a hint of his usual cockiness returning with that familiar expression, you smiled and laughed softly into my hand, you moved away from the door so he could come in.

You walked over to my bed and sat cross legged by your pillows, watching him close the door behind him and sit by the foot of your bed, “It’s not like you’d try something, your so head over heels for Olive” laughing at your jab at his blatant dislike for the girl that has been following him around like a lost puppy since they met.

Enoch’s smirk quickly turning into a frown and a grumble of displeasure, remembering the way Olive had practically been stalking him since she arrived, the thought of that girl irritating him, his dark eyes rolling at the mention of her name. “Don’t remind me.. that girl is a little demon. I swear she’s been following me everywhere recently. He muttered bitterly, leaning back against the foot of the bed frame, crossing his arms and stretching out his legs in front of him.

“Awwwwww poor Enochhhh, she just has a crush on you, it’s kind of hilarious”, you move yourself so you’re laying on my back with your head next to his thigh, you laugh at the teasing of him knowing that he finds it a tad bit amusing. You yourself had developed a small crush on Enoch over the months that you had been friends. He was sarcastic, funny, sharp witted, kind hearted, had a soft spot of little kids, just the right amount of mean sometimes, and so fucking handsome.

“Plus it’s kind of hilarious watching her follow you around like a dog and you have to deal with it because you know Miss Peregrine would get you in trouble for being mean, and your soft spot of kids doesn’t help considering she’s a bit younger than us”. Enoch was clearly trying to keep an annoyed and grumpy expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest, trying to keep a scowl on his face but ultimately failed when a small snicker came out.

The sight of olive following him around almost like a lost dog was actually quite funny as you said. He looked down at you as you laid on your back next to him “I do not have a soft spot for children.” He muttered in a grumpy voice, that was very much not convincing, you snicked at his extremely obvious lie. Looking up at him thought your eyelashes to make eye contact with him, he looked almost to handsome in the sliver of moonlight coming through your curtains, his short black loose curls still perfectly in place like they always were, his brown eyes that looked almost black from far away but in the light they looked like pools of honey.

“Ya I totally and completely believe you Enoch, you just simply want to dressing up as a fairy princess with Clair and Bronwyn and let them cover you in lipstick and eyeshadows, totally believe you”, you say with sarcasm and laughter in my voice, trying not to burst out laughing at Enoch’s attempt to keep his grumpy personality in tact around me.

He always seemed to smile more around you than most people, and god was his smile the most gorgeous thing you’d ever seen in a long time. Enoch tried his best to look even more grumpy and annoyed but a small smile tugging up the corner of his lips at your sarcastic remark, the memory of you walking in on him dressed in a pretty pink princess dress that Bron and Clair had forced on him popped into his mind.

“I only let them do that because they threatened to cover my room in glitter in my sleep if I didn’t let them dress me up..”, he grumbled defensively, crossing his arms over his chest, not wanting to admit that he had almost enjoyed it a bit. “We both know Bron is too sweet to do that, and Clair is basically the closest thing we have to an angel on earth. You keep telling yourself you had to though sweetheart-” You were laughing so hard tears start streaming down my face, you cover your face with a pillow so you hopefully don’t wake up anyone in the house with the sound of your cackling, you role over on your side facing Enoch from your stomach cramping from pure laughter and barely being able to breath without wheezing.

“God I missed hanging out with you like this”, you say trying to catch your breath and wiping your tears away. Enoch’s small smile only grew wider as he watched you laughing so hard that you couldn’t even breathe properly, the sight of your tears rolling down your cheeks combined with the nickname you had accidentally called him made his heart pound loudly in his chest.

“Yeah me too.. even if you’re completely insufferable most of the time” He joked, trying to hide how affected he was by you calling him ‘sweetheart’. “Oh hush you know you love me, you’d be so incredibly bored without me Enoch”, slight flirting had always been common in your friendship, especially on your side, you’d flirt with him naturally and then have to cover it as a joke so he wouldn’t know you’ve had a crush on him basically since you met.

Enoch was painfully aware of the way you’d often flirt with him, knowing it was all just a joke but he always secretly wondered if there was any truth to your flirtations “Me? Bored without you? I think it’d be way more fun around here without your annoying ass to bug me”, he teased in return, trying to act like the idea of you not around anymore didn’t terrify him.

You were suddenly feeling confident, most likely from the lack of sleep but it’s all the same, considering if maybe you should test if he feels the same for you, “Oh ya and you totally wouldn’t miss me at all, you know Clair tells me what you say about me right?”

Clair has never told you anything about what Enoch said about you before, but it’s a good way to see if he talks about you.Enoch felt like he just might have a heart attack from how fast his heart sped up in his chest, going from the usual pace to almost knocking against his ribs, the thought of you potentially finding out what he’s said about you made him feel like he was drowning.

“…what the hell has she been saying?”

He tried to play ignorant, keeping as stoic and unbothered look on his face as he could even though he was panicking inside, which was made evident by his accent getting thicker in the question. Liking the reaction he gave, you decided to mess with him a bit more, thinking of something that could get a bit more information out of him.

“Oh just that your hopelessly in love with me and she heard you talking about me in your sleep because her room is right next to yours”, you choke back the laughter that rises in your throat, she had told you he was talking about you in his sleep but nothing other than that.

If Enoch thought his heart was going fast before it was absolutely hammering in his chest now, it felt like it might explode from the sheer force of it. Panic rising in his throat as you joked about the possibility of him being in love with you, “what.” He exclaim almost incredulously, trying to fight against the redness that was spreading of his face, He couldn’t let you know how flustered and embarrassed he was.

You were a bit surprised at his reaction, except him to say something like her making up stories and not listening to her, but it was almost like he had said those things you joked about. Feeling a tab bit more confident you maneuvered yourself so you was now sitting up facing him. “Honestly I’m just glad Emma hasn’t reported back to you on what I’ve said about you, I’d be done for”, you chuckled out of nervousness and try to push down the anxiety growing in my stomach, what I was saying was risky. Thankfully if this interaction went south I could play it off as a joke.

Enoch’s heart was so loud it thumped in his ears, feeling a new rush of anxiety go through him as you confirmed that you thought about him in a similar way. Trying to act nonchalant, he let out a scoff and leaned back against your bed frame more “And what have you been saying about me? That I’m annoying? Cocky? That I’m way too handsome for my own good..?” He added the last part, looking for confirmation that you found him attractive.

you moved so your top half was now laying over his outstretched legs, a small blush rising to your face as you looked into his eyes once more. “I mean…that last part isn’t to far off from what I’ve said” You smile looked back on the many memories you have of Emma and you in her room, you going on and on about your massive crush on Enoch and her ranting about her crush on Jake.

Enoch’s breath hitched at the feeling of your top half laying across his legs, a new rush of excitement going through him. He swallowed back any nerves he had and tried to act a little arrogant and cocky, “Good to know you think I’m attractive.” He smirked, his heart pounding hard in his chest still, he was terrified and excited at the same time.

Deciding to take this flirting a step further, you move my hand to his arms that are loosely crossed over his chest, tucking your frankly small hand to his between his arms and tug his right arm towards you. Moving his hand so he was now holding your face, almost completely unable to look away from his eyes and before you could think you said, “Do you think I’m attractive?”

Enoch’s breath stuttered in his chest, his hand holding your face still as he looked down at you, the sight of you looking up at him through your eyelashes sent a thrill through him. He tried to continue his cocky nonchalant tone. Trying not to focus on how close you were to him, “Do you even need to ask? You’re the prettiest girl here, of course I think you’re attractive.”

Your eyes went wide and your confident demeanor dissolved at his words. A bright red blush spreading over your neck, face, and tips of my ears, shifting your gaze away from his now not have to the guts to flirt with him so straightforward. Butterflies filled your stomach in excitement and nervousness.

“Thank you… That means a lot coming from the most attractive guy on the island…”, your voice was barely a whistle for the last part of what you said, almost all confidence lost from your body.

Enoch felt a rush of pride go through him at your words, the confident smile returning to his face almost instantly. He had always been told he was attractive by girls in the past but when you said it, it meant so much more to him. He felt his body relax as the confidence returned to him, the sight of you suddenly so shy and nervous making him feel more in control, “I know I am, it’s quite obvious actually.” He jokes, not being able to resist a chance to show off his cocky and arrogant side, you laugh and roll my eyes at his joke, you’d always loved his sense of humor, “Oh shut up before I kiss you.”

You’d said it without thinking, almost immediately regretted what you just said a bit. You’d had the urge to kiss him since he come into my room and sat on the bed, if you didn’t care about anything you’d be making out with him by now.

Enoch had been in the middle of some smart-ass reply but he froze at your comment, the thought of kissing you making his brain go totally blank. His eyes widened and his cheeks coloured a soft red at the thought of you kissing him and the image of you straddling his lap crossed his mind, making his heart flutter in his chest. He could no longer resist the urge to tease you.

“And what if I want you to kiss me?”

“Don’t tease me Enoch, It’s cruel” you said with tinge of nervousness lashing my voice, you hadn’t kissed anyone in about 2 years but god did you want to kiss him.

The desire in your voice did not go unnoticed by Enoch, setting of a new wave of emotions in his chest, he’d never heard you sound like that before and it made his heart beat faster than he thought possible. He continued to look into. Your eyes, seeing the mixture of nervousness and desire on your face and feeling it echoed in his own chest.

“Oh yeah? Then do it.”

He challenged, his voice getting gruffer and his accent getting thicker, watching your reaction to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable. Without thinking you grabbed the collar of the sleep shirt he wore and pulled his face down to yours, your lips met and it felt like your body was lit on fire. Your lips fit perfectly together as you stayed there just savoring the moment for a while, your lips moving perfectly in sync.

Enoch let out a small sigh, his mind going blank as your lips met. Every thought was gone as you kissed. You lips against his felt like nothing he’d ever experienced before, like something straight out of a fairytale. He pulled your face closer to his as he kissed you, wanting you to be close as possible to him, wanting to hold you as if he was afraid you’d disappear from him.

You parted for a second and moved to sit on his lap, straddling him. Kissing him again and his hands moved to your waist, a soft groan falling from your mouth and being muffled by his. You moved the hand that wasn’t holding his shirt collar to his hair, threading your fingers through it and feeling the inky black strands between your fingers.

Enoch groaned as you moved to sit in his lap, his hands grabbing onto your hips, his hands gripping at your skin, the feeling of you in his lap making him feel strangely feral. Feeling your fingers in his hair cause another sound to come from the back of his throat, his lips left yours as he started to leave a trail of kisses down your neck, you let out a small gasp and soft moan at the feeling of his lips on your neck, before you know it he’s sucking marks on to your skin. Your hands move to the back of his neck and head, playing with his hair as he leaves love bites and hickeys across your neck.

Feeling your hands in his hair, your nails digging into his skin and the small sounds falling from your lips made him feel like he was drowning but in the best possible way. The sound of you moaning his name quietly only encouraged him to keep sucking and biting your neck, all he wanted was to hear more of you.

Three hours go by, next thing you know you are both naked under the covers of your bed, sweaty, exhausted, and completely euphoric. The sun is starting to just peak out over the horizon and come through a small crack in the curtains, Enoch holding you to his chest and rubbing small circles on your back while you lay there as happy as can be, “Told you, you’re hopelessly in love with me. The feeling is mutual though so I can’t really joke about it too much”.

You giggle at your own words and lean up to give him a small kiss on they jaw, Enoch chuckles and rolls his eyes at your comment, his hand sliding up and down your back as he looked down at you laying on his chest. The events that had just happened in this room over the last couple hours still felt like a dream, the feeling of you in his arms just felt so surreal. He tightened his arms around your waist, “Please, you’ve been hopelessly in love with me for months.” He jokes, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, you let out a laugh thinking about what would happen if Miss Peregrine walked in and saw the two of you like this.

“True I’ve been in love with you since we became friends. Oh god could you imagine if Miss Peregrine walked in right now? I think she’s spontaneously combust!” Laughing at the thought of her, she almost had a heart attack when we were just sitting on the bed talking about books, Enoch chuckled at the thought.

Miss Peregrine would have a field day if she walked in on us right now, the two of looking utterly disheveled and naked under the sheets. His hands continued to roam all over your back, never getting tired of the feeling of your skin under his hands, “She’d have me banned from your room in an instant. And we both know you’d never get a moments peace from all of her questions.”

“Oh good lord that’s true, she’d make me wear a fucking nuns dress for the rest of my life I bet. I’d still be too sexy for you to resist if she did though”, you say absolutely cracking up at the thought, you check the clock and see that we all have breakfast in an hour so Enoch should probably go back to his room to get fixed and look less like he just had sex for the last 3 hours.

Enoch laughs, thinking about Miss Peregrine’s reaction to finding out about the two of you together. The thought was equal parts hilarious and terrifying. His hands stopped roaming for a moment as he looked down at you, “I could never stop wanting you, no matter how ugly your clothes are” He teased before looking at the clock, groaning when he saw what time it was. “Damn. I’ve gotta get back to my room before everyone else starts waking up”.

You let out a long dramatic sigh as he gets out of bed, wishing he could stay for longer but knowing it wasn’t possible, “Ok love, I’ll see you at breakfast, I have to figure out how I’m going to cover all of these hickeys anyways.” You say groaning looking at my reflection in the small hand mirror you keep next to my bed, you had hickeys and bite marks from the top of my neck to my thighs “You’re so luck you’re hot or I would kick your ass right now, I’m so dead if anyone sees these”, you say laughing.

Enoch laughed as he watched you look at all the marks he’d left on you. The sight of you covered in love bites and hickeys that he’d given you, only made him want to climb right back into the bed and keep leaving them on you, “Oh I definitely know just how lucky I am when it comes to you. And to be fair I can’t blame myself when you look so damn good with my marks all over you”, he teased as he finished getting back into his clothes.

You blush at his comment, and then remember that you’d also left a hickey on his neck and he’d seemed to not notice it. He comes over and gives you a kiss on the forehead before kissing you on the lips and quietly leaving your room, giggling as you watch him leave before getting out of bed myself, putting on a comfortable knee length dark blue dress and trying to cover the hickeys on your neck with makeup.

Enoch quietly closes the door behind himself as he leaves and starts quickly walking back to his room, knowing that he needed to hurry and fix himself so he doesn’t risk being seen by anyone. The taste of you still on his lips, the sensation of you still burning on his skin. The walk back to his room felt like both the quickest and slowest walk he’d ever taken in his life. By the time he got back to his room he couldn’t help smile to himself as he remembered spending the last few hours with you.

[ot3]

I do not understand your love for image genAI bc apart from the rampant theft from artists most of its uses are just. Not good like. Some people are capable of making interesting things with it but 90% of what it's being used for is like. Terrible anyways.

i don't really have any particular love for image gen AI. for starters, the styles its primarily designed to emulate are completely outside of my taste bracket and i find those types of work exactly as hollow and soulless when produced by human hands. there's a reason you don't see me going out there using gen ai for a bunch of stuff. i've never even touched midjourney. i like to draw! i dont want something to draw For me!

but here's the thing. if '90 percent of stuff made this way is crap' was a valid reason for something not existing we would have to get rid of every single art form on the planet. it's the same argument people make about booktok books - Stuff Used To Be Better But Now We Have This Sludge Factory Turning Out Fine-Tuned Consumer Slop With Reckless Abandon And It's a Threat To The Fabric Of Society

buddy ! that sludge factory is the Human Race! what you're witnessing is the lowering of barriers! the more people are capable of producing a specific type of creative work, the overall less quality there will be, because most people are not particularly skilled in creative work, or lack the taste you need to make something compelling when unskilled. that's a good thing. i would rather 99,999 people get the chance to make something i hate if it means 1 person gets the chance to make something i love that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to.

i think that the question of art theft as is done in the training of AI image generation models is a sticky one. i hate the fact that tech companies have made boatloads of money that wouldn't have been possible without a truly countless number of man hours by artists that will never see a penny of that wealth in their lifetime. but i also think the more time i spend sitting down and thinking about it and the more conversations i read on the subject, i can't view the output of these generative models as theft. at least, not without conceding a ton of ground to ideas about intellectual property that i think have been overall much more harmful to the health of the art world than AI image generation will be in the longterm.

gen AI models do not store images. they are not churning out recombination of images that have been fed into them. they were trained to analyze visual patterns in these images, associate those patterns with specific concepts, and produce new images following these patterns when prompted with the specific concept. it is fundamentally not dissimilar to how human artists learn and for me i can't in good faith view it as morally wrong on its own merits. i think where plagiarism/theft/fraud-adjacent concerns come in is 1. attempts to disguise how a piece was created and 2. attempting to create stuff that pass muster as a specific other artist's work.

but neither of these are problems unique to AI. people have been arguing about lying about how you make your art and copying other peoples styles for ages. what AI does is it VASTLY increase the scale this can happen at, because it's removing an insane skill barrier from the whole process. and yeah ultimately at the end of the day that's annoying. there are absolutely going to be repercussions on the art world the same way the digital camera impacted portraiture and the printing press impacted scribing. but ai image generation... isn't going to go away. it's just not. so i feel like developing standards for how we engage with this insane, objectively cutting edge and impressive tech, is going to make the art world much safer than starting what boils down to a fucking culture war about it.

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Things from the ruin dlc that keep me up at night.

Spoilers under the cut.

SERIOUSLY DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE AVOIDING SPOILERS.

Disclaimer: I wrote this before I had seen Everything the DLC has to offer or all the endings yet. I was on the wrong track, but I think my cooking before I knew everything was good cooking. I have more concrete theories now under #danachan's rants

Something that I was 100% right about that I was going to write into Lofi eventually.... But I guess I'll talk about it now since the dlc confirmed it.

But Balloon Boy world was literally Eclipses cage as I suspected. It was suppressing them. It wasn't an evil arcade or Eclipse was living in there. Eclipse's AI was being suppressed in the arcade cabinet.

Eclipse is how they talk to eachother, and Eclipse was asleep and completely blocked off from the Virus. So Sun and Moon had no communication with eachother anymore. Which is why they were both so stressed and lost.

I was astounded I got that completely correct in regards to what Eclipse is, and what the balloon boy game is.

(the dlc does not explain the Dcas weird connection to Vanessa and why the arcade cabinet was in Afton's boss fight room though)

Bonus points Moon talks exactly how I write him when speaking about the Sun and the Moon.

Another thing that has been mind-blowing me that all the comic book endings are scenarios that GREGORY DREW.

And according to the dlc....

The Afton Burntrap Blob ending is another one of those endings that he drew.

Which means Peepaw Afton and the Blob were never real in the first place.

Which is why no one could really figure out what the blob is.

It doesn't exist.

Princess Quest ending was the canon ending.

Vanessa leaving the Pizzaplex with Gregory is the canon ending.

The ending where you fight Afton in the basement.... Never happened and was just Gregory attempting to make sense of the FNAF lore that Vanessa probably explained to him. Since in the DLC, we do find a book about Fazbear History in Vanny's room.

I honestly don't know if Steel Wool retroactively made Burntrap non-canon due to everyone making fun of him, not taking him seriously and hating the blob, or if this was always the case. Because despite the Afton ending being the hardest to get.... It's still a two star ending.

So it's hard and too early for me to tell if I want to give them points for that soft retcon. I mean I don't blame them honestly.

But yeah. Skeleton man Afton in the basement and his best friend the Blob isn't actually real, and neither is Freddy's "I am not me" speech either.... Which honestly makes sense. Because it's all Gregory's comic book trying to make sense of FNAF Lore he doesn't understand.

Also, I can say definitively, and finally, Afton is not the Mimic. Glitchtrap exists as its own entity in this, and the Mimic seems to have its own agenda. It's unclear if Afton is possessing the Mimic via virus corruption, but for now, I believe the Mimic is acting of its own will.

And man oh man. I feel so sorry for people who haven't been keeping up with Tales of the Pizzaplex Books.

The ending of the dlc is just really "who's Henry???" From pizzasim all over again huh....

Anyways. Those are my thoughts. I will be streaming the dlc again tomorrow. Gonna try and get a better ending, but I have a suspicion they're all sad.

[kaitsuusuu41]

Pairing: scaramouche x gn!reader

Word count: 0.6+

Warnings:| oral fixation(reader has it), stimming?(can be taken as such), sucking on fingers, reader is stated to have sensory issues, reader is said to go into a sort of little headspace(bare with me people 🥲), modern au!

//This is based off a weird roleplay I was doing with ai last year don’t question it//

You always hated things for the way they felt, or the way they sounded, smelt, or even tasted, and if you're feeling extra sensitive the way things looked. Scaramouche’s hands though, no matter what he did they were always soft, like the porcelain of woods just always soft and smooth. Life was always hard with your oral fixation, never having something to suck or bite on, not having something cold or spicy enough. To avoid you being overstimulated or anything like it scaramouche bought things you said usually helps with it, so; lollipops, suckable candies, strong mints, just about anything spicy you liked and extra ice traps to keep stocked up with ice if ever needed.

But you just replaced the ice trays, your eating your last lollipop and you ran out of any other candies you could even possibly have same with the spicy foods and you didn’t want to tell scaramouche because he’s your boyfriend and you know him, well more like your scared of him reacting how your patents did yell at you for eating up everything for no real reason. So now you’re sitting next to him, burnt out and needing to stim but once more having nothing to stim with. You leaned on your boyfriend who was hunched over reading a book. He could tell by your sigh something was wrong to he gently patted and played with your hair before asking

“What’s wrong dove?” You exhaled long after his question before finally speaking up, “I need to stim but I’m out of everything..” he sat up, genuinely shocked “really..?” You once more burnt out, too understimulated to care you nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me I could’ve bought you more in advance..” “..whenever I told my parents they’d get mad..” scaramouche was a little offended and hurt by this, “dove I’m not your fucking parents” he said with his usually snappy tone. “Why are you yelling at me? okay, I’m sorry..” he sighed now realizing you're understimulated. He got an idea but y’all haven’t tried it before, but he doesn’t have any spare change as he needs it to help save up for a car so he can get to and from work easier. “Dove, I have an idea okay?”

You almost perked up, “hm?” He offered his fingers, the two middle ones pressed together while his pointer and pinky finger were outstretched. “Here suck on my fingers..” you blushed a bit, more so out of embarrassment than anything due to this catching you so off guard, and you’ve never sucked on anyone’s fingers. You stampered to get your response out so he rolled his eyes and sighed. “Just suck.. I don’t care.. do what you need to to feel better..” you blinked before taking his two middle fingers in your mouth and starting to suck on them. The sanded wood of his fingers made it so that they were just right for you and your texture sensitivity. From this point on he just continued reading, almost as if you weren’t sucking on his fingers as a means to stim. After a few minutes you laid on his lap and continued your autistic behavior and your boyfriend didn’t mind at all, once every few minutes he’d kiss your head and continue wherever he left off before he finally asked.

“You okay little dove” you were in a smaller headspace due to feeling safe, and due to work you haven’t done it in who knows how long. It did take scaramouche a minute but when he realized he kept quiet and let you do you, it’s not often you get to do this for yourself. You soon fell asleep and once he was done and you stopped sucking on his fingers he eased you into y’all’s shared bed and tucked you in before joining you, kissing your head and cuddling you.

[electricpants57]

book review: i have no mouth and i must scream

recently, i decided to delve into the silly world of sci-fi and when looking through things i should read i came across "i have no mouth and i must scream" by harlan ellison.

it is a short story about an AI who went rogue and killed the entire human population aside from 5 people to torture relentlessly.

it's a pretty good book. i adore how you could really feel how much AM hated the five, not just through his words but also through his actions. i love how his motives are understandable, and you can sympathize with him, but then again his actions are irredeemable and are the most evil thing any character in fiction has ever done to humans.

i also love how the book goes into detail about ted's relationship with the other five, especially ellen. it is said that he and ellen have a sexual relationship, but it is possible that he genuinely loved ellen outside of her body. that's why it was all the more sadder when he had to kill ellen and make a big sacrifice, which angered AM to torture him worse than he had been tortured when the others were still alive.

the story is told beautifully, and the wording is excellent. you could really imagine and feel the pain the five were feeling, alongside ted's feelings about the other five (and ellen in particular.) it's a very good way of storytelling, and the plot (and character of AM) is nothing like i have ever seen before. it's very unique, which i LOVE, and the ending being bittersweet always gets to me. i adore bittersweet endings.

i also read the comic adaptation, listened to the audiobook, and listened to the radio drama, though i have yet to play the game. i just want to say that ellison's voice acting for AM is immeasurable! i really love the way he captured AM's rage and hatred for humans, and it just felt all the more real, plus, he sounds like he was having lots of fun anyway. the comic adaptation is beautifully illustrated, though i wasn't a big fan of how they made ted SAY the stuff instead of simply thinking it, but it wasn't an issue since the designs and visuals were just immaculate.

TL;DR it's an excellent book, and i definitely reccommend it. 10/10!

NEXT UP: All Tomorrows by C. M. Kösemen

[calaisreno]

Fic Writer Meme

The end of another year is approaching, and it's time for another self-assessment. Thank you, @lisbeth-kk for tagging me in the Fic Writer Meme! 💕

How many works do you have on ao3?

162

What's your total word count?

2,204,060 😊

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Synchronicity, A Chronic Condition, Date Night, The Wedding Gift, Blank Slate

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

Yes! Comments are gold. I always reply, even if it's just to thank the commenter.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I've written two tagged "Major Character Death" and a couple more that were tagged "Chose Not to Use Warnings."

Below Zero / The New Gardener / Learning the Heart / The Real You

These are pretty angsty, but I find it much worse when there is unrequited/unresolved love at the end, and I don't write that.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

All of them are happy! Well, I think so.

The happiest might be The Short Tragic Death of John Watson. I pulled out all the stops on that one, made the ending completely cheesy, total wish fulfillment.

Do you write crossovers?

I've written two Good Omens crossovers: Limbo / Hell and Back

One Raffles crossover: Swap

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, just some grumpy comments.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

It isn't my strong suit, so I don't do hardcore smutty scenes. Vanilla, not kinky. Most of my stories are rated T or M.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

How would I know?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Almost all of my short fiction has been translated into Russian, a few into Chinese. I feel very lucky to have such dedicated translators. Special thanks to Little_Unicorn.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I'm not sure I'd be an ideal collaborator, being rather set in my own way of writing.

I have read beta on a macro level for a couple writers, and had a few do the same for me. Collaboration on the talking level is good, and I'm always open to that.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

Sherlock and John, in any iteration.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

The Secret of Agra - four years in the making, my oldest WIP. I think I actually can finish it, and am moving in that direction, but still waiting for inspiration in a couple of areas.

Another one, The Sibylline Book, is languishing because I keep putting it off. Very plotty and I don't always have the brain for that. It too will be written!

What are your writing strengths?

General language skills: I have a good vocabulary and know my comma rules.

Plotting: readers often admire this, and I do put a lot of effort into it, so I'm glad to have that positive feedback.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Impatience. I skip the boring parts and call it minimalism.

Once I would have said that my writing is too sentimental, but with fanfiction, that is not possible. 😉

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I have done that, but only for languages I've studied, or at least dabbled in. And usually only for a sentence or two. If it's longer than that, it's something readers will just skip over.

Public Service Announcement: Online translators are often wrong. AI does not solve that problem.

An offer: my degree is in classical languages, so if anyone ever wants a Latin translation of something, I am happy to be asked. Please: do not use an online translator for Latin, even just for a title. The grammar does not lend itself to AI translation. Ask a person who has studied Latin. (Ask me!)

Proof; just google it: Bad Latin Tattoos

I might say that about modern languages, too. Unless it's a hello-how are you conversation, ask a native speaker, just to be sure. There are many on AO3!

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Trek. Please don't ask. We all do silly things when we're thirteen.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

I read in a few fandoms besides Sherlock, but writing in a fandom requires a lot of background knowledge I don't have. It is a labour of love to know a fandom well enough to write in it convincingly.

What's your favourite fic you've written?

The Last Envoy.

Like most writers, I write the things I want to read, so I don't like choosing favorites.

This one is special to me, though. It was inspired by a few things, but the ideas and world-building are all my own. I'm glad I wrote it, and that so many people love it.

I'm not sure who all has been tagged, and it seems like tags aren't working for me today, please join in if you want to! No pressure. 💕

[theromaboo]

The Ninth Day of Julius Caesar

As a person who enjoys looking at retrospective diagnoses maybe a little bit too much, I have read quite a significant amount of works regarding Julius Caesar. He is traditionally said to have had epilepsy (though we don't know for sure if it's true or not) and so many people have done medical speculation over him over the years.

However, no one's perfect!

My favourite source on this topic will always be Julius Caesar's Disease by Francesco Galassi and Hutan Ashrafian. It's a very neat book about the history of this topic and it looks at bunch of other people's theories, but mainly it argues that Caesar did not have epilepsy but transient ischemic attack. I don't like it because I hate the epilepsy theory and really like this new theory (I consider myself to be neutral in this topic because we can never know), I like it because it is the first thing I've read on this topic that actually had some common sense and wasn't making mistakes all over the place!

However, it's pretty recent, from 2015, and people writing between 2004 and 2015 couldn't use it, so they all went and used a source I don't really like.

Enter "Dictator Perpetuus: Julius Caesar—Did he have seizures? If so, what was the etiology?" by John R. Hughes.

A hint about what I dislike about this source is that it was published in a medical journal. If a retrospective diagnosis work is published in a medical journal, prepare for good medical information but bad historical information. And if it is published in a history journal, vice versa. Context matters! Everyone publishing stuff about this are either doctors or historians and usually it's easy to tell which one the writer is.

Anyway, this one... it could be worse. It's certainly not the most diabolical thing you could read in the whole retrospective diagnoses of Caesar topic (that would go to "Searching for Neurological Diseases in the Julio-Claudian Dynasty"!) but there are a few parts of it that are very poorly done. And for some reason, the only parts that had any influence at all are the poorly done parts!

In the abstract, there is one silly sentence that is the bane of my existence: "His son, Caesarion, by Queen Cleopatra, likely had seizures as a child, but the evidence is only suggestive."

The evidence is only suggestive? I didn't know that was a euphemism for "I cited a modern historical fiction novel," because that's where the evidence came from. Historical fiction!

At least Hughes is pretty honest about where his information comes from and he does say that the only source for that is historical fiction and not ancient sources. But, why put it in?

Anyway, probably from the vague wording in the abstract, it's become a common misconception that Caesarion had epilepsy. People keep saying that and citing this work but if they had actually read it, I don't think they would've been impressed or convinced. Because in the text itself, it's clear that the source is historical fiction! It's only ambiguous in the abstract.

Maybe Caesarion did have epilepsy, we don't know much about him, but there is no evidence at all because historical fiction doesn't count as evidence.

This is actually mentioned in Julius Caesar's Disease! Unfortunately I cannot find the book right now, but I remember that it basically said "I like Masters of Rome, but I don't cite it!"

The author of one of the historical fiction novels actually said in the author's note "This detail about Caesarion I made up and there is no ancient sources that support it. It's not completely impossible, but don't cite this," and guess what happened? I feel so bad for her. If I was unwillingly the cause of a misconception, either my ego would balloon or I'd run away and become a hermit.

(Did you know that once an AI plagiarized me? I was talking to a chatbot about ancient Rome and I was really agreeing with it. I was like "wow this is literally exactly what I would write about this" and then I realised that it was literally exactly what I wrote about it because the AI had stole my words! Seeing my idea somewhere else certainly made my ego ten times bigger so maybe if I start a misconception it'll have the same effect?)

What's funny is that if I had a nickle for everytime this happened (someone citing a historical fiction book in which a male teenager who had a famous father and could've been heir to him and who is a part of Roman history during the first century BC to the first century AD had a medical condition in the historical fiction novel that is not supported by any ancient source and then a bunch of people citing the person who originally cited the historical fiction book until that detail becomes a misconception), I'd have two nickles. How does this happen twice? And how it that the two historical figures are so similar too? This misconception (not the Caesarion one) made its way onto Wikipedia so that's fun!

I know this misconception isn't actually about Caesar, but Caesarion. It's somewhat relevant to Caesar so it's fine! Alright guys remember, historical fiction is not a good source. This theory about Caesarion doesn't have "suggestive" evidence, but no evidence at all.

I'm sorry that I've really been slacking with my series. And I'm sorry that today's post is probably completely unreadable (I was really struggling to make words make sense). I promise I'll finish eventually, because once I finish this series, I'll finally be free.

[etirabys]

I've been experimenting with "identifying as stupid and lazy" and it's going pretty well. This month I went to a Javascript meetup with the explicit goal of being slightly stupid there, got into an AI conversation, said a few coherent things, and then mentioned I just didn't want to put in the work into understanding e.g. transformers. Also I said as a simplification that I'd flunked out of linear algebra in college which isn't true (I got an A in linalg but flunked out of the ML course where linalg was heavily in use) but felt. WEIRDLY. pleasurable to say.

When I talked about this on Discord, one of them brought up Stupidism, which is from a good post @mark-gently made. But there's something about my wanton dignity-discarding that goes several steps further from Stupidism and feels very liberating.

Last year I read a weird... pagan?... book, Existential Kink, that invites you to notice how much of your life is shaped to bring about outcomes you supposedly hate, and how you secretly take joy in those outcomes. This seems false for the majority of things one tries to avoid, but leaning into it sure is interesting to try out! And I'm finding it is surprisingly true for "coming off as stupid".

There's something absurdly joyful/thrilling about deciding to go to a meetup and presenting as a moron. Some years ago I would have gone NOOO at the thought, and now I feel like an adrenaline junkie being invited to a new type of gambling event or weird sex thing.

I fully expect to tire of "identifying/presenting as stupid and lazy", but when I move on from it I expect to be more integrated or whatever. Less afraid of being stupid and lazy because I've just gone and done it openly.

One of the stupid things I said at the Javascript meetup was that I hate using libraries in almost full generality. I'm too lazy to read docs or troubleshoot my calls to other people's code. Someone recced me a different meetup for people who roll their own tooling, but warned me it was all male, because he knew I'd found all-male programming contexts stressful in the past.

In college I tended to not even really notice if a lab or a team was all male, because I was a top-half student and just felt totally secure about being in class. But I became phobic of it in jobs because I'm usually the worst dev in any remotely selective workplace, and being the worst dev AND the only woman sucks. I was ashamed of being bad at my job, obviously, but I was mortified at being the entity that diversity posters and mandatory trainings point at to say "if you think women are like that you are a terrible person and causing problems in society". But... I am like that. I guess for society's good I need to hide this as hard as possible?

(I solved this by going to a much less selective workplace and almost explicitly saying "I will be kind of a bad programmer, but I come cheap". I am pretty happy now.)

So, given that I got twisted up by that employment record, current me is delighted at the thought of being openly dumb at an all-male CS meetup. This wouldn't be good for the men (some of whom Want To Unlearn Sexism, etc) nor for Women In Tech, but it would be good for ME. Time to abandon class consciousness and defect on women for my own gain.

It is, well, yeah, existentially kinky to imagine going to this meetup and cheerfully asking dumb questions & occasionally responding with "I don't think I'm ever going to understand that, sorry, you should stop explaining that because I don't want to waste your time".

[hanasnx]

some updates while i’m here. i miss you! whether you’re a casual enjoyer of my blog & i see you in my notes, or my mutuals, or my followers, i’ve been thinking of you :) rare vulnerable moment i do cherish this blog and all your well wishes. thank you very much. i was right, typing is a huge strain and taking a break has been very good for my hands, so i’m going to keep at it.

some things:

don’t be afraid to keep sending me asks! they’re a great joy to me, i love seeing a notif in the inbox. i’ve gotten a fair few already that i’m excited to respond to when i can come back.

i did post a fred weasley drabble and not that i have to explain myself but i wanted to say i’ve been watching the harry potter movies. i’ve never seen them in their entirety, and the earlier ones have always been christmas movies in my house so to speak so i figured id give them a fair shot. i did read the books, and i’ve seen bits and pieces of the movies (hence my interest in fred weasley when i was a tween, but seeing him again made me wanna write for him for the first time in years)

also! a very kind anon told me earlier that my response to someone wrongfully making an ai chat bot of my content was an overreaction. it was “not that deep,” i believe was the colloquial term used. so the inherent content theft of ai invading free creative spaces is solved everyone! well done! very special thanks to the anon that let me know i was overreacting towards something i am passionate about and had a strong feeling towards! wow :) i never would’ve seen it like that. genuinely i am sorry anon that you’re ugly irl and your mommy doesn’t love you, which is why you feel like you can’t have a backbone over certain things. maybe you should stop consuming the free content creators provide on tumblr because you feel so secure in criticizing the selfless service <3 it’s giving: “im an old bigot that thinks ppl must be talentless and stupid when they work at mcdonald’s, but i’m still going to eat the food from there.” you’ve been blocked btw so you’re not offended by my use of free will when making free content on the internet for your grubby little hands to get a hold of and your smooth brain to criticize my right to share my personal opinions.

because the internet is the way it is, getting “hate” online has never really bothered me since i’ve always been a person with a large enough platform for years. it’s very easy for me to ignore and block and never answer whoever has decided to send some worthless hate message. which is probably why i almost never get hate anymore but it does happen occasionally. this was different since it wasn’t an attack on me per se, more so someone trying to admonish me for having a fair reaction towards something offensive. so i’m here to tell you it’s alright to treat strangers on the internet as strangers. you’re allowed to reinforce boundaries. you’re allowed to tell people you do not appreciate their actions towards you, and don’t leave room for argument. i am a very direct person, which means i told that person firmly that they needed to delete that ai chat bot they made of my au without my consent. and i did it without remorse. and i was told “it wasn’t that deep.” well it was. and it is. it is that deep because it’s deep to me, and i know it’s something that happens to others and it is that deep to them too. so what’s the problem in it being that deep? there is none :) let things be deep. be sincere. it is very important.

also if you make ai chat bots without creator’s consent when using their content you’re a piece of shit and doing a disservice to the very person you’re trying to exalt. take a step back and reevaluate how ai harms your interests rather than progresses them as well as the creators you claim your respect and cherish. you’re a victim of propaganda, my friend! and i prolly wouldn’t have made this post if anon hadn’t said anything. so maybe they should’ve kept their mouth shut since they didn’t wanna see shit like this so bad lmfao

now that that’s out of the way, i am sending wet fat sloppy kisses to everyone’s lips tell me when you receive them

[soaps-mohawk]

I hate that these anons are being so disrespectful towards you. Like this is literally a gift you are giving us. We as readers are not entitled to any part of you that you are not comfortable giving. People need to realize that there is an actual human being on the other side of their phone and not some fic writing machine that just magically spits out 10k words a week every week. Writing can be so exhausting and frustrating when the words aren’t wording right. You are the most important person in your life (not the shitty anons and not even the kindest of readers) so take care of yourself when you need to. We will be here whenever you’re ready ♡

Yeah, people like that have been a problem since before I was involved in fandom and fanfiction. There's always those that want us to write like machines and just put out a chapter a day, but it doesn't work like that. It's one thing if you're getting paid to write, and something else entirely when it's just a hobby. Life gets in the way, even if you are getting paid to write. Capitalism, consumerism, and AI have only made it worse. People have come to expect just a constant stream of content, but it takes time to put out good content, no matter the medium. There's no patience for quality anymore, and it's sad honestly. People would rather take a constant stream of mediocre every day instead of waiting a week or two for a masterpiece.

I'm just gonna take my time because then I know I'm putting out something I'm going to be happy with, because in the end, that's who I'm writing for. Me. I'm sharing it because I want to. If that anon is so pressed, they can go read published books, or they can just stick with the thousands and thousands of already finished fics that exist. They won't hurt my feelings if they unfollow and never read my works again. In fact, I'd prefer that.

Thank you for your support, love 💚 I appreciate it. You and everyone who have been understanding and supportive in this minor delay.

[desultory-novice]

Got your reservations, eh? (Feel free to DM or disc if you'd rather not air 'em in public)

Oh no, I'm HAPPY to talk salt about the novels!(1)

(1) Prepare to find out why my nickname is "Salty Dess"

...Now, I probably shouldn't be. I really hate to complain about someone's work when I know that alllll sorts of stuff go into the creative process. Including real human stresses about life and deadlines and having to meet various corporate imposed standards. Writing in accordance with reading levels, brand image, etc, etc. Even with all those piled on top, we're not yet in the dark future where AI writes everything and that should be celebrated! Even an author with flaws/hangups means they're still human and it's human-made art I want to see discussed, studied, and cherished! 

Though...

...Man, just WHAT is up with Takase-sensei's treatment (or lack of??) of Magolor and Kirby's friendship! Why is it like this?? Where is she GOING with this for three, or really, five books now!! (2)

(2) I mostly ignore Dreamy Gear and Kirby Clash in this lengthy rant, but those don't treat Magolor much better.

-

Actually, before I get started, brief tangent:

Probably the thing that gets the most groans from me is Takase-sensei's Meta Knight bias. Back when everyone was speculating if we'd get a Magolor Epilogue novel or not, I was so CONFIDENT it wouldn't happen I would have put real money down on it, because there was no way for her to work Meta Knight in. And Takase-sensei always works Meta Knight in. Usually in a leading role. Lo and behold, the Magolor Epilogue novel didn't happen. Now, I'm not the person to talk bad about having a character bias :cough: Marx :cough: Magolor :cough: so I won't, but I also won't hesitate to note that she is showing a pretty obvious bias there.

-

So, back to Magolor and Kirby. By now, it should be clear I'm someone who thinks really highly of their bond. I've always thought of (the original) RtDL as a tragedy. I just refused to believe that the takeaway of that game was supposed to be "And that's why you should always be cautious around strangers, kids!"

I suppose there was always the turn-around that Magolor seems to be in trouble but it was actually the ship that was in trouble the whole time, but that "rescue the princess" narrative went out the window a year later when Magolor and the Lor are depicted as loyal partners again in Dream Collection. A bond that is staunchly re-affirmed in Star Allies.

If the point is not to save the Lor from Magolor, what is?

Now, I also think that RtDL DX's many (subtle) changes to the narrative were informed by a desire to grow Magolor's character after a decade of fan speculation and brand growth. And I think he was consciously MADE into more of a tragic figure as a result.

...True Arena...

But there always had to be something to inform that growth. And even in the original, he has that "Let's always stay friends!" line.

So, RtDL gets adapted in book form and Takase-sensei seems to do her darndest to like... write Magolor out of his own story? Which becomes especially weird when you take into account the Labyrinth novel, where Magolor is a villain all the way through.

Now, unlike most other Magolor fans, I actually kind of like that book. I thought the idea that everyone calls Magolor out on being sus in the beginning was pretty cute coming so soon after his villainous turn.

I think the joke where he uses the mirror to become all powerful but just becomes a giant, funny-looking squeaky toy is hilarious. I think the fact that Takase-sensei highlights that Magolor does.not.know. the different between fighting Kirby and playing with him is probably the smartest thing she's ever written about him.

It is, in fact, something that informs my own characterization of Magolor. At least, the implication that he's been too alone for too long to know how to socialize with people properly.

And there's his breakdown in the end that it's not fair that he lost because he's never had any friends! (Marx: "......") The fact that this appeal causes Kirby to spare him and then he runs away and steals Kirby's cake was also cute in a Saturday morning cartoon freeze-frame ending.

It wasn't an amazing novel (what I really dislike in it is how Takase-sensei characterized Claycia. What the HECK was up with that? She's just...crazy and mean about art to the point that she leaves her girlfriend best friend in tears randomly every other week, I guess?) but it was fine on it's own...

"If only the story ended there..." to quote Smash Bros (EU)

So yeah, Starcutter and the Lying Wizard once again gives Magolor like one or two moments of interesting pathos, generally involving the Lor. But then Takase-sensei refuses to let Magolor build any bonds with the mains or let the mains bond with him.

Nope, we have to spend an unnecessary amount of time in Raisin Ruins with Meta Knight explaining to Kirby about how dangerous that mysterious new power might be when, oops, it never actually turns out to be dangerous! 'If you put the gun on the mantlepiece in act 1, someone has to fire it in act 2' is one of THE oldest pieces of writing advice in the known universe...!!!

And it's not just the wasted time on red herrings. (Or skipping Egg Engines....) It's the the whole concept of her leaving Kirby and Magolor becoming friends on the table that I just.don't.get.

If your heroes have no emotional stakes involved in fighting the big bad, that's... bad. Everyone knows one of Magolor's keywords is "betrayal." He "betrays" Kirby and the others. But not in the novel. They barely know him. He used them, but he didn't betray their trust or their friendship. Because he didn't HAVE either of those things to begin with. (Anyone remember the scene where Magolor calls the others "friends" and NO ONE responds to him? Because I do.)

Heck, I'd go so far as to say that the Lying Wizard barely LIED to them there. (Especially if you buy into him possibly being a secret descendant of the Ancients, born off-world.)

His offer to have Kirby be his lackey comes so out of nowhere. His offer to Chilly to rule the galaxy at his side in the manga, despite being based on a joke relationship, came off as so painfully sincere there that there are dedicated MagoChilly fans to this day!

And Kirby doesn't engage with him during the fight either. He responds to the things Magolor says with this "eener-neener nuh-uh" tone that is just... weird. I think most people have noted that Kirby comes off a little more mature in the novels than in other media. Still a "youth" by definition, but he talks and is capable of deep thoughts. But in the fight with Traitor Magolor, Kirby almost slips back into being an anime-esque infant. No thinking, no willingness to engage or even look at what he's fighting. (His one comment about the eye is almost embarrassing given the lack of everything till then.)

...Oh and DO NOT get me started on the fact that Takase-sensei specifically make the gang fight Magolor Soul and then changes his last words so it is now a meaningless groan of defeat?! I was SO upset at that choice (why not stick with his regular form in that case) but I told myself, hey... it's not like we know with definitive proof what Magolor Soul is actually saying...

...

Oh, NEVER MIND, WE DO. And we know via the end-of-book text that Takase-sensei had access to everything she would have needed to write an informed Magolor Soul battle.

No. For whatever reason, making Magolor unrepentant in Labyrinth, making Kirby disinterested in the person who would later go on to say (... in the remake) that he hoped to be Kirby's most reliable friend in this or ANY dimension, and, oh, lest we forget...

There's the Samurai Kirby novel...

So, I mentioned above that I knew there wouldn't be a Magolor Epilogue novel. But I had to admit I was a little surprised we'd get an adaptation of the Samurai Kirby game to go along with the release of RtDL DX. It felt like an odd choice at the time.

Slightly less so once you know the plot so, okay... Here's what's weird about Samurai Kirby. And I'll try to keep it short and vague but talking about Magolor's role in it necessitates SPOILERS.

...

Magolor is the bad guy. Again. Yes. And he makes a passing attempt at getting Kirby to be friends with him this time too and Kirby once again refuses to engage with him and then, Magolor says to himself that he could never imagine being friends with Kirby.

...

I just want to point out once more that this novel came out two weeks after RtDL DX. We go straight from a game with Magolor using his vast magic powers to help Kirby out of pits and bring him food at regular intervals, a Magolor who, at his worst, begs Kirby for help while Kirby's own inner voice encourages him to "...save a new friend" and also a Magolor fighting through a hell-parallel to get back to "...his friends." And just...

Why would you write that, Takase-sensei?! Why would you write that book NOW?

And now we come to the present. And I've gone from upset to...mildly curious. Because the most interesting things about Magolor in the Samurai Kirby novel is that A) He says he gets the feeling maybe he and Kirby knew each other in another life and B) His goal is to get to a place that is OBVIOUSLY Halcandra. It's not written in Katakana but the place name and the methods Magolor wants to use to get there make it really, really obvious. It's either Halcandra or the Samurai Kirby equivalent. Except that I think he really IS trying to get to THE canon Halcandra.

DX has now canonized Magolor as "the dimensional traveler." So it's not strange at all if these curious AU worlds and events start to occur around him/because of him.

While I'm currently pretty apathy for the way Takase-sensei writes Kirby and Magolor's friendship currently, I can't help but wonder if this dimension stuff isn't all building up to something...?

At the very least, canon Magolor built Magoland for Kirby and friends, so either this novel will HAVE to acknowledge that or...no one will mention that and we'll have another book where Magolor is the villain (...because come on, he's probably going to behind everything in this book too. After being consistently sus through all his novel appearances, it would be weird and jarring if he were completely innocent this time) and it'll end with him and Kirby coming to an "agree to disagree" relationship.

Or maybe this time, things will be different and it will end with Novel Kirby and Novel Magolor actually becoming friends in a way that mimics their game selves.

I really can't say for sure. But those...

:pauses to take a breath:

...are my reservations.

-

Brief Bonus: So, before you file everything I wrote up above as the ramblings of a crazy aspie, I am not the only one who has taken notice of Novel Kirby + Novel Magolor's non-friendship.

A couple of fanartists I follow on Twitter have even begun drawing humorous comics about things like "...threatening Magolor with Novel Kirby if he doesn't behave and it working" or "...Novel Magolor complaining to Game Magolor that he just can't get Kirby to like him." So, the vast difference in the treatment of their friendship (or lack of one) is something others have taken note of.

I'm not going to say anything like "I expect this novel to let me down too" in regards to Magolor. Nothing of the sort, really! I've come to terms with what the novel is, and I mean it that I'm curious if these Novel Magolors who continually fail to make a connection with Kirby will build up to something. Maybe something truly fascinating!

And hey, in lieu of (ever) having Marx appear, I can enjoy a villainous Magolor just in the meantime. (But seeing other people make fun of "Novel Magolor" definitely helped take the sting out of it.)

Phew...

I didn't realize I had as much to say about that as I did, but apparently, it was something I needed to get off my chest!

-

...Before everyone goes, just because I don't know when I'll next have leisure to rant about novel-verse problems but...

I want to say that I'm also a little :side-eye: about Takase-sensei having Meta Knight give us "word of god" evidence in the novel that the Master Crown wasn't evil, it was just Magolor's OWN inner wickedness that made it that way when A) even Star Allies casts aspersions on that theory and B) the remake brings out some credible evidence for the theory that the Master Crown is, in fact, AMAZINGLY EVIL. There is even reason to believe it was brainwashing Magolor almost from day one!

...But that's a story for another essay.

[tamelee]

fuck booktok fr it literally recommends the same ten books over and over again, mischaracterises or twinkifies half the characters and then act like theyve done no wrong when other book communities hate on them. LIKE BABES YOU LITERALLY TURNED LITERATURE INTO FAST FASHION. capatalism is at an all time high in booktok, with ppl having 200 physical tbr's and five editions of the same book. but if you say anything about it, you hated on for hating???? we really need to go back to libraries, its like ppl have forgotten those exist. anyway that was my small little rant hehe (sorry feel free to ignore)

Oooooh, book-community discourse is a thing? *-* Interesting. I do know they get a lot of backlash from the art-communities because every damn novel has one of three cover-designs and they all look the same nowadays. You can hardly tell the authors apart. Most are made by AI as well -.- (I mean, shouldn’t writers/authors and artists be on the same page about the matter? No? Imagine complaining about your writing being stolen and then using AI for your cover-art… come on now.) 

Feel free to rant always xD I’m actually happy to know I’m not the only one feeling weird about these 10’ish recommendations that you see over and over again. I picked one out that was Goodreads #1 bestseller once (2022, I believe) and seeing people rave about it and giving the monstrosity 5-⭐️ catapulted me to an alternative Universe to rethink my entire life. I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused. (Beautiful prose though, I’ll give it that.) 

((I put book-tok and -tube together because to me it didn’t seem like it’s much different? I don’t really use tiktok, but they all repost their vids and recs through yt-shorts. Not sure if putting the two together pissed someone off then, but please do correct me if I’m wrong.))

Yeeaaahh, you’re right actually. I never really sat down to think about it, but that analogy you made is pretty brilliant. I mean, it’s sad, but a lot do treat books like fast fashion from what I’ve seen. I may not like majority of these ‘trending’ books, but treating a piece of work that way (cheap and trendy) hurts my book-loving heart a little. If ever possible in the future, I’d love to have a library in my home with my favorite books. (Dark academia style of course.) I usually only buy a physical copy if I really liked it after reading the digital version. Unfortunately around here, most libraries have closed :( So I’m afraid you’re right about that as well— people really have forgotten. 

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary399

10/25-26/24

friday - saturday

at the bookstore decade anniversary, i saw the writer andre aciman read.

the writer of call me by your name. i've not seen that movie, or read any of his work, his new book roman year. the excerpts were good but the best bit he read was when he was, at 16, reading from this book of case studies of perverts, 'inverts', spit fetishists, incest lovers, and so on, and his fascination and thought, the world of sex unfolding before him, he could be any one of these, 'as if i read a horoscope and all 12 signs resonated'. that's a loose quotation of him reading it. he also talked about himself, a more interesting man than i would have guessed. i suppose i had a much more positive feeling toward him than i expected, i also didn't expect him to talk about his wife...

a strange thing... or... i don't know... we were on the guestlist, a curated list, this was a special event, a lot of free food, really delicious desserts... this chocolate ganache thing, it must have been italian, my god... i had like... 2-ish. 1.5, if i'm kind to myself i guess. i feel stupid like i overate today. i feel so disgusting honestly and i kinda wanna make myself puke but i won't but tomorrow i'm really gonna try hard to not eat really. tomorrow. i don't know. i feel insane. for lots of reasons. i really feel... ugh. not going to type it out. i'll make myself spiral. i swear i feel so ugly and gross though and stupid and fat ugh i hate how i feel right now. but that's expected... not even from the food. even if it's felt a little much these past couple days... it's really because of a person i talked to today just spreading his lunacy...

anyway, here's a pic of me, i only got to take one, but i was trying to dress in an annoying skinny jeans way, to celebrate the hellp album kinda... not like, really, i just think this looks cute, but... you know... live in the moment even if it's stupid or whatevsss:

i took pics in the bar bathroom and i thought i looked better but the lighting wasn't really good and i think i look so ugly... so now i feel ugly because of that and wonder what i "really" look like if that makes sense.

anyway here's the pics from yesterday:

here's the ai thingies:

and here's an image from today i can't really explain or i guess i can. this person has made multiple people i know including myself feel totally crazy:

i know how weird it is, and evil, to take photos of people without them knowing, pointedly. but it feels warranted for what he is. i guess i'm just another evil person out here, in a world of them, one of the ugly evil things. i should jjust ddieeee.

i talked to one of the owners of the bookstore today, and a guy who helped make it happen, both from new york, as is the other owner of the store (the owners are this super cute gay couple), the owner talked about john zorn, i interjected at a point they were discussing nick cave, and i said i love the birthday party but later nick cave doesn't do so much... i like his used car salesman pathetic freak thing a lot, and that dissolves, the owner talked about him being like a preacher... but i dunno... he really doesn't embody the thing he tries on earlier albums as a solo artist even, the other guy, i'll call him publisher cuz that's a thing he does but it's all experimental stuff and i can't recall the imprint, talked about how he needed blixa to make him really special, which is true i think. i got to talk about rowland s howard a little. we went on, talked about silly music stuff, they showed up later though.,.. eventually we talked a little about dennis cooper, how he once helped a good friend of mine and how touching that is to me. he was like, i saw him getting interviewed back in nyc, he is a nice guy. and i was like, it's shocking to me, that he's out here, reachable i guess, i'm so used to it feeling so far away. he didn't say much to that. the owner asked if i'm a musician, it's strange how he guessed that, or i don't know, is it obvious? maybe my hair. i don't know, i talked about making music where i scream and stuff. they were chuffed it seemed. i didn't tell them who i was, or show them anything... why would i... it'd be so impolite right? the owner told me i should go to new york, i have the vibe. but my gf was like, i told her we can't, and we can't... all the people in new york seem to do anymore is post on twitter. but i also guess the people who don't do that do real things, but like, you know.

the owner talked about seeing naked city with just zorn and mike patton performing, a crazy show it sounded like, zorn going off on sax and patton just screaming and vocalizing. that's such a crazy thing to me to get to see... they're really cool, basically, the people i've met tonight, or these guys, i'm sure i'll never speak to them again.

and i loved seeing my other friends... but the person in the photo, he just drove some of us, or maybe just mostly my other friend and i insane... i can't go into all of it, he's like, okay, he's okay to talk about music w/ it's fun and i like chatting about new stuff i like and getting ribbed about being too into the hellp. but it's just, he was going crazy the whole time, being weird, he kept getting more violent as the night went on, tweaking kinda, and then, started hitting the table and stuff, no one really noticed, just, going crazy crazy, scary to watch and things and he'd make all these faces and try to laugh it all off even though it isn't something you can laugh off. he made my friend feel so bad, they dated briefly, it ended quickly, she still finds him so cute, and he's so pathetic you want to befriend him and help him not be what he is , what he is being miserable and fucked up about everything and just trying to make something happen and failing... detransitioning and becoming a fucking bus driver in colorado, not like i look down on that as much as i feel like it fucks me up how much a vision it is of some you know, ideal, he kept talking about how trying to be an actual blue collar worker is harrowing, and like, no shit poverty is fucking harrowing. but he saw gummo and it's like the first true film he got to experience, idk if there was any stuff that means nothing to him prior or if he liked stuff kids like and ignores that, either way, the owners of the bookstore showed it to him, and they love him, and it's just intense and difficult i dunno.

as the night went on, he kept saying like, let's go there, let's go there, jokingly because he really seemed pained by it and told me something like, it's starting to feel really bad now. and he grimaced like his arm was under a hydraulic press. and i wanted to help him, and i felt so guilty, like it was my fault, i kept saying i'm sorry, i know i joke a lot, but i mean it, sorry you feel bad, i'm not like making fun of you i just like joking around (i asked if he smoked a certain way because of the guy from autechre smoking that way sometimes, and making a silly joke about how autechre sound), i know some people have the impression i mock them, but i'm really not, or something like that. he just stared like i was the one going crazy. he kept saying let's go to oddfellows, he like, then told my friend who did wanna go to hang out with him more, his uber's on his way, barely said bye to her and refused to say bye to me it seemed like, and went off.

she ended up calling my gf crying, miserable because of him. she feels so awful. he's so stupid, such a bad person basically. and i know it... he like dated one of my friend's besties, too. she's in la!!! he just gets around, all over, torturing women.

so, yeah, that's like... it.

listening to this a lot, feeling crazy. this album is great... the hellp, i am certain have hurt women though. i feel fucked up about everything. i dunno. i'm just stupid. i'm stupid and ugly and unhappy i feel bad for all these dipshits in the world. why do i know multiple people who go to the midwest because of fucked up fantasies of being "real"????? it's torturous. the fantasy of blue collar reality, poverty romanticism, being 'base' in some way i guess. and it always fucking has something to do with harmony korine who is definitely a hack now even if i do love that film, gummo... fuck this stupid planet. why are there beautiful and kind people and this wide a range, it's torturous to me. it's just one silly night, not even bad. i ate like a stupid fat pig for free and i even had a shirley temple... wow whoa... whatever...

i wanna throw myself away, i feel like if i were meaner, fewer people would be miserable and stuff. maybe. i don't know. maybe i was really mean and i should have been nicer or something. i'm just crazy. i hate that people can destroy other's self esteem so easily, and that they either don't realize how fragile that is, or they do it intentionally. why would he hurt her so much by being a prick like that, not even saying bye gracefully? not even making an excuse about losing her number, or... deleting it at all. i hope they don't ever see eachother again.

guhhh, i don't know. there's so much wrong with the way people turn to reaction, i hate that i witness it so much. or reveal their reactionary tendencies. it's just terrifying.

there's nothing i can do i just hafta sleep to feel normal in the morning. and then i go nowhere tomorrow. i can cook, i can draw my silly fan art, or other stuff. i wrote a little tonight cuz of this too at least. that's nice.

so,

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[glennsparadice]

Do you want to talk about the ending of AOAS? I saw you posted about it and same same same. It's been years for me and I'm still devastated. On one hand, I'm so proud of Greyson because he did the right thing for his future and his character arc, but on the other the Thunderhead needs a massive hug so bad 😭

What did you think of "53 seconds to sunrise?" It's my favourite scene and I will never get over it, and it hurts so much because the Thunderhead got to see one brief, perfect glimpse of everything it could never have and then it had to force itself to let go, knowing Greyson would probably end things the way he ultimately does. Also, what are your thoughts about Cirrus?

yes! yes! I love talking about books :3

for the final hundred pages of the toll, i could NOT put my book down, i was so deep into reading, everything was so vivid. and i was very entertained, as well as nervous, as well as curious. the only moment i had to pause for was when uh Greyson and the Thunderhead had their little talk

i genuinely did not see that coming, my heart started racing (and i cried a little) Tbh before I started reading the series i didn't even know there would be an AI character, but sometime during the first book, when Citra spoke to the thunderhead, I thought....oh my god... possible new AI added to my favorite AI pile??? It quickly became my favorite character during the second book, and I loved the Thunderhead and Greyson's dynamic.. so sweet, so wholesome,, I WASNT EXPECTING PAIN

makes it sadder cuz of how compliant the thunderhead was to greyson's demand. it didn't beg for forgiveness or ask greyson to think things through. it knew greyson had made a choice, and this choice - despite the pain it brought them both - was the correct choice. a truly benevolent and loving AI.

I think the thunderhead's ending is sadder than most AI stories I've read (so far) because of how strongly it feels love. Hate is a strong emotion, but so is love. The thunderhead loves humanity and does its best to make the perfect choices. It calls itself perfect, and it is, in a way.. just like it has imperfections, in a way. I think it realizes how much it longs for and how much it lacks. And it also definitely knows that its love for Greyson has influenced its life so much. So, to take that all away, and simply live with the fact that you love still, and love always, and love patiently, but hurt much worse... "I will be alone. I will be alone, but it is right that I should be. It is necessary." ARRRGHHHHWAAAHHH

anyway, i miss the thunderhead's thoughts in between chapters, but if we had gotten one for this chapter... i would be heartbroken forever

53 seconds to sunrise had me giggling... and tearing up. very bittersweet. imagining the thunderhead able to truly experience was so sweet, i thought if it had gotten a hug, it might have started screeching. (i mean it was already running in circles, my poor baby hasn't experienced everything, yet a simple sunrise and touch of a cheek makes it so giddy)

cirrus was so cute! i figured the iterations were the thunderhead (technically) speaking to itself, but like the characters, it took me a while to figure out exactly what was going on. in my head i read cirrus's voice as higher pitched than the thunderhead's, with more energy and youth. if a voice could have a color, Cirrus's voice would be yellow (at least that's how i see it.. idk if they share a same voice) i love that little AI and its constant saying of "actually, no."

great series but I fear I’ll always be a little sad because of it 😿

+ some screenshots from my insta spam of my live reactions to these scenes

[hlovescincy]

Mini Review: 5 Things I REALLY liked about "It Ends With Us" movie, and a few things I liked a little less.

📌 5 Things I liked...

1) Casting was fantastic. I remember seeing Justin Baldoni's cast search video when they were trying to find a young Blake Lively, and I scoffed at the time bc how is it possible to match up someone to her gorgeous face? But they actually did! She looks so much like her, that I almost thought it was AI over Blake's face, until I just looked it up.

2) Casting was fantastic, part 2 -  I haven't read the book so I don't know if it's true to those, but I thought every single actor seemed made to play their role. The leads, the supporting actors, everyone.

3) I liked how stunning the movie was visually. You don't always get that in dramas but you did here. All the scenes and shots of the city were beautiful, especially the restaurant and every single view of the flower shop.

4) I loved how real the love felt between all the characters. I think Blake Lively embodied love in the movie as Lily. Lily's love for Axel and her love for Ryle and her love for her mom... all of it she expressed so well. Sometimes movies about DV try to make it seem like there's no real love there and that one fell into a relationship strictly out of trauma - even though that's not how it usually happens. As heavy as it was to watch the main relationship, Lily and Ryle gave us a lot of purity to their characters so we could fall in love with them as a couple first... and feel the instant, and ongoing pain when it disintegrated.

5) I don't know anyone offscreen who has gotten out of a DV situation alive without being on the run for awhile, or some severe aftermath. But it make more sense in the movie because of the sister and law, mom, Axel and just the mere fact she had a strong support system. I am sure some people think it's unrealistic, but I think it's also important to sometimes give out hope. Some people are able to leave if conditions are right and they have other support. I think people can really use hope when 8t comes to the topic so I was glad for its inclusion.

📌 3 Things I liked less...

1) I wanted more Hisan Manaj. I would've liked to see how his character, Marshall, reacted after learning the truth about his brother in law. In all his lines I wanted just a little more of him.

2) It pains me to say this one: as someone who knows every lyric to my tears ricochet, I hated it's usage in the movie. It didn't fit the scenes it was in, not a single moment. My friend who was with me though didn't know the song and thought the words she heard were about having grace, until I explained the song is very much not that. So yeah it just didn't fit and I wish another Taylor song was chosen. Maybe it wouldn't be distracting to non-swifties though :)

3) Lastly, (and this is not about the movie as much as some of the promotion around it), I don't think a lot of moviegoers knew what to expect. Lots of people (including kids) there seemed prepared for a RomCom. After the movie, sadly I picked up conversations from girls walking out who were most disappointed that Lily didn't give Ryle more chances! That was hard to hear.

All in all I'd highly recommend the movie. See it by yourself or with friends whom you're always comfortable with. It's heavy and triggering and thorough, but it's all tastefully done. Great direction, cast, and levity to an important topic.